Li Ye walked into the west courtyard where his mother lived, and saw his eldest daughter at a glance. Her small body was squatting under the steps, looking at something with all her concentration. Next to her, there was another young girl squatting, pointing to the flowers and plants on the ground, saying something to her daughter?
Li Ye didn't recognize her from behind and thought she was a maid. He also squatted next to his daughter and asked with a smile: "What are Bao'er looking at?"
The little guy suddenly saw his daddy, jumped up with joy, threw himself into his arms, stretched out his little arms and hugged his daddy's neck, cheering loudly, "Daddy is back!"
Li Ye didn't squat properly and almost sat down. He quickly put his hands on the ground to support his body and said with a smile: "You little meat dumpling, daddy almost fell down because of you."
"why you?"
Only then did Li Ye see clearly that the girl opposite was actually the female Taoist priest Qing Yu. She was not wearing Taoist uniforms. She had worn her hair in a fairy bun for a month and a half, deliberately leaving a strand of green silk hanging down her face, and a hairpin in her black hair.
She has an emerald green jade hairpin, a crimson pleated skirt on her lower body, a green half-sleeved jacket on her upper body, and a light red armor.
The skin on her pretty face is as delicate as white porcelain, with rosy lips, a high nose bridge, a pair of big loving eyes, black as gemstones rippling in mercury, and a pair of delicate willow-leaf eyebrows that were born without any trace of makeup on her face.
She was pink and daisy, but she was also naturally beautiful, like a hibiscus that had just emerged from the water, or like a fairy descending to earth. She was so beautiful that Li Ye was stunned for a moment.
Qingyu lowered his head a little shyly, not knowing how to answer?
At this time, Pei Sanniang walked into the yard and said with a smile: "I asked Qingyu to help. Please help take care of Bao'er. Otherwise, how can I be busy?"
Li Ye quickly stood up, bowed and thanked, "Thank you, junior sister, for coming to help!"
Qingyu lowered his head and said sheepishly: "The princess gave me a lot of jewelry and clothes. I am a monk, why do I need these?"
Pei Sanniang said anxiously: "How many times have I told you, how can you be born out of the world if you don't join the world? Cultivation is about cultivating the mind, not about form."
Li Ye laughed dumbly. It seemed that his mother had spent a lot of time trying to brainwash Qing Yu, but it seemed to have no effect.
Li Ye smiled again and said: "This time I went to Jiangnan and met your father."
Qingyu's eyes lit up, "Ah! How is he?"
At first, her father worked as a lobbyist for King Yong and persuaded her to marry King Yong's son, which made Qingyu very angry. But a year has passed and Qingyu's anger has dissipated a lot. But after all, he is her father, and she knows
My father was not doing well in life and was prone to drinking, so he was also worried.
Li Ye smiled slightly and said: "Your father has resigned from King Yong and accepted my invitation to serve as my staff."
Qingyu said happily: "That's great, I just hope he can stabilize and stop wandering around. It's best to stop drinking."
At this time, a maid said at the door: "Your Highness, there are distinguished guests outside, please come and come."
Li Ye nodded, handed the child to his mother, thanked Qing Yu again, and then hurried away.
Watching her son walk away, Pei Sanniang smiled and said: "My son was a stupid cow when he was a child. He fought and fought all day long in Yonghefang, Chang'an. But when he was fourteen, he received a stick and suddenly he seemed to be a different person. His story is very interesting."
Legend, are you interested in listening to it?"
Qingyu smiled and nodded. Li Ye was able to settle down his father who had been wandering for half his life. For this reason, she felt a sense of gratitude towards Li Ye in her heart.
Those who came to visit Li Ye were Li Mi and Qiu Xuan, and they brought Li Ye important news.
Qiu Xuandao: "The news came from the Chang'an Intelligence Station three days ago. The Emperor sent Taichang Qing Li Yu as an envoy to come to Xiangyang to negotiate with His Highness."
"What are you negotiating for?" Li Ye asked.
Next to him, Li Mi said slowly: "The news should be accurate. The emperor has decided to transfer His Highness to be the governor of Longyou and Hexi."
Li Ye sneered, "It's really a clever idea to send me to fight against the Tubo army. Doesn't he know that I won't agree?"
"Of course the emperor knows, so he asked Li Yu to negotiate with His Highness."
Li Ye fell silent, paced back and forth with his hands behind his hands, and sighed for a long time: "I knew that the emperor would definitely take action against Jingxiang, but I thought that the emperor would make me the governor of Jiangnan West Road and Middle Guizhou Road, and order me to give up.
Jing Xiang, that’s why I personally went to Jiangnan to sell goods and at the same time win over the giant merchants in Jiangnan to prepare for the future annexation of Jiangnan East Road. I didn’t expect that the emperor would actually transfer me to Longxi and Hexi, which is completely the opposite.”
Li Mi smiled lightly and said: "But His Highness has also sold one hundred and fifty large ships, so he should have another preparation!"
Li Ye nodded, "Sir, you are right, my father's letter to me also mentioned the possibility that the imperial court would transfer me to Longyou.
So I did have two preparations, on the one hand I would go to Jiangnan, and on the other hand I would go to the northwest. But I thought it was more likely that the emperor would ask me to go to the south of the Yangtze River, but I did not expect that the emperor would choose the northwest in the end."
Qiu Xuandao next to him said: "It is said that Li Fuguo and Yu Chaoen advocated for His Highness to go to Jiangnan West Road, but Wei Jiansu firmly opposed it. It was he who suggested that His Highness go to the northwest, and the emperor finally adopted his plan!"
Li Mi also smiled slightly and said: "It doesn't really matter what plan they propose. What matters is whether His Highness is willing to give up Jing Xiang?"
Li Ye smiled bitterly and said: "To be frank, I am a little reluctant to give up. I finally controlled Jingxiang and gave up like this. I feel that all my hard work has been wasted. I have to go back to Longxi and Hexi to start a business with great difficulty. I don't know what I am doing."
Are you a fool or a smart person?"
Li Mi smiled and said: "But I think His Highness will definitely choose Longyou and Hexi!"
"Why?"
"Because after your Highness captured Chang'an, it was easy to destroy the Tang Dynasty. As long as you reached an agreement with Anlu Mountain at that time, Your Highness could wait for the Tang Dynasty to be destroyed by An Lushan and then start to establish your own dynasty. But Your Highness did not do this.
Choose righteousness.
At critical moments, His Highness will definitely choose righteousness over self-interest, and the same goes for going to Longyou and Hexi. Your Highness will never sit back and watch Longyou and Hexi being swallowed up by Tubo. He will definitely choose righteousness and regain the Han family."
Li Ye remembered this period of history very clearly. After the Anshi Rebellion, all the Tang troops from the northwest were transferred eastward. Longxi and Hexi were all lost, and Anxi and Beiting were eventually lost.
Millions of farming Han people became slaves of the Tubo people and were taken to Tubo to work as cattle and horses. When they looked back at their hometown for the last time, countless people were so heartbroken that they jumped off a cliff and committed suicide.
Although Jingxiang was prosperous and Jiangnan was a land of plenty, but thinking of that tragic history, Li Ye felt that this was the responsibility given to him by God to come to the Tang Dynasty.
The imperial court could eventually be wiped out during the An-Shi Rebellion, but after four hundred years in the northwest, the Han people were completely cut off. No matter how difficult it was, he had to shoulder this responsibility.
Li Ye finally nodded slowly, "Sir, you are right. I will never sit back and watch Longyou and Hexi be occupied by the Tubo people, nor will I let millions of Han people become slaves of the Tubo people!"
Li Mi nodded and said: "In that case, let's negotiate with the court! Get the maximum benefit and give up Jingxiang!"