The moment he received the news from the soldiers, Li Zhen was stunned and stood there in a daze.
Guiliang is dying.
How is this possible? Gui Liang has always been in good health. Li Zhen then thought about it. He and Gui Liang met two years ago. This time he returned to Beijing and was busy dealing with things. He didn't have time to visit Gui Liang. For a person who is over 70 years old, two years may really change a lot of things.
Li Zhen quickly regained his composure, looked at Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, Zhao Liewen and others, and said: "My father-in-law is on his deathbed. I may be too busy recently, and I have to rely on you to handle things."
Zeng Guofan said in a low voice: "My condolences to the President, take care of yourself."
Zuo Zongtang said: "The matter has come to this, please put your health first as the president, the country needs the president."
Shi Dakai said solemnly: "The president can handle his family affairs with peace of mind, and I will cooperate with Premier Zeng in handling political affairs."
Zhao Liewen also opened his mouth to comfort him, and for a while, everyone spoke up one after another.
Li Zhenqiang smiled to himself, waved his hands and said, "Thank you for your concern. Go and do your own thing. I'll go back to the mansion." Li Zhen left the military academy with the soldiers and drove to the outside of Guiliang Mansion. The attendant guarding the gate knew Li Zhen. , there was awe in his eyes, and then he respectfully introduced Li Zhen into the mansion. At this time, the mansion was filled with sorrow. From the hostess to the maids and attendants, they all had sad faces and looked very sad. Li Zhen came to Guiliang's house. Outside the bedroom, bursts of sobbing could be heard coming from the room.
He stepped in and glanced around.
Guiliang's Fujin, a group of young wives, and a group of children were all gathered in the house.
After Li Zhen sat down in the room, Zhi Lan threw herself into Li Zhen's arms and started crying. Li Zhen had no choice but to comfort Zhi Lan with a few words. His eyes fell on Gui Liang, who had lost his breath. Liang had already put on his death shroud, and his beard and hair were meticulously combed, but his appearance was slightly deformed, unlike his original appearance. His eyes were slightly closed, giving people the impression that he was asleep, but not Dying person.
"Ho, ho,."
Not long after Li Zhen sat down, Guiliang made a sound in his throat.
He opened his eyes and his face turned rosy, as if he had returned to normal. Li Zhen sighed softly in his heart, knowing that this was the last moment of recovery. Once Guiliang fell into coma again, it would be impossible to save him.
"Li Zhen stays, and everyone else goes out."
The old voice came out, and all the family members in the house left one after another.
"Clang."
The door was closed, and only Li Zhen and Guiliang were left in the room.
Li Zhen moved a stool and sat down in front of Gui Liang, comforting him: "Father-in-law, take good care of yourself and you will get better." Li Zhen didn't know how to comfort Gui Liang, so he could only say some unnutritious words.
Guiliang shook his head and said: "I know my illness well. At this point, there is no cure."
Li Zhen was speechless and didn't know how to answer.
Guiliang said: "Hongyi, I want to ask you something."
Li Zhen held Guiliang's cold hand, nodded and said: "My father-in-law and I are relatives. As long as I can help, I will do my best to help my father-in-law complete it."
Guiliang looked grateful and sighed: "What I worry about is that after I die, a bunch of bastards in my family will be ignorant. Therefore, I asked Hongyi to take care of my family after my death. I can't worry about my family."
Li Zhen nodded and said, "Don't worry, father-in-law, this is what I should do."
Guiliang chuckled and continued: "Hongyi, I want to ask you a question. I hope you can answer me honestly. As a dying person, I won't let you have anything to worry about."
Li Zhen said seriously: "Father-in-law, please tell me."
Guiliang's eyes were fixed on Li Zhen without blinking. This gaze made Li Zhen feel uncomfortable. Being stared at by such a dying person, he wanted to turn his head away immediately, but the person in front of him was his father-in-law. , Li Zhen had no choice but to bite the bullet and said with a smile: "If your father-in-law has any questions, just ask them. I will tell you everything I know."
Guiliang took a deep breath, his breath seemed a little uneven. It took him a while to calm down, and he asked: "All the blood of the Manchu royal family has been drained. The young emperor, Cixi and Ci'an are also dead. There are no more emperors." Man, do you plan to be the emperor? If you don’t become the emperor now, what will happen in the future?”
Li Zhen replied without hesitation: "Father-in-law, I will not be the emperor now, nor will I be the emperor in the future. When I established the country, I adopted the American federal system and deliberately did not have an emperor."
"Why."
Guiliang asked.
Li Zhen's eyes were bright and he replied seriously: "I hope that China can continue to develop and not die halfway. To achieve this goal, the existence of the emperor is not enough. Perhaps, at a certain stage, a wise emperor will appear, and China To become a world power, but once a foolish king appears, it will be a devastating blow to the country. The only long-term solution is to curb the power of those in power, establish a perfect system, and promote the stable development of the country."
"Do not know do not know……"
Guiliang shook his head, not understanding what Li Zhen said.
Throughout his life, Guiliang had prominent positions. He served successively as Minister of the Ministry of War, Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Governor-General of Zhili, Bachelor of Dongge, Bachelor of Wenhuadian, Minister of Military Aircraft, etc. He was always working hard to make his official career smooth. .
He paid a lot for his rights.
At the same time, Guiliang has been enjoying the pleasure brought by power.
It is a pity that Li Zhen gave up the power that he could have held for his whole life.
This puzzled Guiliang.
Guiliang made a roaring sound in his throat. He felt very uncomfortable. His face gradually changed, and he said desperately: "Hongyi, officialdom is all about advancement and no retreat. You can only move forward, not retreat. I know the rules you set, but retreating You have to think carefully about whether you can escape unscathed when you come down. There is only so much I can say."
"I will definitely remember my father-in-law's teachings."
Li Zhen was in a low mood and extremely sad.
In fact, a big reason for Li Zhenneng's steady promotion was Guiliang's help. Now that the man who helped him is dying, Li Zhen feels uncomfortable in his heart.
Guiliang lay on the bed, looked at the mosquito net with his eyes wide open, and murmured to himself: "Actually, I also have a passion for the country and a heart to strengthen the country. It's just that when I encounter the world is uneasy, the country is weak, and I am weak-willed, Hongyi Ah, I envy you, I envy you..."
His voice gradually became weaker, his face changed rapidly, and he lost his breath when his head tilted.
"father in law,."
Li Zhen roared loudly, with tears rolling down his eyes. The man who had protected him, the man who had always been loyal to the Qing Dynasty in his heart, had completed his final journey.
The door opened and the family rushed in, crying loudly.
Zhilan cried like a tearful child, her eyes were red and swollen. Among all the children, Zhilan was the most favored one. Now that the person who doted on her left, Zhilan felt panicked.
"Pah, pah, pah,,."
The sound of firecrackers was heard and paper money was lit in the house, announcing Guiliang's death.