Volume Four, The Year of the Curtain, Chapter 204, White Banners in the Spring Rain
The night palace was silent, and the candlesticks dazzled like golden trees. Ning Que looked into the queen's eyes and said: "Shame brings courage and anger. If the anger can be released, what is left is courage. These are your exact words, and now we What needs to be considered is who will bear the wrath of the Tang people."
The queen did not answer.
Ning Que continued: "After the cession of Xiangwanyuan, the problem of war horses will be solved by the academy."
The queen shook her head and said: "No matter how strong the academy is, it cannot be created out of nothing."
Ning Que said: "Everything you lose from me will definitely be taken back in the future."
The Queen didn't understand where his confidence came from, but was finally convinced by his firm tone. After thinking for a moment, she said solemnly: "In that case, I'll sign it."
Ning Que said: "You can't sign it because you and your Majesty cannot be allowed to bear the anger of the people."
The queen said: "But you once said that the academy cannot sign because the peace treaty will eventually be reneged on."
Ning Que said: "Xiling Temple is fully prepared and will definitely ask me or even my senior brother to sign. As for the court, Ye Hongyu is right. We still have a way out."
The queen was extremely smart and immediately understood what he meant, and said disapprovingly: "The person sitting on the throne is my son, so I have to bear the corresponding responsibilities and obligations. There is no difference between the signature of anyone else in the Li family and my signature." ."
"At least it can form a certain buffer." Ning Que said: "As a member of the Li royal family, if you sign your name on such a peace treaty that is humiliating and humiliating the country, you can only die to thank the world. In order to alleviate the anger of the people, and Under the current circumstances, Queen, you cannot die."
"The academy has entered the world, Mr. Da promised to educate the children, and there will be no more disputes in the court. In fact, if you think about it carefully at this time, it is no longer important to the Tang Dynasty whether or not I am there."
The queen smiled and said: "And for me now, death is really not terrible."
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Naturally, it was impossible for Ning Que to push the queen to the forefront. He left the palace overnight and went to the prince's palace.
The candlelight in the study was dim, but Li Peiyan's face was still handsome and his smile was friendly. But there were a lot more wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, and his eyebrows that were once like swords had also become very soft.
"I have never had any big ambitions in my life. I just want to fill in the gaps for the imperial brother and represent the royal family to ease the relationship with the Taoist sect. At most, I want to be a wise king who will leave a name in history."
Li Peiyan looked at Ning Que opposite him, laughed at himself and said, "Now that I think about it, if I had not been born into the emperor's family and was sent to a certain county to be a prefect, I believe I would be more useful than I am now."
"This is the problem, Your Highness."
Ning Que said: "In this big era, the things you think about are too trivial and trivial. Moreover, you have made too many concessions to the temple over the years. Your Majesty doesn't like it, the academy doesn't like it, and the people don't like it either."
Li Peiyan said: "It seems that I am really useless."
Ning Que said: "These images are exactly in line with the role that His Highness will play, so I think you can still make some contributions to the Tang Dynasty and the royal family before leaving this world."
Li Peiyan looked at the candlestick on the table, looked at the dripping candle tears, and sighed: "You have ignored my existence since you killed Xiahou. I always thought it was because the academy put pressure on you for the sake of the emperor. , or maybe you have killed enough people, and the resentment you felt back then has subsided, or maybe you just wanted to keep me in fear of death, but you didn't expect that you were waiting for me here."
"No one can calculate what will happen years or even decades like Haotian, and it is impossible for me to think so far. It's just like what Third Senior Sister once said, some people are more useful alive than dead.
"
"The purpose is... to die at the right time?"
"Yes."
"Ning Que, you are indeed the most cold-blooded person in the world." Li Peiyan praised with emotion: "Now that the Tang Dynasty is in turmoil, it needs a cold-blooded and realistic person like you to protect it."
Ning Que said: "Everyone has the right to say that I am cold-blooded, but you, Your Highness, do not."
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I spent a sleepless night, not tossing and turning, but traveling around Chang'an City.
Ning Que left the Prince's Mansion and returned to the house in Yanming Lake. He went to see Ye Hongyu and said directly: "It is impossible for the academy and the royal family to go to Xiling Temple to apologize to Haotian."
Ye Hongyu said: "Yes, you can send a mission."
Ning Que said: "No."
Ye Hongyu thought for a while and then said: "Imitating the old events in the Southern Jin Dynasty, let Hongxiu Zhao go to the temple to perform a dance."
Ning Que said: "It may be possible, but it must not have an official status, and I have to seek their opinions first."
Ye Hongyu said: "Continue."
Ning Que said: "All the other conditions can be agreed, but the temple must ensure the absolute safety of the River Country. Regardless of Yuelun or Nanjin, any step beyond the River will be regarded as a breach of contract."
Ye Hongyu said: "There is no problem. As reciprocity, Tang State will also ensure the safety of Qinghe County."
Ning Que said: "This is already within the conditions of your temple."
Ye Hongyu shook his head and said: "For the safety of everyone in Qinghe County, including those Qinghe people who were stranded in Chang'an City during the war, the Tang State must release them."
Ning Que said: "It seems that this is the condition put forward by the Qinghe clans when they surrendered to the temple."
Ye Hongyu said: "If the temple can't even do this, how can it win the trust of hundreds of millions of believers in the world?"
Ning Que was silent for a moment and then said: "I promise you that once the peace treaty is signed, as long as the Xiling Temple coalition forces withdraw from Qinghe County, I will send those people in the Qinghe Guild Hall back."
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In the early morning, the spring rain fell again and the dust fell to the ground.
The Tang State agreed to most of the requests made by the Xiling Temple. Prince Li Peiyan solemnly signed his name on the peace treaty, and at the same time wrote his name on the pillar of shame in history.
The news spread, and the government and the public were in an uproar. No one knew what happened during this long night, and why the big shots in the palace dared to risk the disapproval of the world and actually sign the peace treaty.
The Tang people who gathered in front of the imperial city could no longer control their emotions. They cursed angrily and spat at the vermilion palace wall. Then some rumors from the old years spread among the crowd.
Those old rumors were actually not rumors, but things that everyone knew, such as the massacre of the village in Yanjing, the close relationship between the prince and the headmaster of the Xiling Temple. It once involved a murderous case caused by a certain Chun Dao sect in Chang'an City, so it was
The late emperor was demoted to a commoner, and his title was not restored until Li Hunyuan ascended the throne...
The palace door slowly opened. Li Peiyan walked towards the crowd. He was wearing a dark robe of black and red with gold, which made him stand out in the light spring rain that fell in the early morning.
Countless people looked at him with contempt and anger in their eyes, and some even tried to rush over and beat him.
A junior official in the yamen asked in a painful voice why, why the imperial court wanted to cede Dongshan County and Xiangwanyuan. This official's voice was really painful, as if he was bleeding.
Countless people were questioning, scolding, and cursing: Did the imperial court not want to take back Qinghe County? Why did they send back those traitors in the Qinghe Guild Hall?
The sound in front of the palace was filled with the smell of blood.
If it weren't for the heavy protection of the Yulin Army, Li Peiyan would have been torn into pieces by now.
Li Peiyan suddenly stopped and looked at the sea of angry people around him.
The expression on his face was very calm. The expression deep in his eyes was very complicated.
The crowd gradually became quiet.
"Why? There are not so many truths in the world. The Tang Dynasty needs time, so I will buy time for you. The Tang Dynasty needs peace, and I will fight for peace for you. How can the Tang Dynasty get along with itself when the whole world attacks the Tang Dynasty? Is it still possible?
Can you really be the enemy of the world? If you think that I am wrong, you can prove it to me in the future."
His expression was very indifferent, but the hands in his sleeves kept trembling.
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Li Peiyan returned to the palace.
Angry people surrounded the palace.
Students from the front yard of the academy and students from the Imperial College were in the city assisting the Ministry of Works in repairing houses damaged in the war. After hearing the news, they came here carrying countless broken bricks and stones.
The soldiers and guards of the Yulin Army stood ready, but their numbers were too small to deter the angry crowd. Angry slogans echoed around the palace.
Someone even carried out tung oil and lit a torch.
At the most tense moment, a sad cry suddenly sounded from within the walls of the palace.
A white flag stretched out from behind the palace gate.
Li Peiyan, Prince of the Tang Dynasty, died.
The street became extremely quiet. Looking at the white flag that was particularly desolate in the spring rain, people put down the bricks and stones in their hands, and the newly lit torches gradually went out.
Ning Que stood at the alley in the distance, watching this scene quietly.
There was no emotion on his face.
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Li Peiyan signed the peace treaty on behalf of the Tang Dynasty. For the Xiling Temple, it did not mean the end of the negotiations and the final victory, because the temple still needed the academy's signature.
If possible, they would of course prefer Mr. Da, who is known for his benevolence, or Mr. Er, who is observant of etiquette, to sign. However, there is only one worldly person in the academy, and that is Ning Que.
At this time, Yanming Lake was shrouded in smoky spring rain, but it was not desolate. All the envoys from the Xiling Temple and all the great scholars from the Tang Dynasty were in the hall. No one spoke, and everyone had different moods. Needless to say, there was no need to mention the Xiling Temple.
, Grand Scholar Zeng Jing and other officials of the Tang Dynasty had very serious expressions.
Everyone was waiting for Ning Que to come back and sign. Ye Hongyu was also waiting in the plum garden, but Ning Que didn't show up because he went to a place before returning to Yanming Lake.
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In front of the Qinghe County Guild Hall is Zhi Street, and behind it are lakes and mountains. It was also a misty spring rain at this time, and the scenery was very beautiful.
Several guards and more than 20 members of the Fish and Dragon Gang watched the movements around the guild hall with vigilance.
During the turmoil in Chang'an City that night, the children of the Qinghe County clans in the guild hall took advantage of the chaos and escaped. Afterwards, it took a lot of effort to capture these people. They did not want this kind of thing to happen again. If they were to know, the people in the guild hall would
These guys will be sent back to Qinghe County soon, and I don't know how angry they will be.
It was at such a moment that Ning Que walked into the Qinghe Guild Hall. He took the towel and wiped his hair that was wet by the spring rain, and brushed off the water drops on his clothes, as if he was going home naturally.