Chapter 1,143 The reunion of the monarch and his ministers
Mrs. Li Cui held Li Qinzai's hand tightly, crying until she almost fainted.
The son she gave birth to was now so seriously injured that Li Cui felt as if thousands of arrows were piercing her heart. Every injury Li Qinzai suffered on the battlefield seemed to be inflicted on her a hundred times a thousand times.
Li Siwen held his arm with one hand and stretched out the other hand, as if he wanted to hug Li Qinzai. However, due to his father's majesty and face, Li Siwen stretched out his hand halfway and then retracted it.
Li Qinzai smiled bitterly and kept comforting Mrs. Li Cui.
Mrs. Li Cui couldn't find any comfort. At this moment, she just felt heartbroken. Her son, who used to be so lively and energetic, returned from fighting for the country, but now he was like an old man in his twilight years, with countless pains and illnesses on his body. He looked like this,
My mother's heart was almost broken.
After a while, Mrs. Li Cui finally stopped crying, and Cui Jie helped her aside and comforted her softly.
Li Siwen quietly wiped away his tears, then looked at his son, stroking his beard and said solemnly: "You did a good job in Goguryeo. You are worthy of being a descendant of my Li family, and you have not insulted your grandfather's reputation..."
Before she finished speaking, Mrs. Li Cui heard it and became furious: "What nonsense are you talking about? My son almost died after suffering this. Why do you still care about the prestige of the Li family? Are you satisfied that my son died for the country?"
"
Li Siwen was stunned for a moment, frowned and said: "You... Why are you such a woman so troublesome? Is this what I mean?"
Li Cui became even more furious and rushed over to argue with him, but Li Qinzai quickly stopped him with quick eyesight and hands.
"Okay, okay, we are old, but we are even more irritable than a young man like me. If we go home and close the door, we will be embarrassed in public."
The old couple finally put out the heat, and Li Cui pointed at Li Siwen with an evil look, with a strong hint of threat.
The family was about to enter the city together. Li Siwen inadvertently turned his head and suddenly discovered the blood-stained handsome flag in front of the team. Li Siwen couldn't help being stunned, turning sideways and secretly wiping tears again.
The couple helped Li Qinzai get into the carriage, and Li Siwen told him that when Li Qinzai was about to arrive in Chang'an City, some members of the team had already rushed into the city to announce the situation. The couple then went out of the city to greet Li Qinzai regardless of the cold weather.
At the same time, the Li family also sent people to the palace to report to Li Zhi, telling him that Li Qinzai had returned to Chang'an, and someone in the palace would definitely summon him to the palace soon.
As soon as the group entered Yanpingmen and walked toward Zhuque Street for an hour, they encountered a cavalry of imperial guards. Thousands of imperial guards were marching through Chang'an Street in a mighty manner, and passers-by retreated.
In the middle of the cavalry is an eight-horse chariot. The bright yellow ceiling on top of the chariot and the luxurious gilt decorations silently demonstrate the unparalleled nobility of the Tian family.
The cavalry of the imperial guards walked in a hurry, as if they were in a hurry. Except for the imperial guards, there were no accompanying palace people or any proper guard of honor.
Li Qinzai's team stopped immediately, and at the same time, the Royal Guards Cavalry on the opposite side also stopped.
Li Siwen opened the curtain, and Li Qinzai in the carriage saw that the chariot opposite also opened the beaded curtain. Li Qinzai and Li Zhi's eyes met in mid-air from a long distance apart.
When the two saw each other, they smiled at the same time, and then the smiles in their eyes were gradually blurred by tears.
Li Qinzai was carried out of the carriage by his subordinates, and Li Siwen and his wife supported him and walked towards the imperial chariot.
At the same time, Li Zhi also got off the imperial chariot, and the monarch and his ministers met again on Zhuque Street in Chang'an City.
Li Qinzai broke away from his parents' supporting hands and bowed down with difficulty: "Your Majesty, Li Qinzai, greetings..."
Before he finished speaking, Li Zhi stepped forward and held his arms with both hands to prevent him from bowing down.
"Jingchu, you have suffered." Li Zhi choked with tears.
Li Qinzai smiled: "Kill the enemy and serve the country. It is the duty of a minister. How can I say it is bitter."
Li Zhi looked at him and saw Li Qinzai's weak appearance, Li Zhi burst into tears.
"If I had known that letting Jing Chu lead the army would end like this, I would never have let you go on the expedition no matter what I said." Li Zhi clenched his fists regretfully and cried: "I was so confused at the beginning that I agreed to let you lead the army to conquer Goguryeo.
…”
"Your Majesty, please do not blame yourself. I voluntarily led the army. Besides...it is a great joy in my life that I am still alive."
Li Zhi sniffed and patted Li Qinzai's shoulder gently.
Next to them, Li Siwen, his wife and Cui Jie also bowed down.
Li Zhi waved his hand absentmindedly to show off his courtesy, then grabbed Li Qinzai's arm and said, "Come on, follow me into the palace, and let's talk about our farewells."
After saying that, he pulled Li Qin into the royal chariot.
Li Qinzai was shocked. Is the royal chariot suitable for ordinary people to sit in? As long as he dares to get up, the censors will definitely kill him tomorrow.
"Your Majesty, your Majesty, wait a minute! I can just ride in my own carriage. Your Majesty will go forward, and I will follow behind the chariot..." Li Qinzai refused hastily.
Li Zhi frowned: "What are you afraid of? You've already been in hell, why don't you know how to be more free and easy as a human being?"
"Your Majesty, I also want to be free and easy, but I am not courageous enough to be free and easy."
Seeing that Li Qinzai was resolute, Li Zhi did not force himself, so after explaining to his parents and wife, Li Qinzai got into his carriage, with the royal chariot in front and the carriage behind. Under the escort of the imperial cavalry, he slowly walked towards Tai Chi Palace.
go.
When they arrived outside the palace gate, Li Qinzai was carried out of the carriage by his troops. There was a group of eunuchs waiting outside the palace gate, and in front of the eunuchs there was a soft bag that had been prepared.
Li Qinzai stopped being pretentious this time and sat on the soft bag, and the eunuchs carried him into the Tai Chi Palace.
In the Anren Hall, the palace people lit a charcoal fire, and Li Zhi and Li Qinzai sat opposite each other. Soon, the sound of rings and rings was heard outside the hall, and Empress Wu arrived.
After Empress Wu entered the palace, Li Qinzai just sat up and was about to salute. Empress Wu hurriedly waved to him. Li Zhi pushed him back to his seat and said with a smile: "Jingchu has not recovered from his serious injury, so all the false courtesy can be avoided."
Empress Wu also smiled and agreed.
From the moment he entered the palace, Empress Wu kept looking at him with her phoenix eyes. She saw Li Qinzai sitting weakly on the seat, his face was unhealthy and pale, and his expression was quite haggard.
Empress Wu sighed: "The Goguryeo thieves almost destroyed the most important weapon of the Tang Dynasty. Jingchu alone can defeat thousands of troops of the Tang Dynasty. The loss will bring great harm to the country. I will not dare to take risks lightly again in the future."
Li Qinzai smiled and said: "Thank you for your concern, Queen. I will try my best not to risk my life in the future. I also want to live to the age of eighty without any illness or disaster before dying in peace."
Empress Wu chuckled and said: "Even though he was so seriously injured, he still has a smooth tongue. It seems that he was not frightened by the battlefield."
Li Zhi clapped his hands outside the palace, and the palace servants quickly brought out steaming dishes.
Li Zhi smiled and said: "Jingchu is seriously injured and cannot drink, but the delicacies of Jie Feng are still indispensable. Come and try the skills of the imperial chef in the palace. I think I will soon catch up with the taste of Ganjingzhuang."
Li Qinzai took a look and saw that the dishes were the familiar braised pig's trotters, stewed beef, bamboo tube rice and cooked sweet potatoes.
Well, every dish was stolen from his house.
Empress Wu sighed: "Your Majesty, I heard that Jing Chu suffered serious internal injuries. It is not suitable to eat meat and fish. The way you eat such big fish and meat..."
Li Zhi was stunned for a moment, then slapped his thigh: "I was negligent. Someone, please take away the vegetables and bring up some fresh and light seasonal vegetables."
Empress Wu looked at Li Qinzai's appearance and sighed: "The Eastern Expedition has been really hard on Jingchu. His energy and spirit are not as good as before. Your Majesty, why don't you call the imperial doctor into the palace to feel Jingchu's pulse and prescribe some nursing care methods?"