Zhang Yang looked up at the sky and said: "Teacher always said that he could live for one more day. In fact, he wanted to die a long time ago. He often blamed me, a disciple, for allowing him to live for so long."
Sun Simiao smiled in relief.
Da'an's wedding was held in the village. Zhang Yang personally arranged a grand ceremony. Da'an went to Chang'an City early in the morning to pick up Zheng Gong's daughter and come here to get married.
Zhang Yang stood outside the teacher's house, waiting for Xiang Xiang and Da Su to come out.
Zhang Xiangxiang walked very slowly, bowed and said, "Thank you, the Marquis, for taking care of my old father."
Zhang Dashu also followed suit and saluted.
Looking at the two brothers, Zhang Yang whispered: "I don't want to have too many unpleasant things, at least let Da'an get married."
The two brothers nodded and went to the village entrance to greet Daan.
The village is very festive today, with red satin hanging everywhere.
A carriage came towards Lishan. Zheng Gong and Da'an were riding on the horse. When the carriage stopped in front of the village, Wei Zheng's wife helped her daughter get out of the carriage.
When Zhang Yang saw Mr. Zheng, he bowed and said: "Mr. Zheng, the wedding was arranged in a hurry. I hope..."
Wei Zheng stroked his beard and asked, "How is Zhang Gongjin?"
"Divine Doctor Sun said it will only last for the past two days."
Not caring about his daughter who was about to get married, Zheng Gong hurried to see Zhang Gongjin.
There was a festive wedding outside and the house was quiet. Wei Zheng walked to the bed and looked at Zhang Gongjin who was half lying on the bed and breathing hard.
"Mr. Zheng, are you here?"
"Why is your body so fast..."
"Alas..." Zhang Gongjin sighed and whispered: "Everyone has this day, Zheng Gong, there is no need to be sentimental."
"But you are younger than me."
"God doesn't want to keep this life."
Mr. Zheng's eyes were red and he was almost speechless.
Da'an's wedding was still going on, and the couple came together to serve tea to Zhang Gongjin and Zheng Gong.
Zhang Yang stood outside the house. There were many guests in front of him, including the dignitaries of Chang'an City, Li Daozong of the clan, Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong.
All the heroes who rode the world in those days are here.
Everyone walked into the room together and talked to Zhang Gongjin one by one.
Zhang Yang stood beside his wife and whispered: "I'm afraid the teacher has a lot to say today."
"Well, the teacher has never talked to so many people before."
The wedding went smoothly, but the weather was not kind and it rained today.
There were all the guests, and Zhang Yang and Li Yue cooked the food themselves. They cooked pots of vegetables together, and there was no shortage of rice, flour, and cakes.
Let today's guests eat and drink well.
Night enveloped the earth, and it was not until late at night that the guests dispersed. Li Yue took her daughter and his wife back to the room to rest for a while.
No one wanted to sleep more.
The three brothers Xiang, Dasu and Daan were also unwilling to sleep. Daan, who was newlywed, and his wife performed the conjugal ceremony and then stayed outside the house together.
Sun Simiao was taking care of her in the house, waiting for the situation to change at any time.
Occasionally coughing sounds could be heard in the house, and Zhang Xiangxiang asked uneasily: "Father, what's wrong?"
There were voices in the room, it was Sun Simiao speaking, "The phlegm is stuck in the throat and has been spit out."
Zhang Dasu covered his face in pain and was choking.
In the early morning of the next day, everyone was not looking very good. Zhang Yang cooked a pot of porridge and said to everyone: "Let's all eat some."
Zhang Daan took a sip of porridge and asked: "Brother, my father said that if there are any differences in the family, my brother will take charge."
Zhang Yang forced out a smile and tried to make Da'an feel more relaxed, "It doesn't matter, you three brothers each have their own strengths. We can arrange the future matters later."
Daan nodded and finished the porridge in the bowl.
Lu Zhaolin came in a hurry today, following His Majesty's order to check on his condition.
He hurriedly walked into the house, and after checking his pulse, he came to the same conclusion as Dr. Sun.
"If it hadn't been for me...I probably wouldn't have been able to support Duke Tan for so long. It would have been very difficult to survive until now."
Zhang Yang saluted and said, "Thank you, Doctor Lu, for coming to visit me."
Even though he had always disliked Zhang Yang, he now returned the courtesy respectfully: "County Marquis, there is no need to be so polite."
The wife of the wife has already made arrangements for the funeral, and the villagers from Zhang Gongjin’s ancestral land have also come. They came all the way through the starry night.
The teacher’s wife is in charge of everything after the teacher’s death, and only the teacher’s wife has this qualification.
Everyone was very tired and their hearts were heavy.
Zhang Yang asked Xiao Qingqing to take Yue'er back to the mountain to rest. He walked to the teacher's bed and drank tea in silence.
The teacher just closed his eyes and slowly opened them again, saying: "I dreamed of many old friends, Pei Yuanqing, Luo Cheng, Liu Heitai, Shan Xiongxin..."
Listening to the teacher talking about the names of heroes in those troubled times.
Those years were also the most glorious time in the teacher's life.
Zhang Yang smiled and said: "Teacher, those people are dying and leaving. There are so many people who miss the heroes."
Zhang Gongjin smiled and whispered: "I never asked you, what is your ideal in this life?"
"I remember I said many times that my ideal is for the Tang Dynasty to be prosperous and powerful."
"Easier said than done."
Zhang Yang added: "The soil in Guanzhong is becoming increasingly barren. I want to plant trees. I want to plant many, many trees in Guanzhong. The northwest needs construction. I think it is still too late. I have not reached a terminally ill state in Guanzhong."
"I will also rebuild rivers, manage the Yellow River, and control the Eight Rivers in Guanzhong. I will continue to instill ambition in the emperor and let the flag of the Tang Dynasty spread all over the world. Teacher, I actually know many, many treasures."
"There are many mountains of gold and silver in this world waiting for the people of the Tang Dynasty to dig out."
Zhang Gongjin asked: "How to do it?"
"In fact, when I was looking through the Sui Dynasty books, I found that someone said that Guanzhong was not suitable as a capital, and then the center of gravity of the Central Plains slowly moved towards Luoyang."
"Yes." Zhang Gongjin nodded and said, "There is indeed such a statement."
"So I want to keep the wealth in Guanzhong, so that the emperor will stay here. As long as the emperor can stay here, there is hope for the construction of the Northwest. Teacher, I will follow the instructions. This may take many, many years.
But I won't give up."
Zhang Gongjin smiled when he heard this, "Actually, you have always been angry in your heart. You seem to be chasing something."
"I am chasing after it. I want to lay a solid foundation for the Tang Dynasty before it is destroyed, so that it can be passed down."
Zhang Gongjin whispered: "Will the Tang Dynasty be destroyed?"
Before Zhang Yang could answer, Zhang Gongjin said: "I will."
"The teacher speaks profoundly, but the disciples cannot understand."
"It seems like you already have a plan in mind."
"Plans can never keep up with changes, so I have to hurry up. I have been catching up. I feel that Datang is still too young now."
"Well, it's too small."
After speaking slowly, Zhang Gongjin closed his eyes again. After just a cup of tea, he opened his eyes again, "What time is it?"
Zhang Yang said: "Teacher has only been asleep for a little while."
Zhang Gongjin shook his head and said: "I feel like I have been sleeping for a long time and had a very long dream. I feel much better now. Do you have any drinks?"
Hearing this, Zhang Yang picked up the wine bowl and poured a bowl of wine.
I heard the teacher's bright voice, and a few more choked sobs came from outside the room.
Zhang Gongjin took a sip of wine happily and said with a smile: "Good wine! Lishan wine is indeed better."
"Teacher, drink more."
"I just had a long dream. I dreamed of riding horses with them to fight in the Central Plains. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses galloped across the land of Qinchuan. Life couldn't be happier than this!"
I listened to the teacher talking happily for an hour, and finally the teacher's voice became lower and lower until he stopped talking and closed his eyes.
The wine bowl in his hand was still in his hand, but there was no sound.
Zhang Yang slowly took the wine bowl in his hand, walked outside the room and said, "Send the teacher off."
As the family members walked into the house, Zhang Yang said to Li Tai and Li Zhi outside the house: "Tell the whole village to change the red satin to white satin."
Li Tai and Li Zhi heard this and ran to do it quickly.
Under the gloomy sky, the funeral began.
The farewell team was very long. Zhang Yang and Li Yue were both dressed in white and walked at the back of the team.
The couple took their daughter with them, and even Xiong Da's body was wrapped in white cloth.
Little Qingqing very wisely did not speak, nor did she ride on the back of the bear, but walked along in the footsteps of her parents.
After passing through Chang'an City on the way to say goodbye, Zhang Yang saw a group of people standing on the top of the city from a distance. They were Cheng Yaojin, Niu Jinda, Li Daliang, Li Shimin and Li Chengqian.
The team walked all the way until they reached the official road leading to Longyou, and then everyone stopped.
The next route was accompanied by family members, and Zhang Yang and Li Yue could only watch the team leave.
Looking into the distance, the setting sun emerged from the dark clouds, and the farewell team was also submerged in the rays of the setting sun.
It was no longer visible, so the couple took their daughter and walked back.
Xiao Qingqing whispered: "Mom, I'm hungry."
Li Yue took out a piece of cake and handed it to her.
Xiao Qingqing walked and ate all the way. She still had a weak sense of life and death. She knew that the master would never wake up again and would never give her lectures again.
When we reached the entrance of the village, Li Yuan was standing here. He said slowly: "Leaving?"
Zhang Yang replied: "Let's go."
"Well, you should also express your condolences."
After returning home, the couple felt exhausted as never before and had not slept well for three days and nights.
Zhang Yang had a good sleep and slept until noon the next day.
As soon as I woke up, it was no different from usual days. When I walked to the mountainside of Lishan Mountain, I could see the teacher's former residence.
The door of the house was open. Standing on the hill, you could see that the door of the house was closed and the whole house was empty.
Zhang Yang sat down holding his forehead and felt uncomfortable in his heart.
The production in Lishan was still going on. After clearing his mind, Zhang Yang went to his library.
Li Yue devoted herself wholeheartedly to the work of mastering human resources.
Zhang Yang took the roster and joined in.
A month later, the three brothers Zhang Xiang, Zhang Dashu, and Zhang Da'an also returned to Chang'an City. As usual, they presided over various matters in the Ministry of Rites.
This month, Li Tai's Princess Wei gave birth to a son, who was born earlier than Cheng Chumo's daughter-in-law. The Chumo family's child also gave birth in the past two days.
The three of them haven't sat together and played cards for a long time.
Li Tai's brand is still as bad as ever, "Why did I lose again!"
Cheng Chumo snorted coldly: "A certain family has never won, and His Highness the King of Wei is making such a fuss!"
"That's too much!"
Li Yue, Princess Wei, and Chu Mo's wife were together, telling them things they should pay attention to when taking care of their children.
Xiao Qingqing was very distressed. She was worried that her little cousin would be as stupid as Li Xiang.
The fight at the card game was heated, and in the end Li Tai lost his temper because of his poor playing skills. He turned over the card table and said, "I won't play any more. Playing with my brother-in-law is just giving away money."
Cheng Chumo looked at the few copper coins left in his money bag and said, "His Royal Highness the King of Wei is right, you can't play cards with this guy."
Li Tai snorted coldly: "After losing money to my brother-in-law, I realized that this card was created by my brother-in-law. It's really abominable."
Zhang Yang put away the copper coins and silver cakes and said with a smile: "Shall we go fishing?"
"Don't go!"
Cheng Chumo and Li Tai spoke in unison.
"You are already a father, how can you show off your child's temper?"
The person who spoke was Li Shimin. Empress Changsun was also here. Her legitimate son Li Tai had a son, so she naturally wanted to come and see her.
Yan Liben also came together, and everyone gathered around the infant child to look at it.
Li Shimin named Li Xin and rewarded the King of Wei's family with many gold leaves, enough for a basket of gold leaves.
The number of relatives in the emperor's family became apparent at this moment. The clan members and relatives sent money and various rare treasures one after another.
Originally, the yard of Li Tai's family was not big, but now all kinds of gold, silver and copper coins were piled up in the yard, making the place full of glory.
Li Yuan held the newborn child in his arms and smiled with his old teeth showing, he was very happy.
The folk customs of the Tang Dynasty were simple and honest, especially since most of the emperor's clans were headed by military generals, so the gifts they received were all very real money. Only Changsun Wuji sent calligraphy and paintings, along with some money.
Zhang Yang saluted and said, "I have met Zhao Guogong."
Changsun Wuji nodded and said, "You still look as young as you did then."
Zhang Yang replied: "The last time we met was last winter."
"Well, I think you are almost thirty, but you still have the face of a young man... Well! You have more stubble."
"Actually, there's something I still can't figure out."
"you say."
Zhang Yang frowned and said: "Teacher said before he passed away that he returned to Chang'an City this year and did some things for me. I sent people to check. At that time, many people went to see the teacher. You are the only one who is the teacher.
I went to visit him only after sending the letter."
Changsun Wuji stood with his hands behind his hands, "What do you think Zhang Gongjin will say to me?"
"I can't understand."
"It's okay if you can't figure it out. Zhang Gongjin is also a first-class counselor. If his plan can be easily guessed, it will be worthy of his name."
After saying that, Changsun Wuji asked with some guilt: "He didn't tell you before he passed away?"
Suddenly enlightened, Zhang Yang smiled and said: "It turns out that the teacher must have expected that I would ask Duke Zhao."
Changsun Wuji's face froze and he murmured: "This old fox man is gone, and he still wants to scheme against me."
Zhang Yang added: "I wonder if Zhao Guogong can tell me."
Changsun Wuji stared at him and said slowly: "We can't talk about this matter. Once it is said, it will be useless."
"What is useless once you say it? Are you playing brainteasers with the teacher?"
"What brain teaser?"
"We have a kind of scroll in Lishan. It is mainly a guessing game. It is very educational. The teacher often read it back then."