Li Qi looked at Zhang Boyu in front of him, his face a little depressed. Since he settled in this palace, he has not been clean for a day. Whether he is eating or sleeping, he may be disturbed. At this time, he was just about to have lunch when Zhang Boyu
came, which made Li Qi, who attached great importance to the quality of life, feel depressed and helpless.
It’s hard to be an official!
It is even more difficult to be a good official.
"What's up?"
Li Qi could only put down his chopsticks, because he could tell from Zhang Boyu's expression that this matter was definitely not a trivial matter.
As expected, Zhang Boyu looked solemn and said: "Just now news came from the south that the Champa Kingdom suddenly stationed troops on the border."
"oh?"
Li Qi's eyes swayed from side to side a few times. Good guy, you don't even need me to say a word. You are so self-aware. Is this the so-called tacit understanding? He asked again: "Is there going to be a war?"
Zhang Boyu said: "Not yet, but it is said that the situation is very unfavorable to our southern army. The Champa Kingdom obviously wants to fish in troubled waters and recapture Ma Ling, Bu Zheng and other places."
"You haven't fought yet?"
Li Qi scratched his head and seemed a little dissatisfied.
Zhang Boyu asked curiously: "Does the Privy Council want to start a war?"
"Of course - I don't hope, I am a lover of peace." Li Qiyi replied truthfully and falsely, "You must be overthinking it. They are deploying troops in the country, which is understandable, and we cannot interfere.
If you come to me, there is nothing I can do."
Zhang Boyu said: "But the other party's intentions are no longer obvious."
"But we don't have any evidence! What do you want me to do?"
"This---we should at least mobilize troops to defend this."
Li Qi snorted: "I would like to, but the army in the south has not surrendered yet. Who will my soldiers go to help?"
"Well...!"
Zhang Boyu was speechless for a while.
"Now we have no evidence, let's wait until we fight." Li Qi said carelessly.
Zhang Boyu said: "What if those troops in the south surrender to the Champa Kingdom?"
"That's a problem." Li Qi pondered for a moment and said, "Well, you send me a message to the south and say that the troops in the south are our enemies. Anyone who dares to take them in will be my enemy of the Song Dynasty.
But if anyone can help us clear the door, we will be very grateful."
When Zhang Boyu heard this, he thought, weren't you trying to push the southern troops into the pit of fire?
The Champa State was a big country, how could it dare to go against the Song Dynasty? After they got the news, they would definitely not dare to surrender those people, lest they cause trouble and burn themselves, but in this way, the troops in the south would be left alone.
All I could do was jump into the sea.
Li Qi saw that Zhang Boyu was still silent and said, "What? Do you have any questions?"
"Oh Nope."
Zhang Boyu was slightly startled, lowered his head and said: "I'll go and do it now."
"Go ahead."
After finally filling up the Five Zang Temple, Duan Zhengyan sent someone to ask if Li Qi was free tonight before he had time to digest it. The implication was of course that he was not looking for a date with Li Qi. I really hope that I can meet Li Qi tonight.
Strange interview.
Li Qi didn't want to delay it any longer, so he sent someone to invite Duan Zhengyan to come.
That night.
Li Qi and Zhao Jingyan were sitting in the Imperial Study Room waiting for Duan Zhengyan's arrival. Li Qi did not want too many people to participate in this matter, so it was always him and Zhao Jingyan who met Duan Zhengyan.
"I didn't expect Duan Zhengyan to give in so quickly."
As soon as Zhao Jingyan heard that Duan Zhengyan was eager to see Li Qi, she had already made some guesses about the purpose of Duan Zhengyan's trip.
Li Qi laughed and said: "This can only show that Duan Zhengyan is indeed a diligent king who loves the people. He knows that the longer he delays, the more he delays. He is not wrong, but it will be more detrimental to the people of Dali, and he also understands it.
The situation in Dali is out of control. Only I, Da Song, have the ability to help him in this world. If he is a little selfish, he can take the money from me and rush back to the country to stabilize the overall situation, but this will take a lot of risks.
No, the people of Dali will face another bloody storm, but any selfish person will risk everything for the sake of royal power, and Duan Zhengyan is obviously not such a person."
Zhao Jingyan nodded slightly and said: "I have heard before that this man is a man of great integrity, diligent in government, and loving the people. He is a sage, but he is controlled by the Gao family. Now it seems that the rumors outside are true."
Li Qi smiled and said: "If it weren't for this, I would have included Dali in the territory of the Song Dynasty long ago. How could I still play with him?"
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, "Privy Envoy, King Dali has arrived."
"Please invite King Dali to come in quickly."
"yes."
After a while, Duan Zhengyan walked in with Duan Shiwen.
"King Dali."
Li Qi and Zhao Jingyan stood up and bowed their hands.
Duan Zhengyan bowed back, forced out a smile and said: "Duan has come to disturb the Privy Councilor again and again. I hope that the Privy Councilor will bear with me."
Li Qi hurriedly said: "What is King Dali saying? We have a lot to talk about both in public and private matters. Either I come to you or you come to me. Having said that, King Dali often comes to visit in person.
I feel quite embarrassed, and I ask King Dali to forgive me."
"Where, where."
Duan Zhengyan has dealt with Li Qi several times, and he has become immune to Li Qi's polite words.
"King Dali, Brother Duan, please sit down."
Li Qi and Duan Zhengyan were still sitting side by side, with Duan Shiwen and Zhao Jingyan sitting on the left and right respectively.
"Duan was impulsive the day before yesterday---."
Before Duan Zhengyan could finish his words, Li Qi raised his hand and said: "Hey, King Dali, although my belly is not as big as yours, I, Li Qi, am not as fat as a chicken. Forget about those unhappy things. Oh, yes.
I wonder if King Dali has handled that matter well?"
Aren't you asking questions knowingly? If I had taken care of the matter, why would I come to you? Although Duan Zhengyan is not stupid, Li Qi is too shrewd and left no loopholes, so Duan Zhengyan is not sure about all this.
It was Li Qi who was causing trouble, but he didn't completely believe Li Qi. But now it didn't matter whether he believed it or not, because he had no choice. He shook his head and sighed, saying: "To be honest, I am
That’s why I came here.”
After a pause, he said: "I hope the Privy Councilor can help."
We are really under the roof. We have to bow our heads.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Jingyan's eyes flashed with joy.
Haha! He finally came to beg me. It wasn’t easy for me to set up this game. It’s time for me to reap the rewards. Li Qi immediately cheered up and said: "King Dali has made an appearance. I dare not say anything to others, but Dali
If the king needs me, Li Qi, just ask him, and I will not hesitate. Of course, this is only limited to my personal affairs. If it involves official matters, after all, I have the emperor above me, so I must do what I can. I also ask King Dali to understand.
two."
This was said very cheerfully, and it gave Duan Zhengyan a lot of face, but in fact, it was just as if he hadn't said it before. Duan Zhengyan is the king of a country. There is no need to beg you personally, Li Qi.
"I understand that."
Duan Zhengyan tentatively said: "The Privy Councilor must also know that Yao Kelong, Bai Maofeng and others now want to see the Privy Councilor. I won't go into details about the reasons. I hope that the Privy Councilor can help me persuade Yao Kelong and others."
"This ---." Li Qiwei said, "If I come forward, I'm afraid it won't be appropriate."
"Why?"
Li Qidao: "King Dali, think about it, they want to see me because they want to submit to me, the Song Dynasty. If I agree to their request, it will definitely not work. I will never do such a thing. If I don't
If I promise them, then they will not listen to me. And in what capacity do I try to persuade them? It is difficult for an upright official to deal with family matters, not to mention that I am just an outsider, so I feel that it is just a waste of time for me to meet them."
Duan Shiwen was confused when he heard this. If he was playing tricks on this, then he should have taken advantage of it now. Why didn't he do this? Could it be that all this really has nothing to do with him, but---but I always feel that this
The matter must have a lot to do with this person.
Thinking of this, he glanced at Li Qi again and saw a trace of apology on his face, which was very natural. He sighed: "This is all my fault. I have also found them, but the result was not satisfactory. I
I really had no choice, so I came to the Privy Councilor for help."
Li Qi also sighed, showing an expression that was even more miserable than Duan Zhengyan's. Just as he said, who dares to be worse than me, he said: "Every family has scriptures that are difficult to recite. This matter is not easy to handle."
ah."
Duan Shiwen begged: "Privy Council, please help our Majesty. Nowadays, there are frequent rebellions in our country in Dali, and the people are in dire straits. If it is delayed any longer, I am afraid it will be out of control."
Li Qidao: "Envoy Duan, this is not a question of whether to help or not. If we can help, we have already helped. The money we have lent you has been one million yuan. This is not a small amount. I
He never mentioned it, but these are the internal affairs of your country, how can we interfere."
Duan Zhengyan looked at Li Qi disappointedly and said, "Privy Councilor, are you really helpless?"
Li Qi shook his head firmly.
Duan Shiwen was really at the end of his rope and begged: "Privy Councilor, your country and Dali have always been brothers. You can't just die without saving me!"
Li Qi said depressedly: "How many times do I have to say it before you understand that if I interfere in this matter, it will be an interference in your internal affairs. Not to mention that I have no way at the moment. Even if there is a way, I will settle everything by then. Then this
It's hard to say whether Dali listens to me or to King Dali. Moreover, the army must be mobilized in this situation. If something happens, how much infamy will I bear! I really can't help with this matter.
"
Duan Zhengyan was extremely disappointed when he saw Li Qi's firm refusal. How could he not know the sensitivity of Li Qi's intervention? He would not have said this unless he had no other choice. Now Dali is in chaos and the army is divided into two.
In order to deal with the domestic rebellion, we must first deal with the divisions in the army. If the divisions in the army are not handled well, then there will be no need to think about domestic affairs. He racked his brains but was still helpless. Every time he thought of his people,
My heart was filled with grief, like a knife being twisted.
Just when the atmosphere seemed very dull, Zhao Jingyan suddenly said: "You can't say that. I remember that the title of King Dali was also given by our Supreme Emperor, and the King of Dali also promised to surrender to me, the Song Dynasty, but at that time it was given by the Gao family.
To hold power, the exchanges between the two parties are only superficial and have no real effect. If King Dali still admits what he said that day, then this can also be said to be my family matter in the Song Dynasty."
Li Qi was surprised and said: "Really? I haven't been an official for a long time, so don't fool me. This is no small matter!" (To be continued...)