mtl008 Chapter 231 Li Le
Chapter 231 Li Le
Longhua Kingdom.
Imperial mausoleum.
As autumn approaches, the weather turns cooler.
The mausoleum looks even more solemn and dignified as the autumn wind blows, with a hint of chill.
On both sides of the sacred road, stone beasts stand silently, with mottled marks carved by the years, as if telling the vicissitudes of the past.
"Wow..."
The road surface was filled with the sound of fallen leaves being crushed.
Li Ping, wearing a black mink coat, stood quietly in front of the imperial mausoleum. Behind him were many attendants who were there to accompany the emperor.
Fei Xianwen and Pei Yuan followed behind the emperor, one on the left and one on the right, both silent.
I don’t know what the emperor had in mind to come to the imperial mausoleum to relax.
Li Ping exhaled a breath of fresh air and said indifferently, "It's so cold, and you're going to let me wait here?"
Fei Xianwen, a frail old man, stepped forward slowly, bowing, "Your Majesty, I have sent someone to call the tomb guard."
As soon as he finished speaking, the tomb keeper came from a distance with an expressionless face, limping as if he was lame.
Li Ping narrowed his eyes and said, "Long time no see."
The tomb keeper had droopy eyelids and looked very listless.
"Have you taken the elixir I gave you on time?" Li Ping asked.
The tomb keeper shook his head and asked, "Isn't the queen here?"
Li Ping scoffed: "Who are you talking about?"
"Hua Jin."
"She's very busy. Right now she's holding Li An's head and crying."
Upon hearing this, the tomb keeper's eyelids shot up, but he quickly returned to his sluggish demeanor and muttered, "Your Majesty, please don't make fun of this. My brother fell off a cliff and died a hundred years ago. How could he be in Kyoto?"
"Are you kidding? I don't have the time for that," Li Ping snorted coldly. "Pei Yuan, tell me, are my words true or false?"
Pei Yuan stepped forward and replied respectfully, "Your Majesty is wise and wise, and your words are not joking."
As Pei Yuan spoke, he glanced at the tomb keeper out of the corner of his eye.
Although the tomb keeper was exiled here, he is of royal blood after all. Your Majesty came here today and tested him with such words. What is the purpose?
Fei Xianwen frowned slightly when he saw this.
He had served Li Ping for many years and knew his master's temperament very well. He was afraid that his visit to the imperial mausoleum today was not just for relaxation. He did not say much and just waited for Li Ping's next words.
Li Ping seemed lost in his own thoughts. He looked at the end of the sacred path and murmured, "Back then, Hua Jin and I also had a loving time. At that time, I had not yet ascended the throne, and she accompanied me in my humble days..."
"Power is like a sharp blade, severing too many emotional ties."
"Your Majesty will naturally obtain whatever he desires," the tomb keeper said calmly, "even a severed bond can be renewed."
"Hahahaha!"
Li Ping suddenly burst into laughter and couldn't help but pat the tomb keeper on the shoulder. "I have been in charge of the country for so long, and this is the one that makes me happy the most."
"Do you know why?"
"I don't know, brother."
Li Ping pinched his chin and stared into his cloudy eyes. "You speak so sincerely that even I can't tell how much truth there is in your words..."
“Somewhat fake.”
The mausoleum keeper's eyes were as calm as water: "The emperor is very perceptive, so whatever he says is what it means."
Li Ping stopped talking and just looked at him quietly.
The autumn wind whistled across the imperial mausoleum, lifting layers of fallen leaves from the ground and making them fly all over the sky.
After a long time, Li Ping released the tomb keeper's jaw.
He slowly turned around, with his back to the crowd, his eyes fixed on the magnificent yet somewhat eerie mausoleum.
"I sometimes wonder what this throne has brought me." Li Ping's voice was low and vague in the wind. "Countless people have submitted to me, but only a few truly treat me with sincerity."
Fei Xianwen and Pei Yuan looked at each other and saw caution in each other's eyes.
They didn't dare to respond rashly and just stood there quietly.
The tomb keeper still had a calm expression, as if nothing in this world could anymore stir up any waves in his heart.
"If I die one day, I will give the throne to you, how about that?"
Li Ping said with a smile.
The tomb guard was slightly startled, then calmly replied, "I've long been accustomed to the days of guarding the tomb. To me, the troubles of the world are nothing but passing clouds."
Li Ping pretended not to hear and continued, "Li Le, guarding the mausoleum is not an easy life."
Hearing Li Ping calling his name, Li Le raised his eyes slightly, still looking listless.
"Remember when you were little?"
Li Ping turned to look at Li Le, his eyes full of nostalgia, "No power struggles, no life-and-death struggles, how wonderful it is."
The tomb keeper's lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but he remained silent in the end.
"Don't rush to answer me. After all, I don't want to guess whether you are telling the truth or not."
Li Ping's eyes became stern again, and he immediately ordered everyone to return to the palace.
The wind blows.
Blowing up the fallen leaves.
Li Le stood there for a long time, and finally shed two tears.
“Peace and joy…”
"How can you be happy about something you don't like?"
*
Longyuan Forbidden Land.
Miao'er squatted at the exit of the forbidden area as before.
She really couldn't understand why the Crown Prince asked the Emperor for permission to enter Longyuan again as soon as he came back.
"Alas, after going to Nanzhou, even your Highness's face has become thinner."
Miao'er murmured.
Not long after, Li Le came over with a basket of food, his steps light as a woman's.
Miao Er quickly stood up and bowed, "Sir."
Li Le smiled and waved his hand, took out the vegetarian cake from the basket and handed it to her, "Eat it, there's nothing wrong with just waiting."
Miao'er took the vegetarian cake embarrassedly and bit it bit by bit.
"How many days has His Royal Highness the Crown Prince been in there?" Li Le asked.
"Five days." Miao'er replied.
"Well, counting the days, it should be coming out soon." Li Le said with a smile.
Miao'er licked the biscuit crumbs on her fingers and continued to squat at the door waiting for Li Chonglin.
Li Le also found a stone to sit on, his eyes occasionally scanning towards the exit of the forbidden area.
"Miao'er."
"Hmm? What's up, sir?"
"Do you know how old you are this year?"
Miao Er counted on her fingers and said, "Hmm... counting next year, it should be 28 years already."
Li Le had a gentle expression. Just as he was about to speak, he closed his mouth for some reason.
"Are you feeling unwell, sir?" Miao'er asked.
During the past few days waiting here, Miao'er had a lot of dealings with the tomb keeper. She heard that the tomb keeper was the younger brother of the current emperor, but she didn't know whether it was true or not.
"I am fine."
Li Le took a deep breath and finally reached out and took out a piece of mutton-fat jade from his arms.
"Give."
"Sir, what are you doing?" Miao'er was flattered.
"It's better to do it today than to wait for the best," Li Le sighed, "I will return this jade token to you today."
"Give it back to me?" Miao'er said in a daze.
She lowered her head to look closely at the white jade. There were delicate phoenix tail patterns carved on it, and a beautiful "Yao" character was copied in the middle.
"Why did the official suddenly give me this jade token?"
Miao'er raised her eyes and asked.
Li Le sighed and said, "There are some things I shouldn't let you know so soon. Although your mother asked me to keep this secret, I'm afraid that one day I'll die and you'll be left alone."
Miao'er's pupils shrank.
"mother?"
"I...wasn't I picked up from Longyuan?"
Li Le looked at her calmly: "I've told so many lies, I'll get tired of them eventually."
"Your last name is Yao."
"Never a wild child."
"Go to Zhongdu when you have time. There are things your mother left behind."