Chapter 1084: Life is like a play, it all depends on acting

As the imperial carriage arrived at the intersection of Duke Zhao's mansion, a strong smell of burning hit him in the face. From a distance, the once magnificent mansion had turned into a black ruin.

There was still wisp of blue smoke rising from the broken walls, and the occasional crackling of unburned wooden beams, revealing a tragic sense of dead silence.

As soon as I approached the mansion, I heard heart-wrenching cries coming from inside. It was the wives and concubines in the mansion, kneeling beside the ruins with disheveled hair, patting the scorched earth and crying out the names of their loved ones. The cries came one after another, making people feel nervous.

Many court ministers who had rushed over after hearing the news had already gathered around. They all had solemn expressions and were sighing as they talked to each other.

"Alas... I never thought that Lord Changsun, who had a great reputation throughout his life, would end up like this..."

"Yes!"

"Master Changsun died tragically! Four of his sons perished in the same fire. Isn't that too much of a coincidence?"

"That's right!"

"The fire started so strangely. How could it burn so thoroughly out of nowhere?"

"But Lord Changsun's residence is heavily guarded. The possibility of someone sneaking in and setting fire to it is extremely small."

"The possibility of homicide is small, but it doesn't mean it's impossible!"

"Lord Changsun, Duke of Zhao and a high-ranking military commander, died in a fire along with his four sons? How bizarre!"

"The strangest thing is that the mansion caught fire in broad daylight, and none of Lord Changsun's four sons escaped. This... this also makes people suspicious, right?"

"My Lords, are you suggesting that Lord Changsun has made too many enemies in the court, and that they are deliberately setting fire to him in retaliation?"

There was no need for the ministers to continue whispering. Seeing the emperor's carriage arrive, they immediately fell silent, turned around and knelt in unison, shouting in unison: "Long live the emperor!"

Li Zhi was supported by his sworn brother Lin Lang as he staggered down from the carriage. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he began to pretend to cry, but was quickly supported by Lin Lang.

He broke free from Lin Lang's hand, rushed towards the ruins with tears and snot, and cried hoarsely, "Lord Changsun!"

"My beloved Changsun!"

"You were a minister entrusted by the late emperor to take care of my son. You were my right-hand man. How could you be consumed by a fire? Heaven is so unfair!"

Li Zhi pounded his chest, tears and snot covered his face, and he cried so hard that his body was shaking, as if he was going to faint in the next second.

Seeing the emperor so sad, the ministers thought of Changsun Wuji's former power and his current miserable situation, and their eyes also became red. Several old ministers who were on good terms with the Changsun family even wiped away their tears, and there was a sigh in the audience.

I have to say that Li Zhi's acting skills are pretty good. It really makes people sad when they hear it and cry when they see it.

Lin Lang gently patted Li Zhi's back and pretended to persuade him, "Brother Emperor, please accept my condolences!"

"Even if Lord Changsun is still alive, he wouldn't want to see my brother so grief-stricken. For now, we should stabilize the situation and let the deceased rest in peace."

Minister of Personnel Chu Suiliang took the lead and stepped forward, bowing and saying, "Your Majesty, please take care of your health and do not grieve too much! Our most urgent priority right now is to properly arrange the funeral for Lord Changsun and comfort his family!"

The other ministers also echoed: "Your Majesty is wise! Please consider the emperor's health first!"

Li Zhi then "barely" stopped crying, held Lin Lang's arm to stand steadily, looked around at everyone with tearful eyes, and gave an order with a sob.

"Pass, pass on my order!"

"Lord Changsun is a pillar of the nation and deserves a lavish burial with state honors! Five thousand taels of silver will be allocated from the national treasury to build a mausoleum for him. He will be posthumously awarded the title of Grand Tutor and given the posthumous title of 'Loyal, Resolute, and Wengong'! His family will be provided for by the court and must not be treated unfairly!"

(Note: In the Tang Dynasty, although the Three Masters and the Three Dukes were all of the same rank, and theoretically had the same official rank, the Grand Master was nominally the emperor's teacher, a symbol of moral exemplarity, and was superior to the Three Dukes in terms of benefits and favors.)

(So ​​there is nothing wrong with Li Zhi posthumously awarding Zhangsun Wuji the title of Grand Tutor.)

As soon as Li Zhi finished speaking, Zhangsun Wuji's wives, concubines, and sons and daughters-in-law who were kneeling on the ground hurriedly took a few steps on their knees and kowtowed heavily in the direction of Li Zhi. Their cries were choked but full of gratitude.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace! Your Majesty is wise!" Their foreheads knocked against the scorched earth, and the ground was covered with yellow ash, but it seemed as if they had grasped the last support.

Li Zhi looked at Zhangsun Wuji's family, pretending to be "sad", and waved his hand: "Everyone, please stand up... Take good care of your beloved Zhangsun's funeral. If you have any difficulties, please don't hesitate to speak to the court."

After saying this, he looked at the ruins again and sighed deeply, but a trace of calmness that no one noticed flashed across the depths of his eyes - the huge rock that had been weighing on his heart for many years was finally turned into ashes with the fire.

Another round of sad cries was heard from the ladies-in-law in the mansion, and they looked quite miserable.

Only Lin Lang, who did the "dirty work" for his sworn brother, knew that Li Zhi's tears for losing an important official were fake, and he was extremely happy.

Lin Lang looked at Li Zhi crying breathlessly, frowning slightly, and said solemnly: "Royal brother, you have been grieving here for a long time, the dragon's health is more important."

"At present, the affairs of Lord Changsun are being taken care of by the ministers. If my brother continues to cry like this, I am afraid that he will be seriously injured. It is best for him to return to the palace to recuperate first."

Li Zhi shook his head violently, his tearful eyes blurred as he looked at the several charred bodies covered with white cloth beside the ruins. His voice trembled uncontrollably, "No... I want to take one last look at my beloved Changsun... Just one last look..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Minister of Personnel, Chu Suiliang, knelt down and kowtowed, "Your Majesty, absolutely not! Lord Changsun has been burned in the flames, and his body is beyond recognition. Seeing this will only add to your heartache."

"It's better to keep the memory and recall how Lord Changsun assisted His Majesty and worked hard for the country. This will leave behind Lord Changsun's beautiful voice, appearance and smile!"

The other ministers also knelt down and urged in unison: "Master Chu is absolutely right! Your Majesty, please reconsider and take care of your body!"

"Your Majesty, please return to the palace. We will take care of this place!"

Li Zhi "struggled" to rush forward, but his body suddenly swayed, as if he was about to faint from crying. Lin Lang quickly supported him and said in a deep voice: "Get up, return to the palace!"

As he said this, he half-supported and half-helped Li Zhi towards the carriage. Li Zhi was still "crying": "My beloved Changsun... My beloved Changsun..." The voice was hoarse and particularly heartbreaking to hear.

After helping Li Zhi onto the imperial carriage, Lin Lang whispered a few words to the driver, and the carriage slowly started.

He stood beside the carriage, glanced back at the kneeling ministers, and then got on the carriage.

The carriage gradually moved away, leaving behind a courtyard of ruins, weeping families, and ministers still bowing their heads. Everyone looked in the direction where the imperial carriage disappeared, shouting in unison: "Farewell, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"

Inside the imperial carriage, Li Zhi's crying gradually stopped. He leaned back on the cushion, took the handkerchief handed to him by Lin Lang and wiped his face. The remaining traces of tears in his eyes faded away, leaving only a sense of calmness as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

Lin Lang sat aside, looking at Li Zhi with a happy expression, and a barely perceptible arc appeared at the corner of his mouth - this play was finally over.

The carriage swayed, isolating itself from the noise of the outside world.

Li Zhi leaned on the couch for a moment, then suddenly turned sideways, raised his hand and patted Lin Lang's knee. His voice was very low, with a sigh of relief.

"My dear brother, this time... you really solved a big problem for me."

Lin Lang sat up straight, his expression stern, and said with a stern hand, "To consolidate the imperial power for my brother, to purge the emperor's court, and to ensure the safety of the country, is my duty and responsibility."

Li Zhi looked at Lin Lang, his eyes filled with genuine gratitude, and nodded repeatedly: "Good! You are truly my good brother. I will remember this kindness in my heart."

Lin Lang smiled shrewdly and said modestly, "Brother Emperor, what are you talking about? Brothers like you and I are of the same mind, so we should support each other."

Li Zhi waved his hand, sighed, and patted Lin Lang's shoulder with a forceful, earnest touch. "There's no point in saying more. I've seen all your kindness, my dear brother, and I've kept it in my heart."

"From now on, you and I will protect the Tang Dynasty together. As long as I have something to eat, I will never treat you unfairly."

Lin Lang understood, but he remained respectful. He nodded and said, "I have the power to trust you, my brother. When we brothers unite, we can achieve great things!"

From outside the carriage came the sound of wheels rolling over the cobblestone road.

Li Zhi's eyes gradually became profound, and the mountain pressing on his head was finally removed. From now on, it was time for him to have the final say in the court.

There was a moment of silence in the carriage, with only Li Zhi's sigh of relief.

Lin Lang suddenly smiled, waved his hand in his sleeve, and took out two cans of beer and a bag of five-spice peanuts from his personal space. He put the peanuts on the small table with a "pop", opened a can of beer and handed it to Li Zhi.

"Brother, now that a huge weight has been lifted from your heart, why don't you have a drink to celebrate?"

Li Zhi stared at the can of beer and took it curiously. "Brother, this looks quite unusual. Is it also a specialty of Shanghai?"

"Exactly, this is called beer." Lin Lang opened a can himself and gently clinked it against Li Zhi's can, making a dull sound. He tilted his head back and took a big gulp, then exhaled happily, "Great! Try it, my royal brother."

Li Zhi imitated Lin Lang and took a big sip. The cold and slightly bitter beer slid into his throat, followed by a refreshing aroma of wheat. He couldn't help but burp, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Wonderful! This wine is refreshing, even more mellow than the imperial brew in the Tang Dynasty palace, and has a unique flavor. Drinking it in the summer is surprisingly refreshing and soothing, even more potent than iced sour plum soup!"

Lin Lang smiled, tore open the peanut bag, and pushed it in front of Li Zhi: "Brother, beer is even better with spiced peanuts."

Li Zhi picked up two peanuts and put them into his mouth, chewing them with a "crunch" sound. He took another sip of beer, a satisfied smile on his face, and even his brows relaxed.

"These peanuts are salty and flavorful, and paired with Shanghai's specialty beer, the taste is simply amazing!"

Lin Lang smiled and said, "If my royal brother likes it, I will give him all the ten boxes of beer I have stored in my personal space when we get to the palace. This is called giving fine wine to a hero."

When Li Zhi heard this, his brows immediately lit up and he even tightened his grip on the beer can.

"With this good wine, I can enjoy a couple of sips of it in the future when I'm reviewing memorials at night or playing ball with my brother."

"I'll remember your kindness. Your kindness is worth more than those ten boxes of wine!"

Lin Lang smiled and clinked his beer cans with Li Zhi again. "As long as my royal brother likes it, it's good. We're just brothers, so it's awkward to talk about this."

The imperial carriage continued to move forward, and the beer in the can was foaming, mixed with the aroma of peanuts, spreading in the small space.

Li Zhi had unknowingly become more dependent on and trustful of Lin Lang. He ate peanuts and drank beer, happier than the Chinese New Year because he had gotten rid of his biggest threat, Changsun Wuji.