Chapter 160: Loyal to the Country, Li Mi Comes Out

Being a hermit does not mean not caring about state affairs.

Mount Zhongnan is full of people looking for the "Zhongnan shortcut", and what happens in Chang'an will soon spread to Mount Zhongnan.

Li Xuan’s question is truly terrifying if you think about it carefully.

Especially after Li Heng was so devastated that he was forced to divorce his wife.

At that time, Li Heng would think, if Li Xuan had not saved Li Longji's life, how could he have suffered such humiliation?
"When the general asked this question, he knew what was going on."

Li Mi could not say it clearly, but Li Xuan was a smart man and knew the key.

Of course, if Li Heng was a tolerant and generous monarch, Li Xuan would not be affected in the future.

"I am loyal to the country and the people. If that day comes, I will not regret it!"

Li Xuan said this.

Li Mi thought Li Xuan was loyal to the Tang Dynasty and was waiting for his fate.

In fact, Li Xuan was never loyal to the Tang Dynasty, even though his surname was Li in this life.

If one day the imperial court wanted to borrow the Uighurs' troops to resist a rebellion at the cost of plundering women, money, and food in Luoyang, it would be better for them to perish directly.

Just as described in Du Fu's "Liuhuamen", the Uighurs maintained the rule of the Tang royal family, but passed the disaster on to the common people. They not only trampled down the wheat seedlings, but also broke the mulberry branches, leaving endless disasters.

"The general is noble."

Li Mi could only answer this way.

Although Li Xuan is young, his behavior is unpredictable, just like his poems, with different styles and many changes.

Li Mi was also unable to guess Li Xuan's specific thoughts.

Afterwards, the two chatted about other issues.

For example, Li Xuan asked Li Mi to comment on famous quotes from the "Tao Te Ching" and the "Book of Changes".

Li Mi has his own opinions.

They also introduced their families to each other and got to know each other.

"I hate to see you so late!"

"Sir, I have a connection with you and we can talk about anything. Today we can talk freely. May I ask what you think of the current Right Prime Minister Li Linfu?"

Li Xuan asked Li Mi to address him as "Sir" to express his respect for Li Mi.

Because Li Xuan knew that Li Mi had always been dissatisfied with treacherous ministers, and had written articles in history to satirize ministers like Yang Guozhong and An Lushan.

At that time, Li Mi was already 30 years old, and it could be seen that he was not inactive and calm, but also had a passionate character.

"The Right Prime Minister has the ability to get things done and is resolute. If he doesn't play tricks and isn't blinded by greed, he should be a good chancellor."

Li Mi did not remain silent in fear. He also knew the conflict between Li Xuan and Li Linfu, and it was impossible for him to be blamed for offending the right prime minister.

Moreover, Li Xuan was not much older than him, so Li Mi called him "Sir", which made Li Mi look at Li Xuan with a higher regard.

After all, he is just a white-clothed man.

It is easy to say that you should respect others, but once people are in a high position, they will become arrogant, and few people can humble themselves to their peers.

When he was a child, he pointed out Zhang Jiuling's mistakes, and Zhang Jiuling apologized immediately and addressed him as "little friend". This destined Zhang Jiuling's demeanor to be recorded in history.

"Yes! The position of prime minister is very powerful. If it is controlled by one person for a long time, he will be blinded by power. Even a virtuous person will change his mind. Moreover, Li Linfu is a person with desires in his heart. But the saint trusts him, and I can't overthrow him."

Although Li Xuan felt regretful, he did not express it explicitly.

Li Mi was right. It would be more appropriate for Li Linfu to be a Shangshu. With the pressure from the prime minister, he would definitely be a capable official if he did his job honestly.

No one denied Li Linfu's ability, but the way he eliminated dissidents and exercised autocratic power made people fear and disobey him.

"Sir, do you have a plan to make the saint lose his trust?"

Li Xuan asked Li Mi for advice.

"Unless he commits a serious crime, his power can only be stripped away little by little, causing the saint to gradually lose trust."

Li Mi replied to Li Xuan.

We must find evidence that Li Linfu was plotting a rebellion or was disrespectful to the saints.

Even if other mistakes occur, they will be handled lightly by the saint.

In this process, we must also ensure that we do not go too far. Too much is as bad as too little.

Li Longji was a person who could not stand fighting. If a fight resulted in a serious crime, Li Longji would be angry and punish the person.

If it causes a big uproar in the city, but in the end it is just a trivial matter, Li Longji will definitely be disgusted by it.

During the Kaiyuan period, several prime ministers fought over trivial matters and were dismissed by Li Longji.

"Sir, have you ever heard of a Hu general named An Lushan?" Li Xuan asked Li Mi again.

"I've heard of it. When he was the envoy of the expedition, he led an entire army to be annihilated, but he was not executed. In a short period of time, he rose to the top and became the governor of two towns. I think it's very strange."

He didn't know much about An Lushan, only that he was a flatterer.

The recent event of worshipping Yang Guifei as godmother has surprised all the hermits in Zhongnan Mountain.

In the eyes of the world, An Lushan's military achievements were far inferior to those of Li Xuan and Wang Zhongsi, but he was able to serve as the governor of two towns.

Therefore, when people referred to them as "Wang Li", An Lushan was excluded.

Even famous generals of the time such as Huangfu Weiming and Fu Menglingcha had a higher reputation than An Lushan.

"Zhang Situ said that this Hu boy has evil intentions, but he is just like a clown in front of the saint, trying to please the saint. I can't do anything about it."

Li Xuan said this to arouse Li Mi's interest in the world and ask him to come out of retirement.

"There is General Li in the world. Even if he has that ambition, he doesn't have that ability."

In Li Mi's opinion, even if An Lushan was as Zhang Jiuling said, the world was divided into the west and the north, with Li Xuan and Wang Zhongsi in charge, so An Lushan would not be able to succeed.

"Sir, what did you get in this mountain?"

Li Xuan stopped discussing these things and asked, looking at the frugality around him.

In this valley, there is only a thatched hut that can accommodate one person and two cultivated vegetable plots.

Extremely poor.

Normally, Li Mi only needed to leave the valley every once in a while to buy some corn and salt.

There is a mountain spring nearby, so there is no need to look for water.

“I feel that the closer I am to the avenue, the more hazy it becomes.”

Li Mi replied.

This was the feeling of his pursuit of the Taoist art of immortality; he clearly wanted to touch it, but couldn't.

Li Mi has been troubled by this.

He attributed it to the fact that he had not practiced for a long time. Like Ge Hong and Xu Jingyang, they both achieved enlightenment at an old age.

In Li Mi's eyes, immortality does not mean becoming an immortal in this world, but "ascending to heaven."

He firmly believed that his predecessors had all ascended to heaven.

As for true immortality, that is what Li Longji longed for.

"Sir, what is the difference between traveling between Zhongnan Mountain, Huashan Mountain and Songshan Mountain?"

Li Xuan asked Li Mi the same question.

"Songshan has morning dew, Huashan is too rugged, Zhongnan has a road to heaven."

Li Mi replied.

Obviously, he felt that people who lived in seclusion in Songshan were more like hermits because they were far away from Chang'an and there were more celebrities.

Huashan Mountain has been imbued with the royal aura of Li Longji and has become inviolable.

And among the people in Mount Zhongnan, how many are true hermits?

Just look at the rows of villas and estates at the foot of the mountain.

What about those hermits who gather in groups and drink every day? Are they still hermits?

That's why Li Mi went deep into Mount Zhongnan and stayed away from the world.

"Which fairy mountain do you prefer, sir?"

Since Li Mi kept traveling back and forth to Mount Zhongnan and was concerned about the political situation in the world, he must have some ideas in his mind.

This sentence really stumped Li Mi.

He wanted to blurt out that he liked Songshan, but now he was in Zhongnan Mountain.

"Sir, do you think that heroes like Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Gaozu of Han, Emperor Wen of Sui, and Emperor Taizong ended the chaotic times for the sake of their own empire or for the sake of the common people being spared from war?"

Seeing that Li Mi remained silent, Li Xuan just smiled slightly.

He knew that in history Li Mi stayed more in Songshan.

He asked Li Mi questions about the situation again.

"Family rule..."

It was a very simple question. Li Mi pondered for a moment and then answered it.

"No one is selfless. If you unify the world and allow the people to live and work in peace and contentment without suffering from labor, then you are a truly benevolent monarch. That's why the Qin Dynasty died in the second generation; Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty ruled the world, but he was not careful in choosing his sons, and he still died in the second generation; during the reign of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, although there were turmoil, the overall recovery was achieved, and the rule of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing, and the restoration of Emperor Zhao and Emperor Xuan made the Han Dynasty last forever; although our dynasty was separated by the Wu and Zhou dynasties, the saints worked hard to govern and ushered in an unprecedented prosperous era. But during the Tianbao period, treacherous ministers were in power, the world was unequal, and the signs of suffering were already apparent. It was time to eradicate the evils, assist the heaven in carrying out the transformation, and help the country and save the people. This is also the Taoist concept. Don't let the people be disappointed like at the end of the Qin Dynasty and the end of the Sui Dynasty..."

Li Xuan spoke to Li Mi in a tactful tone.

Different from the hint to Li Mi just now, this is a direct request for Li Mi to come out of retirement.

In his view, in the professional system of hereditary monarchy, ancient monarchs gave priority to their own families.

Of course, this is also due to the limitations of history, which prevents them from having such a high level of awareness.

Since Li Xuan came from later generations, how could he maintain a so-called country name without any bottom line?

He cited several dynasties as examples to Li Mi and expressed his concerns.

During the prosperous era, land annexation was serious, with princes and nobles taking the lead, and there were indeed signs of a turbulent situation.

"Governing a country still requires Confucianism. I am a Taoist mountain man with nothing. The general thinks too highly of me."

Li Mi shook his head slightly.

Since the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan ordered to "promote civilization and respect Confucianism", and Li Shimin took "Confucianism as the basis" and "governed the country with culture".

Taoism is more like a trend, just like other dynasties believed in Buddhism. It is not to govern the country with Taoism.

Therefore, Li Mi thought that since he believed in Taoism, he would not be able to have any reputation in the court.

After all, the gentry all regarded themselves as having "Confucian roots".

Those ministers who believed in Taoism also had the intention of "appeasing the saint". Moreover, Li Xuan's vision was so great that he himself had not thought about it.

“Confucianism is the art of governing a country, but people like Zhang Liang can also go down in history.”

Li Xuan doesn't care what someone believes in, let alone Taoism. Even if a monk is talented, he will have the sincerity to visit him three times.

History defines Li Mi as a counselor and military strategist.

He felt that it would be better for Li Mi to follow him than to work for Li Heng.

Although Li Heng was nice to Li Mi and respected Li Mi's beliefs.

But sometimes he was stubborn and did not listen to Li Mi's advice. For example, when attacking Hebei, Li Heng was eager for quick success and refused to listen to advice, which resulted in Hebei not being cleared.

For example, when recovering the two capitals, he ignored Li Mi's advice and was eager to recover Chang'an and Luoyang, so Guo Ziyi borrowed troops from the Huihe.

Li Heng's son Li Yu was even more unkind. As a person who admired immortality, Li Mi naturally did not eat meat or women. This had been the case for many years!
But Li Yu forced Li Mi to eat meat and forced him to marry.

From his performance after the Anshi Rebellion, we can see that Li Mi disregarded fame, wealth and power and had the ambition to save the world.

“The current situation, although tilted, is not that difficult.”

Li Mi still shook his head.

The prosperous era is still continuing, and many of the seemingly ills still exist during the Zhenguan period.

"Since it is leaning, it will slowly collapse. The wise and virtuous people who have predicted the situation should straighten it out."

Li Xuan was still trying to persuade Li Mi to give up his pursuit of Taoist ideals and return to official career.

"If the mountain people save the world, the people will call on the gods!"

Seeing Li Mi lowering his head in thought, Li Xuan spoke again earnestly.

As a hero who quelled the Anshi Rebellion, some people did call him a god.

"Since General Li has invited me, I will temporarily stop my training. But General Li, please don't recommend me for an official position. I will stay with General Li as a guest and see the world."

Li Mi sighed, unable to bear the refusal, and agreed to let Li Xuan come out of retirement.

But he did not seek fame, wealth and power. In addition to wanting to clear up the world, he also hoped to appreciate Li Xuan's style and have a deep understanding of Li Xuan's military thinking.

He was well-versed in military books and was very curious about Li Xuan's fighting methods.

Li Mi was more curious about Li Xuan himself. For a young man who had not yet reached adulthood to achieve his current success, it was definitely not just because of his family.

"in this way……"

Li Xuan hesitated. It would not be a good idea to stay by his side forever without any achievements to show off his status.

"If I were given fame, I would rather practice in the mountains."

Li Mi said bluntly.

"As you wish, sir!"

Li Xuan no longer forced it. Historically, Li Mi followed Li Heng in a white-clothed identity, refused to accept an official position, and only gave advice to guests and followers.

That’s why there is a classic saying: Those who wear yellow are saints, and those who wear white are hermits.

But in this life, once Li Mi follows Li Xuan out of seclusion, it will be difficult for him to become Li Heng's teacher again.

It has nothing to do with Li Heng anymore.

Even though it was night, Li Mi still packed up his books and went out with Li Xuan.

Li Mi couldn't let Li Xuan and his guards sleep in the mountains!
Li Mi had been a vegetarian for a long time, and he was not very strong at night, and the mountain roads were difficult to walk on.

"Luo Xing, take the gentleman's gift. I will carry him away from Zhongnan."

Li Xuan asked Luo Xing to help Li Mi carry the books, and he planned to carry Li Mi out of the mountain himself.

"You are a great general, how can you carry a commoner on your back? Let me carry you!"

Luo Xing was surprised.

How could Li Mi, a Taoist priest with a pale face, let his master condescend to him?

Although the host seemed to be having a pleasant conversation with Li Mi, this was not right!

"General, there is no need to do this. I have walked this mountain road before."

Li Mi didn't want that either.

"You must not disobey orders. Lead the way!"

Li Xuan spoke to Luo Xing and others in a resolute manner, making them dare not disobey.

Then Li Xuan said to Li Mi: "I am very strong and I won't feel tired carrying you on my back."

After saying this, without waiting for Li Mi's consent, Li Xuan grabbed Li Mi and put him on his back.

Before Li Mi could react, he felt his body becoming lighter and lying steadily on Li Xuan's back, with Li Xuan holding his buttocks with one hand.

Even if he loosened his hands, they would not fall to the ground.

This is a manifestation of Li Xuan's strength.

Carrying Li Mi on his back was like holding a rabbit.

The group returned along the same route in the mountains at night.

The dazzling stars and the bright moon, their path seems to be along the Milky Way.

Li Xuan carried Li Mi on his back and walked through the mountains as if they were walking on flat ground, without any bumps or shakes.

Li Mi felt it was more comfortable than riding a horse.

At the same time, Li Mi also felt complicated.

The person under him is definitely not an ordinary person.

The action of taking the initiative to carry him out of the mountain made Li Mi verify this point of view.

……

It took them more than two hours to return to Zongsheng Temple.

Li Xuan then put Li Mi down and said, "Are you not tired, sir?"

"The general walked very steadily. I was just amazed at his strength, just like the legend says."

Li Mi chuckled.

If Li Xuan keeps walking so steadily, who can guess what he is thinking?

Even Li Linfu can't do it.

"I am only brave and strong, but I lack someone as intelligent as you to give me advice. With you, we can definitely eradicate the treacherous and powerful and make the people live and work in peace."

Li Xuan said to Li Mi solemnly.

"I will do my best to help as much as I can."

Li Mi was a rookie and he didn't know why Li Xuan relied on him so much.

People are emotional. Being relied upon by Li Xuan and carried on his back for more than two hours, he felt inexplicably moved.

Li Xuan knocked on the door of Zongsheng Temple, and the Taoist boy opened the door sleepily.

When he saw it was Li Xuan, he immediately invited him in.

The little Taoist boy wanted to inform the abbot of the temple, but was stopped by Li Xuan.

He just needs to go back and rest, there is no need to disturb others.

Entering the depths of Zongsheng Temple, Li Xuan invited Li Mi to come in and rest early.

The next day, accompanied by Fan Yun, Li Xuan and Li Mi went to Chang'an together.

This time we did not go to Yishou City and returned to Chang'an that night.

When Li Shizhi learned that Li Xuan had invited Li Mi to be his guest, he personally welcomed him in.

He admired this young man who had been hailed as a child prodigy since he was a child.

I just don't understand why Li Mi is unwilling to enter the officialdom. There must be no shortage of official positions in Qilang's shogunate.

When Li Shizhi asked Li Mi the reason, Li Mi just smiled and said that he wanted to learn from Li Xuan and was not suitable to be an official.

Seeing that Li Mi insisted, Li Shizhi was at a loss to say anything.

He regretted that Li Mi didn't drink, otherwise he would have gotten drunk.

In the next few days, after the morning court, Li Xuan would discuss with Li Mi and introduce Wang Wei to Li Mi.

Of course, sometimes when Li Longji summoned Li Xuan to Xingqing Palace, Li Xuan would definitely go.

Li Longji summoned him just for fun.

Touhu, Chupu, polo, archery, etc.

Once, Li Longji personally took Li Xuan to play polo.

Li Xuan had excellent riding skills, and the other team gave them some leeway, so they eventually won the race.

Gradually, the half month that Li Longji mentioned had passed.

After being out for a long time, Li Xuan must return to the military camp to supervise the training and prepare for the war!

Li Longji did not refuse Li Xuan's request this time. Although he had a lot of fun, it was more important to expand his territory.

Li Longji encouraged Li Xuan, hoping that Li Xuan could help him expand his territory this year.

Whether it is Qinghai or Jiuqu, as long as he obtains one of them, he will reward him handsomely.

On the last day before leaving, Li Longji hosted a banquet for Li Xuan in the palace.

Of course, Yang Guifei's sisters were there to accompany her.

It seemed that Li Longji really liked having Yang Yuhuan's sisters come to Xingqing Palace to have fun together.

Three days ago, Li Longji even named Yang Yuyao the Lady of Guo.

The eldest sister was named Lady of Korea, and the eighth sister was named Lady of Qin, and each of them was given rouge and powder worth 100,000 coins every month.

Yang Yuhuan's two cousins, Yang Jian, was the Minister of Imperial Guards and Yang Qi, was the Imperial Censor.

Yang Yuhuan's uncle Yang Xuangui was appointed as Guanglu Qing.

Her late father and mother were also honored posthumously.

As a result, more than a dozen other members of the Yang family were promoted or entered officialdom.

It can be said that when one person attains enlightenment, chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.

(End of this chapter)