General Qin

"Li Si is going to die."

When Zhao Tuo learned the news, he was silent for a moment, and then let out a long sigh, feeling sad in his heart.

This feeling was not just for Li Si, but he felt that the previous era was passing quickly.

In the year when the First Emperor died, Zhao Tuo heard that Wei Liao, who had resigned and retired to hermitage, had passed away. He went to Wei Liao's tomb to pay his respects.

Then there is veteran Yang Duanhe who has been bedridden.

Then there is the cold-faced Yao Jia.

Meng Wu, who was born in Montessori, died of illness two years ago.

Xin Wu of the Xin family also left. He said he fell while walking and never woke up.

Taiwei Wang Ben wrote several times this year to plead for illness and return to old age, but the second emperor used the Western Expedition as an excuse to force him to stay. However, it was heard that Wang Ben's health was not very good.

Since the death of the First Emperor, the powerful advisers and generals who were famous throughout the world during the era of hegemony among the nations have died one after another.

Now, it was finally the turn of Li Si, the First Emperor's confidant.

The long river of time flows, taking away the old people from the past one after another, and it seems that the imprint of the First Emperor's era will gradually be washed away and faded, until it completely becomes history.

"Li Si made great contributions to Qin's unification of the world. He did not criticize me, Zhao Tuo. Instead, he fully supported me during the reform. I want to see him for the last time, both emotionally and rationally. "

Zhao Tuo sighed, wrote a greeting note with his own hand, and asked Peng Yue to send it to Li Mansion.

After receiving Li's reply, Zhao Tuo went to visit her in the afternoon of that day.

There are many tracks in front of Wentonghou's residence. It can be seen that there has been a lot of traffic in the past few days. I don't know how many ministers and nobles came to visit Li Si.

Zhao Tuo was welcomed by the Li family into his mansion and saw Li Si who was bedridden.

Compared with the First Emperor who died in his prime, Li Si lived a full seventy-eight years.

He has white hair, most of his teeth have been lost, and now his appearance is shriveled, showing the decay of a dying old man.

"Father, the Marquis of Zhenguo is here."

Li Yu called softly.

Li Si opened his eyes, saw Zhao Tuo, and said feebly: "It's a great honor for the Lord to come to visit me."

"What did Mr. Li say? When Zhao Tuo entered the Qin Dynasty, it was because of Mr. Li's blessing. Otherwise, he would not have achieved what he has today. On the eve of the reform, Mr. Li also fully supported the reform. Zhao Tuo keeps all these friendships in his heart."

Zhao Tuo stepped forward and spoke softly.

Li Si smiled. Zhao Tuo's words were very pleasant and his attitude was very reassuring to him.

The two chatted for a while, with a tacit understanding not to mention the current affairs of the government, but only talked about some interesting things from the past, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

Wait until the end, when Zhao Tuo is about to say goodbye and leave.

Li Si said softly: "Your Majesty, I have reached my last days, and I won't be able to live well for a few days. It's a pity that my children and grandchildren are unworthy, and there are not many capable ones. If I leave, I hope you can take care of me in the future." , take care of me."

Zhao Tuo nodded and said: "Li Gong said it, and Zhao Tuo agreed."

After a while, Zhao Tuo left.

Li Si was lying on the couch, looking at the young man's leaving figure with complicated emotions.

In the past, before Zhao Tuo entered the Qin Dynasty, Li Si was the most trusted confidant of the First Emperor. The First Emperor even hinted at his intention to let his son Princess Shang.

According to normal circumstances, Li Si will be able to ascend to the position of prime minister sooner or later with his own ability and the emperor's favor. Li You will also get his wish and Princess Shang will become the son-in-law of the First Emperor. The Li family will prosper and become one of the top families in the Qin Kingdom.

But with the appearance of Zhao Tuo, everything changed.

The First Emperor's eyes focused more on this young man.

Appreciation, love, and trust even married the princess to Zhao Tuo.

Li Si didn't have much hatred for Li You's inability to become a princess. After all, his son's fate was bad.

But Li Si himself was overshadowed by Zhao Tuo's dazzling light.

Zhao Tuo was better at fighting than him, he also had unique tricks for governing the country, and he could invent all kinds of magical and useful things. This made the First Emperor's favor towards Zhao Tuo far more than that of Li Si.

In the last days of the First Emperor, he appointed Zhao Tuo as the Right Prime Minister, ranking him before Li Si, which already made his attitude clear.

He thought that the situation would change when his son-in-law came to power, but to Li Si's dismay, the second emperor also trusted Zhao Tuo more than he did. He discussed all matters with Zhao Tuo, but he became a decoration.

Although he was given the title of Marquis Wentong, it was nothing more than comfort.

Li Si stared blankly as Zhao Tuo's figure disappeared outside the door, and countless deeds of that man flashed through his mind.

He, Li Si, will always be suppressed by Zhao Tuo.

All thoughts turned into a sigh.

"If Si is born, how can Tuo be born!"

…

After Zhen Guohou left, soon the second emperor came out of the palace to visit him.

Fusu was a benevolent and filial person, and he respected Li Si very much. He asked the imperial doctor to diagnose and treat Li Si as soon as he came.

It just turned out badly.

Facing the second emperor with a sad face, Li Si smiled slightly and said: "Your Majesty, please don't worry about me. My master once said: Life is the beginning of a person; death is the end of a person. Since a person has a beginning, he should also have an end. , I have lived long enough and have seen too many changes in the world. My ambition in this life was achieved with the late emperor's important use, and I also saw with my own eyes that your majesty, the holy king, ascended the throne and was supported by all people. Even if I leave, I have no regrets."

"I have an open mind about life and death, and I am worthy of being a disciple of Xun Qing."

Fusu praised him with admiration on his face.

Li Si hesitated slightly and said: "I am on my deathbed, so I shouldn't say much about the affairs of the court. But now I have a worry, I don't know whether I should talk about it or not."

Fusu said seriously: "I am a famous minister in the world. If you have any concerns about the affairs of the court, please tell me. Fusu will listen to your advice."

"I am worried about the Marquis of Zhenguo."

Li Si said a name.

Fusu frowned and said, "Marquis of Zhenguo? He is the pillar of our Qin Dynasty and is loyal to Qin. I wonder what worries you have?"

Li Si said in a deep voice: "The Marquis of Zhenguo is good at fighting, has made many meritorious deeds, and has the ability to govern the country. He is indeed a good minister who is the pillar of our Qin Dynasty. However, in the past few years, I have seen that the Marquis of Zhenguo has become more and more famous in the world, and many of them are in the army and in the local area. His old subordinates and ministers in the court also had his former subordinates. As for the people, the head of Guizhou even regarded him as a famous general in the world and a capable minister in governing the world."

"In addition to his reputation, the Marquis of Zhenguo is also revered as the Prime Minister of the Right, with the power to govern the world. Even His Majesty often listens to his advice. His power can be said to be the most powerful person under the emperor. Such prestige and power, even if it is The six ministers of the Jin Dynasty in the past are not comparable to the Tian Chang of Qi Dynasty!"

Fusu's face changed suddenly and he replied: "What I said is too alarmist. I know the Marquis of Zhenguo. He is definitely not Liuqing or Tian Chang."

Li Si said: "The Marquis of Zhenguo may not be such a person, but people can change. Your Majesty has also read Han Fei's book, but he remembers the words of treachery and regicide. Your Majesty, the power of the king must not be delegated to his ministers. No matter when facing any minister, His Majesty must have the skills of checks and balances to deal with them."

At the end of his words, Li Si coughed and said: "I heard that when birds are about to die, their cries are also mournful; when people are about to die, their words are also kind. What I said today is all for my great Qin's concern and your majesty's concern. Your Majesty, please think about it, ahem..."

Fusu heard that Li Si's words were sincere and what he said made sense. He couldn't help but be moved and said: "What I said is very true. I will think about it carefully. I also ask you not to worry."

Seeing that the Second Emperor listened, Li Si felt relaxed.

He was not simply targeting Zhao Tuo, but was really worried about the world of Qin.

The six ministers of Jin and Tian Chang of Qi.

Since ancient times, it is not uncommon for ministers to usurp the throne.

The Marquis of Zhenguo now occupies a high position, with power over the government and the public, and the emperor favors him. Li Si, a scholar of law, could see the danger at a glance.

If the ministers have too much power, it will weaken the monarch.

His grandson Qiming, if nothing unexpected happens, will become the third emperor of Qin in the future. The world of Qin is closely related to his Li family, so Li Si will naturally be extra cautious.

If Li Siru is still here, he can still contain Zhao Tuo.

But with his death, Zhao Tuo was truly invincible in the court. If Zhao Tuo really had disobedient intentions, it would be very bad for the Qin State. Therefore, Li Si must warn the two of them carefully before leaving. Emperor of the world.

Ministers need checks and balances, and the power of the monarch cannot easily fall into the hands of ministers.

Fusu was thoughtful about this, but didn't want to talk about it any more, so he changed the topic and mentioned to Li Si the affairs of Qi Ming and other juniors. Then he told Li Si to get more rest before leaving.

After the second emperor left, Li Si was a little tired and lay on the bed, silent.

After a while, Li Yu, who was sending the emperor away, entered the room.

He thought about the fact that the emperor and the ministers came to visit Li Si today.

It was precisely because Li Si was dying that so many people came to visit.

Li Yu's heart was filled with sadness.

"Father, I can't live without you."

Li Yu knelt in front of the couch, looking at Li Si on the couch, tears streaming down his face.

If Li Siruo is here, he, the second generation, can live a carefree life. Even if he does something wrong, his father will solve it for him.

Now that his father was about to pass away, Li Yu felt a huge panic. He held Li Si's skinny hand tightly and did not dare to let go easily.

"There's nothing to be sad about. Life and death are fateful. I've lived seventy-eight years, which is long enough."

Li Si looked at his son and sighed: "I'm just worried that you have an impetuous personality and don't know how to tolerate things when things happen. In this regard, you are much worse than your brother. I can still restrain you when I am here. Once If you leave, I'm afraid that you will cause trouble in the future. Yu'er, don't act haphazardly in the future. All you have to do is obey the emperor's orders. As long as the emperor's favor is there, my family, Li, can live long and have no worries. "

"I know."

Li Yu nodded and responded with tears in his eyes.

Li Si met many people in succession today and talked too much. He was already a little weak. When Li Yu nodded, he didn't have the energy to say anything more. He waved his hand tiredly and asked Li Yu to leave.

I heard my son's footsteps leaving.

Li Si lay on the couch and stared blankly at the wooden beams above.

He asked Zhao Tuo to take care of Li today.

He also told the second emperor that Zhao Tuo had too much power and prestige and might threaten the country, so he should take precautions.

Finally, he also told Li Yu how to behave in the future.

With these things settled, he should have been waiting for death in peace.

But there was one thing Li Si couldn't let go of.

He opened his eyes, and a middle-aged man with a resolute face seemed to appear in front of him.

"Father."

The man yelled.

Li Si couldn't bear it any longer, and tears fell from the corners of his eyes.

As he was dying, Li Si thought of the son who broke his heart, cost him the most effort, and disappointed and worried him the most.

In addition to being the prime minister of the empire and a politician, he is also a father.

He murmured: "You'er, my You'er..."

In the sixth year of Emperor Qin II, Xia.

Li Si, the Wentong Marquis and Zuo Prime Minister of the Qin State, passed away.