kvmb Chapter 1034 Standing with the Nation
Chapter 1034 Standing with the Nation
I closed my eyes, my heart raced, and my brain, like a projector, played out every scene that would follow our meeting.
Until it stops at a certain moment!
Xu Gu Zi: "Perhaps, Your Majesty and I will meet again more than a thousand years from now!"
That's right!
Li Cunxi suddenly opened his eyes!
He has found the key point: the day they meet again!
The reason why Xu Gu Zi told this story is precisely because of this!
Li Cunxi was born in 2001 through reincarnation, so how did Xu Guzi meet him again more than 1300 years later?
It can only be said that having maxed out intelligence does have its advantages. In just one minute, Li Cunxi's brain came up with countless possibilities, and finally settled on two of them.
One possibility is that Xu Gu Zi himself was reincarnated.
Secondly, Xu Gu Zi had a way of living for more than 1300 years.
If it's the first point, then his idea that Xu Gu Zi wanted a huge reward doesn't hold water. Anyway, in the next life, the two of them might both be ordinary people, so a reward would be meaningless.
If it's the second point, then all the conjectures are valid.
Li Cunxi felt his mind becoming increasingly sharp and he was getting closer and closer to the truth.
He believed that Xu Gu Zi could live for more than 1300 years, provided that he asked him for an enormous reward. The prerequisite for asking for this enormous reward was to gain his complete trust. So Xu Gu Zi told him what would happen to him in the future.
After he chose to believe in Xu Gu Zi, that enormous reward might fall upon Xu Gu Zi, and Xu Gu Zi would live on forever, meeting him again 1301 years later.
"However, what can I bestow upon him that would allow him to live for another 1300 years?"
Li Cunxi stroked his chin, unwilling to admit that he possessed such a treasure.
Fortunately, Xu Gu Zi was standing right in front of him, and his unwavering 200 loyalty was not fake. Li Cun Xi simply slapped Xu Gu Zi on the shoulder.
"Tell me, what is it that has allowed you to live for over 1300 years?"
Xu Gu Zi immediately showed a horrified expression: "Your Majesty, you are actually willing to believe me?"
"You have served me for nearly ten years, with utmost loyalty, and I trust you."
"It is truly astonishing that Your Majesty could guess my intentions. I originally thought that Your Majesty, like Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong of the Former Tang Dynasty, would not want to believe such a shocking thing."
"It seems that your master wanted to use this method to gain immortality back then."
"Your Majesty is truly exceptionally intelligent."
"Judging from your past appearance, I can tell that your master must have failed."
"It's a pity. Although he is a Taoist master, neither Emperor Gaozu of the Former Tang Dynasty listened to him nor Emperor Taizong of the Former Tang Dynasty believed him."
"If you achieve immortality, what will the royal family gain?" Li Cunxi went straight to the point.
"As long as I live, the Tang Dynasty will not perish; and as long as the Tang Dynasty does not perish, I will not perish either," said Xu Gu Zi.
"In other words, once things are done, if you want to destroy the Tang Dynasty, you must destroy both the Tang Dynasty and you at the same time. Otherwise, not only will you be able to regenerate indefinitely, but you still won't be able to destroy the Tang Dynasty."
That's exactly the point.
Li Cunxi, hands behind his back, asked, "What do you need?"
"Your Majesty, I am bound to the fate of the Tang Dynasty."
How do I link my account?
"All that is needed is the Imperial Seal of the State."
Li Cunxi said with his eyes half-closed, "I will consider it for two days. Two days later, still here, I will give you an answer. However, I don't know if you will be loyal to the Tang Dynasty forever."
"If the country perishes, so shall I. I know the weight of this matter, and I hope Your Majesty will consider it carefully."
……
Upon returning to Taichu Palace, Li Cunxi did not go to Empress Xiao Mei's quarters, but instead found Xiao Feng. Xiao Feng, whose belly was now swollen, was also unable to sleep well. Sensing the movement, she opened her eyes.
"His Majesty has arrived."
"It's alright, I just came to check on you. You go to sleep."
Li Cunxi lowered his head and rubbed Xiao Feng's forehead, gently helping Xiao Feng lie down again.
"Isn't Your Majesty going to rest?"
"It's alright, I'll be resting soon too."
Xiao Feng blinked: "But the anxiety in His Majesty's eyes is undeniable."
"There hasn't been much news coming back about the war against Tibet, and I am indeed a little worried about the situation at the front."
Li Cunxi made up an excuse and told Xiao Feng to rest and take care of her pregnancy before leaving.
Ma Rong, who had been following Li Cunxi ever since they left the Imperial Preceptor's residence, quickly caught up with him.
"Your Majesty, did that old Taoist priest say something that upset you? I'll go and teach him a lesson."
Li Cunxi shook his head: "That's not the case. It's my own fault. You've been following me around these past few days... You've suffered a lot."
"Serving Your Majesty is my duty."
"Let's arrange a marriage between our children."
"This humble general does not have any children yet."
"Try your best and get your wife to have a baby."
The two talked as they returned to the imperial study.
Someone had notified the palace maids to prepare in advance, so it was very warm inside. Hot tea and pastries were placed on a small plate on one side. Li Cunxi casually picked up two cakes and stuffed them into his mouth, chewing them.
"You should sit down too. You didn't sleep well to begin with, and now you have to keep me company."
Ma Rong hesitated for a while before finally sitting down.
He was sleeping soundly when Li Cunxi woke him up with just one sentence to accompany him out. Now, as soon as he sat down, he couldn't help but yawn.
Before an incense stick's time had passed, Ma Rong tilted his head and remained motionless.
Li Cunxi stretched his legs and changed his posture to make himself more comfortable. Xu Gu Zi's words kept flashing through his mind as he slowly pondered them.
He had already decided to agree to Xu Gu Zi's suggestion from the beginning. It was hard to say whether he could reach Xu Gu Zi's level in his lifetime. None of the rewards from those missions could allow him to ascend to immortality, but Xu Gu Zi had already glimpsed more than a thousand years into the future.
The leader of this era was indeed quite capable, and Li Cunxi naturally hoped that his Tang Dynasty could last forever.
He refused to believe in the curse of a nation's inevitable division and reunification; he was determined to create a dynasty that would last forever.
However, he only has a lifespan of a little over a hundred years at most. Even if he were given another hundred years, he would not be able to establish a dynasty that would last for ten thousand generations with endless descendants.
After pondering for an unknown period of time, the sky outside gradually brightened, but the palace remained eerily quiet. The guards outside the Imperial Study were changing shifts, and Yu Shi, the Imperial Guard Commander on duty today, stood outside the door.
It's a brand new day.
Ma Rong slowly woke up, opened his eyes, stretched comfortably, and called out "Madam" before immediately seeing Li Cunxi across from him with a calm expression.
"Hiss... Your Majesty!"
He quickly knelt down and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Li Cunxi.
"Here's some freshly delivered hot tea, freshly heated mutton soup, and these flatbreads. Have some, you'll be spending the whole day with me today."
"As ordered."
On a small table to the side were steaming meat pies and mutton soup. Ma Rong picked up one of the beautifully shaped bowls and drank the mutton soup in it clean.
He smacked his lips: "Why is it a little hot?"