Chapter 1236: 23 Things About the Fake Emperor and the Powerful Officials
Mr. Xie suffers from coughing half of the days throughout the year, and people inside and outside the palace have gotten used to it.
Shi Li hurried out of the hot spring. The palace servants outside had even prepared a carriage for her, waiting for her to rush over to see Mr. Xie for the last time.
When Shi Li asked, she found out that the carriage was prepared by Yuan Chizhi.
She didn't waste any time talking and got on the carriage and hurried to Xie's house.
This was her first time walking out of the palace, but she had no intention of looking at what was outside. Her only thought was about Mr. Xie's life and death.
Although they had known each other for less than a year, Shi Li respected this old man very much. His every word and action was for the sake of the country and the world. Such a person could be called a saint.
The poverty of the Xie family was obvious at a glance, and it was not unexpected. Shi Li could not help but frown. The emperor had so much wealth in his private treasury, he should really take it out and share it with others.
There was no time to take care of these things at the moment, and Shi Li walked into the house in a hurry.
There was no one else around Mr. Xie except Xie Qingyun and Yuan Chizhi.
He was lying on the bed, his breathing was long and short, his face looked extremely ugly. When he saw Shi Li rushing over, he coughed violently for a while.
Finally, he said intermittently: "This old minister has something to say to Your Majesty..."
Shi Li hurried forward. After not seeing him for a few days, Mr. Xie had become extremely thin. Her nose felt sore unconsciously, and she called out "Teacher" in a low voice.
"You... go out first." Old Xie looked at Yuan Chizhi and Xie Qingyun and said with difficulty.
One of these two people was his own granddaughter, and the other was his most proud closed disciple, yet now they were being driven out together.
Shi Li was also surprised and looked at Yuan Chizhi with wide eyes.
His face was calm. He just answered "yes" and walked out without hesitation.
Xie Qingyun hesitated for a moment and followed him out.
Shi Li was the only one left in the room.
Mr. Xie seemed to have been prepared. As it was difficult to speak, he didn't say anything. Instead, he took out two purses, one red and one blue, from under the pillow. He handed the red purse to Shi Li first and signaled her to open it with his eyes.
Shi Li opened her purse as she was told and found a folded piece of rice paper inside.
There was only one word written on the rice paper. When Shi Li saw what the word was, his breathing stopped. He stared stiffly at the old man lying on the bed, who was barely breathing.
Mr. Xie was still as kind as when he first met her, and there was even a slight smile on his face.
"Teacher..." Shi Li held the rice paper tightly. The word "female" on it was shocking. She never expected that Mr. Xie had already known her secret. She didn't know what to say.
The room was so quiet that even the sound of breathing could be heard clearly.
Mr. Xie closed his eyes and handed her another purse.
This purse was heavier and contained more than one piece of rice paper. Just as Shi Li was about to open it, she was stopped by Mr. Xie.
"Your Majesty is pure and kind... You must always have the people in your heart."
Every time Mr. Xie spoke a word, he would take a long breath, and his smile would gradually fade, turning into his worry about Tian Xia and Jing Chao.
"Chizhi... is a talented person. Your Majesty, treat him well..."
This was the last sentence Mr. Xie said, and then he slowly closed his eyes.
Outside the house, a heavy rain fell.
Accompanied by lightning and thunder.
Shi Li closed her eyes and held back the tears that were about to roll down.
Mr. Xie's funeral was held in an extremely simple manner, in accordance with his repeated requests during his lifetime, without any waste of time or money.
Half of the civil and military officials came to mourn this old man who was powerful but incorruptible.
He was the imperial tutor of two dynasties, and had countless disciples who were promoted and appreciated by him in the court. He left behind no valuables, and only the living people can remember him and mourn him.
At night, Shi Li sent away the palace maids who were serving her, carefully closed the curtains around the dragon bed, leaving no gaps, and took out the purse that Mr. Xie had left for her and began to look through it carefully.
This purse was like a brocade bag, and inside it were several large sheets of rice paper, on which were densely written the names of almost half of the court officials and several important political affairs.
This was the trump card that Mr. Xie left for Shi Li. He appreciated Yuan Chizhi's ability and also saw that he was not of the same kind as himself. On the one hand, he wanted Shi Li to use him, but on the other hand, he wanted to prevent him from causing trouble.
After reading the brocade bag, Shi Li carefully folded it back to its original shape and put it away, then lay on the bed and sighed deeply.
Mr. Xie really thinks too highly of her. With her intelligence, could she suppress Yuan Chizhi?
Do not make jokes.
What's more, she had to keep her secret well. If Yuan Chizhi caught her, she wouldn't even be able to decide how to die.
Shi Li thought about it together for half the night, and finally a half-joking comment gave her a hint.
[Doesn't the history book say that Yuan Chizhi likes gold and silver? You should reward him generously, since there are so many treasures in his private vault, he's just sitting there doing nothing!]
Shi Li: Hmm...how about giving it a try?