Standalone Northern and Southern Dynasties

Chapter 381 Sad Face

Hearing Liu Gui praising Gao Huan so much, Erzhu Rong remembered that Gao Huan was indeed very good at raising horses, and he also became interested in Gao Huan.

Erzhu Rong knew that Liu Gui had once dated his sworn brother Su Ze when he was in Luoyang, and that Liu Gui had failed in his career in Luoyang and had come to Erzhu Rong on Su Ze's suggestion.

Therefore, Erzhu Rong has always respected and trusted Liu Gui very much.

However, Liu Gui did not disappoint Erzhu Rong. As a descendant of the Zhao Han royal family of the Sixteen Kingdoms of the Five Barbarians, Liu Gui himself was also very capable. It was Liu Gui who suggested to Erzhu Rong to occupy Sizhou while the court was weak. Sure enough, after Erzhu Rong occupied Sizhou, the court gritted its teeth and accepted it, and did not punish Erzhu Rong at all.

After that, Liu Gui was left in Sizhou by Erzhu Rong, in charge of handling Sizhou's civil affairs. He just returned to Xiurong yesterday and was summoned by Erzhu Rong.

Erzhu Rong asked:
"What did my sworn brother think of Gao Huan back then?"

Liu Gui knew that Erzhu Rong had a rebellious personality, but he was very sympathetic to his sworn brother Su Ze.

Erzhu Rong once gave instructions to famous generals in the world after getting drunk, but in the end he only recognized one and a half people.

Half of the person is Li Chong, and the other person is Su Ze.

In Erzhu Rong's eyes, the other generals in the court were nothing but chickens and dogs, and could not withstand a single blow.

Liu Gui said truthfully:

"General Su had not yet risen from humble beginnings when he became acquainted with Gao Huan. At that time, General Su described Gao Huan as 'a capable minister in a peaceful era and a hero in a chaotic era'."

If it were an ordinary lord, upon hearing such an evaluation, Gao Huan would definitely not be needed.

But Liu Gui knew that this was Erzhu Rong.

Sure enough, after Erzhu Rong heard this, he laughed and said:
"So that's how it is. Without the ability to control the country, Cao Mengde would become a great hero in troubled times. If I were alive, Cao Mengde would be a capable minister!"

Erzhu Rong was so confident in his own abilities that when he heard that Gao Huan was a wild horse, he began to think about taming him.

He said to Liu Gui:

"Hurry and ask Gao Huan to come see me."

Liu Gui hurriedly left Erzhu Rong's tent and found Gao Huan under the guidance of his personal soldiers.

Liu Gui was shocked when he saw Gao Huan.

"He Liuhun, why are you like this?"

When Gao Huan saw Liu Gui in his official robes and smelled the horse manure on himself, he couldn't help but feel sad and his nose felt a little sore.

He still pretended to be calm and said:

"Brother Agui, now I am General Erzhu's groom. What can a groom look like?"

Gao Huan, who was once handsome and mighty, now had disheveled hair, mud and unknown substances on his body, and tattered clothes. He looked even more miserable than when he was a messenger in Luoyang.

Liu Gui pulled Gao Huan and said:

"Go take a shower and change your clothes. It's too late. Go change your clothes and follow me to see General Erzhu Rong."

Erzhu Rong’s military orders were extremely strict. He demanded that no one could be late for a moment no matter when he met someone.

Liu Gui knew that it was too late for Gao Huan to take a bath and change clothes, so he could only hurriedly find a suitable piece of clothes for Gao Huan to change into, and then took him to see Erzhu Rong.

Along the way, Liu Gui continued to instill Erzhu Rong's personality and preferences into Gao Huan, which made Gao Huan feel overwhelmed.

At the same time, Liu Gui kept asking Gao Huan to show good manners, and complained that he had not prepared fine clothes for Gao Huan. When they were about to reach Erzhu Rong's tent, Gao Huan could not help but ask:
"Brother Agui, if General Erzhu wants to use me, of course he will use my talents. What does this body have to do with me?"

Liu Gui sighed and said:
"General Erzhu sees so many people in a day. If you don't have a good appearance, how can he be willing to know whether you have talent?"

After entering Erzhu Rong's tent, Gao Huan bowed his head. Erzhu Rong was displeased when he saw that Gao Huan's hair was tangled and his body was smelly and dirty.

However, Erzhu Rong was also a military general, so he was not so unable to bear it. He asked Gao Huan some questions about horse breeding.

Gao Huan was suddenly pulled over by Liu Gui. He felt a little dizzy after being busy in the stable all day. Although his answer was appropriate, it did not surprise Erzhu Rong.

Erzhu Rong was somewhat disappointed with Gao Huan. He felt that his subordinates were exaggerating. Although Gao Huan's talent might be a bit underutilized for horse breeding, he had not reached the level of a hero as Liu Gui said.

Thinking of this, Erzhu Rong was still a little disappointed and waved his hand to let Gao Huan leave.

Liu Gui had been with Erzhu Rong for a long time, and he knew that Erzhu Rong attached great importance to the appearance and demeanor of his subordinates. Gao Huan's appearance must have made him lose points in Erzhu Rong's heart.

Liu Gui knew Erzhu Rong's character and stopped persuading Erzhu Rong to value Gao Huan. He only planned to introduce Gao Huan to Erzhu Rong at a more appropriate time.

Sure enough, after Gao Huan returned from Erzhu Rong, he did not get promoted. Even the honest man Wei Jing was a little disappointed, and Dou Tai even clamored to go to another place. Only Gao Huan kept his head down and raised horses for Erzhu Rong without any complaints.

But on the other hand, Gao Huan's wife Lou Zhaojun sold her last dowry and bought Gao Huan a piece of gorgeous clothing.

Even Gao Huan's sister did not understand this matter. She thought that Lou Zhaojun had gone stupid because of her life. Gao Huan and Wei Jing were raising horses in the stable every day and had no chance to wear fancy clothes.
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"Sir, General Li has passed away."

When the old servant walked into the study and reported to Li Daoyuan the news of Li Chong's death, the pen in Li Daoyuan's hand tilted and the ink fell on the blank space on the paper.

After parting with Li Chong last time, Li Daoyuan was given the title of Shizhong, entered the Menxia Province, and once again took up the responsibility of the corrupt machine of the Northern Wei court.

With Li Daoyuan's own ability and prestige, the court finally regained control of the states along the Yellow River, and various military rations were gathered at the front line of Xindu. Li Daoyuan also wrote to Erzhu Rong in Bingzhou and Su Ze in Guanzhong, and both of them transported a batch of mules and horses from their respective territories to Luoyang, alleviating the food crisis in Luoyang.

After becoming busy, Li Daoyuan had no time to rest and naturally had no chance to visit Li Chong again. Unexpectedly, Li Chong died of illness in less than a month.

Li Daoyuan put down his pen, rubbed his sore eyes, and said to the old servant:

"Go to the Li residence to pay your respects tomorrow morning."

After Li Chong was stripped of his title of General of Cavalry and Li Shengui was driven out of the palace, the Li family's status in Luoyang plummeted.

If Li Shizhe was not still the governor of Hezhou, and Li Shizhe's son-in-law Yu Jin was a general under Su Ze, it would be hard to say whether the Li family could keep their mansion in Shangxianli.

When Li Daoyuan came to pay his respects, the entrance to the Li Mansion was deserted. Apart from some of Li Chong's old friends and subordinates, there were not many ministers who came to pay their respects.

Li Daoyuan traveled light and with a small entourage, without any ceremonial guards of a prime minister. After entering the Li family's residence, he saw Li Shengui, who was greeting guests at the door, and the latter hurriedly came forward to greet him.

"Mr. Li!"

"I met General Li last month and everything was fine. Why is it so sudden?"

Li Shengui burst into tears and said:

"Grandpa's health had been failing for half a month. He couldn't get out of bed for a few days. He passed away suddenly last night."

Li Daoyuan was silent. Perhaps that meeting with himself was just a flash of brilliance.

Li Daoyuan asked:
"Is there anything I can do to help with the funeral?"

Li Shengui said quickly:
"Don't worry, Lord Li. The Gaoping County Lord's backyard has already sent people over. They will take care of Grandpa's funeral."

Duke of Gaoping?

Li Daoyuan was a little confused. Did his disciple still have so many people in Luoyang?
Li Daoyuan saw a short middle-aged man with shrewd eyes coming over to him and bowing:

"I am Su Suan, the envoy of the rear court of the Duke of Gaoping, and I am here to meet Lord Li!"

Li Daoyuan then remembered this man. When he took office as the governor of Henan, he was recommended by Su Ze to work as an official in the household department of Henan. Now he has become more and more shrewd and capable.

Su Suan then said to Li Shengui:
"Major General, I have already arranged everything."

Li Shengui said quickly:
"Thank you, Su Liuhou."

After a while, many veterans dressed in imperial guard uniforms walked into Li's mansion. Under the command of Su Suan, they lined up at the door and formed a guard of honor.

Another eminent monk from Luoyang Longhua Temple entered Li's residence and began to chant sutras, and an altar for playing musical instruments and singing was also set up.

Shangxianli, where the Li Mansion was located, was a place where dignitaries gathered. With Su Suan's arrangement, the entire Li Mansion immediately became lively.

The neighbors who originally thought that the Li family had fallen on hard times and were unwilling to come to pay their respects, after discovering the grand ceremony the Li family had put on, also sent their families to pay their respects.

At this time, Su Suan, under the banner of the Duke of Gaoping staying in the backyard, presented a generous mourning honor. Now the nobles of Luoyang saw which direction the wind was blowing.

It seems that the Duke of Gaoping is indeed as loyal and righteous as the legend says. Li Chong and he really have a half-teacher-student friendship!

Those court ministers who had originally wanted to surrender to Su Ze, regardless of their official positions, all rushed to Li's house before sunset to express their condolences and present ceremonials.

Li Daoyuan remained silent. From Li Chong's funeral, he found it ironic that the court officials were arrogant at first and respectful later.

The climax came during the funeral of Li Chong, who was from Dongqiu County, Liyang Prefecture (now Jun County, Henan Province). Li Shengui was going to escort his father's coffin back to his hometown for burial.

Under Su Suan's arrangement, the funeral procession was led by fine horses and the procession was endless.

At this time, it was not known whether Empress Dowager Hu had a change of heart or was mindful of her old friendship with Li Shengui, but she sent a eunuch to convey her imperial decree to restore Li Chong's title of General of the Cavalry, posthumously awarded him the title of Minister of the Chancellery, and allowed the convoy to leave Luoyang via Tongtuo Street and return to his hometown for burial.

This time the funeral procession reached its largest scale, and many Luoyang citizens were seeing him off along the way, making it the most grand funeral in Luoyang in recent years.

Prince Changle Yuan Ziyou had long been prepared to pay his respects, but when too many people arrived, he decided not to go.

After seeing them off on Tongtuo Street, Yuan Ziyou returned to the palace with Su Shun [a eunuch who changed his attitude according to the situation].

Su Shun saw Yuan Ziyou's dejected look, and in order to ease the atmosphere, he asked, "Prince, why don't you send General Li off?"

"Everything is empty after death, so what's the use of sending it away?"

Su Shun asked doubtfully:
"Everything is empty, why do we need to hold such a grand funeral?"

Yuan Ziyou sighed:

"Funerals are not held for the dead, but for the living. Without the grand ceremony for the deceased, how can we know the power and majesty of the living?"

I am really sorry, because there are many side quests and the outline was not updated in time, so errors occurred on Li Chong's side.

Because this funeral is related to a later plot, the previous text has been modified.

Li Chong became physically weak after meeting Li Daoyuan.

I am really sorry. I will not make such a mistake again. Thank you for your correction.
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(End of this chapter)