Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 401 Your Majesty, Can I Resign?
Li Shimin's implication couldn't be more straightforward -

Do you want to die?

As a minister, it would be fine if you didn't come to welcome him, but your emperor came to visit him in person, and you dared to ignore him?

If things continue to develop in this way, won't they be willing to disobey the imperial orders and challenge the imperial authority?

My dear eldest son, I am the only one allowed to beat him up!

I don’t know how serious your illness is, and I don’t know whether you are following the story of Sima Yi.

But your death star is indeed shining above your head!

However, Fang Xuanling, who was always experienced, did not seem to understand the old leader's blatant hint of death, and he bluntly pushed back:
"Yes, I am afraid I will not live long."

You'd better... Li Shimin disdained to argue with his subordinates and his face turned livid.

Sandwiched between Mars and Earth, Li Ming was quite comfortable with it. He continued to massage the teacher's legs and said with a wry smile:
"Hey, father, what are you talking about? I won't allow anything to happen to you. You still have to govern the country for me~"

Fang Xuanling's mouth twitched slightly when he heard this. He leaned back against the pillow and sighed resignedly:

"I am already at the age of knowing my destiny. Aging is a natural process and cannot be defied. When that day comes, please do not worry, Your Majesty.

"The Ming Dynasty has produced many talented people, including several very good young talents. After the old ministers leave, they can fully support the great cause of the Ming Dynasty..."

The more Li Ming listened, the more he felt something was wrong. He felt that his father's words were revealing the following meaning:
Don't make me work, just let me go in peace~
"I am already old and feeble, how dare I take a high position..."

Lao Fang had just finished writing half of his letter of departure when Li Ming's face suddenly changed and he stood up.

"Mr. Xuanling, you might as well make your words more clear."

The majestic aura made Fang Xuanling feel dazed, as if he saw the Heavenly Khan in his prime.

He calmed himself down and smiled gently:
"What I want to say is, Your Majesty, can I resign?"

Good job, you guys have all learned my core technology, right?

Boss Li Ming was unhappy.

It’s not just because their intellectual property has been pirated.

Such useful oxen and horses... No, if the trusted ministers abandon us and run away, to whom can we safely hand over this huge Ming Dynasty to?

You can't let me do everything myself!

Our Ming Dynasty is such a large place with such a large population.

If you learn to be a master of micro-control, you will definitely be focusing on the big picture and not the small details. When you play Hearts of Iron, it will turn into Boom Beach!
"No!" Li Ming flatly refused.

"I'm not worried that no one will take over the job of Prime Minister Fang! I just can't bear to see my father leave!"

Li Ming's reaction was completely within Fang Xuanling's expectations. He just smiled weakly:
"It is rare for a person to live to be seventy. I am very lucky to have survived in this chaotic world. I dare not..."

"I have plenty of talent, so don't worry about it!" Li Ming interrupted:

"But you are one-of-a-kind, I won't let you go just like that!
"I am the Son of Heaven. Even if Heaven wants to take you away, I will go against Heaven!"

After leaving behind these domineering words, Li Ming walked away angrily.

Li Shimin and Fang Xuanling, the old friends, were left alone in a room.

Without the buffer in the middle, the two people who had been on edge just now relaxed.

Old Li looked at his old subordinate lying on the sickbed. The sharpness in his eyes was gone, and only sympathy remained.

At first he thought Fang Xuanling was not respectful enough to his eldest son. Did the old man not want to do this anymore?
But after watching the interaction between Li Ming and Fang Xuanling, he finally understood.

Lao Fang really doesn’t want to do this anymore.

Li Ming talks nicely, but he is ruthless in his actions.

The work has to be done by others, but the personnel power must be firmly in one's own hands, leaving no opportunity for others to build up their own power.

It seems that I have made a big misunderstanding.

That boy is actually very smart, how could he be taken advantage of by his subordinates!

“I want to say that you are retreating in order to advance, using the threat of retiring due to illness as a means of demanding greater power.

"But you are already second only to the emperor, and the emperor has given you the highest honor, and your son has also been properly arranged. How else do you want to get in?"

Li Shimin analyzed bluntly to his old subordinates:

"I want to say that you are retreating at the right time and protecting yourself. But the emperor is not afraid of you, and you have no ability to threaten the throne.

"Why retreat?"

He stared at this capable minister who had helped him establish the Tang Dynasty and then helped his son overthrow the Tang Dynasty.

"Xuan Ling, why are you acting like this?"

Fang Xuanling raised the corners of his mouth tiredly:

"Could it be that I am really old and tired and want to resign and retire?"

Looking at Lao Fang's protruding cheekbones due to his thinness, Li Shimin could not help but hold his forehead and wanted to shed a few tears of sympathy for him.

My son is very good at squeezing the power-hungry old fox to the point where he has no desire to live...

"I am very pleased to see that His Majesty the Emperor is still in good health. It's a pity that I may not have much time to accompany Your Majesties again." Fang Xuanling said weakly.

Li Shimin shook his head slightly, looked at his old friend with some sadness, and said:
“We are all old.”

Fang Xuanling was both Li Ming's original shareholder and Li Shimin's original shareholder, and was a close confidant of both dynasties.

When His Majesty Li Shimin was still only His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin, Fang Xuanling was already working in the Prince of Qin's Palace, starting as a recorder and working his way up to become the prime minister of a country.

During the chaotic period at the end of the Sui Dynasty when job-hopping was common, it was very rare to be so loyal to one person.

The two lifelong partners first met in their prime. In the blink of an eye, one was already paralyzed and the other was bedridden.

It makes people sigh.

"Your Majesty left the table to intentionally give His Majesty the Retired Emperor and me a chance to reminisce about the past."

A faint smile slowly emerged on Fang Xuanling's paralyzed face.

Although His Majesty Li Ming did not reduce the burden on old ministers, he only provided emotional value.

But we have to admit that this emotional value is indeed maximized.

It is meticulous and every aspect is done well.

It is hard for subordinates not to be moved, and they willingly work hard until their death.

"That kid...the emperor asked me to persuade you to stay in office." Li Shimin snorted lightly.

"He doesn't want you to retire and return home on the pretext of being sick."

Fang Xuanling smiled bitterly:
"I am not pretending to be ill. I am indeed ill and I cannot hold on for long. I am nearly seventy years old and it is time for me to retire and make way for young talents.

"The Ming Dynasty is a young country. How can we allow an old man with insufficient energy to occupy an important position for a long time and do nothing?"

Li Shimin stood beside the couch, looked down at him and said:

"The emperor of this country is still too young. The people of the world need a capable steward like you who can implement the emperor's... fantastic ideas in a down-to-earth manner."

Humph, I tried to retain Fang Xuanling for the welfare of the people of the world, not for that rebellious son.

Fang Xuanling sighed softly and looked out the window helplessly.

"Unfortunately, I am not capable of doing this."

Li Shimin frowned and said:

“Although the emperor’s reckless behavior is 70% to blame, don’t you have even 30% responsibility?
"If you can combine work and rest, why do you have to make yourself so miserable?"

Fang Xuanling shook his head slightly:
"Sorry, couldn't help myself."

Li Shimin raised his eyebrows and asked with his eyes: What do you mean?
"Your Majesty, please forgive me for my outrageous words, but..."

Fang Xuanling said slowly:

"Your Majesty the Emperor grew up under my watch, and the Ming Dynasty was built under my watch.

“This great cause is like my child.

"When His Majesty held my old minister's hands and said earnestly:

"'Father, please help our Ming Dynasty,' what can I do?
"I'm just going all out to repay your kindness."

Li Shimin was silent.

Being stared at by the eyes of the most holy and wise emperor, Bling Bling, he was given a mansion that was larger than the imperial palace...

From the perspective of a minister, if you put yourself in her shoes, it is indeed difficult to resist the charm of the Ming Dynasty succubus.

When I looked back suddenly, my body had been drained and not a drop of energy was left.

"One must always finish what one starts. Unfortunately, given my health, I'm afraid I won't be able to see you for much longer..."

Fang Xuanling slowly turned his head and said to Li Shimin:

"Now that the world is settled and the great cause is accomplished, there is no need for old ministers. It is a good time to withdraw.

"Your Majesty, I beg for your bones."

Lao Fang felt that he was still lucky, at least he witnessed the establishment of two great empires with his own eyes.

His son has been personally trained by His Majesty the Emperor and will be able to take over his job well. The Fang family has a promising future.

The bet was right.

Not only has he made outstanding achievements in history, but his family will also have a secure future in the foreseeable future.

Choice is more important than hard work. Compared with Prime Minister Zhuge Liang who failed to achieve his ambitions, he is really much luckier.

"What more could one ask for in life?"

Fang Xuanling smiled brightly for the first time.

Li Shimin looked at his detached old partner with an extremely complicated expression.

It seems that this number one butler in the world is really determined to retire.

"I'm over sixty now, it's time to know my destiny."

…………

"Damn it, he's not even seventy years old, which is the golden age for hard work, how can he sleep! How can he sleep at this age?!"

Li Ming left the prime minister's residence angrily and did not return to the palace.

Instead, he went straight to Shang Pharmacy as soon as possible.

He wanted to see what disease Lao Fang had that made him so depressed that he didn't even want to be the most powerful prime minister in the world.

How many people are willing to sacrifice their lives just for a little bit of power!
"Shang Pharmacy" was originally an imperial medical institution in Chang'an, dedicated to serving the emperor and the court.

However, the only thing in common between the Shangyaoju of the Ming Dynasty and the original version of the Tang Dynasty is probably the name.

Shang Pharmacy is completely open to the public and subsidized by the government. Citizens only need to bear part of the cost to come and see a doctor and get treatment.

Moreover, Shang Pharmacy has established branches and sub-branches in various cities and towns, and the only thing missing from becoming a "People's Hospital" is the name.

What is more counterintuitive is that the medical treatment of ministers, dignitaries, and even the emperor was also the responsibility of the doctors in the Shangyao Bureau.

This was not just a gesture made by His Majesty Li Ming to show that "everyone is equal" and "comes from the people and goes to the people" in the Ming Dynasty.

It is also for the practical reason of increasing the life expectancy of officials. Without quotation marks, it means literally -

Medicine is a practical discipline. The barefoot doctors who treat the common people are definitely more skilled in medicine than the so-called "famous doctors" who serve the powerful and wealthy.

In an industry that concerns one's life and property, one must be realistic and not do anything aristocratic.

By doing this, there is no need to worry about a few famous doctors being bribed by hostile forces and adding something to the medicine for oneself or a few close ministers.

If you have the guts, bribe all the doctors in Shang Pharmacy!

Therefore, Li Ming has great trust in these academic giants who are influential in the society.

These medical experts who were free from politics were surprisingly unanimous in their opinions on Chief Fang Xuanling's physical condition.

"hungry."

"Hungry?!"

When Li Ming received this diagnosis, he was as shocked as Changsun Wuji.

The chief prime minister of the world's largest empire couldn't even get enough to eat.

Not only did I faint from hunger during work, but I was so hungry that I wanted to quit my job.

Asiba, if this matter gets out, our country will become a laughing stock in the international community!
"Could it be that Fang Xiang is suffering from some disease, or is he too old and frail, resulting in a loss of appetite?" Li Ming searched his memory for the "health knowledge" he read on the public account.

The doctors at Shang Pharmacy shook their heads:
“No, Prime Minister Fang is weak simply because he is picky about food.

"Eating little and doing so much, even a strong body can't handle it."

Picky eater?

It is difficult for Li Ming to associate this word with an old man who is nearly 70 years old and in his prime.

After listening to the doctors talking for a long time, he finally understood roughly what they were saying.

Caused by long-term vegetarianism.

The matter can be traced back to His Majesty Li Shimin.

As we all know, the Li family has a history of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Li Shimin showed symptoms of headaches, dizziness, cardiac arrest and other cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases early in the morning. After Li Ming gave him a diet of "eating more vegetables", his condition improved.

However, during the Northern Expedition against Xueyantuo, due to the battlefield environment, Li Shimin returned to a meat-eating diet, resulting in a stroke and hemiplegia.

Once this example happened, everyone took it as a warning and vegetarianism became a trend.

It is not uncommon to go too far and only eat vegetarian food without eating meat.

Fang Xuanling's illness clearly falls into this category.

"Fortunately, Fang Xiang's physical foundation is still strong. If it were an ordinary old man, he would have collapsed long ago if he was so hungry."

The doctors shook their heads.

Everyone has seen starving people, but in a sense, Fang Xuanling was determined to starve himself to this extent during a peaceful period.

If it were an ordinary person, he would have broken the rules and started eating it long ago.

"It's actually... still possible?"

Li Ming felt at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

The chief prime minister threatened to resign, the emperor almost lost an arm, and the empire almost lost a wise prime minister. Even Li Ming was worried about whether the officialdom would be unbalanced and whether the Ming Dynasty's prosperous trend would be interrupted.

As a result, this is it?
Is it just a misunderstanding caused by vegetarianism?

"Prime Minister Fang is very stubborn. We advised him to eat some meat, or at least drink some meat soup, but he just wouldn't listen." The doctors were speechless.

Li Ming patted his chest:
"It's okay. Leave it to me."

As the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he stuffed meat into his subjects' mouths and didn't believe that anyone would dare to spit it out.

(End of this chapter)