Just as in this world there is no perfect person, so too are there no perfect things.
Seeing that Yu Shan and Guan Xiang were about to continue their argument, Li Ning suddenly erupted, slamming his right hand on the table and roaring, "Have you argued enough? All of you, shut up!"
At Li Ning's sudden outburst, all the civil and military officials present trembled, their faces filled with awe.
The Grand Chancellor, Yu Shan, and the Marquis of Huaiyang, Guan Xiang, immediately bowed and lowered their heads to receive his reprimand.
...
Seeing everyone look at him, Li Ning stroked his beard and began to propose another plan.
However, midway through his explanation, Li Ning suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, his pupils constricted, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Cursing his misfortune, Li Ning, with his last breath, tilted his head back to look at the clear blue sky devoid of clouds.
With a bitter smile, Li Ning thought to himself, the heavens ultimately did not want him to accomplish this task...
A few seconds later, Li Ning collapsed onto the table, dead.
Witnessing this scene, the expressions of all the civil and military officials present changed drastically. Even the Grand Chancellor Yu Shan and the Marquis of Huaiyang Guan Xiang, along with others, descended into chaos.
"Prime Minister Li! Prime Minister Li has collapsed!"
"Quick! Go fetch a renowned physician!"
"It's over! The Prime Minister has collapsed, we must not let anything happen!"
"If Prime Minister Li dies, we will be in trouble..."
Amidst the exclamations of the civil and military officials, the Grand Chancellor Yu Shan and the Marquis of Huaiyang Guan Xiang exchanged a glance and, with remarkable synchronicity, both breathed a sigh of relief.
...
Ultimately, man's plans are no match for heaven's will. If heaven calls you, you must go, whether you wish to or not.
Li Ning had long anticipated that Grand Chancellor Yu Shan and Marquis of Huaiyang Guan Xiang would shirk responsibility and blame each other. In such a situation, he would seize the opportunity to propose another plan.
Using this new plan, Li Ning could leverage the power of the Prime Minister to push it through forcefully, thereby helping the Great Han Empire overcome its current difficulties as quickly as possible.
Having navigated the treacherous waters of officialdom for decades to reach the position of Prime Minister, Li Ning knew deeply that the longer the rebellion dragged on, the greater the damage to the internal affairs of the Great Han Empire.
However, heaven did not grant Li Ning his wish. What could he do?
All his efforts in life would vanish into nothingness after his eyes closed and he departed this world.
A life extinguished is like a lamp going out, all becomes empty.
...
Half an hour later, the chaos at the celebratory banquet continued.
After Li Ning's collapse, the civil and military officials either cried out loudly, were flustered, or rushed to find a renowned physician.
Yet, among them, no one dared to touch Li Ning, let alone attempt emergency resuscitation on the spot.
This included Li Ning's own disciple, the Grand Chancellor Yu Shan.
Of course, this was understandable.
At this moment, no one knew the exact condition of Li Ning, who was in his sixties.
...
The civil and military officials present were not skilled in medicine. If anyone rashly attempted resuscitation, and Li Ning were to recover, it would be one thing...
But if Li Ning were to meet with misfortune, who could bear the responsibility of having killed the Prime Minister?
Conversely, if the situation remained as it was, even if Li Ning eventually died of illness, everyone present would bear shared responsibility, and ultimately, the law would not punish the multitude, and the matter would be dropped.
Therefore, Li Ning, who had long since passed away and whose body had grown cold, lay slumped in the main seat of the celebratory banquet for a full half hour.
Yet, no official dared to approach within a hundred-meter radius of his body.
All the civil and military officials allowed Li Ning to remain thus. Each was busy thinking of a solution, but no one dared to act before the renowned physician arrived.
After about the time it took for one stick of incense to burn, the renowned physician Ouyang Lun finally arrived, carrying his medicine chest.
Ouyang Lun carefully navigated through the officials and quickly approached Li Ning.
Then, Ouyang Lun checked Li Ning's breathing. Discovering that Li Ning had no pulse, his heart sank.
Ouyang Lun felt as if the sky had fallen, and inwardly cursed his misfortune.
After a period of emergency resuscitation, Ouyang Lun was ultimately unable to revive Li Ning.
Facing the concerned gazes of the civil and military officials, Ouyang Lun stood up and sadly shook his head at them, indicating he was powerless.
Ouyang Lun was one of the most renowned physicians of his time, and his prestige within Shanhaiguan was extremely high.
Therefore, everyone present believed Ouyang Lun's words.
As soon as Ouyang Lun's words fell, the eyes of all the officials turned to the Grand Chancellor Yu Shan and the Marquis of Huaiyang Guan Xiang.
They unanimously believed that these two high-ranking officials, one civil and one military, should step forward and declare their stance at this critical juncture.
Under the watchful eyes of the officials, the Grand Chancellor Yu Shan, as Li Ning's disciple, finally stepped onto the high platform.
...
On the high platform, the Grand Chancellor Yu Shan publicly announced that his mentor, Prime Minister Li Ning, had passed away from illness.
He would issue a memorial today, and this important news would be swiftly delivered to the imperial court.
He would be responsible for all subsequent matters.
...
Three days later, one early morning.
Feather-light snow began to fall from the sky.
The sky was overcast, with large masses of clouds gathered together, creating an oppressive atmosphere that made one feel extremely uncomfortable.
The north wind howled, feeling like a knife against the skin.
Today, Grand Chancellor Yu Shan wore an imperial robe bestowed upon him as a reward for a great service rendered a few years prior. It was an extremely precious garment.
He normally treated this robe like a treasure, not even allowing others to touch it, let alone wear it. Yet today, he wore it.
Braving the heavy snow, Grand Chancellor Yu Shan, accompanied by numerous servants, arrived at the city gate early.
Meanwhile.
Almost simultaneously, the Marquis of Huaiyang Guan Xiang, also elaborately dressed in general's armor, arrived at the city gate with his elite personal guards.
...
At this very moment.
Many lanterns were lit at the entrance of Shanhaiguan. Civil and military officials from various departments, bureaus, and ministries had all gathered.
They braved the snow, gathering here and moving slowly.
As they passed through the familiar main avenue of the city gate, with the passage of time, the vast crowd grew larger and larger.
Amidst the crowd, some could not control their emotions and let out whimpers.
Under the gray sky, snowflakes danced in the air, and figures held thick stacks of spirit money.
These figures stood on both sides of the main avenue of the city gate. Although their faces were indistinct, their attire indicated they were all ordinary citizens.
A massive coffin pulled by eight horses emerged from the main city gate avenue, followed by countless mourners in white.
Someone whispered, "Farewell, Prime Minister."
"Prime Minister, your name will live on for eternity."
"Prime Minister, we wish you peace in the afterlife."
Sobs, suppressed with all their might, could be clearly heard.
The dark mass of people scattered countless pieces of spirit money into the air, seemingly obscuring the falling snow.
The common people of Shanhaiguan were both heartbroken by the departure of the great benefactor who had defended their city and their lives, and they wished to do whatever they could for this great benefactor.
To depart in a coffin and return lying in one, this was not an insult, but an honor.
In the Great Han Empire, the Son of Heaven could die at the nation's border, and the Prime Minister could die for the state.
...
A month later.
The Marquis of Huaiyang Guan Xiang sent a few of his personal guards to assassinate the troublesome Grand Chancellor Yu Shan.
After spending another five days consolidating the civil and military officials in Shanhaiguan, the Marquis of Huaiyang Guan Xiang, alone, led the one hundred thousand troops of Shanhaiguan southward towards the empire's capital.
Guan Xiang's personal ambitions ultimately outweighed his sense of duty.
The new emperor of Great Han was only in his twenties, and his son, the so-called Third Prince, was barely ten years old. What was Guan Xiang in such a hurry for?
Who did not know his intentions?
It was merely to support a puppet emperor as a military general, becoming the next Li Ning.
The hundred thousand troops of Shanhaiguan, tempered by blood and fire, were now the finest elite forces in the land.
Under the leadership of the Marquis of Huaiyang Guan Xiang, the hundred thousand troops, under the pretext of "clearing the emperor's surroundings," advanced irresistibly, reaching the capital in just ten days.
Ironically, the emperor had intended to use the Marquis of Huaiyang Guan Xiang to curb the powerful minister Li Ning.
However, he had never imagined that after Li Ning's death, the Marquis of Huaiyang Guan Xiang would directly find an excuse, take advantage of the internal strife of the Great Han Empire, and rebel against him.
...
Three days after the Marquis of Huaiyang Guan Xiang entered the capital, the emperor, in his twenties, died of illness. The ten-year-old Third Prince ascended the throne. Guan Xiang was appointed as a minister of regency, bestowed with the title of Grand Tutor and King of Jiangdong, and tasked with assisting in state affairs.
Guan Xiang, now the de facto ruler of the Great Han Empire, found his sense of duty once again triumphing over his personal ambition.
The internal strife of the Great Han Empire lasted for a full fifteen years. During these fifteen years, countless people were displaced, and countless others died in the conflict.
It took Guan Xiang fifteen years to barely quell the rebellion.
After another fifteen years, Guan Xiang finally understood the thoughts and intentions of the former powerful minister Li Ning before his death.
But at this point, he did not wish to suffer the same fate as the aging Li Ning.
He relinquished his power, gathered his family and servants, and elegantly left the mainland, heading to a small island he had prepared long ago as a fallback.
From then on, Guan Xiang lived a simple and happy life as a wealthy gentleman.
The Great Han Empire, severely weakened by the protracted rebellion, saw its imperial authority gradually weaken, laying the foundation for its eventual decline.
This fourth trial ultimately concluded with the exhaustion of Wu Tao's lifespan.