Da Tang Si Zi: My Six Super Rich Little Nuggets!

Chapter 164 Chen Xuanli Smuggles the Imperial Concubine, Musk Warns of the "Awakening Virus&quo

Xiao Si sighed softly, her gaze drifting into the distance, where she saw the courtyard buried by time:

"Last night I dreamed of a courtyard."

Zi'an asked with a hint of curiosity, "Oh? You had another dream within a dream?"

A subtle light flickered in Xiao Si's eyes: "The gate outside the courtyard says 'Mawei Post Station'."

Zi'an was suddenly startled, seemingly touched by the memory of this dream, and asked urgently:

"My God, did you see Chen Xuanli?"

“That’s right, it’s him.” Xiao Si’s voice carried an enigmatic quality.

Zi'an's pupils suddenly dilated, as if he realized something:

"Did you see Yang Guifei? In what form did she appear in your dream?"

Xiao Si shook her head, then nodded: "It's not in the yard, it's on the boat."

Just then, Qu Youjiu frowned, recalling a distant past event:

“I remember something. I was nine years old that year, in the fourth year of Jinglong (710 AD). At that time, I hadn’t seen much of the world, but one thing was deeply imprinted in my heart. Chen Xuanli, that name that is hard to ignore.”

He paused, then continued:

"At that time, Chen Xuanli joined Li Longji in raising an army and successfully killed Empress Wei and Princess Anle, an act that shocked the entire Tang Dynasty. It was at that turning point in history that he opened up a new world for Emperor Xuanzong. At that time, he was the Left General of the Imperial Guards, and like Yu Zhanmo, he was simple and honest, which earned him the deep trust of Emperor Xuanzong."

Zi'an nodded slightly, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes:

"Yes, Chen Xuanli's profound and silent strength is truly impossible to ignore. He is not only a capable general, but also a calm and decisive decision-maker. If we were to say who Emperor Xuanzong of Tang trusted, besides Li Longji himself, it would probably be him."

Qu Youjiu continued:

"His demeanor at that time was somewhat like Yu Zhanmo's—low-key yet resolute, never easily revealing his emotions, but always able to stand up at crucial moments, acting decisively and quietly for the greater good. His reputation was even more illustrious than that of those prominent princes and princesses. History is quietly propelled by such people."

Little Si gently shook his head:

"But the Chen Xuanli in my dream is not that high and mighty general, but a man standing in front of the Mawei Post Station with a lonely back view."

Her voice choked slightly, "At that moment, I seemed to see the loneliness and helplessness in his heart..."

At this moment, in an attempt to ease the tension, Zi'an said to Qu Youjiu:

"You yourself may not even know what happened next. But we all know..."

In the fourteenth year of the Tianbao era (755), when Li Bai was 54 years old, the An Lushan Rebellion broke out.

The following year, An Lushan's army approached Chang'an. Chen Xuanli planned to kill Yang Guozhong in the city, but failed.

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was forced to flee to Sichuan, passing through Mawei Slope (Xingping, Shaanxi) on his way.

Chen Xuanli conspired with Crown Prince Li Heng and others to openly incite the Imperial Guards to mutiny and request the execution of Chancellor Yang Guozhong, Imperial Censor Wei Fangjin, and Minister of Ceremonies Yang Xuan.

Yang Guozhong was hacked to death.

Subsequently, Chen Xuanli requested that Yang Guifei be executed. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang had no choice but to order Gao Lishi to execute Yang Guifei, which finally quelled the unrest in the army.

Chen Xuanli then expressed his loyalty to Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and accompanied him on his journey to Sichuan.

Xiao Si said, "Yes, that's the key sentence: 'Chen Xuanli then expressed his loyalty to Emperor Xuanzong of Tang,' but it doesn't say how he expressed it."

Zi'an glanced at her and continued:

Two years later, in October of the second year of the Zhide era (757), Guo Ziyi led his army to recover the two capitals (Luoyang and Chang'an).

In December of the same year, Chen Xuanli escorted Emperor Xuanzong of Tang back to the capital, Chang'an. For his meritorious service in protecting the emperor, he was enfeoffed as Duke of Cai, with a fief of three hundred households.

"Protecting the emperor is meritorious? Who isn't?!" Little Si interrupted again.

"What exactly did you dream about?" Zi'an asked anxiously.

"It seems the rumors are true." Xiao Si was still in a daze.

"Are you going to tell me or not?" Zi'an was getting a little impatient.

"I believe the commander-in-chief of the army is Chen Xuanli. I pity the beauty of the Imperial Concubine and cannot bear to kill her."

He then conspired with Gao Lishi to substitute a maid for the body. Gao Lishi transported the body by cart, and Chen Xuanli was the one who examined the body. Yang Guifei was then escorted south by Chen Xuanli's confidants. They set sail from near present-day Shanghai and arrived at Kuzu in Yutani, Japan..."

Qu Youjiu suddenly asked, "The Imperial Concubine isn't dead?"

Zi'an said, "Don't you know that you have three poems praising her?"

Qu Youjiu blurted out: "Clouds remind me of her clothes, flowers of her face; the spring breeze caresses the balustrade, the dew is heavy."

Little Si exclaimed in surprise: "Do you know the line, 'A single red blossom, fragrant with dew, makes the clouds and rain of Wushan seem like a futile heartbreak'?"

Qu Youjiu laughed: "I also know 'A beautiful woman and a stunning beauty, pleasing to both the eye and the heart, and a beauty that makes the king smile.'"

Qu Youjiu then asked Zi'an, "Was Li Bai still alive that year?"

Zi'an said:

"You even know poetry, what don't you know? Let's all cherish life."

Qu Youjiu said, "Heavens! I actually know that in August of the first year of Shangyuan (760), Chen Xuanli resigned from his official post and returned to his hometown, and died at home not long after. Two years later, Li Bai also passed away."

Qu Youjiu patted Zi'an on the shoulder, glanced at Yu Zhanmo and Xiao Si, and appeared somewhat heroic:

"Ever since I met you guys, all sorts of strange information have started appearing in my brain. I even know about the year 2025!"

Little Si was extremely surprised and asked with curiosity, "Oh? Tell me about it."

"It's this—a global wave of humanities closures is coming!" Qu Youjiu said with an air of 'big news,' as if revealing some unknown secret.

Xiao Si couldn't help but laugh, muttering, "Isn't what you're describing the pragmatic phenomenon of the future? The humanities won't disappear; they'll just be optimized and integrated."

"Sigh, the future is indeed more pragmatic." Qu Youjiu sighed, like a wise man who had seen the coldness and indifference of the world.

"'If you have the energy to spare, then study literature!' Look, this has become a motto. There's also a guy named Musk, not Marx, who said that all schools have been contaminated by the 'awakening virus,' even the elite private schools haven't escaped it!"

"Awakening virus?" Xiao Si raised an eyebrow, looking at him with a half-smile.

"Haha, who knows what dreams are like?" Qu Youjiu waved his hand, his gaze somewhat lost. "The future society is becoming more and more pragmatic, and the value of life is no longer valued. The idea of ​​'the great use of the useless' is being misused by many people who don't understand literature..."

Xiao Si suddenly felt that this made a lot of sense, and nodded slightly:

"Uselessness is actually of great use, yet it's being abused by those with ulterior motives... You're quite philosophical, aren't you, Qu Youjiu? You seem a bit like Li Bai to me, but you're not really. Li Bai didn't concern himself with these things. If Li Bai could see the trends of this future timeline, he'd probably recite a poem called 'Bring in the Wine'!"

"I wish I could stay drunk forever and never wake up? Alas, but this wave of awakening, abandoning academic excellence... isn't that inevitable?" Qu Youjiu shook his head, seemingly reflecting on something.

"People pursue material gain, and literature and art have always been treated as accessories. 'True love' and 'interests' have become luxuries enjoyed by only a few. And what about me? If it weren't for the economic foundation left to me by my father and materialistic husband..."

Xiao Si began to feel sad for her friend and herself. It seemed like a history student often had to engage in such value-based reflections.

"Is this what you really wanted to say? No matter how 'pragmatic' society is, there always has to be someone to do 'true love research'."

Don't you think that Li Bai, Gao Shi, and Du Fu did the same thing?

Not for personal gain or fame, but purely for a heart full of 'true love'.

But don't tell me that these three poets have also contracted the 'Awakening Virus' in this space...

"Hopefully not." Qu Youjiu took a deep breath.

"They don't study literature in pursuit of social methods, but for the future of humanity, for the beliefs deep within their hearts. Only when the superficial bubble of society bursts will true researchers emerge, just like them... perhaps..."

"Perhaps, just like us now!"

Xiao Si gazed into the eyes of her friends and slowly nodded.