Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Lu Bu walked in the palace, the sounds of cicadas and insects ringing in his ears. He walked through the mottled shadows cast by the towering trees. The blue ox, white horse and stone servants that used to be in the palace had all been replaced, and new carvings of war horses pulling carriages and generals going to war were placed on the walls on both sides. The palace seemed to have less of a barbarian vibe and more of the solemnity of the army.

He turned left and right with ease and brought Yu Cheng and a group of personal guards to the imperial study.

After ascending the throne and becoming the emperor, Lu Bu felt that there were more things to do. Most of the civil and military officials under his command were now his own people. The few who joined later also turned to Qi for various reasons and demands. After several years, most of the people in Liaodong under his control had truly surrendered to him. Without the constraints of the gentry, he suddenly felt another thing about power.

"Your Majesty, this is the memorial sent today."

Lu Bu's face twitched. He glanced at the eunuch standing respectfully there, then looked at the pile of memorials on the table. He walked forward, picked up one, opened it and took a look, then threw it back casually.

slam-la-

The memorials rolled over, the papers made a sound in the air, and fell to the ground with a "pop".

"Another auspicious sign. I have been on the throne for half a month, and there are so many auspicious memorials that I can roast a sheep." Shaking his head, he stretched out his hand to flip through the documents on the table, picked up another one at random, took a look, and threw it back as usual.

Bang, snap——

Hearing a strange voice, Lu Bu turned his head quickly.

The middle-aged man standing at the door looked at the memorial that fell on him, squatted down to pick it up, and bowed to Lu Bu: "Your Majesty, your servant Wu Jiao greets you."

Straightening up, he asked, "But who is mad at you?"

"Why is Wu Qing here?" Lu Bu tilted his head, a little surprised, but still waved his hand and pointed to the wooden chair beside him: "Come and sit down."

He turned the table around and sat down on the chair: "No one is mad at me... No, that's not right, some people are mad at me."

After saying this, Lu Bu even found himself a little amused. "Many county officials have written to me, saying that auspicious signs have occurred in their areas. Haha - it's not like I don't know what they are thinking. Instead of wasting time and energy on this, it would be better for them to open up two acres of land for me."

Wu Jiao lifted his robe and sat down. He smiled when he heard this and said, "Since Your Majesty knows about this, you should reprimand him severely. Otherwise, if he continues to flatter you like this in the future, how can we survive?"

"Let Zhang Lin draft the imperial edict and issue it." Lu Bu tapped the table lightly, his fingers moving casually: "To be honest, there are still not enough people available. I heard that Song is generous to scholars, and I wonder if anyone will come to take the exam."

"Your Majesty, don't worry." Wu Jiao stroked his beard calmly, "Even if Song favors scholars, there are so many scholars in the world, and there are only so many official positions. There will always be scholars looking for opportunities here."

"That makes sense. Just relax and wait." Lu Bu leaned back and said, "What are you doing here, Mr. Wu? You're not just here to chat with me, are you?"

"I, your Majesty, have something to tell you." Wu Jiao twisted his beard and pondered for a moment, "I have come a long way, from being a Taoist priest in a temple to becoming the leader of a mountain stronghold. Your Majesty did not abandon me and took me into the mountains, until I established a great foundation in Liaodong and was appointed to the Ministry of War."

Lu Bu frowned and tapped the table unconsciously with his fingers.

"Your Majesty, family members know their own affairs." Wu Jiao bowed his hands and said, "Although I have some quick wits, I am not a genius. I already feel that I am not capable of handling Liaodong alone. I am also sure that Qi will expand its territory in the future. By then, I am afraid that my two abilities will not be able to support the heavy responsibility on my shoulders. Therefore, I ask Your Majesty to select other capable people to join the Ministry of War."

Lu Bu looked at him and couldn't help asking, "Are you going to resign?"

"I'm not resigning." The middle-aged man shook his head, with a look of helplessness on his face. "I have served Your Majesty for so long. When I was in the mountains, I realized that Your Majesty was different from the outlaws. You were not a man of the world from the beginning. I have tried hard to catch up for many years, but I still feel that my knowledge and vision are far behind. That's why I am willing to let others take over."

Lu Bu's frown calmed down, and after thinking for a while, he nodded with difficulty: "Well, since you said so, I have no choice but to agree, otherwise it would be inhumane."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Wu Jiao bowed, as if he had let go of his worries.

Lu Bu looked at him and thought for a while: "But now we can't find anyone to take over in a hurry, so you should do it first... I remember that you are very knowledgeable about astronomical phenomena, and you should be familiar with weddings and funerals, is that right?"

"Your Majesty is right." Wu Jiao nodded and stroked his beard. "When I was a Taoist priest, I observed the celestial phenomena at night, tested astronomy, and reported the auspicious days and seasonal taboos for national sacrifices, funerals, and weddings. These were my main tasks."

"So..." Lu Bu smiled and pointed at the other party: "You will not refuse me the position of Grand Historian again, right? Unless you have completely forgotten your lessons from that year."

"Your Majesty is joking." Wu Jiao laughed: "Those are things that have been engraved in my mind, how can I forget them?"

Then he stood up and bowed to the ground: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Go down first. By the way..." Lu Bu waved his hand and remembered something: "I have discussed with the Minister of State before that Zaixing and Qiongying's wedding will be scheduled on the Wu Zi day in two months. You will have to take care of the wedding. Please discuss all the schedules and taboos with Minister Yang."

"I accept your order."

Wu Jiao said this before turning around and walking out of the imperial study.

Lu Bu sat behind the table for a long time before shaking his head. He then ordered Zhang Lin to draft an edict to reprimand county officials and urge them to reclaim wasteland. He then took the memorials and read them one by one. Only when the lights came on did he stand up and walk out of the room.

After the initial chaos, the Imperial Palace has returned to normal.

In the harem, Yelu Daribo originally thought that Lu Bu would allocate houses to the four of them, but he never expected that the living habits of the three women of Wu Qing were different from those of most people. They had lived in a courtyard all day long since they were in Song.

When they arrived in Liaoyang Prefecture, although they had a larger place, they were more willing to be close to each other and lived together. What's more, when they found that their troublesome children played together and they didn't need to be taken care of personally, they ate and lived together all day long.

In this situation, Lu Bu, as the only man, was both in pain and happy. Naturally, the hardships and pleasures of fighting alone, using two swords, eagle two rabbits, shoot two arrows through the air and even achieving three goals in one go are not something that can be told to outsiders.

So the three women directly occupied the courtyard that originally belonged to the Liao emperor's first concubine, Xiao Guige. The reason was that as the head of all the concubines, the courtyard here was the largest. With a little renovation by Tao Zongwang, it would be no problem to accommodate several people.

Yelu Dariboben wanted to go back to the place where she lived when she was a princess, but the three girls persuaded her to live together. Tianshou was a princess after all, and she had never experienced being talked and dragged around by others. When she wanted to struggle, she was suppressed by Hu Sanniang and Su Jinniang. When she came to her senses, she saw this scene.

"My dear, you are back."

"Have your meal soon."

"Daribo, stop standing and come sit down."

The three women spoke one by one, calling Lu Bu, who had just entered the room, to come over, and urged Tianshou, who was standing aside, to come over. Yelu Daribo opened her mouth and closed it again, but she found that she was not disgusted in her heart. Ever since her mother passed away, she had been alone in the palace all day long. Although she had no worries about food and drink, there was no one to accompany her.

Following the words, she walked over quietly and sat down, watching Lv Wen throw herself into Lv Bu's arms, being lifted up and thrown into the air, and then she laughed happily when she was caught.

emperor……

Can it be so undignified?
Tilting his head, the face of Yelu Yanxi that always accompanied his children emerged in his mind. Lu Bu casually held Lu Wen in his arms and sat down, looking at her in a trance: "What's wrong? What are you thinking about so deeply?" "Nothing." Yelu Daribo woke up, shook his head and smiled: "Nothing, let's eat."

Lu Bu did not suspect anything and he fed his daughter with chopsticks while eating himself. The other two little ones stood up from their seats after seeing how their sister was treated. Hu Sanniang and Su Jinniang were so frightened that they hurriedly put the little ones on the ground and watched them run to Lu Bu to ask for food.

"My dear, just spoil them." Wu Qing rolled her eyes: "Look, there are no rules for eating nowadays. Everyone sits in an untidy manner."

"Hmm?" Lu Bu picked up a piece of meat for his son, looked at the four girls opposite him, and smiled: "I used to fight all day long, and now I am busy with official business. I rarely have time to enjoy family happiness."

He picked up the fish and put it into his little daughter's mouth, grinning: "It's good to be closer to the child now."

Yelu Dalibo couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you afraid of losing your dignity in the eyes of the children?"

Wu Qing, Hu Sanniang, and Su Jinniang also looked up at him, waiting for his answer curiously.

"Why should I show off my power in my own home?"

Glancing at the four women, Lu Bu couldn't help but laugh. He held Lu Wen's hand and touched her hair: "There are no outsiders here. You say she is my concubine, which is no different from my wife. As for the child... just think of me as the father."

These words made the four girls' eyes flicker with love. The three girls of Wuqing didn't know what Yelu Daribo was thinking. The three of them had been with Lu Bu for a long time. Thinking about his previous behavior and thinking about the present, there was indeed no difference. Their expressions became more gentle.

In the following time, the man and four women ate and drank, and talked about interesting things. Wu Qing and the other two women felt bored in the palace and wanted to invite some acquaintances into the palace. Lu Bu did not refuse, but told them to prepare more food and drinks and not to treat the guests badly.

Night gradually fell.

The sky was filled with stars and the moon, and the lights from thousands of homes in Linhuang Prefecture created a line of worldly fireworks.

Late at night, Wu Qing and the other two took care of the child and put him to bed.

Lu Bu and Yelu Daribo, who had drunk two more cups without realizing it, were walking in the yard outside. The sound of cicadas rang in their ears from time to time, and the girl, who had become a woman, could not help but look up at the starry sky.

The atmosphere in Lu Bu's harem was contrary to what she had experienced since childhood. Seeing them talking and laughing and being so harmonious, she felt a little envious. Her mother was originally a palace maid and had no status. The only people she could talk to were Concubine Wen's son Yelu Aoluwo and his daughter Yelu Yuliyan. These were the few warmth she felt in this royal family.

Things will be different here from now on...

She swayed slightly, and suddenly felt a strong arm reaching out to embrace her. Yelu Daribo was startled, and glanced over with drunken almond eyes: "Your Majesty..."

"You are drunk, just call me your husband." A faint voice came into the girl's ears, and Lu Bu strode with her to the room that belonged to her in the yard.

"Wait... Your Majesty... Don't be impatient... He hasn't entered the house... Oops... Your hand..."

In the courtyard, there were bursts of cicada chirping sounds. Soon, some embarrassing noises could be faintly heard from the house. Yu Cheng was guarding the surroundings outside the courtyard with his guards, as if isolated from the world.

……

The light of early autumn continues.

The Jurchen army in the north was plotting to seize the Ugundile tribe, and the generals in Shangjing were also receiving military orders to garrison in various places. The newly established Yulin Guard, Wuwei, Beijun, and Sheying were drawing elite soldiers into the army, and the damaged troops were selected from the previously captured Liao soldiers, and the old and weak were eliminated, and ordered to farm for five years in exchange for their freedom.

Then they chose a place to disperse the captives and took them away. The official roads leading from the capital to the surrounding areas were filled with walking figures and the sound of rumbling footsteps could be heard all day long.

Meanwhile, in the imperial court, several ministers from the Ministry of Rites were preparing for their diplomatic mission. Wanyan Xiyi received the order and was to set off as soon as the outcome of the war in the north was decided. Zeng Mi and Zeng Kui, who were transferred over for protection, would also be accompanying him.

Feng Sheng and Sun Qi had been ordered to go to Goryeo. One was to announce the establishment of the Qi Dynasty, and the other was to reassure the Goryeo people so that they would not cause trouble to their rear.

In the imperial city, wooden boxes were neatly prepared, and guards and eunuchs were tying them to carts with thick ropes.

Li Zhu, Zhang Shun, Ma Lin, and Yang Lin were walking behind Lu Bu. The tall and burly emperor patted the box on the carriage and made a dull sound: "I finally understand why Li Qing had to be transferred out of the Ministry of Personnel before. It seems that there are too many things to do there. Entering the Guanglu Temple, the palace guards and attendants have not been recruited yet, so you can hide away now."

"Your Majesty, you are too kind." Li Zhu smiled and said from behind: "I am also going to lead a team to Songdi to look for Master Chai and his party. There is no place to hide."

After a pause, he continued, "Regarding the matter in the north that we discussed earlier, I have to go find some things to take precautions against it." He patted his neck and said, "I don't want to give this Six Sun Leader to Your Majesty so easily."

"Haha..." Lu Bu laughed loudly, shook his head and pointed at him: "You... make me sound like a cruel king." He walked a little slower: "Just do your best. Once we solve the problem in the north, we can free up our hands to move south."

Zhang Shun, Ma Lin, Yang Lin and the other three in the rear were watching the other side with their eyes and noses. Not to mention that they didn't understand what the two of them said, even if they understood, they would pretend not to hear. After several years of official career, these men already knew that they should not be too curious when encountering things.

"Are there any people or things you want to bring with you when you go south this time?" Lu Bu changed the subject.

Li Zhu thought about it and shook his head: "I don't have it."

Turning his head to look behind him, Zhang Shun also shook his head when he saw this. Ma Lin and Yang Lin looked at each other and said with a bow, "Your Majesty, can you send a team of scouts to us?"

"Ok?"

Lü Bu tilted his head, and Yang Lin said, "This time we are going to Chai Jin's place, we will go by sea, and it will take a long time to get off the boat. There are many green forest heroes in Song, and if there are scouts, we can also give you some early warning."

"...Alright." Lu Bu thought for a moment and nodded: "I will give you a warrant in a moment, take it and go to the army to select people."

"We two have candidates." Ma Lin laughed, "We are acquainted with Shi Qian. Your Majesty, why don't you send him over? Then we will have a companion on the road."

"Okay." Lu Bu waved his hand and pinched the wooden railing of the cart as he put it down. "But don't make it public when you get to Song. Just go to Cangzhou quietly. And..."

Lu Bu, who suddenly got the idea, looked at Li Zhu and said, "Ask Chai Jin if he has any way to get food, firearms blueprints or even raw materials. I..."

Snapped--

The big hand slapped the wood and squeezed it hard: "I want them all!"

Assistant Li nodded and bowed: "As you wish!"

Soon, the team heading to Hebei East Road set out from Shangjing. (End of this chapter)