This martial artist just wants to be an official

Chapter 496 The Emperor's Reluctance

The cheers were deafening and the streets were decorated with colorful lights.

Lu Yuanzhi stood on the deck, his eyes not lingering on the common people, but anxiously searching for something among the crowd.

"Duke of the North!!"

"My Lord!!"

"Little Lu Fengpei!"

“I’m back!!”

"........."

The people on both sides of the strait shouted very enthusiastically, and they looked at Lu Yuanzhi with extremely pious eyes.

Lu Yuanzhi was naturally happy about the support, but this was not the happiest thing after returning to the capital.

But...

He looked far ahead and saw the two graceful figures that he had been thinking about day and night.

His eyesight was excellent, and he could clearly see the anticipation on the two girls' faces.

After returning to shore, his feet once again stepped on the land of Beijing.

"Duke of the North!"

An extremely enthusiastic voice sounded.

Lu Yuanzhi looked up and met his uncle's gaze.

"Yeah." Lu Yuanzhi nodded slowly with a smile on his lips.

However, his eyes met the eyes of Changle and Bai Qingying who were not far away in the crowd.

"came back."

As my uncle is the Minister of Rites, it is natural for him to receive Lu Yuanzhi in person to show his importance to him.

"I'm back." Lu Yuanzhi responded with a smile.

"Let's go back to the palace first." The uncle took Lu Yuanzhi's hand and walked towards the second prince's dragon sedan chair surrounded by officials.

"Oh." Lu Yuanzhi was somewhat reluctant, but he also knew that his current identity was witnessed by many people and he could not break the rules.

"Master Lu, are you all right?"

Just as the two were walking towards the dragon chariot, an old voice sounded.

As soon as Lu Yuanzhi heard this voice, he knew that he had accepted a cheap apprentice without knowing it...

"President Bai, you can't do this. It was just a coincidence that I mentioned this matter. It was not my own will."

Lu Yuanzhi bowed to Bai Hezhi with a humble smile on his face.

"Etiquette cannot be abolished." Bai Hezhi looked at Lu Yuanzhi's smile and naturally understood what Lu Yuanzhi was talking about. However, he did not go along with it. Instead, he shook his head with a serious look on his face.

"Okay." Lu Yuanzhi forced a smile, and then he saw Hai Wuyang standing behind Bai Hezhi.

Hai Wuyang smiled gently.

"Good boy, I've been away for so long, have you made any progress in your studies?"

When Lu Yuanzhi saw Hai Wuyang, he wanted to make some inexplicable jokes, but with so many people around, it was not easy to say much, so he just asked a question about academic matters.

“Haha, of course I’ve made some progress.” Hai Wuyang smiled modestly, the corners of his mouth twitching unconsciously, but he didn’t dare to speak nonsense in front of his father and elders, so he answered with a forced smile.

"Well, that's good."

Lu Yuanzhi nodded in a dignified manner, then followed his uncle and walked towards the second prince's dragon sedan chair.

"I have seen your majesty. May your majesty live forever."

Lu Yuanzhi bowed slightly and saluted to the Second Prince who was sitting on the dragon sedan chair.

"Oh! Duke Beiguo, there is no need to be so polite. Please stand up quickly! Hahahaha!"

The Second Prince's face was full of excitement. He smiled and said to the civil and military officials on his left and right:

"My most trusted minister is back! The pillar of Dayong is back!"

"Welcome to the Duke of Beiguo, Duke Wankang of Beiguo."

Hearing his words, all the civil and military officials stood on both sides and bowed respectfully to Lu Yuanzhi.

"Hello everyone."

Lu Yuanzhi smiled and waved his hand: "I dare not call myself Wankang in front of His Majesty."

"Haha, it doesn't matter. I also hope that the Duke of Beiguo can live for ten thousand years and protect our Great Yong for ten thousand years!"

The second prince laughed loudly and didn't care at all about the words of the ministers welcoming Lu Yuanzhi.

Hearing his words, Lu Yuanzhi raised his eyebrows slightly and glanced at the second prince inconspicuously.

He was a little surprised.

I didn’t expect that the Second Prince has grown so fast after only being on the throne for such a short time.

He could naturally hear the shadow of sadness hidden beneath the Second Prince's happiness.

But he didn't care much about it.

Now that my uncle holds power in the court, he himself has become an undefeated legend in the world outside the court.

Moreover, his prestige in the military is becoming increasingly authoritative.

The second prince has no one to rely on.

"Haha, hurry back to the palace. I have specially prepared a welcoming banquet for the Duke of Beiguo."

The Second Prince had an impatient and hearty smile on his face. He personally got off the dragon sedan chair and shook Lu Yuanzhi's hand enthusiastically, his face full of emotion:

"After the feast, my brother-in-law will go back home directly. My sister has missed you for a long time."

The sound was not loud, and only Lu Yuanzhi and the other two could hear it clearly.

"Haha, your majesty will respect your majesty."

Lu Yuanzhi chuckled, pulled his hand out of the second prince's hand, and followed behind the second prince.

Play the emotional card with Lu Yuanzhi at this time.

But it is true. The second prince is Changle's biological brother, so he can naturally be considered Lu Yuanzhi's brother-in-law.

There was nothing to say. Surrounded by many court officials, Lu Yuanzhi got on the carriage back to the palace.

The two women standing in the crowd and watching Lu Yuanzhi get on the carriage and slowly walk towards the palace also showed a hint of disappointment on their faces.

"I went to the palace."

Changle took a deep breath, and the delicate little baby in her arms giggled at her.

"My dear, you should be back home late." Bai Qingying also sighed.

"There's nothing I can do. After all, he is an important official of the country. He has to go back to the palace first in front of everyone."

Changle wiped away the disappointment in his heart, put a smiling expression back on his face, slowly walked forward, took Bai Qingying's hand and said:

"Come on, sister, let's go back home and wait for our husband to come back."

"Yeah." The little baby in Bai Qingying's arms was just as delicate and pretty as ever, but its skin was slightly darker than the one in Changle's arms, and it was also eating a little more robustly.

"You two, wait for your husband in the mansion. I will be back soon."

Just as the two girls turned around, a voice was heard in their ears.

The two girls were stunned, then their eyes suddenly looked towards the carriage.

The curtain on the carriage was lifted, revealing a head, looking at the two women with a bright smile.

Joy appeared on the faces of the two girls almost at the same time.

He nodded hurriedly, got on the mansion's carriage and returned home.

……

"This banquet is just a small one. After some time, I will announce to the world the success of the Duke of Beiguo's mission. Then the officials in the court and the people of the world will rejoice with us!"

After arriving at the palace, a banquet had already been set up in the main hall.

However, there was one table for each person, and not many ministers participated, but they were all important ministers in the court.

Lu Yuanzhi only took a glance and saw countless familiar faces.

Obviously, these familiar faces were officials who were familiar with my uncle during the six months I was in Southern Xinjiang, and they were all promoted by my uncle. "Haha, your majesty is so kind, and we, as your subjects, are already satisfied."

Lu Yuanzhi smiled softly and sat in his seat.

Next to him sat the second prince.

And he is on the left.

Dayong has always respected the left.

On the right is my uncle.

At this moment, the Second Prince's eyes were all on Lu Yuanzhi, and he seemed to have forgotten where his uncle was sitting next to him.

My uncle just watched it all with a smile and said nothing.

The ministers in the court looked at the second prince thoughtfully.

The second prince raised his glass and laughed:
"The Duke of Beiguo has returned from the frontier and worked hard for Dayong to unite with Southern Xinjiang. He risked his life to achieve this alliance. This cup is a tribute to the Duke of Beiguo for his hard work and great contributions to Dayong!"

Having said that, he drank it in one gulp.

After hearing what he said, all the ministers in the court laughed, raised the wine glasses in their hands, and boasted to Lu Yuanzhi.

"The Duke of Beiguo's great achievements really put us to shame!"

"Yes, the Duke of Beiguo has made these unprecedented achievements. If we can achieve even one or two of them in our lifetime, we will also be remembered in history!"

"His achievements are unrivaled in the world! His achievements are unrivaled in the world!"

"........."

Lu Yuanzhi had naturally heard a lot of such boasting.

After he came back from southern Xinjiang, the officials basically said the same thing in every city and town he passed along the way.

However, Beijing officials are Beijing officials after all, and their art of speaking is indeed more advanced than those of border officials.

But it's not that high.

"And Minister Wang."

The second prince's eyes were fixed on Wang Xianping, with a look of fondness in his eyes:

"Minister Wang has gone through so much trouble as a scholar to follow the Duke of Beiguo all the way south. He must have suffered a lot along the way. He dared to criticize the officials of Southern Xinjiang in the hall of Southern Xinjiang and defend the dignity of the Duke of Beiguo and the dignity of Dayong. I am extremely pleased! He is truly an unparalleled minister of Dayong!! An eternal and good minister!"

The second prince's cup was pointed towards Wang Xianping.

When Wang Xianping heard this, his face instantly turned flattered. He didn't dare to look at the Second Prince. His face, which was tanned by the sun, looked a little at a loss. He held up the cup and stammered:

"I dare not take credit for it, I dare not take credit for it..."

"hehe."

The second prince didn't care about that. He came to Wang Xianping, held his hand, and his face was full of emotion:

"My dear Lord Wang, I offer you a toast!"

Having said that, he drank the whole glass.

Wang Xianping looked at the second prince, then looked at his uncle who was sitting in his seat without saying a word, and for a moment he struggled in his heart.

"This...this..." He hesitated.

Seeing this scene, the uncle breathed a sigh of relief and said lightly:

"How dare I refuse your thanks, Your Majesty? Did the sun damage your brain?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Your Majesty, I really don't deserve your kindness. I will do it!"

After hearing what his uncle said, Wang Xianping quickly raised his glass and drank it all.

The ministers who saw this scene all laughed and raised their glasses to drink and have fun.

The second prince paused for a moment, then waved his hand nonchalantly, laughed and returned to his seat.

"My dear Hai, can you please say a few words today?"

The second prince just chuckled and looked at his uncle.

The uncle shook his head and said, "I am not the protagonist today, so I should not say too much."

As he said this, he poured himself a glass of wine and drank it alone.

Seeing this, many ministers dared not let him drink alone, and raised their cups and said:
"I will follow Minister Hai."

"So does this humble servant."

"Me too..."

……

When the Second Prince saw this scene, his eyes darkened for a moment, then he laughed and raised the cup in his hand:
"I will follow you, my dear ministers..."

Afterwards, the Second Prince surrounded Lu Yuanzhi, calling him brother-in-law all the time, praising him all the time, and toasting him non-stop.

Anyway, there was no talk of loyalty to the emperor or patriotism in her words, only discussions about feelings with Lu Yuanzhi.

Especially when it came to calling him brother-in-law, it was so sweet that Lu Yuanzhi felt that His Majesty really treated him as a family member...

After the banquet, Lu Yuanzhi and the court officials slowly walked out.

The second prince looked at Lu Yuanzhi, his uncle's back.

There was a gleam of light in his eyes.

……

"Do you think my method works?"

In the back garden, the second prince sat beside Song Yu who was fishing, looking at the calm water, pacing with a frown.

Song Yu glanced at him and shook his head helplessly:

“It helps, but not much.”

"Hmm? Tell me in detail."

The second prince squatted beside Song Yu and kneaded the bait for him.

"Such a clumsy plot to sow discord is obvious to Hai Rui, even Lu Yuanzhi, who is not good at socializing with people in the court, can see through it."

"So the ministers in the court can naturally see it."

Song Yu took the bait handed over by the Second Prince, hung it on his own hook, put the fishing line into the water, then looked at the Second Prince and continued:

"You deliberately ignored Hai Rui during the dinner. This was a bit rash and would make him wary of you."

"But it doesn't matter. You don't have any power in the court. Even if you become alert, he doesn't know who to punish. The safest step is to continue talking about emotions with Lu Yuanzhi after leaving the palace. Maybe the two of them are sitting together now and mocking your clumsy plan to alienate you."

When Song Yu said this, he seemed to think of something happy and chuckled, startling the fish that was biting the hook.

"What should we do then?" The second prince's face darkened.

"Just wait and see. You have alarmed the enemy today. As the emperor, Hai Rui can understand your desire to gain power in the court, so he will not take your clumsy attempt to alienate him seriously. What really makes him wary of you is your move to win over Wang Xianping. It is too risky and does not seem to have any effect."

Song Yu pulled out the fishing line again, put on the bait, and threw it into the water.

"I said, I am not suitable for the court, why don't I abdicate and find a royal family member to be the emperor, and I will continue to be my free and easy prince."

The second prince made a bitter face and sighed deeply.

"But you didn't do everything wrong today. On the contrary, although your move to win over Wang Xianping was risky, you accidentally got on the right track."

Song Yu looked at the Second Prince calmly and couldn't help but praise him.

"Oh?" The second prince looked up at Song Yu in confusion:

"What do you mean by that?"

Song Yu's mouth curled up slightly:

"Don't forget your identity, His Majesty the Emperor of Dayong. You have the protection of the Imperial Master. As long as you don't want to die, no one dares to touch you."

"You alienated Lu Yuanzhi and Hai Rui today and tried to win over Wang Xianping. Naturally, those with ulterior motives will see it. It is true that Hai Rui is very powerful in the court, but there are also many who are just pretending to be nice to him. In their hearts, they still prefer the court officials who know Dayong."

"And your behavior today is also sending a signal that you are unwilling to give up."

"A common people can only endure their own resentment, but an emperor's resentment will attract many people to support him."

……

(End of this chapter)