Jiuxi

Chapter 1009 Chapter 1007 [Northward]

Since Lu Chen left Beijing, there has been no apparent change in the capital, but in fact many dignitaries and officials breathed a sigh of relief.

The pressure that the King of Qin brought to these people was too great. The countless bloody heads created a real pressure that made them dare not make any wrong steps.

Now they have finally found a chance to breathe, although they still dare not hinder the implementation of the new policy, an idea has popped up in some people's minds.

"It would be great if he died immediately."

Once this idea takes root, it grows wildly. They long to return to the original environment where everyone is happy and they long to continue to act tyrannically and domineeringly. As for those so-called new policies that benefit the people, they are actually just a way to constantly grab benefits from them.

But they also knew how unrealistic this idea was. The military power was always firmly in Lu Chen's hands. Thousands of generals and hundreds of thousands of troops followed Lu Chen's lead.

Even assassination was a fantasy. Everyone knew that Lu Chen was an extraordinary martial artist, not to mention how many top masters were hiding around him. After all, the Seven Stars Gang, which dominated the underworld, was his most staunch supporter.

Faced with such an almost invincible opponent, most people could only curse in their hearts, and at the same time they looked down upon those military ministers more and more. They originally thought that they could more or less win over some people in the army and put some restraint on Lu Chen, but now it seems that they have become Lu Chen's subordinates.

"I know some people in the capital call me a yes-man who stays in the Military Affairs Office, but they don't know that if you don't have the confidence to kill with one blow, acting rashly will only make you a laughing stock. And with the shrewdness and scheming ability of the King of Qin, he must have expected these situations, even including our meeting today."

Inside the pavilion, Zhang Xu, the Marquis of Yongding and Minister of Military Affairs, lowered his eyelids slightly, with a self-deprecating tone in his voice.

The forty-year-old man sitting opposite him was Linjiang Marquis Chen Lanyu, who had resigned as the commander-in-chief of the Qingzhou camp and returned to Beijing a few days ago to serve as the Minister of Military Affairs.

He looked at Zhang Xu, who looked depressed, and said calmly, "After returning to the capital, I first went to the palace to report to the emperor. After settling down, I visited Duke Rong and Military Secretary Liu one after another. Next, I should come to your house. What's wrong with that?"

"That being said, you can no longer hide your position. Otherwise, why did the King of Qin keep you in Qingzhou until the situation was settled before allowing you to return to the capital?"

Zhang Xu shook his head and said with a sigh, "Everyone knows that you are the assistant minister left by Emperor Gaozong to his successor. You have indeed lived up to the trust of Emperor Gaozong and are still willing to tell me the truth today. But you and I no longer have military power. Our former subordinates have either been driven out of the army by the King of Qin and are now idle at home, or have already changed their allegiance and become his loyal subordinates. What can we do?"

"In fact, I didn't come here today to discuss with you how to deal with the King of Qin. I just wanted to reminisce about the past."

After a brief silence, Chen Lanyu said this.

Zhang Xu frowned slightly, staring intently at the colleague who had deceived him in the past.

"Are you trying to tell me that you are now the King of Qin's man?"

Zhang Xu said indifferently, "Even so, I am not afraid. The King of Qin knows that I will not betray the royal family and is well aware of my position. Even if I pretend to be cowardly and shrinking, he will not relax his guard against me. To be honest, there are not only people from the Textile Bureau in my mansion, but also secret guards from the King of Qin's mansion. Although I can't find all of them, I have found several hidden stakes."

Chen Lanyu could hear the resentment that had been pent up for too long in his words, and sighed softly, "When I went to pay a visit to Duke Rong the day before yesterday, he asked me a question, why was I willing to be loyal to Emperor Gaozong in just three short years in Yongjia?"

Zhang Xu asked: "Why?"

Chen Lanyu said calmly: "In fact, before I met Emperor Gaozong, I didn't believe that he was really determined to march north to recover his homeland. After all, the slogan of the Northern Expedition had been shouted for twelve years, and the border troops never received strong support. But in those three years, I saw what a supreme ruler could do for this country. His compromise, concession, forbearance, benevolence, diligence, decisiveness, and even using himself as bait in the end, let us win a great victory in Yongqiu that determined the fate of the country. These are the facts I saw with my own eyes. Isn't it enough for me to be loyal to him?"

Zhang Xu asked even more puzzled: "Then why did you say you didn't want to deal with the King of Qin?"

“It’s not a question of whether I want to or not.”

Chen Lanyu paused for a moment, then said, "Brother Zhang has been staying in the capital, haven't you ever asked the Queen Mother what she thinks?"

Zhang Xu choked.

After all, they are just ministers. They do not have the prestige to attract a large number of people to respond to them. Without the clear order of Empress Dowager Ning, no matter how much trouble they make, they will be like a group of scattered sand and have no ability to fight against Lu Chen.

As for Queen Mother Ning's attitude...

Zhang Xu had tried to probe, and even made it clear a few times, but Queen Mother Ning was always full of concerns. Zhang Xu understood why. Queen Mother Ning did not want to see a bloody civil strife. Besides, Lu Chen had never done anything excessive. Even though he had taken over the military and political power, he was still quite respectful to the Queen Mother and the Emperor. Under the influence of these factors, it was difficult for Queen Mother Ning to make up her mind.

Thinking of this, Zhang Xu sighed, "Now that I think about it, those people were right. People like me are really useless. I can only watch him approach that position step by step."

Chen Lanyu still said calmly: "When the King of Qin returns to Beijing after his inspection of various places, the dust will probably be settled."

"This is just one of his usual tactics. He throws out enough bait, deliberately reveals some flaws, quietly waits for the fish to take the bait, and then catches and kills all those who dare to oppose him."

Zhang Xu looked sarcastic, then asked seriously, "Are you really going to do nothing? Although your military power has been taken away from you, I know you must have some hidden tricks in the army."

Chen Lanyu asked back: "Brother Zhang, don't you have one?"

"Naturally there is."

Zhang Xu did not hide anything and asked seriously, "What are you waiting for?"

"I have already said that I will not act on my own, so the Queen Mother's attitude is crucial. In addition--"

Chen Lanyu was silent for a moment, and then said softly, "I also want to know how some people are going to deal with this situation." "Who?"

"Prime Minister Xue, Prime Minister Xu, and Qin Tiju."

Zhang Xu was silent.

These three are the few important officials in the court who can influence the situation. This does not mean that they have the strength to directly compete with Lu Chen, but at a time when the Royal Family is extremely weak, if they can give up everything, they can more or less cause some obstacles to Lu Chen.

"There's another person."

Chen Lanyu spoke again, and under Zhang Xu's slightly puzzled gaze, he slowly said, "Old Prime Minister Li."

Zhang Xu was quite shocked and asked, "What do you mean?"

"My biggest regret in this life is that I didn't get to listen to Prime Minister Li's teachings in person. Instead, the King of Qin benefited a lot from him. When Li Shizhi was plotting a rebellion, I still remember a detail clearly. That is, Prime Minister Li's timing of entering the capital that day was extremely precise, and he did not encounter any obstacles. Do you know what this means?"

Without waiting for Zhang Xu to answer, Chen Lanyu continued, "Without the support of Prime Minister Li, Emperor Gaozong would have found it difficult to accomplish those things. Could it be that a prime minister who has been in power for more than a decade and has an extremely far-sighted vision could not foresee the current situation? I always feel that he would not do nothing."

Zhang Xu had come to his senses by now. He suddenly shook his head and said sadly, "What if Prime Minister Li's choice is contrary to our expectations?"

This time it was Chen Lanyu's turn to remain silent for a long time.

As if he had finally figured out the answer to the question, he smiled lightly and said casually, "Everyone will make their own choices. If the day of the dynasty change comes, and I am powerless to stop it, all I can do is sacrifice my life to repay the king for his trust."

The autumn wind gradually rises and passes through the pavilion.

There are slight ripples.

……

Jiangnan, more than a hundred miles southwest of Yongjia.

Jinlin County, the Li family’s ancestral home.

The most powerful family in Jiangnan, which was once extremely wealthy and had a constant stream of visitors, is now immersed in a deserted atmosphere.

Although Li Shizhi's rebellion did not directly implicate the Li clan, the damage it caused to the reputation of the Jinlin Li clan was immeasurable. If Li Daoyan had not been posthumously named Wenzheng after his death, the Li family would probably have become the target of other clans and would have collapsed in the blink of an eye.

The wise queen mother gave the Li family a talisman, but it could only dispel those covetous eyes and could not directly help the Jinlin Li family change their fate.

As other aristocratic families looked on in confusion, Li Daoyan made a decision before his death to let his young grandson Li Gongxu, who was only seventeen years old at the time, inherit the position of head of the family.

Many people were waiting to see a joke, but they didn't expect that this young man had such unexpected courage and determination. When the court decided to implement the new land tax policy, the Jinlin Li family took the lead in cooperating with the government regardless of the losses. Later, when the new policy began to be implemented, the Li family became a role model for the major clans in Jiangnan.

Until this time, a rumor began to spread that the young head of the Li family was actually the direct disciple of King Qin.

Those envious glances could no longer be concealed. They just felt that Jinlin Li family would probably see a turnaround soon. Since they could climb up the towering tree of King Qin, why worry about not having decades of wealth and glory?

"After I leave, Jinlin Li's family will close its doors to visitors and no outside contacts are allowed except for close relatives."

Li Gongxu, who was nearly 20 years old, looked at the elders and brothers calmly and said without question: "You should all be very clear about the rules of our family. If anyone violates the order, don't blame us for being ruthless."

Everyone said in unison: "We will follow the orders of the Patriarch."

After they left, Li Gongxu stood for a moment, turned his head and looked at the forty-year-old man who emerged from the shadows, and said with a smile: "Uncle Yuliang, please stay at home and take care of the clan members for me. When I'm not around, some people will inevitably lose their temper, and only Uncle Yuliang can suppress them."

The forty-year-old man is Li Yuliang. He is Li Daoyan's most trusted and respected confidant, and the leader of most of the Li family's secret forces.

Without his loyal support, no matter how talented Li Gongxu was, it would be difficult for him to control the huge Jinlin Li family at his age.

Li Yuliang said with a little concern: "Master, let me accompany you for a while. I will leave enough people to take care of the family."

"Uncle Yuliang, don't worry. I won't be in any danger on this trip. After all, I am just--"

The smile on Li Gongxu's face gradually faded, turning into a complex emotion, and finally he said softly: "I am only following the order of my late grandfather to go to the capital to pay a visit to you, sir."

When I say the last two words, I am filled with mixed emotions.

It’s hard to describe.

(End of this chapter)