Jiuxi

Chapter 1017 [Blocking the Road]

Ever since Lu Chen reorganized the Grand Council, the defense of the capital has been divided into three parts. The imperial city area is under the charge of the 20,000 imperial guards under Shen Yulai, and there are more than 2,000 imperial guards in the palace. Of course, Lu Chen must have added a lot of sand to these forces and even the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

He didn't require these spies to do anything earth-shattering, as long as they could gather information.

The public security of other areas in the city is the responsibility of Shuntian Prefecture, and the Dingbei Army, Guangling Army and Feiyun Army are guarding the Nine Gates. There are also three main forces outside the city: Feiyu Army, Laian Army and Panlong Army. In addition to these 120,000 troops, the Seven Star Army stationed in Dingzhou Ancient County, the four armies on the northern border and the Ruyin Army that was ordered to go south to form the Jiangnan Camp, there are six armies including Heyang stationed in various places in Jiangbei.

As for Chengpingfang where the Qin Palace is located, in addition to the unknown number of secret guards of the palace, there are also 3,000 tiger soldiers from the Ruishi Camp and 5,000 elite soldiers from the Guangling Army. The commander of the Guangling Army, Liu Yin, directly set up his command office in the square.

Even though Lu Chen was not in the capital, no one dared to spy on the situation in the town, because everyone knew that there were several princesses in the palace, each with her own strengths, such as Lin Xi, who had reached perfection in martial arts at a young age, Li Bingxue, who commanded 20,000 elite cavalry of the Feiyu Army as a girl, Luo Jiujiu, who grew up in Shazhou and was proficient in all kinds of poisons, and the noble lady Wang, who came from a famous family and was rumored to be as wise as the officials in the court.

In the warm room behind the West Flower Hall in the backyard of the palace, Wang Chulong sat at the large desk in front of the window, carefully looking through the files in front of her, her willow-leaf eyebrows slightly furrowed.

She was so engrossed in watching that she didn't even notice Lin Xi coming in.

"What are you thinking about?"

Lin Xi came closer and asked in a gentle voice.

Wang Chulong put down the file, stood up with a smile on her face and saluted, "Sister."

Lin Xi held her hand and said angrily, "Didn't I say before that we don't need to be polite every time at home?"

"Although my sister is generous, the etiquette cannot be abolished. This is the only long-term solution."

Wang Chulong has a gentle smile and is persistent.

"Stop it now, or you'll have a bunch of reasons that I can't refute."

Although Lin Xi was joking, it could be seen from her words that they got along very well. Just as Lu Chen had hoped, they respected each other while still being warm and lively.

After the two of them sat down, Wang Chulong said, "Sister, I asked Uncle Qi to come back."

Over the past year or so, Qi Lianfu, Jiang Sheng and their men have been scattered throughout Jiangbei. On the one hand, they collect intelligence from various places for Lu Chen, and on the other hand, they have the responsibility to supervise the implementation of the new policy.

Wang Chulong transferred Qi Lianfu back to the capital, and at such a sensitive time when undercurrents are surging, his intention is self-evident.

Lin Xi raised her eyebrows slightly and said, "Is Yin Shangfu really a traitor?"

"According to the prince's previous arrangement, Yin Shangfu was mainly responsible for monitoring the movements of civil servants at all levels in the court. It cannot be said that he had no gains during this period, but they were limited to those middle and lower-level officials. No unusual movements were found among high-ranking officials above the fourth rank, which is obviously unreasonable."

Wang Chulong shook her head and said softly, "But the prince said to hold off for now. After all, Yin Shangfu cannot touch the most core secrets of the palace. It is not advisable to panic before there is solid evidence. At the same time, we can use his actions to infer the plan of the Textile Bureau. In addition, the prince suspects that Su Yunqing also has problems."

Lin Xi was not nervous. She knew that Wang Chulong had established a very strict structure and system for the Lu family's secret guards from the very beginning. Yin Shangfu, Nan Yi, Tan Zheng, Qu Zhong, Jiang Sheng, Qi Lianfu and others were not subordinate to each other. They were all directly responsible to Lu Chen. No one was irreplaceable, and the situation where replacing a leader would cause that department of personnel to be paralyzed would not occur.

As for Su Yunqing, his identity is somewhat special. So far, he has not interfered in specific affairs. He is more like Lu Chen's assistant, mainly responsible for summarizing and analyzing the intelligence in Beijing, and then providing some reference opinions to Lu Chen.

Thinking of this, Lin Xi said slowly: "I believe you can handle these problems, but you still have to be careful. It would be best to arrange some people around Su Yunqing and Yin Shangfu."

"Don't worry, sister. The prince has already made arrangements."

Wang Chulong smiled and said, "Your Highness also said that the key lies with Qin Tiju. Whether it's Su Yunqing or Yin Shangfu, even if both of them have problems, the thread is in Qin Tiju's hands. If Qin Tiju doesn't go that far, it will naturally be a happy situation for everyone, and Your Highness will be happy to see it happen. But if he really wants to go all out, Your Highness will not be merciful."

"Well, I hope they can be more rational."

Lin Xi looked calm and asked, "Are you officials in the court really willing?"

"Do not."

Wang Chulong stood up, took a file from the bookshelf and handed it to Lin Xi, saying calmly: "The commander of the Imperial Guards, Shen Yulai, has instructed the deputy commander of the Left Guard, Wang Hong, to secretly collude with the son of the Left Prime Minister, Xue Ruogu and others for a long time. Although Yin Shangfu tried his best to cover up for Xue Ruogu and others, I suggested to the prince last year that Nan Yi keep an eye on him. Nan Yi is a person brought in by the old man, and there will be no problem with his loyalty. Judging from the current situation, they must want to make a last-ditch effort."

Lin Xi was silent for a moment, with a hint of coldness in his eyes: "No matter who the traitor is, I will be the one to deal with him when the final reckoning comes."

Wang Chulong nodded in agreement.

Lin Xi gazed into her eyes again and said, "Sister, apart from the prince, you are the wisest in the family. I think the storm this time is going to be quite big, and the prince is mostly concerned about the people's livelihood, so it will be hard for you to plan and deal with it. I hope you don't feel burdened, and don't have to worry about those trivial things. Everything will be done according to your plan, and everyone in the mansion, including me, will follow your instructions." At this point, Wang Chulong finally understood why she came here specially today.

Looking at the warmth in Lin Xi's eyes, Wang Chulong felt extremely relieved and said softly, "Chulong is so lucky to have met a husband as considerate and caring as the prince, and a wife as kind-hearted as my sister. The other sisters are also respectful and friendly, and never engage in intrigue like other noble families. Please rest assured, I will do my best to not let any evil wind and rain fall on the palace."

The two smiled at each other, and simultaneously thought of the most important men in their lives.

It was already early December, and he should be returning home soon.

……

On the seventh day of the twelfth month, under the watchful eyes of countless people, Lu Chen, the King of Qin, led a thousand personal guards back to the capital, while the three thousand elite cavalrymen of the Dingbei Army who accompanied him headed for the military camp in the city.

No one could have imagined that even though the important officials in the court had remained almost unanimously silent, a not-so-small accident would actually occur on this day.

The king was forced to stop when he was still one street away from Chengpingfang. The royal guards were staring ahead with eager eyes. Even though the murderous intent in their eyes was extremely real, they still couldn't scare away the middle-aged man who was blocking their way.

This man has a thin body and seems to be weak. The guards can throw him away with one hand. However, this is an important place in the capital after all, and the other party is at least a fourth-rank official. Without Lu Chen's order, no one dares to act on their own.

The palace carriage moved slowly forward and came in front of the middle-aged man. Then Lu Chen came out of the carriage and looked down at him.

The middle-aged man saluted meticulously and said, "Your Highness, I am Zhong Huai, currently the Junior Secretary of the Imperial Household Department."

The Taichang Temple is in charge of matters related to rituals and music, suburban temples, altars, and mausoleums. Although it is not a high-ranking and powerful position, it is ranked first among the nine temples. It has always been a place of nobility and only great scholars can hold this position.

Lu Chen looked at the man calmly and asked, "Zhong Shaoqing, who is Prime Minister Zhong to you?"

Zhong Cheng had served as Hanlin scholar, Minister of Personnel, and Right Prime Minister. Due to the joint conspiracy of Li Zongben and Li Shizhi, he was forced to leave the court. Later, Empress Dowager Ning intended to reinstate him, but Zhong Cheng seemed to have lost all his strength due to the blow, and finally declined Empress Dowager Ning's call.

Zhong Huai's official position was not the court's compensation to Zhong Cheng or even the Zhong family. This man was knowledgeable and had many works, especially good at annotating classics and history. He had a high status in the literary world of Jiangnan and was sometimes mentioned together with Wang Cheng of Jiangbei.

Therefore, Zhong Huai replied neither servilely nor arrogantly: "Your Highness, Prime Minister Zhong is my cousin."

Lu Chen nodded slightly, and then asked, "Why did Zhong Shaoqing block my carriage?"

"How dare I?"

Zhong Huaiyi bowed and said slowly: "Your Highness is busy with government affairs every day. I am a humble official and my words are not taken seriously. I dare not come to the Tan Mansion without permission. I happened to know that Your Highness will return to the capital today, so I dare to wait for you here. I beg Your Highness to spare a moment. I have something to say and then I will leave."

Looking at the man's resolute and calm expression, Lu Chen roughly guessed what he wanted to say, and his tone became cold: "What do you want to say?"

"Your Majesty has always disliked red tape, so I will keep it short."

Zhong Huai looked up at Lu Chen and said sternly, "Your Highness, do you know that Da Qi is now on the brink of danger? If we are not careful, civil strife will break out and people will suffer. I am not exaggerating. Your Highness first took control of the military power, and then took over the power of government affairs through the Prime Minister's New Policy Office. This move is ultimately unworthy of being a minister. I have no right to discuss the major affairs of the court, nor am I qualified to criticize Your Highness. But now people are in chaos under the surface. Some people regard Your Highness as a traitor who has stolen power from the country, while others hope to gain the credit of following the dragon. The contradiction will erupt sooner or later, and by then, there will be a lot of bloodshed and it will be a terrible sight."

The palace guards around were all furious, and countless murderous eyes were focused on Zhong Huai. If these eyes could kill, Zhong Huai would have been riddled with holes.

Lu Chen did not order anyone to arrest him, but simply asked, "Then according to Shaoqing Zhong's opinion, what should I do?"

Zhong Huai took a deep breath and bowed again, saying, "I overestimate my own abilities, and I dare to ask Your Majesty to make some concessions to calm the people and resolve the crisis!"

There was deathly silence on the long street.

After a long time, Lu Chen suddenly laughed softly.

Zhong Huai asked in confusion: "May I ask why the prince is laughing?"

Lu Chen looked at him calmly and said calmly: "Zhong Shaoqing, you are a good person in the traditional sense, but you are not a smart person."

Zhong Huai was stunned and his face gradually turned red.

(End of this chapter)