Jiuxi

Chapter 1019 1017 [Gift]

The small accident that happened outside Chengpingfang soon spread to all the wealthy families in the capital.

Chengpingfang has always been a forbidden area for all kinds of spies because of the existence of the Prince of Qin's Mansion. The situation outside the square is not so strict. In addition, Lu Chen's return to the capital today will inevitably attract the attention of all parties. Therefore, when Zhong Huai stopped the prince's carriage, the news was quickly sent to all directions.

Zhong Huai's personality and character are no secret, and many people can even guess why he did this and what he wanted to say to Lu Chen.

Some people secretly ridiculed Zhong Huai for overestimating his own abilities. Even the saints and prime ministers in the palace were helpless against the King of Qin. How could you, a mere Shaoqing of the Taichang Temple, actually think that you could make the other party give in willingly just by eloquent debate?
Some people were worried about Zhong Huai. There had been countless proofs that the King of Qin dared to kill people. However, a great scholar like Zhong Huai had a stubborn temperament. If he said something wrong and angered the King of Qin, wouldn't he be killed on the spot by the king's personal guards?

Of course, there are also people who don't care about Zhong Huai's honor or even life or death, and just hate that this person caused trouble. This move may suddenly arouse Lu Chen's vigilance. Xue Ruogu is one of them.

To everyone's surprise, the accident was quickly resolved.

Zhong Huai left safely. Although no one knew the specific content of his conversation with Lu Chen, judging from his expression when he left, the two sides should not have quarreled to the point of being out of control, which made people secretly amazed.

Without talking about Zhong Huai's complicated emotions, just saying that after receiving this news, Empress Dowager Ning fell into a long period of contemplation.

In the study room in front of the Prince of Qin's mansion, Li Gongxu was also thinking.

The reunion of master and disciple after a long separation is naturally a happy event, and Lu Chen did not create some scenes that would make Li Gongxu at a loss - such as asking him to meet several master's wives and a large group of young fellow disciples.

After sitting down and exchanging pleasantries, Lu Chen asked him a seemingly simple question: "What do you think I should do now?"

Li Gongxu knew clearly that this question came from the four words he answered outside the door: "Disciple dare not."

The so-called "not daring" actually contains a subtle attitude.

If he unconditionally supported any decision made by Lu Chen, then when answering that question earlier, he should not have said "I dare not", but "I would never have such an idea".

Thinking of this, Li Gongxu said with shame: "Sir, I have no other intentions, but I am worried that you will be remembered as a traitor in history."

"In the past two years, almost everyone has been discussing this topic, openly or secretly. Even my only direct disciple thinks so. It feels like the final conclusion has been drawn."

Lu Chen looked into Li Gongxu's eyes and said calmly, "If I don't do this in the end, won't I be given a bad reputation for nothing?"

Li Gongxu was stunned.

Lu Chen laughed in silence, signaling him not to be nervous, and then said: "I know that today's encounter outside the city was not a coincidence. You arrived in the suburbs of Beijing a few days ago and have been waiting for me to return to Beijing. To be honest, I am really happy and relieved that you are willing to take the initiative to go north this time and come directly to see me."

Li Gongxu bowed his head and said, "I have not been able to serve you in the past two years. I have violated the rules..."

"I know this has nothing to do with you. It should be the advice given by Prime Minister Li before he passed away. To you, no matter how old your master is, he is not as old as your grandfather. This is filial piety."

Lu Chen slowed down his tone and his expression became slightly serious.

When mentioning the old prime minister who was a man of extraordinary talent, Lu Chen felt that things had changed and it was as if he was in a different world.

Along the way, although he and Li Daoyan did not meet or have in-depth conversations many times, he learned a lot from the old man, even far more than Li Duan - the latter mainly gave him support and trust.

Precisely because he was very clear about Li Daoyan's abilities, even though he had passed away for more than two years, Lu Chen would not completely ignore the Li family's background. That was why he asked Ning Bugui to bring a group of people to investigate the Jinlin County area, both for protection and surveillance.

In fact, not long after Li Gongxu left Jinlin and headed north, before he crossed the Hengjiang River, Lu Chen had already received a carrier pigeon letter from Ning Bugui.

As the heir personally designated by Li Daoyan, Li Gongxu is undoubtedly the only person in the world qualified to make use of the old prime minister's legacy.

Ever since Li Gongxu entered Huaizhou, Lu Chen's men followed him from a distance and did not come close to disturb him.

It is difficult to describe Lu Chen's mood in words. He does not want to see a bloody plot of a master-disciple feud, but he does not dare to conclude that Li Daoyan would really be that magnanimous.

In any case, the time for the showdown has finally come.

Li Gongxu obviously understood this, so he sat upright and said, "Master, our ancestors once told me that before you take over the military and political power, the Jinlin Li family should be willing to stay dormant and not do anything to curry favor with you. Our ancestors also said that if the children of the Li family play the harp or the flute, you are a man who values ​​friendship and loyalty, and will most likely consider the relationship between you and your disciples. Although the Jinlin Li family can use this to change their fate, it is not a good thing in the long run, because... the Li family has committed a crime against the Great Qi, and they cannot be revived without redemption."

Where does sin come from?

Of course, it refers to Li Shizhi who stirred up the situation and almost destroyed the great foundation left by Li Duan by himself.

Although Li Zongben was to blame, if Li Shizhi had not continued to fan the flames and stir up trouble, he might not have ended up facing a life-and-death battle with Lu Chen.

Lu Chen heard the young man's hidden meaning. Li Gongxu would strictly follow the rules set by Li Daoyan. The Jinlin Li family would continue to work hard to benefit their hometown and cooperate with the court's major policies, such as supporting various new policies in the past two years. In addition, the children of the Li family must not be greedy for power and status, even if it would lead to the downfall of the Li family, there would be no hesitation.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen sighed and said, "Why is it so?"

Li Gongxu said calmly: "Sir, this is the lesson the Li family deserves."

Lu Chen shook his head and said, "You don't have to suffer like this to atone for your sins. Can't you atone for your sins by serving the court? You must have seen all kinds of people on your way north. You should know that the new policy is truly for the benefit of the people. As my disciple, shouldn't you take the initiative to stand up and shoulder your responsibilities? How does the saying go, sir, there is something..."

"The disciples shall do the hard work."

Li Gongxu took over the conversation and said with embarrassment: "It's just that my ancestors have given orders, and I dare not disobey them."

"Forget it, let's discuss this matter later."

Lu Chen waved his hand and changed the subject, "Just now you said that the old prime minister specifically mentioned a time point, that is, before I take over the military and political power, you must not leave Jinlin County. What's the meaning of this sentence?"

At this moment, there was a sharp look in his eyes.

When Lu Chen is really expected to take that step, if the Jinlin Li family chooses to take sides, there will be only two answers.

Li Gongxu had encountered many misfortunes in the past few years, and his character had become quite calm. Even when facing the teacher whom he respected the second most in his life, he still said calmly: "My ancestors always knew that you had the world in your heart. Whether it was fighting against the Kingdom of Jing or managing the country and benefiting the people, you would spare no effort. You have indeed killed a lot of people in the past two years, but they deserved to be killed, whether they were corrupt officials or powerful bandits, their deaths were not a pity. But when you have overall power, it will inevitably cause resistance and opposition from many people. From your point of view, perhaps they should be killed, and not killing them is not enough to eliminate the obstacles, but——"

At this point he paused slightly, faced Lu Chen's gaze, and asked bravely: "Sir, should Prime Minister Xue be killed?"

Lu Chen said slowly: "I won't kill Xue Nanting, but if he is determined to die, I can't stop him."

Li Gongxu remained silent.

Lu Chen continued, "You are right. Xue Nanting should not die. Even if he allowed Xue Ruogu to stir up trouble in private, he still should not die. Let alone when Emperor Gaozong was alive, Xue Nanting's selfless dedication and contribution, just to say that I was able to win battles in Jiangbei over and over again in the past two years, it was inseparable from the central government's full support for logistics. Even though Xue Nanting has always been afraid of me, he has never slacked off in his official duties, and even this year he has done his best for the new policy. Maybe he is not as good as old Prime Minister Li in seeing the big picture from the small details, but at least he has fulfilled the duties of a prime minister."

Li Gongxu asked: "Sir, do you know what Xue Xiang will do?"

Lu Chen said calmly, "I can't tell, but I can roughly guess. Given his temperament, he should take a decisive approach. In a public place, he would use the blood of the prime minister to arouse the determination of the loyal people in the world. This might make me hesitate to act rashly."

Li Gongxu said sadly: "My ancestors also said so. If Prime Minister Xue is sure that he cannot stop you, he will definitely sacrifice his life for you."

Lu Chen picked up the teacup and took a sip. After a moment of silence, he asked, "So the last will the old prime minister left for you was to use the incense and affection he had accumulated throughout his life to launch a fatal attack on me, and you came here specially to meet me this time, is it because you wanted to see me one last time?"

"Do not."

Li Gongxu shook his head, and then said earnestly: "Sir, no one in this world can cause fatal harm to you, even if our ancestor is still alive. Our ancestor has been an official for more than 40 years and has held power for 16 years. He has indeed accumulated a lot of incense and friendship, and has many confidants and close friends who are willing to sacrifice their lives for him, but our ancestor always believes that you are flawless today. Even if I use all the tricks left by my ancestor, the best result is to plunge Da Qi into an endless war."

Lu Chen waited quietly.

Li Gongxu continued, "Sir, this disciple is on this trip to follow the last will of our ancestor. I will hand over all the connections and backup plans he has accumulated throughout his life to you. As the head of the Jinlin Li family, I will run around for you. Even if I can't guarantee that those people are willing to serve you, at least no one will insist on being your enemy."

Although he already had a premonition, when Li Gongxu really said this, Lu Chen couldn't help but feel dazed for a moment.

In fact, judging from the current situation, he would not be completely subject to the old man's back-up plan, and the other party was also aware of this.

Lu Chen just didn't expect that Li Daoyan would choose to stand on his side so firmly.

What exactly prompted him to make such a choice?

Facing Lu Chen's puzzled look, Li Gongxu said softly, "My ancestors asked me to tell you that dynasties have always changed since ancient times and cannot be reversed by human power. Rather than letting so many loyal people die in vain, it is better to let him bear the name of a traitor. Even if he is cursed in history, it is better than letting the elite of the Great Qi Dynasty, which has been honed through suffering for twenty years, be lost in infighting. How regrettable it is."

"The ancestor also said that he hoped that you would not forget your ambitions, live up to the people, and treat the simple people of this land well."

"If you can achieve this, you can rest in peace in the underworld."

……

……

(Happy New Year, fellow book lovers!)

(End of this chapter)