Jiuxi

Chapter 1020 1018 [Invitation]

Lu Chen sat quietly, his thoughts quietly turning back to the autumn three years ago.

That was September 25th, the second year of Dingzheng in the Great Qi Dynasty.

Before heading north to Dingzhou, he made a special trip to Jinlin County to bid his final farewell to Li Daoyan.

The old man was already very weak at that time, but he still forced himself to have a long talk with Lu Chen.

Li Daoyan reflected on his own selfishness, helped Lu Chen analyze the situation facing the country, and then looked ahead to the future of Da Qi. He reached some tacit consensus with Lu Chen, and finally he said this.

"If you can defeat Emperor Jing this time and let the Great Qi recover its homeland, I hope you can treat those people well in the future, because not everyone can decide their own destiny. The wheel of history rolls forward, and loyalty is not shameful."

At that time, Lu Chen did not fully understand these words. It was not until this moment, when he heard the old man's last will from Li Gongxu, that he understood the deep meaning of Li Daoyan's words - let this "treacherous prime minister" who has been misunderstood by the world for many years bear the name of a traitor, and use the legacy he left behind to encourage some officials and gentry to support Lu Chen, thereby promoting the smooth transfer of power in the country.

The old man had only one request, which was that Lu Chen could treat those loyal and righteous people who could not convince him for the time being well, and give them a way out as long as they did not do anything extreme.

After all, putting aside the differences in their positions, many officials are not incompetent or pedantic, nor are they corrupt officials.

Such as Xue Nanting, Yao Chong, Song Wan, and Chen Lanyu.

After thinking about these key points clearly, Lu Chen couldn't help but feel torn. He was moved by the old man's gift and admired his broad-mindedness.

However, Lu Chen did not get carried away by this. Li Daoyan's legacy could indeed provide him with considerable help, but it could not play a decisive role. The capital could now maintain a fragile and stable state because the empress dowager in the palace had not expressed her position, so those ministers loyal to the royal family did not dare to act rashly.

He put aside these chaotic thoughts and asked Li Gongxu, "Hasn't your accommodation been arranged in Beijing yet?"

After finishing the business, Li Gongxu relaxed a little, not as serious as before, and said respectfully: "Yes, sir, I plan to find an inn to stay first, and then let my followers rent a house temporarily."

"You bastard, why don't you hit me in the face?"

Lu Chen couldn't help laughing, raised his hand and nodded at him: "If you go to stay in an inn, won't your master be laughed at? There is a house reserved for you in the southeast corner of Chengpingfang. I didn't know when you would come to Beijing, so I had to prepare it there in advance. I've been there to see it. Although it can't compare to your ancestral home with mountains and rivers, it is quiet and elegant. I believe you will like it."

Li Gongxu smiled brightly, stood up and saluted, saying, "Thank you, sir, for the house."

Lu Chen nodded and said, "Have lunch at home later. I'll ask Qin Zilong to take you there this afternoon. You two are old acquaintances. Just ask him to buy any furnishings you need."

Li Gongxu thought of the time he spent in Lu Chen's guards and Qin Zilong's kind old face, and said readily, "Then I'll have to trouble Brother Qin a lot."

“He’s not afraid of trouble.”

Lu Chen smiled knowingly, and then said: "Before dinner, let you meet your family first."

After hearing this, Li Gongxu suddenly became a little nervous.

About half an incense stick later, he followed Lu Chen to the main hall of the back house, where he met his master's wives.

The family members do not easily receive outsiders, but Li Gongxu is Lu Chen's formal disciple, so there is no need to be shy. However, for Li Gongxu, such a scene is not easy to deal with.

Led by Princess Lin Xi, concubines Wang Chulong, Li Bingxue, Luo Jiujiu, concubines Song Pei and Gu Wan'er came together.

Li Gongxu saluted meticulously without looking away.

The women looked at the young man with curiosity and discretion, and Lin Xi was the first to praise him, "Liangjie is indeed a handsome man."

Liangjie is Li Gongxu's courtesy name, which was personally proposed by Li Daoyan.

Wang Chulong also praised him: "Zhi's conduct is upright and his temperament is dignified. He is worthy of being the pillar of the Jinlin Li family."

Others smiled in agreement.

Li Gongxu bowed his head and said, "Thank you for the compliment, Master's wife."

Lu Chen, who was standing next to him, smiled and said, "Today is his first time to come and pay respects to the Masters' wives. You can't just praise him verbally, you have to show some appreciation."

Lin Xi rolled her eyes at him quietly, and then a group of maids came over with six brocade boxes. She said to Li Gongxu gently, "These are the gifts prepared for you by the Master's wives. They are not valuable, but just a small token of our appreciation. I hope you will not despise them and refuse them."

"How dare you, disciple?"

Li Gongxu bowed and said, "Thank you, Master's wife, for the reward."

The maids withdrew with the brocade box in their hands, and then two children who were over four years old came to Li Gongxu, saluted in a formal manner, and said crisply: "Hello, Senior Brother."

They are Lu Jiusi and Lu Xinyi.

Li Gongxu quickly returned the gift, and at this moment he finally showed a bit of embarrassment, which made Lu Chen laugh.

Lin Xi and the others were confused at first, but soon understood and couldn't help but look at their husbands with reproach.

Li Gongxu is in charge of the Li family now, so he is not a person who does not know etiquette. He has prepared gifts for Lu Chen, his master's wives, and his junior brothers and sisters when he went north this time. However, he originally planned to discuss business with Lu Chen first, and then pay a formal visit tomorrow. Unexpectedly, he was taken directly back to the palace by Lu Chen, so now he has empty hands and is not prepared at all.

It was understandable for him to accept the gifts from the masters' wives before, after all, he was the junior. But now, looking at a fellow junior and a female junior, Li Gongxu, who came from a famous family and had an excellent upbringing, could not help feeling embarrassed.

Fortunately, the other six junior brothers were too young to join in the fun, otherwise Li Gongxu would definitely be overwhelmed.

At this time, Lu Chen came over and patted his shoulder, smiling and said, "Don't be so restrained here, just make it up to them next time. What's there to be embarrassed about? Let's go, the family dinner is ready in the front hall, today we, master and disciple, can have a couple of drinks." Li Gongxu was born with a delicate mind. Looking at Lu Chen's smile at this moment, he couldn't help but feel a long-lost warmth - it was the first time in the past three years since his grandfather passed away.

"Yes, sir."

Li Gongxu lowered his head to hide the touch.

After a harmonious and pleasant family dinner, when Li Gongxu was about to leave, Lu Chen said, "Liangjie, when this matter is over, you can go to the Prime Minister's New Government Office to gain experience for a few years."

Li Gongxu was stunned.

Lu Chen did not put on airs, but said calmly: "Since the old prime minister asked you to go north at this time and gave me such a generous gift, although it is not to pave the way for you, he also has the intention of allowing you to serve as an official in the court. The Jinlin Li family has been working hard to cooperate with the court to implement the new policy in the past two years. Other children may continue to farm and study to pass on the family tradition and cultivate their character, but in the end you need to stand up and accept the court's praise. This will help you stabilize the hearts of the family, otherwise you will inevitably sink."

He paused, looked at Li Gongxu meaningfully and said: "Most people in the world share wealth but not adversity, and clans are no exception. You should understand this truth."

Li Gongxu no longer hesitated and said gratefully and sincerely: "Yes, sir, I will do my best."

Lu Chen looked at it with a smile.

Li Gongxu bowed solemnly and then left accompanied by Qin Zilong.

Less than half a cup of tea later, before Lu Chen returned to the inner house, a guard came to report: "Your Highness, the Junior Supervisor of the Palace's Ministry of Internal Affairs, Lü Wei, is here."

Lu Chen's eyes narrowed slightly, and he said calmly: "Please ask him to come in."

Soon, in the main hall of the front house.

Lu Wei, who successfully replaced Yuan Yuji and is now the most important eunuch in the palace, stood in front of Lu Chen respectfully and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, I am here on the orders of His Majesty to tell you something."

Lu Chen stood up and said, "Master Lu, please speak."

Seeing that he would not do anything against etiquette at this time, Lu Wei said more cautiously: "The Saint is very happy to know that the prince has returned to the capital today. It just so happens that the Saint wants to visit Zhuo Garden in the city, so I asked the humble servant to tell the prince. Please deploy troops in front of and behind Zhuo Garden without disturbing the people of the capital, and then ask the prince to accompany His Majesty to visit Zhuo Garden."

Lu Chen looked normal, but a strange feeling welled up in his heart.

To be fair, it was not excessive for the current Empress Dowager to want to see a garden in the city, let alone a waste of money and manpower. Compared with the many righteous deeds done by Empress Dowager Ning in the past few years, this small request should be met.

The problem is that Zhuo Garden is Yang Guangyuan's former residence. After Lu Chen recovered Heluo, in addition to sending people to carry out daily maintenance, he has closed the entire mansion.

Secondly, Empress Dowager Ning's words are also intriguing. She did not summon Lu Chen into the palace directly, but took the initiative to leave the palace and go to Zhuo Garden, and asked Lu Chen to arrange the defense of Zhuo Garden. This was simply a way of telling Lu Chen that she just wanted to talk to Lu Chen and had no other sinister intentions.

But...is that all?

Lu Chen asked, "Master Lu, when does His Majesty plan to go to Zhuo Garden?"

Lu Wei bowed his head and said, "The day after tomorrow at 2:45 pm. Also, Your Majesty has heard that there is a restaurant in the capital called Ningyunlou, where the dishes are very delicious, so please ask the prince to send someone to prepare a table of Ningyunlou's food and send it to Zhuoyuan the day after tomorrow."

These words gave Lu Chen the first impression that Queen Mother Ning was too cautious. When had she become so domineering?

Lu Chen shook his head slightly and said, "I'm afraid this is inappropriate... How can Your Majesty take the wine and food from the market at will?"

"Your Majesty."

Lu Wei smiled and said, "His Majesty said that as long as the feast is prepared by the prince, there will be no problem. Please do not refuse it."

In fact, this matter is not difficult for Lu Chen to handle. He just needs to borrow the chef of Ning Yunlou for a day. The secret guards of the palace will cooperate with him throughout the process, so there will be no mistakes. The key is that he can't figure out the deep meaning of Queen Mother Ning's actions for the time being.

After a moment, he nodded and said, "Please ask Junior Supervisor Lu to report to Your Majesty that I will take care of everything and go to Chengtian Gate in person at the beginning of the day after tomorrow to welcome Your Majesty."

Lu Wei secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly agreed.

At this time, Lu Chen changed the subject and asked, "Lu Shaojian, what is your relationship with Lu Shizhou?"

Lu Wei hesitated for a moment, then replied cautiously: "Your Majesty, he is my distant uncle."

Lu Chen looked at him calmly without saying anything more, and Lu Wei then bowed and left.

After he left, Lu Chen slowly walked to the corridor, looked up at the thin winter sunlight, and said lightly: "Nan Yi."

"I am humble."

"Did you hear what Lu Wei said just now?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Nan Yi looked at Lu Chen's profile, with a spark of expectation in his eyes.

Lu Chen stood with his hands behind his back, thinking for a long time, and then said slowly: "Pass the order down, everyone should be on standby and be prepared for any unexpected situation."

Nan Yi was overjoyed, and even his voice was trembling slightly at this moment: "Yes, sir!"

(End of this chapter)