Jiuxi

Chapter 1046 Extra 10 [Birthday]

May 13, the sixth year of Datong.

The investigation into the Jinxiulou case is gradually coming to an end, and the royal family is welcoming a special day.

This day is the birthday of two princes, the fourth prince Lu Jing born to Wang Chulong, and the fifth prince Lu Jue born to Song Pei. They were both born on the same day of the same month of the same year, with Lu Jue being only two hours later. This year, they both turned eleven.

The birthdays of princes and princesses were never celebrated in a grand manner. Many years ago, Lu Chen explicitly forbade his children to accept gifts from outside the palace, with the only exception being from their mother's family.

As per past practice, the Ministry of Internal Affairs held a banquet in Qionghua Garden and carefully prepared some inexpensive gifts.

At the beginning of noon, Lu Chen and Lin Xi walked into the garden side by side, followed by a group of concubines, princes and princesses. Almost everyone had a happy look on their face. After all, this was an occasion when the royal family closed the door and enjoyed family affection. Only a very few naturally introverted people would have a calm expression.

The banquet in the spacious and elegant flower hall was quite unique. Each person had a table with their favorite delicacies placed on it.

Lu Chen sat in the main seat, with Lin Xi and Wang Chulong on his left and right, followed by Lu Jiusi and Lu Xinyi, and then today's birthday boys Lu Jing and Lu Jue.

Next on the left are seven concubines, including Li Bingxue, Gu Wan'er, Ye Zhen, He Yuanji, and Li Shunzhen.

On the right are eight concubines including Luo Jiujiu, Song Pei, Wen Lingrong, Qu Miaoyin, and Zhao Qiongying.

Next came the princes and princesses, who were arranged in order of age, with the Second Prince Lu Chen on the left and the Third Prince Lu Heng on the right. Except for the Thirteenth Prince Lu Fan, the Fourteenth Prince Lu Xun and the youngest Princess Lu Yuming who were too young to attend, there were a total of fifteen people present today.

For Lu Chen, such a scene should make him proud, but his expression at the moment was very calm - the reason was very simple, there were many family banquets in the palace throughout the year, and he was a person who treated everyone equally, whether it was concubines or children, even if he could not be absolutely fair, at least he would not be stingy with a birthday banquet. In fact, this was one of the reasons why the harem of this dynasty was very harmonious.

The family gets together for banquets many times, so it is naturally difficult for Lu Chen to feel inexplicably emotional every time.

Even so, he certainly would not spoil everyone's fun, and raised his glass and smiled, "Today is just like usual, everyone don't have to be restrained, eat, drink, talk and laugh, this is what a real family is like."

Lin Xi and Wang Chulong smiled, as did the other concubines, and they raised their wine cups together.

After drinking from the gate cup, Lu Chen turned to look at the Fourth Prince and said, "Lu Jing."

"My son is here."

The fourth prince Lu Jing inherited the good looks of Lu Chen and Wang Chulong, and stood out among the other princes. However, because he was still young and had not fully grown up, he was slightly inferior to the crown prince Lu Jiusi.

From some interesting stories coming from the princes, it can be learned that among all the princes, the second prince Lu Chen, the third prince Lu Heng and the seventh prince Lu Zheng have the most outstanding martial arts talents. In terms of literary talent, there is no doubt that the fourth prince Lu Jing and the sixth prince Lu Qi are the most outstanding.

This situation seemed to be in line with the expectations of the officials in the court. After all, Lu Jing's mother was an imperial concubine who came from a thousand-year-old family and was extremely wise. Under her teaching and example, as well as the talent he had from the womb, he made rapid progress in studying. While some princes of the same age were still in their early childhood, he had already begun to study various classics, history, and literature.

The ways of civil and military affairs are different. For many court officials and even the elites in the capital, Lu Jing is more likely to win their appreciation.

Lu Chen looked at Lu Jing gently and said slowly: "Today is your birthday. In a blink of an eye, you have grown from a babbling baby to a handsome young man. I can't help but feel that time flies, but I also feel gratified. Last year, you left Yikun Palace and went to the prince's residence. I have seen your performance in the past year, and you have lived up to my expectations of you."

As soon as these words were spoken, Lin Xi, Wang Chulong and others looked warm. Most of the concubines who entered the palace later were able to remain calm, but a very few showed envy on their faces.

As for the princes and princesses, they all looked at their father with reverence.

Lu Jing bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, your praise is too much. This son has only been studying and writing according to the teachers' instructions for the past year. I don't deserve your praise."

“Knowing what you should and shouldn’t do is a commendable quality.”

Lu Chen smiled and said, "Tell me, what reward do you want?"

Lu Jing said without hesitation: "I have no other wishes, I just hope that the prosperity of the Qin Dynasty will last forever, and that my father, mother, and mother will be healthy for many years."

There was a burst of praise from the surroundings, and Lin Xi was the first to praise: "What a good child."

Wang Chulong glanced at Lu Chen.

Lu Chen seemed unaware and said thoughtfully, "Although you are filial, I cannot be stingy with a birthday gift. Dai Hong."

Dai Hong, the chief eunuch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, was well prepared. He immediately accepted the request respectfully and brought in a tray covered with red silk cloth from the side hall.

He came in front of Lu Jing, and a palace maid came forward and lifted the red cloth. On the tray, he saw a paperweight with cloud pattern and inlaid gold and silver. There was a line of small seal script on the edge with eight words written on it.

Lu Jing got a hint from his father and read out the eight words in front of everyone: "The wind blows over the water, and words are formed naturally."

With his knowledge, he could understand the meaning of the note.

Li Bingxue glanced at the handsome Lu Jing thoughtfully, and when she turned around, she happened to meet Wang Chulong's eyes. She saw the relief in the other's eyes and couldn't help feeling a little strange.

No matter from which angle you look at it, this birthday gift contains Lu Chen's expectations for Lu Jing. It only has some encouragement in mind and there is nothing wrong with it. Why does Wang Chulong look like this?
Lu Jing hesitated for a moment, then bowed and said, "I, your son, thank you for your reward."

"sit down."

Lu Chen nodded slightly, without further explanation of the meaning of this birthday gift, and said to the fifth prince Lu Jue who was born on the same day as him, "What about you? What gift do you want?"

Lu Jue stood up and said, "Father, I do have a request."

His words aroused the curiosity of almost everyone present.

Since Lu Chen ascended the throne, his majesty has been growing day by day. Not to mention the concubines who entered the palace later, even Song Pei and Gu Wan'er did not dare to act unruly in front of him. As for the princes and princesses, they were both respectful and fearful of him. Except for Lu Xinyi, other children did not dare to make any requests in front of Lu Chen. This should be the first time in the history of Lu Jue.

Song Pei said nervously, "Jue'er, don't mess around."

"Don't scare him."

Lu Chen couldn't help but shook his head and said to Lu Jue, "Go ahead."

Lu Jue swallowed his saliva and summoned up the courage to say, "Father, although I have worked hard in the prince's office this year, I am still not as good as my brothers. The teachers are very patient with me, but I know myself well and I know that I am not very talented in either studying or martial arts. Therefore, I... I want to..."

He hesitated several times to speak, the atmosphere in the hall gradually became solemn, and Song Pei's gentle face turned slightly pale.

Lu Chen said gently: "Don't you want to continue studying and practicing martial arts?"

Lu Jue was stunned. Although he did think so in his heart, at this moment in front of his father, a natural fear filled his heart, and he could no longer utter the prepared words.

Song Pei could only stand up and bow, saying, "Your Majesty, I have not fulfilled my responsibility to discipline him and failed to live up to your expectations. I promise to your Majesty that I will always urge him to study hard and never give up again."

Seeing that Lu Chen was not dissatisfied, Lin Xi said to Song Pei: "Why are you so nervous? Jue'er has a calm temperament and always says what he thinks in front of His Majesty. This is the behavior of a good child."

All the concubines were aware of the Queen's position in the Emperor's heart. With her praise, the atmosphere instantly eased. Song Pei couldn't help but look at Lin Xi with gratitude.

"The Queen is right."

Lu Chen motioned Song Pei to sit down, and then said to Lu Jue: "You are my son. Not to mention that you just don't want to study and practice martial arts, even if you want to be a parasite, it is not difficult. I can support you for a lifetime without using the national treasury. But... Jue'er, you are still young now, and it may not take too long for you to change your mind, so I hope you will consider it carefully. After all, once I agree to you, it will be difficult for you to change your mind in the future."

After hearing these earnest instructions, all the concubines in the hall were deeply moved.

They had all heard stories about the lack of family affection in the royal family, and had worried that the palace would become increasingly deserted. But today, seeing with their own eyes how generous Lu Chen was to the Fifth Prince, they no longer had those groundless worries and distress in their hearts.

Song Pei's eyes were red without her noticing. Lu Jue could feel his father's love and understanding even more. He thought about it carefully and said sincerely, "Father, I am not good at studying and practicing martial arts. I prefer arithmetic. I want to go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to help you do things within my ability in the future."

Song Pei finally got a little annoyed. Her son was really stubborn, but Lu Chen had already expressed his opinion, so it was not appropriate for her to teach Lu Jue a lesson in such an occasion.

To her surprise, Lu Chen smiled and said, "Arithmetic? Are you good at this?"

Lu Jue nodded bravely.

"Okay, then I'll test you."

Lu Chen immediately became interested and gave him a dozen arithmetic questions from easy to difficult. Unexpectedly, Lu Jue answered all of them correctly without having to think for too long.

"Hahaha."

Lu Chen's hearty laughter echoed, and the concubines looked at each other. The young Lu Jue looked at his father nervously.

"From today on, you don't need to practice martial arts. You only need to exercise every morning. In addition, I will have someone go to the prince's residence to tell him that you only need to spend one hour reading and practicing calligraphy every day. The rest of the time can be used to learn arithmetic. I will also have someone collect various arithmetic books for you."

Lu Jue was overjoyed by Lu Chen's reply, and he immediately knelt down and kowtowed to express his gratitude.

"Maybe the Lu family can produce a mathematician?"

Lu Chen thought to himself. He knew that this was just a beautiful expectation. There was a huge gap between liking arithmetic and becoming a mathematician. But since he had the conditions, why not give his son a chance? Why should all children be obsessed with math all day?

Song Pei's nervous mood finally calmed down at this moment.

Walking from Guangling to Heluo, she knew Lu Chen's temper very well. He really understood and appreciated Lu Jue's choice, which was why he had such a happy smile.

Except for Lu Jiusi and Lu Xinyi, other princes and princesses looked at Lu Jue with envy. Among them, the sixth prince Lu Qi was even more eager to try - he also did not like practicing martial arts, but only loved poetry and writing.

Gu Wan'er was very perceptive. She immediately glared at Lu Qi fiercely and told him to sit still. Lu Qi didn't dare to disobey his mother openly, so he could only sigh secretly. However, when he thought that his eleventh birthday was approaching, a look of joy appeared on his face.

The birthday party continued, and as the wine continued to flow, the atmosphere became more relaxed.

Lu Chen was silent with a smile on his face most of the time, because as soon as he opened his mouth, the whole room would become silent, unlike now when everyone could talk about everything. For example, Wang Chulong and Luo Jiujiu were talking about the palace flowers sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs yesterday, and Lin Xi and Li Bingxue were discussing the details of the Shangxuan Sutra quite seriously.

Generally speaking, this happy scene was not a fake.

After half an hour, Lu Chen coughed lightly, and the hall gradually quieted down. He said calmly, "Prince."

Lu Jiusi stood up and said, "Your son is here." "How is the investigation of the Jinxiu Tower case going?"

"Reporting to Father, the case has been clarified."

Lu Jiusi was well prepared and said calmly: "The three judicial officials have carefully interrogated all the people involved in the case and confirmed that Xu Ling has no direct connection with the 17 murders, but he cannot escape the crime of condoning his subordinates and neglecting to supervise and protect them. In addition to Xu Ling, the guilt of the 37 people in the building, headed by the chief shopkeeper Hu Qingyan, has been confirmed, and only the Ministry of Justice is waiting for the punishment to be formulated. In addition, four civil officials and three military generals have committed crimes such as abuse and murder. They have been detained and are waiting for the decision of the emperor."

Lu Chen nodded slightly, thought for a moment and then asked, "In your opinion, how should Xu Ling be dealt with?"

Even though Xu Ling didn't know that his men were so bold, he was certainly aware that these people had treated the poor woman in the back building harshly, and there was no way she could get away with it.

Lu Jiusi felt that everyone's eyes were focused on him. He calmly ignored his mother's concerned expression and said solemnly, "Father, I think Xu Ling can be spared the death penalty but cannot escape punishment. According to the law, he should be stripped of all his writings since birth and exiled three thousand miles away."

Lu Chen remained silent, tapping the table in front of him with his fingers.

To some people, this slight knocking sound sounded like a military drum filled with murderous intent.

"You did very well."

Lu Chen was generous in praising his eldest son. To others, this might be a compliment to the prince's ability to handle affairs, but when Lu Jiusi looked into his father's deep gaze, he suddenly understood the profound meaning of these five short words - the so-called very good, the key point was his attitude towards how to deal with Xu Ling.

Xu Ling, as the nominal boss of Jinxiu Tower, was not sentenced to death, so a prince who was merely a nominal shareholder should not have to die either.

Lu Chen slowly picked up the teacup and said calmly, "Do you have any other opinions about the Jinxiu Tower case?"

Regardless of the personalities of the concubines, after staying in the palace for a long time, they can all learn some skills of observing people's words and expressions. At that moment, they could naturally sense some strange atmosphere and understood that there must be a deep meaning behind the emperor's words.

"Father, I have something to say."

After a long time, a prince stood up slowly and with difficulty.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was the Second Prince Lu Chen.

Li Bingxue was slightly stunned and looked at her son in confusion.

Lu Chen's expression remained unchanged, and he said calmly: "Just speak frankly."

Lu Chen took a deep breath, knelt on his knees in front of his father, lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, when I first entered the prince's residence last year, I became good friends with Xu Zhun, the youngest son of Duke Cheng. At that time, he made a request to me, hoping that I could become one of the owners of Jinxiu Tower. He said that this was a request from his eldest brother Xu Ling, and that Duke Cheng had good intentions. I... I didn't think much about it and agreed to it."

There was dead silence in the hall.

Lu Chen's words caused a storm in everyone's heart.

The second prince is actually related to the Jinxiu Tower case!
Lin Xi frowned slightly, while Wang Chulong looked down as if unintentionally. The strange emotion that flashed across the depths of a certain concubine's eyes did not escape her sight.

"Lu Chen!"

Before others could react, an angry shout suddenly exploded, and then Li Bingxue stood up, walked quickly to Lu Chen, and slapped him mercilessly.

"Snapped!"

Lu Chen's body fell to the side, and a bright red palm print quickly appeared on his cheek.

"Kneel down!"

Li Bingxue was furious, but before she could slap her for the second time, a white hand grabbed her wrist.

At this time, apart from Lu Chen, only Lin Xi could stop her.

Lin Xi said softly: "The child is still young, there may be misunderstandings, why are you so angry?"

"elder sister……"

Li Bingxue couldn't continue speaking, and a look of grief appeared on her dark face again.

When Lu Chen was hit on the face, wouldn't it also hurt her as a mother?

Everyone knew how proud Li Bingxue was. Although she was willing to stay in the harem quietly, it didn't mean that she was just a vine attached to Lu Chen. Over the past decade, she had charged into battle countless times and risked her life. In terms of military merit alone, she was no less than those dukes and marquises in the court.

She never expected that Lu Chen would do such a ridiculous thing.

However...is it really ridiculous?

Duke Chengguo Xu Gui commands a large number of troops and was a prominent figure among the military heroes of the Jingzhou clique. Although Fan Wendi and Huo Zhen were ministers of military affairs, their prestige in the army was weaker than Xu Gui's. However, everyone knew that Xu Gui respected Li Bingxue.

In short, Lu Chen's acceptance of the shares in Jinxiu Building offered by Xu Ling was a signal to the other party that he was willing to accept the blessings and connections of his grandfather, mother and uncle in the army.

When Li Bingxue realized this, her tall body trembled slightly. She felt ashamed to face Lu Chen.

At this moment, Lu Chen's calm voice sounded: "Bingxue, if a child does something wrong, we as parents must teach and punish him, but before that, why not ask about the specific situation first, what do you think?"

Li Bingxue turned around and saw a faint smile in Lu Chen's eyes.

At this moment, she couldn't help but have mixed feelings, including anger towards Lu Chen and indescribable gratitude towards her husband.

Lin Xi winked at Gu Wan'er and called two palace maids to help Lu Chen deal with the scars on his face.

Li Bingxue attacked in a fit of rage, but luckily she held back a bit of her strength in the end, otherwise even if Lu Chen was gifted, this slap would probably have knocked out half of his teeth.

After a moment, Lu Chen said slowly: "Chen'er, do you know what I am most disappointed with you for?"

Lu Chen endured the burning pain on his face and bowed his head, saying, "As a prince, I should not make friends with court officials privately, let alone accept benefits from them. Your Majesty, I have repeatedly warned you against this, but I knowingly violated the rules. Now I am involved in such a case, which has let you down even more. I deserve to die! Your Majesty, although I accepted a stake in Jinxiu Tower, I did not know there was something else going on inside the building. I thought it was just a restaurant—"

Lu Chen interrupted him expressionlessly: "Do you think this statement can convince the world?"

Lu Chen choked.

Lu Chen stood up, his eyes swept over all the concubines and children, and walked to the second son, with his hands behind his back, saying: "What I am most disappointed in you about is not that you accepted the shares of Jinxiu Tower, but that you never thought about one thing from beginning to end. How could you let others lead this business, and hide in the prince's residence to enjoy the fruits of their labor?"

Lu Chen raised his head with difficulty and looked at his father in confusion.

Lu Chen continued, "You have always been more mature than the other brothers, and you think more privately. I originally thought that you would not make mistakes easily, but I didn't expect you to be so confused. Jinxiu Tower is interested in your status as a prince, which can bring them a lot of convenience. You can either refuse them or hold this deal in your hands. At least you can't let others do whatever they want. At this moment, you become a shield for others, but you put yourself in a desperate situation."

"My son... my son..."

Lu Chen's face turned pale and he was speechless.

"Xu Ling is still loyal and didn't confess you."

Lu Chen slowly turned around, looking at the concubines who were holding their breath, and said, "But you definitely don't know that Jinxiu Tower's chief shopkeeper Hu Qingyan said in the lobby of the Ministry of Justice that Jinxiu Tower has a mysterious owner, and even the Textile Bureau doesn't dare to act presumptuously in front of this owner."

Li Bingxue's face was filled with sadness and her heart was broken.

There is no such thing as a wall that is impenetrable. Truth will eventually come to light. Although Hu Qingyan did not mention Lu Chen's name in his accusation, this matter concerns the reputation of the royal family, and a clear answer must be given to all the civil and military officials in the court. By then, can Lu Chen's role in this matter still be concealed?

As the royal prince was involved in such a scandal, Lu Chen might not even be able to save his life, let alone boast about it!
"Are you feeling lucky that there haven't been any rumors during this period of time, and no one will know that you are related to Jinxiu Tower in the future?"

Lu Chen continued to look ahead and said calmly, "If even a few words of Hu Qingyan's confession were leaked, the capital would have been in turmoil by now. The reason why it is so calm is not because I am covering it up for you, but because the prince who was observing the government in the Ministry of Justice on the day of the incident acted promptly and decisively to limit the matter to a very small scope."

Lu Jiusi still stood there calmly.

Lin Xi looked at him quietly, with admiration and pride in her heart, but she couldn't show it at this moment.

Li Bingxue felt grateful, but also a little disappointed with Lu Chen.

Lu Chen knelt there blankly.

He had always had a complicated view of his elder brother and crown prince Lu Jiusi. On the one hand, he admitted that Lu Jiusi was better than him in both study and martial arts, but considering the age gap between them, he didn't think he had no hope of catching up. On the other hand, he envied his father's trust and respect for his elder brother, and sometimes he couldn't help but wish that his father could pay some attention to himself.

In any case, he did not doubt his elder brother's vision and ability.

Others may not understand, but when the eldest brother heard Hu Qingyan's words, he must have known that the most mysterious owner of Jinxiu Tower was him, Lu Chen.

But why did the eldest brother help?
Why didn't he just make the matter public so that Lu Chen would have no chance to make a comeback?
"Prince, why are you doing this?"

Lu Chen seemed to know his second son's thoughts very well and helped him ask this question.

Under the gaze of everyone, Lu Jiusi said sincerely: "Father, I firmly believe that my second brother has nothing to do with the murder in Jinxiu Tower. He has no reason to do so, and he is not a rebellious and vicious person. The case of Jinxiu Tower was clearly plotted by someone secretly, and my second brother was just a part of their conspiracy. How could I put him in danger without knowing the truth? Father has always taught me that a harmonious family is the foundation of everything, and the same is true for the royal family. I have kept this in mind from then on and dare not forget it."

Everyone who heard it was moved.

Li Bingxue said softly: "Prince, Lu Chen is blessed to have a brother like you in his previous life."

Lu Jiusi bowed his head slightly to show his respect to Li Bingxue.

"A harmonious family brings prosperity... It's hard for you to keep it in your heart."

Lu Chen sighed, looking at the courtyard outside and said word by word: "I wish everyone could be like you."

Although the tone was light, it was like thunder.

(End of this chapter)