Jiuxi

Chapter 592 [Reign Over the World]

May 16th, the 15th year of Jianwu in the Great Qi Dynasty.

According to the calendar, the deer's antlers fell off.

At three quarters past the hour of Yin, lights gradually lit up in the residences of many high-ranking officials and dignitaries in the southern city of Yongjia, and the Shanyang Marquis Mansion was no exception.

Today is the first formal court meeting after the new emperor ascends the throne, and all officials in the capital above the seventh rank must attend.

During a period of national mourning, everything should be kept simple.

After breakfast, Lu Chen and his personal soldiers rushed to the palace. When they arrived outside the Hening Gate, the night was cold and a large number of court officials had gathered in the square.

Seeing this young marquis appear in their sight, many officials couldn't help but look at him with complicated expressions.

Although Li Tianrun has returned to Beijing, he only entered the palace once on the day of his arrival, and then he stayed at home and did not see outsiders, and did not ask about the important matters of the court. His physical condition was no longer a secret, so no one maliciously speculated on his thoughts, and did not dare to visit him casually, but just quietly gave him gifts and returned.

On the premise that Li Tianrun chose to recuperate quietly, Xiao Wangzhi, Liu Shouguang, Zhang Xu and others were at the border, and the power of the Military Academy was in the hands of Lu Chen.

Although this was only a temporary arrangement by the new monarch, many people couldn't help feeling dazed when they saw this young man in his twenties holding the military power of Da Qi.

Lu Chen said a few words to Qin Zilong, then turned around and walked towards the square.

Along the way, many people came to greet us.

No matter what they thought of Lu Chen, no one dared to put on airs with him in such a public place. Of course, there were also some officials who really wanted to serve him.

After all, Lu Chen's biggest advantage is his age, and he is not the kind of lucky person who relies on the king's forced promotion. Every step he takes to climb up is backed by solid merit.

Lu Chen returned the greetings without being arrogant or impatient. When he passed the area where a large number of middle and lower-level officials gathered, the view in front of him opened up.

The officials at the front were all high-ranking officials of the fourth rank or above. They would not gather together like the lower-ranking officials, but mostly stood with their colleagues in their respective departments.

As a result, the Right Prime Minister Xue Nanting seemed a little lonely.

He had obviously adapted to this environment long ago. His situation in his early years was even more lonely. At that time, the power of the court was controlled by the Jiangnan families, and he was the isolated outlier.

Noticing the movement behind him, Xue Nanting turned around and nodded to Lu Chen.

Lu Chen returned the greeting, but did not walk directly over, but went to the other side.

"I didn't expect I'd be so late."

Lu Chen came to Li Tianrun and whispered.

Li Tianrun still looked at the palace gate in front of him and said calmly: "That's because you live the farthest away."

Of course Lu Chen would not dwell on this topic, he just mentioned it casually. He followed Li Tianrun's line of sight and said with emotion: "After the court session today, Uncle Li's house will be rebuilt again."

Because of the national mourning, the rewards for the generals on the frontiers have not been determined. Now that most of the funeral procedures for the late emperor have been completed, only the grand funeral ceremony remains, and the operation of the court is gradually returning to normal.

Although it will take some time to identify and verify the military achievements of the border troops, the authenticity of the Yongqiu victory is no longer in doubt. At least Li Tianrun, who returned to Beijing early, will definitely receive corresponding rewards.

In short, Da Qi will have one more duke, so Lu Chen made that good-natured joke.

Li Tianrun smiled slightly, turned to look at Lu Chen, and said meaningfully: "What about you? What reward will His Majesty give you?"

Lu Chen also smiled and said, "It's best not to reward anything."

For him, the four words "a tree stands out in the forest" have long become a reality. In the past few years, there has been constant attacks against him in the court, but they were all suppressed by the late emperor.

Now that the late emperor has passed away, the current emperor may not necessarily protect him like the late emperor did, and his current strength is not really second to none, so it will be enough as long as he can maintain the previous situation.

Li Tianrun understood the meaning of this sentence and agreed with Lu Chen's judgment.

At least in the Jiangnan area, Lu Chen still cannot do whatever he wants. This doesn't mean that he has to keep a low profile. Under normal circumstances, no one would provoke him. It's just that his roots are in Jiangbei, including his prestige in the hearts of the border troops and the foundation of the Lu family's decades of operation in Huaizhou.

Therefore, Li Tianrun said calmly: "No hurry."

Lu Chen nodded, then turned his head to look at the Li brothers and sisters in the distance. His eyes crossed with Li Bingxue, and then fell on Li Liangyu's face. He said softly: "Uncle Li, is Brother Li really going to take up the post of the Ministry of War?"

Li Tianrun said: "Yes, this is not a bad thing for him. He is more suitable for paperwork. Besides, this will also make His Majesty feel at ease."

Hearing the word "rest assured", Lu Chen narrowed his eyes slightly. When he was about to speak, he heard a commotion behind him.

He and Li Tianrun looked back again, and Han Zhongjie, who was not far away, also looked over, only to see an upright civil servant in his forties walking towards them.

Lu Chen couldn't help but laugh and said, "Could it be that this Shangshu Lord lives even further away?"

The person who came was the Minister of Personnel, Zhong Cheng.

He was seven feet tall, with a slender face and beautiful eyes, an elegant temperament, and a model beard. Even in the dark night at dawn, relying only on the light of the torches around the square, he could display a charm and bearing far superior to others.

Judging from his appearance alone, Zhong Cheng is undoubtedly the most handsome man in the court of Da Qi. Even in middle age, he is still thin and has added a bit of calmness and heaviness.

Li Tianrun said meaningfully: "In fact, there is no necessary connection between how far you live and how early you come. This Shangshu is different from you. He pays more attention to the appearance and demeanor of officials." Zhong Cheng came up to the two of them, saluted and greeted Li Tianrun, nodded to Lu Chen, and then walked slowly to Xue Nanting with the square step and stood behind him.

Just at this moment, there was another commotion in the square.

The left prime minister has arrived.

Li Daoyan's aging is visible to the naked eye. The impact of the late emperor's departure on this old prime minister is gradually becoming apparent. At the age of 65, he is also the oldest official in the court.

Therefore, a middle-aged official supported him as he walked forward. He was Li Daoyan's eldest son, Li Shizhi, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

This scene of loving father and filial son naturally moved many officials. They respectfully made way for him and stood on both sides to pay their respects to Li Daoyan.

Li Tianrun asked in a low voice: "What do you think of this Minister Li?"

Lu Chen thought for a moment and said, "He has always kept a low profile. It is not difficult for him to reach this position under the protection of Prime Minister Li, but it is not easy for him to maintain such a good reputation as an official. Especially since most officials do not think that Li Shizhi's position came from Prime Minister Li's support, it is not easy for him to do this."

Li Tianrun said with emotion: "Li Shizhi is indeed an extraordinary person."

The two did not continue chatting because Li Daoyan had already walked closer with the support of Li Shizhi.

"Meet Prime Minister Lee."

Li Tianrun saluted immediately. The old man in front of him deserved such respect.

Li Daoyan said gently, "Why should the county lord be so polite?"

Li Tianrun smiled but did not answer. He believed that the other party could understand his feelings.

Li Daoyan naturally understood, and then changed the subject, with a sense of vicissitudes: "I haven't seen you for ten years, and the county lord has grown old."

Li Tianrun said in a carefree manner: "Birth, aging, illness and death are the common sense of the world, and I have long since become indifferent to them. Seeing that the old prime minister is still in good health today is a blessing for the country."

Li Daoyan smiled and shook his head, saying, "He is just a dying man."

The sound of the palace gate slowly opening reached everyone's ears, and Li Daoyan stopped to reminisce about the past. When they parted, his old eyes lingered on Lu Chen's face for a moment, then he turned and walked towards the palace gate.

From beginning to end, Li Shizhi said nothing and remained respectfully silent.

About an incense stick later, as great music played, the new emperor of Da Qi appeared in the Duancheng Hall, sat on the dragon throne that symbolized supremacy, and accepted congratulations from civil and military officials.

All the ministers shouted "Long live the emperor".

The atmosphere is solemn and dignified.

Li Zongben straightened his back, stood upright, clenched his hands into fists in his sleeves, and tried his best to suppress the excitement in his heart.

Looking back at those years, how many people in the entire court believed that he could make it to where he is today?
The eldest son is the eldest son, the third son has the undisguised preference of Empress Xu, and he has no advantages at all except for his status as a prince.

His biological mother, Concubine Liu Shufei, was of a calm and non-competitive nature. Even though the previous emperor's harem was not large, she never thought of competing for favor with others. Although she had an excellent reputation because of this, it was of no help to Li Zongben. On the contrary, in order to maintain his mother's magnanimity, he had to always remember his duties.

Since he was twelve or thirteen years old, he knew that there was no chance for him to become the crown prince unless something drastic happened in the court.

He could only suppress the eagerness in his heart and try his best to play the role of a dutiful, patient and simple prince.

No one knew the boiling ecstasy he felt in his heart that summer last year when he invited Lu Chen to attend the Mo Yuan Literary Meeting and the late emperor approved it.

Perhaps in the eyes of others, he wanted to win over Lu Chen, the upstart of the border army, but only he himself knew that this was the reward he had received after nearly ten years of hard work, and it represented a change in his father's inner bias.

But that’s just the beginning.

The battle for the crown prince is extremely dangerous, and one can fall into the abyss if one is not careful.

Fortunately, his opponents made mistakes one after another, and the eldest prince could not endure the torment and became lenient on the outside but cautious on the inside. He gradually lost the favor of the late emperor and was finally involved in a rebellion in the capital and died young.

The third prince completely lost hope of competing for the crown prince position because of the assassination on Qingfeng Street, so he, Li Zongben, became the only answer.

There are many smart people in this world. Li Zongben does not think that he is the smartest, but he is sure that he is the one who knows how to be patient and take advantage of the situation.

Listening to the constant cheers from the crowd, Li Zongben looked around at his ministers calmly and paused for a moment at a certain position in the civil service row.

As if sensing the new emperor's gaze, the official raised his head slightly.

Li Zongben looked away, as if the stop just now was just an unintentional one.

The hall fell silent.

Li Zongben looked at the scene of officials bowing their heads with some greed, and then cleared his throat.

"All the nobles, please stand up."

The corners of his mouth curled up in an imperceptible arc.

(End of this chapter)