Jiuxi

Chapter 616: 614 [Summer Endlessly]

The green trees are long in the dark summer, and the terrace reflects into the pond.

In the Duke of Wei's mansion, on the corridor overlooking the water, a young man and woman were walking side by side, with no maids around them.

"So you guessed from the beginning that the eunuch was His Majesty's man?"

Li Bingxue seemed quite curious. She had not been to the Lu Mansion during this period. She knew that Lu Chen was investigating a major case and did not want to disturb his thoughts.

Today, Lu Chen went to visit Li Tianrun, and she could finally ask about the inside story of the matter.

Lu Chen naturally would not hide anything in front of her, and said gently: "I just have some doubts. Any conspiracy must be feasible, otherwise it will be a waste of effort, just like openly assassinating the emperor in public. Let's not talk about who has such courage. The probability of success is so low that it can be ignored directly, and it will inevitably cause the court to dig deep and investigate. Who would do such a stupid thing? Those who are truly capable of challenging the imperial power do not need to take such risks."

Li Bingxue pondered and said, "But there are still two assassins with good martial arts skills..."

Lu Chen smiled and said, "It's obvious that this kind of thing was done by someone who lacks experience in court struggles. The mastermind behind the scenes tried to frame Li Zongjian and then provoke a fight between Your Majesty and Queen Mother Xu. The problem is that the assassin has too many flaws and can't withstand the court's scrutiny. For example, when Li Zongjian had someone assassinate me on Qingfeng Street, he wanted to frame the eldest prince. If it weren't for Prime Minister Li exposing him on the spot, he might have succeeded, because he had arranged a pawn next to the eldest prince long in advance, that is, the scholar named Chang Sun Jun."

Li Bingxue suddenly realized: "Yes, this is the way to use spies."

"Although Ning Bugui is a grassroots hero, he is still a little immature in this regard. He doesn't know that if you want to frame someone, the most important thing is to plan ahead of time, rather than just relying on a few false accusations, unless -"

He paused and smiled to himself.

Li Bingxue continued, "Unless someone can help him, the originally meaningless frame-up will suddenly escalate."

Lu Chen shrugged and praised: "Ice and Snow are still smart."

Li Bingxue rolled her eyes at him. Although she was not familiar with these intrigues, she was not a blank slate.

Lu Chen stopped and turned around. He raised his hand to press the pillar, looked at the mandarin ducks playing in the pond, and said meaningfully: "Let's not talk about the two assassins for now, let's just talk about the eunuch Wen Changbao who took action first. He is the only one who can pose a threat to Your Majesty, provided that he is a genuine assassin. But such an assassin who is most likely to succeed is actually a eunuch who has no martial arts skills and only brute force. How stupid must the mastermind be to choose him to assassinate the emperor?"

"That's true, but I don't quite understand why Your Majesty would do this?"

Li Bingxue's expression was slightly complicated.

She had returned to the capital several times over the years and was no stranger to the former Second Prince.

In her opinion, the second prince was a man with deep thoughts and emotions, and compared with the first prince's pretending to be calm and the third prince's arrogance, he seemed more trustworthy. The subsequent changes in the situation in the capital were just as she had guessed, and the second prince successfully ascended the throne and became emperor.

However, the assassination case in front of the imperial mausoleum was indeed beyond her expectations, especially after she confirmed from Lu Chen today that the so-called assassination case was a drama directed and acted by Li Zongben himself.

"Environment and identity have a great impact on a person. Before the late emperor passed away, Your Majesty was trembling with fear and treading on thin ice. His desire for the throne made him suppress all inappropriate thoughts. After he ascended the throne, he suddenly held great power and the pressure on his shoulders disappeared. It is hard to guarantee that he would not be carried away by success. Besides, Your Majesty's actions were not excessive."

Lu Chen paused for a moment, then said frankly: "Your Majesty's original intention is very simple, to use a risk-free assassination to push a little suspicion onto Li Zongjian, and to hang a sharp knife over Li Zongjian's head, so that he can completely suppress Empress Dowager Xu. Another point is that Your Majesty can use this to punish Qin Tiju of the Textile Bureau and prepare for the next step of replacing Qin Tiju."

Li Bingxue sighed, "But man proposes, God disposes. Your Majesty didn't expect that there really was an assassin at the time, nor did he expect that you would fan the flames and magnify the suspicion on Li Zongjian infinitely. In this way, Your Majesty lost the room to ease the situation and forced him to confront Queen Dowager Xu."

Lu remained silent and did not explain further.

Since he saw through Li Zongben's thoughts, he would definitely not stand idly by.

If Li Zongben successfully resolves the hidden worries in the harem and completely controls the Weaving Bureau, and there are no more difficult issues in the capital, there is no guarantee that he will not continue to keep an eye on Lu Chen.

In the final analysis, because Li Zongben wanted to put Lu Chen on the fire several times, he had to prepare for the future and try his best to find something for the young emperor to do.

Li Bingxue thought for a moment and asked in confusion, "Why did His Majesty ask you to investigate this case?"

Lu Chen replied, "The reason is very simple. There are too many loopholes in this so-called assassination case. Gao Huan, the Minister of Justice, Qi Weili, the Minister of Justice, and Xu Zuo, the Imperial Censor, are all experienced and capable officials who can easily see through the doubts. In your majesty's mind, I am just a military hero who is good at leading troops in battles. How can my mind be as meticulous and delicate as those people? Another point is that Li Zongjian and I have a blood feud, so I will definitely believe the eunuch's confession."

"But he doesn't know you..."

Li Bingxue hesitated to speak.

Lu Chen smiled and asked, "Do you want to say that I'm cunning and treacherous?"

Li Bingxue snorted, but finally shook her head and said, "No, I just want to say that you are becoming more and more sophisticated. No wonder Dad told me not to worry these days."

A gentle breeze blows through the corridor.

Lu Chen said softly, "It's lonely at the top, you have to learn these tricks." For some reason, Li Bingxue suddenly felt that the atmosphere was a little heavy. She didn't like this kind of atmosphere, especially when the two of them finally got to spend time together in private, so she changed the subject and said, "An old friend will arrive in Beijing in a few days. Do you want to meet him?"

"Old friend?"

Lu Chen was slightly startled.

He and Li Bingxue actually didn't have much in common, as they were basically both in the army. It was impossible for a border army general to leave his garrison without permission, not to mention that any military transfers now required his consent. How could an old acquaintance suddenly show up?
Li Bingxue smiled and said, "If she knew that you had completely forgotten about her, she would definitely nag me for a long time."

This sentence was almost explicit, and Lu Chen finally understood it. He laughed and said, "Are you talking about Gu Wan'er?"

"I'm glad you still remember her name."

Li Bingxue raised her hand to smooth her hair and said leisurely, "Dad is recuperating in the capital, and my brother is also an official in the Ministry of War. The Li family will definitely live in the capital in the future. Wan'er is all alone, with only a caring little maid by her side. Naturally, she has to live in my house, otherwise there will be no guarantee that someone will disturb her every now and then, after all, she is so beautiful. By the way, Wan'er is deeply in love with you, can you really bear to ignore her?"

From her narration, Lu Chen confirmed that the relationship between the two was very close.

Come to think of it, this is normal. Li Bingxue has been in the army since she was a child, so she has never had a close friend with whom she could confide her innermost feelings. In addition, Gu Wan'er is well-versed in human relationships and intelligent, so it is not surprising that their friendship is getting better and better.

He shook his head and said, "I definitely don't believe that. She and I have only met once and we have had no contact since then. How can we be deeply in love? If she has a crush on someone in the future, you and I can help her prepare a dowry. If she doesn't want to get married, can't you protect her with your reputation? Who would dare to mess with you? You should know that you are a general who has two jade ruyis given by the late emperor and the present emperor."

Seeing that he turned the topic to herself, Li Bingxue smiled helplessly, but did not continue to argue about it.

Of course, she was not testing her on purpose, but she really didn't care about such things. What's more, Gu Wan'er had often helped her relieve her boredom in the past few years, so she couldn't bear it.

Lu Chen looked into her clear eyes and smiled, "When do you plan to go north?"

Li Bingxue's eyes moved as she slowly said, "I want to stay in the capital for a while. I have been fighting outside these years and have spent too little time with my father and mother. The situation in the Jiangbei border is stable now, and the Jing army will not move south in the short term. You are here in person, so I am going to ask His Majesty for leave and stay at home to serve my father and mother wholeheartedly."

In fact, both of them have a clear mind.

After the national mourning was over, Lu Chen went north to command the border troops. This was a rule that the court had already set.

But before that, Lu Chen must first return to Guangling Prefecture to complete that important task.

Lu Chen said softly: "I will explain to His Majesty in two days. The act of taking over the throne is not beyond the rules."

Li Bingxue shook her head and said, "Although Dad has resigned as the governor of Jingzhou, the structure of the Jingzhou Army has not changed. The commanders of each army are basically his trusted generals who were promoted by him. The late emperor had no choice but to let me take the Feiyu Army to the Dingzhou Governor's Office. If I marry you openly now, not to mention the temper of His Majesty, the two prime ministers will not agree, and there will definitely be another storm in the court. Lu Chen, I know your heart, and you have to believe me."

Lu Chen said: "Of course I believe you, but——"

Li Bingxue looked up at him and interrupted him with a smile: "I don't care, really."

Lu Chen couldn't help but raise his arms, wanting to hold her in his arms.

Unexpectedly, Li Bingxue suddenly put her hand on his chest, then with a little force, pushed Lu Chen onto the pillar.

The next moment she took the initiative to move forward, put her hands on Lu Chen's shoulders, slightly tiptoed to get closer, and pressed her cool and slightly sweet lips against Lu Chen's lips.

Their eyes met, so close.

There was a hint of surprise in Lu Chen's eyes, which then turned into gentle joy.

In the pond, the pair of mandarin ducks suddenly stopped playing in the water, flapped their wings very gently, and left quietly.

After a while, Li Bingxue released her hands from Lu Chen's shoulders and took a step back. Seeing this guy's unsatisfied look, she bit her lower lip and said angrily, "Don't let your imagination run wild. I just want to reward you a little bit because you've been working so hard lately."

Lu Chen said sincerely: "Maybe the reward can be a little bit bigger."

"Don't think about it."

Li Bingxue's cheeks turned slightly red and she turned and left.

Lu Chen touched his lips and followed with a smile.

(End of this chapter)