Jiuxi

Chapter 626: Burn Again

At night, Lu Garden.

The family dinner was extremely harmonious. Lu Tong's two concubines, Aunt Mo and Aunt Sun, looked at their young duke and felt a little uncomfortable and awkward at first. But after Lu Chen affectionately called them "Aunt" several times, they let go of their fear and the family chatted happily.

Lu Tong naturally liked this atmosphere. When the banquet was over and the father and son went to the side hall to drink tea, he said with a feeling of lingering satisfaction: "Now as long as you and your daughters-in-law have a few more children, my life will be complete."

"Dad, this is just the beginning."

Lu Chen picked up the teapot and poured tea, then placed it on the table next to Lu Tong, and then smiled and said, "I'm sure there will be many children, just don't be annoyed by them in the future."

Lu Tong did not continue to dwell on this topic. He savored Lu Chen's previous words and said slowly: "You should have reached the top now, right?"

There were no outsiders in the hall at the moment, so the father and son did not need to hide anything. Lu Tong's words went straight to the heart of the matter.

There are examples of young people becoming noble in history books, but a case like Lu Chen has never occurred.

He is twenty-three years old this year, and has already been granted the title of Duke of a county and held the position of governor. It would be as difficult as ascending to heaven for him to move up further.

It’s not that Lu Chen doesn’t have the ability to make more achievements, but that he has already encroached on the interests of many people. Going further will only lead to attacks and suppression from all sides.

In the soft and bright candlelight, Lu Chen's face remained calm, and he said: "It will indeed be difficult, but no one can predict what will happen in the future. There are many people in the government and the public who are wary of and hostile to me, but not many who can pose a fatal threat to me. Most of them will only maintain the current tug-of-war situation. Of course, this premise is that I do my duty well. As long as I don't make any mistakes on the battlefield, at least my position in the army will not be shaken."

Seeing that he kept a clear mind, Lu Tong couldn't help but say with relief: "I feel relieved that you think this way."

Lu Chen smiled slightly, and then asked: "Dad, what's the situation in the northern part of Dingzhou? Is Uncle Xiao still at the border?"

Lu Tong said slowly, "The Jing army has withdrawn from Dingfeng Road, and the entire Dingzhou has been recovered. Old Xiao is in charge of the overall situation in Fengqiu City, and Li Jingda is also there. Two days ago, Old Xiao sent someone to tell him that he will come to Guangling to attend your wedding at the end of the month, and then return to the capital. Li Jingda will continue to stay in Dingzhou and wait for you to go north to make the handover."

"Thank you for your concern, Uncle Xiao."

This arrangement was very appropriate, and Lu Chen had no objection. He changed the subject and asked, "Are Master and Senior Sister in Dingzhou now?"

Lu Tong showed a kind of teasing expression on his face, and said leisurely: "Do you still remember the house in East City?"

Lu Chen was slightly startled, then he reacted and said with great surprise: "Where does Senior Sister live?"

How could he not remember?

When Lin Xi traveled thousands of miles to teach martial arts, Lu Tong, in order to show his hospitality, specially gave out a house that the Lu family had purchased in Dongcheng, and Lin Xi lived there for more than two months.

Now that Lu Tong has brought up the old matter again, there is obviously only one possibility.

Lu Tong did not continue to keep the secret, and smiled and said: "Yes, she and your master have already lived there. After a while, the heroes of the Seven Stars Gang will come one after another. It is said that there are also some seniors in the martial arts world. I have asked people to buy all the houses around the house, and then we can entertain those distinguished guests. On the day of your wedding, Miss Lin will leave from that house."

Lu Chen couldn't help but rub his hands.

Seeing his rare nervousness, Lu Tong said, "You know that the Wang family moved to Guangling. Brother Wang asked me to help choose a mansion. In the end, we bought several adjacent mansions in Taipingfang, East City, which is only two streets away from where your senior sister lives."

Lu Chen was even more delighted now, and said briskly: "I will go find them tomorrow."

Unexpectedly, Lu Tong rejected it flatly: "No."

Lu Chen asked in confusion: "Dad, why is this?"

Lu Tong laughed and said, "You are the Duke of the current dynasty, but you don't even know the most basic etiquette. Don't be afraid of being laughed at by the world if you tell others about it. Since ancient times, unmarried men and women cannot meet each other after they are engaged and before they are married. You met the girl from the Lin family on the battlefield before, but it was because of the important situation of the state, and others dared not say anything. If you go to meet them openly now, what will outsiders think of you? Even if I don't want to save my face, you have to consider the reputation of those two girls, right?"

Lu Chen looked helpless and muttered, "What a broken rule."

Seeing this, Lu Tong reminded them: "I know you are in a high position and no one dares to speak against you, but can you still control what others think? Can you bear to let others point fingers at them behind their backs?"

Lu Chen sighed: "Don't worry, Dad, I won't make trouble."

"That's good."

Lu Tong briefly mentioned it, then changed the subject and said, "Someone from the north came to visit us last month." Lu Chen's eyes narrowed slightly, "The north?"

Lu Tong nodded and said calmly: "The visitor was vague, saying that he wanted to do business with our Lu family, but he refused to reveal his true origins and identity. He just pretended to be a wealthy businessman in Heluo City. In my opinion, this person should be a pawn sent by Qingyu to explore the way."

Hearing the three words "Qing Yu", memories flooded into Lu Chen's mind.

That was after he led his troops to launch a surprise attack on Heluo. He took the little princess of the Qingyu family as a hostage and used her as a bargaining chip to extort a huge sum of money from the Emperor of Jingguo.

During the time they spent together, he tried to plant a poisonous seed in Qing Yu Huaijin's heart. Could it be that the time has come for it to bear fruit?

He briefly recounted the past events, and after listening, Lu Tong pondered and said, "It is obvious that the Emperor of Jing is afraid of Qing Yugong. The reason you were able to win on the battlefield before was not because you were better than Qing Yugong in military tactics, but because he had many more constraints than you. After the war, Qing Yugong was dismissed from the post of Marshal of the Southern Court by Emperor Jing. Although he can still control the Xiashan Army and the Fangcheng Army, compared with the heyday of the past, the situation of this military god of Jing is very unstable."

Lu Chen said: "So Dad also thinks Qing Yugong has two minds?"

This time, Lu Tong thought for a long time and said, "On the surface, it does make sense. The question is, do you think Qing Yugong would really do this?"

Lu Chen never dared to be careless towards the opponent whom he had only seen from afar on the battlefield.

As Lu Tong said, Qing Yugong was defeated in the Battle of Yongqiu not because of his military tactics and strategies, but because of the suspicion of Emperor Jing in the rear.

In the battle of Yongqiu, the Jing army was badly damaged, but it was not to the point of being unable to recover. They still had the strength and confidence to launch a frontal offensive.

Would Qing Yugong develop thoughts of treason because of these setbacks?

He is not Wang An, and the Qing Yu clan is not the Wang clan of Zhai Lin. Putting aside the difficulty of implementing this matter, regardless of whether the monarch and ministers of Da Qi would believe it, even if Qing Yugong could really lead his people to Nantou, how could he be sure that he would not be liquidated in the future?
The Qingyu clan has too much Qi blood on their hands, and they are a foreign race after all.

Those who are not of my race must have different hearts. This truth has been passed down for thousands of years. Who doesn't know it?
Thinking of this, Lu Chen said slowly: "I believe there is a conflict between Emperor Jing and Qing Yugong, but I don't believe Qing Yugong will take that step."

Lu Tong nodded and said, "That's the truth. In fact, the key to this matter is not Qing Yugong, but the Emperor of Jing. This man is a man of great talent and strategy. He has been calculating every step over the past decade. If it weren't for the concerted efforts of our monarch and ministers, even if you are a genius, you might not be able to achieve the current results. Since Emperor Jing was shrewd and wise in the past, how could he become so stupid because of a defeat? You and I both know the truth of the Battle of Yongqiu. Will Emperor Jing really make mistakes again and again and undermine his own foundation?"

Lu Chen said sincerely: "Then according to Dad, how should we deal with it?"

"There's no need to rush about this."

Lu Tong took a sip of tea and said slowly, "Since they sent people to our door, they must have some intention. We can use their intentions to reversely judge their real plan. As long as there are traces, we can follow the clues. It doesn't matter whether it is true or false. Just stand firm on your position."

Lu Chen agreed, then sighed and said, "Qing Yugong was a great man who conquered a large territory for the Kingdom of Jing, but in the end he still couldn't escape suspicion. Whether this story is true or not, it more or less reflects his frustration. If it weren't for Emperor Jing's repeated pressure, even if he wanted to use this method to confuse us, I'm afraid no one would believe it."

Lu Tong looked at his expression and said softly, "This sentence is quite touching."

Lu Chen laughed at himself, and at this moment he obviously remembered a lot of past events.

Lu Tong sat up straight and asked with concern: "I guess you must have seen a lot of evil in the capital in the past few months?"

"Old Prime Minister Li said that people's hearts are the hardest to understand in this world, and I agree with him."

Lu Chen paused for a moment, then talked about what he had seen and heard after returning to the capital: "In fact, I can understand the concerns of the current emperor. He feels that he does not have the ability of the previous emperor and cannot control a young and powerful official like me. No matter what means he uses against me, whether it is suppression or praise, I will not have too much resentment in my heart, and of course I will not give up the right to fight back. What I don't understand is that he doesn't trust me, but why doesn't he trust Xue Xiang and Qin Tiju?"

Lu Tong narrowed his eyes and listened quietly.

Lu Chen continued, "Prime Minister Xue and Qin Tiju are truly loyal ministers. In order to support the late emperor and the Northern Expedition, they did not hesitate to stand on the opposite side of the civil and military officials. How can we not cherish such ministers? The Weaving Bureau is indeed in a special position, but could Qin Tiju have the intention of being disloyal? Your Majesty was right to be wary of me, but he should not have taken action against Qin Tiju. This is what really disappoints me."

"The late emperor is the late emperor, and the current emperor is the current emperor. Although they are father and son, they are essentially two completely different people. You have to understand this."

Lu Tong spoke solemnly, then smiled coldly and said, "From what you said, I know that he is definitely not a wise ruler like the late emperor. If that's the case, why are you so worried? Marshal Yang ended up like that because he worried too much."

"You must remember that if the ruler treats his subjects like dirt, then the subjects will treat the ruler like an enemy."

"At worst, the fire will reappear and burn down the palace once again."

(End of this chapter)