Jiuxi

Chapter 765 [Ruler]

Northwest of Huaizhou, Panlong Pass.

When Lu Chen led the Dingzhou army eastward and passed through this place, the general guarding the pass and the commander of the Panlong army, He Gui, came out to greet him in person.

Walking slowly along the slope, looking up at the Guanlou and the majestic Qilin Mountain in the distance, Lu Chen couldn't help but feel emotional.

Among the generals following behind him, He Gui and Pei Sui looked at each other, and the former smiled and said, "Your Excellency first made his mark here, and then he became unstoppable, step by step, until today he has become the backbone of Da Qi."

Everyone here is Lu Chen's trusted confidants, and the others also smiled knowingly.

Li Chengen said, "General Pei should have been inside the pass at that time?"

Pei Sui blushed and nodded, saying, "I am ashamed to say that I didn't recognize the great man—"

"Stop it, stop it."

Lu Chen quickly interrupted him and smiled, "These guys love to talk nonsense. Old Pei, are you serious about explaining? I was just an ordinary merchant's son at the time. If you, the great general, had come in person, I might have been frightened and embarrassed. Ning Li had something to hide after all, so I could barely deal with it."

Pei Sui was relieved.

When they arrived at the wall, the soldiers on duty stood solemnly on both sides, looking at Lu Chen who was surrounded by a group of generals with reverence.

"From now on, the mission of Panlong Pass needs to change."

Lu Chen's words instantly aroused everyone's curiosity, especially He Gui who was leading the troops here.

He thought about it carefully and said tentatively: "My Lord, do you mean that the Huaizhou defense line should be pushed northward?"

"It seems you have thought about this question too."

Lu Chen stopped and looked at him approvingly: "Now we have Yaoshan Pass to the east of Heluo. Although the Tongbai defense line is controlled by the Jing army to the south of Heluo, Taikang City has been recovered. Overall, our army has an absolute initiative, and it is inevitable to move the defense line forward. This is why I specially passed by Panlong Pass."

He Gui suddenly became excited.

As a general during the period when Xiao Wangzhi was in charge, He Gui and Lu Chen were old acquaintances. When Lu Chen and Kang Yanxiao had a quarrel in Xunyang City, it was He Gui who mediated.

He is a man of both civil and military talents and has sufficient experience. Although he knows that he will not be the commander-in-chief of the Zhenbei Army or the Dingbei Army, he does not want to waste his years guarding Panlong Pass.

Lu Chen continued, "We can't give up Panlong Pass. We must always leave a way out for ourselves, so we need to have 4,000 elite soldiers stationed inside the pass. He Gui, you lead the remaining 8,000 people to garrison in Pingli City in the north, forming a situation of mutual assistance with Teng County in the south and north. If our army sends troops from the southwest of Dingzhou in the future, Pingli City will be the most important bridgehead."

"The last general takes command!"

He Gui was delighted. Pingli City was very close to the border, which meant that he would definitely not be one of those left behind in the future. He would definitely be at the forefront facing Jing's army.

It was getting late, and at He Gui's invitation, Lu Chen and his generals rested for a night at Panlong Pass and continued their journey tomorrow.

After passing Panlong Pass, heading northeast through the Lei Ze Plain, you will enter Dingzhou, and then it will take about six or seven days to reach Ruyin City. After all, this is not a forced march. Although Lu Chen wants to see Lin Xi and Wang Chulong one day earlier, there is no need to let the soldiers be too tired.

After having a simple dinner with everyone, when Lu Chen was about to go to bed, Qin Zilong suddenly brought over a man in his thirties.

"I've met the father-in-law!"

The visitor bowed respectfully.

"Excuse me, why are you here?"

Lu Chen naturally recognized the man named Nan Yi, who was Lu Tong's most trusted confidant.

"I am here to deliver a letter to you, Master, on your orders."

Nan Yi took out a secret letter with the wax intact from his arms and handed it to Lu Chen.

Lu Chen took the secret letter but did not open it immediately. He asked, "Is my father in Guangling now?"

Nan Yi bowed his head and said, "My Lord, the master has already set off for Ruyin six days ago, along with the master of the Wang family and his entourage."

Lu Chen immediately understood that the old man and Wang Chulong's parents and relatives definitely couldn't waste time in Guangling at this time. They all wanted to meet the next generation of the Lu family as soon as possible.

"Thank you. Zilong, please arrange a place for Brother Nan to stay."

"Thank you sir!"

Qin Zilong took Nan Yi away, and Lu Chen came to sit beside the table, opening the secret letter slowly.

Inside was an ordinary piece of letter paper with only one sentence written on it.

Under the dim candlelight, Lu Chen looked at the beautiful handwriting on the paper and naturally knew who wrote the letter.

Last year, the other party wrote him a letter, which also contained a simple sentence: Do you still remember the promise we made that year?
That was when the Qing Yu family was at its lowest point. Qing Yugong was dismissed from his military post, and attacks against the Qing Yu family within the Jing Kingdom were rampant, so Qing Yu Huaijin wanted to establish contact with Lu Chen, and she didn't mind taking that path if she had to.

But it was later proved that the young princess obviously did not understand the cunning of Emperor Jing and Qing Yugong, and was most likely deceived by the monarch and his ministers. The so-called civil strife in Jing State was half true and half false, and its main purpose was to lure the Qi army into being deceived. However, Lu Chen did not fall into the trap.

From then on, Lu Chen realized that there was not much point in investing his energy in Qing Yu Huaijin, because the other party could never decide the fate of the Qing Yu family without going through Qing Yugong. Therefore, after sending the secret letter that aroused her thoughts and tried to make her rebel against Emperor Jing, he did not pay much attention to her.

Of course, he also learned about several major events that took place in Jingguo's capital through the Weaving Bureau, such as Emperor Jingdi's establishment of the Dutongyuan, the third prince Wu Yan being confirmed as the real murderer of the crown prince Nalan, and Emperor Jingdi's decision to let the fourth prince Hai Ge marry Qing Yu Huaijin.

In Lu Chen's opinion, Qing Yu Huaijin was an enemy who could be won over and developed. He didn't mind causing some trouble for the Emperor of Jing. However, from a realistic point of view, the possibility was not high. It should be difficult for the princess to have more interactions with him. However, he did not expect that the other party would send another secret letter.

Looking at the words on the paper, Lu Chen didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and whispered to himself: "Qing Yu Huaijin, did you make a mistake?"

All I saw written on it was: Life is like a dream, only strangers remain. See you again someday, no need to show mercy.

This sentence seems very simple, but it seems to hide some reluctance and helplessness in the face of fate, probably because she found that she was not that important. No matter whether it was Emperor Jing or Qing Yugong, even if they loved her very much, they would not change their decisions on major issues because of her. There was also a bit of resignation and desolation.

Lu Chen shook his head, put away his smile and said calmly: "You and I are enemies, how can there be any mercy?"

When he captured her in Heluo City, Lu Chen didn't kill her only because he considered the overall situation. As for the few tentative contacts that followed, both of them had their own ulterior motives. There was no question of them being honest with each other, let alone having a friendship.

Lu Chen moved the letter over the flame, obviously not intending to reply.

After the letter was burned out, he stood up and walked to the window, quietly looking at the waning moon in the sky.

……

Jingchao, Dadu.

The Tianqing Festival is approaching, and the mansions of all the powerful and wealthy are making preparations, and the Changshan County Prince’s Mansion is no exception.

Since it is the emperor's birthday, gifts cannot be neglected.

Emperor Jing didn't care much about this. He already had such a vast territory. Wherever the flag of Dajing flew was his territory. How could he calculate the little money in his ministers' pockets? Therefore, he issued a special decree to inform every family in the city, strictly prohibiting anyone from spending lavishly, so as to form a trend of comparison and flattery.

"Yongping, I wonder what birthday gift you prepared for me?"

Emperor Jing looked at Qing Yu Huaijin, who was dressed in gorgeous clothes and had a beautiful appearance, and a gentle smile appeared on his face.

Qing Yu Huaijin bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty will definitely look down on those yellow and white things. I specially found an ox horn longbow some time ago and prepared to present it to Your Majesty."

"Oh?"

Emperor Jing immediately became interested and asked with a smile: "Ox horn longbows are not rare."

Recently, Qing Yu Huaijin was often summoned by Emperor Jing to the palace for casual conversations. Every time, she would tell Qing Yugong the exact content of the conversation. She also knew that this was the emperor's intention. Some things could be said to her in the form of a joke, but it was not convenient to speak directly to Qing Yugong.

She said calmly, "Your Majesty, it is a rhinoceros horn."

Emperor Jing praised him, "So that's how it is. It's really rare. You are thoughtful."

Qing Yu Huaijin smiled sweetly.

Emperor Jing was silent for a while, then he said with emotion: "In a few months, you will be the daughter-in-law of the royal family. I still remember clearly the first time I saw you. You were really a delicate little girl, born with intelligence and cleverness. At that time, I joked with the queen, wondering which son would be lucky enough to marry you in the future. I didn't expect that after so many twists and turns, it was the fourth son who caught your eye in the end."

Qing Yu Huaijin seemed a little embarrassed.

Seeing this, Emperor Jing changed the subject and said, "The birthday gift you prepared for me is very good. You must personally present it to me at the royal hunting ground the day after tomorrow, so that my useless sons can see what it means to be attentive."

Qing Yu Huaijin didn't think much about it, he stood up and said, "Yes."

Emperor Jing chatted for a while, and then Qing Yu Huaijin bowed and took his leave.

When he returned to the palace and met Qing Yugong, Qing Yu Huaijin recounted what he had seen and heard today. Qing Yugong looked calm and said with a smile, "Since His Majesty has given you a chance to show your face, you must not be timid and shrink when the time comes."

"Don't worry, father. I can handle it."

"Okay, go and rest."

Qing Yugong watched her leave, sat alone for a while, and then came to the study.

The trusted servant San Guang came quietly and said something in a low voice.

Qing Yugong fell into a long silence, tapping his fingers on the table, and finally said softly: "If the fourth brother is the real murderer who murdered the prince, then it is not surprising that he took this path. After all, one wrong step leads to another. He has no chance to turn back, but--"

"not the right time yet."

His eyes were extremely deep and his tone was slightly solemn.

Pu Sanguang said respectfully: "Your Majesty, I didn't expect that the Fourth Prince would have such courage."

"That's what I'm curious about."

Qing Yugong frowned slightly and said slowly: "Let's wait and see."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Pu Sanguang bowed his head and responded.

……

The sun rises and the moon sets, and the world becomes new.

The seventh day of August is Tianqing Festival.

The royal hunting ground in the northern suburbs of Dadu.

Flags are flying and the dignitaries are gathering.