Jiuxi

Chapter 797 Chapter 795 [Imperial Banquet]

After coming out of the small courtyard, Lu Chen took only ten steps and saw Li Bingxue standing alone under the shade of a tree in front of him.

Hearing footsteps, she turned around and asked, "Is it solved?"

"Ah."

Lu Chen did not hide anything and said, "I asked her to marry into the Lu family as your companion."

Li Bingxue turned around and couldn't help but sigh: "Is this what you said about being at the top and feeling lonely?"

Lu was silent.

Li Bingxue continued, "It goes without saying that those powerful people are always looking for prostitutes, and taking concubines is as easy as drinking water. If they see someone they like, they will take her in a sedan chair. They only care about their own pleasure and don't care about anything else. You certainly don't look down on Wan'er, but she is a courtesan after all. She is used to seeing the evil in people's hearts and may hide her true thoughts. You don't want her to play tricks in the harem in the future, so you use this method to tell her to be dutiful in advance."

Lu Chen looked into her eyes and asked, "Are you angry?"

Li Bingxue shook her head and said calmly, "Why would I be angry? Actually, you can't be that kind of real villain, otherwise you wouldn't have saved her in the first place. I just think that the higher one's status, the more problems one has to consider, and wouldn't life be very tiring? For example, when you came to see me and Wan'er today, you were actually still thinking about the court affairs."

Lu Chen took her hand and asked curiously, "Can you read minds?"

"I can't read minds."

Li Bingxue smiled and said calmly: "But I know you."

"Guess what I want to do now?"

Lu Chen quietly moved closer.

Li Bingxue naturally wouldn't be fooled, she turned around and said, "Let's go, my dad is now fully rested and waiting for you to talk."

The two walked hand in hand.

When they occasionally met servants from the Duke's Mansion on the road, Lu Chen still did not let go of his hand, and of course Li Bingxue did not try to break free.

This kind of scene is very rare. After all, this is an era where couples traveling together have to keep their distance.

The servants did not make a fuss, but just silently cast respectful and delighted glances, which shows how strict Li Tianrun was in managing his household.

When they reached the corridor outside the flower hall, Li Bingxue pulled her hand out with a little force and said to Lu Chen, "I won't go in."

Lu Chen knew why, and said softly: "After we set the wedding date, we will find some time to travel around Jiangnan."

Li Bingxue lowered her head slightly and replied, "Okay."

Lu Chen suddenly leaned forward, kissed her on the cheek, then turned and walked into the flower hall.

Li Bingxue looked at his back, a smile quietly appeared on the corner of her mouth, and then she walked away with light steps.

Inside the flower hall, Li Tianrun was resting with his eyes closed.

His current physical condition is no longer able to support long-term thinking, so Lu Chen went to the front house just now to check on him, also because he didn't want Li Tianrun to be too tired.

As soon as Lu Chen came in, Li Tianrun opened his eyes and said kindly, "That woman is infatuated with you. You have a lot of debts to pay, so why not help her?"

"I knew Uncle Li had a deeper meaning behind asking me to take a look."

Lu Chen sat down opposite him.

Li Tianrun chuckled and said, "Her last name is Gu, not Li. It's fine for Bingxue to stay at home now, and outsiders also know about her relationship with Gu Wan'er, but what about the future? A beautiful woman like her lives in the Li family for no reason. For someone like me who is about to die, it doesn't matter, but how do you let Liangyu deal with it? If you let her live somewhere else, Bingxue will definitely not agree. Since it's you who caused the trouble, you have to solve it."

Lu Chen said honestly: "Uncle Li is right, I should have made a decision a long time ago."

"It's okay to talk about it, it's not a big deal."

Li Tianrun brushed it off and then said carefully: "You should be more restrained when you return to Beijing this time."

"restraint?"

"You should know that I have asked Liang Yu to resign. His Majesty has come to his senses now. If the Li family wants to resign, they should resign cleanly and will not participate in the subsequent disputes in the court. The same principle applies to you. As the saying goes, the more you do, the more mistakes you make. With your current reputation and merits, as long as you don't care too much, His Majesty will at most just encourage you from the sidelines and will not really force you again and again."

"But before I returned to Beijing, Li Yunyi jumped out. After I returned to Beijing, especially knowing that I would come to visit today, the boy from the Tang family still dared to come to my house. These dandies may be stupid or arrogant, but they know very well who can and cannot be provoked. This is a natural ability. The so-called fools only target people with inferior backgrounds. When they really meet people they dare not offend, these people are more obedient than quails."

"So you think these situations are provocations to you?"

Li Tianrun would certainly not stand against Lu Chen, but mature and steady people like him and Xiao Wangzhi thought about problems from a different perspective than Lu Chen.

The four words "consider the overall situation" have almost become their ingrained instinct.

"You can also say it's a test."

Lu Chen stroked the teacup in his hand and said slowly: "Through these seemingly harmless little things, they gradually find out my bottom line. If I get angry because of this, they have enough room to stop. If I ignore it, they can go further. This is a very common means of pressure."

Li Tianrun groaned in silence. His position was high enough, and coupled with his unwavering loyalty to Da Qi, he did not care much about such a small matter, and could even let Li Liangyu temporarily leave the court, but he also knew that Lu Chen could not do this, not only because of the young man's aggressiveness, but more importantly, if Lu Chen gave in, it would trigger a series of unpredictable reactions.

Seeing this, Lu Chen asked, "Uncle Li, what kind of person is this Pingning Marquis Tang Yong?"

"His ancestor was Tang Xiuping, Duke of Ying during the reign of Emperor Taizu. After several ups and downs, his father Tang Yun once became the commander-in-chief of the Wenhuang Army in Hezhou. In the first two years after the late emperor ascended the throne, Tang Yong served as the commander-in-chief of the Chengzhou Military Governor's Office. Later, he stayed in the Beijing Army for a period of time. Although he did not have any merits, he worked hard. There are actually many military merits like him. Zhang Xu, Marquis of Yongding, was one of them. After all, there are only a few prominent military positions, and these people cannot become ordinary generals. They can only stay at home in the name of honor."

Li Tianrun explained briefly, and then said: "In addition to Pingning Marquis Tang Yong, there are also Dongping Marquis Han Zhang, Huining Earl Zhang Wen, and Wukang Earl Xu Jinchun."

A light flashed through Lu Chen's mind, and he pondered, "I was wondering why there were several unfamiliar faces welcoming me outside the city yesterday. It turned out to be these people."

Li Tianrun said calmly, "In the past half month, His Majesty has summoned them several times. These people have several things in common. They have certain qualifications but no military achievements. They are all from military families but have been idle at home for a long time. They have basically never had the opportunity to show up in the court, so you may not be familiar with them."

Lu Chen smiled faintly and said, "Even Han Zhongjie can't do it, but the emperor thinks these people can do it?"

Li Tianrun laughed and said, "These people are certainly not going to challenge you. They don't have the confidence and capital to do so. In my opinion, the emperor has never thought of interfering with the border troops. Summoning these people is nothing more than letting them become familiar with the officials in the court. In the end, they will only focus on the territory of the Beijing army."

Lu Chen understood immediately.

The situation in the capital was actually more complicated than he had imagined, with various forces intertwined like a tangled mess.

The right prime minister Zhong Cheng resigned and returned to his hometown, and this position is still undecided. The left prime minister Xue Nanting does not have the prestige of Li Daoyan, but Li Shizhi has the strength to compete with him. Upstarts like the Minister of Revenue Jing Qingshan are also favored. The atmosphere among the civil officials is turbulent, and everyone is watching.

On the surface, the battle for military honors is between the capital army and the border army, but in reality there is a group of vicious wolves watching covetously, and very few people can resist the temptation of power.

Of course the most important thing is what Lu Chen will get and what he will lose this time.

After all, his return to the capital was not just a formality. Even if he didn't want to fight, the emperor would find ways to take something away from him.

"Having a headache?"

Li Tianrun looked at him with a smile and said, "Since you have reached the top, you will experience these storms sooner or later. I can only give you four words."

"Uncle Li, please give me your instructions."

"Just wait and see what happens."

Li Tianrun spoke earnestly, then changed the subject and said, "I only have these four words to give you. The Li family's connections in Beijing are shallow, so there's not much I can do to help you. I can only do my best not to hold you back, otherwise I won't let Liangyu resign."

Looking at the middle-aged man's thin face, Lu Chen sighed: "Uncle Li, don't worry, I can handle it."

Li Tianrun nodded and smiled, "After talking about these trivial matters, it's time to get down to business."

Lu Chen was well prepared, and said in one breath: "Before coming to Beijing, my father and I discussed that in the name of the second branch of the Lu family, the three letters and six ceremonies are indispensable. As long as the wedding date is set, my father and the elders of the Lu family will come to the capital."

Li Tianrun had no requirements for the details of etiquette and said with satisfaction: "Okay."

Lu Chen secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

After chatting briefly for a while, Lu Chen stood up and said goodbye. As for the wedding ceremonies, there would naturally be someone to help take care of them, so they didn't need to do it themselves.

About half an hour later, Lu Chen returned to his mansion and immediately asked someone to call Tan Zheng over.

"You must deliver this letter to Madam Wang in Dingzhou as quickly as possible, and then bring back her reply as soon as possible."

Lu Chen handed Tan Zheng an envelope containing the words he found in Gui Qiuliang's study yesterday.

Perhaps with Wang Chulong's intelligence, she could help him uncover the hidden secret.

"Yes, my lord."

Tan Zheng took the order and left.

Just as Lu Chen was about to take a break, the chief butler Chen Shu reported anxiously, "Master, the angel from the palace is here."

"Angel?"

Lu Chen felt a little strange. He had just returned to the capital yesterday, and it had only been twelve hours. The person in the palace was too impatient.

When he arrived at the front hall, Lu Chen saw Yuan Yuji, who was becoming more and more familiar.

"Your Majesty has instructed that the Duke of Shanyang has made great contributions and that I will host a banquet in the palace the day after tomorrow to entertain the country's meritorious officials and welcome you back."

Yuan Yuji finished speaking seriously, and then a smile appeared on his face: "My Lord, His Majesty knows that you are tired from the journey, so he specially allows you to rest at home for a day tomorrow, and please come to the palace for a banquet at noon the day after tomorrow."

Lu Chen's face remained calm as he said, "I thank your majesty for your grace. Please ask Junior Supervisor Yuan to convey this to your majesty. I will enter the palace on time the next day."

Yuan Yuji completed his mission and bowed to say goodbye.

Lu Chen stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the back of the emperor's confidant, and gradually narrowed his eyes.

(End of this chapter)