Jiuxi

Chapter 799 797 [Duke Qin]

In Lu Chen's view, the capital city is like a huge net.

Any point on the Internet, after many turns, may eventually be connected to another seemingly unrelated point.

For example, Queen Ning, who now has a serene smile, has a distant relative, who is the wife of Pingning Marquis Tang Yong and also the biological mother of Tang Huai.

Five years ago, both Empress Ning and her distant elder were insignificant figures in the capital. After all, at that time Li Zongben was just an idle prince who had no hope of competing for the throne and could only indulge in romantic affairs. Tang Yongmo was not as good as Li Tianrun and Xiao Wangzhi. He could not even hold the foundation of the capital's army. He was squeezed out by people like Guo Congyi and Wang Yan, and became an idle military hero who was depressed and unhappy.

Times have changed. Now, Empress Ning is the mother of the country, and her distant cousin has also risen in status because Tang Yong has entered the emperor's sight. Those ladies who never looked at her straight in the eye in the past now visit her at the Marquis Pingning's Mansion whenever they have nothing to do.

When Lu Chen put down his chopsticks, Queen Ning happened to look at him.

Li Zongben asked, "Is that kid Tang Huai causing trouble again?"

Queen Ning sighed and said with some embarrassment: "It's a coincidence that this matter is also related to the Duke of Shanyang."

Lu Chen remained silent.

Although it was the first time he met the queen, his intuition told him that she was not a stupid woman, so he quietly watched to see what she was up to.

Queen Ning continued, "Your Majesty, Tang Huai saw a courtesan named Gu Wan'er in Fanlou many years ago, and he could not forget her ever since. When the Duke of Shanyang first came to the capital, Gu Wan'er redeemed herself and was willing to be a slave, which was praised in the capital for a while. The Duke of Shanyang had no interest in her, so he entrusted Gu Wan'er to General Li of the Duke of Wei's mansion to take care of her. Some time ago, Tang Huai learned about Gu Wan'er's whereabouts, so he naturally made a lot of trouble, begging the Marquis of Pingning and his wife to help him all day long."

"I see."

Li Zongben showed some displeasure on his face. It was obvious that in his opinion, Tang Huai was a son of a general after all, and he was not a human being for causing trouble in his family because of a courtesan.

Queen Ning knew him very well, and she immediately explained, "Your Majesty, Tang Huai is not a man who indulges in love affairs. Apart from this incident, he is usually quite well-behaved. That's why Marquis Pingning agreed to his request. As long as Miss Gu nods, the Tang family is willing to marry her properly."

Li Zongben pondered and said, "I have met Tang Huai, and he is indeed a handsome man. Since he is so infatuated and Gu Wan'er is unmarried, let Tang Yong send someone to the Duke of Wei's mansion to propose marriage. Why did his wife come to the palace to cry to you?"

Before Empress Ning opened her mouth, Lu Chen said calmly, "Your Majesty, the day before yesterday Tang Huai went to Duke Wei's mansion and wanted to see Gu Wan'er. I happened to be there, so I sent him back."

He is not a rookie in officialdom, and it is really boring to hear the emperor and the empress singing the same tune.

Since this matter was related to him, how could Empress Ning not inform Li Zongben in advance and rashly bring it up on such an occasion?

Li Zongben obviously understood Lu Chen's implication, but he didn't mind. He smiled and said, "I know you look down on those playboys. Li Yunyi suffered a lot at your hands. But Tang Huai is really not a jerk. Just give me some face and don't be so mean to him."

"How dare I?"

Lu Chen was not too terrified by this, but he also said formally: "I just think that if he goes to Duke Wei's mansion for no reason, it will cause some unnecessary criticism."

"County Lord, he has no choice but to do this."

Queen Ning smiled and continued, "Marquis Pingning couldn't persuade him, so he sent someone to the Duke of Wei's mansion to sound out the situation. Of course, he didn't dare to disturb the Duke of Wei's peace, so he went to find Minister Li. As a result, Minister Li said that he couldn't make a decision for Gu Wan'er, and only asked the Tang family to go to Gu Wan'er directly. The problem is how can they see the real owner? Tang Huai had no choice but to visit the door several times. As a result, he was frightened by the Duke of the County the day before yesterday, and became even more at a loss. My distant aunt was so anxious that she came to the palace to ask me for help, hoping that I could help say a few words."

At this point, she glanced at the emperor and said, "According to the ancestral system of our dynasty, the harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs. Even the two queen dowagers follow this rule. How dare I do anything reckless? I can only take advantage of today's opportunity to ask the county lord to mediate."

"So that the queen can know."

Lu Chen lowered his eyes slightly and said calmly: "I have already made an agreement with Gu Wan'er that she will marry into the Lu family as Miss Li's companion."

The hall suddenly became quiet.

The palace servants who had been listening silently throughout the entire process couldn't help but become nervous.

The smile on Queen Ning's face froze instantly.

She has always been very rational. If she was not sure that Gu Wan'er and Lu Chen had no relationship, how could she allow the Pingning Marquisate to do this?
Precisely because Gu Wan'er was only a guest at the Duke of Wei's mansion and had nothing to do with Lu Chen, although the Li family was a little impatient with Tang Huai's frequent visits, they did not react too strongly.

In other words, Lu Chen must have decided to take Gu Wan'er into the room after meeting Tang Huai the day before yesterday.

The nobles in the palace have long been accustomed to guessing people's hearts, so Queen Ning had to think in another direction. Maybe Lu Chen knew her relationship with the Pingning Marquis' Mansion, so he deliberately changed his original intention.

He had clearly abandoned Gu Wan'er at the Li family and had never cared about her for several years. Why did he suddenly change his mind?
Does this young and powerful official want to demonstrate to the royal family in this way?
Lu Chen sat quietly without explaining in a hurry.

A very harmonious banquet was about to develop in an unpredictable direction.

"Queen, don't think too much. This matter is actually very simple."

Li Zongben's hearty voice suddenly sounded. He looked at Lu Chen with a smile on his face and said leisurely, "If I am not mistaken, then Gu Wan'er must have admired Lu Qingjia for a long time, but it was just that the flower had feelings for him but the water had no feelings for him. This time when Lu Qingjia returned to Beijing, perhaps they were moved by the other party's infatuation, and they didn't want to continue to cause trouble for the Duke of Wei's Mansion, so they nodded. This is a good thing. Lu Qingjia has a beauty, and the woman has a satisfactory home. It is worth celebrating."

Queen Ning woke up from her shock, with a kind smile on her face, and said quickly: "That must be the case. Your Majesty has a keen eye. I almost didn't get around this detour."

The atmosphere in the hall returned to normal in an instant.

Lu Chen also said: "Your Majesty is wise, it is true." His tone was relatively calm, but he was very surprised in his heart.

The reason why he did not explain immediately was simply because he wanted to see what the emperor and empress were planning to do.

If they wanted to cause trouble by taking advantage of Gu Wan'er's matter, he certainly wouldn't compromise.

Unexpectedly, this young emperor whom Lu Chen hadn't seen for more than a year reacted so quickly, and he didn't seem to mind at all. He had a very broad mind, which inevitably made Lu Chen feel a little surprised.

You have to know that before coming to Beijing, the impression Li Zongben gave Lu Chen was completely different from being kind and gentle.

Li Zongben picked up the wine cup and said with a smile: "I will use this cup of wine to congratulate Mr. Lu's family on finding another good marriage."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Lu Chen stood up and left the table, holding the cup with both hands and drank it all in one gulp.

The imperial banquet ended here, but Lu Chen did not leave the palace because the main topic was about to begin.

Li Zongben walked slowly in front, Lu Chen lagged behind by half a body length, and Yuan Yuji followed from a distance with a large group of palace servants.

The emperor and his minister came to the imperial garden in early spring, where the ground was green and the fragrance of flowers was gradually becoming stronger.

Walking into the pavilion located on a high ground, Li Zongben stood with his hands behind his back and said with emotion: "Mr. Lu, I wonder if the scenery in the north of the Yangtze River is the same as that in the south of the Yangtze River?"

Lu Chen replied, "Your Majesty, the area north of the Yangtze River is vast and the scenery is different. Huaizhou and Jingzhou have similar climates to those south of the Yangtze River, but Dingzhou is a little different. It is not spring yet. As for the areas further north, I have not seen them with my own eyes, so I dare not make any conclusions."

Li Zongben certainly didn't want to discuss local customs and people with Lu Chen, so he took the opportunity to say, "I know what you are thinking. In fact, I have always wanted to recover my homeland as soon as possible. However, due to years of war, the national treasury is becoming increasingly empty, and the burden on the people in the south of the Yangtze River is very heavy. I have to consider it carefully. If we continue to use troops, we may worry about excessive military spending."

Lu was silent.

Li Zongben seemed to know why he was silent. He laughed at himself and said with a guilty conscience, "Although you have never pointed out my fault, I know in my heart that the hasty Northern Expedition last year led to such serious consequences. If you hadn't stepped forward to save the situation, the enemy would have already marched to the south of the Yangtze River. I didn't listen to your advice, so the defense line of Jingzhou is in danger. I regret it now."

Lu Chen did not express his dissatisfaction publicly, but the memorial circulated in the capital and it was obvious that it was his attitude.

However, at this moment, both the emperor and his minister tacitly did not mention this matter.

After thinking for a while, Lu Chen said calmly: "Your Majesty, in fact, I couldn't conclude that the Northern Expedition would not succeed at that time. I just felt that the civil strife in Jing State was full of doubts. After all, with the skills of the Emperor of Jing State, he would not be so rough even if he really wanted to deal with Qing Yugong."

"You are right. I need to think about it."

Li Zongben seemed particularly sincere today. He turned his head and looked at Lu Chen and said, "Fortunately, you are here to help me in times of crisis. How can I not reward you generously? I know that you are different from many court officials and have unique views on some things. Therefore, I decided to discuss this with you in advance to prevent you from misunderstanding my original intention."

Lu Chen bowed and said, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. Although I have a slightly eccentric personality, I will not act recklessly or recklessly."

"I know."

Li Zongben nodded, his tone like a warm spring breeze: "I have thought about it carefully, your contribution is not too much even if you are promoted to a county king, but this may not be a good thing for you. A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind, and standing too high will easily attract jealousy. Besides, there has never been a precedent in the country where a minister was made a king during his lifetime, so I decided to promote you to the rank of Duke, and the title is Qin."

"The Duke of Qin."

The young emperor emphasized the tone and said these three words to Lu Chen.

The palace servants in the distance naturally could not hear the conversation in the pavilion, but the emperor's close ministers like Yuan Yuji could probably guess the content of the conversation. He looked at Lu Chen's back with some envy.

I think after today, Da Qi will have one more duke who is only in his twenties.

Inside the pavilion, Lu Chen’s mind was filled with thoughts.

To be honest, Li Zongben made him feel a little strange today.

Whether it was when he briefly mentioned the affairs of the Pingning Marquis Mansion at the banquet before, or when he took the initiative to discuss with Lu Chen now, every word he said showed his respect for Lu Chen, and also displayed the broad-mindedness that a son of heaven should have, which was quite different from the past.

And Duke Qin...

This title is extremely honorable, far above the Duke of Wei and the Duke of Rong, and even not inferior to the general title of a prince.

Lu Chen bowed and said sincerely: "Your Majesty, I don't deserve your grace."

Li Zongben waved his hand and said proudly: "You deserve it! I know this title is of great significance, but the contributions you have made to the court over the years are also great. If it weren't for your planning in the battle in Jiangbei last year, not only would Jingzhou not be saved, but Shazhou would also be occupied by the Jinglian people. At that time, Da Qi might be in danger of collapse."

These words were reasonable, but Lu Chen did not feel any strong joy in his heart.

He slowly stood up and looked up at the young emperor.

Such generous treatment, is it just a reward?
(End of this chapter)