Jiuxi

Chapter 822 [Unintentional Words]

It is about 120 miles from Jinlin County to the capital, and because the road is flat and straight, it only takes three days at most.

Three hundred cavalrymen escorted more than ten carriages and set out on the journey back to Beijing at a leisurely pace.

In the most spacious and stable carriage in the middle, Gu Wan'er, in a green long dress, leaned against a soft pillow, her eyes drooping and her posture relaxed, like a sleeping crabapple in spring.

On the other side, Li Bingxue asked in a low voice: "Does it look good?"

Lu Chen withdrew his gaze from Gu Wan'er's face, and subconsciously stretched out his right hand to hold Li Bingxue's waist without answering the question.

Li Bingxue bit her lower lip lightly and slapped his mischievous hand, but she didn't want to make too much noise and disturb Gu Wan'er's sweet dream.

“Ice and snow are the best.”

Lu Chen moved closer, touching her fair earlobe, and then clearly saw that the entire back of Li Bingxue's neck began to blush.

The only female general in the Great Qi army now felt weak. She raised her hand to Lu Chen's cheek and whispered, "What did you talk about with Prime Minister Li that day?"

Knowing that she was trying to change the subject, Lu Chen smiled and said, "The old prime minister understands my difficulties and knows that those people are plotting against me, so he won't help them. It's not easy for him either. He has to take care of both sides, so I promised him that I would ask for permission to return to the north and would not return to the capital. Although distance does not necessarily create beauty, at least it can avoid many disputes. Since we can't make both sides happy, let's avoid more intense conflicts."

"Old Prime Minister Li is so good to you."

Li Bingxue sighed from the bottom of her heart.

Lu Chen moved a little further away, but that damn right hand was still on Li Bingxue's waist.

He said with feeling: "The old man stands high and sees far, unlike those petty and despicable people in the court. He does this not only because he appreciates me, but most importantly, he tries to calm my resentment towards the emperor, so as to prevent the situation from getting out of control. It's a pity that the old man is too old and weak to continue to stand in the court, otherwise the emperor would not have caused these disturbances at all."

Li Bingxue nodded slightly, then looked at him seriously and asked, "Are you dissatisfied with my father because of this?"

"how you said that?"

Lu Chen met her clear gaze with confusion.

Li Bingxue said frankly, "Your return to Beijing this time may seem glorious on the surface, but in reality, it is full of dangers and traps. These are all obvious things, but my father did not give you enough support, and even your brother resigned and returned home. People like Prime Minister Li and Duke Rong are trying every means to help you, but the Li family did nothing. Do you have any grudges in your heart?"

Lu Chen shook his head and said, "How could I think that? Uncle Li is ill, and your brother is not familiar with the struggles in the court. He might even become the target of others' calculations. To be honest, Uncle Li is willing to marry you to me. This is the greatest support for me, and it is also the most important reason why I decided to return to Beijing this time."

Li Bingxue looked at him steadily, a bright smile blooming on her smooth and fair face.

"Thinking back to the time when you said those words to me while drunk, even though I pretended not to understand, I was deeply moved, because this was... this was the first time a woman told me so bluntly that she had feelings for me."

Lu Chen almost blurted out "two lives", but fortunately he stopped himself in time.

Li Bingxue naturally didn't know the details. She smiled shyly and then asked, "Were you attracted to me at that time?"

Lu Chen nodded and said, "It's hard not to be tempted."

Li Bingxue couldn't help but roll her eyes at him, pretending to be angry and said, "You have been hiding so well over the years, you are really scheming."

"So I want to do my best to make amends to you."

Lu Chen came up again.

This time Li Bingxue did not push him away. Instead, she raised her left hand and climbed onto his shoulder, pressing him against the wall of the carriage. She moved closer without hesitation and pressed her cool lips against Lu Chen's.

Lu Chen widened his eyes slightly in surprise, but when he saw the deep affection in Li Bingxue's eyes, his slightly tense body relaxed.

The cabin is quiet.

Gu Wan'er on the other side didn't move and seemed to be sleeping soundly.

Only her long eyelashes were trembling slightly, and there seemed to be a mischievous smile on her lips.

……

Capital City, Imperial Palace.

In the imperial study, the scent of sandalwood wafts through the air.

Li Zongben looked at the memorial in his hand and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Although the imperial examination has ended, this turmoil will not be so easy to calm down.

Including Qi Weili, Pei Fangyuan and Lou Huanzhang, a total of fifty officials were investigated in this Beijing inspection. More than half of them were dismissed from office. A few, such as Qi Weili, had to accept conviction and punishment by the authorities. Another small number of officials were demoted or transferred elsewhere.

The court was inevitably shaken, and at the same time, many vacant positions attracted fierce competition from various forces. Li Zongben was overwhelmed by dealing with various officials all day long, and it was not until he could roughly resolve the problem.

However, the two important positions of Dali Temple Minister and Imperial College Chief Academician have still not yet been determined.

Li Zongben suppressed his chaotic thoughts, looked up at the ordinary-looking middle-aged official, and said warmly, "Thank you for your hard work, my dear minister."

The official bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, this is my duty. How dare I talk about hard work?"

"If all the officials in the court were as diligent as you, why would I worry?"

Li Zongben was quite touched and continued, "The Jingjie Law was successfully implemented and the national treasury was filled. This is all thanks to you, my dear minister."

This official was the upstart in the court, the Minister of Revenue, Jing Qingshan. Rumor had it that he was very likely to become the prime minister in the future, as long as he did not make any major mistakes.

Jing Qingshan looked calm and said frankly, "Although I drafted the outline of the Jingjie Law, this law can only be used because of the trust of the late emperor and your majesty's respect, and it is inseparable from the strong support of Prime Minister Xue, Prime Minister Zhong and other colleagues in the court. Now that the tax revenue of the thirteen states in the south of the Yangtze River has been significantly increased, I predict that within three years, the revenue and expenditure of the court will be greatly improved, and it will also provide greater support to the Beijing army and the border army."

A gratified smile appeared on Li Zongben's face, and he didn't even mind that the other party mentioned Zhong Cheng's name.

He sighed and said, "You are right. This is the legacy of the late emperor."

Seeing that he was in a good mood, Jing Qingshan took the opportunity to make a suggestion: "Your Majesty, the Jingjie Law has already been implemented in Jiangnan. In the future, it only needs the local governments to pay attention to control it. Now that the territory of Jiangbei is becoming more and more vast, can the Jingjie Law be gradually implemented?"

Li Zongben was about to agree, but hesitated and asked, "Wouldn't it be a bit anxious?"

Jing Qingshan said respectfully: "Your Majesty, please make it clear."

Li Zongben coughed lightly and said slowly: "Except Huaizhou, most of Jingzhou and the entire Dingzhou in Jiangbei have only recently returned to the rule of Da Qi. In addition, the people have been living in hardship due to years of war. I am preparing to continue to reduce taxes to ensure people's livelihood. At this time, if I use the boundary law to clarify the finances and taxes of various places, it may be inappropriate."

"Your Majesty cares about the people and is truly a benevolent and holy ruler."

Jing Qingshan praised it, and then said confidently: "In fact, these two things can be done at the same time. The court continues to reduce taxes in several places in Jiangbei, and the officials of the Ministry of Revenue go north to sort out the land. There is no contradiction between the two. At the same time, because of the years of war in Jiangbei, all the aristocratic families have moved south. There will not be much resistance from the people, and the implementation of the Jingjie Law will surely be more convenient."

Li Zongben praised: "My dear minister, your words make sense. But I still have a little concern. If we want to implement the Jingjie Law in Huaizhou, the biggest resistance may come from Huaizhou."

Jing Qingshan understood and said, "Your Majesty, are you referring to Duke Qin's residence?"

Li Zongben said: "That's right."

Jing Qingshan said frankly: "Your Majesty, you are worrying too much. I think Duke Qin will definitely become a role model for the court. Moreover, I have learned in advance that the Guangling Lu family is mainly engaged in business. Although they have owned a lot of land over the years, they are completely incomparable to the aristocratic families in Jiangnan."

Li Zongben also turned around and nodded, saying, "I was overthinking it."

This is not a topic suitable for Jing Qingshan to respond to.

Li Zongben put down the memorial and asked on a whim, "What do you think of the border military affairs?"

Although Jing Qingshan was a capable minister and was in charge of the logistics supply of the border troops, he would certainly not speak directly about this sensitive issue, so he said tactfully: "Your Majesty, I am not familiar with military affairs, how can I make rash comments?"

Li Zongben was very satisfied with his attitude and smiled, "Then what do you think of Duke Qin?"

Jing Qingshan thought for a moment and said, "I think Duke Qin deserves to be regarded as the pillar of the country."

Li Zongben felt a little uncomfortable, but he didn't show it on his face.

Jing Qingshan continued, "Duke Rong is getting older, and he is needed to take charge of the military affairs. Right now, only Duke Qin can lead the border troops to resist the enemies in the north. Judging from the wars in the past few years, no matter how powerful the enemy is, even if Qing Yugong comes in person, Duke Qin can still win the battle. I believe that in a few years, when the court is ready, Duke Qin will be able to lead the army to recapture the homeland and attack the capital of Jing State!"

The talented Minister of Revenue looked excited and said loudly: "When that time comes, Your Majesty will be the ruler of the Great Qi Dynasty's revival, and your name will be recorded in history for generations to admire!"

As Li Zongben listened to his passionate tone, a thought suddenly came to his mind: If it is true as you said, Lu Chen holds the military power of Da Qi in one hand, and no one in the army can compete with him, who in the world will be able to suppress this young powerful official in the future?
Before he could respond to Jing Qingshan's sigh, the Junior Supervisor of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Yuan Yuji, walked into the imperial study and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, the envoy of Daiguo requests an audience."

"Messenger?"

Li Zongben frowned slightly and asked again: "What is the purpose of this person's visit?"

Yuan Yuji replied, "The envoy said that the Emperor of Jing State mobilized hundreds of thousands of troops and invaded the southeastern border of Dai State two months ago. The situation in Dai State is becoming increasingly critical. I implore Your Majesty to send troops north to contain the Jing army and relieve the siege of Dai State."

When Jing Qingshan heard this, he frowned subconsciously.

Li Zongben was silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice: "Call the Left Prime Minister and Duke Rong to the palace. Oh, and send someone to call Lu Chen back to the capital immediately!"

"The slaves obey the order."

Yuan Yuji took the order and left.

(End of this chapter)