Jiuxi

Chapter 836 834 [Fire and Oil]

At the Duke of Qin's mansion, distinguished guests gradually arrived.

Not everyone can attend the wedding banquet that has attracted the whole city's attention today. Firstly, most of the officials in the capital are not that familiar with Lu Chen. Secondly, news has spread in the palace that the emperor will attend the wedding in person, so most of the middle and lower-level officials dare not join in the fun.

So many people gave their gifts and left quietly.

The chief steward Chen Shu did not dare to be careless. He took the housekeepers with him to welcome and see off guests, and remembered every gift clearly.

Starting from 3:15 pm, officials from the capital above the fourth rank and military generals at the level of commander-in-chief in the army arrived one after another.

These people all knew that Lu Chen went to Duke Wei's mansion to pick up the bride in person, and they couldn't help but feel curious. Who would the Lu family rely on to take charge of the situation next?

Could it be Lu Chen’s father Lu Tong?
Naturally, these people had never seen Lu Tong before. They only knew that he was one of the richest businessmen in Huaizhou.

This unknown businessman was able to cultivate the youngest powerful duke in the history of the dynasty. One can't help but be very curious about what kind of person he is.

However, the dignitaries who arrived first did not see Lu Tong. Instead, the person who appeared before them was Li Jingda, the Marquis of Nanxun and the current Minister of Military Affairs, who was wearing festive robes.

"Zhao Yi, what's that expression on your face? Do you think it's an insult for me to personally welcome you?"

Li Jingda's tone was unfriendly, but his face was full of smiles.

General Zhao Yi, who stayed behind in the Wuwei camp, apologized immediately and said with a smile, "It is my honor to be welcomed by the Marquis. But today is the day for Duke Qin's wedding. Why would the Marquis be here to welcome guests? I am a little confused."

"Duke Qin is getting married, so of course I have to come and help. I'm not like you guys who only want to feast and drink."

Li Jingda laughed and cursed, which immediately caused a commotion among the military heroes.

Although these people have rough voices, no one is deliberately making trouble. They are just trying to make the atmosphere more lively and festive.

The Lu family had made every possible preparation today. There were arrangements for where the guests could have tea, rest, and banquet. The servants were extremely alert and made sure that no guest would be neglected. This surprised many dignitaries who were visiting the Duke's Mansion for the first time.

They admired Lu Chen's achievements and envied his power, but they couldn't help but feel that this young Duke, who had always been stubborn, was different from the old-established families, especially in the details of such etiquette, where there would be many mistakes. However, they didn't expect that everything they saw and heard today was inappropriate.

Even if Li Jingda brought people to help, it would probably be difficult to do it so properly.

How could these people have imagined that Lu Tong had witnessed countless grand scenes in his life, so arranging a wedding was naturally a piece of cake for him.

"If these dignitaries knew that half of the military supplies for Marshal Yang's soldiers were supported by you, I wonder if they would be shocked."

In the main hall of the front yard, Xiao Wangzhi reminisced about the past with a teasing tone.

Lu Tong was drinking tea. Hearing this, he laughed and said, "It's not likely that he will be shocked. It's more likely that he will have murderous intentions towards me."

"These days are different."

Xiao Wangzhi seemed very relaxed, and said leisurely: "You have a good son. Who dares to provoke that young tiger now? Yuchi, don't you think so?"

There was another middle-aged man in the hall. He was Yuchi Gui, who was a close friend of Xiao Wangzhi, half-master of Lu Chen, and ranked eighth on the Jianghu Martial Arts List.

He smiled and said, "I don't understand these things, but I am a little curious about how someone in this world can have such a blessing. Whether it is Lin Xi or Li Tianrun's daughter, or Zhai Lin Wang's legitimate daughter, they are all the most outstanding women in the world, and now they are all Brother Lu's daughters-in-law. This blessing is really enviable."

Lu Tong laughed loudly, his face full of pride.

Xiao Wangzhi raised his hand and nodded at him, then couldn't help shaking his head and laughing.

At this moment, Chen Shu came in hurriedly and said quickly: "Master, Minister Hu of the Ministry of Rites and Minister Jing of the Ministry of Revenue are here!"

Lu Tong and Xiao Wangzhi looked at each other, then stood up and walked out.

"Brother Lu, congratulations!"

The Minister of Rites Hu Jingwen was 43 years old at the time, with a thin face and elegant temperament.

On the other side, the Minister of Revenue Jing Qingshan also expressed his congratulations.

Lu Tong handled the situation with ease, neither humble nor arrogant, which made the two senior officials secretly praise him.

The appearance of these two people was like a signal, and then the Minister of War Chen Xincai, the Minister of Works Zhu Heng, the Minister of Punishments Yang Jing, the Imperial Censor Yao Chong, the Hanlin Academician Chen Chun, the commander of the Beijing Army's brave camp Yuan Xingqin, as well as military heroes such as Pingning Marquis Tang Yong, Dongping Marquis Han Zhang, Huining Earl Zhang Wen, and Wukang Earl Xu Jinchun arrived one after another.

Looking around the court, except for the three most powerful civil officials and Jinwu Camp commander-in-chief Chen Lanyu, almost all the important officials had come to visit. It could be said that the court was filled with distinguished guests and was a very respectable thing.

Chen Lanyu was very clear about Lu Chen's attitude towards him, so he was destined not to show up today, but he also sent someone to send a gift.

Lu Tong, who had been calm and composed before, finally felt the pressure at this moment.

As Lu Chen's father, he had to help his son hold up the situation. Even with the help of Xiao Wangzhi and Li Jingda, dealing with so many high-ranking officials was still a very difficult task.

Which official who is able to reach a high position is not a shrewd person?
After this round of socializing, the old man realized more and more how difficult it was for Lu Chen.

Even this superficial communication made him feel tired, and in the end his old face smiled a little numbly. One could imagine how difficult it was for Lu Chen to fight openly and secretly with the representatives of these Jiangnan aristocratic families.

As the setting sun enveloped the earth, under the expectant gazes of countless people, the wedding procession finally returned to the Duke of Qin's Mansion.

The bride entered through the main gate, offered tea to Lu Tong, and then went to the inner house. She would come out later to carry out the wedding ceremony.

Lu Chen needed to entertain all the distinguished guests. In fact, it was the first time for him to encounter such a scene. After going through all of them, he felt a little overwhelmed. After all, he didn't need to smile at so many people in the past. But today was different. All the distinguished guests came to congratulate him on his wedding. As the host, he certainly couldn't put on airs.

Seeing that Lu Chen's performance was not much better, Lu Tong felt distressed and wanted to laugh.

Lu Chen had finally finished the socializing when Chen Shu's voice was heard outside the hall.

"Prime Minister Xue, Prime Minister Xu, and Minister Li are here!"

Dozens of high-ranking officials and military heroes suddenly fell silent.

Lu Chen's eyes narrowed slightly, and then he took a step forward.

Xue Nanting, Xu Zuo and Li Shizhi came together.

Lu Chen bowed and said, "I am honored that the three of you have taken the time to come to my humble home."

Xue Nanting smiled and said, "You are getting married today, so of course I have to come and ask for a drink."

Lu Chen also smiled and said, "Prime Minister Xue must drink two more cups."

Then he looked at Xu Zuo, and the two smiled at each other. Xu Zuo said gently, "Duke Qin, on this happy day, I wish you and your wife a happy and harmonious marriage."

"Thank you, Minister Xu."

Lu Chen saw a lot of emotion in Xu Zuo's eyes.

I still remember when they were in Dingzhou, they were wary of each other at first, but later gradually recognized each other's character. Even though they were not like-minded allies in the traditional sense, they both had principles and persistence, but at least they were in the same direction in the overall situation. There are many forms of so-called close friends in this world, and they cannot be generalized.

At this time, a gentle voice sounded beside.

"The Duke is happily married to General Li today. I am here on behalf of my father to congratulate you and wish you and your wife a happy and blessed life."

Lu Chen turned his head and what caught his eye was Li Shizhi's sincere smile.

The two ministers looked away in tacit understanding.

"Thank you for coming, Lord Li. How is the old prime minister these days?"

Lu Chen looked very polite, and he had clearly been to the Li family's ancestral home in Jinlin County before and played many games of chess with Li Daoyan. Yet, he was still asking with concern as if he knew nothing about the matter.

Li Shizhi did not expose the truth and said with admiration: "Thanks to the Duke's concern, my father is in good health and in a good mood. After taking off the heavy burden, he is in much better spirits."

"That's good."

Lu Chen relaxed and smiled, "The old prime minister is the pillar of the Great Qi Dynasty. He will surely live a long life."

"The Duke of Chengguo said this with auspicious words."

Li Shizhi lowered his head slightly.

The conversation between the two seemed very harmonious. At least in the eyes of the dignitaries in the hall, the two were like close friends who had known each other for a long time, and they felt that they had met too late.

only……

Lu Chen knew very well that at least half of the troubles he encountered after returning to Beijing were caused by the Minister of Personnel in front of him who was full of noble and elegant air.

Li Shizhi also knew that the Beijing Inspection Incident, which caused him to lose seven trusted confidants, was the result of the tacit cooperation between this young Duke and his father.

No matter how many thoughts went through their minds, they did not show any inappropriate behavior at this moment.

After Lu Chen and Li Shizhi exchanged greetings, he said to the two prime ministers, "Prime Minister Xue, Prime Minister Xu, please take your seats."

Xue Nanting did not take a step forward, and said straightforwardly: "No hurry, in fact, the three of us just came out of the palace, and we are also helping His Majesty to prepare for the battle."

Before he finished speaking, Lu Chen saw Qin Zilong appear outside the hall.

"Your Majesty is here!"

After a moment, Yuan Yuji's voice sounded.

The emperor arrived at the Duke of Qin's mansion in his imperial carriage.

Everyone in the hall went out to greet them.

After the ceremony, Li Zongben came to Lu Chen and said slowly: "Today is the wedding day of Lu Qing's family and Li Qing's family. I am grateful for your sacrifice in the frontier and your contributions to Da Qi, so I decided to come here in person."

Lu Chen bowed and said, "I thank your majesty for your grace."

The emperor's appearance at his subject's wedding was not unprecedented, but it was rare. This action alone showed how much the emperor valued Lu Chen.

Not to mention that all the civil and military officials are gathered in the court today. A scene of this scale has not appeared in the capital for many years.

If Lu Chen's identity was not special and he was not marrying Li Tianrun's daughter, it would definitely not be so exaggerated.

Li Zongben glanced at the important officials around him, then looked up at the sky, and said with a smile: "It is inconvenient for me to leave the palace for a long time, and I don't want to disturb your drinking. I just came over to say a few words."

All the ministers listened respectfully.

Li Zongben's eyes fell on Lu Chen's face, and he said sincerely: "My dear ministers, you must be familiar with the achievements of the Lu family, so I will not repeat them. Today, I would like to take this day with all the wise men to tell you that the Lu family started from humble beginnings, but it was their unwavering loyalty to the Great Qi that led to their current achievements. The Northern Expedition has not yet been completed, and the old capital is still in the hands of the enemy. I hope you can take the Lu family as an example and work together to recreate the prosperity of the Great Qi!"

Everyone said in unison: "We obey your order."

Li Zongben nodded slightly and said, "Mr. Lu, I am not here empty-handed today. I have a gift for you. I hope you will not refuse it."

Lu Chen bowed his head and said, "How dare I?"

Li Zongben looked to the side and saw two palace maids coming over with a large brocade box, and then opened it in front of the civil and military officials.

Even in the presence of the Emperor, the crowd still let out a low cry of surprise.

There was a piece of golden armor inside the brocade box.

Some looked shocked, some looked a little solemn, and some were confused.

Lu Chen's heart trembled, and he immediately said: "Your Majesty, I dare not accept this reward."

It is certainly not an unusual thing for the emperor to reward armor and weapons to military heroes, but the symbolic meaning of golden armor is different. After all, this color has always been exclusive to the royal family.

Li Zongben smiled and said, "I know what you are worried about, but all the civil and military officials are here today. This is a gift from me to the general. Who would talk nonsense? Who dares to talk nonsense? In addition, I don't want you to wear this golden armor to command thousands of troops. This is a very unwise choice on the battlefield. You can put it in your house. I just hope that people in the world will understand that you are my general, the pillar of the country of Da Qi, and the mainstay of the stability of the border!"

He paused for a moment, and raised his voice: "In the future, I will lead the army north to reclaim our homeland and rebuild the country, and the person who will lead the army must be none other than you, my dear minister!"

As soon as these words were spoken, all the ministers looked at Lu Chen, with envy evident in their eyes.

As the saying goes, the emperor's words are golden. Li Zongben said this in front of all the civil and military officials. Unless Lu Chen does something that will anger God and man, his military power will not only not be weakened, but he will become the legitimate commander of the Northern Expedition and the number one person in the Da Qi military.

Under such circumstances, Lu Chen could not afford to continue to refuse.

Lu Chen accepted the order and thanked him. Li Zongben smiled and said, "Today is your wedding day, I will not disturb you. You can drink to your heart's content. I will allow you to take a day off tomorrow."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

All the ministers shouted in unison.

Li Zongben finally said to Lu Chen: "I am going back to the palace. My dear, remember what I said just now. I hope to receive the victory report of your recovery of the old capital as soon as possible. This is also the last wish of the late emperor."

Lu Chen cupped his hands and said, "I will do my best."

"very good."

Li Zongben did not hesitate and turned around and left immediately.

Lu Chen and a group of high-ranking officials and military honors escorted him to the outside of the palace and watched the imperial carriage leave under the protection of more than a thousand imperial guards.

At this moment, the setting sun was as red as blood, and the banquet finally began.

(End of this chapter)