Jiuxi

Chapter 837 835 [Stars holding the moon]

To the high officials in the capital, Lu Chen has always been shrouded in mystery.

Before returning to Beijing to receive the reward, Lu Chen had been to Beijing three times. Except for the first time when he stayed for a short time, the next two times were both for more than half a year. However, except for a few few people, Lu Chen had almost no social interaction.

Even when he was the commander-in-chief of the Jinwu Camp of the Beijing Army, he never went out of his way to win over his generals.

Therefore, there are many distinguished guests coming to the wedding banquet tonight, and quite a few of them want to take this opportunity to observe the Lu family father and son closely, and at the same time see whether the Lu family will make a fool of themselves in such an occasion.

Then they saw an almost perfect banquet.

The Lu family's background was indeed not as good as the deeply rooted Jiangnan families, but the last thing the Lu family lacked was money, and with Lu Tong personally in charge, every detail of the wedding banquet was meticulously done, without any of the stiffness and affectation of a nouveau riche.

Especially when the maids brought out jars of Reed Cloud, the eyes of some military honors who loved drinking lit up instantly.

At the main table, Xiao Wangzhi smiled at Li Shizhi and said, "I didn't even know there was this section. It seems that Lord Li has also made a lot of efforts."

As everyone knows, Dihuayun is a fine wine unique to the Jinlin Li family. It is never sold to the outside world and only the royal family, the Li family's children, and the Li family's old friends can enjoy it.

Facing the curious looks from everyone, Li Shizhi humbly said, "Duke, you think highly of me. This is a gift that my father specially asked the clan members to prepare for Duke Qin's wedding after learning of his great joy."

Xiao Wangzhi smiled slightly, and suddenly said, "I see. Speaking of which, the old prime minister is really generous in helping the younger generation in the court. I'm afraid that all the gentlemen present here today have received his kindness."

There were ten people at the main table. In addition to him, Li Shizhi and the father and son of the Lu family, there were also Imperial Censor Yao Chong, Minister of Rites Hu Jingwen, Minister of Revenue Jing Qingshan, Minister of Military Affairs Li Jingda, Commander of the Brave Camp Yuan Xingqin, and Marquis of Pingning Tang Yong.

The two prime ministers sat for a while after the wedding banquet began and then said goodbye and left. Their status really did not make it suitable for them to stay too long.

Hearing Xiao Wangzhi's sigh, everyone couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Xiao Wangzhi glanced at Lu Chen who seemed to be thinking deeply, and then said earnestly: "In my humble opinion, the old prime minister is no less outstanding than the famous ministers recorded in history books. When the old man begged for his bones, I was shocked and confused, as if I had lost my backbone. But later, Minister Li inherited his father's business, and his ability to govern the country won unanimous praise from the court and the public. I think this will comfort the old prime minister."

"Your Excellency, I am so ashamed to accept your praise."

Li Shizhi had a calm smile on his face, and he said slowly, "I just followed the procedures and did what I could. How can I compare to my father, Prime Minister Xue, and Prime Minister Xu? Besides, who dares to boast of his talent in front of Duke Qin tonight? Duke Qin rose to prominence in the frontier army at a young age, and made his mark in the Battle of Guangling. He won a great victory in Lei Ze, and made the world know that he attacked Heluo and raised the might of the Qi army. He planned a battle in Yongqiu and destroyed 60,000 Jing troops. If I were to tell you one by one, it would take days and nights to finish."

As the saying goes, you should not hit a smiling person, and Li Shizhi was not talking nonsense, so Lu Chen could only smile and say, "If Lord Li continues to praise me, I will feel a little uncomfortable."

Everyone laughed.

Pingning Marquis Tang Yong said sincerely: "Hearing what Lord Li said, I really have wasted half my life. If I could have twice the achievements of Duke Qin, I'm afraid I would wake up laughing in my dreams."

"Although Lord Tang said this in a joke, it does prove that the Duke is very capable at a young age."

Minister of Rites Hu Jingwen took over the conversation and said with emotion: "How fortunate we are to serve the late emperor and the present emperor, and the court is also full of vigor and vitality. There are two prime ministers who lead the crowd in literature, and two dukes who support the country. I was very excited to hear your majesty's words earlier, and I hope to see Duke Qin lead the army to restore the old country soon. Although we cannot leave our names in history, at least we can wash away the humiliation left in our hearts back then."

This Lord Hu was obviously a little emotional, or maybe the wine was too mellow. As he spoke, he raised his wine cup and said to Lu Chen: "Duke, I am here to show my respect. Please drink this cup!"

Lu Chen smiled and said, "Master Hu is so kind, how dare I not obey?"

The two of them drank it all in one gulp and immediately won applause from the audience.

Tang Yong took the opportunity to say, "When the Duke leads his troops to war in the future, I am willing to serve you at your side. I hope you will not refuse."

Lu Chen looked at this military hero who was recently favored by the emperor, and said calmly: "How dare you, Lord Tang, be so powerful? If your majesty allows, we will fight the enemy side by side."

"Well said, the Duke is really straightforward!"

Tang Huai simply stood up from his seat and said loudly, "Tang offers a toast to the Duke!"

Lu Chen accepts everyone who comes.

With Li Shizhi taking the lead, Hu Jingwen extending it, and Tang Huai stirring up the atmosphere, the important ministers at the table and other officials not far away began to move out, and Lu Chen immediately became the focus of everyone's attention.

As everyone was toasting each other, Lu Tong sat there calmly, dealing with those senior officials who took the initiative to talk to him while paying attention to Lu Chen's situation, with many emotions quietly emerging in his heart.

His son has indeed matured.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the lively atmosphere tonight was not real, and most of the dignitaries' flattery of Lu Chen was not sincere, while Lu Chen did not have any inappropriate reaction from beginning to end, as if he was also a member of the court bureaucracy.

The noise will eventually come to an end.

Lu Chen personally saw off one distinguished guest after another, and the mansion gradually returned to peace.

The moon was at its zenith, and Li Jingda, reeking of alcohol, was the last one to walk out of the gate of the Duke's Mansion.

In order to help Lu Chen block the drinking, he drank at least a jar of Duo Di Hua Yun and took some time to sober up, so he left later than Xiao Wangzhi.

He stopped and glanced at the bright moonlight above his head, then turned to look at Lu Chen's still calm face, and couldn't help but smile: "It's good that the Duke is not drunk. After all, tonight is your big day."

The guards nearby stepped back tactfully.

Lu Chen held Li Jingda's wrist and said seriously, "Thank you." Li Jingda's body was a little unstable. He waved his other hand and said, "It's too polite to say that. Duke, I have something to say."

Lu Chen looked at his drunken state and said gently, "Brother Li, please feel free to speak."

Li Jingda exhaled, stared into Lu Chen's eyes and said: "Do you know what my biggest feeling tonight is? Just two words, funny! I didn't say much at the banquet, but I felt very uncomfortable in my heart. From the time His Majesty rewarded you with that golden armor, to the time when those people surrounded you and praised you to the sky, it seemed like a scene of great happiness for everyone, but don't forget how they plotted against you some time ago!"

Lu Chen nodded and said softly: "How could I forget?"

Li Jingda's face was a little solemn, and he said, "Old Li, I have seen too many disgusting and despicable things in my life. To be honest, I have done them before, so I know that these people are praising you so highly now, but they will definitely make you fall miserably in the future. Duke, please take care of yourself."

The night breeze was blowing gently, and his eyes were extremely clear.

"rest assured."

Lu Chen's answer was simple and firm.

Li Jingda looked at him for a while, then suddenly laughed softly and nodded, saying, "Whatever you want to do in the future, remember to count me in. I'm not just talking nonsense."

He emphasized one last sentence.

Without waiting for Lu Chen to answer, Li Jingda clasped his fists and bowed, walked down the steps, and staggered into the carriage.

Lu Chen watched the carriage gradually disappear into the night, and a hint of warmth appeared in his eyes.

……

Ninghefang, Linjianghou Mansion.

The study in the inner courtyard was brightly lit with candles.

Chen Lanyu sat on the armchair, holding a military book in his right hand, with a calm and indifferent expression.

There was another person in the room, he was Chen Lanyu's aide Su Ze, who was currently telling about today's wedding that had rocked the entire city. From the emperor's arrival to bestow the golden armor on Lu Chen to all the ministers and officials coming to visit him, Su Ze recounted the details he had heard one by one.

Chen Lanyu listened quietly throughout the whole process, with a calm expression on his face.

"My Lord, if you come today, Duke Qin may not react."

Su Ze looked at Chen Lanyu's expression and said cautiously: "This may be an opportunity to repair your relationship with Duke Qin."

Chen Lanyu said calmly: "Since you have this idea, why didn't you say it earlier?"

Su Ze thought to himself, you are in the military camp outside the city today and will not return home until the evening. By that time, the banquet at Lu Mansion will have already started. Are you going to be a hostile guest?

Chen Lanyu raised his eyelids slightly and said calmly, "Lu Chen is a person who doesn't respond to soft or hard words. Even if I am willing to put my warm face in front of his cold butt, I will only be humiliated by him in public in the end. Moreover, as the commander-in-chief of the Beijing Camp and the Minister of Military Affairs, why do I have to seek Lu Chen's friendship? I will not associate with him. Does he dare to attack me? Don't mention this matter again in the future."

"Yes, I am stupid, please don't be angry, sir."

"I will not blame you for such a small matter, but I hope you will remember that no matter how high Lu Chen's status and power are, I will not be afraid of him."

"Your Excellency is right. I am shallow-minded and really stupid."

Upon seeing this, Su Ze quickly apologized, feeling happy in his heart, and then respectfully took his leave.

Chen Lanyu looked at his departing back and narrowed her eyes slightly.

He has many aides and advisers around him, and everyone seems to be loyal and hardworking, but Chen Lanyu knows very well who belongs to whom.

For example, Su Ze, who took the initiative to surrender four years ago, should actually be a hidden chess piece of Jinlin Li.

Chen Lanyu certainly had enough ability to deal with these spies, but he seemed to have never noticed and allowed all kinds of people to surround him.

It's very quiet outside the window.

He looked up at the quiet night, put down the military book in his hand, thought for a while, picked up the pen and wrote two words on the paper.

One is loyal, the other is treacherous.

He looked at it quietly for a long time, then burned the two pieces of paper and stood up and walked into the inner room.

He fumbled in the corner for a while, and a secret compartment appeared quietly.

Chen Lanyu looked at the things in the secret compartment and silently said in his heart: "Lu Chen, I hope you are not a treacherous minister who disrupts the government."

“I don’t care what the world thinks of me.”

“I just want to stick to my inner principles.”

(End of this chapter)