Jiuxi

Chapter 867 865 [Queen Ning]

The imperial palace is located at the southernmost tip of Yongjia City, surrounded by mountains on the west and south, such as Qingping Mountain, Babaoling Mountain, Qipan Mountain and Ruishi Mountain, which not only form a barrier for the imperial city, but also a magnificent scenery.

However, these mountains are royal forbidden areas, and ordinary people have no chance to set foot there.

Standing on the top of Qingping Mountain, surrounded by green mountains, you can see the rising clouds and the high sky in the distance, which is enough to make you feel relaxed and happy.

Cui Yu casually sat on a smooth bluestone, holding a wine bag in his hand, gazing at the magnificent scenery in front of him, and said with emotion: "Climbing high and looking far in the autumn is indeed a beautiful thing to broaden your mind."

A middle-aged man was sitting on a rock not far away. He also had a wine bag in his hand and said calmly, "You should tell Li Shizhi this in advance, so that he won't get used to hiding in the dark hell and messing around with those conspiracies that are not worthy of being shown on the stage."

Cui Yu smiled upon hearing this and said calmly, "Although he is not presentable, he is not useless. It's just that his opponent, your son-in-law, is almost inhuman. What can we do?"

The middle-aged man was of sturdy build, with a strong and angular face. Even in this green mountainous area, he was like a crouching tiger, majestic without even getting angry.

He is Lin Jie, the leader of the Jiangbei Green Forest and the first on the martial arts list.

Facing Cui Yu's slightly sharp ridicule, Lin Jie didn't take it seriously. He took a sip of wine and said, "Having said that, I really didn't expect that Li Shizhi could actually invite you. It's a pleasant surprise to be able to see Cui Yu, who is both an expert in painting and swordsmanship, in person."

The so-called "master of both painting and swordsmanship" was the praise given to Cui Yu by people in the martial arts world at that time, describing him as a man with both brilliant painting skills and superb swordsmanship.

Ever since Cui Yu defeated Sima Bizhi in a battle ten years ago and secured the second place on the martial arts list, this title has been mentioned less and less, because just saying the two words Cui Yu is enough to show his status in the martial arts world.

When Cui Yu heard Lin Jie mention this somewhat unfamiliar title, he couldn't help but feel something.

He was originally going to protect Li Shizhi all the way today, but soon after the court meeting began, he found himself being locked by a powerful aura.

In today's world, there are very few people who can make him feel a strong sense of crisis. He originally thought that it was Yuchi Gui who could roam the world with just his hands, but he quickly denied this guess, because this aura was extremely domineering and powerful, completely different from Yuchi Gui's style.

The answer is ready to come out.

Only Lin Jie.

The two did not fight as soon as they met. Lin Jie brought two wine bags and invited him to climb the mountain for a chat.

Cui Yu certainly knew that Li Shizhi's success or failure depended on today, and he also knew what a loss his departure would be for Li Shizhi, but he could not ignore Lin Jie's existence.

In short, this is the respect between the top two in the world.

"I have always regarded you as my goal. Although I will not fall into paranoia like Yin Qianjue, the pursuit of martial arts is still the most important ideal in my life. Nothing else matters."

Cui Yu smiled faintly, and then said: "Don't mention that Li Shizhi is only a minister of the Ministry of Personnel. Even if he is second only to the emperor, what can he use to persuade me?"

This sentence seems to express one's aspirations, but it actually has a deeper meaning.

Lin Jie raised his thick eyebrows slightly, turned his head and looked at the second best man in the world, and said with a little surprise: "You are actually from the Jinlin Li family."

Cui Yu said frankly: "Actually, this is a very clichéd story."

Lin Jie said with great interest: "I would like to hear the details."

"More than forty years ago, although the Jinlin Li family did not have the power it has today, it was also one of the prominent families in Jiangnan. Brother Lin should know that such aristocratic families have many roots and countless side branches. My mother had a rough life. She was just a lowly maid. One day, she was favored by a son of a side branch of the Jinlin Li family. Later, she gave birth to me after ten months of pregnancy. My father was irresponsible and naturally liked the new and disliked the old. He abandoned my mother within two years."

Cui Yu's tone was calm, without any murderous intent, and Lin Jie listened quietly.

"My mother cried all day and was unhappy. She passed away when I was nine years old, leaving me, a humble bastard who was ignored by everyone. Two years later, because of an extremely ordinary matter, my arrogant and overbearing brother flew into a rage and beat me up and humiliated me in every way. Perhaps because of the long-accumulated resentment, I couldn't hold back for a moment, and I broke his legs with the few martial arts I had secretly learned."

Cui Yu smiled faintly and said slowly, "In a noble family like the Jinlin Li family, committing treason is a serious crime. An elder wanted to beat me to death. My elder brother... Li Shizhi happened to be there that day. He stood in front of me in front of everyone and stopped the elders from taking action. At that time, he was the eldest grandson of the eldest branch of the Li family and the heir. How could the elders from the side branches dare to go against his wishes?"

Lin Jie nodded and said, "I see."

Cui Yu turned his head and looked at him, smiling, "Big brother saved me, let me leave that dark place, and gave me gold and silver to help me find a martial arts master. Later, I took my mother's surname Cui and changed my name to Yu, which means a person who is a surplus."

Lin Jie took another sip of wine and said calmly, "It seems that there will be a result today."

The reason why Cui Yu recounted this past event was obviously to explain his relationship with Li Shizhi.

In other words, if Li Shizhi loses today, Cui Yu will not stop there. Even if it is to repay the favor he received in the past, he will keep an eye on Lu Chen in the years to come. This is a huge threat to Lu Chen.

"If we didn't have this connection, I would be happy to ask Brother Lin for advice. This is a rare opportunity for me. Even if it's just a discussion, I can benefit a lot."

Cui Yu said frankly: "It's a pity that most things in the world don't go as planned. We have to fight to the death when we first meet."

The mountain breeze blows gently, and the branches and leaves rustle.

Lin Jie tied the wine bag around his waist and said calmly, "I hope you and I can both enjoy it."

After a while, the two stood facing each other in the forest, several feet apart. Cui Yu looked down at the long sword in his hand, flicked his left finger lightly, and the sound of dragon roaring could be heard.

Wind blows.

Cui Yu was calm and graceful, seemingly understating his actions, but he was like a free and easy painter, using his sword as a pen to sketch out a mysterious, timeless and distant painting. Then he grabbed a piece of ancient meaning from it, dropped it on the long sword, and transformed it into thousands of sword intentions, enveloping Lin Jie's figure.

"Seeing this sword makes the trip worthwhile."

Endless passion emerged in Lin Jie's eyes, and he let out a hearty laugh, startling countless birds in the forest.

He immediately took a step forward, and with one punch, a strong gust of wind swept across the mountain, sweeping it back!

……

The Imperial Palace, inside the Duancheng Hall.

With Li Daoyan's departure and Li Shizhi's vomiting of blood, the overall situation was settled, but cleaning up the mess was still not that easy.

Although Empress Ning took over power from Empress Dowager Xu, she did not get carried away. She knew very well that she was still very weak and could not even control the harem. She had to rely on these important ministers in the palace.

As for who was the most trustworthy person, Queen Ning had already made her judgment. She looked at Lu Chen expectantly and said gently, "Duke Qin."

Lu Chen lowered his head slightly and said, "I'm here."

Empress Ning paused for a moment and said, "I am a shallow-minded woman with no experience in government. I am inevitably at a loss when I suddenly take over the power. The Duke's loyalty has been tested for a long time. He has saved the country many times. Now he should take on the important task of suppressing rebellion and distinguishing between loyalty and treachery. I hope the Duke will not care about the previous disturbance. I will be grateful."

Lu Chen said sincerely: "Your Highness, your words are too serious. How dare I disobey your order?"

Empress Ning said with relief: "Okay, I will grant the Duke the power to make decisions on the spot, and I will reward him based on his merits after the disturbance in the capital has calmed down."

Lu Chen bowed and said, "I obey your command."

All civil and military officials were horrified.

Queen Ning's short words gave Lu Chen the power of life and death. All forces inside and outside the capital had to obey him. He was truly second to none.

In fact, according to the normal court rules, Queen Ning should divide the power among the two prime ministers, Xiao Wangzhi and Lu Chen at this time, so that they can check and balance each other and work together. This is the safest way. However, the 26-year-old queen seems very simple and her actions are still a bit immature. She actually trusts Lu Chen so much.

Xue Nanting and Xu Zuo did not raise any objections. Noticing the calm demeanor of the two prime ministers, some important officials gradually came to their senses.

Although today was the day that Prime Minister Li dealt a fatal blow to Li Shizhi, thinking back on the twists and turns of the past few months, Lu Chen had obviously seen through Li Shizhi's plan long ago and had made almost perfect preparations, otherwise the East Gate of the capital would not have suddenly opened, the Rui Shi Battalion would not have been able to enter the capital, and Ding would not have appeared in the court.

All these things are enough to prove that Lu Chen has enough confidence to turn the situation around.

Even if Li Daoyan had not made this trip, the guards would not have been able to succeed at the last moment, because Lu Chen was not in a hurry to take action from beginning to end, and it was obvious that he had another trump card.

In fact, Lu Chen has already taken control of the situation, and the best choice at this time is to give him full trust.

Those important ministers quietly raised their heads and looked at Queen Ning, who indeed seemed to be smarter and more powerful than Queen Mother Xu.

Queen Ning seemed unaware of the gazes from below, and continued to look at Lu Chen and asked, "Does the Duke have any solution to the current chaos?"

Lu Chen said calmly, "I think the first thing to do is to clean up the palace. Yuan Yuji is trusted by the late emperor and is still the Junior Supervisor of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. I think he can be appointed to take charge of this matter. In addition, Lord Shen can dispatch 2,000 imperial guards to help in case someone is desperate. This is just my humble opinion. If Your Highness has a more suitable candidate, I will fully support him."

Empress Ning was quite pleased with these words, and secretly felt that she had not made a mistake in choosing the right person, so she said happily, "I think this proposal is very appropriate, so I will follow the Duke's advice. Mr. Shen's family, Yuan Yuji."

Shen Yulai and Yuan Yuji came out at the same time to accept the task.

Empress Ning coughed lightly and said solemnly, "The late emperor was assassinated, there must be a traitor in the palace. Now I order Yuan Yuji to lead the secret guards to immediately clean up the palace, especially the eunuchs, the imperial guards, and the inner guards. Anyone who is suspected will be detained immediately and will be punished after the interrogation. The Shen family will transfer 2,000 imperial guards and appoint a loyal general to lead them to cooperate with Yuan Yuji's actions."

The two of them bowed and accepted the order.

Queen Ning breathed a sigh of relief. She was well aware of the importance of Lu Chen's proposal. Throughout history, countless people had fallen into such trouble. If the palace was not cleaned up, she and the young prince might have passed away when the sun rose tomorrow, and the situation would be reversed in an instant.

Watching Shen Yulai and Yuan Yuji retreat at the same time, she looked at Lu Chen with approval and expectation.

The trust is evident.

……

……

(Note: In ancient times, ministers had many different ways of addressing the empress. Here, Empress Ning did not actually attend court, so she continued to be addressed as "Your Highness". When she attended court in the future, she would be addressed as "Your Majesty".)
(End of this chapter)