Jiuxi

Chapter 884 882 [Who Will I Go With]

As the sun set, Lu Chen personally sent Luo Jiujiu to Sifang Pavilion, where he met Na Yan and Hardy, the two big leaders of Shazhou.

Na Yan was still as taciturn as before, and Hardy was still broad-minded and fat. Their attitudes towards Lu Chen were quite consistent, and they were close but also respectful, which made Qian Sui, the Shaoqing of the Honglu Temple who was accompanying them, sigh inwardly.

Even though Lu Chen and Luo Jiujiu had already had physical contact, and they came here on behalf of Shazhou for marriage, Lu Chen couldn't let her stay overnight in the palace. After all, the two of them didn't have a clear engagement yet.

After chatting for a while, Lu Chen left under Luo Jiujiu's reluctant gaze.

After returning to the palace, Lu Chen went straight to the East Warm Pavilion and sat down under the curious gazes of Lin Xi and Li Bingxue.

Gu Wan'er tactfully led the maids to retreat.

"My husband is really amazing. He even has this foreshadowing."

Li Bingxue spoke first. Although she and Luo Jiujiu had met on the battlefield during the Battle of Yongqiu, she and Lu Chen seemed to have no fate at that time, so she naturally would not care about the women who appeared around him, except Lin Xi and Wang Chulong.

Lu Chen's old face rarely turned red, and he said vaguely: "This is a long story, I will tell you in detail when I have time."

Li Bingxue smiled slightly and did not ask any further questions.

Lin Xi took a sip of tea and asked calmly, "Is it settled?"

For some reason, the more indifferent she was, the more guilty Lu Chen felt.

Although Lin Xi had never interfered in his love life and had made it clear that she didn't care about what went on in the harem, Lu Chen suddenly realized a problem. Together with Wang Chulong and Song Pei who were far away in Dingzhou, there were already six women around him with whom he had confirmed relationships.

Compared with those wealthy and powerful people in the capital who have many wives and concubines, Lu Chen's situation is certainly not excessive. Moreover, the Lu family is a single-line family, and his status is getting higher and higher. Having more children is a serious matter. However, Lu Chen does feel a little guilty.

Lin Xi knew him so well that she couldn't help but laugh and said, "I'm not jealous, why do you look like that?"

Lu Chen stared into her eyes, gradually feeling relieved, and briefly repeated the purpose of Shazhou's group's visit.

Lin Xi was silent for a moment after hearing this, and then he sighed softly, "The people of Shazhou put gratitude and righteousness first, just like they did back then."

"Sister, you are absolutely right."

Li Bingxue nodded, then hesitated and said, "But now during the national mourning period, my husband cannot break the rules. What should I do?"

Lin Xi said calmly: "It's okay, we can arrange the wedding first and then hold the ceremony after the national mourning is over."

Before Lu Chen was crowned king, Lin Xi, Li Bingxue and Wang Chulong had the same status, but a prince could not have three queens, just as an emperor could not have two or more queens.

Today, Lin Xi is the Princess of the County, while Wang Chulong and Li Bingxue are the second-in-common wives. There is no distinction between the three of them in terms of seniority. Moreover, with the Li family's foundation in the military and the reputation of the Zhai Lin Wang family as the number one family in Jiangbei, in the eyes of outsiders, Lin Xi, the Princess of the County, may be inferior to them.

They didn't care about other people's comments because Lu Chen had already made his attitude clear: once the door was closed, they were a family and everyone was divided by age.

The same will be true when Luo Jiujiu enters the sect in the future.

Li Bingxue smiled and said, "In fact, if you calculate the time, it's about the same. It will take at least two months for Miss Luo to return to Shazhou and then take her dowry to Dingzhou. By that time, the Hundred Days of National Mourning will have ended."

The two of them talked and decided the matter.

Lu Chen did not interrupt, but lowered his head slightly as if in deep thought.

Seeing this, Lin Xi asked, "What's wrong?"

Lu Chen said slowly, "Miss Luo and her father are naturally kind-hearted, and I must accept their kindness. However, Li Zongben has passed away, and Li Shizhi has been beheaded, so my biggest threat has disappeared. Although there have been no incidents in the court, but if they knew that the various tribes in Shazhou valued me so much, I can't guarantee that some people would not have wild thoughts."

Lin Xi frowned slightly and said, "Miss Luo has come all the way here, you can't hurt her feelings."

"I certainly wouldn't do that."

Lu Chen smiled, with a look of relief in his eyes: "Let them complain, there will definitely be more such things in the future."

Lin Xi and Li Bingxue looked at each other, and they both vaguely realized that their husbands' mentality seemed to be undergoing subtle changes.

Is this change good or bad?
They couldn't conclude, but they could only confirm one thing at the moment: after experiencing so many twists and turns, Lu Chen would no longer have the slightest bit of naivety or unrealistic fantasies.

……

By mid-September, the capital city gradually returned to its former tranquility.

The sun was shining brightly inside the Imperial College, and the dormitories were filled with diligent young scholars, especially those who could take part in the next spring imperial examination, who were all making the most of the last six months to hone their skills. Some people also wandered around the mansions of the rich and powerful, and participated generously in literary gatherings, striving to become famous in the capital before taking part in the spring imperial examination.

Qian Rang, son of Qian Sui, the Junior Secretary of the Honglu Temple, walked hurriedly along the tree-lined path and came to the northeast corner of the Imperial College, where he finally saw the figure standing in the pavilion.

He walked closer, slowed down his pace, and said with a smile: "Brother Shaoyang, you really made it easy for me to find you."

Jiang Hui turned his head, looked at his good friend, and asked, "De Gao, do you have something to ask me?"

Qian Rang sat down by the railing, rubbed his thigh, and sighed, "My classmates are busy with their own things now. Some of them carry documents all day to visit high-ranking officials and scholars. It is said that young scholars can be seen outside the residence of Lord Chu, the Minister of Rites, at any time. Some people bury themselves in piles of old papers, sitting from dawn to dusk, and even forget to eat. Only Brother Shaoyang has the leisure and elegance to enjoy the autumn scenery here. I can't help but be curious." Jiang Hui smiled faintly and said calmly, "It's just to relax occasionally. There's no need to make fun of a noble man."

"How could I make fun of Brother Shaoyang?"

Qian Rang shook his head and then said meaningfully: "Actually, I roughly know why Brother Shaoyang is hesitating."

Jiang Hui looked at him with a little confusion.

Qian Rang looked around and saw that there was no one around, so he lowered his voice and said, "Brother Shaoyang, three days ago, the Shazhou delegation arrived in Beijing. My father received them on behalf of the court. Do you know why the Shazhou delegation came?"

Jiang Hui shook his head and said, "I don't know."

Qian Rang looked a little strange, and continued, "Shazhou Lord Luo Yaozong has requested a marriage alliance from the imperial court, specifying that his daughter should be betrothed to the Prince of Huai'an!"

Jiang Hui looked normal and asked, "How is the follow-up progress?"

Qian Rang smiled, his tone was a little cold, "What else can we do? It is said that the Queen Mother summoned important civil and military officials, and after some discussion, she finally agreed to the request of the Shazhou people and allowed the Prince of Huai'an to marry the daughter of Luo Yaozong as his second concubine. However, the 100-day national mourning has not yet ended, and the wedding must be postponed. The Shazhou delegation will return immediately, probably to prepare the dowry, and go directly from Shazhou to Jingzhou in a few days, and then go north to Dingzhou to complete the marriage."

Jiang Hui understood his thoughts instantly and sighed softly, "Degao, you and I have argued several times during this period. Since we can't convince each other, we should just give up on this idea. Why bother to dwell on it?"

Qian Rang was slightly startled, then stood up, looked at his close friend of many years, and said seriously: "Brother Shaoyang, do you still think that the Prince of Huai'an is loyal at this moment?"

Jiang Hui met his gaze and said seriously, "Yes."

Qian Rang showed a hint of disappointment, took a deep breath and said, "An ancient sage once said that a gentleman and a villain may look the same but have different hearts. A gentleman conceals others' faults and praises others' goodness, never shirks his responsibility when faced with danger, and sacrifices his life to achieve his goal. A villain does not feel ashamed of being unkind, nor does he fear injustice. He only seeks profit and puts others at risk to keep himself safe. Brother Shaoyang, do you agree with me?"

Jiang Hui replied: "There may be some unkind gentlemen, but I have never seen a benevolent villain. A gentleman cannot be without small evils, but if they do not accumulate, they will not hinder the righteous path; villains may occasionally do small good deeds, but if they do not accumulate, they are not enough to establish loyalty."

Qian Rang raised his voice slightly and said, "Could it be that what the Prince of Huai'an did was just a minor evil in Brother Shaoyang's eyes?"

Jiang Hui said calmly but firmly: "Whether it is a minor evil or not, you and I have no way of judging."

"But at least one thing is clear."

Qian Rang stared into Jiang Hui's eyes and said without hesitation: "Before the late emperor passed away, the Prince of Huai'an had already mobilized two cavalry units to the south. How is it different from rebellion to mobilize the border troops without permission? It's just because the new emperor is young and the court is unstable, so no one dares to impeach him. In the final analysis, they are just worried that the prince will overturn the table. But if he is really loyal, why would the civil and military officials in the court be so afraid? Brother, my classmates have often discussed this matter recently. It is definitely not that we students are jealous of the Prince of Huai'an!"

As he said, the young students of the Imperial College have always paid attention to state affairs. Now that trend is quietly forming, most scholars believe that Lu Chen's loyalty to Da Qi is questionable.

Jiang Hui was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Degao, the court affairs are far from us, and your father would not disclose the real secrets at will, so we don't know the specific situation. I only know one thing, the Prince of Huai'an may have done something wrong, but it is an indisputable fact that he has been loyal for so many years. Now that the Queen Mother is in power and the new emperor has ascended the throne, the 50,000 imperial guards in the capital are still under the control of the royal family. This is what you told me yourself, so it can be seen that the Prince of Huai'an has not overstepped his bounds."

Qian Rang looked at him in a daze.

Jiang Hui continued, "We talked about this before. The suspicion and suppression of the Prince of Huai'an in the court has been going on for a long time. If you and I were in his position, wouldn't we have the idea of ​​protecting ourselves? Wouldn't we have anger? But you also saw that the Prince of Huai'an respected the Queen Mother, the new emperor, and even the court as usual. Did he use the opportunity of holding power during this period to place his confidants? Not to mention the two prime ministers, how many ministers in the six ministries, nine temples, and seven prisons in the court are his confidants?"

Qian Rang shook his head and said, "In today's world, there are people who embellish heresy, write treacherous words, and use them to confuse the world, making it chaotic and confusing, and making the world confused and not knowing what is right and wrong, and what is orderly and chaotic."

"De Gao's words are biased."

Jiang Hui's eyes were clear and upright, and he said slowly: "What we uphold is morality, what we practice is loyalty, and what we cherish is reputation. The Prince of Huai'an has been consistent in his words and deeds for many years. How can he be disloyal?"

Qian Rang became increasingly disappointed and sighed, "Brother Shaoyang, why are you so persistent? Do you really have to wait until the day when the Prince of Huai'an overthrows the country before you will believe that the person you have regarded as a role model for so many years is not as loyal as you thought."

"Degao, I understand your good intentions, but everyone has their own path to choose. I won't force you to share the same ideals as me, and I won't force you to change your mind. The Spring Examination is coming soon, you don't have to waste your time on these things."

Jiang Hui looked at the other person, then took a firm step back, leaned over and drew a line on the ground with his hand.

Qian Rang was shocked and asked loudly: "Brother Shaoyang, what do you mean?"

Jiang Hui stood up and said solemnly: "You and I have different paths."

Qian Rang looked at the faint line on the ground, suddenly shook his head and laughed, his laughter full of desolation.

They were not only close friends, but also the most outstanding students in the Imperial College. In the previous provincial examination in the capital, Jiang Hui ranked first and Qian Rang ranked second, but the difference between their essays was not much, and they were obviously a level higher than the other candidates.

"Brother Shaoyang."

Qian Rang took a deep breath, bowed and said, "Maybe one day in the future I will be proven wrong, but I hope you understand that I don't mind being wrong. I even hope I'm wrong more than you do."

Jiang Hui bowed in return and said, "I always believe that there must be someone in this world who can practice the great path of a saint."

"Farewell!"

Qian Rang said no more, turned around and walked away.

Jiang Hui looked at his resolute back, a deep pain appearing in his eyes.

The autumn wind was howling, he clenched the book in his hand, and his determination returned to his face.

(End of this chapter)