Jiuxi

Chapter 895 Chapter 893 [A blockbuster]

As the end of the year approaches, the people of Guangling, immersed in the lively atmosphere, once again witnessed a grand wedding.

The man was Lu Chen, the Prince of Huai'an, whom they were proud of, and the woman was Luo Jiujiu, the jewel in the crown of Luo Yaozong, the lord of Shazhou.

This was the first time that Luo Yaozong set foot in Huaizhou. He personally led 800 brave warriors to send Luo Jiujiu to Guangling, and brought more than 20 carts loaded with Luo Jiujiu's dowry, including many local specialties of Shazhou.

On the ninth day of the twelfth month, the streets of Guangling city were almost deserted.

This was a unique wedding, with both traditional ceremonies from Qi and novel customs from Shazhou. In addition, the gifts sent by the Jiangnan court, from Empress Dowager Ning to the civil and military dignitaries in the court, opened the eyes of the people in the city.

Lu Tong was extremely generous and held a buffet for three consecutive days. No matter whether the guests were noble or humble, as long as they came to congratulate sincerely, they could not only enjoy a hearty meal, but also take away a thank-you gift carefully prepared by the Lu family when they left. This move won unanimous praise from the elders and villagers.

On December 15th, Luo Yaozong set out on his return journey with Shazhou and his group. Lu Chen and Luo Jiujiu personally sent them to the ferry on the north bank of Hengjiang River.

At this point, the marriage was complete.

In the flower hall at the back of the palace, there is a harmonious and warm atmosphere.

On the couch in the warm room in the inner room, the chubby Lu Jiusi was taking his first steps, while Lu Xinyi, who was only ten days younger than him, was sitting in the corner, playing with a rag doll happily.

Song Pei and Gu Wan'er watched from the side to prevent Young Master Lu from accidentally falling or trying to snatch Lu Xinyi's doll.

Sitting at the desk by the window, Wang Chulong, wearing a brocade dress made of embroidered satin, picked up a brush and quickly wrote a secret letter to be sent to Nanjing City in Jiangnan.

A hint of contemplation flashed across her clear and natural features. She picked up a file and looked through it carefully. The laughter of the two young children did not seem to disturb her thoughts.

Walking around the rosewood screen inlaid with gems, I saw Lin Xi and Luo Jiujiu sitting at the table.

Lin Xi whispered softly about the ups and downs of the martial arts world, and Luo Jiujiu listened attentively.

Although Luo Jiujiu has a cheerful and easy-going personality, she still felt a lot of fear when she actually married into this palace.

She believed in Lu Chen's character and personality, but she also knew that the beauties around him were no ordinary people, even his concubines Song Pei and Gu Wan'er. The former was a personal maid that Lu Chen had known since childhood, and the latter was once a famous courtesan in the capital, not to mention the three princesses Lin, Wang, and Li, who were all enviable in terms of family background and talent.

How could she not be uneasy?

However, when she truly became a member of the Lu family, she discovered that the atmosphere in this palace was relaxed and harmonious. There was neither the intrigue that she was extremely resistant to, nor the strict hierarchy of the residences of the powerful.

Even at this moment, Lin Xi did not deliberately put on the airs of a queen, but treated her like her own sister.

Listening to those legendary stories, Luo Jiujiu couldn't help but feel yearning for them. At the same time, he admired Lin Xi more and more, and their relationship became closer unknowingly.

In the side room to the right of the two, Lu Chen and Li Bingxue were playing chess.

In terms of chess skills alone, Lu Chen was far better than Li Bingxue. After all, this was one of his few hobbies in his previous life. Even Li Daoyan had a hard time getting the upper hand over him. However, judging from the situation on the chessboard, the black and white sides were fighting hard, especially in the lower left corner, where the two sides were intertwined and entangled. If you made a wrong move, you might be killed by the other side.

Li Bingxue couldn't help but smile as she looked at her husband's indecision.

Lu Chen finally made his move, which was neither a bad move nor a bad one, and the situation was still evenly matched. Then he asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

"It's just that my chess skills are mediocre. If Sister Wang was here, my husband would have been defeated by now."

Li Bingxue blinked and continued, "You said before that you have made all the necessary preparations and that you should relax these few days. Why are you so distracted now?"

"It's not like I'm distracted."

Lu Chen smiled and said softly: "It's just that there is something I can't figure out."

Li Bingxue raised her left arm to support her chin and said with a smile, "Tell us about it. Maybe we can help you figure it out."

"I am increasingly unable to understand the relationship between Emperor Jing and Qing Yugong."

Lu Chen sighed softly and said faintly: "This is obviously not a good thing."

"You don't understand? What do you not understand?"

"Take this brewing national war as an example. So far, the preparations of both sides seem reasonable. The army of Jingguo has gradually moved south. According to the report of the Textile Bureau, countless food and supplies are being transported to several important towns north of Heluo. From this, we can see that Emperor Jing is extremely determined this time. Of course, our dynasty is not idle either. The border defense line is constantly being reinforced. The court is ready to tighten its belt. The food and weapons stored in Jiangnan are continuously heading north. The Ministry of Revenue is using the Jingjie Law to accumulate more taxes as military pay." After hearing this, Li Bingxue asked with a puzzled look, "What's wrong with this?"

Lu Chen said slowly: "In my opinion, this national war should not have broken out."

"how you said that?"

"According to the analysis of my father-in-law and Uncle Xiao, Emperor Jing's military talent is no less than Qing Yugong's. So he should understand the simplest truth that war is never a one-sided wishful thinking. He wants to win the battle in one battle because of his health. Why do you think I will accept it?"

Lu Chen raised his eyebrows slightly and said bluntly: "I know that the potential of the Jing army has not been fully tapped. As long as they can recover to 60% of their peak combat power, coupled with their absolute advantage in manpower, our army will face great pressure. But now we have enough strategic depth. The worst result is that Dingzhou and Jingzhou are occupied by the enemy. It will take a long time for the Jing army to do this. In short, I can drag it out until Emperor Jing dies."

Li Bingxue frowned slightly and nodded, "I understand. Emperor Jing's desperate move at the cost of the country's destiny is indeed inconsistent with the great talent and strategy he has shown in the past."

"This is where I can't figure it out. In fact, ever since Emperor Jing couldn't wait to attack the Kingdom of Dai, I've been thinking about this problem—"

Lu Chen suddenly stopped and looked behind Li Bingxue.

Li Bingxue turned her head and quickly stood up and said with a smile: "Sisters, please sit down."

Hearing the title from her mouth, Lu Chen couldn't help but blush.

Lin Xi, Wang Chulong and Luo Jiujiu sat down beside the incense burner one after another, and several maids served them fragrant tea.

Lin Xi looked at Lu Chen with a smile and asked, "What are my husband and Sister Li talking about?"

Lu Chen briefly recounted the previous topic, and then continued: "From common sense, an emperor like Emperor Jing who has great self-control, knowing that he will not live long, should do the most to stabilize the internal situation, pave the way for the successor, and ensure that the imperial power can be smoothly and steadily transferred, rather than hoping to settle the overall situation through a national war."

Li Bingxue took over the conversation and said, "My husband is right. The key is that Emperor Jing is not sure of victory. It is indeed a bit strange to take such a risk."

Lu Chen adjusted his sitting position and said to the women, "As I said just now, the border army of Daqi is no longer the weak army of 20 years ago. At worst, we can firmly take a defensive position and do everything we can to drag it out. How long can Emperor Jing hold out? Once he dies, can the Jing army maintain its current morale?"

Lin Xi pondered and said, "Perhaps he wanted to kill two birds with one stone. His original intention was not to defeat Da Qi's border defense in one fell swoop, but to use this national war to consume the strength of our army, and at the same time weaken those Jinglian nobles who hold heavy troops as much as possible. Even if he dies on the battlefield in the end, as long as the Da Qi border army and the troops controlled by those Jinglian nobles can be defeated, his son may be able to control the overall situation more easily."

“It’s not impossible.”

Lu Chen nodded, and then said with some worry: "Those were my doubts about Emperor Jing before. If his intentions are really as Senior Sister said, then I don't understand why the Jinglian nobles headed by Qing Yugong can remain calm and hardly put up any resistance."

Wang Chulong stared into Lu Chen's eyes and said softly, "My husband, are you trying to say that Qing Yugong knew that this was Emperor Jing's plan, but he still walked in without complaint, which doesn't quite fit his reputation as the God of War?"

"If Qing Yugong was really a foolishly loyal person, Emperor Jing would not have tried every possible means to suppress him."

Lu Chen laughed at himself and continued, "According to the current situation, if Emperor Jing can create a miracle and win the final victory, his prestige within Jing will reach an unprecedented height, and it will be easy for him to deal with these nobles. But if the war goes badly, Emperor Jing will not let these people go, especially Qing Yugong who controls the Xiashan Army. Emperor Jing will definitely drag Qing Yugong to be buried with him before he dies. No matter from which angle you look at it, Qing Yugong seems to have fallen into a dead end, but he is still so calm, so I am quite puzzled."

The room suddenly fell into silence.

Luo Jiujiu was filled with surprise, she did not expect the atmosphere at home to be so peaceful. Not only did Lu Chen not have the airs of a prince, but he was willing to sit down and discuss important matters with them. In today's world, such respect and trust were really rare.

At this moment, Lu Chen looked at her and asked, "Jiujiu, if you were Qing Yugong, what would you do at this time?"

"what?"

Luo Jiujiu shrank subconsciously, and then she saw a number of gentle and kind faces, and Lin Xi had an encouraging smile on her face, so she mustered up the courage to say, "If I were Qing Yugong, of course I would obey the emperor on the surface, lest the emperor suddenly go crazy, and then secretly accumulate strength and find a way to seize his lair while the emperor is on the front line."

Everyone was stunned.

Lu Chen suddenly laughed, Lin Xi reached out and touched her hair, Wang Chulong and Li Bingxue looked appreciative.

"Uh... I'm just talking nonsense, don't take it seriously."

Although he could feel everyone's kindness, Luo Jiujiu still felt a little guilty.

Lu Chen and Wang Chulong looked at each other and said with emotion: "Perhaps this is the truth."

(End of this chapter)