Jiuxi

Chapter 970 968 [Harmony of Music and Music]

The next afternoon, in the back house of the Prince's Mansion.

Li Bingxue and Luo Jiujiu stood behind Lu Chen, looking at the spacious carriage with a smile as it drove into the ceremonial gate surrounded by a group of servants.

"Daddy!"

Two-year-and-seven-month-old Lu Xinyi had just been carried down from the carriage by Wang Chulong. She stretched out her hands towards Lu Chen who was standing in front of her. Her eyes on her pink little face were as bright as a crescent moon when she smiled.

"Hey, baby girl."

Lu Chen took Lu Xinyi from his wife, rubbed her cheek, and whispered, "Do you miss daddy?"

"Yeah! Think!"

Lu Xinyi hugged his neck tightly and said in a baby voice, "Mom misses Daddy too!"

Lu Chen smiled and asked, "Really? What does mother think of father?"

"Lu Xinyi."

Wang Chulong just said three words calmly, and the little girl didn't dare to say anything, but she still blinked at Lu Chen, indicating that she would tell him quietly later.

The father and daughter reached an agreement immediately.

This scene made Li Bingxue and Luo Jiujiu feel particularly warm, and at the same time, they felt a little bit of unknown envy. Looking at Wang Chulong who came forward to greet them, the two couldn't help but wonder when they would be able to wait for that surprise.

Ever since Lu Chen led his army back in triumph, they naturally wouldn't let him go during this period of time, making him work hard every night. But after all, only more than half a month had passed, so they still needed to wait patiently.

At a very coincidental moment, Li Bingxue and Luo Jiujiu looked at each other, as if they understood each other's thoughts, and the smiles on their faces suddenly became a little awkward.

Wang Chulong looked at them curiously.

Li and Luo were embarrassed. Fortunately, Lu Chen came over with Lu Xinyi in his arms. He smiled brightly at Wang Chulong and asked, "Where are the others? Didn't I ask you all to come over?"

Wang Chulong replied, "Jiusi was taken away by Sister Lin last month. She said that Gang Leader Lin missed his grandson very much. Song Pei and Gu Wan'er stayed at home. They are now helping to take care of the household affairs. After the follow-up arrangements are made, my husband will send someone to pick them up."

"Alright."

Lu Chen nodded, and then said loudly: "Let's go, let's go into the house!"

Half an hour later, Wang Chulong, who had bathed, changed her clothes and packed up, came to the flower hall and saw Li Bingxue and Luo Jiujiu sitting on the couch with Lu Xinyi. The little girl called her "Auntie" all the time, making the two female generals, who killed people like killing chickens on the battlefield, smile happily. They wished they could stuff all the good things into her hands.

Lu Chen sat on the armchair and looked at them with a smile.

Wang Chulong walked over slowly, and a wisp of fragrance floated in front of Lu Chen's eyes. He looked up at his wife whom he had not seen for several months, and his eyes gradually became hot.

"husband--"

She had just said a word when Lu Chen stood up, took her hand, and said seriously, "Come here, your husband has something very important to discuss with you."

Li Bingxue and Luo Jiujiu over there seemed not to notice until Lu Chen dragged Wang Chulong away. They looked at each other's slightly red cheeks at the same time and couldn't help but chuckle.

In the main bedroom, Wang Chulong looked at her now world-famous husband in a hurry to close the doors and windows, biting her lower lip and said, "Didn't you say you wanted to discuss something important?"

Lu Chen smiled and walked over to hold her soft waist.

Wang Chulong raised her hands and placed them on his chest, and said lightly, "You are so reckless in broad daylight, making my two sisters laugh at me, you bad guy!"

Lu Chen exerted a little force, and the two of them pressed together. He stared into her eyes and said, "I miss you so much."

Knowing that he was just trying to coax her, Wang Chulong couldn't resist. In an instant, her eyes were filled with waves, like ripples on a lake in spring.

"Husband, I miss you too."

"I didn't lie to you. I really have something important to discuss with you."

"Huh? What's the matter?"

Lu Chen moved closer and whispered in her ear, "Shall we give Xinyi some brothers and sisters?"

Wang Chulong spat shyly, and was then picked up by Lu Chen and carried to the bed not far away.

Two people in love will go through many ups and downs together.

When the clouds dispersed and the rain stopped, the head maid Jinshu came in with a red face to clean up the situation. She did not dare to even look at the prince who had been making trouble during the day.

Lu Chen joked: "Jinshu, why have you lost weight?"

Jinshu's steps trembled, and he quickly lowered his head and walked away with the basin of water.

"Don't bully Jinshu."

Wang Chulong leaned lazily against Lu Chen and patted him lightly.

Lu Chen said with lingering interest: "Then...bully you?"

"No way."

Wang Chulong's blush had not yet faded, and she said softly, "Husband, I've been sitting in a carriage for more than ten days, and I'm a little tired."

Lu Chen gently stroked her shoulders, carefully using the inner strength of the Xuanjing to help her relieve her fatigue, and smiled: "It won't be so hard in the future. This is our second home."

"The second one?" Wang Chulong raised his head slightly and looked at him, asking curiously, "Isn't there also a Prince's Mansion in Yongjia City? This should be the third home, right?"

"Although I was not scared during the time I stayed in Yongjia, it was definitely not my home, no matter how exquisite and luxurious the house was. There were too many people there who wished me a bad death, except for a few people like Emperor Gaozong, Li's father-in-law, and Prime Minister Li, so I could not regard such a place as my home."

Lu Chen's tone was calm, without any sadness or anger, as if he was just telling someone else's story.

"Right."

Wang Chulong said softly, "So, my husband shouldn't be angry with me?"

Lu Chen smiled and said, "What do you mean?"

Wang Chulong then recounted the many arrangements she had made over the past year and a half, which could be roughly categorized into two things.

One is that she and Lu Tong cooperated with each other and relied on the increasingly prosperous Lu family business to establish connections in various parts of Jiangbei. Officials, wealthy families, gentry, and local celebrities all boarded the Lu family's ship. Of course, a large part of their confidence came from Lu Chen's power.

The second is to weave a huge net in the Jiangnan court.

Whether moved by the greater good or tempted by benefits, although he cannot directly influence the important officials at the level of various ministries and government offices, under the overall planning and dispatch of Wang Chulong, more than 70 officials now favor Lu Chen, and 37 of them can be directly used by Lu Chen.

Wang Chulong finally said slowly: "My husband holds the military power of the world. What I did is tantamount to plotting something against the law. Moreover, I did it without telling my husband. If my husband is dissatisfied, he can punish me."

Lu Chen said leisurely: "Well, I will punish you, but——"

Wang Chulong's small hand rested on the soft flesh on Lu Chen's waist and she blinked her eyes.

Lu Chen quickly apologized with a smile: "Ahem, I was just joking. Madam has been planning for me wholeheartedly, and I can't thank you enough."

In the end, Wang Chulong couldn't bear to do it and just rolled her eyes at him.

The two of them talked about business again. After Lu Chen finished talking about his arrangements for moving the capital, Wang Chulong pondered for a moment and said slowly: "Husband, I think your arrangements may not be useful."

"Why?"

"The Empress Dowager Ning in the palace is extraordinary. I have been secretly observing her for the past two years. In terms of political tactics, she is much better than her husband, Emperor Zhezong. I am afraid she is only a little less experienced than Emperor Gaozong."

Wang Chulong then briefly recounted the logistics case last year, his eyes becoming more and more calm. "Let's not talk about the other people involved in the case at the time. The Minister of Personnel Qu Hongyi was one of the few trusted ministers of Zhezong. In order to shock the court and the public and strengthen the people of Daqi's determination to resist Jing, Empress Dowager Ning dismissed Qu Hongyi without hesitation, and nailed Qu Hongyi and the Qu family to the pillar of shame with the phrase 'a scholar cannot be without Hongyi'. This kind of character is definitely not an ordinary person."

Hearing her say this, Lu Chen recalled the stories of the two months after Li Zongben's death.

In his opinion, Queen Mother Ning was indeed an intelligent woman, but it was a little unbelievable to say that she was only slightly inferior to Li Duan in the art of political intrigue.

Out of trust in Wang Chulong's judgment in this regard, Lu Chen sighed and said, "It seems that she has made amazing progress in the two years since she took power."

"You don't have to worry too much, my husband. Queen Mother Ning also has shortcomings. She doesn't have the broad mind of Emperor Gaozong, nor has she experienced many hardships, so it is inevitable that she will be superficial in her actions."

Wang Chulong said slowly, "Now in the southern capital, the storm of moving the capital is gradually rising. Since Queen Dowager Ning dared to cut off her own arm before, just to let the world know the determination of the court and to relieve my husband of his worries and then feel grateful, then this time she is likely to take the initiative to put the relocation of the capital on the agenda. In this way, the court can be said to be acting openly and honestly, and my husband may be subject to another layer of restraint."

"Bondage?"

"Your husband was able to rise to prominence in just a few years because you are far more capable than others, but we must also admit that it was inseparable from the appreciation and trust of Emperor Gaozong. Although Zhezong later harbored suspicions, he never took action against your husband, even if it was because he did not have time to do so. Your husband could not use something that did not happen as a bargaining chip. Since taking power, Queen Dowager Ning has entrusted you with great power. After the war broke out, she spared no effort to support your husband. Now she has taken the initiative to move the capital with an attitude of absolute trust in your husband. In the eyes of the world, there is almost nothing that the royal family can criticize."

"oh, I understand now."

Lu Chen looked at his wife's peaceful face and smiled, "It seems that Madam has a plan?"

"I can't really say I have a plan. If I were in Queen Dowager Ning's position, I wouldn't be able to think of a better solution. However, many problems in this world cannot be solved by planning. Now that my husband's power is established, as long as you don't act rashly and risk the world's disapproval, your position will only become more and more stable."

Wang Chulong smiled faintly and said, "If the court is willing to go north, my husband will respectfully welcome the Queen Mother and the Emperor, and then hold on to the military power while supporting the officials, so that the problem can be solved by itself. I know that my husband cares about the people, but no matter how you want to benefit the people, you must hold on to power firmly."

Lu Chen couldn't help but sigh.

Wang Chulong asked with concern: "What's wrong?"

Lu Chen looked into her eyes and said, "I feel really lucky to be able to marry you."

"That's all I can do. I can help you with some advice. I'm not like Sister Lin and my two younger sisters who are so powerful that they can risk their lives to help you when you're in the most dangerous situation."

Wang Chulong said sincerely, and then added: "But I can still help you with one thing."

Lu Chen hugged her and asked, "What's the matter?"

"My husband, do you want to teach the Wang family a lesson before letting them take up official posts?"

Wang Chulong said seriously, "Husband, let me do it, otherwise they may not listen to me. Children of noble families like them may appear to be extremely respectful to you, but they are actually very proud. You will definitely not do anything serious to them for my sake, otherwise it will only make them more arrogant."

"But--"

"No buts. Since you and I are husband and wife, I am first the daughter-in-law of the Lu family, and then the married daughter of the Wang family. Besides, I will not do anything to cut myself off from the Wang family. It's just that I know them better than you, so don't worry too much, my husband."

Looking at her bright eyes, Lu Chen was so touched that he could not express it in words. He said softly, "I really don't know how to thank you."

"If my husband really wants to thank me..."

Wang Chulong's cheeks were slightly red, and her voice was as light as a cloud: "I don't seem to be that tired anymore."

Lu Chen embraced her soft body and looked at her delicate face, which made him feel naturally moved.

"Well……"

(End of this chapter)