My younger brother Lü Fengxian

Chapter 237 Old Friend
and……

Lu Yi hid the murderous intent in his heart.

If this person is killed in advance, it will also affect the general trend of history.

It is equivalent to killing one's own prophetic advantage in advance.

Although Lu Yi thought he was quite smart.

However, he is still far inferior to the world's best strategists such as Xun Yu, Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu.

Once we lose the first-mover advantage, we will most likely be lost in the rain in the future and fall into the passive situation of going with the flow.

Finally, the general trend of the world has its own rules.

One of them is that those who initiate anti-flag movements often do not have a good ending.

In the past, at the end of the Qin Dynasty, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang rose up in Daze Township and the whole country responded, but due to circumstances, they were in the hands of Liu Bang a few years later.

The same was true of Yang Xuangan of the Sui Dynasty and Fang Guozhen of the Yuan Dynasty.

Even now, at the end of the Han Dynasty, this was true of Zhang Jiao three years later, Dong Zhuo nine years later, and Yuan Shu seventeen years later.

The one with the most momentum may not have the last laugh.

For the time being, Dong Zhuo's life should be spared so that he can serve as the king's pioneer.

After realizing this, a warm smile also appeared on Lu Yi's face, and he smiled and nodded to Dong Zhuo, whom he met for the first time.

But Dong Zhuo didn't know what he was thinking. Although he could see that Lu Yi was of extraordinary bearing, from his commoner attire it seemed that he was not rich or powerful. Therefore, he just nodded politely and strode out, not taking Lu Yi seriously.

"My dear guest, the attendant is now free, so I will go and report to him."

Seeing the opportunity to make money, the eunuch acted more enthusiastically than Lu Yi, the real boss. He immediately apologized and hurried forward to report.

And Lu Yi did not want to leave a rude impression on Zhao Zhong, so he followed closely with Lu Bu.

"Master Changshi, the two men over there are from Jiuyuan. They once made great contributions in the Battle of Pingcheng. This time they are ordered to come to the capital to receive rewards!"

After the eunuch came before Zhao Zhong and bowed respectfully, he immediately spoke in a low voice.

"Oh? Since he is ordered to come to the capital, just give him a position as a county lieutenant or county governor of a remote county."

Zhao Zhong glanced at Lu Yi's clothes from afar, and had the same mentality as Dong Zhuo, thinking that he was just a poor boy from the border county who had luckily won military merit and hurried to the capital to ask for a reward.

He has encountered quite a few such old-fashioned people recently. They have little money, but big appetites and many demands.

As the emperor's attendant, my time is very precious. How can I waste it on these people of lowly blood?

Having said that, Zhao Zhong turned around and left.

"Master Changshi, wait a minute. Although these two are poorly dressed, they are very generous. They must be quite wealthy and know some etiquette. They are not ordinary country bumpkins."

Seeing that the rare commission was going to be lost, the eunuch was unwilling to agree and immediately started to explain to Zhao Zhong.

"Oh? Since he is a wealthy and well-mannered person, let's meet him. Go and ask him to come to my duty room to discuss the matter."

Having said that, Zhao Zhong turned around and went back to the duty room. His attitude was far less cordial than when he went out to see Dong Zhuo off before.

The eunuch looked as if it was a matter of course. The number of people who came to buy official positions and titles received in the West Garden every day was like crucian carp crossing the river. If everyone was received in this way, Zhao Zhong and others would be very busy.

"What? We came here to pay for the position, and he wants us to go to his duty room to pay our respects?"

"They're already open for business, and I've never seen anyone do business this way."

Upon hearing this, Lu Bu immediately complained in dissatisfaction.

"Please lead the way, young eunuch." Lu Yi looked calm.

Anyway, he had already made the intention to ask for help when he came here this time. It was just a little bit of rebuff and he could just wipe it off afterwards. What was the big deal?

For some people, face is more important than life and dreams.

But to him, face is the least valuable thing.

Why not lose a little face to gain many benefits?
"I, Lu Yi, the military commander of General Lu's army and the chief of Jiuyuan Pavilion, pay my respects to Lord Zhao Changshi!"

After Lu Yi followed the eunuch to Zhao Zhong's duty room, he immediately saluted Zhao Zhong respectfully.

"Lü Bu, the military commander of Mayi Pass, greets you."

However, Lu Bu behind him looked constipated when he saw this and just bowed casually.

"Ah."

"And bring me the imperial edict!"

After Zhao Zhong responded perfunctorily, he gave an order to the eunuch, who immediately took the imperial edict from Lu Yi and presented it to him.

"The imperial edict is indeed true. It seems that you two are quite capable and have achieved the first merit in defeating the enemy."

Zhao Zhong spread out the imperial edict and shook it casually. After glancing at the seal at the bottom, he nodded lightly.

"Your Excellency is too kind to praise me. I was just lucky enough to have made a small contribution. I don't deserve your praise."

Zhao Zhong nodded secretly at Lu Yi's humility and developed a slight liking for him.

"Do you understand the rules of this West Garden?"

"Hmm? Why are you standing so far away? Come closer and talk..."

"Nature knows."

"I have prepared some Jiuyuan specialties, and I will not make it difficult for you, sir."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yi immediately took a few steps forward, came in front of Zhao Zhong and said with a smile.

"Then..."

Zhao Zhong heard that Lu Yi was so well-mannered and it could save him a lot of trouble, so he smiled and looked up at Lu Yi.

But just a casual glance made him jump up from the stool under his butt as if by reflex, and he looked at Lu Yi in shock.

"Ok?"

“You…you…”

Zhao Zhong was obviously extremely surprised. He pointed at Lu Yi and couldn't even utter a complete sentence.

"Are you feeling unwell, my Lord?"

Lu Yi pretended to be concerned and went up to support him, but his heart was shocked and he suddenly thought of the scene when he first met Huangfu Song.

"Looking at Zhao Zhong's appearance, it seems that Huangfu Song's loss of composure when he saw him was not accidental?"

"Cough cough..."

After all, Zhao Zhong was the emperor's close attendant, and his adaptability and psychological quality were far superior to ordinary people. After a brief loss of composure, he coughed twice and immediately returned to normal. However, he did not sit down again, but still stood there, still looking at Lu Yi in surprise.

"You look a bit like an old friend of mine. Suddenly I almost thought I saw an old friend again. So I lost my composure, which made you feel weird."

After the recent incident, Zhao Zhong's attitude suddenly changed 180 degrees, causing the brothers Lu Yi and Lu Bu to look at each other in bewilderment.

However, Zhao Zhong's performance was even more horrifying to the eunuch guarding the door of the duty room.

Zhao Zhong was the emperor's close attendant, and even ordinary princes and ministers were not allowed to treat him with courtesy. This was the first time he had seen Zhao Zhong behave so out of control since he entered the palace. He could not help but look at Lu Yi's face in surprise, trying to find out from his face why Zhao Zhong behaved so out of control.

Unfortunately, he was destined to be disappointed. Because even the real owner Lu Yi himself didn't know what was so special about him, and he encountered such a situation twice.

According to Zhao Zhong, he looked similar to an old friend of his, and it was obvious that Huangfu Song must have known this person.

But why didn't Huangfu Song mention it to himself?

Moreover, even if Lu Yi really looked like the old friend Zhao Zhong mentioned, why did Lu Zhi and Zhu Jun, who came from Luoyang like Huangfu Song, have no reaction to him at all?
Could it be that Huangfu Song was the only one who knew the old friend Zhao Zhong mentioned?
His adoptive father, Mr. Lu, had moved from Luoyang to Jiuyuan more than 20 years ago.

The mouth can lie, but the subconscious accent cannot be hidden from others.

Mr. Lu was obviously from Luoyang and had a lot of abilities, but he would rather hide his identity and live in poverty. It seemed that there must be a reason for this.

Huangfu Song and Zhao Zhong in front of him are likely to be among the people who know the truth.

The breakthrough was right in front of him, so Lu Yi naturally didn't want to give up.

It’s not that Lu Yi had any idea of ​​clinging to someone with such a good background.

However, Mr. Lu's strange and abnormal behavior at the time was obviously to escape from disaster.

Therefore, Lu Yi wanted to know his own life experience in order to avoid risks in advance.

Not to mention anything else, the Wang Fu clan whose entire family was exterminated because of Lu Yi's inaction is a perfect example.

Wang Fu was powerful and controlled the government. Even the West Garden in front of him was originally managed by Wang Fu. It was only after Wang Fu's death that it was Cao Ji's turn to manage it.

Once Wang Fu gained power, his entire family prospered. However, when he encountered an unexpected disaster, his family was destroyed because of him. After Wang Fu's downfall, his old family friends who had benefited from his power were buried with him.

Therefore, Lu Yi needs to avoid risks in the early stages before he develops.

Once your strength increases and you have a stable territory, you won’t have to worry anymore.

"I see. Where is this old friend that Lord Zhao mentioned now? I am also quite interested in him. I wonder if I can meet him by chance?"

Thinking of this, Lu Yi immediately pretended to be ignorant and started to ask Zhao Zhong indirectly.

"Ugh……"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhong sighed.

"The man is gone, I'm afraid you won't have this opportunity anymore."

"That's a pity..." Lu Yi couldn't help but sigh in his heart when he heard that. It seemed that this secret could not be known for the time being.

This is the limit of what I can ask. If I ask any more, it will arouse Zhao Zhong's vigilance.

However, since the signs have already appeared, it is only a matter of time before Lu Yi can follow the clues and find out the mystery of his own life experience.

"In that case, please continue to explain to me, Lord Zhao Zhong. Although I know some of the rules of Xiyuan, I am still not very clear about the details."

Lu Yi threw the regret out of his mind and got down to business.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Zhong suddenly changed his tone.

"Oh?"

"Since you are not familiar with it, I will explain it to you."

"To buy an official position in Xiyuan, according to the rules, you have to go there at least three times."

"For the first time, the credit for confirming the identity is confirmed."

"The second time, to determine what kind of official title the buyer wants."

"The last time is to pay the donation. After paying the money, the emperor's edict of reward will be issued soon, and then it will be considered a success."

As Zhao Zhong spoke, he observed Lu Yi's expression inconspicuously. When he found that Lu Yi was not suspicious, his tone became more confident.

"Since there is an imperial edict as evidence, your identity can be confirmed. We can confirm your official position in three days!"

"Oh? In that case, I'll come back to bother you in three days."

Lu Yi thought that this was the procedure for buying an official position in Xiyuan and did not suspect anything. When he heard what Zhao Zhong said, he took Lu Bu and bowed and left.

Instead, the eunuch on duty at the door became confused when he heard this.

What Zhao Zhong said was basically correct, but the first and second times he mentioned were usually resolved in one go.

Because only in this way can the buyer's needs be determined quickly, making it convenient for Xiyuan to check for vacancies in official positions.

Otherwise, if he comes back a second time to confirm the desired official position and it turns out that there is no missing item, it will be a waste of time, not only making the buyer make a wasted trip, but also increasing Xiyuan's workload.

For example, Dong Zhuo, who was just asked to leave the West Garden by Zhao Zhong, only ran twice. I wonder why Zhao Zhong asked Lu Yi to run one more time?
However, being too smart is never a good thing when working in the palace.

You know, cats are not the only ones killed by curiosity.

Although the eunuch was confused, he did not show any sign on his face, as if he had not heard anything wrong. He immediately followed Zhao Zhong's instructions and politely escorted Lu Yi and Lu Bu out of the West Garden.

"no!"

"I don't know whether it is a blessing or a curse to meet this person by chance. I am feeling uneasy and I can't make up my mind. I should quickly find Zhang Rang and tell him about this matter so that we can discuss it together!"

After watching Lu Yi and others leave, Zhao Zhong's mind was in turmoil and he was still in shock. Finally, after taking a deep look at the eunuch beside him, he lied that the emperor had summoned him and that the affairs of Xiyuan were suspended. Then he hurried to the palace.

The Lu Yi brothers were unaware of Zhao Zhong's hidden agenda.

Seeing that things were going smoothly, he started strolling around Luoyang City for the first time.

This ancient city that is more than a thousand years old is still very new to Lu Yi.

Lu Yi was very interested in the words and deeds of the residents as well as the business operations of Shang Si.

Especially the latter.

His size is growing bigger and bigger now.

After the trip to Luoyang, he could at least be granted a position as a county magistrate. If some large counties had a population of over ten thousand, it would be enough to raise another thousand soldiers. This did not include the rewards from Lu Bu, Zhang Xun and others. Raising two or three thousand soldiers would not be difficult for him now.

Although the horse smuggling business has gradually been put on the right track and has a steady cash flow, and because Lu Yi is following the example of Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping before him and is working hard to monopolize the entire horse smuggling trade in Bingzhou.

But Lu Yi was still not satisfied.

First of all, the business of smuggling horses always has a limit.

Secondly, if he placed all his hopes on a single business, if the Xianbei made a comeback or the Southern Xiongnu rebelled, he would fall into the same predicament as before, where he was besieged by the Xianbei for more than half a year and gained nothing.

This is what a wise person would not do.

Therefore, Lu Yi had already come up with the idea of ​​developing other industries, but there has been no improvement for the time being and he has not made up his mind. So he might as well take a look around this most prosperous city in the world, which might give him some different inspirations.

"Hurry up and catch up, if you're late you won't be able to see the show!"

"You're right. This is a rare opportunity. There will definitely be a lot of people going to watch the show. We must seize the opportunity to grab a front-row seat."

As I was walking around, suddenly the crowd around me began to surge, and it was obvious that something big had happened.

Upon seeing this, Lu Yi immediately pulled up a commoner who was walking with his head covered and asked politely.

"Big brother, I see you are in such a hurry, but is there something important happening?"

……

(End of this chapter)