Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 52: Wen Saobei (Part )
"Aye,"

When Lu Shang returned home with the water-ground bamboo steel whip, he saw Lu Yongji drinking tea in the front hall.

"You kid," Lu Yongji put down the teacup, a rare gentle look on his face.

"Finally you're back. Come sit down. Aye has something to tell you."

Lü Shang followed his instructions and sat down, the bamboo whip resting on his knees. Lü Yongji looked at him and said slowly, "You've done quite well. You really made a splash in the martial arts exams, so much so that Prince Kaoshan is very fond of you. When I entered the palace, I heard the emperor speak of you. It was truly an honor."

Lu Yongji took a sip of tea and said quietly, "It's just that being too proud isn't always a good thing. King Kaoshan has proposed to the Emperor that you be recruited into his army and accompany him on his campaign. The Emperor has asked for my opinion. Well, I say I'm asking, but do you think I have the right to refuse?"

At this time, Lü Yongji was also very distressed. He was naturally happy that his son had made progress, but letting Lü Shang go with Yang Lin's army made Lü Yongji feel cold. He only had this one son. If he died on the battlefield, the incense of his lineage would be cut off.

However, facing the pressure from the emperor and King Kaoshan, Lu Yongji really did not have the courage to refuse.

Lu Shang whispered, "The Emperor is mobilizing troops? Is he marching south? Or sweeping north?"

The Sui Dynasty currently has only two enemies, one in the south and one in the north. It can either march south or north.

Lu Yongji hesitated for a moment, then said, "It's about sweeping the north. According to the emperor, it was King Kaoshan who strongly recommended you as the vanguard officer of the central route, saying that you have invincible supernatural powers and are perfect for being the vanguard of his sweeping the north army."

Lu Shang's fingers gently stroked the steel whip, the slightly rough texture exuding a hint of coolness. He smiled and said, "I was wondering why King Kaoshan was so generous. He not only gave me a magic weapon but also taught me the Dragon Prisoner Stick Technique. It turns out he was waiting for me here!"

Last night, Yang Lin not only gave Lu Shang the water-ground bamboo steel whip, but also taught him his unique skill, the Dragon Prison Stick Technique.

As the unique martial art of King Kaoshan Yang Lin, the Dragon Prison Stick Technique can be said to be the pinnacle of skills. It is a martial art that has been tempered thousands of times and is almost indestructible.

After Lü Shang mastered the true art of the Dragon Prison Stick, he also evolved it into a whip technique, which was even more powerful than the original stick technique.

At this time, if Lu Shang had the opportunity to fight with Yang Lin again, he should be able to give Yang Lin a surprise.

Lu Shang said calmly, "Since I'm the one who will lead the central army, have the candidates for the left and right flanks been decided?"

Lu Yongji sighed, "The positions of the other two vanguards are still undecided. King Kaoshan said that he wants to select the top two in the Enke exam to be the vanguards of the other two routes. I hope Shang Silang doesn't make the second place, so that he can't become a vanguard. I can let him follow you and sweep the north, and I'll be relieved."

In response to Lu Yongji's words, Lu Shang laughed and said, "Father, Si Lang is a retainer of our family. If he can get into the top two, he can lead an army on his own. This is a very good future. How can we think about ruining his future for the sake of our family's selfishness?"

Seeing that Lü Shang disagreed, Lü Yongji shook his head and said, "Father knows that your martial arts skills are far superior to Shang Silang's. You have become famous at such a young age, and I am happy for you. However, you are not familiar with military strategy after all. Relying on brute force alone will not work in marching and fighting."

"Shang Silang learned from the great Southern Chen general Ning Luchen. He not only learned martial arts, but also Ning Luchen's lifelong experience in deploying troops and forming battle formations. With him by your side to check for any shortcomings and fill in any gaps, you can truly rest easy!"

Lu Shang said softly, "Don't worry, Master. Since this general was personally appointed by King Kaoshan, I'm sure he'll take into consideration that I've never led troops before. He should assign me some capable recruits to assist me in handling military affairs."

"Alas, your father never thought that His Majesty would let you go to the battlefield. If I had known this, your father would not have let you participate in this special examination."

Lü Yongji said with a bitter expression, "Well, now that His Majesty has agreed to your marriage with Princess Lanling, he's also handed you over to King Kaoshan. This is a dangerous time, and I'm terrified." Lü Shang was stunned and said, "Your Majesty has agreed to my marriage with Princess Lanling?"

Lu Yongji said, "It is agreed. His Majesty has made a solemn promise that after Princess Lanling has finished mourning for two years, she can marry into our Lu family."

The reason why it was two years later was because Princess Lanling had to observe three years of mourning for Wang Fengxiao. At the beginning, Yang Jian disliked Wang Yi, and the ostensible reason was that Wang Yi violated the ethics.

Therefore, after Wang Yi was sentenced to death, in order to avoid criticism, Yang Jian had no choice but to let Princess Lanling observe the full three-year mourning period.

"Princess Lanling,"

Lu Shang was silent for a moment, then he said, "Father, I heard that the princess's dowry is unusually generous."

Lu Yongji thought for a moment and nodded, "It is indeed generous."

As the Duke of Qi, Lu Yongji was extravagant in his spending. Anything he could say was generous must have been an astonishing fortune.

Lu Shang hesitated and said, "Father, can we find a way to add some more things to the dowry?"

Lu Yongji looked at Lu Shang in surprise and asked, "What do you want to add?"

Seeing that Lü Yongji didn't refuse, Lü Shang said directly, "When I was in the Secretariat, I cherished the ancient books in the treasury. However, they are national treasures. No matter how much I like them, I can only look at them, not buy them. Can you find a way to include those ancient books in the princess's dowry?"

"A few books."

Lu Yongji breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I was wondering what to add. Just a few books from the Secretariat. That's easy. As long as I ask the Eunuch Chen Dexin to make arrangements in advance and keep a record of it in the Secretariat, those books can become the princess's dowry."

It was just a few ancient books, Yang Jian didn't care at all. As long as Chen Dexin nodded, these ancient books would become part of the princess's dowry. This was the right of the emperor's close ministers.

Upon hearing this, Lu Shang's face lit up with joy. He stood up and bowed deeply to his father. "Thank you, Father, for your help. These ancient books are truly treasures to me, far more valuable than a thousand pieces of gold."

Lu Yongji waved his hand, his face showing a mixture of helplessness and doting: "You little boy, others are thinking about getting gold and silver as a dowry, but you are obsessed with these books. But since you like them, Aye will definitely help you get them."

He frowned slightly and warned, "Although this isn't a difficult matter, we must proceed with caution. We must not let people think we're overstepping the bounds and causing gossip."

Lu Shang nodded solemnly and replied, "I will remember your teachings, Father. I will definitely not bring trouble to my family because of these books."

After saying that, he carefully placed the bamboo steel whip against the wall and sat back down opposite Lu Yongji, his expression becoming somewhat serious.

The ancient books that Lu Shang mentioned were certainly not just ordinary ancient books. He had been coveting the scroll of "The Eight Horses of King Mu" in the Secretariat for a long time, but he did not dare to take action due to the strict palace restrictions.

If I can take this opportunity to get the Eight Horses Painting, then marrying Princess Lanling will be really worth it.

(End of this chapter)