Jiuxi

Chapter 122 Chapter 121

In the 12th year of Qi Jianwu's reign, it was October [-]th.

At dawn, Chen Shu and the Lu family's guards climbed out of bed. They first urged the kitchen to prepare food, and then asked the maid to iron Lu Chen's court clothes carefully several times, preferably without even a single wrinkle.

Seeing them looking for trouble like headless flies, Lu Chen couldn't help laughing and said: "We only entered the palace in the afternoon, what are you busy with so early in the morning?"

Chen Shu obviously disagreed with this, but he didn't want to react too fiercely, so he could only say sincerely: "Young master, this is your first time meeting a saint, you must not make any mistakes, otherwise I will not be able to spare my life. Furthermore, it is a serious crime to be disobedient before the emperor, and the young master must go smoothly today. Even if he cannot leave a deep impression on the emperor, it is better than letting the people in the palace look down upon the young master."

Lu Chen shook his head helplessly and said, "Okay, you can do whatever you want, I'm going to practice."

Chen Shu quickly said: "Master, I put ten 50-tael banknotes in the right sleeve of Qin's court clothes. This is what the master specially told me. After entering the palace, if I meet that kind of weird eunuch, Master You might as well take care of it a little bit so that no one deliberately makes things difficult for you."

"understood."

Lu Chen waved his hand and walked towards the atrium.

The morning court in the palace usually lasted until about [-]:[-] in the morning, and then the emperor wanted to return to the harem to rest, so the eunuch who came to announce the decree yesterday set the time of the audience at [-]:[-] in the afternoon.

Chen Shu and others were restless for most of the day, but Lu Chen didn't feel anything unusual. He still had three big bowls of lunch as usual.

At three quarters of noon, he left Lu Zhai calmly and rode towards the imperial city in the south, accompanied by several personal guards.

Different from the majestic and majestic one he imagined, the layout of Qi's imperial city is slightly cramped. This is because Yongjia City has not made preparations to become a capital city, and Li Duan has not carried out any major construction projects in the years since he took the throne, so the layout of this imperial city is not enough. Magnificent.

To be precise, the Imperial City is located in the southeast corner of Yongjia, with Baoanmen and Chongxinmen to the east, and mountains and city walls to the west and south, including Qingping Mountain, Bapanling, Qibao Mountain, Ruishi Mountain, etc.

In terms of topography, only the north side of the imperial city is a wide area, the other three sides are either high mountains or towering city walls, and only a passage is left at Lengshuiguan between the mountains in the south.

Lu Chen learned about the layout of the imperial city from Li Bingxue, and it was inevitable that he would have a strange feeling in his heart.

If Jingchao's cavalry breaks through the Hengjiang barrier and hundreds of thousands of elite troops attack the south, the people in this imperial city will escape from Lengshuiguan in the south and continue to be displaced all the way south.

If even the emperor thinks this way, then the word Northern Expedition is undoubtedly a rhetoric to deceive the people of the world.

But judging from the attitudes of Xiao Wangzhi and Li Tianrun towards the emperor, the emperor who had been in power for twelve years should not be so weak.

Walking along the vast and flat imperial street, Lu Chen suddenly thought of a question. When the emperor ascended the throne and made Yongjia his capital 12 years ago, no one believed that Li Tianrun, Xiao Wangzhi and the vast number of frontier soldiers could stop the powerful enemy from the north, so it was inevitable. Leave yourself a way out, which can also explain the unique layout of the imperial city.

There are many government offices on both sides of the Imperial Street. As we get closer and closer to the imperial city, the government offices next to it become more and more important.

Arriving at the place where the horse was stationed in the square in front of the palace, Lu Chen jumped off his mount, handed the reins to a guard, and then raised his eyes to look ahead.

On the other side of the square, the palace wall is towering, and the Hening Gate is clearly visible. Through this gate, you will enter the imperial city.

He walked that way calmly, the autumn breeze blowing in the broad square, blowing the hem of his clothes.

The imperial guards guarding the palace gate checked that his official documents were acceptable and politely asked him to wait. After about a moment of burning incense, several eunuchs came to Hening Gate and then led Lu Chen into the imperial city.

The eunuchs all remained silent and walked forward in silence.

Lu Chen followed them and calmly looked at the layout of the palace.

All the way to the Wende Hall where the emperor lived his daily life, the leader of the eunuchs stopped and turned around and said: "Please wait here for a moment, Captain Lu. I will go and report to your majesty now."

Lu Chen nodded slightly and said, "Thank you."

After half the time of burning incense, the eunuch leader came back and said to Lu Chen: "Captain Lu, your Majesty has summoned me, please come with me."

The two entered the palace and walked through a corridor to the side hall. The leader of the eunuchs stopped in front of a door, turned around and said to Lu Chen: "Captain Lu, please."

Lu Chen took a deep breath and walked into the hall.

The interior is brightly lit, with simple furnishings and a relatively spacious space.

As soon as he came in, Lu Chen felt a gaze on his face, so he stepped forward with steady steps, bowed slightly and said, "I'm a humble minister, Lu Chen, pay my respects to Your Majesty!"

The etiquette system of Qi State is relatively loose. Except for some extremely important occasions such as the New Year's Ceremony, courtiers do not need to kowtow or bow three times or even kneel down when meeting their Majesty. They usually just bow and salute.

A gentle voice came from the front: "Pingshen."

Lu Chen's back was straightened, his eyes were not squinting, and he was looking quietly at the gold brick ground in front of him.

The atmosphere in the side hall was quiet and solemn.

On the dragon throne, Li Duan looked at the young general who finally appeared in front of him. He was very satisfied with Lu Chen's appearance.

Although he is not the burly type, he moves like a dragon and a tiger, and his sharp eyes show that he has stepped into the threshold of a warrior. No wonder he can make continuous gains on the battlefield, and even personally beheaded Qin Chun, the general of Jing Dynasty. 's head.

What impressed him even more was Lu Chen's calm and restrained demeanor. He didn't have the arrogance and arrogance of ordinary young people who suddenly succeed, but was very calm and solid.So he said calmly: "Come closer."

"The minister obeys the order."

Lu Chen agreed, then took a few steps forward and stopped when he was about ten feet away from the emperor.

Before summoning Lu Chen, Li Duan thought of some ways to win over him, such as rewarding him with some useful treasures, or starting with the Lu family in Guangling. In short, he hoped that this young man who was admired by both Li Tianrun and Xiao Wangzhi could understand that the Tian family He also values ​​​​him very much.

But at this moment, looking at Lu Chen who was far ahead of his peers in Yuan Ting, Li Duan suddenly decided to give up those methods.

He asked calmly: "What do you think of the situation in Jiangbei?"

When these words fell into his ears, Lu Chen was obviously a little surprised.

Regarding today's meeting with the emperor, Lu Tong had analyzed it for him a long time ago. The emperor must promote these young generals in order to strengthen the confidence of the two governors, Xiao Wangzhi and Li Tianrun, and at the same time release a message to the government and the public. Signal: After shouting slogans for 12 years, the Northern Expedition will gradually be put on the agenda.

In this process, there will inevitably be many disputes in the court, and the appearance of Li Sanlang is the first appearance of the undercurrent under the current.

As the core focus of this incident, it is impossible for Lu Chen and others to stay out of the incident completely, but as long as they stand firm and don't act like a knife in the hands of others, there will be no danger.

Whether it was the emperor who wanted to promote the Northern Expedition or the ministers of the DPRK and the Central Committee of the Jiangnan family who opposed the waste of people and money, they would not deliberately target the border troops, because they both had at least one common demand, that is, Huaizhou and Jingzhou should not fall.

These big shots are not indifferent to the truth that lips are dying and teeth are cold.

Lu Chen thought about many possibilities for the first meeting with the Holy Emperor. For example, the emperor started talking about it from the Lu family in Guangling, or started the topic with his performance in the Battle of Jiangbei. These are common methods used by superiors to win over their subordinates.

I never expected that the emperor would directly throw out such a grand proposition after the ceremony.

Should this be considered a school exam?

It was impossible that the emperor really wanted to question a mere prosecutor.

In the blink of an eye, Lu Chen calmed down and replied: "I am stupid, I don't know what your Majesty is referring to."

Li Duan didn't take it seriously and said leisurely: "Then let me make it more clear. What do you think the Da Qi Northern Expedition has a chance of winning?"

But the problem is bigger.

Normally, shouldn't this be something you and the Prime Minister discuss?
No matter how bad it is, only two border army commanders are qualified to make a comment.

Lu Chen looked up and saw the emperor looking at him with a smile. There was a pair of deep eyes on his fair face, like an unfathomable cold pool.

His behavior in front of Chen Shu and others was not a disguise. He was indeed not too nervous, but more out of curiosity.

I occasionally came across some information in my previous life, which generally described the promising emperors of ancient times as power machines whose humanity was gradually disappearing, as if their every word and every action had hidden meanings.

Now that I saw him in person, apart from his unhealthy appearance, there didn't seem to be much that was surprising about him.

Li Duan felt a little strange in his heart. He had seen too many deep-seated people in the court, or greedy people who were obsessed with power. No matter how they viewed the emperor in private, they would behave extremely humbly in front of the emperor, and rarely would. There were people like Lu Chen who dared to look straight, and there was not much fear in their eyes.

It was very similar to the time when he and Qin Zheng had just met, but the problem was that at that time he was just an ordinary prince who was not favored, not the emperor who was gradually gaining power today.

Thinking of this, Li Duan said with a somewhat encouraging tone: "Speak boldly. I really want to hear the truest thoughts of the border soldiers."

Lu Chen was dubious about this statement, but based on the analysis and advice of his elders before entering Beijing, he chose to answer frankly after pondering: "Your Majesty, judging from the current situation, I have no chance of winning in the Northern Expedition."

There was no trace of anger on Li Duan's face. He just savored the words "analyzing from the current situation" and then asked: "Seriously?"

Lu Chen replied cautiously: "Your Majesty, this is my crude idea, and it is definitely not as good as the insights of the Grand Governor and others. It is just your Majesty's inquiry, and I cannot deliberately conceal it. Taking into account the strength of the frontier army, the foundation of the enemy, and the support from the rear It seems that if we launch the Northern Expedition rashly, even if our army can achieve a temporary victory, it will inevitably end in failure. Of course, as long as the two governors Xiao and Li can take charge of the overall situation, even if our army has to retreat in the end, we can Keep Huai and Jing safe and secure."

A look of relief appeared in Li Duan's eyes. He had not heard such a direct and sincere answer for a long time.

This couldn't help but remind him of the extremely happy mood he felt when he heard about the conflict in the Fan Building a few days ago, so he did not comment on Lu Chen's reply, but changed the topic and said: "I heard that Li Sanlang almost had an accident in the Fan Building that day. Conflict with you. I want to ask you, if Li Sanlang decided to break up with you at that time, would you really choose to do it? "

Lu Chen raised his eyebrows slightly and said calmly: "Your Majesty, I will definitely beat him."

Li Duan asked curiously: "Why? You have to know that his grandfather was the left prime minister of the dynasty and one of my arms. A small number of the ministers in the court came from his disciples. Everyone in the world knows that Mr. Zuo is loyal to the country. If you fight If he hurt his most beloved grandson, wouldn't he worry about causing a huge disaster to himself?"

Lu Chen had actually considered this issue carefully.

Facing the emperor's inquiry at this moment, he said very calmly and confidently: "Li Sanlang does not have any official position. I am a fifth-grade inspector of the Huaizhou Governor's Mansion. If he attacks me, will I have to go free?" Accept it? The minister told him that day that Mr. Lu is a rough man from the frontier and does not understand the rules and etiquette, so he should not bully others too much."

He paused slightly and said calmly: "I am your Majesty's servant, not a disciple of the Prime Minister's Mansion."

Li Duan looked at this young and handsome face and suddenly laughed softly.

(End of this chapter)