Jiuxi

Chapter 138 Chapter 137 [Spark]

Time passes leisurely, and the capital of Nanqi is still peaceful.

Lu Chen saw Li Bingxue again at the celebration banquet held by the emperor in the palace. She was still as bright and cheerful as usual, and she didn't treat Lu Chen any abnormally. It was as if what she said drunkenly that day did not exist, as if it was just a short and happy meeting. Real dreams.

The important ministers in the DPRK seemed to have accepted the reality of the increasing strength of the border army. The military debate that Li Bingxue had worried about did not happen. No generals of the Beijing army took the opportunity of the public banquet to challenge the border army generals. As for the scholar-only banquet and Lu Chen didn't even have the slightest connection, and no one dragged him to Chongzheng Hall to talk loudly.

There is no doubt that the emperor, Zuo Xiang and others reached some kind of tacit understanding.

The Sutra Weaving Department's investigation of high-ranking court officials has stopped. From the beginning to the end, only Xu Wen and Qu Fenghua were arrested. However, their consequences of confiscating their homes and exterminating their clans can also serve as a sufficient warning to other courtiers.

The formation of the Jiangbei Fourth Army went smoothly, and all departments in the court showed efficient cooperation. No one was holding back or deliberately delaying.

Generally speaking, the end of Qi Jianwu's 12th year was very peaceful. The emperor fulfilled his promise to the border army, and all the officials were quietly dormant, waiting for the border army generals to leave before thinking of ways to persuade the emperor.

The Northern Expedition was ultimately a waste of people and money.

In such a calm atmosphere, Lu Chen took advantage of the day's rest and took a few guards through the streets and alleys to a house in Taikangfang, Nancheng.

The residence of Xue Nanting, the Right Prime Minister.

He received quite a formal courtesy here. Xue Ruogu, the eldest son of the right prime minister, personally stood outside the gate to greet him, and then led him all the way to the main hall.

After coming to this world, Lu Chen met all kinds of peers, including extremely outstanding women like Lin Xi and Li Bingxue, men with their own strengths like Li Liangyu and Li Chengen, and of course countless young generals in the army. .

The so-called thousands of people have thousands of faces, but they are not all the same.

But there is a very obvious difference between Xue Ruogu and the peers he met before. He is a scholar with a noble and bookish air.

"Captain Lu, my father is in the hall, please."

Arriving at the corridor outside the main hall, Xue Ruogu greeted him with a smile, with a hint of non-aggressive curiosity in his eyes.

Lu Chen nodded and thanked him, and then walked into the main hall calmly. He saw the pale-faced prime minister looking up, so he stepped forward and saluted, "The last general, Lu Chen, has met Prime Minister Xue."

"Don't be too polite."

Xue Nanting looked gentle, pointed to the chair on the left and said: "Please sit down."

Lu Chen sat down as instructed, his posture straight.

He calmly looked at the furnishings in the main hall of the Prime Minister's Mansion. It was completely different from the graceful atmosphere that most people imagined, but it was not the kind of poverty that was deliberately shown. Except for the central hall written by the emperor's imperial pen, the other furnishings were probably at a medium level. .

The servants came forward to serve tea and behaved with etiquette, which shows the strict family tradition of the prime minister's house.

Xue Nanting sipped tea and said leisurely: "When you came to Beijing a month ago, my uncle sent someone a personal letter, asking me to take care of you to prevent you from being bullied in Beijing. At that time, I was thinking, When will you take the initiative to visit me?"

He took the initiative to mention this matter, and Lu Chen couldn't help but feel a little ashamed.

Although Xue Huaiyi did this out of the fateful friendship between him and Lu Tong, it is indeed rare for an elder to do this.

However, the situation in Beijing was turbulent, and Li Yunyi and his like were just the tip of the iceberg. Lu Chen did not want to get involved in these whirlpools.

In short, he fully believed in Xue Huaiyi's good intentions, but he did not dare to trust Xue Nanting without reservation.

Being able to ascend to the position of right prime minister with Li Daoyan covering the sky with one hand, how could Xue Nanting be a person like Yi.

For such important ministers who are accustomed to the ups and downs of officialdom, the fetters of family ties may not determine their thoughts.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen said sincerely: "Please forgive Mr. Xue. The general should have paid a visit early, but he encountered various things after entering the capital and couldn't get away for a while."

Xue Nanting smiled slightly and said calmly: "Being careful is not a bad thing."

This sentence means that he knows Lu Chen's considerations well.

At the imperial meeting some time ago, Lu Chen saw with his own eyes that Xue Nanting and Zuo Yushi Zhongcheng Xu Zuo made a powerful blow, killing chickens and monkeys through Qu Fenghua, clearing the biggest obstacle for the emperor, and successfully implementing the proposal to add border troops.From that moment on, he was sure that the Right Chancellor was on the side of the Emperor and would at least not be an enemy of the border troops. Therefore, after the court meeting, when faced with Xue Nanting's invitation, Lu Chen agreed without hesitation.

At this moment, some words do not need to be too obscure, so Lu Chen said with some emotion: "I have seen this period of time in my eyes, and I deeply understand the difficulty for Your Majesty and Prime Minister Xue."

"It seems too unfamiliar for you to call me this way. If you don't mind, just call yourself junior."

Xue Nanting said warmly.

Lu Chen nodded in agreement.

Xue Nanting's eyes showed a hint of approval. It was obvious that Lu Chen's temper was to his liking. He then turned to the main topic and said: "There are several main reasons for inviting you to visit me. The first is of course to fulfill my uncle's request. If he knows You came to the capital but never visited the Xue family, so you will probably complain that I am unreasonable." Lu Chen responded with a smile.

Xue Nanting continued: "Second, I have a few words that I want to say to you in person."

Lu Chen said: "Please tell me, Mr. Xue."

Xue Nanting said: "You will see all the living beings in the imperial court. You should understand the difficulty of His Majesty. You should also know that the people in the imperial court are not just people who are vying for power and profit as popular rumors say. I do not deny the existence of such people. But there are also many colleagues who are working hard for the national destiny of Daqi."

The figure of Zuo Yushi Zhongcheng Xu Zuo appeared in Lu Chen's mind, and he couldn't help but nodded.

Xue Nanting's expression became gentler and he said slowly: "It's not easy for the soldiers in the border army. Your Majesty knows this, and we officials will not forget it. But many things in this world are difficult to enjoy, and there will inevitably be countless compromises and compromises. The key to the choice is that neither His Majesty nor we will give up the vision of regaining our homeland and rebuilding the great Qi thousands of miles of rivers and mountains."

In fact, for a former prime minister, Xue Nanting's statement was a bit straightforward and did not fit his status.

The reason why he was so direct was obviously because he considered Lu Chen's identity, so he didn't mince words at all.

However, these words still made Lu Chen a little puzzled. Xue Nanting seemed to have no need to express his feelings so directly. After all, the identity of the two was very different. Even though he was now the founding county man personally named by the emperor, the other party was the right prime minister with real power. , almost at the peak of human ministers.

He looked at the faint smile on Xue Nanting's face, and suddenly an idea came to his mind, and he solemnly said: "This junior will convey Xue Xiang's teachings to Governor Xiao verbatim."

Xue Nanting laughed softly and praised: "When I first learned about the border battle report, I didn't really believe that the overall strategy was yours. I thought it was because the two governors, Xiao and Li, acted wisely to retreat in order to protect themselves, and passed the credit on to After getting to know this little-known young man like you carefully, I realized that there are talented people from generation to generation, and now I am even more convinced of this."

Although he brushed off the topic and specifically mentioned the two governors in his words, Lu Chen knew that those previous words were mainly aimed at Xiao Wangzhi.

It seems that the court also knows very well that Li Tianrun's trust in the emperor is unquestionable, while Xiao Wangzhi has reservations in comparison.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen asked tentatively: "Xue Xiang, I would like to ask if I dare to ask, if the Huaizhou Governor's Office is determined to regain the Dongyang Road of Puppet Yan, can the imperial court provide sufficient support?"

Xue Nanting pondered for a moment and said slowly but firmly: "After you return to Huaizhou, tell Governor Xiao that the Central Committee will do its best to support him in the matter of regaining Dongyang Road. Please don't worry about the supply of grain, grass and weapons to the rear. I will I will personally come forward to solve all the problems and ensure that he will not have any worries."

There was some respect in Lu Chen's eyes, and he stood up and said, "I would like to thank Prime Minister Xue on behalf of Governor Xiao."

Xue Nanting raised his hand and pressed it softly, sighing: "It is the officials in Beijing who should really say thank you. Without the frontier soldiers who risked their lives to fight, how could the two states of Huaijing be defended, and how could the stability of Jiangnan be maintained? However, you must also remind Governor Xiao said that it will take time for the imperial court to prepare logistics, especially for a battle like the recapture of Dongyang Road, so he will give the center at least about a year."

"Junior understands."

Lu Chen said extremely calmly.

Xue Nanting glanced at the sky outside and said to Lu Chen: "Staying for a simple meal is a way for me to show my kindness as a landlord. The home-cooked flavor is not as good as the restaurants outside, so don't dislike it."

Lu Chen knew nothing about it. He had never thought about how deep the topic would be involved in today's meeting. At most, they would just talk about family matters through Xue Huaiyi's relationship. However, Xue Nanting's attitude was extremely calm, which gave us a glimpse of this person. The strong character of the Right Prime Minister.

If there were officials like him at the top of the court, Da Qi would have been able to work hard and march all the way north to regain the old mountains and rivers.

However, this is ultimately an unrealistic fantasy.

This lunch was just as Xue Nanting said, the dishes were ordinary home-cooked dishes, but the taste was quite good. During the dinner, Xue Nanting did not talk about business anymore, and only chatted with Lu Chen about the customs and customs of Jiangbei.

In the afternoon, Xue Ruogu personally sent Lu Chen out again, then returned to the study. Seeing Xue Nanting reviewing several official documents, he stood aside quietly and respectfully.

After a while, Xue Nanting put down the pen in his hand, raised his hand and rubbed his eyebrows.

During this process, Xue Ruogu stood silently until now and said: "Father, Captain Lu has gone back."

"What do you think of it?" Xue Nanting sat in front of the window and flipped through several official documents.

Xue Ruogu muttered: "More calm than imagined."

Xue Nanting nodded slightly, and then said with emotion: "As a father, I have a premonition that this young man will definitely become Xiao Wangzhi's successor in the future. During the time he stays in Beijing, and when he comes to Beijing in the future, you can put aside your scholarly attitude. Be proud of yourself and socialize with him more, it may be of great benefit to your future career."

Xue Ruogu was a little unable to turn around.

He now no longer doubts the young captain's ability and believes that he will play a great role in the border war. However, as a editor of the Hanlin Academy, he is destined to be a civil servant and prime minister in the future. How can he need border troops? The general's care?

Just out of respect for his father, he did not refute.

Xue Nanting knew his thoughts well and did not explain in detail. He said calmly: "You can have doubts, but you must treat this matter seriously. My father is not discussing with you. Do you understand?"

Xue Ruogu's heart tightened and he said seriously: "My son understands and will follow your father's teachings."

(End of this chapter)