Jiuxi

Chapter 243 241【White Cloud Dog】

There is a cloud-viewing platform in the palace, located to the southeast of Wende Hall.

In spring and summer, Li Duan often came here to climb up and look far away, but rarely came here in autumn and winter, mainly because he didn't want to listen to the nagging advice of the queen and concubines.

After the last regular dynasty in the thirteenth year of Jianwu's reign, Li Duan did not return to the harem, but went straight to Guanyuntai.

Qin Zheng followed closely, looking at the emperor's slightly thin back, worry flashed in his eyes.

The cloud viewing platform is not very high, just over six feet, but Li Duan's breath was obviously a little rough after he walked up. He did not deliberately hide it in front of Qin Zheng, but laughed at himself: "I am indeed getting old, and I can't be as relaxed and comfortable as I used to be." .”

Qin Zheng lowered his head slightly and said: "Your Majesty is in the prime of the Spring and Autumn Period, why do you say this?"

Li Duan smiled and looked up to the north. The majestic Yongjia City came into view. He saw that the houses were connected to the streets, and the fireworks in the world were spontaneous. However, in this cold and gloomy winter, it seemed to be contaminated by a layer of smoke. Gray color.

"Let's investigate this matter carefully today. Judging from Li Daoyan's attitude, he also doesn't want people from the north to extend their hands into Daqi's court. With his support and help, you will have a lot of convenience in doing this. "

"The minister obeys the order."

"Having said that, although Li Daoyan's reaction was a bit beyond my expectations, it is also reasonable. Even though this old prime minister does not support the Northern Expedition, he can still stick to his stand on major issues of right and wrong, which is much better than Ding Hui and his like. ."

"Your Majesty, Shangshu Ding can actually be considered a capable official."

"I know, otherwise why would I allow him to take charge of the Ministry of War? Judging from the reports of Xiao Wangzhi and Li Tianrun, there have been no problems with the ordnance and armor prepared by the Ministry of War, which shows Ding Hui's ability in general affairs. As for his daily I ran to the prime minister's house and took Li Daoyan's words as my guide. This kind of thing is not intolerable. After all, no one is perfect."

Li Duan's expression was far from calm, but it wasn't one of bitterness and hatred either.

Qin Zheng knew this very well. From the day he ascended the throne thirteen years ago, the emperor never gave up the idea of ​​​​the Northern Expedition to regain his homeland and return it to the old capital. Therefore, he fought with all the forces in the DPRK and China for thirteen years.

On the surface, the emperor has not done much in the past thirteen years. It can be roughly divided into two things. The first is to protect the frontier generals headed by Xiao Wangzhi and Li Tianrun, and the second is to face constraints from all sides. Under such circumstances, forces loyal to him gradually developed in the court.

Two things that sound simple, actually require endless efforts and energy. The emperor has also sharpened his extremely strong will in the process, so he will not regard existences like Ding Hui as a thorn in his side.

In the final analysis, it is nothing more than seeking common ground while reserving differences.

Thinking of this, Qin Zheng said thoughtfully: "Your Majesty, although the left prime minister stepped forward to suppress the turmoil in the court this time, I feel that they will definitely cause trouble for the right prime minister."

Li Duan nodded slightly and said calmly: "So the Northern Expedition must achieve greater results. The northern frontier army will continue to win and regain Da Qi's territory step by step. The right prime minister will have more support in the court. He, as me, As long as there are a certain proportion of ministers who support him in the court, his position cannot be shaken by the criticism of those people."

Hearing him mention the war in the north, Qin Zheng pondered: "Judging from the current situation, it is not a big problem for the Huaizhou Army to regain Dongyang Road of the Puppet Yan, and they can even make some progress on Moyang Road."

Li Duan turned to look at him and asked, "What do you think of what Xiao Wangzhi said in the secret?"

Zhai Lin Wang's change of course was beyond everyone's expectation. The impact of this incident was extremely far-reaching, and it could not be made public for the time being. Therefore, Li Duan had not yet made a decision. At the moment, he only gave Xiao Wangzhi a certain degree of autonomy, but did not Give the Wang family a clear answer.

There is no need to elaborate on the benefits of accepting the Wang family, but it involves the entanglements of the past, because the Wang family was one of the first aristocratic families to join the Jing Dynasty. Although the Wang family cannot be blamed for the fall of Heluo and the death of the late emperor, no one can determine the specific role played by the Wang family before and after the Yuanjia Incident.

Qin Zheng thought for a moment and said slowly: "Your Majesty, the key to this matter is what the Wang family wants. If they just want to start over again, it is not unacceptable that Your Majesty and the court will no longer pursue the mistakes made by the Zhai Lin and Wang family back then. But if they want to go one step further and maintain their unique position as the leader of the clan in the North, I have thought about it again and again, but I still feel that it is not appropriate."

"Why?"

"Your Majesty, if the Northern Expedition succeeds, our country will still have to face the powerful enemy of Jing Dynasty. No matter whether it is the nobles of the aristocratic families in Yongjia City or the border army generals fighting desperately, no one wants to see a clan that jumps left and right continue Stealing a high position. If we want to fight against the Jing Dynasty and at least maintain an undefeated situation, internal unity is crucial. If the Zhai Lin Wang family is high up, they will definitely insert a sharp thorn into our court."

Li Duan narrowed his eyes slightly and placed his slender fingers on the railing.

"I cannot shut out the sincerity of the Wang family, because only if there are more and more people like the Wang family, the Northern Expedition will become smoother and smoother. This is the general trend and cannot be influenced by personal likes and dislikes."

Li Duan looked at the northern sky, his tone was distant and silent.

Qin Zheng did not argue about this topic. He knew better than anyone else the difficulties of the Supreme Being around him. Although he was nominally the emperor of Qian Gang's dictatorship, almost every major event related to the fate of Da Qi required considering the interests of all parties, so he calmly He said quietly: "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will let people go out in advance to prepare the ground."

A look of relief appeared on Li Duan's face, and he immediately smiled and said: "It doesn't have to be like this. The two brothers who are currently in power in the Wang family, Wang Cheng, is a literary figure who has no intention of pursuing an official career. In the future, let him take the post of headmaster of Fengya Academy. As for the Wang An... He has been a fake Prime Minister of Yan. It is not appropriate to join the center of our dynasty. He can be given a false title and honor. There are countless children in the Wang family, and there must be many young and talented people among them. Let them select a few of them, or Just enter the court or join the army and be given a real job." Qin Zheng responded one by one, thought about it and said, "Your Majesty, although this arrangement is appropriate, I'm afraid it won't satisfy the Wang family."

"Today is different from the past. The Wang family should understand their identity."

Li Duan's eyes were gentle, and his tone finally showed some imperial majesty, and then he said meaningfully: "Moreover, aren't the Wang family planning to marry the Guangling Lu family? Since they place their hopes on Lu Chen, then I will promote Lu Chen. It can also be regarded as giving them a guarantee from the side. In the future, Lu Chen Qingyun will rise to the top, and the Wang family's daughter is a legitimate royal wife, so the Wang family will naturally benefit from it."

Qin Zheng had always been serious in front of the emperor, but at this moment he couldn't help but smile and said with emotion: "Your Majesty's words are reasonable."

Li Duan slowly let out a long breath and said leisurely: "These aristocratic families have always relied on marriage as the only way to maintain their foundation. I let Lu Chen ascend to a high position. It seems to be in line with their vision."

Qin Zheng smiled and said: "Exactly."

At this moment, a few small things suddenly appeared in his mind. There was no need to mention it in front of the emperor, but at this moment, the emperor's words seemed to be referring to marriage, so he reminded him: "Your Majesty, when talking about this matter, I suddenly remembered that I had something to do with Lu Chen. Some news.”

"Say it."

"As far as I know, Lu Chen went to the Puppet Yan Baotai Mountain in the first half of the year to assist the reckless gang Qixing Gang in training soldiers to fight against the Yan army. This matter is not only related to the strategic planning of the Huaizhou Governor's Office, but also has a very important reason. . Lin Jie, the leader of the Seven Star Gang, is the top master in the world. His daughter Lin Xi once used the pseudonym Bodhisattva Man and assassinated Jing Dynasty and pseudo-Yan dignitaries many times in the North. She is called a woman who cannot be compared with others. "

Li Duan said calmly: "Are you saying that the relationship between Lu Chen and that Lin Xi is too close?"

Qin Zheng nodded and said: "Not only that, Lin Xi teaches Lu Chen martial arts as a senior sister, and the two have already made a marriage agreement in Baotai Mountain."

Li Duan thought for a moment and said calmly: "This is nothing. I have decreed that he can marry two people at the same time, regardless of age."

Qin Zheng added: "There is one more thing, but I cannot guarantee the authenticity. Lu Chen has a close relationship with Li Bingxue, the eldest daughter of Governor Li, and there seems to be an unclear relationship between the two."

Li Duan was stunned.

Although the identities of Wang's daughter and Lin Xi are very different, in the end they are just Lu Chen's personal problems and will not affect the overall situation of the world, but the eldest daughter Li Tianrun loves most is different. Moreover, as an emperor, he cannot be too ridiculous. It is harmless to grant a marriage to Lu Chen out of overall considerations. But if the imperial edict is that three women marry one husband at the same time, including his personally appointed military attache, will this matter be recorded in the history books? Wouldn't it make him a laughing stock?

Thinking of this, Li Duan couldn't help laughing and scolding: "This guy Lu Chen seems to be honest and responsible, why is he messing around in private!"

However, there was no smile in his eyes.

Qin Zheng knew this very well.

The emperor's regard for Lu Chen was not only due to his own abilities, but also to win over Xiao Wangzhi. After all, the governor of Huaizhou was somewhat alienated from the court compared to Li Tianrun. On this basis, the emperor will not suppress Lu Chen's rise, and will even accelerate his promotion for certain reasons, such as the recent sudden entry of the Zhai Lin Wang family.

However, Lu Chen himself had the support of Xiao Wangzhi, and he was also closely connected with the Governor of Jingzhou. Especially the difficult-to-confirm relationship between him and Li Bingxue would definitely make the emperor a little confused.

What will be the future of a young military general who straddles two major frontier military governors, is about to marry into the largest wealthy family in the north, and is also highly regarded by the emperor?

At the moment, he is naturally inferior to Xiao Wangzhi or Li Tianrun, but as an emperor, he cannot only look at the present.

Qin Zheng did not give any opinions. As the emperor's most trusted minister, he knew very well that he only needed to keep silent at this time.

After a long time, Li Duan said gently: "Rather than nip problems in the bud, I prefer to employ people with confidence. However, this boy is too provocative, so I have to give him a few words of warning to avoid a lot of trouble in the future. You can't give him a decree to allow him to marry seventeen or eight wives."

Qin Zheng knew clearly in his heart that the emperor had made a decision. At least Lu Chen would not be in any trouble for now, and the young man's future was still bright.

As for the future... who knows what the vicissitudes of the world will look like?

"Your Majesty Shengming."

Qin Zheng bowed.

Li Duan turned to look at him and said with a half-smile: "You never do things without aim. Are you worried that someone will use this to criticize Lu Chen in the future and undermine the overall plan of the Northern Expedition by bringing up these trivial matters today?"

Qin Zheng smiled but did not answer.

Li Duan raised his hand and patted his shoulder, saying word by word: "Don't worry, I'm not a fool."

(End of this chapter)