March.

This elite army coming from the frontier finally arrived in the capital.

Because they had someone to support them, this purely land-based army did not encounter the naval battle that Chu Lu was worried about.

Chu Lu's face became even colder.

——They can dispatch people to help on the water, but they don’t have the manpower to save themselves, so they can only ask for help at the border? !

The commander-in-chief was surrounded by a chill that made him so cold that even the deputy commander who came this time retreated and did not dare to approach him, let alone the others.

Without naval battles, the soldiers in the capital who had long been worn out were certainly no match for these elite frontier troops who had been tempered in blood and fire. They were almost defeated as soon as they came into contact.

…

In the 16th year of Kangping, the third son of the emperor killed his brother and father, forged an imperial edict and proclaimed himself king. His behavior was so brutal that it was intolerable to heaven.

Xie led his army southward to the capital to provide assistance. The false king was executed in Zhaoping Palace, and the sixteenth son of the emperor ascended the throne with the late emperor's will.

…

…………

Although the fake king who had been executed had not been in power for long, he had killed many people. When a court meeting was held, there were only a few pitiful people in the hall, and the entire court could hardly maintain even the minimum operation. The new emperor's top priority was to quickly select people to fill the court.

But before that, the young new emperor issued two edicts.

One was to change the name of the "Canglang" army, which had made great contributions in rescuing the emperor, to "Beiding" and give them some rewards.

Another one——

"... General Xie was extremely brave and drove out the northern barbarians and pacified the six states..."

"This is a great achievement for generations to come..."

…

…………

"...He has a good command of the army and is a rare general..."

…

The achievements and praises were mixed together, and they couldn't even fit on a scroll.

The eunuch who announced the decree was full of energy and emotion at the beginning, but after the third scroll, his voice had become a little hoarse.

Chu Lu: "..."

Little eunuch: "..."

No matter how much he doubted life in his heart, he still had to recite what he was supposed to recite. The eunuch even felt that he had to stand here and praise people until dark.

Fortunately, this excessive amount of praise finally came to an end, but after seeing the rewards that followed, the eunuch wished he could continue praising the man until the end of time.

He paused for a moment, barely perceptible, and spoke very slowly, hoping that the last paragraph of praise could be extended indefinitely. However, the content he read at the same time had already made him break out in a cold sweat.

[No need to kneel before the palace], [Permitted to wear shoes and swords], [Sitting on the Nine Gifts], [Traveling with six horses]...

If these are just ceremonial privileges.

——“Privileged treatment” with the same ceremony as the emperor.

Then the next step is to confer titles and decentralize power...

…

…………

The eunuch didn't know how he finished reading the imperial edict. At first, he could still feel his throat was hoarse, but now this slight physical discomfort could no longer attract his attention. The clothes on his back were already wet with cold sweat, and he even suspected that he could squeeze out a handful of water if he squeezed it a little.

"Beiding" is the foundation of the new emperor. General Xie, who has just been conferred the title of "Marquis of Anguo", is naturally the new emperor's confidant. It stands to reason that this is a good opportunity to curry favor with him, but right from the start he has come to the point where there is nothing more to be conferred, which makes people feel uneasy.

After all, he had been in the imperial city for so many years, and the eunuch felt that his heart trembled when the decree was announced.

After all, they have no right to get involved in the battle between gods. If they are not careful, they will die.

Finally, after tremblingly reciting the last sentence, the eunuch forced out a smile that looked quite sincere, relying on his years of training in the palace, pinching his throat and slowing down his voice, "Thank you, Lord, please accept the order."

After this imperial edict, the person in front of him had changed from "General Xie" to "Marquis Xie".

…

…………

Being able to enter and leave the palace at will is one of the many privileges stated in the imperial edict just now.

After Chu Lu took the imperial edict with a stern face, he entered the palace.

…

The new emperor was now lying on the beam of the bedroom in a very ungraceful manner, dressed in a black robe that almost blended into the shadows. He looked more like an assassin who had sneaked in than an emperor.

The eunuchs in the hall had already left, leaving only two people staring at each other.

The memories of his early years have become vague, and Chen Yin has long been unaccustomed to being surrounded by a large group of people whenever he goes in and out. Even when he returned to the capital in recent years, there were not many people serving him. This time, knowing in advance that Chu Lu was coming, he had already sent his attendants away.

...Won't he save some face when he gets beaten up later?!

Chu Lu silently looked at the new emperor who was peeking out from the beams, and after a long while he finally said two words: "... Come down."

Chen Yin:!

He trembled visibly and felt that this matter might be more serious than he thought.

He tried to negotiate, "Uncle, you have to promise not to hit me first... No, at least don't hit me in the face..."

Obviously, the speaker himself felt that what he did this time was purely deserving of a beating.

——Whether it was gambling with his own safety and forcing his uncle to mobilize troops to the capital, or the reward that came without any warning and was completely beyond the "appropriate" or even "reasonable" range.

Chu Lu ignored him and repeated the two words again, "Come down."

What's the point of beating or not?

Although there is a saying in this small world that "a good son is born under the stick", Chu Lu is not a native of the small world. There is no plot line that must force people to be crazy. Has he ever touched this little bastard? ...Except when he was practicing martial arts.

Chen Yin, who had no idea of Chu Lu’s thoughts:!!!

He carefully looked at the expression on his uncle's face a few times, but as always, he couldn't see any special emotions on it.

At this moment, he particularly disliked his uncle's habit of not showing his emotions on his face.

Chen Yin thought about it, then grunted and moved forward half an inch——

"Uncle, please don't be angry. Let me explain."

...Listen to my excuse.

Chen Yin: It was a bad decision. Uncle Cheng didn’t come with us this time. He couldn’t get through even when he tried to contact someone in advance.

…

…………

In the end, Chen Yin came down.

He felt that if he continued to lie on the beam, he might get more than just a beating.

The uncle and nephew looked at each other in silence.

The silence lasted so long that Chen Yin couldn't help but hesitantly ask, "Uncle?"

Chu Lu: "Explain."

He has never been the kind of patriarch who doesn't give his children a chance to explain.

"Oh...oh, um...explain..."

Chen Yin stuttered for a moment and then he remembered that he was so busy panicking that he forgot to prepare an excuse to "quibble".

But it was probably useless to be prepared. Chen Yin had never successfully lied to his uncle in his life. Facing those dark eyes that seemed to see through everything, he couldn't tell any lies.

He originally thought that he would make some progress after staying in the capital for so long, but it was obvious that the authority of the elders was deeply rooted. Chen Yin hesitated for a long time and couldn't explain it clearly. In the end, he simply gave up and asked directly: "If I don't send a letter for help, will my uncle come to the capital?"

Chu Lu: “No.”

It was such a straightforward answer that left no room for fantasy.

Chen Yin immediately showed an expression that said "I'm going to make a scene".

"...Uncle, can you at least lie to me? If you don't come this time, it will be difficult for us to meet again in the future!"

One is in the capital, and the other is in the frontier, both of which cannot be easily left, especially since Chen Yin will be nailed to this square imperial city in the future.

"You raised me up, so even if I'm not your biological nephew, it's almost the same! Your nephew will have to spend his whole life in prison..."

If this is the "big prison", it is truly the most luxurious prison in the world.

Chen Yin was still pretending to cry, and his tone sounded as if he was going to die any moment soon.

"...I am your nephew whom you have raised for ten years... and you are too stingy to even come and see me..."

“…”

Chu Lu ignored his nagging attempt to cover up his anxiety and said directly: "'A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall', I think I taught you this."

Chen Yin cried and complained like he was reciting a sutra.

After a long silence, he changed his tone and said, "There are gains and losses. There is no such thing as risk-free in this world. This time... didn't I win the bet?"

He gambled with his own safety, betting that his uncle would be worried and come here in person despite his illness.

——He won.

Some things will be imprinted on one's character for a lifetime. No matter how cheerful and lively he usually is, after witnessing his biological father forcing his mother to death and then turning to him when he was young, Chen Yin could not be unaffected. In fact, even the "cheerful and lively" character, Chen Yin could not figure out whether it was his nature, or he thought his uncle liked this kind of child more, so he deliberately showed it.

Fortunately, he didn't need to hide anything, he knew clearly that the person in front of him would tolerate and accept everything about him——

Whether it is normal or abnormal.

This is indeed the case.

After a round of ideological education and psychological counseling, plus homework, Chen Yin swore that "there won't be a next time", and this matter can finally be put to rest.

However, this was just a matter of "writing a letter for help".

As for the other thing...

This time Chen Yin sincerely admitted his mistake, "Uncle, I was wrong."

Chu Lu: "Those who have no merit are rewarded, and those who have no fault are punished. The superiors arbitrarily reward or punish based on their personal likes and dislikes. This is the sign of a tyrant monarch and the beginning of the dynasty's demise..."

"That's not the reason!"

Chen interrupted his uncle excitedly with a rare attitude, "It's not because of personal likes and dislikes...Uncle deserves it!"

"He drove out the barbarians and recovered half of the country... He managed agriculture and revived hundreds of families... His uncle's contribution is comparable to that of the ancient Marquis Xu and Duke Wu. There is nothing he cannot deserve!"

Chu Lu: "..."

Although I always knew that because he saved a life, this kid always had a strange filter when he looked at him, but this was more than just a "filter"... blind people's sunglasses, right? The kind that blindly brags.

Chu Lu's brief silence was obviously misunderstood as meaning something else.

But at this time, Chen Yin calmed down.

"I know that my uncle has been loyal and faithful all his life. This promotion goes against his will."

Chen Yin knew that his actions this time might have touched his uncle's bottom line.

However, after he finally got his revenge and ended the nightmare that had haunted him for so many years, Chen Yin finally realized what he had overlooked before... After his affairs were settled, his uncle would probably leave.

Who exactly is “Xie Lu”?

Chen Yin knew that in this world, perhaps only if he witnessed the other person coming out of the ice with his own eyes would he know the other person's true identity.

And what kind of person is Xie Gong?

It was the person who said "I am grateful for the emperor's grace, and I am willing to serve as your minister" in that turbulent time when everyone had their own army and was independent.

In that era when many heroes emerged and talented people emerged, there were many people who said things that sounded better than this, but there was only one person who was consistent in his words and deeds and never changed until his death, and that was Xie Gong… If Daqi could have had another "Xie Lu", or even if Xie Lu could live longer, no one could have predicted how that era would have ended.

Chen Yin had followed him for ten years, so he knew that his uncle had never intended to change his name to "Changchen".

He just... couldn't bear to see the scene of so many lives being destroyed.

When Chen Yin was young, he once thought that the other side would drive out the barbarians in the north, destroy Dachang in the south, re-establish a new dynasty, and create unparalleled achievements.

At that time, he was full of hatred, and even hoped that the process would go faster and faster. He couldn't wait to witness the man's expression when his country was destroyed and his family was ruined.

However, the longer they spent together and the more mature they became, the more Chen Yin realized that his childhood wishes would not come true.

——That person, the one he called "uncle", would never take the initiative to go south and start a war...

He is the most powerful general in the world, but he hates war more than anyone else.

That's why Chen Yin finally chose to lead his men south.

…

After we recovered the six states, we no longer had to watch our compatriots being tamed and driven like animals by the barbarians.

As early as three years ago, my uncle had already done what he wanted to do. The reason I kept it until today was just because I was worried about his safety.

If this was the case three years ago, what about three years later?

He wants the other person to stay...

"The descendants of Yangling Marquis live in Qiuxing. Although his twelfth-generation grandson is still young, he is very smart... There are several members of the Chen clan who are about the same age..."

——"Marquis of Yangling" is the title given by Dachang to the last descendant of the Qi Dynasty.

"I will adopt him as my son in the name of a royal family member. Would you be willing to be the 'Prince's Tutor' and personally educate him?"

Chu Lu:? ? ?