Chapter 579 The Power of Women
The autumn night is slightly chilly and frost has arrived. The moonlight shines on the ground, forming a thin layer of silver frost, as if covering the earth with a layer of white gauze.
Lord Lu was slightly drunk and refused the escort of the yamen runners. He strolled in the night with his son.
His son Lang'er had uneven legs, making it difficult for him to walk, so Lord Lu slowed down his pace.
The moonlight cast the two people's long shadows on the brick wall, cool and harmonious.
Lord Lu looked up at the bright moon, then turned back to look at his handsome son, his eyes a little moist.
"Lang'er, after I succeed in this mission, I will be promoted to a higher position. At that time, I will find you a capable Yue family, so that those who look down on you will regret it!"
Lu Lang looked at his father's graying hair and felt sad: "Father, I don't take the cancellation of the engagement to heart. My son is disabled and cannot take the imperial examination. It is understandable that the woman wants to marry someone better. You don't have to mind it."
Lord Lu was not convinced: "My son is a beautiful girl, he could write at the age of three, he reads classics, and he has a noble character. Apart from the minor flaws on his body, he is not inferior to those children of noble families!"
Lu Lang was touched, knowing that everything his father did was to plan for his future, so he quickly took a few steps forward and supported Lord Lu, who was slightly shaky.
"Dad, this time, that master sent the recorder to come to our Xin'an County first. Is he planning to use Xin'an County as the frontline battlefield?"
Lord Lu: "If the situation develops to the worst, it will be like this."
"Won't our Xin'an County be devastated?"
Lord Lu: "Don't think too much. We are all flags and have no control over anything. I wonder if your grandmother is asleep at this late hour?"
"Grandma has always taken good care of her health. She must be asleep at this time."
The father and son slowly opened the door and found several oil lamps burning in the main hall of the house.
Not only was Old Madam Lu sitting in the main room, but Runniang and Yusu were also waiting in the room.
Lord Lu was slightly startled, then hurriedly walked in, bowed to Madam Lu and apologized: "My son is unfilial and troubled my mother to wait so late at night."
Lu Lang also followed and bowed to Old Madam Lu and Run Niang.
Madam Lu had a straightforward temper, and since the man in front of her was her own son, there was no need for her to be polite.
"The noble you are talking about today is someone from the imperial court?"
Lord Lu looked up in surprise. His mother seldom asked about official affairs, so why did she suddenly ask about this?
"Yes, it's the military counselor sent by Lord Song."
Madam Lu had a stern face and asked directly, "Why don't you join Duke Yun like Pingyang County and Xingye County did?"
Lord Lu frowned slightly: "Mother, this is a serious matter, you can't ask too much."
Madam Lu's eyes lit up: "Any choice you make concerns all the people of Xin'an County. As one of the people, why can't I ask?"
Lord Lu was in a state of great headache. Wasn't his mother just being unreasonable? When would it be the people's turn to make decisions in a county?
But Lord Lu had rich experience in struggles and knew that reasoning with his mother would not work, so he coaxed, "Of course you can ask. Although Duke Yun has made great military achievements, he only occupies two states, Yunzhou and Shuozhou. The emperor owns dozens of states, and Jiangnan, known as the granary, serves as a ballast."
"Compared with the two, there is a huge disparity in strength. Let's take Hezhong County as an example. The emperor secretly mobilized Lord Song Shoujie from Jinghu North Road this time. There are 50,000 naval forces alone, and this does not include the garrison troops."
"If Henan County is added, Xiangzhou's military strength will be almost twice that of Duke Yun!"
"In a war, especially a protracted war, what counts is the strength behind it, not the courage at the moment. Duke Yun was able to achieve a temporary victory by relying on his own courage, but can he continue to win?"
"What's more, most of Duke Yun's men are cavalrymen who are not good at water. How difficult is it for them to go south?"
Madam Lu was not frightened by her son's words: "Because of this, our refuge will be more valuable!"
Lord Lu knew his mother too well. How could an old woman who lived in the backyard and had only those yellow and white things in her eyes suddenly be so interested in this matter? Someone must have told her something!
"Mom, who's visiting today?"
Old Madam Lu's eyes flickered, and she looked at Runniang guiltily.
Lord Lu looked at his wife again, and said sternly, "Runniang, did you accept gifts again today? Didn't I tell you that you can't meet anyone or accept gifts when it comes to matters involving Yunzhou and the court?"
Facing Lord Lu's slightly reproachful eyes, Runniang lowered her head slightly, but said unwillingly: "This time is different, this time it's Lord Li who came, and I think what he said is absolutely right!"
Lord Lu took a deep breath. It’s only been an afternoon and this Mr. Li has already instigated his own wife to rebel!
Lord Lu curled his lips and said, "What did Lord Li say that made you feel it was absolutely right?"
When this was mentioned, Runniang became interested and counted on her fingers: "Mr. Li said that women can also be officials under Duke Yun. Right now they are short of people. With A Niang's ability, my ability, and Yu Su's ability, they can definitely become the director of women's affairs!"
Lord Lu had a splitting headache. What kind of nonsense was this?
The woman still wants to be an official? !
My wife can't read a single word, and I'm afraid she can't even understand the documents!
Runniang became more and more excited as she spoke: "My husband, you are not young anymore. Even if you try to climb up the social ladder, how high can you climb? But if you surrender to Duke Yun, you, me, my mother, Yusu, Lang'er, all five of us will be able to eat at the government's expense! Isn't this better than being an official by yourself?"
Runniang cast her eyes towards Lang'er standing aside and said lovingly, "Having a county magistrate as a father is nothing compared to being an official yourself. With our Lang'er's ability, he will definitely be valued by Duke Yun! When the time comes, it will be easy for him to marry a good wife, right?"
Lu Lang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He had just been broken off from engagement, so why did it become a concern for the whole family?
"Mom, I have short legs, the government won't use me."
Runniang patted Lu Lang on the back and scolded him, "If you don't want me here, I'll find another place that will. If you don't want me anywhere, I'll go to the Duke of Yun! The Duke of Yun doesn't stick to any rules when hiring people. It doesn't matter what gender, appearance, or whether you have a disability. As long as you have the ability, he will hire you!"
Lord Lu retorted: "Nonsense."
Madam Lu was unhappy: "You took the cake that the emperor painted for you as the real cake. But you didn't listen to the reality that Li Langjun talked about. How about calling Li Langjun over and confronting you face to face?"
Lord Lu was overwhelmed by the quarrels of the women in his family, and he said harshly: "What is his status? What is my status? If you really want to talk to me, let Duke Yun come in person."
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