"Lu'er is here." The man turned around, revealing a face that was over forty years old but still handsome, without any signs of aging.
Li Lu and his father are quite similar, especially their eyebrows and eyes.
This person is Li Lu's father, Prince Rong Li Yin.
Prince Rong sat down at the stone table under the ginkgo tree. He raised his hand to pick up the teapot and poured tea into the teacup himself. The sound of tea gurgled, the tea mist curled, and the person pouring the tea moved as smoothly as flowing water, which was pleasing to the eye.
Li Lu understood and stepped forward, bowed and sat down opposite his father.
Prince Rong poured two cups of tea slowly, then put down the teapot and pushed one of the cups towards Li Lu with a smile.
"Thank you, father." Li Lu held up the teacup.
Between father and son, the son should pour tea for the father, but the father never cares about these trivial details.
He had been in the capital for many years and was only able to return to Yizhou and his parents last year. But although they had been separated for a long time, his father seemed not to have changed much.
When he was young, he often felt that his father was not like a prince of the royal family, but like a free and easy knight who did not care about red tape and worldly affairs.
If even he thought so, others would naturally think so too.
Li Lu took two sips of tea and said, "Father, the nobles of Luoyang and Xingyang have all been dispersed, and Cui Jing was expelled from the Cui family. Now..."
"I already know all this, so there's no need to elaborate." Prince Rong interrupted his son in a gentle voice and said, "Why don't you talk about General Ning Yuan?"
He was familiar with the name of the girl from the Chang family.
But the reason why we have to start to take this man seriously is because of the events that made him famous one after another. Most of those events were based on disrupting his plans.
Such a person who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, such a girl who was only seventeen years old... no matter from which angle you look at it, it will arouse people's interest in exploration.
Li Lu responded with a "yes".
There was no need to elaborate on those well-known events, so he started from the time he first met Chang Suining in the capital last year.
In Dayun Temple, a young girl fights the divine elephant.
The two had their first conversation by the river behind Dayun Temple.
Playing polo in the Imperial Academy, painting in the Tai Tower. In the Furong Garden horse farm, riding the warhorse left by the late Crown Prince...
He proposed to her at the Hibiscus Flower Banquet, but she refused...
Then, Chang Sui'an was wrongfully imprisoned, and the other party rejected his proposal to cooperate in saving people... Instead, at the Confucius Memorial Ceremony in the Confucian Temple, he tried to force the emperor to compromise and give in.
And finally...
She pretended to consider accepting his proposal, and suddenly took him hostage and threw him into the water on the boat, and finally took Fan Ou away, threatening him with the truth about King Huainan's death so that he would not take action against Chang Kuo at that time.
"According to this, this little girl seems to always be able to find a way out of a dead end in unexpected ways..." Prince Rong put down the half cup of tea in his hand, with a thoughtful look in his eyes: "And she is able to subdue Ah Xiao's warhorse, which is indeed very impressive."
"Judging from her style and character, when she threatened to kill Xu Zhengye within 73 days, she was not just bragging, nor was she gambling. Rather, she firmly believed that she could do it." Prince Rong's eyebrows moved slightly: "But..."
As he spoke, a green ginkgo leaf floated down from above, and before it landed in the teacup, he waved it away with his sleeve.
He has been practicing martial arts since he was young, and his awareness and quick reaction are unmatched by ordinary people.
The ginkgo leaf fell at Li Lu's feet.
Prince Rong's thoughts were not interrupted, and he continued, "But she had never been on the battlefield before last year... How could she be so confident that she could kill Xu Zhengye?"
Is he a natural born general as the rumors say?
He had also seen such a genius, someone with such confidence that seemed arrogant to others - his niece Li Shang.
However, Ah Shangqie's achievements were accumulated bit by bit through more than ten years of hard work and perseverance, and were by no means achieved overnight.
The confidence to move forward can only be accumulated from past invincible experiences.
Therefore, this girl from the Chang family is not only not simple, but also quite strange.
In short: "Such a strange person is rarely seen in this world once in a hundred years..."
Prince Rong said with some regret: "She should have married into our Prince Rong's Mansion and followed the trend of the world, but unfortunately..."
"Father." Li Lu immediately said after noticing his father's murderous intentions, "It was because I acted inappropriately and pushed too hard before that I aroused Madam Chang's dissatisfaction, and thus failed to successfully persuade the Chang family..."
"Mrs. Chang is just dissatisfied with her son's style of doing things and doesn't like being coerced, but she definitely doesn't intend to be an enemy of Prince Rong's Mansion." He said, "So, please give the Chang family another chance."
Prince Rong poured new tea into the teacup and seemed to be thinking.
Li Lu continued, "Over the years, almost all the available vassal generals have been slaughtered by the Ming Empress... That is why my father has repeatedly told me to win over Chang Kuo. Now it seems that the Chang family not only has Chang Kuo, but also has Mrs. Chang. Chang Kuo's son Chang Sui'an also has the potential to become a successful person... Therefore, my son believes that the Chang family is worth my father's patience."
Prince Rong did not comment and drank his tea slowly.
"Furthermore, the unjust murder of Chang Sui'an last year has become an irreconcilable gap between the Chang family and the Queen. The king suspects the minister and abandons him, and the minister's heart is chilled. The Chang family cannot have no second thoughts and must be waiting and watching for the way out..."
"In the future, when the situation becomes clearer, if my father can show some more goodwill, he will surely win the Chang family back."
The reason why Li Lu was so sure was because he determined that under the general trend of the future, the Chang family would be destined to have no better choice.
If they don't submit to the orthodox Li family, will they rebel and establish themselves as kings? In the current situation, the Li family still rules the country. If an outsider with no foundation wants to rebel, he has no reason to do so. It's just a foolish dream and he will destroy himself.
Xu Zhengye's failure was at most a chess piece on the chessboard being disrupted, but it was not enough to affect the overall situation.
This kingdom was destined to belong to their Rong Wang Mansion, and she... was also destined to be his.
In his life, what he longed to obtain were all the highest things. Those were the most useful things in the world, and the things that could bestow supreme glory on people.
The higher she went, the more she showed her excellence beyond ordinary women, the more he wanted to get her... This feeling had taken root when she shot back the marriage certificate, and it was growing stronger day by day.
She could always bring new surprises to the world and to him. Every time when he looked at her with admiration, he would find that he had underestimated her yesterday.
And a woman like this should be standing shoulder to shoulder with him, and is worthy of standing shoulder to shoulder with him.
Therefore, he would never let his father kill her at this time.
Prince Rong smiled and said, "You seem to be particularly attentive to this girl from the Chang family."
"Yes, that's because she's worth it." Li Lu did not deny it: "Son believes that if you see her one day, you will have the same idea."
"Okay." Prince Rong smiled and said, "Then let's test her skills and courage."
If she has the courage to become the second Xu Zhengye, then Xu Zhengye's unfinished work can be left to her.
Nowadays, the world is our feast, and we need more ambitious people to come to the feast and make the world even more chaotic - only in a truly chaotic world will we need the emergence of a savior.
He had spent more than ten years preparing to become the savior.
Hearing his father's relenting words, Li Lu smiled and said, "I believe that no matter what, she will never let you down."
Then, he mentioned another name: "Father, now Cui Jing..."
The Taiyuan mission failed and this assassination attempt also failed.
"After two failures, it is not appropriate to take any more actions in the short term... This person is extraordinary, and we must not be careless about him." Prince Rong pondered and said, "But now that he has been expelled from the Cui family, we might as well wait and see what the Queen's attitude will be next."
"Yes." Li Lu said, "It's just that my son is worried that Cui Jing may have suspected father. If he tells Cui about this, and Cui family knows that father wanted to kill Cui Jing before, will they..."
Although Cui Jing was expelled from the clan, there was no guarantee that he would no longer have any contact with the Cui family in secret.
"It doesn't matter if the Cui family knows." Prince Rong laughed. "I wanted to kill Cui Jing before, but it wasn't because of the Cui family. Besides, there are no eternal enemies in this world. If the Cui family would reject Prince Rong's Mansion because of such a small matter, then there would be no Qinghe Cui family that has been glorious for a hundred years in this world."
The right to speak for these aristocratic families is not in the hands of one person. For the entire family, only real interests come first.
"As for the Queen..." Li Lu said after careful consideration, "Fan Ou is still in the hands of Madam Chang. She has always been sensitive and the spies in the army may have been exposed. If she finds out anything, she will tell the Queen what the Rong Palace did..."
"If she is a truly smart person, she should know that it makes no difference whether she tells the future or not." Prince Rong said calmly, "Whether it is killing Li Tong or helping Xu Zhengye, they are all things that have already happened and have no information value at all—"
If Chang Suining didn't tell Ming Hou about this, would Ming Hou really know nothing about it?
When will the Queen's suspicion of the Rong Palace be relieved? "Could it be that this saint wants to use these crimes that anyone can make up to convict the Rong Palace?" The Rong Prince smiled and said, "Without any real evidence to convince the public, rashly challenging her will only make people think that she wants to kill the members of my Li family... Of course, if she can really kill me, it's fine, but now is different from the past. She can't kill me with just an order."
It should be understood that if government orders are not implemented, it will be the beginning of an emperor's words losing their prestige... All of this is already spreading in places that cannot be seen.
In such a chaotic situation, would he still go to the capital to confess his crime, ignore the voices of those who want to restore the Li imperial power, insist on accepting the order of punishment, and be willing to be killed by her?
If this saint is eager to tear off the last layer of face with the Rong Palace at this moment, then this shaky situation will only accelerate the collapse - it is not the Rong Palace that should be afraid now.
"The situation today is completely different. You have returned safely to your father. This place is no longer the passive and controlled Rong Palace." Rong Wang looked at his son in front of him with a bit of guilt in his eyes: "To be honest, it has not been easy to survive in the capital these years. I really wronged my son."
Li Lu lowered his eyes and said, "My son is the crown prince of the Rong Palace. It is my duty to share my father's worries."
Prince Rong nodded with satisfaction: "If the great cause is accomplished in the future, my son will definitely have contributed half of the credit."
The father and son sat opposite each other, drinking tea and chatting for a long time.
Until a young man in a blue robe with tight sleeves came over and saluted respectfully: "Your Majesty, Prince."
Prince Rong looked over and said, "Yicong is back."
"It's getting late. I will not disturb you from your official duties." Li Lu stood up and took his leave at the right time.
Prince Rong nodded: "You are not feeling well, remember to take medicine on time, rest early, and don't work too hard."
Li Lu agreed, bowed and left. When he passed by the young man named Yi Cong, he paused for half a step.
Yi Cong bowed to him and said, "Have a safe journey, my prince."
Li Lu nodded to him and left with the servant who was guarding not far away.
After taking seven or eight steps, Li Lu subconsciously stopped and looked back.
Prince Rong had left the stone table and was heading towards the study with the young man.
The young man was actually only about seventeen or eighteen years old, but he was of a serious temperament and looked more mature than his actual age.
It is said that this person came to my father's side five years ago and was very much loved by my father. He often followed my father around and now even helped my father with military affairs.
Seeing that person followed Prince Rong into the study, Li Lu turned back and saw that the servant beside him had just withdrawn his gaze. He asked calmly, "Why, have you heard that rumor too?"
The servant's face changed when he heard this, and he lowered his head in panic: "I dare not, I don't know..."
Li Lu smiled, said nothing, and walked forward.
The servant calmed down and said respectfully, "It's windy. The prince can't stand the cold wind. I will accompany the prince back to his residence."
Li Lu smiled again and nodded: "Okay."
He walked slowly, raised his hands under his cloak thoughtfully and turned them slowly. Upon closer inspection, these hands were thin, pale, and sickly, and did not look like they would pose a threat to anyone.
This was a good cover when I was in the capital.
Now that he has returned to Yizhou, he no longer needs this protection, and his frail body has become a burden.
Whenever his father's staff and subordinates looked at him, there seemed to be silent regret and uncertainty in their eyes.
He thought he would not die easily, but in the eyes of others, he seemed destined to die soon. Those people did not see a long enough continuation in him, so they were unwilling to easily give him their expectations and loyalty.
Now, he needs some visible continuity.
When Li Lu returned to his residence, it was almost dark. Maids were lighting lamps in various places in the courtyard.
Hearing the greetings outside, Lan Ying, Ma Wan's maidservant, hurried to the inner room and whispered, "...Girl, the prince is back!"
Although she has been married into Prince Rong's Mansion for half a year, Lan Ying is still accustomed to calling Ma Wan "girl" in private.
Ma Wan, who was reading a letter, changed her expression when she heard this. In a hurry, she rolled up the letter and stuffed it into the green jade bottle on the small table under the window.
Soon, she heard footsteps coming in.
Ma Wan tidied her appearance and bowed to the young man who came in: "The prince is back..."
Li Lu smiled warmly, held her arm, and asked casually, "What were you doing just now, Wan'er?"
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