Chapter 199 Gift Giving
Lu Chenyang called everyone over and asked for their opinions.
Chen Songyuan frowned. "Your Excellency is traveling to the capital with limited guards. I'm afraid this trip might be dangerous. Otherwise, just find a reason to refuse."
Lu Chenyang was a civil servant, so of course he would travel light when he returned to Beijing to report on his work. If he had brought a large army with him, that would not be called reporting on his work, but raising an army to rebel.
But Lu Chenyang only brought a few guards to the capital. If Emperor Qianyuan turned against him and took action, Lu Chenyang would be like a sheep walking into the tiger's mouth.
Gao Ming thought for a moment and said, "Mr. Chen is right. The Emperor won't openly turn against you, but even if he does something behind your back, it's hard to guard against."
They had also been planting their own forces in the military over the past two years, but it was still early days and nothing had yet become established. Gao Ming was worried about Lu Chenyang entering the capital, as their manpower couldn't guarantee his safety.
Why didn't he build his own forces in Beijing in the past few years? Lu Chenyang had a hard time even surviving in the past few years, so how could he have the money?
Yan Xing suddenly said, "I'll go with you."
Lu Chenyang looked at Yan Xing and met his gaze.
"If you believe me." Yan Xing looked into his eyes and said softly.
With Yan Xing's protection, this trip would be much safer. At least if Emperor Qianyuan wanted to attack Lu Chenyang, they would not be powerless to fight back.
Yan Xing said the last sentence because he was worried that Lu Chenyang would misunderstand.
He had just confessed his feelings to Lu Chenyang when Emperor Qianyuan sent someone to the capital, and Lu Chenyang then offered to go with him. The timing was too subtle. If one thought too much about it, one might think that Yan Xing and Emperor Qianyuan had set up a trap to lure Lu Chenyang into it.
On the day Yan Xing broke into the study, Lu Chenyang said that even if he and Yan Xing parted ways one day, he believed that Yan Xing would not hurt him.
However, this was a contest between two major forces. Even if Yan Xing didn't harm him, house arrest would be enough to crumble the power held by the Lu family.
The choice is now in Lu Chenyang's hands, whether he will agree to Yan Xing's special request.
Everyone looked at Lu Chenyang, waiting for him to make the final decision.
Chen Songyuan moved his lips, Gao Ming looked at him, and he suppressed the words he was about to say.
At this moment, nothing they say is appropriate.
Lu Chenyang seemed unaware of their hidden tension and various thoughts. He curled the corners of his lips and said with a smile, "Okay, then I'll have to trouble you, Master, to accompany me to the capital."
Yan Xing's eyes lit up, and he looked at Gao Ming and Chen Songyuan: "Don't worry, gentlemen. I will definitely bring the master back safely."
Gao Ming's smile remained unchanged: "Of course I believe in Prince Yan."
As for what he was thinking, I don’t know.
Lu Chenyang ignored the exchange of glances between the two. He lowered his head and looked at the letter in his hand, saying thoughtfully, "They said they wanted me to go to the capital to report on my work. I'm afraid they want me to send troops to deal with the Yilin Army."
Everyone came back to their senses and focused on the matter of entering Beijing.
Lu Chenyang's guess was unanimously recognized by everyone.
Gao Ming said, "Ever since you started resettling the refugees, your reputation has grown even more. The Yilin Army, however, feels you're meddling too much, and that's causing them to lose many followers. Now is the perfect time for the Emperor to use a knife to kill someone else."
No matter what Emperor Qianyuan’s plan is, Lu Chenyang must go this time, and the Yilin Army must be subdued.
Yan Xing nodded and said, "Since we are about to leave, I will write a letter back to Beijing to make some arrangements."
Lu Chenyang nodded slightly: "Thank you for your hard work, Prince."
Yan Xing landed on his face and smiled meaningfully, "It's not hard. It's my honor to be able to help you solve your problems."
This person is so shameless and doesn't shy away from it.
After Yan Xing walked away, Chen Songyuan couldn't help but ask, "Does Your Excellency really trust the Crown Prince so much? The Second Prince is already the Crown Prince."
What this means is that Yan Xing and the prince no longer need him.
Lu Chenyang didn't say anything. Gao Ming thought for a moment and smiled to smooth things over: "I don't think there's any need to worry too much. We still have a cooperative relationship with the Crown Prince. Now the troops have been dispersed by you, and the main force is under your control. The Yanhui Army is still in the hands of the Fourth Prince. Even if the Second Prince becomes the Crown Prince, neither he nor the Zhenguo Mansion has military power. Now is not the time to turn against us." After a pause, he continued: "And the Crown Prince has your support, and Emperor Qianyuan dare not act rashly. After all, he can appoint or depose the Crown Prince. So I think the Crown Prince and the Crown Prince still need you, and they don't want anything to happen to you at this time."
Lu Chenyang smiled and nodded. "Mr. Gao is the one who knows me best." He thought the same thing. "Besides, Emperor Qianyuan has always been very concerned about his reputation. He will spread the news that I will go to the capital to report on my work. I obeyed the emperor's order and returned to the capital. I am so loyal to the emperor. The emperor should guarantee my safety. If anything happens to me, I am afraid the emperor will have a hard time explaining it to the world. Even if the emperor wants to kill me, the prince will protect me. So this trip is still safe."
Of course, there are still dangers, but since Lu Chenyang dares to sit in this position today, he is not a timid person.
After receiving the letter, Lu Chenyang immediately prepared to depart.
Lu Chenyang's trip to Beijing was not a matter of just walking away, but he had to make various arrangements.
Although he is only the governor of Quzhou now, he actually controls the political affairs of four prefectures, and each one of them cannot do without him.
After the New Year, the governors of Lingnan and Shu states will probably take up their posts soon. There will definitely be some twists and turns, so he needs to arrange everything before leaving.
So now Lu Chenyang is busy all day with these arrangements and any accidents that may happen after he leaves.
In addition, Lu Chenyang also had to give gifts to Emperor Qianyuan, the prince, etc.
Of course, Lu Chenyang didn't have such an idea. He had been the top leader since he became an official, and it was others who gave him gifts. Who would have the nerve to ask him to give gifts?
Even in Yanquan County, under such a difficult situation, he was the legitimate county magistrate and the highest official in Yanquan County. Later... let's not talk about what happened later.
So when Chen Songyuan asked him what gift to prepare for Emperor Qianyuan, he was completely stunned.
Lu Chenyang realized belatedly that it was a rare trip to Beijing for him, and it was indeed a bit inappropriate to go empty-handed.
But he couldn't bear to give an expensive gift, and a cheap one would seem perfunctory. So even someone as capable as Chen Songyuan was in a dilemma.
Lu Chenyang couldn't help but grit his teeth. "Each of them is richer than me, yet they still want me to give them gifts. Why are they so difficult? Can't they just say they don't accept gifts?"
Chen Songyuan had to remind him, "Officials like you who are so noble and upright, who refuse to accept gifts and resist extravagance, are truly a breath of fresh air."
You are the one who doesn't fit in. How can you make friends without giving gifts these days?
Lu Chenyang had no choice but to join in the worry. He could defeat a larger force with a smaller one on the battlefield, and he could ensure the people lived and worked in peace and contentment in the government, but he didn't know what gift to give.
Lu Chenyang didn't want to worry alone, so he asked everyone to worry together.
Lu Chenyang asked Yan Xing: "What does the emperor like? What gift can make him happy?"
Yan Xing thought for a moment and said honestly, "If he wants you to surrender your military power, it would be best if you died. Only then would he be happy."
Lu Chenyang fell silent. What nonsense are you talking about?
Lu Chenyang said, "Forget it. It doesn't really matter whether he's happy or not."
In the end, it was Dai Jitong who presented him with treasures and helped him out of his urgent need.
Dai Jitong presented a pearl, which was as big as a bowl, round and smooth, with a translucent pink color, and very beautiful.
Dai Jitong smiled and said, "This is a gift from a good friend of mine who found it by chance while out at sea. It's my favorite thing. I'm giving it to you now, hoping it can be of help to you."
The gift Lu Chenyang gave represented his attitude towards the emperor. As the saying goes, the more gifts you give, the less blame you will get. Lu Chenyang gave such a good thing, which must represent his loyalty to Emperor Qianyuan, right?
Lu Chenyang was very grateful and asked someone to give the silver to Dai Jitong, who accepted it without hesitation.
In fact, Dai Jitong suffered a loss. Such a good thing was in short supply. No matter how many people took it out, they would rush to get it, and everyone would offer more than Lu Chenyang.
The gift for Emperor Qianyuan was ready, and then it was the gift for the crown prince.
Lu Chenyang had just caused Emperor Qianyuan to bleed and was feeling distressed. He couldn't do it again, so he handed the matter over to Yan Xing and asked him to find a solution.
Yan Xing thought about it, ran to the warehouse to search for some mushrooms, packed them up, and used them to send to the prince.
These mushrooms are specialties of Lingnan. After Lu Chenyang arrived in Yanquan County, he liked mushroom soup very much. This stuff is everywhere in Lingnan. The officials in Lingnan all know that he likes it, so they gave each of them a few boxes.
This thing is cheap and not good enough to be a gift, but Lu Chenyang was very happy to receive it.
Lu Chenyang felt that Yan Xing was being perfunctory, but that was Yan Xing's cousin, not his, so he didn't need to take it too seriously.
The prince's gift was also ready, and Lu Chenyang suddenly remembered something.
"Take a look and see what the Duke likes. I can't go to visit the Duke empty-handed." Lu Chenyang asked with a frown.
Yan Xing's eyes lit up: "You want to visit my father?"
Lu Chenyang hadn't thought much of it at first. After all, he and Yan Xing were friends, and they had a cooperative relationship. It was only natural for him to visit Yan Xing when he was in the capital. But when Yan Xing said it, why did it feel so different?
Could it be that Yan Xing wanted him to meet his parents? Their relationship wasn't appropriate. If the Duke of Zhenguo knew what Yan Xing was thinking, wouldn't he have gotten rid of him?
Lu Chenyang suddenly thought of a possibility. The Duke of Zhenguo might have killed him to silence him for the sake of their Yan family's inheritance!
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