Chapter 80 Chapter 80 What man wouldn’t…

Chapter 80 Chapter 80 What man wouldn’t…

Lu Xusheng rushed back to the capital from Yulin six days later.

He went to see the emperor overnight. The emperor mentioned the matter of the last vacancy in the inner cabinet, and Lu Xusheng said that he would take care of it.

It was already 3:45 in the morning when he returned home. He entered the city gate and delivered the news back home. Xia Fu then went to the bridal chamber. At this moment, only Cheng Yian was lying on the bed.

Her slender figure was wrapped in a light red midriff-baring, and she was sleeping with her hands on her chin, facing outwards. Her palm-sized face was fair and moist, and she looked better than the last time I saw her, which showed that her mother-in-law had taken good care of her.

Lu Xusheng didn't disturb her, he quietly blew out the light and went to bed.

Cheng Yian's sleep became even lighter after she became pregnant. She slept most of the time during the day, but couldn't sleep at night. The bed sank slightly, and the weight was obviously different from that of her mother, so she guessed that Lu Xusheng had returned.

Before he could even open his eyes, he raised his hands to grab him.

Lu Xusheng extended his right hand to her and let her hold two fingers. The slender ribbon must be his.

"Did it wake you up?"

"Well, Lu Xusheng, I want to be the old lady of the pavilion." Cheng Yian said.

Lu Xusheng was slightly puzzled and laughed, "Why do you want to be the old lady of the pavilion? I am young, can't I just climb slowly?"

"I want it."

There is one advantage of Lu Xusheng becoming a civil official. Civil officials have the power to mobilize troops and the power to command them, but they do not have the power to command troops. In other words, Lu Xusheng only needs to sit in the tent and participate in military affairs in the future. He does not have to go to the battlefield to kill the enemy unless it is absolutely necessary, and he does not even have to guard the border. After all, he is her man, and Cheng Yian is reluctant to let him go through life and death, and she does not want to be a widow.

Lu Xusheng gently rubbed her fingertips and said softly, "As you wish."

Cheng Yian immediately opened his eyes, "Do you have a solution?"

"Well, there is a way."

"What method?"

"I will go to the Duke of Qin's mansion tomorrow and persuade General Qin to give up entering the palace."

Cheng Yian rolled his eyes at him and said, "Are you kidding me?"

"No kidding, that's what I was going to do."

Cheng Yian didn't believe it. Could the Prince's Party be so stupid as to give up on their own initiative?

"You have something on Duke Qin?"

Cheng Yian knew that Duke Qin was loyal to his emperor and his country, a prudent old general who was always willing to take on the toughest tasks without caring about personal gains and losses. He was a well-known good man in the army, with a well-known character, and it was unlikely that Lu Xusheng would hold any evidence against him.

Of course, she didn't think Lu Xusheng would enter the palace through this means.

"Just wait and see."

The next day after court, Lu Xusheng walked into the Duke of Qin's mansion with great fanfare.

The old duke had always admired Lu Xusheng's abilities, so he politely welcomed him into the main hall. Lu Xusheng asked him to step aside, and the old duke hesitated for a moment, but still agreed. No one knew what the two said next. In short, after Lu Xusheng came, the Princess of Qin took the initiative to submit a petition to withdraw from the competition in the cabinet, and recommended Lu Xusheng as the Minister of War, on the grounds that he was just a military general, not as good as Lu Xusheng, who was a Jinshi, and it would be more legitimate for him to take the path of a civil official.

With the Princess of Qin's resignation and active recommendation, there was no objection to Lu Xusheng's entry into the cabinet.

The matter was settled. The emperor was really curious and summoned Lu Xusheng to Lu's study.

"How did you convince Duke Qin?"

Lu Xusheng told the emperor about his gains from this trip to the border and his next plan.

"Northern Qi has decided to march towards Che Khan. Prince Nan'an sent someone to inform me, hoping to test the attitude of the Great Jin. I replied that our dynasty is undergoing administrative reforms and has no plans to send troops. Prince Nan'an can attack Che Khan with confidence. Currently, Northern Qi has stationed a force at the border to prevent the Great Jin from intervening. The rest of the army is planning to cross the Tianshan Mountains and march into Che Khan's territory. I estimate that the march will take about two months."

Next, Lu Xusheng told the emperor about his plan to annex Chehan, which made the emperor very excited.

"I ask Duke Qin if he can do this. If he can, let him do it. If not, please give up."

Lu Xusheng said this with a smile, "The old Duke is more confident in me than he is in himself. For the sake of the country and the people, and to take back the water source of Dajin, he decided to withdraw."

Several water sources in Dajin originated from Chehan. In the past, Chehan rushed towards this place and forced Dajin to open up salt iron raw silk to Chehan. To put it bluntly, as long as Chehan controlled the water source, he could control Dajin. Therefore, the old Duke was very wise and decisively put aside the party struggle for the welfare of future generations. Such noble character is rarely seen in the world.

The emperor cherishes talents and has always highly respected Duke Qin.

"Back then, the Queen Mother knew that Duke Qin was generous and righteous, and she used a veiled trick to force the Qin family onto the prince's boat. Now you are using the same trick to persuade Duke Qin to give up. I wonder what the Queen Mother and the prince will think when they find out?"

When the Crown Prince heard that the Princess of Qin had given up, he flew into a rage and smashed all the utensils in the study in front of the Crown Princess.

"Do you know how many favors I have done to force the former Minister of War to retire? Now, your grandfather, out of personal integrity, has actually offered my plan as a favor, benefiting Lu Xusheng."

The prince's scalp felt like exploding just thinking about it.

This was not the first time that the Crown Prince had lost his temper at the Crown Princess. The Crown Princess was used to it. She knelt on the ground in her moon-white brocade dress and picked up the fragments one by one. She did not care at all about the cut on her fingertip. When the palace maids saw it, they wanted to bandage it for her, but the Crown Princess refused. Three or two palace maids quickly picked up the fragments and left the study.

The Crown Princess looked at her husband with his back turned away, feeling hopeless.

"If Your Highness is too angry, just divorce me. I will always be by your side and pray for Your Highness's blessing."

The prince turned around angrily and glared at her, "Are you threatening me? Princess, I have been friends with you since childhood, and you are threatening me now? Do you think that I will be nothing if I leave your Qin family?"

The Qin family controls the Three Thousand Battalions, a force of 10,000 cavalrymen, who are the most valiant troops of the Jin Dynasty. They can charge into battle formations in times of war and are known as fierce tigers. The Three Thousand Battalions are stationed on the outskirts of the city to intimidate the imperial guards.

This force is of great importance to the prince.

The prince was furious, which just showed that he cared about the Qin family.

When talking about their childhood friendship, the Crown Princess couldn't stop her tears from flowing, thinking about how harmonious the couple were back then. She married the Crown Prince at the age of fifteen, and two years later, she didn't get pregnant, so the Queen Mother forced the Crown Prince to take a concubine. In these years, there have been seven or eight concubines in the Eastern Palace, and the couple gradually drifted apart. The Crown Princess had the same temperament as her grandfather, kind and steady. On the one hand, she was secretly anxious when watching the actions of the Crown Prince and the Queen Mother, and on the other hand, she thought that it was her husband who had to help, and she was very embarrassed to be caught in the middle. As a result, she was in a daze all day long and became very thin. Even having sex with the couple became a routine.

When the prince saw the princess crying, he finally had an idea and bent down to pick her up.

"Crown Princess, your grandfather has done me so much harm."

The Duke of Qin withdrew from the cabinet competition, which dealt a fatal blow to the Prince's party. The Queen Mother was so angry that she vomited blood. Despite this, the old lady did not dare to blame the Qin family. Instead, she summoned the Duke of Qin's wife into the palace to comfort them. The Qin family's military force was too important to the Prince. Firstly, it was to comfort them, and secondly, mentioning the Crown Princess also had a hint of control, using the Crown Princess to suppress the Qin family and prevent them from having any second thoughts.

Lady Qin, thinking of her granddaughter who was getting thinner day by day, kowtowed to the Queen Mother in disgrace.

"Don't worry, your Majesty. The Qin family will live and die with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

The Queen Mother let her leave without worry.

On the second day after the cabinet's meeting, an urgent document arrived in the capital from eight hundred miles southwest.

It turned out that there was a chieftain riot in the southwest, and the King of Yunnan had to return quickly.

The emperor was urging him anxiously, but the Prince of Yunnan was not in a hurry and glanced at Cheng Mingyu, the head of the civil officials.

Chieftain riots were commonplace to the King of Yunnan. Every time he went to the capital, those restless chieftains would always cause some trouble. This year was no exception, so he had made arrangements before going to the capital. However, this time the military report was particularly serious, as if Yunnan would be lost if he did not go back.

It wasn't that he had a petty mind; the King of Yunnan was really worried that Cheng Mingyu would interfere.

The King of Yunnan guessed correctly. Ever since Cheng Mingyu sent people to Ningzhou to investigate Xia Fu's affairs last time, he had secretly made preparations. He exaggerated the military situation and made it sound extremely urgent. If he didn't bring the King of Yunnan back to the southwest, he would not be able to get rid of the hatred in his heart.

He doesn't like the King of Yunnan, so why would the King of Yunnan like him?

After the court was dismissed, the King of Yunnan took Lu Xusheng down the stairs and walked towards the Ministry of War.

"Xusheng, do you think your father-in-law may have done something wrong here?"

Lu Xusheng smiled dryly, feeling very awkward being caught between his biological father-in-law and his stepfather-in-law.

"I don't think so."

"Look, you're obviously not confident in what you said!" King Yunnan kept complaining.

Lu Xusheng didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and said seriously, "But Your Majesty, no matter how urgent the military situation is, as far as I know, the prince has insufficient experience in leading troops in battle. No matter what, you have to return to Ningzhou as soon as possible."

This is what King Yunnan is most worried about.

As the two were talking, they saw some officials from the Censorate escorting Cheng Mingyu towards Wenzhao Pavilion. When the King of Yunnan saw the group approaching, he deliberately raised his voice and said,

"Xusheng, it's because we have similar temperaments. We are both rough men, unlike some hypocritical gentlemen who use tricks in secret!"

Lu Xusheng couldn't follow the King of Yunnan and piss off his father-in-law, so he immediately took a step back and drew a clear line between himself and the King of Yunnan.

"My Lord, I am a Jinshi, not a rough man!"

King Yunnan snorted at his useless appearance. Seeing Cheng Mingyu approaching, he held his waist and asked Cheng Mingyu,

"Sir Cheng, I am about to go on a long journey. May I ask Sir Cheng to see me off?"

Seeing this, Lu Xusheng immediately ran away, "Sir, please take care. I still have to go to the Ministry of Revenue."

He bowed in the direction of Cheng Mingyu and left in a hurry.

Cheng Mingyu also waved his hands, signaling the people from the Censorate to leave. He walked a few steps forward and came to the front of King Yunan. He tilted the tablet in his hand and bowed to him, "What's the matter, Your Majesty?"

King Yunnan looked at him with a complicated expression and sighed, "While I'm away, I'll leave Afu in your care." He sounded very serious.

The two met for the first time, Cheng Mingyu thanked him for saving Xia Fu, and today the King of Yunnan returned her to Cheng Mingyu.

Cheng Mingyu was so angry that he laughed.

It's his turn to confess? In what capacity should he confess?

Cheng Mingyu didn't reply, but pointed in the direction of Zhengyang Gate.

"Goodbye, Prince."

Xia Fu heard that the King of Yunnan was leaving early the next morning, so she returned to the palace overnight and helped him pack the earthenware to take to his old friends. The father and son hugged her arms and cried for a long time. Xia Fu saw that the King of Yunnan was crying so hard that she felt overwhelmed. She slapped the King of Yunnan's hand away and said, "Go safely, my Lord. The concubine and the prince are waiting for you at home."

The King of Yunnan is no longer pretending.

"Afu, write to me from time to time and tell me if you have any difficulties."

Xia Fu agreed half-heartedly.

At dawn the next day, Lu Xusheng and Mu Xun personally escorted the King of Yunnan to the suburbs. This time, the King of Yunnan brought his son to Lu Xusheng and said solemnly,

"Xusheng, help me discipline Xun'er. Don't let him cause trouble in the capital, and don't let him fall behind in martial arts."

Lu Xusheng bowed to him solemnly, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will ensure his safety."

"As for Kung Fu, the young master of Sichuan Governor's Office is Lu's brother-in-law. I will take the second young master to make friends with him someday and let him help guide the second young master in hunting and martial arts."

"I know the son of the old Meng family well. He is a passionate young man. Xun'er will not fail to learn from him," the King of Yunnan did not forget to provoke Lu Xusheng and Cheng Mingyu before leaving.

"I heard that you are not well received in the Cheng family. Xusheng, the door of the Yunnan Palace is always open for you. You can come to the palace during the holidays. Do you understand?"

Lu Xusheng smiled and urged him, "It's getting late, you should leave quickly."

King Yunnan took one last look at Xia Fu in the carriage in the distance, waved with a smile, and quickly rode away to the southwest with his personal guards.

Lu Xusheng sent King Yunnan away, and then sent his mother-in-law and Mu Xun back to the palace before returning to the Lu family.

When he lifted the curtain and entered Ningji Hall, he saw Cheng Yian lying on the side of Luohan's bed and vomiting. Her pretty face was terribly pale and her forehead was trembling with pain, as if she was about to vomit out her heart, liver and lungs. Seeing this, Lu Xusheng was immediately very anxious and immediately went forward to touch her vest.

"Why did you vomit like this?"

Cheng Yian took a deep breath, wiped the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief, and lay back on the pillow, exhausted.

"Maybe I miss my mother."

Lu Xusheng said, "Then I'll go get my mother-in-law?"

Cheng Yian shook her head. During the time her mother had lived in Lu's mansion, her father had sent people to inquire about her several times. Although they were all under the pretext of seeing her, the fact was that the person her father wanted to see was her mother, and Cheng Yian didn't want to ruin her parents' good fortune.

"My mother is busy with her pharmacy business lately, so I won't bother her."

Lu Xusheng helped her drink a cup of water, and then let her lie down. At this time, some voices came from the corner of the corridor outside. Cheng Yian heard it and asked Rulan,

"Go see what's going on?"

Rulan went out and came back after a while and said,

"The cousin from the eldest wife's side has arrived. Madam wants to arrange a separate courtyard for her to live in. The eldest young mistress thinks that you are not feeling well and does not want to bother you with this matter. She means that since the eldest master does not live in the main courtyard, she should just let the cousin live in the eldest wife's chamber. The eldest wife refuses and sends the maid to find you, hoping that you can help arrange it."

Lu Xusheng's face darkened as he listened. "How can you come to my wife to report such a small matter? How can you do that?"

Rulan dared not say a word.

Lu Xusheng turned his head and looked at Cheng Yian and said, "You take a rest, I'll take care of this."

Cheng Yian laughed, "You are the Minister of War, a man who is good at planning and strategizing, and you want to help me deal with the affairs of the inner house?"

Lu Xusheng is now very self-aware, "This is called being able to go to the battlefield and the hallway."

Cheng Yian was amused by him, and the discomfort he had just felt disappeared.

Lu Xusheng left the east room and came to the moon-shaped gate of Ningji Hall.

The man who could decide life and death on the battlefield was also extremely decisive and efficient in handling the household affairs. He told Li Madam one thing:

"Go tell the first wife what I said. If the wife thinks the house in the Lu Mansion is too small, let her family return to her hometown to live. There are beautiful mountains and clear waters there, and there are no people within a hundred miles. She can do whatever she wants."

After all, Cheng Yian is the daughter-in-law, so it is not good for her to contradict her elders, so he should be the bad guy.

Nanny Li held back her laughter and brought people to the outside of the eldest lady's courtyard. She stood outside the hallway and relayed Lu Xusheng's words word for word. The eldest lady in that room was humiliated and her face immediately turned red.

After Li Ma Ma left, the eldest wife looked at the pretty girl sitting opposite her and said earnestly,

"You've seen that Xu Ge'er is now very capable and has become a minister at a young age. If you can please him, our Tang family will be proud of you. His wife is pregnant now. Which man would not cheat on a pregnant woman? This is your chance!"