"Madam, why do you think the court wants to kill Marquis Lu?" Gu Jiu asked.
Lady Lu opened her mouth and said, "This is fate! Holding an army and relying on oneself has always been a dead end."
Gu Jiu nodded, "Madam, what you said makes sense. I'm not in a position to discuss specific matters with you. I just want to ask, if there's a chance to reunite with Marquis Lu in the northwest and stay by his side, would you be willing?"
Lady Lu Hou showed obvious hesitation.
"Madam, are you unwilling?" Gu Jiu asked curiously.
Madam Lu Hou sighed, "We've been apart for so many years. To be honest, Your Majesty, I really don't miss him as much as everyone thinks. To me, family is more important, and my grandchildren are more important."
Gu Jiu knew that even the deepest feelings would be washed away by time. Furthermore, the relationship between the Duke of Lu and his wife might not be that deep.
She said to Lady Lu, "Madam, you can take the children to the northwest."
Lady Lu Hou was shocked.
"Are you joking, Madam?"
Gu Jiu shook his head, "How can I joke about such a big thing?"
Lady Lu was extremely flustered. "Doesn't the court need the Pei family as hostages?"
The wife of the Marquis of Lu, who has always been steady and dignified, said such "frank and taboo" words, which shows that she was really panicked.
Gu Jiu winked at the palace maid.
The palace maid came forward and replaced a cup of tea with just the right temperature for Lady Lu.
"Madam, have a cup of tea first to calm your nerves."
Lady Lu Hou picked up the teacup and poured the tea into her mouth in big gulps without caring about her appearance.
She needed something to calm her panic.
Gu Jiu calculated the time and said in a resounding voice, "Your Majesty does not need the Pei family as hostages."
"How can we not need it? This is a tradition since ancient times. When a military general leads the army outside, his wife, children and family members should be left in the capital as hostages." Lady Lu Hou was still in shock.
When a tradition that has been upheld for thousands of years is suddenly broken, something big must be happening.
Lady Lu Hou was not afraid of death. She was afraid of dying unclearly and of not being able to protect her grandchildren at home.
Gu Jiu pondered for a moment and asked, "Madam, what kind of person do you think the Marquis of Lu is? Can the Pei family's hostages in Beijing really restrain the Marquis of Lu and make him hesitate to act rashly?"
The wife of the Marquis of Lu opened her mouth without saying a word, and could only smile bitterly.
She shook her head and said honestly: "When necessary, he can abandon his wife, children, and the Pei family." But he will not give up the power in his hands.
In this case, the Pei family staying in the capital as hostages is of no use to the Duke of Lu, who is determined to accomplish something big.
Not only does it not restrain him, but it actually saves him time from dealing with household chores.
Lady Lu Hou felt sad, "Is the Pei family useless?"
So the court is going to give up the Pei family, right?
Gu Jiu didn't want to say more: "Madam, you can start packing your luggage after you go back. Your eldest daughter-in-law will also accompany you to the northwest."
Lady Lu's lips trembled, "Could Your Majesty please take back your order?"
"Madam, are you reluctant to leave the glamorous world of the capital?"
"That's not the case! If I go to the northwest, I won't be able to adapt to the climate there, and I'm afraid I won't have much time left to live. Everything else is fine, but I'm worried about the children."
Gu Jiu said solemnly: "Your grandchildren can take them away. I will not stop you."
Madam Lu looked up at Gu Jiu and said, "Your Majesty, I dare to ask, will he die?"
"No!" Gu Jiu's answer was clear and forceful.
Lady Lu Hou laughed, but her smile was forced.
"It turns out he won't die!" She seemed full of regret.
Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows.
"Madam, do you wish the Marquis of Lu to die?"
The wife of the Marquis of Lu laughed at herself and said, "Now that he's dead, I can rest easy for a few days, without having to worry every day."
"I can almost understand Madam's thoughts, but Marquis Lu cannot die yet."
"Your Majesty, don't you think your wife's thoughts are extremely rebellious?"
"Married couples all over the world have more or less wished for each other's death. It's nothing strange."
Mrs. Lu was stunned at first, then she laughed, "Your Majesty is indeed different."
Gu Jiu also laughed and said, "Many of my ideas are quite unconventional."
"I understand. Thank you, Your Majesty, and Your Majesty for sparing his life. I will obey Your Majesty's orders and travel to the northwest to reunite with him."
"When Madam leaves the capital, I am unable to see her off. I wish you a safe journey in advance."
"Thank you, Your Majesty! I'll take my leave!"
…
Pei Man had been worried about the situation at her mother's home. After hearing the news, she hurriedly took a carriage to the Marquis of Lu's Mansion.
"Mother, what did the Queen say?"
"Look at you, you're sweating all over. The Queen just came to chat with me about some family matters and didn't mention anything else."
"Really?" Pei Man couldn't believe it.
Lady Lu Hou laughed and said, "Do I look like I'm in trouble?"
Pei Man still felt uneasy, her heart still hanging in the air. "The Queen specially asked my mother to come to the palace, but it turned out to be just to chat about family matters?"
"She is the Queen, she can do whatever she wants, no reason needed."
"But my daughter..."
"Don't worry. Did Gu Ting complete the homework assigned by the Empress?"
"No. He's busy with banquets every day and comes home drunk. He can't even lift a pen, let alone do his homework."
Lady Lu Hou easily changed the subject and started talking about Gu Ting.
She spoke less, and it was Pei Man who chattered non-stop.
The wife of the Marquis of Lu had a smile on her face, but tears were in her eyes.
…
Pei Meng, Mr. Dou, and a dozen accountants worked continuously for more than 20 days and drew up a long list of supplies.
The two sides engaged in a series of negotiations, ranging from the types of materials, quantity, quality, scale, transportation routes, and transportation time...
Even if it is as small as a needle or a foot of cloth, we must fight for our rights and not give in.
People come and go, bargaining, and those who don’t know the situation would think this is a vegetable market.
More than 200 kinds of materials, covering all aspects, were finally negotiated and a preliminary agreement was reached.
After the day's talks, both sides were exhausted and collapsed on the ground.
Pei Meng and Mr. Dou were eager to leave the villa.
Queen Gu is really cunning.
There is only one road in and out of the villa, and it is a double-track road.
They really took great pains to trap them in the villa and cut off their contact with the outside world.
Qian Fu, who had disappeared for a while, appeared in front of them again.
"We know that Master Bo and Mr. Dou are anxious to leave, so we won't force you. The double-track carriage is ready. Please come this way."
This time it feels great!
Pei Meng walked in front with an angry look on his face.
Qian Fu pinched his nose and wanted to say: Uncle, don’t waste your time, your reckless lady character has already been seen through.
Mr. Dou was in high spirits and even took the time to chat with Qian Fu.
Qian Fu laughed it off and didn't tell any truth.
Get on the double-track carriage and gallop all the way.
After being trapped in a deserted mountain villa for many days, returning to the prosperous capital city felt like a new life.
…
During this period, Pei Meng did not show up, and the court officials made various speculations privately.
The most popular theory is that Pei Meng has been secretly imprisoned and killed by His Majesty.
Many people have decided that if Pei Meng still does not show up in ten days, they will ask His Majesty about it at the morning court.
Pei Meng deserves to die, and both the Pei family father and son deserve to die.
However, he is a great uncle after all. Even if he is to be killed, he should be punished openly rather than secretly.
The imperial court should act with integrity and must never imitate those scoundrels who act in secret and undermine the reputation of the imperial court.
The court officials who were certain that Pei Meng was dead were all shocked when they suddenly saw Pei Meng appear in the court.
"Not dead?"
You are the one who died, and your whole family deserves to die!
Pei Meng had murderous eyes and an overbearing aura, as if he was going to kill the whole family.
"Master, you're still as charming as ever after not seeing you for a few days?"
"You mean to say that Uncle Ben is lucky to be alive, right?"
"Uncle is really good at joking."
"My uncle only knows how to kill people, not jokes."
Damn, there's no way to continue the conversation today.
"Where has the uncle been enjoying himself these days?" Some people still refused to give up and had to test it out.
"I took a walk outside the city and gained a lot."
"Oh? Do you know where it is outside the city? Could you tell me a little bit so we can see it?"
Pei Meng smiled coldly, "Who are you? Does this uncle know you?"
Pei Meng is so unruly and deserves to be cut into pieces.
Why didn't Your Majesty execute him, but let him attend the morning court?
The civil servants were all furious.
The military generals were not much better off.
In terms of military merit and seniority, except for a few old dukes, other military generals and nobles can only carry Pei Meng's shoes.
Pei Meng confronted them with confidence and without any pressure.
Why did Pei Meng want to offend the entire court? Is he crazy?
In fact, he was also helpless.
The Pei family eats the court's food, so they cannot undermine the court's resources.
He is destined to divide the land and become a king. He can recruit people from all walks of life, but he cannot touch people in the court.
Of course, Pei Meng's move was also a show, performed for Liu Zhao to see.
Until the day of splitting the land and becoming king, everything is full of variables.
Being a noble who is hated by everyone in the court is definitely more reassuring to the emperor than being a popular noble.
With a shout, all the ministers fell silent.
The emperor arrived and the morning court began.
Liu Zhao, contrary to his usual behavior, openly boasted about the achievements of Lu Hou and Pei Meng in front of all the civil and military officials at the morning court, and even asked the Hanlin Academy to write a poem for the Northwest Army.
Your Majesty, Your Majesty!
Are you threatened by Pei Meng?
If so, just blink your eyes, and I will fight to the death to defeat Pei Meng, the traitor.
All the civil and military officials were heartbroken and shocked, as if Liu Zhao had been possessed by a traitor.
Liu Zhao had no expression on his face and finished his words praising the Marquis of Lu and his son calmly as usual.
Pei Meng was very dissatisfied with the court officials' reaction.
They are father and son and have made great military achievements. Is there anything wrong with Your Majesty praising them?
Everyone has a face that looks like they've eaten shit, what does that mean?
He secretly made up his mind to let Mr. Dou supervise the group of nerds in the Hanlin Academy to write poems for the Northwest Army and publish them in newspapers.
Let the world know about the great military achievements of the Northwest Army!
After the morning court session ended, the court officials glared at Pei Meng with contempt and disgust.
Anyone who passed by Pei Meng would scold him to show his attitude.
"Hmph! Stop being so arrogant, you thief!"
"We will never surrender!"
"brazen!"
Bullshit!
Pei Meng was so angry that his eyes turned red and his chest felt like it was about to explode.
On purpose!
Liu Zhao must have done it on purpose.
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