288, full of calculations
288, full of calculations
Beijun Pingzhou
Prince Ding's Mansion
The next morning, when Zhao Rui saw Zhao Lang and their father appear at the gate of the palace, he was shocked and immediately had a bad premonition.
"Your son greets you, father." After a moment of hesitation, he bowed to his father who was walking towards him.
"No need for formalities." When passing by the eldest son of a concubine, Prince Ding glanced at him and continued walking forward.
Zhao Rui looked up and saw Zhao Lang walking past him with their father. The two brothers' eyes met, and he hid his anger and called out, "Second brother."
Zhao Lang just glanced at his half-brother and didn't say anything.
In reality, he really disliked being called "Second Brother." Just because Zhao Rui was born before him, he assumed the title of the eldest son of Prince Ding's mansion, forcing him, the legitimate son, to become the second young master of the mansion from the moment he was born.
If his father hadn't been forced by his mother's family to petition the court to grant him the title of Crown Prince upon his birth, he wouldn't have become the Crown Prince of Dingwang Mansion. I'm afraid that if he had waited until now, the position of Crown Prince might not have fallen to him. However, if he hadn't been the Crown Prince, he wouldn't have been a hostage in Kyoto Prefecture.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, every time Zhao Rui saw him, he would call him "second brother" to show off his position as the eldest young master of Prince Ding's Mansion.
The two brothers' eyes met in mid-air. Zhao Rui curled his lips into a smile, then he raised his foot and walked to their father's side, one step faster than Zhao Lang, and asked, "Father, will my second brother also go to the military camp with us today?"
"Well, do you have any objection?" Prince Ding asked calmly, as if he didn't notice the turbulent situation between his two sons.
"No, no." Facing his father's eyes, Zhao Rui understood something. Even he, the most favored son, had no right to interfere with what their father decided.
He knew better than anyone that his position in the Ding Palace had been due to his father's favor, and his rapid rise in the military was also due to his status as the eldest son of the Ding Palace. Once he lost his father's favor, he would be nothing more than a bastard of the Ding Palace, and the people in the military wouldn't necessarily curry favor with him, the eldest son.
Therefore, he absolutely cannot let his relationship with his father become bad because of Zhao Lang's return at this critical juncture, which would cause all his efforts over the years to go to waste!
"That's good." Prince Ding grabbed the reins, stepped on the stirrups, and swiftly climbed onto the horse's back. He sat firmly on it, looking down at his two sons and said, "Let's go."
"Yes, father." Zhao Rui bowed his hand and walked to his horse. He turned over and sat on the horse's back. He looked down at his brother who was walking past him, his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Zhao Lang, during the years you were away from Beijun, I stayed by my father's side. Now I'm a major general in the army, with three thousand personal soldiers under my command. You've only just returned now, and what else do you have besides the title of a crown prince? What can you use to compete with me now?"
"If you enter the military camp, it will give me a chance to get rid of you! Once on the battlefield, swords and knives are blind, and it would be easy for me to get rid of someone, right?" Zhao Rui had already thought of at least three ways to kill his brother silently!
Zhao Lang seemed oblivious to the malicious gaze directed at him. He calmly climbed onto his horse. The horse shook its head a little irritably, but after he patted it, it lowered its head obediently.
At this time, Guard Li also brought a team of people and mounted their horses behind their prince.
There were only about ten people on their side, which was significantly smaller than the group of people following Zhao Rui. However, they were well-equipped with weapons, so even if they couldn't fight a hundred, they could definitely fight ten.
Li Qun's gaze fell on the young master riding in front of him. He remembered that their prince had been away from Beijun for so many years, and he didn't know how much influence Zhao Rui had built in Beijun. It seemed that they had to be more careful in the future, lest they fall into Zhao Rui's trap and put their prince in danger.
"Set off--"
Prince Ding, who was at the front, raised his hand and waved it, then rode away on his horse.
Zhao Rui followed on horseback, followed by the soldiers of Beijun.
Prince Zhao Lang fell behind the rest, but he was in no hurry to catch up. He walked slowly behind the team with his men. Along the way, he was in the mood to appreciate the streets and scenery of Pingzhou.
"Prince, we must be more careful next time." Li Qun rode his horse beside their master and reminded him in a low voice.
"I know." Zhao Lang looked across the crowd at Zhao Rui, who was riding a horse behind their father. He knew Zhao Rui had dug a trap for him. But even if it was a dangerous place, he would definitely go for it!
Zhao Lang must get back what belongs to him!
Zhao Rui, riding in front, felt a gaze from behind him. He didn't need to turn around to know who was looking at him. "Zhao Lang, you wanted to jump into the pit yourself. I didn't force you! You had a way to survive, but you refused to take it and chose to face death! Then I have no choice but to grant your wish!"
***
Here in Kyoto Prefecture on the same day.
A low-key carriage left the city and headed towards Shihua Village.
Lu Mingfei lifted the curtain and looked out, seeing many ragged people begging on the road. He knew that many of these beggars were poor people who had suffered from the war.
Ever since Hu Bing came, not only has Kyoto City become much more desolate, but even the area outside the city looks very desolate. Kyoto is no longer as prosperous as it used to be, and there are fewer caravans and carriages coming.
Seeking benefits and avoiding harm is not only the nature of animals, but also the nature of humans.
This place was hit by a war not long ago, and upon hearing the news, the merchant caravans dared not come this way. Who knows if they'll be lucky? What if they're unlucky and encounter scattered Hu soldiers along the way? In that case, not only will their goods be lost, but their lives too.
This time when he returned to the village, he did not let all the guards go with him.
There were many people in the village, and he was afraid that the people following him would be seen by someone with ulterior motives. He was afraid that someone would suspect him and send people to the village to investigate him. If the news of his unusual behavior spread to someone else, it would be a very dangerous thing for him, his family, and his clansmen.
Since it had come to this, Lu Mingfei knew that he had to be cautious, so he asked the guards to follow him in secret. If anything happened to him, the guards would be able to appear and save him in time.
The carriage drove all the way out of Kyoto Prefecture and returned to the entrance of Shihua Village.
The gate at the entrance of their village that was destroyed by Hu Bing has been repaired, and the people guarding the village have also been replaced.
At this time, the people guarding the village noticed a carriage coming in and shouted from above, "Stop, who is it?"
Hearing this, Lu Mingfei, who was sitting in the carriage, leaned out and called out to the person above him, "Uncle, it's me, Mingfei. Please open the door for me."
"Oh, it's Fei Ge'er who's back. Come on, go open the door." The man above saw that the most promising child in their village had returned, so he hurriedly asked the people below to open the door.
After the village gate opened, the carriage entered smoothly.
Lu Mingfei sat in the carriage and nodded slightly to the villagers guarding the village. He did not get off the carriage and continued to move forward.
He returned to the village some time ago. This was his second time back after Hu Bing left.
Throughout the village, white banners were hung on the doors of every household, fluttering in the wind. The whole village was filled with an indescribable sense of depression and sadness.
When Hu Bing passed through the border, almost all the elderly people in their village died, and only those who were in the mountains at the time escaped.
If he hadn't asked the village chief and clan leaders to arrange for the young and strong people in the village to go to the mountains to cultivate the mountain land a few years ago, and some people stayed in the mountains to grow mushrooms, I'm afraid that when Hu Bing entered the village this time, their village would be like the villages next door, with no one left alive and everyone dead.
Their village is the only one among so many villages where most of the people are still alive. This can be considered a blessing in disguise!
Perhaps the people in the mountains had come down to handle the funeral of their relatives and returned to the mountains. The whole village looked very empty. Their carriage passed by almost no one.
His carriage passed through the village and headed back to the Lu family's old house.
After his father and mother returned to the village, they lived in the old house.
When the people in the yard heard the sound of horse hooves outside, Lu Mingrui was the first to run out. Seeing his brother getting off the carriage, he trotted over and hugged his brother's waist, "Brother."
"Yeah." Lu Mingfei reached out and touched his brother's head. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw that everyone else in the family had come out.
"Father, mother, second uncle, second aunt, fourth uncle, fourth aunt."
"Mingfei is back. Come in and sit in the yard." Uncle Lu was very enthusiastic towards his returning nephew.
This time when Hu Bing entered the village, the families of Uncle Lu Er and Uncle Lu Si were able to escape the disaster because they were doing business and living in the city.
However, they couldn't do business in the city now, and their parents and eldest brother's family had passed away, so the family had to hold a funeral. So the two brothers discussed it and simply packed up their stalls in the city and returned to their hometown village with their wives and children. So their two families have been living in the village for a while.
But Lu Zhiyuan, the eldest grandson of the Lu family, had been in trouble. After the incident, they sent people to the town's restaurant to find Lu Zhiyuan. However, when Lu Zhiyuan learned about the incident, he thought they were going to get money, so he only gave them two hundred yuan and sent them away. He never returned to the village once.
It was also after that that Second Uncle Lu and Fourth Uncle Lu completely gave up on their nephew and just treated him as a lost person in their family.
As for their nephew who passed the imperial examination and became an official, even though they knew that he had to resign and return home to mourn his father's death due to family matters, in their eyes, this nephew who passed the imperial examination was still the most powerful descendant of their entire family, and even the entire clan.
This nephew is the hope of their old Lu family! Author's words: Thank you Bole 9492239 (9492239) for your support, mua! To know more exciting content, please leave me a message on Liancheng Reading
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