Chapter 203 Current Situation of Xiling
Lu Chenzhou had just returned and after exchanging a few words with Lu Shi, he hurried away to prepare for the welcoming banquet.
The flickering candlelight in the hall illuminated Lu Shi's gloomy face.
Lu Chenzhou's return at this time is actually not a good thing for Xiling.
The chess game, which could have been played with a low profile, has now been pushed to the brink of collapse.
The imperial army has been stationed outside the city, watching covetously; the imperial order to arrest Lu Chenzhou is like a sword hanging over his head.
And this layer of window paper, as thin as a cicada's wing, may be pierced by a sharp blade at any time.
Now the imperial court has issued an order to capture Lu Chenzhou and kill him without mercy.
And the case against him will probably soon reach Xiling.
In this situation, he either has to give an explanation to the court or... openly disobey the order.
Once Xiling disobeys the order, he will become the target of public criticism.
The imperial court can always find an excuse to attack.
How could Lu Shi allow the great cause he had planned for many years to be ruined in an instant?
Everything this rebellious son did in the capital made him extremely angry.
He gave up the honorable position of a royal consort and chose to get entangled with that kind of woman.
Not only that, he was also accused of not being a good parent.
What's worse, this rebellious son dared to compete with the prince for his favor, and argued with the princess over a woman again and again, causing an uproar in the city.
Now rumors are spreading everywhere, and the obscene words that are unbearable to hear have even spread to the territory of Xiling.
If he hadn't immediately issued a gag order, his and Chu Yinyin's romantic affairs would have become a hot topic among the people.
Even those notebooks containing implicit sarcasm were confiscated and burned one by one by his men.
Lu Shi knew very well that the imperial court was behind this, fanning the flames in an effort to bring disgrace upon them and their son.
If we really lose the support of the people...
All these decades of hard work will be wasted.
Poisoning his aunt, escaping from prison... all of these things became the handle for the court to criticize him.
He took a deep breath and said, "You should know that Lin Zhaoyue is a trouble, but why did you bring her back?"
Su Changxue also noticed Lu Shi's dissatisfaction with Lu Chenzhou at this time.
And this dissatisfaction was more likely caused by the words Lin Zhaoyue said when she just left.
Her words acted like a hook.
All of Lu Shi's dissatisfaction with his son Lu Chenzhou was aroused at once.
Even the negative emotions that were covered up by the father-son relationship were triggered at this time.
His expression remained unchanged, and he only smiled faintly: "The prince insisted that I help bring the princess back. If I don't do this favor, I'm afraid that the prince will bear a grudge against me in the future."
Lu Shi's eyes darkened, and his voice was a little cold: "How ridiculous."
After a moment of silence, Lu Shi seemed to recall something from the past, and finally just sighed softly.
"But he also did things that I didn't dare to do before. In this respect, he is better than me."
Su Changxue glanced at Lu Shi and didn't say anything.
He only knew a little about the affair between Lu Shi and the late queen.
Lu Shi looked at Su Changxue and said, "Mr. Su, you have been really hard-working these days."
Su Changxue nodded slightly, then asked, "Ever since entering Xiling, I've noticed that the Xiling army seems to be demoralized and demoralized. Is there something else going on?"
Lu Shi nodded and said slowly, "Young Master Su is indeed very perceptive. Young Master Su, you know that in the past two years, a group of rebels have appeared around Xiling. They came from nowhere and have been causing chaos everywhere. They have had several conflicts with the Xiling army. The enemy's leader is a master of military strategy, and in fact, they have caused our Xiling army a lot of trouble in the past two years.
In addition, in recent years, a group of bandits have been causing chaos in the hills around Xiling, specializing in robbing and killing soldiers, food, and official silver.
These bandits occupied the mountains and acted as kings, committing crimes and causing a lot of trouble for the Xiling Army.
Although the army has been recruiting soldiers in recent years, it has not dared to expand the army on a large scale. In addition, there are not many young and strong people joining the army. Therefore, many soldiers have been lost.
But the prince is not aware of these things."
"So, now that Xiling has nowhere to retreat, facing internal and external troubles, my father and I will have to rely even more on Shenli Valley and Master Su."
When he said this, he seemed to rely on Su Changxue even more.
Su Changxue also understood why Lu Shi was dissatisfied with Lu Chenzhou.
The Xiling Army was actually already riddled with problems, and was also squeezed by the imperial court.
Originally, Xiling wanted to recuperate for a while, rest and recruit soldiers.
But there is no way now.
He had no choice but to bite the bullet and break off relations with the court.
Unless he handed over Lu Chenzhou, he would even have to continue to cut down the army to gain mercy from the court.
But obviously, Lu Shi will not do that now.
In this way, the imperial court was like a knife hanging over his head, which could fall at any time and anywhere.
Although he had already had information sources about the rebel troops and bandits around Xiling, he did not expect that they would have such a great impact on the Xiling army.
so--
If Xiling really wants to start a rebellion, it must borrow troops.
At this time, Lin Zhaoyue's voice was heard softly in the side room of the Marquis' Mansion.
"So, apart from the fact that Lu Chenzhou has returned to Xiling, Lu Shi is no longer afraid. He must have another trick up his sleeve, and that is to collude with other forces and seek external assistance." Lin Zhaoyue lightly stroked the edge of the teacup with her fingertips, suddenly smiled, and looked at Mingxi.
Ming Xi seemed to have immediately thought of something, a gleam in his eyes. "The imperial court's military power is almost entirely controlled by Xiao Tingye and the Duke of Zhenguo. Besides that, the troops stationed in other places are often close to the princess. Furthermore, if they were to collude with imperial officials, you and Xiao Tingye would be immediately aware of it. Therefore—the only possible place he could borrow troops from is outside the Xia Dynasty."
Lin Zhaoyue raised an eyebrow, "It seems that all the reading during this period was not in vain."
This sentence is equivalent to praise.
Even after Mingxi's disguise, one could still see a hint of pride on her face.
"It's not just about reading." Ming Xi curled her lips: "The princess didn't avoid me when she was discussing with Feng Mian and the others."
In the past, Mingxi envied Fengmian and Mu Ying for being able to discuss state affairs with the princess.
Sometimes they even give advice to the princess.
So he worked harder to learn, observe, and even to understand the various forces in the Great Xia Dynasty and the interests hidden underneath.
Now I can stand in the same position and talk to the princess like them.
Lin Zhaoyue just smiled faintly.
I have to say that Mingxi's learning ability is terrifyingly strong.
The reason why Mu Ying and Feng Mian can discuss political affairs with him.
That's because I have been influenced by it since I was a child.
Moreover, the forces under their control are responsible for doing this, so they are naturally very clear about the forces of all parties.
But Mingxi only lasted a few short months.
I can already feel it so clearly.
This is also one of the reasons why she is willing to keep Mingxi by her side.
clever.
It would save her a lot of trouble.
Speaking of Feng Mian and Mu Ying...
Ever since she realized that the world was not what she thought it was, and that she was only seeing the tip of the iceberg.
She had already begun to spread the power under the two of them to the outer continent.
Therefore, Mu Ying and Feng Mian are busy with more than just the court.
Lu Chenzhou arranged for her to live in a courtyard in the marquis's mansion.
It’s not far away, it’s right next to the courtyard of Prince Lu Chenzhou.
A group of maids brought countless clothes and jewelry, all of which were made of the finest silk, and even the jewelry was rare jewels.
In addition to the maids, the area around Lin Zhaoyue's yard was also heavily guarded.
There was a noise outside the house.
The maids were busy changing the furnishings in the courtyard and removing all the gorgeous flowers.
Lu Chenzhou obviously remembered her likes and dislikes, and even arranged every blade of grass and tree according to the regulations of the princess's mansion.
"The prince said that the princess doesn't like this kind of flowers, why don't you move them away!"
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