Jiuxi

Chapter 347 Chapter 345 [The height of the temple]

In the main hall of the Hou Mansion, Xue Ruogu sat upright with a dignified posture.

He is twenty-five years old this year. He won the top spot in the first class of high school in the Imperial Examination three years ago and was awarded the title of Editor of the Hanlin Academy.

In the past three years, he had been revising history books under the bachelor's degree in the Hanlin Academy. Occasionally, he was summoned by the emperor to draft edicts, but this was relatively rare. It was not that the emperor had any scruples, but that Xue Nanting took the initiative to enter the palace and declined the emperor's promotion.

As the eldest son of the right prime minister and a direct descendant of the Qingyuan Xue family, Xue Ruogu has always had a faint aura around him.

He had never failed in the imperial examination, and he won the imperial examination at the age of sixteen. He had a great chance of becoming the youngest Jinshi in Da Qi's history of more than 160 years, but he was locked up at home by Xue Nanting and studied hard for six years.

In the imperial examination three years ago, his article was unanimously praised by several civil servants. Li Duan also wanted to consider him as the number one scholar, but Xue Nanting blocked him because of "material discussion".

If he were that kind of left-minded person, he would probably anger his father because of these things, but Xue Ruogu was not only good at reading and writing articles, but also inherited Xue Nanting's political talent.

He knew very well that his father was doing it for his own good, and even though he felt a little regretful, he soon calmed down.

Even if he did not become the youngest number one scholar in the history of the Daqi Imperial Examination, Xue Ruogu still had the reputation of "child prodigy", and unlike those short-lived geniuses, with Xue Nanting's guidance, he took every step very steadily and steadfastly. .

Now he finally understood the meaning of his father's words the year before last.

It's just that the emperor seems to be making a fuss out of a molehill. Is it just an ordinary cultural gathering more dangerous than the dragon's pond and the tiger's den? He first asked Qin Zheng to investigate in advance, and now he asked the son of the right prime minister to come and escort him.

Lu Chen was a little surprised. He originally thought that the other party was sent by Xue Nanting, but he didn't expect that it was the emperor's will.

Xue Ruogu often warned himself to be cautious and not to be arrogant and wanton. However, when he saw Lu Chen, who was several years younger than him, he felt that there was someone out there who was beyond the ordinary, and that his achievements could not be used in front of him.

Xue Ruogu replied: "Master Hou, this literary meeting was held in Moyuan in Beicheng. The first time was in the late spring three years ago, and it later became a regular practice. The initiators were all great people in the literary world, such as this year's Fu Yun Qing, Shen Ruiyuan and others, the expenses of the literary meeting were borne by the Prime Minister's Palace. In fact, there is nothing unusual about the Moyuan literary meeting. It is nothing more than reviewing poems and articles, debating classics and analyzing their meanings, discussing talents and selecting the best, etc., which is different from most literary meetings in the world. It will be different."

Xue Ruogu did not insist anymore. Of course, he would not really regard himself as Lu Chen's brother, and he remained respectful in his words.

Xue Ruogu was still a little confused at that time, but now he certainly knows how accurate his father's vision is.

The two chatted for a while, and Xue Ruogu turned to the main topic and said: "Master Hou, I am here on your Majesty's order. Your Majesty will be accompanied by your Majesty to attend the cultural gathering in three days."

"Don't dare."

Xue Ruogu lowered his head and lowered his eyebrows, and then said: "I have taken the liberty to come to the house today. One of the reasons is His Majesty's order, and the other reason is my father's entrustment."

When he thought of this, Lu Chen smiled calmly and said: "Brother, what is the point of this literary meeting? Your Majesty needs to specially invite you to help me."

Lu Chen's intuition was not that simple, but he had his own calculations in his mind and said with a smile: "Then Brother Lao Shi."

Many colleagues in the Hanlin Academy believed that he would definitely be able to serve as prime minister in the future and become a veritable prime minister in this noble yamen.

Lu Chen's expression was calm, but his tone was firm: "I have great respect for Prime Minister Xue, and I should regard myself as a junior, so naturally I have to discuss friendship with my senior brother. Outside, my title and official position can be commensurate, and there are no outsiders at this moment, so why should my senior brother be formal?"

"You should put aside your pride as a scholar and socialize with him more. It will be of great benefit to your future career."

While the eldest son of the prime minister's office secretly observed the thoughts swirling around him, Lu Chen smiled and said, "I had a quick meeting two years ago and was unable to chat more with my brother. I have always had some regrets in my heart."

Xue Ruogu said calmly and courteously: "How dare I accept this title in front of the Marquis? If the Marquis does not object, I can call my cousin Ziyuan."

He paused for a moment and said with reverence: "Your Majesty has said that Shanyang Marquis is not familiar with the customs of Beijing, and it is inevitable to interact with others at the cultural gathering. I specially asked this official to accompany me throughout the whole process to avoid the harassment of some crazy people. "

Xue Ruogu said: "My father knows that the Marquis is not very familiar with the situation in the capital, so he asked me to take advantage of His Majesty's order to come in advance. I'm afraid he won't be able to get through from behind."

"This is heresy."

Lu Chen raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "I wonder what Prime Minister Xue has to say?"

Lu Chen couldn't help laughing when he heard this: "I don't understand these words."

Xue Ruogu also smiled and said: "The Marquis has arrived in the capital for the first time today, so he can still have half a day to relax. From tomorrow on, gift lists will surely come to his door to congratulate the Marquis on his joining the nobility. To be honest, I have also prepared the gift lists. , it will be delivered to you in two days. There will be a lot of traffic outside the house and there will be a lot of talk, even if the official comes, it will not be easy to stay, and it will be far less quiet than today. "

Lu Chen did not politely refuse the other party's intention. It would be very deliberate for one of them not to accept the gift from the Xue family. The two of them welcomed each other as a way to maintain their friendship. Lu Tong had specifically asked him before returning to Beijing this time.

Anyway, these matters are taken care of by Chen Shu, the big housekeeper, and the Lu family is not short of money, so Lu Chen doesn't need to worry about it.

Xue Ruogu continued: "In the past two years, the Marquis has made many achievements on the border, but there is an undercurrent in the court. At first, my father thought it was because some important officials in the central government were biased against the border troops, but later he felt that there was another mystery." Lu Chenbu He asked quickly: "Could it be that Mr. Xue thinks that everyone in the central government is no longer wary of the development and growth of the border army?"

"Naturally I'm still a little wary."

Xue Ruogu received instructions from his father, so he spoke frankly in front of Lu Chen and said calmly: "But judging from many things that have happened in the past two years, because the left prime minister is in charge of the overall situation, the Jiangnan family is relatively peaceful. Especially... After capturing Heluo, the Marquis took the initiative to withdraw, and in the name of the border troops, he advised His Majesty to suspend the Northern Expedition. This move was praised by my father as a stroke of genius, which could be said to easily turn passivity into initiative, just like hearing thunder in a silent place."

Lu Chen smiled lightly. He didn't think that deeply. He just didn't want to force the emperor to break with the ministers. This would be harmful to the frontier army. After all, a stable rear was extremely important.

Hearing the agility in the other party's words, he pondered: "Then according to the Right Prime Minister, the worries are not outside but inside?"

Because of Xue Nanting's several pointers and reminders, Xue Ruogu was not surprised by the young prince's sharp mind, but it was inevitable that he would feel a little emotional.

It is not an easy thing for an upstart Wu Xun who can command an army to win consecutive battles at a young age to be able to judge the current situation so accurately.

He calmed down and replied respectfully: "Yes. At an ordinary court meeting at the end of last year, a minister wrote to Your Majesty, requesting that the selection of the crown prince should be determined as soon as possible. Your Majesty did not give an answer on the spot, and no one mentioned it again afterwards, as if That memorial has fallen into obscurity. But in my father's opinion, it was clearly a temptation with ulterior motives."

Lu Chen frowned slightly and said, "Who is the person who wrote the letter?"

Xue Ruogu said: "Pei Fangyuan, the director of the Imperial College, is from the fourth rank."

Lu Chen asked: "Siye of the Imperial College...Which prince does he belong to?"

Xue Ruogu shook his head and said: "I don't know. Judging from the past, Mr. Pei is obsessed with the classics and history, and has few contacts with other ministers. In addition, the Imperial College is a noble yamen, and he is more like one of those literary scholars who focus on academic research. My father is currently It is still unclear whether he wrote to His Majesty out of loyalty or whether he received secret instructions from a certain prince."

Lu thought for a moment and said slowly: "In other words, Your Majesty intends for me to intervene in the battle for the crown prince?"

Xue Ruogu said with admiration: "It is possible. But my father also said that maybe Your Majesty just wants to see the attitude of the Marquis, because the Marquis is relatively young and will definitely become the king of Da Qi in the future like Governor Xiao and Governor Li. Pillar. In the future, when the new king ascends the throne, he will definitely need the support of the Marquis, so Your Majesty is looking at the future and letting the Marquis get acquainted with several princes in advance, and only then can he go to the Moyuan Cultural Conference."

What he said was reasonable and reasonable, but Lu Chen felt that something was wrong.

"But speaking from common sense, there seems to be no need for His Majesty to hesitate. Since the eldest prince is a direct lineage and has a long history, it is natural for him to take over the East Palace. The other two have no confidence to compete with him."

"This...is something related to the Tian family, and it is not something that I, the ministers, can guess."

Lu Chen looked at Xue Ruogu's calm face and suddenly asked: "Brother, which prince do you like more?"

Xue Ruogu was stunned.

Xue Nanting never thought of teaching him to be a pedantic Taoist, but the education he received since childhood was to be loyal to the emperor and the country. As a minister, it is disrespectful to talk about the emperor, not to mention the matter of establishing a crown prince, which is related to the inheritance of imperial power. .

Facing Lu Shen's gentle gaze, Xue Ruogu hesitated for a moment and then said: "Master Marquis, I believe that the eldest prince should be the crown prince. It is harmful to the country to abolish the elder and establish the younger."

Lu Chen smiled and said calmly: "Brother, don't be nervous, I'm just a little curious. You and I have the same opinion on this matter. As long as the eldest prince is upright, he must be the heir apparent."

Xue Ruogu secretly breathed a sigh of relief and reminded: "Master Hou, don't be fooled by the words and deeds of the princes. My father asked me to tell you that the second prince pretended to be wanton and the third prince seemed rude and naughty, but in fact they were all fake. Not only My father could see clearly that the Prime Minister Zuo also had a clear mind, but no one wanted to expose it. After all, it was a matter of honor for the Tian family. During the trip to the Moyuan Cultural Conference, the second prince might be tempted, but the Marquis only needed to face it calmly. But, you don’t have to make any promises to the other party.”

"Brother, please express my gratitude to Xiang Xue on my behalf. I will not leave the capital in a hurry this time. When I have the opportunity, I will come to thank Xiang Xue in person."

"You don't have to be polite, Lord Marquis, but my father is looking forward to meeting you."

The smile on Xue Ruogu's face became more sincere, and he told some details about Mo Yuan's literary meeting, and then stood up to leave.

Lu Chen walked to the corridor, looked at the back of the young Hanlin, and slowly exhaled a breath.

The Beijing army, which is not under the control of the emperor, gradually reveals the beginning of the struggle for the crown prince, the deep-rooted Jiangnan aristocratic families, and countless ambitious people involved.

Even if only the tip of the iceberg was exposed in front of Lu Chen, it was enough for him to cheer up and deal with it calmly.

During his trip to the capital the year before last, his feelings were not real. Now he couldn't help but understand why Su Yunqing stayed in Huaizhou even if he didn't want to be promoted.

This place is like a quagmire.

He thought of the words conveyed by Xue Ruogu, a faint smile appeared on his face, and whispered to himself: "It seems that this dispute will not be peaceful."

(End of this chapter)