Jiuxi

Chapter 351 Chapter 349 [All living beings suffer]

Pingkangfang, Li's mansion.

Li Daoyan took the tea cup from his young grandson Li Gongxu, took a sip and handed it back. He said to the thirty-year-old man standing in the hall: "I understand, go down and continue to stare at Mo Yuan."

"Yes, Prime Minister."

The middle-aged man bowed and left.

Li Daoyan turned to look at his eldest son who was sitting upright, and asked calmly: "What do you think of Shanyang Hou's statement?"

Li Shizhi, the Minister of Punishment, mused: "Returning to my father, my son thinks that Shanyang Marquis is following the trend. On the one hand, he avoids being misunderstood that he has resentment towards the central government, and on the other hand, he takes the opportunity to openly shout that the Northern Expedition will not end, which is obviously worse than the That down-and-out scholar with bad intentions has better methods."

Li Daoyan smiled slightly, his eyes getting deeper and deeper: "Who do you think is standing behind that down-and-out scholar?"

Li Shizhi said calmly: "It may be the remaining fine work from the north. Judging from Lang Sanyuan's words, he seems to want to provoke a conflict between the center and the frontier army. But since he has exposed his traces, he wants to come to the Weaving Department I won’t let him go, and maybe the truth will come to light soon.”

"As a father, I don't think it's that simple. The Warp Weaver Department may not be able to find out anything, but——"

"It's a pity that there are more smart people in this world. They are afraid of being plotted by the government, and in the end they end up getting nothing."

Moyuan.

……

Li Gongxu's eyes widened.

He looked at the courtyard outside the door and sighed again, which made Li Gongxu even more confused.

Li Daoyan raised his hand and patted his forearm, and said leisurely: "Didn't you hear just now? Shanyang Marquis praised your majesty and your grandfather so much in front of those bullshit talents. I never thought that I would be able to do this in my lifetime. I heard praise from a general in the border army, and he was Xiao Wangzhi’s designated successor.”

Li Daoyan suddenly stopped talking, and after thinking for a moment, he continued: "But this should be an introduction. Recently, you have asked the children in the family to go out as little as possible, especially the third child. It's okay that he usually likes to make mischief, but now he has to be at peace. Share some.”

The maid Hua'er standing next to her had a worried look on her face and said timidly: "Girl, let's go back, it won't be good if others see us."

Although he is only twelve years old, he also knows the background of the Jinlin Li family and the reputation of his grandfather. Isn't it easy for his grandfather to listen to others' praise? I don’t know how many people want to brag to their faces but can’t get through the door of Li’s house.

Li Daoyan said: "Okay, go and do your work."

Jing Pianpian seemed as if she hadn't heard anything, and then said: "I really envy Sister Xue. I wonder if she has said a few more words to that Marquis."

There was an obvious warning in his old eyes.

Li Daoyan watched his back disappear outside the door and suddenly smiled softly.

Li Daoyan saw his young grandson's doubts and explained with a smile: "Although my grandfather is old, his eyes are not dim yet, and he can see clearly who is sincere and who is false. The Marquis of Shanyang can understand the difficulty for His Majesty and the Central Committee, It shows that he is a truly smart person, which is very rare..."

There was a beautiful face behind the partition window in the southeast corner of the Yaxu lobby. She listened to the conversation inside, with the corners of her mouth slightly raised.

"The most difficult thing in life is to be sincere."

Li Shizhi stood up and left, then walked out calmly.

There was no one else in the hall at this moment, only his grandfather and grandson were accompanying him. Li Gongxu couldn't help but asked curiously: "Why did my grandfather laugh?"

The nineteen-year-old Jing Pianpian was amazed and sighed softly.

Li Shizhi lowered his head and said: "Yes, father, my son immediately grounded Yun Yi and warned other younger generations in the family."

"Although this Shanyang Marquis is not good at quoting from other sources, he can be said to be an unparalleled eloquent person. No one in this room of talented people can take advantage of him."

Hua'er sighed helplessly.

Jing Pianpian came back to her senses, raised her hand and pinched the tip of her nose gently, and said with a smile: "Come back, look at your courage like a kitten."

Naturally, she didn't know how complicated Xue Susu's mood was when she was standing behind Lu Chen.

After Lang Sanyuan was kicked out, Lu Chen did not rest at ease, because many people below asked him questions, such as the details of the Northern Expedition, the strength of the puppet Yan army, and whether Jing's army was still as fierce as before.

Lu Chen did not push the envelope and answered these young people as patiently as possible. Except for topics involving the secrets of the border army, he basically told them everything he knew. Such a humble attitude naturally won the praise of the whole house.

The second prince became a supporting role at this moment, but with a faint smile on his face, he simply sat back and leisurely enjoyed the exchange between Lu Chen and more than a hundred literati.

Xue Susu stood half a foot behind Lu Chen, just enough not to be seen by the people below.

She stared at the back of the young prince, and her hands hidden in her sleeves clenched tightly unconsciously.

Previously, Lang Sanyuan deliberately tried to sow discord between the center and the border troops. In fact, Xue Susu reacted immediately. She subconsciously wanted to remind the second prince and Lu Chen, but it seemed as if a voice suddenly sounded in her mind, forcing her to stop.

Lu Chen exposed Lang Sanyuan on the spot, which made Xue Susu secretly relieved, but then felt that her mentality was ridiculous. You must know that the secret order she received was for this prince...

Lu Chen's voice continued to reach Xue Susu's ears. He was telling the details of the Huaizhou Army's victory at Leize, which was the second glorious victory of the Qi Army in decades when it annihilated the main force of the Jing Army.

Xue Susu lowered her head, a look of pain appeared in her eyes.

No one in the room knew what she was thinking, and Lu Chen, who had his back turned to her, was even less likely to notice.

After he finished telling the details of Leize's victory, the atmosphere in the lobby became slightly solemn.

When the good news came back to the capital, countless people cheered and drank and sang, including many literati in the lobby at this moment. It seemed that for them, tasting the joy of victory was the most important thing.

However, at this moment, I learned from Lu Chen that it was very difficult for the border troops to win that battle. In order to annihilate the main infantry of the Jing Army, thousands of Daqi men were buried in Leize Plain, and their families only received bad news.

The second prince sighed softly, looking at Lu Chen with a bit more indescribable emotions in his eyes.

At this moment, a slightly discordant voice sounded from below.

"Master Lu, if our country and Jingguo did not invade each other, wouldn't so many people die on the battlefield?"

Lu Chen looked around and saw that he was a scholar in his twenties, with a handsome face and bright eyes.

"What is your name?"

"Student Luo Songhai, from Qingyuan, Hezhou."

"Can I understand what you just said to mean that there is no need to continue the Northern Expedition?"

As soon as Lu Chen said this, there was a commotion in the lobby, and Luo Songhai became the center of attention, including some angry looks.

In fact, before today's Literary Conference, the literati in the capital did not have an intuitive and clear understanding of the Northern Expedition. It was just because of the thoughts of family and country, and the righteousness of the scholars in their hearts. They hoped that the imperial court could revive the prestige of the Qi Dynasty and bring Jing Lian to the north. people rushed back to their hometowns.

As their exchanges with Lu Chen deepened, they came to know how evil Jingren was doing in the North and how difficult the frontier army's war was. The frontier army's current results were achieved through more than ten years of diligent training and unrivaled bravery on the battlefield. A death-fearing charge.

This is a subtle psychological change. They went from shouting slogans in support of the Northern Expedition without knowing the truth on the surface, to now truly realizing how difficult it is for the frontier army, and everyone should cherish the current results.

Therefore, the appearance of Luo Songhai made many people subconsciously think that this was the second Lang Sanyuan.

In front of everyone, Luo Songhai said calmly: "Marquis Lu Rong, the student has no such intention. But just now, the Marquis also mentioned that the war was very expensive, and the Northern Expedition required countless soldiers to sacrifice their lives. As the war deepened, This price will inevitably become higher and higher. So the students are thinking that if we can enter into an alliance with Jingguo, our country will recuperate and provide relief to people's livelihood. In the future, when our country's national strength is far greater than that of Jingguo, we may be able to complete the Northern Expedition at a smaller cost."

Lu Chen looked at him steadily, and Luo Songhai stood proudly, facing Lu Chen's gaze without fear.

After a while, Lu Chen said calmly: "Your idea is ideal, but it is not in line with reality."

Luo Songhai bowed and said, "Please give me some advice, Lord Marquis."

Lu Chen looked around at everyone and said: "In the past two years of war, the enemies of our frontier army were basically the puppet Yan army. The only collision with the main force of Jing's army was the Battle of Leize. Aren't you curious? Where are the tens of thousands of troops? Let me tell you, the main force of Jing's army has been in the far north. When our government regained Dingzhou, Jing's army killed Zhao's soldiers and horses to the last tenth, and now it has completely annexed Zhao."

Luo Songhai's expression changed slightly.

Lu Chen continued: "Today, the Jing State occupies a large territory in the north. The area is wider than our dynasty. Moreover, they have the best land for raising horses in the world. The Jing Army's cavalry is still extremely powerful. Now they have annexed the Zhao State. Where will the sword point next? I believe the answer is self-evident. Please remember-"

He paused for a moment and said in a more serious tone: "Jingguo's army is hard at work, sharpening its swords, and may invade southward at any time. If our court is still fantasizing about peace in exchange for peace, there is only one ending waiting for us, like ten The Heluo massacre five years ago!"

"When that day comes, the destruction of the country and the annihilation of the species will no longer be alarmist!"

Luo Songhai was shocked and couldn't help but bowed again and said: "Students are taught."

All the literati in the hall saluted, even the elderly scholars, and they all said in unison: "I would like to be taught."

Xue Susu looked at this scene and couldn't help but have mixed feelings in her heart.

The second prince whispered to himself: "That's so well said."

At the end of the first session of Mo Criticism, no one expected that Lu Chen would become the absolute protagonist. He did not talk about poetry, songs, classics, and articles. He only talked about the relationship between Da Qi and Jingguo in the north, the beginning and end of the border war and the hardships, and the Northern Expedition. The significance and key points allow these literati who usually have their eyes high above their heads to see clearly the real current situation.

Maybe not everyone can understand Lu Chen's good intentions, but there are many people like Luo Songhai who suddenly had the idea of ​​going to the border after listening to Lu Chen's long speech.

The second prince and Lu Chen walked downstairs side by side, and were greeted by the scholars who were still interested. At this moment, they seemed not to notice the oiran Xue Susu who was following behind. All they could see was the handsome face of the young prince.

Among the crowd, a young man squeezed forward quietly. Although the people next to him were a little unhappy, it was hard to say anything as everyone was rushing towards the second prince and Lu Chen.

The young scholar lowered his head and lowered his eyebrows. His eyes were like a sharp blade with a faint cold light, as if he wanted to reveal it unexpectedly, and then plunge the knife into the green gall of the young prince.

(End of this chapter)