Jiuxi

Chapter 398 Chapter 396 [Take risks]

Not reconciled.

This is the most real and intense feeling of the eldest prince at this moment.

In fact, he held a banquet today not only because he wanted to get closer to Lu Chen, but also because he wanted to take the opportunity to test the emperor's attitude, so he took the initiative to go to the palace and speak frankly.

When the emperor agreed to his petition, the eldest prince was almost filled with joy.

He thought this was a positive hint, so he quickly sent someone to deliver the invitation to Lu Chen, and asked Feng Yuan Garden to close the door today to thank guests, and hired several chefs to prepare the sumptuous banquet.

Unexpectedly, the emperor asked Lu Chen to leave just to use this opportunity to dispel his thoughts.

There are twists and turns, ups and downs, and ultimately a disappointing ending.

How can you be willing to do so?
That position represents the fight between life and death, the dignity of the Nine Fives, and the dominion over the world.

Since fourteen years ago, the eldest prince has been looking forward to becoming the prince of Da Qi and waiting for his father to take over the country a hundred years later. Therefore, he pays great attention to his external image and strives to be gentle and kind no matter where he is. Tolerant.

The eldest prince was slightly startled.

In the carriage, Yu Chigui looked at Lu Shen's face and said with a smile, "It seems the result is not too bad."

The eldest prince knew that he wanted to leave the banquet. Although he still had a lot to say, when Lu Chen explained the reason why the emperor allowed him to attend the banquet today and his deeper thoughts on the battle for the crown prince, he could not say those words in his heart.

The eldest prince stopped drinking and said with a sigh: "Father, these years have certainly not been easy. There are tigers and wolves watching from the outside, and there are constraints from the family inside. Even if it is just a small matter, we must consider the interests of all aspects and strive for it as much as possible. The support of most people. I remember that about eight years ago, because Li Tianrun, the governor of Jingzhou, wanted to build a Feiyu camp full of cavalry, there was a debate in the court for nearly two months. In the end, my father finally won it with great difficulty Only with the support of the left prime minister can this decision be passed smoothly."

Lu Chen picked up a pot and filled his own cup with Liuxiang wine, then raised the cup and looked at the eldest prince, and said calmly: "Your Highness, I can't bear to drink, so I use this glass of wine to thank Your Highness for your hospitality today."

Lu Chen continued: "Even His Majesty will have many helpless times. The higher the position, the more careful you need to be, because a decision by the superior will often affect the fate of countless people. Therefore, patience is a very important advantage. Although it sounds domineering to draw a sword in anger and express grudges with pleasure, it doesn't work in the court, at least it doesn't work in my court today."

Qin Zilong called the soldiers to come forward and left the carriage with a crowd.

Walking out of the gate of Fengyuan Garden, Lu Chen could see a hint of alcoholism on his face, but his eyes were still clear. After all, the eldest prince had always been drinking by himself, so he didn't drink a lot.

After deliberately suppressing his true temperament for a long time, he would occasionally reveal his violent side in the palace. However, because he had strict control over the palace and had never caused any casualties, he did not cause too much trouble. Bad influence.

The eldest prince frowned and said: "I am not lacking -"

Lu Chen looked at the eldest prince's face, which seemed to be instantly defeated. He did not answer his question directly, but asked calmly: "Your Highness, do you think it has been easy for His Majesty these years?"

At this moment, he finally began to think about a question, whether he had the ability to secure that position?
It was definitely impossible to find the exact answer for the time being, but compared to the sadness, anger and depression just now, the eldest prince's mood had calmed down somewhat.

The two raised their glasses and drank it all at the same time. Lu Chen immediately stood up and bowed to leave.

After listening to Lu Chen's sensible reminder, the eldest prince already understood his father's thoughts, and what followed was bitterness filling his mind.

He picked up the flask and poured himself a drink. Fortunately, the Liuxiang wine was soft and gentle enough, so he wouldn't get drunk for a while.

He looked into Lu Shen's bright eyes and realized that he might not be able to deceive his father about his private performance, and naturally he could not deceive the young prince in front of him.

"At least it didn't get to the point of a face-to-face argument."

Lu Chen stroked the white jade wine glass and said slowly: "If His Majesty asked Your Highness to handle this matter at that time, I wonder if Your Highness would have the confidence to convince the ministers of the court?"

He really hadn't thought about this problem.

The words stopped abruptly.

The eldest prince looked at the almost untouched delicacies on the table, sat down slumped, and let out a long sigh.

Lu Chen shook his head with a smile, and then said: "There are some things I can't say too directly. Fortunately, the eldest prince should be able to understand, but I'm not sure whether he can listen."

In fact, he was very measured today and did not talk publicly about the battle for the crown prince from beginning to end. Naturally, he did not want to leave anything to the eldest prince to talk about, so he kept using hints to make insidious remarks.

Yu Chigui nodded and said: "That's enough. After all, this is a matter of the Tian family. You can come forward to convey the emperor's thoughts and you are worthy of his promotion and respect for you."

Lu Chen moved his neck and said with emotion: "Compared to doing all these intrigues in the capital all day long, I still prefer the days at the border. At least there is a clear distinction between the enemy and ourselves, unlike now where everyone wears a mask on their face. , some people even wear several masks, and it takes a lot of energy just to take off these masks.”

These words meant something, but Yu Chigui did not pursue the question and only said: "After all, this is the core of power of a dynasty. Everyone has to follow the existing rules. In many cases, brute force cannot be used to break the situation. If it is placed in the arena, This kind of thing is much simpler, for example, if your master chooses a successor, as long as no one can beat Lin Xi in martial arts, the result will be clear."

Hearing him mention senior sister, a gentle look appeared in Lu Chen's eyes, and he said: "I don't know where senior sister is now. I hope she will not be in danger in the world."

Yu Chigui said with a smile: "Don't worry about that. Lin Xi's martial arts is enough to be listed on the martial arts list. Even if she encounters the previous old guys, for Lin Jie's sake, no one will really fight her to the death." Lu Chen Feeling a little relieved, he immediately began to think about the upcoming events in Beijing.

The emperor is now gradually strengthening his control over the Beijing army. Although there are still many high-ranking officials from Jiangnan families in the court, after the suppression some time ago, I believe they will become more peaceful.

The emperor's health is deteriorating, and the crown prince must be established as soon as possible.

Lu Chen was not sure that the eldest prince could accept the emperor's good intentions. He could only do his best to obey fate. However, even if the eldest prince was unhappy, it would be difficult for him to cause too much damage.

After all, the emperor only cares about the friendship between father and son, and does not necessarily need concessions from the eldest prince.

The carriage was driving smoothly, and more than twenty soldiers with bright eyes lined up in front, back, left, and right to protect the carriage in the middle.

Qin Zilong knew very well that the capital city was not a frontier, and with Lu Chen clearly siding with the emperor, he would definitely become a thorn in the side of the Jiangnan clan. No one could guarantee whether anyone would have murderous intentions, so every time Lu Chen traveled he would Will be extra vigilant.

At this moment, he not only paid attention to the movements around him, but also sent two personal soldiers out in advance to observe the nearby situation along the way and leave safety signs at any time.

Fengyuan Garden is located in a very quiet location in the west city of Yongjia. It takes a long way to return to Shanyanghou Mansion in Nancheng. There is a section of the road away from the busy city and shops, especially Qingfeng Street from northwest to southeast. Even in broad daylight There are also very few pedestrians.

The Lu Mansion carriage was getting closer and closer to Qingfeng Street, and Qin Zilong had a vague feeling of weirdness for some reason.

He calmly observed his surroundings and saw that the doors were closed and there was total silence.

The north wind blows, and there are flying dust and fallen leaves floating on the street, which is filled with a chilling atmosphere.

It was obviously a summer afternoon, but it was as chilly as the twelfth lunar month in winter.

Qin Zilong secretly laughed at whether he was too nervous. This was the capital city at the foot of the emperor. There were hundreds of thousands of troops stationed inside and outside, and spies from the Weaving Department who might appear at any time. Even if someone was really bold enough to do something unfavorable to Lu Chen, it would be impossible to do it directly. An area under martial law.

If someone had such ability, wouldn't it be possible to break into the palace unscrupulously?

Thinking of this, Qin Zilong breathed a sigh of relief, but still said to the surrounding soldiers: "Cheer up."

"Yes."

Everyone agreed.

Lu Chen's voice came from inside the carriage: "What's the matter?"

Qin Zilong quickly approached and replied: "Master Hou, everything is fine. It's just that I think it's too quiet nearby and it's a little strange, so I ask everyone to be careful."

Lu Chen then said: "Okay, it's not a bad thing to be careful."

Qin Zilong immediately grinned and replied: "Yes, Lord Marquis."

The carriage drove into Qingfeng Street under the escort of the soldiers. This street is neither long nor wide. On one side are mostly vacant official residences, and on the other side is a horizontal wall nearly ten feet high.

In an empty house at the end of Qingfeng Street, five men with weapons in their hands stood calmly and calmly, and another person looked out through a hole that had been dug in advance.

These five people are all over thirty years old, three of them are secretly maintained disciples of the third prince, and the other two are masters sent by Li Yunyi.

They knew that they were going to assassinate a powerful prince today, but there was no trace of fear on these people's faces, but rather excited and cruel smiles.

To these desperadoes who dare to do anything if they have enough benefits, are accustomed to licking blood with their swords and have no worries, and almost everyone in the world calls for beatings, what kind of thing is a prince?

"Something's wrong."

The person responsible for observing suddenly said three words.

The five men who were waiting to kill each other looked around and saw the man turning back and saying: "The carriage suddenly stopped at the end of Qingfeng Street and did not enter the ambush we set."

One of them, a laid-back man named He Bainian, asked gruffly: "What should we do?"

The person in charge of the observation was named Meng Xuan, who was Xu Ruqing's confidant. He just thought for a moment and said coldly: "The plan has changed. You guys should go out immediately. I will arrange for manpower to support you later!"

Everyone looked at each other and He Bainian said with a ferocious smile: "Okay, let's just chop off Lu Chen's head. This is worth a hundred thousand taels of work, so we don't have to share it equally with others!"

Only the three words "one hundred thousand taels" were left in the minds of the others, and a fierce light suddenly appeared in their eyes.

"kill!"

(End of this chapter)