Jiuxi

Chapter 438 Chapter 436 [Bright as the moon among the clouds]

When Lu Chen came out of Li's Mansion, it was not yet noon.

He raised his head and glanced at the bright sunshine, feeling unable to calm down for a moment.

Humans are not like grass and trees, so how can they be ruthless, not to mention that he and Li Bingxue have too many pasts that are still fresh in their memories.

He sighed secretly, and then saw a middle-aged man walking not far away.

"See Mr. Marquis."

The person who came and bowed respectfully was Shi Dunan, the chief minister of the Prime Minister's Palace.

Lu Chen asked: "What does Du Changshi have to say?"

Du Nan lowered his head and said, "My prince would like to invite Mr. Hou to visit Mo Garden. I wonder if Mr. Hou is free?"

Although the emperor specially gave Lu Chen a ten-day holiday, the things on his hands are still very complicated. There are still many trivial matters to deal with at Jinwu Camp. Even with a competent assistant like Chen Lanyu, Lu Chen cannot be a hands-off shopkeeper. This is not his character.

The second prince heard the elegant meaning of the song and immediately stopped mentioning it. He poured the wine and said, "As you said, I have thousands of things to say, but I don't know where to start right now."

Lu Chen suddenly felt heavy-headed. The reason why he readily agreed to the second prince's invitation was because he had no intention of relaxing his mood. After all, he had made himself unhappy at Li's residence, and he couldn't go to his senior sister to relieve himself - that would be too shameless.

About a quarter of an hour later, the carriage drove straight into the interior of Moyuan. Lu Chen's bodyguards were naturally responsible for entertaining him, and Du Nan led him to a familiar courtyard.

The second prince, Li Zongben, dressed in regular clothes, took the initiative to greet him.

After sitting down, the second prince took the initiative and asked: "Do you want Xue Susu to come over?"

"Knowing that you were in the palace in the morning, I asked Du Nan to wait outside Hening Gate and wait for you to leave after the court. Later, he said that you went to Huai'an County Duke's Mansion. I wonder if you will be there. For lunch, I will simply ask Dunan to wait. If you come out soon, I will invite you to have a drink here. If you eat there, we will make an appointment for another day. "

However, just as he sat down, the second prince couldn't help but pick up any pot. Lu Chen immediately shook his head and said, "No need, His Highness must have something to say today. It's not appropriate for her to be around."

He didn't think that the second prince was deliberately showing brotherhood and respect in front of him. First of all, if the other prince really wanted to perform, he should do it in front of the emperor. Secondly, the second prince's attitude could easily make the people below think he was too hypocritical. Finally, he and Lu Chen Because of their different status, they should pay attention to maintaining their princely manners.

Lu Chen also poured a glass of wine and asked, "Is Your Highness feeling depressed?"

The two of them came to the side hall, where a banquet with delicacies from both mountains and seas had been prepared.

The second prince talked as he walked, telling the whole story clearly in a few words to show that he didn't mean to let anyone follow Lu Chen. Otherwise, how could he happen to meet him outside Li's mansion?
Lu Chen smiled and said: "His Highness is a little over the top. In fact, you only need to have someone greet you in advance, and you don't have to work for Du Changshi."

When Du Nan saw Lu Moran, he quickly explained: "Today, Moyuan is closed to thank guests. Your Majesty did not summon anyone else. He just wanted a quiet place to chat with the Marquis for a while."

Du Nan smiled apologetically and said, "The carriage is ready. Lord Marquis, please come."

Lu Chen was slightly startled.

Lu Chen nodded and said: "His Highness invites you, how can I disobey it?"

Perhaps in the eyes of the world, at this point in time, the second prince is the person least qualified to be sad for the spring and autumn.

The second prince shook his head and said: "The etiquette cannot be abolished."

The second prince looked into Lu Chen's eyes and sighed softly: "The eldest brother is gone, I am very sad."

The eldest prince passed away, and the third prince was deprived of his title and imprisoned. Now he is the only prince who can inherit the great treasure, and his position as crown prince is certain. It is the time when the spring breeze is so proud that the horse's hoof is broken, so why should he be depressed?

However, the prince Du Nan mentioned was the second prince, and now everyone in the government and the public had already agreed that this was the prince, and they were just waiting for the emperor to hold the canonization ceremony.

Green courtyard.

Therefore, the second prince was not showing off, he was indeed sad because of the death of the eldest prince.

The second prince continued: "Perhaps you can't understand that the eldest brother and I are not from the same mother, and we are not always close to each other, let alone rivals for the heir apparent. Now that he has unfortunately passed away, even if I can't be filled with joy, I still can't. I don't want to pretend to be like this. For this reason, I don't even know who to talk to. My father may understand me, but I can't mention the matter of the eldest brother in front of him. I know. My father appears to be normal, but in fact he is very sad about the departure of my eldest brother.”

Having said this, he laughed to himself and drank the wine in one gulp.

After a moment of silence, Lu Chen sighed and said: "Your Highness, although you and His Highness are not of the same mother, we have been brothers for more than 20 years, how can you have no feelings? Moreover, you have not been involved in the dispute over the prince before. This There has been no direct falling out for half a year. Now that His Highness has passed away at an early age, it is normal for you to be sad. "

"I really didn't see the wrong person."

The gloomy look on the second prince's face was relieved, and he continued: "Father told me yesterday that the imperial court will hold a canonization ceremony at the beginning of next month."

Lu Chen calculated the time and said with a hint of regret: "Congratulations to Your Highness, congratulations to Your Highness. However, I should be on the way to Shazhou at that time and will not be able to witness this grand ceremony of the country with my own eyes. Please forgive me."

"Father told me about your itinerary in advance, so I just asked you to talk about it today. You will definitely be very busy during the next period."

The second prince briefly explained a few words and then said: "To tell you the truth, before the dust settled on this matter, I was extremely looking forward to it. Especially when I was vaguely aware of my father's thoughts, I was so excited that I couldn't sleep for several nights. However, this day is coming, and instead of feeling much joy and excitement, I am filled with fear and uneasiness.”

"Uneasy? Why is this?"

"Because I thought about it carefully, my father helped the country in such an unfavorable situation, reversed the situation with unimaginable perseverance and patience, and cleared the dynasty before establishing the crown prince, and laid a very solid foundation for the successors. The foundation. If...if I need to shoulder this burden in the future, will I be able to live up to my father's expectations?"

The second prince poured another glass of wine, but did not drink it immediately.

Lu Chen was slightly surprised.

Compared with the previous meetings, the second prince was extremely candid today.

Perhaps it is because the position of the crown prince has been determined, and he no longer needs to wear a heavy mask, and can lower his guard a little in front of certain people.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen said slowly: "I can understand His Highness's worries, and I am grateful for His Highness's trust. In fact, His Highness does not need to worry too much. Even if His Highness has doubts about his own abilities, he should not doubt His Majesty's vision."

This sentence made the second prince's eyes light up.

As he sipped the fine wine in the cup, his expression finally returned to normal, and he said with admiration: "No wonder my father said that your thoughts are different from ordinary people's. It really wakes up the dreamer with his words."

Lu Chen said humbly: "Your Highness, this is just a confusion of the authorities." The second prince gradually became interested and asked: "My father plans to let me join the government in a while. What issues do you think I should pay attention to?"

He looked at Lu Chen with bright eyes, full of expectation.

Lu Chen's heart moved, and he said calmly: "Your Highness, I am just a warrior who can only lead troops to fight. How dare you talk nonsense? If it comes to military affairs, I might be able to chat a few words, involving important affairs of the government. , I really don’t know what’s going on. If Your Highness is confused in this regard, you may wish to go to Prime Minister Li and Xue, I believe they can definitely give His Highness some reasonable suggestions.”

The second prince thought for a moment, smiled and nodded, "That makes sense."

The two chatted for a long time, until the second prince became slightly drunk, and Lu Chen stood up to leave.

The second prince sent him to the door of the small courtyard, then returned to the wine table and sat quietly for a long time.

There was no trace of alcohol in his eyes at this moment.

Looking at the table of basically untouched delicacies in front of him, he whispered to himself: "Being proud but not losing sight of one's form, climbing high without being complacent, having a face as flat as a lake but a heart filled with thunder, you must have the spirit of a general."

"I hope you can become the mainstay of Daqi."

"If you don't let down Da Qi, I will definitely not let you down."

……

As the sun set in the west, Lu Chen returned to Shanyang Hou Mansion.

When he arrived at the back house, he asked Chen Shu to fetch something, and then walked to the courtyard where Lin Xi lived.

As soon as he stepped into the courtyard gate, he saw Lin Xi sitting alone on the porch, deep in thought.

"Sister?"

Lu Chen calmed down, put his hands behind his back, and said with a smile, "Guess what's in my hands?"

Lin Xi looked at his expression of offering treasures and smiled: "The imperial edict of marriage."

"what?"

Lu Chen was stunned, and then said angrily: "Chen Shu! I'm not done with you!"

Under normal circumstances, he would call the big housekeeper Uncle Chen. After all, he was the old man next to Lu Tong, so he had to maintain some respect. At this moment, he was so angry that he naturally couldn't care about these details.

Lin Xi chuckled and said, "Okay, don't embarrass Uncle Chen. Don't forget that the guards around you are all brothers from the Seven Star Gang. How could they hide something from me? If you ask someone to send the imperial edict back, they will immediately Let the maid tell me, and it will be hard for Uncle Chen to hide it anymore."

Lu Chen shook his head helplessly, then sat on the railing and put the imperial edict aside.

Lin Xi didn't pay attention, and after a moment's hesitation he said, "Junior brother, will you stay in the capital next?"

"Your Majesty asked me to go to Shazhou."

Lu Chen briefly explained the cause and effect of the incident.

Lin Xi lowered his eyes slightly and said softly: "Then I will take you to Luzhou, and then I will return to Jiangbei."

It's hard to say goodbye when we get together.

After getting along for a short time, they parted again.

Lu Chen couldn't persuade her to stay, because although the emperor asked him to choose his own wedding date, he couldn't delay it too long. As a daughter to be married, Lin Xi naturally had to return to Baotai Mountain.

After Lu Tong, Lin Jie and Wang Shao confirmed their wedding date, she could meet Lu Chen again.

Lu Chen knew that Lin Xi was in a low mood, so he comforted him: "Senior sister, when I come back from Shazhou, no matter how big things happen, I will put it aside for the time being and marry you wholeheartedly."

Lin Xi smiled reluctantly, with a bit of unbearability in her clear eyes: "Actually, what I want to say is that there is really no way you can convince the emperor to let Sister Bingxue marry you?"

Lu Chen was stunned.

Since Lin Xi knew about the marriage and that he was sending Li Bingxue home, it was not difficult to guess Li Bingxue's mood at this moment.

She seemed to be afraid that Lu Chen would misunderstand, and then explained: "I know you have me in your heart, and that's enough. I also know that Sister Bingxue also has deep feelings for you. Maybe she will act very strong in front of you, But you don’t understand your daughter’s thoughts. Even if she says it to you with a smile, there will be tears in her heart. I...I don’t want you to leave me, I just don’t want to see her sad.”

"Sister, I understand."

Lu Chen sighed softly and held Lin Xi's hand.

Lin Xi shook his head and said, "No, you don't understand. Her daughter's family stays in the military camp all day long. It seems to have endless scenery, but in fact it is extremely lonely."

Lu was silent for a moment and said softly: "Her status is very special, so she can't do some things for the time being. But I will continue to work hard and strive to not have so many worries in the future."

Lin Xi looked up at him and said seriously: "Then don't forget your promise."

Lu Chen agreed, hesitated for a moment and then summoned up the courage to ask, "Senior sister, are you really not jealous?"

Lin Xi tilted her head and thought for a while, then smiled softly and said, "I'm not jealous."

Lu Chen couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

However, the next moment Lin Xi said: "Only Sister Bingxue, not others. I know why the emperor must send you to Shazhou. It is because you have a relationship with that Shazhou woman, but you must remember that this time you go Shazhou is not allowed to mess with flowers, otherwise——"

Lu Chen pretended to be nervous and said, "What else?"

Lin Xi bit her lips lightly, her eyes as bright as the moon, raised a finger and pointed at Lu Chen's forehead.

"Otherwise, I will take Sister Bingxue and join forces to challenge the invincible Lord Lu!"

(End of this chapter)