Jiuxi

Chapter 625 Chapter 623 [Father and Son]

Cross the river from Baishi and head north to reach Huaizhou.

A spacious and sturdy carriage was parked on the north bank. A middle-aged man dressed as a butler stood behind the ferry, looking towards the south bank, with dozens of servants behind him.

"coming!"

The middle-aged man spoke excitedly, quickly lifted the hem of his gown, and walked forward with his servants.

Three hundred riders, including their horses, disembarked from the boat and went ashore, and passers-by all looked at them in awe.

The middle-aged man and his servants saluted in unison and said, "I greet you, sir!"

Lu Chen smiled and said, "Uncle Wu, there's no need to be polite."

The visitor was Lu Wu, the chief steward of the Lu residence.

He looked up at Lu Chen's bright eyes and said respectfully, "The carriage is ready. Please get in and set off."

Lu Chen glanced at the Lu family carriage not far away and nodded, "Okay, my father is at home?"

Lu Wu replied, "Yes, the master will meet you outside Guangling City."

"Send someone back to report this, and let him wait at home."

"Yes, my lord."

When Lu Chen got on the carriage, he couldn't help but be slightly stunned.

Lu Wu led the servants to surround the carriage, while Qin Zilong led three hundred personal soldiers to guard in front and behind. As the wheels slowly moved, the carriage moved north along the official road under the gaze of passers-by.

The ferry is more than thirty miles away from Guangling Prefecture City, and it will take about two hours.

For Lu Chen, this journey will not be boring.

Since he went to the capital in late spring last year, then traveled to Shazhou to pacify the border, then went to Jingzhou to command the army, and finally returned to the capital to take care of things, Lu Chen has not been back to Guangling for fifteen months.

Although he is a stranger in this world, Guangling holds a special place in his heart.

He felt the love of family here and established the foundation of his relationship with Lin Xi. Moreover, he was able to rise rapidly because of the foundation laid in the Battle of Guangling.

Looking out the car window at the lush greenery on the roadside, the vibrant fields, and the people's hard but at least peaceful lives, Lu Chen couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion.

After lowering the curtain, he turned around to look at the slightly embarrassed girl and said with a smile, "I haven't seen you for half a year. Why have you become more timid? Is there someone in your family bullying you?"

Song Pei quickly shook her head and said, "No, the master takes good care of me, and the housekeepers and ladies in the mansion are also very kind."

Lu Chen naturally had no doubt about this.

Not to mention that the old man would not allow the house to be in a mess, even if he was not in Guangling, who would dare to show disdain to Song Pei? Who didn't know that she had been promised by Lu Tong to Lu Chen as a concubine?

It's just that the face hasn't been opened yet.

Lu Chen asked curiously, "Why are you so timid in front of me?"

Song Pei lowered her head slightly, mustered up the courage to say, "The master is different from before."

"What is the difference?"

"I don't quite understand, but... I just feel that when the master doesn't speak, he is very serious, and I feel a little scared."

Lu Chen immediately came to his senses.

That is a momentum.

It has something to do with his current title and official position, and also because he killed too many people on the battlefield.

Murderous aura is a very mysterious existence, and most of the time it is a fabricated statement. However, a person who crawls out of a pile of dead bodies will more or less have a bit of fierce momentum, and coupled with the halo created by his identity, it is inevitable that many people will look up to him.

As for his age, it’s actually not important.

Lu Chen looked at the girl's clenched hands and said, "You are so scared, you won't dare to come near me in the future, right?"

Song Pei's eyes panicked, and she immediately looked up and said, "Of course not, I have to take good care of you, Master."

"That's it, then. I won't eat you. It will be the same as it was before."

Lu Chen smiled casually, his tone still gentle.

Song Pei secretly breathed a sigh of relief and nodded obediently, "Yes."

Lu Chen knew that the girl had her own ideas, so he did not try to comfort her. He just talked to her about what had happened at home over the past year.

Song Pei's mood became more and more stable. She took out some snacks from the food box and chatted with Lu Chen.

Time passed quietly as the two talked.

After an unknown amount of time, the carriage slowed down, and Lu Wu's apologetic voice came from outside: "Sir, we are outside the city. The master and the Lord are waiting in front."

"The old man is really..."

Lu Chen smiled helplessly, then told Song Pei to stay in the carriage and got up and got off.

What came into view was the towering Guangling South Gate not far away, and two middle-aged men standing side by side. Lu Chen strode forward and walked in front of the slightly plump middle-aged man. Under the gaze of the other man, the Lu family servants, three hundred personal soldiers, and many passers-by, he knelt on his knees and bowed with great respect, saying, "Greetings to my father."

Lu Tong stepped forward and supported his arms, pulling him up, then looked him up carefully from head to toe to make sure there was nothing wrong with him. With strong emotions in his eyes, he said in a trembling voice, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."

Lu Chen bowed his head and said, "I am an unfilial son and I have caused my father to worry."

Lu Tong shook his head and said firmly: "You are very good and filial. Your father is proud of you."

The middle-aged man standing next to him was the Guangling prefect Zhan Hui. He was full of emotion and sighed in his heart: "This man was awarded the title of Duke of the County at a young age. I wonder how many people in the world envy Brother Lu."

Lu Tong suppressed the thoughts in his mind and said in a slow tone, "I'm here to meet Mr. Zhan."

Zhan Hui certainly wouldn't wait foolishly for Lu Chen to come and pay his respects. He took a step forward, bowed and said, "Your humble servant greets you, sir."

Lu Chen said calmly: "Your Excellency, there is no need to be so polite."

As the saying goes, national law is more important than family law. Although Zhan Hui was a fourth-rank prefect, he was nothing in front of the dignified county lord. Lu Chen called him "Prefect" out of consideration for Lu Tong.

Zhan Hui knew this very well, and he did not feel uncomfortable at all. On the contrary, he was flattered. He then said respectfully: "I would like to let you know that the gentry in the city heard that you are returning home, so they came to me and wanted to welcome you. I know that you don't like ostentation, but it is difficult to refuse the sincere wishes of the neighbors, so I have to ask you for your permission to make a decision."

Lu Chen turned and looked at his father.

Lu Tong said calmly: "Guangling is his home. Even though he is now a county duke personally appointed by His Majesty, this will never change. The Lu family appreciates the kindness of the villagers, but he is busy preparing for the wedding now, so the banquet will be cancelled. On the day of his wedding, please invite the villagers to come to the mansion for a glass of wedding wine. Please convey this message to the mansion master."

This was exactly what Zhan Hui wanted to hear. He bowed and left with a smile so as not to disturb the long-awaited reunion of father and son.

The carriage started moving again. This time, Lu Tong did not pull Lu Chen through the streets and alleys, but sat obediently in the carriage.

Hearing Lu Chen's curiosity about this matter, Lu Tong smiled and said, "At that time, you were just a small captain in the Huaizhou Governor's Office. Although you were considered to be emerging, not many people paid attention to you. Of course, your father was happy to show off. What is your status now? There have been many unfamiliar faces in the city in the past six months, and they are obviously all here for you. Besides, you have too much power in your hands. I don't know how many people want to get close to you. Even if you won't be affected by these flies, you will inevitably feel very irritated."

Lu Chen said with emotion: "Dad is still the best."

"Don't play dumb with me."

Lu Tong glared at him unhappily and said, "If you are really filial, you can have some children right after you get married, so that the old man can enjoy the family happiness at home. Then you can do whatever you want, and I will never interfere."

Lu Chen couldn't help laughing.

Lu Tong pretended to be angry and said, "Still laughing? You are almost thirty years old and you don't even have a child. Look at the children of other wealthy families in this city. Who doesn't get married at the age of sixteen or seventeen and have both sons and daughters before the age of twenty?"

Song Pei, who was sitting obediently next to him, tried to hold back her smile, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Lu Chen quickly comforted him, "Don't worry, Dad. I won't do anything else. I'll just stay at home and give birth to the baby. Is that okay?"

Lu Tong couldn't help laughing and sighed, "Do you think I'm a three-year-old child? Never mind, I know you have something important on your mind, so you can do whatever you want."

Hearing him mention the word "big thing", Lu Chen couldn't help but feel something.

In fact, he had a lot of questions he wanted to ask his father. In the more than one year since they separated, he had experienced too many ups and downs. Although he had not done anything wrong, there was no one who could share his worries.

Seeing this, Lu Tong knew what he was thinking and said calmly, "Don't worry, your father will take you to a place first."

Lu Chen agreed, feeling a little curious.

He lifted the curtain and looked out. The carriage was still heading towards Lu's residence.

Entering the long alley, the gate of Lu Garden was already in sight, but the carriage did not stop in front of the gate, but continued to move forward for more than twenty feet.

"Let's go."

Lu Tong got off the carriage first, followed by Lu Chen and Song Pei.

What appeared in front of Lu Chen was a brand new mansion, right next to Lu Garden.

Lu Chen looked up at the plaque on the gatehouse that was covered by silk and asked in confusion, "What is this?"

Lu Tong whispered, "Your home."

Lu Chen was slightly startled.

Lu Tong stepped forward and said with a smile, "Come and see if you are satisfied."

The middle door opened wide and the father and son entered side by side.

As they walked, Lu Tong said, "Since you were conferred the title of Marquis of Shanyang, I have been thinking about building a house for you. Although you and I don't have those concerns as father and son, since you have started a family and a career, it would be more appropriate for you to live separately. Besides, the two houses are adjacent, and we can visit each other by opening a corner gate, so it won't seem strange."

Lu Chen quietly looked at this mansion which covered a very large area and was decorated with great ingenuity, and he felt moved and melancholy in his heart.

Under the setting sun, Lu Tong raised his hand and patted his shoulder, saying gently: "Chen'er, I am old, and there is only a limited way I can help you in the future. At most, I can only check for your shortcomings and fill in the gaps. You can only walk the road ahead by yourself, but no matter what, Dad will stand behind you. Maybe I can't continue to help you shelter from the wind and rain, but no one can leave me and hurt you."

Lu Chen's heart trembled, he turned his head to look at the wrinkles at the corners of the middle-aged man's eyes, and said softly: "Thank you, Dad."

"Silly boy."

A vicissitudes yet relieved smile appeared on Lu Tong's face, and he shook his head slightly.

The father and son stood side by side, the sunset glowing from the sky, shining gently on them.

(End of this chapter)