Jiuxi

Chapter 630 628 [Not for the time being]

"Twenty years ago, in the summer of the seventh year of Yuankang, my father was still alive. One afternoon, he called me over and told me that General Yang of the Jinghe Border Army was summoned back to the capital by an imperial decree. My father sighed and groaned, and I still remember it clearly today. He only said four words at the end: the game is over."

Wang An did not continue to confirm Lu Chen's guess, but instead changed the subject and talked about the past.

Lu Chen listened quietly.

Wang An continued, "Not long after, the capital brought the sad news that Marshal Yang was executed for his rebelliousness. I then understood why my father was so depressed. But even my father did not expect the situation to deteriorate so quickly. In the early spring of the eighth year of Yuankang, less than half a year after Marshal Yang was unjustly killed, the three northern kingdoms once again joined forces to march south. This time, they broke through the important town of Longping on the western front without any hindrance. Tens of thousands of cavalrymen marched straight in, and the people on the south bank of the Jing River suffered terribly."

Lu Chen said with a sigh: "This is because the morale of the people has been dispersed, and the border troops have lost their determination to resist."

"Yes, but many people were in the situation at that time and didn't see it so clearly, including my father and me."

Wang An's face was bitter, and he said slowly: "In April of the eighth year of Yuankang, a cavalry of 5,000 people from the Jing army rushed long distances and rushed directly to Zhailin County. They broke through the city wall in just one hour. On that day, thousands of people in the Wang family were brought to the square in front of the ancestral home. The Jing army forced my father to surrender with knives. He refused to bow his head and scolded the Jing army who killed people wantonly with limited swear words. In the end, he was beheaded by a Jing army general in front of everyone. Then the Jing army general came to me again and asked me if I would surrender."

His tone was calm, but Lu Chen could hear the pain and humiliation that penetrated into his bones.

He could only console himself by saying, "You are at the mercy of others. Uncle Shi does not need to blame yourself too much."

"Everyone else thinks that I am considering the lives of thousands of people in my clan, so I endure humiliation and submit to the enemy. In addition, now that I am leading my clansmen to dig out a large piece of flesh from the Jinglian people, maybe in the history books thousands of years later, there will be a few words praising me as a brave and righteous person."

Wang An laughed at himself, looked up at Lu Chen, and sighed, "When that Jingjun general came in front of me with a bloody long knife, fear instantly filled my heart. At that moment, I didn't think about the life and death of my clansmen, the survival of Da Qi, or how future generations would evaluate me. In fact, there was only one thought in my mind: I don't want to die."

Lu Chen was stunned.

He didn't expect the other party to be so frank.

Wang An picked up the teacup and moistened his throat, then said quietly, "In fact, if I didn't say it, not many people in this world would know that the thirty-year-old man who knelt before the blade of the Jing army in Zhailin County didn't have many thoughts in his mind, he was just afraid of death. As you know, the people of Jinglian needed the name of the Zhailin Wang family to appease the people, and Emperor Jing and Qing Yugong needed me as a puppet to stabilize the situation, so I entered the Yan court as an official, and my official position became higher and higher, and finally I became the prime minister, the head of all officials."

"However, I still can't forget that day, and the scene of my father dying in front of my eyes. I woke up from my dreams countless times because of the bloody scene in my dreams, which showed what kind of person Wang Anzhong was. So the guilt and self-blame in my heart became heavier and heavier. I didn't want to live in a nightmare all my life, but the Jing army was so powerful, and Da Qi was in a corner and unable to go north. I could only continue to be a dog for the Jinglian people and let them order me around until--"

At this point, Wang An paused slightly, with a complex emotion on his face. He looked at Lu Chen and said, "Until the Battle of Guangling, the Jing army suffered heavy casualties outside Guangling City, and then the Battle of Qingxia, when Duke Rong annihilated tens of thousands of Yanjing coalition forces. Then when you emerged, the Jingzhou and Huaizhou armies joined forces and won several major victories in Moyang Road, and the situation finally changed."

Lu Chen nodded and said, "So it was from that time that Uncle Shi began to plan to restore order?"

"Yes."

Wang An said with emotion: "In the beginning, I didn't know where to start. On the one hand, I was worried that the Emperor of Great Qi would not accept the Wang family. On the other hand, I was afraid that you would sell us to Qing Yugong, so I was always hesitant. It wasn't until I learned that Wang Jun worked under you and that he and Chu Long had been close since childhood that I had some ideas."

Lu Chen's heart moved, and his mind flashed back to what he had seen in Xunyang City. He tentatively said, "Ten years ago, Wang Shao's branch left their homeland and moved to Xunyang in the south. This should also be the work of my uncle, right?"

Wang An had already seen Lu Chen's quick thinking, and at this moment he couldn't help but praise him: "The Duke's thoughts are as fast as lightning, which is amazing."

Lu Chen smiled and shook his head, saying: "After all, I can't compare to my uncle's foresight and calculation."

In this era, the clan's control over ordinary people is extraordinary. Without Wang An's approval, it would be extremely difficult for Wang Shao's family to leave the clan.

Wang An's intention of moving this branch to the south, closer to Da Qi, is self-evident. From this we can know that what he just said was not false.

He couldn't remain unmoved when faced with swords and axes, but he knew that doing so would be a shame to his parents, and he was determined to make up for and correct his weakness in the past, so he laid the trap long ago.

"I am ashamed to accept your praise, Lord."

Wang An said with a hint of relief: "I can only say that God has mercy on me. Chu Long is a brave child who supports the fate of the Wang family with her weak body."

There is no need to elaborate on what happened next, as they were all Lu Chen’s personal experiences.

He thought of the beautiful woman and couldn't help but slow down his tone and said, "It's really not easy for Miss Wang."

With his current status, this sentence was a promise made to the Wang family. Wang An knew this very well, and said in an increasingly intimate manner: "She not only helped the Wang family wash away the shame and crime of treason, but also allowed me to finally let go of the guilt in my heart. She has nothing to owe to the Zhailin Wang family, but the Wang family owes her a lot. As the head of the Zhailin Wang family and her uncle, I only hope that she can live a peaceful and happy life in the future, nothing else."

Regardless of how sincere his words were, at least he was implicitly telling Lu Chen something.

The Wang family can be a help to Lu Chen and contribute to his career, but they will not rely on Wang Chulong's identity to stir up trouble in secret.

After all, how could he not know the purpose of Lu Chen's visit today?
As early as when Lu Chen led his troops to launch a surprise attack on Heluo, he went to Wang's house to meet the brothers Wang An and Wang Cheng. With just a little trick, he made Wang An understand his vigilance against the aristocratic families.

He asked the Wang brothers to hand over the details of the mansions of the powerful families in Heluo City in order to gain leverage over the Wang family and cut them off from the northern clans.

From this, we can see that Lu Chen at that time had already realized how deep the foundation of this powerful family was, and he would certainly be on guard against it, not to mention that now he is a county duke with a large army under his command. When he is about to marry Wang Chulong, he will definitely warn the Wang family to prevent them from taking advantage of the situation to make things difficult for him.

Of course, Wang An’s statement was just a statement, and verbal promises have no meaning.

Lu Chen would not believe this statement completely, so he said calmly: "I understand Uncle Shi's considerations, but Your Majesty may not agree. Uncle Shi is dedicated to redemption, but the Wang family's contributions cannot be ignored. The court should be strict in rewards and punishments, otherwise it will easily cause criticism from the world."

Wang An's heart trembled, and he suddenly understood.

He was like a tree without roots and water without a source in Jiangnan, and the only thing he could rely on was his relationship with Lu Chen.

There are many outstanding people in the court. On the surface, everyone will certainly praise the righteous act of the Wang family of Zhailin and have enough respect for Wang An, but it is extremely difficult for Wang An to squeeze into the center of power, and no one is willing to give up the power in their hands.

Therefore, after he went to Jiangnan, at most he would get a noble official position and become a mascot of the court, in order to prove that Da Qi was lenient towards the northern nobles.

Even Wang of Zhailin, who betrayed her country and surrendered to the enemy twenty years ago, could be accepted again, let alone others?

For Lu Chen, Wang An's appointment as an official in the court would not only allow him to have an extra pair of eyes in the center, but also make the Wang family of Zhailin lose their backbone in a short period of time. In this way, he could employ those young talents without worrying too much that they would form a joint force under Wang An's wings.

In addition, Lu Chen had another intention.

His roots are in the Jiangbei border army, and his family only has an old father living in Guangling. The emperor and his ministers in the court cannot force Lu Tong to go to the capital to retire. The Lin family is a grassroots warlord, and if Lin Jie goes to the capital, it may make some people unable to sleep.

Only Wang An is the most suitable. He is the younger brother of Lu Chen's father-in-law. He is just an ordinary scholar and does not pose much danger.

In a sense, he was the hostage that Lu Chen used to make the Jiangnan court feel at ease.

At this point, the father-in-law and son-in-law had already understood each other's plans through previous verbal tests.

Wang An smiled and said, "That's right. If I keep refusing, it will make me look pretentious. I will set off for the capital as soon as the imperial edict arrives."

Talking to smart people is worry-free. Lu Chen also smiled and said, "Uncle, you don't have to worry. No matter what, the imperial edict will not be sent to Guangling until Miss Wang and I get married. Before leaving the capital this time, I have already talked privately with the two prime ministers. They will definitely take good care of you in the future. In addition, you can also bring two or three younger generations with you. The court has its own regulations for selecting talents and not everyone has to pass the imperial examination to enter the officialdom."

Wang An said calmly, "Thank you for your concern, Lord."

Lu Chen shook his head and said, "Why bother with your own affairs?"

If it were an ordinary person, he would probably be bothered by the change in his attitude and think that he was too hypocritical. However, Wang An was such a great man that he could only feel admiration for him at this moment.

In his opinion, only someone like Lu Chen, who has a heart of stone and can remain calm and composed, has the hope of leading the Wang family of Zhailin back to their homeland and continue their century-old foundation.

He said cheerfully: "Indeed, from now on we are a family, no need to talk about outsiders."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Lu Chen stood up to say goodbye, and Wang An saw him off respectfully, but did not leave the house. Instead, he walked towards the neighboring house.

(End of this chapter)