Jiuxi

Chapter 631 629 [Only for One Life]

There was a corner gate connecting the two houses, and Wang Cheng had been waiting there with his two legitimate sons.

This was the first time that Lu Chen met Wang Chulong's brothers, his future brothers-in-law. Of course, the gap in their identities and status was too big. The two brothers-in-law who looked good in appearance were as docile as quails in front of Lu Chen.

After chatting for a while, Wang Cheng personally took Lu Chen to the east wing. After waiting for the message to be passed inside, he said goodbye and left.

The maids in the courtyard were kneeling on the ground. As the daughter of a famous family, Wang Chulong certainly had more than Jinshu as the only maid by her side.

"No need to pay tribute."

Lu Chen spoke in a steady tone, took a step forward, and when he looked up, he saw Wang Chulong standing outside the door with bright eyes.

Looking at the slightly raised corners of his mouth, Wang Chulong couldn't help but smile.

When you go into the house, you will find that there are no toys at all, and the furnishings are simple and elegant, except for the dazzling array of calligraphy and paintings everywhere.

Lu Chen sat down on the armchair, raised his hand to rub his brows, and sighed softly: "I'm so tired."

This was his first time in Wang Chulong's boudoir. Although it was not a bedroom, it was a very private place for a girl. His sitting posture at this moment was not only unrestrained, but also a little too relaxed, as if this was his own residence.

Jinshu and Yusu, who were served tea and snacks, couldn't help feeling a little surprised.

Wang Chulong's expression was normal, with a hint of joy between her eyebrows. She asked softly, "Did you not sleep all night?"

"how do you know?"

"My guess."

"You are still smart."

“It’s not hard to guess.”

"Don't mind."

"Of course not."

The two of them spoke very quickly, one sentence after another, but it was as if they were playing a riddle, and the two maids next to them were completely confused. They looked at each other with circles in their eyes.

Wang Chulong naturally did not explain, and said to the two gently: "You can go down."

"Yes, ma'am."

Jinshu and Yusu bowed to Lu Chen again, then retreated obediently.

Wang Chulong sat down opposite Lu Chen and said with a smile: "It's rare to see you describe it like this."

Through the brief conversation just now, Wang Chulong obviously guessed where Lu Chen went last night. Lu Chen also knew her mood, so it was not appropriate to continue discussing this matter in depth.

The two of them just need to keep it to themselves. It would be foolish to deliberately provoke them. Lu Chen was not so stupid, so he shook his head and said, "I am just tired. You also know that your uncle is one of the smartest people in the world. Although he is now living under someone else's roof and has no power or influence, he has a very clear view of the general situation in the world and is calm and composed. How can it be easy to deal with such a person? Even if it is just a short conversation, I must be very alert and not be careless."

Wang Chulong was slightly startled, then laughed and said, "You are saying these things in front of me?"

Lu Chen said calmly: "When I received your letter in the capital, I knew your feelings. Why not?"

Wang Chulong twisted her fair hands together involuntarily, and replied imperceptibly, "That's right."

It was after the great victory in Yongqiu. Wang Cheng asked Wang Chulong about Lu Chen's news. She expressed her attitude implicitly. Wang An realized that this gentle but independent-minded niece was fond of Lu Chen, so he decided to move the whole family to Guangling. At the same time, he asked Wang Chulong to write a handwritten letter to Lu Chen, stating the Wang family's decision.

It was in that letter that Wang Chulong made Lu Chen understand what she was thinking.

Lu Chen said softly, "You are you, and the Wang family is the Wang family, but I hope you can understand that the two cannot be separated. After all, they are blood relatives. In fact, I talked to Uncle Ling today because I hope he doesn't have to worry. I am not the kind of person who will be ungrateful and then burn the bridge. Even if there are some disagreements in the future, we can still solve the problems in a harmonious way."

Wang Chulong was secretly thinking, and suddenly raised her head to look at him, and asked with a sharp gaze: "So you came to see me specially just to reassure me?"

Looking at this face that showed both joy and anger, Lu Chen couldn't help but think of the banquet she had specially prepared for him in Lai'an City.

Looking closely at the beauties around him, only Wang Chulong's appearance was a bit abrupt; their relationship was mixed with extra factors from the very beginning.

Be it the overall situation of the world or the fate of the clan, it is not so pure after all, or it can be said that this is just an ordinary marriage that has happened countless times in history.

But Wang Chulong didn't want to be the most familiar stranger for the rest of her life, so she took a brave step forward.

The same is true today.

Lu Chen noticed that her long eyelashes were trembling slightly, and it was obvious that her heart was not as calm as it appeared on the surface, so he said calmly: "Not only do I want to reassure you, but there is also an important matter, I came to give you some silver."

"silver?"

Wang Chulong put away his thoughts and became serious. Lu Chen said, "Five hundred thousand taels of silver, and another million taels of silver will be prepared later."

Wang Chulong thought for a moment and said, "Used in Jiangnan?"

Lu Chen did not pretend to be surprised, because this matter was originally the foundation laid by Wang Chulong.

When he handed the Lu family's secret guard to Wang Chulong, he actually didn't think about how much she would achieve. He just wanted to make her feel better through this trusting act so that she wouldn't have to think about it alone.

However, without leaving his house, Wang Chulong accurately judged from some clues that Lu Chen's greatest hidden danger was in the Jiangnan center, and asked Tan Zheng to go south with a group of good players in advance.

Although the time was not long, Tan Zheng and others still found out a lot of information, which made Lu Chen's trip back to Beijing very smooth and he did not make any wrong decisions due to lack of intelligence.

Subsequent increased investment is inevitable.

Lu Chen asked sincerely: "Do you think this is necessary?"

Wang Chulong pondered and said, "For you, there are three things you need to pay attention to right now. First, the enemy in the north cannot be underestimated. Although the Jing army was defeated in Yongqiu, its strength has not declined too much, and there will definitely be several major battles in the future. Therefore, your most important thing is to train the troops and build the Dingzhou border army into an invincible army. This is the foundation of your life. Compared with this, other things can be put aside for the time being."

"continue."

"Secondly, the stronger the self-sufficiency of the three states in Jiangbei is, the more stable your position will be. This involves two aspects. The first is the officials at all levels of government. Although you are a military hero and cannot interfere in government affairs according to common sense, you can at least supervise the officialdom and prevent some people from repeating the mistakes of the past, which will cause the people to suffer and the foundation to be shaken. The second is the local gentry and nobles. The kingly way is to use both soft and hard tactics. I know your contradictory mentality towards the children of the royal family. You want to use them but you are afraid that they will form a group to become powerful. In fact, you might as well change your perspective and let them serve in the streets and try not to let them get involved in military power."

Lu Chen's eyes lit up and he praised, "That makes sense."

Wang Chulong sighed, "If my brothers knew I said this, they would definitely scold me for being a traitor behind my back."

Lu Chen shook his head and said, "No one dares to say that."

Wang Chulong smiled and said, "But I don't care, even if someone really thinks so. I'm actually doing this for their own good. If you want to last long, you have to know your limits. Wanting everything will only encourage greed. If they violate your taboos, won't they have to ask me for help in the end? Rather than making me a nobody in the future, it's better to stop some people's thoughts early."

Looking at her smiling face with a hint of cunning in her eyes, Lu Chen couldn't help but feel deeply moved. After praising her, he asked, "What about the third thing?"

Wang Chulong was silent for a moment this time, and then slowly said, "If you just want to know what's happening in the south in time, my previous arrangements are enough."

This sentence can be said to be a question of the conscience.

Lu Chen did not hesitate too much and said frankly: "Not enough."

Wang Chulong did not ask any more questions, and said, "Since it is not enough, then 500,000 taels of silver is not enough either."

Lu Chen nodded and said, "So my father has prepared another one million taels and will leave it to you to handle."

"This is not just a matter of money."

Wang Chulong frowned slightly and said calmly, "If you want to have a solid and deep foundation in the Jiangnan center, this means we need a lot of loyal and reliable people. You asked Qu Zhong to lead people south, plus the people that Tan Zheng brought earlier, there are only more than 200 people in total. Putting aside the Secretariat and the Military Academy, there are six ministries, two courts, seven supervision offices, and nine temples in the court, and there are countless powerful families. These 200 people can only monitor some peripheral news at most, and can't get into the core at all."

Lu Chen said: "In your opinion, where should we draw manpower from?"

Wang Chulong said decisively: "Seven Star Gang."

Lu Chen looked at her steadily.

Wang Chulong did not hesitate at all and continued, "If you want to own a weaving department belonging to the Lu family, it is definitely not enough for me to secretly plan it. You also need a strong enough force. How can you leave the Seven Stars Gang aside? So the best way is for you to let Sister Lin work with me. I will be responsible for establishing various rules and regulations, let Sister Lin take charge of the power of reward and punishment, and absorb some sufficiently reliable masters, let them work together with Tan Zheng and others, so as to achieve the best results."

Lu Chen fell into deep thought.

After a long while, he looked at Wang Chulong and said, "Chulong, I understand your feelings, but this is unfair to you."

What she said was both a reflection of serious business and a form of concession, wasn't it?
From her taking the initiative to cut off the unrealistic fantasies of some people in the Wang family to now bringing in the Seven Star Gang, in the final analysis, it was just to reassure Lu Chen and Lin Xi.

Not fighting or competing, this is her attitude.

Lu Chen suddenly felt a little distressed.

Wang Chulong looked calm and shook her head, "What's unfair? There is always a first come, first served in this world. Since I showed up late, I have to consider some things more carefully. Don't think I'm wronged. In fact, I have never thought so. Whether it's the sister from the Lin family or the sister from the Li family, they can help you a lot outside, but I don't have that ability. I can only help you take care of things at home so that you don't have to worry about anything."

Lu Chen said solemnly: "Thank you."

"Thank you isn't enough."

Wang Chulong stared into his eyes and said with courage, "Be good to me forever."

Lu Chen said word by word: "If I betray you, God will forsake me."

Wang Chulong smiled sweetly, and spring came into the room.

(End of this chapter)