Jiuxi

Chapter 810 808 [Difficult to See the Light]

"Nanting, you are confused!"

The bright candlelight in the room illuminated the anxious face of the old doctor Xue Huaiyi.

He had never set foot in officialdom in his life and had devoted himself to the art of medicine. He could remain calm even when facing the most complicated diseases, but at this moment he was a little out of control.

This was the inner study of the prime minister's residence. There were no outsiders present, let alone prying eyes. Therefore, Xue Huaiyi did not need to hide anything and made his attitude clear as soon as they met.

Behind the candlelight, the current left prime minister Xue Nanting sat upright with a serious and calm expression.

In fact, there is not much age difference between the uncle and nephew, because Xue Nanting's father is the elder brother of the same generation, and Xue Huaiyi is the younger brother.

When Xue Nanting was born, Xue Huaiyi was only seven years old.

Although they are only seven years apart, the uncle-nephew relationship cannot be underestimated, and Xue Huaiyi's brothers have all passed away. Xue Nanting has always been very respectful to this only remaining elder.

Xue Huaiyi looked at the face of his nephew, and said with a sigh, "You have been in the court for so many years, don't you know what kind of person Ding Hui is? When the late emperor and Prime Minister Li were in power, he was like a most loyal hound, following Prime Minister Li all day long. He does have some ability and skill in governing, but it is an indisputable fact that he has a corrupt character and a treacherous temperament. You agreed to let such a person take over as the governor of Dingzhou. Aren't you intentionally causing trouble for Lu Chen?"

Hearing this, Xue Nanting's eyes twitched slightly, but he remained silent.

"I have never been an official, so I don't really understand your ways, and I shouldn't have said anything about these things."

Xue Huaiyi slowed down his tone and said with a frown: "Now you already know that Lu Tong and Xiao Wangzhi are friends with Marshal Yang. It is precisely because of Marshal Yang's experience that Lu Tong has never come to the capital, which means that he has always been wary of the court. Like father, like son. How could Lu Chen be a blindly loyal person? It was only because the late emperor treated him with sincerity that the young man's vigilance was gradually dispelled."

"Although I rarely ask you about what's going on in the court, I can see clearly that the current emperor and some of the important officials in the court do not trust Lu Chen at all. Otherwise, why would the emperor let Xu Zuo govern Dingzhou at the beginning of his reign? Wasn't it to use this upright official to monitor Lu Chen? But the emperor didn't expect that Xu Zuo was indeed upright, but he was not a stubborn fool. He had his own considerations and cared about the overall situation. He would not just be a yes-man for the emperor."

"Not to mention the previous Northern Expedition. The emperor clearly wanted to suppress Lu Chen and support Han Zhongjie. With all these things, how can the emperor and his subjects get along well? The emperor asked Xu Zuo to go to Dingzhou. Lu Chen must have had some grudges in his heart, but fortunately Xu Zuo had a noble character, and the two of them were able to understand each other and live in harmony. Now you can't even stand this, and you insist on replacing Xu Zuo with a treacherous minister like Ding Hui. How will Lu Chen view the court? Isn't this a foolish act that will destroy the foundation of your own life?"

The old man was obviously really angry at the end of his speech.

Xue Nanting picked up the teacup and took a sip, then slowly put it down, raised his eyes to Xue Huaiyi, and asked calmly: "Uncle, is Dingzhou still the territory of Da Qi?"

Xue Huaiyi was startled, then nodded and said, "Of course, but you have to remember that without Xiao Wangzhi and Li Tianrun, Huaizhou and Jingzhou would have been lost long ago. And without Lu Chen leading the troops to defeat powerful enemies several times, how could the court recover Dingzhou?"

"Uncle is right. No one can deny the contributions of these three commanders and the border troops."

Xue Nanting looked into Xue Huaiyi's eyes and said, "That's why the late emperor conferred the title of Duke of Rong on Xiao Wangzhi, and the title of Duke of Wei on Li Tianrun in his will. The current emperor conferred the title of Duke of Qin on Lu Chen, and all officers at all levels of the border army and even ordinary soldiers were rewarded. These are all national funds taken out of the national treasury by the court, and I guarantee that no one has taken advantage of them to enrich themselves."

Xue Huaiyi could not help but remain silent.

Xue Nanting continued, "The court did not weaken Lu Chen's military power, nor did it deduct the treatment of the border soldiers. It just changed the governor of Dingzhou. Why should Lu Chen be dissatisfied? Regardless of whether Ding Hui has the ability to hold power in Dingzhou, is Dingzhou Lu Chen's fief? Must the court appoint and dismiss officials according to his wishes?"

The old man looked embarrassed and said: "But..."

Xue Nanting interrupted him and said sternly, "I know what my uncle is worried about, but all officials in the court, regardless of their rank, must accept the supervision of the Censorate. How can Lu Chen be an exception? As the commander of the border army, it is his duty to protect the border and the people and resist powerful enemies, but he cannot interfere in the daily operation of the local government. As the left prime minister, I have to ensure that there are no problems with the logistics supply of the border army, to ensure that Lu Chen and the soldiers can receive corresponding rewards after their meritorious service, and to ensure that they are not wronged for no reason."

He gradually sat up straight and asked in confusion: "But I can't understand, doesn't the court have the power to transfer a new governor of Dingzhou?"

This is quite profound.

Xue Huaiyi knew his nephew's temperament very well, and he always distinguished between public and private matters and was impartial.

In Xue Nanting's cognition, he must of course protect the interests of generals such as Lu Chen and border troops, but he does not think that they can be above the court. This is an act of rebellion against Tiangang.

Military affairs are military affairs, and government affairs are government affairs. These two lines must be strictly distinguished.

Xue Nanting did feel a little guilty towards Lu Chen because of the Ding Hui incident, but this was just a personal friendship and consideration.

According to court regulations, who the court appoints as the governor of Dingzhou has nothing to do with Lu Chen.

Xue Huaiyi sighed and whispered, "Have you ever thought about whether Ding Hui's behavior in front of Lu Chen will affect the morale of the border troops if he goes to Dingzhou? You also know Lu Chen's temper. If he can't control himself and makes some unpredictable moves, how will it end?"

Xue Nanting looked at his uncle's worried expression, picked up the teacup again to moisten his throat, and said calmly: "Uncle, in your opinion, Lu Chen is really a warrior who turns hostile at the slightest disagreement?" "Isn't it?"

Xue Huaiyi would naturally not make up stories behind his back, not to mention that Lu Chen was the son of his best friend and could be considered a very close junior. He then said, "When he first entered the capital, he had conflicts with the Third Prince and the Third Prince of the Li family, and later he even almost fought with Hou Yu. This is the demeanor of a warrior. If he was timid, how could he have achieved what he has today?"

Xue Nanting shook his head and said, "That was just the side that Lu Chen showed. In fact, he is much smarter than people think. From another perspective, uncle not only underestimated Lu Chen, but also overestimated Ding Hui. This man seems to be ostentatious, but in fact he knows how to protect himself. In the capital, he immediately retreated when he saw the situation was not good. When he arrived at the border of Dingzhou and saw the more than 100,000 troops under Lu Chen's command, how dare he take the initiative to provoke? This matter is not at all-"

The words stopped abruptly.

Xue Huaiyi saw this and asked with concern: "How is it?"

Xue Nanting frowned slightly.

At that moment just now, he suddenly realized a problem.

If the emperor and Li Shizhi wanted Ding Hui to go to Dingzhou to check and balance Lu Chen, the actual effect might be worse than if Xu Zuo continued to stay in Dingzhou.

The emperor might not have seen through Ding Hui's ability, so how could Li Shizhi not notice this?

He suppressed his chaotic thoughts and said calmly: "Nothing. Uncle, I actually have something I want to ask you."

Xue Huaiyi was originally just worried that Ding would go to Dingzhou and intensify the conflict between the court and the border troops. After listening to Xue Nanting's explanation, he gradually put aside his worries and said gently, "You say."

Xue Nanting smiled faintly and asked, "I sent people to deliver letters to my uncle several times before, but he refused to come to the capital to stay for a while. If I hadn't been entrusted with an important task, I would have gone to Guangling to fulfill my filial duty. This time, my uncle suddenly came to the capital, which was a big surprise to me. Later, I learned that my uncle went south with Lu Chen, and I couldn't help but feel curious. Is there a story behind this?"

Facing this question, Xue Huaiyi was well prepared and smiled, "It's because he is too worried about the health of his future father-in-law, so he insisted on dragging me south to help Duke Wei recuperate."

"I see."

Xue Nanting nodded and said, "Oh, by the way, I remember that the late Imperial Hospital Director Gui was my uncle's senior brother. What disease did he have that made him pass away so suddenly?"

"Sudden heart attack, even gods can't save you."

There was a hint of sadness in the old man's eyes.

Xue Nanting stopped talking when he saw this, and said with a sigh: "It's late at night, uncle, please go to bed early. Regarding what we talked about tonight, please be at ease, uncle, Lu Chen is not a vindictive person, he will understand the difficulties of the court doing this. Besides, with me here, the court will not let him and the border soldiers suffer any loss."

"I am a little worried that you have misjudged the boy's temper. Since you know what's going on, I won't say any more."

Xue Huaiyi then got up and went back to his room to rest.

Xue Nanting personally escorted him to the courtyard, then returned to the study.

Standing by the window, this prime minister who had never been afraid of hardships and obstacles and who would face any difficulties head-on during the previous emperor's reign actually frowned deeply.

He looked at the faint starlight on the night sky outside the window and whispered to himself, "Help Li Tianrun recuperate? After decades, you still won't lie, uncle."

"You are worried that the emperor will let Ding Hui take over as the governor of Dingzhou, which will cause Lu Chen to be alienated from the court, but you don't know that the young Duke Qin doesn't care about this at all. He is capable enough to control people like Ding Hui."

"What is really worrying is why Your Majesty is so persistent in reinstating Han Zhongjie, even forcing Xiao Wangzhi to resign from his post and title just to dissuade Your Majesty from doing so. Xiao Wangzhi did this to help Lu Chen. They don't want to disappoint the border troops, so they must stop Han Zhongjie from being reinstated. But why does Your Majesty insist on doing this?"

"Your Majesty, what is the secret story between you and Han Zhongjie?"

Xue Nanting sighed softly, with a look of fatigue and worry between his brows.

He had already sensed that a rift had appeared in the court, and that this rift would grow wider as time went on.

It is very likely that everyone will be swallowed up in the end.

That night, Zuo Xiang could not sleep.

(End of this chapter)