Listening to Lu Xiaoxian's words, Hun Nu was taken aback: "What? Lu Gongzi, is this true? ”

Lu Xiaoxian didn't speak, just looked at Qin Huo.

Hun Nu looked at Qin Huo with a worried expression, and Qin Huo nodded at her slightly: "Brother Lu is right, the imperial court will definitely send an army to pursue it!" ”

The Khitan, the Xi and the Yan tribe are the three main tribes under the jurisdiction of the Great Zhou in Yingzhou, and the Khitan coerced the Xi people to rebel against the Great Zhou, although the Jin tribe did not participate in the rebellion, but took this opportunity to break away from the imperial court and return to the east, but in the eyes of the Great Zhou, this is no different from rebellion. Now that the Khitan rebellion has been put down, and the Xi people have also shown their attitude of submission to the Great Zhou, it is certainly impossible for the imperial court to let go of the dissenting Yan tribe.

"What then?" Hun Nu was worried, and tears were about to fall.

Tens of thousands of people of the Yan tribe are still on their way back to the east, if they are caught up by the Great Zhou army, they will not be miserable, not to mention that there are many women, children and old people.

Lu Xiaoxian took out three sachets from his arms and handed them to Hunnu, and said solemnly: "These three sachets are sent to you, I have marked the order, when your clan is in danger, open it in turn, and act according to the plan may be able to turn evil into good fortune!" ”

The trick is a symbol of Zhuge Liang's wisdom, and Lu Xiaoxian directly borrowed this method, inadvertently adding some mystery. Of course, unlike Zhuge Liang's resourcefulness, Lu Xiaoxian's tips originated from his unpredictable prophet.

Hun Nu took Lu Xiaoxian's bag blankly, and his face was still sad.

Lu Xiaoxian smiled bitterly: "Hunnu girl, if you believe it, do what I say." If you don't believe it, then I can't help it, but resign myself to fate! ”

Without waiting for Hun Nu to answer, Qin Huo took over and said without hesitation: "Master Lu, I believe you!" ”

Hun Nu glanced at Qin Huo, nodded and said, "I believe in you too!" ”

"That's it! Let's leave it at that! In order to dilute the sadness of parting, Lu Xiaoxian smiled and patted Qin Huo's shoulder, "Don't forget to prepare the wine and wait for me!" ”

Qin Huo nodded heavily: "A gentleman's word!" ”

Lu Xiaoxian replied with a smile: "It's hard to chase the horse!" ”

……

After sending Qin Huo and Hun Nu away, Lu Xiaoxian also had to settle Liu Yan and others.

The bandits in Longshan are basically natives, and they can turn into ordinary people, but Liu Yan and his more than 300 government soldiers cannot. They were originally subordinate to the Yingzhou Governor's Office, but now the Governor's Mansion no longer exists, and the original structure is gone, which makes their situation very embarrassing.

Lu Xiaoxian specially wrote a letter of recommendation and asked them to go to Mangbuzhi, which is far away in Xingyuan Valley, Liangzhou.

After Mangbu Zhi asked the Great Zhou to surrender, he was named the Duke of Anguo by Wu Zetian, with 2,000 households, and the official was General Zuo Yulin, and the army under his jurisdiction was placed in Xingyuan Valley in Liangzhou. With Lu Xiaoxian's friendship with Mang Buzhi, there should be no problem in taking in Liu Yan and others.

After arranging all the people of Liu Yan and Wang Yan, Lu Xiaoxian led Zhang Meng, Xing Feng, Fan Ziming and his strong slaves to Luoyang, the capital of the gods.

……

After Sun Wanrong's death, Wu Zetian finally breathed a sigh of relief. On the occasion of great rejoicing, Wu Zetian issued an amnesty to the world and changed the name of the year to "Shengong" to commemorate the final victory of the generals and soldiers in the army to conquer the northern Khitan.

In this rebellion, the Turks undoubtedly became the biggest beneficiary. In addition to obtaining a large number of Turkic households from the Great Zhou Dynasty, as well as grain, silk, agricultural tools, iron and other items, most of the Khitans and the Xi, Xi and other tribes that were originally attached to the Khitan have taken refuge in the Turks. The Mosi Khan held thousands of miles of land, with 400,000 soldiers, and his power caught up with the Jieli Khan of the year.

The growth of the Turks also caused Wu Zetian to be uneasy, and this court meeting was to convene his ministers to discuss how to deal with the Turks. But the discussion came and went, and no result was discussed, which made Wu Zetian a little unhappy.

Seeing that Wu Zetian's will was reviving, and he was about to announce the dissolution of the dynasty, Di Renjie hurriedly leaned over and asked for instructions: "Your Majesty, the Khitan general Li Kaigu and the Xi general Luo Wuquan requested to surrender to the imperial court, and asked for orders, how to deal with it?" ”

Li Kaigu and Luo Wu's return to the imperial court was a consensus formed after Lu Xiaoxian, Li Dayu and Li Yanhuo discussed together.

Lu Xiaoxian's idea is very simple and practical, if the Khitan and Xi tribes want to survive, they must regain the trust of the Great Zhou court, this kind of thing can't be said with mouths, there must be practical actions, the best way is to arrange for trustworthy people to return to the Great Zhou and serve in the imperial court. In this way, it was possible to grasp the attitude of the imperial court towards the Khitan and Xi people at any time, and also showed loyalty.

After some careful consideration, Li Shenhuo and Li Dayu adopted Lu Xiaoxian's suggestion, and the two resolutely chose the Khitan chieftain Li Kaigu and the Xi general Luo Wuquan to surrender to the Great Zhou.

Needless to say, Li Kaigu's ability was in the limelight in the two encounters with the Great Zhou army. Luo Wuquan, like Li Kaigu, is also a well-known fierce man in the Xi tribe.

Wu Zetian didn't care about the two people Di Renjie said, and was about to send them away casually, but he saw Wu Yizong jumping out quite excitedly: "Your Majesty, the thief will dare to rebel, kill the officials and soldiers, and return them to the Shendu, Ming Zhengcanon, pass the head of the border pass, and shake the North Di ......"

Many people in the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty echoed Wu Yizong, filled with righteous indignation, and advocated that Li Kaigu and Luo Wucheng should be punished for surrendering too late.

Hearing this, Wu Zetian frowned, thought for a while, turned his head and noticed Di Renjie's calm expression, and asked, "What is Elder Di Ge's opinion?" ”

"Back to Your Majesty, according to Lu Xiaoxian, Li Kaigu and Luo Wuquan have a clear love and hate, are brave and good at fighting, have the talent of a strong general, and are obedient to Da Zhou, and they are coerced by rebellion. It is suggested that if Mo forgives his capital crime and surrenders, he can not only be brave enough to be grateful, but also use it as an example to divide the people who are in the center of the Khitan tribe and read the king. The minister thought that Lu Xiaoxian's proposal could be considered, and he only hoped that His Majesty would make a holy judgment! ”

Hearing Di Renjie say that it was Lu Xiaoxian's meaning, Wu Zetian blinked his eyes a few times, and said without thinking: "But! Since it is recommended by Lu Xiaoxian, let's play it! Passed the decree, named Li Kaigu as the general of the left Yuchaowei, and Luo Wucheng as the general of the right Wuweiwei. ”

Wu Zetian's ruling made the ministers almost drop their jaws, Lu Xiaoxian was just a slave under Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong, but His Majesty was so obedient to him, it can be seen how much the Zhang brothers are favored by Wu Zetian.

"Your Majesty Shengming!" Under the compliment, it was Wu Yizong's embarrassed expression.

Wu Zetian is a very assertive emperor, of course, she will not blindly follow Lu Xiaoxian just because he is a cronie of the Zhang brothers, she knows very well in her heart that Lu Xiaoxian's suggestion is a resourceful and far-sighted move, pardoning and reusing Li Kaigu and Luo Wucheng, in order to completely conquer the hearts of these two foreign warriors.

Although Li Qianzhong and Sun Wanrong are dead, there are still some indomitable Khitan remnants who are still fighting against the imperial court, if Li Kaigu and Luo Wucheng can be allowed to quell the rebellion, first, they are famous in the Khitan, second, they must know themselves and the enemy, and third, let Li Kaigu and Luo Wuquan be ordered to lead the troops to attack the former clansmen, which is also a successful means of "razing and defeating".

Wu Zetian thought to himself, it seemed that it was time to summon Lu Xiaoxian again.

……

Yingxian Palace is located in the northwest of the Xuanzheng Palace, and Wu Zetian has always used this place as his dormitory. The ancient trees around the main hall of Yingxian Palace are towering to the sky, the green trees are shady, the red walls and yellow tiles are brilliant. This place is not only wide, but also gorgeous, it can really be described as carved beams and paintings, and it is splendid.

In the hall, Wu Zetian looked at Lu Xiaoxian standing in front of him, Lu Xiaoxian was neither humble nor arrogant, and never spoke.

What a strange young man, since he appeared, many strange things could not be explained, which made Wu Zetian can't help but think of the two warlocks he had seen: Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng.

She kept muttering in her heart, it could be that Lu Xiaoxian was also a warlock, but it didn't look like it.

Anyway, Wu Zetian has to admit that Lu Xiaoxian's foresight is very unique, at least what he predicted is reasonable, and basically the same as ten, there are not many people who compare with him in this regard.

The last time Lu Xiaoxian returned to Luoyang, Wu Zetian wanted to listen to his opinions in person, but considering various factors, Wu Zetian finally gave up and did not summon Lu Xiaoxian, but just asked Yang Si and Shangguan Wan'er to ask Lu Xiaoxian's side.

This time is different, Wu Zetian was a little apprehensive before making such a major decision, and he had to ask Lu Xiaoxian clearly in person.

Wu Zetian pouted at Shangguan Wan'er: "Wan'er, give a seat to Gongzi Lu!" ”

Lu Xiaoxian only has a cloth cloth, Wu Zetian is the son of heaven, at this moment she let Lu Xiaoxian sit and talk to herself, which fully shows that she still values Lu Xiaoxian very much.

After Lu Xiaoxian sat down, Wu Zetian asked in a deep voice, "Can you tell me why the results of the two battles with the Khitan are not at all different from your previous predictions?" ”

Lu Xiaoxian had long expected that Wu Zetian would ask such a question, and if he were to change himself, he would definitely be very curious. He steadied his mind and said cautiously: "If the grass people say that they guessed, does Your Majesty believe it?" ”

"I don't believe it!" Wu Zetian shook his head.

"Then if the grass people say that they can predict the prophet, will Your Majesty believe it?" Lu Xiaoxian asked again.

"Don't believe it!" Wu Zetian still shook his head.

"Since the grass people don't believe anything, why does Your Majesty bother with these trivial things?"

Lu Xiaoxian's answer was eloquent, but in fact he didn't say anything. Wu Zetian couldn't help but be stunned, and then smiled: "What you say makes sense!" ”

Shangguan Wan'er felt very strange on the side, His Majesty was good-tempered today.

Really smart people, never entangled.

Wu Zetian can be regarded as a smart person, so she is very free and easy and no longer asks questions, but changes the topic: "This time to quell the Khitan rebellion, you personally obtained Sun Wanrong's head and made great contributions." Tell me, what reward do you want? ”

"The grass people don't want any reward!" As soon as the words came out, Lu Xiaoxian immediately realized that his direct refusal might make Wu Zetian very faceless, and hurriedly added, "If Your Majesty really wants to reward it, give it to Ye Guogong and Hengguo Gong, they have the grace of knowing the grass people!" ”

Hearing Lu Xiaoxian's words, Wu Zetian nodded with satisfaction.

Shangguan Wan'er couldn't help but admire Lu Xiaoxian, his answer was impeccable and just right. Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong are the two brothers who are favored by His Majesty, and Lu Xiaoxian's ability to not forget his roots makes His Majesty appreciate them very much.

"I'll think about the reward!" Wu Zetian's eyes flashed, and then changed the topic, "Do you know why I summoned you back?" ”

Finally asked the topic, Lu Xiaoxian shook his head: "The grass people don't know, please make it clear to Your Majesty."

Wu Zetian's intention to summon him back, Lu Xiaoxian had already guessed it, but at this moment he had to pretend to be stupid.

"Pretending to be stupid" is a realm, a kind of wisdom, and a way of life. Sometimes you can see through it but can't say it, and that's what a really smart person does.

"I'm old, maybe one day I will return to heaven, the position of the crown prince can't be vacant forever, I want to make my son the prince, I don't know what you think?" Wu Zetian stared at Lu Xiaoxian with a wise gaze.

Since ancient times, emperors will appoint their heirs as princes, and unless their brains are in water, they will appoint outsiders as princes. It has always been rumored that Wu Zetian has been vacillating on whether to appoint his son or nephew as the crown prince.

In fact, Lu Xiaoxian knew very well that Wu Zetian would not appoint Wu Chenghei or Wu Sansi as the crown prince at all, and the emperor's position would definitely be passed on to his son. The reason why it has been difficult to really make up her mind is because she has not thought about how the Wu family and the Li family will get along after a hundred years.

Now, Wu Zetian is getting older, and her body is not as good as day by day, and this matter does not allow her to hesitate anymore, so she finally made up her mind.

However, Wu Zetian asked too high-level questions, and only said that she wanted to make her son the prince, but she had two sons, but she did not say who she wanted to appoint.

Since Wu Zetian didn't say anything, of course Lu Xiaoxian could only continue to pretend to be stupid, he nodded and said: "Your Majesty Shengming, since ancient times, the prince has been made by his heirs, this is a matter of course, and the grass people agree with His Majesty's decision." ”

Lu Xiaoxian's sloppy eyes are really good, and he dared to love Wu Zetian's words in vain.

Wu Zetian couldn't help but glance at Lu Xiaoxian, and asked quietly: "Then do you think you should be the heir of the emperor as the crown prince, or the king of Luling as the crown prince?" ”

Wu Zetian is also not easy to fool, and asked Lu Xiaoxian directly, Lu Xiaoxian didn't dare to accept the offer, he could only flash around, he coughed lightly and said: "The establishment of the prince is related to the stability of the country, the inheritance of imperial power and the consolidation of the community. ”

Wu Zetian could let Lu Xiaoxian escape easily, forced him into a corner, and said without leaving any room: "Although I speak bluntly, I forgive you for your innocence!" ”

Hiding can't be hidden, Lu Xiaoxian had to say vaguely: "King Luling and the imperial heir have their own strengths, it depends on whose merits Your Majesty values!" ”

Wu Zetian frowned slightly: "How do you say this?" ”

"If Your Majesty wants the crown prince to gain a foothold soon, stabilize the transition, and ensure the stability of the throne in the future, the grass people suggest that the crown heir be appointed as the crown prince!"

Lu Xiaoxian said it very clearly, and Wu Zetian also heard it very clearly.

Li Dan used to be the emperor, and although he was later demoted to the emperor's heir, he has always been in Beijing. Since Wu Zetian became emperor, he made all the martial arts kings, and many ministers loyal to Li Tang secretly took Li Dan as the core to fight against the Wu clan, so Li Dan's prestige was very high.

Wu Zetian knew in his heart that it was impossible for him to choose his nephew to be the emperor, so the Wu family would be passed on, but the lifeline of the Li family was completely broken, and her children and grandchildren would inevitably be poisoned. In the same way, Li Dan will definitely purge the Wu clan when he becomes emperor in the future, which is not what Wu Zetian wants to see.

In Wu Zetian's view, the Li family is the emperor and the Wu family is in real power, and the two sides live in harmony, which is the best ending.

Wu Zetian said noncommittally: "Go on!" ”

"If Your Majesty hopes that the Li family and the Wu family can coexist with each other, then King Luling is the best candidate to be the crown prince!"

Li Xian, the king of Luling, has been placed in Fangzhou for more than ten years after being deposed, and he has no foundation among the courtiers and no cronies in the forbidden army. Li Xian was basically isolated after returning to the capital, and if he wanted to stabilize the throne in the future, the only one he could rely on was the Benwu clan.

Lu Xiaoxian's words hit Wu Zetian's weakness, she weighed the pros and cons, and finally made a difficult choice after careful consideration: "I decided to take King Luling back to Shendu and establish him as the crown prince, what do you think?" ”

"It is natural to stand up and grow! The grass people have no objections, everything is up to Your Majesty's decision! Lu Xiaoxian skillfully kicked the ball back to Wu Zetian.

"Do you think it's more appropriate to send someone to greet King Luling?" Wu Zetian stared at Lu Xiaoxian and asked again.

"The grass people think it's the most suitable to send His Royal Highness King Liang down!" Lu Xiaoxian said without hesitation.

Or Lu Xiaoxian understands his own thoughts, Wu Zetian nodded with satisfaction, she also felt that it was most appropriate to send Wu Sansi to go. Compared with Wu Chengsi, Wu Sansi has a calm temperament, and taking this opportunity can also allow Wu Sansi and Li Xian to have a good relationship in advance, laying a good foundation for Wu and Li to get along in harmony in the next step.

Wu Zetian sighed and said, "I don't know if King Liang can understand my hard work!" ”

Lu Xiaoxian smiled and said: "This matter is not difficult, if Your Majesty can trust the grass people, and the grass people will go to King Liang's mansion after they retreat, and they will definitely persuade King Liang to take care of the overall situation!" ”

It's so heartfelt, all the things that Lu Xiaoxian is worried about can be solved one by one, Wu Zenai really wants to keep him in the palace, and he will give advice to himself in the future. But when he remembered what Lu Xiaoxian had refused, he had to give up, Wu Zetian didn't want to turn Lu Xiaoxian into a submissive ornament.

"Well, I'll leave this matter to you!" Wu Zetian said lightly, "I hope you won't disappoint me!" ”

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, the grass people will not live up to their mission!" Lu Xiaoxian swore an oath.

Wu Zetian stopped talking, and he didn't know what he was thinking. Seeing that Wu Zetian was silent, Lu Xiaoxian had no bottom in his heart, so he could only remain silent, and the room fell into silence.

After pondering for a moment, Wu Zetian suddenly said to Lu Xiaoxian: "I have decided to make you King Liang's deputy, and secretly rushed to Fangzhou to pick up King Luling and return the capital, I hope you can understand my intentions!" ”

Lu Xiaoxian hurriedly got up and said, "The grass people accept the order, please rest assured, Your Majesty!" ”

"Okay, you can go down, hurry up and prepare, and set off the day after tomorrow, I will arrange for Yulin to escort you all the way!" Wu Zetian waved his hand.

Lu Xiaoxian thanked him and exited the hall, saw the changing sunset, and suddenly felt a trace of unprecedented relaxation!

The sun is setting, and it is bidding farewell to today's wonderful. Tomorrow may not come, but when the sun rises again, everything will be different.

……