(Thanks: Book friend 56872834 for the generous tip of the magical golden beetle.) ）

When Yuan Zhenqian withdrew from the palace, it was already the second watch. The cold night breeze blew on his burning face, calming his hot brain a little. He thought carefully about what the emperor said to him in the Chongzheng Palace, and confirmed that he did not make a hasty decision because of impulse, and still thought that this was an excellent opportunity, so he was relieved.

However, Yuan Zhenqian is a delicate person, and he thinks that everything is still foolproof. Originally, he decided to go out of the city and return to the army camp immediately, but in the end, he turned his horse's head and went to Lu Zhongtian's mansion. He wants to talk about Lu Zhongtian's tone, from which he may be able to get some clues, and maybe he can help himself make a more wise judgment.

Lu Zhongtian didn't sleep, he was actually waiting for Yuan Zhenqian. When someone informed Yuan Zhenqian that he was coming to visit, a faint smile appeared on Lu Zhongtian's face.

In Lu Zhongtian's spacious study, Yuan Zhenqian saw Lu Zhongtian, who was sitting behind the table and reading a book under the candlelight. Yuan Zhenqian stepped forward respectfully and saluted.

"Xiaguan Yuan Zhenqian has seen Lu Xiang."

Lu Zhongtian raised his head, a smile appeared on his face, put down his book and pointed to the chair and said, "Lord Yuan, please take a seat, the old man is waiting for you." The old man knows you're coming tonight. ”

Yuan Zhenqian hurriedly thanked him, and said with a smile after sitting down: "Lu Xiang is clever, it turns out that I will come a long time ago." ”

Lu Zhongtian said: "That's not a clever calculation, with an official like Lord Yuan who is worried about state affairs, how can he not come to talk to the old man about his heart now." The old man is waiting for you to come and talk to the old man. ”

Yuan Zhenqian smiled and said busily: "Lu Xiang is the one who works hard for the country, although the lower officials are also anxious, but the lower officials' abilities are limited, and it is still okay to follow Lu Xiang's command and run errands." ”

Lu Zhongtian smiled and said, "You are also humble." Lord Yuan, it seems false when you are humble to the extreme, we don't have to tell lies between us, we can just say anything directly, and we don't have to hide it. ”

Yuan Zhenqian nodded and said, "Lu Xiang has always been a fast-talking person, and Xia Guan understands. ”

Lu Zhongtian smiled and didn't speak, just looked at Yuan Zhenqian and smiled without saying a word. There was a sudden silence in the study. Yuan Zhenqian hurriedly said: "What's wrong with Lu Xiang?" Is there any dirt on the lower officer's face? ”

Lu Zhongtian shook his head and said, "No, the old man is waiting for you to speak." ”

Yuan Zhenqian said: "What do you say?" ”

Lu Zhongtian's smile faded, and he said lightly: "The emperor left Lord Yuan alone to talk, right?" But I don't know what he said. ”

Yuan Zhenqian sighed and said busily: "Oh, it turned out to be this matter." In fact...... didn't say anything, the emperor left me to drink with him. After a few casual conversations, he didn't say anything worth saying, just to ask about the war in Taiyuan and his opinion on the enemy situation in front of him. We just had a casual conversation. ”

A sharp light flashed in Lu Zhongtian's eyes, and after a flash, he disappeared without a trace, and his eyebrows and eyes were full of smiles again.

"I see, the emperor is very worried. Indeed, it is not easy for the emperor, since I ascended the throne, I have been in internal strife and external troubles in the Great Zhou. With the emperor's age and experience, it is really not easy to experience so many things. The old minister also advised the emperor not to work too hard. However, the emperor was worried in his heart, so he naturally refused to listen. Too much is said, but a lot of right and wrong are born. Hey, the old man is actually very tired. Lu Zhongtian said with a sigh.

Yuan Zhenqian was silent, pretending to be unintentional and asked, "Emperor Lu Xinxin, how could he give birth to what is wrong?" ”

Lu Zhongtian waved his hand and said: "Don't mention it, as the so-called tree is a big move, the old man has now become a thorn in the flesh in the eyes of many people, what kind of dirty water is poured on the old man, and what kind of malicious speculation is said to the old man." The old man is really exhausted, and he is not a human being. ”

Yuan Zhenqian said in a deep voice: "Why should Lu Xiang care about the villain's words, Lu Xiang has a big mind, just don't hear it." ”

Lu Zhongtian smiled bitterly: "The old man naturally disdains these remarks, but what the old man is worried about is that the people of the world are bewitched by them, and the emperor is also confused by the rumors." You don't know how vicious these people are. The old man is not shy about telling you, some people say that the old man colluded with the Liao people to betray the Great Zhou, and that the old man designed to kill Yang Jun in order to monopolize power. said that the old man was ambitious, wanted to be the emperor, and wanted to kill the emperor to replace him. You say, how vicious is such a statement? This is to put the old man to death. I want the old man to work diligently for the state affairs of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and I dare not say that he has contributed to it for many years, at least he has worked hard. Said that the old man collaborated with the enemy to kill Yang Jun? Yang Shumi's death was due to his defeat in the Jin Mansion. The emperor was furious at that time, and even though he wanted to punish him, the old man tried his best to stop him, asking the emperor not to kill the loyal minister with the defeat of a war. But the emperor didn't listen. There is no way for the old minister to persuade him, the emperor must be like this, and the old man cannot disobey Long Wei in anger. The emperor originally promised to slow down, but who would have thought that he would stun Yang Shumi with an incense burner in the palace and do such an impulsive thing in front of the ministers? In fact, Privy Envoy Yang himself also knew his great sin, and he was the one who played the confession before he died. But all this was said to be the instigation of the old man behind his back, so that the old man was so slandered for no reason, you say, can the old man stand it? ”

Yuan Zhenqian was silent, Lu Zhongtian's version was different from what Lin Jue said, and it was difficult for him to judge for the time being. It is also difficult to judge which is right and which is wrong. In that case, it's good not to comment for the time being.

"They said that the old man monopolized the military and political power and wanted to usurp the throne and seize power, and this kind of remark clearly wanted to make the emperor suspicious of the old man and cause discord between my monarch and ministers. After Yang Jun's death, the emperor took the initiative to ask the old man to serve as a privy envoy, and the old man resolutely resigned at that time. Since ancient times, there has been no prime minister in charge of the army, and the practice of concentrating power in one person is not in line with the ancestral system. But the emperor said that in extraordinary times, we must have extraordinary responsibilities and insist on asking the old man to take over temporarily. It makes sense for the old man to think about it, after all, when there are internal and external troubles, the old man cannot live up to the emperor's trust and must play the role of the mainstay. Therefore, he took over this position without fear of words. The old man's privy envoy is only temporary, and the old man and the emperor have also agreed that once there is a suitable candidate, the old man will let the virtuous. But even so, he was still slandered by people with ulterior motives, so that the old man suffered injustice. Does the old man still have to fight for power? The old man has been the prime minister for almost 20 years, and he has already done enough, does he still need to fight for power? The old man is indisputable, and the power is also in the hands of the old man. What's even more ridiculous is that the old man has the heart to seize the throne, these people are really crazy, and people who are a little conscious understand that the old man doesn't need to do this at all. Today's queen mother is the daughter of the old man, and the current emperor is the grandson of the old man, this is all a family. What is the difference between the old man usurping Guo Xu's position and usurping himself? The old man is old, how many days can he live? How long can you live as an emperor? Why risk the world's condemnation? ”

"Some people also say that the old man is in charge of everything, so that the emperor has become an ornament. This is even more brainless. In the current situation, the old man will do everything in order to solve the danger faced by the court as soon as possible. The old man always eats a few years longer than the emperor, and he is more experienced in handling things, right? At this time, it is not your own business, you don't care about anything, this is not what the courtiers do. The old man stood up and worked hard, but he was going to be slandered? It's chilling. ”

Yuan Zhenqian listened to these words quietly, and suddenly began to feel that Lu Zhongtian was actually not easy. When the national disaster is at the head, he, who is the prime minister, must be suffering. Could it be that at this time, he stepped back and let the emperor stand up to the front? If you are misunderstood by others, it is really chilling.

A heavy fog rose in Yuan Zhenqian's heart, and he couldn't understand whether what Guo Xu said was true, or whether Lu Zhongtian's words were true at this moment. Both sides seem to have their own points to make sense, which is confusing.

"Lord Yuan, today's court, the emperor wants to appoint you as a privy envoy, and the old man is here to express his attitude. The old man thinks that Lord Yuan is absolutely capable of this position, and Lord Yuan is also the best person for the position of privy envoy that the old man has always considered. The old man also agreed at the banquet tonight. But to be honest, the old man has concerns. ”

Yuan Zhenqian hurriedly said: "Lu Xiang will never mention it again, the lower officials have no such intention, and the lower officials have no such talent." ”

Lu Zhongtian shook his head and said, "You don't have to be humble, of course you are qualified for this position." The old man is actually worried not about your ability, but about the current situation. Let you face the situation in front of you, the old man can naturally be relaxed, but it is unfair to you. Because it is really difficult for you to have to face a grim combat situation and at the same time straighten out the relationship between the officials under you. Needless to say, the commanders of the forbidden army don't trust you as much as the old man trusts you, if you can't convince them, they may not even be able to mobilize, let alone the major matter of rejecting foreign enemies. It is precisely because of this concern that the old man is a little hesitant in the palace today. ”

Yuan Zhenqian bowed and said: "What Lu Xiang said is extremely true, so the lower officials don't have this intention, and Lu Xiang doesn't have to dwell on this matter." ”

Lu Zhongtian shook his head and said: "The matter has come to this, if I don't give you the position of privy envoy, I will teach people to confirm the rumors about the old man, and I want to say that the old man is greedy for power and refuses to let the virtuous." Therefore, the position of the privy envoy of the old man will definitely be handed over to you, and the old man has already thought about it. However, in order to better convince everyone of you, you must do something, and the old man can rest assured that the leadership authority will be handed over to you. The old man has already thought about what to do for you, are you willing to listen to the old man's advice? ”