Time is leisurely, and the capital of Southern Qi is still quiet.

The next time Lu Shen saw Li Bingxue was at the celebration banquet held by the Son of Heaven in the palace, she was still as bright and refreshing as usual, and there was nothing abnormal about Lu Shen, as if the words after being drunk that day did not exist, as if it was just a short and real dream.

The important ministers of the DPRK and the central government seem to have accepted the reality of the increased strength of the border army, and the martial arts that Li Bingxue had worried about has not happened, and no military generals of the Beijing army have taken the opportunity of the public banquet to challenge the generals of the border army, and as for the exclusive banquet for scholars, it has nothing to do with Lu Shen, and no one dragged him to the Chongzheng Hall to talk about it.

There is no doubt that the Son of Heaven and Zuo Xiang and others have reached some kind of tacit understanding.

The investigation of the high-ranking officials of the court by the Weaving Department has stopped, and only Xu Wen and Qu Fenghua have been arrested from beginning to end, but the fate of their raids and exterminations can also form enough warnings for other courtiers.

The formation of the Jiangbei Fourth Army proceeded smoothly, and all departments of the court showed efficient cooperation, and no one dragged their feet or deliberately delayed.

Generally speaking, the end of Qi Jianwu's twelfth year was very quiet, the Son of Heaven fulfilled his promise to the border army, and the hundred officials hibernated quietly, waiting for the border army generals to leave before trying to find a way to persuade the Son of Heaven.

The Northern Expedition was, after all, a waste of money and labor.

In such a calm atmosphere, Lu Shen took advantage of the rest of the court today, and took a few guards through the streets and alleys to a house in Taikang Fang in the southern city.

The mansion of Prime Minister Xue Nanting on the right.

He was treated quite formally here, and Xue Ruogu, the eldest son of the right prime minister, personally stood outside the gate to greet him, and then led him all the way to the main hall.

After coming to this world, Lu Shen saw all kinds of peers, including extremely excellent women like Lin Xi and Li Bingxue, as well as men like Li Liangyu and Li Chengen, and of course, countless young generals in the army.

The so-called thousands of people have different faces.

But Xue Ruogu had a very obvious difference from the peers he had met before, this was a scholar who showed a noble bookish aura all over his body.

"Captain Lu, my father is in the hall, please."

Coming to the porch of the main hall, Xue Ruogu smiled and invited, with a little curiosity in his eyes that was not aggressive.

Lu Shen thanked him, and then calmly walked into the main hall, and saw the prime minister with a clear face raise his eyes, so he stepped forward and saluted: "The last general, Lu Shen, has seen Xue Xiang." ”

"No need to be polite."

Xue Nanting's expression was gentle, and he pointed to the chair on the left and said, "Please take a seat." ”

Lu Shen sat down as he said, his posture straight.

He calmly looked at the furnishings of the main hall of the Prime Minister's Mansion, which was completely different from the graceful atmosphere imagined by ordinary people, but it was not the kind of poverty that was deliberately expressed, except for the middle hall written by the imperial pen of the Son of Heaven, the other furnishings were probably of a medium level.

The servants stepped forward to serve tea, and their every move was like a ceremony, which showed the strictness of the family style of the Prime Minister's house.

Xue Nanting sipped the tea and said leisurely: "When you entered Beijing a month ago, my uncle sent a handwritten letter, asking me to take care of you, so that you will not be bullied in Beijing." At that time, I was thinking about when I would take the initiative to come to the door. ”

He took the initiative to mention this matter, and Lu Shen couldn't help but feel a little ashamed.

Although Xue Huaiyi did this out of the fateful friendship between him and Lu Tong, it was really rare for an elder to be able to do this level.

However, the situation in Beijing is treacherous, Li Yunyi and his ilk are just the tip of the iceberg, and Lu Shen does not want to be involved in these whirlpools.

In short, he completely believed in Xue Huaiyi's good intentions, but he didn't dare to trust Xue Nanting unreservedly.

Being able to ascend to the position of the right prime minister with Li Daoyan covering the sky with one hand, how can Xue Nanting be an easy person.

For such an important minister who is accustomed to the ups and downs of the sea, the bonds of family affection may not determine their thoughts.

Thinking of this, Lu Shen said sincerely: "Please also ask Xue Xiang to forgive his sins, the last general should have come to visit the door early, but after entering Beijing, he encountered various things, and he couldn't pull away for a while." ”

Xue Nanting smiled slightly and said calmly: "It's not a bad thing to be careful. ”

This sentence means that he knows Lu Shen's consideration well.

At the court meeting some time ago, Lu Shen saw with his own eyes that Xue Nanting and Xu Zuo in the Zuo Yushi sent a powerful blow, and through Qu Fenghua to kill chickens and monkeys, he cleared the biggest obstacle for the Son of Heaven and smoothly implemented the proposal to increase the border army. It was from that time that he was sure that the right minister was on the side of the Son of Heaven, at least not the enemy of the border army, so after the court meeting, in the face of Xue Nanting's invitation, Lu Shen agreed without hesitation.

At this moment, some words don't have to be too vague, so Lu Shen said with a little emotion: "At the end of this time, I deeply understand the difficulty of Your Majesty and Xue Xiang. ”

"It's too rusty for you to call it like that, if you don't dislike it, you call yourself a junior."

Xue Nanting said softly.

Lu Shen bowed his head.

Xue Nanting's eyes showed a slight approving expression, obviously Lu Shen's temperament was very appetizing to him, and then turned to the topic and said: "There are several main reasons why you are invited to meet you. One of them is, of course, to fulfill my uncle's entrustment, if he knows that you have come to the capital but have not been to the door of the Xue family, he will probably complain that I am unreasonable. ”

Lu Shen smiled.

Xue Nanting continued: "Second, I have a few words I want to say to you in person. ”

Lu Shen said: "Please show Xue Xiang." ”

Xue Nanting said: "When you meet all living beings in the Great Dynasty, you should understand Your Majesty's difficulty, and you should also know that the court is not as popular as the folk rumors, they are all intrigues and power grabbers. I don't shy away from saying that there are such people, but there are also many colleagues who are working hard for the national fortune of Daqi. ”

Lu Shen's mind came up with the figure of Cheng Xu Zuo in the Zuo Yushi, and he couldn't help but nodded.

Xue Nanting's expression became more and more gentle, and he said slowly: "It is not easy for the soldiers of the border army, Your Majesty knows this, and we officials will not forget it." However, many things in the world are difficult to be happy, and there will inevitably be countless compromises and trade-offs, and the key is that Your Majesty and we will not give up the vision of recovering our homeland and rebuilding the rivers and mountains of Daqi. ”

In fact, for the prime minister of the first dynasty, Xue Nanting's statement was a little straightforward, which was not quite in line with his identity.

The reason why he was so direct was obviously because of Lu Shen's identity, so he didn't have the slightest rhetoric.

However, these words still made Lu Shen a little puzzled, Xue Nanting didn't seem to need to be so straightforward, after all, the identity difference between the two was too big, even if he was now the founder of the county man who was personally sealed by the Son of Heaven, the other party was the right minister with real power, almost the pinnacle of the minister.

He looked at the faint smile on Xue Nanting's face, and a flash of inspiration suddenly appeared in his mind, and he said solemnly: "The junior will tell Xue Xiang's teachings word for word to Governor Xiao. ”

Xue Nanting laughed softly and praised: "When I first learned about the border battle report, I didn't believe that the overall strategy came from you, and I thought that this was Xiao and Li, the two major governors, who retreated to protect themselves and put the credit on you, a little-known young man. ”

Although he brushed over the topic and specifically pointed out the two Grand Governors in his words, Lu Shen knew that the previous words were mainly aimed at Xiao Wangzhi.

It seems that the court is also very clear that Li Tianrun's trust in the Son of Heaven is undoubted, and Xiao Wangzhi has reservations in comparison.

Thinking of this, Lu Shen asked tentatively: "Xue Xiang, the younger generation has the courage to ask, if the Huaizhou Governor's Mansion is determined to recover the pseudo-Yan Dongyang Road, can the imperial court provide enough support?" ”

Xue Nanting pondered for a moment, and said slowly but firmly: "After you return to Huaizhou, you will tell Governor Xiao that the central government will do its best to support him in the matter of recovering Dongyang Road. Please don't worry about the supply of food, grass and ordnance in the rear, the officer will personally come forward to solve all the problems and ensure that he will not have to worry about the future. ”

A little respect appeared in Lu Shen's eyes, and he got up and said, "The junior has thanked Xue Xiang on behalf of Xiao Dadu. ”

Xue Nanting raised his hand and pressed it weakly, and said suddenly: "It is the officials in Beijing who should really say thank you, if there is no border army soldiers who sacrifice their lives to fight, how can Huaijing Erzhou hold it, and how can the stability of Jiangnan be maintained." However, you also have to remind Governor Xiao that it takes time for the imperial court to prepare logistics, especially for a big battle like the recovery of Dongyang Road, and he will give the center at least about a year. ”

"Juniors understand."

Lu Shen said extremely calmly.

Xue Nanting glanced at the sky outside and said to Lu Shen: "Staying for a light meal can be regarded as letting me do my best as a landlord." The home-cooked flavor is not as good as the restaurant restaurant outside, you don't have to dislike it. ”

Lu Shen had nothing to do, he didn't think about how deep the topic would be involved in today's meeting, at most it was just to talk about family life through Xue Huaiyi's relationship, but Xue Nanting's statement was extremely calm, which gave a glimpse of the upright temperament of this right minister.

If the court was full of officials like him, presumably Daqi would have been able to work hard a long time ago, and the army would have gone all the way north to recover the old mountains and rivers.

However, this is an unrealistic fantasy after all.

This luncheon was really as Xue Nanting said, the dishes were ordinary and home-cooked, but the taste was quite good, Xue Nanting didn't talk about business during the banquet, and only chatted with Lu Shen about the customs of Jiangbei.

In the afternoon, Xue Ruogu personally sent Lu Shen out of the door again, and then turned back to the study, and saw that Xue Nanting was reviewing a few official documents, so he stood quietly and respectfully.

After a while, Xue Nanting put down the pen in his hand and raised his hand to rub his eyebrows.

During this process, Xue Ruogu always stood without saying a word, and only then did he say at this moment: "Father, Captain Lu has gone back." ”

"What do you think of it?" Xue Nanting sat in front of the window and flipped through a few official documents.

Xue Ruogu groaned: "More calm than I imagined. ”

Xue Nanting bowed slightly, and then sighed: "My father has a hunch that this young man will inevitably become Xiao Wangzhi's successor in the future. During the period when he stays in Beijing, and when he enters Beijing in the future, you can put aside the self-restraint of a scholar and socialize with him more, which may be of great benefit to your future career. ”

Xue Ruogu couldn't turn a corner.

Now he no longer doubts the ability of the young captain, and he also believes that the other party will play a great role in the frontier war, but as a cultivator of the Hanlin Academy, he is destined to take the road of the prince of Wenchen in the future, how can he need the care of the border generals?

It's just that out of respect for his father, he didn't say anything to refute it.

Xue Nanting knew his thoughts well, and did not explain in detail, and said indifferently: "You can have doubts, but you must treat this matter seriously, isn't my father discussing with you, understand?" ”

Xue Ruogu's heart tightened, and he said, "My son understands, and I follow my father's teachings." ”

(End of chapter)