On the wide and smooth royal street, two powerful figures of the military rode opposite each other.

Lu Shen bowed slightly on the horse, and arched his hand: "I've seen the Privy Council." ”

Guo Congyi smiled slightly, and said warmly: "Lu Hou performed his duties today, and it is said that this official should accompany him as a privy envoy, but there are just a few important military affairs that need to be entered into the palace to meet His Majesty, so it has been delayed for a lot of time." ”

His attitude is extraordinarily kind, which makes people feel like a spring breeze, and he took the lead in opposing Lu Shen to enter the main Nanya during the Heavenly Dynasty Meeting.

Lu Shen felt funny in his heart.

He knew very well that the reason why Guo Congyi entered the palace by such a coincidence was that he didn't want to accompany him to Nanya for the first time, so as to avoid being taken advantage of by him. Now that he came back at the right time, he was obviously worried that Le Minghong and the others would not be able to hold their breath, and they would be out of control when they met for the first time.

Today, Lu Shen has a clearer understanding of the difference between the capital and the frontier.

Even if there are conspiracies and tricks to fight with foreign enemies on the frontier, because of the natural hostile positions of the two sides, there is no need to turn a thousand times around, but in the capital it is completely different.

Everyone's position here is very vague, maybe one moment is still a good friend, the next moment it is a stranger, and it is impossible to simply distinguish a person from good or bad.

In all fairness, Lu Shen didn't like this state, and was even a little bored, but he warned himself many times that this was an experience that he had to endure.

If you are like Xiao Wangzhi and Li Tianrun, you can always take root in the frontier, you can avoid these entanglements and troubles, but you will also lose the opportunity to enter the center.

If you don't enter the center, how can you climb high?

These thoughts flashed through Lu Shen's mind, and he said to Guo Congyi calmly: "I don't know what the Privy Counsellor has to say here? ”

Guo Congyi smiled and said: "It's not a big deal, just thinking that Lu Hou's new official took office, and this official set up a table in Moyuan to celebrate." In addition to you and me, only Nan Anhou was present. In the future, we will take care of Nanya together, and we should cooperate sincerely to communicate with each other, I wonder if Lu Hou will have time? ”

The three generals of Nanya, Lu Shen and Hou Yu all have the seal of the general, Guo Congyi is only in charge of the four armies, and I believe that it will not be long before someone will replace him.

But now, after all, he is in charge of part of the military power of Nanya, and he is a privy envoy with great power, so it is natural for him to initiate this small-scale gathering.

Lu Shen didn't answer directly, and looked at the other side with a little hesitation.

Guo Congyi comprehended and said calmly: "Before leaving the palace, this official asked His Majesty for this matter, and obtained His Majesty's permission. ”

"The adults are gracious, but they are disrespectful."

Lu Shen no longer hesitated and bowed.

Guo Congyi smiled: "Okay, Lu Hou is refreshing." At two o'clock tonight, the official and Nan Anhou are waiting in Moyuan! ”

Lu Shen said: "It will come when it arrives!" ”

The two said goodbye, and Lu Shen rode back to the Shanyang Marquis Mansion surrounded by his own soldiers.

When he came to the study of the back house, his expression was slightly serious, Qin Zilong and Chen Shu stood beside him cautiously, and they didn't dare to come out.

Lu Shen glanced at the two of them and said, "You all go down, I want to be quiet." ”

"Yes."

The two bowed and bowed, and then retired.

Lu Shen sat alone by the window, looking at the green scenery in the courtyard outside the window, and his mind drifted farther and farther away.

This time, the Son of Heaven wanted to use his merits and fame to split the military power of Nanya, and he knew that he had stepped into danger, but he could not miss this opportunity, because this was the best opportunity for him to intervene in the authority of the Beijing army.

After this point in time, when the struggle between the Son of Heaven and the Jiangnan clan is over, he will inevitably become a marginal person, and the best result is to return to Dingzhou to continue to command the border army.

The so-called wealth is in danger, Lu Shen doesn't care about occasionally making risky moves, just like what he said to Lin Xi that night in Guangling City.

It's just that unlike the previous two years, this time Lu Shen did not have the support of Lu Tong, Xiao Wangzhi, Li Tianrun, Lin Jie, Lin Xi, Li Bingxue and so many soldiers of the border army.

In this terrifying capital, all he could rely on was the trust of two thousand cavalry and the Son of Heaven, and he was faced with a situation that was too complex to measure.

Lu Shen slowly exhaled a breath of turbidity.

He spread out a few blank sheets of paper on the table, then picked up a pen and ink, and wrote on the paper without hurrying.

The Son of Heaven, Empress Xu, and the three princes, this is a group.

The two prime ministers and a group of ministers in purple clothes, this is another group.

Guo Congyi, Wang Yan, Liu Shouguang, Hou Yu and the eighteen envoys of the Jing army were all commanded, and this was the third group.

Jinlin Li's, Qingyuan Xue's, Changle Ning's, Ningtan Ding's, Boyue Chen's, etc., these clans with profound heritage in the south of the Yangtze River are the fourth group.

Lu Shen's eyebrows were quiet, and he sketched all kinds of signs and symbols on the paper, which seemed to be disorganized, but in fact it was a complete set of maps with clear logic.

In the past two years, he has undertaken the preliminary planning of several major battles, and although this time there is no gunsmoke, it is especially difficult to talk about, because almost everyone in this has an indecisive relationship.

It's not that easy to find a way out.

Looking at the few diagonal lines on the paper, Lu Shen's heart suddenly froze, and he whispered to himself: "I don't see the smoke of gunpowder...... I'm afraid not. ”

His expression grew solemn.

While Lu Shen was deep in thought, a dusty guest came to the door of the Hou Mansion.

Menzi is a clever person taught by Lu Tong himself, and he didn't treat the other party coldly because of his seemingly ordinary dress, and stepped forward to ask politely: "Dare to ask the name of the distinguished guest?" ”

The middle-aged man's bearing was calm, and his slender white palms were particularly eye-catching, he looked at the plaque on the gatehouse in front of him, and said with a smile: "Please go and spread the word to your lord, just say that the old man has returned late to visit." ”

……

At the same moment, in the inconspicuous mansion in Beicheng, two middle-aged men sat opposite each other in the dark room.

The right hand of the military department Shangshu Ding Hui rubbed the celadon tea cup, and said with a smile: "I can't imagine that this Marquis of Shanyang can really calm down, and he can go to Nanya for a while and still be safe." ”

Li Shizhi, who was sitting opposite, took a shallow sip of tea and said lightly: "If you treat him as a brave and unscrupulous horseman, you will definitely suffer at his hands in the future." Judging by what he has done today, he fully deserves to be judged after making a decision. He first put on a frank attitude, which was to dispel the vigilance of Le Minghong and others, and then he knew it with reason and emotion, which was to try his best to win the approval of these commanders, and finally the pamphlet directly bought people's hearts. ”

Ding Hui chuckled lightly and said leisurely: "In the end, Le Minghong still told Brother Shi as he was, showing that Lu Shen's actions did not play a role. ”

"Not necessarily."

Li Shizhi was still calm, and then said: "Le Minghong is still firm, Zuo Yushan and Yan Bing will inevitably not hesitate, you must know that the so-called Nine Families and even the Jiangnan clan are not monolithic. ”

Ding Hui didn't continue to pretend to be stupid, and sighed lightly: "Who said it wasn't? This time, His Majesty tore a hole with the help of the fame that Jing Guogong had accumulated for half a lifetime, and relied on Lu Shen's merits and reputation to take away part of the military power of Nanya. ”

Li Shizhi responded and asked, "What do you think we should do next?" ”

Ding Hui pondered for a moment and said softly, "It's best to maintain the status quo." In the opinion of the foolish brother, Lu Shen will not stay in the Beijing army for a long time, he will have to return to the border army sooner or later, as long as he prevents him from making a big move against the three armies of the Southern Ya during this time, there will not be much trouble in the future. Or we can pull Lu Shen into the water and make the Guangling Lu family one of us. ”

"I have already communicated with Guo Shumi about this matter, he will have a banquet for Lu Shen in Moyuan tonight, and he will test this person's thoughts during the banquet."

Li Shizhi brought this topic over, and then said in a deep voice: "But you have to understand that the root cause of these problems in Beijing is not on Lu Shen. ”

Although the tone of this sentence was light, it fell on Ding Hui's ears like thunder.

What is the root of the problem?

Naturally, it is the son of heaven in the palace.

If the Son of Heaven had followed the tacit agreement he had tacitly reached with the Jiangnan clan in the past fourteen years, even if he wanted to continue to strengthen the strength of the border army, it would not be a negotiable matter, but he was so eager to dismantle the authority of the Beijing army, causing the situation in the court to gradually move towards an unpredictable abyss.

Ding Hui subconsciously swallowed his saliva and muttered, "Brother Shi, if it's ......"

He didn't dare to say the rest after all.

"Killing the king?"

Li Shizhi's eyes narrowed slightly, and he simply and directly picked through Ding Hui's unfinished words, and then smiled: "That's not it." ”

No, not dare.

Ding Hui smiled reluctantly, he and the middle-aged man opposite were already in the same boat, and they didn't have that chance to jump ship.

Li Shizhi did not have the leisure to comfort him, and continued: "There is no need to take risks now, but Your Majesty's temperament is becoming more and more impatient, and the methods are becoming more and more tough, we have retreated too much, and we can't continue to retreat, otherwise there will be big problems." Your Ding family has been able to sit still recently, but many people in other families have secretly looked for me. ”

Ding Hui bowed slightly, Li Shizhi was inconspicuous on the surface, but since about seven or eight years ago, Li Daoyan has been weak and energetic because of old age and frailty, so he gradually asked Li Shizhi to take care of the contacts between the clans.

This is a very common thing, after all, Li Shizhi is the next generation of the head of the family that Li Daoyan has focused on cultivating, and the Jiangnan family also recognizes this personable and elegant Li family very much.

To this day, I'm afraid even Li Daoyan doesn't know what kind of influence Li Shizhi has among the gates.

Ding Hui said cautiously: "Brother Shi, there have been some people who have ...... old Xiangye recently."

"Needless to say."

Li Shizhi knew very well why those people were dissatisfied with his father, but he didn't want to talk too much about it, and then said: "For us, there are two things that are most important at the moment. ”

Ding Hui hurriedly said, "Please give me orders." ”

"One is for Your Majesty, we must promote the establishment of the position of the prince as soon as possible, so that Your Majesty has a headache for this matter. The second is to target Lu Shen and let him plunge headlong into the quagmire of the Beijing army, so that he will not have the energy to stir up the storm. ”

In the quiet candlelight, Li Shizhi said the detailed plan without hurrying.

Ding would listen attentively, a look of admiration gradually on his face.

After a long time, Li Shizhi asked solemnly, "Have you written it down?" ”

Ding Hui got up and said, "Brother Shi, don't worry, the foolish brother will definitely do it!" ”

Li Shizhi motioned for him to sit down, and said quietly: "This is a very difficult struggle process, I hope Your Majesty can understand our hardships." If he refuses to take a step back, and insists on persecuting those below again and again in this situation, he is afraid that there will be a huge wave that no one in this capital will be spared. ”

He looked at the steady candle flame on the table, his eyes like a thick fog that he couldn't see clearly.

(End of chapter)