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Lu Shiqing was silent for a moment, then raised his eyes and said, "Your Majesty, this is not possible. General Yuan knows that I don't like the county lady. If I leave now, won't he suspect that it was your intention? In this way, your plan to control the county lady in Beijing will inevitably be exposed."
Emperor Huining was so angry that he laughed: "I think you just dislike my cousin's niece. You wish she could go back to Yaozhou so that you can have some peace and quiet!"
Lu Shiqing nodded without saying anything, as if to assent, and listened to him and the eunuch for a while: "But what Zishu said makes sense. So, give orders, when Shichen returns to the city, have someone pretend to be a bandit and lead Cixian back to the city first. Remember, don't hurt anyone, be careful."
Lu Shiqing frowned slightly.
After the eunuchs took orders and left, Emperor Huining gave Lu Shiqing a seat and asked about other matters: "Did you gain anything last night? Is there really something fishy going on with the Ji family in Wuxing?"
Lu Shiqing's eyes lingered on the eunuch's retreating figure for a moment, and he quickly came back to his senses: "I have been keeping an eye on the Wuxing Ji family for a long time. Last night, I found a large number of brand new arrowheads among their goods. They are indeed military regulations. However, if the envoy is right, these tricks were deliberately discovered by someone in order to kill someone with a borrowed knife."
Emperor Huining narrowed his eyes, and he had a rough idea in his mind. He sighed, "My sons!" Then he asked, "You just said that Cixian went to the suburbs with you. Does she know about this?"
Lu Shiqing shook his head: "The county lady doesn't know the whole story."
Emperor Huining seemed to feel relieved and said, "Since we are talking about the Yuan family, I want to talk to you for a few words. Do you know why Zhang Pushe came to me just now?"
"I don't know. Your Majesty, please enlighten me."
"The court officials headed by Zhang Pushe have always had prejudices against the Yuan family. As early as that year, when I conferred the title of Prince on Yuan Yizhi, they reminded me that the King of Diannan was gaining momentum and we had to guard against him, especially his son who had some Zheng blood in his veins. So I took Shichen as a hostage and ordered him to stay in Chang'an."
"Last year, Nanzhao invaded, and it was them again who insisted that I endure the humiliation and seek peace, and order Cixian to marry Nanzhao. I know what they are thinking. Yuan Yizhi is eager to protect his daughter, and this will cause some rift between him and me, and they are happy to see him and me at odds. But later, these people saw the urgent report from Yaozhou and changed their minds, hoping that I would agree to the war."
He sneered, "How could I not know their intentions? They secretly hoped that the Yunnan army would be defeated, so that Yuan Yizhi could die as an apology as stated in the military order. But how could these people have expected that in such a critical situation, the Yunnan soldiers would unite as one and turn the tide, allowing the Great Zhou to turn defeat into victory."
Lu Shiqing listened with a smile on his face.
Emperor Huining said, "After winning the battle in southern Yunnan, Yuan Yizhi was feared by the people and gained popularity. They could not sit still and wrote to me to test him and see if he had any intention of rebelling. I ordered him to bring Cixian to Beijing to receive the reward. But the Yuan family came here openly and honestly. If Yuan Yizhi was really planning something, how could he have the guts to let his two children fall into my sight? Especially this time, Cixian came to Chang'an alone, which is a strong proof of his loyalty."
Lu Shiqing smiled and nodded.
"However, Zhang Pushe doesn't think so. He just came here and gave me a ridiculous idea - he wanted me to put this girl into the harem."
Lu Shiqing's expression froze, and a strange look flashed in his eyes.
Emperor Huining saw this with his sharp eyes and asked, "Do you also think it's inappropriate?"
He quickly regained his composure and answered, "What is appropriate and what is inappropriate? Your Majesty, everything has two sides. What Zhang Pushe said does help you control the county lady and the Yuan family, which is beneficial. But the county lady is your cousin's niece, and the Ninth Prince has a crush on her. If you tell the world about this, it will not be a good thing after all."
"Besides, not everyone understands the emperor's heart. If this move is seen by the court officials, they may misunderstand that you want to promote the Yuan family. At that time, it is inevitable that there will be another undercurrent and bloody storm, which is a disadvantage."
Emperor Huining nodded in agreement: "That's what I meant. I don't have such an idea. I originally wanted Liu Lang to marry Cixian."
Of course Lu Shiqing knew about this, but he wondered, "Could it be that Furong Garden..."
Emperor Huining snorted coldly when he was halfway through his words: "I asked Liu Lang to go. First, to dispel Jiu Lang's idea, and second, to let Ci Xian meet Liu Lang. In the end, you ruined all my efforts!"
Lu Shiqing quickly stood up and bowed: "It's my fault. The Sixth Prince and I happened to meet at Danfeng Gate that day. Seeing that I had nothing to do, he invited me to go with him. I didn't think much about it, but I didn't expect..."
"How could I have thought that you would steal Liu Lang's limelight! Now my Liu Lang cannot keep Ci Xian, tell me, how can I atone for this sin?"
Lu Shiqing knew this would happen. The old emperor had a heart-to-heart talk with him for a long time, aiming for this last sentence from the beginning.
If he had known better, he would have said at this time: I am willing to share your majesty's worries, marry the county lady, and help your majesty keep the Yuan family firmly in your hands.
But he didn't want to be tactful.
However, under such circumstances, it is impossible to tell the saint directly that he would not marry.
He thought for a moment and said, "I understand your majesty's intention. If you want me to marry the county lady, I will naturally obey. But in my opinion, this matter should not be rushed. Whether you grant the marriage or I ask a matchmaker to arrange the marriage, it all depends on the king of Diannan's intention. Yaozhou is thousands of miles away from Chang'an, which is really inconvenient. It is better to wait until the end of the year when the king of Diannan and the princess come to Beijing as required before making plans. Since your majesty has a clever plan to get the county lady back to the city, there is no need to rush."
After he finished his high-sounding words, he continued, "You must be resentful of me at this moment, and I am not afraid to tell you a joke. I don't like the county lady because she is my enemy. I have had many encounters with her, and each time I was embarrassed. This time I was injured. I am afraid that if I welcome this big Buddha into the house, you will not hear me talking nonsense in front of you for a long time."
Emperor Huining looked serious at first, but he laughed out loud after hearing this: "Forget it! You are my subject, not my son. I can't force you too much on this important matter of marriage. But you have to be prepared, lest I sell you to the Yuan family one day when I'm unhappy, and you can't catch your breath."
Lu Shiqing nodded in agreement, and after coaxing the emperor to peace, he said earnestly: "Your Majesty, I was investigating a case yesterday and stayed up all night. General Yuan's whip was really severe. Can you allow me to take a day off?"
Emperor Huining nodded, explained a few words about the case, and told him to go back and have a good rest.
Lu Shiqing got on the carriage outside the palace but did not rest. He removed the gauze on his hand layer by layer, called Zhao Shu and ordered: "Think of a way to cover this wound."
Zhao Shu entered the carriage and took a look at the back of his hand, which was shocking. He was shocked and asked, "How did you get this injury, sir?"
"Don't talk nonsense, I'm in a hurry."
He nodded quickly: "There is a way, but... it hurts a little, and it's a little dirty. Are you sure you want to use it?"
"Just do it."
…
The moment Lu Shiqing's carriage sped out of Danfeng Gate, a palace maid walked past on the road to Hanliang Palace and whispered to Princess Shaohe Zheng Yun who was waiting at the end: "My Lord, I heard that the Princess of Lancang County wanted to return to Yaozhou, but the Saint refused to let her go, so he sent someone..."
After listening to this, Zheng Yun asked calmly, "Where is Minister Lu?"
"Minister Lu has asked for leave due to illness. I'm afraid he won't come to Hanliang Palace to teach His Highness the Thirteenth Prince today."
She smiled bitterly: "I know, go down."
The maid wanted to leave, but she stopped her: "Wait. Send two spies to look around Yongxingfang. If Minister Lu leaves the palace, keep an eye on his whereabouts and report back to me."
…
After Lu Shiqing returned home, he covered the wound on the back of his hand, called a servant into his room, and asked, "What's the news?"
The man named Cao An replied, "General Yuan has not returned yet, and the saint's troops have gone to the suburbs to wait for orders. Are you ready to rush over?"
He shook his head: "It's too late, and there's no need. But I have to go to Yuan Mansion and wait for Yuan Shichen to come back and tell him a few words."
"My dear, are you worried that the Princess of Lancang County will guess the whole story from the bandits' actions and become angry and tear her face off with the Saint?"
"She wouldn't be so reckless. I'm just afraid that after Yuan Shichen learns the truth, he will impulsively go to the palace to make trouble."
Cao An nodded and asked, "Are you still going through the secret passage?"
Lu Shiqing said "hmm", put on his mask, and pointed in the direction of the gate before leaving: "The two people who are following us at the gate, give them a cup of tea and say thank you for your hard work."
He was startled and didn't dare to ask who sent the spy, so he quickly responded.
Lu Shiqing moved the secret door, bent down and prepared to go down the secret passage, but suddenly paused, turned back and said seriously: "Wait, let me send you sour plum soup instead."
Cao An was slightly stunned, and subconsciously asked: "Why?"
Just when he thought he had said too much and the man would not answer, he saw the man opposite him frowning and saying, "Because it's too hard to drink."
Things that taste bad should be shared with others.
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