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After listening to him talk about state affairs for a long time, Yuan Cixian felt a little sleepy, but a question popped up in her heart. She suddenly wanted to get the answer, so she continued to pester him and said, "Since you care about the people, did you curse me like the other court officials? When the Nanzhao incident started, they said that my Yuan family was selfish and had to use force, causing more soldiers and civilians on the border to suffer from the war... Did you support me going to Nanzhao to marry?"
"No." Lu Shiqing told the truth, "I was the one who privately persuaded the Saint to accept your father's military order, send troops to fight, and refuse the marriage."
Yuan Cixian paused for a moment, then suddenly raised her eyes and asked, "Why?"
He didn't even know her at that time, so it was definitely not out of selfishness. But she was still a little curious.
As if he noticed her raised gaze, Lu Shiqing tilted his head slightly. It was clearly pitch black, but he seemed to see a pair of glittering, misty eyes staring at him intently.
The feeling he imagined in the darkness was too strong. He tightened the cloth tied around his wrists and answered seriously, "The so-called 'marriage alliance' should be a strategy to end the war and abandon hatred and maintain friendship with foreign races. For example, it should be measured in advance and retreat. It is not a bad idea to add icing on the cake to the Uighurs and Tubo who are now on good terms with the Great Zhou. But it will not work for Nanzhao. Nanzhao's behavior this time is bad. It started the war with a provocative mentality. If we marry them, it will be equivalent to a humiliating compromise."
"After that, Nanzhao will certainly become more aggressive, and the surrounding tribes may also follow suit. By then, the country will no longer be a country, and the king will no longer be a king. If the Great Zhou has reached the point where a woman needs to sacrifice herself and compromise to establish a country, why not hand over the territory to others and seek a better rule for the people?"
Yuan Cixian was frightened yet excited when she heard the last sentence.
Lu Shiqing continued, "Besides, Nanzhao's intention is very clear, which is to alienate the King of Diannan and the Saint. Once you get married, the Saint will become more and more resentful of your father, fearing that he will defect to Nanzhao, and may even turn the knife on him one day."
"Southern Yunnan is not well-established. Although there are warriors in the imperial court, no one is more familiar with Nanzhao than your father, and is more qualified to guard the southwest. Once the saint cuts off his own arm, the Nanzhao cavalry will pass through the gate and will be able to enter the land without a trace. That will be the beginning of disaster for the soldiers and people of the Great Zhou. Your Yuan family is using war to stop war, so what's wrong with that? Why should I support your marriage?"
If the river embankment repair made Yuan Cihan feel Lu Shiqing's kindness towards the people of the Great Zhou for the first time, these words made her truly confident for the first time in seeking his protection.
She didn't say much, but clutched the corner of the quilt and whispered, "Minister Lu, thank you for speaking up for me back then." Although it was not for her.
Her tone was unusually sincere, different from her usual hypocritical tone. Lu Shiqing smiled but said nothing, though he sighed in his heart.
What he said just now was not wrong, but it was said to a wise ruler. It would be futile to say so to Emperor Huining. At that time, he used the pros and cons of power tactics to persuade him to give up the marriage that was about to be finalized.
If Yuan Cihan heard those ungentlemanly words, she would probably not be able to thank him.
But for his embarrassing identity, the purpose is always more important than the means.
After a long time, he heard Yuan Cixian's shallow and even breathing. Thinking that she was finally going to sleep, he closed his eyes as well.
*
The next morning, Yuan Cihan woke up in bed and saw Lu Shiqing sitting in a moving carriage, drafting official documents. She didn't think anything was wrong at first glance, but was stunned when she realized what was going on.
How did she get from the footstool to the bed, and how did Lu Shiqing free his hands
She stared and asked, "Have you asked Shi Cui to come?"
Without even raising his head, Lu Shiqing said calmly, "No."
"So what are you doing?"
He put down his pen and pulled out a thin blade from his sleeve to show her, which roughly meant that he cut the strips of cloth himself.
"… "
Wow, he's so shameless!
Yuan Cixian was so angry that she slapped the quilt and stood up. The good impression she had accumulated towards him last night was instantly wiped out. She asked, "You got me into bed?"
"No." Lu Shiqing looked at her and frowned. "You are a girl, please pay attention to your words and speak more elegantly to avoid misunderstanding."
What's wrong with playing with words? Playing with words is also playing with words, and so is playing with the wind and the moon. Isn't it unrefined? His mind is full of weird things, so he blames her.
Lu Shiqing probably felt that he had accidentally exposed something, so he coughed and explained, "The footbed was cold, and you were shivering in the middle of the night, which kept me awake."
So he actually got rid of his restraints in the middle of the night and changed bedding with her. He did not disturb her, so he must have quietly carried her to the bed.
But isn't he a germaphobe? How could he be willing to sleep on the same bed that she had slept on
He's really been becoming more and more casual on his way south. Where's his cleanliness
Yuan Cihan felt miserable, just like last time at the post station. After listening to his very righteous explanation, her accusations seemed less reasonable.
In this situation, she could have justifiably asked him to take responsibility for her, but she wanted him to willingly protect the Yuan family, and forcing him to do so would not work. If she was too hasty to argue, she would lose. She had to keep her composure, remember these accounts, and bring them up when the time was right.
So she calmed down her fluctuating emotions and said calmly, "Thank you very much for taking care of me."
Lu Shiqing paused with his pen in hand and pressed the tip of the pen on the paper, leaving an ugly blob of ink.
What was going on? This was not what he had imagined. Why didn't she take the opportunity to force him to marry her? He had already made his plan and prepared a plan, but she let him go so easily
Then why did he go to so much trouble to design this accommodation
Yuan Cixian saw that he looked sluggish, as if he had suffered some setback. She looked at his writing and asked, "Minister Lu, what's wrong with you?"
Lu Shiqing came back to his senses and picked up the pen. He crumpled up the discarded document, spread the paper again, and said with a smile: "It's okay. I was just feeling melancholy for a while when I thought about the suffering of the people."
Yuan Cixian didn't know whether to believe it or not, and said with a smile: "Oh, the Great Zhou is lucky to have you."
*
After passing Qizhou, you will reach Shuzhou, Lu Shiqing’s destination.
Actually, the rain yesterday would not have caused a flash flood. The bad thing was that the continuous heavy rain in the previous few days made the mountains in this area very loose. This was the last straw that broke the camel's back, causing the disaster in Shuzhou, which had been under control, to spread again, and adding another group of displaced people to the city.
Lu Shiqing and Yuan Cixian arrived at Shuzhou City at dusk, and happened to encounter a group of disaster victims from nearby pouring in, blocking the city gate. Most of these people came to ask for porridge, and some came to seek medical treatment. After all, it was a matter of life and death, so even if the gatekeepers kept shouting, most people turned a deaf ear.
A young gatekeeper saw this and pushed an old man to the ground, pointed his long knife at him and shouted: "You all have no ears? Our Lu Qinshi's carriage has arrived, why don't you get out of the way!"
This loud shout finally quieted the noisy crowd. Someone looked back at the imperial envoy team behind him with his eyes wide open, helped up the old man who broke his wrist and was screaming in pain, and cursed: "What kind of person is this imperial envoy? How can he bully people like this?"
After he finished speaking, he spat, and several strong men joined him in cursing, while women, children and trembled and dared not say a word.
The guard raised his sword and was about to chop off his head, but suddenly he heard a voice saying, "Stop."
The voice was not loud, but it sounded crisp and clear. His men paused and he turned his head to see a man getting out of the imperial envoy's carriage. He was wearing a sky-blue round-necked cotton robe, with fair skin, red lips, and bright eyes, but the look he cast at him was full of deep disgust.
Yuan Cixian took a few quick steps towards this direction, came in front of the old man, lifted his arm with one hand and touched his wrist bone with the other.
She placed her clean white hand on the old man's muddy wrist and rubbed it gently with her thumb for a few times, as if checking his injuries. Suddenly she raised her eyes and asked with a smile, "Father-in-law, where do you live?"
The old man was in so much pain that he broke out in a cold sweat. Seeing that she was dressed richly, he did not dare to offend her and reluctantly replied, "Li... Lijia Village."
"Where are your family members?"
"My son and daughter-in-law have already gone to the city this morning. I am a slow walker..."
Yuan Cixian smiled with some relief: "I'll send someone to take you to find them in a moment."
"Thanks… "
The old man was about to thank her, but before he could finish his words, he heard a "click" sound of bones colliding at his wrist. He was startled and looked at Yuan Cixian with his mouth open, not even reacting to the pain.
Yuan Cixian smiled and said, "You dislocated your joint. I just wanted to talk to you and tell you to feel less pain. But don't worry, your son and daughter-in-law will still find a replacement for you."
Everyone around was stunned by her technique, and after a moment of shock, they rushed forward.
"Imperial Envoy, Imperial Envoy! My hand was also hit by a rock. It hurts a lot. Please take a look at it for me!"
"My dear Bodhisattva, my child fell down and has been vomiting..."
They had mistaken her.
Yuan Cixian was surrounded by people and couldn't breathe. In the chaos, someone suddenly took her hand. She was shocked and her first thought was: Who dares to molest this imperial envoy
She tried to break free in a hurry, but was hidden behind the man first. When she looked up, she found that it was the real imperial envoy.
Lu Shiqing said calmly to everyone, "My servant's medical skills are not very good. I was just lucky enough to cure the old man's injury. In another quarter of an hour, dozens of shi of food and a group of doctors will arrive in Shuzhou City. Please wait patiently in the temporary shelters built along the road in the city."
Who is his servant? Yuan Cixian secretly complained, but he turned his gaze to the gatekeeper who had hit him first, thought seriously, and asked: "I don't know you, are you working for Prince Ping?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the refugees who had been whispering with joy upon hearing that food had arrived all turned their heads.
Yuan Cixian secretly felt so happy.
This farce may seem small, but it is actually a big deal. She was in the car and felt something was wrong when she heard the gatekeeper's words. Lu Shiqing was not in a hurry to enter the city. He had arranged for the people to enter first. This person was obviously instructed by someone to sow discord between the court and the people.
Although there were only a small group of disaster victims present, as the saying goes, bad news spreads a thousand miles, and who knows how the situation will evolve in the future. When natural disasters come, people are already panicking, and when people with ulterior motives stir up trouble, the people will rise up and it will become a big chaos. So she got off the carriage immediately and stopped the gatekeeper from killing people, not wanting Lu Shiqing and the court to suffer in silence.
Emperor Huining was indeed not a wise ruler, but some people took advantage of the chaos in the world and resorted to such despicable methods. It must be said that their intentions were even more sinister.
But this matter is not easy to explain, and even a hundred sentences may not be enough to explain it. Yuan Cixian did not expect that Lu Shiqing would use his own method to retaliate against her with just one question. She suddenly felt a sense of admiration for him in her heart, and for a moment she forgot that her hand was still lying in his palm.
The doorman was obviously stumped by the question, and hurriedly nodded and said, "I am just a doorman, and I have never met King Ping."
"Have you seen me?" Lu Shiqing asked with a seemingly good-tempered smile.
He shook his head: "I have never met Lu Qinchao either."
"If that's the case, how dare you lynch me in my name?"
This was a serious charge. The doorman fell to his knees with a plop, his legs shaking.
The sturdy man who originally scolded Lu Shiqing uttered a "Pah" and apologized to him: "Lu Qinchao, I'm sorry, I scolded the wrong person!"
Lu Shiqing actually smiled at him very friendly, pointed at the doorman who was about to wet his pants and said, "But he is right about one thing. The court has not cut back on your food rations. You are pushing and shoving each other, which only adds to the chaos." After he finished speaking, he looked at a woman who had just come to Yuan Cixian for medical treatment, "Is this how your child fell?"
The woman nodded like pounding garlic.
Lu Shiqing glanced at the gatekeeper on the ground again and said, "Get up. This will not happen again. Make good arrangements for them to enter the city." After saying that, he did not stop and walked back with Yuan Cihan.
The eyes of the people behind them were rolling around on the two of them.
Is their village too backward? Is the relationship between the imperial envoy and the servants outside already like this
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