In August, the autumn is getting darker, the day is still very hot, and the weather turns cooler quickly after sunset. Wang Yanqing was thinking about the Mid-Autumn Festival this year. When she heard that Lu Heng was back, she went to the study to find him with the gift list.
The guard in the study met Wang Yanqing and greeted Wang Yanqing as usual. But Wang Yanqing keenly found that today was a little different. Usually, the guards let her go without saying a word when they saw her, but today they took the initiative to talk to her. They seemed to be courting Wang Yanqing, but they were actually delaying the time and going inside to report to Lu Heng.
Wang Yanqing groaned inwardly, is there anything important to Lu Heng recently? Even she has to keep it a secret. Wang Yanqing pretended not to know, stopped to talk to the guard, and when the guard finally finished saying hello, Wang Yanqing continued to walk inside. When she pushed open the door, sure enough, the study was clean, and Lu Heng was sitting behind the desk, reading a book.
Seeing her come in, Lu Heng put down the book and walked towards her with a smile: "Why are you here?"
Wang Yanqing knew that Lu Heng's position was special, and there were some things he didn't want her to know, and Wang Yanqing wouldn't ask her. She put down the food box, took out the small celadon plate with Doucai grape pattern inside, and said, "The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming, I have printed several kinds of cake molds, but I am not sure which one to use for the gift, so I came over and asked my brother. ."
Lu Heng looked at the table, there were various kinds of cakes on the porcelain plate, with begonia, hosta, lotus and other patterns printed on it, Lu Heng looked at it and said, "I think these four kinds of cakes are very good-looking, they are done like this. Exquisite, it would be a pity to abandon it. Just keep it all, and install two for each pattern, just to take the meaning of the two seasons."
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, folk relatives and friends will give each other moon cakes, with the meaning of reunion. Superiors, peers, and subordinates have to give gifts, and they have to give them face. This has led to more and more fierce competition in Beijing's boxing ceremony, not only to compare the carvings on the moon cakes, but also the cakes and moon fruits that come with the gift box.
Sending the Mid-Autumn Festival gift has become a completely unnecessary, but must do a good-looking face project.
Wang Yanqing was a little surprised to hear Lu Heng's words. Lu Fu has always taken a low-key route in the past, but this time, Lu Heng would also join the comparison army.
Wang Yanqing reminded: "Brother, is it too delicate to use four patterns at the same time?"
Lu Heng just smiled and said, "This time is different from the past."
Of course, Lu Heng didn't just burn his own money for fun. His previous boxing was mainly prudent and low-key. On the one hand, it was because of his position, and on the other hand, because he didn't have a wife. This year, the gift box in Lu Mansion suddenly changed its style, and with the addition of something as feminine as flowers, all the houses in the capital could immediately realize that the Lu Mansion would have a hostess.
According to the etiquette, both the son and the father are cut off for three years. Observance of filial piety is said to be three years, but it is actually twenty-seven months by convention. It is now August of the thirteenth year of Jiajing, and Lu Heng has been filial piety for two full years. In other words, in another three months, Lu Heng will be able to consider the issue of filial piety.
Taking advantage of such a good opportunity of the Mid-Autumn Festival, he should also slowly warm up to everyone in the capital.
Lu Heng insisted, and Wang Yanqing had no objection, so he did as he said. Wang Yanqing saw a book on Lu Heng's desk and asked, "Brother, what book are you reading?"
Lu Heng walked to the table and picked up the cover at will: "The Legend of Heroes."
Heroic biography? Wang Yanqing thought for a while, but didn't have any impression: "When was this book written, why haven't I heard of it at all?"
"It's normal that you haven't heard of it." Lu Heng slid his fingers across the pages of the book, and said with a half-smile, "This was just written a few days ago."
Wang Yanqing felt that his tone was wrong, she approached Lu Heng and looked down at the book: "Really, what's in it?"
"Emperor Hongwu led a group of heroes to overthrow Emperor Yuanshun, cut off the separatist regime, and established the story of the Ming Dynasty."
Wang Yanqing was stunned for a moment, and after a while, she asked, "What?"
Lu Heng smiled meaningfully, handed the book to Wang Yanqing and let her read it slowly. The full name of this book is "The Legend of Martial Arts and Heroes of the World". Wang Yanqing opened the first chapter, not to mention, he saw quite a few familiar names, even Emperor Hongwu's original name.
Wang Yanqing flipped a few pages at random and was shocked. She looked at Lu Heng and asked hesitantly, "Who wrote this?"
"you guess?"
Wang Yanqing groaned in his heart: "It shouldn't be you, right?"
Lu Heng sat down and was about to drink tea when he almost choked on hearing her words. He put down the tea cup, his eyes were indescribable: "Are you looking down on me too much or are you looking down on me, would I do such a stupid thing?"
Knowing that it was not Lu Heng, Wang Yanqing breathed a sigh of relief, and only then dared to read the contents of the book. Wang Yanqing sat down at the table, read a few pages roughly, and said unexpectedly, "The time, place, and characters are all there. It looks like the real thing, and it's not bad."
Lu Heng smiled and said, "It was written by an expert. They all participated in those battles back then. It's not like it was written."
Wang Yanqing's brows twitched and looked back at Lu Heng: "Expert?"
Lu Heng smiled and said nothing. Experts watch the doorway, laymen watch the fun, he got the book and turned a few pages, and knew that it was written by an insider. Not to mention the details of the battle, just saying that the book accurately wrote the time and place of Emperor Hongwu's rise of troops, it is far beyond the reach of others.
Ordinary people most fantasize about gods fighting and heavenly generals. How do they know the specific uprising process and marching route of Emperor Hongwu? Although the Lu family had never experienced the founding of a country, there was information in Jinyiwei, and Lu Heng knew that those locations were all right.
Seeing Lu Heng's expression, Wang Yanqing guessed that this person's identity should not be low. And looking at the respect between the lines of the opponent's military exploits, it can be expected that he is not a literati. Wenchen wouldn't care about the group of heroes who founded the country... Wait, the founders of the country
Wang Yanqing opened his eyes wide and asked in surprise, "Marquis of Wuding?"
There was a smile in Lu Heng's eyes, and he felt that the baby in front of him was really pleasing. Smart, beautiful, considerate, and quick to respond, she figured it out with just a few words from him.
The more Lu Heng looked at it, the more he liked it. He thought that if he guessed correctly, there must be a reward, so he put his arms around Wang Yanqing's waist and pecked heavily on the cherry lips: "Yes, it's him."
So Lu Heng said that Guo Xun was floating, and he did not wrong Guo Xun at all. Only Guo Xun would do this kind of behavior of courting death.
Wang Yanqing was so shocked that Lu Heng didn't even bother to take advantage of it: "Is it really him?"
Lu Heng nodded. Wang Yanqing's eyes widened and couldn't help but ask, "Why did he do this?"
In summer, the clothes were light and thin, and Lu Heng wrapped his fingers around Wang Yanqing's slender and soft waist, as if he could feel the coolness on her skin. The fragrance on the tip of the nose bursts, and if you want to refuse it, it will make people want to remove the cover and search for the source of the fragrance.
Lu Heng's eyes kept wandering on Wang Yanqing's flawless face, and the more he looked, the more he felt that the reward was not enough. Thinking about those nasty things in his heart, he managed to separate a small part of his mind and answered Wang Yanqing's question: "Why, give yourself money. You will see it later, he will shoot Chen Youliangzhi to death. All the merit is attributed to Guo Ying, and it is hyped up, as if without Guo Ying, Emperor Hongwu would not be able to pacify the world and establish a state."
Wang Yanqing knew that she was in Jinyiwei's lair, the safest place in the world, but she still did not dare to talk about the right and wrong of Emperor Hongwu easily. Wang Yanqing asked: "Guo Ying has already split the soil and sealed the marquis, and the Guo family has prospered so far. What is Wuding's dissatisfaction? What did he want to do when he compiled this book?"
After all, Guo Xun is a prince, and it is impossible for him to have time to write books himself, but with Guo Xun's power, as long as he speaks, there are countless people willing to ghostwrite for him. The content in "The Legend of Heroes" must have been written by Guo Xun.
Then the question arises. Guo Xun has become the head of honors and honors. He has served as the admiral of the Three Thousand Battalions, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, and the governor of the capital's Zuojun army. Guo Xun's power is already so high that sometimes even the chief assistant has to let him. What is he dissatisfied with
Lu Heng smiled and said meaningfully: "It has always been like this. The Guo family now looks the same, but in the Hongwu Dynasty, Xu Da and Chang Yuchun were both crowned kings, while Guo Ying was only a marquis. It is really not enough to see among the heroes. Guo Xun himself became prosperous, so he aggrieved for his ancestors."
Wang Yanqing frowned, vaguely guessing something. This group of people really can't be idle for a day. Xia Wenjin took over as the first assistant last month. The cabinet has just stabilized, and it has only been stable for a few days. They started again. Guo Xun and Xia Wen would like to have today's situation. Apart from the promotion of the situation, Lu Heng definitely played a big role in it.
Chaotang now seems to be a confrontation between Guo Xia and the two parties, but in fact it is a three-legged confrontation, and Lu Heng is the third force outside Guo Xun and Xia Wenjin. At the same time, he befriended and provoked the other two parties, which led to a fight between the civil and military, and he benefited from it.
Wang Yanqing could feel that Lu Heng was holding back the bad water again and didn't know what to do.
Wang Yanqing sighed and asked, "What do you want to do?"
Lu Heng raised his eyebrows, and said inexplicably, "Again?"
"The book that Guo Xun printed appeared in your study. When you take this book back and read it, you won't be curious about the story of Guo Ying and other martyrs, right?"
Lu Heng smiled, Guo Ying had nothing to do with him, and whether he sealed it or not had nothing to do with him. Lu Heng read this book, of course, for another purpose.
Lu Heng said, "Actually, the emperor ordered me to check this book."
"How did the emperor know that?"
Lu Heng looked at Wang Yanqing, Wang Yanqing didn't dodge or avoid looking at each other. After a while, Lu Heng smiled, and said, "Qingqing is angry?"
"Why am I angry?" Wang Yanqing said, "I just think you are too tired to live like this."
The curvature of Lu Heng's lips deepened, and then he showed a real smile: "Qingqing, do you know how to win at chess?"
"Foresight and careful layout."
"No." Lu Heng hugged Wang Yanqing tightly, and said without any deep meaning, "It is constant attack. Attacking is the best defense."
Wang Yanqing didn't speak. When she called him second brother before, she never doubted Lu Heng's actions. Second brother said what he said. Later, she gradually began to realize that she and Lu Heng actually had irreconcilable differences.
She likes to be calm and stable, especially she doesn't like to compete with others, and tends to be conservative in all dimensions. On the other hand, Lu Heng is the opposite. He is very aggressive, and he has to get what he likes. He seems cautious, but it just proves that he is strong and decisive, willing to spend a lot of time lurking, just to kill his prey with one hit.
It is conceivable that if a woman marries him, she will be frightened all her life, always worried that something will happen to him.
Wang Yanqing was also at a loss. Whenever she thought of marrying Lu Heng, she always felt hesitant, but if she thought of not marrying Lu Heng, she was reluctant. Just like now, she knew that Lu Heng was inciting infighting again, but she rationally felt that it was wrong to do so, but emotionally she couldn't help speaking for him. Wang Yanqing swayed left and right in this contradiction, not knowing what to do.
Lu Heng could probably feel what Wang Yanqing was afraid of, but as he said, offense is the best defense. He must always stand in front of Guo Xun and Xia Wenjin so that he can control the rhythm. Once he falls behind, he can only passively wait for others to count him.
Lu Heng hugged Wang Yanqing tightly and said, "I'm in the business of the outside world. Don't worry, I'll keep a backhand. If one day I really miscalculate, I can also keep you safe and let you go back to An Lu An and spend it peacefully. The rest of my life."
Wang Yanqing's body was tightly hugged by him, her neck was still straight, and she said without moving, "Do you think this is a good thing?"
Being widowed and widowed, Wang Yanqing couldn't see how "stable" such a fate could be.
Lu Heng was stunned by the question, he was stunned for a moment, then nodded solemnly: "You are right, I will try my best not to let you be a widow."
Wang Yanqing gave Lu Heng an elbow mercilessly and sat down by herself. Lu Heng sighed slightly and said, "Actually, it was arranged by the emperor. Zhang Jinggong just resigned because of this kind of thing, so I won't make the same mistake as him. It was Guo Xun who was courting death himself, taking advantage of the emperor's good mood these days, and bribing the emperor. The eunuch and the maid next to me tell the story in "The Legend of Heroes"."
In May, Concubine Cao Duan gave birth to the emperor's eldest daughter, Zhu Shouyu, and in June, Wang Zhaoconcubine gave birth to a prince, making up for the lack of Prince Aichong. In the second half of the year, two more concubines are due to give birth. As long as there is another boy, the emperor will not have to bear the anxiety of no successor.
The emperor was in a good mood, and Jin made Wang Zhao's concubine as a noble concubine. At this time, there were frequent good news from Datong Mansion.
Fu Tingzhou deserves to be brought out by Fu Yue himself. It's not just a soldier on paper, but he really knows how to fight. Lu Heng thought with regret in his heart, why didn't Zhenyuan Houfu not raise him
But in any case, the frontline harem continued to have good news, and the emperor was in a good mood. Guo Xun took this opportunity and asked his valet to tell the emperor a story. He was talking about the round in "The Legend of Heroes". He wanted to use this to elevate Guo Ying's position to be on the same level as Xu Da, Chang Yuchun and others.
Who is the emperor, who dares to export his opinions to the emperor is really courageous. The emperor's original intention was to let Dongchang beat the maid and eunuch beside him, but he learned that Guo Xun not only wrote the "Brave of Heroes" boasting of his ancestors, but also raised a group of literati, compiled and published many books, including a banned book— "Water Margin".
"Water Margin" existed at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, because Emperor Hongwu himself was a peasant army uprising, and there was no contradiction in seeing the rebellion in the book, but it could not be publicly promoted. Therefore, since the founding of the People's Republic of China, there has not been a publicly published "Water Margin" on the market. Some people secretly copied the book and spread it in a small area. The court has always turned a blind eye to this, and the people do not raise officials and do not investigate.
But now, Wuding Hou Guoxun is publishing "Water Margin".
The emperor would not decide that his ministers rebelled just because of a rumor, but he had to ask Lu Heng to investigate to see what Guo Xun was doing in private.
This is why Lu Heng watched "The Legend of Heroes". Of course, if the time is right, Lu Heng doesn't mind pushing Guo Xun.
Fu Tingzhou and Guo Xun have been bound. The greater Guo Xun's power, the safer Fu Tingzhou will be, and Fu Tingzhou will give back to Guo Xun when he contributes to the military. Lu Heng couldn't let these two people continue the virtuous cycle, and he had to cut off Fu Tingzhou's milk warehouse as soon as possible.
Therefore, this time to investigate Guo Xun, Lu Heng is bound to win.