In the inner hall, all the boxes were opened. Lu Yihao stood in the box with his hands behind his hands, squinting at these extremely exquisite porcelain, jewelry, utensils and other items. The items from the palace back then had returned to Lin'an several times.
At this time, the eldest son Lu Jin walked into the inner hall, bowed and said: "Father, what's wrong with the child?"
Lu Yihao nodded, "Chen Qing was here just now."
"Oh! These are...the betrothal gifts he sent?"
Lu Jin knew that Chen Qing had come and that Chen Qing had brought many boxes. He thought they were betrothal gifts from Chen Qing.
Lu Yihao sneered, "I dare not accept these things that the late emperor and the queen mother used!"
"Ah!" Lu Jin was startled, "What's going on?"
"It's nothing. I will hand it over to the emperor for him tomorrow, so that Qin Hui won't make a fuss about this matter. The impeachment letter has been written. If these things are not handed over, he will not be able to pass this test. Humph! It's obviously for his own good, so he has to
If he's not happy even if I rack my brains to trick him into getting something, why should I bother?"
"Father seems a little dissatisfied with him?" Lu Jin asked cautiously.
Lu Yihao sighed softly, "I may have misjudged the person."
"Didn't he make great achievements many times, even the capital city was conquered, and even the emperor was full of praise for him?"
"That's just the surface. In fact, the officials are already wary of him."
"Why did father say this?"
Lu Yihao sat down slowly and said: "Before, Zhao Ding proposed to make Chen Qing the governor of the capital. I saw that the officials were unwilling to agree. At first, I thought it was because of the Queen Mother. Of course, the Queen Mother also blocked it behind the scenes, but this is not the case.
The main reason, the fundamental reason, is Zhu Shengfei’s impeachment.”
"Zhu Shengfei also impeached Chen Qing? He is the Xuanfu envoy of Sichuan and Shaanxi. Wouldn't it be enough to just remove him?"
"He did not get the power to act as an edict, and Chen Qing was directly appointed by the officials. He has no power to remove him. But if you see his impeachment letter, you will know why the officials are dissatisfied. I just listened to the eunuch.
Some content seems to say that all of Chen Qing's actions were not approved by the Xuanfu Envoy, including the battle between Ganquanbao and Xixia. The cause, process and results were unknown to the Xuanfu Envoy, so he was asked to write a report.
, and he ignored it.
Then he led his army into Hanzhong without authorization and attacked Jingzhao City without authorization. All the spoils of war were stolen by him, and all his actions were unknown to the Xuanfu Envoy."
Lu Jin said for a while: "It seems that Chen Qing has touched a taboo in officialdom."
"That's right. Regardless of his brilliant achievements, the officials may praise him on the surface, but in fact, the officials pay more attention to the rules. A small control system can take over the Xuanfu Envoy. If he is made the Commander-in-Chief,
, doesn’t he want to separate himself?”
"Father, that's not the case!"
Lu Yihao said coldly: "It's not that it's not the case, it's just that. It can be seen from the small Ganquan Fort. He has clearly regarded Ganquan Fort as his foundation. I will not misjudge this person.
People are unwilling to accept the system of civilian control of military power from the bottom of their hearts, and sooner or later they will fall out with the court because of this matter."
"What about his marriage to Xiu'er?"
"Let's not mention it for now. After a few years of observation, if he wants to marry someone else, I won't object. In short, the Lu family must not be implicated by him."
Lu Jin sighed in his heart and said, "What should I say to Xiu'er?"
Lu Yihao put his hands behind his hands and looked at the roof and said calmly: "Don't tell her about Chen Qing's return for the time being. Once Chen Qing leaves and doesn't come back for a few years, she will probably fade away."
.........
Chen Qing got up early the next morning and went to report to the Privy Council. The Privy Council arranged for him to report on his duties. Perhaps because of the unpleasant contact with Lu Yihao last night, Chen Qing was not in a good mood. He felt that Lu Yihao was a little alienated from him, so that
He didn't mention his marriage to Lu Xiu at all.
There was neither matchmaking nor marriage agreement between him and Lu Xiu. There was only a promise from Lu Yihao. There was not even any talk of repenting of the marriage, so it just ended.
"Chen Qing!"
Someone seemed to be calling him from behind. Chen Qing reined in the reins and turned around, only to see a person galloping towards him on horseback. As the person came closer, Chen Qing recognized him. It was Hu Yantong, his only friend in Lin'an.
Chen Qing was so happy that he got off his horse to greet him. Hu Yantong also jumped off his horse, and the two laughed and hugged each other.
Hu Yantong punched Chen Qing on the shoulder, "You are so unkind, you didn't tell me in Lin'an. If I hadn't met Uncle Zheng at Fengle Building last night, I wouldn't have known you had arrived in Lin'an."
"Did you just go find me?"
"Of course. I heard that you went to Ouchi, so I chased you all the way."
Hu Yantong was very excited. He took Chen Qing's arm and said, "I'll invite you to tea. Let's have a good chat. I'll treat you to a drink at noon."
Chen Qing tilted his head and smiled: "You seem to be very leisurely?"
"How busy can I be as a general of the imperial army in Lin'an? I go to the military camp every three days, stay for half a day, drink tea and brag with my superiors, and then go home."
"What about army training?"
"There is military training, but it has nothing to do with me. There are special training instructors. Anyway, I just got through it this year."
Chen Qing couldn't say anything to him, so he smiled and said: "I have to report to the Privy Council first and see their arrangements before I have time. Why don't you wait for me and I'll treat you to a drink at noon."
"I'll just wait for you, but it must be my treat. Do you still have to pay for me to take care of you?"
The two chatted while walking, and soon arrived at the palace. Hu Yantong and Chen Qing's men were waiting outside. Chen Qing entered the palace alone and went to the Privy Council.
The Privy Council official who received Chen Qing was Li Hui, the Privy Council official. He invited Chen Qing to his official room and asked the tea boy to serve tea. Li Hui smiled and said: "Li Hui came back from his inspection tour in Sichuan and Shaanxi and gave Chen Tongzhi a lot of money."
He has a high evaluation and believes that Tongzhi is the new star of the Western Army and the hope of revitalizing the Western Army."
Chen Qing shook his head, "Li Yuanwailang praises me too much. The hope of the Western Army is Wu Dutong, not me. This is the consensus of our Western Army officers and men!"
"Generally speaking, there will be differences between the court's understanding and the consensus of the soldiers. The starting point for looking at the problem is different! Youth is the biggest asset of Chen Tongzhi, and it is said that the officials have signed the agreement. The commander will be promoted to a marquis, and the official rank will also be
Reached the thirteenth level, Dr. Zuo Wu, you are still so young and have a bright future!"
"What will happen to the official position?" Chen Qing asked frankly.
Li Hui pondered for a while and said: "I'll tell you the truth, your official position has not been decided yet. The Privy Council recommended you to be the governor, but you can't get through from the Ministry of Personnel, and you can't get through from the Ministry of Personnel. Since it's hard for the Political Affairs Hall and the Emperor to express their opinions, once
When the Ministry of Officials approves it, it means that the Zhengshitang and the Emperor have expressed their stance."
"Do the officials think I am unqualified?"
"Qualifications! The officials think that your qualifications are too short. There is no precedent for being promoted so quickly. You need to consider it carefully. In fact, you are blocked by someone."
"Were you stopped by Qin Hui?"
"It may not be him, brother. There are many people in the court who praise you, but there are just as many people who hate you!"
...........
I stayed in the Privy Council for half an hour. It didn't take much time to go through the formalities, but I chatted with Li Hui for a long time.
From the news leaked from Li Hui, Chen Qing realized that he had been noticed by all the officials in the court. There were some who supported Chen and many who opposed Chen. However, Li Hui was always vague on some key issues, which made Chen Qing confused.
Fog.
Hu Yantong still invited Chen Qing to drink at the Hukou Restaurant owned by his family.
"Lin'an has changed a lot this year, and the court has also changed a lot. Everyone has tasted the benefits of the armistice. Materials are abundant, the people are stable, and all kinds of skilled craftsmen have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain. Some are old craftsmen from the past, but most of them are in the Jiangnan area.
New craftsmen and dignitaries are building houses and ships by the West Lake, and the trend of partying to get rich has started again. Various music festivals, various gatherings, and literati gathered together, as if they have returned to the Xuanhe period."
"No one wants to fight anymore?"
Hu Yantong nodded, "It is true that no one wants to fight, whether it is the anti-golden faction or the peace-promoting faction."
Chen Qing picked up the wine glass and said: "But the question is not whether you want to fight or not, but the Jin soldiers are going to destroy the Song Dynasty. When everyone is reduced to a subjugated slave, there will be no chance for us to fight."
"Everyone understands this, but everyone thinks this is a matter for the imperial court. What does it have to do with me?"
"Our court does not have this awareness!"
"So, when everyone is comfortable and no longer wants to fight, the peace-seeking faction will naturally gain the upper hand. This is my grandfather's exact words. He said that the Jin Bing led the truce in order to make Lin'an fall into depravity step by step in comfort.
"
Chen Qing smiled happily and said: "Your grandfather is very knowledgeable. This is also called the strategy of boiling the frog in warm water!"
Hu Yantong suddenly remembered something and muttered: "Let me tell you something. Don't be angry!"