Chapter 157

Just as the dignitaries of the imperial capital kept guessing about the purpose of the emperor's edict, Lu Que and Gu Qingcheng finally returned to zhennanguan ten days later. Looking at the towering wall, they both felt as if they were separated from each other. A few months ago, they were passing through zhennanguan by the caravan of Duanmu family in Hanhai, At that time, just like two people who are familiar with the situation in southern Xinjiang, they never thought that so many things would happen along the way.

Lu que asked he Tao, Feng Yang and Cheng Yuan to turn over the weapons and materials to the warehouse. He and Gu Qingcheng rushed directly to Nanjiang garrison. When they entered the pass, the garrison captain in the city had told them that Wei Jiu and Shen Zhang were waiting for them in the garrison.

"Lu Que and Gu Qingcheng met two military commanders." When they came to the garrison house, they were not stopped. Under the guidance of the guards, they went to the hall of the garrison house. After meeting Wei Jiu and Shen Zhang, they quickly gave a military salute with their hands clasped. Now that they both have military positions, they can no longer give the salute of a student.

"Don't ~" Wei Jiu and Shen Zhang quickly get up and let them pass. Before that, they had received news from the imperial capital that Lu Que and Gu Qingcheng had been awarded the second grade military posts, and they were equal to each other in rank. Even though Gu Qingcheng was half a grade lower than them from the second grade, commander Wei could see the military commander without paying homage.

"You may not know that your majesty deeply regretted that you were trapped in xiyuanze and had not heard from you. He had ordered to pursue you two ten days ago. This is the palace newspaper of the imperial capital. Please have a look first." Seeing Lu Que and Gu Qingcheng's puzzled eyes, Wei Jiu picks up the Diebao on the desk and hands it to them.

Even though Lu Que and Gu Qingcheng had made some guesses in advance, they still felt a little inconceivable when they really looked at the post in their hands. One was the commander of the second grade army, and the other was the commander of the second grade Imperial Guard. You know, this is an equal position with many frontier town marshals of Da Qian. At this time, they didn't have any joy in their hearts. Apart from being shocked, they had a feeling of being grilled on the fire.

"Uncle Wei, uncle Shen, what's the matter?" Because of his father's relationship, Lu que directly called it his uncle and asked.

Wei Jiu and Shen Zhang look at each other. Shen Zhang signals Wei Jiu to open his mouth. After all, Wei Jiu, Duke Lu Chun of Wei and Duke Gu Huairen of Ding are close friends of his classmates as well as brothers in the same robe.

"Keke ~" Wei Jiu looked at Shen Zhang angrily and said softly, "Uncle Shen and I are both military commanders guarding Southern Xinjiang. We don't know exactly what happened to the imperial capital. But I think your majesty thinks xiyuanze is a Jedi in the mainland. You may not be able to get out of it. So we'll order you to pursue the title to show our memory. As for the specific details, we'll wait for you to return to Beijing, Ask your parents. They know better than the two of us. "

Wei drunk this words is equal to did not say, listen to Lu lack and Gu Qingcheng two people repeatedly frown. However, Wei Jiu knew that some words could not be said from his mouth. He was in southern Xinjiang, and he was not very clear about the situation of the imperial capital. So he had to wait for Lu Que and Gu Qingcheng to go back to Beijing to understand the matter, instead of telling them what he knew, because it was likely to break a certain balance in advance.

"Why did the two uncles send a letter some time ago, so that we don't have to rush on?" Gu Qingcheng also asked. Compared with Lu que, he is more familiar with Wei Jiu and Shen Zhang. Before last year, the badminton army had been stationed in the imperial capital. Wei Jiu and Shen Zhang were the former and current commanders of the badminton army respectively. I know that they are also famous for their tact in the Da Qian Dynasty hall, besides keeping their integrity. If you want to ask something from these two people, you still have to work hard.

"This ~" Shen Zhang said, "when Feng Yang sent you back, the messenger only said that you came back from xiyuanze, and there were no other details. We both thought that you might be injured in xiyuanze. If you hurry, you might cause old wounds and tiredness. That's why you don't have to hurry back."

Lu Que and Gu Qingcheng are both twitching at the corners of their mouths when they hear the words. It's hard for them to learn something from them.

Thinking of this, Lu said, "it's more than ten days since the two uncles got the news of our safe return. I don't know if they have reported the news to the capital."

"Of course, we have to report such a big matter to your majesty, but during this period, the three armies of Yulin, benlei and Gaofeng have been changing their guard, and the Xinying in the army are all in the front line of Huangyanjiang river. We can only pass the message to the capital through the express horse of the post station. According to the distance calculation, you can get the news in one or two days." Shen Zhang said calmly. Wei Jiu saw Lu Que and Gu Qingcheng, who knew Shen Zhang was lying, but he had no choice but to smile.

Shen Zhang's words are almost like telling Lu Que and Gu Qingcheng that I know everything, but I can't say it. You'd better not ask. If you have any questions, please go back to Beijing and ask the emperor and your parents.

"Now that we have returned to our country, we can't count on the purpose of pursuing the throne." Gu Qingcheng is not reconciled and asks again.

"Well." Wei drunk pondered for a while, "although there is no precedent for such a thing in our big dry, but your majesty Royal country with faith, treat people with sincerity, since the imperial edict issued, naturally there is no reason to take back, at most is that you two won't get promoted in the establishment of great achievements."

Lu Que and Gu Qingcheng's mouth twitch more severely. What's the reason? They are now in the second grade military positions. If they are promoted, they can only go to the outer pavilion to be military ministers or become the four frontier commanders who are not permanent in the East, West, North and south. They are almost unable to be promoted. What's more, they are too young.

In the history of Daqian, Yu Chuqing, Lu Que's mother, was the youngest to be the commander of the second grade army. She was 21 years old, then Lu Chun, 23, of Xuandi Dynasty, and Bai Li Chengping, 24, of Wudi Dynasty. Gu Qingcheng was 19 years old, and Lu que was only 16 years old and two months old. At such an age, she wanted to be promoted, It's almost impossible.

Wei Jiu and Shen Zhang, who had participated in the northern Xinjiang campaign and the northern expedition of Qingyang in those years, had not been in the position of military commander for more than ten years, and they were still the second class. One of them made great achievements in the northern Xinjiang campaign, and the other was the Emperor's private servant.

"Well, it's not easy for you to get out of xiyuanze. You've been driving for more than ten days. I'm tired. The post house in Guanzhong of Zhennan has already prepared the upper house for you. Go to wash, eat and have a rest. Marshal Wei and I still have some military affairs to talk about. We won't leave you any more. We'll take care of you in the evening, Let the officers and men of the two armies also see the heroes of this battle in southern Xinjiang. " Seeing that they were silent, Shen Zhang waved his hand and said with a smile.

"What Shen Shuai said is that now your military position is similar to ours. When we are busy with military affairs, we will invite you to the banquet. We will also let the children below have a look at it. It's called" hero comes out of youth "above. You can save your pride and complacency on weekdays. Go and have a rest first."

Lu Que and Gu Qingcheng look at each other and see that the two military commanders have opened their mouths to drive people out, so they can only leave.

"Shen Xiandi, what do you think?" Seeing Lu Que and Gu Qingcheng leave, Wei Jiu looks at Shen Zhang and asks.

"Your Majesty is not wrong about people. One of them has the appearance of dragon and Phoenix, and the other has the appearance of heaven and man. The most important thing is that they are careful, not arrogant and not impatient. They are the material of pillars after a lot of experience." Shen Zhang nodded with satisfaction. Lu Que and Gu Qingcheng knew from the moment they saw the newspaper that it was a certainty, but they didn't show any joy. Shen Zhang asked himself that he might not be able to do it himself. Fame and wealth, power and wealth were just around the corner, and some people could not be moved.

"So you can rest assured?"

"Don't worry. They are still young. They have to wait and see." Shen Zhang's eyes flashed. He seemed to think of the same talented and courteous corporal of that year, but he finally rebelled against the king of Dongping. He cautiously said, "I just hope that this natural nature will not be threatened by the secular torrent, and will not lose its original intention in the fight for power and desire."

Naturally, Wei Jiu could recognize Shen Zhang's intention. He nodded and shook his head. "I believe that the son of Princess Chang and brother Lu will not be like that."

Lu Que and Gu Qingcheng didn't stay much in zhennanguan. Three days later, the Nanjiang garrison issued a letter to transfer He Tao, Cheng Yuan, Feng Yang and their troops into the Changqing army. Lu Que and Gu Qingcheng gave Wei Jiu the training secret of the Yulin scouting camp, which was sorted out by He Tao's dictation, and then offered to leave. The official ship went north along the canal to return to the capital.

While Lu Que and Gu Qingcheng were leading more than 1400 people to the north by boat, Qianyuan City, the capital of the emperor, caused an uproar.

Wei Jiu, the commander of the badminton army, and Shen Zhang, the commander of the thunder army, wrote a memorial about Lu Que and Gu Qingcheng's safe return to China, which was finally introduced to the capital through the express post horse.

When it comes to the imperial edict issued suddenly more than ten days ago, the courtiers don't know what the emperor is thinking. How could such important news be delivered by express horse in the post station? The emperor must have received the letter from flying eagle long ago, and took this opportunity to promote Lu Que and Gu Qingcheng.

But even though everyone knows this matter, it can't be put on the surface. However, the memorials requesting the emperor to take back his life and withdraw the tactics of pursuing the throne are continuously presented to the Ziji hall. If Lu Que and Gu Qingcheng die, it's OK. Now that they are back alive, it's not appropriate for them to be granted such a high position, although they don't violate the law of Da Qian, But it broke the balance of the court.

Among the voices of opposition, the Ministry of rites and Yushitai were the most. They didn't have any prejudice against Lu Que and Gu Qingcheng, but they thought that since they returned, they should abolish their previous postwar official posts and maintain their post in southern Xinjiang, more out of a sense of common will.

And some people are just jealous. In Daqian, the first grade official posts are only five in the cabinet and three in the outer cabinet, while the second grade official posts are the ministers of all departments and the commander of the army. This is almost the pinnacle of the officials. Lu que became the commander of the second grade official at the age of 16. How can those courtiers who have been officials for most of their lives and haven't even touched the third grade minister stand it, Who cares if you are the son of Duke Wei and Princess Chang? They just want to pull Lu que down. Most of them are officials of middle and small families.

But the officials of the royal family, the noble family and the poor family didn't make any noise about it. Yu Chuqing, the most famous princess in the royal family, stayed in the Fengxiang army all the time, while Yu Yuanpu, the military Minister of Zhongyang, found a way to inspect the canal army.

Among the nobilities, the middle and low nobilities were worried because of the chaos of the eighteen Marquis's mansion. They were afraid that the emperor would be suspicious of them, and they would not dare to fight against the emperor. In the mansion of the eight great powers, Wei and Ding were the two parties. Naturally, they would not object. However, the Yun family of Zhenguo and Su family of Wei supported the emperor with a clear flag.

The remaining anguoluo family, huguobai family and ningguozhijia family are closed to the outside world, and they don't express any opinions on this matter. The only thing they can find is Zhuge Xingzhi, who is now the Prime Minister of the auxiliary state and cabinet. However, no matter how many people come to see them, Zhuge Xingzhi just prevaricates and doesn't express any opinions.

However, the officials of poor families were overjoyed. They supported Lu Que and Gu Qingcheng to be the leaders of poor families on the grounds of the emperor's golden words and the imperial edict. In their view, Lu Chun was the leader of poor families who led the rise of poor students. Even now he is called Wei Guogong, his son Lu que is also the leader of poor families and a new generation of leaders of poor families.

The two sides of the court were quarreling with each other. The emperor seemed to be impartial. He allowed the courtiers to argue out the right and wrong, and then made a decision. But from the beginning to the end, he was like a man watching a play and did not express any opinions.

Gradually, the etiquette department, imperial censor and family officials who are good at accidents find something wrong. The emperor was ambiguous. Because of the relationship between the eldest princess and the royal family, most of them were silent. The poor family took a clear stand in support of Lu que, and the nine aristocratic families were indifferent to it, as if it had never happened. It seemed that they were the only ones who opposed it.

They had no choice but to go to Zhuge Xingzhi, the prime minister. Originally, many people came to visit Zhuge's family in the auxiliary country during this period. At this time, there were more and more cars and horses in front of the house. However, even so, a steady stream of worshippers poured into Zhuge's family, which made Zhuge Xingzhi, the prime minister, sick and unable to leave.

"Grandfather, this is today's post. I've selected some important ones and sent them to you. The rest of my grandchildren have been sent to the kitchen by the porter to start a fire." Zhuge Yan walked into Zhuge Xingzhi's study with a few letters in his hand. During this time, he had a mixed life with Duanmu ye and Lin Qingyu.

When the imperial edict came down, they all thought that the imperial court had confirmed the death of Lu Que and Gu Qingcheng. Even Zhuge Yan, who firmly believed that Lu que would be OK, was shaken. They were drunk every day. But in the past two days, news came that Lu Que and Gu Qingcheng had already returned to their homeland, and they would return to the capital in a few days. They were even happy for their friends to get out of danger, and finally they were unconscious again. However, when they wake up, they are all in high spirits. Duanmuye and Lin Qingyu have returned to Fengming academy before, saying that they are going to clean up Fengming ruishe, which has not been lived for several months, to welcome Lu Que's return.

But Zhuge Yan didn't expect that the dispute in the court would extend to his home. These days, it's even more lively than making trouble in front of the auxiliary government. The senior officials of the two and three grades of the court come every day, and the courtiers of the five and six grades of the court are like crucian carp crossing the river.

"Oh, can let you pick out the important people, who are they?" At this time, Zhuge Xingzhi was polishing his pen and wanted to write a picture. His face was red, and he didn't look sick at all.

"Lord Zhongcheng Fu, the censor, and Lord Zhongli, the Minister of rites." Speaking of this, Zhuge Yan paused a little.

"What? Is there anyone else? "

"And the first seat of Fengming academy, Lord Luo." Zhuge Yan put three worship posts on his desk, and the top one was a gilded post from an Guoluo's family.

"The imperial censor and the Ministry of rites can't sit still. It's understandable. Why did the Duke of Luo take part in the cooperation?" Zhuge Xingzhi frowned at the top post, but he didn't mean to open it.

"Maybe Lu Que's official position at this time does not conform to the status of students and the rules of the school." Zhuge Yan was thinking about it all the way, but as the Luo family of an country, there was no reason to participate in it. Did not you see that the Bai family and the Zhi family were all silent? In the end, they only came up with this reason. After all, there was a second grade official in the school, which really made it difficult for those seated teachers and Lieshi.

"No, when luolaogong was Prime Minister, he gave much protection to Weigong. When Weigong went to the north, luolaogong made great efforts in military supplies. With their friendship, he had no reason to come forward now. This not only offended his majesty, but also offended Lu and Gu families. With Laogong's knowledge, how could he not see that he was going to pass the government at this time, There must be another reason. " Zhuge Xingzhi said with a frown.

"Grandson thinks the same way, but Lao Gong of Luo has long been indifferent to the government, and he is content to teach and educate in Fengming Academy. Uncle Luo works as Zuo Shilang in the Ministry of officials. It can be said that he has a bright future. Brother Luo is said to have been a battalion general in the northern Xinjiang army. Besides, Lu Que and Gu's elder sister have such official positions, which is also the glory of the whole Fengming Academy. Grandson really can't figure out why the Luo family should participate in the cooperation. "

"Maybe he didn't come for it." Zhuge Xingzhi walked a few steps in the study and said suddenly.

"But now Princess Chang and Duke Wei are in Fengxiang and Changqing army respectively. On the surface, they are avoiding suspicion, but in fact, they are a kind of deterrence. The first seat of Luo will not fail to see it."

"That's right." Zhuge Xingzhi pondered for a while, and suddenly his eyes flashed. "Is he thinking the same thing as me?"

"Grandfather means check and balance?"