Chapter 136 I can also be willful
Most people in the court were not surprised by the middle-aged official's proposal.
There are civil and military officials in the court, representing forces and organizations of no less than a dozen large and small. Some people like Lu Sen, and naturally some people don't like him.
It was the same even if Lu Sen often took out the fairy fruit to share.
Zhao Zhen touched his forehead. If he had met such an official who would not stop until he made shocking remarks during court sessions in the past, his head would have been in great pain. But this would not happen now.
The main reason is that the youngest son recently moved to live outside the palace and often eats the fairy fruits produced by Master Lu's family. His health is gradually getting better. He used to suffer from major and minor illnesses all the time, but now it has been more than half a year and he has not had a single minor illness. He has become much whiter and fatter.
Because the child was in good health, his intake of fairy fruit was reduced by more than half. Part of the remaining fairy fruit went into Zhao Zhen's mouth, and the rest was distributed to the concubines in the harem.
Thanks to the occasional nourishment of the fairy fruit, Zhao Zhen is now much healthier and his headache problem no longer occurs at any time.
He saved his son, gave him a healthy body, and is now helping his son slowly recover. Zhao Zhen is very grateful to Lu Sen for this kindness.
If other monarchs who care about the world and are unparalleled in their tyranny encountered this situation, they would definitely think that Lu Sen was using the fairy fruit to control them, and it would be against the will of heaven not to kill him.
But Zhao Zhen had never thought about it this way. Even though Lu Sen never took the initiative to send him fruits and honey, and the honey in the palace was sent from the King of Runan and was second-hand, he never thought about it this way.
He had nothing but gratitude for Lu Sen's personal opinion.
After all, this is a future emperor whose temple name is "Ren".
So when he heard someone directly "report" Lu Sen, he felt a headache, but now his headache is not hurting anymore... He put down his hand awkwardly and asked: "Lord Li, although the order from the Secretariat is to hold on, the battlefield situation is ever-changing, and it is not a bad thing for a commander to make his own decision."
The official surnamed Li continued, "Sir, I am not deliberately trying to make things difficult for Master Lu. It is just that the military strategy this time is extremely unusual. The Yang and Zhe families are relatives of Master Lu, and Marshal Di is also on good terms with Master Lu. Currently, 70% to 80% of our Song Dynasty's military strength is on these few people. They disobeyed the orders of the Secretariat and took the initiative to attack. It seems that they are flexible and adaptable, but if they have second thoughts... the events of the previous dynasty will happen again."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the court couldn't help but look over.
This was to strike a blow against Lu Sen and tear off the fig leaf of the entire Zhao Song Dynasty.
How much does this official surnamed Li hate Master Lu?
In the court at that moment, some people were gasping for air, some were talking, some were laughing, and some were mocking. It was as if it was a picture of the various aspects of life.
Zhao Zhen's blood pressure suddenly rose and he really felt a headache.
He looked at the front row of ministers and asked, "Lord Bao, Grand Tutor Pang, what do you think?"
Bao Zheng bowed and said, "I think Master Lu does not have such thoughts. He is just a pure-hearted practitioner who has no attachment to the wealth and honor of the world."
Grand Tutor Pang also said, "I second the motion."
Zhao Zhen breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that neither Bao Zheng nor Master Pang had targeted Master Lu, and seeing this, other people probably wouldn't target him anymore.
Unexpectedly, at this time, the official surnamed Li took a step forward and cried out: "Your Majesty, please understand... Taizu had no second thoughts, but the generals around him had, and he had no choice."
If the official surnamed Li's words just now only made people's scalps tingle, then his words now made everyone feel like they were falling into the abyss.
Now even Bao Zheng and Master Pang no longer dared to defend Lu Sen.
Both of them bowed their heads slightly.
Seeing this, several more people stood up and said that they wanted to take back Master Lu’s power as military supervisor and make him return to Aishan to await his fate.
Zhao Zhen felt a little numb on his scalp. He was very grateful to Lu Sen, but he also felt that what these people said made sense.
Not only was Master Lu the military supervisor, he actually disobeyed the order to defend the country and took the initiative to attack Western Xia.
If any general persuaded him to wear the imperial robe!
Zhao Zhen felt his heart tremble, but he suddenly remembered and said, "Master Lu once said that the emperor cannot cultivate immortality. I think a cultivator should not be able to become the emperor either. He..."
At this time, the official surnamed Li prostrated himself on the ground, crying and interrupting, "Your Majesty, you are so confused. Master Lu did say that the emperor cannot have immortality, but cultivating immortality is so difficult. If there is a chance to become the emperor, there is no guarantee that Master Lu will not be tempted."
Zhao Zhen turned his gaze towards Bao Zheng and Master .
But both of them lowered their heads and said nothing.
They were unwilling to get involved in matters involving the struggle for imperial power.
Bao Zheng really loves the people like his own children, but Lu Sen is not one of the people.
He is an official, a real person, extremely powerful, and does not need Bao Zheng's protection.
At that moment, several more people came forward and angrily proposed to revoke Lu Sen's position as military supervisor to prevent the Chen Qiao incident from happening again.
Listening to the chattering of opinions from below, one after another, and seeing that even Bao Zheng and Master Pang were silent, Zhao Zhen, who was easily influenced, felt more and more that it was not a good idea to let Lu Sen continue to supervise the army.
So he said, "Expedite the matter. Send a golden plaque as soon as possible, with the imperial edict from the Secretariat, ordering the three armies to return to defend Qingzhou immediately. Master Lu will be relieved of his post as military supervisor, and Wang Jiefu, the Prime Minister, will continue to serve as the supervisor."
When this order came out, many people sighed, many people remained neutral with no joy or sadness, and some people were ecstatic, such as the official named Li.
Most of the court officials in the Secretariat, headed by important officials such as Bao Zheng and Pang Taishi, shook their heads, but no one spoke up for them.
Instead, the Prince of Runan snorted coldly, fiercely glanced at the officials who had "reported" Lu Sen, and then walked away with a flick of his sleeves.
Seeing this, Zhao Zhen shouted from the dragon throne: "Prince of Runan, what do you mean by this?"
"I am not ill, but I am dizzy and nauseous. I will not stand in the court. It will be embarrassing."
When he spoke, the Prince of Runan did not even turn his head. His voice was loud and full of energy, and he did not look sick at all.
Uncle Cao looked at the back of Prince Runan and wanted to follow him, but after thinking about it, he stood still.
At that moment, the Prince of Runan left the court alone, accompanied by a eunuch holding a gold medal and an imperial edict.
The two left the palace almost at the same time.
The Prince of Runan went outside, looked up at the bright sun in the sky, laughed mockingly twice, and left.
On that day, the decision made in the court caused a sensation in the entire city of Bianjing, and almost everyone was talking about this matter.
On the hill, after Zhao Bilian learned about this, she just said "Oh", and then began to learn to cook "honey buns" by herself, intending to learn to make them tastier, so that when the official comes back, he can open his eyes and change his taste.
Pang Meier asked from the side: "Aren't you in a hurry?"
"No hurries?"
"Such a big event, Master Lu will definitely remove me from my official position when he returns." Pang Mei'er thought about it, with some worry between her brows: "From now on, I will be a commoner, and it will be difficult to return to the court."
"Is it necessary?" Zhao Bilian asked back.
"What's the necessity?" Because her mind was confused, Pang Meir didn't understand what her best friend meant.
"Does my husband need an official position?" Zhao Bilian smiled. "He has never coveted power and wealth. If it weren't for the sincerity of the official, he wouldn't bother to be a Tianzhang Pavilion. If he really gave up his official position, it would be a happy thing for the husband."
After hearing this, Pang Meir also reacted. Indeed... Lu Sen didn't need any official status.
The reason why she reacted slower than Zhao Bilian this time was because they were born in different backgrounds.
Zhao Bilian grew up in a poor family when she was young, and she was a commoner at heart.
Pang Meir was born into a noble family. To put it bluntly, she was influenced by the idea of officialism.
So the two people have different positions and their first reactions to things are also different.
Pang Meir looked at Zhao Bilian's back with some surprise. She was extremely surprised. For the first time, she felt that her best friend was not useless except for her two big steamed buns. Now, she seemed to be a wise but foolish person.
"So the ugly one is actually me?"
Pang Meir smiled bitterly. She sat in the pavilion and thought for a long time. Then she wrote a letter and asked Heizhu to take her family back.
When Master Pang received the letter, he smiled happily: "You are indeed my son, Phoenix. It's a pity that you are not a man. Even a man may not be able to match your responsibility and decisiveness."
Let’s not talk about the situation in the capital for now.
On Lu Sen's side, after breaking through Shaguan, he captured tens of thousands of prisoners and divided a team to send these prisoners to the territory of the Song Dynasty.
Prisoners of war are good things. They can be sold to wealthy families as servants, sent to remote areas to open up farmland, or sent to mines to work. They are real productive forces.
But transporting the prisoners was also a hassle. It took six days to complete the task. Just as they were about to continue their march, they heard someone report: "Three Marshals, Master Lu, the capital has sent an urgent golden plaque with imperial edicts from the Secretariat and the government."
In the marshal's tent, everyone looked unhappy and had a bad feeling.
After one stick of incense, as soon as the special envoy finished reading out everyone's opinion, Zhe Jizu, who was the most impulsive, punched the tent next to him so hard that a big hole was made.
His face turned red, but he didn't dare to say anything.
Di Qing was very calm. He had been in the army for many years and had seen many things like this.
Marshal Mu just shook her head. She had encountered similar things before.
When it was clear that the battle had been won and we could have pursued the victory, the order to retreat was issued.
Lu Sen did not accept the order, but asked the three marshals beside him: "Next, we can go straight to Xingqing Prefecture. How long will it take to capture it?"
"It could be as short as three months or as long as half a year."
Di Qing clasped his fists and spoke with a tone of admiration.
"How long can the logistics and military rations last?"
"At least four months." Zhe Jizu's eyes lit up, and he seemed to understand what Lu Sen was going to do.
"Then let's continue our march." Lu Sen smiled.
Mu Guiying stared at Lu Sen with her beautiful eyes and asked in a low voice: "Do you think it's worth it?"
"It doesn't matter whether it's worth it or not, as long as I like it."
Hearing this, Mu Guiying smiled and said, "That's right. A cultivator should have a clear mind."
Lu Sen turned to look at the special envoy and said, "Go back and tell the emperor and all the officials that Lu Sen refused the order."
The envoy was horrified and was about to say something when he was carried out of the tent by two soldiers. He was stunned for a moment, then immediately ran out of the camp and rode his horse towards the Xi'an City Post Station.
The three armies set out again, and this time the marching speed seemed to be faster than before.
When they marched into Xingqing Prefecture, they fought with a small group of Western Xia troops. After repelling the enemy, they stayed there to rest.
The second golden medal came, and this time the wording and tone of the imperial edict were obviously much more severe.
Lu Sen refused the order again.
The whole capital was in an uproar after he rejected two golden medals in a row, and Zhao Zhen was really a little panicked this time. He was afraid that Lu Sen would really "wear the imperial robe" or defect to Western Xia.
So for three consecutive days, one gold medal was given out every day.
Finally, an official suggested that since Master Lu had a tough and transparent character, it would be useless to give him a gold medal. If he had to be given a gold medal, he should be given to Marshal Di, Marshal Mu, and Marshal Zhe.
Zhao Zhen and his followers suddenly realized what was going on and agreed with it deeply. They issued three more golden medals to the three marshals.
On Lu Sen's side, when the army reached Xingqing Prefecture, the third golden medal arrived.
After rejecting the order , Lu Sen asked the three marshals to discuss how to break the city among themselves, while he stood in front of the formation, looking at the wall of Xingqing City in front of him in the moonlight.
Under the silver moonlight, the dark blue city walls stretched out majestically, like a cliff across the skyline, separating the earth from the night sky.
There were footsteps coming nearby, Lu Sen turned around and found that it was Wang Anshi and Zhang Zai.
"Didn't I tell the guards not to let you out?" Lu Sen asked with a smile.
"Hmph, now I am the military supervisor." Wang Anshi stood next to Lu Sen and said coldly.
"But how many people do you think are willing to listen to you?" Lu Sen laughed.
There really weren't many. Even for them to leave the tent, he had to use threats and inducements to the two soldiers for a long time before they could do so.
Now the entire army knows that Lu Sen refused the order, and they also know that Lu Sen is no longer the military supervisor.
But almost everyone in the army still thought he was the military supervisor.
"Don't worry about me for now. Is it really that important to capture Xingqing Prefecture?" Wang Anshi asked indifferently.
Lu Sen nodded: "It is very important. If Xingqing Prefecture is taken, there will be no more hidden dangers in the northwest. It will also enable us Song people to regain our courage and vigor."
"But you are rebelling against the emperor, which is a great offense."
"You civil servants have done a lot of things that are against the emperor." Lu Sen's smile was even more mocking: "Why, you can do it, but I, Lu Sen, can't?"
Wang Anshi opened his mouth, thinking about something but unable to speak.
Zhang Zai's eyes sparkled as he asked, "Master Lu, are you willing to die for the sake of wiping out the troubles in the northwest?"
Zhang Zai was still a young man at that time, and he still admired the noble sentiment of dying for the sake of great benevolence and righteousness.
But Lu Sen shook his head: "It's just refusing the order, I won't die."
Wang Anshi snorted, "You are relying on the immortal fruit and connections to do whatever you want."
"You, Wang Jiefu, have killed hundreds of thousands of soldiers, but you still can't die." Lu Sen turned his head to look at him and sneered: "I just refused the order, so I can't die. At most, I will return all my official positions and honors."
When Wang Anshi heard this, his face turned pale.
It's extremely ugly.
