Chapter 153 Life
By the time the palace reacted and sent Bao Zheng, Ouyang Xiu and others to Master Pang's residence, the wedding ceremony had already ended.
In full view of the crowd, eight sedan chairs went up the hill and finally disappeared into the woods.
It’s not that there were people who wanted to follow, hoping to get a chance to become immortals , but they were stopped by several teams.
People from the Yang family, the Pang family, the Zhe family, the subordinates of the Prince of Runan, and Lu Sen’s own team of men in black.
Even the most powerful masters would find it difficult to break through the interception of these teams.
Inside the hill, Lu Sen lifted Pang Meir's veil and smiled gently.
Pang Meir's face flushed red. Although she was extremely shy, she still looked at Lu Sen bravely. Her eyes were full of charm, as if the wind had blown up the flat surface of a lake.
Bilian came over from the side, grabbed Pang Mei'er's hand and said with a smile: "I knew you would marry the official with us, hehe."
Pang Mei'er's face turned even redder.
Thinking back to how disdainful I was of Lu Sen more than a year ago, I realized how much I admired him now.
I was thinking of marrying someone who is both civil and military. Now think about it, apart from my husband, who else dares to claim to be both civil and military!
"Sir, do you want me to help you prepare a wedding bed?" Bilian took Lu Sen's hand and said with a smile, "If Mei'er doesn't like being bullied, I can help her."
Pang Meier had been hanging out with Bilian and Jinhua for more than a year, and had already understood a lot of the 'terms'. She was angry and embarrassed when she heard this: "You ugly girl, you actually talk nonsense, wait... wait, I'll smack your mouth."
Tonight is her real bridal chamber, and she doesn't want to serve her husband with other women, even if they are good sisters.
Later... I can consider it.
Lu Sen shook his head and said, "We will be moving soon. There are many smart people among the civil and military officials in the court. They should be able to figure out soon that there is something else hidden in the low mountain. They will probably come to find us when the time comes."
In fact, it is not easy to break the outer mechanism of the hill and get inside.
But Lu Sen didn't like to stay in one place and let others knock and bang at the 'door'.
So it’s better to just leave.
Pang Meier nodded and said with a smile: "I will listen to you, sir."
Now she is very satisfied. Although she is only married as a concubine, such a glorious life is enough to prove Lu Sen's sincerity.
Bilian naturally would not object. As for Yang Jinhua, she was staying outside at this time, commanding her own men in black.
Yang Jinhua is quite experienced in knowing what kind of people can be stopped and to what extent.
And if you have to say it, Yang Jinhua is the woman among the three who most unconditionally believes in and obeys Lu Sen's wishes.
On the other side, in the main hall of Pang Mansion, more than a dozen important officials sat opposite Grand Tutor Pang.
Tapping his fingers lightly on the table, Bao Zheng looked at Master Pang's calm appearance, then looked at the small puppy lying on Master Pang's left shoulder, and sighed helplessly.
"So Master Pang knew the whereabouts of Master Lu. Why didn't you tell me a few days ago?" Bao Zheng was wearing an official uniform at this time, so his words were naturally more official: "Master Lu's life is extremely important to the people of the world. You actually let him go."
Master Pang smiled: "Master Lu is not a serious criminal of the court, why should I restrict him? And I really don't know Master Lu's whereabouts and whereabouts."
Ouyang Xiu, who was sitting next to him, bowed and said, "But Master Pang can ask him to tell you where he lives. Isn't he going to marry your granddaughter? It's not an excessive request to know the address of your grandson-in-law."
There were several important officials from the Secretariat nearby, and they nodded slightly when they heard this.
But Grand Master Pang said calmly: "Master Lu is only taking a concubine, not marrying a wife. Once a woman becomes a concubine and leaves the family, she will no longer be surnamed Pang. You should understand this."
My concubine's status and position were very low at that time, so it was normal for her to be given away as gifts.
Therefore, Master Pang's "distorted logic" is completely tenable.
Bao Zheng said, "Looking at the spiritual beast on Master Pang's shoulder, I don't think Master Lu would give such an important thing just to take a concubine. Only important relatives identified by Master Lu would receive such a rare item, such as Marshal Mu. Therefore, I don't think Master Lu simply treats your granddaughter as a concubine."
Master Pang laughed twice and said, "Do you think that my granddaughter, who is good for nothing except her pretty looks, is worth a fairy beast?"
Everyone frowned.
Deep down, no one thinks that Pang Meir is worth this.
Even if she was the most favored young lady in the Pang family, it was still not worth it.
Because Master Lu did not value power at all, it was impossible for him to take the young lady from the Pang family as a concubine in order to gain the favor and support of Grand Tutor Pang.
Seeing that these people were persuaded by him, Master Pang turned his attention to Bao Zheng. He smiled and said, "Besides, Prefect Bao didn't marry off his daughter, and he wasn't close to Master Lu, but he still got a black cat spirit beast. What do you think is the reason?"
Oh... everyone is looking at Bao Zheng.
Almost everyone in the court knew that Master Lu was extremely "concerned" about Bao Zheng.
"It's nothing more than that Prefect Bao is upright and does things for the people and the world." Master Pang stroked his beard proudly and said arrogantly: "Although I am not as famous as Prefect Bao, I am not much worse in terms of serving the country and the people. Therefore, Master Lu also gave me a fairy beast. Isn't this a very reasonable thing? Am I, Pang, so much worse than Prefect Bao in serving the country and the world, that there is a huge difference?"
When a dozen civil servants heard this, they cursed him in their hearts as an old fox, but they had no way to refute it.
Although Master Pang was a bit tough as an official, he did do many things that benefited the people's livelihood, which cannot be smeared or ignored.
Bao Zheng once again experienced the sarcastic and venomous tongue of Master Pang.
In fact, since the death of the Eighth Wise King, the friction between the two factions has not been so serious, and Grand Tutor Pang has also restrained his edge in the court.
But now, it came out again, word by word, making others dare not talk back.
Bao Zheng sighed again. He didn't know how many times he sighed during this period of time. "Since Master Pang is unwilling to help, I will take my leave first."
After saying this, Bao Zheng turned and left.
When the other dozen ministers saw Bao Zheng leaving, they also left.
Master Pang sat down and did not stand up to see the guests off. After everyone left, he stroked the little dog on his shoulder and said with a smug smile, "The more you act like this, the further away Master Lu will be from you. I finally understand that you only want Master Lu to give you the world, but never think about how you should repay him."
Bao Zheng walked out of the door, bowed to the back, and said: "Everyone, I will go back to Kaifeng Mansion first. We can talk tomorrow if there is anything else."
well!
Many people were sighing. They all wanted Master Lu to return to Beijing. After all, over the past year, they had suffered from various illnesses, big and small.
Only after experiencing the pain of illness will a person deeply understand how important a healthy body is.
Although Master Lu left a 'Rejuvenation Banner' in Xingqing Prefecture, that place is too far away from here. Firstly, they don't have enough time to go there to get some spiritual energy. Secondly, they are tired from the long journey. They are not young anymore. If there is a little wind or heat on the road, it may be a death warrant for these old people.
Also, the Rejuvenation Banner is firmly controlled by the Zhe family. If civil officials want to take advantage of the fairy spirit, they have to bow to the Zhe family.
The civil should bow to the military?
They were a little reluctant.
Bao Zheng returned to Kaifeng Prefecture, went to the backyard to quickly take off his official uniform, and then called Zhan Zhao over.
Zhan Zhao, who was wearing a red official robe, clasped his fists and asked, "Prefect, you called me here, but do you have any government affairs to hand over to me?"
Bao Zheng looked into Zhan Zhao's eyes and said, "Captain Zhan, you should know the whereabouts of Master Lu."
Zhan Zhao was stunned for a moment, then remained silent for a while, then nodded: "I'm not sure, but I can infer where he should appear. If I'm not wrong, he should be taking a boat outside the city in an hour."
As a captain of the police, Zhan Zhao had strong observation skills and was very familiar with the entire city of Bianjing. In fact, after questioning and investigating over the past few days, he also knew the route Lu Sen took back.
He even found an exit of the low mountain tunnel.
But he didn't tell anyone about this. After all, Lu Sen was his friend, and he would not betray his good friend easily.
However, since Bao Zheng asked him, he could only answer truthfully.
After all, Magistrate Bao was someone he respected very much.
"Take me to guard him." Bao Zheng stood up and walked out.
Zhan Zhao did not move. He bent his body slightly, clasped his fists and asked, "Master, are you going to see Master Lu in your official capacity, or in private clothes?"
Bao Zheng looked back at Zhan Zhao and said, "If you were an official, you wouldn't lead the way, right?"
Zhan Zhao nodded and said, "Master Lu has not oppressed the people, and has not done anything to betray the Song Dynasty. He is not a criminal and should not be pursued by the court."
"Don't worry, I'm wearing casual clothes." Bao Zheng sighed, "I just want to talk to him as an elder."
Zhan Zhao straightened up and said with a smile, "Then I am relieved. Please wait for me to change my clothes."
Afterwards, two fast horses rushed out of Kaifeng Prefecture and headed out of the city.
Although Bao Zheng was a civil servant, he was actually very good at riding horses.
Of the six arts of a gentleman, he was good at all of them except archery. Although he was very serious at ordinary times, when he was alone in the backyard, he would often play the zither to relieve his boredom.
The piano skills are quite good.
The two fast horses quickly left the city and went downstream along the path of the Bianshui River. About half an incense stick later, they saw a pleasure boat parked on the river bank, and a group of people were walking towards the boat.
“Just in time.” Zhan Zhao smiled.
Bao Zheng was sharp-eyed and soon saw Lu Sen preparing to board the boat on the shore. He trotted over to him, then dismounted and stood in front of Lu Sen.
"I didn't expect to see Envoy Bao here." Lu Sen smiled and cupped his hands, then looked at Zhan Zhao: "Xiong Fei, I'm really sorry. I came to the capital but didn't go to see you to reminisce about the past."
Zhan Zhao waved his hand indifferently: "I know Lu Xiaolang has his own difficulties. Besides, don't blame me for bringing Prefect Bao here."
"I understand." Lu Sen looked at their clothes and said with a smile, "You only brought Bao Xiren, not Prefect Bao. You have already considered my friend's face."
Zhan Zhao breathed a sigh of relief.
Lu Sen looked at Bao Zheng again and said with a smile, "I wonder if Magistrate Bao has any advice for you after you came here?"
Bao Zheng looked at Lu Sen for a while, then put his hands behind his back and asked, "If I beg you to stay in the capital, will you be willing, Master Lu?"
Lu Sen smiled, with a hint of sarcasm on his face: "A man's knees are worth gold. When he is not kneeling, they are very valuable. But once he kneels, they are just two ordinary knee bones. Prefect Bao, I have always respected you. Please don't do such a despised thing."
"If kneeling can get you to stay in Beijing, what does it matter if I kneel?" Bao Zheng shook his head in disappointment: "It's just that you have a heart of stone."
Lu Sen was shocked. "No, I don't have a heart of stone. I need to kill all the officials in the court first, then I will have a chance to be killed."
Bao Zheng frowned. Lu Sen's words were even more radical than his words a year ago, "I am ashamed to be associated with cowards."
"It's been more than a year, and you're still angry about being dismissed from your post as military supervisor?" Bao Zheng asked.
Lu Sen grinned , and the sarcasm on his face was very obvious. "Prefect Bao, please don't pretend that you don't understand the reason. Even if it's inconvenient to say it, then don't say it. Why deceive yourself?"
Bao Zheng was stunned for a long time. In the past, he was the one who dared to speak out against injustice and denounce those officials who covered up the truth.
But now, he is playing the kind of person he used to despise.
For some reason, he had a feeling of irony lingering in his heart.
After a while, Bao Zheng said, "Well, in that case, let's talk it out. I hope you can return to Beijing. The officials and the government cannot do without your fairy fruit. If the fairy rice seeds are managed by the court, it will be easier for them to benefit the people."
Hearing this, Lu Sen laughed: "Officials cannot live without my fruit, so how can other people live without it? What's the difference between giving it to officials and giving it to the people?"
Bao Zheng frowned and said, "If officials educate the people and they are healthy and live longer, more people can live and work in peace and contentment."
"Ha!" Lu Sen laughed: "And then hundreds of thousands of soldiers were killed, right?"
Bao Zheng raised his eyebrows slightly: "So, Master Lu, are you still concerned about the fact that Wang Ping has not been punished for his mistakes? Then I can make the decision..."
"No, Prefect Bao, you didn't understand the point of my words at all." Lu Sen waved his hand and said, "I don't care whether Wang Jiefu was punished or not, but in the Northern Expedition to Western Xia, from beginning to end, you civil officials did not do anything right. For your little thoughts, you changed your orders every day, and first killed hundreds of thousands of soldiers. And in the process, I saw clearly that you did not regard the lives of the soldiers as human lives."
"It is natural for soldiers to defend their country..."
Lu Sen held out his hand to stop Bao Zheng from continuing: "Prefect Bao, in my eyes, the lives of officials are lives, the lives of scholars are lives, the lives of the people are lives, and the lives of the tattooed soldiers are lives, too!"
“There is no high or low.”
