Chapter 245: The Official Does Not Need Others’ Gratitude
Everyone's eyes were on Wang Anshi; some were surprised, some were in admiration, and some were delighted.
For example, Master Pang is a person who always has a happy smile on his face.
Wang Anshi was considered a talent favored by Grand Tutor Pang and was also regarded by him as his successor.
In the eyes of Grand Tutor Pang, the political mistakes Wang Anshi had made before were indeed wrong, but since the court did not pursue it, he would not take the initiative to target his trusted and beloved generals.
It was also for this reason that Bao Zheng sent Wang Anshi to Qiongzhou, and he pretended not to have seen it.
When Wang Anshi returned to Beijing, Master Pang even took the initiative to host a banquet for the young man and told him about his difficulties.
Wang Anshi expressed his understanding.
During the more than one year he spent in Qiongzhou, he really underwent a change in his thinking.
This made Master Pang very happy.
I am even happier now .
But Empress Dowager Cao was not so happy. Her biggest dream was to be like Empress Dowager Liu and be satisfied with controlling the government.
As for imitating Wu Zhao and wearing a dragon robe, she thought about it, but did not dare to do it.
Now is the era where civil officials are in power. If she really wants to do this, not only will the civil officials be extremely opposed, but if she dares to let the imperial guards mess around, at least half of the civil officials in the entire court will hit their heads against the pillars and die to show their intentions.
Then the entire court would collapse.
But now, let alone controlling the government, even her desire to recall Master Lu was opposed by others.
"My dear Lord Wang, I have no intention of interfering in government affairs." Queen Mother Cao was furious inside, but on the surface she appeared calm and normal, even a little aggrieved: "I just wanted to make a suggestion. Don't I even have the right to speak in the court?"
She did not intend to confront civil officials like Wang Anshi head-on, but chose to retreat in order to advance, in order to gain the sympathy of some people.
"Please respect yourself, Queen Mother. A hen crowing at dawn is not something to be praised. The emperor is now sitting on the dragon throne, and the court is full of loyal ministers. What you are worried about will not happen."
It’s just that Wang Anshi was a very proud man, especially after his trip to Qiongzhou, he became even more proud. This kind of pride was the pride that came after his mind became clear.
His words were so powerful that almost everyone in the court laughed.
Except for Empress Dowager Cao and...the emperor.
Empress Dowager Cao was angry. What Wang Anshi said was what she was most worried about.
The young official looked at Wang Anshi with surprise, and gradually there was a bit of admiration in his eyes.
At this time, Queen Mother Cao stood up and left the court unhappily.
She felt that everyone looked at her strangely here, and even... she could hear that Wang Anshi was trying to sow discord between the emperor and herself.
Although the emperor called her mother, everyone knew that he was not her son.
The next things were much easier to handle. Ouyang Xiu and other officials reported the latest government affairs and problems to the emperor.
The young official who had been sitting in a daze on the dragon throne before now became excited. He would try to ask the officials about the ins and outs of these government affairs, why they were done this way, and what the reasons were.
The officials will answer them one by one.
There was a happy atmosphere in the entire court, and everyone looked at the young official who was studying hard with happy smiles on their faces.
When the court was dismissed, Master Pang came over first, patted Wang Anshi on the shoulder, and said with a smile: "Well done."
Then elders such as Ouyang Xiu and Yan Zhu came over and patted him on the shoulder.
Wang Anshi calmed himself down and slowly walked out of the palace gate. There was no joy or pride in his eyes, he was just as normal as ever.
Behind Wang Anshi, Lu Huiqing, who was in office on his first day, stared at his back with envy and jealousy in his eyes.
People's temperament will change in different environments.
Lu Sen was very clear about this, so he tried his best to make the atmosphere in his home happy.
He never set any strict household rules. Everyone's monthly allowance was relatively high, and they had plenty of time to rest, so he tried his best to live with a clear conscience.
In fact, his approach worked very well.
Not to mention his three wives, none of them had any opinion about him. Even Lu Jingjing, who had just joined the Lu family not long ago, felt that Lu Sen was a man of great aura and vision.
As usual, Lu Sen was looking at the plan in the pavilion.
Plans can never keep up with changes, so we often have to compare the current reality with the plan and make small changes and corrections.
Lu Xianxian came over, sat down opposite Lu Sen, and said with a smile: "My dear, this is the amount of money coming in and out of the family recently. Would you like to take a look?"
She is responsible for the amount of items auctioned at Bitian Pavilion and the collection of some intelligence.
The monthly allowances of each family member are actually managed by Jinhua, the eldest wife, and this is her right.
"No need, the amount is roughly the same." Lu Sen said with a smile.
He is not short of money, but it is not easy to live without money. After all, he has several people to support at home, so he should at least buy some clothes and snacks when he goes shopping.
In addition, there are living expenses and settlement expenses for the family generals, and now they have to pay for borrowing the intelligence network of the Prince of Runan.
It is very generous of them to let you use the talents they have trained. It would be unreasonable if you don't help pay their wages.
Lu Xianxian put the book on the table. She held her chin with one hand, half turned her body, and looked at Lu Sen: "My dear, your methods are all small tricks. You obviously have great magical powers and a great reputation, why don't you turn the tide?"
This is what Lu Xianxian found strange. If Lu Sen was quite famous before, now he has a "holy" reputation, especially after the sun boat was hung in the sky.
Why are you still so cautious?
Now many people at the bottom of the market call him "True Lord". Some people also jokingly called him "True Lord who delivers children" and "True Lord who revives the heroic spirit" before, but now the word "True Lord" is used sincerely.
"How to turn the world upside down?" Lu Sen asked with a smile.
"You just need to say that the Zhao Song Dynasty no longer has the Mandate of Heaven, and then declare yourself emperor." Lu Xianxian pondered for a while and said, "You can also push Zhao Zongshi to the front as a puppet. I dare not say the whole world, but at least there should be a large number of counties and cities in Jiangnan who will defect to you."
Lu Sen laughed and said, "Then there will be a division between the north and the south, constant wars, and rivers filled with corpses?"
Lu Xianxian said lightly: "It's not impossible. The North can only hold out for a few years at most, and then we can kill our way through."
These words were a bit too much, at least in Lu Sen's heart. He looked straight into Lu Xianxian's eyes, which made her feel a little shy and she lowered her head slightly.
From the other party's words, Lu Sen once again understood that Lu Xianxian was indeed a monster, and her ideas were different from those of ordinary people.
After all, she is a fox transformed into a human, and her deep-seated ideas are still based on the law of the jungle.
Although they have a sense of tribe, they probably only regard other Qingqiu foxes, scholars they like, and practitioners like Lu Sen as 'their own people'.
Of course, many heroes among humans also hold similar ideas, so it makes sense that these people are called monsters.
We really can't let a vixen like this run outside, we really have to tie her up at home.
At least he and other members of the Lu family have the ability to restrain her.
Lu Sen shook his head and said, "Of course not. The lives of cultivators are lives, the lives of demons are lives, the lives of dignitaries are lives, and the lives of ordinary people are lives."
Lu Xianxian stared at Lu Sen's face without blinking. After a while, she said strangely, "My dear, you are really a weirdo. You said before that cultivation should go against the will of heaven, otherwise how can you compete with heaven for longevity? But you regard all people in the world as the same. Isn't this contradictory?"
"Then it's a contradiction." Lu Sen smiled helplessly.
"My dear, don't you want to argue with me?" Lu Xianxian gave Lu Sen a resentful look, then turned her waist slightly and walked away.
Lu Sen smiled and continued to revise the plan, filling in the gaps and checking for errors.
Lu Xianxian walked forward for a while, then sat down in front of a peach tree, holding her chin with her hands, looking a little unhappy.
She really wanted to help Lu Sen, but her greatest ability was all kinds of magic, which were of no use in Lu Sen's plan. She could only help him supervise small matters such as inventory.
This made her feel a little frustrated.
After being in a daze for a while, she heard light footsteps. She turned her head and found that it was Pang Meir coming towards her.
Pang Meir has become more and more beautiful. Because of the rainbow silk and the honey fruit, she has maintained the appearance she had when she was married in the past few years. She has the charm of a young woman and the purity of a young girl. Especially after practicing martial arts, her fairy temperament has become more and more obvious. The only shortcoming is probably that she is too flat.
This is hereditary and there is no way to remedy it for now. Or will there be a method that can improve one's health in the future?
Pang Meier sat next to Lu Xianxian and said with a smile, "I heard some of your conversation with the official just now. Xianxian, please don't mind."
Lu Xianxian shook her head. What was there to mind? She and her husband had not talked about anything personal.
Seeing Lu Xianxian's rather lost expression, Pang Meier said, "Before I met you, I was quite disdainful of you."
Lu Xianxian looked at Pang Meir with some surprise, and seemed quite unconvinced.
From her observation, she found out that Pang Meir loved Lu Sen to the core.
She knew that a fox has sharp ears. At night, Pang Meir was the one who was most obsessed with Lu Sen, and she wanted to melt into the latter's body.
It can be said that the three wives and concubines of the Lu family all like Lu Sen so much. She could not imagine that Pang Meir had been so rude to Lu Sen before.
"The official's behavior is different from ours." Pang Mei'er said with a smile: "He has the spiritual aura of an immortal who is otherworldly and does not care about fame and power in the world, but he is not as cold and ruthless as an immortal. He has always been extremely compassionate and kind to the common people."
Lu Xianxian sighed and said, "But this is meaningless. Mortals will not be truly grateful to him."
"My lord, you don't need to be grateful." Pang Meier pulled a flower and put it on Lu Xianxian's ear, saying, "Do you know that Bilian runs a disabled relief center that specifically takes in people who are abandoned because of disability or poverty. She treats their bodies and teaches them skills. When they are well, they will have the ability to live. And almost no one knows that this center was set up by my lord."
Lu Xianxian looked at Bilian not far away with great surprise. The latter was playing with the Japanese sisters, using her skills to attract a large number of butterflies to perform various flying formations. Her clear and cheerful laughter echoed in the cave.
Yaoyao and Kunkun clapped and laughed on the side, calling the master's wife "so amazing".
To be honest, in the eyes of most women, Bilian is actually a bit silly and not very smart. But Lu Xianxian never thought that Bilian actually managed such a club, and she never said anything.
"One fifth of our family's money and grain have been invested in this guild hall." Pang Meier said with a smile: "Xianxian, you have also lived in Hangzhou for a while. Every time you go out on the street, don't you find that there are fewer beggars in Hangzhou than in other places?"
Lu Xianxian naturally discovered it, but she thought it was because of Hangzhou’s wealth, after all, it was a trading port.
I didn't expect this to be the reason.
"What else did the young master do in secret?"
Pang Meier thought for a moment and said, "What follows are the things you have seen. In fact, the three of us have asked the official about this question. He said that the Central Plains is not yet in urgent need of change. Instead of violently overturning everything, it is better to boil the frog in warm water."
"Boiling a frog in warm water?" Lu Xianxian had never heard of this expression and did not know what it meant.
Pang Meier heard what Lu Sen said, and after explaining it, she said, "The master has thought about it a lot. He said that the Central Plains does not need anyone to be a saint and guide everything. As long as the right conditions are quietly created, the people of the Central Plains will naturally take that step on their own, and everything will slowly get back on track. The premise is... the country is stable."
"So you have been trying to find a way to weaken the Di people in the north?"
Pang Meier nodded and said, "Yes, we can't control what my husband wants to do, and we shouldn't control it. Anyway, it's not a bad thing, right?"
Looking at Lu Sen in the pavilion not far away, Lu Xianxian was silent for a while before nodding. She asked, "Can I also go to help the guild hall that treats the poor?"
"Of course, Bilian will be very happy."
Lu Sen didn’t know what Pang Meir and Lu Xianxian talked about, but from that day on, Lu Xianxian rarely came to play chess with him.
There was no sense of estrangement between them. Rather, he could feel Lu Xianxian's "passion" more during their occasional interactions.
A few days later, Lu Sen was enjoying a leisurely meal with his three wives. They cooked rice wine with wolfberry, longan and a small amount of honey. This kind of wine was quite delicious and not easy to get drunk.
Then the family general Ah Huang came to report: "Sir, we have found something about the matter you asked us to investigate."
After saying that, Ah Huang handed over a piece of paper full of words.
After reading it, Lu Sen said, "It's actually related to the Western barbarians?"
Previously, Lu Sen and Lu Huiqing met in Fugui Building, but they were poisoned. He has been asking people to investigate the matter.
But he only let his family generals secretly check the news, and cooperate with the intelligence network of the Prince of Runan in Hangzhou City. The effect was not extremely high, but it was not bad either.
It took a few months, but I finally got something together.
After reading more, Lu Sen said, "Tell Magistrate Su on my behalf that something might happen tonight."
Ah Huang nodded and walked out.
Lu Sen then looked at the paper with a slightly cold look in his eyes: "Jiaosifang?"
The Jiaosifang was still prosperous and peaceful.
Logically speaking, after Alijie entered the Jiaosifang, with her looks and figure, she should be able to become the top performer. Even if she is not the top performer, she should be relatively famous.
But in fact...she didn't make any name for herself in Hangzhou.
In fact, when she was in the capital, even though she was one of the most popular courtesans, she was only popular in the market. The Semites liked people like her.
No decent family in the Northern Song Dynasty was willing to get close to a Hu woman, but watching her belly dance was somewhat interesting.
Rich families don't want to offend Hu women, but ordinary families can't afford the money.
A similar situation exists in the Hangzhou Jiaosifang now.
But her income is still good. She is a good belly dancer and her "price" is quite high. Only some big businessmen come to have fun and give comments.
That night, she appeared for nearly two hours, making a group of wealthy businessmen very excited, but no one said that they were willing to be her patron for the night.
Ai Jieli returned to her room, took off her bra, wiped her slightly sweaty body, and changed into comfortable clothes.
Tonight she performed belly dance three times and snake dance twice, and after sharing the profits with the Jiaosifang, she earned over thirty taels of silver.
That's a lot of money.
But she was very unhappy.
Because those wealthy businessmen's eyes were clearly sparkling with excitement because of her teasing, but they turned around and ordered other ladies.
It made her feel quite uncomfortable.
Of course...if a rich person 'ordered' her, she would refuse.
But this feeling of no one wanting her made her quite unhappy.
"Are the people of Song so self-disciplined?" Ai Jie Li leaned over the window, waving a small silk fan, and sighed: "Perhaps this is why the people of Song were so powerful. They were civilized, they were smart, and therefore they were beautiful. Saintly white-skinned people can only be born in such a great country."
Including the more than two years she lived in Bian Jing, Ai Jieli has lived in Song State for three years, and these three years have had a profound impact on her.
She used to think that the Old Man of the Mountain was the greatest, wisest, and holiest man.
But now, she no longer thinks so.
"If the old man in the mountain is so great, why did he go to the East to find the mountain garden? If he is so great, why can't he build a solar boat that can illuminate the night sky? If he is so great, why can't the Assassins' power really grow, but instead they have to hide from place to place and linger under the pursuit of the Crusaders."
People tend to compare.
Ai Jieli can do it too. Even though she has been brainwashed for nearly ten years, she is not stupid and still has basic logical thinking.
Moreover, living in Song for three years also gave her the opportunity to see the world from another perspective.
It’s just a pity... The people of Song Dynasty were so xenophobic that even a beautiful Semu woman like her was not valued.
She didn't want to get close to ordinary Song people.
Alas... She sighed, but fortunately as long as she left the Jiaosifang, she would be able to obtain a household registration in Hangzhou, and would be considered a Song citizen in the future, so her life should be much better.
She was sighing when she suddenly saw a group of people walking towards her in the distance.
The young man in the middle is very conspicuous, with an upright posture and elegant demeanor.
Then she was surprised: "Hey, this seems to be Master Lu, why is he here? Is he here to cause trouble for me?"
Then he thought it was unlikely: "I haven't done anything during this period of time."
She was stunned for a moment, then immediately turned around, moved her feet lightly, and climbed out of the back window. As soon as she landed on the ground, she saw a very handsome but feminine young man in white standing in front of her.
"Sex-like woman, I advise you not to move."
The knight in white clothes as white as snow said coldly.
