Chapter 273 You Should Be Able
The entire Fuso Island was empty except for those small spherical creatures.
During the day, Alice would go logging with Lu Sen. In the evening, she would pick up a glass lamp for lighting and walk around the entire Fuso Island looking for treasures.
For her, this was an extreme joy, and some instinct hidden in her blood was aroused.
These days, she really found some valuable things.
I won’t talk about the Tianji Sect’s secret manuals, they are quite useful. Although they are not the core techniques of the inner sect, they can still supplement the Lu family’s practice system to a certain extent.
In addition, she also found some valuables hidden in the dark corners or cracks of the room.
Lu Sen didn't care about these things, but for Alice, they were a huge sum of money.
After all, she was just a family general, not Lu Sen's concubine, and she was not qualified to enjoy many of the Lu family's resources.
Another strange thing is that the little elves rolling around on the grass actually became rounder during these three days.
No longer looks wrinkled like before.
Instead, it becomes smooth and transparent, with a light green glow all over, which looks very beautiful.
In addition to rolling around on the grass, they also like to follow Lu Sen to watch woodcutting. They will put the wooden blocks that fall to the ground on their heads and run and jump around to play with their companions.
It took nearly seven days to transform the hibiscus tree trunk into a large number of wooden blocks. Lu Sen felt that he had gained a lot this time. This was a good thing, and it was almost difficult to find building materials of such quality again.
Although there is a hibiscus tree at home, would you be willing to knock it down?
After turning all the hibiscus trees into small cubes, Lu Sen first dismantled the small system home. Then the tree elves panicked and surrounded him, unwilling to leave. Their eyes were pleading and they looked pitiful.
Lu Sen moved out the aircraft and just opened the hatch, but these little things jumped in first, piling up one on top of another, forming a small ball that took up no space at all.
"So smart?" Lu Sen was a little surprised.
Alice looked at him with love in her eyes: "What a proud little thing, my dear, why don't we take it home and raise it? The mistresses at home will be happy too."
Lu Sen looked down at the tree elves in front of his toes, thought about it, and agreed with Alice's suggestion.
Anyway, this little thing is harmless and seems to have a good compatibility with tree plants. I also have a hibiscus tree at home, so it should be nice to let them live under the hibiscus tree.
As the hatch closed, the aircraft flew away from Fuso Island which had 'drifted' into the desert.
Originally, Lu Sen had not been optimistic about the Tianji Sect. Now it seemed that the possibility of them making a comeback was almost zero.
Three hours after Lu Sen left, around noon, a dozen humans wearing black cloaks came from the far side of the desert. After stepping onto Fuso Island, they immediately found something wrong.
"Big Brother, it looks like someone has been here before."
"There are still faint footprints that are not completely covered by the sand, so they probably didn't walk for long."
"Big Brother, Big Brother, something bad has happened. The Fusang tree has disappeared."
"What?"
"Big Brother, Big Brother, those algae have disappeared."
"What happened? Who took away the only remaining treasure of our Tianji Sect? Who was it?"
The desperate roar sounded over the desert, but Lu Sen naturally couldn't hear it.
Two and a half days later, he returned to Hangzhou.
The family was naturally very happy, and then the few tree elves also became the "blessings" of the family. Although they were usually raised under the hibiscus tree, they would usually be held and stroked by the women. There was no way, these little things were too cute, especially when they were near the hibiscus tree, their bodies would emit a very comfortable glow, and holding them in their arms, they would feel warm and their whole body would feel much more relaxed.
After two days of "resting", Lu Sen finally had time to practice calligraphy in the pavilion.
Lu Xianxian came out from the side and said with a smile: "My dear, you are really hardworking. You never stop writing."
Lu Sen glanced at her helplessly. For some reason, he always felt that there was something sarcastic in the other person's words.
"Anyway, you've worked hard, my dear." Lu Xianxian covered her mouth and smiled happily. She then said, "My dear just came back home two days ago. I guess he was tired from the journey, so I didn't tell you. A few days ago, the Prince of Runan sent a letter, saying that he hoped my dear would go to the capital to discuss important matters."
Going to the capital again?
Lu Sen frowned: "Did the Prince of Runan say anything in his letter?"
"No." Lu Xianxian took out an envelope from her sleeve: "The letter is here. He said the details are written in this letter."
Lu Sen opened the letter and read it for a while, then shook his head helplessly.
Lu Xianxian couldn't help but ask, "What did the letter say?"
"Western Xia wants to negotiate peace with the imperial court." Lu Sen said with a smile, "But the imperial court can't find a suitable person to serve as the chief officer now. They hope that I can go back and take charge of the northwest to lead the delegation to negotiate with the Western Xia people."
Lu Xianxian was stunned for a moment and said, "This is a bit too much."
In her opinion, how to negotiate with the Xixia people should be the business of the court. Her husband stayed in Hangzhou all year round and didn't care about the affairs of the court. Now he was being dragged to the northwest to confront the Xixia people and get himself into trouble. Why bother?
In fact, Lu Sen thought so too.
He was unwilling to get involved in the affairs of Western Xia, and he had to handle everything himself. Such a Northern Song Dynasty was not what he thought a powerful country should be.
So later, Lu Sen wrote a letter and had it delivered to Bianliang City, telling the Prince of Runan that he was not interested in this matter.
After receiving the letter, the Prince of Runan threw the envelope in front of Bao Zheng and Master Pang, and said, "Okay, I have done what you said, but my son-in-law doesn't want to come, and I can't force him to come, right?"
Master Pang did not find it strange, as this was within his expectations.
Bao Zheng was a little disappointed. "The court lacks young people who are brave, resourceful and able to control the situation. Master Lu is unwilling to go, and it will be difficult to select someone else to fight with the Xixia people. If we old guys go... we will probably be tortured by the hardship of traveling before we even reach Xixia, and it's hard to say whether we can appear in front of the enemy alive."
In fact, it would be okay for Bao Zheng to go, as he has the black cat spirit beast to protect him and he is not too old.
But he is now one of the pillars of the imperial court. If the Xixia people act immorally and Bao Zheng dies there, it will be an unbearable blow to the current imperial court.
As for Master Pang... although he also has a spirit beast to protect him, he is really too old.
Now the spirit beast is protecting his health and not letting him run around everywhere.
"What do you think of this young man Wang Anshi?" Although Master Pang used 'you', he was only looking at Bao Zheng, because the Prince of Runan really had no qualifications to participate in politics: "Now he has washed away his arrogance and impetuousness, and is considered a leader among the younger generation."
Bao Zheng shook his head: "He has only been in charge of the army for more than two years. If he is asked to negotiate peace with the Xixia people now, not only will the court be dissatisfied, but the people of the world will also be angry. It's not appropriate!"
"Then we can only ask Master Lu to come."
Bao Zheng nodded: "He is indeed the best candidate. But he doesn't want to."
The Prince of Runan suddenly said, "Based on my understanding of Sen'er, there is a way to invite him over."
The two of them immediately looked at the Prince of Runan.
"If it's just peace talks, he's definitely not interested." The Prince of Runan said with a sinister smile, "But if we tell him that it's up to him to decide whether to fight or make peace with the Xixia people, then things will be easier. If we can deploy General Di's army to his envoys, the effect will probably be better."
"Ridiculous!" Master Pang couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Whether to fight or to make peace, how can it be decided by people at will?"
"Isn't it up to you scholars to decide? You scholars are not human beings?" The smile of the Prince of Runan seemed a little sarcastic: "Or do you think Sen'er is not worthy of being on the same level as you?"
Neither of them meant that.
But when I thought that whether to fight or make peace was decided by Lu Sen, and Lu Sen had such a "violent" temper, I guess he would have treated the Western Xia envoys as thieves and defeated them on the spot .
Even... it is possible to lead General Di to break the Xixia front line.
hiss!
When you think about it this way, it does seem to make sense.
Bao Zheng and Master Pang couldn't help but look at each other, and they were quite moved.
On the other hand, Lu Sen, carrying two bottles of honey, ran to Su Shi to enjoy the delicious food.
I have to say that Su Shi's cooking is really delicious. Even the women in his family can't compare to it.
The two men sat facing each other in the backyard of the government office, with a hot stove in the middle and an iron pot on top.
There were a lot of ingredients stewing inside, and white smoke was bubbling out.
"Come on, let's go." Su Shi's face was a little red. After he clinked glasses with Lu Sen, he said, "Other people come to me to see me recite poems and write couplets, but you, Master Lu, are not that kind of vulgar person. You come to me for food! I, Su, can be said to have few rivals in the world when it comes to reciting poems and writing couplets, but this is not something worth bragging about. Only this cooking spoon is what I, Su, love the most, and it is also the most worth talking about. You, Master Lu, only like to come to me for food and drink, good! You are different, and you are my confidant."
Lu Sen also drank a sip of the warm Fenjiu. He smiled and said, "I think you are different. Everyone else in the world treats my honey as a treasure, but you treat it as a seasoning."
"Hahaha." Su Shi said very proudly, "That's because they don't know what's good. Life is inevitable, and the only way to enjoy life is to drink all the finest wines in the world and eat all the delicacies in the world."
Su Shi was still young at this time. Although his mother had passed away, overall, he had not experienced many setbacks and frustrations in life.
In his eyes, everything in this world seemed to revolve around him.
But such people are not annoying.
Although he was very straightforward and liked to brag, he was a kind person and always put the people first when he was an official, and he never did anything that would offend anyone.
So he can speak without any scruples and express his feelings freely.
Lu Sen picked up a piece of fish and put it in his mouth, and asked, "You shouldn't have any worries recently."
"Yes, there is." Su Shi sighed, "Western Xia wants to negotiate peace with our Song Dynasty, and now the court is worried about who to send to serve as the chief official. The nobles in the court have important positions and cannot move at will, so I sent an official letter to the Secretariat to recommend myself for the position of chief official. Guess what the nobles in the Secretariat replied to me?"
"How do you reply?"
"You are young and full of energy, and you are outspoken without self-control. You are stupid!" Su Shi slammed the table heavily. "The one who criticized this reply was Bao Longtu. Don't you think it's infuriating? No matter how absurd my actions are, can they be as excessive as his? He spit in the face of the emperor back then. How dare you criticize me?"
When Lu Sen heard this, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Su Shi was immediately unwilling: "Even Master Lu, you look at me like this?"
Lu Sen waved his hand: "Bao Longtu is protecting you. He knows that if you really become the chief officer and go to the Xixia people, the Xixia people will probably chop you down before you can talk to them for a few words."
Su Shi was immediately unhappy. He stared at Lu Sen with wide eyes and snorted, "I'm just wondering, you, Lu Longtu, and Bao Longtu, both speak in a way that can make people angry to death. Bao Longtu can point at the government officials and scold them, and you, Lu Longtu, can point at all the officials in the world and scold us, saying that we are all cowards and wastes. It's obvious that you two are more excessive, why do others think that I, Su, speak without restraint?"
This seems to be the case.
Looking at the other person's aggrieved look, Lu Sen smiled even more happily.
"Don't laugh, don't laugh!" Su Shi was even more drunk. He slapped the table in front of him and shouted, "You are going too far, Master Lu."
Lu Sen managed to stop laughing, waved his hand and said, "Of course it's different. When Bao Longtu scolded the emperor, he was the censor, the official in charge, and it was his duty to scold the emperor. As for me...all the officials in the world are looking at my honey, hoping that I can heal their illnesses and injuries, so they dare not offend me casually. Besides, even if some fools are upset with me, they can't beat me."
Su Shi remembered that Lu Sen seemed to be quite strong. Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind: "Wait, what you said is interesting. Most people don't want to offend you, and then they can't beat you. Why do I feel like I've heard this somewhere before?"
"That's what Confucius did." Lu Sen said with a smile, "So you think the six arts of a gentleman are learned for nothing? Only you scholars nowadays think you are gentlemen just because you know a little bit about etiquette and books."
"That sounds interesting." Su Shi nodded, "Let me write it down. You Taoists have interesting ideas. You actually view Confucius in this way."
Lu Sen shrugged.
At this time, Su Shi suddenly asked: "Although I can't be the chief official of the peace talks, Master Lu, you should be able to do it. You have enough status and strength!"
