Time flies by like a white horse, and two days pass in the blink of an eye.
At dawn.
Lu Chen walked quickly on a street with few pedestrians. As soon as he passed through Chongde Lane, he heard a familiar voice coming from behind him:
"Huaiyu, stay."
After only being stunned for a moment, Lu Chen realized that "Huaiyu" was the cousin of the original owner with the same name as him, and the voice was calling him, so he quickly stopped and turned around to look.
Soon, he saw a slender figure standing quietly under the Chongde Lane archway not far away in the tranquility of the morning. With the faint morning light from the east, that graceful and delicate body actually exuded... An imaginative atmosphere.
With just one glance, you can tell that she is a very charming beauty.
However, after seeing the person's appearance clearly, Lu Chen suddenly raised his hand, bowed to her with a serious face, and responded with a slightly respectful tone:
"Xiao Shangshu."
That's right, that beauty is the senior official with whom he has frequent political contacts - Xiao Yun, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, who currently holds the post of Engineering Supervisor.
A high-ranking official of the second rank!
"Um."
Xiao Yun nodded and walked up to him. Her eyes lingered on his brand new seventh-grade court uniform for a moment, and her eyes became inexplicably subtle.
"Huaiyu is dressed so formally. Is he preparing to go to Huangjimen to greet Holy King Cangming?"
Lu Chen moved the corner of his mouth and was about to reply when a deep voice suddenly came from the alleyway on the side:
"Why should Shangshu Xiao ask this question?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a rather tall middle-aged man in official third-grade court clothes walked out of the alleyway.
Lu Chen turned around and quickly recognized his identity.
Wu Zongyun, Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Rites.
Yes, he is a high official again.
Lu Chen bowed to him politely and said, "Wu Shilang."
Wu Zongyun put his hands behind his hands and said to Xiao Yun with a solemn expression:
"Since the death of the late emperor six years ago, and the demon queen's edict to depose the crown prince and establish a young emperor, and from the beginning of the dynasty, the government and the public have been stirred up by his traitorous party, which has caused misfortune to all the people. Fortunately, the Holy King of Cangming cares about the common people and the country, and personally He led more than 200,000 armored soldiers out of the Holy Land and went south to support Sheji. He used the power of Jiuyou to wipe out the rebels. The Holy King of Cangming officially entered the court with his army of hundreds of victors. From now on, the world will be restored to justice, and a prosperous era of benevolence can be expected. At this time, everything will happen On the occasion of renewing and grandiose plans, monks of our generation should naturally gather together, and this young man must also be a man of lofty ideals, so he will naturally go to welcome the Holy King Cangming and do his part for the upcoming great governance of the world."
'Niubi! '
When Lu Chen heard half of it, he couldn't help but give him a thumbs up secretly, thinking:
'As expected of a political person, he can actually describe the seller's quest for glory in such an upright and just manner. It is indeed not unreasonable for this guy to be able to retain his position as a third-rank official during the reign of the Queen Mother~'
Nowadays, every courtier knows that the Queen Mother's gang has been completely defeated. If nothing unexpected happens, the Holy King Cangming will step through the Huangji Gate in two hours at most and take the step to reach the sky.
But even so, even for just a moment, as long as the empress is still sitting on the dragon throne, she is still the emperor of Great Xia. As a senior official of the third rank of the imperial court, Wu Zongyun not only made false statements about things that have not yet been clearly concluded, but also made false statements in his words. Standing in the position of Holy King Cangming and covering him with a coat of justice in advance, isn't this a seller seeking glory?
A look of disdain flashed across Xiao Yun's face.
She ignored Wu Zongyun, but looked at Lu Chen, frowned slightly, and then sighed inexplicably.
"Huaiyu, have you really decided to be like those disloyal and unjust people and go to the Huangji Sect to become a despised and flattering person?"
Hearing this, Wu Zongyun's face suddenly darkened.
"We are doing this in compliance with the destiny of heaven, and we are welcoming the legendary holy king, so that the common people can be protected from the suffering of wars in troubled times. How can we say that we are disloyal and unjust?"
"Wu Shilang." Xiao Yun's frown deepened. She glanced at Wu Zongyun coldly and said, "Didn't your master teach you not to interrupt hastily when others are talking, otherwise you will appear to be very ugly?" Uneducated."
Wu Zongyun's eyes widened, and then he threw his hands away: "I just can't bear to see Xiao Shangshu misdirecting someone's future."
"Lu Geizhi is majestic and has an extraordinary bearing. He is no longer a mediocre person at first glance. He will definitely have a bright future in the future. How can such a talented person be buried? Xiao Shangshu, it's okay for you to be aloof. As long as you don't use swords against each other and lead honestly. I'm sick at home, and with the magnanimity of Saint King Cangming, I'm sure he won't care about you, but why should you stop those who are determined to pursue their future?"
In fact, he didn't value Lu Chen, but valued something that Lu Chen had in him.
For example, Lu Chen had so adamantly confronted the Holy King Cangming head-on.
If someone could make him "abandon darkness and turn to light", it would be a big improvement for the Holy King's prestige.
Even such a stubborn diehard was surrendered by the Holy King, which shows that the Holy King is indeed the one who is popular and qualified to become the lord of the world.
And the person who advised Lu Chen to "abandon darkness and embrace the light" might be able to leave an excellent impression on His Royal Highness, the Holy King, who was about to rule the world.
Hearing what Wu Zhongyun said, Lu Chen couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
If this guy wants to find someone to kill him, just say it. How can he come up with so much bullshit?
Xiao Yun snorted coldly, "Mr. Wu knows the truth, so don't deceive yourself and others like this."
"People who don't understand current affairs are really unreasonable."
Wu Zongyun put his hands behind his hands again, no longer looking at Xiao Yun, but turned around and said to Lu Chen: "Lu, please don't waste your time here and delay your future. I just happened to go to Huangji Gate from this way, you and me. Let’s go together.”
Xiao Yun ignored him and then said to Lu Chen:
"Huaiyu, go back. Although the move of Saint King Cangming into the capital is irreversible, as Shenghe court officials, even if we do not do the unforgivable things for the sake of our clan and relatives, we cannot destroy the conscience in our hearts. .”
After she expressed her attitude bluntly, she said no more. She just looked quietly at the man in front of her who dared to confront the Empress Dowager Zhao and stood up to defend the majesty of the empress when the Holy King of Cangming was at the height of her power. Look at him. What choices will be made at this time of great change?
Should we stick to our past beliefs, or should we adapt to the current situation and go with the flow?
Should she go north, like Wang Zhi and other court officials who can't wait to beg for mercy, and go to Huangjimen to welcome the Holy King Cangming into Luojing? Or should she turn around and return to the Xicheng mansion on the original road to the west, as she hoped, neither going Don't do the things you shouldn't do, don't follow the crowd, just let it happen.
The latter is also the choice of quite a few courtiers.
Under the gaze of the two people, Lu Chen shook his head, then cupped his hands to Wu Zongyun, and said in a neither humble nor overbearing tone:
"Shilang Wu misunderstood..."
As soon as these words came out, Wu Zongyun's eyes suddenly flashed with coldness, but Xiao Yun's face relaxed, and she looked at Lu Chen with a hint of appreciation.
Lu Chen continued: "I have never thought of going to the Huangji Gate, so I am not on the same road with Wu Shilang."
These words made Wu Zongyun feel like he was being teased. He immediately changed his face in anger and sneered: "What a 'never before'. Young man, don't be too hypocritical. If you didn't originally intend to go to Huangji Gate to welcome me, Holy King Cangming, why are you going out at this time? Are you preparing to go to the government office for duty?"
Hearing this, Xiao Yun also frowned.
Indeed, if Lu Chen had not planned to welcome Holy King Cangming from the beginning like her, then he would not have gone out at all, although Holy King Cangming had promised after defeating the imperial guards that he would not embarrass anyone in Luojing City. A man without a weapon.
But now that big changes are coming, martial law will be enforced when Cangming's army enters the city. Running outside at this time is extremely risky, so she feels that Lu Chen's original thoughts must be the same as Wu Zongyun's, but she was dissuaded and did not want to admit it.
As for going on duty at the Liu Ke Gallery... Xiao Yun had never thought about it, because it was simply impossible.
Although this is the time when he is on duty, the weather is about to change now, and who has the mind to take care of government affairs.
Moreover, all ministries and offices are located in Ziji City, which has now become a place where all officials must avoid. If anyone goes to Ziji City at this critical moment, it is equivalent to openly quarreling with the Holy King Cangming who is about to ascend the throne. If you go against them, the consequences will be miserable.
No one knows what will happen to the Empress, but one thing is certain - what people who are ready to do bad things hate the most is having outsiders around them.
The Holy King Cangming can let Sheng He and his courtiers be noble, but he will never tolerate them committing suicide.
Therefore, unless one is absolutely loyal to Emperor Sheng He and is willing to completely ignore the sect and relatives behind her and give up her own future and risk everything so that she can go to Ziji City now.
But Emperor Sheng He was just a puppet used by Empress Dowager Zhao to make a transition because King Qin was too young to inherit the throne. How could any courtier do this for such a puppet emperor with no prestige? Being able to stick to the bottom line in my heart and not welcome the Holy King Cangming is already worthy of the late emperor, let alone others.
Wu Zongyun only mentioned this to ridicule Lu Chen's hypocrisy. This was simply an impossible option.
However……
There is a saying that there are no absolutes in the world.
Regarding Wu Zongyun's last provocative words, Lu Chen actually nodded slightly.
"Wu Shilang is right. I am indeed planning to go to Liu Ke Gallery to handle official business."
boom!
These words were like thunder on the ground, instantly shaking Wu Zongyun and Xiao Yun's heads, causing them to be completely stunned, and they could not recover for a while.
They never expected that Lu Chen would actually say the most impossible words.
