When Luo Xiaoyu brought the empress in red dragon robe to the living room in a daze, Lu Chen was still sipping tea Shiranly, enjoying this rare leisure time.
And when he looked up and saw the empress walking towards her, with her delicate face showing off her splendor, he was immediately stunned.
what's the situation?
Isn’t it Xiao Yun who is here today? Why is this girl here?
Are you here to ask me, Mu Xiu, to work overtime?
After thinking about it, Lu Chen reacted quickly, and then saw him stand up, bow slightly to the empress, and salute: "I didn't know that Your Majesty was coming, and I was a little disappointed to welcome you from afar. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
The empress waved her hand, "I came uninvited. Lu Qing should not blame me for not being polite."
Lu Chen responded solemnly: "What did your Majesty say? Although the world is big, it is all the land of the king. Could it be that on the shore of the land, it is the king's ministers? In this world, how can the ministers blame the monarch?"
After a little politeness, he left his seat and made a gesture of invitation to the empress.
However, the empress shook her head, walked directly to the other main seat in the living room, then gently held her skirt and sat down with a very natural look.
"Lu Qing, there's no need to change seats, just sit there."
Lu Chen: "???"
Although the ancient societies of the Great Xia Dynasty and those before Lu Chen traveled through were generally similar, there were still many differences in some details because there was no concept of male superiority and female inferiority in this world, and women could normally serve as officials, do business, inherit family businesses, etc.
For example, although this world has the same system of monogamy and multiple concubines as in the ancient times of Blue Star, it is all relative. If the head of the house is a man, he can naturally have concubines, but if the head of the house is a woman, he can also have men. Favor, as long as the husband and wife don't make a fuss and cause trouble to the officials.
Of course, the vast majority of ordinary people are monogamous.
Legally speaking, the status of husband and wife is still relatively equal after all, so there are no rules in this world that prohibit wives from having sex at the table.
The land of fireworks is not only about prostitutes, there are also faces.
For another example, in this living room layout, the main seat usually has two positions: the male host and the hostess. Usually the host sits at the top. For example, when Xiao Yi comes to visit, he has to sit at the bottom of the main seat. If If the guest is an elder, leader or person with a higher status, the distinguished guest should sit at the top and the host should sit at the bottom to show respect.
Now that the empress is here, she should naturally sit in the first place. Who dares to let the emperor sit in the second place?
but now
"What's wrong?"
Seeing that Lu Chen hadn't sat down for a while, the empress asked softly with a natural look on her face.
Lu Chen said with some embarrassment: "Well, Your Majesty, there is such a difference between superiority and inferiority. How dare I sit in the same row with Your Majesty and commit such an act of transgression?"
Naturally, he himself doesn't care about the presence or absence of these things, but the persona of his predecessor was such an upright and polite person, which can even be said to be a bit rigid. If he wants to maintain his persona, he still has to pay a little attention to some things.
Regarding Lu Chen's scruples, the empress did not care and said: "Lu Qing has made great contributions to the dynasty several times. He is loyal to me and to the country of the Great Xia Dynasty. He has a righteous heart and is loyal to his ministers. There is no need to care about some common etiquette." .”
After a pause, the empress continued: "Besides, true respect should be in the heart, not just on the surface. Throughout the ages, almost all civil and military officials in the Manchu Dynasty have been virtuous ministers and celebrities who must be loyal in words and be courteous in behavior. But the real respect is like you." How many ministers are there who respect me and have the country and the country of the Great Xia Dynasty in their hearts?"
Hearing this, Lu Chen couldn't help but twitch the corners of his eyes, and remembered his previous shameless actions. He couldn't help coughing twice, and then said rather awkwardly: "Your Majesty said something serious. There are still many good and upright ministers in the court, such as Xiao. Ge Lao, Liu Shangshu, Fangdu Yushi, etc. are all ministers who seek the country. In addition to them, there are also many outstanding people in various ministries who can be of great use. Your Majesty must not focus too much on minor ministers and ignore others."
"Lu Qing is indeed as humble and respectful as ever."
The empress sighed in admiration, then shook her head and said softly:
"Although I am young, I am not an inexperienced person. Naturally, I know that Xiao Aiqing and Liu Aiqing are ministers who seek the country. But if I really want to say that they are as loyal to the country as Lu Qing, I am afraid that even they themselves will not believe it. , but they are indeed worthy of the reputation of being virtuous and upright, and they are capable ministers who can be entrusted with great responsibilities."
Lu Chen was a little speechless.
After a moment, he shook his head, and then said earnestly and sincerely: "Your Majesty has the power to rule the world and control the universe. He should have the ability to encompass everything. He also needs to know that no one is perfect. Don't be too picky. Otherwise, how can there be anyone useful in the world?"
Hearing what he said, the empress did not refute, but she looked at him deeply.
Really not?
"Okay, let's not talk about them anymore."
After a while, the empress stretched out her hand towards Lu Chen and motioned for him to sit down. At the same time, she said softly: "Lu Qing, please sit down quickly. You and I have always been sincere to each other, so why bother with small details?"
Hearing this, Lu Chen subconsciously glanced at a certain part of the dragon robe that was a bit excessive compared to his peers, and some random thoughts instinctively flashed through his mind.
Confessing your heart?
How to push?
Push with what?
When to push?
besides
What the hell is this?
Shaking his head, Lu Chen didn't say anything more. After answering, he sat down and got down to business.
"I wonder why your Majesty came here today?"
"It's nothing important."
The empress calmly picked up the tea cup from the side, took a sip of tea, and then said:
"Just having nothing to do, I suddenly remembered that I haven't been a guest at Lu Qing's house since the night when Lu Qing moved to his new house, so on a whim, I came over to chat with Lu Qing. Besides, Lu Qing has shocking words from time to time. , it made me realize deeply every time, and I even realized it twice. I asked Lu Qing for advice, maybe I can gain something in my cultivation again."
Lu Chen suddenly understood.
It turns out that I came here to gain experience.
"I see."
Lu Chen nodded: "What do you want to talk about, Your Majesty?"
The empress opened her mouth and was about to speak, but at this moment, there was a sudden sound of light footsteps outside.
Within a moment, Luo Xiaoyu's charming figure appeared at the door of the living room.
"Your Majesty, cousin."
She first bowed to the empress, then looked at Lu Chen, an inexplicable look of confusion flashed across her pretty face.
"What's wrong?"
Lu Chen asked curiously.
"that."
Luo Xiaoyu glanced at the empress hesitantly, and then said slowly: "Master Xiao, General Gu, and Sister Fu are here to visit."
Hearing this, a glimmer of light flashed in the empress's eyes, but Lu Chen was confused again.
What's going on?
Xiao Yun is okay, I had already agreed to come over today for a visit. Oh, let’s sit down and talk.
But what happened to the other two?
Today is not a special day, why are they all here?
After a few breaths, Lu Chen came to his senses and looked at the empress.
"Lu Qing, don't worry about me."
The empress took another sip of tea, and while squinting her eyes to enjoy the fragrance, she said nonchalantly: "I came to visit just to chat with Lu Qing, and nothing else. Therefore, today there are no distinctions between emperors and ministers, only close friends. Yi, Lu Qing, you are the master here, I will treat you as a guest and do as you please."
Not sure if it was an illusion, Lu Chen instinctively felt that the seemingly natural words of the girl in front of him seemed a bit strange.
But he couldn't tell what was wrong, he just felt an inexplicable sense of dissonance.
He has always been an open-minded person, and he doesn't think too much about things that he can't figure out.
Then Lu Chen nodded towards the empress, then turned to Luo Xiaoyu and said, "Xiaoyu, go and invite them in."
Luo Xiaoyu responded, turned around and walked towards the door.
Not long after, she led three women over who could immediately dazzle everyone around them when they walked on the street.
Because it was Xiu Mu, Xiao Yun and Gu Simiao did not wear the robes used for court as usual, but wore ordinary clothes.
Gu Simiao was dressed in white as always, her silver-white hair and snow-white clothes were swaying back and forth in the breeze. Her whole person exuded an elegant aura, just like the Nine Heavens Mysterious Girl, who was as beautiful as the goddess of heaven; Xiao Yun was Wearing a very restrained lavender coat and skirt, the gentle smile on her pretty little face is as heartwarming as usual, and her plump and delicate body exudes a mature and intellectual charm.
Fu Huan was no different from usual, she was still dressed in smart clothes and full of heroic spirit.
As soon as they entered the hall, the three of them saw the empress and Lu Chen sitting at the main seat at the same time. A strange light flashed in the three pairs of moving eyes almost at the same time.
Then the three of them bowed slightly towards the empress at the same time.
"I pay my respects to Your Majesty. Your Majesty is in peace."
The empress nodded slightly and said calmly: "Three beloved ladies, please excuse me."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
A crisp sound sounded at the same time.
Then, the empress, who just emphasized to Lu Chen that she was a guest, pointed to the lower part of the room and said to the three of them: "My dear friends, please take a seat."
The three of them thanked them again, and then Xiao Yun and Fu Hua walked to the place pointed by the empress and sat down. However, Gu Simiao walked straight towards Lu Chen with a natural look on her face, and finally sat down on the chair below Lu Chen. He greeted Lu Chen with a smile.
Of course, Lu Chen didn't feel anything about this, but the empress' little hand holding the tea cup tightened inexplicably.
"The three beloved princes visited Lu Qing during her rest. Why?"
Before Lu Chen could speak, the empress asked with a nonchalant expression.
"Reply to His Majesty."
Xiao Yun spoke first:
"Wei Chen has made an agreement with Huaiyu before that he will pay a visit today and sit down to discuss the truth."
"Oh, that's how it is."
The empress nodded and then looked at Fu Hua.
Fu Huan's expression remained normal. After noticing the empress's gaze, she took out a scroll directly from her arms and said concisely and concisely:
"Back to Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Holy King asked Wei Chen to give this scroll to Huai Yu."
"Huh? The scroll His Royal Highness the Holy King gave me?"
Lu Chen asked subconsciously.
"Um."
Fu Hua nodded.
Lu Chen immediately glanced at the scroll in Fu Hua's hand curiously, then raised his head and looked at Fu Hua: "Liangyu, did His Highness the Holy King tell me what kind of scroll this is?"
Click…
The moment the words fell, there was an imperceptible sound.
Fu Hua shook her head slightly.
"No, His Highness the Holy King only said that this scroll may be of some use to you Huaiyu, so I must hand it over to you personally, and also asked Huaiyu not to open this scroll before you encounter a problem that is difficult to solve. .”
After saying that, she stood up directly, walked to Lu Chen, and handed the scroll in her hand to Lu Chen.
Looking at the unknown scroll in front of him, Lu Chen couldn't help but secretly curl his lips.
Tsk... This second backstabber is still the same as before, being mysterious no matter what he does.
I don’t know why he wears a mask all day long.
Could it be that he is too ugly and doesn't want to show his true face to others?
"Lu Qing."
While thinking wildly, the empress suddenly spoke.
"Since it is something given to you by Holy King Cangming, you should accept it well. Holy King, like you, is a great husband who cares about the common people and is devoted to the country. You two share the same goals. No matter what, he will definitely not If he harms you, just accept his kindness with peace of mind."
Hearing this, Lu Chen couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
God will not harm me, he has already harmed me miserably, okay? !
After thinking about it, since the empress said so, he didn't say anything more and directly took the scroll from Fu Hua's hand.
"In that case, I will accept it first, Liangyu. If there is a chance, you can say thank you to His Highness the Holy King on my behalf."
"Um."
Fu Hua responded, then slowly stepped back and sat down next to Xiao Yun.
I have no intention of saying goodbye and leaving.
If she stays as a guest, no one will drive her away.
The empress looked at Gu Simiao again.
"Gu Aiqing, what about you?"
Gu Simiao smiled slightly, glanced at Lu Chen, and said in a very relaxed tone: "Huaiyu is a scholar of heaven and man, and has a thorough understanding of the truth of the world. He has twice helped His Majesty to realize the Tao. Commander Fu also owes most of the credit for his promotion to the Guiyi Realm, and he I heard that when Huaiyu was the governor of the two states, he occasionally taught others, and many acting county magistrates in Yu and Sui states became enlightened..."
Hearing Gu Simiao list out these things one by one that seemed to prove that Lu Chen was a humanoid plug-in, Lu Chen couldn't help but look a little weird.
Although he was aware of this, he still had a strange feeling when Gu Simiao said it to his face.
The people around him are becoming more and more awesome one after another. Why doesn't his cultivation level improve by leaps and bounds?
This world is really poisonous, right?
"so."
After Gu Simiao finished listing, she slowly turned her head and looked at the empress with an inexplicable expression.
"While I have some free time today, I want to chat with Huaiyu. Huaiyu is very knowledgeable, and maybe it's not just about governing the country. A good talk can inspire me, or even give me enlightenment, so that I can Break through the realm where there has been no movement for a long time.”
Now, Lu Chen finally heard it.
Apart from Fu Hua, all of them came to him to steal their feelings.
Just because he has repeatedly helped others, including the empress, achieve enlightenment and breakthrough...
In this regard, other than complaining, he didn't have any special thoughts.
After all, this world is the world of cultivators.
Cultivators are people who seek immortality and seek immortality. For this purpose, it is natural that they should do whatever it takes, even by any means. There is nothing surprising about it.
"I see."
Lu Chen nodded, expressing understanding.
However, he did not notice that as Gu Simiao's words fell, the temperature of the hall, which was clearly blessed by the Warm Spring Array, dropped inexplicably.
(End of chapter)
