The empress turned her head and looked at Lu Chen.
"Lu Qing, what did you say?"
Lu Chen walked slowly out of the queue, bowed and saluted, and responded seriously: "In response to your Majesty's words, I believe that the matter of labor is essentially the common people working for the imperial court without any benefit. To me, this is a great favor. In the eyes of humble ministers, anyone who harms himself or the country is worthy of respect. Not only should the court not harshly criticize the working people, but should be grateful for their kindness and treat them with kindness. Otherwise, it will be a loss. Virtue.”
"What I have seen is that mediocre officials and evil officials are using the power of the court to bully the people wantonly in terms of labor, causing many deaths and maimings. As the right minister of the Ministry of Industry, Wei Chen has the ability to change all of this. , how can you turn a blind eye to this?"
Having said this, he paused for a moment, and then continued: "Your Majesty, if you want to create a prosperous era, you cannot let the court's virtues fall short. Instead, you should establish virtue and trust for the court. Only in this way can the people's hearts be won over and the foundation for a prosperous era be laid." base."
Hearing Lu Chen's strong theory, everyone didn't feel anything special. After all, they were used to Lu Chen's remarks about serving the people wholeheartedly.
"Shilang Lu."
Zhou Yushi frowned and said: "I beg your pardon for disagreeing with your remarks. Labor has been around since ancient times. No matter in prosperous times or troubled times, labor is what the people should do. After all, the imperial court protects the peace of the people. The people naturally want to repay the court's kindness with their labor."
"The common people in Shengdou are short-sighted, immature, ignorant of the five virtues, and have little desire to repay the imperial court's kindness. When I was the magistrate of Huaishuo County, I witnessed with my own eyes the sneaky ways of the common people. If I didn't use thunderous means, I would have let them How can they act peacefully if they are in awe?"
Lu Chen suddenly sneered.
"So, where are those dynasties that used thunderous means to control their people now?"
As soon as these words came out, everyone was speechless.
How come this young man is so ungrateful...
Everyone knows such an obvious thing, so why do you need to say it, which will only increase your discomfort?
How does this make people react?
It is said that people have life and death, dynasties also have their ups and downs, dynasties change, and reincarnation is the ultimate principle of heaven and earth and cannot be done by human beings. Then let your majesty not be too concerned about it and let everything take its course?
This is not the way to die if you want to die, right?
Zhou Yushi was really speechless.
He is a straight minister, but not a stupid minister.
When Lu Chen said this, he didn't know how to refute it for a moment.
Seeing that he didn't respond, Lu Chen said directly: "Can't you answer it? Then I'm here to tell you that the dynasties you mentioned are all in the history books, and they have become a lesson for today's people to learn from history! What? Zhou Yushi, Do you want me to follow in the footsteps of my predecessors in the Great Xia Dynasty and become a material for a wise king in the next dynasty to sum up his experience?"
Hearing this, Zhou Yushi quickly shook his head.
"How could I have such rebellious thoughts?"
As he said that, he glanced at Lu Chen helplessly and said in a rather feeble voice:
"Shilang Lu, even if what you say makes sense, you shouldn't be so hasty in reorganizing the Ministry of Industry at the critical juncture of the Xinyuan Ceremony, right? The Xinyuan Ceremony is the top priority since His Majesty took office, and now the people's power has Well, manpower is needed everywhere. It will be too late to mobilize in a hurry, and spring plowing is just around the corner. If this is delayed because of the restructuring of the Ministry of Industry..."
"Do not worry."
Lu Chen said calmly: "I treat the people with sincerity, and the people will repay the favor. I will never slack off in the fortifications. Even if there are no additional manpower, the construction will be completed on time. Zhou Yushi can relax." That’s it.”
Hearing this, many courtiers almost laughed out loud.
Treat them with sincerity and repay them with justice?
A joke, no matter how naive it is, must have a limit.
Who doesn't know that those ignorant heads of Guizhou care about gains and losses the most. If they don't show the might of the imperial court, establish majesty and make them feel in awe, how can they willingly work for the imperial court?
Even if you take a step back, even if those people are grateful for the kindness of you, the good people of mainland China, and work hard, you have reduced each of them's working hours by half. How much can they do if you reduce their working time by half?
Could it be that they could still finish the work in half a day that usually takes one day?
It’s impossible no matter how you think about it, right?
"Lu Qing."
The empress suddenly spoke.
"You can take my talisman and go to Feiyu Camp later."
Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but feel a little bit sour.
Of course they heard what the empress meant. They wanted to follow the example of mobilizing troops to control the floods in Yuzhou, and asked Lu Chen to go to Feiyu camp to mobilize troops and generals to assist Wuji camp in the fortifications.
However, although the army is dispatched to do the work of the people, in Luojing, its nature is completely different.
You must know that almost every emperor, or the person in power who controls the world, is extremely sensitive to the military power of the capital. Even the crown prince will cause the emperor to be extremely disgusted and uneasy if he mobilizes troops without greeting the emperor. .
Not to mention a foreign minister.
And the empress did not hesitate to give Lu Chen the talisman that could mobilize the guards in the capital...
Damn it, Your Majesty, are you really not at all wary of this guy?
Throughout the ages, how could any emperor trust a foreign minister so unreservedly?
Thinking of this, the way everyone looked at Lu Chen suddenly changed.
Wu Yue, on the other hand, kept his expression as normal. Anyway, Lu Chen did not apply for an additional budget increase, nor did he apply for an increase in the number of working people. He just saved part of the money he originally had to purchase materials and used it to treat the people well. This was his own internal matter within the Ministry of Industry. , if it doesn’t involve his household department, he naturally doesn’t bother to pay attention.
Otherwise he would have jumped up long ago.
However, regarding this favor, Lu Chen shook his head and refused:
"Wei Chen appreciates His Majesty's kindness, but Wei Chen still says the same thing. If the imperial court shows favor to the people, the people will definitely repay the favor to the imperial court. If the people's support is strong, they will be able to overcome all difficulties and obstacles. Wei Chen believes that They will definitely be able to finish the work on time. It is just a waste of manpower to dispatch the Feiyu Guards. Moreover, the Feiyu Guards have just been established. The most important thing now is to seize the time to practice and shoulder the important task of protecting the capital as soon as possible. They cannot be easily transferred. "
Empress: "..."
Seeing that Lu Chen was so persistent and even refused the emperor's kindness, Qian Yiqian and others couldn't help but sneer in their hearts.
This man surnamed Lu is not only ignorant and naive, but also ignorant of promotion.
Your Majesty gives you a favor, can you refuse it if you want to?
Zhou Yushi frowned again, "Shilang Lu, as the right minister of the Ministry of Industry, you should focus on fortifications, and you must not act out of emotion."
Lu Chen had a calm expression on his face.
"The world is still uncertain, and everything is possible. Censor Zhou, why do you think that the people will definitely not be able to complete the fortifications of Wuji Palace? You have already said that as the right minister of the Ministry of Industry, I am responsible for all engineering matters. The decision is made by one official."
"In terms of fortifications, I have the most say. Now I believe that without additional manpower and budget, Wuji Palace can be completed as scheduled, and the Xinyuan Ceremony will not be affected. What the court wants is only the result, how is the process, Why bother? Do you think you know more about fortifications than me, the right minister of the Ministry of Works?"
Zhou Yushi opened his mouth and wanted to persuade him again, but the empress suddenly spoke again.
"In this case, as Lu Qing said, the imperial court does not need to interfere with the construction of Wuji Palace."
Hearing this, Zhou Yushi's brows suddenly furrowed even deeper.
"Your Majesty, the Xinyuan Ceremony is coming soon, this..."
"Zhou Aiqing, don't talk too much."
The empress said calmly: "Lu Qing is a scholar of heaven and earth. Since he believes that the fortifications of Wuji Palace are harmless, he must have his reasons, and he will never act without aim."
At this point, she suddenly paused, then moved her eyes forward and looked at Lu Chen intently.
"Lu Qing believes in the people, and I believe in Lu Qing."
This statement obviously did not convince Zhou Yushi.
"But if the Wuji Palace project cannot be completed as scheduled..."
"Then the Xinyuan Ceremony will be postponed for a while."
The empress said matter-of-factly: "Who can make mistakes without being a sage? Although Lu Qing is talented and knowledgeable, he is still a mortal body after all. He cannot do things perfectly and mistakes are inevitable. I should be understanding and considerate. How can I harshly criticize someone who dares to do something like this?" For the pillar of the country?"
Everyone: "..."
The fortifications of the Wuji Palace were completed as scheduled, which means that Lu Chen was "a scholar of heaven and man, a master of all strategies, and a talented scholar of the country." If it could not be completed on schedule, it means that "no one can make mistakes unless he is a sage, and a king should treat others with leniency." This... …
According to what you say, Your Majesty, no matter how good or bad the final outcome of this matter is, Lu Chen has nothing to do with it. He doesn't have to bear any risk or responsibility, right?
Damn it, no matter how favored you are, there must be a limit, right?
When the empress said this, Lu Chen's scalp felt a little numb.
Sure enough, after performing extraordinary feats one after another, he is now an invincible presence in the court.
In the helpless sigh of Zhou Yushi, the morning court came to an end soon.
The day flies by.
As night fell and the lanterns first came on, Liu Dongyang, the Minister of the Ministry of War, returned to the Liu Mansion after a busy day and enjoyed this moment of leisure and tranquility with his family.
He has only two sons and one daughter. His eldest son, Liu Xu, is in politics and is now the magistrate of a large county. His second son, Liu Wu, is in the army and is now the commander of a certain branch of the Qingning Army.
Only the youngest daughter Liu Ruowei, who was waiting for a divorce, still stayed in the house.
Liu Dongyang's first wife, Mrs. Li, was a famous beauty at that time when she was young, and Liu Dongyang himself was once a graceful and elegant young master, so the children of his old Liu family are all handsome.
Especially Liu Ruowei.
As the empress said before at the triumphal ceremony, Liu Ruowei is not only beautiful, but also talented and knowledgeable. She is quite similar to Xiao Yun, the most talented woman at that time who was famous in Luo Jing.
Since Liu Dongyang returned to Beijing, almost every once in a while, someone would come to ask for marriage, and the suitors were all without exception, either from high-ranking families or direct relatives of powerful people.
Liu Dongyang was a second-rank official in the dynasty and was highly trusted by the empress. He was just around the corner to join the cabinet. Liu Ruowei was both talented and beautiful, and could be regarded as a model of a lady. With such a good match, those who wanted to marry him were naturally like the queen of the river.
However, until now, Liu Ruowei is still waiting in the boudoir.
There is no other reason than to look down on it.
Not only did Liu Ruowei look down on him, Liu Dongyang also didn't like those high-ranking children from well-off families.
And he cares more about his daughter's current situation than his daughter's marriage.
"Weier."
At the dinner table, Liu Dongyang looked at his daughter who was sitting across from him, who had just eaten two mouthfuls of rice and was sitting there in deep thought. He couldn't help but frown and said sincerely:
"The way of medicine is ultimately a small way, and the small way is for the practitioners to have fun when they have nothing to do. If you indulge too much in the small way and stick to it, the foundation of the Tao will be unstable and it will be detrimental to the path of saints and sages. Don't lose the big for the small. .”
That's right, Liu Dongyang told Lu Chen before that his daughter encountered problems on the path, which made her lose weight and lose weight day by day. The path refers to medicine.
His daughter is good at everything, she is good-looking and has great talent in cultivation, but her personality is a bit stubborn.
It's okay at other times, but as long as it involves medicine, it's the kind of thing where you won't look back until you hit the wall, or even if you hit the wall, you won't look back.
Whatever she decides on, she must demand a result, otherwise she will always be obsessed with it.
Faced with her father's warning, she just nodded slightly.
"My daughter knows."
With that said, she picked up the bowl and took two mouthfuls of rice.
Seeing this, Liu Dongyang felt helpless.
He really couldn't understand what magic power this medical way had that made his daughter so persistent and addicted to it, and even the avenue of sages seemed to be in ruins.
If this continues, this daughter will be ruined.
As soon as he thought of this, a figure who had been extremely active in the court recently appeared in his mind.
"Weier, as a father, I want to tell you something."
Seeing her father's serious expression, Liu Ruowei had no choice but to put away her thoughts, then put down the bowl and said softly: "Dad, please tell me."
Liu Dongyang gently exhaled a breath of turbidity.
"Weier, do you still remember the man I mentioned to you before becoming a father, who is now the most trusted figure in the world by His Majesty?"
Hearing this, Liu Ruowei frowned inexplicably.
"Lu Chen?"
(End of chapter)
