Chapter 21: Lu Xiao's Secret

  Watching the back of Hao Tian disappear from view, Luo Xiang turned his head to ask Xuan Ji: "I don't know why the military advisor deliberately left someone behind?"

  Xuanji smiled and said: "It's nothing big, just that someone suddenly remembered a few figures who disappeared for over twenty years."

  Luo Xiang's eyes were slightly closed, and his face was expressionless as he said, "Military Advisor, what does this mean?"

  The mystery did not notice the faint hostility emanating from Rong Xiang's body, and he continued to speak: "It should be the imperial examination held by Grand Master Sima twenty years ago. The six states of the Yellow River produced three men with exceptional literary talent, known as the 'Three Talented Sons of Heaven'. They were Zhuangyuan Rong Jiuyuan, Bangyan Chu Xiangcheng, and Tanhua Huang Feichang. These three men were young and ambitious, overflowing with talent. In the face of the decline of the Qingfeng dynasty at that time, they all advocated for reform. In military affairs, they proposed to sweep away foreign tribes outside the Great Wall, eliminating potential threats to the empire in their infancy. Domestically, they implemented measures to reduce the power of the three major aristocratic families and decrease the number of troops. In politics, they reformed the outdated bureaucratic system, rectified officialdom, and prevented corruption. Economically, while not relaxing agriculture as the foundation, they actively developed commerce, organized overseas trade, and abolished the policy of isolationism. Their proposals were undoubtedly well-intentioned, but at that time, the imperial court was corrupt, the emperor was incompetent, and treacherous officials held power. They were indeed too young and impulsive, and eventually, the three major aristocratic families and the Minister of Revenue, An Yongchang, seized the opportunity to frame them with numerous false charges and bring them down. At that time, Zhuangyuan Rong Jiuyuan was executed by lingchi, Bangyan Chu Xiangcheng was exiled to Qingning, and Tanhua Huang Feichang was demoted back to his hometown. From then on, the three talented sons of heaven, who had once shone brightly in the imperial court of Qingfeng, disappeared within the empire."

  Lu Xiang's expression remained unchanged as he said, "What exactly does the military advisor want to say?"

  Xuanji burst out laughing: "Mr. Luo, since someone has already said it to this extent, why are you still unwilling to admit it? Are you not trusting of that person? If that person is not mistaken, then you should be the former number one scholar who was supposed to be executed by lingchi, Luo Jiuyuan!"

  "How did you know?"

  Before this, no one had suspected Mr. Lu. In recent days, it was thought that Mr. Lu should be a small official in Dingzhou who was not successful. It wasn't until Mr. Lu mentioned Chu Xiangcheng just now that he suddenly realized. Due to the deliberate suppression of the imperial court and the three major families, there are only a few people in the empire who know about Chu Xiangcheng, the champion of the imperial examination back then. Moreover, Chu Xiangcheng had already disappeared when he was exiled to Qingning, so Mr. Lu could accurately tell where he was. It's natural that only someone who is familiar with Mr. Chu can do this. And the master's father is the Tanhua of that year, isn't Mr. Lu's identity obvious? Xuanji said slowly, but in his heart, he couldn't help but sigh. Originally, he thought that Luo Xiang was only good at hiding and plotting, and should have no outstanding abilities in other aspects. The performance of Luo Xiang in recent days also proved this point, but now it seems that Luo Xiang had been hiding his true strength before.

  Lu Xiang remained silent for a long time before finally opening his mouth to say, "I was still too impatient, and the lord's subordinates are now really lacking in talent, otherwise you wouldn't have seen through it."

  Xuanji smiled slightly: "Sir, why must you be so? The master treats you with great respect and courtesy. Even if you were to tell him the truth about these matters, he would not blame you."

  "My lord is kind and filial, extremely devoted to his parents, and as a person, he values loyalty and trustworthiness. He wouldn't blame me for these things. However, just like a small bird needs to grow into a large roc, it must have its own thoughts, learn to struggle in the storm, and go through countless hardships. I don't want my lord to lose his ability to think independently and solve problems because of me, so he won't develop the habit of always relying on others."

  Xuanji nodded, and Ruo Xiang indeed had a deep plan, thinking that far ahead. He said it was not wrong, if now the matter of Hua Tian is always handled by him, although it can be smoothly passed through the current difficulties, but for Hua Tian's growth, it is extremely unfavorable. After taking a sip of tea, Xuanji said: "Sir, you have considered this so deeply, I wonder what Sir is planning?"

  Luo Xiang looked at Xuanyuan with a smile that was not quite a smile, making Xuanyuan feel increasingly uncomfortable. Only then did he laugh and say: "What I am thinking is actually no different from the military advisor's."

  Xuanji's eyes shone brightly as he gazed at Lu Xiang, whose expression gradually turned serious and solemn. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke up: "However, it seems that the master doesn't have that idea."

  "He didn't have that idea, but things are always changing, and maybe one day he'll have to choose this path."

  Xuanji said with some concern: "But in Master's heart, it seems that a Tianyi girl is the entire world."

  Luo Xiang's eyebrows also furrowed slightly: "This is also what I'm worried about, Tian Yi this girl, is also gentle outside and firm inside, Master treats her with utmost care, sigh... let's not talk about this for now. Let's discuss how to deal with your master's problem instead. However, please be assured, Master may have lost his mother at a young age, but he has special memories and affection for his deceased mother. For over ten years, he has been searching for his mother's footprints. To him, his late mother and Tian Yi now are completely equal without any distinction. As long as the timing is right, Master will naturally understand what to do."

  His expression turned solemn, but his attention was still focused on Pang Yan. At first, Pang Yan had agreed that as long as Hua Tian conquered the River Suite, he would let him handle it. However, that was just a temporary measure in desperation, and considering how important the River Suite was, the imperial court might not allow someone like Hua Tian with no background to rule. Moreover, even if the imperial court agreed, the three major families might not agree. Now that time had passed and circumstances had changed, who knew what those people in the Tian Sheng Imperial City were planning?

  "Perhaps in Master's heart, he hopes that we can establish a foothold in the Hexi Corridor, so as to build it into an important base for resisting the invasion of the Hu barbarians and guarding against the three major families. However, this is merely Master's idea, and at that time our strength was still very weak. But now we have taken down the six states of the Hexi Corridor, with 200,000 troops under our command. Can they really believe that we won't become the fourth family?" Xuanji said worriedly.

  Lu Xiang said with his eyes closed: "The court is now powerless, even if they don't want us to take root in the river suite, but they also have no power to intervene. Moreover, even if we are driven away, it will not be the court that benefits, but rather the Song and Li families adjacent to the river suite. As long as we can sincerely express our loyalty to the court now, I think they won't take action against us."

  Xuanji's brow remained furrowed: "What someone is worried about now is that the imperial court will only appoint Master as the governor of Dingzhou, and directly send people to take over the remaining five states. Our current strength is still very weak, and we cannot turn against the imperial court yet. If it really is like this, what can be done?"

  He gave a meaningful glance at Xuanji, but his heart was just a faint smile. He understood that Xuanji was intentionally testing him, although he already knew his true identity, but Xuanji himself was a learned scholar and naturally had some reservations about him. Thinking of this, he smiled and said: "The imperial court is easy to deal with, just let the people write a book of ten thousand words and spread it all the way to Tian Shengjing. Even if the imperial court is dissatisfied, as long as our propaganda is in place, they will have to swallow their anger and blood. As for the three major families, they absolutely dare not have any complaints. The Northern Expedition Army was defeated so quickly, to a large extent because they were meddling in it. Although we don't have concrete evidence, this thing doesn't need any evidence at all. Moreover, their actions are secret, but not perfect, we just need to ignite a small spark, and naturally someone will spread the word everywhere."

  "What does the master mean?" Xuanji asked tentatively, but in his heart he couldn't help but admire Luoxiang's cunning.

  "The Hexi region has been restored to its former glory, and the territories of the three major families are all prosperous. I hope they can provide us with some financial assistance without conditions." Luo Xiang said coldly with narrowed eyes. Xuanyuan nodded in approval, after all, they would become enemies with the three major families sooner or later, so it was only natural to take advantage of them whenever possible. Of course, these words were not to be shared with Haotian, who still hoped to remain a loyal vassal of the imperial court in his heart.

  When Haotian arrived at the hospital, Tianyi was talking to Dugu Wuming and Bian Zhongxing, who were seriously injured, while Xue Sha stood closely by her side. In the battle of Jizhou, Dugu Wuming was shot in the chest, and if not for his high martial arts skills, he would have died on the spot. Bian Zhongxing's left arm was cut off at the root. Considering their good relationship, Haotian specially arranged for them to be together, along with several other high-ranking military officers who were seriously injured in the same camp.

  "Big brother, General Bian, are you feeling better now?" Tian Yi asked gently as he sat beside the bed.

  Du Guo Yu Ming burst out laughing, but it seemed to have touched a sore spot, and he suddenly took in a mouthful of cold air. After a pause, he said: "It's not a big deal, just got hurt a bit? A broken jar can't avoid the wellhead, generals always die on the battlefield, those barbarians want my life, but they're not worthy."

  Bian Zhongxing smiled wryly and said, "Don't worry, Tianyi girl. We are all frequent travelers on the Yellow Spring Road, it's not easy for us to die. By the way, have there been any movements from the Hu barbarians recently? I heard that Yelü Changhai's third coalition army is preparing to march south, I wonder if General Hao has made preparations?"

  Tianyi slightly furrowed his brow: "General Bian, the most important thing for you now is to recover your body as soon as possible, so that you can better fight against the Hu barbarians. Don't worry about military affairs, Master will handle them properly. Big brother, you are also like this, I don't allow you to step into the military camp until you have recovered."

  "How can this be?" Du Gu Yan heard, anxiously said, and didn't care about the injuries on his body, suddenly sat up with a "whoosh" sound, and said with a fierce expression: "I, your big brother, have been in the army for over ten years, the army is my home. If you don't let me enter the military camp, it's more painful than killing me. Good little sister, I'm almost fine now. Just let me go back to the military camp, I guarantee that I will recover faster in the military camp than here."

  "Yes. Master, just tell the master to let us return to the army, we really can't get used to staying here." The soldiers lying next to him also echoed in agreement. Among them, Jiang Chen was the most outspoken, he and Li Xiao were both old followers of Hu Tian since he took office as the commander of the Qingyun Thousand Riders, and this time in the battle of Jizhou, he served as the captain of the Tianyi's personal guard, as a result of protecting Tianyi, he was shot with at least five arrows, but he was really lucky, although he was seriously injured, his life was not affected. Having followed Hu Tian and Tianyi for many years, he was also familiar with their temperaments, and when speaking, he was particularly casual.

  "No way!" Tian Yi shook his head firmly: "Letting you recover from your injuries here is an order personally given by Master, and it's also for your own good. Besides, can I just change Master's orders as I please?"

  Jiang Chen's face stiffened, but he still said stubbornly: "Master, who doesn't know your position in Master's heart? As long as you're willing to speak up, Master will definitely not refuse."

  Tian Yi's face turned red, while Blood Kill and Du Gu Yu Ming on the side burst out laughing. In fact, it was true that Huang Tian had always been extremely accommodating to Tian Yi, never once rejecting any of her requests.

  "What's with the excitement?" Haotian asked as he walked in, noticing Tianyi standing there with a reddened face.

  "Nothing, milord. We just want to return to the army a bit earlier. I'm begging you, milady, please show some mercy." Jiang Chen spoke quickly and Duo Gu He also nodded in agreement.

  Hao Tian's face sank, and he said bluntly: "Don't even think about it now, your current task is to focus on recovering from your injuries. Don't think about taking a step out of the hospital until you're fully recovered." Turning his head, ignoring Jiang Chen's pleading expression, Hao Tian spoke to Du Gu and another person: "How are the two generals doing now? If it weren't for the two of them fighting to the death, I would have lost this battle without a doubt. It's just that things have been busy, and I'm only now able to come visit the two generals. Please forgive me."

  "My lord is too polite. As soldiers, we should be willing to die for our country. Besides, resisting the barbarian invaders is what we are supposed to do, General, no need to thank us." Bian Zhongxing struggled to sit up and said.

  As soon as these words came out, whether it was Haotian Yiyi or Xue Sha Du Gu, a smile appeared on the faces of several people at the same time. Since Bian Chonghang called Haotian "master", it is obvious that he has recognized Haotian's identity and decided to serve Haotian. It's just unknown whether this is because his direct lineage army has been exhausted and has no choice but to make a helpless choice, or if it is a sincere and genuine surrender.

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