On the official road from Chen to Lujiang.
Hundreds of Long Xiao Camp soldiers were galloping, with a carriage in their midst. Inside the carriage were Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao, and of course, Lu Yu.
However, compared to Lu Yu's calm demeanor, Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao appeared somewhat worried and anxious.
As they drew closer to Lujiang, the sisters' anxiety grew more intense.
"Young Master Lu, perhaps… we should take the side road? With hundreds of carriages on the official road, Liu Xun is bound to discover us. Then… it will inevitably cause unnecessary trouble."
Da Qiao repeatedly cautioned.
In her opinion, Lujiang was a dangerous place for Young Master Lu.
If it was a dangerous place, why would they take the main road?
Wouldn't they be making themselves a target?
"Yes, Young Master Lu, my sister is right." Xiao Qiao echoed the reminder. "I know a small path, but it will require a two-day detour… However, taking that path would be much safer."
"A two-day detour?" Lu Yu repeated the words and then shook his head. "If we follow the imperial physician's words, another two-day detour would exceed ten days. Wouldn't your mother be in even greater danger?"
Lu Yu answered without thinking.
This single sentence made Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao deeply moved again.
Young Master Lu was willing to venture into danger to save their mother, and that was already enough!
But he… he was even willing to risk exposure to the enemy's surveillance by taking the main road to save time.
What kind of sentiment was this?
It was said that physicians have the hearts of benevolent people, and these four words seemed to fit the current Lu Yu best.
Indeed, Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao also hoped that Lu Yu would reach Wuzhou Mountain sooner to treat their mother.
But the more Lu Yu said this, the more guilty and worried they became…
Fearing that they would put Young Master Lu in danger.
"Young Master Lu's benevolence as a physician is admirable, Da Qiao respects that, but… Young Master Lu cannot expose yourself to danger just to rush. If… if Liu Xun discovers us, then not only will Mother not be treated, but… it will also harm Young Master Lu."
Da Qiao bit her lip slightly and continued to persuade.
She was a kind girl. She didn't want anything to happen to her mother, and even less did she want anything to happen to Young Master Lu!
As these words left her mouth, Xiao Qiao's eyes widened, and she gazed intently at Lu Yu, eagerly awaiting the man's agreement to their proposal.
Who would have thought…
"It's fine…" Lu Yu waved his hand. "Don't worry, the journey is the priority!" As he spoke, Lu Yu did not forget to instruct the driver. "Go faster, we must arrive before tonight."
This driver was also a member of the Long Xiao Camp, and he felt honored to drive for Young Master Lu.
"Young Master Lu, rest assured. If nothing unexpected happens, we will arrive before tonight."
Upon hearing this, Lu Yu showed a rare smile.
Ah…
Ah…
Lu Yu's conversation with the driver made Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao even more worried.
With such a cavalry team galloping so fast, it would be strange not to be discovered.
Xiao Qiao bit her lip and looked at Da Qiao, seemingly wanting to say something, but Da Qiao was also helpless…
She found that this Young Master Lu was very stubborn. Once he made up his mind, it was difficult to change it.
"Does Young Master Lu really have to insist on this?"
Da Qiao tried to persuade him again…
However, at this moment.
"Dada dada…"
The sound of countless hooves came from all around. Xiao Qiao instinctively parted the curtain and looked outside, only to see thousands of cavalry galloping towards their convoy.
Judging by their attire, they seemed to be troops from Luzhou.
This…
"Sister, Young Master Lu… it's bad! The soldiers from Lujiang have surrounded us!" Xiao Qiao exclaimed in alarm.
Da Qiao's face also turned as pale as paper.
But… she tried to calm herself down and suggested, "Let me go. Our Qiao family has done business with Governor Liu before. Perhaps…"
"No need for such trouble!" To her surprise, Lu Yu waved his hand directly.
He boldly opened the carriage door and prepared to get out.
Letting women step forward when trouble arises was not in line with Lu Yu's usual style of conduct.
"Young Master Lu…"
Da Qiao grabbed Lu Yu's hand. At this moment, her face was extremely ugly. The thought that Young Master Lu was in danger because of her made her… made her…
With Da Qiao suddenly grabbing his hand, Lu Yu felt as if a nimble water snake was around his wrist, so smooth and tender.
In short, it felt very comfortable.
"Be good…" As a straight man, Lu Yu didn't know how to explain it to Da Qiao. He just took her hand away and then smiled. "Don't worry, it'll be fine!"
Saying this, Lu Yu had already alighted from the carriage…
At this moment, Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao's hearts were pounding in their throats, fearing that Liu Xun would harm Young Master Lu.
They even thought of the worst-case scenario. If… if Young Master Lu were captured by Liu Xun, they would have to find a way to rescue him, even if it meant giving up all the Qiao family's money and grain.
Hurriedly parting the curtain, Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao frowned, their eyes fixed on the outside.
But just then…
"Tatatata…"
The continuous sound of footsteps approached from afar.
Countless knights dismounted, and one of the knights Da Qiao recognized – it was the Prefect of Lujiang, Liu Xun?
This time… even Prefect Liu Xun personally came out?
If… if he was handling this matter, it might not be easy to rescue Young Master Lu.
Clearly, Da Qiao's mood had fallen to the bottom.
But at this moment.
Liu Xun and his retinue performed an action that Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao found extremely puzzling.
Liu Xun walked quickly to Lu Yu and opened his mouth to say something, but due to his extreme excitement, he remained speechless for a long time.
It wasn't until a full ten breaths later that he suddenly cupped his hands.
Because of his overwhelming emotion, his voice had become extremely loud… a voice that echoed across the entire official road.
"Your subordinate Liu Xun pays his respects to Minister Lu!"
This…
When Liu Xun's words came out, Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao were stunned, as if they had seen a ghost.
Prefect Liu Xun of Lujiang saluting Young Master Lu was one thing, but the manner of his salute, a subordinate showing respect to a superior, was enough to leave Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao completely dumbfounded.
For a moment… Da Qiao felt awkward, and Xiao Qiao also felt a bit awkward. It seemed… they realized a serious problem. Despite their best efforts to view Young Master Lu in a high regard, they had ultimately underestimated him, judged him too lightly.
Young Master Lu's influence was far greater than they had imagined…
"You are Prefect Liu?"
"A pleasure to meet you."
Lu Yu spoke, and it seemed he was not being polite at all.
In his opinion, Liu Xun's salute to him was only natural and expected.
"Your subordinate, Liu Xun, Prefect of Lujiang, has been waiting for Young Master Lu here for a long time… Just ahead, your subordinate has prepared a banquet to welcome Young Master Lu and the soldiers!"
With a statement…
Liu Xun gestured with his hand.
Following the direction he pointed, Lu Yu saw that in front of the post station, thousands of people stood in neat rows, with twenty-four flags unfurled in order.
Twelve of the flags bore a large character "Lu," while the other twelve bore the characters "Long Xiao."
Clearly, this was a welcoming party sent by Liu Xun to greet Lu Yu and the Long Xiao Camp.
Besides these flags, there were countless officials behind them. Judging by their attire, they were mostly officials from Lujiang City, numbering over two hundred in total.
What a grand display!
As if seeing Liu Xun's gesture.
The sound of "dong dong" from beating drums echoed…
It turned out that Liu Xun had brought the battle drums used for issuing orders in the army to this place. A total of sixteen drums sounded, their might shaking the heavens, creating a scene akin to bustling activity and firecrackers celebrating a king's return.
"Wow…"
This grand spectacle made Xiao Qiao, inside the carriage, widen her eyes. She murmured and asked:
"Sister… Sister? Is this… is this welcoming Young Master Lu? Didn't Sister say that Prefect Liu Xun and Cao Ying were still in a hostile relationship?"
This…
Clearly, facing Xiao Qiao's question, Da Qiao could not answer.
She didn't know why, but… she could confirm that at this moment, it seemed the entire Lujiang Prefecture was governed by Young Master Lu. This was not an exaggeration; Young Master Lu truly possessed such influence.
…
Don't say…
With such a grand display, Lu Yu felt a little elated. He intended to move forward, but as soon as he took the first step, he felt something was not quite right in his heart.
"Hiss… something is strange!"
He muttered in his heart, and Lu Yu retracted the step he had taken.
His feeling grew stronger. What exactly was wrong?
Wait…
Looking at the flags in front of him and listening to the booming battle drums, Lu Yu suddenly realized.
—It was the etiquette, the grandeur!
You must know that in the Han Dynasty, twenty-four flags, sixteen battle drums, and the welcoming presence of all officials was a ritual that only the Son of Heaven enjoyed upon returning to the court.
Lu Yu had read many books on Han Dynasty etiquette and was deeply impressed by this aspect.
The Han Emperor could enjoy twenty-four flags, sixteen battle drums, and the welcoming presence of all officials!
For kings and lords, they could enjoy at most eighteen flags, twelve battle drums, and the welcoming presence of all officials!
As for… the Nine Ministers.
They would almost be halved, with the highest level of ritual being twelve flags and eight battle drums!
Calculating in this way…
If Lu Yu ignored this aspect and walked forward, wouldn't he be implicitly accepting the ritual of welcoming the Son of Heaven!
If someone with ulterior motives used this to attack him, Lu Yu, or even attack Cao Ying, and accused him of "usurpation," he would have no way to argue, even with a hundred mouths.
Huo…
What meticulous malicious intent!
Who would have thought that there were bad people in Lujiang City! Hiding wicked schemes in their hearts, waiting to trap Lu Yu?
Indeed, in this chaotic world, open spears are easy to dodge, but hidden arrows are hard to guard against. If you're not careful, you don't even know how you died!
"Prefect Liu?" Lu Yu's tone suddenly became serious. "These twenty-four large flags? Sixteen battle drums, and the welcoming by all officials, were arranged by you?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Xun was stunned, and then he quickly waved his hand.
"I heard that Young Master Lu was coming and was so eager to welcome him that I paid no attention to these rituals. The one who arranged this was… a subordinate official under me."
"Oh! A subordinate official?" Lu Yu nodded… "What is this subordinate official's name?"
Lu Yu's tone became even colder, like ice tempered for ten thousand years.
Liu Xun shivered all over, and then truthfully read out the subordinate official's name—"Yan Xiang."
Yan Xiang!
It was better if this name hadn't been spoken. Once it was uttered, Lu Yu's eyes immediately fixed, and he muttered to himself, "So it was him? No wonder!"
That's right…
Lu Yu was not unfamiliar with the name Yan Xiang.
He was a well-informed strategist under Yuan Shu, a righteous and outspoken person.
In fact, in Lu Yu's ranking of the strategists under Yuan Shu, Yan Xiang's position was higher than that of the chief strategist Yang Hong.
And this Yan Xiang… had a story!
He had followed Yuan Shu since his rise to power and was the most vehement opponent of Yuan Shu's claim to the throne… However, according to historical records, after opposing Yuan Shu's enthronement, he was dismissed!
He never expected that he would end up in Lujiang. His calculations for such a conspiracy showed some skill!
"Please trouble Prefect Liu to invite this subordinate official Yan over."
Lu Yu remained motionless, as if this welcome of drums and flags had nothing to do with him. He merely instructed that he wanted to see Yan Xiang and make things clear.
Liu Xun was taken aback and looked back at Liu Ye.
Liu Ye immediately sent someone to invite Yan Xiang…
Who would have thought that the news that came back was that Yan Xiang had already disappeared without a trace.
This…
Now, not only Liu Xun was confused, but even Liu Ye didn't understand? What happened? Why did Young Master Lu want to see such a subordinate official as soon as he arrived in Lujiang?
But at this moment…
Lu Yu's voice rang out again.
"Prefect Liu most likely does not know that the twenty-four large flags, sixteen battle drums, and the welcoming by all officials is a ritual that only the Son of Heaven can receive. Even Prefect Cao, even the kings and lords of the Han Dynasty, cannot overstep this ritual!"
"And I, Lu Yu, am merely one of the Nine Ministers, the Grand Minister of Agriculture of the Han Dynasty? How dare I overstep and receive such treatment! This is clearly the work of villains trying to ruin my reputation, to alienate me from Prefect Cao, to alienate Cao Ying from the Han court, to employ cunning schemes and make a fuss about it. Their wolfish ambition is as clear as day!"
As soon as this statement was made…
Liu Xun and Liu Ye were both stunned.
They were so focused on welcoming Lu Yu that they hadn't considered this significant oversight in etiquette!
This oversight was neither big nor small!
But if it were truly exploited by someone with ulterior motives, it could cause significant damage to Young Master Lu, or even to Prefect Cao. It was not impossible that absurd rumors would spread throughout the Han Dynasty that Grand Minister of Agriculture Lu Yu intended to usurp the throne.
Malicious intent…
This Yan Xiang had malicious intent!
Liu Xun was so angry that his back teeth ground, while Liu Ye… besides being disgusted by Yan Xiang's actions, he… instinctively looked up at Lu Yu.
Compared to Yan Xiang's schemes and calculations, what shocked him even more was Young Master Lu!
Under such a grand welcome, Young Master Lu did not swell with pride, did not become arrogant, and did not even show any arrogance…
He calmly perceived the danger in it.
How meticulous were his thoughts? How terrifying was his grasp of details?
No wonder he could accurately predict Sun Ce's army's movements…
This was no accident!
"The villain Yan Xiang actually dared to plot against Young Master Lu! Guards… post a notice and search the entire city for this person." At once, Liu Xun was furious and gave the order.
Lu Yu, however, waved his hand…
"Forget it. He's probably already slipped away. The priority now is to remove the twelve large flags and eight battle drums! I, Lu Yu, have always been a rule-abiding person."
This incident actually served as a wake-up call for Lu Yu.
As Cao Cao grew in power, and as his status became more prominent, villains had already begun to target him!
It was easy to deal with the king of hell, but difficult to deal with minor devils. From now on… Lu Yu had to be extremely vigilant and extra cautious!
When one is in a high position, aren't all sorts of demons and monsters bound to appear!
As for Yan Xiang…
Lu Yu could actually understand his feelings.
He had followed Yuan Shu, the legitimate son of Yuan family, since Runan. Unfortunately, Yuan Shu's self-proclamation as emperor led to his downfall, and Yan Xiang was also dismissed…
As a result, Yan Xiang could only turn to Lujiang.
And Cao Cao, by adopting Lu Yu's strategy and destroying Yuan Shu, had, to some extent, made Yan Xiang hate Lu Yu and Cao Cao to the core!
After all, he had followed Yuan Shu for so long, and he still had some loyalty!
Therefore…
He designed this welcoming spectacle to create trouble!
He intended… to ruin Lu Yu's reputation with this, to create friction between Lu Yu and Cao Cao… and even between Cao Cao and the Han court.
This was the only thing that the current Yan Xiang could do for his former lord, Yuan Shu.
Unfortunately…
Such tricks could not escape Lu Yu's eyes.
And it served as a clarion call for Lu Yu!
"Your subordinate will remove the flags and battle drums immediately…"
Liu Xun agreed, fearing Lu Yu's reprimand, and personally made arrangements.
Liu Ye, on the other hand, cupped his hands and bowed. "I have long heard that Minister Lu has eyes like a torch and can discern people's hearts. Today, I see it is indeed true. Liu Ye pays his respects to Young Master Lu!"
Cheng Yu had reported the news of Liu Ye joining the Long Xiao Camp to Lu Yu early on.
Therefore, upon hearing Liu Ye's name, Lu Yu was overjoyed…
He immediately clapped him on the shoulder.
"So, you are Zi Yang? I have been eagerly anticipating meeting you… Catapults, ah no… Ballistae? Do you know anything about them? Come, let's chat as we walk."
As he spoke, Lu Yu and Liu Ye linked arms like old friends who had been separated for a long time.
Of course, for Liu Ye, this was a great honor, a great honor indeed…
At first, when he heard from Commander Cheng that Young Master Lu had been eagerly anticipating meeting him, he hadn't believed it!
He thought it was just persuasive rhetoric for surrender. Today, he saw that Young Master Lu was incredibly enthusiastic!
As for these ballistae? What were they? He had only considered how to make the catapults throw further. Ballistae? He had no idea!
However… the name sounded very imposing, and Liu Ye was immediately curious.
…
As far as the eye could see…
Half of the flags and battle drums at the post station were removed. Only then did Lu Yu instruct the convoy to continue forward.
As for… this banquet, he didn't have time to eat it.
Even the "academic exchange" with Liu Ye regarding catapults had to be temporarily put on hold!
The urgent matter was to save someone!
The Long Xiao Camp's convoy… directly passed through the welcoming formation, ignoring the eight-treasure banquet laid out at the post station…
They moved like the wind, heading towards the Qiao family's residence on Wuzhou Mountain!
There, their mother, whom Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao were thinking of, was still waiting! If this Madam Li was not cured, even if Lu Yu wanted to "drive," he would be missing the crucial step of "buying a ticket," and driving on a bumpy road would surely not be comfortable!
However.
After this small interlude, Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao inside the carriage felt their hearts surge with excitement!
Even their chests were constantly rising and falling.
What a smart, what a wise Young Master Lu!
His every word and action, the meticulousness of his thoughts, kept replaying in Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao's minds.
For these two sisters, at this moment, only one sentence appeared on their foreheads—They were in love, truly in love!
And it seemed…
Such an excellent young man, even being his concubine, would be a sense of security, and even… an extremely happy thing!
Truly, they were in love, deeply in love!
And…
As long as… as long as he took action, their mother's illness would surely be cured! It definitely would be!
Looking through the window into the carriage, they could see from afar…
Two beautiful, love-struck "maidens," their eyes were wandering, and their brows and eyes were filled with affectionate gazes…
It seemed that their mother's recovery was already a certainty.
And they… would also step into a new, happy life!
…
…
ps:
(The scene you've been waiting for, an extra, will be on a green boat in Lujiang.)
(If it doesn't pass the review, I'll post it in the group.)