Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 153 Taking Office (Part 1)

Lu Shang lowered his eyes and agreed. Even if Lu Yongji hadn't said anything, he also had the idea of ​​expanding his power.

The governor of Liangzhou, who controlled a region and held real military and political power, was perfectly suited to cultivate his own faction and build up his own power base.

Lu Yongji stood by the window, looking at Lu Shang, and sighed, "In the past, I was afraid that you would not amount to anything and that you would suffer after I left, so I went to great lengths to find a future for you."

“Now, you have become too accomplished, favored by the emperor, appointed as a local official, and a county magistrate at the age of sixteen. You have achieved great success at a young age. But I am afraid that you will lose your virtue because of this, bringing disaster to our family and ending our family line!”

Lü Shang looked up, his gaze calm as a deep pool, and said, "Father, rest assured, I know what's important."

Seeing the resolute look in his son's eyes, Lü Yongji felt a sense of relief and said softly, "Since the Emperor has issued the decree, you cannot stay in Daxing for long. Go back to your residence and prepare for your new post."

"Yes,"

Lu Shang bowed his head in agreement, and as he left the study, he glanced at Lu Yongji's complexion again. During the five days he had been "recuperating in seclusion" at the Duke's mansion, he had secretly scraped off some Changchun Pill fragments each day and mixed them into Lu Yongji's tea.

After five consecutive days of treatment, Lü Yongji's complexion improved significantly. His face no longer had a sallow or withered look; instead, it had a warm, jade-like luster. The purplish-black veins between his fingers and knuckles faded to a pale blue, and the lunulae at his fingernails gradually regained their fullness and brightness.

"It seems that my body has been almost fully restored," Lü Shang thought to himself.

"In a few more days, perhaps we will reach the point where our body and spirit are in harmony, and we can live out our natural lifespan."

The reason Lü Shang nourished Lü Yongji's body daily with cinnabar powder instead of giving him the whole Changchun Pill was not because he was stingy with the pill, but because Lü Yongji's physical condition simply did not allow him to consume the whole pill.

It's important to understand that Lü Yongji came from a peasant background and suffered greatly in his early years, resulting in severe physical deterioration. Although he gained prominence and had the opportunity to recuperate, his health had already been fundamentally damaged, and ordinary treatments were no longer sufficient to cure him.

Even if Lü Shang possessed the elixir of immortality and the miraculous medicine to replenish Lü Yongji's physical deficiencies, he should proceed slowly and gently, taking the best approach.

During the three hundred years of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the world was in turmoil, with constant warfare and the imperial reigns changing like a revolving lantern. The common people were like tumbleweeds in the wind, with farmers living at the bottom of society and their lives as worthless as grass. The government imposed heavy taxes and corvée labor, leaving them with nowhere to stand. In addition, there were wars and natural disasters. When the North and South fought each other, the common people were the first to suffer.

As an ordinary farmer's son, Lü Yongji survived until Yang Jian became emperor, and the hardships he endured far exceeded what ordinary people could imagine. Even today, the common people of the Northern and Southern Dynasties often boiled elm bark for food, and in years of famine, they would even gather bones to cook and exchange children to eat.

After leaving the study, Lü Shang returned to Zhangtai Villa by stepping on the bluestone slabs of the corridor. The copper bells under the eaves swayed gently in the night breeze. He pushed open the door, dismissed the servants, and sat down alone at his desk. He spread out a map of Liangzhou and traced the vermilion mark of Yumen Pass with his finger.

Liangzhou

Nothing more was said that night. The next morning, Lü Shang went straight out.

"Go to the Prince Kao Shan's Mansion,"

There were already carriages waiting in front of the Duke's mansion. After he entered the carriage, he instructed the coachman, who responded and immediately cracked the whip, and the carriage moved forward.

The carriage procession passed through Zhuque Avenue, the curtains of the carriages half-rolled up, revealing the new green of the weeping willows along the roadside. Upon arriving at the Prince Kaoshan's residence, the coachman tightened the reins, bringing the carriage to a stop.

At the same time, the vermilion-lacquered, copper-studded gate of the Prince Kaoshan's mansion was wide open, with a stone lion in front of it holding an embroidered ball under its paw, looking majestic and imposing.

Lü Shang stepped down from the carriage, the jade belt at his waist jingling softly with his movements. A master of ceremonies from the Prince's residence came to greet him, leading him through three courtyards to the inner hall. He followed slowly behind the master of ceremonies, admiring the furnishings of the Prince's residence.

Prince Yang Lin had treated him extremely well, and he deeply respected this old prince. Now that he was about to leave the capital for Liangzhou, it was only out of courtesy and reason that he should pay a visit to Prince Yang Lin before leaving. The hall was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood incense. Prince Yang Lin leaned against a folding chair, toying with a jade ruyi scepter in his hand. His gaze, sharp as a hawk's, swept over Lü Shang. He wore a black brocade robe embroidered with auspicious beasts in gold thread, exuding an imposing aura.

"Greetings, Your Excellency," Lü Shang said, lifting his robe to perform a deep bow.

"No need for formalities," Yang Lin said, tapping the armrest of the folding chair with his knuckles. His voice was deep and resonant. "I heard you're going to Liangzhou soon. I should have prepared a farewell feast for you, but I've invited you to come first."

As he spoke, the old prince looked at his future grand-nephew-in-law and grew to like him more and more. Finally, he waved his hand and said with a smile, "Well, since you're already here, the wine and meat in my mansion are ready. Consider it a farewell dinner for you."

"Come, let's have a feast,"

Upon hearing the order from the King of Kao Shan, the servants entered the inner hall one after another, carrying various utensils in their hands. A faint fragrance of agarwood wafted from the bronze animal-head incense burner.

"Flying Bear, you're in for a treat!"

Yang Lin gestured for Lü Shang to sit down opposite him on the folding chair. A maid brought over a celadon plate containing only millet rice, pickles, and stewed mutton, along with two steaming bowls of wheat porridge.

Lu Shang's gaze swept over the food table, and he saw that the mutton was stewed until tender, the soup was clear, and the pickles were cut into fine strands.

"good,"

Yang Lin picked up a piece of pickled vegetable with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. He looked up at Lü Shang and said, "Come, try the food in my residence and see if it suits your taste."

Lü Shang picked up the ivory chopsticks, first took a pinch of pickled vegetables, and put them in his mouth. They were crisp and refreshing with a hint of honey sweetness. Upon closer inspection, there were even pine nut crumbs mixed in, leaving a lingering fragrance between his teeth.

Seeing Lü Shang eating so carefully, Yang Lin suddenly slammed his chopsticks down on the table and sighed, "Fei Xiong, do you know what the most tragic scene I have ever witnessed since I joined the army is?"

Lü Shang replied, "Shang, I don't know."

A trace of pain flashed across Yang Lin's eyes as he said softly, "It was the 'human cooks' outside Xuzhou City. At that time, in the Xuzhou area, the old, weak, women and children were all used as military rations. Their bones were piled up like mountains, and what was cooked in the pots and stoves was not millet, but rice and meat."

"The able-bodied died on the blade, the old and weak were left to die in ditches, for thousands of miles there was no smoke, and people ate each other."

"rice meat,"

Lu Shang's chopsticks paused in mid-air. He looked up at the old man on the couch and saw the candlelight flickering on the beast-head candlestick.

"What the old lord said is also the reason why I can't sleep at night."

Lu Shang thought for a moment, put down his ivory chopsticks, placed his hands on the table, and said, "Since the Yongjia Rebellion, the Central Plains have been in turmoil for three hundred years. The common people are like ants, and the government is like tigers and wolves. My Lu family is originally a farming family, so naturally we have a deep understanding of this."

"Having gained the Emperor's trust, I was sent to govern a region and establish a fiefdom, hoping to achieve something. I dare not say that I can provide the people of Liangzhou with two meals a day, but if I can at least fill their stomachs, then my trip to Liangzhou will not have been in vain."

"This child is teachable."

Seeing Lü Shang's sincerity, Yang Lin nodded approvingly and said, "Now that you can say such things, I can rest assured that you can go to Liangzhou."

(End of this chapter)