NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 33 - Emperor Wen
Mingde Garden!
This is the courtyard where Xia Qian resides. It is beautiful in spring, with flowers in bloom.
This courtyard is now 400 years old, and every generation of the family head has lived in this courtyard.
Therefore, Mingde Garden is full of traces of the passage of time.
Second Brother!
Xia Chen had just arrived and saw a young man walking out of the courtyard. He was handsome and in his early twenties.
‘Xiao Chen!
The young man was Xia Xuan, Xia Qian’s second son. Xia Xuan was also in the Imperial Guard’s Dragon Military Academy and had risen to the rank of Commandant in just a few years!
He was considered to be one of the young leaders of the Imperial Guard.
Xia Xuan nodded at Xia Chen and couldn’t help but remember the words his father Xia Qian had just said to him. His gaze towards Xia Chen couldn’t help but change slightly.
It was the first time that the Imperial Guard had ever stolen the credit and put it on the Lamplighters, and the key figure was this third younger brother in front of him.
You go in first, Father’s waiting for you!
The two men didn’t exchange many pleasantries, and Xia Xuan nodded and turned away.
Xia Chen was not too surprised either. Xia Xuan had always been so indifferent since he was a child, and there was not much ill will. He had come to this courtyard often when he was young, and the relationship between the two brothers could be described as good.
It was only after he grew up and moved to the courtyard on his own that the relationship became somewhat distant.
Chen!
Xia Chen walked straight into the courtyard and saw Xia Qian sitting in the courtyard as if he had been waiting for him.
Xia Chen bowed and sat down without any ceremony. The maid poured him some tea and then stepped back.
Xia Chen picked up the snacks on the table and began to eat. They were actually quite tasty.
They would make a good breakfast.
He was actually quite familiar with the courtyard, knowing every plant and tree, every maid.
Before the age of 12, he spent most of his time in that courtyard.
However, as he grew up and developed a sense of self-worth, he took the initiative to move out of Mingde Garden and generally stayed in his own small courtyard, except during holidays.
Xia Qian looked at Xia Chen eating with a distant gaze before speaking slowly.
“You’ve drawn the military defence map!
There were no outsiders here, so Xia Qian spoke very directly.
It was almost dawn when he received the news and learned that something big had happened in the palace last night.
You could say that, but I took the credit and let Li Wenzhong take the lead!
Xia Chen replied calmly, swallowing a pastry in his hand and taking a sip of tea.
You did the right thing. After all, you are still just a Commander, and it is not good to be too dazzling when you first enter the officialdom!’
Hearing this, Xia Qian nodded, and his look at Xia Chen contained a little more approval.
‘Do you know what happened last night?’
Xia Qian’s tone changed and he said seriously.
‘I returned home last night after General Li went to the palace overnight, and I didn’t bother with the aftermath!
Xia Chen shook his head, as he couldn’t be involved in the aftermath, so there was no point in bothering with it.
‘Lu Li has fallen!’
Xia Qian’s calm words contained a bomb of information.
Lu Li had been in charge of the Lamplighters for 26 years and had been handpicked by Emperor Wen to do the job. He was the true Lord of Darkness!
Responsible for all the shadowy activities of Dawu!
But now such a figure has fallen. One can imagine that the Dawu officialdom will definitely experience an earthquake as a result. During the reshuffle, a large number of so-called bigwigs in the eyes of ordinary people will be eliminated!
“Because of the military defence plan?”
“Something like that. The theft of the military defence map was Lu Li’s dereliction of duty in the allocation of responsibilities, and this time he has made the mistake of picking the wrong person again, making two big mistakes in a row. Last night, he was relieved of his duties as Commander-in-Chief directly at the palace.”
Xia Qian heaved a long sigh. His emotions were not high, as if he had thought of something.
Xia Chen fell silent. To be honest, he didn’t think about it either, because he had directly brought down the Commander-in-Chief of the Lamplighters, Lu Li, a bigwig who could be ranked among the top five in terms of power in the entire Dawu government.
“This incident was only meant to be the fuse. He has been in charge of the Lamplighters for 26 years, and has been the knife in that person’s hand. He has done too many shady things for this person, and has offended too many people as a result. This time, his downfall seems to be due to a work error, but in reality, all the powers want to stab him!”
Xia Chen looked around, took a sip of tea, and then said calmly.
Xia Qian’s expression changed and his eyes became sharp. The whole process took two or three breaths before he shouted angrily.
“Shut up, be careful what you say!”
Although he was shouting, there was a flash of brilliance in his eyes, and the way he looked at Xia Chen had completely changed.
He never expected that Xia Chen, who had lived in the mansion since he was a child and had no contact with the outside world, would be able to analyse the situation in the court so astutely and see through the phenomenon to the essence.
Although there are many geniuses in the Xia family today, there are very few people with such political acumen, apart from his third younger brother.
Even his two sons are not very sensitive to politics.
But Xia Chen has this insight.
Does heaven really open a door for someone after they have closed a window?
As he thought about this, Xia Qian’s gaze softened towards Xia Chen.
The Xia family has never lacked talented and good-looking people, but it lacks people with strategic vision and political sensitivity.
Without such a thinker in the family, the brighter and more prosperous it is, the closer it is to decline!
“Perhaps it was a mistake to let Chen join the army. I should have let Chen study and follow the path of the scholars. In that case, my third brother would have been less stressed and could have helped share some of the burden. Alas, my second brother!”
Xia Qian sighed in his heart. Back then, he had originally planned to let Xia Chen follow his third younger brother Xia Han to study, but a letter from his second younger brother Xia Yuan stopped him. If he had known, he would not have listened to his second younger brother.
Xia Qian felt a little sorry.
Xia Chen did not know that his words had made Xia Qian think so much.
He looked at Xia Qian, who was a little distracted, and continued to try to say something.
“Our emperor is extremely clever, but he is also extremely selfish. After ruling for so many years, he has constantly provoked the group of civil officials and our group of military heroes to fight, thus balancing the government.
Not only that, but he has also used Princess Pingyang and Lu Li to regain some of his power and bring them into the limelight.
He himself is hiding behind the scenes, sitting high in the sky, watching over us. Lu Li’s hands have been stained with blood over the years, but what major event has he not directed from behind the scenes?
He takes all the credit, but Lu Li takes all the blame. Our Emperor is truly a master of the art of politics!”
Xia Chen has gained a general understanding of the situation in the palace these days, and feels that the current Emperor is very similar to the Jiajing Emperor of his world.
They are all selfish and self-serving, but they are extremely talented. They have been in power for over 50 years, and their control of power is second to none!
“What else do you think?”
Unexpectedly, Xia Qian’s face showed no expression after hearing these disrespectful words, but continued to pursue the matter.