sjar Chapter 858 Li Che's "Scene Chapter"
Chapter 858 Li Che's "Scene Chapter"
Du He was stunned. Seeing the axe coming down on his head, it was as if his Ren and Du meridians were opened.
I don't know where the strength came from, I immediately clamped my legs together with all my strength, and then with a loud noise -
A hot current surges between the legs!
At the critical moment, Du Fuchen rushed over.
Seeing the terrifying axe about to split his son in half, he was so frightened that he almost lost his soul and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"General Ma! Spare his life! Wait a minute!"
When Ma Jing heard the familiar shout, his powerful downward chop suddenly stopped.
Of course he recognized Du Fuchen.
As a close minister of the previous emperor, Du Fuchen had been sent to inspect the border many times and had met him several times.
After a moment of hesitation, the sharp blade of the giant axe narrowly passed by Du He's neck, and the strong wind it brought made Du He's cheek hurt.
When Li Che and his generals hurried to the city gate, they saw this scene:
Du He collapsed on his horse, his face pale, and a dark stain of water was dripping down from his crotch.
The horse seemed to find the fishy smell unbearable and was pacing restlessly on the spot.
Ma Jing, holding a huge axe, stood opposite an elderly scholar who looked exhausted from traveling, his eyes still filled with vigilance.
Li Che saw the old scholar's face clearly, and was stunned at first, then blurted out in surprise:
"Du Xiang? Is it really you?!"
When Du Fuchen saw Li Che in person, his heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally settled down.
He took a long breath and bowed, "Old Minister Du Fuchen pays homage to Your Majesty."
Li Che immediately looked at Ma Jing and explained with a smile: "General Ma, quickly put away your weapons. Prime Minister Du is one of us, not an enemy!"
Ma Jing then put down his axe doubtfully, but his eyes were still wandering between Du Fuchen and Du He.
Li Che had not arrived just now, so he did not dare to relax at all.
Although he recognized Du Fuchen, he had also heard that he stayed in the pseudo-emperor's court to serve. Now that he suddenly appeared outside the city of Luoyang, he naturally did not dare to take it lightly because of their old friendship.
Now that he heard Li Che say in person that Du Fuchen was one of his own, Ma Jing felt relieved but also felt a little regretful.
It's a pity that I was unable to submit my surrender to Your Majesty today.
But it doesn't matter. When you return to the northwest and pass by any rebel city, you can just kill the defending general and hand him over to Your Majesty.
Li Che dismounted swiftly, stepped forward quickly, and supported Du Fuchen with both hands, his tone full of concern: "Prime Minister Du, why are you here? And in such a hurry?"
He glanced at Du Fuchen and his group, and seeing their slightly embarrassed appearance, he felt even more puzzled.
Du Fuchen is the most trusted minister of Emperor Qing and the pillar of Daqing. Controlling him means controlling half of Daqing's government affairs and intelligence.
Li Che never dreamed that he would see him at the foot of Luoyang City.
Du Fuchen's face was bitter: "Your Majesty, this matter is really... a long story."
Li Che saw that he looked tired, and it was obvious that he had suffered a lot during the journey.
He immediately stopped asking questions and said considerately, "Prime Minister Du, please follow me into the city quickly. Wash up and rest first. We can discuss other matters later."
Du Fuchen had been worried and frightened all the way, and had been on a bumpy journey. He was indeed at the end of his strength and had lost half his life.
At this moment, he didn't bother to exchange pleasantries with Li Che and nodded gratefully.
After entering the city, Li Che arranged the best accommodation for Du Fuchen and his party to rest.
Du Fuchen took a good bath, changed his clothes, had some light meals, and took a short nap. He felt much more refreshed.
Only then did he tidy up his clothes and go to the government office to meet Li Che.
At this time, Li Che and Ma Jing were drinking tea in the hall and discussing the details of the transportation of military equipment to the northwest.
Seeing Du Fuchen coming in, Li Che immediately put down his teacup and personally stood up to greet him: "Prime Minister Du, you have worked hard on the journey."
Du Fuchen shook his head and said with emotion: "It is a great honor for me to be able to see Your Majesty alive. How can I say it is hard work."
Ma Jing also saw that Li Che and Du Fuchen had important matters to discuss, so he found an excuse to leave and left the two of them alone to talk.
The two men sat down again and the guards served them new tea.
Li Che couldn't contain his curiosity and asked, "Prime Minister Du, what exactly happened in the imperial capital? Why did you suddenly leave Beijing and come to Luoyang?"
Du Fuchen sighed and recounted how Qin Huizhi had proposed dividing the country into north and south in the imperial court and how he had fiercely opposed it.
He also recounted in detail how Qin Huizhi recommended him to be on the diplomatic mission, how he dismissed his servants, and how he set out on a starry journey north.
After hearing this, Li Che was stunned at first, and then he couldn't help clapping his hands and bursting into laughter.
"Hahahahaha!"
"What a Li Ming! What a Qin Huizhi! How could they be so foolish as to personally send you, Prime Minister Du, a pillar of Daqing, to me?"
"Qin Huizhi, this idiot, actually wants to use me to get rid of you. He is simply stupid!"
Du Fuchen nodded and said, "Your Majesty, you are wise. Qin Huizhi did intend to kill someone with a borrowed knife, but he didn't know..."
He paused here.
As if remembering something, he looked up at Li Che with confusion in his eyes: "Your Majesty, when you saw me outside the city just now, you seemed to confirm without surprise that I am loyal to Your Majesty."
"But... I, after all, come from an aristocratic family and have always served in the Pseudo-Emperor's court. Why are you so certain that I am not serving the King of Zhou, but rather that my loyalty lies with Your Majesty?"
Upon hearing this, Li Che's smile faded a lot and his expression became serious.
He replied without hesitation, "Prime Minister Du, from the very beginning, I have never doubted your loyalty to the late emperor."
Just this one sentence made Du Fuchen tremble all over, and his old eyes instantly became moist.
He has experienced the ups and downs of officialdom and has seen too much suspicion and betrayal.
Hearing the new king's unreserved trust at this moment, the loyalty that had never wavered finally found a home.
His voice trembled slightly as he said, "Your Majesty, thank you for your trust!"
Li Che said comfortingly, "Now that Prime Minister Du has arrived in Luoyang, you can rest assured."
"I've stationed my troops here and haven't rushed south. Besides the hot weather and the soldiers needing rest, I'm also genuinely concerned for your safety. I'm afraid the aristocratic families will become desperate and act against you."
"Now, Li Ming and Qin Huizhi are so foolish as to send you here on their own initiative. From now on, I can rest easy!"
Upon hearing this, Du Fuchen knew that Li Che's words contained some soothing elements.
Li Che rose to power through military prowess and was a master at using troops. How could he hesitate to advance just because of an old minister like him?
But even if it was just polite words, when spoken by the young emperor himself, the respect and importance shown still made Lao Huai very happy.
If you are hypocritical all your life, is that still hypocrisy?
When the emperor speaks these empty words, who dares to say they are just empty words?
At least the emperor wouldn't admit it, and I wouldn't be stupid enough to admit it was just a polite remark...
Your Majesty's ability to govern your subordinates is no less than that of the late emperor.