Golden Branch

Wang Heng felt a little uneasy when Wang Mian looked at her.

She subconsciously moved away and kept some distance from Wang Mian.

"A Mian, what's wrong with you?"

Wang Heng couldn't help but ask, "Why do you look so weird?"

There is both interesting exploration and an indescribable excitement.

What stimulated Amian?

Why is she excited?

They were talking about Lu Jue and the gossip about the Lu and Yang families. What does it have to do with Amian?

Wang Heng expressed her confusion as to why she could be so excited even though it had nothing to do with her.

"...No! Haha, nothing!"

Wang Mian quickly wiped away the saliva that flowed from his mouth because of his crazy support for the CP and denied it repeatedly.

It’s fun to ship couples, but you shouldn’t mess with perverts.

That Lu Jue looks like the male lead, but Jiu Niang may not be his official match.

Just like Zhou Jiming before, Wang Mian also thought that he was the male protagonist of the imperial examination essay, and she even tried to curry favor with him in advance.

result--

Alas, cannon fodder is cannon fodder.

You can’t just join the protagonist group if you want to.

Wang Mian returned to reality and stopped YYing, and continued to gossip with Wang Heng:

"Jiu Niang, you just said that the Lu family—"

Wang Heng waved her hand, interrupting Wang Mian. "I was just overthinking it! This has nothing to do with us, and it's been so long, the truth is long gone."

There is no need to explore.

Wang Heng was just listening to her best friend sharing gossip, she noticed something wrong and blurted it out.

After saying that, she regretted it.

It has nothing to do with you, so why bother digging into it and making unwarranted guesses?

"……Right!"

Wang Mian thinks Lu Jue is like the male protagonist, but Jiu Niang and she are not necessarily the protagonists.

They are all just passers-by, so they should not get involved in the right and wrong of the protagonists.

"Nine Lady, I also heard that Mr. Lu originally didn't want to come to Yizhou."

The contribution of the canal is indeed valuable, second only to military achievements, and will also be recorded in history.

However, Lu Jue is a young general, and his target is the Marquis of Guanjun. What he wants to do is to kill enemies and make merit on the battlefield, rather than guarding the river and waiting for credit.

In particular, there was a young man younger than him who fought hard against the Turks and even went deep into the northwestern royal court, capturing alive the Zuo Xian Wang, who was second only to the Turkic Khan.

Yu and Liang sighed, there are pearls and jades beside us.

Lu Jue was even more eager to go to the battlefield and establish his own unprecedented achievements.

The Left and Right Turks have always been restless, and there are also foreign countries such as Tubo, Gaochang, Tuyuhun, Goguryeo, etc.

As long as we want, there is no shortage of foreign enemies to conquer.

Unfortunately, the saint had just ascended the throne, and the court still needed to be stabilized. The powerful and court officials needed to be appeased, so he could not easily mobilize troops.

The sage was also afraid that the proud young man he had raised would lose control and run to the border town without permission, so he simply found him a job and sent him to Yizhou.

Lu Jue: ...I want to fight a war, not build a crappy river channel!

He is a soldier, not a river engineer!

Not a playboy who just sits back and enjoys the fruits of others’ labor!

With a lot of anger, Lu Jue had to come to Yizhou.

After arriving in Yizhou and settling into the river camp, he did not do his job obediently. Instead, he took his personal guards and wandered around.

He thought that even if he couldn't defeat the enemy, he could still satisfy his desire by suppressing the bandits.

Where there are mountains, there will be bandits.

As long as there is water in the Yi River, there should be no shortage of water bandits.

Although these are just a mob and cannot be compared with the fierce and brutal foreign enemies, it is better than nothing.

Not to mention his personal guards, even he himself would have his bones rusted if he didn't exercise.

However, Lu Jue never expected that in such a large city like Yizhou, there was not even a large-scale bandit den!

Water bandits?

Haha, after repeated crackdowns by Yang Rui, Lou Yu and Xiao Wuzhi, they have long disappeared!

Lu Jue went around the capital city and various county towns in Yizhou, and not only did he not see any thieves or bandits, he also did not see any idlers, gangsters, or wanderers.

Those adult men either worked in the fields or at the docks, and those who had free time were sent to the river.

It can be said that all the men in Yizhou are very busy.

Everyone has their own duties and makes the best use of their abilities. The key is to be able to support your family through labor.

For thousands of years from ancient times to the present, the people of the Celestial Empire will not become bandits or rebel as long as they can survive.

The prosperity of Yizhou and the clean government completely put an end to the breeding of banditry.

Yizhou, no bandits!

While Lu Jue felt regretful, he couldn't help but marvel: Is the security here really so good?

The people can live and work in peace and contentment, which is just like the beautiful fantasy of "all under heaven are one family".

Although he was unable to train his troops and stretch his muscles, Lu Jue would not really want chaos or banditry for his own selfish reasons.

If you want to be active, go hunting.

In addition to hunting, Lu Jue will also learn in detail - who is responsible for the peace in Yizhou?

Is it the governor of Yizhou, Lu Huaijin, who is of the same clan as him?

Or is it the newly-appointed Duke of Qi, the famous Little Overlord Lou Yu of Qi?

When Lu Jue first came to Yizhou, the first person he visited was Lu Huaijin.

In public, Lu Huaijin was the governor, the highest official in the local area.

As the general manager of the river, although Lu Jue is not under the jurisdiction of Lu Huaijin, he still has to deal with him.

Lu Huaijin's help is needed in matters such as recruiting laborers and mobilizing food and fodder.

Lu Jue is proud and flamboyant, but not stupid.

He would not show off his power in Yizhou just because of his noble status and the emperor's favor.

He is not his "predecessor" who died in vain, and he would never rashly offend someone who should have been a helper like Lou Rang did.

It’s better for the county magistrate to take charge now.

He couldn't just go to his uncle to complain over some trivial matter.

If he couldn't even do the job of a mere river manager, how could his uncle trust him to be the army commander in the future?

Personally, Lu Huaijin is a member of the Lu family, his clan member, and in terms of seniority, he is also his uncle.

Perhaps because Lu Jue was raised in his uncle's house, he was not familiar with his family, but as they had the same surname and clan, the family bloodline could not be severed.

No matter how noble Lu Jue's status is, when he comes in front of Lu Huaijin, he will politely call him "Uncle"!

Lu Jue was humble towards Lu Huaijin, and Lu Huaijin naturally would not take advantage of his seniority.

Who is Lu Jue?

The eldest son of Princess Jincheng, and the nephew raised by the saint and the queen.

When the old sage founded a new dynasty and rewarded his meritorious officials, Lu Jue was awarded an honorary position.

After the saint ascended the throne, he personally granted Lu Jue a mansion and allowed him to enter the palace without an imperial edict.

He, a foreigner, entered the palace as casually as if he were returning to his own home.

The Princess of Jincheng has more than one son, Lu Jue, and the Saint has more than one nephew, but in the capital, Lu Jue is unique, extremely noble and respectable.

Such a person, even in the local area, is a "fierce dragon" that officials and wealthy families dare not offend.

People are willing to treat you with courtesy because they know the rules and are humble, not because it is a necessity.

If someone thinks Lu Jue is easy to manipulate and tries to bully him, the result will be disastrous:

It is lucky to die alone.

If you are not careful, one person may die and his household registration may be destroyed, or even the entire family tree may be lost!

Can't afford it!

I really can’t afford it!

Facing Lu Jue, a humble and proud young man, Lu Huaijin did not dare to be arrogant at all.

Even if you want to be an elder, you should be kind and not majestic.

Even to a certain captain from a poor family who followed Lu Jue and was once his adopted nephew's husband, Lu Huaijin was very polite.

Even when Lu Huaijin realized that the ruffian wanted to reconcile with his niece, he was extremely supportive - as long as Lu Jialan was willing to remarry Yuwen Zhan, he would give his niece a generous dowry!

Of course, these are things to follow.

For now, Lu Huaijin treats Lu Jue as his little ancestor, and does his best to coax, praise and serve him.

Lu Jue stayed in the governor's mansion for a few days and had several private conversations with Lu Huaijin. He found that this man was an old fox.

He is ruthless and good at calculating.

He is smart, but not brave or decisive.

It is impossible for a veteran official like him to have the determination and ability to eliminate banditry in Yizhou.

Therefore, the person who truly made Yizhou so peaceful should be another core figure - Lou Yu!

……

"I apologize for the hassle I caused you by coming here so rashly!"

When Lu Jue heard the news of Lou Yu's return, he rushed to visit him immediately.

When they met, both young men were surprised at each other's youth and handsomeness.

Both of them have deep ties with the royal family.

Lu Jue was raised by the saint, while Lou Yu was trained by the prince himself.

Each of them has the shadow of the supreme father and son.

Lu Jue is like a sword drawn from its sheath, sharp and powerful.

Lou Yu is like a sword placed in a scabbard, concealing its edge and being reserved and implicit.

Although Lu Jue is two years older, Lou Yu looks gentler and more stable.

Lu Jue is a free-spirited young man, lively and outspoken.

Lou Yu is a gentleman like jade, upright and generous.

Lu Jue greeted him politely, and Lou Yu responded perfectly: "General Lu, you are so polite. I am honored to have you visit my humble home."

Lu Jue has not yet officially entered the officialdom. He only has the title of General of the Cavalry awarded by the old saint.

It was proper for Lou Yu to respectfully address him as "General Lu".

At most, it was just some proud young man, feeling a little awkward: "General? What kind of general am I?"

If you have never led troops to fight alone and have never made any military achievements, how can you be worthy of being a general?

Of course, Lu Jue wouldn't be so dark as to think that Lou Yu was mocking or bullying him!

Lou Yu is not that bad yet.

He should also disdain it!

Lu Jue saw the shadow of his elder brother in Lou Yu.

Lu Jue also knew that Lou Yu was raised by his elder brother through his words and deeds.

The eldest brother is the most generous and kind.

The children he raises, even if they are not true gentlemen, will not have bad character.

"When I was in the capital, I heard of the Duke of Qi's fame. He was young and ambitious, and he personally led a large army to resist the Turks."

"Afterwards, they went deep into the northwest and attacked the Turkic royal court..."

When talking about Lou Yu's battle record, Lu Jue truly admired him and felt deeply envious.

Why doesn’t my uncle agree to let me lead the troops to war?

The Turks were watching us covetously, and if we were defeated once, we would never be able to completely submit.

We should pursue the victory and flatten the grassland. Even if we cannot destroy the Turks, we must tear them apart and make it impossible for them to invade Dayu again!

Lu Jue, who was born and raised in the military, was a passionate man. He admired the strong the most. He instinctively admired, respected, and respected Lou Yu, who had already defeated the Turks...