Chapter 876: Conversation with Lin Qiushi, the envoy from Western Shu!
"Your Majesty, Lin Qiushi, please see His Highness the Crown Prince!"
"Mr. Lin, please excuse me."
Ning Fan raised his hand and looked at the most powerful minister in front of him with a smile. Prime Minister Lin had changed a lot in the past few years.
From being dominated by one side of the power at the beginning, he has gradually smoothed out his edges. Now he seems to have completely removed his claws and is happy to hang out in the court.
It has to be said that Lin Qiushi is a smart man, able to assess the situation and be able to bend and stretch. This is also an important reason why Ning Fan can keep him till now.
"Prime Minister Lin, are you ready?"
"Back to Your Highness, I have arranged everything in the court and can leave at any time."
"This trip is of great significance and cannot be known to the world. Therefore, Prime Minister Lin can only proceed in secret. However, the land of Hu Nu is cold and bitter, and the journey is long, so I sent a few followers to accompany Lin Prime Minister."
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
Lin Qiushi's eyes flickered, he picked up the tea served by the waiter, took a sip, and said nothing.
Ning Fan looked calm, and after a brief moment of calm, he said softly: "Isn't Prime Minister Lin at ease?"
Lin Qiushi, who was sipping tea, shook his hand suddenly and almost spilled the tea in the cup. He gently placed it on the table and let out a long sigh.
"Since His Majesty ascended the throne, I have been entrusted with important responsibilities, taking charge of the center, and assisting Your Majesty with all my heart."
"At that time, my country, Yu the Great, was weak. The kings and ministers in the court were all walking on thin ice, and they were bent on strengthening Yu the Great."
"Being in a whirlpool, it is inevitable to be shaken. But as my country's power grows stronger and stronger, Duke Jing severely damages Mobei, and then His Highness is born, and Ding Nanman, it seems that I, Dayu, have also ushered in a turning point."
"But His Highness has made drastic changes to the imperial court, and the Imperial Guards have bloodied the entire Beijing clan. I can't help but feel a little panicked in my heart."
"Back then, His Highness King Sheng was a threat to the Western Region. He was brave and talented, and he had the appearance of a wise king. He was also my wise son-in-law. We and everyone in the court were all happy. I, the Great Yu, have welcomed the wise king again, and will surely become more powerful. "
"But who would have expected that since your highness has gained momentum, the limelight has directly overwhelmed King Sheng, and it has also been like the sun in the court. The more powerful you are, the greater Yu's national power is."
"I know the joy in Your Majesty's heart best, because I have been with Your Majesty through too many ups and downs, and I have suffered a lot of grievances, both overt and covert, which are unknown to outsiders."
"But when His Highness targets a wealthy family, I have no choice but to stand on the opposite side of His Highness, even though I have great respect for His Highness in my heart."
Listening to Lin Qiushi's explanation, Ning Fan also nodded slightly: "Because, the Lin family is the leader of a group of Gyeonggi aristocratic families?"
"not only that!"
Lin Qiushi shook his head and said sadly: "I am in a high position, so naturally there is a group of people behind me who rely on me."
"I... Gu Ziran understands."
Lin Qiushi's eyelids twitched suddenly, pretending that he didn't hear anything: "Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness."
"However, Gu is considerate of Lin Xiang, and Lin Xiang should naturally accommodate Gu Cai!"
"In the past few years, the civil and military ministers in the court have changed one after another, and the dead souls under the swords of the imperial guards have also been one after another."
"Xiang Lin should understand Gu's thoughts!"
"No matter who it is, as long as it blocks my way and the way for me, Dayu, to become stronger, I will clean it up with all my strength, and I will never show mercy."
"From the reform of the military system, the selection of scholars through the imperial examination, to the establishment of the three central provinces, although Gu did not do everything personally, he also knew that reform was not an easy task."
"Prime Minister Lin has always been cautious in his actions. Gu believes that Prime Minister Lin will never stand against me, Dayu, or against Gu, right?"
Lin Qiushi cursed secretly in his heart, but smiled compensatingly on his face: "Of course!"
"I am loyal to Dayu, and I have great respect for His Highness. I should obey orders and follow his lead!"
"Hahaha!"
Ning Fan smiled heartily and stepped forward to pull Lin Qiushi's sleeves affectionately: "Since Lin believes in Gu, Gu will never betray Prime Minister Lin. Even if you go on this trip, Gu will personally serve Lin Xiang wine when you return." Celebrate!”
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
"Somebody come!"
Ning Fan shouted softly, and saw two figures coming to the front of the hall together, slightly arching their hands.
"Uncle Lin and Uncle Ye, I'd rather trouble you two to go to Hunu with Mr. Lin."
"yes!"
Lin Yong and Ye You were once colleagues, and both of them were survivors of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Now, Ning Fan naturally had a lot of meaning in sending them to come forward.
You must know that the mysterious forces left behind by the Great Zhou Dynasty have always been hidden behind Ye You. Ning Fan has never asked about it, and Ye You has never taken the initiative to reveal it. Now that the two of them are traveling far away, Lin Qiushi's safety is not a worry.
"Excuse me, you two."
Lin Qiushi also bowed slightly to the two of them, without pretending to be a prime minister.
"Xiang Lin, goodbye!"
"My lord, resign!"
The three of them walked out of the hall together. Lin Qiushi suddenly turned around and hesitated to speak.
I heard a long voice coming from the hall: "You have to be careful, Prime Minister Lin's face must be taken into consideration."
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
A wry smile appeared on Lin Qiushi's face. He had an 'in-depth communication' with His Highness the Crown Prince for the first time. He discovered that His Highness's ability to reach this point was definitely not due to luck.
It's a pity that after this trip, Dayu may have really changed!
"Your Highness, a group of students from Western Shu want to see you. The leader is a famous Confucian from Western Shu and a prosperous scholar!"
"It's them?"
Ning Fan was also stunned for a moment, but he didn't expect that Wen Daochang and the others were really chasing him.
"Let them in!"
"yes!"
Not long after, Wen Daochang and three middle-aged men with extraordinary bearing walked into the hall together. They were not the students from Western Shu who followed Wen Daochang when he was in Jixia, but three strangers.
"Greetings to His Royal Highness Prince Dayu."
"No need to greet!"
Ning Fan sat at the head, with Dian Wei guarding him. Xun Yu, Guo Jia and others also heard the news and came to the hall together.
"Master Wen, we haven't seen each other for a few days. I didn't expect to meet again in the capital."
"Hahaha!"
Wen Daochang also laughed heartily: "That day in Jixia, I admired Your Highness very much, and I had thousands of ideas in my heart that I wanted to ask Your Highness for advice."
"Oh?" Ning Fan deliberately raised his eyebrows: "So, Master Wen came here for academic purposes today?"
"No!"
Wen Daochang saw Ning Fan went straight to the point and didn't beat around the bush: "Your Highness, these three are people from my West Shu court."
"This is my West Shu envoy, the Minister of the Honglu Temple, Lord Hu Min!"
"These two are my West Shu ministers, Lord Zheng and Lord Wang."
The three of them came forward to greet him one by one, but Ning Fan squinted his eyes and looked at the people in front of him.
This is interesting. West Shu came to visit without a letter of credence, official documents, or a staff, but came in secret. Its meaning is really worth pondering.
However, what is there now that is worth West Shu's personal visit but is not convenient to make public?
Ning Fan subconsciously glanced at Guo Jia.
…