diymy Chapter 158 Lü Zhen: My maternal grandfather was the first emperor of ancient times.
Chapter 158 Lü Zhen: My maternal grandfather was the first emperor of ancient times.
"Your Majesty overestimates Wagang," Lü Xiao said with a smile. "Why would we need hundreds of thousands of men to deal with mere bandits? I have my own plans."
Yang Guang nodded and said no more.
He turned around, took one last look at the mountain of gold filling the treasury, and suddenly said, "I don't want this money. You can dispose of it as you see fit."
Yang Guang never intended to ask Lü Xiao for money; he only wanted to know how much money the Zheng family had.
Judging from the vast wealth that Lü Xiao acquired, the Zheng family was not exactly clean either.
He did contribute money over the years to the construction of the canal.
However, this money, once allocated by the imperial court, had to pass through many hands.
After a while, not much of it reached the common people.
The biggest beneficiaries were the powerful families and clans surrounding the canal.
Now, they must be forced to spit it all out!
He waved his hand, indicating that no one needed to see him off, and walked out of the warehouse alone with his hands behind his back.
After Yang Guang had gone some distance, Yuwen Chenglong finally breathed a sigh of relief and moved closer to Lü Xiao:
"Your Highness, you can rest assured now. His Majesty not only didn't blame us, but he also refused the money."
He paused, then said earnestly, "But Your Highness, in the future we should...be more honest. Your little bit of honesty is truly frightening."
Lu Xiao remained noncommittal, only saying, "Take stock of the money here and give your father ten percent."
"Don't worry, Your Highness!" Yuwen Chenglong patted his chest.
"My father didn't take the money for nothing. He was the one who ordered the grave digging!"
Our Yuwen family has grudges against all the other aristocratic families. Digging up their ancestral graves is acting on behalf of Heaven!
Yuwen Huaji listened from the side, his lips twitching.
That's a really good reason.
"Yes, yes, I instructed them." Yuwen Huaji continued, stuffing the gold ingots into his sleeve pocket one by one.
When his sleeve pockets were full, he took off his outer robe and spread it on the ground to continue stuffing.
Because of the weight of the gold, he could no longer straighten his back.
"You and your son can take your time," Lü Xiao shook his head and turned to leave.
It was already late when they returned to the Prince Shuo's residence.
The mansion was brightly lit, and the laughter of children could be heard from afar.
Lu Xiao followed the sound and saw a scene in the pavilion in the back garden that made him both laugh and cry.
Yang Guang was holding Lü Zhen, sitting on a stone bench, the old man and the young man having a great time.
Little Lü Zhen was already old enough to talk, and at that moment he was grabbing Yang Guang's beard and giggling.
"My dear grandson," Yang Guang teased him, "what should you call me?"
Little Lü Zhen tilted his head, his big, dark eyes darting around, and said in a childish voice, "The greatest emperor of all time!"
Upon hearing this, Yang Guang was immediately stunned.
That kid's really something, he knows how to say nice things.
Any other grandson would be overjoyed to call him grandfather.
Only Lü Zhen would call him the greatest emperor of all time.
"Hahaha!" Yang Guang burst into laughter, his beard trembling with mirth. "Good! Good! Truly worthy of being my grandson!"
Lu Xiao stood outside the moon gate, completely frozen in place.
This...this was taught by Yang Ruyi?
He had originally planned to personally teach Lü Zhen martial arts when he got a little older, to see if the child had any talent for it.
But now...
His talent for martial arts hasn't been revealed yet, but his skill in flattery is self-taught and has surpassed his teacher.
In the pavilion, when Xiao Lüzhen saw his grandfather smiling, he also chuckled, revealing his two small front teeth.
The moonlight shone on the old man and the young man, creating a heartwarming scene.
Lu Xiao silently turned around, deciding to have a serious talk with Yang Ruyi.
This son can no longer be taught by her.
"Oh, you're back?"
Yang Ruyi sat upright at her desk in the inner room, writing something down.
Hearing the curtain rustle, she looked up and saw Lü Xiao. A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, but she quickly smiled.
The candlelight flickered, illuminating her beautiful face.
Today she wore a light blue ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), which gave her a gentle and scholarly air that was rarely seen on her usual days.
However, the glint in her almond-shaped eyes revealed the burgeoning ambition beneath her gentle demeanor.
"How did you raise Zhen'er?"
Lu Xiao cut to the chase, his temples throbbing at the thought of his son's flattery of the "Emperor of a Thousand Ages."
If word gets out in the future, his reputation as the God of War of the Great Sui Dynasty will likely be tinged with the influence of his family's scholarly tradition by his son.
Good heavens, Dad is invincible on the battlefield.
The son is an unparalleled flatterer; the Lü family is truly accomplished in both literature and martial arts.
"How was the teaching?" Yang Ruyi put down her pen, her eyes full of pride. "Did I make Father Emperor very happy?"
As she spoke, she even raised her chin, giving me a look that said, "Praise me!"
"You've become arrogant?" Lu Xiao said, both amused and exasperated.
The scene at the pavilion just now not only pleased him, but practically made Yang Guang a cynical swindler.
"What's wrong? You're allowed to flatter me, but I'm not allowed to teach my son?" Yang Ruyi pouted and mimicked her words sarcastically.
"I don't know who it was that, when I first met my father, said something about His Majesty's divine might, and that I dared not utter a sound."
That flattery was so blatant, I could smell it from three zhang away.
"..."
Lu Xiao was speechless.
His dark past from his youth was brought up again, and even with his thick skin, he felt his ears burning.
"Relax," Yang Ruyi said softly, her mood improving at his setback. She got up, walked to his side, and took his hand.
"Our Zhen'er is very smart. Mr. Fang and Mr. Du both praised him for his extraordinary talent. He can learn anything very quickly and understand it very easily."
Lu Xiao didn't want to dwell on this topic, so he turned his gaze to the desk.
There were several books piled up there, some already bound, and some still loose pages.
He opened the book, but after reading only a few pages, his brows furrowed more and more.
These are no ordinary books.
It is clearly a strategy guide for emperors compiled by Yang Ruyi herself.
Page after page, line after line, the handwriting is beautiful, but the content is breathtaking.
Thirty-Six Strategies for Winning Over Your Grandfather's Heart
From feigning ignorance and acting cute to catering to his preferences, from timely displays of skill to playing hard to get, the book meticulously records how he gradually won Yang Guang's favor.
How to remove corrupt officials from the emperor's inner circle
It lists the networks of various major forces in the government and analyzes who can be won over and who must be eliminated.
Even the specific methods were written down clearly.
Poisoning, framing, sowing discord, assassination...
Even more outrageous are the titles: "How to Cultivate Trusted Individuals," "How to Control the Army," and "How to Balance the Court."
There are more than ten books in total.
Lu Xiao felt a chill run down his spine.
This woman truly dedicated her life to raising her son to become emperor.
She considered everything, from soft to hard tactics, from literary to martial arts, from intrigue to open strategy.
"Ruyi," Lu Xiao closed the book, rubbed his temples, and looked at her helplessly, "If all else fails... you can become the emperor, I'll support you."
Rather than burdening her son with so much at such a young age, it would be better to let Yang Ruyi fight for it herself.
She was Yang Guang's biological daughter and Lü Zhen's biological mother. If she had the support of a war god like herself...
She might be able to compete with Yang You for the position of Crown Princess.
"What nonsense are you spouting!" Yang Ruyi's eyes widened, as if she had suffered a great injustice. "Am I the kind of person who usurps power and harbors treacherous ambitions?"