The person who came was an elder. He looked to be in his sixties, but those who knew him well knew that he was an old man.
This person was called Lv Yun. He had lived through three dynasties in Beiji.
The Lv family was a literary family with a heritage of more than three hundred years. Their children were knowledgeable and talented. However, the Lv family had few children, which led to the Lv family's decline.
Even so, Lv Yun's influence in the court was not to be underestimated.
When Li Qitian first ascended the throne, he saw Lv Yun as a model of Beiji's cultural heritage. In order to express his attitude, he personally visited the Lv family as the Emperor and had a long talk with Lv Yun. Since then, it had become a much-told story.
With Lv Yun's background, she naturally had a good relationship with the Lv family. Just like the Lv family, she had a strong voice among the old officials in Beiji.
Ever since Lu Heng's grandfather entered the pavilion, Lv Yun became closer to the Lu family. She followed the Lu family's lead and relied on them.
Now that the head of the Lu family had changed to Lu Heng, Lv Yun and the Lu family were still very close.
Therefore, when this elder, who everyone knew was from the Lv family and had a high status, appeared in Prince Zhongshun's house, Pang Xiao and Qin Yining were shocked.
"Since Duke Lv came personally, he must have something to do with the Lu family." Qin Yining said worriedly, "It's not convenient for me to be present. Go out and meet him. If there's anything urgent, send someone to tell me secretly so that I can prepare in advance."
Pang Xiao smiled and pinched Qin Yining's face. "No need to be so nervous. Duke Lv's temperament is mild. He doesn't care about official fame and fortune. That's why he's unwilling to be an official despite having such high prestige. He might not be here to talk about official matters. There must be something else."
"It's precisely because we can't guess his purpose that I'm worried."
Qin Yining accompanied Pang Xiao out of the main room of the inner residence. He stood in the corridor and watched Pang Xiao's back gradually disappear from his sight. Then, he sighed worriedly and turned to call Ji Yun. "Go and secretly investigate. If there's anything, immediately tell me."
"This servant understands." Ji Yun straightened her face and walked out quickly.
Pang Xiao came to the front hall used for receiving guests. Before entering, he tidied up his clothes and entered with a smile on his face.
"Lord Lu, you have come from afar. Please excuse me for not going out to meet you. This King is ashamed, ashamed." Pang Xiao cupped his hands in greeting.
Lv Yun smiled and returned the greeting. Her actions were natural and unrestrained, and she had the elegance of a scholar. "Prince Zhongshun, there's no need to be like this. It's this old one who took the liberty to disturb you."
"Not at all. This King wouldn't be able to get a guest like you even if he begged for it. Please take a seat. "Pang Xiao smiled and made an inviting gesture.
Lv Yun immediately waved her hand. "I'm just a commoner. How can I be so arrogant? Wang Ye, please take a seat."
The two of them modestly declined, and Lv Yun finally sat in the second seat.
Pang Xiao ordered for good tea to be served. He asked with a smile, "Lord Lu, do you have any orders for me?"
As if she didn't expect Pang Xiao to ask directly, Lv Yun was stunned for a moment. Then, she stroked her long beard and smiled. "Wang Ye is indeed a straightforward person. Since that's the case, this old one will get straight to the point. "
"Please speak."
Lv Yun looked left and right. Then, she said in a low and serious voice, "This old one came today to ask for Wang Ye's help."
"Oh?" Pang Xiao raised an eyebrow, looking very puzzled.
In fact, he was really puzzled. Lv Yun was part of the Lu family, but she came to ask him for help. Pang Xiao suspected that this was a trap.
Lv Yun seemed to know what Pang Xiao was thinking. She smiled faintly and said, "Actually, with Wang Ye's sharp ears and eyes, you should have guessed what this old one wants. Wang Ye should know that Your Majesty has problems with the stone and wood used to build the Imperial Mausoleum, right? "
Pang Xiao smiled and nodded. "This King has heard of it."
"Wang Ye is recuperating in Danfu County. Perhaps he knows about the matters in the imperial court a little later. Your Majesty used granite to build the Imperial Mausoleum. Zhong Yibo is looking for a source and has people buy it. As for the wood used to build the Imperial Mausoleum, someone actually suggested that Your Majesty use the wood from the abandoned warships of the previous dynasty! "
At this point, Lv Yun's indifferent and elegant image disappeared. Her eyebrows were knitted together, and her beard was trembling in anger.
"During the Northern Ji period, there were a few naval battles. When the dynasty was strong, the navy subdued Goguryeo and Wo Nation. Later on, Northern Ji gradually declined. The treasury was empty and couldn't support the military's expenses. As a result, the navy was reduced several times. In the end, the navy was completely abandoned. Hundreds of warships of various sizes were also completely abandoned.
"This time, there was a lack of wood for the construction of the Imperial Mausoleum. Someone actually suggested that Your Majesty dismantle the warships left behind by the previous dynasty! The wood of the warships did not rot after being in the sea for more than a hundred years. Moreover, it was incomparably sturdy. Your Majesty listened to someone's suggestion and actually agreed. "
Lv Yun panted, her face full of anger. After a long while, she squeezed out a sentence. "Simply ignorant!"
Pang Xiao heard this and understood the key point. Since Lv Yun was willing to speak frankly, he did not hide it and asked directly, "The person who made the suggestion should have a close relationship with Zhong Yibo, right?"
Lv Yun nodded. "Prince Zhongshun is indeed insightful."
Pang Xiao smiled. "With Lv Gong's relationship with Zhong Yibo, if the person who suggested this matter was not Zhong Yibo's people, Lv Gong could have discussed it with Zhong Yibo and would not have looked for This King."
And the shady dealings within were also very obvious.
Li Qitian did not hesitate to pay any price to build the Imperial Mausoleum. In addition, now that the north and south were at peace, although there were natural disasters, they would pass sooner or later. The dynasty was still stable and the four seas were at peace. Li Qitian, who had won the war, would definitely be full of confidence. Even the Tatan would bow down to him. The Khan would bring people to the capital to celebrate the Empress Dowager's birthday and offer tributes. In Li Qitian's eyes, countries like Goguryeo and Wo were not worth mentioning.
Therefore, he did not care whether the warships were kept or not. He still wanted to build the Imperial Mausoleum as soon as possible.
Li Qitian might just casually say, "Since you want to use the warships, just dismantle as many as you use."
However, with such good wood in front of them, there would definitely be many officials of the Lu faction who saw the benefits.
Dismantling ten warships and casually replying to Your Majesty was already used in the Imperial Mausoleum. Could Your Majesty still go and inspect it?
Whose pocket would the benefits enter?
Lu Heng probably did not care about the money. His eyes were fixed on the treasure.
However, as a superior, when his subordinates had a way to profit, it was normal for Lu Heng to let his subordinates get some benefits. Besides, the benefits were not his.
Therefore, Pang Xiao understood Lv Yun's feelings very well.
This elder understood the importance of the warships to Da Zhou's coastal defense. He did not want the navy to completely disappear, but he could not ask for Lu Heng's help.
That was why he came to look for him.
Lv Yun sighed and said, "To be honest, these warships, let's not talk about how much effort Beiji put in. Even the craftsmanship of shipbuilding is about to be lost. This old man is worried that the warships will all be destroyed by the villain this time. If in the future, when Da Zhou wants to strengthen the coastal defense, we can't find a complete warship, and we can't find a living shipbuilder among the people.
What should we do? This method is too stupid! "
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