"But he doesn't seem to be the kind of ruthless leader he is."
“That’s absolutely not it. He’s completely different from those ambitious people. I said a long time ago that he’s very special, unlike any of us. He just wants the people to have more to eat and warmer clothes. He just wants the soldiers on the front lines to be better equipped and suffer fewer casualties. He just wants everything around him to be better. There’s no reason, he just wants to do it.”
"So, he was a saint?"
"No, he is definitely not a saint. Your Highness, do not forget the plan we discussed together. Once the plan is implemented, Chang'an will surely be stained with blood. But he did not hesitate at all. This man seems to care only about his own goals. This is a typical ruthless mentality. But what is strange is that his goals have never been for his own benefit, but for the Tang Dynasty. He has a great sense of righteousness in his heart, but he will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. I'm afraid I cannot give a precise definition."
"Now that you mention it, this County Magistrate Lu is indeed a remarkable person."
“This man should be given important responsibilities. However, we must also be wary of him. He is a man of great ambition and cunning, and if he were to turn against us, he would be difficult to deal with. I believe that Your Highness should show him kindness and benevolence.”
“That makes sense. But he’s not interested in getting promoted. Otherwise, with the secret techniques he offered, it wouldn’t be impossible for him to get a noble title. I can’t exactly send him a bunch of gold beads, can I? Or maybe a few more precious swords?”
"Since it's an act of kindness, one should cater to his tastes. As far as I know, he has a concubine. She's a famous courtesan from the former Chang'an city, named Xu Hezi. This woman is exceptionally beautiful, skilled in singing and dancing, and knowledgeable in poetry and literature..."
The Crown Prince immediately understood Li Bi's meaning.
"That's easy."
The following day, Lu Xuan's residence received another round of rewards from the Crown Prince's residence.
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Chapter Sixty-Five: You are the barbarian from the frontier, your whole family are...
"My dear Lu, of the four beauties the Crown Prince sent, which one have you taken a fancy to? I will arrange for her to serve me tonight."
"Don't talk nonsense. There is no other woman in my heart but you." Lu Xuan remained defiant, appearing as if his love was as strong as gold.
"Really? I've heard that those four beauties were all raised in the Crown Prince's residence from childhood. Each one is exceptionally beautiful, not only skilled in singing and dancing, but also well-educated and knowledgeable in bed. They are the most desirable women in the world. Lu Lang, don't you really want them?"
"Is that so? No matter how beautiful they are, they can't compare to my beauty. No matter how well they dance, they can't dance as well as you. In my heart, they are not even as good as the dancers."
"Ah... Lu Lang, so you like someone like Wu'er. Then I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you. Wu'er is only thirteen this year, so please wait a little longer. When Wu'er is fourteen, I will arrange for her to serve me in bed."
Lu Xuan: "......"
"What's wrong, Lu Lang? Are you so happy you don't know what to say?" Xu Hezi said softly, tracing circles on Lu Xuan's chest with her finger. Her sweet words made Lu Xuan's chest feel a little itchy.
"I'm just thinking about how to get rid of all these crazy ideas of yours."
"Hehe, what a jumble of thoughts. I'm afraid that's what Lu Lang really thinks. I'm just a concubine, so naturally I don't dare to say much. I can only rely on my looks to please him, hoping that Lu Lang will favor me for a few more years."
As Xu Hezi spoke, her slender waist began to sway again. Lately, she had become increasingly fond of performing the whirling dance on Lu Xuan's waist. Such provocation was not something Lu Xuan could tolerate. He flipped over and pinned her down on the bed.
The next day, Lu Xuan staggered out of his room. He saw four beautiful maids outside, smiling at him.
"Master, Mei'er will help you wash up."
“And Lan’er.”
“And Zhu’er.”
"And Ju'er."
Suddenly, four pairs of small hands were scurrying around him, touching him all over. He only needed to stand still, and someone would put willow twigs and salt into his mouth to clean his teeth. A warm towel gently wiped his face. Two other pairs of small hands gently straightened his clothes.
This decadent lifestyle had almost captivated Lu Xuan. He used all his willpower to finally break free from the clutches of those four devils. Without even eating breakfast, he ran straight out the door to work.
..............
The dungeon of Jing'an Division.
Several guards from the Brigade's elite corps opened the innermost cell, and Lu Xuan entered. Li Bi was already inside.
"Director Li," Lu Xuan greeted softly. At the same time, a heart-wrenching scream rang in his ears. At this time, there were no laws protecting scum or human rights laws. Once inside the Jing'an Division's prison, life and death were no longer in one's own hands. Forget human rights; even being a dog was out of the question.
"how's it going?"
"Most of them are tough nuts to crack. But some still couldn't hold on. They were the men of An Lushan, the Imperial Censor and Military Governor of Pinglu. The Crown Prince is preparing to report this matter to the Emperor for a decision."
"It's no use. He's currently enjoying great favor with the emperor. This little thing can't bring him down."
Lu Xuan was quite helpless. The Tang people of this era were extremely secretive about their own family's techniques, leaving almost no loopholes. However, their awareness of secrecy regarding national-level technologies was far inferior.
Lu Xuan's novel steelmaking method involved connecting the blast furnace and the wrought iron furnace in series. Molten iron from the blast furnace flowed into the wrought iron furnace, where it was stirred with willow sticks to oxidize the carbon and produce wrought iron. This continuous production process already possessed the basic concept of modular production, improving efficiency while reducing energy consumption. It can be considered the prototype of the assembly line in the Tang Dynasty.
This method of steelmaking was originally expected to mature during the Ming Dynasty, but Lu Xuan developed it ahead of schedule.
The entire system was incredibly advanced for its time. Therefore, from the outset, Lu Xuan implemented a strict secrecy system at the Crown Prince's residence. All the artisans and their families were registered and monitored by the Jing'an Division 24/7. Anyone who leaked even the slightest information would be punished for treason. Even so, some still took the risk.
The Jing'an Division immediately detected the anomaly. Following the clues, they uncovered a group of deeply hidden spies. After several days of severe torture, it was confirmed that they were actually An Lushan's men.
Historically, An Lushan was not expected to rebel for over a decade. Lu Xuan initially didn't focus much attention on him. However, it now seems that these powerful figures capable of stirring up storms were all far-sighted and shrewd. An Lushan may not yet have a fully developed rebellious plan, but his inherent self-interest has certainly begun to override the interests of the Tang Dynasty.
"Although An Lushan is a non-Han Chinese, he has very deep connections in the court. The envoys sent by the court are all well taken care of by him. Even the Right Chancellor once stood up for him. With the current Jing'an Division, it is indeed impossible to touch him."
Li Bi knew that Lu Xuan was telling the truth. An Lushan, seemingly fat and dull-witted, was actually exceptionally shrewd. He often amused Li Longji, the court official, by making fun of himself. Few in the court suspected him of harboring any disloyalty.
Lu Xuan also knew that in the second half of the year, An Lushan would concurrently serve as the military governor of Fanyang. A few years later, he would be further promoted to military governor of Hedong. He would hold three major military governorships simultaneously, commanding hundreds of thousands of troops. He almost destroyed the Tang Dynasty.
"Keep a close eye on all the prisoners; they cannot die yet. Li Sicheng, we need to consider this matter more carefully."
"That's exactly what I was thinking. This matter cannot be left unresolved. We need to come up with a foolproof plan."
There is no foolproof plan, of course. However, the two still managed to come up with a solution.
"A high-ranking official in the court who is close to An Lushan, someone who can speak directly to the Emperor," Lu Xuan said to Li Bi.