sovbooks Chapter 33 The Lu Family of Pinghu
Chapter 33 The Lu Family of Pinghu
The Lu family of Pinghu is an extraordinary and prominent family in China.
Lu Ji, a filial son of the Han Dynasty, Lu Xun, a famous general of the Three Kingdoms period, and Lu Zhi, a famous prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, were all outstanding members of the Lu clan of Pinghu.
After a period of relative quiet and decline during the Song Dynasty, the Lu family of Pinghu reached a new peak during the Ming Dynasty, producing more than forty Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations).
At its peak, the family boasted "four ministers across three generations," making it a top-tier family of scholars and poets.
However, three hundred years ago, everything changed.
That year, another Ming emperor perished in the water.
That year, a seemingly ordinary but actually exceptionally talented young prince was hailed as emperor by the infatuated senior officials.
That year, the Lu family produced a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard—Lu Bing.
From then on, the Lu family of Pinghu controlled the Embroidered Uniform Guard for nearly three hundred years, and the reputation of the entire family changed.
The Lu family, known for its poetry and scholarship, no longer exists. In its place stands the prestigious Jinyiwei family, which has been renowned for three hundred years!
Being able to establish a connection with the Lu family is a fast track to promotion within the Embroidered Uniform Guard, allowing one to rise rapidly through the ranks.
Chang Yuan swallowed hard and cautiously asked again, "May I know this gentleman's name?"
The magistrate slowly shook his head: "All you need to know is that in the capital, in the Northern Garrison, there is a high-ranking official who is watching you and has high hopes for you. That's enough."
Chang Yuan regained his composure and silently nodded in agreement: "This humble official will obey your command, sir."
The magistrate nodded, then waved his hand, indicating that Chang Yuan could leave.
Once the door was closed, he finally revealed a genuinely affectionate smile: "Indeed, it's excellent. Sixth Aunt's judgment is truly remarkable."
The Vice Commissioner was also surnamed Lu, and was a member of the Lu family of Pinghu.
It is well known that in a large family that has lasted for hundreds of years, there can be a huge misalignment in the generational order.
It's not unusual for Lu Qianshi, who is nearly sixty years old, to have an 18-year-old great-aunt.
Two days ago in the capital, at the Beizhenfusi Yamen (Northern Garrison Command) and the martial arts training ground.
A slender young woman, dressed in a royal dragon-head flying fish robe and wearing a bronze plaque at her waist, steadily gripped a revolver with her delicate hands.
She raised her pistol and aimed at the 50-meter steel half-body target.
Bang! Ding!
boom!
Bang! Ding!
Bang! Ding!
Bang! Ding!
boom!
Six rapid shots were fired in quick succession, and four bullets hit the target.
The girl frowned slightly, feeling her wrist go numb from the recoil, then calmly flung out of the cylinder, ejected the spent cartridge, and reloaded the bullet using the loader.
After closing the magazine, she took a deep breath and fired again.
This time the result was even worse, with only a 50% hit rate.
However, in the eyes of the high-ranking members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who were watching, this performance was already quite astonishing.
Several commanders of the Embroidered Uniform Guards praised it in unison:
"The Holy Emperor Shizu said that evil spirits are no match for gunfire, and all fear is due to insufficient firepower."
"I originally thought that having more firepower would only increase manpower, but with the introduction of this gun, the firepower has increased more than sixfold. It's truly a rare and ingenious idea."
"Haha, this ingenious idea is like a thoroughbred horse; it still needs a discerning eye to appreciate it before we can understand it."
"That's right. It's all thanks to my sixth niece's discerning eye that we were able to recover our losses and even catch a deeply infiltrated spy."
"My sixth niece has sharp eyes; this thief is truly foolish."
"They actually dare to openly treat such a good thing as garbage, not only hiding it away but also blaming Henan Province. They're really courting death..."
"It's just that the Commander-in-Chief was reprimanded by the Emperor, which made the Embroidered Uniform Guard lose face. He won't be able to die a peaceful death for the next twenty years."
"Well, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has more than 5,000 members, so it's common for them to be infiltrated and corrupted."
"But this is really outrageous; a cult member actually got promoted to a lieutenant!"
"If only my sixth niece had a discerning eye, she could easily scan the entire Embroidered Uniform Guard."
The young female Imperial Guard rolled her eyes adorably after hearing what her superiors and elders said.
[Ha, do you really think my "discerning eye" can't recognize people?]
Even if I had eight times the courage, I wouldn't dare!
The human heart is unfathomable, and the heart of a ruler is as deep as an abyss.
If I could reveal even a fraction of my ability to foresee a person's destiny over a hundred years, would I have lived to be 18?
She muttered to herself, but blushed and said reproachfully, "Oh, it turns out I was unlucky in my awakening. I couldn't awaken the abilities that my uncles wanted in seven or eight years, which is why they dislike me so much. I deserve it."
Upon hearing Lin Daiyu's tone, the several commanders immediately became uneasy.
They hurriedly tried to comfort their niece and then collectively attacked the commander who had said the wrong thing.
Everyone knows this niece isn't really angry, but the girl is beautiful, popular, a good actress, and holds grudges.
If we don't appease this young lady now and make her remember this, who knows when she might whisper something in the ear of the Commander-in-Chief, His Highness the Crown Prince, or even His Majesty.
That would be a real ordeal.
Fortunately, this little girl lost her parents at a young age and developed a love for money; she could solve any problem, no matter how big, with money.
The commander, who had misspoke, could only wryly reach into his pocket, until a beautiful jade was picked out from his pocket, at which point the quirky young woman from the Imperial Guard finally smiled again.
Lu Huan, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, watched his niece's antics with a smile and did not interfere.
Only after his niece smiled again did he ask, "Linglong, how was the gun today?"
Lu Linglong's smile faded, and she solemnly replied, "Commander, the gun is finished!"
"When I fired the gun, my 'wise eye' saw that this gun would have uninterrupted fortune and would flourish to the extreme in the next hundred years."
Lu Huan nodded happily: "That's excellent."
Lu Linglong said, "My lord, I have something else to say."
Lu Huan said happily, "Tell me about it."
Lu Linglong said, "The new revolver is fine, but the real source of its good fortune is the new bullet, which is a hundred times, a thousand times better than the new gun."
Lu Huan was slightly surprised: "It's that good?"
Lu Linglong said decisively, "It will only get stronger, not weaker."
"Therefore, I believe that the previous reward was insufficient and should be supplemented with a substantial reward."
Lu Huan looked at his cousin with great interest: "You've taken a liking to him?"
Lu Linglong nodded without hesitation: "To have created such a good thing at the age of 20, you will definitely be able to make even better things in the future. Of course, I must hurry up and recruit you."
Lu Huan pondered for a moment, then smiled and nodded: "Alright, this junior officer position in the Embroidered Uniform Guard is yours."
Lu Linglong reminded him with a smile, "Commander, he is already a captain."
Lu Huan was slightly taken aback and looked at the commander of the Southern Garrison: "Is that so?"
The commander of the Southern Garrison stepped forward, cupped his hands in salute, and said, "Yes!"
This gaunt middle-aged man had large bags under his eyes, yet he could immediately recite Chang Yuan's resume:
"Chang Yuan, a junior officer of the Jinyiwei under the command of the Eastern Garrison Command of Henan Province."
"His father, Chang Hu, died in the line of duty 28 days ago. His merits were transferred to his sons' ranks. Chang Yuan, as the eldest son, inherited his father's original position and was appointed as a junior officer."
"16 years ago, Chang Yuan performed outstandingly in the raid on the Blood Spirit Cult, killing more than ten cultists, killing a black iron-skinned evil spirit, and killing a priest at the altar. He was promoted to the rank of flag officer for his merits."
"Because he passed the extraordinary screening, he was transferred to the Imperial Guard Squad as its captain, and his performance in subsequent missions continued to be outstanding."
Commander Lu Huan, reflecting on Chang Yuan's resume, couldn't help but smile: "Killed more than ten cult members?"
"The leader of this operation should be the chief officer. If a junior officer who just took office can report so many kills, then there must have been more than just this many."
The commander of the Southern Garrison Command said expressionlessly, "Sharing credit is only human nature."