LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 14 - The Other Party Rejected Your Friend Request
Lu Ping was somewhat speechless.
He had originally intended to tell her that he would propose to the Emperor and marry Luo Jinxuan.
But considering that Luo Jinxuan adhered to the way of the king and had shown a unique longing for the throne in the last few simulations, he decided to ask for her opinion.
He wanted to know if she prioritized the state before the family or the family before the state.
He was quite respectful.
But Luo Jinxuan still misunderstood.
She thought Lu Ping was avoiding the issue.
However, looking at her gradually swelling belly, Luo Jinxuan knew the situation was not optimistic.
She had to conceal her pregnancy.
[The Han Marquis is unwell and requests permission to recuperate in Lingzhou. The Emperor grants it and orders the Chu Marquis to accompany and care for her.]
“Something’s wrong!”
Upon learning of the Emperor’s decree, Lu Ping knew things were going awry.
Luo Jinxuan was using illness as a pretext to go to Lingzhou, intending to give birth to the child in secret and then return to Luoyang.
But the Emperor sent Luo Yingci along.
If this straightforward person found out the truth, Lu Ping didn’t know if she would go mad, but the secret would definitely be exposed.
The safest way was for Lu Ping to accompany them personally.
But Lu Ping and Luo Jinxuan were not yet married, and with no official status between them, the Emperor would never agree, given the difference between men and women.
Left with no choice, Lu Ping decided to change his plan and propose to the Emperor in advance.
[You request permission from the Emperor to express your admiration for the Han Marquis and your desire to accompany her to Lingzhou. The Emperor grants it and orders you to complete your affairs within three days and then set off.]
[Three days later, just as you are about to depart, Li Wenfu suddenly reports that a rebellion has broken out in the Yan region and insists that you, as a competent minister, be sent to suppress it, vigorously recommending you as the commander.]
‘What is this old fox planning?’
‘Is he worried that his reputation isn’t high enough and wants to hand over military exploits?’
‘It’s probably a trap.’
[You politely decline the mission to Yan, citing your role as a civil minister unskilled in commanding troops, but the Emperor insists that the rebellion is of utmost importance and insists on appointing you as the commander, promising that upon your triumphant return, he will grant you and the Han Marquis a marriage.]
Lu Ping suspected that Li Wenfu had set a trap for him, but he had no evidence.
The Yan region had been peaceful for so many years, so why did it suddenly rebel just as he was about to go to Lingzhou with Luo Jinxuan?
Moreover, the Yan region was located at the northernmost point of the Great Jing Empire, where the Ironclad Army, the strongest force of the empire, had been stationed for years to prevent foreign invasions.
Who in their right mind would start a rebellion there?
That night, the Emperor summoned Lu Ping and revealed his thoughts.
It turned out that although the Emperor had been less involved in politics over the past few years, he had still been keeping an eye on the court and the various regions of the empire.
While he appeared to tolerate Lu Ping’s dominance in the court, it was actually a calculated decision after weighing the pros and cons.
After all, the people of Great Jing benefited the most from the policies Lu Ping implemented, not the noble families.
In other words, it was better for Lu Ping to govern than anyone else.
Moreover, the Emperor always believed that as long as he remained on the throne, he could restrain Lu Ping.
This was also a reminder to Lu Ping not to think that he could dominate the court solely because of his abilities.
As for the Yan rebellion, the Emperor had already discovered that someone in the court was colluding with foreign enemies.
As for who it was, the Emperor didn’t say explicitly, only giving Lu Ping a worried look.
Lu Ping speculated that the person colluding with foreign enemies was most likely Li Wenfu.
This was a turn of events that had never occurred in the previous simulations.
But Lu Ping wasn’t surprised.
After all, the changes in his strategies would naturally affect the development of other events.
Since Li Wenfu was colluding with foreign enemies but still recommended Lu Ping as the commander to suppress the rebellion, his intentions weren’t hard to guess.
As long as Lu Ping was in the court, Li Wenfu couldn’t regain power.
But if Lu Ping went to the Yan region, where swords had no eyes, the chances of killing him would be much higher!
The Emperor then asked, “I know he’s targeting you, yet I’m placing you in danger. Do you hold any grievances?”
Lu Ping shook his head.
If he didn’t go, who else could shoulder the responsibility?
Let Li Wenfu go?
Appointing a commander meant granting military power, and that was a risk Lu Ping couldn’t afford to take.
Nor could the Emperor.
Lu Ping felt a slight sense of comfort.
At the very least, the Emperor trusted him.
“So, are you ready for the expedition?”
…
In Yan Prefecture, at the Yan Marquis’s residence.
In the council hall, several generals were arguing endlessly with a group of strategists.
One general vowed, “With five thousand troops bestowed by the Yan Marquis, I will ensure the rebel army never returns!”
A strategist, whose face was etched with deep lines, shook his head and spoke in a weak voice that revealed his exhaustion, “Five thousand troops? The rebels have gathered fifty thousand strong, and there are twenty thousand powerful Di barbarians watching from outside the city!”
The leading general, his face flushed with frustration, paced back and forth in the hall, sighing heavily and muttering, “What should we do?”
“General Fan, please stop pacing. You’re making my head spin!”
A youthful voice, out of place with the atmosphere of the hall, sounded.
A young girl, who had been resting her chin in her hands, got up from the doorstep and looked at the strategist with a somewhat childish gaze, “In Mister’s opinion, what should we do?”
The strategist bowed deeply to the young girl, “In response to the Yan Marquis, given that we are outnumbered, our best strategy is to hold the city and not engage.”
“Alright, go ahead and give the order then.”
Yan Marquis Luo Jinlan returned to her room in frustration and stared blankly into the mirror.
“What kind of situation is this!”
She had originally planned to play a simulation game to pass the time, and if she was lucky, she might even find a gentle and caring young man in the game. But how did it suddenly turn into a war?
Luo Jinlan pinched her still slightly chubby, fair cheeks.
“Here I thought choosing the identity of a princess would make me the little princess surrounded by admirers, but instead…”
The fief was remote enough, but the men outside were all burly and crude, with no sense of romance.
“Sigh! I heard there are many talented scholars in Luoyang. I wonder when I’ll be able to see them…”
Suddenly, Luo Jinlan’s simulation panel lit up.
[The Emperor appoints Grand Preceptor Lu Ping as the commander to suppress the rebellion in Yan.]
[Lu Ping has sent you a request to befriend him.]
‘Lu Ping?’
Luo Jinlan was quite familiar with this name.
The system often pushed information about him.
It was either about him implementing national policies that won the hearts of the people, or the Emperor praising him again.
In Luo Jinlan’s impression, he was just a big spender.
Otherwise, how could he dominate the headlines?
[Friend request rejected.]
Luo Jinlan huffed, “My friend slots are reserved for young, handsome men only.”
Imagining Lu Ping as a nouveau riche, balding, and greasy middle-aged man, Luo Jinlan couldn’t help but feel disgusted and decisively rejected his friend request.
…
As Lu Ping led his army closer to the Yan region, the character cards for Yan began to unlock gradually.
Yan Marquis Luo Jinlan, Orange card, 9 stars for appearance, half a star for military strategy, half a star for politics…
It could be said that besides her looks, she was utterly useless.
This was also why Lu Ping didn’t choose to target her for strategy at first.
A foolish sweetheart was easy to deceive, but being too foolish was never a good thing.
What if the stupidity was hereditary?
However, Lu Ping still sent a friend request to Luo Jinlan.
Since he was there to suppress the rebellion, he needed to know the current situation in the Yan region, right?
[Luo Jinlan rejected your friend request and rolled her eyes at you, expressing disdain.]
Lu Ping was stunned for a moment.
“She… Why?”