Chapter 104: A Chaotic Scene

"Your Majesty, General Kong Luan of Hengye heard that Imperial Censor Chu Ling was impeaching Marquis Jing'an and is currently cursing loudly outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony."

Lu Jinlan's vision went black, and Yan Wuxin quickly said, "Perhaps it's just a misunderstanding. Let's discuss it for a bit."

Zhao Zhiyu asked curiously, "What did she say?"

The guard bowed his head and said, "Your Highness, the insults were extremely vile. Imperial Censor Chu's ancestors for eighteen generations, down to his husband and children, were all insulted. I really can't bear to repeat them."

Lu Jinlan hurriedly pleaded, "Your Majesty, please have mercy! Kong Luan is a rough and uneducated man, and her personality is rather fierce. But on the battlefield, she is brave and valiant, a formidable general. When it comes to verbal sparring in front of the army, no one can out-argue her. Please, Your Majesty, consider that she has just achieved merit in battle and do not hold a grudge against a rough man. Forgive her for her rudeness."

Zhao Mincheng frowned and urged, "Then why don't you go and take a look? If a fight breaks out, even if I don't hold it against her, those old ministers won't let her off the hook."

"Uh, then I shall take my leave."

Lu Jinlan practically ran out, while Xiang Ruzhen and Yan Wuxin exchanged a glance, fearing the situation would spiral out of control, and quickly took their leave as well.

The remaining Zhao Mincheng and Zhao Zhiyu, mother and daughter, stared at each other blankly. Zhao Mincheng said, "None of the uneducated military officers will be kept in the capital. They should be sent out to other places immediately."

*

When the three arrived at the scene, a fight broke out almost immediately.

Dozens of civil and military officials were tangled together, pushing, shoving, and shouting. Lu Jinlan rushed into the crowd and saw Kong Luan grabbing Chu Ling by the collar, about to punch him.

Lu Jinlan quickly grabbed her wrist and called for Zuo Sui's grandson, Le Wen, to take her away.

Lu Jinlan stood in the middle to mediate, and the two groups finally separated.

The civil officials, having suffered several setbacks, complained to Yan Weijin, "Your Excellency, you must give us an explanation. What kind of behavior is this?"

Yan Weijin sighed helplessly, "This...Lord Lu, you need to discipline her properly, she's gone too far. It's the duty of an imperial censor to impeach officials, what is she doing causing trouble?"

Lu Jinlan hurriedly said, "You're right, I'll take the person back immediately and deal with them according to military law."

Yan Weijin wanted to say something, but Yan Wuxin quickly pulled her away, "Mother, it's getting late, you should go back to the manor. Everyone has left, go back to your own manor."

With the Prime Minister taken away, the civil officials were leaderless and had no choice but to disperse. Lu Jinlan looked at their angry backs and smiled as she cupped her hands in greeting, saying, "Gentlemen, you have been frightened. I will treat you all to a meal another day, and I will severely punish those who caused trouble."

After Lu Jinlan finished speaking, he turned around and saw Xiang Ruzhen looking around.

"What are you looking for?"

"I didn't see my mother-in-law. She's so old, I hope nothing happened to her."

Lu Jinlan hurriedly followed along to search, and after looking around, they found the old lady sitting on the ground, leaning against the flower bed.

Lu Jinlan said, "Oh dear, what are you doing here? Are you hurt?"

Jin Yun Ning waved her hands repeatedly, "No, your classmate surnamed Sun knows me and knows that I am Ru Zhen's mother-in-law. He brought me up from the beginning."

Xiang Ruzhen said, "You don't look well. I'll go and call the imperial physician."

Jin Yun Ning took a breath, "No need, I'm fine, I was just frightened. Today I've never seen anything like it. I've served in court my whole life, and this is the first time I've ever witnessed a group fight."

"That General Kong is truly fierce. The words she uttered made even a seventy-year-old like me feel ashamed. I watched coldly from here as those censors were thrashed by her several times. Knowing them as I do, I'll definitely impeach her tomorrow. You'd better send them away quickly."

Lu Jinlan nodded. "Yes, thank you for your guidance."

Lu Jinlan returned to Zhongyong Garden, where Qilang was talking to Kong Luan with three children. Upon seeing Lu Jinlan enter, Kong Luan quickly put down the rattle drum in her hand and obediently knelt down to beg for forgiveness.

“I’ve caused trouble for Lord Hou. You can punish me however you want, I have no complaints.”

Lu Jinlan glared at her, "You're a fourth-rank general, how can you still act so impulsively?"

Kong Luan said, "I just can't stand those civil officials bullying you. We made such great contributions on the frontier, but when we came back, we still had to listen to a few censors who had never been on the battlefield talking nonsense. I can't stand it. Isn't this bullying newcomers? I have experience with this kind of thing."

Lu Jinlan didn't believe it. This was Kong Luan's first time in the capital and her first time attending court. Where would she get the experience?

What experience do you have?

Kong Luan said, "When I was a child, my family was poor. My mother set up a small stall in the vegetable market in our village. For the first three days, several groups of her competitors came every day to cause trouble. On the fourth day, my mother got into a fight with someone, and that finally calmed things down. Today I cursed them out, and if that doesn't work, I'll go and fight them again tomorrow."

Lu Jinlan was so angry she almost laughed. "Come on! The capital isn't your village, and the imperial court isn't a marketplace. Court infighting and battlefield battles are completely different things. Don't get involved."

Kong Luan thought for a moment and began to doubt herself. "Could it be that my thinking is wrong? No wonder Yang Ning said that my move was too stupid."

Among Lu Jinlan's subordinates, the two most upright military officers are Kong Luan and Yang Ning.

Lu Jinlan asked curiously, "Even Yang Ning noticed something was wrong?"

Kong Luan nodded. "Yang Ning said that it's not good to make a move in the palace since everyone is watching. We should wait until we're in a secluded place, put sacks over those censors, and give them a good beating."

Lu Jinlan rubbed his temples. "Stop talking. You and Yang Ningming left a long time ago. Go back to the Chicheng Army's garrison and lead your troops. Don't waste your intelligence in the capital."

Kong Luan lowered her head. "Yes, sir."

Qilang smiled as he held Anxi in his arms. “It’s good to go back. Thirteen is all alone at the border, and he’s pregnant. How can anyone be at ease? He wrote to me a few days ago, saying he wanted me to buy some good cotton to make a swaddle blanket for the baby. I bought it, and I also prepared a lot of other things. They are Hou Jun and my gifts for the baby. You can take them with you when you go back.”

Lu Jinlan sighed, "Now that things have come to this, even if you don't want to leave, you should go back and lie low for a while. We've only just entered the court and haven't established ourselves yet. Once we have a voice in the court and a suitable position becomes available in the capital, I'll transfer you back."

Kong Luan hurriedly said, "I don't mean I don't want to leave. I'm just afraid that if I leave, there will be no one to stand up for you. People in the capital are cunning and difficult to get along with. They're also scheming. Marquis Lu, why don't you persuade General Xiang and General Yan to take their families to the border?"

"I think the capital is only slightly more prosperous than Beizhou, but Beizhou is full of our people. You can call the shots there and still live a life of luxury. Isn't that better than being bullied here?"

Lu Jinlan smiled, "Get up, don't talk nonsense. I know you mean well, but don't worry, I'm not someone to be trifled with."

"If Zhen and Wuxin are both in the court, we will look after each other and will not be isolated. Lewen, Suizhi, and Yishu should be able to stay in the capital, and some of our senior classmates will also be able to get jobs. Once everyone has entered the court, our new force can compete with anyone."

"The imperial court is not about fighting and killing, but about human relationships and social interactions; it's very complicated."

"In short, go back and learn to read and write. Once you've learned how to write to me, when the child is born, bring the child back to visit your family with Thirteen. Also, be careful with your words and actions. What do you mean by 'they'? The world belongs to the Emperor. If you say that to someone with ulterior motives, it will be a crime."

Kong Luan nodded repeatedly, "I've got it."

Lu Jinlan put down her teacup and patted Kong Luan on the shoulder. "Alright, let's go out and have dinner with everyone. We don't know when we'll see each other again. Luckily, I was prepared and moved the banquet date forward, otherwise you and Yang Ning wouldn't have made it to the meal."

Kong Luan chuckled, "I was just getting hungry."

The first day of court was chaotic and disorderly.

After finishing their meal, Kong Luan and Yang Ning quickly went to the most bustling market in the capital to browse around and bought some local specialties to take home. Together with the things given by the Lu family, they filled two carts to the brim.

The next day, when the censors were impeaching Kong Luan in court, Kong Luan and Yang Ning had already left the capital.

Lu Jinlan told the court that she had severely punished the man, sentencing him to fifty strokes of the military rod and banishing him from the capital.

The Emperor said, "Since that's the case, let's leave it at that for now and not mention it again."

In fact, no military beatings were actually carried out. The censors could guess that, and the emperor could have foreseen it, but Lu Jinlan's explanation made everyone feel comfortable, so the matter was passed over in a daze.

As new officials entered the court, their methods of doing things differed greatly from those of the veteran ministers. The court quickly split into two factions, old and new. To say they were irreconcilable was an exaggeration, but it would be fair to say they disliked each other and were often at odds.

The Emperor gave the newcomer a chance, assigning him various tasks, both big and small. Xiang Ruzhen was appointed Minister of Revenue, taking on an enormous mess. She was so busy that she was often nowhere to be seen after court.

Yan Wuxin was appointed as the Left Minister of War. The Emperor asked him to carry out reforms and draft proposals, so he had no time to go out and play.

Lu Jinlan, on the contrary, became the most leisurely one. The enrollment will not start until the second half of next year. There are no major events at the Ministry of Rites before the new year. Lu Jinlan is thinking about organizing some state event.

"Your Excellency, I think the Emperor's birthday is on the second day of the second month next year. This year we have stopped the war and made peace with our neighboring countries. I think we should hold a grand birthday celebration for the Emperor next year. We should invite the emperors and consorts of Qu and Jiang to celebrate with our Emperor. She will surely be happy."

Minister of Rites Luo was somewhat doubtful. "Will they even come? Besides, next year isn't His Majesty's birthday. If we hold such a grand event for no reason, they might suspect we have ulterior motives. Let's just forget about it."

Lu Jinlan said, "No one will doubt it. What ulterior motive could we possibly have? We just want everyone to get to know each other and get along well."

A few days later, Lu Jinlan said again, "The eldest princess is of marriageable age. When she gets married, we should host a large banquet and invite the emperor and his consort from the neighboring country."

Lord Luo was somewhat puzzled: "Why do you always think about inviting foreign guests?"

Lu Jinlan said matter-of-factly, "I'm doing this to maintain good neighborly relations. Poor relations can easily lead to war. You're far away in the capital, you don't know how cruel war is."

Lord Luo suddenly realized, "Lord Lu is very insightful and far-sighted. I have been disrespectful. Go ahead and do it if you wish. I will definitely give you my full support."

Lu Jinlan chuckled and went home in high spirits.

Upon entering and hearing that Xiang Ruzhen had arrived, she couldn't help but complain, "You haven't visited my house for seven or eight days. I think you're busier than the Prime Minister. What are you busy with?"

Xiang Ruzhen sighed, "Don't even mention it. Because of the war, corruption, and various disasters, the previous Minister of Revenue left me with a deficit of four million taels. Since I took office, I've been working day and night to find a way to plug this huge hole. I've almost racked my brains."

"The national treasury is tight. After the Spring Festival, various funds will not be allocated for planting, and the people will have to make ends meet. Yesterday, I heard Minister Luo say that you were planning to hold a grand birthday celebration for the Emperor. Forty-six is ​​not a big birthday. You should not hold it and save some money for our Ministry of Revenue."

Lu Jinlan chuckled, "So that's what you came to me for. I was planning to do it, but I know the national treasury is short of funds, so I don't plan to spend much money. I'll just do it as usual and invite a few more guests."

Xiang Ruzhen said, "Give me some face and just advise the Emperor not to hold it. According to custom, the palace should be repaired, new clothes and furnishings should be made, there should be a banquet and performances. I looked at the accounts and last year we were at war, so we only held it in a simplified manner, but it still cost 700,000 taels of silver. If we hold it in a big way, it will cost more than 2 million taels. The national treasury is really out of money."

Lu Jinlan thought for a moment, "I tried to talk to the Emperor about it, but I guess he won't agree. I probably know her better than you do; as people get older, they do seek enjoyment. However, spending 700,000 taels of silver on a simplified ceremony must mean someone embezzled it. Where would they get that much money?"

"How about this, I'll see what the Emperor thinks first. If she doesn't agree, I'll handle it myself. We won't use the national treasury's money; we'll let those imperial relatives and nobles pay for it, which will reduce the pressure on your side. Let's increase revenue and cut expenditure, and try to plug the hole first."

Xiang Ruzhen nodded repeatedly, "That's for the best. Actually, there's another matter I wanted to discuss with you today. The case of the Marquis of Dingbei has been decided. The Marquis of Dingbei will be executed next month, and his property will be confiscated. The rest of the Marquis of Dingbei's family will be exiled to Changzhou after their property is confiscated tomorrow, and they will never be allowed to return to the capital."

Lu Jinlan was shocked. "Exiled to all of them? Zhaoren's biological father is the Emperor's younger brother, and he's exiled too?"