Chapter 109... what kind of lewd and inappropriate language is this...?
Yan Weijin tugged at Lu Jinlan's clothes, "Since it has nothing to do with politics, let's not talk about it."
Lu Jinlan pursed her lips, "Your Majesty, the Prime Minister forbids me from speaking."
Zhao Mincheng smiled and said, "What's the matter that you two are whispering about? Speak, I want you to speak."
Lu Jinlan coughed lightly, "Your Majesty..."
Bringing up old stories will inevitably provoke the Emperor's wrath.
Yan Weijin frowned, thinking about how to explain to the Emperor later, when he suddenly heard Lu Jinlan say, "Your Majesty, I have noticed a new young palace maid in your Southern Study. He is quite handsome."
Lu Jinlan deliberately tried to frighten Yan Weijin, teasing him for a while. Seeing that his goal had been achieved, he couldn't help but smile and said, "I just asked him what his name was, but he wouldn't say. But I was really curious, so I had no choice but to ask Your Majesty."
The Emperor clicked his tongue. Lu Jinlan had said it was unrelated to politics, and the Emperor had already guessed it wasn't a serious matter, but he hadn't expected it to be this serious.
She looked around and indeed saw a stranger, who was quite good-looking.
Zhao Mincheng frowned and asked, "What's your name?"
The young palace servant was already quite frightened when Lu Jinlan mentioned him. He immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, my surname is Xu and my name is Runnian."
Lu Jinlan smiled, "This name is unique; there must be some story behind it."
Xu Runnian hurriedly replied, "This servant was born in a leap year, so my mother gave me this name."
Lu Jinlan nodded. "Then if you have a younger brother, you should name him Runyue (Leap Month)."
Just as Xu Runnian was about to speak, Zhao Mincheng glared at Lu Jinlan and said, "Alright, do you want me to bestow this person upon you, so you can take him home and ask him what's going on?"
Lu Jinlan quickly suppressed his smile and replied, "Your subject dares not."
After we've finished our rambling, let's get down to business.
Zhao Mincheng said, "I summoned you here to discuss personnel matters in the Ministry of Rites. With Lord Luo retiring to his hometown, the position of Minister is vacant. I have already decided to have Marquis Jing'an fill this position."
Yan Weijin said, "The Marquis of Jing'an is certainly qualified for the position of Minister, but this leaves the position of Left Minister of Rites vacant again."
"Minister Feng, the Right Minister of Rites, is getting old. In her youth, she traveled to various countries for many years, enduring hardships and snow, which took a toll on her health. She often stays at home to recuperate. Her condition worsens in winter. She has been burdened by the country, and we cannot dismiss her from her post at this time."
As Yan Weijin spoke, he glanced at Zhao Mincheng's expression. Zhao Mincheng fiddled with his teacup and gave a faint reply.
Yan Weijin continued, "The Marquis of Jing'an has always liked to innovate. Now that he has become the Minister of Rites, he must have a lot to do. If he doesn't have capable assistants, he probably won't be able to carry it out."
Zhao Mincheng said, "I think so too, so the selection of the Left Minister of Rites should be carefully considered."
Yan Weijin said, "I would like to recommend someone. Does Your Majesty still remember Wei Sansi?"
Zhao Mincheng paused, "Last time you recommended this person to me, and I approved her appointment to the Inner Court. She is diligent, but she is not young, and I'm afraid she can't handle the work of the Ministry of Rites. I know she is from your hometown, and you wanted to promote her, but she is not suitable."
The Emperor rejected the suggestion, and Yan Weijin smiled slightly, "I simply cannot bear to see talented people buried. Since Your Majesty thinks Wei Sansi is unsuitable, what about Tao Feng and Kong Shen?"
Zhao Mincheng silently held the cup lid, while Lu Jinlan observed their expressions and sensed an undercurrent of tension.
The emperor, residing in the palace, had limited contact with ministers who did not attend court. Therefore, when it came to personnel appointments and dismissals, he had to seek advice from the prime minister.
It's like someone going to a restaurant and the emperor is the customer, able to point to the menu and say, "I want this, this, and that."
Actually, the menu was created by someone else, and what was displayed were all their featured items.
If you want dishes outside the menu, sorry, they will politely and tactfully decline in various ways.
That waiter was like a prime minister, saying, "We don't have this, we really don't have this. We do have that, but the food we have today isn't fresh, it'll upset your stomach, so please don't order it."
There seem to be options, but they're actually pretty much the same.
After observing for a moment, Lu Jinlan said, "I would also like to recommend someone."
Zhao Mincheng smiled slightly, raised his eyes and said, "Very well, you must be my classmate. I was just thinking of appointing some new people to bring a breath of fresh air to the court."
Yan Weijin said indifferently, "Your Majesty is right, new people bring new atmosphere. However, I am young and have not studied court affairs, so I am afraid I am not up to the task of holding such a high official position."
Lu Jinlan hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, you are overthinking this. Your Majesty, the person I want to recommend is not my classmate, but Guan Shanyue, the principal of the Ministry of Rites. He is bold yet meticulous, and he does things in an orderly manner."
“When I was ill, she did many things for me. Every day she would write down the completed matters in letters and send them to my home. She has been in the Ministry of Rites for four years and is familiar with every aspect of the process. I think she is capable of being the Left Minister of Rites.”
Seeing the Emperor nod, Yan Weijin hurriedly said, "I have never heard of this name before. It is too extraordinary for a mere sixth-rank official to be promoted directly to the second-rank Left Minister."
Lu Jinlan immediately said, "Since she is a talented person, she should have been promoted long ago. Perhaps the reason she wasn't promoted before was because His Majesty was too busy with other matters and couldn't oversee it. However, His Majesty is magnanimous and won't blame you. His Majesty is eager to seek out talented people and doesn't stick to any particular style of employing them. Doesn't this show His Majesty's appreciation for talent even more?"
The two began arguing, while the Emperor drank his tea and showed no intention of speaking for the time being.
Yan Weijin thought for a moment and then said, "If outstanding ability is the only reason for promotion, then Lord Feng should have been promoted long ago. He wouldn't be so old and injured as to still be just a Right Minister."
Lu Jinlan smiled and said, "Since Your Majesty says so, why don't you promote Lord Feng to the position of Left Minister? As for the Right Minister, I still recommend Guan Shanyue. If Your Majesty and Your Majesty have any doubts, let him temporarily serve as the Right Minister of Rites."
"There are many things to do before the New Year, so I'll entrust them to her. After the New Year, Your Majesty can see how well she handles the tasks before deciding whether to appoint her to a position."
Zhao Mincheng nodded repeatedly, "Okay, let's do it that way. First, promote her to the fourth rank and appoint her as the acting Right Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and then observe her performance."
Lu Jinlan quickly bowed and said, "On behalf of Guan Shanyue, I thank Your Majesty for your appreciation."
The two spoke at breakneck speed, as if afraid someone might interrupt them.
Yan Weijin was taken aback. "Your Majesty, we have never done that before."
The Emperor, putting his newfound knowledge to use, said, "Didn't Marquis Jing'an say that we should employ talents without being bound by convention? Let's do it that way."
With the matter settled, Yan Weijin took his leave. Just as Lu Jinlan was about to leave, the Emperor suddenly asked, "Have you encountered anything these past few days?"
Lu Jinlan quickly replied, "It's nothing, I just caught a cold and was delayed for a few days."
Zhao Mincheng looked somewhat suspicious. "You were perfectly fine before, and you're a martial artist. How could a mere cold make you sick?"
Doubt, endless doubt, one doubt after another.
Lu Jinzhao is right. If you don't want others to know, then don't do it in the first place. Otherwise, with so many suspicious eyes around you, it's like having a modern MRI machine specifically designed to screen for suspicious diseases in the human body.
Tired of their constant probing, Lu Jinlan decided to take drastic measures to ensure they would never dare to pry into her private affairs again.
So Lu Jinlan said in a muffled voice, "Alas, actually, I don't feel much of a cold. But Your Majesty, you know that I have several husbands in my household, each one as fierce as a wolf."
"That night, the young master of Qu Kingdom was incredibly powerful, captivating me to the point of utter arousal. We made love all night long. My legs are cramping, but he still wants more. Even if I were made of iron, I couldn't withstand it. On top of that, I caught a chill and fell ill..."
Lu Jinlan became more and more excited as she spoke, her voice rising higher and higher. The Emperor, however, frowned deeply, wishing he could cover his ears.
All the palace men in the room blushed and tried their best to suppress their laughter.
Zhao Mincheng slammed his hand on the table. “Nonsense! Who asked you these questions? What kind of rabid and insolent words are you spouting? You’re a marquis, yet you speak so blatantly. How can you be so absurd?”
Lu Jinlan looked bewildered and innocently asked, "Didn't Your Majesty ask me how I fell ill? I dared not deceive Your Majesty, so I told you the truth. Was I wrong?"
Zhao Mincheng waved his hand, "You're not wrong, I asked the wrong question. I'm ashamed to hear your ridiculous stories, you should go home now."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I shall take my leave."
When Lu Jinlan came out, she saw that Yan Weijin was waiting for her outside.
"Lord Lu, please wait."
"Your Excellency, is there anything else?"
Yan Weijin smiled and said, "It's nothing. Didn't you just say you wanted to ask about the Emperor's old friend? Why didn't you ask even though the Emperor gave you permission?"
Lu Jinlan suddenly realized, "I almost forgot about that. Thank goodness for reminding me, Your Excellency. I'll go ask right away."
As Lu Jinlan turned around, Yan Weijin quickly grabbed her, "I've just thought about it carefully, and I don't think Marquis Lu had any intention of asking at all, so why is he making this gesture?"
Lu Jinlan smiled and said, "You have a good eye. I originally wanted to ask, but then I thought, if the Emperor happens to dislike that old friend, and I look like her, asking would remind the Emperor, wouldn't that be asking myself trouble? So I didn't ask."
"Your Excellency, am I clever?"
Yan Weijin nodded, temporarily believing Lu Jinlan's explanation.
Yan Weijin said meaningfully, "You're right, don't create trouble for yourself, and don't bring up the past. By the way, what did the Emperor say to you when he kept you behind?"
If they talked about other things, Lu Jinlan would just reply with two words, "Secret," leaving her to guess.
But the conversation turned to some exciting topics, and Lu Jinlan happily shared, "The Emperor asked me why I suddenly fell ill a few days ago, and I told him..."
Lu Jinlan repeated his original words, and as soon as he got to "leg cramps," Yan Weijin blushed and stormed off.
Lu Jinlan chased after him, calling out, "Your Excellency, I haven't finished speaking yet! Your Excellency, are you in a hurry to go home?"
Yan Weijin strode away without looking back. Only then did Lu Jinlan's smile fade, and she turned and left.
*
After Lu Jinlan "recovered" from her illness, she became even more pragmatic. She always felt that it was a loss for the world that she hadn't become the emperor, and she had to do some good deeds to make it up to the world.
That day, Lu Jinlan wrote a memorial and was about to go find Xiang Ruzhen when Yan Wuxin came to his door first.
"Jinlan, you should go and try to persuade Ruzhen."
Lu Jinlan was taken aback: "What's wrong with her?"
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