Chapter 117 She slept with him too.
Zhao Mincheng was shocked. "Slept with him? No, I sent someone to help her resolve her inner conflict, not to have her undress him! How could she have slept with him?"
The head servant said speechlessly, "When I noticed that Xu Runnian hadn't returned all night, I went to the Marquis's residence to inquire, only to learn that this had happened. I was also... extremely shocked and at a loss."
"This servant asked Lord Lu why he did this, and Lord Lu said, 'Your Majesty, you said you would bestow someone upon her. Now that you have sent her away, Lord Lu has assumed that it means you are bestowing her upon her…'"
Zhao Mincheng rolled her eyes. "When did I say I was going to reward her? It was just an angry remark, and she took it seriously."
The head palace servant said helplessly, "Things have come to this point, so please, Your Majesty, make a decision. It is a serious crime for a palace servant to have an affair. Xu Runnian is kneeling outside the palace right now. What should Your Majesty do?"
Zhao Mincheng said helplessly, "I sent him, what can I do about it?"
The head servant mustered his courage and suggested, "Well, since he's already Marquis Lu's man, why don't you bestow him upon..."
"I won't!" Zhao Mincheng said angrily, "Does she think that just because she slept with someone, I have to reward her? No! I'll wait until she stops causing trouble and makes me happy before I do anything about it."
The palace attendant in charge said, "Ever since the incident, Marquis Lu has been depressed and spends all her time in the factory, leading a group of craftsmen in their clanging and banging. She can't even cheer up, so Your Majesty shouldn't expect her to comfort you."
Zhao Mincheng snorted coldly, "Her displeasure didn't stop her from sleeping with people; she's still quite the ladies' man."
"By the way, did that Master Qingxuan go? He should baptize her with Buddhist teachings and teach her what it means to be pure of heart and have few desires."
The head palace servant lowered his head in embarrassment, "This..."
The Emperor hurriedly asked, "What's wrong? Can't even this enlightened monk relieve her distress?"
The head palace servant stammered, "Whether the high monk resolved Lord Lu's inner turmoil, this servant does not know. But Lord Lu did undress the high monk, and she... she slept with him."
The Emperor stood up in shock. "What? She slept with this high monk too? How could this be?"
"Your Majesty, Marquis Lu said that when Your Majesty sent Xu Runnian yesterday, she thought it was a kind gesture from you and accepted it with a smile. Today, when Your Majesty sent Master Qingxuan, she saw that he was a young male monk with outstanding looks and extraordinary appearance. She thought it was another kind gesture from you and accepted it with a smile as well."
"Nonsense!" Zhao Mincheng slammed her hand on the table. "I send a handsome man over, and she wants to take him to bed. Does that mean if I send my imperial servants, she'll accept them too?"
The head palace servant immediately kowtowed, "I doubt it."
The Emperor was taken aback. "Why?"
"This servant dares not say."
"Speak! I want you to speak."
"Uh, this servant has heard that Lord Lu only likes virgins who have never been married."
The Emperor was so angry he almost laughed. "She's quite insistent on her own taste."
Zhao Mincheng fanned herself a few times, "But she shouldn't have forced people to do things against their will and bullied two weak men. What kind of talk would that be if word got out?"
The head palace servant honestly replied, "Your Majesty, it doesn't seem to be forced. Xu Runnian said that he was infatuated with Lu Hou himself, so he let him have his way..."
"As for that Master Qingxuan, when I went there, he was just coming out of Lord Lu's room. I asked him what was wrong, and he said that his cultivation was not enough and he had been defeated by Lord Lu. He asked Your Majesty to find someone more capable. He said that he was not worthy of the title of a high monk and that he wanted to leave the world and find a secluded mountain to study Buddhism again."
"In short, they don't seem to be forced; it's more like... like they're obsessed."
Zhao Min sighed, "Alas, perhaps no man in the world can resist the charm of the Marquis of Jing'an. Oh well, let her be."
*
Since Lu Jinlan stopped attending court, Zhao Mincheng hadn't heard from her for some time.
One day, the emperor was reading a book when he noticed the palace men outside the hall whispering amongst themselves. He frowned and asked in displeasure, "What are you saying?"
The head palace servant hurriedly apologized, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive us. We heard something incredibly interesting, and we couldn't help but..."
Zhao Mincheng scoffed, "What earth-shattering matter could you possibly know that I don't?"
The head palace servant smiled and said, "Your Majesty, what you know is all serious business. What we servants know is not so serious... It's about the fact that the King Consort of Jiang Kingdom is pregnant."
Zhao Mincheng was stunned and said, "Didn't the Emperor of Jiang Kingdom pass away last month? A new emperor has not yet been enthroned."
"Yes, that's why the world was shocked. It's said that the Jiang Kingdom invited dozens of doctors to take her pulse and calculate the date, confirming that she was pregnant three months ago. In other words, their emperor was still alive at that time, but he was bedridden and shouldn't have been able to have sex."
"But the royal consort himself said that his child was the emperor's. Because he was a holy man of the Meizu, and the ancestors of the Meizu could dream of immortals and then become pregnant. He dreamed of having sex with the emperor, and then he got pregnant."
Zhao Mincheng sneered, "Nonsense! He's probably having an affair; he can't even come up with such nonsense."
The palace attendant in charge chuckled, “If this were in our Hua Kingdom, no one would believe it. But most people in Jiang Kingdom are religious and very superstitious about this holy man. They’ve already accepted him as the emperor’s child and are trying to protect the pregnancy. It’s said that this holy man is quite mysterious; he can feed poison with his own body and communicate with spirits. In short, there are all sorts of rumors.”
"The reason this matter reached us is because there is a story that mentions Lord Lu."
Zhao Mincheng was taken aback. "What does this have to do with Marquis Lu?"
“Three months ago, didn’t Marquis Lu go to the Jiang Kingdom? Some people said that the child was hers.”
Zhao Mincheng laughed a few times, "What is all this nonsense? Two people who are completely unrelated, do you think that's possible?"
The head palace servant said, "This servant thinks it's impossible. Let alone the two being completely unrelated, even if they were related, Marquis Lu wouldn't be interested in this person. After all, she prefers virgins who have never been married."
Zhao Mincheng nodded. "That makes sense."
*
Zhao Mincheng originally thought that Lu Jinlan was indulging in frivolous pursuits, but he never expected that she would make a name for herself in those pursuits two months later.
Lu Jinlan invented a new type of textile machine with one hundred spindles. Textile workers could now spin one hundred bolts of cloth in the time it took them to spin one. It quickly became popular and was called the Lu Hou Machine.
Xiang Ruzhen proposed industrial reforms in court. Although she was the Minister of Revenue, she always liked to meddle in other people's business, so the emperor was used to it.
Even the senior officials in the court were too lazy to argue with her about whether this was within her scope of duties, because there had been several similar arguments already.
In any case, Xiang Ruzhen would definitely say that every woman has a responsibility for the rise and fall of the nation, let alone you and me who are officials in the court, loyal to the country and serving the emperor. We should care about the affairs of the world, and there is no distinction between what is within our duty and what is not.
Originally, Xiang Ruzhen and her group of new officials were constantly submitting new proposals and laws, and they were already at odds with the conservative old officials.
Now, as soon as they hear that she wants to implement reforms, the veteran officials oppose it without saying a word.
After two more months of arguing and bickering, and with the reform progressing haltingly, Lu Jinlan had successfully developed a bicycle, which the people called Lu Hou's two-wheeled vehicle.
Occasionally, Lu Jinlan could be seen riding out on his own, often with a child on the back.
In addition, there are Luhou tricycles and Luhou four-wheeled vehicles.
I heard that Lord Lu has sent people to Lingnan to find something called rubber to make tires. Once he has the tires, he will start mass production of those Lu Hou cars.
Lu Jinlan was busy with his work when Xiang Ruzhen suddenly came to visit.
Lu Jinlan chuckled and teased, "What a rare guest! I haven't caught a glimpse of you for half a month. Your husband brings the kids to my house almost every other day. The other day, your son called me 'Mom,' which startled me. Xueqing said you're always out early and back late, and the kids don't recognize you anymore. I think you're more tired than the Emperor. What are you so busy with?"
Xiang Ruzhen sighed, "Don't even mention it. After we finished talking about industrial reform, I went back and started to implement it. I worked hard for two months, but encountered many obstacles. Those old ministers are really stubborn. It's clearly a good thing, but they insist that I'm only carrying out reforms to squeeze out the old ministers."
Whether it's reform, introducing new laws, or popularizing scientific farming, it's all new stuff. New things require new learning, and young officials learn quickly, so they're naturally more likely to be promoted.
The veteran officials have always believed that such methods are a covert attempt to instigate factional strife and exclude conservatives, so they have consistently opposed them with all their might.
Lu Jinlan said, "I told you last time that there's little hope of implementing reforms now. It's one thing for old ministers to oppose it, but the Emperor is also taking a tentative approach and trying it out. She simply won't allow any problems to arise during the implementation process. But when new things come out, we always have to explore and move forward, and there will inevitably be twists and turns."
"To implement reforms, everyone must be of one mind. At the very least, you must be given absolute authority to lead this matter; otherwise, it is simply impossible to carry it out."
Xiang Ruzhen hurriedly said, "I came to see you today because of this matter. After court today, the Emperor summoned the eldest princess, myself, and several important officials, and asked everyone to nominate a candidate for prime minister. From now on, the prime minister will be in charge of government affairs and will report directly to the Emperor. Jinlan, I want to be the prime minister."
Lu Jinlan laughed and said, "Great! You should take the position. The position of Prime Minister has been vacant for half a year, and it's time for someone to fill it. I can't think of anyone else suitable besides you. You'll definitely be fine."
Xiang Ruzhen frowned and said worriedly, "There's a big problem. The Emperor wants to use a recommendation system. All civil and military officials of the third rank and above will submit memorials to recommend candidates, and each person will get one vote. You know how well I am regarded; I have many friends, but I've also offended even more people."
"What's worse is that Zhao Zhiyu recommended Yan Ling from the old ministers' faction. The old ministers' faction will naturally give their full support. In addition, there are Zhao Zhiyu herself and the people she usually cultivates. The number of votes I can hold is simply not enough to fight against them."
"Besides, the Emperor doesn't know what's going on, only giving us three days. If he gave us a few more days, maybe I could send people out of the capital to campaign for me. I often tour various places, and some of the local officials are like-minded with me. But it takes time for news to travel back and forth, and three days is too short. Even if they get the news and immediately submit a memorial recommending me, it won't be in time!"
After listening, Lu Jinlan suddenly realized, "No wonder, Guan Shanyue told me that Zhao Zhiyu suddenly urged her to go on a diplomatic mission to a neighboring country a few days ago. But according to the usual practice, this should be next month."
“There was no word of it at the time, so I let her go. Shortly after, people from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Works were seconded, either to supervise construction projects in other places or to inspect schools. It was about ten days ago.”
"Now that I think about it, they were secretly preparing for the election of the prime minister. You only found out today, but they already knew. Zhao Zhiyu knew you would come to me, so he tried every means to get rid of the people under my control in advance."
Xiang Ruzhen exclaimed in surprise, "My two ministers are also out of town!"
Lu Jinlan sighed, "It seems she planned everything perfectly, just to catch you off guard. Yan Ling is a conservative person and a distant relative of Yan Weijin, so she doesn't like us at all. Zhao Zhiyu's recommendation of her is clearly an open act of standing against us, binding himself to the Yan clan."
"To defeat you in a way that seems fair but is actually very unfair is to make you submit completely and force you to have nothing to say in the future."
“The new faction of ministers supports you, but if even you lose, the court will then be dominated by the old faction. If the two factions clash again and the prime minister sides with the conservatives, then all your previous efforts for the new laws and reforms will probably be in vain.”
Xiang Ruzhen was extremely anxious. "What should we do?"
Lu Jinlan frowned and pondered for a moment, "Let's estimate the number of votes first, and then make a decision."
She hurriedly ordered someone to lay out paper and grind ink. The snow-white Xuan paper was laid out on the long table. Lu Jinlan picked up her brush and drew two vertical lines, dividing the paper into three sections.
"You first write down the people you're sure will support you in the first box, and I'll write down the people I think will support Yan Ling in the last box. Fill in some neutral people in the middle that you're unsure about, and we'll see if we can find a way to win them over."
As they talked and wrote, in no time, a list of more than forty officials of the third rank or above in the capital was ready.
A rough count shows that Xiang Ruzhen's side only has fourteen votes, while the opposing side has twenty-six votes, and the centrists have eight votes.
Xiang Ruzhen said angrily, "If all our people were here, we could have at least nine more votes. With such a big gap now, even if we win over all the centrists, it still won't be enough."
Lu Jinlan twirled the pen in her hand. "Then we'll have to resort to some extraordinary measures."
She crossed out two names that supported Yan Ling with a red pen. "Don't worry about these two. I have dirt on them, enough to make them switch sides to you. As for the others, I need to meet with them separately to find out the outcome."
“Let’s split up. You go first to secure your voter base, meet with the fourteen people who have confirmed their support for you, and ask them to come here tonight so we can all write the nomination petition together.”
Lu Jinlan said worriedly, "If it's just people on the list, that's fine. But I'm afraid there are more people outside the list than we expected. By the way, you haven't told Lord Jin about this yet, have you?"
Xiang Ruzhen sighed, "My mother-in-law is getting old and often feels unwell. She caught a chill last night and has a fever all over her body, so she didn't go to court today. I don't want to bother her unless absolutely necessary."
Lu Jinlan said helplessly, "We have no other choice now. The other side is using every means possible, and we can't afford to hesitate any longer. I think if Lord Jin knew about this, he would grit his teeth and get out of bed to help you fight for the position of prime minister."
“She has served in the court for many years, and she may be able to get in touch with some of the old officials we have no connection with.”
"Moreover, some senior officials who do not attend court, as long as they are of the third rank or above, are eligible for recommendation. If we can mobilize these people, we will have a better chance of winning. Among these people, probably only Lord Jin can persuade. You accompany the old man to visit them personally. Come to my place tonight to meet and discuss the matter further."
Xiang Ruzhen left immediately, and Lu Jinlan also hurriedly set off, as she had quite a few people to meet.
*
Just as Xue Ying, the Minister of Justice, returned to his residence, his servant immediately reported: "Master, the Marquis of Jing'an has come to visit, saying he has urgent business to discuss with you."
Xue Ying frowned and muttered, "It must be about recommending the prime minister. How can I see her at this time?"
She hurriedly told the servant, "Tell them I'm not here."
Before he could finish speaking, Lu Jinlan's voice came from outside the door, "I only have a few words to say, Lord Xue, why be so stingy with a cup of tea's time?"
Xue Ying's expression changed, and he quickly stood up. "Oh, Lord Lu, what a rare guest! I was just about to go out."
Lu Jinlan snorted and sat down by herself. "Let's cut to the chase. You know why I came to find you, so I won't waste my breath. How about you switch your allegiance to Xiang Ruzhen?"
Xue Ying chuckled, "Lord Lu, please don't make things difficult for me. I have already promised the Crown Princess to recommend Elder Yan Ling."
Lu Jinlan hissed, "You agreed to the First Princess's recommendation of Yan Ling because she agreed to support your proposal to renovate the Dali Temple, right?"
Xue Ying was taken aback. "How did you know?"
Lu Jinlan chuckled, "How I know this is none of your business, but let me tell you, if you support Yan Ling, the Ministry of Revenue will definitely not allocate this money."
Xue Ying sneered, "Didn't Minister Xiang always claim to be objective and not personal? For the sake of the Prime Minister's position, she actually sent you to threaten me?"
Lu Jinlan shook her head. "It's not that she's threatening you, it's that I'm threatening you. You don't know her well, but I know her very well."
“She’s not targeting me personally. If I told her that Minister Xue is an enemy and that I shouldn’t allocate the funds she applied for, of course she wouldn’t agree. But if I told her that our Ministry of Works needs to build a dike, which is a major event to save people from floods and fires, of course she would allocate the money to me without hesitation.”
"The Ministry of Revenue's funds are limited. If I wanted to compete with you for something like renovating the Dali Temple, you wouldn't get a chance even if you waited ten years."
"On the contrary, as long as you recommend Xiang Ruzhen, I won't make things difficult for you, and you can get into college this year, how about it?"
Xue Ying gritted his teeth in anger, "Lord Lu, don't you think your actions are a bit unscrupulous?"
Lu Jinlan smiled and shook her fan. "You're just bullying Xiang Ruzhen because you think she's ruthless, aren't you? You know she's upright, you know she's fair and impartial, you know that even if you go against her, she won't harm you. So you're all unafraid to offend her. But you've forgotten that she has me by her side."
Lu Jinlan's eyes turned cold. "I've never been afraid of anyone when it comes to tricks. Lord Xue, think it over carefully. I'll be waiting for your news before tomorrow night."
Lu Jinlan strode away, and Xue Ying swept the clutter on the desk onto the floor.
*
The next day, Xue Ying came to Zhao Zhiyu to apologize, only to find Yan Ling and Zhao Zhiyu together, looking worried.
Upon hearing Xue Ying recount the events, Yan Ling slammed her fist on the table in anger.
"What's wrong with Lu Jinlan? Didn't she fade out of the political arena? Wasn't she obsessed with beauty and creativity?"
Zhao Zhiyu said in a deep voice, "Even if she is just pretending to withdraw from the court, she will come out of seclusion in the mountains if Xiang Ruzhen invites her."
Yan Ling said, "Then what do we do? Letting her continue like this is not a solution. This person is cunning and not like Xiang Ruzhen at all. We simply cannot handle her."
“Last night, three of the women I had were invited to Fengchun Pavilion by a wealthy businessman. They couldn’t resist the temptation and ended up having sex with the young men there. As a result, Lu Jinlan was waiting outside Fengchun Pavilion, took their statements, and forced them to abstain from voting.”
"Officials are not allowed to patronize prostitutes. Jin Yunning is the Censor-in-Chief. If Lu Jinlan goes to Jin Yunning and asks her to have someone impeach them, then those three people will be demoted. In that case, they will have no choice but to abstain, and we will lose a few more cards in our hand."
Zhao Zhiyu sighed, "I expected her to make a move, but I didn't anticipate it would be like this. Fortunately, we struck first and we still have enough votes. However, we can't let her continue like this."
She called in her attendant and said, "Go and keep an eye on Lu Jinlan. See where she is right now. If anything happens, tell me immediately."
Before he could finish speaking, a voice came from outside the door, "Your Highness, the Marquis of Jing'an requests an audience."
*
The two had not seen each other for a long time. They sat facing each other and fell silent for a moment.
Lu Jinlan sighed, "Time flies. It seems like it's been almost half a year since I stopped attending court."
Zhao Zhiyu said, "I'm busy and I'm afraid of bothering you. Although we haven't seen each other for a long time, I think of you occasionally. We have many happy memories together at the academy and in Beizhou."
Lu Jinlan nodded, "Yes, it's because the memories are so beautiful that Ruzhen still can't understand why you recommended Yan Ling. After all, you were classmates, and you agreed with her reform strategy. You two didn't have any conflicts on a daily basis. She said she thought you would support her."
Zhao Zhiyu lowered his eyes. "Ruzhen is a good person, but I do have the blood of the Yan family in my veins. Besides, if she can't understand, can't you? Actually, the reason I don't support her is because I heard some old stories about you from the old people in the palace."
Lu Jinlan smiled calmly, "What old stories?"
Zhao Zhiyu said, "You wouldn't admit it even if I told you. To be honest, it's because of you that I decided not to support Xiang Ruzhen. If you were dead, I would definitely support Xiang Ruzhen. She's so diligent and capable; in terms of skill, ten Yan Lings couldn't compare to her."
“But with you here, I dare not gamble. You are too clever and resourceful, which makes me uneasy. Even if you go to Qu or Jiang, I still cannot rest easy. Only your death can put my mind at ease. Otherwise, I will dream of you often, and in my dreams you are always staring at me with ambition.”
Lu Jinlan sneered, "Ambitious? If I were truly ambitious, would we be discussing the position of Prime Minister right now?"
Zhao Zhiyu was immediately shocked, "You admitted it?"
Lu Jinlan picked up the teapot to add water to her cup, saying, "What's there to be ashamed of?"
Zhao Zhiyu asked suspiciously, "Aren't you afraid I'll tell the Empress?"
Lu Jinlan said calmly, "You can go tell her, but if you tell her about me, I will also tell her about you."
"As the saying goes, those who have nothing to lose have nothing to fear. I am just an illegitimate daughter, having faded from the political scene for a long time, spending my days with craftsmen. I have nothing to lose."
"But you are different, Your Highness, the Crown Princess. Your position as Crown Prince is right before your eyes. Aren't you afraid of losing it?"
Zhao Zhiyu pursed her lips, her expression almost frozen. She couldn't tell whether Lu Jinlan was bluffing her or really knew something.
It was so sudden; this was something she hadn't anticipated at all.
Zhao Zhiyu suppressed her panic and forced herself to remain calm. "What could I possibly be afraid of you telling me?"
Lu Jinlan smiled slightly, "I also know some old people in the palace. Aren't you afraid?"
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