Chapter 216 Palace Banquet
He was young, handsome, and his demeanor far surpassed that of his youth. Back then, Lu Chenyang, at the age of twenty, had achieved the highest score in the imperial examination and opened his first position, shocking the entire capital.
Six years later, it was still this young man who returned to the capital with his remarkable achievements, even more dazzling than before.
He is no longer the fledgling scholar who has become one of the most powerful men in the country. He is still the one who made a big splash.
Lu Chenyang stopped and bowed, "I pay my respects to Your Majesty."
He didn't kneel, but he kept his back straight. He lowered his head, but there was no trace of humility, and he still exuded composure.
Some ministers were initially dissatisfied. How could they not kneel before the emperor? But thinking of Lu Chenyang behind him, even the most stern and serious old censor did not speak out at this time.
Emperor Qianyuan said calmly, "Lord Lu, please excuse me."
Lu Chenyang said in a deep voice: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Emperor Qianyuan laughed heartily. "Lord Lu, you have made remarkable achievements in your administration. The people under your rule live and work in peace and contentment. It is truly a blessing for me to have you in my country. It was here that you were chosen by me as the top scholar, becoming the first top scholar in my country to have achieved the first six top marks. You have lived up to my expectations, and I am deeply pleased. Come, quickly offer my top scholar a seat."
Emperor Qianyuan gave Lu Chenyang enough face. On his dragon throne, on his left was the prince, and on his right was Lu Chenyang.
Lu Chenyang sat down, and then the palace banquet began.
The dishes served this time were relatively simple. Although there were chicken, duck, fish and meat, this was already the lowest standard for a banquet. Even someone as poor as Lu Chenyang would have these dishes when he entertained guests.
Emperor Qianyuan said, "There are wars everywhere right now, and the people are suffering. As the ruler of the world, I feel deeply ashamed. The people are living in hardship, and we should not indulge in such extravagance. This palace banquet may seem a little shabby, but Lord Lu loves the people like his own children, so I think you should understand."
The entire court was silent for a moment. It was Lu Chenyang’s first day in the city, and it was also Emperor Qianyuan’s first day of living a simple and austere life.
It seems that Emperor Qianyuan is still dissatisfied with Lu Chenyang.
Emperor Qianyuan always attached great importance to face. No matter which provincial governor came to the palace to report on his work, the palace banquet would be filled with countless delicacies from land and sea.
Lu Chenyang, however, believed that what Emperor Qianyuan said was absolutely correct. He nodded deeply in agreement, "Your Majesty, what you said is absolutely right! I completely agree!"
Emperor Qianyuan: “???”
Lu Chenyang stood up and said solemnly, "Your Majesty is so considerate of the people. I am deeply moved. Your Majesty, on my way to the capital, I saw that the people were suffering terribly. I passed by a place where a seventeen-year-old girl was bribed to kill me for a chicken leg. I am truly heartbroken!"
Emperor Qianyuan: “…”
Lu Chenyang said that he was assassinated, so of course he couldn't pretend not to hear it.
"What? Minister Lu was assassinated?!" Emperor Qianyuan was filled with shock. "How could this happen? How audacious!"
Lu Chenyang immediately filed a complaint against Magistrate Li: "Your Majesty, a seven-year-old girl, just for a bite of food, actually took a knife to assassinate a court official. She must have been forced into a desperate situation!" He was filled with grief and indignation: "If local officials had done something to ensure that the people had enough food and clothing, why would they let a little girl kill? Then again, if even a little girl can kill to survive, what about those strong men? This is harming the very foundation of our country!"
Emperor Qianyuan: “…”
Lu Chenyang's words silenced all the civil and military officials in the court.
The general was thinking, well, the penman is really good at talking. Look at the level it's reached. Originally, it was just Lu Chenyang who was assassinated, but now it has escalated to the point of shaking the foundation of the Great Gan.
The civil officials were actually quite shocked; they hadn't expected this. The top scorer in the Sixth Imperial Examination had a brilliant mind.
Everyone looked at Emperor Qianyuan. The emperor knew what was going on with the assassin. It was his fault, so they just watched quietly to see how Emperor Qianyuan would solve the problem.
Even Emperor Qianyuan could assassinate Lu Chenyang. If something really happened to Lu Chenyang on the way, the Lu family army would be in chaos.
They all thought that Emperor Qianyuan’s move was... extremely stupid.
Emperor Qianyuan gritted his teeth and felt his heart begin to ache again.
Emperor Qianyuan looked at the prince, who was staring intently at the wine glass in front of him, as if a flower had suddenly bloomed in the glass. He was studying it with great interest.
The ministers are unreliable, and the sons are unreliable, so he has to do it himself!
Emperor Qianyuan nodded gravely. "Lord Lu, this is absolutely true." He then turned to the Crown Prince and said, "Crown Prince, the investigation of Lord Lu's assassination will be left to you. You must apprehend the true culprit and give Lord Lu an explanation."
The prince: “…”
Since he became the crown prince, he began to clean up the mess for Emperor Qianyuan on a daily basis. All the things that Emperor Qianyuan was unwilling to do and that would offend others were assigned to him.
He deserves to be unlucky just because he's someone else's son, right?
This lousy prince has had enough of being one.
I'm so angry! I really want to flip the table and quit. Let whoever wants to do it do it!
The prince stood up, bowed, and smiled, "Yes, father, I obey your command."
Lu Chenyang looked at the Crown Prince and said softly, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Your Highness."
The prince smiled warmly and said, "Lord Lu has made great contributions to the country. I will definitely give Lord Lu an explanation for this matter."
Lu Chenyang was deeply moved and quickly raised his glass: "I have long heard that the Crown Prince is kind-hearted, capable, and caring for his subordinates. Seeing him today, I can see that his reputation is well-deserved. I offer a toast to the Crown Prince!"
Emperor Qianyuan: “…”
The prince: “…”
What's with this admiring expression? Yes, although everyone knows that Lu Chenyang is a staunch princeling, the prince was able to become the prince because of Lu Chenyang's support.
However, the Crown Prince is the next emperor, and Emperor Qianyuan is not dead yet. Wouldn't it be a bit inappropriate to compliment His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in front of Emperor Qianyuan now?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
