Chapter 14: Remarkable Results
Chapter 14
The grand court meeting that day was filled with blood and gore. Lü Desheng, the great troll, went all out, first lashing out at Zhao Wenkuan, the head of the Zhao family, for his laziness, dereliction of duty, and his connivance and protection of his relatives who were bullying the people and dominating the market.
He then dragged out two of the Zhao family's more capable officials and blasted them harshly, criticizing everything from their morals and etiquette to the responsibilities they handled and even their work style and ideology. He saw the big picture from the small details, and he simply accused the Zhao family of being a fraud, whether he had conditions or even if he created them.
That morning's court session was turned by Lu Desheng into a criticism meeting of Zhao officials.
Emperor Kang Cheng, who was sitting on the dragon throne, was surprised. It was rare to see his beloved minister criticizing others so hard. How could the Zhao family offend him to such an extent?
When you pull out a radish, you bring out the mud. In order to protect themselves, Zhao Wenkuan and the two officials in charge sacrificed their three capable men to save the king.
The end result was that Lü Desheng single-handedly demoted Zhao Wenkuan by half a level, forcing him to remain a marquis for future use. Two other officials from the Zhao family suffered even worse, losing two levels of rank. Three other minor officials were dismissed from their posts and imprisoned.
This fighting power made the onlookers feel sympathetic. It was cruel, too cruel.
After the morning court was over, officials filed out. Prince Gong avoided Lü Desheng even further, for he had not forgotten that all of this had originated from the flower-viewing banquet held by his family that night.
No one dared to approach Lu Desheng within two feet. This is a madman!
Facing the gazes of fear and disgust, Lu Desheng held his head high. A man fears nothing more than hateful, even disdainful, looks. He fears nothing more than sympathetic gazes. He knows exactly what he should and shouldn't do. When he has a mission, he'll criticize whoever the emperor tells him to. When he doesn't have a mission, he'll criticize whoever he wants. There are so many people who hate him, who are you?
Lu Desheng strode towards the main hall door with high morale, like a rooster that had won a fight. In contrast, the officials of the Zhao family looked dejected and dusty.
Zhao Wenkuan stopped him and said with red eyes, "Lü Desheng, good, you are fine!"
Lu Desheng: "Of course I'm fine! As the saying goes, cultivate yourself, manage your family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world! I am an upright person who keeps myself clean, have a virtuous wife, filial sons, and well-behaved daughters, and my career is going smoothly. I am highly valued by the emperor. How about you, Lord Zhao? You deserve this misfortune for your family's unrest!"
"You!" Zhao Wenkuan felt like he was going to be mad at him for talking nonsense with him.
Lu Desheng's shameless words made the officials passing by them curse in their hearts, "Bah, you are the most shameless person, and you still dare to say that you are an upright person."
Especially those people from the Censorate, they were cursing in their hearts, saying that Lu Desheng was simply not a human being. His behavior completely tarnished the word "censor", and was a disgrace to their Censorate!
Lu Mansion
On the morning that Lu Desheng went to the morning court, Lu Songli also got up early. After waking up, she did not eat in her own courtyard, but went to the main courtyard.
Jiang got up after sending her husband out. The old man slept little, and even if he lay down again after waking up, he couldn't fall asleep again, so he simply gave up lying down.
Seeing Lu Songli coming, Jiang was quite surprised. Her daughter had never come to the main courtyard so early, so she hurriedly asked her if something had happened.
Lu Songli shook her head.
When Jiang learned that she hadn't eaten breakfast yet, she asked the servants to make her breakfast. Looking at her daughter's silent face, Jiang guessed that she was worried about her father and couldn't help but comfort her. "Don't worry about your father. It's just impeaching the Zhao family. It's not the first time your father has done this, and he rarely fails."
Lu Songli rubbed her forehead. Her mother was quite optimistic. Although she had been recuperating these days, she had not been idle. By reading some information and learning from the maids and servants, she had a clear understanding of her current Dali Dynasty and her own situation.
Let's first discuss the broader context. The Da Li dynasty, the current rulers, has a history spanning 178 years. The current emperor, Emperor Kang Thanh, is the eighth emperor of the Da Li dynasty. After experiencing its founding, revival, prosperity, and preservation, the Da Li dynasty has clearly entered a period of decline. Chinese history has shown that dynasties averaged around 200 years. No wonder the Qin family's rebellion was successful in the original novel; it seemed the Da Li dynasty was doomed.
Emperor Kangcheng was not known for his strong will and perseverance. Upon ascending the throne, he was likely ambitious and diligent in state affairs, possessing strong self-discipline and a willingness to listen to the advice of loyal ministers and wise generals, giving him the appearance of a wise ruler. However, after reaching middle age, he became somewhat lazy and indolent in his administration. He wasn't obsessed with women, but rather with Buddhism and Taoism, a kind of midlife rebellion, placing his thoughts on nothingness. He often skipped court to cultivate in the inner sanctum, even privately calling himself the True Man of Great Purity.
Lu Songli also understood that governing a country is not something that can be done overnight. The passionate period of the young emperor has passed, and the kingdom of Dali is still too heavy for him.
Lü Songli felt that if an emperor had given up on being a wise and powerful emperor, he would undoubtedly be in danger, as nothing could restrain him. This was especially true for loyal ministers and generals who wanted to do something practical for the country and its people. Their desires conflicted with those of the emperor. But for some conspirators, this presented an opportunity.
Fortunately, although her father is not a conspirator, he is not a doer either, otherwise she wouldn’t know where she is now.
Given this political environment, let's consider her family's circumstances. Her father was a censor, her brother was a minor clerk, and her younger brother was still studying poetry at the academy. Her grandfather had passed away, and there weren't many other members of her family who could boast significant achievements. Furthermore, her maternal grandfather was the most successful member of her family, a scholar. It was his help that enabled her father to embark on his official career. After her grandfather's death, her third uncle, at the age of seventeen, passed the examinations for the title of scholar under her father's guidance, but he repeatedly failed.
Among her close relatives, the most promising one is actually her father. In other words, her father has no elders in the family to rely on or guide him, and he cannot rely on the Yue family either. However, he is the support of all of them.
A close friend? An ally who stood by and supported each other at court? No! Everyone said her father, Lü Desheng, was the feared Censor of the Li Dynasty, but in reality, she felt he was a complete court orphan. Of course, for some special reason, this wasn't her father's fault.
After analyzing all this, Lu Songli could almost see her father walking alone on the icy official road, treading on thin ice, the dangers beneath. So, she wasn't as optimistic as her parents. In fact, her father probably wasn't optimistic either, deep down. He was only forty, but his hair was already turning silver. One could imagine the anxiety and torment he felt deep down.
But what is certain is that her father still loves her mother very much. You can tell from the fact that her mother still looks like she is in her early thirties. She bears all the pressure by herself.
"Mother, when does Dad usually come home from court?"
"Based on past experience, and since we live quite far from the palace, we should be able to get home by early noon."
Lu Songli calculated. It was early noon, around eleven o'clock. In winter, the morning court session was at six o'clock. Her father had to get up at five o'clock on days when he needed to attend. It was really tough. He also had to stand for hours during the morning court session, which was also tough.
"Mother, I'll pick out a few spirited servants and we'll go to the gate to welcome my father, shall we?"
Jiang laughed, "Does it need such a big show?"
Lu Songli nodded seriously, "Of course I must. Dad has been working so hard these past few days. Why? To vent my anger. I can't just say nothing."
That was one reason. Another was that after analyzing her father and the Lu family's situation, she realized something was amiss. She knew her father had prepared a lavish gift package for the Zhao family this morning, but she didn't know how many members of the Zhao family it could take with it. Lu Songli suspected that after this incident, his political enemies had once again seen her father's threat, and some were about to get restless. As the saying goes, life is most dangerous when you're at your most triumphant, and when you're at your most triumphant, your defenses are most relaxed.
She now deeply realizes the importance of her father, and it is her responsibility to protect her main force.
"Are you so sure that your father can defeat the Zhao family?"
"Whether I win or lose, I'm proud of my dad!"
"Okay, mother, I'll listen to you. We'll go straight to the gate to welcome your father."
So Lu Songli called the housekeeper Chen.
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