Chapter 181 God damn
In front of the main hall, the ministers saw with their own eyes that Zhang Xian was taken away by the chief eunuch, and they felt very sad.
Zhang Xian was clearly destined to become a favorite of the new emperor, and they didn't dare offend him. They planned to wait and see if he could rise to power, or end up like the previous ministers. However, considering Lü Desheng's long and unwavering rise to power during Emperor Kangcheng's lifetime, it seemed unlikely that Zhang Xian would be easily overthrown.
Then, they all glared at Lü Desheng. "God damn it, Lü Desheng! Didn't you say you don't accept disciples or instruct others? How dare you say that Zhang Xian wasn't taught by you? Do you have any shame?"
Officials from Zuo Anmin's faction beat their chests and stamped their feet, saying, "Sir Zuo, why did you go out of town on business today? Do you know that your house would be robbed on a single day when you were away? Damn Lu Desheng!"
Seeing Zhang Xian successfully ascend to the throne, Lu Desheng was very happy and wondered if his beloved daughter had received the letter he wrote to her.
Prince Gong was still the good man. He greeted Lü Desheng, "Lord Lü, are you going home?"
"Not going home."
Oh, is the coward trying to show his head? Lü Desheng rarely attends court anymore. He stays at home all day and it's hard for others to get him out.
"If you're not going home, where are you going, Master Lu?"
"Let's go to Mingyue Restaurant."
Mingyue Restaurant, formerly Hongsheng Restaurant, became famous because of the debate competition. Later, the Xie and Zhao families fell from power and Hongsheng Restaurant changed hands. The new owner disliked the unlucky name and changed it to Mingyue Restaurant.
Lu Desheng actually likes to come to this restaurant, all because there are several signature dishes in his restaurant that his wife likes very much.
One of his colleagues, the Imperial Censor Xu Yue, saw him so relaxed and couldn't help but say to him sarcastically, "If you didn't have a beautiful daughter, you would have accompanied the late emperor long ago."
Lu Desheng glanced at him and said, "You are absolutely right. I don't have any special abilities. The only thing I can boast of is having a wonderful daughter."
Xu Yue felt a lump in his heart when he heard his words.
The other ministers glanced at Xu Yue unexpectedly. "Will you speak?" "Are you scolding him?" "You're praising him!" "There are two great joys in life: success and fame, and having successors." They thought about their unfilial descendants and couldn't help but glare at him again.
Xu Yue, who was glared at by the others, snorted at Lu Desheng, "No matter how capable your daughter is, she was still exiled. Women are fragile, so please don't die on the road to exile."
This angered Lu Desheng. Originally, he was in a good mood today and didn't bother to pay attention to some idiots. However, since the other party cursed his daughter, he couldn't just let it go.
Lu Desheng glanced at Xu Yue and recognized him. The regent Chen Wan had brought him here before, wanting him to teach him, but he had refused.
This guy seems jealous now. Maybe he's holding a grudge against me for something that happened before?
"Your name is Xu Yue? They said you look a bit like me? Do you want me to teach you a thing or two?"
Xu Yue's face flushed.
"Bah! Look at your skinny cheeks, pointed face, and unlucky appearance. How are you like me? You unlucky thing! Don't ever be compared with me again! Otherwise, I will scold you every time I see you!" Lu Desheng looked disgusted.
All the ministers: Here he comes, the long-lost sharp tongue is back again.
"You--" Xu Yue's face turned blue and purple after being scolded. He looked at Lu Desheng and wanted to talk about his appearance, but found that this old man was indeed more handsome than him. There was nothing wrong with his appearance, so he attacked his character!
"Lü Desheng, what's so great about you? After the death of the late emperor, you have been like a coward, not even daring to show your head. What are you so proud of?" Old man, do you still look down on him?
Lu Desheng gave him a look that said, "What do you know?" So what if he just hid?
"Just because you failed to become my disciple and yet you still slandered me, even if you did learn, you would still be ungrateful and betray your master and ancestors. Fortunately, I had a sharp eye and rejected you. What a jerk."
Xu Yue's face turned pale and blue at his scolding. His words were like a conclusion: a serious character problem. He looked at his colleagues around him, but they avoided his gaze one by one.
After Lu Desheng finished speaking, he glanced around. His colleagues looked away one by one, and he even noticed some people laughing secretly...
Lu Desheng snorted in his heart, don’t think that just because he hasn’t gone out during this period, he doesn’t know what these people are thinking. They think that he, Lu Desheng, is a coward.
What's wrong with him listening to his daughter's instructions? What's wrong with him listening to his wife? If what they say is right, he will listen.
In Lu Desheng's opinion, they are the truly pitiful ones. They have been worrying about this and that all their lives, doing everything by themselves. Even at an old age, they still have to worry about their unfilial descendants!
Thinking of this, he snorted, shook his sleeves, and strode away.
Jiangzhou
After walking for nearly two months, the Xie and Zhao families finally entered the territory of Jiangzhou. Beyond Jiangzhou is Lingnan.
That day, Xie Zhan convened a meeting with the core members of both the Xie and Zhao families. The Xie family included elders like Xie Qian and Xie Yuan, as well as new generation members like Xie Nan and Xie Bai. The Zhao family primarily consisted of the three brothers Zhao Wenkuan and Zhao Minglou, members of the Yang clan.
At this moment, Mo Gang and Mo Yasi approached Xie Zhan with a serious expression, "No more deaths can happen."
So far, before they even reached Lingnan, eight of their escorts and runners had already died. The loss was too great.
If someone dies for no reason again, he will have a hard time explaining himself when he returns.
Xie Zhan nodded, "I understand. Thank you for your help, Brother Mo."
Mo Gang glanced at everyone present before walking away, looking back every few steps.
After he returned to the team of bailiffs and servants, he would look in the direction of Xie Zhan and the others from time to time.
This scene was seen by another bailiff named Xiao, who sneered and went to rest.
With the cooperation of Mo Gang, Xie Zhan found an opportunity to have a profound conversation with the surviving members of the Xie clan.
Xie Zhan looked at the numb and lifeless faces of his clansmen and spoke in a deep voice, "As much as I hate to admit it, as the head of the family, I have to say that the period from the 18th day of the twelfth lunar month on the 29th day of the Tianxi period to the following years was the darkest hour for our Xie clan."
"Since the catastrophe, we have sacrificed too many of our clansmen along the way. Looking at the lives lost one after another, I feel deeply heartbroken and regretful. I feel sad for the elderly and children, and for the young and strong people of my Xie family. At the same time, I also hate my own incompetence."
Xie Nan: "Master, this is not your fault."
Xie Qian: "Yeah, it's all Lu Songli's fault. She's too cruel."
Xie Zhan shook his head. "It's all my fault. If I hadn't jumped into the water to save the wrong person, our Xie family wouldn't have suffered this disaster."
"How can I blame you for this?"
Xie Zhan's words stirred the emotions of the clan members. Yes, what had their head of the family done wrong? What had the Xie family done wrong? To have to endure this? Lu Songli was too cruel.
"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's talk about the future." Xie Zhan said sincerely, "I believe that for our Xie family, the darkest moment will pass. I believe that our Xie family will not be wiped out! One day, we will be able to defeat our opponents, and our Xie family will be able to return to its former glory!"
Xie Zhan knew very well that his clansmen had just fallen from a high place, and simply talking to them about wealth, future, and status would not attract them, nor would it motivate them.
Xie Zhan's guess was correct. Many of them still felt that everything they had experienced was like a nightmare.
They just wanted everything to return to the way it was, for the family to return to its original status, and for them to regain their previous lives. However, what Xie Zhan, the head of the family, had just said was what deeply attracted and moved them.
To achieve this goal, they are willing to work together with the head of the family.
"Yes, yes, I can!"
"But this isn't something I can accomplish alone. It requires everyone's hard work. Are you willing to work with me?"
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
"Okay! Next, let's work hard together. We may need to work hard for one year, two years, or even three, five, or seven years! But I, Xie Zhan, will not give up!"
"Don't give up! Don't give up!"
"I can't guarantee that there won't be sacrifices during this effort. For the sake of the family's revival, everyone, including myself, can be sacrificed if necessary."
"But I can guarantee that every sacrifice made by our people will be remembered, and when the family becomes strong again, there will definitely be something in return!" After saying that, Xie Zhan bowed deeply to his people.
The Xie clansmen were silent, with red eyes, watching their young and promising head of the family salute them. They all covered their mouths, not daring to cry out loud.
As for the sacrifices the head of the family mentioned, they had lost so many of their people along the way. Wasn't that also a sacrifice? And such sacrifices were meaningless. They were deeply aware that without the protection of the family, the people were like ants.
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