After the court meeting ended, Lu Jin was kept.
Looking at Yun Zheng, Yun Cang and Mu Shun in front of him, Lu Jin suddenly felt like he was in a three-court trial.
"Do you know why I kept you here?"
Yun Zheng was the first to ask.
Lu Jin's expression changed slightly, and he lowered his head and said, "Your subordinate..."
"You have no official position now, so it's not appropriate for you to call yourself a subordinate."
Mu Shun interrupted Lu Jin, "The emperor has granted you the status of a Jinshi, so you are the emperor's disciple. In front of the emperor, you can call yourself a student! In front of the prince and the crown prince, you can call yourself a foolish student. In front of the older officials in the court, you can call yourself a junior."
Lu Jin was surprised. How could there be so many details to explain just a self-proclaimed title?
"Thank you for your guidance, sir."
Lu Jin quickly bowed to thank Mu Shun, and then bowed to Yun Zheng: "I don't know the etiquette of the court, please forgive me, Your Majesty."
...
...
"No problem."
Yun Zheng chuckled, "Mu Shun has been with our father for decades. He will teach you all these things."
Lu Jin bowed in response, but muttered to himself.
This eunuch Mu has followed the emperor for decades!
He came to teach himself?
How come this sounds unreal?
"Well, it's time for you to answer my question."
Yun Zheng urged.
"this……"
Lu Jin's face turned slightly pale. After thinking for a moment, he made up his mind and said, "It should be that I offended the prince with my answers in the palace examination. The prince will either punish me or condescend to confront me face to face."
Hearing Lu Jin's words, Yun Zheng couldn't help but laugh.
"I heard that you took part in the palace examination with the determination to die!"
Yun Zheng looked at Lu Jin with a smile: "I thought you were a lunatic, but your performance now is far from what I expected."
Lu Jin raised his head and said sternly: "I am not a madman, but a man who cares about the country and the people!"
Are you worried about the country and the people?
Yun Zheng smiled and asked again: "Then are you a sad person?"
"this……"
Lu Jin didn't understand, and said frankly: "I don't understand what the prince means."
Yun Zheng raised his eyes, looked at him with a smile, and said slowly: "As the saying goes, those who worry about the country are always the saddest people in the history."
Lu Jin was surprised, then shook his head and smiled: "I am not a sad person, on the contrary, I am a lucky person."
Yun Zheng asked with a smile: "Is it because I didn't kill you and let you rank seventh in the second class?"
"no!"
Lu Jin shook his head again, "I am lucky to have seen such a territory in Da Gan!"
"Then why are you accusing me of warmongering?"
A hint of doubt appeared on Yun Zheng's face.
“The two are not contradictory.”
Lu Jin gradually got over the tense period and replied solemnly: "No one in the world can deny the prince's contribution to expanding the territory!"
"But even though my empire is so vast, the people of the world have not benefited much from it!"
"After years of fighting, the people are not suffering terribly, but they don't have much surplus food at home!"
"Even the rich lands in the south are like this, Your Majesty should understand the plight of the people in the north and on the borders!"
"If the military expenses and supplies from these years of war were used for civilians, I could save at least 100,000 civilians from dying in one year."
"I believe that conquering and expanding territory is not something that can be done overnight. We should proceed step by step so that the people can benefit from it..."
Lu Jin expressed his own point of view.
No one can deny Yun Zheng's contribution.
But in the past five years, Dagan has been fighting year after year.
Where does the money and food for the war come from?
Doesn’t it come from the people of the world?
What is a prosperous age?
A prosperous era should be one in which the imperial court imposes light taxes and levies, every household has surplus food, and everyone in the world has clothes to wear.
If the people cannot benefit from expanding territory, then expanding territory would be nothing more than militarism.
“Why didn’t the people benefit?”
Mu Shun said calmly: "Your Highness the Sixth Prince has expanded our territory, so that the people of our country no longer suffer from the pain of war. Looking back to the previous dynasty, foreign countries invaded our Central Plains many times, and the people of the world were displaced and had to eat their own children. That was the real suffering!"
"Although what Lord Mu said makes sense, I dare not agree with it."
Lu Jin replied: "The court is fighting for hundreds or thousands of years, while the people are fighting for just one lifetime!"
“Why should the people of this world suffer for the people of future generations?”
"How many people in the world can truly have enough food and clothing in their lifetime?"
"I can see that the prince is doing a favor to the people by implementing the policy of equalizing the land tax, but have the people really benefited much?"
"My vision is not as far-sighted as that of the prince and eunuch Mu, but I know what the people really want..."
Lu Jin is firing on all cylinders.
Mu Shun tried to interrupt several times, but was stopped by Yun Zheng.
Yun Zheng listened to what Lu Jin said patiently. His face showed no joy or anger, but he nodded secretly in his heart.
The court needs such people!
After Lu Jin finished speaking, Yun Zheng asked calmly, "You do have a pure heart! However, I heard you said in front of my father that your talent is better than Lu Yizhou's! But so far, I have only seen your heart, but not your talent!"
"If Your Majesty is willing to give me a position to govern a county, perhaps Your Majesty will see my talent!" Lu Jin risked his life.
Anyway, I have said so much, whatever you want is fine!
"Hmm, it has the flavor of a madman."
Yun Zheng nodded and smiled, "I hope to give you a county or even a state to govern, but you are still far from perfect! So, I will order someone to purify you and send you to my father, so that he can..."
"What?"
Lu Jin's face changed drastically, and his voice trembled: "Clean...cleanse your body?"
"yes!"
Yun Zheng smiled: "This is the rule."
rule?
Fuck the rules!
I am here to take part in the palace examination!
I don’t want to enter the palace to be a eunuch!
No wonder he asked Eunuch Mu to teach him etiquette.
It turns out that he had this plan from the beginning!
Lu Jin raised his head and closed his eyes with a look of grief and indignation: "Your Majesty, please kill Yusheng!"
Yun Zheng suppressed his laughter and said seriously: "This king is also a person who loves talents, why would I kill you?"
"If the prince wants me to be cleansed, it would be better to kill me!"
Lu Jin was filled with grief and anger.
He was ready to be beheaded!
But he never expected that Yun Zheng wanted to castrate himself!
"Ha ha……"
Looking at Lu Jin's appearance, Yun Zheng and Mu Shun finally couldn't help laughing.
It seems that he is not without fear!
Lu Jin opened his eyes and looked at the two of them in confusion.
“That’s enough!”
Yun Zheng stood up slowly, "I won't tell you anymore, let Eunuch Mu tell you the rest!"
After saying that, Yun Zheng pulled up Yun Cang, who looked curious, and walked away.
Mu Shun looked at Lu Jin quietly and said quietly, "I am a person without any fortune or descendants. I am grateful to His Majesty for his mercy and for wanting to find an adopted son for me. When I am buried in the future, someone will come to my grave and burn a stick of incense for me..."
"Father-in-law, do you want to adopt me as your adopted son?"
Lu Jin finally reacted.
"right!"
Mu Shun nodded gently: "If you accept me as your foster father, you will learn a lot and your career will be much smoother."
"I would rather die than be chaste!" Lu Jin replied through gritted teeth.
"Who asked you to clean yourself?"
Mu Shun smiled and said, "I won't ask you to change your surname. When you have children in the future, you can choose one to take my surname."
"this……"
Lu Jin hesitated for a moment, then knelt down slowly: "My son greets his godfather!"
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