Chapter 70 Who was offended? Brother Lu didn't do anything, but what about the lady...
At 2:15 AM, the sky was bright.
The carriage carrying Lu Minzhong, the Minister of Rites, arrived outside Donghua Gate. The driver halted the horses with a yelp, causing the carriage to sway slightly. Lu Minzhong straightened the wrinkles on his official robe, adjusted his black gauze hat, and stooped to exit the carriage.
June was a time of scorching sun. As soon as I got off the carriage, I could immediately feel a wave of heat. The sky was clear and there was not even a trace of wind.
Beside the palace wall, under several large banyan trees with lush branches and leaves, officials waiting to enter the palace had lined up in a long queue for inspection. He slowly walked to the end of the queue, moving slowly with the flow of people, and sweat soon soaked the clothes on his back.
The noisy cicadas hid among the branches and leaves, calling out at the top of their lungs, one louder than the other, drilling straight into people's heads.
After an unknown amount of time, it was finally his turn. He took out his waist badge engraved with the title of Right Vice Minister of Rites and habitually waved it in front of the imperial guards on duty. He raised his foot to walk in but was stopped.
"Wait a minute, sir!" a low voice sounded.
A captain in armor, with a sword slung across his waist, strode towards him, blocking his path and taking him aside. Then, the captain bowed expressionlessly.
"By order of the higher authorities, we must conduct an extra-careful inspection today. Please wait a moment, sir. I will verify the list and allow you to pass only after it is correct."
Before he finished speaking, a soldier behind him had already flipped open a thick hardcover directory with a rustling sound. He lowered his head, pointed at the small characters on it with his finger, and began to search carefully line by line.
"you!"
Lu Minzhong raised his eyebrows, anger blazing in his eyes. He pointed at his colleagues who had passed the inspection and were filing into the palace. "Why are there so many people ahead of you? Why are they stopping me?"
The captain didn't even raise his eyelids, his voice hard and calm: "This is my duty, I am just following orders. If you have any objections, you can talk to our general later."
Lu Min's mind moved: "Your general? ... Pei Yue?"
The captain uttered two words: "Exactly."
Lu Minzhong's throat choked back the rest of his words. He could only snort, shake his sleeves, and turn away.
Yesterday, the steward reported that Mingyuelou, which had long been the exclusive distributor of his family's finest wines, had suddenly and without warning terminated its contract and was now purchasing from another brewery. Upon investigation, he discovered that Mingyuelou was actually owned by General Xuanwei, who had recently enjoyed the emperor's favor.
Today, he was harassed again at the palace gate and detained for strict investigation. These two incidents combined made it clear that Pei Yue was targeting him, but he couldn't figure out how he had offended him!
Hot sweat trickled down his forehead, seeping into his temples. He raised his hand and sloppily wiped it away, his mood growing increasingly irritable. The sun rose higher and higher, and the cicadas' chirping in the trees grew more shrill. The soldier slowly flipped through the list line by line. Seeing that the number of people at the palace gates dwindled, and finally he was the only one left, he couldn't help but urge him on.
"Please hurry up! Time waits for no one!"
The captain looked at him and said nothing.
"Ding-ding-ding-" At this moment, three deep bell sounds rang out from the palace in the distance.
Lu Minzhong immediately became anxious and dodged his foot: "Have you finished your investigation? If you delay my morning court, you will be held responsible..."
"Lu Minzhong, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites - correct! Let him go!" The team leader took the list handed over by the soldier, took a look at it, and stepped aside.
Lu Minzhong felt his vision go dark and he almost vomited blood. He pointed at the team and said, "Good! Good!"
Then, without caring about his manners anymore, he grabbed the corner of his green robe, rushed through the palace gate, and ran towards the Golden Palace.
The ringing of the Yangyang bell had been intended to urge all officials into the palace. He simply hoped to arrive before His Majesty ascended the throne! Otherwise, being late would be minor, but failing to behave properly in front of the palace would be even more serious. He sprinted, his chest aching, his throat burning with the taste of blood. He hurried, finally entering the throne room just as the bright yellow figure on the throne had taken its place.
Several colleagues nearby were shocked to see him pale and breathing heavily. Minister Lin beside him quickly reached out to support him and whispered, "Master Lu? What happened?"
Lu Minzhong bent over, supported his knees with his hands, waved his hands repeatedly, and was just gasping for breath, unable to utter a word.
Before he could fully recover, a voice from the throne rang out: "Where is the Minister of Rites? Has the budget for this autumn's imperial examination been drawn up?"
Lu Minzhong swallowed his saliva, hurriedly straightened his clothes, stepped out of the line, and reported in a hoarse voice: "I am here! Your Majesty, regarding this autumn examination, the expenses are as follows..." He took a strong breath and reported the budget, but his voice was dry and hoarse, like a broken gong.
After hearing this, the emperor nodded slightly, his eyes fell on his face, with a trace of concern: "I heard that Mr. Lu's voice was hoarse, but is he feeling unwell?"
Lu Minzhong subconsciously raised his eyes, scanning the ranks of military officers. He saw the young man in dark red official robes with an indifferent expression. He took a deep breath and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your inquiry. The weather has been hot recently, and I, your servant, am just a little irritated. It's nothing serious."
…
After the morning court session ended, Lu Minzhong followed the crowd out of the Golden Palace. The sunlight outside was particularly glaring. He squinted his eyes, thinking about first going to see Lord Zhao of the Ministry of Revenue to discuss the approval of the Autumn Examination Funding Memorial. Then he would find an opportunity to find Pei Yue and ask him why he had been doing so recently!
Having made up his mind, he braced himself and took two steps at a time to catch up with Lord Zhao in front of him. He put on a smile and said loudly, "Lord Zhao, please stay!"
Lord Zhao turned around and saw that it was Lu Minzhong who called him. His smile fell, his eyelids drooped, and he replied indifferently, "Oh, it's Lord Lu."
Hearing his cold tone, Lu Minzhong was taken aback for a moment, his smile frozen. Then, his tone became warmer, and he said, "My Lord, I'm sorry for the intrusion, but I'd like to ask about the budget for the Autumn Examination. Could the Ministry of Revenue approve it as soon as possible? As you know, renovating the Imperial Examination Hall requires procuring high-quality wood from the south. Even if it's brought to the capital by sea, it will take a long time. Time is really tight."
Lord Zhao continued walking out of the palace, his voice neither too loud nor too low, "In my opinion, there's no need to be so hasty about this matter. It's best to let the Ministry of Revenue consider it further."
Lu Minzhong frowned and said anxiously, "My Lord! This matter just happened in front of the palace. I have already reported it to Your Majesty, and Your Majesty has no objection. What else is there to consider?"
Lord Zhao stopped abruptly, a flicker of displeasure crossing his face. "Why don't you consider it? I remember clearly that the Imperial Examination Hall was overhauled three years ago at a massive cost! How come it's only been so long, and you're already asking for repairs and replacements all over again? Are you, the Ministry of Rites, too picky, insisting on redoing entire door panels just because the paint peeled? Or was there some ulterior motive during the last renovation, cutting corners?"
He snorted coldly and flicked his sleeves. "You, the Minister of Rites, are so noble, you don't know how expensive firewood and rice are until you run the household! Do you really think the silver in the national treasury grows from the ground itself?!"
"This, this!" Lu Minzhong was stunned for a moment, his whole face flushed red.
The Ministry of Rites didn't have many revenue streams, and the various repairs and purchases for the Imperial Examination Hall during the Autumn Examination were one of them. It was a tacit agreement among the various ministries over the years, and they would make things easier for each other. Why had Lord Zhao suddenly turned sour today, as if he'd taken a nasty drug?
At this moment, Lord Fang, the Minister of the Imperial Guards, happened to stroll past the two of them leisurely. He stroked his beard with a half-smile and echoed, "Lord Zhao, your words are mature, prudent, and well-founded! We should carefully consider this. We have just fought two battles in Great Yan, and these are difficult times. We must spend every penny wisely!"
Lu Minzhong felt a surge of blood rushing to his head, and his vision went dark. He thought to himself: What does this have to do with your Weiwei Temple?!
Has he been possessed by evil spirits lately? Why is everyone so against him? Who has he offended?
He finally couldn't help it, took off his veil, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and replied with a wry smile: "Yes, yes."
Seeing his bewildered look, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, who was on good terms with him, quietly came over, grabbed his arm, and pulled him to stand next to the lamppost beside the palace road. After looking around, he lowered his voice and sighed deeply, with a hint of sympathy and helplessness in his tone.
"Brother Lu, looking at you like this, don't you know what happened?"
Lu Minzhong said depressedly, "What's going on?! What on earth just happened? To be honest, Brother Wang, I've been behaving myself these days and haven't even stepped on an ant to death! Why is it like I've encountered some evil spirit today, with everyone coming at me? Who on earth did I offend?"
The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel looked at him, his lips twitching, as if he were about to speak. Finally, he leaned closer and said, "Brother Lu, you didn't do anything. So... where's your wife?"
"Wife?!" Lu Minzhong's eyes widened instantly and his mouth opened wide.
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