332, Impeachment
332, Impeachment
That afternoon, Kyoto Prefecture Nishi Market
The prisoner in prison uniform was pressed on a high platform, with a burly executioner standing beside him.
The warden sat at the desk opposite him and loudly announced the prisoner's crimes, "Prisoner Chen Qing has killed countless people and committed many evil deeds. He is full of evil and should be executed according to the law..."
"cut!"
The warden pulled out a token from a bamboo tube and threw it hard to the ground.
The executioner chopped down the head with a big knife in his hand, and the head fell to the ground and rolled several times before it stopped.
Some of the people standing in the audience turned their heads away, afraid to watch. But others stared intently at the prisoners being beheaded, clapping and cheering.
"Good death!"
"Your Majesty's glorious reputation! Such evil men should have been killed long ago!"
“…”
At this time, Lu Mingfei was standing on the balcony on the second floor of a restaurant not far from Caishikou, and his line of sight just happened to be able to see Caishikou.
He held a wine glass in his hand, which was full of wine, but he didn't drink a sip.
When he saw the head fall to the ground, he poured the wine in his hand onto the ground. Looking at the gray sky, he felt inexplicably heavy. "Cousin, did you see that? The person who killed you also died today."
"May you and your children rest in peace in the grave."
"May you be reborn into a good family in your next life, where your parents love you and you can live a peaceful and happy life."
Although he didn't know if people had an afterlife, Lu Mingfei still prayed that this poor woman, who had suffered so much in her life and had never tasted the love and happiness of the world, could enjoy all the things she didn't have in this life in her afterlife.
Perhaps, you will come to this world just like I did, and go to the world I came from, where you can enjoy things that women of this era have never been able to enjoy, such as studying, working, having your own career, being a strong woman, and living the life you want.
But no matter which one it is, as long as you can be happy in your next life, this is Lu Mingfei's best wish for the sister who held and took care of him when he was young.
***
At this time, Prime Minister Wan, who had returned to the Prime Minister's residence, was so angry that he threw down a pile of things on the desk with one hand and cursed, "How dare you, you brat!"
"Lu Mingfei, I won't believe you unless I skin you alive!"
He had lived a long life and had never been humiliated like this before. Now, a scoundrel with barely grown hair climbed on top of his head and pissed and shit on him.
What’s most infuriating is that his own grandson actually helped an outsider to bully him, his grandfather!
"Bang—"
Prime Minister Wan was so angry that he smashed his favorite teacup. "If I had known earlier, if I had known earlier... I should have let the deposed emperor kill you!"
"I went to such lengths to save you and help you sit on the throne, and now you dare to do this to me!"
"You're a traitor! You have white wolf eyes, you bastard!"
“…”
The guards and servants outside the door heard the sounds of smashing things and cursing in the house, but none of them dared to go in and they all pretended not to hear anything.
***
After avenging his eldest cousin, Lu Mingfei asked his second uncle and fifth cousin to bring his eldest cousin's body back to the village and rebury it on a nearby hill.
He knew that since he had slapped Prime Minister Wan in the face in public, Prime Minister Wan would definitely not let him go. So he made some arrangements in advance.
That night, he went to Nanfeng Pavilion to drink, and also redeemed a young waiter and brought him back home.
Some time ago, he moved into the new house given to him by the emperor, so he brought the young servant he bought back to the new house.
This house is big, we can just find an empty yard and cram people in.
This is also because Zhao Lang is not in Kyoto Prefecture. If the young master were here, he would not dare to do such a thing.
As he wished, at the morning court the next day, the memorials impeaching him fell like snowflakes, and the saliva of the censors scolding him almost sprayed on his face.
If the emperor had not yet taken a vote, these officials would have been eager to make the decision for the emperor, strip him of his official uniform, remove his official title, and sentence him to death by slicing.
While being scolded by this group of censors, Lu Mingfei looked at the old man who was jumping up and down the highest, and his mind was filled with some gossip about this old man.
This old man is too old even his grandfather would think him old. But some time ago, he brought a girl who could be his granddaughter home to be his eighteenth concubine.
Is it true that carrying a concubine is more noble than "sleeping" with a young man?
After the morning court session, he was stopped by a young eunuch beside the emperor and taken to the imperial study to meet the boss.
"Your Majesty, your humble servant greets you." Lu Mingfei bowed and stood in front of the emperor. He did not show any nervousness or uneasiness after being impeached by the censors. His face was still calm.
The emperor fixed his eyes on the minister before him. Although this man was standing before him with his back bent, he gave off an impression of being neither humble nor overbearing, and of being unyielding and unyielding.
What he liked was exactly this temperament in Lu Mingfei.
Zhao Chen still remembers the time when he won the top spot in the imperial examination that year and appeared at the Qionglin Banquet in his top-ranking official attire. It can be said that he was stunned by Lu Mingfei in his top-ranking official attire. This man was not only handsome, but also extremely talented, a talent that was considered one of the three best.
It's not that he didn't have other thoughts about Lu Mingfei at that time, but those thoughts were eventually suppressed by his desire to recruit talents.
However, compared to a handsome male favorite, what he wanted more was a minister with real talent and knowledge who could assist him.
But what if he knew at that time that Lu Mingfei liked men? Would he be unable to resist and not take action against Lu Mingfei? The emperor asked himself in his heart.
After a long while, the emperor finally said, "Stand up."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Lu Mingfei stood up, raised his eyes slightly, and looked at the seated emperor.
Just as his eyes met the emperor's, he looked away and stared at the desk in front of the emperor, not daring to look directly at his face.
"I didn't know that Lord Lu actually likes men?" The emperor looked at Lu Mingfei with a hint of inquiry and suspicion, as well as a bit of complexity in his eyes.
"Your Majesty, I know that my moral conduct is flawed. Please forgive me." Lu Mingfei bowed again, but this time he was asking for forgiveness.
He did not give a direct answer to the emperor's question.
"It's just a bunch of old guys looking for trouble. What crime have you committed?" However, the emperor would rather believe that Lu Mingfei was using this method to defile himself and hand his handle over to Prime Minister Wan's faction to prevent them from coming up with more dirty means to deal with him.
Lu Mingfei heard the protective tone in the emperor's words, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"What do you want to thank me for, my dear Lord Lu?" the emperor asked deliberately.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your trust in me." Lu Mingfei replied respectfully.
The emperor just glanced at Lu Mingfei and did not continue to explore this issue. Whether Lu Mingfei liked men or women, it did not affect his love and appreciation for Lu Mingfei as a person.
He withdrew his gaze from Lu Mingfei, and his eyes now fell on the pile of memorials on the desk in front of him.
In front of him was the memorial written by Lu Mingfei himself.
"I have read the memorial you submitted a few days ago." If the emperor had previously suspected that Lu Mingfei was his grandfather, Prime Minister Wan's man, then after what happened the day before, he could be sure that Lu Mingfei was definitely not his grandfather's man.
"I remember that you and the grandson of Old Lady Fu were both admitted to the imperial examinations together. Did you two have a good relationship?"
"Your Majesty, yes, Brother Fu and I are both admitted to the imperial examination in the same class, and I have known him for several years." Lu Mingfei knew that the emperor would ask this, and he must have sent people to secretly investigate the relationship between him and Fu Lianxin.
I don’t know if the emperor knew that Fu Lianxin faked his death and was taken away by him.
...Probably he didn't know, right? Because he didn't hear anything from the emperor's tone.
"So, you suggest that I go easy on these remnants of the deposed emperor?" asked the emperor.
"No." Did the big boss suspect that he had some selfish motive in writing this memorial? Lu Mingfei definitely couldn't admit that.
Even if he really has selfish motives.
However, the words came out of his mouth in a different way, "Your Majesty, you have just ascended the throne, and the court is in need of talents. Many of the people here are truly talented and knowledgeable. They only followed the deposed emperor because of the situation."
"If you punish those people too harshly, firstly, you might accidentally kill someone, and secondly, it will naturally affect your reputation abroad."
"Your Majesty, why should you let such a small matter affect your reputation abroad?"
"Therefore, I think it would be better to give them a light punishment but a strong warning. Exile them to a cold and bitter land and let them suffer a little first."
"Among these people, some are truly capable of doing practical work and can assist Your Majesty in governing the country. If Your Majesty needs them in the future, you can ask them to come back."
"When they have suffered enough and come back, they will surely know more about how good you are, Your Majesty." Lu Mingfei looked like he was thinking about the emperor and had no selfish motives at all.
He had promised Fu Lianxin that he would find a way to save the lives of those in the Fu family. Secondly, he really didn't want to see so many innocent people killed.
After hearing Lu Mingfei's words, the emperor showed a thoughtful expression on his face, "Okay, you go down first, I will think about it carefully."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I'll take my leave." Lu Mingfei bowed and turned to leave.
But before he could lift his foot, he heard the emperor calling him from behind.
"Lord Lu."
"I am here."
He could only turn around again, bow slightly in the direction of the emperor, and wait for the emperor's instructions.
"Find a chance to send away the young prostitute you brought home."
"……yes."
Lu Mingfei didn't expect that the emperor would make such a request to him. At this time, he just thought that the emperor didn't want to see him ruin his reputation in this way, and didn't think about it in other ways.
This time the emperor did not call him back, and he walked out of the imperial study.
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