Lu Baichuan had just returned from the military camp when he was summoned. He went straight to the palace and was not surprised at all when the ministers impeached him in court. He remained completely open and honest.
"General Lu, do you have any explanation for this matter?"
The crown prince looked at him, his tone very calm, showing no sign of anger.
Actually, it wasn't necessary for Lu Baichuan to come; the Crown Prince could have silenced the court officials. However, the Lu family was currently enjoying great influence, and it wouldn't be good for them to protect him too much. In fact, it might have brought trouble upon them instead.
The simplest way is to have Lu Baichuan explain it clearly in public, so that those court officials will be convinced.
However, Lu Baichuan did not play by the rules. In response to these questions and impeachments, he said, "Your Highness, I have nothing to explain."
One sentence nearly enraged the entire court.
"Your Highness, listen to what General Lu is saying! That's far too arrogant!"
"Exactly! Even if he has indeed made many contributions, he can't be so arrogant. Does he even respect us old ministers?"
"Hmph, a mere warrior, yet so arrogant and conceited! It's outrageous!"
...
The court officials began attacking him in turn, showing no regard for Lu Baichuan's feelings and saying whatever came to mind.
Lu Baichuan did not refute them, but listened quietly to what they had to say.
On the contrary, the Crown Prince was a little worried for him. How could this go on? Why did he seem so indifferent?
Wasn't it a waste of time to call him here?
I should have sent someone to fetch He Jiuniang. If He Jiuniang were here, she could say ten things to these courtiers for every one of their words.
The Crown Prince found the thought of such a scene amusing, but it was a pity that there had never been a woman in the court before. If He Jiuniang were to come, these court officials would impeach him as well.
However, He Jiuniang's talent is absolutely no less than any man's, and he does indeed have the idea of letting He Jiuniang participate in politics. She is a pillar of his Northern Yan, and he should find a way to let these court officials get used to her.
Just as the Crown Prince was lost in thought, Lu Baichuan finally spoke: "Gentlemen, after all you have said, do you know the specifics of last night? Or are you simply looking for an opportunity to impeach me because you don't like me?"
When dealing with these people, Lu Baichuan didn't have a good temper. He said whatever came to mind and naturally didn't care about their feelings.
"What nonsense are you spouting? I'm just stating the facts! She's the daughter of a Duke's mansion, after all. What kind of logic is it to lock her up with criminals?"
"Yes, you've locked up the daughter of a noble family with a spy from the Eastern Court. If word gets out, where will that leave the face of Bei Yan?"
"Although the Duke of Mu's mansion has been in decline in recent years, its ancestors were once glorious. Even if we don't consider the current Duke, we should at least consider the previous Duke. General Lu, you'd better release him quickly!"
...
“Heh,” Lu Baichuan sneered, “So, just because she’s the daughter of the Duke’s family, she can be released without charge, regardless of her wrongdoing, is that it?”
He coldly looked at the group of people in front of him, most of whom were civil officials. They all glared at him with sour looks, clearly having disliked him for a long time.
Indeed, these civil officials are too particular about formalities. According to their rules, the Lu family should have been paid a visit upon their arrival, or at the very least, a small banquet should have been held as a token of appreciation. However, Lu Baichuan and his wife have been away from home since their arrival, leaving the house empty, so there's no way they've been able to pay their respects.
These court officials felt that the Lu family thought their status had risen too high and that they didn't take them seriously, which was why they didn't visit them. Now that they had the opportunity, they naturally wanted to give them a good scolding.
They didn't care why the Lu couple weren't at home; as long as they didn't go, it was disrespectful to them.
When Lu Baichuan asked this question, everyone was momentarily speechless.
“Since ancient times, the law has been the same for princes and commoners. If she has really made a mistake, then she should be punished. But what kind of heinous things could a young girl do? How can we lock her up with criminals from the Eastern Court? This is a disgrace to our Northern Yan!”
An old man was still speaking righteously and sternly when Lu Baichuan asked again, "Then may I ask you, do you know why she was kidnapped and threatened by someone? That's a prison, what would she be doing going to a place like that?"
"She's been going to the prison every day, her real intentions aren't what they seem. She even sneaked into the cell while I was away and was taken hostage. Isn't this something everyone should be concerned about? Has none of you gentlemen thought of this? Or perhaps, you gentlemen have a special relationship with her..."
Isn't it just defamation? Anyone can do that.
After all, I've lived with my wife for so long, how can I not be eloquent?
Everyone was furious with him. They never expected him to be so shameless as to smear them in the imperial court. He was truly despicable!
"You, you..."
The elderly man glared at Lu Baichuan, as if he wanted to glare a hole through him.
"Your Highness is wise! General Lu is slandering us!"
Unable to win the argument, they went to the Crown Prince to complain, but the Crown Prince naturally sided with Lu Baichuan, saying, "What is slander? What did General Lu say that was unreasonable?"
His casual rhetorical question greatly displeased the court officials below. Wasn't this implying they were wrong? How could this be!
However, before they could speak, the Crown Prince continued, "As you all know, this is the imperial court, where we must speak with evidence. You accuse General Lu of slander, but aren't you also guilty? The motives of the daughter of the Duke of Mu's family are indeed suspicious, yet you pay no attention to that and instead seize upon General Lu to launch a barrage of impeachments. Do you know how many remnants of the Eastern Court General Lu and his wife have eliminated for our Northern Yan in less than a month? Besides impeaching him in court every day, what commendable things have you done?"
You could tell from his tone that the Crown Prince was angry.
In public, the Crown Prince usually controlled his temper very well, but this time, for the sake of Lu Baichuan, he lost his temper in front of the court officials for the first time.
"We are terrified!"
The court officials immediately knelt on the ground; they refused to accept this charge!
Lu Baichuan did those things because he was in a position of power and had received so many rewards from the court. Wasn't it only right that he did those things?
However, now that the Crown Prince is angry, they dare not say anything more, otherwise they might get into trouble.
Frustrated, the Crown Prince dismissed the court session and took Lu Baichuan with him.
A group of veteran officials were so angry that their lips trembled. Some of the bolder ones even started shouting in the main hall, "Your Highness, you must befriend virtuous ministers and keep away from sycophants!"
This means Lu Baichuan is a villain.
Immediately, someone stepped forward and covered his mouth, urgently saying, "Be careful what you say, be careful what you say!"
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