These words provoked many people in the court, who looked at the young scholar who had suddenly stepped forward and found it all laughable.
What's going on? Have they all fallen so low? Even a lowly scholar who hasn't even received an official title dares to stand up and mock them?
Logically speaking, these junior scholars were not qualified to attend court, but the Crown Prince intended to cultivate new talents, so he had them all attend court to listen to important matters and learn to analyze them. This was the Crown Prince's good intention, but he did not expect that on their very first day of court, these people would dare to stand up and criticize them. Did they still have any respect for these high-ranking and powerful ministers?
Lu Baichuan's move to relinquish military power initially left everyone unsure how to respond, but Kang Tanhua stepped forward at this moment, offending everyone with his righteous and stern words, instantly shifting everyone's anger towards him.
"Insolence! Kang Sheren is so eager to prove himself. Even if you didn't step forward, everyone knows about your relationship with the Lu family, so don't bother to come out and prove it. Besides, His Highness invited you to the court to listen to the government's affairs in order to train you properly, not to make you lose sight of your place and make unwarranted comments about us!"
"This is outrageous! You call yourself a scholar, yet you show such disrespect and even speak rudely to us. Have all those years of studying the classics gone to waste?"
"We are here to condemn General Lu's neglect of the women in his household and his allowing them to run rampant. We hope General Lu will take this seriously and release Miss Zhuo so she can go home and recuperate. When did it become your place to interfere?"
...
They were very dissatisfied with Kang Tanhua and already harbored resentment towards him. So what if he curried favor with the Lu family? Lu Baichuan was a military general, while Kang Tanhua was pursuing a career in government. They were not on the same path. The Lu family would offer him very little help. On the contrary, they, as civil officials, would have more opportunities to intervene. They would see who would suffer the most in the end.
However, these people's comments had no effect on Kang Tanhua, who said frankly, "I am just stating the facts. If I have inadvertently offended you gentlemen, please forgive me. There are many things you gentlemen do not wish to hear, but I still want to say them."
"I know that you gentlemen have many grievances against Madam Lu. Does anyone remember that when the army was short of manpower, it was Madam Lu, a mere woman, who went to the military camp to take the place of General Lu and trained a group of elite soldiers in just over a month? This is no secret in the city."
"Madam Lu is known for her clear sense of right and wrong, and she wouldn't really imprison Miss Zhuo for her own selfish desires. Miss Zhuo was imprisoned because she obstructed official business and almost released Xinran, a hostage from Dongting. Xinran previously ran a theater in Jingzhou and took the opportunity to harm the people of Jingzhou. It was Madam Lu who saw through her conspiracy, devised a plan to expose her, and finally managed to capture her. She is an important hostage. If Miss Zhuo had released her, everyone would know how serious things would have been."
"Madam Lu is no less capable than any man. Although she is not in court, she has done as much as any of the officials present, yet she has never sought credit. When Miss Zhuo was in trouble, Madam Lu was the first to go to the prison to treat her. If Madam Lu were truly doing this for her own selfish desires, why would she go to so much trouble?"
Kang Tanhua recounted He Jiuniang's great achievements without backing down, wanting these court officials to know that although they were in the court, what they had done was not as good as that of He Jiuniang, a mere woman.
Lu Baichuan looked at Kang Tanhua with admiration in his eyes. Sure enough, scholars know how to talk. They strike first, then take the path of suffering, using both soft and hard tactics to keep the court officials busy.
With such talent in the court, things will be much easier for me.
As everyone listened to Kang Tanhua recount He Jiuniang's achievements, they were inwardly disdainful, but they couldn't show it too much on the surface. Someone immediately said, "We naturally know that Madam Lu is capable, but that's no reason to keep Miss Zhuo imprisoned. Even if Miss Zhuo did something wrong before, after being imprisoned for so long and almost losing her life this time, she should be released to go home and recuperate. What kind of place is the Imperial Prison? Even good people get sick there, let alone a weak woman who is already seriously poisoned?"
Although his attitude softened somewhat, he still kept repeating his promise to let Zhuo Jiayu go, which clearly indicated that Zhuo Wei had already sent someone to make arrangements beforehand.
It wasn't that these people were giving Zhuo Wei a lot of face; it was just that they originally wanted to target Lu Baichuan and his wife, and since Zhuo Wei had given them a lot of benefits, they naturally had to speak up for them.
Kang Tanhua went through several rounds with them, fighting against everyone alone without showing any stage fright. In fact, he became more and more courageous as he spoke, which really surprised Lu Baichuan.
I never expected Mr. Kang to be so refined and gentle when he argued. He was already talking about the Duke of Mu leaving the mansion without permission. Although there was a reason for it, disobeying the imperial decree is disobeying the imperial decree, and no form of sophistry will be accepted.
The court officials: ...This is the first time we've encountered such a formidable opponent. It's outrageous!
The crown prince was also watching with great interest; indeed, appearances can be deceiving.
Just then, Lu Baichuan said, "Your Highness, what I just said was the truth. The officials are right. I can't even manage the inner quarters, so how can I manage the military camp? It's better to leave the opportunity to someone more capable."
He said this in a very upright and serious tone, but it sounded sarcastic and unsettling.
Everyone: ...How can a grown man be so tacky?
Lu Baichuan continued, "As for Miss Zhuo, you gentlemen can let her go if you wish. If anything unexpected happens in the future, I will not interfere. I will also find someone else to keep an eye on the Dongting case. I will have some free time to stay at home with my wife and children."
Everyone: ...
Is this someone who knows they have no one in the court and is deliberately being arrogant?
The Crown Prince was completely bewildered. They hadn't rehearsed their lines beforehand. What should he do?
"What does Lu Qing mean?"
Lu Baichuan met the Crown Prince's gaze and nodded slightly: "What you gentlemen say is right. Even if Miss Zhuo is wrong, she has been imprisoned for so long and has suffered so much this time. She should be released."
Well, he only said that he released Zhuo Jiayu, which was also his wife's wish. As for military power, only a fool would relinquish it.
This is a critical period. If he just relinquishes power like this, wouldn't he be doing all the work for someone else?
The Crown Prince breathed a sigh of relief. Given the current situation, he wouldn't trust anyone else to oversee the military camp; he still had to rely on Lu Baichuan to keep an eye on things.
"Alright, then let Zhuo Jiayu go. She should have learned her lesson this time. All of you ministers, please remind your daughters not to wander around the prison unless necessary, or they might cause trouble."
The crowd felt contempt; their daughters would never go to a place like the imperial prison, they weren't sick.
Meanwhile, the Duke of Mu and his wife were still kneeling outside the old emperor's palace, preparing to plead for Zhuo Jiayu, unaware of the situation in the court.
It wasn't that the old emperor was intentionally making things difficult, but rather that he was still asleep and they dared not disturb him.
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