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Early in the morning, while the sky was still dark outside, Lu Desheng got up, washed up, and took out a set of court clothes stored in a specially made cabinet.
Lady Lu, Madam Jiang, also got up and helped him put on the court clothes. “Are you ready?”
Lu Desheng nodded solemnly. He only had a small meat pie for breakfast and quickly finished it, afraid that eating too much would make him drowsy.
Before setting off, Lu Desheng carefully checked the impeachment memorial he had written. “Everything is in order, let’s go!”
As he left, he looked up at the dark sky and sighed to himself, feeling the hardship. Normally, at this time, he could have slept for another two quarters of an hour, but it was all because of the Zhao family!
After getting on his family’s old horse carriage, he closed his eyes to rest, already envisioning the scene of him and the Zhao family faction fighting in his mind.
When Lu Desheng arrived at the palace, the Grand Secretary of the Imperial Censorate, Zhou Chengzhong, was already there. Zhou Chengzhong’s eyes twitched when he saw Lu Desheng dressed like that.
Lu Desheng ignored him and went straight to find a seat to rest with his eyes closed.
Zhou Chengzhong glanced at him a few times, feeling that something bad might happen, but Lu Desheng clearly did not want to talk, so he could only wait for his subordinates to arrive while pondering in his mind.
The Grand Secretary of the Imperial Censorate was usually the first to arrive at the Imperial Court. Every time there was a grand court assembly, he had to unify everyone’s will to avoid being caught off guard.
There were several factions within the Imperial Censorate, but they could still communicate occasionally. When their target was the same, they could unite to attack. When the factions they stood for clashed, they would criticize each other. After all, the Emperor couldn’t do much to them. If the Emperor dared to order their punishment, that would be even better! If he was angry enough to execute them, it would be a prelude to leaving a mark in history.
The Imperial Censorate had always maintained this atmosphere of occasional friendliness and competition.
But then, a troublemaker appeared in their ranks – Lu Desheng! This person was too uncontrollable! And unfortunately, the Emperor favored him the most! Jealousy!
As Zhou Chengzhong’s eyes wandered, he thought about all of this.
Soon, several other censors arrived together. Seeing everyone’s attire, he was satisfied. Their court clothes were all very old, some even patched up in ‘hidden’ places. There was no choice, as censors, they were responsible for accusing others, so they had to be poor enough to have the standing to criticize others.
Whether truly poor or pretending to be poor, they had to show a poor demeanor. This was considered a good practice for the Imperial Censorate. From the Grand Secretary to the lower ranks, they all maintained a consistent formation. But there was an exception in their group, and that was Lu Desheng. He always wore nice clothes, making them look a bit fake. Well, let’s not mention him.
Several censors, proudly wearing their old court clothes, walked towards Zhou Chengzhong.
“Good morning, Master Zhou.”
“Master Zhou, you’re early as always.”
They soon noticed Lu Desheng’s presence. They were almost blinded by the newness of his court clothes. Someone quickly recognized that Lu Desheng’s set of court clothes was specially rewarded by the Emperor a few years ago when he made a great achievement. He had been reluctant to wear it, only putting it on for certain formal occasions or when he had significant actions to take.
After some whispering among themselves, the censors looked serious. Was Lu Desheng going to cause trouble again? Who was he going to criticize this time?
“I think I know who he’s going to impeach,” someone whispered quietly.
“Who?”
“Zhao Wenkuan, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites.”
“Whoa, this madman!”
“Didn’t he always avoid the Zhao family?”
“Tonight is different. The Zhao family has angered him this time.”
“What happened?”
“I know about it. Let me tell you…”
…
After a round of gossip, everyone knew how the Zhao family had offended Lu Desheng, this mad dog.
Before long, the bell for the court assembly rang, and officials of both civil and military ranks entered the Golden Hall, lining up on the left and right sides.
The court assembly discussed matters of state, from the shortage of food supplies for the frontier soldiers to the recent floods in the south, which had caused refugees to migrate north and needed resettlement, and reports of bandits wreaking havoc in villages. Nothing was easy to deal with. Emperor Kang Cheng was also very troubled, as the treasury was not abundant, and no good solutions were found through discussions. When asked for advice, the ministers in the hall would only request that the Emperor make a decisive decision.
Emperor Kang Cheng, feeling annoyed, signaled to Wan Quan, the grand eunuch standing beside him, that it was almost time to dismiss the court.
Wan Quan understood and was about to shout out the classic line, “Anyone with a petition, come forward; otherwise, dismiss the court.”
Lu Desheng stepped out of the ranks. “Your Majesty, this minister has a petition to present.”
Emperor Kang Cheng, who had been rather listless, perked up as soon as Lu Desheng stepped out. Seeing Lu Desheng’s demeanor, he knew that the latter was about to make a big move. Had anything major happened recently? He wondered if his beloved official had become lazy due to old age or if his mentality had become more peaceful? He had been rather quiet lately.
Emperor Kang Cheng straightened his back. “Your beloved official, present your petition!”
Lu Desheng first opened the first page. “This minister wishes to impeach Zhao Wenkuan, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, for negligence of duty, lax discipline, poor family management, and for shielding his relatives from defrauding the people and monopolizing the market, among other crimes!”
All the officials turned their attention to him. Seeing the thick memorial in his hand, a thought crossed their minds – was Lu Desheng going to finish off Zhao Wenkuan?
Emperor Kang Cheng: Oh, he’s going to criticize Zhao Wenkuan. This guy has indeed been quite unruly in recent years. It’s time to give him a good scolding.
The more Emperor Kang Cheng thought about it, the happier he became. The name Lu Desheng was a good one, implying repeated victories, a very auspicious meaning. He had chosen him, despite opposition, from a rank-six position to serve in the Imperial Censorate, based on his name and his unique ability to argue. He truly believed in his own discernment. Ever since Lu Desheng had taken up his post in the Imperial Censorate, he had been tirelessly relieving the Emperor’s worries, proving to be very useful.
He also knew that Lu Desheng didn’t get along with the other censors in the Imperial Censorate. Lu Desheng often drove Zhou Chengzhong and those old geezers crazy. Whenever he thought of the hardships he had endured with those old fogies, and then imagined them being driven mad by Lu Desheng, he felt a sense of satisfaction. Those old geezers deserved it!
Zhao Wenkuan’s forehead was covered in a fine sweat. It was October, and he felt extremely hot. He quickly stepped out of the ranks. “Your Majesty, Lu Desheng has a personal grudge against this minister. He is seeking revenge. His words cannot be trusted.” In fact, the Zhao family had been wary of Lu Desheng, but they didn’t expect him to act so quickly.
Lu Desheng sneered. “Minister Zhao, this official hasn’t even presented his evidence yet, and you’re already in such a hurry?” He was not in a hurry. It was obvious that the Emperor supported the person he was going to criticize this time.
Emperor Kang Cheng: “Minister Zhao, although what Imperial Censor Lu has said is blunt, it makes sense. Besides, as an Imperial Censor, it is your duty to supervise officials. Let’s hear what he has to say.”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Wenkuan understood. The Emperor was displeased with him or the Zhao family, and he was tacitly allowing Lu Desheng to take action.
Next came Lu Desheng’s performance time.