Chapter 14: Fruitful Results

The morning court that day was a storm of blood and wind.  Lu Desheng, the “Big Spouter,” unleashed his full fury, first targeting Zhao Wenkuan, the head of the Zhao family, accusing him of negligence, dereliction of duty, and condoning his family’s extortion and bullying of the people.

He then dragged out two officials from the Zhao family branch with relatively prominent abilities, tearing them apart with his words. From their morals and etiquette to their official duties, even their work style and ideology, he criticized everything.  He used the small to represent the big, the point to represent the whole, simply putting a hat on the Zhao family – if there was a reason to put one on, he would, and if not, he would create one!

That morning court was turned into a criticism meeting for the Zhao officials by Lu Desheng.

Even Emperor Kang Cheng on the dragon throne was astonished.  He rarely saw his beloved minister so dedicated to attacking someone.  What had the Zhao family done to provoke him so intensely?

Like pulling a radish and bringing out mud, Zhao Wenkuan and the two leading officials, in order to protect themselves, sacrificed their subordinates, throwing out three of their most capable men.

In the end, Lu Desheng single-handedly demoted Zhao Wenkuan by half a rank, leaving him awaiting a new position.  The two leading officials from the Zhao family branch were even worse off, demoted by two ranks.  Three minor officials were directly dismissed and imprisoned.

This fighting power made even the bystanders apprehensive.  Cruel, too cruel.

After the court dispersed, the officials filed out one after another.

No one dared to approach Lu Desheng within two zhang.  He was a madman!

Facing the fear or aversion in the eyes of the crowd, Lu Desheng held his head high.  Men feared nothing more than the hatred or even disdain of others, only the pitying gaze was truly feared.  He knew exactly what he should and shouldn’t do.  When tasked, the Emperor told him to attack whom, he attacked whom.  When untasked, he attacked whomever he wanted.  There were countless people who disliked him, who were they to judge?

Lu Desheng strode towards the gate of the hall, full of fighting spirit, like a rooster that had won a fight.  In contrast, the officials of the Zhao family were all dejected and ashamed.

Zhao Wenkuan stopped him, his eyes red with anger.  “Lu Desheng, good, you’re doing very well!”

Lu Desheng replied, “Of course I’m doing well!  As the saying goes, cultivate oneself, regulate one’s family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world!  I am upright and virtuous, my wife is wise, my children are filial, and my daughter is obedient.  My career is going smoothly, and I am deeply valued by the Emperor.  What about you, Zhao?  Your family is in turmoil, you deserve this misfortune!”

“You!” Zhao Wenkuan felt like he was going to explode from anger. He shouldn’t have been bickering with him.

Lu Desheng’s shameless words made even the officials passing by them secretly curse in their hearts. “Ugh, you’re the most shameless one, yet you dare claim to be upright!”

Especially the officials from the Censorate, they were even more furious, muttering curses under their breath.  This scoundrel Lu Desheng was simply inhuman.  His actions completely tarnished the word “Censor,” he was a disgrace to their Censorate!

Lu Mansion

On the morning Lu Desheng went to court, Lu Songli was also up early.  After waking up, she didn’t eat in her own courtyard, but went to the main courtyard.

Madam Jiang, after seeing her husband off, had also gotten up.  The elderly slept less, and even if she lay back down after waking up, she couldn’t sleep, so she simply didn’t lie down.

Seeing Lu Songli come over, Madam Jiang was quite surprised.  Her daughter had never come to the main courtyard so early before.  She quickly asked if something had happened.

Lu Songli shook her head.

Madam Jiang learned that she hadn’t eaten breakfast yet, so she told the servants to prepare some for her.  Looking at her daughter’s silent face, Madam Jiang guessed that she must be worried about her father.  She couldn’t help but comfort her, “Don’t worry about your father.  He’s just impeached the Zhao family.  He’s done this before, and he rarely fails.”

Lu Songli sighed, her mother was quite optimistic.  Although she had been recuperating these past few days, she hadn’t been idle.  By researching some materials and gathering information from the maids and servants, she had a clear understanding of the current Da Li Dynasty and her family’s situation.

First, let’s talk about the general environment. The Da Li Dynasty is the current ruler, and it has been in power for 178 years.  The current emperor, Emperor Kang Cheng, is the eighth emperor of the Da Li Dynasty.  After experiencing the founding, revival, prosperity, and consolidation of the dynasty, the current Da Li Dynasty has clearly entered a period of decline.  Chinese history has shown that the average lifespan of each dynasty is about two hundred years.  No wonder Qin Heng was able to successfully rebel in the original story.  It seems the Da Li Dynasty’s fate was coming to an end.

Emperor Kang Cheng was not a resolute and determined emperor. When he ascended the throne, he might have had some ambitions, was diligent in state affairs, had strong self-control, and was willing to listen to the advice of loyal ministers and generals. It seemed that he had the makings of a wise and enlightened ruler. However, after reaching middle age, he became somewhat derelict, lazy, and neglectful of his duties. He wasn’t obsessed with women, but he was obsessed with Buddhism and Taoism, like a rebellious teenager, seeking solace in the void.

Lu Songli understood. Governing a country is not something that can be achieved overnight. The fiery passion of a young emperor fades, and the weight of the DaLi Dynasty  was too heavy for him to bear.

Lu Songli felt that if an emperor had given up on being a wise and mighty good emperor, he was undoubtedly dangerous. There was nothing left to restrain him, especially for those loyal ministers and generals who wanted to do something for the country and the people. What they wanted conflicted with what the emperor wanted. But for some schemers, it was an opportunity.

Fortunately, her father, while not a schemer, was not a pragmatist either. Otherwise, who knows where he would be now?

The political climate was like this. Now, let’s talk about her family’s situation. Her father was the Imperial Censor, her two brothers were currently only minor officials, her grandfather had passed away, and there weren’t many notable figures in her extended family. As for her maternal family, the most accomplished person was her maternal grandfather, an old scholar. Her father had been able to enter officialdom with his help. After her grandfather’s death, her third uncle, at the age of seventeen, passed the examination for the title of “xiucai” (a scholar) under her father’s guidance, but he failed the imperial examinations repeatedly.

Among her close relatives, the most successful was actually her father. This meant that her father had no elder family members to rely on or guide him, and he couldn’t depend on his in-laws either. Instead, he was the pillar of support for all of them.

Close friends? Allies in the court who would watch over each other? None! They say that her father, Lu Desheng, was the Imperial Censor who struck fear into the hearts of those in the Da Li court. But in reality, Lu Songli felt that her father was a real orphan of the court. Of course, this wasn’t his fault, due to certain special reasons.

After analyzing all of this, Lu Songli could almost see her father walking alone on the icy road of officialdom, treading carefully, with extreme danger lurking beneath the ice. Therefore, she wasn’t as optimistic as her parents. In fact, her father probably wasn’t very optimistic either. He was only forty this year, but his hair was already turning silver. One could imagine the anxiety and torment he felt deep inside.

However, one thing was certain: her father still loved her mother very much. It was evident from the fact that her mother still looked like she was in her early thirties. He carried all the pressure himself.

“Mother, when will Father usually get off work and come home?”

“Based on past experience, since we live relatively far from the palace, he should arrive home around the beginning of noon.”

Lu Songli calculated. The beginning of noon was around eleven o’clock. In winter, the early court started at six o’clock. On days when her father had to attend the early court, he had to get up at dawn. He was really working hard. He had to stand during the early court, for hours, which was also tiring.

“Mother, I’ll pick a few energetic servants, and we’ll go to the gate to greet Father together?”

Madam Jiang smiled, “Do we need such a grand gesture?”

Lu Songli nodded seriously, “Of course, Father has been working so hard these days, for what? To avenge me! I can’t just do nothing.”

That was one reason. Another reason was that after analyzing her father’s situation and that of their Lu Family, she realized something was not right. She knew that her father had prepared a luxurious gift package for the Zhao family this morning, but she didn’t know how many people it would take away from the Zhao family. But Lu Songli estimated that after this battle, her father’s political enemies would once again see his threat. Some of them would become restless. As the saying goes, the most dangerous time in life is when you are at your most successful. When people are at their most successful, they are also the most relaxed and unguarded.

Now, she deeply understood the importance of her father. She was responsible for protecting their main force.