Font Size:
Damn it, they all wanted to harm him! But Lu Desheng didn’t have time to deal with these people now. He was more concerned about the emperor’s reaction. He was afraid that the emperor, for his own good, would actually promote him.
Emperor Kang Cheng remained silent, seemingly wavering.
Seeing this, Lu Desheng, as if caught in the heat of the moment, blurted out, “Your Majesty, you promised me! That I would stay in the position of Inspector in the Imperial Censorate!”
Upon hearing this, Emperor Kang Cheng looked at him, seeing his anxiety, he raised his hand to silence the ministers, “You all do not need to say more. Minister Lu has truly eased my worries and solved problems for me over the years. I remember all of that. But I have already rewarded him for his contributions.”
Rewarded him? When?
The ministers who had joined forces thought it was just an ordinary reward, and they wanted to work together to push Lu Desheng up. But Emperor Kang Cheng’s next words left them speechless.
“I have bestowed upon him a golden token of immunity from death.”
The emperor’s words echoed like thunder through the hall.
The ministers in the court felt dizzy and disoriented.
“Your Majesty, what did you say? Say it again. I think I’m hearing things…” One minister tremblingly requested.
“You are not mistaken, my lords. I have indeed bestowed upon Minister Lu a golden token of immunity from death.”
As soon as the emperor said these words, almost all the civil and military officials in the court turned their eyes to Lu Desheng.
A golden token of immunity from death! How many years had it been since such a thing appeared? The emperor had given this thing to Lu Desheng?! What did he do to deserve it? What did he do to deserve it?! To be granted a golden token of immunity from death?!
Immediately, many veteran officials glared angrily at Lu Desheng. This treacherous and cunning villain, who knows what methods he used to deceive the emperor, causing him to bestow upon him a golden token of immunity from death!
At this moment, Lu Desheng was exposed to the swords and arrows of everyone. As his daughter had predicted, the emperor was trying to trick him. But thinking about the golden token of immunity from death he had already obtained, he felt confident again, and he straightened his back. These people were all jealous! Jealousy had distorted their faces! They were all so ugly!
The civil and military officials felt a sour taste in their mouths. The emperor’s favoritism was boundless, what did Lu Desheng do to deserve it?
Especially some veteran officials, they were so angry, their hearts, livers, lungs, and kidneys all ached! Emperor, are you blind? Can’t you see us, your loyal ministers? You only see Lu Desheng?
The emperor had already bestowed it, and he couldn’t take it back. If he hadn’t bestowed it yet, they could still oppose it and stop the emperor. Now, they could only say, “Your Majesty, you are confused.” Many veteran officials pounded their chests and roared in their hearts.
Upon receiving this shocking news, Xie Mingtang, who had taken the lead in recommending Lu Desheng for promotion, was stunned.
The others who had seconded the motion were silent.
At this moment, Xie Mingtang’s mind was in turmoil. He didn’t give any further suggestions, and those who had seconded the motion were like headless flies, not daring to speak.
The civil and military officials: It’s good that Xie Mingtang is quiet. If he dares to speak up again, they will shut him up. Lu Desheng wants to get a golden token of immunity from death and then rise to power and wealth, he’ll be so happy he’ll die!
But while these people were quiet, Lu Desheng felt that he couldn’t be quiet. The emperor must be distressed now, so he had to say something to help him out!
Where did they get to? Xie Mingtang had given up his position as Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, which the Xie family had firmly controlled, and then took the lead in recommending him for the position.
He couldn’t take this pie, nor could he give it to the Qin family. Lu Desheng’s eyes fell on Yao Songwen, who was diagonally in front of him. The Yao family had always been at odds with the Xie family. The enemy of my enemy is my friend!
Furthermore, Yao Songwen was a rising star in the Yao faction. He had experience and ability, but because the Yao faction had been outmatched by the Xie faction in recent years, they had lost many positions in the court. This resulted in Yao Songwen being in a precarious position, with no suitable place to put him. It was a sad situation.
Positions in the court were like a single radish for a single hole. Important positions were even more so. The Yao faction wanted to seize them, but they had to wait for an opportunity, wait for their opponent to have a weakness. Yes, him!
After choosing his candidate, Lu Desheng estimated that there was an 80% chance of success. He had long known that the emperor was dissatisfied with the Xie faction’s tight grip on the Ministry of Justice, especially the current Minister of Justice, Ji Yongqing. He had been in that position for too long, and the emperor had long wanted to remove him. But every time he moved, the Ministry of Justice would be in trouble, causing public resentment and anger, and no matter who was sent to deal with it, they couldn’t solve it. It had to be someone recommended by the Xie family to ensure stability in the Ministry of Justice.
This shows that the position of Minister of Justice was not something anyone could take and hold, at least not him. If he had accepted Xie Mingtang’s offer, forget about the ‘Fanquan’ scheme they had in reserve, even without it, he wouldn’t be able to handle the position.
Nonsense, if you take it, there will be a bunch of people below you trying to trip you up. Who could handle that?
It would be different if this position was given to Yao Songwen. The Yao family would definitely put in a lot of effort to help him secure it. The Xie family wouldn’t be able to easily remove him.
Thinking about this, Lu Desheng sneered. The Xie family wanted to use the position of Minister of Justice as bait, lure him in, and then after dealing with him, take back the position?
He had to teach them a lesson, what it meant to be a dog catching a meat bun! Or, to lose the horse and the rider, or to lose face and lose troops, whatever it was called didn’t matter. The point was, since they had thrown out this pie, they shouldn’t think about getting it back!
So, in the silent hall, Lu Desheng stood up, “Your Majesty has already rewarded me. I am grateful for your grace! I am not greedy, and I know that I am lacking in talent and not qualified to hold the position of Minister of Justice. However, I think that Minister Yao Songwen of the Ministry of Personnel is a good candidate. With his abilities, he is more than capable of handling the duties of Minister of Justice.”
A pie from heaven!
As soon as Lu Desheng finished speaking, Yao Songwen was stunned.
Xie Mingtang was also stunned, but he reacted quickly, “Your Majesty—” He realized the seriousness of the situation and was anxious.
But the officials of the Yao faction reacted just as quickly. Someone immediately stood up to interrupt Xie Mingtang’s unfinished words and seconded Lu Desheng’s suggestion.
“Your Majesty, I second Minister Lu’s suggestion.”
“Your Majesty, I second the motion!”
…
The Yao faction quickly lapped up the pie! Damn it, a pie with no owner, whoever catches it now, it’s theirs! Charge!
Yao Songwen also quickly realized that since the pie was being fed to his mouth, he wouldn’t be polite.
He quickly stood up and expressed his loyalty, “Your Majesty, although I am not talented, I am willing to give it a try.”
He kept it short and sweet, without a long speech or excessive humility, avoiding any accidental opportunities for others to catch his words.
Lu Desheng nodded inwardly, Yao Songwen wasn’t stupid.
Didn’t you see Xie Mingtang pacing back and forth anxiously? If he had shown any flaws in his words, others would have seized the opportunity.
“Alright, I agree. From this moment on, you, Yao Songwen, are the new Minister of Justice.” Emperor Kang Cheng knew that the longer he waited, the more problems he would have. The position of Minister of Justice was vacant, and the Xie family might try to take it back. It was better to put Yao Songwen in place first and see if he could hold onto it. The court was all about balance.
“Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty. I will dedicate myself to my duties, serve with all my heart, and die for the emperor. I will not disappoint your grace!” Yao Songwen bowed his head, and the matter was settled.
Xie Mingtang’s vision darkened; they had suffered a huge loss! Not only did their scheme fail, but they also lost an important position like the Minister of Justice. However, the emperor had not left, so he dared not faint.
After handling these matters, Emperor Kang Cheng felt tired. He glanced at Wei Zili, who immediately understood and stepped forward to call for the end of the court session.
Once Emperor Kang Cheng left, Xie Mingtang’s body swayed uncontrollably, and an official beside him supported him. “Lord Xie, are you alright?”
Zhao Wenkuan looked very displeased, but he did not dare to step forward.
Xie Mingtang shook his head, struggling to steady himself. He took one last look at Lu Desheng and said, “Let’s go.”
After resigning smoothly, Ji Yongqing, who was resting in a side hall due to poor health, staggered when he learned that the new Minister of Justice was Yao Songwen and not Lu Desheng. At that moment, he could only think, “It’s a mess! Can I still get my position back?”
At this time, the happiest person was undoubtedly Yao Songwen. His faction was also ecstatic—truly, the fisherman benefits from the clam and the snipe fighting! With Lu Desheng’s best assist, the Yao family might become the biggest winner, commonly known as today’s top scavenger!
On this day, Emperor Kang Cheng resolved a long-standing worry and was very satisfied.
Yao Songwen had gained a big opportunity, and the Yao faction was also very pleased.
Lu Desheng effectively countered the enemy and weakened their power, so he was satisfied as well.