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At this point, everyone thought there would be no turning back. This Fan Quan was pitiful, he had just emerged, and he was forcefully suppressed by Lu Desheng. It seemed that Emperor Kang Cheng didn’t have any intention of employing him at all.
Xie Zhan had expected to lose, and now he had lost clearly, though he had gained something, so he was relatively calm.
After the commotion here, Zhang Yong, along with two other great masters from the academy, led Fan Quan to pay respects to the Emperor.
Yan Hua, as if he had found a backer, poured out everything that had just happened to Zhang Yong.
Emperor Kang Cheng gave Yan Hua a displeased glance.
After listening to Yan Hua’s account, Zhang Yong looked at Lu Desheng with disgust.
This great Great scholar Zhang Yong doesn’t like my father at all. Lu Songli thought, Zhang Yong is hating the wrong person, right? Her father is just a scapegoat for the Emperor, without that awareness, he couldn’t be the Emperor’s confidant.
“Your Majesty, Fan Quan is quick-witted and knowledgeable, he was originally an outstanding student of Bailu Academy, two years ago he passed the shooting and archery exam, he is truly a rare talent. This old minister believes that he should be recruited to the court to display his talents and ambitions, and contribute to the prosperous era.”
Xie Zhan was surprised to hear this, this Fan Quan actually aroused Zhang Yong’s appreciation for talent?
Lu Songli kept paying attention to Xie Zhan’s expression. When she noticed that he had a slight look of surprise when he heard Zhang Yong’s words, she thought, so it wasn’t him who persuaded the great Confucian scholar to recommend Fan Quan?
“This—” Emperor Kang Cheng pondered. He actually didn’t want to accept Fan Quan.
Yes, as the Emperor, he was rich and powerful, and there were many capable officials under him, but he only had one Lu Desheng. He had worked diligently for Da Li for over twenty years, now that he was in his later years, why couldn’t he live comfortably?
“Your Majesty, capable people are pillars of the country, to gain them is to be secure and honored, to lose them is to be lost and disgraced.” Zhang Yong continued to persuade.
“Great Master Zhang, talents for the court are not branches of a single tree: a fox fur coat is not made from the fur of a single fox! Great Master Zhang, focus on teaching and educating students in the academy, leave the selection of talents to the court, the court officials understand better how to relieve the Emperor’s worries and also know what kind of talents the court needs.”
Lu Desheng couldn’t hold back anymore. Fan Quan wanted to enter the court, he had finally blocked the door, even sealed the windows, leaving no chance! Now Zhang Yong came, wanting to destroy his hard work, why?
The ministers gasped in their hearts. This Lu Desheng was really a big mouth, he even dared to spray Zhang Yong, the great Confucian scholar.
You must know that Zhang Yong was a renowned Confucian scholar, he was once the Emperor’s teacher, after he resigned from the position of Grand Tutor, he became the Great Scholar of Wansong Academy. For such a person, Emperor Kang Cheng would have to give him some face.
Now, he was targeting Lu Desheng, Emperor Kang Cheng couldn’t protect him too much, otherwise his ears wouldn’t have a moment’s peace in the days to come.
Zhang Yong’s eyes, like those of a hawk, shot at Lu Desheng. “Lu Desheng, as a minister, the loyalty of serving the country is to recommend talented people: the crime of harming the country is to cover up capable people!”
Lu Desheng met his gaze without fear, joking, when it came to wordplay, he wasn’t afraid of anyone!
He almost blurted out without thinking, “Great Master Zhang, incompetent people governing the country are more harmful than corrupt officials.” This sentence was referring to Fan Quan’s lack of talent.
He continued, “People with good morals, we don’t care about their minor flaws, and those with great reputation, we don’t criticize their small mistakes. I, Lu Desheng, have shortcomings in minor matters, but my heart is pure, heaven and earth can bear witness.” This sentence was naturally referring to himself.
He dared to say it, but the ministers couldn’t listen anymore. Phew! You have good morals and great reputation? You have a thick skin! Don’t think that just because you have the word “de” in your name, so you have good morals? You say these things, doesn’t your conscience hurt?
“Lu Desheng, you are harming the country.” Zhang Yong slammed his cane on the ground.
“The governance of the world depends on talent, and the cultivation of talent depends on education!” This is your responsibility, don’t try to shift it to me!
Lu Songli: My father is amazing, it seems that reading behind closed doors these days has been fruitful.
Lu Mingzhi’s eyes widened: When did my father become so powerful? He’s actually arguing with Zhang Yong, the great Confucian scholar, and he’s not losing at all!
Emperor Kang Cheng nodded secretly at this moment, it’s true that his beloved Lu is more capable.
Tsk, the ministers discovered that this Lu, the big mouth, has improved his skills again, we can’t afford to offend him.
Zhang Yong took a deep breath and said earnestly, “Lu Desheng, you’re forty-one this year, right? You only care about yourself, doesn’t the court need to cultivate new talents?”
Lu Desheng scoffed. He didn’t care, every Emperor has his own officials, after he dies, who cares if the court has talented people or not! That’s something the current Emperor and his successors should worry about. He was very clear that as long as Emperor Kang Cheng was alive, he could live comfortably. If Emperor Kang Cheng was gone, well, we’ll talk about it then.
“Minister Zhang, Minister Yan, don’t you think you’re contradicting yourselves? You say he’s like me, he has a bit of my younger self in him, and you also scold me for being like a treacherous villain, neglecting the court. What is it, you worked so hard to recommend him, could it be that treachery is also passed down to the next generation?” What are your intentions?!
Sharp!
Decisive!
I’m a treacherous villain, this dynasty is enough with me as a scourge, I’m not a treacherous villain, then I can’t tolerate someone who resembles me. That’s how domineering it is!
The ministers gasped, this Lu Desheng is amazing, he’s so ruthless that he even scolds himself!
Lu Songli: The Xie and Zhao families’ initial assessment of Fan Quan was wrong, didn’t they think? When Li Gui meets Li Kui, when Li Kui can’t tolerate Li Gui…
Emperor Kang Cheng agreed deeply. This Lu Desheng of his is not a traditional good person, but he has one major advantage, he is loyal, he doesn’t have any rebellious or disrespectful thoughts. This Fan Quan, he has the look of a wolf, an eagle, and a tiger, can the Crown Prince control him?
Fan Quan’s starting point was too high, an outstanding student of Bailu Academy, he passed the shooting and archery exam, the champion of the debate competition who won seven consecutive matches, the great scholar Zhang Yong personally recommended him…
With such a starting point, if he nodded, he would definitely need a rank of sixth grade or above to match. Considering some political factors, it would be best to give him a rank of fifth grade.
If he was only given a small position, it would be slapping Zhang Yong in the face, it would be better to let Lu Desheng do his thing, prevent this from happening, anyway, Lu Desheng was also prepared to take the blame himself.
Yan Hua’s face turned pale.
Zhang Yong’s hand holding the cane paused, he also fell into deep thought.
Fan Quan, who was standing in the shadows at the side, wanted to defend himself, but he realized that there was no room for him to speak, and as soon as he defended himself, he would fall into a hopeless situation, because the Emperor’s heart was not with him. He could only remain silent, waiting for the judgment and decision of the higher-ups.
“Let’s end this here.” Emperor Kang Cheng spoke, his words were like a life or death sentence.
The ministers exchanged glances, the Emperor really didn’t accept this Fan Quan, and he was quite wary of him.
The outcome was out, naturally, someone took Fan Quan away. After all, this was the Emperor’s residence, surrounded by high-ranking officials, it wasn’t appropriate for him to stay here.
“Return to the palace.” After all this commotion, Emperor Kang Cheng was a little tired.
“The Emperor’s carriage is returning!”
At this moment, the Imperial Guards secretly escorted the Emperor back to the palace, and at the same time, they also took away several ministers who had caught his eye.
The others naturally went back to their own homes, each seeking their own comfort.