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“Do you really not want to be promoted?” Emperor Kang Cheng asked again.
Lu Desheng shook his head like a rattle drum, “I don’t want it. I don’t want it. I don’t want to be a high official. It’s good enough for me to be like this now. When I am too old to hold a pen and can’t help the emperor anymore, or when the emperor finds a more useful minister than me, please allow me a few acres of land to retire in my hometown.”
He firmly believed that they could have a good relationship as ruler and minister from beginning to end. This pure trust made Emperor Kang Cheng very pleased, and the invisible flattery was most deadly.
This loyalty was touching to hear. At least Emperor Kang Cheng was deeply moved. At his age, there were very few things that could touch him.
As the saying goes, those who have mastered both civil and military skills are valuable to emperors. Officials who have embarked on the official career have all worked hard to climb up and desire promotions. In the many years he had been emperor, he had never heard of a minister voluntarily refusing a promotion. Officials like Minister Lu, who knew their own abilities well, were very rare. Ministers who refused promotions and solely focused on the emperor’s well-being were even rarer.
Finally, Emperor Kang Cheng smiled and shook his head, “It can’t be like this. Others will criticize me for being ungrateful. I am the emperor, I must reward and punish clearly. Those who do well will be rewarded, and those who do not will be punished.”
“Your Majesty, I like gold, silver, and jewels.” Lu Desheng took two steps forward and whispered, “In the future, if I achieve something, you can reward me with these. Or, if I achieve something, you can just make a note of it, and if I make a mistake in the future, you can offset it with that achievement. How about that? Let’s make a deal, I will stay in the position of a fifth-rank censor and not move up?”
Before Emperor Kang Cheng could respond, Wei Zili returned, but his expression was not quite right.
Lu Desheng’s attention was immediately diverted, and Emperor Kang Cheng had to pause their conversation.
Emperor Kang Cheng casually asked, “How is Minister Lu’s daughter doing at the Empress Dowager’s place?”
After the emperor asked, seeing Minister Lu looking hopefully at him, Wei Zili felt a headache coming on.
After waiting for a response that didn’t come, Emperor Kang Cheng looked at him, “What’s wrong?”
“To be honest, Second Miss Lu’s situation is not very good.”
When Wei Zili said this, Lu Desheng’s heart was immediately gripped, and Emperor Kang Cheng gestured for him to continue.
“Because a few days ago, Zhao Wenkuan’s eldest daughter and Minister Zhao’s eldest daughter fell into the water and were saved by the latter’s fiancé. There have been many rumors in Chang’an City recently. Zhao Wenkuan’s daughter, Zhao Yutan, has attempted suicide twice because of this. The Empress Dowager could not bear it and summoned Minister Lu’s beloved daughter, Lu Songli, Xie Zhan, Zhao Yutan, and Qin Sheng, intending to arrange new marriages for them.”
Emperor Kang Cheng wanted to say it was nonsense. But thinking of the Empress Dowager, he forcibly swallowed his words, “And then, did the Empress Dowager arrange new marriages for them?”
“No. Second Miss Lu revealed that she had injured her body’s foundation in the past while saving her fiancé Xie Zhan.”
Upon hearing this, tears welled up in Lu Desheng’s eyes.
His appearance startled Emperor Kang Cheng, “Minister Lu, what’s wrong with you?”
Lu Desheng looked at Emperor Kang Cheng with red eyes, “Your Majesty, how did she know about this? Her mother and I have been keeping it from her.”
Emperor Kang Cheng patted his shoulder sympathetically and asked Wei Zili, “And then?”
“Second Miss Lu has a heart condition and cannot bear children. My disciple heard this news and hurried back to report it.”
In other words, the situation on that side is still unclear.
Emperor Kang Cheng paced back and forth, wondering why the Empress Dowager intervened in such matters. As her son, he understood the Empress Dowager. Whenever she wanted to do something, there was rarely any room for compromise. Even if Minister Lu’s daughter had already suffered so much, she would not hesitate. Perhaps it was already a foregone conclusion.
This was troublesome, wasn’t it hurting Minister Lu’s feelings? In the past, he wouldn’t have cared, but today the minister had just expressed his loyalty, and his mother turned around and gave him such a blow, wouldn’t he be upset?
“Your Majesty, I feel bad.” In the future, countless people would point fingers at her because of this.
Emperor Kang Cheng sighed too, “There’s nothing we can do about it.” Such private matters were exposed, it showed that she was pushed to the edge.
Upon hearing this, Lu Desheng’s body swayed.
Emperor Kang Cheng saw him as if the sky had fallen, and he kept blaming himself, “It’s all my fault for being useless!”
Emperor Kang Cheng walked back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back, finally went to the dragon table, took something from the drawer, and returned to hand it to Lu Desheng, “Take this, I approve of what you said earlier.”
When Lu Desheng saw what Emperor Kang Cheng handed him, he was immediately startled, his speech became stammering, “Your Ma- Majesty, this- this is too precious, I cannot accept it!”
Actually, Emperor Kang Cheng impulsively gave him the item with some hesitation, but Lu Desheng’s refusal made him relieved that he hadn’t misjudged him, “Take it.” The Lu family had few members, so this item shouldn’t have much impact in his hands.
Neither the emperor nor the minister noticed that a young eunuch saw this scene, his eyes widened in surprise, and then he quickly and cautiously retreated.
After carefully putting the item in his bosom, Lu Desheng whispered to Emperor Kang Cheng, “Your Majesty, I’d like to go home.”
“Huh?”
Lu Desheng smiled shyly and said honestly, “I got such a treasure, I want to go home and hide it quickly so I can feel at ease.”
Emperor Kang Cheng laughed, “Aren’t you worried about your daughter?”
Lu Desheng shook his head and solemnly declared, “I believe in Your Majesty, I believe in the Empress Dowager.” The matter of his daughter revealing her injury had already happened, and it was useless to be heartbroken. If there was any loss, it would be losing the marriage with the Xie family. With the treasure in his hands, he was very open-minded.
“Alright, go back.” Emperor Kang Cheng felt a little tired and waved his hand, dismissing him.
Lu Desheng immediately knelt down and thanked him, then quickly left with the treasure and the emperor’s rewards. He even said he would go back and practice his chess skills for a few days and then come back to have a fierce battle with the emperor.