The Concubine's Daughter Travels Through Time and Space and Takes the Road of Confrontation

The people cheered, "Long live the emperor!" and all the officials stood up.

Emperor Longqing gazed at the ministers standing at the bottom of the steps through his twelve jade almonds and slowly said, "My dear ministers, do you have a memorial regarding the case of the private sale of official salt in Luzhou that was discussed a few years ago?"

As soon as the words fell, the air in the huge palace seemed to stagnate and no one dared to move.

Finally, a young man in a green robe stepped out of the line. "I have a report to make. The Luzhou case involves official salt and also involves the Crown Prince. I believe it should be handed over to the Dali Temple and the Metropolitan Procuratorate for strict investigation."

As soon as these words were spoken, someone immediately echoed them.

Dingyuan Bo stepped out of the crowd and said, "I have a memorial to the emperor! I want to impeach the magistrate of Lianze County, Luzhou, for his brutality, abuse of power, and allowing violence to injure people. The governor of Luzhou is incompetent and negligent in his administration, which has led to the rampant illegal salt trade."

"Oh," Emperor Longqing looked at Earl Dingyuan, "Do you have any evidence?"

"Lord Zhao, the Chief Justice of the Dali Temple, was ordered to Luzhou years ago to investigate the disappearance of Lord Lu's wife. Suspected of possessing evidence of the smuggling of government salt, he was secretly detained and tortured by the Lianze County Magistrate, nearly to death." Earl Dingyuan lamented. "My son Mingyuan went to rescue her, but was pursued and attacked on his way back, injuring his arm."

As soon as this statement came out, the whole court was in an uproar.

The prince finally stood up, tears streaming down his face as he knelt on the golden bricks. "Father, there must be something hidden behind this matter. I beg you to investigate."

The Third Prince walked up behind the Crown Prince and bowed. "Father, I believe what the Crown Prince said is very reasonable. There must be something hidden behind it. Otherwise, how could a mere magistrate of Lianze County dare to attack an official appointed by the imperial court?"

After listening to each other's words, the ministers began to argue.

"Silence." The hall suddenly became quiet.

Emperor Longqing looked at Wang Quan gravely and said, "Go and give the account books and other evidence to the others for circulation."

The sound of armor clashing came from afar and gradually approached. Lu Ling turned around and saw that the palace was surrounded by soldiers holding weapons.

Wang Quan and the eunuchs carried trays as they weaved through the crowd. The Crown Prince's face was pale, and the Third Prince's expression was equally grim. Some of the ministers were trembling like sieves, while others had already fallen to their knees, begging for mercy.

Emperor Longqing looked at the crowd and spoke in a cold voice, "I have been on the throne for twenty-eight years now. I have always remembered the teachings of Emperor Taizu. Throughout history, no dynasty has ever been able to last long, but it must not collapse from within. Therefore, I am always vigilant and diligent in my work, never daring to slack off. Yet, some people are treating the foundation that Taizu and I have painstakingly built as their own private treasury, wantonly plundering and squandering it. I dare not do so myself, but do you have the means?"

"I know my crime!" The ministers knelt on the ground, and no one dared to look up to face the emperor.

"Where is Li Ming?"

"I see your Majesty."

"I give you seven days. Anyone whose name appears in this account book will be punished more severely according to the laws of our Qin Dynasty. Anyone who dares to protect or shield them will be killed without mercy!"

The faint shouts in the distance and the blood in front of the hall reminded everyone of what had just happened here.

Lu Lingcong wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. The memorial in his sleeve was already wet with sweat, and the handwriting was blurred. He thought, "Let's submit the memorial tomorrow."

All the ministers were in a panic, and they all kept silent and worked diligently at their desks. The atmosphere in the room became more solemn with each person leaving. Finally, it was time to get off duty. They nodded to each other and hurried out, as if there was a ferocious beast chasing after them, waiting for their prey.

At this moment, an unusual sound of footsteps could be heard from behind. Someone had already recognized it as Eunuch Wang, the eunuch beside His Majesty. Everyone consciously made way for him. Eunuch Wang, as usual, smiled and walked over to a man in a red official robe, stopping and moving his lips a few times.

Lu Jijiu, who was in the crowd, looked at Lord Lu's receding back. A layer of white sweat had already appeared on his back, and he shivered violently when the cold wind blew.

In the Purple Palace Hall, candles as thick as a child's arm were inserted in copper gilt dragon-carved candle holders, illuminating the hall as if it were daytime. In the center, wisps of white mist floated over the four-legged enamel incense burner with an engraved dragon pattern and a pearl playing with it.

Lu Lingcong knelt on the blue ground with a golden cloud dragon and lotus pattern, touching the ground with his head. "Your Majesty, I pay my respects."

Emperor Longqing put down the red brush in his hand and said, "My dear minister, please stand up."

Lu Lingcong just stood up, keeping his waist slightly bent to avoid offending the majesty of heaven.

"I heard that Madam Zhang has returned to the capital and is now staying at Princess Ning'an's manor. Is this true?"

Lu Ling's heart trembled, but he calmed down and said, "Your Majesty, my wife returned to Kyoto ten days ago. Because I am busy with the division of the family, I am temporarily staying at the villa of Princess Ning'an."

"Lord Lu, you are very courageous. You knew that Zhang was deeply involved in the Luzhou case, but you concealed his whereabouts." Emperor Longqing shouted.

Lu Lingcong knelt on the ground, his voice filled with grief. "Your Majesty, I am guilty. Please listen to me! My wife has always been kind to the poor and the weak. When she saved a girl while passing through Luzhou, she brought disaster upon herself. It turned out that the girl she saved was the daughter of Prefect Fang, who held the account books of all officials in Luzhou for official salt. She was constantly pursued and killed along the way. My wife was seriously injured and on the verge of death. The evidence was also stolen. To protect my wife and children, I had no choice but to conspire with my wife's brother-in-law to hide my wife in the dark, and then my brother-in-law would divert the attention of the pursuers. Please, Your Majesty, investigate!"

"I only thought of you as a civil official, but I didn't expect you also had military strategy. I wonder if your actions constitute deceiving the emperor?" His Majesty's voice did not distinguish between joy and anger.

Lu Lingcong's inner garment was soaked with sweat, and he kowtowed again. "I acknowledge my guilt. I once heard in Qingzhou that if an official doesn't serve the people, he'd be better off living in the mountains. If I can't even protect my wife and children, I'm not worthy of being a husband or a father. Your Majesty, please forgive me."

After an incense stick of time, Lu Lingcong walked out of the hall with a wry smile, refusing Eunuch Wang's offer of support. He walked slowly out of the palace.

His Majesty reprimanded him for his "undisciplined conduct" and ordered him to remain in seclusion, implying he wouldn't have to attend court for nearly three months. Finally, the matter of his wife's return to the capital had been resolved, and he had separated her from the Luzhou case, freeing her from further fear.

Well, after being busy in officialdom for most of my life, I can take this opportunity to take a break.

The news of Madam Zhang's return to the capital and Lu Tongzheng's imperial order to retire was quickly overshadowed by reports of officials confiscating his property and potentially executing him. The news circulated only within a small inner court, where most praised Lu Tongzheng for his loyalty and willingness to sacrifice his promising future for his wife. Some men also mocked him for being pedantic, saying it wasn't worth losing his job for a woman.

In the Marquis Ping'an's Mansion, the old lady of Yannian Hall chanted Buddhist scriptures repeatedly, thankfully she was wise enough to separate the second branch from the family, otherwise their family would have been in trouble.

Qin came in with a list and said, "Old Madam, the Lantern Festival is coming in a few days. Would you like to invite the Second Master and his family back to celebrate?"

"Since it's already been divided, there's no need to invite them for this year's Lantern Festival." The old lady frowned. "The second son just lost his job because of Zhang Shi, so why invite them now?"

Qin's smile was forced, and her face fell as she left the yard. She thought she was too nosy and asked one more question out of kindness, but ended up being treated as a front-runner. Forget it, he's not her son.

Master Lu Er, who had nothing to do, took a car to the hot spring villa.