"Why don't you try it yourself, Lord Vice Minister? Words are meaningless. Since you don't believe it in your heart, nothing I say will change that." Only then did Lu Ming remember Wang Yun!
This is Wang Yun?
He doesn't seem like much.
Is Wang Yun famous?
Not really. He's only famous because he has an adopted daughter named Diao Chan, who used a beauty trap to fool both Dong Zhuo and Lü Bu, causing Lü Bu to turn against Dong Zhuo and ultimately kill him.
That's the real reason for his fame. He seems to be public-spirited, but he's only doing it for personal gain, for climbing the social ladder. He's not a good person at all.
"Heh, is Prefect Lu feeling guilty?" Wang Yun stroked his beard, looking particularly smug. He loved confronting the most foolish people. After all, eloquence is a skill every minister must possess.
Lu Ming simply stared at Wang Yun, and then, before anyone could react, punched Wang Yun squarely in the face, sending him flying.
He slammed against the hall's doorframe and was thrown out.
He clapped his hands and sneered in a cold tone, "Now, Minister Wang, you know whether I'm capable or not."
"Hiss!"
Everyone gasped. What the hell did this mean? To openly assault someone in the imperial court?
Actually, this tradition existed as early as the Western Han Dynasty. It was easy for a conversation to escalate into a physical fight, and it wasn't impossible for it to devolve into a full-blown brawl.
Scholars weren't just scholars; they were potential military commanders, at least skilled in both literature and martial arts, not the weaklings of today.
Even younger scholars maintained swordsmanship and martial arts training; while not necessarily exceptionally strong, they weren't as weak as they were later generations.
Even the most seasoned and knowledgeable were taken aback by this scene. Wang Yun was standing over ten meters from the palace entrance; how much force would it take to send someone flying?
Seeing Wang Yun still struggling on the ground, seemingly controlling his strength...
"Insolence! To attack in the main hall!" Yuan Wei's eyes flashed with ruthlessness. If this man was a retainer of the Yang family, he was clearly no pushover. It was better to kill him now than to suppress him later.
"We beseech Your Majesty to make a judgment!"
"We beseech Your Majesty to make a judgment!"
"We beseech Your Majesty to make a judgment!"
The ministers who were allied with the Yuan family also bowed and pleaded, clearly showing their allegiance to Yuan Wei. Regardless of what the other party was thinking, they would stick together first, and then ask for reasons!
Nearly half of the ministers were present; even Emperor Ling could not ignore this scene.
Yang Biao stood silently to the side, seemingly watching the spectacle unfold, which surprised Yuan Wei. Was this a desperate measure?
Although Emperor Ling was incompetent, as the supreme ruler, he was not someone to be coerced.
Yuan Wei was using his power to tell him that his Yuan family was large, powerful, and deeply entrenched, making them virtually unshakeable.
"Lu Ming, tell me, why did you take action?"
Instead of immediate punishment, he was given an opportunity; it was up to Lu Ming to seize it.
"I was merely complying with Lord Wang's request. In all my years, I've never seen such a request. If the rebels are truly so easily defeated, what crime should be committed against those who fabricated military intelligence? What about the officials of Xiliang and Chang'an?" Lu Ming sneered. "My comrades and I fought bravely to protect our country and our people, to be so loyal to the emperor. To be slandered like this is truly unacceptable."
"That's no excuse for hitting someone!" Yuan Wei snorted. Wang Yun was beaten today at Yuan Wei's behest. If he didn't make a show of it, how would people view the Yuan family in the future?
Lu Ming turned around, squinting at the man who looked to be about sixty years old. If it weren't for the label, he would have thought he was seventy or eighty—too old.
"Your Excellency is truly powerful! With a single word, half the court agrees with you. You wield absolute power! I admire you!"
"You insolent brat, what nonsense are you spouting!"
"That's right, we only agreed because we couldn't stand your behavior!"
"Don't be ungrateful!"
As if someone had seized upon a sore spot, they spoke with fury, completely abandoning their usual civility.
This proved that not all ancient people were virtuous gentlemen; it was merely a beautified facade. In reality, they were a bunch of scoundrels.
These scoundrels wielding power, exposed, flew into a rage.
"My Yuan family has held high office for four generations. How could we do such a despicable thing! Humph! I beg Your Majesty's judgment!" Yuan Wei, as if deeply wronged, bowed deeply to Emperor Ling, almost kneeling and threatening suicide.
If the Yuan family were to get serious, not only would Marquis Zhao be in trouble, but even Emperor Ling would have a major headache.
Unexpectedly, Lu Ming still hadn't realized the gravity of the situation. Instead, he made a desperate, self-destructive move, saying, "Lord Yuan, I think your words make sense. I'm still so young and have good connections. Who knows, in a few decades, I might end up like the Yuan family, with disciples and former officials all over the court, a threat to the nation. How about this: both the Yuan and Lu families are forbidden from holding official positions or wielding military power for generations. That way, no one will say I might cause trouble in the future, and no one will say the Yuan family will become like the Sima family of this dynasty. We can even turn hostility into friendship, open more bookstores together, print more books, and donate them to village schools and communities, contributing to education and civilization."
At this moment, Yuan Wei was truly afraid.
He wasn't afraid of Lu Ming's powerful fists; one man could hold off ten thousand. If ten thousand couldn't kill him, then a hundred thousand would do the trick!
He could always overwhelm him with sheer numbers!
He wasn't afraid of Lu Ming's sharp tongue either. No matter how sharp, as long as he ignored it, the Yuan family's foundation couldn't be shaken!
However, he feared that the imperial family had indeed become wary of the Yuan family.
If such a rift had indeed formed, then after his death, the imperial family would surely uproot the Yuan family's influence in the court, perhaps even completely eradicating the Yuan family itself.
Fortunately, before he could rack his brains for a counterattack, Emperor Ling couldn't tolerate it any longer.
He also realized that the Yuan family couldn't truly replace the Han dynasty, and Lu Ming couldn't possibly cause trouble.
In times of peace, military troublemakers were practically nonexistent.
But this thorn had been planted; it might be inactive now, but its future was uncertain.
Moreover, that one sentence alone was enough for Emperor Ling to take him under his wing. An emperor is an emperor, no matter how weak he is.
Furthermore, Emperor Ling was merely feigning weakness, not truly lacking any power.