Chapter 787: The Imperial Edict
Chapter 787: The Imperial Edict
September 25, 2017
Lu Hai Kong has always been very attentive to the health of Emperor Ling of Han, as it is a sign of how much stability remains in Luoyang and the world.
However, since the beginning of this year, Emperor Ling's health has been deteriorating day by day, and he has even come close to death several times. Each time, Emperor Ling has managed to prolong his life with the secret medicine of the royal family.
Although the royal family's secret medicine is powerful and has few side effects, it can't withstand repeated use. After using it many times, Emperor Ling's body can't take it anymore. Each time the secret medicine is used to prolong his life, it inevitably leaves some hidden injuries. After one attempt after another, Emperor Ling's body is already full of wounds.
Once again, a message arrives from Luoyang, bringing news that Emperor Ling is critically ill. According to the message sent by Zhang Rang, Emperor Ling is likely beyond saving this time. Even if he manages to prolong his life again, he won't be able to hold on for more than half a year.
Although Lu Hai Kong had some awareness from the beginning, when Zhang Rang delivered this news, he couldn't help but feel a bit surprised.
It's a bit too fast. Emperor Ling's health has deteriorated faster than he expected, even a few years earlier than in history. Once Emperor Ling dies, the plot of Dong Zhuo entering the capital will very likely appear immediately, and the world will be in chaos right before his eyes!
Fortunately, Lu Hai Kong's preparations are almost complete. Within Bingzhou, almost everything is under his control, and he is in the development stage in various aspects. Even if Emperor Ling were to pass away at this time, it would have an impact on Lu Hai Kong, but the impact wouldn't be too great.
After all, looking at the world today, whether it's the outsiders or the NPC forces, Lu Hai Kong can be considered one of the most powerful.
Of course, if possible, Lu Hai Kong would prefer Emperor Ling to live a little longer, giving him more time for development. But unfortunately, things don't always go as planned.
The news sent by Zhang Rang made Lu Hai Kong very worried, but he didn't show any reaction.
However, since Lu Hai Kong is far away in Bingzhou, he can't do much about Emperor Ling's health. So instead of worrying about it, Lu Hai Kong might as well focus on what he should do, such as making money.
While Lu Hai Kong was making money, he discovered something interesting. It seemed that many more people knew about Emperor Ling's health condition than he had initially thought.
Not long after Lu Hai Kong received the news, the outsider lords who had originally wanted to haggle over the prices of potatoes and sweet potatoes with him suddenly changed their minds. Many of them gave up and sent their money to Lu Hai Kong.
Not only that, but during this time, Lu Hai Kong suddenly received many orders for equipment and warhorses from the outsider lords.
These lords were clearly preparing for the upcoming plot of the lords' rebellion against Dong Zhuo.
This not only made Lu Hai Kong marvel at the powerful intelligence network of the outsider lords but also made him laugh heartily. Indeed, for an arms dealer, nothing is easier than making money from war.
However, just as Lu Hai Kong was happily making money, news from Luoyang arrived again.
This time, the news didn't come from Zhang Rang or Lu Hai Kong's intelligence network. Instead, it was an imperial edict, issued by Emperor Ling himself, summoning Lu Hai Kong!
When Lu Hai Kong saw the edict, he was slightly stunned. He hadn't expected Emperor Ling to summon him at this time.
Lu Hai Kong had no intention of getting involved in this muddy water. In fact, if not for certain reasons, Lu Hai Kong wouldn't even want to participate in the plot of the lords' rebellion against Dong Zhuo. After all, nothing is more enjoyable than staying safe in the background as an arms dealer!
But as it turned out, Lu Hai Kong's thoughts were too simple. From the moment he got involved with Zhang Rang, he had already entered the game. Even though he was in a leading position in their relationship at this time, Lu Hai Kong was still in the game.
When Emperor Ling was on the verge of passing away, both Emperor Ling and Zhang Rang hoped that Lu Hai Kong could stay in Luoyang.
Emperor Ling wanted Lu Hai Kong, the minister he trusted the most, to protect and ensure a smooth transition of power for the new emperor. Zhang Rang and the others hoped that Lu Hai Kong could be like a pillar of stability in Luoyang during the upcoming storm, keeping them safe.
Lu Hai Kong wasn't stupid. He could easily understand the underlying meaning, but after figuring it out, Lu Hai Kong also noticed something unusual.
So, holding the edict, Lu Hai Kong went straight to the North Pavilion. On the fifth floor of the North Pavilion, Lu Hai Kong summoned Xi Zhi Cai, Xun You, Tian Feng, and Wang Jun.
These four were Lu Hai Kong's most trusted officials at the moment, and in this situation, Lu Hai Kong had no choice but to consult them.
Before Lu Hai Kong arrived, Chen Ping had already sent out his orders, so when Lu Hai Kong reached the fifth floor of the North Pavilion, Xi Zhi Cai and the others were already waiting for him.
After Lu HaiKong entered, he casually stopped their salute and handed the imperial edict to Xi ZhiCai, getting straight to the point.
"I just received an imperial edict, and His Majesty has ordered me to enter the capital for an audience. He subtly emphasized that he hopes I bring the army with me. Take a look at this edict!"
Lu HaiKong said as he sat down in his main seat, waiting for Xi ZhiCai and the others to read the edict.
Soon, the four of them finished reading the edict, and it returned to Lu HaiKong's hands. After reading it, all four of them frowned, except for Wang Jun, who was just pretending to frown. He wasn't good at handling such matters, and Lu HaiKong had only called him over as a sign of respect.
This guy's frown wasn't because he saw something in the edict; he was simply thinking about his work.
"Share your thoughts," Lu HaiKong said, asking them directly after they finished reading.
Below, Xi ZhiCai looked at his nose and heart, holding a ball without speaking. Xun You beside him lowered his head, deep in thought. As for Wang Jun, Lu HaiKong didn't expect him to speak up in this situation. Instead, Tian Feng was the first to speak.
"My lord, this matter is quite suspicious. Why would His Majesty suddenly order you to enter the capital for an audience? And he specifically asked you to bring the army. Could it be that..."
"As far as I know, His Majesty's health is not well!" Lu HaiKong suddenly remembered. Tian Feng, busy with state affairs, didn't have much information about this matter, so when Tian Feng was puzzled, Lu HaiKong directly provided this important clue.
Upon hearing Lu HaiKong's words, Tian Feng's eyes flashed with insight. The originally disconnected logical chain suddenly came together: "Could it be that His Majesty wants you to stay in Luoyang to ensure the new emperor's enthronement?"
Tian Feng was startled by his own words.
In the 169th chapter, there is no mistake in the version of the book!
Although he had always known that Lu HaiKong was highly favored and trusted by Emperor Ling of Han, he never expected it to reach this level, that even such matters would be entrusted to Lu HaiKong.
But soon, Tian Feng shook his head again because his logic didn't add up.
If the new emperor was to succeed, wouldn't it be more reliable to have a chancellor like Lu HaiKong return to ensure a smooth transition instead of He Jin, the new emperor's uncle? After all, He Jin is the new emperor's maternal uncle, so wouldn't it be better to have him do it?
"It is rumored that His Majesty has always had the intention to establish a wise successor."
At this moment, Xun You's words from the side directly helped Tian Feng complete the puzzle once again.
It wasn't that Tian Feng was inferior to Xun You; it was just that Tian Feng had been busy with state affairs for the past few years. The heavy state affairs of Bingzhou rested on his and Wang Jun's shoulders, leaving him no time or energy to pay attention to anything else. Therefore, his understanding of intelligence and the overall situation was no better than Xun You's.
However, Tian Feng's intelligence wasn't just talk; with just two hints from Lu HaiKong and Xun You, he roughly guessed Emperor Ling of Han's thoughts. It seemed that Emperor Ling of Han was planning to establish the younger prince, Liu Xie, as the new emperor.
In fact, there had been signs of this early on. The Han emperors, especially those in the late Eastern Han period, often had short lifespans, and even their heirs frequently died young.
Therefore, the royal family had a tradition of sending the born princes to be raised among the common people. Emperor Ling of Han's eldest son, Liu Bian, was raised by a Taoist priest.
Consequently, Emperor Ling of Han's emotional foundation for Liu Bian, who was raised among the common people, wasn't as strong as it was for Liu Xie, who grew up in the palace and was raised by Empress Dowager Dong.
Moreover, since Liu Xie grew up in the royal family, his behavior, manners, and speech were more refined than Liu Bian, who was raised by a Taoist priest. Additionally, Liu Xie's mother had been poisoned by Empress He not long after giving birth to him, so Emperor Ling of Han might have always felt a sense of guilt towards this young prince.
Hence, at this time, Emperor Ling of Han was very likely to choose to break with the Han family's tradition and establish the younger prince.
However, compared to Liu Bian, who had the support of his maternal uncle, a powerful general in the court, Liu Xie seemed to be in a weaker position. Although he had the backing of Empress Dowager Dong, it would still be very difficult to put him on the throne. Therefore, Emperor Ling of Han's intention to rely on Lu HaiKong was evident.
This made Lu HaiKong very troubled. He originally had no interest in getting involved in royal affairs, but now Emperor Ling of Han not only wanted him to participate but also assigned him to a specific camp. The situation was incredibly frustrating.
Xun You and Tian Feng, who had understood the hidden meaning behind the edict, also frowned. This wasn't a pleasant task.
However, the edict had already been issued, and whether to obey or not was no longer an option for Lu HaiKong. As long as the world didn't fall into chaos and Emperor Ling of Han was still alive, Lu HaiKong couldn't openly disobey his orders.
At this moment, Lu HaiKong had gathered Xi ZhiCai and the others to discuss what he should do about this matter.
(End of Chapter)
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