Chapter 794: The Unpredictable Emperor's Heart (Thanks to 'Chele Danteng' for the generous reward!)
Chapter 794: The Unpredictable Emperor's Heart (Thanks to 'Chele Danteng' for the generous reward!)
September 25, 2017
Emperor Ling of Han might not have been a brilliant and mighty ruler, but he was certainly not a completely incompetent one either. His intelligence was undoubtedly above average.
When he heard that Lu HaiKong was severely injured and on the verge of death, rage surged through him, and he immediately went to find Empress He, not even bothering to inform Wang Yun or Cai Yong.
This matter was quite obvious, and he still had the thought of replacing the Crown Prince and establishing the younger prince as the heir. The core figure of his plan had been harmed, and without even looking into it, he knew who was behind this. So, who else would he go to at this moment if not Empress He?
Emperor Ling of Han stormed off in a fit of fury, determined to get an explanation from Empress He, and he would not rest until he had it.
However, Zhang Lang, who followed behind him, was well aware that this visit would likely yield no results. It was even possible that Lu HaiKong's assassination attempt would be brushed aside.
After decades in the palace and countless interactions with the Empress, Zhang Lang had a deep understanding of her methods and her ability to control the Emperor.
When the Emperor had arranged for the mother of Liu Xie to be killed, the evidence was even more conclusive than this time. At that time, Emperor Ling of Han's favor towards Lady Wang far exceeded his current favor towards Lu HaiKong, but in the end, what happened?
Even with such conclusive evidence, Empress He continued to reign as the Empress without any repercussions.
Zhang Lang didn't believe that Emperor Ling of Han would truly tear down his relationship with Lu HaiKong over this matter.
Therefore, Zhang Lang not only had no hope for the Emperor's questioning, but he also vaguely understood that Lu HaiKong might lose favor in the Emperor's eyes.
Why? It was simple!
Lu HaiKong had received the Emperor's decree and rushed over at full speed, displaying his loyalty. However, during the journey, he encountered an assassination attempt, and the assailant was quite clear. Despite this, Emperor Ling of Han not only failed to provide an explanation to Lu HaiKong, but he also let the matter drop. In this situation, what would the Emperor do?
Would he feel guilty towards Lu HaiKong? Perhaps, but more likely, he would lose trust in him.
Feeling indebted to Lu HaiKong, Emperor Ling of Han might fear that Lu HaiKong would harbor resentment towards him. In such a case, he would naturally be more cautious around Lu HaiKong. Although the saying goes that both thunder and rain are the Emperor's grace, Emperor Ling of Han did not possess the confidence to control Lu HaiKong in this manner.
In this situation, Emperor Ling of Han might even consider replacing Lu HaiKong with someone else for the task he had in mind. Otherwise, if Lu HaiKong were to turn against the new Emperor or Empress He after the Emperor's death, what could be done? From this point on, Emperor Ling of Han would gradually lose trust in Lu HaiKong and eventually fall out of favor with him.
These were Zhang Lang's speculations, but they were not baseless. Instead, they were conclusions drawn from his decades of familiarity with Emperor Ling of Han.
Although this may challenge one's worldview, it is the most authentic and humanly possible scenario.
Indeed, as Zhang Lang had anticipated, when Emperor Ling of Han met with Empress He, he initially went with thunderous rage. However, after just one night, his anger subsided. Regarding Lu HaiKong's assassination attempt, Emperor Ling of Han surprisingly maintained complete silence.
He neither demanded an explanation from He Jin for Lu HaiKong nor even made a symbolic gesture of investigating the matter. He didn't even offer a scapegoat to appease Lu HaiKong.
Deep down, Emperor Ling of Han believed himself to be a high and mighty emperor. Since the truth about Lu HaiKong's situation had already come to light, and he couldn't bring himself to demand an explanation from He Jin, he chose to remain silent. As for offering Lu HaiKong a scapegoat, that was not an option in Emperor Ling of Han's mind.
Up until now, Emperor Ling of Han subconsciously considered himself above everyone else. Although Lu HaiKong was injured and wronged, he thought, "So what if you're wronged? Why should I, as the Emperor, have to appease you?"
Wasn't this a joke? So, Emperor Ling of Han simply remained silent. He neither wanted to deal with the matter nor knew how to handle it.
After witnessing this situation firsthand, Zhang Lang's wariness of Empress He deepened.
This woman's ability to climb to the position of Empress was not by chance. With her control over Emperor Ling of Han, even his newfound determination might dissipate.
Zhang Lang could foresee that to completely sever the Emperor's heart, Empress He might directly target Lu HaiKong.
She didn't necessarily have to kill Lu HaiKong. With her capabilities, she only needed to create a slight disturbance, and she could directly bring down Lu HaiKong, who was currently on cloud nine.
Therefore, Zhang Lang began to consider drawing a clear line between himself and Lu HaiKong. However, as soon as this thought emerged, Zhang Lang seemed to remember something, breaking out in a cold sweat. He immediately dismissed these chaotic thoughts and faithfully served Emperor Ling of Han.
Within the imperial palace, the incident from the previous night could not be kept hidden. By the next day, the news had spread throughout Luoyang, and everyone in the court who should have known about it was already informed.
Upon learning the details of the incident, various expressions appeared on their faces. Some were perplexed, even indignant. When Lu HaiKong was attacked, Emperor Ling of Han didn't offer any explanation, and now, on the second day, he remained silent. Wasn't this disheartening for a loyal minister like Lu HaiKong?
However, there weren't many people who felt this way. At most, there were only Cai Yong and Wang Yun, along with some officials close to Lu HaiKong. Most others, upon learning of this information, were delighted at Lu HaiKong's misfortune. In their eyes, this was a sign of Lu HaiKong's untrustworthiness.
Seeing this, and with the rumors circulating, those veteran officials, those who harbored resentment towards Lu HaiKong for slaughtering the four prefecture aristocratic families, and those with fundamental conflicts of interest with Lu HaiKong, all took action at this time.
For the entire second day, the court seemed to have only one topic left: impeaching Lu HaiKong.
All kinds of dirty laundry and incidents, with some modifications, were directly thrown in front of Emperor Ling of Han.
For example, the previous night, Zhao Er forcefully broke through the gates of Luoyang, disregarding the laws of the nation.
Another example was Lu HaiKong's massacre of the four prefecture aristocratic families, driven by greed, which was seen as lawless and unruly.
There was also the accusation that Lu HaiKong had arbitrarily constructed a city and moved the administrative center of Bingzhou to Beifeng City.
Lu HaiKong was never a pure and flawless person. It was only because of Emperor Ling of Han's favor that they hadn't paid much attention to Lu HaiKong's actions. Now, seeing that Lu HaiKong was about to fall from grace, they naturally didn't mind kicking him while he was down.
(This is the unedited version of the first draft of Chapter 1619!)
A mountain of impeachment memorials was sent to Emperor Ling of Han. When he saw these memorials, he initially scoffed at them. But as more and more memorials arrived, doubts began to stir in his heart.
If it had been before last night, he would have sent them back without hesitation. But after meeting Empress He and remaining silent about Lu HaiKong's assassination attempt, Emperor Ling of Han subconsciously sought justification for his actions.
As this pile of memorials arrived, Emperor Ling of Han outwardly scoffed at them, but Zhang Lang, who was by his side, could see that Lu HaiKong's position in the Emperor's heart had begun to waver.
Although Emperor Ling of Han initially held onto all the memorials without responding, his actions revealed that he no longer trusted Lu HaiKong. If he truly still trusted Lu HaiKong, he shouldn't have kept these memorials; instead, he should have rejected them all and even selected a few of the more outrageous ones to make an example of them.
Emperor Ling of Han's current actions immediately triggered a second wave of memorials.
Soon, a third and fourth wave followed, and the impeachment of Lu HaiKong became increasingly intense. Eventually, there were even accusations that Lu HaiKong was amassing troops and seeking to break off the engagement between him and Princess San.
Emperor Ling of Han, who was originally seeking justification for his actions, now faced another wave of memorials. This caused his perception of Lu HaiKong to decline further. Meanwhile, Lu HaiKong's troops remained stationed a hundred li outside Luoyang City, seemingly still awaiting instructions from Emperor Ling of Han.
During this period, Lu HaiKong's subordinates were not calmly waiting either. Waves of soldiers were dispatched to raid all the nearby forts, and they even demanded food from the surrounding areas.
Witnessing Lu HaiKong's situation, Emperor Ling of Han's remaining affection for Lu HaiKong vanished. Inevitably, he had some thoughts.
'Lu HaiKong, what do you mean by this? Are you deliberately making things difficult for me? I am the ruler, and you are the subject. What right do you have to cause trouble for me?'
It is often said that the ruler's heart is hard to fathom, and accompanying the ruler is like accompanying a tiger. This saying is not wrong at all.
Initially, Lu HaiKong, with his impressive debut, easily gained the trust and favor of Emperor Ling of Han. Now, due to this inexplicable assassination attempt, not only did he fail to receive a reprieve from the Emperor, but he seemed to be on the verge of losing everything.
At this point, Emperor Ling of Han even considered directly canceling the engagement between Lu HaiKong and Princess San and revoking Lu HaiKong's position.
As soon as Zhang Lang understood the Emperor's thoughts, he was so shocked that his little heart almost jumped out.
He had always had a premonition that Lu HaiKong's severe injury might not be as serious as it seemed, and he knew about Lu HaiKong's affection for Princess San. Once Emperor Ling of Han took this step, he couldn't guarantee what Lu HaiKong might do.
Therefore, when Emperor Ling of Han had these thoughts, Zhang Lang quickly stepped in to strongly dissuade him...
(End of Chapter)
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