activa-t Chapter 75 Accompanying the king is like accompanying a tiger
Chapter 75 Accompanying the king is like accompanying a tiger
Lu Huan confidently explained what capitalism is.
He also spoke of out-of-control businessmen, the will of capital, the infiltration of power, and the inhumane plight of workers in the workshop districts he witnessed during his field investigations.
The emperor's expressions changed very frequently.
At first, there was a sudden realization, followed by the question, "How did you know?" But this was quickly overshadowed by the misery of the people's suffering.
The emperor, his white beard trembling, said, "How oppressive, suffocating, and hopeless this is."
"High-intensity labor, harsh environment, hunger, cold, and illness took turns eroding lives. Everyone was crushed by the burden of survival, seeing no hope, and could only walk towards death day after day..."
"I am the sovereign and father of all the people under heaven, yet I was unaware that my people were living such a miserable life. I have failed in my duty."
"I now know how cults grow, and I also know who my enemies are."
"Lord Lu, are you willing to rid the world of this treacherous villain for me, for the court, and for the Ming Dynasty?"
Lu Huan rose from the round stool, knelt on one knee, and said, "Your Majesty, I am the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, His Majesty's sharp sword, and the court's henchman!"
"Emperor Jiajing once said that the Embroidered Uniform Guard (Jinyiwei) doesn't need to know who the enemy is, or how strong the enemy is; they only need to know where the enemy is!"
"As long as Your Majesty designates it, I will lead the Embroidered Uniform Guard to wipe them all out!"
Emperor Jinghe's expression softened slightly, but he still asked seriously, "You know that each workshop in the workshop district is comparable to a gold mine in Zhaoyuan, Shandong Province."
"The taxes paid annually by these two large industrial clusters are comparable to those produced by the Sado Gold Mine on the Japanese island of Japan."
"Such a vast territory with immense potential for profit involves civil and military officials, nobles, and members of the imperial family. Even I have to be careful around it. Aren't you afraid of offending them?"
Lu Huan smiled confidently: "Your Majesty, Emperor Jiajing once said: The greatest glory of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is to offend all the powerful and influential for the benefit of the court!"
"I am the patriarch of the third branch of the Lu family, the clan head of the Pinghu Lu clan, with a thriving family behind me and the protection of the ancestral laws of the founding emperor..."
"I am not afraid!"
Emperor Jinghe was overjoyed and immediately stood up, clapping his hands and laughing loudly, "With a loyal minister like Minister Lu, I have nothing to fear!"
"No matter how difficult this matter is, if we, as ruler and subject, are of one mind, we will definitely be able to resolve it and will not leave it to my sons to worry about."
Upon hearing the emperor suddenly mention the next generation, Lu Huan, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was startled, and his previously high spirits plummeted.
The fact that there are no fathers and sons in the royal family, and that the emperor, nearing sixty, had not yet appointed a crown prince, itself represented a huge crisis of choosing sides.
Lu Huan was a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and he had to and could only be loyal to the current emperor. He could not have any connection with the next emperor.
but!
The princes were the emperor's sons, and one of them was destined to become the next emperor.
Who knows if Emperor Jinghe might feel that Lu Huan "disrespected" his son and suddenly take his anger out on him, causing the Embroidered Uniform Guard to replace its commander before the transfer of imperial power?
This isn't impossible; it happened more than twenty years ago.
Lu Huan's sudden silence made the emperor realize that he had said the wrong thing.
But he did not apologize; the emperor cannot make mistakes!
The emperor stroked his beard, looking at its graying color, and sighed, "Lu Huan, I seem to be getting old."
"I too have diligently cultivated myself and successfully broken through to the extraordinary realm. Why can't I be like Emperor Jiajing, who lived a long and healthy life, possessing three hundred years of youth?"
Lu Huan: "..."
This question is even more damn deadly than "who is suitable to be the crown prince"!
Lu Huan broke out in a cold sweat, which quickly trickled down his spine, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
But he gritted his teeth and dared not utter a single word, not even daring to open his mouth.
After a moment of silence, the emperor realized his mistake and said, "I was wrong. Minister Lu, please get up."
"Saving my people is important, but the most urgent task is to eradicate the cult in the capital and restore a stable environment to the capital region."
"We need to remove these poisonous weeds and vines first before we can more easily clean up the contaminated land."
Lu Huan secretly breathed a sigh of relief and respectfully replied, "Your Majesty is absolutely right!"
"Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish; first, you must distinguish between what is important and what is urgent."
"The hellish atmosphere in the workshop area didn't happen overnight, nor has it reached a point where we have to take drastic measures."
"Today, I will first wipe out all the heretical cults and demons; in the future, I will naturally be able to deal with them at my leisure."
Emperor Jinghe smiled and nodded: "I believe in you, and I await your good news."
"The Divine Dragon Camp has also mobilized tonight; this must be a truly grand event."
"Go get to work."
Lu Huan bowed respectfully and said, "Your subject obeys the decree. I take my leave!"
The dignified Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, with all his might, controlled his stiff limbs and tried his best to leave the inner palace smoothly, without daring to look up at the emperor once.
As Lu Huan turned around, his heels touched the threshold, and he glanced at the emperor out of the corner of his eye.
He saw the emperor sitting on his throne, his face divided by light and shadow, clearly resembling a majestic dragon.
The emperor's eyes were hidden in the shadows, making it impossible to tell what he was looking at.
But Lu Huan was absolutely certain that there was no smile on the emperor's face, which was completely inconsistent with the relaxed smile he had when he spoke at the end.
Lu Huan's fear reached its peak at this moment!
What does it mean to serve a ruler as if serving a tiger?
This is!
Although he knew that the emperor's might was unassailable, and that the closer one got to him, the more imminent the danger became.
But the emperor, though seemingly smiling and gentle, actually had Lu Huan firmly under his control with a deadly expression.
The commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard dared not linger, much less look at the emperor. He turned and walked out of the palace at top speed, seemingly slowly but actually very quickly.
As he left the palace, Lu Huan stumbled on the steps and almost fell to the ground.
An extraordinary individual nearly tripped and fell on the steps.
This shows how panicked he was.
Fortunately, Lu Huan's trusted Imperial Guards were very perceptive and noticed in time that their commander was in a bad state, so they rushed over to support him.
To his surprise, the trusted Imperial Guard discovered that Lu Huan's sleeves were soaked with water, and it was sticky, wet sweat.
Before his confidants could ask any questions, Lu Huan hurriedly said, "Don't ask, let's hurry back to the Northern Office."
"Furthermore, issue the order to begin a full-scale crackdown on cult members!"
"Yes, sir!"
Through the search of the arrested officials, the Northern Garrison Command has obtained information on the distribution of cult members.
They knew the location of every secret altar within the capital's jurisdiction, the addresses of the core members of more than a dozen cults, and the security forces guarding their hidden hideouts.
With the order issued by the supervising commander, the Northern Garrison Command accelerated the pace of arrests, interrogations, and evidence collection, and shifted its focus from case handling to overall task allocation.
The mission was quickly distributed to each combat team, and a larger-scale manhunt began.
At the same time, the heavy weapons of the three battalions set off westward, and the airships of the Shenlong Battalion also quietly drifted westward.
Target: Xishan Coal Mine Area!