Upon entering, Lu Ming immediately felt all eyes on him.
If he hadn't possessed exceptional self-control, he would likely be drenched in sweat.
Among the assembled ministers, some were so powerful that a mere stomp of their feet could shake the entire city of Luoyang.
Others were representatives of powerful families or members of their clans. Seeing Lu Ming again, they took this suddenly appearing commoner in the court seriously, perhaps considering him useful.
This use wasn't necessarily for personal gain; it might even be the kind of use where someone's head is used for a purpose.
"Your subject greets Your Majesty," Lu Ming said, ignoring the stares of the others, and bowed to Emperor Ling.
"Rise," Emperor Ling said impatiently, his obese body seated on the dragon throne. "Lu Ming, General Huwei says his son was seduced. You were bullying the weak with a gun, injuring someone, and killing someone in the street. What do you have to say?"
Lu Ming found it somewhat amusing to see the middle-aged general, who had been so animated just moments before, now glaring at him angrily.
First the young one, now the old one.
Is this never going to end?
"Like father, like son! If the father is a coward, the son will surely be a good-for-nothing. I think General Tiger Might is just using his position to intimidate others; he has absolutely no ability and only knows how to point fingers. When it comes to a real battle, he'll probably be the first to abandon his soldiers and army and flee. Such a person is utterly disgusting!"
"You! What nonsense are you spouting! You're making baseless accusations! Your mouth is full of filth! You bastard, born of a mother but without a father to teach you!" Wu Kuang retorted angrily, immediately reopening old wounds, showing no trace of a general's demeanor, but rather resembling a thug.
Lu Ming's smile remained, but the murderous glint in his eyes was enough to kill. Instead of immediately attacking, he clasped his hands in a fist salute to Emperor Ling and said, "Your Majesty, General Wu Kuang is disrespectful to the Emperor, a traitor to his master and ancestors, and utterly disrespectful to Your Majesty. His own son is a bully who incites public resentment, and he claims to be the most powerful man in Luoyang—this is blatant disrespect! Your Majesty, Wu Kuang insulted my late father, who sacrificed his life fighting against foreign invaders who plundered our Han dynasty. Such slander and defamation cannot be tolerated. I request to sign a life-or-death contract with Wu Kuang, a duel in the ring, where fate will decide!"
This was a legal way to kill him!
Moreover, a life-or-death contract, as the name suggests, is a contract for a battle until one side is defeated. Whether one is killed is entirely up to luck, and even if someone is killed, there is no responsibility!
"Wu Kuang, you old dog, if you don't dare to fight, then don't wear armor anymore. Just put on some rouge, change into women's clothes, and become a woman!" Lu Ming sneered mockingly, wishing he could kill this old dog on the spot.
Without further ado, let's get straight to the fight.
"Oh? A life-or-death contract? Anmin, that's a new thing." Emperor Ling was intrigued. He wasn't interested in how the fight went, but he was very interested in hand-to-hand combat and the visceral, bloody clashes.
"Your Majesty," Lu Ming said, "the life-or-death agreement is a written contract, ensuring both sides will fight without hesitation and with all their might. Since we are all leaders of troops, let's test our mettle with swords, spears, and fists. The winner takes the loser's fortune, and the loser loses everything. Furthermore, I suggest we have a betting operation, involving all the officials, the nobles, and wealthy merchants of Luoyang, to see who the real coward is!" Lu Ming's sudden idea of a betting operation was essentially a gambling den.
He didn't explicitly name Emperor Ling to participate, only hinting at it, but there was definitely significant profit involved!
Sure enough, Emperor Ling's eyes lit up, as if he had seen a brand new money-making opportunity.
Since these former generals were no longer reliable, could he use this method to purge them?
Did it matter who was right and who was wrong?
What mattered was that everyone was convinced, and he didn't need to show too much favoritism or go too far.
"A bet seems a bit excessive, but it's also a very good, very good idea!"
Yuan Kui immediately understood Emperor Ling's intentions upon seeing his expression.
This emperor was incompetent and absurd, but he was the emperor, and some things couldn't be stopped.
Moreover, the more absurd the emperor was, the more beneficial it was to the powerful clans.
At least, since the emperor only thought about making money, it was difficult to restrict him further. This was a tacit understanding built up over twenty years: power couldn't be compromised for money!
"Your Majesty, judging right and wrong based on a bet is unfair."
"Your Majesty, I believe it's feasible." Grand Commandant Zhang Wen stepped forward, having seen his brother-in-law, Marquis Zhao, nod in approval. To maintain his position, he needed to be close to his brother-in-law.
"I object."
"I object."
As soon as Yuan Kui spoke, the officials below joined in the opposition.
The Yuan family's influence was no joke.
Offending the emperor might mean death, or it might go unpunished, but offending the Yuan family would certainly mean a fate worse than death—don't doubt that.
Emperor Ling, however, remained unconvinced. He had always been very interested in matters of money.
"Very well, it's decided then. Since the Grand Commandant agrees, there must be a reason for this. Very good, Grand Commandant, the arena wager is yours to handle. Lu Ming, Wu Kuang, you two sign a death pact. Three days later, in front of the South Palace Gate, you will publicly settle your score. The loser will bear all responsibility, and the winner will inherit the loser's estate. That's it, court adjourned!"
No one expected such an outcome. It was utterly outrageous! Absurd beyond belief, utterly absurd!
But what could be done?
This kind of ridiculous thing had happened more than once or twice. When has it ever been successfully stopped?
As long as the emperor didn't interfere with the Ministry of Personnel, and didn't concern himself with disaster relief or the long-standing drought... Neither the Yuan nor the Yang families would interfere; they still held the reins of power!
Faced with Lu Ming's murderous intent and witnessing his throat-slitting gesture, Wu Kuang was filled with lingering fear and dread.
He was terrified by Lu Ming's previous display of fighting prowess, and terrified that Emperor Ling had actually agreed to such an absurd life-or-death duel!
"What are you afraid of, Wu Kuang? You are General Tiger Might, and that's just a greenhorn. What are you afraid of? Look at him, his beard isn't even fully grown yet. Hmph, a young whippersnapper is unreliable. We'll kill him when the time comes!" General He Jin frowned slightly. Things had taken an unexpected turn. He needed to go back and sort things out to see what had happened!