"That old bastard Yuan Kui, is he so eager to kill me?" Lu Ming said, grinding his penis against Ma Lun's cervix.
Want to kill him?
Then don't blame him for taking advantage of his enemy's wife!
Killing him would require skill; gradually rising through the ranks as planned is a good thing.
If not, he could follow Ma Teng's example: occupy the territory, repel the imperial forces sent to suppress them, and then send someone to offer amnesty.
Both methods are acceptable, the only difference being the latter, which involves difficulty in recruiting talent. These should only be used as a last resort; as for other conspiracies and schemes, he's truly not afraid.
"Oh!" Ma Lun trembled, still shaken from the orgasm.
"The Yuan family's followers in Runan and Yangzhou are making moves, wanting to establish their own faction. That's why Yuan Kui is targeting Ji Hou. My husband was just chosen. How could that old dog Yuan Kui know my husband's abilities! With me here, my husband won't suffer the slightest trouble!"
"Heh, what price did he pay to recommend me as the governor of Liangzhou?" Lu Ming knew this was just a sugar-coated bullet. Liangzhou was no good place; it was a desolate and treacherous region.
If a rebellion breaks out, he'll handle it; they'll still want money from him for taxes. They're just using him as a tool!
Yuan Wei was shrewd, but how could he possibly know Lu Ming's plans?
He was playing along, using his age to his advantage. Reaching a high position at such a young age meant even Huo Qubing wouldn't have fared much better.
He would be envied and framed.
What Lu Ming lacked now was a legitimate title. If he truly obtained the governorship of Liangzhou and gained military power, he could completely disregard any summons.
Besides, Emperor Ling didn't have much time left to live—at least a year, at most a year and a half, but no more than two years.
He had been taking tonics while indulging in debauchery in the palace, which was draining his body, making him unable to tolerate the supplements, and shortening his lifespan. He felt good now, but it was all at the cost of his life.
The Yuan family?
The Yuan family? "I'm sorry, but when Dong Zhuo enters the capital, the Yuan family's end will be near."
"The reason we're not acting now is also due to self-interest."
"If we were to fight and kill our way out of the Yuan family, it would only arouse the vigilance and investigation of other powerful families. Lu Ming wasn't confident he could do it without anyone noticing."
"But if Dong Zhuo enters the capital, it means the collapse of the imperial court and the chaos of the world. At that time, dealing with the Yuan family would at most only make them disliked and prevent them from siding with you in the future. They wouldn't unite against you. The circumstances are different, and the decisions will be different."
"The interests of the warlords are different; alliances are impossible!"
Thinking of this, Lu Ming couldn't help but laugh out loud.
He's truly a genius. Without family support, and while the system is more than enough for survival than offensive capabilities, it's still decent enough—at least it's useful. Without the system, Lu Ming would probably just be another ordinary person.
Knowledge alone is useless; having power and the ability to mobilize resources is what matters.
After conspiring with Ma Lun, he understood that Yuan Kui intended to continue this hypocritical facade.
He'd smile on the surface, but secretly sabotage him, either by having the censor file a complaint against him or by making things difficult for him at work.
On the surface, he'd always have a smile on his face—that's the mark of a hypocritical minister.
Since Yuan Kui wanted to do this, Lu Ming would definitely make him bleed a little. At least when he left, he could use the guise of disaster relief to extort money from them.
Using the Yuan family's reputation, they created an opportunity to put Yuan Wei in a difficult position.
When Ma Lun returned to the Yuan family, Lu Ming had already dispatched Jiang Qin to instruct his wandering knights to find the old woman living in the south of the city and spread rumors.
"Have you heard? There's a plague in Anding County! Many people have died! There's a high-ranking official in the city surnamed Yuan, I think he's some kind of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, and he's preparing to spend a lot of money to help the court combat the plague!"
"Oh? Why?"
"It seems the people there used to build a shrine for the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat."
Only the dead have temples built, not for the living. Isn't that Wei Zhongxian? But Wei Zhongxian wasn't from this era! It's getting more and more outrageous.
Most wandering knights were hoodlums, and they always knew many gossipy old women. These rough women did the lowest of jobs and loved to chatter.
Lu Ming would have money given to them so they could gossip while they chatted.
The south market was full of odds and ends, and with so many people coming and going, rumors easily spread.
Once they got out, Yuan Kui would be out of control.
Wouldn't he hand it over?
Well, sorry, Emperor Ling wouldn't let such a good opportunity to extort him slip by.
When it came to governing the country, Emperor Ling wasn't good at it.
But when it came to doing business and making money, Emperor Ling was incredibly shrewd.
Especially since disaster relief requires large sums of money and supplies, why not take advantage of a sucker like him?
However, the very next day, Yuan Kui received an order from his steward, saying that some servants were gossiping, claiming that he was planning to spend millions of resources to suppress the plague in Anding County, simply because his illegitimate son was there to establish a shrine for him!
Upon hearing this, Yuan Kui glared angrily, "You scoundrels!"
"Yes, sir! Those gossiping servants have already been severely punished. I didn't dare to have them beaten to death; I still need your permission, sir." The steward dared not arbitrarily beat a servant to death unless they were not registered, in which case they could be killed at will.
Servants were considered private property, to be disposed of at will.
"He's been beaten to death, clean him up thoroughly." Yuan Kui sensed something was wrong, but still didn't think much of it. He dressed and prepared to go to court.
Chengde Hall.
After arriving, Yuan Kui greeted his colleagues. It was a rare occasion to have morning court today. Although he wasn't fully recovered, he didn't feel as bad as before. "Good morning, Imperial Physician Guanglu."
Yang Biao responded with a forced smile, "Good morning, Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. I've heard that you've generously donated your entire fortune to help the court with disaster relief and the fight against the plague. It's truly a virtuous act. The news has spread throughout Luoyang; everyone is praising your public-spiritedness and selflessness. You are a model for all court officials. I admire you greatly!"
It must be said that these wandering knights are quite adept at spreading news. Sending them into battle might be a bit difficult.
But they're skilled at petty theft and spreading rumors.
The best way is through gossipy old women, spreading the word during idle chatter and while doing business.
With so many people involved, it's difficult to verify anything. Those boorish old women who dare to swear and curse in the streets aren't the shy, refined ladies of noble families; they might start pulling each other's hair at any moment.
Even Lu Ming hadn't expected the rumor to spread so quickly. He initially only said Yuan Kui was preparing to provide financial assistance, but overnight it turned into her going bankrupt to provide aid.
It turned out that Yuan's servants overheard the conversation while out shopping and started gossiping upon their return.
It must be said, spreading rumors is easy, but proving them is incredibly difficult!