"What, impossible, absolutely impossible."
"If you want my land, you might as well kill me, otherwise, absolutely impossible!"
"Land!" A courtier gritted out the two words, "Absolutely not!"
"..."
Ye Feng saw the actions of the courtiers clearly, all as he had predicted. Lu Zhi, on the other hand, looked calm, as if he had anticipated it.
"Is what the King of Chu says true?" Lu Zhi looked up and cast a resentful glance. "This matter is of great importance. What will happen if it causes great chaos?"
"I will bear it myself!" Ye Feng patted his chest and spoke confidently.
Seeing Lu Zhi's flushed face, these ministers understood that Lu Zhi would never agree. Emperor Ling was the biggest landlord!
"Your Majesty!" Lu Zhi slowly cupped his hands.
"Here it comes, here it comes, the good show is coming!"
"Let's see how Ye Feng ends this!"
"End it? Hmph! He can't end it. You all know Lord Lu's capabilities!" The courtiers spoke urgently, waiting to see Ye Feng make a fool of himself.
"Lord Lu, what do you think?" Ye Feng knew that Emperor Ling was ultimately Lu Zhi's decision. As long as he agreed, everything would be fine.
"No need to ask Lord Lu, I can answer for Lord Lu!" A courtier said confidently. "Lord Lu will absolutely not agree to this!"
Emperor Ling dragged out his voice and called out, "My lord, I still want..."
With these two people, even if Ye Feng had the ability to reach the heavens, he wouldn't succeed. If they couldn't seize the moral high ground, they could attack him en masse.
"Ye Feng, I advise you to kowtow and beg for forgiveness now, and His Majesty might spare you. Don't make a mistake!"
"I think he's blinded by the title of King of Chu and can't distinguish between superior and inferior!"
"Who says not? When the King of Chu becomes a beggar, if he comes to my door, I can give him some food!"
Ye Feng slowly closed his eyes. Emperor Ling could not be touched, but these parasites from Luoyang needed to be shown his methods!
Having made up his mind, Ye Feng sighed heavily, "This King..."
Before he could finish, Lu Zhi, who had been standing still for a long time, moved slightly, cupped his hands heavily in Ye Feng's direction, and then half-rose to stare at Ye Feng.
Others didn't understand the meaning, but some Confucian courtiers understood it perfectly. This was the highest form of respect between friends.
"Lu Zhi, has he gone mad? How can Ye Feng deserve this?"
"Nonsense, it's utter nonsense!" At that moment, many old ministers trembled and rebuked coldly.
"Hold your tongue!" Lu Zhi turned and rebuked everyone angrily. "I thought you all cared about the people and were unwilling to pursue anything, but who would have thought you would do so many things? Must the Great Han be destroyed before you are satisfied?"
Ye Feng looked at Lu Zhi, whose eyes were red, and slowly reminded him, "Your subject believes that the King of Chu's proposal is flawless. If anyone is unwilling, please ask His Majesty to issue a decree to execute them all!" Lu Zhi said righteously, "His Majesty should also lead by example and set an example for all officials!"
Emperor Ling froze for a moment. This even involved him. Thinking it through, he hurriedly said, "There's no need for that. After all, His Majesty..."
Lu Zhi ignored everything and rushed forward, grabbing Emperor Ling's wrist. He said coldly, "If His Majesty does not agree, your humble servant would rather hand over his military power and never again concern himself with court affairs!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Emperor Ling was overjoyed. This was something he had always wished for. After a pause, he frowned again. The current court affairs were not as simple as he imagined. With one wrong step, an old fox like Lu Zhi could stumble, let alone himself.
"Teacher, this absolutely will not do," Emperor Ling said tearfully and hurriedly, yet he was unwilling to part with the land and asked unwillingly, "But didn't teacher support me before, which is why I..."
"Your Majesty is already the Emperor of all under heaven, so you naturally don't need this old man's ramblings. But your humble servant has never been loyal to the Emperor of the Great Han, but to the Great Han of His Majesty!" Lu Zhi's gaze was firm. "Your Majesty, this old servant can die without a burial place, but the Great Han must not perish."
"Since that is the case, I agree..."
Before he could finish, the courtiers who had been cowering all rushed out and spoke hurriedly, "Your Majesty, absolutely cannot agree."
"Your Majesty, if you want to act, this old servant will die here!"
Seeing more and more courtiers coming out, even Ye Feng felt a tremor in his heart. Emperor Ling could only grit his teeth and roar, "Do you want to rebel? What ability do you have to deal with the King of Chu and the teacher!"
Ye Feng nodded heavily. He wanted to speak but was preempted by Lu Zhi, who said, "This matter will be entirely decided by the King of Chu. If anyone is not satisfied, they can come to me to discuss it. I will definitely give them a satisfactory answer!"
"They've gone mad, completely mad!" The courtiers had the same thought in their hearts, but there was no possibility of turning the tide. The courtiers' faces were grim, and they remained silent.
"Your Majesty, the courtiers have all agreed, and the matter can be put into action soon!" Lu Zhi said urgently, "Your humble servant will give his full support!"
After the court session ended, a rare rain began to fall in Liangzhou, drifting down in the sparse Liangzhou. After a while, the sound of horses' hooves and voices surged towards a small courtyard.
At this moment, many carriages and horses had stopped, and a scent of fragrant powder wafted through the air. Passersby couldn't help but glance more. They couldn't help but ask, "Where is this?"
"You don't even know this? This is the Grand Tutor's mansion. Which courtier of today doesn't treat him with utmost respect? So many people have come today, I'm afraid something big is about to happen!"
"Who can say? Let's just hope it doesn't implicate us common folk."
"Who knows? Various such voices rose, and in Lu Zhi's residence on the other side, all the courtiers surrounded Lu Zhi, watching him coldly. Their purpose was, of course, to force Lu Zhi to disavow Ye Feng's plan.
"I say, Lord Lu, how much wealth do you have in your home? Dividing the land won't affect you much, but we are all first-class wealthy households. What exactly do you want to do?"
"Lord Lu, if it weren't for us back then, you would have been overwhelmed by the armies. How can you be so ungrateful and now plot to seize our land? What is the reason for this?"
"Lord Lu..." Before he could finish, the man saw Lu Zhi's teacup trembling, and Lu Zhi stared at everyone coldly. "Have you all finished speaking? Should it be my turn to say a few words?"
"Lord Lu, this matter can be easily resolved. As long as you persuade the King of Chu to let this matter pass quietly, we are willing to give money, expand the land, and the common people will naturally have land to cultivate!"
The courtiers were forced to agree to this condition, but Lu Zhi looked at them coldly and took a sip of tea. "I cannot make such a decision, but don't worry, Lu Zhi can promise you..."
At that moment, the eyes of all the courtiers lit up. As long as Lu Zhi agreed to help them, the rest of the matter would not be a big deal.
"Lord Lu, did you agree?" A courtier asked urgently. "We will never go back on our word!"
"Absolutely impossible!" Lu Zhi cursed angrily. "You don't want to help the King of Chu sort out the land, yet you do such things. Do you really think His Majesty and I are blind!"
"What do you mean? If it weren't for my family back then, what qualifications would Lu Zhi have to be in this position!" A courtier rebuked. "I have been more than kind to Lu Zhi!"
"Hmph, you have no complaints about me, Lu Zhi, but do you dare to put your hand on your chest and say you are without remorse towards the Great Han!" Lu Zhi heavily placed his teacup on the table and said coldly.
"Lord Lu, I know you don't intend to make things difficult for us, but the court affairs are truly difficult. How about this, as long as you agree to our conditions and are willing to contribute one-fifth of the land as public land, we will turn a blind eye to this matter!"
A courtier who had not spoken spoke heavily. The rest were silent. Lu Zhi looked at the person in front of him with a face full of confusion. He had never seen anyone with such capability to make the noble families submit so obediently!
"May I ask who this gentleman is? Can he make the decisions for them?" Lu Zhi asked in confusion.
"Mr. Zhu's meaning is our meaning. Lord Lu, please discuss it!"
At this moment, the courtiers and noble families had an unexpectedly consistent opinion, letting the visitor make the decision. Lu Zhi couldn't figure out who this Mr. Zhu was, so he probed.
"May I ask which lands belong to Mr. Zhu? If they have nothing to do with us, please leave quickly!" Lu Zhi said coldly.
"Lord Lu, don't be angry. Just tell me, do you agree to my conditions?" Mr. Zhu said slowly.
"You only dare to come to me and not to the King of Chu, which means you think I am easy to bully. But you have made a mistake this time. I, Lu Zhi, will absolutely not agree!" Lu Zhi, with a fierce expression, grabbed his teacup and threw it away.
The teacup shattered on the ground. The courtiers' faces turned ugly, and they forgot to bow as they hurriedly left. Looking at the people in front of him, Lu Zhi murmured, "King of Chu, this matter must be accomplished. Perhaps it can even guarantee the Great Han's rule for hundreds of years. Even if I, Lu Zhi, die, I will help you!"
As soon as they left Lu Zhi's house, the courtiers' faces were grim, and they crowded around Mr. Zhu. "Please give us a solution. If the matter is successful, we will reward you generously."
Mr. Zhu smiled slightly. "Who do you all think is the most crucial person in this matter?"
"Lu Zhi?" "No."
"Your Majesty?" "Incorrect!"
"King of Chu!" A courtier said thoughtfully, but Mr. Zhu shook his head. "You only remember these people, but you have forgotten Diao Chan. As the saying goes, heroes cannot overcome the beauty's pass. If we capture Diao Chan and use her to threaten Ye Feng, what then?"
"Naturally, they will submit to us."
"That's right, this is the key point. At that time, Ye Feng will be at our mercy." Mr. Zhu appeared confident of victory, and the courtiers naturally believed him. Instantly, they appointed generals and were about to send people to capture Diao Chan.
Diao Chan, hearing the sounds from afar, narrowed her eyes. "They're finally here. Get ready, don't disgrace the King of Chu's prestige!"