"Another widow? Hmph, he's getting off easy. That brat has a thing for that kind of thing, always wanting to seduce other men's wives and daughters, utterly despicable. Mother, you wouldn't believe it, he even took Wu Kuang's wife into his household! Hmph, utterly absurd!" Emperor Ling's words, seemingly filled with disgust and anger, were actually a disguised expression of protection and affection.
If he didn't like her, who would care about her life or death?
Empress Dowager Dong, however, felt a ripple of emotion. She was curious why a young man would enjoy playing with older women.
"With Wan Nian watching over her, things will be better. If Your Majesty is inconvenienced, how about I issue the decree?"
"Very well, then I'll trouble you, Mother. When Wan Nian arrives later, Mother, you can have a good talk with her." Emperor Ling finished speaking and took his leave. It was better to leave this matter to the Empress Dowager.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will handle it properly." Empress Dowager Dong was very concerned about this matter, as it concerned her grandson's ascension to the throne.
This also concerned her own wealth and status. Otherwise, after Emperor Ling died, there couldn't possibly be two empress dowagers in the harem, and a grand empress dowager?
Would she still be an empress dowager?
She wouldn't die in seclusion, nor would she be too far off. She had to stop this!
Without an empress dowager, her power as grand empress dowager wouldn't be hindered!
Two hours later, Princess Wannian returned home angrily.
Initially somewhat unwilling, Princess Wannian had to accept it after a period of sulking. Even her father had spoken; what could she say?
Besides, Cai Yong's daughter, Cai Wenji, was also marrying into the family. This wasn't so bad for her; at least she had a close friend she could confide in.
Zhang Yulan and Cai Wenji came to the princess's residence together. The three of them often studied the Book of Poetry together, or researched medicine, doing things they enjoyed.
Playing the zither, sipping tea—they lived a more comfortable life than many women.
Meanwhile, Cai Yong received an imperial edict from the Empress Dowager, betrothing his daughter to Lu Ming as a secondary wife.
At first, Cai Yong was somewhat shocked, only rising to thank her and accept the edict after being urged by the eunuch.
Even after the eunuch left, his head was still buzzing.
How could his daughter be betrothed by the Empress Dowager so easily?
The Empress Dowager did indeed wield such power; generally, she could arrange marriages for unmarried women.
However, this had little effect on powerful families, but it was very effective against the likes of Cai Yong and Huangfu Song.
These upright officials wouldn't hold grudges; as long as it was an imperial appointment, they had to accept it, even if it meant refusing to listen.
Lu Ming, unaware that he had gained another wife, went to the training ground to check on the progress of his training over the past few days.
The soldiers were training diligently, hoping for a meal of meat.
Rice and meat were plentiful, which was a tremendous boon for most of the starving wandering knights.
Furthermore, facing elimination, and with Jiang Qin's permission from Lu Ming to maliciously spread rumors that anyone eliminated would be punished by the remaining knights in Luoyang and the Guandong region, those eliminated were unlikely to return to their knightly lives.
With their escape routes cut off, they had no choice but to fight to the death. Benefits, no way out, and Jiang Qin's leadership fueled a surge of fervent energy in this small contingent of five hundred recruits.
Standing on the training platform, Lu Ming looked at the soldiers below. They wore plain clothes, with only a few iron plates at the chest for protection; most were dressed in thin, inadequate clothing.
"I am Lu Ming, a junior officer in the Western Garden Army. I am also your superior. In a few days, we will be heading to Hedong to quell the rebellion. Are you afraid?"
Silence fell below, a slight commotion arose, but no one dared to utter a sound. Going to war in just a few days—wasn't that suicide?
"I know you are afraid, and I know you don't want to fight," Lu Ming chuckled. "I don't want to fight either!"
This resonated with the wandering warriors below, though it might have affected morale, it was undeniably true.
Who wants to fight?
War means death. Isn't it better to live well?
Better to live a wretched life than die. Nobody wants to die.
Seeing that the atmosphere had been built up sufficiently, Lu Ming abruptly changed his tone, saying, "But someone will always have to defend our country. Everyone is afraid of death. We all came out to achieve great deeds and benefit our descendants; we have no way back. To climb higher, we must stand on the corpses of others! And those rebels are our military achievements! Gentlemen, I cannot promise anything else, but I can promise one thing: if any of you die on the battlefield, your wives, children, and elderly parents will be taken in by me. Children will live to adulthood, and the elderly will live out their natural lifespan. I, as the Prefect of Longxi County, will allocate a piece of land in Longxi County for your families. They can cultivate the land and weave cloth, and I will take care of them until they can support themselves. A man's word is his bond!"
This was incredibly explosive news. The people below couldn't help but whisper among themselves; this way of caring for fallen soldiers was truly unbelievable.
"Silence! No whispering!" Jiang Qin, also somewhat fired up, trusted his lord and thus shouted.
Lu Ming stopped him, instead smiling and saying, "When I was suppressing the rebellion in Xiliang, I encountered an army of 100,000 rebels and still managed to take the enemy general's head amidst a million soldiers. Following me is your good fortune; it's hard to die even if you want to. In Luoyang, some call me 'the next Bian Que,' which is actually a bit of a compliment. But I can tell you, as long as you are my soldiers, I will do my best to treat you until you die. You can ask me anything you want. After today, those who want to leave can leave; those who stay, do your best. If you rise to a high position one day, just remember my patronage."
The commotion below gradually subsided, for reasons unknown.
After waiting for a long time without anyone asking a question, Lu Ming scoffed, "What? You all used to be so high and mighty when you were wandering knights, but now you're acting like cowards? I need soldiers, not cowards!"
"Sir! You said you'd support our families if we died in battle. That would cost countless sums of money. Do you have that kind of money?" a soldier asked boldly. This was his biggest concern, and the same question many others had about him.
Easier said than done, especially since this kind of task was thankless and costly, a complete waste of money. Besides, whether Lu Ming had the money was highly questionable!