He had long heard of Lu Ming's extraordinary skills, but seeing him today, he was practically a god of death reincarnated!
He wouldn't dare claim to be the best in the world, but at least in Luoyang, there were few who could rival him.
Watching Lu Ming slaughter his way through, wiping out his guards in no time,
Feng Fang felt fear for the first time. He regretted his actions; had he been blinded by greed, thinking of targeting Lu Ming?
Such a man would eventually shine—no, he would rise to prominence!
Why had he treated him with prejudice just because he came from a humble background?
Lu Ming grinned maliciously, pulling him up and dragging Feng Fang along. "Come on, let's go to the Court of Justice! I want to see what you're up to, plotting to murder a high-ranking official!"
"Misunderstanding! Misunderstanding!" Feng Fang was terrified. He, Feng Fang, was the son-in-law of the eunuch Cao Jie.
Cao Jie was a powerful eunuch who had previously held immense influence at court. He had rendered meritorious service in welcoming Emperor Ling to the throne, and even the Ten Attendants had to avoid his advances.
Cao Jie was also shrewd; he avoided offending Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong, but he was less courteous to others.
He was essentially the one who framed and led the murders of Emperor Heng's mother and her relatives.
If Cao Jie were still alive, Feng Fang would have enjoyed immense prestige.
However, his good fortune was short-lived. A few years ago, Cao Jie died, which triggered a purge.
First to be targeted was Cao Jie's younger brother, Cao Poshi. When Cao Poshi served as the Commandant of the Yueqi Cavalry, a squad leader in the Yueqi camp had a beautiful wife, and Cao Poshi demanded her from the squad leader.
The squad leader dared not disobey, but the wife resolutely refused and committed suicide.
The Cao family was generally known for its debauchery and tyranny.
With so many people offended, the reckoning was inevitable.
Cao Jie's adopted son and grandson both died tragically, their bodies left unburied and abandoned to be devoured by wild dogs.
And from the elderly to children, no one escaped!
This is the consequence of tyrannical taxation!
Retribution may be delayed, but it will surely come!
If Feng Fang hadn't been timid and cautious, and hadn't been favored by Emperor Ling as a henchman, he too would likely have suffered the same fate—family ruin, corpses lying in the streets, without a proper burial!
This is why he remained somewhat indifferent even when his daughter was nearly violated.
He simply didn't want trouble, and even wished his daughter hadn't caused him any trouble!
All these years, he'd kept a low profile, just to survive.
Now, even without offending the General or the Yuan family, trouble still found him!
"My lord, my lord, let's talk this out, let's talk this out. Don't be so impulsive, I mean no harm." Feng Fang thought about how Lu Ming was about to take him to the Court of Justice, which would definitely alarm the Emperor.
He had finally managed to climb this ladder, becoming a captain in the Western Garden Army. If he worked diligently for a few years, he could basically rest easy.
Serving the Emperor was far better than being a lackey for powerful clans.
"Heh, you weren't so principled before, Captain Feng!" Lu Ming's eyes darted around, and he dragged Feng Fang into the main hall, ordering his personal guards to stand watch outside.
Inside the main hall, some meat had already been laid out.
In front of each prayer mat was a small table, one for each guest.
It seemed Feng Fang did indeed intend to host a banquet, but he didn't know who he was inviting.
"Captain Feng, state your offer now, and I might consider it. If you don't satisfy me, don't blame me for being impolite!" Lu Ming was no longer flustered. As long as Emperor Ling feared death, he would never allow anything to happen to him.
Putting aside everything else, just relieving his pain and adding some specially made aphrodisiacs, allowing Emperor Ling to continue his nightly revelry and shorten his lifespan, was already quite generous.
Giving him the authority to lead an army independently and allowing him to return to Luoyang if necessary showed that they didn't want anything to happen to him.
Otherwise, wouldn't an emperor, even if he hadn't killed a pig, have seen pigs run? Wouldn't he know that generals couldn't be separated by two people?
Knowing this and still doing it, there must be some unspeakable secret.
Even in Luoyang, rumors began to circulate that Lu Ming might be Emperor Ling's illegitimate son, hence the preferential treatment.
Otherwise, there wouldn't be such an outrageous order!
Even if he were on a campaign, being given the option to retreat at any time, and being able to claim it was an imperial decree to retreat, was unparalleled.
What the common people speculated about was irrelevant; the powerful families and nobles knew it was because of Lu Ming's medical skills that they were giving him special treatment.
If he had simply been a doctor from the start, there would have been no problem.
But Lu Ming had been promoted based on military merit and entrusted with such an important position.
The patriarch of the Yang family, Yang Ci, was on the verge of death, but was miraculously saved!
Don't underestimate this point; saving lives was secondary.
And because Yang Ci survived, the Yang family wouldn't experience too much turmoil and could smoothly transfer power.
If things went wrong, and Yang Ci died kneeling before his political enemies, it wouldn't just be the Yang family who lost face, but the public outrage!
These retired high-ranking officials were a symbol of power; they might not need to use it, but when they did, they were figures who made the entire city of Luoyang, and even the Eastern Han Dynasty, tremble.
With such a vivid example before him, Emperor Ling's favor towards Lu Ming was no surprise; it was simply due to his exceptional medical skills.
Being a military general, leading troops in battle was his proper path, yet he had been forcibly transformed into a physician—this was quite absurd.
Using his medical skills to gain benefits, while also transcending the limitations of a physician, was very appealing; he wasn't bound by such constraints.
Feng Fang racked his brains but couldn't come up with a good plan. Just then, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he blurted out, "I wonder what Commander Lu thinks of my daughter?"
Before Lu Ming could speak, Feng Fang continued, "My daughter is quite beautiful, gentle, virtuous, and kind. I am currently preparing to find her a marriage partner."
Lu Ming was delighted. Was he being asked to marry Feng Qin?
It wasn't impossible, but there was no such thing as a free lunch.
"Hmph, who knows if Wu Ban insulted her! You're making a woman who has been insulted marry me, are you humiliating me! Or are you looking down on me! Hmph! Feng Fang, you're courting death! I will report to His Majesty that since you don't want to work anymore, there are plenty of people who will take your place!"
With that, Lu Ming made a gesture as if to turn and leave.