Emperor Ling himself was half-dead; he had no mind to care about such things.
Even if he knew, he wouldn't care.
A capable subordinate, if truly a perfect saint, should be carefully guarded against for any intention of usurping his throne. Otherwise, what's the point of being so perfect?
And a lecherous minister is also an easy thing to control.
The Jia Mansion, the Grand View Garden.
The Grand View Garden was actually a private residence built long ago, representing the pinnacle of the Jia family's power.
Surrounded by mountains and water, lush and vibrant, the towering Grand View Tower offered panoramic views.
Extremely luxurious and pristine, even the lotus flowers were specially imported from the south.
Mulberry fields to the east, temples to the west, and a large natural lake in the middle, evoking the feeling of boating on West Lake.
This was Lu Ming's first visit to the Grand View Garden. It was said that this area was once part of the Shanglin Garden, a private estate reserved for the Western Han emperors. With the establishment of the Eastern Han Dynasty, everything changed; some things disappeared, others were inherited.
And the Shanglin Garden, this sprawling back garden stretching for thousands of miles, began to be divided up.
Now, the Jia family only managed to build the Grand View Garden thanks to their ancestors' blessings.
"Building" was really just renovation, but it still cost a considerable amount of money.
Jia Zheng cautiously accompanied him, wondering why Lu Ming had suddenly come.
He could only put aside his work to accompany him. Recently, he had been in charge of interrogation cases, working with Lu Ming's uncle.
The two couldn't be said to dislike each other, but their personalities certainly clashed.
This was because Lu Zhang always considered himself the uncle of the governor, bossing everyone around and practically looking down on everyone.
"You still like coming to temples to burn incense?" Lu Ming stood before the temple gate, where a proud, solitary red plum blossom stretched beyond the blue brick wall.
It was already the cold season, and coal was in high demand. Even Lin Daiyu was reluctant to go out.
She preferred to stay indoors, enjoying the warmth of the fireplace while practicing yoga to maintain her figure.
"My lord, this is the Longcui Nunnery, a temple belonging to the Jia family. When Yuan Chun entered the palace, she performed a vow at this temple. It's a nunnery, filled with female members of the family." Jia Zheng didn't really like coming here; he had no fondness for temples.
"Oh? Nuns? Are they all bald nuns?" Lu Ming became interested. Having just gotten up from Aunt Xue's lap, he planned to get his hands on the three springs before setting off on his campaign.
Then he would go to Bingzhou to see if he could acquire some valuable items.
Liangzhou and Bingzhou bordered each other, so controlling some areas would be beneficial.
Bingzhou is indeed harsh, but it can't be completely devoid of resources; poverty stems from a lack of development.
"Some of them are nuns practicing under false pretenses. The abbess of Longcui Nunnery is one of them. It's said she was originally a daughter of an official family, but became a nun at Xuanmu Panxiang Temple at a young age. A few years ago, she moved to Longcui Nunnery. She's highly skilled in Buddhism, well-versed in scriptures, and manages all the major and minor religious ceremonies for the Jia family," Jia Zheng continued. Ancient people were superstitious; some even claimed that drinking talismanic water could cure all diseases. Zhang Jiao's story was partly influenced by such propaganda.
"Oh? Let's go in and take a look." Lu Ming deliberately brought Jia Zheng here, actually to create trouble for him, to fabricate a wrongful conviction.
You see, he wasn't just bringing an uncle he hadn't seen in ten years to Chang'an to save face; he was using him as a warning to others!
If even a relative of the governor can be arrested for a crime, what can anyone else say?
If it were merely dealing with powerful and influential figures, it might be seen as targeted, but given the circumstances surrounding his uncle's misconduct, it would be undeniably seen as impartiality.
Jia Zheng, left with no other option, sent someone to the Longcui Nunnery to knock on the door, lest he be delayed in receiving Lu Ming.
However, the moment the words were spoken, the doors of the Longcui Nunnery opened, as if they had anticipated his arrival.
Lu Ming walked straight in, glancing only at the nun who opened the door—a middle-aged woman with a sallow complexion and unremarkable appearance—he gave her a slight nod and then moved on.
Upon entering the Longcui Nunnery, the fragrance of plum blossoms immediately filled the air. "A fine sword is forged through tempering, and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the cold of ancient times. Indeed, indeed, the red plum blossoms of Longcui Nunnery truly live up to their reputation."
"Your poem is excellent, sir!" Jia Zheng flattered, secretly wondering whether he should introduce Lu Ming to Tan Chun, since she was destined to become his concubine.
"You flatter me, sir. It's bitterly cold outside. Why not come in and have a cup of hot tea?" A woman of exceptional beauty, with red lips and white teeth, and an elegant, mysterious air, appeared at the door, holding a whisk in her hand, exuding an air of detached composure.
This was Miaoyu, the abbess of the Longcui Nunnery, one of the Twelve Golden-Haired Maidens.
"Jia Zheng, go back and focus your attention on the case of the Marquis of Biyang. You're not needed here." Lu Ming dismissed Jia Zheng. With such a beautiful woman before him, there was no need for a grown man.
"Yes, sir. Abbess Miaoyu, this is Lu Ming, the governor of Liangzhou. Lord Lu, please treat him well and do not neglect him." Jia Zheng finished speaking and bowed to Lu Ming. "Sir, this humble official takes his leave."
Jia Zheng was still somewhat elated. After all, he had been promoted and was now in charge of investigating cases involving torture, although his power had decreased compared to that of a county magistrate.
However, his position had improved considerably, so he was quite content.
Miaoyu didn't answer, but instead brewed herself a cup of tea using the traditional Gongfu tea method. Her tea ceremony was skillful, and watching her perform was a pleasure in itself.
She moved the teacup to Lu Ming with her jade-like hand, then turned it over. "Please have some tea, sir."
Lu Ming picked up the plum blossom tea and took a sip. It was sweet and delicious, leaving a lingering fragrance in his mouth. He couldn't help but scrutinize Miaoyu. "Miaoyu, a fine name."
"Just a humble name, nothing to mention, sir," Miaoyu replied, neither obsequious nor aloof.
"Miaoyu, do you know how to read the heavens?" Lu Ming suddenly became interested. He had recently been reading the scriptures given to him by Zhang Yulan's mother, Liang Yin. They were books about astronomy and the Eight Trigrams, obscure and difficult to understand.
This was one way to learn astronomy. After mastering the basics, one could set up an altar to summon clouds and rain, though there was a chance of failure.
Moreover, the will of Heaven is unpredictable, and events cannot be reversed. While such methods are useful, they shouldn't be overused.
Liang Yin recounted a story of a colleague who enjoyed praying for rain to disaster victims.
He succeeded once, and then became obsessed with this art of manipulating nature.
Ultimately, he continued praying for rain even when the weather was favorable, but a flash flood occurred, burying him alive!