Chapter 1935: Yang and Lü Granted Audience

"Your Majesty, the two lords Yang and Lü have arrived and are waiting in the corridor for your summons!"

"Summon them!"

Yang Ye and Lü Duan entered the hall together, and under the guidance of the palace eunuch, it was not until they reached the eastern wing of the hall that they caught sight of Emperor Liu. Emperor Liu was lying on his side on a soft couch, holding a memorial in his hand, flipping through the pages half-heartedly, his attention clearly not on it, and his mood seeming rather poor.

The two exchanged a glance and bowed in unison.

"Dispense with the formalities!" Emperor Liu's voice was very calm, yet it gave one an abrupt feeling, cutting off their movements. He extended a hand to the side: "Sit!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The two took their seats, and Emperor Liu remained silent for a while. After a moment, it was Yang Ye who rose, cupped his fists, and said, "May I ask what instructions Your Majesty has for us?"

Finally lifting his head, Emperor Liu looked at Yang and Lü, and a wave of emotion welled up in his heart. He blurted out: "Looking across the entire court, you two ministers are the ones I trust most and rely upon most heavily!"

Hearing this, both Yang and Lü were taken aback. Such words were not unprecedented from Emperor Liu, but today they felt the most sincere.

Lü Duan maintained his usual deferential demeanor, bowed deeply, and said with perfect composure: "To be trusted by Your Majesty is our fortune!"

Yang Ye's reaction seemed half a beat slower, but after a moment's thought, he clasped his fists firmly and said solemnly: "If Your Majesty has any commands, please issue the decree!"

Hearing this, the corners of Emperor Liu's mouth twitched slightly—a reaction of gratification—but he paid Yang Ye no heed. Instead, he looked toward Lü Duan and handed the memorial in his hand to Yan Tuo to pass along: "Take a look at this!"

Taking the memorial, Lü Duan flipped through it swiftly, his brows slightly furrowed—not in difficulty, but in confusion. This was a personnel record: Kang Baozhen, County Magistrate of Gaomi.

The Great Han had tens of thousands of officials, and county magistrates were the lords of a hundred li—the cornerstone positions of the Great Han's bureaucratic system. As Minister of Personnel, Lü Duan's personal ability and professional competence in governance were unimpeachable, but having him remember every official's record was unrealistic, especially since Gaomi was merely a small county in Henan.

However, for Emperor Liu to personally inquire about this matter with such an unusual attitude, there must surely be some hidden angle he did not know about. Could another corruption case have emerged? As he read, such a thought flashed through Lü Duan's mind, and he became even more cautious.

Reviewing it once more, Lü Duan still found nothing unusual. Judging from the record alone, this Kang Baozhen was an "ordinary" clerk-turned-bureaucrat—his achievements were not outstanding, but his experience was rich and his age sufficient. At least from Lü Duan's perspective, if this file's records were truthful, there was no major problem.

But if there were no problem, Emperor Liu would not be treating this so seriously. As he pondered, Lü Duan suddenly realized something…

The news that Kang Ning had first been thrown into the imperial prison yesterday and then transferred to the Court of Judicial Review had gradually spread, spawning all sorts of rumors. Lü Duan naturally could not have failed to hear of it.

Connecting these two matters together, there was much worth discussing. If there were some unusual relationship between these two Kangs… At this thought, the gravity in Lü Duan's brows deepened considerably.

Although Lü Duan had no connection with Kang Ning, having no dealings with him did not mean he had no understanding of him. At the very least, he could perceive Kang Ning and the complex chain of interests behind him—Kang Ning alone was entangled with many things.

To say nothing of anything else, the news that Duke of Pingliang, Wang Yansheng, had personally led men to the Kang residence to repay a debt before his death had already spread. Seeing a spot on a leopard reveals the whole beast—the waters around Kang Ning were murky indeed.

The Kang banner represented not only wealth but also trouble—big trouble. At least, that was how Lü Duan saw it. Thinking of Kang Ning, who had been arrested by imperial decree and now sat in the Court of Judicial Review's prison, Lü Duan seemed to see another wave of political turmoil surging toward the Great Han court. To say Kang Ning could influence the changes in the Great Han's political landscape would be overrating him, but serving as a trigger to pry open the situation at a certain point in time—that was well within his capacity. And Emperor Liu's sudden strike was clearly such a point.

While Lü Duan was frowning in thought, Emperor Liu had already spoken: "What do you think of this personnel record?"

At the question, Lü Duan instinctively glanced at Emperor Liu. The old emperor appeared quite composed at the moment, but in Lü Duan's eyes, he was like a sword eager to move—unsheathed, its sharpness pressing forward, thirsting for blood…

Following his own line of reasoning, Lü Duan said with due conservatism: "As recorded in this memorial, this Kang Baozhen does indeed have outstanding qualities—a solid record, rich experience in office, sufficient grounds for promotion. He is more than adequate to serve as a county magistrate."

"Is that what you think?" Hearing his words, Emperor Liu pressed on immediately.

Emperor Liu's tone and gaze conveyed a great deal of information, and Lü Duan keenly sensed it. Without haste, he bowed and said: "Could there be some hidden circumstances not recorded in this memorial?"

Hearing this reply, Emperor Liu looked at Lü Duan with interest—clearly, this man had already sensed something.

Without playing any games, Emperor Liu said with a calm face, directly instructing: "The record shows that this Kang Baozhen is thirty-two years old, with ten years of experience as a clerk, and every prefectural assessment concluded with an excellent rating, every evaluation recommending promotion. This in itself is nothing to make a fuss over. However, I have learned from other channels a different account—that Kang Baozhen's actual age is only twenty-two.

If that is so, then this matter becomes interesting. How could a twenty-two-year-old youth possess ten years of clerical experience? Did he start working in the county office at twelve? Has our Great Han produced another Gan Luo?"

The sarcasm in Emperor Liu's final words was unmistakable, and Lü Duan was genuinely shaken. In just a few words, a major case of forging credentials, deceiving the court, and fraudulently obtaining office was already looming into view.

Glancing at Emperor Liu's calm, intimidating old face, Lü Duan quickly lowered his head and said in a deep voice: "If this proves true, there must be grave malpractice involved. This is a failure of the Ministry of Personnel. I, having been entrusted by Your Majesty with the office of the Heavenly Minister, failed to discern the finest details—I bear the primary responsibility…"

This string of words made Emperor Liu somewhat impatient. He waved his hand and said flatly: "There's no need for you to rush to accept blame and beg punishment. I didn't summon you here to hear such things!"

Hearing Emperor Liu speak thus, Lü Duan seized the opportunity and immediately requested: "Then please, Your Majesty, give your instruction!"

"Hearsay is not to be trusted! As for this matter, go and investigate it for me—find out what is really going on!" Emperor Liu said.

At this, Lü Duan's heavy heart relaxed slightly. He understood that Emperor Liu was giving the Ministry of Personnel a chance to investigate itself, which also meant he could avoid being swept up in this storm as much as possible. This too was Emperor Liu's trust and protection.

"Yes!" Lost in thought, Lü Duan bowed with a solemn face.

"You may withdraw!" Having finished his instructions, Emperor Liu dismissed him directly.

After Lü Duan had left, Emperor Liu finally looked toward Yang Ye, whose expression was wooden and somewhat ill at ease: "I intend to give you a different post. Let go of the Ministry of War and go to the Censorate, to serve as Left Chief Censor!"