Chapter 23: Harmony with light, the way to be an official
In the night when they bid farewell to Prime Minister Lin's mansion, Fan Xian and Wang Qinian rode in a carriage together. What he held in his hands was not only the list given by his father-in-law, but also the profound teachings: "Be as light as the dust, the way of being an official. It is different from the way to rule the world..."
He muttered to himself, but he was actually struggling in his heart, whether he should follow his father-in-law's wishes and get involved in the muddy waters of Chunwei's fraud.
At the same time, his thoughts drifted to Yannian Palace, hoping that the second prince could bring back the decisive decree from His Majesty.
"Knowing that I am unwilling, my father-in-law still entrusts me with this heavy responsibility."
Fan Xian's self-talk is a torture of self-choice. In his mind, he kept replaying the scene of poor students studying hard under the dim butter lamp in the examination room, and his blood boiled:
"The words of Prime Minister Lin are meant to persuade me to be patient, but if I follow the crowd, won't I become one of those numb people?
If I stand up now, even though I will face the storm, I will still be speaking out for justice. "
Wang Qinian looked troubled and comforted: "If you can survive this, your future will be limitless."
Fan Xian smiled bitterly, shook his head and retorted: "If the officialdom of the Qing Kingdom is like this, with the road ahead full of thorns and relatives and friends betrayed, why do I need this future?
Fortunately, the second prince is always by my side. Otherwise I would have been in jail."
When Wang Qinian heard this, he smiled bitterly: "Sir, you have tried your best and no one can blame you."
In the dark night, Fan Xian stepped out of the carriage and looked at the imperial city in the distance, feeling the urge to go to the palace to find out what was going on.
But reason told him that at this moment he could only wait for good news. "They come from thousands of miles away, and Chunwei is not only a test, but also a light of hope in their hearts."
At this moment, Chen Pingping appeared quietly pushing a wheelchair, and his voice sounded particularly deep in the night wind:
"Even if life is hard, people still long for light. If even this light disappears..."
Fan Xian walked to the stone tablet of the Overwatch Council, stared at the handwriting left by Ye Qingmei, and his heart surged:
"If the light is lost, the people of Qing will be trapped in darkness forever, and the country will not be a country."
Chen Pingping nodded, with nostalgia in her eyes: "When your mother was alive, she not only aspired to change the world, but also purified people's hearts.
She is like a meteor piercing the night sky, and like a burning flame, illuminating every corner of Qingguo. Many people were awakened by her and changed by her. "
Fan Xian thought for a moment and asked:
"If my mother was still here, she would definitely act like this, right? Even if she sacrificed her life, she would not regret it. However, the light and inscription she left behind have been gradually forgotten..."
"She never regretted it."
Chen Pingping said firmly, "She is just afraid that her light is not bright enough to illuminate more people's hearts."
Suddenly, Chen Pingping changed the topic:
"Your Majesty has summoned the second prince." Hearing this, Fan Xian had a glimmer of hope in his eyes:
"Maybe a turning point is just around the corner?" Chen Pingping, however, remained cautious: " It still needs time to verify. After dawn, you can personally verify it with His Highness the Second Prince.
The heart of an emperor is unfathomable, so don't be too optimistic too early. "
Fan Xian looked at the stone tablet and made up his mind: "No matter what the outcome is, I will stand by the side of the second prince. Even if I face the hostility of the entire DPRK, I will shoulder the full responsibility, just to complete the unfinished business between me and my mother." cause."
Chen Pingping smiled and nodded, looking at the dark sky: "The dawn will eventually come."
…
Fan Xian, who had been awake all night, drove to the palace with Wang Qinian when the morning light first appeared, and waited in front of Yannian Hall. He requested to be informed:
"Xie Bian, please inform me. Fan Xian wants to see you."
A moment later, Li Chengze appeared in front of him with tired but determined eyes.
The two of them looked at each other and smiled. No need to say anything, the tacit understanding and understanding were already expressed without words.
"Your Highness, you worked hard last night."
Fan Xian said softly, feeling grateful in his heart. He knew that the second prince also stayed up all night arguing with His Majesty about the Spring Festival.
"I met with His Majesty last night and finally got his approval." Li Chengze's words contained a trace of imperceptible pride and relief.
"Really?" Fan Xian heard a flash of surprise in his eyes.
Li Chengze confirmed:
"There is no doubt that His Majesty will officially announce at the court meeting that he will provide support for us to clean up the unhealthy practices in the Chunwei Examination Hall, strive for justice for the scholars of Qing Dynasty, and also light up a glimmer of hope for this land."
After hearing this, Fan Xian was filled with excitement, his eyes sparkling, and his eyes looking at the second prince were full of like-minded joy and deep gratitude.
He knew very well that without the help of the second prince, he would never dare to get involved in this troubled water easily.
"Your Highness, the Second Prince, on behalf of all scholars, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to you." Fan Xian said sincerely.
"We have worked hard for each other." Li Chengze smiled slightly, and then changed the subject, "However, although the Spring Festival has been approved by His Majesty, we still need to make careful preparations to prevent unexpected events. In particular, we must ensure that the second brother and aunt will not cause trouble. "
Fan Xian responded immediately: "Please give instructions, Your Highness."
"I need you to recall Fan Sizhe and Guo Baokun from Northern Qi."
Li Chengze mentioned the two partners who left "heroic" deeds in Northern Qi, especially Guo Baokun, whose family background would be of great benefit.
When Fan Xian heard this, he couldn't help but wonder: "Your Highness, especially Guo Baokun, and my troubled brother, what use can they...have?"
“It’s not them themselves, it’s the power behind them.”
Li Chengze explained, "Especially Guo Baokun's father, the former Guo Shangshu Guo Youzhi, his influence cannot be underestimated."
"Besides, there are no good people in your family. The key is to have people come out in large numbers."
These words made Fan Xian even more puzzled, and he asked: "What does His Highness mean by this?"
When it comes to family, Fan Xian is naturally particularly concerned. Li Chengze changed the topic and said half-jokingly:
"Your family has all kinds of 'pornography, gambling and drugs', but the 'pornography, gambling and drugs' here refers to something else."
"Prostitution, gambling, and drugs? What does this mean?" Fan Xian looked confused.
"Let's talk about 'yellow' first. Baoyuelou, do you know who is behind it?" Li Chengze raised his eyebrows and asked, "Fan Sizhe is related to this brothel. Calling him 'yellow' is not too much, right?"
Fan Xian was speechless, after all, the facts were before his eyes.
Then, Li Chengze stretched out his second finger: "Let's talk about 'gamble'. Your fiancée Lin Wan'er is actually a master of a thousand arts. Do you believe it?"
"This... is absolutely impossible!" Fan Xian was extremely shocked. Lin Wan'er's gentle image was far from the master of thousands of arts in his mouth.
"Don't believe it? You will know if you go back and try it. She is like the God of Gamblers in the movie. Any card can turn into three at will. No one can see through her tricks when pushing Pai Gow."
Fan Xian "..."
Seeing Li Chengze speaking so confidently, Fan Xian was speechless!
“Let’s talk about poison last!’
"You studied under Fei Jie, and poison is your label. Am I wronging you?"
"So, is it wrong to say that your family engages in pornography, gambling and drugs?"
Li Chengze continued to stretch out his third finger and made an OK gesture.
(End of chapter)