amaotonovel Chapter 936 Late comers
Chapter 936 Late comers
Fang Jin breathed his last after enduring immense suffering.
I wonder what his final feelings were, whether he regretted it or felt resentment.
Anyway, no sooner had he breathed his last than Old Master Fang and his yamen runners broke down the door to report him to the authorities.
The Third Princess's attempt to silence witnesses was directly exposed.
At that moment, the Third Princess held a long sword, which was stuck in Fang Jin's throat. Blood was spurting from his neck, and she was raising her chin to admire it.
Even with this one scene, the Third Princess couldn't find any servants to take the blame.
The third princess has been arrested.
Grandpa Fang held his eldest son's body, his eyes red and swollen from crying. Later, when he had no more tears left, he became dazed.
Later, when they went to court, it was Mrs. He who brought her two sons.
Grandpa Fang didn't say a word; he seemed to have lost his soul.
When the Fang brothers heard about this, they were stunned for a moment.
There wasn't much of a reaction in my heart.
People who once made you grit your teeth with hatred are now treated with indifference as their status and position change.
Besides, in the brothers' hearts, Fang Jin had already died once.
To be brought back to life is a stroke of good luck.
But he didn't cherish his life and did nothing good.
He served as the Third Princess's lackey, deceived the Chen family, and schemed against Prince Ning. He seemed to be busy, but all his scheming came to nothing.
Perhaps even God couldn't bear to see such a heartless person continue to live.
He just died so suddenly.
Actually, it wasn't God's intervention; it was Qingyan's scheme.
It was he who had Fang Jin brought back to Beijing unharmed, and it was he who had someone hint to Old Master Fang to report the matter to the authorities and save him, yet by sheer coincidence, they failed to save him.
Qingyan wanted to get rid of this troublesome person for the Fang family.
Fang Tong was completely unaware of this. After thinking for a moment, he sent his steward to deliver some silver to Madam He, ostensibly as a filial piety gift for the old man.
Not much, five taels.
It wasn't out of sentimentality; he was only concerned about his official reputation.
Unexpectedly, the steward delivered some silver and witnessed another spectacle.
The Chen family was being driven out of the house.
They threw out their bundles and luggage, and five or six burly maidservants blocked the gate, hands on their hips, shouting at each other.
"Pah! You're a whole family of lowlifes. We're only willing to take you in temporarily because we're kind-hearted, but what kind of things have you been doing?"
"The old one is sharp-tongued and mean, the eldest is vicious and shameless, and the young one is cunning, lazy, and greedy. Not only do they eat and live for free in our Chen family, but they also have the nerve to borrow money?"
"Get out! Just because our master and mistress are kind-hearted doesn't mean they can be so arrogant. Our Chen family can't afford to entertain guests like this!"
Fang Qingtian and his brother, dressed in mourning clothes, carried a straw mat, one in front of the other, inside which lay their father.
Mrs. He, with a white cloth wrapped around her head, was helping the old man.
Grandpa Fang's eyes were staring blankly, empty and lifeless, as if he didn't react to anything.
He was so angry that his chest heaved, and his voice was incredibly loud.
"This is outrageous! I am the mother of the young mistress of the Chen family. How dare you servants speak to me like this?"
"The person in the straw mat is Su Xiran's biological father. They all kowtowed to acknowledge him as their relative. Now that he needs to be buried, what's wrong with asking her for money?"
"Where is Su Xiran? Tell her to come out here. I want to ask her who taught her to drive her own mother, grandfather, and brother away?"
There is no such thing in the world.
"You old hag, how dare you call us young mistress? The young mistress fainted from anger and hasn't woken up yet."
"If anything happens to the young mistress, our household will not let you off the hook."
"She's never raised the young mistress for a single day. She just got married and started mooching off her. How dare she call herself her mother? Bah! She's just a slut who was divorced for cheating on her husband!"
The servants were full of confidence and did not back down at all.
In the argument, He Shi was outnumbered five to one and completely defeated.
Her eyes darted around, and she was about to throw a tantrum and threaten suicide. Just as she sat down on the ground, the servants started to take her place.
He suffered greatly from being scratched, punched, and pinched.
Fang Zetian and his brother left their father to help, and they also got beaten up.
In other words, unable to win the argument or the fight, Mrs. He could only lead her family away in disgrace.
This is the capital city; she doesn't have the guts to make a scene.
She knew that the master of the Chen family was an official, the kind of official she had met on the road before, the kind who would kneel down when he saw someone's carriage from afar.
She really didn't dare to offend anyone too much.
The wealthy families in the capital are ruthless.
Just look at how Fang Jin died to see how ruthless the most powerful and wealthy families are.
The steward saw this and, after thinking for a moment, decided not to give them five taels of silver directly. Instead, he used the money to find them an inn to settle down.
Behind everyone's back, he planned to give Mrs. He a few words of advice.
Unexpectedly, Mrs. He was very understanding and said while wiping away her tears, "I knew it. His second and third cousins are good-hearted. When something really happens, it's still them who will help."
"Don't worry, once the case is closed, I'll take the old man back to his hometown."
“We will never come to this heartbreaking place in the capital again. Tell Tongzi and Yinzi to rest assured that I will take good care of the old man. The money they gave us is enough, and there is no need to give him any more.”
The butler blinked; he had no intention of giving any more money.
But upon hearing Madam He's words, he nodded: "Then I'll trouble you, Madam He."
He finally understood why the second master had instructed him to give the money to Madam He.
With two princesses and more than a dozen noblemen imprisoned, the Ministry of Justice's prison is already overflowing.
The Minister was extremely busy.
Court officials all knew that the winds were blowing in the wrong direction, and they were careful with their words and actions every day.
I couldn't help but sigh, why is this winter so long? It feels like it's going to never end, with the cold wind howling.
Fang Tong's family saw Qin Yan off on a day when people's ears could freeze off.
The students of the Imperial Academy did indeed respond to the call from the Jingzhao Prefecture to provide disaster relief in villages near the capital.
The snowstorm caused many people's houses to collapse, and some elderly people and children froze to death.
If disaster relief is not provided soon, there will be refugees right under the emperor's nose.
The students of the Imperial Academy were divided into three groups and sent to different places, with yamen runners and clerks from the Jingzhao Prefecture accompanying them.
They brought money with them, which was allocated by the Ministry of Revenue.
This sum of money is pitifully small and not nearly enough for large-scale disaster relief, so the students of the Imperial Academy must figure out how to use it.
This job is not easy.
But since Qin Yan will become an official in the future, it's beneficial for him to get involved in some things sooner rather than later.
After seeing her brother off, Fang Nanzhi also had to go to her appointment.
Wanbao Tower.
Fang Nanzhi became famous overnight.
At first, the students from Jiangnan scoffed at the idea of inviting a woman to discuss academic matters with them, saying that the men in the capital were either lacking in talent or courage, otherwise why would they send a woman?
But once the actual communication begins, everything changes.
“This brother said that the Mohist concept of universal love is based on self-interest and cannot last, while the Confucian concept of benevolence is based on virtue and should be promoted. But I think this brother is too one-sided.”
Fang Nanzhi stepped forward gracefully, one hand behind her back.
"The Mohists did say, 'Love each other universally and benefit each other,' but don't forget that the core of universal love is still the word 'love,' and the Mohists advocated loving people equally and without discrimination. Mutual benefit further advocates achieving win-win results between people and between countries."
"As the saying goes, the world is bustling with people coming and going for profit. It is clear that everyone in the world pursues profit. Therefore, if we use the stability of profit as the bond of relationships, they can last."
Upon hearing this, Wu Zhi couldn't help but frown.
"That is not true. I have only heard that merchants pursue profit. On what basis does Miss Fang say that all people in the world pursue profit? Isn't that slandering the people of the world?"
Actually, Xie Lang and the others felt somewhat uncomfortable listening to Fang Nanzhi's words.
"What does Young Master Wu consider to be profit?"
"Is it beneficial for scholars to want to gain fame and become officials? Is it beneficial for farmers to want a bountiful harvest and abundant food? In my mind, benefit is not just about money, but also about potential advantages."
"For example, those who have the title of Xiucai (a scholar who has passed the imperial examination at the county level) can be exempted from corvée labor and taxes. Doesn't that benefit the imperial court?"
Fang Nanzhi spoke very frankly, but she still hinted at something more.
Without questioning, you all study and take the imperial examinations, isn't it all for personal gain? If there were no benefits to studying, would so many people still be so eager to pursue their studies?
What she said sounded awkward, but upon closer inspection, it wasn't entirely unreasonable.
Wu Zhi shook his head: "Miss Fang's idea is too vulgar. We study not only for personal gain, but also to realize our aspirations."
“Young Master Wu is right. We students should have lofty aspirations. It is because students serve the country that the court is getting better and better.”
"However, the two are not in conflict. We are not doing it for profit, but we cannot deny that it is precisely because of the benefits of reading that we have the possibility of realizing our ambitions."
"If studying doesn't bring the benefits of intellectual development, changing one's social standing, or gaining status, how can one realize their ambitions?"
"Profit may not be the goal, but the pursuit of profit is inevitable."
Fang Nanzhi said firmly.
Interpersonal relationships cannot function without mutual benefit, but of course, they also cannot function without genuine sincerity.
The reality of the world is that interests, emotions, and aspirations are intertwined and inseparable.
Wu Zhi was inexperienced in the ways of the world, but he wasn't stupid; he could understand.
"So, Miss Fang agrees more with the Mohist teachings and does not endorse the Confucian concept of benevolence?"
He decided to find another loophole.
Fang Nanzhi shook his head.
“Young Master Wu, our ancestors left behind various doctrines, and we are fortunate to be able to learn from them. Why must we compete to see who is better? Why can’t we learn from the strengths of our ancestors and make up for our own weaknesses?”
"The words of our ancestors are meant to teach us, not to be judged by future generations."
"I believe that universal love, which is to love people equally in terms of relationships between people and between countries, is worth pondering. Benevolence, on the other hand, requires people to have filial piety and brotherly love before loving others. It is to love people according to their closeness or distance, which is very much in line with human nature."
"But are these two ideas necessarily opposed? I believe that benevolence is the goodness in everyone's heart, while universal love is the bottom line in critical moments."
"Benevolence is sometimes for the sake of universal love."
"For example, when the court is at peace, the people live and work in peace and contentment. They only need to take good care of their own families to contribute to this peaceful life. This is benevolence. When the court is invaded by foreign enemies, the people unite as one to donate money and goods to the border or serve in the army. This is universal love."
"Benevolence requires us to constantly cultivate ourselves and be morally upright. Universal love, on the other hand, prioritizes interests and the greater good, and will keep the court stable. Must we abandon one of them?"
It must be said that this is an unprecedented perspective.
Debates between the teachings of the Mohists and the Confucians were frequent, but most people agreed on benevolence.
Compared to the Mohists who emphasized interests, scholars always pursued moral perfection.
There was another instance where someone said that high moral character and the pursuit of self-interest are not contradictory.
Although many people feel uncomfortable, as if they have been labeled as vulgar, upon closer examination, there is some truth to it.
On the third floor, Yao Xin stood by the railing, looking down with her eyes full of wonder.
In a daze, he seemed to see his friend Chen Zijun.
He believed that after Zijun's death, he would have no one left in the world who would understand him.
I never expected that Fang Nanzhi, Zijun's niece, a teenage girl, would have such insights.
He couldn't help but smile, a smile as genuine as melting snow.
Wan Sheng figured it out.
"Brother Yao, you have no worries about finding friends on the road ahead. You must not be so stubborn."
Yao Xin turned around, her smile fading, her dark eyes like black glass.
"Isn't Brother Wan also stubborn?"
“I have already gone down the wrong path and cannot turn back, but seeing such a younger generation makes me content.”
That night, Princess Mingzhu suddenly succumbed to the poison.
Fang Nanzhi didn't know that after eating the hot mutton stew and warming herself by the fire, listening to the howling wind outside, she missed her brother.
I wonder how my brother is doing?
What can you do? You're all curled up in a ball, sitting by the fire in a dilapidated temple.
Qin Yan and Wang Gong are in one team this time, and they are responsible for five villages.
Qin Yan's solution was to solve it in two steps.
First, we cannot delay addressing the immediate difficulties faced by the disaster-stricken people.
Delaying this will only lead to more deaths.
His proposal was to rent one or two houses in each village to gather together the widowed, orphaned, lonely, sick, and weak, as well as all those who had suffered from disasters.
The victims are those whose houses collapsed, whose families are poor and have no cotton-padded clothes or food to get through the winter.
They were all forced to squeeze into a rented house to spend the winter.
They should bring their own firewood; it's more lively and warm with more people, and less firewood will be needed.
We provide old quilts and old cotton-padded clothes.
These two items can be bought at a pawn shop; if you don't care how worn they are, it won't cost too much.
We also need to provide the disaster victims with porridge every day, just thin porridge, enough to keep them from starving.
But it wasn't free; Qin Yan wanted to find them jobs that the cats could do indoors.
For example, winding yarn.
This job is simple and easy to do, so I'll do it for the Ministry of Revenue.
Don't forget that the shop in the capital that sells wool products is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue.
Fang Tong also had a say; it was through his connections that his son got this job.
Winding yarn won't earn you a lot of money, but it can still provide some income.
This income will solve the second problem, which is building a house after spring.
It may not be enough for everyone to build one, but with this money, and with the help of the village, thatched houses can eventually be built.
The officials from the Jingzhao Prefecture who followed listened to the report, raised their eyebrows, and adopted the proposal.
My heart is filled with admiration.
I heard that Young Master Qin comes from a farming family, and he really is a man of action.
Renting a house, buying secondhand clothes, and doing work relief are ideas that only children from poor families would have.
It's likely that the young noblemen in the capital only care about helping to build houses and distribute grain, and making their achievements as impressive as possible.
This isn't a bad thing; the common people are the ones who benefit, and the Jingzhao Prefecture has no complaints.
In the long run, large-scale disaster relief can only be done once or twice at most. If the national treasury is not full, their duties will have to be carried out slowly and steadily.
Governing a local area is sometimes just like governing a family.
Eat only what you can afford, and save money wherever possible.