Chapter 7: Reaching the Imperial Ear

The eunuch received the order and hurried away.

But not long after, the eunuch returned and said, “Your Majesty, it’s bad, very bad! The Office of Transmission sent someone to ask at the Fang Family. They said that Nanhe Bo… fainted…”

Zhu Houzhao was sitting nearby with his head lowered, as if reflecting on something. When he heard someone had fainted, he perked up, his eyes shining. But as soon as his gaze met his Imperial Father’s, he quickly lowered his head again as if he had done something wrong.

The Hongzhi Emperor was surprised and quickly said, “He fainted? He’s in his prime and a brave general who just returned victorious. What exactly happened?”

The eunuch replied with a mix of amusement and exasperation, “They say… they say he was so angry at his son that he fainted. While Nanhe Bo was away fighting, his son Fang Jifan sold off all the Fang Family’s land. And that’s not all—he even sold every pot and jar in the house. Your Majesty, this is like a son selling his father’s land. In common folk terms, he’s a spendthrift. Not only that, he used all the money he got to buy ebony. When Nanhe Bo heard this terrible news, he was so furious that his heart gave out. It’s also said that he didn’t just sell the ancestral property but even the family heirlooms…”

The Hongzhi Emperor couldn’t help but say, “There is actually such a person?”

The eunuch, afraid His Majesty wouldn’t believe him, said, “Your Majesty may not know, but this Nanhe Bo’s heir Fang Jifan is already famous in the Capital as a spendthrift. Since he was young, he refused to study and spent his days idling around. He’s skilled in eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling—his bad reputation is widespread. He’s Nanhe Bo’s only son, and Nanhe Bo has always spoiled him, so he has no restraint. Everyone in the Capital, high and low, knows about him…”

The Hongzhi Emperor frowned and said, “Such wickedness is unheard of. It’s truly pitiable for Nanhe Bo. He was away fighting, working hard for the imperial court, yet his own household was in chaos. Men at their birth are naturally good—this is the result of excessive pampering. Pass down the decree…”

The Hongzhi Emperor stood up and paced two steps in the Warm Pavilion, then said thoughtfully, “Order the Imperial Physician to treat Nanhe Bo. Also, as for his son Fang Jifan, who is unlearned and behaves improperly…” The Emperor was clearly furious, his face murderous. He initially wanted to punish Fang Jifan severely, but after reconsidering, he sighed and said, “Forget it. A child not taught is the father’s fault. Nanhe Bo has newly achieved military merits and now suffers this calamity. If we punish his son further… it will only make him more uneasy. The Military Review is coming up, isn’t it? Order this child to participate in the Military Review.”

The eunuch quickly acknowledged the order but hesitated for a moment. “In previous years, Fang Jifan refused to go to the Military Review.”

The Hongzhi Emperor’s face immediately darkened. “Even if they have to tie him up, they must bring him there.”

Zhu Houzhao, who was listening nearby, almost laughed out loud and couldn’t help but feel a sense of schadenfreude.

But then, his Imperial Father’s gaze shot toward him like a sword. Zhu Houzhao looked up in surprise, and his eyes met his father’s. In what should have been a loving look, he now saw a hint of murderous intent…

Zhu Houzhao suddenly felt as if needles were pricking his back. He was about to start pretending to be pitiful when the Hongzhi Emperor sternly said, “You are the Crown Prince. Can the Crown Prince neglect his studies? You’ve been reading ‘On Discerning Villains’ for so long, yet you still can’t recite it. How can you face the Imperial Ancestors?”

Zhu Houzhao hurriedly squeezed out tears and sobbed, “Yes, yes, Your Son and Servant dares not do it again.”

But today, he found that his Imperial Father had become hard-hearted. Faced with his tearful eyes, the Emperor still wore a stern expression and shouted angrily, “Usually, we’ve spoiled you too much. If we indulge you today, in the future you might not even be as good as that Fang boy. He lost his family’s heritage, but when we pass away, you will lose the Imperial Realm. You are not young anymore, yet you still don’t understand things. How can we rest easy? Within three days, copy ‘On Discerning Villains’ twenty times. We will personally check it. If you try to cheat or slack off, we will not let you off lightly!”

Zhu Houzhao had never seen his Imperial Father so angry before. Hearing that he had to copy ‘On Discerning Villains’ twenty times felt like a knife cutting his heart. Who had he offended? But he quickly nodded like pounding garlic. “Your Son and Servant obeys the decree…”

The Hongzhi Emperor’s expression softened slightly, but he still kept a stern face. “Go to the House of the Crown Prince to study. Stop being an eyesore here.”

Zhu Houzhao thought it over and finally understood what had happened!

Fang, you rascal, you’ve ruined me! Will there be any good days from now on?

…

The Imperial Physician came to the Fang Family. Actually, Fang Jinglong had just been frightened and fainted, so he woke up quickly. But his gaze was a bit vacant. Thinking that the family estate was empty and had been exchanged for a pile of ebony just sitting in the backyard, this Grand General who had campaigned in the south suddenly became dejected.

It was shameful, utterly humiliating. A son selling his father’s land—he had no face left to be a person. Even His Majesty had found out and sent an Imperial Physician…

Fang Jinglong wasn’t someone with particularly thin skin, but whenever he thought about this, he wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

During the meal, father and son each sat on a long bench. Fang Jifan was afraid Fang Jinglong would hit him, so he deliberately moved farther away. As for the food, it naturally wasn’t very good either. Deng Jian stood by Fang Jifan’s side, also being very careful.

Fang Jifan’s heart was in turmoil, feeling quite conflicted. He could only sigh inwardly. Don’t worry, wait until the price of ebony soars, then we’ll definitely buy back all the land. No, we’ll buy the best land.

Slap…

Fang Jifan heard the noise and was startled. He still had a leaf of green vegetable in his mouth, and his handsome face instantly turned pale. He thought his father had gone mad and was about to beat him.

He looked up and saw that Fang Jinglong had slammed his chopsticks onto the willow wood table. Then he looked up, his nose slightly red, looking very sorrowful. His eyes were a bit moist. He sighed and said, “We’ve let down the Imperial Ancestors.”

“Father…” Fang Jifan cautiously tested, “Stop always mentioning the ancestors…” He shrunk his neck. “I always feel a chilly wind blowing.”

Fang Jinglong glared at him, then looked at Deng Jian.

Deng Jian was also surprised. “Young Lord, you called him ‘father’ again… Is it…”

Fang Jifan inwardly wished he could tear Deng Jian apart. Why does it matter if I call him father? He is my father.

But after thinking carefully, he decided to let it go. He really didn’t want to be taken away by doctors for examination again.

At this point, being a spendthrift had become instinctive. One must not forget their roots.

He bared his teeth and said, “Old man, are you going to let me eat or not?”

Fang Jinglong wanted to say something, but he pursed his lips. Looking at his son, his heart melted again, and he couldn’t help but say lovingly, “Jifan, you never grow up. Our Fang Family received blessings from our ancestors. You never liked studying or practicing martial arts since you were young. Whatever others think, as your father, I don’t care at all. But sometimes, when I see the sons of other dukes, marquises, and counts going to the Military Review and getting appointments, I feel a little envy in my heart. This year’s Military Review period has arrived. When I returned to the Capital, I was thinking how nice it would be if Jifan went to try his luck. But who would have thought that upon returning, I’d see you selling the ancestral property. At that moment, I lost that hope. Now I only wish for your illness to get much better and never return, for you to be safe and peaceful for life. In the future, when you inherit the title, even if you don’t get an appointment, it doesn’t matter.”

The so-called Military Review wasn’t really a military review.

Most noble sons in the Great Ming had to take up official posts. This was a rule since the time of the Grand Progenitor Emperor. Although the nobility titles of the Great Ming were hereditary, the salaries weren’t high. For example, Fang Jinglong received three portions of salary: one based on his Nanhe Bo title, one based on his current position—for instance, he now served in the military as a Deputy Commander in the Five Chief Military Commissions—and the other portion came from military merits. This time he returned from the southern campaign, and there would surely be rewards.

But if one didn’t participate in the Military Review, they wouldn’t get an appointment and could only rely on the title’s salary to get by. This was what noble sons valued most. Almost all the noble sons in the Capital who had any promise either served in the twenty-six units of the Imperial Guard, or in the Office of Transmission, or in the Five Chief Military Commissions. But someone like Fang Jifan could only live off idle meals for life.

To get an appointment, one had to pass the Military Review. And the Military Review was an examination—a test for nobles.