Chapter 44: The Imperial Sword

Emperor Hongzhi looked at Fang Jifan in disbelief.

Fang Jifan started to feel a bit embarrassed under that gaze.

He coughed once, originally planning to modestly say something like, “Your servant is ashamed, it’s all because the Crown Prince is clever and bright—how could it be that I taught him well? Please don’t laugh at me,” and similar humble words.

But just as the words were about to come out, his heart gave a little jolt—no, that’s not right. If I say those things, what would His Majesty think? Would he believe that I usually pretend to be weak while secretly being strong, act insane and foolish, and have a deep, unfathomable mind?

Being considered by the emperor as having a deep, scheming mind was not a good thing; it would cause unnecessary suspicion and doubt. How could Fang Jifan, who specialized in history, not understand this?

So he smiled, that grin revealing his neat, white teeth. This sort of sly, cheeky smile seemed to have become Fang Jifan’s trademark: “That’s right, it was me who taught him…”

This kid was waiting for the emperor to praise him.

“…”

The Hanlin Academicians in the House of the Crown Prince were momentarily left speechless.

Their impression of Fang Jifan was mostly that no matter how you looked at him, he seemed rather unreliable; but at this critical moment, it turned out this guy had been secretly holding back.

Emperor Hongzhi’s heart felt like a raging storm. His face turned a little red, as if he were about to choke on his own anger.

But his previously stern gaze suddenly softened: “Minister Fang, very good!”

Emperor Hongzhi looked at Fang Jifan with appreciation, though he didn’t bow to Fang Jifan as he had to Yang Tinghe. Still, his face was full of praise. His own son had been racing headlong toward the path of a doomed ruler, and now this Fang Jifan…

Emperor Hongzhi’s mood was extremely clear and cheerful. Letting this fellow into the House of the Crown Prince back then seemed, in fact, to have been a brilliant move.

Emperor Hongzhi laughed heartily: “Excellent, excellent! Minister Fang, I ask you, how did you teach the Crown Prince to grasp these principles?”

Everyone pricked up their ears, looking at Fang Jifan in astonishment, as if waiting for the answer.

This put Fang Jifan in a tough spot. Should he say that he gambled with the Crown Prince every day, and when the Crown Prince lost at chess, he obediently went to study, and after studying, Fang Jifan would spout some nonsense at him?

That didn’t really fit the image of an outstanding teacher. Fang Jifan could only say awkwardly, “This… Your servant… Your servant…”

Emperor Hongzhi couldn’t help but flare up. Seeing Fang Jifan struggling to speak, he suddenly thought of something: “Could it be that you used the same method you used to teach those three Xiucai—beating them within an inch of their lives?”

“…” Fang Jifan was so frightened his face turned green.

Holy crap, Your Majesty, don’t wrongly accuse me! How would I dare to hit the Crown Prince? Wronged—I’m wronged! A great injustice through the ages! I’m more wronged than Dou E!

Before Fang Jifan could explain…

Zhu Houzhao, who had been uneasy earlier, also jolted in shock.

In fact, as soon as Zhu Houzhao heard his father ask, he started to feel guilty. If his father knew that he and Fang Jifan spent their days either playing chess or gambling—uh… he’d get beaten to death for sure!

But now, with his father guessing this way, it actually worked well—it established his image as the victim. “I get beaten every day already—surely Imperial Father wouldn’t have the heart to keep punishing me!”

So Zhu Houzhao quickly put on a pitiful expression and said, “To be honest, your son… your son suffers greatly…”

This guy was a born actor—tears came as soon as he willed them, and he specialized in throwing Fang Jifan under the bus without mercy.

Everyone who heard this thought, “This Fang Jifan really has guts! No wonder he’s the Capital’s famously outrageous scoundrel.” They reckoned that one thing conquers another—the Crown Prince was already plenty wicked, but when he ran into someone even tougher like Fang Jifan, did he really dare to use violence on the Crown Prince?

Emperor Hongzhi was also stunned; for a long moment, he couldn’t utter a word.

Fang Jifan, blushing, tried to explain: “Please listen to your servant, Your Majesty… I… I am not that kind of person… I’ve been wronged…”

Just as the word “wronged” left his mouth, it was abruptly cut off by a burst of loud laughter.

Not only was Emperor Hongzhi not enraged—he actually laughed heartily, clapping his hands and exclaiming, “Well struck! Well struck! A strict teacher produces outstanding students! I’ve always wanted to discipline him strictly, but as a father, it’s hard to avoid doting feelings—I always found it hard to be severe. Now that the Crown Prince’s studies are lacking, we precisely need someone like Minister Fang to discipline him on my behalf. Hitting him is good! Yes, without striking, no talent emerges; without discipline, no vessel is shaped. If you skip three days without a beating, he’ll be climbing up to tear the tiles off the roof! Exactly so!”

At first, Zhu Houzhao secretly rejoiced, thinking he had dodged disaster. But then it hit him, and his heart suddenly grew heavy—Is this really my biological father?

Fang Jifan’s face flushed red. He didn’t know whether this counted as the emperor praising him—probably it did? Uh… but is there a chance he’ll settle accounts later?

After his big laugh, Emperor Hongzhi’s expression suddenly turned cold again: “Fang Jifan, you struck the Crown Prince—do you know your crime?”

Really, serving a ruler is like living with a tiger—one moment he was laughing and saying “Well struck,” and the next, he really started to settle scores.

The atmosphere in Minglun Hall suddenly turned freezing cold, making Fang Jifan feel a chill run down his back.

Zhu Houzhao was also terrified. Even though he suddenly felt his father was starting to act more like a real dad, seeing his father’s imperial countenance blazing with anger, he worried that Fang Jifan might actually get buried because of his act, so he hurriedly tried to explain: “Imperial Father…”

“Silence!” Emperor Hongzhi’s eyes flashed coldly as he sharply cut off Zhu Houzhao, speaking sternly: “The state has its laws, the family its rules. There is an order to seniority and youth—this is the moral principle. You are the Crown Prince; Fang Jifan is a Zongqi of the Imperial Forest Guard. One is the Heir Apparent, the other is a subject. How can a subject deceive his ruler? Do you know what crime it is to deceive your sovereign?”

Fang Jifan said instinctively, “Your Majesty, you’re removing the bridge after crossing the river.”

Actually, this was Fang Jifan’s gut reaction. After all, he had lived two lifetimes and hadn’t been deeply influenced by this era’s ideas of ruler and subject relations.

But as soon as he said this, he truly scared everyone out of their wits.

This really was a death wish.

Zhu Houzhao was frightened out of his mind. Not daring to cause trouble now, he quickly knelt down, wanting to plead a few words on Fang Jifan’s behalf.

Even the other Hanlin Academicians thought the emperor was treating Fang Jifan a bit too harshly. Though this guy was unreliable, he had still contributed. Besides, the reasoning the Crown Prince had just expressed… wasn’t it quite good?

Yang Tinghe opened his mouth to speak. He had previously resented Fang Jifan for corrupting the Crown Prince, but on second thought, it seemed Fang Jifan’s crime didn’t warrant death. This whole matter had started because of him; if Fang Jifan ended up charged with the grave crime of deceiving the sovereign, it would really… make him feel somewhat unjustified. He mumbled, hesitating, “Your Majesty, this old minister privately believes…”

But Emperor Hongzhi’s face grew even more livid, and he shouted sternly: “Removing the bridge after crossing the river? Fang Jifan, you have immense audacity—how dare you criticize me in your heart? Did I say something wrong? Did I wrong you? The Crown Prince is the future Heir Apparent. You struck the Crown Prince—isn’t that deceiving your sovereign? Have you completely forgotten the principles of Ruler and Subject Relations?”

“Hmph!” That cold snort from his nostrils carried a chill.

Emperor Hongzhi said sharply: “Your Fang Family has been loyal and righteous for generations—why is it that not one bit of the good qualities of your father and grandfathers rubbed off on you? Deceiving your sovereign is a heaven-defying crime! Do you still wish to deny it? Someone… bring me the sword.”

The sword…

At that, it wasn’t just a chill anymore—it was downright terrifying.

No one could have imagined that Emperor Hongzhi would be this enraged. But those who paid attention understood: Emperor Hongzhi revered the classics and principles; he held the teachings of Confucius and Mencius in highest regard. The phrase “Ruler and Subject Relations” weighed heavily in his heart. After all, he was the Son of Heaven—how could he allow anyone to defy authority?

Zhu Houzhao was scared out of his wits. Shortly after, a eunuch came, trembling, carrying the Imperial Sword that accompanied the emperor on his travels.

When the emperor traveled, it was necessary to have a grand display. This was called the Imperial Carriage. Consequently, there were Imperial Guards specifically for protection, carriers for the sedan, attendants for fanning, officials for holding the imperial seal, and others responsible for carrying the Imperial Sword. In short, this set of ceremonial items could not be omitted—this was called ritual.

Emperor Hongzhi clearly had little interest in weapons. This Imperial Sword was originally for decoration. Now, Emperor Hongzhi took the sword in his hand. He rubbed the Imperial Sword thoughtfully, his gaze icy as he said calmly, “Exactly how bold are you, Fang Jifan, that you would dare to deceive your sovereign…” As he spoke, he directly brought the sword before Fang Jifan.

Fang Jifan was already terrified—it wouldn’t be normal not to be afraid!

This looked like it was heading toward a fatal end!

But before he could react, he saw Emperor Hongzhi suddenly turn the sword sideways, so that it lay horizontally in front of Fang Jifan.

Emperor Hongzhi said seriously: “Without a name or title, daring to strike the Crown Prince is deceiving your sovereign—it’s defying authority! You’re truly confused. If you ever dare again to strike the Crown Prince without proper authority, I will execute your Nine Kinship Clans. However… having authority is different. I bestow this sword upon you. With this sword on your person, when you see the Crown Prince, it will be as if I myself am present. Thus, it won’t count as breaking taboo. Teach the Crown Prince a lesson with confidence and boldness—it won’t violate the moral code. The Crown Prince is unruly. By granting you this sword, I am lending you this courage to properly beat him on my behalf. Absolutely do not be polite. As long as he isn’t beaten to death, with this Imperial Sword in your possession, I can pardon you of any offense. Minister Fang, I entrust the matter of disciplining the Crown Prince to you.”

“…”