Chapter 65: An Eye-Opening Experience

This was outrageous, absolutely outrageous.

Was there no justice? Was there no law?

The Zhang brothers’ faces flushed red with anger. They had suffered a loss, a huge loss this time.

It had always been the Zhang brothers who treated others like fools; no one had ever treated them like fools.

In an instant, the Kunning Palace became as chaotic as boiling water.

The two brothers were not very capable, but they had an elder sister. Their elder sister was the current Empress Zhang.

And so, Empress Zhang sat in her bedchamber without saying a word.

“Heavens! This is fraud, elder sister! This is too bullying! That Fang Jifan robbed us, he looted us!” Zhang Heling threw himself at Empress Zhang’s feet, weeping uncontrollably. His wailing even had a rhythmic quality: “Elder sister, you must stand up for us! We were robbed, robbed! That land… it belonged to our Zhang Family, worth millions in Sycee Silver. Fang Jifan treated us like fools and took it for only eighty thousand taels. This not only insulted the Zhang Family but also insulted you, elder sister! He didn’t take us seriously, which means he didn’t take you seriously, and he even didn’t take our brother-in-law, His Majesty the Emperor, seriously! He was spitting at our Zhang Family, humiliating us brothers, elder sister…”

Zhang Heling’s tears streamed down, his heart wrenching.

As for Zhang Yanling, he just mumbled incoherently: “I don’t want to live, I don’t want to live.” After saying that, he hugged the vermilion pillar and started banging his head against it, producing loud thuds.

Five million taels! Normally, if the Zhang Family’s accounts were short even a hundred copper coins, they would check them over and over. That land was theirs, but after passing through Fang Jifan’s hands, its value increased dozens of times. How could they go on living like this?

Empress Zhang kept a stern face and quietly waited for them to make a scene. When Zhang Heling’s voice grew hoarse from crying and Zhang Yanling became dizzy from banging his head—his forehead swollen badly—he had to change angles and bang the side of his face against the pillar, making loud noises.

In their view, as long as their elder sister stood up for them and reclaimed the Zhang Family’s land, everything would be resolved.

Their elder sister had always favored her maternal family; how could the two brothers possibly suffer a loss?

Empress Zhang remained silent for a long time before finally shouting, “Have you had enough?”

Zhang Heling looked up, pleasantly surprised, and said, “Elder sister, how about having His Majesty issue an imperial decree?”

Empress Zhang gave a cold smile and raised her hand to slap Zhang Heling across the face.

Slap! The hit was clean and sharp.

Zhang Heling hurriedly covered his cheek. “Elder sister, why did you hit me?”

Empress Zhang looked at them with disappointment. “Back then, you were the ones who sold the land. Weren’t you overjoyed when you sold it? Now you come here to make a scene? That land was bought by Houzhao and Jifan together. What, are you saying that Jifan robbed you? Does that mean my son also robbed you?”

“…” Zhang Heling opened his mouth, wanting to explain.

Yes, this was slandering the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince and Fang Jifan had bought the land and finally gained the approval of several masters in the Grand Secretariat. Empress Zhang felt happy inside, thinking her son had finally shown some sense. The Grand Secretariat even praised the Crown Prince for benefiting the people. But now, these two good-for-nothing brothers dared to talk nonsense about robbery?

Was her son closer, or were her brothers closer?

And… what kind of people her own brothers were, how could Empress Zhang not know?

“Get out! You’re an embarrassment!”

Empress Zhang was truly angry. She had a good impression of Fang Jifan. Not to mention, he was her daughter’s savior. In the future, her daughter would still need Fang Jifan for medical treatment.

Besides, nothing in the Imperial Palace escaped Empress Zhang’s notice. She was the mistress of the Inner Palace. The coal business in the Western Hills now had shares from the palace—this was His Majesty’s idea. His Majesty was very pleased about it. And now these two useless brothers still wanted to cause trouble? Were they seeking death?

“Elder sister…” Zhang Heling looked wronged, but when he raised his eyes and saw Empress Zhang’s murderous gaze, he shuddered. He quickly retreated with Zhang Yanling, slinking away in disgrace.

After leaving the Imperial Palace, Zhang Heling instinctively shrunk his neck. The weather was very cold, with heavy snow falling, but his heart felt cold too.

Zhang Yanling covered his forehead, where the blood had not yet dried. Zhang Yanling looked like he was about to cry. “Brother, I think my head hurts a bit. I should see a doctor.”

Zhang Heling let out a long, melancholic sigh. Suddenly, he felt that life had become dull and meaningless. Once certain past events were touched upon, it felt as painful as a stab to the heart. He sighed deeply, watching the swirling snowflakes before him. “We fell for such a huge scam, suffered such a great loss. Our Zhang Family will be poor from now on.”

Zhang Yanling’s pain brought tears falling with a patter. “Brother, you made me bang the pillar. Now my head hurts terribly. Ah, I’m bleeding a lot. Brother, I need to see a doctor.”

Zhang Heling did not even glance at him. He looked up at the gray sky and sighed again. “Seeking medical treatment is too expensive. Save your money. Drink an extra bowl of porridge tonight.”

“But brother… I think… I’m in terrible pain. Ah, so much blood. My head feels a bit dizzy.”

Zhang Heling turned a deaf ear to this but suddenly remembered something. Tears started falling from his eyes with a patter. “My silver! My land!” In the snow, he fiercely pounded his chest, then started coughing violently. A mouthful of old blood actually sprayed out. This scared Zhang Yanling so much that he forgot about his own forehead. He hurriedly supported him, shouting, “Someone, someone! Quickly, quickly carry my brother to the carriage, take him back to the residence, and fetch a doctor! Fetch a doctor!”

Zhang Heling’s body had gone limp. His eyes were wide open, but with great effort, he stretched out his hand toward the direction of the Imperial Palace, pointing into the distance. “No… don’t go home to see a doctor… it costs… costs money… take me to the Imperial Palace, take me to the Imperial Palace… there are imperial physicians there… cough…” He coughed up blood again. “There are imperial physicians in the palace… medicine… cough… medicine doesn’t cost money…”

“Brother… my brother…” In the snow, only Zhang Yanling’s mournful cries remained in the vast whiteness.

…

Everything was ready; all that was needed was the east wind.

But Fang Jifan knew that starting from coal mining to distribution, the beginning was the hardest part.

Many things needed to be properly arranged.

At this moment, he felt somewhat grateful for his identity as a wastrel. If it weren’t for being the universally despised Capital scoundrel, if he had done so many outrageous things, he would have probably been captured and dissected for study long ago.

Precisely because of this, with the reputation of a wastrel, many absurd behaviors could be explained.

I, Fang Jifan, am someone who wants to achieve great things. A person who clearly holds the future, how could he be content with mediocrity?

When he returned to the Fang Residence, Deng Jian was still at the House of the Crown Prince and had not come back. Without such a person around to follow him everywhere and be ready for a kick in the rear, Fang Jifan felt like a eunuch, as if something was missing.

Upon entering the hall, he heard Fang Jinglong’s joyous voice: “Fan’er, Fan’er, come here, come here quickly. I have something good to show you.”

Fang Jifan swaggered into the hall. Even Ouyang Zhi and the other two were there. They politely bowed to Fang Jifan and said, “Your disciples pay respects to our esteemed mentor.”

Looking at his three disciples, Ouyang Zhi and the others, Fang Jifan felt warmth in his heart.

Raising these three disciples was more cost-effective than raising three sons. Currently, these three had been staying at the Fang Family to study. Fang Jifan was very attentive to their studies, buying them many books and ordering them to study hard. Actually, their aptitude was not low; otherwise, how could they have become Xiucai? However, they came from humble backgrounds. Studying was already very difficult for them, let alone receiving instruction from famous teachers. They couldn’t even afford many books.