Chapter 145: The Imperial Decree

Emperor Hongzhi shook his head inwardly at the Grand Empress Dowager’s decision. At first, she wanted to fight and kill, but as soon as she changed her mind, she instantly shattered all the rules of the Imperial Palace.

If this precedent was broken, what would happen in the future?

Emperor Hongzhi knew very well the importance of rules, because any action that broke precedent could lead to much unnecessary speculation.

After all, for no apparent reason, someone who should not have entered the palace to offer birthday greetings at this time had done so. Would the ministers then wonder why the palace had summoned Fang Jifan at this moment? Was his father about to be promoted soon? Or perhaps… was there a possibility of a marriage alliance between the Imperial Palace and the Fang Family?

At the thought of a marriage alliance, Emperor Hongzhi’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. Surely such wild talk would not arise? There was only one princess of marriageable age in the palace, and she was the apple of Emperor Hongzhi’s eye. He had absolutely no such intention.

However… the Grand Empress Dowager had issued an imperial decree. Emperor Hongzhi, who always emphasized filial piety, could say nothing but sigh.

The decree was soon delivered to the House of the Crown Prince. It was more of an oral command than a formal decree.

At that time, Fang Jifan was on duty at the House of the Crown Prince. As soon as Crown Prince Zhu Houzhao returned, he immediately pulled the bewildered Fang Jifan aside to discuss what had happened in the palace.

Fang Jifan suddenly felt as if he had unknowingly passed through the Gates of Hell. How could he have known that Wei Dayou had written a book but had never published it to the world? He also had not expected that this version of the classic would only see the light of day in the late Ming Dynasty.

Fortunately, the matter was now over. But when he learned that the Grand Empress Dowager had ordered him to enter the palace to offer birthday greetings, he felt troubled. The Grand Empress Dowager was clearly not someone easy to deal with. How was he going to muddle through this?

Zhu Houzhao, on the other hand, looked gloomy and resentful. He lamented, “This Palace suffered for no reason because of you. Last night, This Palace truly learned what it means to be abandoned by all.”

At this moment, he thought of his sister, Princess Zhu Xiurong, and said sulkily, “The most heartless one is my little sister. But… it seems she has no intention of paying attention to This Palace. When This Palace left the palace, This Palace greeted her, but she didn’t even lift her eyelids. It truly saddens This Palace. Where has This Palace failed her? Isn’t This Palace usually very good to her?”

Fang Jifan thought to himself, I’ve been quite good to your sister too.

Zhu Houzhao then shook his head and said, “Enough, let’s not talk about this. You wouldn’t understand anyway—you don’t have a sister.”

“…” Fang Jifan rolled his eyes directly!

This incident had been a close call but ultimately safe. Fang Jifan was not one to dwell on unhappiness. After finishing his duty, he leisurely headed home.

As soon as he arrived home, the gatekeeper handed him an invitation, saying that Puji Zhenren from the Longquan Taoist Temple had sent it.

Puji… Zhenren…

Fang Jifan had not the slightest interest in Daoist priests. He directly crumpled the Daoist invitation and tossed it aside, paying it no mind.

However, regarding the birthday celebration on the ninth day of the sixth month, Fang Jifan was quite nervous.

The Grand Empress Dowager’s attitude was somewhat unclear. This woman, who lived deep in the Inner Palace of the Great Ming Dynasty, was not to be trifled with.

Although Fang Jifan often tested the Emperor’s limits, he was not foolish. Acting foolishly in front of the Emperor was because he had long understood Emperor Hongzhi’s temperament. Those who didn’t know might think he was an idiot, but wasn’t that his way of surviving?

This Grand Empress Dowager was different. He had never truly interacted with her, so he felt uncertain.

Hmm… he would have to be careful when the time came.

But what Fang Jifan was most concerned about at the moment was the issue of the sweet potatoes. Recently, there had been large-scale cultivation of seedlings, but even with so many seedlings produced, there simply wasn’t enough land for large-scale planting.

Farmers were the most conservative group, especially in this era. For them, even if the weather was abnormal now and a great drought had occurred, making it highly likely that planting wheat would yield no harvest, they still dared not easily plant other crops.

After all, the land in the Western Hills was limited. Moreover, they were counting on using the greenhouse to earn money after winter.

Besides, even if all the land were planted with sweet potatoes, it would do little to alleviate the famine in the world.

Fang Jifan had once urged his disciples to promote it among the local gentry, but the feedback was unsatisfactory. People simply did not believe it, and even if they did, they dared not take the risk easily.

Unless the land was in his own hands, it would be difficult to rapidly promote the sweet potato. But this great drought would not wait.

Should he buy land himself?

Although the Fang Family’s income was astonishing now, Fang Jifan probably did not have the financial means to purchase large amounts of land. This was no longer just a matter of money. Land was the foundation for many people; it wasn’t something they were willing to sell just because you paid. Back then, Fang Jifan had intentionally played the fool to buy that large tract of wasteland in the Western Hills, and that was already considered lucky.

He now finally understood why a crop like the sweet potato, which had actually entered the Central State as early as the late Ming Dynasty, only became widely promoted several decades later.

But this great drought seemed unwilling to wait. Fang Jifan felt anxious.

As for that Daoist invitation from Puji Zhenren, it came several more times, almost daily. Fang Jifan was a bit baffled. Of course, he knew why this Puji Zhenren had taken notice of him, but he had only written a commentary on a classic by chance. Why be so persistent?

Then, on the twenty-ninth day of the fifth month, as Fang Jifan prepared to go on duty at the House of the Crown Prince, just after he had finished washing up, a eunuch arrived on horseback.

This eunuch looked at Fang Jifan curiously, and Fang Jifan also looked at him curiously. Fang Jifan held an attitude of study and research toward any ‘creatures’ from the Imperial Palace, even though he had seen many eunuchs before.

The eunuch did not waste much time and said, “The Grand Empress Dowager’s birthday is approaching. By decree, Nanhe Bozi Fang Jifan is to go to the Longquan Taoist Temple to offer incense on her behalf. Do not fail!”

“…” Represent the Grand Empress Dowager by offering incense at the Longquan Taoist Temple?

Only then did Fang Jifan realize the influence of the Longquan Taoist Temple.

So they had such connections. After failing to invite him several times, they had taken the Grand Empress Dowager’s route. Could it be…

that they wanted him to go to the Longquan Taoist Temple before going to offer birthday greetings to the Grand Empress Dowager?

In the Great Ming Dynasty, there were only two people one must not offend.

One was Empress Zhang, and the other was the Grand Empress Dowager.

As for Emperor Hongzhi, Fang Jifan actually felt no psychological pressure at all to test his limits occasionally.

Since the Grand Empress Dowager had now issued a decree, what could Fang Jifan say? He had to go.

However… Fang Jifan dared not go alone. Now that he had money, he was always worried about his safety. Walking on the street, he felt that the whole world was full of villains scheming to take his wealth and life. So Fang Jifan called a few of his disciples. When they heard that their Mentor was interested in visiting the Longquan Taoist Temple, Ouyang Zhi and the others actually became excited.

But Xu Jing seemed thoughtful. He secretly pulled Fang Jifan aside and whispered, “Mentor, so brilliant.”

Fang Jifan looked at him as if he were a fool and said, “Brilliance is my normal state. Are you only realizing this now? Didn’t I tell you when you became my disciple?”

The word “modesty” was something one could not see in his Mentor. This, Xu Jing had deeply experienced. He smiled and nodded, saying, “The Grand Empress Dowager invited you to offer birthday greetings just a few days ago. Since I came to the capital, I’ve also heard that the Grand Empress Dowager reveres Daoist Studies. That Puji Zhenren of the Longquan Taoist Temple is a master of Daoist Studies. For you to visit him now is a brilliant move. Your depth, Mentor, is unfathomable. This student admires you.”

It could be interpreted this way?

Fang Jifan could not be bothered to explain and said, “Stop chattering. Let’s go.”

Outside the mansion, the carriage and horses were ready, but Wang Shouren actually showed up.

Fang Jifan had to think that this guy must have been sticky like glutinous rice in his previous life.

Wang Shouren directly stepped forward and bowed, saying, “After returning, this student carefully pondered your words, Fang Gongzi…”

Fang Jifan was not so patient today. He waved his hand and said, “I have matters to attend to. We’ll talk later.”

With that, he ignored him and briskly got into the carriage.

Dealing with such a person, one must not reveal all the cards at once. He had to be worn down slowly.

But Wang Shouren was clearly stubborn in certain aspects and would not give up. Seeing Ouyang Zhi and the others come out, he pulled Ouyang Zhi aside and whispered, “Do you know what your Mentor is going to do?”

Ouyang Zhi appeared very wooden. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Whatever Mentor says to do, we do. Year-brother, I also don’t know what it’s about.”

Wang Shouren was a bit dumbfounded. How could such a person become the Top Candidate of the Imperial Examination?

He shook his head inwardly and gave Ouyang Zhi a deep look, feeling even more keenly the strength of Fang Jifan. But since he could not get any answers, Xu Jing approached and said, “Is that Year-brother Wang?”

Wang Shouren hurriedly returned the greeting.

Xu Jing then smiled and said, “Mentor is preparing to go to the Longquan Taoist Temple. Year-brother Wang, Mentor’s temper is a bit odd. If he has offended you in any way, I hope you will be understanding.”

Xu Jing knew that Wang Shouren was no ordinary person. He placed fourth in the Metropolitan Examination, his father was a Zhuangyuan, and it was said that even Li Dongyang thought highly of him. He was a genuine official’s son, with a family background beyond compare. Adopting the attitude that his Mentor need not invite trouble, he tried to get closer to Wang Shouren.

However, upon hearing Xu Jing’s words, Wang Shouren became thoughtful. He wondered, what deeper meaning was there in his going to the Longquan Taoist Temple?

To be honest, Wang Shouren’s learning was quite eclectic. He understood military affairs, and on his wedding day, he had even run off to chat with Daoist priests. Thus, he was also quite knowledgeable about Daoist Studies!

These past few days, he had been mulling over Fang Jifan’s four words, “Unity of Knowledge and Action.” Once he finally understood, he very much wanted to come again to seek guidance. Now that Fang Jifan was ignoring him, he felt extremely restless.

He was straightforward and without hesitation said, “I will go along too. Puji Zhenren of the Longquan Taoist Temple is also a noble scholar. Although I have not met him, I have long admired him. It’s just a pity that Puji Zhenren is dedicated to his cultivation and no longer receives outside guests.”

And so, the group set out. Wang Shouren followed behind the others. Seeing Fang Jifan riding in a carriage, the other disciples did not dare to take sedan chairs; they had to ride horses or donkeys. Wang Shouren had come by sedan chair but seemed to feel that riding in one in front of Fang Jifan would be presumptuous, so he simply walked. After all, those riding donkeys were not moving fast either.

There had been some light rain early that morning, so Wang Shouren was carrying an oil-paper umbrella tucked under his arm. He followed behind the group, walking briskly with vigorous strides.