Chapter 238: The Sage
Chapter 238: The Sage
Xiao Jing smiled as he reached this point. He put his hands behind his back and faced the dark corner of the side hall. The candlelight in the hall only illuminated his profile. His smooth chin lifted slightly, and the corner of his mouth twitched gently.
“So who is it that hangs in the Eastern Depot? Have you forgotten?”
The young eunuch said, “It’s Lord Yue.”
“That’s right. The portrait of Lord Yue is hung there to remind you constantly to be loyal! Once you are purified and enter the palace, you are cut off from the outside world. No father, no mother, no brothers, no wife, no children. Nothing remains in this world except His Majesty.”
Just as he was speaking, a eunuch hurried in.
“His Majesty summons you.”
Xiao Jing straightened his clothes, turned around, and spoke to his godson.
“Come, accompany me to see His Majesty.”
“Yes.”
The two walked one after the other into the Warm Pavilion, where they saw the Grand Secretaries of the Grand Secretariat and Ma Wensheng, the Minister of War.
Xiao Jing stepped forward. Emperor Hongzhi looked up at him and asked calmly, “Is there any report from Guizhou?”
“The Eastern Depot has not sent one yet.”
“Even slower than the Ministry of War?” Emperor Hongzhi frowned and shook his head involuntarily.
Xiao Jing hurriedly pleaded guilty.
“Your Servant has failed in managing the Eastern Depot. I beg Your Majesty to punish me.”
Emperor Hongzhi pressed a hand downward toward him, then sighed.
“It’s not a big problem. With such long distances and treacherous paths, delays and oversights are unavoidable along the way.”
As he spoke, he lowered his head and glanced at the Ministry of War’s report. Then, ignoring Xiao Jing, his bright eyes turned to Ma Wensheng, the Minister of War, with a puzzled frown.
“Minister Fang has always been cautious. He went to Yunnan-Guizhou and Sichuan several times to suppress uprisings without any mistakes. How could he disobey orders this time? Is there discord between him and the Guizhou Regional Military Commission?”
Ma Wensheng hesitated for a moment, then cleared his throat and said,
“Your Majesty, I don’t think it’s very likely. Regional Commander Fang is an Earl. When he arrives in Guizhou, he is not comparable to an ordinary regional commander. Unless the local Regional Military Commission reports the truth, I doubt they would dare to provoke Regional Commander Fang.”
Emperor Hongzhi nodded. He assumed the Guizhou Regional Military Commission would not dare to risk their lives over this.
“Provincial Governor Wang Shi, has there been no news from him?”
Ma Wensheng sighed. “Provincial Governor Wang led troops to rescue Anshun. There is still no news.”
Emperor Hongzhi’s frown deepened. “I have a bad feeling about this, ah…”
Upon hearing this, Ma Wensheng thought for a moment and then carefully chose his words.
“The current news is too chaotic. To learn the truth of the matter—what exactly happened in Guizhou—I’m afraid we can only wait.”
Emperor Hongzhi nodded faintly and sighed.
“Let’s hope nothing is wrong.”
As his words fell, Grand Secretary Xie Qian spoke.
“Your Majesty, I heard that in Guizhou, the Provincial Governor and the Regional Commander are at odds. Regional Commander Fang’s disobedience certainly did not set a good example. Your old minister believes that if the imperial court ignores this, it might set a precedent, and others may follow suit…”
This was about to become a discussion of punishment.
Xiao Jing stole a glance at Xie Qian.
Xie Qian was famously straightforward and blunt. He would challenge anyone he deemed unreasonable, regardless of their status or background. Last year, he impeached one of his own distant relatives who had broken the law. This was widely known.
Emperor Hongzhi’s expression remained unchanged. He tapped the Imperial Desk lightly with his fingers, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Liu Jian and Li Dongyang remained silent.
“Your Majesty, this is no small matter,” Xie Qian said anxiously. “If a Regional Commander can disobey orders at will, then what is the point of the imperial court appointing Provincial Governors to oversee military affairs?”
Emperor Hongzhi sighed and looked up at Xiao Jing.
“Companion Xiao… what do you think?”
“…”
Liu Jian smiled. His Majesty did not ask for his or Li Dongyu’s opinion but instead turned to Xiao Jing. Wasn’t the implication clear enough?
Legally speaking, Fang Jinglong had violated the law. In terms of severity, this offense was punishable by death.
Thus, by asking Xiao Jing, His Majesty actually hoped Xiao Jing would voice the Emperor’s own thoughts.
Xiao Jing was no fool. He smiled at Emperor Hongzhi and spoke.
“Your Majesty, Your Servant believes the matter is not that serious.”
Ignoring Xie Qian’s displeased gaze, Xiao Jing spoke slowly.
“The Fang father and son have rendered great services to the court, as everyone knows. Moreover, the Newly Established Count’s contribution of the sweet potato was a great achievement. The soldiers and civilians of the world are overjoyed. At this critical moment, if we punish his father, imagine what rumors might spread inside and outside the court. Your Servant dares to guess that those who gossip recklessly might say Your Majesty is too cold-hearted.”
“Beyond the law, there is still reason. Guizhou is far away, and the rebels are rampant. Whether it’s Provincial Governor Wang Shi or Regional Commander Fang Jinglong, they are serving the court and sharing Your Majesty’s burdens. On the battlefield, situations change in the blink of an eye. Who can say for sure? To discuss punishment now would only make the imperial court seem unfeeling. Therefore, Your Servant’s humble opinion is to wait and see.”
Emperor Hongzhi nodded with a smile. “Companion Xiao, what you say makes sense.”
Xie Qian was instantly silenced. He shook his head helplessly. The Emperor’s stance was already clear without further words.
“Then let’s wait and see,” Emperor Hongzhi said, rallying his spirits and speaking calmly. “However, Fang Jinglong is indeed at fault. Let’s issue an edict to reprimand him.”
“Your Majesty is Sagely and Wise,” Xiao Jing eagerly said.
“Speaking of the Fang Family… Your Servant recalls something,” Xiao Jing said with a smile. “This Fang father and son are accomplished in both civil and military affairs, truly admirable. I heard… the Newly Established Count is giving lectures in the Western Hills with his disciples. Many scholars are captivated, calling it some kind of ‘New Learning.’ Your Majesty, Fang Jifan is a man of great talent. His learning must be very fresh.”
“…”
The expressions of Liu Jian, Li Dongyang, and Xie Qian instantly changed.
Learning… and fresh…
Scholars most revere antiquity and do not promote novelty. Describing learning as “fresh” only reveals Xiao Jing’s own lack of learning.
Emperor Hongzhi couldn’t help but mutter to himself upon hearing this. Fresh learning? Even though his emotions stirred internally, his face remained unreadable.
“You may go.”
“Your Servant obeys the decree.” With a cheerful expression, Xiao Jing withdrew.
His godson stood at the hall entrance, head bowed all along without a chance to speak. He too withdrew quietly on tiptoe. Once his godfather had gone some distance, he hurried to catch up and lowered his voice. “Godfather, didn’t you say we should like whatever His Majesty likes? Why did you take a swipe at the Fang Family at the last moment?”
Xiao Jing stopped and looked back, fixing him with a stern gaze. “What do you mean, ‘take a swipe’? Did I?”
“…”
Xiao Jing said lightly, “I was praising Fang Jifan. What do you know? Is it bad to say he is learned?”
“Your Servant thinks I understand a little now.”
“Understood what?” Xiao Jing asked, narrowing his eyes.
“If you want to kill someone, you must smile in their face first, so you can get behind them and stab them in the back.”
Xiao Jing put his hands behind his back and raised his eyebrows. “Nonsense. Loyalty and honesty are my way of life. If you talk recklessly again, watch out or I’ll pull out your tongue.”
…
“…”
An awkward atmosphere filled the entire Warm Pavilion.
Emperor Hongzhi was also stunned.
So Fang Jifan had already started giving lectures.
And it was fresh learning.
This was truly the height of thick-skinned arrogance, not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth.
He sighed inwardly and shook his head. “This Fang Jifan is probably just joking. Don’t take it seriously.”
“Yes.” Liu Jian’s mood was quite complex.
Xie Qian wanted to say something but ended up shaking his head with a bitter smile.
Li Dongyang smiled slightly and said, “His Majesty is right.”
…
In the Western Hills,
the number of people coming to listen to the lectures began to increase.
Not only children. In fact, after Wang Shouren had two days of official holiday, his classroom was already packed.
At first, he lectured to the children, but the children’s several tutors—those Provincial Graduates and Xiucai—had been listening from the sidelines all along.
The more they listened, the more they felt that what this Probationary Hanlin Academician named Wang Shouren said was… a bit strange. It seemed unreasonable at first, but gradually, they began to see reason in it.
After listening for over half a month, as if guided by ghosts or gods, these scholars began to attend every single lecture without missing one.
Wang Shouren was a born theorist.
His principles were always simple and easy to understand.
Starting from the Heart of Empathy, he talked about how The Great Way is Simple, and then about the Unity of Knowledge and Action.
Once he started teaching, he entered a state of self-forgetfulness, not bothering to check whether the listeners were children or if they could follow.
Gradually, these scholars who taught the children here began to spread the word about Wang Shouren’s lectures, attracting many nearby Xiucai to come and listen.
Some came out of novelty.
Others thought it was heretical.
The former wanted to join the excitement but were also drawn to Wang Shouren’s fresh learning.
At the very least, whether you agreed with it or not, Wang Shouren gave them a refreshing perspective.
The latter mostly came with hostility, crossing their arms and watching Wang Shouren coldly, ready to seize upon any flaws or mistakes in his arguments to refute him.
Unfortunately, such Xiucai were no match for Wang Shouren—a Great Ming Hanlin Probationary Academician, a once-in-centuries historical Sage who had spent over thirty years pondering life’s mysteries.
With just a few words, he left them speechless.
Thus, more people came to disrupt the lectures.
Fortunately, no matter how many scholars came, it was only a battle of words. They wouldn’t resort to violence. Beating the Newly Established Count’s disciple on the Newly Established Count’s turf was riskier than traveling back to ancient times and reciting a poem like “Spring in a Pleasure Garden” with great enthusiasm. Imagine standing before emperors, rapturously chanting about Qin Emperor Han Wu, lacking literary brilliance; Tang Ancestor Song Founder, slightly less graceful; the proud son of heaven, Genghis Khan, who only knew how to shoot eagles with a bow. The last line was the finishing touch: “All are past and gone! For truly great men, look to this age alone.”
That sour-sharp feeling…
Even if it came to a fight, dealing with these Xiucai, Wang Shouren alone—even bare-handed—could easily overpower dozens of them and pin them to the ground. And when it came to a war of words, Wang Shouren wasn’t boasting, but everyone present… was trash.