Chapter 59: Jinx

Liu Jian listened, felt a tremor in his heart, suddenly stood up, and stared straight at the brazier, as if he had discovered something world-shaking.

The price of charcoal had already risen to thirty to forty coins per jin. It wasn’t because charcoal was particularly precious, but rather because it was difficult to produce. Not only did it require cutting down trees, but people also needed to build kilns deep in the mountains. After a month of burning, workers had to transport the charcoal out from the deep forests. The costs of time and labor were simply too high.

But this coal… it was so cheap…

It seemed similar to charcoal, without any strange smell, and it looked like it burned even longer.

Liu Jian’s heart shook. Then he glanced at the heavy snowfall outside the window and fell into a thoughtful state.

This cheaper heating material… seemed…

Xie Qian and Li Dongyang also seemed to think of something, and their expressions became complex.

For people like them, who handled state affairs, their thoughts always seemed to revolve around matters of national importance!

At this moment, Xie Qian couldn’t help but move closer to the brazier and said, “Is it really… harmless?”

In the Tea Room, the three Grand Secretaries actually stayed for a whole afternoon without going to the Duty Room to work, all because of a small pile of coal in this copper basin.

The three drank tea while watching the smokeless coal continue to burn. It was as if they were holding their breath, waiting for the smokeless coal to turn to ashes.

But the smokeless coal clearly burned much longer than charcoal. A long time had passed, and that cluster of flames showed no sign of extinguishing.

It turned out that the smokeless coal released heat evenly and burned for an extremely long time. The three old bones only opened one small window here, yet it clearly did not cause any unusual effects on their bodies. The room was very warm, separating them from the heavy snowfall outside. The longer it lasted, the more amazed they felt in their hearts.

After a long time, Li Dongyang said, “I heard that Fang Jifan encouraged His Highness to do business. I wonder if it has something to do with this thing.”

Li Dongyang’s gaze was profound as he looked at Liu Jian and Xie Qian. The two merely exchanged a knowing glance.

…

Early the next morning.

Fang Jifan, wearing a fur coat over a Qilin Uniform, stepped through the snow and hurried to the House of the Crown Prince.

Not long after he started his duties, someone from the palace arrived to announce that the Crown Prince was to enter the palace to attend the lecture.

The lecture was when the Hanlin Academicians taught the Emperor. Almost every few days, the Hanlin Expositors and Readers-in-waiting would gather once in the Chongwen Hall. Of course, Crown Prince Zhu Houzhao also had to go. This was both a learning opportunity and sometimes a chance for the Emperor to test the Crown Prince’s knowledge.

However, the eunuch delivering the oral decree gave Fang Jifan a meaningful look and said, “Chief Fang, His Majesty also ordered that Chief Fang accompany His Highness.”

Actually, these past few days, Zhu Houzhao had been uneasy. He was extremely worried that his Imperial Father would catch him and question him about the theft.

But as the days passed without any movement from the palace, Zhu Houzhao became lively again. He rolled up his sleeves and said, “Let’s go, Old Fang, we’ll go together.”

Uh… the address ‘Brother Fang’ had changed to ‘Old Fang,’ but Fang Jifan wasn’t old. And Fang Jifan couldn’t call Zhu Houzhao ‘Little Zhu.’ No matter how he thought about it, it felt like Zhu Houzhao had gotten the better of him.

The two had no choice but to get ready and, with uneasy hearts, entered the palace through the Chongwen Gate and arrived at the Chongwen Hall.

In the Chongwen Hall, Emperor Hongzhi sat with a long face, already seated.

Dozens of Hanlin Academicians knelt formally on the right side.

On the left side were Liu Jian, Li Dongyang, and Xie Qian.

Xie Qian had deep dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn’t slept at all last night.

He was a stubborn person, determined to outlast the smokeless coal. He refused to believe it wouldn’t go out. As a result, he stayed up until dawn when the last bit of heat finally dissipated. Only then did he let out a long sigh!

Hmph, you think you can compete with me, Xie Qian? Who do you think you are?

However, such sustained burning was truly astonishing in terms of the smokeless coal’s durability. Stubborn as he was, Xie Qian seemed to consider the deeper, more far-reaching uses of this smokeless coal.

Emperor Hongzhi looked around and noticed Xie Qian’s weary appearance. “Is Minister Xie unwell?”

“Thank you for Your Majesty’s concern. I… am still alright.”

Emperor Hongzhi’s expression relaxed a bit, but he sighed and said, “In this bitterly cold weather, many ministers have fallen ill. Given such weather, we must take care of our health.”

Just then, Zhu Houzhao and Fang Jifan entered. Zhu Houzhao hunched his shoulders, appearing very obedient.

This guy was best at pretending to be innocent. Fang Jifan really had to hand it to him. Outside, he acted like a boss, but here he played the meek one. You can pretend, but so can I?

After paying their respects, Emperor Hongzhi first glared fiercely at Zhu Houzhao, looking utterly disappointed.

However, the fact that the Crown Prince had actually stolen something from his own Imperial Father was something Emperor Hongzhi dared not publicize. He pretended as if nothing had happened.

As for the other instigator, Fang Jifan, Emperor Hongzhi didn’t have a pleasant expression for him either.

Fang Jifan felt nervous inside. His survival instinct made him immediately offer generous praise without hesitation: “Your Majesty is Sagely and Wise! This subject sees that Your Majesty looks unwell. It shows that even in this heavy snowfall, Your Majesty still handles myriad affairs daily and labors for the state. This is a great blessing for the world!”

After all, one doesn’t hit a smiling person. Fang Jifan understood this principle.

Emperor Hongzhi pretended to be nonchalant. The recent behavior of Zhu Houzhao and Fang Jifan was said to be quite absurd. Although he couldn’t publicize it, that didn’t mean he couldn’t find some other reason to reprimand them.

Holding this thought, Emperor Hongzhi said calmly, “Fang Jifan.”

“Your subject is here,” Fang Jifan replied with a smile. “When Your Majesty calls out the name ‘Fang Jifan,’ it sounds like heavenly music to this subject’s ears. Hearing it makes my whole body comfortable. Suddenly, I feel vigorous and full of energy!”

“…”

“Ahem! Ahem!” Zhu Houzhao coughed violently. He felt that this Old Fang had reached a level of shamelessness that was intolerable, even he couldn’t stand watching it.

Emperor Hongzhi glared at him. Although he knew this fellow was trying hard to flatter him, probably because he knew he had been acting absurdly with the Crown Prince lately, seeing him put in so much effort made Emperor Hongzhi soften a bit. They were still children after all. So he said, “We read your proposal on ‘Bureaucratization of Native Chieftains’ last time and found it quite reasonable. But after careful consideration recently, We feel that this policy might not be feasible.”

He was just making conversation, looking for a reason to put Fang Jifan in his place and prevent him from getting too carried away.

Fang Jifan said, “I beg Your Majesty to enlighten me.”

Emperor Hongzhi then said calmly, “Although this policy is good, the scale of its implementation is too large. If the country were peaceful and prosperous, acting accordingly might be acceptable. But now, natural disasters are frequent. Once the policy of Bureaucratization of Native Chieftains is implemented in the Southwest, the local chieftains will certainly be dissatisfied, likely leading to greater disaster. In Our view, the recent chieftain rebellion has just been suppressed. The chieftains are fearful and naturally won’t dare cause trouble again. Then, if the imperial court gives them some rewards, they certainly won’t dare to act recklessly. The stability of the Southwest is crucial to the overall situation of the state. The Bureaucratization of Native Chieftains is a strong medicine and should not be tried lightly.”

Emperor Hongzhi spoke logically and convincingly.

In fact, his words had merit. Although the problems in the Southwest were not completely resolved, since the rebellion had just been suppressed, rashly implementing the Bureaucratization of Native Chieftains was indeed inappropriate.

But Fang Jifan recalled that it seemed just this year, there was another chieftain rebellion in places like Guizhou and Guangxi. This was not only recorded in the local chronicles of Qinglong County, Guizhou, but also mentioned extensively in the Veritable Records of the Ming Dynasty.

Normally, after the imperial court had just suppressed a rebellion, even if the chieftains were dissatisfied, they would still be fearful. Yet this particular rebellion happened suddenly.

Fang Jifan shook his head. “This subject believes that without implementing the Bureaucratization of Native Chieftains to address the root cause, the rebellions in Guangxi, and especially Guizhou, will only intensify. If Your Majesty wishes to appease them, it would be nothing short of nurturing a tiger to invite disaster. This subject dares to assert that soon, a new rebellion will arise, and it will be massive.”

As soon as he said this, the Hanlin Academicians all showed angry expressions!

What a jinx you are! Now that the Southwest is stable again, how could another rebellion possibly happen? This is utter nonsense!