Chapter 298 Fang Ruyu leaves
At first, Fang Ruyu said that she was going to visit a female student in a village below, and originally planned to go home in a dozen days.
But the Fang family was busy with their own government affairs, and it was not until twenty days later that they realized that someone was missing from the family.
In particular, they found a letter in Fang Ruyu's room.
The Fang family was shocked to find out Fang Ruyu had escaped again!
It cannot be concealed. Rather than waiting for someone to report it to His Highness, it is better to give myself a quick death.
After all, before leaving, the bedrooms of Fang Xun, Fang Ningmo, and especially Uncle Fang who worked at the research institute, all showed obvious signs of having been ransacked.
So, the fact that Fang Ruyu had run away with the delegation from Qiongzhou was suddenly brought to Xu Zhenying's attention.
Even though they knew Xu Zhenying hated people kneeling, Fang Xun and Fang Ningmo couldn't help but kneel down and apologize with the Fang family.
Even Mr. Fang and Mrs. Fang knelt at Xu Zhenying's feet.
Twenty or thirty members of the Fang family had already been trembling with fear, and now they were kneeling in the conference room, their faces filled with shame.
He cursed Fang Ruyu thousands of times in his heart, and even hated the people from the main branch of the Fang family.
I wonder how good the Fang family is living now.
Everyone in the Fang family is literate, and they have followed Xu Zhenying to conquer the world since they were exiled. They learned the knowledge system created by Xu Zhenying early on, so they established a firm foothold in Jinzhou Prefecture early on.
Nowadays, the Fang family has people in the military, logistics, education, and agriculture, including officials, doctors, and generals. It can be said that in the eight prefectures of Jinzhou, except for the Xu family, the Fang family is the most powerful.
But now all of this has been ruined by Fang Ruyu!
Especially... they had already been implicated by their eldest wife during their exile, and now it has to happen again!
Ruin someone's future is like killing their parents. The other members of the Fang family can be said to hate the eldest wife of the Fang family to the core.
Especially the second wife.
Today, Fang Xun can be said to be the pillar of the Fang family. He holds the highest official position, is the youngest, and is deeply relied upon by Xu Zhenying. He has a bright future and may even be made a marquis or a prime minister in the future. However, his path to success was cut short by that idiot from the first wife's family.
How can they not hate?
Fang Ruyu had ruined the blood relationship that had been repaired with great difficulty.
Even now, some of them continued to glare at them fiercely.
Fang Xun knelt in the front. The boy who had always been stubborn and refused to give in easily, now had grown into a young man, and it seemed that reality had broken his spine.
He had never felt so humiliated as he did now. He clenched his fists, then opened them again, finally lowering his head helplessly. "Your Highness, Fang Ruyu took the firearms blueprints from my uncle's room and has now left with the people from Qiongzhou. The matter is irreversible, and our Fang family will bear the full consequences of all this."
Mr. Fang immediately shouted, "No, this is all my fault! It's me, it's me. I thought that firearm was a thing from the beginning of the world, so I hid a copy of the original manuscript. I don't even know how Ruyu found it! Your Highness, all this is the fault of our Fang family's eldest branch. You can kill us or cut us into pieces, and we will never frown. I only ask you... to spare the rest of the Fang family!"
Xu Zhenying ignored his men and said to Mo Jinchun, "If we send someone after them now, how confident are we?"
Mo Jinchun shook his head. "They've been gone for over twenty days now, and I'm afraid they're almost out of Jiangling Prefecture. Even if we chase them now, or rush to send a letter to Minister Jiang, I'm afraid it's too late."
Everyone in the room's expression changed slightly.
Firearms are the foundation of their Jinzhou Prefecture. No matter how hard they tried to guard against them, they never expected that it would be difficult to guard against thieves within their own ranks.
Ming Xiaoshuang angrily said, "Do you know how important that firearm blueprint is?! How could it be stolen so easily? Fang family, our prince has treated you well! From the very beginning of our exile, we almost died at the hands of King Ming because of you. His Highness was so generous that he never drove you away. He even gave you high official salaries and allowed you to settle down in Jinzhou Prefecture. Is this how you repay His Highness?!"
Xu Yinxi was also furious. "Fang Ruyu is such an idiot! Could it be that she still thinks the King of Ming still has feelings for her? And yet, she stole the firearms blueprints and surrendered, unafraid of being abandoned by the King of Ming!"
Qian Zhenniang said, "I knew Prince Ming had bad intentions! It turns out his proposal to marry Your Highness was fake, and his real intention was to steal our firearms blueprints!"
Xu Zhenying raised his hand to stop everyone, "Alright, now that things have come to this, there's no point in complaining. Let's quickly think of how to remedy the situation."
Lu Shiwen had no close ties with the Fang family, and as the head of the Criminal Division, he was even more ruthless at this moment. "Your Highness, before remedying any remedies, should we punish the Fang family severely? Fang Ruyu is a traitor, and the Fang family members haven't properly preserved the blueprints. Furthermore, most of the Fang family members are still officials in the court, holding key positions. What if they collude with Fang Ruyu?"
Fang Xun immediately said, "Your Highness, no matter what happens, we in the Fang family will never go along with Fang Ruyu. You are the only one we are loyal to!"
When the other members of the Fang family heard that Lu Shiwen came up and accused them of "collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country", they immediately panicked.
This crime of treason, no matter where it is charged, is a crime punishable by the execution of the entire family.
Although Xu Zhenying had feelings for the Fang family, they knew that Xu Zhenying was a person who could completely separate public and private affairs! For example, Hu Wei last time was also an old man who had been with her for so long, but in the end he was ruined.
From this we can see that Xu Zhenying is a man with a calm mind, different from ordinary people.
They hurriedly followed Fang Xun to express their loyalty, and at the same time hated the eldest branch of the Fang family even more!
Although the other people in the room looked reluctant, they really couldn't open their mouths to beg for mercy.
The firearm blueprints were stolen. If the craftsmen in Qiongzhou were to make it, the offense and defense on the eastern battlefield would immediately change, and Minister Jiang and tens of thousands of soldiers would be in crisis!
The people in the house were all those who had accompanied Xu Zhenying in conquering the world, and they had a deep relationship with the Fang family. However, when they thought of the war in the east, they could only harden their hearts and remain silent.
Zhao Qiaonian said coldly, "Fang Xun, don't try to escape responsibility just because you're a senior member of the Xu family. Think about it: because of the fault of one person in your Fang family, how many men will die on the battlefield in the east? How many civilians in the east will be caught up in the flames of war? How long will His Highness's great cause be delayed?! No one in your Fang family can escape the charge of treason!"
Fang Xun's body swayed slightly, like a falling leaf.
The Fang family members all turned pale and could not utter a word of rebuttal.
They just hated and wished they could kill Fang Ruyu with their own hands!
Fang Ruyu just left and went to live happily with Prince Ming, maybe she could even become his princess.
But this group of people had to stay here and be spitted at by the people of the eight prefectures of Jinzhou Prefecture.
They will be stabbed in the spine and called "traitors" and "traitors"!
But they clearly did nothing, they were clearly loyal to His Highness, and even every brick and tile of Jinzhou Prefecture was built by them with their own hands. They all loved this land deeply.
But now he is deserted by everyone——
Xu Zhenying ordered his men to help the Fang family members up and said solemnly, "Although I, Xu Zhenying, do not emphasize collective punishment under my rule, your positions are sensitive after all, and some of you are in key positions. Moreover, Fang Ruyu has committed the heinous crime of treason. If I do not punish you, it will be difficult to convince the people."
For a moment, everyone in the room became nervous.
The Fang family members looked even more pale.
Fang Ruyu committed such a serious crime that he would probably not escape the death penalty.
"From now on, all members of the Fang family are dismissed from their official positions, are not allowed to leave Jinzhou Prefecture, and are no longer allowed to participate in civil service examinations. All political benefits will be revoked. If any official takes this opportunity to embarrass you, you may report them to the government office."
Xu Zhenying's words shocked everyone.
Everyone, including the Fang family, seemed unable to believe what they heard.
Not beheading? Not imprisonment?
Just... demoted to a commoner?
Zhao Qiaonian immediately retorted, "Your Highness, isn't this punishment too lenient? Even if the Fang family can be spared the death penalty, they can't escape the punishment of life! At least they should all be locked up to convince the public!"
Elder Lin also expressed his disapproval. "Your Highness, treason is a capital crime regardless of the dynasty. You are too lenient with the Fang family. It doesn't serve as a deterrent. What if someone follows your example in the future?"
Xu Zhenying said, "No need. I am now gradually separating the family power. Since there is no such thing as ennobling a wife and preserving children, there is no such thing as family members being implicated. When I, Xu Zhenying, became king, I did not give any honor to my family. In order to avoid suspicion, I asked them to step down and give up their positions. If the honor is not as good as my family, then the disaster should not be as bad as my family."
Seeing that everyone still disagreed, Xu Zhenying had no choice but to continue, "Everyone is an individual and should not be implicated by the mistakes of others. You only see Fang Ruyu's bad habits, but have you ignored the loyalty of the rest of the Fang family? This incident is like a disaster sent from heaven for the rest of the Fang family. The criminal Fang Ruyu has escaped, while those loyal to the country have remained to be punished, or even to lose their lives. Isn't this also unfair? If your positions were reversed, and you were also implicated and executed due to your family's negligence in the future, how would you feel?"
"I've always emphasized freedom and fairness. Freedom means pursuing one's dreams and realizing one's own value without any constraints. Fairness, on the other hand, means being free from the consequences of unexpected disasters. Everyone has the same opportunities, including the chance to survive. I also want to take this opportunity to tell everyone under my rule that if honor doesn't reach your family, then disaster won't reach them either. The punishment imposed on the Fang family is entirely due to their sensitive status and considerations of their official positions. As for Fang Ruyu, we have the Criminal Department to pursue and punish her. She will not escape punishment. Please rest assured!"
No one present could refute Xu Zhenying's words.
But even if he was only expelled from the civil service and saved his life, it would undoubtedly be a heart-wrenching pain for everyone in the Fang family.
Not to mention how they will face the people of the eight prefectures after they go out, it is inevitable that they will be criticized in the future. The most intolerable thing is that they once poured their efforts into the construction of Jinzhou Prefecture, but now all this has become a dream.
Xu Zhenying shook his head and sighed, "Did I really take a leap of faith? I actually want to promote the rule of law right now."
However, this also indirectly reminded Xu Zhenying that she had to start popularizing the law.
The first thing to do is to separate and dismantle the complex web of family power and break up this phenomenon of cohesion. Excessive family power poses a threat to local governments, especially those in small units like counties, towns, and villages.
Secondly, we need to speed up the legislative process.
The eight prefectures of Jinzhou are still using the "Da Zhou Law", but the Da Zhou Law is too vague and cannot achieve the problem of equal punishment for crime.
This is another huge project.
After the meeting, the former colleagues paid almost no attention to the Fang family members who remained. Only Mo Jinchun said with a cold face: "Leave quickly. No one outside the government hall should linger."
One sentence brought the Fang family back to the cold reality.
I often stepped into this government office, entering and exiting it as if it were my own home, but I am afraid that I will never set foot in it again in this life.
Fang Xun was shaking as if he had suffered a great blow. He was completely exhausted and was supported by Madam Fang Er like a puppet.
Mrs. Fang was so distressed that her eyes turned red, and she wanted to curse at the people in the first house.
But there should be quarrels and scolding. The Fang family has been in chaos these past few days, and all kinds of nasty words have been said.
Second Madam Fang resented that her son was implicated by the idiot Fang Ruyu, but First Madam Fang was a person of poor temper, and she had no other choice but to cry these days.
Mrs. Fang and Mr. Fang tried to persuade him at first, but later they also fell ill.
In just a few days, the entire Fang family was torn apart, and relatives became like enemies.
Fang Ningmo's eyes were almost swollen from crying.
She couldn't understand why Fang Ruyu ran away with the people from Qiongzhou?
What kind of sweet words did the Sixth Princess use to deceive him and make her abandon even her family?
Zhou Heng has evil intentions. How could my sister fall into his trap again and again?!
It was obvious that her elder sister had figured it out before, and even worked in the education field for a year. She became a much more cheerful person. The sisters even talked about their future marriage in a vague way. At that time, Fang Ningmo had never realized that Fang Ruyu still had feelings for Zhou Heng!
Now that Fang Ruyu is rushing to Qiongzhou, what will be her fate?
Zhou Heng was a cruel and ruthless person. If Fang Ruyu fell into his hands, she would probably be eaten to the bone without leaving any residue.
No, Fang Ruyu ruined the future of everyone in the Fang family and hurt the Fang family so badly. She is not worthy of being a member of the Fang family!
Fang Ningmo walked out of the government office, looked at the somewhat gloomy sky in early autumn, turned around, and looked at the gate of the government office with tears in his eyes and nostalgia.
At this moment, she seemed to be back to the night of exile three years ago.
The same constant anxiety, the same heart full of fear, the same uncertainty about where the future lies.
But this time, she fell from a great height and truly experienced the heart-wrenching betrayal and despair.
After everyone dispersed, Xu Zhenying left behind a few military officers and several of Lin Lao's confidants to discuss matters. Xu Yinxi walked forward and heard Xu Zhenying's voice: "Actually, since the firearms were stolen, we need to turn the passive situation into the active one. First, we need to ask the research institute to improve the technology as soon as possible. As long as our technology is better than theirs, we will always be one step ahead of them. They can only pick up our outdated and obsolete weapons, and we will still have the initiative on the battlefield. Second, firearm manufacturing is not just about drawings, but also about the process. As far as I know, Qiongzhou does not yet have the ability to produce steel with such high precision. They will not be able to break through this technical barrier for a year or two, unless they buy it from us."
At this point, Xu Zhenying smiled slightly and said, "How about this? Let's make all the steel prices in the Gwangju channels increase, and then we can make a killing from them."
Elder Lin also smiled and said, "This time, our military budget for next year is finally settled. No wonder His Highness wasn't too upset when he heard about the theft of the blueprints."
"With the King Ming working so tirelessly, it's only a matter of time before his firearms are stolen. Everyone should be prepared. No recipe can be hidden forever. Instead of constantly worrying about others stealing our things, it's better to improve ourselves or cooperate for mutual benefit."
Elder Lin nodded. He really liked Xu Zhenying's governance philosophy, especially the concept of win-win cooperation. "Yes, just like the sweet potatoes they took away earlier, even if we didn't give them to them, they could always buy them from the locals. It would only cost them a few taels of silver, so why not just do us a favor?"
Xu Zhenying sneered, "A favor isn't done in vain. Houfang, inform your colleagues in the Propaganda Department to publish a large article in the next issue of the newspaper about this incident. Publicly state that they begged us to give them the sweet potatoes, and that we reluctantly gave them up for the sake of the people of Qiongzhou. This should also let the people of Qiongzhou know who their true benefactor is."
Qian Zhenniang said, "Actually, the people in Qiongzhou have suffered heavy losses this time. When they left, they took away some insignificant items, such as soap, toothbrushes, pencils, etc. As long as these things are circulated, our reputation will spread to Qiongzhou, and it will bring in a lot of profits. But we have to be careful to prevent theft. These things can't be invented by Qiongzhou people in the future."
"That's right, so we need to establish a patent for the property. Lu Shiwen from the Criminal Department, you will take charge of it temporarily. We can't let anyone steal our things in Jinzhou Prefecture."
Lu Shiwen quickly responded, but also said, "Your Highness, the establishment of the Ministry of Justice is already necessary. We are still using the Great Zhou Law. In fact, our Jinzhou Prefecture has a special situation. The Great Zhou Law is only a legal foundation and cannot fully adapt to the problems we are facing as we develop. Including the detailed laws you recently want to promote, such as the Patent Law, Marriage Law, and Contract Law, they all require a large number of lawyers and people with legal experience. Our Criminal Department lacks professionalism, and I am afraid that our progress will be slow."
"I know. I've been thinking about this question as well and will give an answer soon." Xu Zhenying frowned and thought. Yes, the construction of a society ruled by law is urgent. The people must be freed from the concepts of family, clan, and fellow tribe as soon as possible, otherwise they will erode her power step by step like ants.
She couldn't let her family's power take precedence over her regime.
Ming Xiaoshuang, however, was clearly more strategically inclined. He said, "Since Your Highness estimates that it will take them at least a year and a half to manufacture firearms, can we take advantage of this time and advance eastward?"
This statement immediately made everyone's eyes light up.
Especially the generals, they looked very excited.
Now the occupation of Jinzhou Prefecture is almost entirely based on defense.
There is Jiang Yongkang in the east and Liu Dazhuang in the west. Both battlefields are only defending and not attacking. It was previously discussed that the people on both sides are too poor. Once they attack, the first problem they will face is that a large amount of national treasury funds will have to be spent.
In short, it is "poverty alleviation."
Xu Yinxi then said, "Your Highness previously only ordered Minister Jiang to hold the eastern defense line and refused to advance westward. He was simply worried that our logistics wouldn't keep up, and that we wouldn't be able to fully absorb the cities we captured. Our dominance would only lead to a joint attack from the Great Zhou Dynasty and the Ming King. But now, over a year has passed, and the people have had time to recuperate. We are now strong and powerful, and this opportunity is rare. I believe now is the best time to advance eastward!"
Elder Lin actually agreed: "That's right. If we wait until Ming Wang and the others really create firearms, we will be in a passive position."
"While the decision of whether to fight or not depends on timing, it also depends on data. Have the finance and logistics personnel bring the data from the past two years to the meeting. Now, immediately, immediately."
The secretary stood up quickly.
It's late at night, but the lights are still bright.
——————————————————————
Autumn is about to come, but Qiongzhou has become cold so early this year.
Qiongzhou is close to the sea, the sea breeze is wet and salty, and the air seems to carry the fishy smell of sea fish.
As the weather gets colder, the number of fishing boats decreases, and the whole Qiongzhou is filled with a sense of desolation.
In the palace of King Ming of Qiongzhou, the battle report from the front line was sent to King Ming at an express speed of 800 miles.
Even the Ming Wang, who never showed his joy, couldn't help but say three good words after seeing it, "Good! Good! Good!"
Master Meng, standing by, smiled slightly upon seeing this, as if he had something in mind. "Your Highness, did our plan work? Is the Queen willing to join forces with us to fight against Zhou?"
"That's not the case. Xu Zhenying is proud and arrogant, not an ordinary woman. It's not surprising that she doesn't agree to this marriage."
"Then judging from His Highness's expression, does that mean we have the firearm blueprints?"
Ming Wang was very pleased. "That's right. Ying'er's idea was a good one. She actually managed to trick Fang Ruyu into coming. It was worth her traveling thousands of miles. My sister played a very important role in this matter."
Master Meng frowned slightly. "Fang Ruyu? Didn't His Highness say that she's not valued in Jinzhou Prefecture? Could she be of any use to us?"
"Fang Ruyu isn't valued, but her father Fang Zhi is getting along well with the craftsmen at the research institute. Not to mention Fang Xun, who's said to be in a high position as well." Speaking of the Fang family, who almost became his wife's wife's family, Prince Ming frowned. "I really don't know why the Fang family has allowed themselves to degenerate. Mr. Fang lived an upright life, and after all, he was a scholar. But in his old age, he's hanging out with a bunch of low-class craftsmen. It's really disgraceful..."
The tone of Ming Wang's voice was quite disappointing.
Speaking of Prince Ming's Yue family, Master Meng was naturally smart enough not to respond. Instead, he asked, "Did Miss Fang bring us anything useful?"
Ming Wang's expression brightened, and he could clearly not contain his joy. "She said she got the blueprints for the firearms."
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