Chapter 272 Hand in Hand
Heavy footsteps were heard, and even without looking up, one could feel the anger of the person who came. Su Fengzhang sighed slightly, reached out and poured out a cup of tea, hoping that the person could calm down.
Prince Cheng sat down opposite him without saying a word. There was a sense of stalemate in their sitting posture. The curve of her mouth was stretched into a straight line, and the anger in her eyes was obvious.
But in front of Su Fengzhang, Prince Cheng suppressed his anger. He took a sip of tea to calm himself down before asking, "Fengzhang, what do you mean?"
Su Fengzhang poured her another cup of tea before saying, "My opinion is already written in the memorial."
The bland words immediately angered Prince Cheng. She swept the tea sets on the table to the ground, leaving nothing behind except the teapot in Su Fengzhang's hand. She was burning with anger.
Su Fengzhang sighed, put down the teapot and said, "Your Majesty, why are you so angry?"
These words were like a pot of sake poured on the anger. Prince Cheng was furious and glared at him as if he wanted to eat him. Only she knew that at this moment her heart was chilled and her teeth were numb from biting.
"Su Fengzhang, don't play dumb with me. You're only a few years old, and you're already thinking about retiring and returning home. When this memorial was submitted, His Majesty was so frightened that he almost left the palace to come to me."
Su Fengzhang laughed and said, "Your Majesty is really frightened, not happy?"
"Without this huge mountain like me pressing down on their heads, I thought most people in the court would be happy."
Prince Cheng slammed the stone table so hard that it trembled. Her knuckles were itching and she wanted to stand up, grab the man by the collar and punch him hard to see if he could still laugh.
"Su Fengzhang, I'm not kidding you. Why are you saying you want to retire at such a young age? Is there anyone in the court who dares to embarrass you now, or are you feeling unhappy about something?"
Prince Cheng seemed to have thought of something. His face was grim and he said stiffly, "If you feel that something is not to your liking, just change it. Is there anyone in the court who would disagree?"
Su Fengzhang sighed, looked up at her and said, "Your Highness, this is the problem."
Prince Cheng's expression changed.
Then Su Fengzhang continued, "Your Highness, we are already nearly fifty years old. Isn't that old enough?"
Prince Cheng looked up at Su Fengzhang, but seeing that his hair and beard were black and his brows and eyes were relaxed, some people would believe that he was forty. In fact, apart from his talent, what was most commendable about this Lord Su was his way of keeping in good health.
Even a few years ago, an old man came to ask for advice and was unwilling to oppose Su Fengzhang, just because he could teach him the methods of health preservation without reservation. It was really ridiculous.
Prince Cheng snorted coldly and asked, "Why, do you think I'm old?"
Su Fengzhang laughed and said, "In my eyes, the prince has always been very young."
"It's just that you have to accept it when you get old. Su has also privately felt that his energy has been decreasing over the years. When he was young, he handled official business day and night, and all the energy would come back after a good night's sleep. Now, if he stays up all night, it will take him three or four days to recover."
When Prince Cheng heard him say this, he remembered how hard Su Fengzhang had worked over the years. He softened his tone and said, "The court now has its own rules and regulations, and there is no need for you to keep an eye on it all the time."
Su Fengzhang laughed and said, "Your Highness, why don't you think about what you just said."
Prince Cheng frowned, then frowned again when he thought about it.
Su Fengzhang continued, "Your Highness, I have been an official in the court for too long. It's been so long that whatever I say now is regarded as canon by both civil and military officials in the court, and is carried out regardless of the consequences."
"Isn't this good?" Prince Cheng asked back.
Su Fengzhang shook his head and said, "When I saw it, I felt a chill in my heart and missed that time decades ago."
"At that time, no matter what Su proposed, there were always people in the court who supported it and those who opposed it. Their coup in the court might not have made me change my mind, but it could have helped me find and fill in the gaps."
"But what about now? Where has that spirit gone? Could it be that what Su said was right?"
Prince Cheng probably understood his concerns and simply said, "They respect you, admire you, and regard you as a leader."
Su Fengzhang said helplessly: "But I am just a mortal, and I make mistakes as a human."
Prince Cheng was silent for a moment, then said, "You have never made a mistake in all these years."
Su Fengzhang looked at him without avoiding him: "If you don't make mistakes now, you will make mistakes in the future. When people get old, they will become confused, and when they are confused, they will make mistakes. Su's current status is extraordinary. If I make a mistake one day, it will bring disaster to the Great Zhou."
"Your Highness, I have dedicated my entire life to bringing the Great Zhou to its current state. How can I allow it to be destroyed by my own hands? This is why I am offering to retire and return home."
Prince Cheng wanted to drink some tea to ease his mood, but he found that there was only one teapot left on the table. She didn't care and picked it up and took a sip. Then she said, "Not really."
Su Fengzhang insisted, "As for that!"
Without waiting for Prince Cheng to speak, he continued, "When Su came to persuade Prince Xi to hand over the military power, he used the same words. Military power cannot be held in the hands of one person forever, and neither can the government."
"Su didn't retire immediately back then because he hadn't yet fulfilled his revenge, but things are different now."
"I have done what I should do, and I have done everything I can do. Now, if I stay in the court, it will only be a cliché. It will be useless to the Great Zhou and the people of the world."
Prince Cheng looked at him, not understanding why a figure like Su Fengzhang would actually say that he was useless. He frowned and said, "Except you, who else can lead the Great Zhou to prosperity?"
Su Fengzhang laughed: "Your Highness, what do you think of the world's talents when you say that? All these years of advocating for talent selection have been in vain."
"You know that's not what I meant." Prince Cheng explained helplessly.
Su Fengzhang smiled and said, "I know, Your Highness. Even without me, the Great Zhou will still move forward. You said before that now that each department in the court has its own responsibilities, it doesn't matter whether Su is here or not."
Prince Cheng continued, "But without you leading the way, I'm afraid they'll go in the wrong direction one day."
Su Fengzhang laughed and asked, "Your Majesty, do you think I look like someone who can live ten thousand years?"
Prince Cheng was stunned, then heard Su Fengzhang continue, "Everyone will die, whether early or late. If that's the case, you will die later if you don't leave now."
"As for whether they will get lost, that's a matter for the future. By that time, Su will be dead, and his bones might have rotted away. How can I care about that?"
Prince Cheng frowned and said, "How could anyone say that? Feng Zhang, you have sacrificed so much for the Great Zhou, are you really willing to watch him go in the wrong direction?"
Su Fengzhang said helplessly, "Whether it's right or wrong is not something I can decide. If I could set a rule that could be enforced for ten thousand years, that would be great. Unfortunately, people's hearts are fickle, and I can only control the present."
"When Taizu founded the Great Zhou, he probably wouldn't have imagined this day."
"Your Majesty, we should just do what we can and have a clear conscience. Why bother thinking so much?"
"Besides, the ebb and flow of the tide is a normal phenomenon in the world. Even gods cannot reverse the tide. There is no need to worry about it."
Prince Cheng sighed deeply and couldn't help but say, "After all these years, I still don't know what's wrong with your brain. Your ideas are always different from those of ordinary people."
"If everyone in this world were like you, the world would always be peaceful."
Su Fengzhang couldn't help laughing when he heard this. He said, "If everyone was like me, wouldn't it be too boring?"
Prince Cheng sighed and continued, "If you are determined to leave, I can't stop you. But can't you leave a few years later?"
She paused for a moment, then said meaningfully, "His Majesty is fine. He never thinks there's anything wrong with the current situation. But I see that my nephews have many ideas, and I'm afraid there will be unrest in the future."
"Aren't you afraid that as soon as you leave, there will be a major upheaval in the court, and everything will be back to the pre-reform era?"
Su Fengzhang smiled and said, "If the new method is so vulnerable, there's nothing wrong with changing it back sooner rather than later."
Prince Cheng glared at him and said unhappily, "You're quite open-minded."
"Forget it. Anyway, I can't persuade you and I can never change your mind." After saying this, Prince Cheng looked a little depressed and more lost. He stood up and was about to leave.
Who knew that Su Fengzhang would grab her, stare at her and ask, "Afang, will you come with me?"
Prince Cheng's face was filled with shock, and his mind was filled with mixed emotions.
Su Fengzhang continued, "We can go to the lake and mountains and buy a small, uninhabited hill. Then the men can farm and the women can weave, and we can live a life without being disturbed. If you find it hard, you can use your savings to hire a few people, and you can just go out and play every day."
Prince Cheng looked at him for a long moment before asking, "Do you truly wish to take me with you into seclusion, or are you afraid that I will be attached to government affairs and unwilling to let go?"
Su Fengzhang did not feel guilty and said, "The former is my true heart, the latter is just a byproduct."
"What a nice thing to say." Prince Cheng laughed.
Finally, she bent down and kissed Su Fengzhang on the forehead, then smiled and said, "Since you invited me so sincerely, wouldn't it be disrespectful to Lord Su if I didn't go? Then you should buy a piece of land first, and plant some seasonal fruits and vegetables there. This prince loves peaches."
Su Fengzhang smiled sincerely: "Okay, plant whatever you like."
So the next day, what made the emperor even more devastated was that not only did Su Fengzhang say he wanted to retire, but even Prince Cheng quit his job. He had clearly asked Prince Cheng to persuade Su Fengzhang yesterday, but how come she was persuaded instead?
Oh, he had known that his daughter was extroverted, and now he finally knew it!
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