Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Should Be for the Sake of the Common People
Only the sky seemed to say:
Fang Jingruo is no ordinary man; how could he be deterred by such contempt? His greatest strength lies in his resilience, which defies all odds, allowing him to thrive even in exile.
Fang Jingruo wandered around Mingyuan Pass several times, almost getting arrested by passing soldiers who mistook him for a spy.
Fang Jingruo broke out in a cold sweat.
I have a feeling that what Tianmu will say next is unlikely to be anything good.
Emperor Hong'an was speechless, lowering his head to hide his feelings: Why did Tianmuhua go to so much trouble to say all this? To let the whole world know that all the officials of his Hong'an Dynasty are like this…
Are they bizarre and varied?
[Let's set aside these embarrassing topics about Fang Hou, as they would severely damage his image, and continue with Fang Jingruo's heroic deeds.]
The Third Prince in the crowd: "?"
Why do you talk so happily about me behind my back?
You don't treat me like a human being, do you?
As a border pass, Mingyuan Pass has always been a desolate place—this is a misunderstanding for most people, and also for Fang Jingruo.
Upon closer inspection, Fang Jingruo realized that although the city was dusty and everyone looked disheveled, there was still a glimmer of life.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Hong'an stroked his long beard, already knowing what Tianmu was about to say.
Ultimately, he was someone who urged others to take the throne.
However, he then thought that the vitality of this city was due to Zhuang Ziqian or the later Emperor Zhongzong.
If this was Emperor Zhongzong's doing, then he was truly a talented individual. Unfortunately, after Tianmu's account, it seems unlikely that this person can remain a loyal subject.
Emperor Hong'an felt a pang of regret upon thinking about this.
Some of these actions stemmed from a desire to retain talent, but not many.
The border town is mostly inhabited by soldiers. Since ancient times, soldiers have been like sieves, so how could the army and the people get along well? After all, the relationship between the army and the people at that time was like this, and it could not be the same as ours. They could not understand the deep bond between the army and the people, let alone understand what it means to "feel safe when they see the army".
Just like the Koreans next door who ran away overnight to avoid joining the army, unlike us who can't even get in if we want to.
Under the sky, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.
Someone murmured, "Is this true?" The voice was soft and faint, as if it would be blown away by the wind.
Soldiers were registered as lowly people.
If a family has connections, it's a path they'll never let their descendants take.
As for "wanting to go but unable to," that's even more incomprehensible. They're too busy running away to even consider going there on their own.
In the eyes of the general public, the soldiers were essentially a group of criminals, just an upgraded version of local thugs.
Emperor Hong'an couldn't understand either, but he remained silent, waiting for the heavens to explain.
He had been troubled by the system of military households for a long time. How did later generations manage to do it? If the status of military households could be elevated, the Ning Dynasty's fighting strength would surely have reached another level.
Unlike the puzzled crowd, Zhou She was filled with nostalgia. The era Tianmu had spoken of—an era he could never return to…
As if it were right before my eyes.
Unaware of Emperor Hong'an's curiosity, Tianmu skipped ahead and continued: "[So these stereotypes all arose from the actual circumstances at the time. But because of these stereotypes, Fang Jingruo still went around investigating, resulting in her being arrested twice.]"
Oh, this.
How come this person is so unlucky, yet so funny?
Zhou She's worries vanished instantly, and he muttered to himself: What happened to maintaining my image? Have I already forgotten?
Tianmu is indeed a fun person! That bit of favoritism is just like following the trend, you can't count on it.
On the other side, Emperor Hong'an was still pondering how to deal with Fang Jingruo.
Since they are of commoner origin, it seems that killing them would be quite convenient?
As luck would have it, Emperor Jungjong had just returned home after making his fortune when he heard that he had caught a spy.
He had initially planned to kill him without a second thought, but upon hearing that this man spent his days squatting by the military camp, constantly asking about welfare and then inquiring about the lives of ordinary people, he felt a surge of admiration and immediately expressed his desire to meet this extraordinary man in person.
Zhou She nearly choked to death before he could finish yawning.
What the heck is this?!
And this plot sounds so familiar...
Fang Jingruo's expression was complicated. He immediately recognized it; wasn't this exactly the same as the "Biography of Marquis Fang" from earlier?
Sitting next to him was a longtime friend. Hearing Tianmu say this, he couldn't help but say, "It seems that Lord Fang is well-liked by Tianmu!"
His path to heaven is right before his eyes!
Fang Jingruo gave a bitter smile: "If Your Majesty would be so merciful..."
Judging from Tianmu's tone, he must be a subject of Emperor Zhongzong. But he is clearly a loyal minister of the current emperor!
I wonder if His Majesty will send someone to kill him immediately after hearing this.
As you can tell, this is still part of the story of Fang Hou. This book has always been dedicated to promoting Fang Jingruo's character and integrity from various angles.
Because it also indirectly described Zhuang Shi's keen eye for talent, people initially suspected that Zhuang Shi had commissioned the writing. Until recently, the mystery was finally solved: the author was actually Fang Jingruo, that guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, who's quite narcissistic.
Judging from that voice, there was even a hint of pride.
Fang Jingruo, who was repeatedly called out, was dumbfounded.
His classmates and friends were also dumbfounded.
Everyone's gaze was fixed on him. After a long while, someone blurted out, "Lord Fang... even Pan An and Wei Jie would be ashamed of their own inferiority!"
Fang Jingruo's face instantly turned red.
After speaking, the man paused, then chuckled and said, "The Marquis of the North City is quite handsome!"
"..." Fang Jingruo was extremely embarrassed and quickly raised her sleeve, saying awkwardly, "Please stop joking with me, everyone."
In the palace, Emperor Hong'an's face darkened slightly. How could the people of Tianmu be so capable of digging up ancestral graves?
To bring this up so brazenly is utterly absurd!
However, the sky remained unmoved, and a pair of hands reached out and casually picked up the book in front of them.
Let's take a look at the ancient books unearthed from the current imperial tomb... printed version. The actual items are in the xx Museum; anyone who dares to take the originals is going in.
After stating the disclaimer, Tianmu continued:
[This is the original manuscript of Fang Jingruo's biography of Fang Hou. After finishing it, he casually copied it for Emperor Zhongzong, intending for the emperor to write a preface for him. Unfortunately, the result wasn't very good, so he said to Emperor Zhongzong with great regret and a touch of arrogance, "I really wanted to add this preface, but to avoid it going unsold, I think I should just leave it as is."]
Ah, this.
Everyone fell into deep thought.
Given King Jungjong's personality, it would be good enough if he even wrote a preface for you, let alone expect quality!
Besides, how could something personally written by the emperor not sell?
Fang Jingruo was also deep in thought, wondering: Am I really that brave?
They seem completely fearless!
As I pondered, the sky displayed the preface written by Emperor Zhongzong.
You won't believe it until you see it; even those with a bit of education are stunned.
As expected, King Jungjong continued his usual "simple" style, speaking fluent vernacular Chinese with great skill. His handwriting did show some signs of practice, but not much.
Fang Jingruo pondered: Perhaps...
Emperor Hong'an stroked his beard: "Hmm...that's true..."
[It looks fairly decent, doesn't it? A certain famously sarcastic calligrapher, who has criticized countless celebrities throughout history, described King Jungjong's calligraphy as "earthworms burrowing into holes," strikingly similar to that person from the Gyeongjong era whose calligraphy resembled "dead snakes hanging from trees."]
The Chancellor of the Imperial Academy's brow twitched. As the head of a higher education institution, his tolerance for those who were ignorant and incompetent was far lower: "How can the ruler of a nation behave like this—"
Upon hearing the words "the ruler of a country," Zhou She frowned even more deeply.
This person is plotting to usurp the throne and rebel; the emperor might not want to hear those four words. Zhou She slightly raised his head and indeed saw the Emperor Hong'an's gloomy expression.
[To get back to the main point. Fang Jingruo was tied to a pillar. When Emperor Zhongzong entered, he saw a large pillar and initially mistook it for a fire poker. It wasn't until he went around to the other side that he realized there was someone else on the pillar.]
As the sky finally became serious this time, the black background and white text on the sky changed again, rippling like water, and a hand suddenly reached out.
A young man strode into the room, lifted the curtain, and then casually closed the door.
In front of him, a man was tightly bound to a wooden post, his face flushed red.
At first, Emperor Jungjong remained calm, but when he saw the man's face, he was shocked and quickly stepped forward to remove the rope from him.
The man was very young, with no beard, and looked to be no more than thirty years old. After he was put down, the young man was somewhat embarrassed and cupped his hands, saying, "What brings Lord Fang to the camp? My men are all roughnecks; they have been rude to you. I apologize on their behalf."
Fang Jingru waved his hand, his face full of sincerity: "General, you are ordered to guard the border and defeat the enemy. You should strengthen patrols. It was my rashness."
As they talked, the two sat down one after the other, and the young man poured two more cups of tea and gently pushed them in front of Fang Jingruo.
Fang Jingruo took a sip of tea. The tea was bitter and the taste was not good, but he drank several mouthfuls in a row.
After finally catching his breath, he sighed softly and forced a smile, saying, "I saw that the camp was heavily guarded. General, your administration is excellent; no wonder you have the strongest army in the world."
The young man's eyebrows twitched slightly, but his smile remained unchanged, and even his tone did not change: "Lord Fang has good judgment."
With their intelligence, both of them knew that what was about to be said was the real topic.
The young man was also very curious about what Fang Jingruo was trying to do by running around like this. If he was here as an undercover agent, then no matter whether it was Huai Leju or Zhuang Shi who sent him, he would quietly kill him.
However, when Fang Jingru spoke, it was in a different tone of admiration: "It is not easy to govern an army or a people, but for a general to do both is even more remarkable. You must have put in a lot of effort. I am truly impressed by the orderly state of Mingyuan Pass."
The young man chuckled: "Governing the people? That's not my business. I'm just a general; leading troops is my duty. I don't know how, nor do I want to, manage internal affairs."
Clearly, he did not agree with Fang Jingruo's praise.
Fang Jingruo seemed not to hear him and said earnestly, "Mingyuan Pass has always been a desolate place. General, you were ordered to guard the national gate, and your merits are great. I heard that the capital also respects you very much."
His words came as abruptly as the young man couldn't help but stare at Fang Jingruo quietly for a long time.
Fang Jingruo clearly had the appearance of a scholar, but under his intense gaze, he remained calm and composed, not even his breathing became disordered.
The young man's scrutinizing gaze slowly swept across his face. He suddenly chuckled, a hint of sarcastic mockery in his voice: "Lord Fang, you've retreated far away, so you may not be familiar with my ways. I'm just an ordinary man, and I don't meddle in the affairs of the capital."
He paused, stood up listlessly, and walked slowly to the door. Suddenly, he turned back and said, "The military camp is heavily guarded. If Lord Fang has important business, he can go and find Zhuang Shi. Don't wander around anymore."
Fang Jingruo remained seated, motionless.
As soon as the young man lifted his foot again, he finally stood up abruptly and said urgently, "General, you are a relative of the royal family and have received the country's favor for generations. At this critical moment for the nation, can you really sit idly by? The Crown Prince is tyrannical, and the people are filled with resentment. If he ascends the throne, it will surely lead to chaos throughout the country! Even if you do not consider personal feelings, you should still think of the people's welfare!"
The young man's gaze suddenly sharpened, and he let out a cold snort: "Fang Jingruo! Don't harm others and yourself!"
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