Chapter 143 Choice: If you abandon the reform, I will pass the throne to you.
Chapter 143
Feng Tan snapped out of her reverie and smiled, "Let's take a walk together."
With the vermilion palace walls to the side, a warm breeze swept along the palace path, lifting a stray strand of hair that fell beside Zheng Qingru's temple. He looked at Feng Tan without making a sound, "You really did it... incredible, as if you had supernatural powers."
A hazy mist seemed to veil Feng Tan's eyes, her emotions hidden within, no longer as easily discernible as before. She stared intently at the subsystem, a fleeting smile playing on her lips, "It's not a supernatural power..."
The system is not a supernatural power, nor are the subsystems; they arise naturally from the heartfelt wishes of women in later generations.
They are the embodiment of their power.
They were the ones who brought her back to the capital of Dahuang from the snowstorm three years ago, and fought their way out of this pack of wolves and tigers.
Jin An asked with a grin, "If it's not supernatural power, then what is it?"
Looking at the boy's handsome face, now free of baby fat, Feng Tan teased, "It's 'The Road to First Rank for the Sixth-Rank Seventh-Rank Brothers' that's still waiting for us to finish writing!"
Zheng Qingru couldn't help but chuckle, while Jin An burst into laughter, saying, "I almost forgot about it until Tan-ge'er mentioned it! Our book isn't even finished yet!"
The two were playfully bickering, their familiarity and affection evident in their expressions. Zheng Qingru couldn't help but smile slightly, but then, a thought crossed his mind, and he frowned, saying to Feng Tan, "Yongle, have you ever considered how history will judge you a hundred years from now...?"
In the distance, the sky was clear and the air was crisp. Feng Tan's bright eyes remained calm as he said in a low voice, "I seek not fame, but action. What future generations say is not important."
As they were talking on the palace road, they heard a series of hurried but orderly footsteps behind them. Feng Tan turned around and saw Sheng Honghai approaching with Fu Chen in his arms. After bowing, he said, "Lord Feng, His Majesty has prepared a small banquet and invited you to attend."
Sheng Honghai always speaks very carefully, and a single sentence can actually convey a lot of information.
He did not address Princess Yongle, but instead called Feng Tan "Lord Feng," which indirectly proves that Emperor Chongming had tacitly approved of her return to the court rather than the harem.
After Emperor Chongming's thunderous rage in the Golden Palace, he personally hosted a banquet to invite Feng Tan, which shows that Emperor Chongming's cold attitude towards Feng Tan in the court was more like a performance.
Emperor Chongming owed Feng Tan a great deal, but he was an absolutely good father to Princess Yongle.
Feng Tan bid farewell to Jin An and Zheng Qingru, then followed Sheng Honghai slowly forward, saying softly, "Master."
When Princess Yongle was young, Emperor Chongming was always busy with court affairs. Every time she came to see her father, she was always stopped outside the palace by Sheng Honghai. Over time, Sheng Honghai became Princess Yongle's close companion. Jiang Lili could see that her stern godfather only showed a hint of tenderness when he was with Princess Yongle.
Upon hearing the long-unheard address, Sheng Honghai's throat tightened, and he said, "Princess..."
Feng Tan said, “When I first met the Grand Chamberlain, I was being punished at the Meridian Gate. According to the regulations for court flogging, I should have been stripped of my clothes before the punishment, but the Grand Chamberlain allowed me to be punished while still dressed... This question has been in my mind for a long time. Did the Grand Chamberlain begin to suspect that I was Yongle at that time?”
Sheng Honghai shook his head and said, "The princess disguised herself very well, but her demeanor was somewhat similar to that of Yongle when he was a child, which is why I felt sorry for her."
Sheng Honghai, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, was known for his clear distinction between rewards and punishments and his effective governance. After decades of ups and downs in his official career, every bit of his genuine nature that he showed was invaluable.
Walking along the stone path, passing through the three main halls of the outer court, you arrive at the rear sleeping quarters. Ancient pines and cypresses are planted in front of the main hall of the Qianqing Palace, their forms vigorous and upright. Beneath them, on a stone table, a dazzling array of dishes are laid out, clearly the foods that Princess Yongle loved to eat in her childhood.
Consort Su, accompanied by several palace maids, placed the exquisite tea and snacks on the stone table. Looking at Feng Tan, she said with a smile, "Princess Yongle, I asked Eunuch Sheng about your preferences. I wonder if this will suit your taste."
Su Zirou's personal maid, Mu Qingling, spoke up at the opportune moment: "The Noble Consort began preparing the ingredients as soon as Princess Yongle returned to the capital. She got up at midnight today to go to the small kitchen. With such dedication, the taste of the food must be excellent."
"There's no need to be modest about the Consort's cooking skills." Emperor Chongming stepped out of the hall, his eyes darkening as he looked at Feng Tan's perpetually indifferent face. "Yongle, please take a seat and have a taste."
Feng Tan took two steps back and performed the official salute, then asked in a distant manner, "What business does His Majesty have summoned me here?"
Emperor Chongming felt as if he had been stung in the heart. The hair at his temples appeared mottled in the sunlight. He comforted himself, saying, "Yongle, it's normal for us, father and daughter, to be a little estranged after more than ten years apart."
As he spoke, he gestured for Consort Su to lead the others away from the palace courtyard. The father and daughter stood under the pine and cypress trees, the estrangement between them seemingly as insurmountable as a thousand mountains and seas.
Feng Tan's eyes were calm and deep, her gaze towards Emperor Chongming concealing all her emotions. "What exactly does Your Majesty wish to do by summoning me here?"
Emperor Chongming's eyes flickered, and after a long while he said, "You're even thinner than when you first came to the capital."
Feng Tan clenched her fingers, her fingertips sinking deep into her palms. She recalled being held in her father's arms as a child, practicing calligraphy, and lying on his shoulder, wanting him to carry her as they ran through the Imperial Garden. At the same time, the fire at Hongxiu Pavilion and the rolling heads of the women came rushing before her eyes. Love and hate intertwined, tangling into a jumble of chaotic thoughts.
Having ruled for many years, Emperor Chongming possessed an exceptional ability to understand people's hearts. He could see the struggle in Feng Tan's heart and simply said, "Yongle, seeking peace of mind in everything can easily damage your heart. Sometimes it's better to turn a blind eye."
Feng Tan said in a cold voice, "Is it like His Majesty missing his deceased wife and finding a substitute?"
Emperor Chongming's eyes hardened slightly, but the anger rising in his heart was not enough to overshadow the joy of seeing his daughter return safely. He glanced at Feng Tan and then said, "Ten years have passed since I honed this sword, but its frosty edge has not yet been tested. Today I present it to you, who will stand up for justice?"[1] You have the ambition to cut off the system of injustice and change the world, but you regard the century-old foundation of the Great Emperor as a stepping stone for testing the government! Yongle, if I say that as long as you give up the reform, I will pass the throne to you. Yongle, will you agree or not?
For an emperor to pass the throne to his daughter is an unconventional act under a patriarchal and clan-based system.
During the reign of Emperor Dahuang, the rites and laws of China for thousands of years were upheld, with the eldest son of the legitimate wife being respected as the head of the family line. Male heirs succeeding to the throne were as constant as the sun and moon, and as flowing as rivers; this was a natural law and an unchangeable principle. Emperor Chongming's words were like a boulder thrown into a pool, a variation of the rules of power succession under specific conditions.
He was no longer bound by gender limitations, opening the door to the pinnacle of power for Feng Tan, but that was all.
He did not propose any specific reform measures, so the implication is quite clear: if one chooses to inherit the throne and reach the pinnacle of power, then one must abandon the reform of the imperial examination system and the Great Rites Controversy.
So, should we or shouldn't we?
A gentle breeze crept in, rustling the leaves of the paulownia trees. A few green leaves landed before the koi swimming in the lotus pond, then drifted away with the current. Feng Tan's chin was reflected in the water's shimmering light. She looked at Emperor Chongming and asked, "Even now, does Your Majesty think that what I want is the throne?"
Before Emperor Chongming could answer, Feng Tan continued, "Your Majesty, my resolve to follow the Dao is firm; you need not tempt me with any gifts."
Looking at the table of dishes that Emperor Chongming had prepared for her when she was a child, she picked up a cup of wine, tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp. "Your Majesty's lavish feast is truly appreciated by this humble subject."
After saying this, she bowed slightly, took three steps back, and turned to leave. Emperor Chongming watched her figure disappear without looking back, sighed inwardly, and scolded Sheng Honghai in a low voice: "Stubborn as a mule that even nine oxen couldn't pull back!"
Sheng Honghai poured Emperor Chongming a cup of wine, his words revealing no emotion, and said in a calm voice: "Lord Feng is both Your Majesty's minister and Your Majesty's son. A minister follows the law, and a son and father are like ancient trees with intertwined branches, their roots intertwined and their bloodline passed down. Lord Feng's stubbornness is very much like Your Majesty when he was young."
As the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Sheng Honghai never revealed his true intentions in his speech, but he always managed to hit the nail on the head for Emperor Chongming. He glanced at Sheng Honghai and said, "She wanted to be a fair and just official, but she never expected to provoke such a sharp gender conflict. How could she possibly achieve that?"
Sheng Honghai said, "Let me say a few rough words from the countryside: a grasshopper the size of a broad bean complains that the road is too narrow, and a grasshopper that can't jump can't cause a disturbance. The former is arrogant, and the latter is dull and powerless. Neither of them can accomplish great things. Those who can accomplish great things need a certain level of cultivation."
"Oh?" Emperor Chongming's mood improved somewhat, and he picked up his chopsticks, asking, "What is her cultivation level?"
Sheng Honghai said, "Those who relieve the worries and difficulties of all beings are all cultivating themselves."
***
Three years later.
Yongle Temple, a royal temple built by Emperor Chongming for his legitimate daughter, has recently seen a constant stream of visitors. This is partly due to Princess Yongle's return to the court to implement reforms, and partly because Emperor Chongming is about to elevate Consort Su to the position of Empress and is coming to the temple to retrieve the imperial seal of the previous empress.
Yongle Temple is located at the foot of the East City Wall at Pannanmen. Three miles further east are several small alleys. Because these alleys are close to the royal Yongle Temple, many pilgrims, diners and tea drinkers often gather here.
The poor have their way of living, and the rich have theirs. Besides them, peddlers, laborers, craftsmen, servants, cooks, and other people from all walks of life in the capital also loved to meet here. Although it wasn't a prime commercial street, it was bustling with activity.
As late spring draws to a close and Grain Rain has yet to arrive, one can look up from the riverside teahouse and see the mountain temple nestled among the verdant peaks, shaded by pines and bamboos, with copper bells on the eaves gently tinkling in the breeze, as if reciting half a verse of the Avatamsaka Sutra.
Bai Xiangsheng withdrew his gaze from the distance and said to Lin Wanzhou, who was sitting at the other end of the ebony table, "Sister Lin, I have heard that the late Grand Tutor Feng Hengdao has not left the house for many years. The first time he went out blindly was for you. Your Feng family... truly has a lineage of brute force."
There are few secrets in the capital. The story of Grand Tutor Feng standing up for his granddaughter against Gao Yu has spread from the officialdom to the common people and is often talked about by them.
Lin Wanzhou said, "I think the word 'brave and reckless' is quite fitting for you, sister. You have been working hard for many years to avenge your blood feud. Life is tough, and it is even harder for women, yet you have managed to climb to the top here in Yongle from the depths of despair."
Bai Xiangsheng smiled gently. Since their heated debate in the Golden Palace after returning to the capital, they had spent three months together. Having met countless people over the years, she had quickly figured out Lin Wanzhou's temperament.
Looking at Lin Wanzhou's serious face, Bai Xiangsheng said indifferently, "I have encountered a great opportunity, this is my destiny. Sister Lin, you don't need to test me any further. I won't do anything bad to your sister. Our transaction is mutually beneficial, she won't lose anything. Besides, she is much more shrewd than me."
The two sat in the teahouse, the atmosphere neither warm nor awkward. Just then, the old tea master came in with a long-spouted copper kettle. With a flick of his wrist, boiling water plunged into the pool like a silver dragon, causing the tea leaves to surge and billow like clouds. The tea smoke rose from the cup, mingling with the fragrance of mugwort hanging from the beams and the sweet scent of locust blossoms drifting in from outside the window, making one feel intoxicated even before taking a sip.
Several refined scholars sat by the window, some carefully reading the "Classic of Tea," others using wolf-hair brushes dipped in tea to write on Xuan paper, the ink spreading to create a landscape painting with a lingering charm.
Lin Wanzhou had always loved calligraphy and painting, and her gaze lingered on the painting for a long time until Bai Xiangsheng gently tapped the teacup on the ink table with a dull thud, at which point she slowly withdrew her gaze.
"Busy picking tea during Grain Rain, the man is on the mountain and the woman is by the pond..." Bai Xiangsheng sang with a smile. She looked at the pretty young women coming from the second floor and looked at Lin Wanzhou with admiration. "Sister Lin, judging by the time, I should go to Yongle Temple to serve the Consort. The task that Lord Feng assigned to you has also been completed. We shall part ways today."
Feng Tan promised to avenge Bai Xiangsheng, and Bai Xiangsheng became Feng Tan's pawn. She was a seasoned veteran, having played countless roles in the glamorous entertainment industry, her acting skills were superb. Bai Xiangsheng had secretly observed Consort Su's personal attendant, Mu Qingling, for over two months, and a month ago, she stealthily replaced her. Consort Su was coming to the temple for a three-day bathing ceremony, and this imposter, Pan Pei, would be indispensable in her service.
Lin Wanzhou watched Bai Xiangsheng leave, then looked at the twenty-four young ladies who had come from the Imperial Dragon Camp to the capital to participate in the imperial examination, and bowed, saying, "You have all had a long and tiring journey. Please take a rest and have a seat."
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