noveltune Chapter 5488 The Tragedy of the Prince
Chapter 5488 The Tragedy of the Prince
Chapter 5488 The Tragedy of the Prince
The side hall fell silent.
No one understood Fang Jun's obsession with the steam engine. It seemed that this clumsy, black, and crude thing, which emitted black smoke and was prone to explosions when lit, could enable people to ascend to the ranks of immortals like those in the legends who could fly on a sword and use one sword to unleash myriad spells. For many years, he had consistently invested huge sums of money, but the results were always minimal. Despite being attacked by the government and the public, he remained steadfast in his obsession.
It seems like they've become obsessed with that broken machine...
But given Fang Jun's prestige and status, even Li Ji couldn't utter any sarcastic or mocking words and could only remain silent.
Xu Jingzong was extremely embarrassed.
He thought that mentioning the Foundry's support in front of Li Ji and Li Yuanjia would make Fang Jun consider his reputation, and even a small amount of support would be good.
Little did Fang Jun know that he had absolutely no dignity in Fang Jun's eyes...
"Haha... I misspoke, Grand Commandant, please forgive me. I know the importance of the steam engine. After all, such a machine made of cast iron can unleash tremendous power. The 'mechanical arts' of the Gongshu family in ancient legends are probably no more than this. It's just that the development of Dongting Lake urgently needs various iron tools. I am really worried and lost my mind for a moment."
Xu Jingzong is indeed someone who doesn't care about saving face for others, and he doesn't care about saving face for himself either.
Li Ji said, "The development of Dongting Lake is ultimately a national decision, and the entire empire has invested heavily and placed high hopes on it. If it is convenient for you, Erlang, you should provide some support."
Fang Jun asked curiously, "Is Lord Ying speaking up for Governor Xu?"
Li Ji shook his head and said, "I am speaking on behalf of the empire's decision-making. The development of Dongting Lake is of great significance and far-reaching impact. Erlang should put aside his prejudices and be broad-minded."
Fang Jun laughed and said, "So if I don't help Governor Xu, I'll be narrow-minded?"
Li Ji remained expressionless. He realized that this guy was incredibly sharp-tongued when he was talking, and he was no match for him at all. He quickly cut his losses and said, "I didn't say that."
Fang Jun turned to Xu Jingzong and asked, "Governor Xu's words are actually very reasonable. Dongting Lake and Liaodong are both imperial territories. Developing both in succession is a great thing that benefits the country and the people. We should help and support each other."
Xu Jingzong sensed something was wrong: "Helping each other?"
Fang Jun replied matter-of-factly, "That's right! Since Governor Xu is short of tools, I will send you a batch even though the foundry's production is limited. However, Liaodong is short of warm clothing and various herbs for treating colds, malaria, and external injuries. I hope Governor Xu can also send some. We should help each other out and share what we have. We can't let Liaodong make a one-sided contribution and only get a 'broad-minded' evaluation, can we?"
Li Ji lowered his head and drank his tea, ignoring everything and remaining silent.
Left with no other choice, Xu Jingzong cautiously inquired, "What does Liaodong lack?"
Fang Jun sighed, "We lack able-bodied men skilled in farming! The total strength of the various military units in Liaodong is about 200,000, but less than 80,000 of them know how to farm. The rest are barbarians who live by hunting and fishing. How would they know how to cultivate the land? So if Governor Xu could send 10,000 able-bodied men skilled in farming to Liaodong to guide those barbarians, it would definitely benefit the development of Liaodong. It would be a great achievement for the soldiers, the kind that can be recorded in history!"
"Ten thousand people?!"
Xu Jingzong's face darkened, and he waved his hands repeatedly: "I am also short of soldiers and generals! Although I have an imperial edict, the prefectures and counties around Yuezhou are making excuses and resisting. We lack food, supplies, equipment, and personnel... we lack everything. Where can we find manpower to support Liaodong?"
Fang Jun said with dissatisfaction: "Prefect Xu, are you afraid that after you send manpower to Liaodong, Liaodong's development progress will surpass yours? That's not right of you. We are all fighting for the country and the people, fighting against nature and the earth, reclaiming fertile land from the swamps and food from the wilderness. Our interests are aligned! Prefect Xu's evasive behavior and focus only on his own political achievements and merits is really selfish and narrow-minded!"
Li Ji: "..."
After taking a sip of tea, I suddenly felt restless.
Even if Xu Jingzong had no shame, he was unwilling to bear such a bad reputation, so he said helplessly, "Grand Commandant, you are joking. This humble official has absolutely no selfish intentions! I can only send five hundred men to Liaodong."
"Nine thousand!"
"...Six hundred, that's the most I can get!"
"Eight thousand!"
Xu Jingzong wiped his face: "A maximum of one thousand people. Take them or leave it!"
"make a deal!"
Fang Jun made the final decision: "In a few days, I will have someone sail up the Yangtze River to Yuezhou, pick up the person, and take them directly from Huating Town to Liaodong by sea."
Xu Jingzong nodded helplessly: "How many tools did the Grand Commandant provide for Dongting Lake?"
Fang Jun looked surprised: "Didn't we say that the foundry bureau has limited production capacity and no redundancy?"
Xu Jingzong: "..."
I thought I was shameless enough, but I never expected you, Fang Jun, to be even more shameless!
Li Ji, who was standing to the side, couldn't stand it anymore. He exclaimed, "How can you do this, Erlang? Governor Xu is magnanimous and has supported Liaodong. You should reciprocate appropriately. Otherwise, you'll only be a laughingstock."
Fang Jun said, "Will anyone laugh at us? Fine, then... we'll donate a hundred hoes!"
Li Ji: "..."
He was speechless. Xu Jingzong was shameless, and Fang Jun was a rogue. No one should say anything to the other.
Suddenly a commotion arose outside, followed by a servant rushing in, his face filled with grief: "The Prince has passed away..."
The four of them stood up together, their faces solemn, and filed out toward the main hall.
The sounds of weeping and wailing came from inside the hall. When the ministers saw the four of them arrive, they made way for them. When the four of them entered the hall, Li Chongyi stepped forward and said with a sorrowful face, "Father has just passed away."
Fang Jun, his face somber, came to the bedside, glanced at the body, and patted Li Chongyi on the shoulder: "Please accept my condolences. Let's proceed with the funeral according to procedure. We will stay in the outer room. If you need anything, just let us know... Don't forget to send someone to inform the palace first."
Li Chongyi's heart skipped a beat. In his grief, he almost forgot about the matter. He bowed to Fang Jun with gratitude and quickly went to arrange various matters.
Fortunately, Li Xiaogong was bedridden and medicine was ineffective for many days, so the household was well prepared and therefore, although busy, they were not flustered.
The main hall of the Prince's Mansion was temporarily set up as a mourning hall, and all the ministers went to the side hall.
The entire family was dressed in mourning clothes, and a group of Taoist priests performed rituals before the spirit tablet. The sounds of bells and chimes were melodious and sorrowful, incense smoke swirled, and cries of grief shook the heavens.
The life of the First Prince of the Imperial Clan came to an end.
When the emperor arrived, all the officials rose to greet him.
Dressed in plain robes and wearing a turban, Li Chengqian walked slowly to the altar. His gaze pierced through the swirling incense smoke as he looked at the body covered by a quilt behind the curtain, his heart heavy.
After offering three sticks of incense, they were escorted by Li Chongyi and others to the side hall to take their seats.
Fang Jun, Li Ji, and others took their seats, while Li Yuanjia, as the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court, was to participate in the funeral arrangements for the Prince's residence.
Li Chengqian looked around and saw that most of the civil and military officials were present. He then said, "The Prince is a famous general of the empire, a founding hero, and a pillar of the imperial family. His achievements shine throughout history. Why don't we discuss a posthumous title now to honor the Prince's achievements and give him a final recognition after his death?"
Military officers naturally wouldn't get involved in such matters, but the civil officials gathered together to discuss them.
The so-called "posthumous title" is a summary and final judgment of the life of a person of high status and position, using one or two words.
The concept of "posthumous titles" originated in ancient times. Initially, there were only "auspicious posthumous titles" and "neutral posthumous titles," and no "inauspicious posthumous titles." The distinction between good and bad posthumous titles arose after the Western Zhou Dynasty's Gonghe administration. King Li of Zhou was given the posthumous title "Li" because of his tyrannical rule, which was described as "preventing the people from speaking out more than preventing a river from overflowing." This can be considered the first "inauspicious posthumous title" in history.
"Auspicious posthumous titles" are "superior posthumous titles," "inauspicious posthumous titles" are "inferior posthumous titles," and the rest are "neutral posthumous titles."
Li Xiaogong's contributions to the country and his outstanding prestige naturally warranted a "superior posthumous title".
After a long discussion, Ma Zhou reported to His Majesty: "We have decided to use 'Yuan' as the posthumous title. What does Your Majesty think?"
Li Chengqian pondered: "Loyalty, solemnity, respect and virtuousness are called Yuan, and outstanding virtue and great achievements are called Yuan... Very good."
The posthumous titles were "Wen" and "Wu", and "Jing" and "Yuan" were also in this category.
He instructed Pei Huaijie: "Tomorrow, draft an imperial edict to bestow upon the Prince the posthumous title of 'Yuan,' grant him the title of 'Minister of Works,' and all other honors and rewards, and bestow upon him the utmost honors."
"Here."
Pei Huaijie bowed and accepted the order.
Fang Jun was somewhat lost in thought. He was thinking that his actions had both contributed to the development and progress of China and restricted imperial power and made him harsh on the emperor. He could be said to have received both praise and criticism. He wondered what kind of "posthumous title" he would be given when he died.
Although I have acted solely according to my heart and the correct trajectory of historical development throughout my life, disregarding slander and attacks, the merits and demerits of this life will be judged by history.
But as a Chinese person, who can be completely indifferent to their reputation before and after death?
A person's posthumous name is often more important than their name during life.
Although nowadays there's a tradition of "avoiding offending those in positions of authority," and it's generally unlikely that someone would be given a derogatory posthumous title, who knows...
Although Li Xiaogong was only a "Prince of the Second Rank," his prestige and achievements far surpassed those of most princes. He was a "founding member of the imperial family" and a "pillar of the royal family." His funeral was held to the highest standards, with carriages and horses lining the gates. Members of the imperial family, military officers, civil officials, and aristocratic families came to pay their respects in an endless stream.
Fang Xuanling, who had retired from officialdom many years ago, also came to pay his respects. Accompanied by Fang Jun, he offered incense and bowed before the coffin. He was deeply saddened by the atmosphere and felt very moved.
Even before the spring of the ninth year of Renhe arrived, many meritorious officials of the Zhenguan era could still feel the chill of winter.
It seems that, without us even realizing it, that era of heroes and outstanding figures has begun to gradually come to an end.