noveltune Chapter 5513 Second Brother is Mighty
Chapter 5513 Second Brother is Mighty
Chapter 5513 Second Brother is Mighty
The main hall of the Fang family mansion was filled with laughter and cheerful conversation.
Under Fang Jun's protection, Fang Xiaomei arrived at the Imperial Clan Court first, completed the reporting of the entry of the Crown Prince Li Guan into the Imperial Register, and received some rewards prepared in advance by His Majesty. She then took a carriage back to the Fang family residence in Chongrenfang, where the whole family had been waiting for a long time.
Upon entering the mansion, they saw the aging Madam Lu standing at the entrance to greet them. Fang Xiaomei handed Li Guan to a maidservant and ran up to hug her mother tightly. The two of them burst into tears.
After crying for a while, Madam Lu stroked her daughter's temples, cupped her face, and looked her up and down, left and right. Although she saw the weariness and dust of a long journey, her eyes were clear, her face was bright and radiant, and she was full of vitality. Only then did Madam Lu feel completely relieved.
My youngest daughter has always been by my side, almost inseparable from me since she was a baby. Now that she's married, she's suddenly gone thousands of miles away. It feels like a piece of my flesh has been torn out of me. I'm heartbroken and miss her day and night. I'm afraid that my daughter is suffering in a foreign land, that she might be wronged, or that one day I might suddenly receive bad news from afar...
This was by no means an unfounded worry. In an era when transportation and medical care were extremely backward, many times a hasty farewell between relatives and friends would result in death.
Now that I see my precious little girl, whom I have cherished since childhood, appear before me in perfect condition, how can I control my emotions?
Fang Xiaomei hugged her mother and cried for a while, then kowtowed to her father. After getting up, she greeted her sisters-in-law with tears in her eyes, saying, "Thank you, sisters-in-law, for taking care of my parents on my behalf." She then presented each of them with the gifts she had brought back from Chiang Kai-shek.
Wu Meiniang, who had just returned to the capital from Huating Town a few days earlier, held Fang Xiaomei's hand and sighed, "When I married into the Fang family, Xiaomei was still a child, innocent and carefree. Now, in the blink of an eye, she has become a married woman and a mother. Time really flies. Life between heaven and earth is like a white horse passing through a crack, gone in an instant."
Princess Gaoyang leaned closer and whispered with a smile, "You wouldn't be envious of your younger sister being the Queen of a nation, would you?"
The two were like sisters, and naturally knew each other's personalities well. They understood Wu Meiniang's lofty ambitions all too well. Although she now controlled the "business" and held great power, with millions of strings of cash at her disposal, how could she possibly compare to a queen?
Wu Meiniang smiled brightly: "If I really had such a wish, it wouldn't be difficult. India is full of city-states, in complete chaos. A single navy could easily land and conquer them. Let alone a queen, what difficulty would there be in establishing my own country and becoming a king? Furthermore, there is vast land north of Fulin, with numerous small kingdoms rising up. I could easily establish a kingdom anywhere I wanted... But if I were to go thousands of miles away, I would inevitably have to leave my husband's side, and I couldn't bear to do that."
Women have always admired strength, whether they are ladies from noble families or queens.
Historically, it was only after Emperor Gaozong's death that Wu Zetian, with nowhere else to place her emotions, developed a desire to seize the throne...
Now that she has a warm family, children around her, a loving husband, and a huge business like "Merchant Company" to satisfy her "political desires," why should she want to get involved in imperial ambitions?
Fang Yize and Fang Yiyi also came forward, smiling and greeting Fang Xiaomei, shamelessly asking for gifts, only to be scolded by Madam Lu...
Fang Xuanling and Fang Jun sat in chairs drinking tea, watching their children make a ruckus with smiles, and asked, "Is your eldest brother not coming back this year?"
Fang Jun smiled and said, "King Wei established a branch of Zhenguan Academy in Fusang and appointed my elder brother as its chief minister to promote Confucianism throughout the country. My elder brother has been traveling all over Fusang and is now riding high on his success. He sent word that he won't be back for several years."
Fang Xuanling, thinking of his eldest son's somewhat pedantic personality, was a little worried: "How can your elder brother's learning be enough to serve as the chief minister of a country?"
Fang Jun explained, "The so-called 'Chancellor' is responsible for organizing and setting up academies in various places, and does not need to be particularly knowledgeable."
Fang Xuanling nodded, indicating that he understood.
Ultimately, the eldest son's position as "Chancellor" was not based on his own ability, but rather on Li Tai using the eldest son's name to gain Fang Jun's support...
However, given the eldest son's dullness and complacency, the fact that he was able to accomplish such a task makes his life worthwhile.
Moreover, between brothers and fathers and sons, how can it be clearly calculated who takes advantage of whom or who benefits from whom?
Leveraging external resources is the norm.
“Your elder brother is somewhat pedantic and straightforward, and is not really suited for a career in officialdom. You should take good care of him. If things really don’t work out, let him return to his hometown and study in seclusion.”
Fang Xuanling entered officialdom at a young age and rose through the ranks to become the prime minister of the empire during a time of war and chaos. Naturally, he had an extremely profound understanding of officialdom. Although he hoped that his eldest son could also achieve great things, he was well aware of his son's weaknesses. It was secondary that he might suffer some losses or be tricked; the real trouble would be if his son were used as a weapon to attack Fang Junzhi.
Fang Jun understood the reasoning behind it and comforted him, saying, "Father, please rest assured. Apart from Fusang, all the vassal states will establish special institutions to teach Confucianism in order to promote the process of assimilation. This system is relatively pure and there is not so much infighting, which is just right for you to realize your ambitions, elder brother."
Fang Xuanling said no more: "You can decide for yourself."
His son may not be as politically astute as him, but the foundation he has built is so deep that he doesn't need any schemes or grand plans. As long as he proceeds steadily and slowly, no one in the court can stand against him.
In particular, his recent statement that "the earth is round" provoked the anger of Confucian scholars. When Confucian scholars launched a fierce attack and the world criticized him, he calmed down and retreated. This strategy has already demonstrated the qualities of a mature politician.
He was very relieved.
A smile of satisfaction appeared on her face. With such a son, what more could a husband ask for?
"ah!"
The sisters-in-law, who were holding hands and chatting intimately, suddenly exclaimed in surprise. It was Fang Xiaomei, who seemed to have heard something incredible. Her beautiful eyes widened, and her pretty face was full of disbelief: "Is Your Highness really telling the truth?"
Fang Xuanling and Fang Jun both looked over.
Princess Gaoyang nodded and leaned over to whisper in Fang Xiaomei's ear.
As Fang Xiaomei listened, she stared wide-eyed at Fang Jun.
Fang Jun's heart skipped a beat, and he knew something was wrong.
Sure enough, after listening to a few words, Fang Xiaomei asked her brother with great surprise, "Is His Highness Jinyang really pregnant?"
Madam Lu, who had been holding her grandson Li Guan with a beaming smile, immediately turned cold upon hearing this.
Fang Xuanling snorted angrily, all the joy and relief he had felt just moments before, when he thought "with such a son, what more could a husband ask for?" was gone. Instead, his face turned frosty and filled with disdain. He got up and stormed off.
Fang Jun: "..."
He sighed helplessly as he watched his younger sister smirking.
That smile hardly suggests disdain for his brother.
It's clearly saying "Second Brother is mighty!"
The reason she brought this up in public to deliberately anger her father was to "vent" for her sisters-in-law, so that the sisters-in-law could be of one mind and the family could be harmonious.
The father was naturally not truly angry with him over this matter. The reason he left the table was to make a statement to his daughters-in-law: Although I am too old to control him, I strongly condemn this son's outrageous behavior...
The family reunion was achieved, but Fang Jun was the only one who was injured.
……
After dinner, Fang Jun and his younger sister sat in the flower hall drinking tea and talking about various matters concerning the Jiang Kingdom.
"Since my second brother returned to the capital, the king has been reorganizing the army and preparing for war against Pyu. At the same time, he has sent people to infiltrate Pyu to spy or bribe, trying every means to collect intelligence and information, so as to ensure that the attack is decisive and foolproof."
Fang Xiaomei handed a small booklet to her brother in a gentle tone.
Fang Jun nodded, took the booklet, and opened it to read. It contained detailed records of Chiang Kai-shek's current troop strength, weaponry, and food reserves, as well as the situation of the Pyu Kingdom's regime, details of its troop deployment, and military strength. It even included the results of a sand table simulation conducted with Xue Yuanchao and others.
He then praised, "Now that King Jiang has taken up his post in the countryside, his former impetuousness has diminished considerably. He is able to calm down and do things steadily, which is truly commendable."
The successor to the empire is to be cultivated from a young age. How to govern the country, how to reorganize the military, and how to manage ministers all require a long period of learning and practice. But the princes are the opposite. Even a monarch like Emperor Taizong, who placed high hopes on each of his sons, would try to reduce the education of the princes to prevent them from developing any ambitions.
Even when he was deeply disappointed with the crown prince and determined to change the heir apparent, he did not provide much guidance to Prince Wei, Li Tai, and Prince Jin, Li Zhi, on how to be good rulers.
For a son like Jiang Wang, born out of wedlock, it was like herding sheep...
Therefore, throughout history, there have been very few "wise princes" among the princes of all dynasties, while "tyrannical princes" and "incompetent princes" were commonplace.
Li Yun, after being enfeoffed in the Jiang Kingdom, did not lose himself in power and wealth or indulge in pleasure. Instead, he made continuous progress through learning and practice, which was indeed somewhat unexpected.
Fang Xiaomei covered her mouth and laughed: "Second Brother, do you know why His Majesty is so self-disciplined and ambitious?"
Fang Jun asked, puzzled, "What is the reason?"
Fang Xiaomei smiled and said, "Because he doesn't want to be the 'man behind the queen,' hehe!"
Fang Jun: "..."
It turned out to be the case.
The younger sister was intelligent and shrewd from a young age. Coupled with the foundation he had laid for her in the Jiang Kingdom, Li Yun's royal power faced a great challenge. Although the couple were loving and without suspicion, Li Yun, as the son of Emperor Taizong, still had his pride and refused to lie low and enjoy the ridicule. Therefore, he could only strive to improve himself and try to match his wife's prestige.
It was a pleasant surprise.
However, Fang Jun still cautioned, "It's good to put some pressure on Prince Jiang to motivate him, but too much of a good thing can be bad. You must be careful not to overdo it. The arrangements I made were to prevent you from suffering in a foreign land, not to let you rely on your strength to rebel against the Heavenly Gang. Li Yun is not only Prince Jiang, but also your husband. You must give him the respect he deserves. Only when he becomes arrogant, extravagant, and unable to uphold his principles should you give him a good beating."
Fang Xiaomei nodded obediently: "I understand the reasoning behind this. I usually don't manage much affairs in the palace, I just ask the gold mine to come to the palace to report every day."
The gold mine was the foundation of her livelihood, given to her by her second brother. As long as the gold mine existed, her position in Chiang Kai-shek's country would be unshakeable. Why would she need to jump around and slap Li Yun in the face all day long?