Joy of Life: I am Li Chengze, and I have mastered the Eight Wonders

Chapter 23: Being in harmony with the world, the way of being an official

In the night before bidding farewell to Prime Minister Lin's residence, Fan Xian and Wang Qinian rode in a carriage together. In their hands, they held not only the list given by their father-in-law, but also the teachings that were deeply engraved in their hearts:
"To be in harmony with the world is the way to be an official, which is different from the way to rule the world..."

He murmured to himself, but in fact he was struggling internally over whether he should follow his father-in-law's wishes and get involved in the muddy waters of cheating in the imperial examination.

At the same time, his thoughts drifted to the Yannian Palace, hoping that the Second Prince would bring back a decisive decree from His Majesty.

"My father-in-law still entrusted me with this important task even though he knew I was unwilling to do so."

Fan Xian's self-talk was a torture of his own choice. He kept replaying the scene of poor students studying hard under the dim yellow lamps in the examination room in his mind, and his blood boiled:

“Minister Lin’s words were meant to persuade me to be patient, but if I just go with the flow, wouldn’t I also become one of those numb people?
If I stand up now, I will face a lot of controversy, but I am also speaking out for justice.”

Wang Qinian looked troubled and consoled him: "If you can get through this, your future will be limitless."

Fan Xian smiled bitterly and shook his head to refute:
"If the officialdom of Qing Kingdom is like this, the road ahead is full of thorns, and my relatives and friends desert me, why do I need this future?
Fortunately, the Second Prince is always with me, otherwise I would have been imprisoned long ago."

Hearing this, Wang Qinian smiled bitterly: "Sir, you have done your best, no one will blame you."

It was dark at night. Fan Xian stepped out of the carriage and looked towards the imperial city from afar. He felt an urge to go to the palace to find out what was going on.

But reason told him that he could only wait for good news. "They have come from afar, and the Spring Examination is not only a test, but also the light of hope in their hearts."

At this moment, Chen Pingping quietly appeared pushing a wheelchair, and his voice sounded particularly deep in the night wind:
"Even when life is hard, people still yearn for light. If even this little bit of light disappears..."

Fan Xian walked to the stone tablet of the Supervisory Council and stared at the words left by Ye Qingmei, his heart surging:
"If the light is lost, the people of Qing will be trapped in darkness forever, and the country will no longer exist."

Chen Pingping nodded, with nostalgia in his eyes: "When your mother was alive, she not only wanted to change the world, but also wanted to purify people's hearts.

She was like a meteor streaking across the night sky, or like a blazing flame, lighting up every corner of Qing. Many people were awakened and changed because of her. "

Fan Xian pondered for a moment and asked:

"If my mother were still alive, she would definitely do the same thing, right? Even if she died, she would not regret it. However, the light and inscriptions she left behind have now been gradually forgotten..."

“She never regretted it.”

Chen Pingping said firmly, "She was just afraid that her light was not bright enough to illuminate more people's hearts."

Suddenly, Chen Pingping changed the subject:
"Your Majesty has summoned the Second Prince." Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope flashed in Fan Xian's eyes:
"Perhaps a turning point is just around the corner?" Chen Pingping remained cautious: "It will take some time to verify. After daybreak, you can ask the Second Prince for confirmation in person.

The heart of an emperor is unfathomable, so don’t be too optimistic too soon.”

Fan Xian looked at the stone tablet and made up his mind:
"No matter what the outcome, I will stand by the Second Prince's side. Even if I face hostility from the entire court, I will shoulder it all, just to complete the unfinished business of my mother and I."

Chen Pingping smiled and nodded, looking towards the dark sky: "Dawn will eventually come."

……

Fan Xian, who had not slept all night, drove to the palace with Wang Qinian at dawn and waited in front of the Yannian Palace. He requested to be notified:

"Xie Bian, please inform me that Fan Xian wants to see you."

A moment later, Li Chengze appeared in front of him with a tired but determined look.

The two smiled at each other. There was no need for further words. The tacit understanding and understanding were evident.

"Your Highness, thank you for your hard work last night."

Fan Xian said softly, his heart filled with gratitude. He knew that the Second Prince had also stayed up all night arguing with His Majesty over the matter of the Spring Examination.

"I met with His Majesty last night and finally got his approval." There was a barely perceptible hint of pride and relief in Li Chengze's words.

"Really?" Fan Xian's eyes flashed with surprise when he heard this.

Li Chengze confirmed:

"It is certain that His Majesty will officially announce it at the court meeting, supporting us in cleaning up the malpractices in the Spring Examination Hall, striving for justice for the scholars of Qing Country, and lighting a ray of hope for this land."

After hearing this, Fan Xian was extremely excited, with a gleam in his little eyes. The look he gave the Second Prince was filled with joy and deep gratitude for sharing the same ideals.

He knew very well that without the Second Prince's full support, he would never dare to get involved in this muddy water.

"Your Highness the Second Prince, on behalf of all scholars, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to you." Fan Xian said sincerely.

"We have worked hard together." Li Chengze smiled slightly and then changed the subject.
"However, even though the Spring Examination has been approved by His Majesty, we still need to make careful preparations to prevent any unexpected events. In particular, we must ensure that my second brother and aunt will not cause any trouble."

Fan Xian immediately responded: "Please give me your instructions, Your Highness."

"I need you to call Fan Sizhe and Guo Baokun back from Northern Qi."

Li Chengze mentioned the two partners who left "heroic" deeds in Northern Qi, especially Guo Baokun, whose family background will be of great help.

Upon hearing this, Fan Xian couldn't help but wonder:
"Your Highness, especially Guo Baokun, and my troublesome brother, what use are they...?"

"It's not them themselves, but the power behind them."

Li Chengze explained, "Especially Guo Baokun's father, the former Minister Guo Youzhi, whose influence cannot be underestimated."

"Besides, there are no good people in your family. The key is that there are many good people in your family."

This made Fan Xian even more confused, and he asked, "What do you mean by that, Your Highness?"

When talking about family, Fan Xian was naturally particularly concerned. Li Chengze changed the subject and said half-jokingly:

"Your family has everything from pornography, gambling and drugs, but the "pornography, gambling and drugs" here refers to something else."

"Prostitution, gambling and drugs? What does this mean?" Fan Xian looked confused.

"Let's talk about 'yellow' first. Baoyue Tower, do you know who is the boss behind it?" Li Chengze raised his eyebrows and asked, "Fan Sizhe is related to this brothel. It's not too much to say that he is 'yellow', right?"

Fan Xian was speechless, after all, the facts were before him.

Then, Li Chengze stretched out his second finger: "Let's talk about gambling again. Your fiancée Lin Wan'er is actually a master of swindling. Do you believe it?"

"This... is absolutely impossible!" Fan Xian was extremely shocked. Lin Wan'er's gentle image was far from the master of cheating he described.

"Don't believe it? Go back and try it and you'll know. She's like the God of Gamblers in the movies. She can turn any card into three at will. When she plays Pai Gow, no one can see through her tricks."

Fan Xian: “…”

Seeing Li Chengze's confident tone, Fan Xian was speechless!
"Let's talk about poison last!"

"You are Fei Jie's apprentice, and poison is your label. Am I wronging you?"

"So, it's wrong to say that your family is involved in prostitution, gambling and drugs?"

Li Chengze then continued to stretch out his third finger and made an OK gesture.

(End of this chapter)