RPAGF Chapter 31 Fang Xuanling resigns from his official post, Li Shimin reminisces about the past.
Chapter 31 Fang Xuanling resigns from his official post, Li Shimin reminisces about the past.
Fang Xuanling's residence.
Fang Xuanling was sitting at his desk writing the Book of Jin, while Fang Yi'ai stood by his side.
Chief eunuch Wang De came to read the imperial edict.
Fang Xuanling and Fang Yi'ai quickly knelt down to receive the imperial edict.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Fang Xuanling is well-versed in literature, possesses exceptional wisdom and upright character; therefore, he is appointed concurrently as the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, instructing the Crown Prince in his studies. This is the imperial decree!"
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness!" Fang Xuanling said, kowtowing.
After Wang Dexuan finished reading the imperial edict, he handed it to Fang Xuanling.
Fang Xuanling respectfully received it with both hands, raised it high above his head, and then slowly stood up.
Wang De smiled and said, "This old servant congratulates Duke Wei on his promotion to Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. Your status in the court is now unmatched."
"Congratulations! You've worked hard, Eunuch Wang. Please take this money and buy some tea."
As Fang Xuanling spoke, he took a package out of his pocket and handed it to Wang De.
Wang De took the money; it was heavy, worth at least a thousand taels of silver. "Duke of Wei, I've spent your money quite a bit already, how can I accept this?"
"Eunuch Wang, there's no need to be so polite!"
"Alright then, in that case, I'll accept it. Thank you! Goodbye!"
As he spoke, Wang De put the package into his pocket and walked away happily.
After Wang De had walked away, Fang Yi'ai asked, "Father, Wang De wasn't just here to spread the imperial edict, was it really necessary for you to give him so much money?"
"Although Wang De is just a eunuch, he serves the emperor day and night and can speak to the emperor at any time. He is extremely popular now. How can we despise someone like him?"
If he speaks well of us to the Emperor sooner or later, our family will prosper.
On the contrary, if he continues to speak ill of our family in front of the Emperor, then our family's calamity is not far off.
"Father's words are correct."
Fang Xuanling looked at the national history document on the desk, sighed, and asked Fang Yi'ai, "What is your opinion on the Emperor's decision to appoint your father as the Crown Prince's tutor?"
"Your father's talent and wisdom are admired by all the officials. The position of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince is of a very high status. Since the Emperor has decreed that you should take on this position, then you should go to the Eastern Palace to teach the Crown Prince."
Fang Xuanling shook his head in disappointment after hearing Fang Yi'ai's words: "You're not a child anymore. Why do you speak without thinking before you act?"
Have you ever wondered what the true meaning behind the Emperor's decree is?
"I don't know!" Fang Yi'ai felt quite bad after being criticized by his father. He thought to himself, who wouldn't want to be the Crown Prince's tutor?
Does that mean you'd rather not hold an official position?
Fang Xuanling, with his head down and hands behind his back, paced back and forth in the hall: "As a subject, you must understand the Emperor's intentions."
Now, Crown Prince Li Chengqian and Prince Yue Li Tai are engaged in open and covert struggles, and the Emperor favors Li Tai.
Don't forget, Li Chengqian's maternal uncle is Changsun Wuji.
"Didn't Changsun Wuji already resign from his official post?"
"In officialdom, one's career may rise or fall; some rise while others fall, and this is all normal."
Empress Zhangsun, the younger sister of Zhangsun Wuji, and Crown Prince Li Chengqian, who was highly trusted by the Emperor, would have found it easy to become an official if he wanted to.
He was clever enough to know when to withdraw from office, so he resigned. However, his current resignation doesn't mean he won't serve in office in the future; he's simply observing the political situation from the shadows.
"Isn't he your sworn brother?"
"He was my father's brother in life and death, that was in the past, but it's hard to say what will happen in the future."
If Li Chengqian were to inherit the throne in the future, who do you think he would appoint to important positions?
Fang Yi'ai listened and thought for a moment: "Since Changsun Wuji is his uncle, he will definitely give Changsun Wuji an important position."
"You're right about that. But then another problem arises: if he promotes Changsun Wuji, where will our family's standing be?"
Fang Yi'ai thought about it and agreed. Once Li Chengqian became emperor, there was no doubt that Changsun Wuji would become the chief minister, and his father would be overshadowed by Changsun Wuji: "At that time, our family's status will definitely be below that of the Changsun family."
"Yes, I remember that before the Emperor ascended the throne, Changsun Wuji was just a marginal figure in the Guanlong aristocratic group. After the Emperor ascended the throne, he gradually became the representative figure of the Guanlong aristocratic group."
Once he takes power, he will definitely suppress us;
Compared to Changsun Wuji, we have no advantage in terms of background, and we are not related to the Emperor.
This is why I asked you to befriend Li Tai. Li Tai isn't the crown prince yet. If we can help him seize the throne in the future, he'll definitely need to rely on our family once he becomes emperor.
Upon hearing this, Fang Yi'ai seemed to understand.
He slapped his forehead: "Father is absolutely right!"
Fang Xuanling stroked his beard, thought for a moment, and asked, "Have you been in contact with Li Tai recently?"
"Father, the King of Yue came to see me before he left for Yangzhou."
"What did you all talk about?"
Fang Yi'ai then recounted to Fang Xuanling what Li Tai had discussed with him.
After listening, Fang Xuanling nodded: "You see, although the Prince of Yue is young, he is much more mature in his thinking than you are."
Upon hearing this, Fang Yi'ai looked ashamed and said, "The King of Yue was indeed very thoughtful."
"Do everything as the King of Yue says. Also, you must record what happens in Chang'an and the palace every day and send it to the King of Yue by fast horse so that he can know everything happening in Chang'an as soon as possible."
"Yes, Father!"
Fang Xuanling pondered for a moment, then picked up his pen and wrote a memorial to Li Shimin.
night.
Lizheng Hall.
Li Shimin stormed up to Empress Zhangsun and handed her the memorial written by Fang Xuanling.
Empress Zhangsun didn't know why Li Shimin was angry, and she felt a surge of nervousness.
She took the memorial, opened it, and read that it said, "Your Majesty, I am twenty years older than you and over fifty years old. Over the years, as Your Majesty has fought in the north and south, I have been exhausted from my travels and my health has deteriorated. I am often ill, and in rainy weather, I suffer from backaches and pains all over my body. Since taking office, I have worked tirelessly day and night, as if walking on thin ice, fearing that I might fail Your Majesty's expectations. Fortunately, so far, no major mistakes have occurred."
His Majesty has appointed me to oversee the compilation of the national history, to be the chief editor of the Book of Jin, and to work with Changsun Wuji to compile the Zhenguan Code. These tasks are already enough to keep this humble subject busy.
Furthermore, I am of limited talent and lack virtue, and I fear that I may be hindering the Crown Prince's studies. Therefore, I dare not accept the position of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. I beg Your Majesty to find someone more capable. I kneel and thank Your Majesty for your grace!
"Your Majesty, what exactly does this old man mean? He actually refuses to be the Crown Prince's tutor."
After reading it, Empress Zhangsun frowned and slowly said, "Fang Xuanling passed the imperial examination at the age of eighteen, which was a sensation at the time. His talent was evident to all the civil and military officials."
In his memorial, he stated that he was old and in poor health, which were objective reasons. However, I believe these may not be the primary reasons.
"Why is that?"
"Fang Xuanling is cautious in his dealings. I believe the reason he is not very willing to get too close to Chengqian is because he is worried that he will be accused of being part of the Crown Prince's faction by the ministers in the court."
After hearing this, Li Shimin nodded: "Alright, since he is unwilling to be the Crown Prince's tutor, I will not force him."
"Your Majesty, I have heard that Fang Xuanling's second son, Fang Yi'ai, is on good terms with Li Tai."
"Oh, is that so?"
"Your Majesty, do you think this is just a coincidence? Does it have nothing to do with Fang Xuanling?"
Li Shimin pondered for a moment, then seemed to understand something: "How about this, you rest first, I will go to the Zichen Palace and have Wang De invite Fang Xuanling over, I will have a good talk with him."
"Then don't chat too late, get some rest. Be mindful of your words."
"I understand."
Fang Xuanling was preparing to rest at home when Wang De arrived, delivering an imperial edict ordering him to enter the palace immediately to meet the emperor.
Fang Xuanling dared not delay, quickly put on his official robes, and went to the Zichen Palace with Wang De.
On the way, Fang Xuanling asked, "Eunuch Wang, it's so late, why does His Majesty summon me to the palace?"
"This old servant doesn't know either."
"And what did you think of the Emperor's expression?"
"His Majesty's face is somber; he doesn't seem to be doing well."
Upon hearing this, Fang Xuanling's heart skipped a beat, wondering if it was related to his memorial to the throne.
Zichen Palace.
Li Shimin was sitting at his desk reviewing memorials.
Upon arriving, Fang Xuanling knelt on the ground and exclaimed, "Long live the Emperor!"
Li Shimin looked down at him and said, "My dear minister, you may rise and dismount."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Please have a seat and serve tea."
Wang De moved a chair for Fang Xuanling and brewed him a cup of green tea.
Fang Xuanling then sat down: "I wonder why Your Majesty has summoned me here?"
Li Shimin put down the memorial in his hand, waved to Wang De, who understood and withdrew.
At this moment, only Li Shimin and Fang Xuanling remained in the hall.
Li Shimin's expression softened slightly: "Actually, it's nothing much. I'm just feeling down and it reminded me of the past, so I invited you over for a chat."
Upon hearing Li Shimin's words, Fang Xuanling felt relieved.
"If I remember correctly, we met in Weibei. You were thirty-nine years old that year, and I was nineteen."
Upon hearing this, Fang Xuanling was deeply moved: "Your Majesty, what a good memory! I never expected that after so many years, Your Majesty would still remember it so clearly. I am truly flattered."
Li Shimin pulled up a chair and sat down next to Fang Xuanling, and said earnestly, "I remember back then, we were conquering the world and gradually eliminating the separatist forces of various lords."
Before I met you, I was often worried about money, food and soldiers. I was often short of funds. Sometimes I didn't have enough food, sometimes I didn't have enough money, and sometimes I couldn't keep up with the demand for soldiers. I was really at my wit's end.
Later, I met you, and everything changed, just like when Liu Bang met Xiao He.
When Liu Bang was in Pei County, Xiao He and Cao Shen recommended him to become the Duke of Pei. Without their recommendation, how could Liu Bang have become the Duke of Pei?
This was the first step in Liu Bang's three-step journey from Duke of Pei to King of Han, and then to Emperor, and this first step was very important to him.
King Huai of Chu, Xiong Xin, ordered Liu Bang to lead an army westward on a campaign, while Xiang Yu marched north to rescue Zhao; they also agreed that "whoever first enters and pacifies Guanzhong will be king."
Liu Bang was the first to capture Xianyang. While the other generals and ministers were scrambling for gold and silver treasures, only Xiao He entered the palace and obtained important documents, household registers and other important information for Liu Bang.
According to the agreement made with King Huai, Liu Bang should have been the King of Guanzhong. However, Xiang Yu did not agree and instead enfeoffed Liu Bang as the King of Hanzhong.
Hanzhong, Ba, and Shu were remote places. If Liu Bang had acted according to his temperament, he would have wanted to fight Xiang Yu's 400,000 troops with his 100,000 men. But Xiao He stopped him.
Xiao He accompanied him to Hanzhong, where they recruited soldiers and gradually increased their strength in Nanzheng.
Xiao He was good at recognizing talent and recommended Han Xin to Liu Bang as a general. Later, Han Xin used the strategy of "openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing Chencang" to launch an attack from Hanzhong and compete with Xiang Yu for the world.
During the four-year war against Xiang Yu, Xiao He diligently guarded the rear, constantly supplying Liu Bang with money, provisions, horses, and soldiers. It was thanks to Xiao He's strong support that Liu Bang finally defeated Xiang Yu and established his imperial dynasty.
Therefore, Liu Bang later appointed Xiao He as his first meritorious official, making him one of the Three Heroes of the early Han Dynasty.
After hearing Li Shimin recount this period of history, Fang Xuanling was deeply moved.
Li Shimin continued, "Similarly, without your strong support, how could I be where I am today?"
Later, especially during the Xuanwu Gate Incident, it was your strategy that enabled me to succeed.
My gratitude to you is truly beyond words.
Recalling the past vividly, Fang Xuanling was also warmed by Li Shimin's words.
"Your Majesty, those are all things of the past. Why bring them up again? Besides, it is my honor to serve Your Majesty."
If I had not met Your Majesty, I might have grown old and desolate in the mountains, and who in the world would know my name?
"In my opinion, your contributions surpass those of Xiao He. You are not only my purse, but you have also recruited a large number of talented people for me, such as the resourceful Zhang Liang, the quick-witted Xue Shou, the reliable Li Daliang, and the talented Du Ruhui. It is because of your discerning eye that you recommended them to me that my strength has gradually increased."
"Your Majesty, I believe you are half right."
"Oh, why do you say that?"
"The people Your Majesty just mentioned are indeed outstanding talents. However, they were fortunate to have met a wise ruler like Your Majesty, so their talents were fully utilized and they achieved certain accomplishments."
If Your Majesty lacks the magnanimity and breadth of mind to utilize talented individuals, what use are they, no matter how great their abilities?
During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the State of Wei had the most talented people, such as Wu Qi, Shang Yang, Fan Ju, and Zhang Yi. Each of these people was a top talent, and any one of them could have made Wei rich and powerful.
Unfortunately, the rulers of Wei lacked the magnanimity to utilize talent. They feared that these individuals would surpass them, were unable to take on responsibilities, and even suppressed and persecuted them.
These people were frustrated in the state of Wei, unable to display their talents or realize their ambitions. In the end, one by one they left Wei and went to other states. Wu Qi went to the state of Chu, while the other three all went to the state of Qin. This is how Qin gradually became powerful and eventually unified the six states.
Therefore, while talent is important, what is even more important is the way a monarch uses talent. He must be able to tolerate people's shortcomings, make use of their strengths, acknowledge their advantages, and allow them to surpass him in certain aspects.
As the saying goes, "The ocean is great because it accepts all rivers."