novelraw Chapter 1957 Predicament
Chapter 1957 Predicament
Chapter 1957 Predicament
"The Crown Prince's wife is quick-witted and admirable." Another nanny smiled and said, "The lady was originally a noblewoman from the capital, but I suppose she is not as well-versed in etiquette as the young ladies from Miluo, so it is understandable that she behaves improperly."
Before she could finish speaking, Fang Zilan walked up to her. "What did you say, Granny?"
“The rules of Dajing are indeed different from those of Miluo. The Fang family of the Prime Minister’s residence…” The nanny had barely opened her mouth when she was slapped by Fang Zilan. The crisp sound of the slap startled everyone present.
"In my family, the Fang family of the Prime Minister's residence, my eldest sister is the Empress of the Great Capital, and my second sister is the Duchess of Jin." Fang Zilan shook her reddened palm. "Are you looking down on the Fang family, the Pei family, or even His Majesty of the Great Capital with these words, Granny?"
She spoke slowly and deliberately, each word dripping with sternness. The old woman who had been slapped was already stunned, while the other old woman continued to defy her fate, saying, "The Duke of Jin is dead, so there's no such thing as the Duchess of Jin. She's just a jinx to her husbands..."
Fang Zilan slapped him again with her backhand, "Granny, although I, Fang Zilan, am weak and unable to take care of myself, if anyone dares to say a bad word about the Fang family in front of me, I will fight them to the death."
She struck hard; finger marks instantly appeared on the faces of the two old women, leaving them red and swollen.
Seeing that Fang Zilan and the head maid were about to clash, Princess Chen couldn't help but try to smooth things over, saying, "Zilan cares about her family, which is only natural. Please don't..."
"Caring for family?" The old woman, her face swollen high, vented her anger on Chen Shi. "Your Highness, this new bride not only disobeys the rules but also frequently resorts to violence. She deserves to be confined to her quarters. How dare you say she cares for her family?"
"Granny, I'm the one who hit you. If you have any problems, come at me." Fang Zilan glanced at the nanny who spoke with disdain. "Don't make things difficult for the Princess."
"What nonsense is the young master's wife talking about? I..." The nanny was about to argue when Murong Xun said in a deep voice, "Enough."
He was, after all, a man of battle and blood. Even though he was not as powerful as before, his intimidating presence remained, so much so that the two old women dared not even breathe.
"General Meng, please go and fetch the medicine." The speaker was Murong Qing. Meng Tingyang, who was guarding outside the door, responded and went to fetch the ointment in a short while.
"Give me your hand." Without waiting for a reply, Murong Qing pulled Fang Zilan down to sit, then took her hand and gently applied the medicine to her.
Fang Zilan subconsciously tried to pull her hand back, but Murong Qing held it even tighter. "Sister, these hands of yours should be taken good care of. They are not suitable for shouting and killing. If there is anything like this in the future, just tell someone else to do it."
“Young Master…” Fang Zilan pursed her lips, feeling that Murong Qing’s words had ulterior motives. From the moment he saw her hands, he should have known that they were not the hands of someone kept hidden away in seclusion.
She had been wielding a sword for many years, and her hands were covered in calluses and wounds. She had not treated them before marrying into the Zhongzheng Prince's Mansion, because she had never expected such a moment to come.
Seeing this, the two old women hesitated, exchanged glances, and were about to say something when they heard Murong Xun say, "Qing'er, the new bride, has injured her hand and should not go to the main residence. Please return home, both of you."
Fang Zilan sat in the main seat and said, "My lords, if you feel that it is only natural for the widowed and orphaned to be treated like this, please stand on the left. If you feel that the widowed and orphaned are being mistreated and are in a difficult situation, please stand on the right."
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone in the hall stood on the left, except for Wu Sheng who stood on the right, and Yang Zhiqing who stood in the middle, caught in a dilemma.
"Lord Yang, why don't you choose?" Fang Zilan asked calmly, while Yang Zhiqing looked troubled. "I..." He hesitated for a long time before saying, "Lord Fang, could you allow me to think about it some more?"
Fang Zilan said noncommittally, "Since you've already formed two sides, why don't you have a debate and see what the other side's reasoning is, and whether it can convince people?"
"Lord Fang, are you suggesting we reason with you?" One of them finally realized what was going on. Fang Zilan nodded and sneered, "With such a large disparity in numbers, what's the point of reasoning?"
"A large number of people doesn't necessarily mean you're right." Fang Zilan's voice rose a few decibels. "Or are you saying you're afraid to reason with Registrar Wu?"
The provocation tactic always works. The people standing on the left immediately became more motivated and engaged in a heated exchange with Wu Sheng.
However, after several rounds, someone on the left hesitated for a moment, then cautiously looked at Fang Zilan and said, "Lord Fang, may we switch sides?"
Fang Zilan smiled slightly, glanced meaningfully at the crowd behind them who were jumping up and down in anger, cursing them as traitors, and said, "Of course."
The group breathed a sigh of relief and moved to the right, standing shoulder to shoulder with Wu Sheng.
Fang Zilan glanced at the left and right sides with amusement and said with a smile, "This is interesting. Now the number of people on the left and right sides is the same."
Those standing on the left stared in disbelief, their faces filled with astonishment.
"Lord Yang," Fang Zilan said calmly, "it seems you have to choose a side."
Yang Zhiqing was sweating profusely, while Fang Zilan calmly said, "Times change and circumstances shift; no one can remain on the fence forever."
Upon hearing this, the crowd below tensed up and all eyes turned to Yang Zhiqing, who then took a difficult first step and slowly walked to the right.
The people on the left immediately beat their chests and stamped their feet. Seeing this, Fang Zilan smiled, cleared her throat, and called out, "Silence!"
The crowd fell silent. Fang Zilan's smile faded, and she said seriously, "Today's debate is not about winning or losing. What's important is that I make you understand three things. First, there will always be people in the world who have different opinions from yours. You cannot condemn them all, nor can you turn a blind eye to their opinions. Everyone can be wrong or right. As pillars of the capital, you gentlemen here should be able to distinguish right from wrong."
She paused for a moment, then continued, "Secondly, regardless of right or wrong, each of you must have a standard in your heart. You cannot cross that standard just because of what others say or do. It is a big taboo to follow the crowd and lose your principles. However, if you do make a mistake, don't be afraid. It is better to turn back in time than to make the same mistake again and again, so as to stop the damage."
"Thirdly, whether you are an official or a person, you need to have empathy. You can't empathize with everyone, but if you consider others appropriately and make things convenient for them, you will make things convenient for yourself. Even if life is not smooth sailing, you will have peace of mind."
After she finished speaking, she took a sip of tea and said earnestly, "Since you gentlemen are officials in the government, you know that the world is vast and far beyond the people of the capital. We are in charge of the affairs of the southeast, and even if we are thousands of miles away, we must keep the people of the southeast in our hearts. If we rise to higher positions in the future, we must seek the well-being of even more people. We must not let the narrowness and difficulty of the mountain path make our hearts and vision narrow and shallow."