novelraw Chapter 1975 Difficult to Write
Chapter 1975 Difficult to Write
Chapter 1975 Difficult to Write
Following behind Lin, Li Qianning glanced at Fang Zilan discreetly, pursed her lips, and remained silent. As for Mu Chuji beside her, he seemed completely fixated on Fang Zilan, paying no attention to anyone else.
Ignored, Fang Zilan turned and left, heading to the back garden for some peace and quiet. After all, they were all strangers; even if she caused a huge commotion, what difference would it make?
Thinking this, she climbed onto the roof, sat down, and listlessly wondered—when will the weather finally clear up?
"Since you've heard a little about it, why don't you tell me?" Li Shengxuan remained calm, and Zhuge Yu was equally composed. "What does Your Majesty wish to hear?"
Li Shengxuan sighed and said, "Back then, I defied all opinions and sent Fang Zilan to the northern frontier as a high-ranking official, not to invite trouble upon myself."
Zhuge Yu raised his head, his gaze intense, and said, "Zhuge Yu believes that His Majesty is just looking for trouble."
"Looking for trouble?" Li Shengxuan snorted coldly. Zhuge Yu's incisive way of speaking was exactly the same as his grandfather's.
But since Zhuge Yu brought it up himself, he didn't need to beat around the bush anymore, so he simply got straight to the point: "That problem, have you found out about it?"
"Not yet." Zhuge Yu replied succinctly, but he knew very well that this was not the answer Li Shengxuan wanted.
As expected, Li Shengxuan, sitting on the high seat, frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Not yet? She managed to persuade the Fang family and the Ouyang family to propose marriage to the Shangguan family, and even got the Wang family of the Northern Border and Zhong Yao to give her face. Such a grand gesture, and you still haven't found out who's behind her?"
"I'm afraid Your Majesty has misunderstood something," Zhuge Yu said calmly. "The things Your Majesty mentioned were all done by her alone."
Li Shengxuan chuckled, "Zhuge Yu, are you joking with me? How could a woman with no background have such great abilities?"
“It’s true that she has no political foundation, but it’s also true that she’s adept at winning people’s hearts.” Zhuge Yu took a deep breath. “I’ve personally seen the letters she wrote to the Fang and Ouyang families. Her persuasive approach made it impossible for either family to refuse. The Wang family in the Northern Border is protecting the interior, and a marriage alliance would be beneficial to them. They would have no reason not to give her face. Zhong Yao came from humble origins, and she became the prefect of Yanzhou entirely because of her heart. As someone who guards the borders, her sense of national duty is so strong that she can win people’s hearts without needing to say more.”
"According to you, Fang Zilan is quite a character." There was a hint of sarcasm in Li Shengxuan's tone.
Zhuge Yu could tell from her words, and said casually, "I dare not speak of her, but she has been in the Northern Border for over a month and there has indeed been nothing unusual about her."
"Now that she has privately mobilized troops and is protecting a former official of the previous dynasty, how do you explain that?" Li Shengxuan said, tapping his finger on the table. "I would like to hear your opinion."
Zhuge Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Regarding the matter of unauthorized troop deployment, Fang Zilan has already made up her own story, shifting all the blame onto Qi Yuming. According to my guess, she did this for two reasons. First, there are too many people in the Northern Border watching her, and she dares not make a mistake, so she can only find a scapegoat, fearing that her life and family will be in danger. Second, she is deliberately showing weakness. Even a lowly military officer can deploy troops without authorization, but she, as the commander of the Northern Border, cannot. By acting pitiful and acting innocent, she wants His Majesty to return the military power of the Northern Border to her."
"Regarding the memorial to severely punish Qi Yuming, His Majesty must have already seen that she said it was to severely punish him, but in reality it was to protect him."
“There are three reasons. First, if she were to petition for mercy like Huangfu Lin, Zhong Yao and others, His Majesty might think they were forming a clique and would surely kill Qi Yuming. But if she were to contradict him, His Majesty would become suspicious and spare Qi Yuming’s life.”
"Secondly, although Qi Yuming is a former official of the previous dynasty, in terms of understanding of the northern border, apart from the Shangguan family, probably no one can surpass him. Keeping him here will be of great use to her."
“Thirdly, if Qi Yuming manages to escape this time, His Majesty’s attitude towards the former members of the Shangguan clan will be crystal clear. The former members of the Shangguan clan, thinking His Majesty is lenient, will openly provoke her, giving her a convenient excuse to eliminate them.” “Does Fang Zilan think I will definitely let Qi Yuming go?” Li Shengxuan’s expression was inscrutable. Zhuge Yu shook his head. “I doubt it. However, if His Majesty severely punishes Qi Yuming, it won’t affect her.”
“If I severely punish Qi Yuming, it will be to announce to the world that I am on her side, and that alone will be enough for her to gain a foothold in the Northern Territory.” Li Shengxuan sighed inwardly. “Moreover, she is adept at manipulating people’s hearts, so she is certain that I cannot kill Qi Yuming.”
“Your Majesty truly cannot kill Qi Yuming.” Zhuge Yu lowered his head. He had just presented a reasoned argument, but there was one thing he hadn’t said.
But Zhuge Yu knew that those words could not be hidden from the emperor who had grown up on the battlefield. He could neither hide them nor speak them out. He could only listen to Li Shengxuan's voice, each word clear and distinct.
"Regardless of who is mobilizing the troops, it is all for the sake of peace in the north. A general in the field may disobey the emperor's orders, and I cannot let the hearts of the soldiers in the four border regions be chilled."
All the high-sounding reasons pale in comparison to the simple statement, "We must not let people's hearts be chilled."
He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world; those in high positions govern the world by winning the hearts of the people.
No matter how ingenious the plan or how meticulous the scheme, in the end, it is all just dust before the eyes of the human heart, not worth mentioning.
Human hearts are unpredictable. Perhaps their accusations against Fang Zilan, which they believe are malicious, are true, but perhaps Fang Zilan's thoughts are not as complicated as they suspect.
But in any case, Fang Zilan achieved her goal.
“In this round, I have no choice.” A hint of dejection flashed across Li Shengxuan’s face.
Zhuge Yu nodded and said, "Life is like a game of chess, with each move bringing new developments. There is plenty of time ahead, Your Majesty need not be fixated on this one game."
“It’s not that I’m fixated on this one game, but rather that I don’t trust Fang Zilan…” Li Shengxuan paused, “…”
"Whether His Majesty trusts someone or not has always been based on the matter at hand, not on the person." Zhuge Yu's lips curled slightly. "As for the matter of guarding the borders, Fang Zilan is worthy of trust."
Should we focus on the issue, not the person? Li Shengxuan took a deep look at Zhuge Yu, who was standing ramrod straight below, and was suddenly overwhelmed with mixed feelings.
Since ascending the throne, he has become more suspicious than before. He thought that it was inevitable for an emperor to be suspicious. However, the political affairs he has been handling in the past few months have been reminding him that one should trust those one employs and not employ those one one distrusts.
The constant tug-of-war between doubt and trust left him feeling troubled and exhausted. The entire court saw this, but perhaps only Zhuge Yu dared to tell him that it was about the matter, not the person.
"Do you really think Fang Zilan is trustworthy?" Li Shengxuan asked involuntarily, even he himself felt deeply suspicious.
Zhuge Yu raised his head, his expression respectful and solemn. "The word 'trust' lies with Your Majesty, not with Zhuge Yu. Hesitation will only lead to chaos. I hope Your Majesty will make a decision soon and not hesitate."