Chapter 65: Resignation

  When Fang Congzhe arrived at the hall, Han Kuang was already seated there, slowly sipping tea. Upon seeing Fang Congzhe enter, he didn't even bother to greet him.

  Fang Congzhe also seemed to have ignored Han Kuang's attitude. The two of them just sat there quietly, neither of them saying a word.

  "Speak! What can I do?" Fang Congzhe smiled wryly and shook his head, saying slowly, after all, it was a matter of life and death, and Fang Congzhe still couldn't be so calm.

  "Mr. Fang naturally knows what we want, I think Mr. Fang should understand how to do it! As long as Mr. Fang does it, we will also follow the rules." Han Kuang's words were very vague, but he believed that this old man who had been in the officialdom for decades would not be able to pretend not to understand.

  "This old man naturally knows, you can rest assured, I will go to the yamen tomorrow. However, you must also keep your word and not go back on it." Fang Congzhe said with a calm face, slowly, as if these words had exhausted all his strength.

  "See you off."

  "No need, let's just be more careful." Han Kuang ignored Fang Congzhe and slowly turned around to leave Fang Congzhe's mansion.

  Watching Han Kuang leave, Fang Zongzhe smiled and said: "You are not in the capital after all, and the news is not timely enough. This time, you will probably be making a wedding dress for someone else."

  The moonlight is bright and clean, the clear wind is blowing gently, and the Forbidden City is unusually quiet and peaceful. However, inside the Qianqing Palace, it is brightly lit at this moment. The young Tianqi Emperor has not gone to sleep yet, but is looking at the memorial that has just been presented, which makes Li Lan look worried.

  "Your Majesty, these are all memorials from the First Assistant Fang Zheng's, they all say the same thing, don't look at them anymore, why not take a rest early?" Li Lan softly said while gently stroking Tianqi Emperor's hair.

  Gently grasping Li Ran's hand, he placed it on his lips. The Tianqi Emperor chuckled and said: "I don't want to either, but this world doesn't have free lunches. This fisherman isn't that simple. This time we were able to take advantage of the situation because that person was too far from the capital. It's also because he didn't understand me well and underestimated me. In the future, it won't be so easy."

  "Your Majesty, this world is indeed very big! What thing doesn't have worries? Just broaden your mind a bit." Li Lan naturally knew what the Tianqi Emperor was saying, perhaps not fully understanding, but sometimes it's better for women to be a little confused.

  In the following days, Beijing was very calm, and the ordinary people's daily life seemed to have been affected little, still getting up with the sun and resting with the sunset. However, in the official circles of the capital, everyone was being extremely cautious, and whenever they went out, they were all in a hurry. After work, none of the officials would go visiting relatives or friends, and their figures could not be seen in brothels or theaters either.

  Perhaps the only ones who sense that the atmosphere in the capital is different are those old madams of the eight big brothels, and some timid brothels have even closed their doors. For these people, it's better to be more careful, or else they won't even know how they die.

  Time flies like water, and in a flash it's already the ninth day of the first month. The Tianqi Emperor once again attended the morning court session.

  As the ceremony came to an end, the imperial court once again fell into silence, with all officials standing there, not a single person speaking.

  "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present." After a moment of silence, Fang Zongche, the chief assistant of the Grand Council, was the first to stand up and said loudly after making a bow.

  "Fang Ai Qing, what's the matter? Let's hear it." The Tianqi Emperor glanced at Fang Congzhe and smiled slightly. This old man still couldn't help himself. Perhaps this was the only way he could retreat completely. It wasn't that his abilities weren't up to par; perhaps these were just the rules of the game, which everyone had to follow.

  "Your Majesty, I am old and my eyes are dim, I really can't bear the heavy burden. Recently, my legs have also become inconvenient. I hope Your Majesty can understand the difficulties of an old minister like me, allow me to retire and return to my hometown, and fulfill the loyalty between ruler and subject." Fang Congzhe said this slowly and knelt down, touching his head to the ground.

  Looking at the old man's appearance, Tianqi Emperor's heart suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable. Was he being too excessive? How could he push an elderly person to this extent? But thinking again about his opponent and his own plan, he couldn't help but harden his heart.

  He gently lifted his dragon robe and walked down from the throne to Fang Zhen's side, stretched out his hand to help Fang Zhen up. The Tianqi Emperor said faintly: "You are a veteran minister of three dynasties, I am very reluctant to let you go. Since you have made up your mind to leave, I won't say anything else. However, this time you leave, I will not reserve the position of Grand Scholar for you either. When you recover from your illness, come back."

  "Our great and wise Emperor, may he live for ten thousand years, ten thousand years, and ten thousand more." Everyone knelt down again, some with sincerity, some pretending, others just following the crowd, each with their own motivations.

  "This time I owe you, and next time I will make it up to you." Tianqi Emperor patted Fang Congzhe's shoulder heavily and whispered in his ear.

  "Your Majesty, I can hear Your Majesty's words, and this life is without regret. The old minister will watch from his hometown as Your Majesty revives the great Ming dynasty." Fang Congzhe's body trembled uncontrollably at this time, and tears flashed in his eyes.

  The Emperor Tianqi loudly said, "Lord Fang has devoted his life to the country, and his merits are remembered by all under heaven. I specially confer upon you the title of Taibao, and you will return home in glory." However, the Emperor Tianqi did not have a good impression of Grand Secretary Fang Congzhe, as he had sided with Li Xuan during the case of the relocation of the palace. Although it was due to circumstances, the Emperor Tianqi had not forgotten this, which was also one of the main reasons why he decided not to protect him.

  "Your humble servant thanks Your Majesty's great kindness." At this time, Fang Zhong's heart no longer had that feeling of loss, but rather a faint excitement.

  On this day, no one on the court was talking about anything else, and soon it was dismissed. Everyone's heart was not very calm, and the Donglin Party people were in a bad mood. The joy after success did not linger in everyone's mind, but instead felt somewhat heavy.

  More officials praised the benevolence of Emperor Tianqi, what you have done the emperor remembers in his heart, as long as there is merit the emperor will not treat you unfairly. In this way, Emperor Tianqi seemed to have shed the image of the originally weak crown prince and became a real emperor, a true son of heaven.

  This is a huge pond, not far away the waterwheel keeps turning, an old man wearing coarse cloth clothes sits on a large stone at the edge of the pond, holding a short bamboo pole in his hand.

  Behind the old man stood a thin middle-aged man in his forties, wearing official robes, and judging from the color of his clothes, he was a fourth-rank civil servant. This civil servant, who was normally a high-ranking official, now stood behind the old man with a respectful expression, as if waiting for the old man's instructions.

  Chapter 3 is here today! I forgot to vote for the votes! The pond is grateful!