Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Two Do Not Live (1430)
Fang Qingzhi was taken away to write a letter of repentance, and the Jinyiwei lobby became quiet. The chief judge, Bachelor Liu, and the juror, Commander Yuan, were drinking tea in silence.
Fang Yingwu stood in the corner, staring at Commander Yuan, looking dissatisfied, but not ready to do anything.
This old man was probably the oldest among the civil and military officials of the dynasty. There were very few people like him who were still fighting on the front line at the age of seventy-seven or eighteen. He could be called a living fossil.
But just as he said that people become better with age, his sudden voice caused him to lose most of his options. But from another perspective, this could be considered to help him make up his mind?
I don't know how much time passed, but a school captain hurriedly walked into the lobby, holding manuscript paper, which attracted everyone's attention.
Liu Ji, who was really present, asked: "Have you ever written it?"
The school captain presented the manuscript paper, and everyone saw that it was written on it was Wei Linggong's chapter of "The Analects of Confucius". There was not much to say in the whole article, but there was one sentence - Confucius said, a man with lofty ideals will kill himself to achieve his benevolence, and will not harm his benevolence by seeking life.
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Fang Yingwu was so sweaty that he couldn't help but wonder, "How long has it been since this happened? Father, are you still playing this kind of trick? Aren't you afraid that the emperor will see you? Are you really a benevolent person?"
Commander Yuan let out a long sigh and remained silent. But Academician Liu snorted coldly and slapped the table: "Let him continue writing!"
I don’t know how long it took, but the school captain came to the court again, holding a new manuscript paper in his hand. He opened it for everyone to see, and saw that the first chapter of "Mencius" was silently written on it - life is what I want;
Righteousness is also what I want. You cannot have both, and you have to sacrifice your life for righteousness.
Fang Yingwu was getting more and more anxious. If he continued like this, he would be playing with fire, maxing out his reputation, or making his own mistakes!
After finally having such an opportunity, could it be that my father really risked his life? Although I am not used to killing people today, it is common to send ministers to Yungui, Lingnan, out of sight and out of mind!
Or do you really plan to spend your whole life gaining fame in prison? You must know that fame that cannot be realized is useless. In later generations, Hai Rui's extremely high reputation was also realized as Governor Yingtian! There are many other people like Hai Rui.
But who knows?
Liu Ji also felt that it was difficult to get off the tiger. His original plan was to take the opportunity of rescuing Fang Qingzhi to save his reputation.
But Fang Qingzhi was completely uncooperative. Not only did he feel helpless, but he was also in sharp contrast with himself as the chief judge, which made him even more embarrassed!
In Liu Mianmian's mind, this is actually a very simple matter. Fang Qingzhi does not need to admit that he was wrong, or criticize His Majesty for being wrong. He only needs to write a letter of gratitude and thank His Majesty for his leniency, and the matter can be exposed like this.
The past has passed. Who wouldn’t write ten or eight such expressions of gratitude in a person’s lifetime?
But how come Fang Qingzhi couldn't even think of this compromise? If his son Fang Yingwu was in prison, he would have thought of this method a long time ago.
Academician Liu wished he could write a confession for Fang Qingzhi himself, and then everyone would be happy. But with Commander Yuan watching next to him, he really didn't dare to lie and deceive the emperor.
Time passed little by little, and Liu Ji subconsciously looked up at the sun. Is this all he can do today? But how should he respond to the emperor? Is it possible to write "Fang Qingzhi wants to be benevolent and pursue righteousness" in the memorial?
If he writes like this, I'm afraid he will be spitted to death by all the corpsmen in the world in an instant, and even with his thick skin, he can't bear it.
Academician Liu felt deep regret. He should not have had the idea of rescuing others and liberating himself in the first place. If he does such a thing in the future, he must do it only after he has done it correctly.
Fang Yingwu suddenly stood up and said, "Sir, Mr. Ge, it's getting late today. Can Wansheng please ask your father to write a text?"
Based on University Scholar Liu's understanding of Fang Yingwu, he knew that he must have an idea, and he said hopefully: "What do you want to write?"
"I would like to ask the school captain to send a message. As a son of man, I recently read Gongsun Chou in "Mencius". Since my father memorized the meaning of the sutra to nourish Haoran's righteousness, I asked my father to write this chapter for his son!"
Hearing that Fang Yingwu still asked to write about Mencius, Academician Liu, who had high expectations, suddenly fell to the bottom.
He thought Fang Yingwu had figured out a way to persuade Fang Qingzhi to compromise, but in the end he still asked Fang Qingzhi to write the meaning of the scriptures. What's the use of writing these now? The four books and five classics, the teachings of saints, are useless in Tianlao!
The lieutenant looked at Fang Yingwu and then at the chief judge, waiting for instructions. Liu Ji waved his hand feebly, "Go ahead, I have already written two articles, and this one is not missing."
Academician Liu had already considered how to end the day, and decided to postpone it for a few more days. The interrogation was not mentioned for how many days, so let's count it as one day. Maybe Fang Qingzhi suddenly had an enlightenment.
While he was thinking about it, the captain came to the hall with the manuscript paper in hand. After opening it, he looked at the beginning. Sure enough, it was the "Gao Zi Shang" of "Mencius".
This Fang Qingzhi is really stubborn and stubborn. Academician Liu is not interested in reading any more. He knows the Four Books and Five Classics by heart, and there is no need to read what Fang Qing writes next.
Liu Ji filed the case angrily and was about to announce his resignation when he saw Fang Yingwu looking at the manuscript and saying, "My father seems to regret it!"
Academician Liu and Commander Yuan were both stunned, not understanding what Fang Yingwu wanted to say.
Fang Yingwu found a sentence, pointed at it and said: "In this chapter, there is: Taijia said, if heaven does evil, it can be violated; if you do evil on your own, you will not live, this is what it means. Doesn't this mean that my father has repented on his own?"
Liu Ji and Commander Yuan both followed Fang Yingwu's fingers and landed on the sentence "If God does evil, you can still violate it; if you do evil yourself, you will not live."
This sentence comes from "Shangshu" and is quoted by Mencius here. But it doesn't matter, the key is that Fang Qingzhi wrote this sentence himself!
If a prisoner in prison writes the words "If you do something wrong, you will not survive", it can be interpreted as indicating that the prisoner is regretful.
Academician Liu couldn't help but praise: "Wonderful!" He didn't know whether he was praising Fang Qingzhi's writing or Fang Yingwu's idea.
At least in his heart, he was appreciating Fang Yingwu more and more. He could not only build his reputation, but also be flexible without leaving any trace. This kind of talent was extremely rare, and he didn't even have it himself.
Otherwise, he, a distinguished bachelor, would not have fallen to the point where he planned to save his reputation by rescuing the Fang family father and son.
After praising him, Liu Ji asked again: "Master Yuan, what do you think?" Although he is the chief judge, the opinions of the jurors must be respected, not to mention that the jurors are the commanders of the Jinyi Guards, and they can report to you directly if they have any issues.
Commander Yuan watched for a moment, but did not speak to Liu Ji. He turned to him and said, "Eunuch Huai'en in the palace has asked me to protect my integrity and maintain righteousness for the court. Naturally, I will not hinder him."
Your Majesty is released from prison."
Liu Ji was surprised and didn't understand what Commander Yuan meant when he said this seriously to Fang Yingwu.
But Fang Yingwu understood two meanings: first, this commander spared your father this time, and you must repay him; second, this commander is not without people. He is an old acquaintance of this commander. He can also be regarded as the benefactor who saved your father. You will see what happens tomorrow in Dongchang.
Fang Yingwu knowingly bowed to Commander Yuan and said, "Thank you, Sir." (To be continued. Please search Piaotian Literature, the novel will be better and updated faster!)
