Xie Yuncang choked at his words, with a look of helplessness on his face, "Uncle Fang Shi is completely selfless?"
Fang Congwen happily put a piece of snack into his mouth and shook his head leisurely, "What selfish motives can I have? When your father went to the exam with me, I said to the Zhengyang sect that I would never be the best in my life.
As an official, or as an official, I just do what I want to do."
Mentioning his late father, Xie Yuncang's eyes revealed a bit of nostalgia. It took him a long time to come back to his senses, and he looked at the person opposite and said, "Then let me ask you boldly, what is it that Uncle Fang Shi wants to do?"
Fang Congwen did not answer him immediately, but savored the taste of the snacks in his mouth. His eyes fell on the bustling crowd outside, and then he sighed and said with a smile: "Such a prosperous scene can only be found in the capital."
Only in this place can you see it.”
Xie Yuncang also looked over after hearing this. Although there is still a war at the border, and the people coming and going are a little more hurried than usual, the shouting along the street, the playing of children, and the sound of bargaining are full of life.
The breath of life.
Xie Yuncang looked back and sighed, "The war is fought over and over, but in the end it is the people who suffer!"
Fang Congwen shook his head, "That's not what I'm talking about."
This made Xie Shoufu a little surprised.
Fang Congwen looked at his surprised expression and said, "Maocai! You haven't been down there for a long time!"
Such words are tantamount to a disparagement for a chief minister of the dynasty and a person at the center of power in the empire.
Xie Yuncang's face turned red and he immediately raised his hands, "That's what Uncle Fang Shi said."
"I came from Yuhang, which was originally a prosperous place that I could count. Since I left the court, your aunt and I have been living in the south of the Yangtze River with our children for so many years, and we have some of the meager inheritance from our ancestors.
Those days were truly magical."
Probably remembering the past, Fang Congwen showed a bit of nostalgia on his face.
But... a good life needs to be maintained. Since the fifth year of Yufeng, how many times have you been to court in total?
Even though the cabinet is full of talented people, the chief ceremonial supervisor, the cabinet, and the local government affairs systems are constantly checking and conflicting with each other, so how many of the so-called decrees fall on the heads of the people.
How much are you really considering for the people, rather than for the so-called party struggle?"
When he said this, there was a hint of resentment on his face, "Such neglect of government provides a breeding ground for factionalism, causing everyone in the court to want to join forces, and every young candidate who enters the court
Son, the first thing you want to think about is whose disciple you want to be a disciple of, rather than coming with the vigor of a young man."
Xie Yuncang's face became serious, and he felt respect for the elder in front of him who always seemed a bit cynical.
No wonder when my father was here in the past, when he mentioned Mr. Fang, his tone was always filled with admiration and admiration.
Probably feeling that he was too excited, Fang Congwen was silent for a moment, then waved his hand, "Come on! Drink tea first!"
Xie Yuncang pondered for a moment, then picked up the tea bowl and gestured to the person opposite, "Uncle Fang Shishu is righteous."
Fang Congwen sneered and shook his head: "What kind of righteousness do I have? If it was for righteousness, I wouldn't be alive now. I should have died in the court in the first place.
But what about me? I cherish my life very much. I was very clear about that posture at the time. Even if I risked my life, there was no way I could persuade that person, so I simply ran away, as far away as the emperor, no one could catch me.
I have lived such a happy life in my place for so many years."
Fang Congwen spoke coolly, but his eyes looked a little lonely.
We were still young and full of ambitions. We were afraid of death and irresponsible, but it was not a helpless compromise.
Now that he has returned to his official career, he is already over sixty years old and has frost on his temples. How can it be possible to say that he has no regrets?
Xie Yuncang sighed, looked at the person opposite, thought for a while and asked: "So Uncle Fang Shi is a little bolder now than before?"
Fang Congwen laughed at himself, "It's not that I'm bolder than before, but that the life I originally cherished has been almost done, and it's not worth cherishing that much."
His eyes once again fell on the crowds outside, "If God bless me, I may have a chance to go back to the south and see the small bridges and flowing water in the south of the Yangtze River, and the grass growing and the kites flying."
This time, he quickly calmed down and looked at Xie Yuncang with a smile and said: "Your father once said that you are not as good as your elder brother in terms of talent and learning, and you are not as good as your third brother in terms of elegance, but when it comes to being an official, both of them are
None of them are as good as you, and your only way to be an official is to be cautious, so I am a little curious, have you really thought about it this time?"
"If I hadn't thought about it well, how could I have come here with Uncle Fang Shi?" Xie Yuncang chewed a peanut carefully, "What my father said back then was not necessarily a compliment to me. In the final analysis, I was just timid. It's just that I was stronger than him.
For Fang Shishu, there is an extra bit of vanity."
When Fang Congwen heard this, he couldn't help but smile, and then raised his teacup towards him, "It's an honor to see you brave like this."
The two of them drank the tea in their tea bowls at the same time, then got up and went out.
Looking at the two big characters on the lintel of the Xie family's old lady, Xie Yuncang, he felt a little dazed for a moment. He always felt that his father was very cautious in being an official, and this was also the way he respected and recognized the official way since he was a child.
Now it seems that my father may not really be willing to wallow in such an officialdom environment his whole life, but he is just trying his best.
Xie Yuncang sighed. He had been prudent in his life, hoping to inherit his father's legacy and take the Xie family further. At least, he wanted the Xie family to maintain the glory of his father's time.
And now...
but……
Do you regret it?
Xie Yuncang clenched his fists hard, and then breathed a long sigh of relief. Perhaps his father's spirit in heaven would also support his approach.
When I got home, I found that Mrs. Xie was not there.
Although it was difficult to explain what he was planning to his mother, he really wanted to talk to her at this moment. It seemed that communication with his mother could help him get a little bit of his father's thoughts.
"My mother hasn't been out much for several years, but she seems to be going out much more recently."
Hearing this, Xie Changqing said softly "Hmm" while eating, and then said slowly: "Maybe the atmosphere in the capital has been a bit too depressing recently, and the elderly want to go out for a walk to relax!"
Xie Yuncang glanced at him after hearing this, and he immediately raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, "I just said it casually. My mother doesn't talk to us much recently. I really don't know what she is thinking."
Seeing his brother like this, Xie Yuncang remembered what Fang Congwen said today. He suddenly asked subconsciously, "Brother, have you thought of your father recently?"
Xie Changqing was thinking about the promise he had made to his friend but had not yet written it. At this moment, he was anxious to go to the study. He did not hear what he said clearly for a while, and there was a puzzled look on his face, "What did you say?"
Xie Yuncang looked at his brother, who was obviously much more simple and casual compared to his preoccupied self, and suddenly smiled, "It's nothing, I just thought about how my eldest brother always protected me in front of my father."
After saying that, he turned around and went to his study.
Xie Changqing was left with a puzzled face.
Protect him?
Really?
Why in his memory, it seems that he, his younger brother, has always been the one protecting him?
The second brother has always been the most promising one, a child whose father is proud of. How could it be his turn to protect the second brother?
Xie Changqing felt that his brother seemed a little different today, but he thought for a long time but had no clue. He just shook his head and went to his study.