Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4787 Never Admit
[Happy holidays to all book lovers]

"What are you sighing about?"

The voice was soft, and soon a maid blew a tinder to light the candles on the candlesticks one by one. The orange light dispelled the darkness.

The sudden brightness made Chai Lingwu's eyes narrow slightly, and his gaze fell on Princess Baling's beautiful face, which was a little dazzling.

Only then did he know why he remained calm in the darkness, because darkness could block out all filth and allow him to escape from all the things he did not want to face. Being in the darkness was as if time had stopped and nothing had happened.

When the light comes on, everything that needs to be faced comes one after another.

Facing Princess Baling's question, he forced a smile and said, "Nothing, I just suddenly felt a little stuffy in my chest."

Princess Baling stood in the hall, wearing a pink and white embroidered skirt that made her look slender and graceful. Her beautiful face was calm and her eyes were dim. She said softly, "He agreed. You can rest assured."

The muscles on Chai Lingwu's face twitched, and he stammered, "I..."

He didn't know what to say, and Princess Baling didn't want to hear what he said, so she turned around and walked out.

"I'm going to take a shower and go to bed first."

Take a bath...

Chai Lingwu clenched his fists, watched Princess Baling's graceful figure disappear at the door, then he unclenched his fists and let out a silent breath.

Isn't this what he wants?
Now that you have achieved what you wanted, why should you pretend to regret what you have lost?

Everyone has their own way of living, everyone has their own values, and everyone has things that they care about more. As long as you act according to your own wishes and get what you want, there is nothing to blame.

There is never a lack of darkness, filth, and shame in this world, but as long as you succeed, what do these matter?

*****
In the flower hall of Fang Mansion, Lai Ji was so shocked that he was speechless when he saw the various colorful and exotic flowers competing with each other in beauty. Many flowers that only grew in the south and he had only read about them in miscellaneous books appeared here in full bloom, and they were thriving and blooming, which made him marvel.

Cen Changqian found his "country bumpkin" look a little funny: "The county magistrate feels very surprised?"

Lai Ji was surprised and said, "Isn't it amazing? All plants in the world have their own growth habits. Oranges grown in the south of the Huai River are oranges, while those grown in the north of the Huai River are trifoliate oranges. Their leaves are similar, but their flavors are different. Why is that? It's because the water and soil are different. These flowers bloom naturally in the south where the temperature is hot and the water is abundant, but if they are transplanted to the north, even if they don't die, it will be difficult for them to bloom. But why are the flowers and trees here exactly the same as described in the book?"

Cen Changqian was even more curious than him: "Doesn't the county magistrate know that the commander-in-chief is the first person in the Tang Dynasty to grow greenhouses? If flowers can bloom and fruit trees can bear fruit in the cold winter, why can't flowers from the south bloom as usual after being transplanted here?"

Lai Ji's eyes widened: "Vegetables and fruits are simple and durable, but flowers are delicate, how can they be treated the same way?"

"One Dharma leads to the enlightenment of a hundred Dharmas. You can understand such a simple principle, right?"

"Is this the same thing?"

The current situation that overturned common sense brought too much shock to Lai Ji and was somewhat difficult to accept.

Fang Jun walked in wearing casual clothes and said with a smile: "The technology of greenhouse cultivation has been compiled in the Agricultural Book. If you are interested, you may buy a copy after it is published. This book collects agricultural knowledge from all over the world and is of great assistance to local officials."

Agriculture is a big deal in any era. People who have enough food live and work in peace and contentment, while hungry people turn into Tyrannosaurus Rex. Whoever ensures that the people have enough food is a wise ruler, otherwise the people will rise up and overthrow him...

After greeting each other and sitting down, Fang Jun asked, "I asked you to come here to ask how the 'molestation case' was handled? There are too many people gathered in and out of Chang'an City right now, because the grand gathering of the Buddhist and Taoist sects has made people panic. If you are not careful, it will lead to bad consequences. Any incident involving these two sects must be handled with extreme caution."

"There is no evidence that the monks of Da Ci'en Temple were responsible for molesting the woman. The so-called molestation was just the woman's own words. The monks of Da Ci'en Temple, Wei Shuxia, and the few people involved had never seen the details of the molestation. I have released the monks of Da Ci'en Temple and warned the woman and drove her away."

"In this kind of situation, people always sympathize with the weak, not just one person being right. If that woman persists and spreads rumors everywhere, public opinion will still lean towards her and harm the Da Ci'en Temple. So we can't just drive her away and leave it at that. We need to send someone to follow her and take coercive measures immediately if we find that she continues to stir up public opinion. No matter who she is, we need to hold her down."

Da Ci'en Temple has prestige and self-discipline, and when it encounters such a thing, it can restrain the public opinion reaction to a limited extent, but if it were any other temple or Taoist temple, the consequences would be extremely serious. Now that monks and Taoists from all over the world have gathered together, any insignificant matter may lead to unpredictable consequences.

Seeing Lai Ji's timid and willing agreement, Fang Jun reminded him, "Many things cannot be simply judged by theory. For the current situation, stability is more important than anything else."

There is not so much right and wrong. Many times, individuals have to make sacrifices for the overall situation and give way to everything in the face of the general trend of the world.

If you can't do this, you can only be a county magistrate for the rest of your life.

Fortunately, Lai Ji had a profound family background and was extremely talented. He immediately understood what Fang Jun meant and nodded, saying, "Don't worry, Duke Yue. I understand the importance of the overall situation and will not be careless and allow the thieves to take advantage of me."

Fang Jun patted him on the shoulder and said, "Do a good job. Although 'Attached to the Capital' has had some bad luck, it is not without its benefits. At least the performance is in the eyes of the ministers in the court and even His Majesty. As long as you do well, you will not be buried. If you make achievements, you will be given more responsibilities."

This was almost a clear indication, and Lai Ji quickly expressed his position: "I will follow the teachings of Duke Yue and work diligently and conscientiously, and strive to make Wannian County prosperous and stable, and live up to your majesty's grace in selecting me."

……

It was getting late, so the two took their leave. Fang Jun drank some tea in the flower hall, thought about the current situation, and then returned to his bedroom in the back house.

Princess Gaoyang had finished washing up and was sitting in front of the dressing table in a thin gauze dress. Her slender and tight body was faintly visible in the candlelight, with a beautiful hip line and a beauty like jade.

Seeing Fang Jun coming in through the mirror, she hurriedly stood up and dismissed the maid, and walked into the inner bedroom with Fang Jun. She personally changed her husband's clothes, complaining in her tone: "I'm so busy that I'm not seen every day. Why do you have to do this? Just go sit outside Mingde Gate and drink some tea. If there is anything, let those people under your command do it. Why do you have to do it yourself?"

Fang Jun felt a little guilty. "The Buddhist and Taoist sects are holding a grand meeting in Chang'an right now. Monks and Taoists from all over the world are gathering here. If we are not careful, a big incident could happen. Your Majesty has asked me to control the left and right Jinwu Guards to be responsible for the security of the capital. This is a great trust. Naturally, I must do my best to ensure the stability of Chang'an. How dare I neglect it?"

Princess Gaoyang folded the robe she had taken off and put it aside. She snorted softly, "Before, you were talking about being too successful to be a threat to the ruler. Now, after only a few days in the prefecture, you can't stand the loneliness and want to take charge of the power? You men may be able to live without women, but you absolutely cannot live without power."

"Your Highness, there are some flaws in what you said. As a husband, I am not a child and naturally I will not make a choice. I want both power and women!"

Fang Jun chuckled and hugged Princess Gaoyang's slender waist from behind.

Although she has given birth, because of proper maintenance or excellent talent, her waist and hip curves are a little fuller than when she was a girl. She is not bloated at all and feels great.

Princess Gaoyang bit her lip and twisted her body. Feeling the pressure from behind, her pretty face flushed and she gasped slightly: "Go and turn off the lights."

Fang Jun was proud of his body and thought it was indeed gifted. He still had some strength left after exerting all his strength. Otherwise, he would have been exposed right now...

"Looking at a beauty under the lamp is one of the greatest pleasures in life."

"How can this be so absurd? No..."

Princess Gaoyang struggled hard with her face flushed, trying to resist her husband's ridiculous behavior. Suddenly, her body stiffened, her eyebrows slightly frowned, and she sniffed Fang Jun with her slender nose, with suspicion in her eyes.

Fang Jun's heart skipped a beat, and he was about to jump up to disrupt the other party's thinking, but unexpectedly Princess Gaoyang reached out and patted him, then sat up with a cold face, stood directly in front of the couch, folded her arms, and stared at him with shining eyes.

Fang Jun secretly swallowed his saliva and said with a smile: "What's wrong, my lady? It's just turning off the lights. Okay, okay, let's turn off the lights."

"Oh, what are you feeling guilty about?"

Princess Gaoyang sneered: "Could it be that he did something dirty, like stealing chickens and dogs, or stealing jade and perfume?"

Fang Jun shook his head and refused to admit it: "That is absolutely not the case!"

"Where did you go today, young master? Did you go to the Prince of Xiangyi's mansion to discuss the matter between the Prince of Dongping and the Chai family?"

"Hey, could it be that my lady has the ability to predict the future and know everything in the world just by counting with her fingers?"

"Don't bluff me like that. Do you think I'm a three-year-old kid? Since that coward Chai Lingwu dared to let Chai Mingzhang take the blame for Wei Shuxia, he must have accepted the benefits given by the Wei family. However, the Chai family cannot accept such benefits. Someone must have stepped forward to talk to the Prince of Dongping's Mansion... Then, my dear, please tell me why you went to the Chai family to talk about this matter? What conditions did the Chai family pay to make you do this?"

Princess Gaoyang had a stern face and kept talking, looking like someone who holds a wisdom in her hands.

Fang Jun blinked and realized that he had always underestimated Princess Gao Yang.

She had a "big shot" like Wu Meiniang by her side, whose brilliance overshadowed her. She was also calm and easy-going, not competitive. She put all her attention on her husband, and had a bit of the "love-brained" style of later generations. But in fact, which of Emperor Li II's children was simple-minded?

But this level of evidence was not enough to make Fang Jun surrender.

"My lady is very intelligent and wise, and can be called a female Zhuge Liang... But the reason why I went to the Xiangyi County Prince's Mansion to discuss this matter was not because of the Chai family's request, but because of your majesty's instruction."