Don't ask where people go

Chapter 1296 Mayfly

"Is resentment useful?" Ah Shi lowered his head and said in a very soft voice, "This person has passed away, not to mention that the fire incident was not Mr. Fang's fault alone. If we talk about resentment, it is better to resent the unfairness of the world."

"Is the world unfair?" Fang Zilan muttered and repeated these words, with mixed feelings in her heart.

"Master Fang, don't worry about me." Ah Shi forced a smile and said, "If the world is unfair, I will fight against it in my own way."

His voice was more resolute, and he turned his gaze to Fang Lihui, "From now on, I am willing to be a lackey, I wonder if Master Fang is willing to keep me?"

Although these words were spoken humbly, the speaker's tone was calm and calm, and instead conveyed an aura of determination to win.

Fang Lihui looked at Ah Shi in front of him steadily, and he realized that he had no reason to refuse. On the one hand, Ah Shi knew too much, and he would not be able to feel at ease if he did not stay by his side. On the other hand, with the Duke of Yue, Zi Lan, he had to hold Ah Shi in his hand as a bargaining chip to ensure that everyone was in the same boat.

"If you want to stay, just stay." Fang Lihui raised his hand and spread his folding fan, returning to his usual cynical look.

Fang Zilan looked at the scene in front of her and suddenly felt that Ah Shi was drifting away from her. Perhaps it was not just Ah Shi, but many other people, such as Mo Han.

Suddenly, she regretted pushing Mo Han to Li Shengxuan. But she knew that even if she didn't do this, Mo Han couldn't stay out of it. But why did she feel helpless?

When Mo Han heard Fang Zilan say that His Majesty asked him to participate in the revision of the law as a guest official, his eyes and brows were filled with warmth, brighter than the autumn sun.

Even the chill in Fang Zilan's heart was dispelled. She felt relieved and told Zheng Yan that after the imperial edict was issued, he would lead a team of palace soldiers to escort Mo Han to the Ministry of Justice every day. The palace soldiers would guard outside the Ministry of Justice, and he would follow Mo Han closely to ensure his safety.

Mo Han originally wanted to persuade Fang Zilan not to make such a big fuss, but after the holiday was over, there was not only one imperial decree issued, but also one ordering Ouyang Zirou to take over the armory.

There was an uproar in the court. Fang Zilan expressed her support and stood at the center of the storm together with Ouyang Zirou. She became busier than before and returned home at night every day.

Seeing that Fang Zilan was extremely busy, Mo Han felt embarrassed to let her worry about such a small matter, so he simply let Zheng Yan take the palace soldiers with him to the Ministry of Justice. At first, the people in the Ministry of Justice had some complaints, but when they thought of Wu Sheng, they dared not say anything more.

The dispute in the court over Ouyang Zirou's matter escalated over the days and it was already early September.

Due to the interference of the Ouyang family and the instigation of other officials, Ouyang Zirou was never able to come to the court to thank the emperor after receiving the imperial edict, let alone take office. Li Shengxuan saw that the people in the court had their own agenda, so he directly ordered Ouyang Zirou to come to the court.

The Ouyang family originally wanted to say that Ouyang Zirou was still ill, but Li Shengxuan insisted on seeing the person. His original words were "Even if we have to carry him, we have to carry him to the palace."

Ouyang Zirou recovered very quickly and officially entered the court to express gratitude on the second day of September. After Fang Zilan heard the news, she also submitted a memorial to the palace and requested to enter the court. On the second day of September, Ouyang Zirou walked into the palace holding the imperial edict. Before she could perform the ceremony of expressing gratitude, she was blocked by the "frank advice" of an imperial censor. She could neither enter nor retreat, and could only stand aside.

It was obvious that the Imperial Censor who gave the advice was well prepared. As soon as he finished speaking, several officials echoed him, representing the Pei family, the Wang family, and the Ouyang family.

Fang Zilan saw clearly that all the ministers and family heads were present today, but none of them dared to directly offend His Majesty, so the people below had to lead the charge, which only made Li Shengxuan unhappy.

People in the Censorate have always been good at fanning the flames. Seeing that several censors were adding fuel to the fire, Fang Zilan gave Su Yun a wink, but he seemed not to see it. He stared at the ground with a gloomy expression, not knowing what he was thinking.

Zhuge Yu, who was sitting opposite Su Yun, also said nothing, showing no intention of speaking up to help. Seeing this, Fang Zilan secretly sighed. None of these people could be relied upon at a critical moment.

Fang Zilan cleared her throat and was about to speak when she heard an adult suddenly say, "Miss Ouyang not only has a family background in learning, but she also improved the bow and crossbow on her own and made great contributions to the military preparations of Dajing. Why can't she take over the weapons workshop?"

This made sense. Fang Zilan was about to breathe a sigh of relief when she heard the Imperial Censor's voice of objection from the other side, "Lord Xu, this is wrong. How can the improvement of the crossbow be the work of Miss Ouyang alone? I heard that all the famous blacksmiths in the capital were recruited by Miss Ouyang. Who knows who is responsible for the improvement of the crossbow?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Zilan clenched her hands hidden in her sleeves into fists. This was really outrageous. They actually said so blatantly that Ouyang Zirou had stolen the credit of the blacksmith and that her origin was not legitimate and she did not deserve the title.

As expected, Ouyang Zirou couldn't help but stand up and kneel in the center of the hall. "Your Majesty, the improved crossbow was not made by me alone, but everything from the design to the blueprint was done by me. It's just that I'm not good at blacksmithing that I couldn't do the last step myself. If someone wants to question your majesty's will because of this, I am willing to make an improved crossbow myself to silence the voice of doubt."

Fang Zilan took a deep breath. Ouyang Zirou was such a silly girl. Others had set a trap for her, but she actually went in. If she were to make it herself, she would definitely come up with many reasons to postpone her taking over the arsenal indefinitely.

She made up her mind and took a step towards Ouyang Zirou. However, before she took the second step, she heard Li Shengxuan say, "It doesn't have to be so troublesome. When Miluo invaded, the whole court was arguing with each other, but no one dared to fight with real swords and guns. At that time, I didn't ask them to do everything personally, and I won't ask them to do so now, Miss Ouyang."

Before he finished speaking, all the civil and military officials in the hall fell silent. Only Fang Zilan couldn't help but slightly curl the corners of her lips. It seemed that she had no chance to speak.

However, Li Shengxuan mentioned her in the next sentence, "When it comes to military preparations, military commanders have the most say. Duke Yue, I saw you take two steps, it shouldn't be to stretch your muscles, I think you have something to say?"

Fang Zilan restrained her expression and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, although I was not involved in the entire process when Miss Ouyang improved the bow and crossbow, I can see her talent and dedication. If the weapons workshop is handed over to her, the military preparation of Dajing will be promising. As a general who protects the country, I can rest assured."

"The Duke of Yue said this..." As soon as Li Shengxuan started to speak, he was interrupted by the imperial censor who had just given his advice, "Your Majesty!"

(End of this chapter)