Don't ask where people go

Chapter 2012 Enthusiasm
As the chief official of the Ministry of Justice, Qian Qian naturally knew that this matter was of utmost importance. In just a few months, there had been several murders in the capital, all of whom were powerful and influential people. Yet, the Prefectural Governor of the Capital Prefecture could not find anything, and the Ministry of Justice remained silent in fear.

Who would have thought that simply remaining law-abiding wouldn't keep the murderer away? Now, the killer has not only targeted the Ministry of Justice, a place of justice, but has also murdered a Ministry official in broad daylight. If word gets out…

Qian Qian dared not think any further. He and Zou Hongqi, the Minister of Justice, both belonged to the Dugu faction and were of one mind with the Empress Dowager. Logically speaking, the Dugu family dominated the western border and had no cowards among their subordinates. However, the capital was ultimately a safe and secure place, and when faced with a crisis, he was always somewhat afraid.

Moreover, with Yue Guogong Fang Zilan on one side and Jin Guogong Pei Jinqing's younger brother on the other, it was impossible to offend either side. The Jingzhao Prefecture was also unreliable, so ultimately only the Ministry of Justice could take responsibility.

Qian Qian sighed for a long time. He had already felt Fang Zilan's oppressive aura just now. If he couldn't give her a satisfactory answer in three days, he was afraid that she would tear down the Ministry of Justice.

But if Duke Pei Jinqing were to openly go to the Pei residence to question Pei Poming, would he still be alive to leave?
Thinking of this, Qian Qian looked at the people from the Jingzhao Prefecture beside him and saw the same fear on their faces. He felt an even bigger headache coming on. If their Ministry of Justice and the Jingzhao Prefecture were to argue, it wouldn't be possible to get a resolution even in thirty days, let alone three.

However, what Qian Qian didn't know was that while he and the people from the Jingzhao Prefecture were hesitating, Fang Zilan had already taken care of interrogating Pei Poming for them.

Fang Zilan deftly leaped over the Pei family's courtyard wall without disturbing anyone. She found Pei Poming in less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea.

Pei Poming paced back and forth inside, seemingly very uneasy. Fang Zilan observed for a moment, and after confirming that there was no one else in the room, she pushed open the door and entered.

Everyone was terrified and bowed to apologize, but Wu Sheng stood aside with a gloomy expression.

Fang Zilan looked up and said calmly, "Since all of you gentlemen are alright and have your opinions on the plight of orphans and widows, why don't you share your thoughts?"

Yang Zhiqing chuckled and said, "Lord Fang, there are still many official duties at the government office. Let everyone go and get busy."

Fang Zilan remained unmoved. "Lord Yang, go and fetch the others. We'll meet in the main hall."

After she finished speaking, she turned and left, leaving everyone looking at each other in confusion, wondering what she was up to, but they still went to the main hall together.

Seeing that most people had arrived, Fang Zilan sat in the main seat and said, "Gentlemen, if you feel that it is only natural for the lonely and widowed to be treated like this, please stand on the left. If you feel that the lonely and widowed are being mistreated and are in a difficult situation, please stand on the right."

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone in the hall stood on the left, except for Wu Sheng who stood on the right, and Yang Zhiqing who stood in the middle, caught in a dilemma.

"Lord Yang, why don't you choose?" Fang Zilan asked calmly, while Yang Zhiqing looked troubled. "I..."

He hesitated for a long time before saying, "Lord Fang, may I think about it some more?"

Fang Zilan said noncommittally, "Since you've already formed two sides, why don't you have a debate and see what the other side's reasoning is, and whether it can convince people?"

"Lord Fang, are you suggesting we reason with you?" One of them finally realized what was going on. Fang Zilan nodded, and he scoffed, "With such a large disparity in numbers, what's the point of reasoning?" "A larger number doesn't necessarily mean you're right," Fang Zilan's voice rose a few decibels. "Or are you afraid to reason with Registrar Wu?"

The provocation tactic always works. The people standing on the left immediately became more motivated and engaged in a heated exchange with Wu Sheng.

However, after several rounds, someone on the left hesitated for a moment, then cautiously looked at Fang Zilan and said, "Lord Fang, may we switch sides?"

Fang Zilan smiled slightly, glanced meaningfully at the crowd behind them who were jumping up and down in anger, cursing them as traitors, and said, "Of course."

The group breathed a sigh of relief and moved to the right, standing shoulder to shoulder with Wu Sheng.

Fang Zilan glanced at the left and right sides with amusement and said with a smile, "This is interesting. Now the number of people on the left and right sides is the same."

Those standing on the left stared in disbelief, their faces filled with astonishment.

"Lord Yang," Fang Zilan said calmly, "it seems you have to choose a side."

Yang Zhiqing was sweating profusely, while Fang Zilan calmly said, "Times change and circumstances shift; no one can remain on the fence forever."

Upon hearing this, the crowd below tensed up and all eyes turned to Yang Zhiqing, who then took a difficult first step and slowly walked to the right.

The people on the left immediately beat their chests and stamped their feet. Seeing this, Fang Zilan smiled, cleared her throat, and called out, "Silence!"

The crowd fell silent. Fang Zilan's smile faded, and she said seriously, "Today's debate is not about winning or losing. What's important is that I make you understand three things. First, there will always be people in the world who have different opinions from yours. You cannot condemn them all, nor can you turn a blind eye to their opinions. Everyone can be wrong or right. As pillars of the capital, you gentlemen here should be able to distinguish right from wrong."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "Secondly, regardless of right or wrong, each of you must have a standard in your heart. You cannot cross that standard just because of what others say or do. It is a big taboo to follow the crowd and lose your principles. However, if you do make a mistake, don't be afraid. It is better to turn back in time than to make the same mistake again and again, so as to stop the damage."

"Thirdly, whether you are an official or a person, you need to have empathy. You can't empathize with everyone, but if you consider others appropriately and make things convenient for them, you will make things convenient for yourself. Even if life is not smooth sailing, you will have peace of mind."

After she finished speaking, she took a sip of tea and said earnestly, "Since you gentlemen are officials in the government, you know that the world is vast and far beyond the people of the capital. We are in charge of the affairs of the southeast, and even if we are thousands of miles away, we must keep the people of the southeast in our hearts. If we rise to higher positions in the future, we must seek the well-being of even more people. We must not let the narrowness and difficulty of the mountain path make our hearts and vision narrow and shallow."

The people below the hall were all taken aback upon hearing these words. Fang Zilan's ambiguous attitude and unpredictable personality had already made them wary of this debate.

As everyone knows, Fang Zilan hates people gossiping in private. They had already broken that taboo today, and who knew how she would torment them? Unexpectedly, not only did she not punish them, but she also taught them a lesson.

Fang Zilan glanced at everyone in the hall, thinking to herself that no matter what, they would listen to some of what she said. As long as they could understand even one word, her efforts would not have been in vain.