Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 438 "Difficult to handle? If it's difficult, then don't do it!"

Changsun Yan: "..."

Looking at the group of bureaucrats who had retreated, and then at Fang Yize, who was unusually furious, he felt utterly exhausted.

I suddenly felt as if I had returned to my elementary school days—which wasn't actually that long ago.

Back then, Fang Yize wasn't the cold-faced judge he is today; he was a complete troublemaker.

I often get angry and fly into a rage, just like I am now.

Who angered you back then?
Hmm, it seems it was also caused by a certain Emperor Li Ming, whose name cannot be spoken...

"In short, thank you for your hard work."

Changsun Yan awoke from his memories that he didn't miss at all, and patted Fang Yize on the shoulder with sympathy.

"Take good care of yourself too, don't worry and ruin your health."

"Also, although Ming doesn't care, this is the officialdom after all, so be more careful with your words and actions."

The chief secretary gave his colleague a few more detailed instructions before leaving.

In the corridor outside the top-floor study, only Fang Yize remained.

Although the bureaucrats in the other rooms were eager to gossip, they were more adept at the ways of officialdom and dared not offend the Grand Secretary.

Anyway, there will be plenty of opportunities to find out later.

"Hoo..." Fang Yize let out a long breath in front of the door before casually stepping into his office.

That outburst of fury just now was truly satisfying.

My father was right; I was just putting on a facade of coldness, merely "appearing" like an old house.

Deep down, he's a passionate young man.

From a wayward, mischievous boy to a seemingly cold but actually warm-hearted professional bureaucrat, who was he subtly influenced by?

"That's outrageous, that guy is really outrageous."

Fang Yi muttered indignantly as he sat back down in his seat.

He glanced at the "His Majesty's Edict" lying on the ground out of the corner of his eye, his pupils filled with resistance.

After much mental preparation, he reluctantly bent down and picked up the letter sent from Huazhou.

"Forget it, let's see what that guy has to say."

Today, Fang Yize has completely let loose.

Ignoring his father's advice, he openly and frankly complained about the people's boss, the current emperor, just like he did back in school.

In fact, Li Ming did not harass Fang Yize remotely today, at least not so far.

However, Li Ming deserved to be talked about behind his back by his old classmates.

Because after Li Ming established the Ming Dynasty... no, after that guy established a regime in Liaodong and let Fang Yize take charge of finances.

They never stopped tormenting him.

It has to be admitted that Li Ming is quite capable as a leader.

Despite their wildly imaginative ideas, the policies resulting from these ideas have been implemented and have achieved remarkable results.

However, all these achievements came at the cost of Fang Yize's hair.

As soon as a little money was deposited into the national treasury, that guy started shouting things like "proactive fiscal policy," "Keynesian hand," and "macroeconomic control," which were only half-understood, and then emptied the treasury again.

This makes Fang Yize's work very difficult.

"Difficult to handle? If it's difficult, then don't do it!"

Xiao Fang got angry just thinking about it, and didn't want to read the letter anymore, so she slammed the letter onto the table.

Based on past experience, Li Ming's emails are either not directly demanding payment, but rather scam emails claiming "I have a plan to solve the financial deficit, all you need is a little start-up capital."

In short: I, the Divine Emperor, send me money!

In the past, Fang Yize could patiently deal with His Majesty.

But now, under increasingly pressing financial pressure, he's too lazy to waste his breath arguing with that guy Li Ming anymore.

I've read your message but I'm not replying!

What? His Majesty has issued an edict to this humble subject demanding money?
What imperial edict? Your humble servant was busy managing the national treasury and didn't notice!
Fang Yi glared angrily at the "imperial edict" on the table, as if it were a wicked debt collection notice.

But the more I looked at it, the more curious I became.

"However... perhaps he really does need the money urgently? Or maybe he has some ingenious idea? After all, he does have quite a few ideas..."

"No, no, no, you can't watch. That guy's ideas, whether they're legitimate or not, are just a money pit."

“I have to obey orders after reading the letter, but the country can’t afford to be messed with like this now.”

"Alas, it's a pity I was in such a hurry earlier that I didn't ask Changsun Yan what his letter actually said—"

"Never mind, it's just a few pages. Taking a quick look shouldn't take too long."

After much deliberation, Fang Yize could not resist his curiosity and reached out to touch His Majesty the Divine Emperor's "grand plan".

"Prime Minister Fang, you've arrived."

Changsun Wuji asked from the doorway, addressing Fang Yize, who was the same age as his grandson, as "Prime Minister Fang."

With Li Ming absent, Fang Yi moved into this central office, where he worked alongside the two prime ministers, one on each side.

"Prime Minister Fang, where is he? Why didn't he come with you?"

As Changsun Wuji asked the questions, he slowly walked into the office.

That's how old bureaucrats are; they only recognize rank, not age. Even if there's a generation gap, everyone's still a colleague.

The Scholars has become a reality.

"Lord Changsun." Fang Yize politely greeted his friend's parent, then withdrew his hand from the outstretched "imperial edict" and calmly replied:
“My father worked until the early hours of the morning after returning home last night. He just lay down to rest and will come later.”

Changsun Wuji was somewhat surprised:

"Given Prime Minister Fang's temperament, even if he works through the night, he usually won't..."

Fang Yi nodded expressionlessly:
"That's usually how it is. But His Majesty has ordered:"

"You must sleep during bedtime!"

"Your humble servant took it upon himself to persuade Your Majesty to sleep a little longer."

Even a nuclear-powered donkey like Fang Yize couldn't withstand continuous all-night overtime work.

What's more, his father, Fang Xuanling, had just recovered from a serious illness.
If it weren't for Li Ming's wild imagination and his intrusion into the private lives of the ministers...

Fang Yize couldn't find a better excuse to persuade his father to take care of his health and get more rest.

So, I still owe that guy a favor for his wildly imaginative ideas...

Fang Yize shook his head, banishing the absurd thought from his mind.

"The Prime Minister has worked very hard and deserves a good rest."

Changsun Wuji said sincerely.

In the officialdom of Chang'an, such a statement from an old rival would inevitably lead people to think outside the box and feel that he had ill intentions.

How should we rest? How long should we rest? Are you in charge of the rest period?

However, within the political context of Tangzhou, Changsun Wuji genuinely hoped that Prime Minister Fang Xuanling could take a good rest and recover his energy and health.

That way, he can take the blame for him for a few more years.

Ideally, Prime Minister Fang would live to be 100 and remain prime minister indefinitely until they retire together, thus passing away peacefully.

The only person who could make these two power-hungry old foxes so harmonious is His Majesty Li Ming.

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Changsun. I will convey your advice to my father."

Fang Yi responded as usual.

After exchanging pleasantries, the two began their busy yet routine office work, just like always.

Fang Yize brought his thoughts back to his work, his gaze falling once again on Li Ming's letter.

"On my way to roll call, I met Liu Ji from the Secretariat."

Changsun Wuji suddenly said.

Fang Yize's gaze sharpened, and he turned to the deputy prime minister beside him.

"Liu Shizhong has been acting rather out of line lately. He lives a life of extravagance and flaunts his wealth, especially at a time when the country is facing difficulties."

Changsun Wuji was processing documents and seemed to have just said it casually.

But everyone here has been in the top tier for so long, they can tell right away that the Grand Councilor Changsun was referring to the commotion at the entrance of the government office earlier.

"Oh," Fang Yize said expressionlessly.

"However, Lao Liu also has his own difficulties." Changsun Wuji continued, his hands constantly reviewing something. "As a surrendered general and a traitor, he was afraid of incurring the suspicion of His Majesty and his colleagues, so he had to pretend to be indulging in sensual pleasures and debauchery to tarnish his image in order to protect himself."

"This is something neither of us could have considered."

So, they're just copying Wang Jian's methods from the Qin Dynasty? Ha, how foolish. That "He" is not Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of Qin...

Fang Yi chuckled inwardly, but outwardly remained calm and gave a perfunctory reply:
"I understand what Lord Changsun means. I acted impulsively this morning."

“That’s right, it was indeed your fault.” Changsun Wuji raised his voice slightly.

Fang Yi was somewhat surprised and couldn't help but look up.

Changsun Wuji had put down his work at some point and was staring at him very seriously.

"Your outburst this morning has severely poisoned the work atmosphere."

"I understand you've been under a lot of pressure lately, but in this time of national crisis, who in the government isn't feeling the same way?"

Fang Yi was even more surprised.

The Grandson Regent seems to be lecturing him.

Anyone with a little office experience knows that disciplining a colleague's child is an embarrassing and easy mistake to make.

In other words, being able to point out each other's children's mistakes to their faces indicates that these colleagues have a special relationship...

"Yes, Lord Changsun... Your Excellency the Regent is right to reprimand me; I was not prudent enough."

Fang Yi stood up and bowed sincerely to Changsun Wuji.

"I will certainly apologize to Attendant Liu."

Changsun Wuji glanced at him, a smile playing on his lips, and shook his head.

"You still don't understand. You think I'm talking about Liu Ji?"

"The person you should truly apologize to is His Majesty."

Fang Yi's eyelids twitched.

They say you can't see into someone's heart, but how did my resentment towards Li Ming become so widely known?
Changsun Wuji didn't say anything more, nor was there any need to say anything more.

He shifted his attention back to the documents, as if the conversation he had just had been a brief respite during his work trip.

Fang Yi's heart stirred.

Unexpectedly, Lord Changsun gave him the same warning that his father had given him.

It's not that serious at all. Lord Changsun could have simply stood by and watched Fang Yize run into a brick wall and be punished later.

This is entirely beneficial to the Changsun family.

He was genuinely thinking of me and the Fang family... Fang Yize was both touched and puzzled.

Back in Chang'an, the Changsun faction and the Fang faction, while not exactly irreconcilable, were constantly engaged in open and covert struggles.

Arriving in Tangzhou, I found it to be a place of harmony and friendship.

Surely the feng shui in Liaodong isn't better than that in Guanzhong?
The people are still the same.

The only variable in all of this is "that" His Majesty...

Sigh, let's see how much money Li Ming will ask the national treasury for this time.

Before Fang Yize could reach out, he heard another sound from outside the door:
"Huainan is in dire need of help, and dysentery is spreading among the disaster victims."

"We need to purchase medicines and organize manpower to clean up the water source."

The two looked over at the sound and saw Fang Xuanling standing at the door with an expressionless face, just as usual.

"Father, you've only rested for a short while? Are you still tired?"

Fang Yi quickly got up to greet him.

Fang Xuanling first nodded to Changsun Wuji, then coldly replied to his eldest son's concern:
"The funds for Huainan need to be disbursed today. Does the national treasury have the money?"

Xiao Fang paused, then shook his head, equally expressionless.
"We need to make some arrangements."

The word "turnover" embodies a wisdom that is irreplaceable by planning and execution.

"Then I'll trouble you, Minister Ji."

Fang Xuanling, with an air of official business, returned to his seat.

Fang Yize also returned to his position.

The three of them immediately got to work and quickly forgot about the earlier incident.

Aside from necessary work-related communication, the three of them didn't exchange a single unnecessary word.

The only sound in the study was the rustling of pen in hand.

…………

Before we knew it, it was completely dark.

In the past, if we didn't leave now, we would have been caught in curfew.

Thanks to the wise policies of the new Ming Dynasty, the extremely inconvenient curfew system has been abolished.

The three of them could ignore the time and happily work overtime, staying in the office for as long as they wanted.

"That son of a bitch, Liu Ji is a real scoundrel!"

Changsun Wuji suddenly burst into a tirade of curses.

"The country is broke, how can he have the nerve to spend money so lavishly?!"

Fang Yize was stunned.

No, Uncle Changsun...didn't you just say how difficult it was for Attendant Liu?

Fang Xuanling was also puzzled by Changsun Wuji's karmic fire of ignorance:
"What's wrong with Lao Liu?"

"That fellow lives a life of extreme luxury, parading around in public without any remorse," Changsun Wuji said indignantly.

"If someone like him could donate all the money he squandered, the famine would have been over long ago!"

Fang Yi nodded silently in his heart.

Hey Uncle Changsun, we think alike!

Fang Xuanling, also expressionless, said:
"Since he doesn't lack money, let's stop paying his salary for a month."

"The funds allocated to the Secretariat were all deducted and used to support the disaster-stricken area of Huainan."

Fang Yi nodded silently again.

Oh, Father, we think alike!

After a day of working together, the three men's impression of Liu Ji underwent a complete 360-degree change (no typo), all because of two words—

No money.

Despite Fang Xuanling's meticulous and prudent planning, Changsun Wuji's efficient and low-cost arrangements, and Fang Yi's dazzling financial skills, Fang Xuanling still managed to make a successful plan.

However, it still couldn't plug the hole in the disaster-stricken area of Huainan.

Huainan Province was simultaneously hit by the double whammy of the Yellow River diverting into the Huai River and flowing into the sea, as well as the flooding of the Yangtze River, making the situation in the disaster area truly pessimistic.

While the State Council was racking its brains for money, the provincial departments were indulging in shopping sprees and buying luxury goods.

It's no wonder that Liu Ji, who got into trouble, and his fellow officials from the provincial government, who were caught in the crossfire, incurred the resentment of the three money-making giants.

"Please calm down, gentlemen. Liu Shizhong is spending his legitimate salary; he cannot be punished."
"The Secretariat is one of the three departments, and now is the time when it needs people. It would probably be unwise to deduct their salaries."

Fang Yi calmly and objectively tried to resolve the situation for the two of them.

Fang Xuanling took a deep breath, stroked his beard, and nodded approvingly:

"What Yi said is quite reasonable; it was I who lost my composure."

"That's right, you've grown a lot during this time."

Fang Yi humbly bowed to the two elders:
"Thank you for your guidance, elders."

Changsun Wuji's lips twitched, and he awkwardly turned his head away.

Make bricks without straw.

With no money in the national treasury, the three could only stare at each other in the study.

"Sitting around won't make any money, let's go back to our residence and rest."

Prime Minister Fang Xuanling said.

The three of them left in low spirits.

Fang Yize patted his thighs, which had gone numb from sitting, and slowly got up.