Xu Changgeng froze. Looking into Fang Yun's fathomless eyes, he involuntarily shuddered and said helplessly, "Prime Minister, this student merely passed along the messages. The decision rests with you. I truly wouldn't dare overstep and decide for you. If you don't wish to read them, I'll return all the messages at once."
Fang Yun said slowly, "We serve in the same court and work together. There are bonds between us. If your own families had trouble and came to me for help, I, Fang Yun, am not someone who disowns his own kin, devoid of feeling or desire. I would certainly lend a hand. But you are passing along messages for other people. It may seem harmless, but as I see it, you are approaching me on someone else's behalf. Do you understand the difference?"
The officials lowered their heads, cold sweat streaming down their bodies.
The root of the matter was not whether Fang Yun wanted to help, whether it was difficult, or even whether he could do it. It was that they were trading their bonds with Fang Yun for bonds with others.
If they pleaded for their families, they would be doing so out of necessity, and Fang Yun would not refuse. But pleading for others meant damaging Fang Yun's interests to satisfy their own pride, vanity, or interests.
To them, resolving these problems was no more than lifting a finger for Fang Yun. But it was not.
Even if it were no more than lifting a finger, why should Fang Yun have to do it?
Li Zhixiao sighed softly and said, "You are right, Prime Minister. We thought that because we were close to you, asking you for a favor was nothing. But we failed to think it through. If we truly regarded you as one