Fang Xuanling Leaves, the Zhangsun Siblings Face Hardship

As for Zhang Sheng's words, Fang Xuanling simply assumed he wanted to keep a low profile and had made someone up on the spot.

Fang Xuanling had no intention of getting to the bottom of it, though, and simply played along with Zhang Sheng.

No wonder later generations would speak of "Fang's schemes and Du's decisions."

The golden rice rolled in waves with the wind, lifting the spirits of all who saw it. It was another year of abundant harvests.

"Those ears of rice look quite heavy. Surely the yield must be five or six hundred jin per mu!"

"Mr. Fang, you're underestimating the yield. It'll be at least a thousand jin per mu."

"What! A thousand jin! How is that possible?"

"There's nothing impossible about it. Once we bring it in and weigh it, won't we know?"

"Young Master Zhang! This is no joking matter. If the harvest yields a thousand jin per mu, it would be a blessing for all the people!"

Amid tension and anticipation, the sample harvest from one mu was brought in. It was still a little damp, but that was no problem; they could deduct some weight for the moisture.

"How many jin?"

"Mr. Fang! More than fourteen hundred jin!"

"More than fourteen hundred jin!"

Hearing that number, Fang Xuanling cried out, somewhat dazed.

"Ahem! Mr. Fang, calm down!"

"Young Master Zhang! How can I calm down? That's more than fourteen hundred jin per mu! This is an auspicious omen!

"No! I must report this to the court. I must spread this immortal grain throughout the land, so all the common people can eat their fill."

Seeing that Fang Xuanling had already begun to speak somewhat incoherently, Zhang Sheng hurried forward to shatter his fantasy.

"Mr. Fang! Don't rush to report it to the court. Could you hear my thoughts first?"

"My apologies. I lost my composure just now. Please, go ahead, Young Master Zhang!"

"Do you know why I haven't presented these grain seeds to the court?"

"That's right! Given your benevolence and righteousness, Young Master Zhang, you wouldn't keep this hidden and fail to report it. Could there be other factors involved?"

"Indeed there are! Leaving aside whether there are any spare seeds, let me ask you this: Is the realm at peace? Can the common people really receive the seeds distributed by the court?"

"This..."

Faced with Zhang Sheng's soul-searching questions, Fang Xuanling did not know how to answer.

"Is it that even you aren't confident these seeds could be distributed into the hands of the common people?

"You should know that ever since the War of the Eight Princes,

"Foreign tribes have burned, killed, plundered and committed every evil across our Huaxia lands, throwing the realm into chaos and leaving many states standing side by side.

"Emperor Wen finally unified the realm, but aristocratic clans were everywhere. It seemed to be a peaceful and prosperous age,

"Yet the common people were still struggling to survive in the cracks. If seeds with a yield this high were reported to the court,

"The aristocratic clans would surely be the first to step forward and stop it. They wouldn't want the court's prestige to surpass their own. How else could they control imperial power?"

"Th-this... isn't that a little alarmist? Isn't there a good way to resolve it?"

"Alarmist? I don't think so. As for a solution, there certainly is one!

"Only if a powerful monarch appeared and swept away every obstacle with thunderous methods could it possibly be carried out.

"As things stand, Yang Guang is not suited to it, nor does he have the ability.

"He can't even deal with Yuwen Huaji and Yang Su at court, let alone anything else."

After Zhang Sheng laid it out like that, Fang Xuanling began to lose heart.

Something that could change the world was right before his eyes, yet it could not be put to use.

It even left him, who had been single-mindedly devoted to serving the court, feeling somewhat weary of the world.

"Feeling helpless, aren't you? Heh! It's good that you understand. Perhaps things will take a turn for the better someday."

"Will they?"

"Perhaps!"

After that blow from Zhang Sheng, Fang Xuanling was no longer as cheerful as before. He even seemed weighed down by worries.

Time was the best medicine. After that, Fang Xuanling threw himself wholeheartedly into education.

Seeing the children grow and make progress every day made him happy from the bottom of his heart.

Perhaps teaching and raising children isn't so bad either!

The weather gradually turned cold, and Blue Silver Village was no longer as lively as before. Even so, it could not stop some foodies from coming, braving the cold wind to get there.

The school

"Students! Winter vacation is almost here. We've assigned you some homework, and we'll be checking it next year!"

After the teachers finished the final lesson, the students were about to leave the school where they had spent half a year.

Seeing how reluctant they were to part, the teachers were gratified. After all, they had grown attached over the time they had spent together.

"Mr. Fang, you're leaving?"

"I've been away for several years. It's time I went back and had a look."

"Will you come back, Mr. Fang?"

"I don't know. Although life here is peaceful and comfortable,

"I'm still not quite willing to leave things as they are. I want to see for myself. Even if I die, I'll have no regrets!"

"Your lofty aspirations truly fill me with admiration, sir. I cannot very well stop you from pursuing your ideals. All I can do is wish you smooth sailing."

"In truth, I would much rather you came out of seclusion, Young Master Zhang. With your talent for ordering heaven and earth, you could surely remake the world!"

"Heh! No! I'm just an ordinary commoner with no great ambitions. There's no need to persuade me, Mr. Fang."

"Alas! What a pity!"

After bidding Zhang Sheng farewell, Fang Xuanling left. He had arrived full of high spirits, but when he departed, his heart was heavy, and he seemed full of worry about the future.

After Fang Xuanling left, Zhang Sheng only felt a little regret. His place was a little too small, after all, to accommodate this future prime minister.

If he had wanted to contend for the realm, he would have kept Fang Xuanling there no matter what. But he had no such intention, after all; it would be a thankless task.

Now that the matter was over, Zhang Sheng stopped dwelling on it. Every day, he either cultivated or wandered about, looking as though he had no proper work to do.

That day, snowflakes as large as goose feathers drifted down outside. Lan Yun was frolicking in the snow, her laughter echoing throughout the estate.

"Master! Come build a snowman!"

"No! That's for children!"

"Th-then I won't play either!"

When Lan Yun heard Zhang Sheng say that, she reluctantly put down the snowball in her hand, her little mouth pouting to show how unhappy she was.

"Lan Xin! Look at your sister. She's hilarious!"

"Master! Just keep bullying her!"

Lan Xin looked at Zhang Sheng, torn between laughter and tears. But when Lan Yun saw how happily he was laughing, she immediately had enough. She grabbed a snowball and threw it at him.

"Thump!"

The snowball struck Zhang Sheng squarely on the head. This time, he did not indulge her; he picked up a snowball from the ground and threw it back.

And so an unprecedented snowball fight began. As the battle grew fiercer, Lan Xin, who had been watching the fun from the side, was drawn in as well.

Happy days were fleeting, but they were also the hardest to forget.

Yet even as the snow swirled down, some people were having a very difficult time.

"Brother! They made things difficult for you again."

"Little sister! It's all right. I'm a member of the Zhangsun Clan, after all. They wouldn't dare do anything to me."

"But..."

"No buts. Now that Father is gone, Zhangsun Anye is in charge of the Zhangsun Clan. We'll endure it for a while if we can.

"After some time has passed, I'll contact our maternal uncles, then take you away from the Zhangsun Clan to Chang'an."

"I'll do as you arrange, Brother!"