Shu Ke puede recuperar una fortuna perdida

Capítulo 47

Now, all such sensitive words in these documents have been marked with red ink, clearly a deliberate attempt to provoke the emperor into appreciating the meaning of "deceiving the emperor and treachery."

Wang Anshi was momentarily at a loss, and looked up blankly at Zhao Xu, only to see Zhao Xu staring at him with a half-smile, carefully studying his reaction and expression.

He knew these words had touched a nerve with Zhao Xu. For any emperor, the greatest fear is being deceived, especially by powerful ministers. He wanted to explain to Zhao Xu that some things he didn't want the emperor to know were to reduce unnecessary embarrassment, worry, and hesitation. The reforms were at their peak, and many things needed to be resolutely implemented; time couldn't be wasted on pointless factional disputes and the emperor's repeated deliberations. Heaven bears witness; his words of "not letting the emperor know" were never intended to deceive the emperor for personal gain, but simply to ensure the smooth progress of the reforms.

However, he also knew that he could not explain it clearly. Even if he said these words, Zhao Xu would not believe him, nor would he think that his "keeping the emperor in the dark" was correct. He would only assume the outcome: that Wang Anshi had repeatedly instructed Lü Huiqing to conceal important court matters from him, the emperor, and that he was "deceiving the emperor."

He sat there, his face pale, feeling as if the words before him were gradually floating. The crimson circles on the letter were glaringly obvious, like Lü Huiqing's sinister smile. He suddenly couldn't understand it. He had been incredibly lenient with Lü Huiqing, forgiving him even when Lü had repeatedly framed him. When the court officials attacked Lü, he always spoke up for him. Why would Lü Huiqing repay kindness with ingratitude, presenting their private correspondence from years past to the emperor and thus arousing suspicion in the monarch?

As if sensing Wang Anshi's thoughts, Zhao Xu nodded slightly, and a eunuch presented another memorial to Wang Anshi.

The memorial to the throne, written by Lü Huiqing himself, states: "Anshi has abandoned his original learning and instead pursued the most trivial skills of diplomacy as extraordinary techniques, which has led to slander, coercion, obscuring the virtuous and forming cliques, shifting anger and acting recklessly, issuing false orders and deceiving the emperor. All these evils have been carried out over the years, and even those who have lost their ambition and acted perversely in ancient times have hardly done so."

With such strong words and such serious accusations, Wang Anshi could hardly believe that Lü Huiqing would retaliate so fiercely more than half a year after he was exiled to Chenzhou.

"What do you mean by this..." he murmured and sighed, pondering. He really didn't understand what he had done wrong to Lü Huiqing, which led Lü Huiqing to not only publish his private letters but also so resolutely tear off the mask and accuse him in front of the emperor.

"I have some documents here that I would like you to look at." Zhao Xu personally took a stack of documents from the desk and handed them to Wang Anshi.

It was a detailed account of Deng Wan's impeachment of Lü Huiqing in the "Huating Case" last year. Wang Anshi looked through it, puzzled, wondering what the emperor meant by this.

Zhao Xu said to him calmly, "This stack of documents appears in the cases where the Eastern Prefecture issued orders for the Ministry of Justice to imprison and punish those involved, but I seem to recall that I did not order further investigation into Lü Huiqing of Chenzhou, who is already known to be in the area, nor did I order the Ministry of Justice to imprison and severely punish him..."

Wang Anshi immediately realized that it must have been his subordinates who deliberately mixed the "Huating Case" materials into the documents issued by the Eastern Palace to the Criminal Court, in an attempt to deceive the court and punish Lü Huiqing. Now the emperor was suspicious of him and believed that he had instructed someone to do so.

"Your Majesty!" he hurriedly explained, "I truly knew nothing of this matter. Although Huiqing abused his power for personal gain, Your Majesty has already sent him away. How could I possibly hold a grudge and frame him? While I was serving in the Eastern Palace, I was indeed guilty of negligence and dereliction of duty, but I cannot bear the guilt of 'falsely issuing orders and deceiving the emperor.' Please allow Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly. Once the truth is revealed, I will certainly give Your Majesty a satisfactory answer."

Zhao Xu shook his head and said, "No need. I have already investigated this matter thoroughly. If you truly still don't know, I will have someone tell you."

After speaking, he lightly tapped the imperial desk with his finger. Someone then emerged from the side hall, bowed to Xu, and turned to Wang Anshi, saying, "I am a clerk in the Hall of Punishments. One day last year, your son visited you at the Eastern Palace. I happened to be on duty in the Hall of Punishments that day. I had already reviewed all the previous documents, and after your son left, I discovered that there was an extra document among the documents issued to the Hall of Punishments..."

Wang Anshi waved his hand to stop him, and said with shame, "There's no need to say any more." He never expected his son to be so bold as to do such a thing as abusing power and deceiving the emperor. He felt ashamed and had no face to face the monarch in the hall.

Zhao Xu leaned back on the dragon throne and looked at him, his deliberately drawn smile carrying a cold sarcasm: "Your son is truly a talent, manipulating power and deceiving others, stealing the sky and changing the sun, his talent is indeed extraordinary. I only wanted to promote him to Academician of the Dragon Pavilion, I really underestimated him too much."

Wang Anshi broke out in a cold sweat, rose from his seat, knelt before the emperor, and kowtowed with tears in his eyes, pleading guilty: "I have failed in educating my son, which has led him to commit such a deceitful act of deceiving his father and the emperor. I cannot shirk my responsibility and beg Your Majesty to punish me."

Emperor Zhao Xu remained silent for a long time, gazing at his trusted and relied-upon minister who had been kneeling on the ground for many years. He then said with deep emotion, “You asked me to punish you, but what good would it do even if I did? Could it eliminate the factional strife in the court? Could it undo the disastrous consequences of your son and Lü Huiqing’s power struggle? Could it silence the old-fashioned ministers who used this to attack the new laws and policies? Could it erase the fact that I, the emperor, was deceived, fooled, and manipulated by my subjects? I have trusted you wholeheartedly for many years, and this is the result I have received. Mr. Jie Fu, you have disappointed me greatly. Alas, go back now, and take these letters with you. I will not punish you for this, but I hope this will be the last time I see documents with such contents.”

Wang Anshi was speechless. He silently kowtowed again to express his gratitude to the emperor. Then he took the private letter from Lü Huiqing handed to him by the eunuch, got up, and slowly walked out of the palace.

He pondered the Emperor's words repeatedly, knowing that this meant a complete breakdown of the trust and understanding between them. For a long time, because they were of one mind, officials of the old party often sighed with envy, saying, "The Emperor and Jie Fu are like one person." But this situation would not continue. It was conceivable that the Emperor would first scrutinize his proposals and policy suggestions with suspicion before deciding whether to implement them based on his personal judgment. In fact, he had already begun to feel this change in the Emperor's attitude towards him in recent months. After his son's abuse of power and framing of Lü Huiqing, the situation had deteriorated beyond repair, and his policy blueprint would inevitably be destroyed by the Emperor's suspicion of him.

Returning home in a daze, he was greeted first by Wang Pang in the hall. Wang Pang, oblivious to his father's unusual expression, pressed him with great interest, asking, "What matter did the Emperor summon you to discuss, Father? Did he agree to adopt your proposed border warfare strategy?"

When Wang Anshi came to his senses, he saw his son, who had caused him such a disaster, standing before him asking about the contents of his discussion with the emperor. Enraged, he slapped his son hard across the face, shouting, "You unfilial son! Do you know that your momentary anger has brought suffering to your father, the emperor, the new laws, and all the people of the land?!"

Note: The wording of Lü Huiqing's petition in the *History of Song* and the *Continuation of the Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government* differs slightly. The most crucial phrases are "deceiving the emperor and demanding the emperor's favor" in one and "deceiving the emperor and deceiving the emperor's evil ruler" in the other. I have adopted the text from the *Continuation of the Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government*, but changed "evil ruler" to "demanding the emperor's favor."

The History of Song states: "Anshi abandoned all his learning and pursued the most trivial matters of diplomacy and strategy. He issued false decrees and deceived the emperor. These evil deeds were carried out over the years, and even those who lost their ambitions and acted perversely in ancient times were probably not as bad as him."

The Continuation of the Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government states: "Anshi abandoned all his original learning and instead pursued the most trivial skills of diplomacy as strange tactics, which led to slander and coercion, obscuring the wise and forming cliques with treacherous officials, shifting anger and acting recklessly, issuing false orders and deceiving the emperor. All these evils were carried out over the years, and even those who lost their minds and acted perversely in ancient times were probably not as bad as him."

Poetry Notes

Wang Pang felt a sudden pain on his face with surprise, not knowing why his father was suddenly angry. He stared at the ground for a moment before slowly turning to look at Wang Anshi and asking questioningly, "Father?"

Wang Anshi threw the private letter that Zhao Xu had given him to Lü Huiqing on the ground and said to his son, "Look at this! This is the result of your framing of Lü Huiqing!"

Wang Pang picked up one of the letters, unfolded it, and immediately understood. He sneered indifferently, "So he's resorting to desperate measures."

Wang Anshi angrily said, "He has already been transferred to Chenzhou. We could have lived peacefully with him, but you insisted on being aggressive and wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible. You did not hesitate to commit the crime of deceiving the emperor, abusing your power to deceive and frame him, causing him to retaliate without mercy. This destroyed the emperor's trust in your father for many years, created a rift between the emperor and his ministers, and affected the new policies. You are simply unforgivable!"

"Does Father think he can rest easy by sparing him?" Wang Pang retorted, "Lü Huiqing first caused Uncle Anguo to be unjustly demoted and die in despair. Then, he plotted to prevent Father from returning to the position of Chancellor. He then turned against Father and tried to frame him for treason. He also formed cliques and cultivated his own followers to oppose Father, demoting many virtuous ministers who followed Father. If I hadn't used his own methods against him and used his cliques to seize power, Father would probably have already fallen victim to his schemes. Such a villain cannot be let off lightly. As long as he has a breath left, he will surely seek revenge. That's why I devised a plan to completely defeat him and ensure he can never rise again. Unfortunately, I made a mistake and he found out. I only regret that my actions were not thorough enough..."

"Shut up!" Wang Anshi interrupted him, shaking his head angrily. "Do you think that using power to fight power, and using intrigue to expose intrigue, is the wisest approach? In the end, you have earned me the crime of forging decrees and deceiving the emperor, ruining my reputation for life. In the eyes of the emperor, the court officials, and future generations, how am I any different from a villain like Lü Huiqing? The emperor is determined to implement the new laws, but he sees the key officials of the reform party fighting amongst themselves and forming cliques for personal gain. What do you think he will think? How could I have raised such an ignorant son like you? Narrow-minded, short-sighted, unable to assess the situation and understand the big picture, leading to the complete defeat of the reform party. I have failed the emperor, the people, and the Song Dynasty!"

Wang Pang was filled with resentment upon hearing his father's rebuke, but dared not argue with him. He vented his anger on the pile of letters, grabbing one and tearing it apart as if he were choking Lü Huiqing through the letters. Madam Wang heard the commotion and rushed from the inner room. Seeing this, she tried to stop her son, but Wang Pang did not stop and continued to tear at the letters.

Seeing that he was once again acting arrogantly, recklessly, and violently, Wang Anshi became even more furious and sternly rebuked him: "You never calmly reflect on things when they happen, you only resort to violence and venting your anger. Such a mentality and temper will truly harm both yourself and others! Poor Adi has accompanied you for many years without complaint, always enduring your wrath and your wrath, yet she still cannot escape being beaten and tortured by you. If this continues, she will be killed by you sooner or later! Do you know that she tried to hang herself last night?" Then he took out the words that Pang Di had written last night from his sleeve and threw them at him to see.

Wang Pang was taken aback upon hearing this and immediately stopped what he was doing. Those in the family who knew about what had happened the night before were afraid to tell him for fear of making him angry again, so he was indeed unaware that his wife had attempted suicide.

He picked up the note, unfolded it, and carefully examined each word for a long time before asking anxiously in a low voice, "Is she... alright now?"

Wang Anshi said, "Fortunately, His Highness Prince Qi arrived in time to save her."

"Prince Qi?" Upon hearing that it was Zhao Hao, he chuckled, a deep glint appearing in his eyes, whether from resentment or anger, it was hard to tell.

“Alas, His Highness Prince Qi then came to me and said that he wanted to propose to Adi and hoped that I would let her remarry him.” Wang Anshi sighed, gazing deeply at his son, and then said, “Now, I am prepared to grant his request.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Pang remained silent, stunned. His wife, however, looked at her husband in surprise and asked, "Adi? Has the Prince of Qi gone mad? He actually wants to marry Adi? My lord, are you confused too? You're actually agreeing to this?"

Wang Anshi did not answer her question, but continued to stare at his son, his eyes filled with deep sorrow: "Pang'er, let her go. She has already wasted five years of her youth in this family. If she continues to be entangled with you like this, her life will truly be ruined. She is certainly suffering greatly because of what you are doing now, but how can you feel any better? You often insult and beat her because you suspect her of having an affair, but you feel the same pain yourself, don't you? Why not let her remarry, so that you can both be free from each other? Even if it hurts, it will get better after a while. Otherwise, I'm afraid you will both lose your lives in this unhappy marriage."

Before Wang Pang could answer, Madam Wang objected, "My lord, how can you say that? What couple doesn't quarrel and bicker? They've only argued a few times, and you're already going to marry your wife off to someone else? What kind of logic is that? They're just young people, what deep-seated hatred could they possibly have? How can you say they'd lose their lives?"

Wang Anshi couldn't explain it, so he just shook his head and sighed, saying, "The problem isn't there."

"Then tell me, what's the problem?" Madam Wang pressed angrily.

“The problem is, I’m not a normal man at all.” Wang Pang suddenly interjected, his expression unusually calm, as if he were talking about something unrelated to himself: “I am not capable of being a husband at all. Adi has been married to me for many years and is still a virgin.”

Madam Wang was extremely shocked and speechless. She stared at her son, tears welling up in her eyes.

Wang Pang then walked up to his father, knelt down, kowtowed solemnly, and said, "I agree to Adi's remarriage. Thank you for your arrangement, Father."

Madam Wang, with tears streaming down her face, came over and helped him up. Her heart was breaking with unbearable sorrow. She held him tightly and sobbed, "Pang'er..."

Wang Pang forced a smile to reassure his mother, saying, "I'm fine." He then gently stepped out, said, "I'm going back to my room," and walked slowly towards his bedroom.

Lady Wang chased after him to the door, her eyes filled with tears as she gazed at his retreating figure, already sobbing uncontrollably. Wang Anshi, also worried, hurried over to support his wife and watched him go.

Wang Pang walked on, his steps unsteady, yet he maintained the faint smile that had lingered on his face as he continued forward. But he couldn't hold on for long; his vision went black, and he collapsed in the corridor.

The next day, Wang Anshi summoned Pang Di and told her that he planned to adopt her as his goddaughter and marry her to Prince Qi, Zhao Hao. Pang Di refused again, so Wang Anshi said to her, "This time my mind is made up. I will not let you continue to live such a hopeless life with Pang'er in a muddle. Originally, you should return to your parents' home first, and then your family would send you off to your new marriage. However, I fear that people will not know the truth and say that you were divorced by my family, which would damage your reputation. Besides, your father has passed away, so I, as your father-in-law, will become your father and marry you off in the name of marrying off my daughter. You have done nothing wrong in the whole affair with Pang'er. You are so gentle, virtuous, reasonable, and generous. If you could become my daughter, it would be a great blessing for me. His Highness Prince Qi is a tolerant and kind gentleman, a perfect match for you, someone you can entrust your life to. Therefore, I have taken the liberty of agreeing to marry you to him. You should not object anymore. You must obey your parents' wishes. If you refuse again, it would be unfilial."

Although Pang Di felt that her feelings for Wang Pang had completely faded, and that staying in the Wang family would only perpetuate an unpleasant, even hostile, atmosphere between the couple, she couldn't bear to part so easily after so many years of deep love. The thought of truly separating and becoming strangers filled her with indescribable pain. She repeatedly declined his advances, tears streaming down her face, but Wang Anshi wouldn't listen and went directly to discuss the wedding date with the matchmaker sent by Zhao Hao.

She spent her days listlessly leaning against the Star-Asking Tower, idly watching the flowers bloom and fade, the clouds drift and gather, always melancholy and showing no signs of being a bride-to-be. Suddenly one day, Green Sleeve, who had gone out to buy needlework supplies, ran back excitedly and handed her a poem, saying, "Miss, I met a man who looked like a servant on the road. He asked me to give this poem to you, saying it was written by His Highness Prince Qi."

Pang Di unfolded the poem and saw that it was indeed Zhao Hao's handwriting. She had seen his flying white calligraphy at Su Shi's residence in Hangzhou and had a deep impression of it, so she couldn't be mistaken. It contained a poem, "Butterfly Loves Flowers": "A deep chill fills my green sleeves, I lazily watch the fleeting years, as dusk fades into smoke. A lingering fragrance lingers, I am ill from wine, and spring cannot alleviate my newly grown thinness. I once composed three or five poems of parting thoughts, wanting to speak but hesitating, ultimately sealing my mouth in sorrow. Can I bear to recall the past? Will the palace plum blossoms still be the same next year?"

After reading it, I sighed inwardly: I never imagined that someone as reserved and gentle as him could compose such a delicate and tender poem expressing his feelings. The first stanza depicts her sorrowful days, as if he were witnessing them daily: "The fragrance of the wisp of silk lingers, she is ill from wine, spring has not healed her newly thinness," showing great pity and revealing his meticulous nature. The second stanza subtly expresses his longing and yearning, lamenting their separation, yet "he remains silent in sorrow," truly portraying his consistent "wanting to speak but holding back" attitude towards his emotions. "Can the past be recalled? Will the palace plum blossoms be the same next year?" This clearly refers to the Empress Dowager's invitation for her to enter the palace to admire the plum blossoms, expressing his regret for missing her in the past, and also hinting at a marriage proposal.

Lost in thought, her mind in turmoil, she sat silently, brows furrowed, and sighed. Green Sleeves, however, spoke up, "Miss, what are you hesitating for? Everyone can see that His Highness Prince Qi is deeply in love with you. If you marry him, you'll surely be cherished and live a happy life. Why cling to this son-in-law? His temper is getting worse and worse. Even if you can grit your teeth and endure it, we maids will eventually be terrified to death. Please, Miss, have mercy and take us away from here."

Pang Di smiled faintly and said, "Are you all that afraid of him?"

Green Sleeve nodded and said, "Yes, when he gets angry, he's like a completely different person, like a lion, a tiger, or a death knell. Just one glare from him and we're almost scared to death. Unlike His Highness Prince Qi, who is always so gentle and polite. It's clear he has a very good temperament. He's definitely more suitable for Miss than the young master..."

Before she could finish speaking, she saw Pang Di looking straight behind her. She turned around in surprise, almost scared out of her wits—Wang Pang had already appeared at the top of the stairs and was walking towards them.

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2006-5-24 19:05 43rd Floor

> The Heart of a Flower

Regular Member

(The Heart of a Flower)

Eyes That Charm (67-68): Buddhist Scriptures/Fireworks

May 15, 2003, 10:55:01 AM, NetEase Culture, Milan Lady

Buddhist scriptures

Wang Pang slowly walked up to them, and they all stood up at the same time. Green Sleeves, with a pale face, timidly peeked at him, while Pang Di pursed her lips and stared intently, her expression full of vigilance.

Wang Pang smiled slightly upon seeing this and said calmly, "Do I really frighten you that much? Don't worry, I'm not here to argue."

Then Yan said to Lvxiu, "I'll have a chat with your young lady. You can go down now."

Green Sleeves nodded, then immediately turned and hurried downstairs.

The two looked at each other silently for a long time. Wang Pang looked at Pang Di with tenderness and care, from her hair to her skirt, from her cheeks to her soft hands, and finally sighed softly, "It has been six years since I first saw you, hasn't it? You are still as beautiful as ever, as if time is unwilling to leave any trace on you... Oh, you have only lost some weight, that is my fault."

Pang Di did not know what he meant by these words, and remained silent.

Wang Pang's gaze fell on the poem in her hand again. He reached out to take it. Pang Di was startled at first, afraid that he would get angry again. But she thought that if she hid it from him, it would seem that she was deliberately exchanging letters with Zhao Hao in private, which would make him even more unhappy. So she let him take it.

He looked at the poem on the paper, his expression surprisingly calm and composed, without a trace of emotion. After reading it, only a hint of melancholy flashed across his eyes, but then he smiled slightly at Pang Di and said, "Prince Qi has always been steady and honest, and not good at writing delicate poems. I didn't expect this one to be so subtle and tender, full of affection. He couldn't have written it if he wasn't truly in love with you."

He returned the poem to Pang Di and said, "He is a good man and will cherish you for the rest of your life. I will be at ease if you marry him."