Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 448 Dispute
The discussion in the courtyard went on until late at night before the officials gradually dispersed.

As they left, their faces were filled with excitement. In fact, their official careers had been relatively smooth, because they were all talented people, and with Wang Yan's occasional guidance and secret support, they had avoided a lot of traps and exclusion.

This was also because they were young and held low-ranking official positions, and had not yet been valued by powerful officials and their cronies.

But they've seen enough.

How many of our relatives and friends are full of ambition but have nowhere to put it to use? How many officials have been demoted and ruined their futures because of political disagreements?

They could endure for another three to five years, or even longer, but the loss of people and the corruption of the bureaucracy would indeed sow the seeds of disaster for the Great Liang.

Now that Wang Yan is about to take action, they feel only satisfaction. The Wang clan and Prime Minister Wang were the rope that bound Wang Yan, and now that rope is gone.

Wang Yan didn't linger in the courtyard, and led Sang Dian and the others back to the Wang family home.

The Wang family's gate was not yet bolted, and the lights were on in the main hall. There were even officials waiting there at the gatehouse. Upon seeing Wang Yan return, the officials hurriedly stood up.

Wang Yan greeted him.

When the officials were finally appointed to their posts, they were usually not in very high positions. Before being sent to other places, they would come to see the prime minister and listen to his advice.

Wang Yan walked straight into his own courtyard, and just as he passed the main courtyard, Wang Bingchen came out.

"Why did you come back?"

Upon hearing the sound, Wang Yan stopped and greeted Wang Bingchen and the others.

Wang Yan said, "There are some matters at the yamen."

Upon seeing this, the officials from the Secretariat took their leave first, and Wang Bingchen then turned to his son and said, "Let's go inside and talk."

Although both father and son were officials in Bianjing, they didn't have many opportunities to meet in private, as they were both busy with their own official duties.

Wang Bingchen glanced at Wang Yan: "Did the Emperor send you to Baode Temple?"

Wang Yan nodded.

Wang Bingchen then asked, "Was it all successful?"

“Everything is fine,” Wang Yan replied.

Wang Bingchen frowned. The father and son spoke in a manner more formal than business. He, the father, was increasingly unable to understand what his son was thinking.

“The Emperor may send you to serve as a judge in a remote area. You should be prepared,” Wang Bingchen said. “At this time, it’s not a bad thing to go out, so you can avoid fighting with those people in the court. After three years, I will find a way to get you back to the Ministry of Rites.”

Wang Yan recalled Xie Yuyan's words about seeking a respectable and prestigious position. It seemed that if he didn't change, things would likely remain the same, just like Fan Zhongyan, whom she had mentioned—all things that would happen in the future.

Wang Yan remained silent, while Wang Bingchen's brows furrowed even more: "Although you have been in Daming Prefecture for a few months, you are still not qualified enough. If you want to be properly employed in the future, you will need to be sent to other places for a few years."

It was rare for his father to show such patience today, and he offered a brief explanation. Wang Yan looked up: "What should be done with Xia Mengxian? Has the Secretariat formulated a plan?"

Wang Bingchen took a deep breath: "It's not advisable to implicate Minister Xia too much in his crimes. He should be dismissed from his post and fined. The focus should be on dealing with the He and Li families."

"What did Minister Xia promise Father?" Wang Yan asked. "To facilitate the appointment of someone who supports the new policies to succeed him as Minister of Justice? In exchange for his own extrication?"

Wang Bingchen's face darkened.

Wang Yan said, "If this continues, when selecting virtuous officials for the country, we must consider whether they support the new policies. Officials who can be promoted must not be those who oppose the new laws."

"When Father was the prime minister, he was able to promote the new policies in this way. If Father leaves the Secretariat in the future and the Emperor appoints an official who opposes the new laws as prime minister, will Father's new policies still be able to continue?"

"Will those officials who have been suppressed for so long retaliate against the new policies?"

"By then, I'm afraid officials will have no sense of right and wrong, only factional strife. Who will care whether the new policies are beneficial to the Great Liang? Even if the new policies seem to be in effect, suppressed officials can still secretly obstruct them and create problems. Do you want to see such an outcome, Father?"

Wang Bingchen knew that his son had some differences with him in his views on the new policies, but he had never said it outright. He never expected that his son would make such a fuss about it today...

Wang Bingchen said, "Since we are going to implement the new policies, we must use swift and decisive measures. It's not too late to solve these problems after the new policies have gained a foothold."

Wang Yan didn't want to argue with Wang Bingchen any longer. In Lin's words, both father and son were stubborn people, and since neither could convince the other, there was no need to waste any more effort.

“You are acquainted with Master Zhiyuan,” Wang Bingchen said. “Was it you who recommended him to the Emperor for his visit to Bianjing this time?”

Wang Yan said, "No."

Wang Bingchen nodded, wanting to say something more, but ultimately waved his hand and said, "Go!" Wang Yan didn't say anything more and turned to leave.

A moment later, an aide brought documents to Wang Bingchen's side. He noticed that Wang Bingchen's expression was not right and whispered, "Your Excellency was just about to mention that woman, wasn't you?"

Wang Bingchen sent someone to Daming Prefecture to inquire about the news. He heard that after Wang Yan was forced into the mountains to escape, he carried a woman into the government office.

That woman was Xie, a merchant.

He originally thought that his son should not have any connection with a widow, but recently Xie has done a lot of things in Bianjing, causing quite a stir, which shows that the woman's methods are extraordinary.

If the man is mediocre, he needn't worry; he'll likely have little interaction with his son. But it's a different story with a wise man. No one wants their eldest son to be associated with a woman of unknown origin.

But given Yan Ge'er's personality, he couldn't say it outright, otherwise the result might be counterproductive.

After quite some time, the Prince's Mansion finally saw off all the guests who had come to visit.

Sang Dian waited in the courtyard until his husband had retired for the night before Sang Mo came to replace him.

"Stay alert," Sang Dian instructed, "and don't doze off."

Sang Dian has become much more confident lately, and he often lectures the others, so Sang Mo doesn't bother to argue with him.

After speaking, Sang Dian straightened his back and went to his room to rest.

After washing up, he lay down on the bed and could finally drift off to sleep.

In a daze, he suddenly woke up and felt someone approaching. Before he could open his eyes to see, a blanket was immediately pulled over his head.

Then, a sudden weight pressed down on me, and I was firmly pinned down.

Sangzhi ordered, "Beat him."

The fists landed on Sang Dian through the blankets. The punches didn't actually hurt; they just made Sang Dian feel humiliated. These insidious people, after hitting him from the front, flipped him over and started punching and kicking his buttocks.

It was purely out of spite.

"You've been so smug these days."

"I've been putting up with you for so long, I'm practically worshipping you on a table."

"We thought you would at least give us some information, but... you didn't say a single word."

"Let you be so arrogant..."

Sang Dian shouted, "You don't want to know anymore, do you? Don't regret it."

Then Sangzhi spat.

“We understand without you saying it,” Sang Zhi said. “Today, the young master sent someone to the South City Wharf. Do you think you can do what the young master asked you to do by yourself? We didn’t ask because we think the young master has other plans. It’s not that we’re afraid of you.”

"Now it's time to settle accounts with you properly."

Hearing the door close, knowing that these people were going to continue to torment him, Sang Dian quickly surrendered and begged for mercy: "I...I am most familiar with Madam...Don't blame me for not reminding you when you get your jobs in the future."

Sure enough, the punches and kicks stopped.

The next moment, Sang Dian was helped up, the blanket was lifted, and he saw several smiling faces.

Sang Dian raised his head and looked around. His status was all given to him by the eldest daughter-in-law.

……

Liu family.

Liu Erlang was still awake, waiting anxiously in his study. Finally, the servant knocked on the door and tiptoed in.

Liu Erlang's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked, "Did you get it?"

The servant nodded and took out a stack of papers from his pocket: "These are the official documents issued by the Imperial Secretariat."

Liu Erlang took the papers and looked through them, becoming more and more delighted. With these official documents, he could try writing a small newspaper in Bianjing.