Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 518 Night Talk
Liu Erlang stared blankly at his father, pondering his words carefully. After a long while, he said, "Father, did you already know that there was a problem with the tabloid we were running?"

Liu Hui snorted, both laughing at his own son's foolishness and showing disdain for the methods of Xia Mengxian and his ilk.

"Although your father's official rank is not high, he has never been involved in factional struggles since he entered officialdom. What is the secret to that? If he hadn't been so shrewd, he would have been crushed to the ground long ago."

Liu Hui once said, "I sensed something was wrong from the moment you started publishing your tabloid, and I've already had someone secretly investigate the publishing house that prints it."

Liu Erlang asked in bewilderment, "If that's the case, why didn't Father stop us?"

"Because I received a calling card from Wang Yan." Liu Huizeng sat up with Liu Erlang's help, took the tea and sipped it.

Liu Erlang asked in surprise, "Wang Yan sent the calling card also for the Bianjing tabloids?"

Liu Hui glanced at Liu Erlang and said, "If even you can figure it out, then I, your father, can naturally understand it as well."

Liu Erlang blushed, feeling utterly foolish for not realizing it at all.

Liu Huizeng suddenly remembered someone when he got to this point: "Your young friend is really good. He has tried to persuade you many times, but you are blinded by fame and fortune and refuse to listen to his words."

Liu Erlang knew that his father was Zuo Shangying.

Liu Huizeng continued, "After I was injured, he came to visit me and kept asking about you. When you have time tomorrow, you should go see him."

Thinking of his attitude towards Zuo Shangying, Liu Erlang lowered his head in shame and said, "I will remember this."

Liu Hui paused for a moment before continuing, "Wang Yan has already noticed the tabloid incident, so he must also know about my secret investigation of the bookstore."

Following his father's words, Liu Erlang thought, "Father investigated that bookstore to stop me, and Wang Yanruo meant the same thing. There's no need to send the calling card to Father."

Liu Hui nodded slowly: "Wang Yan had long guessed Xia Mengxian's plan, or rather, from the very beginning, this was a trap set by Wang Yan for Xia Mengxian and the others."

"If I'm willing to cooperate with him, I'll let you continue being the bait. If you're not, I'll forcibly disrupt this matter, which will also ensure your safety, but..."

"In that case, we'll inevitably miss the opportunity to serve Wang Yan..."

Liu Hui handed the teacup to Liu Erlang.

The room fell silent for a moment. Liu Huizeng thought back to the situation at the time. He watched his son sink deeper and deeper into trouble while he had to make a decision immediately. He couldn't help but sigh: "If I choose to follow Wang Yan, it's like gambling with the lives of my whole family."

"But I...didn't hesitate for too long."

“Since I entered officialdom, I have never explicitly responded to whether I support the new policies. I do not want to stand on either the old or new party. Although Wang Yan is the son of Prime Minister Wang, he is not the same as Prime Minister Wang. He supports the new policies but is not radical and will not blindly protect the new party. I am more in line with him in terms of political views.”

"So this time... it was actually you who accompanied me through a dangerous situation."

Liu Erlang sensed a hint of guilt in his father's words. He wanted to say something, but then he felt a warm touch on his shoulder as his father patted him.

Liu Erlang shook his head and said, "No... I made the tabloid myself, but I dragged my family into it."

Liu Hui once smiled and said, "Since we've made the choice, we have to take responsibility for it. It's the same for both of us."

Liu Erlang recalled the time he was falsely accused of using a tabloid to pass messages to the feudal lords. He had to either shift the blame to Madam Xie or implicate his family, Huang Zongwu, Hu Ying, and others, all of whom would be imprisoned. Only then did he understand what accepting the tabloid meant. His father felt the same way.

If they lose, their whole family will lose their lives; if they win, everyone will be happy.

Liu Erlang said, "If I were to frame Madam Xie..."

“Then you’ve lost,” Liu Huizeng said in a much gentler tone. “I will use this merit to get Wang Yan to pardon you, but from now on, you can forget about ever entering officialdom again and will only be a useless idler.”

Liu Erlang's nose tingled with emotion. In the end, his father still cared about him. Even if he made a big mistake, his father would still try to protect him.

“But I still have some confidence in my son,” Liu Huizeng said. “You may be blinded by fame and fortune for a while, but you would never harm anyone.”

Liu Erlang suddenly leaned down, burying his head in his father's arms just like when he was a child: "I almost wavered too."

“Everyone would be like that,” Liu Huizeng said. “I also had a slight hesitation before going to Dengwen Prosecutor’s Office.”

Liu Erlang calmed himself down and stood up again: "Father, please don't do such things again."

“How can that be?” Liu Huizeng said, “You do what you are supposed to do in your position. Do you think what Wang Yan did wasn’t dangerous? He would also have difficult choices.”

"He is the son of Prime Minister Wang, the top scholar of this dynasty. He doesn't need to do anything and can smoothly enter the cabinet in the future. But now that things have turned out like this, I don't know how people will talk about him."

“There are many who call him mad and accuse him of being treacherous. Our dynasty has not taken action against the scholar-officials for a long time. After this incident, the sword will be drawn again, which will shock many people and leave behind a lot of hatred. If these people seize on this matter one day, he will surely be put to death.”

Liu Erlang said, "But Father still wants to follow Wang Yan."

Liu Hui nodded: "Since you are an official, you must have your own opinions and want to make some achievements. Otherwise, what's the use of reading those classics?"

"The reason I didn't side with Wang Yan before was firstly because Wang Yan didn't want to seize power so quickly, and secondly because I felt that Wang Yan was still a bit lacking in experience."

Liu Erlang grasped the key point in his father's words: "Is Wang Yan ready now? Because he's stepping in to deal with Xia Mengxian?"

Liu Hui once said, "It's not that Wang Yan's time to act is simply because he's become an enemy of Xia Mengxian and others. It's that he's already established enough power to take action against someone like Xia Mengxian."

“Wang Yan is in charge of the government and will also implement new policies, but his methods will be different from those of Prime Minister Wang. How exactly will he do it? What are his strengths compared to Prime Minister Wang? We will not act rashly until we can see this clearly.”

Liu Erlang said, "Now Father sees it clearly? It's because..."

He thought about it carefully, and slowly an idea surfaced.

"It's because of Madam Xie."

Liu Hui once said, "New policies should benefit the people, and when they are implemented, they should naturally be implemented by the people. Isn't that what Madam Xie did in Daming Prefecture and at the South City Wharf? It hasn't been long, and many people are already willing to support her, which shows that this path is correct."

"The people will judge the pros and cons of the new policies. If we leave all of this to the officials, they will only benefit themselves and find ways to oppress the people. In other words, even if we want to try to implement the new policies, there must be places where we can test them and people who are willing to speak the truth. It cannot just be empty talk."

"Furthermore, money is needed for everything. Xia Mengxian relies on merchants, and Wang Xianggong relies on his aristocratic family. What does Wang Yan rely on? Now that we have Madam Xie's help, at least the platform has been set up."

Also, the big monk and the little Taoist priest will meet in the next chapter.