The rebellious grandson of Emperor Zhenguan of the Tang Dynasty: Please, Your Majesty, be called Cro

Chapter 120 Fang Xuanling: Children and grandchildren are all debts!

Fang Xuanling was taken aback.

He was deeply worried about the future fortunes of the more than one hundred people in the Fang family, feeling like he was sitting on pins and needles, his mind filled with the crisis of the succession dispute engulfing the entire clan.

This fellow, on the contrary, was leisurely and carefree, holding a copper kettle by the window, pondering the origin of the rainbow in the sky.

A surge of frustration welled up in his chest, and all the dangers he had been contemplating in the court and the immense pressure of his family's survival transformed into a burning anger of disappointment.

He slowly stepped into the house, his brow furrowed, and said in a deep voice, "You unfilial son, what tricks are you playing now that you never think about anything else?"

Seeing that Fang Xuanling was not cooperating with him, Fang Yi'ai was not annoyed. Instead, he was smug and said, "Father, don't yell. Let's see what I can do."

As he spoke, he picked up the copper kettle, took a deep drag from the spout, then turned his face and spewed it out the window with a "pfft"—

Just then, the sun was setting, and the mist sprayed by Fang Yi'ai pierced through the golden light. Fang Xuanling was surprised to see a faint arc of seven colors appear out of thin air in the courtyard, only to vanish in an instant with the mist.

"this----?"

Even Fang Xuanling, whose wisdom was unparalleled, was stunned for a long time upon seeing this scene.

Fang Yi'ai had never seen his brilliant father show such a side before. He couldn't help but feel smug.

He wiped the water from the corner of his mouth, gave a knowing smile, and shook his head mysteriously, saying, "Father. Legend has it that the rainbow in the sky is formed from a dragon drinking water."

"Look, the rainbow I unleashed today, doesn't that mean I am—"

Before he could finish speaking, Fang Xuanling's face suddenly turned ashen. The old man, who had just needed assistance to walk, now moved swiftly, kicking off his cloth boots and clutching them in his hand, striding forward angrily.

"You scoundrel! Your mouth is full of arrogant and absurd words!"

"I'll teach you a lesson for your loose tongue! Today I'll teach you a lesson you ignorant and arrogant beast!"

Fang Yi'ai, who had just been pretending to be profound and mysterious, was terrified upon seeing this. He dared not be arrogant in the slightest, hurriedly dropped the copper pot, slipped, and fled in panic around the hall.

Fang Xuanling, carrying his cloth boots, chased after him relentlessly. However, due to his advanced age and declining health, he circled the house twice, but not only did he fail to catch up with his energetic young son, he also became exhausted, panting heavily, feeling tightness in his chest, and experiencing waves of weakness.

Although Fang Yi'ai was unruly and impetuous, he was also pure-hearted and filial. Seeing his father's breathing became disordered and his body swaying, he immediately stopped running away, turned back to him, and asked with a worried expression, "Father, are you alright?"

"Father, are you alright?"

"You—alas! You wretched child!"

Fang Xuanling tossed the boot aside and sighed deeply. Although this unfilial son was foolish, he was extremely filial to his parents—seeing his worried expression, Fang Xuanling couldn't bring himself to voice any criticism he might have felt.

Even an upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes.

"Tell me, where did you learn these tricks of the trade?"

"This is not some trickery, Father, this is a science!" Fang Yi'ai immediately perked up and relayed to Fang Xuanling everything he had overheard from Li Xiang at Chengguang Tower that day.

"Father, that grandson of the emperor, Li Xiang, also said that if there were glass, he could make a telescope that could see dozens of miles away!"

"Father, I remember His Majesty once bestowed upon you a pure, luminous glass alms bowl. If you were to give it to that grandson of the Emperor, Li Xiang, perhaps it could truly be used to create that telescope!"

Fang Yi'ai looked eager to try.

Upon hearing this, Fang Xuanling was taken aback again: that crystal-clear Buddha bowl was a tribute from the Kingdom of Ucha in India. Unlike other crystal artifacts, which were cloudy and murky, it was completely transparent like water, and the light could penetrate people.

Among all the glass offerings in the imperial palace, this item is unique and priceless. It was specially selected from among all the offerings in the palace as a reward when Empress Zhangsun was still alive, having heard of his affinity for Buddhism.

When His Majesty heard that the Empress wanted to bestow this item upon someone, he was very reluctant, which shows how precious it was.

Fang Xuanling also loved this object very much, placing it on a shelf in his inner study so he could admire it all the time. He even personally wiped it with fine silk, not letting anyone else do its daily maintenance, for fear of scratching it.

And this unfilial son actually wanted to use the Fang family's priceless heirloom, the glass bowl, to make some kind of ridiculous telescope.

"You good-for-nothing!"

Thinking of this, Fang Xuanling felt a pang of heartache and trembled, wanting to pick up the boot and give Fang Yi'ai another beating.

But then Fang Yi'ai said, "Father, I want to learn this subject from the imperial grandson Li Xiang."

"I feel this field of study is far more profound and interesting than the Four Books and Five Classics!"

Seeing the gleam in Fang Yi'ai's eyes, Fang Xuanling was stunned once again.

This youngest son of mine has been unruly since childhood, unlike his father and grandfather.

His two sons were born at odds with the family's scholarly tradition. They were both tall and strong but not very bright, struggling even with their early education, let alone achieving academic success or following in their father's footsteps.

The Fang clan has many branches, and all the members are intelligent and diligent. However, Yi'ai was despised and ostracized for many years and could never hold his head high.

Fang Xuanling and his wife knew that he would not be able to pursue a proper career in government, so they went to great lengths to secure the position of Prince Consort for him, hoping that as a prince consort, he could protect him and ensure his safety and well-being after they passed away.

Unfortunately, Princess Gaoyang, whom he married, was proud and arrogant, and had always looked down on those who were crude and uncultured. Yi'ai was full of love for her, and in order to win the princess's favor, he tried every means to please her and studied poetry and books diligently. However, due to his limited talent, he ultimately achieved nothing and only became more and more self-conscious.

His close relationship with the King of Wei and his association with the scholars in the King's mansion were ultimately nothing more than a desire to gain some literary fame, hoping to be looked up to by the world and to be treated with respect by his wife.

But his sincerity was met with nothing but the secret contempt and ridicule of the scions of the powerful families of the Prince of Wei.

Half his life was marked by clumsiness and humility, yet it was rare to find something that could ignite such light in his eyes and fill him with such fervor. As his father, how could Fang Xuanling bear to scold or reprimand him?

He opened his mouth and earnestly advised, "I know you have a desire to learn, but this 'optical science' is something I've never heard of before."

"Moreover, that grandson of the emperor, Li Xiang, is rebellious and has repeatedly insulted Your Majesty, offended the gentry and the Prince of Wei, and is on good terms with him—"

At this point, a flash of inspiration struck Fang Xuanling, and he abruptly stopped speaking.

The Prince of Wei is powerful and arrogant, and His Majesty has long been secretly wary of him. His path to the throne has come to an end. The Fang family has been bound to the Prince of Wei's ship, which is about to capsize, by the Prince's influence over the years. They are caught in a dilemma with no way out.

But Li Xiang————

Li Xiang was rebellious, unorthodox, offended the gentry, and offended the King of Wei.

His father was a deposed crown prince who had no hope of becoming the heir apparent, and all the officials in the court avoided him like the plague.

But precisely because of this, Li Xiang was without party, power, or faction, and was completely separated from the Wei King's faction!

If Yi'ai could follow that grandson of the emperor, Li Xiang, and never associate with the Prince of Wei again, even incurring the Prince of Wei's hatred—

That is the only way for the Fang family to completely sever ties with the Prince of Wei's faction, escape the vortex of succession, and clear themselves of suspicion of factionalism!

Fang Xuanling's old eyes suddenly lit up.

However, upon recalling the pure, luminous crystal prayer bowl, Fang Xuanling couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache: "Second Brother, is it really necessary to have that crystal prayer bowl?"

"There are some other glass artifacts in the house —"

"No, the imperial grandson Li Xiang said that the glass used to make a telescope must be transparent," Fang Yi'ai said.

He waved his hand dismissively, completely oblivious to his father's deep affection and heartache, his tone light and casual: "Father, it's just a Buddhist alms bowl anyway. I'll buy you ten more, even better ones, in the future!"

"Lend me your alms bowl for a moment, so I can test whether the grandson of the emperor truly possesses profound knowledge or is just spouting empty words."

Looking at his youngest son's innocent and fearless face, unaware of the value of treasures, let alone the dangers of the court and the rise and fall of the family, Fang Xuanling felt a mix of emotions.

On one hand, there is a priceless heirloom passed down for generations, which is about to be lost to the unknown; on the other hand, the life, death, honor, and disgrace of more than a hundred family members are all tied to this seemingly absurd and unconventional act.

He spent half his life scheming for power, seeing through the complexities of human nature, calculating the political landscape, and avoiding all sorts of troubles. In the end, however, he could not foresee the future of his own children and grandchildren, nor could he escape the entanglements of his family.

After a long while, Fang Xuanling closed his eyes and gently shook his head.

So be it, so be it. These are just material possessions. If they can bring this child a moment of joy, that's fine too.

A soft sigh, filled with weariness and helplessness: "So be it, so be it—children and grandchildren are all debts, and we have no say in the matter."

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