Chapter 44
Today, the country celebrates what is known as the golden age, including ten years of good harvest and favorable weather. Leading the rich to feel at ease. To some extent it could be said that throughout the ages this was due to the first enlightened Emperor. He had many t.i.tles from his era that would last for all eternity. But no matter how wonderful he was, he would subsequently have the reputation for the first corrupt bureaucracy, as well as having the first treacherous government minister.
This traitor, the government minister, was exactly Prime Minister Lin Ruofu.
Lin Ruofu had an impoverished family background. He was not from the younger generation of a large and influential clan. He joined the bureaucracy through theimperial examinations and started his career discussing and evaluating in Suzhou, soon after he was transferred to the capital where he took up office as an official in charge of doc.u.ments and archival materials. He was then transferred to manage the twelfth southern office, in old Duchayuan to observe the inst.i.tution in the palm of his hands and make his position known. He then re-entered the Hanlin Academy as a member to study, while he was inside there was a new policy, he was then transferred to the sixth ministry department in charge of specific political affairs to serve as theMinistry of Appointments a.s.sistant minister. He raised in rank as a fair and reasonable official – a man beneath one and above ten thousand.
The people carefully observed the prime minister once he a.s.sumed office. They discovered that he was a capable individual who had; a civilian post, a military appointment, was the official in charge of imperial re-scripts, and of supervision. Although his official position had fluctuated repeatedly, the country had expectantly celebrated his experience in the different government departments as his official position has always slowly and firmly walked upwards.
Rumors were Lin Ruofu had no one in the palace to rely on. He also did not have background relations that were twisted roots and inter-joined joints.. The fact that the country celebrated his miscellaneous officialdom that was deeply unstable, from beginning to end without fail, made many men feel very astonished.
This Prime Ministers appearance was clear and bright, but inside he was treacherous and murderous. He received innumerable bribes. In addition he played Go with the civil official system together with the aristocracy where he violated the law and offended many people ending in failure. Therefore without mentioning influential officials even the common people did not love this image.
His mere decades of effort had long since given birth to countless branches on the country of Qing’s official government system whose tree had towered unyielding since the beginning. The Imperial censor would frequently accuse the Prime Minister of misconduct, all to no avail without actual proof and without having any better options they were forced to give up. The Capital really hit the nail on the head with this well organised specialist. The officials really hated him to the marrow of his bones, they really wished he would eat his own meat[恨不得生啖其肉], but on the surface the officials dared not provoke him face to face.
In the entire Qing Nation, only the Emperor, His Majesty can demand the Prime Ministers life and power, anyone else is out of the question, this is the consensus of all the officials. Throughout Qing, apart from the watchdog under the const.i.tution,only that
Once a department head dared to spit at the Prime Minister in the middle of the street, he is still paying the price of three years worth of salary. His punishment was personally dealt by His Majesty.
When the people discovered that the Emperor, His Majesty’s trust in the Prime Minister had not not weakened during this time, those scholarly officials who posed as calm and lucid began to somewhat despair. During that time no one antic.i.p.ated the newspaper to publish headlines that he Prime Minister Lin Ruofu unexpectedly had an illegitimate daughter!
In any large and influential clan it is only normal for the family head to take many concubines. If your family backyard only has one woman? Sorry, I’m really embarra.s.sed for the person. But public morals places importance on blood relations.h.i.+p etiquette especially with social status. Even though it resembles the Prime Minister that everyone knows, as deceitful but fiercely respectful. After all he considered himself to be just and honest, and unexpectedly had a daughter born in private, losing his righteousness. But that one daughter was already more then ten years of age, and has still not been received in the official residence. To let her live alone outside as a father was evidence enough of his benevolence.
Because the news came from the Imperial Palace, as a result officials triggered a very small earthquake in the capital. People one after another began to speculate, was it because the Emperor, His Majesty became bored of the Prime Minister and already began preparation exchange him with a more capable individual. The Imperial censor took the stage when they got a doctor to submit a written statement about the incident.
To everyone’s surprise, His Majesty, the Emperor personally came forward and suppressed the matter. The situation gradually settled down, but the Prime Minister’s illegitimate daughter has since became the center of attention.
Fan Xian bitterly smiled, it was hard to imagine the woman he was about to marry, unexpectedly had such an influence. Moreover their life experiences were so similar. At this time, a large amount of activity could be heard. The brother and sister duo became aware that that man had returned to the official residence. They shared a mutual glance and no longer spoke. Fan Xian merely expressed with his eyes to request his younger sister and himself go out to have a stroll. Fan Ruo-Ruo nodded slightly.
Candle flames appear, but outside the color of the sky has not turned completely dark, therefore the candlelight appeared extremely dim.
In the hall between one table laid with scrumptious vegetable and meat dishes sat five individuals. On the side many servant girls were attending to the people. Fan Xian pays attention to Liu who hasn’t the appearance of an average concubine who first serves the meal to the head of the family, yet the middle aged man sitting by her side, appeared at ease.
Is that middle-aged man my father? As he thought of this, Fan Xians eyebrows involuntarily wrinkles, with the glabella micro creasing into a perfect pleat.
Count Sutherlands facial features were grave and solemn, with five orfices, and on his lower jaw a four inch beard was well maintained. It would appear that his temperament was naturally serious and unsmiling.
After they finished quietly eating the meal, Count Sutherland walked head with Fan Xian at his heel all the way inside the study.
This is Fan Xian’s first time alone with his "father". He is smiling, how could he not be excited for deep in his heart, he had never genuinely regarded him as his own flesh and blood relative.
The Count Sutherland looks towards the youths face. As he watches the youngster appearing like floating leaves in the dust with his delicate appearance, he looked pensive seeming to think for a long time. Afterwards he gently sighed, "You truly resemble your mother."
Fan Xian remained relatively silent, because he had never seen his mother he longed to know her appearance. But in front of his father, there are numerous questions in his heart, but he could not find the first question.
"How have these years been in Danzhou?" Count Sutherland regarded him. His appearance seeming somewhat exhausted, but it still could not conceal a trace of his handsome features from his prime days that remained.
‘Ok.’
"On the journey here, I believe that by your disposition you should have found out from Teng Zi Jing why I was anxious for you to enter the Capital."
‘Yes.’
"Do you feel you are suffering from an injustice?"
‘Not really.’ Fan Xian replied with a smile: "I just hitched a ride to the Capital that’s all. I did not say that I will marry Miss Lin."
This sentence suddenly sinks the study into a deadly silence. After a long time, Count Sutherland calms down enough to coldly speak, "Do you know what it means to marry the opposite party?
‘It means that, apart from the Fan Residence being fair and reasonable it has not yet declined, besides the wife and children, there is still a pretty good seat in the palace courtyard holding onto a thick thigh?"
Fan Xian answers with a hint of mockery, it goes without saying in front of this middle age man he had no deep affection. Logically speaking he should be able to maintain the calm disposition of a bystander. However, the thought that the other person is his own father even using his children’s marriage for political reasons. Although obvious it does not mean he is not angered, for a while he has been concealing this anger.
————————————————————————–No excuses hopefully there will now be regular releases on Mondays
sorry for my inconsistency I admit to procrastinating a bit to do the ISSTH art compet.i.tion (it’s horrible) so it should have come out last week (TT-TT)