At the same time, the Emperor and Haitang both looked at Fan Xian with astonishment. The Emperor had only asked casually, but Fan Xian had answered with the words "unity of heaven and man". It was inevitable that these two top figures in the Kingdom of Qi would be greatly shocked. It must be known that of the four great grandmasters, Ku He's sect emphasized the unity of heaven and man, and the natural way of the Dao. However, this wondrous formula had never been passed on to outsiders. For Fan Xian to casually mention it while talking about the scenery was truly shocking.
Haitang's calm and bright eyes stared at Fan Xian's face, as if she wanted to see if this world-famous poet had stumbled upon it by chance, or if he had truly seen some truth from the scenery of the Royal Palace.
Fan Xian had no such self-awareness. The so-called "unity of heaven and man" was a topic he had taught too many times in philosophy classes in his distant memory. He had casually mentioned it, and of course he had not expected it to shock others so much. Looking at the Emperor and Haitang's thoughtful expressions, he could not help but feel puzzled. "Did I say something wrong?" he asked.
The Emperor laughed. "Absolutely, absolutely. How could there be anything wrong? Fan Xian, you are indeed worthy of being called the immortal of poetry. What you casually say is actually the truth. Wonderful, wonderful. " The Emperor smiled and looked at Haitang. "What do you think of Master Fan's words, Aunt?"
Haitang bowed. "Master Fan speaks of truth from the scenery. You can be said to be a genius."
The three of them casually chatted for a while longer, and the matter was covered up. The Emperor suddenly frowned. "This is a pavilion on a mountain. I stayed for a long time last month. At that time, the trees were in the pavilion, the moon was in the clouds, and I was above the running water. A cool breeze blew gently all around me, and I felt incomparably happy. I completely forgot the troubles of the world, so I often come here these days, but I can no longer find that feeling. I don't know why."
Haitang's expression suddenly became solemn. "Your Majesty is the ruler of the Kingdom of Qi, and the heart of all the people. The troubles of the world have always existed, and it is difficult to forcibly forget them. Furthermore, Your Majesty is concerned with the safety of the world, and Your Majesty's thoughts affect the good fortune of the people. How can you forget the troubles of the world for a moment of happiness? Your Majesty should always remember that the people of the world are in distress, and treat the troubles of the people as your own troubles. This is what a ruler should be determined to do. "
The Emperor was enlightened. He stood up and bowed. "Thank you for your guidance, Little Martial Aunt."
Fan Xian watched calmly from the sidelines. He saw that the Emperor was truly enlightened, and he couldn't help but be surprised. It seemed that this Haitang, who had been tormented by him in the past, had such a high position in the Kingdom of Qi. However, he couldn't help but disagree with Haitang's words. Although he didn't show it on his face, a hint of a smile flashed through his eyes.
But how could this slight change escape the eyes of a ninth-ranked powerhouse?
"Does Master Fan have a different opinion?" Miraculously, there was no sense of hostility or acrimony in Haitang's question. It seemed more like a normal question. Northern Qi was good at debating, and the art of helping the world, so from the point of view of accommodating other opinions, it was better than the atmosphere of the Qing Kingdom.
Fan Xian furrowed his brows slightly. Shortly after, he smiled and said, "First worry about the worries of the world, then delight in the joy of the world. Naturally, this is the ideal that an Emperor and an official should hold. But if, as Haitang says, you cannot forget the suffering of the common people day and night. Although Your Majesty can be vigilant and tireless in government affairs for the good of the common people, in the long run, it will inevitably be too tiring. When your spirit is weak, no matter how many wishes you have, you will not be able to accomplish anything. So I believe that when you can forget your worries, you must completely forget them. As the saying goes, the world is always troubled, but the Son of Heaven cannot always be troubled. "
His explanation was not convincing, but the beauty of it was in the first two sentences that Haitang's eyes shone even brighter. She didn't listen to the rest of what he said. She just slowly chewed on it.
And the Emperor slapped the table and applauded. "First worry about the worries of the world, then delight in the joy of the world. Minister Fan's words are indeed the loyalty of an official, and the Son of Heaven should uphold them. Good! Good! Good! "
The eunuchs and serving girls around them didn't quite understand what the Emperor was talking about, but seeing that this southern envoy had managed to make the Emperor so happy, they couldn't help but smile and look at Fan Xian with gratitude.
Fan Xian smiled and didn't say anything. In his heart, he gave a big thumbs up to that friend of his from his previous life.
...
...
The young Emperor had already begun to call Fan Xian "Minister Fan." It was obvious that the Son of Heaven greatly admired Fan Xian. The Emperor had kept this foreign official in the palace today because he had other important matters to attend to. As for admiring the scenery, it was because Haitang had been placed behind the Empress Dowager. It was not convenient for the Son of Heaven to speak with Fan Xian, so he had deliberately chosen a topic of conversation. Unexpectedly, Fan Xian's response was quite interesting.
The Emperor looked at Fan Xian with a smile. "Master Fan, you are a master of both the pen and the sword. You are truly a rare talent."
Fan Xian repeatedly said he didn't dare. Haitang suddenly said, "Then according to what Master Fan says, how should one view the way of the heavens?" Fan Xian was slightly startled. He was not good at the art of metaphysics. His previous words were already very depressing. Why did he have to continue? The Emperor smiled and waved his hand to stop Haitang's question. "Master Fan, why do you think I have been unable to find the clarity of mind I had that night?"
Fan Xian frowned slightly and looked around the mountain pavilion. He pointed at the stick of incense and said quietly, "Your Majesty, move this incense and have the people around you retreat. Perhaps you can find the feeling of that night."
The Emperor was slightly surprised. He had the eunuchs and serving girls retreat to a place where they couldn't be seen. He then moved the calming incense. After a while, the cool breeze rose again, dispersing the fragrance. All that was left was a faint sense of emptiness in the mountain palace.
The Emperor slowly closed his eyes. After a long time, he revealed a happy expression. He opened his eyes and smiled. "Indeed, there is some feeling."
Fan Xian smiled and explained, "The incense used in the palace is naturally of the highest quality. But compared to the fragrance of this mountain forest, it is inevitably a bit tacky."
Haitang nodded slightly to the side, as if she deeply approved of Fan Xian's explanation.
He sat in the mountain pavilion again and sipped tea. Fan Xian's doubts grew deeper and deeper. On the second day of his arrival in Shangjing, the young Emperor had kept him in the palace. This was greatly against the rules. No matter how you looked at it, he was still a foreign official. Although the face between the two countries was intact, there were always underhanded moves.
The Emperor suddenly sighed. "Master Fan, do you know why I wanted you to stay?"
Fan Xian shivered slightly. He didn't know if the Emperor had seen through his doubts or if it was a coincidence. He respectfully said, "Please tell me, Your Majesty."
The Emperor smiled. "Nominally, it is because I like the Banxianzhai Poetry Collection." He then smiled at Fan Xian. "Of course, I really do like your poems. Only, that Danbo Bookstore sells them at a very high price. So last year, I took out some silver from the palace treasury and published many of your poetry collections within the borders of the Qi Kingdom, sending them to various academies. Since I value you so much, how will you repay me?"
This person was the ruler of a country. He thought that if he used the palace treasury's silver to make a name for a young poet, wouldn't he immediately be moved beyond words?
Unexpectedly, Fan Xian's expression turned bitter. He dawdled for a long time before standing up and bowing to the Emperor. In his heart, he began to curse. There really was no such thing as piracy in this world. You, the royal family, caused Danbo Bookstore's northern business to drop by 30 percent this year. Seven Ye shopkeepers pull their hair out every day, and now I, the owner, have to thank you.
Haitang suddenly said quietly, "Your Majesty, Danbo Bookstore is Master Fan's business. I'm afraid that not only will Master Fan not appreciate your actions, he may even feel a little resentful."
Fan Xian hurriedly smiled and explained, "Absolutely not. Absolutely not."
The Emperor looked at Fan Xian with slight surprise. "Minister Fan, you are a poet. How can you still do business?"
Fan Xian smiled bitterly. "It's always good to earn some pocket money."
Haitang laughed. "The largest bookstore in the world can only earn pocket money for Master Fan."
The Emperor did not know of the story between Haitang and Fan Xian outside Wuduhe, so he realized that there seemed to be a faint conflict between the two of them. He couldn't help but laugh. "Haitang, you and Minister Fan can be said to be the most famous figures of the younger generation in the world, one in the north and one in the south. Why is it that you like to bicker like a child? "
Haitang was slightly startled. She also realized that her words today seemed to be deliberately harsh. It was very different from her usual contented temperament. Fan Xian smiled and explained, "Perhaps Miss Haitang still thinks that merchants are lowly professions." Although the importance of business had been fully demonstrated, starting from the Ye family, and all the royal families paid attention to it, on the surface, most people still saw merchants as a relatively lowly profession.
Unexpectedly, Haitang shook her head slightly. "Workers, farmers, merchants, and scholars, the people of the world do the things of the world. There is no distinction between high and low."
Fan Xian liked this way of speaking.
…
…
It seemed that because the empress dowager had Haitang by his side, the young Emperor could not say what he wanted to say to Fan Xian in the depths of his heart.
Fan Xian and Haitang looked at each other. They had thought that the woman would tactfully leave, leaving him and the Emperor some peace and quiet. Unexpectedly, Haitang's expression did not change, and she did not care about the Emperor's expression at all.
The Emperor suddenly laughed self-mockingly. He walked to the side of the mountain pavilion and looked at the flowing mountains and rivers beneath his feet. He sighed. "Fan Xian, on this journey north, what do you think of the Qi Kingdom?"
Fan Xian replied in a low voice, "Northern Qi has beautiful scenery. The mountains are verdant, the water is clear, the land is vast, and the common people live and work in peace and contentment.
The Emperor suddenly turned and looked at Fan Xian with a gaze that was completely unlike that of a 17-year-old. "Then how do you think my world compares to the Qing Kingdom?"
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