mesbooks Chapter 149 Fictional Setting
Chapter 149 Fictional Setting
"Since there are no objections..." Chu Lan flicked his vermilion brush, and the imperial seal fell heavily to the ground. "From this day forward, Liu Shan shall assume the title of Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and assist in the administration of criminal justice!"
Liu Shan stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your subject accepts the decree and will certainly do his utmost to live up to Your Majesty's trust."
……
After the court assembly, Fang Mingzhe and Fang Mingli returned to their residence filled with resentment and worry.
Upon entering the mansion, a suffocating atmosphere lingered, as if shrouded in dark clouds, making everyone feel heavy-hearted.
Fang Mingzhe walked straight to the study, each step heavy and hurried, the breeze stirred by the hem of his robe seeming to tell of his inner anxiety.
Upon entering the study, Fang Mingzhe sat heavily on the carved pear wood chair, which creaked as if bearing the weight of his pent-up anger.
He gripped the armrests tightly with both hands, his knuckles turning white, his brows furrowed as if locked by an invisible lock, and the anger in his eyes burning like flames: "Wen Hangqing, that old fox, usually seems calm and composed, but this time he openly supports Liu Shan's promotion, which is really beyond my expectations! The situation in the court is becoming more and more unpredictable."
Fang Mingli stood to the side, slightly bowing, his facial muscles twitching slightly from his inner calculations, and the sinister light flashing in his eyes was like a cold star in the dark night: "Brother, this matter is not as simple as it seems on the surface. Wen Hangqing has been climbing the ladder of power in the court for many years and has always acted cautiously, as if walking on thin ice. He would never do such a thing without a reason."
"In my opinion, he must be up to no good, trying to use Liu Shan to gain greater benefits for himself in the court and consolidate his position. We must not let our guard down and let his conspiracy succeed."
After listening to his younger brother's analysis, Fang Mingzhe slowly loosened his clenched fist, pondered for a long time, and tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table, making a dull sound: "What you said makes sense. It seems that Wen Hangqing is very likely trying to win over Liu Shan and strengthen his own power."
"Liu Shan is now highly valued by the Empress and has become one of her trusted advisors. If Wen Hangqing wins him over, we will probably have no place in the court. We must come up with a solution as soon as possible and not sit idly by and wait for our doom."
Fang Mingli's lips curled up slightly, revealing a cold smile that exuded confidence and calculation: "Brother, you don't need to worry too much. Although Liu Shan is now an unpredictable figure in the Dali Temple, I have served there for many years, and every blade of grass, every person, and every matter in the temple is under my control."
"Liu Shan is just a newcomer. How easy is it for him to gain a foothold in the Dali Temple? As long as we start from the inside, we can cleverly lay out a plan to gradually undermine him and make him a figurehead in the Dali Temple. Then he will be unable to exert his abilities, let alone achieve anything and build his reputation."
Fang Mingzhe nodded slightly, his resolute gaze growing even stronger, like a sharp blade about to be drawn: "Alright, this matter is entirely in your hands. You must be extremely vigilant and act with utmost caution, and you must not reveal the slightest flaw that Liu Shan might notice. Once he realizes our intentions, he will definitely be on guard, and it will be much more difficult for us to make a move then."
Fang Mingli straightened his back, cupped his hands and said, "Brother, rest assured, I know what I'm doing. I will not let you down and will make it very difficult for Liu Shan to move forward at the Dali Temple."
The next day, Liu Shan, dressed in his official robes, arrived at the Dali Temple to take up his post.
The officials of the Dali Temple had already heard the news and were waiting at the entrance to greet them.
Liu Shan surveyed the crowd with piercing eyes, secretly making plans in his mind.
Fang Mingli, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, stepped forward with a fake smile on his face: "Lord Liu, welcome to the Court of Judicial Review. From now on we will be colleagues, and I hope you will give me your guidance."
Liu Shan smiled slightly, his tone tinged with indifference: "Lord Fang, you are too kind. I am new here and hope that you will take good care of me."
Fang Mingli nodded, a barely perceptible hint of coldness flashing in his eyes: "Rest assured, Lord Liu, the entire Dali Temple will fully cooperate with your work."
Liu Shan sneered inwardly, but remained outwardly calm: "Then thank you very much, Lord Fang."
Afterwards, Fang Mingli led Liu Shan into the Dali Temple and introduced the officials of each department one by one.
Liu Shan listened attentively while secretly observing.
He discovered that most of the officials in the Dali Temple were completely obedient to Fang Mingli, and were clearly already under Fang Mingli's control.
Liu Shan knew in his heart that his situation at Dali Temple was not optimistic.
But he didn't panic; instead, he became even more determined.
……
In the evening, after Liu Shan left Dali Temple, Fang Mingli began to plot in earnest how to sideline Liu Shan.
He first summoned his trusted advisors from the Dali Temple and gathered them in that dimly lit secret room.
The secret room was filled with an old and worn atmosphere, and various scrolls and ancient books were placed all around, as if telling the story of the vicissitudes of Dali Temple over the years.
The group sat around a worn-out wooden table, the candlelight flickering and illuminating their faces, each with its own distinct expression.
Fang Mingli's gaze swept slowly over the crowd, his voice low and cold: "Gentlemen, Liu Shan is now concurrently serving as the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, which is undoubtedly a huge threat to us. But there is no need to panic. As long as we work together and act according to my plan, he will not be able to stir up trouble in the Court of Judicial Review."
After saying that, Fang Mingli detailed each step.
He secretly withheld some important case files, only handing over unimportant, trivial, and complicated cases to Liu Shan.
Most of these cases involve trivial matters between neighbors, such as Zhang's chicken pecking at Li's vegetables, or Wang's dog biting Zhao's child. They seem busy, but in reality, they achieve nothing.
Fang Mingli also put a lot of thought into personnel allocation.
He placed his trusted confidants around Liu Shan, ostensibly to assist him, but in reality to monitor him.
He required these confidants to surround Liu Shan all day long, appearing respectful on the surface but actually disobeying him, and to perfunctorily carry out Liu Shan's orders, deliberately delaying the process and significantly reducing Liu Shan's work efficiency.
Finally, he even arranged for Song Zhongwen to be in charge of the daily affairs of the Dali Temple, excluding Liu Shan from core decision-making.
Several days later, Liu Shan noticed these abnormalities, but he did not make a fuss. Instead, he secretly observed and looked for a breakthrough.
One day, Liu Shan convened a meeting of officials from the Dali Temple to discuss an important case.
However, as soon as the meeting began, Song Zhongwen excused himself and hurriedly left.
The other officials also made excuses to leave, leaving only Liu Shan in the end.
Liu Shan sat in the empty hall, a cold glint in his eyes.
He knew that this was a conspiracy by Fang Mingli and Song Zhongwen, aimed at preventing him from achieving anything at the Dali Temple.