Chapter 1157: Chapter 1139: Heartfelt Exhortations
Fu Zhi sighed and said, "Your parents had a shallow fate, don’t blame them. Let the grudges of the previous generation be resolved among themselves. You are now an adult, established with a family. You should be filial to your parents, but also cannot lose your integrity."
Fu Zhi looked at his grandson and instructed, "If you’re unsure of what to do, go to Third Lady. She knows better than you how to handle these things."
Fu Tinghan nodded obediently.
Fu Zhi had nothing more to say and leaned back on the pillow, looking towards the window, "It seems that the sky is getting brighter. Open the window so I can see."
Fu Tinghan first covered him with a cloak, pulling it up to his neck, and then went to open the window, where a faint orange cloud met his eyes.
The grandfather and grandson silently watched the morning sun outside the window. The sun rose quickly, at first a patch of orange-red, and in the blink of an eye, half of the sun leapt above the mountain, with a streak of light shining straight through the open window.
Fu Zhi suddenly grasped Fu Tinghan’s hand.
Fu Tinghan quickly turned his head, "Grandfather?"
Fu Zhi opened his mouth, and still said, "If you have the strength, help me find your three uncles and brothers. Since the chaos began, communication has been cut off, and I have no news of them."
Fu Tinghan hastily replied, "I have always had people keeping an eye out. As soon as there is any news, I will immediately send someone to fetch them."
Fu Zhi smiled and said, "Good, good. I think they should still be alive, but the world is in chaos, and I don’t know where they have ended up. I hope they are hiding well."
Fu Tinghan asked, "Is there anything else you want to instruct me on, Grandfather?"
Fu Zhi looked at him and shook his head, "Among your father and your three uncles, I worry most about your father. He is too stubborn. Although intelligent, he is straightforward and doesn’t know how to adapt. He is also leisurely by nature. Without your mother, who knows how much hardship he would have suffered."
"But because of your mother, he got involved in politics. Originally, with his personality, living in the mountains and fields would have been his best home," Fu Zhi said. "Though your three uncles are not as talented and knowledgeable as your father, they are more adaptable. As long as there is a glimmer of hope, they will strive to survive."
Fu Xuan is different. He is very proud and indifferent to his own life. He runs around for the Great Jin not because he loves this court or this country. In his view, the Great Jin is beyond saving. What is rotten should be left to die. The world will ultimately find its way on its own, and great changes don’t require much human intervention.
As for him, he is just a small person with limited strength who can’t do much.
His running around is solely out of responsibility because both his father and wife want to save the Great Jin. As a son and husband, he can’t abandon them, so he follows along, trying his best.
But as soon as Fu Zhi and Princess Hongnong are no longer around, he will immediately give up. Even if someone tries to take his life, he will try his best to escape, and if he can’t, he won’t struggle much. He will face death calmly, perhaps even happily.
Fu Zhi often feels that this son could die at any moment.
Fu Tinghan once gave him the same feeling. He always felt this child was very ethereal, indifferent to the world as if he might leave at any moment.
"Among you and your brothers, I am most worried about you," Fu Zhi said. "Now the world is changing, and you are at the center of this change. You appear to have power and influence, but it is also the most dangerous."
"I don’t know what the future will hold. I only hope you remember that life is precious and should not be given up, no matter the situation."
Facing Fu Zhi’s hopeful eyes, Fu Tinghan nodded. He didn’t seem like someone who would commit suicide, right? He always felt his grandfather had some misconceptions about him.
The day had broken, and people at the post station were gradually waking up. Zhao Hanzhang came over first. Seeing Fu Zhi awake, she happily called for the Imperial Physician to come and check, though she was still worried deep down.
Princess Hongnong and Fu Xuan also came over, feeling the same worry, though it didn’t show on their faces as they happily joined Fu Zhi for breakfast.
The Imperial Physician came to feel Fu Zhi’s pulse and smiled, saying, "Governor Fu’s condition seems to have improved."
But as soon as he went out, he told Princess Hongnong and Fu Xuan, "Give Mr. Fu whatever he wants to eat."
After hesitating for a moment, he said, "He only has a day or two left. If you want him to feel better, stay at the post station. Returning to the capital, the carriage can’t go fast, and it will take two days."
Which meant he would spend his final days on the road.
Upon hearing this, Princess Hongnong couldn’t help but cry. She turned to look into the room, not knowing when Zhao Hanzhang had stood at the doorway, her face expressionless, clearly hearing it too.
The expressionless Zhao Hanzhang seemed overly stern, making the Imperial Physician somewhat afraid as he quickly bowed his head in salute and stepped aside.
Princess Hongnong looked at her and asked, "Do you think we should return to the capital or wait here for a while?"
Zhao Hanzhang lowered her eyes and thought for a moment before saying, "Grandfather wishes to see everyone in Luoyang who is here, and there is no need to rush back."
Princess Hongnong heaved a sigh of relief and nodded.
Fu Xuan and Fu Tinghan had no objections either.
Zhao Hanzhang eventually had the posthouse minister kill the chicken to make chicken noodle soup for Fu Zhi.
Princess Hongnong wanted to personally cook to show her filial piety and dragged Fu Xuan into the kitchen to knead the dough, assigning Fu Tinghan the task of picking vegetables.
Zhao Hanzhang, on the other hand, had Fu Zhi moved to the field’s edge to see the rice and wheat.
At that time, the rice had just begun to spike, and the spring wheat leaves had turned yellowish. In about twenty days, the spring wheat would be ready for harvest.
Zhao Hanzhang walked to the field, picked a spike, and showed it to him, "These seeds are average, with low yield per mu. By carefully selecting wheat seeds this year, the yield should be better next year."
Fu Zhi placed the wheat spike in his palm, pressing each grain one by one, an undeniable smile on his face, "It’s already very good, much better than in previous years. The farming tools provided by the Ministry of Agriculture are very useful. A single plow can turn over the weeds between ridges, and the thicker soil around the wheat roots, along with the new composting method, has provided much more fertilizer. This year’s winter wheat yield in Yongzhou was good, though not enough was planted. Fortunately, the spring wheat and beans make up for it. I’ve seen it all. They are growing well, so this year should be a bountiful year."
Saying this, Fu Zhi felt even more energetic, full of spirit, "The Great General has saved countless lives, and the people of Yongzhou want to build a shrine for you."
Zhao Hanzhang said, "As long as there are no more people dying of hunger and cold, that’s good enough."
This, however, was not easy to achieve, at least not yet. Many orphans and weaklings have lost their parents, and many elderly without children now exist. Their lives are much harder than others’.
But Fu Zhi was filled with hope at this moment and laughed with Zhao Hanzhang, "I believe the Great General can do it."
Zhao Hanzhang couldn’t help but smile at him.
Fu Zhi turned his head to look at the wheat field in front of him and gazed farther away, softly saying, "As long as you maintain your original intention, you will definitely succeed. Third Lady, don’t follow the predecessors, Gou Xi is far from your equal."
Zhao Hanzhang nodded under his gaze.
Fu Zhi then said nothing more, skipping over politics and asking to be carried to see the soybeans.
Compared to the wheat, the soybeans were planted carelessly. Weeds in the field outnumbered the soybeans. This couldn’t be helped. They lacked manpower; many fields couldn’t be meticulously farmed, only roughly, mostly plowed and then seeded, plowed again to remove weeds, and often without any fertilizer.
The rough cultivation was the primary reason for the low yield per mu.
Zhao Hanzhang, accustomed to it, went into the field, touched the soybean pods, which were plump, and said happily, "Harvest some, we can eat boiled edamame at noon."
