118-124
Chapter 118: A Tale of Quarreling Fairies
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Letting go…why should he have had to? But seeing the young bride savoring her happiness, Fan Xian could not be like Liuxia Hui [1] and ignore the fire that burned within him. If he were to let go, he'd never forgive himself. There was no need to decline to devour what was offered to him.
So, the two of them came together as one.
...
...
Despite the trees providing shelter, the lake mountains held many sights, and the sight of this couple being intimate would eventually be seen by the maidservants. Those maidservants were smart and took the hint; each one of them looked away, some flipped the slices of meat, some pretended to check the miss's makeup box, while some didn't know what to do and can only pretend to have sprained their ankles.
Fan Sizhe was chewing happily and didn't notice the "quarreling fairies". Ruoruo was currently taking a stroll by the woods; she didn't to seem to pay attention to what was going on over there. The maidservants did not clear their throats nonstop to try to stop this improper behavior because Fan Xian had been preparing them for this in the past few days.
If it's about national matters, then you must bribe the leading government figures. If it's about household affairs, you must bribe the maidservants. Fan Xian knew that well and had been generously rewarding them thanks to his status as a functionary and the fact his bookstore kept on churning out money. The maidservants were all delighted and were won over to their future master's side.
Neither one of the couple knew how much had passed before they parted from one another. Both panting, their hair slightly messy, looking a bit pathetic. Rather than being intimate, it looked more like they had a fight.
Lin Wan'er combed her hair with her hand and took a glance at the maidservants in the distance who didn't seem to notice. Still, she was quite upset and glared angrily at Fan Xian. To do this in broad daylight, this was too ridiculous. But the sweet fragrance lingering on her lips made her heart flutter like crazy.
"What are you afraid of? I never saw you this uncomfortable all those nights." Fan Xian teased her. With "tricky fingers", he gently flicked her earlobe.
Wan'er could only sigh lightly. She raised her small fist and hammered down on Fan Xian's chest.
"The husband is being murdered." This was a joke told too many times by Fan Xian and his friends in his previous life. But to his fiancée, it was quite new.
Wan'er bit him on the wrist. Fan Xian forcibly stopped himself from shouting out. He forced a smile and said, "The fairies aren't fighting, what's gotten into you?"
"Fighting fairies" came from the seventy-third chapter of Dream of the Red Chamber. In it, the guileless Sister Sha picked up a sachet in the Grand View Garden. On the sachet was an embroidery depicting a man and a woman embracing in the nude. Sister Sha did not realize it was a pornographic scene and thought they were fairies fighting. She gave the sachet to Lady Xing and a fable was born.
No one here should know this story. However, recently, Lin Wan'er learned her own future husband opened up a bookstore with Story of the Stone as its bestseller. She made Fan Xian "copy" down the later few chapters. Hearing "fighting fairies" made her blush. "Who do you think I am?"
Fan Xian snickered, "A good person, of course. Those before us once said, the fairies fought a fight of perfection. Besides, what we did was fairies quarreling."
"Bah! To hell with your nonsense. 'Those before us'? Please don't use their name for this." Lin Wan'er laughed. "Also, what is the difference between quarreling and fighting fairies?"
"You see, in a fight, you use your entire body. In a quarrel, of course… you only use your mouth."
"Drop dead."
"It'd be a privilege if it were by your hand."
----------------
When taking refuge from the heat in a summer estate, it was easy for a couple in love to pass time. In the blink of an eye, it was noon. Somehow Ruoruo was able to get the ladies at the front of the state to remember they had things to do, and they came to Fan Xian with all smiles; it looked like they received a lot of benefits from the Fan family.
But Fan Xian still didn't like the sight of them, because, with their arrival, his time with Wan'er was over. He sat up and distanced himself from Wan'er.
Fan Xian's roasted fish wasn't enough to be called proper lunch. So, the lot made their way to the mountain estate and chose an elegant courtyard to have lunch. As the servants went to prepare food, the sound of horse carriages could be heard over the sound of chatting. Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er stood up at the same time, as if knowing who it was. Upon seeing they both stood up, they looked at each other in surprise.
Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er had each invited a guest without informing the other. Upon seeing the occupants, both of them were surprised. Wan'er felt some nervousness and hurt on top of her surprise, while Fan Xian felt some nervousness… and a headache.
Lin Wan'er had invited Ye Ling'er. Wan'er knew about the fight the other day, so she invited Ling'er here today to get the two to know each other better. Fan Xian knew Wan'er's intention and welcomed Ling'er with a smile. He put his hands together and greeted her, "Nice to see you, Miss Ye."
While her nose was still hurting, Ye Ling'er was not awkward in the slightest. She greeted back, "Good to see you too, Master Fan. I was greatly impressed with your skills."
Fan Xian chuckled, although inside he felt somewhat strange. Were they filming a historical film?
Fan Sizhe saw the scene and said to Ruoruo quietly, "Sis, I understand. Our future sister-in-law wants to play the peacemaker." Fan Ruoruo replied in agreement and was about to greet Wan'er when Fan Sizhe's next sentence made her stop. Fan Sizhe had said in a perverted voice, "Looks like our sister-in-law wants her own younger sister."
Fan Ruoruo spat and knocked Fan Sizhe on the head. She scolded in a low voice, "Never mind older brother's wishes, even if he wants her, with Ling'er's status, there's no way it would be so trivial." In her heart, Ruoruo didn't care who Fan Xian married, as long as she was to his likings. On that, Fan Xian shared the same logic.
A fat man came out of the other carriage. Led by a nanny, he looked around in bewilderment. Fan Xian gave Ruoruo a look, signaling her to take Ye Ling'er to rest. With one hand, he gently pulled on Wan'er's sleeve.
Looking at the fat man, Lin Wan'er covered her mouth with her hand, but her exclamation could still be faintly heard. She looked back at Fan Xian with eyes full of gratitude.
"Go." Fan Xian encouraged her with a gentle smile and the two made their way towards the carriage. Upon seeing Fan Xian, the fatty's bewilderment immediately turned into an expression of joy. He took a few steps and grabbed Fan Xian's hand and shouted, "Little Xianxian, it's you."
"Dabao, didn't we agree not to call me that?" Fan Xian smiled uneasily.
Lin Wan'er was a bit saddened by how her own brother had seemingly forgotten who she was. But after hearing what he called Fan Xian, she couldn't help but laugh. "Little Xianxian?"
Fan Xian could only nod.
"Thank you," Lin Wan'er looked at Fan Xian in gratitude, "You know it's inconvenient for me to see him."
"Yes." Fan Xian smiled. He turned around and patted Dabao on the shoulder. "There's no polo today, Dabao, but we can do other fun things."
Under the hills, passing through a hall, they could see a green lake under the mountains in the distance. Dabao sniffled and shook his head. "Little Xianxian, the water is green, not blue."
Fan Xian sighed, "Because the water isn't deep enough."
"Then let's see how deep it is."
Fan Xian had originally planned to bring Dabao here because, first, he didn't want his older brother-in-law to be bored at home, and second, he could leave him with Fan Sizhe, since they were both little kids. But somehow, Fan Sizhe had an intuition about matters like this and stayed far away as soon as he saw Dabao. Being taken by the hand, Fan Xian was led down the hill by Dabao. It looked like this lunch was a failure.
As they were about to walk out, Dabao suddenly turned his head around, looking seriously at Lin Wan'er, "Little sister, why don't you follow us?"
Lin Wan'er was shocked at first, then she felt something pulling at her heart. Her mentally challenged older brother had remembered his own sister, whom he had only seen a few times. She quickly agreed and took Dabao's other hand.
...
It was evening, and the sound of people playing mahjong could be heard in the distance. The guards were drinking together; their duties had been light, everything was peaceful, and so their defenses were all lowered. The maidservants were tired and went to sleep after drinking some yellow wine. As for those being served, they had retired to bed early. Occasionally, the chorus of frogs came, and a fish could be heard breaking through the surface of the lake. Otherwise, everything was quiet in the royal summer estate.
Beside the lake, a tent was hiding in the woods under the faint moonlight, facing the night wind blowing across the lake. It was during this time of the night that the couple in the tent were whispering.
[1] Liuxia Hui was an official in ancient China known to be so noble that he was able to hold a later on his lap without even the slightest hint of ignobility.
Chapter 119: Finding a Plum Branch in Summer [1]
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"You're so eager to be out with me; aren't you worried that the servant girl might find us?"
"She's a very deep sleeper nowadays. I didn't even use sleeping gas. I reckon she won't wake up."
"But, but... there's always a chance."
"We're watching the stars. Just watching the stars, that's all."
"You think they'll believe you?"
"So what are you planning to do, Wan'er?" Fan Xian snickered as he looked at her face. The moonlight shining on the tent was not particularly bright, so her face was shrouded in darkness. It was particularly beautiful.
Lin Wan'er wrinkled her pretty little nose and gave an exaggerated sigh. "If you were such a pervert that you kidnapped someone in the night, what could I do?"
Fan Xian also sighed. "I'm worried about being so sneaky all the time. If, after we're married, we go into the bedroom and I can never come out, then what would we do?"
Lin Wan'er tutted, worried that his thoughts really had become lecherous. After all, it was the dead of night, the two of them were alone, and if he really wanted to... she would be powerless to resist.
Fan Xian did not know what she was thinking. If he had known that Lin Wan'er was thinking about how she was powerless to resist him, he would have already thrown himself at her. It wasn't a case of it being impossible, simply that he chose not to do it. As Fan Xian saw it, as soon as a woman thought she was powerless to resist, she was already preparing not to resist.
The two lay on the soft mat, covered by the mosquito net, looking up through the canopy through which they could see the night sky. The moon was dim that night, and so the stars were particularly bright, looking down on all the lovers of the world from the dark curtain of night.
Lin Wan'er lay on Fan Xian's chest, and he inhaled her faint scent. Her soft back and buttocks were on his chest and stomach, and with the light summer clothes that the pair were wearing, it was as if no cloth separated the two at all. Any man who did not have a reaction to this, whether he was 16 or 60 years old, had already degenerated to a phase worse than a beast, so Fan Xian nervously drew his arms in tighter to bring the two of them even closer, not leaving even a hair's breadth between them. He felt a bewildering happiness in his chest with each slight touch.
Fan Xian began to perform his magic trick, his right hand leading Wan'er's hand. In an instant, his hand was under the thin garment covering her chest, holding the softness inside.
The tent was completely silent; even the ripples on the water had ceased to make a sound.
A good while later, a bashful sound came from inside the tent, as well as the voice of an enchanted young man. "There are always some things that you cannot believe even when you see them with your own eyes. Truly they are difficult to grasp... very difficult to grasp."
Lin Wan'er's ears went red, she moaned, and turned away to free herself from Fan Xian's clutches. But she could not. She felt that her body had been weakened even further by his enticing. In a moment of desperation, she coughed, and attempted to stiffen in response to the oncoming feeling of weakness. Just as expected, Fan Xian was surprised, and presumed she had caught cold. He hurriedly recited a sutra in an attempt to suppress his desire.
He adjusted her clothing and covered her with a blanket. Lin Wan'er remained shyly clothed, secretly feeling somewhat amused and touched. Worried that he might try again, she turned her eyes to him. "Today... those new things that you made, if you sold them, maybe you'd sell a lot of them?" She was talking about the barbecue ingredients and the tent that they were both in.
Fan Xian felt that his desires were being somewhat thwarted. He sucked in air through his teeth. "You are a majestic princess. What do you care about money? Come on; kiss me again."
Lin Wan'er blushed in panic again. "You opened a bookshop, and you sell tofu, everyone thinks you're fond of doing business."
Fan Xian didn't really care for making tofu; he much preferred eating it. He forced a smile. "I have to make sure that I can make my own money, and that's how I can do it. In the future, the Emperor will put me in charge of the royal estate, and that's when I can finally relax." After he had come to the capital, he had put all his effort into doing business. That was why he had made connections at Qingyu Hall.
Their passions had at last cooled, and they hugged as they watched the stars and whispered sweet nothings. For some reason, they began to talk about Fan Xian's visit to see the Prime Minister, his future father-in-law.
"How is my father's health?" asked Lin Wan'er, concerned. She rarely saw her father, but she still worried about him greatly. Seeing her mentally-challenged brother that day had made her think of her second brother Lin Gong's untimely death, and her father's lonely hardships. She feared he was greatly hurt, but she was unable to help him even though she was his daughter. It was unacceptable to her.
Fan Xian knew what she was thinking, and comforted her. "He is fine. Once we are married, we'll show him our devotion to him, and things will be better than they are now... and he really does give his consent for our marriage..."
The pair got quieter and quieter until they were inaudible, vanishing into the silence of the night by the lake. Any arguing about what happened that night would have to wait until the next day.
The next day dawned, and the pair naturally could not stay in the tent, otherwise the guards and the servant girls would know that their mistress had spent the night in a loving embrace with her future husband, and such a thing would cause a great scandal in the capital within the month.
Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er opened their eyes in their own bedchambers, rubbed them, turned over, smiled, pondered on the night that had passed, and feebly stretched out their bodies.
Everyone arose from their beds and ate at separate tables, the servant girls busying themselves incessantly. Lin Wan'er sat at the round table, gently feeding Dabao some thin congee with vegetables, not even shooting a glance at Fan Xian. On the other side, Fan Xian giggled as he blew the steam off his younger sister's bowl, the two seemingly sharing a moment of sibling closeness.
Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er did not look at each other, but the mood that the two of them were in seemed to resonate, making the whole hall begin to feel somewhat happier. Sensitive Ye Ling'er and clever Fan Ruoruo shared a suspicious glance with each other, and looked away with quiet, mutual understanding.
It was still early, and after they had eaten breakfast, Fan Xian got ready to go into the woods to find a secluded place to exercise, keeping up the training he needed to do every day. To his surprise, Ye Ling'er strolled up to him looking resolute, clasped her hands in salute, and asked for his guidance.
After Ye Ling'er had returned to her manor and told her father of what had happened that day in the palace grounds, Ye Zhong had thought carefully for a while, then expressed admiration for Fan Xian, saying that the way that Fan Xian had avoided those assassins and disemboweled Cheng Jushu was quite out of the ordinary. Hearing her father's words, Ye Ling'er finally felt some acceptance of Fan Xian, but she hung onto the martial concepts of the Ye family, and wanted to find an opportunity to ask Fan Xian for his guidance.
This attempt to seek guidance really proved that Ye Ling'er had not been convinced.
Fan Xian rarely trained with other people. At the beginning, in Danzhou, he had simply been a pitiful figure, beaten senseless by Wu Zhu. And so he could help but feel surprisingly happy about being qualified to give guidance to a seventh-level master like Ye Ling'er. It wasn't really guidance in a true sense; Wu Zhu had not been a great teacher, and so he was not a great teacher either. He simply spoke of how one should extend one's fist and how one should conserve one's strength; he was starting from the obvious, and had no way to consummate such things into a complete theory.
His so-called little tricks had become a set of techniques to kill people, but it was not easy to teach them to others, especially to a pretty young girl with eyes like green jade. And Fan Xian was not being entirely sincere, so Ye Ling'er could not study the essence of Wu Zhu's killing techniques, but she did make some progress.
Fan Xian smiled. Now he could finally see Ye Liuyun's sanshou clearly and in its entirety. It turned out that a simple pair of hands could turn out to be a serious attack style. Even if it was Ye Ling'er who was performing it, it had a power that could smash the wind and kill gods. If Ye Zhong or Ye Liuyun had performed it personally, it was possible that the Coffin Breaker Technique was powerful enough to smash gravestones, and their sanshou could make the opponent's body as stiff as a board, unable to dodge them!
With a heavy blow, Fan Xian was convinced of the flexibility of Ye Ling'er's body. He smiled at the thin-waisted young girl, and saw something unusual about her gaze. Ye Ling'er took no notice of his gaze, otherwise it might suddenly provoke her wrath. Yet she was deeply shocked by how Fan Xian perfectly matched her in movement and power.
In short, it was a meeting of equals.
Sometime later, a cry of pain came from the woods. Fan Xian came out rubbing at his wrist, and then Ye Ling'er came out holding her bloody nose, finally completely sincere.
In truth, for the people of this world, everyday life was like a current account. One could only make one step after another, repeating every day. It was hard to avoid being bored. But power and riches could occasionally bring about some new figures on the ledger. Fan Xian had sent Dabao and Fan Sizhe off to the mountains to ride horses and shoot arrows. They had guards protecting them and servant girls attending them, and so there was nothing to worry about.
At that moment in the villa, there was only one man left, as well as the three girls - Wan'er, Ruoruo, and Ye Ling'er.
Sitting in the hall, sipping tea and listening to music and watching good-looking young girls singing in low voices, Fan Xian smiled. Power was truly a good thing. If a lord wanted to hear music, then he could call for people from the capital to come and sing. The girl was a genuine singer, and thanks to her fine voice she strolled leisurely between the houses of the princes and the nobility, as well as the noble and virtuous.
At that moment, Fan Xian finally realized how it felt to be a man of the Kingdom of Qing. He had to strive for power and riches for himself and for those around him if he wanted to make sure his life remained happy, peaceful, and not reduced to the level of frontier horse thieves and coolies who worked in the brick kilns. Or perhaps there were some things that were worth giving up.
He was a selfish person, and he often reminded himself of that fact. In front of the mountain hall, the singing girl Sang Wen's voice was crisp and clear, and it mixed with the wind and penetrated through the hall, reverberating throughout the rafters.
"The villages live through the winter, frost from the north and south of the creek settles on my boots, and trees cover the isolated peak. From whence comes the fragrance in these cold winds? I suddenly come across silk sleeves and petticoats. I sober up, trembling, awoken from my dream, the sound of the flute is melancholy, the spring is long gone, the moonlight faint and yellow."
[1] The chapter title comes from the song Sang Wen sings, a Yuan dynasty tune named "Seeking Plum Blossoms, to the tune of 'Immortals'".
Chapter 120: The Crown Prince Rides
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"A fine tune, and fine words too." Fan Ruoruo smiled and sighed. "Miss Sang is truly an extraordinary songstress."
Having received praise from the well-regarded young lady of the Fan family, Sang Wen was truly pleased. She blushed and bowed.
"A winter scene and a chilly spring make a mild summer seem that much fresher," said Lin Wan'er, also nodding her head in praise.
Fan Xian had spent all 16 years of his new life in the Kingdom of Qing, but he still did not care much for music. Often, he found himself remembering the songs of Aska Yang, a famous singer from his previous life. He thought of Aska Yang, and then he thought of He Zongwei, who often came calling to Fan Manor to pay his respects. He frowned. For some reason, he couldn't stand him.
But the line in Sang Wen's song - "I suddenly come across robes and silk shirts" - suddenly evoked some unexpected feelings from inside him. Robes and light silk sleeves, with white silk underclothes as simple and neat as white plum blossoms. And in front of the incense burner of the Temple of Qing, the first time that he had met Wan'er, wasn't she wearing white clothes, clothes like white plum blossoms?
But those white plum blossoms had carried the scent of chicken legs. Fan Xian unthinkingly gazed at Lin Wan'er, and found that she was also looking at him. Their eyes met. Fan Xian smiled, and Lin Wan'er blushed.
Ye Ling'er now recognized Fan Xian's skills, but when she looked at the scene in front of her, she still felt some uneasiness in her hear about it. She cleared her throat. "I don't care much for music."
Fan Xian laughed. "It seems you're as unrefined as I am, Miss Ye." It was a throwaway remark, but it brought Ye Ling'er closer to him, and the two other girls couldn't help but laugh. Even Sang Wen, who had been in something of a daze, had to cover her beautiful mouth.
At that moment, there was only one young man in the villa, with his sister and Wan'er sitting by his side and Ye Ling'er sitting by Wan'er's. There was a delicate feminine aroma that made Fan Xian feel good. He sighed. Life was not in vain. This trip was not in vain. As long as Princess Roujia wasn't here, it was fine. Fan Xian had a worrisome thought - young women were the most beautiful things in this world, but if young women were looking at you like they wanted to marry you in ten years' time, it wasn't right.
At that moment, Sang Wen suddenly summoned the courage to curtsy, and spoke quietly to Fan Xian. "If I may be so bold, it would please me greatly if Master Fan would say a few words." The performers of the capital were extravagant types, and had a fanatical hierarchy. At the top were those who were heard by princes and dukes, the finest singers with the best skills in singing and poetry.
Sang Wen was paid attention to by nobles and the young lady of the Fan family. Naturally, she was a first-class singer and had fine songs and poems on her mind day and night. Today, she had coincidentally met with the famous poet Master Fan, and she could not help but be aloof, and regardless of the great difference in their status, she bravely made her bold demand. Fan Xian was taken aback.
Lin Wan'er and Fan Ruoruo giggled and urged him to write. Even Ye Ling'er gazed at him with curiosity, wanting to see what sort of verse he would write.
Fan Xian was thoroughly vexed and had no choice but to go into the house. Spreading out paper and grinding an ink stick, Fan Ruoruo had sat quietly down at the writing desk, picked up a writing brush and waited. It turned out that Fan Xian was taking the role of an assistant, and the three girls who followed them in and beheld the scene could not help but laugh.
"My sister writes very well," explained Fan Xian awkwardly. Although he had diligently practiced writing characters when he was in Danzhou, his handwriting was nowhere near as elegant as his sister's, so he thought it best to let her do it.
A little while later, Fan Ruoruo wrote out the words that Fan Xian dictated in small, graceful handwriting. When Sang Wen heard it, her eyes lit up, and was overjoyed when she nervously took the paper and read it carefully. She bowed deeply to Fan Xian. "Master Fan, you have my deepest thanks for composing this poem. Words cannot express my gratitude enough."
Lin Wan'er and Fan Ruoruo both nodded, agreeing that the poem was worthy of gratitude. Sang Wen seemed to be arranging the poem to music so that she could sing it all across the capital. Perhaps it would be sung for many years. Fan Xian had copied out a fine verse written by Tang Xianzu: "Already, bright purple and passion pink bloom in profusion. Yet on crumbling walls, such splendor is abandoned. But in this glorious season, where are sounds of joy in the garden? Mornings take wing, evenings unfold, and beyond the green arbor, rosy clouds soar. In windy strands of rain, gilded pleasure boats nod in misty waves. Maidens shielded by brocaded screens are blinded to such glorious scenes."
He saw the girls' infatuated expressions, sighed, and shook his head. The Peony Pavilion was such a beautiful work, and taking this section from it without context, even though it was beautiful, made it lose some of its soul. But now he was busy with roll call at the temple, business, courting, and even a vacation all packed into two days. He had no time to do anything properly. It seemed that issuing labor in this advanced culture was very difficult indeed.
"How sad." Ye Ling'er, who had kept silent, was somewhat sluggish in her reaction, only now passing a judgement full of feeling, grief and sorrow.
Suddenly Fan Ruoruo's face changed. She recalled the line about the glorious season; it had already appeared in Story of the Stone, in a drinking game played by Lin Daiyu. If Sang Wen were to sing this poem, would people not immediately realize that Story of the Stone had been written by her brother? But it seemed to her that Fan Xian had forgotten about it. She thought about her brother gaining even more fame, and couldn't help but smile, deciding not to bring it up.
The outing ended well, and everyone had gotten what they wanted. Ye Ling'er had learned a few "little tricks", Sang Wen had received a poem from Fan Xian, Fan Sizhe had gotten a bellyful of roasted fish, Dabao had finally brought a horse to the Prime Minister's manor, Fan Ruoruo had gotten two days of beautiful scenery and peaceful surroundings, Lin Wan'er had gotten a chance to get closer to her brother, and Fan Xian had gotten the most, but he could not say what.
If it had ended this way, everyone would have been happy. But after Fan Xian heard Wang Qinian's report, he frowned. He had not expected things to be quite so fortuitous.
The Crown Prince was coming!
"Retreat!"
Hearing that the Crown Prince was coming to the villa that day, Fan Xian said nothing. He ordered Wang Qinian to get a team of his people ready to go back to the capital.
He was joking, surely - if the illustrious heir-apparent wanted to spend the summer here, how could he dare struggle for control with him? What was more, the Fan family had been taken into the Second Prince's faction, and the Prime Minister had broken ties with the prince's palace. The Overwatch Council clung to the Emperor, and although Fan Xian had some power behind him, he was the biggest target of the Crown Prince's hatred. If the two sides were to meet face to face, even given that Fan Xian was with the "false princess" as well as the two young women of the Ye and Fan families, the Crown Prince would truly wish to humiliate him, and he would have no way to find someone to come up with judgments about things.
The Emperor had said in the Green Bamboo Tearoom on Liujing River that Fan Xian should have been able to live comfortably in the capital. But the Crown Prince was not happy with Fan Xian living comfortably. If father and son had a difference of opinion, Fan Xian could not be held responsible, and believed that the Emperor would intervene on his son's behalf against the insignificant son of a minister.
It was for that reason that he wanted to make a clean getaway and not give the Crown Prince an opportunity to meet and humiliate him. At the same time, he also wanted to avoid giving himself the opportunity to beat up the Crown Prince after being unable to bear being humiliated by him and committing a crime that went against the will of Heaven.
He had come confident and at ease, but he was fleeing alarmed and anxious; Fan Xian felt rather upset. Lin Wan'er also frowned and felt uneasy; her brother Chengqian was no tiger; how could her future husband be so afraid? Ye Ling'er once more felt a measure of contempt for Fan Xian for being afraid of the powerful - what was so bad about the Crown Prince? When she was small, the Emperor had sent him to the Ye family to train in combat - and she'd gone through the same training.
Fan Xian after all was only an eighth-level functionary, the insignificant illegitimate son of Count Sinan. How could he be as used to the sight of the most important person in the world with these two girls who had known him since their childhoods? And his thoughts were more mature than those of girls with him, so he knew that this matter was somewhat sensitive.
Because he had gotten things arranged quickly, Fan Xian's retinue was already on the road when the Crown Prince's retinue arrived at the summer estate, and the two sides just brushed past each other.
At that moment, there was a sound of gongs and drums, like someone was about to start singing on a stage. The Crown Prince's retinue stopped, and the palace bodyguards also stopped Fan Xian. Fan Xian parted the curtain and looked out, his face expressionless. He saw the only heir to the throne upon the bright yellow carriage - soon to be the most powerful 18-year-old in all the land, and he dispiritedly said something to the carriages behind him.
Crown Prince Li Chengqian had a face that looked eminently handsome, but there was something off about his complexion - it was somewhat pale, and the corners of his mouth were slightly darkened. When he came that day to spend summer at the summer estate, he had not imaged that he would suddenly meet his sister Wan'er and the young lady of the Ye family on the road. He had grown up with them both, so he stopped to exchange pleasantries.
He knew that Wan'er had spent the previous night in the summer estate. Li Chengqian seemed pained as he spoke. "Do you not care for your health? The imperial physicians say you are too ill to endure the cold weather."
Ye Ling'er, by her side, laughed. "Miss Lin is not worried. We have an imperial physician with us." Lin Wan'er frowned at Ye Ling'er, though smiling as she explained, "It's been summer for awhile now; where is the cold weather?"
But he did not change the subject. The Crown Prince was rather curious about what Ye Ling'er's was saying, and he asked careful questions, finally realizing that sitting inside the carriage was Wan'er's future husband. He was shocked. "Is that the Beast of Fan Manor? He has garnered quite a name for himself recently. Let me take a look at him."
"Let it pass. Your Majesty must not intimidate him," said Lin Wan'er, a little uneasily.
The Crown Prince frowned. "The Emperor's family has some poor relatives. After you are married, he will be my brother-in-law. What's the harm in me meeting him? Besides, the Emperor will summon him to the palace so he can pay his respects to the Empress and Empress Dowager." He paused. "And the royal court has a duty they wish to give him as soon as possible. Don't tell me he is hiding away from people?"
The words were very serious, and there was a silence across both retinues.
"I pay my respects to Your Highness." A voice broke the silence. No one knew when Fan Xian had come up to the Crown Prince's carriage. He was beaming as he bowed.
Chapter 121: Unlucky Despite the Promotion
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Prince Li Chengqian had a weakened constitution and was susceptible to illness. That much Fan Xian knew beforehand. After having saluted the prince, Fan Xian somewhat bashfully looked up and smiled at him. Despite the prince's status, Fan Xian wasn't overly nervous. After all, he had drunk tea with the emperor.
Originally, he hadn't wanted to meet the prince, but the blabbermouth Ye Ling'er foiled his plan.
When Fan Xian looked at the prince, the prince was looking back at him. To the prince, Fan Xian was already unusual for having shaken up the whole capital in these few months. Furthermore, his younger sister Wan'er was appointed by Lord Father to marry Fan Xian. As the prince, Li Chengqian understood the intentions behind this marriage very well.
If his aunt, the second princess, were to lose the right to the palace treasury and an enemy took over, all that debt would be exposed. That was what the prince was most worried about. Luckily, the palace treasury would not be switching owners for another two years, so it wasn't of the utmost urgency. But the Fan household was getting along very well with King Jing, and King Jing's crown prince Li Hongcheng was… rather close with the second brother. The prince frowned slightly and stared at his junior who was stepping off the carriage, forgetting what to say for a moment.
The aides in the western palace were also divided over whether to use force against the Fan household, or to pull it to their side. If it were a regular household, the prince would not care. But the Fan household was different. The grandmother of this young man in front of him was Lord Father's wet nurse. With that kind of relationship, the prince couldn't really do anything to Fan Xian.
"You… You are Fan Xian?" The prince finally came back to himself and asked with a smile.
"I am, Your Highness, and I have met you before." Fan Xian, with utmost respect, saluted the prince again. "I did not know your carriage was here, so I did not get out of mine. I beg your pardon."
"Oh." Seeing that Fan Xian's face was extremely honest, the prince's initial malice lessened. In an instant, the prince decided to observe for a while. "Ignorance isn't a sin. My sister, Wan'er, is always sickly, so you must take care of her. Don't be like those other young men in the capital who only seek temporary pleasures."
"I would not to go against your wishes." Fan Xian realized the prince wouldn't be dealing with him today and calmed himself.
"But don't be overly uptight. After the marriage, you are a relative of royalty and will be walking in and out of the palace often. You should relax your demeanor a bit." The prince lectured.
Fan Xian smiled and answered "Yes, Your Highness." The prince's next sentence shocked him.
"The diplomatic groups from Dongyi City and North Qi are entering the capital soon. Because the Niulan Street incident revolves around you, the Imperial court has named you assistant deputy for the time being. I thought I'd let you know in advance so you can get ready. When the time comes, don't panic." The prince said without much emotion. Unknowingly, he had just done Fan Xian a favor.
Fan Xian was taken aback. He said, "As the functionary of Taichang Temple, I fear it would be improper to be involved with national matters."
The prince snorted coldly. "If you don't earn yourself some merit, do you think there'd be any place for you in the court?"
Fan Xian could tell the prince was a bit angry, so he quickly agreed. After thanking the prince, he moved to the side to make way.
The prince waved his whip, which was made from black silk and gold thread, and nodded in satisfaction. He turned around to speak to Lin Wan'er, "You should come to the palace more often. Aunt misses you very much." He paused and then continued, "Aunt often suffered from… headaches." There was nothing unusual in the prince's voice, his expression was as gentle as usual. Fan Xian, however, scanned the prince's face and picked up some unrest in his weak gaze.
Ling Wan'er only smiled, and didn't say anything.
"The prince is setting off." With a shout, the prince's fleet of carriages began moving slowly towards the summer estate in the mountains. Fan Xian dared not to move until all the carriages disappeared from view. Sighing gently, he stretched his slightly stiff waist and smiled bitterly. "Being a civil servant is hard."
"You dare to be disloyal?" Ye Ling'er asked mockingly, seizing on the opportunity.
"Ling'er, don't say such nonsense!" Such was how the food chain operated. Sizhe was afraid of Ruoruo, Ye Ling'er was afraid of the tiger cub. Lin Wan'er got angry, and Ye Ling'er hopped back on to the carriage.
Lin Wan'er walked toward Fan Xian. Seeing him still staring at the direction the prince had gone, she couldn't help but sigh. "I know your worries. None of my three brothers are easy to get along with. I say it's best if you don't rely on anyone in particular."
Fan Xian had always acknowledged Lin Wan'er's political wisdom, which she forged from her days spent deep in the palace. He nodded very seriously. Suddenly, he remembered something. "What about the youngest prince? Is he a difficult one too?"
"Wenyun is only eight. What does he know?" Lin Wan'er consoled Fan Xian. "You're the emperor's son-in-law. Adding in all the formalities, there had been such precedent. I don't think the eastern palace is really trying to pull you in, so relax."
Fan Xian laughed; he thought he was relaxed enough. Faking a sigh, he asked, "How can I not be nervous seeing Qing's future ruler?" In his previous life, the highest-ranking person Fan Xian had ever met was merely his school principle. But strangely, since being reborn—perhaps due to being reborn into a high-ranking family—Fan Xian no longer felt nervous around these big shots. He could stay composed, even in front of the emperor.
Lin Wan'er couldn't hold back her laughter. She pulled on the corner of Fan Xian's shirt. "Didn't you hear what the prince said? Before our marriage, you can enter the palace to greet all the Ladies. If that 'Ancient One' is in a good mood, it won't be impossible that he'll want to see you. After going through ten sections of the palace or so, you'll turn numb, even if you are anxious."
"Ancient One?" Fan Xian realized Wan'er was talking about the empress dowager who resided in the depths of the palace. For some reason, he shuddered.
"Time to go. What are you still standing around for? The prince is long gone." Fan Sizhe finally lost his patience and complained. Dabao in the middle carriage heard voices outside, so he raised his voice too.
Fan Xian laughed and, with a whip of his sleeves, put everything behind him.
----
Since Fan Xian was fortunate enough to be given another life, then he had to live it to the fullest. Beautiful women, money, power; he mustn't run low on those. But he had been in murky waters since coming to the capital. He couldn't help but be vexed.
Currently, his bookstore was doing very well, and the later chapters of Story of the Stone were in preparation to be printed. Fan Xian could see the money pouring in. Once he took command of the palace treasury, he was ready to leave the bookstore to Qingyu Hall and Fan Sizhe. As for the matters in the Imperial Court, there were his father, Chen Pingping, and the rest of his mother's comrades. As for hidden dangers, there was Wu Zhu. Even if Wu Zhu decides to not show up, as he did during the incident on Niulan Street, Fan Xian believed he had the ability to protect himself.
Suddenly, Fan Xian felt he had the potential to become a millionaire.
All that was still a figment of his imagination. Those around him and himself all knew that. Calmly looking at the dirt road outside his carriage, Fan Xian snapped his fingers. "That's too much to be a coincidence. There are thirteen royal estates in the capital, two temporary palaces, and a hunting ground. All of them can be accessed by the prince. Why did he choose today to go to the summer estate? The summer palace is far from the capital and quiet, so we picked it beforehand."
Once they were back on the road, Fan Xian and Wang Qinian shared a carriage and therefore their conversation was rather direct. Wang Qinian also frowned. "If someone deliberately made the prince go in order to place us in conflict with him, such an arrangement would be too complicated, and it wouldn't guarantee good results."
Fan Xian shook his head and said with a faintly cold gaze, "As long as someone is beside the prince, then it wouldn't be difficult to manipulate the prince's travel destinations. Besides, my reputation in the capital is inseparable from 'arrogant', so I'm guessing whoever set us up was not expecting the prince to not get angry at me for trying to take his silver."
"It's just that I don't know the way the palace does things. Take the prince's trip outside the capital for example, how long does it take for preparations? We came to the estate yesterday. Had the prince set his eyes here a few days ago, then this really is a coincidence, not a deliberate ploy."
Fan Xian shook his head again. "We asked earlier. For the prince to go out, as long as he stays within 14 kilometers of the capital, all he needs to do is to report to the palace. To get ready, it should take about a day. Seeing when we met, I estimate the prince left this morning."
Wang Qinian looked at Fan Xian with worry. He asked in a low voice, "What good can whoever planned this gain?"
Fan Xian smiled. "Plenty. If the prince really shamed me here, then I suppose my family could only hold up red flags and expose ourselves."
"Could it be the second prince?" Wang Qinian tried to confirm his suspicion.
Fan Xian gave it some thought. Despite all the coincidences, and the second prince calling repeatedly, he and the second prince never met. Fan Xian really didn't know what kind of character this second prince was, but he thought he probably wasn't the kind of person who decides everything through force. Fan Xian said lightly, "Who knows? Everyone is sharp in the palace. Who am I to give a damn?"
Fan Xian wasn't lying when he said he wouldn't give a damn. But he still made Wang Qinian get out of the carriage to check if they were being followed. He believed in Wang Qinian's abilities. If someone was spying on them, then whoever it was must be captured. If no one was spying on them, it was enough for the encounter to be a coincidence and prove that he was simply too cautious.
With a bitter smile, Fan Xian leaned back against the soft cushion, hoping he really was being paranoid.
Chapter 122: The Box, the Poison Needle, and the Killer
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
In the capital, by the side of Shenzheng Way, there stood a house. Wang Qinian had bought the house with 120 taels of silver, and having gone through a few formalities, he was confident that no one could ever find out who its true owner was. Fan Xian frowned as he looked at the two burly men completely tied up in the corner. Their mouths were stuffed with smelly cleaning rags, and their faces were red, with tears rolling down from the corners in their eyes. They could not say anything, and naturally, they were unable to bite down on their tongues to kill themselves.
"Where did they catch them?" asked Fan Xian softly.
The people standing behind Wang Qinian bowed in response. "Three-and-a-half kilometers outside the city, Master Wang discovered their tracks. They tried to argue with us after we blocked their path, but we investigated, and they confessed to their deeds. After you left the capital yesterday, these two followed you. We don't know how it was done, but someone informed them, and we don't know what connection they have to the prince's palace. This chance meeting was suddenly arranged."
Fan Xian frowned. He hadn't ever guessed that such a clue to a plot would appear. It appeared that it was not down to his own brilliance, but to his enemies' stupidity. The capital was a dark place, and everyone had a forked black tail hanging from their buttocks. He also understood that what his subordinate had called investigation undoubtedly involved the use of torture. But since they had confessed, whatever method they used was unimportant.
"Is the person who interrogated them here?" Fan Xian lowered his voice as he asked Wang Qinian. Wang Qinian shook his head. "The less the subordinates know the better, so they have been waiting for their master to carry out the interrogation personally.
Fan Xian nodded. He was pleased with his prudence, but he found himself caught up in his own thoughts. He looked at the two burly men in the corner, and easily observed a number of things from looking in their eyes. They had a look of unswerving determination, but they had not been trained in how to survive under torture. First of all, they could not have been men from the Overwatch Council. Second of all, they could not have been men from the palace. A quick examination showed that they were not eunuchs.
So it was most likely that they were the private forces of the Second Prince. Of course, the Prince at the foot of the mountains was also unable to escape suspicion. At that moment, Fan Xian suddenly recalled something his father Count Sinian had said. When you do not know who your enemy is, you should not be reckless to make an enemy of people - but what should you do when you do know who your enemy is? If he were to discover whether this was the work of the Second Prince, could he really raid the prince's mansion? Fan Xian laughed bitterly. He knew that there were a few things that he could not easily get to the bottom of.
"No use asking." Fan Xian wiped his brow. It was rather stuffy. "Kill them."
"Yes sir." The subordinates were Overwatch Council thugs, so they were not the least bit surprised by this bloody order. They quietly moved forward, pulled out knives for their belts, and plunged them into the stomachs of the men. There was a spluttering sound, and the two burly men flailed their feet recklessly for a moment before their eyes glazed over.
"Bury them well," Fan Xian ordered, with a measure of unaffected grief.
"Yes sir," replied the subordinates.
Leaving the house, they went through the small alleyways of the capital before the two men reached a main street. Wang Qinian walked alongside him, keeping the respectful silence of a subordinate. Fan Xian suddenly spoke. "When will the emissaries from Northern Qi and Dongyi arrive? We should have information on this."
"After they've crossed our border," replied Wang Qinian, "all local authorities will be provided assistance in receiving them. With luck, they should arrive at the beginning of next month."
Fan Xian nodded. "Help me find out who is among them. And furthermore..." he began to mumble to himself. "If it is not considered against the rules, could we trouble the manor to do some digging around among the Northern Qi spies? It would be best to investigate what the baseline for punishment of diplomatic missions is in Northern Qi."
Wang Qinian had heard what the Crown Prince had said before, so he knew that Master Fan wanted to take up a post as a vice envoy. "Yan Ruohai's son Yan Bingyun has already been hiding in Northern Qi for four years, and there have been some results. I imagine it will have some benefits."
"I want as little talk about this as possible after it has happened," Fan Xian reminded him. "Otherwise, if Northern Qi were to find out, I fear that Master Yan's son will be in danger."
Wang Qinian smiled. "Master, you are a commissioner, you know the scope of authority regarding this matter."
Fan Xian also smiled. "Taking responsibility for this sort of thing, the less I know the better."
Wang Qinian looked at his master's delicate face and warm smile and thought back to the killing that had happened in the courtyard before. He could not help but feel a little strange. "Since it would be better not to know," he asked quietly, "then why must we investigate? It seems that there was no need for those two men to die."
"Although it is better not to know than to know, we still must investigate, and those two still had to die," replied Fan Xian quietly. "Because I must let other people know that I know that they do not want me to know things, those two lives serve as a warning, warning them not to try to manipulate me again. It seems that the incident at Niulan Street did not convince the powers on high to exercise some restraint. The death of my brother-in-law at the foot of the Cang Mountains was the work of Sigu Sword; perhaps they feel I am deceiving them?"
Although the series of "knows" was something of a tongue-twister meaning-wise, the slightly confused Wang Qinian slowly understood his meaning and nodded. Fan Xian's suddenly smiled. "Don't worry about whether I've never seen blood and dead people. You don't know how I grew up."
The following few days were peaceful. The death of those two nameless burly fellows seemed to have been of little importance. But Fan Xian had guessed that the incident would already have started to show its effects. He made occasional visits to Taichang Temple for roll call; occasional visits to Danbo Bookstore to pick up cash; occasional visits to the tofu stand to help out; occasional visits to the Prime Minister's mansion to get in his future father-in-law's good graces; occasional visits to the royal palace to woo his lady; occasional stops home to tell stories to his little sister so she could copy them as books. That was Fan Xian's entire life for those few days.
That night, after he had washed himself and was preparing for bed, he caught sight of a black leather box out of the corner of his eye. He did not know what was inside the box, so naturally he was somewhat curious. But it had been in the same place for a long while, and there had been no sign of the key, so now he was somewhat apathetic about it. Of course, if he knew that Chen Pingping was greatly interested in the box, he would certainly have re-evaluated the box's worth, and would not have thrown it idly in the corner of his room; instead he would have kept it in the hole under his bed, hidden under three layers of iron.
Where was the key? It was as if he heard the voice of Heaven asking him a most important question from deep inside his heart. A cold voice rang in Fan Xian's ears.
"The key is in the palace."
Suddenly, without a sound, a black rod came from nowhere and struck Fan Xian firmly in the spine. There was a thud, and Fan Xian was too late to dodge as he was knocked to the ground. A wave of raw pain coursed down his spine, and he coughed, blowing away some of the dust on the floor in front of him.
"You've gotten soft." There was no emotion in Wu Zhu's voice, but he clearly held some sort of negative attitude toward Fan Xian's behavior.
"Uncle?" Fan Xian had gotten used to this sort of life when he was little, and with some difficulty he rose, circulating the zhenqi in his body to soothe the pain in his spine as he looked at the dark corner. "Uncle," he said in a low voice, unable to stop himself, "I haven't seen you these past few days. I truly feared you were dead."
Wu Zhu showed a slight passion that did not fit his words. Coldly, he took half a step back, and saw through Fan Xian's lie. "I know that you were not worried about me."
Fan Xian laughed, somewhat embarrassed. It was true, he wasn't worried; that weirdo Wu Zhu was a master assassin. He wouldn't get into trouble no matter where he went. But Fan Xian had not seen him in a long time. He had been thinking of him, and he was curious as to where he had been the past few days. Perhaps Wu Zhu had been by his side the whole time, and he didn't know it?
"The key is in the palace," Wu Zhu continued.
The second time he said it, Fan Xian had a sudden realization. He frowned. "So you were looking for the key all that time."
"This belongs to the Lady. I should not have listened to Chen Pingping and left the key in the capital." Wu Zhu's tone remained indifferent, unlike any normal person. "I spent a few days in the palace, and I have found three locations where it could be."
"It's too risky!" Fan Xian howled in a low voice, feeling a slight anger well up deep within his heart. Although Wu Zhu had grandmaster-level strength, the Royal Palace would be more than a match for him. Not only were the guards all experts, but as Fei Jie had pointed out, the most secretive of the four grandmasters was hidden somewhere within the palace. Wu Zhu had risked spending a number of days inside the palace; if he had been discovered, that secretive grandmaster would have naturally engaged him, as well as five hundred knife-wielding guards. Even if Wu Zhu were possessed of truly miraculous skill, there would be no way he'd get out of there alive.
Seeming not to have noticed Fan Xian's anger, Wu Zhu continued to speak in a cold voice. "Do you want the key?"
Fan Xian went quiet. He realized why Wu Zhu had come there today. He was a man who lurked in the shadows. If it wasn't a matter he needed to share with him, Fan Xian doubted that he would ever see him; he would simply remain in the shadows to protect him. And Wu Zhu had come to talk about the key not because he wanted Fan Xian's opinion, but because he needed him to be part of it.
But... if Wu Zhu was trying to get hold of something this difficult, then how could Fan Xian even help at all? "What do you need me to do?" Fan Xian asked as he pondered.
"Those three locations in the palace are not easy to enter," said Wu Zhu without a hint of emotion.
Fan Xian was curious, and asked Wu Zhu where these locations were.
"Xingqing Palace, Hanguang Hall, and Guangxin Palace."
Fan Xian was taken aback, and laughed bitterly. These were the most tightly-guarded locations in the palace grounds, the living quarters of the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Eldest Princess. Not only were they the most difficult-to-enter locations in the palace grounds, they were practically the most difficult-to-enter locations in all the world.
"I want you to think of a way to get the eunuch named Hong Sixiang outside the palace for a time."
Fan Xian frowned. "Eunuch Hong? He is the leader of the palace eunuchs, he has served three different emperors, and I heard that he has been in the palace since the founding of the nation. His powers are deep, but if you're going to the palace to steal the key, then why do you need me to trick him into leaving the palace? What's the link between those two things?" He suddenly understood something, and lifted his head in surprise to look at the black cloth that surrounded Wu Zhu's face. He spoke with a trembling voice. "Are you telling me that Eunuch Hong is the one they talk about, the most secretive grandmaster?"
Fei Jie had said that of the four grandmasters, one was Sigu Sword in Dongyi, one was Ku He in Northern Qi, and one was Ye Liuyun, with his Liuyun sanshou, in the Kingdom of Qing; there was one other who was also a man of the Kingdom of Qing, but no one knew who he was. Even the Overwatch Council, with all of their power, was only able to ascertain that whoever this person was, they were hiding within the royal palace of the Kingdom of Qing.
Wu Zhu shook his head. "I don't know. I have never fought him. But I know that within the palace right now, the one who would discover me the easiest would be the Eunuch Hong Sixiang."
Fan Xian nodded. In his heart, he was still full of respect for Wu Zhu. Old Eunuch Hong had to be the unmeasurably powerful person hidden in the palace. If even Wu Zhu were scared of the consequences, perhaps Eunuch Hong's identity as a grandmaster was already on the verge of being revealed.
In his cold nature, he had even attacked Ye Liuyun, but had failed to kill him. Naturally he could not fear any grandmaster from that day on, but that last time it was in order to hide his connection with Fan Xian. This time it was in order to steal the key, so the style would be somewhat different.
Fan Xian pondered over the latest plans, and considered the coming emissaries from Northern Qi and Dongyi; he could not think of a way to build a relationship with the head of the court eunuchs deep within the palace. It was not convenient to ask for his father to step in - he would have to explain a number of things that he did not wish to explain. Suddenly his eyes lit up. "Wan'er should have a clear understanding of things inside the palace. She has grown up inside the palace for her entire life and only moved out at the beginning of this year. I'll go by her way tomorrow."
Wu Zhu "looked" at him, not making a comment, before he spoke coldly. "I just need you to get Hong Sixiang outside the palace for a while. As for how you do it, that is your business."
Fan Xian shrugged. "Uncle, you always give me the hardest tasks."
It was a joke, and having not spoken to Wu Zhu for some time, it seemed that he had forgotten that Wu Zhu did not have much of a sense of humor. "So, I will attack Hong Sixiang," replied Wu Zhu sincerely, "and whether or not I succeed in killing him, it is likely that I will be able to delay him for six hours. You will enter the palace and find the key."
It was as if a burning hot meteorite had fallen from the sky directly onto Fan Xian's foot. He moved quickly to speak, extremely gently and respectfully. "It is just stealing something. Don't take the risk of challenging Hong Sixiang. I will try to contact him."
After Wu Zhu left, Fan Xian finally realized that he had no way to find him. If he did manage to arrange everything, then how would he tell Wu Zhu? He laid back down on his bed. When he looked at the box again, something was different. If the key had to be hidden in a secret place within the palace, whatever was inside the box had to be something extremely important or extremely terrifying.
Something like a map of the border defenses, a list of high-ranking spies from the Overwatch Council his mother had singlehandedly established, or... a map to the Ye family treasure?
Fan Xian found himself unable to sleep. He stood up, and moved the box under his bed with his foot. It seemed to him that it would be safer this way.
His face serene, Fan Xian came to Ruoruo's bedchamber and asked if she could find him a needle and thread to sew some a seam in some clothing. She obliged. She took out a few small needles from a box and gave them to him, feeling rather curious about it. She looked him in the eye. "This is for embroidery. Have you torn your clothing, brother? It'd be best if you gave it to a servant-girl to take care of."
Fan Xian laughed. "It's a bit more complicated than clothing." He thought for a moment. "Don't let anyone know that you've given me these three needles."
Fan Ruoruo nodded, confused.
The wedding was approaching, and Fan Manor had begun to prepare for it. There were a number of odd things about Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er's marriage, so all customs were revised. At the very least, they were not the same as other pairings of princess and Emperor's-son-in-law, where the royal family arranged a mansion for the Emperor's son-in-law; after all, Lin Wan'er's status as princess had always only ever been in effect within the palace. If it had been done within the capital, there may have been some gossip.
The newlyweds' residence was near Count Sinan's manor. It was just some empty land that Count Sinan had been preparing since the beginning of the year, and so they had already erected a sumptuous mansion. The rear gardens of the two compounds were connected by a door, so the two manors were linked as one. But the compound in which Fan Xian would live after he was married faced out onto a different street.
Over those few days, the manor was quiet. The workers had already downed tools; the trees and the rock gardens had also been taken care of a long time ago, and had grown out in the open. Because there was no one there in such a large mansion, the silence was deafening, and no one wanted to stay in it for long.
A black shadow floated across. It was Fan Xian, quietly making his way through the courtyard, holding a chunk of tofu in his right hand, and clasping three needles between the four fingers of his left hand. He found a secluded area, and carefully placed the tofu chunk among the branches of the willow tree. He had improved the tofu, making it extremely soft, so when he placed it in the swaying spot, it seemed like it could fall out at any moment.
Fan Xian closed his eyes, and slowly summoned the powerful zhenqi out of his dantian point, routing it through the crown of his head and into the xueshan point at the back of his waist. He formed one large and one small channel for the zhenqi, allowing his whole being to sink into silence, without a single errant thought.
The sound of the wind arose, and his whole being became part of the wind, blowing between the willow branches, softly touching it, his feet valiantly preventing him from leaning forward. There was a sudden noise. Relying on his control of his body, he leapt back.
It was like a crafty fish teasing the dumbfounded angler's hook.
Some time later, he walked slowly forward with his hands behind his back, squinting as he looked at the block of tofu in the branches of the willow tree. Three needles stuck out of the tofu, trembling slightly. In a flash, he quickly thrust the needles into the tofu, cutting it into three cubes. According to Fan Xian's understanding of the human body, if this trick were used to kill someone, it would most likely be extremely effective. Satisfied, he retrieved the pins.
After Niulan Street, he had been searching for ways to best arm himself. Wu Zhu's weapon was a cudgel; whether it was a wooden staff or a simple rock drill, in Wu Zhu's hands it was a deadly weapon. This was the state of things, and Fan Xian was clearly aware that when it came to himself, an easily-handled weapon could save his life many times over.
In truth, he very much liked the slender dagger he kept in his boot. Whether it was in Danzhou or on Niulan Street, the precious and sharp dagger had already helped him out twice. But in certain palace, it was not possible to have a dagger to hand - such as the palace.
And Fan Xian knew, since the key was inside the palace, it was possible that in the end he would have to make like the heroes of the wuxia novels of his previous life and rush in headfirst. Wu Zhu's rod and his words from the day before had irritated him, and he set himself to it with renewed fervor. He looked at how the dawn's light glinted off the needles between his fingers, and he couldn't help but frown as he wondered - what sort of poison would be most appropriate to smear them with?
After setting his goal, he did everything with much more enthusiasm. So on one pitch-black night, Fan Xian excitedly stole into Lin Wan'er's bedchamber. Wan'er could not help but feel happily surprised. After all, it had not been that long since their vacation. After a moment of affection, Fan Xian casually brought up matters in the palace.
Lin Wan'er had grown up in the palace. She was quite familiar with the people inside the palace, and was not curious as to why her fiancée had taken a sudden interest. She assumed that he was worried about the custom of entering the palace to pay his respects, so she consoled him. "The Empress has always been very nice to me. And the Emperor is not fond of femininity, so he isn't like that Emperor of Northern Qi who died a while ago, where his six palaces were all filled with beautiful women. Apart from the Empress, there is the prince's birth mother, Ning the Talented, and the Second Prince's birth mother, Concubine Shu. There is the third son's mother, Yi Guipin, and some other concubines who you won't need to pay respects to."[1]
Fan Xian imagined that the concubines naturally would not want to offend her birth mother, the Eldest Princess, who was doted on by the Empress Dowager and controlled the royal purse. He shifted in the bed to make his embrace of Wan'er more comfortable. "Why is the prince's birth mother only 'Talented'?"
"Ning the scholar is from Dongyi. The Emperor brought her back from his first military expedition to the north. I've heard that His Majesty was wounded on the battlefield, and Ning the scholar tended to him night and day, so His Majesty freed her from her bondage as a slave and brought her to the palace, and she gave birth to the prince. But she is not from the Kingdom of Qing, and although she saved the Emperor's life, and gave birth to his eldest son, there was still no way for her to win the favor of the Empress Dowager, so naturally she could not become Empress. And she was an imperial consort, but ten years ago it seemed like something happened in the palace, and His Majesty was very angry, and stripped her of her position, so she dropped to the rank of "Talented".
Fan Xian was slightly surprised. The struggle in the palace was just as complicated as he had imagined. Lin Wan'er sighed and continued. "Fortunately, the great prince is now in the west excelling in military pursuits, so Ning the Talented can keep finally her position. She seems to understand a great many things, and is now content in the palace. In truth, I used to run over to her palace to play, but for those two years I didn't so much."
Fan Xian asked about some of the other inner secrets of the palace, and Lin Wan'er was happy to hell him in full detail. Finally, Fan Xian got to the crux of his questioning. "I've heard that the head eunuch, Eunuch Hong, is extremely powerful within the palace," he said casually.
"That's right." Lin Wan'er was not a little tiger that night, but a small kitten in his arms. He gently caressed her face. "Eunuch Hong has been in the palace since the founding of the nation, when he was a manservant. When the first Emperor was on the throne, he trusted Eunuch Hong immensely. Now he is still in a fifth-level position as head of the palace eunuchs, but his responsibilities are not as great now that he is older. Basically, he is being kept in the palace by the Empress Dowager."
"Kept in the palace by the Empress Dowager?" Fan Xian had a sudden recollection of the history of his old world.
"What?" Lin Wan'er asked curiously, blinking.
Fan Xian took hold of her nose and smiled. "Nothing. So if I want to have a good relationship with the palace, I'll have to be on good terms with Eunuch Hong."
"There's no point," explained Lin Wan'er. "The old eunuch just strolls around the palace, he's not in charge of anything."
Fan Xian could not say a word of his plans to the girl in his arms, so he just smiled. "When should I announce that I am coming to visit the palace?"
Lin Wan'er was both bashful and teasing. "In a few days, I suppose. Why? Are you nervous?"
"Of course I'm nervous. I'm taking such a wonderful princess away from them, who wouldn't be nervous?"
Silence gradually fell on the upstairs room of the pavilion in the palace grounds. As he watched his fiancée drift off to sleep in his arms, Fan Xian sighed. Whatever else came up in his life, he hoped that he could deal with it well enough.
The next day, he went to Taichang Temple for the morning roll call, and Ren the official quietly took him to one side and spoke to him quietly. "Do you know what this is about?"
Fan Xian looked at the 34-year-old man, who seemed to have aged handsomely, and played dumb. "What is it?"
Ren sighed. "Honglu Temple sent out a letter today, asking you to transfer there." Honglu Temple was especially in charge of receiving foreign guests, and handling matters between countries. Fan Xian was surprised, and realized that the matter that the Crown Prince had spoken of had started. He clasped his hands in salute. "Master Ren, why do they want me to transfer there? I have hardly been at Taichang Temple for more than a few weeks."
Master Ren frowned. "Master Fan, do you not have a relationship with the prince's estate?"
Fan Xian knew that he was asking about his father, and he shook his head. "You know that my father always had very little contact with the palace, and even less with the ministers with the cabinet."
"That is so." Ren nodded his head. Count Sinan was famously stubborn. He had made use of his special relationship with the Emperor as they had grown up together. Even the Prime Minister did not understand how he had always remained neural toward the various princes. He thought for a moment. "I have heard that it was a suggestion of the prince's estate to allow you to participate in these negotiations."
Fan Xian did not know how to respond. He could only continue to feign confusion. "What negotiations?
"Emissaries from Northern Qi have come to discuss the aftermath of the war among the vassal states along the northern border, things such as deliberating boundaries, compensation for losses, and so on. And emissaries from Dongyi have come to discuss the matter of the murder of the Prime Minister's second son at the foot of the Cang Mountains. I have heard that they have brought a lot of silver and beautiful women with them. These so-called negotiations are really the royal court haggling prices with these two parties."
Ren the official, surnamed Ren, given name Shao'an, was a disciple of the Prime Minister, so he naturally treated Fan Xian as someone on his own side. "If matters are dealt with well," he carefully warned him, "it will be nothing more than gilding the lily. In any case, the officers and soldiers have followed their orders, and have already attacked those territories. But if they are not dealt with well, and they do not bring the Emperor the benefits that he was expecting, then they would be extremely inappropriate. And as for Dongyi, in the matter of the second son's death, if you are too soft, then it will not be received well by the Prime Minister. But since the royal court has permitted Dongyi to send emissaries, it shows that the royal court does not wish to pursue this matter too diligently, and would simply like to get something out of it... after all, Sigu Sword is still in the city of Dongyi."
Fan Xian frowned. These matters were complicated indeed. Ren carried on, speaking with sympathy. "Your status is unique. You and the Prime Minister will soon be father and son-in-law. If you follow the will of the Emperor, you will lose the favor of your father-in-law. So this is a very difficult situation, and you must tread carefully."
Fan Xian was taken aback as he pondered the critical components of this matter. He clasped his hands in a grateful gesture. "When I entered the bureaucracy, I did not know that things would be so profound... this matter is so complicated, and I am only an eighth-level functionary. Even if Honglu Temple requests that I transfer there, I fear that my lowly words will carry little weight, so it is best that I remain honest and say nothing."
Ren the official shook his head and sighed. "You will be a vice envoy, and you will find yourself blown by winds in all directions, with a great many eyes on you."
"Why would people be looking at me?" thought Fan Xian. He smiled. "You have put a great amount of thought into this. Everything should be fine."
Ren had indeed put a lot of thought in this. Although he did not know why the prince's palace had appointed him as a vice envoy, it was either a case of favoritism, or that they wanted to see him follow his father-in-law's will and lose the favor of the Emperor. In short, Fan Xian had already sufficiently prepared his skills, and did not feel any dread about it. In the afternoon, an official palanquin was dispatched to transport him. It travelled along the bluestone road, and in no time at all the palanquin had reached Honglu Temple.
Honglu Temple was equivalent to a diplomatic mission, and officials of Honglu Temple were equivalent to ministers of foreign affairs. In his previous life, fan Xian believed very much in a certain phrase: "A weak state has no diplomacy". The Kingdom of Qing was the strongest in all the land, and Honglu Temple had become a government office of high status and of ill-gotten gains. Thick cypress trees were all around, and the warm summer heat did not seep into the offices. Fan Xian sat quietly in seating area of the silent hall, listening to the conversations of the superiors above him.
The conversation he heard was the Honglu Temple official Xin Qiwu - the Northern Qi and Dongyi emissaries had come to officially present their diplomatic credentials. The frank and established official of the Kingdom of Qing did not feel that this was a desperately serious matter, so the master official of Honglu Temple was still at home asleep. The people who took care of such matters were just fourth-level officials.
"Master Fan, the royal court has seen fit to appoint you as a vice envoy; firstly on account of your good reputation, secondly on account of your connection to matters regarding Northern Qi. But you are not experienced in such matters, so do not worry, you will learn in due course." Xin Qiwu knew that the handsome young man beneath him had a strong and solid background, so he was courteous in his speech.
"That is so. Master Fan is well-known throughout the capital. It is truly a waste of his talent to take notice of Honglu Temple and these foreign nationals." A number of officials looked at Fan Xian and attempted to flatter him, not showing their true intentions. At the same time they feared that this nobleman's son's contributions could be jumping the gun. They could not prevent their awkward expressions.
[1] "Talented" was a ranking for concubines in the Tang dynasty – it was the fifth rank out of nine.
Chapter 123: The Emissaries from Northern Qi
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Fan Xian did not dare be arrogant. He quickly stood up and clasped his hands in salute to the people around him, greeting the other diplomats of the Kingdom of Qing with a warm smile. "Sirs," he said earnestly, "I have not spent long at Taichang Temple, and I know little of the customs of the royal court. The palace has assigned me as a vice envoy, and I presume that they wish for the deceitful Kingdom of Northern Qi to see that they cannot attempt to murder the people of the Kingdom of Qing as they please. They wish for me to serve as a reminder; they do not necessarily want me to actually be part of our negotiations." He laughed and continued. "I have no knowledge of matters of diplomacy, and I do not wish to tread on anyone's toes. I humbly request your guidance."
After all, he had not been an official for very long; such a speech could not avoid inspiring some enmity and being seen as somewhat reckless. But instead, it made the officials of Honglu Temple feel more comfortable. At first, when they found out that the son of Minister Fan would be taking part in the negotiation process, these bureaucrats who bragged of their foreign policy credentials as diplomats of the Kingdom of Qing felt rather uneasy. They felt like a murder of crows interrupted by a vulture trying to steal their carrion.
When Fan Xian had shown to them that he did not intend to compete with them, all of Honglu Temple felt much happier. Xin Qiwu nodded his head in slight admiration. Of course, everyone knew that if they were to succeed in demanding large sums of silver as tribute, deciding reward based on merit, this son of an influential official, here to serve as decoration, would also get his share.
After the meeting was finished, Xin Qiwu led him to a room that had been prepared for him, and pointed out a large cupboard that had already been filled with documents. "All the relevant material is in here. The key point of these negotiations is that Northern Qi wishes to send us silver in exchange that we return territory that we are currently occupying. Dongyi has no demands; they simply wish to settle matters regarding the two assassinations. The first of which is the incident on Niulan Street involving you; the two female assassins have already confirmed that they are disciples of Sigu Sword. The second is the incident in the villa at the foot of the Cang Mountains. However..."
He glanced at Fan Xian and spent a moment of consideration before continuing. "You are also aware that this is a very complicated affair, so the royal court cannot provide too-conclusive proof of this matter."
Fan Xian nodded. The air of empty platitudes was beginning to make his head hurt. Would he really have to deal with such things over the next few weeks? Seemingly reading his mind, Xin Qiwu smiled. "If you would prefer not to work office hours, you may also take them home. Only the documents with the red top-secret label may not be taken out of the office."
Fan Xian was happily surprised. Although he knew that Xin Qiwu did not wish for him not to be there, he was grateful. "In truth, I was very confused coming here today. If you do not mind me being lazy, sir, I would prefer to sleep at home every day."
Fan Xian reckoned it was extremely rare in the Kingdom of Qing for an insignificant eighth-level functionary to make such a joke with a fourth-level official of Honglu Temple. Xin Qiwu was rather surprised by Fan Xian's words, but soon after he burst into laughter, and suddenly spoke to Fan Xian in a low voice. "Master Fan, the prince's estate has high expectations of you."
Fan Xian smiled. He knew Xin Qiwu's status, and did not dare to be ambiguous. "Be assured, sir," he replied quickly, "I understand. My father has often lectured us. If one is to be an official, one must strictly follow the ways of an official."
On hearing his response, Xin Qiwu, trusted aide to the Crown Prince, nodded in satisfaction. "Count Sinan has dedicated himself wholeheartedly in service to the Kingdom of Qing. I have always admired him."
After chatting for a little bit longer, Xin Qiwu left the room. Fan Xian watched his shadow as he left and slowly narrowed his eyes. His father Fan Jian had once said, as long as the Crown Prince held his position, then the Fan family would be loyal to the Crown Prince, but even he didn't believe those words. Fan Xian could not simply believe Xin Qiwu, being the Crown Prince's man that he was.
Assigning Fan Xian to the position of vice envoy in these negotiations was a careful test by the prince's estate to see whether the Fan family was capable of following the Crown Prince's orders even slightly.
Over the next weeks, Fan Xian did as he said he would, and shut himself in the room to sleep. Of course, for him, sleeping was also an unavoidable way for him to train. Regarding official affairs, after he took some documents home, he handed them to Wang Qinian to allow him to formulate an appropriate plan of action for the negotiations.
In truth, Fan Xian's intentions were clear; Wang Qinian could report to the old cripple at the Overwatch Council in secret. In this way, this complicated yet dull task was given to Wang Qinian and Chen Pingping. Whether it was for the sake of his mother or his father, they dealt with it appropriately, ensuring that he did not lose face at the imperial court or among the ordinary people.
He had no qualms about exploiting every resource he had to the utmost.
And indeed, a few days later, Wang Qinian, looking haggard, came to a small cabin where they had agreed to meet, and handed him a thick folder. Fan Xian's mouth opened curiously, and his eyes could not help but light up. He saw that the folder was divided into two sections. One section was internal reference material that only high-ranking officials of Honglu Temple were allowed to read, and the other section was a draft dossier for negotiations with Northern Qi.
The materials included a thorough analysis of the internal situation in Northern Qi: the power struggle between the young Emperor and the Empress dowager, grandmaster Ku He being a pacifist, and other such information. The documents also reported that the Marquis Ning, younger brother of the Empress Dowager, was under attack by the bureaucracy of Northern Qi for losing the war, and so the young Emperor did not care how much money he had to pay in compensation, or how much land he had to relinquish, as long as he could go along with popular grievances and use this opportunity as a pretext to reduce the considerable power of the Empress Dowager's faction. And because the Empress Dowager was anxious to settle unrest, and attempts to rectify politics in the royal court had been in vain, instructions were given to be patient and accommodating in the negotiations.
Of course these things, hidden in the dark, went unseen by the diplomats of the Kingdom of Qing. It was only thanks to the tremendous secret powers of the Overwatch Council and their network of spies throughout the Kingdom of Northern Qi, who ferreted out various trivial matters and assembled them into an analysis so that they could finally come to this definite conclusion.
"Incredible." Fan Xian sighed. "Having these reports on hand, the officials of Honglu Temple would be absolutely delighted." He paused for a moment. "How reliable are these reports?"
Wang Qinian's eyes drooped. It seemed that he had not slept in the past few days. "They are extremely reliable. Liu Bingyun has made a breakthrough in Northern Qi. He has installed an entire information network and cross-referenced everything. There should not be any issues."
Fan Xian could not help but feel respect for Yan Bingyun, the young son of an official. For the good of the nation, he was content to hide in the shadows like a rat, and to do so for several years as the son of a high official of the royal court was no easy feat indeed. He did not know that the reason that Yan Bingyun lived his miserable existence in Northern Qi was entirely a result of the unsuccessful attempt on Fan Xian's life when he was 12 years old. If Fan Xian had known that this was the case, it was impossible to say whether he would have felt guilty or burst into laughter.
"Wang Qinian, I did not expect you to be so proficient in intelligence analysis and tracking." Fan Xian was fully aware of where the dossier had come from, but he did not broach the subject.
Wang Qinian wasn't sure how to respond. He simply replied with a timid salute, not daring to take the credit for himself.
"So, tomorrow I will go to Honglu Temple and meet with my superiors." Fan Xian saw Wang Qinian's nervous silence. "Is there anything else?"
"Sir," began Wang Qinian uncomfortably, "you cannot give this information to Honglu Temple."
"Why?"
"Because... it involves top-secret information of the highest level. Nobody in Honglu Temple—not even the top officials—has the qualifications to handle it."
Fan Xian clapped his hand to his head and laughed bitterly. "So what do you propose I do? I might as well let the Council give it to Honglu Temple directly, through the proper channels."
Wang Qinian sighed. "If the director hadn't wholeheartedly believed that it was a surprise that you were involved in these negotiations, paving the way for your future career," he thought, "there is no way that he would have ordered all six bureaus to work through the night to produce this dossier." The dossier looked thoroughly ordinary, but in fact it was a conclusion of the meticulous, specialized analyses of dozens of intelligence reports. If he were to just casually hand it over to Honglu Temple, the Director might well be angry enough to leap out of his wheelchair.
It was the end of the summer. The lotus petals had fallen, but the heat remained. The pedestrians and the black dogs on the streets of the capital had all been weakened and dispirited by the weather. The eighth of August was a very auspicious day. The diplomatic missions from Northern Qi and from Dongyi both arrived at the same time at an official relay station in the northwest of the capital. The Emperor of Qing decreed that the two diplomatic missions were permitted to lodge in a temporary residence owned by His Majesty. Officials from all three parties argued for a number of days, before at last drawn up a schedule and plans for their entrance into the city.
The common people of the capital were roused in spirit, feeling like abrupt autumn rains had appeared in their dull day-to-day lives. As they saw it, the emissaries from the two nations had not come to negotiate, but had come to hand over documents of surrender.
As a vice envoy involved in negotiations, Fan Xian naturally was part of the welcoming committee for the emissaries. He watched the officials from both nations from the western gate of the capital, and arranged for them to stay at the relay station. The delegation from Northern Qi was clearly not happy. After all, in the military campaign in the vassal states, they were losers, and many of their officers and soldiers had been captured. Most importantly, a large amount of territory had been captured.
"Good sir, who are you?" The highest-ranking official among the Northern Qi delegation was Marquis Ning, younger brother of the Empress Dowager of Northern Qi. He looked down haughtily at this handsome young son of an official, and felt thoroughly angry. It was clear that the Kingdom of Qing did not view him as important enough to dispatch an envoy of equal importance to greet him, and had instead sent a junior official from Honglu Temple. Sending such a young man to act as a vice envoy was undoubtedly a show of contempt.
"I am Fan Xian. It is my pleasure to welcome you, your grace."
Fan Xian had a clear smile on his face as he regarded these guests from enemy nations. He thought of the report from the Overwatch Council. This old man was simply decoration. Behind him, sitting inside a sedan chair, was Zhuang Mohan, who had been quickly arranged by the palace to stay within the palace grounds; he was the true leader of their party.
Chapter 124: Unartistic Negotiation
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Compared to the eager inhabitants in the capital, Fan Xian wasn't as excited. He was carefully writing on a strip of paper in his bookroom. He was writing in the tone of a young man with a privileged upbringing in the capital, rewriting the reports Council and adding a l a bit of bookishness to their them so that the officials at Honglu Temple wouldn't be shocked upon hearing him and suspect another terrifying organization had stepped forward other than His Majesty's Overwatch Council, an organization that worked for the functionary.
Fan Ruoruo was not in the mood either as she copied in small script and stuck the paper strips together. She asked, "Brother, this is really strange. Where did you get these reports? Why don't you use them as they are; why make such absurd excuses?"
Fan Xian rarely hid things from his younger sister; not even Lin Wan'er had this privilege. He said with a troubled expression, "I was being lazy in the beginning, so I wanted to borrow their power. But who knew I'd dig up such a scary case. The origin of these reports cannot be exposed, so I can't give them directly to Honglu Temple."
"Who's the ambassador from Northern Qi this time?" Fan Ruoruo was glad that her elder brother could finally properly engage in government affairs. While Fan Xian had been educating her, she was merely a little girl growing up in the confinement of the yard. She always thought that, since Fan Xian was a man, making tofu could only be a hobby; he couldn't keep on doing it.
"No one from the emperor's faction or from the empress's faction, and definitely not the prince's faction; just some pushover faction," Fan Xian answered as he cleaned up the documents on the table. "He's the younger brother of the Northern Qi empress. His name is Chang Dinghou, a supposed genius. But the most conspicuous one wasn't him, but his teacher. A great scholar of Northern Qi, named Zhuang Mohan. All the scholars in the world worship him. Who knows what price Northern Qi had to pay to have him show up. Even His Majesty might take that into consideration. I'm afraid the usual demand for money and land would be taken back a bit this time."
"Zhang Mohan?" Fan Ruoruo perked up at hearing the name, her expression appearing to glow.
This was the first time Fan Xian saw something akin to fanaticism in his sister, who had always been a reserved girl. Other than her own brother, she didn't hold much admiration for other scholars; seeing her this way made Fan Xian felt just a tad jealous. He said, "Good thing the report was clear. This Zhang Mohan is seventy, or else I better be careful."
Fan Ruoruo felt a bit ashamed and said, "You're my brother; do try to be more proper."
Fan Xian laughed, "You liking that old geezer is what I'd call improper." Seeing Fan Ruoruo get slightly angry, he quickly waved his hand. "But seriously, the stuff at the farm estate the other day, do you have any ideas about that?"
Days passed, the siblings were here worrying about the marriage of that little girl. Despite worrying for a while, no potential suitors came to view, so they gave up. Incidentally, Fan Xian remembered something else. "The last time when we went to Liujing River, didn't His Majesty say something?"
"What did he say?" Fan Ruoruo had a rare expression of confusion on her face . It looked like both of them were overly shocked back then and couldn't remember everything.
Fan Xian closed his eyes and thought back. With a slap on the table, he said with all colors drained from his face, "His Majesty said he would arrange marriage for you!"
"What?!" Fan Ruoruo was very frightened by what she heard.
What were children from official households afraid of? Marriage. In fortunate cases, like Lin Wan'er being married to Fan Xian, everything was well. But it would be unfortunate for someone to marry a tigress. The most terrifying would be a marriage arrangement from the palace. Such an arrangement would be too mighty to decline. Even if you were to get married to a rich playboy, you would have no way to refuse.
Years ago, many officials had hoped to bring their daughters into the palace in the hope of receiving His Majesty's favor. But the emperor did not indulge himself in women, so the method became a dead end. Even the crown and second princes dared not have too many concubines, despite the second prince being notoriously lecherous in the capital, and even in the East Palace, there were only three concubines.
Fan Ruoruo seemed to have remembered it also. With tears in her eyes and a shaky voice, she asked, "What should I do?"
Fan Xian, with his sharp mind, quickly determined the possible households. He squinted and said, "Eldest prince, second prince, Crown Prince Jing. With the status of the Fan household, His Majesty would only choose from those three. If it's the household of one of the high-ranking officials, then there is nothing to be afraid of. If you don't agree, I have ways to annul the marriage."
Of course Fan Xian had ways. After all, he had the support of father, Cheng Pingping, and the prime minister. Because of those three, even the prince in the East Palace was trying to test to influence him. If the other two princes and Crown Prince Jing don't get involved, Fan Xian was confident that he could ruin any marriage his sister didn't agree with.
But the most likely candidates were the three most esteemed ones. Fan Xian calmed himself, but suddenly cried out, "So that's why Li Hongcheng goes to brothels every day and doesn't marry; he was waiting for this moment!"
Seeing his sister lose her nerve, Fan Xian consoled her with a smile. "The eldest prince spends his years fighting in the western front, and his martial abilities are exceptional. While we've never met the second prince, I heard he too was an impressive character. As for Crown Prince Jing, we know him well. He may be a bit of a playboy, but he's overall a good person. If it really is Li Hongcheng, with me by your side, he wouldn't take in a single concubine, let alone visit a brothel."
It would have been better if he didn't console her. Now that he did, Fan Ruoruo found it more and more likely, as if it were to happen at any time. She said with great sadness, "Brother, I don't want to marry any of them."
Fan Xian sighed; he didn't want to continue this growing pain. He tried to lift the mood. "What's so bad about this? When I see you in the future, I'll have to call you 'Princess'. If the second prince becomes emperor, with your mother-in-law controlling the world… wouldn't she be my mom?"
His joke was extremely unfunny, so Ruoruo did not break out from her sadness. The bookroom sank into awkward silence. Within it, the siblings were thinking. While Ruoruo was filled with despair, Fan Xian steeled himself. If something were to happen in the future, he must be prepared in some way.
----
The location for negotiations wasn't so spacious; it was set in the biggest room in Honglu Temple. There weren't any long tables between the officials of Northern Qi and Qing. Rather, they seemed to be chatting over tea, sitting in their own chairs. Fan Xian sat in a most inconspicuous spot and eyed the scene. He remembered a word from his previous life: tea party.
Because the investigations hadn't reached the final stages, and because he himself insisted on being there, the officials in Honglu Temple couldn't do anything to Fan Xian.
Between the exchange of seemingly gentle words, knives were hidden. It wasn't too long before the officials of the two nations began to get worked up; some of the more impatient ones were about to leave their chairs.
"Huh! Who won this war? You Northern Qi, or us?" One sixth-ranked official from Honglu Temple finally had enough of the other side's insolence and stood up.
"There are many dangers in war. Our ruler, out of care for our people, intentionally called for a truce. Who knows which side is the winner." The ambassador from Northern Qi didn't exactly have a thick skin, but he was certainly not here to initiate the first wave of provocation. Seeing the guy stroking his small beard in a matter-of-fact manner, even the normally calm Fan Xian wanted to walk up and beat him.
The shaoqing from Honglu Temple only smiled, but Fan Xian noticed it was an insidious one, based off Qing's twenty years of victories. The Qing official said, "In that case, my esteemed guests, please return. Between our two nations, let us fight one more time to determine the winner. Negotiations can wait."
What's this? This was a bare-naked threat; a bare-naked state of terrorism and bared-naked method of a ruffian.
Fan Xian didn't show any surprise, but deep down, he was greatly impressed, "Good on him for having the guts to say it."
As expected, this caused Northern Qi to start hurling various offensive things at Qing, irreparably damaging the relation between the two nations. Unexpectedly, the shaoqing said coldly, "When has this thing called 'friendship' ever existed between our two nations?"
"This is pretty much how Wei Xiaobao would have negotiated." Fan Xian thought. A proper shaoqing of Honglu Temple was acting shamelessly in such an exchange between two nations. Had it not been for Qing's might, such a scene would never occur.
Negotiations in Honglu Temple had always been properly matched. Various characters took their turns, and one thick-skinned official registrar stood up. "Your Highnesses, please don't forget your position. Please don't wound the relationship between our two nations out of impulse."
Both sides withdrew, and the tea party was over. The various officials had already showed what they were made of. As for the actual negotiation, that was left to the underlings and lower-ranked officials to work on.
With the negotiation at a stalemate, no progress could be made. And as for that great Zhuang Mohan, he had rarely been seen since he went to the palace and had a talk with the empress. This baffled Fan Xian, was that old man here on vacation?