300-302
Chapter 300: Medicine
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
It was after midnight on this autumn evening. The moon was gone, but the sun had not yet risen, leaving a grey blue shroud for a sky. In the back of Fan Manor, there were strong coughing sounds echoing with little reprieve. It had been going on for a while and the sounds had rattled the slumbering servants from their dreams. Out in the yard, it began to get busy.
Perhaps it was because of the weather, but it wasn't just Minister Fan who had a cold. Some of the servants were suffering from the illness as well, and those with snot dribbling down from their nostrils had already been sent away to the countryside. The people that remained did not dare to drop their guard and risk infection, so they made sure to drink the medicine Fan Xian had made. It was an effective serum, so the cold did not spread. The coughing noises were coming from Fan Xian's home. In the past two days, the master had been the recipient of a strange disease and had been coughing like crazy. Still, he did not visit the palace visit the royal doctors for their medicine, as he was of the firm belief that his own medicine would be more efficient. But after a few days, the coughing had not yet lessened. The servants in the manor began growing concerned over the welfare of their lovely employer; they feared for his health - and his life.
The lead maid Sisi had a red cloth wrapped around her forehead to tie up her messy hair. She looked slightly annoyed as she stood in the kitchen, smelling the nauseating scent of medicine in the air. She yelled at her subordinates to work faster. She was a woman who came from Danzhou, and the future of her status was pretty obvious. So, in the Fan Manor, whatever she had to say was quite important. The sleepy maids around her knew that the mister was suffering a nasty sickness, and hearing Sisi's orders , they gritted their teeth and continued on working.
Sisi had been watching them for a while, but she was still worried, so she moved a stool to sit near the stove, held a fan in her hand and fanned it gently. Her eyes did not even blink to stare at the medicine, which was steadily boiling and producing steam. Slowly, it steamed her eyes and they became red. She was still on guard and did not want to pull away, however. When making medicine, the fire and the heat it produced was the most important aspect of correct calculation. Since the curative that was currently being created was for the mister, she would not trust him to consume it if she wasn't one hundred percent sure that it had been made perfectly.
Inside the bedroom, Lin Wan'er was wearing a common, cotton-made robe. She felt sorry and rubbed Fan Xian's chest, carefully telling him, "Shouldn't we try the formula given to us by the royal doctors?"
Fan Xian's face was all red from his coughing. He waved his hand and with a faint, strained smile replied, "I am not that high-born. Besides, I know how my body works. I am not going to die; so I will make the medicine myself."
Wan'er knew that her husband's medical skills were most proficient, otherwise she wouldn't have been healed and be relieved of her lung sickness which she had struggled with for fifteen years. But to hear him keep coughing like mad in the past few days, she couldn't help but worry. She bit her bottom lip and said, "Even Eunuch Hong could not decipher what this sickness is. Yet you say you know. Uh-huh…" She rolled her eyes before proceeding to say, "How about I write a letter to Master Fei? Maybe I could ask him."
Fan Xian coughed twice. He knew his wife's worry could not be quelled and so he sighed and said, "That teacher of mine? It isn't like you don't know what'll happen. In one year, he spent half of it just wandering about. Even if he did choose to return here and tend to me, who knows when that could be?" Fan Xian then laughed. "It could be as long as three to four months. I could very well be a dead man by then. And you…" He lightly prodded her tall nose in a jest and said, "…you will become the most beautiful young widow in the capital."
Wan'er started spitting on the floor. She said, "Don't say something like that!"
Fan Xian laughed in amusement. He wasn't like the others in the manor, all nervous about what was going on. He knew what was happening to his body. The medicine that was cooking right now was to just calm his mind and ease his body, and to soothe the effects of the sickness. And in regards to the real, underlying issues that brought this on, he would have to deal with that by himself, alone. While the two were chatting, he made sure to comfort Wan'er; but as he did so, he made sure to conceal his right hand beneath the blanket.
His right hand sometimes shook. Ever since the fight outside the capital government, it had been the same. It had not improved one bit.
From outside the room, someone knocked on the bedroom door. Sisi then came through, carrying the medicine precariously. The big maid, Siqi, who slept in the same room as her was also awake. She lit the lamp on the desk and placed it in front of Fan Xian's bed. She took the medicine and put the spoon in the bowl, stirring the mixture. She did this to disperse the heat and bring it to a more comfortable temperature. After she did this for a while, and she had hit the perfect temperature, she brought a spoonful to Fan Xian's lips.
Fan Xian drank the bitter concoction and waggled his tongue in response. Sisi quickly brought a sugar cube to his mouth which he accepted, and this helped to wash away the rancid taste. He could not help but laugh and say, "I am just a master. Is this service all that necessary?"
Sisi laughed and responded, "Master, when you were young, taking medicine was your most despised thing." Fan Xian was thinking, The medicine in this world is not as if it were coated in sugar. Of course I initially disliked the medicine here!
Siqi pulled a cloth out from her sleeve and gently dabbed and wiped the corner of Fan Xian's lips. With seriousness in her tone, she told him, "Mister, you are being quite patient right now. Do not push yourself too hard."
Seeing these two maids behave like this, even Wan'er felt compelled to avert her eyes. She laughed and said, "Do not spoil him too much!" As she said this, however, her hands were stroking and rubbing Fan Xian's back to bring him greater comfort.
Fan Xian had grown accustomed this life and enjoyed it very much, and he thought being sick and being able to feel this good was a marvelous thing. He shook his head and reached for the bowl and downed it all in a few gulps. Then, he used his sleeves to wipe his lips and smiled. He said, "I am a part-time doctor, not some little kid."
The two maids near the bed looked at each other and laughed. They looked out the window and saw the sky, acknowledging the late time. Fan Xian realized that his coughing had kept the servants up and had made the quite busy, as well. For this, he felt somewhat guilty. He told them, "Since I have taken this medicine, I should no longer be coughing. You no longer need to tend to me; you girls should go to sleep. Tell this to the other maids and servants who are up, too. Tell them to get some rest. The nights of autumn can be quite chilling; what are we to do if you all get sick?"
"It will be dawn soon. There is no point in going back to sleep."
"More sleep is always a good thing." Fan Xian responded.
This master was being extremely compassionate towards his servants, and the two were well aware of this, but being under his gentle service for so long, they knew he would not change his mind despite their please. So, Sisi and Siqi did not object any further. They agreed to rest and then left the room.
Fan Xian got off the bed and poured some tea to rinse his mouth. Wan'er saw him do this and could not help but say, "You are sick and yet you are still drinking cold tea? That is not good for the body." Fan Xian laughed in response. He sat back down on the bed and said, "I have already told you that this sickness is different from the norm." Then, the both of them continued chatting for a while. He did not cough anymore and this made Wan'er feel more at ease. Comforted somewhat, she began to feel sleepy, but did not go back to sleep because Fan Xian didn't show any signs of wanting to sleep. Fan Xian could not watch this any more, so he quietly reached out his hands to rub and massage her shoulders. With his fingertips, he crawled up her head and she eventually fell asleep.
Seeing his wife, who was now deep in slumber, he knew how just how much she had been concerned for his well-being in recently. It was because of her constant fretting that she had become incredibly fatigued. He could not help but shake his head. He knew that his sickness was not going to be cured by some extra sleep and attentive care, unlike the cold his father was suffering from. The cold Minister Fan had, under Fan Xian's treatment, was already being alleviated. He guessed that after another two days, he would be fully healed once more. But his father was getting on in age and his body wasn't as strong as the youth's, so it took a little longer than it should have.
He waved his hand and turned off the lamp on his table, which was five feet away. The whole bedroom was enshrouded in darkness, but still he could not sleep. And lying there, he opened his eyes wide. For the past few days, he had done little but lounge around resting, and it was because of this that he found it difficult to become tired and sleepy.
He used his fingertips to peel at the leftover medicine bits that had been caught between his teeth, and he mentally reviewed the concoction that he had selected. He could feel the activity of the curative mending his lungs already, and he was able to feel the irritation quell. He looked slightly complacent, and he then lifted the blanket to cover his wife, afterward reaching hand beneath his pillow and pulling out a satchel of drugs. Inside the pouch were a few big round and rough pills.
Although the room was dark, Fan Xian knew that these pills were red. Ever since he was small, Mister Fei Jie ordered Fan Xian to carry this medicine around with him. They were for a failsafe against the possibility there was a problem with the nameless skills Fan Xian had adeptly trained with. If the powerful zhenqi proved to be too much and threatened to burst through his veins and destroy his body, these pills were to be a last resort.
When Fan Xian was young, and still living in Danzhou, Fei Jie noticed a critical problem the boy had. With the nameless skill he had received from either his mother or Wu Zhu, he would have truly become the ultimate zhenqi master if he had kept on training his proficiency and dexterity. If ordinary people tried training with this skill, their bodies would not be able to handle such zhenqi, and so their veins would burst and their bodies would be brought to permanent paralysis.
But comparing Fan Xian to the people of this world, there isn't a grand difference, save for the size of his veins. They seemed to be much wider. Perhaps this was why, ever since he was a baby, he already started learning these skills. By the time he was four, the zhenqi had already reached the top level and yet his veins did not rupture.
Fei Jie did say it once, however, that the zhenqi in his body would eventually stack and coagulate inside his body. It was only a matter of time before the veins could not manage the zhenqi any more and that would be a cause of great distress for him.
A decade had past since he was told this, and after so much time, he had not been given a reason to fear or anticipate this happening. Although the zhenqi inside him was always powerful, it had always remained under his control. When he was 12, he even finished the first phase of the nameless skill. The zhenqi inside his body was like a hurricane on a leash; as wild as it was, it was tamed and under control, never bringing him harm.
So, over time he dropped his guard and almost forgot about these words. He never even brought the pills out with him, and usually just left them at home. When he left for the Northern Qi kingdom, he did recall the existence of the pills, though. As he would be gone for a long time, unsure of what may transpire in his time there, and so did bring one, but that was it.
Trouble always comes when people least expect it.
Going through the Northern Qi Kingdom, the journey itself may have seemed safe. In actuality, it was pretty dangerous. The zhenqi inside Fan Xian's body combined with his skills to accelerate and give them the strength equivalent to a ninth-ranked. It had started to reach the highest ceiling of power possible in this world, and the ascension of zhenqi had finally peaked. He could even do battle with Ku Hei's student Lang Tao. He never expected that after his combat with Xie Bian, the zhenqi inside him would actually start to break down and inhibit him.
In his back, coursing all the way up through his veins, there were two paths of zhenqi that were like circles. They would keep channeling up and down his body ceaselessly. Right now, it seemed as if the zhenqi noticed something different ailing the masters body and it was beginning to rage. They were not quietly remaining within the veins as they should have. They were misbehaving and streaming through places they should not.
Fan Xian's hands were where he could control the zhenqi perfectly, but it was now where the zhenqi seemed most likely to leak from. Right now, his hands were occasionally being made to shake. The reason this was happening was because the muscles in his body were contracting and not co-operating with the zhenqi inside him as they should.
It wasn't a grave situation, yet Fan Xian still had things under control, more or less. After his periods of meditation these past few days, he forced his mind to suppress the zhenqi that was wreaking havoc inside his body. But both of these forces came together and damaged his lung; this is what brought on the cough these past few days. If he let this continue, it was only a matter of time before he lost total control of his zhenqi.
Fan Xian tried to learn the second phase of the nameless skill, but he had not made any progress yet. When he was coughing badly, he even thought to hate Wu Zhu, who was always so mystic and obscure. In his mind, he said to himself, Even if you told me about a skill I could learn, one with which I could absorb power, at least give me a clue.
He gently handled the medicine bag inside his hand and furrowed his eyebrows. In the past few days, he had been analyzing and observing what the exact contents of these pills were - these pills given to him by his teacher. It was like a tiger battling a lion; the teacher wanted to help him learn, control and harness the zhenqi within him. This was a great force of effort and took a lot of power to do. The medicine, which served as a failsafe, was equally as powerful. He had no confidence in what would happen if he took those pills. The only thing he was sure of, was that the pills contained a large amount of mayflowers. But this component would scatter and dilute the inherent power of the other ingredients inside. They were curious things.
Was Fan Xian really willing to let his zhenqi go? He had been training and increasing the power of his zhenqi for over a decade, after all. Even if it was not entirely gone, it would mean he would have a considerably less amount within him.
But if he did not eat it… was this zhenqi he treasured so much going to make him blow up like a balloon? It could happen within a month, but it could also happen a year from now. Even if this did not come to pass, to have his right hand shake like this was no good either. He was still so young; was he going to let himself walk around as if he had Parkinson's Disease?
To eat or not to eat; that was the question.
In the distance, a rooster crowed to greet the arrival of a new day. Everyone else was fast asleep, but only now did Fan Xian realise he had been on the bed, lost in thought for the past half an hour. He laughed to himself a little, admitting to himself that he was still afraid to die. He was caught between a rock and a hard place; and the doubt wracked his mind.
Perhaps it was an opportunity? He comforted himself.
"No matter how broken the pond is, and how much I use the water to wash my body…" He slowly said this out loud and then started meditating once more. He carefully placed the scattered, misbehaving zhenqi that was rampaging inside him back in his veins. He returned them to his back, which was like a broad, snow-capped mountain. He let them sit there, melting the snow.
His heart jumped all of a sudden. Fan Xian opened his eyes and gathered a few random articles of clothing. He rushed to the bedroom door, pushed it open and ran out. He walked to the quietest corner in the yard, where he had tried the poisonous needles for the very first time back in the day. He did not have to search long, but that was where he caught a glimpse of the creepy uncle who veiled his face with a black cloth. He was standing near the fake mountain.
He could not help but shake his head and start complaining. He said, "So you do know how to come back?"
Chapter 301: There is a Swing on this Side of the Wall, and there is a Street on the Other
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The sky was turning white, and the early winds of morning began to blow and skirt through the yard. The light was still dim. The person standing near the fake mountain was garbed in thick, rugged clothing. A steel pike was affixed to his waist, and a black cloth masked his face. The sight of him seemed as if he was a part of some motionless artpiece of a serene yard. Not a single sound could be heard, and his being there was almost ethereal. If a servant were to walk by, it'd be surprising if they took notice of the figure.
Fan Xian, now seeing this family member before him, someone he had known for 16 years, thought about how long it had been since they last saw each other. His heart was clutched by an unfamiliar feeling. He wanted to strike this person down, but he knew doing such a thing would be impossible, and he wouldn't have the talent to beat him. He also wondered if he wanted to run into his arms and cry. But this Wu Zhu was not a person of sentiments.
Fan Xian simply shook his head and strained to subdue any feelings of happiness he was feeling. He walked towards the man and noticed that Wu Zhu's hand clutched a small knife. He was carving something. As he walked closer, he noticed it was wood that he was carving.
"Luckily, it is not the statue of a woman. Otherwise, I'd be keen to believe you had become Mang Tanhua, that villainous character Li Xunhuan." The yard was quiet. Fan Xian suppressed his desire to laugh and said, "I would throw up!"
Wu Zhu nodded in surprise. He responded, "Li Xunhuan; that person truly is obscene."
Now, Fan Xian was the one who was surprised. A while of silence elapsed between them, but then he said, "You know Li Xunhuan?"
Wu Zhu placed the wooden figure into a pocket with the knife and coldly replied, "The lady used to tell me this tale, and she always hated that character."
Fan Xian laughed and said, "It seems like I really am my mother's son."
…
…
After a while, they both retreated to the most hidden of the three study rooms. There was nothing particularly intriguing about the place, which would spark curious snoopers to go poke about there, but everyone knew not to get close unless they had been summoned by Fan Xian. Even Minister Fan abided by this rule.
"Let's talk. In this past half year, what have you been up to you?" Without a doubt, Fan Xian was overwhelmed with curiosity over what Wu Zhu had been up to since his disappearance and what he had been doing over the course of that time. Although he confirmed his suspicion when he caught sight of the wooden chip he was carving, shocking news such as this should come from the horse's mouth. It would be an exciting tale to hear of, for sure. At this time, it seemed as if he forgot the zhenqi that was running around his body like a bunch of blind, terrified rats. It also seemed as if he had forgotten to ask what he could do to stay alive with this rampant zhenqi. He stared into Wu Zhu's eyes.
Fan Xian poured himself some more leftover tea from the night before. He did not offer a cup to Wu Zhu because he did not drink tea.
"I have been up north." Wu Zhu stopped to think about it, almost as if he had to recall the places he had been. "And then I went to the south."
Fan Xian had long gotten used to his uncle's abnormal mind and mannerisms. Therefore, this vague and lame answer did not bother him too much. Patiently, he asked for a little more detail by saying, "What were you doing up north? And what were you doing down south?"
"I went to the north in order to find Ku Hei." Wu Zhu said this quietly, as if he sought to evade unfriendly ears. He thought that if this news spread, it would shock a lot of people. "I fought him and then went down south to find someone else."
Fan Xian started laughing. He acknowledged that it must have been his blind uncle who injured the grandmaster. He then thought of a question to ask. He furrowed his eyebrows with concern and caringly asked, "Are you okay?"
Wu Zhu looked at his left shoulder and said, "I was injured there. The wound has healed now, though."
What he said came as no surprise, but Fan Xian felt a certain tone of gravity to what was spoken. He had fought Haitang before, so he could imagine what sort of power one of the four legendary grandmasters possessed. Although Wu Zhu sounded slightly arrogant about the affair, particularly due to the fact he had managed to injure his opponent, he knew that a price would have had to have been paid for the opportunity. He did pay a price with the injury he incurred, but as long as he was fine now, everything was okay.
"Why did you do this?" Fan Xian frowned.
Wu Zhu responded, "If he was in the Northern Qi Kingdom. I thought he may have posed a hindrance to you." Fan Xian nodded to these words. If Ku Hei was still in the capital when Fan Xian was there, gauging from his power, it would have been impossible for him to bring down the power of the Northern Qi Kingdom and gather as much useful information as he did before Xiao En died.
Wu Zhu continued by saying, "I think I used to know Ku Hei quite a bit. So I also went to visit him in the hope I could catch up on what occurred back in the day."
Fan Xian all of a sudden raised his head. He looked at his uncle with a profound look of shock. His mind quickly flashed back to the memory of when Xiao En was telling him about the Temple of the Eternal Night, before his death. He furrowed his eyebrows once more and quietly said to himself, Maybe my uncle really does know Ku Hei? Or at least he did back when they were younger.
Fan Xian then told Wu Zhu about everything that happened with him and Xiao En back in that cave, hoping to trigger the recollection of certain important memories his uncle may have lost. In particular, the connection between Wu Zhu and the Holy Temple. When Fan Xian was young, he heard Wu Zhu say that he and his mother managed to escape from the house. Was the house... in fact the Holy Temple?
Wu Zhu then returned to silence and remained that way for some time. He did not hold his head in a meditative fashion like a novel would usually describe. He looked to be in pain, and he scratched his head, looking as if he could not remember anything. After a while, all he could say was, "I do not remember."
…
…
Now it was Fan Xian's turn to scratch his head. He lowered his head and mumbled, "What is this called?" He shook his head and forcefully removed the feelings of disappointment in his heart and asked, "Why did you not return to the capital following your injury? If you were already injured, why did you continue on down south in search of someone else? Is Ye Liuyun down south?"
Wu Zhu coldly shook his head and said, "There are problems in the south. After I made sure Ku Hei knew about me, I went south to try and look for that person who has problems. But I could not find him."
Fan Xian felt even more perplexed. For the past half a year, Fan Xian had been busy in the north and south, unaware that his uncle had been just as busy and not resting as he should have been. He had gone to the Northern Qi Kingdom to fight a grandmaster in hopes of triggering his wiped memories. He had also traversed across the south in search of a family member. But if Ku Hei knew Wu Zhu… Xiao En once said what Ku Hei has today must bear a connection to his trip to the Holy Temple. Back then, Ku Hei knew Fan Xian's mother. But at that time, his mother was with Wu Zhu.
That "person with a problem" in the south? Who could that be? Fan Xian's mind was spinning, a hurricane of thoughts on who this enigmatic character might be. He recalled a certain case that he received whilst in Fanjing. To the south of the Qing Kingdom, there were reports of a cold-blooded serial killer, and it was something that Yan Bingyun took seriously. He was even prepared to request the assistance of numerous Tiger Guards from the Emperor to join him in a hunt for the murderer. But if this was the person Wu Zhu was also after, a person who he failed to find, he could only assume Yan Bingyun's own search would be just as fruitless.
He took a deep breath and put aside his thoughts and musings of topics that could not affect him at this moment. He then proceeded to tell Wu Zhu of what he had been up to for the past half a year. He even disclosed to Wu Zhu the secret agreement he made with Haitang, but was disheartened by his lack of response to this.
Fan Xian also knew, ever since he was young, that Wu Zhu was not one to give compliments. But so many things had happened, from the death of Xiao En to the ruin of the second prince; shouldn't he have at least give some sort of reaction?
Wu Zhu seemed to acknowledge Fan Xian was a little demoralized by his lack of response, and decided to say something. He said, "These are but small matters."
He was right. The fight with the second prince was little more than a schoolground quarrel when compared to the affairs of Wu Zhu and the Emperor, and that is how they saw it. But in regards to the secret agreement, it may have been something that would have interested the Emperor, but it meant nothing to Wu Zhu. Fan Xian understood this eventually, and he began to laugh in self-mockery. He reached out his right hand and said, "Recently, my right hand has been shaking like mad. I need you to take a look at it."
Wu Zhu already knew that the zhenqi inside Fan Xian was raging fiercely, but despite the threat this posed, his calm composure was not disrupted. He then said, "I haven't learnt about an issue such as this before; I don't know what to do."
This was a matter of life and death for Fan Xian, and this reaction finally tipped him over the edge. He was made mad and with a deepened voice, he told Wu Zhu, "This problem of mine has is anything but safe. I was a newborn when you made me learn it. What if this kills me?"
"The lady said that this would be for the best." Wu Zhu continued coldly, "And someone had successfully learnt it before."
"That means someone failed, as well!" Fan Xian picked up the sentence Wu Zhu had conveniently dropped. But Wu Zhu was not one to mask his words.
Wu Zhu did not deceive with his speech, saying plainly, "It is no big deal. The worst case scenario will result in you losing all your zhenqi; if this comes to pass, you will just become a commoner. Unless you are stupid enough to hold onto this zhenqi, of course… right up until the end."
Fan Xian was incredibly angry. In his heart he thought, You are a monster! Of course you don't know how important zhenqi is to a normal fighter. If I lose the zhenqi inside my body, how will I deal with the numerous amounts of people that hate me in this world? These people could come and kill me any second. It's not as if I want it just so I can fool around with Haitang.
"Then what am I supposed to do?" He raised his right hand that was trembling as if in protest. With an annoyed look, he wailed, "Do I have to keep letting it shake like so, and end up learning Wu Wei Da? Right now, it's only my hand that is shaking; but if this goes on long enough, I can only suspect that it will be my ass shaking next."
Wu Zhu raised his head. The black cloth over his eyes looked as if it was mocking Fan Xian. He said, "If you stop training, then the zhenqi will cease to accumulate, and there will be no more problems
…
…
A word to wake up a dreamer.
Fan Xian was used to meditating and training twice a day. The thought of reducing the time he spent doing this never crossed his mind. Only now did he realise that before he found a solution to his current plight, he would have to stop adhering to this routine and improving the powerful zhenqi of the nameless skill. Although his zhenqi would improve during a fight, its ascension in power would at least lessen by cutting down the training.
He nodded, sighed and said, "That will have to do. I can let the big boom come a little later."
Wu Zhu all of a sudden said, "Fei Jie left you some pills, didn't he?"
Fan Xian froze, surprised that he would remember something from so long ago in his youth. He explained, "But this medicine is so powerful. I am afraid that if I take these pills my zenqqi will extinguish."
Wu Zhu lowered his head as if he was trying to remember something. All of sudden he said, "That must come in useful; although it is only temporary."
At this time, Fan Xian wasn't ready to completely place faith in the words his uncle spoke. After all, this deadly nameless skill was pinned upon Fan Xian by him. He gave a wry smile and said, "Let us talk about these matters in the future. For now, let's discuss you. In the future, if you plan on going missing again, could you at least inform me of where you will be going?"
"Is that really necessary?" Wu Zhu asked with a serious tone.
"Yes." Fan Xian nodded. "When I was ambassador to the Northern Qi Kingdom, I thought you were beside me the entire time. And that box was with me; so I was brave enough to go and bully Haitang. I did not expect that you weren't there at all. If this happens again, someone might die."
Wu Zhu gave a delayed response. "Oh. Understood."
Fan Xian felt a sense of relief. He was used to Wu Zhu always being by his side, such as being in the carriage, in the grocery store or even on a cliffside. After he entered the capital, however, the time he had spent with Wu Zhu had lessened. Although Fan Xian's power had reached a point where he could protect himself from most combatants, he knew that if he continued on his path to develop this world further, then he would only face greater challenges and fiercer foes. To have an uncle such as his protecting him, he thought no matter what challenge the world posed, he was safe by his side.
"I was planning to move out." Fan Xian slightly coughed. "Living behind the residence lacks convenience. There are too many people, though, so you cannot live with us."
Wu Zhu slanted his head, wondering why if he was to move in, Fan Xian had to move out.
"Wan'er still hasn't seen you yet." Fan Xian said with a serious tone. "You are the dearest person to me in this world, so you should come and meet my wife."
Wu Zhu slowly said, "I saw her."
"But she hasn't seen you yet." Fan Xian had a wry smile, and he continued by saying, "And you were always alone outside the house; I don't know where you are going to live. What do you usually get up to? These thoughts make me uncomfortable."
Wu Zhu slanted his head once more, but it seemed as if he now understood what Fan Xian was trying to imply. He raised the corners of his lips, but it was not a smile. He slowly spoke and said, "You go and handle it. But I don't want anyone else besides your wife to know that I am around you."
Fan Xian nodded gladly, but then he thought of something. He felt awkward to ask this, but he did so anyway. "Not even Ruoruo? I always wanted her to see you, as well."
"No." Wu Zhu coldly declined. "This is it. You go and do your things and do what you always do. Pretend that we never had this conversation and that you never saw me."
Fan Xian sighed. Hearing the people outside the study room start waking up, he held his wrist and walked out.
Inside the study room, the motionless face that appeared to be deprived of expression and emotion changed to smile. This was something that had not happened in 500 years. And this smile looked as if it was at the behest of a joke, as if he were amused by the fact Fan Xian did not not know something.
Inside the yard, in the autumn, the grass glittered with the morning dew; warmed by the early sun. Fan Xian was covered by a thin cotton blanket as he lay on a sofa in the yard, resting. He coughed every now and then, but it was far better than what it was like the night before. Inside the yard, there was a swing. A few brave maids played on it merrily. The light-color dresses they wore looked like flowers upon the wooden seat that swung at the command of the rope's momentum. Near the swing, Sisi and Siqi watched them with faces that appeared envious. But due to their elegant identity, they were not willing to play on them.
Fan Xian squinted his eyes at the scene he observed. Seeing the dress of a maid inflate like the blooming of a flower with each swing, he compared it to a parachute from his past life. The cream-colored pants beneath her skirt were showing sometimes, and that reminded him of a movie called "Peacock".
A hand reached out to feed him part of a prune. It was light and had been cut delicately, suiting his taste perfectly. He was chewing, so the words came out in a mumble. "Ah, you aren't there to treat your father? Why have you come all the way over here for me?"
Wan'er and Ruoruo sat beside him, serving their patient. Ruoruo smiled and responded, "I am stuck in the room at all times with him; so it gets quite boring. But you? You are sick and still have the motivation to watch the maids play on the swing?"
Wan'er looked humiliated and clarified to Ruoruo by saying, "He is not here to watch the swing itself. He is here to merely watch the women who ride it!"
Fan Xian did not bother to explain, and so he laughed and said, "A view is always made prettier when it is occupied by others." Then he loudly shouted, "Sisi, don't be a snowflake. If you want to play on it, hop on!"
The words he yelled were said to propagate ambiguity. After he said these words, though, he was the first to freeze. Fortunately, the ladies did not hear what he said. It was only him awkwardly laughing, and so he quickly changed it to a fake cough in an attempt to conceal his failed gag. He then thought of something and turned to ask Wan'er. "The autumn is getting colder and colder. Look, the chrysanthemums in the yard are getting shrivelled. The palace said the flower event was supposed to take place soon, so when is it going to happen? If we wait much longer, the snow might come and freeze them all. If that occurs, won't the people be disappointed?"
Wan'er rolled her eyes and laughed. She said, "It is indeed later than usual, but the latest word says that we will most likely go to the floating temple to observe the gold chrysanthemums. Those chrysanthemums can withstand any cold, so there is nothing to fear."
Fan Xian could not help but shake his head. He knew that the flower observation event was delayed due to the recent turmoil within the capital. In the past two days, the capital had been relatively calm, however. Although a lot of people thought that Fan Xian should keep up his sick image to keep the second prince suppressed, in his heart, he understood that the Overwatch Council was able to do their job and that he did not have to worry too much. All the plans had been settled, and Yan Bingyun was there watching with his all-seeing eye. Everything was under control, so there needn't be any problems.
His body was indeed recovering, but he still kept up his facade of grievous illness. This excused him from visiting court, the First Bureau or staying in the council. He was only hiding in his backyard, being a patient of much pandering as he watched the second prince sweat under his mounting pressure. He thought it was like watching a movie.
"Higher! Higher!"
Fan Xian was lying on the sofa, being served upon by his wife and sister. He watched Sisi bravely ride the swing, going higher and higher. It looked as if she was preparing to launch out from the manor and over the highwall to look down from the skies and observe the capital. He could not help but giggle to himself.
Chapter 302: Chen's Garden has Guests
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The swing went higher and higher. All of a sudden Sisi seemed to have spotted something while in the air. She quickly stopped her repeated ascension and slowed down completely. She didn't wait for the swing to come to a complete pause before jumping off. She did not even wear her shoes, which were on the lawn, before running towards Fan Xian.
The maids who were besides her jumped in surprise at her action. Siqi was about to make fun of her, but from the look on her face, thought it best not to say anything. Even those three misters thought it was strange, asking themselves, what is wrong with that lady? Why does she look so scared? Based the manor's reputation, it is not as if any particular person's sudden presence would be likely to bring them fear… unless it was some eunuch leading the royal guard to kill everyone, of course.
"At the gate; it is King Jing's carriage."
Sisi was gasping after her run towards Fan Xian's sofa. She held her panting chest as she spoke. Fan Xian, hearing her words, leapt up from the sofa. He said, "Run quickly!" Then, he himself started to run to the back of the yard. He turned around to compliment Sisi by saying, "You are smart."
Seeing this really skillful move, it did not seem like the behavior of a sick person who was unable to attend court. Wan'er and Ruoruo, who were near the sofa, now looked at each other. They immediately noticed what was going on, and their faces changed. They got up and ordered the servants to arrange an exit from the manor. They also told Mister Teng to prepare a carriage.
The blissful laughter that the Fan's yard generated had now all ceased, making the place appear more like a battlefield. Everyone was rushing around being busy; some took to moving the sofa, others simply hid. Some hastily rummaged for clothing for the masters. After the busy rush, they quickly tidied up and took Fan Xian outside the residence. Teng Zijing brought the carriage to the gate.
"You are still sick, and you are still off to hide yourself everywhere." Whilst complaining to him, Wan'er placed a thick coat on Fan Xian. "And my uncle… I told him he did not have to visit."
Fan Xian did not have the time to provide her with a response. As speedy as an arrow, he dived into the carriage.
Wan'er mockingly laughed. She turned around and saw her sister-in-law, equally nervous. In her hands, she held an incense burner, and she followed Fan Xian into the carriage. With surprise, she asked, "Ruoruo, why are you hiding, too?"
Wan'er, as Fan Xian's wife, knew why her husband was running off after Sisi's sighted King Jing's carriage. Recently, the Fan manor had been fighting with the second prince, but he had been prone to saying countless bad words about Li Hongcheng, and recently he had been imprisoned in the manor by King Jing himself. The obvious reason for King Jing coming to the Fan manor today, was so that he could see Minister Fan to ask exactly what was going on. He would undoubtedly want to speak with Fan Xian, and speak dignified words about his son, hoping to bargain a re-establishment of peace between them.
The Emperor's little brother was here. Across the years, the Fan family had treated King Jing like an elder of their own family - they got along really well. If he was coming to try broker a peace, there was nothing they could do to prevent his arrival. Fan Xian couldn't put off his fight with the second prince, either. Besides, that old gardener had an evil in his bones. He must have guessed that it was Fan Xian who had framed Li Hongcheng, and Fan Xian was a little scared of his incessant swearing. That aside, his reputation and standing was one that could crush Fan Xian in one fell swoop. There was nothing Fan Xian could do against him. It was best for him to avoid an encounter with King Jing completely, so Fan Xian quickly picked up his things and ran off.
Hearing what her sister-in-law said, Ruoruo's peaceful face brought on a wry smile. She said, "You know how awkward it would be for us to meet now."
Wan'er heard her and froze. She then remembered how they had been bullying Li Hongcheng for the past few days, and the reputation of King Jing's manor had been delivered a few decent blows by Fan Xian. It wasn't quite suitable for Ruoruo to meet her father-in-law right now, either. All of a sudden, Wan'er thought that if her husband and sister-in-law went into hiding, what was she supposed to do in the manor all alone? The person coming was her uncle, and that mouth of his… Wan'er had a chill run down her spine. She took her robe from Siqi and jumped into the carriage, as well.
The brother and sister in the carriage were shocked, and said, "Why are you here, too?"
Wan'er rolled her eyes and said, "If uncle is going to question me, do you expect me to handle it alone? I am not that stupid."
The people in the carriage were aware of what King Jing's temper could be like. Being aware of how ridiculous it was, for the three of them to be as scared as they were all together, they could not help but start laughing. During this laughter, Teng Zijing brought down his horse-whip and the carriage bearing the Fan manor insignia drove away quietly. Inside the carriage, there were a few young people making complaints.
The carriage was careful, and made sure to avoid the main streets. It avoided all the major roads in a bid to leave the south-side of the city. No servants from the King Jing's family caught sight of their departure. As the carriage disappeared from sight and into the winding streets, so too did the Fan manor servants at the gate. A while later, a loud voice boomed from the yard in the Fan manor.
"F*ck!" King Jing was standing in front of a bunch of nervous servants. He was holding his waist, staring into the empty garden that was devoid of all life. He was fuming with rage, yelling out, "These little bastards knew I was coming! Like a fart, they have all disappeared. Am I that scary!?"
The person who stood in front of the people, the so-called mother of Fan Xian, Liu Shi heard King Jing yell out the expletive. With a bitter face, she deepened her voice to say, "Master, I already told you. The kids went out to the west of the city in search of a doctor."
King Jing saw the swingset continue to move gently, the seat getting near the end of its abandoned ride. He made a bilabial trill and then said, "Fan Jian's sickness was healed by Fan Xian; why the hell does he need to go see a doctor?"
A few flowers had opened up in the garden. King Jing was on the side facing the yard, flipping out at the clouds. The three young people had escaped the Fan manor in a carriage, and could now all relax. The air in the autumn capital was much cooler and quite pleasant.
Ever since Fan Xian returned from the Northern Qi Kingdom, many events had transpired. There was no time to contemplate taking a vacation to Cangshan or going out into the countryside to relax at some farm. Even for the capital they lived in, they rarely had the time to go out and walk around. This was a consequence of Fan Xian having to scheme and navigate a course of conspiracies each and every day, either that or sit in the manor to sulk by himself. But for the next few days, things had mostly settled down, and he had obtained some free time. But because he had to feign a sickness and did not visit court, he had to do something to maintain the respect of the Emperor. He felt bad about pretending to be really ill, and so he avoided going out and just stayed at home with his wife and sister, who would pester him every day.
Luckily, King Jing was here. Assuming Minister Fan wouldn't be mad about their escape, this was an opportunity for the three of them to spend time walking around the capital together.
Sitting on the carriage, Fan Xian parted a small gap in the curtains. The two ladies looked out to peer at the people they passed by on the streets. They passed by multiple stalls that were selling snacks, whose owners would yell for the attention of any possible would-be consumers of their goods. Some stalls sold creepy toys, but overall, it was a peaceful scene.
Wan'er raised her lips to say, "We are out, but we cannot exit the carriage. Are we just going to spend our day in here?"
Ruoruo furrowed her eyebrows and said, "It would not be appropriate for Big Brother to reveal himself…" Then, she all of a sudden said, "Though you could disguise yourself."
Fan Xian laughed and said, "Even if the people of the capital did not recognize me; do you think they would not recognize you two?" He was lying, but hearing this, both Wan'er and Ruoruo were happy. Girls are quite easy to please.
"Let's go to Yi Shi restaurant to eat." Wan'er was bored sitting in the carriage, and so she suggested this. "We can buy ourselves a room on the third floor where nobody can see us. We'd have quite the view to ourselves, as well."
This was quite the coincidence. As this was spoken, the carriage went right past that restaurant. Fan Xian took a look outside the window, and all of a sudden recalled the very first time he entered the capital after leaving Danzhou. The first time he went for a day out in the city, it was with his sister and brother, and they all went for a meal at the Yi Shi restaurant. He forgot what they discussed that day, but it had something to do with righteousness. What he did remember was that he punched Guo Baokun with his black fist and that the old woman at the bottom of the building bought an illegal copy of Dream of the Red Chamber.
The Guo family was brought down by Fan Xian, and the minister of the Board of Rites was hanged in prison due to the events of the spring exam. This case did not implicate anyone, however, so no one knew where Guo Baokun went.
He did not reply to what Wan'er had suggested, and feeling slightly guilty, he replied, "Below the restaurant… why has the book-seller left?"
Ruoruo looked at him and quietly said, "Ever since you opened Danbo Bookstore, Sizhe went to look for more people like him. The government was quite strict about this, and so they have clamped down on illegal book-sellers quite a bit."
Fan Xian froze, and now he remembered how his little brother used to say, You must use the good people and the bad people to bring down the illegal traders. Thinking about this, he thought about the well-being of Fan Sizhe and how he was coping in the north right now. He said, "Sizhe should be arriving in the Northern Qi Kingdom's capital next month."
The carriage suddenly went quiet. Wan'er and Ruoruo looked at each other. After a while, she said, "The north is quite cold. I don't know if he brought enough clothing."
Fan Xian looked down and smiled. He told her, "Do not worry about this. He is fourteen, he is able to take care of himself." Although he said these words in comfort, his heart was actually thinking the opposite. He hated the second prince even more now. He looked at this Yi Shi restaurant and felt a certain stroke of hatred. He said, "This is the Cui family's property. It is used to deliver money to the second prince; I won't spend a penny there."
Wan'er had nothing to say tho this. After all, the second prince was with her in the palace for ten years and as such, they had developed a certain relationship. Although her husband was fighting with her cousin, she still had the sense to support Fan Xian silently. It would just not be very nice of her to say something about it. Now, the atmosphere in the carriage had dimmed significantly, which is when Wan'er smiled and said, "If we are not going to support their business, then we should support our own! You want to…"
She rolled her eyes and said, "…let's go to the Bao Yue brothel."
…
…
Bringing a wife and sister to a brothel? Fan Xian almost had a heart attack and died when hearing this suggestion. He coughed twice and said, "Bao Yue brothel is not my property; it is Shi Chanli's."
Wan'er rolled her eyes at him and said, "Everyone knows that is just a facade. If you want to formally own a brothel, just go get one. I won't complain."
Ruoruo was simply trying her best not to laugh out loud.
Fan Xian raised his eyebrows and started laughing, saying, "Why is it me who owns the brothel? I was just cleaning up my little brother's mess."
Wan'er did not agree, and so she rebutted, "No matter what the case may be, it's a business of our family. And didn't you say that the food there is delicious? Didn't you say it was amongst the best in the capital? We are not looking for ladies there; so what's the harm in going there for some food? Besides, it's our business; and you don't have to be afraid of anyone seeing you pretend to be sick."
Fan Xian still objected her proposal and said, "If you really want to eat their food, then I will ask the chef to prepare the meals and have them sent over to the manor. You are a lady, and you want to sit in a brothel? What is this?"
Wan'er pushed her tongue out and said, "The food will be cold by the time it gets delivered."
Fan Xian almost lost his breath and suggested, "Then why don't I invite the chef over so that he can prepare the food at the manor?"
Wan'er, seeing her husband continue to resist, sighed. She felt remorseful and said, "I really want to go there. I want to sit in the brothel and take a look at what my little brother-in-law has wrought. I want to see what he made the place look like!" Then, with wide eyes, she resolutely finished with, "Really! I am so curious about this place!"
Ruoruo, who had been silent for a while, all of a sudden said, "If you want to visit, then you should just go visit." She looked at Fan Xian, who was preparing to say something. She cut ahead and said, "If it was inappropriate for a lady to visit a brothel, what makes it appropriate for you men to go?"
She smiled, and placed her jaw against the window. She said, "Besides, you said that Lady Sang is managing the business there. It has been so long since I last heard her sing a song. If I don't visit the Bao Yue brothel, where else am I supposed to listen to her?"
Wan'er saw her sister-in-law agree with her ideas, and she was emboldened. With a begging face, she implored to Fan Xian, "You know I like to hear songs sung by Sang Wen. She disappeared for half a year, and now we have learnt that it was that annoying brother-in-law who made her vanish by forcing her into the brothel. You should bring us there."
Ruoruo said, "If men can go in there, then so can we."
Fan Xian could not respond with anything at that moment. He observed his sister, and noticed that this woman was getting braver and braver. And the way she approached matters and thought of things was different from the majority of girls in this world. Hearing the conversation earlier, she was being much more straightforward and feminist than even Wan'er. Of course, this was a result of what Fan Xian had taught her ever since she was small. But he thought that there were other qualities of her that defined how special she was.
Fan Xian showed a really wry smile, and he said. "I suppose there is no harm in going there for a look. But you know I am a person who loves frightening things, though… it has not been safe in the capital lately, and I would hate for the officers to say poor things about me."
Hearing him say something quite serious, Ruoruo and Wan'er knew not to push the matter and say anything further.
Fan Xian turned his head to look outside the carriage, and then he was surprised. He noticed, not too far away from them, that the Bao Yue brothel was there. It was standing in elegance, and it looked quite unlike anything else. He was laughing at Teng Zijing, who was driving the carriage, and said, "You really brought us here? You only know how to please the ladies; you have no idea how to consider my opinion. Do you still want to become an officer in Donghai county? I know that your family has asked me a couple of times."
Teng Zijing merely laughed in response, though he did not say anything in return. Wan'er and Ruoruo held their mouths as they giggled.
The Fan manor carriage had now arrived at the Bao Yue brothel. Although they did not know that the person inside the carriage was Fan Xian himself, they were aware that whoever it was had to be a premium customer. Even Si Qing'er, who was recovering from her torture at the hands of the Jingdou government, came limping down for the welcoming - all the way down from the third floor. When she saw it was the severely ill legend himself, Fan Xian, she was shocked.
Seeing the legendary young pimp, the elegant ladies in the carriage were quite delighted. They were a little disappointed to learn that Sang Wen was not present in the building, however, and was away singing at another manor.
Without their excuse of wanting to see Sang Wen sing, Fan Xian now had no reason to let them inside to mess about in the Bao Yue brothel. But his heart wondered whether or not Sang Wen was actually free and had secretly joined the Overwatch Council. She did not need to go please the other nobles by singing for them. Which manor could make her do this?
The carriage drove away from the Bao Yue brothel, and seeing these disappointed ladies, Fan Xian smiled. He said, "If we are going out to have fun, we have to make the most of it. Bao Yue brothel is not the most luxurious place in the capital, and the food they make is not the best--"
Fan Xian did not finish his sentence before he was cut-off. "Do not try and lie to us. The Bao Yue brothel's reputation is really good. If you are suggesting something better, then you are suggesting the royal palace itself." She was giggling, and then said, "I do not mind going to the palace to see the ladies. It has been a while since I last saw them. But won't you be afraid of the Emperor seeing you there? If he finds out you were only pretending to be sick, he will be very mad."
Fan Xian laughed and rubbed her nose, saying, "Do not curse me. I am taking you to a place that is comfier than the palace. And the food they make there is prepared better than any royal chef could manage."
The two girls were incredibly shocked at what they just heard. They thought that he could not just push the ball to another place, for how could there be a place more luxurious than the palace? Even though salt merchants had this power, they did not have the balls.
…
…
The carriage drove out the southern gate of the capital. When they reached the countryside, there were far less people there. The Qinian Group and guards of the Fan manor were all awkwardly exposed. They felt bewildered, and looked at each other in confusion. Their boss just walked behind the carriage, following the trails left by the carriage up a mountain.
They were closer to the mountain now, and the path wasn't so narrow. Still, it elicited the style that was common for Qing Kingdom's roads. The mountainside was extremely pretty, and the lovely fields reached out beyond their very eyes. In the yellow grass, wildflowers that still exuded life continued to thrive. The trees, whose leaves had departed their boughs, spread across the fields. It was an evocative picture. Like an artist's painting, the trees were layered and scattered about everywhere, and it was a beautiful sight to behold.
Wan'er and Ruoruo were sighing. The view there was excellent, and for this, they wondered why no one had mentioned this place to them before. Even those travelling men from last year did not visit this place. Usually, a good place such as this would be bought out by rich noblemen, or even the palace itself. They would do so to build houses there. But how come they didn't know which family owned this place? Seeing this narrow path, they could guess that they'd be arriving at a certain manor eventually. Whoever lived there had to be pretty awesome.
But seeing Fan Xian create this aura of mystery to envelope them in, the girls weren't very happy. So, they closed their mouths and did not say a word to them. They continued looking out the window to admire the view.
At the end of the path, the carriage turned around. There was a forest, and beyond its eaves lay a garden of sorts. It looked like it would make the perfect residence for fairies. All of a sudden, it was like they transcended a veil to show something secret for the mortals. The garden was not too big, but it was laid out really well. The short wood and bluestone combined together for a perfect match. Although it was not luxurious, a chain that was wrapped around a statue displayed to them its richness.
"How is this, when compared to the palace?" Fan Xian laughed as he said.
Lin Wan'er closed her open mouth, gathered her composure from the shock to say, "It has its beauty. But it's not our garden. What are you being so cocky about?"
Fan Xian waved his hand and said, "The owner of this place said he would give it to me in the future. But there is one thing I don't like about this place, so I don't fancy moving here."
Even Ruoruo was shocked. Being spooked at what he had just said, she asked, "What is there not to like about this place?"
"There are too many women." Fan Xian said this with gravitas. Who could know how many beautiful women were hidden in this place.
…
…
Fan Xian ignored the two girls and signalled for the carriage to stop. He disembarked the carriage with the the eyes of the two girls fixed on him. He pulled out the commissioner's badge from his waist, all of a sudden reaching his hands into a certain bush.
The bush was like magic, as all of a sudden, someone appeared. That person was wearing fairly ordinary garb, and looked like a regular woodsman. He carefully inspected the badge and looked at Fan Xian for what seemed like half a day. Then, after a while, he collapsed his sharp composure of formality and mournfully asked for forgiveness. "Master, I am sorry. But these are the rules. I hope you will forgive me."
"I don't blame you. My wife and sister are inside the carriage."
The woodsman did not dare reply; he simply retreated to some other hidden spot.
The carriage started moving again, following the trail that led into the garden. The road was extremely quiet, but this time, the girls in the carriage were able to guess that the security of this place must have been as tight as the security of the palace. They could guess it was probably quite deadly. Even if an entire garrison of troops desired to march inside, they would most likely not make it through.
Of course, these two ladies were quite smart, and they were now able to guess the name of who owned this peculiar place.
To own a place that was more high-class than a palace, possess a garden such as this, and have security that was as tight as this was, who could it be aside from the leader of the Overwatch Council?
Behind the carriage, the two teams that came to protect it were smart enough to stop following. Dropping to their knees, they looked around and confirmed that they had already arrived. Now that their master had arrived, there was no longer any need for them to follow.
The Qinian Unit's today, Su Wenmao, nodded to the guards of the Fan manor.
The guard awkwardly nodded in return.
"We must know our place." Su Wenmao was laughing to his teammates on the same road. "People like us, we can get this close to the leader's garden. We have been blessed by the commissioner."
"We have been." The guards were admiring the view of the garden.
They were sitting on both sides of the grass field, laying around doing nothing of interest. With straw hanging from their mouths, they observed the sky and yawned.
…
…
The beautiful garden was owned by Chen Pingping. Aside from the Emperor of the Qing Kingdom, the person with the second-most authority would be that crippled old man. He was different to all the other officers. Chen Pingping's position was too unique in the kingdom, and he always said that he was sick, and that was why he never attended court. That is why he had the time to spend years in this garden that was a while away from the capital. His house in the city was practically empty most of the time.
Today, Fan Xian was pretending he was sick. And he was coming to see Chen Pingping, who was also pretending he was sick. Fan Xian had visited here a couple of times already, so it was only natural that he knew the way. They arrived at the gate of the yard, in the yard, there were two big wooden words. It read: "Chen's Garden". It had been written by the previous Emperor, so it was quite the precious relic.
He saw two carriages stop outside the gate, and couldn't help but furrow his eyebrows. He did not expect he'd be entertaining so many guests today. With Chen Pingping's lonely personality, and the horrible reputation the Overwatch Council had, the average officer wouldn't dream of coming here for a cup of tea and a chat; was this guest going to be, then?
Wan'er disembarked the carriage behind Fan Xian. She took a look and noticed the insignia that adorned the other carriage. She smiled and said, "It is a royal carriage."
Fan Xian was shocked.
The old man had already come all the way to welcome whoever had now arrived at the gate. He knew this young Fan Xian was different from every other officer, and he was Chen Pingping's most precious student. He was also to be his successor. As such, they did not dare to mistreat Fan Xian and his guests. He was quiet and polite, and he told them, "It is the eldest prince and Mister Qin of the Bureau of Military Affairs."
Fan Xian tilted his head and scratched his itchy neck. The eldest prince and Master Qin? He knew that the latter was on his side, and he was an important officer in court. What was most important, was that Master Qin had his father there - he was the ex-leader of the Ministry of War. Now, he had become the leader of the Bureau of Military Affairs. This entire family possessed a lot of power adhering to the military forces of the kingdom. The eldest prince had spent his last few years at war in the west, and he had a strong relation with the Qin family. For both of them to go to Chen Pingping's manor, what were they doing there?
Fan Xian was standing on the stone steps, but didn't rush to go in. He was wondering whether or not their visit had something to do with him. Although the army had always been in fine relations with the Overwatch Council, this was still quite the curious assemblance. He laughed, and resolved to not care about whether or not his travel was made known by members of court or not. So, he brought his wife and sister closer, and walked towards the yard. He had become quite curious about what the eldest prince was doing here.
Going past a beautiful, babbling brook, which was adorned with the most luxurious of decorations, they finally arrived at Chen Pingping's bosom of hospitality - the lobby. Fan Xian did not wait for permission, and hastily walked inside. He didn't think to say anything, but in the lobby he caught sight of Lady Sang Wen sitting in the corner, singing songs with a horrified face. He laughed out loud and said, "Now I know; the person who was powerful enough to pull Lady Sang Wen away to sing for them had to be you."
Sang Wen was not at the Bao Yue brothel because she was in the Chen Garden.
Sang Wen was the manager of the Bao Yue brothel, and the Overwatch Council's latest member. It was easy for Chen Pingping to request that she sing songs for him here.
The laughing noises echoed across the lobby. Chen Pingping, who was sitting in the host's seat, widened his eyes. Seeing these three young people unexpectedly approach, a certain warmth intruded his previously cold eyes. His skinny hands lightly stroked the grey fur blanket that lay across his legs. He began laughing and said, "Do you not mind that I have many women here? Why have you come today? It was okay for you to come, but are you not afraid of me asking that the wife and sister you have brought here to eat you alive?"
The two young people who were sitting on the guest's seat were frightened. They turned their heads to gate of the lobby, and they were frozen together. Then, Sang Wen stopped singing. She possessed a grand smile, and she stood up to bow before the two ladies.
Not long later, a person with casual clothing arrived. Still, his presence bore the aura of a military man. He stood up and politely bowed to Wan'er, who stood behind Fan Xian. He then greeted Ruoruo. Lastly, he smiled to Fan Xian. He said, "Greetings, Master Fan."
Fan Xian had seen Qin Heng before, and he knew that his family was nice, and that even the Emperor appreciated them. He himself was a new star of the Qing Kingdom's court, and a bright future awaited him. Fan Xian greeted him in return by saying, "Greetings, Master Qin."
Although Qin Heng's rank was not higher than Fan Xian, they were aware of each other's position. Therefore, there was no need for them to beat around the bush. Qin Heng nicely smiled and said, "I did not expect to meet you, while coming here to meet with Chen Pingping. It has been a fortuitous day for me, indeed."
Fan Xian noticed that his smile was not a forced one. He relaxed and felt somewhat comfortable. To this, he replied, "Let us not indulge each other with meritless suggestions of, let's meet again someday. If we are here together on this day, let us drink and talk."
Qin Heng laughed loudly, saying, "Mister Fan is wonderful! You are a person who does things against the expectations of others. You have not said a word about your apparent illness, and now you are suggesting that we go drink. I would make a joke, but here I am, at a loss for words."
Fan Xian looked at Chen Pingping, who was sitting on the host's seat. He had a wry smile and said, "Of course, we are merely just guests. It all depends on whether or not our host is courteous enough to provide us with some nice wine."
Chen Pingping said, "You are richer than me."
Qin Heng's face did not change, as the smile lay fixed on his face. In his heart, however, he was shocked. The officers always believed Fan Xian had a great fortune with the Overwatch Council due to the Emperor's favor and a sound upbringing. But to see Fan Xian talk about Chen Pingping so casually, a person who everyone else feared, and have Chen Pingping respond so natural was a strange sight. It seemed that the relationship between the two was different from what most would have expected.
Being appreciated by the Emperor was an important thing, but if he wanted to obtain complete control of the Overwatch Council, that still hinged on Chen Pingping. It was only just now that Qin Heng realised Fan Xian would indeed one day take authority of the entire Overwatch Council. If this was to be, then it was important that the military establish a good relationship with Fan Xian, and not just to the man who would be in charge himself, but being friendly with the rest of the Fan manor as well.
In just a few sentences, he had already obtained a lot of information. Fan Xian understood that Chen Pingping had used this opportunity to show the military the relationship between them, which could provide for some bargaining in the future.
The both of them chatted for a little more, and then, Fan Xian turned around to bow before the eldest prince.
That movement was actually a little rude, but the people in the lobby were aware that when Fan Xian first met the eldest prince, it wasn't in the nicest of circumstances. Qin Heng was a good friend of the eldest prince, so they did not mind the behavior. As for Chen Pingping, he didn't care much at all for matters of etiquette.
When Fan Xian thought the eldest prince was going to be mad, he tilted his head to take a look but was taken aback and made a little angry. He saw his wife sitting beside the eldest prince, laughing out loud in return to something he had just said. Although he knew Wan'er was raised in Ning Cai Ren's palace, which meant that the eldest prince had watched her grow up to the result of them sharing a bond similar to a brother and sister, he was still annoyed and mad at seeing this.
What made him even more mad was Ruoruo also sitting next to him, listening to what was being said.
Fan Xian perked his ears to listen, and heard that the eldest prince was discussing the battles he fought in the west. He was telling stories about his fight for horses against the Wu people. The Qing Kingdom's people loved battles, and the eldest prince had been out there fighting for all these years. He was much like a hero to the common folk. Even Wan'er and Ruoruo looked fondly on him.
In Fan Xian's heart, he was jealous. His lips grew bitter. He was thinking to himself, I… I… I am a pacifist. If I wasn't, I'd happily ride into battle and impress you girls. His heart was put into a bad mood, but his face did nothing to reflect this. Instead, he just laughed and approached the eldest prince. He bowed. He said, "My name is Fan Xian. Greetings, My Lord… oh, I mean my Great Prince."
The eldest prince saw Fan Xian and he already felt oppressed. Now, he was hearing him talk like this, so he couldn't help but respond with, "I must ask you, Fan Xian. Have I offended you in any way? Every time I see you, you have to go on and say something negative about me." He turned his head to Wan'er and asked, "Wan'er, what kind of husband did you end up with?"
Wan'er and the eldest prince were really close. Seeing him talk about her husband like this, though, she would not let it go. She picked up a fruit from the table and shoved it in his mouth. She then told him, "Who in the world would say something like that when meeting their brother-in-law?"
Fan Xian was laughing, thinking that brother-in-law sounded better. So, he went to sit down next to Ruoruo. A servant of Chen Pingping had already delivered some hot towels and hot tea. He knew the eldest prince and Qin Heng had come here to speak with the crippled old man, so it had to be a matter of some importance. Still, he shamelessly interacted with them in the lobby, preventing them from going to discuss that which they desired to.
Wan'er knew that outside the capital, the envoy fought for passage against the army returning from the west. The entire conflict was the result of Fan Xian's intervention, but she knew why he did so. He already had the second prince in his sights, but to pick a fight and offend another prince seemed unnecessary. She really did not want to see her husband have a conflict with her closest brother. So, she started to pull at them both in a bid to simmer the tensions between them and forage a peace.
Everyone else could see her desire to do this, as well. But they were just men, and men always have their times when they cannot see eye-to-eye with each other. As a result, the eldest prince simply looked around and pretended to ignore her efforts. Fan Xian simply smiled and continued talking to Qin Heng. He asked him how his father was doing, suggesting that he would soon visit his manor.
Chen Pingping was sitting like he had just fallen asleep; slouched down in his wheelchair. Even here in his luxurious home, he insisted on sitting on that decrepit wheelchair. Why didn't he take to lying down on a comfy sofa? Seeing this, Wan'er was not sure what to do anymore, and so she sighed. Ruoruo was laughing at the entire scene. The eldest prince, who was a powerful fighter, and the young popular officer were bickering and quarreling like children. It was an amusing thing to see.
In the end, even Qin Heng felt as if he could not speak any more with Fan Xian. The eldest prince then all of a sudden said, "I heard that you were supposed to be really sick in bed, unable to attend court. Even with the Imperial Censorate trying to impeach you, you have not gone to defend yourself and a present a case. I did not expect that you would be here today…"
Fan Xian yawned and said, "I will go to court tomorrow. Tomorrow, tomorrow."
Qin Heng was shocked, thinking Fan Xian had stopped feigning his illness. That meant tomorrow, there was to be a fair amount of drama in court. But Qin Heng had been dragged to Chen's Garden by the eldest prince to discuss something that was best not said in Fan Xian's presence.
He did not want to say it, but the eldest prince was quite straightforward. He politely spoke to Chen Pingping and said, "Uncle, in regards to your second brother, please say something." He turned his head to look at Fan Xian, and then continued by saying, "I don't care what has happened with court, but the rumors that are spreading about the capital seem quite ridiculous. Plus, some officers that have allegiance to the second prince are incredibly smart. If they were to be fired, it would be a grievous loss for the court."
In Qin Heng's heart, he said, You are such a straight man. To be right in front of Fan Xian, and to say something negative about him…. But things had reached a certain point, and with a wry smile, Qin Heng now said, "Yes, Master. The Emperor has not said a word, and if you don't say anything, this will likely continue. Then, things will become ugly in court."
Fan Xian laughed. Those two did not mask their motives and dress-up their dialogue. The second prince's party had already been crushed and suffocated by the Overwatch Council. It would be incredibly awkward if he were to go out in public, so he had asked his big brother to help alleviate these matters and bring the Qin family of the Bureau of Military Affairs. The way they had come straight to Chen Pingping was a smart move. This was not digging his own corner, it was him simply picking up the wood underneath Fan Xian's pot.If Chen Pingping was to ask Fan Xian to cease his crushing of the second prince, he had no choice but to adhere to that command.
But Fan Xian had already got what he wanted out of the conflict. The prefect of the Jingou government was fired, and the officers of the second prince had been removed from the Sixth Bureau. Fan Xian didn't really care too much about this, however. What he was curious about, though, was the way in which the eldest prince referenced Chen Pingping.
He called Chen Pingping uncle!
Chen Pingping had a lot of power, but no matter how close he was with the Emperor, it was quite inappropriate for the eldest prince to refer to him as an uncle. If this came out, it would scare someone to death. His Uncle was King Jing, not some chancellor.
While Fan Xian was still thinking, Chen Pingping already opened his mindless eyes. He coughed twice and said, "We can talk about the second prince later. I say…" He pointed towards Wan'er and Ruoruo and coughed twice again. "This is the first time you have both visited my garden. How come you have not said hello to your host?"
Actually, there weren't many people who didn't fear Chen Pingping. Especially since there were many legends and stories that painted the character of Chen Pingping as some sort of nighttime devil who just happened to be disabled. Although Wan'er and Ruoruo's identities were really noble, facing a commandant of some dark power of the Qing Kingdom, they too were quite afraid. This is why they quickly went to sit beside the eldest prince upon entering the lobby.
At this time, hearing the old man say this, Wan'er and Ruoruo had no choice but to stand up. With a bitter face, they approached Chen Pingping and bowed.
Chen Pingping laughed and said, "What are you afraid of? Your mother, and your father, they aren't better people than I." He was referencing the eldest princess and the old evil Fan Jian. Looking towards the eldest prince, he said, "And about that which you were talking about, the person you really need to talk to has already arrived. You need to talk to him directly. And Little Princess and Lady Fan, could you help this old man by pushing his wheelchair? I am going to show to you my collection here in Chen's Garden."
The two girls and Sang Wen pushed the crippled old man's wheelchair out of the lobby. Only Fan Xian, the eldest prince and Qin Heng remained. Fan Xian was starting to think that this old man was not being responsible, and he had now just left his home as a battlefield for the young ones, while escorting three beautiful women through the garden.