On the morning of the second day, the sky was not yet bright, and a thin mist floated in the mountains. The moon from last night had already moved to the opposite field. The carriages of Fan Manor did not disturb anyone in the fields, and headed in the direction of the capital. Teng Zijing and his wife stood at the gate to see them off, leaning on his crutches. Next to them, his daughter was rubbing her eyes, as if she had not woken up yet.
The carriages arrived at the gates of the capital, but today was different from the day they had arrived. The markings on the carriages of Fan Manor were very eye-catching. The guards of the City Patrol, who had just opened the gates, inspected them, and let the carriages into the city. After all, the previous commander of the City Patrol, Jiao Ziheng, had been stripped of his position because of the assassination attempt on the eldest son of the Fan family. The guards of the City Patrol, seeing the round markings on the Fan family carriages, did not dare to make things difficult for them.
When the carriages arrived at Fan Manor, Fan Sizhe yawned and got out of the carriage. He told the servants who came to greet him, "There are dried goods in the carriages. Take them to the back and put them away. You are not allowed to eat them. They are a favor prepared by Big Brother!" He then glared at them and roared, "If you dare to eat them tomorrow, and Sister Lin finds that they only have three legs, I will personally chop off one of your legs to repay the debt!" The servants had long since become accustomed to this young master's tyrannical temper. They did not dare to make a sound, and obediently unloaded the goods from the carriages.
The guards also got out of the carriages in the back. Wang Qinian walked to the side of the carriage, quietly waiting for Fan Xian to come down. Unexpectedly, after a long time, there was no movement from the carriage. He opened the curtain and was shocked to see that there was no one inside. Fan Xian and Fan Ruoruo had disappeared. He hurriedly ran behind Fan Sizhe and asked, "Young master, may I ask where Master Fan is?" Fan Sizhe looked back at him and lectured, "Look at how nervous you are. My brother and sister got off the carriage on the way here. They probably went on an outing, and they don't like to see you following them."
Wang Qinian was scared out of his wits. It was all thanks to Master Fan that he was able to return to the Overwatch Council. When Director Chen Pingping had personally received him, he had repeatedly exhorted him to ensure Master Fan's safety, and to not let him leave his sight. Who would have thought that Master Fan would leave them behind on a trip out of the city? Seeing his nervous expression, Fan Sizhe frowned and said, "He said he'll be back in the afternoon. You don't have to be too nervous." In reality, he did not know the true identity of Wang Qinian and the others. At first, he thought they were aces his father had sent to Fan Xian. Later, he vaguely sensed that something was wrong, but he was too lazy to think too deeply about it.
Wang Qinian no longer paid attention to the Second Young Master. He signaled his subordinates with his eyes, then boarded the carriage and drove out of the city.
…
…
In the heat of the summer, even the chirping of cicadas sounded weak. Fan Xian took Ruoruo for a stroll by the Liujing River in the suburbs of the capital. Fortunately, it was still early and the river was shaded by trees, so it was still bearable. Fan Xian had long since unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a large expanse of skin on his chest. Ruoruo, however, did not have this privilege. She could only fan herself with her handkerchief. Fan Xian saw how tired she was and smiled. He took the handkerchief and soaked it in the Liujing River, then handed it to her to cool her down.
"Do you know why this river is called the Liujing River?"
"According to the records of the capital, this name should have been around since before the current dynasty. It seems that the river flows around the capital and enters the Cang Mountains in the west. The terrain is undulating, and in some places it flows very fast. In other places it is very quiet, like a mirror, or like a still crystal. That is why it is called the Liujing River."
Fan Xian nodded. He thought of the quiet part of the river next to him, where pleasure boats occasionally floated. He thought of Si Lili, who was still locked up in the Celestial Prison. He did not know what the final outcome of welcoming that woman would be. After walking for a while, he could finally see a house among the green trees on the opposite bank of the river. It was a simple and elegant little courtyard. A few bamboos protruded from the walls of the courtyard, pointing towards the sky. In this hot summer day, it actually emitted a cold air that stood proudly in the turbid world.
"Is that Taiping Courtyard?" Fan Xian frowned as he looked in that direction. Ruoruo replied, "Yes. I heard that many years ago, the master of the Ye family lived here. Later, the Ye family's property was taken over by the palace treasury, and this courtyard became a courtyard for the royal family. But when I often chat with Ruojia, I have never heard of any lady living here."
Fan Xian grunted and nodded. Suddenly, a smile blossomed on his face. So this was where his mother had worked, fought, and lived. Ruoruo saw the smile on her brother's face, and for some reason, felt very happy. She asked, "What makes you so happy?" Fan Xian rubbed his sweaty fingers and shook his head. He did not say anything. Bringing his sister here today was already a very bold thing to do. Although from what he had seen in the capital, the Ye family did not seem to be much of a taboo. But since his father and Wu Zhu were so cautious, it was better for him to be careful, and so he did not say anything.
He had come here today to take a look, mainly because he wanted to enter the courtyard to pay his respects. But since it had become a courtyard for the royal family, it was not convenient for him to go. It was just that he did not know where his mother's grave was, and that made him feel a little uncomfortable.
After coming to this world, he had never seen the woman who had given birth to him. But for some reason, he had thought of her as his mother. Perhaps it was because in his previous life, his parents had died early and left nothing behind, so he did not have time to grow attached to his mother. But after coming to the Kingdom of Qing, whether it was his escape at the beginning of his rebirth, everything in Danzhou, or the many miraculous encounters after coming to the capital, all of it seemed to reveal the power, power, and determination that the woman had once possessed. It reminded him that his mother was that woman, that woman named Ye Qingmei.
Ye Qingmei looked down on all the men in the world.
Fan Xian had even wondered if his mother had not died at all. Perhaps she was hiding in a corner far away, wearing a gentle yet cold smile, silently watching his every move in this world, every struggle and every escape.
But Count Sinan coldly interrupted all these fantasies. He said that his mother's grave was in a very secluded place in the capital, and that when the time was right, he would naturally go and pay his respects.
Fan Xian sighed, knelt down, and kowtowed in the direction of the small courtyard on the other side of the river. Fan Ruoruo was slightly startled, not understanding what her brother meant. But as intelligent as she was, she immediately guessed something. She could not help but pale with fright, but she immediately forced herself to calm down. She knelt down with Fan Xian and bowed in the direction of the other side of the river.
With the cover of the trees, even if there were people on the other side, it would be difficult to see them. A pair of snow-white lovers were kneeling on the ground, bowing in the direction of the river. It was a very interesting scene.
Fan Xian was a little surprised. He took her little hand and stood up. "Why are you kneeling with me?" Ruoruo forced a smile. "What should I call you? Auntie? " Fan Xian chuckled. "I knew you would be able to guess. I didn't want to hide it from you when I brought you here today. There are some things that only I know, and I can't tell anyone. It's a depressing thing." Fan Ruoruo sighed. "No wonder you lived in Danzhou when you were young."
Fan Xian said, "I only know that my mother is the one from the Ye family. Did you not hear father or Lady Liu mention this when you were young?" Fan Ruoruo thought for a moment, then shook her head helplessly. Fan Xian sighed. He guessed that it was probably because the palace hated the fact that the Ye family had a descendant, so his father had always kept this matter a secret. But... given the power of the court, if Count Sinan had been involved with the mistress of the Ye family, how could this relationship have escaped the attention of the palace? Unless the Overwatch Council had kept it a secret for his father. But no matter how much Chen Pingping respected his mother, and wanted to save his own life, he should not have been able to keep this matter a secret.
All sorts of questions welled up in his mind, making him unusually angry. He was a motherless child, so be it. But now he was beginning to doubt the other half of him. This kind of psychological trend was quite unpleasant.
— — —
The brother and sister did not dare to get too close to the courtyard. They walked through the forest and onto the official road, following it in the direction of the capital. They planned to go a bit further and find a courier to bring a carriage over. After walking for a short distance, they found a small path on the official road leading to the left. Every step along the path, there was a bluestone hidden in the grass. It was covered in moss, making it extremely difficult to see. It looked rather unique, and seemed to be rarely used.
Fan Xian's eyesight was excellent. He could see a small wooden bridge at the end of the path, presumably leading to Taiping Courtyard. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart. He forced his gaze to look away and smiled. "The handkerchief is already dry. Is it too hot?"
Fan Ruoruo always seemed to have an indissoluble coldness between her brows, but she did not feel this way in front of Fan Xian. Now, beads of sweat seeped out from the fine hair on her forehead, slowly dripping onto her slightly red cheeks. It added a bit of color, but it made Fan Xian slightly surprised. She softly replied that she was fine, and continued to walk forward with her brother.
After walking for a short while, they came to a tea shop. The shop was made entirely of green bamboo, and it was very cool and refreshing. Fan Xian was delighted to see it. He took his sister's hand and rushed in, yelling, "Two cups of tea."
What answered him was a thick silence. There were not many people in the tea shop. A middle-aged man stood at the innermost table. Hearing Fan Xian's voice, he slowly turned his head. His eyes were sunken, and his nose was like an eagle's hook. Although he was full of malice, today he was forcefully restraining it. The middle-aged man looked at Fan Xian with an unfriendly expression, as if he was looking at a little white rabbit.
Fan Xian was shocked. He recognized the man as the leader of the guards, Gong Dian, who had exchanged blows with him outside the Qing Temple and caused him to vomit blood. Wang Qinian had been kicked out of the Overwatch Council because he had been working hard to catch Fan Xian!
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