Inside the room, the officials were gathered together, reading the court bulletin, which clearly described everything that had happened in the north. Whether in terms of timeliness or richness of information, it was far more attractive than the newspaper published by the palace, especially since it contained news of the Kingdom of Qing's victory. Fan Xian smiled wryly as he took out the crumpled newspaper from his bosom. He apologized to the great calligrapher Pan Ling of the Library of Documents, then sat back down at his table and began to drink his tea.
The people around him were talking excitedly about the war, and no one noticed his silence. Instead, it was the vice-minister who looked at him and smiled, motioning for him to come out. Fan Xian walked out, somewhat uneasy, and arrived at a secluded spot. This was already deep in the courtyard, where there was a stone table and two stone chairs. The vice-minister motioned for him to sit down, then smiled. "Everyone is celebrating, but you sit alone in silence. Why?"
The vice-minister's name was Ren Shao'an. He had once been a distinguished man, and had later married a princess. Since then, he had steadily climbed up the ranks in Taichang Temple. It was somewhat similar to the situation Fan Xian was facing today. Fan Xian wasn't sure whether or not Sir Ren was grieving over something, and so he didn't know how to respond. All he could do was smile faintly. "The royal court's victory is a matter of course, so it's not a surprise."
"Why is it a matter of course?" Ren Shao asked curiously.
Fan Xian really didn't have much to say about military affairs, so he could only evade. "His Majesty is wise, and his soldiers are loyal. Northern Qi has a guilty conscience, so naturally they won."
Ren Shao'an smiled at him. "I just remembered that the war between the two countries has something to do with the assassination attempt, Sir Fan."
Fan Xian was startled. He also remembered that one of the excuses the Kingdom of Qing used to defend Qi and aid Zhao was that assassins from Northern Qi had infiltrated the capital, intending to murder the son of a minister. Thinking of the corpses along the banks of the northern border, and the empty women of the various provinces and prefectures, Fan Xian didn't know why, but he felt a little stifled. He sighed. "Soldiers are weapons of murder. Saints have no choice but to use them." He knew that although the Kingdom of Qing had been at peace for more than a decade, the martial spirit in its bones had not faded, so he was very careful to hide it. But in front of Ren Shaoqing, he thought it was just a casual chat, so he spoke casually.
Ren Shaoqing seemed to appreciate his words and nodded his head. "Even so, we have gained a lot of land this time. The Kingdom of Qing will have a few more years of peace. It is worth it."
Fan Xian was not a pedantic pacifist. He smiled and acknowledged this fact. Ren Shaoqing continued, "Although all the military achievements will go to His Majesty, the imperial court has been secretly planning for this for two months. It can be said that they have racked their brains."
Fan Xian immediately sensed something else from these words. He knew that the vice-minister was saying that the civil service in the court had also contributed a great deal to the war. After all, Fan Xian had two lifetimes of experience. He knew that in the end, fighting a war was a battle of logistics, so he sincerely said, "The great officials of the court also deserve great credit."
Ren Shaoqing smiled in satisfaction and continued, "The Prime Minister and you are about to become father and son-in-law. If you have the time, it would be more appropriate for you to pay a visit to him."
"Of course. Thank you, vice-minister, for the reminder." Fan Xian felt a cold sweat trickle down his back. He was about to marry Wan'er, but he had not yet paid a visit to his future father-in-law. This was somewhat inexcusable. But... this was supposed to be an open relationship between the Lin manor and the Fan manor. Why would Ren Shaoqing tell him this in private?
As expected, Ren Shaoqing said quietly, "Teacher hopes that you will go to the Prime Minister's manor alone. He does not want to alarm too many people."
Fan Xian accepted the order fearfully.
— — —
The next day, the court was filled with flattering words. The military received many rewards, and the Fourth Bureau of the Overwatch Council was also rewarded by an imperial edict for their intelligence. But to everyone's surprise, Count Sinan, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Fan Jian, stepped forward and said that this victory was all thanks to the Prime Minister's racking his brains. He had prioritized the affairs of the state before the affairs of his family. He had smoothed out the logistics and had provided them with sufficient provisions. The officials were in an uproar. They did not understand why their political enemies were so harmonious today. But when they thought about the marriage between the two families, they suddenly understood.
What was even more unexpected was that Guo You, the Minister of Rites, who had always been on the Prime Minister's side, spoke out against it. Most unexpected of all... Chen Pingping went to court. When His Majesty asked him about it, he sat in his wheelchair and softly said, "The Prime Minister has worked hard."
At this point, the political enemies who had been attacking the Prime Minister over the collusion between Wu Bo'an and Northern Qi suddenly quieted down. His Majesty had issued an imperial edict to comfort him, and Lin Ruofu had regained his footing. And there was a rumor in the court that the Prime Minister, because of the marriage alliance with the Fan family, had turned to the Second Prince. The Second Prince, who had originally had no support in the court, had suddenly become a powerful figure.
No one knew that behind all this, the depressed Ren Shaoqing of Taichang Temple and the eighth-level functionary of Taichang Temple, were chatting under the courtyard wall.
Through Fan Xian, he had sold his father-in-law a favor. This time, he felt a little more secure. Although he was still afraid that the Prime Minister would find out that he had ordered people to kill the Second Young Master Lin, he did not have to hide like he had for the past two months.
He did not have to go to Taichang Temple every day. He only had to go to the temple once every ten days. That afternoon, Fan Xian rode in a carriage to the royal courtyard.
Now that his marriage to the girl in the courtyard was known throughout the capital, and with Fan Manor's generosity, the guards in charge had begun to turn a blind eye. Fan Xian and his sister walked in together. They were not in the mood to look at the wild flowers and weeds in the garden. They just followed the gravel path to the small building. Fan Ruoruo was a little surprised. "Brother, you seem to be familiar with this place."
Fan Xian smiled. "I have a good memory. It's not like you don't know that." But in his heart, he laughed. Over the course of ten days, he would go in and out of the garden two or three nights a day. It was difficult not to be familiar with it.
Unfortunately, according to the rules, he, the future son-in-law of the Princess, still could not see Lin Wan'er in the courtyard. He could only sit downstairs and drink tea while Ruoruo went up alone. He was in no hurry. After all, he could see his fiancée every night, so there was no hurry. After a while, two people came down. Seeing the girl behind Ruoruo, Fan Xian's eyes brightened. The girl's eyes were clear and bright, and her eyebrows were a little thick, but she did not seem rude. On the contrary, she was very spirited. It was Ye Ling'er, the only daughter of the commander of the capital's garrison, Ye Zhong.
Ye Ling'er saw a strange man waiting downstairs, and felt a little strange. Fan Xian smiled and rose to greet her. "Miss Ye, long time no see."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Fan Xian knew that something was wrong. When he had met Ye Ling'er that day, he had put on makeup and assumed the identity of a doctor. Today, however, he had clearly come to the courtyard to visit. If he said "long time no see", he was afraid that Ye Ling'er would become suspicious.
To his surprise, Ye Ling'er only looked at him coolly and bowed. "Greetings, Master Fan."
Seeing that she knew who he was and was not surprised by what he had said earlier, Fan Xian knew that Wan'er must have told this close friend about their relationship. He smiled and said, "Wan'er is fortunate to have you as my companion. My sickbed is not so boring. Fan Xian thanks you."
Ye Ling'er's expression was cold. "Master Fan is too polite."
Fan Xian saw that this woman didn't seem to like him, but he wasn't angry. He didn't think that just by relying on his pretty face, all the women in the world would have a natural liking for him, so he just smiled and bowed again. He turned to Ruoruo and said, "How did it go with the matter you asked?"
Fan Ruoruo smiled. "That's what you're worried about. Sister Lin said..."
Fan Xian suddenly waved his hand and smiled. "Let's talk about our own family matters at home."
Hearing this, Ye Ling'er flew into a rage. Fan Xian really was a narrow-minded person! The meaning of his words was too obvious. Did he mean that the matter between the Fan and Lin families did not need to involve Ye Ling'er? "Master Fan," she said angrily, "don't go too far in your words and actions."
Fan Xian was taken aback. Where did this come from? Why did Miss Ye have such a bad temper? He felt inexplicably irritated. Ignoring her, he took his sister by the hand and walked out of the manor.
Outside the courtyard, Ye Ling'er left the manor with the servant girls. Seeing Fan Xian holding Ruoruo's hand, she laughed coldly.
Fan Xian did not understand. He held Ruoruo's cold hand and waited for the carriage to arrive. Ruoruo's expression became somewhat awkward. Indeed, there were not many siblings in the world who were as close to each other as they were, and Fan Xian did not often pay attention to such things. Seeing his sister's expression, Fan Xian finally understood. He wondered why that woman kept pestering him. The relationship between him and Ruoruo was like the bright moon and the cool breeze, so he was particularly angry. He turned to Ye Ling'er and frowned. "Miss Ye, is it because there are no adults at home to discipline you? Is that why you wander around the capital and Dingzhou every day?"
Ye Ling'er had not expected that her unintentional sneer would provoke such a vicious verbal attack. "Who are you calling uneducated?" she shouted angrily.
"Who said that?" Fan Xian smiled warmly. "I don't think anyone here has."
Seeing him act like a scoundrel, Ye Ling'er became even more exasperated. "Then aren't you wandering around the capital every day? You're about to get married, and yet you're still so indecent. I haven't seen you go to Taichang Temple many times. Is it because there are no adults at home to discipline you as well?"
Fan Xian's gentle temperament carried a hint of murderous intent, but he was even more mischievous. He knew that if he did not get angry, she would get even angrier, so he spoke even more warmly. "I've come to visit my fiancée, and that's all right. Miss Ye and my Wan'er are good friends, and you often visit. I have already thanked you. I just hope that you will watch your words, and not try to drive a wedge between our families. "
Ye Ling'er was so angry that her lips twitched. Hearing him play this trick again, she said hatefully, "I don't know what Wan'er sees in you, you foppish playboy."
Fan Xian sighed. "How am I foppish?"
Ye Ling'er said hatefully, "You're not good at literature, and you're not good at martial arts. Are you saying that you're a foppish playboy?"
Fan Xian laughed, a little ashamed. "I loathe boasting," he said. "But people in the capital say that I'm skilled in both literature and martial arts, that I can compose a poem in seven steps, and that I can kill in seven steps. The praise makes me feel a little smug, and today I've been enlightened by your words. I am truly grateful."
Seeing him act like this, Ye Ling'er remembered his reputation, and angrily stamped her foot. She didn't know what to say. Suddenly, she bit her rosy lips and put her hand on the knife at her waist. After some thought, she removed the knife and threw it on the ground in front of Fan Xian. It made a crisp sound.
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