Within the Eastern Palace, there were two factions of opinion. The faction that opposed Xin Qiwu believed that since the Fan family of Count Sinan had a good relationship with King Jing, and now had a marriage alliance with the Prime Minister, Crown Prince Jing was a close friend of the Second Prince, and the Prime Minister was gradually distancing himself from the Eastern Palace, the Fan family must be on the Second Prince's side. Xin Qiwu firmly opposed this view, because in his view, Fan Jian was not an ordinary official who would follow the Prime Minister's lead.
In the depths of the palace, Xin Qiwu obediently knelt in the doorway of the study, his buttocks raised high. Fortunately, his official robes covered it, so it did not look ugly.
"Rise." The Emperor's voice came from behind the curtains.
Xin Qiwu stood up, his arms hanging by his side, not daring to move. He had been to this study a few times, but he still could not get used to the natural pressure. Two soybean-sized beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. He did not know if it was because of the summer heat, or because he was nervous, but he did not dare to wipe them away.
The sound of paper flipping rang out from behind the curtains. After a long silence, the Emperor lightly said, "This statement is reasonable and well-founded. Very good. Since that mother in the North is still not willing to settle down, then that's good. You have to help me open my mouth wider."
Xin Qiwu replied loudly, "Yes, Your Majesty!"
The Emperor's voice suddenly became strange. "Assistant Minister Fan's son is now your deputy?"
Xin Qiwu did not expect His Majesty to be so concerned about Fan Jian. A few more beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and he respectfully replied, "Yes."
The Emperor seemed to be very interested in this matter. "Oh, this Fan Xian, I made him a functionary in Taichang Temple. Why did you want to transfer him to Honglu Temple?"
Although His Majesty's voice was still gentle, Xin Qiwu was so nervous that he almost fainted. He did not dare to hide anything, and answered honestly, "A few days ago, Your Majesty ordered me to lecture in the Eastern Palace, and I spoke with the Crown Prince about the Northern Qi envoy. Because Fan Xian is related to this matter, and because he is famous in the capital, the Northern Qi envoy has Zhuang Mohan, and the court needs a scholar to receive him. So I ventured to suggest this, and Your Majesty agreed."
"Yes." Behind the curtain, the Emperor admired this official's frank attitude. He had never been afraid of people forming cliques in the court, but this clique had to be formed in the open. "If there is no mistake in this matter, I will give you full authority to handle this matter. Even if it is the Crown Prince, you do not need to ask."
"Yes." Xin Qiwu had never thought of hiding his relationship with the Crown Prince from His Majesty. After all, he was the person appointed by His Majesty to serve in the Eastern Palace.
The Emperor flipped through the file again, faintly frowning. "How did Fan Xian do?"
Xin Qiwu did not dare to be greedy and replied honestly, "The dossier that Your Majesty is looking at is the result of Deputy Fan's analysis."
…
…
"Analysis?" For some reason, the Emperor's tone became a little angry. "This is getting more and more ridiculous!"
Xin Qiwu did not know why His Majesty was angry and was terrified. Fortunately, this matter did not seem to have much to do with the negotiation. After he left the study, His Majesty lifted the curtain and walked out. On his face, there was a trace of anger, but also a trace of helplessness. He ordered the eunuch beside him, "Summon Chen Pingping to the palace."
The eunuch accepted the order and left. The master of the Kingdom of Qing, the most powerful man in the world, walked out of his study and stood in the hallway of the palace. He looked at the dim moon, and the corners of his lips curled up. He said to himself, "The most powerful weapon of the nation, and instead of directly assisting the Office of the Grand Herald, you use it as a stepping stone for a child's advancement. Well done, Chen Pingping. It looks like if I don't teach you a lesson, you really will give my courtyard to that child to play with."
What kind of person was the Emperor? From the file that claimed to be the result of Fan Xian's analysis, he could immediately see the shadow of the Overwatch Council. But looking at his expression, he did not seem to be angry, only a little amused. Xin Qiwu's attempt to have the Crown Prince win over the Fan family was actually in line with the Emperor's thoughts. The Eastern Palace had finally shown some political wisdom, and the Crown Prince seemed to have improved. This fact made the Emperor feel slightly gratified.
— — —
In the Eastern Palace, a fierce quarrel had broken out. The two sides of the quarrel were Xin Qiwu from the Office of the Grand Herald and Guo Baokun, the editor of the palace. The content of the quarrel was naturally related to the eighth-level official called Fan Xian. Looking at the red faces of both sides, it was obvious how intense the quarrel had been.
Xin Qiwu looked at Guo Baokun with a hint of disdain. "As an official, I have to be frank. I have come to assist the Crown Prince on His Majesty's orders, in order to help the Crown Prince plan for a thousand years, and to choose a good talent. Functionary Fan Xian has a reputation for talent in the capital. Looking at his recent actions, he knows when to advance and when to retreat. He has real talent, and the Fan family has always been a loyal subject of the royal family. Of course, the Crown Prince should condescend to accept such an official, and not turn him away just because of a moment's anger. "
Guo Baokun sneered: "Does Lord Shaoqing think that I only remember that punch? Don't forget the relationship between Fan Manor and King Jing's manor, and that Fan Xian is about to become the Prime Minister's son-in-law. Don't you know the Prime Minister's direction? "
Xin Qiwu straightened his neck and said, "I don't know. I only know that the Kingdom of Qing only has one Emperor, and the Kingdom of Qing only has one Crown Prince. Any attempt to divide the Kingdom into factions is extremely foolish."
He was not a man with only great ambitions but no skills. Of course, he knew that the Second Prince had recently become popular, but in terms of strategy, he still believed that the Eastern Palace did not need to treat the Second Prince as an opponent. Once that happened, it would open a dangerous door. As long as the Crown Prince remained upright and righteous, there would be no enemies to speak of.
The Crown Prince, who was sitting high above, sighed. He was indeed lecherous and cowardly, but he was not an idiot. In the depths of his heart, he knew that if he looked at the bigger picture, Xin Shaoqing's view was undoubtedly correct. But politics had always been a battle to the death. Even if he was careful, who could guarantee that his two brothers, who were eyeing the throne, would not do something?
"The situation at hand has not reached that point." The Crown Prince rubbed his temples and said with some annoyance, "After all, I am the heir to the throne. It is my duty to reserve talents for the court. As for my brother, don't talk nonsense. That would be too absurd. "
This was the helplessness of the Royal Palace. It was clear that they were on guard against each other, but no one could say anything verbally.
"What about Fan Xian?" Guo Baokun still did not want to give up.
Xin Qiwu snorted and said, "Master Guo, I think you have been misjudging one thing."
"What is it?" The Crown Prince asked curiously.
"Many officials, including you, have put the Fan family under the Second Prince's faction because of the relationship between Fan Manor and King Jing's manor. But who can prove this? This edict from the Eastern Palace has given Fan Xian a chance to shine. If the Fan family is really as Master Guo says, I'm afraid they would not dare accept this mission. " Xin Qiwu continued coldly, "The most important thing is that Fan Xian is about to become the Prime Minister's son-in-law. Master Guo's judgment that Fan Xian will not be loyal to the Crown Prince is absurd."
"What's absurd about it?" Guo Baokun's eyes flashed with viciousness. "Whether it's in court or in secret, it all shows that the Prime Minister has broken off relations with the Eldest Princess and is trying to break away from the palace's influence."
"As the Prime Minister of a country, he should not be controlled by the people in the palace." Xin Qiwu came to his senses and bowed to the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince shook his head indifferently and signaled for him to continue.
Xin Qiwu continued, "What Master Guo said earlier is where the problem lies. Everyone knows that the Prime Minister has broken off relations with the Eldest Princess … but what does this have to do with the Eastern Palace? Does this mean that the Prime Minister is no longer loyal to His Majesty? Is he no longer on His Highness's side? "
The Crown Prince frowned. "But … my aunt has been very angry with the Prime Minister lately."
"Your Highness, forgive me for being presumptuous … but you cannot change your attitude towards the Prime Minister because of the Eldest Princess's attitude." Xin Qiwu was neither servile nor overbearing.
The Crown Prince's frown deepened. "But …" He wanted to say something, but stopped. Guo Baokun took this opportunity to speak coldly. "But if the Prime Minister is still the same as before, why hasn't he come to the Eastern Palace to pay his respects after the recent court meetings?"
Xin Qiwu smiled confidently and replied, "I did not deny that. Your Highness, this is only an arrangement. It is far from a competition of strength between the two sides. Truly intelligent officials will naturally stick closely to His Majesty. This is enough to ensure the longevity of their families. The Prime Minister is the same. He may be wavering between the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, but in the end, he will still listen to His Majesty's orders. If we want the Prime Minister to truly stand on our side … " He took a deep breath. "The key lies in Fan Xian. The Prime Minister no longer has a true son. Fan Xian is the future of the Lin family. If we can get Fan Xian to pledge allegiance to Your Highness, the Prime Minister's attitude will naturally change."
Guo Baokun snorted. "Don't forget the relationship between Crown Prince Jing and Fan Xian."
"And don't forget who worked for the person we found out a few days ago," Xin Qiwu said coldly. "That person deliberately let Fan Xian and Your Highness run into each other. Naturally, he hoped that Your Highness would remember the grudge from a few days ago and humiliate Fan Xian so that Fan Xian would truly join his side. Fortunately, Your Highness is wise. Naturally, you will not fall for such a despicable person's trick. "
The Crown Prince smiled warmly, somewhat pleased.
"If the Fan family is really on his side, why would he need to use such a trick?" Xin Qiwu continued, "I believe that with the Fan family's power, they will certainly find out the truth behind this matter. If they do find out that person did it, I fear that Fan Xian will bear a grudge. So we do not need to worry about the Fan family's current attitude."
The Crown Prince was somewhat moved. He said softly, "If the Fan family is still in the dark and has fallen for that person's trick, I might as well tell them."
"Taking in Fan Xian is the same as taking in the Fan family and the Lin family. The two great powers in the capital, the civil officials and the nobles, at least half of the people look to these two families. And in a few years, I'm afraid that even the palace treasury will be managed by this young man. " Xin Qiwu said softly to the Crown Prince, "An eighth-rank official can bring more than a few poems to the people of the capital."
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