The Crown Prince was moved. After a while, he finally made up his mind. He slapped the desk and said, "Very well, I will give Fan Xian a chance. I hope he will not disappoint me."
The Eastern Palace's plan was set. Guo Baokun was sad, Xin Qiwu was excited, and the Crown Prince felt that he was wise and tolerant. But none of them knew that the Empress and Eldest Princess had once tried to assassinate Fan Xian. The true power behind the Eastern Palace had already clashed with Fan Xian twice, once in Danzhou, and once in Niulan Street and at the foot of Cang Mountain.
Of course, they had no way of knowing that a few years later, things would become so absurd and inconceivable. The night in the Royal Palace was always more distant and dark than in other places. It hid all the truth and the past, and made it impossible to see what kind of face would appear in the near future.
— — —
With the Overwatch Council's intelligence as their backing, the negotiations over the next few days suddenly changed. Northern Qi still wanted to use the sticky-candy tactic to drag things out day by day, hoping to wear down the patience of the Qing court. Who would have thought that the powerful Vice-Minister of the Honglu Temple, Xin Qiwu, would become even more ferocious over the past two days at the negotiation table. His aura had transformed into a mountain-splitting axe, chopping down on the other party again and again!
After three rounds of negotiations, issues such as the exchange of prisoners, tribute, and titles were all resolved. All that was left was the difficult bone to chew: the redrawing of the borders between the vassal states.
As the assistant envoy, Fan Xian watched the entire process with cold eyes. He greatly admired Xin Shaoqing's knowledge and charisma. He had not expected the Crown Prince to be surrounded by more than just ordinary people. Not everyone in the Eastern Palace was as annoying as Guo Baokun. Xin Qiwu, in his free time during the negotiations, also had time to communicate with Fan Xian or observe him in secret. He was surprised that Fan Xian, so young, was able to maintain his composure. He increasingly felt that he could not see through this young nobleman.
Overall, the negotiations went smoothly. Aside from the Overwatch Council's help in compiling the dossier, Fan Xian did not do much. But in the future, when it came to rewards, he would always be missing a share, so Fan Xian was very satisfied with his current life.
The bookstore was managed by Qingyu Hall's Seventh Ye shopkeeper, and Fan Sizhe often worked as an accountant, so there was no need for him to worry about it. Naturally, the women of the Lin and Fan Manors were busy preparing for the wedding in two months. Even Lady Liu was very happy with the fact that Fan Xian was going to be the fake son-in-law. She played the role of a stepmother and was very busy. After all, if he married the Emperor's adopted daughter, Fan Xian would probably not inherit the title of nobility.
Furthermore, Lin Wan'er had another identity. The old spinsters in the palace often came to the manor to make irresponsible remarks. Every few days, there would be an edict from one of the concubines, causing Count Sinan and Fan Jian to be badly battered. For Fan Xian, who had no understanding of the etiquette of the palace, these things were naturally avoided as much as possible. It was just that Lin Wan'er and Ruoruo, who were helping their brother carry the ceremony, had to spend every day immersed in this pain.
The Second Prince had asked Crown Prince Jing to speak on his behalf twice, wanting to invite Fan Xian for a meeting. But the encounter with the Crown Prince during the summer vacation had left a shadow in Fan Xian's heart, so he pushed it back to the end of the month, hoping that things would have calmed down by then. After all, it seemed that the Eastern Palace's attitude toward Fan Manor had changed. It wasn't that he dared to refuse the Prince's invitation, but that he had used a good name. When he was working for the country, he dared not linger in Flower Alley.
During these days, the only thing that worried him was Zhuang Mohan of the Northern Qi diplomatic mission, who had been living in seclusion, and Sigu Jian's first disciple of the Dongyi diplomatic mission. Of these two, one was a scholar and the other a warrior, both were top figures in the world. It was a bit too quiet in the capital. Zhuang Mohan had been invited by the Empress Dowager to stay in the palace to give lectures, while Sigu Jian's head disciple, Yun Zhilan, had remained with the diplomatic mission.
Fan Xian paid the most attention to Yun Zhilan. After all, Zhuang Mohan's reputation as a scholar did not conflict with Fan Xian's, while Yun Zhilan had taken his life. But in the capital of the Kingdom of Qing, Fan Xian believed that Yun Zhilan would not be so stupid as to seek vengeance on him alone. So what really bothered Fan Xian was a key.
At night, he stared at the black leather case in a daze. The lock looked to be made of brass, but he had tried it before. Even the slender dagger that Fei Jie had left behind could not make a mark on it. It seemed that the material was strange. Behind the brass keyhole, there seemed to be some sort of mechanism, but if he could not obtain the key, he would not even be able to see what the mechanism looked like.
Fan Xian had once tried to find some way to get to know Eunuch Hong of the palace, but after a few attempts, he realized something. Although he seemed to be doing very well in the capital, there was still a long way to go before he reached the top of the world. The Crown Prince and the Second Prince wanted to rope him in because of the Fan and Lin manors behind him. It was not because of anything special about him. And the area around the palace, because he did not need to look at the officials, he had no way of getting in touch with them.
It was also not convenient for Wan'er to enter the palace often, so there was no one who could help him. Even if he wanted to get to know Hong Sixiang, it would be difficult, not to mention that he had to do as Uncle Wu Zhu said and keep him outside the palace for two hours.
When the Second Prince used Crown Prince Li Hongcheng to invite Fan Xian, he had cleverly used the mouths of others to see if he could get to know Eunuch Hong, but Li Hongcheng shook his head. That old dog would only lie in the shade of the Empress Dowager's palace, and would never leave the palace.
"It looks like I have to change my plan." With a thud, Fan Xian kicked the case back onto the bed. Looking at Wu Zhu, who seemed to be asleep in the corner, he said, "I have no way of dragging Eunuch Hong out."
Wu Zhu slowly raised his head. "I can lure him out, or you can try to find the key in the palace."
Fan Xian was shocked. With his average ability of between the fourth level and the sixth level, did he want to die in the palace? But he narrowed his eyes and felt that this seemed to be a more feasible path. Uncle Wu Zhu always said that his "power" was only at the third level, but he was able to kill Cheng Jushu. It seemed that Wu Zhu's calculation ability was too strong, and so he underestimated his ability to use zhenqi. Of course, this was not something Fan Xian could say.
"If it really is too dangerous, why do I need this key?" This was a question that had been lingering in Fan Xian's mind for a long time. "If it's just out of curiosity, it doesn't seem worth it to take such a big risk."
"Don't you want to know what the Lady left for you?"
"I do." Fan Xian sat on the bed, his head slightly lowered. "But I think that mother must want me to be happy, safe, and live happily in this world. If she put her son in danger because she wanted to know what she left for him, perhaps mother would not want it."
Wu Zhu also lowered his head, the black cloth covering his eyes blending into the darkness around him. Although he was not looking at Fan Xian, Fan Xian still felt a chill.
"You are very satisfied with your current life."
Wu Zhu's voice was very cold. As always, he rarely asked questions. He was just calmly stating a fact. Fan Xian was startled. After he entered the capital, especially in the period after summer, he seemed to really enjoy the power, wealth, and stability that came with being the son of a noble family.
"But you cannot control your own life." Wu Zhu continued speaking coldly. "Everything before you is constructed according to the plans of Chen Pingping and Fan Jian."
Fan Xian felt a chill in his heart. He understood what Wu Zhu meant. But even though he had lived two lives, and thought he had seen the coldness and treachery of the world, he still did not dare believe this kind of judgment. He lowered his voice and said, "Can you not even trust them?"
Wu Zhu's voice became even colder. "It is my habit to trust no one."
"That kind of life will be very difficult." Fan Xian closed his eyes, as if he was simulating an eternal life in the dark.
"After they die, what will you do?" Wu Zhu rarely asked a question, and this one hit Fan Xian where it hurt.
Fan Xian frowned and said, "I understand."
Wu Zhu ignored his expression and continued speaking without a trace of emotion. "The only thing that can protect you is not conspiracy, not power, not anything else. It is only power. You must remember this."
Fan Xian stood up from the side of the bed and bowed respectfully toward this servant, this teacher, this elder brother.
"I do not know what the Lady left you in the box, but I do know that you must have enough power to protect yourself and intimidate your enemies. Determination is also a kind of power, so I want you to find that key. "
"Yes, I will take care of it immediately."
When Fan Xian raised his head, he found that Wu Zhu had once again disappeared into the night. In the ten years they had spent together, Wu Zhu rarely spoke so much in one go, other than on rainy nights when he thought of his mother.
Fan Xian understood what Wu Zhu meant. The prosperity of the capital was bone-crushing and soul-consuming. It had indeed caused the calmness and strength that he had honed since he was young to show signs of weakness. This was a warning to him not to rely too much on the so-called power of his family and the legacy of his mother. These days, although he had worked hard to cultivate the Tyrannical zhenqi in his body and to familiarize himself with the three poisonous needles, it was as Wu Zhu had said: his heart was not as strong as it had been in Danzhou.
The only thing that can protect each and every one of us is our own strength. A child without a mother is like a blade of grass. Even the grass has to run out of the cracks in the rock. Ignore the sun and the rain. Take root deeper and make your stem sturdier. That is the right path.
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