At the end of the year, according to palace custom, each prince and princess would receive a gift from the palace. This year's gift was somewhat different. First, the Crown Prince received the first gift. This was natural, but it was more generous than in previous years. There was also a book personally written by the Emperor. Secondly, the Second Prince's reward was also of a higher level. The Great Prince, who was far away at the border, received a bow and arrows as a gift. Most importantly, along with this bow was an imperial edict, announcing that when the grass grew at the end of summer, he would return to the capital to be conferred the title of Prince.
The officials in the capital were confused. They did not know what the Emperor was thinking. It seemed that the Crown Prince's position was still incomparably stable. So why was the Great Prince summoned back? This prince had been leading troops for many years. Although he was not the legitimate son, he was the eldest son. If he returned to the capital, the situation in the water would be somewhat unstable.
Among the rewards from the palace, there was an edict that attracted attention. It was sent to Fan Xian, a fifth-level official of the Imperial College, who was hiding in the Cang Mountains. The Emperor had actually rewarded him according to the etiquette of a prince consort. The officials guessed that this was for the sake of Miss Lin.
There was a lot of activity at the end of the year. The families of the officials and gentry often exchanged gifts. Those who were familiar with each other would also personally visit. There were also two groups of messengers who brought generous gifts to the Cang Mountains. These gifts came from the Crown Prince's palace and the Second Prince's manor.
Everyone thought that once the civil service examinations were over, Fan Xian would be hindered by his status as the prince consort of the princess, and it would be difficult for him to rise in the officialdom. The Emperor would then order him to take over the palace treasury. So the Crown Prince and the Second Prince had to hurry up and increase their efforts to win him over before this happened. They did this very discreetly, and they believed that the messengers who brought the gifts would not be discovered.
...
...
"What did the Second Prince bring?"
The Emperor of the Kingdom of Qing leaned against a soft couch, wrapped in a large black robe. His face was calm, and a few wrinkles were particularly obvious on his well-maintained face. His eyes quietly stared at the snowflakes that were as big as goose feathers outside his study.
Chen Pingping coughed twice and tightened the blanket on his knees. He respectfully replied, "It's a poetry collection from the previous dynasty."
The Emperor smiled slightly, but there was a trace of mockery at the corner of his lips. "My second son likes to write sour poems, but he thinks everyone in the world is like him. Fan Xian casually wrote a poem, and it surpassed countless poets of the previous dynasty. This gift is too of a gift. "
He then asked, "What did the Crown Prince bring?"
"A box of jade-green mahjong tiles." Chen Pingping rubbed his smooth chin and followed the Emperor's gaze to the large patch of flat snow in the Royal Palace. He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Fan Xian likes it very much."
"Fan... Xian," the Emperor said quietly. Emperor. His Majesty said in a low voice, "The Crown Prince's gift is brilliant. I wonder who in the Eastern Palace came up with the idea."
"Xin Prince's of the Xin. Of Chen of the of to of of the Emperor of the of the of. of the of of the Emperor of of the Emperor to to to. Chen of the Chen of, the Prince.
"of," of, the Chen of the of the Dynasty, of the Emperor, the Emperor. the Emperor, Emperor, the Emperor of of of the Prince.
Chen Pingping carefully replied, "With a caring Fan Xian by my side to take care of me, I should be happier than in the palace."
"No one in the palace can truly be happy," the Emperor said with a smile. "Have you really decided to send Fan Xian to Northern Qi?"
Chen Pingping sat in his wheelchair and still lowered his head with great difficulty. He bowed and said, "Yes. Since Your Majesty has agreed to my suggestion, then I will begin to make arrangements. If Fan Xian does not do something for the Council, it will be difficult for him to truly control the Council and serve Your Majesty. "
The atmosphere between the two of them suddenly became cold and silent. The Emperor looked coldly at Chen Pingping's head. A moment later, he faintly said, "Don't forget, he is of royal blood. How can he take such a risk?"
…
…
After a long silence, Chen Pingping forced a smile with some difficulty and insisted on his own opinion. "Master, the problem is that he will never be able to become a member of the royal family. As Master's subordinate, I want to find a safe future for him." He paused and then said, "If he takes over the palace treasury, he will certainly become a target for the princes. Master, I do not wish to see such a situation. It would be better to let him go out and lie low for a while. Hiding in the Cang Mountains all the time is not a good idea."
The Emperor looked coldly at the cripple in front of him. In the eyes of the officials, he was like an old dog, but how long had it been since he had heard the word "master" come out of his mouth?
"Approved." The Emperor slowly closed his eyes. It seemed that in that moment, the wind and snow in the palace had disappeared without a trace.
Chen Pingping sat quietly in his wheelchair and waited for a long time. Finally, he heard the Emperor's next words. "But you must know that Count Sinan and Prime Minister Lin will not agree to this arrangement. In a moment, I will be annoyed to death."
"Let's go!"
The clear voice of a young eunuch rang out from under the eaves of the Xingqing Palace. With a rustling sound, eunuchs and palace maids rushed out from the side of the hall, carrying the Emperor's carriage and serving the Emperor to the front of the hall.
The carriage was so well sealed that the wind and snow could not sneak in. The Emperor's eyes were half closed, and his chin was propped up in his hand. No one knew what he was thinking. His palm slowly caressed the slightly hot charcoal stove. After a long time, he sighed and opened his eyes. He looked at the familiar palace scenery and gently shook his head.
— — — —
In the main hall of the palace, a eunuch came out with a horsetail whisk and said in a clear voice, "His Majesty has arrived."
Below, the officials who had been waiting for a long time straightened their clothes and bowed to the ground, shouting, "Long live the Emperor." The Emperor glanced at these officials and slowly walked to sit in front of the dragon chair. "Rise," he said.
Hearing this, the officials climbed to their feet. But these high-ranking officials and nobles had lived comfortably in the capital. It was inevitable that they were a little fat and weak, so their movements were slow and comical.
…
…
"Everything else has been settled. Spring is approaching. After the imperial examinations, it is time to carry out the agreement made with the north last year." The Emperor did not seem to be in good spirits. He leaned back on the Dragon Throne. "Ministers, are there any suitable candidates for the envoy?"
In the past few months, there had been rumors that the Prime Minister's new son-in-law, Fan Xian, the Fifth Scholar of the Imperial College, might be sent to Northern Qi. Prime Minister Lin Ruofu had always thought that it was the civil officials who opposed him in court causing trouble, so he had made ample preparations.
Originally, the Fan and Lin families had never liked each other in court. One was a steadfast supporter of the royal faction, while the other had an unclear relationship with the Eldest Princess. But with Fan Xian's arrival in the capital, everything changed dramatically. The Prime Minister and the Eldest Princess broke off relations, and Assistant Minister Fan became his in-law.
Assistant Minister Fan Jian of the Ministry of Revenue stood a little to the back. He glanced at the front of the line and found that Prime Minister Lin Ruofu was also looking at him. Their eyes met, and they smiled.
"Your Majesty, I believe that Xin Qiwu of the Chamberlain of Honglu Temple handled matters neatly during the last negotiations, and did much for the benefit of the country. He is an excellent talent, and Xin Qiwu would be the most suitable envoy for this return visit."
The first to respond was Prime Minister Lin Ruofu's disciple, the Junior Minister of Taichang Temple, Ren Shao 'an. Because today's court discussion would discuss the matter of the return visit, all etiquette and regulations needed to be consulted, so he and the Junior Minister of Honglu Temple, Xin Qiwu, were both present in the hall.
Xin Qiwu was a little surprised. Why was he being pushed out? Of course, he understood that the Prime Minister would not want his son-in-law to travel thousands of miles to an enemy country. Although there would be no problems with safety, the journey was long. Fan Xian would certainly be promoted again during the spring examinations, and if he immediately went on a mission, who knew what would happen in court in a few months?
In fact, the Crown Prince's opinion was similar to that of the Prime Minister. Now that the Eldest Princess was no longer behind the Crown Prince's back, the Crown Prince's way of thinking was much more mature. He believed that Fan Xian should stay in the capital and immediately take over the palace treasury, and at the same time increase his efforts to win him over. This was the right path. If he could use this to control Assistant Minister Fan and repair his relationship with the Prime Minister, that would be even better. Furthermore, the spring examinations were approaching, and the Eastern Palace still needed to rely on Fan Xian.
It seemed that no one in court today would suggest that Fan Xian go on a diplomatic mission to Northern Qi. After all, even if you were a senior statesman of three dynasties and a minister of a ministry, if you offended the Fan and Lin families, you might not be able to bear the hatred of those two old men.
So the hall immediately fell silent. It seemed that all the officials approved of Xin Qiwu's proposal to go on a diplomatic mission to Northern Qi. Even Xin Qiwu himself began to prepare to accept the order and take Fan Xian's place.
The Emperor frowned slightly, as if he had not expected the current situation. He gently placed the stove in his hand on a small yellow satin table beside him.
At that moment, someone stepped out from the ranks of the officials. In a low voice, he said, "I propose that the Imperial College send Fan Xian as a diplomatic envoy to Northern Qi."
The officials had not expected that someone would be willing to offend both the Fan and Lin families. Countless gazes fell upon him, and only then did they realize that the speaker was Qin Heng, a counselor of the Bureau of Military Affairs. Qin Heng had a military background, so he was not afraid of the gazes of the officials. But everyone was puzzled. Even if you were a member of the Bureau of Military Affairs, there was no need to offend the Prime Minister and the Fan family.
Hearing this proposal, Prime Minister Lin Ruofu's expression did not change. He was very calm. Count Sinan smiled helplessly. Because of their relationship with Fan Xian, these two old foxes naturally could not say anything. But there were naturally officials who spoke up for them. After a round of discussion in front of the hall, one of the officials said in a low voice, "I do not think this is appropriate.
Young Master Fan is only seventeen years old, and has not had any experience in the bureaucracy. Going on a diplomatic mission to Northern Qi is an important matter of promoting national might and forging friendship. Although young Master Fan is talented, he is not experienced enough. I fear that it would be difficult for him to shoulder such a heavy responsibility. Xin Qiwu, on the other hand, is steady and appropriate. This trip to Northern Qi should be smooth. "
Xin Qiwu sighed in his heart. He knew that he had to take the initiative. He stepped out of the ranks and bowed. "I am willing to serve my country."
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