The Emperor, who was sitting high on the dragon throne, watched the performance of the officials below. An almost imperceptible smile appeared at the corners of his lips. He waved his hand to dismiss Xin Qiwu and said softly, "Does everyone think Xin Qiwu is more suitable?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." The officials all bowed to the ground, and their voices dragged out as a sign of respect.
Qin Heng, the advisor of the Bureau of Military Affairs who had suggested Fan Xian go to Northern Qi, looked at the Emperor with some surprise, and quickly retracted his gaze. At this time, the officials all agreed that Fan Xian was not suitable to be an envoy, and that the Emperor would probably change his mind.
"I, however, have a different opinion from you all."
The palace immediately became quiet, and only the Emperor's light voice could be heard echoing throughout the palace. "They say that jade that is not polished is worthless. I am sure you all remember Fan Xian's grace in front of the palace that day. Although he is a civil official, he once had the bravery to kill an assassin on Niulan Street. How could such a talent always remain in the quiet yamen of Taichang Temple and the Imperial College?"
Hearing this, everyone understood that the Emperor had long since made up his mind. They just didn't understand why the Emperor wanted Fan Xian to go to Northern Qi.
The Emperor looked at the officials lightly and continued. "He does not have enough experience, so he needs more experience. I think Fan Xian is suitable. Let him take care of this task. "
If the Emperor said it could be done, then it must be done.
The officials did not dare to say anything more. Only Lin Ruofu and Fan Jian had traces of worry on their faces. They would not deliberately hide this. As a father and a father, it was natural for them to have such a reaction. If they were to pretend to be elated and say that their Emperor was wise, it would instead make His Majesty and the officials look down on them.
"Fan Jian." The Emperor looked at the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue and slightly frowned.
"I am here." Fan Jian heard his name and was slightly shocked, and he quickly stepped forward.
The Emperor said quietly, "I want your son to take up this task. Do you have any thoughts?"
Fan Jian was silent for a while, and then immediately came to his senses. He smiled and replied, "I dare not have any thoughts."
"Do you not dare, or do you not have any?"
"I do not dare."
"If you dare, what will you think?"
Outside the palace, the wind and snow intertwined. Inside the palace, it was as warm as spring. But because of these few words between the ruler and the minister, it became as cold as outside. The officials who were on good terms with Fan Jian couldn't help but feel anxious. Why was Count Sinan so out of control in front of the palace today?
After a while, Fan Jian replied to the Emperor, "I have been separated from my son for 16 years. We have only been reunited for a few months, and now we have to be separated again. I cannot help but feel sorry for him."
These two words echoed in the palace, but no one knew who would hear them.
The Emperor smiled slightly. He knew that Fan Xian was saying this for him to hear. However, this childhood friend of his did not understand the true purpose of sending Fan Xian to Northern Qi. It seemed that only Chen Pingping understood him the best.
"It'll only be a few months. She'll leave in the middle of spring and return in early autumn. What's there to be unwilling about?"
The Emperor did not wait for Fan Jian to speak again. He smiled and waved his hand, announcing the edict. "The Minister of Revenue is old and weak, and has been recuperating for a long time. I hereby issue an edict of consolation. Fan Jian, the Left Assistant Minister of Revenue, will be given the position of Minister of Revenue."
The officials had no objections. Fan Jian had long covered the sky with one hand at the Ministry of Revenue, it was just that he had never been promoted. Some of the officials with a belly full of evil tricks couldn't help but mutter in their hearts, thinking that Assistant Minister Fan had just promoted Lady Liu, and now the Emperor was promoting him. If the Assistant Minister had known earlier, would he have promoted Lady Liu many years ago?
Of course, the officials all believed that this was His Majesty's way of making up for sending Fan Xian to Northern Qi.
Fan Jian knew that there was no turning back. His face calm, he went forward and kowtowed in thanks. The Emperor turned to Lin Ruofu and smiled. "Prime Minister, your daughter is newly married, and I am sending Fan Xian away. Do you have anything to say?"
Prime Minister Lin Ruofu smiled bitterly and bowed. The Emperor and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Qing seemed to be on good terms, but in reality, the Emperor's power was majestic, and no one dared to provoke them. He had been puzzled by Fan Jian's interest, and now that His Majesty had asked him, he did not dare to say anything. He calmly replied, "Fan Xian needs to be honed."
…
…
After the court meeting, the Emperor seemed to be in a better mood. He rode his carriage back to the rear palace. The officials followed the straight path to the outside of the palace walls. They all congratulated Fan Jian on his appointment as Minister of Revenue. From now on, he could rightfully control all of the Qing Kingdom's wealth and resources.
Guo You, the Minister of Rites, joked, "Sir Fan, from now on, our salaries will be coming from you. Don't be too stingy."
Fan Jian laughed and shook his head. "Sir Guo likes to joke." Fan Xian had made fun of Guo Baokun a few times, but in court, there seemed to be no ill feelings between the two of them.
As they walked out, Lin Ruofu coughed lightly and stepped forward. The officials bowed to the Prime Minister. They knew that he had something to say to his in-laws, so they parted. Lin Ruofu said quietly, "Sir Fan, why did His Majesty insist that Fan Xian go to Northern Qi?"
The two of them were now in-laws, so there was less pretense. Fan Jian smiled bitterly. "I truly do not know. Perhaps... he really wants my son to be honed?" Although he said this, he knew that the damned cripple must have done something behind the scenes. But on second thought, Fan Xian temporarily left the capital, avoiding the Crown Prince and the Second Prince's attempts to rope him in, and waiting for the Great Prince to return to the capital with his army might not be a bad choice.
Lin Ruofu seemed to have thought of this at the same time, but he had a deeper suspicion. It seemed that His Majesty cared a little too much about his "beloved son-in-law". Was it really just because of Chen'er?
The Prime Minister shook his head and smiled at his in-laws. "Dabao has been on the mountain recently. Thank you for your trouble, Sir Fan."
"What are you talking about?" Fan Jian laughed. "We are all one family. In another month, when the flowers bloom, the diplomatic mission to Northern Qi will leave the capital. When the time comes, I will have Wan'er visit the Prime Minister's manor often. "
"Yes. These days, Dabao has not been in the manor. Chang Jue's manor has been quiet." Lin Ruofu sensed something and sighed. "Master Fan, if you have some free time, you might as well come visit my manor."
"How could I dare disobey the Prime Minister's orders?" Fan Jian smiled.
— — — —
Once again, in a secluded, deserted place, two carriages. Once again, the two schemers who had stood behind Fan Xian for over a decade were hiding in their own carriages, talking.
"As I said, I do not wish for him to have anything to do with the Overwatch Council!" Fan Jian, who had just been promoted to Minister of Revenue, sounded cold and indifferent.
In the opposite carriage, Chen Pingping let out a low chuckle. "The diplomatic mission to Northern Qi has nothing to do with my shabby Council."
Fan Jian couldn't help but lift the curtain of the carriage. "Nothing to do with you? Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do. Xiao En is in your hands now. If you want to kill him, kill him. Why let him fight for his reputation? You and I both know what kind of person Xiao En is. If he were to return to Northern Qi, killing him would be very difficult. You should also know how difficult it would be. "
"I haven't forgotten. You have a portion of His Majesty's power in your hands. I believe there are people in the Council who work for you as well." Chen Pingping continued to chuckle. There seemed to be something sinister in his laughter.
"I'm afraid His Majesty wouldn't like it if we met in private. As for Xiao En, it doesn't matter if I kill him or not. I've squeezed his marrow for twenty years. There's nothing left. And the young Emperor of Northern Qi may not be as broad-minded as our master. Whether or not he dares to use the head spy of the former Wei Kingdom is another matter. As for Fan Xian's diplomatic mission to Northern Qi, it was truly the Emperor's will. Master Fan, you know that if you let that child stay in the capital, he will be dragged around by the Crown Prince and the Second Prince every day. I'm afraid he will cause a lot of trouble in the future. "
Fan Jian fell silent. He knew this was a fatal problem. He could not allow Fan Xian to participate in the struggle for the throne. He let down the curtain of the carriage and closed his eyes as he leaned against the cushion. He still couldn't let the child he had watched over for over a decade have anything to do with the terrifying Overwatch Council.
As if guessing what he was thinking, Chen Pingping said coldly, "Since His Majesty has agreed to this arrangement, you don't have to worry."
No one saw the cold smile on Fan Jian's lips. "Yan Bingyun has been captured. How will the Council cooperate with him?"
"Naturally, someone will take over."
"Don't send mediocre people!"
Chen Pingping smiled. "Perhaps it's time for you to put in some effort. You must know that Dongyi sent people to the palace to assassinate the Eldest Princess's palace maid. Ye Zhong has always suspected the Council was behind it. The news has already reached Xinyang, so it's a little inconvenient for me. "
Fan Jian's heart skipped a beat.
— — — —
Atop the Cang Mountains, the snow was thick. White mist rose from the hot springs in the distance. The red-crowned cranes were nowhere to be seen. Fan Xian carefully read the letters his father and Wang Qinian had sent him, then rubbed them into powder and tossed them out the window.
The snowy scenery outside the window was beautiful. Da Bao and Fan Sizhe were making a snowman, one fat and one fat, quarreling non-stop. It was only at times like this that Fan Sizhe would show some of the normal behavior of a child, rather than a rotten bookkeeper.
Fan Xian smiled. It was difficult to travel in these snowy days, but the Danbo Bookstore in the capital had still sent people to the mountains to deliver the accounts. That Seventh Ye shopkeeper was truly loyal to his duty. The bookstore's business was doing surprisingly well. Because of the release of "Banxianzhai Poetry Collection," several branches in the capital had also firmly established their foothold, and the branches of Danbo Bookstore in the neighboring counties had also begun to make money.
Fan Sizhe had checked the accounts the night before. When he saw the net income of 23,000 taels of silver, his eyes reddened. He kept trying to convince himself to quickly release the last ten chapters of "Story of the Stone". But Fan Xian wouldn't agree. Writing poetry had already caused so much trouble. If people knew that "Story of the Stone" was also written by him, who knew what kind of storm it would cause?
The Eldest Princess had returned to Xinyang, but she still had influence in the court. More importantly, he didn't know whether her ally was the Crown Prince or the Second Prince that he had never met.
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