Wan'er sucked in a breath of cold air. She realized that this was indeed the case. She heard Fan Xian continue with a smile. "That is why His Majesty can endure it for a while, but he cannot endure it forever. He can endure the officials, but he cannot endure his own son. If His Majesty does not want to think about it, then so be it. But once he starts thinking about the first problem, he cannot help but suspect many things. So it is only natural that he will clean up the exam hall scandal."
Lin Wan'er leaned her head against his chest. "Actually, these things are simple. If I want to think about it, I can understand it. Why can't the Crown Prince and the others understand?"
"It's not that they don't understand. It's just that the Crown Prince has begun to feel insecure." Fan Xian thought of the gifts the Emperor had given to the three princes at the beginning of the year. The deeper meaning contained within was something even Fan Xian could not understand. Presumably, regardless of whether it was the Crown Prince or the Great Prince, they were both frightened and uneasy. That was why they had stretched their hands so far on the exam field.
Lin Wan'er sighed. "I do not wish for you to become a king. I only wish to be a free and unfettered Marquis. These things are always troublesome."
"To be rich and idle is my wish," Fan Xian replied with a smile. Thinking of Jia Baoyu's nickname, he continued, "It's just that there are some things I can't get used to, and there will always be some suspicion. Who told me and my father to have such bad names?"
Seeing him tease her father, Lin Wan'er could not help but laugh. She paused and asked, "Father should be fine, right?"
"Don't worry. Father went to the Prime Minister's manor that night." He shook his head and sighed in admiration. "That's why I said that the Overwatch Council has handled this matter beautifully. Look at the officials who have been caught recently. Other than Minister Guo, there are people in the Eastern Palace and the Bureau of Military Affairs who have all fallen from their horses. Although my father-in-law has lost a Right Assistant Minister, he hasn't been hurt to the core. This sense of propriety, if it wasn't done by an old hand who has been immersed in officialdom for decades, couldn't have been mastered to such perfection."
"Is it difficult?" Lin Wan'er asked with a smile.
Fan Xian ran his fingers through his wife's black hair. "Very difficult. You have to hurt those powers, but not let them die of pain. Otherwise, the Emperor will not be able to handle it."
After saying this, a faint look of worry appeared on his face.
"What's wrong?" The attentive Wan 'er hugged her husband's arm tightly and asked with concern.
Fan Xian shook his head, trying to get rid of that hidden worry in his heart. "I had originally thought that this scandal would not be able to be hidden from the world, so I was prepared to fight a hard battle. I didn't expect the Overwatch Council to cover me so well. But you're right. There are no concrete walls in this world. The Eastern Palace will eventually find out about my relationship with the Overwatch Council. Furthermore, there are too many madmen in the Qing Kingdom. Right now, I am worried about that crippled madman. "
"Chen Pingping?" Lin Wan'er immediately knew who he was talking about, but she didn't know what connection her husband had with the Overwatch Council other than exposing the fraud. So she had some doubts. Her doubts were so strong that they overshadowed the words "cement wall".
Fan Xian smiled and did not explain the matter completely. He only quietly said, "I'm worried that Chen Pingping never wanted to hide this matter from the beginning."
"How dare he!"
Every girl liked their husband to be a hero filled with a sense of justice. So when Fan Xian secretly exposed the fraud, although Lin Wan'er was worried, her heart was filled with satisfaction and pride. Hearing that Chen Pingping wanted to push her husband to the world, she thought of the danger and trembled. She snorted and said, "Tomorrow, I will go to the palace to find the Empress Dowager!"
Fan Xian laughed and comforted her. "Even if Chen Pingping is pushing me out, I'm afraid he doesn't have any bad intentions."
Lin Wan'er did not understand, but Fan Xian knew that this was a good opportunity. After the banquet, if he wanted to firmly establish his reputation among the people of the Qing Kingdom, this scandal was undoubtedly the best opportunity. According to what Fei Jie had said, since his mother's close comrade, Chen Pingping, had always been unwilling to let him be a rich man in the palace treasury and insisted on letting him take charge of the Overwatch Council, then, according to Chen Pingping's legendary personality, it was not impossible for him to use the scandal to suddenly jump out of the crowd.
The problem was, what was the ratio of gain to loss? Fan Xian was still a bit uncertain.
He climbed out of bed and looked out the window at the light rain. Only then did he realize that it was almost noon. He and his wife had been in bed for most of the day. He couldn't help but smile sweetly, but his smile was a bit tired. This time, he exposed the fraud case, first, because he really pitied those truly talented scholars, second, because he was angry that those princes were using him as a rope, and most importantly, because he wanted to test Chen Pingping one last time.
Fan Xian was going to Northern Qi, so he had to know what attitude that terrifyingly powerful old man of the Overwatch Council had toward him. At the same time, he wanted to see clearly what attitude the Emperor behind the old man had toward him.
Attitude determined everything. Attitude determined relationships. Attitude could reveal history. It could reveal... one's past. Fan Xian slightly narrowed his eyes. Through the glass window that had been branded with his mother's scent, he looked at the dark clouds in the sky. He felt that everything in the Qing Kingdom was like an interesting brain teaser, and he seemed to be walking on a path that was infinitely close to the truth.
Perhaps his goal was already very close.
— — —
Outside Fan Manor, on the slightly damp street, an unmarked carriage was quietly waiting. Suddenly, a figure floated out from inside like a falling leaf. Just as he was about to land, his right hand rested on the edge of the carriage, and his whole body was already inside.
"Let's go," Fan Xian said as soon as he sat down.
Teng Zijing looked back at the young master from the driver's seat and smiled bitterly. "Young master, if the old master knew you were going out at this time of the year, he would teach me a lesson."
Fan Xian's smile became even more bitter. "If we don't hurry, not only will the old master use a stick to beat this unfilial son of mine, but even that gentle mistress of yours will use a rope to tie me up."
At this time of year, everyone in the capital was in a state of panic. The news that Guo You, the Director of the Board of Rites, had been arrested and imprisoned had spread throughout the capital in just two hours. All the officials involved in the spring examination were restless and stayed at home, afraid that a spy from the Overwatch Council would knock on their door and politely invite them to tea.
And Fan Xian was a key figure in the fraud case. Count Sinan, Fan Jian, and Princess Chen, who knew the inside story, did not dare to let him act. So he had to sneak out and sigh. "Teng Zijing, it's fortunate that I have you as a confidant in the capital. Otherwise, it would be difficult for me to even go out."
Wang Qinian, who had been sitting quietly by his side, clearly had the most bitter smile on his face. "Sir, I have always wanted to work hard to become your confidant."
Fan Xian laughed and teased him. "Wang Qinian, you should go do crosstalk."
The whip cracked, and the black carriage slowly moved forward. The wheels rolled over the puddles of water on the street. The green trees around them were washed by the rain, appearing even more green and tender. Behind the carriage were a few secret agents of the Overwatch Council wearing raincoats. They followed the carriage from a distance. They were all from the Qinian Unit, responsible for Commissioner Fan's safety.
"What if there are officials in the court seeking revenge? I don't have enough people here. "Wang Qinian knew what Fan Xian had done with the Council, and was a little worried.
Fan Xian smiled, and a chill appeared in his eyes. "Things are different now, and the place we are going to is not Niulan Street. I want to see, other than that crazy woman, who else would dare to assassinate me in the capital, right under His Majesty's nose?"
"Where are we going?" Teng Zijing asked in a low voice, not turning his head.
Fan Xian looked at Wang Qinian, and Wang Qinian whispered a name, then explained. "Coincidentally, the students you have taken a liking to are all staying in the same inn."
— — —
The carriage stopped outside Dieyi Alley. It was still drizzling. After Fan Xian alighted, he and Teng Zijing walked in, paper umbrellas in hand. Wang Qinian had long since disappeared into the crowd.
Dieyi Alley was a place where scholars from other counties gathered in the capital. Today, the exam hall fraud case had broken out in the capital, so it was still a cauldron of voices. Fan Xian raised his umbrella and carefully walked along the street, leaning slightly outward to prevent the rain from falling into the pots of the hawkers sheltering under the eaves of the street.
"Excuse me, excuse me." A thin scholar hurriedly shouted, carrying two jugs of wine in his hands. He brushed past Fan Xian and Teng Zijing, rushing forward, unafraid of the rain falling from the sky. But as he passed, he turned his head to look at Fan Xian.
Fan Xian raised his umbrella and watched the man disappear into the rain. He shook his head and laughed. "Isn't this just like the bunch of crazy people who graduated? Once the exam was over, they would get drunk. " He smacked his lips, a little regretful that he hadn't been able to attend the school's graduation banquet because of his health.
Teng Zijing didn't quite understand, but he still explained respectfully. "I guess it's because of Guo You's downfall that these students are so excited."
"Is Minister Guo's reputation that bad?" Fan Xian casually walked forward, looking like a young master who liked to take a stroll in the rain.
Teng Zijing laughed. "Not many of the capital's officials have a good reputation. There's a saying in the village: if you line up the officials of the Six Ministries and behead them, it's likely that one of them will be innocent."
Fan Xian laughed. In his previous life, there was also a joke like this. "Then do you think my father was the one who was innocent?"
Everyone knew that Count Sinan had been an assistant minister in the Ministry of Revenue and later a minister. Who knew how much money he had taken from the national treasury? In terms of corrupt officials, Fan Xian's father and father-in-law would probably be in the top three. But Teng Zijing didn't dare say this. Hearing the young master's question, cold sweat began to drip down his back. He smiled bitterly. "Young master, I misspoke. Please don't take it to heart."
"What are corrupt officials afraid of? The world doesn't worry about corrupt officials, but they worry about corrupt and incompetent officials. "
"Young master, your words are inappropriate."
Suddenly, someone unceremoniously squeezed into Fan Xian's umbrella to shelter from the rain. In his hand was a paper-wrapped roast chicken. The slightly charred aroma of the roast chicken couldn't be drowned out by the rain.
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