"Last night, the rain was light and the wind was strong. Deep sleep did not sober the wine. Ask the Curtain Rollers, and they say Haitang is still the same. Do you know, do you know, it should be green fat and red thin? "Fan Xian softly recited from beneath the tree. His voice was gentle, but it was unclear whether he was talking about a person or an object. This was the first time since that night in front of the palace that the immortal of poetry, Fan Xian, had composed a poem.
This girl called Haitang quietly looked at that slender and even somewhat thin body. She gradually loosened her grip on the dagger.
"If you want to fight, then I will fight." Fan Xian suddenly turned around. His face was full of smiles, but he still carried a look of unswerving determination as he looked at Haitang. "It's only one day. I would like to see, even if I do not use those half-drunk methods, whether or not I can protect Xiao En's old life from Haitang's hands."
Drunken tricks? Of course it meant drunken spring.
Haitang's expression was calm. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking. It seemed that she had not expected that after reciting that poem, Fan Xian would reveal the backbone and courage that a man should have. As a proud daughter of heaven, she had unexpectedly suffered such a setback at Fan Xian's hands. She had not expected that Fan Xian would have the courage to face her alone. At this moment, she truly did not understand the young official in front of her. She could not help but frown slightly.
But it seemed that she was interested in something else. She quietly said, "Master Fan, I have heard that you will no longer compose poetry. Why are you in the mood today?"
"When I see the pine, I think of winter. When I see the chrysanthemum, I think of autumn. When I see the crabapple, I think of..." Fan Xian swallowed the word "spring" just in time. He looked at Haitang with a smile. "Poetry is at the end of the road. It is useless for the country and its people. I have some reputation for poetry in the Kingdom of Qing, but I do not have the patience to recite these lines on Sundays. This poem was written by chance after a storm last year. Today, seeing the spirit in Haitang's frail appearance, I could not help but recite it. I hope you do not blame me for being absurd. "
Haitang raised her head and squinted at Fan Xian. She suddenly smiled. "I don't care if you are putting on an act or trying to weaken my will. I just feel that what you said earlier was reasonable. You are an official of the Kingdom of Qing, and it is your freedom to use whatever methods you want, so I will not hold a grudge against you. As for Master Fan's earlier poem, perhaps it was a good one, but I have never been an expert in this field, so naturally I do not understand its meaning. All I know is that the crabapple cannot be soaked in the rain. If the water accumulates in the pot, the roots will rot. Regardless of whether it is green or red, I fear it will become a pot of rotten fruit. "
Having said this, she turned and walked back. A few moments later, she had disappeared into the quiet mountain forest, leaving behind only a faint fragrance, a few bird cries, and an embarrassed Fan Xian.
…
…
"Why did Miss Hua leave?" Fan Xian seemed to have lost something. He sighed. "I was going to tell you a story about a mushroom-picking girl."
Haitang left with ease, and Fan Xian returned with ease. He patted his buttocks, clasped his hands behind his back, and slowly walked back along the moss-covered mountain road. After a few steps, he saw the seven Tiger Guards on the other side of the road, who looked as if they were facing a great enemy. Wang Qinian led a group of Overwatch Council officials and hid in the grass, ready to attack at any moment.
Seeing the commissioner return safely, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. The Overwatch Council officials hiding in the grass also stood up, but their faces and bodies were covered in grass stains, which made them look very comical.
"Master, is that it?" Wang Qinian frowned as he followed behind Fan Xian. "This Haitang is a ninth-level master according to our intelligence reports, and Northern Qi always says she is a Tianmai. No matter how you look at it, she seems quite ordinary... and she did not make a move on you, Master?"
"Make a move on me?" Fan Xian heard the vile meaning in Wang Qinian's words. "If she had made a move on me, would I be able to walk back so calmly?"
He suddenly stopped and looked at Wang Qinian suspiciously. "You used to be an expert at tracking people, so your hearing must be good."
"Yes, Master." Wang Qinian did not know what he meant.
"Then did you hear my conversation with her just now?" Fan Xian's face was full of smiles, but it was full of pressure.
Wang Qinian did not dare to hide anything. "I heard some of it."
"What did you hear?"
Wang Qinian's face was full of worry. "I heard a wonderful poem from Master, and I also heard something about medicine."
Fan Xian warned him. "Do not reveal it." If the news that he had used an aphrodisiac on Haitang was made public, he would certainly offend all the people of Northern Qi, and Haitang would probably be so ashamed that she would cover her face with a flower basket before she dared to go out on the streets.
"Yes." Wang Qinian was full of admiration. "Master is indeed not an ordinary person. With just a few simple words, you were able to send such a terrifying master away."
Fan Xian paid no attention to his flattery. He only sank into deep thought. Today's matter seemed simple, but he had actually put a lot of thought into it. First of all, he had always referred to himself as an official. He wanted to make Haitang aware that this was not just a fight on the jianghu, so that she would not fly into a rage because of the aphrodisiac and forget many things that she should pay attention to.
As for Li Qingzhao's Dream Order, Fan Xian had shamelessly prepared it while he was in the capital. Ever since Yan Ruohai had told him about a strange woman in the north called Haitang, Fan Xian had begun to prepare this kind of numbing method. He had even prepared a poem by Han Yu called "Lazy to Get Up": "Last night it rained in the third watch, a chill before dawn. Are the Haitang flowers there? I lay on my side and roll up the curtains. "
But this poem was more intimate than Li Qingzhao's, so he did not dare to use it today. Fan Xian smiled slightly. He had deliberately said that he had felt something because of Haitang's delicateness. Thinking about it, the aphrodisiac must have made the girl very happy. She had been the female disciple of a grandmaster since she was a child, and was worshipped by the foolish common people as a Tianmai. After she finished her apprenticeship, she was temporarily unrivaled. She was truly a heroine among women. But the more one was like this, the more one wanted to be seen by others as a weak character — a woman, even if she was a queen, was still a woman.
Perhaps Fan Xian was not the most able person in the world to see through the minds of others, but he was certainly the man who understood the minds of women the best. Because in this world where men were superior to women, there was no man who was willing to use an equal attitude and a meticulous spirit to analyze what a woman wanted.
Fan Xian was willing because he loved all women who were clean. That was why, although there were traces, he was still able to let the other party enjoy a few slaps on the buttocks.
He took out the antidote that was identical to the one he had given Haitang from his bosom and swallowed it with a gurgle. "What medicine?" asked Wang Qinian curiously. Fan Xian tossed one to him. "Sixfold Tangerine Peel Pill. It clears away internal heat. Take it often."
There was no antidote for the aphrodisiac that Fan Xian had concocted. Soak it in cold water and let it pass for a day. The aphrodisiac in Haitang's body was real, but the reason it had not been forced out was because of the reeds in Beihai Lake. Every spring, the cylindrical sheaths of those reeds would grow a kind of leaf-tongue hair. When this white hair fell into the water, it would interact with Fan Xian's medicine, making the woman's body feel numb and itchy, making her think that the poison was still lingering.
Because of this, Haitang had silently accepted Fan Xian's agreement to exchange the antidote for her safety.
Thinking of this, Fan Xian couldn't help but shake his head and sigh. He really was a very lucky man, but he didn't know when his luck would end.
— — — —
That day, the diplomatic mission stopped in the valley by the lake. Xiao En, with his broken leg, sat listlessly in the carriage. He knew that what awaited him would be imprisonment by the royal family of Northern Qi. The people of the Zhan family had always been extremely fanatical. In order to find the whereabouts of the temple, they would certainly not let him off easy. And in order to prevent this from happening, Ku He would probably use his power to kill him. As for Hu'er … the old man suddenly grew tired of the intrigue and thought that if he had died at Fan Xian's hands in the morning, perhaps that would have been a good ending.
The diplomatic mission that had crossed the border had not yet returned, and was probably throwing a tantrum at the Northern Qi officials. Indeed, the corpses outside Wuduhe had already been collected by the Kingdom of Qing. These were the greatest evidence of the Northern Qi army's trespassing and futile attempt to rescue the prisoners.
In the current state of affairs, the Kingdom of Qing was the main attacker, and the other countries were the main defenders. Fan Xian's diplomatic mission had no choice but to fly into a rage and take advantage of this opportunity to stir up trouble. After who knew how long, the Northern Qi officials had finally calmed the Qing envoy's anger.
The secret agreement and the open agreement had finally entered the next stage.
The diplomatic mission's carriages formed a long procession, and they slowly circled around the shore of the North Sea Lake and turned into another valley. Fan Xian sat in the carriage, looking at the vast and boundless lake and the gradually rising mist. His face was expressionless, but his mood was somewhat complicated.
The carriage pressed against the meadow, leaving deep tracks and turning over fresh soil. The four-wheeled carriage was moving with great force, and only then did it not sink into the wet meadow.
Before entering the town, Fan Xian boarded Si Lili's carriage for the last time. The two of them looked at each other in silence. After a while, Fan Xian said quietly, "After entering Northern Qi, it will be inconvenient for me to visit you."
Si Lili nodded slightly, and her expression became much calmer. She said softly, "It has been hard on you all this way, sir."
Fan Xian looked at the woman's soft and beautiful face, and the smooth curves of her body. He tilted his head slightly, as if he was about to say something. In the end, he reluctantly closed his mouth and left the carriage.
...
...
The meadow outside the town of Wuduhe still bore the bloody traces of yesterday's battle. In the deepest patch of grass beneath the mound, there were still broken limbs and weapons.
Fan Xian leaned against the carriage window and looked at the marks in the grass. He thought of the terrifying killing power of the Black Knights yesterday, and was secretly shocked. The corpses of the Northern Qi people had already been transported back to their country. As for what compensation they would have to pay in the future, that was not something Fan Xian needed to consider right now.
The carriages entered the town, but they did not stop. Under the gazes of the numb townsfolk, they slowly moved along the stone road, heading northeast. The curtain was still open. This was Fan Xian's personal habit. He liked to sit in the carriage and look at the people and scenery along the way. He did not want to have his eyes covered by a black cloth.
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