"An adopted orphan?" Everyone was shocked.
Fan Xian replied calmly, "But it was a long time ago. After Xiao En was captured, Northern Wei was destroyed, and the world was thrown into chaos. It was then that Shang Shanhu emerged." The Overwatch Council had other evidence, or else they wouldn't have come to this conclusion. But Fan Xian's mission to the north was to confirm Shang Shanhu's master.
"No wonder Shang Shanhu was in such a hurry to rescue Xiao En."
"This is a big problem for the Northern Qi court." Fan Xian stopped abruptly and frowned. Haitang wanted Xiao En dead, the Emperor wanted to force Xiao En to reveal the location of the temple, and Shang Shanhu simply wanted the old man to have a happy old age. The three most powerful forces in Northern Qi, because of Xiao En, had split into three completely different forces. There was going to be a good show to watch.
Of course, Fan Xian also wanted to know the secret of the temple, so he couldn't just be a spectator.
It was getting late, and everyone was tired from the journey, so they began to make arrangements for their rest. As for the next day's arrangements, the relevant officials had already drawn up the rules. Lin Wen only selected a few important matters to report to Fan Xian. The most important thing the next day was to enter the palace and meet with the Emperor, and then to negotiate the exchange of prisoners at the Office of the Grand Herald.
Fan Xian thought for a moment and said, "We'll enter the palace in the morning. As for the Office of the Grand Herald in the afternoon, I'll have to trouble you." He turned to Ling Jing.
"Sir?" Ling Jing looked at Fan Xian, puzzled. This was an important occasion for the exchange of prisoners and tribute. How could the envoy not be present?
Fan Xian lowered his eyelids and said quietly, "I have more important matters to attend to." The prisoner exchange agreement had two pieces of paper, one white and one black. Fan Xian valued the black piece more. He had already handed over Xiao En and Si Lili, so he had to confirm Yan Bingyun's whereabouts immediately.
...
...
Fan Xian sat in the carriage on the way to the Northern Qi palace, yawning endlessly. He was not a pampered person who chose his bed, but he had not slept well last night. Looking at Gao Da and Wang Qinian beside him, they seemed to be tired as well. It was not hard to imagine that the entire diplomatic mission had suffered from insomnia.
Last night, just as they were about to rest in peace, Wei Hua of the Chamberlain of Honglu Temple came again. Although he did not enter the rear courtyard, a number of singers and beauties, carrying with them a fragrant wind, ran into the rooms of the Qing officials. For a moment, everyone cried out in alarm.
How could Fan Xian have known that Northern Qi had such a custom? He was shocked. Although the girl kneeling at the foot of the bed was beautiful, and her large, watery eyes were extremely alluring, Fan Xian could not bring himself to do something so absurd on his first day in Shangjing. He had no choice but to ask her to leave.
Naturally, not many people were able to sleep well after the commotion. However, a songstress entered Ling Jing's room and didn't come out.
During breakfast, Fan Xian noticed that Ling Jing didn't look too good. Ling Jing was a little surprised and explained with a smile. Even when the Northern Qi diplomatic mission went to the capital, the Chamberlain of Honglu Temple had arranged it this way.
...
...
Fan Xian wiped the corners of his eyes and found that they were a little sticky. He then looked at Wei Hua, who was a hundred times more energetic than before, and couldn't help but curse in his heart. He guessed that Wei Hua was probably doing this on purpose.
Going on a diplomatic mission was actually similar to going on a business trip in his previous life. This was what Fan Xian thought. The carriage moved very steadily. He greedily opened the window and looked at the scenery on the street. It was not easy to come to Shangjing in Northern Qi. He hadn't even caught a glimpse of the street, and now he was going to the palace to kowtow. It really was not a good feeling.
Getting off the carriage and entering the palace, he put on a smile and gently rubbed his hands together. Stepping into the deep doorway, he suddenly saw a bright light. In the light were layers of eaves and tens of thousands of palaces. Most of the buildings in the palace were black. Amidst the solemnity, there was a hint of freshness and antiquity.
Fan Xian paused and looked at the palace in front of him. It was like when he had first arrived in Shangjing, and he was a little absent-minded. The palace of Northern Qi was very different from that of the Kingdom of Qing. It did not triumph in its vastness. Instead, it was layered, beautiful, and tranquil. It was as if every jet-black pillar was telling the story of what had happened in the palace, and every long wooden corridor was telling visitors how many great figures of ancient times had walked lightly through it.
The diplomatic mission fell silent. Because the seven Tiger Guards were carrying long knives, they naturally could not enter the palace, so they stayed outside. Beside Fan Xian, other than Lin Wen, Ling Jing, and Wang Qinian, were the necessary officials of the Ministry of Rites.
After walking for some time, passing through long corridors and flowing water, they gradually ascended and finally arrived at the main hall of the Northern Qi palace.
In front of the hall, the palace guards stood solemnly. Their expressions were firm and determined. At a glance, one could tell that they were at least seventh-level masters.
Outside the heavy wooden doors, the head eunuch was waiting, his body hunched.
Everyone walked quietly to the front of the hall. The head eunuch opened his eyes and looked weakly at the southern barbarians. With a shake of the horsetail whisk in his hand, he shouted in a croaky voice, "The envoy of Qing has arrived!"
The eunuch's voice was not loud, but the two wooden doors behind him slowly opened, revealing to the visitors the true face of the northern center of power in the continent.
...
...
The main hall of the Northern Qi palace was extremely spacious, and the space inside was enormous. The space between the eaves was made of extremely expensive glass, so sunlight shone into the hall without any cover. It blew away the usual gloomy smell of the palace, leaving it bright and cool.
The two sides of the palace were supported by columns made of an unknown material. The top of the columns was painted black and decorated with golden patterns. On each column was a picture of a coiled dragon soaring into the clouds. It looked extremely exquisite.
Behind the columns were layers of gauze, and behind them were faint figures. It was unclear whether they were palace maids or eunuchs.
Entering the hall, the first thing that caught Fan Xian's eyes and left a deep impression on him was the long straight path in front of the door. On both sides of the path were two pools of clear water!
Led by the eunuchs, the envoy slowly walked along the straight path. The Qing officials who entered the palace for the first time were just as shocked as Fan Xian — the straight path beneath their feet was made of green jade! It was covered with a luxurious carpet, and the soles of their feet felt unusually gentle.
And the clear water on both sides of the path was even more surprising. In such a large palace, there were actually two pools! The water was crystal clear, and golden fish swam freely in the water. If one's eyes were sharp enough, like Fan Xian's, they could see that in the deepest part of the pool, there were two large fish, one black and one white. They were gracefully swaying their tails as they lay on the white sand.
Deputy Lin Jing looked at the scene in front of him and couldn't help but sigh to himself. "Such a luxurious palace is enough to show what kind of national power and wealth Northern Qi had after inheriting the property of Northern Wei. It is a pity that it is precisely because of the luxury of the royal family that Northern Qi has become decadent and weak, and that is why they have been defeated year after year."
Behind the long path was the court of Northern Qi's officials. Behind them, the water rippled, and a light breeze rose from the hall. The floor was paved with sandalwood, and it was a solemn scene.
High up in front of them was the Dragon Throne. The Emperor of Northern Qi was looking at the approaching foreign envoys with great interest.
The envoy knelt on the floor and paid his respects to the enemy's emperor, saying, "Long live the emperor."
"You may rise." The Emperor of Northern Qi smiled. It seemed that having the Qing officials kneel at his feet was a very comfortable thing.
Fan Xian breathed a sigh of relief and stood up. He found a pair of eyes on his face. Surprised, he looked back and saw that the young emperor on the dragon throne was looking at him with a somewhat ambiguous gaze.
This young Emperor of Northern Qi had only been in power for two years. He was only 17 years old, the same age as Fan Xian. His teacher in literature was the second son of Zhuang Mohan, and his teacher in martial arts was the eldest disciple of Imperial Advisor Ku He. As a result, he was neither accomplished in literature nor martial arts. This man was not interested in women. Similar to the Emperor of Qing, he was somewhat playful. He respected, feared, and angered the Empress Dowager, and rewarded his officials more than he punished them.
Hmm, this young Emperor seemed to believe in such things as love.
This was the first information that came to Fan Xian's mind when he saw the somewhat childish face of the Emperor. But he immediately realized that he had been rude. When the ruler of a country looked at him, as an official, there was no reason for him to meet the other's gaze.
So he hurriedly lowered his head slightly and stood to the side in silence. In his heart, he was puzzled by the ambiguous gaze he had seen earlier.
Beside him, Ling Jing's forceful voice rang out. As the deputy envoy, he had unwillingly shouldered all the complicated formalities and official duties in light of Fan Xian's extreme laziness. He was reading the letter of credence that the Emperor of Qing had personally drafted.
Fan Xian listened to him casually. He knew that it was nothing more than pompous words. The friendship between the two countries would last forever, and they would be brothers for generations. These lies could not even fool Dong 'er, who sold tofu in Danzhou. Yet, they had to be read out so seriously.
Sure enough, the young Emperor of Qi was nodding his head slightly, expressing his approval of his counterpart in the south.
Fan Xian laughed in his heart, but his face maintained a respectful and self-restrained smile. It seemed that he was already reveling in the friendly atmosphere between the two countries. Soon after, the officials from the Board of Rites of Northern Qi stepped forward and, as usual, began to babble in beautiful language. This matter had finally come to a preliminary conclusion.
But Fan Xian still felt very uncomfortable. At this moment, he discovered that, in addition to the young Emperor, there were many more pairs of eyes looking at him. No matter how calm he was, he began to feel puzzled.
In fact, it was the officials of Northern Qi who were puzzled. Everyone knew that the envoy from the south was the immortal poet Fan Xian, so they were all very interested in what kind of outstanding young man could make the great Zhuang Mohan return home dejectedly. Today, in the palace hall, this Fan Xian had not opened his mouth. Even something as important as reading the letter of credence had been handed over to the deputy envoy.
The officials could not help but become even more interested in this incomparably handsome young celebrity.
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