Fan Xian began to feel uneasy. Very imperceptibly, he took half a step back. Lowering his head slightly, he used the corner of his eye to sweep a quick glance around the palace.
None of the courtiers of the Qi Kingdom were extraordinary. What piqued his interest the most was the bead curtain that was slightly swaying beside the dragon throne. The bead curtain reflected the clear light from the pool behind the courtiers. It looked incomparably beautiful.
He knew that the empress dowager of Northern Qi was behind the bead curtain.
...
...
After a long time, the emperor on the dragon throne yawned, seemingly tired of listening.
"You have come a long way. You may go and rest." The young emperor waved his hand. Fan Xian felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. With a face full of smiles, he knelt on the ground again and again. He and his subordinates bowed to the dragon throne again and again, and then prepared to leave to find the true officials of Northern Qi and quickly get poor Master Yan out.
However, the development of things was always unexpected.
"Master... Master Fan?" There seemed to be a smile on the lips of the emperor of Northern Qi. He looked at Fan Xian and called out softly, "Stay here and chat with me."
The officials were surprised. In court, the emperor had called the envoy "master" instead of an official title. It was a bit inappropriate. Fan Xian didn't think of this, but he was shocked. Could it be that the young emperor knew something?
He hurriedly bowed. "It is my first time here, and I do not know how to greet you. I am afraid."
"No problem, no problem." The young emperor seemed to be easy to talk to. He smiled and said, "I am delighted to learn that it is Master Fan who has come. I have often read the Banxianzhai Poetry Notes, and even the grand tutor is full of praise for your talent. Today, the affairs of the state are over. Master Fan, please accompany me for a walk. I have been looking forward to your arrival for a long time. Let Master Fan see the sights of the imperial palace along the way. "
Having said this much, Fan Xian, as a foreign official, did not dare to say anything more. But his heart trembled slightly. The Northern Qi Grand Tutor was Zhuang Mohan's son. Zhuang Mohan had been beaten into a sorry state by Fan Xian in the Qing palace, and now Fan Xian was praising his talent?
The envoys left the hall. Lin Jing looked at Fan Xian worriedly. Fan Xian nodded slightly, indicating that he would be careful.
After the officials of Northern Qi had left, the hall seemed even more spacious. One could faintly hear the splashing of fish tails in the pool beside the long platform, and the soft footsteps of the palace maids behind the gauze curtains.
The young Emperor, who had been sitting on the throne the entire time, now seemed to relax. He stretched and looked at Fan Xian with a chuckle. He jumped down from the throne and took a towel from a eunuch to wipe himself. He patted Fan Xian on the shoulder. "Let's go. I want to show the immortal poets of the south the immortal palace of the north."
Fan Xian grumbled to himself. Who would have thought that the Emperor still had the habits of a child? Just as he was about to follow him to the back of the Palace, he heard a cough from behind the curtain of beads he had been secretly paying attention to.
The emperor of Northern Qi was startled. He turned his head with a pained expression and bowed to the bead curtain. "Mother, I am happy to see Fan Xian. I hope you will forgive me for my rudeness."
A palace maid slowly pulled back the bead curtain. The sound of beads clinking against each other could be heard. A noblewoman walked out from behind the curtain.
Fan Xian quickly lowered his head, not daring to look closely. But his poisonous gaze was still fixed on the foot beneath the curtain.
The noblewoman wore a pair of embroidered gold shoes. They looked casual, but they were extremely luxurious.
What shocked Fan Xian even more was that right after this pair of shoes, another pair of feet stepped out of the bead curtain. Who in this world would dare sit with the Empress Dowager behind the bead curtain and listen to the conversation between the Emperor and the foreign envoys?
His feet were wearing a pair of cloth shoes. The soles of the shoes were made of a thousand layers of cloth, a very common craftsmanship in the villages. The shoes were black and white, and only the thin and tender heel revealed a trace of festive cloth. This kind of cloth shoe was usually seen in the countryside during the New Year. It was strange to see it in the palace of Northern Qi Kingdom.
Fan Xian guessed who the owner of the cloth shoes was. He raised his head in surprise, no longer caring about etiquette. His eyes were calm, but he was secretly on guard. He was looking at Haitang, who still wore a cloth scarf on her head!
He had not thought that Haitang would come out from behind the curtain with the empress dowager!
...
...
Fan Xian and Haitang's eyes seemed to collide, and the atmosphere in the palace of Northern Qi became somewhat uneasy. But in the blink of an eye, Fan Xian withdrew his gaze and knelt to the noblewoman next to Haitang. "I, Fan Xian, pay my respects to the empress dowager."
The empress dowager looked at him and frowned slightly. How could this official of the Kingdom of Qing be so beautiful? No wonder Duoduo had to sneak up to the palace to take a look. Could it be that this girl next to her... She waved these thoughts away and nodded slightly. She then said to the Emperor, "Your aunt master has returned. Since you want to take Sir Fan for a stroll in the palace, you should go with her."
The Emperor looked troubled. It seemed that he did not want to go with Haitang, but he had to obey his mother's orders. He could only force a smile. "When did aunt master return to the capital?"
Haitang moved her cold gaze away from Fan Xian's face and bowed slightly to the Emperor. "Your Majesty, I returned to the capital yesterday. My teacher was worried that there were too many wicked people in the capital, so she sent me back to the palace."
Fan Xian forced a smile. There were wicked people in Shangjing? Of course, this was referring to himself, who loved to use aphrodisiacs.
— — —
As he walked through the palace of the Kingdom of Qi, Fan Xian could not help but think of a very strange saying. It was a remnant of his previous life: Qi people are blessed. Because this palace was truly worthy of the two words "Immortal Palace" that the young Emperor had spoken of earlier. The nobles of the Kingdom of Qi who lived in this palace were truly blessed.
Tall green trees stretched out from the side of the palace, which was entirely black in color. They were like a cold and meticulous woman fanning someone. The verdant branches playfully peeped out of the black eaves, or rested lazily on the green tiles, or stretched lazily over the gorgeous flowers on the floor of the palace, as if looking down on the delicate plants.
The entire palace was mixed with the large green trees that could be seen everywhere, reflecting off each other. Green and black alternated, hard and soft, making for a beautiful sight.
The palace was divided into several levels, built around a green mountain. It was a particularly wondrous sight. The three of them walked forward under the service of a large group of eunuchs. They went around a long corridor next to a clear stream in the mountains, and had already reached the second level. Only now did Fan Xian calm down a little. He began to carefully observe the scenery within the palace, and could not help but sigh in admiration. Although the palace was built on a mountain, from the point of view of military or daily life, it was a somewhat foolish choice. But looking at the clear water flowing along the corridor, and the refreshing scenery all around him filled his eyes, Fan Xian finally understood the true reason why people had chosen this place as a palace many years ago.
Beautiful, it was truly beautiful.
Unfortunately, Fan Xian was not a citizen of the Kingdom of Qi, and did not have the blessings of being a citizen of the Kingdom of Qi. He did not have two stunning beauties by his side. Instead, there was only the supreme Emperor of the Kingdom of Qi, and the strongest of the younger generation of the Kingdom of Qi, Lady Haitang, who had once beaten him to a pulp.
The Emperor wore a black robe with a gold-threaded jade belt around his waist. His sleeves were wide, and his attire was rather old-fashioned. With his hands behind his back, he led the way into the palace, as if he had forgotten that it was he who had forced Fan Xian to stay.
Fan Xian followed behind the Emperor somewhat cautiously. Occasionally, he would glance at Haitang beside him out of the corner of his eye. There was a great enmity between him and this woman. Although he believed that in the palace, she would not do anything to him, he still felt somewhat nervous.
However, Haitang Duoduo did not even look directly at him. It was as if she had never met him, had not been poisoned by him, and had not heard his sour words.
Fan Xian seemed to understand something, so he smiled warmly and did not say anything. However, the young Emperor seemed to have finally grown tired of walking. He pointed at a pavilion on flat ground in front of them and gently tapped his finger.
In an instant, a large group of eunuchs "charged" over without touching the ground. In a very short amount of time, they cleaned the pavilion clean. The railings were wiped over and over again, a few sticks of incense were lit, and clear teapots and cups were prepared.
Walking into the pavilion, the mountain wind carried a clear stream of moisture and lightly brushed against them. The Emperor stood by the railing with his hands behind his back. In a quiet voice, he said, "Slapping the railing, the flowers in the forest blow at my temples, the mountain wind is cold, and the grand song startles the floating clouds away."
Fan Xian replied at the perfect moment, "Good words."
The Emperor turned around. A pair of clear eyes looked at Fan Xian with great interest. A moment later, he suddenly opened his mouth and said, "To flatter me so carelessly, Fan Xian, you must be the first person to do so."
Fan Xian was embarrassed and didn't know what to say. He raised his hands in a salute and said, "I am afraid."
"It's fine to be afraid, as long as you don't have to be terrified and uneasy." The Emperor sat down and picked up a teacup to take a sip. Suddenly seeing Haitang, he couldn't help but smile and say, "Aunt disciple, why are you so reserved in front of me today? In the past, even if I invited you, I wouldn't be able to invite you. You were only willing to grow vegetables in the garden. Since you have entered the Palace today, it is good to relax and enjoy the scenery." He sighed quietly and said, "I have always thought that this Palace is too beautiful, so beautiful that I have no desire to leave the Palace for a walk."
There seemed to be some other meaning in these words, but Fan Xian pretended he didn't understand. Under the Emperor's gaze, he sat down. A eunuch brought him tea, which he slowly sipped. He didn't know what the young Emperor meant by suddenly wanting him to stay in the Palace.
Haitang also picked up a cup of tea and sat on the railing outside the mountain pavilion. Her gaze was cast toward the flowing water beside the pavilion. It was unknown what she was thinking.
"Fan Xian, what do you think of the scenery in my Palace?"
Fan Xian was slightly taken aback. How many times had the Emperor repeated this topic today? After a moment of consideration, he replied, "The Palace is in the mountains, and there are trees on the mountains. The trees are in the Palace, and the scenery is clear and beautiful. What is most strange is that the layers of eaves of the Palace seem to be one with the entire mountain scenery. It does not appear that the mountain scenery swallows up the majesty of the Palace, and it does not appear that the prosperity of the Palace weakens the desolate mountain scenery. It actually gives one the feeling that heaven and man are one. I am truly full of praise."
"Huh?"
Fan Xian's unintentional words seemed to surprise the Emperor of Northern Qi.
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