Wang Qinian accepted the order and was about to leave to make the arrangements, as well as discuss the matter with Lin Wen and Lin Jing. After all, the diplomatic mission was to bring along the noble princess. Suddenly, he heard Fan Xian say, "The horses we prepared on the way here, Wang Qinian, you must take care of them. Do not cause any trouble for the farmers."
Yan Bingyun had not participated in the initial plan, so he did not understand.
Wang Qinian looked at Fan Xian. Fan Xian waved his hand, and he pushed open the door and left. Yan Bingyun raised his eyebrows.
The three of them made three gestures, each with its own meaning. Fan Xian smiled. "Why do you have to endure so much in front of me?"
Yan Bingyun did not smile. He slowly raised the teacup in front of him and took a sip. With the respect of a subordinate, he said, "Since the commissioner does not want me to know, no matter how curious I am, there is no need for me to ask."
Fan Xian did not think too much about it. "This was only the initial plan. Since it has been abandoned, of course I have to clean it up." Then, he used very simple words to explain to Yan Bingyun that when Fan Xian had just entered spring, he had found a young official of the Overwatch Council who looked similar to him in the capital. Then, he had kept him in his "boudoir."
In the initial plan, this impersonator was supposed to play a role on the journey back from Northern Qi. He was supposed to pretend to be Fan Xian and follow the diplomatic mission south, while the real Fan Xian stayed in Shangjing to take care of matters that needed to be taken care of.
"You originally planned to stay in Shangjing alone?" Yan Bingyun frowned. "What matters were you going to take care of?"
Fan Xian looked at him and said, "Chen Pingping wants Xiao En dead, so I plan to stay in Shangjing and kill him, then rush to the border to meet up with the diplomatic mission. That way, if Xiao En dies, the Northern Qi people won't be able to pull a fast one and slaughter our diplomatic mission."
Yan Bingyun asked, "You were talking to Sir Wang about the horses along the way?"
Fan Xian smiled and explained, "Before the diplomatic mission departed from the capital, I had already asked some people in the Council and some people in the palace treasury to help raise some good horses for the journey south. Of course, these horses were all secretly kept in the stable, so they wouldn't alert the Northern Qi officials."
"After you kill Xiao En in Shangjing, you change horses all the way and rush to the border as fast as you can?" Yan Bingyun sneered.
"Riding alone for a thousand miles? Is there a problem?"
Yan Bingyun sighed. "This is the real world, not a novel. If we had followed the original plan and you killed Xiao En, Northern Qi would have closed Shangjing, and the armies of the various provinces would have sealed off the roads leading south. How could you have gotten back south on your own?"
Fan Xian smiled and said, "Back then, Chen Pingping was able to bring so many people back to the South. Why can't I do it alone?"
"You might have been brave, but the plan was stupid." Yan Bingyun shook his head. "You are the Commissioner of the Council, and you should value your life. And in this plan, even if Northern Qi relaxed their guard because of the diplomatic mission's departure, you couldn't have assassinated Xiao En in Shangjing, where there were so many hidden dragons and crouching tigers. "
Fan Xian naturally wouldn't tell this man about the anti-sniper rifle. After all, Wu Zhu was missing, the chest was missing, the Eldest Princess was in cahoots with Shang Shanhu, and little Xian had reaped the rewards. Things had changed again and again, and the plan had become what it was now.
— — —
Tomorrow was the day after tomorrow. Of course, this was nonsense.
Shangjing's beautiful Yuquan River was lush with green trees. Occasionally, egrets flew up from the north. This was already upstream of the river, close to the Royal Palace, so it was strictly guarded. The common people of Shangjing had no way to set foot on these cobblestone paths. Fan Xian and Haitang walked side by side on the riverbank, talking nonsense here and there. He didn't feel depressed, and his mood, which had been gloomy for the past few days, seemed to have improved greatly in the company of the village girl.
Strangely enough, Haitang wasn't very pretty, and her grace wasn't very charming. She had the air of a village girl, but this feeling made Fan Xian feel at ease.
After a few words of nonsense, the conversation immediately turned to business. Haitang frowned slightly. "The Empress Dowager still hasn't relented. Can you think of any way?"
Fan Xian sighed. "Your Emperor wants to marry a wife, and yet he wants my help." He suddenly looked at Haitang, his calm eyes containing a trace of displeasure. "Since you are Si Lili's good friend, of course you know some things. Don't you think that asking for my help would make her feel uncomfortable? "
Haitang's hands were in her pockets, and her feet were dragging on the bluestone ground by the riverbank. Her eyes were calm as she looked at the drooping willow tree in front of them. "If you could do what Si Lili wanted, then she wouldn't have come to Shangjing. Since you are a heartless person, why be so pretentious? I think her entering the palace is something you want to see. After all, from now on, even if you are far away in the south, you will have someone to talk to in the palace of Northern Qi. "
Fan Xian had never expected her to tell him everything so thoroughly, not giving him a chance to hide anything. His heart trembled and he was a little embarrassed. He felt as if the thin layer of clothing on his body had been stripped off, revealing the selfishness and heartless beneath. After a moment of silence, he smiled bitterly. "I am only an official. I don't have enough power to change everything."
"So you tacitly allowed this to happen." Haitang's tone wasn't aggressive, but there was an inexplicable sense of oppression in her open and aboveboard manner. "If that's the case, there's no need to say more."
Fan Xian shook his head. "Once she enters the palace, her hair will turn white. You and Si Lili are sisters. How could you bear to see her enter the palace?"
"His Majesty is a good man." Haitang smiled. "And Lili is a citizen of Qing. If she wants to live in Shangjing, it seems that only the palace can shelter her from the wind and rain."
Suddenly, Haitang turned her head, and Fan Xian saw a spirit in her eyes that was even brighter than the light of the lake. In Fan Xian's life, the brightest eyes were Ye Ling 'er and Haitang, but Ye Ling' er's eyes were bright and innocent, and Haitang's eyes were bright and full of understanding and indifference after seeing through the affairs of the world.
"Master Fan, don't you find it tiring to live a life of scheming and scheming all day long?"
...
...
Fan Xian lowered his head slightly. After a moment, he resolutely raised his head and put his hands behind his back. His upper body didn't move, but his lower body moved slightly. Like Haitang, he swayed on the bluestone path by the river. He spoke abruptly. "In this world, not everyone can be as free and unfettered as you, because each of us has our own goals. Perhaps you just want to grow a few good vegetables and take care of the fields. But I have to think for myself, for the people around me, for the present, and for the future. "
Having said this, he took out a letter and handed it to Haitang. "I'm not a man of great wisdom. At most, I'm a little clever. Take a look and see if this method works."
Haitang opened the letter and read it carefully in the daylight. After a long silence, she took a deep breath and looked at Fan Xian with her bright eyes. There was a strange look in them. "Will the Empress Dowager believe me?"
"If the Empress Dowager doesn't want to fall out with the Emperor because of this, then all she needs is face and a way out. Whether she believes me or not, these two things will be convincing enough."
Fan Xian's plan was actually very simple. In the history of that world, he remembered clearly how Emperor Wu of Han had been hooked by Lady Gou Yi.
At that time, Emperor Wu was patrolling Hejian. Suddenly, a magician claimed that there were auspicious clouds there, indicating that there must be an extraordinary woman living there. After hearing this, Emperor Wu immediately ordered a search, and indeed, the beautiful girl was found.
However, although she was beautiful, she had been ill since childhood. She rarely ate, and her hands were clenched into fists. No one could make her stretch them. Emperor Wu was captivated by her beauty and personally tried to bend her fists. Then, a miracle happened. Her hands easily recovered to their healthy state. Even stranger was that in her right hand, there was still a small jade hook tightly clenched.
Emperor Wu was very happy. He immediately brought her into the palace and gave her the title of "Lady Fist". Later, she became Lady Gou Yi.
…
…
"Who is this Emperor you're talking about?" Haitang asked.
Fan Xian smiled. "It's a story I made up." He paused and said, "Of course it's fake. Emperor Wu of Han is not an idiot. Maybe he came up with this."
Haitang was a little naive when it came to matters between men and women. She hesitantly asked, "Then what should we do?"
Fan Xian shook his head in annoyance. "Who are you?" he asked.
Haitang subconsciously fell into silence. Fan Xian was startled. He wondered if this girl, who wanted to study the way of heaven, had been dragged into a philosophical problem. He quickly coughed and said, "You are Ku He's disciple, and Ku He is the Imperial Advisor. If Ku He said that there were auspicious clouds in the west of the capital, and that there was an extraordinary woman beneath them, it would be much more convincing."
Haitang smiled bitterly. "Why would Master play along with me?"
Fan Xian snorted in his heart. Your master dared to eat human flesh, and has always doted on you. It's not too much to play along with you.
Haitang continued to ask, "But... everyone in Shangjing knows Lili's identity. It's impossible to hide it."
Fan Xian smiled. "Take Miss Si to the Temple of Qi for a few months. It would be best if she could become a nun."
"What does that mean?"
"She worships the temple wholeheartedly, and does not think of marriage."
"And then?"
"When the matter has died down, she will be sent to the palace. What is done cannot be undone. She will be carved into a ship."
"That's it?"
"There are some details in the letter. Pay attention. Of course, if you can convince the Imperial Advisor to take Miss Si as a disciple, that would be even better. "
"Master Fan, these suggestions seem absurd and ridiculous, but if you look at them carefully, they are indeed feasible." Haitang bowed slightly and thanked Fan Xian.
Fan Xian couldn't help but smile. This was the successful experience of Wu Zetian and Yang Guifei from his previous life. Of course it was feasible. Of course it was feasible. But there was still a big question in his heart. Why did the Emperor want Si Lili to enter the palace? Why did the Empress Dowager not allow her to enter the palace? Haitang must know the secret, but she certainly would not tell it to an official from another court.
Suddenly, Fan Xian's heart skipped a beat. He thought of the young Emperor's demeanor when he entered the palace a few times. He couldn't help but have an extremely absurd and daring idea.
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