In a corner of the square outside the palace, on a street that connected to Xinjiekou, one could vaguely see a bashful crescent moon hanging in the sky. In the dusk, Li Hongcheng dismounted from his horse and casually cupped his hands in greeting. He looked at his friend, who was as pretty as a woman, and couldn't help but smile. "I see that your face is glowing with a red light. It's indescribably colorful. I think you must have gained a lot today."
Fan Xian laughed. "We haven't seen each other in months, and the first thing you say is to make fun of me. You are the Crown Prince of King Jing, the fifth most powerful young master in the capital. Why make life difficult for a poor person like me?" Other than the four princes, among the younger generation, Li Hongcheng's status was naturally the most respected. Fan Xian had purposely placed him as the fifth young master. If it had been a normal friendship, it would inevitably have seemed frivolous. But between the two of them, it seemed very intimate.
Li Hongcheng was a little surprised. This guy had always been too lazy to provoke me in the capital. His gentle smile always carried a trace of deeply hidden loneliness. Why had his personality changed today? Thinking of something, he thought he understood, and laughed. "You also have a poor life? His Majesty dotes on you so much that after the court discussion, he deliberately kept you here. I'm afraid that the officials in the capital would grit their teeth and bear such a hard life. "
Fan Xian waved his hand and said nothing. Teng Zijing, who had been waiting outside the palace, had long since come to greet them. But seeing that the Crown Prince was talking to the young master, he didn't dare interrupt. "Young master," he hurriedly said, "the old master told me to follow you."
Li Hongcheng laughed. "What? Master Fan, are you worried that I will get Fan Xian drunk? "
"Then follow me," Fan Xian said from the side.
As they spoke, Fan Xian's carriage drove over. Li Hongcheng was just letting the prince's attendant bring the horse over. He turned his head and asked curiously, "What? Do you still only want to ride in a carriage and not on a horse? "
"I'm not in a hurry," said Fan Xian. "Why would I ride a horse?"
Li Hongcheng couldn't help but shake his head and sigh. "If it weren't for the fact that the people of the capital know that you are skilled in both literature and martial arts, I'm afraid they would look down on you and think you are just a useless scholar without the strength to truss a chicken." The Qing Kingdom revered martial arts. Young people were proud of being good at riding, but Fan Xian did the opposite. When there was a carriage, he refused to ride a horse. This strange habit had long spread throughout Jingdou this year.
Fan Xian laughed and scolded him. He walked towards the carriage and said, "Riding a horse hurts my butt."
The guards of King Jing's manor had already surrounded them. Together with the guards and servants of Fan Manor, they formed a small group of a dozen or so people. They surrounded a large horse and an unremarkable black carriage, slowly heading east of the city.
There was no curfew in Jingdou. Although it was already dusk, there were still many people on the streets. Seeing this eye-catching group, seeing the handsome young man on the horse, and seeing the square insignia on the carriage, they knew who the two people were. The people of Jingdou all knew of the diplomatic mission's return. Since they were traveling with Crown Prince Jing, they assumed that the person in the carriage was the legendary illegitimate child of the Fan family, Sir Fan junior. They couldn't help but stop and watch. Some of the bolder students even called out to the carriage, "Immortal Fan of Poetry, Immortal Fan of Poetry."
Last year's banquet in front of the palace hall had been talked about by the people of Jingdou for a long time. And this time, Zhuang Mohan's gift of a book in Northern Qi, with the intentional help of the Eighth Bureau of the Overwatch Council, had become a well-known anecdote. Fan Xian's reputation had taken another step forward. Later, the poem "Do you know?" Later, when the poem "Immortal of Poetry" began to spread, the people learned that Sir Fan junior had dared to flirt with Grandmaster Ku He's female disciple in Shangjing, Northern Qi, in front of countless young nobles of Northern Qi. Every time the people of Jingdou thought of this, they felt their hearts grow hotter. It was as if this matter was even more glorious than Zhuang Mohan's gift of a book. The begonia that you worship like a saint, in the hands of Sir Fan junior, is no more than a flower bud waiting to be plucked!
Fan Xian had brought face to the people of Jingdou, and naturally the people of Jingdou had to bring face to Sir Fan junior. Along the way, people constantly greeted Fan Xian on the street. Most of them were scholars. Occasionally, there would be a girl with a shy expression bowing to him.
Sir Fan junior had won the hearts of the people of Jingdou. Naturally, the people of Jingdou had overlooked Crown Prince Jing, even though he was the most arrogant person in the capital. However, Crown Prince Jing's face did not show any displeasure. On the contrary, he smiled happily. It seemed that the respect Fan Xian received was also his honor.
Listening to the chatter and greetings outside the carriage, it was reasonable to say that Fan Xian, at this moment, would not open the window and wave his hand in greeting like the chief of his previous life. At the very least, there should be a satisfied smile on his face. But who would have thought that inside the carriage, there was only a helpless, bitter smile on his lips?
— — —
The place the crown prince had arranged for Fan Xian to receive him was still Yishi Tavern. It was the restaurant where Fan Xian had spoken of his strength of character when he had first arrived in the capital. This restaurant could be considered a luxurious place in Jingdou, but it was not quiet enough. It was far from the best restaurant. Fan Xian couldn't help but not understand why Hongcheng would choose such a place, but he didn't have any objections.
When he got off the carriage, he realized that Yishi Tavern was unexpectedly quiet. There were not many people on the long street in front of the building, and the usually bustling building was even quieter. Fortunately, the building was brightly lit. Otherwise, he would have wondered if, in the months that he had been away, this second-to-none Golden Restaurant might have closed because of business failure.
Seeing the doubt in the corner of Fan Xian's eyes, Li Hongcheng did not deliberately mystify him. He smiled and said, "I'll take care of everything today."
Fan Xian smiled bitterly. "Although you are a great Crown Prince, this is too much of a scene. Who knows how many high officials and nobles come and go to Yishi Tavern every day. For the sake of inviting me to dinner, you have caused others to suffer. I'm afraid they will be jealous. If you want peace and quiet, there are many places in the west of the city. Even if you like the taste here, you can reserve a whole floor. To have an entire restaurant waiting for the two of us is too ostentatious. Even if King Jing doesn't scold you, it won't be good if word gets out to the palace. "
Li Hongcheng saw the sincerity in Fan Xian's words, and looked at him for a moment without saying anything. He felt touched and smiled. "What are you afraid of? I'm afraid everyone in the world knows that my father loves to grow flowers, and I love to pluck them. I've always been impulsive. I can't get rid of the title of a licentious Crown Prince. What does it matter? "
Fan Xian knew that, given his status, he could afford to put on such airs. He smiled and shook his head. "You're about to get married, and you don't know how to restrain yourself."
Hearing him talk about marriage, Li Hongcheng's face showed a faint joy, but he was a bit embarrassed to talk about it. "Don't be too careful," he said. "You have a lot of power in your hands, and you've married a good wife. Let me be frank with you. In the palace and the manor, we of the younger generation have to know our limits. But once we leave the palace and the manor, we are the real masters. Let other people talk!"
These words were impulsive, exaggerated, and arrogant, but coming from Li Hongcheng's mouth, they didn't provoke disgust.
Fan Xian had been suppressing a bellyful of boredom in the palace, so he just smiled and followed Li Hongcheng into the building. When they reached the bottom of the building, they saw the words "Yishi Tavern" written by Sir Pan Ling himself. Li Hongcheng stopped and pointed. "Do you remember where we first met?" he asked.
Fan Xian smiled. "It's here."
"Yes, in just a short span of a year, you, the person who made such harsh remarks and repeatedly said that you looked down on so-called gifted scholars, has now become the most famous great scholar in the world." Li Hongcheng couldn't help but shake his head and laugh. "If you could think of the great Zhuang Mohan passing on his legacy to you, would you still be in the mood to scold those scholars?"
Fan Xian thought of the events of the past year, and he couldn't help but feel a little sentimental. He sighed. "I don't care if you laugh at me, but at the time, I was just an illegitimate child who had just arrived in the capital. I had never seen anything, so I couldn't help but have a few baskets of complaints."
Li Hongcheng looked at him with a smile. He knew that the reason why this young friend of his had changed so much in a year was because of the Emperor's favor, Minister Fan's secret protection, and a marriage alliance. But for him to become the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council at such a young age, and to have a seat in the royal study, it would have been impossible without some real talent. Furthermore, the Banxianzhai Poetry Anthology had appeared several times, and that was proof for all to see.
As for the duties of the Overwatch Council, the nobles in the capital didn't actually connect Chen Pingping with Fan Xian. They just thought that it was the Emperor's will, and that Chen Pingping, that loyal dog, was simply following orders.
"Although you always drag me around Liujing River, I don't rely on my talent to fool poor women." Fan Xian looked at the startled Li Hongcheng, and laughed as he patted him on the shoulder. "So I still have to scold those dogsh * t scholars."
In his heart, Haitang, who had been fooled by his poetry, was not a poor woman.
...
...
The two of them stood in front of Yishi Tavern, reminiscing about the past and feeling deeply moved. Inside the tavern, the shopkeepers and waiters were extremely nervous. Although they didn't know how the owner had managed to invite the Crown Prince to hold a welcoming banquet here, if Sir Fan junior's first meal after returning to the capital was at Yishi Tavern, not only would the reputation of the tavern go up a notch, but in the future, rich scholars from Jiangnan would all pick this place to eat. Wouldn't that be a waste of money? Although Yishi Tavern was already famous enough, who would complain about having more of these three things — fame, power, and money?
Fortunately, they didn't have to be nervous for long. Li Hongcheng and Fan Xian had already walked into the tavern, arm in arm. The guards from the prince's manor, who had been guarding the two ends of the street behind them, immediately withdrew and stood guard at the entrance of the tavern. At the same time, waiters had already led Fan manor's carriages and attendants elsewhere.
With a creak, the door to Yishi Tavern closed. This was probably the first time in the 34 years since the tavern opened in the capital.
As the door closed, Li Hongcheng seemed to inadvertently turn his head, and his sharp eyes discovered a few secret agents in ordinary clothing, occupying important areas around the tavern. He knew that they were the Overwatch Council's personal bodyguards, but even he wasn't sure which bureau they were from. The Crown Prince sighed to himself and said to Fan Xian, "And you say I'm arrogant? You have the Overwatch Council guarding your door when you eat, and the Tiger Guards protecting you when you go on diplomatic missions. When it comes to arrogance, I really can't compare to you."
At that moment, the two of them had already ascended the stairs to the third floor. Separated by two screens, a small round table was already set up with a few plates of exquisite "cold noodles". Fan Xian didn't stand on ceremony with him. He sat down on a stool and explained, "The Tiger Guards are assigned to the diplomatic mission, and they were taken back when we returned to the capital. As for the Overwatch Council … "He laughed bitterly." After the Niulan Street incident, do you think the Council would dare to let me wander around the capital alone? "
At this point, Li Hongcheng pretended to be angry and scolded him. "You're not a good person, kid. You quietly became the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council. Seeing how nervous the Council was after the Niulan Street incident, I think you were already … If it weren't for the incident at the Ministry of Justice, I would still be in the dark."
Thinking about it, during the Niulan Street incident, Fan Xian hadn't alerted the Emperor with his One Night of Poetry. The Crown Prince was actually trying to get information out of him. It wasn't just him; even the Second Prince couldn't completely understand why the Emperor trusted Fan Xian so much.
Fan Xian didn't explain. He wiped his hands with a hot towel and began to drink, saying that he had been away for so long that he had forgotten the taste of wine in the capital. Li Hongcheng laughed bitterly. He knew that Fan Xian wouldn't explain.
Not long after, the first round of dishes arrived. Knowing that the Crown Prince and Sir Fan junior had something to say, the waiters tactfully said nothing more and left. Fan Xian used the tip of his chopsticks to slice off a piece of fish belly and put it into his mouth. He smacked it a few times and drank a mouthful of wine. He seemed to be enjoying it to the extreme.
Li Hongcheng looked him up and down and laughed. "Instead of eating a first-rate bear paw, you make life difficult for a fish. You still can't escape your narrow-mindedness."
Fan Xian blurted out, "The bear paw is what I want, and the fish is what I want. If I can't have both, I have to give up the bear paw and take the fish."
Hearing his amusing words, Li Hongcheng laughed. "Why?"
Fan Xian slapped his head and laughed. "You don't understand. It's purely because you were too pedantic in your studies."
…
…
Since it was a welcoming banquet, it shouldn't have been so deserted. But Fan Xian had already sent a message last night, asking the Crown Prince not to bring a large group of people to accompany him on the arduous journey. In addition, the Crown Prince faintly knew that because of the song, Fan Xian's backyard was on fire, so he didn't call for the singers to accompany him. But Li Hongcheng was also a son of an influential family who was used to treating people gently. The two of them were familiar with each other. They talked about what they had seen in Northern Qi, chatted, drank, and ate. It was light but satisfying. Fan Xian could finally be 70% his true self. On the contrary, he ate with great ease.
After a few rounds of drinking, the Crown Prince couldn't take it anymore. He pointed at Fan Xian and scolded him. "I heard that you drank in Northern Qi and got drunk as soon as you drank. How come you're a wine immortal in front of me?"
Fan Xian was a master of medicine, and the zhenqi in his body was tyrannical. He couldn't be made drunk by a few cups of wine. Last time in Northern Qi, when he was drinking with Haitang, he got drunk because he wanted to vent his years of depression. Hearing Li Hongcheng's words, he laughed. "You're a man. What good is it for me to get drunk in front of you?"
Li Hongcheng suddenly looked fascinated. "That Haitang girl … is she really as beautiful as a fairy?" he asked quietly.
Fan Xian spat out a mouthful of wine. Fortunately, he spat it out quickly, and it only hit the ground. He laughed and scolded him. "Could it be that you invited me to dinner today just to say this?"
After three rounds of drinking, Fan Xian's eyes grew brighter and brighter. Li Hongcheng became drunk. He pointed at Fan Xian's delicate face and said, "Fan Xian, I don't know what happened to you on this trip. Looking at your face now, it's a bit different."
Fan Xian unconsciously touched his face. "What's different?" he asked curiously.
Li Hongcheng scratched his head and spilled wine all over the floor. It seemed that he was thinking about how to phrase it. After a while, he laughed loudly. "If you were in the past, you would have a faint smile like you do now. You would make people want to get close to you, but there would always be a barrier, as if you didn't want others to get too close to you. But now, your smile doesn't have that purposeful purity. It just makes people feel at ease, and their eyes are clear. Whether it's your speech or your actions, it's like a polished piece of jade, incomparably warm. "
Fan Xian smiled, fitting the scene perfectly. He thought that this was probably the change that night in the cave had brought to him. He finally understood some things. From the depths of his heart, he began to see himself as a part of this world. He began to make real plans for his future. Starting from the inside, and showing it on the outside, there would naturally be changes.
…
…
Li Hongcheng gradually became drunk, but Fan Xian was incomparably sober.
"I know. Today, the palace has decided that you'll be in charge of the palace treasury." Li Hongcheng seemed a little drunk. "In the future, you'll have to leave some soup in your hands for me."
Although it was a naughty joke, for him to say it as a prince was already giving Fan Xian enough face. Fan Xian couldn't help but feel a little surprised. He looked at him and quietly asked, "Your family is a hereditary nobility. Why do you care about these things? Do you think the Emperor owes you anything? "
Li Hongcheng had a mocking expression on his face. He stuck out his tongue and said, "You know I spend a lot. Even though there is a shopkeeper in Qingyu Hall helping the manor manage its finances, and there is some income, it is not enough …" He sighed. "You also know that even though my brother is the Emperor's blood brother, he has not been willing to do anything all these years. Even when he enters the palace to see grandmother, it is only once a month. He is very stubborn. As an idle king, naturally there are not many people who show filial piety. And because of my status, it's not good for me to put down my pride and interact with those governors. Naturally, there will be times when I don't have the time. "
Fan Xian seemed a little surprised. He didn't know what to say. "If this was said outside, no one would believe it."
Li Hongcheng waved his hand. The smell of alcohol permeated the air. He laughed coldly. "An empty title of nobility is useless. You don't need to be embarrassed. The palace treasury belongs to the court. When it's time for you to fish, don't be shy. Think about all these years my aunt has been managing the palace treasury. Who knows how much the Crown Prince has benefited from it? Even when the Guo family was raided by you, they took 130,000 liang of silver. The palace treasury is empty? If you go to the Crown Prince's palace in Wuzhou, you'll know where the people's blood and sweat went. "
Fan Xian's heart jumped. He knew that the prince's words were specifically meant for him to hear.
…
…
Looking at Crown Prince Jing, drunk on the table, Fan Xian smiled coldly. It seemed that Uncle Wu Zhu was right. There was no one in this world worth trusting. On the trip to Northern Qi, he had many feelings. He knew that friendship was hard to come by. Even though he knew that Li Hongcheng was using the excuse of welcoming him to represent the Second Prince in announcing his close relationship with the Second Prince to the capital, he still didn't refuse. But he didn't expect the Crown Prince to tell such a big lie in front of him.
Li Hongcheng, Crown Prince Jing, was one of Fan Xian's trusted subordinates. He had been secretly managing all the flesh business on Liujing River. Although it wasn't a glorious business and didn't seem to match the Crown Prince's status, it provided him with a steady stream of silver. The Crown Prince's actions were extremely secretive. If Fan Xian hadn't sent people to investigate Yuan Meng last summer, perhaps even the Second Bureau of the Overwatch Council wouldn't know about this matter. No wonder he dared to cry poor in front of Fan Xian.
But Fan Xian also knew that the Second Prince wasn't necessarily interested in the money in the palace treasury. It was just that while the Eldest Princess of Xinyang was at the helm, the Eastern Palace must have done a lot of work in the palace treasury. Perhaps the Second Prince was relying on Fan Xian and wanted to use this to topple the Crown Prince!
And he also understood that there was truth in the Crown Prince's words. There were indeed some nobles who didn't live as they pleased. Even Fan Xian himself, if he didn't have the support of the bookstore and the head steward of the national treasury, would have to stretch out his hands everywhere — without anyone to show him respect, did he have to rely on the government's salary?
The banquet was over, and the wine was finished. Fan Xian patted Li Hongcheng twice. Seeing no reaction, he didn't care whether Li Hongcheng was really drunk or just pretending to be drunk. He pretended to stagger, stood up, and walked out. The innkeeper had already informed the attendants on both sides to wait on him.
— — —
The wooden door of Yishi Tavern opened, and the early autumn wind blew in. Fan Xian shook his head. He tried to treat his friend with sincerity, but there was no response. He couldn't help but feel disappointed.
At that moment, a plainly dressed middle-aged man appeared out of nowhere, and bowed to Fan Xian in fear and trepidation. Fan Xian turned slightly and frowned. If Li Hongcheng had booked the entire tavern, and there were guards outside, how did this man get in?
The man saw the confusion on Fan Xian's face, and hurriedly replied humbly, "I am Cui Qingquan, the owner of Yishi Tavern. Greetings, Master Fan."
So it was the owner of Yishi Tavern. He had probably come to flatter Fan Xian. Fan Xian was about to smile when he suddenly remembered the family name. "Cui?" he asked, frowning.
Cui Qingquan carefully smiled. "That's right. The elders of the clan wanted to come and thank you for your kindness in teaching the second son in the north. But they know that Master Fan is a scholar, and doesn't like to do things like this, so they ordered me to serve you well today."
Fan Xian nodded expressionlessly. He knew that the Cui clan was a famous family with roots in the capital. They did business in the north, and Master Cui, who had knelt in the rainy night of the diplomatic mission and begged for his life, was one of them. Presumably, the Cui clan knew that their son had offended Fan Xian, and so they had done everything they could to smooth things over.
Cui Qingquan tactfully did not step forward. He only handed over a box. "This is a dwarf ginseng. Although it's not very nutritious, it's best used to sober up a hangover. It's been washed, and it's best to chew it raw."
Fan Xian nodded, and Teng Zijing took it from him.
In the carriage, Fan Xian opened the box on his knees. There was no dwarf ginseng, but a thick stack of banknotes. He frowned and flipped it over. There were 20,000 taels of silver in it!
Teng Zijing sat across from him and said, dumbfounded, "The Cui clan is very generous."
Fan Xian's expression did not change, but he was actually a little surprised. This was the income of Danbo Bookstore, and yet they had delivered it so easily. Of course, he also understood that if the Cui clan still wanted to do business in the north with the palace treasury, they would have to curry favor with him. Thinking of the courteous treatment he had received on his way out of the palace, he couldn't help but sigh. Although he had lived two lives, and his temperament was much firmer than that of the average person, at this moment, he truly felt the feeling of power, and he felt a little lost.
But the Cui clan had given him this money for nothing. Since Fan Xian had already made up his mind, in the future, the Cui clan would only be able to accompany the Eldest Princess in death. Thinking of this, his dislike for the Crown Prince lessened a little. After all, people only had one life, and in the end, they were just using each other. But he did not like that Li Hongcheng treated him like a fool, and in the end, he still wanted to keep this friend.
Teng Zijing looked at the young master's face and knew what he was thinking. He frowned. "Is this appropriate?"
Fan Xian looked at him and smiled. "The Crown Prince gave me a sentence earlier: after leaving the palace and the manor, I am a true lord. What is inappropriate about that?"
...
...
The carriage arrived at a secluded alley. The moon in the sky was near its zenith, and its silvery light was soft. Fan Xian got off the carriage and let the people of the manor return first. Teng Zijing knew that Fan Xian was secretly protected by a team of Overwatch Council officials, so he said nothing.
He waved at a shadow, and an Overwatch Council secret agent quietly walked over. He was also in the first batch of people from the Qinian Unit, and could be considered Fan Xian's closest confidant. Fan Xian looked at him. "Deng Ziyue, tomorrow, send a secret order back to the Council. Investigate the Minister of Appointments, the Imperial Astronomer, and the Deputy Imperial Messenger of the Left. See if they have anything to do with the Cui clan's businesses."
Deng Ziyue suddenly raised his head. His eyes were wide and bright. "Sir, without an edict, we cannot investigate the royal family." His rank in the Overwatch Council was extremely high, so he vaguely knew that behind these three officials was the Second Prince.
Fan Xian frowned and waved his hand. "It's just a few officials secretly investigating. What are you afraid of?"
Deng Ziyue knew that his performance had already dissatisfied the Commissioner, and he hurriedly agreed.
Fan Xian looked at him and added, "Wang Qinian knows what to ask and what not to ask. Since you have taken over his position, you must learn this."
Deng Ziyue fearfully accepted the order. Then he saw a box suddenly appear in front of him. He didn't dare open it, so he could only hold it in his arms and walk with Fan Xian, who was strolling with his hands behind his back. Finally, he gathered his courage and asked, "Sir, from now on, how can I contact the Council?" He didn't know if this was something he should ask.
Fan Xian stopped walking and smiled. "Don't go through the official channels. That will be recorded. Go directly to Mu Tie of the First Bureau."
"Yes."
Fan Xian walked forward. It was rare for him to appreciate the capital late at night after a long absence. He didn't want to let go of this opportunity, so he only said one sentence.
"This box is not for you. It's for you."
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