The conversation between the father and son continued as if no one else was present. The three women who were listening were dumbfounded. Was it not enough to beat Fan Sizhe to such a state? Was he going to be exiled from the capital?
"Master! What did you say? "
Liu Shi's eyes were wide with fear, and she looked at her master helplessly. Fan Sizhe, who had been lying on the bench, had already leapt up from it.
She did not know how he could still be so strong, given his injuries. It looked as if being exiled from the capital was a terrifying thing for all the nobles in the capital.
Fan Sizhe's butt was in the air, and he was hugging his mother's legs. He squeezed his eyes, and a few drops of tears rolled down his cheeks, competing with the pockmarks on his face. His mouth was wide open, but before he could say anything, he had been hit so hard that he lost his voice. He anxiously opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
The young man's tears were bright, and he shook his head furiously, unable to speak. His back was covered in blood, and he looked very pitiful.
…
…
"Master!" Liu Shi couldn't take it anymore, and she looked at Fan Xian with resentment. She was like a tree that had been cut in half, and she knelt in front of Fan Xian. She cried and begged, "No! You can't! He is your precious son! Can you bear to see him be kicked out of the house? Can you bear to see him wander in a foreign country without any family? "
She quickly grabbed Fan Ruoruo's hand and said, "Ruoruo, quick, ask your father for mercy. Don't kick Sizhe out of the house."
Liu Shi thought that using the incident at the Bao Yue house to kick Fan Sizhe out of the house must have been Fan Xian talking behind their backs. Last night, the father and son had talked for a long time, so she quickly pulled Ruoruo into the fray. She thought that although Ruoruo was not her own daughter, they had lived together for over ten years. She loved Fan Sizhe, and everyone knew that Fan Xian loved his sister the most.
Fan Ruoruo did not expect her brother to receive such a heavy punishment. She was pulled by Liu Shi, and she knelt down. Her voice trembled as she said, "Father, my brother has been taught a lesson. He will not do it again. Please forgive him this time."
Wan 'er stood by the side alone. Her heart was slightly flustered, and she hurriedly knelt down.
Fan Jian remained calm until his daughter-in-law, who had a special status, knelt down as well. Only then did he help her up. He frowned at Lady Liu and said, "Sizhe must go … and don't blame Fan Xian. This is what I want."
Madam Liu looked at him in disbelief, wondering why he was doing this. However, she knew very well that Fan Jian was a man with a gentle and upright appearance, but in reality, he had the air of a great general and a murderous aura. Otherwise, she wouldn't have fallen in love with him at first sight and refused to marry him. Since this was his idea, he would definitely not change it.
She was a shrewd and shrewd woman. Biting her lip, she turned around and bowed to Fan Xian. Weakly, she pleaded, "Young master, please say something to persuade the master."
At this moment, the only person who could make Fan Jian withdraw his intention of exiling Fan Sizhe was Fan Xian.
Fan Xian did not want to accept her bow, and he quickly avoided it. With a bitter smile, he looked at his father, asking for his opinion.
Fan Jian coldly shook his head and said, "His crime today, if the imperial censor were to report it to the court, he would be exiled for three thousand miles … I will kick him out of the capital, and that will be better than the court taking action."
Madam Liu did not believe this. With Fan Xian's current power and influence, even if Fan Xian were to open a brothel and kill a few prostitutes, as long as it was not a crime of treason, Fan Jian and Fan Xian would be able to suppress it. She could not help but cry, "Master, how could you be so cruel? Sizhe … he is only fourteen! "
"If I am not cruel … then this would happen." Fan Jian coldly laughed at himself. "Fourteen?"
"Don't forget, when Fan Xian was 12 years old, he was already forced to kill!" he yelled harshly.
...
...
As soon as he said this, the entire room was silent. Lin Wan 'er and Fan Ruoruo, who did not know about this, looked at Fan Xian in shock. Madam Liu, who had always been tied down by this matter, was frightened and lowered her head in despair.
Fan Xian laughed awkwardly. He knew that it was not convenient for him to say anything more. He carefully picked up Sizhe, who was covered in wounds, and retreated to a corner. He then ordered his wife and sister to carry his brother into the bedroom so that he could rest.
"Fan Xian, come back later." Fan Jian looked at Madam Liu and walked out of the study.
Only Madam Liu and Fan Xian were left in the study, and the atmosphere was a little awkward. After a while, Madam Liu opened her eyes and said, "Are you really going to kick him out of the capital?"
Fan Xian sighed and walked closer to her. He lowered his voice and comforted her, "Do not worry. Father only wants Sizhe to leave the capital for a while. He wants to train outside …"
Before he could finish, Madam Liu suddenly asked, "How far will he go?"
"Very far." Fan Xian looked at the absent-minded Madam Liu and thought that such a shrewd woman was worried about her son. He was suddenly confused, and for a moment, he envied Fan Sizhe. He missed someone.
"How far?" Madam Liu asked in a shrill voice.
Fan Xian did not care about her attitude at this time. He said calmly, "Father decided it last night. I wanted to persuade him to send Sizhe to Danzhou to hide, but he was worried that grandmother would not be able to do it … so he changed it to Northern Qi."
"Northern Qi?" Madam Liu felt a little more at ease. Although Northern Qi was far away, it was not like the southern barbarians or the western barbarians that the court had exiled. It was much more prosperous and safe. Although Northern Qi and Qing did not get along, after the peace treaty, the two countries were currently in a honeymoon period, and their relationship was excellent.
Fan Xian looked at Madam Liu's pleading eyes and knew what she was thinking. He comforted her, "Do not worry. I have many friends in Northern Qi. I will take good care of him."
— — —
The moon peeked out from the other side of the autumn tree. Compared to the bright lights of Fan Manor, it was much dimmer. The sons and nephews of the Fan and Liu families, who had been beaten up in the garden, were taken away by carriages from Shangshu Alley and other places. When the relatives of the Fan family saw the wretched state of their sons, they felt pain in their hearts. Their gazes toward Fan Manor were filled with a bit of hatred. But because of the power of the Fan family, no one dared to curse.
In the study, Fan Xian was standing next to his father, mixing fruit berries for him. That night, Madam Liu stayed by Fan Sizhe's bedside and did not leave his side. The fruit berries that Minister Fan drank every night had to be seasoned by Fan Xian himself.
"The three people I mentioned to father have already been sent to the capital government." The three people he mentioned were all people who had committed murder in the Bao Yue brothel. He looked at his father and spoke with concern, "The capital government is under the second son's control. I don't think they expected us to send them to the capital government. But those three people have been involved in murder cases, which means they are important people who want to take down Fan Sizhe. I think they will be picked up by the second son's people tonight."
Fan Jian laughed and said, "Don't hide it from me. I know you won't be so careless."
"I will take care of it." Fan Xian laughed as well. This time, he had finally used all of the power Chen Pingping had given him, and he had mobilized the assassins of the Sixth Bureau. "They committed a crime punishable by death, but … I think there will be repercussions from within the family. I will need you to make an appearance."
Fan Jian knew what he was worried about. In the capital, there had never been an official who would harm a member of their own family. He shook his head and said, "What is there to make an appearance for? We have sent them to the capital government; what does that have to do with us? "
Fan Xian heard this and was impressed. After thinking for a while, he said, "Sizhe … we will leave tonight. I will let Yan Bingyun take care of this. There shouldn't be any traces left behind."
Fan Jian nodded and said, "I have nothing to do with the people of Northern Qi. Back in the day, I killed too many of them. Are you sure you can handle this?"
Fan Xian met his father's gaze and knew that he was worried about Fan Sizhe's safety. He nodded solemnly and said, "Wang Qinian is now in Shangjing, and … I have a good relationship with Haitang and the Emperor of Northern Qi. Sizhe should be fine in Shangjing."
Fan Jian sighed, and the white frost on his mane was particularly eye-catching tonight. He said, "You used to tell me that Sizhe was talented, and that he didn't have to study to become an official. I listened to you, but I didn't think this child would be more radical than you and I thought. He started doing this at the age of 14. What was I doing when I was 14? I was still studying with the Crown Prince in King Cheng's manor, now the Emperor. All I thought about was how to have fun. "
Fan Xian smiled bitterly and said, "Yi Guipin's third son is really something. He became the owner of a brothel at the age of eight. If this gets out, it will be recorded in the annals of Qing history. His name will go down in history."
"As for Yi Guipin … I will talk to her." Fan Jian shook his head. "Although Sizhe is talented, he is still too superficial. Going down the path of evil is not a long-term solution. This time, I will take this opportunity to let him go out and see the world. First, I will punish him, and second, I hope that he will be able to become a useful person."
Fan Xian sighed and said, "I have my own problems."
"Don't blame yourself." Fan Jian waved his hand and had him sit down. "When it happened, you weren't in the capital … but I am curious. Why did you seem so at ease when I suggested sending Sizhe to Northern Qi? You should know that Northern Qi does not treat the people of Qing well."
Fan Xian did not speak of the wordless agreement he had made with Haitang and the young Emperor, but he did explain his thoughts. He smiled and said, "Xinyang has been using the Cui family to smuggle goods into Northern Qi. Now that Shen Zhong is dead, there have been some problems with their routes … I think that if Sizhe can be trained in the north in a few years, perhaps he will have the opportunity to take over the Cui family's business. After all, he likes it. Since he wants to do business, I want to arrange a bigger business for him to do."
Fan Jian smiled and looked at his son with satisfaction. Fan Xian's thoughts could be considered meticulous. Compared to Fan Jian and Chen Pingping's generation, he was only a little less ruthless.
"When do you plan to move against the Cui family?"
Seeing his father so easily point out his plan, Fan Xian did not feel the slightest bit uneasy. He smiled and said, "It will be after I take over the palace treasury. Around March or April next year."
Fan Jian nodded and suddenly said with a gloomy face, "Don't give them any chance to retaliate."
This was the first time Fan Xian had seen his father's honest and kind face reveal a ruthless side. His heart trembled, and he responded in a low voice.
Fan Jian continued to speak in a cold voice, "You have handled this matter well … Temporary tolerance can buy you time to react. After Sizhe leaves, do what you want to do. Don't ask for my opinion. But there is someone …"
"Yuan Meng … Is that her name?" Fan Jian suddenly said, "She does things shrewdly, and her style is sinister. In a few days, when this matter has died down, you can get rid of her. That will be the end of those cases."
Fan Xian was shocked. He did not know if his father had killed Yuan Meng to avenge Sizhe, or if it was for some other reason.
Fan Jian's next words revealed this minister's deepest humanism and his long-hidden spirit of universal love. He said coldly, "I grew up in Liujing River, and I have always cherished flowers. What I hate the most are those who destroy them … Furthermore, this Yuan Meng was a woman from a brothel, and yet she was willing to lay her hands on a weak woman of the same profession. I cannot allow such a person to exist in this world."
Fan Xian suddenly understood. He remembered that King Jing often teased him, and remembered that his father used to be a brothel guest. Those stories of his love affairs were still being spread throughout the capital. Seeing the tragic deaths of the prostitutes in the case file had touched his sensitive spot. No wonder he could not tolerate Yuan Meng.
He took the opportunity to say, "Yuan Meng is Hongcheng's … Do you think … about Hongcheng and his sister's marriage …"
Without waiting for him to finish, Fan Jian shook his head and said, "Hongcheng is a good child. Let's keep an eye on him for a few more days … After all, this is a marriage arranged by the Emperor. We need to be careful."
Fan Xian was disappointed, and he was angry that his father did not care about Ruoruo's happiness. He wondered if Ruoruo was not as good as the women in the brothel. Fan Xian made up his mind. Even without his father's help, he was going to continue.
He left the study room and entered it again.
The three people in the study room saw him enter, and they all stood up to greet him. Shi Chanli handed over a document with dried ink and said, "This is the agreement for the transfer of 70% of the shares of the Bao Yue house. Please take a look, and then the second master will sign it."
Mu Tie continued, "The capital government has been keeping an eye on us. According to the information sent back by our spies, the capital government is troubled by the murder suspects we sent to them. Later, a servant from the second prince's side went to the capital government's manor. We don't know what they discussed."
Fan Xian nodded and said, "It doesn't matter. We won't be doing anything for the next few days."
Mu Tie frowned and said, "What if they misjudge the situation and think we are going to fight to the death? What if they send the capital government to arrest the second master?"
Fan Xian looked at Yan Bingyun, who had been silent this entire time. He shook his head and said, "With the boss of the Fourth Bureau here, if Fan Sizhe goes north, who will be able to find him?"
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