The development of the matter did not exceed Fan Xian's expectations. The Great Grandmaster of the Qing Kingdom, who traveled the world like a lone swan, still did not return to the capital. The Ye family quietly accepted the arrangement and was forced to separate themselves from the entire defense system of the capital. Of course, in the middle and lower levels of the arrangements, they still had some power left, but they were unable to make too big of a splash. They had already lost the power to directly influence the future of the court.
If this had happened and Ye Liuyun had returned to the capital, the seemingly solemn and amiable Emperor in the palace would have shown his most ruthless side. Even if it meant damaging the strength of the Qing Kingdom, he would have eliminated the Ye family. A noble family that controlled the capital and was about to marry a prince. Most importantly, they had the support of a Great Grandmaster. If they had shown the slightest intention of rebelling, it would have been forcefully suppressed.
In the end, Ye Liuyun did not return to the capital. This meant that the Ye family had no choice but to accept the current situation. Of course, for Ye Liuyun's sake, the Emperor saw that the Ye family had never truly weakened their loyalty, and would not make things too difficult for the Ye family. Ye Zhong was still stationed in Cangzhou, and his title of nobility and military service had not been reduced. His rewards were even greater than before.
Even the straightforward and somewhat cute Gong Dian had committed such a great crime, but the Emperor did not punish him severely. He only took away all of his military service, gave him 30 strokes of the cane, and demoted him to a commoner.
The Ye family felt wronged, but for the stability of the Qing Kingdom, they could only make this sacrifice. Fortunately, they could use this opportunity to leave the capital, a place of trouble, and it was not necessarily a bad thing.
In reality, the ones who were most disappointed were the Eldest Princess, who was far away in Xinyang, and the Second Prince, who was currently under house arrest in his manor.
— — —
"How preposterous." Fan Xian looked at the Council report that Mu Tie had sent him and could not help but shake his head. After the Ye family temporarily retreated, the defense of the capital was something that everyone in the court was watching. The position of Commander of the Jingdou Garrison had fallen into Qin Heng's hands, and the most important position, the Commander of the Imperial Army and the Minister of the Imperial Bodyguards, which had always been held by one person, had been split in two by the Emperor.
The Minister of the Imperial Bodyguards was temporarily vacant. According to the news from the palace, it should be Eunuch Hong who was temporarily in charge.
And the commander of the Imperial Guards … was actually the First Prince!
Fan Xian was referring to the Emperor's appointment. In the history of this time and space, there had never been a precedent of a prince taking the post of commander of the Imperial Army. Why? It was precisely because he was afraid that those audacious princes would use their soldiers to rebel! However, the Emperor had given the position of Commander of the Imperial Army to the Great Prince. There was also a Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace. What was the Emperor thinking? The First Prince's birth mother, Lady Ning, was an Eastern Barbarian. Logically speaking, the throne should never have fallen to him.
Mu Tie did not dare to respond. He reported to Fan Xian the recent work of the First Bureau. Seeing that the commissioner seemed to be tired, Mu Tie quickly excused himself.
"Teacher, take a break." In private, Shi Chanli was still used to calling Fan Xian teacher and not sir. He looked at Fan Xian's complexion, which was clearly lacking in qi and blood. His heart ached as he said, "The Emperor has given a clear edict for you to not be involved in Council affairs for three months. It is clear that he wants you to rest well, yet you refuse to listen."
His teacher was very fond of him, and as a student, he felt a little proud of himself.
Fan Xian shook his head and jokingly scolded him, "Why don't you stay at Baoyue Brothel? Why do you come to my study every day?"
Shi Chanli gave a wry smile and said, "That place … it feels wrong to stay there."
Fan Xian laughed and chased him out. He also told him to call Deng Zi Yue in.
Deng Zi Yue entered the study, and Fan Xian's face immediately became serious. He asked, "What is the Council's conclusion about the white-clothed assassin?" Although he knew that it would be impossible for him to dig out the secret in Chen Pingping's heart, it would be a shame to give up the resources that the old cripple had in his hands and not use them to make guesses.
Deng Zi Yue shook his head and said, "Although the Emperor called out the assassin's identity in the Hanging Temple …" He gave a wry smile and said, "Sir, you know that the Emperor is not a martial artist. His words cannot be trusted. Sigu Jian did have a younger brother, but he has been missing for many years. Everyone is guessing whether or not he was killed by Sigu Jian when he took over Dongyi. So, the Council has been very careful in expressing their opposition. "
Fan Xian was a little surprised. He was surprised that the Overwatch Council did not get rid of this tail under Chen Pingping's guidance. Or was it that Chen Pingping was confident that the Shadow's true identity could not be guessed, and so he did not do anything?
"But …" Deng Zi Yue said the second but with embarrassment on his face. "Since Your Majesty has said that he is Sigu Jian's younger brother, as officials, it is not appropriate for us to directly object. Particularly, we do not know if Your Majesty's casual words will affect the movements of the court in the next few years."
Fan Xian laughed. The Qing Kingdom loved martial arts, and everyone knew that. Last year, when he was assassinated on Niulan Street, the Emperor used this opportunity to send troops to the north and take back a large piece of land. Now, all of the officials were used to the Emperor's habit of finding excuses to go to war, and they did not dare to try to be clever.
As for the matter of the Hanging Temple, Fan Xian should have personally gone to the Overwatch Council to interrogate the eunuch and look at the assassin's body. But he knew how muddy the waters were, and he was still thinking about whether or not he should get too involved. Another reason was that, in his current physical condition, none of his family, including his father, would allow him to leave the manor.
He did not dare to leave. Young Master Fan, who valued his life as much as gold, had lost all of his zhenqi. He did not know when he would be able to get it back. He was extremely disappointed, and he was especially careful about his own safety.
Of course, Fan Xian would not reveal his true situation to anyone.
— — —
The door to the study was pushed open with a creak. The guards outside did not respond. Fan Xian lay on the bed and turned his head to look. It was indeed Wan 'er and his sister.
Deng Zi Yue saw the faint anger on the faces of his wife and daughter, and he knew it was time for him to leave. He bowed and respectfully retreated. Fan Xian wanted him to tell Bingyun to come to the manor, but he did not have the opportunity to do so.
"You said you would take care of yourself, but you just don't want to." The sister-in-law and sister-in-law worked together to change his dressing and feed him medicine. They also tried to persuade him.
Fan Xian gave a wry smile and said, "Maybe it's because I didn't think of a good name. I can't stay idle."
Not only could he not stay idle. Ever since Fan Xian left the palace and returned home, the Fan manor became the busiest place in the capital. Every day, officials from the three departments, three temples, and six ministries came to visit the Commissioner. Countless nobles came to visit, and officials, regardless of faction, all came to show their goodwill. On the south street in front of the Fan manor, the black carriages were like clouds, and the gift boxes were like dragons.
The people who came to the Fan manor gave him all kinds of precious medicine. There was no way Fan Xian could eat all of it by himself. Aside from the truly valuable ingredients, the rest were given to the Baoyue Brothel.
The assassination in the Hanging Temple made Fan Xian once again the most powerful official in the Qing Kingdom. Compared to his sudden rise to become the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council, this time, he had saved the Emperor as a cornerstone. He appeared to be much more solid and stable, which made the officials of the Qing Kingdom secretly fear him.
The officials were not blind or deaf. After Fan Xian was injured, he was kept in the palace for many days. And according to the news from the palace, the Emperor did not sleep much the night Fan Xian was treated. Only Chen Pingping, the lonely old man, could compare to the Emperor's favor.
Many people were carefully trying to curry favor with the Fan manor, but in their hearts, they were not completely convinced. Especially the brave young people, they could not help but be jealous of Fan Xian's good luck. When the Emperor was assassinated, why were they not by his side?
"This time, the family earned a lot of money." Fan Xian was speaking seriously, and he was not joking. In his previous life, if a county was sick, it would cost at least tens of thousands. Furthermore, he was a high-ranking official in the Qing Kingdom, where bribery was becoming more and more common.
"It's been hard on you, Master." Lin Wan'er smiled lightly, and fed him some medicine like she was coaxing a child. She was of noble birth, and did not care about the flattery of the officials.
Fan Xian, who was recuperating, was not in the mood to receive the officials who claimed to be there to see him but were actually expressing goodwill. These officials all had their own backgrounds, so Minister Fan could only suffer. Other than routine ministry work, most of his time was spent greeting the guests.
Fan Ruoruo complained, "These people came once, and they took turns to come again. Aren't they afraid of annoying me?"
"All the officials are fine." Lin Wan'er suddenly thought of something, and her face showed admiration. She looked at Fan Xian and smiled. "The scariest one is the royal doctor. That old man is a very patient man. He came four times, and you refused to see him. In the end, even the Emperor sent word to him that you would not go to the Imperial Academy of Medicine, but he still refused to give up. As a matter of fact … I heard from Master Teng that the royal doctor came again today. He is sitting in the study room, and he refuses to leave. A cup of tea has turned into water, and he pretends not to see Master Teng's expression. "
She sighed. "What a powerful man."
Fan Xian laughed bitterly. Although he didn't say anything, he admired the thick-skinned Qing Kingdom's number one imperial doctor. That night in the palace, the royal doctor had no confidence in his medical skills, but that did not affect his decision to stay in Guangxin Palace and secretly learn from him. Later, he discovered the wonders of Fan Xian's medical skills, and made up his mind to bring Fan Xian to the Imperial Academy of Medicine. At the very least, he wanted Fan Xian to pass on his "strange medical skills". His determination was strong, and he repeatedly visited Fan Xian and refused to leave. His methods were shameless and strange.
In the eyes of the doctors of the Qing Kingdom, surgery was naturally incomparably magical, but Fan Xian knew that he was just lucky at the time, and there were some crucial problems that made it very difficult to spread this knowledge in the current world.
He tilted his head to look at his sister, who was carefully adjusting the bandages around his wound. He suddenly thought of a possibility, but immediately shook his head.
The three of them were alone in the study room, and the atmosphere was just right. Unexpectedly, someone gently knocked on the door. Fan Xian furrowed his brows.
"A guest has come to visit," the servant outside the door reported respectfully.
This time, even Lin Wan 'er furrowed her brows. "Didn't I say I wouldn't see anyone?"
…
…
Fan Xian smiled bitterly at the Great Prince, who had come uninvited, and said, "It's so convenient to be in the palace. You didn't go to the plum garden to see me, why have you come today?"
Lin Wan 'er also pouted. "Brother, there are many people in the manor right now. Why have you come to join in the fun?"
The Great Prince looked at her helplessly. He had watched this sister grow up. She had only been married for a year, and all her thoughts were on her husband's family. "There isn't much to talk about." The brother and sister bickered a bit more, and the Great Prince had no choice but to admit defeat. Using a trick of moving flowers to catch jade, he said in a low voice, "The Great Princess has also come with me. She is talking to Lady Fan. Sister Chen, you should go and see."
The Great Princess he spoke of was the woman who had come all the way from Northern Qi for a marriage alliance. Fan Xian was slightly surprised. He hadn't thought that the man and woman had cultivated such feelings before marriage, and that the palace allowed them to come and go as a pair. He then thought of the few conversations he had with the Great Princess on the way back, and couldn't help but be surprised.
Lin Wan 'er and Fan Ruoruo were incomparably curious about this foreign princess, whom they had only heard of but never seen. Furthermore, they knew that the Great Prince must have something to say to Fan Xian, so they rose to leave.
The study room quieted down. Fan Xian raised his right hand slightly, indicating that the Great Prince should have some tea. In a quiet voice, he said, "Congratulations, Your Highness."
Naturally, he was congratulating the Great Prince for taking the position of Commander of the Imperial Army. The Great Prince's eyebrows rose, and then immediately relaxed. He said lightly, "What is there to congratulate? I was originally the General of the Western Expedition. "
Fan Xian smiled. "Although I have been demoted by two ranks, how can the central command of the Imperial Army be the same as the Yin Mountains on the border?"
The Great Prince looked at him, unsure if there was some other meaning hidden in his words. After a moment, he said, "I … do not want to be the Commander of the Imperial Army. I would rather go to the north and replace Yan Xiaoyi."
Fan Xian shook his head, thinking that the Emperor had sent Yan Xiaoyi far away and had the Ye family firmly under his thumb. He was guarding against that crazy woman in Xinyang. If you go to the north, of course, Yan Xiaoyi will be happy, but the Emperor will be very unhappy.
"Don't tell me that the Great Prince came to see a sick person like me today to talk about his unhappiness in the workplace." He laughed lightly. "I can be a competent listener."
"Not just a listener." The Great Prince stared into his eyes. Although he didn't understand what the word "workplace" meant, he said, "I want to ask for your help."
He called himself "I", not "the Great Prince."
Fan Xian noticed this change, and began to feel slightly nervous. It seemed that this Great Prince, who had Dongyi blood in him, was very serious … in asking for his help.
Good heavens!
He sighed bitterly in his heart and looked at the Great Prince. "Your Highness, the Commander of the Imperial Army is a very important position. The Emperor trusts your loyalty, and that is why he made this arrangement. Fan Xian is an official, how can I make such presumptuous comments? "
The Great Prince shook his head. "Fan Xian, to tell you the truth, when I first returned to the capital, I did not think much of you. When I was in the west, I heard that there was an immortal poet in Jingdou. But I am a general, and I have never believed in such romantic things. How can they help the people of the world and the court … "
He then changed the subject. "But after returning to the capital for a few months, I saw that your actions were ruthless and pure, and that you were very talented. Not to mention the fact that you made things difficult for the Second Prince, but the incident in the Hanging Temple changed my opinion of you … "
"And in the palace, you were able to cure your near-death injury." The prince, whose face was slightly dark, said solemnly, "Now, I cannot think of anything in this world that can trouble you. So in this matter, you must help me. "
Faced with countless compliments, Fan Xian fell silent. Chen Pingping had once said that the Great Prince in front of him was different. Since he was young, he had purposely stayed away from the palace. He wanted to be as far away from that chair as possible. Now, the Emperor, who killed without a blade, was going to drag him into muddy water. No wonder he wanted to resist in his anger.
The Great Prince's power was mostly in the military, and the court did not have many talents in the field of strategy. But the fact that he had come to find Fan Xian was unexpected.
Although Fan Xian was happy to see that among these "brothers", there was one who could maintain a rare open-mindedness and brightness, and he sympathized with the other's situation, he still shook his head firmly. "Your Highness, it is not that I do not dare, it is not that I do not want to, it is that I cannot. After all, Fan Xian is only an official. The Overwatch Council cannot meddle in the affairs of the court."
The Great Prince sighed. His visit today was a bit presumptuous and even risky. But looking around the capital, other than Fan Xian, who else could he go to? Could it be that in the end, he could only go to Chen Garden again?
"The Emperor has made up his mind, and no one can change it. I think Your Highness does not need to go to Chen Garden again. But I am a bit curious, Your Highness, what decision did you make today? In your eyes, I don't think I'm a kind and benevolent official. "Fan Xian seemed to be able to guess what he was thinking.
The Great Prince slowly drank the fragrant tea in his cup and said, "Fan Xian, you can hide it from others, but you cannot hide it from me. Do not forget, I was also in the Hanging Temple at the time. Based on the fact that you first saved my little brother and then father, I know you are a person worthy of trust."
Fan Xian was silent. He did not think that the values formed in that world would make the Emperor and the Great Prince both have a strange kind of trust in him.
The Great Prince came today to express his attitude to the Overwatch Council. At the same time, he hoped to get some useful hints from Fan Xian. However, since Fan Xian maintained his silence, it was not good for him to be too rash. With Wan'er acting as a bridge between them, if the situation in the capital changed in the future, he did not expect the Overwatch Council to help him. But if Fan Xian could reveal some useful information, that would be enough.
"I heard the royal doctor is in your manor, and has already come a few times?"
He awkwardly changed the topic. His long years on the horse had made him not very familiar with the curves of officialdom.
Fan Xian laughed in his heart and explained, "He wanted me to take a position in the Imperial Academy of Medicine. After the Emperor refused, he wanted me to go teach students there."
It was supposed to be a casual conversation, but the Great Prince became serious. He said, "Fan Xian, I also think you should go to the Imperial Academy of Medicine. That night, I stood guard outside Guangxin Palace. Seeing the serious expressions of the royal doctors, I knew your medical skills were very good."
He curiously asked, "Actually, many people in the capital are wondering how you could allow Miss Fan to work on your own stomach. The royal doctors have already made you sound like a god. "
Fan Xian gave a wry smile and said, "Don't believe them. Everyone knows that Fei Jie is my teacher. If they were four years old and were digging up graves every day, opening up corpses that were soaking in water, they would be as good as I am."
"So that's how it is. It seems that nothing can be explained by the word genius." The Great Prince sighed and continued, "Of course, the Imperial Academy of Medicine is not as powerful as the Overwatch Council, but it is more peaceful. The idea of the royal doctor is very simple. If your medical skills were taught, who knows how many lives could be saved. "
He looked into Fan Xian's eyes seriously and said, "Saving people is better than killing them. And I have been in the army for many years, so I know what a good doctor means to those injured soldiers. "
"Why would I teach them medical skills?"
"To benefit the world."
"The royal doctor must be thinking the same thing?"
"Exactly."
"Your Highness, so your secondary purpose today is to help the royal doctor persuade you. No wonder the topic changed so strangely earlier." Fan Xian laughed.
Seeing him laugh so proudly, the Great Prince's face gradually darkened. He said, "Do you think we are all talking nonsense?"
In fact, it was close to nonsense. Asking Fan Xian to give up his position as Commissioner of the Overwatch Council and become a medical professor was something that no one could have persuaded him to do. But the royal doctor and the Great Prince, these two pedantic people, had said it directly.
Fan Xian stopped laughing and found that the wound on his chest was slightly painful. He was shocked and said, "I am not making fun of you. On the contrary, I do have some respect for the royal doctor."
There were many problems that could not be solved in surgery. The first was anesthesia, the second was disinfection, and the third was the equipment. Currently, the standards of this world were not enough to solve these problems. Fan Xian used chloroform to anesthetize him, and he used hard resistance to disinfect him. These were all built on the foundation of his strong physical strength. If it had been an ordinary person, they would probably have been drugged to death, or died from complications. As for the equipment, it was even more difficult to solve. Fan Xian and Fei Jie had thought about it for a few years, but in the end, they could only use the power of the Third Bureau to make a set.
If they could not even stop the bleeding, what was the point of making an operation?
Using words that the Great Prince could understand to explain these reasons, the Great Prince finally understood. This kind of medical skill was a relatively powerful one. It used the injured person's body to fight against the drugs at the tip of the knife. If Fan Xian had not practiced martial arts since he was a child, he would not have been able to survive.
Thinking of the soldiers in the Western Expedition Army who had been injured by arrows and died, he felt some regret. He slapped his thigh and sighed. "Is there no better way?"
For some reason, Fan Xian's mind floated back to his sister's surprisingly steady hands. He comforted him. "There are some basic things. In a few days, I will have Ruoruo go to the Imperial Academy of Medicine to consult with the royal doctors."
The Great Prince nodded and said, "Earlier, you seemed to be disapproving of the words' benefiting the common people '." This was the doubt in his heart. On the surface, Fan Xian was a powerful official who put profit above all else. But after observing him from the sidelines, the Great Prince felt that his ambitions were not limited to this.
Fan Xian was quiet for a while, then said quietly, "There are many ways to benefit the common people. Saving lives is not the only way."
The Great Prince did not understand.
"For example, Your Highness. You have been in the West for many years, fighting with the Hu people and killing countless people." He said with a smile. "But you have prevented the Western Hu from invading. Is that not benefiting the common people?"
No matter how steady the Great Prince was, he had to accept this flattery.
"Another example is me. Although everyone thinks the Overwatch Council is just a sinister and terrifying secret agency, if I can use it in my hands and do my best to lean on the right path, make the Qing Kingdom unbreakable, and the people can live and work in peace and contentment … is that not benefiting the common people? "
"Perhaps the goal is the same, but there are many ways." The more Fan Xian spoke, the more excited he became. He was very much like the middle school Chinese teacher from his previous life. He told the story of Lu Xun abandoning medicine to become a scholar with a smile on his face. Of course, it was an old story from a thousand years ago that he had come across in an ancient book written by Zhuang Mohan.
The Great Prince was stunned. "Saving the people's bodies is not as good as saving the people's spirits?" He slapped his thigh and said, "But the Qing Kingdom is not as weak as the country in the story. Why is there a need to use words to educate people?"
These words were true. The Qing people's simplicity carried a fresh sense of progress. It was very different from the air that Lu Fu found difficult to breathe at the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic.
Fan Xian smiled and said, "So … not only am I abandoning medicine, I am also planning to abandon literature … what do I count as? Abandoning medicine to enter politics? Abandoning the pen to join the army? "
The Great Prince still did not agree with his point of view. "You are indeed a genius. Why don't you demonstrate everything you have learned? If you can make this world a better place … "
Fan Xian waved his hand with some difficulty and said, "Most people want to change this world, but very few people want to change themselves. (Note 1) I thought that we should reform ourselves first. "
Decades ago, there was once a woman who wanted to change this world. In the end, she died. Fan Xian did not want to follow in her footsteps. He was more afraid of death and more selfish.
As they spoke, a clamor suddenly came from outside the window. The sound was joyous.
The Great Prince glanced at him and said with a smile, "Looks like the edict to reward you has finally come."
Fan Xian smiled self-mockingly and didn't say anything. Hidden in his clear eyes was only worry for his own body. That was all. He did not rush to worry about the world.
— — —
Note 1: This is a QQ signature that I happened to see. At the time, I thought it was very interesting. I immediately thought of countless Qing Chuan, Ming Chuan, Tang Chuan, and other worlds.
Fan Chuan will not walk the path of changing the world. One reason is that I am lazy and he is also lazy. The second reason is that he is too damn diligent. The third reason is that my level of knowledge in certain areas is very poor. I can't write it. For example, surgery. I really don't know how to do it. If there is something absurd and laughable, please just laugh it off and forgive me.
PS: No more PS. I ran away in tears. I copied a poem and put it here. It will be used later. A dream of glory, half a piece of scholarly papers, the waves of the sea are thousands of zhang. The hooves of horses shatter the frost of the forbidden street, listening to the rooster sing several times. Dusty clothes, the heart of the jianghu. Out of the royal Phoenix net, admiring Qi Shouyang, sighing that Han Peng did not end. Early in the paper, the demonic form. Author: Wang Yuanting
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