After the officials of the Eighth Bureau of the Overwatch Council took the two scholars away, Yishi Tavern became much quieter. But the wine made the scholars brave, and not long after, they began to talk noisily again. What they talked about was nothing more than the rumors about Commissioner Fan's past.
"The Ye family was guilty of treason. After the mysterious mistress passed away, all the family property was taken into the palace treasury," someone said worriedly. "If young Sir Fan really is that mistress's orphan … I think this is going to be troublesome."
"Treason? Then why did the shopkeepers of Qingyu Hall keep him so white and fat? " A scholar with thick eyebrows said mockingly, "I think the imperial court took advantage of the time when there were no widows and orphans to forcibly seize the family property. Now that the Ye family suddenly has an heir, I think the imperial court will panic."
"Panic?"
"Didn't His Majesty want Commissioner Fan to manage the palace treasury? The palace treasury belongs to his family. How can he manage it? "
"The palace treasury?" Another snorted. "I think Commissioner Fan is going to be out of luck soon."
The shopkeeper wiped his cold sweat and came over. "Gentlemen, can you keep your voices down? If the men of the Overwatch Council hear this, how can I keep my little shop open? "
The shopkeeper of Yishi Tavern rarely came out to see guests, but today he came upstairs. A few familiar guests stood up to greet him. The shopkeeper looked around and listened to the drunken gossip. Yishi Tavern was the property of the Cui family. Recently, the Cui family was on the verge of collapse. Suddenly hearing the rumors about their enemy, Commissioner Fan's past, the Cui family couldn't help but be secretly delighted. They watched the situation develop.
The young man who claimed that the court had seized the Ye family property was indeed bold after drinking. He laughed and said, "Shopkeeper, what are you afraid of? Can the Overwatch Council really shut the mouths of the world? Even if they dare, His Majesty won't allow it. Look at those people who were brought back to the Overwatch Council yesterday. Didn't they come back safe and sound today? It's just a small talk. It's not like they broke the law. "
The man next to him still looked worried. "Commissioner Fan, this is not going to be easy. If he really is a descendant of the Ye family, his career will probably end here."
In reality, these words were not completely said. After all, they were not officials and were in a restaurant in broad daylight. No one dared to speak the true judgment in their hearts. In these people's hearts, they thought that after the court learned of Fan Xian's past, they would first take away his position, and secondly, they would probably take away his life.
"What about Fan Manor?" The man then sighed and said, "Minister Fan has managed the Ministry of Revenue these years and is a famous and capable official. Is his family going to be ruined because of his romantic debts?"
After the rumor entered the capital, other than speculations about Fan Xian's past, the thing that the people of Jingdou talked about the most was the Minister of Revenue, Fan Jian. They talked about how he had tricked the mysterious mistress of the Ye family into his hands, and how he had caused her to secretly bear a child. Everyone knew that Minister Fan had been a dissolute ace on the Liujing River, but they did not expect him to have the ability to attract the mistress of the greatest merchant in the world.
But as the rumor spread, the young ladies and pretty daughters of humble families had developed a completely different feeling about Minister Fan. Back then, the Ye family had committed a great crime of rebellion. Fan Jian, who was a low-ranking official at the time, had been able to keep the child he had with that woman alive, and had not been discovered by the people of the palace. He had taken great risks to raise the child for so many years. This story seemed to be enough to be rewritten into a novel, and it had the potential to become a popular romance novel.
Until now, people seemed to finally understand why Fan Jian had kept Fan Xian in Danzhou for 16 years and had not allowed him to enter the capital.
Seeing the panic of the Eighth Bureau of the Overwatch Council, people knew that this rumor must have been very accurate. But with the Emperor in power, Commissioner Fan was not Chen Pingping. He could not cover the sky with one hand, and he did not dare to invite all the chatty people of the capital to the Eighth Bureau for tea. In the end, he could only watch in shock as the matter gradually spread.
For example, the people who had been arrested yesterday had been released today. This was clear proof.
As a result, people no longer resented the young Commissioner Fan for doing something so taboo as sealing the Way of Speech. Instead, they felt a trace of sympathy for this young official, whose future was uncertain and "life and death uncertain". After all, Fan Xian had gained a very good reputation in the Kingdom of Qing over the past two years. Regardless of whether it was inside or outside the city, he had won a lot of face for the court. Thinking of his imminent misfortune, the common people still had some feelings for him, especially when they thought of his mother, who had disappeared without a trace because of a groundless case of rebellion.
"The Ye family? Which Ye family? "
At this time, in the restaurant, a young man suddenly asked stupidly. He had been listening for a long time, but he still did not know the origin of the Ye family, which was related to Sir Fan junior. After all, the events of that year had happened too long ago. Time flowed like water, and too many people in the Kingdom of Qing had almost forgotten that shining golden name.
"You don't even know the Ye family?" Some of the older people began to laugh disdainfully. As expected, they were just some kids who hadn't even fully grown their beards. They didn't even know the once illustrious Ye family, and yet they all felt the need to teach the other a lesson.
"The Ye family was the greatest merchant in the world back then," the middle-aged man leisurely said. "It was the Ye family that made glass and sold it as silver."
Someone objected, thinking that this point was not made clear. "The Ye family, the Ye family that made soap and perfume. Oh, the perfume has been discontinued for over a decade. You probably haven't had the luck to smell it."
"The Ye family, the only family that can make strong alcohol."
Someone else added, "The Ye family that provided a large portion of the military equipment for the court back then."
"Do you know the palace treasury? Do you know where the Qing Kingdom spends so much silver every year? "The middle-aged man laughed mockingly." The palace treasury earned it from Northern Qi, from Dongyi, and even from the sea. And what is the palace treasury? Isn't it the property of the old Ye family back then? "
The young man who had asked the question was flabbergasted. He opened his mouth wide and said, "My god, that's amazing."
The bravest scholar, who had pointed directly at the court and seized the family property, shook his head and laughed coldly. "If the Ye family was only a merchant, how could they have developed to such a scale back then? If they were only a merchant, how could they have been destroyed? "
The middle-aged man asked curiously, "Oh, perhaps you know some news?"
"The Ye family …" The scholar shook his head and sighed. "Rumor has it that they have a close relationship with the Overwatch Council. When the Overwatch Council was first established, it was said that all of the income was provided by the Ye family. Of course, this is only a legend."
The middle-aged man was silent for a moment. Suddenly, a light flashed through his mind. He said to the people around him, "Everyone, do you remember the stone tablet in front of the Overwatch Council's door?"
Everyone nodded. Suddenly, their expressions changed as they thought of something. They all cried out in surprise. "Could it be that the person called Ye Qingmei was the mistress of the Ye family?"
The scholar's expression also changed slightly. He sighed. "No wonder, no wonder … no wonder Sir Fan junior would rather give up his noble and scholarly reputation and sully his body to work in the Overwatch Council. I'm afraid he knew about this. Eh … "He said with surprise," Sir Fan junior was secretly the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council. This matter has always been strange. Did Director Chen already know … "
Before he finished speaking, the middle-aged man had already hurriedly shoved a wine cup to the side of his mouth, blocking his next words. After a moment of shock, the scholar also felt a lingering fear. The people of the Qing Kingdom were simple and straightforward. The common people and scholars were not afraid of the officials, nor were they afraid of Sir Fan junior. Otherwise, they would not dare to gossip about him in the restaurant. Only the old man in the wheelchair was feared by everyone like a ghost. They did not dare to talk too much about him.
The restaurant finally became truly quiet. Everyone began to drink and eat. After an indeterminable amount of time, they suddenly heard a surprised voice coming from the corner.
Everyone was startled and turned their heads to look. They found that it was the young man who did not know the glorious history of the Ye family. They saw him stand up with incomparable excitement. He danced with joy and said, "I remember the Ye family. I remember! The Ye family, the Ye family that was the second-in-command!"
Everyone laughed and paid him no more attention.
For most of the common people of the Qing Kingdom, the Ye family had already become a name in a pile of old papers. No one would purposely preserve its existence in their memories. Even the people in the restaurant of Yishi Tavern, if this had happened two days ago, perhaps would not have remembered the many changes that the Ye family had brought to the Qing Kingdom. But after the rumor that Commissioner Fan was a descendant of the Ye family entered the capital, everyone talked about it too much. Only then did it gradually awaken their dormant memories. Only then did they begin to remember the Qing Kingdom after the Ye family appeared. It seemed that the Qing Kingdom before the Ye family appeared was far too different …
Perhaps it was just a young lady of a manor beginning to miss the smell of perfume. Perhaps it was just a guard at the city gate remembering the wonders of soap as he bathed. Perhaps it was just a soldier staring at the crossbow in his hand in a daze. Perhaps it was a merchant in Shangjing in the north carefully cleaning a glass horse with a silk cloth. Perhaps it was a poet gulping down strong alcohol and feeling endless joy in his heart. Perhaps it was the old man from the Overwatch Council lifting the black cloth to look at everything in the world. Perhaps it was just a young man remembering the first firecracker he set off as a child.
In any case, because of the rumors regarding Fan Xian's past, people began to think of the Ye family for one reason or another.
— — —
Fan Xian walked out the door and welcomed the rare warmth of the winter sun. He stretched lazily and a refreshing smile rose to his face. Because of this matter, it was not convenient for him to return to Cang Mountain. Following his father's wishes, everyone in Fan Manor pretended that nothing had happened. They watched everything indifferently and welcomed the whispers of the people around them.
Deng Zi Yue walked over and handed him today's Council reports, as well as the private reports from the Qinian Unit. Fan Xian read through them in the sunlight and asked, "Regarding that rumor, are there any movements from the officials in the capital?"
Deng Zi Yue peeked at the calm face of the commissioner out of the corner of his eye and felt great admiration for him. Such a big thing had happened, yet he was still able to keep his composure. Was he not afraid that the palace would immediately send people to arrest him? He did not know of Fan Xian's anxious appearance on Cang Mountain, so he couldn't help but think even more highly of him.
When they first heard this rumor, Deng Zi Yue and all the officials in the Overwatch Council and the common people were equally shocked and incredulous. But after thinking about it for a while, they realized that although there was no evidence for this rumor, when compared to Fan Xian's actions after entering the capital, it was very believable. If he was not a descendant of the Ye family, why would the Director love the commissioner so much? If he was not a descendant of the Ye family, why would Minister Fan make such a plan to have his own son take over the palace treasury?
"There's been no big movement." Deng Zi Yue was blinded by the sunlight in the garden and woke up from his daze. After apologizing, he said, "The news from the various manors is very clear. The Imperial Censorate has already secretly contacted them, but last time they suffered a big loss, so this time they seem to be more cautious. Instead, in the other departments, some officials have begun to stir. But rumors are rumors, after all. Without concrete evidence, they don't dare write anything to say. Everything is still in the dark. "
Fan Xian asked, "Is it the Eastern Palace?"
Deng Zi Yue shook his head. "The officials who are on good terms with the Eastern Palace are still observing. But … yesterday, a few officials' wives entered the palace to see the empress. After they returned, the officials also met in private. As for what they said, no one knows."
"The empress?" Fan Xian furrowed his brows and sighed. He didn't even have time to find trouble with the empress. Were they going to come to him of their own accord? The empress would naturally fly into a rage, but what would the empress dowager think?
It was only now that he realized that the power he could use, other than Uncle Wu Zhu and that final trump card, was not very secure. In this situation, even if he relied on the Emperor's trust in him and Chen Pingping and his father's plan to safely get through this, what about in the future? The situation had to be controlled in his own hands. Only then could he be at ease.
…
…
In Hanguang Palace, the empress sat by the empress dowager's bed with a face full of tears. She held the old woman's hand in her hand and said pitifully, "Aunt, you have to make a decision for me."
The empress dowager sighed and said, "How can I make this decision?"
The empress gritted her teeth and said, "Usually, I have always looked at Fan Xian with fear and trepidation. Now, I finally know that he is that witch's son! The Emperor … the Emperor is so cruel to hide it from me for so long. That witch has a descendant! "
The empress dowager stroked the empress's messy hair and comfortingly said, "It has already happened so long ago. What is there to be worried about? You've also seen that brat. It's impossible for His Majesty to give him any title. You keep fighting, but what can you fight for? "
Hanguang Palace was completely silent. Other than old Eunuch Hong standing guard at the door as if he was asleep, all of the eunuchs and serving girls were far away from the palace.
"Worry about it?" The empress was about to cry. The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes appeared. "Aunt, have you forgotten my father? He is your brother. Although the Emperor has always refused to say, how can we not guess the reason? Isn't it because of the matter of killing that witch back then? He has always held a grudge. "
Hearing the empress say this, the empress dowager's face immediately darkened. She struggled to sit up from the bed and said in a stern voice, "Shut up! In this Palace, you should call me Mother Empress, not Aunt! You still have the face to talk about what happened back then? I don't know what kind of jealousy you ate to actually incite your own father to do such a thing, to kill off the entire family... The Emperor only told me a few months ago that if Fan Jian's family had not been quick to act and sacrificed dozens of lives, not only would you have killed that woman, you would have also... killed Fan Xian! "
The empress dowager moved her face closer to the empress and coldly said, "Don't forget, although Fan Xian is that woman's son, in his bones flows the Emperor's blood! No matter where he is, he is still the flesh and blood of the royal family. If you want to kill him, you have to ask me what I mean. "
The empress shivered in her heart and endless fear surged out. She looked dumbly at the empress dowager's righteous and awe-inspiring face and thought, Wasn't it the empress dowager's tacit consent for us to kill our way into Taiping Courtyard? Why are you not willing to admit it now?
Seeming to guess what the empress was thinking, the empress dowager's expression relaxed slightly. She lightly said, "There are some things that must not be said. Take it with you into the earth."
The empress dowager's eyes filled with anger. She looked at the empress dowager without a sound and rudely said, "So … so even the proper empress dowager is afraid of her own son."
The empress dowager's cold gaze stared at the empress's face and said, word by word, "It is not fear, it is love. I cannot bear to see the Emperor as grief-stricken as he was in the past, and I do not want another night of Jingdou's blood to flow … the royal bloodline has always been thin, and most of the nobility have already been lost. They cannot endure such torment again."
The empress sat in a daze for a moment. Suddenly, she giggled crazily. "Cannot endure torment? My pitiful father, your pitiful brother, died for nothing? Fan Xian is the son of the Ye witch … and the court is not giving an explanation? Are they just going to let the court and the people discuss it? What is the Ye family? The Ye family's crime is treason … are you not worried that the royal family's face will be completely lost? "
The empress dowager slowly said, "You are tired. Go rest. As for Fan Xian … who said he was Lady Ye's son? I don't believe it at all. As for the ignorant people of the world, if they want to say it, they can say it. "
The empress finally gave up. Her hands gripped her handkerchief tightly inside the sleeves of her dress. Forcing herself to stand, she bowed to the empress dowager and turned to walk out of Hanguang Palace.
Just as she was about to reach the palace door, the empress dowager's cold voice rang out. "I heard that recently, the wives of officials have often come to visit your palace? It is almost the New Year, and there are more matters in the Palace. You are the mother of the country who controls the six palaces. Don't always worry about matters outside the Palace … that is all. Go. "
The empress turned around and bowed again. With a cold smile at the corners of her lips, she bid farewell and left.
"Go watch her. Her temper has become more and more strange these years." The empress dowager sat on the bed. Her trembling hands barely managed to gather the silver strands in her hair. She ordered old Eunuch Hong in front of her, "Don't let these things bother the Emperor."
Old Eunuch Hong made a sound of assent and left Hanguang Palace like a ghost. The palace door creaked. The eunuchs and serving girls who had received the order quickly entered to serve the empress dowager.
The little hand of the serving girl holding the comb slowly and carefully moved through the silver hair.
The empress dowager suddenly huffed coldly and slammed her palm on the table. The serving girl combing hair was startled by this sound. Her hand shook and pulled out a few strands of silver hair. She looked at the hair on the comb and was frightened out of her wits. Without thinking, she knelt down and repeatedly kowtowed, not daring to say anything.
"Rise," the empress dowager said with her eyes half closed. "I am not an old creature who cannot tolerate people."
She forcefully suppressed the anger in her heart, but she could not calm it for a long time. The Emperor had asked her to suppress the empress because after the night of bloodshed in Jingdou, most of the people related had died. Only the empress knew the true relationship between the Ye family girl and the Emperor. Only the empress knew Fan Xian's true identity. If the empress was allowed to do as she pleased, no one knew what those princes would do after they woke up from their fright.
Thinking of the Ye family, the empress dowager's temples began to throb. A bitter pain began to spread. The empress dowager had always thought that the Ye family girl was a curse that would linger around the Qing royal family for countless years. Unexpectedly, this thought had been imprinted on her. She had left a child for the Emperor.
The empress dowager had enough power to deal with this matter. Otherwise, the Ye family would not have been destroyed back then. The old woman's impression of what happened back then was bad enough. After she learned the truth from the Emperor's mouth, she remembered that Fan Xian's mother's surname was Ye. Her head began to burn with pain. Thus, when Fan Xian entered the Palace a number of times, she avoided him. She could not guarantee that she could show the benevolence that an empress dowager should have.
When it came to how to deal with Fan Xian, there was a world of difference between her and the empress's thinking. For the empress, Fan Xian was, first and foremost, a Ye family girl and the son of her mortal enemy. In the empress dowager's eyes, no matter how wrong that Ye family girl was, how many crimes she committed, and how evil she was in the court, the son she gave birth to was, after all, the blood of the royal family. He was her own grandson.
… …
Late at night, after confirming that old Eunuch Hong had already returned to the small room outside Hanguang Palace, the pale-faced empress gently bit her lip and gave a meaningful glance to her serving girl. In a moment, the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, who had recently appeared steady and had not made any mistakes, arrived in front of her and bowed in greeting.
He didn't know what the empress was saying. He only heard her lowered voice become more and more urgent, but the Crown Prince shook his head the entire time.
Mother and son faced each other in silence. A moment later, the Crown Prince quietly comforted, "Mother, even if Fan Xian is a descendant of the Ye family, so what? He is nothing more than a merchant. "
"Merchant?" The empress smiled coldly. "Do you think that woman is a normal merchant? She is a demon! "
The empress stared at the Crown Prince and said in a cold voice, "Fan Xian is your father's son."
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