The rain continued to fall. The flowers in various gardens in Jingdou had long bloomed. They gradually fell and sank into the mud.
As for the matter of investigating the Ministry of Revenue, the Palace was still waiting for a result. This made things difficult for the officials in court. At this point, the officials knew that if anyone wanted to bring down the Ministry of Revenue, they themselves had to fall first. There was no need for Sir Fan junior, who was far away in Jiangnan, to speak. Sir Fan senior, who was in the capital, had already displayed enough trump cards.
No matter how they investigated, they couldn't find themselves. Who would want to do such an idiotic thing? Furthermore, the Crown Prince had already foolishly given a very good demonstration.
In officialdom, the most important thing was the Emperor's golden words. The second most important thing was the so-called unwritten rules. Currently, the Ministry of Revenue was swaying between these two matters. However, no matter how it swayed, it stubbornly held on and refused to fall.
Fan Jian refused to resign and end this matter. Even though there were rumors in the Palace that the Emperor was prepared to use a rarely seen high rank to express compensation, the Fan family still stubbornly held on. For a moment, the officials in the capital couldn't help but admire Fan Jian's confidence in the depths of their hearts.
In reality, Fan Jian did not stubbornly hold on. After the Ministry of Revenue had implicated enough officials and the Crown Prince began to turn his gaze to other areas, such as protecting himself and dragging a few of his brothers into the water, the Minister of Revenue did not return to the Ministry of Revenue yamen. Instead, he began to leisurely drink tea in his manor, go to the manor to look at the mountains and rivers, and occasionally visit the manors he was on good terms with.
It was not convenient for him to go to other manors at this time because he did not want to cause trouble for others at the juncture of investigating the Ministry of Revenue. No one dared to get too close to him.
However, King Jing's manor was an exception.
King Jing was the empress dowager's son, the youngest son, and the Emperor's younger brother. He had been silent and well-behaved for many years, doing gardening. Everyone in the Palace knew what his attitude meant, so they never really cared about him.
Fan Jian and King Jing had always been on good terms. It was normal for him to go to his manor. Furthermore, given King Jing's personality, he was not afraid of anything.
Then one day, Fan Jian entered the palace and had a deep and sincere conversation with the Emperor in the royal study. He very sincerely confessed his thoughts to the Emperor.
He analyzed it from all aspects and felt that it was more suitable for him to continue to be the Minister of Revenue. On this issue, he did not hide anything from the Emperor. Lingering was not a longing for battle. In such a seemingly peaceful but actually complicated situation, Fan Jian analyzed himself and the court stroke by stroke. He advised the Emperor that he should take back the order to investigate the Ministry of Revenue. Only then would it be the best choice for the Qing Kingdom.
This was an honorable and honorable path. Even the Emperor was a little surprised that he did not hide his own talents and was so honorable and upright.
The next day, it was said that King Jing also entered the Palace. According to the rumors, this preposterous King muttered to himself for a long time in the empress dowager's Hanguang Palace. In the end, he even argued with the empress dowager's ancestor. As for what they argued about, no one knew.
…
…
That night, the empress dowager and the Emperor watched a play together. While eating melon seeds, the empress dowager told the Emperor about King Jing entering the Palace. The Emperor smiled and didn't say anything.
The empress dowager's meaning was clear. Her attitude was still the same as when Fan Xian had first entered Jingdou. The Fan family had done so much for the Li family, so they couldn't be treated too badly. Besides, it would not look good to have the youngest son enter the Palace every day to make a fuss. Most importantly, this ancestor of the empress dowager knew that her grandsons were probably all looking bad in the Ministry of Revenue matter. If they investigated the Ministry of Revenue and found the royal family, where would the royal family put their face?
Minister Fan had always thought that the Emperor would always care about face more than the officials. He had not thought that the first person to feel embarrassed would be the empress dowager.
However, the effect was about the same.
The next day, the edict came down. Although, in order to maintain the system of the court, it did not clearly take back the imperial edict to investigate the Ministry of Revenue. Using the excuse of state affairs, the Emperor moved most of the officials in the joint investigation group back to their original ministries. Without question, the strength of the investigation of the Ministry of Revenue would be greatly weakened.
The officials all let out a breath. The so-called good for you, good for me, good for everyone. It was just a smooth-sailing court. Why did it have to be so deadly?
Everyone knew that the reason the Palace's strength in investigating the Ministry of Revenue had weakened was certainly related to King Jing's ruckus in the Palace. Thinking of this, the officials couldn't help but feel a strange feeling rise in their hearts.
The Fan manor and King Jing's manor had been on good terms for generations. This was something everyone knew. But, things were different now. Starting from last autumn, it seemed that many problems had appeared between the two families. First, the battle between Fan Xian and the Second Prince had involved King Jing's heir, Li Hongcheng. Later, the young lady of the Fan family had shocked the world by being taken as the last disciple of the Northern Qi Imperial Advisor, Ku He. The marriage between the two families had fallen through.
But, King Jing had entered the Palace? Had the relationship between the two families been repaired? The civil and military officials sighed. They felt more and more that Fan Jian was unfathomable.
At the same time, the Emperor issued a rather elusive personnel appointment. Imperial Censor He Zongwei had been promoted to Imperial Censor of the Left and joined the team investigating the Ministry of Revenue.
He Zongwei had once been a famous scholar in Jingdou who was as famous as Hou Jichang of Fan Xian's four disciples. Because he had always been on good terms with Guo Baokun and had connections with the Ministry of Rites, he had delayed his steps into officialdom to avoid gossip. He waited until the spring examinations in the fifth year of the Qing calendar. Because of the death of a family member, he was forced to give up.
As a result, this famous great scholar had never participated in the imperial examinations. In the hearts of the people, he was indeed an extremely unlucky person.
On the other hand, He Zongwei's luck had been very good. Back then, he had been on good terms with the Guo family and met the Crown Prince. His reputation had risen in the capital. Later, in the spring of the fifth year of the Qing calendar, he had "coincidentally" been involved in the matter of the previous Prime Minister's fall. In the end, he had caught the Emperor's eye. Skipping over layers of procedures, he had been made an Imperial Censor of the Imperial Censor.
In reality, everyone knew that this was because He Zongwei was good at swaying and choosing sides well. At one moment, he stood on the Crown Prince's side, and at the next, he stood on Xinyang's side. Now, he had become the Imperial Censor of the Left.
For such a young figure to have reached such an official position, people couldn't help but be dumbfounded. Why did the Emperor admire this person so much?
It wasn't that such precedents had never existed before. For example, Sir Fan junior was younger than He Zongwei and had a higher official position. He had more power in his hands, and his reputation was greater.
The problem was, everyone knew that Sir Fan junior was a prince in the shadows. Furthermore, his reputation for both civil and martial arts was world-famous. For him to have his current position was not surprising. But, what was going on with He Zongwei?
Some gossipy officials couldn't help but secretly laugh. Could it be that the Emperor had found another illegitimate child?
Regardless of how the officials and people guessed, in the end, this Jingdou talent who had been hidden in the Second Prince's carriage, in the Eldest Princess' manor, and in the Imperial Censor's study had finally officially stepped onto the stage of history. Furthermore, he would shine endlessly in the years to come.
Young, handsome, talented, in position, and with the Emperor's appreciation, the Imperial Censor of the Left, He Zongwei, was like a rising sun that dazzled people's eyes.
Fan Xian, far away in Jiangnan, was probably a black hole that could swallow the sun. No one would believe that last year, Fan Xian had used a black fist to beat this popular figure in court into a pig's head.
This was He Zongwei's lifelong humiliation. He knew that Sir Fan junior, far away in Jiangnan, looked down on him from the bottom of his heart. Now that the Emperor thought highly of him, he had to do something for the Emperor.
… …
The situation that had made the Crown Prince's head ache finally eased, but he still had to think of a way to wipe out the 400,000 liang of silver. Last night, the empress dowager had given her grandson a good scolding in Hanguang Palace before telling him that the Emperor was not in a good mood. Grandmother could block it for him this time, but it did not mean she could block it for him in the future.
The Crown Prince felt a bit of regret. In reality, these two years after Fan Xian entered the capital, he had been doing pretty well. He was honest, peaceful, and even played less with women. However, the him two years ago was indeed a bit preposterous. He had left so many loose ends that people could easily grab.
Thinking of this, he began to remember the Minister of Revenue who had grabbed onto his tail tightly and made him feel incomparable pain.
The Fan family!
Compared to the Second Prince, who he had hated endlessly in the past, the Crown Prince was now certain that in the next few years, his greatest enemy was, without question, the Fan family, regardless of whether the old one or the young one.
The investigation of the Ministry of Revenue had already brought the Eastern Palace and the Fan family into close combat. This time, the Fan family had the upper hand. Regardless of whether or not the Crown Prince was willing to resolve this matter peacefully, given Fan Jian's intelligence, he knew that if the Crown Prince ascended to the throne, the Fan family would not have many good days.
The Crown Prince was not the Emperor. He had no feelings for the old woman far away in Danzhou.
As for Fan Xian, because of the Ye family matter, this was an irreconcilable enmity. The Crown Prince could not hope that Fan Xian would stand on his side. He did not even hope that Fan Xian would not oppose him on the matter of inheriting the throne.
Since the main conflict had been established, the other conflicts were secondary. All of the unhappiness of the past could be casually swept away.
When his trusted aide sent him the Second Prince's invitation to meet on Liujing River, the Crown Prince thought for a moment and then agreed.
He smiled coldly. He knew that his second brother also knew that if he wanted to defeat Fan Xian, relying on his own power was far from enough. There was only one chair. Regardless of whether it was the Crown Prince's or the Second Prince's, everyone could flash their daggers and snatch it again afterward. At the moment, they had to at least ensure that this chair would not fall under the Third Prince's butt.
In the current situation, the Emperor's two sons had to let go of their former enmity and unite. Only by uniting all the power that could be united could they defeat that abnormal bastard far away in Jiangnan.
On Liujing River, the spring was as thick as a woman's eyes, gradually warming up. It was as if summer was coming.
On a pleasure boat, the Crown Prince and the Second Prince drank and chatted merrily, admiring the scenery and the beauty. It was as if nothing untoward had happened between the two of them in all these years.
Since the Second Prince had taken the initiative to extend his hand, he had to express his stance first. First, he expressed his apologies for Minister of Justice Yan Hangshu's dishonorable act of adding insult to injury during the investigation of the Ministry of Revenue.
Of course, he would not say it clearly. Although the Crown Prince could sometimes be a bit of an idiot, most of the time he could still be considered a smart person.
The Crown Prince also sighed and said that after Fan Xian entered the capital, he had suppressed him less.
The two brothers met each other's eyes and saw the faint worry and a glimmer of helplessness in each other's hearts.
The power in Fan Xian's hands was too great. Furthermore, the old men standing behind him were too powerful. More importantly, it seemed that there were some people in the Palace who were leaning toward his side.
Li Chengping and the Third Prince had always been by Fan Xian's side. What exactly did father mean by this arrangement?
The Crown Prince and the Second Prince sank into silence at the same time.
In the end, it was the Second Prince who slowly opened his mouth and said with a light laugh, "Your Highness, I heard that Fan Xian has opened a branch of Baoyue Brothel in Suzhou. There are two girls inside who are very famous. One is a girl he stole from Hongcheng's hands. The other is rather interesting. I heard she is a female slave in brother's manor."
The Crown Prince lowered his eyes and gritted his teeth. With a cold huff, he said, "That big brother of ours, that day in the royal study, didn't he also speak up for Fan Xian? It looks like he is truly afraid of that Great Princess from Northern Qi. Second brother, you and big brother are always close, how come you can't see that he is a fool? "
The Second Prince raised his eyebrows and smiled. He chuckled and didn't continue to say anything.
At this time, a warm breeze was blowing gently on the river. The pleasure boat swam slowly. The willow branches by the shore could not stand the gradually hot weather and hoped that the rain that had stopped in the morning would fall again.
The expressions of the two people by the window were gentle. In reality, they each had their own ulterior motives. However, they had no choice but to sit together and discuss matters.
"He Zongwei will continue to investigate the Ministry of Revenue," the Second Prince said with a slight smile. "Don't worry, he knows his limits."
The Crown Prince huffed coldly. Including the Ministry of Rites and He Zongwei, these people were actually originally close to the Eastern Palace. Later, they were all pulled over by the Eldest Princess and the Second Prince. Now, He Zongwei had already established himself in court. How could the Crown Prince not hate him?
He coldly said, "Don't forget, He Zongwei is passionate about fame and is a true slave of three families. Today, he stands on your side. Who knows how he will stand in the future?"
The Second Prince looked at the deep spring scenery outside the boat in a daze and sighed. "Don't worry, he won't throw his lot in with Fan Xian."
The Crown Prince said, "But, given his present position, it seems that there is no need for him to continue staying under your tutelage …" He mockingly said, "When all is said and done, this position was given to him by father."
The Second Prince was slightly startled. He knew that the Crown Prince's words had meaning, but he couldn't be bothered to refute it. He smiled slightly and said, "It is not convenient for him to come today precisely because of the reason you mentioned. Since he is already a court official, of course, he has to pay attention to keeping his distance from us."
"However." The Second Prince turned to look at the Crown Prince. His face still held a harmless and gentle smile, but a glimmer of disgust grew in his heart. He also felt a bit uncomfortable that this person, whom he had always looked down on, was now forced to work together with him.
"I have asked you to come today because someone wants to see you."
The Crown Prince furrowed his brows and said, "Who is so arrogant as to dare call me to see him?"
…
…
"Am I not allowed to?"
A gentle, clear, and seductive female voice came from the back of the room. The moment this voice came out, it seemed to immediately drown out the beautiful sounds of the wind blowing through the willows and the light flight of birds. It was incomparably moving.
The Crown Prince's expression changed. A complicated emotion flashed through his eyes. He was dumbstruck. A moment later, he slowly stood up and bowed toward the back of the room. He said self-mockingly, "After aunt entered the Palace, I have not seen Chengqian. Chengqian thought aunt was not happy to see me."
The Eldest Princess, Li Yunrui, lifted the beaded curtain and slowly walked out. She gazed at the Crown Prince with a faint smile.
The Crown Prince involuntarily felt a wave of nervousness. He didn't dare to look directly at that beautiful, otherworldly face.
…
…
"This time, it seems that we have all fallen for the Ministry of Revenue matter." Exhaustion appeared on the Eldest Princess' face, but it could not hide her brilliance. Suddenly, she burst into laughter and said, "This son-in-law of mine is truly interesting. He set up a trap for us to fall into. Fortunately, King Jing made a ruckus. Otherwise, if the matter got out of hand and we couldn't find evidence of the Ministry of Revenue stealing national funds to Jiangnan, it would be difficult to explain to the civil and military officials in court."
The Ministry of Revenue's silver had made a round in Jiangnan and had long returned. Naturally, they couldn't find anything. Although some silver was still in the Jiangnan money house, the amount was not large. Given Fan Jian's ruthlessness, it was naturally covered up without any loopholes.
The Crown Prince looked at his nose and quietly said, "Aunt, please give me some pointers."
"I just came to drink tea today," the Eldest Princess said with a slight smile. "After all, you are … blood brothers. Everything can be laid out and discussed. Don't let outsiders laugh at you."
When she said the words "blood brothers," she put emphasis on the word "blood" and bit the tip of her tongue to emphasize her tone. Although it was a point, it revealed a glimmer of temptation.
The Crown Prince said in a trembling voice, "But, if the Ministry of Revenue can't find anything to use against Fan Xian, this person … there are no loopholes to grab. We can only wait for him to cultivate his wings in Jiangnan. What if he returns to the capital in the future?"
"Naturally, the Ministry of Revenue will be investigated." The Eldest Princess's watery eyes stared at the Crown Prince's face. She smiled and said, "Brother Emperor has temporarily taken a step back. In the future, he will definitely take a big step forward. You don't have to worry about this. As for my son-in-law, you don't have to worry even more. An Zhi, this person, looks like he won't budge. In reality, it is very easy to deal with him."
The Crown Prince and Second Prince were both stunned, wondering where these words came from. For a person like Fan Xian, it was not easy to ruin him, and it was even harder to bring him down. It was impossible to destroy him spiritually, and it was even more difficult to destroy him physically. Why did the Eldest Princess say it so lightly?
"My son-in-law," the Eldest Princess said gently, "looks heartless, but in reality, he is heartless but full of affection."
… …
After the secret conference on Liujing River ended, the Second Prince boarded the carriage under the protection of the eight generals and returned directly to his manor in the north of Jingdou. Presently, one of the eight generals had been killed by Fan Xian, and Fan Wujiu had been scared back to his home by the swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau. There were only six people left. They had long lost their former prestige.
The Second Prince had been a king for many years and had been married for many months. His relationship with wangfei had always been very good. There had not been any bad rumors.
Wangfei's surname was Ye, and her name was Ling 'er.
In the bedroom, Ye Ling 'er draped a thin sky-blue robe over her husband. A faint worry floated on her usually cheerful face.
The Second Prince turned around and glanced. His heart was slightly apologetic. Holding her slightly cold hands, he comfortingly said, "What are you thinking about?"
"Today …" Ye Ling 'er bit her lower lip. A glimmer of struggle flashed through her bright jade-like eyes. Finally, she gathered her courage and said, "Where did you go?"
The Second Prince lowered his head and was silent for a moment. He then replied straightforwardly, "I went to Liujing River to see my aunt and the Crown Prince."
A warmth welled up in Ye Ling 'er's heart. It seemed that since the Second Prince did not hide such an important matter from her, it meant that he was truly treating her as someone close to him. She couldn't resist persuading, "Why? Isn't it better for us to live peacefully? "
After being married for many months, the Second Prince was gentle and considerate. He did not show the domineering and shameless side of the royal family. This was partly because Ye Ling 'er's background was also very deep. It was also because he had some affection for Ye Ling' er.
The younger generation of the Qing Kingdom had actually all grown up together, such as Wan 'er, the princes, Ye Ling' er, and the young lady of the Fan family. The division between the royal family and the trusted families was not clear.
The Second Prince knew that his wife was thinking for him. He couldn't resist sighing and said, "There are many things that we have no choice in."
Ye Ling 'er stared at him in a daze and suddenly said, "In the past, it was the Emperor who pushed you out, but now … teacher, Fan Xian has already taken over your role. Why do you still want to participate?"
The Second Prince sighed again. After a moment of silence, he said, "If it is really as you say, my historical mission has already been completed. I should indeed not participate in these matters, but don't forget."
He said with slight mockery, "The teacher you speak of, the most famous Sir Fan junior in the Qing court, is actually someone who holds a grudge the most."
Ye Ling 'er furrowed her brows slightly and said unhappily, "What grudge can't be resolved? Do you want me to go talk to him? "
Although the Second Prince secretly laughed at his wife's childishness, he was also faintly moved. Pulling her into his arms, he comfortingly said, "There are many grudges between men that can't be resolved through friendship in the boudoir."
He didn't explain in detail, but he knew that the grudge between him and Fan Xian would be difficult to resolve. The guards who died on Niulan Street, the Baoyue Brothel incident, the dead prostitutes, and many, many more, Fan Xian had placed all the blame on him. This was actually also something the Second Prince did not understand. It was clear that only some unimportant subordinates had died, so why did Fan Xian hate him so much?
In order to protect himself, he had to have power. Of course, the most important reason was that the Second Prince was still not satisfied even now.
Everyone was not satisfied, but few people knew of Fan Xian's good intentions far away in Jiangnan.
I've even read the reviews of the book. Thank you. I just don't have time to add to it. I'm really sorry.
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