Everyone could hear the meaning of these two sentences and the hatred hidden within. Yan Xiaoyi stood on the stone steps and stared into Fan Xian's eyes. It was as if he wanted to use his gaze to coldly nail him to death.
He knew that he could not kill Fan Xian in Jingdou. This was a sorrowful reality. After so many years, he still found it hard to believe that even if the pretty boy on horseback in front of him cursed his son so sinisterly and threatened him in front of the entire capital … no, threatened him, he still couldn't do anything ahead of time.
He was the son of a hunter, and the other party was the Emperor's son.
Yan Xiaoyi was not like the other elders in the military. He was not a noble family like the Qin and Ye families, nor was he a descendant of a noble family like the Great Prince. Although he had the Eldest Princess as a backer, in reality, his climb in the military still relied on his own strength. His present glory and lofty position as the Governor of the North were all fought for with his life in the North, the West, and the South.
His arrows were never a match. The front of his army had never been unable to hold out for three days. He had performed countless meritorious deeds for the Qing court.
Thus, there was today.
Even though the Emperor knew that he and the Eldest Princess had a close past, he still trusted him and favored him greatly. A few years ago, he had even made him the Commander of the Imperial Army in the Palace.
What was the reason for all of this? It was because Yan Xiaoyi had a determined and powerful heart.
As a superior ninth-level ace, in the entire Qing military, only Ye Zhong could contend with him. Perhaps it was the secret figures hidden in the depths of the old Qin family. Thus, Yan Xiaoyi had never feared anything in his life. Occasionally, he would even wonder if his troops were facing a Great Grandmaster. Would the Great Grandmaster be able to escape his arrows?
How could he be afraid of a young man? Even if the young man on horseback at the foot of the stone steps, in his eyes, was only relying on his father's and mother's great fame. Even if this young man's gaze was so cold and ruthless, but …
Don't provoke me!
His eyes stared at Fan Xian. His gaze was like the startling arrows on his back. It was as if he was telling Fan Xian that if he wanted to, he could kill him at any time. Even if his identity was special, there were some things that were better left undone.
…
…
Fan Xian was awe-inspiring and fearless. He raised his face and narrowed his eyes. Dispelling the slight pain, he smiled coldly to welcome the attack.
He wasn't sure if the ambush in the valley was done by Yan Xiaoyi or not. Although the Eldest Princess was the most suspicious in this matter, there were some suspicious points that made it hard for him to make a firm judgment. But he still wanted to speak like this. Because one day, Yan Xiaoyi would come to kill him. Since that was the case, he didn't need to consider too many things.
Regardless of whether or not it was Yan Xiaoyi who did it, Fan Xian knew he had to do something that would shock the world to warn those who were secretly plotting against him that if they wanted to kill him, they would have to consider whether or not they could afford to pay the price.
The two hundred heads in front of the stone lions of the Bureau of Military Affairs were proof.
…
…
The stone steps of the Bureau of Military Affairs seemed to be frozen by a gust of cold air.
Yan Xiaoyi stood proudly on the stone steps while Fan Xian sat straight on the back of the horse. Their gazes just happened to be level. The murderous aura contained in their gazes was unbearable. Even the stench of blood that filled the surroundings and the stench from the head under the stone lion seemed to be afraid of their gazes and moved away.
Someone coughed softly.
Qin Heng led his horse to the side of the stone steps and apologized in a low voice to the Right Deputy of the Bureau of Military Affairs. He then straightened his body and smiled warmly at Yan Xiaoyi. "Greetings, Governor."
He had come at the right time and perfectly blocked the confrontation between Fan Xian and Yan Xiaoyi's gazes, easing the conflict that was about to erupt at any moment.
Yan Xiaoyi slowly withdrew his piercing gaze and calmly said, "Hello, Marquis. How has the old master been recently? I have returned to the capital, so I have to go see him. "
Qin Heng had long been made a marquis. The old master Yan Xiaoyi spoke of was the old Qin Master, who had long been ill in the manor. Given Yan Xiaoyi's status as the Northern Governor, in front of the pillar of the military, the old Qin Master, he could only call himself a general.
With Qin Heng coming out to ease the tension, Yan Xiaoyi had to give him face.
However, Fan Xian didn't have to give it. He lowered his head and played with the horsewhip in his hand. "You're blocking me and Governor Yan."
…
…
After Qin Heng was speechless, he was stunned. He didn't understand what Fan Xian was thinking. Was he going to challenge Yan Xiaoyi in front of the Bureau of Military Affairs? Although everyone knew that Fan Xian was as famous as Haitang and was the publicly recognized foremost ace of this generation in the Qing Kingdom, when faced with Yan Xiaoyi, no one thought highly of him.
Furthermore, these two people's identities were not the same. This place was also special. How could they fight here?
Qin Heng tilted his head slightly and said in a low voice, "You're injured."
Fan Xian's expression was incomparably calm, but Qin Heng's heart began to tremble. After everyone in Jingdou learned of the news of the ambush, they were most afraid of this kind of situation.
Everyone was afraid that Fan Xian would go crazy.
If Director Chen Pingping was an old black dog, then Fan Xian was a little black dog. The little black dog had been viciously stabbed with a knife and went crazy. It would randomly bite without distinguishing between friend and foe. The civil and martial officials of the court were afraid that Fan Xian would go to war in his anger and shake the foundations of the entire Qing court.
Fan Xian listened to Qin Heng's question and slowly replied, "I just want to ask some questions. Treat with courtesy and return with kindness. Give with a sword and return with a knife. Governor Yan, is this not the principle? "
(Provided by a book friend. Added.)
…
…
There were some questions that Fan Xian was prepared to ask face to face, but he didn't have the opportunity to say them.
The people of the Bureau of Military Affairs heard the words of knives and swords and thought that Sir Fan junior was about to go crazy. Unconsciously, they made preparations for battle. Although the Bureau of Military Affairs was mainly staffed by military officers and their martial power was not as tyrannical as that of the Qing Kingdom's Five Roads, it was, after all, the essence of the Qing military for decades. Muddleheadedly being bullied by Fan Xian at their doorstep, they had endured silently for a long time. There would always be a time to retaliate. All of the officers and generals gripped the hilts of their knives.
Yan Xiaoyi could only bring 100 trusted soldiers into the capital. At this moment, these 100 trusted soldiers had long been set up in the corridor by the side door of the Bureau of Military Affairs. They watched nervously the 100 or so First Bureau officials of the Overwatch Council in front of the yamen.
The soldiers who had returned from the North had a weather-beaten expression on their faces. They had long been forged into an iron army by Yan Xiaoyi. However, what was different from the Qin and Ye family's Roads was that these 100 trusted soldiers all carried bows and arrows.
The Qing Kingdom's Jingdou forbade crossbows, but not bows. This was the confidence displayed by the martial royal family.
The two sides faced off, but the Commander of the Jingdou Garrison, Qin Heng, who had been worried the entire time, relaxed. If Fan Xian had used words to pressure Yan Xiaoyi earlier and issued him an invitation to a duel, as long as Yan Xiaoyi agreed, even the Emperor would not be able to stop it. Then, the two sides would certainly be in a situation of life and death.
However, the present situation involved the conflict between the Overwatch Council and the military. Qin Heng knew that this battle could not be fought because there were countless eyes in Jingdou watching. Regardless of whether it was the Emperor or the system of court officials in charge of state affairs, none of them could watch as the foundation of Qing Kingdom's domination of the world collapsed with a bang because of the heads in front of the Bureau of Military Affairs.
As expected, the sound of shouting came from the distance. The hooves of horses were slightly disorderly.
A group of imperial soldiers wearing bright armor rode over. The Bureau of Military Affairs was located between the Overwatch Council and the Royal Palace. The reaction of these imperial soldiers seemed to be a bit slow. However, some of the clear-eyed people knew that the imperial soldiers had purposely left some time for Fan Xian to slightly vent the anger in his heart.
The imperial soldiers represented the Emperor's might. No one dared to look down on them, at least on the surface.
Thus, when the imperial soldiers lined up and separated the people of the Overwatch Council from the Bureau of Military Affairs soldiers, no one expressed any opposition.
Furthermore, the person leading the troops was the Great Prince.
The Great Prince had once been the Commander of the Western Expedition and had deep ties to the military. Now, everyone knew that his relationship with Fan Xian was also very close.
Seeing that he had come to mediate, everyone present let out a breath at the same time. They deeply felt that the Emperor was wise. This person was truly too suitable.
The Great Prince pulled the reins of his horse and came to Fan Xian's side. The worry on his face was immediately hidden. He nodded his head slightly and didn't say anything unnecessary. He only said, "Father knows of this matter. Go back to your manor and recover."
Fan Xian looked at him with a not-quite-there smile, silent, and waiting. Naturally, he was going to leave. He couldn't really start a massacre here with the Bureau of Military Affairs. However, the people he was waiting for had not all arrived yet.
In a moment, three eunuchs of the eunuchs panted as they ran in from outside the crowd. They passed on the Emperor's verbal edict, expressing their shock and condolences regarding the assassination of the plenipotentiary imperial envoy of Jiangnan Road. They severely criticized the Jingdou garrison and secretly reminded and intimidated the people of the Bureau of Military Affairs. Then, they ordered Sir Fan junior to immediately return to his manor to recover and wait for the court to investigate the matter before making a decision.
In a moment, two officials whose bodies were clearly not very healthy also panted as they ran in. It was Shu the Scholar and Hu the Scholar. These two high-ranking officials of the Hall of Governmental Affairs expressed their comfort toward Fan Xian as well as their incomparable anger toward the murderer.
Shu Wu was an old acquaintance of Fan Xian's, but it was the first time Fan Xian had seen Hu the Scholar's appearance. He found that he was even younger than he had imagined. At most, he was in his 40s.
Fan Xian sat on the horse in silence for a moment. He then said to the Great Prince, "You understand me. I have enough face in the first round. For now, I won't go crazy."
The Great Prince nodded and said, "I'll see you off."
Fan Xian pulled on the reins and spun on Tianhe Avenue. He turned the horsewhip to his left hand and raised it to point directly at the military people on the stone steps of the Bureau of Military Affairs. He waved it and didn't say anything more.
The military people of the Bureau of Military Affairs felt that this whip from a distance seemed to have landed on their faces.
… …
Returning to the Fan manor, the Great Prince asked about the specific situation in the valley at the time. After a moment of silence, he left the manor. Fan Xian knew that he was in a hurry to return to the Palace to face the Emperor's storm-like questions, but he didn't want to remind him too much. Even he himself still had many doubts about this matter.
The Palace had sent three imperial doctors from the Imperial Academy of Medicine to Fan manor, but Fan Xian didn't need them. He only had the brothers of the Third Bureau apply medicine to his wounds. The remaining poison should be gone in a few days. As for the wretched wound on his back, he didn't know how many days it would take to heal.
It was not until now that he was lying on his warm bed that Fan Xian's body and mind finally completely relaxed. Immediately, he felt a thread of tiredness that was difficult to resist. Even though his back was still burning with pain, he still hugged the pillow and fell into a deep sleep.
When he woke, the sky was already dark. A serving girl went out and brought in a bowl of rice porridge warmed with hot water. The person who had been standing by Fan Xian's bed accepted the porridge and helped Fan Xian sit up. Using a spoon, he blew on it carefully and slowly fed it.
Fan Xian took a bite and pressed his slightly dry lips together. Gazing at his father who was carefully spooning the porridge, he found that after not seeing him for a year, his father's hair had grown more white and his wrinkles had deepened. For some reason, for a moment, he felt his heart ache.
"I've made you worry."
Fan Jian didn't say anything. He only fed him a few more mouthfuls before putting the bowl of porridge on the table. Calmly, he said, "Back when you wanted to enter the Overwatch Council, I told you that there would be problems in the future. However, since the problems have already appeared, there is no need to talk about this anymore."
Fan Xian was silent for a moment. He then said, "There are many things I don't understand."
Fan Jian warmly said, "Tell me."
Fan Xian told his father all of the questions he had in his heart when he was by the ruined carriage in the valley. He hoped to be able to give him some reminders from his father, who did not seem to reveal himself in court, but actually had a solid foundation and was skilled. Even the Emperor could not force him to abdicate.
"Since we have determined that it was the military who did it," Fan Jian said, "then we can analyze it. Other than the defense of Jingdou, the Qing army has five Roads and seven provincial soldiers. The border soldiers are the most powerful. The Ye family has one in Dingzhou, the Qin family has one, and the Cangzhou border soldiers are under Yan Xiaoyi's control. There is also one on the Nanzhao line. The strength of the provincial soldiers is basically negligible. Even so, the five Roads soldiers are not divided so clearly. For example, the Ye and Qin families have students and old friends throughout the army and have a certain amount of influence in various areas. "
Fan Xian paused for a moment and then continued, "For example, the Great Prince's previous expeditions to the West were actually a large army drawn from the soldiers of the five Roads. Once the war ended, the soldiers returned to the various places."
Fan Xian was silent for a moment. He then said, "This is also one of the Emperor's methods."
"Correct. These generals have been promoted to important positions because of the Western expedition. They are like the hands and feet of the royal family. They are not people that the Ye and Qin families can order around. Thus, no one family can control the five Roads of the border soldiers alone."
Strangely, even though Fan Xian had been attacked by an assassination, the father and son did not seem to feel much emotion or anger. They only calmly analyzed the situation.
"For example, the defense of Jingdou. Within a radius of 40 li outside the capital, it is all under the jurisdiction of the Jingdou garrison. The garrison controls 20,000 people. Inside are the Qing Kingdom's most powerful Imperial Army, 10,000 people. There are also 13 city gate guards. They appear unremarkable, but they are directly under the control of the Emperor's edict. The opening and closing of the Jingdou city gates is also an important yamen. The Palace is also unified by the guards. Although, according to the rules of the court, the Commander of the Imperial Army is also in charge of the internal guards, in reality, other than Gong Dian, the current Commander, who has truly done it, the rest of the time, the internal guards are all managed by the eunuch in the Palace. "
Eunuch? Naturally, it was Eunuch Hong. Fan Xian suddenly heard something strange in his father's words. Other than Gong Dian, who had truly managed to manage both the Imperial Army and the internal guards?
He abruptly raised his head and said in shock, "Gong Dian … is so deeply trusted by the Emperor?"
The first time Fan Xian came into contact with the defense forces of the Palace was when he exchanged a blow with Gong Dian at the door of the Qing Temple. He clearly knew Gong Dian and also knew that a large part of the reason for the Hanging Temple incident was that the Emperor wanted to expel the Ye family's power from Jingdou and kick Gong Dian from his position as Commander of the Imperial Army. But … according to what his father said, the trust that Gong Dian, or rather, the Ye family, had received back then was truly terrifying. Then, why did the Emperor forcefully push the Ye family to the side of the Second Prince and the Eldest Princess?
Fan Xian faintly felt that he seemed to have grasped something important, but he still couldn't figure it out. He couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
Fan Jian quietly said, "Don't think too much into it. Although the Emperor's divine foresight surpasses others, he would not go so far as to play tricks with the defense forces of Jingdou. As for why he wants to kick the Ye family out, I think … I can guess a little."
Fan Xian furrowed his brows and said, "Father, what is the reason?"
Fan Jian smiled and helped him lie down gently. Slowly, he said, "Don't forget, your mother's surname is also Ye. When she first entered Jingdou, she once beat up Ye Zhong. Wu Zhu also fought with Ye Liuyun. Even if there is no relationship between your two families, the Emperor would probably still be worried about certain things. During the Hanging Temple incident, the Emperor did not trust you as much as he does now. But, he is prepared to put you in an important position. Naturally, he has to guard against certain things. "
Fan Xian was startled and immediately sighed coldly. As an Emperor, his schemes were indeed … but, what meaning would such a life have? However, he had not thought that no matter how powerful his father was, there would always be times when he guessed wrong.
"I don't have much affection for the Ye family," Fan Xian said. In his heart, he thought of the girl with eyes as bright as jewels.
"Not now does not mean not in the future." Fan Jian raised his brows and said, "What I am interested in is why the Emperor is so guarded against you."
Fan Xian was silent for a long time. He then quietly said, "Father, do you think this matter was … arranged by the Emperor?"
In the outskirts of Jingdou, he had mobilized the military to kill people. He had even moved the city-guarding crossbows. In the end, as the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council and in charge of all intelligence, he was completely unprepared. Every time he thought of this matter, Fan Xian always felt that behind the ambush in the valley, it was not just the craziness of the Eldest Princess's side. There should be something even deeper hidden. In his list of suspects, the Emperor was naturally ranked first. As for the second …
"It's not the Emperor," Fan Jian suddenly said faintly. "Right now, he doesn't even have enough time to love and pamper you. How could he kill you … unless … he is about to die."
Fan Xian was silent and asked, "To be able to make the Jingdou garrison and Overwatch Council lose their effectiveness at the same time … other than the Emperor, who has this power? The Eldest Princess and Yan Xiaoyi? "
He shook his head. Fan Jian smiled slightly and countered with a question, "You should be guessing something. Otherwise, why didn't you go into your own courtyard to have a look when you returned from the Bureau of Military Affairs?"
(To be continued, if you want to know what happened after, please log on to WWW. CMFU. COM. More chapters. Support the author. Support original reading!)
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