The meaning of "washing one's hands and making soup" is very simple. The bride enters the kitchen for three days. Washing one's hands and making soup. A change in one's role in life. The first time holding hands, kissing, making love, killing … Thirteenth Wang's first time. PS: There were too many mistakes and missing words in yesterday's chapter. I plead guilty and will change.
Also: Today's monthly votes rankings are gloomy and murderous. It is truly like the mountains are angry, and the sunset is like blood. Beside me is Deng Shichang … ahem, it's canvassing votes. Use all your strength to canvass monthly votes.)
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The second day was the day before the third. This was not nonsense because Wan'er was returning to the capital on the third day. Fan Xian was used to keeping his wife and family far away from all filthy matters, so he set the time for the second day. The wind was gentle and the sun was bright. The accumulated snow gradually melted. Tianhe Street was drenched. The flowing stone pools by the side of the street, which had accumulated snow, finally began to flow. Carrying the snow and dried leaves, it moved toward the low-lying areas.
The four city gates in and out of Jingdou were guarded by the 13 city gate guards. These 13 city gate guards were directly transferred from the Palace. Not to mention the fact that the Jingdou garrison could not extend their hands in, even the military elders of the Bureau of Military Affairs would not do much on the surface. Every night, the Jingdou city gates would be closed. In the history of the Qing Kingdom, other than a few bloody coups, as well as a few reports of natural disasters and turmoil on the borders, there had never been a precedent of opening the gates at night.
The old Director of the Overwatch Council, Chen Pingping, was an exception. He lived in the Chen Garden outside the capital. The Emperor had given this Director special permission to enter the capital at night.
However, there was only one exception. Other than Chen Pingping, no one could enter and leave Jingdou at night without imperial orders. After Fan Xian took control of the Overwatch Council, this exception had one more person.
Thus, even though the Jingdou garrison Yuantai Camp found Yan Shendu's body and reported it step by step until it finally reached the general who knew Yan Shendu's true identity, the general in the camp, in his shock and fear, still had no way of informing the people in Jingdou.
The Commander of the Jingdou garrison, Qin Heng, only learned of this news the next morning.
Then, the Northern Governor, Yan Xiaoyi, who had returned to the capital to debrief, also learned of this news.
His own son had been assassinated in the camp last night.
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Yan Xiaoyi sat on the side of the bed with his legs wide open. This was a habit he had developed from many years of riding a horse in the army. His eyes were somewhat indifferent as he looked at the messenger kneeling in front of the door. He tilted his head slightly, not daring to believe his ears.
"Master." The two concubines on the bed suppressed the fear and uneasiness in their hearts and struggled to get up. They helped Governor Yan put on his clothes and got some water to wash up.
Throughout all of this, Yan Xiaoyi maintained a kind of indifferent calmness. His hands that were rubbing in the hot water did not tremble in the slightest.
Ever since he was a child, he had been exceptionally energetic. After enlisting in the army, he could not sleep without a woman. He had countless concubines at home. Even though he did not have a proper wife in his manor in the capital, he still had five concubines to serve him. Last night, under the wind and rain, these two concubines could not bear it any longer.
Yan Xiaoyi tilted his head and glanced at the concubines beside him. In the past, he was used to secretly being proud of his physical strength and energy, but today, there was something strange in his heart. He felt a trace of loathing for these coquettish women.
He had many women, but only one son.
Calmly, he stood up, tied a black gold and jade belt around his waist, put on a snow-blocking cloak, and walked out the door. Outside the door, there were already soldiers and terrified generals of the Jingdou garrison waiting.
Looking at the longbow and quiver of arrows held by his trusted aide, Yan Xiaoyi was a little absent-minded beside his horse. Even so, from the moment he heard the news until now, his expression was still calm. There was not a hint of abnormality on his slightly dark face that carried a determined expression.
The sound of horse hooves gradually left the Yan manor. Inside the manor, two beautiful concubines had died tragically on the bed. Fresh blood dyed the entire green curtain.
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Under the protection of the soldiers, Governor Yan left the city gates and came to the Yuantai Tent not far away. His expression was indifferent. He did not even glance at the commander of the camp who had come to comfort him. He even ignored Qin Heng, who had hurried over.
He went directly into the central military tent.
Yan Shendu's body was placed in the tent. No one dared to touch the body because everyone was waiting for Governor Yan to personally come and take a look.
Yan Xiaoyi stood in front of his son's body and didn't speak for a long time. He only furrowed his brows slightly. After a long time, his gaze lowered slightly and he stretched out his hand to pry open his son's already stiff hand.
The dead person's grip was very tight. Yan Xiaoyi pulled very hard and forcefully broke two of his son's fingers. He took something out of his son's palm and then raised it to his eyes to look at it closely.
The light from outside the tent seeped in and gently snapped off the jade pendant. It shot into Yan Xiaoyi's eyes and made his pupils constrict slightly.
He recognized this jade pendant. There was a small sword on the jade pendant and a few words carved on the other side. Thus, his heart chilled and then immediately began to burn.
The other generals in the central military tent did not know what this jade pendant represented. Qin Heng sighed and went forward to say a few words of comfort. At the same time, he expressed the Qin family's sincere apologies for this matter. The son of a Governor had been assassinated in the camp they controlled. No matter what, the Qin family had to bear great responsibility.
Yan Xiaoyi nodded slightly and finally opened his mouth. His voice was slightly raspy as he slowly said, "Marquis, there is no need to say more."
Qin Heng was silent. A moment later, he said, "My condolences, Governor."
There was no sorrow on Yan Xiaoyi's face. He had the general of the Yuantai Camp take him to the tent his son had once lived in. He went in alone and stayed in the tent for a long time.
Everyone was waiting for him outside, not daring to disturb him.
Inside the tent, he had a final conversation with his son's aura. Yan Xiaoyi walked out of the hole in the back of the tent. His expression was wooden as he looked at the large pools of blood on the snowy ground that had been blown away by the wind. He did not say a word.
Once again returning to the central military tent, Yan Xiaoyi looked at his son's body. Lowering his head, he suddenly extended his hand and grasped the arrow stuck in the heart of his son's body. He pulled slightly.
With a squelch, the arrow left the body and landed in Yan Xiaoyi's hand. He personally inserted the arrow into the quiver on the soldier's back. He then turned and said to Qin Heng, "Burn it."
The sound of horse hooves rose again. They left the Yuantai Camp and rode toward Jingdou. Even though his son had been assassinated, as an important general of the court, Yan Xiaoyi still had to stay in Jingdou. This was the inconvenience brought about by power.
The cold wind hit them in the face.
The faces of the soldiers of the Northern Expedition Army were full of grief and anger. They had fought against the Northern Qi people on the Qing Kingdom's Northern border for a number of years. They thought they had done a great service to the country. They had not thought that someone in Jingdou would dare to assassinate the son of the Governor.
Yan Xiaoyi's expression still did not change. He only said coldly to his personal attendant, "It wasn't Sigu Jian. That assassin bled, ninth-level."
The jade pendant explained the assassin's origin. Yan Shendu's strength and the price that person had paid spoke volumes about that person's level. His personal attendant rode beside him and said, "After Ye Zhong left the capital, there were only a few ninth-level people in Jingdou on the surface. Now that the Governor and Sir Fan junior have returned to the capital, there are two more. However, there should still be some hidden in the shadows, such as the Overwatch Council."
Without question, the first thing Yan Xiaoyi faced after returning to the capital was the power of the Overwatch Council. Particularly that day in front of the Bureau of Military Affairs, Fan Xian had waved the horsewhip at him. It made this hidden resistance become a conflict that was about to explode.
Thus, everyone would immediately think of Yan Shendu's death to Fan Xian.
"It wasn't Fan Xian," Yan Xiaoyi said coldly. "But, it must have something to do with Fan Xian."
The city gates were right in front of them. The personal attendant with the arrow glanced worriedly at the Governor, thinking, If it truly had something to do with Sir Fan junior, what would the Governor do? Would he kill the Emperor's illegitimate child with one arrow in Jingdou?
Yan Xiaoyi narrowed his eyes slightly and didn't say anything. He only coughed and then covered his mouth. A trickle of blood seeped out from between his fingers.
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Last night's assassination did not spread. Not many people knew that Yan Xiaoyi's son was in the Jingdou garrison. Secondly, the time was too short. Even the Overwatch Council headquarters did not know the relevant details. The civil and military officials of the Qing court belonged to two different systems. Naturally, not many officials in court knew about this matter.
It was a minor court conference. The officials at the Palace gates were gathered in twos and threes, each with their own mountain. However, the relationship between the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace and the Second Prince had eased a great deal, so the two factions of civil officials did not stand too far apart.
The Minister of Revenue, Fan Jian, was saying something in a low voice to the two scholars of the Hall of Governmental Affairs. No one came close to the three of them.
With the crack of a whip, the Palace gates slowly opened. The Commander of the Imperial Army, the Great Prince, walked out with a calm expression and bowed to the leaders at the front. Everyone quickly returned the bow. Ever since His Majesty had put the Eldest Prince in charge of the Palace's security more than a year ago, the defense of the entire Palace was indeed impregnable. The Eldest Prince was also a diligent person. Every time there was a court meeting, he would personally be on duty. He did not make any mistakes despite his status as a member of the royal family.
Because of this, the officials who came to court all felt a glimmer of respect and fear toward the Great Prince.
The officials filed in and went to court to discuss the gossip of the world with the Qing Emperor. The Palace gates immediately quieted down again. The snow on the square in front of the Palace had long been swept clean, revealing the wet stones below. The snow that had been swept away formed a pile of snow about half a person's height on the other side of the square, like a low city.
A carriage came from behind the long pile of snow. The carriage, the horse, and the driver were all black. The imperial soldiers guarding the Palace gates and the guards inside immediately knew the identity of the person in the carriage. They couldn't help feeling curious and excited.
The Great Prince pressed his hand on his sword and personally went forward to welcome them. He helped the young official, who still had difficulty moving, down from the carriage. The two of them spoke quietly all the way into the Palace.
The soldiers inside and outside the Palace gates did not dare to breathe too loudly. They only carefully watched this scene from the corner of their eyes. It was not until the figures of the Great Prince and the young official disappeared into the Royal Palace that everyone let out a breath and excitedly began to discuss in low voices.
"Did you see that? Everyone says the Great Prince has a good relationship with him. It looks like it is not false. "
"What's so strange about that? They are brothers."
"Brothers?" Someone laughed coldly. "Don't you remember how Commissioner Fan dealt with the Second Prince a year ago?"
"Silence!"
Although the people of the Qing Kingdom were open-minded and there were rarely cases of people being punished for their words, they were talking about the royal family without restraint in front of the Palace of Brilliance. It had to be said that these soldiers, who had once followed the Great Prince to the west to fight the barbarians and later returned to the Imperial Army to stand guard, were indeed very daring.
The two eunuchs looked at these imperial soldiers like they were looking at immortals.
"Is that the legendary Sir Fan junior?" A guard, who had clearly not been in the Palace for long, said with an excited expression. "It is indeed as the legends say. He is as handsome as a god. However, his complexion does not seem to be very good."
"Nonsense! He was assassinated a few days ago and suffered such heavy injuries. How could he have recovered? Speaking of which, it's strange. Sir Fan junior's injuries healed very quickly. He can actually get off the ground and walk now. Why is he in such a rush to come to court? "
"Don't forget, Sir Fan junior is the youngest ninth-level ace in the Qing Kingdom!"
"But, speaking of assassination …"
Everyone immediately fell silent. They knew that this matter was too terrifying. It was best to talk less about it.
Fan Xian and the Great Prince walked through the Palace. They didn't know what the people behind them were talking about. However, the Great Prince couldn't help but be curious. Why was he in such a rush to enter the Palace when his injuries had not healed?
"Why are you in such a rush to enter the Palace? Recently, the Palace has been a bit chaotic. In order to investigate the matter of you being assassinated, everyone is nervous. "
Fan Xian smiled and said, "Forgot? I remember that I sent the invitation to the manor. It should have been personally received by the Great Princess. Tonight, I'll treat at Baoyue Brothel. I have the strength to treat, but I don't hurry into the Palace to report. I'm afraid the Emperor will spank me. "
"You should call her Great Imperial Concubine or sister-in-law. Why are you still calling her Great Princess?"
"Forget it. The Great Imperial Concubine sounds awkward. It always reminds me of Ye Ling 'er. Sister-in-law is even less appropriate … I don't want to be scolded in front of my face by an official of Taichang Temple. My surname is Fan, but yours is Li." Fan Xian's words were a bit wild. At least, as an official speaking to the Great Prince, it appeared a bit unruly.
The Great Prince knew what he was thinking and smiled helplessly. Suddenly, he said solemnly, "Do you know about that matter?"
"What matter?" Fan Xian furrowed his brows slightly.
"Yan Xiaoyi's son was assassinated last night." The Great Prince stared into Fan Xian's eyes as if trying to determine from them whether or not this assassination had anything to do with him.
Fan Xian raised his brows and couldn't be bothered to pretend to be surprised. "If he's dead, then he's dead. In any case, he's not one of my people. Stop guessing. This matter has nothing to do with me."
The Great Prince looked at him and shook his head. "Regardless of whether or not it has anything to do with you, this matter will probably be remembered on your head."
"So be it," Fan Xian smiled warmly. "I have many enemies in this life. I don't care if there's one or two more."
"That person is … Yan Xiaoyi," the Great Prince reminded him in a serious tone.
Fan Xian didn't reply. He only thought to himself that the Great Prince beside him indeed had some power in the military. At this moment, the city gates had probably just opened, yet he already knew the story of what had happened in Yuantai Camp.
The Great Prince saw that he was ignoring him and furrowed his brows. "I'm afraid this matter will not be resolved so easily. Think about it, an assassin managed to sneak into the camp of the garrison near Jingdou. Once the matter is exposed, no one can think about having good days. This matter … was done too impudently."
Fan Xian heard the hidden meaning in his words and couldn't resist smiling coldly. "Yuantai Camp? A few days ago, someone dared to move the military's city-guarding crossbows to kill an imperial envoy in the valley. Just who is more impudent? "
The Great Prince saw that he was angry and knew that he had lost a number of subordinates in the attack in the valley. He could only change the topic and ask, "When is Chen girl coming back? Grandmother and my mother have missed her for who knows how long. I'm afraid they won't be willing to let her go to Jiangnan next year. "
Fan Xian said, "She'll be back tomorrow. Oh, right, I've also brought back the princess of the Hu tribe. Additionally, I've bought a house in Yangcong Alley. The place is remote and quiet. It's perfect to hide a mistress."
The Great Prince heard these words and hesitantly asked, "What mistress?"
Fan Xian took out a deed to the house and threw it to him. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly. "I'll give you a mistress."
The Great Prince didn't know what to say. He glared at him angrily and said, "In front of others, you have the graceful and elegant face of an immortal poet. Who knew that you have a sharp and unkind mouth of a fox?"
"That is true," Fan Xian said proudly. Fan Xian proudly said, "I already have enough of a reputation. Next, I'm going to tear off all pretenses and have a good time with everyone."
The Great Prince was slightly shocked. He furrowed his brows and said, "You invited so many people tonight. What exactly do you want to do? Don't mess around. "
"How could I? They are all descendants of nobility. I can't wait to curry favor with them. " Fan Xian smiled coldly and said, "However, I know what you're thinking. If you don't want your brothers to fight, it's simple. Quickly defeat them."
The Great Prince disagreed and said, "These words are hard to hear. We are all of the same father. Just quietly wait for the divine judgment. You should know your limits."
"Don't mind." Fan Xian shook his head. "It's still that old saying. My surname is Fan … but, don't worry, I don't have a hobby of chopping off my own fingers. As long as they are willing to behave after tonight, I won't do anything."
The Great Prince smiled. Fan Xian thought for a moment and then couldn't resist laughing self-mockingly. Speaking of which, from ancient times until now, it could be seen in the history books that very few young officials dared to threaten the Crown Prince and princes like he did. Furthermore, he had used such a lecturing tone. This matter appeared somewhat absurd.
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Fan Xian insisted that his surname was Fan. He knew that if it wasn't for the fact that his surname should have been Li, he would not have the power to negotiate with the members of the royal family. He wouldn't even have the right to do so. Based on his style of doing things, he would probably have died a long time ago.
Thus, when he waited for a long time in the royal study and finally saw the Emperor surnamed Li lift the curtains and enter, his behavior could be considered respectful. However, a glimmer of coldness and stubbornness occasionally appeared between his brows.
As the saying goes, acting along the way was the same from beginning to end. (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please log on to WWW. QIDIAN. COM. More chapters. Support the author. Support original reading!)
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