The snow in Jingdou stopped and fell again. It was not as free and clear as the snow in Shangjing in Northern Qi, nor was it as annoying as the lack of rain and snow in Danzhou. It was as lingering and annoying as the spring rain in Jiangnan. Fan Xian stretched out his hand to brush the snow from his hair angrily. Looking at the Great Prince at the door of the manor, he said, "It's just a meal. Why are you so nervous?"
In reality, the Great Prince was not wrong. If the inscription on the invitation did not have the name of the Great Princess of Northern Qi, Fan Xian would not have escaped early. He might not even have come.
Fan Xian thought painfully, Why did you summon me, a descendant of the Fan family, for a gathering of royal brothers? He really didn't want to come. Firstly, he didn't want to see the Second Prince and his wife when the situation was unclear. Secondly, he was thinking about those sinister things. If the Crown Prince, the target of his plot, continued to talk to him gently, what should he do?
There was no place for him to speak. His wife was already standing in front of the Great Prince, beaming with joy. She giggled and said a few words, and then the two of them walked side by side into the Prince's manor.
Fan Xian looked at this scene of deep sibling affection and thought to himself that this brother was not his cousin. His heart ached slightly. How could he not enter the manor?
Fan Xian had not been to Prince Heqing's manor many times. Once he entered the manor, there were naturally people waiting on him to sit. Fan Xian looked around and didn't see anyone else, so he relaxed.
On the other side of the room, Wan'er was talking warmly about something with the Great Brother she hadn't seen in a long time. Fan Xian was bored sitting alone in the hall and couldn't be bothered to interrupt. He half-closed his eyes and rested. However, the words beside him kept drilling into his ears. One moment, Wan'er was teasing the Great Prince about his appearance after marriage. The next moment, the Great Prince was asking Wan'er if she had gotten used to life in Jiangnan, if Fan Xian had bullied her, and how the scenery in Jiangnan was. What kind of yamen was the Hangzhou Society?
By the time Wan'er explained clearly to the Great Prince that the Hangzhou Conference had nothing to do with the yamen, Fan Xian couldn't resist yawning. He felt bored. This pair of brother and sister were important figures in the royal family. One of them was a general who had once led troops and killed people. How come when they talked, they were no different from the gossipy women of the Teng family?
Just as he was cursing to himself, he suddenly felt a breeze behind him. He vigilantly opened his eyes and turned around, only to see a beautiful young woman dressed in gorgeous clothing lift the curtains and enter.
Fan Xian was slightly startled. He stared at the flower in the woman's hair and smiled. "Greetings, wangfei."
The person who had come was the Great Princess of Northern Qi, the present wangfei. When this foreign noble had married into the Qing Kingdom, Fan Xian had been the envoy. The two of them had traveled thousands of li together, so they were more familiar with each other than the others.
However, ever since she and the Great Prince had married, it was not convenient for Fan Xian and her to maintain contact. Even the secret promises they had made to each other basically had no room to put into practice. After not seeing each other for a long time, he felt a bit unfamiliar. After the first greeting, Fan Xian didn't know what to say.
Lin Wan'er saw the princess come out and quickly stood up to salute, but was forced by the princess to call her sister-in-law according to the customs of the people.
Wangfei's appearance was dignified, particularly the magnanimity at the tips of her brows and the corners of her eyes. It made one feel amiable and happy. However, at this moment, her calm gaze turned and stared at Fan Xian. Revealing a strange expression, she said, "I haven't seen you in a long time. How have you been?"
Fan Xian was facing her. He had long seen the glimmer of severity and anger in the gentleness in her eyes. Additionally, she had called him "little duke" twice. He knew she was angry. However, he knew that wangfei's anger had nothing to do with the matters between a man and a woman. She also wasn't truly angry at him for not seeing or communicating much after sending his relatives back home. It was probably because of the Yangcong Alley incident.
He unconsciously glanced at the Great Prince's expression and found that he could still force himself to be calm. He could only hide his awkwardness and smile. "What the Great Princess is saying … it is best to call me Fan Xian as usual. How about … brother-in-law?"
Although this joke was not funny, Fan Xian's way of addressing her was very particular. He still respectfully called her princess, using an old form of address. Firstly, it made her think of their old feelings. Secondly, he knew that wangfei would feel much better after hearing this form of address.
Although the Great Princess of Northern Qi was married to the Great Prince of the Qing Kingdom and it was not a disgrace to her identity, she was, after all, marrying far away in a foreign country. Furthermore, the background of the marriage was the Qing Kingdom's victory in the war between the two countries. Thus, for the Northern Qi people, particularly the Great Princess, this marriage was not very glorious.
Furthermore, the Great Prince was titled Prince Heqing. What did that mean? Each time he thought of the Great Prince's title, Fan Xian couldn't resist wanting to laugh. He thought that the Emperor was indeed a dark and vengeful person. The Great Princess probably hated Prince Heqing's name.
As expected, wangfei paused upon hearing the words "Great Princess." She had lived in the Qing Kingdom for almost two years, married a good man, and lived a good life. However, she was, after all, in a foreign land. Although she strictly forbade the servants in the manor from using her full title, it had been a long time since anyone had called her princess.
Wangfei's gaze immediately softened. She looked at Fan Xian and smiled slightly, temporarily giving up on the idea of making trouble for him.
Lin Wan 'er and the Great Prince were both smart people. They could tell that Fan Xian and wangfei had carried out a certain level of testing in the previous two sentences. Involuntarily, they looked at each other and couldn't resist shaking their heads, thinking that these two were very tired.
The four of them sat down and chatted for a while. Fan Xian couldn't resist turning his head to glance in the direction of the main door. Shaking his head, he said, "I said I came early today, but Wan 'er insisted on rushing me."
"Everyone is here, just waiting for you." The Great Prince glanced at him and said, "You, as a new duke, have a lot of face to have two princes waiting for you."
Fan Xian was slightly surprised.
"The Crown Prince will not come today," the Great Prince explained. The Great Prince explained and said that Chengqian had already sent a valuable gift. The Second Prince, the Second Princess, and the Hongcheng siblings had already sat in the back garden.
The Crown Prince not coming made Fan Xian feel much more at ease. He knew that this was a normal thing. The Crown Prince's identity was different. He was the heir to the country. Although his position seemed to have wavered these two years, his position was still higher than that of the other princes. When the royal family gathered, he had to be invited. However, it was not convenient for him to come.
Wan 'er said in surprise, "Second brother and the others are already here. Then, what are we still sitting here for?"
This was not a stupid question. It was to purposely lessen the negative effect the Great Prince's words had on the atmosphere in the hall. The Great Prince listened to Wan 'er's words and smiled. "Let's go over now."
He then glanced at Fan Xian.
Fan Xian laughed bitterly and thought, Since I'm already here, are you still afraid that I'll make a scene in the manor and beat up the Second Prince? As he thought this, he rose and led Wan 'er toward the back garden.
The Great Prince and his wife shook their heads at the same time, thinking that Fan Xian truly did not have the self-awareness of being a guest. They also followed him toward the back garden. As they left the hall, wangfei thought of the secret dealings between Fan Xian and her own king and couldn't help but furrow her brows. To the side, the Great Prince sighed. His heart trembled.
…
…
This manor had been built by imperial edict the year before. Its main purpose was to be used for the marriage between the two countries. In order to reflect the face of the Qing Kingdom, the manor had not been thrifty at all. It was especially extravagant and took up a large amount of space. The group of people walked toward the garden for a long time before they saw a Flower Hall in the distance facing a lake. Faint sounds of conversation could be heard coming from inside.
The lake was not large. The weather was slightly better than the day before. The thin ice on the surface of the water had shattered but could not be moved. It rose and fell with the lake water and reflected the faint gray light from the clouds in the sky. It looked like countless pieces of gemstones.
The Flower Hall was particularly exquisite. The black wooden windows on the three sides facing the lake were well sealed. Inside, there were cotton curtains that blocked out the wind. In the middle, about half the height of a person, there was a narrow opening. It was inlaid with high-quality glass produced by the palace treasury.
Such a design allowed the cold wind on the lake to not disturb the interest of the young nobles. It also allowed one to admire the beautiful winter scenery through the window. It was very thoughtful.
Fan Xian looked and smiled. "I like this place."
"If you like it, come more often in the future. It's not like you're an outsider." The Great Prince's eyes looked forward. He didn't know if the word "outsider" had a deeper meaning. He said, "At first, this manor was grander, but I didn't like it. Fortunately, wangfei was clever and changed it a lot. It is no longer what it used to be. If you really like it, you should go visit her."
Fan Xian turned his head and glanced at wangfei. He smiled and didn't say anything.
The Great Prince said with a bit of pride, "It doesn't matter if other people say I'm henpecked. In any case, whatever she likes, I will get it for her. Just this circle of glass along the Flower Hall cost me a lot of silver …"
Hearing these words, wangfei liked it in her heart, but she couldn't keep her face in front of Fan Xian and his wife. She quietly glared at him.
The Great Prince chuckled and changed the topic. "Speaking of this glass, it really is expensive. Speaking of which, you are now the head of the palace treasury. In the future, if you want to change glass, you have to sell it to me at a lower price."
Fan Xian begged for mercy. "I say, Your Highness, please spare me. As a Great General, do you still care about this little bit of glass? Don't say it's cheap. In the future, if you want anything from the palace treasury, write me a letter and I'll buy it for you. "
The Great Prince was not happy. He shook his head and said, "The palace treasury is important. The silver you earn for the court has to be spent on the river works and border problems. You can't take advantage of it here."
Fan Xian knew the Great Prince was such a loyal person. He was not surprised. He smiled and said, "However, you're using glass to please the Great Princess. I'm afraid you'll have to spend a lot of money in the future."
The Great Prince asked strangely, "What do you mean? Is there a lack of glass in my courtyard? "
Wangfei covered her mouth and smiled to the side without saying anything.
Fan Xian laughed mockingly and said, "The Great Princess grew up in the Northern Qi Royal Palace … you haven't been to the Royal Palace. The roof of the great hall is completely made of glass. Sunlight can seep in and reflect on the green jade platform and the clear water and white fish beside it."
The Great Prince was shocked and sighed. "In the past, I had only heard of it. I thought it couldn't be so exaggerated. Wangfei has also never talked to me about it … is it actually true?" He clicked his tongue and sighed. Other thoughts rose in his heart. He thought to himself that the Northern Qi Royal Palace was so luxurious. No wonder the strength of the country was weakening by the day and couldn't withstand a single blow. However, these words couldn't be said generously in front of his wife, so he could only swallow them down.
Fan Xian had said those words earlier. He had also sunk into the memories of his trip to Northern Qi. He was very willing to admire spectacular or extremely beautiful things, so his impression of Shangjing had always been good. Of course, the girls in the city were also not bad. Involuntarily, a strange smile rose to the corners of his lips.
Wangfei also began to miss the scenery of her home country.
Lin Wan 'er looked at the smile at the corner of Fan Xian's lips and couldn't resist pressing her lips together and huffing.
Just like this, each with their own thoughts, they entered the Flower Hall. In the hall, two men and one woman had already come to greet them. It was the Second Prince and Hongcheng.
Princess Rou Jia affectionately called Wan 'er sister, Wan' er affectionately called second brother, and Hongcheng affectionately called An Zhi. They chatted leisurely as they looked at the lake view and the tributes sent from the South. It was as if nothing had happened these past few years in Jingdou. It was as if Fan Xian and the Second Prince were truly two brothers who could not be more intimate.
Was this a natural ability of the royal family?
As Fan Xian sighed in his heart, he listened to everyone's conversation. He knew the true meaning of the Great Prince's banquet. Furthermore, he was worried that Hongcheng would once again step onto the Second Prince's boat. Although he was also very good at this kind of conversation, he was still not as used to it as those who had grown up in the royal family.
He begged for mercy and ran off to pee.
…
…
In the corner of a small courtyard not far from the Flower Hall, Fan Xian, who had been brought here by a servant, was shocked. He looked at the girl who came out from inside, the girl whose eyes were as bright as jade, without a trace of impurity.
Fan Xian waved his hand to have the servant leave. Looking at Ye Ling 'er, whose face was full of shock and whose hand was still at the waist of her dress, he said with both amusement and anger, "Girl, you should pay attention to your appearance. Don't you know to tidy up in the inner room before coming out? How can you let the servants see you? "
Ye Ling 'er covered her mouth and smiled. "I look like this, teacher …"
Once the words left her mouth, the two of them froze at the same time and sank into silence. Only now did they remember that after not seeing each other for a year, Ye Ling 'er had long married and become a wangfei. She was no longer the unruly little girl who pestered Fan Xian to fight. Could Fan Xian still be her teacher?
…
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