For yesterday's chapter, I debated with the leader for over an hour … I'm so pitiful. I'm not Fan Xian, so how can I be innocent?
The monthly votes went to third place. My peers behind me chased after me closely, saying seriously, "I want to see if I can get into the top three this month. My votes will double in the next seven days, so I'm constantly canvassing for votes. Brothers and sisters, if you have any on hand, just give them to me."
…
…
The news of the Fan manor having a joyous occasion was like it had grown a pair of wings and immediately flew out. It flew past the tall walls of the manors of the nobles and the vigilant eyes of the waiters in the teahouses. It became news that everyone knew. The hot topic of discussion among the nobles in Jingdou and the greatest joy of the common people after their meals were all gathered here.
This news also flew into the Royal Palace and entered the ears of the Emperor and empress dowager, completely disregarding the obstruction of the majestic palace walls. According to Eunuch Yao, the moment the Qing Emperor heard of this news, he gently stroked his beard and was very pleased. That night, he went to the little tower again. After the empress dowager learned of this news, she quickly went to the back of Hanguang Palace to worship. Her fingers endlessly stroked the string of rosary beads with a face full of smiles.
Speaking of which, it was strange. Including Fan Xian, the Qing Emperor had five princes. The Third Prince was still young, but the Great Prince was not young. He had been married for a long time, but he still did not have children. The Second Prince and the Crown Prince were the same. No matter how one looked at it, the child in Sisi's stomach in the Fan manor was the first of the third generation of the royal family.
It was impossible for the nobles in the Royal Palace to be happy. However, the empress dowager faintly felt some regret. If only the pregnant woman was Chen girl. Putting aside whether or not she was a princess, Fan Xian's official wife … was, after all, her favorite granddaughter.
Given Fan Xian's present power and status, countless guests surged forth with gifts and congratulations. In the next few days, there was an endless stream of carriages in front of the Fan manor in the south of the city. Officials from all walks of life came and went endlessly. Teng Zijing and his wife's legs were about to turn to jelly from running.
Other than a few important figures, such as the people from King Jing's manor, who Fan Xian personally came out to greet, the other guests were all single-handedly blocked by the Minister of Revenue, Fan Jian.
Fortunately, these guests only gave him valuable gifts and did not disturb him for too long. The people in court and Palace were actually calculating in their hearts. Although Fan Xian having a child was a major event, the one pregnant was his concubine. If they appeared overly enthusiastic at this time, who knew what the princess in the manor was thinking?
Pleasing one side but offending the other was not a good deal. Furthermore, these officials did not know just how happy the palace was.
…
…
Three days later, the joy in the Palace was displayed in front of the Qing officials and people in two ways. First, it was the embroidered newspaper organized by the internal court that used red to report the good news to the people of the world.
The internal court newspaper always told the jokes of jealousy between officials and the funny side of history. Although the story of Chen Pingping's first love was a bit boring and uninteresting, it was very eye-catching. However, ever since Fan Xian took control of the Overwatch Council, he had made Council affairs more open through rectification. He ordered the Eighth Bureau to put up countless notices on the door of the First Bureau, turning the sinister process of official strife into a collection of stories about solving cases. Regardless of whether it was in a previous or current life, stories with pillows and fists always sold best. The internal court newspaper only had pillows and no fists, so all the glory was stolen by the notice board on the door of the First Bureau.
Fortunately, Fan Xian had a son. The Emperor silently allowed the internal court newspaper to publicize the matter. It wrote the story of Fan Xian coming from Danzhou to Jingdou in detail into a long erotic story. It vaguely mentioned the princess, the saint girl of Northern Qi, the past of the young mother of the Fan manor, the night of poetry in the Palace, and the past of Jiangnan.
This was a summary of Fan Xian's rushed 20 years of life. It was very glorious. Once the newspaper came out, paper became expensive in Jingdou. The young ladies of each manor begged the elders of their families to spend a lot of money to buy a copy to put in their boudoir as a memento. At the same time, they prayed in their hearts that the faintly discernible Temple would bestow upon them a man like Sir Fan junior.
The internal court newspaper finally used this opportunity to successfully conquer the Jingdou people in front of the notice board in the First Bureau.
The second reaction of the Palace's joy was rewards.
No one knew whether it was the Emperor's or the empress dowager's intentions, but the rewards from the Palace flowed into the Fan manor like water. Although the one with the child was Sisi, from Fan Jian to Lady Liu to the young lady of the Fan family who was far away studying in Northern Qi, they all received great rewards. Fan Xian's official wife, Lin Wan'er, received the greatest reward of all.
Silks and satins, gold, stone, jade, food, and toys were all lined up densely in the manor. It made the wife of the Teng family so busy that she became absent-minded. She thought to herself that the young master had saved the Emperor's life once, but it was not as great as the reward he received this time.
Sisi received a reward and was given a certain title. In any case, Fan Xian didn't understand this title. Even the unborn child in her stomach was given a title first.
The newspaper and the rewards, one after another, made the joy of the people in the Royal Palace spread to every inch of Jingdou. The officials who had given gifts beforehand relaxed.
…
…
Only Fan Xian was not very happy. He looked at the list of gifts Eunuch Yao had brought and shook his head. A complicated emotion rose in his heart. To his father beside him, he said, "What are the people in the Palace thinking? What does my child have to do with them? "
"These are words said in a fit of pique," Fan Jian said with a smile. "I had thought you would mature a bit. Who would have thought that you would say such words in a fit of pique? What does it matter? What do you think it matters? In the third generation, this is the first. The empress dowager has been anxious for many years. Finally, she can hold a great-grandchild. In her happiness, the rewards she gives exceed the norm. "
Fan Xian smiled coldly and said, "Hold a great-grandchild? Tomorrow, I'll send Sisi back to Danzhou. Born in Danzhou, raised in Danzhou, and let grandmother play with her. "
This was still in a fit of pique. Sisi was pregnant. How could she travel thousands of li? Fan Xian laughed loudly but couldn't be bothered to scold him. Ever since he learned of Sisi's pregnancy four days ago, this usually serious and upright Minister of Revenue could not hide his true nature. From his face to his bones, a sense of pride and happiness seeped through him.
In this world, there were not many people who could fight the Emperor for a son and win. Furthermore, this son was about to give him a grandson. Fan Xian couldn't help but feel comforted and strangely proud.
"When you return to the Palace tomorrow to give thanks, don't forget." Fan Xian took a sip of tea and glanced at his son. He found that it was clear that his son had not heard these words.
"Speaking of which, why has the Crown Prince never had a Crown Princess?" Fan Xian suddenly thought of something and furrowed his brows. "Even if it's in order, the Great Prince and Second Prince are both married. A year has passed. Is the Palace not anxious about the Crown Prince's matter?"
His words were asked naturally and cleverly concealed the probing in his words. Fan Xian was clearly so happy that he didn't realize his son was probing him. He furrowed his brows and said, "As early as three years ago, the empress dowager was already anxiously planning the matter of the Crown Princess. The empress was choosing people from various manors in Jingdou and even picked our manor …"
Fan Xian shivered. He thought to himself that if his sister had truly become the Crown Princess … that would have been terrible. It was not that his sister would have been terrible, but he would have been terrible. Wouldn't he have immediately fallen to the Crown Prince's side and planned the matter of fighting for the throne with his brother? Fortunately, this matter did not happen.
Fan Xian continued, "However, for some reason, the Crown Prince never agreed … this can be considered a strange matter from back then. You know the Crown Prince. In his early years, he was rather preposterous. He liked to hang out in the entertainment houses and brothels. He was originally a person with great interest in the matters between men and women, yet he refused to marry."
Fan Xian thought for a bit and then said, "But, the Crown Prince's marriage is not something he can refuse just because he doesn't want it."
"This shows how smart the Crown Prince is." Fan Jian smiled and said, "To convince the empress dowager and empress, the Crown Prince had thought a lot. First, he said that the Great Prince and the Second Prince were not married yet. The Qing Kingdom governed the world with filial piety and paid particular attention to brotherly respect. As the younger brother, how could he rush to get married before his two brothers? At that time, the Great Prince was still fighting the Hu people in the West. It was impossible for him to arrange a marriage in such a short time.
"Although the reason is sufficient, it's not convincing." Fan Xian smiled bitterly and said, "After all this, it turns out I'm the representative of those who marry early. It's natural to be the first to have a child."
"It's the same logic, but when it comes to the Emperor's family matters, it naturally needs to be said by the mouth of a persuasive person." Fan Jian smiled. "The Crown Prince invited the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, Shu the Grand Secretary. Shu the Grand Secretary was a stubborn man and deeply believed that what the Crown Prince said was reasonable. Not only did he personally ask the Emperor to postpone the Crown Prince's marriage, he even wrote to the north to ask Master Zhuang to speak."
Fan Xian laughed. "So Mr. Zhuang Mohan also did something like this in the past."
Fan Jian suddenly saw the tiredness in his son's eyes. He sighed and said, "Did you not sleep well these past few days? Quickly go rest. "
Fan Xian smiled awkwardly and took his leave of the study.
He had indeed not rested well these past few days. First of all, Sisi was pregnant, so he had to be by her side at all times to comfort and be considerate. On the other side, although Wan'er did not appear to have anything on the surface and was still happily managing Sisi's little life, everyone knew that a girl's mood must be full of mixed emotions. Fan Si felt great heartache and had to take out a lot of time to accompany and comfort her. He had to take care of both sides, so he didn't have much time to rest.
In the corridor in front of the study, he stretched and yawned. He shook his head in distress. He suddenly thought of the truth of life he had once thought of a long time ago in the garden of his manor.
For a man, marrying too early was always a stupid move.
…
…
However, the Crown Prince's insistence on not marrying early was probably based on a very stupid idea. Fan Xian yawned and sighed in his heart. He couldn't tell that the Crown Prince was a lover. What an ill-fated relationship!
Suddenly, he saw Lady Liu walk in with a warm smile and an old man. Fan Xian's gaping mouth couldn't close for a moment. He jumped up and yelled loudly, "You're finally here!"
… … …
The person who had come was not a guest. It was the teacher Fan Xian greatly respected, trusted, and loved, Fei T. However, teacher and student met for the first time in almost a year. Between the old and the young, there was hidden wind and thunder raging. The light of knives and the will of swords exploded. It was as if they could throw out a handful of poison for the other to taste at any moment.
Lady Liu was an intelligent person. Although she didn't understand the reason, she could see that this was not a place to stay for long. She casually said a few words and then left. She didn't even inform Minister Fan of the important news of Fei Jie's arrival.
"Sir." Fan Xian looked at the strange color in Fei Jie's eyes with a not-quite-there smile and said, "You've been hiding from me for so many days, why have you come today?"
Fei Jie glanced at him unhappily and shook his head. "Don't think of anything good. I've tried the medicine and prescription you sent over many times. I don't think there's any problem at all. Basically … it's very difficult."
Fan Xian shook his head in distress. He had thought that since Fei Jie was willing to come to the manor, he must have solved this problem. He didn't expect to hear an answer that wasn't so wonderful.
All along, he hadn't cared too much about the problem of whether or not Wan'er could have children. He didn't even consider whether or not he would have descendants. On the cliff in Danzhou, he told Uncle Wu Zhu that one of his three goals was to have children wildly. But … Wan'er didn't think like this. She wanted a child too much, so Fan Xian could only become forced to be nervous.
Teacher and student sat in a quiet corner of the garden in the back of the manor. A servant brought them tea and then retreated.
"When cousins marry, will it have any effect on descendants?" Fan Xian was silent for a long time. He then asked a question he hadn't asked in a long time.
Fei Jie glanced at him and said in a raspy voice, "Do you think your luck will be that bad?"
Fan Xian smiled and thought to himself that it was right. It was just a question of probability. Without question, he was the luckiest person in the world.
"Will it be … more difficult to have children?" Fan Xian suddenly furrowed his brows and asked.
"Who said that?" Fei Jie understood that he was talking about blood relatives. Mockingly, he said, "A hundred years ago, the Wei Emperor raped his own daughter for a dozen years. In the end, she gave birth to seven children in a row."
"Of course, not many of the seven children were normal." Fei Jie shrugged his shoulders.
"Chaotic … the royal family is indeed the most chaotic place in the world," Fan Xian sighed and said.
Fei Jie furrowed his brows slightly. He didn't know if his disciple's words meant something. However, that matter had too many implications. In order to protect Fan Xian, he and Chen Pingping would not say anything to Fan Xian beforehand.
"Why have you come today to teach me?" Fan Xian asked sincerely.
Fei Jie thought for a bit and then said, "The Director guessed that your home is not peaceful, so he had me come to calm your heart."
"Calm."
"Yes, give me another half a year, and I might be able to solve the problem you and your wife are having headaches about." Fei Jie smiled slightly. "Then, I must remind you of something. Your return date is almost here. Don't use Sisi's pregnancy as an excuse to not go to Jiangnan."
Looking at the Palace's attitude, Fan Xian might be kept in Jingdou because of this matter. This was what Chen Pingping and Fei Jie were truly worried about. Fan Xian thought for a bit and then nodded. He faintly sensed that Chen Pingping and Sir Fei did not want him to stay in Jingdou for too long. It seemed that they had also sensed that something big might happen in Jingdou.
He finally couldn't resist. Fei Jie was his childhood teacher. In his opinion, he was the last person in the world to harm him. He hesitated for a moment and then said, "Is something going to happen in the Palace?"
Fei Jie smiled and said, "What could happen?" A glimmer of worry flashed through his eyes, but it was hidden from Fan Xian's eyes.
He looked at Fan Xian's face, which was still as clean and untainted as it was a dozen years ago. Involuntarily, he thought of the time when he took Fan Xian to dig graves, admire corpses, and take out stomachs and intestines. His heart darkened slightly. He smiled gently and said, "In the future, when you're alone, you have to be careful. Don't be like when you were little, often tricked by others."
Fan Xian was slightly startled. A strange emotion welled up in his heart. He hurriedly asked, "Sir, what do you mean by this?"
Fei Jie scratched his head and paid no attention to the flying dandruff. "Nothing. It's just that you know I spend many years wandering in the mountains and am rarely by your side … hmm, the Strange Smoke Ice medicine, I've never explained it to you. It was my fault."
Fan Xian was very moved and quickly said, "Sir, what are you saying? Without you, I don't know how many times we would have died."
Fei Jie smiled and didn't say anything more.
— — —
The next day, he entered the Palace to give his thanks. Although Fan Xian was unwilling, he still piled a sincere and grateful smile on his face. He walked all over the Palace, particularly in front of the empress dowager and the Emperor. He held out his grateful heart and smeared a layer of the confusion and excitement of being a father for the first time. His performance was brilliant.
Along the way, there was no more snow in the Vermillion Palace. It was quiet and elegant. Fan Xian was sitting in the Eastern Palace, looking at the Crown Prince in front of him and talking casually. He looked at the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace wearing light yellow clothing and his seemingly sincere face. Thinking of what would happen not long after, for some reason, he felt a sense of apology in his heart.
The Crown Prince was urging him and his aunt, who was his mother-in-law, to ease their relationship. It could be seen that the Crown Prince was speaking sincerely. However, it was unknown whether he was considering the problem from Fan Xian's or the Eldest Princess's point of view.
"Let bygones be bygones. Just like I said to you in Baoyue Brothel, why should the matters of our elders affect our present?"
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