In the Jiangnan region far from Jingdou, the feeling of spring had already enveloped the willows of West Lake. By the side of West Lake, the color of spring was even stronger in the Peng family manor. A row of green trees along the back of the manor happily stretched their waists, greedily sucking in the moisture in the air and the sunlight that warmed day by day.
However, the owner of the manor was not very happy, nor did he have the leisure to stretch. With a bitter expression, he read through the Council bulletins and court bulletins that Tianjing had recently sent over and even the flowery newspaper the Palace did. He still did not relax.
In the end, he quietly discussed the news from Baoyue Brothel's channels with Shi Chanli and finally confirmed the path of development of the matter. It was just as the intelligence reports said.
The Eldest Princess was under house arrest in the courtyard in the west of the city, and the Crown Prince had an imperial order to go to Nanzhao Kingdom thousands of li away to observe the ceremony.
Currently, these were the two most direct results of the matter. Thus, the young owner of the manor couldn't help but sigh and repeatedly shake his head.
Shi Chanli looked at him curiously and asked, "Sir, although I don't know why the Emperor is angry, after this matter, the Eldest Princess will no longer be able to harm you in court or in Jiangnan. Is that not a great thing? Why are you still so unhappy? "
Fan Xian looked at him with slanted eyes and swallowed his words a moment later. He waved his hand in boredom and said, "We'll talk about it later. You should hurry back to Suzhou and keep an eye on Baoyue Brothel."
Shi Chanli left with a head full of confusion. Wang Qinian, who knew the inside story of this matter, flashed in. He stood quietly behind Fan Xian and watched as he once again examined all of the intelligence reports from Jingdou. He did not make a single sound.
He didn't make a single sound because he knew why Fan Xian was troubled.
"I worked so hard to set up such a trap, yet in the end, this is the result," Fan Xian said somewhat helplessly. Fan Xian said somewhat helplessly, "The danger this time was great. In the end, that woman still survived. Why exactly is this so?"
Wang Qinian glanced at him from the side and thought, After all, the Eldest Princess was his mother-in-law, so her words were inevitably a bit cold-blooded.
To be able to stand between the Eldest Princess and the Emperor and suppress the bomb that Fan Xian had used so much strength to detonate, it could only be that old man who had been deep in the Palace for a long time. However, Fan Xian still had many questions and doubts about the process of this matter.
"Soft-hearted."
He furrowed his brows as he spoke.
These words were not only criticizing the Emperor for holding back in the end, but they also represented his suspicions in a certain aspect. Why had the Eldest Princess not even made a decent counterattack before being so easily taken care of by the Emperor? Even if he knew that the actions outside the Palace were personally arranged by Director Chen, based on his understanding of his mother-in-law … for her to quietly allow herself to be captured, it really did not match her reputation as a madwoman.
"I told you, the Eldest Princess likes the Emperor," Fan said. Fan Xian pursed his lips and said, "I just didn't think she would be infatuated to such an extent. Before the Emperor truly acted and had the intention to kill, she actually wouldn't actively resist … what kind of world is this?"
No. Fan had Fan. Fan. and Fan, of Fan. he. with of Fan in. he. Fan, he, of Fan said. of of of, Fan of Fan, and said. and of of Fan, of of, he.
No matter how arrogant or rebellious one was, no one dared to say such treasonous things in their own yard. Yet, Fan Xian had said it and said it in front of him, forcing him to listen.
Wang Qinian coughed unhappily. He knew that his life, death, wealth, and honor in this life had long been tightly tied to Sir Fan junior. Sir Fan junior was not worried at all that he would betray him, which was why he had spoken so impudently in front of him.
The plan to expose the scandal of the royal family and force the Emperor to take action had been made by Fan Xian and Wang Qinian. This was an important matter. The other members of the Qinian Unit had not received a hint of it. As for Yan Bingyun, he was completely in the dark.
Fortunately, Jiangnan was far from Jingdou. Fan Xian and Wang Qinian's plan only burst forth two months later. Even an immortal would not be able to guess that this matter had something to do with the two of them.
Unless Hong Zhu suddenly had the courage to kill himself and his friend.
"There are a few places in the Council report that are worth paying attention to." Although he had done something disloyal, Wang Qinian was still not used to talking about disloyal subjects. He pointed painfully at a few places in the Council report and forcefully changed the topic. He reminded, "The arson case in Huichun Hall, the fall of a relative, and the sudden death of a royal doctor … there is something fishy about these three matters."
"Oh?" Fan Xian turned his head and glanced at him. The Council report did not connect these three matters. The Palace would also not allow anyone with intentions to see the connection. The problem was that the two of them knew these three places too well. They knew the root of these matters. "Do you not think that the Eldest Princess and Crown Prince killed to silence them?"
"That is only medicine. Medicine cannot be considered evidence at all." The wrinkles on Wang Qinian's forehead were very deep. "The Eldest Princess and Crown Prince are not stupid. Why would they do such foolish things during an investigation in the Palace?"
"This is also what I find strange. We kept these people alive for the Emperor to interrogate." Fan Xian seemed to be deep in thought. "But, it is clear that the Emperor did not interrogate them. How could he determine that matter?"
"Also," he pointed at the paper and said seriously. He pointed at the paper and said seriously, "The Palace didn't find anything. The Eldest Princess probably won't take the blame … these three cases, who did it?"
Fan Xian furrowed his brows. Thinking about it now, it was indeed better for the Third Bureau to be dead than alive. His original plan did indeed have some problems in this segment. Now, what he was thinking about was who had helped turn this situation into a complete dead end, leaving the Emperor with no way to investigate and only able to rely on his own suspicions to make the final decision?
When they were still in Jingdou, he and Wang Qinian had faintly sensed that there was a power that seemed to be doing something similar to what they were doing. However, at the time, they were afraid of alerting the enemy and did not investigate closely.
"It shouldn't be anyone else." Wang Qinian sighed.
Fan Xian also sighed and shook his head. "Other than the one of us, there is no one else."
…
…
"The Crown Prince has gone to Nanzhao …" The study did not remain calm for long. Fan Xian spoke of the question lingering in his heart. "Based on the time, he should have already passed Yingzhou and continued south. Why do you think the Emperor made this arrangement? The officials in the court must still be guessing, not understanding why the Crown Prince would be implicated in the matter of the Eldest Princess, but you and I are certain that His Majesty will not tolerate a son who shamed the royal family to inherit the throne. Going to Nanzhao to attend the ceremony … will Chengqian be able to come back? "
Wang Qinian was silent, not daring to answer this question.
Fan Xian smiled and glanced at him. "You and I have done who knows how many things that implicate the nine clans. There is no harm in discussing it."
Wang Qinian forced a smile. He knew that Fan Xian was once again reminding him of how shameless his intentions were. He shook his head and said, "I don't think anything will happen along the way. Even if the Emperor has the intention of deposing the heir, he would not choose this time to throw it out."
"That makes sense." Fan Xian gently slapped the table. "My thoughts are the same as mine. Our Emperor wants to be wise and powerful, to leave his name in the annals of history. He has done everything he can to suppress this matter and does not want it to become a laughing stock. The Crown Prince's trip to Nanzhao this time is to get him out of Jingdou and slowly plan the deposing of the heir. The second reason is … "
He furrowed his brows and suddenly thought of the poisonous fog that pervaded Nanzhao. Seven or eight years ago, when Yan Xiaoyi led the army to conquer the South, the casualties of the soldiers were all because of this scourge.
"The miasma has invaded the body, the Crown Prince's body is gradually weakening …" Wang Qinian said this and suddenly realized that he was indeed becoming more and more daring.
Fan Xian forced a smile and continued, "If it really is what you and I think, the Emperor is indeed powerful."
A complicated expression flashed through his eyes, but Wang Qinian did not notice it.
"Regretfully, it was not completely successful." Fan Xian sighed. "Why do you think the Eldest Princess did not die?"
This was the second time today that he had openly expressed regret. Wang Qinian felt it was strange. The Eldest Princess had already lost power. After all, he was her son-in-law. Regardless of whether it was from the perspective of human relations, he should not have said such things.
Wang Qinian didn't know that ever since Fan Xian entered Jingdou, he had unconsciously feared the Eldest Princess. When dealing with other people, he could use schemes and power to compete. However, when dealing with a powerful figure praised by the world as crazy, it was difficult for Fan Xian to guess what kind of crazy reaction she would have.
This kind of uncertainty gave Fan Xian a headache.
Particularly with the change in the Jingdou Palace, Fan Xian still found it difficult to believe such an ending. The Eldest Princess was on the brink of death, so why did her powers not carry out a final counterattack? What about the elders of the military? What about Yan Xiaoyi's attitude? If the matter had happened too quickly and the military did not have time to react … then what about Ye Liuyun?
Fan Xian knew better than anyone about Ye Liuyun's position in the Junshang Conference. In Suzhou, he had also been scared out of his wits by that broken-down sword. Even if the Junshang Conference was a loose organization, the Eldest Princess would certainly not be as weak as it seemed now.
Earlier, he had analyzed the Eldest Princess's crazy and abnormal love for the Emperor with Wang Qinian. That was just an excuse Wang Qinian used to convince himself. He did not believe it.
However, there were some things in this world that perhaps people did not believe were the truest reasons.
Fan Xian sat by the desk and sighed regretfully. After Wang Qinian left, he still couldn't stop sighing. Wang Qinian closed the door and unconsciously shook his head. He thought to himself that although the Eldest Princess had not died, from now on, no one in court would be a match for Commissioner Fan. This kind of result was already very good, so why did the commissioner sigh?
In reality, the reason was very simple. Fan Xian was not a loyal official, nor was he a pure official. What he imagined was just watching the tigers and cranes fight in Jiangnan and each get hurt.
He wanted the Eldest Princess to fall from power, but he also did not believe the Emperor. What he sighed was that the Emperor's methods seemed to have come faster and more powerful than he had imagined. The Emperor's power had not been damaged at all.
… …
Fan Xian sat alone in the study and silently analyzed everything that had happened in Jingdou. He faintly felt that perhaps the Eldest Princess was stubbornly waiting for the Emperor's thunderous anger because of her crazy feelings. It was clear that the Emperor was holding back. Was it familial love? Fan Xian did not believe this.
He flipped open the letters under the Council newspaper. After reading them a second time, he thought deeply for a moment and then began to write a reply. The letters came from his home in Jingdou. There was one for his father and one for Wan'er. They mainly talked about Sisi and the child in her stomach. They were all safe and did not need to worry too much.
However, Wan'er's letter mentioned the Eldest Princess' matter. Although she did not explicitly say anything, it seemed that she wanted Fan Xian to say something in the Palace.
Fan Xian once again sighed in distress. He knew that his wife was a rare intelligent person. She knew how irreconcilable everything was behind the cover up. However, she still wrote a letter for him to say something. This only proved that Wan'er still had a mother-daughter relationship with the Eldest Princess.
This was a very natural thing. The Emperor was cold-blooded. Fan Xian was cold-blooded. It did not mean that everyone in the royal family was cold-blooded.
Fan Xian wrote his reply seriously. To his father, he had to express his shock and confusion. To Wan'er, his reply was mainly to comfort her. At the same time, he asked about Sisi.
Following this, he began to write a memorial, a secret memorial to the Emperor. Although he did not directly plead for leniency for the Eldest Princess, he faintly expressed the concern that a son should have. After he finished writing, he looked it over carefully a few times and confirmed that this kind of attitude would not make the Emperor think he was hypocritical or make the Emperor angry. He sealed it with wax and had his subordinates send it through the first-class mail route.
After doing all this, only then did Fan Xian relax slightly. Although he had been free and unfettered in Jiangnan these few months, his gaze had always been fixed on Jingdou. The mental pressure was great.
Although the matter was not coordinated, it was basically proceeding according to his plans. He finally relaxed a little. Pulling open a drawer in the secret room, he took out the process of the three workshops of the palace treasury that Seventh Ye and he had spent more than a year copying out and spaced out.
Although this process was not everything in the palace treasury, Fan Xian knew that if this thing actually made its way to Northern Qi, it would have terrifying consequences.
He narrowed his eyes and thought to himself that although he and Chen Pingping had unconsciously worked together to play the Emperor once, in the end, they had only played around with the details. As for the larger picture, perhaps it was the Emperor playing with him.
Thirteenth Wang has been idle for too long, Fan Xian thought.
Fan Xian thought of this. He then got up, packed everything, and left the manor by West Lake.
…
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