Being a father for the first time and finding the long-lost gentleness on his wife's knees, Fan Xian slept peacefully. He didn't wake until late in the morning. In the moment he woke, there was still a satisfied smile at the corners of his lips.
Opening his eyes, he found that Wan 'er was no longer by his side. He guessed that she had gone to see her daughter. He couldn't help but rub his head and smile. He thought that now that he was also a father, when he did things and thought about problems, he had to be more appropriate and steady. Thinking like this, he threw the death disputes in Jingdou to the back of his mind. His mood, which had been gloomy for a long time, became a bit more cheerful.
However, the sky was bright and urged him to return to the dangerous world. Fan Xian sighed and casually washed up with the help of a serving girl. He put on his official robes and entered the Flower Hall. He didn't want to eat properly. Carrying a bowl of bird's nest porridge, he entered the east wing and looked at his still sleeping daughter. As he ate, he joked with Wan 'er and Sisi. He then went to pay his respects to his father, Lady Liu, and left the manor for the Royal Palace.
The streets of Jingdou were still filled with a somber atmosphere. However, the Emperor had returned safely to the capital. The Jingdou people's moods were much more at ease. The number of people on the streets gradually increased. Fan Xian looked at this scene through the window and felt slightly at ease.
Passing through the palace doors and along the long corridor, he came to the royal study. As expected, he saw the diligent Emperor wearing an unlined robe and reading memorials. Fan Xian was slightly surprised. After bowing, he stood up and waited silently to the side, using his peripheral vision to sneak a look at the Emperor's expression.
With a glance, he was shocked. He found that the corners of the Emperor's lips carried an unfathomable smile. Naturally, it revealed a sense of comfort. It was completely different from the lonely appearance of the father and son of the Tian family yesterday after they had killed each other. Fan Xian was confused. He thought to himself that he had just given birth to a precious daughter, so he was happy. Where did the Emperor's happiness come from?
Thinking of this, Fan Xian felt even more admiration for Director Chen, who had been summoned into the Palace last night. Probably only that old cripple could make the Emperor so happy. It was as if he had forgotten the tragedies that had happened one after another.
The Emperor put down the memorial and raised his head. Looking at Fan Xian warmly, he said, "There is no court conference today. Why have you come to the palace so early?"
Jingdou had just stabilized. The officials of the Six Ministries were either locked up, escaped, injured, or dead. Everything was still under the control of the military. With the Imperial Army as the main force and the Jingdou government as the base, they maintained the general order of Jingdou. Naturally, there was no way to hold a court conference as usual. Fan Xian felt it was strange. He thought to himself that the situation was so tense. Who knew how many things had to be taken care of in the Palace? Even if the Emperor wanted to immediately strip him of his position as the regent, as a close official, he had to enter the Palace to share the burdens. Did he dare to close his door and live out his days in his manor?
He carefully replied, "The rebel army is about to be ambushed, but there are still some uncertainties in various places. I thought about it carefully and was afraid that His Majesty would have some instructions, so I hurried to enter the palace."
The Emperor smiled and said, "You just gave birth to a girl, yet you don't stay a bit longer in the manor. Could it be that you really have a busy life?"
Fan Xian smiled. He knew that it must have been Chen Pingping who had spoken to the Emperor last night. He said, "After I'm off duty, I'll just go back to the manor and hug more."
"You're not an official of the Hall of Governmental Affairs. When did I put you on duty?" The Emperor glared at him and said, "You still have to be so careless after giving birth. How is that like a father?"
Fan Xian paused. Only now did he understand the Emperor's meaning. It looked like he was preparing for him to go home and nurse his child. This was what he had hoped for. Hearing the Emperor's harsh words of criticism, he felt a bit depressed in his heart. When it came to being a father, although it was his first time, he thought he would be much better than the Emperor. Didn't he see what happened to Chengqian and the Second Prince?
Thinking of the two brothers, he immediately thought of Chengqian waiting for death in the Eastern Palace while he had just given birth to a daughter. The expression on his face began to become strange. His lips moved slightly. He didn't know how to respond to the Emperor's words.
Perhaps the Emperor saw something strange in his expression. His expression also changed slightly, but he did not give any instructions on how to deal with the matter of the rebellion. Lightly, he said, "You don't have to wait in the Palace today. Go back first. It's your first day as a father. You have to be careful …" Pausing slightly, the Emperor suddenly tilted his head as if thinking about something. A moment later, he slowly said, "Tomorrow, have Chen girl bring the child into the Palace for me to see."
Fan Xian quickly gave his thanks. He could also see that the Emperor's mood had become bad again. Receiving the edict, he quickly left the royal study. As soon as he left the royal study, he was stopped by Eunuch Yao. He had probably also received news of the Fan manor's happiness and repeatedly offered his congratulations. Fan Xian didn't have time to chat much with the eunuch. He handed over a red packet but suddenly thought of something. Lowering his voice, he asked about the captured eunuchs and serving girls in the Palace, as well as the aces and guards of the internal court, about how to deal with them.
Although the true settling of accounts after autumn should be a matter after the situation was settled, dealing with things in the Palace was always much faster than dealing with things outside. Even if they hadn't taken action yet, the Emperor should have drawn up some rules. Fan Xian was worried. Taking advantage of this opportunity, he asked the eunuch close to the Emperor.
Although he was worried in his heart, his face did not show a glimmer of anxiety. He did his best to ask as lightly as possible, pretending to be concerned as a regent should. Eunuch Yao knew this young man's identity and knew his future power. He would not think too much and picked out a few important matters to talk about.
Fan Xian had wanted to ask about the situation in the Eastern Palace. After thinking about it carefully, he closed his mouth.
After bidding farewell to Eunuch Yao, he was in a daze and couldn't come back to his senses for a moment. What shocked him was that the Emperor had dealt with these eunuchs, serving girls, and guards so leniently. It was completely different from what he had guessed. Putting aside Hong Zhu, the head of the eunuchs who hadn't done anything on the surface, not many of the nannies in Hanguang Palace, the new eunuchs in the Eastern Palace, and the serving girls in Guangxin Palace had been killed. Most of them had kept their lives.
Fan Xian shook his head and walked toward the outside of the Palace. He wondered if the sun had risen from the west today. How did the Emperor suddenly become such a gentle person? Suddenly, his heart jumped. Thinking of the Emperor's dark expression last night and his warm conversation with him earlier, he involuntarily guessed that perhaps the Emperor had finally thought through some things after suffering a great shock and was beginning to accumulate good fortune for himself and the descendants of the Li family.
The reality was actually not far from his guess. The Emperor was not someone who killed indiscriminately or liked to kill. It was just that his personality was firm and harsh, and he did not shy away from killing. For example, the servants in the Palace only listened to the empress dowager's orders and were not deeply involved in rebellion. Furthermore, the Emperor did not care about removing weeds by the roots. Additionally, the Crown Prince and Second Prince had used their deaths to show their resistance. This made a slight change in the Emperor's mentality.
…
…
The next day, Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er carried the little girl into the Palace. For the first time, the Emperor displayed the benevolence an elder should have in front of the two of them. He held the baby girl and looked closely at her for a long time. He was in a good mood. However, when the Emperor used his fingers to carefully stroke the baby girl's brows, Fan Xian's heart trembled. In Hanguang Palace, he knew how powerful the Emperor's fingers were.
However, the Emperor seemed to like this girl very much, particularly her brows and eyes. Fan Xian looked at this scene and muttered to himself. He wondered if the Emperor was beginning to remember some of the marks from the past again.
As he was thinking this, the Emperor had him take the child to the various Palaces for the concubines to see and left Wan'er behind. Fan Xian was slightly surprised but didn't say anything. He followed the order and left. Presently, there was no mistress in the Palace. Naturally, the reward for sending off the child could not be immediately explained. It was left to be dealt with in the future. When Lady Ning carried the child, she said she wanted the Palace to send a nanny and wet nurse. However, Fan Xian firmly refused. This made Lady Ning and Yi Guipin a bit puzzled.
This was supposed to be a joyous occasion, but too many people had died in the Palace recently, so it was impossible to be happy. No matter how loud Lady Ning's laughter was, it could not dilute the strange atmosphere in the Palace. Yi Guipin only smiled warmly. It was the Third Prince, Li Chengping, who had not yet recovered from his injuries, who struggled to be carried and called her "little sister."
The corners of Fan Xian's lips twitched slightly. He thought to himself that this kid was indeed terrifyingly precocious. However, this seniority seemed to be ridiculously wrong. For some reason, he thought of his sister and Sizhe far away in Northern Qi. The Dong Mountain matter involved three countries. Ku He was certain to die. He didn't know if the two of them would have any problems over there.
He didn't stay for long before Fan Xian withdrew with the child in his arms. He went into the royal study to pick up his wife and bid farewell to the Emperor to return home. The Emperor thought for a moment and then allowed it. He also said that the matter of bestowing names could be discussed later. Fan Xian knew that the Emperor had been busy dealing with court affairs after the rebellion. He had not thought that he would still remember such a small matter. He couldn't help but be surprised.
After leaving the Palace, Fan Xian didn't ask Wan'er what the Emperor had kept her to say. Looking at his wife's red and swollen eyes, he knew that the conversation between his uncle and niece this time was, without a doubt, related to the deaths of the Eldest Princess and those two.
…
…
In the following month, under the Emperor's powerful efforts, the six ministries, three departments, and three departments of the court gradually returned to the right track. The remnants of the rebel army scattered in the wilderness were also completely wiped out. Ye Zhong led the troops back in triumph. The entire situation had stabilized. Jingdou returned to peace. The aura of the rebellion finally gradually faded.
Fan Xian resigned from his position as regent early in the morning. On the night the royal entourage returned to the capital, he returned the Emperor's royal seal. Although he didn't resign and no one saw him as regent anymore, no one knew whether or not these minor mistakes would lead to a major disaster in the future. Each day he was late was one more day of danger.
He continued to be the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council and the transport envoy of the palace treasury. He no longer had to worry about the problems in court affairs. The court affairs were managed by the two scholars and a group of civil officials. The military was managed by the Bureau of Military Affairs. None of them had anything to do with him. Thus, other than Yan Bingyun occasionally coming to the manor to report on an errand and Jiangnan's Su Wenmao and Xia Qifei's timely delivery of Council reports, there was nothing else for him to worry about.
However, there were some interludes, such as how Sir Yan junior had survived. Fan Xian did not ask a single word. He didn't even want to go to the Overwatch Council, much less ask those annoying questions. On the contrary, it was Xia Qifei's letter that the old Ming master in Jiangnan had hanged himself after learning of the Eldest Princess' defeat. This made Fan Xian sigh with emotion.
Ming Qingda had finally died. Thinking of how he had fought with this old man for a long time in Jiangnan and had not expected him to die like this, Fan Xian couldn't help but feel perplexed. He thought to himself that when the old man hung himself, perhaps he had used the white cloth he had given him.
Perhaps it was because he had been tired by the string of matters in Jingdou, or perhaps it was because his old injuries had lingered, but Fan Xian was truly ill. After he recovered, he only stayed at home to hold his child, comfort his wife, and be filial to his old man. He hid in the little building and did not care about the north, south, east, and west winds outside. He enjoyed his family and was very happy.
Jingdou gradually calmed down. After the surviving officials had settled their thoughts, they began to return to their usual days of currying favor. Everyone knew that during this month, Sir Fan junior, who had done the most in quelling the rebellion, rarely entered the Palace. He only stayed at home with his child. They couldn't help but feel confused. Some people who thought they were clever thought the Emperor had other thoughts. Later, news gradually came from the Palace. It was said that the Emperor greatly liked Sir Fan junior's little girl. Even allowing Sir Fan junior to rest for a month was the Emperor's grace.
Thus, everyone knew what they had to do.
The empress dowager had just passed away, and all of Jingdou had turned white. In accordance with etiquette, all entertainment and pastimes had been stopped, and the restaurants had to be closed for a month. The Fan manor had a joyous occasion, so they could not make a big fuss. They didn't even hang a single red lantern outside the door. No matter how one looked at it, one could not see the joyous atmosphere. Every day at dusk, there would always be some officials sneaking into the Fan manor, leaving behind gifts and leaving without a word.
The Fan father and son quietly accepted the gifts. As for the matters the officials had entrusted them with, they couldn't be bothered to pay attention to them. They knew why, in such a serious and tense time, those officials still took the risk to send gifts and use connections. After putting down the rebellion, a large number of the officials who usually followed the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and the Eldest Princess had been taken down and locked up in the Overwatch Council's prison. Some of the officials who did not have a firm enough stance in the Jingdou matter had been chased out of the yamen by the Emperor with a stroke of his pen. In all of the six ministries, including Dongshan Road and Jiangnan Road in the east, there were suddenly hundreds of empty spots.
Cats loved fish, dogs loved poop, and officials loved positions. These hundreds of positions made their eyes red. How could they care too much? There had been too many changes in the Palace. Many of the old connections had been cut off. Most of the people had no connection to the Dingzhou army, so no one dared to give gifts to the cold-faced Great Prince. Coincidentally, Sir Fan junior had given birth to a daughter, giving them a great opportunity to give gifts. They could not pass it up.
After a month, Jingdou was finally settled. The Hall of Governmental Affairs drew up a list of the vacated positions in the various ministries, temples, and courtyards, as well as the East and South Roads. They filled in many of the candidates from the spring examinations. Most of them could be considered good and capable people. The officials whose names were written were overjoyed. They thought it was the gifts they had given to the Fan manor that had worked. Those who were not chosen were secretly angry. The silver they had prepared at home was too little. Sir Fan junior indeed did not like it.
That day, Fan Xian held the child. As he lowered his head to play with the little girl's soft red lips, he said to his father, "I didn't say a word."
Minister Fan drank a mouthful of sour berries and said with a slight smile, "I'm about to resign. Who has the patience to go into the Palace to say it?"
"Xiaohua, Xiaohua …" Fan Xian smiled at his father and then lowered his head to coax the child. During this month, he had held the girl every day. He truly loved her more and more.
Minister Fan glanced at him and suddenly said, "Although the Emperor has an edict for you to rest, you've already rested for a month. You haven't gone to the Overwatch Council yamen for a single day … what exactly are you hiding from?"
Fan Jian's heart jumped. He was afraid that his father would see through his thoughts. He smiled and said, "When I can hide, I should hide. After marrying Wan'er, other than when I was injured in the Hanging Temple, I haven't had such leisure days."
When he mentioned the Hanging Temple, the corner of his mouth trembled slightly, but his father did not notice.
During this month, he had hidden in the manor and refused to go to the Overwatch Council for one reason. He was very afraid of running into Chen Pingping. If he did run into Chen Pingping, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to resist asking him some things to confirm certain things. Although the old cripple would still choose to remain silent and separate out of love for him, if the old and young actually met, how would they interact? There were many things the Emperor did not understand, but Fan Xian gradually saw them clearly. The clearer he saw, the colder his heart became, and the more worried he became.
Just like this, a few days of leisure passed. Autumn grew stronger in Jingdou, and the weather grew colder and colder. Jingdou grew more and more stable, and the Palace grew more and more peaceful. Most of the eunuchs and serving girls had survived and continued to serve people. Eunuch Dai, who had been reinstated, secretly sent out a message saying that some of the people Sir Fan junior asked about were alive and some were dead. He was very moved and said that only Sir Fan junior would care for these pitiful people like this. He then thought of how he had been in the past and so on.
Asking for a few names was actually just a pretense. Fan Xian only wanted to confirm Hong Zhu's punishment. However, the other news Eunuch Dai spoke of made his expression freeze.
Tomorrow, the Palace was going to issue an edict.
Fan Xian was well aware of the contents of the edict. The Emperor's goal in offering sacrifices to heaven was to depose the Crown Prince. This edict had finally been issued. It only proved one thing. The person in the Eastern Palace had already … perhaps that person had already left for many days. No one knew. Fan Xian lowered his head and drank his tea. He did not say a word. There was no sorrow on his face. It was so calm it made one's heart palpitate.
Lin Wan'er watched his expression from the side and knew what he was thinking about. Carefully, she asked, "What's wrong?"
"Tomorrow, I'm going into the Palace," Fan Xian said quietly to her. "There are some things I need to report to the Emperor."
Lin Wan'er gazed at him worriedly.
Fan Xian comforted her and said, "It's nothing big. I just promised someone something."
There were 340 Jingdou officials involved in the rebellion. Adding on their subordinates, trusted aides, and family members, the Emperor had captured 4,000 people. The Overwatch Council's prison had long been full. The Ministry of Justice and Supreme Court were also stuffed full of people. In the end, even the Western Academy of the Imperial College had been moved out to be used to lock up criminals.
According to Qing law, those who rebelled would have their entire family executed. Even if there were cases of mercy outside of the law, it would probably still cost two or three thousand heads.
Fan Xian smiled bitterly and shook his head. He thought to himself, If it was the him of the past, perhaps these two or three thousand heads would have fallen. What did it have to do with him? However, having lived to this day, he had long understood some principles. At least, he had to do what he promised someone.
Furthermore, looking at the situation this month, the Emperor's actions were becoming gentler and gentler. Fan Xian had some confidence that at least a few of those women and children would be able to live. Putting aside whether it was a blessing or not, just the Crown Prince's surrender had allowed the Qing Kingdom's soldiers to live a few thousand more. Fan Xian had to repay this thought.
Early the next morning, Fan Xian tidied up his official robes. A thought occurred to him. He turned around and picked up a piece of cloth to put in his clothes. This piece of cloth had Fan Xiaohua's red footprints on it when she was one month old. At the time, everyone in the manor had felt that Fan Xian's actions were strange. They had not thought that he was just reminiscing about the customs of many years ago. Now, he was taking this piece of cloth to prepare to attack the Emperor's heart.
Once he was ready, he climbed into the carriage. Unexpectedly, he saw the familiar person across the street smiling at him. Fan Xian lowered his head to look at his black Overwatch Council robes and then at the pure white clothing the person wore. In a low voice, he said, "I said I won't go, so I won't go. Even if you come every day pretending to be White Impermanence and pull me, I still won't go."
Yan Bingyun walked over with a slight smile on his cold face. "This is the Director's intention. As a subordinate, I can only come and bother you every day. Are you going to enter the Palace? Since you can enter the Palace, you have to return to the Council to handle Council affairs. There's no need to wait for the Director to go to the Palace to ask for an edict. "
Fan Xian spat on the ground and suddenly thought of the matter of entering the Palace. Furrowing his brows, he said a few words in a low voice beside Yan Bingyun's ear. Yan Bingyun looked at him with slight surprise. He thought that everyone had the right to punish traitors. Additionally, this matter was carried out according to Qing law. The Emperor had not done anything overboard. Why did the Commissioner have to enter the Palace to admonish?
He looked at Fan Xian like he was looking at a monster. Shaking his head, he said, "The Council did not randomly capture people. Those people were definitely not wronged. I do not understand when your heart became so gentle."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
