Yesterday, I made a series of mistakes. First, I wrote in a hurry, resulting in too many typos. Then, when I was editing, I changed the content to the vote solicitation chapter. Fortunately, a book friend reminded me on QQ. Only then did I understand. This is a very annoying matter. As for being accused of changing it to be pretentious, it also made me angry for a while. If this was pretentious, then if I made a mistake in the vote solicitation, wouldn't that make me a fake A?
I took a deep breath and immediately forgot about you. The world is so beautiful, I will not be irritable. The vote solicitation chapter had long been deleted yesterday. Now, I can only continue to solicit monthly votes. As the saying goes, "Sending off a comrade, soliciting monthly votes. Speechless, two lines of tears. Third is about to be lost. Friends, please cast monthly votes to support Old Cat."
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Regardless of whether Fan Xian was afraid or not, the matter had already happened. However, during these years, perhaps the Emperor did not want to completely break off relations with the son he admired the most because of this matter. Or perhaps the Emperor only knew Fan Xian had entered the Palace but did not think the chest was in Fan Xian's hands. Thus, he remained silent. It seemed that this was some kind of tacit agreement not to pursue the matter to express a father's indulgence toward his favorite son.
Furthermore, Fan Xian was indeed ruthless to himself. Even when faced with a desperate situation, he rarely used that powerful weapon. The only time he had used it was in an uninhabited primitive mountain forest. Additionally, the key in Hanguang Palace's secret compartment was still there, making the Emperor guess some things incorrectly.
Fan Xian furrowed his brows and sank into deep thought. He thought of the snow-like leaflets and how he had entered the Palace to eavesdrop on the conversation between the Eldest Princess and Zhuang Mohan. His heart immediately relaxed. He understood that the Emperor must have thought he was only targeting the Eldest Princess, entering the Palace to eavesdrop, and not for the key.
But, what about the letter? Fan Xian still could not understand. Tiredly, he sat on the side of the bed in silence.
In reality, other than the matter of the chest possibly being exposed, his fear of the Emperor was also because of another puzzle. This was a problem that troubled Fan Xian. Regardless of whether he accepted it or not, no matter what, the Emperor was still one of his fathers, although he was certainly not the best one.
In Fan Xian's heart, he had three fathers. Minister Fan was his closest biological father, and Chen Pingping could be considered a godfather. However, the Emperor's figure was also gradually invading his thoughts.
Chen Pingping's words interrupted his train of thought. "If you didn't enter the palace because you were afraid, then why didn't you return to the Overwatch Council and see me? Don't tell me you're afraid of me too. "
Looking at the old cripple's smiling appearance, Fan Xian sighed in his heart and thought, Isn't he also afraid? I'm just afraid that after seeing you, I won't be able to resist asking some questions.
Although he was afraid, he still opened his mouth to ask. Since he had the courage to come, he was naturally prepared. He did not want to be a pitiful Zergling that was kept in the dark.
"How did Yan Xiaoyi's trusted soldiers get to Dong Mountain? Why didn't the Overwatch Council have any intelligence? Why was the situation in Jingdou so dangerous? Why was there no news of the unusual movements of the officials of Dongshan Road? Why didn't you return to Jingdou and allow the Eldest Princess and Empress Dowager to torment you until you finally tormented yourself to death? "
"This is the plan that His Majesty and I came up with. Of course, we have to hide it from the world." Chen Pingping glanced at him coldly and said, "If I didn't show weakness first, how could these people jump out?"
Fan Xian shook his head. "Don't lie to me. I know you can certainly give the Emperor a good explanation after this. Only you and I know that these people were forced by us to oppose the Emperor. Furthermore, you know that although the Emperor appears to have achieved great success this time, he is actually walking on a tightrope. The slightest bit of carelessness would cause him to fall into the bottomless abyss. Since you knew about this long ago, you must have the ability to make this situation better and not let Jingdou sink into a situation of eternal damnation. "
"The Emperor trusts you, but that doesn't mean I trust you." Fan Xian stared at Chen Pingping's old face and lowered his voice. "This is the Emperor's plan, but you've been going along with it. Although you've only pushed it a little, it has increased the danger the Qing Kingdom faces by 10 times, or even 100 times. Even if you want to get rid of internal trouble, you can't have so many people die. No matter how ruthless the Emperor is, presumably, he wouldn't want to see this final situation. "
"There are dogs in the world, who would chase them?" After a long silence, Chen Pingping said, "If you want to beat the dogs, you have to beat them all to death. I'm afraid the Emperor's heart will soften for a moment. Does this explanation make sense?"
"It doesn't." Fan Xian shifted in his direction and held his thin hand. In a heavy voice, he said, "Even if it makes sense logically, the Emperor's heart will not be comfortable, particularly if he thinks about it later. There will always be problems."
"What problems could there be? This is the Emperor's grand plan. I am just an executor. " Chen Pingping very naturally pulled his hand out of Fan Xian's and coldly said, "Don't think too much. There aren't too many complicated things in this world."
"There aren't?" Fan Xian's heart was filled with worry and anger. He stared into his eyes and said, "Then, tell me, why did you have the Shadow assassinate the Emperor at the Hanging Temple?"
"Why did the old Qin Master's body have an additional wound on the back of his waist?"
Chen Pingping slowly raised his head and furrowed his brows as he looked at Fan Xian. "You went to see the body?"
Fan Xian nodded and said, "I know that was the Shadow's attack …" He paused and then smiled bitterly. "However, since I saw it, naturally, there is no wound now."
"I didn't think you would be so meticulous," Chen Pingping said. Chen Pingping said, "I was the one who ordered the Shadow to attack in the Floating Temple. You can report me to the king now. But you should know that the Shadow has two mysterious identities. Aside from you and me, no one else knows this. Not even the king knows." Chen Pingping nodded.
Fan Xian angrily said, "Even so, you still won't say it?"
"Say what?"
"Why did the old Qin Master betray the Emperor?" This was the question the Eldest Princess had Fan Xian ask Chen Pingping before she died. Now, he finally bravely asked.
"Betrayal never needs a reason." Chen Pingping was as cold and severe as ever.
"You had the Shadow kill Qin Ye. Were you afraid I would find out something from his mouth?"
Chen Pingping laughed coldly and couldn't be bothered to reply. He waved his hand to signal for the guest to leave. Fan Xian stared at him coldly. A moment later, his gaze helplessly softened. Using a pleading tone, he said, "I know you are afraid of dragging me down, which is why you want to separate. However, such a major matter … you have to think about yourself."
Chen Pingping's heart was filled with tenderness, but his face did not show it. "You're thinking too much."
Fan Xian was silent and speechless. Although Chen Pingping still refused to admit it, he knew from the other party's attitude that his guess was certainly correct. The Qin family must have participated in the Taiping Courtyard matter. The reason for their betrayal was because of his rise.
What kind of person was the old Qin Master? Although he was old, he knew that if the Emperor truly wanted to use Fan Xian, he would have to clean up the matter of the past. The Qin family must have died, so the Qin family must have rebelled. This was the logic. However, behind this logic was a bloody and sinister reality.
Fan Xian stood and gazed at Chen Pingping in silence for a moment. He then said, "After all, they are my father and mother. You've already worked hard for so many years. You should think about yourself more."
"I don't have many years left. You've said it yourself." Chen Pingping smiled.
Fan Xian gazed at him with some bitterness and said, "No one can defeat him."
Chen Pingping was silent.
Fan Xian prepared to leave when he suddenly said, "The chest is in my hands."
Chen Pingping abruptly raised his head and saw that the young man had already walked resolutely out the door. He couldn't help but shake his head. He thought, So what if the chest is in your hands? I can't drag you into this matter.
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After an indeterminable amount of time, a middle-aged man in casual clothing walked into the side room Chen Pingping was in and sat down beside him. It was exactly where Fan Xian had been sitting earlier.
"No one can defeat the Emperor," the middle-aged man said evenly. "On this point, my thoughts are the same as An Zhi's."
This middle-aged man was none other than Fan Xian's father, the Minister of Revenue, Fan Jian. No one knew when he had come to Chen Garden or why he was speaking so calmly with Chen Pingping. The legend in officialdom was that in the past dozen years, Chen Pingping and Fan Jian had always been like fire and water. It was not until Fan Xian entered the capital that the relationship between the two sides gradually improved.
Chen Pingping closed his eyes and calmly said, "Do you know the chest is in his hands?"
Fan Jian smiled bitterly and said, "This child, he put the chest under the bed and thought he could hide it from everyone under heaven. How cute."
Chen Pingping opened his eyes and glanced at him. "In your own manor, do you not have the ability to help him keep a secret?"
"I do have this ability," Fan Jian said evenly. "The Emperor has placed two spies in my home. An Zhi discovered one a long time ago, and the other died a long time ago. In any case, these kinds of spies don't cost money, so the Emperor doesn't care."
"Doesn't care? If he didn't care, then he wouldn't have brought all of the Tiger Guards to Dong Mountain this time for that madman Sigu Jian to chop up for fun. "
Chen Pingping looked at him with slight mockery and said, "You've only cared about small things your entire life. All of your strength was put into those Tiger Guards. Now that they've all died, no matter how many people you hid inside, not a single one is left. The Emperor is truly ruthless this time."
"Yes, I don't have much strength left." Fan Jian smiled bitterly. "So, I can only resign and return home."
He looked at Chen Pingping and smiled coldly. "How much better can you be than me? During the battle at Zhengyang Gate, thousands of your Overwatch Council elites died. In another two years, the Emperor will add a few more grains of sand. Other than learning from me and retiring, what else can you do? "
Chen Pingping laughed coldly and said, "As long as Fan Xian is still alive, the Emperor will not go all out against the Overwatch Council. What do I have to worry about? On the other hand, Lin Ruofu, that old fox, has endured for so long and finally found an opportunity to hand over all of the people he had hidden to his precious son-in-law. In the end, he is probably vomiting blood in Wuzhou right now."
Fan Jian also smiled and said, "Everyone else thought that the officials of the Lin faction had followed An Zhi to fight against the Crown Prince and would be heavily rewarded afterward. Unexpectedly, the Emperor had been waiting to see this scene. Seeing the last of Prime Minister Lin's people jump out, even if they can't do anything now, how can they have a chance to turn things around in the future?"
"External enemies and internal troubles have all been eliminated. He has also chopped off half of our arms." Fan Jian sighed. "The Emperor can truly be said to be wise and mighty. He has exceptional talent in his heart."
"It must be admitted, just like when we began to follow him many years ago." Chen Pingping closed his eyes and slowly said, "He was, is, and will be the most powerful person in the world."
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After a death-like silence, Minister Fan sighed and said, "I hid in King Jing's manor in Jingdou because I was not worried about the situation in Jingdou. I had long seen that there was a problem with the Ye family. However, I had not thought that the Emperor was actually a Great Grandmaster."
"I had somewhat guessed at the Emperor's unfathomable power," Chen Pingping said coldly. "However, I had not thought that Ye Liuyun, that strange old creature, would suddenly stand on the Emperor's side."
"The two of us only guessed one side of the Emperor, if …" Minister Fan suddenly stopped talking.
Chen Pingping knew what his old comrade was about to say and calmly said, "There is no if. After that matter, you were never willing to believe me, and I was never willing to believe you. I never thought that the person I should have trusted the most might have had some problems."
"An Zhi once said something," Minister Fan said. Minister Fan said, "If you and I had more trust in each other, perhaps things would have been much easier. It was at that time that I knew this son of mine was extraordinary. We hid it so well, yet he was still able to guess this matter."
"He is the son of Xiao Ye and the Emperor. Of course, he is extraordinary." Chen Pingping furrowed his brows. In his heart, he still had the highest respect and admiration for the Emperor.
"When did you guess that the Emperor was a Great Grandmaster?" Minister Fan's heart was very light as he casually asked.
"It's been a few years." Chen Pingping's brows gradually relaxed as he thought of the events of the past. At that time, the Wei Kingdom was still standing in the center of the land. The power of the country was very powerful. When the Qing Kingdom first went on a Northern expedition, the battle was very difficult, particularly in one battle. At the time, the Emperor, who was still the Crown Prince, was heavily injured. His entire body was stiff and unable to move, and he almost lost his life. It was all thanks to Chen Pingping risking his life and going through many hardships to save him.
This was one of Chen Pingping's most famous deeds. It was as famous as the thousand-li surprise attack and the capture of Xiao En at the price of a broken leg.
Minister Fan furrowed his brows and said, "What's wrong with that? We old people always thought that it was after that heavy injury that the Emperor lost his martial arts. Back then, he was a fierce general. "
"That injury was a bit strange," Chen Pingping slowly said. "His entire body was stiff. It was definitely not caused by external injuries. Lady Ning and I took care of him all the way, so of course, we know that it should be a problem with his meridians. It seems that all his meridians were broken. We thought he was dead for sure and cried a few times. Who knew that he would come back alive in the end?"
"I've never seen a person who can still live with all his meridians broken." Chen Pingping opened his eyes and looked at Fan Jian. Slowly, he said, "However, I later saw a similar person. It was your son."
"During the Hanging Temple incident, Fan Xian's meridians were also greatly damaged, but they were not as terrifying as the Emperor's in the past. Furthermore, later in Jiangnan, he must have learned old baldy Ku's skills and gradually recovered," Chen Pingping said. "The Emperor did not have Fan Xian's good luck. He did not learn Tianyi Dao, so how did his injury heal?"
"These years, you've spent less time with the Emperor than I have," Chen Pingping continued. Chen Pingping continued, "No matter how much the Emperor can endure, some details will always give the game away. Fei Jie reported back from Danzhou about the Tyrannical martial method Fan Xian practiced and said that this Tyrannical zhenqi could cause serious consequences. It made me think of the Emperor who was once stiff all over and looked like a cripple."
"The Hanging Temple incident wanted to force him a little and see what his trump card was. Unfortunately, it was blocked by Fan Xian."
Speaking of this, he glared at Minister Fan. At that time, it was this father who wanted his son to save the Emperor and instead ruin Chen Pingping's grand plan.
"Since you understand everything, then let's not talk about it anymore. You also have to think through this matter." Fan Jian stood freely and said, "I'm going back to Danzhou to retire. If you have time, you can come visit me."
Chen Pingping was silent. He knew what his old comrade was thinking. Regardless of whether or not the Emperor was undefeatable, he was, in the end, Fan Xian's biological father. No one knew that Fan Xian was a transmigrator. His soul carried a different element. These two elders only thought, based on common sense, that even if Fan Xian knew the truth, he would still be stuck in a dilemma.
The two of them didn't want Fan Xian to live under too much pressure, so they had to think through this matter.
Chen Pingping gently knocked on the copper bell beside the table. After a crisp ring, the old servant who had served him for many years walked in and carried him to the wheelchair.
"I'll see you off." Chen Pingping lowered his head and coughed. It was a difficult cough. His sleeves were covered in spittle. It took a moment for it to calm down. He said self-mockingly, "My body is getting worse and worse. I've been poisoned, and I can't cure it for a long time."
Fan Jian looked at him quietly and didn't say anything. He walked out of the manor. Behind him, the old servant pushed the wheelchair and followed. They didn't walk very far. In front of the construction site, the two of them stopped, looked at each other, and bowed.
"I've thought it through," Chen Pingping said to Fan Jian.
Fan Jian didn't immediately reply. Instead, he lowered his head and thought for a moment. He didn't know if these words were true or false. He knew why Chen Pingping had come to see him off. Many years ago, they had once gone to the shores of the East Sea and gathered together in Taiping Courtyard. They had once created a great situation. However, as time passed, some people had died, some people had changed, and some people had to retreat. He had resigned and returned to Danzhou. Only Chen Pingping was left in Jingdou to accompany the Emperor. Presumably, he should also feel lonely.
Just as Fan Xian said, during these dozen years, he and Chen Pingping had suspected each other. Their interactions had gradually decreased, but it could not erase the comradeship of the past.
When it was time to withdraw from the stage, it had to be completely withdrawn. Back then, Lin Ruofu was not a member of the three-man group, so his withdrawal was not thorough enough. Minister Fan would not make this mistake. In front of the Emperor's might, other than retiring, they did not seem to have any good choice.
Before Fan Jian left, he furrowed his brows and asked one last question. He did not avoid the old servant. "Since you suspected me back then, why did you have Wu Zhu take him to Danzhou?"
Chen Pingping sat in the wheelchair and lowered his head for a moment. He then slowly replied, "Because I know you once paid a price for it, so I want to continue to see your heart."
A self-mocking and sad smile rose to the corners of Fan Jian's lips. He waved his hand and didn't say anything more.
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Watching Fan Jian's departing figure, Chen Pingping gently leaned against the wheelchair. His finger unconsciously tapped against the armrest of the wheelchair. He sighed and quietly said, "It's good that he's gone, it's good that he's gone …"
Immediately after, the leader of the Qing Kingdom's darkness said gloomily to himself, "In the end, he is his father. How could I bear to force him?"
The old servant silently pushed the wheelchair back and listened to the old Director say tiredly, "Tell me, why is it so difficult for someone to die?"
Chen Pingping had done countless earth-shattering things in his life and faced countless dangers and hardships, but he had never been as disappointed as he was today. The enemy he faced was, without question, the most powerful person he had ever met in his life. Furthermore, that person could not find any weakness.
The old servant said in a raspy voice, "It shouldn't implicate the Duke." He could already see the heaviness in his master's heart, so he did his best to ease it.
"Even if the Emperor can find something, after the Hanging Temple and in Little Snow Valley, I have already caused An Zhi to almost lose his life twice. Is this still not enough to sever my relationship with him? An Zhi's luck has always been good. The Emperor will certainly not suspect him. Let's just let this matter rest. "Chen Pingping was slightly afraid of the cold and pulled the blanket closer to his body.
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Fan Jian was ready to leave, Chen Pingping had given up, and Fan Xian had thought it through. The biggest problem in the world seemed to have been solved. However, all three of them knew that if there were no major disturbances in the future, then this pot of boiling oil could be safely covered by the lid. But if something were to happen, the oil would jump out and burn everything cleanly — not to mention the fact that the boiling oil was in their hearts, and it would burn them to the point where they hissed in pain.
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