As for Sigu Jian's life and death, the Shadow was more concerned than anyone else. He did not want Sigu Jian to die to someone else's hands, even if it was the merciless hands of heaven. Many years ago, Dongyi had suddenly fallen into chaos. Sigu Jian had gone mad with his sword and slaughtered all the elders and relatives of his clan. Only the 16-year-old Shadow had escaped. From the age of 16, the Shadow's life had continued with the thought of revenge against his elder brother. He gradually sank in powerful fear and anger and became the shadow behind the two leaders of the Overwatch Council.
The reason Sigu Jian was called an idiot was probably because his methods when he slaughtered his own clan were too bloody and crazy.
As for how the Shadow escaped Dongyi, met Chen Pingping, and was accepted into the Overwatch Council by Chen Pingping, became loyal, and fought to the death, that was perhaps another long story.
Fan Xian was not very clear on this point and didn't want to ask too closely. Everyone beside him had their own stories and their own secrets, such as Jing Ge, the Yan family, and the Shadow. However, he knew the identity the Shadow hid in the deepest part and the blood feud between him and Sigu Jian. Just like how he treated the other people beside him, Fan Xian and them helped each other and supported each other as they walked through these difficult times.
Fan Xian didn't turn his head. In a quiet voice, he said, "I know you've always wanted to ask him something. Don't worry, you will definitely be able to ask."
The Shadow was silent for a moment and then disappeared behind Fan Xian. He did not let Thirteenth Wang and Ye Ling 'er in the garden detect a trace.
Fan Xian was silent for a moment and then walked toward the garden. In a moment, he had arrived between the silent man and woman. Thirteenth Wang raised his head and glanced at him, feeling slightly surprised. The Qing court was currently in Xiliang Road fighting the Hu people of the grasslands and Northern Qi's reinforcements. For a dozen consecutive days, Fan Xian had been extremely busy because of this matter. Why did he have the leisure to come out to the garden now?
Ye Ling'er had her head bowed as she worked on her taut embroidery frame. She had long since sensed Fan Xian's arrival, and immediately jumped out of the quiet, peaceful, and happy atmosphere she had been in. Her heart was filled with hidden bitterness, and the already slow speed of her needles became even slower. It didn't seem like she was embroidering, but more like she was using the tip of a thin needle to tickle the taut fabric.
Fan Xian stood between the two of them. Since they did not speak, he could not find any reason to speak. With his hands behind his back, he put on an expression as if he knew everything. Gazing at the lonely autumn trees outside the garden, he pretended to be elegant.
Seeing him act so pretentiously, Thirteenth Wang didn't know if Fan Xian had seen through the thoughts he had never expressed. His gaze became slightly chaotic. Ye Ling'er glanced at him, lowered her head, and gently bit her lower lip.
The time had come. Fan Xian coughed and said, "Wangfei, although the scenery in Qingzhou is not bad, you embroider in the garden every day. With the garden walls blocking your vision, it is impossible to see clearly, right?"
Hearing the words "wangfei," Ye Ling'er thought Fan Xian was reminding her of something. Her face immediately paled and she didn't reply.
Thirteenth Wang was silent. Like Ye Ling'er, he had also misunderstood Fan Xian's meaning. He thought to himself that although he had not spoken much with the young lady of the Ye family, he knew she was a woman with a refreshing personality. There was indeed a chord in his heart that had been tugged at by the wind in Qingzhou. However, she was, after all, the Qing wangfei. The difference in status was too great.
Fan Xian sighed and turned his head to Thirteenth Wang. "Thirteenth, although you are heavily injured and need someone to take care of you, after all, men and women have to be careful, particularly since the young lady of the Ye family is the Qing Kingdom's wangfei. There is no one else in the garden watching. You two just sit facing each other like this. You have to think about how I will explain this to the Palace when I return to the capital."
These words made things clear. Thirteenth Wang had been sighing earlier, but under the gentleness of his personality, there was an incomparable stubbornness. Raising his brows, he looked at Fan Xian and said, "I'll leave the manor immediately."
Ye Ling'er raised her head in shock and glared fiercely at Fan Xian.
Fan Xian's heart jumped slightly. Shortly after, he smiled warmly and thought to himself that this was a Thirteenth Wang worthy of his trust. Ignoring Ye Ling'er's angry glare beside him, he flipped his palm and drew three circles in the air. He then grabbed at the embroidery cloth in front of Ye Ling'er. It was gentle and windless, but it was also very fast. It was the little trick he had relied on to become famous.
Ye Ling'er's fingertips unconsciously tightened. The embroidery needle carried the sound of the wind as it pierced toward Fan Xian's wrist at a tricky angle.
This was also a little trick. However, these tricks had been taught to her by Fan Xian, so how could she stop Fan Xian from stealing the cloth?
With a flash of a figure, Fan Xian had already taken the embroidery cloth from her hands and floated to Thirteenth Wang's side. With a smile, he said, "Thirteenth, I was just afraid you'd be tricked. Our wangfei is not a young lady of a large family who knows how to embroider."
Thirteenth Wang was slightly startled. He didn't understand why the commissioner would suddenly say this. Immediately after, he saw Fan Xian place the embroidery cloth in front of his eyes. Embroidered on the cloth was half a water duck?
Ye Ling'er had been in the garden, where Thirteenth Wang could see, embroidered for a whole seven days. In the end, she had only embroidered half a water duck?
Thirteenth Wang immediately understood what Fan Xian meant by a misunderstanding and couldn't resist smiling slightly. It was Fan Xian who laughed loudly and said, "The pleasure between a man and a woman is a matter of course. No one can stop you. However, you have to think carefully."
Ye Ling'er abruptly rose. She was so angry that her entire body trembled. She looked angrily at Fan Xian, but she was too embarrassed to say anything. Mist gradually rose in her eyes. She appeared very pitiful.
Thirteenth Wang looked at this woman's appearance and felt an inexplicable pain in his heart. He withdrew his smile and his face was full of concern.
Fan Xian slowly stopped laughing. Suddenly, he lowered his voice and said by Thirteenth Wang's ear, "You have to talk about love. Even if these two dumb geese were to sit together for a lifetime, what use would it be?"
Thirteenth Wang knew that this person had come specially to help him break through the layer of paper on the window. Other than feeling slightly embarrassed, he couldn't help feeling grateful. However, he was unable to speak as shamelessly as Fan Xian. Ye Ling'er didn't know what Fan Xian had said. Looking at the two of them whispering to each other, she felt very uneasy.
Fan Xian had finished what he needed to do and leisurely walked toward the front yard of the military yamen. His posture was relaxed as if he had done something very good and was very pleased with himself.
Ye Ling'er looked at his retreating figure. For some reason, a great dissatisfaction rose in her heart. She huffed lightly and mockingly said, "Teacher, I don't know how to embroider, but this water duck, I'm afraid … it's better than the one in your house."
Hearing these words, Fan Xian immediately thought of the needle marks on Wan'er's fingers, as well as the water duck painting. A chill ran through his body, and his face was filled with embarrassment. How could he reply? He quickly fled into the wilderness.
Looking at this scene, Ye Ling'er giggled. Her laughter echoed like silver bells in the autumn garden in Qingzhou. However, the person beside her did not laugh. He only looked at her quietly and appreciatively.
It was boring to laugh alone. Ye Ling'er awkwardly stopped laughing. During the dozen days Thirteenth Wang had been recovering, she had indeed restrained her free and arrogant nature. She appeared particularly peaceful. Unexpectedly, Fan Xian had still managed to break through. She didn't know if this scene fell into the man's eyes or if he would feel that she was too bitter. Countless thoughts immediately flashed through her mind. The emotions in her eyes were incomparably complicated.
Thirteenth Wang was actually a bit nervous, but he hid it well on his face. Looking at Ye Ling'er, he said, "I am Wang Xi, formerly known as Tie Xiang. I am the thirteenth disciple of Dongyi's Sword Hut. Thank you for your care these days. I cannot thank you enough."
Ye Ling'er had not thought that he would suddenly speak and speak so seriously. Her heart was a little flustered. She calmed herself and returned the greeting. Lightly, she said, "Sir Wang is too polite."
In Ye Ling'er's opinion, it was much more relaxed and natural to use an official's title to refer to him. She did not understand. They had already known each other for a dozen days and had only exchanged a dozen sentences. Why did he have to express his thanks so seriously now?
Was he truly prepared to leave the manor, or was all of this just a dream? Ye Ling'er sighed faintly in her heart. If it had been another woman, perhaps she would have chosen to leave because of this sense of serenity. However, Ye Ling'er was, after all, Ye Ling'er. She did not know how to embroider. She only knew how to wield knives and spears. Although she was a widow, she was still like she was when she was a teenager, wild and full of vigor.
She stared closely into Thirteenth Wang's eyes and said, "If you have something to say, just say it. There is no need to introduce yourself. Looking at the way you do things, you are also a straightforward person. Don't be as long-winded and hypocritical as Fan Xian."
Thirteenth Wang paused slightly. A moment later, he said seriously, "Sir Fan junior said that everything can be discussed."
Ye Ling'er understood some of the meaning. Suddenly, she felt a gust of autumn wind blow past. When it brushed against her face, there was not a trace of harshness. There was only a hundred degrees of gentleness.
…
…
The matter between Thirteenth Wang and Ye Ling'er was not as Fan Xian had imagined. After his provocation, they met in the golden wind and jade dew. It was better than countless things in the mortal world. When dry wood and fierce fire met, it was like the Yellow River overflowing and could not be stopped. On the contrary, contrary to his expectations, this young man and woman still maintained their politeness and sat across the stone path. They would only occasionally say a few words.
Speaking of which, it was strange. Thirteenth Wang and Ye Ling'er's personalities were both first-rate, particularly Ye Ling'er, who had grown up on the edge of the grasslands. Compared to the young ladies in Jingdou, she was much more cheerful. However, once love was involved, because of the tragedy in Jingdou two years ago, as well as Thirteenth Wang's identity, both of them were somewhat silent.
Seeing all of this, Fan Xian was not in a rush. In any case, there were always thousands of things in the world. It was impossible to ask all men and women in love to be like him, impatient to climb walls and jump through windows.
Furthermore, he didn't have time to pay attention to these beautiful things. He still needed to take the lead in dealing with the not-so-beautiful things in Xiliang Road.
Time quickly came to the end of autumn and the beginning of winter. The eight bureaus of the Overwatch Council gathered in Dingzhou. The eight tribes on the grasslands gathered in the court to discuss matters. With unusual ruthlessness, the Qing Kingdom cut off the hand that the grasslands had extended, as well as the hand that Northern Qi had extended toward the grasslands. They watched with cold eyes as the situation on the grasslands became more and more unbearable by the day.
The hand that Master Ku He had set up on the grasslands before he died and the hand that the Northern Qi Emperor had crossed the North Sea, the desert, and the Qing Kingdom's border in over a year gently clasped at the border between Xiliang Road and the grasslands.
After holding it for almost a year, it had put the Qing court to the test. The borders were unusually tight. The national treasury, military power, and spirit were all forced to stay in the West, slowing the pressure on their true enemy, Northern Qi.
Under the Emperor's leadership, the Overwatch Council used four months to prepare. Fan Xian personally led the team. Finally, in the late autumn and cold winter of the ninth year of the Qing calendar, they cut off these two hands that held each other. Perhaps the situation on the grasslands, under the control of Chief Su Bida and Haitang, would not deteriorate to an unmanageable level. However, it would not be so easy for the Northern Qi Emperor to cause trouble in Xiliang Road. Furthermore, Fan Xian had also set up his own power on the grasslands. When the flowers bloomed next spring, he would begin to reap the fruits.
After confirming the implementation of the various arrangements and verifying the results of the battle, Fan Xian finally freed himself from the extremely busy Council affairs and began to prepare to return to the capital. Thirteenth Wang would not follow him back to the capital. Firstly, his injuries had not healed. Secondly, Fan Xian did not want him to have too much contact with the Shadow along the way. Thirdly, Ye Ling'er's return to the capital for the New Year was still half a month later. It was always good for the two of them to spend more time together.
Once Fan Xian had decided on something, he rarely changed it. Since he had decided to help Ye Ling'er and Thirteenth Wang be together, he had his own confidence. After returning to the capital and taking care of the Great Prince's family matters, he would probably have to go to the Bureau of Military Affairs to propose marriage to General Ye. Of course, this matter first required the Emperor's approval.
On the 15th day of the winter of the ninth year of the Qing calendar, the Overwatch Council finished their operation in Xiliang Road. The Commissioner Fan Xian passed through Dingzhou and stepped on the road back to the capital. Outside Dingzhou, there were countless officials and generals who had come to see him off. They lined up densely in two rows.
The Governor of Xiliang Road and General Li Hongcheng stood side by side with Fan Xian. After saying a few official words, they ended the conversation. At the end, Li Hongcheng gazed deeply at Fan Xian. Fan Xian knew what he meant and did not reply. He only quietly said, "I'll wait for you in Jingdou."
The group of carriages set off and drove onto the official road in front of Dingzhou. Fan Xian unconsciously turned his head back to look. He did not stop his gaze on the Dingzhou military and political officials. Instead, he raised his head and looked at the row of wooden frames on the Dingzhou city gates.
An entire row of wooden frames was nailed to the top of the Dingzhou city gates. On each frame hung a corpse. In this operation, they had executed over 40 spies. After these spies died, they still could not find a place to rest. They were hung high above the city gates and allowed the autumn wind to blow and the autumn sun to shine.
Some of the corpses that had been hung the earliest had almost completely rotted. Even the evil birds in the fields were unwilling to peck at them, revealing the white bones that could faintly be seen below. The clothes on the corpses were in tatters and carried the black bloodstains of torture.
A long row of corpses swayed slowly in the wind above the city gate. It gave off a terrifying and bloody stench, and it welcomed all the people who came from the Chinese plains. This terrifying scene served as a warning to all the people in the world.
…
…
Fan Xian narrowed his eyes and pulled his head back from the window. Hanging corpses had its own effect in psychological warfare. At least, the spies the Northern Qi Emperor would send in the future would at least have an innate sense of fear. However, in the battles of the Central Plain, due to the balance of morality and benevolence that had existed for thousands of years, the killing of prisoners of war was rare. As for humiliating corpses, it had never been seen before.
Dingzhou was not the Central Plain. This was an important place in the battle between the Central Plain and Xi Hu. The two sides had fought for thousands of years and had done even crueler things.
Fan Xian did not have much sympathy for the spies. What he had seen along the way from Dingzhou to Qingzhou had made him understand that once the war began, particularly the lingering hatred between nations, it could not be resolved by benevolence and morality. Just the dozens of corpses hanging above the city gates had caused the Qing Kingdom to pay with the deaths of thousands of commoners. What made Fan Xian even colder was that these people were not Hu people. They were Northern Qi people of the same origin and ancestry as the people of the Qing Kingdom.
As for the hatred between the grasslands and the Central Plain, his generation did not have the ability to resolve it peacefully, so he would leave it to the more intelligent descendants.
Fan Xian closed his eyes and rested. He thought to himself that he had severed the hand that held Northern Qi and the grasslands. At the very least, he had severely wounded them. He had probably also cut a wretched wound between him and Haitang. He didn't know if this wound would heal in the future. He didn't know what Haitang would do on the grasslands. This grassland, this grand city, that border, would he ever come again in this life?
As he thought these gloomy thoughts, the imperial envoy's carriage had already arrived at the closest relay station outside Dingzhou. It was the place where Fan Xian had peeped at the erotic palace.
Entering the relay station, Fan Xian teased the deputy he was familiar with. However, the deputy deputy, who had been released from prison with great difficulty, did not dare to respond loudly. He obediently went to boil water.
Fan Xian looked at Deng Zi Yue beside him and said, "Zi Yue, I'll need you to endure in Xiliang Road for another two years."
All eight bureaus of the Overwatch Council had sent important officials to Dingzhou to supervise the battle. Deng Zi Yue had been summoned back from the distant Northern Qi by Fan Xian. Now that Fan Xian had left, the matters of Xiliang Road were all handed over to Deng Zi Yue. The officials saw the imperial envoy out of the city and returned, but the officials of the Overwatch Council saw them all the way to the relay station.
Deng Zi Yue nodded and said, "I'll listen to your arrangements."
Fan Xian thought for a moment and gave him some instructions. He then began to read the court bulletins from Jingdou. A moment later, his eyes narrowed slightly. As the second person in charge of the Qinian Unit, Deng Zi Yue had served Sir Fan junior for a long time. Seeing him narrow his eyes, he knew something troublesome had happened.
Fan Xian smiled and said, "It was mentioned in the Council bulletins. The court bulletins have finally confirmed that the Commander of the Imperial Army in the Palace has changed."
Deng Zi Yue's heart jumped. He thought to himself, The Great Prince has always been safe in leading the Imperial Army. Why would there suddenly be a change?
…
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