The sky above Jingdou was alternating between cloudy and sunny. It was impossible to accurately reveal a smile or a worried expression, such as Fan Ruoruo's face. This girl's face alternated between green and white. Her slightly sweaty and slightly red cheeks had been scared into a theater after hearing these words. She fully displayed the emotions a Qing Kingdom citizen should be displaying at this time.
It was clearly a warm spring day, but Fan Ruoruo's body seemed to be tortured in an icehouse. A moment later, she said in a low, trembling voice, "I don't know."
This was the most useless answer, but it was also the most natural answer. Fan Xian had already fallen into a black hole and was unable to free himself. If he held his sister's hand, at most, he would have another pitiful junior torn to pieces. It would not be of much help to the matter.
Fan Xian's heart softened. He gently stroked the girl's head and warmly said, "Don't be scared silly. It's just that there's no place to reason with, so I can only talk to you."
After a long time, Fan Ruoruo looked at her brother with a timid gaze and said in a mosquito-like voice, "Is it true?"
Fan Xian was silent for a long time. His gaze turned to the quiet and secluded little courtyard across the river. He thought of the bloody knife disaster this little courtyard had suffered 20 years ago. He thought that perhaps 20 years ago, this place had been hell on earth. Who knew how many people of the old Ye family had died, and that stunningly talented girl had coincidentally been at the weakest stage of her life?
She had given birth to him.
Furthermore, all the people around her that she could rely on had, for one reason or another, all left her side for important reasons that could not be turned back. She was alone and without help. This was a sudden attack from the place closest to her, a fierce and decisive killing intent. Presumably, when she left this world, she must have been unsatisfied and lonely, right?
Borrowed seed? Fan Xian would not believe this. He understood women too well. Even if this woman was his mother, the one and only Ye Qingmei in the world, Fan Xian still did not believe it. If she had no feelings for a man, how could she charm him into her bed? Other women might feign civility with a man they didn't like because of social or family reasons, but did Ye Qingmei need to?
Fan Xian stared in a daze at the other side of the river. A cold smile rose to the corners of his lips. That man was truly cold-blooded.
…
…
A trembling voice pulled Fan Xian back from the tragic scene of the past. Fan Ruoruo clung tightly to her brother's side as if she was afraid of the cold. The wet handkerchief in her hand had long fallen to the grass. Her hand gripped Fan Xian's sleeve tightly. Raising her face, she said, "I … used to … have a brother."
A chill suddenly welled up in Fan Xian's heart. He knew what his sister was talking about. He had known since he was a child that there should have been a young master in Count Sinan's manor. That young master should be about the same age as him. He was the son of his father and first wife. However, because of his weak body, he died at a young age.
At this moment, his sister suddenly mentioned the elder brother who had long since disappeared from people's memories. Fan Xian vaguely seemed to catch on to something, and his expression immediately changed.
Chen Pingping had reminded Fan Xian more than once to treat Fan Jian better, because the Fan family had sacrificed a lot for his survival. What did the Fan family pay? Could it be that the reason he was able to survive in Taiping Courtyard and endure until Uncle Wu Zhu hurried back was because under the fierce attacks of the empress dowager, the Qin family, and the empress's clan, someone had accepted death in his place?
Fan Xian's face was slightly pale. He thought silently to himself, If this was how things had progressed, first it was hidden from the empress dowager. Later, when Count Sinan raised an illegitimate child in Danzhou, why did the Palace not become suspicious? Had the Emperor suppressed the situation after returning to the capital and sealed off the news?
His head hurt slightly. There were some details he had not thought through clearly, but the possible terrifying scene became clear in his mind. He indifferently thought that when he opened his eyes for the first time in this world, he saw his pair of baby-white lotus-like hands. In front of the hands that were stained with blood, there was already a newborn baby who had died in his place.
His baby-like hands were not only smeared with the blood of the people Uncle Wu Zhu had killed, but also the blood of the true young master of the Fan family.
Fan Xian's body trembled slightly. Ruoruo clearly sensed her brother's abnormality. Sorrowfully, she said in a low voice, "I don't know how he died. Later, I faintly heard the old nanny in the manor mention it while crying. I have some suspicions, but I don't know what went wrong."
Fan Xian gently held his sister's hand and didn't say a word. He knew that not long after giving birth to Ruoruo, Ruoruo's birth mother was bedridden and died. It was only later that his father welcomed Lady Liu into the manor.
What was it about the wife of an assistant minister that had been troubled all this time? Was it because her own son had died when he shouldn't have?
Ruoruo then lowered her head and quietly said, "I heard the old nanny say that mother and Aunt Ye should also know each other."
Fan Xian had gradually come to understand the deeper meaning of Chen Pingping's words. But he still didn't understand. If Chen Pingping knew that his father had paid such a great price for him, why did he still refuse to lower his guard against his father all those years ago?
The relationship between Count Sinan and Ye Qingmei was not like the first love that Fan Xian had imagined when he was young. Perhaps the two of them trusted each other more like siblings, just like Fan Xian and Ruoruo today.
Ye Qingmei had just given birth to a son in Taiping Courtyard. It was normal for Count Sinan's wife to go to the courtyard to help. As for what happened afterward, perhaps it was just as Fan Xian guessed.
Was it like the plot of a novel? It turned out that reality was always more bizarre than fiction. More accurately, reality should always be more bizarre than fiction.
Fan Xian tightly held his sister's hand. His heart was filled with countless complicated feelings. Before his eyes floated the face of his grandmother, who had always loved him dearly, and the solemn face of his father. It seemed that he would never be angry, never be happy, and that he would only silently walk the bureaucracy.
His heart suddenly ached. He felt that he owed the Fan family too much. His heart suddenly grew cold. Back then, too many people had died and too much blood had been shed.
Fan Xian stood up and looked coldly at Taiping Courtyard across the river. He suddenly opened his mouth and said, "Don't tell anyone about what we talked about today."
Although he knew that his sister would certainly not spread this shocking secret, Fan Xian still couldn't help but remind her. He then said in a low voice, "Concerning this matter, I have to ask my father in person."
"Brother is returning to Danzhou?" Ruoruo followed suit and stood up, looking at him in surprise.
Fan Xian shook his head and said, "Father is not in Danzhou right now."
The retired Minister of Revenue, Fan Jian, was living out his retirement in Danzhou. This was something everyone knew. But Fan Xian said with unusual certainty that his father was not in Danzhou because only he knew that his father was in a place in the northeast, helping him do something important. He had to ask his father in person because he believed that on this matter, his father also had the right to speak.
Fan Ruoruo resisted the urge to ask. She only stared in a daze at her brother's gloomy face. Her heart ached slightly. She knew that the things Fan Xian said today would stir up a great storm in the future. Fan Xian was not only the second most powerful person in the world, he also had too much power in his hands. If he truly had a falling out with the Emperor and wanted to avenge his mother, a great battle between ruler and official would probably drag the entire world into it.
"Come with me to another place." Fan Xian walked toward the path deep in the bamboo forest. Ruoruo made a sound of acknowledgement and followed with small steps.
…
…
Three black carriages left the bamboo forest near Taiping Courtyard and came to another eerie place on the outskirts of the capital. The coldness of this place was different from Taiping Courtyard. It gave off a sense of fear because this was a cemetery.
Many people had been buried in Taiping Courtyard. Many people had also been buried here. Fan Xian had left his old home and come to a place of death. The Overwatch Council officials following behind him all felt a chill. They didn't know what exactly had happened.
The fengshui at the foot of the green mountain on this side was very good. Buried were the graves of the nameless soldiers left behind by the Qing Kingdom's wars from south to north. Among them, the newest and largest cemetery had been built three years ago. During the Jingdou rebellion, the imperial soldiers had suffered heavy casualties. The Overwatch Council had also paid a terrifying price, particularly the attack on Qin Heng's vanguard camp at Zhengyang Gate and the Black Knights' later valiant pursuit in front of the square, which added a thousand more graves to the new cemetery.
The traditional April Festival had just passed, so there were still many traces of worship left in the cemetery. Incense and unburned paper money floated quietly in the mountain wind among the graves.
Fan Xian brought his subordinates and sister to the graves and bowed deeply toward the cemetery. The people buried here were all his subordinates. They were all people who had died because of his one decision and one plan.
Only now did Mu Feng 'er and the other subordinates know what the Commissioner wanted to do. They felt deeply moved and moved. He was about to take over as Director of the Overwatch Council. Unexpectedly, after returning to the Council to deal with matters, the first thing he did was come to the cemetery to pay respects to his dead brothers.
Seeing the Commissioner sincerely and attentively bow, the eyes of the dozens of Overwatch Council officials in Qingshan Garden couldn't help but moisten. They followed behind him and bowed. However, they had come in a hurry and had no time to set up anything.
Fan Xian took a deep breath and said, "What matters is sincerity. I don't care about other things."
To the side, Mu Feng 'er agreed.
Fan Xian was silent for a moment. He then said, "After returning to the capital, have Mu Tie check on the pensions these years and how the families of the officials in the Council have been taken care of. Draft a file for me."
"Yes, sir."
Mu Feng 'er made a sound of acknowledgement and was not afraid. The follow-up matters of the Overwatch Council's pensions were all handled by the First Bureau. His uncle Mu Tie was the head of the First Bureau. Hearing that Sir Fan junior was going to check the accounts, he was not worried at all. In the entire court, only the Overwatch Council's pensions were the highest. The Commissioner looked after the families of his subordinates very well. Of course, it was also because Fan Xian had the palace treasury, a gold mine, hidden in his sleeves. Secondly, he knew that his uncle would never dare to make a mistake in these matters.
Fan Xian paid no more attention to him. With his hands behind his back, he led Ruoruo out of the cemetery at the foot of Qingshan Garden, leaving a distance behind his loyal subordinates. It was not until they were about to climb to the waist of Qingshan Garden did he turn his head to look at the densely packed graves below him. He sighed and said, "A general's success is built on the bones of tens of thousands."
Ruoruo didn't understand why her brother had come here after thinking quietly for a long time in Taiping Courtyard.
Fan Xian seemed to guess what she was thinking. In a low voice, he explained, "I want to use these dead people to remind myself that I am no longer just me. I have to be responsible for many people who are alive and those who are dead. I have to use these graves to remind me and make me more clear-headed and calm. "
The brother and sister climbed past the waist of Qingshan Garden and turned to the other side. It was said that the fengshui on this side was not as good as the other side, but it was still densely packed with graves. They were all places where the ancestors of the Jingdou people were buried. At this moment, the smell of smoke and fire seemed to float in the air.
There were a few large graves on the col separating the two sides of Qingshan Garden. The style of the graves was normal, but they appeared very large. Furthermore, there was a garden outside the graves and soldiers guarding them. A few soldiers saw someone slowly walk in and were about to go forward and yell at him when they were immediately chased out by a few Overwatch Council swordsmen.
Buried in these graves were the Eldest Princess, the Crown Prince, and the Second Prince. Fan Xian walked past the Eldest Princess' grave and the Crown Prince's grave. His expression did not change at all. In the end, to Ruoruo's surprise, he stopped in front of the Second Prince's grave.
The empress dowager's grave was far to the south of Cang Mountain. It was 80 li from Jingdou. It was said that it took up a lot of space and was beautifully decorated. It perfectly displayed the Emperor's benevolence and filial piety. However, Fan Xian had never been there even once.
The Overwatch Council officials scattered in all directions. Fan Xian and his sister stood quietly in front of the Second Prince's grave. After looking for an indeterminable amount of time, Fan Xian suddenly opened his mouth and said, "Actually, I don't like you very much because I know you and I are the same kind of person. Just as you said the night before you died, we don't like each other."
"From the first time I saw you, I saw through the bashful smile on your face and knew your hypocrisy," Fan Xian smiled slightly and looked at the grave. "Of course, when you saw the bashful smile on my face, you also knew my hypocrisy … however, you can't prove this. You are only subconsciously guessing."
"Because I hide deeper than you, my smile is more real than yours." Fan Xian's voice was not loud, but it appeared particularly determined. "When it comes to acting, no one in this world can compare to me. From the day I was born, I was acting."
"A bashful smile? If you want to pretend to be a baby, of course, you have to learn how babies smile. " Fan Xian lowered his head slightly. "This has already become my natural nature. I only know how to smile shyly … it's so embarrassing."
He raised his head and said, "Chengze, in the future, when I don't have to smile shyly anymore, I will come see you again."
Fan Ruoruo looked at her brother in astonishment. She didn't know why he was talking nonsense in front of the Second Prince's grave. What did he mean by pretending to be a baby?
Fan Xian stretched in front of the grave. He had long stood up, but the bashful smile on his face had become an impatient and angry expression towards the world.
Fan Ruoruo finally couldn't resist reaching out her hand to touch his forehead to see if her brother had a fever from the shock of the news. In the end, the place she touched was icy cold.
Fan Xian was startled by her, but he immediately understood what she was thinking and laughed loudly.
Hearing Fan Xian let out a rare hearty laugh, Fan Ruoruo relaxed and also laughed. However, there was still a layer of haze in her heart. Looking at her brother, she didn't know what kind of hardship and struggle there was in this laughter.
Fan Xian calmed down and warmly said, "The things I wanted to do today, the crazy things I wanted to do, have all been done. Earlier, you said something happened in the capital. What exactly is it?"
Fan Ruoruo hesitated for a moment and then quietly said, "The young lady of the Sun family has come to the manor. Fortunately, sister-in-law is not here … she has made Master Teng very anxious."
"Sun … Sun …? Sun Jingxiu's daughter? "Fan Xian paused for a moment." How did a young lady of a noble family make such a fuss? "
This young lady of the Sun family was the fan who had helped Fan Xian greatly during the Jingdou rebellion. However, Fan Xian knew this girl's personality. No matter how much she loved The Story of the Stone, she would not do something so damaging to her family's reputation.
"She came for her father?" Fan Ruoruo glanced at him probingly. "Something seems to have happened on Sir Sun's side. He was so anxious that he couldn't do anything. I think Miss Sun was also forced to come by her father."
A gust of wind came from the mountains and made Fan Xian's clothes flap loudly. It made his brows furrow. He couldn't resist cursing. However, his voice was very low. Even Fan Ruoruo, who was standing beside him, didn't hear clearly.
…
…
Concerning Fan Xian's slightly bashful smile, ever since I started writing about the year of Qing Yu last year, there have been many people who disliked it. Furthermore, in many places, they expressed confusion about how I wrote it. I have never explained it because this way of writing has no beauty and no box office. However, I wanted to persist …
In the beginning, I persisted in writing it this way because of a very simple reason. Before I wrote about the year of Qing Yu, I was wondering what kind of strange existence an adult's soul would become in a baby's body. However, I wasn't writing about strange things, so I could only use some minor details to remind everyone that the slightly bashful smile was an important part.
If a 20-year-old wanted to pretend to be an innocent and ignorant baby, how should he smile? How should he giggle? I have observed many children and found that there is one type of smile that is most common, and that is the slightly bashful smile.
Fan Xian pretended to be slightly bashful for a long time, so when he grew up in the world of the Qing Kingdom, he inevitably developed this kind of habit. This was something that I thought was necessary to make up his expression. It was a very powerful detail, but unfortunately, it was interpreted in a different direction.
I really wanted to shout, "How serious am I? I am a pearl, dust, go away …" I shrugged. However, everyone knows that I was criticized badly, so I didn't persist with the bashful smile. There was no way around it, I wanted to eat.
I was dissatisfied with myself for not being able to stick to my structure and description, but to be able to find an opportunity to explain it to everyone was something that I was very happy about.
These two chapters confirmed Fan Xian's heart. In the future, he would not write about this content. He would only do it. There are tombs in the Vermillion Bird Story, and there are also tombs in the year of Qing Yu, because these are all very important things.
Recently, I haven't written much, so I haven't written much. This chapter was written in advance and posted at a fixed time, because I had things to do during the day …
I don't ask for everyone's understanding, because you guys are too bad, too bad!
Of the 3,000 update votes, 300 were voted. Of the 6,000 update votes, more than 700 were voted. Of the 12,000 update votes, 1500 were voted!
I counted with my fingers. I earned an extra 150 a day? Nearly 400? More than 700 yuan! Then I was furious. My classmates were clearly bullying me for only writing 5,000 words today!
Of course, I could still write a few dozen more words at this time, but … I won't succumb to your sugar-coated bullets! Actually … it's just that if I take the money for 6,000 words, I won't feel at ease. Today, I wrote 900 words just for the epilogue alone …
Speaking of which, seeing everyone having fun, I was also very happy. I had been too emotional recently. Thank you all for having fun with me, and thank you all for supporting me with so many update votes.
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