The Emperor waved his hand. The people outside the Fan manor were all evacuated. This was the power of a feudal ruler. He could do as he pleased. As for the subordinates and officials who had died muddle-headedly outside the Fan manor because of the battle between him and his father, who would care?
The royal study was not quiet. After Hu the Scholar left, the Emperor began to play chess with Fan Ruoruo. This was a habit he had developed in recent days. The Qing Emperor's index and middle fingers gently picked up a black piece and placed it on the slightly reflecting chessboard. Evenly, he said, "It looks like Fan Jian did not teach you these things in the manor."
Fan Ruoruo had been in the Palace for a full eight days. She was wearing the casual clothes that the Fan manor had gone to great lengths to send through a few concubines in the Palace. They were mainly plain. Compared to the brilliance of the Royal Palace, they appeared light and incongruous. Although everyone knew that the young lady of the Fan family was a hostage in the Palace, this hostage's status was not low. The Emperor treated her even more well. Princess Chen managed things outside the Palace. Inside the Palace, there were nobles looking after her. There were no major problems with her food, daily life, and clothing.
She sat respectfully across from the Qing Emperor and placed her hands gently on her knees. She replied, "The path of chess is too complicated …"
The Emperor raised his eyelids slightly and asked with interest, "I remember that before An Zhi entered the capital, you were already a famous talented woman in Jingdou."
"It was just those boorish men who liked to make trouble out of nothing who liked to make irresponsible remarks. I can't compose poetry or paint. I really don't know where this talented woman's reputation came from."
In her eight days in the Palace, she had gone from the initial nervousness, fear, and helplessness to now waiting quietly and calmly. Fan Ruoruo had fully released the calmness of an iceberg. For one, it was because of her personality from a young age. More importantly, it was because of Fan Xian's imperceptible influence over these dozen years. Although the man opposite her was the Qing Emperor, he was still a person and not a monster.
This was also because the Emperor appeared particularly like a normal person in front of Fan Ruoruo.
"I've seen your poems. They are not bad in the boudoir. However, compared to An Zhi, they cannot be compared. No wonder you would say such things," the Emperor said with a slight smile. Her Majesty smiled and said, "Talent does not lie in showing off one's various abilities, but in the steadfastness of one's heart. You saved my life, which can be considered a miracle. It is fitting to be called a talented woman."
"Your Majesty has a flood of good fortune. I am just …" Fan Ruoruo naturally followed the tone of the Emperor's words. Unexpectedly, the Emperor smiled and said, "Of course, I won't die, but I don't think it will be comfortable to have more steel balls in my body."
Eunuch Yao quietly flashed into the royal study and stood in front of the Emperor. In a quiet voice, he said, "Someone died in the Qing Temple. They are waiting in the front hall."
"Wait? Is it a punishment? " The Emperor gently played with the black, matte chess piece. In a cold voice, he said, "I will spare them this time. If they act rashly again, have them go jump off the cliff at Dong Mountain."
Eunuch Yao agreed in a low voice and said, "After Sir Fan junior left the Qing Temple, he went to the Imperial College and saw Hu the Scholar."
The Emperor was silent for a moment. He then smiled slightly and said, "I already knew earlier. At the Qing Temple, the Shadow has returned."
Eunuch Yao was silent. When it came to these matters, he did not have any power to make suggestions. He understood the Emperor's intentions. He would not be as muddle-headed as those Ascetic Monks wearing straw hats. Who was Fan Xian? He was the Emperor's favorite official and illegitimate child. Even if the Emperor wanted Fan Xian to die, he would not let the people below him act on their own.
"The problem is, we still don't know how Sir Fan junior left the Fan manor or how he entered the Qing Temple. Furthermore, we don't know where he went during this period of time," Eunuch Yao said as he bowed slightly.
The Qing Emperor furrowed his brows slightly and didn't say anything. He waved his hand and had Eunuch Yao leave the royal study. During the course of this conversation, Fan Ruoruo listened quietly to the side. Eunuch Yao did not avoid her. These days, the servants in the Palace had long gotten used to the Emperor always having a girl with delicate features and a sense of calmness emanating from her body listening. Regardless of whether it was a royal study meeting or more important state affairs, the Emperor did not avoid her.
However, the person they were talking about was, after all, Fan Xian, her dearest brother. Thus, Fan Ruoruo still lowered her head slightly. It was as if she did not want to hear any of this. Furthermore, she did not want the Emperor to discover anything strange.
The Emperor did not glance in her direction. He was silent. A moment later, the Emperor suddenly smiled slightly. The internal court did not find any trace of what Fan Xian had done after risking his life to leave the manor. At least, they knew that the Shadow of the Sixth Bureau of the Overwatch Council had returned. In the Qing Temple, a dozen Ascetic Monks had fought a great battle with the two of them.
Thinking of the bald Ascetic Monks, the smile on the Emperor's face immediately faded. A glimmer of disgust rose to his eyes. He had not thought that these fanatical Qing Temple Cultivators would dare to attack Fan Xian without asking for the Emperor's orders. This made the Emperor feel a considerable amount of displeasure.
Thinking of the Shadow, the true head of the Sixth Bureau of the Overwatch Council, the Emperor's eyes narrowed slightly. A glimmer of interest appeared. Chen Pingping had served him for decades, but he had always kept many of his secrets. In the past, because the Emperor deeply believed in his loyalty, he did not care much. Although he knew that there had always been a Shadow floating by the side of the black wheelchair, the Emperor did not investigate deeply into the Shadow's true origins.
Now, he knew. A light flashed across the Emperor's eyes. It was the sword light the white-clothed swordsman had sent out a few years ago in the Hanging Temple. This light was piercing to the eyes and made him narrow his eyes even more. He faintly hoped in his heart that Sigu Jian's youngest brother would do something.
There was no need to consider what Fan Xian had done when he left the manor. The Emperor knew that Fan Xian must have gone to contact his most trusted subordinates in Jingdou. At the same time, he had sent some important messages in the direction of Xiliang, Dongyi, and Jiangnan.
This was a simple matter. If Fan Xian wanted to maintain his independence in front of the pressure of the dragon chair, he had to mobilize all of his power. However, the Emperor could not be bothered to pay attention to the specific contents of the messages. In his opinion, no matter how Fan Xian jumped, he was still on this land.
This land had always been in the Qing Emperor's hands.
…
…
Furthermore, the Emperor was very curious about what his favorite and most admired son could do when he was under house arrest in Jingdou. If he was facing Ye Qingmei of the past, for the sake of the people of this land, for the survival of the entire Qing Kingdom, and for the wishes of too many people, perhaps there would be no need for him to say anything. Ye Qingmei could only silently go far away and no longer exist on Qing Kingdom soil. What choice would his and Ye Qingmei's son make? This was something the Emperor was very interested in.
Was this the evil interest of calmly watching the struggle of the next generation under a kind of absolute confidence? However, up until now, the Emperor had never thought of throwing Fan Xian into the abyss. In his opinion, his son had only misunderstood him.
The Emperor just didn't want to explain. He didn't care to explain. This was a process of questioning his heart. He sat tyrannically in the Palace and waited for Fan Xian to enter the Palace to explain and beg for forgiveness. Only then would the Emperor peacefully tell Fan Xian that the dead old black dog was not as benevolent as he imagined. That old black dog only wanted to kill the entire Li royal family. He had once killed him. Although his surname was Fan, in reality, it was Li.
Something like that? But, how would he explain Ye Qingmei's matter? Perhaps the Emperor did not want to touch on that.
"I want to go out for a walk," the Emperor said. Although his voice was calm, it was clear that because of what Hu the Scholar had said when he entered the Palace earlier, the Emperor had some confidence in dealing with Fan Xian's matter. Thus, his mood was relatively relaxed. That was why he wanted to go out in the middle of the night.
There were only two people in the royal study. Naturally, the Emperor's words were for Fan Ruoruo to hear. Fan Ruoruo was slightly startled. She stood and took out a thin cloak lined with black fur and gold. Carefully putting it on for the Emperor, she then supported his right arm and slowly walked to the side of the wooden door of the royal study.
When the wooden door opened, there were already a dozen eunuchs and serving girls waiting outside. Eunuch Yao humbly lowered his body and pushed a wheelchair as he waited. From the time the Emperor spoke to the time the eunuchs outside finished preparing everything, it had all taken a very short time. Their reactions were very fast.
The Emperor looked at the wheelchair outside the door and did not show a trace of admiration on his face. He only glanced coldly at Eunuch Yao and paid no attention to the servants outside. With Fan Ruoruo's support, he walked toward the Royal Palace in the night.
Being stared at by the Emperor coldly, Eunuch Yao's body was covered in cold sweat. Eight days had passed. Not many people knew that the battle between ruler and officials in the royal study had caused the Emperor serious injuries. Although it was not life-threatening, the Emperor's body had still suffered injuries that were difficult to recover from in a short time. Additionally, Chen Pingping's heart-wrenching words that day made the Emperor's mental state not particularly good.
Thus, Eunuch Yao had prepared this wheelchair. He had not expected that the Emperor would be so unhappy. He immediately realized that regardless of whether it was because he did not want the officials to know the true state of his body or because the wheelchair made him think of the old Director who had made the Emperor angry and pained, Eunuch Yao had made a big mistake.
This kind of mistake could not be made. Fortunately, the Emperor was a master who was more magnanimous toward servants than his own family. He would not easily shift his anger, so Eunuch Yao did not have to worry about his life.
He wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead. Leading a group of eunuchs and serving girls, he quietly followed behind. Looking at the young lady of the Fan family gently supporting the Emperor forward, no one dared to get too close.
…
…
The lanterns hanging in the corridors of the Royal Palace were not very bright. They were only used to illuminate the stone path beneath their feet. Usually, once night fell, the nobles would shut themselves up in the Palace and not come out. Only the eunuchs and serving girls who had work to do would walk along these quiet long corridors. Today, the slightly dim light shone on the Emperor and Fan Ruoruo's bodies, dragging out long and short shadows. It made the eunuchs and serving girls they met tremble with fear and hurriedly kneel by the side of the path.
Just as Eunuch Yao had guessed, the Emperor's earlier displeasure was because of the wheelchair by the door of the royal study. Once he saw the wheelchair, the Emperor naturally thought of the old, black dog in the wheelchair who often walked side by side with him in the Royal Palace in the dead of night. As if they were talking about family matters, they discussed the situation of the world, the internal strife of the royal family, drew up plans, and estimated the number of deaths.
The Qing Emperor was human. He greatly missed those scenes of the past. Because of this and Chen Pingping's betrayal, these beautiful scenes worth remembering suddenly had an extra layer of strangeness and disbelief. Thus, he felt angry.
Other than anger, there was also a thread of complicated emotions in his heart. A few years ago, because of the Hanging Temple incident, Fan Xian had been heavily injured and almost lost his life. After he had recovered, that young man had also entered the Palace in a wheelchair and talked with the Emperor for a long time.
That was the first time the Emperor had spoken with Fan Xian. Although they still did not explicitly state their relationship and were not like the time in the little building, for the Qing Emperor, it was still an important meeting.
Seeing the wheelchair tonight, he thought of Chen Pingping and Fan Xian after his injury. His emotions became complicated. Slowly, he said, "The reason I wanted to cut that old dog to pieces was because he was extremely ruthless and extremely deceitful."
Fan Ruoruo held his arm and maintained a distance. She did not feel it was too tiring. Hearing these words, she felt that the Emperor's body had become as heavy as Mount Tai. If a ruler wanted an official to die, the official had no choice but to die. In particular, Director Chen's rebellious actions were clear to the heavens and earth. No one could use this matter to question the Emperor, other than Fan Xian. More importantly, the Emperor did not need to explain anything. Just like these days, he never thought of taking the initiative to explain anything to Fan Xian. However, on this early autumn night, just as she and the Emperor were alone, the Emperor had spoken.
Were these words meant for her to hear or was he borrowing her mouth to say it to his brother? Fan Ruoruo lowered her head slightly and didn't reply. She was thinking endlessly in her heart.
"In the end, that old dog purposely died at my hands so that An Zhi would resent and hate me. How could I allow such an evil person to die happily?" The Emperor's voice was slightly tired. He turned his head and glanced at Fan Ruoruo. He then turned his head back and looked at the quiet Palace. "Tomorrow, I will give an order for An Zhi to enter the Palace to pay his respects."
Fan Ruoruo's figure froze slightly. With one hand holding the Emperor's arm, she crouched down slightly and curtsied. Sincerely, she said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
The Emperor's face was expressionless. It was as if he did not think that in this cold war, he was the first to take a step back and still needed the daughter of an official to express her thanks. What moved him a little was that after the young lady of the Fan family said these three words, she did not say anything else. She only held his arm and continued to stroll through the Palace. She did not say a word about her leaving the Palace.
"You are different." The Emperor turned his head and glanced at her with deep meaning. "In the past, I often came with Chen to stroll through the Palace. However, as she grew older, I came less often. Furthermore, she is much more mischievous than you."
"Naturally, I cannot compare to sister-in-law," Fan Ruoruo lowered her head and replied quietly. The Emperor smiled and didn't say anything. He felt that the little girl beside him was extremely light and boastful. However, it was also pitiful. Ever since Lin Wan 'er had grown up, there were probably not many people who would accompany the Emperor like a "true" junior. Because the Emperor had no family matters, in the hearts of the princes, whether alive or dead, their father could never be a true father.
Fan Ruoruo's heart was also filled with confusion and emotion. After these days of interaction, this unfamiliar and incomparably dignified Emperor seemed to gradually come down from the altar. He also took off the dazzling golden outer clothing and became more like a normal elder. Perhaps it was more accurate to say that he was an elder who had been seriously injured and was gradually showing signs of old age.
…
…
In the quiet night Palace, the young lady of the Fan family supported the Emperor for a stroll. This scene fell into the eyes of many people. This was not the first time people had discovered that the Emperor treated the young lady of the Fan family strangely. Ever since the Emperor had been injured in the royal study and the young lady of the Fan family had entered the Palace to be treated, everyone in the Royal Palace knew that the Emperor treated her differently.
Anyone with a bit of intelligence knew that the young lady of the Fan family was currently a hostage. However, there were no more hostages like that in this world. Her life in the Palace followed Princess Chen's rules. Other than returning to the Palace to rest at night, the young lady of the Fan family would spend the entire day with the Emperor in the royal study. Even when the Emperor discussed state affairs, he did not avoid her.
The scholars of the Hall of Governmental Affairs were also shocked by this scene. However, they were all people of status, so they would not spread rumors. However, Scholar He's expression would often appear unnatural when he saw the young lady of the Fan family in the royal study.
It was different inside the Royal Palace. There were many people and many mouths. For a moment, there was much discussion. Humans were always a forgetful species. Perhaps the eunuchs and serving girls in the Palace had already forgotten the thunderstorm in the seventh year of the Qing calendar and the bloody purge in the Palace because of rumors. They had once again thrown themselves into the great work of gossip.
Perhaps it was because too many people had died three years ago. At this time, many new eunuchs and serving girls had entered the Royal Palace. They did not know the danger hidden in the royal family's bearing. Perhaps it was because the Emperor's attitude toward the young lady of the Fan family was truly incomprehensible. Rumors about the royal study gradually spread throughout the Royal Palace.
The Emperor was a wise ruler who did not like women, and he did not seem like a licentious master. In these years, there had only been a dozen female masters in the Royal Palace, and only four had children. Logically speaking, no one would have guessed that. However, the Emperor's attitude toward the young lady of the Fan family was truly different. In addition, there had been another major event in the Royal Palace in the last two days. It couldn't help but touch the hearts of too many people.
This major event was the consort selection. The consort selection that had begun three days ago, the Qing Royal Palace had stopped consort selection activities for over a dozen years.
No one understood why the Emperor would suddenly have the idea of filling up the back palace at such a time. Was it because the crisis of approaching middle age had made this ruler suddenly think of a youthful madness?
Starting from three days ago, the consort selection, hosted by Taichang Temple and coordinated by the internal court and the Ministry of Rites, began. Since the Qing Kingdom was already unfamiliar with this entire process, the Ministry of Rites appeared to be in a panic. The seven Roads and provinces of the Qing Kingdom had probably not received the edict yet. The women who might have been lucky enough to be selected into the Palace had not heard any news. Thus, the first to move was still Jingdou.
This was a rare opportunity. The nobles, officials, and famous scholars who had been dormant in Jingdou for too long all wanted to grasp this opportunity. Amidst this chaotic process, they still rushed to send the first batch of women of suitable age into the Palace on the night before yesterday.
Because of the arrival of the youthful and graceful women, the Royal Palace, which had been peaceful for many years, immediately gained a youthful and threatening feeling. Even though it was already night, clear laughter still rang out from the courtyards where the women were.
The overflowing feeling of spring filled the Palace at the beginning of autumn. Thus, the people in the Royal Palace cast suspicious gazes toward the royal study. If the Emperor's heart was truly moved, how would the young lady of the Fan family, who had won the Emperor's heart, be settled?
"They're all a group of idiots." Yi Guipin's eyelids drooped slightly. Gently pulling on the Third Prince's hand, she smiled coldly and said, "Who is the Emperor? Who is your teacher? How could such absurd words come out of the Palace? "
"Most of the people in the Palace are idiots. Furthermore, there are too many new people. Perhaps they have already forgotten many things." The Third Prince, Li Chengping, smiled. This young prince's smile was a bit forced. There was a faint worry between his increasingly bright brows.
Yi Guipin looked at her son and sighed softly. "His Majesty is a wise ruler. Naturally, he would not do such absurd things. The selection of beauties to enter the palace this time has nothing to do with that person in the royal study. Your father is only … "
Before she finished speaking, Li Chengping raised his head and looked at his mother. Gloomily, he said, "I heard that father will summon you into the Palace tomorrow, but the selection of women … I'm afraid father will not be able to trust you as much as he did in the past."
…
…
For the story, Fan Ruoruo's presence in the Palace was a very important matter to prevent that person from becoming less and less human. As for the selection of women, it was a problem of the fertility machine. The Qing Emperor was not an absurd person, but he was someone who planned far ahead. It was normal for the Third Prince to be worried about this.
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.
