Hearing these words, Yi Guipin shook her head helplessly. Raising her slender fingers, she gently rubbed her slightly stuffy brows. She didn't know what to say. Of course, she knew what Li Chengping's words meant. However, as the Emperor's concubine, she, a girl with an innocent and unaffected nature, was only able to sit safely in her current position because Lady Liu had urged her to be quiet before she entered the Palace. In this chaotic situation, she couldn't say anything.
The present Royal Palace had completely changed since three years ago. The empress dowager was dead, the empress was dead, and the Eldest Princess was also dead. Lady Shu was secluded in the Cold Palace. During the Jingdou rebellion, Yi Guipin, who had given birth to Li Chengping, and Ning the Talented, who had given birth to the Great Prince, followed Fan Xian and the Great Prince's bravery or being forced to stand on the Emperor's side. With the rebellion, the two nobles rose in status. Ning the talented was raised a level. Although Yi Guipin was still a guipin, as she grew older, she would gradually be promoted to a guifei.
The Imperial Palace was managed by Yi Guipin and Lady Ning. Yi Guipin had a good temperament, and Lady Ning did not care about internal affairs. Naturally, the Imperial Palace was a peaceful place, and they lived three good years. However, eight days ago, there was a loud crash in the Imperial Study, and the good days finally came to an end.
Because Lady Ning had bravely pleaded for mercy on behalf of old Director Chen, she had been banished by the Emperor to the Cold Palace to accompany Lady Shu. It was fortunate that she had given birth to a good son. Otherwise, given the Emperor's anger that day, immediate death would have been the best result.
Presently, Yi Guipin was the only noble mistress in the Palace. The concubine selection that had begun three days ago was under her sole control. She understood the true purpose behind this sudden concubine selection better than anyone else.
After the Jingdou rebellion, the Emperor still had two and a half sons. Other than the Great Prince and Third Prince Li Chengping far away in Dongyi, the other half naturally referred to Fan Xian. Because of Chen Pingping's rebellion, Fan Xian and the Emperor had sunk into a cold war. No one knew how this matter would end.
These two and a half sons had completely learned the lessons of the Crown Prince and Second Prince. The relationship between them was very close. Putting aside the friendship between the Great Prince and Fan Xian, even the teacher-student relationship between Fan Xian and the Third Prince was stronger than the Emperor had expected.
After the seventh year of the Qing calendar, Fan Xian had entered the Palace many times. However, his contact with the Third Prince had decreased. One reason was because the Third Prince was clearly the heir apparent, so he had to avoid suspicion. The other reason was that the Emperor had purposely weakened Fan Xian's influence on the Third Prince.
Even if Fan Xian was completely useless, he had one strength that everyone admired. It was his ability to influence the people around him and make them focus their hearts on him. Regardless of whether it was some of the officials close to the Overwatch Council, Fan Xian's four disciples, or the troops in Baoyue Brothel, they all proved this point.
The Third Prince was his student. Although he had seen little of Fan Xian after returning from Jiangnan, he had not forgotten Fan Xian's teachings. He had long changed from the sinister and ruthless child of the past to a reserved prince.
There was no internal strife or jealousy between the three princes. If this had happened in the past, this would have been a wonderful thing. After the Jingdou rebellion three years ago, the Qing Emperor had reflected on himself and presumably had no interest in driving his sons crazy. However, the revelation of Chen Pingping's rebellion made this seemingly wonderful relationship no longer so wonderful in the Emperor's eyes.
Yi Guipin knew this very well. If the Emperor no longer completely trusted Fan Xian, then he had to be wary of whether his sons would band together and do something. Even if these three sons could not band together, if the Emperor actually made a move against Fan Xian and chilled everyone's hearts, what would the situation in the Royal Palace be like when Chengping grew up day by day?
Thus, the Emperor wanted a concubine and more birthing machines in the Palace to help him give birth to a few more sons.
Yi Guipin glanced at her son. Her brows were full of worry as she gently sighed. Li Chengping did not sigh. He only gently held his mother's hand. There were many sinister things in the Palace. Ever since he was young, he had grown up like this. He had watched helplessly as his two brothers wanted to kill him and his father for that chair. In the end, he had been saved by his other two brothers. He had long discovered that if the Royal Palace was more peaceful, life would be much smoother.
However, there had never been such a good thing in the world. He knew that his connection to the Fan manor was too deep. If his father no longer trusted Fan Xian, he would probably not be at ease leaving the world to him so easily. Pick a beauty to enter the Palace? Did his father want to have a few more sons? Was he wary of him? Or was he wary of Fan Xian?
"Tomorrow, Sir will enter the Palace to pay his respects. Perhaps things will not be so bad." Li Chengping forced a smile and comforted his mother.
"Fan Xian is very stubborn. Who knows whether or not he will enter the Palace tomorrow." Yi Guipin smiled helplessly. She knew that even if the Emperor wanted to have a few more sons to warn Shufang Palace and Fan Xian, that was a matter for a long time. Furthermore, the Qing court had long gotten used to Li Chengping being the future Qing Emperor. His position was even more stable than the Crown Prince's. The Emperor would not stop the future he had planned for a long time just because of his distrust of the Fan manor.
However, she truly did not know where the true problem between the Emperor and Fan Xian lay. Was it Director Chen's death or something else? If Fan Xian was willing to admit his guilt and lower his head, as long as he could continue to live in Jingdou, his power and position would slowly recover. Then, Shufang Palace would not need to worry about these beauties that had been sent to the Palace by officials and nobles.
The tips of Yi Guipin's brows furrowed slightly. A rare iciness suddenly flashed through her eyes. "It's good if these girls know their place. If they truly want to use the little power their paternal family has in court to stir up trouble in the Palace, I will not tolerate them."
After all, she was a woman who had been the nominal mistress of the palace for three years. No matter how innocent and unaffected she was when she presided over the consort selection, most of it had long been worn away in the palace. At this moment, her cold words naturally revealed a bit of dignity.
"I heard that when the beauties entered the Palace yesterday, mother chased three of them out," Li Chengping said sincerely. "After all, this is father's wish. If you do it too obviously, I'm afraid father will not be happy."
"Even if your father knew, he would still be happy. Those girls without any discernment …" Yi Guipin smiled coldly. "The court hasn't had concubines in a long time. From Taichang Temple to the Board of Rites, there are no rules at all. All kinds of girls are sent into the Palace. I don't know what they heard in their paternal family, but once they entered the Palace, they threw out large amounts of silver. Those serving maids and nannies probably haven't eaten this kind of silver in a long time, and they actually accepted it. "
She gazed at the Third Prince and calmly said, "As soon as those beauties entered the Palace, they asked about the situation in the Palace. They didn't discuss much about the masters of the Palace, but when it came to the person in the royal study, they dared to say anything. In the end, it wasn't some proper official. They were all old officials of the nobility that were about to fall. They probably didn't know what the Fan and Liu families were and naively thought that the Fan manor had truly lost power. But for some reason, that person received the Emperor's favor, so they turned their words toward that person. Who knows how unpleasant their words were."
"I chased those three beauties out of the Palace to give the rest a warning and to protect their families' lives." Yi Guipin gently tucked a strand of hair at the side of her temple and faintly said, "Putting aside how angry the Emperor would be if he actually heard this kind of discussion, if these words reached Fan Xian's ears, once things settle, how miserable do you think these beauties will be in the manor?"
Li Chengping finally couldn't resist laughing and said, "If the recent situation really calms down, I'm afraid mother will have to add oil and vinegar to her story for you to hear."
Yi Guipin beamed with joy and spat. "This child is speaking nonsense. Mother is not that kind of person."
Li Chengping scratched his head and said, "But father always leaves the young lady of the Fan family in the royal study. It is not in line with the rules."
Yi Guipin was silent for a long time and then smiled. She didn't say anything. In reality, she knew that the man who had turned her into a woman, the most powerful man in the world, could actually only feel lonely. In his eyes, the women in the Palace all seemed to have demands. Perhaps only the young lady of the Fan family, who had nothing to do with the Royal Palace, could make him truly feel that he had nothing to ask for.
What the Emperor liked was for the people beside him to not ask for anything from him. Thinking of this, Yi Guipin's expression became dull. She gazed at Li Chengping and warmly said, "You shouldn't go to the Cold Palace too often. Be careful that the Emperor is not happy."
"Lady Shu has been banished to the Cold Palace, but in the end, she is second brother's birth mother. In the past, she has treated us brothers well. It has nothing to do with what second brother has done," Li Chengping explained in a low voice. "Now that Aunt Ning has also been banished to the Cold Palace, I have to go see."
Yi Guipin smiled and didn't say anything more. She knew that the reason the Third Prince often went to the Cold Palace to visit and gained a reputation in the Palace for being benevolent, as well as the Emperor's unexpected admiration, was all because of Fan Xian's orders. During the Jingdou rebellion three years ago, it was said that Fan Xian had personally promised the dying Second Prince to take care of Lady Shu for him.
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In Shufang Palace, the mother and son quietly talked about the concubines and the girl in the royal study. At the same time, the girl in the royal study had already helped the Emperor, who had yet to recover, walk one round and was about to return to the royal study.
Just as Yi Guipin had said, the Emperor only admired this girl and would not absurdly have any other thoughts. He had already entered the realm of a Great Grandmaster and had long seen through the matters between men and women. The reason for the concubines was mostly due to political considerations. On the stroll, the Emperor would not talk to Fan Ruoruo about the concubines. He only casually discussed the storm in Jingdou these eight days and Fan Xian's matter.
Most of the time, it was the Emperor talking and Fan Ruoruo listening. The Emperor had been raised by the Fan family's grandmother, so he had a natural closeness to the Fan family. The Emperor had never had a daughter in this life. After Lin Wan 'er moved out of the Royal Palace, it seemed that he could no longer find this relatively warm feeling.
The two of them walked in front while Eunuch Yao and a group of people followed nervously from a distance. Strolling in the dark night, this group inevitably looked a bit laughable.
Just as they were about to turn into the stone door in front of the royal study, the Emperor stopped his steps and looked at the bowed eunuch beside the stone door. After a long silence, he asked, "How have you been with Eunuch Dai recently?"
This eunuch was once a popular person in the royal study, Hong Zhu. After the matter from three years ago had faded, he had been following Eunuch Dai on paper-related errands. Coincidentally encountering the Emperor in the night, he had waited to the side with complicated emotions. Unexpectedly, the Emperor would suddenly greet him. He quickly replied in a trembling voice.
The Emperor glanced at him with satisfaction. Back then, he had greatly liked this quick-witted little eunuch. Otherwise, he would not have allowed him to personally follow in the royal study. Later, he had sent him to the Eastern Palace to be the head eunuch. It was only because of some coincidental matters that Hong Zhu had fallen into. Even so, the Emperor still did not kill him.
Suddenly, the Emperor's heart jumped. He thought of when he saw the wheelchair earlier and the scene of Fan Xian entering the Palace on that snowy day. The little eunuch pushing the wheelchair had been Hong Zhu. Gradually, a glimmer of a smile flashed through the Emperor's eyes. He remembered that Fan Xian seemed to dislike this little eunuch a lot in the past. No one knew what he was thinking. He opened his mouth and ordered, "From tomorrow onwards, return to the royal study."
Hong Zhu was overjoyed. He knelt on the ground and vaguely gave his thanks and kowtowed. No one noticed a complicated expression flash through his lowered eyes.
The Emperor waved his hand in annoyance and followed Fan Ruoruo through the stone door. The Emperor suddenly opened his mouth and said, "Snow and rain, there is no need to kneel when seeing me. This is a rule I set after I ascended the throne. It has rained today, but the ground is still wet, so Hong Zhu does not need to kneel."
Fan Ruoruo glanced at the Emperor in surprise. She didn't know why the Emperor was saying this.
"Am I really not a good Emperor?" Just as they were about to walk out of the royal study, the Emperor suddenly stopped his steps and asked calmly and seriously.
If there was a question, there would be an answer. At this moment, there was only Fan Ruoruo by his side, so he was waiting for her to make a judgment. Fan Ruoruo's heart trembled slightly. She thought to herself that she was not a great scholar of state affairs or a scholar with a brush of history. How could she have the right to judge such an important question? However, the Emperor did not take a step. He only calmly waited for her to speak.
Fan Ruoruo was silent for a long time. She thought of everything she had seen in the royal study these days, as well as the various details in the Royal Palace. She thought of the lives of the Qing people in the provinces she had seen as she traveled the world.
In the end, she could not hide her eyes and sincerity. After thinking for a moment, she gently opened her lips and replied seriously, "Compared to the previous Emperor, the Emperor is indeed a good Emperor."
The Emperor was silent for a moment and carefully savored Fan Ruoruo's words. A moment later, his expression relaxed and he laughed loudly. His laughter echoed in the garden in front of the royal study, under the eaves, and then collided with the palace wall before crashing back.
Eunuch Yao and the others following behind him were slightly startled. They didn't know what the young lady of the Fan family had said to make the Emperor laugh so happily. It was a happiness he had never felt before. For a moment, all sorts of feelings were mixed. They admired this young lady of the Fan family, who rarely spoke.
Fan Ruoruo also smiled slightly. Looking at the Emperor beside her, complicated emotions rose in her heart. She finally understood why the Emperor had treated her so differently these days.
Perhaps Yi Guipin had guessed some of it, and Fan Ruoruo had also guessed some of it earlier. Fan Xian's thoughts were not wrong. However, the Emperor had kept Fan Ruoruo in the Royal Palace, by his side, in the royal study, and had her watch him manage the power of the country despite being heavily injured.
Perhaps it was just that after his conversation with Chen Pingping in the royal study, the Emperor needed someone to prove that he was a good Emperor.
No matter what that old dog in the wheelchair said, he was still a good Emperor, was he not? The Emperor seemed to have finally made up his mind. A confident and calm smile rose to his face again as he walked toward the royal study.
…
…
"Summon!"
"Summon!"
"Summon the Imperial College teacher Fan Xian into the Palace!"
Some were rough and some were as sharp as a duck, but the loud calls were all the same. There were no court meetings, and it was a regular day off. The Royal Palace was silent. The Imperial Army generals and soldiers' expressions were solemn. They did not look sideways and allowed the young man in green robes to walk past them. However, what did not match their calm expressions was their nervousness.
Nine days had passed since Chen Pingping's treason was exposed and he was killed by a thousand cuts on the execution field in front of the Palace. That day, Sir Fan junior had killed his way into the execution field and looked down on the Emperor's authority. This had already made clear Sir Fan junior's attitude on this matter. In the following days, the cold war between the Emperor and the powerful officials of the Qing court had developed to its peak. Countless spies the internal court had scattered outside the Fan manor died tragically. According to rumors in officialdom, there had been an assassination attempt on Fan Xian three li outside.
When the news of the Emperor summoning Fan Xian into the Palace to pay his respects was revealed, everyone let out a breath. Although the Qing Kingdom was powerful, they still did not want to bear the burden of the bloodshed that could come from the fall out of this ruler and official, father and son.
From another perspective, this meant that even though Fan Xian no longer had an official position, the Qing people in the court and marketplace still thought that if he truly threw caution to the wind, he would cause a certain degree of harm to the Qing Kingdom. In just nine days, the cold war between the Emperor and Fan Xian had come to an end. It was truly something worth celebrating.
In the eyes of Hu the Scholar and the others, there was no problem that could not be resolved between this pair of ruler and official, father and son. It was nothing more than intense emotions that forced out the ruthlessness and stubbornness in the father and son's hearts. No one was willing to give in first. Now, the Emperor had taken the first step. It meant that the Palace had taken a step back. Presumably, Fan Xian had to accept this favor.
In the cold air, Fan Xian silently followed Eunuch Yao forward. Eunuch Yao, who was already the head eunuch in the Palace, still played the humble role in front of him. However, Fan Xian did not have much interest in talking.
A teacher of the Imperial College? Although Fan Xian was now a commoner and the only thing that could be called a public official was this title, it was still piercing to the ears. Amidst these urging, Fan Xian arrived at the royal study. With some surprise, he saw Hong Zhu waiting outside the study. Fan Xian did not hide his surprise and nodded slightly. Hong Zhu bowed deeply. No one could see the exchange in the eyes between the two of them.
Entering the study and seeing his sister, Fan Xian's mood calmed slightly. He then bowed deeply toward the man on the soft couch but stubbornly did not say a word.
…
…
That day, Fan Xian had ridden back to Jingdou alone. Until he carried Chen Pingping's body and left the execution field, he had been reluctant to cast a glance at the man on the palace walls. Thinking carefully, it had been many months since he and the Emperor had seen each other.
The Emperor looked at Fan Xian calmly. He was not surprised by the emotions Fan Xian revealed. He did not allow his officials to have any rebellious emotions in front of him. This did not mean he could not accept his favorite son revealing his true nature or stubbornness in front of him.
The silence in the royal study did not last for long. Fan Ruoruo bowed slightly toward the Emperor and smiled at her brother before leaving the royal study. She had stayed because the Emperor wanted Fan Xian to be at ease. Since this goal had been achieved, she also had to leave and leave this ruler and official a quiet environment to talk.
"I have long wondered why I have been so lenient toward you," the Emperor looked at Fan Xian and slowly said. The Emperor looked at Fan Xian and slowly said, "Naturally, it is not because of the contributions you once made to the Qing court. It was not until yesterday that I finally understood."
The Emperor looked at him and calmly said, "I think there is no need for too much nonsense between us. There are some files here that you can take a look."
In this story, it had been repeated countless times. The Qing Emperor and Fan Xian were the two most talented actors in the world. However, in the royal study, the Qing Emperor did not act. He only said these words straightforwardly.
The words were very simple, but Fan Xian understood the meaning hidden within. He knew that what was placed on the file in front of him was evidence that Chen Pingping had once presided over his murder, such as the Hanging Temple, the valley, and everything related to the separation.
According to the dead old man's plan, Fan Xian should act shocked and sorrowful and then return to the Emperor's side. For some reason, seeing the Emperor's confident, calm, and elegant expression, he felt a boundless anger. The anger made his heart ache and ache. He did not want to continue acting.
Fan Xian raised his head and looked straight at the man he was most familiar with and most unfamiliar to him. He did not move for a long time.
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