There was a flash of fear in the Eldest Princess's eyes. "It's been four years, and the Overwatch Council still hasn't relaxed. I'm afraid that one day they'll find out... I heard that Chen Pingping went home to visit his family and refused to return to the capital. If... if he's really willing to retire, then that would be great."
"Not necessarily." The empress laughed coldly. "Don't forget that four years ago, it was Chen Pingping who entered the palace and talked to the Emperor for an entire night. Only then did the Emperor withdraw his decree. A few days ago, Chen Pingping returned home to visit his family, and Fan Jian took the opportunity to enter the palace. Only then did the Emperor appoint Chen 'er to Fan Xian, and made it clear that from now on you don't need to worry about the palace treasury... If Chen Pingping were in the capital now, I'm afraid that this marriage would still be changing. Perhaps it would really go according to your wishes... or rather, according to the Prime Minister's wishes. "
The Eldest Princess covered her mouth and laughed. "Empress, if this marriage doesn't go through, you should be happy. After all, the second prince will have one less way to make money."
The empress smiled. "What do I have to be happy about? In the end, this is just a marriage between the two children. Whether it succeeds or not, it has little to do with me. Mother has also said that I can worry about the children's marriages in the future, but I won't worry about the Fan family's matters. "
The Eldest Princess's expression changed slightly, but she still smiled. "What you say makes sense. Then, as a mother, there's even less reason for me to worry. Although Fan Xian's background isn't exactly glorious, it seems that he has some talent these days. Besides, Chen 'er's spirit seems to have improved a little these days. Perhaps it's because of the approaching wedding."
The two most powerful women in the Kingdom of Qing sat quietly across from each other, drinking tea and chatting as if nothing had happened. Neither of them wanted to lower their guard, and neither wanted to do that — kill Fan Xian. The marriage would naturally fall through, and the Fan family would be weak. The second prince would no longer have the support of the Prime Minister, and the Eldest Princess would still be in charge of the palace treasury, providing an endless supply of money to those who needed it. If one of them died, it would seem that the power struggle in the palace would be resolved.
But no one was willing to make a move. After all, this wasn't four years ago. After all, the capital was not Danzhou. There were countless eyes here, and even the people in the palace couldn't assassinate the son of an official, especially at such a sensitive time. Besides... Lady Liu would never step into the same trap twice in her life.
In the Empress Dowager's bedchamber, the seemingly elderly and virtuous woman let down her grizzled hair. Feeling the steady hands behind her combing her hair, she said in a low voice, "Why did I have such a stupid daughter?"
The person behind her smiled. "But you still love the Eldest Princess the most. Otherwise, you wouldn't have allowed the Emperor to make such arrangements, and you wouldn't have helped the Prime Minister do so many things in secret."
The Empress Dowager sighed. "This Lin Ruofu, I really don't know if he betrayed me, or if it was my son who harmed him... Ah, right, you old dog, you have sharp eyes. Tell me, why did the Emperor allow that boy from the Fan family to marry Chen 'er?"
There was some hesitation in the man's voice. "The Princess is of marriageable age, and I'm afraid that it's difficult for her to recover. Betrothal to the Fan family is appropriate, but the marriage is only the surface. The key lies in the Emperor's ambiguous verbal edict. Such a large estate, and to let an outsider manage it, perhaps... Perhaps the Emperor feels that the Empress and the Eldest Princess are too close, and is truly dissatisfied with the Crown Prince, so he stripped the Eldest Princess of her power, and prepared to let the Second..." He suddenly realized that, although he had served the Empress Dowager for decades, he had already expressed too many opinions on this matter, so he stopped talking.
The Empress Dowager was startled, and the wrinkles on her face, like the petals of a chrysanthemum flower, gradually spread out. "His Majesty is in charge of state affairs, and I am in charge of family affairs. Then I will not interfere in this matter."
"Empress Dowager is wise," the man said flatteringly.
— — —
"You handled this matter very unwisely." Count Sinan looked coldly at his son in his study. Fan Xian smiled bitterly.
He had known during the day that he wouldn't be able to escape this round of questioning, so he didn't explain himself. He just admitted his mistake.
"You're not a fool, and Guo Baokun doesn't have any powerful people around him. If you really wanted to beat him up to vent your anger, why did you give yourself away so much?" Without waiting for Fan Xian to explain, Count Sinan continued coldly, "Don't say anything. Beating someone up without reporting it is the same as spouting nonsense!"
Fan Xian knew that Lady Liu was telling his father about what he had said during the day, and smiled with some embarrassment. Seeing the smile on his face, Fan Xian couldn't get angry. He sighed. "Tell me, why did you make such a fuss?"
Fan Xian thought for a moment, then replied, "First of all, I drank with Crown Prince Jing last night, and felt that he was a good friend. I used the fight to tie him to me. In the future, with Crown Prince Jing as my backer, it will be easier for me to do whatever I want." Having said this, he stole a glance at his father's eyes. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he continued. "Second of all, Guo Baokun is too much of a bully. I had to let him know that I wasn't to be messed with."
Fan Xian laughed coldly. "This second reason makes sense, but I think the most important reason... is that you are against the marriage, so you want to ruin your reputation so that the palace can kick you out."
Fan Xian hadn't expected that he wouldn't be able to hide it from his father. He was slightly taken aback, and thought about how to explain it.
Fan Xian continued coldly, "And I said earlier that you weren't smart because you dragged King Jing into this mess. You should know that the Guo family is on the side of the crown prince, while Crown Prince Jing is on the side of the second prince. You beat Guo Baokun and dragged Crown Prince Jing into this mess. In the eyes of others, wouldn't it be as if the Fan family had pledged allegiance to the second prince? "
Fan Xian pretended to be surprised. "Everyone in the Kingdom of Qing knows that my father and Crown Prince Jing are on good terms. My sister and Princess Rou Jia have been friends since childhood. The relationship between the two families is so close that it could be said that … you …?"
"Don't forget, your grandmother was His Majesty's wet nurse. She was the one who raised Crown Prince Jing. At the time, His Majesty was busy with other matters, so I was the one who brought him up. Naturally, the relationship between the two families was excellent." Fan Xian snorted. "But personal relationships are personal relationships, official affairs are official affairs, and national affairs are national affairs. How can we, the officials, discuss the affairs of the palace? The crown prince is still the crown prince, the heir to the throne. After His Majesty passes away, the Fan family will of course be loyal to the crown prince. "
Fan Xian could hear the malice in his words. He laughed. "If the crown prince isn't the crown prince, then what?"
Strangely, Count Sinan was not the slightest bit surprised to hear his son utter such treasonous words, nor did he lecture him. He simply said, "Only His Majesty can make this decision. Anyone who chooses a side before His Majesty has made a decision is wrong."
"I understand." Fan Xian finally got what he wanted after beating Guo Baokun up. "The Fan family doesn't side with the crown prince, nor does it side with the second prince. It only stands with... His Majesty."
"Correct." Fan Xian's voice was cold. "If you don't want to stand on the wrong side, then don't be in such a hurry to pick a side. And as long as you always stand on the side of the strongest, you will never make a mistake. And in this world, the strongest is His Majesty."
"What if His Majesty dies?" Fan Xian looked at his father maliciously. He knew that his father was truly loyal to the Emperor.
"His Majesty is in the prime of his life, and he's younger than I am." Fan Xian smiled. "The future is the future. It's a matter for your generation."
...
...
"Do you know how many times we've clashed with the Guo family in court so that you could walk out of court so easily? The Supreme Court, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Appointments — you can see the shadows of our two families everywhere. In the end, the Guo family even went to the Overwatch Council. If it weren't for Chen Pingping's absence, perhaps you wouldn't have come back today. "
"Chen Pingping?" Fan Xian frowned. The name was very familiar. Of course, he knew that the man was the leader of the dark forces in the Kingdom of Qing. But he knew the close relationship between the Fan family and the Overwatch Council, so he was a little puzzled. "Why can't I come back when Chen Pingping is there?"
"Because he objects to you marrying the eldest princess's daughter." Fan Xian said coldly, "This urgent summons to the capital is because Chen Pingping has returned home to visit his family and cannot speak in front of His Majesty. That's why you've been summoned to the capital to confirm the marriage. It's not entirely because of the girl's illness."
Fan Xian looked at his father. "Fei Jie is my teacher, and you've always had a close relationship with Director Chen. Why would he object?"
"No. To outsiders, I don't have much of a relationship with the Overwatch Council," Fan Xian said lightly. "As for why he objects, it's simple. It's because he and I have different views on certain matters, so it leads to completely different judgments."
"What views?" Fan Xian stared into his father's eyes, unwavering.
Fan Xian frowned. In the end, he decided to tell the child part of the truth. "His Majesty doesn't like the Crown Prince, but the empress is close to the eldest princess, and the eldest princess controls the flow of money into the palace treasury. This is a secret account, and it's easy to withdraw money from it. This fact worries His Majesty."
Fan Xian was shocked. "So … His Majesty is afraid that there will be changes in the Eastern Palace?"
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