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Chapter 585: Our Unsatisfactory Winter

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The flowers in the woods had lost their brilliant spring colors. Dreams of summer and the winds of autumn had passed by too quickly as the Qing Kingdom entered another winter. It seemed that the temperatures had dropped overnight. Snow began to drift down on Cang Mountain in Jingxi, gradually turning the summit white. Within Jingdou, cold rains fell twice and added to the chilly feeling. The people on the streets were wrapped in thick cotton robes. They rubbed their hands together as they walked away with a hurried expression.

The carriage coming from Tianhe Avenue bumped against the ground, making an irritating monotonous sound. The horse huffed impatiently, twisting its head, as if it wanted this winter to end quicker. In a black carriage, Fan Xian huffed warm air into his hands and tightened the cloak around his body. He muttered a few things and thought to himself that winter had come a bit too hurriedly.

He had just come out of King Jing’s manor. King Jing was sick, very sick. As Hong Cheng was not in Jingdou, and Rou Jia was still young, Fan Xian had no choice but to play the role of half a son. He came every day to feed him medicine and chat with him, helping to relieve his boredom. Given his present status, it was not appropriate for him to do these things. But, Fan Xian knew of King Jing’s family’s relation to his and had always felt some guilt when it came to Hong Cheng, so he was being particularly thoughtful.

He knew why the seemingly old but actually very healthy King Jing would suddenly catch a chill. All of this had nothing to do with the winter. It was only related to the bitter cold in the royal family. The empress dowager had died. The Eldest Princess had died. King Jing had lost half of his family in the rebellion. The cruel reality had finally brought down this farmer King.

Coming out from King Jing’s manor, Fan Xian did not go directly home or to the Palace. Instead, he went to Baoyue Brothel. Shi Chanli and Sang Wen were returning to the capital to debrief. He had to learn from these two the most secret information in the world right.

After being in the building for a while and reading through the information the Baoyue Brothel had gathered from all corners of the world, Fan Xian’s brows furrowed together. Looking at Sang Wen’s gentle face and at mustache that had grown on Shi Chanli’s lip, he sighed.

There was nothing remarkable about these intelligence reports. They were similar to that of the Overwatch Council’s.

It had already been three months since the Dong Mountain incident. The entire world had entered into winter. Two months ago, news had come out of Northern Qi of Master Ku He’s death. The leaving of a Great Grandmaster shocked the people of the world, but Fan Xian was not surprised. He knew it was because of the Emperor. Fan Xian was wary about what strategies Northern Qi would implement after Ku He’s death to handle it.

However, Northern Qi had been silent these two months. Other than Shang Shanu endlessly defending against the Qing Kingdom’s probing attacks in the South, there had not been any movement. Fan Xian lowered his head and smiled slightly as he wondered if Xia Mingji’s stronghold in Shangjing being destroyed did not count.

The Northern Qi Emperor had finally taken action against Fan Sizhe. Apparently, the second Fan son was living in great fear and unease in Shangjing. Fan Xian was not worried. From his sister’s letter, he saw at once what the little Emperor wanted to do and was demonstrating to him.

What made Fan Xian uneasy was that Haitang Duoduo, the girl who was very close to him and the heir of the Tianyi Dao sect, had suddenly disappeared without a trace. No one knew where she had gone, not even members within Tianyi Dao.

He didn’t know that a famous doctor, Feng Chun, had entered Jingdou and was beginning to stand out conspicuously. He had received the recognition of the Imperial Academy of Medicine but because of his status as a Northern Qi person, he was unable to enter the Palace to conduct business. So, he was sent to the manors of various officials as a demonstration of imperial favor.

King Jing’s illness was tended to by Fan Xian personally, so Sir Feng Chun and Fan Xian never had the chance to meet. No matter how intelligent Fan Xian was, he would not have guessed that in the near future, Sir Feng Chun would go to Chen Garden. Carefully and at all costs, he would safeguard Director Chen’s life.

The few moves that Ku He put down before he died were scattered pieces. None of them were effective themselves. They only ensured that the situation in the Qing Kingdom progressed steadily along a certain trend.

Fan Xian was only worried about Haitang. He didn’t know what Ku He had entrusted to her, when he would see her, or under what identity he would see her.

There was another matter that made the Qing court feel cautiousness and fear. Ku He was dead. Northern Qi did not keep it a secret. Rather, it hosted a ceremony with great fanfare. Officials and common people from various Roads and provinces came to cry at his memorial, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. It seemed that the Northern Qi court did not sink into fear and unease because of Ku He’s death.

Sigu Jian in Dongyi, by the Qing Emperor’s calculation, should have already died by now, but he refused to die. The body of his sword saint was as strong as a cockroach. Although he was on the edge of death and hanging on by a thread, he held onto this thread tightly and refused to let go.

The almost dead Sigu Jian hid in the Sword Hut. Although this sword saint had become useless, while his name remained, Dongyi seemed to still have a mainstay. However, there were beginning to be problems within Dongyi. After Sigu Jian’s death, the fighting between the government and the Sword Hut would perhaps rise out of the water.

For the Qing Emperor, Sigu Jian’s life and death was not a problem. The ownership of Dongyi after his death was the big problem.

Fan Xian lowered his head in thought. Dongyi was not like Northern Qi and the Qing Kingdom. It was alone by the sea and surrounded by other countries. Once Sigu Jian died, a savage beast would immediately become a piece of fresh and tender meat waiting to be cut up. Regardless of whether it was Northern Qi’s little Emperor or his own Emperor, neither would let go of that piece of fresh meat. He just didn’t know who the Emperor would send, at that time, to steal a bite.

He raised his head and glanced at Shi Chanli and Sang Wen. He talked a bit with Shi Chanli about the situation in the palace treasury. Although Su Wenmao sent endless secret reports, Fan Xian still trusted Shi Chanli’s instincts and impressions more.

The production of the palace treasury remained at a high efficiency. With great cooperation from Fan Xian, Seventh Ye and the other old shopkeepers gradually raised the level of the three large workshops to the level it had been under the old Ye family. Fan Xian’s heart was put slightly at ease. He had two knives in his hands. One was the Overwatch Council, and the other was the palace treasury. Regardless of whether it was about the Emperor’s trust or his own power, he had to hold them tightly and do it well.

Of Fan Xian’s four disciples, only Shi Chanli had stayed by Fan Xian’s side. Hou Jichang, Yan Wanli, and Cheng Jialin were all working hard in their own positions. With Fan Xian protecting their progress and providing financial support, in addition to their own abilities, it was certain they would become key figures in the Qing court before long.

“The court is severely lacking right now. The Emperor has promoted many young people. At this time, age and experience are no longer important.” Fan Xian gazed at Shi Chanli and smiled warmly. “In a moment, write the three of them a letter and tell them to get ready. When spring comes, the court will probably send for them to enter the capital to debrief.”

In his arrangements, Yang Wanli should enter and work in the Ministry of Works. Because of his handling of the Jiaozhou matter, Hou Jichang’s position was steady and greatly liked by the Emperor. He should directly rise two levels and become the Zhizhou of Jiaozhou. Cheng Jialing would have a smooth road ahead of him. He would probably be the best choice to enter the Suzhou government.

Shi Chanli opened his mouth slightly. He had not thought that the four poor students would, in just a few years, each have made their own fortunes. He would never be able to catch up.

Fan Xian knew what he was thinking in his heart and smiled, “What’s wrong?”

“If one’s experience is too lacking, it will not convince the people. Most importantly, everyone in court knows that those three are your students. I’m afraid it will cause criticism,” Shi Chanli said seriously.

Fan Xian raised his eyes slightly and said mockingly, “Hundreds of officials died. They have to be replaced by someone. How can there be so many qualified officials to fill in? Also, don’t speak about lacking in experience. Back then, He Zongwei was equally as famous as Hou Jichang and he entered court after Hou Jichang. Presently, he already has the right to listen to debates in the royal study. Do you think he has enough experience?”

He Zongwei’s name left Fan Xian with a particularly deep impression. He had once met that seemingly honest and considerate young scholar in the Yishi Tavern. However, it was that scholar that had caused so many problems in Jingdou, such as forcing his father-in-law to resign his post.

This man had originally been close to Guo Baokun, the son of the Director of the Board of Rites Guo Youzhi, and was thoroughly in the Crown Prince’s faction. Later, he somehow entered the Imperial Censorate as an Imperial Censor and began to plot for the Second Prince. He later leaned toward the Crown Prince again. After flip-flopping around, people finally noticed that he was actually in the Eldest Princess’s faction. He was leaning toward both sides according to the Eldest Princess’s wishes.

During the Jingdou rebellion, it was that Imperial Censor of the Left that had led a group of Imperial Censors in taking a risk and gambling that the Crown Prince Li Chengqian would not be able to kill them and forcefully delayed the rebel army from entering the capital for a night. It gave Fan Xian the chance to enter the Royal Palace, control the headquarters, and turn the situation around in one move.

It was not until now that people truly realized that He Zongwei was not anyone’s man, he was only the Emperor’s man and had always been.

After the Emperor returned to the capital, He Zongwei was richly awarded for this service. As if he was sitting on a rocket, he shot up and up. Although he only held his original position in the Imperial Censorate, he also had the authority to debate matters in the Hall of Governmental Affairs. The clever people all knew that Imperial Censor He would take over from the already old Shu the Scholar. His future was as flowery as an embroidered work and beyond measure.

During the Jingdou rebellion, He Zongwei helped Fan Xian in a major way. Furthermore, even though he had high status and power now, every time he saw Fan Xian during the court conference or outside, he was still incomparably respectful. There was nothing to be fussy about. He appeared particularly humble.

However, Fan Xian disliked him immensely. Perhaps it was because he had long seen his desire for power, or because he disliked the kind of person that betrayed others to climb upward. Perhaps he had already punched He Zongwei once and knew that people like him would remember a grudge.

Fan Xian was not afraid of He Zongwei, but he had to guard against him since he was greatly in favor with the Emperor. When it came to basic people, they were always scarier than gentlemen.

The discussions in court and privately around He Zongwei were not positive. He had been gifted the nickname “servant of three families.” Everyone felt that this nickname was accurate. However, not many people knew that this nickname had come from the study in the Fan manor.

Sometimes Fan Xian wondered why did he disliked He Zongwei so much. He Zongwei’s actions were not more shameless than his, yet he disliked him greatly.

It was actually simple. Fan Xian had once seen He Zongwei look at Ruoruo with a greedy gaze. For this one gaze, he would remember him for a lifetime, suppress him for a lifetime, and never allow him to rise.

“Who would have thought that now your sister is singing in Chen Garden.” Fan Xian glanced at Sang Wen and smiled. He liked this girl very much. She was gentle, silent, and loveable, but he had no romantic thoughts about her. He only felt at ease being with her for no particular reason, like being with Da Bao.

As for Sang Wen’s sister he had spoken of, it was the girl who had been singing when he had gone to Chen Garden to see Chen Pingping. Chen Pingping was fond of Sang Wen’s voice. Now that Sang Wen had to mind Baoyue Brothel and expand Fan Xian’s plan throughout the entire world, it was impossible for her to stay for a long time in Jingdou. Thus, Chen Pingping, who loved to enjoy his life, could only settle for second best and had Sang Wen’s sister come from Yangjiang to Jingdou.

Sang Wen smiled gently and said, “As long as the Director likes her.”

Fan Xian sighed and thought of something else. Because of his appearance, he had already changed the lives of countless people. Countless people had gathered to his side because of him. Even Sang Wen’s sister was not an exception. Thinking of these people, how could he bear to quietly leave?

...

...

Someone could bear to leave. Fan Xian stood in the little courtyard with an unusually ugly expression, unable to hide the disappointment in his eyes.

The well in the courtyard was still there, as well as he stone table, cotton curtains, grand green shelves. But, the person was not there.

This was the courtyard in Wang Qinian’s home. The courtyard was hidden deep in the west side of the city and wholly unremarkable. Fan Xian had eaten many meals here, teased Lao Wang’s charming and shy daughter, and played with the gourds on the shelves. None of this could return. Wang Qinian and his family had quietly moved away. They had even escaped the notice of the Overwatch Council secret agents Fan Xian had always kept around there for the Wang family’s safety.

Wang Qinian was capable of this. Fan Xian had never doubted that. From Chen Pingping’s mouth, he learned the good news that Wang Qinian was still alive. At the same time, he learned of the news of Wang Qinian’s leaving. He Chen Pingping had sent Wang Qinian away because he had escaped from Dong Mountain. Regardless of whether it was the Qing law or the rules of the Council, he only had death waiting for him.

Fan Xian would not let him die, which was a thorn between him and the Emperor. Chen Pingping knew that Wang Qinian knew too many of Fan Xian’s secrets. For Fan Xian’s safety, he had to have Wang Qinian leave.

For some reason, the leaving of such a subordinate made Fan Xian unhappy. He held a letter in his hand. It was one that Wang Qinian had given to him through Chen Pingping. Very little was written in the letter. The gist of it said that he had abandoned the Emperor and went down the mountain of his own volition, which was already a death sentence. However, Fan Xian had made him feel at ease about the huge mistake he was worried about.

Fan Xian’s mind was in a daze. He knew that Wang Qinian had risked coming down the mountain to look for him because he was worried that once the Emperor had died, he would turn his hand and step onto the path to fight for the throne. He tightened his hand slightly and screwed up the paper into a ball. His expression was unhappy. There would no longer be someone to joke with him. Su Wenmao’s level was far below Lao Wang’s.

He lowered his head and looked at Lao Wang’s little courtyard. For some reason, he thought of a moment many years ago.

At that time, he was a young man who had just entered Jingdou and didn’t know the rules. Blankly, he had gone to the Qing Temple and met his wife. Stupidly, he had gone to the Overwatch Council’s square building and seen the lifeless face, the horrifyingly white teeth, and the old skin on the two cheeks.

That was Wang Qinian.

At that time, Wang Qinian was an official that had been drained of life by documentary work. He whiled away each day in the Overwatch Council waiting for the day he retired. He was the first person Fan Xian met. From then, his life changed. He returned to the tension and amusement that used to fill his life when he was an infamous pirate.

Fan Xian and Wang Qinian’s meeting was a kind of fate. It was precisely this coincidental meeting that made Fan Xian trust him absolutely. Wang Qinian was absolutely loyal to him. He changed Wang Qinian’s life, and Wang Qinian knew all of his secrets, including the chest, the key, and his thoughts.

Wang Qinian was not just his subordinate, he was his good friend and talking companion. This kind of role was not one that could be replaced by just anyone.

Because of this role, and for Fan Xian’s safety and future, he had no choice but to vanish without a trace. Fan Xian’s face was slightly pale. He thought to himself, You can all go and leave me alone here in this godforsaken place.

A moment later, he understood and bowed toward this small courtyard. His secret was too terrifying. Perhaps it made Wang Qinian’s life uncomfortable these years and put a great pressure on him. Perhaps he preferred his previous muddleheaded days and liked the pressure-free life.

He hoped that Wang Qinian and his family would be safe.

Fan Xian sighed and walked out of the courtyard. He turned to look at the silent Mu Feng’er at his side and furrowed his brows. “What’s with the sullen look? Your wife has already given you your second child. Are you still hung up on Lao Wang’s daughter?”

After Wang Qinian left, Fan Xian needed to have a personal attendant at his side. The most suitable person, Deng Zi Yue, was far away in Northern Qi’s Shangjing, completing his task with difficulty, Su Wenmao was in the palace treasury and could not be moved. Without any other choice, Fan Xian could only promote Mu Tie’s nephew.

He had been with Fan Xian for a month. There was nothing wrong with the kid’s loyalty, but he wasn’t as fun as Wang Qinian. The unfamiliarity and inconvenience finally made Fan Xian understand that Sir Wang Qinian was far more than just a sidekick. His abilities had actually been beneath his smile. It was just that Fan Xian had never noticed them.

Thinking of this, his thoughts became fainter, until it became as flavorless as water.

...

...

The reward that was two months late had finally arrived. Other than the civil officials who each filled a vacant position at the beginning of the rebellion, the people who actually played a large role in quelling the rebellion finally received an edict from the Palace.

Ye Zhong was promoted to the nobility, richly rewarded, and entered the capital as the Head of the Bureau of Military Affairs. The position of Commander of the Jingdou Garrison was given to Xiao Jinhua, who was the commander who had blocked the Crown Prince and rebel soldiers within the city at Donghua Gate.

The Commander of the 13 city gates at the time, Zhang Deqing, was taken prisoner and sentenced to death by a thousand cuts, implicating his family to three degrees of relation. This was the heaviest punishment in the entire rebellion. Fan Xian did not oppose the Emperor on this issue. Although he knew that Zhang Deqing’s cousins had nothing to do with this, he also understood the Emperor’s anger toward Zhang Deqing.

The Emperor had trusted Zhang Deqing greatly, yet he had betrayed him. If he didn’t kill a few more people, he wouldn’t be able to vent his gloomy mood.

The Great Prince remained in control of the Imperial Guards and was not given any titles. He had already been given the title of Noble Prince. There were no further titles to give. Gong Dian was relocated back to the Palace and began to take over matters relating to the guards. As for how things would be in the future, the Emperor had an idea. Fan Xian could also guess a little.

As for Fan Xian’s reward, there were some small problems. According to the information that came out of the Palace, at first, the Emperor was going to directly grant him the title of King. This had been fearfully blocked by the scholars Hu and Shu.

Never before had a non-imperial surname been granted the title of King. It was no wonder the officials had been given quite the fright by the Emperor’s initial edict. Although everyone knew that Fan Xian was the Emperor’s illegitimate child, his last name was, after all, Fan. If he suddenly became a King, the Qing Kingdom would be laughed to death by all the people in the world.

Fan Xian was also given a fright. Whether it was King or King of Danbo, how could that be? Fortunately, this edict was blocked. He felt endless gratitude toward the two firmly moral scholars.

A first-rank Duke of Danbo was the end of the line for those not of the royal family. As for the land and money that was granted, Fan Xian didn’t really care. He was presently one of the wealthiest people in the world. Perhaps the Emperor also knew that the other rewards would not satisfy him. Thus, he had the absurd suggestion of granting him the title of King at the beginning.

Unable to grant him the title of King, unexpectedly, the edict that came from the Palace, in the end, gave Fan Xian’s daughter Fan Xiaohua the name Fan Shuning, and granted her the title of Princess.

Of all the absurd things in the world, nothing was more ridiculous than an official’s daughter being granted the title Princess. Furthermore, this daughter wasn’t even the child of the wife, yet the Emperor was determined to use Lin Wan’er’s nobility.

Too absurd! No one knew that the Emperor had such a stubborn and willful side. In Fan Xian’s opinion, the most absurd thing was the name the Emperor chose for her. Shuning? Did he think he was playing at time traveling to the Qing dynasty?

No matter how absurd the edict was, a glimmer of warmth still rose in Fan Xian’s heart. He had felt the Emperor’s intention. The second day, he went into the Palace to have an audience with the Emperor and give his thanks. He also wanted to take the opportunity to ask whether the name Shuning could be changed.

Without waiting for him to speak, the Emperor smiled and said, “Xu Maocai in Jiaozhou. I’ve removed him from his post and had him retire. At this time, he should have already returned to Quanzhou.”

Hearing this, Fan Xian’s heart jumped. His mouth felt dry. He was unable to say a single word. Not daring to ask about anything else, he kowtowed, gave thanks, and then silently returned home.

He sat silently in the study at home for a long time, calculating what the Emperor wanted to do and what he knew. He knew clearly where Xu Maocai had given himself away. From Dong Mountain to Danzhou, Xu Maocai had helped him resist the Jiaozhou Navy. He had gone ashore and deflected arrows. It was clear that he was Fan Xian’s man. However, when the Jiaozhou Navy was trapped on the sea in front of Dong Mountain, Xu Maocai had not made this known to the court.

Although the Emperor had taken all this to heart, he cared very much about each of his officials’ hearts. It was clear that Xu Maocai was loyal to Fan Xian and not the court. After the matter, the Emperor only had to investigate Xu Maocai’s career and would think of the famous Quanzhou Admiral back in the day.

If it had been at any other time, Xu Maocai would have been hard-pressed to escape with his life. It was fortunate that during these years, Fan Xian had always shown unquestionable loyalty to the Emperor, including in the Dong Mountain incident. He had gone through countless tests and finally won the Emperor’s absolute trust. Not killing Xu Maocai, not speaking of it openly and only saying that he was retiring, was leaving Fan Xian with plenty of face.

Fan Xian’s heart felt chilled with an emotion he couldn’t understand, so he sank once more into confusion. He did not go into the Palace the next day to ask for forgiveness because he had not committed a wrong. He couldn’t help but occasionally think that the Emperor was far gentler now than before. If it had been the Crown Prince or the Second Prince, the conclusion of the matter would not have been as relaxed.

The kinder the Emperor was to him, the more Fan Xian was uncertain about what to do with himself. In the Palace, the Emperor had once asked him about the situation of the Tyrannical zhenqi in his body. Knowing there was no danger of it exploding out of his body, he became silent. It made it impossible for Fan Xian to understand his true attitude.

...

...

Time was like snow scattering, falling, and landing lightly. It easily covered everything in the mortal world. When Northern Qi, the South Kingdom, Xi Lake, and the entire land was covered in snowflakes, firecrackers rang out and fragrances floated in all directions. It meant that spring and the eighth year of the Qing calendar had finally arrived.

When the Qing Kingdom was in internal conflict, regardless of whether it was the empress dowager who had held power for a few days or the Emperor after he returned to the capital, they had all determinedly used the powerful army in their hands to carry out attacks in all directions. They used these imposing forces to intimidate all the people in the world through military force.

In the West, Li Hongcheng was with the Western Expedition Army coldly watching the movements of Hu people through the wind and snow. The strength of the Hu people increased after joining with the elite of the Northern Man people. However, the heavy snows had sealed the grasslands. Everyone was busy resisting the cruel nature and did not have the energy to carry out killings. After the first batch of spring grass grew and the Hu people’s horses had grown their first layer of fat, the Hu people would come again to the west of the Qing Kingdom, continuing routine movements that had continued for a hundred years.

The monthlong prohibition on music and entertainment in Jingdou because of the empress dowager’s death had finally been lifted. Perhaps to demonstrate that the Qing Kingdom was still at peace, the Emperor passed a series of edicts that ordered for dances to be danced, horses to run, and firecrackers to bang. Red lights were hung up high and illuminated Jingdou in a patch of red fire.

On the first day of the year was ancestor worship. Whether purposely or not, Fan Xian had been invited to the Palace by the Emperor. He had a meal and missed the major Fan family event.

After another two days, Fan Xian finally managed to extricate himself and took his entire household to the outskirts of Jingdou. The place was completely different from the joyful spring festival atmosphere. It was enveloped in an oppressively sorrowful and gloomy air because it was a cemetery, a new cemetery.

The Emperor had not allowed the bodies of the people who had participated in the rebellion to be taken away by wild dogs. Instead, he had buried them in a mass grave and had not restricted their families from visiting. This edict moved an indeterminable amount of people.

There were a few large tombs on the hill that were clearly of a different style. Fan Xian carried his daughter. Lin Wan’er and Sisi were behind him as he stood in front of these large tombs. He turned his head to look silently and wordlessly at the puffs of clear smoke rising from the graves below.

Before they had come here, they had already gone to a different tomb to pay their respects to the Overwatch Council subordinates, as well as Imperial Soldiers who had died in the Jingdou rebellion.

Fan Xian had not gone to the royal tombs. Although the empress dowager was buried there, he had come directly here. Arriving on top of this hill, he took back his gaze from below and looked at these large tombs wordlessly.

The Crown Prince, the Second Prince, the empress, and the Eldest Princess were all buried here. No matter how lenient the Emperor had become, he would not allow these people to be buried in the royal family’s mausoleum park. However, the Feng shui was also very good here as it looked upon water and followed the mountain. In addition, it was still some distance from the clear smoke below, so it was also quiet.

Putting down the paper and incense they had bought, Fan Xian stood in front of the four large tombs. He bowed and then followed Lin Wan’er in kneeling in front of the Eldest Princess’s tomb. He kowtowed twice and then held Xiaohua’er for the person in the tomb to have a look. In order to avoid evil, they dabbed a spot of alcohol between Xiaohua’er’s brows. The burning sensation caused the little girl to cry out loud.

Fan Xian raised his eyebrows and looked at the large stone tomb in front of him. He thought to himself, With the blessing and protection of my mother-in-law, please don’t let Xiaohua’er turn out as abnormal as you.

Seeing that Wan’er was still kneeling and burning paper, Fan Xian didn’t disrupt her. Instead, he went to stand in front of the tombs of the Crown Prince and the Second Prince. Looking at these two tombs, he couldn’t help but quietly recite, “Even if your wealth lasts a thousand years, all you need in the end is a tomb.”

Here there were four large, hard tombs. Fan Xian gazed at them in a daze. His emotions were complicated. It was not until today, at this moment, that he realized that the Li family’s blood not only contained mania and abnormality, it also contained pride and an unyielding will.

He looked at Li Chengqian’s and the Second Prince’s tombs and sighed in his heart. The brothers of the Li family were truly unyielding and much better than him. No one else knew better than Fan Xian the terror of death. However, these two Li brothers had died cleanly and neatly. They had died with pride and had forcefully used their deaths to shatter the Emperor’s hard outer shell.

In this way, he was not as good as them. Fan Xian pondered this with his head down.

Taking the hand of Da Bao behind him, he returned to the Eldest Princess’s tomb. Looking at Wan’er’s eyes, which had turned red from the smoke, Fan Xian was silent for a moment. He then crouched down tenderly to wipe at the corner of her eyes. Da Bao followed him and also crouched down, looking simple-mindedly at the large tomb. Although he didn’t know that the most beautiful woman in the Qing Kingdom was gradually turning into white bone in there, he still felt a chill.

“Princess’s mother... is inside. She’s not coming out?” Da Bao asked curiously.

“That’s correct.” Fan Xian managed to smile and say.

“Xiao Xianxian, I still think... Why would Princess’s mother kill Er Bao? She’s so beautiful.” Lin Da Bao furrowed his brows and asked in a serious and droning voice.

Fan Xian’s heart thumped. He realized that Wan’er had not heard these words and relaxed a little. A person called Li Yunrui had killed Er Bao. This was something Fan Xian had always told Da Bao. Unexpectedly, he had not even managed to fool an idiot. He felt a bit bitter in his heart, but he didn’t know how to explain to Da Bao that whether or not a person was beautiful, it often did not match the things they did. For example, the Princess’s mother and Xiao Xianxian.

The Great Prince suddenly appeared behind Fan Xian. The Third Prince went forward and respectfully bowed toward Fan Xian. He then stood intimately by Da Bao’s side.

Fan Xian furrowed his brows and looked at the Great Prince. “How come you’re here too.”

The identities of the four people buried in these tombs were too special. Coming to pay one’s respects was an overly sensitive issue. The Great Prince glanced at them with a cold expression and said, “It is also my brothers who are buried here.”

Fan Xian was at a loss for words and said with slight worry, “It’s just... I’m afraid the Emperor won’t be happy.”

The Great Prince was suddenly silent. A moment later, he said in a quiet voice, “Father... also came.”

Fan Xian abruptly stood up and turned his head to see the shadow in the cold woods. A middle-aged man wearing bright yellow robes was looking toward the four large tombs. Although there were countless soldiers around him, he looked lonely.

...

...

That night, Fan Xian hosted a banquet in his manor. His father had just resigned his post and left for Danzhou. Lady Liu had followed him. Now, the Fan manor only had the few people from Fan Xian’s family and appeared particularly lonely. Fan Xian’s banquet was hot pot. They were drinking Wu Liangye produced by the palace treasury. His guests were the Great Prince and the Third Prince.

When the hot pot was placed in front of him, Fan Xian only seemed to realize now what his desire was, the hole in his heart. It had started in Jiangnan. He had never forgotten the feeling but could not find a clue as to what it was.

It was spice. After eating a spoonful of the hotpot, the spiciness caused sweat to break out on his forehead. It was a delight. He drank a mouthful of liquor. The delight made his throat dry.

Once the pots were empty and the alcohol gone, the Great Prince had fallen asleep from the alcohol at the banquet and was muttering nonsense. Fan Xian had also fed the Third Prince a few cups. He had gone to find a guest room to sleep drunkenly.

There was just Fan Xian left. It was a wintry night with a cold moon. He held the wine cup in his hand. His eyes were blurred. The spiciness was uncomfortable, as was the delight. It felt like he was going to cry.

A person sat behind him on the roof, facing that bright moon. He listened to Fan Xian’s drunken poems and was silent. It seemed that even the black cloth covering his eyes was thinking deeply. Who exactly was he? Why did feelings he had never had before rise in his heart as he listened to his song?

...

...

Diaoyu Tai, 10 years without a visit, even the wild gulls guess where I went.

White clouds float across the green mountains, facing the lovely wine, I drink deeply. Although I lack Yizhou’s talent in governance, my interest in alcohol supersedes that of Liu and Ruan, and my love of poetry is also not below that of Li and Du.

Suan Zhai laughs at me, I admire Suan Zhai.

The night comes and the wild monkeys of the West Lake cry out.

How many extraordinary people there have been in 20 years, rising and falling with the blossoming and withering of the flowers.

Gazing at the skies, worshipping the military parade stage.

With stars in sleeve and peace in heart, break the spell of smoke.

Suan Zhai laughs at me, I ridicule Suan Zhai.

It was for joy before the Palace.