Chapter 57: Birds of a Feather

The emperor had said in the palace that he wanted to use Yan Xiaoyi and dared to use Xiao Yan B. When he did, Fan Xian couldn’t wait to stretch a microphone over and ask him, “What exactly is your mood? What exactly is his mood? I want to see people’s heart, so beware of seeing your own seven orifices bleed.

Until now, Fan Xian has only a touch of the emperor’s feelings, according to the reason, there is no need to worry so much about the survival of the Qing Dynasty, the emperor’s life and death, but in order to their own and the future of their loved ones, he had to do his best, which is helpless.

Carriage out of the south city gate, four wheels in turn by that hard monopoly upside down, originally a little dazed Fan Xian suddenly woke up, lifted the curtain and walked out, one side of the yawn, one side of the south side of the official road to look.

At this time is already afternoon, into the city is not much people, responsible for the city gate of the city gate division and responsible for the defense of the Kyoto garrison soldiers are a little bored with the execution of the daily work, suddenly saw a black carriage in a dozen of the Supervisory Board officials under the protection of the entrance to the city, the hearts of all people were shocked.

Looking at the yawning young official under the carriage, the crowd immediately guessed his identity. The city gate commander of the Tiannan City Gate Department got the news and hurriedly ran over, bringing Fan Xian a bench and serving him hot tea.

Fan Xian was not polite, holding the tea bowl and gulping it down.

Without waiting long, the figure of a caravan appeared at the end of the official road, traveling along the rows of wild trees on the horizon, gradually approaching, and arriving in front of the city gates in a short while.

Fan Xian greeted it.

The caravan stopped, and seven tiger guards, including Gao Da, plus a group of six swordsmen, came down from the carriage and half-kneeled on the ground with a brush, saluting him.

Fan Xian waved his hand, letting them get up, naturally not without a few warm words of appreciation, but his feet did not stop, directly boarded the center of the carriage.

As soon as he lifted the curtain, he saw Wan’er dozing off with a blue cloth parcel in her arms, her long eyelashes resting quietly on her fair skin, and her bangs hanging serenely under her forehead, covering up the girl’s tired face.

Fan Xian was stunned, not wanting to wake her up, but simply sat down beside her and took the blue cloth parcel from her arms, while giving a puzzled glance across the room.

Si Si, who was sitting across from him, blinked her eyes and whispered, “I was fiddling with it for a long time last night, and I’m not in the best of spirits today.”

Fan Xian smiled and said nothing more, signaling the caravan to enter the city, only whispering to remind Gouda and the others to be more careful when entering the city’s Monopoly, so as not to wake up the person in the carriage.

The carriage passed through half of Kyoto’s streets and alleys, and came to the silent street in the south city, stopping at the front door of the Fan Mansion.

The carriage stopped, Wan Er also woke up in a daze, subconsciously embraced the side of the not thick but exceptionally strong arm rubbed twice, felt a long-lost warmth came back to their side, to that warmer arms drilled.

But immediately woke up.

The girl was startled and jumped up, only to realize that beside her was Fan Xian, who had already fallen asleep, and put that heart back into her stomach, looking at the familiar face that she hadn’t seen for a long time, she couldn’t help but smile innocently and spit out her tongue.

“Pah-pah-pah-pah ……”

A string of extremely lively firecrackers rang out, waking up the sleeping Fan Xian, he grunted a few words with some annoyance, but once he returned his arm, he realized that he hugged an empty one, wondering, he opened his eyes, but he saw that his wife was shrinking in the corner of the chair, looking at himself.

Previously, Wan Er looked at Fan Xian in a daze, and only after a long time did she realize that Si Si was also on the opposite side of the room, and also realized that Fan Xian had been awakened by the firecrackers, and for a while she felt so embarrassed that her cheeks turned red with shame.

Fan Xian looked at his wife and smiled, grasping the blue cloth parcel with one hand and leading her down the carriage with the other, not saying anything in detail, but instead complaining, “Which house is marrying a new bride? How come it’s so bustling?”

Wan’er covered her mouth with a smile, pointing at the gate of Fan Mansion and said, “I also find it strange that it is our house that is setting off the cannons, and I don’t know what kind of joyous event it is.”

Si Si at this time holding a small personalized parcel also came down, looking at the Fan Mansion main entrance people coming and going, red lights hanging high, firecrackers sounding lively scene, also was startled, ouch, said in a loud voice: “Young master, young granny, this is to welcome us back from the south of the Yangtze River?”

When the caravan stopped at the entrance of the Fan Mansion, the Fan Mansion came to life. Fan Xian looked at this scene with curiosity, and couldn’t help but grab Zheng Tuo, the Qing guest who had come out of the mansion to welcome him, and asked, “Mr. Zheng, what’s this all about?”

Zheng Tuo laughed and said, “Young master, you have been crowned Duke of Tanyu …… today, this is a great joyous event, there are countless adults from all the ministries and pavilions who have come to say goodbye, and they are all in the mansion waiting for you to come back, such a glorious honor, so of course we must have a good celebration.”

Fan Xian froze, only then did he think that he had become a young lord, and looking up at the circle of red cloth hanging on the plaque of the Fan Mansion, he couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

Lin Wan’er glanced at him in surprise and asked, “Sangong has been ordained a duke?”

Fan Xian nodded.

When Lin Wan Er heard this, her eyebrows and eyes were filled with joy, even Si Si beside her was not exempt from this, she was overjoyed, after all, in this world, it’s always about these things, a courtier who can be crowned a duke at such an old age as Fan Xian is also a matter of extraordinarily honorable family name wherever one looks.

All the way inside, all the way there will come to congratulate the official salute, Fan Xian busy to return the salute, had to let the Fuji big daughter-in-law out, first will Wan Er Si Si and the few maids received into the inner house. The subordinates and servants of the Fan Mansion were even more full of joy and were busy kneeling and kowtowing to Fan Xian.

“Reward, reward.”

There were rewards sent out along the way, so of course Fan Xian didn’t feel any pain, but was he so happy? Even Wan Er and Si Si were so happy, if his sister was at home, he wondered if she would also be happy.

Finally, he cleaned up everything and sent the guests away, and only then did the Fan family gather in the garden’s flower hall. Liu’s sitting beside Fan Jian, his eyes are all smiles, Si Si just returned to the Fan House, was sent a very honorable task, began to arrange meals.

Thinking about it, in the past, this task was not sit upright Liu’s responsibility, this is also equivalent to say that the Fan House has recognized the status of Si Si.

Fan Jian and his son in law under the hands of a few words, and talked about the Si Si, anyway, in Tanyuzhou has been done, with the old ancestor nod, he this Fan House family head will not say anything else.

After the meal was ready, and there were no idle hands in the flower hall, Fan SiChe, who had been held back at home, finally bumbled out, and having first met his sister-in-law, sat down beside Fan Xian, deadpan to please the place.

Wan Er was taken aback, thinking that her brother-in-law was not in Beiqi, so why did he sneak back?

Fan Xian opened his mouth and scolded, “It’s not just a broken title, is it worth your gluttony?”

Fan Sicheng scrunched his neck and said, “You don’t really care …… how many princes there are under the sky?”

Fan Xian smiled and said, “That’s not so bad as to ask me for a reward. I think in two more years, father and I will have to reach out to you for money.”

Fan Si Zhe hemmed and hawed and said, “Silver can’t buy big brother’s reputation, you are going to be a prince in the future, when will you also find a way to get my brother a title before I do.”

Fan Xian froze, then remembered, last fall after the case of holding the moon building, Si Zhe by the Ministry of Justice issued a sea arrest paperwork, since childhood to get the title of the Dragon Riding Lieutenant naturally also be removed.

But when he heard the word prince, Fan Xian still felt something odd in his heart, and he and his father glanced at each other, both clear about the judgment in each other’s hearts.

With Fan Xian s status, the first class duke is also at the end of the line, how it is impossible to become a prince, unless …… how to do so in the future.

The seat was silent, Fan Si Zhe also knew that his words had problems, and did not dare to blabber anything else. Wan Er looked at this scene, a delicate smile, said to the younger uncle: “Come back, don t be too busy to go …… Stay after dinner to accompany father and mother to play a few rounds.”

Fan Si Zhe heard to play mahjong tiles, and still sister-in-law proposal, suddenly the spirit of a revitalization, this more than a year in the North Qi poker table did not meet the enemy, tonight and the world’s second master of the sister-in-law of the game, that is called an excitement.

After a few days should be peaceful, and not too many stories to tell. The second prince’s family was hit by the fear of the people, the eldest princess sitting in the palace do not know what to think. Fan idle just occasionally think of the Prince in the moon upstairs surprising performance, is born some doubts, the Prince, Qing country dragon chair rightful successor, the choice of coping techniques is naturally the best kind of …… but look at the situation so go, his grasp from where?

Fan Xian thought not clearly this point, Fan Jian also did not think clearly, the Prince dared to so cold eyes, unless he has a big help at hand, but the original support of the Princess, now Fan Xian has long been clear with the relationship between the second prince, the Prince on what basis to believe in the words of the Princess again?

I do not understand will no longer think, because the next spring or to return to Jiangnan, and after the New Year’s festival, there are like Chen garden, Jing Wang House, the big prince’s house these places are sure to visit, so take advantage of the New Year’s Eve these days, Fan Xian did not go to the Supervisory Yuan, did not go to the palace, just honestly nested in the house, filial piety a year have not seen his father, disciplined in the north of the long time his younger brother.

The atmosphere of the family’s reunion was really good, except that Ruo Ruo and the old ancestor of Tanyu State were missing. At a certain point, Fan Xian had once privately told his father that his grandmother had never seen Si Zhe, and whether he had to find a time for Si Zhe to return to Tanyuzhou.

Fan Jian thought about it, and indeed it was the same thing, so he asked Fan Xian to arrange it.

Just as things were developing in a peaceful manner, on the twenty-eighth day of the Lunar New Year, an unexpected guest came to the Fan residence.

This guest is the Northern Qi envoy in South Qing, identity is a little sensitive, but specifically in the Honglu Temple after reporting, on the door of the Fan House.

The whole family felt strange, but had to open the front door to welcome him. The envoy was very respectful to Fan Xian, and conveyed his condolences on behalf of the court of Northern Qi, saying that the people of Northern Qi felt the same way about the sniping in the valley, and were deeply aggrieved by the little Lord Fan.

After putting down a large pile of gifts, the envoy left the house, leaving Fan Jian Fan Xian, a pair of masters looking at each other stupidly.

That night, the Southern Qing Honglu Temple came, and an eunuch also came from the inner court, explaining to Fan Xian why the envoy from Northern Qi had come to the door to visit.

It turned out …… that the news of Fan Xian’s assassination had already reached Northern Qi, and for some reason, that young emperor of Northern Qi had actually repaired a private letter with his own handwriting, entrusting it to be passed on to His Majesty the Emperor of Qing, expressing his concern about Fan Xian’s assassination, and also voicing his veiled criticisms of the Imperial Court of Qing for not paying attention to Fan Xian’s personal safety.

Hearing this, Fan Xian turned to that eunuch and the Honglu Temple’s young secretary, sucked in a mouthful of cool air, and opened his mouth to curse, “Blowing and wrinkling a pool of spring water, fuck him ……!”

Honglu Temple young secretary and the eunuch awkwardly glanced at each other, a small intention to comfort: “North Qi people store what mind, we all understand, small Fan adults do not need to be too angry, this kind of dirty tricks, can be of any use?”

The eunuch also smiled wickedly and said, “If they want to send a gift, you can take it.”

After sending these two out of the palace, Fan Xian hurried to his study and asked his father, “What exactly do the Northern Qi people want? Is it their turn to show concern over this matter?”

Fan Jian smiled bitterly and said, “There’s something I’ve been forgetting to say to you, and His Majesty seems to have forgotten about it as well, when you were on a mission to Northern Qi, didn’t you once promise their Emperor …… that when you were free, you’d go to their Imperial College to give a lecture at the palace hall in the Upper Capital City? ”

Fan Xian thought seriously, it seems that there really is such a sentence, but it seems that he didn’t promise it, right?

Fan Jian sighed: “When you went to Jiangnan, the Northern Qi people sent a document to the Honglu Temple, saying that they were hiring you to be a visiting professor at the Shangjing Imperial College …… His Majesty was just when that little emperor was bored and didn’t take it seriously, where did he expect that, the Northern Qi people were waiting around, and now since you are a visiting professor at the Shangjing Imperial College, and assassinated in Nanqing, it seems reasonable for them to express their concern and anger.”

Fan Xian said bitterly in exasperation, “What good does it do them to shade me at this time?”

Fan Jian raised his head, glanced at his son, shook his head and said, “Although it is a very crude tactic, and people with some brains won’t believe in this kind of provocation, it’s just that …… your collusion with the Northern Qi people in Jiangnan can’t be hidden from them for a lifetime after all, and under the accumulation of ruins, who knows if it will make His Majesty suspicious of you in the future? They only need to send some gifts, bring two words, lose some face, and then they can put a root and a thorn in your throat, this kind of deal, cost-effective ruthless.”

Fan Xian frowned, greatly angered, and said, “Valley sniping …… that little emperor of Northern Qi but a cross section, it seems that the court will not continue to investigate.”

Fan Jian glanced at him and said with a bitter smile, “Originally, His Majesty didn’t want to investigate, but now that there’s such a good use of an additional reason, how could he not use it?”

Fan Xian also laughed bitterly, and after a long time, he said seriously to his father, “My lord father, on the first day of the year, I will enter the shrine.”

Fan Jian wasn’t much surprised, from the time the emperor formally awarded Fan Xian with the title of Tanya Duke, he understood the emperor’s thoughts, and just calmly said, “In this matter, I’m going to enter the palace to ask for clarification.”