Chapter 61: A Dream in the Garden (above)

Eunuch Yao went to the Fan Mansion first today, did not find anyone in the house, do not know where this is recuperating from the injury of the Lord of the Tisch, even the Lord of the Shangshu is not clear, the identity of the special little Mrs. Fan is also not in the house, it is impossible to find someone to ask Fan Xian’s whereabouts.

But His Majesty is still waiting in the palace, this can be anxious Yao eunuch, asked clearly the little Mrs. Fan is back to the Lin House, he led the guards to rush over there, coincidentally at the intersection of the carriage, if the guards are not sharp to recognize a Fan Xian’s followers, I’m afraid that will be missed.

Looking at the panting Eunuch Yao, Fan Xian sighed and said, “I still have to go back to the Lin family to pick up someone, why are you letting me enter the palace at this time?”

His majesty summoned him, but he still answered the summons without any haste, it really killed Eunuch Yao, where had he seen such a minister who didn’t take the summoning in the palace seriously? He was always on good terms with the Fan family, so he couldn’t say anything more, but only urged, “His Majesty’s decree has been out for a long time, and I’m afraid His Majesty will be displeased if you’re late again, young Lord Fan.”

Fan Xian bitterly responded, “Naturally, I have to go.” Not being able to see the old eunuch standing in the snowy sky, he greeted him and entered the carriage, and the group headed in the direction of the palace, arranging for another person to go to the Lin Mansion to notify his wife.

“Old Yao, give the truth, what happened?” Fan Xian half leaned back to recuperate, his eyes slightly narrowed, not looking at this head eunuch, the Fan House had always fed these eunuchs extremely well, so he didn’t bother handing over any more silver tickets.

Yao eunuch now in fact also not very dare to accept the Fan family silver tickets, he said with a smile: “This …… how to know as a lackey? You’ll just have to go.”

Fan Xian shook his head, feigned anger and scolded, “You this guy, do not do things in the right way.” Suddenly, he paused and said, “Inquire about something.”

Eunuch Yao pricked up his ears, looked around the carriage to see that there weren’t any idle people, and lowered his voice to say, “Sir, what is it? I can say whatever I dare.”

“What happened to …… those eunuchs in the Hanging Temple last time?” Fan Xian frowned.

Eunuch Yao was flabbergasted, and after being slightly stunned, he raised his palm and spread it flat on his throat, scratching it.

Fan Xian’s face didn’t change, but he didn’t know what his heart was thinking. He knew that this was the inevitable result, an assassin in the eunuch’s ranks, the people present naturally could not escape death, and he was afraid that the palace would have to purge a large number of them.

“Where is old Dai?”

“No.” Eunuch Yao sighed and said, “He is an old man, his majesty is trusted, only implicated, also can not stay in the taiji hall……. Thinking about the last two months, because of his incompetent nephew’s things, was the Duzha Yuan Sen a, he was in the palace on the embarrassment, and then it was not easy, his majesty look at the face of the lady’s consort, will be his wife. Noble Consort’s face, he brought him back up to use.”

He glanced at Fan Xian, who didn’t show anything. Eunuch Yao was not aware of how deep the bond of silver tickets between Fan Xian and Eunuch Dai had gotten.

“I didn’t expect to encounter another assassination plot …… Old Dai’s luck is also considered unlucky. This is not, what duties are excepted, but also received a dozen marks of the board, was sent to the treasury to go. Such a big old man, in this cold day under the hard …… “Yao eunuch and Dai eunuch is the same year into the palace, although on weekdays between each other more than tipping, but at this time looking at each other pouring down, can not help but also some things hurt, flick sleeve in the corner of the eye wiped.

“Old Dai …… stay up for a few days, wait for his majesty’s fire to subside and then say, can keep an old life is good.” Fan Xian shook his head and asked, “Then who is on duty in the Taiji Hall today?”

“Hong Zhu.” Eunuch Yao looked at Fan Xian’s puzzled face and explained in a low voice, “A young cub. He started running the Taiji Hall and the road under the door this year, and his majesty likes that he’s sharp.”

“Letting that …… Hongzhu do the matter of passing on the decree as well?” Fan Xian asked curiously.

Eunuch Yao shook his head and said, “How can he have this qualification status?”

The carriage just passed the new street entrance was called to a halt by Eunuch Yao, Deng Ziyue was a bit dissatisfied, after all, this square in front of the palace was extremely wide, in this snowy winter, letting the unhealed Lord Titus sit in a wheelchair to go over there was a bit too much, and was not afraid of freezing his lordship.

“Several officials, can not.” Eunuch Yao said, “After the last incident, the forbidden army had a big internal reorganization, and now these soldiers are all staring at everyone like wolves, and they can’t wait to scare away all the people who enter the palace.”

Fan Xian listened to a couple of sentences and said, “Don’t be difficult for Eunuch Yao, let’s get off.”

Deng Ziyue looked at the palace gate with some annoyance, carried Fan Xian off the carriage, put him on top of the wheelchair, and hurriedly opened the large black cloth umbrella, covering the head of the Lord of the Tishek, and behind him, there was a side of the Supervisory Yuan officials pushing to move. Snow particles hit on top of the black umbrella, faintly sound.

Eunuch Yao didn’t have such a good life, covering his head with his hands, he and a few guards around him rushed over to the palace gates first.

Fan Xian’s entire body is shrunk in the cloak, avoiding the cold wind, half of his face is covered by the fur collar, but also feel a coldness down the clothes into, overhead sky light is dim, the sound of the snow point bleak.

Outside the palace door of the forbidden army and Yao eunuch exchanged formalities, surprised to look at the square in the middle of the pedestrians are walking slowly. In the windy and snowy sky, that line of plain clothes officials with cold face, is pushing a wheelchair, on the wheelchair there is only a black umbrella firmly covering the snowflakes falling from the sky, and not a single star escaped to the person on the wheelchair.

“The abbot-sama wasn’t summoned to the palace today, huh?” This captain of the forbidden army said in surprise.

“It’s Fan Tiji.”

The crowd was shocked, the captain of the forbidden army hurriedly led a group of people to welcome them, blocking the wind and snow outside for the person in the wheelchair, and received this line of people to the palace gates, and after a slight check, they were released to enter the palace.

The north wind is blowing, snowflakes are floating, Teng Zi Yue pushed the wheelchair, traveling through the main hall next to the long side road. Along with the palace wall corner along the color is getting deeper and deeper, in the palace wall on the right side of the door finally stopped.

There were eunuchs who had put up a big plain-colored umbrella, firmly covering Fan Xian’s head, and they carefully escorted the young wounded man into the harem.

Deng Ziyue stood outside the door of the harem and watched Lord Tisi get farther and farther away surrounded by the eunuchs, his face calm, but he did not know what he was thinking in his heart. A snowflake drifted down and would land on the corner of his eye, causing him to squint his eyes.

“Not in the imperial study?” Fan Xian frowned, ignoring for the moment the cold wind that pummeled his face, and asked Eunuch Yao beside him.

Earlier, news had been spread that His Majesty had already lost his temper after waiting for a long time without Fan Tisi arriving. The little eunuchs then Fan Xian, where dare to slow down, like feet on the wind turbine general, to the deep palace ran wildly, push the wheelchair is squeaky, the eunuchs with plain umbrella is falling down, if not the palace terrain is flat, this all the way to run wildly I’m afraid that Fan Xian’s wounds have been epileptic breaks.

Yao eunuch ran panting, back: “In …… in the bedchamber.”

Fan Xian heart slightly surprised, face color is not very good. Eunuch Yao watched, and only then remembered that this young official is still injured after the body – his majesty can not wait, but if you let the tisi injury reoccurs, they have no good fruit to eat, which hurriedly let the crowd to lower the speed down, splitting head and face, and ingratiatingly sideways face, said: “small Fan adults, did not upside down, right? Fan Xian nodded and said, “I’m sorry, but I’m sorry.”

Fan Xian nodded and said, “Not so precious.”

In a short while, the people came to a place in the palace garden, not the Empress’ chambers, but where Yi Gui Concubine was. Eunuch Yao rushed forward a few steps, into the notification, not long after someone came to follow Fan Xian into.

The emperor is wearing a casual dress today, is sitting on top of the warm couch, have a chat with Yi Gui concubine talk, the third prince honestly sitting on the side copying something. Only when he saw the eunuchs pushing Fan Xian in did he stop talking and faintly turned back to look at Fan Xian.

“Injured, why don’t you honestly stay in your residence to recuperate, and run around outside blindly?”

An emperor to a young subject, seemingly reprimanded, but actually concerned, according to reason, do the subject should be grateful is, Fan Xian is secretly sneer, if really care about themselves, how will wait seventeen years to show these? If he was really worried about his injuries, why did he rush to declare himself to the palace?

However, his face still responded to the situation by letting the slight touching pass in a flash, and then calmly answered, “Back to your majesty, I’m almost well, so I sneaked out for a stroll, and I’m on my way to the Lin Mansion to pick up Wan’er.”

“Wan Er …… went back to the Lin House? There’s not much in that mansion …… except for that fool.” The emperor seemed to not really like to associate his niece with the Lin Mansion, and his face was a bit unsettled.

Yi Gui Concubine peeked at His Majesty’s face and laughed nervously, digressing, “Fan Xian, you’re not afraid of Fan Shangshu hitting you with a board when you’re running around without getting better from your injuries ……?”

The emperor was slightly stunned, then laughed: “Fan Jian …… where to shed.”

Although it is a joke, but it contains other meanings. Fan Xian was slightly aghast, piled up a smile on his face and did not answer.

The emperor looked at the side of the third prince who was copying the book, said to Fan Xian: “You a few days ago in the Imperial College to organize a few of the scripture policy …… I let Chengping these days in the study, the Taifu thought that the deeper, what do you think? …… Chengping, go to see the Tisch Lord.”

The third prince surnamed Li name Chengping, according to the rules of the State of Qing, the princes for the ministers are extremely respectful, His Majesty this command is not very surprising. The third prince hurriedly stopped his pen and cautiously walked to the wheelchair, bowing to Fan Xian.

“How does this make it possible?” Fan Xian was sitting in the wheelchair and was unable to avoid it.

“You are now the Secretary of the Imperial Academy, exactly what is your part.” The emperor said calmly, as if he was talking about a very ordinary thing. However, Yi Gui Concubine heard it, it seemed that His Majesty had the intention to make Fan Xian the teacher of the Third Prince, and when she thought of Fan Xian’s reputation in literature and martial arts, as well as his influence in the imperial government, Yi Gui Concubine couldn’t help but smile, and the more she looked at Fan Xian, the more she felt that the better she looked at him.

The more she looked at Fan Xian, the better she felt. When this look fell into the emperor’s eyes, he couldn’t help but laugh, “See how happy you are.”

The reason why Yi Gui Concubine was favored was because, at least on the surface, she wouldn’t hide anything in her mind and was happy when she was happy. At this time, when she heard His Majesty deride her, she didn’t panic and said with a laugh, “Thank you, Your Majesty, for finding Ping’er a good teacher.”

Fan Xian listened to the two elders talking to themselves, and was bitter in his heart, wondering why no one had come to ask for his opinion on this matter.

The third prince came over with a scroll, Fan Xian took a brief look at it and raised his head to report back, “Zhuang zhong zhou’s study of scripture and policy is excellent, and it makes sense for the Taifu to think that the degree of depth is deeper, but these are just introductory things, and it’s not a problem for your third highness to get in touch with them in advance.”

A few more casual words were spoken between the ruler and the minister, and Fan Xian carefully responded, but knew that the emperor definitely had some things to say to himself. As expected, after drinking a bowl of hot soup, the emperor opened his mouth seemingly casually.

“Outside the snow has stopped …… the first snow should be cherished, Fan Xian, you accompany me to stroll around the garden.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The emperor stood up, and Yi Gui Concubine smiled, draping a large red brocade-faced civet-mauri crane cloak over his body.

When he left Shufang Palace where Yi Gui Concubine lived, the snow had already stopped, the ground of the palace was wet and clear, but there was no snow, only the warp winter trees in the garden had some snow marks hanging on them. The sky is gray and white, red walls and yellow eaves snow branches and green bricks, very beautiful, there is not a trace of odor in the air, fresh and unusual.

The emperor cloak currently walking, a small eunuch pushed Fan Xian silence followed in the back, along the way those wearing cotton coats eunuchs and palace maidens far away from avoiding, the roadside encountered is biased in the side, quiet and not say anything.

“Snowy and rainy days, see me without kneeling.” Seems to guess what Fan Xian is thinking, the emperor said softly, “This is the rules I set after the throne, kneeling every day, they do not mind …… kneeling clothes dirty, kneeling torn, do not want the inner treasury to pay out silver to buy?”

Fan idle sitting in the wheelchair, quietly will collar loose a cloth button, after the snow stops the wind subsides, feel a little hot. Listening to the emperor’s words, he knew that the topic was going to turn in the direction of the inner treasury, but he was roguishly refusing to answer.

Seemingly somewhat rattled by Fan Xian’s silence, the emperor coldly asked, “Where is that second of the Fan family now?”

By this time, he had already reached a garden in the most secluded part of the palace, with a small curved lake in front of him, in which a stone bridge was built, leading to the pavilion in the center, with a slight remnant of snow on the pavilion, which could not hide the solemnity of the black stone.