Chapter 1: The Dynastic Discussion (I)

At the New Year, according to the custom of the palace, each prince and princess will receive a reward from the palace. This year’s reward is a little different, first of all is the crown prince got the first, this is the natural meaning, but compared to previous years is more generous, and his majesty’s personal book a book. Secondly is the second prince to get the reward also followed on a level, and far away in the border of the big prince to get the gift is a pair of bow and arrow, the most critical is, with this pair of bow and go, there is a decree, declared him to be at the end of the summer when the grass is long, back to the capital to be crowned king.

The courtiers in Kyoto were confused, not knowing what His Majesty was thinking. From the looks of it, the position of the Crown Prince was still solid, so why would the Grand Prince be called back again? This prince has been leading the army for many years, although he is not the first son but the eldest son, if he returns to the capital, I am afraid that the situation underwater is a little unstable.

Palace rewards in another edict is very striking, is sent to hide in the Cangshan Mountain of the Imperial College of the fifth grade Fengzheng Fan idle, His Majesty is in accordance with the extra horse harnessed by the side of a team of the emperor’s side of the ritual under the rewards, the hundred officials guessed that it should be in the face of the Lin family lady.

The New Year’s Eve frequent exchanges, the officials and gentry family home more gifts to each other, familiar family will also personally visit, and there are two messengers with generous gifts also on the Cangshan Mountain, these gifts were to the Crown Prince’s East Palace and the Second Prince’s House, the object of the gift is still Fan Xian.

Everyone thought that once the spring exams, Fan Xian in the way of the identity of the “county princess extra horse harnessed by the side of a team”, I think it is difficult to be promoted in the officialdom, His Majesty will decree to let him take over the internal treasury. Therefore, the Crown Prince and the Second Prince had to hurry before this happened and increase their efforts to get him on board, but they did it in a very covert manner. I believe that no one should be able to find out about those messengers who sent gifts.

“What did the second one send?”

His Majesty, the Emperor of the Kingdom of Qing, leaned against the soft reveal, his body wrapped in a large black spacious, his face calm. A few wrinkles appeared especially obvious on his extremely well-maintained face, his eyes quietly gazing at the goose feather snowflakes outside his study.

Chen Pingping coughed twice, tightened the blanket resting on her knees again, and respectfully responded, “It is a collection of poems from the previous dynasty.”

The emperor smiled faintly, but there was more than a hint of a sneer at the corner of his lips, “This second son of mine likes to play with acidic literature, but thinks that everyone in the world is like him. Fan Xian’s casual poem is superior to countless poets of the previous dynasty, this gift is too impolite.”

He then asked, “What did the crown prince send?”

“A box of mahjong pieces made of emerald jade.” Chen Pingping touched her smooth jaw with her hand, followed His Majesty’s eyes as she looked at a large flat snowy area in the palace, and narrowed her eyes slightly, “Fan Xian likes it very much.”

“Fan …… Idle, it seems that there is indeed a will to be a rich and noble idler.” His Majesty said softly, “This gift from the Crown Prince is brilliant, I don’t know who’s idea it was in the Eastern Palace.”

“It should be Xin Qi’s thing.” Chen Pingping smiled faintly and said, “I don’t know what Fan Xian thinks, but I know that County Princess Chen and that second young master of the Fan family love to play cards.”

The emperor’s eyebrows arched and said, “How is girl Chen doing these days?”

Chen Pingping answered with a small intention, “There is a Fan Xian who knows the cold and warmth who cares for her, so she should be happier than in the palace.”

“No one in this palace can be truly happy.” The emperor smiled and said, “Have you really decided to let Fan Xian go on a mission to Northern Qi?”

Chen Pingping sat in her wheelchair, still bowing her head with great difficulty, and saluted, “Yes. Since Your Majesty agreed with my suggestion that day, then I will start making arrangements, if Fan Xian doesn’t do something for the courtyard, it will be difficult for him to truly master this courtyard and serve Your Majesty in the future.”

The atmosphere between the two suddenly became silent and cold, the Emperor coldly looked at Chen Pingping’s head, and after a long time said quietly, “Don’t forget, he is a royal bloodline, how can he take risks!”

After a long silence, Chen Pingping piled up a smile with some difficulty and insisted on his opinion, “My lord, the problem lies in the fact that he can never be a royal bloodline, as a subordinate of my lord, I would like to seek a safe future for him.” He paused and then said, “If he takes over the inner treasury, he will definitely become the object of the imperial sons’ vigorous solicitation, I think that my lord is not willing to see such a situation, so why don’t we just let him take a trip out to get out of the wind, it’s not a good idea to keep hiding on Cangshan Mountain.”

The emperor coldly looked at this cripple in front of him, this is an old dog of his own in the eyes of the group of ministers, but how long has it been since he has heard the word master come out of his mouth.

“Granted.” The emperor slowly closed his eyes, and it seemed that in this instant, all the wind and snow in the palace disappeared without a trace.

Chen Pingping quietly sat on the wheelchair, waiting for half a day, finally waiting for the next sentence of the Emperor’s bracket, “Only you have to be clear, Sinanbo and Chancellor Lin won’t agree to this arrangement, and I will be annoyed to death when the court meeting is held later.”

“Rise!”

The little eunuch’s clear shout resounded under the eaves of Xingqing Palace, rustling, eunuchs and palace maids poured out from the side of the palace, carrying the carriage of the Son of Heaven and waiting for His Majesty the Emperor to get on the carriage, heading towards the front of the palace.

The carriage is so well sealed that the wind and snow can’t steal a piece of the sky, the emperor half-closed his eyes, propped up his jaw and didn’t know what he was thinking, his palm slowly stroked the small charcoal stove that was slightly hot, after a long time, he sighed and opened his eyes, looking at the familiar to tired of the imperial palace scenery, and gently shook his head.

In the middle of the main hall of the palace, the eunuch came out with a duster, and recited in a clear voice, “His Holiness has arrived.”

Below the group of ministers who have been waiting for a long time to clean up their clothes, bowing to the ground, shouting long live. The emperor glanced at these courtiers, slowly walked to the dragon chair and sat down, saying, “All rise.”

The courtiers listened to the word, only to climb up, only these high officials and nobles in Kyoto live in the nourishment, not inevitably some body fat body weak, so the movement is slow and inconsistent, look so funny.

“Other things have been discussed, looking at the spring time is coming, after the spring exam competition, last year and the north proposed agreement has also come to the implementation of the time.” The emperor’s spirit seems to look not too good, half leaning on the dragon chair, “Ministers, is there a suitable candidate for the envoy?”

There had been whispers over the past few months that the chancellor’s new son-in-law, Fan Xian, the fifth-ranked Fengzheng of the Imperial College, might be assigned to a mission to Northern Qi. Chancellor Lin Ruofu had always assumed that it was those clerical ministers in the court who opposed him who were the culprits, so he had long since made adequate preparations.

Originally, the two Fan Lin clans had always looked at each other unfavorably in the court, one being a down-to-earth royalist, while the other had some unspoken relationship with the Eldest Princess, and with Fan Xian’s entry into the capital, all of that had changed drastically. The Chancellor broke with the Elder Princess, while Squire Fan became his in-law.

Fan Jian, the Minister of the Household, stood a bit back, and as he glanced at the front of the queue, he realized that Chancellor Lin Ruofu was also looking at him. The two of them touched eyes and smiled slightly.

“Your Majesty, I thought, Honglu Temple young secretary Xin Qishu last negotiation, acted sharply, for the country’s benefit a lot, really good talent, if the appointment of Xin young secretary for this return visit to the ambassador, the most appropriate.”

The first to come out to reply, is the prime minister Lin Ruofu’s disciple, that too often temple junior secretary Ren Shaoan, because today’s court meeting to discuss the return visit, all the etiquette specifications should be asked for his opinion, so he and the honglu temple junior secretary of xin qi matter are in the temple.

Xin Qimo slightly surprised, thinking how to push himself out? Of course, he understands that the prime minister will not want his son-in-law to go all the way to the enemy country, although there is certainly no problem with security, but the mountains are high and far away, and when the spring exams, Fan Xian will certainly be promoted again, and if he goes on a mission immediately afterward, who knows what will become of the dynasty in a few months?

In fact, the meaning of the Crown Prince’s East Palace is also similar to the Chancellor, now there is no Princess in the back of the Crown Prince crazy, the Crown Prince thinking about the problem also appears to be a lot more mature, that Fan Xian to stay in the capital to immediately take over the internal library, at the same time, increase their own efforts to pull together, which is the right way, if you can use this to get hold of the Fan Lang, and Chancellor of the repair of the relationship, it would be even better, not to mention the Chunwang exam will be coming, the East Palace also rely on the place of Fan Xian.

So it seems, today on the court, no one will propose Fan Xian to go on a mission to Northern Qi. After all, offended the Fan family Lin family, even if you are three dynasties, a minister, at the same time face the hatred of those two old guys, I’m afraid that some can not afford.

So the hall suddenly fell into silence, it seems that the ministers have recognized the proposal of Xin Qimo to go to Northern Qi, even Xin Qimo himself began to prepare to take orders, for Fan Xian to go this time.

The emperor frowned slightly, as if he had not thought about the current situation, and gently placed the stove in his hand on top of the small yellow satin table next to him.

At this moment, one of the ministers came out and said in a deep voice, “I propose that Fan Xian, the minister of the Imperial College, go on a mission to Northern Qi.”

The group of ministers categorically did not expect, actually someone will be willing to offend Fan Lin two families, countless eyes bet on his body, only to find that the original speaker is the Privy Council Counselor Qin Heng, this Qin Heng belongs to the military background, is not afraid of the gaze of the civil officials, but the people do not understand, even if you are the Privy Council, there is no need to offend the chancellor and the Fan family, ah?

Hearing this proposal, Chancellor Lin Ruofu’s face was unchanged and very serene, and Sinan Bo Fan Jian smiled slightly helplessly. Due to the relationship with Fan Xian, these two old foxes are naturally not in a position to say anything, but there are their own officials who are friends with them to stand up for them, only to hear a discussion in front of the hall before a courtier said in a deep voice:

“I think it is not good, the small Fan, but only seventeen years old, without the slightest official training, the mission to the North Qi, is to promote the national prestige, the friendship of the great event. Little Fan, although talented, but under the lack of experience, I’m afraid it is difficult to take on such a heavy responsibility, on the contrary, Xin Shaoqing, calm and proper, this trip to Northern Qi, should be able to go all the way smoothly.”

Xin Qimo sighed in his heart, knowing that he had to take some initiative, he stepped out of the queue, bowed and asked for orders, “I am willing to serve my country.”