chapter 23 – that cool and refreshing palace

The east had reddened the sky, and the sun slowly rose from the unsleeping clouds that clung to the ground, shining down on the grandest complex in Kyoto. The outer walls of the palace showed a color even more crimson than that of the sky, gazing calmly and terrifyingly at the crowd in the square before them. Fan Xian was also one of these people, and as he looked at the high palace wall, and the doorway below it, which was deep and unknown, he felt that the black hole resembled the mouth of a monster, and uncontrollably felt a hint of nervousness.

Fan Xian, like the rest of the people in this world, would still be in awe of the solemn symbol of imperial power before him. But awe didn’t mean obedience, nor did it mean no resistance, which was another thing that made him different from the others. After the guards at the palace gate inspected the crowd, they nodded with a slight hint of pride before Fan Xian and his party honestly walked in.

Today was Boxing Day, and there was a decree from the palace to summon the eighth ranked Conciliator to the palace. The decree came yesterday, and the Fan family was busy all night before they drew up the number of people who would go to the palace. Fan Jian naturally wouldn’t go, and there were so few women in the Sinanbo family that distant relatives from several other families in the Fan clan in Kyoto volunteered.

Fan Xian has never seen this kind of activity before, and Fan Jian coldly stopped the crowd’s thoughts. It was finally decided that the two who would accompany Fan Xian to the palace would be Liu and Fan Ruo Ruo, plus two accompanying old sisters, both of whom were old men in their grandmother’s time in Tanyu State and knew the rules of the palace very well. Liu’s willingness to accompany Fan Xian into the palace to take care of things this time was a bit out of Fan Xian’s expectation, because he knew that although Liu had never been corrected, but in fact, when she was a child, she had always had dealings with those nobles in the palace, and her love affair with the other people was not ordinary, so if she was by his side, I’m afraid that this time, Fan Xian’s trip to the palace would be much more smooth.

Slight and noisy footsteps echoed in the quiet doorway. The doorway is very deep, the rising sun can only see half of the place, the other half is very dark, a cold wind suddenly blew out from the palace wall, let everyone’s eyes a little open. The weather in September had the flavor of a cold autumn day.

Fan Xian imperceptibly touched his belt and felt the pills, which were much smaller than soybeans, and felt a little more at ease. Knowing that the palace inspection was extraordinarily strict, he had hidden his concealed crossbow and dagger inside the house before leaving the house, but Uncle Wuzhu’s lecture had impressed him deeply, so even in the palace, which was theoretically the safest place in the world, he still allowed himself to prepare a few more ways to save his life.

“Ta-ta, ta-ta, ta-ta.” Man is a very strange animal, and people a very strange group. Walking under the quiet palace walls, the footsteps of the group of six people were surprisingly gradually unified. Landing on the ground at the same time, lifting up at the same time, along with the small eunuch in the lead, it was like plucking a ukulele at the same time, emitting the same monotonous syllables.

Fan Xian’s heart surged with a wave of discomfort, forcing a pause to stagger his steps with the others, and the unity of pace under the palace walls was suddenly broken. He gently tugged on his sister’s sleeve and whispered, “I’m a little nervous.”

Fan Ruo Ruo guffawed, wanting to give him some encouragement. The young eunuch in front of him, however, turned his head away and glanced at Fan Xian with a furrowed brow, seemingly somewhat dissatisfied. Liu frowned and said softly, “The palace is not like any other place, speak a little more carelessly.”

The little eunuch was not pretty and had a sad face, when he heard Mrs. Sinanbo say this, he immediately felt that he also had a glow, where is this? This was the imperial palace. Fan Xian smiled bitterly, did not expect Liu then smiled and said, “But there is no need to be nervous, this palace I have come since I was a child, that time of the year or Eunuch Hong as the eunuch leader, this shake, I did not expect that there are some small children serving in the palace.”

Hear this, in front of that little eunuch dare not take pie, hurriedly rick to the palace, thought it is to pick up a few bumpkin into the palace, where know the original acquaintances string relatives.

The palace is very large, long after the city cave, is a large square on the face of the green stone, let a person suddenly open up the feeling. Early morning shines on the roof of the main hall of Taiji Palace, yellow glazed tiles reflect the eye-catching color, there is a large column several feet away from the temple, the long stone steps in front of the temple are like an alabaster road leading to the heavenly river, which looks very solemn.

Fan Xian squinted at the building in front of him, and a sense of absurdity welled up in his heart, doubting whether he had come to the Forbidden City Museum. Perhaps this sense of absurdity washed away the tension in his heart and a sense of separation from the unfamiliar palace, after this trip, Fan Xian finally returned to his natural demeanor, somewhat like when he first entered the Fan Mansion, with a smile on his face, looking around at the palace maidens and eunuchs who were walking with their heads bowed under the palace walls, and occasionally raising his head to look at the eaves that were poking out from afar – without knowing which palace, and without knowing which palace was inside that palace. which palace, not knowing which person lived in that palace.

His look all fell in the eyes of his peers, the little eunuch shook his head, but the corners of Liu’s lips floated up a smile if nothing else, she thought in her heart, this young master, really is a nature that is not afraid of the sky and the earth.

The main purpose of today’s entry into the palace was very simple: the ladies of the palace wanted to see what the great genius Fan, who was about to marry Chen’er, actually looked like.

Although the purpose is simple, but the process is particularly complex, so the Fan House people got up early, rinsed and dressed, rushed to the palace doors open when they entered the palace, and then in a corner room to wait, waiting for the palace which the Queen’s summons. The person who is summoned can wait, but the ladies in the palace are not happy to wait for someone.

Because he got up too early, Fan Xian sat in that corner room, drinking the palace’s good tea, but still a little sleepy, his spirit is not good. Liu glanced at him, smiled, stood up, and said to the eunuch who greeted them in the palace, “Eunuch Hou, it’s been a long time.” Saying this, under the hand is again without fireworks a finger, silver tickets will be handed over. (I like the lack of fireworks, click, click.)

Fan Xian secretly watched, the corner of his lips curled up and almost laughed out, his aunt’s tactics, indeed, were cultivated by his father, relying on the silver tickets to beat people.

Who knows that the Hou eunuch is showing a difficult color, respectfully said: “Mrs. Fan, you are not hitting the face of the old slave? You and the several masters in the palace grew up along the way back then, how dare the old slave beg for food here.”

Liu couldn’t help but laugh at this, “This is a reward for you, it’s not buying you anything, so who else is afraid to say it?”

Eunuch Hou hemmed and hawed, wrinkles on his face squeezed into a pile, and said softly, “Knowing that you are entering the palace today, those masters will not let you wait here for too long, don’t worry about it, it’s just that it’s too early in the morning, I’m afraid that all the palaces are still busy with the washing, so just sit down for a little while.”

Fan Xian ear tip a move, found that this old eunuch called Liu with Mrs. Fan, it seems that the palace for Liu’s righting matter, early tendency. And listening to the various palaces still in the morning washing and sprinkling the courtyard, he had felt that he had gotten up too early and came too early, listening to this, he couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

Well, Hou Gong Gong was right, Sinan Bo let Liu accompanied into the palace was really wise, the morning court has not yet begun, the Fan family three have entered the harem, the two old sisters were entertained outside, anyway, there is also a good tea and good water, back then is also used to the old man into the palace, since it will not be too boring.

The first place to go is Yi Gui Concubine’s place, this nobleman is the birth mother of the third prince of the dynasty, the mother relies on the son of the nobleman, so from the talented person rose to the noble concubine. Fan Xian bowed in a regular manner, and then heard a gentle voice: “Get up.”

This concubine Yi was born plain, but there was only the word plain, and she was not at all as beautiful as Fan Xian had imagined. To Fan Xian’s surprise, Liu’s eyes were slightly moist as she looked at Yi Gui Concubine, and after the two women gave a polite salute, they didn’t care about etiquette and held hands, looking at each other without words. Fan Xian will be puzzled eyes to his sister, Ruo Ruo face full of calm, but not at all surprised.

After listening to the conversation for a while, Fan Xian realized that this Yi Gui Concubine was actually Liu’s cousin!

Fan Xian’s heart was overwhelmed with shock, only then did he realize that the original Liu family had such deep roots, fortunately, after he entered the capital, he implemented a policy of appeasement, and Liu’s treatment of himself was also quite gentle, or else the two sides really clashed, and really don’t know who died!

“You also old not come into the palace to see me.” Yi Gui concubine wiped away the tears in the corner of her eyes, complained: “It has been four years, you can also bear to leave my sister alone in this palace, a few times before it was not easy to ask for a decree, called you into the palace to accompany me to talk to the child, which know that you even refused to come, it is really depressing me.”

A trace of gloom flashed across Liu’s face, and she didn’t speak for a long while, slowing down for a while before saying softly, “Blame me, blame me.”

She did not look at Fan Xian, but Fan Xian looked at Liu’s slightly thin shoulders, and a strange color flashed in his eyes, as he listened to Yi Gui Concubine’s words about the four years, he thought of the assassination in Tanyu State very sensitively, according to his father’s words, this assassination Liu was just a scapegoat, and the real culprit behind the assassination was the most “noble” woman in the palace. The real culprit behind the assassination is the most “noble” two women in the palace – Liu’s four years do not enter the palace, is it because of this reason.

“In the future, I will often come into the palace to see you.” Liu smiles gently, holding Yi Gui Concubine’s hand, “Didn’t you come today?”

Yi Gui Concubine turned her rancor into a smile and counted softly, “If it weren’t for your Fan family’s youngest master marrying the most precious girl in the palace, I wouldn’t expect to see you.” She turned to Fan Xian’s side and asked gently, “You are Fan Xian?”

Fan Xian hurriedly stood up, the warmest of smiles piling up on his clear, uncluttered face, and bowed to the ground, “Nephew Fan Xian, greetings to Aunt Liu.”

This was a very unorthodox statement! The palace maids and eunuchs froze, and Liu was also a bit stunned, thinking to herself, “I’m not your real mom. But Fan Xian’s brazenly climbing up the ladder of relationships was obviously very much to the liking of Concubine Yi, who was tired of the rules of the palace, and this noblewoman looked at Fan Xian and smiled, “Indeed, he’s a good boy.”