Chapter 166 – Live or Die with Dignity

Looking at the faraway carriage and listening to the faint sounds of clamor coming from the surrounding area, Fan Xian relaxed a little – arranging for Fuji Zijing to go to Qingyu Hall in 28 Li Po was to take advantage of the chaos in Kyoto at this time, and find a way to get the old managers of Qingyu Hall out of Kyoto and scatter them among the people.

This was not a sudden idea that came to Fan Xian, but a part of the plan that he had drawn up from the beginning. These old shopkeepers were very important to Fan Xian, and their mastery of the inner treasury’s craftsmanship and familiarity with the secrets in their heads were even more important to the Kingdom of Qing. Although His Majesty the Emperor was mindful of his old feelings and left them alive, he would never let them leave Kyoto and fall into the hands of another power, and it had been twenty years since the Ye family was destroyed, so if he wanted to bring so many of the old shopkeepers out of the capital, it was basically a mission that could not be accomplished.

However, the rebellion of the Rapunzel and the Crown Prince, and the chaos in Kyoto had left a great opportunity for Fan Xian, who had been working hard on this matter. All the people in Kyoto thought that his majesty was dead, the palace was in chaos, Kyoto was in chaos, and a bright light appeared in front of Fan Xian’s eyes.

But he really didn’t have any manpower to utilize right now, and since he later vaguely guessed that His Majesty might be alive, he put the plan on hold. However, the last few words that the Princess whispered in his ear at the Taiping Residence prompted him to make his final decision. Of course, even without those words from the Eldest Princess, Fan Xian would still find ways to capitalize on the current situation.

The battle between His Majesty the Emperor and the Eldest Princess had been going on on another level from the very beginning, and Fan Xian actually had his own mind, even though he remained silent and seemed to be nothing more than a pawn to be swung around.

He anticipates the Kyoto will be chaotic, choose to fish in troubled waters, take chestnuts from the fire, eyes and means really sharp.

Not enough to appease Wan Er in her grief, Fan Xian turned around and left the mansion. The body of the Princess is now placed in the back garden in a secret room, he has to go back to the palace to deal with some more important issues, since he knows that His Majesty the Emperor is safe and sound news, in the arrangement of the whole thing, he must make some strong adjustments.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he left the gate of the palace, there was a group of cavalry stepping on the dust, and Fan Xian squinted his eyes to see that he didn’t know who’s subordinates they were. Now the situation in Kyoto has long been settled, Dingzhou army control outside the palace, Ye Chong extremely sophisticated will be the defense of the palace back to the eldest prince, there is no formed rebels in the city.

The person who came is really the Dingzhou army, a bloodstained school officer pulls the reins of the horse to a halt, rolls and crawls and runs to Fan Xian’s body, said in fear: “Your Excellency, the marshal has an urgent matter to inform.”

Qing’s fierce generals and bulls are countless, and all armies habitually call their generals marshals, just as the old army of conquering the west calls the great prince, and since this officer is from the Dingzhou army, the marshal in his mouth naturally refers to Ye Chong. Fan Xian was startled, thinking, “Is it possible that there are some more changes in the capital? He was in a hurry to see Ye Chong, so he didn’t have time to say anything, pulled the reins of his horse, and with the small group of cavalrymen, he drove in the direction of Donghua Gate. Listening in silence along the road, he realized what had really happened.

Fan Xian listened to that colonel’s narration and realized that when he was in the Taiping Farewell House, Ye Chong had been looking for himself for a long time – it turned out that Prince Chengqian had actually been blocked by Ye Chong under the Donghua Gate, and at this time, the two sides were facing each other and were in the middle of a negotiation, and for some reason Li Chengqian had requested that he go see him.

Although the Ye family suddenly turned against the water, but the rebels are still powerful, the combat power of the remnants of the army can not be underestimated, Fan Xian simply did not think that the crown prince will be trapped in Kyoto. At this time, it looked like the city was beginning to stabilize, but it turned out that somewhere under the quiet gates, there was still such a sinister confrontation.

The pupils of his eyes shrunk slightly and he sucked in a breath of cool air. If the rebels were expelled from Kyoto, once the wild battle started, it did not have the slightest relationship with himself, and was naturally taken over by the Ye family and the various military forces loyal to His Majesty, but being blocked at the Donghua Gate? Why doesn’t the Prince rush out?

On the one hand, the horse’s hooves did not stop, did not take a long time, forcibly dispersed the people of Kyoto who crowded out of the city in the direction of Zhengyangmen, Fan Xian and his party came to the front of Donghuamen.

In front of Donghuamen, it was quiet, deathly quiet. The rebels of the Qin family, surrounded by the City Gate Department and the Dingzhou army on an entire long street, tightly gripped their weapons in their hands, nervously and panic-strickenly looking at the surrounding armies in despair.

Right in the center of the rebel army, the faces of several Qin Family generals had become very ugly. Both sides had been facing each other for a whole hour under the Donghua Gate, and under the Crown Prince’s strong restraint, the rebels did not launch a general attack on the Donghua Gate, nor did they launch a counter-breakout to the Dingzhou Army. Ye Chong, who led the Dingzhou army to encircle this place, also showed exceptionally good patience, just like this to kill time, waiting for Fan Xian, who was required by the Crown Prince to be present, to arrive.

Ye Chong’s patience is good, the rebel generals are days like years, sweat swish on the face, however, they do not dare to move, because the defeat is like a mountain, really want to fight, I’m afraid that can’t survive a few people, but they also do not know what His Highness the Crown Prince is thinking, the matter is involved in the conspiracy to rebel, where is there a way to live?

Crown Prince Li Chengqian in the crowd’s arch, his expression looks extraordinarily quiet, just a little haggard, not too panicked, until he saw Fan Xian sailing from afar, then sighed, seems to have settled down a little.

The Dingzhou Army cavalrymen separated their ranks like waves, and Fan Xian rode single file through the streets to Ye Chong’s side. He glanced at His Royal Highness the Crown Prince across the street, frowned, not knowing what to say, and turned his head, leaning over and whispering something in Ye Chong’s ear.

Ye Chong’s face was happy, his eyes also brightened up, and then there was a heart palpitation, knowing that his previous conservatism, leaving time for the Crown Prince, was considered to be right, since His Majesty the Emperor had survived a great disaster, how to deal with the revolting Crown Prince should be handed over to His Majesty the Emperor’s holy judgment.

Although he was a revolting crown prince, he was still the emperor’s son, and Ye Chong, as the father-in-law of the second prince, was naturally unwilling to have the crown prince die in his own hands like this.

Fan Xian raised his eyes to look at the Crown Prince, who looked back at him, his whitened lips trembling slightly, as if he had finally made an extremely important decision, and hissed slowly, “You’re here?”

The rebels surrendered their weapons and became prisoners of the Dingzhou Army’s swords and spears, and several of the Qin Family’s generals were also captured and fell to the ground with a look of despair on their faces. The battle in Kyoto came to an end for the time being, and Ye Chong led his army, escorting a black carriage in the direction of the imperial palace.

The black carriage was transferred over within the first hour by the Supervisory Academy, at this time, there were two people sitting in the carriage, one was Fan Xian, and the other one was the Crown Prince Li Chengqian, the two brothers were sitting in the darkened carriage, and for a long time no one opened their mouths to say the first words.

“The third condition I promised you may be problematic.” Fan Xian’s eyes drooped slightly as he said in an apologetic tone, “If I can’t do it, don’t blame me for lying to you.”

Crown Prince Li Chengqian was unwilling to have countless innocent soldiers of the rebel army sent to their deaths because of himself, and surrendered with great courage, while he demanded that Fan Xian personally come and promise him the three conditions before he would be willing to tie his hands, because Li Chengqian knew clearly that at this time in Kyoto, Fan Xian, who held his father’s posthumous edict in his hand and had the support of the vast majority of people, spoke with more power than Ye Chong, who had a large army but was secretly scrupulous in his heart, and as long as Fan Xian was willing to promise himself that As long as Fan Xian was willing to promise himself, no one in the court would make things difficult for these ordinary soldiers.

Hearing Fan Xian’s words at this time, Crown Prince Cheng Qian thought that Fan Xian was backtracking and stared into his eyes, saying angrily, “Why?”

“I can fight for the lives of ordinary pawns, but I don’t dare to guarantee that they will survive, even though they are just some cannon fodder, but …… this is a plot to rebel, and although the Qing law is not harsh, it doesn’t leave them a way to live.”

The crown prince couldn’t understand the word cannon fodder, but could guess what it meant.

Fan Xian looked at the crown prince’s somewhat pale face and said with a sigh, “As for those officials and generals who took part to the rebellion, I have no way at all.”

“I know they can’t survive either, but at least I hope you don’t implicate …… all the big families, once they kill them, I’m afraid they will have to die tens of thousands of people.”

Li Chengqian’s face was a bit gloomy, hoping that Fan Xian could promise again, after all, earlier before the two armies, Fan Xian was personally promised.

“Copying and exterminating the family, or implicating all nine clans, this is not something I can control.” Fan Xian’s brow furrowed extremely tightly, and after a long while he said, “As I said earlier, I will try to do as much as I can with what I promised you, but just how many people can be saved, I …… can’t guarantee it.”

A picture emerged in front of Fan Xian’s eyes of countless heads being decapitated, countless young children being dropped to their deaths, and countless ladies and young ladies of the dignitaries being sent into the official workshops and into the camps for eternity. Even though he was a cold-blooded person, once he thought about the tragedy that was coming to Kyoto soon, he still developed some coldness.

Men in order to their own rights and official title and rebellion, and finally bear the tragic consequences, but not only them, but also their wives, young children who do not know the matter, and even distant relatives in the old family, or a lot of years ago friends ……

Li Chengqian trembled, clutched Fan Xian’s collar with one hand, his pale, slightly fearful face showing rare courage, and growled in a low voice: “If you hadn’t promised me, how would I have surrendered? How could I be willing to be your prisoner!”

Fan Xian didn’t bother to break free of the crown prince’s powerless hands and growled back in a lowered voice, “Not surrender? Do you really want to be killed in the midst of the chaos?”

Li Chengqian was stunned, hearing something else in Fan Xian’s words, his hands clutching his collar subconsciously loosened, and he said in a trembling voice, “I, the crown prince, have already been abolished, and I’m about to die, and you’re the Supervisor of the State, and the university scholars are all in your favor …… Even if Ping’er ascends to the throne and succeeds him, you’re the Emperor’s Master, and who dares to say a word to you? If you open your mouth and say a word, who would dare not listen to you?”

The expression on Fan Xian’s face was somewhat indifferent, and he opened his mouth to say, “His …… Majesty is still alive.”

When Li Chengqian suddenly heard this news, his arms hung helplessly above his knees, although at the beginning of Ye Chong’s backlash, he had already guessed this possibility, but once he really heard this news, it was still hard to avoid being shocked.

“She’s dead too.”

Fan Xian quietly uttered these words, then looked sideways at the crown prince. Only to see Li Chengqian’s face grow paler and paler, his eyes looking woodenly and listlessly at the wall of the carriage for a long time, unable to speak. He gradually lowered his head, ricked his body, and buried his head, his shoulders trembling unceasingly, and letting out a suppressed sound.

Perhaps provoked by His Highness the Crown Prince’s cries, Fan Xian’s chest was filled with boredom, and he subconsciously activated the Heavenly Dao’s true qi method to clear his meridians, but unexpectedly when he traveled to the danzhong area, he experienced a sharp pain for no reason at all. His eyes black that is clear, can no longer control, a mouthful of blood porphyrin sprayed on the carriage wall, hit the popping sound.

From Great Eastern Mountain to Kyoto, seriously injured, traveling for 10,000 miles before healing, forcibly suppressed with medication, and experiencing countless dangerous fights, he finally couldn’t support himself, and his injuries erupted.

The crown prince’s mood at this time was all surrounded by the news of his father being alive and his aunt’s death, and he didn’t even notice Fan Xian’s condition, burying his head in endless sorrow.

Fan Xian wiped the droplets of blood from the edge of his lips, gasped for two mouthfuls of ragged air, glanced at the fellow beside him, and couldn’t help but shake his head. Li Chengqian was of a similar age to him, and unlike himself who had two lifetimes, he was nothing more than a young man.

Just like this, the two brothers inside the car, one spitting blood and the other crying, the black carriage entered the palace.

The eldest prince, who had finished bandaging his wounds, silently led the carriage directly to the entrance of the harem, the eastern palace. Fan Xian and the crown prince got off and walked in. This Eastern Palace had always been the residence of the successor to the throne of Qing, but now, it had truly turned into a cage for the Crown Prince, or rather, a grave in the future.

The Grand Prince and the Crown Prince whispered something, glanced at Fan Xian, and then turned to leave. At this time, there was not a single person in the Eastern Palace, only the forbidden soldiers patrolling outside.

Fan Xian didn’t have much time to say something to the Crown Prince, and covering his chest, he directly said to him, “You only have one day.”

Li Chengqian looked up in shock, seeming to have awakened from a nightmare at this point, staring at Fan Xian in a daze, not understanding what he was saying.

“His Majesty should return to the capital the day after tomorrow.” Fan Xian looked at him calmly, “This Eastern Palace was once set on fire by you back then, I don’t think it would be too surprising for it to be burned again.”

Li Chengqian’s face instantly changed, staring into Fan Xian’s eyes as if trying to ascertain what exactly he was saying, his lips moved twice, but no sound came out.

Seeing that he didn’t answer, Fan Xian lowered his head and said grimly, “Dying by self-immolation is not a difficult task for you ……”

Without waiting for him to finish his sentence, Li Chengqian already shook his head indifferently and said, “And then you took advantage of the fire to rescue me from the palace and send me to a place where no one knows?” He looked at Fan Xian with very complicated eyes, “I don’t know why you suddenly became such a gentle person, but I want to thank you.”

“No need to thank me.” Fan Xian said, “It’s just that the elders are used to arranging everything, but I’m not quite used to it.”

Li Chengqian laughed with difficulty and said, “I really can’t see through you …… somewhat.”

“You know I’m a heartless person, and it’s rare that I send out kindness once in a while. The Empress is also dead, you should hate me. If you want to live, set a fire tonight.”

“It’s not like you to take such a risk.”

“I’ve been gloomy for a long time in my life, and I almost forgot that I said back then that I would swing round and live. After experiencing so many things, I realized that if I want to live a wonderful life, I must first live with guts.”

Fan Xian stopped looking at him and turned to leave the silent palace.

Li Chengqian stared blankly at his back, not understanding why he was suddenly so kind. Brows gradually wrinkled up, sad, long sigh, just in this broad palace floor lying down, face floated out of the transcendent smile, limbs stretched out, seems to have never been so relaxed and free.

This night, the East Palace never ignited a fire. Fan Xian had been in the direction of the Hall of Containing Light, coldly watching the direction of that place. Confirming the calmness of the Eastern Palace, he shook his head, feeling slightly desolate in his heart. The emperor would arrive in the capital around the day after tomorrow, and everything would be back in the hands of that powerful emperor – leaving the crown prince alive was not Fan Xian’s impromptu intention, nor was it that he had a woman’s benevolence, but rather, it was a sense of sadness that caused things to go wrong – he and the crown prince, including the He and the Crown Prince, including the second son, were in fact nothing more than pawns on His Majesty the Emperor’s chessboard, puppets manipulated by fate or by their elders.

The crown prince no longer had any power, and his death or life had no bearing on Fan Xian. The Prince was a good man, something Fan Xian had said to Chen Pingping long ago. From the first encounter on the road outside the Separate Palace, this Crown Prince had left Fan Xian with an extremely gentle impression, especially in the last two years, although there had been more than a few fights, but what was the point? Fan Xian was able to send Thirteen Lang to escort the Crown Prince on his trip to Nanzhao, and at this point, he dared to let the Crown Prince go.

If Fan Xian wants to get rid of those threads behind him, to protect Li Chengqian’s life, is the first time he tore hard to make a stand. Now the palace is in his hands, with the camouflage site means of the Supervisory Yuan, and with His Majesty’s understanding of the Crown Prince’s temperament, it is not difficult to use the excuse of self-immolation and death to hide from His Majesty’s eyes and ears unknowingly.

Just the prince as the eldest princess general, the heart has long been dead, for the heart of the dead people, Fan Xian naturally will not be stupid to force the risk to do something, can have this idea of movement, is enough to prove that after the meadow a shot, his heart …… has changed too much.

Into the night. Palace lights are extinguished, outside the city is still not all calm, the imperial city is silent, black Qinqin day, shrouded in the palace flat garden, around the garrison of the forbidden army and the Supervisory Yuan officials, standing still, like a statue.

“Who?” An extremely vigilant voice rang out from within the Hall of Containing Light, and a palace maid lit up the palace lamps, saw the person in front of her clearly, and hurriedly knelt down.

Fan Xian waved his hand to signal her to get up and instructed her to lead all the palace maids and eunuchs out of the Hall of Containing Light. At this time, not too many people knew that the emperor was already on his way back to the capital, and Fan Xian, as the Supervisor of the State and as the third prince’s husband, was equal to the real emperor, and the entire palace traveled unimpeded, and none dared to express any doubts about his arrival.

A dim light was lit, and all the palace maids and sisters exited the palace unclothed. Fan Xian strolled alone through the vast palace, slowly walking to the phoenix bed and looking at the old woman lying on it. Without waiting for the woman’s venomous eyes to come over, Fan Xian gently wiped his right hand and took out an unpoisoned needle from his hair and stuck it into the old woman’s neck.

Looking at the sleeping empress dowager, Fan Xian crouched down, burrowed under the phoenix bed, touched the secret compartment, and with a slight force of his fingers, opened the compartment.

Three years ago, he had once entered the Hall of Containing Light at night, used a drug to mesmerize the people in the hall, and took out the key of the chest from this secret compartment, and copied a key, at that time, there was also a white cloth and a letter in the secret compartment, but because of the time constraints, he was unable to take a closer look. Today there is a key in this dark compartment, a white cloth, but the letter …… is gone.

Fan Xian held the white cloth in his hand and rubbed it carefully, caught up in thought, but never had any clue. After a long time, he re put the white cloth into the dark compartment, carefully arranged into the original shape, and then stood up, sat down on the bed next to the empress dowager, removed the fine needle under her neck.

As soon as the Empress Dowager woke up, her eyes stared resentfully at Fan Xian, as if she wanted to eat him. It had been a day and a night, and she couldn’t say a word, couldn’t move, and felt that her life, which was already scarce, seemed to be flowing out of her body, and that fear and anger, which she couldn’t give vent to, was really about to go crazy.

“His Majesty will be returning to the capital the day after tomorrow, and I’ve come to visit Imperial Grandmother.”

Fan Xian looked at her and said after a long time, “Isn’t it surprising? That’s how you realized what a big mistake you made the other day?”

The Empress Dowager’s eyes were shocked, if she had known that His Majesty was still alive, the situation in Kyoto would definitely not be like this now. However, her eyes took on a touch of joy after the shock.

“Don’t be too happy too soon.” Fan Xian patted her wrinkled hand and said in a harmonious voice, “I will let His Majesty see you once and you die. Believe me, even if His Majesty is the most powerful person under the heavens, but in this aspect of medicine, he is inferior to me …… If you don’t believe me, you can try, you can already talk at this time.”

“If you want to have a more dignified death than what you’re having now, please answer a few questions for me.” Fan Xian said, “Who wrote that letter? What was written? And what exactly is the relationship between the …… old Qin family and that incident twenty years ago?”

The eldest princess had told Fan Xian to ask Chen Pingping before she died, and he chose to simply and directly roughly interrogate the empress dowager.

“Don’t think I’m cold-blooded and shameless, think about what you people used to do twenty years ago.” Fan Xian bowed his head and said, “When you come out, you always have to pay back. You are the Empress Dowager, but I’m only afraid you won’t be able to escape the cycle of heavenly justice.”