Chapter 17 Returning to the capital amidst eyes watching from the city gates

For the life and death of the Four Gu Swords, Shadow was more concerned than anyone else, because he was not willing to let the Four Gu Swords die in someone else’s hands, even if it was the merciless hands of the heavens. Many years ago, there was a sudden chaos within the city of Dongyi, and the Four Gu Swords became crazy with their swords, slaughtering all the family elders and relatives, only running out of Shadow, who was only sixteen years old at the time. From the age of sixteen onwards, this life of Shadow’s has continued in the intention of taking revenge on his own brother, gradually sinking into intense fear and anger, and turning into the shadows behind the two leaders of the Supervisory Academy.

I’m afraid that the reason why Four Gu Swords was called a great idiot had to do with the fact that the methods used to slaughter his own people back then were too bloody, and had a great deal of insanity.

Regarding how the shadow escaped Dongyi City, how he met Chen Pingping, and how he was enrolled by Chen Pingping in the Supervisory Academy, and has been loyal and desperate to serve ever since, it might be another long story.

Fan Xian was not very clear about this, nor did he want to inquire too closely, because all the people beside him had their own stories, their own hidden agendas, such as Jing Ge, such as the House of Words, such as the Shadow – but he was clear about the identity that the Shadow had hidden in the deepest part of his being, and knew the blood feud between him and the Four Gu Swords – just as he did with the other people beside him. -Just as he did with the others beside him, Fan Xian and they helped each other, supported each other, and walked in this difficult time.

Fan Xian didn’t turn around and said softly, “I know you’ve been wanting to ask him a question, don’t worry, you’ll be able to.”

After a moment of silence, the shadow disappeared behind Fan Xian, not letting Wang Xulang and Ye Ling’er in the garden notice a single trace.

After a moment of silence, Fan Xian traveled towards the garden, and within a moment, he came between the silent and speechless pair. Wang Thirteen Lang looked up at him, slightly surprised, the South Qing Dynasty is now in the western Liang Road with the grassland huans and the Northern Qi’s support forces in the deadliest fight, a dozen days in a row, Fan Xian because of this matter busy, why at this time but have the leisure to come out to visit the garden?

Ye Ling’er was embroidering the taut embroidered cloth frame with her head down, she had already noticed Fan Xian’s arrival, and instantly jumped out from the quiet, wordless, calm and peaceful atmosphere earlier. With a slight grudge in her heart, her needle speed, which was already extremely slow, became even slower, not like embroidery, but like scratching the taut embroidery cloth with the fine tip of the needle.

Fan Xian stood in the middle of the two, since they do not open their mouths, he could not find any reason to speak, with his hands behind his back, put on a look that everything is clear to the mind, looking at the garden outside the lonely autumn trees of the net tip, pretending to be elegant.

Seeing him so pretentious appearance, Wang Thirteen Lang do not know whether he saw out of his own never declared in the mouth of the heart, eyes slightly messy. Ye Ling’er, on the other hand, after glancing at him, buried her head deeply and gently bit her lower lip.

When the fire had arrived, Fan Xian coughed twice and said, “Wangfei ah, although the scenery of this Qingzhou is good, but every day when you are embroidering in the garden, with the courtyard wall blocking your gaze, how can you not see it, right?”

Hearing the word wangfei, Ye Ling’er thought that Fan Xian, the evil thief, was reminding her of something, her face suddenly paled and she did not respond.

Wang Thirteen Lang was silent, also like Ye Ling’er, guessed wrongly Fan Xian’s meaning, thought just just, although he did not talk much with this Miss Ye family, but also know that the other party is a refreshing temperament of the woman, his heart does have a string by the wind of the Qingzhou rattled, just …… the other party is after all the South Qing Wangfei, this status difference is really some The status difference is really a bit too far.

Fan Xian sighed, turned his head to Wang Thirteen Lang said: “Thirteen ah, although you are seriously injured, need someone to take care of, but after all, men and women have to be careful, especially the Ye family Miss is my Qing King Consort, this garden and no one else to look at, the two of you are sitting opposite each other, always think about my return to the capital, how to the palace to account.”

This was made clear, Wang XIII Lang was sighing a bit tersely earlier, but his disposition was incomparably persistent underneath the gentleness, and with a raised eyebrow, he looked at Fan Xian and said, “I’ll go out of the palace right away.”

Ye Ling’er raised her head in shock and stared fiercely at Fan Xian.

Fan Xian was slightly stunned, and then smiled gently, secretly thinking that this was a Wang XIII Lang who was worthy of allowing himself to be trusted. Ignoring Ye Ling’er’s angry glare beside him, he flipped his palm, drew three circles in the air, and grabbed at the embroidered cloth in front of Ye Ling’er, gently and windlessly, yet extremely fast, the very small tactics that he had made his name on.

Ye Ling’er subconsciously held her fingertips together, and the embroidery needle with the sound of the wind breaking through the air, stabbed down towards Fan Xian’s wrist, the angle was extremely tricky.

This was also a small tactic, just that these tactics were originally taught to her by Fan Xian, and how could she stop Fan Xian from seizing the cloth.

With a flash of shadows, Fan Xian had already snatched the embroidered cloth from her hands and floated over to Wang XIII Lang’s side, saying with a smile, “XIII, I’m just afraid that you’ll fall for it, this Wangfei of ours isn’t a lady of the house who knows how to embroider flowers.”

Wang Thirteen Lang was slightly stunned, not understanding why the Lord of the Tishek would suddenly say this, and then he saw Fan Xian placing the embroidered cloth in front of his eyes, only to see that the cloth was embroidered with …… half a …… water duck?

Ye Ling’er had embroidered for seven whole days in the garden, as far as Wang Thirteen Lang’s eyes could see, and as a result …… only embroidered half a water duck?

Wang Thirteen Lang instantly understood what Fan Xian was referring to as a misunderstanding, and couldn’t help but smile slightly. On the contrary, Fan Xian laughed out loud and said, “The pleasure of a man and a woman is natural, no one can stop you, it’s just that you have to think carefully.”

Ye Ling’er stood up, so angry that she was shaking all over, looking at Fan Xian with great anger, but too embarrassed to say a word, the mist in her eyes gradually rising, looking very pitiful.

Wang Thirteen Lang looked at this woman’s appearance, and for no reason, his heart mourned, naturally restraining his smile, his face full of concern.

Fan Xian slowly stopped laughing, suddenly lowered his voice and said in Wang Thirteen Lang’s ear: “To fall in love, always have to talk about it, so two dumb geese together, even if they sit for a lifetime, what’s the use?”

The words finally came out, Wang X3 Lang knew that this person had come specially to break the layer of paper on the window for himself, while slightly blushing, he couldn’t help but feel grateful, but he couldn’t be as brazen as Fan Xian to say something. Ye Ling’er, on the other hand, did not know what Fan Xian had said, and looked at the whispering duo with a great sense of unease in her heart.

Fan Xian finished what he was supposed to do and leisurely marched towards the front court of the military court, his posture very leisurely, as if he had done something heavenly good and was so proud of himself.

Ye Ling’er looked at his back, for some reason, the bottom of the heart is born a good big unwillingness, lightly hummed, mocking said: “Master, I do not know how to embroider, but this water duck, I am afraid that …… than your family that still want to embroider some good.”

Fan Xian heard this, immediately thought of Wan’er’s fingers in that year on the point of the needle marks, as well as that water duck picture, the body a cold, the face of a big embarrassment, where can still respond to the words, and hurriedly fled.

Looking at this scene, Ye Ling’er giggled, laughter like silver bells echoing in the Qingzhou’s Autumn Garden. But the person next to her did not laugh out loud, and only looked at her with quiet appreciation.

A person dry laugh uninteresting, Ye Ling’er slightly embarrassed to stop laughing, Wang X3 Lang recuperated within the dozen days, she really convergence of their own spontaneous arrogance, seemingly extraordinarily peaceful, did not expect to finally let Fan Xian broke the merit, she did not know that this scene fell in the eyes of that man, will not let him feel that he is too acrimonious, her heart flashed through countless thoughts, the complexity of the emotions in the eyes.

Wang Thirteen Lang’s mood was actually a bit tense, but he covered it extremely well on his face, looking at Ye Ling’er, he said, “My name is Wang Xi, once known as Tie Xiang, I am the Thirteenth Disciple of the Sword Lodge of the Dongyi City, I am grateful for the care of Princess Wang these days.”

Ye Ling’er did not expect that the other party would suddenly open his mouth and would speak so seriously, her heart was slightly chaotic, calming her mind, she returned a salute and said blandly, “Lord Wang is polite.”

To address the other party by his official position, in Ye Ling’er’s opinion, it is much easier and more natural, but she just doesn’t understand, she has already been together for more than ten days, and has only said a dozen words in total, why the other party is so serious about saying thank you at this time.

Could it be that he is really ready to leave the house, or is this all just a dream? Ye Ling’er sighed quietly in her heart. If replaced by an ordinary woman, perhaps at this time will be because of the heart of this touch of ghostly intention and choose to leave, but Ye Ling’er after all is Ye Ling’er, she can not embroider flowers, only dance knife and gun, she is a widow, but still like ten or so years old, wild girl strength full ……

She stared at Wang X3 Lang’s eyes and said, “If you have something to say, where is the need to declare your own home, see you act, but also a straightforward person, don’t learn from Fan Xian that kind of long-winded hypocrisy.”

Wang Thirteen Lang was slightly stunned, and after a long time said seriously, “Little Lord Fan said …… that everything is talked about.”

Ye Ling’er was stunned, understood some of the meaning, and suddenly felt a burst of autumn wind blowing, when it brushed his cheeks, but there was not the slightest bit of sternness, just that hundred percent of gentleness.

Wang X3 Lang and Ye Ling’er’s matter, not as Fan Xian imagined that, after his own pick, will be the golden wind and jade dew a meeting, better than the earth countless, dry firewood a meeting, such as the Yellow River flooding like unmanageable, but out of his expectation, this pair of young men and women, is still that kind of hold each other to be courteous, across the stone path to sit together, only occasionally will say a few more words.

To say also wonderful, Wang XIII Lang and Ye Ling’er temperament are belong to the world first-class characters, especially Ye Ling’er since childhood grew up in the edge of the grassland, compared to all the Kyoto Misses, to be much more cheerful, just once involved in the word love, but also because of the Kyoto that tragedy the year before last, as well as thirteen Lang’s identity, the two will be a little bit of silence.

Will all this in the eyes, Fan Xian heart is not anxious, anyway, the world is always a thousand things, can not ask all men and women in love are like himself, climb the wall over the window sleep flowers like impatient.

And he also did not have time to pay attention to these beautiful things, because in the western Liang Road those not beautiful things, still need him to lead to deal with.

Time quickly into the end of late fall, the beginning of winter, the eight departments of the Supervisory Yuan gathered in Dingzhou City, the prairie on the eight tribes gathered in the royal court deliberations, Qing Guo unusually ruthless to cut off the grassland outstretched hand, as well as the hand of the North Qi reached out to the grassland, coldly watched the situation on the grassland is getting worse and worse up.

The hand that Master Bitter Lotus had laid on the grasslands before his death, and the hand that the young Emperor of Northern Qi had crossed the North Sea, crossed the desert, and touched the borders of the Southern Qing Kingdom over the course of more than a year, gently shook hands at the border between the Western Liang Road and the grasslands.

It only took nearly a year for the handshake to put the Southern Qing court to the test, with the borders unusually tight, and the treasury, military power, and spirit forced to stay in the West, while slowing down the pressure on the real enemy, Northern Qi.

Under the auspices of the Emperor, the Supervisory Yuan spent four months preparing, Fan Xian personally led the team, and finally in the late fall and winter of the ninth year of the Qingli calendar, to cut off these two hands together. The situation on the grassland might not be corrupted to an unmanageable extent under the control of Shan Yu Sibida and Haitang, but I’m afraid it’s not that easy for the little Emperor of Beiqi who still wants to mess with the mountains and the water on the Western Liang Road. Moreover, Fan Xian had also laid down his own forces on the grassland, and when the spring flowers bloomed next year, he would start harvesting the fruits.

After confirming the implementation of the various arrangements and verifying the effectiveness of the battle, Fan Xian finally got out of the extremely busy affairs of the court and began to prepare to return to the capital. Wang Thirteen Lang would not return to the capital with him, for one thing, his injuries were not yet healed, for another, along the way, Fan Xian did not want him to come into contact with Shadow, and for a third, Ye Ling’er’s return to the capital to celebrate the New Year was still half a month late, so it was always good to let these two people stay together for a while longer.

Fan Xian decided things, will rarely change, since he decided to help Ye Ling’er and Wang Thirteen Lang together, naturally have their own grasp, after returning to the capital in the settlement of the family affairs of the grand prince, I’m afraid to go to the Privy Council to the great general Ye to propose marriage, of course, this matter is also first of all the emperor’s nod.

On the fifteenth day of the winter month of the ninth year of the Qingli calendar, the Supervisory Board ended its operations in Xiliang Road, and Fan Xian, the head of the Department of Supervision, set foot on the road back to the capital via Dingzhou. Outside the majestic city of Dingzhou, there were countless officials and generals who came to see him off, densely lined up in two rows.

Li Hongcheng, the Governor and General of Xiliang Road, stood side by side with Fan Xian, and ended the conversation with a few official words. At the very end, Li Hongcheng glanced deeply at Fan Xian, and Fan Xian, knowing what he meant, did not respond, but only said softly, “I will wait for you in Kyoto.”

The caravan departed and drove onto the official road in front of Dingzhou City. Fan Xian subconsciously looked back, not resting his gaze on those officials from both the military and political sides of Dingzhou City, but instead raised his head and looked at the row of wooden shelves on the gates of Dingzhou City.

A whole row of wooden racks nailed to the Dingzhou city above the city gate, each vertical rack is hanging a corpse, this action, a total of more than forty spies executed, these spies still can not live in peace after death, was suspended high above the city gate, let the autumn wind blowing, autumn sun exposure.

Some of the earliest was suspended on the corpse has rotted almost, even the evil birds in the tundra are not willing to peck, revealing the white bones below the vaguely visible, the corpse on the clothes are even more tattered and torn, with the torture after the stains of black blood.

A long row of corpses swayed slowly in the wind on the city gates, reeking of horror and bloodshed, greeting everyone who arrived from it, warning everyone under the sky with this horrific sight.

Fan Xian narrowed his eyes and withdrew his head from the window. Hanging corpses and this kind of thing has its own role in psychological warfare, at least the spies sent over by the little emperor of Northern Qi will at least have some innate fear, it’s just that in the Central Plains, because of the moral and benevolent checks and balances that have been in place for thousands of years, the killing of captives is extremely rare, and as for the defacing of corpses and this kind of practice, it is even more unheard of.

But Dingzhou city is not the central plains, here is the central plains and western Hu war in the key place, both sides killed thousands of years, more cruel things have been done.

Fan Xian had no sympathy for those spies either, because what he had seen along the way from Dingzhou to Qingzhou had already made him realize that once the war started, especially the prolonged hatred between the peoples, there was no way that benevolence, righteousness and morality could be the solution to the problem, let’s just say that those dozens of corpses that were hanging from the city gates cost Qing Guo at least thousands of deaths of the civilian population, and even more cold-heartedly for Fan Xian was that these people were not Hu people but were of the same origin and same race as the Qing Guo people of the same origin, same race, and same ancestry as the people of Northern Qi.

As for the hatred between the grasslands and the Central Plains, his own generation was not capable of resolving it peacefully, so let’s leave it to wiser generations to come.

Fan Xian began to close his eyes, secretly thinking, he chopped off the hand that Beiqi held with the grassland, at least it was a heavy chopping wound, only that he also chopped out a miserable wound between himself and Haitang, I don’t know that this wound may be healed in the future, I don’t know what Haitang will do in the grassland, this grassland, this majestic city, that border, will he come back again in this life?

Just like this gloomy thought, the car of the imperial police has come to the nearest post station outside the city of Dingzhou, which is exactly the place where Fan Xian peeped into a spring palace that day.

When he entered the station, Fan Xian flirted with the familiar post master, but the post master, who had been released from prison with great difficulty, did not dare to answer loudly and honestly went to boil water.

Fan Xian looked at Deng Ziyue beside him and said, “Ziyue, you’ll have to stay in Xiliang Road for two more years.”

The eight divisions of the Supervisory Yuan all had important members to come to Dingzhou to supervise the war, and Deng Ziyue was even called back from Northern Qi by Fan Xian, now that Fan Xian had left, the matter of Xiliang Road was all handed over to Deng Ziyue, and the officials sent the imperial envoys out of the city to return, but the officials of the Supervisory Yuan were sent to the post station all the time.

Deng Ziyue nodded and said, “Listen to your honor’s arrangements.”

Fan Xian thought briefly and gave him a few words of explanation about something, then read the Di Di report from Kyoto, and after a few moments of work, his eyes narrowed slightly. Deng Ziyue, as the second head of the Qinian group, had served young Lord Fan for a very long time, and as soon as he saw his eyes narrowed, he knew that some trouble was afoot, and softly inquired.

Fan Xian smiled and said, “There was a mention in the courtyard newspaper, and the Di Di newspaper finally confirmed that the commander of the forbidden army in the palace has been replaced.”

Deng Ziyue’s heart was shocked, secretly thinking that the Great Palace Emperor has always presided over the forbidden army in a stable manner, how could he suddenly change the person?