Chapter 29: Spring Comes and I Go

Sable coat is very warm, looking at that gradually disappeared in the snow and wind silhouette, Fan Xian’s heart is also very warm, his life is really a bit thrilling, hooked up, although full but makes the heart a little tired, and to be able to socialize with simple and pure characters, is really a very rare enjoyment.

Retracted to the distant snowflakes in the gaze, Fan Xian suddenly heart, produced some kind of very wonderful feeling, it seems that next spring the sword hut the last time to open the hut, he may be able to get some never had experience.

He walked over to the black carriage, raised his right knee, and lowered his head to scrape the snowy slush on the bottom of his boots very carefully on the steps of the carriage, slagging. While scraping the snow, he pondered in silence for a long time before lifting the thick cotton curtains of the carriage and dipping his head inside. A hot wind came to his face, and inside the expansive inspectorate carriage, the special small heater was releasing a spring-like atmosphere, which was completely two worlds compared to the freezing cold outside the carriage.

Fan Xian took the towel, dusted off the snowflakes on his fur collar, and said, “The people have gone far away, so we can go back, right?”

Ye Ling’er took the towel from him and lowered her head, her long eyelashes trimming those bright eyes and the complex emotions in them. She said softly, “It’s not like I came to send him off.”

“Not to send off 13th Brother, is it to accompany me to enjoy the snow?” Fan Xian said without any good humor, “I really don’t understand how you guys really think, it’s been more than a month now, and you’re still acting like the way you were in Qingzhou City when we first met.”

“Master, I’m not thinking anything.” Ye Ling’er raised her head and said very seriously.

“The Four Gu Swords will be dying next year, and there are two factions of opinions split within Dong Yi City that are arguing. Wang Thirteen Lang will only have to be annoyed when he returns to Dong Yi this time, and even though he is the Four Gu Swords’ favorite shut-in disciple, he doesn’t have much of a network after all.” After Fan Xian thought about it, he slowly said, “I’m only afraid that we’ll end up in a fight.”

“You can’t help him? He’s done so much for the Supervisory Court.” Ye Ling’er asked with slight trepidation.

“This doesn’t need to be said by you. He’s someone who works for me, so of course I have to give him something in return.” Fan Xian said, “The Four Gu Swords gave me a sincere enough attitude, and although this old monster definitely doesn’t want to make any deals with His Majesty, there shouldn’t be any problem talking to me about trading.”

He suddenly looked at Ye Ling’er and said softly, “The problem is that after he goes back to Dong Yi, he’ll probably settle there for a long time, have you thought about that.”

“Why should I think about this?” Ever since the death of the second prince, Ye Ling’er hadn’t regained the sprightly and sparse demeanor she had back then, but had become much more silent and mature, and although she still talked and laughed uninhibitedly in front of Fan Xian and these acquaintances, both Fan Xian and Lin Wan’er could see the shadow at the deepest recesses of the woman’s heart.

It wasn’t until after meeting with Wang Thirteen Lang in Qingzhou and exchanging a pair of views that Ye Ling’er’s emotions seemed to have been freed from the military and horses at the border. Fan Xian was happy to see this change, but he also knew that with Wang Xulang’s status, things were indeed very difficult for the two.

He shook his head and stopped elaborating on the issue. Rather, it was Ye Ling’er who, because of her own mind, thought of the tsubo matter that had been troubling these young people recently, and looked at Fan Xian and asked in a small way, “Ruo Ruo that matter is dragging on like this?”

The moment this matter was mentioned, Fan Xian was in a state of lawsuit, originally he thought that King Jing’s father and son would step forward to play the black face, and His Majesty the Emperor would push the boat into the water and take back this confusing marriage, but he didn’t expect that the Emperor would be so stubborn, and on the pretext that the Fan family had already refused King Jing’s request for marriage, he simply didn’t pay attention to all these commotions.

“Let’s drag this out first. With the faces of so many of us added together, there’s always some weight, and His Majesty can’t force it forward.” Fan Xian pursed his lips, thinking that if his sister was willing to marry Hong Cheng, then this matter would be much better, and at least in front of His Majesty, it would make sense to argue.

“I am unaware of this person, He Zongwei, but I heard that he has a good reputation, and I don’t know where you are getting so much anger from.” Ye Ling’er said casually.

“Anger?” Fan Xian laughed without saying anything, and said vaguely, “If the two He Fan clans are joined in marriage, won’t it become a boxed meal?”

“What kind of rice?”

“Eight treasures rice.”

“By the way, today, Da Duke Wang is hosting a banquet at the One Stone Residence. Wan Er asked me to remind you not to arrive late.” Ye Ling’er said seriously.

Fan Xian’s heart stared before he remembered this Chunzi anecdote. That is to say, in order for the great prince to get a side consort, Fan Xian’s courageous character took over the important task of disciplining the Wang family’s eldest young lady, only to be immediately followed by the palace’s arranged marriage, Fan Xian’s anger under the Yin, speaking lessons will not leave much room for maneuver, and will be Wang Tieli’s anger so great that she howled out of the mansion, and also the Kyoto guard Shi Fei generals were offended quite a bit.

He had thought that after this lesson, Wang Tiel will be angry, no longer refused to go to the house, I did not expect that after a few days, Wang Tiel even begged Shi Fei again to take her into the Fan House, pleading with Lord Fan to accept his own as a student, and the words earnestly, that he has changed a lot, no longer dare to act like the former that way.

The Wang family’s eldest young lady suddenly became so understanding, but it is bluffed Fan Xian a big jump, thinking that this unruly young lady seems to really love the great prince, otherwise it would not be so condescending to himself.

Today was the second day of Yanjing Governor Wang Zhikun’s return to the capital to report on his duties, and the Governor personally invited Fan Xian to a banquet, wanting to thank him for disciplining his children on his behalf.

“This Wang Tiel is a fan of yours.” Fan Xian frowned, “Have you ever seen it?”

Ye Ling’er could guess what fan meant, and said with a helpless smile, “I did see it many years ago, when she was just a seven or eight year old yellow-haired little girl, who would’ve thought that she would grow up to become so temperamental.”

“Much better behaved now.” Fan Xian closed his eyes and said, “It seems that all young ladies are the same, all have masochism, and if you don’t beat them hard for a few moments, you will never listen to reason.”

Ye Ling’er’s face was embarrassed, thinking of the old events in Kyoto back then, she glared fiercely at Fan Xian and said, “Is this talking about me?”

Fan Xian still had his eyes closed, but a faint smile floated at the corner of his lips as he said, “Back then, you were going to fight and then confess, but now you’re not fighting.”

The carriage slowly turned back towards Kyoto right in the middle of their conversation, squeezing the snow and ice on the road and traveling along the deep tracks. Fan Xian felt that the heat in the carriage was a bit too much, and lifted a corner of the window, hoping to let in some cool winter breeze, but his eyes glimpsed the silver branches and snowy trees all the way along the carriage window, a clear and beautiful scenery.

He stared at the scene in a daze, but could not help but associate it with himself. He Zongwei that is not good too forced, but he is not how to worry, to be resolved next year Dongyi City thing, for the Qing dynasty to make a great credit, the emperor again how to carve harshly widowed, I’m afraid that also can not bear to force themselves again.

But the snow and wind along the way, the horse is difficult to move forward, Fan Xian suddenly felt like a horse in the emperor’s set, forced to work hard to break through the snow and wind, dragging a huge carriage, toward the far away, and that far away does not necessarily be the place where the horse wants to go.

He took a deep breath, letting the cold wind cool his chest and the heart hidden within it, and lowered the curtain of the carriage, closing his eyes to meditate. Regardless of whether it was Western Liang or Eastern Barbarians, he had fought so hard, but in fact, he was acting as a pawn for the emperor, and he did not want to change all of that, because in the entire world, the only one that he did not have the courage to challenge for the time being was this unfathomable emperor’s old man.

If Uncle Wuzhu and the box were still around, the situation would have changed dramatically, only that change was not necessarily for the better. Fan Xian shook his head, shaking away this annoying possibility, although Uncle Wu Zhu was nominally his servant, he was actually his closest relative, and everyone needed to find the most important thing in their life.

It was good to see that this Emperor’s Majesty had changed a great deal, and judging by his recent gamble with Fan Xian and Prince Jing, while it was extremely excessive, it at least showed a few hints of his popularity – or rather, his old man’s odor. Regardless of which scent it was, it at least confirmed that this His Majesty was beginning to come out from the altar of the gods and was no longer a vapid, glowing figure high above the heavens.

Winter turns to spring, and crap again. Well, anyway, on a bright spring day. The Kingdom of Qing had long since sent away the countless snowfalls that had fallen in a blur, ushering in the warmer weather, the first green shoots, the serene emerald blossoms.

And Yanjing, the first county in the northeastern part of the Qing Kingdom, ushered in a line of extraordinarily important teams. It was already March, and the green trees on both sides of the official road were waving in the spring breeze, like children holding bouquets of flowers and shouting welcome. It seems that even these plants know the importance of this line.

Yanjing is located in the northern part of the country, from Kyoto straight through the Banshan Mountains and then turn north, through a parallel official road leading to Cangzhou, stretching to the northeast, and then arrived at this large city. This place in a few decades ago, or Wei a city, the history of Nanjing, only by the great emperor of Qing Guo hard down, renamed Yanjing, take the meaning of swallow mud and back.

As for the Yanjing hometown in more than a thousand years ago, whether or not the ancestors of Qing Guo’s territory, this is no one knows. But the name of Yanjing, at least gave Qing a righteous name, coupled with this place of the former people of the people of the meek, more in the ruler of the conversion of the life between, not too strong national feelings, so the Qing only ruled for thirty years, but also ruled into a familiar place, just like a Qing a capital.

Yanjing is very big, very prosperous, and the city of east barbarians controlled by ten vassals border, especially with the song is close to snuggle, if the kingdom intends to conquer the east barbarians, the army will be from yanjing out, so two decades, yanjing a place of the border soldiers, is the elite of the elite of the Qing military, and the west of the cool of the state army, more north of the northern battalion near the Cangzhou and called.

Yanjing is the largest city ever laid down by Qing, is the best proof of Qing Emperor’s martial arts, so the court has always been extremely attentive to this place, not only in the military invested a lot of manpower, material and financial resources, in the political affairs are also treated exceptionally, in the Yanjing civil officials, are up half a rank, and even the six Yamen, in the city of Yanjing is also specialized in the preparation of the sub-department.

Such favorable treatment, everyone knows why, because this place to the east is the city of Dongyi, to the north through the Cangzhou is the North Qi, the South Qing intended to unify the world, Yanjing City will be the origin of the army offensive and the front base camp.

Emperor Qing has been preparing for this matter for thirty years, naturally, Yanjing will be operated like an iron bucket, no one knows exactly how much grain and weapons are stored in the city.

Nowadays, the military head of Yanjing City is Grand Governor Wang Zhikun, this person has always been deeply trusted by Emperor Qing, Qingli seven years of civil unrest within the country, Yanjing Battalion played an absolutely important role in stabilizing the country, and it is also because of the strong strength of Yanjing Battalion, lost Yan Xiaoyi Cangzhou North Battalion will be so smoothly taken over by Shi Fei, and all the way to the East Mountain Road officials, there is not even any power to fight back.

And Yanjing city’s civil guard leader is also an important person, surnamed Mei Li, is when the Duke of Liu’s disciples, as early as six or seven years ago, has already served as Kyoto Prefect, and then followed the promotion, came to Yanjing, now has long been the second grade of the local officials, only half a level lower than the Governor of the road.

Today, these two big names are waiting outside of Yanjing smiling, and the officials beside the subordinates, but not the slightest surprise look, because these officials and generals know, although this team is not His Majesty’s imperial chariot, but and the imperial chariot is almost the same level, and the Wang Da Dudu’s young lady is also in the caravan.

Amidst the sound of silk and bamboo, countless standing cards marched past, sword-carrying eunuchs marched past, and the convoy stopped in front of the greeting officials. A young official wearing a black official uniform with a yellowish ribbon around his waist lifted the curtain and came in front of the crowd.

The person was Fan Xian, who had come with the status of an imperial envoy, so he was not surprised to see the battle in front of him, but only laughed bitterly, accompanied Governor Wang and Lord Mei to fulfill the procedures seriously, and only then breathed a sigh of relief, asking the two Lords to get up, and then saluted himself.

Wang Zhikun and Mei Zhili even said dare not, although these two are powerful party officers, but met this young master, know or respect some good, or who knows how the future will have a miserable end.

I heard that the court that just red He adult days, not very good ah ……

Wang Zhikun returned to Kyoto in the winter to report on his duties, and Fan Xian met twice, naturally not a stranger, especially because Fan Xian this trip on the way to bring back Wang Tieli, and the identity of Wang Tieli’s personal teacher, so Wang Zhikun seemed particularly warm to him, polite, but also deliberately added a few points of self-consciousness.

Fan Xian watched the scene with a smile on his face, guessing that this military grandee was deliberately showing Lord Mei. The military and government offices, whether in Dingzhou or Yanjing, would have some friction, and Governor Wang must have thought that with himself as a backer in the court, Mei Zhili, a cadre of civil officials, should be a bit more vigilant.

Mei Zhili laughed twice from the sidelines, then came forward and said to Fan Xian, “How is the boss?”

Fan Xian said earnestly, “Father is living comfortably in Tanyu, and the Duke of State’s old man’s health is also still good.”

The Duke of State mentioned in these words was none other than Liu’s father, Mei Zhili’s teacher. Wang Zhikun watched this scene from the sidelines and muttered in his heart, then he realized that old man Mei and young Lord Fan had known each other for a long time.

Fan Xian and Mei Zhi Li are indeed old acquaintances, when Fan Xian entered the capital the first sensational thing, it was under the eyes of Mei Zhi Li, the street fist fight Guo Baokun, Mei Zhi Li but to the Fan House helped a lot.

“You do not stay in the dynasty, but you have to run to Yanjing to do what?” Fan Xian asked with a smile.

Mei Zhili lowered his voice and laughed, “Where is the prefect of Kyoto? It’s better to run farther away.”

The old and the young laughed out loud, Mei Zhili looked at Wang Zhikun with an indescribable smugness, thinking that if you go through Tanyu Gong’s doorway, you are relying on your own daughter, but I am relying on his parents, so who is close to him and who is distant from him, you can see for yourself.

Fan Xian lost his smile and said, “You said this …… I see that Mr. Sun does not find it difficult.”

This statement, is Wang Zhikun also can not help but stroke his beard and laughed, thinking that the little lord really mean ruthless, nowadays the officialdom who does not know this because of the disaster of the Kyoto Prefect Sun Jingxiu, if not his daughter sold him, I’m afraid that he has long been dead, of course, the officialdom every time to talk about this matter, will not be able to help but thieves to discuss a little bit, that the great righteousness of the Sun Miss, in the end, by the little lord Fan scourge to what To what extent was that Miss Sun scourged by little Lord Fan, that she was actually able to do such a thing.

Fan Xian’s trip to Yanjing was just passing through, his main purpose was to go to Dongyi City to attend the last opening of the Four Gu Swords’ Sword Lodge. The whole world knows, this time open the hut, probably this great master last time to meet with the world, and this open the hut ceremony is also extremely grand, not only is the city of Dongyi and the city of those vassals around the small countries have their own nobles to go to see the salute, that is, the north qi south celebration of the world’s two major forces, have been invited.

Everyone is guessing, the four Gu sword is probably to borrow this last time to open the hut, to decide the East Barbarians will be cast in the future. So both the Northern Qi and Southern Qing courts didn’t dare to slack off and sent their representatives, and Fan Xian, because of Wang XIII Lang, of course became the representative of Southern Qing.

As for the fact that the imperial honor guard would bring Wang Tiel back to Yanjing by the way, it was because the matter of the grand prince’s side consort had been finalized, and in June, it would be ready to be inducted, only that the side consort’s reputation was always bad, and his majesty, for the sake of Wang Zhikun’s family’s face, had paid extra attention to letting the young lady return home first, and then picking up the young lady from a long distance back to Kyoto. In Fan Xian’s opinion, this is purely a case of having too much to eat and nothing to do, but the Wang family was so overjoyed with the holy grace that they had to tire themselves out.

That night, Fan Xian and his entourage rested in the Governor’s Mansion, and after Wang Tiel joyfully bowed to Fan Xian, she ran back to her boudoir and waited for the sisters to teach the rules of marriage.

At the banquet, Wang Zhikun looked at Fan Xian with some embarrassment and said, “These past few months, I’ve really bothered the young duke.”

The Grand Metropolitan Governor knew in his heart, the attitude of the Great Hall of Justice towards the matter of taking a side consort, although he admired the Great Hall of Justice and was willing for his daughter to marry the other party, but as a father, he was always worried about his own daughter, and he knew very well that if Little Lord Fan hadn’t taken up the matter, he was afraid that things would have been much more troublesome.

Fan Xian smiled and did not say anything about this matter, dropping his eyes and asking softly, “Who was the person who went to Northern Qi?”