Chapter 444: When One Is In A Temple, One Has No Choice
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“What do we do?” That strange expression in Fei Jie’s eyes became stronger. His messy hair was like a burning flame. “Who knows what we should do. Only, Director, I must remind you, even if you hide yourself deeper, you’ve already implicated so many people. If anything goes wrong in the future, the Emperor is sure to suspect you.”
Chen Pingping gently patted his knee that was like frozen wood. He stretched out two fingers and slightly bent one. “The situation you describe…if the Emperor wins, only then is it possible for him to suspect me. I have never denied this point because the reality is that although I know 99 percent of the secrets in this world, there is still that 1 percent I can’t touch.”
“For example, the Emperor’s heart.”
“Thus, I have chosen to sever it, otherwise it is not enough to convince him, not enough to let that child continue living on happily after the matter.”
Severance needed to use blood and fire, it needed to use the truest aura of death to sever. Fei Jie was an old person who had come through that past, and he had long been in an elevated position in the Overwatch Council. Without question, he was the most knowledgeable person about Chen Pingping’s true thoughts in this world. Although Fei Jie was still confused about the Director’s final goal, he immediately understood the word “sever.”
After many years, the killing in the valley would be like a layer of paper as well as a piece of cloth, a piece of black cloth. It would hide Chen Pingping’s heart, shielding a young man from the suspicious gaze of the person on the dragon chair.
“What if the Emperor fails?” This was the problem Fei Jie was most worried about. After all, the Emperor was Fan Xian’s old man. If he won, then at least the presently seemingly loyal Fan Xian would not have too big a problem. However, once the Eldest Princess’ side won, if Fan Xian wanted to die, he probably wouldn’t be able to die in a good way.
“Don’t underestimate Fan Xian.” Chen Pingping bent back the last finger. His not very large right hand clenched into a hard fist. “Fan Xian is just like this fist. He has strength, and his five fingers are all pulled into the palm like strokes of foreshadowing. I’m not exactly sure of what this child is thinking of in his heart, but I can faintly guess.”
“When fingers are left outside, they are easily chopped off by others. It’s much safer to have them clenched into a fist. At any time, it could spring out and suddenly strike someone.” Chen Pingping laughed sharply. “If we old men don’t die, how could the Eldest Princess, that crazy woman, easily control the world? Why has Fan Xian sent both his brother and sister to Northern Qi and have also done so many things in secret with them? Is it not to prepare for all this? He can hide his thoughts from other people, does he think he can hide it from me?”
These words were true. Fan Xian still relied on the Overwatch Council resources to secretly transfer his power to the North. As a senior in the Overwatch Council, how could Chen Pingping not guess it?
Chen Pingping lowered his head slightly and pulled up the lamb wool blanket on his knee. “This child actually thinks further ahead than anyone else in court. His escape is also set up more solidly than anyone else. I dare to bet that even if he cannot stay in the South Kingdom anymore in the future, this world will still have him. The foundation in Northern Qi is still there. You think about it yourself.”
Fei Jie opened wide his mouth and couldn’t say anything for a moment. After a long while, he faintly sighed, “This is treason.”
Chen Pingping smiled mockingly. “The country will no longer be a country.
What treason is there? Besides, for that child, there is truly nothing to regret in leaving this country.”
Fei Jie understood how the Director felt in his heart, but he still couldn’t help but shake his head. “Has Fan Xian already grasped the secret of the palace treasury?”
“I’m not sure,” Chen Pingping lowered his head and said. “However, he stayed in Jiangnan for a year. If that kid wasn’t thinking of ways to bring the industrial arts of the palace treasury into his hands, I don’t believe it.”
If Fan Xian was present at this moment, he would certainly be prostrate on the ground with admiration for the old cripple. All his thoughts had been completely guessed by the other party.
“If there really is great unrest in the future and Fan Xian directly threw in his lot with Northern Qi,” Chen Pingping sighed, “even if the Qing court is very unhappy, could the Eldest Princess along with the Ye and Qin families alone be able to wipe out Northern Qi? As one falls, another rise. The fate of the nation changes. I’m afraid the big picture is going to collapse.”
Fei Jie shook his head. “It’s only the palace treasury. Even if Fan Xian has the power to control half of the industrial arts, he can only help the Northern Qi court earn a bit of money. It won’t change anything.”
“It won’t change anything?” Chen Pingping huffed through his nose. “In this world, there is nothing more important than money. Back then, the Mistress said this…only, the Mistress was not as greedy and ruthless as Fan Xian.”
“Would Fan Xian really do this?” Fei Jie sighed. “After all, he is one of the Qing people. I don’t believe he would go help an enemy country.”
He continued, “Then he might as well choose to stand with the Emperor and help the Emperor properly sort out the court. To go to a foreign country as a guest official, even in such a country as Northern Qi, one is nothing more than a favored official without freedom. What benefit is there?”
“It is very strange.” Chen Pingping smiled slightly. “Although I have never spoken openly to him about it, and I trust that Fan Jian has also not said anything, Fan Xian seems to have had a long-hidden preoccupation regarding the Emperor. This child can endure, to the point that I have only recently realized. Since there is a preoccupation, then it makes sense that he has long been searching for a path of retreat…it was so for Fan Ruoruo and Fan Sizhe. If, earlier in the year, Minister Fan had truly quit his post, I think Fan Xian would have directly arranged for him to retire to Danzhou.”
“Danzhou is a good location. It only takes a few days to take a boat to Dongyi, and there is no way for the Qing Navy to stop them. From Dongyi, it is even closer to Northern Qi.”
Fei Jie shook his head. “That thinking is too unlikely. No matter how clever Fan Xian is, he is still nothing more than an almost 20-year-old young man. How could he calculate things so far into the future? Besides, like I said earlier, Northern Qi is a foreign country. What confidence does he have that he can obtain the trust of Northern Qi’s royal family? Is it not good that his old man is the Emperor? Why would he insist on being someone else’s official?”
“This is only my guess.” Chen Pingping blinked his slightly tired eyes. “Who knows how the future will develop? However, as for whether or not Northern Qi will accept a runaway official from the South Kingdom, I think Fan Xian has some idea of this in his heart. At least, for the next few years, he doesn’t have to think about this problem. Don’t forget that village girl named Haitang. Fan Xian spent a lot of effort to trick this girl, whose appearance is not startling at all, onto his side. To say that this kid doesn’t have any kind of scheming ideas, I won’t believe it.
Would Fan Xian, who was far away in Jingdou recovering, feel very wronged?
“As for the Northern Qi royal family…” Chen Pingping furrowed his brows. “The empress dowager won’t be able to hold on for much longer. Ku He has not said anything at all, and the most powerful younger generation in her maternal family has already thrown in their lot with the little Emperor. In another few years, the little Emperor in Northern Qi will have all the power in his hands. And, for some reason, that little Emperor really trusts Fan Xian. To relinquish control over so much silver…I don’t understand, I don’t understand.”
How rare, for there to be things that even Chen Pingping could not understand.
“In any case, there are all things in the future.” Chen Pingping coughed and a comforted expression appeared on his face. “Perhaps, no, not perhaps, at that time, I will be long dead, so what’s the point worrying about so much? I am just very gratified that Fan Xian did not disappoint my upbringing.”
“In the courtyard, I once said some things to him. I wanted him to put his goals higher.”
“He’s done well. Although he often has problems in the details, his preparations in constructing the big picture are done well.” Chen Pingping’s expectations for Fan Xian had been met. “Making trouble here and there in Jingdou is only the matter of one country. Now, his heart is already thinking about the world. By this point alone, he is one step above Li Yunrui. He is beginning to come near our great Emperor.”
Fei Jie thought for a while and said, “You’ve confused me again today. I only wanted to ask about the killing in the valley, I didn’t think we would start talking about the world.”
Chen Pingping smiled and said, “I think, at this time, it’s best for you to go to the Fan manor to have a look at your disciple’s injuries.”
Fei Jie shook his head and prepared to leave.
Chen Pingping suddenly said, “Tell him, he can’t leave, at least while I’m still alive.”
…
…
Fan Xian was not thinking of leaving. Those preparation were just a last resort escape, just in case. Moving between the three large workshops in North Ming and Hangzhou, and facing great danger, Seventh Ye allowed him to quietly copy a thick palace treasury file. He had no plans to take this right now and cast in his lot with Northern Qi.
He wasn’t that stupid. Although he didn’t know why the little Emperor in Northern Qi liked him so much, he knew that his roots were in Qing Kingdom. If he was able to live so freely in Qing Kingdom, only an idiot would join a never-ending fight across the country. However, he had to have an escape ready.
Besides, in Qing Kingdom’s Jingdou and rural areas there were still many enemies and foes. If he didn’t clean up these people didn’t help the Third Prince onto the throne, and didn’t ensure Qing Kingdom was still peaceful and calm, how could he be willingly let go?
It was similar to how Chen Pingping was not satisfied. Although under the old man’s teaching Fan Xian had learned to look at the big picture, in his heart, he was still not satisfied.
In reality, if Fan Xian wanted to let go, it was very simple. He just had to wait for Uncle Wu Zhu to recover and come back, then he and Uncle Wu Zhu could leave on their own. They would head west from Quanzhou on a boat and go see the sights, find some of those extremely mysterious but also extremely stupid magicians to have a fight, and meet some foreign girls, that would be extremely joyous.
Even the Emperor, Ye Liuyun, Sigu Jian, Ku He…the three great powers under heaven probably wouldn’t dare stop them lightly. Even the military couldn’t hold down this master and servant pair at some location.
However, stopping was often not because of their feet, but because of some tie on their hearts. Fan Xian was someone who had a wife and concubines, as well as father, grandmother, brothers and sisters, friends, subordinates, trusted aides…
When one is on the jianghu, one has no choice. In reality, when one is in a temple, one also often has no choice.
Unable to easily pull himself out and leave, Fan Xian chose to stay. He valiantly expanded his power and prepared his escape. At any moment, he was ready to fight to the death in this dangerous court with those who dared harm his power.
When he was lying in bed and heard his teacher relating Chen Pingping’s final words, although his heart was shocked at the old cripple’s eyes that were bright like torches, his face was calm. The corners of his lips twitched up, and he mockingly said, “Is the old man muddled, saying all this nonsense? Where can I go?”
Fei Jie glanced at his proudest disciple and found that this kid’s words seemed to be coming from his heart. He also felt that Director Chen seemed to have made this overly complicated. He treated everyone under heaven as if they were an old fox like him. Although he was the poison Great Grandmaster, he was very lacking in some ways compared to Chen Pingping. In some ways, he wasn’t even as good as Fan Xian, so he didn’t see, at all, that the little fox’s smile was actually very sweet.
“Let me look at your injury.”
Fan Xian shook his head and smiled. “Teacher, if I can’t even heal such a small wound, wouldn’t that be losing you all your face?”
He suddenly remembered something and took out a leather enveloped from beside him and handed it to Fei Jie. Fei Jie took it in his hand and asked, “What is this?”
Fan Xian was silent for a moment then said, “I looked in Hangzhou for half a year and found a few medicines. They seemed to be able to counteract the aggressiveness in the Iced Smoke. It might allow Wan’er to be able to have children. However, I don’t really trust myself, so I wanted to ask teacher to have a look for me.”
Fei Jie was silent. He thought to himself that this kid had just barely survived in the valley. At this moment, Jingdou was a chaotic mess and no one knew what the Palace and the Overwatch Council were going to do. Who would have thought this kid actually had the leisure to remember to help his wife develop a medicine. Of course, Fei Jie knew that Lin Wan’er would be unable to have children after using Iced Smoke, he had long felt embarrassed to see Fan Xian. Seeing that he had spoken openly, he couldn’t help but feel awkward.
Fan Xian smiled warmly. “Teacher, don’t think too much into it. You worked hard to cure Wan’er’s tuberculosis, and I am endlessly grateful for that. Actually, I don’t mind that much, however, Wan’er wants a child very much, so I’ll have to trouble you to worry some more.”
Fei Jie sighed and agreed. He had suddenly realized a fact. He had originally planned to go to Chen Garden to have an accounting with Director Chen and get justice for Fan Xian. However, in the end, he had been convinced by the Director to come to the Fan manor to be a scout. In the end, he hadn’t said anything in Fan Xian’s bedroom and had been instructed by Fan Xian to make a medicine.
Hurrying back and forth, he hadn’t managed to do nothing all day. Fei Jie felt a bit angry. He stared into Fan Xian’s eyes and said, “I can’t be bothered to guess at what you and that old devil is thinking of. If you two have anything to say, it’s best to say it face to face.”
Fan Xian chuckled and said, “I’m going to Chen Garden tomorrow.”
“You’re still injured,” Fei Jie said worriedly. “Furthermore, after you were attacked, the Emperor was angry, but the investigation has not made any progress…talk is flying around Jingdou and it’s not very calm. I don’t think it’s appropriate for you to be leaving your manor and Jingdou at this time.
Fan Xian calmly said, “Teacher, relax. I’ll never give anyone the opportunity to harm me again.”
…
…
The next day, still outside the Chen Garden, that wooden door opened slowly. The countless Overwatch Council killers and various traps hidden outside the Chen Garden didn’t feel a glimmer of wariness about the visitor.
Perhaps it was because that the young official who came was also sitting in a wheelchair.
Fan Xian sat in the wheelchair and slightly tilted his body, avoiding the pain from the injury on his back. He allowed the old servant to push him down the stone steps.
Chen Pingping also sat in a wheelchair with a lamb wool blanket on his knees.
Fan Xian slightly turned his head and looked with great amusement at the old cripple. The old cripple also looked with great amusement at the appearance of Fan Xian in a wheelchair. Then, the two people smiled at the same time.
