Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Even though Wang Tong’er had blocked off the front doors of the manor and cursed at him for half the day, the prince still perfectly maintained the image of a mature man. Talking with Fan Xian, he still had not said a single vicious thing about the young girl. Although she was the daughter of the Yanjing Governor, the Great Prince was also a proper and authentic Noble Prince of the Realm. The difference between their statuses was enough that he did not need to consider much. He still did his best to maintain a peaceful state of mind.
After listening to Fan Xian’s words, he didn’t follow by criticizing her for being dastardly. He only furrowed his brows and said, “Why would you accept her as a student?”
“I don’t believe you can’t guess it.” Fan Xian smiled. “It is because I am worried about a little cheetah coming into the manor where there is already a tigress. If I can teach this young lady to be reasonable and sensible, then what is there to be afraid of when taking her in?”
Weaving to and fro, Fan Xian was still urging the Great Prince to take on a Secondary fei. The Great Prince said in anger, “I really don’t know where your usually admirable taste has gone to say she is a good choice.”
“What is wrong with her?” Fan Xian restrained his smile. “You should know without me reminding you that your roots are in the military. She is the daughter of Wang Zhikun. If you take her in as a Secondary fei, your connection to the military will grow. Don’t forget, although your reputation in the military is good, what used to be the Western Expedition Army has long been disbanded. You can no longer return to Dingzhou. You have also been removed from the position of Commander of the Imperial Army.”
“This is what father wants.” The Great Prince’s emotions cooled. “I would never have thought that your calculations would be the same as father’s.”
Fan Xian raised his brows and sat down. “Everyone understands what the Emperor means to do. There has to be a woman to enter the manor to keep an eye on the position of wangfei. If you don’t want wangfei to be deposed, then having Wang Tong’er enter the manor is a bit better than having someone else.”
The Great Prince stared at him in confusion. He wondered why Fan Xian’s intentions would change so drastically and why he firmly believed that Wang Tong’er was the best choice. He had to know that Wang Tong’er had a deep background. With the Yanjing military faction giving her their support in addition to the Emperor’s secret blessing, once this woman entered the manor, she would immediately threaten wangfei’s position.
“The reason I say that Wang Tong’er is a good choice is because the girl truly likes you,” Fan Xian said. “Although her personality is bold and ruthless, she is a girl who will clear a path as she walks. These kinds of people look annoying, but they’re actually relatively easy to handle. You don’t want your new Secondary fei to be like the Eldest Princess, gentle on the surface but actually a sinister and ruthless person.”
The Great Prince thought about it and realized it was the truth. Wang Tong’er dared to come to the manor to make a fuss before the Palace had even announced an edict. She was indeed not a girl to do things behind his back. He thought some more and said with his brows still pulled together, “But, she is just a 15-year-old kid who knows nothing. What if she waves a cleaver around every day after entering the manor, then what?”
“We can’t openly oppose the Emperor’s wishes.” Fan Xian looked into his eyes and consoled in a quiet voice. “We can try to deal with it in a different way. As for whether Wang Tong’er will make a scene in the future, that will depend on how well I teach her and how well you two deal with her.”
He took a sip of tea and suddenly felt that his heart was becoming harder and harder. He laughed self-mockingly and said, “It’s still that old saying, Wang Tong’er likes you. As long as enters the manor, she will view you as the sky. Whether a person is satisfied or not depends on their desires. If it’s a young lady from a different family, perhaps you won’t be satisfied until she becomes wangfei. With Wang Tong’er, I think she’ll be satisfied just married to you.”
The Great Prince glanced at him noncommittally and said lightly, “How can you be so certain of a girl’s thoughts? If I actually take her into the manor, once she disrupts the manor, are you going to tidy up?”
“I’ll come if I have to.” Fan Xian shrugged. “When it comes to the thoughts of women, there is no one else in the world who can compare to me. You must have confidence in me in this.”
The Great Prince thought Fan Xian’s words were not an exaggeration, especially considering how many girls he had charmed with “Story of the Stone.” Plus, he already had glorious accomplishments in his life. Not only had he charmed his favorite sister to love him to death, he had also charmed Northern Qi’s Tianyi Dao saint girl to be beside herself. One knew that his judgments had some merit.
“I just don’t understand why the young lady is so stuck on me. You have to know, we only met once that day Shi Fei hosted his banquet.” The Great Prince stared at Fan Xian. “To like at first sight… If it’s some strange creature like you, it is somewhat possible.”
“Women and men are two kinds of creatures.” Fan Xian patted his shoulder tenderly. “If you can’t understand it, then stop thinking about it.”
The Great Prince spat angrily and immediately thought of a problem. “You are such a busy official, taking Wang Tong’er as a female disciple is not just because of me.”
Fan Xian smiled awkwardly and said, “You understand everything, so why ask? You have to know that you and I are not the same. Other than the Black Knights, I don’t have anything else in my hands. It is not a bad thing to better my relationship with the elders in the military. I don’t wish there to be another family like the Qin’s that hate me so deeply.”
The Great Prince paused and sighed. “The girl from Ye Zhong’s family has always listened to you. Now, you’re not even letting Wang Zhikun’s daughter go, really…”
“Those words sound strange,” Fan Xian rubbed his nose and jokingly scolded. “I am not a beast. These two are women that belong to you brothers. Don’t speak so carelessly.”
“But, they are both your female students,” the Great Prince said with a deep smile. “Additionally, Hongcheng is in Dingzhou. Although father has always strictly forbidden you from being involved in military matters, when it comes down to it, you’re about to have connections with the generals of three Roads. Your schemes are no less than fathers.”
“You’ve underestimated me. Although Ye Bingyun once said that throughout my life, I seem to be conquering the world through conquering women, I would not be so stupid as to think I can influence anything with the two Roads of border armies and the power of the Ye family with just two female students.” Fan Xian smiled. “But, of course, I want to improve my relationship with the military.”
When he said these words, Fan Xian’s emotions were rather complex. It had been a full five years since he came to Jingdou, entered the complicated Jingdou officialdom, and influenced the events of the world. His attempts to stretch toward the Qing military had always fallen short. Although the Emperor seemed to have let down his guard against Fan Xian a great deal and allowed his friend Li Hongcheng to take the position of Dingzhou General, if Fan Xian truly wanted to push his influence into the military, it was still difficult.
Fan Xian had once, through Xu Maocai’s help, gradually arranged for his trusted aides to take over the Jiaozhou navy after the old Qin family rebelled. Unexpectedly, the Emperor had not let this small change slip by and had directly struck Xu Maocai from his position. Although, for the sake of Fan Xian, the Emperor had benevolently left Xu Maocai his life. The entire Jiaozhou navy was slipping further and further away from Fan Xian’s hands.
Hou Jichang, who Fan Xian had left in Jiaozhou, had also done two years of useless work because of this matter. His journey on the official’s path had become more and more difficult. Presently, he could not compare to the reputation of Yan Wanli in the Ministry of Works. He could not even compare to Chen Jialin, who had already taken the position of Suzhou Zhizhou.
Hou Jichang was Fan Xian’s favorite among his four students. Thus, he had given the important Jiaozhou mission to him. Fan Xian had played one wrong move and doomed the young Jingdou talent, who had once been on par with He Zongwei. Presently, he could only continue to endure his role in the isolated Jiaozhou.
The Emperor’s favor toward Fan Xian could not grow further, but he was still on guard against him entering the military. This reality made Fan Xian’s heart drum. He wasn’t sure if the Emperor knew something or if the Emperor still had nightmares about that incident over 20 years ago. Additionally, Xu Maocai was a veteran from the Quanzhou navy. Thus, the Emperor was still wary about his son.
“You need to have good relations with the military, but I don’t need to.”
The Great Prince’s words pulled Fan Xian from his thoughts. He managed to force a smile and said, “But you need to maintain a good relationship with the Emperor. As for me, as long as the Emperor does not obstruct, it is not only me who wants to have a good relationship with the military. Wang Zhikun also wishes to be friends with me. If I take his daughter as a student, he will probably wake himself smiling at night.”
The Great Prince raised his eyebrow and knew what Fan Xian said was true. In the present day Qing Kingdom, speaking purely based on powerful and status, there was no one who shone brighter than Fan Xian. Additionally, everyone knew that he was the child of the Qing Emperor and mistress of the Ye family. With this connection, all of the officials and generals would unconsciously curry favor from him.
After these words, both of them fell silent at the same time. The Great Prince was helplessly thinking that the matter of taking a Secondary fei seemed difficult to resolve. Fan Xian was wondering when the Emperor’s fear toward him in the depths of his heart would be gone.
“Tell me about what is happening in the West.” The Great Prince suddenly furrowed his brows and spoke seriously. “What exactly is happening with the Hu people? They have grown greatly in power these two years. There has to be a reason.”
“When the imperial bulletin is sent out in a few days, you’ll know.” Fan Xian knew that the Great Prince would be unable to resist asking this question. The Great Prince had fought in the West for many years and was familiar with that piece of grasslands. He had killed Hu people until their cries shook the heavens. If it were not for the fact that the Emperor was worried there could be no further grants for his eldest son, he would not have transferred him back three years ago. Although the Great Prince had returned to the capital, his heart still hovered over the grasslands.
The Great Prince saw that he didn’t want to answer and shook his head helplessly. “Hongcheng has made much of himself these two years. However, the Hu people are ruthless and blood-thirsty. You have to remind him of this.”
Fan Xia nodded. He then suddenly furrowed his brows and asked, “The Qing Kingdom and Western Hu have fought for decades. Each time it seemed that we have the advantage and are about to completely resolve this problem. Why is it that the strength of the Hu people always rises again like wild grass after a spring wind?”
The Great Prince was a great authority on the subject. “The grasslands is too big. From the Tianmai in the south toward the west, the endless grasslands knows no bounds. Once we have the definitive advantage, they will retreat toward the west. It is impossible to completely resolve it.”
“This time, I found that the Western Hu court is not particularly far from Dingzhou.” Fan Xian said with confusion.
The Great Prince glanced at him with slight mockery. “The Hu people’s capital is no Jingdou or Shangjing. Once we reached it, they had long dispersed into the depths of the grasslands. It is just that the Hu people are powerful at the moment. That is why they moved the court close to the border.”
“Putting aside my battles these years with the Hu people on the West and just speaking about 20 years ago when father personally led troops toward the grasslands with the military of the entire country, he tried to sweep clean the Hu people. In the end, he failed at the very last part.” The Great Prince spoke with regret. “With the strength of the entire country, imperial masters going out personally, and father’s genius military talent, they were still unable to conquer the Hu people in one go. If they failed, how can we not?”
When Fan Xian the Emperor had personally led the imperial masters out on an expedition, his expression became solemn. He didn’t comment because he remembered clearly that Western Expedition. His father, Fan Jian, had also gone with the camp. It was during that time that a shocking change happened in Jingdou. This change ended a woman’s life and allowed him to obtain his second life. In the arms of his blind uncle, he rode a carriage to Danzhou.
The Great Prince did not notice Fan Xian’s strange mood and slowly said, “When the old Chief died and the Hu people were internally chaotic, that was the best chance for the Qing Kingdom. It was a pity… The most confusing thing was the fact that at the time, Master Ye had been ordered to hand over the Jingdou Garrison and personally go out as the vanguard of the military. Elite troops had already reached the Western Hu court. As long the camp that father was in could endure for another three days, they would have been able to capture all of the Western Hu nobility in one go. It was at this time that the army suddenly stopped its progress West, turned, and returned to our territory. This left the Western Hu people a last gasp of air.”
Fan Xian silent for a moment. He then raised his face and smiled at the Great Prince. “The reason for the army’s retreat is simple. Presumably, at that time, the Emperor already knew of the death of my mother.”
The Great Prince’s heart trembled. Only now did he remember the major matter that had been sealed away for many years. Looking at Fan Xian’s forced smile, the Great Prince’s feelings of tenderness grew. He did not continue the topic.
A moment later, the Great Prince coughed and turned the topic of conversation back. “The taking of a Secondary fei truly cannot be stopped?”
“No one dares to oppose the edict. It has never ended well for people who have gone against the Emperor.”
“Wang Tong’er is truly not a bad choice?”
“At least, I don’t see a better option presently,” Fan Xian replied.
“Then… How will I tell wangfei?”
Fan Xian laughed and said, “You won’t have to worry that. Wangfei will naturally have ways to deal with a little girl.”
As he said this, someone announced outside that wangfei and the young lady of the Wang family had come over. The Great Prince met Fan Xian’s eyes. They both laughed bitterly. After the two women entered, Fan Xian rose and bowed. He quietly observed the expression on their faces and nodded silently to himself in his heart.
Wangfei looked as calm and graceful as always. Wang Tong’er’s face was flushed with a slight red. She was very unlike how she was before. It seemed that after she had been hurried to wangfei’s side by Fan Xian, this young lady had obtained some kind of promise.
Fan Xian sighed quietly from the bottom of his heart and knew that wangfei was indeed incredible. Long before the two men had come to a decision, she had already decided. In order to protect her own interests, she was forced to make a choice that appeared as if she was making way.
It looked like it wouldn’t be the prince who would have to awkwardly console wangfei. Instead, it would be wangfei urging the prince to think of the big picture and to not oppose the intentions of his father in the Palace. Fan Xian smiled and looked at wangfei with narrowed eyes. They exchanged a few casual words. Wangfei also smiled. The two of them understood exactly what the other was thinking.
During the Jingdou rebellion, the Northern Qi Emperor wanted the Great Prince to take the throne. Thus, he had silently revealed Fan Xian’s tracks to the Eldest Princess via the spies in the Brocade Guards by wangfei’s side. This had almost killed Fan Xian. He knew that this matter had very little to do with wangfei. For the sake of the affection between the Great Prince and his wife, he had not told the Great Prince of the matter. There was still a knot between him and wangfei thus during these two years. They didn’t have any close interactions.
Wangfei had long felt guilty toward Fan Xian. Until now, when the two of them smiled at each other like foxes, only then did they dissolve their past into a spring breeze and let it disappear without a trace.
After a few leisurely exchanges, Fan Xian rose and took his leave. He had brought the young lady into the manor, so he had to take her out. After all, the Palace had not appointed a wedding. No matter how open the Qing people’s customs were, if he allowed Wang Tong’er, a love-struck fool, to flutter her eyelashes all she wanted at the Great Prince, it would not be pretty if it got out.
Wangfei pretended to ask them to dinner, but a clear light flashed through her eyes. Wang Tong’er foolishly did not want to leave and looked pitifully at Fan Xian.
“Let’s go,” Fan Xian said.
“Teacher, where are we going?” Wang Tong’er raised her head. She looked at him in surprise. Her eyes were full of anger. She wouldn’t speak.
Fan Xian immediately darkened his expression. For some reason, Wang Tong’er was naturally afraid of Sir Fan junior. She unconsciously stood up and followed Fan Xian out of the manor with gritted teeth.
While they were walking, Fan Xian had long noticed the light in wangfei’s eyes. Looking at Wang Tong’er beside him, he couldn’t help but shake his head. Although this young lady was unruly, once she truly entered the manor, she was not a match for wangfei. She would probably not have many good days in the future. Fortunately, Wang Tong’er’s background was strong. Presumably, she wouldn’t be too miserable. The prince was also not that kind of person.
The two of them came to the manor’s front gate. No one knows what magic Fan Xian used. After saying some things to the unruly girl, it was as if Wang Tong’er was a completely different person. She was well-behaved and timidly following behind him. It was nothing like her appearance earlier with her foot on the stone lion running her mouth.
The front doors of the manor opened. They were seen out by the housekeeper. He then quickly closed the doors again like he was hiding from a ghost. Fan Xian started jokingly cursed a little, thinking he had also become a fish of the same pond. Turning his eyes, he saw Wang Tong’er’s angry expression. She was about to curse out the housekeeper, so he composed his expression and coughed.
Wang Tong’er immediately felt a chill at her side and shivered. She quickly closed her mouth. She walked quietly down the steps and said a few things with an uncomfortable expression to the old housekeeper with the whip marks on his face.
The housekeeper jumped in fright and wondered when his young lady had changed her nature. At the side, the Wang and Shi family soldiers were also dumbstruck. They knew that Sir Fan junior was rumored to be Sir Fei Jie’s student. They wondered if he had given the young lady some medicine to make her become like this. Wang Tong’er was like a little white rabbit.
Everyone outside the manor doors looked at Fan Xian like he was an immortal. They thought to themselves, Sir Fan junior’s reputation was indeed not a lie. No wonder the Emperor allowed him to pretend to be an imperial tutor a few years ago and teach the Third Prince. Such teaching methodology was truly incredible.
The Wang family housekeeper and family soldier gratefully thanked Fan Xian. They then took their young lady away from the front doors of the manor. Fan Xian watched as the group of people disappeared at the end of the street. He then shook his head and climbed into his own carriage.
Although Mu Feng’er was the head of the Qinian Unit, he was still a curious young man in his bones. Swallowing, he carefully asked, “Sir, did something happen? That female… How did she become like that?”
“It’s simple.” Fan Xian sat in the carriage and closed his eyes to rest. “If she doesn’t listen, I will smack her bottom and have the prince marry a different woman. I am an official of Taichang Temple, how could she not believe me?”
“That stupid?” Mu Feng’er asked condescendingly. Everyone knew that the matter concerned the Great Prince taking on a Secondary fei was not something an official of the Taichang Temple could make decisions about. It had to be approved by the Emperor.
“If she’s not stupid, how could wangfei allow her to enter the manor?” Fan Xian closed his eyes and muttered. He felt tired. He was never getting involved in such matters again. If it were not for the fact that he had a good relationship with the Great Prince, he should have been finishing debriefing in the Palace and heading back to his own manor to play with his daughter.
…
…
An hour had passed, but there was still no sound from the royal study. The eunuchs had no choice but to stand guard outside. Eunuch Yao glanced at the sheep milk and pastries held by the person next to him and found that they were almost cold and couldn’t resist furrowing his brows.
The little eunuch looked at the door of the royal study and wondered who the Emperor was talking to for such a long time. Eunuch Yao also looked at the doors and thought that it was better if he didn’t disrupt the father and son talking.
Other than that new eunuch, no one was surprised by the situation. The Emperor dealt with tens of thousands of matters each day. He rarely saw officials alone for more than half an hour, but Sir Fan junior was an exception.
During these two years, each time Sir Fan junior entered the Palace, the Emperor would talk with him for over an hour in the royal study. It was also not limited to national and Council matters. A few times, Eunuch Yao had even heard the Emperor and Fan Xian arguing about the names of the two Fan children.
Only Fan Xian received such favor in the entire world.
The situation in the royal study was not as the eunuchs thought. The Qing Emperor looked at Fan Xian sitting below and said, “I am decided. Wang Tong’er is eventually going to enter the manor. Don’t meddle in other people’s business. Speaking of marriage, Yan Bingyun already married woman sometime earlier. When were you going to tell me about the Zhaoshang money house matter?”
Fan Xian’s eyes changed slightly. He quickly lowered his head to hide it.
