The snow in Kyoto stopped and started again, lacking the bold and decisive nature of the snow in Northern Qi's Shangjing City, and without the complete absence of rain and snow like in Danzhou, it was just as bothersome as the lingering spring rain in Jiangnan. Fan Xian, somewhat annoyed, reached out to brush the snowflakes from his hair, looking at the First Prince at the entrance of the Prince's residence and said, "It's just a meal, why be so nervous?"

In fact, the First Prince was not wrong. If the letter hadn't been signed by the Great Princess of Northern Qi, Fan Xian wouldn't have even considered coming, let alone sneaking away beforehand.

Fan Xian thought with some pain: You royal brothers are having a gathering, why drag me, a newly recognized member of the Fan family, into it? He really didn't want to come. Firstly, he didn't want to see the Second Prince and his wife in the uncertain situation, and secondly, he was preoccupied with those insidious plans. If the Crown Prince, the target of his schemes, continued to talk to him with such warmth, what should he do?

He had no say in the matter. His wife was already standing in front of the First Prince with a beaming smile, giggling and saying a few words before the two walked side by side into the Prince's residence.

Fan Xian watched this scene of brotherly affection, thinking that this brother was not a cousin. A slight pang of jealousy arose in his heart, and there was no possibility of not entering the residence.

Fan Xian had not visited the Imperial Prince's residence often. As soon as he entered, someone naturally served him and led him to a seat. Fan Xian looked around and, not seeing anyone else, relaxed a bit.

Meanwhile, Wan'er was chatting warmly with her long-unseen elder brother, the First Prince. Fan Xian sat alone in the hall, bored, and didn't bother to interrupt. He half-closed his eyes to rest, but the voices around him kept drifting into his ears. One moment, Wan'er was teasing the First Prince about his married life, the next, the First Prince was asking Wan'er if she was used to living in Jiangnan, whether Fan Xian had been bullying her, what the scenery in Jiangnan was like, and what exactly the Hangzhou Association was.

By the time Wan'er had explained clearly to the First Prince that the Hangzhou Association had nothing to do with the government, Fan Xian couldn't help but yawn. He felt bored, thinking that this pair of siblings were, after all, important figures in the royal family. One was even a former general who had led troops into battle, so why did their conversation sound like the gossip of Aunt Teng’s neighbors?

Just as he was complaining inwardly, he suddenly felt a slight breeze behind him. He warily opened his eyes and turned around, only to see a young, beautiful woman in gorgeous clothes entering through the curtain.

Fan Xian paused slightly, glancing at the pearl flower in the woman's elaborate hair, and smiled, saying, "Greetings, Princess Consort."

The visitor was none other than the Great Princess of Northern Qi, now the Princess Consort. This foreign noblewoman had married into Southern Qing years ago, and Fan Xian had been the envoy on the road. They had traveled together for thousands of miles, so naturally, they were more familiar with each other than others.

However, since the First Prince had married her, it was naturally inconvenient for Fan Xian to maintain contact with her. Even some of their secret agreements had essentially come to nothing. After not seeing each other for so long, he felt a little estranged. After the initial greeting, Fan Xian didn't know what else to say.

When Lin Wan'er saw the Princess Consort come out, she quickly stood up and bowed, but was forced by the Princess Consort to call her "Sister-in-Law" according to folk customs.

The Princess Consort had a dignified appearance, especially with an air of generosity in her eyebrows and eyes, making her seem approachable and likable. But at this moment, her calm gaze shifted and fixed on Fan Xian again, revealing a hint of displeasure: "Long time no see, Little Duke. I wonder if Little Duke has been well lately?"

Fan Xian faced her, already discerning the hint of sharpness and annoyance within the woman's gentle eyes. Coupled with the two successive "Little Duke's," he knew that she was upset. But he was clear that the Princess Consort's resentment had nothing to do with matters of the heart, nor was she truly upset that he had seen her back to her country and then ceased contact; it was likely still about the incident in Yangcong Lane... disaster!

He subconsciously glanced at the First Prince's face, discovering that the fellow was actually able to maintain a semblance of calm. He had no choice but to cover up his embarrassment with a laugh, saying, "What are you saying, Great Princess... it's better to just call me Fan Xian as before, or... brother-in-law?"

Although this joke wasn't very funny, Fan Xian's choice of words was very careful. He still respectfully addressed her as "Princess," using the old title. Firstly, to remind her of their past relationship, and secondly, he knew that the Princess Consort would feel much better hearing that title.

Although the Great Princess of Northern Qi was marrying the First Prince of Southern Qing, it wasn't much of a disgrace to her status, but after all, it was a marriage far from home, and the marriage took place in the context of the war between the two countries ending with Southern Qing's victory. So, this marriage seemed a little dishonorable to the people of Northern Qi, especially to the Great Princess herself.

What's more, the First Prince was titled Prince of Peace. What did "peace" mean? Whenever Fan Xian thought of the First Prince's title, he couldn't help but laugh, thinking that the Emperor was indeed a very resentful and vindictive fellow. The Great Princess was probably furious at being called the Princess Consort.

Sure enough, the Princess Consort paused when she heard the words "Great Princess." She had lived in Southern Qing for nearly two years, married a good man, and lived a good life, but... after all, she was in a foreign land. Although she strictly forbade the servants in the residence from addressing her by her full title, it had been a long time since anyone had called her "Princess."

The Princess Consort's gaze immediately softened as she looked at Fan Xian with a slight smile, temporarily abandoning the idea of ​​making trouble for him.

Lin Wan'er and the First Prince were both clever people, of course, they heard that Fan Xian and the Princess Consort had tested each other to some extent in the previous two sentences. They couldn't help but look at each other and shake their heads, feeling that these two were really tiring.

After the four of them sat down and chatted for only a few sentences, Fan Xian couldn't help but turn his head and glance at the direction of the gate, shaking his head and saying, "I told you we came too early today, but Wan'er insisted on urging me."

"Everyone is here, waiting just for you." The First Prince glanced at him and said, "Your new Duke's face is big, making two princes wait for you."

Fan Xian paused slightly.

"His Highness the Crown Prince will not be coming today." The First Prince explained that Chengqian had already sent a generous gift, while the Second Prince, the Second Princess Consort, and the Hongcheng siblings had already taken their seats in the back garden.

The Crown Prince's absence made Fan Xian feel a lot more relaxed. He also knew that this was normal. The Crown Prince's status was different, he was the heir to the country. Although his position seemed to have been somewhat shaken in the past two years, his rank was still higher than all the princes. A royal family gathering, inviting him was a must, but it was also inconvenient for him to come.

Wan'er said in surprise, "Second Brother and the others have already arrived, so what are we still doing here?"

This wasn't a stupid question, but rather a deliberate attempt to weaken the negative impact of the First Prince's words on the atmosphere in the hall. Hearing Wan'er speak, the First Prince smiled and said, "Let's go over there then."

Then he glanced at Fan Xian.

Fan Xian smiled wryly, thinking that since he had already come, did they think he was still afraid of staging a scene in the Prince's residence and beating up the Second Prince? While thinking, he got up and took Wan'er towards the back garden.

The First Prince and his wife shook their heads at the same time, thinking that Fan Xian was really lacking in the awareness of a guest. They also followed towards the back garden. However, when leaving the hall, the Princess Consort thought of the secret dealings between Fan Xian and her own prince, and couldn't help but frown. The First Prince sighed and felt a tremor in his heart.

……

……

This Prince's residence had been built on imperial orders two years ago, mainly for the purpose of the marriage between the two countries. In order to demonstrate the face of Qing, the Prince's residence was built without any thrift, especially luxurious and extravagant, covering a very large area. The group walked towards the garden for a long time before they could see a lakeside pavilion in the distance, from which the sound of voices faintly carried.

The lake wasn't very big. The weather was slightly better today than yesterday. The thin ice on the surface of the water was broken into pieces, but there was no way to spread them out. With the rise and fall of the lake water, it reflected the faint gray light in the clouds above, looking like countless pieces of gemstones.

The pavilion was also particularly delicate. The black wooden window frames on the three sides facing the lake were sealed extremely well, and windproof cotton curtains were hung inside. A narrow opening, about half a person's height, was opened in the middle and inlaid with high-quality glass produced by the Internal Treasury.

This design allowed the cold wind on the lake not to disturb the young nobles' interest, and they could also enjoy the winter scenery through the windows. It showed a lot of thought.

Fan Xian smiled as he looked at it: "I like this place."

"If you like it, come more often. You're not an outsider." The First Prince looked ahead, not knowing if the word "outsider" had a deeper meaning, and said, "This residence was originally going to be more magnificent, but I didn't like it. Fortunately, the Princess Consort had clever ideas and modified it a lot. It's no longer the same as it was at the beginning. If you really like it, you have to thank her."

Fan Xian looked back at the Princess Consort, smiling without saying anything.

The First Prince said somewhat proudly, "Others can say I'm henpecked, or whatever, but anyway, whatever she likes, I'll always get it for her. Take this circle of glass around the pavilion, it cost me a lot of silver..."

The Princess Consort was happy to hear these words, but she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed in front of Fan Xian and his wife, and secretly glared at him.

The First Prince chuckled and changed the subject: "Speaking of this glass, it's really expensive. Speaking of which, you are now the head of the Internal Treasury, so the next time I need to replace the glass, you have to sell it to me cheaper."

Fan Xian begged for mercy: "I say, Your Highness, please spare me. A dignified Prince General, you still care about this little bit of glass? Don't even mention the word cheap. In the future, if you want anything from the Internal Treasury, write me a letter, and I'll get it for you."

The First Prince, on the contrary, was displeased. He shook his head and said, "The Internal Treasury is important. The money you earn for the imperial court has to be spent on river works and border troubles. I can't take advantage of you here."

Fan Xian knew that the First Prince was such a loyal and upright person, so he wasn't surprised. He smiled and said, "It's just that you're using glass to please the Great Princess, I'm afraid you'll have to spend a lot of money in the future."

The First Prince asked strangely, "How so? Surely the glass I use in this courtyard is not lacking?"

The Princess Consort covered her mouth and smiled without saying anything.

Fan Xian mocked, "The Great Princess has grown up in the Imperial Palace of Northern Qi since she was a child... You haven't been to that Imperial Palace, the top of the main hall is lined with glass, and the sunlight can shine through, reflecting on the bluestone jade platform and the clear white fish next to the platform."

The First Prince was greatly surprised, and sighed, "In the past, I only heard about it, and I thought it was impossible to be so exaggerated. The Princess Consort never talked to me about it... Is it really true?" He clicked his tongue, and other thoughts arose in his heart, secretly thinking that the Northern Qi imperial family was so extravagant, no wonder the national strength was declining day by day and was so vulnerable. However, it was not convenient to say these words in front of his wife, so he had to swallow them down.

Fan Xian had previously said that sentence, and he also fell into the memories of his trip to Northern Qi. He was very willing to appreciate magnificent or extremely beautiful things, so his impression of Shangjing City had always been very good... Of course, the girls in that city were also good, and a strange smile involuntarily began to appear at the corner of his lips.

At this time, the Princess Consort also began to miss the scenery of her homeland.

Lin Wan'er looked at the smile on Fan Xian's lips, couldn't help but purse her lips, and snorted.

With these various thoughts, they entered the pavilion. Two men and one woman were already waiting to greet them, namely the Second Prince and the Hongcheng siblings.

The Princess Roujia greeted Wan'er affectionately, and Wan'er greeted Second Brother affectionately. Hongcheng greeted Anzhi affectionately. Several people chatted about the lake scenery and the tributes sent from the south. They chatted very comfortably, as if those things that had happened in Kyoto in the past few years had never happened, as if Fan Xian and the Second Prince were truly two brothers who couldn't be closer.

This was probably an innate ability of royal children, right?

While sighing inwardly, Fan Xian listened to everyone's conversation. He knew what the First Prince's true intention for holding this banquet today was, and he was also worried that Hongcheng would once again board the Second Prince's ship... However, although he was also very good at this kind of conversation that disguised true intentions, he was still not as adaptable as those who had lived in the royal family since childhood.

He asked for permission to leave to relieve himself.

……

……

In a corner of a small courtyard not far from the pavilion, Fan Xian, who had been led here by a servant, was surprised to see the girl coming out from inside, the girl with eyes as bright as jade, without a trace of impurities.

Fan Xian waved his hand to let the servant leave, looking at Ye Ling'er, who was full of surprise and still had her hand on the waist of her skirt, and said with amusement and anger, "A young lady, don't you pay attention to your appearance? Don't you know to tidy yourself up in the room before coming out? What would it look like to the servants?"

Ye Ling'er covered her mouth and smiled, and said, "I'm just like this, Master..."

As soon as the words came out, the two of them were stunned at the same time and fell into silence. They only remembered at this time that after not seeing each other for a year, Ye Ling'er had already married and became a Princess Consort. She was no longer the unruly little girl who pestered Fan Xian to fight back then, and Fan Xian... could he still be her master?

……

……

(Persisting in writing, feeling a bit overwhelmed... After thinking about it, I'll take a day off tomorrow to take good care of my body. I'm going to take a day off, thank you all, I'll also have a weekend, thank you.)