(Please don't criticize Liu Xiang, at least not in the Qing Yu Nian book review section. No one has it easy, and don't bring up conspiracy theories. Reality is sometimes more bizarre than fiction, but at least it should be bizarre in a logical way. My brother-in-law and I, after a day of frustration, continue to support him as always...)

…

…

Watching the departing carriage and listening to the faint sounds of commotion from all around, Fan Xian felt somewhat relieved. His arrangement for Teng Zijing to go to Qing Yu Tang at 28 Li Slope was precisely to take advantage of the current chaos in the capital and, by any means possible, bring the old managers of Qing Yu Tang out of the capital and scatter them among the people.

This wasn't a sudden thought for Fan Xian, but rather a link in his planned scheme from the very beginning. These old managers were important to Fan Xian, and their mastery of the Internal Treasury's crafts and their familiarity with those secrets were even more important to the Qing Kingdom. Although His Majesty remembered old affections and spared their lives, he would absolutely not let them leave the capital and fall into the hands of other forces. Twenty years had passed since the Ye family's downfall, and trying to bring so many old managers out of the capital was essentially an impossible task.

However, the Eldest Princess's and the Crown Prince's rebellion, the chaos in the capital, had left Fan Xian, who had been painstakingly working on this matter, with a great opportunity. Everyone in the capital thought His Majesty was dead, the palace was in complete disarray, the capital was in great chaos, and a glimmer of light appeared before Fan Xian.

He simply didn't have many people he could utilize at the moment, and after vaguely guessing that His Majesty might be alive, he temporarily stopped this plan. However, the Eldest Princess's last words whispered in his ear at the Taiping Courtyard prompted him to make his final decision. Of course, even without the Eldest Princess's words, Fan Xian would still have tried to take advantage of the current situation.

The struggle between His Majesty and the Eldest Princess had been going on at another level from the beginning, and although Fan Xian had remained silent, seemingly just a pawn being moved, he also had his own thoughts.

He accurately predicted that the capital would inevitably be in chaos, and he chose to fish in troubled waters, to pull chestnuts out of the fire. His vision and methods were truly sharp.

…

…

Without taking the time to comfort Wan'er in her sorrow, Fan Xian turned and left the mansion. The Eldest Princess's body was currently laid out in a secluded room in the back garden. He needed to return to the palace to deal with some more urgent matters. Now that he knew the news of His Majesty's well-being, he had to make some powerful adjustments to the arrangements for the whole situation.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he left the mansion gate, a team of cavalry rode in, stirring up dust. Fan Xian squinted to see who they belonged to. The situation in the capital had already stabilized, the Dingzhou Army controlled the outside of the palace, and Ye Zhong had very maturely handed over the defense of the palace back to the First Prince. There were no longer any organized rebel troops in the city.

As expected, the people who came were from the Dingzhou Army. A school officer covered in blood pulled his horse's reins and ran to Fan Xian, looking frantic, and said, "Lord, the Commander-in-chief has urgent news to report."

The Qing Kingdom had countless brave generals, and all armies habitually addressed their commander as Commander-in-chief, just as the old troops of the Western Expeditionary Army addressed the First Prince. Since this school officer was from the Dingzhou Army, the Commander-in-chief he was talking about naturally referred to Ye Zhong. Fan Xian was shocked, wondering if there had been any new changes in the capital. He was already eager to see Ye Zhong, so he didn't say much and pulled his horse's reins, following that small team of cavalry towards Donghua Gate, silently listening along the way to find out what had happened.

Listening to the school officer's account, Fan Xian realized that Ye Zhong had been looking for him for a long time while he was at the Taiping Courtyard—it turned out that Crown Prince Chengqian had been blocked by Ye Zhong under Donghua Gate. Now the two sides were in confrontation, engaged in negotiations. For some reason, Li Chengqian requested that he go to see him.

Although the Ye family had suddenly turned against them, the rebel army was still strong, and the remnants' combat effectiveness could not be underestimated. Fan Xian had never expected that the Crown Prince would be trapped in the capital. The seemingly stable city was hiding such a dangerous confrontation under a certain city gate.

His pupils shrank slightly, and he sucked in a cold breath. If the rebels were driven out of the capital, once the field battles started, it would have nothing to do with him and would naturally be taken over by the Ye family and various military forces loyal to His Majesty. But being blocked at Donghua Gate? Why didn't the Crown Prince break out?

While pondering, the horse's hooves didn't stop. Without taking much time, forcibly dispersing the Kyoto people who were crowding the road to Zhengyang Gate, Fan Xian and his party arrived at Donghua Gate.

There was a dead silence in front of Donghua Gate. The Qin family rebels, surrounded by the City Gate Guards and the Dingzhou Army on an entire long street, tightly gripped the weapons in their hands, nervously and desperately looking at the surrounding troops.

In the very center of the rebel army, the faces of several Qin family generals had become very ugly. The two sides had been in confrontation under Donghua Gate for an entire hour. Under the Crown Prince's powerful restraint, the rebel army had not launched a general attack on Donghua Gate, nor had they launched a counter-breakout against the Dingzhou Army. Ye Zhong, who led the Dingzhou Army to surround this place, also showed extraordinarily good patience, just wearing down the time and waiting for Fan Xian, whom the Crown Prince had requested to be present.

Ye Zhong was patient, but the rebel generals were living like years. Sweat dripped down their faces, but they didn't dare to move rashly, because the defeat was like a mountain. If they really fought, they were afraid that only a few people would survive, but they didn't know what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was thinking. Involving treason, where was there a way to survive?

Crown Prince Li Chengqian, surrounded by everyone, looked particularly quiet, just a little haggard, not too panicked. He sighed when he saw Fan Xian driving over from afar, as if he had settled down a little.

The Dingzhou Army cavalry separated the team like waves. Fan Xian rode alone through the street, came to Ye Zhong's side, glanced at the Crown Prince on the opposite side, frowned, not knowing what to say, and turned his head to whisper a few words in Ye Zhong's ear.

Ye Zhong's face lit up, his eyes also lit up, and then he felt a burst of palpitation, knowing that his previous conservatism, the time he had left for the Crown Prince, was right. Now that His Majesty was miraculously unharmed, how should the rebel Crown Prince be dealt with? It should be left to His Majesty's judgment.

Although he was a deposed Crown Prince who had rebelled, he was still the emperor's son. Ye Zhong, as the father-in-law of the Second Prince, naturally didn't want the Crown Prince to die in his hands.

Fan Xian looked up at the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince looked back at him, his pale lips trembled slightly, and he seemed to have finally made an extremely important decision, hoarsely and slowly saying, "You're here?"

…

…

The rebels surrendered and became prisoners of the Dingzhou Army's blades and guns. Several Qin family generals were also captured and fell to the ground with a look of despair. The war in Kyoto had temporarily come to an end. Ye Zhong led a large army, escorting a black carriage towards the imperial palace.

The black carriage was transferred by the Overwatch Council as soon as possible. At this time, there were two people sitting in the carriage, one was Fan Xian, and the other was Crown Prince Li Chengqian. The two brothers were sitting in the dark carriage, and no one had spoken the first word for a long time.

"The third condition I promised you may have problems." Fan Xian lowered his eyes slightly and said in an apologetic tone, "If I can't do it, don't blame me for deceiving you."

Crown Prince Li Chengqian was unwilling to let countless rebel soldiers die because of him, and surrendered with great courage. He asked Fan Xian to personally agree to his three conditions before he was willing to surrender, because Li Chengqian knew that Fan Xian, who held his father's imperial decree and had the support of most people, had more power than Ye Zhong, who had a large army but was cautiously vigilant.

As long as Fan Xian was willing to agree to him, no one in the court would make things difficult for these ordinary soldiers. Hearing Fan Xian's words at this time, Crown Prince Chengqian thought Fan Xian had gone back on his word, stared at his eyes, and said angrily, "Why?"

"I can fight for the lives of ordinary soldiers, but I can't guarantee that they will survive. Although they are just cannon fodder, but... this is treason. Although the Qing law is not harsh, it has not left them a way out."

The Crown Prince did not understand the word "cannon fodder", but he could guess what it meant.

Fan Xian looked at the Crown Prince's pale face, sighed and said, "As for those officials and generals who participated in the rebellion, there is nothing I can do."

"I know they won't survive, but at least I hope you don't implicate... they are all from big families. Once the killing starts, I'm afraid tens of thousands of people will die."

Li Chengqian's face was a little gloomy, hoping that Fan Xian could promise again. After all, Fan Xian had promised it in person before the two armies.

"Confiscating homes and exterminating families, or implicating nine generations of relatives, is not something I can control." Fan Xian's eyebrows were furrowed tightly. After a while, he said, "Just like what I said before, I will try my best to do what I promised you, but how many people can be saved, I... cannot guarantee."

A picture appeared in Fan Xian's mind, countless heads being cut off, countless infants being killed, countless officials' wives and young ladies being sent into official workshops, sent into military camps, and never being able to turn over. Even if he was a cold-blooded person, when he thought of the tragedy that Kyoto was about to face, he still felt a little chill.

Men rebelled for their rights and titles, but in the end, it was not only them who bore the tragic consequences, but also their wives, young and ignorant children, and even relatives in their old home, or friends many years ago...

Li Chengqian trembled all over, grabbed Fan Xian's collar with one hand, his pale and fearful face revealed rare courage, and he roared in a low voice: "If you hadn't promised me, how could I have surrendered? How could I be willing to be your prisoner!"

Fan Xian did not struggle to break free from the Crown Prince's weak hands, and lowered his voice and shouted back: "Don't surrender? Do you really want to be killed by someone in the chaotic army?"

Li Chengqian was stunned, and heard some other meaning from Fan Xian's words. The hands that were clutching his collar loosened subconsciously, and he said in a trembling voice: "I, the Crown Prince, have been deposed and will die soon, and you are the Regent, the academicians all support you... even if Ping'er ascends the throne, you are also the Emperor's teacher, if you say a word, who dares not listen to you?"

The expression on Fan Xian's face was a little indifferent, and he said, "His Majesty... is still alive."

Li Chengqian suddenly heard this news, and his arms hung weakly on his knees. Although he had guessed this possibility when Ye Zhong turned against him, he was still inevitably shocked when he really heard the news.

"She is also dead."

Fan Xian said this quietly, and then looked at the Crown Prince sideways. He saw that Li Chengqian's face was even more pale, his eyes were wooden and looking at the wall of the carriage, and he couldn't say a word for a long time. He gradually lowered his head, hunched over, buried his head, and his shoulders kept shaking, making a suppressed sound.

Perhaps stimulated by the Crown Prince's crying, Fan Xian felt a burst of irritability in his chest, and subconsciously used the True Qi method of Tianyi Dao to clear his meridians. Unexpectedly, when he reached the Tanzhong point, he felt a burst of severe pain for no reason. His eyes turned black and then brightened, and he could no longer control himself, and a mouthful of blood spurted out onto the wall of the carriage with a pop.

From Dadong Mountain to Kyoto, he was seriously injured and traveled thousands of miles, but he had not recovered. He had forcibly suppressed it with medicine, and had experienced countless dangerous killings. He finally couldn't hold on, and the injury broke out.

At this time, the Crown Prince's mind was completely surrounded by the news of his father's survival and the news of his aunt's death, and he did not notice Fan Xian's situation at all, burying his head and falling into endless grief.

Fan Xian wiped the blood on his lips, gasped twice, glanced at the guy next to him, and couldn't help shaking his head. Li Chengqian was about the same age as him, and he didn't have two lives like himself. In the end, he was just a young man.

In this way, the two brothers in the car were vomiting blood and crying, and the black carriage entered the palace.

…

…

The First Prince, who had bandaged his wounds, silently led the carriage directly to the back palace, the entrance of the East Palace. Fan Xian and the Crown Prince got out of the car and walked in. This East Palace had always been the residence of the Qing Kingdom's imperial successor, but now, it had truly become the Crown Prince's prison, or rather, his future tomb.

The First Prince whispered a few words to the Crown Prince, glanced at Fan Xian, and turned to leave. There was no one in the East Palace at this time, only the imperial guards were patrolling outside.

Fan Xian didn't have much time to say anything to the Crown Prince. He covered his chest and said directly to him: "You only have one day."

Li Chengqian looked up in astonishment, and seemed to wake up from a nightmare at this time, staring at Fan Xian blankly, not understanding what he was talking about.

"His Majesty should return to Kyoto the day after tomorrow." Fan Xian looked at him calmly, "This East Palace was once set on fire by you, I think it wouldn't be too surprising if the East Palace was burned again."

Li Chengqian's face changed all of a sudden, staring at Fan Xian's eyes, as if trying to confirm what he was saying, his lips moved twice, but he didn't make a sound.

Seeing that he didn't answer, Fan Xian lowered his head and said gloomily: "It's not difficult for you to die by self-immolation..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Chengqian shook his head indifferently and said, "Then you take advantage of the fire to rescue me from the palace and send me to a place where no one knows?" He looked at Fan Xian with very complicated eyes, "I don't know why you have suddenly become such a gentle person, but I want to thank you."

"You don't have to thank me." Fan Xian said, "It's just that the elders are used to arranging everything, but I'm not very used to it."

Li Chengqian smiled with difficulty and said, "I really can't see through you..."

"You know I'm a ruthless person, and it's rare for me to show kindness. The Empress is also dead, you should hate me, if you want to live, set a fire tonight."

"It doesn't seem like your style to take such a risk."

"I've been gloomy all my life, and I almost forgot that I once said that I wanted to live roundly. After experiencing so many things, I realized that if I want to live a wonderful life, I must first live with courage."

Fan Xian stopped looking at him and turned to leave this lonely palace.

Li Chengqian stared blankly at his back, not understanding why he would suddenly be so kind, his brows gradually frowned, and he became sad. He sighed and lay down on the floor of this large palace, with a detached smile on his face, stretching his limbs, as if he had never been so relaxed and free.

…

…

That night, the East Palace never caught fire. Fan Xian had been in the direction of Hanguang Hall, watching that direction coldly. After confirming the East Palace's peace, he shook his head and felt a little sad in his heart. The Emperor would probably arrive in Kyoto the day after tomorrow, and everything would return to the hands of that powerful Emperor - keeping the Crown Prince alive was not a temporary idea of Fan Xian's, nor was it that he had the benevolence of a woman, but a sense of sadness that he felt for things of the same kind - he and the Crown Prince, including the Second Prince, were actually just pawns on the Emperor's chessboard, puppets controlled by fate or their elders.

The Crown Prince no longer had any power, and his death or life had nothing to do with Fan Xian. The Crown Prince was a good person. This was what Fan Xian had said to Chen Pingping a long time ago. From the first meeting on the road outside the other palace, this Crown Prince had left Fan Xian with an extremely gentle impression, especially in the past two years. Although there had been constant struggles, what did they matter? Fan Xian dared to send Shi Sanlang to protect the Crown Prince on his trip to Southern Qing, and now he dared to let the Crown Prince live.

If Fan Xian wanted to get rid of the threads behind him and save Li Chengqian's life, it would be the first time he forcefully tore them apart. Now that the palace was in his hands, with the Overwatch Council's means of faking a scene, and with His Majesty's understanding of the Crown Prince's temperament, using the pretext of dying by self-immolation, it would not be difficult to hide it from His Majesty's eyes and ears without anyone knowing.

It was just that the Crown Prince, like the Eldest Princess, had already lost his heart. For a heartless person, Fan Xian would naturally not foolishly risk doing anything. Being able to have this thought was enough to prove that after the shot on the grassland, his xinxing... had changed too much.

At night, all the palace lanterns were extinguished. The outside of the city was still not completely calm, but the imperial city was silent. The dark sky shrouded the flat ground in the palace. The imperial guards and Overwatch Council officials stationed everywhere stood motionless, like statues.

"Who?" An extremely vigilant voice sounded in Hanguang Hall. A palace maid lit the palace lamp and knelt down quickly after seeing the person in front of her.

Fan Xian waved his hand to signal her to get up and ordered her to lead all the palace maids and eunuchs out of Hanguang Hall. At this time, not many people knew that the Emperor was already on his way back to Kyoto. Fan Xian, as the Regent and the teacher of the Third Prince, was equal to the real Emperor, and he could move freely throughout the entire palace. No one dared to express doubt about his arrival.

A dim light lit up, and all the palace maids and grannies, disheveled, exited the palace. Fan Xian walked alone in the large palace and slowly walked to the front of the phoenix bed, looking at the old woman lying on the bed. Before the woman could cast a resentful look, Fan Xian gently wiped with his right hand, took out a thin, untainted needle from his hair, and stuck it into the old woman's neck.

Watching the Empress Dowager who had fallen asleep, Fan Xian squatted down, drilled under the phoenix bed, touched the dark compartment, and used his fingers slightly to open the dark compartment.

Three years ago, he had entered Hanguang Hall at night, used sleeping pills to put the people in the hall to sleep, and took out the key to the box from this dark compartment and copied it. At that time, there was also a white cloth and a letter in the dark compartment, but because of the urgency of time, he couldn't check it carefully.

Today, there is a key and a white cloth in this dark compartment, but the letter... is gone.

Fan Xian held the white cloth in his hand, stroking it carefully, and fell into thought, but he still had no clue. After a while, he put the white cloth back into the dark compartment, carefully arranged it into its original appearance, and then stood up, sat next to the Empress Dowager on the bed, and took off the thin needle from her neck.

When the Empress Dowager woke up, she stared at Fan Xian with resentful eyes, as if she wanted to eat him. It had been a day and a night, and she couldn't say a word or move. She felt that her already short life seemed to be constantly flowing out of her body. The fear and anger were unable to vent out, which was really driving her crazy.

"His Majesty will return to Kyoto the day after tomorrow. I'm here to see my imperial grandmother."

Fan Xian looked at her and said after a while, "Aren't you surprised? Now you know how big a mistake you made a few days ago?"

The Empress Dowager's eyes were full of shock. If she had known that His Majesty was still alive, the situation in Kyoto would definitely not be like this now, but after the shock, her eyes showed a hint of joy.

"Don't be too happy too soon." Fan Xian patted her wrinkled hand and said softly, "I will let His Majesty see you before you die. Believe me, even if His Majesty is the most powerful person in the world, he is not as good as me in medicine... If you don't believe me, you can try it. You can already speak now."

"If you want to have a more dignified death, instead of like this now, please answer a few questions for me." Fan Xian said, "Who wrote that letter? What was written in it? And... what is the relationship between the Old Qin family and the incident twenty years ago?"

Before her death, the Eldest Princess asked Fan Xian to ask Chen Pingping, but he chose to interrogate the Empress Dowager simply, directly, and crudely.

"Don't think I'm cold-blooded and shameless. Think about what you people did twenty years ago." Fan Xian lowered his head and said, "When you come out, you always have to pay it back. You are the Empress Dowager, I'm afraid you can't escape the cycle of heaven."