"Why?"

Facing his son's extremely shocked question, Minister Fan did not continue the topic, but smiled and changed the subject, saying, "How is the situation in the palace?"

Fan Xian paused for a moment and then replied, "His Royal Highness the First Prince is on duty with injuries, the Empress Dowager is seriously ill, and the Crown Prince has been imprisoned in the Eastern Palace. There should be no problems."

"Hmm." Fan Jian nodded, looking at him with a gradually softening expression in his eyes, and praised, "You've only been back in the capital for seven or eight days, and you've been able to defend Kyoto for His Majesty in such a dangerous situation. I must say, your progress has exceeded my expectations, and you've performed very well."

Receiving his father's praise, Fan Xian felt no joy in his heart and said with a wry smile, "Oldest brother and I risked our lives in Kyoto, but who could have expected that His Majesty had already calculated everything? If the Dingzhou army hadn't rebelled at the last moment, we wouldn't have been able to defend the imperial city today no matter what..."

Before he could finish speaking, Fan Jian waved his hand, stopping him, and said, "His Majesty is far-sighted and has a profound mind. It's not something we ministers can presume to understand..." There was a hint of unnaturalness in his tone. He then sighed and said, "The Ye family issue really took everyone by surprise. Years of continuous persecution turned out to be a hidden move by His Majesty."

He looked at Fan Xian with a gentle, scholarly smile: "It seems that your judgment after the mountain valley assassination in Kyoto a year and a half ago was correct. I was wrong."

Fan Xian remained silent. After the mountain valley assassination last year, he and his father had studied the issue of those city crossbows. Although it was clear afterward that the Old Qin family was responsible, they had also considered whether His Majesty would be angry with Ye Zhong. This led them to discuss the deployment of Qing's military forces, and they discovered that in the past twenty years, apart from Ye Zhong consistently serving as the commander of the Kyoto Garrison, the position of commander of the Imperial Guard and the leader of the Inner Court Guards being held by one person only occurred in Gong Dian's case.

At the time, Fan Xian had suspected this point. Since His Majesty had once trusted the Ye family so much, why did he force the Ye family to join forces with the Second Prince and lean towards the Eldest Princess? However, Fan Jian gave him what he considered to be a valid reason, and Fan Xian dismissed the question.

He did not expect that during the Kyoto rebellion, this question would finally reveal the truth: the truth about His Majesty's weakness of being secretive and suspicious.

His Majesty had woven a grand mystery, not only deceiving the Eldest Princess and everyone else in the world, but also tricking Fan Jian, his childhood confidant, completely.

Speaking of the mountain valley assassination, the white snow, red blood, and the heads in front of the Privy Council involuntarily flashed before Fan Xian's eyes, as well as his own arrogance. He couldn't help but smile bitterly, thinking how naive and ridiculous his arrogance looked in front of His Majesty and the Eldest Princess.

A thought stirred in his mind, and he asked, "Father, I've always had a question. Qin Ye... why did he betray His Majesty?"

This was not only his question but also the question of many others. However, the struggle for imperial power and the contention for the world's great affairs naturally led everyone to believe that the Qin family's betrayal was as natural as every internal strife in history.

But Fan Xian had heard the Eldest Princess's words before her death, and a poisonous flower bloomed in his heart, causing him to pay special attention to this question - although the Qin family had a 10% stake in the Ming family, and although the Qin family had secretly directed the Jiaozhou navy to massacre the island, for a military elder, his reputation alone was enough for His Majesty to lightly dismiss the matter - as long as he remained loyal to His Majesty.

And what kind of person was His Majesty? If he had never doubted Qin Ye's loyalty, how could he have allowed him to stay in the position of Privy Council Envoy for so many years? In recent years, Old Master Qin had been claiming illness and not attending court, but the position of Chief of the Privy Council had never been vacated.

After he explained this doubt, Fan Jian did not ponder but said coldly, "I said on the day of the mountain valley assassination... that the head of the Empress's father was cut off by me, but who knows if those heads that should have been cut off were really all cut off?"

Fan Xian's heart skipped a beat, understanding his father's meaning. The Old Qin family's rebellion on the Eldest Princess's side might be inextricably linked to his mother's mysterious death twenty years ago.

"Back then, I followed His Majesty on a campaign to the Western Hu, Chen Pingping was transferred to the Yanjing area to deal with the emergency situation in the north, and Ye Zhong was subsequently stationed in Dingzhou to support His Majesty..." Fan Jian lowered his eyes and said slowly, "...while Qin Ye, according to the old practice of the court, controlled the central military power of Kyoto as the Chief of the Privy Council. If he had also participated in the Kyoto Rebellion, no one would have found it strange."

It was strange. If Old Master Qin was also one of the masterminds behind Ye Qingmei's murder, then why was the Qin family not implicated in the bloody night in Kyoto four years later, when the Empress's clan was slaughtered and the royal nobles of Kyoto were bloodbathed? If His Majesty, Chen Pingping, and his father joined forces to avenge his mother, how could they have let Old Master Qin go?

Meeting Fan Xian's questioning gaze, Fan Jian said slowly, "The problem is that there has never been any evidence to show that the Qin family participated in this matter, just like the Empress Dowager, at most there's the sin of condoning..."

Fan Xian frowned slightly. Chen Pingping had also said something similar to him, that the Empress Dowager should not have been the mastermind behind his mother's death, only guilty of condoning. However, after discussing with his father today, Fan Xian suddenly thought that Chen Pingping might also have some other ideas in his mind, harboring endless suspicions about the role the Qin family had played.

The person who could best prove Chen Pingping's thoughts about the Qin family was naturally the Deputy Commander of the Black Riders - Jing Ge. Chen Pingping still secretly took such a dangerous person who wished to exterminate the Qin family under his command. What was his purpose? Was it to turn against the Qin family in the future?

A chill rose in Fan Xian's heart. If the Qin family had really participated in the murder of Ye Qingmei as Chen Pingping had suspected, why had he been able to live until now? At the thought of this, a cold current began to surge out from his body, and countless chills seeped out of his pores, making the study as cold as the depths of winter.

He had guessed countless times, getting infinitely close to the truth, but he dared not ask, not even Chen Pingping dared to ask. Moreover, Chen Pingping was ruthlessly severing ties with him, not giving him any chance to speak.

Fan Xian had always had a knot in his heart, so he had been secretly shifting his focus to Northern Qi, feeling a natural sense of fear towards Qing. And today, this knot seemed to be about to unravel, revealing the dark and murky truth inside. So he was silent, giving his father a slight smile, and said, "If the Qin family really participated in this matter, they're getting their just desserts today."

He was worried that his father would follow this line of thought and think of the things he had been secretly afraid of, so he hurriedly said, "His Majesty will return to the capital soon. The court was previously preparing His Majesty's funeral, but I don't know how things suddenly turned around."

Fan Jian paused slightly and then laughed, "These things are naturally the concern of the Ministry of Rites. Why should you worry so much?"

Fan Xian shrugged and said nothing more. Minister Fan also fell silent, a hint of doubt on his face. The atmosphere in the study was somewhat strange.

Presumably, tonight in Kyoto, those surviving powerful ministers were all silent in their respective residences. No one had expected that His Majesty could actually come down from Mount Dadong alive. In addition to being shocked, they thought of the Ye family's hidden move in the rebellion and many other airtight calculations, and all the ministers' reverence and fear for His Majesty were elevated to an unprecedented level.

Fan Xian looked at his silent father, got up again, said a few words, and then turned to leave.

Leaving the study, he walked towards the back garden on the back street, preparing to see Wan'er. The night wind was cool as water along the way, blowing on his face, bringing an inexplicable sense of pleasure. He took a deep breath, maintaining the injuries in his body, and thought somewhat blankly, Chen Pingping's release in the mountain valley assassination was precisely that kind of severance. The old cripple was worthy of being the most powerful person in the world, having seen everything clearly long ago, but carefully concealing the truth from him, doing those things alone, and using these severances to maintain his future safety.

Fan Xian had been learning from Chen Pingping, so he could only remain silent tonight. His father was about to resign and return to his hometown, so why let his guesses trap him in Kyoto's perilous situation and prevent him from extricating himself? For each other's safety, they had to sever ties. This was true love.

Just like Chen Pingping loved him.

At this moment, Fan Xian really wanted to see Chen Pingping.

————————————————————

Chen Pingping was currently touring the area around Kyoto in an extremely carefree manner, occasionally issuing orders to have the Supervisory Council cooperate with His Majesty's actions throughout the world. Even if he wanted to return to Kyoto before the Emperor arrived, it couldn't be tonight.

However, someone came to the Fan residence to look for Fan Xian. It was already late at night, and Fan Xian hadn't had time to see his wife yet, so he was somewhat helplessly invited out of the residence. He looked at Gong Dian at the door, took a deep breath, suppressed the slight irritation in his heart, and bowed, saying, "Lord Gong."

He and his father had just been discussing this person in the study, knowing that he was one of the people His Majesty trusted the most, so his words were naturally very measured. In Gong Dian's eyes, Little Fan was His Majesty's closest nephew, so he did not dare to be presumptuous and bowed as a subordinate, saying in a deep voice, "There is something I need to trouble Duke Danbo with."

Fan Xian was now a Duke, so he was worthy of this bow. Moreover, in the day or two before the Emperor's return to the capital, he was nominally a Regent Minister. However, upon hearing the word "trouble", Fan Xian knew that there was definitely a big problem, and he really began to have a headache.

Too many people had died in Kyoto today, and Fan Xian's mood was not very good. The battles were still raging in the outskirts of Kyoto, but the city had gradually stabilized. He desperately needed to rest and think, and of course, he was not in a good mood when he was disturbed.

But was being a Regent Minister so easy? Fan Xian forcibly suppressed the irritation in his heart, looked at him, and said as calmly as possible, "What is it?"

Gong Dian looked at him, seeming somewhat hesitant and embarrassed, even though he had not felt this difficult when he swung his blade at Military Elder Qin in the midst of ten thousand rebels during the day.

Fan Xian did not speak, but just looked at him calmly. Perhaps the pressure was too great, Gong Dian swallowed and said, "Please ask the Duke to go to the Prince's residence. I can't persuade the Miss..."

Great, as soon as he said this, Fan Xian immediately understood what had happened. He had been busy killing and saving people during the day and had not thought about this at all. Now that it was late at night, the smoke of war had slightly dissipated, and he immediately thought of the big trouble the Ye family would encounter after following His Majesty to achieve eternal merit.

"The General-in-Chief left the capital to pursue the enemy, ordering this humble officer to take the Miss back to the residence, but the Miss swore she would not obey..." Gong Dian had been guarding Zhengyang Gate for a long time in the evening, and then immediately encountered a big trouble. He knew that perhaps only Fan Xian could handle this matter in Kyoto today, and he was qualified to handle matters of the royal family, so he no longer worried about the face of Dingzhou and stated the problem very directly.

Fan Xian was still quietly looking at Gong Dian, letting him speak. There was no color of contempt or mockery in his eyes, but it made Gong Dian feel a sense of inexplicable unease and shame.

Fan Xian took a deep breath and said nothing. Among the people who were still alive in this whole incident, the most bitter were probably Wan'er and her close friend Ye Ling'er. His wife was heartbroken by the death of her birth mother, and Ye Ling'er's grievances and anger were probably no less.

Back then, Ye Ling'er had married the Second Prince out of genuine affection, but no one could have guessed that this marriage was just a link in the plan devised by His Majesty and Ye Zhong. In other words, Ye Ling'er was not even considered a pawn. She had only given her feelings and marriage, becoming a bargaining chip for the Ye family to gain the trust of the Eldest Princess's side. Only when the matter came to a head would she be shocked to discover that her father had been single-mindedly trying to deal with her husband.

Of course, her husband had also been single-mindedly trying to use her to control the Dingzhou army.

At the thought of this, Fan Xian couldn't help but think of the three words the Eldest Princess had said before her death - the men of the world are all controlled by fame, fortune, power, and the so-called ideals and righteousness of unifying the world, they're really not worth anything - perhaps including himself. But he asked himself that he couldn't do such a thing, and he felt countless disgust for Ye Zhong for selling his daughter.

Gong Dian seemed to guess what he was thinking, and his expression was very unnatural.

Fan Xian shook his head and said, "Is the Second Prince also being held in the residence?"

Gong Dian responded.

Fan Xian lowered his head and said, "It's okay. His Majesty once said on Mount Dadong that if possible, don't kill, especially... Chengze."

Gong Dian raised his head in shock. He knew the news of His Majesty's survival, but it was the first time he knew that His Majesty had personally given this instruction to Fan Xian on Mount Dadong. If His Majesty was really willing to spare the Second Prince's life, it would be a great stroke of luck.

Everyone in Dingzhou actually liked this girl Ling'er, so when the truth was revealed today, and Ye Ling'er was heartbroken in the Prince's residence, all the Dingzhou soldiers felt incomparable shame and unease. Now, hearing that the Second Prince did not have to die, and Ye Ling'er naturally did not have to be a widow, it was considered a better explanation.

Fan Xian sighed in his heart. Only now, thinking of His Majesty's instructions on Mount Dadong, could he understand that His Majesty had confidently calculated that he would definitely return safely to the capital, and that the Eldest Princess, leading the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, would definitely be defeated, so he had deliberately reminded himself to spare the Second Prince's life.

Saving the Second Prince's life was actually just leaving a man for Ye Ling'er, leaving a trace of face for the Ye family, this great meritorious official. Otherwise, if the Second Prince died suddenly, how would Ye Ling'er handle herself? The world would be filled with gossip, and how would the Ye family live?

……

……

Although His Majesty had made calculations early on, Fan Xian still went to the Prince's residence, because even if he had no good feelings for the Second Prince, Ye Ling'er had called him "Master" countless times. Moreover, as a Regent Minister, he had to handle the captured Prince carefully. If something really went wrong in the Prince's residence, it would be difficult for him to explain.

Without even looking up at the plaque on the residence, he entered directly with Gong Dian. Soldiers were stationed all around. Even if the Second Prince still had some strength in his hands, it would be difficult for him to turn into a mosquito and fly out of this cage.

This was the first time Fan Xian had stepped into the Second Prince's residence, and the feeling in his heart was inevitably strange. He wondered what that brother, who was somewhat similar to him in personality, appearance, and temperament, was thinking at this moment.

Gong Dian stayed outside the backyard, and Fan Xian went in alone. The garden was quiet and secluded, not at all like the grandeur that a Prince's residence should have. There were still lights in the room, so it seemed that although it was late at night, the young Prince and Princess were still unable to sleep.

Entering the room, he only saw Ye Ling'er, who was sitting silently at the table with a look of sadness on her face, saying nothing. There were still traces of tears in the corners of her eyes. Her eyes, which used to be as bright as jade, now had a little indescribable fatigue and grievance, and more of a hidden anger.

At this moment, the Princess was like a tiger that could pounce and bite at any time. Not to mention being used by her husband, being deceived by her father, and being abandoned by her family, how could she bear it?

Fan Xian felt a faint sense of pity in his heart. He walked to her side and said softly, "Gong Dian asked you to return to the residence out of good intentions. After things calm down in a few days, won't you and Chengze still be together?"

Ye Ling'er was startled. Only then did she realize that it was him who had entered the room. A look of ridicule appeared in her eyes. She wanted to say a few words of ridicule, but her heart ached, and she lowered her head and cried silently.

Fan Xian had never seen Ye Ling'er so gentle and sad before, and he didn't know how to comfort her for a while.

After a long while, Ye Ling'er raised her head, looking at him with somewhat blank eyes: "You're not in the palace acting as your Regent Minister. What are you doing here at the Prince's residence?"

"To persuade you." Fan Xian answered very directly.

Ye Ling'er slowly shook her head.

"Don't be stubborn. Your father had no choice in this matter... All in all, if Second Brother had listened to your advice back then and hadn't gotten involved in this matter, why would he be in this situation today?"

Looking at Ye Ling'er's sad appearance, Fan Xian became inexplicably annoyed. In recent years, he had been doing his best to打击 Second Prince. One of the thoughts hidden in his subconscious was to use the Supervisory Council and His Majesty's favor to cripple Second Brother's power and cut off his thoughts of seizing the throne. He had not expected that Second Brother's desire to seize power was so strong, and with the Eldest Princess's clever manipulation, this strategy had not worked at all.

Ye Ling'er gave a self-deprecating smile and said softly, "Master, I naturally won't blame you for this matter. Whatever the outcome, it's all his own doing. Even you couldn't dissuade his burning thoughts in recent years. How could I, a daughter, persuade him?"

"You don't need to persuade me to leave the residence either... He's involved in treason. Who would give him a way out?" Ye Ling'er's face gradually calmed down. "No matter what kind of person Chengze is, I'm still his wife after all. Since my father and the people in the clan have never treated me as a person, it's fine for me to go with him. In the underworld, we can still be a couple. Thinking about that lonely place, he won't still be dreaming of becoming Emperor."

Fan Xian's heart skipped a beat. He clearly saw a hint of death wish in Ye Ling'er's calm expression. His voice trembled slightly as he said, "Ming and I told you that His Majesty gave an order to me personally on Mount Dadong. Chengze... will not die."

Hearing this, Ye Ling'er suddenly raised her head, a trace of hope and unexpected joy flashed in her eyes, but it immediately dimmed, leaving Fan Xian somewhat confused.

Ye Ling'er shook her head and sighed softly, "Everyone says he's gentle on the outside but cold and ruthless on the inside. Actually, that's not wrong... Even his mother in the palace treats him with courtesy. In his life, what kind of true warmth has he ever felt? He's not only ruthless to others but also extremely cold to himself."

"I'm his wife, so I naturally understand him better than you outsiders... You all don't know what kind of proud and conceited person he is in his heart. This complete failure has dealt him a great blow. Even if the Emperor spares his life, how can he have the face to continue living?"

She raised her head, looking at Fan Xian with a helpless and sad expression: "After returning to the residence, he hasn't said a word... I know he already has the thought of death. If even I leave him at this time, and everyone in the world abandons him... he will definitely leave very decisively."

Fan Xian took a deep breath and said directly, "Where is he?"

……

……

The Second Prince Li Chengze was squatting on a chair, holding a bunch of purple grapes in his hand and putting them into his mouth. Fan Xian had seen this scene countless times, but tonight's Second Prince had disheveled hair, and his handsome face had an expression that no one could understand. The corners of his lips were slightly raised, as if mocking something. The whole person looked abnormally颓废 (tuifei, decadent).

"If you die, who will take care of Consort Shu? What about the Princess?" Fan Xian sat down opposite him, trying to speak calmly, his eyes looking straight at the other person, as if seeing another version of himself.

Fan Xian and the Second Prince had extremely similar temperaments. This was a well-known fact in Kyoto. The two did not look alike, but sitting opposite each other, they seemed to be looking at themselves in a mirror.

Fan Xian looked at the other person, thinking in his heart that if his mother had not been Ye Qingmei, if his and Second Brother's identities were switched, he would only have the fate of sitting on a chair, eating grapes, and not spitting out the grape skins today.

The Second Prince seemed to only now notice Fan Xian's arrival. He smiled slightly and said, "Can I still live?"

Fan Xian had no choice but to repeat the Emperor's decree.

The Second Prince gave a self-deprecating smile and said, "Living like a stray dog, imprisoned in the residence for the rest of my life, waiting for my father's hundredth birthday, and before the new Emperor ascends the throne, the Ye family will also be slaughtered like dogs, and then I will be赐死 (cisi, ordered to commit suicide)... Tell me, if I live, will my future life be like this?"

Fan Xian remained silent.

"In that case, why should I drag Ling'er down, drag down... that shameless father-in-law?" The Second Prince shrugged. "Moreover, living like this is actually meaningless."

Fan Xian said, "It seems your ambition has finally been磨灭 (mómiè, extinguished)."

The Second Prince suddenly stopped putting grapes into his mouth. The purple grapes in early autumn were sweet and juicy, and the smile on his face at this moment was just as sweet. He looked at Fan Xian and said faintly, "Now that I think about it, what you said in the teahouse in front of the Baoyue Building was correct... In the past two years, you have been thinking about destroying my ambition. Looking back, I must thank you."

"It's strange. I single-mindedly believed that my aunt would help me, and I single-mindedly believed that my father-in-law would help me... But looking at it, it turns out that it's you, my greatest enemy in this life, who once had a trace of sincerity towards me."

The Second Prince praised, "You are truly an anomaly in our Old Li family. Miss Ye's family is indeed as extraordinary as the rumors say."

"And me?" The Second Prince continued, laughing loudly, laughing with tears streaming down his face, "What am I? I thought I was calculating and intelligent, with countless people behind me helping me, and the throne was within reach. But who would have expected that everything was arranged by Father, and I, this smart person, am not even as good as a chess piece, not even as good as Chengqian, that coward. I can't do anything, I have no way, I'm like a powerless child, only knowing how to watch all this happen..."

The Second Prince was angry, his voice getting louder and louder. He didn't know what he was angry about, but it was obviously not directed at Fan Xian. Perhaps he was angry that he had been placed on the grindstone by his father since childhood, forced to take one step at a time to get to where he was today, perhaps he was angry at Ye Zhong's ruthless betrayal, or perhaps he was angry at being born in the imperial palace.

Fan Xian was silent. From Wan'er, he knew that this Second Brother, who had a very good relationship with her since childhood, was nicknamed "Stone". But even a pure and顽石 (wanshi, stubborn stone), after being磨 (mó, grinded) by His Majesty with the sword of imperial power for so many years, would inevitably be tainted with some戾气 (lìqì, baleful spirit) and negative things.

"What am I?" The Second Prince Li Chengze stared at Fan Xian, pointing at himself, with tears and snot running down his face, laughing loudly, "I'm just a joke!"

Fan Xian wanted to say that in front of His Majesty, it seemed that everyone in the world... was a joke. However, he did not say this sentence, because he was shocked to see the Second Prince, who was laughing and crying, spit out a mouthful of black blood after saying the word "joke".

A mouthful of black blood spat onto the purple grapes.

……

……

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