The adjutant wiped the liquor from his face, staring blankly at the Grand General, unsure why the General was angered. Could it be that he had embarrassed the General's Mansion on the street earlier, so the General was using this method of spraying him with strong liquor to express his intense contempt?

Grand General Li Hongcheng didn't even glance at his confidant. He stared blankly at Fan Xian, disguised as a merchant, below the platform, opening and closing his mouth and pointing downwards with his index finger, moving it rapidly but unable to speak.

Fan Xian looked at him, narrowed his eyes, and shook his head almost imperceptibly.

Li Hongcheng suppressed his shock extremely quickly, coughed twice, cleared his throat, and glanced at his subordinates around him, saying, "All of you, get down and organize the files. The Governor's Mansion will be here to snatch people later. You must block them with your lives."

"Yes, sir." The soldiers who had escorted the spies into the mansion took their orders and left, but the adjutant and several confidants and clerks from the General's Mansion did not leave.

"General, aren't we interrogating them?" The adjutant wiped the liquor from his face, looking at his superior with some confusion.

Li Hongcheng was furious, saying, "Interrogate my ass! We can't even hit them, how can we interrogate them?"

Can't hit them? Could it be that what the spy had said earlier had really convinced the General? The adjutant looked at Li Hongcheng like an idiot, unable to react for a long time, feeling that life seemed too absurd.

When the main hall had quieted down considerably, Fan Xian spoke from below the platform with a smile, "These four haven't left. It seems they're your confidants?"

Li Hongcheng had already jumped up from the platform at this point, muttering as he walked down, "Nonsense, I wouldn't dare leave them here if they weren't trustworthy."

"That's good then." Without seeing how Fan Xian exerted his strength, the ox-tendon ropes binding his arms snapped inch by inch, falling to the ground.

The four confidants of the Grand General's Mansion widened their eyes, unable to believe what they were seeing. They wondered what kind of expert this person was. They had an even deeper understanding of the absurdity of life – these were specially made ox-tendon ropes from the military, enough to bind a ninth-rank expert, but they were so easily broken by this person! They had no idea that the tyrannical *zhenqi* within Fan Xian had reached its peak, and coupled with the unique attributes of this *zhenqi*, it was truly indestructible when fully unleashed.

Watching Fan Xian break free, the four men instinctively wanted to draw their weapons and strike, but fortunately they weren't really fools and had already seen that the situation was a bit strange. They looked at each other mutely, their legs feeling a little weak.

Fan Xian rubbed his wrists, which were red from being bound, and looked at Li Hongcheng in front of him, saying, "Your men are really ruthless."

"Nonsense! How else would they capture you lot of masters from the courtyard?" Li Hongcheng punched him on the shoulder, saying, "Why did you run over here? You almost caused a big mess."

Fan Xian winced in pain, saying, "I was hit by your people, don't punch me."

Li Hongcheng heard clearly that this fellow was taking the opportunity to complain, but as a Grand General, he knew the style of his subordinates, and he also knew that someone of Fan Xian's status wouldn't retaliate over such a small matter. He chuckled twice, but didn't respond, wanting to gloss it over.

"General?" The adjutant finally couldn't bear the unbearable absurdity of life and couldn't help but ask.

……

……

Fan Xian turned back and pointed to the post station chief, who was still fast asleep in his chair, saying, "This man knows my identity. Don't let him out for now. We'll talk about it after things are settled."

Li Hongcheng nodded, put his arm around his shoulder, and said with a wide smile, "The news from the capital says you shouldn't arrive for at least ten days. What's the good news that you've come so early? I'm the local tyrant of Dingzhou now. If there's any good news, you have to share a cup with me."

Fan Xian frowned, looked at him, and felt even more strange. How could this dignified son of a duke really be like a ruffian now, especially with this foul, sour smell on him… He shuddered, broke away from the other's enthusiastic embrace, and said, "There's no good news, but there's a whole pile of bad news. Anyway, I can't tell you, but there are some things I need your help with."

When these two superiors started talking about serious matters, they forgot all about their subordinates. The four confidants of the Grand General's Mansion had vaguely heard the origins of these so-called spies, and couldn't help but look at each other, then looked at those who were tied up like dumplings, their faces black and blue. They couldn't help but beat the drums in their hearts, thinking that if they really beat up the imperial secret agents, what would they do with the legendary ruthless and protective temper of the old ancestor and the little ancestor of the Supervisory Council?

"Should we untie these… brothers?" The adjutant couldn't help but ask Li Hongcheng for instructions.

Li Hongcheng cursed, "You troublemaking little bastards, hurry up and untie them."

Quickly, the four men hurriedly released Fan Xian's subordinates from the Supervisory Council, then stood aside somewhat at a loss, with apologetic smiles, saying words of apology. The subordinates of the Supervisory Council didn't show any anger. People who were used to being secret agents naturally wouldn't care about these small problems.

"Block the news, don't let a single word leak out. As for if anyone asks about the spies brought into the mansion today, say the Grand General's Mansion is secretly interrogating them."

After Fan Xian and Li Hongcheng said a few words, Li Hongcheng turned around and said a few words in a cold voice, then explained some things to ensure that the whereabouts of Fan Xian's group would not be leaked.

"Three days later, select some death row inmates from the prison…" Fan Xian lowered his head, saying, "My men will help your mansion clean up what to do next."

"These things will naturally be done by them. We have to talk first." Li Hongcheng still held Fan Xian's arm, as if afraid he would run away, dragging him towards the back garden.

The remaining officials from the Grand General's Mansion and the Supervisory Council on the platform watched their superiors leave with their arms around each other, staring at each other with wide eyes, falling into silence, not knowing what to call each other and how to handle the relevant matters. After a long time, the adjutant who had captured them into the mansion coughed twice, looking at Mu Feng'er softly, saying, "Sir, are you from the courtyard?"

Mu Feng'er nodded, not giving this person a good look.

"Then the previous sir was… Little Master Fan?" The adjutant lowered his voice, saying with slight fear.

Mu Feng'er knew the close relationship between Supervisor Fan and the Duke of Jing's heir, and nodded very seriously. The adjutant swallowed, finally knowing what kind of person he had captured today. Thinking that the other party was the little ancestor of the Supervisory Council he had been afraid of before, his face began to turn white, whiter than the flowers on the grassland.

……

……

The Grand General's Mansion was originally the Ye family's residence. Later, when the heir Hongcheng joined the Western Expeditionary Army, he had lived here because of his status. Two years ago, there was a rebellion in the capital. Half of the Dingzhou army entered the capital to quell the rebellion. Ye Zhong and Gong Dian stayed in the capital from then on and never returned. Therefore, this Grand General's Mansion became Li Hongcheng's private residence and office.

There were no idlers in the mansion. Along the way to the back garden, they didn't even see a servant. Fan Xian was secretly amazed, but didn't show anything on his face. He sat on a cold stone bench in the garden, got used to the cold and murderous atmosphere that was completely different from the gardens in the Central Plains, and then cautiously opened his mouth and said, "You must explain clearly to the people below, absolutely do not let anyone think that I entered Dingzhou City today."

"Nonsense! You came ten days early to naturally handle things. The problem is, with your current status, are you still afraid of anything?" Li Hongcheng carried a large pot of wine, poured two bowls, and placed them in front of each other.

"I don't want some interested people to guess that I... am here to meet someone because of my early arrival."

Li Hongcheng paused for a moment with the wrist holding the wine pot.

Fan Xian looked at him and said, "I won't hide this from you. I buried a nail on the grassland. Today I'm here to meet this nail, but..." He emphasized, "Besides you, I don't want anyone to know this, because the life and death of that nail will affect the lives and deaths of many Qing citizens."

Li Hongcheng pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "As you said earlier, I will handle it well, picking some death row inmates to impersonate your identities, so that people outside won't have any suspicions."

"There's another very important thing." Fan Xian said, "The Supervisory Council needs a passage to the Xihu tribes, and I don't want to be raided by your troops, so I need your cooperation."

Li Hongcheng had already escaped from his previous surprise and returned to calm, saying, "What exactly do you want to do? I'll just remind you of one thing, any grain you send to the grassland has the potential to kill a Qing soldier."

Before Fan Xian could explain, Li Hongcheng stared into his eyes and continued, "I don't care what the imperial court is thinking, I don't care what conspiracies and tricks Director Chen has, and I don't care if you're preparing to cultivate a nail to cause internal strife among the Hu, but I must remind you that the Hu... are a completely different existence. You're not on the border, so you don't know their ferocity and fickleness. You have to be careful about raising a tiger as a threat."

Fan Xian could feel the affection contained in the other party's reminder. He nodded and comforted, "Don't worry, I have a sense of proportion."

He raised his wine bowl and drank a bowl with Hongcheng, then exhaled a long breath, looking at the other party's face full of beard and the wrinkles that arose for no reason at the corners of his eyes. For a moment, he didn't know what to say. The two of them fell into silence at the same time. The back garden was quiet.

Duke of Jing heir Li Hongcheng joined the army three years ago. For three years, he fought bravely against the enemy, took the lead, and had quite a calculation in military operations. His name had long been transmitted back to the capital and the Central Plains. The world praised that after the Western expedition of the eldest prince, the imperial family had finally produced another powerful figure who could lead troops to fight. It was precisely because he had military merits that this member of the imperial family, who had some ambiguous relations with the second prince, had gained the trust of His Majesty and replaced Ye Zhong's position, beginning to command and manage the entire Dingzhou Western Camp military affairs.

However, it had been three years. This once romantic, unrestrained, and handsome heir had been blown and ground by the wind and sand of the border into another appearance. Moreover, he had not returned to the capital for three years.

"For three years, although the border is tight, judging from your appearance in the Grand General's Mansion, it's not that you don't have time to return to the capital." Fan Xian filled both bowls with strong liquor, and said softly, "Why don't you go back?"

Li Hongcheng's hand gripped the edge of the wine bowl, his face heavy. After a long time, he slowly said, "What's there to go back for?"

Fan Xian knew what he was afraid of, and looked at him disapprovingly, saying, "Those are things of the past. If His Majesty suspects you, how could he let you take charge of Dingzhou affairs?"

"It's called a Grand General in name, but my control over the army is far worse than that of the Ye family." Li Hongcheng lowered his head and said, "Of course, I don't want to turn the Western Camp into my own personal soldiers. You've seen it. I only have four trusted confidants in the mansion. The adjutant who captured you into the mansion is from the Ye family. I can trust him... but I don't dare to trust those ministers in the capital."

"In the past two years, His Majesty has carried out a total of four rotations. One belonged to Yanjing, one belonged to Nanzhao, and the other four border troops all came to Dingzhou City for a trip..." Li Hongcheng raised his head and stared into Fan Xian's eyes, "Although you have never commanded troops, you should also know that famous generals use skilled soldiers. This iron camp is really a flowing army. If the general doesn't know the soldiers, how can the battle be fought well?"

"This time you return to the capital, you must do me a favor and suggest to His Majesty... that there should be no more rotations." Li Hongcheng said in a heavy tone, "The replenishment of troops is indeed more than enough because of the rotation, but when it comes to fighting, it's not the same thing at all... and the offensives of the fourteen Hu tribes are getting fiercer and more cunning..."

Fan Xian interrupted his words, saying, "I know you've sent documents to the Privy Council, and I've read your secret reports to His Majesty, but you should know what His Majesty's rotations in the past two years are for... Yanjing and Cangzhou are in a stalemate. His Majesty is using the Hu to sharpen his knives and train his troops, for the sake of future affairs. It's basically difficult for you to ask His Majesty to stop this move."

"I don't care about the great cause of unifying the world." Li Hongcheng said angrily, "That's right, if the day the war opens, I'm willing to be His Majesty's vanguard and fight to the death on the battlefield, but the current situation here is already so tight. If the Xiliang Road is really crippled by the Hu, what's the point of unifying the world!"

At this time, there were only Fan Xian and him in the garden, so his words were especially direct, and he actually criticized the emperor's national policy as bullshit. Anyway, he knew Fan Xian's temperament and didn't care if the other party listened.

Fan Xian smiled bitterly, saying, "What can I do? His Majesty never allows me to interfere in military affairs. Don't you know that?"

Li Hongcheng sighed, raised his wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp, cursed, and said in a low voice, "It's feasible to train troops with warfare, but seven out of ten new soldiers who come go back, and three are dead on the grassland... and if the original Dingzhou veterans or the former Western Expeditionary Army subordinates brought out by His Royal Highness, these people didn't have to die."

"But..." Fan Xian knew that he had to remind Hongcheng of certain things so that he wouldn't inadvertently make mistakes in the future, "Only using the Dingzhou army and the former Western Expeditionary Army... how is it possible to attack Northern Qi and Dongyi? The Qin family rebels were almost completely wiped out in the rebellion in Kyoto two years ago, and the army was suddenly unstable, with a sharp decline in military strength. His Majesty will definitely use Dingzhou to regain the Qing army's edge! There's no need to say more about this, and you don't need to advise the imperial court anymore. It won't have any effect, and it will only make His Majesty unhappy."

"Of course, His Majesty won't watch you suffer here alone." A hint of sarcasm appeared at the corner of Fan Xian's lips, "Didn't I come too?"

Li Hongcheng shook his head, not continuing to discuss this topic.

Fan Xian looked at him and suddenly asked, "How many days do you shower now?"

Li Hongcheng was stunned, "I haven't kept track, maybe half a month, a month?"

Fan Xian twitched his nose and scolded with a smile, "No wonder you stink so much."

Li Hongcheng glared at him.

Fan Xian smiled, "There are deep wells in Dingzhou City, so there's no shortage of water at all. And you're a Grand General, so can't you even take a shower?"

"I'm just lazy." Li Hongcheng shook his head with a smile, saying, "If you were like me, who had spent half a year with the Hu in the grasslands and deserts, you would also get used to not taking a shower. Besides, it's all about carrying guns and sticks. Everyone around me is a bunch of rough men, who would care about this?"

"The subordinates don't care, don't the concubines in the mansion care?" Fan Xian picked up a slice of cucumber, stuffed it into his mouth and chewed it, saying vaguely.

Li Hongcheng was stunned, and after a moment he smiled and said, "There are no concubines in the mansion. The people from the old Ye family have all returned to the capital. I only kept a few servants."

Fan Xian raised his head in surprise, unable to believe his ears. Li Hongcheng, the Duke of Jing's heir, was famous for his romantic affairs in Kyoto, secretly managing half of the world's brothels and courtesans for the Second Prince. It can be said that he had a new beauty in his bed every night. Now that he was alone in Dingzhou, there wasn't even a single concubine by his side?

Seeming to guess what Fan Xian was thinking, Li Hongcheng tapped the wine bowl lightly with his index finger, and said softly, "Ruo Ruo doesn't like it, so I quit."

Fan Xian was speechless. After a long time, he said quietly, "I'm sorry for this."

"What did you do to be sorry for me?" Li Hongcheng scolded with a smile.

Fan Xian shook his head and didn't say anymore, opening his mouth and saying, "The first time I saw you at Yi Shi Ju, you were surrounded by scholars, free and easy. I didn't expect you to become like this now."

"There's nothing bad about being like this." Li Hongcheng was thinking about the things that had happened around him in the past five or six years, and he was also somewhat sentimental. "On that day at Yi Shi Ju, there were also Guo Baokun, He Zongwei, and others..."

If Li Hongcheng hadn't mentioned it, Fan Xian might have forgotten who Guo Baokun was.

"You punched Guo Baokun, and later made his family destitute." Li Hongcheng looked at Fan Xian with a smile, saying, "He Zongwei has now become a popular figure in the imperial court, His Majesty's favorite minister. The changes of the world are all like this. I can stay out of it, which is relatively good."

Fan Xian smiled and said nothing.

"You little bastard is ruthless enough. Before you entered the capital, Kyoto was peaceful for more than ten years." Li Hongcheng continued, "But ever since you entered the capital, people have started dying one after another. But I guess you didn't expect that the bastard He Zongwei could actually climb to his current position. The Censorate is holding your Supervisory Council's neck in Kyoto. He has begun to enter the Secretariat and discuss matters, and has already begun to threaten you..."

It must be said that Li Hongcheng and Fan Xian were surprisingly consistent in their attitude towards Master He. They both remembered the grudge very well, remembering that He Zongwei wanted to eat Fan Ruoruo, the swan in the snow, that year.

Fan Xian smiled sarcastically, saying, "He Zongwei climbs high, but he will fall fast in the future. I'm not worried about anything."

"Of course you won't be afraid of him." Li Hongcheng laughed, "Although I haven't returned to the capital, I've heard about the nickname 'Slave of Three Families'. You must have made it up."

Fan Xian chuckled twice, defaulting.

Li Hongcheng pointed at his nose and sighed, "You... still have those few tricks. First, you ruin people's reputations, and then rely on His Majesty's favor to start playing unreasonable dirty tricks. But I remind you, He Zongwei is different from me, and different from the Second Prince. He is a minister raised by His Majesty, so you can't easily move him."

This trick was indeed a common trick used by Fan Xian. That year, he used this trick to suppress the events of Yin Sha's prostitute and the damage to his reputation on the Second Prince and Li Hongcheng, and finally forced the Second Prince to take a dangerous move, and then Li Hongcheng was imprisoned in the palace by Prince Jing for more than half a year.

"That's right, now many officials in the imperial court are starting to hug He Zongwei's thighs... Slave of Three Families? In fact, the master he has always followed is named Li, and where do officials care about reputation?" Fan Xian sarcastically said, "It's just that these officials probably didn't think that no matter how the situation in the imperial court develops, He Zongwei will eventually be unable to escape death."

"How so?"

Fan Xian didn't hide anything in front of Hongcheng, and directly sneered, saying, "His Majesty used the Censorate to check and balance the Supervisory Council and reduce the power of the Supervisory Council. This was something that was made clear to me in advance. I agree with this. It's not a good thing for the Supervisory Council to be too powerful for the imperial court and the people."

"But the fierce reputation of the Supervisory Council is here, and His Majesty must choose a minister who dares to oppose me to take the lead... so he chose He Zongwei, because this person knows that no matter how things develop in the future, I will definitely not let him go." A coldness appeared at the corner of Fan Xian's lips, "So he can only try his best to climb, but even if his ability is stronger, and he develops the Censorate to the point where it can oppose the Supervisory Council, so what? It's the Censorate that has risen, not him."

"The day the Supervisory Council truly becomes an examination institute, He Zongwei will no longer have any value." Fan Xian shook his head, "His Majesty only has a few sons now, it's only possible that the Third Prince will inherit the throne. No matter how the Third Prince will think in the future, he will always have to consider my attitude at the beginning of his succession... He Zongwei has suppressed me for so long, how can he not pay some price?"

"He's a rootless grass, just being held in His Majesty's hand, so his life depends on how many years His Majesty can still live."

Li Hongcheng felt a chill in his heart.

Fan Xian closed his eyes and said, "Everyone thinks His Majesty is healthy and a Grand Master, but they haven't thought that His Majesty is also fifty or sixty years old now."

Li Hongcheng shook his head, "I have to admit that I don't see things as far as you do."

"That's natural, otherwise you wouldn't have been locked up in the palace by Prince Jing for so long." Fan Xian smiled and looked at him.

"Looking back now, you saved my life." Li Hongcheng lowered his head and said, "If I had stayed in Kyoto all along two years ago, I'm afraid I would have died by now."

He raised his head and sighed with emotion, "Just like the Second Prince."

……

……

Mentioning the dead people, the atmosphere between them became oppressive again. After a long time, Li Hongcheng forced a smile and said, "Of course, this matter can't be blamed on you. What you said to the Second Prince in the teahouse outside Baoyue Tower that day, he told me later... I know, you just wanted to take down the Second Prince, and also wanted to save his life, but... he, in fact, is as stubborn as you, and doesn't like to listen to people."

From the very beginning, Li Hongcheng stood behind the Second Prince in the fight for the throne. Fan Xian's powerful attacks after he took charge of the Supervisory Council only pushed Li Hongcheng out of the poisonous water in Kyoto, but didn't push out the Second Prince. But Fan Xian knew that the reason why Hongcheng supported the Second Prince was not only because of future benefits, but because they were very good friends.

"I'm sorry for their departure." Fan Xian said, "But there are too many things in the world that we can't completely solve."

"I've always been curious." Li Hongcheng stared into Fan Xian's eyes and said, "Whether it's the Second Prince or His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, they are all working hard to do certain things, but it seems that only you, from the very beginning, have determined that these princes' struggles will end in a very painful failure. How did you judge this? Did you calculate from the beginning that they had no possibility of success?"

"This is related to education from a young age." Fan Xian seriously replied, "When I was young, my grandmother would hold me and constantly tell me, His Majesty is like this, His Majesty is like that, His Majesty is invincible, His Majesty is how... I got used to it, I accepted it, and..."

He shook his head, "The final facts also proved that His Majesty is indeed... invincible."

Li Hongcheng was silent, only shaking his head.

"Let's go back to Kyoto. I know you're afraid of being sentimental, but it's good to visit the Second Prince. He and Chengqian, the Empress, and the Eldest Princess are all buried on a beautiful hill. The scenery is nice." Fan Xian sincerely advised the prodigal son who refused to go home, "Besides, the prince's health is getting worse and worse. As a son, you should always go back and see him."

Li Hongcheng didn't agree, but sincerely said, "My father had a serious illness last year, all thanks to your care. Roujia wrote in her letter, thank you."

"Why do we need the word 'thank you' between us?" Fan Xian looked at him and mentioned seemingly inadvertently, "Ruoruo is going back to Kyoto at the end of the year."

Li Hongcheng raised his head suddenly, his eyes lit up.

"Ye Ling'er came to Dingzhou to relax, why didn't I see her?" Fan Xian didn't continue to ask the previous question, but asked about another person he cared about very much.

Since the Second Prince's death, Wan'er had accompanied Ye Ling'er for a while, but ultimately it didn't have much effect. Later, Ye Zhong asked for instructions and sent his daughter back to Dingzhou City, where she had grown up since childhood. Li Hongcheng was in Dingzhou City, and his friendship with the Second Prince was very deep. It was indeed more appropriate for him to take care of Ye Ling'er.

Li Hongcheng smiled bitterly and said, "This princess has been in a much better mood since seeing the grassland, but she's not someone who can be idle. She's in Qingzhou at this time."

"Qingzhou?" Fan Xian gasped, blaming him, saying, "That's the most remote state city, and it's going to go to war with Xihu at any time!"

"What can I do?" Li Hongcheng glared at him, "There are countless old generals from the Ye family in the Western Camp. Those generals look at Ye Ling'er like they're looking at a little ancestor, not daring to fart. She wants to go to the border to fight and kill people to heal her wounds. Can I stop her?"

Fan Xian shook his head repeatedly, scolding, "It's really nonsense." Then he suddenly thought of something, saying, "Fortunately, I'm going to Qingzhou soon. When I come back, I'll tie her back."

As soon as these words came out, it was Li Hongcheng's turn to gasp, and he scolded angrily, "You're going to Qingzhou? Do you want something to happen, and then His Majesty will slaughter the entire Dingzhou army to bury you with her!"

……

……

(The cover has been changed, everyone please take a look, this is the final version of the *Qing Yu Nian* cover, thanks to Fuyan for using the crazy knife again. In addition, I am going to add a brief introduction, um, the last volume, do everything that should be done well.

Friends who have monthly tickets, please help vote. We still need everyone's support this month. If you don't ask for it, there won't be any tickets. It's an objective reality... Everyone, please help more.

ps, recommend a book, *Shi Se Da Tang*, the introduction is as follows: Several voluptuous girls traveled back to the Tang Dynasty because they were drunk. They couldn't understand ancient Chinese, couldn't understand ancient writing, and finally managed to start a business and settle down, but they encountered Li Er wanting to launch the Xuanwu Gate Incident. Seeing that the dream of "eating and beauty, nothing is lacking" has become a bubble, survival or destruction, that's the question to consider. Book number, 1049646

This is a female-oriented book, please confirm your preferences. Of course, the words in parentheses don't count towards the word count.)