Niao Ni
Chapter 707: Can Monarch and Minister Meet in Peace?
The Imperial Palace had completely changed its structure since three years ago. The Empress Dowager was dead, the Empress was dead, the Eldest Princess was also dead, and Consort Shu was confined in the Cold Palace. Consort Yi, who had given birth to Li Chengping, and Consort Ning, who had given birth to the First Prince, had bravely or been forced to stand on His Majesty's side during the Kyoto rebellion. As the rebellion unfolded, the two consorts naturally rose in status. Consort Ning was promoted a level, and although Consort Yi was still a consort, she was gradually to be promoted to imperial consort as time went on.
With Consort Yi and Consort Ning in charge of the Imperial Palace, Consort Yi being amiable and Consort Ning being indifferent, the palace naturally enjoyed three years of peace and tranquility. However, with the loud bang in the Imperial Study eight days ago, the good times finally came to an end.
Consort Ning, for bravely pleading for Chen Pingping, was demoted to the Cold Palace to accompany Consort Shu—it was fortunate that she had given birth to a good son, otherwise, with His Majesty's anger that day, it would have been best if he had directly ordered her death.
Consort Yi is now the only noble master in the palace, and the selection of new concubines that began three days ago is naturally under her control. She also understands the true purpose behind this sudden selection of new concubines better than anyone else.
After the Kyoto rebellion, His Majesty had two and a half sons. Besides the First Prince far away in Dongyi City, there was the Third Prince Li Chengping, and the half naturally referred to Fan Xian. Unfortunately, due to Chen Pingping's act of treason, Fan Xian and the Emperor had fallen into a cold war, and no one knew how this matter would end.
Unfortunately, these two and a half sons had completely learned from the Crown Prince and the Second Prince's mistakes, and their relationship with each other was extremely close. Not to mention the friendship between the First Prince and Fan Xian, even the mentorship between Fan Xian and the Third Prince was unexpectedly solid.
Since Qingli Year 7, Fan Xian had entered the palace many times, but his contact with the Third Prince had decreased. On the one hand, he had to avoid suspicion since the Third Prince was clearly becoming the heir apparent, and on the other hand, His Majesty deliberately wanted to weaken Fan Xian's influence on the Third Prince.
Even if Fan Xian was useless in many ways, he had one strength that was admired by the world, which was his ability to influence the people around him, making them rally around him. Whether it was some close officials of the Supervisory Council, the Fan Family's Four Talents, or the direct line of troops in Baoyue House, they all proved this point.
The Third Prince was his student, and although he had rarely seen Fan Xian since returning from Jiangnan, he had never forgotten Fan Xian's harsh teachings, and had long since transformed from that slightly gloomy and ruthless child into a reserved prince.
There was no jealousy or infighting among the three princes. If this were the norm, it would be an extremely wonderful thing. After reflecting on himself after the Kyoto rebellion three years ago, Emperor Qing probably had no interest in driving his sons crazy again. However, Chen Pingping's act of treason made this seemingly wonderful relationship no longer so wonderful in the Emperor's eyes.
Consort Yi knew this very well. If His Majesty no longer completely trusted Fan Xian, then he had to be wary of whether his sons would band together to do something. Even if these three sons could not band together, if His Majesty really attacked Fan Xian, chilling everyone's hearts, what would the situation be in the Imperial Palace as Chengping grew older day by day?
Therefore, His Majesty wanted to select new concubines, to have more childbearing machines in the palace, and to have a few more sons for him.
Consort Yi looked at her son, her brow filled with worry, and sighed softly. Li Chengping did not sigh, but gently held his mother's hand. There were many dark secrets in the palace. He had grown up like this since he was a child, watching his two older brothers try to kill him and his father for that chair. Finally, he was saved by his other two brothers. He had long since realized that if the Imperial Palace was more peaceful, life would be much smoother.
However, there was never such a good thing in the world. He knew that his relationship with the Fan residence was too deep. If his father no longer trusted Fan Xian, he would probably not be at ease simply handing over the world to him. Selecting young women to enter the palace? Was his father trying to have a few more sons… to be wary of him? Or to be wary of Fan Xian?
"Tomorrow, Mr. Fan Xian will enter the palace to pay his respects, perhaps things are not so bad." Li Chengping smiled weakly, comforting his mother.
"That Fan Xian is extremely stubborn, who knows if he will enter the palace tomorrow." Consort Yi smiled helplessly. She knew that even if His Majesty wanted to have a few more sons to warn the Shufang Palace and Fan Xian, it would ultimately be a long time in the future, and the Qing Kingdom's court had long been accustomed to Li Chengping as the future Emperor of the Qing Kingdom, even more stable than the Crown Prince's position back then. His Majesty could not possibly interrupt his long-planned future just because of his distrust of the Fan residence.
However, she really did not know what the real problem between His Majesty and Fan Xian was. Was it the death of Chen Pingping, or some other problem? If Fan Xian was willing to admit his guilt and bow his head tomorrow, as long as he could continue to live in Kyoto, his future power and position would naturally slowly recover. Then, there would be no need for the Shufang Palace to worry about these young women sent into the palace by the ministers and princes.
Consort Yi's brow furrowed slightly, and a rare coldness flashed in her eyes. She said, "It would be good if these young girls were well-behaved. If they really rely on the strength of their families in the court and want to cause trouble in the palace, this consort will never tolerate them."
After all, she was a woman who had been the nominal master of the palace for three years. After presiding over the selection of concubines, no matter how innocent and carefree her nature was, most of it had already been worn away in this palace. At this time, a cold sentence naturally revealed a few strands of dignity.
"I heard that yesterday, three of those young women were driven out by mother as soon as they entered the palace." Li Chengping sincerely advised, "After all, it is father's intention. If you make it too obvious, I'm afraid father will not be happy."
"Even if your father knew, he would be happy. Those little girls who have no sense of propriety..." Consort Yi sneered, "The Imperial Dynasty has not selected new concubines for a long time, and from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to the Ministry of Rites, there is no rule at all. Daughters from all kinds of families are sent to the palace. I don't know what they heard in their families, but they sprinkled silver as soon as they entered the palace. And those palace maids and matrons probably haven't eaten this kind of silver for a long time, and they actually accepted it."
She looked at the Third Prince and said calmly, "As soon as those young women entered the palace, they inquired about the situation in the palace. They didn't dare to discuss the masters of each palace, but when they discussed the one in the Imperial Study, they dared to say anything… After all, they are not from the families of regular ministers, but from some declining princes and old officials. They probably don't know what kind of background the Fan family and the Liu family have, and they naively think that the Fan residence has really lost power. They don't know why that person has gained His Majesty's favor, so they aimed the edge of their words at that person… What they said was extremely unpleasant."
"I drove those three young women out of the palace, both to give the rest a warning and to save their families' lives." Consort Yi gently smoothed the hair beside her temples and said quietly, "Not to mention what His Majesty would be like if he really heard such discussions, as long as these words reach Fan Xian's ears, what do you think those young women's families will be like after things calm down?"
Li Chengping finally couldn't help but laugh and said, "If the recent situation really calms down, I'm afraid mother will add fuel to the fire and tell Mr. Fan Xian."
Consort Yi smiled broadly and spat, "This child is talking nonsense, how could mother be that kind of person."
Li Chengping scratched his head and hesitated to speak, "But father always keeps Miss Fan family in the Imperial Study, which is always against the rules."
Consort Yi was silent for a long time before smiling and saying nothing. In fact, she knew in her heart that the man who had turned her into a woman, the most powerful man in the world, was actually lonely. In his eyes, the women in the palace seemed to have something to ask for. Perhaps only that Miss Fan family, who had no connection with the Imperial Palace, could truly make him feel like he had nothing to ask for.
His Majesty likes what, he likes the people around him to have nothing to ask for from him. At the thought of this, Consort Yi's face became a little dull. She looked at Li Chengping and said gently, "You should also go to the Cold Palace less, be careful not to make His Majesty unhappy."
"Consort Shu was sent to the Cold Palace, but after all, she is the biological mother of the Second Prince. In the past, she treated our brothers not badly, and it had nothing to do with what the Second Prince did." Li Chengping explained in a low voice, "Now, Aunt Ning is also sent to the Cold Palace, I always have to go and see."
Consort Yi smiled and said nothing more. She knew that the reason why the Third Prince often went to the Cold Palace to visit, gaining a reputation for kindness in the palace, and also gaining His Majesty's unexpected appreciation... was all because of Fan Xian's instructions. It was said that during the Kyoto rebellion three years ago, Fan Xian had personally promised the dying Second Prince to take care of Consort Shu for him.
……
……
The mother and son in the Shufang Palace were talking softly about the selection of concubines and the young woman in the Imperial Study. At the same time, that young woman in the Imperial Study was already supporting the Emperor, who had not yet recovered from his injuries, for a walk, and was about to return to the Imperial Study.
As Consort Yi said, the Emperor only appreciated this woman, but would not have any absurd ideas. Having already entered the realm of the Grand Master, he had long seen through the affairs of men and women. The reason for selecting new concubines was more out of political considerations. And on the way, the Emperor certainly would not talk to Fan Ruoruo about the selection of concubines, but casually discussed the wind and rain in Kyoto these eight days, as well as Fan Xian's affairs.
Of course, most of the time, the Emperor was talking and Fan Ruoruo was listening. The Emperor was raised by the Fan family's grandmother, and naturally had a kind of natural closeness to the Fan family. The Emperor had no daughter in his life. Since Lin Wan'er moved out of the Imperial Palace, he seemed unable to find this kind of warmer feeling again.
The two were walking in front, and Yao, the eunuch, and a group of people were nervously following far behind. Walking in the dark night, this team inevitably looked a little ridiculous.
Just as they were about to turn to the stone gate beside the main road in front of the Imperial Study, the Emperor stopped and looked at the eunuch bowing beside the stone gate. After a long silence, he asked, "How have you been following Eunuch Dai recently?"
This eunuch was the favorite in the Imperial Study back then, Hong Zhu. After the events of three years ago faded, he had been following Eunuch Dai these days, handling documents. Today, he accidentally encountered the Holy Presence at night. He waited anxiously on the side with mixed feelings, but he did not expect that His Majesty would suddenly greet him. He quickly replied in a trembling voice.
The Emperor looked at him with satisfaction. He used to like this clever little eunuch very much, otherwise he would not have let him follow him personally in the Imperial Study, and later sent him to the Eastern Palace to be the chief eunuch. However, due to some coincidental events, Hong Zhu was陷了进去, but even so, the Emperor still did not kill him.
Suddenly, the Emperor's heart moved, thinking of the scene when he saw the wheelchair earlier, thinking of the day when it snowed, when Fan Xian entered the palace. The little eunuch who pushed the wheelchair that day was Hong Zhu… Gradually, a trace of a smile flashed in the Emperor's eyes, thinking that Fan Xian seemed to dislike this little eunuch very much, and wondering what he was thinking in his heart, he ordered, "From tomorrow on, return to the Imperial Study."
Hong Zhu was overjoyed and knelt on the ground, thanking him and kowtowing vaguely, but no one noticed the complex expression that flashed in his lowered eyes.
The Emperor waved his hand with some annoyance, and then entered the stone gate with Fan Ruoruo. The Emperor suddenly said, "On snowy and rainy days, you don't have to kneel to see me. This is the rule I set after I ascended the throne. It rained today, and the ground is still wet, so Hong Zhu doesn't have to kneel."
Fan Ruoruo looked at His Majesty slightly stunned, wondering why His Majesty wanted to say this.
"Am I… really not a good Emperor?" Just as he was about to walk outside the Imperial Study, the Emperor suddenly stopped, very calmly, but very seriously, and asked.
Where there is a question, there must be an answer. At this time, Fan Ruoruo was the only one beside him, and naturally he was waiting for Fan Ruoruo to make a judgment. Fan Ruoruo's heart shuddered slightly, wondering why she was not an economist, nor a historian with a pen as thick as a beam, how could she be qualified to judge such a big question? However, the Emperor did not move, but calmly waited for her to open her mouth and respond.
Fan Ruoruo was silent for a long, long time, thinking of the scenes she had seen in the Imperial Study these days, as well as the details of the Imperial Palace, and thinking of the lives of the Qing people in the prefectures and counties she had traveled around the world.
After all, she could not cover her eyes and her heart. After thinking for a moment, she opened her lips slightly and replied seriously, "Compared with the previous emperors, Your Majesty… is indeed a good Emperor."
The Emperor was silent for a moment, carefully savoring Fan Ruoruo's reply. After a moment, he finally relaxed his face and laughed out loud. The laughter echoed in the garden in front of the Imperial Study, under the eaves, and then collided with the palace wall, and then collided back.
Yao, the eunuch, and the others who followed behind were slightly stunned, wondering what Fan Ruoruo had said to make His Majesty laugh so happily, so unprecedentedly happy. For a time, they were filled with mixed feelings and admired this Fan Ruoruo, who was not very willing to speak, to the extreme.
Fan Ruoruo also smiled slightly, looking at the Emperor beside her, and a very complex emotion arose in her heart. At this time, she finally understood why His Majesty had treated her so differently these days.
Consort Yi may have guessed some of it, and Fan Ruoruo had also guessed some of it earlier, and Fan Xian's opinion was naturally not wrong, but the Emperor kept Fan Ruoruo in the Imperial Palace, by his side, in the Imperial Study, to let her see him, while still suffering from serious injuries, handling national power, and being wise and martial…
Perhaps after the conversation with Chen Pingping in the Imperial Study, the Emperor needed someone to prove and recognize that he was a good Emperor.
No matter what that old black dog in the wheelchair said, but I am still a good Emperor, am I not? At this moment, the Emperor finally seemed to have made up his mind, and a confident and calm smile reappeared on his face, and he walked towards the Imperial Study.
……
……
"Announce!"
"Announce!"
"Announce Fan Xian, instructor of the Imperial College, to enter the palace!"
Some were rough, some were sharp and sandy like ducks, but what was shouted out loud was the same. Today was no court meeting, a regular holiday, the roots of the Imperial City were quiet, and the generals and soldiers of the Imperial Guards had solemn faces and did not look sideways, allowing the young man wearing a blue gown to walk past them, but what did not match their calm faces was their tense mood at this time.
Nine days had passed since Chen Pingping's act of treason and his death by dismemberment at the execution ground in front of the palace. That day, Lord Fan Xian broke into the execution ground, disregarding His Majesty's authority, already indicating Lord Fan Xian's attitude on this matter. In the following days, the cold war between His Majesty the Emperor and the powerful ministers of the Qing Dynasty reached its peak. Countless spies from the inner court outside the Fan residence died miserably, and according to rumors in official circles, an assassination attempt against Fan Xian occurred yesterday in a certain place three miles outside the city.
In short, after the news that the current Emperor had issued an edict summoning Fan Xian to enter the palace to pay his respects was revealed, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Although the current Qing Kingdom was powerful, it still did not want to bear the bloodshed that could be brought about by the discord between this pair of monarch and subject, father and son.
This, to another extent, shows that even though Fan Xian no longer holds any official position, the Qing people in the court and the city still believe that if he really went all out, he would cause a certain degree of harm to the Qing Kingdom. And it only took nine days for the cold war between His Majesty and Fan Xian to end, which was really a fortunate thing.
In the view of Grand Scholar Hu and others, there was nothing that this pair of monarch and subject, father and son, could not solve. It was nothing more than intense emotions that forced out the sinister stubbornness in the hearts of this pair of father and son, and neither was willing to give in first. Today, His Majesty the Emperor took this first step, naturally indicating that the palace had taken a step back first, and Fan Xian must certainly appreciate this gesture.
In the cold air, Fan Xian silently followed Eunuch Yao forward. Eunuch Yao, who was already the chief eunuch in the palace, still played that humble role in front of him, but Fan Xian did not have much interest in talking.
Instructor of the Imperial College? Although Fan Xian was now a commoner, the only official position he could be called was this title, but it was still so harsh. In this urging, Fan Xian came to the Imperial Study and was a little surprised to see Hong Zhu waiting outside the study. Fan Xian did not hide his surprise, nodded slightly, and Hong Zhu bowed deeply. No one could see the exchange in their eyes.
Entering the study and seeing his sister, Fan Xian's mood stabilized slightly, and then he bowed deeply to the man on the couch, but he was still stubbornly silent.
……
……
That day, Fan Xian rode back to Kyoto alone, until he left the execution ground with Chen Pingping's body in his arms, he was stingy with a trace of his gaze to the man on the Imperial City. Carefully calculated, the Emperor and him had not seen each other for several months.
His Majesty the Emperor quietly looked at Fan Xian. He was not surprised by the emotions that Fan Xian expressed at this time. He did not allow his ministers to have any rebellious emotions in front of him, but that did not mean that he could not accept his most beloved son showing his true nature or stubbornness in front of him.
The silence in the Imperial Study did not last long. Fan Ruoruo bowed slightly to His Majesty the Emperor and smiled at her brother, and then withdrew from the Imperial Study. She stayed here today only because His Majesty wanted to reassure Fan Xian. Since this goal had been achieved, she naturally had to leave, leaving this pair of monarch and subject with a quiet environment to talk.
"I have been thinking about why I am so tolerant of you." The Emperor looked at Fan Xian and said slowly, "Naturally, not because of the contributions you have made to the Great Qing Dynasty. It was not until yesterday that I finally understood."
The Emperor looked at him and said calmly, "I think there is no need for too much nonsense between you and me. Here are some files, you can take a look."
In this story, it has been repeated countless times that Emperor Qing and Fan Xian are the two most outstanding power actors in this world, but in today's Imperial Study, Emperor Qing did not act anything. He just said these words very directly.
The words were very simple, but Fan Xian understood the hidden meaning in them. He knew that what was placed on the desk in front of him was nothing more than the evidence that Chen Pingping had presided over the assassination of him, such as the Xuankong Temple, such as the valley, everything related to severance.
According to the arrangements of that dead old man, Fan Xian should be surprised, sad, and then return to His Majesty's side at this time. However, for some reason, seeing the Emperor's confident, calm, and elegant expression at this time, he felt endless anger. That anger made him sad and heartbroken, and he did not want to continue acting anymore.
Fan Xian raised his head and looked straight at this most familiar and most unfamiliar man, and did not move for a long time.
……
……
(Don't dislike these chapters for being bland, bland but flavorful is a good thing, you can't eat hot pot every day, it's better to be bland, so you can last longer… Everything is going according to plan, writing with a sense of certainty, this feeling is good, but I shouldn't have howled that sound yesterday, and it just happened to be busy again today, at this time, ending with 12,000 words, I am almost exhausted, cough, take a rest, I wish you all a happy weekend.)