After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Fan Xian seized the opportunity to once again propose that his grandmother move to Kyoto to spend her remaining years, but as on that night, the old lady directly expressed her stance with silence. Fan Xian couldn't help but sigh and said, "Why is no one willing to go?"

The old lady knew he was referring to Dong'er's family and said with a smile, "Kyoto is...not easy to live in. Besides, Dong'er is so close to you. Don't forget, the few big maids who have been by your side since childhood have all been taught by you to be as proud as the heavens, so tough that no one can handle them."

Fan Xian paused, touched his head, and thought that this was indeed the case. Xiao Ya, who is still in the manor, is the youngest one following him. Looking at that mouth, she's also a formidable character who can't tolerate being taken advantage of. And Xiao Qing, who brought her husband back to the manor a few days ago to see him...Xiao Qing's husband is even a scholar with a title, but he doesn't even dare to breathe loudly in front of Xiao Qing.

Xiao Qing and Xiao Ya are like this, let alone Sister Dong'er and the habitually unrestrained Si Si...These few big maids in the manor have truly been spoiled and taught badly by him. They are all incredibly tough characters wherever they go and don't regard the rules that the world considers to be supreme. Although they appear gentle on the outside, they are all clear-minded on the inside.

As Fan Xian thought, he smiled somewhat smugly. Even if he couldn't change the world too much, he had at least changed the thoughts and lives of a few women, which was not bad...Of course, only the maids who followed him could have this kind of benefit. If he, this great mountain, wasn't backing them up, these four big maids' tempers would probably make it impossible for them to move an inch in this world.

The night passed without incident.

The next day, a message came from Danzhou City saying that a certain young master of a certain household had been kicked so hard that he vomited several bowls of blood and urgently sought a doctor to bring him back to life, and was now lying in bed groaning.

No one saw the perpetrator, and Danzhou had always been known for its simple folk customs and good public security. The people were honest and law-abiding, without any thuggishness. A piece of news like this, where a powerful young master was beaten up, was truly unheard of.

The entire Danzhou was shocked. The Governor of Danzhou was furious and prepared to thoroughly investigate the case to give his former teacher a great deal of face, but after the secretary leaned over and said a few words in his ear, the Governor immediately calmed down and went back to his own Quiet Retreat to drink tea.

The clever people of Danzhou slowly guessed the reason for this matter, and no one dared to discuss it too much. And the family of the beaten young master, although they certainly harbored resentment in their hearts, dared not cry out injustice to the world. Instead, they respectfully sent someone to Dong'er's small courtyard, handing over the medical expenses and compensation for the past two years with both hands.

The matter faded extremely quickly. The people of Danzhou knew that the young master of the Fan family was not someone who liked to make trouble, but simply someone who protected his own, so they were not too worried.

After a few more days, a secret decree from Kyoto and a court report from Jiangnan were delivered to the Earl's manor at the same time. Fan Xian looked down at the two thin sheets of paper, knowing that his trip to Danzhou had come to an end, and a trace of reluctance welled up in his heart.

After all, he was the Commissioner of the Supervisory Council for Jiangnan Road with full imperial authority, and he was still young and healthy. He couldn't possibly imitate Chen Pingping and hide in his favorite place to retire.

As good as Danzhou was, he still had to leave.

The next morning, Teng Zijing took Lin Dabao and the Third Prince out to sea to fish again, while Fan Xian finally fulfilled his promise to Wan'er, holding her small hand and slowly treading on the land of Danzhou, feeling the atmosphere here, for a fulfilling one-day tour of Danzhou.

After the couple made a small disguise, they went to the bustling vegetable market, to the beach by the dock, looked at the beautiful white birds that Hong Changqing so hated, squatted at the back door of the Earl's manor and told stories for a while, and then went to that extremely quiet grocery store.

Wan'er smiled gently all the way, letting her husband hold her hand and walk quickly or slowly. She knew that all of this was Fan Xian's most beautiful memory, and he was bringing her here today in the hope that she could also share the most gentle and beautiful part of his heart.

The grocery store was quiet, and the dust was as thick as ever.

The couple were both lazy people and naturally didn't bother to clean, but just stood in the house looking around and talking about old times.

Wan'er listened quietly as Fan Xian recalled his childhood with great emotion, and her heart couldn't help but tremble. She thought that not only had she lived in tension and danger in the palace since childhood, but her husband's childhood, besides happiness, had also had so many hardships.

Her hand gently held the kitchen knife and said with a smile, "Then did Uncle use this knife to shred radishes for you to have with your wine?"

Fan Xian smiled happily and nodded.

Wan'er glared at him and said, "Drinking sorghum liquor at such a young age, aren't you afraid of getting drunk to death?"

Fan Xian smiled and said nothing.

Lin Wan'er suddenly opened her big eyes and said curiously, "Where is the cliff where you practiced your skills? Is it like that steep slope on Cang Mountain? Can you take me to see it?"

Fan Xian paused and said, "That place is dangerous, you can't go up."

Lin Wan'er said "Oh," but a strong sense of regret was clearly expressed on her round face.

Fan Xian looked at her and suddenly said, "Hold me tight."

Lin Wan'er was stunned for a moment, then chuckled and wrapped her arms around Fan Xian's arms, holding him tightly, just like that night in bed, as if she was afraid that he would disappear like this, and even more afraid that he would just immerse himself in the atmosphere of Danzhou.

——————————————————————

On the high cliff by the sea in Danzhou, Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er stood hand in hand on the edge of the cliff. A few steps forward was the abyss, the ocean, and the snowflakes.

The sea breeze blew in their faces, and the sun overhead seemed even farther away than it did on the ground, covered with a clear and light halo, not very intense.

Wan'er's breathing was slightly disordered, her cheeks were flushed, but there was a hint of fear in her eyes. Being carried up the cliff by Fan Xian all the way was truly the most exciting experience in the girl's life. She didn't know how she had climbed up those slippery and steep cliffs, so that she wasn't even very afraid when she stood on the edge of the cliff at this time, as if she was a little numb.

She glanced at Danzhou City in the distance with some trepidation and found that with her eyesight, she couldn't even see the appearance of those houses clearly.

She turned her head and looked at Fan Xian, whose face was calm, and said softly, "...You used to...climb every day?"

"Yes." Fan Xian said with a smile, "From the age of six or seven? I can't remember anymore. Anyway, you are the third person to come up here besides me and Uncle."

Lin Wan'er lowered her head and stuck out her tongue, knowing that this must be the biggest secret in Fan Xian's heart. Being able to be brought up here by him...a sweet feeling welled up in the girl's heart, followed by a hint of bitterness. She leaned slowly on Fan Xian's arm and said, "I always thought I had a hard time in the palace since I was a child, but now I know that you had an even harder time than me."

At such a young age, he had to be forced to climb mountains, and for what? Naturally, it was because he was worried that someone would come to kill him. Growing up in such a terrifying environment, what kind of torment was it for the boy back then? Thinking of this, Wan'er felt a little more sympathy for the seemingly powerful man beside her.

Fan Xian smiled slightly and said, "What's so hard about it? If you don't want to die, you naturally have to work harder. In fact...compared to other people in this world, you and I are already people who grew up in a honey jar. Don't easily say that it's hard. At least we don't have to worry about whether we have food to eat for the next meal, whether we have clothes to wear, or whether we will be sold to a brothel by our parents to be prostitutes or teahouse girls."

Wan'er listened quietly by the side.

"My superficial dashing air...is all pretended."

Fan Xian looked at the golden light on the sea with a dazed expression. "Actually, you should know that I can be said to be the most attentive, hardest-working, and most diligent person in this world."

Wan'er nodded. Fan Xian didn't forget his daily double cultivation even during those years on Cang Mountain after the wedding. In fact, with Fan Xian's current realm and power, he didn't need to be so diligent and hardworking at all. People often only saw the glamorous side of the young Lord Fan, but they didn't think at all about how much sweat and effort he had put in for this side.

"It's been like this since I was very young." Fan Xian said slowly, "No one can understand why I am so harsh on myself."

Wan'er only understood one thing, so she listened to him quietly.

Fan Xian paused for a moment, slowly closed his eyes, and said softly against the sea breeze of Danzhou, "Actually, the reason is very simple...I don't want to die."

"I don't want to die."

"Just like the saying I used to say when I was a child, only after being drunk do you know how deep the love is, and only after death do you know how heavy life is. A person who has never died will never know how terrible death is."

"I want to live in this world, so I must be ruthless, and I must make myself strong."

"And you don't know, when you get used to lying in bed and can't move, and you can't even move a finger to toss yourself...suddenly God gives you a chance to toss yourself, you will be extremely grateful to God and indulge in tossing yourself."

Fan Xian was intoxicated in his memories of two lifetimes, but Wan'er, who was beside him, couldn't understand at all. She looked at his delicate face with some incomprehension, and at the mature and vicissitudes of life that suddenly appeared on that face that were completely inconsistent with his age, her heart moved greatly, her heart ached greatly, and she felt that her heart also surged with Fan Xian's heart, with a kind of unspeakable and unclear sorrow.

Wan'er's eyes were slightly moist, and she tiptoed with some difficulty, clutching her sleeve corner, and wiping the corner of Fan Xian's eyes for him.

——————————————————————

The trip back to Danzhou to visit relatives ended like this, but before leaving, Fan Xian huddled in the old lady's study and muttered with her for a long time. Regarding the news from Kyoto, these two seemingly most gentle but actually most ruthless grandmother and grandson had a serious conversation.

When he left the study, Fan Xian's face was a little heavy.

Back in the room, Wan'er asked carefully, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing big." Fan Xian thought for a while and said calmly, "It's natural for officials in the court to write letters to the Emperor. It must be obstructing many people's eyes that I, the Imperial Envoy of Jiangnan Road, am playing around in Danzhou. The key is that I heard some news that isn't very pleasant."

"What news?" Wan'er couldn't help but laugh when she saw a rare trace of agitation on her husband's face, "Something that can throw you off balance."

Fan Xian sighed and said with a wry smile, "During the New Year, Yan Xiaoyi will also return to Kyoto to report on his duties, probably at about the same time as me."

Yan Xiaoyi? The Grand General of the Northern Expedition of Qing, the former Commander of the Imperial Guards, a super strong person of the Upper Ninth Rank with a famous reputation in Qing Kingdom...The most important thing is that this person is a confidant of the Eldest Princess and has a great reputation in the army. Even His Majesty would not dare to suppress him rashly without evidence.

And such a figure returning to Kyoto would inevitably directly confront Fan Xian.

Fan Xian still remembered today the earth-shattering arrow he had encountered when he sneaked into the palace back then.

……

……

Wan'er frowned and said, "Could it be...that the Imperial Martial Debate is going to be restored?"

Fan Xian looked at her in surprise, then laughed and patted her head, thinking that his wife's sense of smell in this regard was indeed sharp. He nodded and said, "It is said that it is the meaning of the Privy Council. The military has suggested restoring the martial debate to boost national morale."

"What did His Majesty say?" Wan'er said worriedly. She knew in her heart that Qing Kingdom was a country that had conquered the world on horseback and had always attached great importance to military exploits. However, after the three Northern Expeditions, His Majesty recuperated to prepare for another war, and turned his attention to civil rule, and also stopped the most important annual martial debate that had been held many years ago.

"His Majesty will naturally not object." Fan Xian said with a smile, "This is originally a good thing. The imperial court has been indulging in comfort for a long time, and even the Jiaozhou navy has become corrupted, so there naturally needs to be a reason to win over the hearts of the army."

Lin Wan'er was silent for a while, then suddenly said, "I'm afraid...it's aimed at you."

"I'm a civil official." Fan Xian said with a smile, but he also clearly felt a trace of a problem in his heart. His views were different from those of the Second Prince on the Liujing River. The Second Prince always thought that the Emperor had allowed Fan Xian to handle the Jiaozhou navy affair to give Fan Xian a chance to get familiar with military affairs, but Fan Xian thought that his extremely tough "father" was thinking of the opposite problem in his heart. He had killed Chang Kun and harmed Dang Xiaobo. No matter what the military factions thought, those marshals and generals were probably somewhat resentful of him in their hearts.

His Majesty still doesn't want the commissioner of the Supervisory Council to gently caress military power...

Wan'er looked at him and sighed and said, "You are a civil official, but...you are also a well-known martial arts expert in the world."

Fan Xian raised an eyebrow and said, "Are you saying that Yan Xiaoyi will return to Kyoto and challenge me at the martial debate?"

The people of Qing Kingdom liked martial arts, and although this trend had gradually faded in recent years, the strong taste rooted in the hearts of the people and officials could not be wiped away at all. Just like Ye Ling'er could throw small knives at Fan Xian outside the imperial palace, duels were still legal in Qing Kingdom, let alone in the Imperial Martial Debate, no one wanted to back down.

But Fan Xian was willing to back down. He sneered and said, "That's so childish. Just because he wants to fight me, I have to fight him?"

In his heart, martial arts were used to kill people, not to duel and fight. If he wanted to kill people, Fan Xian asked himself if he had countless ways that were more efficient and safer than duels—duels? Children's games, Fan Xian suddenly felt that the military of Qing Kingdom was a bit childish and couldn't help but sneer at them.

Wan'er sighed and said gently, "Although this method is direct and effective, it is very stupid...Mother shouldn't be stupid enough to let Yan Xiaoyi challenge you in the palace. No matter whether he wins or loses, Yan Xiaoyi wouldn't dare to really hurt you. His Majesty is watching, so I also feel that I can't figure out the reason for this, maybe we're thinking too much. Yan Xiaoyi is the Grand General of the Northern Expedition. He hasn't returned to Kyoto for two years, and it's time for him to report on his duties."

Fan Xian suddenly had a flash of inspiration in his heart, and his brows furrowed. If Yan Xiaoyi's return to Kyoto this time was related to the so-called martial debate, then it could only prove one thing: that force in the imperial court was finally trying to challenge the authority of the royal family head-on. But...what is the Eldest Princess relying on?

"If I avoid the war, I will weaken my reputation." Fan Xian said with a smile, "But you know, I don't care about these things."

This was a lie. Fan Xian was also a person who loved vanity. If it were another military heavyweight who challenged Fan Xian at the martial debate, Fan Xian wouldn't even blink an eye and would directly beat the other party until their own mother couldn't recognize them, and add a golden edge to his reputation. But...that person was Yan Xiaoyi.

Fan Xian asked himself, even if his injuries had already healed and he had obtained the help of Haitang's Heavenly One Dao Supreme Mental Cultivation Method, and had already stood firmly on the peak of the Ninth Rank, he still couldn't gain any advantage if he really faced the super strongman who could shoot an arrow that shook the sky.

He had two people on his side who could resist Yan Xiaoyi, Haitang and Yingzi, but the problem was that these two people couldn't take action for him.

He also had one person on his side who could easily kill Yan Xiaoyi, Uncle Wu Zhu, but the problem was...Uncle Wu Zhu had once again run away from home.

In addition to being nervous, Fan Xian suddenly became inexplicably excited, and seemed to smell the salty and humid smell of those sea cliffs. If he really had to fight Yan Xiaoyi head-on after returning to Kyoto, what level could he achieve without relying on those little tricks?

Kyoto, thunder, strongmen, martial arts competitions—these words were tempting Fan Xian's restless heart.

After a moment of silence, he suddenly raised his head and smiled, and said gently, "I just won't fight, but...how about trying to kill him?"

Wan'er opened her big eyes and was speechless for a long time.

……

……

(I'm about to leave Danzhou. I know that some friends feel that this section is a bit long, but before entering Danzhou, I said in advance that this section is a very important one in my eyes, and I will write it very carefully.

Fan Xian's return to Danzhou is something I eagerly expected when I wrote the first volume. After waiting for nearly a year, I finally waited for it back. How could I not miss it? How could I not be attentive? Not writing about Dong'er...I would slap myself, haha.

In addition, when writing novels online, it is actually difficult to have the opportunity to bring out the protagonist's personality traits and three views in large parts, and can only be reflected through small details in different chapters. This is a very complicated thing, so I need this part of Danzhou.

These chapters are to help this novel stand up, and also to satisfy my own interests and aesthetic tendencies. Although they are not very powerful, I still have to write them, right? It's so tiring to write. If I were to break down the plot, I would definitely write much faster, and I would also earn more money...It's just a matter of rhythm. I'm still learning. The rhythm and ups and downs of popular novels is a very difficult problem. There is no trick, I can only grasp it better the more I write. I hope that in my future writing career, I can reach a certain level, and I hope everyone can watch me continue to improve.

Finally, I sincerely ask everyone to vote for me with the monthly tickets in your hands. It's the middle of the month, and I really need everyone's monthly tickets. Those who love Dong'er, please give me monthly tickets. Those who love Wan'er, please give me monthly tickets. Those who love Dong'er's maids, please give me monthly tickets. Those who love Yan Xiaoyi...also have to give me monthly tickets! Writing a book requires writing very sincerely, and soliciting votes also requires soliciting votes very sincerely, just like a certain book friend remembered that joke from n months ago in yesterday's book review: having diarrhea...you can't forget to solicit votes.

I've said so much very seriously, everyone is not allowed to laugh, just vote for monthly tickets, that's all.)