Having said that, Fan Xian and his party had already left Hangzhou and arrived in Wuzhou for nearly half a month. However, apart from reporting it to the Emperor, this matter had not been disclosed, so the people of Wuzhou were unaware of it.

However, there are no absolute secrets in the world, especially matters like returning home to visit relatives, which are even less likely to be kept from everyone. Therefore, it was not difficult to imagine that Lang Tao, the chief disciple of the Northern Qi State Preceptor and the number one expert in the palace, knew of Fan Xian's whereabouts.

And Lang Tao's trip south involved another exceptionally interesting question.

Starting from the spring of the sixth year of Qingli, the Northern Qi Holy Maiden, Haitang Duoduo, traveled to Jiangnan alone to meet with Fan Xian. The stories of these past few months had already spread throughout the north and south of the river, especially with Fan Xian's deliberate arrangement and the spread of rumors. Everyone believed that there was an indescribable, ambiguous relationship between Fan Xian, the imperial envoy of the Southern Qing Dynasty, and Haitang, the Holy Maiden of the Northern Qi Dynasty.

Just as Fan Xian and Haitang had worried in that bed, under that large quilt, such a romantic story between a man and a woman unexpectedly touched the hearts of too many people. The Southern Qing side had not yet reacted, but the Northern Qi side became impatient.

Haitang was the most beloved disciple of Ku He, the closest junior aunt to the Northern Qi Emperor, and the most cherished junior of the Northern Qi Empress Dowager.

Such an outstanding woman, such a woman with the image of a Celestial Vein Bearer, responsible for undertaking the spirit of the Northern Qi subjects and enhancing the national morale, was rumored to...marry into the Southern Qing!

This fact angered the Northern Qi people and worried the Northern Qi royalty. Moreover, those people in high positions naturally knew Fan Xian's status in the Southern Qing Dynasty, and they also knew the disgraceful role Fan Xian played in that matter back then - the Northern Qi Emperor greatly admired Fan Xian. At the very least, he was a fan of *The Story of the Stone*, or a "Stone Fan" for short. However, the Empress Dowager, although not old, was somewhat stubborn in temperament, and she would not allow this to happen.

On the issues of Shen Zhong and Shang Shanhu, and the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the young Northern Qi Emperor had successfully forced his mother to make concessions. However, on matters involving marriage and face, the Northern Qi Empress Dowager's words still carried considerable weight, and the little Northern Qi Emperor could not hold out against her.

Moreover, in the depths of that extremely profound ideological abyss, the little Northern Qi Emperor did not necessarily want Haitang to marry into the Fan residence.

One reason was the problem of those millions of taels of silver, and the other was the little Emperor's own thoughts.

Therefore, the little Emperor remained silent on this issue, while the Empress Dowager took charge.

The Empress Dowager's opinion was simple: how could the Holy Maiden of a great nation be inextricably entangled in those filthy rumors? How could her most beloved Duoduo marry Fan Xian, that rogue, without any proper status?

Therefore, she sent a group led by Lang Tao to bring Haitang back to Northern Qi, and also arranged a seemingly suitable marriage for Haitang within the country.

In short, under no circumstances could Haitang be allowed to marry Fan Xian.

This was the thought of the entire Northern Qi nation.

…

…

Regarding Haitang's marriage, the Empress Dowager had promised her to the son of Marquis Changning, her own nephew, Wei Hua, the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The two were close in age, and Wei Hua was indeed a capable minister with a high position, truly a good match.

However, Wei Hua was not a fool. First, he definitely did not want to marry a woman who was more capable than him into his family. Second, he absolutely did not want to offend Fan Xian on this issue. Everyone knew that Fan Xian had inherited a quirk from Chen Pingping, which was to be absolutely protective of his own and absolutely vengeful.

Taking a man's wife, what kind of great hatred was that? Wei Hua, whenever he thought about the things Fan Xian had done in Northern Qi, even with all the Embroidered Uniform Guard escorts around him, still felt a chill.

However, regardless of whether Wei Hua wanted to marry her or not, he did not have the courage to disobey the Empress Dowager's decree. He had no choice but to send his personal letter to the Supervision Department in the south through the secret letters of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, explaining the matter to Fan Xian and reminding him of it, taking the initiative to clear himself of any involvement.

However, the people heading south still came, including the stubborn Lang Tao and Lang Tao's female disciple, Wei Hua's younger sister, Wei Yingning.

Wei Yingning loved Haitang, just like all the women in Northern Qi. She had always believed that the director of the Southern Supervision Department had used some disgraceful means to keep Haitang in Suzhou. When she learned that the Empress Dowager had issued an edict to make Haitang *Shigu* (aunt-master) her sister-in-law, she was the happiest person. Therefore, after arriving in Qing, she became the most angry person.

…

…

From another perspective, the things Fan Xian had done and the words he had said were an intolerable humiliation to Haitang's future husband's family, the Changning Marquis residence. That was why Wei Yingning was acting so impulsively.

Her impulsiveness did not mean that her master, Lang Tao, would also be impulsive.

Lang Tao was Ku He's chief disciple, a formidable figure in the world, and of course he knew what the Empress Dowager wanted his party to do when they went to the Southern Qing Dynasty. Therefore, after passing through Wudu River, they traveled south all the way, but stopped in Wuzhou instead of going directly to Suzhou to pick up Haitang and return to the country.

Whether Haitang returned or not was not just Haitang *Shimei*'s (younger sister-master) matter, but also the matter of the young man in front of him.

Lang Tao looked at Fan Xian's handsome face and couldn't help but sigh. If he and his party went to Suzhou to bring Haitang back to the country, regardless of whether *Shimei* herself was willing or not, if it was not with Fan Xian's permission, this enmity would definitely be formed.

Now the world knew that Fan Xian, the little Fan of Southern Qing, and Haitang, the Holy Maiden of Northern Qi, were a match made in heaven.

Even someone as proud as Lang Tao did not dare to provoke Fan Xian too much on this issue. Without Fan Xian's permission, they wanted to bring Haitang back to Northern Qi, but they were also very afraid of facing the pursuit and siege of the Southern Qing army. So he had his party stay in Wuzhou, wanting to meet with Fan Xian and inform him of this matter.

But… Fan Xian clearly knew that these people were in Wuzhou, but he kept avoiding them.

This was normal. If someone knew that his wife's family had sent people to have his wife marry someone else, who would have the patience to pay attention to them? It would be good enough not to send an army to kill them all.

This was the background and prelude to that series of conflicts in the restaurant.

…

…

The Northern Qi people in the restaurant, hearing Fan Xian's frivolous words, especially the "son-in-law" and "son-in-law" stuff… couldn't help but feel angry. They thought that the Southern Qing people were indeed shameless. Even a talent like Fan Xian could not escape vulgarity, and his actions often had a despicable air about them. How could he talk about matters between men and women without the orders of his parents and the words of a matchmaker?

Lang Tao, however, understood Fan Xian. He smiled wryly and said, "You know that this is impossible, why be so persistent?"

Fan Xian rubbed his nose, as if he smelled something unpleasant in it. He sneered and said, "Eldest Brother, I don't know what matter you're talking about."

Lang Tao was Haitang's eldest brother, and Fan Xian was relatively respectful because of this reason. However, these words were somewhat irritating to Wei Yingning. She really was… the other party's niece.

Lang Tao thought for a while, smiled, and clapped his hands, signaling his disciples to leave the restaurant.

Fan Xian also smiled, lifted the front of his robe, and naturally sat directly opposite him. Subordinates from the Supervision Department had already brought tea. The two sat facing each other, speechless.

After a moment, Lang Tao said gently, "Even if you continue to avoid me, I will still have to go to Suzhou."

Fan Xian nodded and said with a smile, "The scenery in Suzhou is nice. Duoduo and I often go shopping and we both like it very much."

Lang Tao's eyes narrowed slightly, and he changed the subject, saying, "There are many things that you cannot do just because you want to."

Fan Xian avoided answering and said directly, "Speaking of which, in my life, there hasn't been anything that I wanted to do but couldn't."

So-called words are not congenial, even half a sentence is too much. Lang Tao's eyebrows furrowed, wondering what to do with this rogue in front of him. He could guess some of Haitang's thoughts, so he felt that the task issued by the Empress Dowager was even more棘手(jí shǒu – troublesome).

Fan Xian glanced at him and said with a chuckle, "The Northern Qi Empress Dowager told you to go to Suzhou, so just go… As for whether you can bring her away, what does that have to do with you?"

Hearing these words, Lang Tao thought for a while, but instead he laughed. The smile had a hint of inscrutability, "You're so confident, is it because you're sure that Duoduo won't return to the country with me?"

Fan Xian remained silent, saying nothing. In this matter, Haitang's will occupied an absolutely important position. No one could change anything. Whether it was the nation of Northern Qi or himself, they were just trying to influence her choice.

Lang Tao said gently, "Perhaps you've misunderstood something. I came to Wuzhou to see you, not because I need your help to persuade her… I just want you to know that we're preparing to take her back, this is a matter of etiquette, not seeking your consent."

Fan Xian bit his teeth slightly and said coldly, "Her problem, wouldn't that be my problem?"

"I'm afraid… she doesn't think so." Lang Tao looked at her with a smile, "I'm the eldest brother who watched her grow up since she was a child. Although you are close to her now, I'm afraid I still know a little more about what she's really thinking… She's a proud person, think about it, will she stay in Suzhou forever?"

Fan Xian was silent again. He knew that what Lang Tao said was right. Duoduo looked like a village girl and acted gently, but deep down, she had cultivated a strong confidence… and pride because of her powerful abilities. It was indeed a bit difficult to let such a woman wait for him in Suzhou.

The most important thing was… Fan Xian asked himself that, so far, he couldn't promise her anything.

This was a love story, this was a stallion story, in fact, this was just a story between people, somewhat bleak, somewhat helpless.

"She's a person of Northern Qi." Lang Tao stared into Fan Xian's eyes and said softly, "This isn't a concept that someone imposed on her, but a recognition that she formed since she was a child. When her own direction conflicts with the interests of the court and the people, how will she choose? You should be able to guess."

Fan Xian suddenly frowned and said, "Have you ever respected her opinion?"

"Incorrect." Lang Tao retorted very directly, "Just… you've been influencing her opinion."

Fan Xian was a little angry, and he slammed the table and said, "You people are really unreasonable."

Lang Tao looked at him without saying a word. After a long time, he broke the silence and said with a sneer, "What can you give my *Shimei*? I don't care what the Empress Dowager thinks, what the Shizun(respected teacher) thinks… If you can marry her, I'll stand on your side!"

These words were spoken with a resounding voice, forceful and powerful, making people dare not doubt them.

Fan Xian replied, "The reason I worked so hard to create this situation is naturally to marry her in the future."

Lang Tao said with a non-smiling smile, "How are you going to marry her? Divorce your current wife?"

…

…

This was in Wuzhou, the hometown of Lin Ruofu, Fan Xian was Wuzhou’s son-in-law, Wan’er's hometown… Neither Lin Wan'er nor Haitang could possibly be a concubine. Fan Xian himself had no way to solve this problem. A long time ago, he had ridiculed the Princess, thinking that the other party's vision was limited because the other party's ass was limited. Now he realized sadly that he also had limitations.

He was not as good as Ye Qingmei, not as good as that old mother. He sat in this world with his ass, but temporarily had no way to break through the resistance of the world.

Looking at Fan Xian's expression, Lang Tao smiled faintly, "Coming to Wuzhou is just to inform you out of courtesy. After all, among the Southern Qing, you have the closest relationship with us. It's always not good to do these things without telling you… To be honest, if we get to Suzhou, Duoduo will definitely leave with us."

Fan Xian was silent, thinking about Duoduo's nature and temperament, knowing that what Lang Tao said was right, Duoduo, that person ah… too smart, so too silly, too compassionate, so too cruel to herself…

"You go to Suzhou."

Fan Xian didn't know if he had figured something out, and said with a smile.

At this time, it was Lang Tao's turn to be stunned.

Fan Xian said gently, "I've thought it through, it's always not good to be too selfish in this matter, and it's not good to let her bear the pressure of a nation… Just go back, just like going back to her maiden home."

Lang Tao smelled a hint of uncertainty in his words.

Fan Xian continued to say with a smile, "What if she goes back to Northern Qi? You know your *Shimei*… How could she marry Wei Hua… The Empress Dowager of your family is thinking too simply."

Lang Tao grunted.

Fan Xian closed his eyes slightly, and a mocking smile appeared on the corner of his lips: "Even if you invite Ku He, the National Preceptor, to come forward, and Haitang is forced to marry…"

"But what?"

"But… in this world, who dares to marry her?"

Fan Xian stared at Lang Tao's eyes and said the most arrogant words he had said since his rebirth. He mocked, ridiculed, and slowly said: "The world knows that she is my woman… Who dares to offend me to marry her? Does Wei Hua have the guts to do that?"

…

…

There was a deathly silence in the restaurant. A gentle breeze came from outside the building, blowing away the sweat on the two of them. Lang Tao was silent for a while, and understood the intention of Fan Xian's words to burn jade and stone together. He couldn't help but laugh: "I really can't understand you… Why do you have to make this matter so terrifying?"

Fan Xian shook his head and said: "There are many things that seem small to you, but are very big to me."

Lang Tao was silent again, and after a long time, he smiled wryly: "It's really a joke."

It was indeed a joke. The two of them were not talking about anything else, but just things related to that woman.

Lang Tao looked at Fan Xian's quiet eyes and said with a chuckle: "Discussing this kind of thing in this city of Wuzhou… Aren't you afraid that Prime Minister Lin will feel uncomfortable and Princess will not be happy?"

This was Fan Xian's fatal injury. The reason why Lang Tao dared to block him with words before was based on this point. He was sure that Fan Xian did not dare to say certain things righteously.

Fan Xian was slightly startled, ignored him, and just sneered: "Today's meeting has already happened, what are you still doing in Wuzhou? Do you still want me to accompany you to Suzhou?"

Lang Tao also ignored these words, suddenly became a little distracted, and asked gently: "There is a word to ask… Last year, in front of the stone wall in Xishan, was that man in black your person?"

These words came too abruptly and suddenly, so that Fan Xian was a little overwhelmed, but the training he had received since childhood was really solid, showing astonishment, and replied: "What man in black?"

Regarding Xishan, regarding Xiao En, and regarding the affairs of the Temple, Fan Xian had already confessed to Haitang, and also knew from Haitang's mouth that the National Preceptor Ku He had already discovered the problem… But this kind of thing could not be admitted to death, to top for a moment is a moment.

Fan Xian believed in Haitang, she would definitely not betray himself on this critical issue.

Sure enough, Lang Tao did not pursue it, but just said softly: "If that's the case, then I won't say it anymore. I'm going to Suzhou, you are in Wuzhou, I only hope that there won't be any problems in the future."

…

…

There will definitely be problems.

Fan Xian calmed down and said softly: "There will be problems, if you dare to disregard her intentions… No matter who it is, even if your Shifu(respected teacher) comes forward, if you force her to marry, believe me… really, please believe me."

Very gentle words, Lang Tao's heart was a little cold. Having reached the ninth rank top level, he had naturally seen that although Fan Xian's progress in the past half a year was abnormal, he was still not as seasoned as himself, but listening to these gentle words, he still couldn't stop his heart from chilling.

"Believe you in what?"

Fan Xian said with a smile: "If you dare to force my second wife to marry, I will definitely find a way to destroy your Northern Qi."

Lang Tao was silent. Regardless of whether Fan Xian's threat could be realized, but with the other party's relationship with Northern Qi, if such an important figure strongly invested in the Southern Qing's iron-blooded faction, it would still be a loss that no one could bear.

"Believe me." So Lang Tao also said gently: "I will not let Shimei(respected younger sister) marry someone she doesn't want to marry."

Fan Xian thought for a while, smiled, and reached out to shake Lang Tao's generous and powerful hand: "This is a man's promise."

A hint of a smile suddenly flashed in Lang Tao's eyes: "Maybe not just a man's."

Fan Xian was slightly startled, ignored it, and just said: "To answer your previous question… Regarding Duoduo's affairs, I am only following the advice of my father-in-law, regardless of whether I can marry her, at least… I can't let others marry her."

Fan Xian's father-in-law was naturally Lin Ruofu, Lin Wan'er's biological father. He didn't expect that this old man would actually set such a rule for Fan Xian. This was probably something that no one could have imagined.