Niao Ni
Chapter 261: The World on a Carriage, Bean Sprouts in the Palace
After several turns, they arrived at a side hall not far away. The ceiling was low, so the space didn't seem particularly large. On the left side was a row of tall shelves made of mottled wood, filled with books. Fan Xian secretly surveyed the surroundings, realizing this was probably the legendary imperial study. A fleeting smile touched his lips, thinking of the Qing Dynasty dramas he used to watch in his previous life.
The Emperor had already removed his dragon robe with the help of the eunuchs and changed into a casual sky-blue outfit, with a jade belt around his waist. He looked relaxed. Leaning against a low couch, he placed his teacup on the table and casually waved his hand. The eunuchs quickly brought in seven round stools with brocade covers. The seven old ministers bowed and thanked him before naturally taking their seats.
The Crown Prince and the First Prince stood respectfully beside the Emperor's low couch. Although they didn't have seats, their expressions showed that this was the usual practice.
However, only seven stools were usually prepared here, but today there was an extra young official. The eunuchs of the imperial study probably hadn't seen Fan Xian before, so they were a bit perplexed, unsure whether he was just a junior official summoned for questioning or someone of higher status.
Everyone was seated, except for Fan Xian, who stood alone, making him stand out even more. His father, Minister Fan, kept his eyes lowered, not glancing at him at all. Fan Xian couldn't help but smile self-deprecatingly and moved his already inconspicuous position further back.
His small action caught the Crown Prince's attention, and he smiled slightly at him. Fan Xian only dared to return the gesture with a glance, inadvertently noticing the First Prince yawning behind the Emperor. The First Prince probably just returned to the capital yesterday and drank a lot of wine, so he must be extremely tired today.
Apart from their first encounter at the teahouse by the Liu Jing River, today was the closest Fan Xian had been to the Emperor, so close that he could almost reach out and touch him. He couldn't help but look up slightly, taking a quick glance, but he didn't dare to stare. After all, the Emperor was the Emperor. Although there was an official named Mu Tianyan in the Qing Dynasty, no one would dare to admire the Emperor's face as boldly as they would admire a beautiful woman.
But even with that quick glance, Fan Xian saw the Emperor's appearance clearly and was almost shocked by the returning gaze!
The Emperor looked at him, not minding his direct gaze. Fan Xian looked relieved, but he felt no fear in his heart. After a while, the Second Prince, who was teaching the young prince in the Xing Qing Palace, was also invited over by the eunuchs. He entered the imperial study holding the young prince's hand. Seeing this harmonious scene between the brothers, the Emperor nodded slightly, seemingly satisfied. The Crown Prince smiled, but who knew how many curse words he was uttering in his heart.
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"Bring a seat for Fan Xian." After the four princes stood beside the low couch, the Emperor seemed to notice that Fan Xian was standing and casually ordered.
Fan Xian was slightly startled and replied, "Your subject wouldn't dare." Given his rank, entering the imperial study was already an exception. How could he dare to sit when the four princes were still standing? The six old ministers felt a slight itch under their buttocks when they heard the Emperor grant this young man a seat. They shifted and coughed, clearly displeased. They thought to themselves that they had spent at least twenty years in the court to earn a position in front of the Emperor, and this Fan family kid was getting a seat just by entering the imperial study!
The Crown Prince glanced at the ministers and said respectfully to the Emperor, "Father, Fan Xian is young and not as strong as the old ministers. Judging by his apprehensive look, he should just stand."
His words were fair and reasonable, earning gratitude from both the old ministers and Fan Xian.
At this time, the First Prince added, "I remember when Father let us brothers listen to the discussions of the ministers, we had to stand because we were supposed to assist His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in governing the country and pacifying the world in the future. Since we were listening to a lecture, the students had to act like students…" He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear. Fan Xian was young and new to the officialdom. What political achievements did he have, and what qualifications did he have for the princes to treat him as a teacher?
The old ministers stroked their beards and shook their heads. The seat seemed ordinary, but its hidden meaning was significant. They could guarantee that if Fan Xian really had a seat in the imperial study today, the news would spread throughout the capital within a quarter of an hour.
Fan Xian was about to go along with the flow and decline the Emperor's offer, but he looked at the Emperor's indifferent gaze and felt a chill in his heart, swallowing the words back down.
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The Emperor looked at the ministers and then at his eldest son, who was straightforward but a bit impatient, and said, "Fan Xian is naturally not worthy of this seat… But today he must sit, not as a reward for his hard work, but as a reward for his achievement."
The others didn't understand what he meant, but since the Emperor had spoken, the imperial study fell silent. The Emperor looked at his sons and said softly, "If you can bring back Zhuang Mo Han's cart of books, I'll let you sit too!"
The others remained silent, knowing what the cart represented. Although they still felt that the Emperor was somewhat obsessed with literary fame, they couldn't refute him.
The Emperor knew what they were thinking and said coldly, "Don't think this is just a matter for scholars. What is a scholar? You ministers are all scholars. Civil governance and military prowess, I don't lack the military prowess, but I lack the civil governance… It's easy to unify the territory, but it's difficult to unify the hearts of the people. You can't just rely on sharp knives and fast horses without putting effort into this."
The First Prince's face clearly showed disapproval, but he didn't dare to interrupt his father.
The Emperor continued to say leisurely, "You can conquer the world on horseback, but you can't govern the world on horseback. Literature seems ethereal, but it involves the hearts of the scholars of the world. Back then, I launched three northern expeditions and turned the Wei clan into a mess. Who would have thought that the Zhan family could rise in the chaos? In just a few years, they gathered a large number of talents, which is why we have the Northern Qi Dynasty today, hindering our advance north… What do they rely on? They rely on their orthodox status in the eyes of the scholars of the world! The orthodox lineage of the world? Isn't that something that scholars created… Shu Wu, Yan Xingshu! You are ministers of Qing, but you took the imperial examination in Northern Wei back then. Why is that?"
Academician Shu and Minister Yan quickly stood up, feeling uneasy.
The Emperor waved his hand and said, "All the scholars of the world are like this. There is still such a陋风（陋风 doesn't have a direct translation, closest would be antiquated custom）, so I don't blame you. You don't need to doubt yourselves. I just want to tell you that the orthodox lineage of the world and the allegiance of the scholars will bring many benefits. There will be more talented and virtuous officials in various prefectures and roads, and they will also gain an advantage in public opinion." He looked at his eldest son coldly and said, "I know what you're thinking, but if you can reduce the resistance during the war and save a few more soldiers under your command, wouldn't you want to?"
The First Prince was silent.
The Emperor said coldly, "A cart of old books can recruit more scholars roaming the world for me, and it can save the lives of countless soldiers for me. What's wrong with me rewarding Fan Xian with this seat?"
The others felt that something was strange. It seemed that the Emperor was deliberately showing favor to the world, and why didn't Minister Fan come out to decline the seat for his son? However, the entire Qing State was born in the midst of war, and the people had an overwhelming enthusiasm and sense of mission for unifying the world. Since the Emperor linked the books brought back by Fan Xian's mission with the general trend of unifying the world, who would dare to say anything more? They all stood up and praised the Emperor's wisdom.
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What direct relationship could a cart have with the world? Fan Xian thanked the Emperor for the seat, his face calm and steady, but he was smiling bitterly in his heart, not understanding why the Emperor had to put him on the fire to roast.
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The red velvet curtain was drawn open, revealing the large map inside. The map had been re-drawn, and the yellow territory of the Qing State was constantly extending towards the northeast. Behind and beneath it, except for those desolate wildernesses and barbarian lands, everything had been brought under its control. The expansion of the Qing State's territory was very rapid. Although Northern Qi in the northeast still looked like a behemoth, it appeared somewhat bloated and unwieldy in front of the Qing State's beast. Although Northern Qi was also a newly emerging country, it not only inherited a large part of the territory of the former Great Wei but also inherited the bureaucratic institutions and customs that had already shown signs of corruption.
Fan Xian looked at the map and listened to the sounds of discussion that kept reaching his ears. Being in the power center of the Qing State, he felt for the first time the Qing State's powerful style of doing things and its wild ambitions. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart. After all, the Northern Dynasty still had strength. Considering Haitang and the Emperor's thoughts, if war broke out in the world, the people of the world would inevitably suffer again, and he didn't know when it would recover.
Although he was not a peace-loving pacifist, he had little interest in war.
The Emperor was currently discussing important state affairs with several ministers, occasionally hearing a few words about the river embankment and the annual tribute of the smaller vassal states. Fan Xian knew nothing about these things, so naturally he wouldn't interrupt. Even if he had ideas in his heart, he wouldn't say a word while sitting on the "tiger bench."
Everyone intentionally or unintentionally forgot about him in a corner of the imperial study, so he had the leisure to look at the map, which had been obviously improved, and kept spacing out, lamenting like a follower of Mozi.
Suddenly, a word popped into his ears – Internal Treasury! He frowned slightly, and a sense of vigilance gradually arose in his heart. The Emperor had kept him here, and it was definitely not as simple as giving him a seat and showing him some face.
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"All of you ministers know that although the Internal Treasury is called the Internal Treasury, it involves many key matters." The Emperor said resentfully, "How embarrassing has the Internal Treasury been in recent years? In the third year of the new calendar, when the southern rivers were dredged and the north experienced a cold snap, I ordered the Internal Treasury to transfer silver to the national treasury. Who knew… the Guanghui Treasury couldn't even take out the silver!"
The Guanghui Treasury was one of the ten treasuries of the Internal Treasury, specializing in storing money and banknotes. Gold and silver should have been stored in the Chengyun Treasury. The Emperor seemed to be angry at the wrong target. But no matter what, the Chengyun Treasury and the Guanghui Treasury were jointly managed by the Eldest Princess and the Ministry of Revenue. Although the Ministry of Revenue hadn't dared to say half a word in the past ten years, Minister of Revenue Fan Jian quickly stood up to apologize.
The Emperor waved his hand, not looking at him directly, and continued, "The New Policies ended prematurely, but I'm determined to make some changes in the Internal Treasury. I don't expect it to return to its prosperous state of more than ten years ago, but at least it must earn some silver for the court every year."
His voice was not loud, and his tone was not very激烈的 (激烈的 - intense, but there's not direct equivalent), but the power contained within made everyone dare not speak. "My royal sister has returned to Xinyang. After all, we need a minister to take charge of this matter. If you have any good candidates, report them to me."
The ministers and princes in the imperial study knew that this was just a formality. Kyoto had long known that the Emperor's preferred candidate was Fan Xian, who was sitting quietly in the back. The Emperor's previous "借车发挥" (idiom - 'taking advantage of the situation to the fullest'), vigorously promoting Fan Xian, was nothing more than showing his attitude to the ministers first, so that they wouldn't oppose the selection of the Internal Treasury chief later.
However, everyone also knew that the situation of the Internal Treasury was not as bad as the Emperor had said. Every year, the goods transported from the various workshops in Jiangnan to the north earned at least several million taels of silver for the court. If it weren't for the support of those very secret businesses of the Internal Treasury, Qing wouldn't have had enough financial resources to expand its borders everywhere. For a time, they felt a hidden jealousy towards the Fan family.
However, since the Emperor seemed so dissatisfied, it was likely that whoever took over the Internal Treasury in the future would have a headache over the amount of silver to be handed over each year.
Thinking of this, the ministers' jealous thoughts faded a little, but even so, no one was willing to recommend Fan Xian at this time—this was a matter of face and also a matter of economics. No matter how difficult the Internal Treasury was to manage, the person in charge would not get less oil and water each year. These ministers also received extremely generous rewards from Xinyang every year, so how could they not know the reason?
The ministers didn't speak, and Fan Jian, due to his status, naturally couldn't nominate his son. The imperial study fell into an awkward silence. The Emperor didn't say anything, but picked up his teacup and took a sip, his expression as usual, but no one noticed the coldness in his eyes.
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"Your son recommends…"
"Your son recommends…"
Everyone in the imperial study was shocked. The silence was broken by two people at the same time, and the two who spoke at the same time were the Crown Prince and the Second Prince. This situation was exciting.
The Emperor nodded slightly and said, "Speak."
The Second Prince looked at the Crown Prince, smiled apologetically, and said, "Since the Crown Prince has a good candidate, I'll listen carefully."
The Emperor looked at him but said nothing.
Seeing the Second Prince yielding, the Crown Prince, as the master of the Eastern Palace and the future Emperor of Qing, naturally wouldn't give way. He bowed to his father and said, "Father, your son recommends Fan Xian."
Everyone in the imperial study knew that the Eastern Palace was making every effort to win over Fan Xian. Moreover, this kind of easy favor was naturally worth doing. Unexpectedly, the Emperor didn't immediately express his opinion but instead asked the Second Prince, "Who were you going to recommend?"
The Second Prince smiled shyly and said, "Your son was also going to recommend… Fan Xian, Lord Fan."
The imperial study remained quiet. The Emperor cast a meaningful glance at Fan Xian. Fan Xian's expression remained unchanged, preparing to get up and respond, but the Emperor didn't give him the chance at all, saying lightly, "Since you brothers both think Fan Xian is suitable, then it's him. Issue an imperial decree in the autumn, and there's no need to inform the various prefectures."
The matter was settled. Although this was something that had been discussed in the palace before Fan Xian married Lin Wan'er before the new year, it was proposed and recorded in the imperial study today, so naturally it couldn't be changed. The thought of the Fan family holding the national treasury and the Internal Treasury made everyone feel strange. This kind of imperial favor, this kind of glory, was something that couldn't be found in Kyoto. Seeing the Crown Prince and the Second Prince competing to win over Fan Xian, they knew that the Fan family's status would probably only rise in the coming years, not fall. It was like cooking oil over a raging fire!
Fan Jian and Fan Xian quickly got up to thank the Emperor, repeatedly expressing their apprehension.
The Emperor didn't pay much attention to them but instead asked with a smile, "Now that it's settled, I'll ask you brothers, why did you both favor Fan Xian at the same time?"
The Crown Prince thought for a moment and said with a smile, "Your son just has a rough idea. Minister Fan has been effective in managing the country's finances. Since Fan Xian is his son, he should have some talent in this area."
The Second Prince also said with a smile, "Your son also has the same idea. Besides, the Internal Treasury involves a lot of gold and silver, so we need a minister who is clean and self-disciplined to manage it. Your son dares to say that corruption is prevalent in the officialdom today. Although there are famous honest officials in various prefectures, most of them are in the local areas. Lord Fan is talented, and everyone knows that he is a man of high literary integrity. It's appropriate for him to manage the Internal Treasury."
"Oh?" The Emperor's expression didn't change, and he asked, "The reasoning is barely passable, but are there any other reasons?"
The Crown Prince and the Second Prince looked at each other, feeling a little confused. Could it be that the Emperor was taking the opportunity to test them? With the arrow on the string, they had to release it. The Crown Prince had to bite the bullet and say, "What the Second Brother said is very true. In addition, monitoring the Internal Treasury has always been the responsibility of the Overwatch Council. Since Lord Fan is the director of the Overwatch Council, it should be much easier for the two departments to cooperate."
The young prince, who had entered with the Second Prince, had been standing for a long time, and his legs were a bit sore. In addition, he probably didn't understand what these white-bearded ministers were saying to his father, so he was a bit listless. In a daze, he said with a strange and childish smile, "Brother Crown Prince, according to what you said, isn't this Fan Xian monitoring himself?"
He was a child, so he could speak more casually. Others would only think that it was innocent talk, but it seemed to be an unintentional remark that directly pointed out the flaws in the Crown Prince's previous words. Although the ministers didn't dare to speak, the Crown Prince's face was slightly displeased.
Fortunately, the Second Prince also said in distress at this time, "Father, your son really can't think of anything else."
The Emperor didn't blame the Crown Prince at all but said lightly, "Can't think of anything else? Then why did you recommend him earlier?"
Seeing the Emperor jumping from one thing to another, clearly favoring Fan Xian, but deliberately making trouble for his two sons, the people in the imperial study felt that the Emperor's heart was unpredictable. They had to keep their mouths shut, afraid of causing trouble.
As the person involved, Fan Xian felt that the "tiger bench" under his butt was not only prickly but also a little hot. At this moment, the Second Prince said with a slight hint of uneasiness, "Actually… there's another reason… It's… because your son… has a good personal relationship with Lord Fan."
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The Emperor looked at his second son quietly. After a moment, he suddenly laughed, his laughter sounding very comfortable, and said, "Of all the reasons, this one is enough… What is the Internal Treasury? It's the royal family's treasury. Since we want Fan Xian to manage the Internal Treasury, he naturally has to be close enough to the royal family. Since Fan Xian has worked in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, this closeness is enough."
Of course, it was enough. Fan Xian was, after all, a princess's consort. The Crown Prince and the Second Prince always called him brother-in-law. The Crown Prince, listening from the side, couldn't help but sigh in his heart, thinking that the Second Prince was indeed powerful, having guessed the answer that the Emperor wanted. Why was he a little slower?
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Because the army had just returned and the borders had just been established, today's meeting seemed to be longer than usual, actually lasting past lunchtime. The Emperor looked at the time and ordered the eunuchs to prepare a meal, leaving the ministers and princes to eat together. Fan Xian was eating something made by the imperial kitchen for the first time today and didn't find it particularly surprising, just some vegetables, fish, and chicken. What made him more comfortable was that eating with the Emperor was not as uncomfortable as he had imagined, and he didn't need to kowtow again before eating.
The words of the Crown Prince and the Second Prince had all fallen into his ears. He knew that he couldn't avoid it. Looking at the middle-aged man on the dragon couch, he couldn't help but feel a hint of vigilance and chill – the Emperor's favor was based on some absurd fact, but he didn't think that an emperor would have much of the rare thing called affection.
Fan Xian was not an easy person to control. He could kneel, endure, and listen, but when something threatened his bottom line, he would smile and touch his left calf, unable to kneel, unable to endure, unable to listen, and would just say "fuck you."
The Crown Prince and the princes served the Emperor respectfully and then went to the side hall to eat. At this time, the Emperor and several old ministers were chatting. Naturally, they didn't talk about state affairs at the dinner table, so they discussed whose well water was best for making tea, whose state's watermelon was as big as a boulder, and so on. Occasionally, they would mention anecdotes from around the world, naturally mentioning the death of Zhuang Mo Han. Everyone's voices seemed to dim. It seemed that except for Academician Shu and Yan Xingshu, these high officials of Qing State and even the Emperor had once recited Zhuang's scriptures when they were enlightened.
In short, this meal was much more relaxed than the Fan family's family banquet. Fan Xian was a little hungry and didn't listen carefully to the conversation over there. Just as he was picking up a long piece of bean sprouts in broth and putting it into his mouth, he suddenly heard the Emperor pointing at him and saying, "Fan Xian, come over here."
Fan Xian was stunned, put down his chopsticks, glanced at the fragrant bean sprouts in broth with some reluctance, put on a bright smile, and quickly walked to the Emperor's low couch. Looking at the thin but heroic face, his eyes appropriately showed a hint of excitement and sadness, bowing his hands in salute.
The old ministers didn't know what the Emperor had called him over for, and they listened curiously. The Emperor smiled and looked at him, saying, "Do you still remember what I promised you in the teahouse by the Liu Jing River that day?"
Fan Xian didn't expect the Emperor to mention the chance encounter in front of these high officials. He smiled and replied, "That day, your subject didn't know it was Your Majesty and even exchanged a palm with Commander Gong, offending your majesty. I deserve to die for my sins."
The Minister of Personnel, relying on his status as a veteran of three dynasties, stroked his beard and asked with self-importance, "So, Your Majesty and Lord Fan have met outside the palace."
The Emperor of Qing State looked imposing when discussing state affairs, but at this time, he seemed very amiable, smiling and telling the ministers about the events of that day. Fan Jian thought it was absurd and had to ask the Emperor to forgive his son's offense again. The other senior officials secretly muttered that no wonder Fan Xian was so favored by the Emperor. It turned out that he had such a fortunate encounter. This kid's luck was too good, and they were curious about what the Emperor had promised Fan's son.
"I once said that I would find a good marriage for your sister." The Emperor looked at Fan Xian with a very gentle gaze, actually with a hint of self-praise that an emperor should never have, "Now that Miss Fan has been promised to the Prince of Jing's son, what do you think of this marriage?"
Fan Xian's heart was more bitter than eating Coptis chinensis, but his face was full of emotion, repeatedly thanking the Emperor with his father. The old ministers next to him, after being slightly stunned, also began to flatter the Emperor, saying that it was a beautiful story for the Emperor to have a chance encounter with a subject by the river and arrange a marriage, and so on.
The sound was a bit loud, reaching the ears of the princes who were eating in the next room. The First Prince frowned, but the Crown Prince smiled slightly, feeling even more enlightened about his decision to win over the Fan family. He subconsciously looked at the Second Prince's face but found that his expression was unchanged, still as slow and methodical as he had been all these years – even chewing his food in a strangely slow and continuous manner, couldn't help but curse this guy for being hypocritical in his heart.
Inside and outside the palace where the imperial study was located, there was laughter and praise of the Emperor. Who knew the troubles and bitterness in Fan Xian's heart.
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When Fan Xian stepped out of the palace gate in the afterglow and saw the prince riding on a horse at Xinjiekou, the troubles in his heart were even greater. Li Hongcheng, the Prince of Jing's son, greeted him with a joyful face. His face also showed the joy of reunion after a long separation, completely unaware of the true emotions deep inside.
At that time, the setting sun was setting, and the night was coming.