In the Eastern Palace, there were always two opposing factions. The faction hostile to Xin Qiwu believed that since the Si Nan Earl's family, the Fan family, was on good terms with Prince Jing, and now had a marriage alliance with the Prime Minister's family, and since Prince Jing's heir was a close friend of the Second Prince, and the Prime Minister was gradually becoming distant from the Eastern Palace, the Fan family must be on the Second Prince's side. However, Vice Minister Xin firmly opposed this view, because in his opinion, Fan Jian was simply not an ordinary minister who would be swayed by Prince Jing or the Prime Minister.

Deep within the palace, Xin Qiwu knelt obediently outside the study door, his backside sticking out high, fortunately covered by his official robe, so it didn't look too unsightly.

"Get up," the Emperor's voice sounded from behind the curtain.

Xin Qiwu stood up, his arms hanging at his sides, not daring to move at all. He had been to this study a few times, but he still couldn't get used to the natural sense of oppression here. Two beads of sweat the size of soybeans slid down his temples. He didn't know if it was because the late summer was still too hot, or because of nervousness, but he didn't dare wipe them away.

The sound of flipping through papers came from behind the curtain. After a long silence, the Emperor asked faintly, "This memorial is well-reasoned and justified, very good. Since that bitch up north still refuses to be docile, that's good too. You must keep your eyes wide open for me."

Xin Qiwu replied loudly, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

The Emperor's voice suddenly sounded a little strange, "Is Fan Shilang's son currently serving as your deputy?"

Xin Qiwu hadn't expected His Majesty to be so concerned about Deputy Fan. More sweat poured down his forehead, and he replied respectfully, "He is."

The Emperor seemed very interested in this matter, "Oh, I assigned Fan Xian to be a court musician in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. Why did you think of transferring him to the Court of Diplomatic Ceremonies?"

Although His Majesty's voice was still gentle, Xin Qiwu was so nervous that he almost fainted. Not daring to hide anything, he replied honestly, "A few days ago, I was lecturing in the Eastern Palace on Your Majesty's orders, and I spoke with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince about the upcoming envoy from Northern Qi. Because Fan Xian is involved in this matter, and is well-known in the capital for his talent, and the Northern Qi delegation includes Zhuang Mohan, the imperial court should have a talented person to receive them. So I presumptuously made this suggestion, and His Highness agreed."

"Hmm." The Emperor behind the curtain appreciated this minister's candor. He was never afraid of factions forming in the court, but those factions had to be out in the open. "There is nothing wrong with this matter. I entrusted you with the full responsibility for this matter from the beginning. You don't even need to consult the Crown Prince."

"Yes." Xin Qiwu had never intended to hide his relationship with the Crown Prince from His Majesty. After all, he was appointed by His Majesty as a attendant of the Eastern Palace.

The Emperor flipped through the file again, and his brow seemed to furrow slightly. "How is Fan Xian doing?"

Xin Qiwu didn't dare to take credit, and replied honestly, "The file that Your Majesty is currently reading is the result of Deputy Fan's painstaking analysis."

…

…

"Analysis?" For some reason, the Emperor's tone became somewhat annoyed. "It's getting more and more absurd!"

Xin Qiwu didn't know why His Majesty was angry, and felt terrified. Fortunately, this matter didn't seem to have much to do with the negotiations. After he left the study, His Majesty the Emperor opened the curtain and walked out. On that face that was awe-inspiring even without anger, there was now a hint of annoyance, and even more of a helpless wry smile. He instructed the eunuch beside him, "Summon Chen Pingping to the palace."

The eunuch obeyed and left. The owner of this Qing nation, the most powerful middle-aged man in the world, walked out of the study and stood under the palace corridor, looking at the somewhat dim moon in the sky, the corner of his lips slightly raised, he muttered to himself: "The most powerful weapon of the nation is not used to directly assist the Court of Diplomatic Ceremonies, but to help a child climb up the ladder. Good for you Chen Pingping, it seems that if I don't give you a good beating, you will truly give my courtyard to that child to play with."

The Emperor was a remarkable person. From that file, which was claimed to be Fan Xian's analysis, he immediately saw the shadow of the Overwatch Council. But looking at his expression, he didn't seem to be angry, just amused. Xin Qiwu's attempt to get the Crown Prince to win over the Fan family actually coincided with the Emperor's thoughts - the Eastern Palace's inclination finally showed some political wisdom, the Crown Prince seemed to have made some progress, this fact made the Emperor feel slightly gratified.

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In the Eastern Palace, a fierce argument was erupting. The arguing parties were Xin Qiwu, Vice Minister of the Court of Diplomatic Ceremonies, and Guo Baokun, a compiler in the palace. The content of the argument was naturally inseparable from that eighth-rank official named Fan Xian. Judging from the way both sides were red-faced and thick-necked, one could tell how intense the previous argument had been.

Xin Qiwu looked at Guo Baokun with a slight sneer and said, "A minister should be a remonstrating minister. I am here to assist the Crown Prince on His Majesty's orders, and that is to seek a great cause for the Crown Prince and select the best talent for the time. Xie Lü Lang Fan Xian has always been well-known in the capital for his talent, and judging from his recent actions, he knows how to advance and retreat, has real talent, and the Fan family has always been a loyal subject of the royal family. The Crown Prince should of course condescend to accept such a subject, and should not reject him because of the temporary anger of certain individuals."

Guo Baokun sneered, "Does Vice Minister really think that I only remember the hatred of that punch? Don't forget the relationship between the Fan residence and the Jing Prince's residence, and that Fan Xian is about to become the Prime Minister's son-in-law. Don't you understand the Prime Minister's recent direction?"

Xin Qiwu straightened his neck and said, "I don't understand. I only know that there is only one Emperor in Qing, and there is only one Crown Prince in Qing. Any attempt to artificially divide factions in the court is extremely foolish."

He was not a pedantic scholar who was full of lofty aspirations but without any skills. Of course, he knew that the Second Prince had become popular recently, but strategically, he still believed that the Eastern Palace didn't need to regard the Second Prince as an opponent. Once it did so, it would open a dangerous door. As long as the Crown Prince himself was upright and just, there would be no enemies at all.

Sitting high up, the Crown Prince sighed. He was indeed lustful and cowardly, but he was not a fool. Deep down, he also knew that if he looked at it from the perspective of the overall situation, Vice Minister Xin's view was undoubtedly the most correct. But politics has always been a life-and-death struggle. Even if he was cautious, who could guarantee that those two brothers who were eyeing the throne would not do something?

"The current situation has not reached that point," the Crown Prince rubbed his temples and said with some annoyance. "After all, I am the heir apparent of the nation. It is also my duty to reserve talents for the imperial court. As for my royal brother, don't talk nonsense, that's too absurd."

This was the helplessness in the palace. Clearly you are guarding against me, and I am guarding against you, but no one can say anything about it verbally.

"That Fan Xian?" Guo Baokun was still somewhat unwilling to give up.

Xin Qiwu snorted coldly and said, "Master Guo, I think you have always misjudged one thing."

"What thing?" the Crown Prince asked curiously.

"Many officials, including you, attribute the Fan family to the Second Prince's faction because of the relationship between the Fan residence and the Jing Prince's residence, but who has evidence to prove this? This time, the Eastern Palace gave Fan Xian such a chance to show his face. If the Fan family is really as Master Guo said, I'm afraid they wouldn't dare to accept this errand at all." Xin Qiwu continued coldly, "The most crucial point is that Fan Xian is about to become the Prime Minister's son-in-law. Master Guo judges that Fan Xian cannot be loyal to the Crown Prince based on this, which is really absurd."

"What's so absurd about it?" A flash of viciousness appeared in Guo Baokun's eyes, "Whether it's on the court or in the dark, the news has already shown that the Prime Minister has broken with the Eldest Princess and is trying to gradually break away from the influence of the palace."

"As the Prime Minister of a nation, it is only natural that he should not be controlled by palace figures." These words were a bit too much. Xin Qiwu came to his senses and bowed to the Crown Prince to apologize. The Crown Prince waved his hand indifferently, signaling him to continue.

Xin Qiwu continued, "What Master Guo said earlier is precisely the problem. Everyone knows that the Prime Minister has broken with the Eldest Princess... what does this have to do with the Eastern Palace? Does this mean that the Prime Minister is no longer loyal to His Majesty? Is he no longer standing on Your Highness's side?"

The Crown Prince frowned, "But... Auntie has also been very angry with the Prime Minister recently."

"Your Highness, forgive my presumption... you must not change your attitude towards the Prime Minister because of the Eldest Princess's attitude," Xin Qiwu said neither humble nor arrogant.

The Crown Prince frowned even more deeply, "But..." He hesitated, and Guo Baokun took the opportunity to say coldly, "But if the Prime Minister is still like before, why hasn't he come to the Eastern Palace to pay his respects after the court sessions recently, as he used to do?"

Xin Qiwu smiled extremely confidently and replied, "I have not denied this. Your Highness, it is just an arrangement now, and it is far from the time when both sides are competing for strength. A truly clever subject will naturally cling to His Majesty, which is enough to maintain the longevity of his family. The Prime Minister is also like this. He may be swinging between the Crown Prince and the Second Prince at the moment, but in the end, he will still listen to His Majesty's orders, and if we want the Prime Minister to truly stand on our side," he took a deep breath, "the key lies in Fan Xian. The Prime Minister has no real sons, and Fan Xian is equivalent to the future of the Lin family. If we can get Fan Xian to pledge allegiance to Your Highness, the Prime Minister's attitude will naturally change."

Guo Baokun scoffed, "Don't forget the relationship between Prince Jing's heir and Fan Xian."

"Don't forget whose subordinate that person who was found out a few days ago was," Xin Qiwu said coldly, "That person deliberately arranged for Fan Xian to meet Your Highness by chance, naturally hoping that Your Highness would remember the grudges of the past few days, humiliate Fan Xian, so that Fan Xian would truly turn to his camp. Fortunately, Your Highness is wise and will naturally not be fooled by such a petty person."

The Crown Prince smiled gently, feeling somewhat flattered.

"If the Fan family were really on his side, why would he use such tricks?" Xin Qiwu continued, "I believe that with the Fan family's strength, they will definitely be able to discover the hidden secrets behind this matter. If it is really found out that he did it, I'm afraid Fan Xian will hold a grudge in his heart, so there's no need to worry about the Fan family's current attitude."

The Crown Prince was somewhat tempted and said softly, "If the Fan family is still in the dark and has been fooled by that person, I might as well tell him."

"Taking in Fan Xian is equivalent to taking in the Fan residence and the Lin residence. At least half of the people in Kyoto's two major forces, civil officials and dignitaries, are looking at these two families. And in a few years, I'm afraid even the Imperial Treasury will be managed by this young man." Xin Qiwu said softly to the Crown Prince, "An eighth-rank official can bring to the people of Kyoto far more than just a few poems."