During the New Year celebrations, according to palace custom, all the princes and princesses would receive a reward from the palace. However, this year's rewards were somewhat different. First, the Crown Prince received the most generous portion, which was only natural, but it was even more lavish than in previous years, including a personally inscribed book from His Majesty. Secondly, the Second Prince's reward was also elevated to a new level. The First Prince, stationed far at the border, received a bow and arrows. Most importantly, along with this imperial bow came a decree summoning him back to the capital to be enfeoffed as a Prince when the grass grew long in late summer.

The officials in Kyoto were confused, unsure of what His Majesty was thinking. It seemed that the Crown Prince's position was still rock solid, so why would the First Prince be summoned back? This prince had been leading troops abroad for many years. Although he was not the son of the Empress, he was the eldest son. If he returned to the capital, the situation beneath the surface might become unstable.

Another notable decree among the palace rewards was issued to Fan Xian, the fifth-rank Fengzheng of the Imperial College, who was hiding on Mount Cang. His Majesty even bestowed rewards according to the ritual for a royal son-in-law. The officials speculated that this was out of consideration for the Lin family's daughter.

During the New Year, exchanges were frequent, with officials and gentry families presenting gifts to each other, and acquaintances visiting in person. Two envoys, bearing lavish gifts, also went up Mount Cang. These gifts came from the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace and the Second Prince's residence, respectively, and were both intended for Fan Xian.

Everyone believed that once the Spring Examination passed, Fan Xian would find it difficult to rise further in the officialdom due to his status as the "Princess Consort." His Majesty would then issue a decree for him to take over the Internal Treasury. Therefore, both the Crown Prince and the Second Prince had to intensify their efforts to win him over before that happened. However, they were doing it discreetly, and it was believed that none of the envoys delivering the gifts would notice anything amiss.

……

……

"What did the Second Prince send?"

The Emperor of Qing Yu Nian leaned against a soft couch, wrapped in a large black cloak, his face calm. A few wrinkles were particularly evident on his well-maintained face, and his eyes quietly watched the goose-feather-like snowflakes outside the study window.

Chen Pingping coughed twice and pulled the blanket on his lap tighter, respectfully replying, "A collection of poems from the previous dynasty."

The Emperor smiled slightly, but a hint of mockery appeared at the corner of his lips. "My second son likes to play with pretentious literature, thinking everyone in the world is like him. A single poem by Fan Xian surpasses countless poets of the previous dynasty. This gift is too careless."

He then asked, "What did the Crown Prince send?"

"A set of mahjong tiles made of jade," Chen Pingping said, stroking his smooth chin and looking at the vast expanse of snow in the palace grounds, his eyes slightly narrowed. "Fan Xian seems to like it very much."

"Fan… Xian, it seems he truly aspires to be a wealthy idler," the Emperor said softly. "The Crown Prince's gift is clever. I wonder whose idea it was in the Eastern Palace."

"It should be Xin Qiwu," Chen Pingping said with a slight smile. "I don't know what Fan Xian thinks, but I know that Morning Princess and the Second Young Master of the Fan family love to play cards."

The Emperor raised an eyebrow and said, "How has Morning Girl been lately?"

Chen Pingping carefully replied, "With a caring Fan Xian by her side, she should be happier than in the palace."

"No one in this palace can truly be happy," the Emperor said with a smile. "Are you really determined to send Fan Xian as an envoy to Northern Qi?"

Chen Pingping, still in his wheelchair, lowered his head with difficulty and bowed. "Yes. Now that Your Majesty has agreed to my suggestion that day, I must begin making arrangements. If Fan Xian doesn't do something for the Bureau of Internal Affairs, it will be difficult for him to truly grasp control of it in the future and serve Your Majesty."

The atmosphere between the two suddenly became silent and stern. The Emperor coldly looked at Chen Pingping's head, and after a long while, he said quietly, "Don't forget, he is of the Imperial bloodline! How can he be allowed to take such a risk!"

……

……

After a long silence, Chen Pingping forced a smile and insisted on his opinion, "Your Majesty, the problem is that he can never become of the Imperial bloodline. As Your Majesty's subordinate, I want to seek a safe future for him." He paused and then said, "If he takes over the Internal Treasury, he will definitely become the target of the princes' vigorous attempts to win him over. I believe Your Majesty does not wish to see such a situation. It would be better to let him go out for a while to avoid the storm. Hiding on Mount Cang all the time is not a long-term solution."

The Emperor coldly looked at the cripple before him. This was the old dog in his eyes in the eyes of the court, but how long had it been since he heard the word "Your Majesty" from his mouth?

"Granted," the Emperor slowly closed his eyes. It seemed that in that instant, the wind and snow in the palace had disappeared without a trace.

Chen Pingping sat quietly in his wheelchair, waiting for a long time before finally hearing the Emperor's next words, "But you must understand that Earl Sinan and Prime Minister Lin will not agree to this arrangement. I will be bothered to death during the court session later."

"Prepare the carriage!"

The clear voice of the young eunuch echoed under the eaves of Xingqing Palace. With rustling sounds, eunuchs and palace maids poured out from beside the palace, carrying the Emperor's carriage to assist His Majesty in boarding and heading towards the front palace.

The carriage was sealed very well, and the pervasive wind and snow could not steal in even a flake. The Emperor half-closed his eyes, supporting his chin, not knowing what he was thinking. His palm slowly caressed the slightly hot small charcoal stove. After a long while, he sighed, opened his eyes, looked at the familiar and wearying scenery of the palace, and gently shook his head.

————————————————————————

Inside the main hall of the palace, a eunuch came out holding a whisk and announced in a clear voice, "His Majesty has arrived."

The officials below, who had been waiting for a long time, straightened their clothes and prostrated themselves on the ground, shouting "Long live the Emperor!" The Emperor glanced at these officials and slowly walked to the dragon throne and sat down, saying, "Rise."

The officials, hearing his words, then got up. However, these high-ranking officials and nobles lived comfortably in Kyoto, and were inevitably somewhat overweight and weak, so their movements were slow and uneven, making it look quite comical.

……

……

"All other matters have been discussed. With spring approaching, and the Spring Examination is soon upon us, the agreement made with the North last year is also due to be implemented." The Emperor seemed unwell, leaning against the dragon throne. "Esteemed ministers, do we have a suitable candidate for the envoy?"

For the past few months, there had been rumors that the Prime Minister's new son-in-law, Fan Xian, the fifth-rank Fengzheng of the Imperial College, might be appointed as an envoy to Northern Qi. Prime Minister Lin Ruofu had always thought that it was the work of those civil officials in the court who opposed him, so he had made ample preparations.

Originally, the Fan and Lin families had always been at odds in the court. One was a steadfast Imperial faction, while the other had an ambiguous relationship with the Eldest Princess. However, with Fan Xian's arrival in Kyoto, everything had changed dramatically. The Prime Minister broke with the Eldest Princess, and Vice Minister Fan became his in-law.

Vice Minister Fan Jian of the Ministry of Revenue was positioned somewhat at the rear. He glanced at the front of the line and noticed that Prime Minister Lin Ruofu was also looking at him. Their eyes met, and they smiled slightly.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, I believe that Xin Qiwu, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, was efficient and brought many benefits to the country during the last negotiation. He is truly a talented individual. If Xin, Vice Minister, is appointed as the returning envoy this time, it would be most appropriate."

The first to step forward and reply was Prime Minister Lin Ruofu's protégé, Ren Shaoan, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. Because the court session today was to discuss the return visit, and all etiquette standards had to be consulted with him, he and Xin Qiwu, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, were both present in the hall.

Xin Qiwu was slightly surprised, wondering why he was being pushed out. He understood, of course, that the Prime Minister's side definitely did not want their son-in-law to travel thousands of miles to that enemy country. Although there would definitely be no safety issues, the journey was long and the mountains were high. During the Spring Examination, Fan Xian would definitely be promoted again. If he were to be sent as an envoy immediately afterwards, who knew what the court would be like in a few months?

In fact, the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace had similar intentions to the Prime Minister. Now that the Eldest Princess was no longer going crazy behind the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince's thinking had become much more mature. He believed that keeping Fan Xian in Kyoto to immediately take over the Internal Treasury and simultaneously increasing the efforts to win him over was the right path. If he could seize Vice Minister Fan because of this and repair the relationship with the Prime Minister, that would be even better. Moreover, the Spring Examination was approaching, and the Eastern Palace still had places where it could rely on Fan Xian.

It seemed that no one in the court today would propose that Fan Xian be sent as an envoy to Northern Qi. After all, offending the Fan and Lin families, even if you were a veteran of three dynasties and a minister of a ministry, you would probably not be able to bear the hatred of those two old fellows at the same time.

So the hall fell silent, and it seemed that the ministers agreed with the proposal of Xin Qiwu's mission to Northern Qi. Even Xin Qiwu himself began to prepare to receive the order and take this trip for Fan Xian.

The Emperor frowned slightly, seemingly not expecting the current situation, and gently placed the warm stove in his hand on the yellow satin small table beside him.

At this moment, one person came out from the ranks of officials and said in a deep voice, "I propose that Fan Xian, Fengzheng of the Imperial College, be sent as an envoy to Northern Qi."

The ministers were utterly unprepared that someone would be willing to offend the Fan and Lin families. Countless eyes were cast on him, and they then discovered that the speaker was Qin Heng, a counselor of the Privy Council. This Qin Heng had a military background and was not afraid of the eyes of the civil officials, but everyone was puzzled. Even if you are from the Privy Council, there is no need to offend the Prime Minister and the Fan family, is there?

Hearing this proposal, Prime Minister Lin Ruofu's expression remained unchanged, very calm, and Earl Sinan Fan Jian smiled slightly helplessly. Due to their relationship with Fan Xian, these two old foxes were naturally inconvenient to say anything, but their close officials would stand up for them. Only after a burst of discussion in front of the hall did a minister say in a deep voice:

"I believe it is inappropriate. Lord Fan is only seventeen years old and has no official experience. Being an envoy to Northern Qi is a major event to promote national prestige and establish friendly relations. Although Lord Fan is talented, he is afraid that he will be difficult to take on such an important task due to insufficient experience. On the other hand, Vice Minister Xin is calm and appropriate. This trip to Northern Qi should be smooth all the way."

Xin Qiwu sighed in his heart, knowing that he had to take the initiative and step out of the line, bowing and requesting, "I am willing to serve the country."