Niao Ni
Chapter 231 Ruo Ruo is Getting Married!
Lin Wen was startled, thinking that these words were utterly treasonous, and quickly tried to soothe him, "The affairs of the court have the rules of the court. But the affairs of the palace have their own channels. Sir, you shouldn't worry too much."
Fan Xian nodded, thinking that although this marriage alliance seemed somewhat nonsensical, seeing the two courts so anxious, it seemed to be a situation everyone wanted to see. It's just that both Southern Qing and Northern Qi are known as the two great powers of the world. If these two countries were to unite in marriage, those emperors of small countries hiding in remote corners and secretly laughing would probably not be so happy. Of course, the one with the biggest headache should still be Dongyi City, guarded by Si Gu Jian's sword.
"Right, you just said I had good news?" Fan Xian frowned, wondering how the marriage of the First Prince, scheduled to return to the capital in the autumn, had anything to do with his good fortune.
Lin Jing and Lin Wen exchanged glances, chuckled, and said, "Sir, you will know when you read the imperial letter yourself." According to custom, when an imperial letter arrived, if the chief envoy was absent, Lin Jing, as the deputy envoy, had the authority to open it first.
"Just tell me," Fan Xian rubbed his brow, feeling an inexplicable sense of unease coming from somewhere, and this feeling was getting stronger and stronger.
"Yes," Lin Jing responded, smiling, "After the First Prince's marriage was settled, the Second Prince's marriage was also settled. His Majesty has decreed that the Second Prince's marriage to Miss Ye Ling'er of the Ye family, who guards Kyoto, will be set in the spring of next year."
Fan Xian paused slightly, and hmm-ed. He felt something strange. The little girl who called him "Master" by the lake was also getting married? He had met the Second Prince and knew that this Second Prince was well-read but had a restless heart. Now, hearing that Ye Ling'er was going to marry the Second Prince, he couldn't help but worry for Ye Ling'er. At the same time, he was wondering what His Majesty the Emperor wanted to do. This marriage would obviously tie the Ye family, who guarded Kyoto, to the Second Prince. Could it be that the Emperor really wanted to...change the heir apparent?
Fan Xian's heart skipped a beat, but his face was unusually calm. He tilted his head slightly and said, "What does this have to do with me?"
Lin Wen, eager to please, cut in before his brother could speak, and said with a flattering smile, "Congratulations, Lord Fan, congratulations! His Majesty's decree also mentioned that the eldest daughter of your esteemed household is virtuous and graceful, and possesses great talent. He has specially bestowed a marriage with Li Hongcheng, the heir of Prince Jing..."
……
……
The eldest daughter of your esteemed household? Fan Xian felt a little dazed and foolish. Which household was being referred to? After a long while, he realized, could it be Ruo Ruo?
His sister Ruo Ruo was going to marry Li Hongcheng?
"No!" To everyone's surprise, Fan Xian suddenly stood up and waved his sleeve!
The officials near him opened their mouths wide, wondering why Lord Fan had such a strong reaction after hearing about his own sister's marriage. Everyone's congratulations to Lord Fan were absolutely sincere. Think of the Fan family: Si Nanbo Fan Jian was the Minister of Personnel, in charge of Qing’s finances; Fan Xian was the Commissioner of the Imperial Censorate, and the Emperor had betrothed him to the daughter of the former Prime Minister, and that young lady also had a noble status that everyone knew but dared not mention. Now, even the eldest daughter of the Fan family had been betrothed by His Majesty to the dignified heir Li Hongcheng...Such imperial favor, there really wasn't a second in this dynasty.
Lord Fan's reaction was actually...no?!
Fan Xian had a moment of lapse, and catching the astonished expressions on everyone's faces out of the corner of his eye, he was confused for a moment, but quickly came to his senses. He laughed loudly, "This won't do, that kid Li Hongcheng frequents brothels every day. Unless he makes it up to me, this brother-in-law, with several hundred jars of fine wine, I won't let my sister marry him."
He concealed it very well. The officials also knew that the Fan family was on good terms with Prince Jing's family, and that he was very good friends with the heir of Prince Jing. This explanation was indeed a joke.
The officials laughed, saying that Lord Fan was humorous, and that they would definitely visit his residence after returning to the capital. Some even said that they would accompany Lord Fan to find that heir of Prince Jing and extort a few feasts of fine wine.
Fan Xian was also beaming, chatting idly with the officials with great joy, looking just like an overjoyed elder brother who had heard that his sister was about to get married.
……
……
After everyone dispersed, Fan Xian walked alone to the quiet back courtyard, standing by the pillars of the corridor, looking at the stars that peeked out from the gaps in the dark clouds in the southern sky, and remained silent for a long time.
His sister was getting married.
His sister was getting married!
Fan Xian squinted, watching the not-so-bright stars flickering between the heavy clouds of the night, feeling a tremor in his heart, his mind filled with this sentence, this matter.
Although he had known for a long time that this was bound to happen, when he first came to this world, when he was telling the story of Snow White to that little blonde girl in Danzhou, Fan Xian knew that this little yellow-skinned monkey in front of him would one day get married. In the correspondence between Danzhou and Kyoto, he would occasionally think that the little girl on the other end of the letter, who was growing up and whose appearance he didn't know, would also marry a man one day.
Later, when he arrived in Kyoto and saw that girl whose eyebrows concealed a trace of ice and snow, and who was as intelligent as ice and snow, who regarded him as a teacher and respected him as an elder brother, Fan Xian thought with a chuckle that if any ordinary man married her in the future, he would definitely have a hard time.
But from some point on, perhaps from the day Fan Xian guessed his own background, Fan Xian began to subconsciously refuse to think about the issue of his sister Ruo Ruo getting married in the future.
Even when that Emperor, who was visiting incognito, said to the two siblings in the teahouse by the Liujing River that he would arrange a good marriage for Ruo Ruo in the future, Fan Xian still refused to think about this issue.
But things never shifted according to people's will. After Fan Xian himself got married, Fan Ruo Ruo's marriage naturally became a problem that had to be solved immediately.
Fan Xian subconsciously tapped the corridor pillars beside him lightly, feeling confused in his heart. Although he had once discussed this issue with his sister, and had vowed that he, as an elder brother, would definitely find a good family for his sister, but when the time came, Fan Xian, who usually pretended to be confused but was actually very clear-minded, became rarely confused, as if there were countless threads crisscrossing back and forth in his mind, making it difficult for him to breathe and unable to think.
Pa pa pa pa, the sound of his palm tapping against the corridor pillars echoed softly in the courtyard.
"Very noisy," a very indifferent voice came from the other end of the corridor.
Fan Xian gave a wry smile. Today, his mood had been too turbulent, so he forgot that the courtyard where he lived also housed the equally indifferent Yan Bingyun.
"Sir, your thoughts seem a bit chaotic today." Yan Bingyun was not concerned about him, but was curious as to why this Commissioner of the Imperial Censorate, who was accustomed to hiding all his thoughts and only showing outsiders a clear and sunny appearance, was sighing so much tonight.
Fan Xian withdrew his gaze from the dark night sky and thought for a moment before saying, "My sister is getting married."
"The eldest daughter of the Fan family?" Yan Bingyun said quietly, "The famous talented woman of Kyoto, I assume it was an imperial decree."
"That's right, my future brother-in-law is Li Hongcheng, the heir of Prince Jing."
Yan Bingyun said, "The young people in Kyoto all know that the heir likes your sister."
Fan Xian was stunned: "Really? Why didn't I know?"
"I heard that you and Li Hongcheng are on good terms. Now that your family and Prince Jing's family are united in marriage, looking at the Southern court, apart from a few imperial relatives, in terms of noble kinship alone, no minister can compare to the Fan family. I must congratulate you, sir."
Fan Xian always felt that there was a hint of malice hidden in Yan Bingyun's cold congratulations. He tilted his head slightly and smiled, "It is indeed a joyous occasion."
"Since it's a joyous occasion, why are you worried, sir?"
Fan Xian smiled and said, "Hongcheng is my friend, so I naturally like his character, but..." He shrugged, "A dissolute prince who frequents pleasure boats is about to become my brother-in-law, I think anyone would be a little worried."
Yan Bingyun coughed lightly twice and said mockingly, "Has Lord Fan never visited a brothel in his life?"
Fan Xian shook his head with a smile. He was in a strange mood today, so he didn't want to argue with Yan Bingyun. At this time, there were no candles lit in the room, and there were only a few lonely stars in the sky. The courtyard was dark. Fan Xian turned his head and looked at the indifference in Yan Bingyun's brow, which could not be erased even in the darkness of the night. Suddenly, a thought moved in his mind, and he blurted out:
"Do you want to marry my sister?"
……
……
"Nonsense!" Yan Bingyun denounced the Commissioner's ridiculous question.
Fan Xian shrugged and sighed, "That's right, you're a person who only loves himself, how would you know how to cherish a woman?" Yan Bingyun ignored him.
Fan Xian looked at him and said, "How will you end things with Miss Shen? That innocent young woman was seduced by you, and Shen Zhong is not one to be trifled with."
Yan Bingyun's face was covered in frost, but Fan Xian, with his sharp eyes, finally succeeded in finding a trace of sadness in the other's eyes for the first time. He heard him say softly, "I'm not like you, a lecherous thief. As for Shen...there's nothing between her and me."
Fan Xian understood that Yan Bingyun and Miss Shen were destined to be separated by the world in the future, watching each other from afar. Although he didn't know whether Yan Bingyun had ever felt any emotion in this process, he thought that he would always feel indebted to such a devoted woman.
His thoughts turned back to Ruo Ruo's marriage, and a faint sadness rose in his heart. In fact, everyone was right. It was better for his sister to marry Li Hongcheng than to marry those princes. Fan Xian should be happy, but he couldn't be happy no matter what.
In fact, in his heart, even he himself didn't know what he was thinking. Perhaps it was just some details, some initial reactions, such as the sudden standing up and the subsequent sad applause, that revealed the deepest desires in Fan Xian's heart that he hadn't even realized himself.
He said to Yan Bingyun on the other side of the corridor, "Miss Shen naturally has no way to marry you, but if...I mean if, if there was such a possibility, what would you do?"
"I never think about impossible things," Yan Bingyun replied coldly.
Fan Xian smiled and left the corridor. Yan Bingyun watched his tall, lonely figure disappearing into the darkness and fell into deep thought.