Comparing Northern Qi and Southern Qing?

This topic was a bit sensitive. As an envoy, he couldn't diminish his own country's prestige, nor could he overly disrespect Northern Qi. However, Fan Xian answered smoothly and naturally, as if he had been contemplating this answer since birth. His words were righteous, forceful, and incredibly quick, causing the perpetually serene face of Miss Haitang to twist and Emperor Northern Qi to open his mouth wide, revealing his well-maintained white teeth.

Fan Xian, with a gentle smile on his face, clasped his fist and spoke a few words:

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"This humble foreign subject doesn't know."

What a "foreign subject doesn't know"! The Emperor was first stunned, then began to laugh heartily. This response was shameless, but he couldn't punish him for it, since he was, after all, a so-called "foreign subject." Even if he knew about Qing, so what!

The Emperor smiled and said, "Since the name of 'Poet Immortal' is here, I will naturally have those students from the Imperial Academy come to listen to Lord Fan's lectures."

Fan Xian's heart ached. He thought that he was a fake professor who didn't have to attend classes at the Imperial Academy in Qing, but now that he had come to the North, he had to become a visiting professor.

"If I were to march south, what are the chances of success in Lord Fan's opinion?"

The young Son of Heaven's face was serene, but the sense of majesty cultivated since childhood in the deep palace suddenly pressed down. In today's world, only two people could ask this sensitive and arrogant question. But asking it to an envoy of an enemy country made it all the more interesting, like a thunderclap—Fan Xian's expression didn't change. He replied calmly, "There is no chance of success at all."

"Why?" The Emperor asked coldly, looking at Fan Xian from the railing.

"The people of Qi do not think of war, and will surely be in danger." Fan Xian said with a smile, "The people of Qing are fond of war, and will surely be exhausted. Fortunately, the two Emperors, one striving for strength and the other mature and holding the country, have perfectly balanced these two extremes."

The Emperor suddenly asked, "What kind of person is your Qing Emperor? I have exchanged two private letters with him, but I still can't quite understand him."

Fan Xian began to curse inwardly, wondering what the meaning of this move was, since he was, after all, a subject of Qing. So he remained silent. Seeing his expression, the Northern Qi Emperor laughed instead and said softly, "Your Emperor will eventually grow old, and I will eventually grow up. In the future, when I ride south, I hope Lord Fan can be my palace scholar."

Fan Xian raised an eyebrow and replied in a humble but firm tone, "If Your Majesty comes south as a guest, this humble foreign subject will definitely write a poem to congratulate you."

The meaning of going south was different in each case. The Qi Emperor's meaning was naturally to lead an army south and annex Qing into his territory. Fan Xian's meaning was that if the Qi Emperor came south as a guest, he would naturally be a prisoner.

The conversation was not productive. Fan Xian's expression was calm, and he was not worried. He was only thinking that the young Emperor in front of him was indeed a man with great ambitions. However, he had said too much in front of him. He didn't know if it was because he was young and impetuous that he misspoke, or if he simply didn't take this foreign subject seriously and only wanted to use his mouth to convey his will to the southern court.

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The Emperor suddenly frowned with a hint of melancholy, not knowing what he was thinking. He waved his hand gently and said, "The capital has always been peaceful, but there have always been many misunderstandings between the two countries. I am worried that someone will try to harm Lord Fan. Although those people would not dare to do anything to you, I am afraid that provocations are inevitable. I hope Lord Fan will bear with them for my sake."

Fan Xian was shocked, not by the content of the words, but by the tone of the young Emperor. What did he mean by "bear with them for my sake"? Fan Xian didn't think he was qualified to be valued so much by a country's ruler, and he didn't understand why this young Emperor would favor him so much.

"I'm a little tired, Lord Fan, you may return." The Emperor gently patted the railing and turned to look at Haitang, who had been silent all along. "Little Martial Aunt, please escort Lord Fan out of the palace, lest he gets lost. During this period, if anyone is rude to the Southern Qing delegation, I would appreciate it if Little Martial Aunt could say a few words."

One word from Haitang of Northern Qi would surely restrain those fanatical patriots.

Haitang bowed slightly and said, "As Your Majesty commands."

Fan Xian raised an eyebrow slightly, thinking that wouldn't he have to meet with this Ninth Rank master often? He really didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

The Emperor suddenly smiled and said, "I heard that Lord Fan no longer composes poetry these days. I am truly disappointed."

Fan Xian responded with a wry smile, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. Poetry is the voice of the heart. Recently, this humble foreign subject has been restless and cannot, cannot."

The Emperor raised an eyebrow and looked at him with a smile that was not a smile. "I'm afraid it is poetry inspired by love. Looking at this impure thing, Fan Xian, you naturally can't find any poetic inspiration."

Fan Xian was covered in sweat.

The Emperor suddenly laughed heartily and said, "Yesterday, the Empress Dowager showed me a little poem… 'Do you know, do you know, it should be lush green and faded red.' Fan Xian, you are indeed talented."

Fan Xian was embarrassed, and Haitang was even more embarrassed.

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Under Haitang's guidance, Fan Xian left the mountain pavilion and walked along the quiet path towards the dark buildings of the palace in front of the mountain. In the mountain pavilion, the young ruler of Northern Qi stood silently, the excited expression from the previous conversation fading from his face. A faint smile touched the corners of his lips. The Son of Heaven suddenly closed his eyes and took two deep sniffs, discovering that he seemed to have really found a trace of the feeling he had that night when he stood alone gazing at the moon.

Footsteps sounded behind him. The Emperor knew that the eunuchs were rushing over to serve him. He waved his hand slightly in annoyance, stopping them from entering the pavilion. He still stood somewhat lonely beside the mountain pavilion, not knowing what he was thinking.

After a long time, he suddenly sighed and murmured to himself, "So that's what Fan Xian looks like. Li Li should be arriving soon, right?"

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On the other side, Fan Xian was silent and nervous, following Haitang towards the outside of the palace. He had no heart to look at the mountain scenery along the way, and no heart to welcome the clear breeze. He just wore a false smile and maintained a self-restrained distance from this extraordinary woman.

His eyes could clearly see Haitang's walking posture.

Miss Haitang swayed with every step she took, but it was not the kind of swaying that seductive women used to entice people. It was a very rustic swaying. Her hands were stuck in the pockets of her loose coarse cloth clothes. Her upper body didn't sway much, but her feet dragged her legs forward on the stone road. She looked extremely lazy, but it wasn't the sexy languor of a beauty after a bath.

Fan Xian squinted his eyes and watched for a long time, but he still couldn't understand what kind of walk this was. Was she constantly cultivating some kind of natural art through walking? Fan Xian was very impressed. He had always thought that he was the most diligent person in the world when it came to cultivating martial arts. He had been practicing twice a day, morning and evening, since Danzhou, and had never stopped. But he had never thought that he could practice even when he was walking!

No wonder this young girl was already at the Ninth Rank Upper, while he had only just barely entered the Ninth Rank after working so hard! No wonder this young girl was hailed by the people of Northern Qi as the Chosen of Heaven, while he could only shamelessly rely on some poems to win "jianghu status"! No wonder this young girl only had to wave her hand lightly, and he would have to crawl on the ground like a dog! No wonder he used hidden crossbows, flying needles, and aphrodisiacs, but she only took a dip in the lake, and then waved her sleeve and left in a carefree manner, not taking him seriously at all—because she disdained him, therefore she didn't hate him.

Fan Xian's heart was filled with gloom. He thought that such a talented person, who was also so diligent, could probably only be compared to Uncle Wu Zhu, a genius among geniuses. He probably had no chance.

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After watching for a long time, Haitang seemed to feel the two scorching gazes behind her that were constantly staring at her hips and waist. Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore. She quietly turned her head and stared into Fan Xian's eyes, as if she wanted to peel off Fan Xian's beautiful skin and reveal the lecherous person inside.

Fan Xian's eyes were clear and bright, without a trace of distracting thoughts. He looked at the other party's surprised turn and knew that she had misunderstood. He said with a wry smile, "I was just watching the lady's peculiar walking posture, and I thought she was practicing some kind of skill, so I was very impressed."

He was surprised, and Haitang was even more surprised. She opened her mouth slightly and looked at this young man from Qing. Her heart was in a mess. She had spent most of her life staying in the mountains and in the palace, and her mind had always been as stable as a rock. But she didn't know why, when she saw Fan Xian's hateful and beautiful face and listened to Fan Xian's nonsensical words, she became inexplicably angry. Now, listening to Fan Xian's words, she was even more confused. After a long time, she finally managed to squeeze out a sentence: "I'm not practicing."

After saying that, Miss Haitang felt a little strange. Why did she have to explain this to him?

So she said with a slight irritation, "I've been walking like this since I was a child. The Empress Dowager has told me for many years, but I can't change it. If Lord Fan finds it unsightly, you might as well walk in front."

Fan Xian was stunned. He thought, what was going on? He could only follow the turning Haitang and continue forward with depression.

But Haitang still dragged her feet, kept her hands in her sleeves, and walked forward lazily.

Fan Xian tilted his head slightly and frowned for a long time. Suddenly, he understood what was going on—what kind of skill was this? This was the most common walking posture of those lazy women in the countryside!

As soon as he thought that the dignified Ninth Rank master, Haitang, who was like a fairy in the eyes of the world, was actually a country bumpkin at heart, walking in the palace as if she was walking on the ridges of a field, Fan Xian finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.