At the same time, both the Emperor and Haitang looked at Fan Xian with surprise. The Emperor had only asked casually, but Fan Xian's response with the four words "unity of man and nature" greatly shocked these two top figures of Northern Qi. It must be known that the Bitter Lotus sect, one of the four Grandmasters of the world, emphasized the unity of man and nature, following the natural order. This secret was never passed on to outsiders, but Fan Xian casually spoke it out while describing the scenery, which was truly astonishing.

Haitang's serene and bright eyes stared at Fan Xian's cheek, as if trying to see if this poet, famous throughout the world, had stumbled upon it by chance, or had truly understood some principles through the scenery of the Imperial Palace.

Fan Xian was unaware of this. The so-called "unity of man and nature" was a topic that had been discussed to death in his distant memory during philosophy class. Saying it casually, he naturally didn't expect it to shock others so much. Looking at the Emperor and Haitang's thoughtful expressions, he couldn't help but feel puzzled and asked, "Did this subject say something wrong?"

The Emperor laughed heartily and said, "Exactly, exactly, how could there be anything wrong? Fan Xian, you truly deserve to be called a poetic genius of this generation. The words you speak casually are actually in accordance with the ultimate truth, wonderful, wonderful." The Emperor smiled slightly, glanced at Haitang, and said, "Little Martial Aunt, what do you think of Fan Gongzi's words?"

Haitang bowed and said, "Fan Gongzi uses scenery to explain principles, truly a versatile talent."

The three chatted casually for a few more sentences, then glossed over the matter. The Emperor suddenly frowned and said, "I stayed in this mountain pavilion for quite some time last month. At that time, the tree was above the pavilion, the moon was above the clouds, and I was above the flowing water. The surrounding breeze was refreshing, and I felt extremely happy, completely forgetting the troubles of the mortal world. So I often come here to stop these days, but I can no longer find that feeling. I wonder why."

Haitang suddenly revealed a solemn expression and said, "Your Majesty is the ruler of Northern Qi, and the hearts of all the people are directed towards you. The troubles of the mortal world exist, and it is difficult to forcibly forget them. Moreover, Your Majesty bears the safety of the world on your shoulders, and Your Majesty's thoughts affect the happiness of all the people. How can you seek momentary pleasure and forget the troubles of the mortal world? Your Majesty should always remember that the people of the world are mostly in distress, and take the troubles of the people as your own troubles. Only in this way can you be a wise ruler."

The Emperor respectfully accepted the teachings and rose to salute, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Little Martial Aunt."

Fan Xian calmly watched from the side and noticed that the Emperor truly showed a look of being taught, which surprised him a little. It seemed that this Haitang, whom he had tormented quite a bit, had such a lofty position in Northern Qi. However, he somewhat disagreed with Haitang's statement. Although he didn't show it on his face, a hint of a smile flashed in his eyes.

But how could this slight change escape the eyes of a Grade Nine Upper level expert?

"Fan Daren, do you have a different opinion?" Strangely, there was no hostility or sarcasm in Haitang's question. It was more like a normal inquiry. Northern Qi valued debate and the use of scholarship to help the world, so from the perspective of accommodating other opinions, the atmosphere was better than that of Qing.

Fan Xian frowned slightly, then smiled and said, "To be the first to worry about the world's troubles and the last to enjoy its pleasures is naturally the ideal that an emperor and a minister should uphold. However, if we follow what Haitang Guniang says, and cannot forget the suffering of the people day and night, although Your Majesty can use this to be vigilant and work tirelessly for the welfare of the people, over time, you will inevitably become too tired. If your mind is not sharp, even with the best intentions, you will not be able to do things well. Therefore, this subject believes that when you can forget your worries, you must forget them completely. As the saying goes, the world is always worried, but the Emperor cannot always be worried."

His explanation was unconvincing, but the brilliance lay in the first two sentences. After hearing these two sentences, Haitang's eyes lit up even more, and she didn't listen to what he said later, but slowly savored the meaning.

And His Majesty the Emperor applauded and exclaimed, "Well said, 'To be the first to worry about the world's troubles and the last to enjoy its pleasures.' Fan Qing's words truly express the loyalty of a minister and the responsibility of an emperor, well done! Well done! Well done!"

The surrounding eunuchs and palace maids didn't quite understand what the Emperor was saying, but seeing that this envoy from Southern Qing could make His Majesty so happy, they couldn't help but smile and give Fan Xian a grateful look.

Fan Xian smiled and didn't say much. In his heart, he gave a thumbs up to the fellow who drank porridge in his previous life.

……

……

The young Emperor had already begun to call Fan Xian "Fan Qing", which naturally showed that this Emperor greatly appreciated Fan Xian. The Emperor kept this envoy in the palace today because he had other important matters to arrange. As for admiring the scenery, it was only because Little Martial Aunt Haitang was arranged behind him by the Empress Dowager, and it was inconvenient for this Emperor to speak with Fan Xian, so he deliberately found a topic. He didn't expect Fan Xian's response to be quite interesting.

The Emperor looked at Fan Xian with a smile and said, "Fan Gongzi is both literary and martial, truly a rare talent in the world."

Fan Xian repeatedly said that he didn't dare to claim such praise. Haitang suddenly spoke and said, "Then, according to what Fan Gongzi said, how should one view the way of the unity of man and nature?" Fan Xian was slightly startled, thinking that he was not good at metaphysical discussions, and the previous pile of words had already been very distressing. Why did he have to continue? The Emperor smiled slightly, waved his hand to stop Haitang's question, and instead asked, "Then, Fan Gongzi, why do you think I can no longer find that night's clear and vast thoughts these days?"

Fan Xian frowned slightly, looked at the surroundings of the mountain pavilion, pointed to the incense stick and said softly, "Your Majesty, move this incense away, and dismiss the people around you, and perhaps you can find some of the feeling from that night."

The Emperor was slightly surprised, and according to his words, he ordered all the eunuchs and palace maids to retreat to a place where they could not be seen from afar, and also removed the calming incense stick. After a while, the breeze rose again, blowing away all kinds of fragrances, leaving only the faint openness of the mountain palace.

The Emperor slowly closed his eyes, and after a long time, his face showed joy. He opened his eyes and said with a smile, "Sure enough, there is some feeling."

Fan Xian explained with a smile, "The incense used in the Imperial Palace is naturally of the highest quality, but compared with the fragrance of this mountain forest, it will inevitably have a few more traces of vulgarity."

Haitang nodded slightly to the side, seemingly deeply approving of Fan Xian's statement.

After sitting between the mountain pavilions to taste tea again, the doubts in Fan Xian's heart became deeper and deeper. On the second day of arriving in Shangjing, this young Emperor kept him in the palace. This was greatly against the rules. No matter what, he was an envoy from another country, and although the two countries maintained a good relationship on the surface, they were constantly undermining each other.

The Emperor suddenly sighed softly, "Fan Gongzi, do you know why I want to keep you here?"

Fan Xian was slightly taken aback, not knowing whether the other party had seen through the doubts in his heart or if it was a coincidence. He respectfully said, "Please enlighten me, Your Majesty."

The Emperor smiled and said, "In name, it is because I like the Banxianzhai poetry collection." He then smiled at Fan Xian and said, "Of course, I do like your poems very much, but the Danbo Bookstore sells them very expensively. Therefore, at the beginning of the year, I took some silver from the inner treasury and published many of Fan Qing's poetry collections in Northern Qi, sending them to various academies. I value them so much. I wonder how Fan Qing will repay me?"

This person was the ruler of a country, thinking that he had used the inner treasury silver to print books and make a name for this young poet. Wouldn't the other party be immediately moved beyond words?

He never expected Fan Xian to show a bitter expression and only stand up after a long time of dawdling and salute the Emperor. He began to curse in his heart. As expected, there was no concept of piracy in this world. Your Majesty's actions have caused the Danbo Bookstore's business in the north to be 30% worse this year. Manager Qi Ye is pulling his hair every day, and he actually needs this owner to thank you.

Haitang suddenly said softly from the side, "Your Majesty, the Danbo Bookstore is Fan Daren's family business. I'm afraid that not only will Fan Daren not appreciate your actions, but he will also be slightly resentful."

Fan Xian quickly smiled and explained, "Absolutely not, absolutely not."

The Emperor looked at Fan Xian with a slight surprise and said, "Fan Qing is a poet of this generation, how can you still do business?"

Fan Xian replied with a wry smile, "It's always good to earn some pocket money."

Haitang smiled from the side and said, "The largest bookstore in the world can only earn Fan Gongzi some pocket money."

The Emperor didn't know about the stories between Little Martial Aunt Haitang and Fan Xian outside Wudu River Town, so he found it amusing that Little Martial Aunt seemed to have an undercurrent of swordsmanship with Fan Xian, and couldn't help but laugh, saying, "Little Martial Aunt, you and Fan Qing are, in this day and age, the most famous young generation figures in the north and south. Why do you seem to like to quarrel like children when you meet today?"

Haitang was slightly startled and realized that her words today seemed to be slightly deliberately harsh, which was very different from her usual calm temperament. Fan Xian smiled and explained, "Perhaps Haitang Guniang still thinks that merchants are lowly professions." In this day and age, although the importance of commerce has been fully demonstrated since the Ye family, and the royal families of various countries pay attention to this, on the surface, most people still regard commerce as a relatively low-level occupation.

Unexpectedly, Haitang shook her head slightly and said, "Craftsmen, farmers, merchants, and scholars, people all over the world do things all over the world, how can there be a distinction between noble and lowly?"

Fan Xian liked her statement very much.

……

……

It seemed that because the Empress Dowager had Haitang follow him, the young Emperor could not say what he wanted to say to Fan Xian from the depths of his heart. A look of weariness gradually appeared on the Emperor's face.

Fan Xian and Haitang looked at each other. He thought that this woman would know to leave and give himself and the Emperor some quiet space, but who knew that Haitang's expression was calm and unchanged, completely ignoring the Emperor's expression.

The Emperor suddenly smiled self-deprecatingly, walked to the side of the mountain pavilion, looked at the gurgling mountain water flowing under his feet, and sighed, "Fan Xian, on this trip to the north, what do you think of the scenery of my Northern Qi?"

Fan Xian replied in a deep voice, "Northern Qi has abundant resources and treasures, beautiful mountains and clear waters, vast land and abundant resources, and the people live and work in peace and contentment. This subject is truly impressed."

The Emperor suddenly turned around, looking at Fan Xian with eyes that were extremely calm and unlike those of a seventeen-year-old: "Then, what do you think, how does my world compare to your Southern Qing?"