"Last night, the rain was sparse and the wind fierce; a heavy sleep could not dispel the lingering wine. I asked the maid rolling up the curtains, but she said the crabapples remained the same. Do you know, do you know, they should be showing the green plumpness and red thinness." Fan Xian recited softly under the tree, his voice gentle, yet one couldn't tell if he spoke of people or things. This was the first time the poetic genius Fan Xian had composed poetry since that night before the palace.

The maiden named Haitang quietly watched the slender, even somewhat frail, figure, and gradually loosened her grip on the short sword.

"If you want to fight, then I will fight." Fan Xian turned abruptly, his face full of smiles, yet with a hint of firmness, and said to Haitang, "In a single day, I'd like to see if, even without resorting to those drunken tricks, I can protect Xiao En's old life under Miss Haitang's hands."

Drunken tricks? Naturally, he meant the intent of Drunken Spring.

Haitang's expression was calm, and one couldn't tell what she was thinking. She seemed not to have expected that after reciting that poem, Fan Xian would reveal the backbone and courage that a man should possess. As a heavenly beauty of her generation, she had suffered such a great setback at Fan Xian's hands. Even more unexpectedly, Fan Xian had the courage to face her alone. At this moment, she truly found herself unable to understand the young official before her, and couldn't help but furrow her brow slightly.

However, she seemed interested in another matter. She said softly, "Fan Gongzi, I heard you no longer write poetry. Why do you have the leisure today?"

"Seeing pine trees, I think of winter; seeing chrysanthemums, I think of autumn; seeing Haitang, I think of..." Fan Xian swallowed the word "spring" at just the right moment, looked at Haitang with a smile, and said softly, "Poetry is a trivial pursuit, useless to the country and its people. I have some reputation for poetry in Qing Yu Nian, but I'm extremely impatient to speak of phrases every day. This little poem was obtained after a rainstorm earlier this year. Today, seeing the spirit in Miss Haitang's delicate appearance, I couldn't help but recite it. I hope Miss Haitang doesn't blame me for being absurd."

Haitang raised her head, narrowed her eyes, and looked at Fan Xian. Suddenly, she smiled slightly and said, "Whether you're acting or trying to weaken my resolve, I just feel that what you said earlier makes sense. You are an official of Qing Yu Nian, and you are free to use whatever means you deem necessary, so I don't hold a grudge against you for this matter. As for the poem you recited earlier, Fan Daren, perhaps it is a good poem, but I have never been versed in this art and naturally don't understand its meaning. I only know that... crabapples cannot be rained upon. If water accumulates in the pot, the roots will rot. Don't even mention the green plumpness and red thinness; I'm afraid it will become a pot of rotten twigs."

After saying these words, she turned and went back. In just a moment, she disappeared into the quiet mountain path, leaving only a faint fragrance, a few bird songs, and Fan Xian with an embarrassed expression.

...

...

"Why did Flower-maiden leave?" Fan Xian said with a sense of loss, sighing, "I was still preparing to tell you a story about a little mushroom-picking girl."

Haitang left freely, and Fan Xian naturally returned freely. He patted his bottom, put his hands behind his back, and leisurely walked back along the mountain path full of wet moss. After only a few steps, he saw the seven Tiger Guards at the bend in the mountain road, as if facing a great enemy. Wang Qinian led a group of officials from the Supervisory Council, lying in ambush in the grass, ready to strike at any moment.

Seeing that the Director had returned safely, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The Supervisory Council officials lurking in the grass also stood up, but their faces and bodies were covered in grass stains, looking very comical.

"My Lord, is that it?" Wang Qinian frowned as he followed behind Fan Xian. "This Haitang is a ninth-rank expert in the intelligence reports, and the Northern Qi people always say that she is a Tianmai person. But she looks quite ordinary... she didn't even attack you, my Lord?"

"Attack?" Fan Xian heard the implicit meaning in Wang Qinian's words and scolded, "If she had attacked me, would I be able to walk back so steadily?"

He suddenly stopped and looked at Wang Qinian with a suspicious expression, saying, "You are best at reconnaissance and tracking, so your hearing must be good."

"Yes, my Lord," Wang Qinian didn't know what he meant.

"Then did you hear my conversation with her just now?" Fan Xian asked with a smile, but his tone was full of pressure.

Wang Qinian dared not hide anything, "I heard some of it."

"What did you hear?"

Wang Qinian said with a troubled expression, "I heard a wonderful poem from you, my Lord, and something about medicine."

Fan Xian warned him, "You are absolutely not allowed to reveal it." If the news that he had secretly used aphrodisiacs against the heavenly beauty Haitang spread, he would definitely offend all the people of Northern Qi, and that Miss Haitang would probably be so ashamed that she would cover her face with a flower basket before daring to go out on the street.

"Yes." Wang Qinian said with great admiration, "My Lord, you are indeed no ordinary person. With just a few words, you sent away such a terrifying expert."

Fan Xian ignored his flattery and fell into thought. What happened today looked simple, but in fact, he had put a lot of thought into it. First, he always referred to himself as "Ben Guan" (this official), first establishing his identity as an official, so that Haitang would clearly realize that this was not just a Jianghu fight, so that this girl would not be angered by the aphrodisiac and forget many things she should pay attention to.

And that poem *Ru Meng Ling* by Li Qingzhao was prepared by the shameless Fan Xian when he was in Kyoto. Ever since Yan Ruohai told him that there was a wonderful woman named Haitang in the North, Fan Xian began to prepare this extremely sour and numbing method. He even prepared a poem by Han Yu, "Lazy Rising": "Last night, at the third watch, there was rain, and a burst of cold just before dawn. Are the crabapple flowers still there? I lie on my side and look through the rolled-up curtains."

But this poem was more intimate than Li Qingzhao's, so he didn't dare to use it today. Fan Xian smiled slightly, thinking that he had deliberately said that he felt something because he saw Haitang's weakness, so it should have made the girl who had been affected by the aphrodisiac very happy. Since she was a disciple of a grandmaster since childhood, and was worshipped by foolish people as a Tianmai person, and had no opponents after graduating, she was truly a heroine, but the more this kind of girl was, the more she actually hoped that in the eyes of others, she was a weak character – a woman, even if she was a queen, was still a woman after all.

Fan Xian may not be the most able to see through the minds of others in the world, but he must be the man who understands the minds of girls the most. Because in this world where men are superior to women, no man is willing to use an equal attitude and a delicate spirit to analyze what girls really want.

Fan Xian was willing, because he loved all clean women, so he was able to pat a few fragrant buttocks in a subtle way that the other party still enjoyed.

He took out the same antidote that he had given to Haitang from his pocket, swallowed it in one gulp. Wang Qinian asked curiously, "What kind of medicine is that?" Fan Xian threw one to him, "Six-Turn Tangerine Peel Pill, clears heat and removes fire, always prepared for regular consumption."

Where would the aphrodisiac concocted by Fan Xian have an antidote? Just soak it in cold water, and it will be fine after a day. The aphrodisiac in Haitang was real, but the reason why she hadn't forced it out after a long time was mainly because of the reeds in the North Sea Lake. Every spring, those cylindrical leaf sheaths would grow a kind of ligule hair. When this white hair fell into the water, it would interact internally with the medicine concocted by Fan Xian, which would make the woman's body itch even more, making her think that the residual poison was difficult to clear.

It was also because of this that Haitang silently accepted Fan Xian's agreement to exchange peace with the antidote.

Thinking of this, Fan Xian couldn't help but sigh, thinking that he was really a very lucky person. But he didn't know when this good luck would come to an end.

——————————————————————————

The mission was stationed in the valley by the lake. Xiao En, who had a broken leg, stayed in the carriage somewhat blankly, knowing that what awaited him would be imprisonment by the royal family of Northern Qi. Those people from the Zhan family were always extremely fanatical. In order to find the whereabouts of the Temple, they would definitely not make things easy for him. And Ku He, in order to prevent this from happening, should use his power to kill him, right? As for Hu'er... the old man suddenly became tired of the intrigue and thought that if he had died in Fan Xian's hands in the morning, it might have been a good ending.

The envoy who crossed the border had not yet returned. It was estimated that he was currently raging at the banquet table of the Northern Qi officials. Indeed, the corpses outside Wudu River Town had been properly collected by Qing Yu Nian. These were the greatest evidence that the Northern Qi army had entered the country without permission and attempted to rob prisoners.

The general trend of the world today was that Qing Yu Nian was the main attacker, and the countries were the main defenders, so Fan Xian's mission had to vent their anger and take the opportunity to cause trouble. After tossing around for an unknown amount of time, the Northern Qi reception officials finally calmed the anger of the Qing Yu Nian envoy.

Secret agreements and public agreements finally began to enter the next stage.

The mission's carriages formed a long line, slowly绕guò (circling around) the edge of the North Sea Lake and turning into another valley. Fan Xian sat in the carriage, looking at the vast lake, looking at the fog gradually rising from the lake, his expressionless face concealing his somewhat complicated mood.

The carriage pressed on the meadow, leaving deep ruts, turning out fresh soil. The four-wheeled carriage worked very well, so it didn't get stuck in the wet grass.

Before entering the town, Fan Xian made one last visit to Si Lili's carriage. The two looked at each other quietly. After a while, Fan Xian said softly, "After entering Northern Qi, it will be inconvenient for me to visit you often, Miss."

Si Lili nodded slightly, her expression also appeared much calmer, and said softly, "It's been hard for you, Lord Daren, all the way."

Fan Xian looked at the woman's charming face and supple body curves, tilted his head slightly, seeming to prepare to say something, but finally closed his mouth helplessly and left the carriage.

...

...

On the meadow outside Wudu River Town, the traces of yesterday's bloody battle still remained. In the deepest clump of grass under the mound, there were even missing limbs and incomplete weapons that had been overlooked.

Fan Xian leaned against the carriage window, looking at the traces in the grass, and was secretly shocked by the terrifying lethality of the Black Riders yesterday. The corpses of those Northern Qi people had all been transported back to their country. As for what compensation would be required in the future, and what price would be paid, those were not matters that Fan Xian needed to consider now.

The convoy entered the town without stopping at all. Under the gaze of the numb-faced people in the town, it slowly pressed down on the bluestone road and continued to move in a northeast-east direction. The curtain was still open. This was Fan Xian's personal habit. He liked to sit in the carriage and look at the people and scenery along the way, and didn't want a black cloth to cover his eyes.