(June 1st, wishing everyone a happy holiday. A new month, a new beginning. Looking back at last month, it was filled with hardship. This story is quite heavy too. I was in my worst state. I tried to push through, but some chapters were still terribly written, including yesterday's. My apologies.)

(I was satisfied with the chapters before and after the thunderstorm, but still have some regrets, because in my initial imagination, I should have written them better, I should have been able to do better. More apologies.)

(I don't know how much I can write this month, because it's really... I'll try my best to guarantee at least 130,000 words... I got third place for monthly votes last month, which is my best ranking since I started publishing online. I received a bonus of 6,000 yuan. I sincerely thank everyone for their support.)

(Please continue to support this lazy but very dedicated author with your monthly votes. Thank you.)

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There were three convenient routes from Jiangnan Road to Jiangbei Road, but no matter which way one went, they always had to cross that vast river. In this world, there were no cement bridges like the ones Fan Xian was familiar with, so they had to rely on the constant flow of ferries between the two banks to support the busy traffic on the waterfront.

The three major workshops of the Internal Treasury were in Northern Fujian, the Transportation Office was in Suzhou, and Master Fan was in Hangzhou. It seemed that the control of the Internal Treasury was loose, but only officials and merchants who had the opportunity to come into contact with this part knew how strict the Monitoring Council and the Internal Treasury were in controlling the warehouses and special routes all over Jiangnan after joining hands.

Especially the route to the north, which deliberately took a westward detour, crossed the river north from Shazhou, then crossed the barren mountains of Jiangbei Road, the meadows of Cangzhou Road, and then passed by the Bohai Sea, constantly sending goods into the territory of Northern Qi, and bringing back rich silver for Qing to purchase other necessities.

Most of the goods on the Northern Route were under the control of Xia Mingji. With Fan Xian's help, Xia Qifei had won several big bids and secretly integrated small merchants and gangs in the Jiangnan area, gradually gaining momentum.

The reason he chose to cross the river in Shazhou, from the perspective of the officials, was naturally because the Jiangnan Navy was stationed in Shazhou. But only Fan Xian and he knew that the reason for choosing Shazhou was because the Jiangnan Naval Camp had the strongest strength there. Although these Internal Treasury goods could be supervised by officials sent by the imperial court, they were not confident that the imperial court would be able to see everything that was mixed inside.

Xia Qifei sat in a tea shop outside the city gate of Shazhou, drinking tea and watching the ships transporting goods back and forth on the calm river, his eyes slightly narrowed. The Second Master in the north had suddenly increased his appetite for goods, but it was not enough to prevent him from receiving them. After all, the door to the Internal Treasury was now completely open to those close to Fan Xian. It was just that it would require very careful arrangements to transport all the goods there in such a short period of time, while at the same time preventing the imperial court from becoming suspicious.

Fortunately, the imperial court's practice was that the Monitoring Council was solely responsible for monitoring the operation of the Internal Treasury. To this day, the concerns of the ministers in the court that year had finally become a reality. Fan Xian was monitoring himself, how could there not be problems?

Xia Qifei put down his teacup, slowly savoring the bitter taste in his mouth, but there was no bitterness in his heart. Looking back on the past year and a half, he sometimes felt like he was dreaming. Since climbing onto the legs of the Imperial Envoy, the family feud that had gnawed at his heart like a poisonous snake for more than ten years had been avenged, the Ming family had returned to his hands, and his identity had changed from the hidden head of the Jiangnan Navy to an official of the Monitoring Council, a famous wealthy merchant in Jiangnan.

The affairs of this world are indeed somewhat wonderful.

However, he was also clear that the current Ming family was no longer the Ming family of the past. Although the imperial court had not directly intervened, if Master Fan really gave the order, he would only be able to do as he was told.

Thinking of this, he withdrew his satisfied gaze from the cargo boxes on the river boats, frowning slightly, unable to understand some things – smuggling Internal Treasury goods to Northern Qi and Dongyi was undoubtedly the most profitable business in the world, but with Master Fan's status, why would he be so greedy? Master Fan had explained in the past that the reason why Princess Li Yunrui was greedy for silver was because she wanted to seek power in the court, pave the foundation for the princes, and buy people's hearts in the army.

But Master Fan himself was a prince, and he could not inherit the throne after returning to the Fan family. What would he do with so much silver? Moreover, His Majesty did not like Princess Chang too much secretly moving the Internal Treasury was almost empty, Could His Majesty now allow Master Fan to do this?

...

...

Since Princess Li Yunrui lost power, this small impact swept through the hearts of the nobles of the world without causing any waves. Of course, this was just the surface calm, no one knew what people were really thinking underneath.

It's just that now people know how much the powerful minister Fan Xian in the Southern Dynasty is deeply favored by the Qing Emperor, and how much power he holds in his hands, inevitably triggering vigilance and anticipation - no matter what, Fan Xian is still a scholar in the hearts of the people of the world, especially his performance on the stage in recent years has made people clear that he is somewhat different from the average Qing noble children, as for not being so passionate or warlike.

Northern Qi and Dongyi naturally hoped that Fan Xian would live long and prosper. Even if the little Emperor of Northern Qi wanted to pull Fan Xian to his side and make him a prince, he was clear that it was best for Fan Xian to stay in Southern Qing. He hoped that Fan Xian's power would be as great as possible, and that he would be as deeply favored by the Emperor as possible, so that he could influence the decisions of the Qing Emperor.

However, this was just wishful thinking and idealism. No Emperor would be foolish enough to place the hope of peace on a minister in a foreign country. The peace between countries ultimately reflected their strength. The strength of a country was naturally its military strength!

Since the beginning of spring, in the open wilderness north of Yanjing and east of Cangzhou, Shang Shanhu, a heroic general of Northern Qi, was released from house arrest and parachuted to the southern line. In a very short period of time, he established his absolute authority in the army and began to practice military exercises, maintaining a strong deterrent force against the Southern Dynasty army and suppressing the ambitions of the Southern Qing people.

Facing Shang Shanhu head-on was Yan Xiaoyi, a great general of Qing, the Generalissimo of the Northern Expedition. How could such two powerful figures colliding together not gradually ignite some sparks and bloodshed? Although there was no war on the border, some small frictions and some deliberately created tense atmosphere gradually spread.

The reason why the goods of the Internal Treasury that Xia Qifei's Xia Mingji transported to the north had to detour to the Bohai Sea from the south of Cangzhou was actually because the situation in Cangzhou had always been somewhat tense.

However, all of this completely changed this month. For some reason, Shang Shanhu suddenly withdrew his troops fifty miles north, dispatching troops and generals, putting on a lazy posture of not defending and not advancing, seemingly not caring that Yan Xiaoyi was leading 100,000 elite soldiers in the area between Yanjing and Cangzhou, glaring like an ox, ready to bite at any time.

The tension suddenly turned into leisure, and the two countries' military displays suddenly turned into outings. The sudden change made the Southern Qing military feel inexplicably annoyed and stunned.

What exactly were the Northern Qi people thinking?

Yan Xiaoyi knew what the Northern Qi people were thinking. He picked up a cup and took a sip of the strong wine produced on the grasslands north of the Bohai Sea. The wine slightly wet his beard, and the cold light in his eyes gradually grew stronger.

Ever since the news from Kyoto reached Cangzhou, Yan Xiaoyi was clear that he was facing a crisis. When his confidants lowered their voices at night to offer advice, he remained calm and said nothing.

When Shang Shanhu slowly withdrew the Northern Qi army, putting on a posture of a naked lady leaning on a couch, Yan Xiaoyi was neither surprised nor confused, but only sneered.

The Northern Qi people naturally also knew the news that Princess Chang had lost power and that the Emperor would definitely take him down. So at this moment, Shang Shanhu deliberately showed weakness, withdrawing all the pressure placed on Yan Xiaoyi, just so that he could preserve all his strength and spirit.

What was the purpose of preserving these? Naturally, it was to deal with his own Emperor.

Yan Xiaoyi slowly put down his wine cup, a sneer floating on the corner of his lips. If the Northern Qi Emperor suddenly wanted to attack Shang Shanhu, he would also do the same. If there was a problem within the enemy country, as the other party, he should of course stand by and give the enemy as much space and strength as possible, so that the other party could toss around and kill each other, reaping the benefits of the fisherman. How happy would that be?

But Yan Xiaoyi did not seem to be making any preparations. He seemed to be just waiting for that day, waiting for a few old, deeply wrinkled eunuchs to come on horseback, tired and dismounted, hoarse and panicked, but trying to appear calm, to announce His Majesty's decree to him.

"Yan Xiaoyi... ordered..."

Princess Chang had fallen, and as Princess Chang's trusted confidant and the greatest supporter in the army... His Majesty would naturally not allow him to continue to command the elite troops of the Northern Expedition Army. Yan Xiaoyi knew this very well.

He was prepared, so he did not take the anger on the faces of his confidants to heart. However, to his surprise, His Majesty's decree was delayed. Worry floated onto his face, and he thought to himself what kind of crime the Emperor was planning to arrange for him that he had delayed for so long?

The strong wine burned his heart, making Yan Xiaoyi's heart ache. Could it be that His Majesty really trusted him so much? But His Majesty knew that he was just a hunter in the mountains in the past. If it were not for Princess Chang, he would probably have remained unknown for the rest of his life.

Moreover, Fan Xian had a grudge against him for killing his son. Although Yan Xiaoyi had not been able to find any evidence, he believed that within the Qing Dynasty, other than His Majesty, only two madmen dared to kill his son. Other than Princess Chang, it was naturally the madman Fan Xian.

His Majesty could not possibly kill his illegitimate son to avenge his son. This was the greatest irreconcilable contradiction between Yan Xiaoyi and the Emperor - and Yan Xiaoyi's fierce character destined him not to surrender and die of old age in Kyoto.

But he would not lead his troops to defect to the Northern Qi ruler and ministers who were watching the show in the north, because that was a humiliation.

Yan Xiaoyi once again picked up the wine cup filled with strong wine, drank it all in one gulp, and sighed deeply. He really did not know what to do. Then he received a letter, and the person who wrote the letter was someone he had never thought of.

Looking at the letter, the hand holding the letter paper began to tremble. That hand that had always been as stable as a mountain, that hand that controlled the bowstring like a god, that hand that was still as steel as iron when besieged by Shadow and Fan Xian, two ninth-rank masters, actually trembled.

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In Qing, it was still late spring, but on the distant southern border, it was already a sweltering heat. The dense forests around were withered by the high altitude sun, drooping softly on the rocks, and the vines on the rocks had long been baked dry by the high temperature.

The heat was not terrible, what was terrible was the humidity in the dense forest. Somehow there were so many heavy rains in the south. Although the rain did not last long, the rainwater was baked into water vapor by the high temperature before it could seep into the soil, enveloping the forests, animals and people walking on the road, making it difficult for all living beings to breathe.

A mighty procession was lazily walking on the official road. The officials of the Honglu Temple of the Ministry of Rites, who were responsible for the face of the Celestial Kingdom, had torn open their collars, not caring about propriety. The hundreds of imperial guards, whose military discipline was always strict and whose armor was bright, were also wearing their hats askew, and even the palace tiger guards surrounding the several carriages in the middle had a look of fatigue and rascality in their eyes.

In the middle carriage sat His Highness the Crown Prince of Qing.

It had been more than a month since he left Kyoto. The ceremony in the Southern Zhao Kingdom went very smoothly. He supported the coffin and feigned crying several times in front of the spirit of the deceased king, and said a few words of idle talk to the little child king, and after witnessing the enthronement ceremony, His Highness the Crown Prince and his party set off on their journey north.

The reason for choosing to travel on such a hot day was because it was not easy for fog to form in the forest when the sun was strong, and the most terrible thing in the dense forest at the border between Southern Zhao and Qing was the poisonous fog.

Crown Prince Li Chengqian knocked on the carriage window, signaling the entire team to stop, and then got out of the carriage with the support of the eunuch, and said a few words to the chief official of the Ministry of Rites in a low voice.

A tiger guard respectfully said, "Your Highness, travel while the sun is up, so as to avoid being invaded by the poisonous fog."

The Crown Prince said with a smile, "Let's rest, everyone is tired."

"I'm afraid we won't be able to reach the post station ahead." The tiger guard said embarrassedly.

"Didn't we say yesterday that there is a small one before that post station?" The Crown Prince said amiably, "It's good to stay there tonight as well."

The Ministry of Rites official who had been questioned before dissuaded him, "What is Your Highness' status, how can you just stay in the wilderness? The post station in Tiancheng County is too broken. The large post station that was planned last night has been prepared to welcome Your Highness."

The Crown Prince insisted on not allowing it, only saying that his entourage was already exhausted. The Ministry of Rites official could not help but ask in fear, "But if we miss the return date..."

"I will take full responsibility for that, I can't let these soldiers get sick from exhaustion." The Crown Prince said with a frown.

Then an order was issued to let the hundreds of people rest on the spot, and they should be able to reach Tiancheng County tonight. The soldiers and tiger guards were relieved when they heard this, thanked the Crown Prince, and set up defenses on both sides of the road, resting in teams.

Everyone knew that the Crown Prince was distressed that they were working so hard, and they all cast grateful glances at the Crown Prince, but they did not dare to let the Crown Prince see this trace of light. In the past month, from Kyoto to the south to Southern Zhao, and then back north, the road was long and arduous, but His Highness the Crown Prince was not as delicate as people had imagined in the past, and he did not say a word, and he also comforted and encouraged these subordinates, and he was indescribably amiable and kind.

Along the way, everyone had a new understanding of this Crown Prince, and felt that His Highness really loved the people, not only did he have no complaints about His Majesty's decree, but he also did not forget to take care of them in every way.

The Crown Prince was ordered to go to Southern Zhao to attend the ceremony. Such a thankless and difficult errand would make people in the world think that even if His Majesty was not exiling the Crown Prince, he was warning the Crown Prince, or a disguised punishment. However, the soldiers and officials were a little puzzled now. What was His Majesty still dissatisfied with such an excellent Crown Prince?

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...

A green curtain was erected in the forest for the Crown Prince to rest. In fact, everyone knew that it was mainly for the Crown Prince to relieve himself conveniently. Although the Crown Prince had shared hardships with everyone along the way, it was impossible for the Crown Prince to squat in a row on the side of the road with everyone and poop with his butt exposed.

Li Chengqian smiled helplessly at the imperial guards who were pulling the green curtain, lifted a corner of the green curtain and walked in, but... he did not untie his pants, but waited calmly and slightly nervously.

Before long, a hand holding a pill was sent into the green curtain.

Obviously, such things had happened more than once. The Crown Prince directly took it, chewed it, and swallowed it, and then carefully licked the gaps between his teeth with the tip of his tongue to make sure that no residue would be left for the eunuchs who were serving him in name, but were secretly monitoring him, to find.

"Why can't this medicine be provided to those soldiers?" The Crown Prince said after a moment of silence, looking at the faint shadow outside the green curtain, his tone somewhat sad, "Seven people have died along the way."

There was too much poisonous miasma in Southern Zhao. Although the Imperial Hospital had prepared excellent medicines, there were still several imperial guards and eunuchs who accidentally inhaled the poisonous mist and died without being cured.

The shadow outside the green curtain paused for a moment and said, "Your Highness, I find that I like you more and more." After saying this, Wang Shisanlang shook his head and disappeared silently.

The Crown Prince squatted down, frowning slightly. He knew that Wang Shisanlang had been sent by Fan Xian, but he did not know why Fan Xian was so carefully protecting himself. However, Fan Xian's words were very clear, and he did not need to owe him any favors. It was just that he did not like the feeling of being followed by a master from afar, and he had also tried to get that person to give him all the medicine.

It was just that he had eunuchs serving him every day when he went to bed. If people found out that the Crown Prince was carrying medicine of unknown origin, it would indeed be a big trouble.

But without medicine by his side, he could not save people. Thinking of the people who died along the way, the Crown Prince could not help but sigh.

He had been performing very well these days, so well that he could not be better, because he knew what kind of person his imperial father was. His imperial father was looking for a reason, a pretext to depose him. If he could not find an excuse that would not damage the Emperor's face, his imperial father would not rush to act.

His imperial father valued face too much, Li Chengqian thought with a smile, stood up, and threw the used paper on the ground, thinking, what is the difference between face and the paper used to wipe one's butt?

But it was indeed very needed. At least because of this, Li Chengqian could hold on for a while longer. A stubborn look appeared on his face, imperial father, your son will not give you too many excuses. If you want to depose me, don't even think about preserving your face.

He pulled open the green curtain and walked out, looking at the dazzling sunlight in the sky, he suddenly thought of the little child next to the coffin of the King of Southern Zhao, and was slightly absent-minded, thinking that they were both crown princes, and it was actually a happy thing that their fathers died early.

He immediately thought that he was going to stay in Tiancheng County tonight, and felt that the name of this county was really auspicious, and he could not help but laugh.