(This chapter is dedicated to I am Pai Jiu. I was just about to write about the Crown Prince one last time when I saw his post in the Qing Yu Nian club, and I deeply sympathized with him... Please continue to vote for me today... I'm really struggling to ask for votes... silently and perversely begging for votes...)

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The greater the profit, the greater the lies that will be bred, and the more excellent the actors that will be cultivated. Fan Xian deeply believed this. Standing in the imperial court, they were probing each other about the ownership of that chair. This was the greatest benefit under heaven, so it was not surprising that the Crown Prince would tell a colossal lie right in front of him.

The problem was that Fan Xian had no way of judging how much of what the Crown Prince said was true. If he were in the Crown Prince's position, would he make such a promise?

To let bygones be bygones?

With the Crown Prince's innate status, the Empress Dowager's love, and the unknown relationship with the Eldest Princess, if he also had the support of Fan Xian, who controlled the Overwatch Council and the Internal Treasury, his ascension to the throne would be an unstoppable trend. So, if he could seek Fan Xian's support, the Crown Prince seemed willing to make enough sacrifices.

The problem was that, based on Fan Xian's life experience and knowledge, he simply did not believe such a deal was possible, unless the Crown Prince really became a person without parents. And if the other party really became this kind of person, how would Fan Xian dare to sit with him at the same table?

He chatted warmly with the Crown Prince, occasionally thinking about the Crown Prince's good attitude and those stories when he first entered Kyoto, and the cloud of complex colors in his heart became thicker.

"How is Sister Wan'er?"

Having walked in the palace for so long, the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace was the first to directly ask how Wan'er was doing, and he asked very directly.

Fan Xian smiled, his thoughts a little dazed. He spoke to the Crown Prince in a casual manner, but his eyes fell on the other party's cheeks, looking carefully, and gradually noticing some details that he had not noticed in the past.

The Crown Prince was very lonely, very pitiful.

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Walking out of the Eastern Palace towards the outside of the palace, the setting sun was gradually falling. The pale red twilight shone on the vermilion palace walls, gradually spreading, so that the cold-resistant dwarf plants and the palace buildings around him were covered with a layer of red, an ominous red.

Fan Xian put his hands behind his back, his face calm, thoughtful. What he thought about today was all about the Crown Prince. Just like the feeling he had a moment ago, Fan Xian realized when he thought about it carefully that, among the five princes, including himself, the most pitiful was actually the Crown Prince. This Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace was only a little older than him. The Ye family was destroyed before he was born, but what about the Crown Prince?

... Four years after the Ye family was destroyed, the Kyoto Night of Bloodshed saw the Crown Prince's maternal family slaughtered. His maternal grandfather died at the hands of his own father. He lost far more relatives than he did. From then on, the Crown Prince lived alone in the palace, living in tension and anxiety. The only ones he could rely on were the Empress Dowager and the Empress who loved him.

No, not the Empress. Just as his father had said, the Emperor did not abolish the Empress or change the heir because the Empress was extremely stupid and the Empress's relatives had been slaughtered, a situation that the Emperor needed.

The Crown Prince could only rely on the Empress Dowager. And as he gradually grew up, the palace environment and the Empress's deep memories of what happened back then created a Crown Prince who was mediocre and somewhat timid. He had no friends, nor could he have any friends, and remained silent.

However, the Emperor of Qing did not want the successor he had chosen to remain silent forever, so he picked out the Second Prince, intending to sharpen the Crown Prince's knife even more. Finally, he picked out Fan Xian and defeated the Second Prince to continue sharpening the Crown Prince.

Such a deformed life would naturally produce many psychological problems.

Silence, ah, silence. If you don't explode in silence, you'll become a pervert in silence. The Crown Prince seemed to have chosen the latter, but his true heart did not seem to have too many terrifying parts.

Fan Xian walked under the palace wall, looking back at the majestic Hall of Supreme Harmony, which was glowing like fire in the twilight. He squinted slightly and sighed in his heart, "Why would I want to stand on the opposite side of you?"

Compared with the Second Prince, Fan Xian actually preferred the Crown Prince, because he knew the ruthlessness under the Second Prince's gentle expression.

However, he could try to bring down the Second Prince in order to save his life, but he could not use the same method on the Crown Prince. Because the Crown Prince's position was too special, he would either rise into the clouds and become a dragon, or he would bleed under the scales and fall into the Yellow Springs.

The Second Prince had to do something to inherit the throne, so he gave Fan Xian too many opportunities. But the Crown Prince was just the opposite. He did nothing, could do nothing, and would naturally inherit the throne. Once the Crown Prince understood this, he would, like he had shown this year, maintain his composure with extraordinary intelligence, watching everything with a cold eye.

However, calm did not mean generosity. If Fan Xian was really deceived by this illusion and became soft-hearted, once the other party really ascended the throne, what awaited Fan Xian would definitely be the Empress's crazy pursuit of revenge and the Eldest Princess's ruthless purge.

At that time, would the Crown Prince still pity his life?

But the Second Prince was not defeated by Fan Xian, and the Crown Prince also rushed up... He clenched his fists lightly, making his heart cold and hard, and thought to himself, "It's not easy for anyone to survive in this world. Don't blame me."

He took one last look at the imperial palace scene, which was burning like fire in the twilight. He tilted his head slightly. The source of all this was actually the middle-aged man sitting on the dragon throne.

Fan Xian suddenly felt a hint of pleasure. He wanted to see the middle-aged man's embarrassed and furious appearance. He wanted to break the Emperor's calm facade and truly tear at his heart.

In the end, everyone was a bunch of cruel people.

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That day, the sky was high and the clouds were light. Spring had not yet arrived, but the sky had cleared. On both sides of the official road outside Kyoto's city gate, the winter trees spread their branches high, brandishing their claws and threatening those who were leaving their hometowns.

A column of black carriages filed out of the city gate and lined up on the side of the road, waiting for the large crowd in front to disperse. A young man lifted the curtain and stood in front of the carriage, shielding his eyes from the sun and looking over there, frowning slightly, and said to himself, "What's going on this time?"

The young man was Fan Xian. It was already February, and he could no longer find any more excuses to stay in Kyoto. Moreover, in this situation, he certainly knew that the further he was away from Kyoto, the better, so that he would not be dragged into the water afterwards. However, the fact that Sisi was pregnant gave him a headache – after a good discussion in the mansion, it was decided to let Wan'er stay in Kyoto to take care of her, and let him go to Jiangnan alone again.

Today was the day he left Kyoto. Learning from previous experiences, he did not notify many people. Even the young scholars in the Imperial College did not receive any news. This trip seemed quieter and a little more lonely.

Fan Xian looked at the Qing soldiers who were lining up in front of the official road and frowned slightly.

Before long, several riders broke away from the send-off military formation, which was full of parting sorrow. These riders circled back directly and headed towards Fan Xian's carriage procession. The sound of horses' hooves rang out. Fan Xian smiled slightly and got out of the carriage to wait.

Leading the riders was a military officer, wearing a cotton-padded shirt and light armor, looking heroic. Behind him were several deputies.

The military officer rode to Fan Xian, dropped his whip and dismounted. His movements were clean and neat. When he removed the mask on his face, revealing his handsome and gentle face, it was discovered that this person was actually Li Hongcheng, the Prince of Jing's son.

"I didn't expect us brothers to leave Kyoto at the same time," Li Hongcheng said with a smile, patting Fan Xian heavily on the shoulder.

Fan Xian shook his head and sighed, "Why go to join the army when you're doing so well in Kyoto? A man should of course seek achievements in this world, but it doesn't necessarily have to be on the battlefield... If the Prince hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known you had this plan."

Qing conquered the world on horseback, and its customs were simple and sturdy. Even the royal family members learned horsemanship and martial arts from a young age. From the previous generation onwards, there was a habit of joining the army and going on expeditions. In this generation, the Eldest Prince was a role model, starting as a junior officer and rising to the position of Great General.

Li Hongcheng was silent for a moment and then said, "You also know that if I stay in Kyoto, my father will keep me locked up in the mansion... That's no different from being in prison. I'd rather go to the west and fight the strange-looking barbarians than suffer this suffocation again."

Fan Xian was silent for a long time before raising his head and slowly saying, "You must take care of yourself, otherwise I will feel guilty."

"If it can make you feel guilty, this expedition will be worth it." Li Hongcheng was slightly stunned before smiling and saying, "In this world, you always have to find a few goals for yourself. This time, I'm joining the Western Expeditionary Army. Isn't it also fulfilling an idea I've had since I was a child?"

Fan Xian said, "I didn't know you had this kind of life ideal. I thought your life ideals were all on flower boats..."

The two of them smiled at each other, noticing that there were still many people around, so they couldn't have a deep conversation. Li Hongcheng led his horse and walked side by side with Fan Xian to the slope below the official road. Here, the leafless dead branches were denser, separating the dim sunlight from the sky into pieces of coldness.

It was quiet, and no one could hear what the two were saying.

Li Hongcheng was silent for a moment, and a relaxed smile gradually appeared on his face. He said happily, "The things that have happened in the past two years have made me understand... In Kyoto, I can't beat you, and the Second Prince can't beat you... That's fine, too. Just leave Kyoto for you to play in. I'll go to the west to play."

Fan Xian smiled bitterly, not knowing how to respond for a moment. After a while, he said sincerely, "The road to the Western Hu is long and arduous. You must take care of yourself... Seeking fame and fortune in the army is a shortcut, but it's also a dangerous road. Although the Eldest Prince now holds military power, you know how hard those years of hardship in the west were."

Li Hongcheng nodded thoughtfully and said seriously, "Since I've joined the army, I've naturally been prepared. My father also knows my thoughts, otherwise he wouldn't have agreed."

The so-called idea was to truly decide to break away from the tiresome and dangerous struggles in Kyoto. However, when Fan Xian thought that the main force of the Western Expeditionary Army was still the Ye family, the Second Prince's father-in-law's family, he couldn't help but feel a strange feeling in his heart. He looked at Li Hongcheng's face, and after hesitating again and again, he finally couldn't help but ask, "Ye Zhong... is the Second Prince's father-in-law. Since you've decided not to get involved in the affairs of Kyoto..."

Before he could finish reminding him, Li Hongcheng had already waved his hand to stop him, and said calmly, "Don't worry, I will naturally do what I promised you. I'm not a fool... It's just..." He smiled, "It's just that you seem too smart, making it difficult for people like us to find an opportunity to show our talents, especially in the past two years, you've used my father to suppress me so hard that I'm afraid I'll be put under house arrest if I don't bow to you."

Fan Xian said with a wry smile, "It's not me using Prince Jing to suppress you, it's Prince Jing using me to suppress you. You have to make that clear."

"Whatever." Li Hongcheng sighed, "Anyway, my father and you have the same idea. In that case, why should I force myself to struggle? It's good to go to the west. The blood and fire on the battlefield will probably be more direct."

He suddenly calmed down, looked into Fan Xian's eyes, and said sincerely, "I've always had a very good relationship with the Second Prince... I have something to ask of you."

The word "ask" seemed a bit heavy. Fan Xian immediately guessed what he was going to say, and frowned in advance, "I'm just a courtier. Some things are not up to me to decide, and who can fully predict the outcome of a battle? There's no need to talk about these things in advance."

Li Hongcheng shook his head calmly, "You don't want me to say it in advance because you're afraid you won't dare to promise me anything... What you said about the uncertain outcome is also right. No matter how you look at it, it's impossible for you to defeat them in just a few years, but for some reason, I just feel that you will win in the end."

"Overpraise?" Fan Xian smiled bitterly.

"But don't forget, he's still your brother... your own brother." Li Hongcheng looked into his eyes and said seriously, "If there really is such a day, I hope you can spare his life."

"You think too highly of me." Fan Xian turned his body slightly, looked in a certain direction on the side of Kyoto, and said calmly, "He is a prince, and we courtiers, no matter how powerful we are, can't possibly decide his life or death... And you say I should spare his life, but if the Second Prince catches me one day, will he spare my life?"

His voice gradually became cold, "I gave the Second Prince enough time to consider, and you also know what I was doing to cut off his wings in the past year or so... But he didn't do it. His heart is too big, so big that he can't control it himself. In that case, if I still extravagantly control myself... then I'm courting death."

Li Hongcheng slowly lowered his head and said, "Since he was ten years old, he was forced to embark on the road to seizing the throne... Over the years, it has become his unchangeable life purpose. Even if you beat him down to just him, he won't be willing."

"That's the point." Fan Xian's face gradually became cold. He raised his right arm and pointed to a certain direction he was facing, saying, "A few dozen miles from here is my Fan family's manor. Do you know what's there?"

Li Hongcheng glanced at him.

"Four people are buried there." Fan Xian put down his arm and said, "Four guards of the Fan family are buried there, four guards who followed me after I entered Kyoto, and who were killed on Niulan Street."

He continued, "The assassination on Niulan Street was the Eldest Princess's intention, and the Second Prince's arrangement. Although you were a person who was used, you can't deny... you were also an accomplice in some way... From that day on, I swore that in this Kyoto, if anyone else wants to kill me, I won't show any mercy to the other party."

"In the past three years, too many people have died. Many people have died on my side, and many people have died on their side. The grudges between the two sides have long become fresh blood in the soil, which can't be washed away no matter how hard you try. Since the Second Prince thinks that he can keep going with the help of the Ye family... then I'll keep going with him."

Fan Xian turned to look at Li Hongcheng and said slowly, "Since the Second Prince refuses to back down, then this matter has become a situation of you die or I live... You want me to show mercy to him, but have you ever thought that this is tantamount to plotting against my own life? Have you ever thought that it's very unfair for you to make such a request to me?"

Very unfair... Li Hongcheng smiled self-deprecatingly and sighed, "I was just still hoping that things could end peacefully."

"That depends on the hearts of the Crown Prince and the Second Prince!" Fan Xian said something that was extremely similar to the Emperor's words, "I'm just the knife in His Majesty's hand. If you want a peaceful end, it depends on how these two perform in front of His Majesty."

He paused, suddenly feeling that it was too harsh to speak so mercilessly to Hongcheng at this moment of separation. He couldn't help but shake his head and made his tone a little gentler, "It's a very wise decision for you to go to the west this time, without getting involved between me and the Second Prince. From my point of view, I must thank you."

"Thank me for what?" Li Hongcheng said with a wry smile, "Thank me for running away, so that you won't be so heartbroken when you swing your knife in the future?"

Both of them laughed.

Seeing Li Hongcheng's hand holding the reins, Fan Xian's heart stirred and he said for the third time, "The journey to the west is difficult, you must take care of yourself."

After a long silence, Li Hongcheng nodded lightly, turned over and mounted his horse, turned back to look at Fan Xian for a moment and said softly, "If I die in the west... remember to tell Ruoruo as soon as possible about my death... Now that I'm dead, she doesn't have to hide in the north anymore. After all, it's a foreign country, and it's not as good as home."

Fan Xian knew that the Prince had seen through the truth about his sister's studies abroad, and he couldn't help but feel a burst of shame in his heart. He cupped his hands and cursed with a forced smile, "Come back alive."

Li Hongcheng laughed loudly, waved his whip with a crackling sound, and the steed rushed up the slope, leading the three riders, and drove straight west along the official road, raising several trails of smoke.

Fan Xian squinted at this scene and secretly prayed for Hongcheng's safety.

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That evening, the Overwatch Council's convoy to Jiangnan passed by the small mountain valley where they had been ambushed before. As they drove along, they could occasionally see the traces of battle left on those mountain rocks. Fan Xian licked his somewhat dry lips, and a strong killing intent welled up in his heart. Going to Jiangnan was to put the finishing touches on things. After he had settled everything, he would have to find a way in the future to chop off the head of that old man of the Qin family who grew cabbages.

Since Qin Heng was transferred to the position of Deputy Envoy of the Grand Secretariat, and no longer held the position of Kyoto Garrison Commander, Old Master Qin was still not attending court as before. Fan Xian did not visit the Qin family during this Chinese New Year, but sent a generous gift. Perhaps the other party definitely did not know that Fan Xian had already guessed who the real culprit behind the ambush in the valley was.

What Fan Xian was calculating in his heart at this time was how the Emperor had arranged things. Because of the ambush in the valley, several important positions in the imperial court had been replaced with new people, successfully carrying out a metabolism. However, the old Qin family and the Ye family still had full prestige in the army. The Emperor was definitely not satisfied with the current state of affairs.

What would the Emperor do? Fan Xian often asked himself. If he were sitting on the dragon throne, this time, the adjustment and cleaning up of the military would definitely be done more thoroughly, instead of like the current small-scale tinkering, still giving these military bigwigs enough opportunities to move around.

Perhaps the sudden approach of the Western Hu had disrupted the Emperor's overall plan, or perhaps the Little Emperor of Northern Qi's wonderful move to release Shangshan Tiger had forced the Emperor to temporarily retain Yan Xiaoyi.

But Qing had seven elite armies, and four had not yet moved... The intermediate-level generals that the Eldest Prince had cultivated during his western expedition had not yet had the chance to play on the battlefield. Was it necessary to rely so heavily on the three old forces of Qin, Ye, and Yan?

Fan Xian shook his head and vaguely guessed some kind of possibility, such as showing weakness, such as seduction, seducing like a red-card girl... It's just that this kind of plan seemed too absurd, too reckless. Even Fan Xian, who was as unrestrained as he was, could not believe that the Emperor would dare to make such an arrangement regardless of Qing's survival.

After the convoy passed the valley, they traveled several more miles before joining forces with five hundred black cavalry. Jing Ge, wearing a silver mask, came forward to pay his respects before silently returning to the black cavalry. With five hundred black cavalry patrolling around, no force in the heartland of Qing could threaten Fan Xian's safety.

Fan Xian suddenly felt a stirring in his heart, frowned, and clapped his hands lightly.

The carriage shook slightly, and an ordinary official of the Overwatch Council lifted the curtain and walked in. Fan Xian glanced at him and said admiringly, "As expected of the number one assassin in the world, your ability to disguise yourself is indeed much stronger than mine."

The Shadow Assassin did not smile and asked lifelessly, "What are your orders, Sir?"

"You return to Kyoto." Fan Xian stared into his eyes and said in an unquestionable tone, "Immediately return to Director Chen's side, and from now on, don't leave his side. You must ensure his safety."

The Shadow frowned. He had been personally arranged by Chen Pingping to be by Fan Xian's side, but Fan Xian suddenly asked him to return to Chen Pingping's side. Fan Xian did not explain anything and said directly, "You know my strength, and you also know that he is a cripple. Go."

The Shadow thought for a moment, nodded, and in a moment, he left the main force of the convoy and turned into a black shadow, suddenly crossing the valley and fields, and fleeing towards Kyoto.

After confirming that the Shadow would return to Chen Pingping's side, Fan Xian's tense heart finally relaxed. He didn't know why, but he had felt very uneasy in his heart ever since he left Kyoto this time. If it was just the Crown Prince's matter, it shouldn't be enough to endanger the old cripple's safety, but Fan Xian just felt a vague fear, always feeling that something big that was beyond his imagination would happen in Kyoto.

Once a big event came, his father had secret forces around him that those in the palace did not know very well, and his father had always concealed them extremely well. Even if Kyoto was in turmoil, he would not be the primary target.

But Chen Pingping was different. If something big really happened, the first thing those people would do was to gather all their strength and try every means possible... to kill him, to kill the old black dog that the Emperor relied on the most.

This was a truth that had long been proven by the turbulent history of the continent for decades – if you wanted to kill the Emperor of Qing, you had to kill Chen Pingping first.

Although Fan Xian knew what kind of strength and composure the old Director had, and how terrifying the defense forces outside Chen Garden were, Fan Xian was still uneasy without the Shadow by his side.

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The convoy headed south, south, passing the hills beside the Wei River, passing the mountains of Jiangbei, crossing the Great River, passing through the newly built dikes, and arriving near Yingzhou, where a sub-office of the Grand Canal Superintendent's Office was located.

That night, Fan Xian did not summon his student Yang Wanli to come and see him. On the one hand, he wanted to see for himself how Wanli was doing now. On the other hand, he was eager to check the Overwatch Council reports that had come from Kyoto these days, as well as the folk news that had come from the Jiangnan Water Village.

Kyoto was calm, the thing that Fan Xian had planned had not yet started, and no dangerous signals had come.

Fan Xian sat at the table, looking at the files by the dim light, and couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly. Perhaps he had stayed in dangerous places for too long, which made him seem too sensitive. With the Qing Emperor's supreme prestige among the people and in the army, and the stability and loyalty of the Qing Dynasty's official system, who would dare to rebel in this world?

Late at night, the sound of the night watchman came from the street. At this time, Fan Xian had already left the post house alone. He was wearing a black night suit, covering his face.

Since the overall situation of the world had not changed, then his few small things had to begin.

In a dilapidated earth god temple outside the city, Fan Xian found the blue banner and saw Wang Shisanlang, who was staring blankly at the statue under the blue banner.

"I'm very satisfied with Little Arrow's matter."

Fan Xian sat opposite him, smiling and saying, "I heard that you were also seriously injured. I didn't expect you to be recovering so well now."

Wang Shisanlang said with a wry smile, "My body may be stronger than others."

"Being strong is great, because I'm going to arrange for you to do something soon." Fan Xian said with a smile, "I will slowly return to Hangzhou and Suzhou, but you have to go first, go and meet someone, and then you come forward for me and help me collect some debts."

"Debts?"

"Yes." Fan Xian sighed, "A very large amount of debts."

Wang Shisanlang glanced at him and said, "I can't help with the Ming family's affairs. You know that my senior brother Yun has been staring at them."

"Nonsense, if Yun Zhilan wasn't staring at them, what would I have you do?" Fan Xian said with a smile, "This is a business matter. I don't want to fight and kill with your Dongyi City, so it's most appropriate for you to come forward."

Wang Shisanlang said with a wry smile, "I'm just expressing my master's attitude. It doesn't mean that I will represent my master to suppress senior brother Yun."

"I'm not stupid enough to believe that your Dongyi City will have internal strife." Fan Xian shook his head, looked at the blue banner beside him, and said, "It's just that the owner of this debt is me... but it's not convenient for me to come forward, and it's not convenient for my students and subordinates to come forward. I was originally thinking of casually sending a stranger to do it, but I'm afraid that the Ming family will be forced into a corner and kill that stranger... You are highly skilled, so naturally you don't have to be afraid of these vulgar threats to your life."

Wang Shisanlang said in surprise, "Why do you trust me so much? Aren't you afraid that I'll swallow these debts? Aren't you afraid that I'll make it clear to the Ming family?"

"You can't swallow them, you're just going to impersonate a professional manager." Fan Xian didn't care whether he understood these new terms or not, and said directly, "As for the Ming family, they've already been tied to death by me. You're just going to tighten the noose."

Wang Shisanlang sighed dejectedly, "Lord Fan, I'm not your assassin."

"Attitude." Fan Xian said with a smile of consolation, "Attitude determines everything. Since your master wants to stand on the wall, he has to express his attitude more clearly, otherwise, after the Ming family collapses completely, I can't guarantee whether the commodity channels of Xindong Road will be smooth or not."

"If Xindong Road is not smooth, the losses will also include your Qing." Wang Shisanlang didn't like to be threatened.

Fan Xian said seriously, "Qing belongs to His Majesty, not to me, so I don't care about losses, but Dongyi City belongs to your master, so he cares about losses. That... is the biggest difference."