"Walk with me." Fan Xian extended his right arm, making a gesture of invitation.

Ye Ling'er stared blankly at his face, then smiled, glanced back at the room in the corner of the courtyard, and teased, "Why aren't you in a hurry now?"

Fan Xian laughed heartily, "Just a strategic retreat to the privy."

Ye Ling'er took a few steps forward, walking alongside him, tilting her head and looking at him with her bright, glistening eyes, curiously asking, "Master, did the conversation in the flower hall make you that uncomfortable?"

Hearing the word "Master" again, Fan Xian felt a warmth inexplicably rise in his heart. After a moment of surprise, a gentle smile appeared on his face as he replied, "You know me, I'm not very comfortable in those kinds of settings."

"How was it in Jiangnan?" Ye Ling'er hunched her shoulders, walking beside him, and said, "Knowing that Master had an accident on the way back, I should have gone to see you, but..."

It wasn't that she stopped hesitantly, but rather that she stopped speaking out of helplessness. The entire Qing Kingdom was speculating about the truth behind the assassination attempt in the valley, who the real culprit was who wanted to kill Fan Xian, and many people had once cast their suspicious gaze on the Second Prince. When Ye Ling'er learned that Fan Xian had been attacked, she was naturally shocked and worried. She had even privately questioned her husband, although she received the Second Prince's assurance – that the valley incident had nothing to do with him – but given the current situation, and Ye Ling'er's status as a princess, it was indeed inconvenient to visit Fan Mansion.

Fan Xian smiled and patted her shoulder naturally, saying, "I'm tough, how could something easily happen to me?"

The hand he reached out suddenly froze. Fan Xian withdrew his hand and laughed self-deprecatingly. The other party was now married to a prince, and he had to be mindful of his words and actions.

The two chatted casually about their recent situations while walking along the winter forest path of the palace towards the lake. Fan Xian said softly, "Wan'er hasn't seen you for a while either, she's been mentioning you these past few days."

Before getting married, Lin Wan'er and Ye Ling'er were the best of friends, but now that they had married the two most irreconcilable young men in Qing Kingdom, they were inevitably greatly troubled.

Ye Ling'er said sadly, "I miss her too."

"Come to the mansion to play when you're free." Fan Xian said gently, "If it's inconvenient for you to leave the palace, I'll send her to the Prince's mansion to see you."

…

…

Ye Ling'er sighed and stopped beside a bare winter tree, looking at Fan Xian and asking quietly, "Master, I really don't understand you men, including him, you all say such similar things... making those who listen always think that nothing ever happened between you."

The "him" in her words naturally referred to the Second Prince.

Fan Xian smiled and said, "What does the life-and-death struggle between men have to do with the friendship between you girls?"

"Nothing to do with it?" Ye Ling'er's personality was straightforward, and she raised her face and said, "Are you saying that after one of Wan'er and I becomes a widow, we can still talk as freely as before?"

Fan Xian was stunned. After a long while, he smiled wryly and said, "Then what do you think should be done?"

Ye Ling'er stood silently by the tree, and after a long time, she sighed. She knew in her heart that many things could not be changed according to her own wishes. As the daughter of the Ye family, in the days before she got married, she could wear that red-as-fire dress and gallop through the long streets, making all the people in the capital familiar with her face, not caring at all what the censors would say, what her father would be angry about... because she was Ye Ling'er, but what did Ye Ling'er mean to the entire Qing Kingdom?

"I saw your grand-uncle in Jiangnan." Fan Xian smiled and changed the topic, reminding her, "But not many people know about this, so don't spread it around."

"I know." Ye Ling'er was slightly surprised, "What was that old man doing in Jiangnan?"

This time it was Fan Xian's turn to be surprised, "Your grand-uncle is a Grandmaster, how can you call him that?"

Ye Ling'er pouted and said, "He's always wandering around outside every year, and he doesn't bring back anything good when he occasionally comes home... What objection could he have if I call him an old man?"

Fan Xian smiled, but through Ye Ling'er's words, he confirmed the close relationship between Ye Liuyun and the Ye family. Even though Ye Liuyun was nominally traveling the world, he must have returned home quite often, otherwise the young Ye Ling'er wouldn't have called him so intimately.

…

…

"After getting married, have you given up on your martial arts?" Fan Xian asked softly.

Ye Ling'er chuckled, wondering if Master was planning to test her. However, under the current circumstances, Fan Xian still hadn't kept his distance from her to avoid suspicion, which made the woman feel somewhat happy, and a eager expression was revealed in her eyes.

Fan Xian pretended not to see this look, and walked away from the lonely winter tree, heading towards the lake in front of him. The two of them had now circled a large circle and arrived at the other corner of the Cold Lake, where a corner of the flower hall, hidden by winter trees, could be vaguely seen not far away.

A gust of cold wind came from behind with a whoosh, stabbing towards the back of Fan Xian's ear extremely quickly and insidiously!

Fan Xian didn't turn his head. His right shoulder shrugged, and the domineering *zhenqi* within his body surged along the increasingly wider meridians, flowing into his right arm, causing it to naturally jerk!

His palm waved backward, and five slender fingers transformed into five broken branches, creating several afterimages, extremely fast and extremely clear, successively striking the cold wind behind his head.

With a few crisp sounds, the thing in the cold wind was inexplicably knocked down.

However, Ye Ling'er reacted extremely quickly, striking a fist straight at the back of Fan Xian's head.

Fan Xian didn't dare to be careless either. With a twist of his toes, his whole body turned around, and his palms naturally flipped up, blocking in front of him... as if two large door panels had suddenly been erected in front of him, completely blocking Ye Ling'er's fist wind!

Immediately afterwards, he stamped his foot and slightly bent his knee, forcibly deflecting the silent and invisible kick below.

With a few puffs, the battle was declared over.

Fan Xian and Ye Ling'er stood by the lake, their fists and palms intertwined, and their legs blocking each other... This posture looked somewhat ambiguous. Fan Xian felt the elastic sensation coming from his knee, and naturally felt a slight flutter in his heart, giving rise to some other feelings.

He coughed twice, separated from Ye Ling'er, and said with a smile, "Still too slow."

Ye Ling'er retracted the unsheathed small knife somewhat unconvinced, and said, "That's because you're too fast."

Fan Xian's eyes inadvertently lowered, looking at the cute little cotton boots with embroidered faces on Ye Ling'er's feet, imagining that if he had moved slower earlier, allowing this small foot to kick him in the lower abdomen, it would probably not be very pleasant.

"Don't use this kind of trick in the future, it will sever someone's descendants." He teased.

Ye Ling'er snorted and said, "Master said that the so-called small tricks are just the words 'shameless'... No wonder this kick didn't hit you, I just realized that you like to do these insidious tricks the most, so of course you could guess my next step."

Fan Xian was speechless. In the previous exchange between the two, Ye Ling'er used Fan Xian's small tricks, while Fan Xian used the Ye family's Great Coffin Split, which was a simplified version of Grandmaster Ye's Flowing Cloud Scattered Hands. Although Ye Ling'er was considered a rare seventh-rank master among women, she naturally had no room to play in front of him.

Ye Ling'er suddenly asked in confusion, "Master, although my stab from behind was a feint, why did you dare to use Scattered Hands to directly deflect it?"

Fan Xian glanced at her and said with a displeased smile, "Since it's a test, of course you wouldn't use any poisoned weapon, what am I afraid of? ... Also, your small tricks are still not ruthless enough. When your fists and palms are controlled, you can also use the hairpin on your head to kill people."

Ye Ling'er glared at him and said, "Wouldn't that all fall apart? This is in His Highness the Crown Prince's mansion, where would I find a maid to comb my hair?"

Fan Xian laughed loudly and said, "Then you still have your mouth left... you can bite people."

"Could it be that the master I worship is a big dog?" Ye Ling'er was a little annoyed and said stubbornly, "A master should know to let his disciple off a little."

Looking at the stubborn and unconvinced girl, Fan Xian couldn't help but think of the scene two years ago on the long street in Kyoto, when he broke her nose with a punch and made her squat on the ground crying, and he laughed happily. After a moment, he suddenly said, "Don't call me Master in the future. Although I have no objection, you are a princess now after all."

The fact that Ye Ling'er and Fan Xian addressed each other as master and disciple was actually well known to the dignitaries in Kyoto, who only regarded it as childish nonsense and didn't care much about it. Even Ye Zhong himself had never raised any objections. However, the situation was different now, and Ye Ling'er's status was even more noble, so it was only natural for Fan Xian to make this suggestion.

But Ye Ling'er was unhappy and said stubbornly, "What if I call you that? If it doesn't work, then you can call me Master, anyway, the Ye family's Scattered Hands shouldn't be passed on to outsiders."

Fan Xian choked and smiled wryly, knowing that Ye Ling'er was telling the truth. He had learned the Great Coffin Split from her, and had really taken advantage of her a lot, so he couldn't say anything to distance himself anymore.

The two walked along the lakeside. Since becoming a princess, Ye Ling'er had no chance to show her face everywhere and enjoy fighting with others. Today, she sparred with her master occasionally, and although it was only for a moment, she was exceptionally excited. After finally calming down her emotions, she said calmly after a long while, "Master, my father has also returned to the capital."

Fan Xian was startled, understanding what she was reminding him of.

"Those people in the old military department hate you now." Ye Ling'er looked at him with a smile that was not a smile.

Fan Xian shook his head and smiled wryly. No matter how powerful his authority was, as long as the military was still on the opposite side of him, and the Ye family and Qin family were still alive, he couldn't fundamentally harm the Second Prince, nor could he completely eliminate the Second Prince's strong desire to seize the dragon throne. Ye Zhong's return to the capital was only for reporting on his duties, but he, and Ye Liuyun behind him, had become the Second Prince's pillars because of Ye Ling'er's relationship...

"It was hard to have a few days of peace, I don't want to hear any more bad news from you."

After a moment of silence, Ye Ling'er said seriously, "Master, no matter what, I am always a daughter of the Ye family, I will stand on my father's side and his."

Fan Xian paused, thought for a long time, and then said extremely seriously, "That's very right, believe me, I'm saying that from the bottom of my heart."

A trace of sadness flashed in Ye Ling'er's eyes, knowing that Fan Xian's words were from the bottom of his heart, and also more clearly understanding that the positions between them were always difficult to soften.

"Look, the ice on this lake will always melt." Fan Xian suddenly smiled and said, "Who can say that things in this world are so certain?"

Ye Ling'er smiled brightly, her eyes radiating a clear and pleasing light like jade, and nodded heavily.

…

…

The flower hall with open windows was not far across the lake, and the people inside could be seen chatting. Fan Xian pointed to that direction and joked to Ye Ling'er beside him, "It's really not appropriate for us to be strolling on this side of the lake... If the people in that pavilion see us, they might say something nonsense."

Although the folk customs of Qing Kingdom were open, it was always a little inappropriate for a man and a woman to be alone together, and Ye Ling'er's face turned slightly embarrassed.

Fan Xian continued to tease, "Do you think the Second Prince's stomach is already exploding with anger at this time? But he still has to maintain that slightly shy and calm smile on his face?"

"Don't forget, you also smile like that all day long!" Ye Ling'er was furious and said, "Also, you should first consider what Wan'er is thinking."

"Wan'er is a good person." Fan Xian sighed and said, "She has always urged me to find a few more elder and younger sisters to accompany her..."

As soon as he said this, Fan Xian secretly thought that he was in trouble. This teasing had exceeded the boundaries between master and disciple. In addition to ambiguity, there was also a bit of frivolousness. The other party was not the virgin girl of the past, but the princess who was already married.

Sure enough, Ye Ling'er was stunned before she understood what he was talking about. She was shocked and then furious, and hammered his head with her fist.

Knowing that his habitual rogue habits had flared up, Fan Xian felt greatly ashamed. Where would he dare to fight back? He turned into a homeless dog and fled along the lakeside in fear, wanting to hide in that flower hall.

…

…

In the flower hall, the half-height, narrow, multi-paneled windows were open, and the cold wind from the lake blew in, but it was turned into a fresh and pleasant spring atmosphere by the warm cage. The royal men and women in the hall were casually talking about interesting things from their childhood, but then someone was the first to notice the pair of men and women across the lake.

The First Princess Consort said with a smile, "Look what they're doing?"

The Crown Prince looked up and his face changed slightly. He immediately explained with a smile, "That kid has always regarded himself as Ling'er's master, I'm afraid he's teaching her a lesson again."

The First Princess Consort smiled and glanced at the Second Prince's face.

At this time, Li Hongcheng was holding a glass of wine and leaning towards the window with a drunken look. He was watching the scene of Fan Xian and Ye Ling'er stopping by the lake to talk, and couldn't help but laugh, "These two are barbarians, don't look at them talking nicely at this time, they might start fighting later."

Rou Jia also came over to watch with great interest, and said with envy, "I also want to learn martial arts from Brother Xian, but he refuses, it's really unfair."

At this time, everyone in the flower hall was looking at the young men and women across the lake, but only the Second Prince and Lin Wan'er were talking softly about snacks, seemingly not caring about what was happening over there.

Looking back at this scene, the First Princess Consort couldn't help but feel a strange feeling in her heart, wondering if these two had no thoughts in their hearts?

Looking across the lake, the Crown Prince shook his head and said in a low voice, "The Ye family's girl got married, but she still likes to mess around everywhere so much. Second Brother, you have to manage her more in the mansion... and that Fan Xian too."

He was a little displeased, but he didn't want to say much.

The Second Prince was squatting on the chair, slowly chewing osmanthus cake, and said vaguely, "What's there to manage? After being cooped up in the Prince's mansion for a year, this girl has gone crazy wanting to fight. It's good that Fan Xian is here to be a sandbag, so that I don't suffer in the mansion."

Lin Wan'er next to him nodded and said, "Two adults, but they have the tempers of children, how can they not fight each other every time they meet? Don't worry about them, let them fight, they'll be back in a while."

The Crown Prince and his wife looked at each other when they heard this, wondering what this meant. When the words fell, everyone looked back again, and saw that a fight had indeed broken out again on the other side of the lake. Ye Ling'er was clenching her fists, chasing Fan Xian, who was fleeing in embarrassment.

The Crown Prince couldn't help but laugh, thinking that even the imperial family could have the kind of liveliness and fun that ordinary families have. With the addition of Fan Xian and Ye Ling'er, these two alternative characters, it might not be a bad thing.

The fighting was uninteresting after watching it for a while, and everyone returned to the conversation again. The Second Prince took the handkerchief that Wan'er handed over and wiped his hands messily. He suddenly asked with great interest, "Princess, I have always been curious, what kind of person is your country's emperor...?"

Fan Xian wasn't the only one who was meticulous in his thinking. The First Princess Consort was also obviously very pleased with the Second Brother's title, and said a few words with a smile.

When Fan Xian fled back to outside the flower hall in embarrassment, it was precisely when the First Princess Consort was telling interesting anecdotes about the Little Emperor of Northern Qi. The words reached outside the door, causing him to be stunned.

…

…

(I slept for fifteen hours yesterday, and although I got up early today, my head has been dizzy all the time. I think it's probably not because of illness, but because I slept too much... Slowly recover, slowly recover, thank you everyone. By the way, I've already bought the TV, it's so expensive, I feel so bad...)