(Yesterday I made a series of mistakes. First, I wrote in a hurry, resulting in too many typos. Then, during the revisions, I changed the content in the chapter for soliciting votes. Fortunately, a book friend reminded me on QQ, and I realized what had happened. This was very frustrating. As for being criticized in a post for modifying as showing off, it naturally annoyed me for a while. If this is showing off, then my problematic vote soliciting becomes fake a?

Deep, deep breaths, forget it immediately. The world is so beautiful, I will absolutely not be irritable. The vote soliciting chapter was deleted yesterday. Now, I can only continue to solicit monthly tickets. As the saying goes: Farewell comrades, solicit monthly tickets, silently shedding two lines of tears, not guaranteed to be in the top three... Friends, please cast your monthly tickets to support Old Niao Ni.)

...

...

Whether Fan Xian was afraid or not, the matter had already happened. However, in these past few years, perhaps the Emperor didn't want to completely break with his most admired son over this matter, or perhaps the Emperor only knew that Fan Xian had entered the palace but didn't realize the box was in Fan Xian's hands, so he remained silent. It seemed to be a kind of tacit understanding, a tacit agreement not to pursue that matter, expressing a father's indulgence towards his most beloved son.

Moreover, Fan Xian was indeed ruthless towards himself. Even when facing desperate situations, he rarely used that great weapon. The only time he did, it was in a deserted, primitive forest. Plus, the key to the secret compartment in the 含光殿 (Han Guang Dian) was still there, leading the Emperor to guess wrong about certain things.

Fan Xian frowned and fell into deep thought, thinking about those snow-like leaflets, remembering when he sneaked into the palace to eavesdrop on the conversation between the Eldest Princess and Zhuang Mo Han. His heart immediately relaxed, and he understood that the Emperor must have thought he was only targeting the Eldest Princess, sneaking into the palace to gather intelligence, and not after that key.

But what about the letter? Fan Xian couldn't figure it out and sat wearily by the couch, silent.

In fact, his fear of His Majesty the Emperor, besides the possible exposure of the box incident, was also due to another puzzle—this was a problem that currently troubled Fan Xian greatly. Because, whether he accepted it or not, the Emperor was always one of his fathers, though definitely not the best one.

Yes, in Fan Xian's heart, there were three fathers. Of course, Minister Fan was the most亲 (qin - close) of his biological fathers, and Chen Pingping was like a godfather, but the Emperor... his figure was also gradually encroaching into his thoughts.

Chen Pingping's words interrupted his thoughts: "If you didn't enter the palace because you were afraid, then why haven't you returned to the Overwatch Council or come to see me? Don't tell me you're afraid of me too."

Looking at the old cripple's smiling face, Fan Xian sighed inwardly, thinking, wasn't he afraid? He was afraid that after seeing him, he wouldn't be able to resist asking questions.

Although afraid, he still asked because he had the courage to come, he naturally came prepared, not wanting to be a pitiful jumping bug kept in the dark for life.

"How did Yan Xiaoyi's personal guard battalion go to Da Dong Shan? Why didn't the Overwatch Council have any intelligence? Why was the situation in the capital so precarious? Why was there not a single whisper about the official changes along Dong Shan Road? Why didn't you return to the capital, letting the Eldest Princess and the Empress Dowager stir things up, only to end up killing themselves?"

"This was a plan set by His Majesty and me; of course, it had to be kept from the world," Chen Pingping said, glancing at him coldly. "If we didn't first show weakness, how would these people jump out?"

Fan Xian shook his head. "Don't lie to me... I know you can certainly give His Majesty a good explanation afterward, but only you and I know that these people were all forced to the opposite side of His Majesty by us... And you know in your heart that although His Majesty seems to have achieved great success this time, he is actually walking on a tightrope, and the slightest carelessness will lead to falling into an abyss. Since you knew about it in advance, you must have the ability to make this situation better, without letting the capital fall into an irrecoverable state."

"His Majesty trusts you, but that doesn't mean I trust you." Fan Xian stared at Chen Pingping's aged face and lowered his voice, "This is His Majesty's plan, but you have been pushing it along, even if only a little, which has increased the danger facing Qing tenfold... even a hundredfold. Especially in the capital, even if it's to eliminate internal troubles, so many people shouldn't have to die... Even if His Majesty is ruthless, he probably doesn't want to see this final outcome."

"If the world has dogs, who will drive them away?" After a long silence, Chen Pingping said, "To beat a dog, you naturally have to kill it completely. I'm afraid His Majesty might be soft-hearted for a moment... Does this explanation make sense?"

"It doesn't." Fan Xian moved two steps closer to him, took his thin hand, and said in a deep voice, "Even if it makes sense in theory, His Majesty will feel uncomfortable in his heart, especially when he slowly thinks about it afterward, problems will always arise."

"What problems can there be? This is His Majesty's grand plan, and I... am just an executor." Chen Pingping naturally withdrew his hand from Fan Xian's and said coldly, "You shouldn't think too much. There aren't many complicated things in this world."

"No?" Fan Xian's heart was filled with worry and anger. He stared into his eyes and said, "Then tell me, why did you let Shadow刺驾 (ci jia - assassinate the emperor) at the悬空庙 (Xuan Kong Miao)?"

"Why was there an extra wound on Qin's lower back!"

Chen Pingping slowly raised his head, frowned, and looked at Fan Xian. "You saw the body?"

Fan Xian nodded and said, "I know that was Shadow's doing..." He paused, then smiled bitterly, "But since I saw it, the wound is naturally gone now."

"I didn't expect you to be so careful," Chen Pingping said. "It was indeed I who ordered Shadow to act at the 悬空庙 (Xuan Kong Miao). You can go report me to His Majesty now... But you should know that Shadow originally has two mysterious identities. No one knows about this except you and me, not even His Majesty."

Fan Xian said angrily, "Even so, you still won't say?"

"Say what?"

"Why did Qin betray His Majesty?" These were the words that the Eldest Princess asked Fan Xian to ask Chen Pingping before her death. Now, he finally bravely asked.

"Betrayal never needs a reason." Chen Pingping was as cold as ever.

"Did you have Shadow kill Qin Ye because you were afraid I would get something out of his mouth?"

Chen Pingping sneered, too lazy to answer his question. He waved his hand, signaling him to leave. Fan Xian stared at him coldly, then his eyes softened helplessly, and he said in a pleading tone, "I know you're afraid of implicating me, so you want to cut ties. But this is such a big matter... you have to think about yourself too."

Chen Pingping's heart was filled with tenderness, but he showed nothing on his face. He said, "You're thinking too much."

Fan Xian remained silent. Although Chen Pingping refused to admit it, he knew from the other's attitude that his guess must be correct. The Qin family must have been involved in the太平别院 (Tai Ping Bie Yuan) incident back then, and the reason for their betrayal was because of his rise.

Old Master Qin was such a figure. Although he was old and dying, he knew very well that if His Majesty really wanted to use Fan Xian, he would have to sweep the events of that year clean—the Qin family would surely perish, so the Qin family had to betray. That's the reasoning, but behind this reasoning, it revealed a bloody, sinister fact.

Fan Xian stood up, looked at Chen Pingping in silence for a long time, and then said, "After all, you are my爹 (die - dad), my妈 (ma - mom). You've worked so hard for so many years. You should think more about yourself."

"I don't have many years left to live anyway, as you said." Chen Pingping smiled.

Fan Xian looked at him with some heartache and said, "No one can deal with him."

Chen Pingping was silent.

Fan Xian prepared to leave but suddenly said, "The box is in my hands."

Chen Pingping suddenly raised his head but saw that the young man had already walked firmly out the door. He couldn't help but shake his head, thinking, so what if the box is in your hands? This matter cannot drag you in.

...

...

After an unknown amount of time, a middle-aged man in ordinary clothes entered the room where Chen Pingping was and sat next to him, in the same position that Fan Xian had occupied earlier.

"No one can defeat His Majesty," the middle-aged man said in a gentle voice. "This is what both Anzhi and I think."

This middle-aged man was none other than Fan Xian's father, Minister of Revenue Fan Jian. No one knew when he had also arrived at Chen Garden, nor why he could speak so frankly to Chen Pingping—according to rumors in officialdom, Chen Pingping and Fan Jian had always been irreconcilable for the past ten years or so, until Fan Xian entered the capital, and the relationship between the two sides gradually improved.

Chen Pingping closed his eyes and said calmly, "The box is in his hands. Did you know?"

Fan Jian smiled wryly and said, "That child put the box under his bed, thinking he could hide it from everyone in the world. He's really adorable."

Chen Pingping opened his eyes and glanced at him, saying, "Are you not capable of helping him keep a secret in your own residence?"

"I still have that much ability," Fan Jian said peacefully. "His Majesty placed two spies in my home. Anzhi discovered one of them long ago, and the other one died early. Anyway, these spies don't cost any money. His Majesty won't care."

"Not care? If he didn't care, he wouldn't have taken all the Tiger Guards with him to Da Dong Shan for the Heaven Worship Ceremony this time, only to have them butchered by that madman Si Gu Jian."

Chen Pingping looked at him with a slight mockery, saying, "You, all your life, you've only cared about small things. All your efforts were put into those Tiger Guards. Now that these Tiger Guards are all dead, no matter how many people you hid among them, not a single one is left... His Majesty's move is truly ruthless."

"Yes, I have no strength left," Fan Jian said with a bitter smile. "So, I have no choice but to resign and return home."

He looked at Chen Pingping, who was sneering, and said, "How much better off are you than me? In the Zhengyang Gate battle, the elite of your Overwatch Council died by the thousands. In another year or two, after His Majesty adds some sand, what choice will you have but to follow my example and retire?"

Chen Pingping sneered and said, "As long as Fan Xian is alive, His Majesty will not exert all his strength to destroy the Overwatch Council. What am I worried about... It's Lin Ruofu, that old fox, who has endured for so long and finally seized the opportunity to hand over the people he was hiding to his precious son-in-law. The result... I'm afraid he's vomiting blood in Wuzhou right now."

Fan Jian also laughed and said, "Everyone else thought that the officials of the Lin faction would be heavily rewarded for following Anzhi to resist the Crown Prince, but they didn't expect His Majesty to have been waiting to see this scene all along. Seeing the last of Prime Minister Lin's men jump out, even if he can't do anything now, how can they ever have a chance to turn things around in the future?"

"With external enemies and internal troubles all eliminated, and half of the arms of us three old guys chopped off," Fan Jian sighed. "His Majesty can truly be described as wise and mighty, with unparalleled talent in his heart."

"We must admit it, just like many years ago when we began to follow him," Chen Pingping said slowly, with his eyes closed. "He was, is, and will always be the most powerful person in the world."

...

...

After a deathly silence, Minister Fan sighed and said, "I hid in the Jing Prince's mansion in the capital because I wasn't worried about the situation in the capital. I saw that there was a problem with the Ye family a long time ago, but I didn't expect... that His Majesty was actually a Grandmaster."

"I had guessed some of His Majesty's unfathomable strength," Chen Pingping said coldly. "But I didn't expect that old monster Ye Liuyun to suddenly stand on His Majesty's side."

"We both only guessed one side of His Majesty. If..." Minister Fan suddenly stopped speaking.

Chen Pingping knew what his old comrade was about to say and said calmly, "There are no ifs, because after that incident, you never trusted me, and I never trusted you... But we never thought about whether the person we should have trusted the most had a problem."

"Anzhi once said a sentence," Minister Fan said. "'If there was more trust between you and me, things might be easier to handle...' It was then that I knew my son was extraordinary. We hid it so carefully, but he could still guess about this matter."

"He is the son of Little Ye and His Majesty; of course, he is extraordinary." Chen Pingping frowned. In his heart, he still had the highest respect and admiration for His Majesty the Emperor.

"When did you guess that His Majesty was a Grandmaster?" Minister Fan asked casually, in a very lighthearted mood.

"Some years ago." Chen Pingping's brow gradually relaxed, thinking about the events of that year. At that time, the Great Wei still stood in the center of the continent, and its national power was extremely strong. When Qing first launched its northern expedition, the war was extremely difficult. Especially during one battle, His Majesty, who was still the Crown Prince at the time, was seriously injured, his whole body stiff and unable to move, and he almost lost his life. Fortunately, Chen Pingping risked his life and, after countless hardships, rescued him.

This was one of Chen Pingping's most famous deeds, on par with capturing Xiao En at the cost of his broken leg after a thousand-mile raid.

Minister Fan frowned and said, "What's the problem with that? We old guys always thought that it was after that serious injury that His Majesty lost his martial arts... Back then, he was a fierce general."

"That injury was a little strange," Chen Pingping said slowly. "The whole body was stiff, which was definitely not caused by external injuries. Ning Cai and I took care of him all the way, so of course we knew that it should have been a problem with his meridians. It seemed that his meridians were completely severed... I thought he was dead for sure and even cried several times. Who knew that he would come back to life in the end."

"I haven't seen anyone who can live with all their meridians severed," Chen Pingping opened his eyes, looked at Fan Jian, and said slowly, "But later, I saw a similar guy... your son."

"During the Xuan Kong Miao incident, Fan Xian's meridians were also greatly damaged, but not as severely as His Majesty's back then. Moreover, he should have learned the skills of the old bald head Ku He in Jiangnan later, and that's how he gradually recovered," Chen Pingping said. "His Majesty didn't have Fan Xian's good luck. He didn't learn the Heavenly One Dao. How did he recover from that injury?"

"You have spent less time with His Majesty than I have over the years," Chen Pingping continued. "No matter how much His Majesty can endure, some details will always slip out. Fei Jie reported from Danzhou about Fan Xian practicing the tyrannical cultivation art, and also talked about the serious consequences that this tyrannical true energy might cause, which made me think of His Majesty, who was stiff and like a disabled person back then."

"At Xuan Kong Miao, I just wanted to force him a little to see what his trump card really was... It's just a pity that Fan Xian blocked it."

Having said this, he glared at Minister Fan because it was this father who had let his son go to save the emperor and win merit, which had disrupted Chen Pingping's plan.

"Everything has been asked clearly, so I won't say any more. You have to think some of these things through as well." Fan Jian stood up freely and said, "I'm going back to Danzhou to retire. If you're free, you can come visit me."

Chen Pingping remained silent, knowing what his old comrade was thinking. Regardless of whether His Majesty was an invincible person, he was still Fan Xian's biological father. No one knew that Fan Xian was a transmigrator, carrying a different attribute in his soul. These two elders thought according to common sense that even if Fan Xian knew the truth, he would fall into a dilemma.

The two didn't want Fan Xian to live with too much pressure, so they had to think this matter through.

Chen Pingping gently rang the bronze bell placed beside the table. After a crisp Ding Dang sound, the old servant who had served him for many years walked in and helped him into the wheelchair.

"I'll see you off," Chen Pingping coughed, coughing a little hard, and his sleeves were covered in saliva. It took him a long time to calm down and said self-deprecatingly, "Now, this body is getting worse and worse. I caught a little poison, and it hasn't been cured for a long time."

Fan Jian looked at him quietly, without saying anything, and walked out of the mansion. The old servant pushed the wheelchair behind him. They didn't go far. In front of the construction site, the two stopped with great understanding, looked at each other, and bowed to each other.

"I've thought it through," Chen Pingping said to Fan Jian.

Fan Jian didn't respond immediately but lowered his head and pondered for a moment, unsure whether this sentence was true or false. He knew why Chen Pingping had come to see him off because many years ago, they had gone to the coast of the East Sea, had gathered at the太平别院 (Tai Ping Bie Yuan), and had created a great situation. However, as time passed, some people died, some people changed, and some people wanted to retire—he was resigning to return to Danzhou, and only Chen Pingping would be left in the capital accompanying His Majesty. He must also feel lonely.

As Fan Xian said, he and Chen Pingping had suspected each other in these past ten years, and their interactions had gradually decreased, but that couldn't erase the camaraderie of the past.

The gallant are always swept away by the wind and rain. When it was time to leave the stage, one had to leave completely. Lin Ruofu was not a member of the trio back then, so his withdrawal was not thorough enough, but Minister Fan would not make this mistake. Before His Majesty's heavenly might, there seemed to be no better choice for people like them than to retire.

Before Fan Jian left, he frowned and asked the last question, not avoiding the old servant, "Since you suspected me back then, why did you have Wu Zhu take him to Danzhou?"

Chen Pingping sat in the wheelchair, lowered his head for a moment, and slowly replied, "Because I knew you had paid the price for it, so I wanted to continue to see your heart."

A self-deprecating and sad smile appeared on Fan Jian's lips. He waved his hand and said nothing more.

...

...

Looking at Fan Jian's departing figure, Chen Pingping leaned slightly in the wheelchair, and his fingers unconsciously tapped on the armrest of the wheelchair. He sighed and said softly, "It's good to leave, it's good to leave..."

Then, the dark leader of Qing muttered to himself with a gloomy mood, "After all, he is his biological father. How could I bear to force him?"

The old servant silently pushed the wheelchair back, listening to the old院长 (yuan zhang - head of the Overwatch Council, director) say wearily, "You say, why is it so difficult for a person to die?"

Chen Pingping had done countless earth-shattering things in his life, and had faced countless dangers and difficulties, but he had never been so disappointed as he was today. Because the enemy he was facing was undoubtedly the most powerful one he had ever encountered in his life. Moreover, that person couldn't find any weaknesses at all.

The old servant said in a hoarse voice, "It shouldn't implicate Little Lord." He had seen the heaviness in his master's heart, so he tried to comfort him.

"Even if His Majesty can find out anything, after the Xuan Kong Miao, in Little Snow Valley, I have already put Anzhi in near-death situations twice. Can't that cut off the relationship between me and him? Anzhi has always had good luck, and His Majesty will definitely not suspect him. Let's just let this matter go." Chen Pingping was a little cold and pulled the blanket over his body.

...

...

Fan Jian was preparing to leave, Chen Pingping had given up, Fan Xian had figured it out. The biggest problem in the world seemed to have been solved, but all three of them knew in their hearts that if there were no major fluctuations in the future, then the pot of boiling oil could be safely covered by the lid, but once something happened, the oil would splatter out and burn everything clean—moreover, the boiling oil was in their hearts, scalding people with searing pain.

And just as the capital of Qing was gradually stabilizing, the capital of Northern Qi and Dongyi City fell into a state of gloom.