The sky suddenly darkened, yet it did not weep. Fan Xian's face was somewhat gloomy as he leaned against the carriage window, gazing at the mountain path and the well-preserved Qingqiu wild forest on the outskirts of Kyoto, remaining silent for a long time.

The black carriage traveled along the flat yet undulating stone path, obliquely onto the official road, leaving Chen Garden behind. However, Fan Xian's expression did not lighten. The Supervisory Council officials around him glanced at the still handsome face by the window, which appeared particularly indifferent today, and a strange chill ran through their hearts. They did not know what had happened in Chen Garden, what the old Director and Director Fan had discussed, or why Director Fan's expression was so serious today.

The carriage silently headed towards Kyoto on the official road. Occasionally encountering townsfolk entering the city or young men and women from official families returning from spring outings, these black carriages seemed to emit silent warning lights. Everyone who saw them hurriedly moved aside, making way for the black carriages.

The common people were naturally respectful towards officials, while those young nobles, who were usually fearless, knew the power and status represented by these black carriages. The nobles in Kyoto had many eyes and ears and of course knew that Lord Fan had returned to Kyoto from Dongyi City last night.

In this world, no one dared to offend Fan Xian, not even these hormone-fueled, extremely arrogant young nobles. In the face of these black carriages, they could only hold their breath and not dare to utter a sound—Lord Fan was known for his ruthlessness and arrogance. He didn't care which concubine or which Duke Hejia was behind these young men. Four or five years ago, outside Baoyue Brothel, Fan Xian single-handedly broke the legs of a dozen young punks. This story had already shocked the hearts of all other young punks.

Fan Xian did not notice the activity on the official road, nor did he look at the young men who were timidly stopping their horses to the side. He only silently looked at the scenery beside the official road, his mood exceptionally heavy. In previous years, he had only guessed or thought about it. His elders had never explicitly told him anything, so he could temporarily pretend that he didn't know, only preparing secretly, treating it as a subconscious behavior, rather than acting from the heart, for a specific purpose.

But now everything was clearly laid out before him, and he had to face the story of that year and make his own choice.

At this moment, the black carriage had reached a fork in the official road. Not far ahead was the majestic city of Kyoto. On the left was a secluded path, shaded by green bamboo forests. Which way should he go?

"Turn left."

Leaning against the window, Fan Xian narrowed his eyes and softly ordered. Mu Feng'er glanced at his master, but didn't dare say anything. He made a gesture, and the three black carriages swiftly turned left into the green bamboo forest, disappearing from view.

Traveling not far along this road, the green bamboo gradually thinned, and one could see the crystal clear river water on the side of the road. The river flowed slowly, so slowly that if one didn't look carefully, one might think it was a lake.

It was the Liujing River, flowing through the city, around the city, and finally west to Cangshan. This river condensed rouge and powder at some point upstream, gathering the colorful lanterns on the boats, concentrating half of Kyoto's erotic prosperity. Even though Fan Xian's Baoyue Brothel had risen abruptly, it had not completely taken away the flavor of this river.

When the Liujing River flowed outside Kyoto, reaching this bamboo forest and green trees, it became much quieter and more peaceful. Especially the small courtyard on the peninsula across the river, exuded a fresh and elegant taste in this bright spring, adding a touch of detached independence.

Taiping Villa, the small courtyard of the Ye family's mistress, later the royal villa. The Eldest Princess had stayed here for two days during the Kyoto rebellion, and only stayed for two days. Then the courtyard returned to silence, as if no one had ever lived there.

Fan Xian got out of the carriage, quietly looked at the courtyard, and thought about the people who had lived there, momentarily lost in thought.

After the Kyoto rebellion was quelled, the Emperor had vaguely mentioned twice that he wanted to bestow this courtyard to Fan Xian again. Fan Xian knew that it was best not to bring this matter up himself, so he remained calm. However, he didn't know why this matter never materialized.

In the summer of Qingli 5, after spending a night at the Fan family manor outside the city, Fan Xian had brought his sister here, kowtowing twice to Taiping Villa, offering his condolences, but he didn't go in, because he knew that the Emperor had a different feeling, a different fear, for this courtyard.

But Fan Xian later went in anyway. He and Wu Zhu found the bullets for the heavy sniper rifle in a secret room in Taiping Villa, and lingered inside for a long time. The imperial guards were not in their eyes at all.

Fan Xian narrowed his eyes, his gaze piercing through the faint mist on the river, as if trying to see through the gray-green walls of Taiping Villa, to see through everything inside.

There was no grave inside.

This was a fact that Fan Xian had already confirmed. His father, Fan Jian, had told him privately that Ye Qingmei's grave was in a secluded place, later pointing out that it was in Taiping Villa, but there was no grave in the courtyard. Fan Xian later thought it was in the Imperial Palace, but there was no grave in the Imperial Palace either, only a painting, a painting of a woman in yellow.

Ye Qingmei was naturally no longer in this world. Where she was buried was not important, but Fan Xian would occasionally think about a question: Did the Emperor also dare not face the soul beneath the ground?

Fan Xian sat down by the river, lifted the front of his long robe to his knees, neatly arranged it, and said seriously: "I'm going to think about some things here, don't let anyone disturb me."

"Yes, Master." Mu Feng'er and several members of the close-knit Qi Nian group lowered their heads in response, taking the surrounding guards and scattering into the depths of the bamboo forest, spreading out until Fan Xian couldn't see them, and they couldn't see the riverside either.

Don't let anyone disturb, naturally including these subordinates. Mu Feng'er and his team were very clear about Fan Xian's thoughts, but they didn't understand his mood at the moment. They retreated to a very far place, vigilantly watching the movements around the road, sealing off the slightest sound, silently guessing in their hearts.

The courtyard across the river was the former residence of the Ye family's mistress. All the old people in Kyoto knew this, and the fact that the Ye family's mistress was Lord Fan's biological mother was known throughout the world. The fact that Lord Fan chose to meditate here today meant that the things he was contemplating were extremely tricky and extremely important.

……

……

He didn't know how long he sat there, seeing through the quiet forest, green bamboo, gray courtyard on both sides of the river, and the still water, mossy rocks, and floating leaves in the river, until the scenery became a joke. Fan Xian felt that he was a bit tired from sitting. The stone under his buttocks suddenly felt particularly sharp, painfully pricking him.

He stood up, patted the dust off his back, frowned and shook his head, but didn't leave immediately. Instead, he took two more steps towards the river, bent down, scooped up a handful of cool river water, and splashed it on his face, as if to cool down the heat on his face.

At this moment, a handkerchief was extended from the side, seemingly wanting him to wipe the water droplets off his face.

Fan Xian was not surprised at all. He took the handkerchief, rubbed it haphazardly on his face, then dipped it into the river and wrung it out twice, wrung it until it was slightly damp and cool, before smiling and handing it back, saying: "You're most afraid of the heat, cool your face down."

Fan Ruoruo, dressed in plain white, smiled and took the wet handkerchief from her brother's hand, carefully wiping her ears and cheeks. It seemed that she had come in a bit of a hurry. Her usually frosty face was now covered with a blush.

"Why did you come?" Fan Xian turned back and walked towards the riverbank, naturally reaching out to take his sister's hand, in case she fell.

Unexpectedly, Fan Ruoruo didn't see her brother's outstretched hand and had already walked up. Fan Xian paused slightly, smiled and said: "It seems that Ku He didn't hold back anything back then. You've only been studying for so long, but your body is much better than before."

Fan Ruoruo smiled, but didn't answer this question, answering Fan Xian's previous question: "Brother only came back last night, why did you run out again today? Someone in Kyoto is looking for you with urgent matters. Sister-in-law happened to enter the palace, and Teng Daren was so annoyed by that person that he had no choice but to find the medical center. I went to inquire at a place and found out that you had left the city. I was preparing to go to Chen Garden, but I saw Mu Feng'er at the intersection, and knew that you must be here, so I got out of the carriage to find you."

Fan Xian came to Chen Garden today. The people in the garden shouldn't know about it. However, he was too lazy to care about these small matters and asked: "What is it? So urgent to find me?"

The siblings spoke as they sat down, just like five years ago, facing the other side of the river from afar.

"It's not anything important, I just haven't seen my brother in a long time and I missed you." Fan Ruoruo said with a slight smile. Actually, since that person had bothered the Fan family's daughter, it must be an extremely important matter. However, this intelligent young lady realized that her brother had come to Taiping Villa to meditate today, so he must have even greater troubles in his heart. Naturally, she didn't want to bother him with those official matters.

Fan Xian thought that there couldn't be any major events in the Qing Kingdom's officialdom right now, so he couldn't help but smile and shake his head, saying: "Since it's not anything important, it's good that you're here to sit with me. I was feeling a bit bored sitting alone."

They sat there for another half an hour. Fan Xian was lost in thought, so he didn't want to talk. He only felt that having his sister, whom he completely trusted, sitting beside him could indeed stabilize his emotions more. And Fan Ruoruo didn't have any other thoughts. She was only thinking quietly in her heart that it would be good if she could just sit quietly by her brother's side like this.

After a long time, the sun had long passed through the tall tops of the bamboo forest and was slowly moving towards the west. The faint light became countless mottled shadows, hitting the faces of the siblings. Fan Xian's eyes were accidentally dazzled by those pieces of light, and he couldn't help but rub his eyes and sigh.

Fan Ruoruo's heart stirred, hearing the many troubles, resentment, helplessness, inevitability and heaviness in this sigh. She lowered her head slightly, and after thinking for a long time, she said: "It might be better to talk about what's on your mind."

After a long silence, Fan Xian suddenly said: "My biological mother's surname is Ye, and her name is Qingmei."

Fan Ruoruo was slightly stunned and looked up at him, thinking that she was probably one of the first few people in the world to know this secret. Why did her brother have to repeat it at this time? But she knew that Fan Xian would definitely have more to say, so she just nodded lightly and didn't express her doubts.

"When I brought you here that year, I worshipped the river from afar, worshiping her for giving me this body, allowing me to live in this world." Fan Xian said quietly: "Today, I come here to look at it from afar, but I respect her for what she did back then, and I worship her for leaving so many benefits for me, her son, and for bringing some different possibilities and more choices to the people of this world."

Fan Ruoruo listened quietly by the side.

"In my life, I have never seen her face, nor have I heard her voice, but I have seen too many traces she left behind." After thinking for a moment, Fan Xian continued: "This time when I went to Dongyi City, I also saw a lot, so her image in my heart is becoming clearer and clearer, and I am becoming more and more accustomed to seeing her as my mother."

He added a sentence in his heart, although her age didn't seem to be much older than his.

"If someone harmed her back then, what do you think I, as her son, should do?" Fan Xian's brows were furrowed to the extreme, and there was a gloomy look in his eyes.

Fan Ruoruo suddenly felt a little nervous, tightly clutching the wet handkerchief in her hand, and said in a trembling voice: "Aren't those people… all dead? Empress Dowager has also passed away."

"Empress Dowager is naturally going to die." Fan Xian didn't tell his sister that the Empress Dowager had actually died in his hands, and said with a slight smile: "But there are still some people who should die, who haven't died."

Fan Ruoruo didn't ask, because she had a strong premonition that she would definitely hear a name that would make her heart tremble today.

"I guessed a long time ago that His Majesty is my biological father." Fan Xian said: "It's just that in the first two years, I didn't see him as my father at all. Not only him, it was also difficult to regard Ye Qingmei as my mother. This has nothing to do with the story of that year, nor is it because I have a feeling of being abandoned. This is something that cannot be explained."

When he came into this world, he already had his own soul.

"However, the relationship between people is always forged by time. This has nothing to do with blood, nor with closeness." Fan Xian said wearily, lowering his head: "Just like I have regarded you as my sister since I was young, I will regard you as my closest person in this life. Time can always change many things. After being with His Majesty for so long, I can sense that he treats me differently than he treats his other sons. Especially in the past few years, His Majesty the Emperor has changed too much."

He suddenly laughed, laughing a bit cutely: "Tell me, what should I do if His Majesty killed my mom back then?"

Fan Ruoruo's heart shook, and her hands subconsciously exerted force, squeezing the last few drops of water out of the handkerchief.

……

……

(To the brother who gave Qing Yu Nian six hundred update votes, I, I cried. I watched so much money float away before my eyes, and I was really in pain… I update 12,000 words a day! A lazy and busy guy like me really can't do it, so I can only drool, especially these past few days… But I still want to sincerely say thank you.

There are only two days left in the month, so let's squeeze out the votes you have in your hands, the update votes cost money, the monthly votes are free, want some? Want some more?)