Qing Yu Nian

The Chief Adjutant of the Qing Kingdom's Privy Council, the most powerful military figure below His Majesty, Grand Marshal Ye Zhong, personally led elite troops to the outside of the Taiping Manor, responsible for suppressing and monitoring Fan Xian. It must be said that the Qing Kingdom's court and the Imperial Palace maintained a high degree of respect and vigilance towards Fan Xian, a respect and vigilance reflected in their strength.

Fan Xian's face was haggard and pale, with streaks of muddy color prominently displayed on his handsome face, likely the imprints left by the rain and the thousand li of dust. He looked at Ye Zhong's slightly cold gaze on horseback, but seemed somewhat wooden and indifferent, as if he hadn't even noticed Ye Zhong himself or the thousands of fully armored cavalrymen.

People of Fan Xian and Ye Zhong's level naturally knew that on the plains, even the most powerful expert could not escape the pursuit of thousands of elite cavalry, unless they had already reached the Grandmaster realm. However, this place was still in the suburbs of the capital, with dense forests, clear rivers, and tightly packed residences. If Fan Xian really abandoned everything in Kyoto, turned around, and vanished like a giant bird into the forest, these thousands of elite soldiers would probably not be able to catch him for quite some time.

However, His Majesty the Emperor had issued a decree for Ye Zhong to personally lead troops to deal with this matter, naturally having considered this point. Among these thousands of elite cavalrymen were many military experts, and most importantly, Ye Zhong, one of the Qing Kingdom's few powerhouses standing above the ninth rank, who could directly confront Fan Xian.

Fan Xian squinted slightly, looking at Ye Zhong on horseback, when a thought suddenly struck him, and he laughed self-deprecatingly.

In the initial Three Kingdoms era, the Eastern Yi City naturally had the most ninth-rank experts. However, the Qing Kingdom conquered the world with swords and horses, and experts emerged one after another, especially those between the seventh and eighth ranks. Even those who had reached the ninth rank could be counted on the fingers in Kyoto.

However, all of this had become history. The Tiger Guards, who had gathered the most seventh and eighth-rank experts, were all sacrificed to the Dongyi City's fierce sword due to Emperor Qing's vigilance towards the former Minister of Revenue, Fan Jian. And the military powerhouses were almost all killed or injured in the Kyoto rebellion three years ago, especially Qin Ye and his son, who both died before the Imperial Palace, plus Eunuch Hong, who fell on Da Dong Mountain, and the high priest and second priest who died successively in the Qing Temple...

The Qing Kingdom's top experts were unknowingly being reduced due to the Emperor's strategies and paranoia, to the point that a huge gap had appeared. So much so that now, in order to suppress Fan Xian, a figure of the ninth rank, there was no one else to send but Ye Zhong, the military's number one.

"It's quite surprising that Little Lord is still able to smile," Ye Zhong said calmly, his coldness already receding from his eyes.

"I was just wondering, if even you and Gong Dian die, what strong, trustworthy people will His Majesty... still have by his side?" Fan Xian's lips curled slightly as he said in a hoarse voice.

Ye Zhong's heart trembled slightly, knowing that Fan Xian had seen through the Qing Kingdom's current deficiencies in martial strength. Although the Qing Kingdom's iron cavalry was still unparalleled in the world, whether it was the Dingzhou Army, the Yanjing Garrison, or the former Xizheng Army under the command of the First Prince, scattered on the borders, they were all like tigers and wolves on the battlefield. However, when it came to small groups of elites charging head-on under the leadership of powerhouses, the Qing Kingdom could no longer find any reliable experts.

"The world's strongest are all in my hands," Fan Xian said slowly, looking at Ye Zhong. "I don't care what decree His Majesty issued to you earlier. All I know is that if you don't immediately withdraw the scouts and cavalry you sent out, there will be many scenes you don't want to see."

The world's strongest are all in my hands – what an arrogant statement. All the land under heaven belongs to the emperor, and all the subjects under heaven are the emperor's subjects. Emperor Qing, as the most powerful emperor in the world, should have the loyalty of most of the world's strongest. However, times change, and whether it was luck or coincidence, Ye Zhong had to admit that most of the truly powerful experts in the world had fallen into Fan Xian's hands.

Although Ye Zhong didn't know the truth about the assassination at the Suspended Temple, the scene at the execution ground earlier had confirmed to him that the true experts in the Supervisory Council, such as the mysterious head of the Sixth Bureau, Shadow, rumored to be the younger brother of Si Gu Jian, would definitely follow Fan Xian's orders.

Most importantly, there were the Thirteen Disciples of the Sword Hut. Apart from Yun Zhilan, who had already become the city lord of Dongyi City, there were still eleven ninth-rank experts.

"His Majesty has not issued any clear decree regarding Little Lord," Ye Zhong said in a deep voice. "But those Black Knights and the officials of the First Bureau who left Kyoto with you... have violated the Qing laws and are guilty of treason. Do you think the imperial court will spare their lives?"

"I want to protect their lives." Fan Xian lowered his head wearily, feeling that negotiating with Ye Zhong here was too tiring. He said slowly, "You are a smart man and naturally know what to do. His Majesty is currently in a rage... and I heard that he was also injured, so the decrees he issues at this time may not be very wise."

"I had a hard time controlling my emotions, and I don't think you would want to really drive me crazy. If I go crazy, it won't be good for you or me, for the officials and people of this Great Qing Dynasty, or even for that person in the palace." Fan Xian hunched over and shook his head. "You know what my bottom line is. From Old Cripple onwards, all the way to me, the style of my Supervisory Council is to protect our own, and we will not allow our people to be harmed."

"I understand, but this is defying the decree..." Ye Zhong quietly looked at the messy hair on Fan Xian's forehead. "I am a subject of the Qing Kingdom, and I have the obligation to arrest and kill all officials who violate the law and rebel."

"Don't say such useless words." Fan Xian waved his hand wearily. "There's no one else here right now. If you want to protect the peace of the Dingzhou Army for a thousand years, you'd better make a decision quickly."

Ye Zhong and Fan Xian were standing far away in front of the cavalry, and no one could hear their conversation. Even Yan Bingyun, who had been following Fan Xian, stood quietly beside the black carriage without approaching.

Ye Zhong pondered in silence for a long time, then said, "Even if I let them off this time, those Black Knights under your command have already suffered extreme mental exhaustion. Whether you let them go to Xiliang to join Hong Cheng or to Dongyi City to join the First Prince, the garrisons of each state and county along the way..."

At this point, Ye Zhong suddenly paused, sighed in his heart, and knew the inside story. He naturally knew the arrangements the imperial court had made in recent days. According to the intelligence, Fan Xian was still far away outside Yanjing a few days ago, but who knew that he would actually rush back to Kyoto today? Thinking of this, the Qing Kingdom's military powerhouse couldn't help but feel shocked. He couldn't understand how Fan Xian had flown across thousands of miles, bringing those hundreds of Black Knights back to Kyoto.

"As long as you don't personally take action, those state armies can't stop my people," Fan Xian said in a hoarse voice. "As long as I'm willing to go with you, His Majesty won't be angry at you for letting them go."

After a long silence, Ye Zhong suddenly said, "That's right, as long as you're willing to return to Kyoto, His Majesty's anger will be greatly reduced."

"See, isn't that a simple matter?" Fan Xian said expressionlessly, then turned and walked directly into the black carriage that Yan Bingyun had brought. He lowered the curtain, closed his eyes, and began to rest.

The carriage swayed slightly and began to move forward on the official road. Thousands of Qing Kingdom's elite cavalry, seemingly escorting and seemingly guarding, slowly advanced with the black carriage towards Kyoto.

Entering Zhengyang Gate again, and traveling on the quiet and solemn streets, Fan Xian, who had been resting with his eyes closed in the carriage, suddenly said, "Are we going to the palace?"

"No," Ye Zhong replied calmly, riding on his horse, straightening his not-so-tall body. "His Majesty has not issued a decree, only forbidding you from leaving Kyoto."

"Very well, then I'm going home." Fan Xian closed his eyes again and said softly. Yan Bingyun, who was responsible for driving the carriage, slightly narrowed his eyes, pulled the reins, and drove towards the southern part of the city along the fork in the road at Yanshi Port.

Some figures in the shadows closely followed the black carriage. The cavalry team under Ye Zhong's command also sent a group of people to catch up, while Ye Zhong himself stopped his horse at the street entrance without taking any action.

There were already pedestrians on the street. Although the scene at the execution ground in the autumn rain had spread like wildfire among the people, it was, after all, a distant matter and could not truly affect the lives of the common people. Therefore, life in Kyoto returned to normal with the cessation of an autumn rain.

Those passersby walking under the eaves and along the roadside had long been driven to both sides of the street by the soldiers. They stared blankly at this scene, watching the black carriage surrounded by soldiers. They easily guessed the true identity of the important figure in the carriage, and for a moment, their eyes flashed with nervousness, excitement, incomprehension, and worry.

Ye Zhong stood on his horse, watching with a indifferent expression as the black carriage slowly drove away in the direction of the southern part of the city, feeling exceptionally heavy in his heart. In principle, the decree to bring Fan Xian back to Kyoto and strictly prohibit him from leaving Kyoto had been carried out. However, his mood still couldn't relax. On the one hand, under Fan Xian's naked and calm threat, he had to give up pursuing the Black Knights who were roaming the fertile fields of the Qing Kingdom and those officials of the Supervisory Council's First Bureau who dared to resist His Majesty's decree. He didn't know what kind of fierce anger he would face from His Majesty after entering the palace later. But the coldest, hardest, and heaviest stone weighing on his heart was Fan Xian's demeanor along the way.

Ye Zhong knew clearly that it wasn't him who had brought Fan Xian back to Kyoto, but Fan Xian who had followed him back to Kyoto. What chilled him to the bone was that Fan Xian had no intention of entering the palace to meet His Majesty. Whether Fan Xian angrily rebuked His Majesty or explained something to His Majesty, it would actually be more comforting than Fan Xian's current indifference.

That indifference actually implied anger towards His Majesty, suppressed coldness, and a disregard for imperial power. Ye Zhong didn't know why Fan Xian had the courage to do this, but he was clear about one thing: the cold war between His Majesty and Fan Xian had only just begun from this moment.

His Majesty, who was recovering from his injuries, was probably waiting in the palace for his illegitimate son to enter the palace to explain something, to roar about something. However, Fan Xian... had left all of His Majesty's hopes and predictions hanging in the air.

Ye Zhong slowly lowered his head, thinking about Fan Xian's calm and powerful words outside the Taiping Manor earlier, and couldn't help but shake his head in dismay. He was forced to yield under Fan Xian's cold coercion, which proved that Fan Xian had already possessed the strength to confront the Qing Kingdom's military forces head-on. And this kind of strength undoubtedly added many variables to the relationship between His Majesty and Fan Xian.

Ye Zhong could even guess the thoughts of His Majesty and Fan Xian. His Majesty would never proactively issue a decree for Fan Xian to enter the palace. He wanted to wait for Fan Xian to proactively enter the palace. But Fan Xian would never proactively enter the palace either. He wanted to wait for the man on the Dragon Throne to speak first.

This was the so-called contest of attitude, intention, and will. The basis of this contest lay in the comparison of the strength of both sides, and even more in which of the extremely powerful and cold hearts of both sides would start beating first.

Ye Zhong took a deep breath, his expression returning to solemn calmness. He spurred his horse and prepared to enter the palace to report. This war between the father and son was not something that he, as a subject, could interfere in. The reason why the Dingzhou Army interfered back then was because His Majesty had issued a decree. But it was very obvious that His Majesty's attitude towards Fan Xian, this illegitimate son, was completely different from that towards the other sons.

Ye Zhong, as the head of the Qing Kingdom's military, only hoped that this war could end peacefully, or... end as quickly as possible, so as not to be like the autumn rains of the past two days, always lingering, making people feel cold and uneasy.

……

……

The carriage stopped in front of the main entrance of the Fan residence in the southern part of the city. The street was quiet, and the two stone lions in front of the residence, wet with rain, stared with wide eyes, watching the people walking around in anger and unease. The tightly closed door immediately opened, and several guards with swords poured out from the residence and stood under the carriage.

Fan Xian stepped out of the carriage, not looking at Yan Bingyun on the shaft, but simply glanced at the surrounding environment, easily seeing that there were many dark sentries watching, probably all sent by the palace, no more than the people raised by the Thirteen Offices or the Dali Temple.

And the secret agents of the Supervisory Council were still at the street entrance further away. A gentle smile appeared on Fan Xian's lips. In terms of surveillance, the entire imperial court combined was not necessarily a match for the Supervisory Council. Judging from the looks of things, those secret agents that he controlled were still in his hands and had not been grasped by the emperor.

He walked up the steps. Yan Bingyun sighed on the shaft and was about to leave when he suddenly heard a sentence.

"I probably won't be able to manage that yard for much longer." Fan Xian didn't turn his head, and half of his arm was supported by the family's daughter-in-law. He said wearily and self-deprecatingly, "I wasn't managing it for too long in the first place, but I hope you won't repeat the mistakes you made before. The reason why my Supervisory Council is a solid block is not because of clear rewards and punishments, but because... we protect our own."

"It is estimated that many people have been imprisoned, and in the future, these old guys will not be able to continue staying in the positions of the Eight Bureaus." His back slowly straightened. "Official positions can be taken away if they are taken away, but you must ensure that they can live. If even they die, no matter how you maintain this broken yard, it will be meaningless, understand?"

Yan Bingyun was silent for a moment, then nodded, not caring whether Fan Xian could see it or not. Fan Xian sighed and stepped into the high threshold of the Fan residence with the support of that daughter-in-law.

As soon as he entered the Fan residence, a familiar atmosphere rushed towards him, wrapping his tired body in it and making him feel sleepy. This was probably the power of home. However, Fan Xian forcibly straightened his body and walked on the stone path, even leaving the support of the daughter-in-law.

Secret sentries were buried all around the residence, and guards were walking solemnly. Everything was in order, and the atmosphere was full of killing intent. This was the tradition of the Fan residence. No matter how turbulent the outside world was, there were no major loopholes inside. The Fan residence had made full preparations for the Kyoto rebellion three years ago, and today the Fan residence had made preparations again.

This tradition was a rule established when his father was still alive. No matter how chaotic Kyoto became, it would take at least hundreds of soldiers to forcefully attack the Fan residence. Fan Xian looked at all of this with satisfaction, knowing that Wan'er had made extremely sufficient preparations, so he also had to maintain his strength so that the people of the Fan residence, with him as their backbone, would know that their young master had not fallen.

After passing through the flower garden and arriving at the back garden, he saw the gentle woman at the entrance of the flower hall. Fan Xian looked at her and gave a very reluctant smile, saying, "I'm back."

Water mist gradually appeared in Lin Wan'er's eyes, but she forcibly suppressed it. She had also just returned from the palace not long ago. She took a few steps forward, took Fan Xian's cold hand, and said with a sweet smile, "It's good that you're back. Get some sleep first. You probably haven't slept for several days."

"I haven't closed my eyes for six days. I didn't expect I could hold on." Fan Xian's heart ached slightly. He smiled reluctantly and put his weight on his wife's shoulder, walking towards the bedroom. As he walked, he said in a warm voice, "It must have been hard on you these past two days."

"It's not hard." Lin Wan'er helped him into the bedroom, but found some blood on his palms. Her heart darkened slightly, but she didn't dare to say anything. She just let him sit on the edge of the bed and then ordered the servants to quickly bring hot water to wash his face and placed a brass basin for washing his feet under his feet.

Lin Wan'er sat on a small stool and took off his shoes and socks, only to find that the hard work of the past few days, even though he had been riding a horse, had made Fan Xian's feet and shoes seem to be connected together, especially the soles of his feet, which were treading on the stirrups, had worn out a deep blood mark.

Lin Wan'er's heart ached, and she carefully put Fan Xian's feet into the hot water basin. Fan Xian sighed, but he didn't know if it was because he was too comfortable or too sad.

"There are people all around the yard, and there's no way to get in." Lin Wan'er lowered her head and rubbed his feet gently as she said softly. The yard in this sentence naturally referred to the square and gloomy building of the Supervisory Council.

"When I left Kyoto earlier, some of the bolder guys from the First Bureau followed me out of the city." Fan Xian looked at the top of his wife's head and said with a gentle smile, "I know you let them know. I've already arranged for them to leave, so don't worry. As for the Supervisory Council, at least for now, His Majesty will definitely not allow me to contact them."

Lin Wan'er's hand stiffened slightly, partly because she was worried about Fan Xian and partly because she was thinking about whether or not to say that matter. After a moment, she lowered her head and said in a trembling voice, "Sister entered the palace yesterday to heal His Majesty and hasn't... returned."

"It's normal." Fan Xian had already heard this news from Yan Bingyun and said calmly, "His Majesty has always been good at seizing people's weaknesses. Only Old Cripple had no weaknesses for him to seize, so he ended up like this today."

Speaking of Chen Pingping, Fan Xian's face darkened. In fact, Chen Pingping's only weakness in this life was Fan Xian. However, in such a dead end, the Old Cripple still separated Fan Xian, making it impossible for His Majesty to seize him, so he could only enter a dead end.

After saying this, Fan Xian fell asleep, his feet in the water basin, his head lowered to his chest, sleeping soundly. After not sleeping for so long, he finally relaxed in front of his wife and fell asleep with a trace of inescapable sadness on his face.

Lin Wan'er gently stopped the movement of her hands, looking at that haggard and sad face. She didn't know why, but sadness came from her heart, and a few tears rolled down. She looked at Fan Xian, wondering when that bright and cheerful young man had become so pitiful.

……

……

Fan Xian slept for a full day and night. When he woke up slowly, he found that it was another dusk. The dim twilight shone in from the window, covering everything familiar in the room with a layer of strange light.

Wan'er's voice faintly came from outside the window, as if she was ordering the servants to do something. Fan Xian didn't want to disturb her and still lay quietly in the warm quilt, not wanting to get up. Perhaps he knew that once he came out of this soft quilt, he would have to face the things that had already happened and the things that were about to happen.

He turned his eyes slightly, saw a towel hanging by the bed, reached out and pulled it over, gently wiping the dirt from the corners of his eyes. Then he looked at his body and found that it was clear and refreshed. It seemed that Wan'er had wiped his body while he was sleeping.

Even these two simple actions caused him to ache all over. This thousand-mile journey, fierce fighting, and pain that went deep into his bones had indeed weakened him to the extreme. It was definitely not something that could be recovered with a simple sleep.

Fan Xian lay quietly on the bed, slowly urging the two strands of true qi in his body, especially the natural method of Tianyi Dao, recovering his vitality. He looked straight at the canopy embroidered with intricate patterns, wondering what the man in the palace was thinking at this time?

……

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(Thank you everyone and Brother Nanfang for the update votes. Also, thank you everyone for the flower chart. Of course, I also received quite a few bricks... My mind has been dizzy all day until now. I thought it would be better at night, but it's still the same. If it affects the quality of the story, it's not what I want to see. On the one hand, my emotions have fallen to the bottom and need time to recover. On the other hand, my body is really not well. I'm sorry, please be considerate.)