Niao Ni
Chapter 312: The Arrival of the Eldest Prince
Had Ye Liuyun returned to Kyoto after this incident, the Emperor in the palace, with his outwardly solemn and amiable demeanor, would have revealed his most ruthless side, even at the cost of weakening Qing's national strength, to directly eliminate the Ye family. A clan controlling the vital Kyoto area, about to have a marriage alliance with a prince, and most importantly, having a Grandmaster as a solid backing, would have to be forcefully suppressed at the slightest hint of rebellion.
But Ye Liuyun did not return to Kyoto, indicating that the Ye family had reluctantly accepted the current situation. Of course, out of consideration for Ye Liuyun's reputation and the Ye family's unwavering loyalty, the Emperor would not make things too difficult for them. Ye Zhong remained stationed in Cangzhou, his title and military merits undiminished, and his rewards even surpassed those of previous years.
Even Gong Dian, that straightforward and somewhat endearing fellow, despite committing such a serious offense, was not severely punished by the Emperor. He was stripped of all his military merits and positions, given thirty strokes of the court baton, and demoted to a commoner.
The Ye family felt wronged, but for the sake of Qing's stability in the future, they had no choice but to make sacrifices. Fortunately, they could take this opportunity to stay away from the turbulent Kyoto, which might not be a bad thing.
In fact, the most disappointed should be the Eldest Princess, far away in Xinyang, and the Second Prince, now under house arrest.
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"What a farce," Fan Xian muttered, shaking his head as he looked at the court report brought by Mu Tie. The deployment of Kyoto's defenses after the Ye family's temporary retreat was a matter watched by everyone in the court. The position of Kyoto garrison commander, unsurprisingly, fell into Qin Heng's hands. However, the most crucial positions of commander of the Imperial Guards and Minister of the Imperial Bodyguards, traditionally held by one person, were split by the Emperor.
The position of Minister of the Imperial Bodyguards was temporarily vacant, and according to news from the palace, it was likely to be temporarily managed by Eunuch Hong.
As for the position of commander of the Imperial Guards... it went to the Eldest Prince!
Fan Xian's "farce" was directed at the Emperor's appointment. In the history of this time and space, there were very few precedents of a prince serving as commander of the Imperial Guards. Why? Precisely to prevent those audacious princes from using the soldiers in their hands to rebel! Yet the Emperor had handed the position of commander of the Imperial Guards to the Eldest Prince. With a Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace, what exactly was the Emperor thinking? The Eldest Prince's mother, Consort Ning, was from Dongyi, so theoretically, the throne should never fall to him.
Mu Tie did not dare to respond, reported on some recent work at the First Bureau to Fan Xian, and seeing that the Director seemed a bit tired, he quickly excused himself and left.
"Teacher, rest a bit," Shi Chanli said, still accustomed to calling Fan Xian "teacher" rather than "Lord" in private. He looked at Fan Xian's face, which clearly lacked energy, and said with concern, "His Majesty issued a clear decree, prohibiting you from inquiring about First Bureau affairs for three months... Clearly, he wants you to rest and recover, but you insist on disobeying."
His teacher enjoyed extraordinary imperial favor, and as his student, he felt a sense of subtle pride.
Fan Xian shook his head and playfully scolded, "What's the meaning of you being in my study every day, instead of being at Bao Yue Lou?"
Shi Chanli smiled wryly, "That place... it always feels a bit off."
Fan Xian smiled, chased him out, and asked him to call Deng Ziyue in.
When Deng Ziyue entered the study, Fan Xian's expression immediately turned serious, and he asked, "What conclusion has the First Bureau reached regarding that white-clad assassin?" Although he knew that at present, he had no chance of uncovering Chen Pingping's secrets, it would be a pity not to use the resources in his hands, which were almost identical to those of that old cripple, to play a guessing game.
Deng Ziyue shook his head and said, "Although His Majesty called out the assassin's identity at the Hanging Temple..." He smiled wryly, "Director, you also know that His Majesty is not a martial artist, so his words cannot be taken as truth. Sigu Jian did have a younger brother, but he disappeared many years ago, and everyone in the world is guessing whether he was killed by Sigu Jian when he seized Dongyi City. So the First Bureau has always been cautiously objecting."
Fan Xian was slightly taken aback, somewhat surprised that the Overwatch Council had not smoothed over this loose end under Chen Pingping's guidance. Or was it that Chen Pingping was confident that Shadow's true identity could not be guessed, so he simply did not bother with such tricks?
"But..." Deng Ziyue said the second "but," looking embarrassed, "But since His Majesty said it was Sigu Jian's younger brother, it's not easy for us as subjects to directly object, especially since we don't know whether His Majesty's casual remark is related to the court's movements in the next few years."
Fan Xian laughed. It was well known throughout Qing that Qing was a martial nation. Last year, when he was assassinated in Niulan Street, His Majesty took the opportunity to send troops north and seized a large piece of land. As a result, all the courtiers had become accustomed to this Emperor's hobby of framing and finding excuses to go to war, and did not dare to be clever on their own.
Regarding the Hanging Temple incident, Fan Xian should have personally interrogated that little eunuch at the Overwatch Council and examined the assassin's body, but he knew how murky the water was and was still thinking about whether he should get too involved. Another reason was that, given his current physical condition, all his relatives, including his father, would not allow him to leave the mansion.
He himself did not dare to go out. The cautious Lord Fan valued his life like gold. Now that the true qi in his body was completely dissipated, he did not know when he would be able to recover it. He was extremely disappointed and even more cautious about his personal safety.
Of course, Fan Xian would not reveal his true situation to anyone.
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The study door creaked open, and the guards outside showed no reaction. Fan Xian, lying in bed, turned his head and looked over. Sure enough, it was Wan'er and his younger sister.
Seeing the faint anger on the faces of the Madam and Miss, Deng Ziyue knew that he should leave. He bowed respectfully and withdrew, so that Fan Xian did not even have a chance to ask him to send a message to Yan Bingyun to come to the mansion.
"We agreed that you would rest and recover, but you refuse to spare yourself," the sisters-in-law began to change his dressing and feed him medicine with practiced skill, while also advising him.
Fan Xian smiled wryly, "Maybe this name wasn't chosen well. I can never be idle."
How could he be idle? Since Fan Xian returned home from the palace, the Fan mansion had immediately become the most lively residence in Kyoto. Officials from the Three Bureaus, Three Temples, and Six Ministries came to visit the Director's illness in an endless stream. Countless dignitaries flocked to the door, ministers of all factions came to show their goodwill, and the South Long Street in front of the Fan mansion was filled with carriages and black boxes, and gifts flowed like a river.
Those who came to the Fan mansion sent all kinds of precious medicines with all their might. Fan Xian couldn't possibly consume all of them himself, so except for some truly valuable raw materials, the rest were sent to Bao Yue Lou to be processed.
The assassination at the Hanging Temple had made Fan Xian once again the most sought-after minister in Qing, and compared to his sudden rise as Director of the Overwatch Council, this time, with the merit of saving the Emperor as a foundation, it seemed more solid and stable, and it made Qing officials even more fearful.
The officials were not blind or deaf. Fan Xian had been kept in the palace for so many days after being injured, and according to news from the palace, the Emperor seemed to have hardly slept the night Fan Xian was treated. Such favor could only be compared to that of Chen Pingping, the lonely old man.
Many people were carefully currying favor with the Fan mansion, but in their hearts, how could they be completely convinced? Especially those brave young people, who could not help but be jealous of Fan Xian's good luck. Why weren't they by the Emperor's side when he was assassinated?
"This time, we've made a lot of money at home," Fan Xian was speaking seriously, not joking. In his previous life, even a mere county magistrate's illness would require at least tens of thousands, let alone a minister of his level, and in the Qing Kingdom, where bribery was becoming increasingly overt.
"It's just that Father is suffering," Lin Wan'er said with a faint smile, feeding him a mouthful of medicine as if coaxing a child. She came from such a noble background that she naturally did not care about the officials' fawning behavior.
While recovering from his injuries, Fan Xian had no mood to receive those officials who were ostensibly visiting him to check on his health, but were actually showing their goodwill. Since these officials all had their own backgrounds, he had no choice but to trouble Lord Fan Shangshu, who, in addition to his routine ministry duties, spent most of his time entertaining guests every day.
Fan Ruoruo complained, "Not only do these people come once, but they even take turns coming again and again, aren't they afraid of being annoying?"
"The ministers of the various ministries are still fine," Lin Wan'er suddenly thought of something, a look of admiration on her face, and said to Fan Xian with a smile, "The most terrifying is that Imperial Physician Zheng. That old man is truly a very patient person. He's come four times, and you refuse to see him. In the end, even His Majesty sent a message to him, saying that you would not enter the Imperial Hospital, but he still refuses to give up. Just now, I heard from Teng Dajia that Imperial Physician Zheng has come again today and is sitting in that side study, refusing to leave. He's drunk a cup of tea until it's clear water, and Father has given him many bad looks, but he simply pretends not to see them."
She clicked her tongue and sighed, "What a formidable person."
Fan Xian smiled wryly, and although he didn't say anything, he also admired that Imperial Physician Zheng, who was the thickest-skinned person in Qing. On that night in the palace, the Imperial Physician initially had no confidence in his medical skills, but that did not prevent him from secretly staying in Guangxin Palace to peek and learn. Later, when he discovered the wonders of Fan Xian's medical skills, he became even more determined to bring Fan Xian to the Imperial Hospital, or at least have Fan Xian pass on those "strange medical skills." His determination was so strong, he visited repeatedly, steadfastly refusing to leave, and his means were so rogue that he was truly an anomaly.
Surgical operations were naturally incredibly magical in the eyes of Qing doctors, but Fan Xian knew that he was only lucky at the time, and that some key issues made this knowledge very difficult to promote in the world today.
He turned his head and glanced at his younger sister, who was carefully adjusting the straps on his wound, and suddenly thought of a possibility, but then shook his head.
The three of them were in the study, and the atmosphere was pleasant when someone gently knocked on the door. Fan Xian frowned.
"A guest has arrived," the servant outside the door reported respectfully.
Even Lin Wan'er frowned and said, "Didn't we say we weren't seeing anyone?"
...
...
This guest could not be turned away. Fan Xian looked at the uninvited Eldest Prince with a wry smile and said, "It's so convenient in the palace. Your Highness didn't visit me in the Plum Garden, why are you here today?"
Lin Wan'er also pouted and said, "Brother, there are already so many people at home, why are you joining the fun?"
The Eldest Prince looked at her helplessly. This younger sister had grown up under his care since she was a child, and she had only been married for a year, and all her thoughts were on her husband's family. "There's no need to say so much." The two siblings bickered for a few sentences, and the Eldest Prince gave in helplessly and used the trick of shifting flowers and grafting trees, saying in a deep voice, "The Eldest Princess has also come with me, and she is talking to Lady Fan right now, Younger Sister Chen, why don't you go and take a look?"
The Eldest Princess he was talking about was naturally the woman who had come all the way from Northern Qi to form an alliance. Fan Xian was slightly taken aback, but did not expect that this couple had developed such feelings before marriage, and the palace allowed them to enter and exit in pairs. Thinking of his several conversations with that Eldest Princess on the way back, he couldn't help but be slightly stunned.
Lin Wan'er and Fan Ruoruo were also extremely curious about that foreign princess, whom they had only heard of and never seen. Knowing that His Highness must have something to say to Fan Xian, they got up and left.
The study became quiet, Fan Xian raised his right hand slightly, signaling the other party to have tea, and said softly, "Congratulations, Your Highness."
The congratulations were naturally for the other party's appointment as commander of the Imperial Guards. The Eldest Prince raised his eyebrows, then relaxed, and said indifferently, "What is there to congratulate? This Prince was originally the General Who Pacifies the West."
Fan Xian smiled, "Although it's a drop of two ranks, how can the central Imperial Guards be the same as the border Yin Mountain?"
The Eldest Prince glanced at him, not knowing if his words had any other hidden meaning. After a moment, he said, "This Prince... does not want to be the commander of the Imperial Guards, and would rather go to the north to replace Yan Xiaoyi."
Fan Xian shook his head, thinking that His Majesty had transferred Yan Xiaoyi far away, and had the Ye family firmly in his grasp, to guard against that crazy woman in Xinyang. If you go to the north, Yan Xiaoyi would of course be happy, but His Majesty would be very unhappy.
"Don't tell me that Your Highness came to see me, a patient, today to talk about your own career frustrations." He said with a soft laugh, "I can be a competent listener."
"More than just a listener." The Eldest Prince stared into his eyes, although he didn't understand what the word "career" meant, "I want to ask you to help with this."
He called himself "I", not "This Prince" anymore.
Fan Xian noticed this change and began to feel slightly nervous. It seemed that this Eldest Prince with Dongyi blood was very serious... about asking him for help.
Oh heavens!
He sighed faintly in his heart and said to the Eldest Prince, "Your Highness, the position of commander of the Imperial Guards is such a vital one. His Majesty trusts your loyalty, which is why he made this arrangement. As a subject, how can Fan Xian presume to comment?"
The Eldest Prince shook his head, "Fan Xian, to be honest, when I first returned to Kyoto, I was quite unimpressed with you. When I was in the west, I heard that a Poet Immortal had emerged in Kyoto, but I am a military general and have never believed in such romantic nonsense, how can it help the people of the world and the court..."
He then changed the subject, "However, after returning to Kyoto for several months, I see that your actions are fierce but not without tenderness, and your strategies are endless but still show talent. Not to mention that you have made the Second Prince extremely uncomfortable, the Hanging Temple incident alone has greatly changed my view of you..."
"And in the palace, you were able to heal your near-fatal injuries." The dark-skinned prince said solemnly, "Now I really can't think of anything in this world that can stump you. So you must help me with this matter."
Faced with countless compliments, Fan Xian fell silent. Chen Pingping had once said that this Eldest Prince was different from the others, and had deliberately stayed away from the court since he was a child, wanting to stay as far away from that chair as possible. Now that His Majesty, that old ghost who killed without using a knife, was forcibly dragging him into the muddy water, it was no wonder that he was angry and wanted to resist.
The Eldest Prince's forces were mostly in the military, and there were indeed no talented people in court strategy. It was just that the other party had actually found him, which was quite unexpected.
Although Fan Xian was indeed happy to see that among these "brothers," one of them could maintain a rare breadth of mind and clarity, and he also sympathized with the other party's current situation, he still shook his head firmly, "Your Highness, it's not that I dare not, nor that I won't, but that I really can't. Fan Xian is, after all, just a subject, and the Overwatch Council cannot presume to comment on court affairs."
The Eldest Prince sighed. He knew his visit today was somewhat presumptuous and even risky, but looking around Kyoto, who could he turn to except Fan Xian? Could it be that he would ultimately have to go to Chen Yuan again?
"His Majesty's mind is made up, and no one can change it. I think Your Highness doesn't need to make a trip to Chen Yuan. But I'm a little curious, how did Your Highness make the decision to come today? In your eyes, I shouldn't be a benevolent and kind minister either." Fan Xian seemed to be able to guess what he was thinking.
The Eldest Prince slowly drank the fragrant tea in his cup and said, "Fan Xian, you can fool others, but you can't fool me. Don't forget, I was also at the Hanging Temple at the time... Just by the fact that you saved my younger brother first and then my father, I know that you are someone who can be trusted."
Fan Xian was silent. He had not expected that the values formed in that world had caused both the Emperor and the Eldest Prince to have a strange sense of trust in him.
The Eldest Prince came today to express his attitude to the Overwatch Council, and also hoped to get some useful hints from Fan Xian. Since the other party remained silent, he couldn't be too reckless. With Wan'er as a bridge in the middle, if the situation in Kyoto really changed in the future, he didn't expect the Overwatch Council to help him, but if Fan Xian could reveal some useful information, that would be enough.
"I heard that the Imperial Physician Zheng has already come to the mansion several times?"
He awkwardly changed the subject. His years in the military had made him somewhat unclear about such officialdom curves.
Fan Xian smiled in his heart and explained, "He wants me to take a position in the Imperial Hospital, but His Majesty rejected it. Then he wants me to teach students at the Imperial Hospital."
It was originally a casual conversation, but the Eldest Prince became serious and said, "Fan Xian, I also think you should go to the Imperial Hospital. That night, I also stood outside Guangxin Palace, and seeing the serious expressions of those Imperial Physicians, I knew that your medical skills were truly remarkable."
He asked curiously, "In fact, many people in Kyoto are curious, how did you dare to let Miss Fan operate on her own stomach? Those Imperial Physicians have already blown you up into a celestial being."
Fan Xian replied with a wry smile, "Don't believe them. Everyone knows that Fei Jie is my teacher... If they had spent their childhood digging graves and dissecting corpses every day, opening up corpses soaked in corpse water, they would also have my skills."
"So that's how it is. It seems that not everything can be explained by the word genius." The Eldest Prince sighed and then advised, "The Imperial Hospital is certainly not as powerful and important as the Overwatch Council, but it is more peaceful. The Imperial Physician Zheng's idea is also very simple, if your medical skills are taught, you don't know how many lives you can save."
He looked seriously into Fan Xian's eyes, "Saving people is always better than killing people. And I'm often in the military, and I also know what a good doctor means to those injured soldiers."
"Why teach medical skills?"
"To benefit the world."
"Imperial Physician Zheng probably means the same thing?"
"Exactly."
"So Your Highness's side job today is to be a lobbyist for Imperial Physician Zheng. No wonder the topic changed so strangely earlier." Fan Xian laughed.
Seeing him laugh so smugly, the Eldest Prince's face gradually darkened and said, "Do you think we are just talking nonsense?"
In fact, it was close to nonsense. To have Fan Xian give up his position as Director of the Overwatch Council to become a medical professor, no one could persuade him to do that, but Imperial Physician Zheng and the Eldest Prince, these two stubborn people, had directly said it.
Fan Xian stopped laughing and realized that the wound on his chest was aching slightly, which startled him, and said, "I'm not mocking you. On the contrary, I do have a bit of respect for Imperial Physician Zheng in my heart."
To perform surgery, there were many problems that could not be solved. First, anesthesia; second, disinfection; and third, instruments. The current level of the world was not enough to solve these problems. Fan Xian used chloroform for anesthesia and hard resistance for disinfection, which were all based on his own strong physical functions. If he were to be replaced by ordinary people, he would either be killed by the anesthetic or die from complications. As for the problem of instruments, it was even more difficult to solve. Fan Xian and Fei Jie had been thinking about it for several years, and in the end, they had only been able to do so much by using all the power of the Three Bureaus to make such a set.
If even hemostasis could not be done, what was there to talk about surgery?
After explaining these reasons in language that the other party could understand, the Eldest Prince finally understood that this medical skill was a relatively powerful medical skill, and it was using the body of the injured person to fight against those sharp blades and anesthetics. If Fan Xian had not been practicing martial arts since childhood, he would not have been able to withstand it.
Thinking of those soldiers in the Western Expeditionary Army who were injured by arrows and ultimately died, he was somewhat regretful and sighed, patting his thigh, "Is there no better way?"
For some reason, Fan Xian's mind was filled with his sister's extraordinarily steady hands, and he comforted, "Some basic things, I'll have Ruoruo go to the Imperial Hospital in a few days to exchange notes with the Imperial Physicians."
The Eldest Prince nodded and said, "Earlier, you seemed to disapprove of the words 'benefit the world'." This was his doubt. Fan Xian was superficially a power minister who valued interests, but after several observations, the Eldest Prince always felt that the other party's ambition should be more than that.
Fan Xian was silent for a while, and then said softly, "There are many ways to benefit the world, and it doesn't necessarily mean saving lives."
The Eldest Prince didn't quite understand.
"For example, Your Highness, you have been in the west for several years, fighting with the Hu people, and killing countless people." He said with a smile, "But you have prevented the invasion of the Western Hu, doesn't that count as benefiting the world?"
Even if the Eldest Prince was stable, he had to bear this flattery.
"For example, me. Although the world thinks that the Overwatch Council is just a dark and terrifying spy agency, if I can make it play a role in my hands, and try to make it lean in the right direction, so that the world of our great Qing can be unbreakable, and the people of the world can live and work in peace... doesn't that count as benefiting the world?"
"The goal may be the same, but there may be many methods." Fan Xian became more and more energetic, resembling his junior high school language teacher in his previous life, vividly telling the old story of Lu Xun giving up medicine to pursue literature, of course, under the guise of an old story seen occasionally in Zhuang Mo Han's ancient books thousands of years ago.
The Eldest Prince was slightly stunned, "Saving the people's bodies is not as good as saving the people's spirits?" He patted his thigh and said, "But my Qing Kingdom is not the weak country in that story, why is there a need to teach with words?"
These words were true. The Qing people's customs were simple and honest, with a fresh and upward taste, which was very different from the air that made Lu Xun breathe hard in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China.
Fan Xian smiled and said, "So... I not only give up medicine, but I also plan to give up literature all at once... What am I doing? Abandoning medicine for politics? Abandoning the pen for the army?"
The Eldest Prince still did not agree with his point of view, "You are indeed a genius, why not use all the knowledge in your heart? If you can make this world a better place..."
Fan Xian waved his hand with some difficulty and said, "Most people want to change this world, but few people want to change themselves. (Note 1) I think, it's better to change yourself first."
Dozens of years ago, there was a woman who wanted to change the world, but she died. Fan Xian didn't want to follow in her footsteps, he was more afraid of death and more selfish.
As he spoke, a commotion suddenly came from outside the window, and the sound was full of joy.
The Eldest Prince looked at him and said with a smile, "It seems that the decree to reward you has finally come down."
Fan Xian smiled self-deprecatingly and said nothing. His clear eyes only contained concern for his own body, nothing more, and he did not rush to worry about the world.
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Note 1: This is a QQ signature I saw occasionally, and I thought it was very interesting at the time, and I immediately thought of countless Qing Dynasty, Ming Dynasty, Tang Dynasty, other world, overhead traversals.
Fan Chuan will not take the path of transforming the world. On the one hand, I am lazy and he is lazy, on the other hand, his mother is too diligent, and thirdly, my knowledge level in some areas is really渣, I can't write it. For example, surgery, I really don't know how to do it. If there is anything absurd and ridiculous, please laugh it off and forgive me.
ps: No ps, I ran away in tears and put a poem here, which will be used later. The dream of glory and wealth is a dream, and the name and fame are half a piece of paper. The sea of right and wrong is a thousand feet high. The hooves of horses crushed the frost on the forbidden street, and I heard the rooster crowing several times. Clothes covered in dust, the breadth of heart of the rivers and lakes. Leaving the royal phoenix net, admiring Yi Qi's Shouyang, sighing at Han Peng's unfinished business. Early acceptance of the paper wind and demon state. Author: Wang Yuanting
The above is not counted in the word count.