Niao Ni
Chapter 310 The Patient in the Plum Garden
At this moment, a noblewoman with a cheerful demeanor and a hint of naivety entered the Yin Feng Pavilion as if she knew the place well. She held a child's hand, followed by several palace maids.
Fan Xian was slightly surprised to see Consort Yi. He didn't say much. Since he had awakened, Consort Yi had been bringing the Third Prince to sit here every day. Firstly, they were relatives; secondly, he had saved the Third Prince's life at the Suspended Temple, and she used this great kindness as a reason, which he couldn't refuse; and thirdly... Fan Xian was also clear that this Consort's intentions were very practical.
"Aunt, didn't you say you didn't need to come? Why did you bring so many things today?" he said with a smile.
According to etiquette, he should address her as "Niangniang," but when he first entered the palace last year, Consort Yi preferred Fan Xian to call her "Aunt," liking the warmth in the address. So, Fan Xian no longer insisted on formality. Today, the palace maids behind Consort Yi were carrying several food boxes, and he wondered what was inside.
"Soup simmered with cordyceps," Consort Yi greeted the two young ladies beside him, then casually pulled a stool and sat down next to Fan Xian, saying, "It's not from the palace; your family brewed it and asked me to bring it over."
Fan Xian gave a soft "oh." He looked at the palace maids busily ladling soup. One of them looked very familiar. He smiled and said, "Xing'er has come too."
Xing'er was the little palace maid who had taken him to visit the various palaces when he first entered the palace. She hadn't expected the young Lord Fan to remember her. Her face turned slightly red, and she made a sound as small as a mosquito's buzz.
This caused everyone to laugh. Consort Yi scolded with a smile, "Injured like this, and still..."
She suddenly realized that she couldn't continue speaking, so she stopped with a sweet smile. She wasn't very old and naturally had a charming and naive air, making it easy for people to get close to her. She turned to Wan'er and said a few words, then chatted with Ruo Ruo about the family affairs, reassuring them that there were no problems at the Fan residence.
The Third Prince, sitting beside her, was much quieter than usual today, with none of the violent look he had displayed at Baoyue Tower. He kept his head down, looking dejected, and didn't say a word. Only occasionally would he raise his head and secretly glance at the patient on the couch.
The Suspended Temple incident had long erased his anger towards Fan Xian at Baoyue Tower. After all, at that time, apart from this "older cousin," no one seemed to care about his life or death, including his two biological older brothers and the palace guards, who only knew to save the Emperor... If Fan Xian hadn't been there at the time, his little life would have been lost to that ninth-rank assassin.
An eight-year-old child, no matter how precocious, was still at an age where kinship was judged purely on likes and dislikes. At this moment, as the Third Prince looked at Fan Xian's pale face, he remembered Fan Xian standing in front of him at the Suspended Temple, his heroic bravery, and a feeling of admiration arose in his heart.
Wan'er glanced at the Third Prince and asked in surprise, "Third brother, why are you so quiet today?"
The Third Prince grinned and said, "Sister Chen, it's nothing."
Wan'er was even more puzzled and smiled, "It's like you've changed into a different person."
Consort Yi looked at her son with affection and said, "If it weren't for Fan Xian, this child would have lost his life. He was so frightened, it's only natural that he's behaving himself."
Fan Xian lay on the couch, unable to turn his head, and only used his peripheral vision to watch the women and children talking. He slowly drank a bowl of cordyceps soup served by Xing'er. When Xing'er took the bowl back, she very quickly squeezed his palm with her fingertips, which felt incredibly smooth.
Fan Xian was slightly stunned, knowing that this little palace maid would not tease him at this time, and realized that Consort Yi must have something she wanted to say to him in private. He paused and said, "Wan'er, why don't you take the Third Prince to stroll around the garden?... Sister, you go too."
The sisters-in-law exchanged glances, knowing that he and Consort Yi had something to say. They gracefully got up and led the somewhat reluctant Third Prince towards the depths of the garden, taking the attending eunuchs and palace maids with them.
Inside the Yin Feng Pavilion, only Fan Xian and Consort Yi were left, but it was always inappropriate for a young minister to be alone with a young consort. So, Xing'er consciously stayed behind.
Fan Xian turned his head with some difficulty and looked at Xing'er.
Consort Yi understood and said with a smile, "A little girl I brought from home, nothing to worry about."
"Aunt," Fan Xian said with a wry smile, "What's the matter that requires so much caution? Your nephew is seriously injured and only woke up a few days ago."
Consort Yi waved her handkerchief and said with a smile, "If I don't come to find you, wouldn't you want to find me?"
There was no hint of ambiguity in her words. She had simply calculated that Fan Xian must be eager to know the news from outside the palace. The assassination attempt at the Suspended Temple was truly bizarre. Not only were the various masters in the palace uneasy, but the officials outside the palace were also restless. Even the people of Kyoto discussed it, feeling that it was strange. At dinner tables and in taverns, they loudly cursed the assassins and quietly speculated about their true origins, guessing hundreds of different answers. Consort Yi knew that His Majesty wanted Fan Xian to recuperate in peace, so he had cut off all his sources of information. She could help him get some.
"Aren't you afraid of His Majesty's blame?" Fan Xian looked at her with a smile that wasn't quite a smile.
"It's come to this," Consort Yi said directly, chuckling, "Besides you, who else can I rely on?"
Fan Xian understood what she meant. There were four consorts in the palace with sons. The Empress was a separate case. The princes of Consort Ning and Consort Shu were already grown, each with their own faction. Only Consort Yi in front of him, although from a noble family and with the Fan residence as a power outside the palace, had a Third Prince who was simply too young.
After a moment of silence, he described the scene at the Suspended Temple at that time.
Although she had already heard it from her son, Consort Yi still listened with great anxiety, gripping her handkerchief tightly, as if worried that the assassin hidden among the guards would cleave her son to death with a single blow.
After listening, she said with resentment, "How could there be assassins hidden among the guards? The guards in the palace have their family histories checked three generations back."
"It shouldn't be aimed at the third..." Fan Xian laughed, "Can I call him 'Third'?"
"You're his older brother, of course you can call him that."
"It's not aimed at the Third..." Fan Xian explained softly, "Perhaps that assassin would have killed the Third Prince in passing, but His Majesty was his real target. Aunt, don't worry, although the Crown Prince is a bit nervous about the family's power right now, and my relationship with the Second Prince isn't very good, the Third Prince is still too young and shouldn't be considered their primary target."
Saying these words in the palace was indeed a bit daring. Although there was no one eavesdropping around the Yin Feng Pavilion, Consort Yi's expression changed, and she smiled somewhat unnaturally.
What she was most worried about was whether some people in the palace had ill intentions towards her son. Now, after hearing Fan Xian's analysis, she felt much relieved. Then, she began to tell him quietly about the situation outside the palace regarding the investigation. Fan Xian didn't know the progress of the investigation, but because of her family connections, she had many informants outside the palace, and she had a grasp of the situation that was generally close to the truth.
"Gong Dian has been arrested."
Fan Xian hummed softly, not revealing the shock in his heart. Consort Yi used the word "arrest," which meant that the imperial court had already made a determination about this matter. But that wasn't surprising. As the commander of the Imperial Guards and head of the palace guards, he wasn't by His Majesty's side when the assassination attempt at the Suspended Temple occurred! That reason alone was enough to knock the great Commander Gong to the ground, with countless feet trampling him, never to rise again.
What Fan Xian was more interested in was - what exactly was this extremely muddleheaded great commander doing at that time?
...
...
"He was in Luozhou, forty li south of the capital... In his own words, he was there on imperial orders." Consort Yi spoke with a puzzled expression. Even if Gong Dian wanted to exonerate himself, he couldn't say "on imperial orders." As soon as these words reached His Majesty, they would be exposed immediately.
"But as for what he was there to do, the Supervisory Council has been interrogating him for two days, but he still can't explain it clearly."
Fan Xian couldn't help but gasp and sigh, "I always knew that Gong Dian was an upright person, but I never expected him to be so foolish."
"Hmm?"
Fan Xian shook his head and sighed, "Since it wasn't His Majesty's decree that sent him to Luozhou... then it must have been that person. But the problem is that an assassination attempt occurred. How can he still bring that person out as his savior? Even if he brings that person out, His Majesty wouldn't acknowledge it, and it would only make him die faster."
Consort Yi still couldn't quite get used to Fan Xian's direct and bold words. She smiled somewhat bitterly, "Let's... not worry about these things."
"Yes, we're not qualified to worry about them." Fan Xian sighed, "The Ye family is going to be in big trouble this time. Has the identity of the assassin been verified?"
"The first assassin to strike was that dead ninth-rank expert." A trace of lingering fear flashed in Consort Yi's eyes. "I heard that he was an assassin from the Xihu Left Sage King's mansion who had infiltrated Qing for fourteen years."
"How is Xihu involved again?" Fan Xian asked in surprise. "How could a barbarian serve in the palace for so long without being discovered?"
"This barbarian's background is quite remarkable." Consort Yi thought for a moment, organized her words, and explained.
Only then did Fan Xian learn that this barbarian assassin who died at the hands of Eunuch Hong was a descendant of the "fake princess" who was sent to Xihu during the peace talks when Qing was founded. Although many years had passed, he still retained the appearance of the people of Qing. In fact, this peace talk was very famous, because when Xihu was beaten to its worst by Qing, they had once wanted to sue for peace and become a vassal state. They sent a team of descendants of the original peace envoy back to Kyoto, but the Qing people had resolutely refused their surrender.
That team later returned to Xihu in a very tragic state, but unexpectedly, they had left a master in Kyoto who chose to strike at this time.
"How did he get into the palace as a guard? Who handled the procedures?"
"The person who handled it is already dead." Consort Yi frowned. "So it has become an unsolved case."
Fan Xian raised a finger in his mind. He had finally grasped a three-dimensional aspect of this matter.
"The little eunuch is still alive. With the Supervisory Council's methods, they should be able to investigate clearly," he asked in a deep voice.
Consort Yi nodded. "It's being investigated very thoroughly. The little eunuch is a descendant of a prince who died in Kyoto fifteen years ago... during that turmoil. Too many people died in Kyoto that year, so a servant from the prince's mansion managed to escape with him in his arms. He was only just born at the time, so he wasn't on the registry and was missed... That servant probably committed suicide, and the baby was adopted by a farmer in the outskirts of Kyoto, later castrated himself, and entered the palace."
"How was the dagger hidden?" Fan Xian believed this was the real question. The little eunuch shouldn't be able to orchestrate such a situation.
Consort Yi's next words overturned Fan Xian's idea: "Three years ago, the little eunuch was responsible for cleaning the top floor of the Suspended Temple before the Chrysanthemum Appreciation Festival. That's when he hid it. The Supervisory Council has found the maker of the dagger and confirmed the time."
Fan Xian frowned. The little eunuch was a surviving participant in the bloody night fifteen years ago... He knew what that bloody night was about - the Emperor, Chen Pingping, and his father had used it to avenge his mother. At that time, the largest princely families in Qing were uprooted, and countless people died in Kyoto. Even the Empress's family was cut down, leaving only her alone to guard the palace... Who knew what this little eunuch represented behind him?
Xihu, a prince... These people did have the motive and courage to assassinate the Emperor, but... how did they all come together?
"Has the Ye family reacted in any way?" Fan Xian asked very seriously.
"What kind of reaction could they have?" Consort Yi smiled and shook her head. "Ye Zhong has submitted eight memorials to plead guilty and doesn't dare to return to Dingzhou. He's staying in his residence, handing over even the family's personal guards to the Kyoto Prefecture for management. He's being cautious beyond belief. We'll see how His Majesty handles it."
"His Majesty?" Fan Xian also laughed. "We'll see if Ye Liuyun returns to Kyoto."
The two were about to say something more when they faintly heard voices coming from a corner of the plum garden, so they fell silent and began to talk about other things. Fan Xian first expressed his apology for the harm done to the Yi Gong mansion because of the Baoyue Tower incident. Consort Yi, on behalf of the Duke's mansion, thanked Fan Xian for not being swayed by kinship and for daring to discipline the child, forcefully preventing the Duke's mansion from sliding into an unpredictable abyss in the future.
The host and guest enjoyed their conversation very much, and then they bid farewell.
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"What did you talk about?" Wan'er asked curiously, watching Consort Yi lead the Third Prince out of the garden. "This consort has always been content to stay in the palace with her simplicity and joy. Why does she look so nervous today?"
Fan Xian smiled, "The child is growing up. How can a mother be the same as before? When we have children in the future, you'll understand."
Lin Wan'er's face turned red, and she thought that her stomach didn't seem to be showing any signs of movement. But her husband was injured now, so she couldn't say much. She forced a smile and changed the subject, "What's going on outside? Is it a complete mess?"
Fan Xian softly repeated the news that Consort Yi had brought, glanced at the eunuchs and palace maids not far away, and said, "The wind is a bit cold. Let's go back inside."
Knowing that some things were not convenient to say in front of the servants of the palace, Wan'er and Ruo Ruo nodded and ordered the eunuchs to come and carry the soft couch.
...
...
After returning to the house and lying on the big bed, Fan Xian opened his eyes and looked at the top of the bed, wondering what he was thinking. After a long time, he finally said, "What do you think will happen to the Ye family this time?"
Since there was no one in the room now, he didn't need to be cautious about anything. He said directly, "Gong Dian must have received orders to go to Luozhou... and it definitely wasn't His Majesty's orders, otherwise, if Gong Dian cried injustice, even His Majesty wouldn't be able to clean up the mess."
A chill ran through his heart: "Although this trick is a bit absurd, it's very effective. The Empress Dowager secretly ordered Gong Dian to go to Luozhou to handle some matters. As the commander of the Imperial Guards, of course he had to go. But an assassin happened to appear at the Suspended Temple! If Gong Dian insists that it was the Empress Dowager's secret order that sent him out of the capital during the trial, it would be equivalent to declaring to the world that the Empress Dowager wanted to kill the Emperor? ... If Gong Dian doesn't want his nine generations to be implicated, he can only bury these words in his stomach and suffer such a great loss."
Lin Wan'er and Ruo Ruo were both intelligent people, and of course they didn't believe that the Empress Dowager had really arranged the Suspended Temple incident. Wan'er said with a worried expression, "Are you saying that Gong Dian's trip to Luozhou was arranged by Grandmother and His Majesty together?"
Fan Xian hummed in agreement.
Ruo Ruo frowned, "Why would they do that?"
Fan Xian said coldly, "Gong Dian is the commander of the Imperial Guards and also Ye Zhong's younger brother. He's in trouble this time, so the Ye family will naturally suffer along with him."
Wan'er was worried about her friend Ye Ling'er and sighed, "The Ye family has always been loyal. Why would His Majesty..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but everyone understood. Fan Xian sighed and said, "If His Majesty didn't suspect the Ye family's loyalty, of course he wouldn't choose to do this. But now that he already has doubts, he has no choice but to let the Ye family step aside. At least the important area of Kyoto can no longer be guarded by these two brothers... The most crucial issue is that the Ye family also has Qing's only grandmaster on the surface. As long as Ye Liuyun doesn't die, ordinary reasons simply can't touch the Ye family."
"That's why they used such a sinister trick that greatly tarnishes the royal family's dignity," Fan Xian sighed. "Aren't they afraid of chilling the hearts of the officials?"
"Why... does His Majesty suspect the Ye family?"
"It's very simple," Fan Xian explained. "His Majesty betrothed the Second Prince to Ye Ling'er... If Ye Zhong had seen it clearly, he should have rejected the marriage at that time. Even if he approved of this marriage, he should have resigned from his position as the Kyoto garrison commander at the first opportunity. If not to retire, even transferring to the border would have made His Majesty feel more at ease."
"But he didn't do either of those things, so..."
Lin Wan'er and Ruo Ruo nodded somberly. Ruo Ruo couldn't help but say, "There are so many twists and turns in this."
"When I was in Northern Qi, I guessed that there would be such a day," Fan Xian said. "I just didn't expect His Majesty to use such petty means."
Wan'er suddenly said, "So it seems that the assassination at the Suspended Temple that day was originally something His Majesty expected?"
Fan Xian looked at her and nodded: "I just don't know if all the events were calculated in advance, or if His Majesty only arranged one of them."
Lin Wan'er returned his gaze and said slowly, "His Majesty doesn't like taking risks in this life, so... he would at most set a fire."
The couple looked at each other in silence for a long time, both seemed to be a little frightened. If the fire at the Suspended Temple was arranged by His Majesty, then who arranged the subsequent series of attacks?
Fan Xian slowly closed his eyes and said softly, "The assassin's scheme was arranged too cleverly, so cleverly that I simply don't believe that this is a single plan that an organization, or rather, several organizations, could have arranged."
"It's just a coincidence," he continued. "It's just that several assassins buried in the palace suddenly discovered that the situation at the Suspended Temple was very suitable for their sudden outburst. So, without discussion and without premeditation, consecutive assassinations suddenly erupted."
Finally, he said to himself, "Obviously, this is a god-level situation, a god-level situation that was completely unexpected by His Majesty."
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In that gloomy building not far from the Imperial Palace, Chen Pingping sat in his wheelchair, saying nothing. The seven leaders below were also silent, not knowing what to say. The Emperor was assassinated. In addition to the Imperial Guards taking the greatest responsibility, the Supervisory Council also had to bear a great consequence.
If not for the Director currently lying in the palace, saving the situation, perhaps the Supervisory Council would have been like the Ye family, waiting for the palace to come and knead them.
Yan Bingyun, who had officially taken office as the head of the Fourth Bureau, opened his mouth coldly, breaking the silence in the secret room: "The assassin from Xihu buried in the Imperial Guards, the little eunuch who survived the bloody night fifteen years ago, the legendary younger brother of Sigu Jian, these people can't possibly come together to plan such a situation... and the fire, who set it, hasn't been found out yet. According to the news from various places, the Northern Qi Brocade Guards are currently in chaos and have no time to plan this matter. The Eastern Yi City has no signs of planning this matter either."
The acting head of the Sixth Bureau also opened his mouth coldly: "And Sigu Jian has a younger brother, that's just a legendary thing... No one even knows if this person really exists."
The head of the Supervisory Council's Second Bureau, responsible for intelligence collation and analysis, had an apologetic expression on his face, and said with shame: "There's no intelligence at all. Although I am derelict in my duties, I believe that to plan such an assassination, intelligence exchanges are indispensable, and we would have always caught some threads, but there isn't a single thread!... I can only believe that there hasn't been any real contact between the several parties involved in the assassination. In fact, I would like to boldly judge that those few assassins didn't even know each other!"
Chen Pingping, sitting in his wheelchair, slowly opened his eyes and looked at his subordinates with somewhat cloudy eyes, thinking that His Majesty ordered someone to set the fire, so of course you can't catch them. As for the assassin from Xihu, the bold little eunuch, God knows where they came from. His Majesty and I aren't real gods.
"This is a god-level situation," the old man yawned, "It's just a coincidence, there's no need to think so much."
(In a bad mood, the post pinned to the top of the book review section that was suitable for pregnant women to watch has mysteriously disappeared. I don't know if it was a mistake on my part or something else. I searched for it for a long time but couldn't find it. It's heartbreaking!)