Niao Ni
Chapter 344 Auspicious Omens from the Heavens
Whether copper walls or cloud-turtles and azure birds, all were classified as auspicious omens. Officials from various regions hastened to submit memorials, lavishing praise. However, the Emperor in the capital was somewhat dismissive.
This shameless trend of auspicious omens had originated in Northern Qi the previous year. It was said that after the first snowfall on the Western Mountains, woodcutters discovered white deer, white wolves, and white foxes, which they regarded as good omens and reported to the Northern Qi Emperor.
Grandmaster Ku He interpreted this as a sign from the heavens, affirming the rulers' benevolent governance, and thus reopened his mountain gate. Outside the capital, in a temple, he accepted a female disciple, who later entered the imperial palace as Si Lili.
This trend then spread south, and similar occurrences began to appear throughout Qing. However, the Qing Emperor was evidently a stern man who did not revere gods. It was only when the Director of the Astronomical Observatory, trembling with excitement, announced that he had observed auspicious stars and clouds, that the Qing Emperor began to take the matter seriously.
Auspicious omens, also known as auspicious symbols, were traditionally believed to be small miracles performed by heaven to express satisfaction with the rulers' governance. They were a transmission of divine will, deeply believed by the common people. The types of auspicious omens were extremely diverse, including favorable weather and abundant harvests, rice with double ears, and the emergence of sweet springs, among others.
Auspicious omens were divided into five grades. Aside from mythical creatures like unicorns, which were impossible to find and classified as "Jiarui" (excellent omens), the remaining grades were "Darui" (major omens), "Shangrui" (superior omens), "Zhongrui" (medium omens), and "Xiarui" (inferior omens).
White wolves and white foxes were superior omens, azure birds and crimson geese were inferior omens, while the "auspicious stars and clouds" reported by the Astronomical Observatory were celestial phenomena, a true "Darui," and its name contained the character "Qing," the name of the Qing Kingdom. Even the reserved and suspicious Qing Emperor seemed to be growing complacent, for even emperors were fond of flattery.
This year was sure to be a year of favorable weather.
Since it was a good year, there should be no war. Invoking the auspicious omens, the state exchanges between Northern Qi and Southern Qing became more frequent, especially with the impending marriage between the First Prince and the eldest princess of Northern Qi. Northern Qi dispatched a sizable delegation.
To the shock and glory of the people of Southern Qing, Grandmaster Ku He of Northern Qi was also accompanying the delegation to serve as the officiant for the wedding!
Grandmaster Ku He held an extraordinary position in the world. He was not only one of the top grandmasters, but Tian Yi Dao also subtly influenced the temples and wandering ascetics throughout the land. While the temples generally stayed out of worldly affairs, this implicit prestige far exceeded the influence of even a martial arts master at the peak of their power.
As a result, while the people of Qing were proud and honored, the reception arrangements had to be revised. With Ye Liuyun's whereabouts unknown, the only one who could properly receive Ku He seemed to be the Qing Emperor himself. But the officials of the Honglu Temple of Qing dared not suggest that the Emperor personally receive him.
In the end, the Empress Dowager, unable to bear the officials' panic, stepped in and resolved the matter, following the established rules of Scholar Zhuang Mo Han and inviting Grandmaster Ku He to the palace, where she would be responsible for his reception.
However, upon arriving in Kyoto, Master Ku He politely declined the invitation and instead took up residence in the Qing Temple, which was in keeping with his status.
As befitting a grandmaster, although the two countries were distinct, the people of Qing showed sufficient respect. Aside from their courtesy, they were also curious. The world speculated: although the marriage between the two nations was a significant event, surely it would not have warranted his personal presence?
Several days after the Northern Qi delegation entered Kyoto, the true purpose of Ku He's visit to the Southern Dynasty seemed to be revealed.
The Emperor of Northern Qi had personally written a letter stating his desire to reconcile with Southern Qing, extending the agreement drafted the previous year for ten thousand years. The two countries would refer to each other as brothers, regardless of status, focusing solely on new friendship, and remaining friendly for generations to come.
Such an important negotiation naturally required Ku He's personal presence. The Qing Emperor, holding the letter from his northern counterpart, pondered for several days before finally nodding slightly, perhaps giving Ku He some face.
As soon as the news came out, the world rejoiced. Even though the people of Qing were martial, they ultimately preferred peaceful days. Only the military harbored a hint of anger, feeling that the court was now strong enough to unify the world, so why put a few pieces of paper over their heads? Although not heavy, it made breathing a bit difficult.
However, Old Qin, the leader of the military, saw the world clearly and did not care. He only occasionally said to his closest confidants: "Northern Qi's recovery speed is unexpected. It will be difficult to use troops in the next few years. This agreement is just a few pieces of paper. We can tear it up when the time comes. It's not like our Emperor hasn't done this kind of thing before?"
But Ku He's other purpose for coming to Kyoto shocked all the officials and people of Kyoto: he wanted to take the only daughter of Vice Minister Fan - Miss Fan - as his disciple!
Master Ku He's reasoning was sufficient: he said that during the months around the conjunction of yin and yang at the end of the year, auspicious omens fell from the sky, indicating the benevolence of Heaven. Tian Yi Dao adhered to the theory of the unity of heaven and man, acting in accordance with the will of Heaven and cultivating human talent to benefit the people. Since this was an act of serving Heaven, it was not limited by national borders. Northern Qi had auspicious omens, so he accepted a disciple. Southern Qing had auspicious omens, so he would naturally accept another disciple, and that was why he came to Kyoto in person.
The news of Grandmaster Ku He of Tian Yi Dao reopening his mountain gate had spread throughout the world the previous year, but the people of Southern Qing had never thought that this matter would have anything to do with them. They never imagined that a closed-door female disciple of Tian Yi Dao would appear in Kyoto.
As for why he chose Miss Fan - this became a question in everyone's mind. Not many people would associate it with Fan Xian, who was far away in Jiangnan. After all, no matter how arrogant and powerful Fan Xian was, he had no ability to order Master Ku He to seek benefits for him.
Ku He did not explain the criteria for choosing a disciple. However, rumors spread through some eunuchs responsible for serving him, and people learned that Master Ku He had once wandered among the people in Kyoto and stood silently in front of the Taiyi Hospital for half a day. Afterwards, his face showed warmth and appreciation, and he said that a certain woman in the hospital was kind, pure, and intelligent, truly a talented person.
That day, Fan Ruoruo was "interning" in the Taiyi Hospital, carefully caring for the critically ill patients in the hospital with the nursing knowledge and medical skills she had learned in the past few months. She did not take off her clothes, her lips were slightly dry, and her winter clothes were soaked with sweat, very hard working.
In this world, there is a saying called "Literature and martial arts have no borders." Zhuang Mo Han's students from Northern Qi were high-ranking officials in Qing, and the people of Qing would only feel honored, not have other feelings, that the Master Ku He from Northern Qi wanted to take Qing people as disciples. Therefore, there was no major reaction from the people, but rather some optimism.
However, Ku He taking a disciple was a big deal in itself, and the disciple was a young lady from an official's family, so he naturally had to seek the opinion of the elders in her family. Even Fan Jian did not dare to make a decision on this matter, and had to go to the palace to ask for the Emperor's decree.
In the heavy palace, the Qing Emperor sat on the dragon chair with a slight frown. After a long silence, he only asked one sentence: "Does Anzhi dislike Hongcheng so much?"
Fan Jian was startled and did not know what to say.
A smile flashed in the Emperor's eyes, but he was also surprised by Fan Xian's reach and energy. He also felt that Ku He loved that woman named Haitang too much and was not a threat. In addition, he had exiled Fan Xian to Jiangnan, so he felt a little guilty, so he waved his hand and agreed to this matter.
Not long after the First Prince got married, Ku He left the delegation and left Kyoto with Fan Ruoruo.
As a result, the marriage between the Fan family and the Jing Prince's family was postponed indefinitely, only to see when it would truly die out. Li Hongcheng, the son of Jing Prince, was originally under house arrest, but suddenly heard the bad news and almost vomited blood. After Jing Prince learned about this, he made a big fuss in the palace, which finally caused the Empress Dowager to come forward and appease him.
But after Jing Prince returned to the mansion, he could not swallow this breath. He led a group of gardeners and thugs from the Prince's mansion and rushed directly to the mansion of Fan Shangshu, who had been friends for generations. Regardless of the front or back houses, they smashed everything in a chaotic manner, turning the entire Fan mansion into a tattered garbage dump, destroying countless antiques that Fan Jian had treasured for many years, and scaring the Fan mansion's maids out of their wits. Finally, Jing Prince punched Fan Shangshu, who had rushed back to the mansion, in the eye, leaving a black mark, and then proudly led his troops back to the mansion, slightly relieving the anger in his chest.
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Jiangnan land, by the West Lake, no lotus in early spring, fine rain like silk.
Fan Xian and his party had been living in Hangzhou for nearly a month. Although it was called a vacation, he was just staying in Jiangnan, where spring was approaching, and of course, there was a deeper meaning. During these days, the Jiangnan branch of the Inspection Bureau had begun to operate with all its might, no longer having to go through Kyoto for any affairs, as it had done in the past, but directly submitting them to the manor by the West Lake.
This manor had become the second power center of the Inspection Bureau besides the main courtyard in Kyoto.
The situation of the officials in Jiangnan Road, the detailed rules for dividing the profits of the Ming family and those salt merchants, and the recent movements of the Neiku in the past few months were all summarized by the Fourth Division official sitting in the manor, and then reported to Fan Xian. Without the distance of the region, the Inspection Bureau's control over Jiangnan had been further increased. However, because the Ming family reacted very quickly, they had already started to arrange it as early as last autumn, and the Ming family itself was a giant clan in the local area, and the people they employed were all family members, so the Bureau's inserted nails were not high enough and did not obtain very useful information.
On the contrary, the Jiangnan Water Village that was subdued in Shazhou began to play an unexpected role for Fan Xian at this time. Xia Xifei was a person with far-sightedness, and had long been thinking about taking back the Ming family, and had been preparing for many years, so he had a more detailed grasp of the Ming family's shipping channels and related information than the Inspection Bureau.
The Ming family had been strangely quiet, but it was said that there had already been a high-level gathering in Suzhou, which was obviously aimed at Fan Xian's arrival, but that gathering was very secretive, and the Inspection Bureau had not found any news about it.
However, with Fan Xian's status and status, plus the Third Prince who he was nominally educating, neither the Ming family nor the many officials in Jiangnan Road had the courage to take the lead in provoking him. As for Yun Zhilan and others from Dongyi City, they were originally just here to support the Ming family, but who would have thought that Fan Xian would start the dog-expelling operation so unreasonably?
A god living in the world may be able to hide in the market for a long time, but a group of gods can never completely cover up their whereabouts. The Peng family manor, which had been uninhabited for many years, suddenly had more people living in it. Whether it was the purchase of food, vegetables, and fruits, or the entry of those valuable daily necessities into the manor, people with discerning eyes in Hangzhou could guess a thing or two.
Therefore, after more than ten days, the news that Supervisor Fan was in Hangzhou had spread like wildfire throughout Jiangnan Road, but he was hiding in the manor to avoid seeing guests. The Hangzhou prefect came to the door once, but was politely and firmly denied by the doorman. Everyone knew that Supervisor Fan was still on vacation and did not want to be disturbed.
However, everyone was also guessing what Fan Xian was preparing for after being so quiet for so long? Because he was quiet, the people in the officialdom and Jianghu were only forced to be quiet as well. The number of people sending gifts to the big ships on the river did not decrease, and the Ming family also moved out several other houses by the West Lake very respectfully, for fear of disturbing the tranquility of the Supervisor.
The manor by the West Lake was quiet, but it attracted the attention of countless people.
……
……
A small boat floated on the lake. Two young men dressed as scholars were sitting on the bow and stern of the boat, with a low table in the middle, with light fruits and vegetables and Jiangnan rice wine on it, which was very unrestrained.
The two people were Fan Xian and Haitang after disguising themselves. They did not apply powder or other things to their faces, but Fan Xian skillfully trimmed some corners of their eyebrows, and slightly raised the ends of their eyebrows upwards with glue. Once the eyebrows changed, the appearance of the two people changed a lot. If they were not familiar with them, they would not be able to recognize them.
At this time, the boat was slowly traveling in a remote corner of the West Lake. Today, after the light rain had just stopped, the air on the lake was very fresh.
Recently, Fan Xian often boats on the lake with Haitang, partly because he loves the scenery of the lake and mountains here, and partly because Fan Xian is learning the mental method of Tian Yi Dao. According to Haitang, he must be close to nature at all times, using the vitality of heaven and earth to repair the abused meridians in his body.
It is also mysterious. After Fan Xian practiced the mental method of Tian Yi Dao, he no longer accumulates Qi in the snowy mountains, but turns to the Dantian. The zhenqi that is gradually formed is like carrying a touch of fresh taste, slowly moisturizing on the meridian tube wall, moisturizing the dry and damaged meridians. Being on the West Lake and being close to the natural beauty, with the cool lake water reflecting the white clouds and blue sky below, and the slightly sparse mountain forest under the mountain initially showing its green face, the practice of the mental method is indeed much faster.
Fan Xian believes that what Haitang said is reasonable, but he knows that the more critical reason is that his zhenqi cycle is one more than ordinary martial arts practitioners. He practiced the skill of circulating back and forth from the body to the outside of the body too much in the past. In the past, it was only used for rock climbing, but now he knows that it is of great benefit to his mind and his perception of heaven and earth.
He closed his eyes, half lying on the bow of the boat, his right hand resting on the gunwale of the boat intentionally or unintentionally, his fingertips seemingly touching the slightly rippling lake surface. A faint and imperceptible zhenqi slowly overflowed from his fingertips, and as soon as it touched the lake water, it gently retracted back into his body, causing fine ripples to vibrate on the lake water where his fingertips were pointing.
Haitang gently paddled the oars, her bright eyes like lake water, paying attention to Fan Xian's fingertips. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she sighed secretly. She thought that this young man's understanding and opportunities were rare in the world. Like the scene in front of her, the zhenqi left the body and returned, stained with the breath of nature, which was obviously the phenomenon of the third level of the Tian Yi Dao mental method. Although she was known as a genius in the world, it took her five years to comprehend this realm, but Fan Xian...it has only been ten days!
Although Fan Xian's current realm is much higher than when she first entered the sect, and his comprehension ability is much stronger, the speed of his progress still made Haitang feel a trace of incredibility and fear. Fan Xian now possesses both the North and South's two great unique skills, and he also holds great power in his hands. Moreover, he has a good reputation among the people of the world. If such a person...enters the evil path in the future, who can stop him?
In fact, Fan Xian's understanding of martial arts is far inferior to Haitang's, but the reason why he can practice the mental method of Tian Yi Dao so smoothly is partly because Haitang teaches him without any reservations, partly because Fan Xian's foundation of zhenqi when he was a child was solid, and the third point is what I mentioned earlier, Fan Xian is extremely familiar with this method of zhenqi going and returning. He is a stingy person, but he happened to cater to the method of Tian Yi Dao practice.
Seeming to feel what Haitang was thinking, Fan Xian woke up from his meditation, slowly opened his eyes, looked at Haitang with a smile, and said, "Don't worry, if I really want to break the contract, I wouldn't let that Northern Qi person you brought to Jiangnan come into contact with so many things."
In his agreement with Haitang, or to be precise, Fan Xian's agreement with the Northern Qi royal family, after Princess Chang's downfall, the goods smuggled to the north by the Neiku would still not be reduced, and there would be a great improvement in the quality and grade, even including some goods that were strictly prohibited from leaving the country, Fan Xian agreed to the requirements of the Northern Qi people.
What is wonderful is that the Northern Qi person that Haitang brought to Jiangnan is an official of the Northern Qi court. He is a director of the Ministry of Revenue, but he is also the Si Yu of the Ministry of Works. He also floated in the Ministry of War for a while. This official has not made much progress in his career, but he is a versatile person. He can calculate accounts, knows the structure of weapons, and is more proficient in cargo inspection. It is really a very appropriate choice for Haitang to bring him here to be responsible for the transaction with the Southern Qing Neiku.
"I am a person who values promises very much." Fan Xian looked at Haitang and said, "I will definitely do what I promised you in Kyoto."
"We are the same." Haitang smiled slightly, released the oar handle, and let the boat drift horizontally on the lake. She said, "You should have received the news, the teacher has already left Kyoto with Miss Fan."
Before Fan Xian could speak, she continued: "Fan Sizhe has also begun to gradually take over the Cui family's industries within our country. You should know that if it weren't for His Majesty's nod, these things should have been included in the national treasury, and would not have become your private property."
Fan Xian shook his head and said, "The Cui family was originally a citizen of our Great Qing. Even if he commits a crime and is arrested, of course, our Great Qing people should take over."
Haitang ignored his sophistry and continued: "And I have also given you the mental method as promised. I think neither of us has anything to criticize about the first part of the agreement."
Fan Xian nodded. This was a deal that was extremely beneficial to both parties, but he didn't know why he trusted the Northern Qi people so much. Haitang also seemed very incomprehensible about this, and frowned and said: "Anzhi, you sent your sister and younger brother to Kyoto. Don't say that you did it unintentionally...why is this?"
Fan Xian smiled, knowing that the other party had finally noticed something, but it was impossible to answer her directly. Did he want to tell a foreigner that he was worried that one day His Majesty the Emperor would suddenly make a big reshuffle, so he wanted to leave some backup plans in another country in the world?
He waved his hand and said, "What's so strange about this? As long as our agreement continues to be fulfilled, I believe that whether it is you or that...His Majesty the Little Emperor, will protect my family."
Haitang raised her eyebrows and said, "If things are exposed, how will you face the people of Qing up and down?"
"Face it? I have no face at all." Fan Xian said with a smile, "Although I don't think I am a traitor, people will definitely think that I am the biggest Qing traitor."
Haitang smiled, speechless at his frank and rogue nature. Fan Xian then smiled and said, "Besides, for this world, I don't mind being an internationalist."
……
……
"The auspicious omens in various places of Qing, are you behind them?" Haitang asked in a low voice.
Fan Xian did not deny it. The events in Wuzhou and Shazhou were naturally done by the Inspection Bureau. As for the auspicious stars and clouds observed by the Astronomical Observatory...don't forget that the former Director of the Astronomical Observatory was a member of the Second Prince and was invited to drink tea by the Inspection Bureau on a dark and windy night. He has not been released until today. The current Astronomical Observatory has a very ambiguous relationship with Fan Xian.
He thought to himself, the Little Emperor of Northern Qi is wearing a leaf on his head in the north and doing three white things, and I have few wild animals on the snowy mountains here, but if the whole auspicious cloud comes out, it can always overwhelm you. In the secret letter from His Majesty, it is obvious that he is quite satisfied with his arrangement, and there is a bit of pride in his words.
"His Majesty the Emperor of Qing..." Haitang considered her words: "Although he has rarely shown his face in these years, everyone in the world knows that His Majesty is talented, especially this time the teacher accepted your sister as his closed-door disciple, it is difficult to say that he will not guess something."
Fan Xian nodded: "These things can't be hidden from His Majesty. As a subject, I will not hide anything. I have already written a secret memorial about the relevant matters and submitted it."
Haitang was slightly surprised and said, "You are so frank, what is there that you won't say?"
Fan Xian frowned and said very seriously: "For example, moving the Neiku's silver to your own home, it is of course not good to tell His Majesty about this."
The boat fell into silence again, and the lake also became silent again. Fan Xian looked at Haitang with a slight frown, and found that after half a year, this girl's character seemed to have changed a little, perhaps because she had just been involved in the affairs of the court, which had ultimately caused a slight impact on her mood.
Facing Haitang, Fan Xian was actually a little uneasy. In the days of getting along from last year to today, he adhered to the principle of remembering it with one word, which is heart, and tried to be frank and sincere in his interactions, and even said some childish words. On the one hand, he really cherished Haitang as a friend, and on the other hand, he wanted to influence this woman from the heart and gain a powerful help - the starting point was with interests, which made him a little ashamed.
A burst of rapid hooves came from the lakeside. Fan Xian turned his head and looked over, and saw a steed galloping along the stone road by the lake, driving righteously to the gate of Peng's manor, which officials had not dared to visit again for many days. A somewhat familiar official jumped off the horse and pounded on the door angrily.
(So many votes, are the cylinders trying to scare me to death? I can only say thank you.)