Niao Ni
Chapter 262: Leaving the Palace to Become a Master
Fan Xian responded with a smile, "After months apart, your first words are to tease me. You, the esteemed Heir Apparent of Jingwang, the fifth most sought-after young gentleman in Kyoto, why must you pick on a poor soul like me?" Apart from the four princes, Li Hongcheng naturally held the most esteemed position among the younger generation. Fan Xian deliberately ranked him as the fifth gentleman, which might seem frivolous in normal circumstances, but between the two of them, it felt extremely intimate.
Li Hongcheng paused slightly, thinking that this guy usually didn't bother with me in Kyoto and that his gentle smile always carried a trace of deeply hidden aloofness, so why was he changing his nature today? Thinking of something, and believing he understood, he laughed heartily, "You, a poor soul? His Majesty is so fond of you that he even kept you behind after the court session. Such a poor soul, I'm afraid those officials in Kyoto would hate to gnash their teeth and bear it."
Fan Xian waved his hand, saying nothing. Teng Zijing, who had been waiting outside the palace, had already come up to greet him, but seeing that the Heir Apparent was talking to his young master, he didn't know how to interrupt, so he quickly said, "Young Master, Master said earlier that I should follow you."
Li Hongcheng laughed, "What? Is Lord Fan worried that I'll get Fan Xian drunk?"
Fan Xian said from the side, "Then you should follow along."
As they spoke, the Fan residence's carriage drove over. Li Hongcheng was having a servant of his Jingwang residence lead his horse over when he turned back, curious, and asked, "What? You still only want to sit in a carriage and refuse to ride a horse?"
Fan Xian said, "There's no rush, what's the point of riding a horse?"
Li Hongcheng couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, "If the people of Kyoto didn't know that you were both cultured and martial, judging by your actions alone, they would probably look down on you, thinking you were just a useless scholar without the strength to truss a chicken." Qing was a martial nation, and young people took pride in being good at riding. Fan Xian, however, went against the grain. When there was a carriage to sit in, he resolutely refused to ride a horse. This idiosyncrasy had spread throughout Kyoto in the past year.
Fan Xian cursed with a laugh and walked towards the carriage, saying, "Riding a horse makes my ass sore."
The Jingwang residence's guards and attendants had already surrounded them, along with the Fan residence's guards and servants, forming a small team of more than a dozen people, guarding a tall horse and an unremarkable black carriage, heading slowly towards the east of the city.
Kyoto had no curfew. Although it was dusk, there were still many people on the streets. Looking at the eye-catching team, they recognized the handsome young man on the horse and the square mark on the carriage, and knew who they were. The people of Kyoto knew about the return of the delegation, so since they were walking with the Heir Apparent of Jingwang, the carriage must contain that legendary illegitimate son of the Fan family, now Lord Fan. They couldn't help but stop and watch. Some bold students even shouted towards the carriage, "Immortal Fan, Immortal Fan."
Last year's palace banquet had been talked about for a long time among the people of Kyoto, and the act of gifting books by Zhuang Mohan in Northern Qi had become a well-known anecdote with the deliberate promotion of the Eighth Bureau of the Imperial Censorate, further enhancing Fan Xian's reputation. Later, when the poem "Do you know? Do you know?" spread as a new work by the Immortal Poet, the people learned that Lord Fan dared to openly court Grandmaster Ku He's closed-door female disciple, Haitang, in broad daylight in the Northern Qi capital, in front of countless young Northern Qi nobles. Every time the people of Kyoto thought of this, they felt a surge of excitement, as if this matter was even more glorious than Zhuang Mohan's gifting of books - See? That Haitang that you revere as a saint is just a flower bud waiting to be picked in the hands of our Lord Fan!
Fan Xian had brought glory to the people of Qing, so the people of Kyoto naturally had to bring glory to Lord Fan. Along the way, people were constantly greeting and saluting Fan Xian on the side of the street, mostly scholars, and occasionally some blushing young women would give a slight bow.
Lord Fan was deeply loved by the people, so naturally everyone overlooked the Heir Apparent of Jingwang, although he was also the most pampered figure in Kyoto. However, the Heir Apparent of Jingwang didn't seem to have any unpleasant expression on his face, but instead smiled happily, as if the respect Fan Xian received was also his glory.
Listening to the discussions and greetings outside the carriage, one would expect Fan Xian to at least have a satisfied smile on his face, even if he didn't open the window and wave like a certain leader from another world. But who would have thought that the corners of his lips were only curved into a helpless bitter smile.
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The place that the Heir Apparent had arranged for Fan Xian's welcome banquet was still at Yi Shi Ju, the same restaurant where Fan Xian had made his famous remarks about style and character when he first entered Kyoto. This restaurant was considered luxurious in Kyoto, but not quiet enough, far from being the most exquisite eatery. Fan Xian couldn't help but wonder why Hongcheng had chosen this place, but he didn't have any objections.
It wasn't until he got out of the carriage that he realized Yi Shi Ju was unexpectedly quiet today. There were few pedestrians on the long street in front of the building, and the usually bustling building was even quieter. Fortunately, the lights inside were bright, otherwise he would have suspected that this top-notch money-grabbing restaurant had closed down due to business failure during his months of being an envoy.
Seeing a hint of doubt in Fan Xian's eyes, Li Hongcheng didn't play any tricks, and said with a smile, "I booked it for today."
Fan Xian smiled wryly and said, "Although you are a noble Heir Apparent, this is too much of a fanfare. I don't know how many dignitaries come and go to Yi Shi Ju every day, but you've made others suffer for my sake. I'm afraid it will cause jealousy. If you want quiet, there are plenty of places in the west of the city. Even if you like the taste here, booking a floor would be enough. The whole restaurant waiting for the two of us is too ostentatious. Jingwang won't say anything about you, but if it spreads to the palace, it won't be good."
Li Hongcheng was touched by his sincere words and looked at him for a moment without speaking. He then smiled and said, "What are you afraid of? I'm afraid everyone in the world knows that my father loves to grow flowers, but I love to pick them. I've always been reckless, and I can't get rid of the title of a libertine Heir Apparent anyway, so what does it matter?"
Fan Xian knew that he could indeed afford to put on this show with his status, and shook his head with a smile, "You, you're about to get married, and you still don't know how to restrain yourself."
Hearing him mention his marriage, Li Hongcheng showed a faint joy on his face, but was a little embarrassed to talk about it more, so he said, "Don't be too careful. You should know that the power in your hands is not small now, plus the good wife you're marrying... Let me be frank with you, in the palace and in the residence, we juniors naturally have to know our place, but once we leave the palace and the residence, we are the real masters, so who cares what others say!"
These words were reckless, exaggerated, and arrogant, but they didn't offend anyone when spoken by Li Hongcheng.
Fan Xian had also been holding back a lot of anger in the palace, so he just smiled and followed him into the building. Unexpectedly, when he reached the bottom of the building, looking at the three gilded characters "Yi Shi Ju" personally written by Lord Pan Ling on the plaque, Li Hongcheng stopped and pointed his hand, asking, "Do you remember where we first met?"
Fan Xian laughed, "It was here."
"That's right, but in just one year, you, who made great remarks about style and character and said you looked down on so-called talented people, have now become the most famous talented person in the world." Li Hongcheng couldn't help but shake his head and laugh, "If you could have imagined that the grand master Zhuang Mohan would pass on his inheritance to you at the end of his life, would you still have been in the mood to scold those talented people at that time?"
Fan Xian couldn't help but feel emotional when he thought about what had happened in the past year, and sighed, "I didn't know what the end of the year would bring. Don't laugh at me. At that time, I was just an illegitimate son who had just entered Kyoto and had never seen anything before. Naturally, there were bound to be a few baskets of complaints in my stomach."
Li Hongcheng looked at him with a smile, knowing that the reason why this young friend was able to change so much in one year was due to three major factors: the Emperor's favor, Lord Fan Shangshu's secret protection, and the gains from the marriage alliance. However, the other party had become the head of the Imperial Censorate and had a seat in the Imperial Study at such a young age. Without some real ability, that would be impossible. Moreover, the Semi-Idle Collection of Poems had been published several times, which was evidence that everyone in the world could see.
Regarding the duties of the Imperial Censorate, the dignitaries in Kyoto didn't directly connect Chen Pingping with Fan Xian, but only thought that this was His Majesty's will and that Chen Pingping was just following orders like a loyal dog.
"Although you always drag me to Liujing River, I haven't relied on that little bit of talent to deceive pitiful women." Fan Xian looked at the slightly stunned Li Hongcheng, laughed heartily, and patted his shoulder, "So those crappy talented people, I still have to scold them."
In his heart, Haitang, who had been fooled by his poems, was naturally not a pitiful woman.
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The two of them stood in front of the Yi Shi Ju restaurant, "reminiscing about the past and looking forward to the future," expressing their emotions. The shopkeepers and waiters in the restaurant were extremely nervous. Although they didn't know how the owner was able to invite the Heir Apparent to hold the welcome banquet here, if Lord Fan's first meal outside after returning to Kyoto was at Yi Shi Ju, the restaurant's reputation would rise to a higher level. The money would be rolling in like white snow. Although Yi Shi Ju was already famous enough, who would complain about having more fame, power, and money?
Fortunately, they weren't nervous for too long. Li Hongcheng and Fan Xian walked into the restaurant arm in arm. The Wang residence's guards, who had been guarding both ends of the street, immediately withdrew and stood guard at the entrance of the restaurant. At the same time, a waiter had already led the Fan residence's carriage and attendants to another place.
With a creak, the door of Yi Shi Ju closed. This was probably the first time the restaurant had closed its doors in its thirty-four years of business in Kyoto.
As the door closed, Li Hongcheng seemed to unintentionally turn his head and spotted a few secret agents in ordinary clothes occupying the key positions around the restaurant. He knew that they were Imperial Censorate personnel protecting Fan Xian, but he couldn't even tell which Bureau they were from. The Heir Apparent sighed in his heart and said to Fan Xian, "You still say I'm arrogant. Look, you even have the Imperial Censorate guarding the door when you eat, and the Tiger Guards protecting you when you're on a mission. When it comes to arrogance, I'm really not as good as you."
At this time, the two of them had already gone up to the third floor. Separated by two screens, a small round table was already set with a few exquisite "cold appetizers." Fan Xian didn't stand on ceremony and sat down on the stool before explaining, "The Tiger Guards were assigned to the delegation, and they were withdrawn as soon as we returned to Kyoto. As for the Imperial Censorate..." He smiled wryly and said, "After the incident on Niu Lan Street, do you think the Bureau would dare to let me wander around Kyoto alone?"
Speaking of this, Li Hongcheng pretended to be angry and cursed, "You're really not kind enough. You silently became the head of the Imperial Censorate. Looking at how nervous the Imperial Censorate was after Niu Lan Street, it seems that you were already... If it hadn't been for the incident at the Ministry of Justice, I would have been kept in the dark."
All in all, when the Niu Lan Street murder incident happened, Fan Xian hadn't yet caused a stir with his poetry and alarmed the Emperor. The Heir Apparent was actually trying to get information out of him. Not only him, but even the Second Prince had never fully understood why the Emperor trusted Fan Xian so much.
Fan Xian didn't explain. He wiped his hands with a hot towel and began to drink with him, saying that he had been away for too long and had forgotten the taste of Kyoto wine. Li Hongcheng smiled wryly, knowing that the other party wouldn't explain to him.
Before long, the first course was served. Knowing that the Heir Apparent and Lord Fan had something to say, the shopkeepers and waiters tactfully didn't say anything and retreated. Fan Xian used the tip of his chopsticks to pick up a piece of fish belly, put it in his mouth, smacked his lips a few times, and washed it down with a mouthful of wine, looking extremely comfortable.
Li Hongcheng sized him up and teased, "You don't eat first-class bear paws, but keep fussing over a fish. You still can't get rid of your narrow perspective."
Fan Xian blurted out, "Bear paws are what I want, fish are what I want, but I can't have both, so I'll give up bear paws for fish."
Hearing him say something interesting, Li Hongcheng asked with a smile, "Why?"
Fan Xian slapped his forehead and said with a hearty laugh, "You don't understand, it's purely a matter of being pedantic when reading books in the past."
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Since it was a welcome banquet, it shouldn't have been so deserted, but Fan Xian had sent word yesterday, asking the Heir Apparent to consider the hardship of the journey and not to bring a large group of people to accompany him. In addition, the Heir Apparent vaguely knew that Fan Xian's backyard was on fire because of that little poem, so he didn't call for any courtesans to accompany them. However, Li Hongcheng was also a noble young man who was accustomed to treating people gently. The two of them were already familiar with each other. They talked about their experiences in Northern Qi, chatted idly, drank wine, and ate food. It was light but pleasant, and Fan Xian could finally be seven parts himself. He ate extremely comfortably.
After a few rounds of urgent drinking, the Heir Apparent couldn't handle the alcohol and cursed at Fan Xian, "I heard that you get drunk as soon as you drink in Northern Qi. How come you've become an immortal in front of me?"
Fan Xian was well-versed in medicine and his internal energy was overbearing. How could he be knocked down by a few glasses of wine? The reason why he got drunk when he drank with Haitang in Northern Qi last time was because he wanted to vent his depression and deliberately sought to get drunk. Hearing Li Hongcheng's words at this time, he laughed, "What good would it do me to get drunk in front of you, a big man?"
Li Hongcheng suddenly showed a look of longing and asked softly, "That Haitang girl... is she really as beautiful as a celestial being?"
Fan Xian spat out a mouthful of wine. Fortunately, he turned quickly and only spat it on the ground. He laughed and cursed, "Could it be that the reason you invited me to dinner today was for this sentence?"
After three rounds of wine, Fan Xian's eyes became brighter as he drank, and Li Hongcheng's drunkenness rose. He pointed at Fan Xian's delicate face and said, "Fan Xian, I don't know what you encountered on this mission, but now I see that your face is a little different."
Fan Xian subconsciously touched his cheek and asked curiously, "What's different?"
Li Hongcheng scratched his head, spilling wine all over the floor, seemingly thinking about how to word it. After a long while, he laughed loudly and said, "If I were to say that in the past, your face always had a shallow smile, like now, which made people want to get close to you, but it always hid a trace of separation, as if you didn't want others to get too close to you. But now your smile doesn't have that trace of deliberate purity, it just makes people feel at ease, and your eyes are clear. Whether it's your words or your demeanor, you're like a piece of uncut jade that has been polished, warm and moist."
Fan Xian smiled very appropriately, thinking that this was probably the change brought about by the night in the cave. He had finally figured out some things and began to regard himself as a member of this world from the depths of his heart, and began to make real plans for his future. Emanating from within and taking shape on the outside, naturally there were changes.
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Li Hongcheng gradually became drunk, but Fan Xian was extremely sober.
"I know that you've been appointed to manage the Internal Treasury today." Li Hongcheng seemed to be a little uncomfortable with his drunkenness. "In the future, you have to let some soup water leak out to me from your hands."
Although it was a joke, but with his status as an Heir Apparent, it was giving Fan Xian enough face. Fan Xian couldn't help but be a little surprised. He looked at him twice and asked softly, "Your family has a hereditary title of Prince. What are you doing with these things? Could it be that His Majesty can still shortchange your family?"
Li Hongcheng showed a mocking look and said with a lisp, "You also know that I spend a lot of money. Although there is a shopkeeper from Qing Yu Tang helping the Wang residence manage its finances and there is some income, how is that enough..." He sighed, "You also know that although my family is His Majesty's own brother, he has been unwilling to do anything for so many years. Even going to the palace to see his grandmother is only done once a month. He's stubbornly stubborn, a useless Prince, so naturally there are fewer people who are filial to him. And I can't put down my airs and deal with those prefects and magistrates because of my status, so naturally there will be times when I'm short on money."
Fan Xian seemed a little surprised and didn't know what to say. "No one would believe these words if they were said outside."
Li Hongcheng waved his hand, and the smell of alcohol spilled everywhere. He sneered, "Having the name of a relative of the Emperor is useless. Don't be embarrassed. The Internal Treasury is ultimately the imperial court's. When it's time for you to make money, don't be polite. Think about how much benefit the Crown Princess has received from the Internal Treasury all these years when she was managing it. Even when the old Guo family, who was brought down by you, was raided, 130,000 taels of silver were found. The Internal Treasury is in deficit? If you go to the Crown Prince's palace in Wuzhou, you'll know where the people's wealth has gone."
Fan Xian's heart stirred, knowing that the Heir Apparent was saying these words specifically for him to hear.
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Looking at the Heir Apparent of Jingwang who had passed out on the table, a trace of cold laughter flashed in Fan Xian's heart. It seemed that Uncle Wu Zhu was right. There was really no one in this world worth trusting. The trip to Northern Qi had been very insightful, and he knew that friendship was hard to come by. So tonight, even though he knew that Li Hongcheng was using the welcome banquet as a pretext to announce his close relationship with the Second Prince's faction to Kyoto, he still didn't refuse. But he didn't expect that the Heir Apparent would tell such a big lie in front of him.
Li Hongcheng, the Heir Apparent of Jingwang, had a trusted aide under him who had been secretly managing all the flesh trade on the Liujing River. Although this business wasn't glorious and seemed unworthy of the Heir Apparent's status, it was constantly providing him with a large amount of money. The Heir Apparent's actions were extremely secretive. If Fan Xian hadn't sent someone to investigate that courtesan named Yuan Meng last summer, I'm afraid even the Second Bureau of the Imperial Censorate wouldn't have known about this matter - No wonder he dared to cry poor in front of Fan Xian.
However, Fan Xian also knew that the Second Prince didn't necessarily have his eye on the Internal Treasury's money. It was just that during the period when the Princess of Xinyang was in charge, the Eastern Palace must have made many moves in the Internal Treasury. Perhaps the Second Prince was just planning to rely on Fan Xian and wanted to use this path to bring down the Crown Prince!
Moreover, he also understood that the Heir Apparent's words were half true. Indeed, some princes and nobles weren't living as well as they should be. Even himself, if he didn't have the support of the Danbo Bookstore and another housekeeper of the national treasury at home, he would have to reach out everywhere - If no one was filial to him, would he only rely on the imperial court's salary?
The banquet was over, and the wine was gone. Fan Xian patted Li Hongcheng twice, but seeing that there was no reaction, he was too lazy to care whether Li Hongcheng was really drunk or pretending to be drunk. He pretended to stagger and扶着 the wine table, stood up and walked outside. The shopkeeper had already notified the attendants on both sides to come and serve him.
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The wooden door of Yi Shi Ju had been opened, and the early autumn night wind blew in. Fan Xian shook his head, trying to treat his friend with sincerity, but there was no reaction, so he couldn't help but be disappointed.
Just then, a middle-aged man in plain clothes suddenly appeared and gave Fan Xian a big salute with trepidation. Fan Xian tilted his body slightly and frowned, thinking that since Li Hongcheng had booked the entire building and there were guards outside the door, how did this person get in?
Seeing the doubt on Lord Fan's face, the man quickly replied humbly, "I am Cui Qingquan, the owner of Yi Shi Ju. Greetings, Lord Fan."
So it was the owner of Yi Shi Ju, probably here to curry favor. Fan Xian was subconsciously preparing to smile when he suddenly thought of this surname and frowned, "Cui?"
Cui Qingquan smiled ingratiatingly, "Yes, the elders in the family originally wanted to come in person to thank you for teaching the Second Young Master in the North, but they knew that Lord Fan was fond of poetry and books and didn't like such things, so they ordered me to serve you well today."
Fan Xian nodded expressionlessly, knowing that the Cui family was a famous and powerful clan in Kyoto, doing business in the North. Cui Gongzi, who knelt in the rain in front of the delegation in Northern Qi and begged for his life, was one of them. Presumably, the Cui family knew that his son had offended him, so he tried every means to make amends.
Cui Qingquan was very sensible and didn't step forward, but handed over a box, saying, "It's a dwarf ginseng from the mountain. Although it's not very nourishing, it's best for sobering up. It's been washed and is best eaten raw."
Fan Xian nodded, and Teng Zijing took it from the side.
In the carriage passing through the long street, Fan Xian opened the box on his lap and found that there was no dwarf ginseng, but a thick stack of silver notes. He frowned and flipped through them, and found that there were a full 20,000 taels!
Teng Zijing, who was sitting opposite him, was dumbfounded and said, "The Cui family is very generous."
Fan Xian's expression didn't change, but he was actually a little surprised in his heart. This was how much income the Danbo Bookstore would make in a long time, but the other party had sent it over so easily. Of course, he also understood that if the Cui family wanted to continue doing business north of the Internal Treasury, they had to curry favor with him. Thinking of the courtesy he had received all the way in and out of the palace today, he couldn't help but sigh. Although he had lived two lives and his heart was much more resolute than ordinary people, he still felt a little dazed at this time when he truly felt the power that power brought.
- However, the Cui family had given this money away for nothing. Since Fan Xian had already made up his mind, the Cui family would only have to be buried with the Crown Princess in the future. Thinking of this, his hatred for the Heir Apparent faded a little. After all, life was still about mutual utilization, but he didn't like Li Hongcheng treating him like a fool, and he still wanted to keep this friend.
Teng Zijing looked at the young master's face and knew what he was thinking, and frowned, "Is this appropriate?"
Fan Xian smiled at him and said, "The Heir Apparent sent me a sentence earlier: After leaving the palace, we are the real masters, what's inappropriate?"
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When the carriage reached a quiet street, the moon in the sky was approaching noon, and the silver light was soft and淡. Fan Xian got out of the carriage and let the Wang residence's people go back first. Teng Zijing knew that there was always a team of Imperial Censorate officials protecting him in secret, so he didn't say much.
He waved to the shadows, and a secret agent from the Imperial Censorate walked over silently. He was also one of the first people in the Qi Nian Group and could be regarded as Fan Xian's confidant. Fan Xian looked at him and said, "Deng Ziyue, tomorrow send a secret order back to the Bureau to investigate whether the Minister of Personnel, the Director of the Astronomical Observatory, and the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief have any connection with the Cui family's industries."
Deng Ziyue suddenly raised his head, his eyes big and bright: "Lord Supervisor, we can't investigate the Imperial family without an order." He knew that the three ministers were backed by the Second Prince.
Fan Xian frowned and waved his hand: "It's just a few ministers, a secret investigation, what are you afraid of?"
Deng Ziyue knew that his performance had already dissatisfied Lord Supervisor and quickly agreed.
Fan Xian looked at him and added: "Wang Qinian knows what to ask and what not to ask. Since you have taken over his position, you must learn this."
Deng Ziyue responded with fear, and then looked at the sudden appearance of a box in front of him. He didn't dare to open it, so he had to hold it in his arms and followed Lord Fan, who was walking forward with his hands behind his back, and finally mustered up the courage to ask, "Lord, how will I contact the Bureau in the future?" He didn't know if this sentence counted as something he shouldn't ask.
Fan Xian stopped and said with a smile: "Don't go through formal channels, it will be recorded. You can directly find Mu Tie from the First Bureau."
"Yes."
Fan Xian stepped forward, wanting to appreciate the Kyoto at night after a long absence, and he didn't want to miss this opportunity, but just dropped a sentence.
"This box isn't for you, it's for you guys."