Niao Ni
Chapter 256: Contending for the Path
Officials from the Ministry of Rites, the Court of State Ceremonial, and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices had long been waiting here. Watching the envoy's caravan slowly approach, they adjusted their attire and respectfully welcomed the Northern Qi Princess from her carriage. Fan Xian's eyes darted around. He summoned Gao Da and instructed him to lead two Tiger Guards to firmly guard the Princess's carriage, preventing the courtiers from discovering the fact that there was another woman inside.
Actually, given his current authority and status, he didn't need to be so cautious.
"Lord Fan, you've had a hard journey!"
"Lord Fan, this trip has greatly enhanced the prestige of our nation. His Majesty is very pleased. Upon your return to the capital, I'm afraid you will soon be given another important position, right?"
"Old Hu, you're wrong to say that. Lord Fan is now..."
Amidst a flurry of flattering compliments that made one feel lightheaded, Fan Xian, surrounded by the officials, entered the post station. The Northern Qi Princess was resting in the inner chamber. The welcoming ceremony for the chief envoy seemed even more grand. Anyone unaware of Fan Xian's identity would undoubtedly be puzzled as to why the ministers of the Qing Kingdom's court would show such respect to a mid-level official so young.
Fan Xian smiled broadly, returning the greetings of the officials around him. He wasn't exactly annoyed, but he felt a sense of urgency. He glanced around and recognized most of the officials who had come to greet him. Some were his former colleagues from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, while others were nominally his subordinates during the negotiations with Northern Qi at the Court of State Ceremonial. Only the officials from the Ministry of Rites carried a hint of fear in their respectful demeanor. He understood the reason for this – after all, Guo Youzhi had been ruined and brought down by him.
Barely had his buttocks settled on the chair and he taken a sip of tea when he asked, "What's the procedure from here? Has the palace issued any decrees? When will the envoy be able to enter the capital?" Before the officials could respond, he preemptively chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Although I'm nominally the chief envoy, I'm still somewhat unclear about the proper procedures."
The officials from the Ministry of Rites, having finally obtained an opportunity to get close to him, were naturally unwilling to miss it. A deputy director quickly replied, "Lord Fan, please rest assured that the Ministry of Rites has arranged all the ceremonial details. The palace has already made arrangements beforehand, and everything is in order."
Another subordinate from the Court of State Ceremonial said, "His Majesty knows that the envoy officials have been away from home for a long time and are eager to return. Therefore, he has not issued a formal decree, but has given an oral instruction to allow the envoy to enter the capital. After entering the capital, Your Lordship should first go to the palace..."
Before he could finish speaking, an official wearing the robes of a fourth-rank official walked in from outside. The officials in the room quickly went to greet him. Fan Xian took a closer look, chuckled, and went to meet him, patting the other man's shoulder and saying, "Lord Ren, what brings you here too?"
The newcomer was Ren Shaoan, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial and a protégé of Fan Xian's father-in-law. Seeing Fan Xian safe and sound, Ren Shaoan felt relieved, but he said with a wry smile, "The Qi Kingdom's princess is coming to marry. This is a major event. If this coolie from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices doesn't come, I'll have to resign to avoid being impeached by the censors from the Censorate."
Fan Xian smiled, but he felt somewhat puzzled. Knowing that the envoy would arrive today, why had this Vice Minister arrived so late? After exchanging greetings with the officials in the room, he pulled Ren Shaoan outside and asked, "What's going on?"
Ren Shaoan knew that although the man before him was young, his temperament was like steel wrapped in cotton. In just one year in Kyoto, he had stirred up so much trouble and overthrown so many officials. He really didn't know whether he should speak or not. However, Prime Minister Lin Ruofu had already retired and returned to his hometown. Among the protégés of the Lin family, only Fan's residence could be relied on now. After considering both sides, he couldn't help but hesitate and said, "Lord Fan, what are you asking about?"
Fan Xian stared into his eyes and asked, "I'm not a fool. The envoy's return to the capital is a major event. The court should know the specifications that the Northern Qi court arranged when we left Shangjing. How can it be that such minor officials have come to welcome a dignified princess? Where has Xin Qiwu gone? And what about the vice ministers of the Ministry of Rites? When a princess comes to marry, the palace should at least send some old matrons. You're from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and you're in charge of these matters of the royal family. If I don't ask you, who should I ask?"
Ren Shaoan said with a wry smile, "Today... it's really unfortunate. Xin Qiwu went over there, and the bigwigs from the Ministry of Rites also went over there. Fan Xian, don't blame your brother. I was only able to rush over here after offending them over there."
"Over there, where's over there?" Fan Xian asked with a hint of surprise.
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...
Ren Shaoan continued with a wry smile, "The First Prince is also returning to the capital today, stationed less than three miles away from you. So this matter is too coincidental. The people from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War are all serving over there. The envoy's side is naturally quieter." After saying this, he continued, "Fan Xian, our friendship is here, and I'm not afraid to speak plainly. You're also a clear-minded person, so do you really care about these superficial ceremonies?"
Only then did Fan Xian understand what was happening. He smiled and shook his head, "I just want to return to the capital as soon as possible. However, the princess is, after all, a princess. If the court mistreats her, it will cause public criticism, which would be regrettable."
He finally understood why the welcoming ceremony for the envoy was so weak. After all, the other side was a First Prince with military power. Those courtiers naturally wanted to flock to that side. Even if they were flattering, they had to flatter the ass of a tall horse. He waved his hand to stop Ren Shaoan from explaining further and asked curiously, "The decree at the beginning of the year clearly stated that the First Prince would lead his troops back to the capital when the grass grew tall in the autumn. It's only early autumn now, so why is he back?"
"It's said that the Empress Dowager misses her grandson." Ren Shaoan smiled meaningfully. "So he started his journey early. The Western Route Army is stationed in Dingzhou. This time, the First Prince is only leading two hundred personal soldiers back to the capital."
Fan Xian shook his head and scolded, "Those officials from the Ministry of Rites must have learned their stupidity from the Guo family. The envoy is entering the capital, and the prince is returning to the palace. With so many people, don't they know how to arrange things a bit? They could have sent a letter on the road to delay either side by a day or two. Now it's all crammed together on this road outside the city. What should we do?"
"The Ministry of Rites and the Court of State Ceremonial both sent letters to you, telling you to slow down the envoy. Who would have thought that the envoy would not rest for a single day on the road and would directly return to the capital? That's why it's all crammed together."
Fan Xian chuckled, but he didn't say anything. It was originally his intention for the envoy to travel quickly back to the capital.
"Can you accommodate it and let the envoy enter the city the day after tomorrow? What do you think?" Ren Shaoan looked at him cautiously, wondering how long this man had been in the Overwatch Council and whether he had inherited Director Chen Pingping's arrogance of not putting anyone in his eyes. He added, "The new Minister of Rites is too embarrassed to come to the envoy's side, so he asked me to pass on a message."
"Damn it, I'm in a hurry to go home and hug my wife!" Fan Xian was familiar with him, so he spoke more freely, laughing and scolding, "Still waiting for two days? Be careful that when you come to my residence in the future, my wife will punish you."
Sweat beaded on Ren Shaoan's forehead. Of course, he knew what kind of character Fan Xian's wife was. Although she had always been sickly, her background was incredibly profound.
Fan Xian didn't want to compete with that First Prince he had never met for these things, and he wasn't qualified to compete with others. He smiled and patted Ren Shaoan's shoulder, saying, "Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for you." After thinking for a moment, he said, "I'll go and inform the Princess, lest the young couple have a misunderstanding before they even meet. We courtiers should explain things a bit."
Ren Shaoan was dumbfounded, watching Fan Xian walk towards the room where the Princess was resting. He wondered what he was playing at. What's wrong with delaying things for two days without saying anything? If that princess wasn't willing to be at a disadvantage, this explanation would only become incitement.
Little did he know that Fan Xian, that sly fellow, was simply in a hurry to go home. As for how the First Prince and the Princess would compete, he was too lazy to care.
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Ren Shaoan was wiping sweat outside, waiting when he discovered that another fourth-rank official, also wiping sweat, had run in from outside the post station. The official's back was already soaked. The early autumn was dry and hot, and running back and forth was indeed a disadvantage. The newcomer was none other than Xin Qiwu, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial. Seeing Vice Minister Ren here, he cupped his hands in greeting and said in a low voice, "You came pretty early."
Ren Shaoan knew that the other party was close to the Crown Prince and wasn't particularly close to him. However, after the Prime Minister had left office, officials had already placed Ren Shaoan in Fan Xian's faction. He laughed and scolded, "Lord Fan is here. If I didn't come, I would be scolded by Miss. As for you, you've always been close to him. Why did you only come now? Be careful that he'll make you lose face later."
Xin Qiwu was slightly stunned, and then said with a wry smile, "Lord Fan isn't that kind of person." Thinking of today's absurdity, he couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly, "The First Prince and the envoy arrived outside the capital at the same time. I think, not to mention how those people from the Ministry of Rites will arrange things, even the ministers from the Three Academies, Six Ministries, and Four Courts are a little confused about which side they should welcome first."
As soon as these words were spoken, Ren Shaoan and Xin Qiwu simultaneously fell silent, and the scene appeared a little strange. After a long time, the two men coughed twice. The reason for this was that they realized that their conversation had actually placed the importance of the First Prince and the envoy on the same level. Could it be said that... after Fan Xian took charge of the Overwatch Council and gained a reputation as a great writer, his status could vaguely be compared with that of a prince who controlled the military?
Xin Qiwu shook his head, discarding this somewhat absurd idea. However, he clearly knew that since the officials were so troubled, they had subconsciously placed Fan Xian in an extremely high position. That's right, watching Lord Fan cause so much trouble and commotion in Kyoto in just over a year was indeed a bit astonishing. Although there was also a princess from a foreign country in the envoy, the officials' true thoughts were naturally to curry favor with the Fan family and the Overwatch Council.
"Lord Fan... didn't say anything because he didn't see me earlier, right?" Xin Qiwu asked cautiously.
Ren Shaoan shook his head. Xin Qiwu felt slightly relieved and said with a smile, "Actually, according to reason, the First Prince arrived first, and I should pay my respects to the Crown Prince. Lord Fan is, after all, a subject, and he knows his place."
...
...
"I don't know my place." Fan Xian walked over, greeted Xin Qiwu, and said, "When you were drinking with me, you were so cheerful, calling me brother and acting so intimate. I've been out of the country for several months, and you didn't even come to welcome me. I'm angry, I'm angry, haha."
Although he said he was angry, he was smiling. Xin Qiwu smiled helplessly and was about to say something when he saw Fan Xian's gentle smile and heard him say softly, "According to reason, you are the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, in charge of all diplomatic affairs. You didn't come to welcome the envoy, but ran to welcome the First Prince. Are you planning to go to the Ministry of War and become a counselor?"
These words were calm, but they revealed a hint of displeasure.
Xin Qiwu was slightly stunned, thinking that Fan Xian shouldn't be the kind of person who cared about this matter, and he shouldn't be so foolish as to express his dissatisfaction on his face.
Fan Xian cupped his hands in greeting to these two young, influential officials and stood up straight, saying, "The envoy will enter the capital today. Please arrange it, you two ministers. If you can't find anyone at the Ministry of Rites, you go find them."
With a buzzing sound! The two vice ministers' heads immediately swelled. They couldn't understand how Fan Xian had the courage to compete with the First Prince! However, the palace seemed to have forgotten about this matter, and there was no decree at all. If the envoy wanted to enter the capital first, there wasn't much of a problem in terms of rules.
The problem was... that was the First Prince!
Ren Shaoan coughed twice and glanced at Fan Xian, wanting to remind him that Xin Qiwu was a protégé of the Crown Prince and that he shouldn't show such disrespect to the First Prince in front of him. However, Fan Xian ignored his "flirtatious eyes" and continued to say with a smile, "The envoy wants to enter the capital first. This is the Princess's intention. You two go and arrange it. As for the First Prince... let them wait."
After saying these words, he flicked his sleeves and left the post station, instructing the envoy's subordinates to start preparing for entering the capital. He left behind the two dumbfounded vice ministers, wondering what kind of person this was! He actually dared to compete with the First Prince! The expression on Xin Qiwu's face changed constantly, but he finally gritted his teeth and said, "Anyway, the palace hasn't said anything, so I won't care about this matter!"
Ren Shaoan asked curiously, "If you don't care about this, where are you going? You're the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, and you're not in charge of the envoy's entry ceremony. Be careful that others will impeach you."
Xin Qiwu smiled and said, "I won't care about the First Prince's side. Anyway, this is my duty. Even if the First Prince is unhappy, I have an explanation. I'll follow the envoy... as for you, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices manages the imperial family. On one side is His Majesty's son, and on the other side is His Majesty's future daughter-in-law. Which side are you going to manage?"
Ren Shaoan cursed him countless times in his heart. However, he was, after all, close to Fan Xian, so he had no choice but to shake his head and rush towards the First Prince's side to have the Ministry of Rites prepare. At the same time, he planned to smooth things over in front of the First Prince. He didn't know what would happen on that only official road outside the city gate later.
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On the carriage, looking at Yan Bingyun, Fan Xian shook his head: "Don't show your face later. Once you enter Kyoto, Lord Yan will send someone to pick you up. Remember, before reporting for duty, don't let others know your news."
Yan Bingyun nodded slightly and suddenly said, "What are you arguing about? The other party is, after all, the First Prince, His Majesty's son. What right do you have to compete with him? You're not a stupid person, how could you do such a stupid thing?"
"Prince?" Fan Xian sat next to him, waiting for the caravan to depart, and said with a smile, "Is that thing very rare? Besides, it's not me who wants to compete with him, but a certain noble person wants to compete with him."
Yan Bingyun didn't understand, and Fan Xian laughed: "The young couple hasn't even met yet, and they're already starting to fight for the right to speak at home in the future. That princess was originally a quiet and淡泊 character, but when she heard that the First Prince wanted to enter the city first, she narrowed her eyebrows and stood on the bank of the river... This woman, after all, can't be understood."
"River bank? What river?" Yan Bingyun reprimanded: "Isn't this all because you provoked her from it? I just don't understand, before returning to Kyoto, you want to fall out with a First Prince, what exactly are you thinking?"
"Excellent, it seems that you have begun to consider the problem comprehensively for me, your boss." Fan Xian said with a bitter face: "I really didn't provoke the princess, really. Who knew that this quiet princess also believed in the principle of the east wind prevailing over the west wind." These words were from Chapter 82 of the *Stone*, which hasn't even been written yet, Fan Xian just used it as a substitute. He was secretly happy in his heart, he was really anxious to go home, the reason was that simple.
"As for why I want to offend the First Prince, the reason is very simple - it's hard for me to find such an opportunity again like today, an opportunity to show that I extremely dislike the First Prince."
"Why do you want to do this?"
"Although you have been in the north for a long time, during these days, I believe you have also learned many things about me from the envoy." Fan Xian looked at Yan Bingyun.
Yan Bingyun nodded.
"What is my relationship with the Crown Prince?"
"On the surface, it seems that there are some disputes, but in fact, the Crown Prince values you very much. He was taking care of you, including the matters of the Spring Examination. Later, he also took great care of you in the matter of the envoy, and he was very friendly to you."
"That's right, so I also give a lot of support to the Crown Prince." This was talking about the Spring Examination fraud case, which Fan Xian didn't explain clearly to Yan Bingyun, and continued: "And I am good friends with the Prince of Jing, and the Prince of Jing is from the Second Prince's faction... Therefore, my relationship with the Second Prince is not bad either."
Yan Bingyun immediately understood why Fan Xian wanted to offend the First Prince.
"My relationship with the Crown Prince and the Second Prince is good. If I have a good relationship with the First Prince in the future..." A self-deprecating smile appeared on Fan Xian's face: "May I ask, what does a young man with the Overwatch Council and the Internal Treasury in his hands want to do if he is on good terms with three princes at the same time? Will those concubines in the palace look at me favorably?"
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Today, the outside of Kyoto city was in a mess. The deep palace, the only place with the ability to quell this commotion, was late in issuing a decree. So a group of officials were sweating profusely, cowering, standing in front of the city gate, looking at the two columns of troops coming from afar on the official road, and constantly cursing in their hearts, cursing Fan Xian's mother - the First Prince's mother was His Majesty's woman, so they didn't dare to curse her.
The First Prince's soldiers were all fierce soldiers who had come down from the battlefields in the west. Seeing that this broken envoy dared to compete with the prince for the road, they had long been furious, but the First Prince's army had extremely strict discipline, so they had been enduring it, watching the envoy's seemingly endless carriages slowly pass by them. Among the cavalry, a deputy general of the First Prince couldn't help it and shouted, "Where did these ministers come from? They don't understand any rules. Are they looking for death!"
The two teams stopped at the same time, and the atmosphere on the field was extremely tense.
Fan Xian got out of the carriage, adjusted his clothes pretentiously, and bowed to the First Prince's carriage, which was faintly visible, and said, "Your humble servant Fan Xian, pays respects to Your Highness the First Prince."
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"Fan Xian? You are Fan Xian?" A majestic voice came from the other side, with a slight sense of contempt: "I didn't expect that the husband whom Chen'er allowed was actually you. You dare to compete with the prince for the road. Your courage is admirable, but it's a bit foolish."
Fan Xian smiled slightly and said very respectfully: "Your servant dare not compete with Your Highness for the road, but..."
Before he could finish speaking, from the extremely luxurious carriage behind him came the calm and confident voice of the Northern Qi Eldest Princess: "This palace is a weak woman, coming from afar all the way south. Could it be that Your Highness must let me stay outside the city for a few more days?"
The First Prince's soldiers were stunned. It seemed that they had just remembered that there was a noble person in the envoy. This woman would be the First Prince's consort and the mistress of these people in a few days.
Fan Xian glanced at the First Prince's cavalry and thought that this was a family matter, so he wouldn't get involved.