"Very good, you're finally angry." Si Nan Bo's lips curved slightly, a smile slowly unfolding as he softly said, "Having listened to the news from Danzhou, I thought you were someone who never got angry. Child, you're only sixteen after all. If you keep all your emotions hidden inside, it will be a very painful thing."

"So what?" Fan Xian looked at his father with a strange gaze, certain about something in his heart. "There's something I must report to you beforehand, Father."

"What is it?"

"I... am not a very controllable person." Fan Xian's words were very direct.

"I never thought about controlling you... although you... are my son." Earl Fan Jian, Si Nan Bo, coldly stared into the boy's eyes, seemingly wanting to see some panic in Fan Xian's calm gaze. "But the marriage alliance with the Prime Minister's family is a must. This matter is not open for discussion."

Fan Xian lowered his head and thought for a while, then raised his head and said with a smile, "You can try." However, this smile was full of confidence and persistence.

Si Nan Bo seemed a bit angry, his hand placed on the armrest of the chair, using slight force, veins faintly visible. After a long while, he suppressed his anger and said with a sneer, "Why can't you understand, child? That Miss Lin is gentle and considerate, knowledgeable and reasonable, truly a good match... Besides, with the current status of our Fan family, do we still need to rely on our children's marriages to stabilize our position? Is Lin Ruofu really worth us valuing him so much?"

Fan Xian was slightly surprised, feeling that his father's expression didn't seem fake. However... if even the dignified Prime Minister didn't need to be valued, then why did he have to marry Miss Lin? Could it really be just because Miss Lin was very excellent? Fan Xian would never believe this kind of reasoning.

"Why must I marry her?" Fan Xian asked with a frown.

Si Nan Bo Fan Jian smiled slightly and said, "Because Miss Lin's mother is the current Eldest Princess, His Majesty's own sister. However, this Eldest Princess has never married and secretly manages the royal business, providing a constant stream of money for the entire Qing Yu Nian and the Imperial Palace."

Fan Xian was extremely shocked, thinking that his future wife was actually the Eldest Princess's daughter! Didn't that mean that the Prime Minister and this Eldest Princess had something going on... or even many things going on? No wonder the Prime Minister had climbed his way up so smoothly these past few years... it turned out he was taking the male concubine route.

Very few people in the world should know this secret. If his father didn't have the relationship of growing up with His Majesty the Emperor, he certainly wouldn't be able to detect it. Fan Xian suddenly realized that his father shouldn't have told him such a deep secret.

Si Nan Bo smiled and said, "You should also know that these words can't be said outside. Whoever says them will die. So after these words reach your ears, you should pretend you didn't hear them. The reason I'm telling you this royal secret is to prepare you, so that you won't have any inappropriate behavior when interacting with Miss Lin in the future."

...

...

Fan Xian suddenly thought of the thing that Uncle Wu Zhu had mentioned before, and his expression became somewhat黯然 (àn rán, downcast), sighing, "The royal business managed by the Eldest Princess... is it originally the Ye family's business?"

"Correct." Si Nan Bo's eyes revealed a trace of pity, looking appreciatively at the young man in front of him, slightly surprised that the little fellow had actually seen through the true nature of the problem so quickly.

"The Eldest Princess has only this one daughter, and His Majesty has long decided to let the Eldest Princess's line manage the royal business, so whoever marries Miss Lin and becomes the Eldest Princess's son-in-law may become the future owner of the royal business."

Having said a lot, Si Nan Bo felt a bit tired, but deep down, he was a little excited. He pressed on the armrest of the chair and stood up, staring at Fan Xian word by word and said, "That business was originally your mother's, so you are just taking back what originally belonged to you!"

...

...

A silence as dead as death.

"Father is far-sighted, I admire you." Fan Xian bowed to his father and asked, "Although the other party is not a princess, she does have royal status after all. Do you think we can take back my mother's family business by doing this? I think this idea is a bit too arrogant."

"Naturally, there are also backup plans. Don't forget, I am the Vice Minister of Revenue, in charge of monetary affairs." Fan Jian smiled, increasingly admiring the calm mind and attitude of the young man in front of him. "And there's something I want to tell you. Although Lin Ruofu, that old fox, doesn't have much say in this matter, he still has doubts about our two families' marriage, so I hope you can behave well in Kyoto recently."

"Why?" Fan Xian was a bit puzzled. Although Lin Ruofu was a noble Prime Minister, the head of the civil officials, he knew very well the Fan family's position in this deep lake of Kyoto. If the other party could make such a strong ally, it should be something they would like to see. Why would they object? If it was considering status, that Miss Lin seemed to have an origin that wasn't very glorious, just like him.

"Everyone has their own position, and different camps have to consider different things." Fan Jian explained faintly, "The Fan family is a great clan in Kyoto, and Lin Ruofu is the head of the civil officials. A secret marriage between the two families is a significant matter. The reason why Lin Ruofu is still hesitant is that he fears His Majesty suspecting his intentions and that the young people in the civil official system under him will develop ulterior motives because of this."

Fan Xian sighed and said mockingly, "I wasted my time considering so much along the way. It turns out this is just a one-sided wish, just the Fan family's unilateral idea."

"Yes, so you have to find a way to get that Miss Lin to approve of you." Fan Jian smiled, but was a little puzzled, "剃头担子 (tì tóu dàn zi, barber's carrying pole)... what does that sentence mean?"

"I misspoke." Fan Xian smiled, not explaining further, and instead asked, "Father, there's something I've always been curious about. I wonder if I can ask."

"Ask away."

"Never mind. It's already very late anyway, I'll go rest first." For some reason, Fan Xian stopped talking and instead said, "I'm not familiar with Kyoto, can I have Teng Zijing follow me?"

"Teng Zijing's ability to smooth things over on the road is not bad, but he's just a fourth-rank master..." Fan Jian frowned, "I'll arrange for a stronger guard for you. The waters in Kyoto are very deep."

Fan Xian smiled and said, "No need, I finally got familiar with him, why change him again."

The father and son chatted for a few more words, seeing that it was late, Fan Xian bowed and took his leave. A maid was already waiting outside, and led him through the complex corridors to his bedroom.