The Crown Prince was moved, carefully calculating in his heart. After a long while, he finally made up his mind, slapping the desk and saying, "Very well, this Prince will give Fan Xian a chance. I hope he won't disappoint me."

The Eastern Palace had made its decision, Guo Baokun was disheartened, Xin Qiwu was excited, and the Crown Prince felt wise and magnanimous. However, none of the three knew that the Empress and the Eldest Princess had once considered assassinating Fan Xian. The true, powerful force behind the Eastern Palace had already clashed with the force behind Fan Xian twice, once in Danzhou, once on Niu Lan Street, and beneath Cang Mountain.

Of course, they could not have known that years later, things would turn out so absurd and unbelievable. The night in the Imperial Palace always seemed more distant and darker than elsewhere, concealing all the truths and past events, and making it impossible to see clearly what kind of face the not-so-distant future would hold.

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With the Intelligence Office's information providing support, the negotiations in the following days took a dramatic turn. The Northern Qi side still wanted to use delaying tactics, hoping to wear down the Qing Kingdom's patience. Little did they know that the extremely capable Vice Minister Xin Qiwu of the Court of State Ceremonies, who already possessed an aggressive aura, became even more formidable at the negotiating table these past two days. He transformed into a great mountain-splitting axe, hacking at the other side with each strike!

After three rounds of negotiations, all the issues, including prisoner exchange, tribute, and titles, were resolved, leaving only the last, most difficult bone to gnaw on: the re-demarcation of territories between the vassal states.

Fan Xian, as the Deputy Reception Envoy, watched the process with a cold eye, deeply admiring Lord Xin's knowledge, eloquence, and courage. He really hadn't expected that the Crown Prince's entourage wasn't entirely composed of people holding positions without responsibility. Not all of the Eastern Palace's close associates were as deserving of a beating as Guo Baokun. And Xin Qiwu, in his spare time during the negotiations, also took the time to communicate with Fan Xian or observe him in secret. He was somewhat surprised that Fan Xian, at such a young age, possessed such composure, and he felt increasingly unable to fathom the depth of this young nobleman.

Overall, the negotiations went smoothly. Aside from the Intelligence Office helping to organize the documents, Fan Xian didn't contribute much effort. However, when it came to rewarding merits, he would undoubtedly receive his share, so Fan Xian was very satisfied with his current life.

The bookstore was being managed by Shopkeeper Qi Ye of Qing Yu Tang, and Fan Sizhe often took on the role of accountant, so he didn't need to worry about it at all. As for the wedding in two months, the women of the Lin and Fan households were naturally busy with it. Even Liu Shi was delighted by the fact that Fan Xian was going to be a pseudo-imperial son-in-law, fulfilling her role as a stepmother and running around busily—knowing that by marrying the Emperor's adopted daughter, Fan Xian would probably no longer inherit the family title.

Moreover, Lin Wan'er's other identity was there, and the old maids in the palace often came to the mansion to gossip, with an imperial decree from some Consort or Imperial Concubine arriving every few days, causing Count Sinan Fan Jian to become somewhat overwhelmed. For Fan Xian, who had no knowledge of court etiquette, these matters were naturally something to avoid if possible, but it made Lin Wan'er and his younger sister Ruoruo, who helped her brother memorize the procedures, suffer, as they were immersed in this kind of torment every day.

The Second Prince, through the Heir Apparent of Prince Jing, sent messages twice, wanting to meet with Fan Xian. However, Fan Xian had some lingering reservations about the accidental encounter with the Crown Prince during the summer retreat, so he postponed it until the end of the month, hoping that things would have calmed down by then. After all, it seemed that the Eastern Palace's attitude towards the Fan residence had also changed. It wasn't that he had the courage to refuse the Prince's invitation, but that he used an excellent excuse: while contributing to the country, he dared not linger in pleasure quarters.

During this time, the only things that made him feel vaguely worried were the reclusive scholar Zhuang Mohan from the Northern Qi delegation and Si Gu Jian's foremost disciple from the Eastern Yi delegation. Both of these men were among the top figures in the world, one literary and one martial, and they had been too quiet in the capital lately. Zhuang Mohan had even been invited by the Empress Dowager to stay in the palace and give lectures, while Yun Zhilan, Si Gu Jian's foremost disciple, had been staying in the delegation all along.

Fan Xian paid the most attention to Yun Zhilan. After all, Zhuang Mohan's literary reputation didn't conflict with his own, while Yun Zhilan had a life-and-death feud with him. However, being in the Qing Kingdom's capital, he believed the other party wouldn't be foolish enough to seek revenge on him with a single sword. Therefore, Fan Xian's real concern at the moment was actually related to a key.

At night, he stared blankly at the black leather box. The lock appeared to be made of brass, but he had tried it before, and even the slender dagger left by Teacher Fei Jie couldn't leave a scratch on it, indicating that the material was somewhat strange. Behind the brass keyhole, there seemed to be some kind of mechanism, but without the key, he couldn't even see what the mechanism looked like.

Fan Xian had tried to find some way to get acquainted with the eunuch Hong in the palace, but after a little attempt, he discovered a fact. Although he seemed to be thriving in the capital at the moment, he was actually extremely far away from the top tier of the world. The Crown Prince and the Second Prince were trying to win him over only because of the Fan and Lin families behind him, not because he himself was particularly outstanding. And the imperial palace, because it didn't need to consider the opinions of ministers, was an area he couldn't access at all.

Wan'er couldn't conveniently enter the palace often at the moment, so there was no one who could help him at all. Even if he wanted to get to know Hong Si Xiang, it would be difficult, let alone drag him out of the palace for an hour as Uncle Wu Zhu had said.

When the Second Prince asked Li Hongcheng, the Heir Apparent of Prince Jing, to invite Fan Xian, he had cleverly used someone else's words to try to find out if he could get to know the eunuch Hong in the palace, but Li Hongcheng simply shook his head, saying that the old dog only lay in the Empress Dowager's palace for shade and could never leave the palace.

"Looks like I have to change my method." With a "thud," Fan Xian kicked the box back onto the bed and looked at Uncle Wu Zhu, who seemed to be asleep in the corner, "I have no way to drag Hong Gonggong out."

Wu Zhu slowly raised his head: "I can lure him out, or you can try to find the key in the palace."

Fan Xian was startled, thinking that with his average level of grade 4 or higher but not yet grade 6, was he going to the palace to die? But as he narrowed his eyes slightly, he felt that this seemed to be a more feasible path at the moment. Uncle Wu Zhu always said that his "momentum" was only at the level of grade 3, but he was able to kill Cheng Jushu, indicating that Wu Zhu's own computing power was too strong, so he underestimated his ability to use genuine Qi—of course, this could not be said under any circumstances.

"If it's really too dangerous, why do we need this key?" This was a question that had lingered in Fan Xian's mind for a long time, "If it's just because of curiosity, is it worth taking such a big risk?"

"Don't you want to know what Miss left you?"

"I do," Fan Xian sat on the bed, slightly lowering his head, "But I think my mother must have hoped that I could live happily, peacefully, and joyfully in this world. If knowing what she left behind would cause her son to be in danger, perhaps my mother wouldn't want that."

Wu Zhu also lowered his head, the black cloth covering his eyes merging with the darkness around him. Although he didn't look at Fan Xian, Fan Xian still felt a chill.

"You are very satisfied with your current life."

Wu Zhu's voice was cold, as always rarely using interrogative sentences, but simply calmly stating a fact. Fan Xian was stunned, thinking that since entering the capital, especially after the summer, he really seemed to be enjoying the power, wealth, and stability that a noble son brought.

"But you cannot control your own life," Wu Zhu continued coldly, "Everything before you is built on the planning of Chen Pingping and Fan Jian."

A chill rose in Fan Xian's heart, understanding what Wu Zhu meant, but even after two lifetimes, recognizing the warmth, coldness, and treachery of the world, he still couldn't believe this judgment, lowering his voice and saying, "Can't even they be trusted?"

Wu Zhu's voice became even colder: "My habit is not to trust anyone."

"That kind of life would be very hard," Fan Xian closed his eyes, as if simulating a scene of living in darkness forever.

"What will you do after they die?" Wu Zhu rarely asked a question, striking Fan Xian's vital point directly.

Fan Xian frowned and said, "I understand."

Wu Zhu ignored his statement and continued without a trace of emotion, "What can protect you is not conspiracy, not power, not anything else, but strength. You must remember this."

Fan Xian stood up from the bedside and bowed respectfully to this servant, this teacher, this older brother.

"I don't know what's in the box that Miss left you, but I know that you must have enough strength to protect yourself and deter enemies. Determination is also a kind of strength, so I want you to find that key."

"Yes, I will handle it immediately."

When Fan Xian raised his head, he found that Uncle Wu Zhu had once again disappeared into the darkness. In the process of spending more than ten years together, Wu Zhu rarely said so many words in one breath, except for the rainy night when he recalled his mother.

Fan Xian understood what the other party meant. This capital, with its prosperity and pleasures, was indeed causing the calmness and strength he had cultivated since childhood to show a trace of weakness. This was a warning, warning him not to rely too much on the so-called power of the family and the legacy left by his mother. Although he had been working hard these days to cultivate the overbearing genuine Qi in his body and to familiarize himself with the three poisonous needles on his body, it was true, as Uncle Wu Zhu said, that his heart was not as strong as it had been in Danzhou.

What can protect each of us is only our own strength. A child without a mother is like a weed, and even weeds have to run outside the cracks in the rocks. Ignore the sunshine and rain, and just dig your roots deeper and make your stems stronger. That's the right way.