Prince Li Chengqian was known to Fan Xian as a man of weak character and frail health. After bowing, he somewhat impolitely raised his head, smiling at the Prince. Although the other party was of noble status, Fan Xian felt that since he had shared tea and conversation with His Majesty the Emperor, he wouldn't be too nervous in front of his son.

He hadn't wanted to meet the Prince, but the garrulous Ye Ling'er had shattered that hope.

As Fan Xian looked at the Prince, the Prince was also watching him with interest. For the Prince, Fan Xian's name had resonated throughout the capital in just a few months, making him something of an anomaly. Moreover, the Emperor had decreed the marriage, allowing him to marry Wan'er, which carried implications that the Prince, as the master of the Eastern Palace, fully understood.

If the Eldest Princess lost control of the Internal Treasury, and it fell into the hands of an enemy, the old messy accounts might be exposed to the world, which was the Prince's biggest concern. Fortunately, the transfer of the Internal Treasury was still two years away, so it wasn't an urgent matter. However, the Fan family was close to Prince Jing, and Prince Jing's son, Li Hongcheng, was on intimate terms with... his Second Brother. The Prince frowned slightly, looking at the handsome young man beside the carriage, and for a moment, he forgot to speak.

The advisors in the Eastern Palace were now divided on whether to attack or befriend the Fan family, which was still under consideration. If it were an ordinary household, the Prince wouldn't care too much. But the Fan family was different. The young man's grandmother was the Emperor's wet nurse, and with that connection, the Prince couldn't easily do anything to the Fan residence.

"You... are Fan Xian?" The Prince finally realized he had been somewhat distracted. After a slight pause, he asked with a smile.

"Your subject, Fan Xian, greets His Royal Highness the Prince." Fan Xian bowed respectfully again. "I was unaware that Your Highness's carriage was here, so I did not dismount earlier. Please forgive me."

"Hmm." Looking at Fan Xian's refined and otherworldly face, the Prince's initial antipathy towards him lessened a bit. In that instant, he decided to wait and see, and said quietly, "Ignorance is no excuse. It's just that my sister Wan'er is frail and sickly. You must pay attention to her and not act like those young men in the capital, seeking only temporary pleasure."

"Your subject is terrified." Fan Xian sensed that the Prince didn't seem to be planning to deal with him today, and felt a little relieved. He responded softly.

"Don't be too reserved. After the wedding in October, you will be considered a relative of the imperial family. You will have to enter the palace often, so you should relax a bit," the Prince instructed.

Fan Xian smiled slightly and responded with "Yes." He didn't expect the Prince's next words to surprise him somewhat.

"The envoys from Dongyi City and Northern Qi will soon be arriving in the capital. Because the Niulan Street incident involved you, the court has decided to appoint you as the Deputy Envoy, temporarily raising your rank for use. I'm informing you in advance to prepare, so you won't be caught off guard," the Prince said casually, thinking he had inadvertently done him a favor.

Fan Xian was taken aback. After a moment's thought, he said, "Your subject is a Vice Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. Participating in national negotiations is, I fear, inappropriate."

The Prince snorted coldly, "If you don't have some political achievements, how will you establish yourself in the court in the future?"

Fan Xian heard the Prince's annoyance and quickly responded with "Yes," then bowed his thanks to the Prince before stepping aside.

The Prince waved the black silk and gold thread whip in his hand, nodding with satisfaction. He then turned to Lin Wan'er and said gently, "You should visit the palace more often. Your aunt misses you very much." He paused slightly and added, "Your aunt has been having frequent headaches lately." The Prince's voice was without a trace of oddity, and his expression was normal and gentle. However, Fan Xian's peripheral vision caught a glimpse of uneasiness in the Prince's weak eyes.

Lin Wan'er smiled without speaking.

"The Prince departs!" With a shout, the Prince's entourage moved forward, slowly heading towards the Summer Resort. Fan Xian didn't dare to move until the Prince's entourage disappeared at the end of the road. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, stretch his stiff waist, and shake his head with a wry smile: "Being a subject is truly miserable."

"Are you perhaps harboring treasonous thoughts?" Ye Ling'er seized on his words and mocked him.

"Ling'er, don't talk nonsense!" As the saying goes, one thing conquers another. Si Zhe feared Ruo Ruo, and Ye Ling'er feared the Little Tiger. When Lin Wan'er got angry, Ye Ling'er immediately jumped back into the carriage.

Lin Wan'er walked to Fan Xian's side, watching him still gazing wistfully in the direction the carriage had disappeared. She couldn't help but sigh and said, "I know what you're worried about. It's just that my three older brothers are not easy to get along with. I think you'd better not side with any of them."

Fan Xian had always acknowledged Lin Wan'er's political wisdom, honed in the deep palace, and nodded solemnly. He suddenly thought of something and asked, "What about the youngest prince? Is he also a difficult character?"

"Wen Yun is only eight years old, how would he understand these things?" Lin Wan'er then comforted him, "It's not uncommon for a nominal驸马 from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to participate in ceremonial negotiations. It doesn't necessarily mean that the Eastern Palace really wants to win you over. Just relax."

Fan Xian smiled, thinking that his heart was already wide enough, but he still pretended to sigh and said, "It's just that seeing the Eastern Palace Prince, the future master of our Qing Kingdom, I can't help but feel nervous." Strangely, although the highest-ranking official Fan Xian had met before his illness in his previous life was just the school principal, after being reborn, perhaps because he was born into an official family, he didn't feel too nervous when he saw important figures. Even when he saw His Majesty the Emperor a few days ago, he was able to hide it well.

Lin Wan'er couldn't help but laugh, pulling on his sleeve and saying, "Didn't you hear what the Prince said? Before the wedding, you have to go to the palace to pay respects to the Imperial Concubines. If the Old Ancestor is happy, it's not impossible for her to want to see you. After walking through a dozen palaces, even if you're nervous, you'll become numb."

"Old Ancestor?" Fan Xian knew that Lin Wan'er was referring to the Empress Dowager, who lived deep in the palace. For some reason, he shuddered.

"Let's go, Your Highness has gone so far away. What are you still standing there looking at the horse's ass for?" Fan Si Zhe, who had been bored for half a day, finally couldn't help but shout from the front carriage. Da Bao, in the middle carriage, heard someone calling and happily cooed.

Fan Xian smiled, flicked his sleeves, and put all these things out of his mind.

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In Fan Xian's mind, since he was lucky enough to live another life, he had to live it to the fullest, with as much beauty, money, and power as possible. But after entering the capital, seeing the murky waters of unknown depths, he couldn't help but feel a bit disgusted.

Now the Danbo Bookstore's business was good, and the later chapters of *The Story of the Stone* were also being prepared for printing, seeing the money flowing in. In the future, even if he took over the Internal Treasury, he would find a way to throw it to Qing Yu Tang and Fan Si Zhe to manage. As for matters in the court, his father and Chen Pingping, his old mother's former comrades, would naturally block them for him. For dangers from the shadows, Fifth Bamboo was his bodyguard. Even if Fifth Bamboo was as reluctant to expose his face as he was during the Niulan Street incident, Fan Xian felt that he had the ability to protect himself.

So suddenly, he felt that he seemed to have the potential to become a carefree wealthy man.

This was still just a fantasy. He, and those around him, were well aware of this. With a soft snap of his fingers, Fan Xian looked calmly at the yellow dirt road outside the carriage window and said, "It's too coincidental. There are thirteen imperial villas, two palaces, and one hunting ground in the southeast, northwest, of the capital. With His Royal Highness the Prince's status, he can use any of them. Why did he specifically come to the Summer Resort today? The Summer Resort is far from the capital and quiet, which is why we chose it in advance."

After setting off again, he and Wang Qinian were alone in a carriage, so they spoke very directly. Wang Qinian also frowned: "If someone deliberately arranged for the Prince to come to the Summer Resort to cause a conflict between us and the Prince, this arrangement is too complicated and may not be effective."

Fan Xian shook his head, a chill rising in his eyes: "As long as there is someone by the Prince's side, it's not difficult to slightly influence the Prince's destination. Moreover, my reputation in the capital has always been inseparable from the word 'arrogant.' I guess those who arranged for us to accidentally meet the Prince wouldn't have thought that the Prince wouldn't be angry after seeing me rob him of his silver, and that I would be so well-behaved."

"It's just that I don't know the rules of the palace. How long does it usually take to arrange for the Prince to travel outside the capital? We came to the Summer Resort yesterday. If the Prince confirmed his arrival here a few days ago, we can confirm that this was a coincidence, not a deliberate arrangement," Wang Qinian analyzed.

Fan Xian shook his head again: "I already asked the Princess before getting into the carriage. As long as the Prince doesn't leave the capital by more than twenty-eight miles, he only needs to report to the palace. The preparation of all matters probably takes a day. Looking at the time we met, the Prince probably left the palace this morning."

Wang Qinian looked at Fan Xian with concern and said in a low voice, "What benefit would the person arranging this get?"

Fan Xian laughed: "There are many benefits. If the Prince really humiliated me, our old Fan family would probably have to carry the banner and declare our allegiance."

"Is it the Second Prince?" Wang Qinian asked tentatively.

Fan Xian thought that after entering the capital, the Second Prince had repeatedly invited him, but he had never met him. He really didn't know what kind of character this man, who was unwilling to be a peaceful prince, was. But he wouldn't be too quick to judge all this, and said softly, "Who knows? The people in the palace are all like精, I'm too lazy to care."

Saying he didn't care was false. He still arranged for Wang Qinian to get out of the carriage to see if anyone was following his entourage. He believed that with Wang Qinian's skills, if someone was really secretly monitoring him on the official road, he would definitely be able to catch them. If no one was monitoring his entourage to facilitate the chance encounter on the official road, it could only mean that he was being too sensitive and suspicious.

Fan Xian smiled wryly and leaned back on the soft cushion of the carriage, hoping in his heart that he was really being too suspicious.