It was but a fleeting moment, yet Fan Xian, wearing a smile once more, began to knead, his voice tinged with a hint of surprise, "Four years ago?"

The Eldest Princess smiled, the corners of her lips curving into a pleasing arc, seemingly sighing inwardly at this young man, and changed the subject, "When did Fei Jie begin teaching you?"

Fan Xian knew she was probing for something, his expression remained unchanged as he calmly replied, "That was a matter of my childhood." His words were vague, and the Eldest Princess, mindful of her status, naturally could not inquire too deeply. She simply said with a smile that was not quite a smile, "If I didn't know Fei Jie was your teacher, I suspect many, including those in the palace, would not have known the Fan family's relationship with the Overwatch Council was so close."

Fan Xian's hands became even gentler, his response even more cautious, "I'm not entirely sure either. Perhaps my father and Master Fei knew each other in the past."

The Eldest Princess spoke softly, "Of course, they knew each other. During the first Northern Expedition years ago, your father and Fei Jie were both in the Emperor's central command tent. It would be strange if they didn't know each other. However, I was very young at that time, and you certainly wouldn't know about these things."

"Indeed," Fan Xian replied, knowing that the more he said, the more mistakes he might make. He smiled slightly and said nothing more. The Eldest Princess, however, seemed to be in a talkative mood and continued, "How is your grandmother's health?"

"My grandmother is in good health."

"Hmm, I haven't seen her in a long time." The Eldest Princess responded with a fragile air, "I liked your grandmother the most when I was little. Whenever my brother wanted to bully me, she would protect me."

Fan Xian smiled inwardly, thinking, "If Grandmother knew you wanted to kill me now, she would have probably beaten you to death with a wooden stick back then."

"His Majesty's intentions, I believe Lord Fan has made very clear to you." The Eldest Princess's sweet and gentle words suddenly turned to such a serious topic, the contrast adding a chilling undercurrent.

Fan Xian's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, knowing that she was referring to the Internal Treasury. It was no longer possible to feign ignorance, so he simply smiled and said, "I shall heed His Majesty's and the Princess's arrangements."

"Oh? I heard you recently opened a bookstore and a tofu shop in Kyoto." The Eldest Princess couldn't help but smile slightly. Her cheeks, still beautiful even with her eyes closed, dimpled as she smiled. "Most aristocratic sons are useless fellows who only know how to engage in empty talk and are incapable of doing anything. I admire the fact that you are entering this industry early to prepare for taking over the Internal Treasury in the future, but the tofu shop is a bit of a joke."

Fan Xian chuckled awkwardly, unsure of how to respond.

...

...

"Actually, I want to kill you." The atmosphere, which had seemed to become somewhat harmonious, was instantly frozen by the Eldest Princess's cold words, delivered with a smile, turning the air in Guangxin Palace as frigid as a northern night in Qing. The warm, ambiguous white gauze fluttering around seemed to droop powerlessly.

Fan Xian maintained his gentle smile, but shifted his right foot back two inches, assuming a stance that allowed him to exert force most easily.

The Overwatch Council had long detected Wu Bo'an's relationship with this woman. Since this woman had already tried to kill him twice, it seemed entirely possible that she would try a third time in this delicate, pink-hued Guangxin Palace, which concealed hidden dangers.

Of course, his entry into the palace was known throughout Kyoto. Logically speaking, no one would be crazy enough to attack him in the palace. But after entering Guangxin Palace and seeing the Eldest Princess's youthful appearance and tone, Fan Xian felt an inexplicable chill in his heart.

This woman seems to be crazy!

He was currently massaging the Eldest Princess's head, which, while requested by her and necessitated by his upcoming marriage to her daughter, was still a violation of propriety between men and women and those of different ranks. What if this woman casually accused him of seducing a princess and disrupting the natural order, ordering people to assassinate him? What could the people behind him do? It would be too late to save him.

Fan Xian was aware that the truly terrifying things in this world were children, women, and madmen, because these three types of people could not be judged or analyzed with reason and were capable of doing crazy things with serious consequences at any moment. And in Fan Xian's eyes, the extremely beautiful young woman under his hands undoubtedly embodied all three toxins.

A woman who was intellectually sharp and ruthless, yet acted with the childishness of a child and the madness of a madman, making the Eldest Princess Li Yunrui a unique and particularly frightening being.

At that moment, several palace maids entered the hall, wearing tight-fitting palace maid uniforms in light pomegranate colors, showcasing their curves but also facilitating action. The waistbands were slightly thick. Fan Xian, who had spent ten years immersed in assassination methods in Danzhou, immediately noticed that those waistbands contained extremely sharp soft swords!

But his fingers remained steady as he massaged the area beneath the Eldest Princess's ear, a soft and supple spot, and said with a full smile, "Why does Your Highness want to kill me?"

"Many people believe I have a reason to kill you, and a very good reason at that." The Eldest Princess kept her eyes closed, seemingly unafraid that Fan Xian would suddenly attack and kill her with his fingers.

Fan Xian kept his head lowered and no longer responded, seeming to focus his attention solely on his fingers. In fact, his eyes were tightly closed as well.

...

...

Guangxin Palace was so quiet that even the footsteps of a ghostly cat could be heard. Several palace maids slowly approached the Eldest Princess, and Fan Xian, with his eyes closed, simply tilted his head slightly to the right.

"Please, Lord Fan, cleanse your hands." Someone, it was unclear from where, brought in warm water and towels.

Fan Xian opened his eyes, bowed to the Eldest Princess, and smiled as he thanked the palace maids. He soaked his slightly sore hands in the warm water, took a towel to wipe the water from his palms, and bowed deeply, "I wonder if Your Highness feels any better?"

The Eldest Princess Li Yunrui looked at him with a smile that was not quite a smile, her soft eyes still carrying a hint of timidity, but Fan Xian knew that this woman was definitely one of the most frightening types of people in the world.

"Much better." The Eldest Princess slowly sat up straight, turned her head, and tidied her black hair over her shoulder, saying softly with her head lowered, "I never thought that the man Wan'er is to marry would have such excellent skills. To be honest, I'm a little reluctant to let you go..."

Fan Xian stood respectfully and quietly below, not daring to say a single word. He knew that facing a woman like this, no matter what you said, it would lead to unpredictable consequences, so he simply chose to play the silent card.

"You may leave. I'm a little tired." The Eldest Princess's lips bloomed into a flower as she said softly, "Give my regards to Sister Liu and tell her I was disappointed she didn't come to see me today."

After Fan Xian respectfully left Guangxin Palace, the Eldest Princess's trusted palace maid went to her side and asked softly, "Princess, shall we kill him?"

"Just teasing a child, otherwise, life in this palace would be truly boring." The Eldest Princess stretched like a cat, extremely languid and seductive. "This young man is truly beyond my expectations, acting like someone in their thirties or forties, very patient, very good at disguising himself."

The Eldest Princess had initially had no intention of killing him, but seeing Fan Xian being so vigilant, not revealing the slightest flaw, this wonderful woman, who regarded struggles as a game, gradually became intrigued. Given her status in the palace and the twisted psychology that Fan Xian could imagine, if Fan Xian really let his guard down, she might really order his death.

Her gaze glanced at the palace gate, vaguely visible through the layers of white gauze, and a strange smile appeared on her lips as she thought, "The slight tilt of your head just before you were about to attack, what does that mean? I'm really curious, Fan Xian... how did you grow up? What a pity, what a pity." It was unclear what this woman was pitying, perhaps the dangerous situation Fan Xian would face in a few days?

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Fan Xian had grown up playing with poisons, so he realized that the Eldest Princess was one of the most potent poisons he had ever encountered in his life, a character he would have difficulty dealing with in his present state. Leaving Guangxin Palace, he looked expressionlessly at the somewhat drowsy palace maid, Xing'er, and said coldly, "Let's return." Then he headed straight for Consort Yi's palace, without making a single wrong turn.

Only then did the palace maid Xing'er realize that this Lord Fan's back was already soaked with sweat, the light cyan shirt stained with a darker mark, looking very disheveled.

Leaving the imperial palace and boarding the carriage waiting at the far end of the plaza, Fan Xian's face was pale, his hand resting on his abdomen, pressing on the medicine pill inside his belt. He smiled self-deprecatingly, wondering if he was being meticulously thoughtful or simply cowardly. If the Eldest Princess really wanted to kill him, why would she choose to do it in Guangxin Palace?

"Are you alright?" Fan Ruoruo looked at her brother with sympathy, completely unaware of the mental strain he had endured in Guangxin Palace, thinking that he was simply tired from visiting the imperial consorts everywhere.

Fan Xian shook his head with a smile and relayed the greetings that several palace consorts had asked him to convey to Liu Shi, and then began to urge the carriage to return to the residence as quickly as possible. Liu Shi and Fan Ruoruo looked at him curiously, not understanding why he was in such a hurry.

The carriage drove into a side alley next to the Fan residence. Fan Xian excused himself to Liu Shi, grabbed his sister's cool little hand, and ran towards the back garden. In a short while, they entered the study.

Fan Ruoruo pressed her heaving chest, panting, "Brother... what... are you doing?"