The emperor, seated high upon the dragon throne, watched the performance of his ministers below, a subtle smile playing on his lips. He waved his hand, signaling Xin Qiwu to retreat, and said softly, "Do you all believe Xin Qiwu is more suitable?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," the ministers responded in unison, bowing deeply, the drawn-out cadence of their voices heavy with respect.

Qin Heng, the Privy Council Advisor who had suggested Fan Xian be sent as envoy to Northern Qi, glanced at the Emperor in surprise, quickly averting his gaze. Now that the ministers unanimously deemed Fan Xian unsuitable, he assumed His Majesty would change his mind.

"I, however, hold a somewhat different view from you esteemed officials."

The hall fell silent instantly, with only the Qing emperor's calm voice echoing through the palace. "A jade is useless until it is carved. You must all remember Fan Xian's bearing before the throne that day. Although he is a civil official, he also possessed the courage to single-handedly slaughter assassins on Niu Lan Street. Such a talent should not be confined to the quiet confines of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the Imperial Academy."

Hearing this, the ministers understood that the Emperor had already made up his mind, but they were still puzzled as to why His Majesty insisted on sending Fan Xian to Northern Qi.

The Emperor glanced at the ministers and continued, "He lacks experience, and therefore requires more experience. I believe Fan Xian is capable; let him handle this mission."

If the Son of Heaven said it was possible, then it was certainly possible.

The ministers dared not say more. However, Lin Ruofu and Fan Jian both wore expressions of concern, not bothering to conceal it. As fathers, such a reaction was only natural. Feigning joy and proclaiming "Our Emperor is wise!" would only make them appear shallow in the eyes of the Emperor and the other ministers.

"Fan Jian," the Emperor said, looking at the Vice Minister of Revenue with a slight frown.

"Your subject is here," Fan Jian responded, startled, and quickly stepped forward.

The Emperor said softly, "I want your son to take on this mission. Do you have any thoughts?"

Fan Jian was silent for a moment, then immediately collected himself and replied with a smile, "Your subject dares not have any thoughts."

"Is that you dare not, or you have none?"

"I dare not."

"If you dared, what would you think?"

Outside the palace, wind and snow raged. Inside, it was warm as spring, yet these few words between ruler and subject made it feel as frigid as the outdoors. Officials close to Fan Jian grew anxious, wondering why Lord Sinanbo was so flustered in his response today.

After a moment, Fan Jian quietly answered His Majesty, "Your subject has been separated from his son for sixteen years. Now that we have only been reunited for a few months, we must part again. I cannot help but feel reluctant."

The word "reluctant" echoed softly through the palace, unsure of whose ears it would reach.

The Emperor smiled slightly, knowing that Fan Jian was speaking to him. However, this lifelong companion did not truly understand his real intention in sending Fan Xian to Northern Qi. It seemed... only Chen Pingping truly understood him.

"Only a few months. He will depart in spring and return in autumn. What is there to be reluctant about?"

Before Fan Jian could speak again, the Emperor waved his hand with a smile and declared, "The Minister of Revenue is old and ill and has been resting for a long time. Issue a decree of comfort and reward... Vice Minister of Revenue Fan Jian will fill the position of Minister of Revenue."

The court officials had no objections. Fan Jian had long controlled the Ministry of Revenue. It was just that he had never been formally promoted. Some officials with malicious intentions couldn't help but mutter to themselves, wondering if Vice Minister Fan had known that this was coming, would he have officially recognized his wife, Madam Liu, many years ago?

Of course, the officials all believed that this was His Majesty's compensation for sending Fan Xian to Northern Qi.

Fan Jian knew that there was no chance of reversing this decision. His expression remained calm as he stepped forward, kowtowing to thank the Emperor. The Emperor then turned to Lin Ruofu and said with a smile, "Prime Minister, your daughter is newly married, and I am sending Fan Xian away. Do you have anything to say?"

Prime Minister Lin Ruofu stepped forward with a wry smile. The relationship between the ruler and the prime minister of Qing appeared harmonious, but in reality, the Emperor's authority was absolute. No one dared to try even the slightest provocation. Earlier, he had been puzzled by Fan Jian's promotion. Now that His Majesty was asking him directly, he naturally did not dare to say otherwise. He calmly replied, "Fan Xian certainly needs more experience."

……

……

After the court session, the Emperor seemed to be in a better mood and returned to the imperial harem in his carriage. The ministers walked along the straight road toward the high palace walls, offering congratulations to Fan Jian, congratulating him on his appointment as Minister of Revenue, allowing him to legitimately control all financial matters of Qing from now on.

Minister of Rites Guo Youzhi joked, "Lord Fan, from now on, we will receive our salaries from you. Don't be too stingy."

Fan Jian chuckled and shook his head. "Lord Guo is just joking." Fan Xian had tricked Guo Baokun several times, but in court, the two officials seemed to have no grudges against each other.

As they walked, Lin Ruofu coughed softly and stepped forward. The ministers bowed to the Prime Minister, knowing that he must have something to say to his in-law, so they dispersed a little. Lin Ruofu said softly, "Lord Fan, why is His Majesty so determined to send Fan Xian to Northern Qi?"

Now that they were in-laws, there was less need for formalities. Fan Jian said with a wry smile, "This official really doesn't know. Perhaps... His Majesty truly wants my son to gain experience?" As he said this, he knew in his heart that the damned cripple must have done something behind the scenes. However, on second thought, Fan Xian's temporary departure from the capital, avoiding the recruitment efforts of the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, might be a good choice until the Eldest Prince returned to the capital with his army.

Lin Ruofu seemed to have thought of the same point, but he had a deeper concern. It seemed that His Majesty was a little too concerned about his "son-in-law." Could it really be just because of Chen'er?

The Prime Minister shook his head and said to his in-law with a smile, "Dabao has been on the mountain recently. I trouble Lord Fan to look after him."

"Don't mention it," Fan Jian said with a smile. "We are all family now. In another month, when spring warms up, the mission to Northern Qi will depart from the capital. I will have Wan'er visit your residence often."

"Yes, Dabao hasn't been in the residence these days, and it often feels deserted." Lin Ruofu sighed, feeling something. "If Lord Fan has some free time, you should also visit my residence more often."

"If the Prime Minister commands, how dare I disobey?" Fan Jian said with a smile.

——————————————————————

It was the same secluded old place, the same two carriages, and the same two half-old, not-quite-old schemers who had stood behind Fan Xian for more than a decade, still hiding in their respective carriages, talking.

"I said, I don't want him to get involved with the Overwatch Council!" Fan Jian, who had just been promoted to Minister of Revenue, seemed to have no joy at all, his voice extremely cold.

Chen Pingping chuckled softly from the carriage opposite him, his voice hoarse. "Sending him to Northern Qi has nothing to do with my broken-down council."

Fan Jian couldn't help but lift the side curtain of the carriage and said coldly, "Nothing to do with it? Don't think I don't know what you're planning. You have Xiao En in your hands now. If you want to kill him, just kill him. Why make him gain this reputation? You and I both know what kind of person Xiao En is. If he returns to Northern Qi, you should know how difficult it will be to kill him again."

"I haven't forgotten that you also have part of His Majesty's power in your hands. I believe there are even people from you in the council," Chen Pingping said, still laughing in a low voice, his laughter seeming to have a very sinister undertone.

"His Majesty probably wouldn't like us meeting in private. As for Xiao En, it doesn't matter whether he lives or dies. I've sucked his marrow for twenty years, and there's nothing left. Moreover, the young emperor of Northern Qi doesn't necessarily have the broad mind of our master. Whether he dares to use the former Wei spy chief is another matter. As for Fan Xian's mission to Northern Qi, it really is His Majesty's intention. Lord Fan also knows that if that child stays in the capital and is constantly pulled by the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, it will only cause great trouble in the future."

Fan Jian suddenly fell silent, knowing that this was a fatal problem, and he absolutely couldn't allow Fan Xian to get involved in the imperial family's struggle for succession. He put down the side curtain of the carriage, closed his eyes, and leaned back on the soft cushion, still unable to feel at ease about the child he had looked after for more than a decade having any relationship with the terrifying institutions of the Overwatch Council.

Seeming to guess what he was thinking, Chen Pingping said coldly, "Now that His Majesty has agreed to this arrangement, you can rest assured."

No one saw the faint smile that appeared on Fan Jian's lips. He said calmly, "Yan Bingyun has been captured. How is your council cooperating with him?"

"Someone will take over, naturally."

"Don't send some mediocre talents!"

Chen Pingping smiled and said, "Perhaps you should also contribute some effort. You should know that last time, someone from Dongyi City sent someone to assassinate the Eldest Princess's palace maid in the palace. Ye Zhong has always suspected that it was done by the council, and the news has now reached Xinyang, so it's a bit inconvenient for me here."

Fan Jian's heart skipped a beat.

———————————————————————

On the Azure Mountain, the accumulated snow was deep, and faint white mist rose from the hot springs in the distance. The red-crowned cranes that were constantly dancing did not know where they had gone. Fan Xian carefully read the letters sent by his father and Wang Qinian, then rubbed them into powder and threw them out of the window.

The snow scene outside the window was extremely beautiful. Dabao and Fan Sizhe were building a snowman, one fat and one small, constantly arguing. It was only at this time that Fan Sizhe would show some normal childishness, and no longer act like an extremely pedantic accountant.

Fan Xian smiled slightly, thinking that the snow had made it difficult to travel these days, but the Danbo Bookstore in the capital still sent people to deliver the accounts to the mountain. The shopkeeper Qi Ye was really very loyal to his duty. The bookstore's business was surprisingly good now. Several branches in the capital had firmly established themselves with the launch of "Half-Idle Studio Poetry Collection", and several branches of the Danbo Bookstore in neighboring counties had also begun to generate revenue.

Fan Sizhe checked the accounts last night and saw the net profit of twenty-three thousand taels of silver, his eyes were red, and he kept urging himself to release the last ten chapters of the *Story of the Stone*. Fan Xian would not agree to him. Writing poetry had already caused so much trouble. If people knew that the *Story of the Stone* was also written by him, who knew what kind of storm would be stirred up.

The Eldest Princess had returned to Xinyang, but she still had influence in the court. The key was to know whether it was the Crown Prince or the Second Prince, whom he had never met, who were in cahoots with her.