Fan Xian's head throbbed with pain, and a pair of warm, soft hands reached out to gently massage his temples. He was slightly startled, but kept his eyes closed, asking, "Where am I?"

Perhaps because he had drunk too much, his voice was a little dry. He felt one of the hands leave his forehead, and a moment later, a cup was carefully brought to his lips. He tasted it and realized it was honey, mixed to just the right strength, perfect for sobering up. He couldn't help but smile.

He trusted Haitang wouldn't poison him, as it wouldn't benefit her. As he thought this, he suddenly caught a faint, ethereal fragrance. This aroma was exceptionally refined, stirring his heart and igniting a heat within him, rising from his lower abdomen and disrupting his composure.

The fragrance drew even closer, softly resting against the back of his head. The alluring body pressing against him made the fire within Fan Xian almost unbearable.

...

...

Fan Xian abruptly opened his eyes, his pupils filled with a lingering desire amidst a sea of tranquility. He looked at the pair of white jade-like wrists before him, the sleeves of light cyan fabric, and said, "Li Li?"

Si Lili turned around, melting into his arms. She gazed at him with eyes filled with tenderness, a hint of longing, and a touch of resentment.

Their journey north had only been missing the final step. Fan Xian inhaled the familiar scent of the woman, momentarily lost in a daze. Since arriving in Shangjing, he had only caught a glimpse of her at the temple. He had resolved not to have any romantic entanglements with her, but now, this warm jade was back in his embrace, the familiar, soft sensation rubbing against his chest...

Just moments ago, he was drinking with Haitang; now, he was being intimate with Si Lili.

Fan Xian understood what was happening, but he was puzzled - not that he didn't understand, but the world was changing too fast.

———————————————————————

In early summer, Shangjing was sweltering when there was no wind and dusty when it didn't rain, hardly ideal weather. Fortunately, it was already evening, and a gentle night breeze swept through, allowing the buildings around the small temple to escape the daytime heat. Sparse branches hung over the eaves of the temple, and a large, bright full moon shone in the distant but seemingly close night sky.

Fan Xian fastened his belt, fleeing from inside like a lecherous thief, a look of incredulous absurdity on his handsome face.

At the temple entrance, he suddenly turned back, looking at the woman sitting on the rooftop in the moonlight, cursing, "You're just as crazy as your master!"

Fan Xian always liked to disguise himself – shy, sweet, innocent, and, despite what people thought, still virtuous… But today, facing such a preposterous situation, he was both shocked and furious, finally erupting in curses.

Haitang squatted on the roof like a nanny watching over young lovers. The floral headscarf wasn't tied on her head but around her neck, making her look like a team leader from another world. She didn't seem to expect Fan Xian to wake up so quickly, her face full of surprise, though a faint hint of shyness and amusement flashed in her eyes. After a moment, she softly said, "So quick."

Fan Xian was immediately dumbfounded after his outburst. What kind of woman was this?

Haitang seemed to understand immediately, patting her head in self-reproach, saying, "How could I forget you're Fei Jie's disciple? If I had known, I should have added more dosage when I drugged you."

The moonlight shifted slightly, and the sparse branches rustled. Haitang floated down, landing beside Fan Xian without stirring up a speck of dust. She glanced back at the inner chamber with a smile, pushed open the temple door, and gestured for Fan Xian to come out with her.

Outside the temple, darkness reigned, the croaking of frogs coming from the distant pond, a scene of rustic tranquility. However, Fan Xian's heart was filled with the air of a wronged woman, coldly demanding, "What drug did you give me?"

"Aphrodisiac." Haitang said it matter-of-factly, with complete openness. "The best kind from the palace."

"You!... " Fan Xian pointed his index finger at her slightly more prominent nose, feeling an urge to smash it. "I am an envoy of Qing Yu Nian, and she will soon be your emperor's woman… How dare you!"

Haitang's face immediately turned cold. "When Fan 大人 drugged me by the Mist Crossing River, didn't you think your daring was too small?"

"That was when we were enemies, now we're friends, how can you do this?" Fan Xian immediately appeared less self-righteous.

Haitang smiled slightly and said, "What did 大人 say in the palace?"

...

...

Several days ago, within the Imperial Palace.

"The antidote you gave me last time had too much dried tangerine peel; it was a bit bitter." Haitang basked in the sunlight.

Fan Xian smiled, knowing that she had seen through his trick that day, and said softly, "I am the Commissioner of the Supervisory Council, not a master seeking enlightenment. It's common for me to use some tricks. Please don't mind, Miss. Of course, if you really do mind, you can drug me… with that medicine."

His words were a bit frivolous, but Haitang didn't blush like an ordinary woman but said calmly, "If there's an opportunity, I will naturally use it."

...

...

If there's an opportunity, I will naturally use it. If there's an opportunity, I will naturally use it!

Fan Xian, with his extraordinary memory, remembered this sentence clearly. He didn't expect that she, a young woman, would actually do it. He couldn't help but snort coldly, annoyed but helpless. He had asked someone to drug him, and they had obliged him, so he didn't really have anything to say. And so… Fan Xian looked up at the bright moon and bowed his head to resent the woman.

"I'm not a Taoist master; I'm just a petty, vengeful woman," Haitang said with a smile, exuding the confidence of a mature woman.

"It shouldn't be Si Lili. You are her sister," Fan Xian said coldly, looking at Haitang. "You know what this means."

"Li Li likes you," Haitang said with a smile. "You are not repulsed by Li Li either, so our sisters all think this is feasible." In fact, after learning that Fan Xian was the Cao Xueqin who wrote *Dream of the Red Chamber*, Haitang was even more convinced of this idea.

Fan Xian suddenly fell silent, lost in thought. After a moment, he suddenly looked at Haitang and said, "Actually… since you are the one who drugged me with an aphrodisiac, even though you… aren't really a beauty, I can reluctantly sacrifice my looks. Why involve Si 姑娘?"

No matter how free and easy, how unrestrained Haitang was, she was still a young woman. Hearing this, she couldn't help but become furious, her bright eyes glaring fiercely at Fan Xian, like a she-wolf in the wilderness at night.

Fan Xian vented a little of his anger and immediately regained his composure, narrowing his eyes and saying, "I can just leave, but be careful your master disciplines you."

Haitang took a deep breath, suppressed her emotions, and bowed serenely, saying, "Please forgive me for scheming against 大人 today."

Fan Xian said expressionlessly, "You can scheme against me a few more times. No man would refuse this kind of unexpected fortune… but you can spare me."

Haitang didn't get angry again but said softly, "There will be a martial arts demonstration at the palace banquet the day after tomorrow. Please prepare yourself, 大人."

"After the banquet, I will set off to return to my country." Fan Xian stared at Haitang's ordinary face, feeling strangely odd. "I can't stay in Shangjing because I have some urgent matters at home. Arrange for me to see Si 姑娘 one more time."

Haitang bowed slightly, silently agreeing, and then watched Fan Xian's figure gradually disappear into the darkness. As he passed a ridge, Fan Xian stumbled slightly, almost falling. Perhaps it was due to his unease, but seeing him reach into his robes and fumble around, it became clear that he hadn't fastened his belt.

The most embarrassing scene in the life of a future poetic genius and powerful official happened inside and outside a remote temple in Shangjing.

Haitang laughed, her bright eyes full of joy, not knowing why she was so happy.

————————————————————————

Back at the embassy, Fan Xian's eyes were filled with serenity, not the slightest hint of embarrassment or the anger he had shown earlier. Living in this world, it was inevitable to be plotted against, unless you were a perfect person who could see through people's hearts.

He hadn't expected Haitang to have such a mischievous side, nor had he expected her to be so bold and decisive in her actions. Her gambling spirit was not much different than his.

"Only four in total?" He had already taken a bath, leaning against the chair. But he still felt a faint fragrance on his body. He couldn't help but think of the woman and a faint idea surged in his heart. Even though he was a cold and detached person, he couldn't help but narrow his eyes and start calculating what kind of impact this matter would have on that woman.

Haitang might be telling the truth, but so what?

Yan Bingyun frowned at him. As his superior, the official head of the embassy, he had disappeared silently for an entire day as the embassy was about to leave Qi. Many matters could not be consulted. Although the afternoon's news confirmed that he was drinking with the rarely seen Haitang 姑娘, where did he go later? Why did Master Fan look so strange today?

"Yes, four years, a total of only four concubines entered the palace," Yan Bingyun replied. "The Northern Qi emperor has cultivated the Heavenly Way since childhood, and his style of governance is also that of an enlightened ruler. Anyone with great ambitions is naturally not very interested in matters of love."

"The Northern Qi emperor shouldn't have any offspring yet, right?" Fan Xian asked with his eyes closed.

"The emperor is still young, and the palace is not in a hurry for this."

"Not in a hurry?... Never mind, tell Wang Qinian to arrange for the palace entry the day after tomorrow, and the return trip." Fan Xian snorted coldly in his heart and waved his hand to signal Yan Bingyun to leave.

Yan Bingyun looked at him with some puzzlement, knowing that Commissioner had many secrets he didn't reveal. True, Fan Xian was the Commissioner of the Supervisory Council, but there was a lot of intelligence he would not tell anyone.

For example, what happened tonight, for example… the Northern Qi emperor might be into... Fan Xian's fingers were still a little cold. At this moment, he realized that his courage was indeed not as great as Haitang's.

...

...

The main gate of the imperial city slowly opened, and the beautiful imperial palace, hidden among the green hills with its black eaves and flowing waterfalls, reappeared before everyone's eyes. Fan Xian coldly watched the unfamiliar Northern Qi officials walk into the palace with restrained breaths and spirits, and greeted the familiar Honglu Temple officials such as Wei Hua. He was then politely invited into the main hall by the eunuch.

The main hall was quiet, the clear water beside the long imperial path was calm and undisturbed, and the fish in the water swam naturally.

The Empress Dowager and the Emperor sat high on the imperial platform. Dozens of desks were set below. Those who sat there were all powerful officials of the Northern Qi Dynasty. Ordinary officials were only qualified to dine in the side hall. As the official envoy of Southern Qing Yu Nian, Fan Xian sat high on the first desk on the left. Besides Gao Da, who had unloaded his long knife and stood steadily behind him, only Lin Wen and Lin Jing from the entire delegation sat beside him.

Opposite the delegation were the Grand Tutor and the Prime Minister of the Northern Qi Dynasty. Fan Xian glanced at the Grand Tutor, knowing that he was Zhuang Mohan's most famous student. He didn't expect the other party to not be very old.

After a series of ceremonies, the birthday banquet finally began. In fact, the Northern Qi Empress Dowager was still very young. Although there were already some wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, she still had the charm of a noblewoman.

But Fan Xian knew from the Xiao En incident that this woman was actually an extremely ruthless person. Thinking of Xiao En, he subconsciously turned his head to look - Shang Shan Hu sat at a table one away from him. Unfortunately, he didn't have the opportunity to see the demeanor of the Northern Qi's number one general when he entered the hall.

The Empress Dowager raised her glass and said a few words, her voice extremely light and clear. Fan Xian didn't bother to listen carefully, just bowed again and again with the crowd, reciting the praise in his mouth over and over again.

It was the Empress Dowager's birthday, and the red envelopes were naturally not comparable to those of ordinary people. The Northern Qi officials wished they could scour the world for precious things and move them to the palace - Azure Dragon jade stones from the Eastern Mountains, exquisite clocks brought back from Dongyi City, and double-tailed snow ferrets produced in the northern snowfields that were rare to see in a thousand years...

The Empress Dowager nodded slightly, seeming quite satisfied.

The Southern Qing Yu Nian delegation's gifts had already been transported from the capital. Although they were valuable, they were not surprising. Naturally, Fan Xian would not really write another "Nine Heavens Fairy Falling to Earth" to give to the Empress Dowager, otherwise the Empress Dowager's face would not land, but his own face would land first, and his handwriting was really a bit embarrassing.

His personal birthday gift was a small bottle, and the bottle contained some amber-colored clear liquid. It seemed ordinary, but after the Empress Dowager opened the lid and sniffed it slightly, her eyes when she looked at Fan Xian were a little different, full of appreciation and affection.

Yes, it was a very unoriginal perfume, which the Internal Treasury had stopped producing fifteen years ago. It was snatched by Fan Xian from Qing Yu Tang, originally prepared to intoxicate Haitang.

It was just that he didn't expect Haitang to not like it, and he didn't expect Haitang to not be a big beauty. When Fan Xian was preparing Li Qingzhao's words and French water in Kyoto, he naturally didn't expect that he would not be able to subdue Haitang with the problem of men and women, but instead almost being tricked by her.

After Fan Xian thanked the Empress Dowager, he raised his eyes slightly and glanced at the Emperor. Unexpectedly, he found that the young Son of Heaven was also looking at him with a smile. He already had preconceived ideas in his heart, and when he saw the Emperor's loving gaze towards him at this time, he couldn't help but start to feel a chill down his spine.