Fan Xian naturally wouldn't tell the girl beside him what he was thinking. He just subconsciously took a breath of cold air, as if he had a toothache. Haitang glanced at him, said nothing, and continued to walk along the Yuquan River. After walking for a short while, they arrived at the edge of a small garden. A bamboo fence served as the gate, a well was on the side of the courtyard, and a stone table was under the western shade. Yellow and speckled chicks were muttering quietly, making their rice money.

This was naturally where Haitang grew her vegetables.

Fan Xian shook his head helplessly and said, "People just can't be compared. To be honest, you always put on a pose of being close to nature, but when you compare this elegant place with the stinky pigsties in the villages, you realize that growing vegetables and raising chickens is also a matter of state of mind."

These words were praise in appearance but criticism in essence, but Haitang just smiled and said, "Do you think I like staying in Shangjing City? It's just that my master gave the order, and the palace has requests, so I had to find a quiet garden nearby."

Fan Xian laughed and said, "I'm afraid Shen Zhong and the others harmed some good commoners and wealthy gentry to get this garden for you to use as a vegetable garden."

Haitang said, "That's what I don't know and can't control." She said it indifferently, and Fan Xian listened calmly. This was one of the things he appreciated about Haitang. As an extraordinary figure in Northern Qi, she didn't force herself to act like a fairy. She was neither pretentious nor restless, and didn't deliberately act aloof, but just followed her heart, which was quite good.

Before the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, having some rare free time, Fan Xian also temporarily put aside the gloomy mood of these days, rolled up his sleeves, rolled up his trouser legs, took out the tools from behind the stone mill, and began to help Haitang turn the soil. After the two portions of delicate yellow earth were turned upside down, he took a bowl and filled it with millet, like a greedy Dragon King, and scattered it sparingly on the ground, teasing the little chicks to chirp and chase after his footsteps, running around the small courtyard.

Haitang squatted down, tidying up the melon and fruit branches and leaves, while smiling and watching Fan Xian playing there. Her gaze would intentionally or unintentionally fall on his left leg.

Halfway through, Fan Xian got tired of playing and felt a little hot. He lifted a bucket of water from the well, stuck his head in and drank a few gulps. The corner of his eye was about to touch the water surface when he glanced at Haitang and found that this girl's technique for tending the vegetable beds was indeed skillful. It seemed that she often did this kind of work over the years.

Ever since he was in Danzhou, Fan Xian had never farmed. He felt that the hand holding the hoe was not as comfortable as the hand holding the dagger. When watering, he always felt that it was not as refreshing as sprinkling poison powder. Being clumsy, he finally became a spectator. Even so, he was sweating profusely, and heat was rising from the top of his head.

The sun gradually became fierce in the mid-sky. Haitang moved two deck chairs and placed them under the pergola. She didn't know what kind of melons and fruits were hanging on the pergola. The leaves were very large, green and lush, completely blocking the sunlight outside.

Fan Xian exhaled a breath of hot air, sat on the deck chair, unceremoniously took the cold tea that Haitang handed over, took two sips, and leaned back, making the chair creak. He closed his eyes and began to take a nap in the afternoon, as relaxed as if he were in his own home.

Haitang glanced at him, smiled, took off the flower scarf on her head and wiped the sweat from her forehead, and also lay down.

Two bamboo chairs under a green pergola, a pergola of cool breeze and two idle people.

…

…

After an unknown amount of time, Haitang suddenly broke the silence and said, "You are really a strange person."

"You are also a strange person." Fan Xian still had his eyes closed. "At least so far, I can't see through you either."

Between the two of them, they had already abandoned the respectful terms of "Lord Fan" and "you." Haitang felt a little more comfortable and said with a smile, "Why must you see through someone? And what does it mean to see through someone?"

"Everyone does certain things with a certain purpose." A smile appeared on the corner of Fan Xian's lips. "And I don't know what your purpose is."

"My purpose?" Haitang waved her flower scarf and fanned herself. "Why must there be a purpose for living?"

Fan Xian closed his eyes and shook his finger, "Living doesn't have to have a purpose, but all the things we do and all the goals we want to achieve are for the sake of living."

Haitang said, "I'm not very used to this roundabout way of speaking."

"Just saying some boring nonsense." Fan Xian stretched and said, "I really like talking nonsense with you. This feeling can convince myself that I am really living, rather than being controlled by the purpose of living."

Haitang spat and said, "You are still talking nonsense."

"I just like your… way of doing things." After Fan Xian finished speaking, he couldn't help but laugh. "People like you and me who don't have friends always want to find someone to talk to."

"Lord Fan is talented and famous all over the world, how can you not have friends?" For some reason, Haitang reverted to using the honorific title.

Fan Xian became silent, and after a long while, he said, "I really don't have friends, and you are a proud daughter of Northern Qi, in an opposing camp to me. On the contrary, I feel that I can treat you as a friend. After all, during my days in Northern Qi, you can't possibly kill me."

Haitang glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and found that this Southern Dynasty official was indeed a bit of a bastard, and said, "Lord Fan was born into a noble family and has been thriving since entering the capital. Your life is smooth and your career is unimpeded. The monarchs of both countries value you. What more could you want in this life?"

"Lonely, lonely." Fan Xian didn't seem to think that these two words were pretentious or sour.

Haitang sneered, "Lord Fan has talented people like Yan Bingyun under his command, who is a high-ranking official in the Supervisory Council second only to one person in the South. You have a lovely wife at home, and your sister is also a famous talented woman. Your father holds a high position, and you associate with the elites of the time. How can there be any talk of loneliness?"

"Father is father, wife is wife, sister is sister, Yan Bingyun is a subordinate, and those who associate with me have conflicts of interest." Fan Xian didn't know why he was so frank in front of Haitang. "Whether you think I'm pretending to be lonely or imitating despair, in short, I don't have an easy time as an official, and I'm not having a good time as a… son."

Haitang's eyes flickered, competing with the sunlight for brightness, and said, "Is Lord Fan perhaps going to become a friend with me?"

"We'll talk about friendship later." Fan Xian said, "At least being with you is more relaxing, which is already a very rare enjoyment for me."

"What if I also have other plans for you?"

"You can't get anything out of me." Fan Xian answered with great confidence.

"Lord Fan seems to have forgotten that there is also enmity between us."

"It doesn't matter. At least if someone comes to kill me now, you will definitely help me." The long-hidden rascality in Fan Xian's bones was finally revealed a little.

…

…

"Lord Fan, I've always been a little curious, why are you… willing to come to Northern Qi?" Haitang looked at him with a smile. In fact, the affairs of the Southern Dynasty officialdom were no secret in the North, and of course, they knew the mysteries and the relationship with the Emperor's family.

Fan Xian smiled and said, "…I won't tell you."

Haitang was annoyed, but Fan Xian flipped over and got off the deck chair, stretched, and said, "I'm hungry."

Haitang replied, "There's rice in the house, water at the bottom of the well, and vegetables in the garden. Do it yourself."

Fan Xian sighed, "When a man… tells any woman other than his wife that he is hungry, he is usually saying that the wine worm in his stomach is hungry."

——————————————————————

The most luxurious, quietest, and most well-arranged restaurant in Shangjing City is Baisui Songju. Today, there is a distinguished guest. This guest is extremely distinguished, so the owner of Baisui Songju personally waited outside the door, respectfully inviting all the guests in the restaurant out, leaving behind an empty and quiet three-story building.

The shopkeeper in the restaurant was naturally surprised, but the owner didn't explain. This owner was also a top-notch person with eyes and ears in the court, and had long seen the identities of the man and woman. The man was the Southern Dynasty Poet Immortal, and the woman was the Emperor's little martial aunt. These two people combined were figures who could take a stroll on Shilu Road in the Imperial Palace, let alone a restaurant.

In an elegant room facing the street, Fan Xian squinted his eyes at the scenery on the street while pouring wine into his mouth. After drinking three cups, he frowned and called the owner in to change it.

Seeing that his face was not good, the owner immediately weakened his idea of asking for a calligraphy of the Poet Immortal and went to change it to Northern Qi's most famous Qingmizi.

Fan Xian took a sip and nodded.

Haitang asked a little puzzled, "Before, it was Wuliangye, the best strong liquor in the world. Lord Fan wasn't satisfied?"

"I do love to drink strong liquor." Fan Xian turned back and looked at her, his face a little strange, and said, "But now I just don't want to drink Wuliangye, because that wine has some other taste that makes me unable to relax too much."

Wuliangye has the taste of Qing Yu Tang, the taste of the Ye family, and the taste related to Fan Xian. He didn't like it today.

Haitang replied in silence, just watching Fan Xian drink, pouring wine, but her eyes were getting brighter and brighter, as if she was admiring a very interesting thing.

…

…

As the drunkenness gradually came, Fan Xian's eyes were slightly blurred, and his smile gradually became more open. He said, "Do you think my life is happy, but I'm pretending to be drowning my sorrows with wine, which looks a bit comical?"

"Young people don't know the taste of sorrow…" Fan Xian lightly sang, tapping the bowl with his chopsticks. This was the first poem he had "copied" since his reincarnation. At this time, recalling the past, he had even more complex feelings.

He sang softly again: "Leaving Yuqing, leaving Yuqing, suddenly encountering a benefactor; fortunately Niangqin, fortunately Niangqin, accumulating Yin virtue. Advise people to help the poor and needy. Don't be like my mean uncle and treacherous brother who loves money and forgets blood relatives. It is multiplication and subtraction, there is a sky above."

This is the judgment for Qiao Jie in "Dream of the Red Chamber": Leaving Yuqing.

Haitang's eyes were even brighter.

Fan Xian sighed for a long time, raised his wine glass and drank it all, and said, "Miss Haitang, don't mind me, let me get drunk."

Why get drunk? There are many reasons for a man to drink, the most sufficient reason is that he is emotionally depressed and under pressure. Fan Xian's trip to Northern Qi has gained the secret of the temple, established diplomatic relations between the two countries, and successfully gathered the northern intelligence network. How can he look gloomy, but he doesn't know why he is gloomy, and where does the pressure come from?

In fact, it's very simple. The gloominess is because a heart has no place to settle. Fan Xian said to Xiao En in the cave that he was a passerby in the world, so he has always been looking at this world with a sightseeing mentality. Even though he has been ups and downs for eighteen years, he still has some sense of estrangement from this world. If there was no Wan'er, no sister, no Wuzhu, Fan Xian really wanted to leave the world happily.

The pressure came from the conversation in the cave. Chen Pingping asked Fan Xian to raise his vision higher, even above the world. After Fan Xian knew the location of the temple, he began to understand and began to bear this pressure alone. And this secret about the world has squeezed Xiao En for decades, and I don't know how long it will squeeze Fan Xian.

If you go to the temple, you will naturally die a hundred times. What about the people you want to protect? If you don't go, you will never know what happened back then. Fan Xian was very annoyed. Before he knew it, he couldn't wait to dig open Xiao En's head. When he really knew it, he wished he had never known it.

Originally, for safety's sake, he should have returned to the capital, lived a good life in the officialdom and the business world for a few years, and buried the matter of the temple in his heart forever, but he was always unwilling—so he hated why he was so nostalgic for Ye Qingmei… for the mother of this body, so he didn't want to drink Wuliangye, and even had the urge to throw the glass wine glass in his hand to the ground and smash it.

The judgment given to Qiao Jie in "Dream of the Red Chamber" really seems to be written to himself.

Fortunately, he was reborn, fortunately he met a benefactor, fortunately his mother accumulated Yin virtue, allowing him to easily and effortlessly obtain a large amount of wealth and the help of a large group of awesome people.

Leaving Yuqing, Qing Yu Nian, what should I do with my remaining years?

…

…

Haitang's bright eyes seemed to be able to see through people's hearts, and she slowly said, "Advise people to help the poor and needy."

Fan Xian was startled. Although he knew that even if he was drunk as mud, he would not reveal his secrets in front of anyone, but… why would Haitang say this?

In fact, Haitang just happened to say this sentence. She looked at Fan Xian's slightly crazy expression, and thought of the legendary madness and uninhibitedness of the Poet Immortal who first appeared in the world at the Southern Dynasty Imperial Palace night banquet. She thought that Fan Xian was in his heart that the trajectory of life had been determined, and endless prosperity was coming along the way, but he had a sense of world-weariness and decadence.

This situation is very easy to see in literati, so Haitang said that sentence softly, purely from her heart, wanting to persuade Fan Xian to devote himself to the scholars and people of the world… because Haitang has always believed that Fan Xian's bones are those of a literati!

"The world is bustling, all for profit." Fan Xian sneered, "Miss Haitang cultivates the way of heaven and man, is close to nature, and loves the people, but she doesn't know that what they want are just the benefits of words. I have no ambition to open up territory and want the people of the world to live comfortably, but that must be after I live comfortably… But if I want the people to live comfortably, I must hold power in my hands, but in this world of officialdom and court, if you want to be in a high position, how can you live comfortably?"

Haitang heard the cold killing intent in his words, and was slightly stunned, and said, "Lord Fan holds the power of one party, I hope you will keep the words of morality in mind."

"Vulgar, vulgar." Fan Xian tapped his chopsticks loudly, but the porcelain bowl did not break.

…

…

"Humans are different from animals by only a few degrees." Haitang still frowned and said, "Only those who value righteousness. Although Lord Fan and I are in two countries, the people of this world, whether they are citizens of Qing or citizens of Qi, are unique beings. If Lord is still in awe of the words of morality, I hope that Lord will do his best to prevent the wars in the world from happening again after returning to his country."

To pacify the world's wars—this is Haitang's goal, the goal that Fan Xian has been guessing! A very big archway, if it came from someone else's mouth, it would definitely feel disgusting, but coming from Haitang's mouth, it seems very calm and natural, making people very believable.

Fan Xian smiled slightly mockingly and said, "Isn't that Xiao En a living being?"

Haitang said, "Killing one Xiao En can save tens of thousands of people in the world, what's wrong with that?" If Xiao En breaks out of prison and joins forces with Shang Shanhu and his son, the imperial power will greatly increase, and then the secrets of the temple will be revealed. With the ambition of the young emperor of Northern Qi, this world will probably fall into war again in a few years, so what she said does make some sense.

However, Fan Xian simply does not have the consciousness of a politician and moralist, and sneered, "If a hundred people are going to die, kill forty-nine people and save fifty-one people, will you kill them or not?"

Haitang was silent for a long time.

"So, you and I are both ruthless people." Fan Xian suddenly didn't want to say these boring topics anymore, and turned the topic away a bit stiffly: "Humans are different from animals by only a few degrees? …They are good at using things."

Haitang was slightly stunned and looked up.

Fan Xian said, "My martial arts cultivation is not as good as yours, but if it is a life-and-death fight, you may not be able to kill me easily."

Haitang nodded.

Fan Xian drank a glass of wine, looked at her eyes, and said quietly, "Why? Because I am good at using all the tools."

"Martial arts cultivation, the most important thing is to cultivate the heart, the power of external things, will not last long." Haitang responded quietly.

Fan Xian shook his head and said, "Those who value righteousness may not be able to give full play to the word righteousness, but those who seek profit may not be unrighteous people. Righteousness is great profit, as long as the purpose is correct, why care about the means?"

After saying this, Fan Xian himself was stunned. A chat, which was originally a digression, inadvertently touched his own heart, like a ray of light suddenly hitting his heart, and he suddenly understood what his true heart was. A ruthless person? Perhaps he is an affectionate person in his bones.

He has always said that he wants to live a full life, but he never knew how he should live a full life. Today… he finally has a score. At this moment, his heart is clear, but his eyes are full of drunkenness. He stared at Haitang and slowly said two words: "Thank you."

Haitang was at a complete disadvantage in today's words, but she was not angry at all. Listening to these two words of thanks, she felt a little lost. Looking at the firmness in Fan Xian's drunken eyes, she felt a little uneasy in her heart. After a little contemplation, there was a hint of clarity in her eyes: "With Lord's talent, the future of the South will be a good stage. Lord is not thinking about war, he is a friend of Haitang, and I hope that Lord will be careful and cautious when he shakes his clothes on Qianren Gang, and think more about the people, and do not be complacent, this is the right way."

Fan Xian gently put the wine glass on the table and said softly, "Don't worry, I'm just getting started."

…

…

Except for Ku He, Haitang should be the number one master in Northern Qi. With such a beauty guarding him, and dispelling all the hesitation in his heart, Fan Xian drank this wine with great satisfaction. Although he was a bit childish and refused to drink Wuliangye, drinking too much Qingmizi still made his throat dry and spicy, his chest bloated, and his mind dizzy. He drunkenly fell on the table, fluttering and happily.

This was the first time Fan Xian had been drunk and unconscious since he opened that box. He was in a restaurant in the enemy country of Shangjing, in front of that Haitang girl who didn't know whether she was an enemy or a friend. It was really a bit old-fashioned and foolish to do so.

"You are really an inscrutable person." Haitang looked at Fan Xian, who was drunk on the table and sleeping sweetly like a child, and said with a smile, "Mr. Xueqin, whom I have always wanted to meet."