Seeing the carriage drive off into the distance and hearing the faint clamor coming from all around, Fan Xian felt slightly more at ease. Having Teng Zijing go to Qingyu Hall at Twenty-eight-Li Hill was a way to take advantage of the chaos in Jingdou. He wanted to bring the old shopkeepers of Qingyu Hall out of Jingdou and disperse them into society.
This was not an idea Fan Xian suddenly had. It had been a part of his plan from the beginning. These old shopkeepers were important to him. Their grasp of the crafts in the palace treasury and familiarity with those secrets were important to the Qing Kingdom. Although the Emperor had given consideration for past affections and left them their lives, he would not allow them to leave Jingdou to fall into the hands of other powers. From the fall of the Ye family to now, it had already been 20 years. It was practically impossible to take all those old shopkeepers out of Jingdou.
The Eldest Princess’s and Crown Prince’s rebellion, along with the chaos in Jingdou, gave Fan Xian, who had been carefully planning this matter, an opportunity. Everyone in Jingdou thought the Emperor had died. The Palace was in a mess. Jingdou was in chaos. A glimmer of light appeared in front of Fan Xian’s eyes.
He really had no people he could use right now. In addition, he later faintly guessed that the Emperor might still be alive, so he temporarily stopped this plan. However, the last words the Eldest Princess had said by his ear in Taiping Courtyard were enough to have him make up his mind. Even without the Eldest Princess’s words, he would still have done all he could to make use of the situation in front of him.
From the beginning, the battle between the Emperor and Eldest Princess had been carried out on a different level. Although Fan Xian had always stayed silent and seemed to be a pawn to be moved at will, in reality, he also had his own thoughts.
He was sure that Jingdou would fall into chaos, so he chose to fish in troubled waters and be used. The light in his eyes and strategies were all incisive.
…
…
Without even comforting the sad and sorrowful Wan’er, Fan Xian turned and walked out of the manor door. The Eldest Princess’s remains were placed in a reclusive room in the back garden. He had to return to the Royal Palace to deal with more important problems. Since he knew of the news that the Emperor was fine, he had to make some forceful adjustments.
Unexpectedly, he had just walked out when a group of riders approached in a cloud of dust. Fan Xian looked with narrowed eyes, not sure who they belonged to. The situation in Jingdou had long been settled. The Dingzhou army was in control outside the Palace, while Ye Zhong and the officials handed the defense of the Royal Palace back to the Great Prince. There were no more rebel soldiers within the city.
The newcomers were indeed from the Dingzhou army. An officer covered in blood-stains pulled his horse to a stop. Tumbling off his horse, he crawled to Fan Xian and said with fear and urgency, “Duke, the Commander has urgent news to report.”
There were countless fierce generals and talented people in the Qing Kingdom. The soldiers of various Roads all habitually referred to their main general as Commander. Since this officer was of the Dingzhou army, then the Commander he was referring to was Ye Zhong. Fan Xian wondered if something had changed in Jingdou. He had been in a rush to see Ye Zhong, so he didn’t say anything more. He pulled on his reins and followed the small group toward Donghua Gate. Along the way, he listened silently and finally learned what had happened.
Listening to the officer’s explanation, only now did Fan Xian learn that while he had been in Taiping Courtyard, Ye Zhong had been searching for him for a long time. Crown Prince Li Chengqian had been blocked by Ye Zhong at Donghua Gate. At this time, the two sides were in confrontation and carrying out a negotiation. For some reason, Li Chengqian requested to see him.
Although the Ye family had suddenly defected, the rebel soldiers were still powerful. The battle for power of the remaining soldiers could not be underestimated. Fan Xian had not thought that the Crown Prince would be trapped within Jingdou. No one would have thought there was such a dangerous confrontation hidden by some quiet city gate that seemed to have had its situation settled long ago.
He narrowed his eyes slightly and took in a cold breath. If the rebel soldiers had been kicked out of Jingdou, once the battlefield operations happened, it had nothing to do with him at all. Naturally, it would be taken over by the Ye family and soldiers of various roads loyal to the Emperor. But, being blocked at Donghua Gate? Why didn’t the Crown Prince just charge out?
As he thought about this, the horses’ hooves did not stop. Without taking much time, they forcefully broke up the Jingdou people surging toward Zhengyang Gate to leave the city. Fan Xian and his group arrived at Donghua Gate.
It was completely silent in front of Donghua Gate, a death-like silence. The Qin rebel soldiers, who were blockaded into a long street by the city gate guards and Dingzhou soldiers, gripped the weapons in their hands tightly, looking nervously and hopelessly at the soldiers around them.
In the center of the rebel soldiers, the faces of a few Qin family’s generals were starting to get ugly. The two sides had been facing off in front of Donghua Gate for two hours. Under the Crown Prince’s powerful constraints, the rebel soldiers had not begun an attack on Donghua Gate or launched a counter-attack against the Dingzhou soldiers. Ye Zhong, who had led the Dingzhou soldiers in surrounding them, also demonstrated unusually good patience as he waited for the arrival of Fan Xian, who the Crown Prince had requested must be present.
Ye Zhong had good patience, but the leading general of the rebel soldiers felt each second drag by. Sweat poured off his face. He didn’t take action lightly because a failure would be a weighty matter. If they really fought, not many people would survive. However, they didn’t know what the Crown Prince was thinking. In a matter involved rebellion, was there a way to survive?
Crown Prince Li Chengqian, surrounded by guards, wore a particularly calm expression. He only appeared a little sallow but not overly flustered. It was not until he saw Fan Xian approaching from a distance that he sighed and seemed to be slightly more at ease.
The Dingzhou riders parted the crowd like a wave. Fan Xian rode down the center of the street alone. Coming to Ye Zhong’s side, he glanced at the Crown Prince and furrowed his brows, not sure what he should say. Turning his head, he moved closer to Ye Zhong’s ear and said something quietly.
Ye Zhong’s face lit up. His eyes brightened, but he immediately felt a wave of fear. He knew his earlier decision to protect the Crown Prince and give him time was the correct one. Since the Emperor had managed to evade a crisis and was still alive, the treasonous Crown Prince should be left for his sacred judgment.
Although he was a treasonous deposed Crown Prince, he was still the Emperor’s son. As the father-in-law of the Second Prince, Ye Zhong did not want the Crown Prince to die in his hands.
Fan Xian raised his eyes to look at the Crown Prince, who looked back at him. His white lips trembled slightly as if he had finally made an important decision. Slowly, in a raspy voice, he said, “You’ve come?”
…
…
The rebel soldiers gave up their weapons and surrendered, becoming captives under the Dingzhou army’s knives and spears. The Qin family generals were also brought to the ground with an expression of despair.
The battle in Jingdou came to a temporary end. Leading an army, Ye Zhong escorted a black carriage toward the Royal Palace.
The black carriage had been summoned by the Overwatch Council at the first instant. There were two people sitting in the carriage: Fan Xian and the former Crown Prince, Li Chengqian. The two brothers sat in the dim compartment. No one spoke for a long time.
“There may be problems with the three conditions I promised you.” Fan Xian’s eyelids were slightly lowered and he spoke with an apologetic tone. “If I can’t do it, don’t think I lied to you.”
Li Chengqian didn’t want countless rebel soldiers and innocent soldiers to lose their lives because of him. With great courage, he had surrendered. However, he requested for Fan Xian to come and personally agree to three of his conditions before he was willing to let go and be captured. Li Chengqian knew that in Jingdou, Fan Xian, who held his father’s posthumous edict and had the support of the majority of the people, spoke with more authority than Ye Zhong, who had the army but was quietly cautious in his heart.
As long as Fan Xian was willing to agree, no one in court would give these common soldiers any more trouble. Hearing Fan Xian’s words, Li Chengqian thought that Fan Xian was going back on his words. Staring into his eyes, he asked angrily, “Why?”
“I can try for the lives of the common soldiers, but I still cannot promise that they will be allowed to live. Although they were just cannon fodder, this was a rebellion. Although Qing law is not harsh, it still doesn’t leave them any leeway.”
Li Chengqian didn’t understand what he meant by “cannon fodder” and could only guess at the meaning.
Fan Xian gazed at Li Chengqian’s pale face and sighed. “As for those officials and generals who participated in the rebellion, I can do nothing at all.”
“I know they can’t live, but I hope you won’t involve… They all have large families. Once the killing begins, tens of thousands of people will die.”
Li Chengqian’s face was somewhat dark. He hoped that Fan Xian would be able to promise again. After all, he had personally promised in front of two armies earlier.
“Whether it is wiping out the family or implicating nine branches, it is not something I can control.” Fan Xian’s brows were furrowed very tightly. “Just like I said earlier, I will do my best for the things I promised you, but I cannot promise exactly how many people I can save.”
An image rose before Fan Xian’s eyes of countless people being beheaded, countless infants being thrown to death, and countless high-ranking wives and young ladies being sent into governmental and military workshop, never to rise again. Even though he was a cold-blooded person, once he thought about the tragedy that would play out in Jingdou, he still felt a chill.
Men rebelled for their own power and status. In the end, those who suffered the tragic consequences were not just them. There were also their wives, unknowing children, distant relatives in their homeland, and old friends from many years ago.
Li Chengqian trembled all over. Grabbing the collar of Fan Xian’s shirt in one hand, a rare glimpse of bravery appeared on his pale and scared face. In a low voice, he roared, “If you didn’t promise me, why would I have surrendered? How could I be willing to be your prisoner?”
Fan Xian didn’t struggle out of Li Chengqian’s weak hands. In a low voice, he shouted back, “Not surrender? Did you actually want to be killed in the chaos of battle?”
Li Chengqian paused. He seemed to hear something else from Fan Xian’s words. The hand gripping his collar unconsciously loosened. He said in a trembling voice, “My Crown Prince title has already been deposed, and I am about to die. You are the regent, and the scholars all support you. Even if Ping’er takes the throne, you are still the Emperor’s teacher. If you say something, who would dare object?”
The expression on Fan Xian’s face was apathetic. “His Majesty is still alive.”
Abruptly hearing this news, Li Chengqian’s shoulders fell weakly against his knees. Although he had already guessed at this possibility when Ye Zhong first defected, it was still difficult not to be shocked upon actually hearing this news.
“She is also dead.”
Fan Xian said this calmly. He then turned his head to look at Li Chengqian only to see his face pale even more. His eyes stared woodenly and spiritlessly at the wall of the carriage. Unable to speak for a long time, he gradually lowered his head, bent over his body, and buried his head down. His shoulders trembled uncontrollably as he made a suppressed sound.
Perhaps it was the provocation of hearing the Li Chengqian cry, but Fan Xian felt a wave of gloominess in his chest. Unconsciously, he began to circulate Tianyi Dao’s zhenqi to clean out his meridians. Unexpectedly, during it, a wave of great pain washed over him without rhyme or reason. His eyesight went dark and then immediately brightened again. Unable to control it anymore, a mouthful of fresh blood sprayed across the wall and made a splattering sound.
From Dong Mountain to Jingdou, he had suffered heavy injuries, crossed tens of thousands of li, and had not recovered fully. Using medicine to forcefully suppress it, and also going through countless dangerous killings, he could no longer keep it up. His injuries exploded out.
Li Chengqian was entirely subsumed by his feelings toward the news of his father’s survival and aunt’s death. He did not notice Fan Xian’s situation. With his head buried, he sank into endless anguish.
Fan Xian wiped away the drops of blood at the corner of his lips and panted a few times. Glancing at the man next to him, he couldn’t resist shaking his head.
Li Chengqian was close to him in age. Unlike him, he hadn’t had two lives. When it came down to it, he was only a young man.
As the black carriage entered the Royal Palace, one brother vomited blood while the other cried.
…
…
The Great Prince, after having his injuries seen to, silently led the carriage straight to the gate of the Eastern Palace in the Rear Palace. Fan Xian and Li Chengqian stepped down and walked in. This Eastern Palace had always been the residence of the heir to the throne of the Qing Kingdom. Now, it was truly going to become Li Chengqian’s prison, or perhaps his future tomb.
The Great Prince said something to Li Chengqian quietly, glanced at Fan Xian, and then turned and left. There was not a single person in the Eastern Palace. There were only the imperial soldiers patrolling outside.
Fan Xian didn’t have much time to say anything to Li Chengqian. He covered his chest and said to him straightforwardly, “You only have one day.”
Li Chengqian raised his head in shock as if waking from a dream. He stared at Fan Xian in confusion, not understanding what he was saying.
“The Emperor should return to the capital the day after tomorrow.” Fan Xian looked at him calmly. “You had once burned down this Eastern Palace before. I think that if this Palace burns again, it won’t surprise anyone.”
Li Chengqian’s expression immediately changed. He stared into Fan Xian’s eyes as if confirming what he was saying. His lips moved a few times, but no sound came out.
Seeing that he had nothing to say, Fan Xian lowered his head and said darkly, “Dying through self-immolation is not a difficult thing for you.”
Without waiting for him to finish, Li Chengqian was already shaking his head coldly, “Then you will rescue me during the fire and send me to somewhere no one knows?” He looked at Fan Xian. His gaze was complicated. “I don’t know why you’ve become such a kind person, but I have to thank you.”
“There is no need to thank me,” Fan Xian said. “It is just that the elders are used to arranging everything, and I am not.”
Li Chengqian laughed with difficulty and said, “I truly cannot see through you…”
“You know I am a merciless person. It is rare for me to be kind. The empress is also dead. By all rights you should hate me. If you want to live, set a fire tonight.”
“Taking such a risk does not seem like your way of doing things.”
“I have been gloomy for a long time. I almost forgot that I once said I wanted to live life to the fullest. After experiencing so many things, only now did I realize that if I want to live an exciting life, I must first live with courage.”
Fan Xian didn’t look at him again. He turned and left the lonely Palace.
Li Chengqian stared dazedly at the retreating figure, not understanding why he was suddenly so kind-hearted. His brows gradually furrowed as he became sorrowful. Giving a long sigh, he laid down right on the floor of the expansive Palace. An extremely relaxed smile rose to his face. He spread out his limbs as if he had never before been so relaxed and free.
…
…
That night, the Eastern Palace did not burn. In Hanguang Palace, Fan Xian watched that direction with cold eyes and confirmed the calm in the Eastern Palace. He shook his head. A had a slight miserable feeling in his chest. The Emperor would probably return to the capital the day after tomorrow. Everything would return to the hands of that powerful Emperor. Leaving Li Chengqian his life was not a spur of the moment idea or because he was excessively soft-hearted. Rather, it was a feeling of grief for one of their own kind that was acting up. He and Li Chengqian, as well as the Second Prince, were just pieces on the Emperor’s chessboard. They were puppets controlled by fate or their elders.
As Li Chengqian had no power, his life and death did not matter at all to Fan Xian. Li Chengqian was a good man. This was something he had once said a long time ago to Chen Pingping. From the first time they met on the road outside the Palace, Li Chengqian had left Fan Xian with a kind impression, particularly these past two years. Although their battles did not stop, what did that count for?
If Fan Xian could send Thirteenth Wang to protect Li Chengqian on his Nanzhao journey, then, now, he dared to let Li Chengqian go.
If Fan Xian wanted to be free of the strings behind him, saving Li Chengqian’s life was his attempt at tearing them off. Presently, the Royal Palace was in his hands. Given the Overwatch Council’s skill at faking a scene, and the Emperor’s understanding of Li Chengqian’s personality, it would not be difficult to use the excuse of self-immolation to fool the Emperor without his knowledge.
However, Li Chengqian was like the Eldest Princess. His heart had died a long time ago. For such a person, Fan Xian would not be so stupid as to force them into anything risky. To have such a thought was enough to prove that after the shot in the meadow, his personality had changed too much.
Night fell. The lights went out in the Palace. It was still not completely calm outside the Palace. Within it, there was not a single sound. The dark sky enveloped the flat gardens and imperial soldiers and Overwatch Council officials stationed around, standing without moving like statues.
“Who?” A very cautious voice rang out in Hanguang Palace. A serving girl lit a lamp. Seeing clearly the person in front of her, she quickly knelt down.
Fan Xian waved his hand to signal her to stand up. He then ordered her to lead all the serving girls and eunuchs out of Hanguang Palace. At this time, not many people knew that the Emperor was already on his way back to the capital. As the regent and Third Prince’s teacher, Fan Xian was like the real Emperor. He could move freely through the entire Palace and not a single person would express suspicion.
A dim lantern was lit. The serving girls and old maids retreated out of the Palace with their clothing askew. Alone, Fan Xian walked thoroughly slowly through the expansive Palace and approached the phoenix bed. Looking at the old woman lying in the bed, he didn’t wait for her resentful eyes to land on him. Fan Xian’s right hand moved gently and pulled out a poison-covered needle. He then pushed it into the old woman’s neck.
Watching the drugged empress dowager, Fan Xian crouched down and burrowed under the bed. Feeling for the secret compartment, he pressed it slightly and opened it.
Three years ago, he had once entered Hanguang Palace at night. Using a sleeping gas to knock out everyone in the Palace, he had taken out the key to the chest from this secret compartment and made a copy. At that time, there was also a white cloth and a letter in the secret compartment. Because his time was tight, he wasn’t able to look at it closely.
Now, in this secret compartment, there was a key and a white cloth, but the letter was gone.
Fan Xian held the white cloth in his hand and carefully smoothed it out. He sank deep into thought but still could not make heads nor tails of it. A moment later, he put the white cloth back into the secret apartment carefully to arrange it as before. He then stood up and sat on the bed next to the empress dowager’s body before taking out the slender needle from her neck.
The empress dowager woke abruptly and stared with hateful eyes at Fan Xian like she wanted to devour him. It had already been a day and a night that she had been unable to say a single word or move. She felt that what was left of her life seemed to be endlessly flowing out of her body. Feeling such fear and angry, yet being unable to express it, was driving her crazy.
“His Majesty will return to the capital the day after tomorrow. I am here to visit you, grandmother.”
Fan Xian gazed at her and said, a moment later, “Are you very shocked? Do you now know what a major mistake you made a few days ago?”
The empress dowager’s eyes were filled with shock. If she had known earlier that the Emperor was still alive, the situation in Jingdou would not be like what it was. After the shock faded from her eyes, they became filled with joy.
“Don’t be happy too early,” Fan Xian patted her wrinkled hand and said evenly. “I will let the Emperor see you, and then you will die. Believe me, even if the Emperor is the most powerful man in the world when it comes to the medical side, he is not as good as me. If you don’t believe me, you can try. At this time, you can speak now.”
“If you want to have a comparatively dignified death and not die like this, then please answer a few of my questions,” Fan Xian said. “Who wrote that letter? What were the contents? And, what connection does the Qin family have to the matter 20 years ago?”
Before the Eldest Princess died, she had told Fan Xian to ask Chen Pingping. However, he chose to simply, directly, and roughly asks the empress dowager.
“Don’t think that I am cold blooded and shameless. Think about what you all did 20 years ago.” Fan Xian lowered his head. “If you come out to mingle, you’ll have to return. Even as the empress dowager, I’m afraid you won’t escape the cycle of the natural order of things.”