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As much profit as there is, so much lies will be bred, and such excellent actors will be cultivated. Fan Xian deeply believes this. Standing on the court hall, what they are testing each other is about the ownership of that chair, which is the greatest interest in the world, so it is not surprising that the prince tells a big lie in front of him.
The problem is that Fan Xian has no way of judging whether what the prince said is true or not. If he was in the position of prince, would he make such a promise
Forget about the past
With the prince's innate status, the empress dowager's love, and the unknown relationship with the eldest princess, if coupled with the support of Fan Xian, who has the Overwatch Council and the internal treasury, no one can stop his enthronement in the future. So if he can get Fan Xian's support, the prince seems to be able to make enough sacrifices.
The problem is that, based on Fan Xian's life experience and cognition, he believes that this kind of transaction is impossible, unless the prince really becomes a person without father and mother, and if the other party really becomes such a person, How dare Fan Xian sit at the same table with the other party
He was chatting gently with the prince, occasionally thinking of the prince's good attitude towards him and those stories when he first entered the capital, the cloud of complex colors in his heart became thicker and thicker.
"Is sister Wan'er alright?"
After walking in the palace for so long, only the Crown Prince of the East Palace was the first person to directly ask if Wan'er was okay, and he asked directly.
Fan Xian smiled, his mind was in a trance, and he spoke to the prince without saying a word, but his eyes fell on the other's cheek, looking at him seriously, and gradually saw some details that he hadn't noticed in the past.
The prince was very lonely and pitiful.
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Walking from the East Palace to the outside of the palace, the sunset had gradually set at this time, and the reddish twilight, shining on the vermilion palace wall, gradually faded away, covering the cold-resistant dwarf plants and the hall buildings around him. A layer of red, an ominous red.
Fan Xian clasped his hands behind his back, his face was calm, thoughtful, and all he thought about today was the prince. Just like the feeling at that moment before, Fan Xian realized now that among the five princes including himself, the most pitiful one was actually the crown prince. This East Palace crown prince was only a little older than himself. The Ye family was destroyed before I was born, but what about the prince
... Four years after the fall of the Ye family, on the bloody night in Kyoto, the prince's matriarchal family was slaughtered, his grandfather died at the hands of his father, and he lost far more relatives than himself. Since then, the prince has been living alone in the palace, living in tension and anxiety. The only thing he can rely on is the queen mother and empress who love him.
No, the empress does not count, just as my father said back then, the reason why the emperor does not abolish the empress and is not easy to save is precisely because the empress is extremely stupid and her relatives have been slaughtered. Such a situation is exactly what the emperor needs.
The only thing the prince can rely on is the queen mother, and as he grows up, because of the court environment and the queen's deep memory of the events of the year, the prince has a mediocre and slightly cowardly temperament. He has no friends, and it is impossible to have one. Friends, there is only silence.
However, the emperor of the Qing Kingdom didn't want the successor he had chosen to remain silent like this forever, so he singled out the second prince, intending to sharpen the crown prince's knife, and finally picked out Fan Xian and laid down the second prince. Prince, continue to grind the prince.
Such a deformed life will naturally produce many psychological problems.
Silence, silence, if you don't break out in silence, you will pervert in silence. The prince seems to have chosen the latter, but his heart doesn't seem to be too scary.
Fan Xian walked under the palace wall, looked back at the majestic Tai Chi Hall glowing like fire in the curtain light, squinted his eyes slightly, and sighed in his heart, why would he want to stand on the opposite side of you
Comparing the prince and the second prince, Fan Xian actually leaned more towards the prince, because he knew very well the ruthlessness under the gentle expression of the second prince.
However, he could try to knock the second prince off the horse to save his life, but he couldn't use the same method on the prince. Because the prince's status is too special, he will either enter the clouds and turn into a dragon, or he will ooze blood from his scales and fall into hell.
The second prince had to do something to inherit the throne, so he gave Fan Xian too many opportunities. But the crown prince is just the opposite. He will naturally inherit the throne if he does nothing and cannot do anything. Once the crown prince has figured this out, he will remain calm and intelligent like he has shown in this year. , watching all this with cold eyes.
However, calmness does not mean generosity. If Fan Xian is really deceived by this illusion and softens his heart, once the other party really ascends the throne, Fan Xian must be greeted by the Queen's frantic pursuit and revenge, and the Eldest Princess' ruthless cleansing.
At that time, the prince will still take pity on his own life
It's just that the second prince was not repulsed by Fan Xian, and the prince also rushed up... He clenched his fists lightly, making his heart cold and hard, thinking to himself, it's not easy for anyone who wants to live in this world, don't you blame me.
He took a last look at the twilight scene of the burning palace, and tilted his head slightly. The source of all this was actually the middle-aged man sitting on the dragon chair.
Fan Xian suddenly had a tinge of pleasure, he wanted to see the middle-aged man's appearance of being so embarrassed and furious, he wanted to break the emperor's calm pretense, it really hurt his heart.
After all, we are all a bunch of cruel people.
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On this day, the sky was high and the clouds were light, before spring came, the sky was already clear. The winter trees on both sides of the official road outside the city gate of Kyoto were tall and branched, threatening those people who were far away from home with their teeth and claws.
A black horse convoy came out of the city gate and lined up beside the road, waiting for the crowd in front of them to disperse. A young man came out with the curtain lifted, stood in front of the car and looked over there under the awning, frowned slightly, and said to himself: "Why is that?"
The young man is Fan Xian, and it has already entered February, and he can't find any more excuses to stay in the capital, and in this situation, he certainly knows that the farther away from the capital the better, so that he won't drag himself into the capital afterwards. In the water, it was just that Sisi was pregnant, which gave him some headaches—afterwards, Fuchu had a discussion and decided to let Wan'er stay in the capital to take care of her, and let him go to Jiangnan alone.
Today is the day when he left the capital. With the lessons learned from the past, he did not inform many people, even the young scholars in the Taixue did not hear about it. This time the trip seemed quieter and a little more lonely.
Fan Xian frowned slightly as he looked at the soldiers of the Qing Dynasty who were forming a team in front of the official road.
Not long after, a few riders broke away from the more detached army sending team over there, and these riders directly circled back and headed towards Fan Xian's convoy, with the sound of horses' hoofs, Fan Xian smiled slightly, got out of the carriage and waited. .
In the first few rides was an officer, wearing a thin cotton-padded armor, looking full of heroism, followed by several deputies.
The officer rode up in front of Fan Xian, whipped him off his horse, and his movements were very neat. After he took off the armor on his face, revealing his handsome and gentle face, he realized that this person was actually Prince Jing's heir Li Hongcheng. .
"Unexpectedly, our two brothers would leave Beijing at the same time." Li Hongcheng patted Fan Xian on the shoulder heavily, and said with a smile.
Fan Xian shook his head and sighed, "I stayed well in the capital, why bother to join the army? Of course a man has to seek merit while he is alive, but he must seek it on the battlefield... If the prince hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known about you There is an arrangement."
The Qing Dynasty conquered the world on horseback, and the folk customs are simple and powerful. Even the children of the royal family have learned equestrian martial arts since childhood. They have the habit of joining the army since the previous generation. He started out as a small officer, but he climbed to the position of the great general king.
After a moment of silence, Li Hongcheng said: "You also know that if I stay in the capital, my father will keep me locked up in the mansion... It's no different from being in a prison. I don’t want to be tortured by this anymore.”
After being silent for a long time, Fan Xian raised his head and said slowly, "You must take care, otherwise I will feel sorry."
"If it can make you feel guilty, this expedition is not a loss." After being slightly startled, Li Hongcheng laughed: "In life, you always have to find a few goals for yourself. This time I joined the Zhengxi Army. It’s not about satisfying childhood thoughts.”
Fan Xian said: "I didn't know you still had this kind of ideal in life. I thought your ideal in life was all on the flower boat..."
The two smiled at each other and noticed that there were many people around them, so it was inconvenient to have a deep talk. Li Hongcheng took the reins and walked side by side with Fan Xian, and came to the slope below the official road, where the leafless and dead branches were denser, dividing the dim sunlight in the sky into patches of coldness.
It was quiet, and no one could hear the two of them talking.
Li Hongcheng was silent for a moment, a relaxed smile gradually appeared on his face, and he said happily: "The things of the past two years have made me understand... In the capital, I can't beat you, and the second child can't beat you... That's fine, I'll leave Kyoto for you to play, and I'll go to the west to play."
Fan Xian smiled wryly, for a moment he didn't know how to answer the words, and after a while he said sincerely: "The journey to Xihu is long and difficult, you have to take care... Although seeking fame in the army is a shortcut, it is also a dangerous one. Although Your Majesty now holds the military power, you know how hard it was during the hard years in the west."
Li Hongcheng nodded thoughtfully, and said earnestly: "Since joining the army, he has naturally been mentally prepared, and my lord father also knows my thoughts, otherwise he would not nod."
The so-called idea is to really decide to leave the capital and get tired of the dangerous battle. However, Fan Xian thought that the main force of the Western Conquest Army is still the Ye family, the second prince's father-in-law's family, and he couldn't help feeling a little strange in his heart. He looked at With Li Hongcheng's face, he endured and endured, and finally he couldn't hold back, and said, "Ye Zhong...is the father-in-law of the second child, since you have decided not to participate in the affairs of Hejing..."
Before he finished reminding, Li Hongcheng stopped his words with a wave of his hand, and said calmly: "Don't worry, I will do what I promised you. I'm not a fool... just..." He laughed, "It's just that you seem too smart, which makes it difficult for us people to find opportunities to perform, especially in the past two years, you have used my father to suppress me to death. under house arrest."
Fan Xian smiled wryly, "I didn't use Prince Jing to suppress you, but Prince Jing used me to suppress you. You need to clarify this point."
"Anything is fine." Li Hongcheng sighed: "Anyway, father and you have the same thoughts. If that's the case, why should I force myself to struggle? It doesn't matter if I go to the West, the blood on the battlefield will be more straightforward."
He suddenly calmed down, looked into Fan Xian's eyes, and said sincerely: "My second brother and I have always had a very good friendship... I have something to ask of you."
The word "begging" seemed a bit heavy when said, Fan Xian immediately guessed what he would say, frowned first and said: "I am just a courtier, some things are not up to me to decide, and who can decide the outcome Medium? No need to say these things first.”
Li Hongcheng shook his head calmly: "You didn't let me say it in advance, because you were afraid you wouldn't promise me something... You are right in saying that the outcome is uncertain, no matter how you look at it, you can't defeat them in just a few years , but I don’t know why, I just think you will win in the end.”
"Excellent?" Fan Xian smiled wryly.
"But don't forget, after all, he is also your brother...a real brother." Li Hongcheng looked into his eyes and said seriously: "If there is such a day, I hope you can let him live."
"You think too highly of me." Fan Xian turned his body slightly, looked at a certain direction on the side of the capital, and said calmly, "He is the prince, and we courtiers, no matter how powerful we are, it is impossible for us to go there." It decides his life and death... And you said you let me let him live, but if the second child catches me one day, will he let me live?"
His voice gradually turned cold: "I gave the second child enough time to think about it, and you also know why I cut off his wings for more than a year... But he didn't do it, his heart was too big, It's so big that he can't control it himself, so if I still have the luxury of controlling myself... then I'm courting death."
Li Hongcheng lowered his head slowly, and said: "Since he was ten years old, he has been forced to embark on the road of seizing the heir... It has become his unchangeable purpose in life for so many years. Even if you beat him until he is the only one left Alone, he wouldn't be reconciled."
"That's the reason." Fan Xian's face gradually became indifferent, he raised his right arm, pointed to a certain direction he was facing, and said, "A few tens of miles away from here is the farm of my Fan family. , do you know what's in there?"
Li Hongcheng glanced at him.
"There are four people buried there." Fan Xian lowered his arms and said, "The four guards of the Fan family are buried, they were the four guards who followed me after I entered Beijing, and were killed on Niulan Street. "
He continued: "The sniper killing on Niulan Street was meant by the Eldest Princess, and the second child's arrangement. Although you are the one being used, you can't deny... You are also an accomplice... From that day on, we Just swear, in this capital, if there is anyone who wants to kill me, I will not show any mercy to the other party."
"In the past three years, too many people have died. Many people have died on my side, and many people have died on their side. The enmity between the two sides has long been turned into blood in the mud, and it can't be washed away. Clean. Since the second child thinks that with the help of the Ye family, he can spend forever... Then I will spend it with him."
Fan Xian looked back at Li Hongcheng, and said slowly: "Since the second child refuses to quit, then this matter has become a life-or-death situation... You told me to keep my hands on him, did you ever think that this is tantamount to murdering me?" Your own life? Have you ever thought that it is unfair for you to make such a request to me?"
It's very unfair... Li Hongcheng laughed at himself, sighed and said, "I just hoped that the matter would end peacefully."
"That depends on the hearts of the crown prince and the second prince!" Fan Xian said something very similar to the emperor, "I am just the knife in His Majesty's hand. If it ends peacefully, it depends on how these two behave in front of His Majesty."
He paused, and suddenly felt that at this moment of separation, such ruthless words to Hongcheng seemed too harsh, so he couldn't help but shook his head, and his tone became gentler: "You don't need to go west this time. It was a very wise decision to stay between me and my second child. In my position, I must thank you."
"Thank you?" Li Hongcheng said with a wry smile, "Thank you for running away, so that you don't have the heart to wield a knife in the future?"
Both of them laughed.
Seeing Li Hongcheng's hand holding the rein, Fan Xian's heart skipped a beat, and he said for the third time, "Going to the west is difficult, you have to take care."
After being silent, Li Hongcheng nodded lightly, got on his horse, turned around and looked at Fan Xian for a while, and then said softly, "If I die in the west... remember to tell Ruoruo the news of my death... everyone will die Now, she doesn't have to hide in the north all the time, after all, it's a foreign country, so it's not as good as home."
Knowing that the son had guessed the truth about his sister's study abroad, Fan Xian couldn't help feeling ashamed, cupped his hands, and cursed forcefully, "Come back alive."
Li Hongcheng laughed loudly, cracked his whip, the horse rushed up the slope, led the three riders, and drove straight along the official road to the west, causing several clouds of smoke and dust to rise.
Fan Xian squinted at this scene, secretly praying for Hongcheng's safety.
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At nightfall, the Overwatch Council's convoy going down to the south of the Yangtze River once again passed the small valley that had been attacked, and occasionally saw the battle marks left on the rocks. Fan Xian licked his dry lips, and his heart surged. With a strong killing intent, this trip to Jiangnan is the end. After he has settled everything, he must find a way in the future to behead the old man who grows cabbage in the Qin family.
Ever since Qin Heng was transferred to the deputy envoy of the Privy Council and lost his post of guarding the capital, the old man of the Qin family still did not go to court as before. He definitely didn't know that Fan Xian had already guessed who the real culprit was in the valley.
What Fan Xian was thinking about at this time was how the emperor arranged it. With the incident of the valley sniping, several important positions in the court had been replaced with new ones, and a new metabolism had been successfully carried out, but the old Qin family and the Ye family were in The prestige in the army is still full, and the emperor must be dissatisfied with the current state.
What will the emperor do? Fan Xian often asked himself, if he was sitting on the dragon chair, the purge of the military mobilization this time would definitely be done more thoroughly, instead of making small troubles like now, and still giving these military bosses enough opportunities for activities.
Maybe it was Xihu's sudden advance that disrupted the emperor's overall plan, or maybe it was the little Northern Qi emperor's skillful hand that released Uesugi Tiger, which forced the emperor to keep Yan Xiaoyi temporarily.
However, there are still four of the Qing Kingdom's seven routes of elite soldiers... The backbone of the generals trained by the First Prince during the Western Expedition has not yet played a role in the battlefield. Is it necessary to rely so much on the old forces of Qin Yeyan and the three factions
Fan Xian shook his head, vaguely guessing a certain possibility, such as showing weakness, such as seducing, seducing like a girl with a red card... It's just that this kind of plan seems too absurd, too desperate, even as presumptuous as Fan Xian, he still can't believe the emperor Dare to make such an arrangement regardless of the survival of the Qing Kingdom.
The convoy passed through the valley, and after a few miles, they joined the five hundred black cavalry. After Jing Ge, who was wearing a silver mask, came to greet him, he retreated silently among the black cavalry. There were five hundred black cavalry patrolling around. In the hinterland of Qing Kingdom, there was no other force that could threaten Fan. Idle safety.
Fan Xian's heart suddenly moved, his brows furrowed, and he patted his palms lightly.
The compartment of the carriage moved slightly, and an ordinary official from the Overwatch Council lifted the curtain and walked in. Fan Xian glanced at him and said in admiration, "As expected of the number one assassin in the world, his ability to disguise is much better than mine."
The Shadow Assassin didn't smile, and asked deadpan, "What are your orders?"
"You go back to Beijing." Fan Xian stared into his eyes, and said in an unquestionable tone: "Go back to Mr. Dean's side immediately. From now on, we will never leave, and we must ensure his safety."
Shadow frowned. Chen Pingping personally arranged for him to come to Fan Xian's side, but Fan Xian suddenly asked him to come back to Chen Pingping's side. Fan Xian didn't explain anything, and said directly: "You know my strength, and you know that he is lame, so go."
The shadow thought for a while, nodded, and broke away from the big team of the convoy for a moment, turned into a black shadow, crossed the valley and fields, and fled towards the capital.
Fan Xian confirmed that the shadow would return to Chen Pingping's side, and his tense heart finally relaxed. For some reason, he always felt very uneasy when he left Beijing this time. If it was just about the prince, it shouldn't happen. It jeopardized the safety of the old cripple, but Fan Xian felt a faint fear, and always felt that something big beyond his imagination would happen in the capital.
Once a big event comes, there is a hidden force around my father, and those people in the palace don't know it very well, and my father has always covered it up very well, even if the capital is in turmoil, he will not be the primary target.
But Chen Pingping was different. If something big happened, the first thing those people would do was to muster all their strength and do everything possible...to kill him, to kill the old black dog that the emperor relied on the most.
This is a truth that has been proved by decades of turbulent history in the mainland - if you want to kill Emperor Qing, you must first kill Chen Pingping.
Although Fan Xian knew what kind of strength and city the old dean possessed, and how terrifying the defense force outside Chen Yuan was, there was no shadow by his side, and Fan Xian was always uneasy.
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The convoy went all the way south, south, passing the hills beside the Wei River, passing the mountains in the north of the river, crossing the great river, passing through the newly built embankments, and came to the vicinity of Yingzhou, where a sub-branch of the Governor's Office of the River Transport was established.
That night, Fan Xian didn't call his protégé Yang Wanli to see him. On the one hand, he wanted to see how Wanli was doing, and on the other hand, he was anxious to check the academy newspapers from the capital and the reports from the Jiangnan water village. folk news.
The capital was peaceful, and the event Fan Xian planned had not yet started, and there were no dangerous signals coming.
Fan Xian sat at the table, looked at the dossier with the light of the light, and couldn't help laughing at himself. Maybe it was because he stayed in a dangerous place for too long, so he seemed a little too sensitive. With the supreme prestige in the civil army and the stability and loyalty of the official system in the Qing Dynasty, who would dare to rebel in this world
In the middle of the night, there was the sound of a shift on the street. Fan Xian had already come out of the post station alone. He was wearing a black night walker, covering his face.
Since the general trend of the world has not changed, I must start a few small things for myself.
In a dilapidated earth temple outside the city, Fan Xian found the green banner, and saw Wang Shisanlang who was staring at the statue in a daze under the green banner.
"Brother Xiaojian, I am very satisfied."
Fan Xian sat across from him, smiled and said, "I just heard that you were also seriously injured, but I didn't expect that you seem to be recovering well now."
Wang Shisanlang said with a wry smile: "My body may be stronger than others."
"It's great to be strong, because I'm going to arrange for you to do something soon." Fan Xian said with a smile: "I will slowly go back to Hangzhou and Suzhou, but you have to go first, to meet someone, and then you will come out for me , Help me collect some debts and come back."
"Arrears?"
"Yes." Fan Xian sighed and said, "What a big account."
Thirteenth Wang glanced at him, and said, "I can't help with the Ming family's affairs, you know that I, Senior Brother Yun, have been watching over there."
"Nonsense, if Yun Zhilan hadn't been staring at me, what would I have asked you to do?" Fan Xian said with a smile, "This is a business matter, I don't want to fight with you Dongyi City, so it is most appropriate for you to come forward gone."
Wang Shisanlang said with a wry smile: "I'm just expressing my teacher's attitude, it doesn't mean that I will represent my teacher to suppress Senior Brother Yun."
"I'm not stupid enough to believe that you Dongyi City will have internal strife." Fan Xian shook his head, looked at the green flag beside him, and said, "It's just that I am the owner of this account...but it's not convenient for me to come forward. Even my disciples and subordinates are not convenient to come forward. I originally thought of recruiting a stranger to do it, but I was afraid that the Ming family would be forced to kill that stranger... You are a high-level person, so naturally you don’t have to be afraid of these vulgar people. life threatening."
Wang Shisanlang said in surprise: "Why do you trust me so much? Are you not afraid that I will swallow these accounts? Are you not afraid that I will explain clearly to the Ming family?"
"You can't swallow it, you're just pretending to be a professional manager." Fan Xian didn't care if he could understand these new terms or not, and said directly: "As for the Ming family, I've already tied them down to death, you just need to come forward and tighten up." Cord buckle."
Wang Shisanlang sighed and said, "Master Fan, I am not your killer."
"Attitude." Fan Xian smiled and comforted, "Attitude determines everything. Since your master wants to stand against the wall, you must make your attitude clearer. Otherwise, after the Ming family collapses, I can't guarantee that you can go east." Can the cargo channel be unblocked?"
"The road to the east is not smooth, and Qing Guo is also the one who suffers." Wang Shisanlang doesn't like being threatened by others.
Fan Xian said seriously: "Qingguo belongs to His Majesty, not mine, so I don't care about losing money, but Dongyi City belongs to your master, so he cares about losing money. This... is the biggest difference." How to, please log in, more chapters, support the author, support genuine!)