Back in the house, Ye Linger and Princess Roujia had already returned. Fan Xian returned to the room, called Siqi to pour tea, and dismissed this big girl who was like Sisi, but had been complaining to him in the autumn, and took advantage of the fact that there were only him and his wife in the room. Kong asked softly, "Is there any news in the palace recently?"
Lin Wan'er was sitting by the window, embroidering something against the skylight outside. Hearing his question, she raised her head in surprise: "What happened?"
It was almost dusk, and the sky diffused a large piece of not-so-clear light after entering the window. Fan Xian looked at Wan'er's frowning brows, walked up to her with distress, rubbed her smooth brows, and said, "The light is not good, what are you embroidering?"
Wan'er's face was a little pale, probably because she didn't have a good rest last night, she lowered her head and giggled, hid the embroidery in her hands behind her back, and said, "I'll show you when the embroidery is finished."
Looking at his wife's weak appearance and long eyelashes, Fan Xian couldn't help feeling a little guilty in his heart. After leaving Kyoto at the beginning of spring, the care for his wife has become weaker than last year. This is not to say that he is a person who loves the new and dislikes the old—after all, the dignified little Master Fan doesn't even have a concubine—it's just that there are too many things that hinder his mind, so that he seldom takes care of family affairs.
Lin Wan'er thought about his previous question, and after thinking for a while, she said: "The palace has been quiet recently, there is nothing special about it, why did you think of asking this?"
Fan Xian smiled wryly and said, "Your ruthless uncle asked me to take care of one place, and I don't know how many officials he will offend. The real masters of those officials live in the palace, so I naturally have to pay more attention."
Lin Wan'er's status is special, with the favor of the imperial grandmother and the favor of His Majesty, her status in the palace is actually higher than Fan Xian imagined at the beginning. His Majesty does not have a daughter, and there is no real princess in Qing Kingdom today, but Wan'er is really not much different from a princess.
After thinking for a while, she said with a smile: "Don't worry, I know His Majesty dotes on you, and of course those girls will only speak well of you in front of you."
Fan Xian smiled and said: "I have only met the Holy Spirit a few times, and I don't know where the word pet came from. If it is possible for His Majesty to favor you, as for me... it's just Aiwujiwu."
A flash of admiration flashed in Lin Wan'er's eyes, and she said softly: "My husband is always like this..." She went on to say: "Concubine Shu has been full of praise for you these days, Concubine Yi, you know, is a relative of our family, No matter what, I have to speak on your side, but the empress is still as calm as usual, as for the other concubines, they are not even qualified to speak in the palace, so I didn't remember it."
Fan Xian believed in his wife's judgment very much. Even if he took full control of the Overwatch Council in the future, the imperial palace would still be a fortified place that he could not reach with his fingers, and Wan'er was his most reliable eyes and ears and spy. And when Concubine Shu said good things about herself, it was nothing more than selling her a petty favor, and it didn't cost any money to say a few words.
"What does Ning Cairen say?" Fan Xian asked curiously, "The matter of my dispute with your elder brother should have been spread to the palace long ago."
Lin Wan'er covered her mouth and smiled and said, "Aunt Ning is too lazy to talk to you, she always loves me the most, saying that you and His Highness are two little bastards messing around, and in the future she will play 50 big boards at the same time."
Fan Xian pretended to be panicked: "My lady! The board in this palace is not comfortable, you should give your husband some kind words."
Lin Wan'er was too lazy to take his naughty jokes, and after spitting, she said: "You like to offend others, and there is no reason why you always let me take care of the aftermath for you." She took out the taut embroidery bottom from behind, giggling He said: "Master Tisi has nothing to ask? Then please step back, don't delay my work."
Fan Xian withdrew his hand that was about to go up to grab the little hand, and said dejectedly, "I don't know what's important." Just as he was about to leave, he remembered the big man he had forgotten earlier, and asked with a little hesitation, "Meet the Queen Mother?" ?"
Lin Wan'er paused slightly with her hands, and raised her head after a while, with puzzled and sad eyes, she nodded and said, "See, grandma didn't say anything."
The queen mother who has been living in the palace is actually the real ruler of the whole palace. The strange thing is that Fan Xian has been to the palace several times, but unfortunately he has no chance to meet him. Even the last two times when the husband and wife entered the palace, the Queen Mother also said that she was sick and disappeared. But when Wan'er entered the palace by herself, the old queen mother liked her ruthlessly, hugging her in her arms and screaming dearly. The empress dowager's apparent estrangement towards Fan Xian made Wan'er slightly uneasy and puzzled.
Fan Xian sneered in his heart, knowing that the old man had guessed something after all, but he wasn't too scared.
Lin Wan'er looked into his eyes, sighed and said: "Ling'er entered the palace last time, she told me today... My husband, I know that your official duties are a bit difficult, but you don't know What kind of person are you? You seem to be using her, but I'm afraid you are giving yourself an excuse to remember her love. What you told me last night is terrible in my opinion. Second brother... Second Highness Although he looks soft and easy-going right now, he is actually very stubborn, since you have no choice but to investigate him, if you still have too many scruples like you do now, I'm afraid it's not appropriate."
Fan Xian looked at his wife's worried face, nodded with a smile and said, "I didn't expect that when you were a child, you actually gave His Highness the nickname Shitou."
"He seems easy-going, but things he's sure of won't change." Lin Wan'er said worriedly.
Fan Xian has always believed in the saying that the way of husband and wife lies in sincerity. If you are reborn, you have to be more careful about the person next to your pillow. This kind of life would be a bit miserable, so he didn't hide his investigation of the second prince from his wife. Hearing Wan'er's worry, he comforted him: "Actually, it's for the benefit of the Second Highness. Seeing the current limelight, these courtiers seem to be deluded, unable to understand His Majesty's determination to protect the Crown Prince. If no one pulls the Second Highness Come on, when he has really climbed to the top of the pole, it will not be easy to think about getting down."
Lin Wan'er smiled sweetly, and did not continue the topic, but instead said: "I don't know how your heart was born, but you have a few more tricks than others, and your brain is turning around."
Is the heart more open than dry? Fan Xian almost blurted it out, but he knew very well that he was just an acting actor, and he was really naive in politics, the only thing he could rely on was his ruthlessness and superficial gentleness. He bowed deeply to his wife, and said with a smile: "How dare you compare yourself with Counselor Lin, you are a fairy who escaped from the most scheming palace in the world since childhood."
Lin Wan'er spat at him and scolded with a smile: "Are you really this embarrassing to be in the palace?"
Fan Xian said with a smile: "The former sages once said that this world belongs to brothels and palaces, and it is filled with darkness. It is really not a place for people to stay."
Lin Wan'er was startled when she heard the words, feeling a little displeased, she lowered her head. It was only then that Fan Xian realized that his daughter-in-law was also from the palace. He did not take her feelings into consideration when he said this. He smiled and apologized, and the two returned to normal. After being quiet for a while, Lin Wan'er tasted it carefully, and felt a little more moved in her heart. Although my biological mother is the eldest princess of the dynasty, how many women in this world can be treated with such respect by their husbands after they get married? I've never heard of Li'er where a husband apologized to his wife.
Lin Wan'er said softly: "The palace is indeed not what you imagined. The emperor's uncle is a wise master who is not greedy for women. The masters in the palace are also decent. The novels you mentioned in the past No one dared to use any means, the Empress Dowager's eyes are staring there, if anyone dares to damage the blood of the emperor, that old ancestor will definitely not tolerate it."
When Fan Xian heard this sentence, his heart moved, and he felt more at ease.
Lin Wan'er said with a smile: "Your Majesty is very strict in the palace, fighting for favor? There is no favor at all, how can you fight? The queen doesn't care much, so those girls... have to put their minds on the poker table. Well, it’s actually no different from a normal prince’s house.”
Fan Xian was taken aback for a moment, he really didn't expect that there would be such a harmonious scene in the imperial palace, wouldn't it mean that all the palace complaints he read in his previous life were useless? Scratching his head somewhat self-deprecatingly, he laughed and said, "No wonder Wan'er, you play mahjong so well, even that little monster Fan Sizhe can only be tied with you."
As soon as she heard playing cards, Lin Wan'er's face immediately exuded a strange brilliance, which made Fan Xian jump. Going forward to inspect it carefully, only to find that this ray of brilliance seems to be fading, but it is hidden in the inside, and it is a piece of jade. It is called: the light of a master of returning to nature.
…
…
Lin Wan'er's eyes fluttered, she glanced at the unscrupulous husband-in-law, and said, "It's just that my hands are itchy. I'm married to my husband, but my husband is too busy to see anyone every day. But I'm lucky, I finally caught my brother-in-law, a genius at the card table. "
She gritted her teeth, pulled off her sleeves, and rubbed her fists: "These days, Fan Sizhe doesn't know where he is. He can't catch anyone at the poker table every day. It's a pain to play poker with his mother. Seeing her respectful and polite appearance, it's amazing." Like I'm her mother-in-law."
Fan Xian scratched her small pointed nose, and scolded with a smile: "How can you talk like that?" He paused and then said: "Of course Mrs. Liu is not your mother-in-law, so don't be too arrogant in the residence. "
Lin Wan'er was full of resentment and said, "Am I that kind of person?" The conversation changed and she said, "I will be admiring the chrysanthemums in a few days. According to the rules of previous years, the nobles in the palace will go to Xishan, but I don't know if this year it will be." How to arrange for us. We must go, but we just need to see how we go. It is estimated that there will be a father-in-law in the Heavenly Palace in a few days to pass the message, so don’t forget about it.”
"Admiring chrysanthemums?" Fan Xian frowned, knowing that people in Kyoto like to go to the gardens to enjoy chrysanthemums when autumn is high and the air is crisp. He did not expect that the royal family also had this hobby. He naturally wanted to go to Li's big party, but when he thought about what he had done in the capital recently, he suddenly thought, would those older generation foxes be like admiring chrysanthemums at this time? Pay attention to your every move
Not noticing the husband's sudden silence, Lin Wan'er said seriously: "I haven't played cards recently, and the chrysanthemums haven't bloomed yet, so I'm always boring. The book you promised me before marriage... When will you write it for me?"
With the lawsuit on his mind, Fan Xian didn't have the energy to copy The Dream of the Red Chamber, he begged for mercy with a wry smile, "I say grandma, please forgive me." Seeing Lin Wan'er's resolute expression, he didn't dare to stay in the room anymore. Rubbing together, his buttocks smoked and pushed the door to hide.
※※※
Fan Xian, who fled like a ghost, walked through the spacious courtyard until he met a few maidservants who were hiding their faces and smiling, and he didn't feel that something was wrong. He coughed twice, trying to show the demeanor that a generation of celebrities and ministers should have, but he straightened up for less than a moment, but immediately slowed down. He gritted his teeth and thought, since he was determined to live a beautiful life in this life since he was a child, why bother with those people's eyes. With a muffled grunt, he hummed a little tune, danced and turned into his study.
Although the conversation with his wife was commonplace, he got some useful information, but Fan Sizhe's movements these days are indeed a bit strange. Fan Xian frowned, feeling faintly worried. Then he thought about the issue of the Story of the Stone, and realized that the Emperor of the Northern Qi Dynasty had blocked the news. In his acknowledgment, it seemed that he had to copy a chapter and send it to him. However, the fact that he was the author of the Story of the Stone could not be kept secret for long, so he decided The Overwatch Council's secret message line is no longer needed.
After sitting for a while, the sky outside the room hadn't completely dimmed, and Yan Bingyun had already arrived as scheduled. Fan Xian looked at the case file he handed over, and couldn't help rubbing his temples. Today, he first reviewed the file Mu Tie handed over, set the tone with Shi Chan, then went to the "old house" to do business, and came back to coax his wife. Sometimes I have to talk to Mr. Xiaoyan again—with so many things to do in just one day, it seems that this so-called "cultivation of powerful ministers" is indeed a very hard way of life.
"I have already arrested everyone you want me to arrest. I don't know if it will help your work." Fan Xian didn't look at the case file, but asked indifferently. The "beating the mouse" a while ago didn't seem to have touched the officialdom in Kyoto, but in fact, under the cover of a large number of redundant cases, they cautiously approached the second prince's secret forces and tentatively detained two officials. Because Yan Bingyun believed that although the two officials were of low rank, they were important figures to find out whether there was any relationship between the second prince and the eldest princess.
Yan Bingyun sat on the chair with a calm expression, pointing to the case file in front of him: "I've got it."
Fan Xian was shocked, and said, "So fast?" He didn't bother to look at the case file, and asked directly, "Conclusion?"
Yan Bingyun said coldly: "Xinyang smuggles a huge amount to Northern Qi and Dongyi City every year. The deficit on the surface is caused by the Prince of the East Palace, but in fact the largest amount is handed over by the Ming family. It was given to the Second Prince to buy off the officials in the court and to make friends with the big officials from all walks of life, so my lord's judgment is correct, and the second Highness is behind the Eldest Princess."
Fan Xian frowned and said, "The Ming family? Cui's in-laws, the Ming family?"
"Exactly."
"How did such a large amount of money be transferred from the inner treasury to His Highness the Second Highness?" Fan Xian asked for advice.
"Of course you can't take the line of the capital, but go around from the south of the Yangtze River. After being handled by several imperial merchants in the middle, they will be dispersed, from bottom to top, and then the second highness will be in charge." Yan Bingyun glanced at him, "The process is very fast. It's complicated, it's written in the case file, if you don't understand something, just read it directly, it's more complicated to put it in words."
Fan Xian ignored his doubts about his abilities in his tone, and just fell into deep thought—his judgment was correct. He took a deep breath and said, "I want to enter the palace to face the saint, do you want to come with me?"
Yan Bingyun was startled when he heard the words, and responded directly: "I won't go to the office, and... this matter... really needs to be revealed?"
Fan Xian asked back: "The eldest princess and the second prince are so secretive, but we found it out easily. Don't you think the palace doesn't know? Could our Dean Chen not know?"
"Even if the palace is vigilant, there must be no evidence in hand." Yan Bingyun slowly lowered his eyes, "My lord, don't forget that Zhu Ge, the dead leader of the first place, has always belonged to the eldest princess. In this case, if It’s not that your lord is in charge of one place now, and the rest of the departments are fully cooperating, it is impossible to find out... So the current situation is that if your lord really uncovers this case... Kyoto will be in chaos."
He spoke very calmly, but Fan Xian could hear a trace of coldness behind the words—to be able to find out so quickly, in addition to the terrifying resources of the Overwatch Council, it also relied to a large extent on Yan Bingyun's extraordinary ability—and It was obvious that Yan Bingyun didn't want the case he investigated to cause chaos in the Qing court, which had always been peaceful on the surface.
In the final analysis, Yan Bingyun was not loyal to Fan Xian, but to His Majesty, to the Qing Kingdom, and to the Overwatch Council.
Fan Xian glanced at him and said, "Do you know what suppressing this matter means?"
Yan Bingyun shook his head: "I only know that if this matter is uncovered, your wife must be the one who has the most difficulty."
In fact, most of the upper-level people knew that Fan Xian's wife was the eldest princess' daughter, but no one had said so. If Fan Xian intends to expose this matter, there is no doubt that no matter from which aspect, His Majesty the Emperor in the palace will react extremely forcefully, and Lin Wan'er's situation will inevitably become embarrassing.
What Fan Xian did after returning to Beijing was actually just to make up for the mistake of forcing the eldest princess away with words and alleviating the conflicts in the palace. The result he wanted was to force His Majesty the Emperor, who might have other plans, to deprive the Eldest Princess of her power in the shortest possible time.
"I respect my wife." Fan Xian stared at Yan Bingyun with a chill, "However, I will not slow down my pace because of her embarrassment."
Yan Bingyun slowly raised his head, and there seemed to be some doubts in his eyes: "This is exactly what I don't understand, my lord, what exactly do you want to do?"
"Two reasons." Fan Xian stood up, walked to the window of the study, and watched the slowly setting sun. In a corner of the courtyard, a woman is tending the branches and leaves of the shrubs. "The first one is very simple. The imperial court is currently short of money. The great river in the south has been in disrepair for a long time. This year, the embankment failed and hundreds of thousands of people drowned. Although I haven't seen it myself, but I want to come...it's really miserable, buddy."
"Where can I get money for disaster relief? My father has been worrying about this problem these days. The financial situation of this dynasty is different from that of previous dynasties in history. The military has spent a lot of money and food for many years. Not to mention, the source is also very strange. In one year, the national treasury collected a huge portion of it that had to be transferred from the inner treasury. The inner treasury is His Majesty's treasury... In fact, you and I both know that it was the legacy of the mistress of the Ye family back then. Only the steady stream of silver produced by these industries can support Qing Kingdom."
Fan Xian looked back at Yan Bingyun with squinted eyes: "The Eldest Princess is a manipulative person. Over the years, the money from the inner treasury has been gradually scattered to the hands of officials, in exchange for her and him's loyalty and power. To put it bluntly, this is using His Majesty's money to poach His Majesty's ministers. The money is spent on internal affairs and officials, where the world needs money, where do you go to ask for it?"
"Silver is just silver, but how to use it is really a big problem. Instead of putting it in the houses of officials to mold, we should force it out and fill it into the river to scare the water ghosts."
"That's why I'm anxious to investigate the Cui family and the Second Highness, so that our Eldest Princess and the Second Highness who seems to only like to study... generously give away all the silver of our Qing Dynasty." Fan Xian lowered his head slightly. , seemed to be a little emotional, and said with a wry smile: "Of course, after this incident is exposed, His Majesty will probably not severely punish his own sister, but just like driving her out of the palace last time, His Majesty will always get in the way of discussion, so check the insider. Ku, I will also wake up the second prince... but I... probably His Majesty, when he is furious, will think that I am nosy, kick me out of the Overwatch Council, and demote me far away."
He stretched himself, with a pure and innocent smile on his face: "I can't help it... I hope His Majesty will let me go back to Danzhou."
Yan Bingyun tilted his head slightly, with a stiff face, as if he had never known the lord in front of him, and murmured: "But lord, you will take over the internal treasury next year, so it's justified to check it then? "
Fan Xian smiled, as if talking about other people's affairs: "There is no food surplus in the Qing Dynasty! If we can stop the money flowing out of the internal treasury one day earlier, the people in the south who were hit by the disaster will have a few more bowls of porridge to drink. Other things You can wait, but if you don’t eat a meal, you will be very hungry.”
Yan Bingyun stared at him steadfastly, as if he wanted to see clearly whether the person in front of him was the sinister power minister he thought he was, or a great saint who was merciful, spared no expense on himself, and was not afraid of criticism.