Looking at the carriage in the distance and listening to the faint noises coming from all around, Fan Xian was a little relieved - arranging Fujikokyo to go to Erbalipo Qingyutang was to take advantage of the chaos in the capital at this time, Try every means to take those old shopkeepers of Qingyutang out of Kyoto and disperse them among the people.
This wasn't an idea that came to Fan Xian suddenly, but a part of the plan he had drawn up from the very beginning. These old shopkeepers are very important to Fan Xian, and their mastery of the internal warehouse technology in their minds, and their familiarity with those secrets are even more important to Qing Guo. Although His Majesty the Emperor kept them alive, he would never let them leave the capital and fall into the hands of other forces. It has been twenty years since the fall of the Ye family. Taking all the shopkeepers out of Beijing is basically an impossible task.
However, the rebellion of the eldest princess and the prince, and the chaos in the capital left Fan Xian, who had been painstakingly managing this matter, a big opportunity. Everyone in the capital thought His Majesty was dead, the palace was in chaos, the capital was in chaos, and a ray of light appeared before Fan Xian's eyes.
It's just that he really doesn't have any manpower to use now, and later, he vaguely guessed that His Majesty might be alive, so he temporarily stopped this plan. However, in the Taiping other courtyard, the last few words that the eldest princess whispered in his ear prompted him to make a final decision. Of course, even without the words of the eldest princess, Fan Xian would still find ways to take advantage of the current situation.
The battle between His Majesty the Emperor and the Eldest Princess has been going on at another level from the very beginning, and although Fan Xian is blindly silent, it seems that he is just a chess piece being swung, but he actually has his own thoughts.
He predicted that the capital would be in chaos, so he chose to fish out of troubled waters and make money out of the fire, with really sharp eyes and methods.
…
…
Before he could appease the sad Wan'er, Fan Xian turned around and left the house. The body of the eldest princess is now placed in a private room in the back garden. He has to return to the palace to deal with some more urgent issues. Now that he knows the news that His Majesty the Emperor is safe and sound, he must There are some powerful adjustments to be made.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he left the mansion, a group of cavalry came over. Fan Xian squinted his eyes to see, but he didn't know whose subordinate it was. Now the situation in Kyoto has long been settled, the Dingzhou army controls the outside of the palace, Ye Zhong has re-entrusted the defense of the palace to the First Prince with great maturity, and there is no longer any organized rebel army in the city.
The person who came was indeed the Dingzhou Army. A blood-stained school officer pulled the reins of the horse, crawled up to Fan Xian, and said anxiously, "My lord, the commander has something urgent to report."
There are countless strong generals in the Qing Dynasty, and all the major armies habitually call their chief general the commander-in-chief, just like the old troops of Zhengxi Army called the eldest prince. Since this school official is from the Dingzhou Army, the commander-in-chief in his mouth naturally refers to him. It was Ye Zhong. Fan Xian was taken aback, wondering if something had changed in Beijing? He was already anxious to see Ye Zhong at this moment, so he pulled the reins and followed the small group of cavalry towards Donghua Gate without saying anything. Listening silently along the road, only then did I know what happened.
Listening to the school official's narration, Fan Xian realized that Ye Zhong had been looking for him for a long time when he was in Taiping Bieyuan. While negotiating, for some reason, Li Chengqian asked himself to see him.
Although the Ye family suddenly rebelled, the rebel army is still powerful, and the fighting power of the remnants cannot be underestimated. Fan Xian never thought that the prince would be trapped in the capital. At this moment, in the city, which seemed to be in the initial stages of development, there turned out to be such a dangerous confrontation hidden under a certain quiet city gate.
His pupils shrank slightly, and he took a breath. If the rebels were expelled from the capital, once the field battle started, they would have nothing to do with them. Naturally, the Ye family and other military forces loyal to His Majesty would take over, but they were blocked in Donghua Gate? Why didn't the prince rush out
While thinking about it, the horseshoes didn't stop. It didn't take long to forcefully disperse the people from Kyoto who were crowding out of the city in the direction of Zhengyang Gate. Fan Xian and his party came to Donghua Gate.
There was silence in front of Donghua Gate, deathly silence. Surrounded by the Chengmen Division and the Dingzhou Army on a long street, the rebels of the Qin family held their weapons tightly and looked at the surrounding troops nervously and desperately.
In the center of the rebel army, the faces of several generals of the Qin family have become very ugly. The two sides had been facing each other for an entire hour under the Donghua Gate. Under the strong restraint of the prince, the rebel army did not launch a general attack on Donghua Gate, nor did they launch a counter-breakthrough against the Dingzhou Army. And Ye Zhong, who led the Dingzhou Army to encircle the place, also showed exceptional patience, killing time like this, waiting for the arrival of Fan Xian, who was required by the crown prince to be there.
Ye Zhong was very patient, but the generals of the rebel army lived like years, with sweat streaming down their faces, but they did not dare to move lightly, because the defeat was like a mountain, and if they really wanted to fight, they might not survive a few people, but they also I don't know what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is thinking, it involves rebellion, where is there any way out
Prince Li Chengqian, who was surrounded by the crowd, looked extraordinarily quiet, but a little haggard, not too flustered, until he saw Fan Xian approaching from afar, he sighed, as if he had calmed down a bit.
The cavalry of the Dingzhou Army separated like waves, and Fan Xian galloped through the street alone, and came to Ye Zhong's side. Glancing at His Highness the Crown Prince opposite, he frowned, not knowing what to say, turned his head, and whispered something in Ye Zhong's ear.
Ye Chong's face lit up with joy, and his eyes lit up. He felt palpitations immediately, knowing that he had been conservative before, and the time he had given the prince was right. Since His Majesty the Emperor survived a catastrophe, how should the rebellious prince deal with it? It should be handed over to His Majesty the Emperor.
Although he was a rebellious and abandoned prince, he was still the emperor's son. As the second prince's father-in-law, Ye Zhong naturally didn't want the prince to die in his hands like this.
Fan Xian raised his eyes to look at the prince, and the prince looked back at him, his white lips trembling slightly, as if he had finally made an extremely important decision, he hissed slowly, "Are you here?"
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…
The rebels surrendered and became prisoners of the Dingzhou army. Several generals of the Qin family were also captured and fell to the ground in despair. The battle in Kyoto came to an end for the time being. Ye Zhong led the army and escorted a black carriage to the direction of the imperial palace.
The black carriage was dispatched by the Overwatch Council as soon as possible. At this time, there were two people sitting in the carriage, one was Fan Xian, and the other was Prince Li Chengqian. The two brothers sat in the dark carriage, and no one spoke for a long time. first sentence.
"There may be something wrong with the third condition I promised you." Fan Xian lowered his eyes slightly and said in an apologetic tone, "If I can't do it, don't blame me for lying to you."
Prince Li Chengqian was unwilling to surrender countless innocent soldiers of the rebel army because of himself, so he surrendered with great courage. However, he asked Fan Xian to come in person and agree to three conditions before he was willing to arrest him without a fight, because Li Chengqian knew that at this time in the capital , Fan Xian, holding his father's imperial edict in his hand and supported by the vast majority of people, has more power to speak than Ye Zhong, who has a large army but is cautious in his heart. As long as Fan Xian is willing to agree to himself, no one in the court will Make things difficult for these ordinary soldiers.
Hearing Fan Xian's words at this time, Crown Prince Chengqian thought that Fan Xian had repented, stared into his eyes, and said angrily, "Why?"
"I can fight for the lives of ordinary soldiers, but I can't guarantee that they will survive. Although they are just cannon fodder, but... this is treason. Although the Qing Law is not strict, it has not left them a way to survive."
The prince couldn't understand the word cannon fodder, but he could guess what it meant.
Looking at the prince's pale face, Fan Xian sighed and said, "As for the officials and generals who participated in the rebellion, I have nothing to do."
"I know they won't survive, but at least I hope you won't be implicated... They are all big families. Once the generals are killed, I'm afraid tens of thousands of people will die."
Li Chengqian's face was a little gloomy, and he hoped that Fan Xian would promise again, after all, before the two armies, Fan Xian had personally agreed.
"Confiscating the family and exterminating the family, or implicating the whole family, this is something beyond my control." Fan Xian frowned very tightly, and said after a while: "As I said before, I will try my best to do what I promised you. But how many people can be saved, I... can't guarantee."
A picture appeared in front of Fan Xian's eyes. Countless heads were beheaded, countless young children were thrown to death, and countless wives and wives of high-ranking officials were sent to official workshops and barracks, where they would never stand up again. Even though he is a cold-blooded person, once he thinks about the tragedy that is about to come to the capital, he still feels a little chilly.
The men rebelled for their own rights and titles, and it was not only them who had to bear the tragic consequences, but also their wives, children who knew nothing, and even distant relatives from their hometown, or friends from many years ago...
Li Chengqian was trembling all over, and grabbed Fan Xian's collar with one hand. His pale and frightened face showed rare courage, and he growled in a low voice: "If you hadn't promised me, how could I surrender? How could I be willing to be you?" Prisoner!"
Fan Xian didn't try to break free from the prince's weak hands, and shouted back in a low voice: "No surrender? Do you really want to be killed in the chaos?"
Li Chengqian was startled, and heard something else from Fan Xian's words, subconsciously let go of his hands clutching his collar, and said in a trembling voice: "I, the crown prince, is already abolished and will die soon, and you It’s Jian Guo, and the great scholars all support you... Even if Ping’er succeeds to the throne, you are still the emperor’s master, if you say a word, who would dare not listen to you?”
The expression on Fan Xian's face was a little indifferent, and he said, "Your Majesty... is still alive."
When Li Chengqian heard the news, his arms fell limply on his knees. Although he had already guessed the possibility of Ye Zhong's betrayal, once he actually heard the news, he would still be shocked.
"She's dead too."
Fan Xian said these words quietly, then looked sideways at the prince. Li Chengqian's face became paler and paler, his eyes stared blankly at the wall of the carriage, and he was speechless for a long time. He gradually lowered his head, bent his body, buried his head, his shoulders kept trembling, and made a suppressed sound.
Perhaps agitated by His Royal Highness's crying, Fan Xian felt a sense of distress in his chest, and subconsciously channeled Tianyi's True Qi method to clear the meridians, but unexpectedly, when he reached the middle of the mutton, there was a sharp pain for no reason. His eyes were black and then bright, and he couldn't control it anymore, a mouthful of blood spattered on the wall of the carriage with a slapping sound.
From Dadongshan to Kyoto, he was seriously injured and traveled thousands of miles. Before he recovered, he was forcibly suppressed with drugs, and experienced countless dangerous fights. Finally, he couldn't hold on anymore and his injuries exploded.
The prince's mood at this time was completely surrounded by the news that his father was alive and his aunt was dead. He didn't notice Fan Xian's situation at all, and fell into endless sadness with his head buried.
Fan Xian wiped the blood from his lips, took a few breaths, glanced at the guy beside him, and couldn't help shaking his head. Li Chengqian is about the same age as him, and it doesn't look like he has two lives, so he is just a young man.
In this way, one of the two brothers in the carriage vomited blood and the other cried, and the black carriage entered the palace.
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…
After bandaging his wounds, the First Prince silently led the carriage directly to the rear palace, the gate of the East Palace. Fan Xian and the prince got out of the car and walked in. This East Palace has always been the residence of the successor to the Qing Dynasty's throne, but now, it has truly become the prince's cage, or the tomb of the future.
The eldest prince and the crown prince whispered a few words, glanced at Fan Xian, then turned and left. At this time, there was no one in the East Palace, only the guards outside were patrolling.
Fan Xian didn't have much time to talk to the prince, so he clutched his chest and said directly to him, "You only have one day."
Li Chengqian looked up in astonishment, as if he had woken up from a nightmare, he stared blankly at Fan Xian, not understanding what he was talking about.
"Your Majesty will return to Beijing the day after tomorrow." Fan Xian looked at him calmly. "You set fire to the East Palace once before. I don't think it will be too surprising that the East Palace will be burned again."
Li Chengqian's expression changed suddenly, he stared into Fan Xian's eyes, as if he wanted to confirm what he was talking about, his lips moved twice, but no sound came out.
Seeing that he didn't answer, Fan Xian lowered his head and said in a gloomy voice, "It's not difficult for you to die..."
Before he finished speaking, Li Chengqian shook his head indifferently, and said, "Then you take advantage of the fire to rescue me from the palace and send me to a place that no one knows?" He looked at Fan Xian with a very serious look in his eyes. Complicated, "I don't know why you suddenly become such a gentle person, but I want to thank you."
"You don't need to thank me." Fan Xian said, "It's just that the elders are used to arranging everything, but I'm not used to it."
Li Chengqian laughed with difficulty, and said, "I really can't see through you..."
"You know I'm a ruthless person, and it's rare for me to be kind. The queen is dead, so you should hate me. If you want to live, set the fire tonight."
"It's not your style to take such a risk."
"My life has been gloomy for a long time, and I almost forgot that I said that I wanted to live a full life. After going through so many things, I realized that if I want to live a wonderful life, I must first live with courage."
Fan Xian no longer looked at him, turned and left the quiet palace.
Li Chengqian stared blankly at his back, not understanding why he was suddenly so kind. His brows gradually frowned, and he became sad. He let out a long sigh, and lay down on the floor of this vast palace, with a detached smile on his face, his limbs stretched out, as if he had never been so relaxed and free before.
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…
That night, there was no fire in the East Palace. Fan Xian has been in the direction of Hanguang Palace, watching the direction there with cold eyes. After confirming the tranquility of the East Palace, he shook his head, feeling a little desolate in his heart. The emperor will arrive in Beijing in about the next day, and everything will return to the hands of that powerful emperor - saving the prince's life is not Fan Xian's whim, nor is it because he has the kindness of a woman, but a kind of thing that hurts him. He and the prince, including the second child, are actually just pawns on the chessboard of His Majesty the Emperor, puppets controlled by fate or the elders.
The prince no longer has any power, his life or death has nothing to do with Fan Xian. The prince is a good man, this is what Fan Xian said to Chen Pingping a long time ago. From the first meeting on the road outside the other palace, Fan Xian's impression of His Royal Highness was extremely gentle, especially in the past two years, although there were endless fights, what was it? Fan Xian was able to send Thirteenth Lang to protect the prince during his trip to Nanzhao, so he dared to spare the prince's life at this time.
If Fan Xian wanted to get rid of those silk threads behind him and save Li Chengqian's life, it would be the first time he had to tear hard to express his position. Now that the imperial palace is in his hands, it is not difficult to hide it from His Majesty's eyes and ears by using the Overwatch Council's disguised on-the-spot means, His Majesty's understanding of the Prince's temperament, and the excuse of his death.
It's just that the prince is like the eldest princess, and his heart has long since died. Fan Xian will naturally not foolishly take risks to do anything for a person with a dead heart. To have such a thought is enough to prove that after Meadow's shot, he My heart...has changed too much.
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…
into the night. The palace lanterns were all extinguished, the outside of the city was still not completely peaceful, but inside the imperial city there was no sound, the dark sky shrouded the flat garden inside the palace, and the imperial guards and Overwatch Council officials stationed everywhere stood motionless, like statues generally.
"Who?" An extremely vigilant voice sounded in Hanguang Hall, a maid lit up the palace lantern, saw the person in front of her clearly, and quickly knelt down.
Fan Xian waved her to get up, and ordered her to lead all the maids and eunuchs out of Hanguang Palace. At this time, not many people know that the emperor is already on his way back to Beijing. Fan Xian, as the supervisor of the country, is the husband of the third prince. If he is the real emperor, the entire palace will be unimpeded. No one dares to say goodbye to his arrival. Confuse.
A dim light was turned on, and all the maids and nuns left the palace in disheveled clothes. Fan Xian strolled alone in the vast palace, walked slowly to the phoenix bed, and looked at the old lady lying on the bed. Without waiting for the woman's venomous eyes to focus, Fan Xian swiped his right hand lightly, and spontaneously took out a thin needle that was not poisoned, and stuck it into the old woman's neck.
Looking at the queen mother who had passed out, Fan Xian squatted down, got under the phoenix bed, touched the secret compartment, and opened it with a little force with his fingers.
Three years ago, he had entered the Hanguang Palace at night and used drugs to stun everyone in the hall. He took out the key of the box from this secret compartment and made a copy. At that time, there was a white cloth and a letter in the secret compartment, but Due to time constraints, I couldn't take a closer look. Today, there is a key and a white cloth in this secret compartment, but the letter...is missing.
Fan Xian was holding a white cloth in his hand, rubbing it carefully, lost in thought, but still had no clue. After a long while, he put the white cloth back into the dark compartment, carefully arranged it in the original shape, then stood up, sat next to the Queen Mother on the bed, and took off the thin needle under her neck.
As soon as the queen mother woke up, she stared at Fan Xian resentfully, as if she wanted to eat him. It's been a day and a night, she can't say a word, she can't move, she feels that her already limited life seems to be flowing out of her body, that kind of fear and anger, but she can't vent it, really Going crazy.
"Your Majesty will return to Beijing the day after tomorrow, and I will come to visit the imperial grandmother."
Fan Xian looked at her, and said after a while, "Are you surprised? Only now do you realize how big a mistake I made a few days ago?"
The Empress Dowager's eyes were full of shock. If she had known that His Majesty was still alive, the situation in the capital would not be the same as it is now. However, after being shocked, her eyes were filled with joy.
"Don't be too happy." Fan Xian patted her wrinkled hands, and said in a harmonious voice, "I will let His Majesty see you, and you will die. Believe me, even if Your Majesty is the most powerful person in the world." , but in terms of medical skills, he is not as good as me... If you don't believe me, you can try it, you can already speak at this time."
"If you want to have a more dignified death instead of the current one, please answer a few questions for me." Fan Xian said, "Who wrote that letter? What was it about? And... the old man What is the relationship between the Qin family and the incident twenty years ago?"
Before the eldest princess died, she asked Fan Xian to ask Chen Pingping, but he chose to interrogate the empress dowager simply and directly.
"Don't think I'm cold-blooded and shameless, think about what you people did twenty years ago." Fan Xian said with his head down, "You always have to pay back when you come out to mess around. You are the empress dowager, I'm afraid you can't escape the cycle of heaven .”