Just when the dignitaries in the mission had their own thoughts, the convoy arrived at the last station outside the capital, regardless of human will. Fan Xian sighed as he saw the guard of honor and formation there. Therefore, he had no choice but to delay Miss Shen's problem until he entered Beijing. If he only thought about it, there was absolutely no need for this woman to stay. It's just that Miss Shen had friendship with that eldest princess, and Young Master Xiao Yan seemed to be interested in her. She was a little apologetic.
At this time, officials from the Ministry of Rites and Taichang Temple of Honglu Temple were waiting here, watching the convoy of missions slowly approaching, each of them arranged their clothes, and greeted Her Royal Highness the Princess of Northern Qi to get off the car, very respectful. Fan Xian rolled his eyes and called Gundam to lead the two tiger guards to secure the princess's car, so that the courtiers could not discover the fact that there was another woman in the car.
In fact, with his current position of power, there is no need to be so careful.
"Master Fan has worked hard all the way!"
"Your Majesty Fan is very pleased with this trip, which greatly enhanced the country's prestige. I'm afraid he will be reused soon after returning to Beijing?"
"What Lao Hu said was wrong, Mr. Fan is now..."
Surrounded by all the officials, Fan Xian entered the inn amid a burst of flattering compliments. The princess of the Northern Qi Dynasty was resting in the inner room. Yes, I must be very puzzled why those ministers in the Qing court would respect such a young mid-level official.
With a smile all over his face, Fan Xian raised his hand in return to the officials around him, not feeling bored, but slightly anxious. He glanced around and found that most of the officials who came to greet him knew each other. Some were his colleagues in Taichang Temple, and some were subordinates in name when Honglu Temple was negotiating with Northern Qi. Only those officials from the Ministry of Rites showed respect With a hint of fear, he understood the reason, after all, Guo Youzhi was brought down by himself.
He just sat down on the chair and only took a sip of the tea. He asked, "What is the next regulation? Is there any order from the palace? When can the mission enter Beijing?" Without waiting for the officials to answer, he took the initiative to He laughed and said: "I am an official, but I am still a little unclear about this application process."
The officials of the Ministry of Rites finally got the chance to get close to him, how could they miss it, a Yuanwailang hurriedly responded: "Lord Fan, don't worry, the Ministry of Rites will make arrangements for the guard of honor, the arrangement has already been made in the palace before the head, and it has been settled long ago .”
Another subordinate of Honglu Temple said: "The Holy Majesty knows that the officials of the mission have been away from home for a long time and are homesick, so he didn't make an explicit decree. He just ordered the mission to enter Beijing. After entering Beijing, my lord, go to the palace first..."
Before he finished speaking, an official wearing a fourth-rank official uniform came in from the outside, and the officials in the room hurriedly greeted him. Fan Xian took a closer look, walked up to him with a smile, patted the other person on the shoulder and said, "Master Ren, why are you here?"
The person who came was Shaoqing Ren Shao'an from Honglu Temple, a disciple of Fan Xian's father-in-law. Seeing that Fan Xian was safe and sound, Ren Shaoan also felt at ease, and said with a wry smile, "It's such a big deal for the Princess of Qi to marry. If I, a coolie from Taichang Temple, don't come, I don't need the censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate to attend, so I have no choice but to invite her." resigned."
Fan Xian smiled, but he was a little puzzled. Knowing that the mission was coming today, why did the Lord Shaoqing come so late? After greeting the officials in the room, he dragged Ren Shaoan to the door and asked, "What's going on?"
Ren Shaoan knew that although the man in front of him was young, his temperament was soft and wrapped in steel. He had done so many things in the capital and overturned so many officials in one year. He really didn't know what to say, but Prime Minister Lin Ruofu Retired and returned home, disciples of the Lin family can only rely on Fan's mansion in Beijing now, considering the two, he couldn't help but hesitated, and said: "Master Fan, what are you asking?"
Fan Xian stared into his eyes and asked, "I'm not an idiot. What a big deal it is for the mission to return to Beijing. When we left Shangjing, the court should have known the specifications set by the Northern Qi court. A majestic princess." In the mission, why are there so many Zhima officials here? Where did Xin Qiwu go? And what about the servants from the Ministry of Rites? When the princess comes to marry, at least some old women should be sent in the palace, you are from Taichang Temple The person who cares about the royal family, I don’t ask who you ask?”
Ren Shaoan smiled wryly, and said: "Today...it's just a coincidence that Xin Qiwu went there, and those elders from the Ministry of Rites also went there. Offended there."
"Which side is that over there?" Fan Xian was slightly surprised.
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…
Ren Shao'an continued with a wry smile and said: "The eldest prince also returned to Beijing today, and he is stationed in the camp less than three miles away from you, so it is a coincidence that people from the Ministry of Rites, the Privy Council and the Ministry of War are all waiting there. Naturally, the mission here is quieter." After saying this, he continued: "Fan Xian, your friendship with me is here, and I'm not afraid to say that you are also a person with a crystal heart, isn't it true? Care about these superficial rituals?"
Only then did Fan Xian understand what was going on, and shook his head with a smile: "I just want to return to Beijing quickly, but the princess is a princess after all, if the court treats her slowly, it will cause the world to discuss, it will not be beautiful."
At this moment, he finally understood why the standards for welcoming the mission were much weaker. After all, there was an eldest prince with military power over there, and those courtiers would naturally flock there. —He waved his hand to stop Ren Shaoan from explaining, and asked curiously: "The decree at the beginning of the year was clearly written. The eldest prince will lead the army back to Beijing when autumn is deep and grass grows. It's only early autumn, why did he come back?"
"It is said that the Empress Dowager misses her eldest grandson." Ren Shaoan smiled meaningfully, "So we set off early, and the West Route Army stationed in Dingzhou. This time, the First Prince led two hundred soldiers back to Beijing."
Fan Xian shook his head, and reprimanded: "The officials of the Ministry of Rituals don't know if they are stupid like the Guo family. The envoys enter the capital, the prince returns to the palace, so many people, don't they know how to make arrangements, send a letter on the road, No matter which way, it is not impossible to delay for a day or two, this is good, what should we do if we are all crowded on this road outside the city?"
"The Ministry of Rites and Honglu Temple sent you letters along the way, telling the mission to slow down. Who would have thought that the mission would go back to Beijing without a break for a day, so they were crowded together."
Fan Xian chuckled, didn't say anything, and sent the mission back to Beijing, which was exactly what he meant.
"Rong Yirong, when the arrangements are made, the mission will enter the city the day after tomorrow, what do you think?" Ren Shaoan glanced at him cautiously, wondering how long this man had stayed in the Overwatch Council, and whether he had succeeded President Chen Pingping. The arrogance that no one saw in the eyes of the stock was gone, and he said again: "The new Minister of Rites is embarrassed to come to the mission, so he asked me to pass a message."
"Damn it, I'm in a hurry to go home and hug my wife!" Fan Xian, who was familiar with him, spoke a little presumptuously, scolding with a smile, "Wait for two more days, be careful if you come to the mansion in the future, my family will punish you. "
Ren Shaoan was sweating on his forehead, of course he knew what kind of character Fan Xian's family was. Although he was sick all the time, his background was extremely profound.
Fan Xian also didn't want to fight over these things with the eldest prince he had never met, and he was not qualified to fight with others. He patted Ren Shaoan on the shoulder with a smile, and said, "Don't worry, I won't make it difficult for you." After a little deliberation, he said: "I'm going to report to the princess, lest there will be a rift between the young couple if they don't meet, we courtiers, we need to explain."
Ren Shaoan was dumbfounded, watching Fan Xian walk towards the room where the princess was temporarily resting, thinking what are you doing? If you don't say anything, what if you delay it for two days? If that princess is unwilling to let her down, your explanation will probably become a challenge.
How did he know that Fan Xian, a wimpy fellow, was simply in a hurry to go home. As for the fight between the eldest prince and the eldest princess, he didn't bother to care about it.
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Ren Shaoan was waiting outside wiping his sweat, and found another fourth-rank official who was wiping his sweat ran in outside the post station. The official's back was already soaked, and it was really a disadvantage for him to run around in the scorching early autumn. The person who came was Xin Qiwu, Shaoqing of Honglu Temple. When he saw Ren Shaoqing here, he bowed his hands and said in a low voice, "You came quite early."
Ren Shaoan knew that the other party was a close relative of the Eastern Palace, so he wasn't very close at first, but after the Prime Minister resigned, Ren Shaoan had already been assigned to Fan Xian's faction in the official circles, and there was no closeness to the princes, so the two of them were familiar with each other these days After getting closer, he laughed and cursed: "Master Fan is here, if I don't come, I will be scolded by the lady, but you, you have always been close to him, why did you come at this time, be careful that he will embarrass you later. "
Xin Qiwu was slightly taken aback, and said with a wry smile: "Lord Fan is not from this passer-by." Thinking of today's absurdity, he couldn't help laughing at himself: "The eldest prince and the embassy arrived outside Beijing at the same time, I see, let's not talk about the Ministry of Rites People don't know how to arrange it, and even the courtiers of the three courtyards, six departments and four temples are a little confused, which side should we meet first?"
As soon as these words came out, Ren Shaoan and Xin Qiwu fell silent at the same time. The scene seemed a little strange. After a long time, the two coughed twice. The importance of the mission was considered at the same level. Could it be that... after Fan Xian took charge of the Overwatch Council and had another generation of literary names, he could faintly be compared with the status of a prince in charge of the army
Xin Qiwu shook his head and put this somewhat absurd idea behind him, but he clearly knew that since the officials were in such a difficult situation, they had subconsciously placed Fan Xian in a very high position, that's right, Seeing that Mr. Fan has only been in Beijing for more than a year, so many things have happened, it is indeed a bit surprising. Although there was a princess from a foreign country in the mission, the real intention of those officials was naturally to curry favor with the Fan family and the Overwatch Council.
"Lord Fan... You didn't see me before, so you didn't say anything?" Xin Qiwu asked cautiously.
Ren Shaoan shook his head. Xin Qiwu felt a little relieved, and said with a smile: "Actually, because of emotion and reason, the eldest prince will come first, and I will always pay my respects to the East Palace. Lord Fan is a courtier after all, and he has his own points."
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"I don't have any points." Fan Xian walked all the way over and greeted Xin Qiwu: "It's a pity that you are refreshing when drinking with me, and you are so affectionate as brothers and sisters. I have been abroad for several months, and you didn't come to welcome me. , Angry, angry, haha."
He was angry when he said it, but he was laughing. Xin Qiwu smiled helplessly, and was about to say something, but saw Fan Xian with a gentle smile on his face, and said softly: "Because of emotion and reason, you are the young master of Honglu Temple. Qing, in charge of foreign affairs, instead of coming to pick up the embassy, he ran to pick up some eldest prince, so are you going to find a counselor in the Privy Council?"
The words were flat, but there was a trace of displeasure.
Xin Qiwu was slightly taken aback, thinking that Fan Xian shouldn't be the kind of person who cares about this matter, let alone show his dissatisfaction on his face so stupidly.
Fan Xian bowed his hands to the two young and middle-aged main force officials of the court, straightened his body, and said: "The mission is going to Beijing today, the two ministers can arrange it, the Ministry of Rites can't find anyone, you guys Go find it."
Hum! The heads of the two young ministers suddenly grew bigger. They couldn't imagine that Fan Xian would have the guts to fight against the eldest prince! It's just that the palace seems to have forgotten about this matter, and there is no order at all. If the mission wants to enter the capital first, speaking from the rules, there is no big problem.
The problem is... the eldest prince over there!
Ren Shaoan coughed twice and glanced at Fan Xian, wanting to remind him that Xin Qiwu is after all a member of the prince's family, so don't show such disrespect to the eldest prince in front of him. However, Fan Xian accepted all his "eyes" and still smiled and said, "The mission should enter the capital first. This is the intention of Her Royal Highness. You can arrange it. The eldest prince's side... let them wait."
After saying these words, he flicked his sleeves and left the post station, ordered the subordinates of the mission to start preparations for entering the capital, and left the two dumbfounded Sirs Shaoqing behind the room, thinking who is this person? How dare you compete with the First Prince! The expression on Xin Qiwu's face kept changing, and finally he gritted his teeth and said: "Anyway, there is no explanation in the palace, so I don't care about this matter!"
Ren Shao'an asked curiously: "You don't care where you go? You Shaoqing from Honglu Temple don't care about the ceremony of the mission's entry into Beijing, be careful of others attending you."
Xin Qiwu smiled, and said: "I don't care about the eldest prince, anyway, this is my duty, even if the eldest prince is unhappy, I have an idea, I will go with the mission... But you, the Taichang Temple management clan The royal family, this side is His Majesty's son, and the other side is His Majesty's future daughter-in-law, which side are you going to take care of?"
Ren Shaoan scolded him countless times in his heart, but he was close to Fan Xian after all, so he shook his head and rushed towards the eldest prince to let the Ministry of Rites prepare. At the same time, he planned to return it in front of the eldest prince. What will happen on the only official road outside the city gate.
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After getting into the carriage and looking at Yan Bingyun, Fan Xian shook his head: "Don't show your face for a while, once you enter the capital, Master Yan will send someone to pick you up, remember not to let others know about you before you report on your duties. "
Yan Bingyun nodded slightly, and suddenly said: "What are you fighting for? After all, he is the eldest prince, His Majesty's son. What qualifications do you have to fight with him? You are not a stupid person, how could you do such a stupid thing?"
"Prince?" Fan Xian sat beside him, waiting for the convoy to leave, and said with a smile, "Is this thing rare? Besides, it's not me who wants to compete with him, but a certain nobleman who wants to compete with him." .”
Yan Bingyun was puzzled, and Fan Xian laughed and said, "The young couple have not met yet, and they are going to start fighting for the right to speak in the family in the future. That princess is originally a calm temperament, but when she heard that the eldest prince is going to rush into the city, Then she raised her brows upside down, stood at the river east and opened her mouth... This woman really can't understand."
"Hedong? What river?" Yan Bingyun scolded: "It's not because you pick it out, I don't understand it, and you are about to tear yourself apart with an eldest prince before you return to Beijing, what on earth are you doing?" Thought."
"Excellent, it seems that you have started to think about everything for me as a boss." Fan Xian said with a bitter face, "I really didn't pick the princess, really. Who knew that this quiet princess actually believed in the principle that the east wind prevails over the west wind " These words come from Chapter 82 of Shi Shi, and they haven't been written at all. Fan Xian is just referring, but he feels slightly happy in his heart. He is really in a hurry to go home. The reason is as simple as that.
"As for why I offended the First Prince, the reason is very simple - it is very difficult for me to find such an opportunity like today, an opportunity to show that I really dislike the First Prince."
"Why do you want to do this?"
"Although you have been in the north for a long time, I believe you have learned a lot about me from the mission these days." Fan Xian looked at Yan Bingyun.
Yan Bingyun nodded.
"How is my relationship with Donggong?"
"On the surface, it seems that there are some disputes, but in fact the crown prince values you very much. He is taking care of you including Chun Wei's affairs. Later, when he was on the mission, he also took great care of you and showed you a lot of favor."
"That's right, that's why I also defend the East Palace." This was about the matter in the Chunwei scandal. Fan Xian didn't explain it clearly to Yan Bingyun, and continued: "And I have a good relationship with Prince Jing's son, Prince Jing The eldest son is from the Second Prince's faction... So, my relationship with the Second Prince is not bad."
Yan Bingyun immediately understood why Fan Xian wanted to offend the First Prince.
"I have a good relationship with the East Palace and the Second Prince. If I have a good relationship with the First Prince in the future..." Fan Xian had a self-deprecating smile on his face: "How about a young man who has the Overwatch Council and the Internal Treasury in his hands? Befriend the three princes at the same time, what exactly does this young man want to do? Will the women in the palace think me pleasing?"
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Today, the outside of the capital city is in chaos. The only deep palace that has the ability to quell the turmoil has yet to come out with a decree. As a result, all the officials are sweating and cowering, standing in front of the city gate, looking at the officials. The two teams that came from afar kept cursing their mothers in their hearts, scolding Fan Xian's mother—the first prince's mother is His Majesty's woman, so they dare not scold her.
The eldest prince's personal soldiers are all fierce soldiers who came down from the battlefield in the west. Seeing that this broken envoy dared to compete with the prince, they were already furious. However, the first prince's military discipline is extremely strict, so he endured it all the time. The seemingly countless carriages of the mission slowly passed by them. Among the crowd of cavalry, a barnyard general of the First Prince couldn't bear it anymore, and scolded: "Where did you come from, you don't understand any rules, are you looking for death!"
The teams on both sides stopped at the same time, and the atmosphere in the arena was extremely tense.
Fan Xian got out of the carriage, straightened his clothes pretentiously, bowed to the faintly visible prince in the carriage, and said, "My humble minister, Fan Xian, pay my respects to Your Highness."
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"Fan Xian? Are you Fan Xian?" A majestic voice came from there, with a hint of contempt: "I didn't expect that Chen'er Xu's husband is actually you. You dare to fight with the prince. You have a lot of courage, but It's kind of stupid."
Fan Xian smiled slightly, and said very respectfully: "I dare not compete with His Highness, it's just..."
Before he finished speaking, the Northern Qi princess's calm and confident voice came from the extremely luxurious carriage behind him: "I am a weak and weak girl who has traveled all the way south and far, is it possible that His Royal Highness wants me to stay outside the city for a few more days? "
The First Prince's soldiers were all stunned, as if they only remembered at this time that there was still a distinguished person in the mission, and this woman would become the First Imperial Concubine, the mistress of people like himself in a few days.
Fan Xian glanced at the eldest prince's cavalry, thinking that this was a family matter, so he didn't want to get involved.