Three years ago, the whole of Kyoto was chasing and killing me, and if it weren't for the people of the Sun family, it would be difficult to survive until now, and it would be impossible to transport the black horse to Beijing. ”

The atmosphere in the imperial study was a little tense, Fan Xian lowered his head slightly, looked at His Majesty the Emperor on the couch in front of him, his face was slightly gloomy, and he said slowly word by word: "From this point of view, the Sun family can be regarded as my life-saving benefactor, and it can also be regarded as a hero of the rebellion. ”

"Quelling the chaos?" The emperor didn't raise his head, the dim light shone on his tightly tied hair, and the color reflected by a few strands of white hair could be faintly seen, but then Fan Xian's words said indifferently: "If I remember correctly, it is the credit of Miss Sun, what does it have to do with her father?"

"Miss Sun was always born to her father. Fan Xian raised his head and looked at the emperor stubbornly and calmly.

The emperor put down the file in his hand, raised his head, looked at his son quietly, and was silent for a long time, as if he wanted to see the true thoughts in the heart of this kid, and only said softly after a while: "When you enter the palace today, you want to say this?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. ”

The emperor was silent again, and after a long time, he suddenly said, "Why?"

"The minister is a man who will repay kindness and revenge. The reason given by Fan Xian is very simple, "Miss Sun has a great favor with Yu Chen. ”

"If you just want to repay the favor,...... emperor said sarcastically: "I pointed out Sun Hao'er to you, Sun Jingxiu's face is naturally bright, why bother fighting for this position." ”

Fan Xian didn't smile slightly, his face was extremely calm, and his heart tightened slightly. Gritting his teeth, a voice oozed from between his teeth: "Because Your Majesty should have accepted the minister three years ago." ”

The emperor fell into silence, and Fan Xian asked him for credit three years ago, including Sun Jingxiu's affairs, and he slowly spoke: "How can there be anything in this world that will never change? Especially the position of an official, which is the foundation of the dynasty, how can it be eternal because of a word? According to your words, if I promise you something, that person will be corrupt and pervert the law in the future." I'm going to keep him moving from you?"

Fan Xian's previous words carried a little bit of anger, a little bit of indecent cruelty, and the emperor was even more angry by the meaning of this t-meritorious invitation, but it calmed down in an instant. Maybe the emperor prefers Fan Xian's temperament of arguing about everything on the table.

"Sun Jingxiu is a capable official. Fan Xian didn't retreat, looked at the face of Emperor Lao Tzu, and said in a clear voice: "If he dares to be corrupt and pervert the law, the minister will be the first to take him." Cut him with a thousand cuts. ”

A strange light flashed in the emperor's eyes, as if he didn't expect Fan Xian to be so concerned about this matter, and vaguely thought that it was probably because the means of cutting power were too urgent. Stabbed the young man in the heart of the earth.

The affairs of Dongyi City are still being handled, and the imperial court has not really rewarded him for his merits, but he is in a hurry to arrange an opponent for him in the court. No wonder An Zhi felt uncomfortable. will stubbornly push back. The Emperor smiled slightly. Thinking that he understood Fan Xian's thoughts, he shook his head. There was no further saying on the matter.

"Routine performance appraisals are always done. The emperor lowered his head and said in a harmonious voice: "Since you want to repay Sun Jingxiu for his kindness back then, I will naturally not force you to be an unrighteous person, but if he is not suitable for this position, I will naturally change people." ”

The emperor raised his head, as if it was a warning, and it seemed to be a reminder: "Even if you are the dean of the Supervision Yuan, you can't take care of the affairs of the court, and the students of the middle school and the university are in charge of court affairs, so you don't interfere too much." ”

Fan Xian didn't say much, bowed down and walked out of the imperial study. In the last two sentences of dialogue, the emperor has made it very clear that he will not personally intervene in this matter, but He Zongwei's side will still deal with Sun Jingxiu, and remind Fan Xian not to make any private moves against He Zongwei, otherwise the emperor will really be angry.

After Fan Xian left, the emperor glanced at the case files on the table a little helplessly, and felt a faint annoyance in his heart, pushed these case files away with one hand, and sat alone in the imperial study, not knowing what he was thinking.

"An Zhi, this kid is good at everything, but his temperament is too direct and stubborn. ”

While thinking in his heart, the emperor summoned Eunuch Yao in and asked about what happened in Kyoto today, and his face gradually calmed down. Hearing about the birthday banquet of the Sun Mansion, the emperor pondered for a long time and understood why Fan Xian jumped up like an old cat who had been stepped on his tail, a courtier who had just made a great contribution was about to be cut off and swept away, don't say Fan Xian, no matter who it is, he may feel angry.

"Maybe it's a little too rushed. The emperor thought like this in his heart, but he was unwilling to admit that he had made a mistake, and said indifferently to Eunuch Yao: "Tell He Zongwei's side, let it go, as for An Zhi's side, you don't care about it for the time being."

The emperor didn't expect that Fan Xiandi's anger was basically disguised, he just wanted to use his anger and sadness to force His Majesty to move, and he couldn't bear to deceive, and then let the overwhelming power in his hands be retained for a while longer.

Eunuch Yao responded respectfully, and then lowered his voice and said, "That matter has been investigated. ”

The emperor snorted, a cold light flashed in his eyes, and said, "Say." ”

"Bingfang's order to leave the warehouse and the warrant to guard the city crossbow to leave northern Fujian have all been obtained. It's just that after finally finding out the appointment of the Privy Council, he pointed to the Qin family, and he couldn't see the shadow over there. ”

Eunuch Yao said in a trembling voice, the inner court has been secretly investigating the sniping in the valley in the past year, and His Majesty has never let go of the suspicions of the year, and is bent on catching that person and comforting Lord Xiao Fan.

was able to do so many things quietly, and also probed his hands and feet into the inner treasury, even the Qin family, a former disciple of the military fathers, could not do it, and there were no clues left afterwards, the entire Qingguo, except for His Majesty the Emperor himself, there were only people from the Supervision Yuan.

The emperor's expression is very complicated, he is an extremely grudgeful, extremely sensitive person, the current world is in a hurry, although there are some small problems in the court, but there is nothing that can threaten the foundation of the Li family's rule.

So the sniping in the valley became a thorn in his heart, not only because someone almost killed his son. All the more because he found that the person was faintly out of his control.

Just like today

There seems to be a tendency to get out of one's own control. For Fan Xian, he endured, because this is his biological son, his favorite son, and the son who has made the greatest contribution to the country of Gyeong, but what about that person?

That person had a greater credit for Qingguo, and the emperor had never thought clearly about the reason, so he sat on the soft couch a little tiredly. It seemed that he didn't want to continue thinking about this matter, and after being silent for a long time, he said: "The matter in the valley has been found out so far, and they are all dying anyway. ”

"Did the people behind the two eunuchs find out?"

Eunuch Yao's temples ached a little, and he shook his head in horror. He knew who the two eunuchs His Majesty was talking about. At that time, under the auspices of the Queen Mother, the entire Qingguo royal family was moving forward on the road to the crown prince's accession to the throne, and the second prince also temporarily maintained peace with the prince. At this time, two eunuchs jumped out of the palace, intending to assassinate the third prince Li Chengping.

And under the circumstances, the three princes lived and died. There is no essential impact on the crown prince's accession to the throne at all, but if the third prince dies tragically in the palace, it will be for the second prince and the second prince. It's a notoriety that's simply unbearable.

Fan Xian also checked it carefully afterwards. But neither the crown prince nor the second prince recognized it. The eldest princess didn't talk about such a trivial matter before she died, and Fan Xian couldn't check it. I had to think that there were too many variables in the palace at that time, and I don't know what kind of contradiction broke out, which put the third child in danger.

However, His Majesty the Emperor does not think so, and he never lets go of any of the slightest strange things, so that he can achieve the grandest cause.

――――――――――――――――――

Fan Xian walked out of the palace in the dark night, ignoring the eunuchs and palace maids who were humbly saluting all around, and walked away with his sleeves gloomy.

Regarding the attitude towards subordinates, Fan Xian is definitely a big outlier in Qingguodi. Not to mention the servants in Fan's mansion, he is the eunuch and the maid in the palace, he has always been gentle in his words, not only generous, but also very different in attitude, it seems that he never thinks that these deviant people have anything to dislike.

It is precisely because of this that the people in the entire palace have a heartfelt respect for this little grandfather, that is, the grandfather Hou who died under the six crossbow arrows of the Supervision Yuan three years ago, although he is the person who was secretly planted by the eldest princess, but in fact, on weekdays, he is also full of praise for Fan Xian.

Today's Fan Xian's strange performance fell in the eyes of many people, this style is very different from his previous style, these eunuchs and palace maids all felt a little strange, and they all guessed that it was about the little grandfather who quarreled with His Majesty in the imperial study again.

Walking out of the dark and long cave of the palace gate, Fan Xian stood on the square in front of the imperial city, he did not look back at the palace gate, but spread his arms and screamed loudly, as if he wanted to vent the depression in his chest with this shout.

The sound echoed in the silent and empty square, hit the vermilion wall of the imperial city, and then turned back, lingering for a long time.

The guards inside the palace gate, the forbidden army outside the palace gate, and the eunuch who was about to drop the key, all eyes looked at him and were startled by this voice.

If it was an ordinary person screaming like this at the palace gate, I was afraid that the forbidden army would have rushed forward a long time ago, beat him severely, and then put him in the prison, waiting for the autumn to be beheaded for the crime of disturbing the palace ban. But Fan Xian screamed like this, but no one dared to move, not even a verbal reminder.

Even if this person is crazy, if he is Fan Xian, then everyone will only beautify the poet's madness and turn a blind eye.

On duty at the palace gate today is the commander of the forbidden army, and the first person Fan Xian saw after entering Beijing was this person, and the two were quite familiar. Hearing this, Gong Dian ran out of the duty room, hurried over, dragged him back, and said, "What are you crazy about?"

Fan Xian straightened the sleeves on his arms and said with a sneer: "I'm really going crazy." ”

Having said that, his face was much calmer. It was indeed a little sullen that needed to be expressed before, because after staying up in this world until now, in front of everyone, Fan Xian no longer needed to hide anything, what to do against his temperament, but except for the emperor Lao Tzu...... Acting in front of Emperor Lao Tzu is really stressful, and the emotions are very complicated.

Seeing the emperor's thin and slightly tired face, somehow, Fan Xian thought of the portrait in the small building, and thought of the story many years ago. A piece of blood and fire was filled in Fan Xian's eyes, and he was a little difficult to bear this kind of torn feeling mixed together.

But even if it was this shout in front of the palace gate, Fan Xian was actually acting, and he knew that it wouldn't take long for this shout to be reported to the ears of the emperor in the imperial study.

He wants to play a real person, a bastard who is a little angry and a little wronged.

It's very hard, he doesn't want to act anymore.

"Accompany me for a drink. He stared at the palace like a plague man staring at a piece of pork belly. "I sealed up the Baoyue Tower and called sixty girls to accompany you. ”

"It's crazy. Gong Dian's eyes were blazing, and he stared at him with one hand on his forehead.

――――――――――――――――

There is a mansion next to Xinhuai Lane. This apartment occupies a small area, the cornices are not very beautiful, and the location is not very good, intersecting with the surrounding houses. There isn't much difference. This mansion is the mansion of an old imperial historian in the previous dynasty, and after the old imperial historian returned to his hometown, the apartment was vacant and handed over to several old colleagues to manage. Thinking about the convenience of future generations in Kyoto, there is no intention of selling.

Three years ago, the mansion was finally sold. Since then. The quiet Xinhuai Lane became lively. From time to time, officials come to visit. During the New Year's holidays, there is a flow of people at the door. It's very lively.

With the promotion of the new owner of the Imperial History Mansion step by step, on the contrary, there are fewer and fewer officials who come to worship, because the reputation of the new master for incorruptibility has gradually spread, and no one wants to touch his moldy head.

The left capital of the Imperial Palace, the scholar of the Chinese book under the door, He Zongwei, is the new owner of this imperial history house.

In fact, colleagues have the same advice, even His Majesty the Emperor once mentioned it, official

Living in Nancheng, He Zongwei still lives in the old Imperial History Mansion in Xinhuai Lane, and it does not match the dignity of the imperial court.

He University, who was in harmony with the light in court affairs, won the officialdom samadhi, was quite admired by His Majesty, and admired by his colleagues, but he was very persistent in this matter, and even refused His Majesty's will to give the house land, and still took his own three or two loyal servants, a widowed aunt, and several distant brothers to live in this old imperial palace.

One stay is three years.

He Zongwei pushed open the door and walked into the somewhat dilapidated courtyard of the old imperial history room, looking at the chaotic spring scenery in the garden, and the green branches and leaves on the ground everywhere, he couldn't help but shake his head self-deprecatingly.

The reason why he has been living in this old palace is because he has affection for it, and this mansion represents many extremely important meanings to his life. The first time He Zongwei really stepped on the stage of Qingguo was the resignation of Prime Minister Lin Ruofu five years ago.

He Zongwei "encountered" the wife of Wu Bo'an, a strategist of the Prime Minister's Mansion, was upset, went to the Imperial Procuratorate to sue the Imperial Court, and "encountered" the killer of the Prime Minister's Mansion, and then "encountered" the second prince and the son Li Hongcheng.

He Zongwei, who missed the spring festival because of his filial piety, was still a white man at that time, and in the eyes of everyone, he overthrew a generation of traitors, and his reputation became loud at that moment. In the hearts of scholars, no one no longer regards him only as a talented man in Kyoto on the same level as Hou Jichang, but as a great person with great ambitions and a resolute temperament.

It was also through the incident of Lin Xiang's downfall that He Zongwei saw the holy face for the first time, and from that day on, he was deeply impressed by His Majesty's bearing and mental skills. And on that day, His Majesty the Emperor also took a fancy to this young scholar, and a holy decree made him enter the Imperial Court and become an imperial historian.

In the next few years, He Zongwei maneuvered between various forces, and finally succeeded in ascending to the throne and became the youngest scholar in the history of Qingguo. Of course, that's because no one will compare that person with him, even if he is a scholar of He University, but in the hearts of thousands of people in Qingguo, that person will always be the only one, the one who stands tall.

And that person was a shadow in He Zongwei's heart, and this shadow floated above his head, covering the infinite light in his life, leaving only a cold shadow - that shadow was Fan Xian.

When He Zongwei was praised by the scholars because of Lin Xiang's incident, Fan Xian had already exposed the Chunqiu fraud case, which made the fifteen officials of the imperial court, including the Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, all dead, not to mention the poem of the night in front of the palace.

When He Zongwei was still an ordinary imperial historian of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, Fan Xian was already the master of the Supervision Yuan, and forced His Majesty to beat the imperial history with a rod in front of the palace, and those imperial histories were He Zongwei's predecessors and superiors.

When He Zongwei finally ushered in the most glorious moment of his life, Fan Xian still just looked at him contemptuously, holding the Supervision Yuan with one hand and Neiku with the other, and now he has captured a large piece of land in Dongyi City for Qingguo.

He is a genius, and the other party is a poet. He is a university scholar, and the other party is a prince. The most important thing is that he is just a bitter child of a poor family, and the other party is the illegitimate child of His Majesty!

No matter when, no matter where, Fan Xian pressed him to death, so that he was about to lose his breath. He Zongwei looked at the spring garden in front of him, looked at the grass branches that grew indiscriminately but no one took care of them, and fell into silence, he knew that in this life, no matter how hard he tried, he would not be able to surpass that person.

He Zongwei slowly closed his eyes and sighed helplessly. He has great confidence in his own ability and will, and he doesn't think that he is worse than Fan Xian, but fate has already decided this, what can he do?

......

......

I heard that the little Yan son of the Supervision Yuan had a few vicious dogs at home, forcing no court official to dare to come to the door, and I heard that Fan Xian's family had countless guards, as long as someone dared to come to the door to give gifts, they would all go to the house. He Zongwei's mansion can't afford to raise dogs or people, but he has a black face.

In order to maintain his image of fairness and integrity, He Zongwei has paid a lot, and he can't be as unreasonable as the two people in the Supervision Yuan, he has to push the bribe, but he can't make the other party feel uncomfortable, so He Zongwei is also very tired, at least he thinks he is much more tired than Fan Xian.

There are not many court officials, only one-third of the food of officials at the same level in the Supervision Yuan, and He Zongwei is blindly honest and famous, so it is a little difficult to maintain the expenditure of the palace, although His Majesty knows that his family is poor, and he has also asked the inner court to reward a lot of gold and silver, but Kyoto is always too expensive, so that He Zongwei is most worried about now is not the Kyoto Mansion Sun Jingxiu, but whether this garden should spend money to repair.

He Zongwei smiled bitterly, thinking to himself who knows how much he has paid for such a beautiful scenery? Unlike Fan Xian, he has such a large inner library to support, and is supported by a bookstore and a brothel.

But strange to say, the more bitter life is, the calmer He Zongwei's expression is, and the happier his heart becomes, as if there is a kind of painful torture that can make him really clear about the meaning of his existence.

He wants to do great things for the court, and he wants to become a real generation of famous ministers.

He Zongwei's eyes became brighter and brighter, looking at the chaotic spring garden at night, without saying a word, just thinking in his heart, Fan Xian really went to the Sun Mansion today, and what kind of posture should he put on when he was discussing the affairs of the middle school tomorrow? The eunuch in the palace brought His Majesty's message before, which made his heart settle a little, but it was also a little darker.

"You have to find a different way. He Zongwei lowered his head in the night wind, what a big event, what a generation of famous ministers, under the pressure of Fan Xian, he must first ensure that after His Majesty's death, he can still live, so before His Majesty dies, he must let Fan Xian die first.

......