Back in the house, Ye Ling'er and Lord Roujia had already returned. Fan Xian returned to the room, called Siqi to pour tea, and then broke away from the big girl who was like Sisi but had been resentful of herself in the autumn, and took advantage of the fact that there was only herself and her wife in the room, and asked softly: "Is there any news in the palace recently?"

Lin Wan'er was sitting by the window, embroidering something in the skylight outside, listening to his question, she raised her head in surprise: "What's wrong?"

It was almost dusk, and the light of the sky came in and scattered into a large patch of light that was not very bright. Fan Xian looked at Wan'er's frowning eyebrows, stepped forward distressedly, rubbed her smooth eyebrows, and said, "This light is not good, what are you embroidering?"

Wan'er's face was a little pale, perhaps because she didn't have a good rest last night, she lowered her head to eat and smile, hid the embroidered things in her hand behind her, and said, "I'll show you after the embroidery." ”

Fan Xian looked at his wife's weak appearance and long eyelashes, and couldn't help but feel a little sorry in his heart. After leaving Kyoto at the beginning of spring, the care for his wife has been weaker than last year. It's not that he's a man who likes the new and hates the old - after all, the dignified little Fan doesn't even have a concubine nowadays - it's just that there are too many things that bind his mind and make him rarely take care of the family's affairs.

Lin Wan'er thought of his previous question, and after a little hesitation, she said, "The palace has been quiet recently, there is nothing special, how did you think of asking this?"

Fan Xian smiled bitterly and said, "Your ruthless uncle asked me to take care of one place, and I don't know how many officials I have to offend." The real masters of those officials are all living in the palace, so I naturally have to pay more attention to them. ”

Lin Wan'er's identity is special, and she is regarded by the grace of the imperial grandmother and the blue eyes of His Majesty, and her status in the palace is even higher than Fan Xian imagined. His Majesty has no daughter, and now Qingguo does not have a real princess, but Wan'er is really not much different from a princess.

After thinking about it, she said with a smile: "Don't worry, you know that Your Majesty spoils you, and of course those ladies will only say good things about you in front of you." ”

Fan Xian smiled and said: "I have only been a saint a few times, and I don't know where this pet word comes from." If it is possible for His Majesty to spoil you, for me...... It's just a house of love and a black house. ”

A trace of admiration flashed in Lin Wan'er's eyes, and she said softly: "Xianggong is always like ......this" She continued: "Concubine Shu is really full of praise for you these days, Yi Guifei, you also know that you are relatives of our family, so why do you have to talk to you, but the queen is still as light as usual, as for the other concubines, they don't even have the qualifications to speak in the palace, so I didn't remember it." ”

Fan Xian trusts his wife's judgment very much, even if he is in charge of the Supervision Yuan in the future, the palace is a place that his fingers can't reach, and Wan'er is his most reliable eyes, ears and secret agent. And Concubine Shu said good things about herself, which was nothing more than that she sold her a little favor, and she didn't have to spend any money for a few words.

"What do Ning Cairen say?" Fan Xian asked curiously, "The matter of my dispute with your eldest brother should have been spread to the palace a long time ago." ”

Lin Wan'er covered her mouth and smiled: "Aunt Ning is too lazy to pay attention to you, she has always loved me the most, saying that you and Your Highness are two little rabbit cubs messing around, and in the future, she will play fifty boards on the side." ”

Fan Xian pretended to be panicked: "Lady, the board in this palace is not comfortable, you have to help your husband say a few good words." ”

Lin Wan'er was too lazy to take his naughty jokes, and after taking a sip, she said: "You love to offend people, and you always let me clean up the aftermath for you for no reason." She took out the taut embroidery from behind her, and said with a grin, "Lord Tisi has nothing to ask, then please step down, don't delay me in doing things." ”

Fan Xian withdrew the hand that was about to go up and grab the little hand, and said depressedly: "I don't know what the matter is." He was about to leave, but he remembered the big man he had forgotten before, and asked with a little hesitation: "Have you seen the Queen Mother?"

Lin Wan'er's hand paused slightly, and after a while, she raised her head, her eyes were also a little puzzled and gloomy, and she nodded and said, "See, grandma didn't say anything." ”

The queen mother, who has always lived in the palace, is actually the real ruler of the entire palace. It is very strange that Fan Xian has entered the palace several times, but unfortunately he did not have the opportunity to meet him, and even the last two times the husband and wife entered the palace, the Queen Mother also said that she was not sick. And Wan'er entered the palace by herself, but the old man of the Queen Mother liked it ruthlessly, holding her in her arms and screaming with her heart and soul. The Queen Mother's obvious estrangement from Fan Xian made Wan'er a little faintly uneasy and puzzled.

Fan Xian sneered in his heart, until the old man finally guessed something, but he was not too afraid.

Lin Wan'er looked at his eyes, sighed and said, "The last time Ling'er entered the palace, she told me about it today...... Xianggong, I know that your official duties are a little difficult now, but in fact, you don't know what kind of person you are, and you seem to be using her, but I'm afraid that you are giving yourself an excuse to remember her love. What you told me last night seems terrible to me, second brother...... Although His Royal Highness looks soft and easy-going at the moment, he is actually very stubborn, since you have to check on him, if you still have too many scruples like now, I'm afraid it will be inappropriate. ”

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 would give His Royal Highness the nickname Stone to the Second Highness." ”

"He seems easy-going, but the things he sees will not change. Lin Wan'er said worriedly.

Fan Xian always believes in the saying that the way of husband and wife lies in sincerity, if he is reborn once, he must be more wary of the person next to him, this kind of life is inevitably miserable, so he did not hide his investigation of the second prince from his wife. Hearing Wan'er's concern, he comforted: "Actually, it is also for the good of His Second Highness, looking at the current limelight, these courtiers seem to be blinded and can't understand His Majesty's determination to protect the crown prince to the death." If no one pulls His Second Highness now, it will not be easy for him to come down when he really climbs to the top of the pole. ”

Lin Wan'er smiled sweetly, didn't continue the topic, and said: "I don't know how your heart was born, but you have a few more tricks than others, and your brain is twists and turns." ”

Fan Xian almost blurted out, but he knew that he was just an acting actor, and he was very naïve on ZZ, and the only thing he could rely on was his cold-blooded ruthlessness and gentleness on the surface. He looked deeply at his wife and said with a smile: "Where do you dare to compare with Lin Da Strategist, you are a fairy who escaped from the palace with the most intrigue in the world since childhood. ”

Lin Wan'er smacked him and scolded with a smile: "Is that really so embarrassing in the palace?"

Fan Xian said with a smile: "The former sage once said that this world belongs to brothels and palaces, and it is not a place for people to stay in the dark. ”

Lin Wan'er was stunned when she heard this, and she was a little unhappy in her heart, and lowered her head. Fan Xian then thought that his daughter-in-law was also from the palace, and when he said this, he really didn't take into account her feelings, smiled and apologized, and the two of them returned to the same as before. After being quiet for a while, Lin Wan'er took a closer look, and felt a little more moved in her heart. Although her 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?

Lin Wan'er said gently: "The palace is indeed not what you imagined, the emperor's uncle is a master who is not greedy for women, and several masters in the palace are also passable in the face." The methods in the novels you talked about in the past, no one dared to use them, the Queen Mother's eyes were staring at it, if anyone dared to break the bloodline of the Son of Heaven, the old ancestor would not tolerate it. ”

When Fan Xian heard this, his heart moved, and he felt even more settled.

Lin Wan'er said with a smile: "Your Majesty is very strict in the palace, competing for favor? There is no favor, how can you fight? The queen doesn't take care of things, so those girls...... I had to put my mind on the card table, and it was good to fight for breath, in fact, it was no different from the ordinary prince's family. ”

Fan Xian was stunned for a moment, he really didn't expect that there would be such a scene in the palace, wouldn't it be that some of the palace grievances I read in my previous life were useless? ”

As soon as she heard the cards, Lin Wan'er's face suddenly exuded a strange brilliance, which frightened Fan Xian. I stepped forward to take a closer look, only to find that this brilliance was faintly gorgeous, but it was contained inside, a piece of jade, and the eyes were called: the light of the master who returned to simplicity.

......

......

Lin Wan'er's eyes rolled, she glanced at the indecent Xianggong, and said: "It's just that my hands are itchy, I married Xianggong, but Xianggong is busy seeing no one every day." But luckily, I finally caught the genius of the little uncle at the poker table. ”

She gritted her teeth, choked her wrists, and rubbed her hands: "These days, Fan Sizhen doesn't know where he died, he can't catch anyone at the card table every day, and he is guilty of playing cards with his mother, looking at her respectful and polite appearance, it looks like I am her mother-in-law." ”

Fan Xian scratched the bridge of her sharp little nose, and scolded with a smile: "How can you talk like this?" He paused and said, "The Liu family is naturally not your mother-in-law, and you should not be too arrogant in the mansion." ”

Lin Wan'er was full of resentment and said: "Am I that kind of person?" The tone changed and said: "I will enjoy the chrysanthemum 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 how we will be arranged this year." You must go, just to see how to go, I guess that in a few days there will be a father-in-law in the palace to preach the word, don't forget about it. ”

"Chrysanthemum?" Fan Xian frowned, knowing that when the autumn is crisp, Kyoto people like to go to the garden to enjoy chrysanthemums, but he didn't expect that the royal family also has this hobby, and he naturally wants to go to a big gathering of the Li family. Just thinking of what he had done in Kyoto recently, he suddenly thought, could it be that those foxes of the older generation are paying attention to their every move at this time, just like admiring chrysanthemums?

Not noticing Xianggong's sudden silence, Lin Wan'er said seriously: "I haven't played cards recently, and the chrysanthemums haven't bloomed, so I'm always bored, you promised me the book before marriage...... When will it be written and shown to me?"

Fan Xian had a lawsuit in his head, where did he still have the spirit to copy the Dream of Red Mansions, and begged for mercy with a wry smile: "I said grandma, you can spare the little one." Seeing Lin Wan'er's desperate look, he didn't dare to stay in the room anymore, so he pushed the door and hid out with smoke in his buttocks.

======================================

Fan Xian, who fled like a ghost, walked through the wide courtyard, and it was not until he met a few rings of girls who were hiding their faces and laughing that he felt that something was wrong. coughed twice, as if showing the demeanor of a generation of celebrities and a generation of celebrities, but his body straightened for less than a moment, but he immediately slowed down. He gritted his teeth and thought, since he was sure that he wanted to live a beautiful life in this life when he was a child, why bother with the eyes of those people. He snorted, hummed a tune, and danced into his study.

Although a conversation with his wife was commonplace, he got a few useful information, but Fan Sizhe's movements these days are indeed a little strange. Fan Xian frowned, faintly worried in his heart. Then I thought about the problem of the Stone Record, and then I thought that the Emperor of the Northern Qi Dynasty had blocked the news, and he admitted his feelings, and it seemed that he had to copy a chapter and send it over, but he couldn't hide it for long after all, so he decided not to use the secret letter line of the Supervision Yuan.

After sitting for less than a moment, the sky outside the room had not yet completely dimmed, and Yan Bingyun had already arrived as promised. Fan Xian looked at the case file he handed over, and couldn't help but rub his temples, he first reviewed the file handed over by Mu Tie today, set the tone with Shi Yan, and then went to the "old mansion" to do things, came back to coax his wife, and then talked to Xiao Yan Gongzi - in just one day, doing so many things, it seems that this so-called "cultivation of powerful ministers" is really a very hard work.

"I've already arrested all the people you want me to arrest, and I don't know if it will help you in your work. Fan Xian didn't look at the case file, but just asked lightly. The "rat fight" a while ago did not seem to touch the officialdom in Kyoto, but in fact, under the cover of a large number of redundant cases, he cautiously approached the secret forces of the second prince, and also tentatively detained the two officials. Because Yan Bingyun thought that although the two officials were of low rank, they were important people to verify whether there was a relationship between the second prince and the eldest princess.

Yan Bingyun sat on the chair, his face was calm, and he pointed to the case file in front of him: "It's already done." ”

Fan Xian was shocked and said, "So fast?" He didn't bother to look at the case file anymore, and asked directly: "Conclusion?"

Yan Bingyun said coldly: "The amount of smuggling in Xinyang to Northern Qi and Dongyi City every year is huge, and the deficit on the surface is caused by the prince of the East Palace, but in fact, the largest amount is handed over to the second prince through the Ming family, which is used to buy officials in the court and befriend the feudal officials from all walks of life, so the judgment of the lord is good, and behind the second highness is the eldest princess." ”

Fan Xian frowned and said, "The Ming family, the in-laws of the Cui family?"

"Exactly. ”

"How did such a large sum of money be transferred from the inner treasury to the hands of the Second Highness?" Fan Xian asked.

"Of course, you can't take the line of Kyoto, it's bypassing from the south of the Yangtze River, and after being handled by a few imperial merchants in the middle, it will be dispersed, from the bottom up, and then under the unified control of the Second Highness. Yan Bingyun glanced at him, "The process is very complicated, it is written in the case file, if there is anything that adults don't understand, just look at it directly, and it is more complicated to use what you say." ”

Fan Xian ignored the doubts about his ability 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 go with me." ”

Yan Bingyun was stunned when he heard this, and reacted very directly: "The lower officials are not going, and they are ...... This thing...... Does it really need to be revealed?"

Fan Xian asked rhetorically: "The eldest princess and the second prince are so secretive, but we easily found out, do you think the palace doesn't know?

"Even if the palace is vigilant, there must be no real evidence in hand. Yan Bingyun slowly lowered his eyes, "Don't forget, my lord, a dead leader, Zhu Ge, has always been the eldest princess's person. This case, if it weren't for the fact that the adults are now in one place, and the rest of the departments are fully cooperating, it would have been impossible to find out...... So the situation now is that if the adults really uncover this case...... Kyoto is bound to be in turmoil. ”

He said it very calmly, but Fan Xian heard a trace of coldness from behind his words - to be able to find out so quickly, in addition to the resources of the Supervision Yuan KB, it was largely dependent on Yan Bingyun's superb ability - and it was obvious that Yan Bingyun was not willing to investigate the case by himself to cause chaos in the Qingguo Imperial Court, which had always been peaceful on the surface.

In the final analysis, Yan Bingyun is not loyal to Fan Xian, but loyal to His Majesty, loyal to Qingguo, and loyal to the Supervision Yuan.

Fan Xian glanced at him and said, "Do you know what it means to suppress this matter?"

Yan Bingyun shook his head: "I only know that if this matter is lifted, your wife must be the most difficult one." ”

In fact, most of the upper-class people know that Fan Xian's wife is the daughter of the eldest princess, but no one has said it. If Fan Xian was determined to break this matter, there was no doubt that His Majesty the Emperor in the palace would have to react extremely strongly, and Lin Wan'er's situation would 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 paper to alleviate the contradictions 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 the power in the shortest possible time.

"I respect my wife. Fan Xian stared at Yan Bingyun with a cold chill, "However, I won't slow down my pace because of her embarrassment." ”

Yan Bingyun slowly raised his head, and there seemed to be some confusion in his eyes: "This is exactly what Xia Guan doesn't understand, my lord, what do you want to do?"

"Two reasons. Fan Xian stood up, walked to the window of the study, and watched the slowly sinking sunset. In a corner of the courtyard, a woman tended to the branches and leaves of a bush. "The first one is very simple, the imperial court is now short of silver. The great rivers in the south have been in disrepair for many years, and this year the embankment failed, drowning hundreds of thousands of people. I haven't seen it in person, but I want to come ...... It's 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 all dynasties in history, and it has cost a lot of money and grain to use troops for many years, not to mention, the source is also very strange, and a large share of the national treasury in one year must 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 hostess of the Ye family back then, that is, with the continuous supply of silver generated by these industries, it was able to support Qingguo. ”

Fan Xian looked back and squinted at Yan Bingyun: "And the eldest princess is a person who loves to play tricks, and over the years, the silver of the inner treasury has gradually scattered into the hands of officials, in exchange for allegiance and power for her and him. To put it mildly, this is using His Majesty's money to dig up His Majesty's courtiers. The silver is all spent on internal friction and officials, where do you go to ask for silver where you need it in the world?"

"Silver is just silver, but how to use it is really a big problem, rather than putting it in the officials' houses to mold, it is better for us to force them out and fill them in the river to scare the water ghosts. ”

"Therefore, I am anxious to check the Cui family and the Second Highness, lest our eldest princess and the Second Highness who only seem to like to read...... Generously gave away all the silver of our Qingguo. Fan Xian lowered his head slightly, seemed to be a little emotional, and said with a wry smile: "Of course, after this matter is revealed, Your Majesty will probably not severely punish your own sister, but just like the last time she was driven out of the palace, Your Majesty will always get in the way of discussions, check the inner library carefully, and will also wake up the second prince...... But I ...... Probably His Majesty, when he was angry, would think that I was nosy, and kicked me away from the Supervision Yuan, and degraded me far away. ”

He stretched, with a pure and innocent smile on his face: "No way...... I hope Your Majesty can let me go back to Shanzhou. ”

Yan Bingyun tilted his head slightly, his face stiffened, as if he had never known the Lord Tisi in front of him, and muttered: "But my lord, you will take over the inner library next year, and then check it out, isn't it justified?"

Fan Xian smiled, and wanted to say the same thing as others: "We have no surplus food in Qingguo! If we can block the silver flowing out of the inner treasury one day earlier, those people in the south who have suffered from the disaster will be able to drink a few more bowls of porridge." You can wait for other things, but if you don't eat a meal, you will be hungry and panic. ”

Yan Bingyun stared at him deadly, as if he wanted to see clearly whether the person in front of him was the insidious minister he thought he had thought he was, or a great sage who was merciful, did not spare his own life, and was not afraid of material discussions.