Xia rì is bright and not deceitful, but the afternoon is sultry, and it is not a lie. The entire city of Kyoto is shrouded in heat, making people feel uncomfortable, and it often takes less than half an hour for the water to seep out of people's skin, carrying the residues in the body into a layer of greasy moisturization, enveloping the whole person, making it difficult for people to breathe, and the whole body is unhappy.

Especially those low-class people who were working as coolies, carrying large bags on the docks in the lower reaches of the Liujing River, they were already soaked with sweat, and they even fell on the bluestone steps, turning into countless water marks, which looked a little frightening. The big trees by the pier stretched their leaves, but they couldn't completely cover the rì heads in the sky, and the breeze blowing from the river couldn't blow away the heat, but with a stuffy energy.

A black dog by the stone steps was lying in the shade of a tree, its crimson tongue extended, snorting and panting, while looking with a little pity at the almost breathless coolies who were weighed down by the weight of life.

A plainly decorated boat on the Liujing River was floating, and the second prince of Qingguo slowly withdrew his sympathetic eyes on the shore, turned around and said with a slight smile: "Fan Xian is really powerful, not to mention the silver transferred back from the inner library, he purchased so much grain in Dongyi City and Northern Qi in advance, presumably guessed that he was busy repairing the embankment this year, even if Xia Xun was fine, but the food in the south has not yet eased up, and he always needs disaster relief." ”

There are many merchant ships parked on the wharf of the Liujing River, and hundreds of coolies are carrying the grain purchased by Qingguo onto the ships, and then transporting them by waterway to the southern prefectures and counties that failed to compete in the reconstruction after last year's disaster.

The lovely girl next to the second prince blinked her bright eyes and smiled, but she didn't say anything.

The second prince smiled and continued: "Isn't it strange why I would say good things about Fan Xian? In fact, the reason is very simple, Fan Xian does have something commendable, especially in government affairs, although he has never been in charge of a road or a department alone, but he ...... Very caring. Maybe you don't know, just found out, when his subordinate Yang Wanli went to the Yamen of the Governor of Water Transportation, a large amount of silver was secretly injected into the tent of the Water Transport Yamen, and it is precisely because of this that the repair of the embankment of the big river will be carried out so smoothly this year. ”

Speaking of this, a hint of mockery appeared on the face of the second prince: "If you let those ministries in the court raise silver taels, and the Ministry of Household and Industry will grind, the ghost knows when to toss." ”

He continued to say quietly: "So to govern the world, means and skills can be cultivated, but a mind like Fan Xian ...... But it's extremely rare. This is all the silver he worked hard to scrape in the south of the Yangtze River, and he did not hesitate to smash it all into the river transportation, and it was his father who got the name, and it was the people of the world who benefited, what can you get......? I can't see through him more and more. ”

It's hot today, and the palace in Kyoto is also getting stuffy, so the second prince took his newlywed wife for half a year to the Liujing River, on the one hand, to relax, and on the other hand, the husband and wife are looking for a quiet place to say something considerate. Just looking at the lively scene on the dock from afar, the second prince couldn't help but be moved, and pulled the topic to Fan Xian, who was far away from Kyoto.

"Fan Xian...... Who knows what kind of man he is? No one can see through him. Ye Ling'er smiled slightly, with a hint of complexity between her eyebrows, this girl's family was such a cute little person who was so clear and eccentric back then, and now she is married to the second prince and turned into a princess, so she naturally has a little more precious atmosphere, and she also looks more mature.

"I really can't see through it. A self-deprecating smile appeared on the face of the second prince, which was quite similar to Fan Xian, "How many people can see through these things he has done since he came to Kyoto from Tangzhou?"

After thinking about it, he shook his head, smiled indifferently, slowly took Ye Ling'er's hand, walked to the rear side of the boat, and looked at the wide mirror water surface in the upper reaches of the Liujing River, as if he wanted to use the aura and openness of the world to stretch his mind.

The servants of the stern palace looked at this scene, and they all avoided it from afar, not daring to disturb the peace of the prince and the princess, the whole palace and even the whole Kyoto people knew that after the second prince and Ye Linger got married, the two had a very good relationship, although there was no news of the princess's pregnancy, but this young couple was often tired of being in one place, the second prince was handsome, Ye Linger was also a famous beauty in Kyoto, this pair of beautiful people, I don't know how many others envied.

Ye Ling'er leaned on the side of the second prince, gently holding his arm, his eyes were clearer than the water surface and looked at the sand gulls flying in the distance, thinking of the man in the distance, his master, and couldn't help but have a smile on the corner of his lips: "The people in Kyoto are afraid of Fan Xian, and they all think that he is so dangerous and terrible in his bones, so he will toss so many things and kill so many people, but in my opinion, this guy is just a ridiculous person who loves to mess around." ”

The second prince also smiled, he knew that his wife had frequent contacts with the Fan family before marrying him, and he also knew that his wife was commensurate with the sisters of the morning girl, and the friendship was extraordinary, and he also knew that his wife had been secretly calling Fan Xian a master...... It's just that he never doubts that there is any personal relationship between Ye Linger and Fan Xian, because although Ye Linger sometimes has a little temper, she is a rare scarf in the big aspect, if she doesn't like herself, even the holy decree can't let her marry her, it's just ...... Occasionally, when he heard Ye Ling'er mention Fan Xian in that familiar tone, he still couldn't hide a trace of absurdity and a faint sourness.

"It's so simple to be ridiculous. The second prince said gently: "A few days ago, I heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince made a booklet to see how many people Fan Xian had killed and offended in the past two years, and the result was ...... actually sorted out a long roster, which made our Royal Highness the Crown Prince very happy. ”

Ye Ling'er chuckled, thinking to herself how the master had become a big demon, but including the chūn case, Fan Xian had indeed offended most of the forces in the court.

"Therefore, no one can understand what Fan Xian wants to do. His aunt was his mother-in-law...... And my aunt has already released her kindness, but ...... He didn't accept it. Needless to say, since he returned to Beijing, I have been trying to reconcile with him, but he has chosen to defeat me very strongly. The second prince laughed at himself, "I admit that the matter of Niulan Street is my fault, but ...... In the middle of the court, it is not uncommon for enemies to become friends. ”

Ye Ling'er glanced at him and muttered: "He is stubborn and easy to hold grudges, where is he so easy to convince." ”

"But what's in it for him?" the second prince frowned and said, "I have offended so many people, and I will ...... in the future I mean, in case my father is gone, after the new emperor ascends the throne, he will definitely take back his authority, and without the Supervision Yuan in his hands, these vengeful forces will fall on him, who can keep him?"

"How do you know that the new emperor will definitely take back his authority?" Ye Ling'er lowered her head and said, "I don't think His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has much chance, and His Royal Highness is a student of Fan Xian." ”

"The third child is too young. The second prince sighed: "A person's growth process will always be interrupted by sudden accidents, I was like this back then, when the third child is older, our father will naturally find some way, if it is really the third child who sits on that chair in the future, do you think the third child at that time is still the third child now? He will allow Fan Xian to maintain his current power?"

"Our brothers are not as good as our father, so no matter who we succeed to the throne, the first thing we have to do is definitely to defeat Fan Xian, the big tiger. The second prince smiled and said: "This is an inevitable thing, with Fan Xian's intelligence, it is impossible not to think of this." ”

Ye Ling'er looked at him worriedly and said softly, "You still haven't given up." ”

The second prince didn't answer this sentence, and said slowly: "Since Fan Xian understands this, and he also knows that he has offended most of the official gentry, what can he do? Unless he is ready to take a completely different path in the future, he will never be able to get rid of the chaos after Rì." ”

"Which way?"

The second prince turned his head and smiled softly: "He sat on that chair by himself." ”

............ In what kind of position, what kind of topic is there, although what is said on the Liujing River Boat at this time is very shocking content, but in fact, this kind of topic is often talked about in various mansions, Ye Ling'er is not very afraid, but feels a little tired, and said with a wry smile: "With my understanding of the master, he will not do this." ”

"Oh?" the second prince was intrigued, "why do you say that?"

"Fan Xian likes to travel around the world, don't you know?" Ye Ling'er said with a smile: "This time he was sent to Jiangnan, and the world knows that it is a disguised exile of His Majesty, and he doesn't want his life experience to cause too much trouble in Kyoto, which means to avoid the limelight, but ...... As far as I know, Fan Xian has no complaints about this exile, he is very happy to go, and to have the opportunity to see different people and things in the world seems to be the greatest enjoyment for him. ”

I have to say that Ye Ling'er really knows Fan Xian very well.

"Sit on that chair, then it will be difficult to get out of the deep palace, Fan Xian will suffocate to death. ”

The husband and wife laughed at the same time.

The second prince thought for a moment and said, "But if he doesn't grab this chair...... Will he be willing to let go in the future? And even if he is willing to let go, others will let him go?"

"Is that chair really that good?" Ye Ling'er frowned and said, "What's more...... Why did Fan Xian grab it?"

"Why?" the second prince said with a smile: "With his father's incomparable trust in him, with the full support of the three old men, Dean Chen, Lin Xiangye, and Fan Shangshu, with the Supervision Yuan on his left hand, and the inner library on his right, and don't forget, he is also surnamed Li...... Let's be honest, in the current situation, if there is no big turning point after Rì, Fan Xian wants to seize the throne after his father goes, and he is the one who has the biggest grasp. ”

Ye Ling'er only heard the words "big turn" in these words, if what the lover around her said was true, then there must be many people preparing for this big turn.

The second prince continued: "Fan Xian's only blank at present is the support of the military, and he has no chance to touch the Ye and Qin families, but don't forget, my dear eldest brother, I don't know what's going on recently, and he always puts on the appearance of Fan Xian looking at his family. ”

Speaking of this, the second prince finally revealed a trace of resentment, thinking about it, he and the eldest prince grew up together since childhood, and there is nothing to say about good feelings, who knows that as soon as Fan Xian entered Beijing, the eldest prince stood on Fan Xian's side, who else would be a little uncomfortable in his heart.

"The most critical weather vane is the Jiaozhou incident. The second prince said worriedly: "Although my father trusted Fan Xian very much in the past, he never let him get involved in any military affairs, but this time he arranged for him to deal with the Jiaozhou Navy. ”

Ye Ling'er slowly lowered her head, and said after a while: "After talking for a long time, in fact, in the final analysis, you are still unwilling in your heart. ”

After a moment of silence, the second prince said slowly but firmly: "I am indeed unwilling...... If someone else can sit in that chair, why can't I? I sit on that chair and do no worse than others. If there is not one more Fan Xian in the world, why should I sigh for a long time on this boat. ”

There was silence again.

"I admit that in the comparison with Fan Xian, I am completely underwhelmed. The second prince's face suddenly showed a hint of ease, "But occasionally there will be some dissatisfaction, if my father was willing to hand over the Supervision Yuan to me and give me the inner library, would I really be worse than Fan Xian?" I am indeed unwilling, I have been planning for so many years, but because of such a brother who suddenly appeared, it made a qiē come to naught, I still want to fight, even if I lose to him in the end...... It is also necessary to lose the heart and take it orally. ”

"Why bother?" Ye Ling'er sighed and looked at him.

The second prince's heart moved, and he found that since his wife married into the palace, she had a lot less heartless and cute appearances, maybe this is the price of marrying herself, and she always thinks about these intrigues.

Ye Ling'er said softly: "I know that Her Royal Highness the Eldest Princess has been asking you to reconcile with Her Royal Highness the Crown Prince recently, and I also know what this is for...... Having said that, I have always disliked Her Royal Highness the eldest princess, even though she is Chen'er's mother. ”

"My aunt is a great person. The second prince considered the words, "She has done many things for the imperial court, and she ...... Many times, she doesn't necessarily do it for her own selfishness. Take this matter as an example, if she really just thought about the glory and wealth of the queen, she would not have chosen me and educated me at the beginning, she could have always stood on the side of the East Palace, and the East Palace also needed her. ”

"Then why did she choose you?" Ye Ling'er had a hint of ridicule on the corner of her lips, "Isn't it because you are better looking than His Royal Highness the Prince?"

............ "That's enough!" The corners of the second prince's lips pursed slightly, and he snorted, he never thought that his wife was so angry with Her Royal Highness the eldest princess.

Ye Ling'er snorted coldly and said: "Isn't it? She instigated you to fight with His Royal Highness the Prince, and now she is letting you reconcile with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and fighting with Fan Xian, but what is the point of fighting back and forth? Even if she succeeds in the future and Fan Xian loses power, what will you do with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince when the time comes? Who will sit on that chair." "That's what happened after rì. The second prince lowered his head and said slowly: "My aunt loves me." Ye Ling'er was furious, and finally returned to the clear appearance of riding into Kyoto, and said directly: "She is just intoxicated with the process of this matter, as for who wins and loses between the prince and you in the end, it is not one of her puppets, why do you want to participate with them again? The prince wants to succeed to the throne, it is a matter of course, Fan Xian wants to protect himself, that is also his business, as long as you don't pay attention to it, you can get away lightly, what's wrong with this?" Suddenly, Ye Ling'er seemed to feel that her words were too urgent, sighed, and said in a soft voice: "You don't think about others, you have to think about me, think about the mother in the palace, Fan Xian said a word, take a step back and open the sky, why not?"

Fan Xian again, the second prince couldn't help but smile when he heard this, and said, "Then why didn't he retreat?"

"If he retreats, he's going to die, that's what you said. Ye Ling'er looked at his eyes without showing weakness, "But if you retreat, who can do anything to you?"

"What can you do with me?" The second prince pursed his thin lips and said quietly: "I have killed Fan Xian's people, can he let me go after he takes the ......throne? Who knows what kind of person he will become in the future. ”

Ye Linger was silent in disappointment.

"The prince is just a signboard that we need at the moment. The second prince closed his eyes, sniffed the river breeze blowing in his face, and said softly: "We need his East Palace title and grandmother's support now." ”

Ye Ling'er knew that he still had a lot of things to tell himself, and it was impossible to tell him, but he still heard some kind of dangerous approaching voice from this sentence, and couldn't help but shudder in this big summer, and said softly: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is not a stupid person, how could he not guess the thoughts of His Royal Highness the Eldest Princess, how could he believe her?"

"This is what my aunt needs to think about, how to bridge the rift at the beginning, how to make the prince and the queen fully believe in my aunt's sincerity, this has nothing to do with me, I just need to wait. ”

The second prince said softly, slowly opened his eyes, looked at the river, and said word by word: "I just didn't hold back last year, so I gave Fan Xian a chance, and now I have at least learned to be patient in a hurry." After all, I am the son of my father, and no matter how things change, I always have a chance of one in one. ”

Ye Ling'er looked at him disappointedly and said, "I understand what you mean, do you think that the eldest princess will pick you to succeed you in the end, but ...... Is it really fun to be helped up?"

"Don't talk about being helped, even if you are being led, what if you are being led?" the second prince suddenly laughed, "My father was also helped by a woman to sit on the throne, but after rì, he still became the first emperor of the ages, as long as he sat on that chair, there was always something big to do." ”

—————————————————————————— because of the problem of the Jiaozhou incident, Chen Pingping, who had been retiring in Chen Yuan, was finally driven back to Kyoto by the emperor's three decrees, and returned to the square and gray building.

In the dark secret room of the Supervision Yuan, Chen Pingping gently stroked the woolen blanket on her lap, couldn't help yawning, and said in a slightly shrill voice: "If it's a big fart, you have to disturb me." ”

Fei Jie wonderfully did not collect medicine in the mountains today, but sat next to Chen Pingping, and said in a hoarse voice: "The key is the problem in the palace, Fan Xian has made such a fuss again, our emperor His Majesty likes him more and more, but those people in the palace are more and more afraid of him...... I'm afraid it's going to be early. ”

"Is the prince a fool?" Chen Pingping asked slowly, "Of course, he is indeed a fool, otherwise how could he get together with that crazy woman?"

"The eldest princess is crazy, and there are still means. Fei Jie rolled his eyes with a strange face, stared at Chen Pingping and said, "Besides, isn't this what you arranged? ”

Chen Pingping sighed and said, "The prince is too timid, let's help him." ”

"This is really a sin of stealing the family and destroying the family. Fei Jie sighed, "I'm alone, and you still have a large group of distant relatives in your hometown." ”

Chen Pingping smiled shamefully: "You still have to beware of Fan Xian returning to Beijing for the New Year to trouble you, give Chen Yatou a medicine, and it turns out that an extinct medicine comes out, after Fan Xian dies, you see how he tears you." ”

Fei Jie said angrily: "It's good to be able to cure tuberculosis, what else do you want?

"Then I don't know, anyway, he has been angry in his letter lately, and ...... Been asking where you've been. Chen Pingping said indifferently.

Fei Jie has actually been guilty of this matter, so he subconsciously avoided his most successful disciple, listening to this, he couldn't help but be stunned, and said after a while: "Didn't he accept a big girl? Besides, there is also Haitang...... The saint's body should not be bad, and it should be no problem to give birth to a doll. ”

"Begonia blossoms...... It's not a hen, you beware of not letting the people of Tianyi know what you say. Chen Pingping said with a smile.

Fei Jie didn't bother to pay attention to it, and asked directly: "What do you think about the matter in Jiaozhou this time?"

"What do you think?" Chen Pingping snorted coldly, "I gave him the shadow, I gave him the black horse, and I gave him the entire Supervision Yuan...... And then he made such a rough and inferior work for me!"

"Rice bucket. Chen Pingping couldn't help but shake her head, "After Yan Bingyun was not by his side, Fan Xian became a rice bucket when it came to this kind of thing, but I really don't know if his luck was naturally better than others, or what reason...... It didn't turn out badly. ”