Joy of Life

Fan Xian had been in the royal study for a long time. At the beginning, he chose the most important matter to talk about: the situation in Xiliang Road, as well as how much of the plan the Emperor had the Overwatch Council prepare. Fan Xian spoke with assurance and composure. The Emperor listened quietly. There was not a trace of dissatisfaction on his face. He even offered some rare consolingly words and said that Fan Xian had worked hard.

Feeling that the environment was good, Fan Xian’s mind spun. He used the opportunity to say a few idle things concerning the Great Prince taking on a Secondary fei. The gist of these words were completely different to what he discussed with the prince. He directly used his words to humiliate the young lady of the Wang family and, at the same time, expressed his strong unwillingness, as an official, to be involved in the matters of the royal family.

Just as Fan Xian expected, the moment the Emperor heard these words, he flew into a rage and reprimanded him strongly. He highlighted Fan Xian’s role as an official of the Taichang Temple and said a few ruthless things on the matter of the Great Prince taking a Secondary fei. This storm of anger did not make Fan Xian develop any fear. He had interacted with this unfathomable old Emperor for a long time. Although he was still unable to see the deepest reaches of his heart, he at least thoroughly understood his nature and preferences. As long as he reprimanded loudly and energetically, it often meant that the matter was not serious.

As expected, Fan Xian took the opportunity to raise the suggestion that since he was an official of the Taichang Temple and the Emperor also wanted to give the young lady of the Wang family to the Great Prince, he had to think of the face of the royal family. Should he not teach the young lady some things? These things were usually done by old nannies in the Palace. For Fan Xian, a young man, to steal this work couldn’t help but be funny. The Emperor had not smiled. He directly told Fan Xian to not meddle in other people’s business, but he also didn’t get angry.

The Emperor probably already knew of what happened in front of the manor and had long guessed what benefit his favorite son had hoped to achieve in firmly opposing it at the beginning.

Just as Fan Xian’s heart was settling, he heard the words, “Zhaoshang money house.”

These four words were like a deep brand, immediately burning his heart and making him put his head down. He remained silent.

He knew why the Emperor would choose now to have him explain the Zhaoshang money house. During these two years, he had gotten used to these sudden claps of thunder.

If the skin on his face was not thick enough, he would have long been charred crisp on the outside by the thunder these two years

This is what is called a difficult to gauge imperial heart, right? Fan Xian thought to himself. Although the Emperor’s favor of him could not grow further and allowed him to act freely and arrogantly in the Qing court, he still didn’t forget to knock him sometimes.

This was a knock from the ruler on the person closest to him to wake him up so that he didn’t get carried away and hurt the affection between ruler and official, or father and son. Ever since the Jingdou rebellion, every time Fan Xian performed a great service for the court or when the Emperor gave him a hefty reward, the Emperor would always lightly throw out some matter or name to scare Fan Xian to have him understand his place.

In court, the stick that the Emperor used to knock Fan Xian with was He Zongwei and his group of officials. The thunder that cracked down on him in private were about the things Fan Xian did in secret.

Counting carefully, the matters that had served as the Emperor’s clap of thunder these two years included Xia Mingji’s inside information, Xia Qifei’s relationship to the Jiangnan water bandits, Fan Sizhe’s smuggling in the North, the first strike concerning Xu Maocai’s impure intentions, why Thirteenth Wang had given his support to Fan Xian, and so on and so forth.

Each clap of thunder struck right on Fan Xian’s heart and left him cold all over. It seemed that he had no secrets in front of the Emperor. If these crimes were truly exposed, they would al result in beheading. He knew the Emperor would not use these crimes to deal with him. He was just reminding him. Even though it was so, he still felt cold all over. He felt that the Grandmaster Emperor on the dragon bed would be able to swallow him with a casual breath.

Fortunately, Fan Xian was also not a normal official. Faced with the wrath of the Emperor, his way of dealing with it was absolutely unique. Relying just on his thick skin, he admitted to all the crimes he had to but continued to do what needed to be done. In any case, the Emperor didn’t want to kill him, so he continued to go on in this way.

He couldn’t go on now because Zhaoshang money house was too important for Fan Xian. No matter if it was the Overwatch Council’s use, the silver moved for the repair of the riverbanks, the Hangzhou Conference charity events that Wan’er organized, or even the luxurious lives of his entire family and the Chen Garden, they all came from Zhaoshang money house’s income.

Most importantly, Zhaoshang money house had once hidden millions of silver that belonged to the little Northern Qi Emperor. Once that was known, the crime of being a traitor would never be hidden, no matter how much Fan Xian played the filial son and howled mournfully.

A few lines of cold sweat slid down his back. When he had dealt with that fearless dead pig of a Ming Master three years ago, the Zhaoshang money house had been forced to take the front stage. He had guessed the matter would draw the Emperor’s suspicions. The Ministry of Revenue had not moved this much silver. The Emperor would certainly wonder where the silver from the money house had come from.

For the sake of this secret, Fan Xian had done a lot of work and confirmed that the Northern accounts were completely clean. In the past, the Emperor had also asked where Zhaoshang money house’s money had come from. At that time, Fan Xian had used the most famous rumor in the world to muddle through. Everyone thought the secret stockholder of the Zhaoshang money house was the then-Commander of the Northern Qi Brocade Guards, Shen Zhong, and the money was his secret wealth that he had saved over decades.

Now, the Emperor had asked him to his face and had also mentioned the young lady of the Shen family who had been married to Yan Bingyun for less than three months. He was warning Fan Xian that the young lady had long been in his control, but the Emperor had also been watching her. He couldn’t use the bullsh*t excuse of the inheritance of the Shen family.

Two more beads of cold sweat rolled down Fan Xian’s back. However, it was already late autumn and early winter. Although there was a fire burning in the royal study, it was still cold. His official robes were very thick, so the marks couldn’t be seen. His face was still valiantly maintaining a calm expression as he said, “Your Majesty, what is there to explain?”

The Emperor’s expression darkened. He didn’t like the fact that this kid was trying to muddle his way through such a private conversation.

He had no idea that Fan Xian’s heart was drumming at the moment. Fan Xian wondered secretly if the little Emperor in the North held a grudge against him for the Northern Qi spies he had killed in Xiliang Road. Had he tossed out this secret, using the Qing Emperor’s hand to kill him? Did Northern Qi hate him so much to pay such a price to get rid of him?

It became impossible for Fan Xian’s expression to remain calm. Sweat beaded slightly on his forehead. He thought to himself that the strange Northern Qi creature dared to abandon a knife, would he abandon a money house?

He glanced around and saw the clearly unhappy expression on the Emperor’s face. Seeing this unhappiness, Fan Xian’s heart leaped for joy.

If the Emperor truly had the inside information about this matter and was going to bring him down, given his sophisticated cultivation and state of mind, how could he be so “sincerely” unhappy?

Fan Xian smiled awkwardly and coughed, “The Zhaoshang money house’s first cache of silver was indeed not the treasure of the Shen family. It was my own secret stash of money.”

This answer was very clever.

If a common official had heard these words, he would curse Fan Xian for being shameless and disgusting. Zhaoshang money house had started with millions of silver as capital, who had so a large secret stash of money? When the Emperor heard these words, he revealed an understanding expression. Lightly, he said, “Indeed it is so. When did Lao Wu give this money to you?”

Fan Xian laughed uncomfortably and then respectfully replied, “Before I went to Jiangnan, Uncle Wu Zhu knew I needed money.”

The Emperor looked at him and shook his head. “Lao Wu is also making trouble. Why did he give so much money to you, a child?”

Fan Xian let go of a big breath in his heart and knew that the Emperor had indeed thought of the old Ye family as he expected. However, he continued to smile strangely. It was as if he was silently criticizing the Emperor for coveting the money and not being satisfied with the millions of silver he had earned for the Emperor after he had taken over the Jiangnan palace treasury.

The Emperor clearly saw the things hidden in Fan Xian’s expression and angrily scolded him a bit. A moment later, he forcefully suppressed his anger and said with forced nonchalance, “This palace treasury was left by your mother. Would I be tempted by those millions of silver? It is just that this silver was left to you by your mother. Spend it wisely.”

Fan Xian didn’t dare to neglect anything and quickly related each use of the money in Zhaoshang money house. The Emperor actually knew of these things, but speaking of each matter clearly was always a good thing. Furthermore, once things were clear, it wouldn’t be brought up again.

The Emperor stroked his beard with satisfaction and nodded. “Of course, it is good that it is being used for charitable works. The Chen girl is also a very capable person. Don’t keep her shut up in the manor. When she has time, have her come in to keep me company.”

Fan Xian wondered to himself when had ever shut away his pampered wife. She was busy managing the affairs of the entire Fan family. Additionally, after the Jingdou rebellion, she had inevitably developed some conflicting feelings about this Uncle Emperor. It was she who didn’t want to come into the Palace.

“Handle the affairs in the West carefully.” The Emperor stood and suddenly thought of something. With forced casualness, he asked, “Where is Lao Wu?”

“I don’t know where Uncle went.” Fan Xian quickly stood up. “I saw him two years ago.”

“He always likes to play at disappearing. How come he is just like Uncle Ye?” The Emperor waved his hands and indicated for Fan Xian to leave.

…

…

The door of the royal study was finally pushed open. Fan Xian walked out with a calm expression. Seeing Eunuch Yao waiting at the side, he nodded at him. Eunuch Yao quickly lowered his body in a bow and asked in a low voice, “How is the Emperor’s mood?”

Fan Xian smiled. The clouds on his face immediately became rays of sunshine, shining brightly, even though his heart was somewhat heavy. Each time he entered the Palace to see the Emperor, it was his day of suffering. That kind of omnipresent pressure and the Emperor Grandmaster’s sense of power made him feel uncomfortable, particularly as he would periodically endure a sudden shock. It was very stressful.

When the Emperor had asked about the whereabouts of Wu Zhu, Fan Xian’s heart couldn’t help but turn cold. The two Great Grandmasters of the other countries were either dead or useless. Ye Liuyun’s existence seemed unnecessary now to the Qing Kingdom. After helping the Qing Emperor complete the set up on Dong Mountain, Ye Liuyun’s nature was like that of an idle cloud and wild crane. He had truly floated into the distance. Of course, he would never appear again. Although the Emperor had asked about Wu Zhu with a natural appearance, Fan Xian knew the Emperor was always secretly wary and on guard toward Uncle Wu Zhu.

As for why it was like this, Fan Xian knew clearly.

Following the long eaves of Taiji Palace toward the outside of the tall royal palace, his expression gradually calmed. Private conversations in the royal study like the one today had already happened many times. From his first unfamiliarity with the thunder to today’s response and ease, Fan Xian had grown a great deal.

Standing below the tall Taiji Palace, Fan Xian looked at the stone steps carved with dragon clouds and sucked in a deep breath, letting the early winter air rush into his chest. The icy chill was incomparably agreeable.

The things the Emperor knew about were things Fan Xian was not afraid for him to know about. Although these thunderous knocks were scary, they could not shatter Fan Xian’s hard outer shell yet. He still had many secrets that he was successfully keeping from the Emperor, such as Zhaoshang money house, the dead shopkeepers that had been reported from Qingyu Hall, where Uncle Wu Zhu had gone, and the little workshop that was slowly coming together in a small country Dongyi controlled.

He also hid that there was a soul that did not belong in this world in his body, that he knew of another similar soul, how they had appeared so movingly in this world, and how they had disappeared so heart-wrenchingly from this world.

These were all things that the omnipotent Emperor did not know, and these were precisely Fan Xian’s trump cards. The Emperor did not know that his two most powerful cards—the chest and Uncle Wu Zhu—had already left him. He didn’t know where they had gone.

His eyes narrowed as he looked at the firm walls across from the long corridor. His gaze surpassed the wall and pierced directly through the winter clouds in the sky, as if remembering events from many years ago or the bloody killing from two years ago.

The eunuchs and serving girls walking quietly in the Royal Palace looked at the young man below Taiji Palace. They quickly lowered their bodies in a bow. However, they wondered why Sir Fan junior was staring blankly.

Fan Xian’s gaze pierced through the layer of cloud. It seemed to land in the snowy Northern plains far, far away. It was as if they saw a man with his eyes covered by a piece of black cloth and carrying a chest, heading determinedly and alone toward an unnamed and mysterious place. Each of his footsteps broke countless snowflakes. Each glance saw through endless illusions.

In the shadow of the Palace hall, Fan Xian smiled warmly. He was truly happy that Uncle Wu Zhu was able to find himself. That was, perhaps, the most important thing in life.

…

…

The restaurant with the best business in Jingdou was Yishi Tavern. The owner was no longer the Cui family under the Eldest Princess’s protection. A long time ago, the Cui family had been completely uprooted by the Overwatch Council because of their smuggling toward Northern Qi, but the business here was just as good as before.

The favorite haunting ground of the students of the Imperial College and foreign students was Danbo Bookstore. It had to be noted that under the Eighth Bureau’s powerful suppression, it had been many years since the appearance of aunties holding children and selling little red books in the streets and alleys of Jingdou.

The best inn was Tongfu Tavern. The tofu stall with the most clients was the private property of the Fan family. As for the most popular and exclusive brothel, it was Baoyue Brothel.

Traveling through Jingdou was now easy. Often, one ate in Yishi Tavern, lived in Tongfu Tavern, had a bowl of tofu flowers on the road, stepped into Danbo Bookstore to buy a few books, and, at night, went to Baoyue Brothel to cuddle some beauties. The joys of life were seemingly complete.

Without question, it was like so because of Fan Xian.

Yishi Tavern was the beginning of Fan Xian’s legendary life. Coming into Jingdou from Danzhou, he, the heir of King Jing, and He Zongwei had met in that restaurant. Given the present statuses of these three people, Yishi Tavern carried a sense of the magical. Most important was Sir Fan junior’s story of knocking out Jingdou. It had already traveled throughout the world through the mouths of countless storytellers.

Tongfu Tavern was the cradle of Fan Xian’s four disciples. The other three were Fan Xian’s property. Many people hated Fan Xian, but even more people loved him. There were very few people, like the owner of the medical shop across from Danbo Bookstore, who had such complex feelings toward him.

The medical shop had just been bought and had not opened for business. The medical supplies were placed in seemingly chaotic but actually orderly piles.

A girl wearing a plainly woven unlined coat was lost in thought. Her hand was supporting her chin in the room filled with the smell of medicine. She had not noticed that too many miscellaneous people were already gathered around outside the shop. If it were not for the guards from the manor and secret Overwatch Council agents holding them back, these people would probably have already squeezed inside.

Master Ku He’s last disciple, the young lady of the Fan family with astonishing medical skills and Sir Fan junior’s favorite sister, had finally left Qing Mountain and returned to her home, Jingdou. Among the Jingdou people’s surprised gaze and the room filled with the strange smell of medicine, she began to miss some people far away at the horizon, walking forward alone on the snowy plains, while some people were about to come before her.