“I don’t think we did anything last summer.”
Si Lili held her head in her hands. She had a slight headache. Ever since Fan Xian brought up this phrase in his letter to Duoduo, the two women beside the young Northern Qi Emperor had sunk into endless thought. No matter how much they thought about it, they couldn’t work out what exactly they had done to Fan Xian last summer.
There was only that one line in the letter, written plainly. It was like a warning but more so like a kind of threat. They could not understand what had made Fan Xian so angry.
Of course, they would not because Fan Xian had calculated the year wrong. Fan Xian’s initial intention was to warn the Northern female soldiers that he already knew about the incident of the old temple.
The young Northern Qi Emperor furrowed his brows and coldly said, “Last year, I gave him a good sword through Wang Qinian’s hands. Even if he saw through this matter, it’s fine that he doesn’t thank me. But, why but is he sending letters to scare my aunt disciple?”
“The sword of the Wei Emperor?” Si Lili covered her lips and smiled, glowing in all directions. “Or the great fertility sword?”
The words sounded the same. It took the Northern Qi emperor a moment to understand the naughty joke, but he didn’t smile. His expression became somewhat dark.
Li Sisi’s heart jumped. She knew the Emperor didn’t like her being overly impudent, so she kept her mouth closed and knelt at the side.
The Northern Qi Emperor slowly rose and used his hands to smooth back his hair from his temples before tying up his raven-black hair. His two outstanding eyebrows were pin-straight. Calmly, he said, “Let’s not talk about this first. Today, Fan Sizhe is hosting a large feast. I am sending Wei Hua in my place. What do you think?”
“You are wise,” Si Lili thought for a moment and said seriously. “Keep the second son of the Fan family in the capital. Maybe Fan Xian will behave better in the South. Even if he has other ideas, he has to first think of his brother and sister.”
“Speaking of sister, that Ruoruo aunt disciple should also have arrived today.” The Northern Qi Emperor smiled and gestured with his hand with unspeakable carefreeness. “As for what you said, that isn’t true. It is not us who are keeping the Fan children in the capital to threaten Fan Xian. Rather, it is Fan Xian who sent his brother and sister here to have us be the nanny.”
He huffed coldly and continued, “What kind of person is Fan Xian? Since he dares to send them here, he is not afraid that we will take these two people and use them as hostages. He appeared so warm and accepting that time in the Palace. One doesn’t know how dark and vicious he is until you start having dealings with him…”
Si Lili pressed her lips together and smiled. “However, you still agreed. When I said to keep them, I didn’t mean using them as hostages. If Fan Ruoruo and Fan Sizhe are living well in Northern Qi, Fan Xian’s mood will also be better. In the future, perhaps one day he will come over to our side.”
“How could it be so simple?” The Northern Qi Emperor smiled self-mockingly. “He is rising smoothly in the South Kingdom. Plus, Li Yunrui has fallen from power. There is no one who dares touch him at all. How could he give up his endless power to come to my side? As for these arrangements of his, it only shows that he is just as sensitive and overly suspicious as his father the Emperor. A clever man always has more than one backup plan. He is just using my country as a backup for his family.”
He sighed. “He just had to be in Jiangnan, in the palace treasury of the South Kingdom. There are too many things I need him for. I know what he is using me for, but I can only accept it.”
Within a year or so, the Northern Qi Emperor and Fan Xian had each chosen a representative. Through the Cui family’s old route, Xia Mingji and Fan Sizhe had begun the endless smuggling process. Both sides had reaped great rewards from it. Although things had to be done secretly in order to prevent the Qing Emperor from becoming suspicious, even if it were investigated, it would not implicate the high ranking figures. However, both sides were now bound together, so Fan Xian was at ease in having his brother and sister remain in Northern Qi.
What he said earlier wasn’t wrong. Right now, the young Northern Qi Emperor was a good nanny that Fan Xian had found.
Furthermore, Fan Xian had not guessed the incident of the broken down temple. He was even less polite about his use of the young Emperor now.
“Why does Fan Xian need an escape route?” Si Lili asked with confusion. “Does he think that Qing Kingdom won’t be where he lives permanently?”
“This is the point that I am most interested in.” The Northern Qi Emperor smiled. “Just what kind of person is Fan Xian? During his climb up in the Southern Court, he had already begun to look for an escape route. Does he think that, one day, he will turn against the royal family? It is truly baffling and confusing.”
He paused and then continued, “Do you still remember that time he saw you back to the capital?”
Si Lili immediately thought of their warm interactions all the way to the North and the endless spring light in the carriage. Her face warmed. She lowered her head without saying anything.
The young Northern Qi Emperor laughed uproariously. However, there was a slight twinge of jealousy in it. He used his finger to raise Si Lili’s chin and gently said, “Lili, I don’t like you thinking of other men when you’re by my side.”
Si Lili lowered her head without a word, but her red lips held a smile.
The Northern Qi Emperor huffed coldly. He found this girl was becoming less and less scared of him. He pulled back his hand and said, “Didn’t you once say that on the road North, Fan Xian had once given you an antidote to a poison? Since it is so, he has saved both our lives. Thus, I don’t understand. His cooperation with me for personal benefits happened later. Before this, it seemed that he didn’t want me to die… In addition to the matter of the escape route mentioned earlier.”
His brows were furrowed very tightly. He couldn’t understand it no matter how hard he thought.
“Does Fan Xian truly consider himself a person of Qing Kingdom?
Si Lili slowly raised her head and smiled slightly as she gazed at the worried Emperor. She didn’t tell him that while Fan Xian was still in Shangjing, he had already guessed that the Emperor would not be harmed by the poison in his body. She was now already a royal concubine and greatly in the Emperor’s favor. Additionally, there were many layers of unexplainable connections. She lived deep in the palace, so she did not need to care about the threats from Qing Kingdom’s Overwatch Council or accept Fan Xian’s long distance control. For some reason, every time she thought of that young man’s vilely warm smile, Si Lili’s heart would soften and help him hide a great deal.
Perhaps it was to see the expression of agitated rage on the face of this Emperor in front of her, whose gaze was always looking far into the future.
“Qing Kingdom is a great enemy of my court,” the young Northern Qi Emperor said with furrowed brows. “I understand the Qing people’s savage animal-like hearts very well. Even if Fan Xian has endless hatred against the Qing royal family for the Ye family incident, he is still a Qing person. Why would he give me… No, give this court so many advantages? Is he not afraid that Qi Kingdom will rise one day and make Qing Kingdom look bad?”
Si Lili listened to this and stopped her teasing thoughts to sink into silence. Originally, she was a descendant of the Qing royal family and completely irreconcilable with Qing court. Thus, she had turned and changed sides to Northern Qi. However, Fan Xian was, after all, the Qing Emperor’s illegitimate child. Although the Emperor watched and controlled him, in three short years, the Emperor had made him an outstandingly powerful official.
What more could Fan Xian want? Why would he secretly carry out so many deals with Northern Qi? Naturally, it would not be for his own sake, Si Lili thought self-mockingly. It also couldn’t be for Duoduo and even less so for the Emperor. Although Fan Xian was a womanizer, he would not allow a woman to change his thoughts.
She was silent for a long time. Suddenly, a light flashed across her mind, “Unless, he never truly considered himself a Qing person.”
Having said this, she shook her head. Even she didn’t believe what she said. A strange light flashed through the Northern Qi Emperor’s eyes, which immediately turned into a faint disappointment.
If Fan Xian truly didn’t consider himself a Qing person, then perhaps he actually would change sides to Northern Qi. If Fan Xian changed sides, he would bring a great number of benefits, such as, secrets of the palace treasury, inside information on the internal workings of the Overwatch Council, and his status.
A prince of Qing Kingdom, the heir that Zhuan Mohan appointed, defection from the Qing to Qi… What kind of shock would this create in the world? How big an advantage and how much danger would this bring to Northern Qi?
If Fan Xian really wanted to defect, the always courageous Northern Qi Emperor would accept him regardless of danger. However, he knew that this situation was impossible. Everyone knew that Fan Xian was a proper Qing person. The Qing Emperor would also not be stupid enough to force his most accomplished son to the point of death and that final step.
Actually, it was just that no one in this world could understand the thoughts of a modern man.
Ever since Fan Xian had spoken in the cave, he had already accepted his role in this time period. However, he didn’t have much opinion about the concept of family and country. Because of the environment he grew up in and the friends around him, he had a deeper connection to Qing Kingdom. From his perspective, the fights in the world were just internal disputes, like the elder concubine beating the younger.
Like in the spring and autumn era, or Warring States period, there was little shame in jumping around. The idea of betraying a country had never before existed in his mind.
This was the psychology of a foreign person.
…
…
Walking upward along the quiet stone path in the Royal Palace in Shangjing, the eunuchs and serving girls opening up the path served carefully at the side. They were terrified that the young man in dragon robes would accidentally fall. The eunuchs behind holding water bottles walked quietly with their heads lowered, not making a single sound.
The young Northern Qi Emperor’s expression was not very pleasant. Ever since he was young, he hated having servants around him. They never gave him an opportunity to relax. However, the rules in the palace had always been like this. No matter how he raged, he couldn’t change it. Even if he killed all of these servants, what would that accomplish?
Stopped beside a three-story Palace, a tree slowly lowered its branch and gently laid it on the black eaves. It was beautiful in contrast. The young Emperor stared at this scene in a daze. He thought to himself that he walked slowly through the palace every day. Why had he rarely noticed such a sight? Was it because he saw too much every day, so habitually forgot it?
He suddenly thought of something Haitang had once said. That man in Qing Kingdom had copied Haitang’s walk in this Palace. He seemed to walk very happily. His eyes turned quickly, greedily, as if he wanted to suck all the beauty in the Palace into his eyes. Was it because he naturally liked beautiful things, so he was able to write such beautiful and clean words?
The Northern Qi Emperor lowered his head and put his hands behind his back as he sank deep into thought.
A moment later, he raised his head. A self-confident smile hung on his face while his feet changed directions. He headed toward a small mountain trail on the right side. At the end of that mountain trail, the sounds of a flowing waterfall could be heard.
The eunuchs and serving girls at his side jumped in fright. They thought to themselves, Wasn’t the Emperor going to the top of the mountain to plant cassias? Why was he turning that way now? However, no one called out to stop him. They could only silently catch up.
The mountain trail turned a few times. They came to a flat stage on side of a cliff. On the stage was a square pavilion.
The Northern Qi Emperor pointed at the pavilion. The eunuchs and serving girls at his side immediately charged over to place seats, light incense, and clean off the dust.
The Emperor walked into the pavilion. He looked at the small creek beneath and spring flowers. His heart jumped slightly. He softly recited, “Patting the railings, the blossoms blew at my temples with the cold wind of the mountain. The grand songs shocked the floating clouds apart.”
A number of people at his side tried to curry favor, “Your Majesty…”
The Northern Qi Emperor smiled self-mockingly as he thought of the words that Fan Xian had once said to him in his pavilion. “Good lines.”
“To curry favor so indifferently… Fan Xian, you are the only one.” The Northern Qi Emperor smiled. Standing beside the railing, he looked at the great sight of his own kingdom.
“Disperse. Everyone retreat,” he suddenly ordered.
The eunuchs and serving girls in the pavilion looked at each other. The mountain stones were cold. If the Emperor caught a chill, how would they explain it to the empress dowager? However, they knew that the present Northern Qi was the Emperor’s kingdom. Although the Emperor was young, his will was unusually firm and persistent. After Shen Zhong died, the Emperor ordered the release of Shang Shanhu to the South to resist Qing Kingdom. He also organized a few great changes in court. Even the major officials didn’t dare look at him like a child anymore.
Inside the pavilion, it immediately resumed its usual peacefulness.
The Northern Qi Emperor stood by the railing and took a deep breath. He thought about Fan Xian’s initial suggestion and thought to himself that what he had said was correct. A moment later, he thought of another matter. His brows furrowed together tightly. He said quietly to himself, “Fan Xian, just what are you thinking?”
“First, concern oneself with the affairs of the state. There is time to enjoy pleasure later.”
“These affairs of state… Are they the ones of Qing Kingdom or the entire world?”
The Northern Qi Emperor’s brows gradually relaxed. He faintly sensed the truth of the matter. The corners of his lips twitched up and revealed a strange smile. In a quiet voice, he said, “If you defect to me, how about I give you the rank of Prince? It’s much better than your little dukedom right now.”