Joy of Life

In Shufang Palace, Yi Guipin smiled happily as she watched the two people by the desk. Fan Xian was watching Li Chengping copying out a book. No one in the Palace cared about the contents of the book. What was important was the watching and the student-teacher relationship between Fan Xian and Li Chengping.

Yi Guipin was not a manipulative and calculating noble. On the contrary, in this sinister Royal Palace, she had maintained the openness of her maiden days. Since she was pure and true, she received the favor of the Emperor and had the Third Prince.

Given the Qing Emperor’s complete disinterest in the matters between men and women, after the empress had the Crown Prince, it seemed that he had not planned to have further children. Thus, it was clear how much Yi Guipin’s personality appealed to the Emperor.

The other people in the Palace were the same. They always felt that Guipin, born of the Liu family, was very spirited, charming, and lively from morning to night. Seeing her made people feel comfortable. Like Lady Ning in the other garden, they were both unconventional in the Royal Palace. Only, her type of unconventional was more likable.

Thus, even though the empress dowager was not very close to the Third Prince because of the power of the Fan family and the Liu family, she didn’t have anything bad to say about Yi Guipin. Everyone knew that Yi Guipin was lenient in front of the Emperor and treated everyone very generously. She never had any thought of harming others. This was the result of staying silent for a dozen years in the Palace.

However, just because she was unwilling to be calculating and had no intentions to hurt people did not mean that Yi Guipin did not have her own agenda and plans. Otherwise, back then, she wouldn’t have used the opportunity of Fan Xian saving the Third Prince to have the Third Prince saluting him as his teacher. Furthermore, she would not have opened up all the resources in Shufang Palace to Fan Xian.

She understood the importance of Fan Xian to Shufang Palace. When there was no one around, she would purposely try to bring him closer. The royal family had always kept a close eye on the royal relatives. However, Fan Xian’s complicated identity spanned across the three areas of a royal relative, official, and the royal family. Thus, the people in the Palace couldn’t comment much on the interaction between Shufang Palace and Fan Xian.

The more secure Fan Xian was in the court, the more secure Shufang Palace’s position was in the Emperor’s heart.

However, when she occasionally thought about Fan Xian’s power and royal favor, Yi Guipin would also feel astonishment in her heart. The Emperor showed a bit too much favor toward this illegitimate child.

Because Fan Xian was greatly favored, Yi Guipin had been cautious of various dangers, but these feelings of cautious could not be spoken aloud. She remained silent and maintained her candid charm. It was not until Fan Xian returned to his ancestors that she truly confirmed Fan Xian’s intentions and felt a boundless gratitude surge up from the depths of her heart.

Thus, seeing the sight of Fan Xian and her son sitting side by side at the table made her incomparably happy.

...

...

“I heard you ran into someone earlier in the long corridor behind the palace.”

Yi Guipin’s personal serving girl, Xing’er, had heard a rumor within the Palace and had hurried to come tell her mistress. Yi Guipin’s heart jumped slightly. She quietly called Fan Xian into a side room and asked him very seriously with wide eyes.

Fan Xian rubbed his slightly sore finger and smiled. “That servant, Hong Zhu, is becoming more and more impetuous. He saw me and didn’t even bow. When he walks, his head is up so high he uses his nostrils to watch the path. I disciplined him for the Emperor.”

Using his nostrils to watch the path was a very mischievous adjective. Yi Guipin couldn’t resist laughing out loud. However, she immediately restrained her laugh and quietly said, “Eunuch Hong junior is very popular in the Palace right now and the head eunuch of the Eastern Palace. Furthermore, the Emperor seems to favor him and is preparing to allow him back into the royal study.”

She glanced at Fan Xian. Everyone in the Palace had, through their own ways, found out everything about Hong Zhu’s career advancement. They all knew that Hong Zhu was serving in the royal study and, just as he was about to climb higher, a secret memorial from Fan Xian made him lose his position. So, he was moved to the Eastern Palace.

Yi Guipin knew that Fan Xian and Hong Zhu did not get along. Now that Hong Zhu had climbed up again in the Eastern Palace and the Emperor seemed to have feelings of regret for his past decision, she had to remind Fan Xian a little. For a powerful eunuch like him, although Fan Xian didn’t fear him, as an outside official, he had to take guard against the eunuchs in the Palace stirring up malicious winds.

Fan Xian shook his head and smiled coldly. “It will not be easy for a servant like this who connived with his elder brother to forcefully take over the common people’s fields to return to the royal study.”

She considered this for a while and quietly said, “Why bother about a servant? If he really does go back to the royal study and there is deep hatred between the two of you, it may be inconvenient. Besides, rumors are going around in the Palace that this Eunuch Hong junior is somehow related to Eunuch Hong. After all, your identity is that of a court official.”

The eunuchs in Qing Kingdom had never had any status. Ever since the inception of the country, there had been strict prohibitions against eunuchs interfering in politics. Petty offenders were exiled from the Palace, while severe offenders were beaten to death on the spot. However, in the dozens of years since the inception of the country, there were always one or two exceptions. Eunuch Hong who was always resting outside Hanguang Palace, was one of those special figures.

No one knew how long this old eunuch had been in the Palace. He was deeply trusted by the empress dowager and the Emperor. Furthermore, he was a very mysterious and powerful figure. If Hong Zhu really was connected to old Eunuch Hong somehow, then even Fan Xian might need to fear him a little. However, Fan Xian knew of the reason for his and couldn’t resist smiling. Yet, he could not tell Yi Guipin. He could only smile and say, “Aunt, you don’t need to worry. I know my limits.”

Seeing that he didn’t care, Yi Guipin couldn’t resist persuading him a bit more. When that had no effect, she angrily entered her bedroom, too lazy to further talk reason with this stubborn child.

Fan Xian moved closer to the Third Prince’s table again and said a few words. He then left Shufang Palace under the Third Prince’s reluctant gaze.

...

...

Wan’er was staying the night in the empress dowager’s Hanguang Palace. No one knew how many days she would be staying. The Fan couple entered the Palace together, but only one was leaving. He walked alone under the long and heavy shadow of Shenwu Gate and looked at his blurry shadow behind him, feeling very unhappy in his heart. On one hand, he felt that Wan’er was indeed very loved in the royal family. But, on the other hand, he was silently cursing that the old woman only thought about the relationship between grandparent and grandchild and did not think of the fact that the couple had also not seen each other in a long time.

He walked out of the Palace in a bad mood and saw that the Great Prince was waiting for him with a not-quite-there smile. He couldn’t help but say, without good humor, “Ever since the inception of the country, the Commander of the Imperial Army also protects the officials. Not many of them wait outside the gates to the Royal Palace like you every day. This isn’t a time of war, and this is a time of peace. Who are you waiting to laugh at waiting like this outside the Palace gate?”

The Great Prince restrained his smile and huffed coldly, “What is there to laugh at about you? Do you think it’s shameful that Chen’er isn’t back home with you? Don’t forget, that sister of mine has grown up in the Palace since she was a child. You seem to have forgotten this long ago.”

After Fan Xian returned to the capital, he had seen the Great Prince two or three times. However, they were always outsiders present, so they could not speak privately. Furthermore, under Chen Pingping and Lady Ning’s amiable attentions, these two brothers had already formed an alliance that did not need to be spoken of. However, the Great Prince was, after all, in a different position. He was the eldest brother of all the princes and did not want to see the Crown Prince and the Second Prince be in low spirits because of Fan Xian’s machinations, so there was still some distance between the two of them.

“I can’t speak much with you today. I’m in a rush to go home to get things done.” Fan Xian looked at the Great Prince’s expression and knew that this brave general of the army and a virgin in politics was preparing to say something to him so he repeatedly waved his hand.

The Great Prince reprimanded in a heavy voice, “I hadn’t planned on disciplining you because of Chen’er’s matter. However, just how are you going to deal with your woman in the North?”

Only now did Fan Xian know that his family business had come forward again. He couldn’t help laughing bitterly. “I say, Your Highness, this is my family matter. Since Chen’er has married me, there is no need for you to concern yourself with this.”

At the beginning, he was slightly jealous of the Great Prince and Wan’er’s intimacy. Now, he took the opportunity and coldly struck back.

The Great Prince was enraged but forced down his anger and said, “Who can be bothered to manage you? It is just that wangfei said that after the New Year, you still haven’t come to visit my manor and asked me to come ask you whether or not you were still planning on coming.”

Wangfei was the Great Princess from Northern Qi that Fan Xian had personally escorted South. Fan Xian rubbed his head and said, “Naturally, I’ll be visiting your manor, probably the day after tomorrow.”

Seeing that he had agreed, the Great Prince nodded and didn’t bother him anymore. Fan Xian suddenly thought of a matter and said, “I’ll also bring Hongcheng.”

The Great Prince was slightly surprised and glanced at him, thinking, Wasn’t Hongcheng, that kid, under house arrest because of you?

Fan Xian didn’t explain. He only furrowed his brow and said, “That said, do you want the manor in Yangcong Alley or not? She is a proper princess of the Hu tribe, so she can’t just be left in that yard to grow mold, right?”

The Great Prince started and couldn’t speak for a moment.

After seeing this scene, Fan Xian confirmed it. Back then, when the soldiers of the Western expedition were heading back to the capital, this Great Prince must have spent countless nights with Ma Suosuo, the princess of the Hu tribe. However, he couldn’t prod the other party anymore, so he raised his hands in farewell and climbed into the black carriage.

...

...

After returning to Fan manor, he entered the most secretive study in the three corners area. After confirming there were no eyes or ears around, that even the Tiger Guards and servants the Emperor had hidden in the manor were, at this time, far away from the study, only then did Fan Xian spread his legs and lay very comfortably on the low couch. He placed his feet, wearing a pair of lamb wool socks from the palace treasury, toward the main door of the study and allowed the hot air to steam, making his sore feet happy.

The shoes were placed under the low couch.

The slip of paper was already held in his hands.

No one knew of the relationship between himself and Hong Zhu, not even Chen Pingping and his father knew. Even Su Wenmao, who had personally handled the Yingzhou matter did not know he was getting revenge for Hong Zhu. It was impossible for him to guess in that direction. It could be said that Hong Zhu was the deepest agent Fan Xian had in the Royal Palace.

Because of this, the two sides did not brave the danger to set up a normal intelligence system. It was very difficult for Hong Zhu to get any message out of the Palace.

Of course, the normal information from inside the Palace was managed by a few senior eunuchs that Yi Guipin and Fan Xian were familiar with, so he wasn’t worried about not knowing things.

Since Hong Zhu had taken the risk to convey a message to him, it was worth treating seriously. Furthermore, the glimmer of fear he had seen in Hong Zhu when he entered the Palace last year made Fan Xian even more curious about the contents of this paper.

Fan Xian looked at the slip of paper and couldn’t help narrowing his eyes. When he had reached the end, he couldn’t suppress the shock in his heart and sat up from the couch.

When he had first started reading this paper, he had been unconcerned. He had felt that Hong Zhu was taking too much of a risk. After reading it, he finally understood the meaning hidden in Hong Zhu’s words. It scared him so much, he couldn’t stay lying down.

What was written on the paper was simple. Specific names were replaced. He used a code that he and Hong Zhu had agreed on at the beginning. Fan Xian understood it clearly.

The first part wrote about a strange habit of the Crown Prince’s as he went to bed. He liked to lift the serving girls’ and concubine’s clothes to cover their heads and only reveal their naked lower halves.

The handwriting of the second part was a bit shaky. Evidently, when Hong Zhu wrote it he was afraid.

On it was written that in the year Fan Xian had left Jingdou, the Crown Prince’s body had gradually gotten better. The venereal diseases seemed to have also been completely cured. However, his habits before bed still had not changed. Furthermore, a few times when the Crown Prince was drunk, he had faintly heard him call out “aunt” in his moment of ecstasy.

Aunt? Aunt!

If it was just these two pieces of information, Fan Xian could only confirm through this intelligence report that the Crown Prince had endless fantasies about the Eldest Princess’ beautiful appearance and perfect figure. Although it was slightly perverted, for Fan Xian, who had experienced the baptism of juicy gossip in his previous life, it really wasn’t much.

What really made Fan Xian jump up from the couch in surprise was the third piece of information Hong Zhu had written. There was only one line.

He said, in these few months, the Crown Prince had rarely gotten close to the serving girls in the palace and his concubines, and his mood was very good.

...

...

The last line that, perhaps others would see as meaningless, gave Fan Xian quite a shock. Although what was on the paper was writing about a tabooed subject, for those with heart, they could tell who it was talking about. Hong Zhu must have seen something or heard something but did not dare write it on the paper.

Aunt? Fan Xian walked in anxious circles in the study. His lips were slightly dry. Finally, he stopped in front of the low couch. Rubbing his hand, he turned the paper into dust. His expression was very strange. After a long time, he finally cursed in a low voice, “Do you think you are f*cking Yang Guo?”

Fan Xian was stunned, completely stunned. Sir Jing and Sir Chongma had once told him that the two filthiest places in the world were the Royal Palace and a brothel. The history in his previous life had once used the words filthy, absurd, and repulsive to prepare his heart a little, but to truly know what went on in the Palace, as the owner of the largest brothel in Qing Kingdom, he still couldn’t help but be astonished and shocked.

He walked to the table at the side and picked up a cup of cold tea to drink. It quenched the feelings of shock and absurdity in his heart and calmed it with difficulty. He finally understood where Hong Zhu’s terror had come from. The first reaction of any person who knew of this intolerable incestuous story should be fear that someone would kill them to keep them silent.

At the same time, he knew why the Crown Prince had been so calm recently and appeared to be so prepared. It turned out that he had the confidence to make the Eldest Princess abandon the Second Prince and turn her support to him.

But, what if the Eldest Princess was just playing with the Crown Prince’s feelings?

Fan Xian suddenly thought of this and then immediately shook his head again, giving himself a gentle slap on the face. For such a major thing, what was he thinking about? Was he going to worry about the Second Prince? He had to gain the most he could from this information.

However, he couldn’t stop those images in Guangxin Palace rising in his mind and gave an involuntary shudder.

He did indeed feel rather uncomfortable. For one, he mysteriously felt that it was not worth it for the Eldest Princess. How could the most beautiful woman in Qing Kingdom, whose magnificence had not declined at all, use her body as a weapon? Even though there had always been rumors in the streets that the Eldest Princess kept a number of handsome male companions, Fan Xian subconsciously didn’t believe this.

The second reason he was uncomfortable was because, when all was said and done, the Eldest Princess was his mother-in-law. For that little bastard Crown Prince to be involved with his mother-in-law, what about his father-in-law in Wuzhou and the hat he would wear? And, himself...what the f*ck was he?

Fan Xian stood by the table and clenched his fist slightly. There was a completely unreasonable rage in his heart. This was clearly information that he could use to make a huge fuss with and directly bring down the Crown Prince completely. However, it could not make him happy. He kept feeling he had been greatly taken advantage of by the Crown Prince.

At the same time, he was angry about Hong Zhu’s boldness. He didn’t know whether or not if a corner of the paper he had stepped on had been seen by the kneeling young eunuchs. If this matter got out, it would be very difficult for Fan Xian to save him.

He sat in silence by the table for a long time before finally shaking off the absurd feeling of defeat and anger. He took two deep breaths and decided that he had to use this absolutely shocking information in the best way he could.

Only...

If he couldn’t meet with Hong Zhu to talk in person and act from within the Royal Palace, it would be impossible to maximize the effect of this matter. He could hardly have the Eighth Bureau of the Overwatch Council go out again to spread rumors in the marketplace.

The Eldest Princess doing the dirty with the Crown Prince? Fan Xian did not want to brave the dangers of the Emperor and dowager empress investigating the Overwatch Council in rage and shameful anger to throw out this rumor. He had to make the Emperor or the empress dowager find out about this scandal in the Palace personally.

He made up his mind to come up with a good plan. At the same time, he had to discuss all the details with Hong Zhu that needed to be carried out before he left the capital.

Speaking of such things as plans and plots, Fan Xian, who specialized in attacks and little tricks, did not have much confidence. He immediately thought of his most capable aide and young man with floaty white robes. He immediately walked out of the study and headed straight to the carriage through the back garden. He didn’t hear the sounds coming from the front of the manor for the announcement of an imperial edict.

...

...

The carriage drove to the Overwatch Council’s grey-black building. Fan Xian hurriedly jumped down from the carriage. His leather boots landed in the snow piled on both sides of Tianhe Avenue with a crunch.

As he walked in, all along the way there were Overwatch Council officials who ran into him, greeted him with surprise, and made way. These officials looked at the Commissioner’s sinister expression and hurried steps and wondered to themselves which major figure in the capital was going down next.

Pushing open the door to the secret room, he was not surprised to see a young official wearing plain robes sitting behind the desk next to the black cloth on the window. In the entire Overwatch Council, the only one who didn’t like to wear the official robes and also didn’t have the right to wear them was the current head of the Fourth Bureau, the full authority representative of the Overwatch Council, Yan Bingyun.

Fan Xian threw the cloak he was wearing on the chair and closed the door properly. He looked at the black cloth on the window and furrowed his brows. He walked over and pulled that piece of black cloth down.

The sunlight and light reflected from the snow outside immediately surged into the dark room and lit it up brightly. The light suddenly strengthened and pierced Yan Bingyun’s eyes. He unconsciously raised his hand to block it.

“You’re not Director Chen,” Fan Xian furrowed his brows and said. “There is no need to always hide yourself in the dark.”

Yan Bingyun put his hand down and involuntarily shook his head. This piece of black cloth had already been on the window of this secret room for many years and had become the most unusual part of the Overwatch Council scenery. Who dared to move it? Only the Commissioner would dare to be so inconsiderate of Director Chen’s thoughts.

Fan Xian looked at Yan Bingyun’s pale face and haggard expression and couldn’t help but shake his head. At the moment, Chen Pingping didn’t manage the Overwatch Council much, and Fan Xian also couldn’t be bothered. All the matters had fallen to just Yan Bingyun. Looking at his appearance, he had probably not slept well in days. A faint apologetic feeling rose from the bottom on Fan Xian’s heart.

He walked to the side of the window and gazed at the distant Royal Palace with narrowed eyes. “Why did the Director use a piece of black cloth to cover this?”

Yan Bingyun didn’t say anything.

Fan Xian looked at the majestic Royal Palace in the distance and suddenly felt a glimmer of doubt for the reason he had come to see Yan Bingyun. That matter implicated the royal family’s dignity and the future of Qing Kingdom. For Sir Yan, he had always put the benefit of the court as the highest priority.

He turned his head and glanced at Yan Bingyun. He truly did not dare take this risk.