Chapter 310 It’s really you
After comforting his daughter-in-law, Princess Roujia, Mei Cheng'an sent her back to her courtyard and watched her fall asleep. Then he went to talk to his father-in-law, Prince Jing, for a long time.
Prince Jing had no objection to the possibility of his mission as an envoy to Northern Qi. If he was really chosen, he would just go. It was no big deal.
In Prince Jing's view, sending envoys to other countries is the duty of the Honglu Temple. As the second-in-command of the Honglu Temple, his son-in-law has no choice but to do the job. There is nothing to say about it.
As for what risks and twists and turns Mei Cheng'an might face on this trip, Prince Jing had never considered them at all.
It’s not that Prince Jing doesn’t care about his son-in-law Mei Cheng’an, it’s mainly because Prince Jing has always been obsessed with having fun and never cares about the twists and turns of the court.
In his opinion, since the two countries have reached an agreement through negotiation, this is just an ordinary official business trip. There is no such thing as danger or not, so he didn't even think about it.
Yes, he had certainly heard of Sean’s name and knew he was very dangerous, but this trip was to send him home, not to arrest anyone, so what danger could there be?
Prince Jing didn't care at all that Mei Cheng'an's diplomatic mission to Northern Qi might cause the postponement of his marriage to his precious daughter.
He was reluctant to let his precious daughter leave him, and he wished he could keep her by his side for a while longer.
However, it would be a big trouble if his daughter might be unhappy about this matter, so he informed his daughter in advance.
The idea is to hope that his daughter will take the initiative to ask Mei Chengan after hearing the news, and then let Mei Chengan deal with the mess he left behind before leaving, so that he can save himself a headache.
Upon learning that Mei Chengan had completed the task brilliantly and successfully, Prince Jing was extremely happy. A good son-in-law is very efficient!
After briefly encouraging his son-in-law, Prince Jing then chatted with his son-in-law about what singing and dancing he had seen recently. He then extended the topic to the differences between the singing and dancing circles of Qing and Northern Qi, as well as their respective advantages and disadvantages.
One was willing to speak, the other was patiently listening, and the father-in-law and son-in-law had a pleasant conversation for a long time before ending it.
Mei Cheng'an, who had drunk a belly full of tea, was rubbing his stomach gently. Just as he stepped out of the gate of Prince Jing's Mansion, Wang Qinian came to meet him.
"Master, Lord Shadow just came to see you."
"shadow?"
Mei Chengan raised his eyebrows.
"How would he know... Never mind, what does he want from me?"
"He said that after you finish your work here, you should take some time to go to the Supervisory Council. Director Chen wants to see you and has something to tell you."
"Oh."
Mei Cheng'an didn't think much about it. He would find out what happened when he got there.
"Then let's go and see what's going on with him."
As he spoke, Mei Cheng'an walked down the stairs and headed towards the right street.
Wang Qinian, who followed him down the stairs and was about to move the stool, was stunned when he saw this and shouted towards Mei Chengan's back.
"Master, you don't plan to take the carriage?"
Mei Cheng'an didn't look back, but raised his right arm and waved at him.
"I drank too much water and my stomach feels uncomfortable. I'll take a walk to relieve the pain. You drive the carriage."
Wang Qinian suddenly realized.
"okay."
……
Imperial study terrace.
Since it was not an imperial decree, and Prime Minister Lin's words were still fresh in his mind, Fan Xian wanted to refuse, but how to refuse was a problem.
Just as he was struggling with his words, Emperor Qing suddenly called him and asked him a question.
"Fan Xian, before entering the palace, have you been to Prime Minister Lin's residence?"
Fan Xian was stunned for a moment. This question was a bit redundant. The people in the palace went to Prime Minister Lin's residence to call him.
"Yes, yes."
Emperor Qing said with a hint of meaning.
"Minister Lin is a wise man who is good at planning for the country. You should listen more to what he says."
"..."
Hiss~ This shouldn't be possible. Could it be that there is a spy of Emperor Qing hiding in the study of the Prime Minister's Mansion? How come he knows everything?
If you guessed it, it would be too accurate, it's scary.
But now is not the time to worry about these things. Let’s think about how to reject Emperor Qing’s suggestion.
After thinking for a while, he looked at Emperor Qing and asked tentatively.
"If I don't want to go to Northern Qi, would that be considered disobeying an imperial order?"
Emperor Qing smiled and waved his hand.
"It doesn't count!"
Fan Xian breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this and was about to formally refuse when Emperor Qing suddenly added another sentence.
"It's just that I want to change my marriage!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, who were eating with their heads down, paused and their eyes shifted back and forth between Emperor Qing and Fan Xian.
When Fan Xian heard this, he was stunned. The words of rejection were on his lips, but he had to swallow them back.
He asked stutteringly, confused.
"What, what is a marriage exchange?"
Emperor Qing leaned towards him and sighed.
"Alas, the six ministries are very suspicious of you. I'm afraid it would be inappropriate to let you marry Lin Wan'er and take charge of the inner treasury at this time."
"..."
Emperor Qing sighed and continued.
"In fact, if you think about it carefully, this may not be a bad thing. There are many ladies from noble families in the capital, and you can find a new marriage partner."
Hearing this, the prince, who had been thinking with his head down, didn't know if he had thought of something, but he curled the corners of his mouth and sneered silently.
The second prince blinked and glanced at Fan Xian.
Fan Xian was looking at Emperor Qing in silence at this moment. On the surface, these words were for his own good, but in reality, they were a blatant and naked threat.
He was the one who arranged the marriage. Even though the two were in love, he said it was inappropriate at the right time. He was the only one who said both good and bad things. The emperor was really amazing.
Well, it's really amazing! Fan Xian thought about it and said helplessly.
"Then can I just marry Lin Wan'er and not take over the inner treasury?"
Emperor Qing blinked and said, "Good boy, you are really a genius. You have thought of this, but it's impossible!"
"No! If you want to take over the inner treasury, you must marry Lin Wan'er. If you marry Lin Wan'er, you must take over the inner treasury. The two are inseparable!"
"..."
Fan Xian sighed. He knew that there was a high probability that there would be no hope. He just asked casually, what if?
Now that things have come to this, let’s eat first… Bah, then I have no choice but to bite the bullet and take on this dangerous mission.
What? How did he know it was dangerous? Nonsense! Although he didn't understand other things, he knew the princess.
Could the princess give him a good job? What the hell!
After thinking about it, Fan Xian no longer hesitated, immediately stood up, bowed to Emperor Qing, and said loudly.
"I am willing to go to Northern Qi!"
Emperor Qing smiled and seemed to be persuading him, but in fact he was controlling him.
"Hey~ Think about it again, think about it again. I'm not forcing you, you must think it over carefully, think it over clearly, and think it through!"
Fan Xian looked impatient.
"Your Majesty, I have thought it through and I want to go. I can't wait!"
"Good~"
Emperor Qing responded very quickly, lowered his head and adjusted his sitting position, while speaking.
"As for the itinerary, ask Chen Pingping."
As he spoke, he raised his eyes and smiled at Fan Xian, his words sincere.
"When you return from Northern Qi, I will marry you!"
Fan Xian looked flattered.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The prince, who had been speechless for a long time, looked up at the second prince, who was also closing his eyes and shaking his head with a look of regret.
It seems that the two brothers have a rare similar view on the matter of Fan Xian. They feel sorry for Fan Xian's decision, but also sigh that he has no choice and can do nothing about it.
Now that the serious business is over, it’s time for Emperor Qing to leave.
"I am a little tired. I will take a rest first. You three brothers can eat."
After saying this, Emperor Qing stood up and went back to the imperial study.
The three brothers all had their own concerns at the time, so they didn't think much about this or take it to heart.
After respectfully seeing off Emperor Qing, Fan Xian let out a long sigh, straightened up, lowered his hands, and looked at the imperial study thoughtfully.
The second prince stood up and turned to look at the crown prince, who also looked at him.
The two looked at each other and said in their minds at the same time: You want me to have dinner with you, sorry, I have no appetite!
The second prince tilted his head and gave a fake smile, while the crown prince rolled his eyes. It seemed that they all had the same idea.
The Second Prince, who was about to turn around and leave, hesitated when he passed by Fan Xian, then turned to look at Fan Xian, seeming to want to say something but stopped.
Seeing him like that, Fan Xian knew what he wanted to say, so he took the initiative to wink at him and comfort him.
"It's okay, don't worry."
The second prince tilted his head, opened his mouth and tried again, but finally gave up with a sigh, turned around and left.
As soon as the Second Prince left, the Crown Prince silently put his hand on Fan Xian's shoulder from behind and squeezed it twice.
Fan Xian didn't look back, but just gently patted the hand on his shoulder.
"It's okay, it's okay, ah."
The prince put down his hand, said nothing, and walked away silently.
Fan Xian stood alone on the terrace, not in a hurry to leave. Somehow his mind suddenly recalled the scene when he went to see the princess off.
The eldest princess was sitting in the carriage, talking and laughing, and left him those words through the window.
"By the way, Fan Xian, I left a gift for you!"
What a great princess! What a great gift! What an unsolvable conspiracy! You can even use it to make use of your daughter’s marriage. You are amazing!
……
Xinyang is located in the southeast of Kyoto, neither far nor close to Kyoto. Next to the boundary monument of Xinyang, a figure is waiting.
This person was Yan Xiaoyi, who was dismissed from his post by Emperor Qing and demoted to guard the city on the northern border because of the assassination incident.
Before heading north, he wanted to see the princess again to see if she had any other instructions. Since he wanted to keep a low profile and he didn't know the princess's route, he chose to wait here.
At this time, he had been waiting for most of the day, but there was no sign of the princess' carriage. He felt a little anxious and paced back and forth.
Suddenly he stopped and moved his ears. After confirming that he had heard correctly, he turned and looked at the intersection leading to Xinyang.
After a while, the eldest princess's motorcade gradually appeared from the intersection, and Yan Xiaoyi began to kneel down and kowtow from a distance.
The convoy slowly stopped beside him. The eldest princess, who had already seen him through the window, got out of the carriage directly. With the help of Lanxiang, she stepped on the horse stool and got off the carriage, and walked to him alone.
After looking at him twice, the princess raised her hand and spoke softly.
"Get up."
Yan Xiaoyi picked up the longbow and stood up.
The eldest princess looked at him with a smile and asked softly.
"Are you waiting for me?"
Yan Xiaoyi said frankly.
"I would like to say goodbye to His Highness here!"
……
(End of this chapter)
