The Fan Manor was split into the front residence and the back residence, and took up a large plot of land in the south of the city. In between the two residences was a garden with rockery and flowing water. Naturally, the garden was not small either. At the moment it was winter, and the trees and plants had long become frozen. Only some freeze-resistant inch-plants were flowering. Early this morning, there suddenly came the sound of urgent wheezing.
"Ha…ha….ha…"
Fan Xian, wearing a light outfit, was currently running around the garden wall. His injury had recently healed and he was already out urgently exercising. Inevitably, it was tiring, and his breathing was rough. The two Tiger Guards who were on duty, and a few swordsman of the Sixth Bureau, were vigilantly watching every corner of the garden, ensuring the safety of Commissioner Fan"s morning exercise.
In the distance, outside the study, Deng Zi Yue and Gao Da both wore strange expressions as their gaze followed Fan Xian"s movements. They didn"t understand why Fan Xian ran this much every morning, and Fan Xian had never explained himself. Practicing twice a day was a good habit he had gotten into when he was very young. Since he wasn"t currently able to practice his zhenqi, he could only train the muscles of his body harder. Hardworking was secretly one of Fan Xian"s best qualities.
None of the servants in the back residence who got up in the morning looked at their running young master. In the past few days, everyone had gotten used to it. They minded their own business; they kneeled in front of the stone steps of the servants" quarters and brushed their teeth, blew bubbles, and chatted. These were all good things from the palace treasury; only the Fan family would buy such things for their servants to use. It couldn"t be helped that Fan Xian was slightly obsessed with mental cleanliness.
After finally finishing ten laps, Fan Xian stood beneath the eaves outside the study, breathing hard, with his hands on his hips and his head down. He looked as tragic as Yao Ming in the fourth quarter. He waved his hands, gesturing for the serving girl holding the copper basin to wait a bit.
The girls of the family were still at Cang Mountain, so the front residence had sent another serving girl to him. The serving girl, with her hair brushed into two rings, glanced curiously at the young master with a face full of sweat. She found it very strange; why would someone like the young master do this to himself? She placed the copper basin on the bench and helped Fan Xian put on a coat. She flicked the water in the basin with the tip of her finger to test the water temperature, and lightly reported, "Young master, the water is very hot, as you ordered. If you leave it, it will cool down."
Fan Xian nodded and reached into the basin for the towel, not caring at all that the water was boiling hot. He also didn"t wring the towel much before lowering his body to place the towel on his face, and began to rub vigorously.
Water droplets between the towel and his face dripped down, and rung out against the copper.
After washing his face, his face was slightly red from the heat, but his spirit seemed much better and his eyes were full of vigor. He threw the towel back into the basin and glanced at the two people beside him. He paused for a moment, then said, "I"m going into the palace today. Zi Yue, go see if the First Bureau has anything that needs to be done from the last few days."
Deng Zi Yue made a sound of acknowledgement and left. Fan Xian took another glance at Gao Da and said, "Wait for me outside for a bit. I have business with you later."
After the upheaval in Jingdou had settled, and knowing that the palace didn"t plan on physically destroying him, Fan Xian was no longer scared of anything. He had summoned four Tiger Guards down from Cang Mountain.
Gao Da was not on duty today but had been summoned by Fan Xian—this had made him suspicious. Hearing his words, however, he was slightly comforted and waited outside the study as instructed.
Only upon entering the quiet study did the spirit in Fan Xian"s eyes dull a little. Straight away, he sat in a chair and carefully examined the condition of his body. He discovered that there were no major changes after the zhenqi in his body exploded. The Meridians remained peppered with hundreds and thousands of holes, yet the zhenqi that had spread between his entrails was currently behaving itself, and had not damaged the workings of his other internal organs. Under these conditions, he didn"t dare to force his zhenqi back into this Meridians, but if he were to wait for the Meridians to heal on their own, who knew how long that will take?
After coming back to the Fan Manor from Cang Mountain, Fan Xian had maintained a deep silence, and did not partic.i.p.ate in the discussions and fights in the outside world at all. In the eyes of Chen Pingping, Fan Jian, and Fei Jie, the older generation, the young man had perhaps been scared by the consecutive shocks. Furthermore, those layered political battles were not something Fan Xian could control, so they quietly accepted his low spirits.
But Fan Xian knew very well why he appeared very relaxed these days, and allowed those of his father"s generation to plan whatever they wanted. The biggest reason was because of the condition of his body. Uncle Wu Zhu had once said, "There is no one in this world you can truly trust." And so Fan Xian only believed in himself. In his eyes, no one"s grace, no one"s care and love, were as a.s.suring as his own power. Even if he had the Tiger Guards, the Overwatch Council, and the Qinian Unit beside him, if one day things went wrong, the final thing he could depend on was his own martial skill.
The problem was, his zhenqi had completely dissipated. He didn"t have the ability to protect himself at all—although everyone thought his injury was gradually getting better, he understood clearly this was far from the truth. So he had to be silent, like a turtle huddling into his sh.e.l.l. Although the position was ugly, it was very safe.
A knock came from outside the study; Fan Xian hmm"ed and the wife of the Teng family pushed opened the door and entered. In her hands was a tray on which there were two bowls of medicine and a few pills, giving off a strong scent of herbs.
Fan Xian"s medicine. It was the wife of the Teng family who watched the handling. There were not many people he could trust for something as important as this.
The wife of the Teng family placed the tray on the able and hurried to the side to pour a few cups of warm tea. She lined them up like soldiers on the table, worried that there wouldn"t be time to pour water as Fan Xian swallowed the medicine.
Fan Xian shook his head and took the medicine bowl in one hand and a handful of pills in another, as if he were eating candy and drinking sugared water. Without a change in expression, he bought the medicine to his mouth.
Only, there was too much medicine. Even with the way he was sweeping through the medicine, it still took a while for him to clean the tray of all the medicine.
"It must be painful for you." The wife of the Teng family wore a pitying expression on her face. She smacked her lips as if she were the one who had eaten the medicine.
Other than pity, this woman admired the young master greatly. So much medicine in a day—how was this a quality life for someone? The young master"s expression didn"t even change, however, and he appeared to gladly endure the hardship. What was wrong with Sir Fei from the Overwatch Council? It was only a knife wound—did he have to be so nervous, and prescribe himself so much medicine?
Fan Xian smiled. "Saves me breakfast money."
Master and servant joked a little, and the wife of the Teng family left the study. However, Fan Xian sat behind his desk and went into a daze. Every day he had one or two jing of medicine, and his teacher"s medicinal skills were beyond even mentioning. The medicine was indeed very effective in strengthening and solidifying his Meridians, but in the end, taking them was not a complete cure.
His thoughts arriving here, he couldn"t help but think of Haitang"s letter. Would Ku He really transfer the method of Tianyi Dao to him?
He laughed self-deprecatingly. It seemed the other party was going to raise him like a strong tiger. The people of the south kingdom had used this kind of method before. Like the Eldest Princess, like himself, all wished that the tiger in the north would maintain his boldness. This would keep the northern court in a tense and volatile state.
The transfer of the method of Tianyi Dao to an outsider was a matter of great importance; Ku He would certainly not dare to be careless. Out of all the disciples of Tianyi Dao, only Haitang had good relations with him. Fan Xian had determined that, in a few days, the person coming south to transfer the method would certainly be Haitang. It was only a guess, but for some reason that Fan Xian couldn"t fathom, he began to antic.i.p.ate that day.
Suddenly his gaze lowered and landed on the cups of tea in front of him. He thought that the light-yellow cups of tea each greatly resembled a one-eyed monster. After a momentary pause, he began to laugh loudly at his own strange ideas. After that, his throat felt uncomfortable, his stomach swelled, and he felt a great need to throw up.
He knew it was because he had taken too much medicine, and had taken it too quickly. He picked up a cup of tea and gulped it down. With some fear, he rubbed his chest, and smiled bitterly. He was never going to try and be cool in front of the wife of the Teng family again.
For some reason, after all this, he strangely felt better. The past, hate, threats, Emperor, Jiangnan: he tossed everything to the back of his mind. Life was like countless handfuls of pills. You had to take them slowly; they might be bitter, they might get stuck in your throat, but you had to eat them. It was always best to let yourself be a little happy.
Gao Da held his knife behind his back with one hand; he stood with his feet neither too far apart nor too close together, and his manner was imposing. No one could see that the hand holding the knife behind his back was shaking. He watched Fan Xian beam with joy not far from him, and his heart thumped. He wondered to himself why the Commissioner was so happy today. It was completely unlike his previously-depressed state.
It was only after Fan Xian had left his study that Gao Da realized why the Commissioner asked him to get up early: he wanted to practice with him.
Gao Da knew that he was normally no match for Fan Xian, but the man had just been seriously injured—of course he couldn"t agree. However, he was forced to by Fan Xian, and the two of them decided to fight without using zhenqi. This was exactly what Fan Xian wanted. He had not a drop of zhenqi left, so he couldn"t truly fight.
The Tiger Guard"s long knife was matched against the black dagger; the one the palace guards had found outside the Hanging Temple in a bush of gold chrysanthemum. The two "aces" did battle with these weapons in the Fan Manor garden, and the clashing was very lively. It caused many servants to gather around and watch the fight, with some of the braver cheering on the young master loudly.
Unable to use zhenqi, the battle was all about control over the body and reaction time. Very quickly, Gao Da became disadvantaged. Any move compared to Fan Xian"s reaction and speed seemed to do nothing. The weapons were not imbued with zhenqi, and Gao Da was surprised to discover that Fan Xian was a bit stronger than him. This he could not understand at all. He trained very hard—how could the Commissioner"s skills be above his?
As he faced Fan Xian today, not only was he facing a superior, but each time he thought about the rumors surrounding Fan Xian"s past, his strikes became unconsciously laced with fear. After some back and forth, and after they had crossed weapons a few times, his handing holding the long knife had begun to shake.
Fan Xian"s finger moved, and the slim black dagger began to spin cleverly in his hand, drawing black circles in the air. It appeared to be very strange, but this was actually just the pencil-spinning skill he had practised before entering the hospital in his previous life. In Gao Da"s eyes, however, this trick was incredible.
He watched Gao Da, and shook his head with furrowed brows. "You can see that I have completely recovered. Don"t hold back."
After saying this, the tip of his foot tapped against the slippery winter mud, and his entire body leaned forward as he rushed over. A stern look flashed through Gao Da"s eyes, and finally he used two hands to hold the handle of his long knife. He bent his legs slightly and roared, "Chop!"
The long knife chopped straight down, slicing through the morning air in the back residence of the Fan Manor.
The knife fell quickly, but Fan Xian struck quicker. After all, he reached Gao Da"s when his knife was still raised above his head. He pushed with his legs, readied his wrists, and like a bird pecking at food, he stabbed down hard with the dagger in his hands!
There was a crisp clanging sound and the two separated by a few steps. After shaking a bit, they both stood steady. Fan Xian had the advantage, and he"d prevented Gao Da"s long knife from executing its maximum power. Gao Da, however, had the advantage of the long knife itself. The two were tied.
Fan Xian smiled and waved his hands, saying, "Let"s stop here for today. Starting tomorrow, we will fight once a day… I think this will greatly help the healing process."
After saying this, he coughed and used his sleeve to cover his mouth. He did not panic upon seeing the threads of blood on his sleeve. Although that last strike had not used zhenqi, without the protection of zhenqi around his heart, the excitement of pulsing blood had still caused a little damage.
Gao Da did not observe this; he only furrowed his brow and said, "Sir, you shouldn"t use your zhenqi after being injured. However, regular combat instead of practicing your cultivation does not use zhenqi, and it does not seem to have much use. After all, when facing an enemy, and the difference in your power and theirs is too great… even if you train your body to the extreme, it will not bring many benefits to your realm."
As the leader of the Tiger Guards, and after seeing Fan Xian running routine, he had mistakenly a.s.sumed that Fan Xian was going to try a new way of practising: using physical strength to fortify the inner. Maintaining his position as a subordinate, he cautiously expressed opposition to these "crooked ways."
Fan Xian smiled. "I"m only loosening up. Of course I know the person is the foundation—you don"t need to worry."
There was something he didn"t say: in this world, there were people who didn"t know zhenqi, yet had reached the peak of the realm. For example, uncle Wu Zhu.
Gao Da had already reported the murder that had happened last night in the little alley. He guessed that Uncle Wu Zhu had killed another a.s.sa.s.sin from Xinyang, and didn"t care too much. One day he was going to find a secluded residence, have Uncle Wu Zhu make some cold sliced daikon, and have a few cups of wine, indulging with him in the nostalgia of those happy years in Danzhou.
By this time, the red sun had risen and the cold of the morning vanished. Serving girls from the front residence had already come to call. Fan Xian entered his room to change and then headed towards the front residence. As he walked, he watched the rising sun and the clear winter scenery in the garden. He felt comfortable and at ease in his heart. He didn"t know that his dearest Uncle Wu Zhu had already gone far away to recover. Whatever dangerous he had faced before, at least, it was all over.
The atmosphere in the Fan Manor at breakfast was a little strange.
After all, the people in the front residence did not serve Fan Xian every day. The handsome serving girls usually enjoyed sneaking glances at the young master"s beauty. The young maser was used to being stared at, and didn"t care.
Today, however, there were not many serving girls who dared to look at Fan Xian as he entered. They only stood silently by the table, serving. Occasionally, they braved a glance and revealed that there was fear in their eyes.
Imperial power was like the sky in that people existed beneath it. People could gaze up at both imperial power and the sky in wonder and fear. This att.i.tude was deeply ingrained in the hearts of every citizen.
Now that it was rumored Fan Xian was the illegitimate child of the Emperor and Lady Ye, the gaze with which people looked at Fan Xian was no longer the same. Blood of the royal family… he was no longer just the approachable, loveable, and admirable young master. He was no longer just a powerful official, talented in both the civil and martial arts. Now he was a child of the Emperor.
With this rumor, the master of Fan Manor, the Minister of Revenue, Fan Jian, could not help but feel a little awkward. So, no matter how curious the servants of Fan Manor were, they could not reveal so at the table—unless they didn"t want to live. They could only whisper in the depths of the night in their rooms, under warm blankets.
Fan Xian could sense irregularity, but the clear smile on his face did not waver. He walked straight to the side of the table and properly, respectfully greeted his seated father with a morning salute.
Fan Jian had his eyes half closed, resting, and he very naturally nodded his head. The expression of Lady Liu, who was sitting next to Fan Jian, was very strange. She forced it back, but her smile was slightly unnatural.
The Liu family had a deep background, so of course they knew the verity of the rumors. She had been shocked beyond words the past few days, particularly when she remembered that she had once thought about poisoning the young man in front of her—this had made her even more terrified. Thinking of Fan Xian"s true ident.i.ty, she didn"t think it was appropriate for her to accept this salute, but she was worried of angering the master if she stood and avoided it.
Seeming to sense her discomfort, a light mocking smile rose to the corner of Fan Jian"s mouth. He slowly opened his eyes and, watching his son in front of him, said, "You"re going into the palace today. Watch your behavior."
Fan Xian smiled. "It"s not my first visit there; there is nothing to watch. It"ll just be the same as always."
It"ll just be the same as always. The meaning of this comment was both simple and complex. Lady Liu"s heart stuttered as she listened from the side. As she turned this over in her head, both father and son were smiling at each other. They understood one another clearly. One was old and comforting; the other held him in great esteem: harmony.
As they were eating, they suddenly heard faint voices from the east main gate of the garden. Fan Jian stopped his chopsticks and furrowed his brows. "Who is making all that noise?" Fan Xian handed a towel over to Lady Liu so she could wipe the porridge that had dropped onto his father"s beard for him. He knew that since his father had left his life on the Liujing River behind, he had been walking the correct path. At the moment, seeing his father"s slightly-angry, beard stained appearance, he couldn"t resist smiling. "What could possibly happen? Just eat in peace."
A servant urgently ran to the door of the residence and said something; a serving girl then entered the hall and repeated it. Fan An Zhi was stunned after hearing it, and didn"t urge his father to eat in peace anymore. He stopped his chopsticks and stared, dazed, at the door to the room. He didn"t know what he could say in the moments to come.
Mistress Lin Wan"er, and Lady Fan Ruoruo, had lead the two older girls, Sisi and Siqi, as well as a horde of servants, down Cang Mountain. They had returned to Jingdou in carriages. They were at the manor door!
Fan Xian watched his father in shock. "Father," he said, "weren"t we hiding the news from those on the mountain?"
For Wan"er, Ruoruo, and the whole group to arrive early in the morning in Jingdou, they must have traveled through the night. They had moved in such a rush that the Tiger Guards and officials of the Overwatch Council on the mountain hadn"t had the chance to send a letter to him.
They were here because the girls had finally heard of the rumors going around Jingdou. With this big a matter, they were worried about Fan Xian and had, naturally, rushed here.
Fan Jian recovered his usual color a few minutes after learning his daughter-in-law had arrived. He took the towel from Lady Liu"s hand and wiped a few times, before lowering his head to have more porridge. Leisurely he said, "How many days could we possibly hide this?"
Seeing his son"s panicked expression, Fan Jian smiled slightly and said, "You young people have things to talk about. Go to the back residence. In a while have the little kitchen make you something new. Coming down from somewhere cold like the mountain, have them make something hot."
Fan Xian knew his father was releasing him. He quickly acknowledged it and went out of the hall to welcome them.
There was absolute silence in the back residence. Fan Xian sat with Wan"er and Ruoruo in the room; they were like three mud Buddha. They weren"t sure who should speak, since this matter was rather complicated. If they were to let Fan Xian explain he might write them a novel. If he let the girls ask questions, they might become even more confused; they didn"t know what was what with each rumor. Also, if they probed, would that make Fan Xian unhappy?
After a moment, Wan"er finally bit her plump bottom lip. "Have the rumors died down in Jingdou?" she asked.
"No." Hearing his wife ask, he actually relaxed and let out a big breath. He smiled and replied, "Things like rumors, they won"t die down so quickly… You two, how big a matter is this? Was it necessary to rush down the mountain and travel by night? What if you had crashed? Then what would I do?"
As he scolded his wife and sister, full of rhyme and reason, he forgot how he had also rushed down the mountain, like a dog who had lost his family. He also forgot how he had been mocked by the two elders, Fan Jian and Chen Pingping.
"I have to enter the palace in a bit." Fan Xian thought for a moment. He watched as his sister started to say something and then stopped, and he watched his wife"s helpless face. He smiled slightly. "Whatever the matter is, we can talk tonight… but I"ll say something now. I, Fan Xian, am still Fan Xian. I can make this promise."
As Fan Xian went out and prepared to enter the palace, Sisi, with a tired face, slid in front of him. Sisi had grown up with Fan Xian; their strong bond went without saying. Most importantly, she had been taught by Fan Xian to be fearless, and did not hold much regard for the idea of seniors and juniors.
Lin Wan"er and Ruoruo both had things they couldn"t ask, but this girl was very straightforward. She led Fan Xian secretively by his sleeves to a quiet part of the garden and asked, "Young master, I heard Lady Ye say that your… mother was the mistress of the Ye family?"
Fan Xian chuckled and patted her head. "You are still very straightforward." And then he lowered his voice and replied secretively, "Yes."
Sisi"s mouth dropped open but she immediately started laughing. This girl was actually a few years older than Fan Xian, yet she still had a gentle and foolish nature. She also had a never-satisfied heart for gossip, and continued asking, "Then… are you really… the Emperor"s son?"