As the sky darkened and the wind died down, the snow grew heavier.
There were no lights on in Banyanxuan, making it seem increasingly dark. Eunuch Nian had already left, leaving only Fu Xiaoguan here.
He made tea and drank it alone, with a smile always on his face.
Since I have the biggest tree in the world to hold on to, and since His Majesty wants to rectify the administration of officials, I will do it now and show him.
As for restarting the investigation into Fei An, it was just because of one of the pieces of information Lin Hong told him.
In the second year of the Xuanli period, an infantry regiment of the eastern border army was wiped out by the Wu Dynasty border army in Qishan, but when this matter was reported to the court, it was a great victory!
According to Fei An's good news report, eight hundred enemies were killed in this battle and their heads were sent to Shangjing.
God have mercy on me, none of these 800 heads are from the Wu Dynasty, they are all villagers from that nameless village at the foot of Qishan Mountain!
Now that I think about it, it was probably Xilou who sent back the information, which led to Lin Hong's father being imprisoned, and then Fei An resigned and went to Nanling County to farm.
The court did not publicize the matter and handled it in such a low-key manner. It seems that His Majesty did not want to touch the Fei family. Of course, the involvement is probably too huge, or perhaps the interests involved are too broad.
After all, the Fei family is deeply rooted in the Yu Dynasty. Above them is the veteran Fei Lao Tai Shi, who has served for three dynasties; below them is the current Minister of War Fei Bang; and below them is Fei Ding, a senior official of the Imperial Clerk's Office.
Old Master Fei also has a fourth son, Fei Guo, who is now in the eastern border army, serving as the commander of light cavalry.
As for why His Majesty did not take advantage of the opportunity to destroy the Fei family, Fu Xiaoguan did not have the mind to think about it, but he wanted to take action against the Fei family now. This had nothing to do with the assassination attempt on him. He just did not want those 800 villagers to die in vain.
If farming can atone for sins... there aren't enough fields in the world for these people to farm!
Yu Wenjun and Dong Shulan returned to Banyanxuan holding paper umbrellas. Looking at the back of Fu Xiaoguan who was drinking tea alone in the hazy night, they inexplicably felt that the back was so lonely and felt inexplicably heartbroken.
After all, he is a boy who is about to turn seventeen. Is Concubine Shang overestimating him?
"What are you thinking about?" Yu Wenyun turned on the lamp, and Banyanxuan became brighter.
"I'm wondering how long it will take me to get the master to marry you." Fu Xiaoguan looked up at Yu Wenjun, and he really had a sunny look on his face.
Yu Wenjun spat lightly, a look of shame on her face. "By that time, I'm afraid I'll be thinner than a yellow flower... I'm afraid it won't be too late for me to despise me."
Fu Xiaoguan laughed and said, "Beautiful appearances are all alike, but interesting souls are rare. Am I such a superficial person?"
Dong Shulan rolled her eyes at him and said, "I see... you're not that noble."
"Alright, alright, it's time to go home. His Majesty is coming to Dieyi Palace tonight, so you have to go back and take care of dinner yourself."
Fu Xiaoguan raised his eyebrows and stood up with his hands on the tea table. "Hey... I thought I could have a free meal. Let's go. Wenyun, are you going?"
"Where can I go? You guys go back first. Mother asked me to stay. If I have time tomorrow, I will go to Fu Mansion to look for you."
Fu Xiaoguan and Dong Shulan left the palace and met Su Mo waiting at the gate. Fu Xiaoguan was a little surprised and asked, "Is it settled?"
"Yeah, it's settled."
Fu Xiaoguan looked at Su Mo, who was covered in snow, patted his shoulder and said, "Actually, you don't have to come to pick me up."
"I promised Bai Yulian that unless I die, you will be fine."
"...Okay, let's go back. What are your plans, Shulan?"
"I need to go home and talk to my father."
"Well, I'll take you there first."
…
In Dieyi Palace, Eunuch Nian stood respectfully behind Concubine Shang and reported in detail the first thing that Fu Xiaoguan arranged after taking over Xilou.
Emperor Yu Yin put down his chopsticks. Yu Wenjun's eyes widened, and Yu Wendao frowned. Imperial Concubine Shang was very calm. She poured a bowl of soup for the emperor and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, look at this! I was told this boy is a delicate person."
Yu Yin was silent for a moment. "You said... he started with the Fei family. Isn't this a bit too big? Also, not many people knew about that incident back then. How did he know about it?"
Imperial Concubine Shang thought for a moment and replied, "I do think that starting with the six major clans is a brilliant move. As the saying goes, to scare the tiger out of the mountain, there must be a tiger inside the mountain. As for how he knew that, I have no idea."
Yu Wendao suddenly remembered the assassination of Fu Xiaoguan. A woman named Lin Hong from Yanzhi Tower disappeared. Of course he knew the identity of this woman. Lin Hong's father was Fei An's deputy general back then.
At that time, Yu Wendao asked Fu Xiaoguan to hand over Lin Hong to him, saying that if you hand her over to me, this matter can be made into a beautiful article. But Fu Xiaoguan replied: You are not as good as me in writing articles.
So this guy is making a fuss now?
Yu Wendao then expressed his thoughts, and finally added indignantly: "The opening of his article...I think it is not beautiful."
Yu Wenjun was completely confused when he heard this, only then did he realize that there were so many tricks involved. Could it be that Fu Xiaoguan's usual playful and smiling appearance was just an act?
"No, you're wrong. Your martial arts skills are definitely better than Fu Xiaoguan's, but when it comes to scheming and tactics, you really can't compare to him."
Concubine Shang paused, then continued, "The last time he came to the capital, I thought he had nowhere else to turn and was seeking my protection. I never expected that his proposal for disaster relief would catch the eye of His Majesty and earn him a reward. And why did he dare to scold the Minister of Rites, Shi Chaoyuan, in the Golden Palace, causing him to vomit blood and faint? Others thought he was being reckless, but in reality, he was simply using that opportunity to test His Majesty's attitude."
"Your Majesty didn't blame him, so from that moment on, he actually understood his advantages. Everyone thought he would stay in Shangjing and strike while the iron is hot to further gain His Majesty's appreciation, but he used the excuse of injury to leave Shangjing and go to Linjiang."
"This isn't a tactic of playing hard to get. He truly has a lot going on in Linjiang. Your Majesty knows all of this, and in my opinion, it's not a bad thing. I just don't understand why he prioritizes Xishan over his future."
"Think about it again. Today, when Mother handed Xilou over to him, he showed no fear. Even after Eunuch Nian told him about Xilou, he remained calm and gave Eunuch Nian a difficult task. This was a test of Xilou's ability, and also a test of whether he was truly capable of managing Xilou. Of course, I think the most profound meaning of this was to show His Majesty that he was willing to serve as a lone minister."
Yu Wendao thought about it for a moment and pursed his lips. This little bastard looked harmless, but it turned out he was lying!
Yu Wenjun, however, felt a bit frightened. She looked at her father and whispered, "Father... He, he actually just wanted to be a carefree landlord. Wasn't it my letter that forced him into this? He's still a teenager, after all. How could he be as formidable as Mother says? He's definitely no match for those old foxes."
Concubine Shang also looked at Yu Yin. She was actually a little worried because Fu Xiaoguan was only a fifth-rank doctor. Although he had the emperor's support, the emperor could not always keep him by his side. If the situation reached a point where both sides were doomed and the net was broken, and those people were desperate, Fu Xiaoguan would be in big trouble even if he drank the pot.
Yu Yin did not express his opinion. He used a spoon to scoop up the soup and drank it in big gulps. After a long while, he said, "I agree to the militia training."
"So what about the Cold Food Festival Wuchaowenhui?"
"If nothing changes, let him go out for a walk."
"The Queen Mother said she wanted to see Fu Xiaoguan. I noticed she looked quite unhappy. I think it was because of the ending of the book Dream of the Red Chamber. I heard that after reading that ending, the Queen Mother refused to eat a single grain of rice that day... I also tried to comfort the Queen Mother, but she...is it not up to you, Your Majesty, to persuade her on this matter?"
Yu Yin was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Then arrange a time to take Fu Xiaoguan to meet him. It may not be a bad idea. Let Wen Yun go with us. The Queen Mother likes Wen Yun."
Concubine Shang nodded and asked, "What do you think of the matter of Fu Xiaoguan asking Xilou to monitor Fei An?"
"allow!"
…
The Fu Mansion had already been decorated with large red lanterns, which were now lit.
Fu Xiaoguan, Su Mo, Su Jue and Su Rou sat in Li Chenxuan drinking.
The fireplace in Li Chenxuan was burning brightly, and there was no trace of winter chill inside.
"These days, you've been spending less and less time practicing the Nine Yang Heart Sutra... Have you given up?" Su Mo asked.
Fu Xiaoguan chuckled, "I haven't given up, it's just that these things are getting more and more complicated, so I really have less time to rest."
"Okay, I knew you weren't cut out for martial arts."
Fu Xiaoguan glared at him, "I've only been practicing for half a year, what else do you want?"
Su Rou opened her narrow eyes and glanced at Fu Xiaoguan, but Su Mo looked disappointed. "Do you know who is the fastest learner of the Nine Yang Heart Sutra in the Taoist Academy?"
Fu Xiaoguan looked at the eldest senior brother Su Jue. Since he was the eldest senior brother, and Su Jue was so upright and self-disciplined, it must be him.
Unexpectedly, Su Jue shook his head, and the crown on his head tilted a few centimeters. He straightened it again and said, "The most talented person in the Taoist academy is my sixth junior sister Su Su. She entered the Taoist academy at the age of five. It took her three days to develop a sense of Qi. It took another three days to break through the first level of the Nine Yang Heart Sutra. It took another three days to break through the second level. Then... the master did not allow her to practice martial arts. Now she is fourteen. She has not practiced martial arts in the past nine years."
Fu Xiaoguan's eyes widened. "Why is this happening?"
"Master said... if this evil Susu isn't controlled, I'm afraid she won't be able to stay in this world!"
Is it possible to become an immortal?
Fu Xiaoguan absolutely didn't believe it. "Then what did she learn later?"
"Learning to play the zither, Sixth Junior Sister's music... that's truly heavenly music!" Su Jue raised his head slightly, his eyes full of admiration. "When her music plays, hundreds of birds come to the Taoist temple to pay their respects. It's such an elegant thing, but unfortunately, my Second Junior Brother..."
When it came to this crucial point, Su Jue suddenly stopped talking, sighed, and shook his head. The hat was tilted a little bit again, but he forgot to straighten it.
"What happened to your second apprentice brother?"
"He...eats a lot of birds because of this!"
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