Celebrating more than two years of peace in the world

Chapter 51 Special Early Morning

It was already late at night when Fan Xian dragged his exhausted body back to Fan Shangshu Mansion, but the Shangshu Mansion was still brightly lit. Fan Ruoruo walked back and forth in the courtyard with Liu Ruyu. This incident dealt an unprecedented blow to her, she looked at the floor in front of her, no matter what Fan Ruoruo said beside her, she didn't reply at all.

"Auntie." Fan Xian called softly from the side.

Liu Ruyu suddenly raised her head and saw Fan Xian. She subconsciously looked behind Fan Xian, then smiled wryly, and shook her head helplessly.Then he sighed, "Hey...this...this child..."

Finally unable to bear it any longer, Liu Ruyu began to cry.

Fan Xian's hatred for this aunt, from long time ago, to the well water in the back, to the feeling of relatives now, he didn't want Liu Ruyu to be so sad, walked a few steps, and came in front of Liu Ruyu, "Auntie."

Liu Ruyu couldn't even raise her head. The moment she saw Fan Xian, her heart almost broke.

Fan Xian was like her son. She used to have two lively sons, but now, this is the only one left by her side.

Just like this quietly, the two brothers and sisters looked at Liu Ruyu in front of them, they didn't know how to comfort her, and they didn't know what to say, they just accompanied this woman silently.

...............

...............

The morning of the next day seemed to be the most intensely gunpowder-smelling morning in Qing Dynasty in recent years.

There are a lot of people in the early court today. According to the usual practice, each of the six ministers must be present, and then at least two people must be brought to cooperate. But today, no matter whether it is the Ministry of Households or the Ministry of Rites, or even on weekdays, only three people come. The Ministry of War, this time there was a row full of them.

The second prince and the prince are at the head, the second prince is on the right, and the prince is on the left.

There are many unprecedented things. For example, the secret envoy of the Overwatch Council entered the palace early in the morning and delivered the secret letter to Eunuch Hou immediately.

The first thing in the morning, Eunuch Hou handed over the secret letter.

No one had time to speak, because according to the Qing Dynasty's practice, the Overwatch Council was usually the first to report important matters, and if there was a secret letter, the emperor would deal with it immediately.

When the secret letter was brought up, the second prince's face was very ugly, but he still held back, he had to wait for His Majesty to read the secret letter, this is the rule.

His Majesty the Emperor of the Qing Kingdom took out the secret letter, which was written by Deng Ziyue and sent to Chen Pingping. No one knew how many revisions Chen Pingping had made, but the way it was presented to Emperor Qing in the end might have a great impact.

Emperor Qing, who was holding the secret letter, looked a little lazy, and his face changed after watching it, until the moment he finished reading it, he threw the secret letter on the floor in front of him. The emperor threw it very accurately, but he didn't It was not thrown at the feet of the second prince, but at the feet of the prince!

At this moment, the second prince's face trembled. He was a little surprised, but he didn't show it very obviously. He wanted to see what happened. No one knows what kind of person will become after processing such a person.

Seeing the situation in front of him, the prince was startled. He hurried forward and took a few steps. Just as he was about to pick up the secret letter on the ground, the emperor said in a cold tone, "Eunuch Hou, go and help the prince read it."

The prince hesitated for a few moments, but did not pick it up right away. Eunuch Hou waited for the prince to stand upright before he went up to pick up the secret letter on the ground. He glanced at His Majesty the Emperor, bent his body, and said , "Your Majesty, it has begun."

"En." His Majesty the Emperor hummed through his nostrils.

"Chen Pingping, the director of the Overseeing Institute, hereby presents a secret letter. This secret letter is of great importance, and the minister is powerless to ask His Majesty for an order."

"Yesterday night, under the orders of the chief inspector of the Overwatch Council, the First Overwatch Council led 170 two detectives and three undercover agents from the First Overwatch Division, 27 from the Sixth Division of the Overwatch Council, and thirteen from the Third Division of the Overwatch Council. At Baoyuelou, Chengxi City, Kyoto."

"Under surveillance, two private prisons were found, covering an area of ​​37 acres. Seventy prisoners were privately escorted in the private prisons, 280 people died, and 13 jailers were killed. Seven people were killed during the arrest. jailer."

"The people behind the Baoyue Tower have been investigated clearly. They are His Royal Highness the Third Prince of the Emperor and Fan Sizhe, the son of the Household Minister Fan Jian. The two have been in charge of the Baoyue Tower for a year. During this period, they killed about 300 civilians. Officials Two people, and one person was captured by the Overwatch Council."

"Three account books were found in Baoyue Tower, two of which were false and one was true. After checking in eight places of the Overwatch Council, it was found that it was related to the shopkeeper of Yishiju. After Cao was arrested, it was found through investigation that Cao's son and The Jiangnan Neiku has a close relationship with Jiangnan..."

"Okay." The emperor half-closed his eyes and interrupted Eunuch Hou's words. He looked at the prince in front of him and said flatly, "Give me an explanation."

The prince looked at the emperor, of course he understood what it meant.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see this matter. The emperor just found a random excuse to pull this topic away. This excuse is very good. After all, the third prince was taught by the East Palace. If the third prince has a problem, it is definitely right to find the prince. Yes, besides, everyone knows that with Fan Sizhe, the son of the Minister of the Household Department, it is definitely impossible to pull the third prince to do such a thing, and the prince can only pull him to do it.

No matter how serious Fan Sizhe's crimes are, the Third Prince has to take the blame. As much as the Third Prince blames, it is right to deal with Fan Sizhe twice, and the Third Prince is under ten years old, so how could he have such thoughts? Do some crooked things behind the scenes, who is this person, you have to ask.

"Father, my son should have something to say." The prince said calmly.

The emperor raised his jaw and motioned for him to say.

The prince then said, "The Taixue Academy is responsible for the teaching of the prince. When my son was grounded a few days ago, he entered the Taixue Academy to study, but he didn't see the figure of the third brother during this time. After asking, The result is that the second brother took the third brother to go out to study and teach, and I'm afraid I have to ask the second brother about this matter."

As soon as the words fell, all the civil and military gazes of the court focused on the second prince.

……

After Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er got up, he jogged a few laps in the courtyard, and then stood near the gazebo to stretch his body. Last night, he wrote a letter and handed it to the dark thread. It might take a few days to pass it on. To Fan Sizhe's hands.

Lin Wan'er came out of the room gracefully, and hugged Fan Xian from behind.

"Afraid of what?" Fan Xian stopped the movement of his hands, put his hands down, grasped Lin Wan'er's hand, placed it in front of his abdomen, and asked gently stroking it.

Lin Wan'er sighed, and murmured, "Didn't you see that it's early in the morning? Auntie didn't sleep late last night and didn't get up today. When Father went out by himself, he stayed in front of Fan Sizhe's door for a long time, and then we I stayed at the gate of the yard for a long time, I guess he was also worried, how can I be at ease about such a big matter? My second brother is really too..."

"It's okay." Fan Xian interrupted Lin Wan'er's words, but said calmly, "Don't worry, Wan'er."

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came, stopped immediately after arriving at the gate of the courtyard, and then disappeared. Fan Xian smiled, let go of Lin Waner, and faced the arched doorway at the gate of the courtyard, "Come out, don't hide!" gone."

"Brother..." With a shy shout from behind the door, Fan Ruoruo came out from behind the side wall, and said with a little anger, "I was worried at first, so I ran to take a look early in the morning, but I saw this One scene, how do you feel that the person who should be worried now is me!"

The two walked towards Fan Ruoruo with a smile, and Lin Wan'er grabbed Fan Ruoruo's hand, "Your brother said to let me rest assured, let you rest assured, Ruoruo, quickly ask your brother, he won't be honest with me, what you say Maybe he can still listen."

"You..." At this moment, a voice came from not far behind the three of them. Fan Xian opened his eyes and looked over, it was Liu Ruyu.

At this time, Liu Ruyu didn't seem to be dressing very meticulously, maybe she got up late, tidied up in a hurry, and then came to look for Fan Xian. Her face was very haggard. There is less elegance and luxury, and more worry and pity, which makes people look very pitiful.

Fan Xian hurriedly walked a few steps and helped Liu Ruyu in front of him. She seemed to have aged a lot that night.

"Auntie, what are you doing..." Fan Xian looked at Liu Ruyu, and couldn't help but feel a little distressed. She usually dotes on Fan Sizhe and sometimes is strict with her. She loves and loves Fan Sizhe very much. It must be that he couldn't react well, and he should have felt a lot of sadness, but Fan Xian didn't know why he ran out to find himself so early.

"Hey, your father didn't call me when he got up. I think he was worried that I didn't have a good rest, but I was a light sleeper. When he woke up, I got up to look for you. His face was not very good. He must have not had a good rest last night. This morning, things will definitely be announced to the world, will he be able to handle it?" Liu Ruyu's worry was normal, but what he said next made Fan Xian somewhat unexpected, "What about you? How are you? Let's go, even if no one pays attention to him, he will definitely not starve to death in Beiqi, but what about you? You supervised the investigation of this matter, if the people above blame you, what will you do, my son .”

These words directly touched the bottom of Fan Xian's heart. Fan Xian could feel his heart tremble. He looked at Liu Ruyu without thinking about those unnecessary thoughts. He took a breath and said, "Auntie ,no need to worry."

"How can you not worry about this?" Liu Ruyu seemed to be crying anxiously, "Who are those people? They are the princes, the princes, the sons of His Majesty the emperor, Xianer, you grew up in Dan Zhou, I don’t know the dangers in the capital city, not to mention these princes, even the sons of officials above the third rank, it is impossible not to have an amulet in their hands. Although your father is an old friend with the current emperor, we can save our lives secretly, but you This career path can be considered ruined! Xianer!"

His son had already been sent to Northern Qi, and Liu Ruyu in front of him was actually worried about his official career. Fan Xian was completely shocked. He knew that since Liu Ruyu had talked with his father about Fan Sizhe, she was very concerned about Fan Xian. There was a huge change in perception, and on the day when she became famous as a Poet Immortal, when Yan Xiaoyi came to Fan's Mansion, Liu Ruyu also fulfilled her family's obligations.

I have to say that she is really a good wife and mother, she is worthy of the position of mistress of Fan Shangshu's mansion, and now she has completely moved Fan Xian.

"Auntie, come here." Fan Xian smiled, "I didn't want to talk to you about these things, if it's over, it's over, but you're so worried that you can't sleep, then I'll take care of you Tell you about it."

Supporting Liu Ruyu to sit under the gazebo, Fan Ruoruo brought a pot of tea and four cups according to Fan Xian's wishes, and the four of them sat in a circle. Fan Xian then poured tea for several of them, and the three hurriedly It was smoking. Seeing Fan Xian's slow-moving, Lin Wan'er couldn't bear it anymore, and urged, "You still have to play tricks, hurry up and tell me what's going on."

"There will be no results in today's morning court." Fan Xian smiled slightly, "And if I act rashly now, it will be wrong. I can only be right if I sit at home."

Everyone looked at each other, and Fan Ruoruo asked, "Why is there no result? Hasn't the case been fully investigated?"

"Where is it clear?" Fan Xian handed a teacup to Fan Ruoruo.

Fan Ruoruo frowned and thought, "The body was found in Baoyue Tower, and there is a private prison set up, so they can be directly held accountable. The people above can just ask!"

"Who's up there?" Fan Xian asked back.

"Above... is the third prince and Fan..." Fan Ruoruo glanced at Liu Ruyu and said in a low voice, "Sizhe."

"The emperor will definitely not let this matter become like this. The third prince is under ten years old, and all the hats are on him, will you do this?" Fan Xian said with a smile, "We must be held accountable, whether it is the crown prince or the second prince, Either way, but it's best to push this matter on an outsider."

"This outsider can't be Fan Sizhe, because he doesn't have the ability or power to order the Third Prince to do anything." Fan Xian said.

"Then..." Fan Ruoruo was puzzled.

"So, the result of today's court..." Fan Xian laughed suspiciously.

……

"Tell me." The emperor half-closed his eyes and looked coldly at the second prince below.

The second prince nodded, "Going back to my father, I don't know about this matter, the third brother is because I am close to my son, so I often stay with my son, and my son will also use his knowledge more or less. Teach it to the third brother, but these days, we don’t get together very often, so we don’t know what he’s doing.”

"Hmm." His Majesty the Emperor nodded, he straightened up, pointed to the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment and asked, "Go and verify this matter immediately."

"The minister leads the order."

"Father." The second prince continued, "I think that I should contact Fan Shangshu immediately and bring Fan Sizhe to the Ministry of Punishment for questioning. In this matter, the third brother is still young. If he is induced by others, he will lose his way." out of the mind, nor..."

Before the words were finished, the emperor immediately interrupted the second prince's words, "Shangshu of the Household Department."

At this time, the second prince was stunned, and only then did he realize that he would lose his words. No matter how young the third prince was, he was also of royal blood. If he said that he was fascinated by others, he was just telling others about his brother. , Is His Majesty's son a mentally retarded fool?
Thanks to the emperor's interruption of such rebellious words, he realized it later, and couldn't help breaking out in a cold sweat.

"The minister is here!" The Minister of the Household Department was Fan Jian, he took a step across and said calmly.

"Cooperate with the Ministry of Punishment and bring Fan Sizhe back for interrogation, there must be no mistake!" The emperor said after taking a sip of tea.

"The minister leads the decree!" Fan Jian did not resist at all.

The emperor leaned back on the chair, and asked, "Did you see Fan Sizhe last night?"

"Return to Your Majesty, I have never seen it, not just last night, Fan Sizhe has not been at the residence these few days." Fan Jian replied.

"Not at the mansion?" The emperor frowned, "This is not at the mansion, don't you have any doubts?"

"Returning to Your Majesty, I had a dinner at home a few days ago, and all my family members were at home. On that day, my minister Fan Sizhe said that he would stay in the Danbo Bookstore he opened in the capital city for a few days, because new books need to be printed. So it is relatively busy, and I like the way of doing business, so I didn't pay much attention to it, but unexpectedly, I did such an outrageous thing! The crime is unforgivable! I must cooperate with the Ministry of Punishment and arrest the minister, and it's all up to the Holy Majesty!" Fan Jian knelt down directly His Majesty, he didn't have the slightest intention of protecting the calf, and even directly said that it was all up to the Holy Majesty, and he acted like he didn't care about Fan Sizhe's life or death, which surprised everyone else.

Thinking that Mr. Fan Jianfan came here because Fan Xian was too good, and Fan Sizhe didn't care whether he lived or died, and others laughed secretly.

This time, the Fan family may face a catastrophe!
Everyone was watching the excitement to see what the Fan Jian family would face. This was a matter linked to the third prince. Prince's crime.

But there was no panic on Fan Jian's face.

When the emperor heard such words, of course he had an account in his heart, which no one in the audience knew about.He breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, and immediately said, "Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment."

"The minister is here."

"Catch Fan Sizhe immediately!"

"Chen!" Minister of the Ministry of Punishment knelt directly on the ground, and said sharply, "Receive the decree!"

After finishing speaking, after paying three respects, he walked out of the hall.

And the second prince had an evil smile on his face.

…………

"Why is there no result?" Lin Wan'er was puzzled, "Such a big matter has fallen into the hands of the emperor's uncle. Don't they dare to procrastinate? How come there is no result all morning?"

"It's just because the matter is so big, it's so big that it's so difficult to handle." Fan Xian said with a smile, "You know why Dean Chen sent the secret letter to the palace at the first time, and it happened to be early in the morning. And activated the channel of the Overwatch Council's secret order, passed through more than ten layers of screening, and handed it directly to His Majesty?"

"I don't know." The three shook their heads.

"His Majesty the Emperor has a scale in his heart. This is how the steelyard tilts. This matter has two directions of development. One direction is the royal family. No one will go in this direction at the first time, so the second direction is It is the direction to take the initiative and do it immediately.”

"Our family?" Fan Ruoruo was really smart, she said immediately.

"Yes, Fan Mansion." Fan Xian said with a smile, "Fan Mansion is the first direction to focus on, and what we need to do at this time is to sit here drinking tea and pretend that we don't know anything. I don't know, Wan'er doesn't know, my aunt doesn't know, and I'm the only one who knows."

"Because Fan Sizhe was taken away by the Overwatch Council last night, so after they inspect Fan's mansion, they will enter the Overwatch Council, and entering the Overwatch Council is the beginning of the main event."

"What is the main event?" Fan Ruoruo looked at Fan Xian in surprise.

Fan Xian smiled knowingly, and at this moment, the messenger outside shouted.

"Master of the Ministry of Punishment is here!"

Several people hurriedly stood up, and at this time the officers and soldiers of the Ministry of Punishment had already entered Fan's residence.

Without the slightest panic, Fan Xian stood up and looked at the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment who came over, bowed and said, "Master Shangshu."

"Mrs. Fan, the Princess, Master Fan." The Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment did not rush in viciously. Fan Xian knew that although this person intended to join the Second Prince, he was still smart in his mind. He did not turn against him directly, but still Loyal to the current Holy Majesty, knowing this is also thanks to Yan Bingyun's investigation.

So it was precisely because of such a loyal and courageous person that Fan Xian was able to go so smoothly.

"Your Excellency, take a step to talk..." Fan Xian said, took a step, walked across the small bridge with the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment, and went to the other side, "For what happened last night?"

"Exactly." Seeing that Fan Xian didn't have any intention of pretending, the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment directly clarified the purpose of his visit, "The Holy Majesty has issued an order to thoroughly search Fan's residence and arrest Fan Sizhe and bring him to justice."

"Then I won't disturb Master Shangshu's work." Fan Xian said with a smile, "You just need to search. These three don't know what happened last night, and there will be no results for Sir at the house. The Overwatch Council had already arrested him last night, but I didn't participate in the specific matter because of risk avoidance, and it was supervised by Fei Jie from the third office."

"Thank you, Mr. Fan!" said the Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, "Let me take people through the scene. This Fan's residence must be searched. Besides, there may be some evidence in Fan Sizhe's room. I will definitely not disturb my wife. I will ask Mr. Fan for help." hold on."

"Please." Fan Xian stretched out his hand.

"Thank you." The Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment saluted, turned and left.

Fan Xian, who watched the Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice walk away, understood that his thoughts had been confirmed.

There was nothing wrong with what he thought.

The reason why Chen Pingping handed over the secret letter to His Majesty the Emperor early in the morning was because of ulterior motives. He took the secret order of the Overwatch Council, which directly omitted more than a dozen procedures and inspections. This road was specially given by His Majesty the Emperor. The secret channel established by Chen Pingping, the speed of information transmission in this secret channel is unimaginable.

Someone once said that if His Majesty the Emperor wanted to kill a corrupt official in the capital city, he would issue an order to the Thirteenth Yamen of the Ministry of Punishment and the Overwatch Council at the same time. According to the secret order, when the Thirteen Yamen brought people to the corrupt official's mansion, the fire that burned the house in the Overwatch Council had already been extinguished, and the grass on the corrupt official's grave was already waist high.

Although it is an exaggerated metaphor, it is true that the speed of description is very fast.

Chen Pingping took advantage of this secret channel to deliver the secret letter to His Majesty the Emperor, in order to let His Majesty take advantage of today's early court to announce this matter before the Second Prince. What he wanted was a pre-emptive effect, as expected This thing played his part.

Chen Pingping's move not only directly suppressed the second prince in terms of momentum, but also allowed the Overwatch Council to take the initiative in terms of power. After all, to put it bluntly last night, Fan Xian not only had a conflict with the Kyoto garrison, but also had a conflict with the second prince. So Chen Pingping wanted to take the initiative.

And this active position has a greater advantage, which is to give Fan Jian a message, which is very important, to tell Fan Jian that he occupies an active position, which means that Fan Jian can rule without fear. In the classroom, it was enough to expose Fan Sizhe and let them look for it. Because of the initiative of the Overwatch Council, Fan Xian must have protected Fan Sizhe in detail. Fan Jian had no reason not to trust Fan Xian.

Fan Xian took a deep breath. This is his game, so everyone's every step will be under his control. Up to now, Chen Pingping and Fan Jian, the incomparable second prince, even in the darkness The prince who pretended to be stupid, and Emperor Qing, who was aloof, were all under his control.

That being the case, it is not a good thing to continue to go back to taste tea and discuss the Tao, and lecture the scriptures to the three women.

Fan Xian sat back in his seat, smiling and looking at the three shocked women in front of him.

"Are you sure everything has been arranged?" Liu Ruyu was still a little worried, "Won't they find any evidence in Sizhe's room?"

"Auntie, do you think there is any evidence in the places searched by the Overwatch Council?" Fan Xian looked at Liu Ruyu and said.

Yes, Fan Xian has searched Fan Sizhe's room more than once, and has seen almost all the things that can be found in it, but Fan Xian will not let them come and return empty-handed, it must be inside Prepared some surprises for Mr. Xingbu Shangshu.

Aunt suddenly realized, she nodded to Fan Xian.

"What about after that? Will they catch Sizhe?" Fan Ruoruo still asked worriedly.

Fan Xian shook his head, "No matter where Fan Sizhe is, they won't be able to find him. It might not be easy to get into the Overwatch Council first. Although I'm so polite, the people in the Overwatch Council don't seem to be so polite. "

"Besides, at this time, Fan Sizhe is already on his way to Northern Qi. If there are no accidents, he should have reached the northernmost part of Qing Kingdom by now."

(End of this chapter)