Chapter 82 Dabao, take care of yourself
Fan Xian and Lin Ruofu left the imperial study side by side and walked out of the palace.

He had walked along this palace road many times when he went to court and met the emperor.

In the past, Fan Xian would see many officials coming to flatter Prime Minister Lin.

But this time, Prime Minister Lin appeared to be all alone, and even the eunuchs, both big and small, who passed by, changed from their usual respectful and polite manners to become strangers.

Fan Xian sighed. When you serve as an official in the court, your honor, disgrace, reward or punishment are all decided by the emperor. If the emperor gives you an official position and power, you will be a prime minister, second only to the emperor. If the emperor takes back the official position and power, you will be an old man over 70 years old.

If it were worse, he might even be laughed at and teased by children in the countryside.
Fan Xian sighed: “Uncle, are you really going to retire and return home like this?”

As Lin Xiang walked, his old back became a little hunched:
“The list of candidates for the imperial examination was replaced. The result was that Guo Zheng, who had just taken office, was exiled to Jiangnan, far away from Kyoto. This kind of punishment is not painful and is obviously not the real purpose of your majesty’s move.”

Fan Xian frowned.

Lin Xiang gave his son-in-law a reminder:

“You know, since the Spring Examination began, His Majesty has asked you and the Crown Prince to supervise and investigate the Spring Examination, thoroughly investigate the fraud in previous years, and generously reward the Crown Prince to establish his authority in front of the people of Kyoto. He just wants to use the name of investigating the case to attack me.”

As they walked, Lin Xiang smiled and shook his head:

“Your Majesty’s intention to change the prime minister is well hidden.”

Fan Xian paused and looked back at the towering palace. The highest point was a mystery beyond reach. “Is every step I take for you?”

There was a chair on the palace path.

Prime Minister Lin sat down leisurely, and with the intention of testing him, he gave Fan Xian some advice:
“Before, I thought that His Majesty wanted to use the Crown Prince to establish his reputation among the people and to make you his assistant. Perhaps he wanted you to assist the Crown Prince and fight against the Second Prince and the people behind him.”

“I didn’t expect that the Second Prince was made the first to be punished by His Majesty. His desire for revenge against you was used to take advantage of the situation and was inflicted on me without leaving any trace. I was easily eliminated. This Spring Examination was prepared for me.”

“Let me test you. Why did His Majesty ask me to hand over the list of my former students?”

Fan Xian responded: “Do you want to avoid your influence when choosing the next prime minister?”

Lin Xiang nodded: “So, I can’t give it up. My connections are my last trump card. As long as I have it, I have the possibility of returning to Kyoto. This principle also applies to you. Do you understand?”

Fan Xian shook his head: “My connection is the prince?”

Prime Minister Lin smiled and said, “That was given by His Majesty, not yours. There will be fewer and fewer people around you. His Majesty wants you to be a lone minister, a retainer of the royal family, to serve His Majesty, to devote yourself to the future of Qing Kingdom, and to continue from generation to generation.”

If someone else had said this, he would have been beheaded long ago.

Fan Xian cautiously observed that there was no one around, then he dared to reply: “I understand.”

Lin Xiang shook his head: “You don’t understand. Let me ask you another question. Why do I leave Dabao with you?”

Fan Xian replied, “Your Majesty wants your connections to not blame me, and to explain that your departure has nothing to do with me. Is this what you want?”

Lin Xiang nodded.

“Between the king and his subjects, it’s like playing chess. You have to be calm when playing chess. Everyone knows this. After all, you are involved in this case. If I don’t keep Dabao by your side, it will be difficult to explain to these ministers and officials who is the one who really drove me away.”

Fan Xian’s heart tightened.

Is this an indirect attack on Your Majesty? Can you just find an excuse to drive the Prime Minister away?

If the prince knew about this in advance but didn’t tell him, was he taking advantage of him?
“I know what you’re thinking.”

Lin Ruofu smiled and said:

“Li Chengqian is indeed a kind person, but after all, he is the crown prince, the heir to the throne of Qing. The royal family is ruthless. In front of His Majesty, do you think he will side with you or His Majesty?”

Fan Xian stood there in a daze.

Lin Ruofu patted his shoulder:

“I’m leaving now. You will be alone in Kyoto from now on. Since His Majesty has given you the opportunity to make friends with the Crown Prince, you must know how to take advantage of the situation. At the same time, you must not trust him easily. You must always be vigilant and not be used as a pawn by him.”

Fan Xian nodded, and Lin Ruofu stood up from his chair with a smile:

“I don’t understand why His Majesty would marry Ruoruo to the Crown Prince and let you be the bridge between you and the Crown Prince. I’m afraid His Majesty has a deeper purpose. But for us as subjects, the most exciting thing is to fight with His Majesty.

I lost the fight, it’s your turn next.”

Fan Xian followed Lin Ruofu, his CPU was about to burn out:
“Then what about the murder case?”

Lin Ruofu laughed loudly, shaking his head as he laughed:
“What murder? There is no murder!”

——Yan Bingyun and He Zongwei from the Supervisory Yuan were on their way to report the widow to the authorities to seek justice. The victim herself changed her mind and said that she would not report it to the authorities anymore. The people of Kyoto were quite puzzled but it was useless. In the end, the case of Lin Xiangzhi was left unresolved, and He Zongwei was promoted by the emperor to the position of Censor of the Censorate.

This is a rumor, and the storyteller commented on it in two words:

absurd!

······
Prime Minister Lin’s laughter could not be heard in the palace, but it could be recorded by the eunuchs and presented to Your Majesty.

Emperor Qing glanced at it and smiled in a similar way to Prime Minister Lin, then threw the memorial on the ground and cursed with a smile:
“Old man, you know you’re leaving, so you dare to talk about me like this! That’s all.”

Li Chengqian stood aside, silent, not very interested in the contents of the memorial, because he could probably guess what Minister Lin would tell Fan Xian before he left:
It’s nothing more than family, His Majesty, and it’s just that Fan Xian needs to be on guard against him.
Emperor Qing turned his back to Li Chengqian and looked at the palace and inner city outside the building, as if he was seeing Prime Minister Lin off:
“Before he left, the old man was still on guard against me. He refused to hand over his students. He was worried that I would not use his subordinates. He thought that the change of prime minister would be affected. Li Chengqian, do you think I am that kind of person?”

Li Chengqian could only deceive the emperor: “Of course not, your majesty is magnanimous.”

Emperor Qing laughed, “You are wrong. I am that kind of person. He is also wrong. I am more ruthless than he thinks. What do you mean by changing the prime minister? How can I repeat the same mistake and make a second mistake? What I want to do is to depose the prime minister and take all the power back into my control.”

Emperor Qing walked up to Li Chengqian and taught his son like a father:
“Remember, all power in this world must be in your own hands, including divine power and physical strength. They must all be subject to me and the Li royal family. In the future, you must not only tame Fan Xian, but also improve your strength to prevent future troubles.”

“Your Majesty, I have your protection. It doesn’t matter what I cultivate. I just need to serve your Majesty wholeheartedly.”

“Li Chengqian, this is my order, remember it?”

Emperor Qing stared at his own prince, his eyes meant:

Still pretending? Are you still pretending with your dad?
You are my son.

How can I not see what you are thinking?

Li Chengqian heaved a sigh of relief. It seemed that after this incident, he had gained more trust from Emperor Qing, which was why he was able to get permission from him to improve his strength. Otherwise, if it were the previous Emperor Qing, he would never have urged him to practice martial arts.
“I thank you for your love and care, Father. I will live up to your expectations and practice martial arts well!”

Emperor Qing then held Li Chengqian’s shoulders and smiled like a loving father. “That’s more like it. Last time you told me about the strategy of replacing the prime minister, I thought about it again and again and felt that this plan was feasible. After Lin Ruofu left, there would be a commotion in the court. Many people would covet the position of prime minister. Do you have a detailed plan to deal with it?”

“Have.”

Li Chengqian took out a letter that he had written long ago from his arms and handed it to His Majesty.

Emperor Qing took the book, opened it and saw the first entry, which contained two large characters:

Qing Pavilion!

Emperor Qing was interested, and while watching, he asked Li Chengqian to explain his idea to him:

“I think that building the Qing Pavilion to replace the position of the Prime Minister will help recruit talented people. Although it is composed of many people, it is only used by Your Majesty. It can not only avoid the situation where power is concentrated in one person, but also give full play to the ability of each minister to govern the country and better assist Your Majesty.”

Emperor Qing nodded slightly:

“Your idea is good, but who will be in charge of such an important Qing Pavilion? You are so proactive in offering me advice, do you want to take charge of Qing Pavilion for me?”

You are plotting against your son, what a sinister heart you have.
Li Chengqian knew that it was impossible for him to have any illusions about power, so he advised:
“Qing Pavilion was established specifically to assist Your Majesty, so the person who presides over it must be someone Your Majesty trusts the most. I think it would be best to ask Eunuch Hou to preside over the cabinet on Your Majesty’s behalf and manage such a group of ministers!”

Eunuch Hou, who was standing behind him, was startled. Prime Minister Lin had left, so he was asked to take his place?
What’s the logic behind this?
We don’t know how to govern either?
“Your Majesty, I don’t understand politics, I just want to serve you wholeheartedly.”

Eunuch Hou was grateful to the prince for recommending talented people, but he did not dare to accept such enormous power.

Emperor Qing frowned:

“I only asked you to preside over the Qing Pavilion, not to give me advice. You just need to manage the people who give me advice and inform me of their every move, right? Why are you so flustered?”

Li Chengqian nodded:
“Yes, eunuch. You have followed His Majesty for many years, so you are naturally more convincing in presiding over the celebration pavilion. Moreover, presiding over the celebration pavilion only requires timely reporting and effective supervision, and does not require too much burden.”

Upon seeing this, Eunuch Hou knelt down and kowtowed, thanking the emperor for accepting the order and at the same time thanking the prince for recommending him. The old servant’s vanity was pounding. Could it be that thanks to the prince’s support, he could regain his youth, be respected, and become someone second only to the emperor?
People are greedy. When it comes to money, power and sex, there is always a reason to make them kneel down.

Emperor Qing asked again: “Who will be chosen as the first batch of ministers to be employed by Qing Pavilion?”

We can’t let his trusted eunuchs govern the country, can we?
Emperor Qing knew exactly what they were capable of.

Li Chengqian replied, “Eunuch Hou is in charge of Qing Pavilion, which represents the will of His Majesty. He can recruit talented people from all walks of life, both famous and humble. As long as they have talent, they can be employed. Among the students who made the list of this spring examination, there are many people with great learning. His Majesty will hold a palace examination and select them personally!”

Emperor Qing nodded and put the prince’s letter into his sleeve:

“Good. I will hold a court meeting on a chosen day to implement this matter.”

Li Chengqian bowed, and Eunuch Hou knelt down, and the two responded in unison:

“Your Majesty is wise! Long live His Majesty, long live His Majesty!”

·······
Lin House.

Seeing that Lin Xiang and Fan Xian both returned, Lin Wan’er finally breathed a sigh of relief, but her father reluctantly explained some things to her. She then realized that her father was going to retire and return home, and had to leave Kyoto and them.
“father”

Lin Wan’er’s eyes were red, and she leaned in Fan Xian’s arms, watching her father leave to pack his luggage, and seeing Dabao again before leaving.

Fan Xian held Wan’er in his arms, feeling very distressed:

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Uncle has now retired and can live out his days in peace. Even if he can’t be with us, at least he is safe.”

Lin Wan’er sobbed and rubbed her beautiful eyes:

“Dad participated in favoritism and corruption, but he was able to get away with it. Did His Royal Highness the Crown Prince intercede for Dad?”

Fan Xian neither shook his head nor nodded:

“I don’t know. The things involved are very complicated.”

A trace of worry appeared on Lin Wan’er’s pretty face:
“Could it be that His Highness was also involved in His Majesty’s plan? Was it him who got my father kicked out of Kyoto for His Majesty?”

Fan Xian shook his head and sighed:
“I’m not sure, and I don’t know the reason behind this. But even if the Crown Prince knew about your majesty’s plan, he couldn’t resist and had to obey your orders. There are so many people in this world who are helpless and can’t help themselves.”

Lin Wan’er also understood the prince’s difficulties and did not think about it any further.

After all, Ruoruo will be the Crown Princess in the future. Without a patriarch, their Lin family can only rely on the Fan family. However, only the Fan family can board the Crown Prince’s ship.

Only then could Lin Wan’er and her mentally retarded brother survive in the troubled Kyoto.

Everything is beyond my control.

“Miss, there is a beauty at the door asking to see you. She said she was sent by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Let her in.”

Qingzhu brought the prince’s secret letter to Lin Wan’er:

“Miss Wan’er, Master Xiao Fan, this is a secret letter that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince asked me to give to you two. Please read it immediately and burn it after reading. Do not mention this matter to any outsiders.”

Lin Wan’er opened the letter and saw the following contents:
It was Li Chengqian who comforted Lin Wan’er in the tone of a cousin, and hinted in some details that the journey of Lin Xiang back home might be covered with thorns and weeds, and asked them to go and see Lin Xiang off if they had time, otherwise, it might be the last time they would see him.

Lin Wan’er clenched her fists and crumpled the letter paper:

“Brother Crown Prince is reminding us that His Majesty might take action against Dad, so he asked us to escort Dad back home to avoid Luo Mei’s fate.”

Fan Xian nodded, feeling guilty for his previous suspicion and hostility towards the Crown Prince:
“His Royal Highness is a good man. He took the risk to deliver a message to us.”

Fan Xian and Lin Wan’er burned the note with fire, and Qingzhu left:

“Let’s go! We will immediately arrange for someone to protect the uncle!”

At this time, Lin Ruofu seemed to have guessed it all.

With tears in his old eyes, he held Dabao’s hand:

“Dabao, Daddy is leaving”

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(End of this chapter)