0p0 Chapter 533 Joy of Life 89
Chapter 533 Joy of Life 89
"What a pity!"
"Plans can't keep up with changes. Chen Pingping thought that by eliminating the Crown Prince, Li Yunrui, and Lin Ruofu, he had gotten rid of Fan Xian's enemies, stirred up the situation in the court, and helped the Censorate get through the current crisis, while also allowing Fan Xian to rise to power amidst the chaos."
"Unfortunately, going too far has its downsides, and it has instead made Emperor Qing want to kill them. It's truly a case of being too clever for one's own good."
……
At present, apart from Emperor Qing, Chen Pingping, Fan Xian, and Li Chengze, no one else in Kyoto knows about the affair between Li Yunrui and Li Chengqian.
The officials felt that Emperor Qing and the Crown Prince seemed to have grown distant recently, but they did not know the details and could only speculate in their hearts.
Fan Xian and Chen Pingping, who knew the whole story, were eagerly awaiting Emperor Qing's decree to depose the crown prince.
Unfortunately, Emperor Qing had many concerns and ultimately did not allow the two to have their wish fulfilled.
Firstly, he did not want such a scandal to leak out, as it would damage the royal family's reputation; secondly, the matter of deposing and establishing a crown prince was of great importance and could not be acted upon rashly; and thirdly, compared to Li Chengqian and Li Yunrui, he was now more wary of Fan Xian and Chen Pingping.
The eldest son is still at the border and will need some time to return to Beijing; the second son is sickly and probably not up to the task; and the third son is still young and his temperament is not yet settled.
If the Crown Prince were deposed now, wouldn't that give Fan Xian the opportunity to take the throne?
Emperor Qing was a complete political monster.
Even though Fan Xian was his biological son, when he realized that Fan Xian might be secretly plotting with Chen Pingping, Fan Jian and others to seize power and scheme against him, the already thin father-son bond in his heart was completely severed.
At this moment, Emperor Qing had already decided to kill Fan Xian, Chen Pingping, Fan Jian, and anyone who might support Fan Xian's ascension to the throne.
But he felt a little regretful that he should deal with Fan Xian now.
When Emperor Qing summoned Fan Xian back to the capital under the pretext of marriage, his most important purpose was to have Fan Xian replace Li Chengze as a whetstone for the Crown Prince, and at the same time, to go to Jiangnan to solve the problem of the treasury deficit.
Now, Fan Xian's main mission as a "sharpening stone" has failed, but the important task of replenishing the inner treasury's deficit must be completed.
Otherwise, wouldn't all my efforts have been in vain?
After weighing the pros and cons, Emperor Qing ultimately decided to act more conservatively.
First, he ordered Li Yunrui to transfer the management of the Imperial Treasury to Fan Xian. Then, he sent Fan Xian, who had just returned to the capital, to Jiangnan to handle the affairs of the Imperial Treasury.
Secondly, after confirming that Li Yunrui had developed murderous intent towards him, he was satisfied and sent her back to his fiefdom in Xinyang, waiting to see her next move.
Finally, the emperor ordered the crown prince to tour the Nanzhao Kingdom on behalf of the emperor.
The issuance of the three imperial edicts caused an uproar throughout the court and the country.
The assassination of Prime Minister Lin Ruofu had already unsettled the court and the public. Now, Emperor Qing's decision to transfer the Crown Prince away from the capital to tour the vassal states under Qing Kingdom was even more astonishing.
The Nanzhao Kingdom was located in a remote area, plagued by poisonous miasma, and the journey was arduous, taking at least four months to travel to and from the capital.
Such an arrangement certainly sparks the imagination.
Visiting vassal states is nothing unusual, but why send the Crown Prince specifically? Isn't Your Majesty worried that the Crown Prince might encounter an accident on the way?
Could it be... that His Majesty intends to depose the Crown Prince?
The thought of this possibility sent a chill down the spines of the officials.
Could the prime minister's death be related to the crown prince?
Otherwise, why would His Majesty make such an arrangement out of the blue?
If the Crown Prince had not committed a grave error, how could His Majesty have treated him with such indifference?
However, these speculations remained just that—speculations—and no one dared to confront Emperor Qing about his intentions.
Only officials who sided with the Crown Prince submitted memorials, arguing that Emperor Qing's actions violated etiquette. They argued that the Crown Prince, as the heir apparent, should not easily leave the capital, much less be sent to remote and dangerous places.
However, the officials' advice not only failed to shake Emperor Qing's resolve, but also made him even more resolute.
Half a month later, Li Chengqian, his face full of resentment, embarked on his journey to Nanzhao under the escort of a troop of imperial guards.
Meanwhile, Li Yunrui also returned to his fiefdom of Xinyang in a low-key manner, traveling in a carriage.
Fan Xian, greatly disappointed by the result, had no time to further plan with Chen Pingping how to eliminate the Crown Prince and the Eldest Princess on the road, nor even to send Fan Ruoruo to Northern Qi, when Emperor Qing issued an imperial edict and sent him directly to Jiangnan.
Before leaving, Fan Xian was worried about the safety of Fan Jian and Fan Ruoruo, so he asked Chen Pingping to take care of them and, if possible, to find an opportunity to send them out of the capital.
After making these arrangements, he left Kyoto with a heavy heart.
Before leaving, Fan Xian wanted to see Lin Wan'er one last time, after all, she was the first girl he had ever loved in his life.
Lin Wan'er is currently heartbroken after losing her beloved second brother and father. Fan Xian desperately wants to stay by her side, comfort her, and take care of her.
But when he thought about the grudges between the two of them, he couldn't help but hesitate.
Lin Gong was killed by his own hands, and Lin Ruofu also met his end under Chen Pingping's meticulous planning.
It can be said that the tragedy of the Lin family is inextricably linked to him.
And most importantly, he now knows about his origins.
It is known that Emperor Qing and Li Yunrui are siblings, and he is Emperor Qing's son, while Lin Wan'er is Li Yunrui's daughter.
This means that he and Lin Wan'er are cousins.
How can cousins get married?
As someone who has received a modern education, Fan Xian is well aware of the dangers of consanguineous marriage.
The blood ties were like an insurmountable chasm, completely separating him from Lin Wan'er.
It's completely impossible for them to be together.
Even if they like each other very much, they still can't be together.
Because what stands between them is not only hatred, but also the unbreakable bond of blood.
Thinking of this, Fan Xian felt as if his heart was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, aching with each contraction.
Everyone else's lovers end up together, so why is it that in his case, lovers end up as siblings?
He just liked a girl, why did fate have to play such a cruel trick on him?
Fan Xian glanced back at the capital city behind him, sniffed, and tried to suppress the bitterness in his heart. He waved goodbye to his lost love and said his final farewell.
Meanwhile, Lin Wan'er was unaware that Fan Xian had completely given up on their relationship and was still struggling with her inner turmoil.
She knew that Fan Xian had killed her brother Lin Gong, and logically, she should hate him.
But her heart couldn't help but miss Fan Xian.
When she learned that Fan Xian had returned to the capital safely, she felt a sudden sense of relief.
Since Lin Ruofu's death, Lin Wan'er has been plunged into a new round of pain.
Fan Xian's safe return was almost the only good news for her during this period, which then plunged her into a new dilemma.