Chapter 484: 484
Chapter 484: Attitude Determines Everything
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The talent of an actor was directly proportional to the size of the lie, which was directly proportional to the magnitude of the benefit . This was something Fan Xian deeply believed in . In court, each of them probed for the ownership of that chair . This was the greatest interest in the world . Even if the Crown Prince told him a huge lie, it wouldn't be strange .
The problem was that Fan Xian had no way of knowing how much truth or lie was in the Crown Prince's words . If he was in the Crown Prince's position, would he make such a promise? What about what happened in the past?
Given the Crown Prince's innate position and the empress dowager's favoritism, as well as his secret connection to the Eldest Princess, if he also obtained the support of Fan Xian with the Overwatch Council and palace treasury, no one would be able to obstruct his future ascension to the throne . If he could find a way to gain Fan Xian's support, the Crown Prince might be able to make a sufficient sacrifice .
Given Fan Xian's life experience and knowledge, he didn't think such an exchange could happen . Unless the Crown Prince truly became someone without a father or mother, or if he really did become such a person, how could Fan Xian sit equally with him?
He and the Crown Prince chatted warmly . Occasionally, he would think of when he first arrived in Jingdou and the kind attitude with which this Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace had treated him . This made the cloud of complicated emotions in his heart even thicker .
"Is Sister Wan'er well?"
After walking in the Royal Palace for this long, it just happened that it was the Crown Prince who was the first to directly ask about Wan'er .
Fan Xian smiled . His mind was a bit distracted . He answered the Crown Prince haltingly, but his eyes were on the other person's face, looking at him intently . Gradually, he noticed details he didn't usually see .
The Crown Prince was very lonely and pitiful .
…
…
The sun was already setting as he walked out of the Eastern Palace . The light dusky red light shone on the red palace walls and gradually spread out, making the cold-resistant short trees around him and the buildings of the Palace covered with a red color, an unlucky red color .
Fan Xian's hands were behind his back . His expression was calm . He was lost in thought, and his thoughts were focused on the Crown Prince . Just like his feeling in that instant earlier, thinking about it carefully now, Fan Xian realized that, including him, of the five princes, the one who was the most pitiful was actually the Crown Prince . He was only a little older than him . Before he was born, the Ye family had collapsed, but what about the Crown Prince? Four years after the Ye family was destroyed, in the night that Jingdou ran red with blood, the Crown Prince's maternal family were completely wiped out . His grandfather had died at his own father's hand . He had lost more family than even himself . From then onward, the Crown Prince had lived alone in the Palace and in a state of constant tension and unease . His only supporters were the empress dowager and empress who loved him .
No, the empress didn't count . Just as his father said, the reason the Emperor didn't depose of the empress and didn't change the heir was because the empress was very stupid and her relatives had already been wiped out . This was a situation the Emperor needed .
The only person the Crown Prince could rely on was the empress dowager . However, because of the environment in the palace and empress' strong recollections of the past, it caused the Crown Prince's mediocre and timid personality . He didn't have friends . It was impossible for him to have friends, so he could only stay silent .
The Emperor did not wish for his heir to stay silent like this forever, so he had picked out the Second Prince in an attempt to sharpen the knife that was the Crown Prince . In the end, he also picked out Fan Xian to bring down the Second Prince and continue testing the Crown Prince .
This was a an abnormal life, and it produced a number of psychological problems .
Silence, ah, silence . If one didn't explode in silence, one would be perverted by it . It seemed like the Crown Prince had chosen the latter . However, there was no part of him that was originally overly terrifying .
Fan Xian approached the foot of the palace walls and turned his head to look at the fire-like brilliance the majestic Taiji Palace emitted in the light of dusk . He narrowed his eyes slightly and sighed . When did he ever want to stand in opposition to you?
Between the Crown Prince and Second Prince, Fan Xian actually leaned more toward the Crown Prince because he knew the mercilessness beneath the Second Prince's warm appearance .
Furthermore, he could try to bring the Second Prince down and save the other person's life, but he could not use the same trick on the Crown Prince because the Crown Prince's position was too special . He would either ascend through the clouds or bleed out and die .
The Second Prince had to do something to inherit the imperial seat, so he gave Fan Xian too many opportunities . It was the exact opposite for the Crown Prince . He didn't need to do anything and could not do anything . Only then would he naturally inherit the throne . Once the Crown Prince understood this, he would behave as he had this year with unusual cleverness and calmness, watching everything with cold eyes .
However, calm did not symbolize generosity . If Fan Xian was truly fooled by this illusion and allowed his heart to soften, once the other person ascended to the throne, what would welcome Fan Xian? It would certainly be the empress' manic quest for revenge and the Eldest Princess' merciless purge .
At that time, would the Crown Prince still treasure his life?
However, the Second Prince had not retreated from Fan Xian's attacks, and the Crown Prince had also charged in . He gently squeezed his fists to make his heart cold and unhesitating . He thought to himself, It is not easy for anyone to survive in this world, so don't blame me .
He glanced back one last time at the seemingly on fire Royal Palace in the dusk and tilted his head slightly . The origin of all of this was actually the middle-aged man sitting on the dragon chair .
Fan Xian suddenly felt a glimmer of elation . He wanted to see what the middle-aged man looked like when he flew into a rage of humiliation . He wanted to break the Emperor's calm disguise and hurt his heart .
When it was all said and done, everyone was cruel .
…
…
The sky was bright with few clouds . Although spring had not yet arrived, the sky had already cleared . On the two sides of the official road outside the Jingdou city gates, winter trees reached into the air with scraggly branches and scared those far away from home .
A group of black carriages filed out from inside the city gates and lined up on the side of the road . At the same time, they waited for the large group of people ahead to disperse .
A young man lifted the curtain and came out . Standing under the shade erected in front of the carriage, he looked in that direction . He furrowed his brows slightly and muttered to himself, "What is it now?"
The young man was Fan Xian, and the time of year was already entering February . He could no longer find any more reasons to stay in Jingdou . In these circumstances, he knew that it was better for him to be as far away from Jingdou as possible . Only then would he not be dragged under in the aftermath of the event . However, Sisi's pregnancy was something that gave him a headache . The manor discussed this thoroughly and decided to have Wan'er stay in Jingdou to look after her and have him return to Jiangnan alone .
This was the day he left Jingdou . Having learned from his previous experience, he didn't tell many people . Even the young scholars in the Imperial College didn't hear about it . The leaving this time appeared to be relatively quiet and a bit lonelier .
Fan Xian looked at the Qing soldiers ahead who were gathering into groups and furrowed his brows slightly .
In a short while, a few riders detached from the more emotional military send off . These riders headed directly back and rode toward Fan Xian's group of carriages with the clip-clop of horse hooves . Fan Xian smiled slightly and dismounted the carriage to wait .
The lead rider was a military official wearing a cotton coat and light armor . He looked very heroic . Behind him were a few of his deputies .
The military official rode to a stop in front of Fan Xian, slapped his whip, and dismounted . His movements were smooth and agile . It was only after he took off his helmet and revealed the handsome and gentle face did one realize that this was actually King Jing's heir, Li Hongcheng .
"Who would have thought that we would be leaving the capital at the same time?" Li Hongcheng patted Fan Xian heavily on the shoulder and smiled .
Fan Xian shook his head and sighed . "You were fine staying in Jingdou . Why enter the military? For men in this world, of course, we have to work for merit, but it doesn't necessarily have to be on the battlefield . If the master hadn't told me, I wouldn't even know you had such plans . "
Qing Kingdom had conquered their lands on horseback, and the people's customs were simple and valiant . Even members of the royal family learned horse riding and martial arts from a young age . From the previous generation, they were used to joining the army and going on expeditions . In this generation, the Great Prince was a model figure . Starting from the position of a minor military officer, he had climbed his way up the position of an important general .
Li Hongcheng was silent for a moment and then said, "As you know, if I stay in Jingdou, father will continue to shut me up in the manor . There is little difference between that and sitting in prison . I would rather go West and fight with the strange Hu people than suffer such treatment . "
Fan Xian was silent for a long time . He then raised his head and slowly said, "You have to be careful, otherwise I'll feel apologetic . "
"If I can make you feel guilty, this expedition will have been worth it . " Li Hongcheng was slightly startled and laughed . "During a lifetime, one always has to find a few goals . My entry into the Western expedition troops this time is also to fulfill a childhood dream . "
Fan Xian said, "I had no idea you had such dreams . I had always thought that your dreams were on the pleasure boats…"
The two of them laughed . Aware that there were still a number of other people around them, it was not convenient to talk more deeply . Li Hongcheng led his horse by the reins and walked shoulder to shoulder with Fan Xian . They came to a slope below the official roads . Here, the branches of the leafless trees grew denser and split the dim sunlight from the sky into pieces of severe cold .
Silence . No one could hear the conversation between them .
Li Hongcheng was silent for a moment . A relaxed smile gradually rose to his face . He said without restraint, "The events of these two years have made me understand…in Jingdou, I cannot beat you and neither can the Second Prince…this is good . I'll leave Jingdou for you to play in, and I'll go West . "
Fan Xian forced a smile and didn't know what to say . A moment later, he sincerely said, "Your path to Xi Lake is far and dangerous . You have to be careful…although gaining merit in the military is a direct path, it is very dangerous . Although the Great Prince now holds great military power in his hands, you know how hard it was for the first few years in the West . "
Li Hongcheng nodded his head thoughtfully and said, "Since I have joined the military, I have prepared myself . Father is also clear about my thoughts, otherwise, he wouldn't have given his consent . "
The so-called thought was that he had truly decided he was going to leave the sickening and dangerous competition in Jingdou . However, Fan Xian remembered that the head of the Western expedition this time was still the Ye family, the Second Prince's father-in-law's family, and couldn't help feeling a bit strange . He looked at Li Hongcheng's face and resisted again and again . In the end, he couldn't resist . He opened his mouth and said, "Ye Zhong…is the Second Prince's father-in-law . Since you've decided to not participate in the matters in the capital…"
He hadn't even finished his reminder when Li Hongcheng had already waved his hand to stop his words . He calmly said, "Relax . I will do what I promised you . I am not a stupid person…however…" he smiled . "You seem a bit overly clever . Thus, it is very difficult for people like me to find an opportunity to show our abilities . Particularly in the past two years, you used father to keep me in place . If I don't lower my head to you, I would probably still be under house arrest . "
Fan Xian laughed bitterly . "It's not me using King Jing to suppress you, it's King Jing using me to suppress you . You have to be clear on this point . "
"It's all the same . " Li Hongcheng sighed . "In any case, father and you both think the same . Since it is so, why should I struggle forcefully? It will be good to go West this time . Presumably the blood and fire on the battlefield will be more direct . "
He suddenly fell silent . Looking into Fan Xian's eyes he said, sincerely, "I've always been close to the Second Prince…there is something I must beg of you . "
"Beg" seemed too heavy of a word . Fan Xian immediately guessed what he wanted to say and got in first by furrowing his brows and saying, "I am just an official . There are things that I cannot be the master of . Furthermore, who can be sure of all the victories and losses? There is no need to speak of such things before they happen . "
Li Hongcheng shook his head calmly . "You won't let me talk first because you're worried you won't be able to promise me anything . What you said about victory and loss being uncertain is true . No matter how you look at it, it's impossible for you to defeat them within a few short years . For some reason, I just think you will be victorious in the end . "
"You flatter me . " Fan Xian forced a smile .
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