In a corner of a public square outside the palace, on a street connected to Xinjiekou, going along the length of the street, one could catch a faint glimpse of a bashful crescent moon hanging in the dusky twilight sky. Li Hongcheng dismounted his horse and casually waved his hand. Sizing up the beautiful, effeminate friend who stood before him, he couldn"t help but smile. "That"s quite the blush you have on your face. It"s an incredible color. I presume you have made quite significant gains today."

Fan Xian laughed in response. "We"ve not seen each other in many months, and your first words are to mock me. The great Crown Prince Jing, the fifth-ranked, rich playboy of the capital. Why would you make life difficult for me when it"s already hard enough as it is?" Among the younger generation, Li Hongcheng was naturally afforded the greatest respect. Fan Xian had deliberately pointed out that he was fifth rank. If this were any normal friendship, it would inevitably appear frivolous. But between the two of them, this was a sign of affection.

Li Hongcheng was a little surprised. Fan Xian had always been so reticent to provoke him, and had always hidden a deep humility within his gentle smile. Why this change of temperament today? He recalled something, and presuming that he now understood, he laughed heartily. "Your life is hard too? His Majesty favors you greatly. He even bid you to stay behind after the royal court meeting. The city"s officials would be chomping at the bit to undergo such hardship."

Fan Xian waved a dismissive hand and said nothing. Teng Zijing, who had been waiting outside the palace, had already come up to greet him, but seeing that his young master was talking with the Crown Prince, he was reluctant to interject. "Young master," he said hurriedly, "your father said previously that I was to accompany you."

Li Hongcheng smiled. "Is that so? Does Fan Jian worry that I will entice his son into heavy drinking?"

"Follow me, then," said Fan Xian.

As they talked, the carriage from Fan Manor rolled forward. Li Hongcheng had his attendants bring forth his horse. He turned his head to look behind. "Are you still only happy to sit in a carriage? Will you not ride on horseback?" he asked curiously.

"If we"re not pressed for time, then why ride a horse?" asked Fan Xian.

Li Hongcheng couldn"t help but shake his head and sigh. "If the people of the capital didn"t know that you were both a talented scholar and a fighter, then they might well look down on you, presuming you were just a puny bookworm." In the Kingdom of Qing"s martial tradition, young people saw horsemanship as a mark of glory. Fan Xian did not choose to do so. When there was a carriage available, he refused to ride on horseback. News of this strange trait of his had spread throughout the capital.

Fan Xian scolded him with a laugh, then climbed into the carriage. "Horse-riding is a pain in the b.u.t.tocks."

The Prince"s attendants had surrounded them, and combined with the attendants from Fan Manor, they formed a group of a few dozen men, protecting the Prince on horseback and the unremarkable black carriage as they travelled eastward along the street.

There was no curfew to speak of in the capital. Though night had already fallen, there was still quite a number of people walking the streets. Seeing this eye-catching squad, catching a clear glimpse of the valiant young man on horseback, and then seeing the insignia upon the carriage, they realized the ident.i.ties of these two men. The people of the city all knew that the diplomatic mission had returned. Since he was travelling with Crown Prince Jing, they presumed that the person inside the carriage was the ill.u.s.trious illegitimate son of Fan Manor, Master Fan. They couldn"t help but stop and stare, brazenly calling out to the carriage: "Master Fan! The immortal of poetry!"

News of last year"s events in the palace hall banquet had long been

on the lips of the common people of the city, and the news of Zhuang Mohan"s bequeathal of his books, intentionally a.s.sisted by the Eighth Bureau of the Overwatch Council, had also become common knowledge. Fan Xian"s standing had improved further. The verses now spreading through the land - "do they not know? do they not know?" proved that he had once again picked up his pen. Now the common people knew that young Master Fan had been cavorting in broad daylight with a female disciple of Ku He in front of countless young n.o.bles of the north. When they thought of it, their pa.s.sions were further aroused. It was even more brilliant than Zhuang Mohan"s leaving his books to Fan Xian. Did you see? Lady Haitang, who you treat as a holy woman, was nothing more than a delicate flower waiting to be picked by our young Master Fan!

Fan Xian had become a source of great pride for the common people of the capital. Of course, they were also a source of pride for him. As he travelled along the road, people came out to wish him well. Many of them were scholars, as well as a few blushing maidens coming to express their adoration.

Young Master Fan had won over the hearts of the people. Everyone had involuntarily overlooked Crown Prince Jing, even though he was the highest young lord in the city. But Crown Prince Jing didn"t seem displeased in the slightest. Instead, he smiled happily. It seemed like the reverence that Fan Xian was receiving was his honor too.

Hearing the sounds of discussion and well-wishing coming from outside the carriage, logically, one would presume that even if Fan Xian were not to pull back the curtains of the carriage and wave regally, at the very least, he would have a satisfied smile upon his face. But no one could have imagined the grudging bitterness in his smile.

The reception that the Crown Prince had arranged was at Yishi Tavern, the restaurant where Fan Xian had once let forth his critique of moral character upon first arriving in the city. It was considered to be quite an extravagant establishment, but it wasn"t a particularly quiet place, and wasn"t exactly the greatest restaurant in the whole city. Fan Xian couldn"t help but wonder why exactly Li Honcheng had chosen this place, but he had no particular objection to it.

Once he had dismounted the carriage, he found that Yishi Tavern was unexpectedly quiet. There were only a handful of people on the street in front of it; the usually-bustling restaurant was peaceful. If it weren"t for the brightly-lit lanterns inside the place, he would have suspected that the restaurant"s business had collapsed in the few months he had been away.

Seeing the note of puzzlement in Fan Xian"s eyes, Li Hongcheng thought it best to explain things. He smiled. "This was all my doing."

Fan Xian laughed bitterly. "Even if you are the great Crown Prince, this is far too great a display of power. So many of the city"s n.o.bles and officials come to Yishi Tavern every day, and yet you"ve caused them quite some inconvenience just to invite me to dinner. Perhaps you will arouse their ire and their gossip. If you wanted it to be quiet, then we could have gone to the west side of the city. Even if it"s just that you like their food, then you could have just booked a single floor. Booking out an entire restaurant just for two people is really rather ostentatious. If news of this reaches the palace, I"m not sure they"ll be too happy either."

Li Hongcheng saw that his words were sincere, and for a moment, he said nothing. He felt quite moved. "What is there to fear?" he asked with a smile. "It"s quite likely that everyone already knows. My father likes to grow flowers, and I like to pick them. I have always been hasty in my actions. I can never escape the label of "idle prince". What does it matter?"

Fan Xian knew that this all came as a part of his status. He laughed and shook his head. "You"re soon to be married, and yet you don"t know how to exercise moderation."

Hearing him talk of marriage, there was a faint look of mirth on Li Hongcheng"s face, though he was slightly embarra.s.sed by the subject. "You"re no miser yourself. You"ve got quite some power behind you, and on top of that there"s the young lady you married... let me speak plainly with you. In the palace and in our residences, we as the younger generation must observe a degree of decorum. But once we"ve left our palaces and manors, we are lords. Let people talk!"

They were impetuous, outrageous and arrogant words, but coming from the mouth of Li Hongcheng, there was nothing provocative about them.

Fan Xian had taken his fair share of liberties at the palace himself. He laughed and followed him in. There was a sign that read "Yishi Tavern" in fine, gold-lettered calligraphy. Li Hongcheng stopped and pointed at it. "Do you remember where we first met?" he asked.

"It was right here," said Fan Xian with a smile.

"Correct. But within the s.p.a.ce of only a year, you have gone from someone who criticized the moral character of our so-called "talented scholars" to the most well-known talent in all the land." Li Hongcheng couldn"t help but shake his head and laugh. "If you could have imagined the great Zhuang Mohan bequeathing his works to you upon his pa.s.sing, would you still have scolded those scholars as you did then?"

Fan Xian thought back to that encounter a year ago and sighed with emotion. "When a year begins, no one knows how it may end. I don"t care if you laugh at me. At the time, I had just entered the city, and I was an illegitimate son with not a sc.r.a.p of knowledge or experience. It"s only natural that I was full of discontent."

Li Hongcheng smiled at him. He knew the reason why his young friend had changed so much within a year. The Emperor"s favor, the tacit protection of Minister Fan, and a strong marriage - these were all great factors. But for someone so young to become a Commissioner of the Overwatch Council and be granted a seat in the Imperial Library without having any talent at all was completely unthinkable. What was more, the Banxianzhai Poetry Anthology and his various endeavors were all the proof the world needed of his talent.

As for being a Commissioner of the Overwatch Council, the n.o.bles of the capital had never linked Chen Pingping with Fan Xian. They simply presumed it was the Emperor"s will, and that scoundrel Chen Pingping had simply complied with a royal decree.

"Even though you always try to drag me out to cavort along Liujing River, I"ve never relied on my talent to hoodwink pitiful young women." Fan Xian looked at the somewhat stumped Li Honcheng and laughed, patting him on the shoulder. "So as for those d.a.m.nable scholars, I"d scold them all the same."

As he saw it, Haitang had been hoodwinked by his poetry, but she wasn"t a pitiful young woman at all.

The two of them stood in front of Yishi Tavern, reminiscing about old times and getting emotional. The staff inside the restaurant were rather nervous. Although they didn"t know how the restaurant"s owner had convinced the Crown Prince to hold the reception here. If young Master Fan"s first meal out since returning to the capital was to be at Yishi Tavern, then the restaurant"s reputation would grow considerably. Perhaps rich scholars would come from the south one day to eat here, bringing their shiny coins with them? Although Yishi Tavern already had quite a good reputation, when it came to fame, power, and money, who could say no?

Luckily they didn"t have to worry for too long. Li Hongcheng and Fan Xian had already strolled arm-in-arm into the restaurant. Behind them, two guards from the prince"s mansion followed behind, standing guard outside the entrance to the building. The attendants tending to the carriage from Fan Manor joined the other servants.

With a creek, the door to Yishi Tavern closed. This was perhaps the first time in the thirty years since its founding that it had done so.

As the doors closed, Li Hongcheng seemed to look unthinkingly behind him, and noticed a number of secret agents in plain clothes stationed in key points in the restaurant. He was well aware that they were men from the Overwatch Council, there to protect Fan Xian, but even he wasn"t sure which bureau they had come from. The Crown Prince sighed. "You still say that I"m arrogant. Look at all the people from the Council who stand guard for you while you eat. And you had the Tiger Guards as your bodyguards went you went on your diplomatic mission. When it comes to arrogance, I"m nothing compared to you."

The two of them had ascended to the third floor. They separated the sliding screen doors, and a small round table stood there laid with a number of fine cold appetizers. Fan Xian chose not to stand on ceremony, and sat down on a stool to explain things to him. "The Tiger Guards were there to protect the mission, and now that I"m back in the capital they"re no longer with me. As for the Council..." he laughed bitterly. "After the incident at Niulan Street, do you think the Council would be happy to let me walk around the capital by myself?"

Hearing this, Li Honcheng became rather angry. "You don"t think at all. You quietly exercise your power as Commissioner of the Overwatch Council. Look at how nervous the Council was after the Niulan Street incident. I presume that at that point you already were... If it weren"t for the fracas at the Ministry of Justice, I"d still be completely in the dark."

At the time of the Niulan Street attack, Fan Xian was still yet to give his famous poetic performance before the Emperor. Both the Crown Prince and the Second Prince were secretly trying to find out just why the Emperor trusted Fan Xian so much.

Fan Xian explained nothing. He wiped his hands with a hot towel and began to drink his wine. He said nothing for a while. He had forgotten the taste of the city"s wine. Li Hongcheng laughed bitterly, knowing that he wouldn"t explain anything to him.

Not long after, a waiter came and laid dishes upon the table. Knowing that the Crown Prince and Master Fan had much to discuss, the staff knew that the two guests would tactfully say little in their presence. After he left, Fan Xian took up his chopsticks and began to pick at a plate of fish belly. He smacked his lips and took a gulp of wine, clearly enjoying it very much.

Li Hongcheng looked him up and down and laughed. "They"ve put down a fine bear paw but you make a beeline for the fish instead."

"I like bear paw and I like fish," blurted out Fan Xian. "If I can"t have both, then I"ll gladly choose fish over bear paw." [1]

The answer aroused Li Hongcheng"s curiosity. "Why?" he asked with a smile.

Fan Xian scratched his head and laughed. "You wouldn"t understand. It"s just something I read in a book once."

Since it was his reception, it shouldn"t have been quite so lonely. But Fan Xian had already sent people to inform the Crown Prince that his journey had been hard, and he didn"t want a great number of people to accompany them. What was more, the Crown Prince knew that Fan Xian was in the doghouse with his wife thanks to his little poem, so he hadn"t called for dancing girls to join them. However, Li Hongcheng was an influential man who knew how to treat people well. The two knew each other well. They spoke a little about Northern Qi and made some small talk as they ate and drank. The food was light yet agreeable. Fan Xian could finally be himself to an extent, and he was quite happy to eat.

After drinking a few rounds quite quickly, the Crown Prince found himself unable to drink much more. He pointed at Fan Xian and scolded him. "I hear that you got rather drunk in Northern Qi. How can you have suddenly become such a seasoned drinker?"

Fan Xian had studied medicine intensively. His zhenqi was powerful, and there was no way a few cups of wine would leave him drunk. The reason that he had gotten so drunk with Haitang was entirely because he wanted to give vent to the gloom he had felt for years. He had deliberately sought to get drunk, and nothing more. Hearing Li Hongcheng"s words, he laughed. "You are a great man. What good does it do me to get drunk in front of you?"

There was a sudden look of fascination on Li Hongcheng"s face. "That Haitang... does she really seem like an immortal being?" he asked, his voice low.

Fan Xian spat out his wine. Fortunately he quickly turned it away and spat it on the floor. He laughed scoldingly. "Is that why you asked me here today?"

They had drunk three rounds. Fan Xian"s eyes got brighter as he drank. Li Hongcheng was intoxicated. He pointed at Fan Xian"s handsome face. "Fan Xian, I don"t know what you came across on your mission. But now there"s something different in your face."

Fan Xian unthinkingly touched his own face. "What"s different?" he asked curiously.

Li Hongcheng scratched his head and took a sip of wine. It seemed that he was trying to figure out how to say it. After a moment, he laughed. "It"s like before, you had this faint smile on your face, like you do now, and it made people want to approach you. But it always belied a sense of distance, as if you didn"t want to get too close to anyone. And now, your smile doesn"t have that deliberate simplicity. It makes people feel at ease, and there"s a brightness in your eyes. Your words and your mannerisms are like polished jade. They"re so gentle."

Fan Xian laughed appropriately. But thinking on it, he presumed this change was probably due to that night he spent in the cave. He finally understood a number of things, and he had begun, deep in his heart, to view himself as a part of this world. He had begun to make true plans for his future. It was no wonder that this change on the inside had led to changes on the outside.

Li Hongcheng got progressively drunker, and yet Fan Xian remained sober.

"I know that the Emperor has put you in charge of the palace treasury." Li Hongcheng seemed not to be taking his liquor too well. "Maybe you could send a little my way in future."

Though it was a joke, coming from someone with the stature of the Crown Prince meant that Fan Xian had gained face. Fan Xian couldn"t help but feel somewhat astonished. He looked at him. "You"re first in line to the throne. Why are you concerned with such things? Don"t tell me that His Majesty has cut off your allowance."

Li Hongcheng poked out his tongue in a mocking expression. "You know I spend quite a bit of money. A shopkeeper of Qingyu Hall has helped my household arrange financial affairs, so there"s a little income, but not enough..." He sighed. "You also know that the Emperor"s brother has not been willing to do much these past few years. He even only enters the palace to visit grandmother once a month. He is a pigheaded fellow, an idle prince lacking in filial piety. And I am hindered by my status. It is difficult for me not to put on airs in my dealings with officials. There are times when it gets difficult."

Fan Xian seemed rather surprised. "If talk like this got out, n.o.body would believe it," he mumbled to himself unthinkingly.

Li Hongcheng waved a hand, spreading the smell of alcohol everywhere. He laughed grimly. "Being a son of the royal family really isn"t worth a d.a.m.n. You don"t need to feel embarra.s.sed. The palace treasury ultimately goes to the royal family. You don"t need to be so thankful that it was given to you. In the past few years when my aunt was running it, who knows how much I got out of it. Even when the Guo family"s house was searched on your order, and they seized 130,000 taels of silver, the palace treasury was still in deficit. If you go and see my residence in Wuzhou, you"ll see where all the people"s blood, sweat, and tears have gone."

Fan Xian was rather taken aback. He knew that the Crown Prince was telling him this especially.

Looking at the Crown Prince, who was now slumped over the table, Fan Xian smiled coldly to himself. Wu Zhu had been right. There really was no one in the world who was worth trusting. His travels in Northern Qi had been emotionally exhausting. He knew that friendship was hard to come by, so he was quite aware that Li Hongcheng had only hosted this reception dinner in order to announce to the capital that Fan Xian and the Second Prince were close, but he still hadn"t refused. But he still hadn"t expected him to stake his honor on such a huge lie.

Li Hongcheng, Crown Prince Jing, had a trusted aide under his command, who had always secretly handled his carnal affairs on Liujing River. Although it was not particularly ill.u.s.trious business – seemingly incongruous with the role of the Crown Prince – he was willing to provide an unending supply of silver for it. The Crown Prince had kept his affairs extremely secret. If Fan Xian had not sent men to investigate this fixer, named Yuan Meng, last summer, then perhaps the Second Bureau of the Overwatch Council would never have learned of this matter. It was no wonder he dared to bewail his poverty before Fan Xian.

But Fan Xian also knew full well that the Second Prince had not necessarily taken a fancy to the money in the palace treasury. But while the Eldest Princess had been at the helm, the Eastern Palace had also had a hand in the palace treasury. Perhaps the Second Prince only planned to rely heavily on Fan Xian, figuring that this was the best way to get one over on the Crown Prince.

And he also understood that there was some truth to the Crown Prince"s lies. There were in fact a number of n.o.blemen who did not act so unrestrainedly - even Fan Xian would have to do so if he did not have the support of the bookstore behind him. The man in charge of the state treasury was also part of his household, and it was very likely that he had fingers in numerous pies - his children were not supporting him with money, so how could he survive merely on an official"s salary?

The feast had been consumed, the wine drunk dry. Fan Xian tapped Li Hongcheng twice. He didn"t respond. He was reluctant to find out whether Li Hongcheng was genuinely drunk or had been faking it. He pretended to stagger as he helped Li Hongcheng up from the table and walked outside with him, where attendants, previously informed by the staff of the restaurant, stood to wait upon them.

The wooden door of Yishi Tavern opened and the early autumn wind blew through. Fan Xian shook his head and tried to get some kind of reaction from his friend, but none came, leaving him somewhat disappointed.

At that moment, a middle-aged man in simple clothes came out of nowhere, and bowed in reverence toward Fan Xian. Fan Xian bowed slightly in response, then frowned slightly. Since Li Hongcheng had closed down the entire restaurant for them, with guards posted on the door, how could this man get inside?

Seeing the suspicion on Fan Xian"s face, the man hurriedly responded in a servile manner. "I am Cui Qingquan, the proprietor of Yishi Tavern. It is an honor to meet you, Master Fan."

So this was the owner of Yishi Tavern. Presuming he was there to lick their boots, Fan Xian found himself about to laugh unthinkingly. Then he suddenly recalled the man"s surname and frowned. "Cui?"

Cui Qingquan smiled. "Correct. The leaders of my clan asked me to convey grat.i.tude for the favor and kindness you showed our second son in the north. They know that you are a fine poet, and not fond of doing such things, so I have been a.s.signed to wait upon you today."

Fan Xian nodded, his face expressionless. He knew that the Cui clan were a prestigious house with a foundation in the capital, and that they did business in the north. Master Cui, who had begged him for his life in the rain as he kneeled before the diplomatic mission in Shangjing, was one of their number. He presumed that the Cui clan knew of his transgression, and so had wanted to deal with the matter by every possible means.

Cui Qingquan had very tactfully not stepped forward. He pa.s.sed him a box. "It is wild dwarf ginseng. Though it is not hugely efficient, it is best used to dissipate the effects of alcohol. It has been washed, and it is best chewed for optimal effect."

Fan Xian nodded, and Teng Zijing took the box.

Sitting in the carriage as it made its way down the long street, Fan Xian opened the box perched upon his knees. He discovered that it wasn"t filled with ginseng at all, but a thick pile of banknotes. He frowned as he looked through it. There was as much as 20,000 taels of silver there!

Teng Zijing sat opposite him, stupefied. "The Cui family knows how to spend their money."

Fan Xian"s face didn"t change, though he was rather surprised. This sum represented months" worth of income from the Danbo Bookstore, and the man had casually handed it over to him. Of course, he also understood that if the Cui clan wanted to do business in the north for the palace treasury, then they had to be on good terms with him. When he thought about the well wishes he had received on his journeys to and from the palace that day, he couldn"t help but sigh. Though he had lived in two worlds and his temperament was far more persistent than the average person, at that moment he truly experienced the feelings that power can bring, and it made him somewhat frustrated.

But the Cui clan had sent their money in vain. Since Fan Xian had already made his decision long ago, the Cui clan would one day find themselves buried alongside the Eldest Princess. When he thought on it, his enmity toward the Crown Prince softened slightly. After all, men only have one life, and when all is said and done, they had to take advantage of each other and that was it. But he didn"t like the fact that Li Hongcheng seemed to treat him as a fool. In the end, he still wanted to keep him as a friend.

Teng Zijing looked at his master"s face and realized what he was thinking. He frowned. "Is this appropriate?"

Fan Xian looked at him and laughed. "The Crown Prince said something to me before. "Once we leave our palaces and manors, we are lords." What"s inappropriate about it?"

The carriage came to a secluded side street. The moon was at its zenith in the sky, its light silvery and dim. Fan Xian dismounted the carriage and dismissed the prince"s attendants. Teng Zijing knew that they had been followed and protected by secret agents of the Overwatch Council the entire time, so he said nothing.

He waved over at the shadows, and an agent of the Overwatch Council quietly stepped forth. He was also one of w.a.n.g Qinian"s men, who was considered to be Fan Xian"s closest advisor. Fan Xian looked at him. "Deng Ziyue, send a secret message back to the Council tomorrow. Investigate the Minister of Appointments, the Director of the Imperial Observatory, and the a.s.sistant Imperial Censor to check whether they have any involvement with the Cui clan"s businesses."

Deng Ziyue suddenly lifted his head, his eyes wide and bright. "Commissioner, we cannot investigate the royal family without an imperial decree." He was of a high rank within the Overwatch Council, so he was secretly aware that standing behind these three ministers was the Second Prince.

Fan Xian frowned and waved his hand. "It"s just vetting a few ministers. Why are you so alarmed?"

Deng Ziyue knew that his facial expression had not satisfied the Commissioner, and he quickly responded.

Fan Xian looked at him. "w.a.n.g Qinian understands what he should and should not ask. Since you have taken his post, you can learn."

Frightened, Deng Ziyue accepted his orders. Then he looked at the box that had suddenly appeared in front of him. He didn"t dare open it. He simply clutched it to his chest and walked along behind Fan Xian, who kept his hands clasped behind his back. Finally, he gathered his courage to ask him something. "Sir, how shall I make contact with the Council from now on?" He also did not know whether or not this question was one that should be asked.

Fan Xian stopped walking and smiled. "Don"t do it through official channels. That can be recorded. You need to directly contact Mu Tie of the First Bureau."

"Yes sir."

Fan Xian carried on walking, taking the rare chance to appreciate night in the city that he had been away from so long. He didn"t want to squander the opportunity. He only said a few more words.

"I"m not giving this box just to you; I"m giving it to all of you."

[1] Fan Xian is referencing Mencius, who said "I like fish, and I also like bear"s paws. If I cannot have the two together, I will let the fish go, and take the bear"s paws. So, I like life, and I also like righteousness. If I cannot keep the two together, I will let life go, and choose righteousness."