Chapter 153: Women's worries and beauties' complaints. (Three more chapters)

Time passed day by day, and in the blink of an eye it was the birthday of the Queen Mother of Northern Qi!
In the past few days, thanks to Wang Qinian's efforts, the news that Shen Zhong was smuggling to the enemy and enriching himself spread like wildfire!

Not only that, there are also rumors that Shen Zhong is proud of his achievements and hard work, behaves arrogantly and domineeringly, and does not take the current emperor and the queen mother seriously.

Naturally, Ang Lee also contributed to this incident, otherwise the news would not have spread so quickly without any hindrance.

In addition to spreading serious rumors, which were not really rumors, Li An also exposed the fact that Shang Shanhu colluded with Princess Nanqing to frame Fan Xian at a banquet in the Southern Dynasty Palace. This was undoubtedly like throwing two giant rocks into the calm lake of Shangjing City, splashing two huge water flowers!
The stage has been set in the Imperial Palace under the pretext of the Empress Dowager's birthday celebration. It just depends on whether Uesugi Tora knows how to handle the situation!
He may not be smart enough, but Sean behind him is not stupid
On the other hand, Shen Zhong, the commander of the Jinyiwei Zhenfu Division, has not had a happy time these past two days. As a result of his job, he naturally heard these rumors, but he didn't care! In his opinion, everything he did was for the country and the people. He was a lone minister, so why did he think he was so arrogant and domineering?
It's nothing but malicious slander from some enemies!

······
The beautiful Yuquan River in Shangjing City was already bustling with people, and horse-drawn carriages were galloping past. Their destinations were very clear: they were all going to the imperial palace.

It’s strange to say, Miss Haitang is not very pretty, but she has an indescribable temperament that makes people feel very comfortable and relaxed.

"Why, have you prepared the gift for the Queen Mother?"

Haitang frowned slightly and asked softly.

Fan Xian took a deep breath of the scent of wild grass and river, which was mixed with the fresh and elegant aroma of crabapple blossoms, making him feel refreshed.

"That's natural. Just make sure it satisfies you."

"Ha! I hope nothing goes wrong!"

The carriage stopped by the road and the two walked slowly along the river.

"You will leave Beijing after the Queen Mother's birthday, right? When will you leave?" Haitang Duoduo asked the question in her mind, but hesitated to speak.

"Probably in the next two days!"

Fan Xian picked a wild grass and smelled it. Yes, it was the scent of crabapple blossoms. He continued, "Today I came to the palace to attend the Queen Mother's banquet and to hand in my resignation."

After saying that, he looked at Haitang Duoduo and said with a slight smile: "Why? You can't bear to part with me? I heard that the Queen Mother originally planned to marry you to Li An, didn't she?"

Before he could finish his words, he couldn't stop laughing, which made Haitang Duoduo so angry that murderous intent filled her eyes!

"Okay, okay, okay! I won't say anything anymore!"

Haitang Duoduo was almost embarrassed by Fan Xian, and she almost forgot her friend's advice. She put her hands in the pockets of her floral cloth, dragged her feet on the muddy ground by the river, and looked at the willow branches swaying in the wind in front of her with empty eyes. She asked Fan Xian: "Si Lili will enter the palace soon! Do you understand her feelings?"

"This"

Fan Xian sighed and said, "This is a major event for the ruler of Northern Qi to take a concubine. Why are you asking me about this?"

"So you're just going to watch?"

Haitang Duoduo's anger was provoked by Fan Xian's words. He shouted, "Why do you have to pretend? It's not that you can't, but you just don't want to! If you were interested, Si Lili might not have returned to Shangjing at all. You and I both know what kind of person His Majesty is. The matter of Si Lili's brother is just an excuse!"

Fan Xian's body trembled slightly, thinking about the interactions and experiences along the way, and thinking about the arrow that Si Lili blocked for him! His heart was a little confused, and the last glance back at the gate of Shangjing City made him unable to explain what he felt for Si Lili.
What I didn't expect was that Haitang Duoduo would make it all clear without any concealment or hesitation.

Everything is transparent, leaving no chance for me to cover up. It's like walking naked in the sunshine with only my heart left. It's really embarrassing!

"I said, I have no ability and no way to change this!"

The more Fan Xian spoke, the more certain he became. This was the right way!
But his smile was very bitter.

"Once you enter the palace, it's like entering a deep sea!"

Haitang Duoduo continued to expose Fan Xian, "You are nothing but a heartless person! In your eyes, everything can be calculated. After Si Lili entered the palace, you also have some connections in the Northern Qi Dynasty. Perhaps you are also a good source of information? This is why you acquiesced to the development of the situation." Without waiting for Fan Xian to say anything else, Haitang Duoduo kicked a stone under her feet and said in a different tone: "Come to the outskirts of East City at noon tomorrow. I will treat you to a drink. I will regard it as your practice. The road is long, and we may not know when we will meet again!"

"Okay." Fan Xian accepted the invitation, but in his heart he knew that it would not be a good banquet, and he was thinking about Miss Si Lili.

Miss Haitang is a good friend of Si Lili, and she can walk around the palace at any time, which means she is being taken care of. The Northern Qi emperor is also a good man with a good heart, so Si Lili's future life should not be too bad.

I can't protect her from the wind and rain
"Master Fan."

"Don't you feel tired of living a life full of intrigue and calculation like this?"

After Haitang Duoduo finished speaking, she walked towards the middle of the road without listening to Fan Xian's answer.

It's as if the answer doesn't matter at all.
The two men, full of thoughts, got into their carriages and headed towards the palace.

······
When the two carriages arrived outside the palace, the place was already crowded with people and traffic jams were severe. The reason for this was, of course, that the carriages of all the powerful ministers in the court had gathered together and stopped here.

Fan Xian had sharp eyes and found the carriage of Marquis Changning among them.

The person who came with him was naturally his younger brother, Marquis of Chang'an.

Marquis Chang'an was originally under house arrest, but today was different from the past. It was his sister's birthday, and he would not be absent no matter what.

The two marquises got off the carriage and were about to walk into the palace. Although they were of high status, they did not dare to break the rules.

However, because Fan Xian was a foreign envoy, he was allowed to enter by carriage. Needless to say, Haitang Duoduo, the junior sister-in-law of the current emperor, also rode in a carriage. The difference in their closeness was obvious at a glance.

And the one guarding the palace gate today is none other than Commander Wei Wuji.

He finally spent some effort to separate the crowd so that Fan Xian and the other two could pass. At this time, Li Ang's carriage also arrived.

Unlike Fan Xian, Li An's team had several carriages, so it was obvious that he was not here alone.

"Brother Li!"

"Fan Xian, Miss Haitang. You guys are here quite early!"

Fan Xian was cautious and asked curiously, "Who are these people following us?"

"Mr. Zhuang Mohan Zhuang." Li An smiled and greeted Marquis Changning and Marquis Changan, then asked softly, "Have you prepared the gift?"

Fan Xian nodded in response. He looked at the slightly rustic and rigid carriage behind him, thinking about what was going to happen today, and seemed to be worried.

"Are you still thinking about what happened at the Qing State Banquet?"

"Not really." Fan Xian straightened his robes, got off the carriage, bowed to the back, and said loudly, "I haven't seen you for a long time. How is Mr. Zhuang?"

"My dear Fan, I am fine. Let's talk after we enter the palace!"

Zhuang Mohan's words could be heard from the carriage behind him, but his voice was a little weak and noisy, as if there were other people in the same carriage with him.

Fan Xian himself was a medical expert, and he knew Zhuang Mohan's condition as soon as he heard the voice, and kindly reminded him, "Please take good care of yourself, Mr. Zhuang!"

"Hahaha, thank you for your concern!"

Zhuang Mohan still did not show up.

Fan Xian and Li An returned to their carriages, and the carriages drove into the palace one after another.

(End of this chapter)