Chapter 344 Fan Xian appears in Kyoto.

The most successful thing Emperor Qing has done over the years is to highly centralize imperial power.

No matter who they are, no matter what kind of forces they are in the country, they are just his pawns and tools. It just depends on whether he can use them conveniently or not.

This resulted in all the officials in the palace being good at executing orders, but if they were asked to come up with any effective suggestions,
Maybe it would be possible if you asked them to save their lives.

Go fight to the death?
forget it!
After all the discussion, they could only come to a head-on conclusion. Now that Concubine Shu had been sent out of the city, they really didn't have many ways to stop the Second Prince from attacking the city.

War seems inevitable!
"Since the prince did something wrong, let him take the responsibility himself!"

Letting the eldest prince fight with the second prince was in line with Li Chengqian's wishes. Previously, it was just not convenient to change his order every day. After all, it was inappropriate for him to treat the eldest prince in this way since His Majesty's father had just left. But now, there is nothing to worry about!

"Where is Ning Cairen?"

The Queen Mother said this silently, causing the temperature in the palace to drop again.

"Concubine Ningning?" The eunuch finally realized, "Concubine Ning is still in the palace."

The Queen Mother had a gloomy look on her face, and no one knew what she was thinking, but she didn't make any extra movements or say anything.

······
In a remote alley in the east of Kyoto.

This place is far away from the imperial palace, but very close to the city wall.

Different from the sad and panic-stricken atmosphere outside, this small courtyard seems contented in the early autumn weather, with a feeling of tranquility in the midst of bustle.

Someone who shouldn't be here is here.

Fan Xian lay on a recliner, drinking tea leisurely and relaxing himself. After all, he had been rushing to Dongyi City non-stop, and after the matter was settled, he returned to the capital of Qing Kingdom without stopping for a moment. Even his physical fitness of the ninth rank could not bear it.

This courtyard was purchased two years ago. It has been tossed around by several unrelated people, which ensures its quietness.

It's funny to say that this place was originally intended to accommodate the eldest prince's concubine - the princess of a certain Xihu tribe who returned to the capital with the Western Expedition Army, and also the eldest prince's hidden mistress, Miss Masosuo.

Unexpectedly, it has become my temporary residence.

Ignoring the bustling scene in the palace, Fan Xian, who had changed his clothes, looked very relaxed at this moment. "Miss Masuoso, besides the prince, is there anyone else who knows where this is?"

"Nothing."

Masoso shook her head.

After living there for more than a year, she had learned the language of the Central Plains people. Although there were still some bumps, she had no problem communicating.

Fan Xian’s reputation is not good now, he killed the king and rebelled against his father, but the woman from Xihu did not look afraid at all, she did not belong here.

Suddenly, Fan Xian's ears moved, he sat up straight, and stared towards the door.

No outsiders have ever come to this room. As soon as Fan Xian arrived today, someone came to visit?

It's really too much of a coincidence.

"Master Fan!" Masuo called out in a low voice, motioning Fan Xian to go first.

Fan Xian shook his head. He wanted to see the person outside the door, even though he didn't know who the other person was.

The door was unlocked from the outside and a dignified woman walked in.

Fan Xian's expression was somewhat complicated, but he still bowed slightly, "Greetings to the Princess of the Heqin clan."

The Princess of Northern Qi had a smile on her face and looked very calm. She bowed slowly, said hello, and then stared at Fan Xian without saying a word.

"Miss Soso, please go in first." Seeing that the princess didn't look like she was here to catch a mistress, Fan Xian smiled bitterly and shook his head.

Seeing Ma Suosuo leave, Fan Xian stared at the Princess of Northern Qi and began to think.

The princess came here alone, and although she was not in disguise, there were obvious signs that she could hide. He stretched out his hand and pointed at the stone bench to signal her to sit down. After a moment of silence, Fan Xian said, "Now the Prince of Heqin is responsible for protecting the palace. Today, he did something like that. With so many eyes on the Prince of Heqin's mansion, the princess is so brave that she dares to come here alone?"

"I still like Master Fan to call me the eldest princess!"

The Princess of Heqin took out a note, which was left by Fan Xian. His intention was obvious. He wanted to meet the eldest prince in private and asked him to come here for the meeting.

"My husband is in charge of the imperial guards now, so it is impossible for him to return home. In addition, my mother-in-law is also in the palace. It is impossible for me to meet with Master Fan in private." It is said that the eldest prince's biological mother, Concubine Ning, has been detained in Hanguang Palace. It is not surprising that the other party has taken such action. "I wonder if Master Fan needs any help?"

Fan Xian remained silent.

"Are you here to pay off the debt on behalf of the eldest prince, or are you here on behalf of Northern Qi, or on behalf of Li An?"

Fan Xian sighed. Now the whole Kyoto was under the control of the Qin family. Even though the eldest prince controlled the imperial guards and Qin Ye controlled the garrison troops, Fan Xian knew that the eldest prince would not rebel.

He is a straightforward person, he will not cause unrest, let alone rebel...

This is also why the Queen Mother is confident in using him.

It was this situation that made it difficult for Fan Xian to do anything. Now that the Supervisory Council had suffered serious losses, it would be bad for both them and himself if he contacted them rashly.

In desperation, Fan Xian thought of contacting the eldest prince, "When we went south from Northern Qi, the eldest princess still remembers being inside and outside the carriage. Did she promise me anything?"

"I will remember the promise and I will never forget the agreement. But the situation has changed. Even if I want to help you now, what power do I have?"

The princess smiled and said softly: "My prince is just struggling to survive now, let alone a woman like me."

Upon hearing this, Fan Xian frowned and said calmly, "The garrison has been run by the Qin family for several years. They are stationed under the peak to fight against the second prince's rebels. Therefore, the ones who really decide everything in the city are still the imperial guards!"

"My prince will not rebel," the princess explained, "and the imperial guards are only barely under his control now. It's because of the sudden incident, otherwise the queen mother would have issued an imperial decree and the prince's military power would have been taken back."

At this point, perhaps the princess would like to really take back the military power.

"He won't rebel, but there are people in the palace who are rebelling right now!"

Fan Xian smiled coldly, "Li Chengzong was defending the palace, how could he not know that the Second Prince had sent someone to deliver a piece of letter paper with an imperial seal? This is His Majesty's 'last will', and no one in the palace obeyed it?"

He has a lot of spies in the palace, all of whom are very deeply hidden.

The Imperial Guards are naturally no exception!
Although this news is secret, I can't hide it from myself, let alone the Crown Prince!
"It's just a piece of letter paper. If I were the Queen Mother, I would just be adding fuel to the fire." The princess smiled bitterly and said, "Whoever sits in the Taiji Hall now has the right to decide who is rebelling."

"I need a promise!"

There was no longer any emotion on Fan Xian's face. From this point on, all that was left between him and the woman in front of him was a transaction.

"Master Fan, please speak."

"In two days, I want the eldest prince to give up resistance!"

"can!"

It is really unbelievable that the princess makes the decision for the prince!
"It seems that you have always considered yourself a Northern Qi person!"

The princess looked at Fan Xian quietly: "I was born there and grew up there. If I were not from Northern Qi, wouldn't I have become a wandering ghost?"

(End of this chapter)