Episode 4: Fan Xian is asked to marry Lin Wan'er

Fan Xian pushed open the door of the study and stood respectfully in front of his father Fan Jian, who was handling official duties. However, Fan Jian only asked him to close the door and no longer pay attention to him. On the other hand, Madam Er instructed the servants to tidy up the servants' kitchen so that Fan Xian could stay inside. Upon learning that Fan Xian had been staying in the study for a long time without coming out, she anxiously asked Fan Siche to investigate. Unexpectedly, Fan Siche fled while the maid was not paying attention.

At the beginning of the night, Fan Xian stood watching Fan Jian handle his official duties until he finally stopped and knelt down to greet him. Fan Jian asked Fan Xian what kind of person he wanted to be, and Fan Xian candidly said that he had no great ambitions. He only hoped for a peaceful life, wealth above all else, a beautiful wife and concubine, and a charming and charming demeanor. Fan Jian asked him again why he started his business, and Fan Xian revealed the common tricks used by travelers, such as making glass, soap, white sugar, etc. Who knew that these things had long been thought of by Ye Qingmei back then, only for the use of the nobility, so they did not spread. Fan Xian could only sigh why he had a mother and a son. Following this topic, Fan Jian mentioned that after Ye Qingmei's death, her business was controlled by the royal family and placed in the inner treasury. As Emperor Qing did not have time to take care of it, it was handed over to Princess Li Yunrui for management.

The Princess Chang has an unparalleled beauty and a gentle temperament. Although she is not the younger sister of Emperor Qing, she is highly trusted and still unmarried to this day. Fan Xian didn't expect his seemingly serious father to gossip about whether he was interested in Princess Chang. Fan Jian was very helpless and told him that Princess Chang and the current prime minister Lin Ruofu had an illegitimate daughter named Lin Wan'er. Not many people know about this matter, and Lin Wan'er is the woman he is going to marry when he enters the capital. Emperor Qing ordered that whoever can marry Lin Wan'er can take over the inner treasury. This is also the reason why Fan Jian took Fan Xian back to Beijing, and this is the best time to recapture the Ye Qingmei business.

There are many people who are unwilling for Fan Xian to take over the inner treasury, one of whom is Princess Li Yunrui. Late at night, Li Yunrui personally went to the palace to seek an audience with the Empress Dowager. He pleaded with the Empress Dowager to prevent Fan Xian from marrying Wan'er, citing his lack of virtue and talent. After hearing her words, the Empress Dowager gave a glance to the eunuch leader beside her, Hong Gonggong. Hong Gonggong, with his heart in his heart, walked up to Li Yunrui and suddenly gave her a hard slap. The Empress Dowager warned Li Yunrui that only Emperor Qing could make decisions in the affairs of the harem, and this slap was a reminder to her to maintain propriety.

Fan Xian thought that if the eldest princess did not agree to the marriage, it would not be possible, but Fan Jian told him that the eldest princess could not decide on Lin Wan'er's marriage, and only Emperor Qing could decide on this matter. Emperor Qing had four sons, the eldest prince was in charge of military affairs outside. The fourth prince was young, and now the crown prince and the second prince are vying for imperial power. Princess Chang has always supported the Crown Prince's lineage, and Emperor Qing must not allow the royal family's financial power to be controlled by the Crown Prince. Therefore, she decided to change the person in charge. This is probably also the reason why Fan Xiandanzhou was assassinated.

Fan Xian believed that Fan Jian's words were biased towards Liu Ruyu, so Fan Jian took him to confront Liu Ruyu face-to-face. Fan Jian asked Liu Ruyu if he had instructed Zhou Butler to assassinate Fan Xian. Liu Ruyu was shocked and anxiously explained to him that doing so would not have any benefit, and could even provoke the master to drive him out of the Fan Mansion. After hearing this, Fan Ruoruo felt that there was some truth to this statement, but Fan Xian felt that just a few words from her could not prove her innocence. During the meal, Liu Ruyu's painting style suddenly changed, and she was very friendly to Fan Xian. Fan Xian also cooperated with her, and they came and went as if they were mother and son. Fan Siche was very puzzled when he saw this scene and quietly asked Ruo Ruo about the situation. When he heard that Fan Jian suspected his mother was going to kill Fan Xian, his chopsticks in his hands were scared.

The eldest princess left the Empress Dowager's palace, and the palace came to announce her visit to Emperor Qing. As soon as Princess Chang saw Emperor Qing, she knelt down and voluntarily admitted that she did not want Wan'er to marry Fan Xian. Emperor Qing accused her of having something to say, why send someone to tarnish Fan Xian's reputation? Princess Chang said she didn't know what Emperor Qing was saying, so Emperor Qing asked the palace to investigate the situation. Shao Qing, after investigating the palace code, he reported that the person who went out to purchase today was a Han female historian, but she had already committed suicide. Upon hearing these words, Emperor Qing remained calm and instead asked Princess Chang to stay and wait together. After a long time, Crown Prince Li Chengqian hurriedly arrived, and he immediately admitted that the affairs of the palace maids were arranged by him. The eldest princess sat calmly on the chair, and Emperor Qing laughed and cursed that the eldest princess had not admitted anything. As the Crown Prince, it was inevitable to compete for power and power, but he must not lose his own bottom line, let alone use such despicable methods to destroy the foundation of the royal family. After speaking, he threw the list of officials he had dismissed to him and let the two of them retire together.

After dinner, if he bid farewell to Fan Sichi, Fan Xian would also leave with a warm embrace of Liu Ruyu, but Fan Jian left Fan Xian alone. He knew that Fan Xian had secretly harbored Teng Zijing to help him enter the capital, and advised him to be more cautious in Kyoto. He also took out a sea arrest warrant from his pocket, and when Fan Xian opened it, he found that it was Teng Zijing who had been arrested. Fan Jian asked him to be careful of the Crown Prince and stay away from the people in the Imperial Examination Yuan. He also mentioned that his mother was killed by someone in the past, and the reason why he stayed in Danzhou was to protect him. As for his marriage to Lin Wan'er, he didn't have to worry. Upon hearing Fan Jian's words, both inside and outside, Fan Xian felt frustrated and directly stated that he was a living person with flesh and blood. Although that inner treasury may be important to him, he already had someone he liked and would not use his life to switch to a new business.

Princess Chang looked at the list and understood that Emperor Qing did not prevent the Crown Prince from competing for power, but only warned them not to cross the bottom line of military power and official governance. She heard that Fan Xian had taken on a pseudonym and wrote a strange book called "The Red Chamber". She planned to start from Fan Xian's most famous place.

Fan Xian returned to the room, only to see a room full of servants cleaning the room. His kind words were unsuccessful, so he had to pretend to be angry and scare them away. Teng Zijing sneaked into Fan Xian's room in the quiet of the night. He hadn't seen Fan Xian yet, but he ran into Fan Siche. In panic, he had to hide in bed. Fan Siqi didn't pay that much attention either. He frankly stated that he shouldn't have treated him that way today, and even invited him to go to the restaurant for dinner tomorrow. Teng Zijing had just come out, but he was still shot back and Fan Siche pretended to be straight. Fortunately, Fan Xian suddenly appeared, saying that he was the guard protecting him from entering the capital.

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Joy of Life or Qing Yu Nian (庆余年), is a Chinese web novel written by Mao Ni (猫腻). The novel was originally published by China Literature Limited's Qidian platform.

You can search for "Joy of Life" to read, or visit this URL: https://www.webnovel.com/book/7961226605002505