Simultaneous travel: I am rampant in the domestic area

Two major events occurred at the banquet in the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. First, an eighth-rank official, a music official, recited a hundred poems on the spot, shocking the great master Zhuang Mohan to the point of vomiting blood and fleeing. He was known in the martial arts world as the "Poet Immortal Descending to Earth." Second, after the four great masters, a fifth grandmaster finally appeared in the world.

Moreover, according to reliable intelligence, this fifth grandmaster was a close friend of the poet. On that day, many officials and guards saw the two of them arrive at the palace together, chatting and laughing all the way.

Therefore, the Fan family, which was already deeply favored by the emperor, was now thriving like oil being poured over a raging fire.

Fan Jian's thoughts were exactly the same as Ye Zhong's; he only felt that being too sharp and outspoken would bring trouble to the Fan family.

However, apart from Russell, the other protagonist of the incident, the poet Fan Xian, was not thinking about this at all at the moment, because he was now preoccupied with another matter, which was giving him a real headache.

That night, in order to conceal his whereabouts in the latter half of the night, he pretended to be drunk in the palace. As a result, he was inspired to write poetry and couldn't stop himself. There are countless allusions in these poems that are hard to explain. If he were to explain all these allusions, he would have to write countless history books.

You should have all four classic novels, right? You should have a copy of *A New Account of Tales of the World*, right? The Analects? The Book of Poetry? Hey, don't think that's too few. How about a fictional version of *Zizhi Tongjian*? A time-traveling version of *Records of the Grand Historian* by Sima Qian? No one would object to writing them all down.

The thought of such a workload sent a chill down Fan Xian's spine. If things really continued to expand like this, he would be unable to do anything else and would just be stuck in the bookstore as an old scholar.

"Tsk, you were so happy copying the book, but now you're chickening out. You're no good either."

As spring transitions into summer, the fields around Beijing seem to have been turned upside down with a palette of colors, especially the endless fields of blooming rapeseed flowers, which are golden and radiant, like a giant tapestry spread to the horizon. A gentle breeze blows, and the flowers ripple like waves, filling the air with their sweet fragrance.

Fan Xian drove the carriage, looking utterly despairing, while Russell remained quite relaxed.

"You're kidding me," Fan Xian said irritably. If Russell had been willing to help him the day before yesterday, he wouldn't have had to rely on copying poems to buy time.

Before long, the carriage slowly came to a stop at the picnic spot that Fan Xian had chosen in advance.

Lin Wan'er and Si Lili stepped out of the carriage.

With the Grandmaster Russell by their side, even with the blazing sun overhead, an invisible yet resilient barrier of true energy enveloped the area where the four of them were, completely shutting out the scorching heat and leaving only a pleasant coolness and warmth.

This is also the application that Russell developed, just like how Wang Ye used Feng Hou Qi Men to blow a fan. His control of nuclear energy is also mainly for a living.

The four agreed on a general time and then went their separate ways. Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er were deeply in love and whispered to each other. Before they knew it, they were strolling hand in hand and disappeared into the boundless golden sea of ​​flowers. Luo Su and Si Lili walked side by side along the clear stream.

The river flows gently, reflecting the blue sky, white clouds, and green willows on both banks, creating a tranquil and peaceful scene.

Si Lili watched the small fish swimming freely in the water, took a deep breath of the air filled with the fragrance of flowers and grass, and said softly, "Since my grandfather passed away, it has been a very long time since I have felt so at ease."

Russell turned his head to look at her beautiful profile and smiled, "There will be many more days like this in the future."

Si Lili felt a warmth in her heart and was about to speak when she saw a village girl in simple clothes jump out from around the bend in the path ahead.

She walked up to the two of them and looked at Russell, saying, "I have sent a message back to my teacher in Northern Qi as quickly as possible. I expect to hear back from him within this month. As for Dongyi City, there is no news yet, but I heard that they are preparing to leave the capital."

Russell nodded slightly, his tone indifferent: "Thank you for your trouble."

With a mischievous glint in her eyes, Haitang Duoduo couldn't help but laugh and said, "Now let's see how the one hiding in the Qing Kingdom's palace will deal with this."

What to do? What else can we do? Either we step forward to fight, or Russell, Si Gu Jian, and Ku He will storm into the palace together.

But if the latter choice is made, the Qing Kingdom's royal family will lose all its prestige. Therefore, there is only one path in front of Emperor Qing: to step forward and fight. But if he does that, all his painstaking planning over the years will be in vain.

Russell's move was the most upright and aboveboard strategy, directly forcing Emperor Qing, who was used to hiding behind the scenes, into a situation where he had to reveal his identity and burn his bridges.

At this very moment, Emperor Qing, deep within the palace, was unaware that Russell had already conspired with the Northern Qi and the Eastern Yi to set up such a trap against him.

He simply felt intuitively that Russell, this newly emerged master who had suddenly appeared and had a close relationship with Wu Zhu, was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, enough to completely disrupt or even overturn the chess game he had been planning for many years.

Ye Liuyun has not returned from his travels. If Wu Zhu and Luo Su were to join forces and force their way in, the consequences would be unimaginable, given the strength of the palace alone.

For him, the most important thing now is to stall for time until Ye Liuyun returns to the capital.

Thinking this, Emperor Qing's gaze fell on the memorial concerning Fan Xian's marriage on his desk, and a thought suddenly struck him.

He didn't think about using any schemes or tricks to scheme against a Grandmaster, because he himself was a Grandmaster, and he knew better than anyone that at this level, all schemes were powerless in the face of absolute strength.

Only a Grandmaster can deal with a Grandmaster.

On the outskirts of Beijing, by a stream.

Russell, Si Lili, and Haitang Duoduo circled around and returned to the grove of trees at the edge of the rapeseed field.

Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er had already taken the prepared ingredients from the carriage and were squatting on the ground, one starting a fire and the other washing vegetables, working together seamlessly.

Upon seeing Haitang Duoduo approach, Fan Xian smiled and waved a cucumber in his hand: "Miss Duoduo, you've come at the perfect time. Why don't you try my cooking?"

Haitang Duoduo, who has absolutely no resistance to delicious food, lit up and joined in without any hesitation.

With Russell and Fan Xian present, it was naturally not the three women's turn to interfere in the kitchen matters. So the three women could only sit on the grass and watch Russell and Fan Xian busy themselves.

Russell deftly chopped down evenly sized tree branches with his fingers like knives, while Fan Xian skillfully mixed mud to build a stove. His movements were so swift and agile that they seemed more like those of a seasoned veteran who had lived in the wild for many years than a martial arts master or a rising star in the court.

Haitang Duoduo watched in amazement and couldn't help but ask, "How do you two know so much?"

Upon hearing this, Fan Xian and Russell both paused, then exchanged a smile.

How else could they understand it? In our past lives, when we had insomnia in the middle of the night, didn't we all rely on videos of "wilderness building," "primitive technology," or "Bear Grylls" to help us fall asleep?

Especially those outrageous figures from AK Media, after seeing so many, their theoretical knowledge and experience are naturally incredibly rich. Now that they have formidable cultivation and body control, they are even more adept at putting things into practice.

"Well, I was just thinking about it out of boredom," Fan Xian mumbled in response.

Soon, the simple stove was set up, and the fire was burning brightly.

Fan Xian took the lead in cooking, with Russell occasionally lending a hand. Before long, several fragrant and rustic dishes were ready. The group sat together, enjoying the gentle breeze and the fragrance of flowers, eating and drinking their fill. They then extinguished the fire completely and cleaned up all traces before boarding the carriage and setting off back to the capital.

Fan Xian personally drove the horse, while Russell sat on the carriage shaft beside him with his arms crossed.

Inside the carriage, Lin Wan'er, Si Lili, and Haitang Duoduo chatted and laughed in hushed tones, their relationship seemingly much more harmonious.

The carriage swayed and wobbled, and soon returned to Kyoto, slowly coming to a stop outside the gate of the royal villa.

Lin Wan'er's status is special, so everything must be done with her first priority.

Fan Xian jumped off the carriage first, and then carefully helped Lin Wan'er off the carriage.

However, the two had barely touched the ground and hadn't even entered the gate of the villa when they saw a group of palace guards escorting Eunuch Hou, rushing over in a hurry.

When Eunuch Hou saw Fan Xian, he greeted him with a smile from afar. However, when his gaze fell upon the black-robed figure with an eye patch on the carriage shaft, his smile immediately faded.

He strode forward, first bowing respectfully in Russell's direction, then grabbed Fan Xian's arm, pulled him aside, and said in a low voice with a pained expression:
"Oh, my dear Lord Fan! You've finally returned! This old servant has been waiting for you at the gate of this villa for almost an hour!"

Seeing his anxious appearance, Fan Xian couldn't help but laugh and ask, "Eunuch Hou, what's making you so anxious? Is it another decree from His Majesty?"

"That's right!" Eunuch Hou slapped his thigh, his face full of mockery. "It's a joyous occasion, but also an urgent matter, concerning your marriage to the princess!"

"Marriage?" Fan Xian was taken aback. Could it be that the Eldest Princess and that old hag Empress Dowager were up to their old tricks again? Did they really think he was immune to anger?

What happened to the wedding?

Eunuch Hou leaned closer and lowered his voice: "His Majesty just issued a decree saying that, in view of recent... uh, many matters, he has decided to move up your wedding date with the princess. Half a month from now will be the auspicious day designated by His Majesty, and the wedding will be held on that day!"

"Ahead of schedule? Half a month later?" Fan Xian was stunned at first, then quickly reacted. Overwhelmed with joy, his expression shifted from astonishment to disbelief, and then to ecstasy. He could barely contain himself and was about to burst out laughing.

"Oh dear, Lord Fan, don't be so happy yet," Eunuch Hou quickly said, "The imperial edict hasn't been issued yet, you must accept it first!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Accept the decree! Accept the decree!" Fan Xian nodded repeatedly, trying hard to keep a straight face, but he just couldn't suppress the corners of his mouth.

Soon, apart from Russell, whose special status exempted him from kneeling, and Si Lili and Haitang Duoduo, who were also guests, all the stewards, servants, guards and others in the villa came to the front square and knelt down in a dark mass.

As the imperial decree was announced, amidst expressions of gratitude, Fan Xian accepted it, his face beaming with joy.

After seeing off Eunuch Hou and his entourage, Fan Xian still held the imperial edict, grinning from ear to ear.

Russell shook his head, naturally knowing what Emperor Qing was thinking.

However, some things are beyond his control.

The next day, the delegations from Northern Qi and Dongyi left the capital. On the same day, Fan Xian's poetry collection, issued by Danbo Bookstore under Fan Sizhe, and the challenge statement issued by the newly promoted Grandmaster Luo Su to the four Grandmasters of the world, spread throughout the capital at an extremely fast pace with the help of the Censorate.

If no unforeseen circumstances occur, a month from now, the entire world will be eagerly anticipating the Grandmasters Conference two months from now.

Avenging Ye Qingmei has always been Chen Pingping's wish, but he has been unable to determine who the grandmaster in the palace is, which is why he has been suppressing his desire.

Now that a master like Bertrand Russell has started this whole affair, he has no choice but to lend a hand.

Similarly, Emperor Qing also learned of this news. When he saw the challenge flyer in front of him, he was strangely calm.

Of course, if Fan Jian and Chen Pingping were present, they would understand that the current calm was merely a prelude to an impending explosion.

"Tell me, why does he insist on making things difficult for me?" Emperor Qing asked.

Hong Sixiang, who was bowing and standing beside him, knew that His Majesty the Emperor was not really asking him a question, so he pretended not to hear.

"That old dog Chen Pingping, does he think that I am in such a precarious state that I cannot touch him?" Emperor Qing's eyes narrowed, revealing a ruthless intent to devour anyone he could. This ruthlessness lasted for a long time before it subsided.

He answered his own question: "Yes, with a grandmaster by his side, what would he have to worry about?"

……

In the summer of the fourth year of the Qingli era, Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er's wedding was finally scheduled.

Although the wedding was arranged in a hurry, fortunately, nothing went wrong along the way.

This grand wedding caused quite a stir in the capital. The groom's family, the Fan clan, was already a prominent clan in the capital. Due to his relationship with the imperial family, Lord Fan Jian had received considerable imperial favor in recent years. The Minister of Revenue had long been on sick leave at home, and it would probably be a year or two before Lord Fan took over that position.

The groom, Fan Xian, is a figure who has recently become very popular in the capital. His drunken poetic outburst in the palace half a month ago propelled him to the pinnacle of public opinion.

The bride was also quite remarkable. Although she had only joined the Lin family at the beginning of the year, she was, after all, the daughter of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister was the head of the civil officials in the court, and his daughter's marriage was an extremely important event.

Of course, Fan Xian was both happy and desperate today. From the morning onwards, he was dressed up like a puppet by five old women.

"Where did this fancy rice dumpling come from?" Russell had also changed into a more festive outfit today. Leaning against the door, he watched Fan Xian being bossed around, and his resolve to not get married grew stronger.

"It's not a fancy rice dumpling, it's clearly a giant, moving, colorful wind chime," Fan Xian said to himself, feeling utterly hopeless.

After finally waiting for the five old women to finish tidying everything up, just as I was about to take Russell to get something to eat, Fan Ruoruo told me that there was still the procession through the streets to follow.

Then, Fan Xian became even more desperate...

Shaking his head and sighing at how difficult it was to get married, Russell prepared to go home first. But as soon as he stepped out of the Fan residence, he saw an assassin dressed in black and wearing a mask standing in the shadows in the corner.

Shadow said respectfully, "Mr. Luo, the dean invites you for a chat." (End of Chapter)