Film and Television: The Villain's Life Begins with Joy of Life

At the end of November, the golden chrysanthemums outside Kyoto were in full bloom, and Fan Xian returned to the capital.

When the news reached back, the people at the east gate of the city, whether organized or spontaneous, crowded together in layers, craning their necks to look at the end of the official road.

The Crown Prince and the Second Prince, dressed in their finest attire, were already waiting at the city gate.

The ceremonial guards lined up in a row, and the red carpet stretched from the city gate all the way to the moat bridge.

Two rows of imperial guards stood in gleaming armor, their long spears gleaming coldly in the autumn sunlight.

The music troupe had been waiting for two hours. They had been waiting since before dawn. The musicians still kept their instruments close at hand, ready for battle, only glancing at the official road from time to time.

"Here it comes!"

Someone shouted, and everyone's eyes turned to the end of the official road.

A procession slowly approached from afar. Banners fluttered in the wind, and carriages rumbled along.

At the head of the procession, Fan Xian rode a chestnut horse, dressed in a moon-white brocade robe. He was covered in dust, but it couldn't hide the heroic spirit between his brows. The autumn wind blew the hem of his robe, making it flutter.

The prince's eyes lit up, he rolled up his sleeves and jogged over to meet him.

In other words, he wasn't barefoot; otherwise, it would have seemed like he was being greeted with utmost hospitality.

Upon seeing this, the music troupe immediately began to play. The sound of suonas and the deafening gongs and drums caused a chorus of birds at the city gate to flutter away.

Fan Xian saw the Crown Prince running towards him from afar, and his eyelids twitched.

When the crown prince came to his side, he grabbed the reins without saying a word. He immediately understood and quickly dismounted.

"Your Highness!" He bowed deeply, "Your noble status is beyond my ability to trouble you. This courtesy of leading the horse is utterly unacceptable!"

The Crown Prince was somewhat disappointed to see Fan Xian dismount.

He had intended to emulate the sages of the past and treat Fan Xian with the highest courtesy to show his sincerity, but Fan Xian refused.

However, the Crown Prince was not discouraged. He helped Fan Xian up, his face full of smiles, his eyes as eager as if he had found a long-lost brother.

"Who doesn't know that the Poet Immortal of Southern Qing rode his horse and planted his flag in the capital, repelling the experts from Northern Qi and upholding the prestige of our Qing Kingdom!"

His voice rose a few decibels, deliberately so that even the people a little further away could hear, "Let those Northern Qi people witness the splendor of my Qing Kingdom! For this alone, let alone leading your horse, it would be only right for me to drive your carriage and carry your palanquin!"

Fan Xian waved his hands repeatedly, a humble smile on his face: "Your Highness flatters me. I am merely relying on the strength of my Qing Kingdom; how could I possibly deserve such high praise from Your Highness..."

The crown prince smiled.

"Young Master Fan is still a little reserved, but that's only human nature."

He changed the subject, "In that case, I won't lead the horse."

As he spoke, he reached out and took Fan Xian's hand, giving it a firm squeeze.

The force was just right, neither too light nor too heavy.

"With a meritorious official returning, how can I, as the crown prince, not show my worth?" The crown prince stared into Fan Xian's eyes, enunciating each word clearly, "Let my brother and I enter the city hand in hand; it will be a beautiful story."

Two brothers.

He said it very naturally.

Fan Xian naturally understood that the Crown Prince had something in mind and intended to be close to him, but no matter how he looked at it, it sounded awkward.

Two grown men holding hands as they enter the city, what's that all about?

His lips twitched involuntarily, but he could only try his best to maintain a smile.

Just as he was thinking about how to refuse, the Second Prince also came over.

He said from afar:

"The Crown Prince is right. How can we not welcome a meritorious official?"

He walked at a leisurely pace, with his usual gentle and refined manner. "Lord Fan's mission this time has not only demonstrated the martial prowess of the Qing Kingdom, but also brought the literary legacy of Zhuang Mohan to fruition. He is destined to be a pillar of the literary world in the future, and it is our honor to welcome him."

Fan Xian could manage a forced smile when facing the Crown Prince, but he didn't really want to put on an act when facing the Second Prince.

On the way back to Beijing, Li Chengze caused him no shortage of trouble.

His face was expressionless; he simply nodded at him.

The literary legacy that Li Chengze spoke of was actually Zhuang Mohan's collection.

After the Northern Qi dynasty, he met Zhuang Mohan again in the capital city.

After returning to Northern Qi, the old man was already exhausted and barely clinging to life with only a stubborn will.

With Sean dying at the hands of Lang Tao, the eldest disciple of Ku He, Zhuang Mohan ultimately failed to see his younger brother one last time, closing his eyes with endless regret.

On his deathbed, he left his life's treasures to him. To outsiders, this was the passing down of the mantle of a literary master.

Fan Xian knew what Zhuang Mohan and the others were thinking, but he knew his own situation.

He can only recite a few poems; he can't even write properly. What kind of literary legacy can he possibly carry on?

But he couldn't explain it, and even if he did, no one would believe him.

Helpless, he could only accept it for the time being, and wait for the opportunity in the future to pass on Zhuang Mohan's legacy to the true inheritor.

The Second Prince looked Fan Xian up and down, then reached out and squeezed his arm, his tone carrying a hint of deliberate concern.

"Young Master Fan has suffered a lot on this mission. Look, you've even lost weight."

Fan Xian gave a forced, insincere smile, his voice carrying a hint of sarcasm:

"Your Highness has been so worried about me on this journey. I haven't been able to eat or sleep well, and I've been living in constant fear. It would be a shame if I didn't lose weight."

In Northern Qi, he used the conflict between Xiao En's adopted son, Shang Shanhu, and Shen Zhong to successfully bring down Shen Zhong, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Before his death, Shen Zhong handed over irrefutable evidence of smuggling between Northern Qi and Li Yunrui and Li Chengze to Fan Xian.

On his way back to the capital, Li Chengze sent assassins to kill him, but they were killed by the Tiger Guards.

Li Chengze then sent someone to bring out the gift he had given to Fei Jie, falsely claiming that Fei Jie was in his hands and forcing him to commit suicide. Fortunately, Fei Jie saw through the deception.

By using people close to him to threaten him, Li Chengze's actions have crossed his bottom line.

So he didn't give him a single kind look.

Since we're destined to break off all pretense, why bother pretending?

Looking at Li Chengze's hypocritical smile, Fan Xian really wanted to slap him, just like Zhou Cheng did.

Unfortunately, he wasn't Zhou Cheng, and this was in public, so he had to suppress his urge to make a move.

Seeing that Fan Xian's gaze kept glancing at his face, how could Li Chengze not guess what Fan Xian was thinking?

His face twitched a few times, and a sinister glint flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his gentle and refined demeanor.

The crown prince stood aside, watching the two exchange barbs, a barely perceptible hint of joy flashing in his eyes.

His intelligence network naturally knew that the Second Prince had attacked Fan Xian along the way, but they didn't know the specific reason.

But that's not important; his goal was to win over Fan Xian.

Fan Xian's falling out with the Second Prince was practically a stroke of luck!

He had a smile on his face, but he still didn't let go of Fan Xian's hand.

"Being thinner is good! You look more energetic!" He pretended to look Fan Xian up and down, his gaze unbelievably sincere. "I didn't even notice just now, but look, after just one trip, young Master Fan's single eyelids have become double eyelids, his eyes are even bigger, and he looks so radiant! Fantastic!"

Fan Xian smiled awkwardly.

Big eyes are fine, but what do you mean by turning single eyelids into double eyelids?

In other words, the Crown Prince's expression was sincere and his tone was earnest; if someone else had said those words, he would have thought it was sarcasm.

Thinking of someone, Fan Xian's gaze involuntarily swept towards the city gate.

The Crown Prince and the Second Prince have arrived, but where is that bastard?

Thinking of this, he said to the Crown Prince, "Your Highness and the Second Prince are here to welcome me; I am overwhelmed with gratitude. However, where is Prince Cheng?"

The moment Fan Xian mentioned Zhou Cheng, the Crown Prince's eyelids twitched.

He showed no sign of it on his face and continued to chuckle:

"Third Brother didn't come. He's a proud and arrogant man. During the Qingqi War, he personally went to the border to boost morale and forced Northern Qi to sue for peace. Naturally, he doesn't think much of Lord Fan's mission this time. Of course, I don't mean to say anything bad about Third Brother, I'm just saying that... well, not all princes care about Lord Fan as much."

He paused, then added, "Of course, I'm not Third Brother either, so I don't know the specifics. Maybe Third Brother also wanted to come, but he didn't arrive today because something delayed him."

"I see."

Fan Xian nodded.

He could certainly tell that the Crown Prince was trying to provoke him, but he didn't care.

He paused, then said:

"It is understandable that His Highness Prince Cheng did not come. I was merely borrowing the prestige of my Qing Kingdom to act as a figurehead. It is normal that such a trivial achievement is not taken seriously." He cupped his hands to the Crown Prince. "Your Highness is too kind, and it makes me feel uneasy."

The Crown Prince quickly smiled and said, "Not at all! Whatever I do for Lord Fan is worthwhile!"

As he spoke, he patted Fan Xian's hand again, the gentle touch sending a chill down Fan Xian's spine.

Fan Xian subconsciously tried to break free, but the other person's hand tightened its grip, and he couldn't break free in an instant.

The crown prince chuckled, seemingly unaware of his actions.

He grabbed Fan Xian's hand and raised it high, waving it around to the surrounding crowd, which immediately erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

The Crown Prince lowered his hand, still holding Fan Xian's, and turned to walk towards the city gate.

"Let's go! It's not good for us to block the city gate. The people in the city are getting impatient; they're probably eager to witness the brilliance of the poet immortal of Qing Kingdom!"

As he spoke, he pulled Fan Xian along and they walked towards the city gate.

The Second Prince's lips curled into a sneer, but he followed and stood on Fan Xian's other side.

With the Crown Prince on his left and the Second Prince on his right, Fan Xian has clearly become the absolute protagonist among the three.

The three walked side by side at the front, followed by a grand procession. The gongs and drums sounded again, and the suonas blared loudly.

The people at the city gate stood on tiptoe, craned their necks, pointed and talked animatedly.

"That's Fan Xian? The Poet Immortal of Qing Kingdom, he really is quite the handsome man!"

"I heard he was a force to be reckoned with in Northern Qi, utterly defeating their top fighters!"

"That's right! Even Zhuang Mohan passed on his lifelong collection to him; this is a true literary legacy!"

"Our literary scene has also begun to flourish; how fortunate!"

"Our Qing Kingdom has produced such a remarkable figure; it is truly a blessing from His Majesty!"

Fan Xian walked between the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, feeling extremely uncomfortable inside, but he still had to wear a polite smile on his face.

Fan Xian walked between the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, feeling extremely uncomfortable inside, but he still had to wear a polite smile on his face.

The crown prince held his hand tightly and kept gesturing to the people along the roadside, as if deliberately showing their closeness.

The Second Prince simply stood with his hands in his pockets and a faint smile on his face, which made Fan Xian breathe a sigh of relief.

He was really afraid that Li Chengze would follow the Crown Prince's example and do the same thing, with three men holding hands and parading around the city. He couldn't stand the thought of it!

After entering the city gate and walking for quite a while, the number of onlookers gradually decreased, and the streets returned to their usual order.

The Crown Prince then reluctantly released Fan Xian's hand, his lingering reluctance making Fan Xian feel uneasy.

He quietly pulled his hands back into his sleeves, and under the cover of his sleeves, vigorously rubbed his palms and the backs of his hands.

Seeing that the audience had dwindled, Fan Xian felt he had done his part and bowed to the Crown Prince, preparing to take his leave.

He didn't look at the Second Prince once.

The crown prince was secretly pleased, but he didn't show it on his face at all.

"Why are you in such a hurry to go back, Lord Fan?" he asked eagerly. "I'm preparing a banquet to welcome you back!"

Fan Xian quickly waved his hand: "Your Highness is too kind. How could I dare to trouble Your Highness to host a banquet? I am planning to visit Prince Cheng's residence; perhaps I can freeload a meal there."

Upon hearing that Fan Xian was not in a hurry to return to the Fan residence after entering the city, but instead wanted to go to the Prince Cheng's residence, the Crown Prince's expression instantly froze.

A visit to Prince Cheng's residence?

What does that mean?

Is it the literal meaning?

If the third brother doesn't come to greet you, do you go to see him in person?

You son of a bitch...

The crown prince forcibly suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, forcing a smile, but his voice became somewhat unnatural.

"May I ask what brings Lord Fan to visit my third brother's residence?"

Fan Xian seemed oblivious to the Crown Prince's unusual behavior and stated directly, "I encountered quite a few troubles upon arriving in the capital. Thanks to His Highness Prince Cheng's renowned reputation, he helped me resolve many of these problems. My visit to Prince Cheng's residence is naturally to express my gratitude."

Well-known?

thank?

Fan Xian's words made the Crown Prince's heart skip a beat.

What problems can fame solve?

In a foreign land like the capital, even the reputation of Emperor Qing would probably be of no use, so what would the reputation of Prince Cheng matter?

The crown prince felt there must be something more to it.

The smile on his face could barely be maintained.

He was eager to know what trouble Fan Xian had encountered that Zhou Cheng needed to resolve, but with so many eyes watching in public, he couldn't ask too many questions.

He could only manage a forced smile, his voice feigning nonchalance: "I see. Then, Lord Fan, please proceed!"

Fan Xian bowed to the Crown Prince again, then turned back to his carriage and instructed the driver to drive to Prince Cheng's residence.

The carriage started up and quickly disappeared around the street corner.

As soon as Fan Xian left, the Crown Prince's face darkened instantly.

At this moment, the second prince approached with a smile, his voice carrying a hint of schadenfreude.

"The Crown Prince is being too kind and humble, he's probably just being presumptuous." He shook his head, clicking his tongue. "Fan Xian and I don't get along, but he doesn't seem to be very close to His Highness the Crown Prince either. He went to see the Third Prince as soon as he got back. Heh, it seems we all underestimated the Third Prince. Who knows, the Third Prince might have already subdued Fan Xian without us even realizing it."

The Crown Prince glanced at the Second Prince but said nothing.

He knew Li Chengze was trying to provoke him, but he still couldn't help but feel a surge of anger.

Fan Xian is far too important to him. If Fan Xian sides with Zhou Cheng, he's finished.

People are blindly obedient, even high-ranking officials are no exception. Once Zhou Cheng gains absolute power in the court, one can imagine what the future will be like.

The prince clenched his fist tightly in his sleeve. Without saying a word, he turned abruptly, flicked his sleeve, and left.

The second prince stood there, watching the crown prince's retreating figure, and chuckled a few times.

Then he turned around and got into his own carriage.

"Go to Guangxin Palace," he ordered.

Fan Xian already knew about the smuggling with Northern Qi. He couldn't escape it, and neither could Li Yunrui.

On his way back to the capital, Fan Xian was protected by a squad of Tiger Guards, making it impossible for him to make a move. Now that he's back in the capital, he doesn't know how to deal with Fan Xian.

He knew, however, that he couldn't possibly confront Fan Xian alone.

……

Prince Cheng's Mansion.

Fan Xian's carriage stopped in front of the mansion gate. He jumped down and looked up at the gilded plaque—"Prince Cheng's Mansion." The three large characters gleamed in the autumn sunlight.

This was the first time he had ever stood at this doorway.

When Zhou Cheng took Teng Zijing's wife and daughter away, he did consider going to their house late at night, but he ran into Teng Zijing on the way, so he didn't get any closer.

After the announcement, he was led into the inner study.

Incense burned in the study, the faint scent of sandalwood mingling with the aroma of ink, creating a calming atmosphere.

Zhou Cheng leaned lazily against the rattan chair, still holding a book in his hand. When he saw him come in, he didn't get up, but just raised his eyelids slightly.

"A rare guest indeed." He drew out his voice, tinged with a hint of mockery. "I heard that the Crown Prince and the Second Prince were both waiting for you at the city gate. Why didn't you join them, Lord Fan, and instead came to my residence?"

Upon hearing Zhou Cheng speak, the veins on Fan Xian's forehead throbbed.

He took a deep breath, suppressed his surging emotions, and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"I have come here because I have something I need Your Highness to answer for me."

Zhou Cheng raised an eyebrow, put down the book in his hand, changed his posture, and sat up slightly.

"Young Master Fan, a dignified 'Poet Immortal' who has inherited Zhuang Mohan's literary legacy, actually has questions directed at a good-for-nothing like me." A smile played on his lips, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "How interesting. I wonder, what is it that you have questions, Young Master Fan?"

Fan Xian stared at him, remaining silent for a few moments:

"Your Highness is puzzled about the nature of your relationship with the Northern Qi royal family. Your Highness's name is far too convenient in the capital."

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