Chapter 146 Questions (Subscription Request)

"You look dazed. You're quite a heavy drinker, aren't you?" Emperor Qing waved his hand to signal Fan Xian to come forward.

Fan Xian looked at Emperor Qing and several other grand masters. He felt a little panicked by the situation.

Behind the empress dowager is Hong Sixiang, and among the Northern Qi delegation is the mysterious and slow-moving grandmaster Ku He who wears a hood.

Behind Dongyi Yun Zhilan there was an old man with his eyes closed. However, if he was not said to be a grandmaster, no one would dare to believe him. He looked short and even a little ugly.

Then, Ye Liuyun, who was not far from Emperor Qing, was also resting with his eyes closed. These people were quite taciturn. They didn't talk when they came, and it seemed as if everyone didn't know they were there.

Logically speaking, everyone in the Grand Master's group would like to lick him, but he is too powerful, so powerful that no one even dares to be polite.

Some very strange things might happen at this banquet. He was a little confused as to why Emperor Qing was looking for him first. Shouldn't he be looking for Duke Wu?

He knew something from Chen Pingping and Fan Jian. This banquet was nominally a celebration banquet for Duke Wu and a welcome banquet for the diplomatic envoys. However, the essence of the celebration banquet was blurred because of the arrival of the Grand Master.

This was also what Emperor Qing intended, to suppress Shen Qingzhou's courage first. Emperor Qing also knew how to use people.

Shen Qingzhou took a bite of the meatball and found the following development very interesting. It seemed that Emperor Qing had made a lot of preparations and wanted to decide many things.

"Your Majesty, the occasion is so grand that I can't help but feel a little nervous." Fan Xian said with a fist, which made Lin Wan'er feel very emotional.

She couldn't help but look at Shen Qingzhou. It was the first time she saw Shen Qingzhou in this identity. It was really him. It was too much.

"Yun Zhilan." Emperor Qing called out in a relaxed voice, holding chopsticks in his hand. Si Gu Jian did not say anything. Yun Zhilan put his sword aside and stood up. Normally, weapons could not be brought in, but the people in the Sword Pavilion of Dongyi City never let go of their swords, so an exception was made.

"He was the one who killed your two disciples." Emperor Qing pointed at Fan Xian and said to Yun Zhilan. The two women in white clothes who were assassinated in Niulan Street were his disciples.

However, many people subconsciously looked at Shen Qingzhou. He also killed people from Dongyi City, and they were ninth-rank ones, which was even more excessive.

"I know." Yun Zhilan said, subconsciously looking at the honest young man behind Shen Qingzhou. It was the Iron Hand that made him taste the bitterness of failure, and the two people next to him, one with a frosty face and the other with a gentle smile. Leng Xue was defeated by him by a hair's breadth, so Zhui Ming was considered a draw.

He felt miserable, because there was not only Wuqing but also the God-Catcher Lei Lingfeng who held a long sword in his hand but never unsheathed it.

There was no winner in the first meeting, but he knew that the opponent did not seem to have tried his best. Now that the Four Famous Detectives have greatly improved their skills, this God of Detective will definitely be even more terrifying.

"Don't look at his young age, he is quite capable." Emperor Qing said.

"Ranked 41st on the list of the world's top masters, of course you have the ability, but being able to kill me is the real ability." Yun Zhilan said.

"Si Gu Jian's disciple is arrogant." Emperor Qing clapped his chopsticks. This sentence made many people nervous because Si Gu Jian was right here.

"With the God of Detectives and the Four Famous Detectives, I dare not speak arrogantly." Yun Zhilan had a very high opinion of the Four Famous Detectives and the God of Detectives. Correspondingly, he was also on high alert for Shen Qingzhou, who was sitting in front of them.

After he finished speaking, he returned to the table. There was silence for a while in the audience, as no one had the power to speak independently.

"Brother Yun is joking." Lei Lingfeng raised his glass. Yun Zhilan was talking to them. He could represent the Four Famous Detectives, but as for Shen Qingzhou, Yun Zhilan was not worthy of talking to him.

"The God of Detectives and the Four Famous Detectives are all the most loyal and trustworthy officials of the Qing Kingdom. I understand. Fan Xian, a report has come from the Honglu Temple, saying that you have done a good job this time. I don't want to praise you in public. Come, have a drink with me." The poem first praises the God of Detectives and the Four Famous Detectives, and then brings the topic back to Fan Xian. This is a complete praise for Fan Xian.

This is also an open conspiracy of Emperor Qing. He intends to give away the financial power of the inner treasury, which is related to the plan behind it.

"Your Majesty, I have something to say. Fan Xian is not only brave but also a man of great literary talent. I am constantly impressed by his poetic talent. Recently, I also heard that he was neither humble nor overbearing and knew when to advance and retreat during the negotiations with Northern Qi. He is worthy of great use." When Fan Xian went to get the wine glass, the Second Prince suddenly stood up and began to praise Shen Qingzhou.

Most people might think that the Second Prince was helping Fan Xian. Many people in Kyoto knew that the Second Prince valued Fan Xian very much. On the contrary, there were many frictions between Fan Xian and the Crown Prince's disciples.

But Shen Qingzhou knew that this was flattery and also handing a knife to the princess. Shen Qingzhou knew that at this banquet, an attack would be made against Fan Xian. Guo Baokun knew about this as well. Shen Qingzhou also knew about this a day in advance because of his relationship with the Queen, but he didn't care.

"Speak." Emperor Qing really wanted to know what his second son was going to play next.

"Next year's spring examination, why not let Fan Xian preside over the examination? The young talent can give advice to students all over the world and it will be recorded in history, or it may become a good story." The second prince was completely targeting the Ministry of Rites. As everyone knows, the Ministry of Rites and the crown prince are very close. Don't say it, if Shen Qingzhou didn't have a God's perspective, he really couldn't see this routine. In the eyes of the world, the second prince did nothing wrong, weakening the crown prince's power, but the spring examination can attract a new batch of students from all over the world.

But Shen Qingzhou knew that this was the foreshadowing. Next, Guo Baokun and his son from the Ministry of Rites would come out to question Fan Xian. Then, the eldest princess would embarrass Fan Xian in front of the world. Would he still have the nerve to marry the princess?
This was not a very good plan, but since no one knew that the second prince and the eldest princess were connected, it was a brilliant plan.

"Although Fan Xian is famous for his poetry, he still has little experience after all." Emperor Qing said nonchalantly. This emperor was indeed lax.

"Your Majesty, although Fan Xian has little experience, his talent is undeniable. I second the proposal that Fan Xian preside over the Spring Examination." Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince also spoke up.

This was not part of the plan of the eldest princess and the second prince, but they soon realized that this was a blatant way to win over Fan Xian.

When the prince knelt, he was not aware that the God of Detectives and the Four Famous Detectives were already somewhat dissatisfied with him. Can anyone be won over?

The same goes for the Queen. She had never told the Crown Prince about the dispute between her and the Fan family. But the Crown Prince was a man of deep thoughts, and as his mother she knew that. She just didn't believe that her son really didn't understand. Others couldn't guess because of the information, but the Crown Prince couldn't.

She looked at Shen Qingzhou, and Shen Qingzhou also looked at her with his teeth straightened and smiled slightly. To him, this was nothing.

This is the difference in ideas. The prince is too focused on politics, and on the forces behind Fan Xian, the Supervisory Council and the Imperial Treasury. Although he also supports the eldest princess to continue to be in charge of the Imperial Treasury, Emperor Qing seems to be determined, so how can the ministers stop him?

The prince has a good thing in mind. He has the powerful military force of Shen Qingzhou behind him, as well as the support of Fan Xian. The Supervisory Office and the Ministry of Revenue, one supervises the world and the other is in charge of the purse. Who can compete with him?

As for the hatred between the Queen, Shen Qingzhou, and Chen Pingping of the Fan family, can it all be reconciled? Anyway, in public, he would not allow the Second Prince to win over Fan Xian. If the Spring Examination really took place and he did not speak out, wouldn't that push Fan Xian to get closer to the Second Prince?

He did not expect, or rather, no one could have expected, that his actions would offend the Six Gates and the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. Their loyalty to Shen Qingzhou was beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

The second prince was also amazed in his heart, saying that you are indeed a competitor, but because of incomplete information, you will still suffer a loss.

"There is still some time before the Spring Examination. We will decide then. You all can go down." Emperor Qing said.

"Your Majesty, is this young man Fan Xian?" Zhuang Mohan spoke, and this was directed at Fan Xian.

"Mr. Zhuang also knows him?" Emperor Qing said.

"I've read his poems." Zhuang Mohan looked at Fan Xian. Although it was not his original intention, he had to do it for the sake of Northern Qi and Sean. He cooperated with the princess, otherwise, Yan Bingyun would not have been caught.

"Although this man is young, he has some talent for poetry. Mr. Zhuang should support the younger generation. He and I, Duke Wu of Qing, Shen Qingzhou, both have a seven-character poem. Until now, there is a group of people arguing over who is better. Does Mr. Zhuang know about this?" Emperor Qing brought out Shen Qingzhou for the first time.

Shen Qingzhou complained in his heart about the old fox, "Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Zhuang Mohan's words were directed at Fan Xian. What's the point of you hooking me up?"

"I am originally a minister of Qi State, so there is no need for me to say much about the affairs of Qing State. However, the Spring Examination is the foundation of scholars' lives. We should be cautious in choosing the person in charge." Zhuang Mohan continued without mentioning Shen Qingzhou.

In Northern Qi, the young emperor met him and told him not to have any contact with Shen Qingzhou when he came to Nanqing. It was better to be cautious. Naturally, he would not provoke Shen Qingzhou for no reason.

Of course, he himself hated the other party for invading Northern Qi, but he had his own views. This was originally a false accusation, and accusing one more person was not in line with his idea. He was a true great writer.

Emperor Qing also agreed with Zhuang Mohan's words to be cautious, meaning that he did not want to mention the matter. However, when he saw the eldest princess stand up, he felt a little helpless.

"Mr. Zhuang is well-versed in ancient and modern knowledge, but I cannot agree with what you said just now. Although I am a woman with little knowledge, I have read Fan Xian's seven-character poem. This man is very young, but just from this poem, we can see that he is very talented. What you said just now was vaguely directed at Fan Xian. Could it be that you are worried that the young man will surpass you and overshadow you in the future?" The eldest princess's words surprised many people.

We are all smart people. This sounds like standing up for Fan Xian, but anyone who knows their relationship knows that this is just adding fuel to the fire.

In fact, the eldest princess wanted to drag Shen Qingzhou into this. She sensed that the other party was impatient with her. After returning to Kyoto this time, she asked for a meeting several times. She used the excuse of going to see the queen, but there was no response.

But he gave up in the end. The financial power of the inner treasury was more important, so he had to bring Fan Xian down first. He was not strong enough to target two people at once.

"You are all my loyal subjects and scholars, so you naturally don't like verbal disputes. I don't know the etiquette, but I am willing to speak a fair word for the talented people of Qing State."

"Is it the seven-character poem?" Many people were watching the fun, but the people in the Fan Mansion did not look very good, and Fan Ruoruo's face was obviously worried.

(I still decided to split three chapters into two, and try to even out the effect. However, the number of words will not be reduced. I will add more chapters later, and the number will still be 2,000 words per chapter.)
(End of this chapter)