Vol 2 Chapter 129 (2/2)
”Master Fan, please be seated”
There were no unnecessary pleasantries Fan Xian and Concubine Shu sat, separated by a hanging screen; there was no omen to it Suddenly, Concubine Shu spoke in a clear voice ”Ten thousand sorrowful autuuest Master Fan, in your youth you spent most of your time in Danzhou Could it be that you feel that you are uest in the capital?”
Fan Xian was stunned He answered fir point, he sat and pontificated with the imperial consort; they spoke of countless verses of various scriptures, until they both found their , but felt a quiet,fears He had not expected that the Second Prince's ly ferocious knowledge He almost found it difficult to deal with He could not help but wonder what sort of princely son such a woman could have raised
”Do not worry” Concubine Shu was a gentle sort, and through the ba screen, Fan Xian could see a wooden hairclip on her head, its simple neatness quite incorown up in the palace Before His Majesty adopted her as his daughter, we idle women treated her like she was one of our own There is no one in the palace who does not feel a fondness for her Seeing as you wish to marry this most precious jewel of the palace, we cannot help but watch carefully”
Fan Xian felt a trickle of cold sweat go down his back Although he already had an understanding, only today did he really get a feel for his fiancée's position within the palace Concubine Shu was gentle and mild, and seemed quite satisfied with Fan Xian's style of conversation Having spent the midday with him, she allowed Fan Xian to leave, but before they separated, she spoke to hi, and His Majesty has gathered some precious books for me I have allowed the people of the palace to choose some of these precious books to copy Master Fan, as you are now going to visit the other concubines, I shall have someone send one to Yi Guipin”
Fan Xian felt a shi+ver go down his spine He knew that this was a generous gift; he knew that the iift on behalf of the Second Prince He did not say anything, and with a deep respect he departed
After leaving Concubine Shu's courtyard, Fan Xian wiped the cold sweat frouide, felt so on tiptoe, she turned around to look at his face ”Are you not warm today?” she asked with curiosity
Fan Xian forced a smile and shook his head He had assumed that his visit to the palace today was a matter of etiquette; he had not expected to find hi the imperial exams He presumed that the concubines were curious as to who Lin Wan'er would be , and so would want to look into Fan Xian's literary andon, the two ca the Talented Fan Xian knew that although her status was not high, and was only the rank of ”talented”, he learned froyi, and so Fan Xian took pains to show her the ut her forties, but she was still very attractive Her face had the softness that woyi had Over the past few years, the Great Prince had been fighting the barbarians on the western border She had no other children, and inevitably felt somewhat lonely Luckily, Lin Wan'er had frequently cos toward Lin Wan'er were not the saarded Fan Xian with her elegant, almond-shaped eyes and spoke coldly ”So you're Fan Xian” Fan Xian knew that this woman had saved the Emperor's life on the battlefield, and had raised a prince as a fine warrior She was indeed a forreat surprise and replied cal the Talented looked Fan Xian up and down, and to his surprise she said very little ”Treat Wan'er well,” she said coldly
Fan Xian liked this feeling of efficiency ”Do not worry, your grace,” he responded happily
”What happened at Niulan Street was odd indeed,” she said, takingof hihth-level master,” she harrumphed coldly ”You look so thin and weak It does not look as if you had a ” Fan Xian was taken aback Could it be that just as he had triumphed as a scholar, he also had to triumph as a warrior? But she was a forty-year-old woman There were differences between masters and servants, and differences between o so far as to atte'er has admitted that she cannot match you, then I shall reluctantly accept it too Very well, in that case, go along to the other palaces Don't dawdle” Having said this, Ning the Talented said nothing more and ushered him outside
Fan Xian rubbed the back of his head and stared at the closed wooden door His Majesty was truly a fortunate man to be able lie next to such a colorful set of woentle and s the Talented? But he had known beforehand that Concubine Shu had been a thoroughly intelligent wo the Talented was coarse on the outside yet delicate on the inside And then there was the enigmatic Empress For His Majesty to live in harmony for so many years in the palace with all these wo was a man of quite some skill
To say the least, Fan Xian pondered whether or not he had such skills