Joy of Life

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Fan Xian lowered his head and moved to stand in front of the young lady. He looked at her closely until the crying girl felt very uncomfortable. He then said, “Do you know how the word ‘shame’ is written?”

The young lady stared viciously at Fan Xian as she gritted her teeth. When the prince said she knew no shame, she felt hurt, sad, disappointed, and angry. But, more of what she felt was a wrong grievance. She had come to the manor to seek justice. When Sir Fan junior said she knew no shame, she found it difficult to accept.

Fan Xian straightened up and sent a meaningful glance at the servants from the manor, having them retreat further. Only then did he ask the young lady, “Do you think that the ruckus you made today was just?”

“I don’t understand why you think I don’t know shame when we’ve only met once at my uncle’s manor!” The young lady bit her lip. Her eyes were very red. She looked like a rabbit ready to jump and bite at any moment. She stared angrily into Fan Xian’s eyes and said, “Last night, I didn’t even breathe too loudly at the banquet or say a single word. Yet, I ended up with the prince’s criticism of not knowing shame. I came here to make a scene to show the prince what true shamelessness looks like.”

Fan Xian thought it was a bit strange but couldn’t be bothered to investigate further. He just didn’t want to see a prince being forced by the Palace on one side and an unruly girl on another to the point that he had closed his door and refused to go out. This was the reason he had shown himself and got ready to teach the girl a lesson on behalf of Governor Wang,. However, he was struck by inspiration and thought of another way out that looked pretty good.

Stared down by Fan Xian’s calm and silent gaze, the voice of the young lady became lower and lower. Gradually, she could no longer vent her anger. She truly felt that she had seen a ghost. Why was it that once she saw this young noble, her anger immediately disappeared without a trace? How come no matter how much she worked herself up, she was still unable to yell and storm at him?

It was still a matter of power. Fan Xian was a high ranking and important official. Within the Qing Kingdom, no one doubted that he was the first person behind the Emperor. In addition, after he was breathtakingly shot two years ago, his personally had shifted again. He had long stood firm in the realm above that of the ninth-level and faintly become a first-rate figure below a Great Grandmaster.

With the combination of his power and aura, even if it was Governor Wang in front of him or the once extraordinarily powerful Yan Xiaoyi, Fan Xian would not have any thought of backing down. Even without the chest by his side, he believed he could openly resist Yan Xiaoyi. He could easily resist a pampered girl who only knew how to make an unreasonable scene.

He had spent many years steeped in the affairs of the Overwatch Council. No matter how charming and gentle a face, it always took on a trace of coldness. This kind of coldness was actually a terrifying feeling for girls, such as the young lady of the Wang family.

When faced with Fan Xian, the young lady became frightened for no reason. She no longer put on her earlier attitude of stepping on the stone lions and cursing out the manor in a loud voice. She gradually lowered her head and looked pitifully at the tightly closed door behind her. She wondered if she had made a great mistake in following him into the manor.

It was as if Fan Xian could not see her expression. He opened his mouth of his own accord and began to speak harshly. He spoke of all he had seen and heard by Jingdou’s west gate, her earlier ugly attitude in front of the manor, and the whip marks on the old housekeeper’s face. His words became colder and colder while his tone became more criticizing. It was as if he was going to shame the young lady into the cracks in the stone.

The scene was very strange. All of the servants, including the housekeeper of the manor, hid far away. The Prince and wangfei were even more cunning. They hid in the back garden and refused to come out to welcome guests. On the empty ground by the rock garden and within the door, there were Fan Xian and the young lady, who had met each other for the very first time.

The two guests were carrying out a re-education of the soul behind the doors of the manor. This affair truly looked absurd.

…

…

After viciously scolding the young lady in front of him with the sharpest words, Fan Xian’s mood felt much better. Looking at her lowered head and angry and embarrassed but forcefully silent expression, he also felt a trace of curiosity. This young lady’s unruliness was truly something that made one loathe her. But it seemed that she knew her unruliness was wrong.

Fan Xian was surprised. Shortly after, he furrowed his brows and asked, “Do you acknowledge your misbehavior?”

The young lady stubbornly refused to answer because Fan Xian’s words had truly been too piercing. In particular, his calm and pedantic tone had made it seem as if he was her elder. A moment later, she said in a loud voice, “You are Sister Ye’s teacher, but you are not mine!”

“Speaking of Ye Ling’er, I will remind you of one thing.” Fan Xian’s eyes narrowed. “Although she rode her horse in Jingdou, she has never hurt people and would not use her whip to strike an elder. She was indeed been an unruly girl, but her unruliness was always targeted at someone and not at the poor common people. The people of Jingdou like her and make way for her because her heart is kind not because of her background.”

He smiled coldly as he looked at the young lady. “If you want to copy Ye Ling’er, you’ll have to wash yourself clean of all these airs that irritate other people!”

“Who did Sister Ye act unruly toward?” The young lady of the Wang family opened her eyes wide and didn’t notice Fan Xian’s last sentence.

Fan Xian was incomparably angry, thinking, Other than being unruly to him, who else could it be? He immediately darkened his expression. After being silent for a moment, he said sinisterly, “If you want to marry the prince, it is not an easy matter. If you can’t change all your bad habits, you won’t have a chance.”

The young lady was frightened by his expression. She was about to escape out of the manor. After hearing the word ‘marry,, it was as if a fire ignited in her heart. However, she knew her temper was bad. If it could be changed, then the teaching nannies the Palace had sent these days would not have such a headache. It was funny to say, but after Fan Xian’s thorough mockery, this girl actually gained some self-knowledge.

“I am willing to change.” Her face was covered in tears.

“It is easy to change a kingdom but difficult to shift one’s nature.” Fan Xian stared at her and smiled slightly. “Respect me as your teacher. I will shear off all your spikes.”

The young lady felt a chill and a spike of fear but also a trace of anger. She thought to herself, Although you are the Emperor’s illegitimate child, with unmatched power, you are just a 20-year-old youth. How could you have the nerve to be my teacher?

She immediately remembered that the person in front of her had been the Third Prince’s and Sister Ye’s teacher. Although young, he had already taken on two students, one of whom was her idol and the other would be the future Emperor of the Qing Kingdom.

Fan Xian didn’t give her any time to think. Placing his hands behind him, he walked coldly into the depths of the manor. The young lady gritted her teeth, picked up her skirt, and ran after him. Stopping behind Fan Xian carefully, she finally understood. Maybe Sir Fan junior was willing to take her as a student because he truly wanted to create a chance for her to enter the manor.

The Emperor was preparing to have Sir Fan junior convince the Prince to take on a Secondary fei after he returned to the capital. This information had already come out. The young lady knew most of her hope in entering this manor lay on Fan Xian. Hearing now that he was willing to take her on as a student, how could she be unwilling?

Fan Xian heard her footsteps. Without turning his head, he said straightforwardly, “If you want to be my student, you must be prepared to be hit by me.”

The young lady flew into a rage. She had lived to this age and no one had ever hit her. Then she thought of her happiness and had no choice but to close her mouth unhappily.

“Apologize and make amends to your housekeeper. Go find those who were injured by your horse when you entered the city, pay their doctors’ fees, and apologize.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Don’t let me find out that you have a grudge after making your apologies and then carry out your revenge afterward. In the future, such things will not happen again.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Tomorrow, have General Shi send someone to bring you to the Fan manor to receive 10 strikes with the whip. This first matter will then be considered over with.”

The young lady of the Wang family stood dumbfounded to the spot. She had thought that by suppressing her anger, agreeing to apologize, making amends to the housekeeper, and going to console those lowly commoners would be giving Sir Fan junior enough face. She never would have thought he was actually going to use a whip to hit her.

…

…

“You’re shameless!” In Prince Heqing’s quiet study, the Great Prince pointed at Fan Xian’s nose and scolded in a voice trembling with anger.

Across from him, Fan Xian showed no sign of weakness. With a face full of anger, he fanned aside the Great Prince’s finger and scolded, “It is you who is shameless!”

The Great Prince calling Fan Xian shameless was about the fact that he had brought the young lady of the Wang family into the manor and had rushed her to wangfei’s living quarters. The Great Prince was also very aware of the conversation between Fan Xian and the young lady as they walked in. Fan Xian had actually taken her as a student and narrowed his connection to the Wang family. This made him angry and confused.

These days, the Palace had been quietly urging him to take a Secondary fei and had even chosen the person for him. Although the Great Prince had forcefully resisted a number of times, in the end, no one openly challenged the Emperor’s might. His mood was already situated in an unusually explosive territory.

Particularly yesterday, when the new Commander of the Jingdou Garrison, Shi Fei, had invited the Great Prince to a banquet. No matter what, he had to give him this face. Unexpectedly, before they had had three rounds of drinks, Shi Fei had, like a matchmaker, brought out the bashful young lady of the Wang family. The Great Prince immediately understood what was happening. In great anger, he shook his sleeves and left, not leaving any face at all for those of the Yanjing faction.

What made the Great Prince the angriest was nothing more than the attitude Fan Xian had shown earlier. He had been very gloomy these days, but he had always thought that once Fan Xian, his shockingly talented brother, returned, he would certainly be able to think of a perfect solution. A solution that would reject the marriage and make the Emperor happier.

The beginning of the scene in front of the manor doors had made the Great Prince happy. He thought to himself that such an unruly person as the young lady of the Wang family did indeed need someone as sinister as Fan Xian to deal with. Unexpectedly, Fan Xian’s attitude had changed greatly. Not only did he bring the young lady into the manor, but he had also taken her as a disciple.

“How have I been shameless?” The Great Prince roared at Fan Xian. He was cursing Fan Xian for being shamelessness because he had forgotten their brotherly affection and dragged him into the bottomless abyss.

“How have you not been shameless?” Fan Xian’s expression was angry. “It’s your own stupid affair. What are you doing dragging me into it? You dare to offend the Emperor and the Yanjing generals, do you want me to also offend them? A mere child… Given the tricks of you two, you could easily get rid of her whenever you want! Yet, you still trotted out an urgent message to me to have me deal with it. The two of you are forcefully dragging me under the water, is that not shameless?”

The Great Prince was speechless and unable to talk. After discussing it with wangfei for a dozen days, they felt that, under the current circumstances, it seemed that only Fan Xian could resolve this problem. There was indeed the thought of dragging him below the water. He coughed and then said remorsefully, “In any case, father was going to have you come to the manor to be a lobbyist. I am first pulling you my side so that arguing will be easier in the future.”

“Pshaw! I am not a matchmaker.” Fan Xian cursed without good humor.

The Great Prince said with seriousness, “But you are an official of Taichang Temple.”

Fan Xian shook his head helplessly. The officials of the Taichang Temple managed the affairs of the royal family. When it came to the marriages of each prince, King, and duke, it was actually up to him to deal with.

The two of them fell silent at the same time. After going through the Jingdou rebellion two months ago, this pair of brothers were not like before, relying only on Chen Pingping and Lady Ning’s relationship to stand shoulder to shoulder. They now had a true friendship borne of killing enemies together, a sense of living and dying together. During these two years, their relationship could not have been better.

“What do you mean by taking her as a student?” The Great Prince stared into Fan Xian’s eyes. “You know I don’t want to take on some Secondary fei.”

“Let’s not talk about this first. Let’s talk about that young lady of the Wang family.” Fan Xian lowered his head and thought for a while. He then said, “Her name is Wang Tong’er. She is the precious daughter of Governor Wang. During last night’s banquet, she had not forgot herself like today. Why did you scold her for not knowing shame?”

The Great Prince said, “Although this girl’s temperament is rumored to not be good, I’ve only met her once. As a Prince, how could I make such a presumptuous criticism of the daughter of a general?”

Fan Xian smiled self-mockingly and said, “I know you are not such a person to do that. These words were idle gossip that the teaching nannies from the Palace sent to the young lady’s ears through the Wang family’s serving girls. That is why she caused the scene today. It is clear that the Palace wanted her to come and make a scene, one which the entire city knows of and that will make wangfei quietly angry.”

He raised his head and looked at the Great Prince. “She is, after all, a daughter of the Wang family. Her identity is precious. As you know, after the Dong Mountain incident, the Qing Kingdom’s attitude toward Northern Qi changed greatly. Everyone’s attitude toward wangfei is not as good as before.”

The Great Prince nodded his head silently. These two years, wangfei did not like to leave the manor because she did not want to endure the hostile gazes of the common people. Northern Qi had taken part in the plot to assassinate the Emperor. No one could shake off such a hatred.

“If this matter really gets ugly and the Emperor directly orders your wedding, the entire court will probably support it. Wangfei will have to retreat from her position.”

“The entire court?” The Great Prince furrowed his brows. “This young lady’s reputation is not very good.”

Fan Xian smiled coldly. “Who are you? You are the eldest son of the royal family, the only prince to lead troops against the North. You are the pride of the Qing Kingdom. Never mind the young lady, as long as they can make your wangfei change from a Northern Qi person to a Qing person, even if it’s a female pig, these officials and common people will still carry her into your manor.”

The Great Prince’s heart chilled. It was as if he could see a large white sow tied to a pole, covered with red strips of cloth and being carried into the manor amidst ear-piercing fanfare.

“I have already thought this through on the road. Regardless of whether it is you or me, neither of us can stop this from happening because we are only two people. How can we oppose an entire court?” Fan Xian smiled self-mockingly. “You want to reject the wedding and make the Emperor happy. This is an impossible situation.”

The Great Prince sat down dejectedly. He was completely lacking his heroic spirit when he had led troops to Xi Lake. Muttering to himself, he said, “Am I really going to have to take on a Secondary fei?”

“If you don’t make to make a big scene and have the Emperor directly depose of your wangfei because of bullsh*t reasons such as a lack of sons in his anger, then taking on a Secondary fei becomes a necessity. At least, it will stall for some time.” Fan Xian looked at him with pity and thought that the prince that led troops indeed lived a harder life than him. Soothingly, he said, “Look at the officials in the court. All of them have multiple wives and concubines. Even Shu Wu, that old man, has a few young concubines in their 20s in his manor. Wangfei is a reasonable person. She won’t be overly bothered by the matter of a Secondary fei.”

“Many wives and concubines? How come I don’t see you taking a few more in?” After the Great Prince said this angrily, he fell silent. He knew that the matter of taking a Secondary fei could not be delayed anymore. He also knew that Fan Xian had purposely not spoken about the fact that the so-called taking on of a Secondary fei was actually for the purpose of later deposing wangfei.

Although the Great Prince and wangfei had a political marriage during the honeymoon phase between their two countries, the two of them were harmonious and had great affection for each other. If he truly had to depose of her, he would not be able to accept it no matter what.

“Although it is only the first time Wang Tong’er and I have met, we exchanged a few words.” Seeing the change in the Great Prince’s expression, Fan Xian said in an even voice, “If you have to take on a Secondary fei, she is the best choice. Otherwise my attitude would not have changed so drastically.”

“Just this…” The Great Prince stood up. In the end, he was of a generous nature and resisted cursing the girl.

Fan Xian smiled bitterly and said, “I know that this girl’s nature is truly rather dastardly. If not for the future peace of your home, why would I take her in as a student? Do you think I have nothing better to do? Don’t forget, although there is the character ‘leisure’ in my name, I am very busy.”

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