Fan Xian, clenching his fist, coughed twice while blocking his mouth, then stepped forward and pushed the door open. Naturally, at this moment, the door opened with a push. He understood what was happening. Since the couple was preparing for a good match, there was no reason to keep the arena closed to outsiders. Even Fan Xian's earlier cough was a reminder to his wife in the room that he had arrived and it was better to talk things over inside.

This era was, after all, a society that revered men. Although Lin Wan'er's background was far more noble than Fan Xian's, since she had married into the Fan family, she shouldn't have expressed her dissatisfaction so directly. The way they got along as a couple was also different from that of ordinary official families. Although Fan Xian couldn't shake off the control of male hormones in his bones, he still greatly respected women on a spiritual level.

In the end, it was all Fan Xian's own doing. His sister was preparing to run away from home, and his wife was feeling jealous. Wasn't it all a result of his own influence? If this happened in another household, there would probably have been a huge commotion.

...

...

"Young Master," the head maid, Si Si, said with a giggle, ushering him in, taking off his outer robe for him, and handing him a towel. Fan Xian waved his hand, indicating that he had already wiped himself. He looked at the mischievous look on the girl's face and couldn't help but sigh again in his heart. It wasn't just his sister and Wan'er; even this maid, who had grown up with him since childhood, had been spoiled by him to the point where she had no sense of hierarchy. When the family drama was staged, she even had the leisure to watch the excitement and the courage to make fun of him.

Lin Wan'er was lying on the bed, with a thin quilt pulled up to her chest. Her black hair was scattered on her shoulders, making it look like she had just woken up. Her large eyes, however, were rolling around, looking at her returning husband with curiosity and sweetness, without any of the anger Fan Xian was prepared to face. Her delicate, slightly upturned nose twitched slightly as she said, "Husband, I didn't go out to greet you. Please don't blame me."

Fan Xian looked at the pearly, rice-grain-like teeth visible between her lips and smiled. He walked straight to her bedside and began to implement his "three no's" policy: no explanation, no pretense, no talking. He reached into the quilt and took her slightly cool little hand, squeezing it gently. After not seeing her for months, he really missed kneading Wan'er's boneless hand.

Since Si Si was still in the room, Lin Wan'er couldn't help but feel a little shy and anxious, glancing in that direction. Fan Xian looked up and saw that Si Si was pretending to tidy up the medicine box on the table, but her eyes were darting over here. He couldn't help but laugh and scold, "You girl, you've really been spoiled! Aren't you afraid of getting a stye? Get out now!"

Si Si chuckled, gave a bow to the young master and mistress, and then went out, closing the door behind her. She happened to meet Si Qi, who was returning from the front house with a food tray, and quickly stopped her outside. Si Qi was a head maid who had come with Wan'er when she got married, and her status was the same as Si Si's. The two got along well. Seeing her blocking the door, she immediately understood what the two masters inside were doing. She made a face, but looked at the food tray in her hand and said with a bitter face, "The young master has just returned home; he should eat something first."

Si Si said with a smile, "These are just small snacks to fill his stomach. Isn't the front house preparing a formal meal? Besides, our young master... he needs to eat something else first."

To Si Qi, these words were a bit frivolous, especially since they involved the mistress. It wasn't something that servants like them should joke about. Her face darkened a bit, and she glared at Si Si, snorted, and went to the adjacent side room with the food tray.

Si Si was slightly stunned, only then realizing that her previous words were indeed very disrespectful. She stuck out her tongue and quickly ran after her. After a moment of silence in the adjacent side room, there was a burst of very low laughter, implying that the two head maids had made up as before.

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On the huge bed in the bedroom, under the thick quilt, Fan Xian reached out his right hand and removed the hairpin from her head. At home, he always liked to comb his hair into a braid at the back, seeking a refreshing feeling. He felt his mouth was a little dry, reached under the small table next to the bed to get a cup of tea, moistened his throat, thought for a while, and then handed the teacup to Wan'er's lips, feeding her half a cup.

Wan'er's eyes were gentle and charming, and her cheeks were slightly flushed. After taking half a cup of warm tea, she regained some energy, and bit his left forearm with a mixture of shyness and anger, saying, "How can you be so impatient? It's only just evening. If the servants guess what's happening, how can I have the face to manage this family?"

Fan Xian chuckled, turned sideways and hugged his wife, gently sliding his fingers on her smooth upper arm. He felt very satisfied in his heart and said, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Besides, you and I have been separated for a long time. If we are intimate, who would dare to say anything?" His eyes flickered slightly, and he then said mischievously, "Besides, if I wasn't so impatient earlier, you would probably suspect that I did something outside."

Hearing these words, Lin Wan'er remembered that she was preparing to earnestly advise her husband today. How did she let him into the room for less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and she was so confused that she was taken advantage of, almost forgetting what she was going to say? Could it be that her husband really had some kind of bewitching spell? Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed and gently hit him, saying, "I almost forgot if you didn't mention it. I was going to ask you how you felt after hearing that *xiao ling*."

Fan Xian licked his slightly dry lips. This expression, combined with his handsome face, wasn't very lewd, but rather had an indescribable mischievousness. When it came to the way of husband and wife, he always played the role of an action-oriented person. Regardless of what Wan'er was thinking, he would first go to bed and get intimate. Women in this world, after intimacy, would always be incredibly attached to their lovers, and the little sourness in their hearts would probably fade a little. But he also knew that this matter would eventually need an explanation, so he took the initiative to bring it up: "You girl, you actually dared not let me into the house. Be careful, I'll spank you!"

Lin Wan'er lay in his arms and said softly, "Then spank me. Anyway, you only know how to bully me."

"How can you say that?" Fan Xian said with a smile. "Could it be that you're angry because I didn't bring back chicken wings from Northern Qi?"

Lin Wan'er got up and knelt on the bed. Her inner garment slipped slightly, revealing half of her fragrant shoulder. She stared into Fan Xian's eyes. After a moment of silence, she suddenly said directly, "I was unhappy earlier."

Even if women are jealous in this world, probably none of them do it as openly as Lin Wan'er. As a result, Fan Xian felt a little at a loss and didn't know how to respond for a moment. He could only reply carefully, "What kind of jealousy is this? That *xiao ling* was indeed written by me, but it's not what you imagine."

"What does 'jealousy' mean?" Lin Wan'er didn't understand his meaning.

Fan Xian also remembered that this world didn't have the story of Madam Fang committing suicide by drinking vinegar to show her loyalty. So he told the story with a smile, pretending that he had seen it in the notes of his predecessors.

After listening, Lin Wan'er also admired Madam Fang Xuanling's strength, but she always felt that her husband had definitely made up this story himself, maybe even specifically to talk about her. She couldn't help but feel a little angry and said, "I'm not the kind of petty person who wants to monopolize you. Si Si and Si Qi will eventually become a part of this family. You don't need to deliberately use this story to satirize me."

Fan Xian knew that his wife had misunderstood and said with a smile, "If you don't want to monopolize me, that would be very inappropriate." Lin Wan'er was, after all, just a woman who had grown up in the deep palace, and didn't quite understand the meaning of the so-called emotional exclusivity implied in her husband's words. Then she heard Fan Xian say, "If you weren't jealous, why didn't you let me in earlier?"

Lin Wan'er was still kneeling on the bed, her cheeks puffed out. After a long while, she said, "Do you know that this *xiao ling* has spread throughout the world? Everyone in Kyoto knows that the Immortal Poet Fan Xian doesn't write poems, but this time when he went to Northern Qi, he broke the rule for a woman."

"It's just a *xiao ling*. If you want to listen, I'll naturally write one for you every day," Fan Xian said with a smile.

Lin Wan'er said softly, "Just a *xiao ling*? I heard that while in Shangjing City of Northern Qi, you spent every day with that Haitang girl, traveling and drinking together, strolling through the rainy night streets, which has already become a beautiful story."

Fan Xian felt bitter in his heart, knowing that this was a message deliberately released by the Emperor of Northern Qi. But these words, passed around in people's mouths, would indeed make Lin Wan'er's situation a bit awkward. Just as he was about to explain something, he heard his wife ask, "Husband, tell me, what exactly does that... Haitang girl look like?"

Fan Xian was stunned, thinking that he naturally couldn't praise Haitang to the heavens, but for some reason, he didn't want to distort the truth in front of his wife and belittle Haitang – although this was a shameless thing that all men would do in their wife's bed. After thinking for a while, he said, "Haitang is the closed-door disciple of the Northern Qi National Preceptor, Ku He. She is the most favored, and has a very high status in the palace. This time, I was on a mission for the benefit of the nation, so naturally, I had to cultivate relationships with these important figures."

Lin Wan'er shook her head and sighed: "Although that Haitang girl doesn't have much reputation in the South, everyone now knows that her status in the North… I just want to ask you one question, husband, can the identity of this Haitang girl be that of a concubine?"

Fan Xian was stunned, wondering where this wild question came from. Then he heard Lin Wan'er sigh and say, "A woman like that must have very high standards. If it weren't for someone like you, husband, she definitely wouldn't have fallen for you. But her identity is what it is, and it will be very difficult to arrange things in the future. The thing that angered me today is that you never think about the consequences when you do things, which is a bit too reckless."

Fan Xian laughed heartily and said, "I'm not planning to marry that Haitang, so what consequences are there? What you said is a bit funny."

Lin Wan'er was shocked, and for some reason, she began to sympathize with that Haitang girl, rebuking him, "Are you planning to start and then abandon her?!"

Fan Xian waved his hands repeatedly, holding back his laughter and said, "Since there was no starting, how can there be abandoning?"

...

...

After a moment, Lin Wan'er looked at him with a hint of suspicion and asked, "Really? Then why would you write a poem to flirt with her?"

"Flirt?" Fan Xian asked heaven speechlessly. After thinking and thinking, he told his wife about his arrangements before leaving Kyoto, and about the many things in Shangjing City, shaking his head and saying, "This Haitang has extremely high martial arts skills. Apart from those four Grandmasters, she is probably one of the strongest. Since I have to deal with her, I naturally have to prepare some sharp weapons."

Lin Wan'er frowned and said, "Is this what you call 'a single word residing in the heart'?"

"Exactly," Fan Xian replied with a smile. "In war between countries, attacking the mind is paramount."

After a long time, Lin Wan'er sighed and said, "Your plan... is a bit shameless."

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The domestic turmoil subsided without even starting. Fan Xian thought for a while and then told his wife about his incident with the First Prince regarding the right of way. He knew that Wan'er had grown up in the palace since she was young and had more say in these matters of court than he did, so after their marriage, he gradually got used to discussing his arrangements with her.

After listening to his words, Lin Wan'er also frowned and made the same judgment as Yan Bingyun, feeling that it was really unnecessary for Fan Xian to offend the First Prince and that it felt a bit superfluous. Fan Xian couldn't explain his hidden worries to his wife, so he could only smile gently and say, "Wan'er, don't worry about why I did this. Just tell me, do you think this incident of vying for the right of way can make the palace believe that the First Prince and I will be enemies in the future?"

Lin Wan'er looked at him amusingly and said, "Extremely difficult."

Fan Xian was stunned and said, "Why is that?"

Lin Wan'er sighed and said, "Actually, you've been mistaken about one thing all along. That's right, in the eyes of officials and the common people, the Overwatch Council is a gloomy and terrifying office. The officials of the Six Ministries curse you behind your backs, calling you black dogs, but not everyone dislikes the Overwatch Council... Just like the military, the Grand Council of Military Affairs, and the Western Route Army, they have a very good impression of the Overwatch Council itself."

Fan Xian immediately understood that military affairs and battles placed great importance on intelligence and logistics, and the Overwatch Council's nationwide network of secret agents must have provided extremely strong support for the military, allowing those soldiers to shed less blood. Naturally, the military liked the Overwatch Council. He frowned and asked, "That's one thing, but the First Prince is going to hand over his military power when he returns to Kyoto this time, so the military's opinion won't have much influence on him."

Lin Wan'er didn't understand why he had to make the palace think that he wasn't getting along well with the three princes at the same time, and sighed, "There's another thing that you might have forgotten. Among these three imperial brothers, the one who is closest to me is… the First Imperial Brother. Even for my sake, he can't possibly hold a grudge against you."

Fan Xian smiled bitterly. He knew that when Wan'er was a child, she spent most of her time in Consort Ning's palace in the deep palace and was closest to the First Prince, which was only natural. However, when he was calculating, he had intentionally or unintentionally ignored this relationship.

Perhaps from the bottom of his heart, he didn't want to associate his wife with those princes.

Lin Wan'er actually knew what Fan Xian was worried about and said gently, "Actually, I think you're a bit too worried. His Majesty is healthy, and the situation you're worried about probably won't happen for many years."

Fan Xian sighed, pulled her into his arms, and said in her ear, "A man who has no foresight will have immediate worries. This time, when I returned to Kyoto, looking at the atmosphere, I knew that after I really took over the Internal Treasury next year, your Crown Prince brother, First Imperial Brother, and Second Imperial Brother wouldn't let go of this piece of fat meat that is me."

"How about the idea I gave you on Mount Cang before the New Year?" Lin Wan'er didn't look like a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl at this time, but rather like a female strategist who was good at planning. After all, she was the biological daughter of the Eldest Princess, and she would inherit some of these aspects to a greater or lesser extent, so Fan Xian had always trusted her advice. However, Fan Xian had never nodded to the proposal on Mount Cang.

He lowered his head slightly and said slowly but firmly, "Voluntarily requesting to reduce power is, in principle, the most appropriate thing to do. If a young official like me is in charge of both the Overwatch Council and the Internal Treasury, this kind of imperial grace would be a bit too heavy, and the power would be too great. This is originally an impossible situation… but Wan'er, I will never let go of the Internal Treasury."

Although Lin Wan'er didn't know why her husband was unwilling to let go of the Internal Treasury, as a wife, she would naturally just silently support him and nodded, saying, "Wan'er knows."

Fan Xian continued, "Since I'm unwilling to let go of the Internal Treasury, then I can't let go of the Overwatch Council even more."

If the Internal Treasury was a gold mountain, then the Overwatch Council was the army guarding the gold mountain. If he only had the Internal Treasury, then Fan Xian would become a naked beauty, without any sense of security. Then he would wait to be wantonly humiliated by those people in the palace.

Lin Wan'er shook her head with a sigh and said, "Then you'll have to work harder." She suddenly looked into his eyes and said, "Do you have confidence?"

Fan Xian smiled slightly, gently patted her face, and said, "I don't dare to say too much, but you also know that I have always been a somewhat arrogant and even narcissistic person."

Lin Wan'er smiled and suddenly bit her thick, pouty lower lip and said softly, "Actually, I have another way."

Fan Xian was interested and said, "What way?"

Lin Wan'er's eyes flickered, not knowing what she was thinking in her heart, and said softly, "...Marry that Haitang girl into our family!"

Fan Xian was shocked, thinking that his wife's plan was indeed beyond what ordinary people could predict.

Lin Wan'er explained excitedly, "That Haitang girl is a Ninth Grade Superior cultivator, and you said that she might enter the Grandmaster realm one day. You said, if our family has a Grandmaster, and behind her is also the powerful strength of the Ku He lineage, even those imperial brothers of the Qing Kingdom wouldn't dare to do anything to you. Even His Majesty would have to win you over. Look at Ye Zhong's family, just because Ye Liuyun appeared, he has dominated the officialdom for more than ten years without a single defeat..."

Fan Xian knew that what she said was reasonable. No matter who it was, marrying Haitang into their family would be like putting a *danshu tiequan* and an imperial pardon in their home. But he didn't know if his wife was making one last attempt or something, so he smiled wickedly and said, "But... Haitang is really not that good-looking."

After a moment of shock, Lin Wan'er spat at him: "You lecherous ghost!"

Fan Xian smiled. At this time, he was thinking about what Lin Wan'er had said about the Ye family earlier - Ye Zhong was the Kyoto Garrison Commander, but Ye Ling'er was about to marry the Second Prince. What exactly was this Emperor thinking? Grandmaster? If things really developed like this, from Fan Xian's point of view, those people in the palace were probably not very afraid of Ye Liuyun, this Grandmaster.

He frowned and asked, "During the days I was away from Kyoto, did Ye Zhong submit his resignation as the Kyoto Garrison Commander?"

Lin Wan'er shook her head.

Fan Xian sighed in his heart and asked, "Did Mother send a letter over?" The mother he was talking about was naturally the Eldest Princess of Xinyang. Although he knew that Wan'er didn't have any feelings for that stunningly beautiful woman, he still had to show some respect in front of Wan'er.

Lin Wan'er still shook her head, with no extra expression on her face. Fan Xian felt pity and gently rubbed her brow, saying softly, "How is your health lately? I was only concerned about talking about other things earlier and didn't ask about this most important thing. I should be spanked."

Lin Wan'er smiled and said, "Lord Fei comes to see me often, and I'm also insisting on taking those pills. I feel quite good myself."

Fan Xian nodded: "It seems that the recuperation on Mount Cang was good. Let's all go and stay there this winter. It's a pity that we didn't soak in the hot springs last year."

The two lowered their voices and were talking sweet nothings and humming love songs. Unexpectedly, a maid's slightly anxious voice called out from outside: "Young Master, Young Mistress, dinner is ready. The master has sent word to urge you several times."

Fan Xian let out a strange cry, lifted the quilt, and immediately began to put on his clothes. He had originally just planned to stay in the back house for a while and then go to greet his father, but he didn't expect that he had played a trick of exchanging his body for peace, but had trapped himself in a sea of ​​tenderness, completely forgetting that his father was still waiting for him in the study. As soon as he thought of his father's stern face, Fan Xian could imagine how angry he was in his heart. A son returned home from thousands of miles away, but instead of first visiting his parents, he went to mess around with his wife. There was no reason for this, no matter how you said it.

Wan'er was also complaining to him while she began to dress and make up. Si Si and Si Qi had been waiting outside the door for a long time. Hearing the sound, they entered the room to serve the two masters and helped them get everything ready in the fastest time. Carrying a lantern held by the servant, they pretended that nothing had happened and went to the front house.

In the main hall, the maids stood quietly by the side. Fan Jian, the Minister of Revenue, was sitting solemnly in the center. Although Madam Liu had been officially instated as the first wife, she still habitually stood by his side, arranging cups and chopsticks. Fan Ruoruo was sitting on the left hand side, lost in thought. Fan Sizhe was sitting at the lower end, hiding his hands under the table and playing with the thing that Fan Xian had thrown to him earlier.

Seeing Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er walked in, Ruoruo stood up. Fan Sizhe also quickly hid the thing in his sleeves and followed his sister to give a bow to the two of them. Fan Jian, who was sitting in the center, didn't look at Fan Xian, but nodded towards Lin Wan'er. The identity of this daughter-in-law was a bit special, so he couldn't neglect her.

There were many rules in large families, but Fan Jian was busy with official duties, so he rarely had time to eat at home. Today was Fan Xian's first return, so it was naturally more formal than usual. There wasn't a single sound to be heard at the dinner table. After finally enduring the time of this meal, Fan Jian looked at his son and said faintly, "You are going to be ennobled."