flstandardbreds Chapter 548 Joy of Life 104
Chapter 548 Joy of Life 104
Just as Li Hongcheng and Fan Ruoruo's relationship was growing closer, the devastating news of Fan Jian's accidental drowning broke the delicate progress between them.
Upon hearing this news, Fan Ruoruo was struck dumb and fainted on the spot. Li Hongcheng was so frightened that his face changed drastically, and he immediately ordered someone to fetch the imperial physician.
After Fan Ruoruo woke up, she didn't want to stay a moment longer and ran back to the Fan family crying.
After Fan Sizhe was beheaded, Aunt Liu, who had moved to a secluded villa in the suburbs to live alone, returned after hearing the news.
The two embraced and wept bitterly.
Since Fan Jian's nominal son, Fan Xian, was not in the capital at the moment, Li Hongcheng, as Fan Jian's son-in-law, naturally had to step forward and take on the responsibility of handling Fan Jian's funeral arrangements.
Out of respect for Prince Jing's residence, many officials and gentry came to pay their respects, which meant that although Fan Jian's funeral was not grand, it was at least not cold and shabby.
Afterwards, Li Hongcheng offered to personally escort the coffin back to his hometown to fulfill his duty as a son-in-law, but Fan Ruoruo politely declined, citing Fan Xian's impending return to the capital.
After listening carefully, Li Hongcheng also felt that it made sense.
My father-in-law has sons too, so I, as his son-in-law, should indeed be mindful of my boundaries and not overstep my bounds.
Moreover, the situation in the capital is currently turbulent, and his father is on a mission to Nanzhao to retrieve the crown prince's body. If he were to leave the capital rashly at this time, it would inevitably arouse Emperor Qing's suspicion.
During this sensitive period, any inappropriate action could become a handle for others to attack, so it's best to be careful to avoid unnecessary trouble.
After some time, Fan Xian, who had conquered all in Jiangnan and successfully resolved the internal treasury deficit, finally returned to the capital.
Throughout the journey, he kept thinking about what he should do upon returning and how to act, carefully planning each step.
For example, how to resolve Fan Ruoruo and Li Hongcheng's marriage, how to handle his own marriage with Lin Wan'er, how to find Wu Zhu whom he hasn't seen for a long time, how to investigate the truth behind Ye Qingmei's death, how to further take revenge on the Crown Prince and Li Yunrui, and so on.
But the moment he stepped into his home, the scene before him instantly shattered all his plans.
The scene was desolate, the courtyard was deserted, and a blanket of white snow filled the eye, with an indescribable sense of bleakness permeating the air.
A sense of foreboding rose in Fan Xian's heart. He quickly grabbed an old servant who was sweeping the courtyard and asked anxiously, "Where are Father and Ruoruo?"
Since Fan Jian was dismissed from his post, most of the servants in the Fan family have been dismissed, and now only a few loyal old servants remain to guard the mansion.
When the old servant saw Fan Xian, he was stunned for a moment, then reacted and quickly knelt down to pay his respects. His voice trembled as he said, "Young Master, Master... Master has passed away! Miss and the young master have just finished the funeral arrangements for Master and are now waiting for you to return so that they can send Master's remains back to Danzhou."
"What?" Fan Xian was struck dumb, frozen on the spot, his mind blank, and it took him a long time to come back to his senses.
He never imagined that Fan Jian would die after he had only been gone for a few months.
When he left Kyoto, didn't he entrust Chen Pingping to arrange for his father and Ruoruo to leave Kyoto?
Why did the father ultimately not escape such an ending?
Or has the plan gone wrong again, just like the last prison break?
A son-in-law? What son-in-law?
Are you talking about Lee Hong-sung?
Did Ruoruo ultimately marry Li Hongcheng?
Fan Xian clenched his fist silently, his knuckles turning white from the force.
My heart was filled with a mix of emotions: grief, shock, anger, doubt, confusion, and countless other feelings intertwined like a tangled mess.
Fan Xian took a deep breath, trying to suppress the surging emotions in his heart, and turned to walk out.
Seeing this, the old servant hurriedly asked, "Young master, where are you going?"
"The Censorate," Fan Xian said without turning his head.
Upon hearing the words "Censorate," the old servant's face changed drastically, and he slapped his thigh in alarm, exclaiming, "Young master, you can't go there now!"
Fan Xian sensed something amiss in the words, stopped and turned around, staring sharply at the old servant: "What do you mean by that?"
The old servant breathed a sigh of relief when he saw him stop, and quickly told him all about the recent changes in the Censorate.
Although the old servant only stayed in this courtyard every day and didn't know much about the outside world, the matter of the Censorate was so big that even someone like him had heard about it.
After listening to the old servant's story, Fan Xian felt dizzy, as if he had been hit in the chest by a heavy hammer.
"What? Chen Pingping attempted to assassinate His Majesty?"
Fan Xian almost thought he had misheard, and only after confirming with the old servant several times did he have to admit that the news was true.
The news struck him like a thunderbolt, exploding in his already chaotic thoughts.
Fan Xian slumped onto the steps, his mind blank, muttering unconsciously, "Father drowned, Ruoruo married Li Hongcheng, Chen Pingping failed to assassinate His Majesty and was executed by slow slicing, my teacher and Shadow were also executed one after another, and the Censorate was completely eradicated..."
Fan Xian's voice gradually lowered, and with each piece of news he uttered, it felt as if a piece of his heart had been forcefully torn away.
In the end, his heart was almost numb with pain, leaving only a cold, empty void.
He simply couldn't accept the series of terrible news.
It turned out that while he was far away in Jiangnan working to address the deficit in the Imperial Treasury, the capital had completely changed.
Those he cherished all left him during the days he was absent.
He was so smug, thinking that just because he was back, he would be able to protect the people he cared about.
The result... well!
Fan Xian gave a self-deprecating laugh, a laugh filled with bitterness.
He laughed at his own naivety, his overestimation of his abilities, his self-righteousness, his arrogance, and his belief that he could protect everything around him with just a bit of courage.
result--
In the end, it was all for nothing.
As he laughed, tears welled up in his eyes. A biting wind blew them away, and the icy feeling spread, stinging not only his face but also his heart.
Fan Xian was not unaware of how cruel the rules of this world were, but only when these cruelties truly fell upon him did he realize the unbearable pain.
Seeing Fan Xian's distraught appearance, the old servant sighed repeatedly and dragged him into the house.
Fan Xian's steps were unsteady, as if he had lost all his strength, and he was being dragged along by others.
When he saw Fan Jian's memorial tablet, he could no longer suppress his grief and burst into tears.
The old servant stood to the side, unable to contain his grief, and silently shed tears as well.