best that I remain honest and say nothing.”

Ren the official shook his head and sighed. “You will be a vice envoy, and you will find yourself blown by winds in all directions, with a great many eyes on you.”

“Why would people be looking at me?” thought Fan Xian. He smiled. “You have put a great amount of thought into this. Everything should be fine.”

Ren had indeed put a lot of thought in this. Although he did not know why the prince’s palace had appointed him as a vice envoy, it was either a case of favoritism, or that they wanted to see him follow his father-in-law’s will and lose the favor of the Emperor. In short, Fan Xian had already sufficiently prepared his skills, and did not feel any dread about it. In the afternoon, an official palanquin was dispatched to transport him. It travelled along the bluestone road, and in no time at all the palanquin had reached Honglu Temple.

Honglu Temple was equivalent to a diplomatic mission, and officials of Honglu Temple were equivalent to ministers of foreign affairs. In his previous life, fan Xian believed very much in a certain phrase: “A weak state has no diplomacy”. The Kingdom of Qing was the strongest in all the land, and Honglu Temple had become a government office of high status and of ill-gotten gains. Thick cypress trees were all around, and the warm summer heat did not seep into the offices. Fan Xian sat quietly in seating area of the silent hall, listening to the conversations of the superiors above him.

The conversation he heard was the Honglu Temple official Xin Qiwu – the Northern Qi and Dongyi emissaries had come to officially present their diplomatic credentials. The frank and established official of the Kingdom of Qing did not feel that this was a desperately serious matter, so the master official of Honglu Temple was still at home asleep. The people who took care of such matters were just fourth-level officials.

“Master Fan, the royal court has seen fit to appoint you as a vice envoy; firstly on account of your good reputation, secondly on account of your connection to matters regarding Northern Qi. But you are not experienced in such matters, so do not worry, you will learn in due course.” Xin Qiwu knew that the handsome young man beneath him had a strong and solid background, so he was courteous in his speech.

“That is so. Master Fan is well-known throughout the capital. It is truly a waste of his talent to take notice of Honglu Temple and these foreign nationals.” A number of officials looked at Fan Xian and attempted to flatter him, not showing their true intentions. At the same time they feared that this nobleman’s son’s contributions could be jumping the gun. They could not prevent their awkward expressions.

[1] “Talented” was a ranking for concubines in the Tang dynasty – it was the fifth rank out of nine.