Joy of Life

(庆余年)
by
Mao Ni
(猫腻)
Synopsis
That lonesome night as he lays dying in the hospital, fearing
of death and desiring the taste of life, his mind became
unprecedentedly complex with mixed emotions.

Myasthenia gravis — an incurable disease where one’s muscle

slowly degenerated until the day when one can no longer move
and only tears may flow.

“Is this… dying?”

When he opened his eyes again, he had crossed over into the
body of a two months old infant, right in the middle of an
assassination attempt.

He was born as the illegitimate son of a noble. His name was

Fan Xian; and with that name came the burden of deep
political secrets and the legacy of his mother.

He understood; to survive, he needed unparalleled strength,

money and political power.
 To a new world with the luxury of a new life, so named;
Celebrating the Remaining Life.
Copyright
All rights reserved.

English Translation @ Qidian International

ePub conversion by Lisa Hayes @ Hasseno Blog

This is a free eBook. You are free to give it away (in

unmodified form) to whomever you wish.

No part of this eBook may be reproduced or transmitted in

any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording or by any information storage and
retrieval system, without written permission from the author.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and

incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are
used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or
dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Chapter 1: A Length of Black Cloth
Fan Shen struggled to keep his eyes open. He looked at his
fingers, counting off all the worthwhile things he’d done in his
life, but the slender fingers on his right hand, thin as
chopsticks, didn’t get past five. With a sigh, he gave up trying.

The smell of hospital medicine was always so pungent. The

other day, the old fellow in the next bed had passed away, and
in a few days, he’d probably be next.

He'd contracted some sort of strange disease, and there was

no strength left in his muscles. It seemed like the kind of
sickness some hero in a romance novel would get, one where if
you didn't get to a hospital, you'd eventually end up unable to
even fart or burp, only being able to produce tears.

"But I'm not a romantic hero," Fan Shen mumbled.

Unfortunately, the muscles in his jaw had wasted away to such
an extent that this came out as a vague string of nonsense.

He stared at his middle finger, filled with self-pity. "I'm still a

virgin."
 ......

......

He'd done nothing worthwhile his entire life apart from

helping old ladies cross the street, giving up his seat on the
bus, being a good neighbor, letting his classmates copy his test
answers...

Fan Shen was the classically useless nice guy.

His parents had died a while back, and so it was just him at
the hospital, waiting for his life to come to an end.

"Nice guys finish last."

One quiet and lonely night, Fan Shen felt as though his
throat muscles were losing strength, as they were no longer
able to tighten or loosen up, and his breathing muscles
gradually lost their strength, like a rubber band losing its
elasticity.

He had no idea where that neat young nurse had gone. By his
side was an old lady, her eyes filled with pity as she rambled
on.

"Am I going to die?"

His fear of death and thirst for life had stirred up complex
feelings he’d never known before, and the fact that the last
moments of his life would be spent with this old lady instead
of that cute nurse he’d been waiting so long to see no doubt
added to his sorrows.

Feeling miserable, his eyelids drooped, and he cast his hazy

eyes toward the black curtain hung over the hospital ward
window blocking out the sunshine. Life is lonely as hell, he
thought.

—————————————————————
 Feeling miserable, a single drop of liquid fell from the corner
of his eye.

Fan Shen felt rather miserable, licking away the tear that had
found its way to the corner of his mouth. To his surprise, he
found that his tears were not only salty, but also slightly fishy.
The hospital bathed him so rarely - could it be that even his
own tears had started to stink?

In his thoughts, he couldn't help but curse. Look at you! You

have tears streaming down your face! Do you really still think
you're some kind of hero?

But he soon realized something wasn't quite right. How come

he could still stick his tongue out to lap up the tears? The
doctor said he'd lost the ability to move his tongue a while ago.
Now the only use for it was letting it slide easily down his
esophagus, blocking his respiratory tract; he’d become one of
the few geniuses to commit suicide by swallowed tongue.

Later he found that it was becoming easier to open his eyes.

His line of vision opened up, his eyesight becoming sharper
than it had been even before he had contracted this disease.
The view before his eyes was bright and clear, and he saw
something made of bamboo right in front of him.

......

Fan Shen, dumbfounded, separated the bamboo rods, and

found himself facing an astonishing sight: A dozen or so
figures stood, menacing and clothed in black from head to toe.
Each of them held something sharp in their hands, and raising
it in the air, they hacked away at themselves!

For a moment, he couldn't be sure if this was a dream or

some strange near-death experience. Instinctively, he drew his
head back and threw his hands in front of his face, acting as
any normal person would in such a situation, like an ostrich
burying its head in the sand.

Hahahaha... the sound of endless tittering filled the air.

It was followed by a great chorus of melancholy groans, and

finally, silence. After a moment, Fan Shen felt a sense of
unease. He cautiously separated two of the fingers on the hand
he was hiding behind, covertly looking through the gap.

A bamboo basket lay in front of him, dividing the space

before his eyes into strips, and through the holes, he could
clearly see a dozen or so corpses lying on the ground, blood
pouring onto the floor, the stench of it filling the air. He saw it
all too clearly, and the terror rendered him temporarily unable
to move.

But soon after, he suddenly thought about his own hands.

Could they move now? Had he really recovered? What the hell
had he just seen? Was it a dream? If he awoke, would he find
himself lying in his bed, unable to move, awaiting death once
more? If that were the case, he might as well never wake up. At
least his hands could move; at least his eyes could blink.

The thought saddened him, and he wiped his wet face with
his hand.

He took his hand away and looked at it.

 It was covered in blood.

The liquid that had dripped from the corner of his eye had
been someone else's blood splashing onto his face.

Fan Shen stared blankly at his hands, his heart pounding.

These aren't my hands!

In front of him was a pair of delicate and beautiful hands,

covered in blood. They looked like flowers blooming in a
slaughterhouse. They certainly weren't the hands of an adult.

He was overwhelmed by the shock of it. His consciousness

adrift in crashing waves, he could only stare blankly, filled
with endless doubt as terror gripped his entire being.

......
 ......

It was the Qing Kingdom’s 57th year, and there was still no
end to the emperor’s battle campaign against the western
barbarians. Count Sinan rode alongside the army, while the
empress dowager and the council of elders governed in the
capital.

On this day, there had been a fire at the Taiping Courtyard,

located on the outskirts of the capital, on the banks of the
Liujing River. A group of killers prowled the night, taking
advantage of the blaze and rushing into homes, slaughtering
everyone in sight in a horrific massacre.

A young servant in the courtyard fought back while carrying

his young master as he was chased by a group of killers in dark
clothing. The two sides fought by the southern gate of the city
walls.

The ambushing warriors had not expected this physically

disadvantaged youth to possess such unfathomable strength,
and after reaching a hill, they came across reinforcements -
reinforcements whose identity made their blood run cold.
 "The Black Knights!" the fearsome killers cried out as they
fell in their own blood, pierced through by crossbow arrows.

The reinforcements rode on horseback, clad in black armor

and enshrouded in moonlight, as if emitting the faint glow of
soul eaters.

Each of them had only their standard military-issue

crossbow, but in a volley of shots, they had taken down most
of the killers.

Shielded in the midst of the cavalry was a middle-aged man

sitting in a carriage. His complexion was pale, and a sparse
beard grew upon his chin. He looked at the young man
carrying the child upon his back, nodded, then clapped his
hands gently.

That clap was the signal to attack!

A squad split off from the cavalry, and like a reaper’s scythe
in the night, they charged relentlessly into the bloody fray,
laying waste to the rank of killers.
 Suddenly, a sorcerer emerged from amongst the killers.
Lifting his staff, he began to chant an incantation. They all felt
the rumbling of some unspeakable force gathering on the hills.

The man in the carriage frowned slightly, but he did not

move. From his side, a shadow leapt out into the night sky,
soaring upward like an eagle.

With a crunching sound, the sorcerer's chanting stopped, and

his head was wrenched violently upward from off his
shoulders, his blood spilling like a shower of rain.

The man in the carriage shook his head. "These sorcerers

from the west just don't understand," he said. "In the face of
true strength, magic is about as useful as a minister's writing
brush."

Dozens of cold-as-steel riders made sure the perimeter was

clear, clenching their right fists in a gesture to signal to the
others that the killers had been completely vanquished.
 The ranks of the cavalry split, and the carriage slowly rolled
forward, coming face to face with the young servant. With the
aid of his subordinates, the man moved from the carriage into
a wheelchair, his legs too damaged to walk. He pushed himself
along, unhurriedly approaching the epicenter of the
battleground, while the young servant remained straight as a
ramrod.

Looking at the bamboo basket on the young man's back, the

wheelchair-bound man's pale face turned red, finally betraying
some hint of color. "At last, you've made it," he said.

The face of the young man, carrying the basket on his back,
was covered by a strip of black cloth. In his hand he held a
black iron, dagger-like chisel, the blood dripping slowly from
its point. He was surrounded by the corpses of his ambushers,
their throats covered in blood in what seemed to have been the
deadly blow.

"I need you to give me an explanation for this. "His eyes

covered with black cloth, he spoke coldly, his voice
untrembling and without a trace of emotion.
 The wheelchair-bound man's pitying look at once turned
conspiratorial. "Naturally, I'll give you an explanation," he
said, "but I also need to give one to your master."

The young servant nodded, and got ready to leave.

"Where are you taking this child?" the middle-aged man said
coldly, sitting on the wheelchair. "You’re blind, mind you;
don’t tell me you’re making Young Master wander the world
with you?"

"This is the young lady’s flesh and blood."

"That’s the master’s flesh and blood too!" the middle-aged

man in the wheelchair continued coldly. "I guarantee that I’ll
find a very safe place for Young Master here in the capital."

The other man shook his head and stretched the black strip
of cloth on his face. The middle-aged man in the wheelchair
knew this boy would listen to no one but that young lady; he
couldn’t be given orders, not even by his own master. Sighing,
the man reasoned, "Everything going on in the capital will be
taken care of once the master comes back, so why must you
take him away?"

"I do not trust your master."

The middle-aged man furrowed his eyebrows slightly, as if

disgusted by what he just heard. He paused for a brief moment,
then said, "A young child has to nurse, to learn words; can you
provide those things?" He laughed mockingly. "You, blind
man? What can you do other than murder?"

The other man didn’t get angry, merely nudging the bamboo
basket on his back. "You too seem only capable of slaughter,
cripple."

The middle-aged man let out a chilling laugh. "This time it

was only those high-class noblemen in the capital. After the
master comes back, I will naturally start cleaning them up."

The blind youth shook his head.

 The middle-aged man lightly massaged his wheelchair with
his hand, as if guessing what it was the other feared. A moment
later, he frowned. "I know what you’re afraid of, but in this
earthly world, only the child’s father can protect him. Is there
anyone else with the power to help him escape such a nameless
danger?"

The blind youth suddenly spoke, his voice still emotionless.

"A new identity, a new life left in peace."

The middle-aged man thought for a moment, then nodded

with a smile.

"Where’s the place?"

"Danzhou Port. The master’s mother is currently living

there."

After some silence, the blind youth finally accepted this

arrangement.
 The middle-aged man, smiling, rolled his wheelchair around
and behind the blind youth. He then reached out and picked up
the child in the bamboo basket. Looking at the child’s cute face,
which was delicate and snow-white, he sighed.

"He really does take after his mother. So beautiful." He

suddenly laughed out loud. "This little thing is sure to grow up
and make a name for himself."

His subordinates, who had been standing far away in silence,

suddenly heard their superior let out such joyous laughter.
While their expression remained unchanged, deep down, it
shook them to their core; they had no idea how important this
child was.

"Huh?" the blind youth tilted his head and took the child
back. Although he was more innocent than regular humans, he
still didn’t want the baby’s face getting too close to the hands
of this venomous serpent, while at the same time using one
syllable to express his question out of polite courtesy.

The middle-aged man smiled, looking at the child’s face.

There was something indescribable and terrifying in that
smile.

"He is only two months old, and yet he wiped away the blood
on his face. Having experienced tonight’s scary events, he is
sound asleep. Just goes to show..."

Suddenly he lowered his voice, making sure not even his

subordinates could hear what he said next, "... he is the child of
the Tianmai."

That middle-aged man held tremendous power in the capital,

his methods cruel and without equal. Any law-breaking official
who ended up in his hands would spit out the truth in no more
than two days. His gaze was even more sinister, but as
extraordinary as he was, not even he realized that the child
wasn’t soundly asleep, but had instead fainted from fright.

......

......
 Tianmai: "Tian" refers to the heavens, whereas "Mai" refers
to the bloodline.

"Tianmai," then, describes the heavenly bloodline left in the

human world, a bloodline which, according to the legends of
this world, awakened in the human world every few hundred
years.

This bloodline could manifest through unyielding and

overpowering combative strength, such as that belonging to
The General from the distant ancient country of Nas. During a
historically critical moment, one in which his country was on
the verge of perishing at the hands of barbarians, he
assassinated much of the original barbarian congress using his
courage and vigorous combat capabilities.

Then there were those Tianmai who showed exceptional

talent in areas like art or wisdom, such as a couple from west,
Boer the Scholar and his playwright wife, Fubo, both of whom
died 300 years ago.

Of course, nobody could prove that the reason the bloodline

remained in the human world was because of Heaven’s concern
for the suffering and pain of humans, though in truth, these
beings brought much more than peace to the human world.

Furthermore, all Tianmai vanished without a trace; neither a

person nor country could find a clue as to their whereabouts.
They disappeared as suddenly as they came, leaving only
obscure records, though nothing that could prove their
existence.

Coincidently, the middle-aged man in the wheelchair was one

of the very few people who knew that this rare phenomenon
truly existed.

For some unknown reason, after Fan Shen died, his soul
came to this world … and remarkably into the body of a baby,
whose father or mother turned out to be Tianmai who surfaced
on the mainland.

By dawn, the battlefield had been cleared, and the carriage

slowly moved along the stone road towards the east. Behind
the carriage was the bizarre scene of a team of cavalry clad in
black and a sickly pale middle-aged man in a wheelchair.
 The carriage went over a rock, the sudden motion awakening
the sleeping baby, who had been lying on the silk cushion. The
baby’s eyes soullessly looked away from his savior’s face and
towards the front of the carriage, his line of vision unlike that
of any other baby; it was crystal clear but unable to focus, and
there was a strange and indescribable to it feeling as well.

Not one person knew that the soft and fragile body of the
baby accommodated a soul from a different world.

Eyes were on the scenery when the curtains of the carriage

lifted, a breeze passing by and revealing a corner view of green
mountains and the retreating stone path in the distance, like
an endless display that kept on rewinding.

In front of the carriage, a blind boy held tightly to his iron

rod, his eyes covered by a black cloth thank blanketed both his
eyes and the day.
Chapter 2: Story Time
Danzhou Harbor lay to the east of the state of Qing, near the
sea. Since the recent completion of the ports in the South, and
with the sea route to the West that was opened up early on, the
state’s center of trade had moved south. As a result, Danzhou
Harbor was gradually forgotten. The formerly bustling port
had quieted down years ago.

Seagulls flew freely, no longer harassed by annoying sailors.

The local residents of Danzhou Harbor, on the other hand,

had not experienced much change in their lives. Although their
income had decreased, the emperor had been exempting them
from paying taxes for years, and they continued to lead
comfortable lives. Not to mention that the seaport was very
beautiful and, now quiet, it naturally became more livable.

Once in a while, some big name would come to Danzhou

Harbor and build a manor.

However, as it was so far from the imperial capital, few of

the officials really settled down there. Perhaps only the old
lady who lived in the house to the west of the city could be
counted as one.

It was said that the old lady was the mother of Count Sinan,
and moved to Danzhou Harbor in her retirement. Everyone in
the city knew that Count Sinan was favored by His Majesty. He
was never dispatched in accordance with normal practice, but
stayed in the imperial capital and worked with the Treasury
Department. So, most residents showed sufficient politeness
and respect to the house.

Children, however, did not understand these things.

It was a sunny day. The adults were sitting in the pub,

enjoying the salty moisture carried in by the sea breeze, eating
brined plums and drinking liquor from goblets.

A crowd of teenagers surrounded the stone steps outside the

back door of Count Sinan’s estate in the western part of the
city.
 Approaching them, a funny scene would be revealed, as the
teens were listening to a small kid of four or five years old.

The small boy was adorable, with eyebrows that seemed

painted on and a pair of bright eyes. Though his voice was
childish, the tone of his speech was as mature as an adult.

Heaving a sigh, he made a gesture with his small arms and

continued, "Truman walked toward the wall and found a
ladder. He climbed the ladder, step by step, and found a door.
He pushed the door open and went out...."

"And then?"

"And then? Then...he was free again," the small kid pouted,
appearing impatient that the teens would ask such a basic
question.

"You must be kidding? Why didn’t he...that Chris...."

 "Christof," interrupted another teen.

"Yes. Why didn’t Truman beat up Christof to vent his anger?

He had been imprisoned for years."

The small kid shrugged and said, "No."

"Hush! So boring. Young Master Fan Xian, today’s story is

not as interesting as the one from a couple days ago."

"Then, what kind of stories do you like?"

"An Ethereal Journey."

"A Great Epic."

"Hush!" said the small kid called Fan Xian, extending his
middle finger at the bigger teens around him. He admonished,
"Fighting and killing are unhealthy, digging all over for
treasure makes nature unwell."

Suddenly, a furious shout came from the courtyard, "Young

master, where are you!?"

Imitating his gesture, all the teens flashed their middle

fingers, a most spectacular sight because of the large number of
kids. They made a collective "Hush!" and ran away with
laughter.

The small child, Fan Xian, stood up from the stone steps,
patted the dust off his rear, turned around, and ran into the
courtyard. Before he closed the door, he glanced with his clever
eyes at the young, blind boss of the grocery store across from
the house, displaying a complexity of emotion that did not
match his age. He then gently closed the door.

It had been four years since Fan Shen had come to this world.
During that time, he gradually came to the realization that he
was not dreaming. He truly did arrive in an unknown world.
In some ways, this world appeared the same as the one he
remembered, but in others, it was not the same at all.
 Overhearing the gossip of the servants in the count estate, he
had finally deciphered his identity. He was the bastard son of
the capital’s Count Sinan.

In stereotypical stories of rich and powerful families, a

bastard son was easily hated and persecuted by the wife and
concubines. His honorable father, who had no real power,
seems to have had only one son. To carry on the family
lineage, Fan Shen was sent to Danzhou Harbor, far away from
the capital.

Over the years, he had become accustomed to his identity.

Still, the soul of an adult trapped in the body of a child has to
withstand experiences completely different both physically
and psychologically. A normal person would probably go
insane. Luckily, in his previous life, Fan Shen was bedridden
for many years due to a neuromuscular disease called
myasthenia gravis. Compared with his miserable former life,
the slight difficulty in moving now was nothing at all. Though
living in the body of a child, he had adapted well to his current
life.

What he was most unaccustomed to was his name. At the age

of one, the Count sent a letter and gave him the name Fan Xian
and the style name Anzhi.

It was not a good name. In the dialect of his hometown, it

sounded like a curse, meaning "freak."

His form being that of a mere baby at the time, he had no

way to express his opposition using words.

At the start of his hospital treatment in his former life, Fan

Shen could move his head. He often begged the cute nurse to
buy him pirated DVDs and books.

Living in the Count’s home, he learned that the Countess was

a kind woman with a reputation for coldness. In fact, she cared
for Fan Xian very much. The servants never treated him
differently for being born a bastard. However, he was still
upset because he could not communicate with anyone.

How could he tell the servant girls that he came from

another world? How could he tell his teacher that he could
read every character in his books?
 So, he often snuck out the side door to play with the non-
royal children. Much of the time, he regaled them with stories
from the movies and novels of his homeworld.

It seemed that he wanted to remind himself of something. He

wanted to remind himself that he did not belong to this world.
In the other world, he had movies, Internet and porn.

He didn’t know why he told the kids about The Truman

Show today. With its unsuspecting plot and without the
charming Jim Carrey, he should have known that the youth of
Danzhou Harbor would not like it at all.

But he told the story anyway.

Deep in his heart, he felt his situation to be ridiculous—why

would he suddenly, so close to death, be reborn in this new
body? He couldn’t help but think of that movie...maybe the
people on the streets and the seagulls in the sky were props?

Just like The Truman Show.

 Truman finally realized that his reality was fake. He
resolutely sailed until his boat punctured the wall of the dome,
and he found an exit door.

But Fan Shen—no, Fan Xian—knew that he was not Truman.

This world was real, not some huge movie set.

So he found himself telling stories every day to remind

himself that he belonged to another world. How ridiculous it
all was!
Chapter 3: The Nameless Yellow Book
The one good thing about being reborn would probably be
having four limbs that one could be active with. Xian was
grateful for this fact; it would be difficult for people who never
experienced the kind of disease he had to feel the sort of
happiness he felt. He took comfort in the fact that this was
perhaps God’s gift to him.

It took him four years to finally figure it out: Since he had an

opportunity to live again, why not make the most of it? If God
had blessed him with this new life and he had wasted it,
wouldn’t that dishonor God? Since he could move now, why
not move even more?

All the servants of the Count’s House knew that this young
master, born of a concubine, was an extremely active child.

"Young master, we’re begging you! Please, calm down!"

It was during that moment that Fan Xian was sitting at the
very top of the fake mountain in the courtyard, smiling as he
looked out toward the distant sea.
 To the maids, it was clear that a 4-year-old boy who climbed
such heights and smiled with such maturity was insane.

Gradually, more people gathered around the fake mountain,

with seven or eight servants eventually forming a hasty circle
around the mountain.

Although Count Sinan was appreciated by the emperor, he

did not earn a lot of money and was of low-ranking nobility.
Even if he did earn a lot of money, he couldn’t possibly spend it
all on his mother and illegitimate child. That’s why there were
so few servants in the Count’s home.

Fan Xian looked down from the fake mountains at the faces
of the panicking servants and could not help but sigh. He
obediently climbed down, "It was only a bit of exercise. Why
all the fuss?"

The servants were used to the peculiar maturity with which

the young master spoke, and so simply ignored the quirk as
they took him away to his shower.
 After washing Fan Xian until his lips were bright red, his
teeth sparkling white, his body

smooth and smelling good, the maid held him up and smiled
whilst rubbing his cheeks,

laughing as she said, "Young master looks exactly like a little

girl; I wonder what lucky lady will be blessed with you in the
future."

Fan Xian naively did not reply, as he wasn’t the kind to use a
four-year-old’s mouth to flirt with a maid in her teens; he
refused to do something so tasteless…He would wait until he
was six to take on such a challenging task.

"Time to sleep, kid."

The maid patted the little boy’s bottom. All of the servants
found it odd that despite the young master’s age, he was
already developing an unruly attitude, and yet at the same
time, he maintained the self-discipline and diligence of a
grown man.
 Like during his naptimes.

Those that had a normal childhood would remember how

they had to fight with demons who would try forcing them to
sleep during a sunny afternoon.

One knew these demons by the name of Mom, Dad, or even

their teachers.

But young master Fan Xian never needed anyone to force him
to sleep. Everyday at noon, he would put on his cutest, most
innocent smiling face and return to his bedroom obediently to
sleep, never making a single sound.

The old lady did not believe it at first, often shouting at the
maids to keep an eye on him. She thought that the boy was
using sleep as an excuse to mess around and play on the bed.
However, after keeping an eye on him for half a year, she
realized that the boy was indeed sleeping, dead to the world
and often difficult to wake up, even when shouting at him.
 From then on, the maids didn’t pay much attention, and just
kept guard outside his room.

It was summer, so naturally the maids were tired, their

bodies tilting to the side. The small fans in their hands moved
softly, and occasionally, a firefly would dance in the wind
created by the fan.

Back in the bedroom, Fan Xian climbed onto his bed and
uncovered the mat, carefully retrieving a book that he had
hidden.

The cover of the book was a light yellow, and it was showing
its age. There was not a single word on the cover, but the
borders were embroidered using unknown motifs. These
motifs curled on their final stroke, like clouds or the wide
sleeves of ancient clothing.
 He gently opened the book to page seven, which showed the
illustration of a ** man. A part of the man’s body was obscured
by red lines, and even though the boy couldn’t discern what
paint the red lines were made with, they created an illusion
that made them seem as though they were slowly moving in
some direction.

Fan Xian sighed; he looked four on the outside, and he had to

be careful not to reveal his true self. Fortunately, he had the
book to pass the time with.

The book was given to him by a blind youth named Wu Zhu

when he was very little...

Fan Xian had always thought of the young blind man, who
was a servant of his mother in this world.

Trapped in the body of the baby, he had lain in the arms of

the blind young man while travelling from the city to the port.
Perhaps the young man did not anticipate a baby remembering
anything, but as Fan Xian was not an ignorant baby on their
travels together, he could tell that the young man truly cared
for the toddler with all his heart.
 For some unknown reason, the young man left after
dropping him off at the duke’s no matter how the old lady had
persuaded him to stay.

Before he had left, he placed the book next to the baby.

Fan Xian always had suspicions about the situation: Did the
servant have no reservations about him learning on his own?
After some thought, he realized that the reason was because he
was still a baby at the time, and it would have been thought
impossible for him to recognize the words, so naturally there
was no problem.

However, Fan Xian could read the text of this world, and
after the dramatic change that had happened to him, he
believed, without a doubt, in the existence of gods and devils.
He was even more certain that the book looked exactly like a
prop on a Hong Kong wireless television drama, some kind of
spiritual training to zhenqi.

It was a shame that there was no name to the book, otherwise

he would have been out on the streets asking the neighborhood
kids if this zhenqi spiritual training method was any good.
 Thinking of this, Fan Xian laughed out loud. Since God let
him relive his life, he was going to treasure this opportunity.
Neigong was something good that did not exist in his world,
and even if this nameless spiritual training method on zhenqi
had been a bunch of nonsense, it didn’t stop him from starting
to practice with it at the age of one.

It wasn’t far off from starting practice in the womb, and you
couldn’t get any earlier than that

No one born in this world, not even the masters worshipped

by the people, not even if they were geniuses, could be on the
same level as Fan Xian, who started zhenqi training at such
young age.

What was it called? This is the early birds getting the worms;
this is stupid birds flying first.

In any case, surely he would not be as stupid as kids who got

their first glimpse at martial arts, right?
 While Fan Xian was thinking about this, he could already
feel the zhenqi flowing. It slowly circulated the lines of the
drawings in the book, and flowed into his body. This was an
extremely soothing sensation, as if warm water was cleansing
every inch of his body and organs.

Gradually, Fan Xian fell into meditative state and

comfortably slept on his bed.

Essential qi
Exercises to benefit the internal organs; the art of building up one's strength through breathing
and other exercises of the internal organs
Chapter 4: Practice and Study
In truth, Fan Xian did not know that he was practicing a
profound spiritual art. If he had become a soldier, he would
train carefully, practicing with utmost caution, and ask for the
aid of a teacher or the watchful eye of a trustworthy friend.

The most dangerous aspect of this practice was in the

fundamentals. When accumulating one's qi in the dantian and
xueshan - the pubic region and the coccyx - an enormous
discrepancy will arise between the reaction speed of the
practitioner's body and spirit. The most direct consequence of
this is the immobilization of the practitioner's bodily
functions, which will leave them in a vegetative state.

When this happens, the inexperienced practitioner may

falsely believe that they have lost control of their senses, and
forcibly channel zhenqi into the organs. If they are both
fortunate and exceptionally strong, they may be able to
redirect the body’s scattered zhenqi into the meridians, but this
will all be for naught. If this happens to a novice, they may
begin to panic, and this may lead to actual demonic possession.
 Though also a novice, Fan Xian could not only kept control
of his senses, but was able to comprehend this mysterious
feeling with more ease than some of the strongest
practitioners. This was partly thanks to the experiences of his
previous life, and partly thanks to luck.

When he had begun to practice manipulating this obscure

zhenqi force, his new body was that of an infant. The innate
energy he had drawn from his mother's body had not yet
completely returned to the world; it remained within him.
Thus, his training advanced effortlessly so that, miraculously,
a great part of this innate zhenqi remained in his meridians.

Consequently, those obstacles which are most likely to stump

the average practitioner were no trouble for Fan Xian.

In his previous life, Fan Xian's illness confined him to his

sickbed for a number of years, and he was long accustomed to
his brain having no command over his body. So when he first
encountered this situation, he did not panic, but instead felt
the warmth of the memories of his past.
 Thus, during his first attempt at practice, just as he became
vaguely aware of his qi, it dispersed. When this left him
paralyzed, he remained unafraid.

It was exactly his absence of fear which kept his mind clear
and undisturbed, allowing him to easily surmount this most
challenging of obstacles.

From that point on, his practice became easier. He needed

only to contemplate the secrets of the art, and he would enter a
meditative state. This helped Fan Xian sleep soundly
throughout his daily nap; even thunder did not wake him.

Most practitioners found it difficult to enter such a state

because it was largely reliant on chance and coincidence. To be
able to meditate during one’s daily nap like this child did was
an indescribable luxury.

Heaven truly smiled upon him.

...
 ...

As soon as he awoke, he found his cute little face writhing

against a towel held by the servant girl who washed him.

In the afternoon, he began to study in the library under the

tutor whom the Count had specially invited from the Eastern
Sea to teach him. This tutor was not particularly old by any
means; no more than thirty. Yet his body gave off the decrepit
odor of someone much older.

Literary culture had greatly improved across the state of

Qing over the past decade, and ever since the publication of the
scholar Hu Shih’s Discussion on Literary Reformation, battle
lines had been drawn between "old language" and "new
language".

The so-called "old language" was what Fan Xian remembered

to be classical Chinese, while "new language" was similar to
written vernacular Chinese, though perhaps a bit more refined.
 Fan Xian's tutor was an ardent classicist, and so Fan Xian
spent every day poring over one classic text or another.
Although these classics were rather different from the Four
Books and Five Classics, the classical literary canon of Fan
Xian's world, they were astoundingly similar in moral content,
and even featured the same schism as that between
Confucianism, Mohism, Legalism, and Daoism.

When he had his first lesson, Fan Xian started wondering just
where he actually was.

It was a stuffy summer and the humidity hung in the air of

the library. The tutor opened the south-facing window and the
crying of the cicadas carried by the cool, refreshing breeze
penetrated the room. He turned around and saw his young
pupil slumped over the table, lost in thought. He was about to
summon up some words of rebuke, but somehow lost the
mettle to do so when he looked upon his charge's fair, gentle
face.

In truth, he quite admired the boy. Though young, he spoke

eloquently and knew quite a bit about what their forebears had
written on virtue. For a four-year-old urchin, it was really
quite impressive.
 The tutor also had doubts. Count Sinan seemed so anxious,
and the demands in his letter had been so great that he felt
forced to obey. Now he had to begin teaching the scriptures to
this young child. If it were any ordinary person, they’d only be
studying a few characters at that age; puerile stuff, really.

At the end of the lesson, Fan Xian politely saluted his teacher
and respectfully waited for him to leave the library. Then he
shed his outer layer of clothing, already drenched with sweat,
and ran out of the library. The anxious servant girl followed,
rushing after him shouting, "Be careful!"

He stopped when he reached the courtyard and a silly,

innocent smile spread across his face. Like a little adult, he
swaggered into the room and, upon seeing the old lady sitting
in the center, yelled out sweetly, "Nainai!"

The old woman smiled kindly, the deep wrinkles on her face
showing her age. Only occasionally, her eyes would flash in a
way that let people know that this was no ordinary old lady. It
was said that Count Sinan owed everything he had to this
woman’s presence in the capital.
 "And what did you learn today?"

Fan Xian stood politely in front of her chair and told her
everything he learned from his tutor that day. After saluting
her, he went to the side courtyard to eat with his younger
sister.

The relationship between the old lady and her grandson was
a strange one, perhaps because Fan Xian was an illegitimate
child. Though the old woman never mistreated him, she
expected a lot from him, so there was always a slight feeling of
distance.

Fan Xian remembered this old lady cradling him as he cried

when he was just a newborn. She could never have imagined
that a newborn baby could understand what she said to him,
let alone remember it so deeply.

"My child, it's ok if you want to blame your father for this.
Poor little one. Just born, and your mother's no longer with
us."
 ...

...

History - this was perhaps the biggest question on Fan Xian's

mind. The moment he arrived in this world, he witnessed a
murder. He knew that his father was Count Sinan, whose face
he had never laid eyes on - but who was his mother? That year,
Count Sinan had followed the emperor's army on his
expedition to the west, and the murderers had come to kill Fan
Xian's mother.

His body was home to a soul that had come from another
world, so he could never feel any sort of filial emotion toward
the Count. But, from time to time, he thought of that long-
dead woman whom he called mother.

"Nainai", or"grandma", referring specifically to one’s fraternal grandmother.

Chapter 5: The Nocturnal Visitor
"What are you thinking about?"

As the two servant girls were serving food, the young girl
sitting next to Fan Xian asked, pouting. Her skin was slightly
ashy and she was somewhat skinny, so she looked rather pitiful
sitting next to the fair and genteel Fan Xian.

Fan Xian stretched out his hand and stroked her downy hair,
chuckling. "I was wondering what you usually eat when you're
in the capital."

This little girl, even younger than Fan Xian, was Ruoruo,
Count Sinan's daughter and Fan Xian’s half-sister.

She was such a sickly child, and the Countess felt sorry for
her granddaughter, so the girl had been brought to Danzhou
the previous year to recuperate. Though she had been
coalescing for nearly a year, it had no noticeable effect; her
hair remained wispy and thin. In a noble family such as the
Count’s, there was no shortage of food, so it couldn't have been
malnutrition - it was likely a natural debility.
 Fan Xian and the young girl got along very well. Although he
saw himself as being something of an uncle to her, he was
really there to provide company. He often took her out to play
and told her stories. In the eyes of onlookers, however, this
was evidence of their deep sibling bond.

It was Fan Xian's status as a bastard that caused some

awkwardness - it wasn't proper to compare him to the Count’s
legitimate daughter, so the servant girls took pains not to bring
up the Count’s business in the capital.

She answered her brother's question earnestly, twiddling her

fingers, telling him of all the things she ate when she was in the
capital. But as she began to list them, it seemed that all she
could think of were candied hawthorn fruits and little dough
figurines.

By the time they had finished eating, it was late. The sun had
sunk halfway beneath the horizon and dense crepuscule
enveloped the courtyard.

"Ruoruo, you're such a weakling."

 "Stop being mean."

"Ok, what story do you want to hear today?"

"Snow White!"

Fan Xian smiled. He was lucky nobody else was around,

because it would be most unsettling to happen upon this four-
year-old boy smiling that wicked smile that only adults are
capable of.

"How about I tell you a ghost story?"

"No!" Horrified, Ruoruo shook her head vehemently, her

ashen cheeks suddenly damp with tears. It was clear that over
the past year she'd already suffered enough ghost stories.

...
 ...

Tormenting young girls was one of Fan Xian's vices. He was

an expert at menacing the servant girls, and often told them
ghost stories which would incite incessant shrieking and leave
them huddled together in bed, trembling.

Though he couldn't tease them verbally, lest he arouse

suspicion, he still enjoyed their soft, perfumed embraces.

He reassured himself that he was still a child and needed

physical contact. There was nothing shameful about it; it was a
natural desire.

And whenever the servant girls got curious - the young

master is still so little, how does he know so many scary
stories? - Fan Xian placed the blame squarely on his tutor.

And so the servant girls came to look on the tutor with

mistrust: Count Sinan spent so much money bringing him here
to teach the young master, and he spends all his time telling
ghost stories, scaring the life out of the poor little lad and
scaring us girls half to death - what an awful man!

After wrapping up the last ghost story, two of the servant

girls were frightened senseless. They washed the young master
and tucked him into bed.

It seemed like a normal night.

Fan Xian rested his head upon the hard porcelain pillow, then
went to his wardrobe and brought out a winter robe. He folded
it up into a rectangle and used it as a pillow.

He rested against the pillow, but his eyes stayed wide open.
The dark night shimmered. He couldn't get to sleep.

Even though he had come to accept many things about his

reincarnation into this world, there was still one thing he
couldn’t get used to: that he had to be asleep by 9 o'clock in the
evening.
 He'd spent enough time sleeping on his sickbed in his past
life.

He felt along the surface of the bed and discovered a nook

where he would not be seen. He relaxed and, naturally, his
zhenqi began to slowly flow. He soon entered a meditative
state.

A moment before he entered this state of emptiness, Fan Xian

wondered - how should I live in this world? Just how should
he spend the decades ahead of him?

He was just about to drift off into the harem reveries that he
had conjured up so many times in his former vegetative state
when he was woken by an unexpected guest.

...

...
 "Are you Fan Xian?"

There was someone at the foot of his bed with icy-cold eyes
and unusually brown pupils. With just one look, Fan Xian
knew that this was not a benevolent visitor.

It was a polite enough question, but when asked in the

middle of the night by someone who had snuck into one's
room, face concealed, dagger in hand, and with small bags tied
about the waist, it was a somewhat disconcerting one.

Fortunately, Fan Xian was not a normal four-year-old boy; if

he were, he would have cried out upon seeing this strange man.

He was also acutely aware that a visitor who could so

stealthily infiltrate the Count’s estate was a man of great
means and little mercy. If he were to cry out, he would
certainly be killed.

Thinking this over, Fan Xian couldn't help but feel some
pride in the fact that, even in the face of death, his cognitive
skills remained sharp. He coughed twice, trying to keep the
fear in his heart from bursting forth. Disguised as this adorable
young boy, he pounced!

...

...

"Papa, you’re finally back!"

Eyes brimming with tears, the four-year-old boy threw

himself into the embrace of this would-be murderer, his arms
clutching his waist. Yet the child’s arms were too short, so he
could only grasp onto his clothing as if he feared the man
would run away.

Perhaps he had grasped too firmly. With a rip, the boy tore a
strip from the man's clothing.

The night visitor furrowed his brow. He couldn’t figure out

how to react, so he tore himself away from Fan Xian’s embrace
and stood there dumbfounded. He seemed to be trying to figure
out why Count Sinan's bastard child would call him "papa".

He was perplexed. His clothing was made from the finest

materials; even a blade should have trouble tearing it. How did
this young child rip it with his bare hands?

Yet Fan Xian was even more puzzled than the man. When he
was all alone, he had used his time in the rock garden to test
the power of his zhenqi on the stones. When he discovered that
his slender little fingers could just barely crush softer stones,
such as turquoise, he developed confidence in his capability for
self-defence.

Fan Xian had managed to use the distraction of his childish

tears to get his opponent to let down his guard. He focused all
his strength into his fingers, fully expecting to be able to stop
his assailant in his tracks. He hadn't expected that he’d only
tear away some clothing.

It seemed like something serious was about to happen.

Chapter 6: The Pillow
Although Fan Xian was only four years old physically, he
carried a grown man's soul within him. The bloodshed that
had surrounded him on the day of his birth into this world was
imprinted upon his mind and had always weighed upon him
heavily. He knew that one day, his own mysterious past would
catch up with him.

It seemed that today was that day.

His sneak attack had not been successful. His pathetic tears,
intended to confuse this unexpected visitor, were of no use
now. He quickly racked his brains in search of a means of
escape.

If he cried out, his assailant would make short work of him.

Currently, the man wasn't moving - he was clearly still
confused by Fan Xian crying out "Papa!"

Seeing that his sneak attack had been ineffective, Fan Xian
decided to rely on the innate advantage of his youth. He looked
up into the visitor's eyes and wailed: "Papa! Papa…!"
 As tears streamed down his face, he nervously continued to
plot his escape.

"It's no use pretending, young Master Fan." The visitor's tone

was indifferent, and yet seemingly without a trace of menace.
"You're a smart one, it seems. Quite an instinct for self-
preservation for one so young. But it should be quite obvious
to you that I am not Count Sinan."

The night visitor gestured with the knife in his hand, and
then moved toward Fan Xian.

Fan Xian's face remained streaked with perfectly innocent

tears, but his heart pounded. "Who are you?" he sobbed fitfully.

"Your father sent me to find you. So don't scream."

The night visitor’s eyes were tiny, brown, and not

particularly pleasant to look upon. The wrinkles in the corners
betrayed his age, and his manner of speaking reminded Fan
Xian of dirty old men who tried to trick the young servant girls
into relinquishing their maidenhood.
 But Fan Xian didn't give anything away, and he perfectly
played the role of a frightened child, startled and slightly
angered.

"You're not my papa!"

Then, as if he hadn't seen the knife in his assailant's hand, he

turned tail and climbed up on the bed, grumbling. "I don't even
know what my papa looks like."

The man laughed darkly, advancing toward the bed.

Suddenly, turning around and looking behind the visitor,

Xian’s eyes flashed with surprise as he shouted out, "Mama!"

......

......
 It wasn't exactly a great diversion. He would have not been
fooled had anyone else tried it. After all, the night visitor was a
great master who owned an entire laboratory in the capital.

But as he had no reason to suspect this young boy of trickery,

the night visitor believed him when he heard his cry out
"Mama!"

The night visitor’s face betrayed a look of shock as he

whipped his head around to look.

Of course, behind him was only a tightly-closed door and the

deep dark night.

A thwack! echoed throughout the bedroom.

His head covered in blood, the man fell to the floor.

In his hand, Fan Xian held a chunk of the porcelain pillow.

Still rattled, Fan Xian looked down at the man, gripping the
severed chunk of porcelain tightly. He gritted his teeth, raised
his arm, and brought it down full-force upon his attacker's
head.

There was a sickening thud. Despite the fact that this night
visitor was a grand master, he’d be out of it for a while thanks
to the blow from that pillow.

......

......

A servant-girl's voice arose from outside. "What was that?"

"It was nothing! I dropped a cup. We'll clear it up tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? If Young Master steps on it, then what will we

do?"
 "I said we'll deal with it tomorrow!"

Hearing such a forceful response from the usually gentle and

innocent young lad, the servant girl decided not to press the
matter.

Fan Xian went back to one side of the wardrobe, and with
some difficulty, pulled out a heavy winter quilt. He tore it up
into strips with his fingers, twisted it, and securely tied up the
man who lay on the floor.

At this point, he discovered that his back was soaked in cold

sweat.

A sudden fear gripped him: This was the first time he'd ever
tried to kill someone, in either his previous life or this one. He
wasn't sure whether he'd actually killed the man or not, but
he'd taken a great risk - if this man was a skilled fighter, then
Fan Xian’s own little life would have undoubtedly been snuffed
out.
 Passing his hand over the night visitor’s cloth-covered face,
he found that he was still breathing. He wasn't sure why, but
he suddenly got it in his head that he should do his visitor in
for good.

He shivered.

It seemed he had become so hard-hearted after his rebirth - he

was almost ready to do something so heartless, without even
the slightest hesitation.

He was unaware that deep within his heart, he saw himself as

someone who had already died once. His rebirth in this world
was a particularly precious gift, and he would not allow
anyone to threaten his life.

It was a simple principle: just as one can only realize the

strength of wine after one gets drunk, one can only know the
value of life after one has died.

Gripping the knife in his hand, he pondered. He still wasn't

sure whether he should kill this nighttime visitor who lay on
the floor. Suddenly, he thought of someone, and a smile crept
across his face. Quietly, he pushed open the door, and crawling
through a hole that the dogs used to come in and out, he came
to the shop that stood on the street corner outside the Count’s
compound.

......

......

Tap tap tap. He knocked gently on the shop's door, his voice
low so that no one else in Danzhou could hear him in the
night.

But Fan Xian knew that the person inside would hear the
knocking. Although he pretended not to know him for the past
four years, when things came to a head, Fan Xian thought of
him as the only person he could trust.

"Who is it?" The vendor's dull and emotionless voice came

from the shop.
 Fan Xian wondered if this man really was the same as he was
outside the capital years ago, meticulous in all his affairs. He
rolled his eyes, and in a quiet voice he responded, "it's Fan
Xian."

Sure enough, the wooden shop door opened without a sound,

and the blind youngster stood at the doorway like a ghost,
startling him.

Fan Xian looked at the person who had brought him to

Danzhou Harbor. He looked at this man with, with cheeks that
seemed untouched by time these past four years and eyes
covered by a length of black cloth, and he couldn’t help but
wonder: How was it that this man hadn’t aged at all?
Chapter 7: The Guest
With an unconscious assassin lying on his floor, he had little
time to ask questions. "Someone came to kill me," he said,
getting straight to the point. "I knocked him unconscious and
he's lying on my floor."

The blind youngster cocked his head slightly. His heart

skipped a beat, but his face didn't move an inch. He bowed his
head courteously.

"Young Master Fan, what on earth are you talking about?"

"There's no time to pretend. You know who I am." Fan Xian

laughed. No matter what, he'd always pretend he didn't know
him. Pulling the blind boy along by the hand, he tried to lead
him back to the estate.

"You're still talking nonsense, young master."

The blind boy furrowed his brow. It seemed doubtful that

this young child could know his identity - when he had bought
Fan Xian to Danzhou, wrapped in swaddling clothes, he was no
more than a few months old. He shouldn't have been able to
remember him. Could the Countess in Count Sinan's mansion
have told him who he was?

It was the dead of night. In the distance, dogs howled

mournfully - someone in some house had used the wrong door.

Wu Zhu's face remained indifferent as he listened to Fan Xian

talking beside him. Finally, he closed the door of the shop and
made his way over to the Count's compound. Fan Xian let out a
relieved sigh and followed, his small strides struggling to keep
up.

Coming to the Count's house, the two boys squeezed through

the dog-hole and stood there in the bedroom. Wu Zhu "saw" the
unconscious assassin on the floor.

Fan Xian looked at the man, unsure whether he was alive or

dead.
 "Wu Zhu," he asked nervously, "why did you always pretend
not to know who I was when I came to your shop?"

Wu Zhu cocked his head again. He paused for what seemed

like a long time before he finally spoke. "Young Master, you
really have amazed me."

He was indeed rather taken aback. Even though he knew that

the boy standing before him was the Lady's child and so would
no doubt be an unusual young boy, he would never have
expected a four-year-old to be so mature, let alone capable of…
matching wits with Master Fei.

"Let's deal with him first."

With great difficulty, Fan Xian had managed to turn the

assassin over, and he removed the cloth covering his face,
revealing his true identity.

His facial features were thin, and he seemed to be getting on

in years. The beard on his chin was streaked with flecks of
white, but for some reason, there appeared to be a faint green
tinge, as if he were ill.

Somewhat perturbed, Fan Xian jumped over behind Wu Zhu,

and grabbed his sleeve. "This assassin doesn't look like a nice
guy," he whined.

"This is Master Fei, head of the Third Bureau of the

Overwatch Council." Wu Zhu squatted on the floor, feeling the
assassin's jawline. "He is one of three people known to be
masters of the use of poison. He is adept at using it, identifying
it, and remedying it. For someone as fearsome as this to be
struck down by a kid like you, holding a chunk of porcelain
pillow? I don't know whether you're extremely lucky or if his
luck just ran out."

"He was unlucky," Fan Xian said quietly to himself. Granted,

he was rather astonished to encounter such a powerful figure,
but thinking on it, it was much worse luck for such a man to
encounter a freakish young boy whose soul came from another
world.
 "Don't touch him," he warned Wu Zhu. "What if there's
poison on his body?"

Wu Zhu didn't pause, nor did he explain anything, but his

determination suggested to Fan Xian that he wanted to show
there wasn't a poison out there that could harm him.

Fan Xian knitted his brow with a pained expression. "Uncle,

what do we do about him?"

He wasn't always of a mature temperament, but in this

world, this blind youngster was the first person he had known,
and the only person who he dared to trust completely. He knew
that he was a powerful warrior, so he made sure to act both
cute and deferential, and 'uncle' seemed the best thing to call
him.

His gaze darted from place to place, and finally fell upon the
knife. He gritted his teeth. The best thing to do, he thought,
would be to stab this Master Fei to death.
 Sensing his movement, Wu Zhu stood up. "You are so
different from the Lady," he said, shaking his head. "So young
and yet so ruthless. I don't know who taught you to be like
that."

"I learnt it myself." Fan Xian didn't dare offend this warrior;
not when he was the only person he trusted. "Uncle, I know
that you've spent all this time in the shop protecting me. And I
know that you're worried my mother's enemies could find me
because you're here, so you didn't stay in the Count's house. So
it's a good thing that I'm a little ruthless."

Wu Zhu shook his head again, saying nothing.

Fan Xian knew that this sworn servant of his mother was
beginning to get suspicious. He laughed. "Uncle, what do we do
next?"

His meaning was clear. Killing was an area in which Wu Zhu

excelled.
 Wu Zhu's response came as a surprise. "Young master, you
got the wrong man," he said coldly.

"Huh? The wrong man?" Fan Xian stood dumbfounded,

slowly lowering his head to look at the assassin's bloodied face.

"But either way, we can't stand around doing nothing."

"Master Fei is head of the Third Bureau of the Overwatch

Council," Wu Zhu said coolly. "But secretly... to be precise, he
is a subordinate of a subordinate of your father. So he hasn't
come to Danzhou to kill you. If he wanted to, I don't think
there would be anything you could do about it; you’d already
be dead."

Fan Xian thought back. The assassin now lying on the

ground had said that his father had sent him, but...

...…
 ...…

"Hell, you've become just like T-Bag. Who'd believe this old
lech?"

————————————————————————

Fei Jie had been in the Overwatch Council for years. He was
now in his fifties, and though he had a reputation as an expert
in poisons, the truth of it was he was already semi-retired. If he
hadn't had an offer from a powerful person to teach in
Danzhou, and he'd had the courage to turn it down, he'd never
have left the capital.

But he didn't expect to be assaulted, left bleeding and close to

death the first time he laid eyes on his student.

Looking at the cherubic face of this young boy, with his big
blinking eyes, he felt a twinge of fear mixed with shame. He
knew exactly who this cute little kid was, and it filled him with
a sudden anger that he couldn't express.
 He turned to face a young lad who looked like some kind of
servant, ready to take his anger out on him. "You! Untie me
this instant! I am Master Fei, and the Count has paid a lot of
money for my services!"

The servant appeared to be even more arrogant than he was.

He didn't pay any attention to him at all. "I don’t recall it ever
being stated in your boss’s and my agreement that you would
come teach," he said coolly.

"Master Wu?" Fei Jie's muddied eyes widened - though they

were discolored brown from the use of poison, he could see
clearly now who the servant was. "Why, it's you!"

Fan Xian stared at the now-awake assassin. This was puzzling

indeed.
Chapter 8: The Cemetery
Fan Xian was perplexed by Fei Jie. Why would a father care
so much about his illegitimate child? Why would he hire a
teacher especially for him? If all he needed was someone to
teach him to read, then why did he send for this old weirdo?

Fan Xian could see that Fei Jie recognized Wu Zhu. He didn't
feel it was right to interrupt their conversation, and so he sat
on the bed and played dumb, with a distracted look on his face.

Waiting for the masters to explain everything, Fan Xian

loosened the bed sheet that he had bound Fei Jie with, then hid
behind Wu Zhu giggling, acting the fool.

But the two imposing men in front of him were fully aware
that he was no ordinary child.

Daylight was beginning to break. The sounds of crowing

roosters and servants boiling water could be heard faintly in
the distance.
 "At some point, I'd like you to explain how you know who I
am," said Wu Zhu coldly as he led Fei Jie out of the door.

Fan Xian's heart skipped a beat. He had no idea how he

should explain it. When he travelled the hundreds of miles to
Danzhou with Wu Zhu four years ago, he was barely a few
months old. He racked his brains, but couldn't think of a good
excuse; all he could do was blame that strange old man for his
frightening intrusion.

The city of Danzhou had begun to rouse itself awake, but the
unremarkable shop showed no signs of being open.

Hidden in a secluded room within the shop, Wu Zhu eyed Fei

Jie coolly. "What is that cripple up to?"

Fei Jie could be considered a great expert in more ways than

one, but faced with the rumored cold-blooded viciousness of
the blind youngster, he was nervous. "The young master will
one day be a grown man," he replied, "and he'll face a lot of
problems in the capital. The earlier he is prepared for them, the
better chance he has of success."
 Wu Zhu lifted his head to face him.

Though he knew full well that he was blind, Fei Jie always
felt that behind the cloth that covered his face, Wu Zhu was
staring at him with murder in his eyes. "If you object, Master
Wu," he said, "I shall return to the capital. I am sure that the
master will treat your complaint seriously."

Wu Zhu shook his head. "I thought the cripple sent you for
more than that. It's not that simple."

"Correct." Wu Zhu was the only one who dared to speak

about the master that way, thought Fei Jie. "The master has
never found the box that the Lady left behind," he said, bowing
his head as he spoke. "He is very worried that someone may
find it, and so he has asked that you advise him on the matter,
Master Wu."

"It's no use looking," said Wu Zhu flatly. "The Lady destroyed

it before she passed away."
 Fei Jie nodded and turned to leave. Stopping, he frowned.
"There's something odd about the young master. He's only four
years old, and yet you've let him study such a powerful form of
zhenqi cultivation. Are you not worried something might
happen?"

"What's odd about it," replied Wu Zhu as he stared at the man

who was soon to be the young master's teacher, "is that I never
taught him any zhenqi. That'll be your job."

Fei Jie rubbed the wound on his head, which was beginning
to ache. He had a bad feeling about all this. Forcing a smile, he
took his leave.

After he had left, Wu Zhu made his way into a secret room
within the shop. There in the corner stood a dust-covered box.
Though his eyes may have been covered by a length of black
cloth, anyone could have seen that he was deep in thought.

...

...
 Later that day, a strange man came to the Count's mansion.
Presenting a card with his name on it, he received an audience
with the Countess. Somehow, he gained her trust, and was
invited to serve as the second tutor for the young master of the
Fan household.

The servant girls quickly spread this strange news. How

could this roguish-looking old man, his head covered in
bandages, be qualified to act as tutor for the adorable young
master?

In the library, Fan Xian kneaded his tutor's back, massaging

it with his fists. Considering the ugly business with the
porcelain pillow that had transpired the night before, he felt
that he had best get back in Master Fei's good books as soon as
possible.

"It wasn’t my fault, sir!" He said in a voice so sweet and

childish that even he felt repulsed by it. "You had a knife, and
I'm just a little boy, so I was scared..."

I had the knife because I had to pry open the door, thought
Fei Jie. I just wanted to take a peep at what the fabled bastard
child had grown up to look like. How was I to know he suffered
from insomnia?

It was perhaps an inevitable misunderstanding, and

unfortunately it had left him with an aching head. There had
to be some way he could be compensated for his troubles.

"I thought you were going to teach me something in secret,"

said Fan Xian.

"That's right," replied Master Fei. "In a lot of folk tales, a

young child meets some strange traveller and learns some
mystical art, and no one around them has any idea what's
going on. That sort of thing actually happens a lot."

Fan Xian fixed Master Fei with a stare as he talked.

"But there are more than just fools in this world, and you are
not my daughter-in-law, and I do not care for climbing walls
every day." Fei Jie stared sternly back at the young boy. "Given
that I’ve pretended to be a teacher, it is better that I use this as
an opportunity to teach you."
 Fan Xian giggled and climbed onto his lap. "Teacher, do you
know my papa? What is he like?"

Fei Jie's face went red. He knew this young child was
ruthless, no matter what sort of innocent act he put on, yet he
was filled with a sense of powerlessness. On hearing the
question, he paused in thought for a moment. "The Count is a
friend of my boss’, so he asked me to come and teach you. You
can call me your teacher."

"Teacher, what are you going to teach me?"

Fei Jie laughed, and his brown-flecked pupils flashed with an

unusual light. "I... am a master of poisons. I have come to
teach you how to use poison to kill, and how to avoid being
poisoned by others."

He thought his words would frighten the young boy to tears,

but he quickly realized that the little boy standing in front of
him was no ordinary child, so trying to scare him in this way
would be of no use.
 Sure enough, Fan Xian's big eyes were filled with excitement,
and he fluttered his long eyelashes as he blinked with fervent
interest. "What are we waiting for? Do you want me to go
catch some rabbits to experiment on? Or maybe some frogs?"

Fei Jie turned away, dumbfounded. Was this kid really only
four years old?

———————————————————————

Several months later, at a burial mound a dozen or so miles

away from Danzhou Harbor, faint dawn began to break in the
pale eastern sky. It spread across the gloomy cemetery, making
it seem even ghastlier and more dreadful.

With his hands tucked into his sleeves, Fei Jie stood outside
the cemetery looking at the young master who was stooping in
an open grave with trembling brow.

Under the pretext of going on an outing, Fei Jie had taken

Fan Xian away from the Countess for several days. They had
actually gone to the cemetery to dig up corpses to study the
structure of the human body.

He knew that the young master Fan Xian was no ordinary

child, but as he watched him acclimatize so quickly to the
gloom of the graveyard, steady his mind, and dissect the
corpses as he had been learning that month, he couldn't help
but feel rather horrified.

Fei Jie was a professional, used to dealing with corpses all the
time. But he had never come across a four-year-old boy who
was so calm around dead bodies.

The prim, handsome boy, surrounded by the fetid stench of

death, wore a face mask as he yanked the entrails out of a half-
rotted corpse.

It was an utterly ghoulish scene. This second life was about

as miserable as the first one, thought Fan Xian horribly.
Chapter 9: Age is Just a Number
Pulling down his face mask and washing his hands with
clean water, Fan Xian started recording the features of the
corpses. He analyzed the diseases the deceased might have
contracted, taking detailed notes in a black, leather-bound
notebook Fei Jie had given him.

After he was finished, he stood up, his face somewhat pale,

his long eyelashes fluttering incessantly. "Is there anything else
to do, sir?"

Looking at him, Fei Jie frowned. He hadn't expected the kid

to have such guts.

Before he could open his mouth to say anything, the nausea

had finally gotten to Fan Xian. He ran to the edge of the
graveyard and began to vomit violently. When the nausea had
finally passed, he stood up again.

A soft look of pity glanced across Fei Jie's face. Had he been
too harsh, ordering a four-year-old boy to get up close and
personal with such terrible things? As he watched Fan Xian
vomit, Fan Jie suddenly realized that this was the first time he
really seemed like a child, rather than an old soul in a young
body.

"It’s okay. You've got some first-hand knowledge now. We can

discuss it another time."

Before Fei Jie could finish his sentence, Fan Xian's young
voice interjected.

"It's a shame Danzhou's such a small town. Not enough dead

people. Otherwise we might be able to find fresher corpses."

Fei Jie's heart skipped a beat, and he slowly turned his head
to look into Fan Xian's innocent eyes. He wasn't sure exactly
what he was expecting to find in them. After a long while, he
spoke coldly. "Why..."

"Huh?"
 "Why aren't you scared? Why aren't you angry at me for
making you do these things?" Fei Jie fixed the young boy with a
bewildered frown.

Fan Xian lowered his head. "Teacher," he said respectfully,

"you said you would poison someone so I would be able to
watch and learn. I'm scared. I'd much rather dig up corpses."

"So there are some things in this world that frighten you."

"There are." Fan Xian looked pitifully at his teacher. "I'm

only four-and-a-half years old."

"Age is just a number." Fei Jie nodded, then shook his head
again. "Even though you're young, there are some things that
you might not understand but will have to learn anyway. A
nobleman's bastard like you will face plenty of plots and
attacks. One’s worthless sympathy can often be the thing that
leads to one’s downfall."

Fei Jie had the odd feeling that the child fully understood
everything he'd just said. At that moment, rays of daylight
found their way into Fan Xian's eyes, setting them off with a
shimmer.

Fei Jie was briefly taken aback. There was something wholly
otherworldly in the boy's eyes. Over the years, his poisons had
killed countless people. During the year of the late Emperor's
northern conquest, his poisons had killed thousands of soldiers
from the Northern Wei Kingdom. His crimes would
undoubtedly damn him to hell. Then why did the sight of this
innocent child cause him such unbearable unease?

After putting right the nameless grave they had disturbed,

the bizarre master and student pair walked eastward toward
the dawn. "You must have a lot of questions," said Fei Jie as
they took to the road.

"Hm," Fan Xian grunted in affirmation, a sweet smile

spreading shyly across his face. "You're very good to me,
teacher."

Fei Jie hadn't expected the child would answer so tactfully.

"If you can smile about something like this," he said, laughing
bitterly, "I really wonder how mature you are."
 "Better to laugh than to cry."

"That's true." Fei Jie stared at the city walls in the distance,
furrowing his brow. "Your father owns a great estate in the
capital. A lot of people will struggle to take it from you, so
you'll have to become strong and learn as much as you can."

Fan Xian said nothing. He was deep in thought. He'd always

heard that his father, Count Sinan, was well trusted by the
Emperor, and that he lived in the capital.

The year before last, there was a great political upheaval in

the capital, and a great many nobles had died in a coup.
Finally, His Majesty had taken control of the situation,
purging the houses of countless aristocrats. Although his
father was one of those nobles, he had somehow managed to
retain the trust of the Emperor, and had even greatly improved
his standing.

But Fan Xian still couldn't understand what kind of estate

could lead to his own death. How could it cause his father to
enlist this formidable intermediary from the Overwatch
Council to serve as his teacher?
 "I understand. One day, someone will try to kill me, so you're
teaching me to use poison. Really, I'm scared someone will try
to poison me."

"Right. Killers have many methods, but poison is the easiest

and least likely to arouse suspicion." Fei Jie rubbed the crown
of his head. "My job is to teach you about such matters within a
year, so that no one can kill you by poisoning one of your
meals."

"But why only now? Surely you've been worried that

somebody might poison me for the past few years." Fan Xian
needed clarification, so he continued asking questions; all the
while he couldn't help but worry that his teacher would sense a
maturity beyond his years.

Fei Jie smiled, but his words were grim. "Because last month,
Count Sinan's concubine gave birth to a son. In other words,
you already have a rival for Count Sinan's estate. And that
concubine has connections within the Overwatch Council.
Your father was worried something might happen to you, and
it wouldn't be convenient to dispatch someone to guard you for
a long period of time, because that would arouse suspicion. So
he sent me to teach you."
 Fan Xian noted that Fei Jie had said both "Count Sinan" and
"your father".

"I'm a bastard," said Fan Xian, smiling. "By law, I have no

right to inherit my father's title. So the concubine shouldn't
worry about me."

"One can never be too sure of anything in this world," Fei Jie
snapped back. "Although you've got Master Wu protecting you,
he can't be your nanny. Poison in your food might not hurt
him, but it will still kill you. And if you die, you don't know
how many people might die alongside you."

Fan Xian’s misgivings grew stronger. What sort of power did

he wield, this father he had never seen? It was clearly far more
than someone of his stature should normally have.

......

......
 The morning sun was bright, and as Fei Jie led his charge
toward the walls of Danzhou, their shadows - one tall, one
short - stretched out upon the ground. Fei Jie observed Fan
Xian's face, still rather pale. "Truth is, dead people are nothing
to fear."

"Okay."

"And don't use zhenqi to control your emotions. If human

emotions aren't given the proper outlet, even if your powers of
zhenqi control are at their peak, you'll become a murderous
monster."

"I understand." Obediently, Fan Xian scattered the zhenqi

within his body and stopped suppressing the fear and disgust
he felt at handling corpses.

At that moment, Fei Jie suddenly spoke. "There are still some
rotten entrails in your sleeve. You taking them home for
breakfast?"
 "Aargh!" The child’s frightened shriek and the subsequent
sinister laugh of his teacher pierced through the quietude of
the rustic dawn.
Chapter 10: No Shame in Asking
Over the year that passed, young Fan Xian began to learn all
that Master Fei knew about poison. Occasionally, they would
find the time to leave the city, searching high and low for
poisonous ingredients like strychnine trees and purging nuts,
as well as tasting various types of fungus. There were countless
times when Fan Xian was overcome by such a powerful
stomach ache that he would have feared for his life if he didn't
have such a grandmaster in poisons by his side.

Of course, in order to fully pursue his studies, under the

command of Master Fei, his young and delicate hands were
responsible for the deaths of innumerable rabbits, and toads
would flee at his approach.

That year, Fan Xian turned five.

Strangely, after Fei Jie had arrived in Danzhou, Wu Zhu no

longer made the effort to avoid Fan Xian. Every time Fan Xian
slipped away to Wu Zhu's shop to drink wine - which, as a
child, he shouldn't have been drinking - Wu Zhu made him a
few bar snacks to go along with it.
 Fan Xian was curious. Wu Zhu was a servant of his mother's -
why didn't he care that he drank wine?

Fan Xian knew that his mother was no ordinary lady, and
that was why she'd had such a dedicated and powerful servant
as Wu Zhu. But he couldn't be sure that the blind boy's
strength and skill would always protect him.

Without even realizing it, Fan Xian had gotten accustomed to

Wu Zhu being close by to guard him. He'd gotten used to
occasionally sighting Wu Zhu down some alleyway or next to
some street-side tofu seller, his eyes covered by that length of
black cloth.

Over the year, the zhenqi within Fan Xian's body continued
to make slow, steady progress. He was on the verge of making a
breakthrough, but the powerful zhenqi that accumulated in his
sleep became somewhat unstable and began to affect his
moods.

He knew that there were many unknown dangers in this still-

unfamiliar world, and that there were many things about
Count Sinan's estate in the capital that he did not understand.
 After he awoke, he set himself a goal: "Live well and make
progress every day!"

And because of this "grand" goal, in order to keep himself

alive so that he could some day carry out his three "grand"
missions, he dedicated himself to his practice.

In his past life he was paralyzed as a result of his debilitating

muscle disease. So to find himself able to move freely in this
new life made him value it all the more. Every day he rose
early to strengthen his body, climbing up onto every surface he
could, working so diligently at it that it began to perturb Fei
Jie.

Unfortunately, he could never find a truly appropriate way to

train himself physically. He showed far more diligence than
any other child, but he usually consoled himself with the fact
that, being a young man in his twenties, it was only proper
that he be more committed than those other snot-nosed brats.

But nobody knew the truth. He wasn't born this committed;

he was just hyperactive. He'd been confined to a bed for over a
decade - there was no way he'd let himself get lazy now.
 ...

...

Night fell, and Fei Jie sequestered himself within his private
room. He leant on his writing-desk as the oil-lamp flickered.
The white hairs on his temples seemed to have turned darker
since he came to Danzhou. With a goose-quill in his hand, he
wrote something down on white paper.

A knock came from outside. "Come in," Fei Jie said softly, not
bothering to lift his head.

Fan Xian pushed open the door, lifting his feet over the high
door threshold. He scratched his head and approached with a
big grin. "What are you writing, sir?"

Fei Jie didn't seem annoyed in the slightest. He pushed his

paper to one side and turned around. "What's wrong?"
 He'd spent the better part of a year in the company of Count
Sinan's baseborn son, and he wasn't sure why, as the poison
master of the Overwatch Council, feared by corrupt officials
and underworld criminals alike, he felt some sort of warmth
and kindness when he laid eyes on the kid. He was young, but
he was tough and hardworking. He didn't look at poison with
the contempt and disgust that most people did, and that
pleased Fei Jie.

And most importantly, he was smart and thoughtful, so

much so that he didn't seem like a five-year-old child at all.

"Master Fei." Fan Xian scrambled up onto a chair with some

difficulty, finally managing to plant his buttocks on it. "I
would like to know what my father is like."

This wasn't the first time he'd asked about the pasts of Count
Sinan and his mother, but every time he had, Fei Jie had
refused to say a word.

"Your father is an incredible man," replied Fei Jie. "Of course,

your mother was even more so."
 The words meant nothing. The Overwatch Council was
responsible for investigating the kingdom's biggest criminal
activities and probing into official corruption. It was greatly
feared throughout the land, and Fei Jie had been a member
since its earliest days, rising up to the lofty post of director of
the Third Bureau, feared even by the capital's criminal
underworld.

And such an imposing figure, a grandmaster of the use of

poison, had come to the far-away town of Danzhou to tutor
Count Sinan's baseborn son, simply because the Count had
ordered it.

It was clear that Count Sinan wielded great power in the

capital, but it was hard to say whether that power stemmed
from his official status or from other, less upright means.

Fan Xian still knew nothing about his mother, who died on
the day he was "born", but his intuition told him that she was
no ordinary woman. He didn't know why - maybe it was the
blood, her blood, that ran through his veins - but he had
always felt a vague yearning for this woman he had never seen.
 Fei Jie did not seem like he wanted to carry the topic any
further. "Now that the Count's concubine has given birth to a
son, you have no chance of inheriting his estate. So what are
you planning to do?"

Fan Xian smiled sweetly. "You taught me how to use poison,

and how to cure it. I've learnt quite a lot about medicine.
Worst comes to worst, I could be a doctor."

Fei Jie stroked at his beard. "You're right," he said with a hint
of pride. "Even the doctors of the imperial palace don’t know
any more than me about medicine. As my only student, you
could easily become a physician."

They discussed the option of becoming a doctor, but deep

down, both knew it was little more than a pipe dream.

"Teacher, I'm having problems with my zhenqi practice," said

Fan Xian suddenly. "I was hoping you could help me. That's
why I came here tonight."
 Fei Jie was unparalleled in his mastery of poison, but that
was all he would teach Fan Xian. "Life is limited," he told him,
"but there is no limit to methods of killing. Therefore, we
should devote our limited lives to the limitless pursuit of the
most efficient method of killing."

And to Master Fei, poison was the most effective method for
killing.

Fan Xian had the world's greatest master of poison as his

teacher - why was he bothering with zhenqi? When it came to
this sorcery that Fan Xian couldn’t stop worrying about, Fei Jie
felt the same as any other citizen of the Kingdom of Qing - it
was of very little use when it came to combat.

But this was the first time in a year that Fan Xian had
brought it up, and Fei Jie couldn't help but feel curious. He
stretched out his fingers and took Fan Xian's pulse. Then he
went pale.
Chapter 11: The Fifth Grandmaster?
Fei Jie slowly frowned. Because he believed that the blind
man was possessed of great power, he never considered ‘the
potential problems with Fan Xian’s zhenqi training. And yet
today, while checking his pulse, he discovered something
unusual.

Seeing his usually obscene teacher being all cautious, Fan

Xian realized too that something was wrong. Grinning, he
asked: "Is there a problem?"

"Look at you, grinning like that; aren’t you afraid of

becoming too obsessed?" Fei Jie stared at him, continuing,
"The last time, I only knew the zhenqi you were training with
was tremendous, but never did I imagine it to be like this."

Fan Xian scratched his head: "Tremendous? Tremendous

how?"

Fei Jie answered seriously: "Quite tremendous."

 Fan Xian looked back, also seriously: "Teacher, we’re just
talking nonsense here."

...

...

Fei Jie is an expert at poisoning, not a grandmaster of martial

arts, so naturally he could not determine what sort of ability
Fan Xian’s nameless zhenqi was. He could, however, very much
feel the dangerous power of the zhenqi emitting from the
child’s body. After some thought, he urged Fan Xian to go find
Wu Zhu, but unexpectedly, Fan Xian sighed sadly and said that
Uncle Wu Zhu only listened to what his mother said and gave
the book to him; he himself had never trained and also refused
to say too much on the matter.

Fei Jie raged: "Master Wu is being too unreasonable. You are

the Young Master of his house; why did he, instead of
instructing you himself, make you learn such a dangerous
ability without any guidance?"
 For the past year, he had taken this five-year-old as his
greatest source of consolation during his later years in life.
Even more than that, he hoped Fan Xian would carry his
mantle in the future and glorify all he had learned. For those
reasons, Fei Jie became angry at the blind Wu Zhu when he
heard this.

"Is Uncle Wu Zhu really strong?" Fan Xian squinted as he

asked his question, looking like a little fox.

"Of course." Fei Jie leisurely thought of the past. "It’s just
that not that many people in this world know of Master Wu’s
existence… Have you heard of the Four Great Grandmasters?"

Of course Fan Xian had heard of them. In today’s world,

worshipped by the common people like gods, they were the
Four Great Grandmasters whose martial arts’ prowess reigned
supreme. Counting on one hand, there were two in the
Kingdom of Qing, one in the Kingdom of North Qi, and
another in Eastern Yi City.

In the current world, Qing had already held an

overwhelming advantage, having being led by its emperor. But
strangely, after the political bloodshed from the year before,
the nation prospered while the emperor became rather quiet
and no longer attempted to expand his territory. But that aside,
it was only natural for the strongest nation to have two of the
strongest people.

"Indeed, we currently have two of the Grandmasters residing

here." Fei Jie laughed coolly: "Humans are foolish; they only
recognize the strength in fighting. Never would they realize
that if one’s skill with poison were to reach otherworldly
proficiency, he too could be a grandmaster…"

Fan Xian suddenly cleared his throat to stop his teacher’s

gloating.

"… If we exclude the most mysterious temple, Qing has two

of the Four Great Grandmasters, one of them being the younger
brother of the teacher of the current Jingdu Commander of
Defense, Ye Liuyun."

Fan Xian opened his eyes wide, thinking that this was a
pretty big reputation. But the defense force was in charge of
safety for the entire region, the most important position. That
commander’s teacher’s… younger brother, Ye Liuyun or
whatever, must have been very strong.

"There’s another strong one, and he supposedly lives in the

royal palace, though no one has seen him."

"Hey, teacher, we were talking about Uncle Wu Zhu."

"What’s the hurry?" Fei Jie gave Fan Xian another stare, "the
one named Ye Liuyun lived through seventeen duels without
losing a single one. But once, when your mother came to the
city for the first time, she beat the current Commander of
Defense to a pulp. That commander, named Ye Zhong, happens
to be Ye Liuyun’s nephew, and for that reason he wanted to stir
up trouble for your mother."

Fan Xian was stunned. He had no idea that the mother he

never saw was once such an arrogant character.

Fei Jie chuckled: "but something happened later; Ye Liuyun

suddenly stopped troubling your mother, and Ye Zhong even
went to Taiping Temple to pour tea for her and apologize."
 "Huh?"

"No one knows what happened; it’s an absolute mystery. But

I’m guessing Ye Liuyun and Master Wu Zhu fought once
behind the palace walls. Master Wu is your mother’s servant,
so it’s not unusual for him to come out and deal with such
things." Fei Jie raised the teacup that was by his hand and took
a sip.

"Who won in the end?" Fan Xian’s eyes were full of curiosity.
While he knew that Wu Zhu was strong, he did not expect the
blind man to have the experience of dueling one of the Four
Great Grand Masters, Ye Liuyun.

"No one knows, but it was probably a draw." Fei Jie chuckled.

"Apparently, after he went back to his sword school, he

trained his swordsmanship for half a year while blindfolded.
After that, he gave up the sword and picked up a series of
ancient sanshou, truly becoming a grandmaster. Thinking
back, that battle must have brought him much
enlightenment.."
 Fan Xian propped up his little face, thinking, "Four Great
Grandmasters? Does that mean Wu Zhu is the fifth?"

Fan Xian’s eyes sparkled in awe, in awe of the fact that his
own blind servant would be so ridiculously strong! When he
ventures out into the world someday, who would he have to be
afraid of?

Suddenly he had a question. "Teacher, didn’t you say these

things are secret? How do you know all this?"

Fei Jie said coolly, "I’m a high-ranking official in the

Supervising Department. For us, there are no secrets in this
world."

For some reason, Fan Xian had always been interested in the
strong people of this world, as if some years later he would run
into one of them, which is why he asked, "The other three,
Teacher; have you seen them?"

"The other one in Qing only exists in legends; I suspect he is

in the royal palace, but no one has actually seen him." Fei Jie
said: "as for the Grandmaster of North Qi, that would be their
Head Priest, that perverted bald man named Ku He."

"Bald?" Fan Xian assumed that a world without Buddhism

wouldn’t have monks..

"A monk; I heard Ku He was once a pilgrim, kneeling on the

temple steps for three months, subsisting on the cold and dew.
Somehow, he managed to move those in the temple, and thus
received divine theology and became a grandmaster." Fei Jie
spat out in disgust, appearing to be jealous of the pilgrim
named Ku He: "you can tell that baldy is a liar from a glance."

"Temple?"

"Temple; the place is a temple."

"Teacher, you’re talking nonsense again."

 "… The temple is the most mysterious existence on the
continent; supposedly it was the place where our ancestors
worshipped. But unfortunately, other than the extremely
fortunate bastards, no one could find exactly where it is, and so
no one knows what it is like inside."

"Maybe… this temple doesn’t exist at all?"

Fei Jie hit Fan Xian’s small head hard: "I don’t care if you
mess around every day, but how dare you be so disrespectful
towards such a holy place!"

Fan Xian held his head and looked at his teacher in shock,
first from the fact that his teacher, who kills with poison
without blinking, turned out to hold reverence towards a
temple, and second, from the fact that he himself accepted
what he heard so easily, superstitious things like Four Great
Grandmasters and temples.

"Looks like I fit in this world after all."

Chapter 12: Overpowering Qi
"Who has evidence to prove the existence of this temple?"
Fan Xian still possessed the empirical views of a modern man.

Answered Fei Jie proudly, "Ku He, one of the Four Great
Grandmasters, became one of the strongest on this continent
after came to be in the temple’s favor. Isn’t that proof enough?"

"Or perhaps Ku He took too many stimulants and used the

temple as an excuse." Fan Xian retorted.

"Blasphemy. While I envy the luck of the bald Ku He, for the
past few decades, he held the utmost reverence for the gods,
and I do admire that. How can he use temple as an excuse…and
what is a ‘stimulant’?"

"It’s a medicine which boosts the body; something like an

elixir… he must have had too much, otherwise how did he lose
all his hair?"

Fan Xian was joking with his teacher.

 Fei Jie ignored him: "The temple is like the Tianmai; they
both are found in the books, and in the royal chambers of all
kingdoms, with the most important part are the sacrificial
temples. It’s just that the temples themselves want no part in
worldly matters, and never interferes. It is for that reason that
all the ceremonies are made at the Heavenly Altar three miles
away from the palace. Qing and Northern Qi both conduct
large scale sacrifices at their altars, but they never use it to
influence politics and other national business. Only some
pilgrims believe the temple to be ruins of the realms, and take
on journeys to train their hearts and bodies."

Fan Xian was smiling, but inside he thought, "What is this

temple really like? If it’s part of a belief system, then why
doesn’t this world have things like churches? If those
fundamental organizations don’t exist, then this belief system
would have no authority; no authority equals no benefit, and
without benefit… no reason for any organization to exist."

And so, he didn’t believe what his teacher just told him about
the temple being an existence which transcended this world.

But at the same time, he thought, "If a belief system really is

based on such a mysterious place, it’s not so bad, since it
doesn’t seem to interfere with people’s lives."

...

...

"Alright, teacher, you’ve been off-topic for too long. You

haven’t told me what’s going on with this zhenqi in my body
yet."

Seeing a rare childish tantrum, Fei Jie checked Fan Xian’s

pulse carefully, then stated, "As I said earlier, the zhenqi inside
you is very powerful. Even though you’ve been training for
such a short amount of time, the amount of zhenqi in your
pubic region and meridian have far surpassed what a body of
your age is capable of containing."

"Is it that serious?" Fan Xian looked uneasy.

"I don’t know."

 "Then you’re just trying to scare me."

"I’m not trying to scare you. It’s just that you right now are
like a leather bag used to hold alcohol. The bag can only hold
so much, but the amount of alcohol inside keeps on increasing.
If you continue, I’m worried that you will end up bursting."

Recently, while practicing, Fan Xian felt some burning pain

around his waist, but other than that, there weren’t any
unusual symptoms, so he was reluctant to believe his teacher.
He shook his head. "My teacher is scolding me for being a
glutton, I believe."

"Try moving your zhenqi like you do every day in practice."

Fei Jie frowned slightly.

Fan Xian did as told and closed his eyes, naturally entering
the meditative state of his training. The warm cloud of qi
around his abdomen began to slowly expand, gradually
moving towards the limbs along the meridians of the human
body.
 Fei Jie too closed his eyes, setting his fingertips on the boy’s
wrist, judging carefully. After a while he frowned, saying,
"Don’t hold it back on purpose; you’re only a five-year-old
child, as powerful as your zhenqi may be, it can’t harm me. I’m
worried that your body is too frail and can’t handle it."

"Oh." Fan Xian had indeed been controlling the strength of

his zhenqi, so he slowly released it out through the pubic
region. Thinking back on what Fei Jie said, Fan Xian couldn’t
help but agree; of course, the amount of zhenqi he has can’t
hurt that toxic old thing, and therefore, if he releases too little
of it, his teacher wouldn’t be able to make an accurate
diagnosis.

While thinking that, he closed his eyes again, with this

nameless art of zhenqi resounding through his mind: "Do not
keep the force within you and bring destruction; let it flow
from you like water from a spring ..."

As he chanted, the zhenqi inside began jumping as if being

issued a command. It joyously came out of from his pubic
region, traveled to his back along the meridian, and came
rushing towards the wrist on a strange path.
 A dull noise was heard from the book chamber!

Fei Jie violently opened his eyes as he felt his fingers being
deflected off the child’s wrist by a dense wave of zhenqi, and
being unprepared, Fei Jie himself was flung against the wall,
the impact of which created a dull thud. There was a burning
sensation in his fingers, and his chest was in pain; Fei Jie spat
out blood!

...

...

On the other side, Fan Xian felt stuffy and raised his head.
Only then did he discover Fei Jie’s miserable state. Shocked, he
hurried and helped his teacher up.

Fie Jie waved his hand, signaling that he was fine, and got up
on his own. Wiping away the blood from his lips, he stared at
the little boy with a strange look that was hard to interpret.
 Fie Jie mumbled to himself, "He’s five years old, for f *ck’s
sake…! And yet his zhenqi is this overwhelming?! If you keep
training, one day, the zhenqi inside you will explode and kill
you."

Fan Xian was stunned to hear his teacher use such strong
language. He didn’t think the rebellious zhenqi in his wrist
would make his teacher bleed. Despite being hurt, the first
thing Fie Jie thought of wasn’t his own well-being, but rather
that of his student—realizing this, even though Fan Xian
sometimes locked away his feelings while hiding in the body of
a small child, he felt somewhat moved.

The wooden door opened, and a black shadow rushed in.

"A pair of idiots."

Even now, the blind Wu Zhu still talked with a cold tone. He
led Fan Xian over and put his fingertips to the child’s slender
neck. After a pause, he said coldly, "You’re not hurt, just
shaken from seeing Fie Jie throwing up blood."
 He then took another "look" at Fie Jie, and remained, "Fie
Jie, you are teaching him to use poison, I trust you’re
qualified. But Young Miss once said that your martial abilities
are one of the weakest of the Eight Masters in the capital. And
since this is something I gave Young Master, it’s better if you
don’t say anything unnecessary."

In Danzhou City, Fie Jie was a rather inconspicuous,

somewhat trivial man. But here in the capital, he was a very
impressive character. Now having being injured—though
mostly through his own carelessness—he was unhappy after
hearing Wu Zhu putting it like that. Adding to his own worry
was Fan Xian learning such overly powerful ability at the age
of five, his expression darkened.
Chapter 13: The Crude, Simple
Explanation
With a dark expression, Fei Jie spoke coldly. "I know I am not
qualified to question the training method that you passed on to
Fan Xian. However, I am very curious. Why did you not teach
him personally? Knowing that he was only five, even if he was
truly talented, for something so dangerous you should have
been there for him as his mother's servant."

This was something understandably reasonable to say. After

all, it was Wu Zhu who left the obscure zhenqi training method
next to Fan Xian’s swaddle; this meant he had an obligation to
ensure that no problems arose during his training.

Fan Xian glanced awkwardly at Wu Zhu, his eyes pausing on

the black cloth wrapped below his brow.

"I did not leave this for the young master. The Lady left it,"
Wu Zhu said deliberately.

Fie Jie had no intention of offending the blind man, but he

was growing agitated. "Cunning. For someone with such
profound training, even just a simple tip or two could have
saved Fan Xian from training in such a perilous manner."

After a pause, Wu Zhu suddenly spoke. "I have never

practiced zhenqi."

With this, he simply turned and left, leaving behind the

dumbstruck master and apprentice pair.

...

...

"What did he just say?"

"He said he never practiced any… zhenqi. And his voice

faltered when he said that."
 Fei Jie watched Fan Xian's feigned sophistication and felt
rage boil up inside him. Just where did a five year old boy learn
to speak with such cynical wit?

"It's hard to imagine a man without any neigong coming to a

draw in a sanshou fight with Liuyun, one of the Four Great
Grandmasters."

"At that time, Ye Liuyun was still using his sword, as he had
not yet completed his sanshou training."

"Master, can someone without neigong zhenqi become as

powerful as Wu Zhu?" Fan Xian questioned sincerely.

Fei Jie's brows furrowed in thought as he spoke. "Only if he

carried out every single movement with strict precision would
he be able to fatally injure someone with his iron rod before
they could react."

Fan Xian naturally remembered the night he had arrived in

this world in the arms of the blind young man and how the
iron rod he held dripped with a steady stream of fresh blood.
 "However, this kind of speed and power are beyond what
humans are capable of."

Fei Jie shook his head, then suddenly cleared his throat. He
quickly sat next to the desk and peered at Fei Xian. "Little one,
if you can’t grasp this art, then it is best that you stop. I
guarantee that with my method you will never have to worry
about anyone bothering you."

"I will consider it," Fan Xian answered maturely.

After some thought, Fei Jie retrieved a sachet of medicine

and placed it in Fan Xian’s tiny hands. "Take this. It’s a kind of
expensive medicine. If your training ever goes awry, consume
one pill with plenty of water."

Fan Xian nodded his head in response. "Thank you, master."

He knew that the medicine was extremely valuable.

Fie Jie smiled faintly as he looked at this child who was like
an adult, then spoke suddenly. "Isn’t it strange that I’m
treating you so nicely despite the fact that your father forced
me to come all the way to Danzhou just to teach you?"

Fan Xian didn’t say anything, but merely stared at him with
an expression of thanks.

Fei Jie laughed and shook his head, patting Fan Xian’s head.
"Perhaps, at my age, having a student as clever as you is
something worth being happy about."

"For now, don’t think about the Count’s estate in the capital,"
Fei Jie said seriously. "Even though you’re still young, I hope
you remember what I’m about to tell you."

Hearing the seriousness in his teacher’s tone, Fan Xian sat up

straight and listened carefully.

"Your family is far more complicated than you could ever

imagine. This matter involves not only your own survival, but
the lives of many others, so you must remain vigilant at all
times. In the years that you grow to be an adult, you must
learn how to protect yourself so that in the future you can
protect others."

"In the future... protect whom?" Fan Xian was puzzled.

Fei Jie laughed as he pointed at his own nose. "Someone

inseparable from you, like myself for instance."

Fan Xian nodded hazily. He thought that the situation was

indeed complicated. Even having lived in two different worlds,
he still could not understand what his teacher was getting at.

"Alright, go to your room now and get some rest. As for that
corrupt Badao kung fu, it’s probably best not to practice it
anymore."

Fan Xian prudently returned to his room. When he opened

the door, he saw Wu Zhu sitting silently in the corner. With
the lights off, the room was just an inky patch of gloom, yet
despite this, the piece of black cloth that covered Wu Zhu’s
eyes seemed even murkier and opaque than the night itself.
 "Wu Zhu." Fan Xian bowed his head in respect.

A faint, monotone voice travelled from the corner where Wu

Zhu sat. "The tome is divided into two parts. The first is called
Badao, and the second one has no title. The tome was given to
you by The Lady, so I left it beside you when you were young. I
have never learned these spiritual methods, so I cannot teach
you. I believe, however, that since it is called Badao, one can
assume that the way it uses qi is more aggressive... If you
encounter any issues during training, then it’s your own
problem."

With this, the piece of black cloth disappeared.

"What a crude, simple explanation, and what an odd,

apathetic man." Fan Xian sighed and climbed into bed, then
retrieved the nameless book from a secret compartment. He
thought about his training process and realized that when
zhenqi filled his dantian, it did not follow the flow of the
meridians as it should have. Instead, parts of the zhenqi split
into the xufu channel, which leads directly to the xushan,
located above the back of the kidney.
 The xushan passes through the spine. Fan Xian had learned
both in his past life and in his lessons with Fei Jie the vital
importance of the spine. As the spine is directly connected to
the brain, a single careless move could leave one trapped in a
vegetative state.

However, as Fan Xian meditated during his daily lunchtime

naps, the Badao zhenqi in his body would travel through his
xushan and become relaxed and calm. The agitation would
subside and a feeling of serenity would wash over him, like
eating ice cream on a hot summer day.

This was how he had trained since he was one year old.
Could it be that he had been doing it wrong? Fan Xian did not
think that, immersed in the martial arts world, he would end
up taking the path of corruption. Yet, like a man desperate for
relief, he found himself addicted to the pleasures of the Badao
path. If he stopped training, the remnants of the Badao zhenqi
within him would one day burst through his mortal body.

Blind Wu Zhu told him that the consequences of his training

were all up to Fan Xian himself.
 To train, or not to train? That was the question plaguing Fan
Xian at that moment.
Chapter 14: The Sea Salt Merchant
It was early in the morning, and the birds were chirping
away. The maids had just finished cleaning the house and were
starting to prepare breakfast. The return to the city of Count
Sinan’s daughter, Miss Fan Ruoruo, left only one and a half
person to answer to, so there wasn’t much to be done.

After having completed all her chores, Dong’er, an older

maid, went to wake Fan Xian , but was instead shocked by his
poor condition. She called the doctor right away, who
informed the maid that it was nothing serious after having
checked the young boy’s pulse, reasoning that it was probably
something the boy ate, afterwards leaving a prescription and
parting with his pay.

After Fei Jie came to Count Sinan’s house, Mr. Xixi, who was
a fan of classical literature, left subtly, as if he was the
morning wind. Fie Jie looked at the young boy, who had two
dark circles under his eye, and chuckled.

"They say that the hearts of youths are like the sun, ignorant
to human hardships. But what happened to you? How did you
end up so sleep-deprived that you needed a doctor?"
 Fan Xian had been thinking the whole night but still hadn’t
decided whether he should continue with his zhenqi training.
His original intention was to treat this nameless spiritual art as
entertainment in this boundless life. However, if it endangered
his survival, it was best that he be cautious.

Due to the lack of sleep, he became absent-minded. Having

heard his teacher Fei Jie talk about the ignorance of human
hardships, he recited intuitively, "I was young and ignorant of
hardship and sorrows, and I loved climbing high. I climbed
high, I feigned hardship and sorrow to help me create, yet now
that I’ve tasted hardship and sorrow, I speak but hold back, I
speak but hold back. O how exquisitely cool this autumn day
is."

...

...

The study room quickly fell silent. Fan Xian, who had not
made a single sound for half a day struggled to pry open his
heavy eyelids and yawned, "Don’t be angry, Teacher. I had a
late night."
 Fie Jie watched the boy as he stroked his beard
subconsciously, and without realizing it, he stabbed his chin
with a goose feather pen. Painfully awakened, he questioned
sluggishly, "Earlier...that poem...who wrote it?"

"Poor old man Xin"

Without thinking, Fan Xian accidently revealed Xin Qizi’s

surname, only to realize his mistake.

Fan Xian stuttered as Fie Jie’s eyes lit up.

"Old man Xin is a two-way merchant who collected sea salt

last month."

"Hmm. Not bad for a merchant. I wonder what his full name
is."

"Xin...Qizi." Fan Xian snuck a peak.

 Fie Jie had already resumed being his normal self and began
teaching. There was so much more to teach than just biological
points, and so his load was a heavy one.

...

...

Fan Xian returned to his bedroom after lunch and was once
again faced with the complicated question of whether he
should continue with the dangerous zhenqi training. As he
held the yellow book in his hand, he began to feel depressed.

More than anything else, he should probably be depressed

about the poem he accidently recited in the study room.

The Ugly Page, written on a wall on the way to Boshan, was a

poem written by Xin Qizi. After he was criticized, his poems
expressed a mellow bitterness. Fan Xian was of course quite
familiar with it and had recited it, unaware of the trouble that
he would bring upon himself. He wondered if his teacher
believed his feeble excuse, but judging from Fei Jie’s reaction,
Fan Xian wagered that he probably believed the original author
really was a sea salt merchant.

Fan Xian was not obsessively concerned with morals, so to

him, there was nothing hateful about plagiarizing poems.
From his point of view, to keep the knowledge of these poems
to himself rather than making good use of them was equivalent
to violating a national treasure.

He had plenty of time in the years that he had lived in this

world to come up with ways of making a living. It took no time
for the work of plagiarism to secure its place in the top-three
position on his list.

During his thoughts, Fan Xian often brainwashed himself.

Rather than a poacher, he was a preserver, a mighty idealist,
sharing and spreading the cultures of Earth.

However, he had not planned on plagiarizing like this, nor at

this moment in time. He had planned to at least use the
author's name as a pen name for their work.
 Today, in the same situation as in the study room, if you
planned to plagiarize as a five year old, then your choice of
work should have been "Song for the goose by Luo Binwang".
The lively imagery of this poem better conveys the model child
prodigy image.

If you were caught humming words such as "I speak but hold
back, O how exquisitely cool this autumn day is" at such a
young age, you would not be thought of as a child prodigy, but
rather, as a child freak, one who looked normal on the outside
but deep down bore 365 painful scars, conveying the bitter
passing of the four seasons.

On the one hand, Fan Xian was thinking about these trivial
matters, he was able to rely on these years to stabilize an ever-
intensifying biological clock.

When it came time for his daily nap, Fan Xian gradually fell
asleep, and in his dreams, he was in the middle of meditating
on the immense danger that Fei Jie considered to be the
overwhelming power of zhenqi
 It was on this day that Fan Xian decided he would accept his
fate and continue his training with this overwhelming zhenqi,
since all that was needed for the training was for him to sleep
anyway, and he’d worry about any issues when they came up.

...

...

After Fan Xian’s nap was over, Fei Jie continued with his
unfinished letter.

The completely dried writing suggested that the letter was

written the night before.

"...this child is prettier, braver, wiser, more determined and

mature than anyone. If he were to hide himself among all the
five year olds of Qi Kingdom, he would still be easily identified.
From my observations this year, I have found that he is more
than perfect to inherit the family fortune. The biggest concern
is his background identity…"
 The writing stopped. It was at that point in the previous
night Fan Xian questioned him about zhenqi. Fei Jie sighed,
and paused as he remembered the words Fan Xian had said
earlier that day. He continued writing.

"... ‘I speak but hold back, O how exquisitely cool this

autumn day is.’ How am I supposed to believe that those words
came from a five year old boy, knowing that the art of prose
has deteriorated these past few years? I find it hard to even
believe a merchant may have written this. What’s more, the
young master panicked afterwards, and this is something that I
have rarely seen happen in the year that I have been acquainted
with him. The biggest question here is how Xin Qizi had the
opportunity to meet with Fan Xian even though I am with him
most of the day."

At the end of the letter he requested sincerely, "Please ask the

people of Dongsan Road to find out exactly who the sea salt
merchant Xin Qizi is, and also his reason for making contact
with Fan Xian. The answer as to why the young master was so
anxious over these words take priority. Please hurry."

Fei Jie ended the letter with a crooked signature and put
down his pen.
 A few days later, the overwatch Council of the capital city
sent spies out in hunt for a sea salt merchant. Although they
found numerous illegal private sea salt traders afflicted with
government officials, they could not find a merchant with the
surname of Xin. Rumors spread from the city that the director
of the council, feared by all, was furious with the lack of
results. He punished the spies by taking three months’ worth
of their pay. The spies searched everywhere under the sun,
their faces thunderous and ready to kill.

...

...

May God have pity… on the unlucky man named Xin Qizi in
this world.
Chapter 15: Farewell for Now, Fei Jie
With the years passing, fall arrived once again and
chrysanthemum flowers blanketed the mountains.

Fei Jie’s teaching career in Danzhou Harbor was originally

set to end in the summer, but he loved the air, the ocean wind,
and the cuisine at Count Sinan’s estate. In particular, he so
much enjoyed teaching Fan Xian that he extended his stay for a
few more months.

After those few months, Fei Jie, an expert in taking life by

poison and also in prolonging it in the elderly, rubbed his
fattening tummy. He had regrettably received a letter from the
capital and reluctantly informed Count Sinan’s mother of his
leave.

Knowing that Fie Jie was sent by the capital, the Countess
made no effort to persuade him to stay. She comforted him
instead before gifting him a red envelope as an act of thanks.

Down by the road heading west of Danzhou Harbor, teacher

and student said their goodbyes.
 "Why don’t you listen to my advice and discontinue your
zhenqi training? It won’t end well."

"I haven’t encountered any major problems with it; at least,

not yet."

"If there are no problems, then why did you go through

barrels of alcohol in the kitchen?"

"It was an accident," Fan Xian answered distressfully. In

recent months, the zhenqi in his body became increasingly
aggressive and these incidents occurred often. Due to these
incidents, Fan Xian had no choice but to sacrifice his bedtime
ghost stories with the maids as he was afraid that in the heat of
the moment his hand might run astray on one of the maid's
bodies and he would make a deeply regrettable mistake.

"Learning the art of poison is learning the world's greatest

killing method. What’s the need to learn anything else?"

"Because poison can easily harm the innocent."

 Fie Jie stared into the eyes of the little boy and asked, "Are
you sure you’re not turning six this year?"

Fan Xian looked at his teacher innocently. "It’s not my fault

I’m an early bloomer."

Fei Jie sighed and tutted. It really wasn't easy keeping his
mind sane around the little rascal for so long.

It was time to leave. Fei Jie rubbed the back of the boy’s head
and looked back towards the city of Danzhou.

"In the future, if you ever come to the capital... to be a

doctor, remember to look me up."

"Very well." Fan Xian bowed in respect. He truly appreciated

the eccentric old man. Over the years, his old soul longed for
someone to converse with. Blind man Wu Zhu was too cold for
consideration, so the role was filled by his teacher, who had an
impressive background. Throughout the time they knew each
other, he could sense how they had grown close.
 "Stop practicing zhenqi…"

"You can be quite garrulous sometimes, sir."

"Maybe it’s because I'm too old." Fei Jie rubbed Fan Xian’s soft
black hair with one hand while messing his own white hair
with the other."

"Anyway, that zhenqi is worthless. It’s too powerful and

uncontrollable." Fei Jie hadn’t given up on changing Fei Xian’s
mind. "There’s a formidable swordsman in the city of Dongyi
who owes me a favor. I could introduce you to be his student

Fan Xian inhaled a cold breath. "Are you talking about the
master swordsman of Dongyi city?"

"That’s right," Fei Jie said enticingly. "One of the Four Great
Grandmasters. His practice is much more powerful than
yours."
 Fan Xian was interested in something else. "How do you
know him?"

"Well, when he was eight, his father called me in to treat the

boy’s sickness. Judging by the fact that he hugged trees all day,
the little monster was obviously just dumb. I treated him
halfheartedly and left with my money. I never would have
known that a few years later I’d hear that he learned the Sigu
sword style and became a Great Grandmaster.

Fan Xian looked at him with disdain. "You treated him

halfheartedly? Let’s not even mention the fact that you
practically stole your pay; you nearly killed a world-class
warrior. That is quite worthy of contempt."

Fei Jie feigned anger and walked towards the carriage in the
distance. "I have taught you everything about biological
poisons and all knowledge related to it. However, there is one
key piece of information that I have yet to tell you."

Fan Xian ran after him, his tiny legs working as fast as the
wind. "What is it?"
 "Finding the right antidote is easy. Finding the right poison is
easy. The hardest part is the administration of the poison."

Without turning his head, Fei Jie continued walking.

Fan Xian, however, stopped in his tracks and carefully turned

those words over in his mind. In the past year that he had been
with Fei Jie, he had learned that in the field of poisons, the
hardest thing to do was to find a poison that was colorless,
odorless and tasteless.

So the secret was in how the poison was administered.

He began to giggle shyly all of a sudden. It’s not like he was

preparing to be an assassin or planning on killing the emperor.
Why was he stressing out over this matter? All he needed to do
was be confident that he wouldn't fall victim to poisoning
under the hands of the aunt in Count Sinan's estate.

He watched as the carriage disappeared into the distance

with dust following in its trails. Left at the side of the road,
Fan Xian performed a deep bow. He realized that the eccentric
old man had not wanted to come to Danzhou at first, but after
a year of running around together cutting up dead bodies and
frog legs, they had grown used to each other. Neither of them
would ever forget this relationship.

With the lonely departure, Fan Xian could not help but feel
sad. "Fei Jie really is a great man. It’s just a shame he looks...a
bit miserable."

...

...

There was a long period of time afterwards in which Fan

Xian was unable to adapt to the departure of his teacher. A
normal noble boy his age would probably have been playing
with his friends. Although he was the only noble child in
Danzhou, there were plenty of possible playmates close to his
age. Fan Xian knew that at the end of his story, he would not be
able to associate with his peers.
 Since his mental age was older than other children, he often
felt like he was babysitting. Not everyone wants to be the king
of other children to satisfy what little ability they have. This
was similar to how, back in Fan Xian’s former reality, no
stereotypical macho man would ever want to be a kindergarten
teacher.

After Fei Jie left Danzhou, Fan Xian lost the only person he
could converse with. He felt like his life was starting to get
boring. He stood on the front steps of Count Sinan’s villa and
watched as crowds of people passed by and began to feel lonely.
He had no idea what he could do trapped in the body of a child.

He remembered back to when he first arrived in this world, of

how he had thought of wonderful things that he could do and
he couldn't help but laugh. In his previous life, when he lay on
his sick bed, his lack of ability was obvious from his
appearance. He had thought that, at least compared to the
people of this world, he would have some extra skills like
making soap or molding ugly glass cups. That was only the
beginning of the list of simple yet beneficial things he could
do…
 When Fan Xian realized that soap and glass already existed
and were nothing special in this world, he didn't feel too beat
up about it. However, when he realized that Fie Jie’s carriage
horses had saddles and steps to help get on the horse, he felt so
overcome with failure that he began to sob lightly.
Chapter 16: A Letter from the Capital
The skies above the city of Danzhou darkened suddenly. The
thick heavy clouds that hung over the heads of the people
looked like patches of wet, dirty wool, or maybe burned cotton
candy.

The shore-dwelling inhabitants there were so accustomed to

the weather that they knew it would still be a while before
rainfall, so no one panicked. It was unlike previous years when
the weather looked like it was about to take a turn for the
worse and the handsome illegitimate son of Count Sinan’s
house could be found shouting from the neighboring rooftops
at the entire city, "It’s about to rain; bring in your laundry."

The only main street in Danzhou Harobor was filled with

food and trinkets. Seeing a pretty boy in the crowd, one of the
merchants tried to make conversation. "Master Fan, why don’t
you tell us to bring in the laundry anymore?"

Fan Xian smiled shyly and said nothing. He grasped his

maid's hand with one hand and held some tofu with the other.
 Nobody was surprised that he helped the servants. Everyone
knew that the illegitimate son of Count Sinan’s house was
unlike any other noble child in that he loved helping those
beneath his station.

In the six years since Fei Jie left Danzhou Harbor, Fan Xian
had grown to be a fetching young boy who emitted a sense of
reliability.

Back at the house, he handed the tofu to the servants before

greeting the Countess and picking up a piece of paper next to
her. Returning to his study, he placed a letter from his little
sister next to the piece of paper on his desk and the expression
on his face immediately lit up.

This year, the emperor of Qing Kingdom made some changes

to his reign title and year to reflect the name of the country; a
peculiar move that nobody anticipated. Although it might have
seemed that the civil servants were fine with the change, they
complained when nobody was around. During those days, it
didn’t matter if you were a scholar at the Ministry of
Education or a congee-drinking novel writer, if you were with
the new language party or the old one; you still had to pay the
Eighth Bureau of the Overwatch Council to review a report.
This topic was heavily covered by sour old scholars.

After the emperor’s reign title was changed, next on the list
was pushing new laws. These new laws were nothing new and
only served to reorganize pre-existing ones. The only thing the
public found refreshing was the introduction of newspapers at
the start of the new year.

Newspapers? No one had any idea what they were until the
first issue, after which a collective "Oh" marked the end of the
public's interest.

The newspapers were produced by the imperial palace and

every issue had to be approved by the emperor himself before
publication. This prevented the possibility of any problematic
articles that could incite backlash.

The following issues cost the expensive price of a silver coin

and were bought by those attracted to their novelty. Some of
the higher status people began to suspect it was a ploy set by
the emperor and wondered if he was planning on building a
new garden.
 Included within the thin paper were pieces of useless
information. These ranged from landmarks to historical
figures, but the main feature of the paper was articles covering
the private life of government officials, like how the general
was beaten by his wife or why the Commander of Defense in
the capital was missing a tooth.

There were even peripheral articles related to their

neighbors, the Northern Qi Kingdom and the Dongyi City.
However, the government officials only paid attention to their
own close circle. In the beginning, they laughed at the articles,
but soon became embarrassed when it was their turn to be
featured in the newspaper. Knowing that the emperor was
behind the newspaper, nobody dared to complain.

The newspapers were printed in scarce numbers and the

entire city of Danzhou had only two copies, one of which could
be found in Count Sinan’s house, as they were subscribers.

The piece of paper Fan Xian had stolen from his

grandmother’s room was the much-discussed newspaper. After
a quick scan of the paper, Fan Xian could not control his facial
expressions; he wanted to stick his entire fist in his mouth...
What kind of era was this? Tabloid newspapers? And ordered
by the emperor, no less!

...

...

The new "mail order" law enacted by the royal family meant
that the brother-sister pair could secretly send letters to each
other with secrecy.

Fan Xian frowned as he looked at the newspaper. For a while

now he had heard people discussing the new laws, which in his
opinion were a product of nonsense by the emperor. However,
everyone knew that the emperor was not one to rub the wrong
way.

Fan Xian was not in the mood to change the world. He wasn’t
even interested in the first place, but when this world began to
grow similar to his own, he was naturally interested to see how
things worked behind the scenes.
 After much meditating, Fan Xian still hadn’t gotten to the
bottom of the matter. Smiling wryly, he pushed the paper aside
and self-deprecatingly thought to himself that perhaps another
person with larger ambitions had also travelled to this world.

Anyhow, these matters were of little relevance to him. It was

the letter next to the paper that carried greater importance.

In Fan Xian’s memories, Fan Ruoruo was someone related to

him by blood that had stayed in Danzhou for a while during
their childhood. His poor little sister was lanky and dark
compared to his graceful and pretty appearance.

They had not seen each other for many years. Fan Xian
wondered what she looked like now. Had her sparse blonde
hair darkened? Had she become prettier? Fan Xian was even
struggling to remember if she was called Fan Ruo or Fan
Ruoruo.

"I am such an incompetent brother." Fan Xian thought he

didn’t care for his sister enough. Even his soul had experienced
two different lives, he was still related to her by blood through
this body. Two years ago when Fan Ruo began school, she often
sent letters to Danzhou. Fan Xian, on the other hand, hardly
replied, as he was too busy going through Wu Zhu’s relentless
training, his daily Badao zhenqi practice, and also reviewing
the poisons book Fei Jie had left.

For some unknown reason, Fan Ruoruo, who turned ten that
year, was extremely reliant on her far-away brother and
frequently sent him letters. Perhaps it was because the horror
stories that they had shared in their childhood were deeply
ingrained in her mind. At first, she mostly wrote about how she
missed her grandmother dearly and her memories of Danzhou
Harbor. For the past six months, though, she wrote mainly
about her boring days at the estate in the capital and hardly
talked about their home in Danzhou Harbor.

Fan Xian brushed the letter lightly with his fingertips, his
pretty face tinged with concern.

On the paper was his sister's delicate handwriting. She had

written about her life in the capital recently and how she had
been accepted into a school for aristocrat ladies. It was as if
this was the natural pathway in life for someone like her.
Chapter 17: I Offer This Kitchen Knife to
You
It was apparent from what was written in the letter that
there was always something troublesome going on that didn’t
match Fan Ruoruo’s age. Thinking back, after the head wife
died, the woman who had given birth to a son started to
become more and more arrogant in the capital. Because Uncle
Sinan was always busy with official affairs, Fan Ruoruo was
alone in the capital. Perhaps there were some minor problems
in her daily life.

Picking up a brush and dipping the tip in ink, Fan Xian

paused for a moment to think before writing his reply. In his
letter, he was rather roundabout in telling her to spend as
much time with Count Sinan as possible, and to behave herself
in a lovable and mellow manner. She must not openly
complain, but she should occasionally show her hidden
bitterness.

Secondly, she must stand her ground in front of that woman

and a certain proud younger brother. As people would often
say, make yourself too kind and people will take advantage of
you. If Fan Ruoruo didn’t wish to be treated unfairly, at the
very least she should show her willingness to defend herself.
 Thirdly, she needed to be kind to the house servants,
especially to Count Sinan’s aide. She needed to observe the
uncle with a pure, innocent gaze as the latter displayed his
boring methods.

Finally, and as slightly as possible, she should offend the

female master in the capital and bear the consequences for a
bit. Then she should find a way to let the male master know
about it—any man would have a strange desire to protect,
especially his own daughter. Under such circumstances, Count
Sinan would certainly remember the daughter left behind by
his late head wife.

But there were still limits to such methods, and Fan Xian
hinted s in the letter. Fan Xian didn’t know if this trick he
picked up in his previous life from romance novels would
work, but he believed that if Ruoruo was bright enough, she
would figure it out.

Afterwards, he impatiently waited for her to write back. He

was afraid he might bring trouble to the eleven-year-old girl.
 Two months later, Fan Ruoruo’s letter came. From the
content, Fan Xian could tell that his younger sister had been
happy recently. He didn’t know if it was due to his suggestions
or if there was never an incident of mistreatment in the capital
in the first place. In the letter, Fan Ruoruo asked why treat the
servants kindly. Seeing this made Fan Xian realize that, in a
hierarchical society such as this, not everyone was equal. In
response to her question, he wrote back a few anecdotes to
explain to her that kindness benefits both others and oneself.

Fan Xian had originally planned on copying down some

stories from the "Decameron" and send them along with the
letter. In his previous life, Fan Xian remembered the leading
critics always praising Giovanni Boccaccio for glorifying
romance and equality between men and women in his words.
But after giving it some more thought, Fan Xian gave up on the
idea, as he remembered there were a lot of adult content in the
"Decameron".

This was a small episode of Fan Xian’s free time that

somehow provided him with some mental sustenance, and it
got to the point where seeing how that girl was doing in the
capital became one of the highlights of his life.
 Although Fan Ruoruo was very young, she could sense her
older brother in Danzhou was no ordinary child. Despite their
age difference, the siblings’ exchange of letters like these
showed that Fan Ruoruo was slowly being influenced by Fan
Xian. Her vocabulary was much more mature than that of
other girls her age. She had also started to notice the minute
changes occurring in the world.

Kites in spring, fish in summer, bluebirds in autumn, geese in

winter. Between the exchange of letters, seasons passed.

————————————————————————

When he wrote to Fan Ruoruo, Fan Xian always shook his

head and smiled uneasily. His arms during these years had
never been healthy, either swollen or in stabbing pain.
Sometimes he could not raise his right hand and had to resort
to writing with his left. Fan Ruoruo was astonished by how her
older brother’s handwriting seemed to change with every
letter.

Everything began on that night six years ago.

 After Old Fei left, little Fan Xian was feeling lonely and
sneaked outside through a doghole. He arrived at the strange
grocery store that was often closed. Familiar with the route,
Fan Xian came to the back door, took out the key from the
dense vegetation under the stone steps, and entered.

It had been pitch-black inside the store, but with Fan Xian’s
arrival, a small oil lamp was lit. Little Fan Xian sniffed the air
and easily found the yellow wine Wu Zhu had prepared for
him. Smiling sweetly, he took up the bowl and drank.

Wu Zhu did not drink. Fan Xian had never even seen him eat,
and this was something he had gotten used to early on.
Understandably, such a scene was rather absurd, a six-year-old
boy indulging himself in alcohol like some free wanderer.
Anyone who saw this would surely do a double take.

Wu Zhu always let Fan Xian drink with no intention of

stopping him. He even prepared some appetizers for the young
master.

While yellow wine was not very strong, drinking too much
would still make one a bit tipsy. Intoxicated, the cute Fan Xian
squinted, watching the forever expressionless blind man, who
didn’t seem to age: Uncle, how come after all these years your
appearance hadn’t changed? It’s like you don’t get old."

Fan Xian then continued to answer himself: It looks like after

becoming strong enough, you can obtain eternal youth… but
Uncle, didn’t you say you never trained using neigong?"

"Uncle, how many people in this world are truly strong? How
are the levels established?"

"Nine levels in total? Nine again? Why?" the drunk little

thing didn’t realize he was conflicting himself.

"What level are you?"

"Don’t have one?"

"Then, what level is that idiot who does the Sigu sword style
in Dongyi?"
 "Don’t have one either?"

"What about the uncle of what’s-his-face?"

"Still no level?"

All those were spoken by Fan Xian himself. Finally, he

chuckled: "could it be that I too will train to no level?"

The blind Wu Zhu was chopping radish into thin strands. His
hand was slow yet steady. The knife was quick on the way
down, but as soon as the blade came in contact with the
chopping board it was immediately withdrawn. The level of
accuracy was scary. The result was strands of radish of equal
thickness, as if they had been shaped by industrial tools. They
lay flat on the chopping board, looking very exquisite.

Wu Zhu raised his head and blanked out slightly. He walked

up to Fan Xian and put the kitchen knife in the boy’s hands.
Chapter 18: Blood and Tears
That night, Fan Xian stared blankly at the radishes on the
chopping board, gripping the vegetable knife. After having
spent time digging up and dismembering corpses, he was to
embark on his second course of study - extremely useful, but
extremely tragic.

Sometimes he found his life truly meaningful. Out of the

blue, two bizarre teachers had come into his life who didn't
seem to mind his thoroughly precocious nature. The skills that
Fei Jie and Wu Zhu had taught him - methods for poison and
murder - were rather abnormal.

...

...

Late in the night, a slight tapping could be heard from the

back of the store.
 "Business is slow today," said Wu Zhu, leaning forward and
speaking coldly.

Fan Xian wiped the sweat from his brow. Looking at the
mountainous pile of radishes that he had cut up, he smiled,
moving his right wrist. He had discovered that, after years of
chopping radishes, he had developed a quickness on par with
Wu Zhu, and when it came to the fineness of the shredded
radish, he was starting to catch up.

But his right wrist still swelled and ached. The sound of
chopping still echoed through the store, and he knew that the
difference between Wu Zhu's control of the knife and his own
was enormous.

Although he didn't understand what chopping radishes was

supposed to do for his practice of martial arts, he was still
aware that Wu Zhu was capable of going toe-to-toe with the
Four Grandmasters. So he began to immerse himself in the act
of radish chopping, beating out a rhythm on the chopping
board.
 Of course, this was not the only training he undertook with
Wu Zhu. He spent many hours training in conventional
techniques such as the horse stance and mountain climbing.
Wu Zhu's demands on him were great. He spent so long in the
horse stance that he found it near-impossible to squat upon a
chamber-pot. He chopped vegetables until his wrists ached,
and he ran so far that he found it difficult to get up in the
morning.

But the hardest part was that every three days, Wu Zhu
would take him to a remote place outside Danzhou to 'train' -
although it was more accurate to say he simply beat the young
boy senseless with all of his unparalleled strength.

...

...

His was a bittersweet childhood, filled with blood and tears.

This was how Her Ladyship had trained her servants back in
the day, explained Wu Zhu.
 Fan Xian felt somewhat apprehensive about his training. It
had to be hard, strict, and practical, and involve a great
amount of physical practice. In Fan Xian's previous life, this
had been the principle that had gained China a great many gold
medals.

But Fan Xian did not complain. Instead, he simply smiled at

the tasks that were assigned to him. On the surface, it seemed
like he was only following orders. But his adult's intellect told
him that this truly was all for his own good.

The powerful zhenqi within him had grown all the more
violent over the years. He could hold it within the dantian and
xueshan points in his pubic region and his spine, but in the rest
of his still-developing body, he couldn't prevent it from
overflowing and cutting off various meridians. He often found
it appearing to overflow outward, and when that happened, the
nearby furniture in the house usually ended up being damaged
as a result.

If this carried on, one day, the speed of his zhenqi flow would
surpass the growth of his meridians, and he would explode and
die.
 He still didn't know if Wu Zhu even knew of any methods to
control such a powerful zhenqi flow. All he could do was train
his body, and so his physical capabilities improved greatly. As
he chopped radishes, he trained his powers of concentration,
and as the years passed he could feel his control over his zhenqi
becoming more stable.

When it came to death, no one in the world had had the

experiences that Fan Xian had; no one feared death or
cherished life quite as much he did. So he suffered all of Wu
Zhu's training in silence, knowing that it would help him to
overcome the side effects of the power that raged within him.

Thinking about it later on, he understood the deeper

meaning behind Wu Zhu's actions. If zhenqi were fire, and the
body were a stove, then training one's muscles was equivalent
to forging a stronger stove, while training the mind and spirit
was like making a larger hole in the stove in order to control
the fire more effectively.

As he suffered Wu Zhu's blows in training, he reminded

himself: a strong sword cannot be forged without striking the
steel.
 But it still hurt like hell.

——————————————————————————

Morning came. Fan Xian awoke and rubbed the dust from his
eyes. He rose from his bed and slipped under the servant girl's
blanket. Sniffing her bodily aroma under the covers, he was
satisfied.

The servant girl, Sisi, was combing her hair when he noticed
that he was already awake. Smiling, she walked to the edge of
the bed and pulled the covers off the boy, who had wrapped
himself up like a cocoon. She stopped combing, gathered up
her hair, and went to prepare hot water for a bath.

Fan Xian climbed off the bed and sat on the cotton pillow he
had given Sisi. He lifted up his pants and peered in, and recited
the words from a drinking game he used to play in his previous
life, making rock-paper-scissor gestures. "Who's horny? I'm
horny! Who's horny? You're horny!"
 He raised his eyebrows and lifted his pants again, looking
down. "I'm horny," he said to himself. "You still don't know
how."

He'd spent many years in this world, and had gotten used to
being waited on hand and foot. He yawned and waited for the
servant girl to return. After waiting for what seemed like ages,
he fell back to sleep, and found himself being awoken by a hot
towel being rubbed in his face.

The distant sound of angry shouting came from the

courtyard. Fan Xian dressed himself and, led by his curiosity,
he made his way out the door. He soon came across a rather
awful scene.

In the garden, Zhou the Housekeeper was severely scolding

the servant girl Sisi. It seemed that he was angry because she
was rushing to prepare the hot water and had not combed her
hair or dressed properly. The other servant girls surrounded
them, clearly frightened.

Zhou the Housekeeper had come from the capital a few years
ago. Fan Xian knew that he had been sent by the Count's
mistress to spy on the household, but he had seemed like an
earnest enough man throughout that one year, and Fan Xian
had never caught Zhou doing anything suspicious as he
watched him in secret, so he let him do as he pleased.

But this scolding of the servant girls displeased Fan Xian. He

was a very protective person. Squinting his eyes, he went forth
and interceded, but for whatever reason, Zhou was not in a
mood to be trifled with. Sisi was to be punished.

Fan Xian knitted his brow and looked up at the housekeeper

with his adorable face. "They're my servants," he said, smiling,
"and I'll deal with them myself." They were ordinary words,
even a little weak.

But the servant girls knew what they meant, and it filled
them with fear. They did not know whether the danger of a
clash between the two branches of Count Sinan's estate - one in
the capital, one in Danzhou - could be kept back much longer.
Chapter 19: A Matter of Dignity
Housekeeper Zhou was somewhat arrogant today for some
reason. He forced a fake smile: "Young… Master, regarding the
things in the house, the Countess said I’m still in charge."

Housekeeper Zhou stretched out the title of "young master"

intentionally as he said it; his disrespect was obvious.

Smiling, Fan Xian noted the hint of contempt in the

housekeeper’s eyes. While he never felt bad for being an
illegitimate child, being looked down upon and treated like a
bastard were still uncomfortable experiences.

Seeing things going downhill, a certain smart girl went away

to find the Countess as the other maidservants only observed
nervously. Although on the surface the two houses were
connected, everyone knew that Young Master Fan Xian’s
background wasn’t all that glorious. Besides, all of the estate’s
supplies for living in Danzhou Harbor came from the capital,
from the hands of the second wife.
 Because he had a close connection with the second wife, the
housekeeper dared to show the young master such disrespect.
After all, in everyone’s eyes, the one to inherit the grand
property of the Sinan branch house would only be that little
young master in the capital, not the twelve-year-old youth
standing here smiling lovingly.

The servants, as much as they loved and respected Fan Xian,

dared not offend the second wife at such a crucial moment.
They stood to the other side of Fan Xian.

Only Fan Xian’s personal maidservant tightly held his hand.

Fan Xian understood very well what the servants were
thinking. Anyone who wanted a better life didn’t exactly have
it easy, and therefore would not feel sadness or
disappointment. They only tilted their heads, looking at this
unhappy Housekeeper Zhou with curiosity, thinking, "He had
always been calm, so what finally made him snap?"

Housekeeper Zhou was Count Sinan’s second housekeeper in

Jingdu. Because he made some small mistakes in the capital, he
was chased far away to the remote Danzhou Harbor. However,
Housekeeper Zhou did not believe he had actually departed
from the lavishness of the capital, and did not grief over it.
 Count Sinan’s head wife had been dead for many years, and
his second wife gave birth to a son seven years ago. Because the
second wife’s family had some reputation, naturally, she
wanted to take advantage of the situation and aim for a proper
place. It was during a time like this Housekeeper Zhou arrived
in Danzhou. Undoubtedly, he had come with ill intentions.

In order to fulfill his duty, he meticulously managed the

Count’s estate and was exceptionally respectful towards the
Countess. He was also kind towards the servants and rarely
meddled with the private affairs of others. But every time he
saw that little mongrel, the one who led to his disguised exile,
he couldn’t help but show his true feelings.

No one knew why, but he was a bit afraid of the young boy,
despite the latter being only in his early teens.

Because no matter where he went, he could almost always see

that boy’s faintly- smiling face and his pair of clear eyes. As
neat and pretty as that face was, anyone would feel disturbed if
it followed them around constantly from the moment they
woke up.
 When Housekeeper Zhou kindly greeted the servants, little
Fan Xian’s pretty face was hidden among the flowers, staring at
the housekeeper blankly; when Housekeeper Zhou scowled
over the statements of account, little Fan Xian propped his face
up on the windowsill of the accountant chamber, staring at the
housekeeper innocently; and when Housekeeper Zhou made
his report to the Countess with upmost respect, little Fan Xian
rested his face next to the Countess, staring at him with
infinite curiosity.

After several months like this, Housekeeper Zhou was almost

driven insane. He could see that innocent beautiful face at all
times, it was like the face of a ghost floating in white mist. A
face that beautiful could only belong to a ghost, a face which
stared at him so intensely.

With his psyche almost at its breaking point, he even began

to become paranoid. Could that boy know he was sent here to
deal with him? But then Housekeeper Zhou thought, "That
little mongrel is too young; how could he know the dangers of
the adult world? But… why is he always looking at me? Why?
Just like now. If I were him, I’d feel humiliation, how could he
still smile like that?"
 Housekeeper Zhou smiled coldly, thinking: "Thing will be
over soon; there is no need for me to get upset over this brat."

...

...

Fan Xian didn’t realize his unscrupulous observation of

Housekeeper Zhou would be so taxing on the housekeeper’s
psyche. But even if he had known, he wouldn’t feel sorry about
it. He was only curious as to what methods this aunt in the
capital would deploy to deal with him.

But after seeing Housekeeper Zhou scolding his maidservant

to save face, Fan Xian’s expression turned gloomy. After
hearing how the housekeeper pronounced "Young Master", Fan
Xian’s smile slowly faded.

"I heard Young Master chased a maidservant out of the house

a few years ago; such unruly behavior certainly won’t do."
Housekeeper Zhou continued to talk with disdain, ignoring the
youth’s gradually worsening expression. "You are still young; it
would be best from now on if you didn’t worry about the
things in the house."

Fan Xian laughed: "Are you warning me to stay put?"

Housekeeper Zhou claimed he wouldn’t dream of it, but his

tone was overflowing with arrogance: "Who would dare? It’s
just that before coming here, the second wife ordered me to
look after you, since you are still of tender age."

"So then you aren’t afraid of me using my authority as your

master to slap that big mouth of yours?" Fan Xian asked,
curious.

Housekeeper Zhou chuckled, stroking the sparsely grown

beard on his chin. He said: "Young Master… even though you
lost your mother as an infant and lacked discipline growing
up, everyone knows that you still had the upbringing of a
learned scholar. You wouldn’t treat your servants so harshly."

The housekeeper looked at the beautiful youth before him

and laughed to himself on the inside. "A mere child he is; to
think he would try to use his authority to threaten me."

"Oh." Fan Xian came back to his senses, as if just realizing his
identity as an illegitimate child. He turned and left.

The maidservants, while secretly wanting justice for the

young master, took a breath of relief since no conflicts had
occurred. Sisi held Fan Xian’s hand as her eyes began to tear
up. She felt sorry for the young master, but was afraid he
would become upset. Only after side eyeing Fan Xian and
discovering tranquility in his eyes did she finally come to
peace.

Taking Sisi’s hand, Fan Xian led her inside and set up two
stools by the door. He made Sisi sit on one of them before
making his way into the garden with another stool.

The maidservants had not yet dispersed; Housekeeper Zhou

was still savoring his earlier display of courage.

Fan Xian set the stool directly in front of Housekeeper Zhou.

Those nearby were puzzled. Housekeeper Zhou was no
exception, and was about to raise a question. But little Fan
Xian had already stepped onto the stool.

At only twelve years of age, Fan Xian was not very tall. On
top of a stool, he was only the same height as Housekeeper
Zhou.

The people were confused, not knowing what Fan Xian was
about to do. At that moment, Fan Xian puffed two breaths into
his right palm and raised it high.

"What are you doing?" The sentence hung in Housekeeper

Zhou’s mouth and came out with a shower of spit.

Fan Xian brutally swung his little hand forward!

With a loud and crisp "smack", Housekeeper Zhou tumbled

over to the ground. A red handprint appeared on his face, and
there was some blood on the corner of his mouth. He was
physically stunned by the hit. There was no way he would have
expected such strength to come from a child, not to mention…
this child… actually dared to hit him in the first place!
 Little Fan Xian hopped down from the stool, flexed his wrist,
and took a handkerchief from a maidservant standing close by.
He wiped hand as he looked at the housekeeper—who was
groaning while holding his face—and said in a light voice:
"Even a learned scholar would resort to violence. Even though
I don’t abuse my servants, I am more than happy to show you
the style of a son from a wealthy family."
Chapter 20: Standing at the Top
Zhou the housekeeper laid on the ground miserably, the mark
on his face red as a peach blossom. He spat out a few broken
teeth and was half-dizzy in shock. He directed a weak gaze full
of fear and horror towards Fan Xian.

"I seriously don’t understand what you guys think," Fan Xian
said in a quiet voice. "Did you really believe I wouldn’t hit
you? You seem to have forgotten your place. Perhaps a more
cultured master wouldn’t do anything to his servants, but that
is not me, unfortunately. Don’t tell me you’re going to hit
back? So, that’s that. All you can do is to deal with it and
endure, laugh, or go cry about it to the Countess or back in the
capital… But… from now on, don’t go into the back garden. I
dislike seeing you."

After saying this, he dusted his pants off and turned to Sisi
who was sitting dumbfounded on the stool. He told her quietly
that he wanted to go out and left the Count’s estate.

Behind him, looks of fear inevitably surfaced on the faces of

the servants. None of them would have thought this cute,
gentle boy had such a violent side to him. The contrast
between the two sides shook everyone to the core and made it
all the more terrifying.

At this time, the Countess had arrived in the back garden too.
She looked at the groaning housekeeper on the ground and
thought of that child; she couldn’t help but express a glint of
meaningful happiness.

Chasing the head servant out of the house last year, and
slapping Zhou the housekeeper silly today, the twelve-year-old
Fan Xian finally established his authority in the Count’s estate.

...

...

Along the shore five kilometers from Danzhou Harbor was a

dangerous region covered by reefs. The sea winds churned up
the blue water, smashing it against the rocks into huge sprays
of white foam.
 On the east side, there was an extremely narrow passage
hidden among the hazardous rocks. Fan Xian came along that
path. He turned his body with his back to the sea. Listening to
the deafening sound of waves at his back, he looked up.

In front of him was a series of steep cliffs. This mountain

was formed naturally next to the sea. Behind the mountain
were ancient forests and swamps spanning hundreds of li,
making scaling the cliffs the only way to reach the apex.

Taking a look at the cliffs, Fan Xian frowned slightly. In his

mind, he traced the path he always took while climbing.
However, the sea winds had been strong recently, and the rocks
which stuck out from the cliff were loose. If he were to climb
to the top today, he must be more careful than usual.

The sea crashed into the reefs behind him, but the rocks
proved cold and insurmountable, with only some seawater
reaching the shallows, making this area of the shore wetter
than others. Fan Xian’s shoes got wet from standing there and
his feet felt quite uncomfortable.
 Taking off his shoes, Fan Xian put them in a clean cavity just
below the cliffs. Taking some coarse sand and rubbing his
palms together, he began to adjust his inner zhenqi. Having
readied himself, he planted his right hand securely onto an
inconspicuous outcropping and deftly lifted his entire body
into the air. He began to climb up as if he weighted next to
nothing.

He ascended rapidly. With his entire body flattened against

the cliff surface, he looked like some strange animal which was
adept at climbing. Each time he reached out his hand, planted
down with his foot, or lifted himself upwards, it all seemed
effortless; there were no signs of difficulty.

After only a short while, he was close to the top. The sea
wind whirled behind him, blowing away his body heat and
sweat, making him feel refreshed.

"I bet even Guo Jing couldn’t climb this fast. But the blind
man at the top of this mountain will be much fiercer than Ma
Yu…"
 Fan Xian thought back on what happened in the garden as he
continued to climb. Something didn’t feel right to him. That
precious housekeeper of the second wife stayed put for over a
year, why did he happen to mess up today?

The sea winds carried moisture, making the exposed rocks

somewhat slippery. Seeing that he was almost to the top, Fan
Xian relaxed his focus. Thinking about what happened earlier
only distracted him further. His right hand slipped and he
almost fell.

As dangerous as that seemed, Fan Xian did not panic and

directed his zhenqi into his right hand. With three fingers, he
latched tightly onto the only piece of projecting rock that
could support him. Shaking slightly, his fingers looked as if
they were deeply embedded into the rock, unmovable.

A wooden stick reached down from above, gesturing him to

grab it.

Fan Xian seemingly wanted to avoid this stick very much. He

didn’t even look at it and started to swing his body. With the
tip of his feet, he kicked against the cliff’s surface, providing
him with the momentum to propel his entire body to the top.
The maneuver was as risky as it looked.

"You weren’t focusing enough. That could cost you your

life."

At the mountain top, on the edge of the cliffs, Wu Zhu stood

facing the sea breeze. His clothes were made from coarse fabric
and a strip of black cloth covered his eyes.

Fan Xian ignored him and sat down in a lotus position. After
a short period of adjustment, he stood back up and told Wu
Zhu about what happened today at the house. He also
expressed his suspicions, hoping Wu Zhu could provide a
definitive answer.

"You think a single slap will keep the housekeeper in check?"

Wu Zhu asked coldly.

"I do, as long as grandma is on my side," Fan Xian said as he

lowered his head. While he didn’t imbue that slap with zhenqi,
the great power stored within his fragile young body over the
years was still frightening. More importantly, he displayed his
gloomy temperament at the most crucial moment. This was
dreadful indeed.

"Then that’s enough." Wu Zhu didn’t appear to want to probe

deeper into the matter.

"This is only my suspicion, but why did the housekeeper

decide to stir things up today? He has spent over a year in
Danzhou Harbor with his tail between his legs. Under normal
circumstances, there really isn’t any reason for him to show
his ugly colors now, unless… he feels that he’s had enough and
something will happen in Danzhou soon. Maybe, in his eyes,
I’m no longer a threat to my half-brother in the capital, and so
he no longer sees a need to please me."

Fan Xian smiled bitterly, a look which did not match his
youthful face.

It was indeed strange, now that he mentioned it. If Fei Jie

was somewhat uncertain and fearful regarding Fan Xian’s early
maturity, Wu Zhu, on the other hand, was unconcerned about
this. It looked as though Wu Zhu would not react to anything
when it came to Fan Xian, even if Fan Xian were to turn into a
tree demon.

Fan Xian thought that perhaps it was because Wu Zhu was

blind and unable to see the expressions that Fan Xian
unknowingly made; expressions which shouldn’t appear on the
face of a child.

"That’s trivial," Wu Zhu said suddenly. He obviously felt Fan

Xian was overanalyzing the subject.

"I predict someone will come to kill me. Is that trivial?" Fan
Xian laughed.

Wu Zhu coldly replied: "Fei Jie and I have taught you so

much. If you can’t handle something as trivial as that, then it
becomes non-trivial."

Fan Xian thought about it for a moment, and accepted the

fact. He understood that Master Wu Zhu would not take care
of things for him this time.
 "Let’s begin."

"Okay."

...

...

After a long while, in a remote area above the cliffs, Fan Xian
removed his tunic. "Again…" he moaned dejectedly to the side.

As soon as his voice floated away from the cliffs, a wooden

stick came down from above, mercilessly striking his back with
a muffled crack.
Chapter 21: Pain
Currently, the overwhelming zhenqi inside Fan Xian had
reacted automatically, forming a dense layer which blanketed
his back. However, the wooden stick was even faster and
"stabbed" him before the zhenqi could react.

The term "stab" meant that the stick was thrust in a straight
line by its owner, with all the power focused into the tip.

Fan Xian let out a cry. Although the youth’s body was
protected by zhenqi, the blow he just received sent pain down
to the bone, causing his body to curl up. One moment he was
writhing on the ground in pain, the next he pushed off against
the ground with his hands and started to roll while assuming
the same curled up position. Fan Xian ferociously kicked
behind him.

Seeing a beautiful young boy performing such an insidious

kick was enough to shock anybody, though what answered his
kick was a simple slapping sound.

...
 ...

Fan Xian half-knelt on the ground, continuously massaging

his ankle. He inhaled the cold air as his face twisted from the
pain.

He knew begging for mercy would be useless, as proven early

on these past few years. All he could do was eye the blind man
standing three meters away and calculating his next move. As
agreed, if he could land a single blow on the blind man, even a
corner of his clothing, it would be considered a victory for Fan
Xian, with the reward being a month-long break.

Having suffered several years of being beaten, Fan Xian had

yet to accomplish that, due in part to Wu Zhu being alarmingly
swift and not giving away his position. Even more terrifyingly,
Wu Zhu made no extra movements that would give away what
he planned to do next, making him unpredictable to Fan Xian.
As an example, with Wu Zhu, indicators such as line of sight
cannot be taken advantage of.

Secondly, that inconspicuous wooden stick—every time Fan

Xian tried to get near Wu Zhu using zhenqi or underhanded
tricks, that stick would move like the claw of a demon from
hell, mercilessly slamming into Fan Xian’s wrists, ankles, or
even his fingers.

They weren’t broken, but they hurt. The pain was

unbearable.

What absolutely baffled Fan Xian was that, no matter how

hard he tried to muffle the sound of his movements, Wu Zhu,
through his blindfold, could still locate and hit him every time
without fail despite the roaring of the waves crashing into the
rocks below.

"Ay-ya-ya-ya…" taking another hit to the wrist, Fan Xian

cried out, his voice dragging like he was singing Beijing opera.
He distanced himself away from that merciless blind man.

...

...
 A small, nameless yellow flower bloomed meekly on the
cliffs.

Fan Xian lay on the edge of the cliff, his strength gone. The
sea below had already calmed down, glistening gold from
sunshine. The reefs that were constantly bashed by the waves
finally gained a moment of peace and began to slowly dry.
Some crustaceans climbed over them, looking like tiny black
dots when viewed from above.

Touching the painful spots on his body, Fan Xian navigated

his qi to inspect his interior condition. He discovered that his
rampaging zhenqi had been partially absorbed into the
xueshan behind his waist, while the rest of it was used up
trying to defend against those relentless stick strikes. The
zhenqi inside him right now was calm … just like the sea before
him.

Fan Xian knew resting now would do his training no good,

and so, in spite of the soreness and pain, he got up with great
difficulty and assumed a lotus position as he began to carry out
the maneuvers from the Scrolls of Power. He shot a glance at
Wu Zhu, who was standing at the cliff’s edge.
 The black strip of cloth which covered Wu Zhu’s eyes flapped
in the sea wind.

"That’s really cool, not just acting cool." Fan Xian made a
silent judgement about the blind man. He said in a quiet voice:
"Careful, Uncle, or you’ll fall."

Naturally, a powerful character such as Wu Zhu would not

die from simply falling off a cliff. Fan Xian was only making
meaningless chatter.

"Don’t get distracted."

Wu Zhu only spoke one emotionless sentence and stopped

responding to Fan Xian.

Fan Xian signed and started to calm himself, entering a state

of meditation. After who knows how long, he came back to
himself among the sea winds, and discovered the sun had
already changed its position. And Wu Zhu, not too far away
from him, still kept the same posture, looking like a sturdy
flagpole which could never be broken.
 Fan Xian stood up, noticing his body had completely
recovered, his zhenqi full to the brim. The pressure on his
meridian also died down significantly. While his muscles,
ankles, and wrists still ached, those would be taken care of
once he returns to the branch house and rub on the medicine
he prepared himself.

Walking through the wind, which carried the faint smell of

the sea, Fan Xian walked over and stood next to Wu Zhu, and
would have been shoulder-to-shoulder if he weren’t so much
shorter than the blind man. Fan Xian picked up a rock and
chucked it towards the sea with all his might. Currently,
zhenqi was flooding throughout his body, making his strength
much greater than that of regular people. The rock flew far,
and when it finally hit the water, the splash could barely be
seen by the naked eye.

Somewhat full of himself, Fan Xian thought not even those

master martial artists could match his arm strength. Seeing the
powerful waves and the birds flying freely overhead, his spirits
got a boost from what was around him. He spread his arms
wide and roared at the sea.

"Capital, I will arrive one day!"

 Wu Zhu still stood there in silence, as if not hearing Fan
Xian.

...

...

"What are you going to do?"

Fan Xian blanked out a bit before realizing Wu Zhu, who was
always reserved with his words as if they were gold, finally
spoke. He answered, smiling: "I’m going to see exactly what
the world is like, of course."

"The outside world is dangerous." Wu Zhu said in his usual

cold tone. He did not turn around.

Fan Xian shrugged his frail shoulders, looking somewhat

mischievous: "with Uncle Wu Zhu protecting me, what would I
be afraid of?"
 "After the Lady was born, I forgot some things." There was a
pause in Wu Zhu’s otherwise unchanging tone. "There are
many people in this world who could harm me, and naturally
they could harm you too."

"Uncle is so modest." Fan Xian laughed sweetly, thinking, "In

this still unfamiliar world, I have only you as my bodyguard. If
ever you decide to walk away, what would I do?"

"If I was with you in the capital, I would bring you trouble."

Fan Xian raised his head, looking at Wu Zhu’s almost

eternally expressionless face, and thought for a moment. He
then answered, with some embarrassment: "I would protect
you."

Wu Zhu finally turned around after hearing this, and

intensely "looked" Fan Xian in the eye, and said: "The
Lady...she said the same thing."

Fan Xian smiled, knowing part of his shamelessness came

from his mother after all.
Chapter 22: “The Poets”
"Why do you wish to see this world?" Wu Zhu seemed to be
pondering something, "the place you are standing right now,
isn’t it part of this world?"

Fan Xian didn’t know how to answer that question, for he

came from another world, and therefore would naturally be
curious about many things in this world. Furthermore, he
needed to find the answer to a question which had been
bothering him for the longest time: How did he end up in this
world?

Fei Jie once mentioned the temple six years ago, when he still
taught at Danzhou. At the time, Fan Xian thought, "Other than
though divine intervention, what else could turn a person
dying from illness into the youth he was today?" He had been
intrigued by this temple ever since and wanted to see what was
inside.

The capital, too, was a place he really wanted to visit. Fan

Ruoruo didn’t know if she could live a happy life under her
stepmother’s protection, and left Fei Jie for a few years. Just
for a bit, Fan Xian wanted to visit that perverted but cute old
man.

Most importantly, because he had been bedridden for so long

in his previous life, his current life so far in Danzhou as a child
had presented Fan Xian with a jarring contrast. The contrast
manifested in Fan Xian’s heart like a ball of fire, burning his
psyche, stimulating his hopes, making him want to do
something, gain something.

Peace and ambition, privilege and happiness, romance and

beautiful women… these nouns didn’t exactly match each
other, they were incompatible. And yet they flashed across Fan
Xian’s mind. After thinking for a while, he answered carefully:
"Since you only live once, the only way to make the most out
of this unrepeatable game is to go around seeing different
sights and meeting different people."

That was what Fan Xian really thought. During his previous
life, he gave a lot of thought on his deathbed on how he would
live in his next life, should there ever be one.

Wu Zhu said: "What do you plan to do?"

 "First, I must make sure I survive." Fan Xian kneeled to pick
up another rock. When he threw it this time, there was no **,
and the rock shattered on the reefs below, "which is why I must
obtain the means to protect myself."

"And then?"

"I’ve set three goals for myself."

Wu Zhu quietly listened.

"First, I am going to father many, many children. Second, I

am going to write many, many books. And third, I am going to
live a very, very nice life."

Fan Xian was extremely calm as he said such absurd things’

there wasn’t the slightest sign of embarrassment. Deep down,
he reasoned that, since this world was not Earth, then as the
sole example of a human from Earth, it was his biological duty
to pass down the humans’ legacy by fathering many children
in this world.
 At the same time, he believed he also represented the
civilizations of Earth. Humanity’s accomplishments in art
through the millennia could not be found in this world. If he
couldn’t write (or should it be copy?) many, many books and
let literary legacies such as Cao Xueqin’s works and "Kill Bill"
shine in this ignorant world, he would feel sorry for the sages
of this parallel universe living in solitude…and of course, he
would feel most sorry for himself.

Naturally, he also saw himself as the only Earthling who

could observe this world, and therefore he had to make sure he
could live a comfortable life. Only by doing so could he live to
a ripe old age and observe for as many years as possible.

It wouldn’t be until many years later that Fan Xian finally

admitted those were all excuses to rationalize and glorify his
hidden desires, his perversion, shamelessness, and greed.

On the cliffs by the sea, Wu Zhu seemed to require some time

to fully understand what Fan Xian’s three goals really. Calmly,
he analyzed: "then you need to marry many wives, find many
‘saoke’, and hire many servants."
 "Saoke?" Fan Xian knew the term but was still unsure what it
meant here.

"Scholars in poverty who write manuscripts for other people.

They have no rights to authorship."

Fan Xian grinned, he had original planned on making big-

names like Old Cao and Old Sha be his ghostwriters and had no
need for saoke. As he thought that, Wu Zhu continued his
overly simplistic analysis.

"If you are to marry many wives, hire many servants and
saoke, then you need to earn a lot of money. If you want to
earn a lot of money, then you need a lot of authority. The more
authority you need, the closer you must be to this nation’s
center of power."

Wu Zhu neatly turned around to leave: "As soon as you turn

sixteen, we’re going back to the capital."

Behind Wu Zhu, Fan Xian stayed where he stood, staring

blankly. He had merely expressed some of his not-so-
unreasonable ideas, but somehow this slightly mentally-
challenged strong one deducted them to be related to a matter
of national power, not to mention he just cleanly made
decision to go back to the capital—Fan Xian still remembered,
on the day he was born, Wu Zhu carried him on his back and
escaped from the capital.

Fan Xian didn’t know if he should laugh or cry at his current

situation, so he slapped himself hard to get out of his trance.
He caught up to Wu Zhu, and said: "uncle, I told you what’s on
my heart, shouldn’t you reward me with something?"

"What do you want to know?"

"My mother, why were people after us in the capital?"

"Regarding the Lady, I will tell you everything once you turn
sixteen, as that’s the Lady’s final wish. As for the people after
us, you don’t need to know, since they all died ten years ago."

When they got back to Danzhou Harbor, it was already noon.

Fan Xian parted from Wu Zhu a distance away, and Fan Xian
made his way into the city by himself. The people of the city
had already gotten used to seeing this young master wander
outside on his own. Although there were no wild beasts or
dangerous places around, people still felt the Count’s estate
was too careless regarding the safety of this illegitimate son.

After all, in their eyes, Fan Xian was merely a twelve-year-

old boy.

For the Danzhou inhabitants, who lived carefree without

needing to pay taxes to the imperial court, they had plenty of
spare time to come up with some odd theories. For example,
they wondered if the people of the branch house wanted the
illegitimate son to get eaten by wild beasts or fall down a cliff.

With that idea in mind, seeing this cute boy live in this
supposedly dangerous mansion made their hearts race.

Fan Xian didn’t know what they were thinking and kept
smiling slightly. Lowering his head just a little, he returned to
the Count’s estate.
 The servants were waiting for him, knowing that he would
return to eat. The Countess sat on the old, wooden armchair,
her eyes half-closed as if she were sleepy.
Chapter 23: Maokouzi
"Young master is back!" a male servant shouted.

All the servants immediately busied themselves with

preparing lunch. Fan Xian and the Countess sat opposite each
other at a large table in the hall. The table was scattered with a
mess of various dishes.

Something was off about this scene. Rather than retreat to

the back courtyard to eat, the idle servants simply stared at Fan
Xian’s chopsticks. Several of the younger servant girls were
quietly salivating. They seemed hungry.

This was an unwritten rule in the Count’s mansion. Fan Xian

stringently demanded it – and the Countess acquiesced – so
everybody had gotten used to it long ago. As long as young
master Fan was having a meal in the mansion, others could
only be permitted to eat after he had personally tasted and
approved of each dish.

The servants didn’t understand why the young master, who

had always been gentle and tender, insisted on such an
unreasonable rule. One time, however, Dong’er, the servant
who was closest to Fan Xian, tasted the saltiness of his food
before Fan Xian did. She was subsequently driven from the
mansion by a ferocious Fan Xian. After that, everybody knew
that the young master did, after all, have a shameless
aristocratic side to him.

When Dong’er cried and left, the Countess just stared at her
coolly without a word.

The entire mansion was silent, except for the sounds of Fan
Xian chewing and sipping soup. All of the servants quietly
stood beside him with their arms at their sides obediently. Like
all noble households, whatever food the master didn’t eat was
always sent to the servants’ quarters as a reward, so Fan Xian
ate less of each dish. He just picked away at the food with his
chopsticks.

He ate slowly and carefully, with thin lips pressing and

relaxing like two beams of light opening and closing.

The Countess was gently caressing a statue and mouthing a

silent prayer.
 After a long time, Fan Xian had tasted each dish. He laughed
sweetly with bright, beaming eyes. He pointed at a plate of stir-
fried bamboo shoots and told one of the servants, "This one’s
good."

The servant girls breathed a sigh of relief and began to fill

their bowls with rice. The idle servants could finally go to the
back courtyard, but another servant went to the kitchen and
brought the remaining stir-fried bamboo shoots out to the hall,
placing them in front of Fan Xian.

"Help yourself, ma’am."

Fan Xian stood up, saluted the Countess, and received the
bowl of food with both hands before politely placing it in front
of the Countess. He repeatedly added the stir-fried bamboo
shoots into his bowl, munching on them with a pleasant
expression. On his handsome face, that kind of smile seemed
exceptionally grotesque, as though he’d finally found
something he’d been after for a long time.

For some reason, the servant girls standing to the side, upon
seeing the smile on the 12-year-old boy’s face, couldn’t help but
shiver as they recalled the powerful smack that Zhou the
housekeeper took that morning.

...

...

"I’ll go to my room to finish my meal."

Fan Xian told the servants this before taking a plate of stir-
fried bamboo shoots and a bowl of white race and going to his
room in the side courtyard. It was very impolite of him to leave
before his elder had finished her meal, but the Countess didn’t
say anything.

In his bedroom, he ate some emetic powder and then started

poking his fingers down his throat. After digging around for a
while, he finally vomited out the remnants of the meal. He
then immediately took several pills he had prepared himself
out of the drawer and washed them down with fresh water. He
directed his zhenqi throughout his entire body and discovered
there didn’t seem to be any problems. This finally put him at
ease.

He looked at the plate of stir-fried bamboo shoots. Smiling

bitterly, he dumped them out into the chamber pot behind his
bed – they had been poisoned with maokouzi, a method often
used by the secret agents in the Council of Auditors.

Maokouzi is a beautiful, tangerine-like fruit which grows in

the southern islands. Its flowers emit a strange, pungent odor
and its fruit contains poison.

When the fruit’s juice is mixed with food, the dish is unlikely
to change color and it will still smell normal. On the contrary,
it will actually make the dish more fragrant. It was frequently
used by the spies of the Council of Auditors in carrying out
assassinations. After entering the body, the poison takes effect
that night, when the victim convulses before dying. This is
very similar to death by infection, thus making it difficult to
divine the true cause of death.

As the only student of Fei Jie, the inventor of this poison in

the Council of Auditors, Fan Xian immediately identified its
slightly bitter taste when he tried the stir-fried bamboo shoots.
The murderer was actually quite clever, for they knew to mix
the maokouzi fruit juice with bamboo shoots, which were
themselves bitter.

The reason Fan Xian didn’t immediately leave the Countess

just now to purge the poison was to keep her from being
frightened. Now, he suddenly felt scared when he considered
that if it had been some kind of fast-acting poison, instead of
maokouzi, he’d already be dead.

Fan Xian took his teacher’s advice in always being attentive

to his diet. He worried that his aunt in the capital might strike
a vicious blow. That’s why he had to cause such an odd scene
while eating just now. To keep the servants safe from any
poison, he requested that he taste each dish before anybody
else could begin eating. He was like the eunuch in the imperial
palace responsible for testing each dish before the emperor
could eat it.

Though Fan Xian believed his own life was more important
than anybody else’s, he wasn’t willing to have innocent people
die for him.
 ———————————————————————

Seeing that the young master had come to the kitchen, the
servants quickly stood up and offered him a stool. "Younger
Master, are you still hungry? Do you want to eat something?"
one of them asked with a smile.

Fan Xian smiled and said, "Those stir-fried bamboo shoots

were delicious."

The chef standing next to him laughed, "I’m glad you

enjoyed them."

"Yes, they were quite fresh. When were they bought?" Fan
Xian nodded enthusiastically and asked carefully.

"We bought them this morning, so of course they were fresh."

"Oh, right. Did any outsiders enter the kitchen today?"

 "Mr. Ha, who normally delivers food, was ill. His nephew
came instead."

"Alright then. I should get going." Fan Xian took a piece of

smoked meat from the plate the chef offered. He ate it and,
smiling bashfully, said, "Don’t tell the Countess that I came
down here to pilfer food."

When Fan Xian left, the servants began talking about him.
They all commended the character of the Count’s illegitimate
son, saying he was free of any aristocratic vices. It was just
that… his rules for eating were a little too much.

In an alleyway in Danzhou Harbor, Fan Xian was scaling the

back wall of some building with his hook-like fingers. When he
exerted his strength, he was like a climbing civet cat. He was at
the food delivery man Mr. Ha’s house.

For many years, there were a total of only a dozen or so

servants at the Count’s mansion, all of which were natives of
Danzhou Harbor, with the exception of several maids who had
been replaced. So Fan Xian didn’t suspect any of them. Though
Fan Xian had met Mr. Ha before, he thought it was strange that
he should fall ill at such an opportune moment.

Mr. Ha’s room was pitch black, but for Fan Xian, it was as
bright as daytime. He quietly slipped into the room and
smelled a trace of blood in the air.
Chapter 24: Assassin
Mr. Ha’s corpse lay on the bed, covered by a cotton blanket,
with only his feet poking out. The smell of blood was faint,
meaning the assassin had done some cleanup. Fan Xian would
have missed it had he not developed a sharp nose while under
Fei Jie’s tutelage.

Fan Xian stood quietly in the corner. The darkness hid the
assassin, and also Fan Xian.

Trying to mimic blind Wu Zhu’s techniques, Fan Xian

relaxed himself as much as possible. Zhenqi flowed slowly
inside his body as his heartbeat merged with the noises
outside.

The assassin should still be around; the Overwatch Council’s

secret agents were always thorough. After poisoning Fan Xian,
they would certainly stay until the night in order to ensure the
bastard son was dead, after which they would leave Danzhou
under the cover of darkness. Since the assassin was posing as
Mr. Ha’s nephew, they must be familiar with the layout of the
building, so they wouldn’t want to change observation spots.
 Unfortunately, Fan Xian couldn’t have expected how things
would develop. He studied the room carefully. Other than Mr.
Ha’s cold body on the bed, there were no other people in the
room.

He slowly followed the wall, moving further into the room,

careful not to noisily bump into any furniture. His eyes
glanced over some inconspicuous corners of the ceiling.

He snuck along the wall to the window where light shone

through. Mr. Ha obviously wasn’t rich enough to afford more
windows, so the room was poorly lit. Fan Xian stood beside the
window, hiding his presence by taking advantage of the
contrast between light and dark.

After standing there for a long time, he frowned. Had he been

wrong? Perhaps that poison-toting assassin was long gone. If
that was the case, coming to the house right away instead of
keeping Zhou under watch was obviously the wrong move.

Fan Xian walked to the bed, wanting to take a look at how

poor old Mr. Ha died. But he became tenser the closer he got to
the bed. He heard the sound of suppressed breathing. Because
of the noises from the market outside, the breathing wasn’t
audible until Fan Xian closed in.

The assassin hid behind Mr. Ha’s body when he noticed

someone had entered the house.

The breathing behind the body was extremely steady; about

seven breaths per minute. If Fan Xian didn’t have his unusually
abundant zhenqi enhancing his hearing, he never would have
noticed.

Fan Xian stopped, staring at the bed. He didn’t know if it was

a trap.

From outside came the lively calls of merchants. Fan Xian

could pick out the faint sound of a certain carriage.

He knew there was a market directly in front of this building,

and that a horse-drawn carriage would have trouble navigating
down the narrow road, and thus waited quietly with his
dagger.
 The assassin also waited quietly. He didn’t see who entered
the room, but at this point he could tell that the intruder was
equally patient. A long time later he started to feel like he had
underestimated the dangers of Danzhou. He regretted
remaining here to ensure the death of his target.

...

...

As the carriage passed through the market, the merchants on

both sides began to hurl insults at the driver, who was
obviously vexed. If he wasn’t short on time, he never would
have taken this route.

With great difficulty, the merchants cleared a path for the

carriage. The driver thanked them and was ready to proceed.
However, the carriage smashed a crate of eggs, infuriating the
egg merchant. The merchant held onto the reins, refusing to
let go. The market descended into chaos.

Meanwhile, in the house beside the marketplace...

 Hearing the disturbance outside, Fan Xian took advantage of
the noise and brought his right foot down hard. He vaulted
himself to the side of the bed and mercilessly thrust a thin
dagger into the area behind Mr. Ha’s body!

At that instant, Fan Xian got a clear look at the assassin’s

face. His eyes were cold and the brows above them were a little
messy. Fan Xian could tell he was relatively young. His
appearance was average, with slightly thick lips and dry skin.

Caught completely off guard, the assassin suddenly moved

his right hand. A small, black crossbow bolt burst out of the
blanket, flying straight at Fan Xian’s face — Fan Xian had
already landed with his arm up; his entire torso was
defenseless.

The bolt sped like a beam of light!

Fan Xian started to react as soon as the bolt was fired. For five
years, Wu Zhu had beaten him with a stick that swung much
faster than this bolt. When he landed, he didn’t put all of his
body weight down, and his other foot didn’t come down.
Twisting his toes, with his entire body stuck in a powerless
position in the air, he retreated a few inches to the right.

The bolt brushed past Fan Xian’s left cheek, burying itself
deep into the roof with a dull thud.

The assassin was absolutely astonished. He couldn’t believe

that the person who came was this attractive youth who
should have already been felled by poison. What was even
more unbelievable was that this kid could dodge a point-blank,
concealed crossbow shot!

Presently, Fan Xian’s dagger plunged deep into the assassin’s

body with a disgusting, muffled sound. Fan Xian felt like he
was stabbing into a slab of pork with a kitchen knife. Because
he had to dodge the arrow, Fan Xian’s aim was off and he
stabbed the assassin in the shoulder; he was still alive.

The assassin writhed like an eel in water. He readied his left

hand to give Fan Xian a lethal strike — but the pain in his
shoulder combined with the force of being slammed into the
bed caused him to fall. The concealed crossbow slipped out of
his fingers.
 He braced himself, but when he tried to get up, the pain was
more intense than he ever could have imagined. Moreover…
that boy’s dagger had pierced through his shoulder and stuck
into the bed. He had been pinned to the bed alive!

...

...

With the assassin completely neutralized, Fan Xian’s left

hand clutched around his throat. The assassin finally showed
his fear of death. His thick lips parted slightly, as if wanting to
say something.

Fan Xian’s heart tightened as he felt a chill. He didn’t give the

assassin the chance to talk or retaliate. With a crunch, Fan
Xian broke the assassin’s neck. His head slumped to the side
and he died instantly.

Fan Xian kept his hand on the assassin’s broken neck for a
moment, feeling the crushed pieces of bone. As the assassin’s
blood gradually cooled down, Fan Xian finally removed his
hand and crouched over, panting heavily.
Chapter 25: Tofu Like Jade
It took some while for Fan Xian to finally calm down. The
cold sweat made his clothes stick to his body

He took the long, thin dagger out the assassin's shoulder. The
terrible sound the blade made as it was dislodged from flesh
and bone made him pause before he finally removed the small,
insidiously hidden crossbow from the dead assassin's sleeve.

The slender blade was covered in some sort of black, opaque

substance. Fan Xian knew that Master Fei created a black
coating that was not only poisonous but that could cause
excruciating pain for anyone wounded by it. He carefully
placed the blade inside a scabbard made of elephant hide and
glanced at the corpses, those of the assassin on the bed and Old
Ha the vegetable seller underneath it before he turned to leave.

As he opened the door, Wu Zhu was standing quietly at the

corner of the stairs. "If the carriage hadn't come, what would
you have done?" he asked.
 Fan Xian lowered his head and said nothing for a long time.
Finally, having managed to get a hold on the horrible feelings
that his first kill had brought up in him, he raised his head and
smiled. "I would have stayed still like he did, and waited for
you to come."

They climbed down off the wall again. The lessons he had
learned climbing the cliffs outside Danzhou had finally been
put to use that day. Fan Xian lowered his feet onto the floor and
walked ahead, knowing that Wu Zhu would leave him, and
that when he was in danger, he would appear again.

He walked through the hustle and bustle of the market and

stayed quiet, his right hand dangling by the side of his thigh as
it trembled gently.

He walked with heavy steps through the market and came to

a stop in front of a stall. It was a tofu stall, and the hawker was
a fair-faced woman in her twenties, with pale, delicate hands
and an apron tied around her waist.

"Dong'er," Fan Xian called out to her, smiling. Dong'er was

the servant girl he had driven out of the Count's manor. When
he was younger, he would lie on her bosom and sleep. They
had always been close. After Dong'er had left the manor, she
had opened a tofu stall at the market, so Fan Xian often
dropped by to buy some tofu to take home.

A gentle smile crept across Dong'er's face when she saw who
it was. "Young Master," she asked as she led him in, "what
brings you here?"

He sat on a small stool, and as more people came in to buy

tofu, Dong'er glanced at him awkwardly.

Fan Xian nodded, and allowed her to see to her customers

first. Looking around, he saw that there was a crib at the back
of the stall, with a little girl inside it who seemed to be two to
three years of age. Her cheeks were rosy and her clumsy and
delicate hands reached out at the little bell attached to the crib.

Fan Xian reached out to pick up the little girl and play with
her. Dong'er turned around and hurried back to clasp her to her
bosom. "Don't get your clothes dirty," she grumbled. "You'll
only create more work for those servant girls."
 Fan Xian giggled. "Dong'er, when I was the same age as your
daughter, didn't you hug me like that every day?"

Dong'er laughed. "Young Master, how can you compare

yourself to us mere servants?" It was rather curious. Dong'er
had been chased out of the Count's manor for testing a dish
before Fan Xian had had the chance to. But by the sound of it,
she bore no malice toward the boy at all.

Fan Xian scratched his head, unsure of what to say. Dong'er

realized that something was wrong with him, so she picked up
her daughter and cooed to her, "This is the young master, can
you say that? 'Young... Master..."

"Call me Uncle," insisted Fan Xian.

...

...
 He sat at the tofu stall for a long time, watching Dong'er cut
tofu, weigh it, and wrap it up in paper while he played with the
young girl, getting her to call him 'uncle'. After a long while,
he managed to expel the gloom from his mind, and stood up to
say goodbye to Dong'er.

"You've come all this way," said Dong'er, a little embarrassed,

"and I don’t have anything good for you to eat."

Fan Xian smiled. "Dong'er, do you think I'm not eating well?"

"That's true," Dong'er laughed with a young woman's

bashfulness. "Thank you for buying all these things for my
little girl, young master."

Fan Xian shook his head and smiled. "I just hope you don't
hold it against me for chasing you out of the Count's mansion."

Dong'er smiled and said nothing. She trusted the young lad,
and even though she'd never understood why he'd flown into a
rage over her testing a little bit of food, she knew that he didn't
do it on purpose. What was more, after she'd left the manor,
the young master would secretly send her money. After she'd
married, she'd lived comfortably with her husband and her
child. A large part of why she came to work at the tofu stall
was because it made it easier for the young master to come see
her.

Fan Xian waved goodbye to her and stepped out into the
market. Looking back, he saw the gentle young lady holding
her daughter Xiaoni as she cut the tofu floating in the water.
Leaning forward slightly, her body was still slender and
supple. With no trace of the passing years upon her, she looked
just as she had ten years ago, when she would hold him tight.

Fan Xian had found an excuse to chase her away because she
was his personal servant-girl. If anything had happened to
him, she wouldn't be safe either.

In Fan Xian's 'early years', he had loved her most, and loved
to climb all over her, often fantasizing about what they could
do together when he was grown up. But he had forgotten one
very important point - as he slowly grew up, she would also
grow up, and now he was twelve, she was in her twenties.
 It was just like the story of Bao Yu and Qing Wen in the
Dream of the Red Chamber. It seemed hopeless.

"When you were born, I had not been born;

when I was born you were already old.

You regret that I was born so late;

I regret you were born so soon.

When you were born, I had not been born;

when I was born you were already old.

I regret that we could not be born at the same time,

so that I could spend all my days with you."

 As he made his way back to the manor, he hummed a tune to
himself and fantasized about how he could get Dong'er to love
him - an attempt to rid himself the image of the cold dead eyes
of Old Ha and the assassin staring at him.

—————————————————————————

Because he had eaten stir-fried bamboo shoots laced with

poisonous maokouzi for lunch and had snapped a man's neck
in the afternoon, he found he had very little appetite at all; he
could barely eat anything before going to his room that
evening..

When night came, he found himself somewhat hungry.

Holding an oil lamp, he walked to the kitchen alone, taking
care not to alert any of the servants.

Entering the kitchen, he washed and cleaned a fish, his

vegetable knife like a bird in flight. In a flash, he descaled and
removed the belly, and used the techniques Wu Zhu had taught
him to cut thin shreds of ginger. As his knife fell upon the
chopping board, it made no sound, and he put the ginger
shreds into a small bowl with some vinegar.
 Over a large flame, he steamed the fish belly in steaming
water.

As he squatted, watching the stove and the steam that gently

rose from it, Fan Xian had an amusing realization. Fei Jie and
Wu Zhu were teaching him how to kill and avoid being killed
for his mother's sake. But objectively speaking, they had also
taught him how to be a good medic and a successful cook.
Chapter 26: The Old Man in the Blanket
Three minutes later, Fan Xian took up the steaming plate of
fish in his hands. He covered it with some exquisite soy sauce
that had been sent from the south and watched the beautiful
amber juices flow over the plate. The aroma flowed through the
kitchen as he mixed the steamed fish with the sauce. He found
some leftover rice from that evening, combined it with the
steamed fish, a little ginger and vinegar, and ate happily.

The next morning, when he went to say hello to his

grandmother, the servants informed them that a thief had
sneaked into the kitchen during the night. When Fan Xian
realized what they meant, he couldn't stop himself from
smiling.

"I cooked myself something to eat last night," he said to the

housekeeper as he kneaded the old woman's shoulders. "Don't
worry about it."

The housekeeper stared at him, dumbstruck. The young

master wasn't a young child. Why didn't he call for the
servants' help? Instead he'd insisted on doing it by himself. It
would have been no laughing matter if he'd burned himself.
 Fan Xian could tell that the housekeeper was pondering
something. "I read about a way to steam fish in a book," he said
to the Countess, acting cutely. "I wanted to try it. If it was good
then I’d cook it for you as a surprise. That's why I didn't want
the servants to know. I didn't realize it would cause such
trouble. I'm sorry."

The excuse seemed reasonable. Nobody would have suspected

a thing.

The Countess did not react. "That's fine," she said gently.
"You just have to remember to clean up after yourself after
you've finished doing something."

She had always been rather strict with Fan Xian; it was rare
for her to speak so kindly. Fan Xian felt something was amiss.
There was a trace of tenderness in her words. Why?

"I already know what happened last night," she continued

softly. "Housekeeper Zhou failed in his duties. It's outrageous
that you were able to sneak around in the kitchen like that and
do something so dangerous without anyone noticing. I've
already sent him back to the capital. They can deal with him
there."

Fan Xian was taken aback. He remembered that, after the

killing, he'd completely forgotten to investigate the matter
with Zhou. It was clear that Zhou was responsible in some way
for allowing the would-be killers to sneak into the house and
poison his food. He was disappointed in his own carelessness.

——————————————————————

In the library the next morning, he skimmed over a few of

the books that had arrived from the capital before heading out
again. As he passed the market, he suddenly realized what his
grandmother had meant when she had said "you just have to
remember to clean up after yourself after you've finished doing
something."

One corner of the market had already been burned to ruins.

Oddly, the fire had not spread to any of the neighboring
buildings - only one building had been burnt to the ground,
with nothing left remaining. The people gathered around were
enthusiastically discussing the fire. Thanks to his small
stature, Fan Xian was able to crouch nearby and eavesdrop.
Two people had died in the fire, their corpses left completely
unrecognizable.

The place that had burned down was the building where Fan
Xian had killed a man the day before.

Had the fire destroyed the corpses and wiped out all traces?

Fan Xian thought about how his grandmother had already

sent Zhou the housekeeper back to the capital, and when he
connected that fact to the wretched pile of ashes in front of
him, he broke out in a cold sweat. He understood now what
had happened. He never could have imagined that his strict,
gruff grandmother could come up with such a meticulous plot
to keep her grandson safe.

He thought of the Countess and how she spent most of her

days resting. He found it hard to reconcile that image with the
smouldering rubble that stood before him.
 Fan Xian loitered amongst the people in the crowd. As he
looked at the charred stones and blackened wood and took in
the smell of burnt house, he realized something.

The people around him had noticed his arrival. After having
greeted Fan Xian, they were ready to say something to him. He
acted as if he hadn't heard them and left the market, wandering
toward the old grocery store.

"The housekeeper has been sent back to the capital," Fan Xian
said.

Wu Zhu stood in the shop, facing the quiet street. He didn't

react. The local residents had all rushed to the market to see
what all the hubbub was about, so the streets were empty.

"The building we went to yesterday burned down," continued

Fan Xian.

Wu Zhu still made no response.

 Fan Xian grabbed his sleeve, speaking in a firm whisper. "You
think I'm stupid for forgetting to deal with Zhou, don't you? I
even had to get my grandmother to clean up after me!"

Wu Zhu turned towards him. "Are you trying to make me feel

sorry for you? Do you think that you're so young, that you
don't know how to deal with such things, so you've lost your
self-esteem and you've come seeking my pity?"

His voice seemed almost curious, much livelier than his

usual emotionless tone.

Fan Xian smiled. "I don't have that much self-esteem. It's just
that I don't feel good about killing a man. And..."

He stopped talking. Deep down, he felt that if he hadn't had

Fei Jie and Wu Zhu as teachers after having come to this world,
he wouldn't be much stronger than any other child of nobility,
and maybe... maybe he'd already be dead. Caught in this power
struggle and surrounded by a web of secrets, it seemed like
knowing a little more was of no use. Anyone who sought to
ride the waves of power also had to be proficient in such
underhanded and intricate means.
 Compared to them... he was still just some naive kid.

"There's the feeling of killing a man, and the feeling of being

killed. Which would you prefer to experience?" asked Wu Zhu.

Fan Xian wasn't sure how to respond. Of course nobody

wants to be killed.

"Since you already know the answer, don't ask me." Wu Zhu
handed him a seal. "There's something else I need to tell you.
The Countess expelled housekeeper Zhou from Danzhou
Harbor. She didn't have him killed, because she thought it best
that the people of the capital didn't make a fuss about this."

Fan Xian looked at the seal. It seemed familiar; he'd seen it

used on paperwork around the Count's house. It belonged to
Zhou the housekeeper. He raised his head and looked at Wu
Zhu with suspicion. "You killed him?"

Wu Zhu nodded.
 Fan Xian suddenly remembered the assassin's identity. "Why
were the poison and the follow-up methods used by the
assassin so similar to the methods of the Overwatch Council?"
he asked, puzzled.

"Ask Fei Jie."

———————————————————————————

It was a bright spring day in the capital. In the west end of

the city stood a square building, its exterior painted gray-
black. Within this sinister-looking building, in a secret room, a
thin-faced, clean-shaven man sat in a wheelchair, his legs
covered by a smooth woollen blanket.

The glass windows of this hidden room were covered

completely by a thick black cloth; not a single speck of
sunlight could enter. Many years ago, this man had contracted
a serious illness somewhere in the north - from that point on,
he began to fear the light.
 "Master Fei, how goes the investigation in Danzhou?" The old
man asked the strange, grey-haired man - the same age as he
was - who stood before him. He gazed into his brown pupils
and smiled.

Fei Jie sat in his chair, sipping tea, looking at the strange
smile that crept across the lips of his superior officer. "Which
of us is the real old pervert?" he thought.
Chapter 27: The Overwatch Council
The majority of the departments that handled the nation's
political affairs were situated on Tianhe Avenue, in the eastern
district of the city. Few citizens lived nearby, and the street was
exceptionally wide, with many beautiful and grand wooden
buildings on either side. These buildings were the center of the
empire's authority. For example, the Department for Army
Affairs was located at the crossing and sported a great stone
lion at the entrance. Its gaping mouth and powerful claws
stood in the direction of the rising sun. The interplay of light
and shadow gave it a fantastic yet bizarre look, like some great
prehistoric creature; as a representation of the military might
of the Qing Kingdom, it was sorely lacking.

But the true center of the kingdom's power lay in the bowels
of the palace in the northern part of the city. Save for its tall
watchtower, the palace lacked the towering height of the other
government offices, but the thick palace walls and magnificent
courtyard within made it feel like extremely sacred ground.

The officials of the Kingdom of Qing all knew, rather well,

actually, that His Most Revered Majesty didn’t deal with day-
to-day matters of the administration. For them, the most
terrifying part of the imperial bureaucratic machine was
neither the buildings that housed the departments of state nor
the imperial palace. It was that square-shaped building in the
west end of the city, with its sinister grey-black walls.

That was where the Overwatch Council presided. The

Kingdom of Qing was divided into three ministries and six
departments, the three ministries being the were the
Overwatch Council, the Ministry of Education, and the
Ministry of War, which was a step above the Department for
Army Affairs, and of the three ministries, the most powerful
was the Overwatch Council. It had the power to investigate,
arrest, and in certain situations, held judicial authority. No
other department had authority over its powers.

In a sense, it was an unchained beast that acted on the orders

of the Emperor, like an agency of His Majesty’s secret agents.
Or rather, The Overwatch Council was, in truth, the Emperor's
secret police.

The officials of the Kingdom of Qing were always rather

concerned. His Majesty was a genius, his powers granted to
him by Heaven itself. He could even keep in check the sinister
Director Chen and the Council's countless secret agents and
hidden powers. But if something were to happen to His
Majesty... who could take the reins of this ferocious beast?
Bureaucrats who had suffered under the whims of the Council
cursed it in secret. The Council was no beast; it was simply a
treacherous and despicable wild dog.

Within a hidden room of the Ministry’s chambers, a secret

dialogue was taking place.

"The assassin who was caught in the fire at Danzhou was one
of the Ministry’s men, under the jurisdiction of the Dongshan
Road division," said Fei Jie to the director, his voice hoarse. "
The Fourth Bureau has always been in charge of operations
abroad. The Department of Internal Affairs discovered during
the course of their investigations that an official in the Fourth
Bureau was a distant relative of the Master's second wife. That
must be how the mission was carried out."

"Has he been identified?" This was the old man's greatest

concern.

Fei Jie narrowed his faint brown eyes, filled with

uncertainty. "I believe that among the eight people who are
aware of this incident, no one will leak it. And although
Master Wu was a close confidant of the Lady, he was rarely
seen at that time. No one is aware of his identity these days,
and Ye Liuyun, the only person who he has met, is now a
grandmaster. There is no way he could travel to Danzhou for
leisure - it is far too much of a coincidence. So there is no need
to worry about anyone figuring out his identity as a result of
Master Wu."

The director's thin, prominent fingers drummed on the table

as he pondered. "Back then, when I ordered you to dispose of
every one of the Black Knights who had laid eyes on Wu Zhu,
you asked me for leniency. Now it seems that you were wrong."

Fei Jie laughed. A strange light flashed in his eyes, stained

brown by years of exposure to poisons. "There had already
been a great many deaths that night."

Fei Jie did not seem - at least on the surface - the least bit
afraid of the old bureaucrat before him. His status and
experience preceded him. He hissed as he laughed. "It is foolish
to kill without good reason. The Lady used to be fond of saying
that. Have you forgotten?"
 "Mm." The old man smiled. It seemed that he was
reminiscing about happy memories. But his smile remained the
same even as he gave his sinister orders.

"The Dongshan Road is under the jurisdiction of the Fourth

Bureau. As all the necessary signatures were obtained for
authorization and there were no errors in the process, there’s
no reason to hold accountable for this incident. As for the
others, deal with them as you wish." He smiled as he thought
aloud. "Using my own power to kill the people under my
protection. Is it a coincidence, or do you think someone is
trying to probe into something? This second wife is quite a
woman.

"Yan Ruohai of the Fourth Bureau is useless at his job," he

continued. "He'll sign off on anything and will happily kill
anyone as long as it's not his own son. He's causing trouble.
Freeze his salary for three years and send his son, the one
named Yan Bingyun, to work in the north. Don't let him return
until he has risen up the ranks by at least two grades."

The director took the documents from the Department of

Internal Affairs that were laid out on the table. Writing down
his final concluding remarks, he signed his name: Chen
Pingping.

Whenever Fei Jie saw the director's shriveled and unsightly

signature, he wanted to laugh, but he had no choice but to hold
it in. He knew that this weak and girlish signature was going to
send high-ranking officials to their deaths and send an even
higher-ranking official's son off to infiltrate the bleak lands
behind enemy lines, forbidden to return until he could prove
that he was of exceptional worth. That was a fate worth than
death.

The old man laughed to himself. "I grew up with Fan Jian. I
didn't expect his family affairs to cause me such grief. Send one
of your best men to investigate how the second wife is involved
in all this."

Fan Jian was Count Sinan's personal name - the name of Fan
Jian's father.

Fei Jie knitted his bow, and his brown eyes trembled.
"Impossible. They should be under the impression that the
child died long ago."
 "You misunderstand me. I’m also certain that they are
unaware of Fan Xian as the Lady's son."

The director smiled. "His Majesty has always demanded that

we keep our distance from the nobility and the bureaucracy.
And yet, the year that you were sent to Danzhou, even though
it was kept secret, it is still possible that they may have found
out. Whether it was the Empress or the Prime Minister, our
connection to Count Sinan is a source of great intrigue. There
is a power hiding in the shadows, and it lent its services to the
second wife in order to test the reactions of both ourselves and
Master Fan. For this reason, it is important that we do not
react too forcefully. Do you understand?"

Fei Jie suddenly found himself filled with doubts over the
attempted assassination in Danzhou. He couldn't be sure that it
wasn't a result of the Director's intentional leaking of
information.

...

...
 The old man wheeled himself to the window, lifted up a
corner of the curtain, and gazed out. "Anyway," he said coolly,
"we need to talk about the box. Whether or not Wu Zhu is
telling the truth, we cannot let it fall into the hands of our
enemies in the north."

"It's a pity we don't know how big it is, or even what it looks
like," Fei Jie stood next to the director, following his gaze out
of the window.

"When I end up in hell, you'd better be right behind me so we

can play cards together." The director laughed.

Fei Jie knew that the director was not as old as he looked.
"But I'm a good guy," he said, smiling. "I'm going straight to
heaven."

A shadow drifted like a gust of wind from a corner of the

secret room, pulling down the black cloth and blocking out the
strong sunlight from shining on the old man. It moved without
a sound. This was the person who had killed the staff-wielding
sorcerer outside the walls of the capital many years ago.
 Fei Jie pointed at the black shadow. "I reckon he'd be the one
who came with you to play chess."

...

...

Outside, the sun shone brightly, and the tiles on the main
hall of the imperial palace shone with a deep gold light.

As pedestrians passed by the entrance to the Overwatch

Council, they found themselves crossing to the other side of
the street. It was as if they feared that its gloomy air would
spill out onto the street.

A stone tablet stood by the entrance of the Ministry’s

Chambers. Gold words were painted on the table: "I wish for
the freedom of all peoples of the Kingdom of Qing. One must
suffer mistreatment without surrender; one must suffer great
calamities without retreat. Should disaster strike, do not be
afraid to face it. Do not submit to the whims of beasts..."
 A name was written underneath: Ye Qingmei.

No one knew who Ye Qingmei was, but the people of the

capital all knew that the tablet was placed there when the
Overwatch Council was built. It shone with a golden light, as if
it were in contact with the tiles of the imperial palace far away
- as if it hid away the darkness within both buildings.
Chapter 28: Nighttime Reading with a
Beautiful Girl
Danzhou had recovered from the revelation and was settling
back into its peaceful ways. Nobody seemed to be that bothered
about the relationship between Old Ha the vegetable seller and
the other man who had died in the fire. The authorities had no
explanation for how the fire had started, and people didn't
seem too bothered about that either.

Order had always been kept in Danzhou. Thanks to the

observant eyes of the local neighborhood watch, the criminals
and adventurers who could be found all across the north had
no chance of applying their trade in the city. Because the center
of trade had shifted southward, His Majesty had exempted the
seven counties neighboring Danzhou from taxation. Although
this hadn't greatly enriched the lives of the locals immediately,
it at least made sure that everyone had grain to spare; there
would be no revolts over crop failures like there had been 30
years before.

And although Danzhou was next to the sea, the natural

disposition of its people wasn't affected by the unpredictable
weather borne from the sea. Within the city, the people kept
their cool and were always respectful toward the city's noble
families, showing the appropriate reverence and care toward
the estate of Count Sinan. Although they were all well aware
that Fan Xian was an illegitimate child, they still called him
'Young Master Fan', and made sure never to show any of the
contempt they might have felt.

This was what troubled Fan Xian.

Apart from the unfortunate business with Zhou the

housekeeper, where he had acted with the full entitlement of a
scion of a rich family, he had not had any opportunity to play
such a part. Strolling along the streets of Danzhou, the people
treated him amiably and respectfully; no one ever tried to
provoke him.

The zhenqi within him slowly accumulated, refining and

strengthening his meridians. Most of the energy that drained
off to the xueshan point located on his lower back wasn’t
causing any issues, but wasn't sure what purpose it served
staying there.

Fan Xian had always played the part of an earnest, tactful

young gentleman. But as the days went by, he felt stifled. And
now that he knew he was strong enough to kill a would-be
murderer, he looked forward to the day when he could play the
hero, delivering justice and rescuing beautiful women.

But Danzhou was peaceful. Too peaceful.

...

...

Soothing incense burned in the study, its faint aroma

comforting the soul. Fan Xian held a delicate writing-brush in
his hand, writing earnestly on a sheet of fine writing paper that
was about the width of four palms. Because literature was
divided into modern and classical styles, one wrote with either
a goose quill or a brush. The goose quill was easier to use and
was used throughout the offices of state in the Jingdu; when
Fei Jie came to Jingdu to teach him, he had also used a goose
quill.

But the fine craftsmanship that went into the goose quill's
sharpened tip required a true master's touch. If used for a long
time, the tip could easily be deformed, and so it was not
widely-used.

Fan Xian preferred the writing brush. He thought it was a

great stroke of luck that this world used Chinese characters
and that using a writing-brush made for much more beautiful
penmanship. He decided to practice his calligraphy diligently
to avoid embarrassment.

On the other hand, he also felt that only the calligraphic

beauty of the writing brush could honor the story that he was
"writing".

Sisi, his personal servant girl, held the ink sticks with her
slender fingers, slowly and softly grinding them clockwise on
the ink stone. Her gaze fell onto the paper the young master
was writing on:

"...When Qin Zhong saw Zhineng alone in the room washing

the tea bowls, he ran up to her and kissed her. Zhineng was
taken aback and stomped her foot. 'What are you doing! Do it
again and I scream for help!’‘My lady, I beg of you, I am
overcome with emotion,' said Qin Zhong. 'If you will not do as
I ask today, I shall die here on the spot.''What do you want
from me?' asked Zhineng. 'I will only do what you ask if you
help me get away from this prison and leave these people.''It
can be done,' said Qin Zhong. 'But distant waters cannot
quench the immediate thirst...'"

Sisi glanced at the page and blushed. "How can Zhineng be so

shameless?"

Fan Xian lifted his head curiously at the servant girl's

complaint. "How is Zhineng shameless?" he asked, beaming.
When he was in the study, or in some other place people were
unaware of, he would always call for the servant girls. This
habit had started with Dong'er. The servant girls couldn't say
no, and the old lady of the house didn't care, so they could only
do as he asked. They had long been used to his behavior; there
was nothing strange about it.

Sisi's cheeks were as beautifully red as the sunrise. "That

nun," she stammered, "she speaks and acts so carelessly... but
Young Master, what is a 'nun'? And what sort of place is this
'Mantou Nunnery'?"
 Fan Xian giggled. "Wait until I get to the part about Qin
Zhong and Zhineng's illicit relations," he thought. "Then you'll
see what carelessness means!" But Sisi's question made him
realize: if there were no Buddhism in this world, then there
were no monks, and indeed no nuns.

He scratched his head with his empty hand. He wasn't sure

how to explain it. "Nuns are like ascetics," he finally responded.
"And Mantou Nunnery is a bit like a temple."

Sisi was shocked. "Young Master, don't write such things!

The temple lies in the mists of the heavens, and takes pity on
the common people. It doesn't get involved in earthly affairs.
How can it be such a filthy place?"

Fan Xian cut his explanation short. "I understand," he said,

smiling. "I will be more careful with my writing."

He wrote a little more, and then a thought struck him. He

asked Sisi to leave so that she wouldn't lay eyes on some of his
raunchier work and report it to the old lady. When he was
young, he would tell Dong'er stories to scare her. Dong'er
thought that he had been taught the stories by his teacher Xixi,
and she had gone to tell the old lady. It led to Fan Xian being
made to write lines from memory as punishment for days.

Sisi warned him to be careful again, set down the ink stick in
her hand, and left. As he watched her walk away gracefully,
Fan Xian felt his heart pounding.

Grasping his pen, Fan Xian pondered. Copying out Dream of

the Red Chamber was a lot more complicated than just copying
a few poems from the old masters. He had started writing the
year before, and he had probably copied it out from memory 15
times. Luckily, his memory was strangely clear, and he could
recall his previous life without even the slightest gap. Indeed,
it was lucky that it was so clear, because he could finally
remember by heart the beautiful and hard-to-recall prose that
Cao Xueqin had written.

The only thing was that the characters and the setting were
completely different to this new world. He wasn't sure if the
people who read it would understand it, so there were some
important parts that still needed to be slowly altered. But he
still had total faith in his version of Dream of the Red
Chamber. A cow is a cow no matter where you take it - and the
same could be said for Dream of the Red Chamber.
Chapter 29: The Book Thief
In his previous life, Fan Xian had loved to imagine himself as
some classical scholar who read books next to a beautiful girl.
He insisted on keeping Sisi close by as he wrote all day. The
combination of the smell of burning incense, her delicate
aroma, and the smooth glide of his writing brush on paper
made him feel exceptionally at ease.

But he realized that if his writing were to be discovered, it

would likely cause him a lot of unnecessary trouble, so he
decided to keep it to himself.

Fan Xian had always felt that he had to prepare properly for
life in the capital both physically and spiritually. And it was
nothing like copying some short poems to be recited on the
spot at some banquet. Like Dream of the Red Chamber, matters
had to be prepared for well in advance.

He wasn't sure why, but he had always thought that his

future lay in that faraway capital at the heart of the Qing
Kingdom. Perhaps it was because of his father, the high-
ranking official. Perhaps it was that silly little girl. Or perhaps
it was the nameless yet intriguing mother who he had never
met.

He pondered for a while, then picked up his brush and

finished the part where Bao Yu and Qin Zhong get up to some
unspeakable things. After the ink had dried, he slipped it into
an envelope, and got ready to send it off to Fan Ruoruo in the
capital.

He never left any part of the manuscript at the mansion in

Danzhou. As soon as he had written a chapter, he would
immediately send it away to the capital immediately. He found
it hard to suppress his desire to share the experiences of his
past life with the people of this new world. It was like hiding
the most beautiful piece of jade in the world beneath his bed,
unseen by the world, for many years. His heart ached terribly,
and he longed to show the world - or at the very least just one
person - the stunning beauty of this secret he kept.

A collector who refuses to show a work to the world can be

only one of two things: a pervert or a thief.
 Fan Xian knew he was no pervert. Though he was definitely a
thief, he was a smart one, and no one in this world would ever
know.

So Fan Xian, ignoring Fan Ruoruo's age, sent her a

manuscript every month. He told her that it was a work called
The Story of the Stone, and was written by a fellow named Cao
Xueqin, who he had come across by chance. Every month, he
would write a chapter and share it with his little sister.

Although in the first fifteen chapters of Dream of the Red

Chamber there were parts where Bao Yu meets with Qin Keqing
in his dream and has his first lustful liaisons, Fan Xian was
certain that the young girl would not be influenced negatively
by his years of letters, or regard her brother as some sort of
perverted freak.

Sure enough, when Fan Ruoruo read Cao’s words, ignorant of

their origins, she appreciated them even if she could not truly
understand them. Yet she began to develop a taste for it -
especially when she read the part where Dai Yu entered the
mansion - and every month she would urge her brother to send
her more of Cao's work.
 When Fan Xian received her letter, he couldn't help but feel
depressed. The next chapter did not exist, and he would not be
able to copy it very quickly. Even if he copied seventy or eighty
chapters one day, he would still end up like a eunuch.

...

...

After he had finished copying for the day, Fan Xian began to
read a book, as he usually did. His study was filled with all
kinds of works, all sent from the capital by the Count. Every
time he thought about the Count's attempts to expand his book
collection, his impression of this father he had never met
would always change. At the very least, he knew that a
maturing boy needed such things.

In a country with no pornography, Fan Xian had no way to

stave off boredom and loneliness - save for manipulating the
powerful zhenqi within his body and tormenting the servant
girls - and so he dove headfirst into the many and varied books
held within the study.
 The books covered all kinds of topics: from agriculture to the
laws of the land; nothing was missed. There were also some of
the classics of the world, packed tightly onto the shelves like
bricks.

Fan Xian had built the shelves according to his vision. They
were simple, and each shelf was lined with the lemongrass that
grew in Yaozhou. This herb prevented bookworms from
getting into the books, but it seemed that few people were
aware of its properties in this world, and so outside of the
estate it was only used as a cooking ingredient.

After reading books for many years, Fan Xian discovered

traces of many things that he had studied in his previous life in
the classics of this world. They only appeared slightly different
in their writing styles. And thus ended his plan to becoming a
great scholar of his time by copying the works of Han Feizi,
Xunzi, Laozi, Sunzi, and many other old masters.

Whether it was on the subject of poison, practicing his

zhenqi, or reading, Fan Xian was always committed to his
studies. With steady and hardworking dedication almost
unseen in a boy his age, he continued to gain knowledge. He
knew he was no different from the people around him; he had
not arrived in a world where the average IQ was 50 points. The
only advantage he had was some of the knowledge he had from
the society of his previous world, and the fact that he had
gained self-awareness earlier than the average toddler.

The oil lamp crackled and let off a small ball of flame,
lighting up the room. As Fan Xian bent over his desk to study,
his eyes began to droop, and he fell asleep.

After his morning bath the next morning, Fan Xian went to
greet the Countess in her room before going to the hall for
breakfast. Ever since the incident with the assassin, his
impression of his grandmother had changed greatly. Apart
from the morning greetings he had been doing for years, he
would also chat with the kindly-looking old woman, trying to
make her laugh.

"I heard that one day His Majesty once called his Prime
Minister, the Chancellor, the Director of the Overwatch
Council, the head of the palace eunuchs, and a group of high-
ranking officials to the palace hall to discuss matters of state.
That day, a meteor fell from the sky, smashed through the roof
of the palace hall, and squashed all of His Majesty's ministers
flat. His Majesty summoned the imperial physician to treat
them, and he waited outside the sickroom. Soon after, the
imperial physician came out and His Majesty asked him,
'Doctor, could you save the Prime Minister?' The physician
shook his head. 'I'm afraid I couldn't save the Prime Minister,'
he said."

As she listened, the Countess's face was full of suspicion. She

couldn't understand why a child would speak about affairs in
the capital. They were treacherous things - of which she had
boundless first-hand experience. She eyed him uneasily.

"His Majesty asked, 'What about the Chancellor?' The

physician shook his head sadly. 'I couldn't save him either.'

'Then what about Eunuch Hong?'

The physician shook his head again.

His Majesty got angry. 'Then who could you save?' The
physician perked up. 'Your Majesty is most fortunate - the
kingdom has been saved!'
 On hearing the last line, the Countess immediately burst into
laughter, to the point where she was close to tears. She pointed
her finger at Fan Xian's innocent face.

"You little devil," she scolded. "If we were in the capital and
you told that joke, they'd haul you off to the Overwatch
Council."
Chapter 30: The Past
Although no other nation could match the power of the
Kingdom of Qing, there was no end of scheming within the
corridors of the imperial court. In the eyes of the citizens, the
government's most treacherous officials were the Prime
Minister, the Chancellor, and Eunuch Hong Gonggong, leader
of the palace eunuchs, all mentioned in the previous joke. It
went without saying that the Director of the Overwatch
Council was also infamous, but out of respect for his
relationship with Fei Jie, Fan Xian had decided not to make
him the butt of the joke.

He'd based the joke off of one he'd heard about Taiwanese
politics during his previous life. He also relayed it in a letter to
his sister, which had amused her greatly. After telling it to his
grandmother - that seemingly befuddled but actually shrewd
old lady - she'd burst out laughing too.

Having made the most powerful woman in Danzhou laugh,

Fan Xian told her that he would be going out for a while. She
didn't seem to mind; she'd gone back to her usual expression,
that of an unruffled as an old well. She sent him off with a
disinterested grunt of approval.
 As he left the manor, he felt thankful for his growing
closeness to his grandmother. After all, grandmothers had
taken care of him in a lot of different ways. As he thought
about it, he remembered a rumor he had heard. The House of
Fan had been a great clan in Jingdu, but his father Count
Sinan's branch of the family was small and insignificant, so
they were often pushed around. Not long after his
grandmother had given birth to Count Sinan, she was pressed
into service as the wet nurse of Prince Cheng's household -
unheard of for a member of the nobility.

Luckily, the previous emperor had no heirs, and as a result of

his overactive sex life, he died an untimely death. The two
most likely successors to the throne were murdered by an
assassin from the Kingdom of Northern Wei, and the prince
who had ordered the assassinations was also assassinated.
Eventually, after an absurd and complicated chain of events -
nothing particularly out of the ordinary for the politics of the
kingdom - the ever-cautious Prince Cheng managed to ascend
to the throne.

Cheng spent a number of peaceful years as Emperor, and

when he passed away, the title of Emperor was passed on to the
current Emperor. The Emperor led expeditions to conquer the
barbarians to the west and the Kingdom of Northern Wei to the
north. The once-mighty Kingdom of Northern Wei fell to
pieces in the chaos, breaking up into the Kingdom of Northern
Qi and a few small vassal states, as well as the always-neutral
city of Dongyi.

The role of the Emperor was historically to achieve political

and military victories. But the current Emperor was also
considered a great master of both literature and martial arts.
As a result, there were often officials who presented petitions
to His Majesty, asking that he go up to the highest mountain to
take part in rituals to thank heaven for peace and prosperity
and praying for blessings at the temple.

But for some reason, His Majesty had always refused.

Officials would try to win the emperor over with elegant
coaxing, assuming the Emperor was just fishing for
compliments, but were instead beaten to a bloody pulp.

The old mistress was the wet nurse of this decisive warrior of
great power, an emperor who kept himself hidden within the
palace.

Fan Xian had been suspicious about his father for years.
Count Sinan's secret power far outweighed the power he should
have had as an official. He had even gotten Fei Jie from the
Overwatch Council to be Fan Xian's teacher. But knowing now
that his grandmother had been the Emperor's wet nurse, his
suspicions had been resolved.

His father Count Sinan was much like Cao Yin, a noble who
lived during the reign of the Kangxi Emperor in Fan Xian's
previous world. Cao Yin's mother, Sun Shi, had been the nanny
of the Kangxi Emperor, and so Cao Yin was trusted by the
Emperor throughout his life, becoming a close aide to the
Emperor. Even though he was only a minor official, he was
allowed to report directly to the Emperor. When Kangxi went
on expeditions to the south, the Cao family would often
accompany him. Cao Yin was feared by officials across the
country.

In the later years of Kangxi's reign, Cao Yin was investigated

for running up huge debts in the treasury. However, Kangxi
saw to it during that time to pardon him again and again,
situation after situation. It was not until after Cao Yin's death
that his family fell on hard times, having growing distant from
the Emperor.
 And so Cao Yin's grandson, Cao Xueqin, came to Beijing at
the age of 18, and wrote Dream of the Red Chamber.

This was the story that Fan Xian had copied and brought to
this world.

"Master Cao, it seems that although we find ourselves in

different places, we are kindred spirits. It seems appropriate
that I'm copying your book." Thinking on the similarities
between Cao's family and his own, he couldn't help but laugh.
He gently folded up the letter that contained the tenth chapter
of The Story of the Stone and left the manor.

——————————————————————

On a cliff overlooking the coast, Fan Xian closed his eyes in

meditation. His body was filled from head to toe with a
mysterious feeling. Because he had been a materialist in his
past life, he now found that this powerful energy swirled
around him and gave him a dreamlike feeling - almost as if he
were falling in love.
 Love is always a bittersweet thing, and his practice with this
powerful energy brought him both pleasure and pain. It was
clear that it was changing his body in exceedingly mysterious
ways, greatly improving his strength and his responses. But it
often refused to do as he commanded and would scatter,
putting him in danger.

Because of the years he had spent being beaten senseless by

Wu Zhu, his zhenqi had become more well-behaved. But today
he was approaching great danger - it was the final day of his
zhenqi training.

Wu Zhu stood calmly to one side, looking at Fan Xian, who

sat cross-legged and in a deep meditative trance. He held his
wooden stick in his hand like he usually would.

Following his will, the zhenqi that had pooled into his
dantian flowed slowly out and was carefully guided through
the meridians in his chest and belly, and as it had done for the
past dozen or so years, it disappeared without trace, sinking
into the xueshan point in his spine by his kidneys.
 But the leftover zhenqi stayed strong, and as it flowed
through his meridians it felt like thousands of hot knives
scraping at their walls.

Fan Xian trembled all over, and cold sweat caused his clothes
to stick to his body. His eyes shut tight and his long eyelashes
quivered as he endured indescribable pain.

After many years of practice with this powerful energy, he

had found that even the greatest of difficulties could be
surmounted after a quick rest. After that, things had been easy.
He had never imagined that getting past the first scroll would
be quite so hard to bear.

The zhenqi continued to rampage through the meridians in

his chest and belly, scouring them deeply and endlessly. This
sometimes allowed the meridians to grow larger and wider,
and allowed zhenqi to flow much quicker, but it could also
cause immense damage. The power to expand one's intangible
meridians also caused intense mental pain that was difficult to
stand.
 Fortunately, 12 years of diligent practice made it so that Fan
Xian to was able to make his meridians significantly stronger.
No energy overflowed through the walls of his veins,
something that would have led to really serious problems. His
powers of concentration had been greatly honed throughout
his strange lives, both in this world and the last, making him
much stronger than the average person.

...

...

Though it seemed like a long time had passed, the sun was
only just rising above the eastern sea. As it hung there in the
distance, it threw its warm red light upon the cliff, shining
upon two lonesome figures, one standing, one sitting.

The zhenqi reversed its flow and headed upward. Powerful

and ruthless, it broke through the thin barriers of his body.
Flowing from the cycle gate point in his chest straight to the
tianshu point in his belly, it suddenly shot up to the top of his
nose, slicing like a knife!
 In the red dawn light, Fan Xian felt as if he had been
suddenly struck by lightning. His head shot up, looking up at
the sky, his mouth wide open, unable to make a single sound.
Chapter 31: The Singing Visitor
"Take off your clothes!"

Wu Zhu's wooden staff smacked the top of Fan Xian's head

with a loud thwack.

The zhenqi continued to rush forth from the top of his nose.
It seemed as if a faint light was emanating from him, especially
his forehead, which glowed uneasily with a dense,
multicolored light. He couldn't see clearly, and a feeling of
gloom seemed to spread from the point where the energy was
stuck, filling Fan Xian with distress. He could only stare up at
the sky in despair.

At that moment, Wu Zhu struck his forehead at the point

where the energy was accumulating.

As it hit his body, the wooden staff felt like it had struck his
soul. His brain suddenly felt as if it had caught fire, like black
clouds being parted by a bolt of lightning, filling the sky with
powerful rays of sunshine.
 "Take off your clothes!"

This phrase was from a classic of the Kingdom of Qing -

Adages of Old. It was said that Zu Genchen - tutor of one of the
current four grandmasters, Ku He, a great teacher of the
Northern Qi Kingdom - had received great teachings from
Heaven itself. When he became enlightened, he exclaimed that
the human body was like an undershirt - only once one had
shed themselves of it could one achieve greatness.

And in the books that Fan Xian had read in his previous life,
a similar saying had brought Buddhist monks to the point of
enlightment. The Buddhist monk Qingyuan would often say "if
you shed your fleshy undershirt, you shall be filled with the
wild joy of enlightment."

And so when Fan Xian, confused and in great pain, heard Wu

Zhu's words, he understood their meaning, and the point at the
top of his head became free of its block. Daylight broke, and his
mind was clear again. He guided the energy through his body,
and convinced himself that the pain flowing through his
meridians was the suffering of someone else, that it was not
even remotely his own
 By setting aside all attachments to life and letting go of all
bodily perceptions, one could attain the mood found within
the Scroll of Power .

A single person's body cannot hold the powerful energy of

heaven and earth. Only by abandoning one's body and
becoming one with heaven and earth and by becoming a part of
nature can one obtain control over such powerful, chaotic
energy.

The zhenqi in his body slowly began to settle, and the point
on his forehead had opened. The energy flowed out with gentle
vigor, going down past the tianzhu point on the back of his
neck straight into the xueshan point that existed on his back.

His xueshan point had always seemed calm, but today, he

could feel it had changed slightly - a small amount of zhenqi
began to seep out and replenish the dantian point in his pubic
region.

And so the circulation of zhenqi throughout his body finally

formed a free-flowing loop, a channel forming a perfect circle,
in faint harmony with the outside world.
 ...

...

After some time had passed, Fan Xian woke up groggy. A dark
and foul-smelling liquid had trickled out beneath him. He
looked at Wu Zhu, who stood beside him seemingly unmoved,
and smiled weakly. "Thanks... looks like you really hit hard."

Although his body felt weak, he could feel his spirit

flourishing. He closed his eyes and felt the conditions within
his body, getting used to this new flow of zhenqi. He could
sense that this once-ruthless zhenqi, though still powerful, was
clearly flowing more smoothly and freely.

Fan Xian let out a sigh. It was hard to imagine that he had
managed to master the zhenqi that he had only been able to
read about in wuxia novels in his past life. He was gripped by a
sudden and unclear urge, and unthinkingly, he slammed his
right hand into the ground below him.
 There was a muffled thud and a hiss, like a red-hot poker
punching a hole through a rag.

A shallow palm print had appeared on the ground, its edges

completely smooth.

Fan Xian raised his right hand and looked at it, then lowered
his head to look again at the palm print in the rock. He
measured it with his hand, making sure the it was truly his
palmprint that had just made such a mark, and stared at it in
amazement. Finally he regained his focus. "That's amazing," he
said with a gasp.

"That's zhenqi leaking out," said Wu Zhu. "It'll clear up

soon."

"Didn't you say you'd never trained with zhenqi? How do you
know how to teach me?"

"I've watched others train, so I knew what we had to do

today."
 "So it's like you've never eaten pork, but you've seen a pig run
before."

Fan Xian, realizing that he'd just insulted himself, smiled

faintly. "That was really dangerous back there," he continued.
"If you hadn't been here with your stick, I'd probably be a
vegetable again."

"What do you mean, 'a vegetable'?" asked Wu Zhu coolly.

Fan Xian looked up at the sky and let his mind wander,
paying no attention.

A short while later, he realized that Wu Zhu was an

empiricist. If that blow hadn't brought him to his senses, and
instead knocked him unconscious, then the ruthless zhenqi in
his body would have scattered, turning him into a puddle of
blood and guts...

He shivered, and put such terrifying thoughts out of his

mind, looking at the wide sea before him. His mind was free,
and he felt excited about his newfound mastery. He hand
finally freed himself from his gloomy mood over the incident
with the assassin days before.

In the days following the incident, Fan Xian could not

understand why the assassin had chosen to use poison. Had all
of Fei Jie's training led up to that day? It seemed too great of a
coincedence. It had been a bold move from the Count's second
wife. Even if she had the support of some high-ranking official
somewhere, to use poison in such a way suggested that she
didn't care about his grandmother's life in the slightest - even
though she had been the Emperor's wet-nurse.

Could his father really have had no idea that this was going
on in the capital?

As he pondered, the sound of distant singing came from far

below the cliffs.

The cliff bordered the sea, far from Danzhou, and it was
dangerous ground. There was a great reef in front of the cliff
that prevented fishing boats from getting close, so it remained
quiet and undisturbed. This was why Wu Zhu had chosen it as
the best place to train Fan Xian in the art of killing—and was
why hearing this distant song put Fan Xian on edge.

Though he was nervous, he made sure not to act rash. Lying

on his stomach, he crawled toward the cliff’s edge, staying
behind the rocks while looking down toward the source of the
singing.

As he looked down, he saw a small boat drifting through the

black reef, appearing and disappearing in and out of the sea
foam. The boat weaved in and out, and it looked almost certain
that it could smash into the reef at any time, killing its
passenger.

But it carried on its way through the rocks regardless.

The person on the boat stood alone, wearing a bamboo hat

and singing away. "Flowers fall once they appear, stones stand
still a thousand years. But both must go just as they came, and
floating clouds are just the same…"
 The song was gentle, but perched atop the cliff, he could still
hear it clearly through the roar of the waves.

When he heard the song, Fan Xian thought about a line by a

poet from his past life named Teitoku Matsunaga: "Flowers
blossom but for an hour in the daylight, but compared to the
thousand-year pine, there is little difference." How this
boatman seemed to be so free and easy was a mystery.

As he pondered, he heard Wu Zhu's voice. "Hide."

Fan Xian hid himself behind the rocks. He sensed the

movement of a shadow next to him, and watched in horror as
Wu Zhu leapt from the hundred-foot cliff.
Chapter 32: Tipping the Boat
Before he went in training and developed his Badao zhenqi,
Fan Xian did not believe a human’s body could be harder than
rock. But after one of his palm strikes left his handprint on a
rock, he changed his mind.

Even now, he still didn’t believe a person would be

completely fine after jumping several tens of meters down a
cliff, especially without slowing down during the descent. Wu
Zhu helped him disprove that thought, and at the same time
gave him unparalleled fright; Fan Xian would have never
imagined the true skills of this world’s strongest to be this
terrifying!

...

...

The black cloth which covered Wu Zhu’s eyes resembled

flowing black silk as it trailed during Wu Zhu’s high-speed
descent. Wu Zhu, however, was like an arrow striking down
with the force of thunder. He aimed his feet at the small boat.
 Wu Zhu wasn’t using qinggong, he was merely freefalling
with the help of gravity. While falling several tens of meters,
he never stopped gaining speed. By the time he was about to
land on the boat, he was going tremendously fast. A
frightening whooshing sound could be heard as he fell faster
than the sound of the wind, as if he had split the air itself.

The force Wu Zhu carried reached the boat before his body
did. On the boat sat a singing man wearing a bamboo hat
which was violently blown away.

The bamboo hat flew far away before landing in the sea,
exposing the man’s face.

The man had a simple, humble expression, his eyes clear as

autumn waters. However, his pupils contracted when he saw
the pair of feet crashing down from above.

A pair of hands, pale as white jade, came out of the man’s

sleeves and waved gently. With his fingers parting like bare
branches sprouting new leaves, countless jets of qi rushed out
of his fingertips. In the moment before Wu Zhu landed on the
boat in the restless sea, those jets of qi forcefully blew the boat
two paces backwards.

Wu Zhu brutally crashed down like a meteorite. Due to the

boat being blown back two paces, Wu Zhu landed on the deck,
not on the singing man.

There was no way this small boat could withstand such

force, and before the sound of rushing air died down, there was
a loud crunching noise.

Because Wu Zhu landed on the bow of the boat, he forced the

entire font half of the boat into the water, while the stern was
lifted out of the water, pointing to the sky.

The singer was catapulted high into the air. While airborne,
he could do nothing but spread out his arms, looking quite
miserable.

With a huge splash, the boat broke from the intense impact
and sank.
 A black shadow erupted from the waters, locking onto the
singer, who was still in the air. In the blink of an eye, fingers
shot out like swords, aiming at the singer’s throat.

The singer moved his hands, as though he were constructing

the beams of a roof. With great steadiness and grace, he
forcefully blocked Wu Zhu’s killing blow.

Small explosions tore through the air, the result of strong qi

clashing against each other. It was hard to count just how
many techniques these two world-class warriors unleashed in
this short exchange.

Moments later, the two shadows separated, landing on the

two sides of an extremely narrow sandbar just beneath the
cliffs.

On the sea, the boat’s flotsam slowly surfaced, looking like

debris left in a jar. The back half of the boat was still floating,
ownerless, looking quite desolate.

...
 ...

"Your assassination failed, so you have to pay me back for the

boat." The singer stared at Wu Zhu’s blindfold and smiled. He
reached out and waved with his hand, as if expecting
immediate payment.

There were about nine meters between him and Wu Zhu. In

response to this hand gesture, Wu Zhu frowned, turned his
body to the side, and took two steps back with unparalleled
quickness.

With a light shuffle, the ground where Wu Zhu was standing

moments ago appeared thickly dotted, as though rain had
fallen on the sand.

From nine meters away, with a slight wave of his hand, the
singer’s strong qi penetrated through the sand. In this world,
not many could accomplish such a feat.

"Why have you come here?" Wu Zhu tilted his head slightly.
While remaining expressionless, he was noticeably more
cautious than usual.

"I fought you once 16 years ago. Since then, I’ve failed to find
a worthy opponent," the singer replied with a grin. "Last year I
visited the capital and Ye Zhong said you had been missing for
the past few years. I thought you really followed Lady Ye over
to the other side. I got two jars of alcohol, one of which I
poured into the ground along with a few tears. I set out again
this year and felt a strong qi from far away, so I came to
investigate… Who would have thought it was you?"

The singer then became angry. "I’ve not seen you in over a
decade, old friend. How come you tried to kill me on sight?
You are well aware that we cannot slay each other."

Wu Zhu thought about it for a moment, then tilted his head

as if accepting this fact.

The singer knew of the blind man’s strange temperament. If

Wu Zhu really could kill him, he wouldn’t hesitate, and the
singer was mindful of that possibility. He then said with a
smile, "After the Lady departed, I thought you’d go back to the
temple. Why did you come to Danzhou Harbor?"
 "You know why I want to kill you," Wu Zhu said coldly,
ignoring the singer’s question. "The amount of people in this
world who know me are few. And among them, you have the
biggest mouth."

Not knowing how to respond, the singer became

embarrassed.

Wu Zhu continued, "If I can silence you by killing you, I’m

more than happy to do so."

The singer let out an uneasy smile and sighed. "You’ve still
got that same old temper I see. It’s rare for someone to train to
such a high level and still remain so bloodthirsty."

Wu Zhu shook his head. "The ends justify the means." He

suddenly frowned. "Since you found what you were looking
for, you may leave now." Quite a crisp way of shooing someone
away.

The singer breathed in before letting out a lengthy laugh. He

clenched his fist as he smiled. "In truth, I am not much of a
talker."

As soon as he said that, the singer rolled up his sleeves and

put his arms behind his back. Just like that, he coolly floated
back to what remained of his boat, which was somehow still
floating. Standing on the wreckage and humorously resuming
the motion of rowing, the singer moved his half of a boat with
his inner qi and set off towards Danzhou.

Wu Zhu faced the same direction, silent under the black

cloth.

...

...

"Who was that?" Fan Xian, who just made his way down
from the mountain peak, did not hear the conversation. He
was still shaken after witnessing a battle between two of the
world’s strongest fighters.
 "Ye Liuyun."

"As I thought…" Fan Xian sighed as he followed behind Wu

Zhu. They too were headed towards Danzhou Harbor.
Chapter 33: Idle Years
Ye Liuyun came and left, just like the floating clouds which
were his namesake; gone without a trace. The inhabitants of
Danzhou Harbor had no idea that one of the Four Great
Grandmasters had come to their city, drank alcohol, picked a
fight, and sang some songs.

Wu Zhu was a bit worried. Not many people in this world

knew about his relationship with the Lady, but unfortunately
Ye Liuyun happened to be one of them. And directly in contrast
with his status as a grandmaster, Ye Liuyun was known for
having loose lips.

Wu Zhu did not believe it was a coincidence that Ye Liuyun

came to Danzhou and then left immediately after seeing Wu
Zhu.

Fan Xian, on the other hand, thought Ye Liuyun was a simple

traveler. He patted Wu Zhu on the shoulder, trying to provide
some consolation. "Who said a master practitioner can’t
travel?"
 It was purely because of his intuition that he believed this.

His intuition had proved accurate thus far, making him

suspect there was something wrong with his father in the
capital - the Council of Auditors, assassins, and that second
wife who was more sinister than a tigress… All those convinced
Fan Xian that his father, Count Sinan, was not as simple as he
appeared. He should at least be significantly more formidable
than a bondservant like Cao Yin.

But Fan Xian was leading himself in the wrong direction.

He had guessed that his father was the illegitimate son of the
previous emperor, King Laocheng, because his grandmother
was once a wet nurse who used to take care of the emperor.
Nowadays, Count Sinan was bitter about being a petty count
while his half-brother sat on the Dragon Throne. So the Count
plotted in secret with the Overwatch Council, uniting and
taking advantage of all possible resistance against the throne,
hoping to inherit the emperor’s entire estate.

As for Fan Xian himself? Because his mother had

undoubtedly been an important figure, he became some kind of
product which would benefit a marriage. Therefore, his
existence would have a significant impact on his father’s great
rebellion.

Such were his delusions he entertained when he was bored.

When he told them to Wu Zhu, the usually expressionless Wu
Zhu hacked the butcher knife he was holding deep into the
chopping board; his way of showing a certain level of respect
for the frantically imaginative youth.

For that same reason, Wu Zhu decided that he would not

leave Danzhou with Fan Xian for the time being.

This crazy youth did not worry about the future. His face
still possessed that shy yet curious smile, ever ready to join
Count Sinan’s foolish rebellion without regard for the possible
dangers involved. That being the case, the blind Wu Zhu had
no need to be afraid.

Wu Zhu had never cared for his own well-being, only Fan
Xian’s. When Fan Xian showed that he didn’t care much either,
Wu Zhu simple let him to do as he pleased — for example,
when Fan Xian started to drink excessively at the age of five.
Wu Zhu was only in charge of protecting Fan Xian. He would
not voluntarily object to much.

Typically, master and servant duos like Fan Xian and Wu

Zhu were lazy and reckless characters. It’s not that they
couldn’t be underhanded, but rather they felt that their
martial powers were more effective than any kind of scheme.
Thus, they looked upon the connivery of others as trivial.

As they say: "A bright moon on a wide river, a clear breeze

among the hills."

...

...

Fan Xian was not a bright moon, however. He was a waning

crescent, still afraid of death and without access to extreme
methods, like Wu Zhu had. But he knew he wouldn’t die that
easily; not with the blind servant and Fei Jie in the Overwatch
Council supporting him.
 After witnessing the clash between Wu Zhu and Ye Liuyun,
one of the Four Great Grandmasters, Fan Xian was deeply
moved. He had finally understood the artistic beauty of
martial arts, which was just as beautiful as tea ceremonies and
calligraphy. That was why he stopped copying "Dream of the
Red Chamber" for the moment and dedicated all of his
attention to training.

Wu Zhu didn’t have any exceptional sword styles or unarmed

techniques, but he was methodical when killing. He focused on
being quick, accurate, direct, and ruthless. Once, he said to Fan
Xian, "Don’t put your faith in those roundabout tricks. If you
want to attack, do it straight ahead, taking the shortest
distance, as fast as you can, and strike your target a
devastating blow."

Fan Xian immediately thought of the other day when Wu

Zhu leapt down from the cliff. He had indeed taken the
shortest distance. He smiled bitterly as he wondered how long
it would take him to reach the same level.

After some lessons one day, Fan Xian swung his slightly
aching right arm around and asked Wu Zhu, who was standing
with his back turned. "Based off of what we talked about
before, what level am I currently at?" he asked curiously.

"Level seven in zhenqi. Level three in your ability to control

it."

Fan Xian quickly did some calculations. "Which averages out

to level five. That’s more than four. I could get a diploma." The
youth was a bit haughty, his pride showing slightly in his eyes.

Wu Zhu shook his head. "If you’re lucky, you can kill a level
seven opponent. If you’re unlucky, some level three rogue can
end your life."

Fan Xian signed, still smiling and thinking to himself,

"Master Wu Zhu sure doesn’t sugarcoat his words." Overall, his
luck seemed fine so far, or else he wouldn’t have come to this
world after dying.

After Ye Liuyun came, Fan Xian’s life in Danzhou truly

became peaceful. There were no more assassins. Supposedly,
the Count’s second wife was seriously ill for a while and
became less troublesome than before. In the capital, Fan
Ruoruo still sent letters once a month. Fan Xian spent his days
in the small coastal city, eating tofu, copying books,
occasionally buying some clothes to please the old mistress,
drinking wine in the shop, and chopping up radishes to go with
his wine; a leisurely life indeed.

One day, a mirage appeared above the sea. The inhabitants of

Danzhou Harbor all came out to see the phenomenon.
Although they had lived by the sea for a long time, the sight of
ethereal islands floating above the horizon still astonished
them.

Wu Zhu started behaving strangely. He closed the doors of

his shop and went to a remote area by the sea. Alone, he
climbed up a cliff and "stared" into the distance. It looked like
he was recalling some unpleasant memories.

The mirage soon disappeared, but Wu Zhu stayed there.

Looking out into the distance through that black cloth, it

seemed like he wasn’t blind at all.
 Fan Xian ascended the cliff. Having already transformed his
skinny build, his bare torso showed excellent proportions.
Seeing Wu Zhu sitting quietly, he didn’t want to be a bother, so
he sat down beside him, looking at the sky touched by a fiery
red of the setting sun.

A long time passed. Then, Wu Zhu suddenly asked in a cold

voice, "How old are you now?"

Fan Xian tied his long, jet-black hair back into a pony tail.
Signs of masculinity had started to appear on his attractive
face. He smiled. "Sixteen."
Chapter 34: Zhu the Cool
Wu Zhu was a strange and mysterious person. In Fan Xian’s
eyes, Uncle Wu Zhu’s life had been very lonely. For thirty-
something years, he never had a companion or anyone to talk
to. To this day, some inhabitants of Danzhou still thought Wu
Zhu was not only blind, but deaf too.

Forever wearing that black strip of cloth over his eyes, Wu

Zhu made Fan Xian wonder if there was some unsightly scar
behind the blindfold.

Fei Jie called him "Master Wu", an obvious sign that Uncle
Wu Zhu had once took part in the capital’s official circles.
However, he did not act like a government official in the
slightest. Rather, he was like a sage who did not partake in
earthly matters.

Thinking about this, Fan Xian looked at Wu Zhu, who by this

point had returned to a state of silence and continued to "gaze"
at the sunset. He basked in the red rays, his blindfold reflecting
a fiery color.
 Suddenly, Fan Xian had a scary thought. After pondering for
a while, he asked: "Uncle, you keep blanking out at the
scenery; did you come down from the heavens?"

At this point, Fan Xian had already fully accepted things like
neigong, and even started to believe in the existence of a
heavenly figure. Even so, if his friend for over ten years were to
suddenly turn into some divine sage who descended from the
clouds, Fan Xian would not be able to accept this—especially if
he were to include to another world. Fan Xian would only end
up being scared senseless and fall down.

Wu Zhu shook his head: "I am merely almost remembering

the past, when the Lady and I ventured out."

"You sure you and my mom aren’t sages?"

"Are there any supernatural beings in the world?"

"Isn’t there a temple?"

 "Who said supernatural beings lived in temples?"

"Uncle, are you remembering some events?"

"No, I merely forgot some things, some unimportant things."

...

...

Wu Zhu stood up and gave an almost-unnoticeable nod

towards the sea, as if saying farewell to an unknown place. He
then said lightly: "Let’s go back. I can tell you some of those
things now."

Fan Xian smiled. Wu hadn’t forgotten the promise that, once

he turned sixteen, he would be told certain things about his
mother.
 Walking to the edge of the cliff, Fan Xian took in a breath of
air. Zhenqi slowly began circulating inside his body. His entire
form held on to the cliff. The zhenqi traveled to his palms
through the meridians, coming out as film thinner than a
strand of silk before returning to his body through the edges of
his hands. His hands had miraculously provided the zhenqi
with surfaces of contact—because zhenqi is shapeless, it could
form a perfect seal along the edge of Fan Xian’s palms.

His hands sticking to the slick rocks, Fan Xian secured

himself using the adhering force of his zhenqi. By releasing his
zhenqi, he could unstick and reposition his hands. Using this
method, Fan Xian began to climb down from the cliff with
relative ease.

He looked like Spider-Man.

An ordinary martial artist, regardless of how much zhenqi he

had, would never accomplish this. Fan Xian could do it due to
his unusual training and body, and also his unique way of
thinking.
 In this world, every martial artist only cared about
"substance" and "potential".

"Substance," of course, referred to how much zhenqi a person

had, and "potential" could only be described in the figurative
sense, meaning something akin to realms. Studying other
crafts had never been the focus of the strong.

Wu Zhu saw substance and potential… merely as ways to

describe the quantity and quality of zhenqi and the mastery of
its control. After teaching Fan Xian for over ten years, his
pupil stayed somewhere between level three and level seven,
making almost no progress in the past four years.

The general trend among the strong martial artists was to use
their zhenqi like a one-time tool or weapon, releasing all of it
at once like water to attack their opponents. Once released,
they had no intention of restoring it. They exhausted their
zhenqi after every major battle, though they could still recover
by meditating.

They could hardly be blamed for adopting such a philosophy.

After all, once zhenqi leaves the body, it would be insane to
even think about taking it back.

But Fan Xian thought otherwise. The circulatory path of his

zhenqi was already different from other people’s to begin with.
It entered from his back through the xueshan, meaning he had
an opening there which formed a circuit with the yuanqi from
nature. For that reason, his sense of zhenqi was much sharper.

On top of that… Fan Xian was often bored and very stingy…
so he kept on releasing his zhenqi and then taking it back.

He toiled with this experiment for three years, and he could

now finally release his zhenqi within one-tenth of an inch away
from his palm and reclaim it.

Such a short distance made it completely unsuited for

attacking an enemy, causing Fan Xian to sadly admit that he
wasted three years on something useless.

A useless trick it may be, but Fan Xian still thought of a way
to make use of it. Once every three days he would scale the
cliffs by the sea, not an easy task by any means. In a stroke of
genius, he started to use the skill for climbing.

Perhaps this was his greatest advantage over other people of

this world, that being his way of thinking which was unlimited
by time. He had no preconceived notions, and everything was
new and possible to him.

Like a fish swimming through the water, Fan Xian made his
way down the cliff.

Looking up, Wu Zhu had already become a small speck. Fan

Xian smiled; he wasn’t in a hurry. Besides, he enjoyed watching
Wu Zhu descend the mountain.

Wu Zhu took a step forward, as if there was solid ground in

front of him.

His foot suspended in midair, Wu Zhu fell. Every thirty feet,

he would leisurely reach out a hand and gently press against
the cliff, slowing his descent. After doing this around ten
times, Wu Zhu stood emotionless at the bottom of the cliff.
 Wu Zhu had made it look easy, but that couldn’t be further
from the truth. Direction, angle, amount of force, and even the
sea wind needed to be calculated meticulously. There wasn’t
even the slightest room for error. Such strong and precise level
of judgement could only belong to one of the strongest in the
world.

Considering Wu Zhu was blind, the descriptor "one of" could

be removed.

Although he had seen it countless times, Fan Xian couldn’t

help but admire him:

"So cool."
Chapter 35: Memories of a Rainy Night
Warm and gentle seas caressed Danzhou Harbor during the
month of March. The spirit of spring took center stage as the
entire mountainous region bloomed with unnamed yellow
flowers. Every single household used this flower to steep tea.
Drinking this tea outside while chatting with the neighbors
became a pastime. The fragrance of this flower tea hung in the
air while walking through the streets of Danzhou Harbor,
neither too strong nor too faint. It brought about a sense of
purity and greatly lifted spirits.

When night came, spring rain often followed. It blended into

the night with gentle breeze, silently nourishing the earth. In
Danzhou Harbor, the black roof tiles and stone-paved roads
were covered in the mist created by the rain.

The light rain fell softly onto the tarp that hung outside the
grocery shop, barely making any sound. The water washed off
layers of dust, giving the storefront a more uplifting look.
However, once again, the store was closed. After telling the
Countess he was heading out, Fan Xian went to the store and
drank with Wu Zhu while shelling peanuts.
 The people of the estate should have known that Fan Xian
liked visiting that store, but they all thought he was mere
greedy for the blindman’s alcohol. It was indeed good alcohol,
but Fan Xian also felt like it was an effective excuse for him to
go out. It was impossible for him to interact with Wu Zhu
completely out of sight of others, but they still took care.

A kitchen knife lay on a dry chopping board. There were no

bits of vegetables on the blade; the knife apparently hadn’t
been used in a while.

The crackling of peanut shells resounded. Fan Xian threw a

piece of peanut into his mouth and chewed slowly. It wasn’t
until he chewed the solid kernel completely into an aromatic
pulp did he raise the small drinking cup to his lips. Taking the
cup, which was only about three fingers wide, he downed the
entire thing in one go.

He wasn’t drinking yellow wine today, but rather tribute-

quality wine from the capital with a rather high proof.
Drinking it reminded Fan Xian a bit of Wuliangye.
 Fan Xian wasn’t in a hurry to ask questions, because he knew
Wu Zhu was a simple person who wouldn’t keep him waiting
for too long.

Wu Zhu wasn’t sitting across from Fan Xian. He held a bowl

of yellow wine and sat in a dark corner. He started talking in a
faint voice.

"They named The Lady Qingmei; her family name was Ye. I
was her house servant. Many years ago, the Lady and I
ventured away from home…"

"Ye Qingmei…" this was Fan Xian’s first time hearing his
mother’s name. Strangely, a sense of warmth spread through
his chest, so he smiled and drank another cup of wine. Out of
amusement, he refrained from asking a question… about where
they lived; Wu Zhu would answer it if he wanted to.

"We lived in Dongyi City for a few years. From the day of her
birth, The Lady showed intelligence and understood many
things. She also had a kind and gentle heart. Because of that,
she started a business in Dongyi City at the age of fifteen.
However, since she was rather young, she did everything
behind the scenes and had a shopkeeper pretend to be the
owner."

Fan Xian’s hand stopped in midair while holding onto his

cup. He could not help but ask: "What does having a kind and
gentle heart have to do with doing business?" He wasn’t
curious about his mother’s innate intelligence or why she could
make money at fifteen. During all these years, he had already
guessed it: his mother must be someone who couldn’t be
judged based on general common sense.

Wu Zhu answered in an emotionless voice: "the Lady was

saddened by the suffering of the common people, so she
enjoyed performing kind deeds. When Dongyi City was
flooded, the one who set up the most congee stations was the
Lady. She knew if she wanted to help more people, she must
obtain money. It was from there that she started to figure out
ways to earn money."

Fan Xian nodded as he accepted his mother’s logic.

"Her business did very well. Gradually, some people noticed

she was the real owner and began plotting. I ended up killing
them all."

Wu Zhu’s voice was very flat when he said it, but Fan Xian
realized it must have been extremely tense during the time. If
Wu Zhu thought the business was doing well, it must be true.
People always say "wealth plagues its owner". A fifteen-year-old
girl owning so much property really would invite unwelcome
ambition from immoral lowlifes. But after realizing what type
of bodyguard his mother had, Fan Xian disregarded his
unreasonable concern.

Suddenly, he remembered something, and asked with a

frown: "My mom’s last name was Ye, what that also the name
of your shop?"

"Yes."

"So it was!" Fan Xian’s face was filled with astonishment: "I
heard people mentioning the name. Over a decade ago, it
seems, it was the number-one business. But I never thought it
belonged to my mother."
 "I didn’t know exactly how big her business got." Wu Zhu
said very calmly, "That was not part of my job. The Lady
thought I had killed too many people, so she closed her
business in Dongyi City and went to Qing Kingdom, settling
down in the capital."

Fan Xian felt it wasn’t that simple: Closing up shop in Dongyi

City and then coming to Qing? There was a better explanation
than that.

Wu Zhu continued: "the Lady started her business again after

coming to the capital, and she once again did very well. Later
she became acquainted with some people, including Sinan.
Everybody seemed to listen to what she said and prepared
things according to her ideas. Eventually they changed a few
things and came into conflict with Qing’s royalty, who felt
their benefits were being threatened."

Wu Zhu paused a bit. "Once, Qing was fighting a war on the

eastern front, and the defenses in the capital were practically
empty. I happened to be away from the city after a major
incident. As you can imagine, the Lady’s security was
compromised… the nobles sent out people and murdered the
Lady. When I got back, I only managed to save you, and
brought you to Danzhou Harbor."

This event Fan Xian knew very well, he also knew those
"enemies" were all killed over ten years ago. He believed that
whoever was still talking about revenge must have had
something to do with his cheap father and the Overwatch
Council.

There was a long period of silence. The sound of rain outside

became noticeable.

"That’s it?" Fan Xian felt troubled; his mother’s entire life
was narrated in such a few sentences? What was her business?
What did she do that made all the royalty of Qing get rid of
her? Why would the famous Fei Jie of the Overwatch Council
respond with the utmost respect whenever his mother was
mentioned?

"Basically… that’s it." Wu Zhu chose his words carefully.

 Fan Xian sighed, admitting that Uncle Wu Zhu really wasn’t
much of a storyteller. A bitter smile appeared on his beautiful
face as he realized he must ask the questions himself.

"What was my mother’s business involved in?"

"Luxury items, military supplies, ships, food supplies;

basically, anything that could earn her money."

Wu Zhu answered casually, but Fan Xian was startled by each

one of the items. His two lives made him realize that, people
who could manage such business much have some grand
backgrounds. His mother was a single woman, and yet she
brought her house up to such a terrific level.

"Then what happened to the business after my mother died?"

Fan Xian was most curious about this, as according to the
national laws of Qing, he should be the sole inheritor of his
mother’s grand legacy.

"I heard later everything was taken by the Qing government."

 Fan Xian gave a bitter smile and shook his head. As soon as
he heard it all became imperial property, he gave up the idea of
suing to get it all back. Changing the topic, he grinned: "Ye
Qingmei must have been quite the name back then. I heard that
when my mother came to the Capital, she gave the Commander
of Defense a beating."

The oil lamp flickered.

Hearing Fan Xian’s words made Wu Zhu remember

something. The corners of his lips perked up as if they were
rusty hinges—Wu Zhu was showing a gentle smile.

Fan Xian’s wrist froze, his drinking cup fell onto the table
and rolled several times. Inside his mind, he was screaming: "A
smile… he just smiled!"
Chapter 36: The Spring of the 4th Year
This was the first time that the blind Wu Zhu laughed, or
more accurately, it was the first time Fan Xian had seen Wu
Zhu laugh. It happened when Fan Xian brought up his mother.

Although Wu Zhu didn’t look old when he removed the piece

of black cloth, he was still as cold as ever. It was rare to see any
hint of emotion on his face, and naturally harder to see
anything such as fear, sadness or grief.

Never mind a smile.

As he remembered back to the year he came to Jingdu with

The Lady, the ends of his lips curled into a strange and
awkward smile. The occasional display of gentleness for
someone who never smiled was like finding the most beautiful
snow lotus flower in an ice mountain that had been frozen for
millennia.

Its gentleness and beauty knew no parallel.

 ...

…...

Wu Zhu snapped out of his absent-minded state and returned

to his normal self, responding coldly, "There weren't many
who knew that The Lady was called Ye Qingmei. The random
people around her only knew her as The Lady. Thinking about
it now, the name Ye Qingmei was well known in the
capital...even now." he replied softly.

"Really?" Fan Xian’s eyes widened. He thought that Wu Zhu’s

words contradicted themselves. If not many people knew that
his mother’s name was Ye Qingmei then how was the name Ye
Qingmei well known in the capital? The reason that Fan Xian
thought this was because he was unaware of the golden words
and inscriptions written on the stone plate hanging above the
front door of the Ministry of Supervision.

"Tell me about my father." Fan Xian’s eyes sparkled.

"I only promised to talk about The Lady."

 "Hmph. You’re real clever, Wu Zhu."

"I fell sick before you were born and forgot many things."

Fan Xian laughed, "You’re even more shameless than I am…

Hmm...never mind; let's talk about something else...What did
my mother look like?"

Wu Zhu thought for a bit before replying, "Very beautiful."

Wu Zhu’s voice was never too expressive, yet Fan Xian

noticed that he said those words with unusual sincerity. He
rubbed his hands together, sighing as he said, "She was indeed
extraordinarily beautiful."

…...

…...
 Although Wu Zhu’s storytelling skills were poor, Fan Xian
could tell from his simple words how interesting the story of
the girl from the capital must have been. He felt a strong
impulse to go to the capital- In fact, he had to.

Wu Zhu motioned with his hands for Fan Xian to get up and
follow him.

Curious, Fan Xian followed him to the back of the room. Soft
sounds could be heard from inside the walls as Wu Zhu pressed
on it lightly. All of a sudden, the walls separated to reveal a
secret chamber.

Surprised, Fan Xian followed Wu Zhu into the chamber. The

room was covered in a layer of dust, and a box sat in the
corner.

The box stood out, as there was nothing else in the chamber.
It was a black leather box that was about as long as an adult
arm, and not being wide, it looked long and slender.
 "Nobody knew that The Lady and I stayed in Danzhou awhile
before going to the capital. This box was something The Lady
had left. I’ve looked after it for you. It’s yours to keep now. "

Heart fluttering, Fan Xian stepped towards the box and

brushed off the dust at the top. He found that the lid was made
of bronze and that there was a lock.

He was curious to see what his mother had left him, so he

spent some time trying to open the box before he realized that
the lid had not moved a millimeter and that the box was
impossible to open.

"There’s no key." Wu Zhu reminded him seeing his distress.

Dejected, Fan Xian hung his head low, "Why didn't you say so
earlier? What’s the use of giving me a box that I can’t open?"

"I left the keys in order to convince some people that you
were dead before I brought you to Danzhou."
 Fan Xian thought about how it sounded like that was the
oldest trick in the book and raised his eyebrow. He retrieved a
thin dagger he kept in the scabbard on his legs at all times and
held it above the box as he looked for the easiest place to start
with.

"There’s no need to try. This box is much sturdier than you

think."

Hearing Wu Zhu’s disapproval at his violent method, Fan

Xian smiled and put back his dagger. He patted the box and
sighed while he shook his head, "It’s a shame. Who knows if
there might have been millions in money in there."

He then lifted the box and his curiosity increased after

finding out how heavy it was.

"Where’s the key?"

"In the capital."

 Another extremely vague answer.

Wu Zhu turned to walk out of the chamber. Seeing that there

was no more attention on him, Fan Xian decided to try again.
Rolling his eyes, he lifted his right arm and slammed his palm
directly on the top of the box. His palm carried all of his
power.

"BANG." The sound reverberated around the chamber and

dust rose into the air, causing the light in the room to
drastically dim.

Wu Zhu turned around coldly and looked at Fan Xian.

At this moment, Fan Xian was staring at his palm, shocked.

The box remained unmarked, save for some dust

It looked like the only way to get the box open was to go to
the capital.
 He began silently thinking of when he’d be able to leave
Danzhou. Surely his father wouldn’t leave him to grow old
next to the seaside. Little did he know that Count Sinan had
already sent people to get him and that they were already on
their way.

In the spring of the fourth year, Tengzi Jing sat in the only
bar in Danzhou and stared at the wall while wiping the sweat
off his forehead.

Framed beautifully on the wall was a piece of high-quality

paper. It was densely covered in words, and judging from the
handwriting, it was written by a master calligrapher who
possessed a sense of elegance and purity.

If this was in the capital, Sir Panlin would have sold a piece
of artwork of this size for at least 300 silver pieces, so it was no
surprise that in faraway Danzhou Harbour it was framed so
beautifully on the wall and treated like it was sacred.

However, its context was truly unsuitable to be hung up as

decoration.
 This was because it was full of useless and sloppy
information.

That’s right.

This was the rumored newspaper. There were only two

copies in Danzhou Harbour, one belonging to the local
government kept in the local courtroom, and this meant that
the bar owner must have bought it secretly from the servants
of Count Sinan’s estate.

Naturally, the general public had never had the chance to see
fresh stuff like this, so to them, it was something
extraordinary that was also handwritten by Sir Panlin. The bar
owner hung it on his wall and treated it like treasure.

Only, he had no idea that the newspaper was actually sold by

Master Fan, who had in fact already made a sum of money
from selling twenty copies of the newspaper to businessmen.

And Tengzi Jing was about to meet Master Fan.

Chapter 37: To the Capital?
The servants that had come to Danzhou Harbor with Teng
Zijing were currently shopping for the specialty tea of Danzhou
Harbor. As Count Sinan lived in the capital, he missed the taste
of his hometown tea. In the previous years, the Countess of the
mansion would order people to buy the tea and send it to the
capital, but since Count Sinan was sending people over this
year, they could simply pick it up themselves.

In total, three carriages and seven people arrived from Count

Sinan’s mansion, with Teng Zijing leading the entire thing.

Although he hadn’t wandered around the street with the

servants, he was still sweating like a pig and had to constantly
wipe away his sweat. The weather in Danzhou Harbor was
indeed hotter than in the capital. He had originally planned to
greet the Countess as soon as he arrived in Danzhou Harbor,
but upon remembering his mission he immediately felt guilty.
Instead, he sent the servants to buy tea while he sat in a bar
and tried to get a hold of his emotions.

They had not heard from the second housekeeper they had
sent to Danzhou some years ago, and they weren’t even sure if
he was dead or alive. All the people of Count Sinan’s house
were clear on the fact there was conflict between house of
Danzhou and the capital, and they figured that even though
Fan Xian was on his own, something had happened to the
second housekeeper.

If this was true, then the people of Count Sinan’s house had
to reevaluate their views on the illegitimate son; after all, Fan
Xian was only twelve when the second housekeeper went
missing. The only way that the second housekeeper could have
disappeared so quietly was if it was by order of the Countess,
which proved that the Countess was on Fan Xian’s side and that
it was likely second wife was in store for hard times.

Zeng Zijing noticed that the newspaper on the wall was dated
last month, which meant that he had already read it before in
Count Sinan’s study. There were no intriguing articles, as the
lives of the officials in the capital were peaceful for now. There
were no updates on the battle between the eldest prince and
Xihu, and news of the chancellor’s illegitimate daughter had
died down, as the young people of the censorate had not
pursued anything further even though they had the cover of
the mighty emperor.
 There were side articles about the Director of the Overwatch
Council and his first love. Even though the paper was backed
by the emperor, the editors would never have dared to post
these articles if the absolutely horrifying and blood-chilling
director had been in the capital.

It was obvious from this that Director Chen had taken his
first vacation in twenty years and had gone to visit his
hometown. As the emperor was especially reliant on him, there
would be no major activities during his absence.

Teng Zijing thought of Count Sinan’s orders and could not

understand exactly why it was an absolute priority that he
ensured the young master with no identity was rushed to the
capital before the Director returned, nor would he delay
things, even if it meant going against an angry Countess. He
wiped the sweat off his forehead, gathered the servants, and
headed for the corner of Danzhou where Count Sinan’s estate
was located.

The liveliness in Count Sinan’s estate was a rare sight. All of

the servant stood outside the hall and took in the people
standing in the middle of the hall. Everyone knew that these
people were from the estate in the capital, so to them, it was no
wonder that they looked energetic even in pale green clothing.
Since Danzhou and the capital were far from each other, the
two estates didn’t interact that much. As it was unusual for
such a large number of people to be sent from the capital's
estate, the maids were trying to guess their motives.

Leading the servants, Ten Zijing knelt down conscientiously

in front of the Countess and performed several deep bows in
respect and as a greeting. Afterwards, he passed on the message
Count Sinan sent and stepped quietly aside to wait for her
response.

Teng Zijing was aware of her place in the Fan Family, so he

breathed as quietly as possible to show his deepest respects. He
glanced at the young boy who was currently massaging the
Countess’s shoulders.

The young boy was pretty. He had long eyelashes, full red
lips, and eyes that sparkled softly. In general, he looked like a
girl. The wide smile on his face made him seem amiable and
friendly.

This was, of course, Fan Xian.

 Teng Zijing sighed to himself. He thought it was unfair that
this beautiful child was an illegitimate son with no identity.
Perhaps it was because he was infected by the warm smile,
Teng Zijing began to question whether this young master was
easier to serve than the one in the capital.

After hearing what this person in front of her needed to say,

The Countess cast her eyes down in thought before she spoke
in a low voice, "I understand. Zijing, you may rest now, since
you have worked so hard and have travelled over 1,000
miles...Sisi, please ask Lao Huangtou to prepare some hot
water and food."

The servants collectively acknowledged her request ,and the

servants from the capital thanked her before exiting the hall.
Although Teng Zijing was on a tight schedule from Count
Sinan, he didn’t dare to bring it up. He glanced at the foreign
young master one last time instead and left.

The hall became quiet.

"Well, you heard. Your father wants you to go to the capital."

The old lady gently patted Fan Xian’s hands, which sat on her
shoulder. "What do you think?"

Although Fan Xian was smiling widely, his mind was

calculating. He was suspicious as to why his father had called
him to the capital all of a sudden without warning. Perhaps he
was preparing a career for his illegitimate son, but the spring
imperial examinations had already begun, and he would never
be able to make it in time, as it took at least a month to travel
to the capital.

Upon hearing The Countess’s words, Fan Xian smiled wryly

and answered, "I’ve never been to the capital. I’m quite
curious, and scared at the same time."

His answer was only half true- the truth being that he really
was curious about the people who lived there and of the city
where his mother and lived and fought battles. However, he
was not scared at all, more frustrated at his own lack of
knowledge.

"Would you like to go?" The Countess smiled; it was as if she

could see through his thoughts.
 "Yes." Fan Xian answered honestly, "I’ve always lived in
Danzhou and have always wanted to get out and see the world."

"Oh, you no longer wish to keep your old grandma

company?" the Countess joked.

Fan Xian giggled, "Oh, yeah! And you can go ahead and
punish me for that." He continued, "Anyways, the man said so
himself; father has prepared for us all to move to the capital,
so I have nothing to worry about really, as I would be at my
grandma’s side at all times."

The Countess shook her head gently, and holding his hands,
she pulled him in front of her and spoke softly. "My old bag of
bones would not be able to tolerate the journey. If you wish to
go, then go ahead. I will look after the house in Danzhou."

Fan Xian was thrown off guard. He had not expected his
grandmother to reject the journey to the capital and he was at a
loss for words.
Chapter 38: Last Night
Grandmother and grandson sat in silence in the quiet hall. In
the courtyard, the scented tea purchased by the people from
the capital was piled in the corner. Slowly, the aroma of the tea
began to seep out, eventually overpowering the smell of the
flowers growing in the garden. A few yellow butterflies danced
between the blossoming trees; above them, among the
branches, the crisp chirping of hatchling birds could be heard.

"Go. The young phoenix becomes an adult when it utters its

first cry. You should go and see the world." The Countess
smiled. "It’s just that, since you’re still a child, I fear you may
experience lots of unjust treatment in the capital. Can you
endure that?"

Fan Xian knew what his grandmother meant. He smiled

sweetly. "The second aunt was kind to me for the past few
years, often sending gifts. Grandma, you don’t need to worry."

The Countess shook her head. She was aware that, despite his
quiet demeanor, Fan Xian was actually a strange boy with
many unusual ideas. She gently caressed his head. After a brief
moment of silence, she suddenly expressed her concern. "If…
something comes up, bear with it, for your father and me."

"Okay." Fan Xian nodded.

"To be honest, I do not want you to go to the capital," the

Countess said very carefully, "but… you have to go eventually,
so I might as well ask you to do something."

"I’ll do whatever you need."

"Do you still remember that housekeeper Zhou from four

years ago?" The Countess smiled at Fan Xian.

Fan Xian’s heart skipped a beat. He dared not make eye

contact with his grandmother. After a long while, he forced a
smile. "Of course I do."

After Fan Xian’s answer, the pair finally got to the bottom of
everything. The Countess was serious. "There was originally
nothing to worry about, since you’re a calm and smart child.
But judging from that incident, I could see that you are still too
innocent."

Fan Xian sighed inwardly. "Isn’t innocent supposed to be a

compliment?"

As if guessing his thoughts, the Countess squinted. With a

cold gaze, she said, "If you really do go to the capital, you have
to do something for me."

"What?" Fan Xian had a faint idea.

"Be merciless." As if feeling a bit tired, the Countess reclined

back and rested on her chair. "While this world may appear
peaceful, if you don’t steel yourself, you will always be at a
disadvantage."

Fan Xian did not say anything. In truth, he wasn’t a

gentleman; he only appeared to be one because he never got the
chance to show his darker side in Danzhou. And so, he listened
to the Countess’s warning. He knew that her advice was
priceless.

The Countess half-closed her eyes and said, "Your mother

was so smart. But because she was also so kind, she ended
up…" She suddenly opened her eyes and emphasized each of
the following words: "Even if you have to kill others, you
mustn’t let others harm you."

Fan Xian nodded vigorously.

...

...

"Go pack. You father is under lots of pressure. He is afraid

there really is something happening in the capital." The
Countess looked at the child, who had just turned sixteen, with
an expression full of warmth. "I’m not going. I’m staying here
in Danzhou. If… your life in the capital isn’t going well, or if
there are people trying to take advantage of you, you can
always come back whenever you want to."
 "Right," Fan Xian answered. He stood up and went straight to
his bedroom without saying much else.

After he entered his room, he quietly sat on his bed and

wiped his face using his blanket. After making a mess out of
his hair, he quietly said to himself, "Drat. I almost cried.
Grandma really knows how to stir up feelings."

———————————————————————

Shortly after nightfall, a lamp was dimly lit. Fan Xian,

expressionless, was writing a letter to his younger sister in the
capital, informing her of his arrival. It wasn’t until after he
had finished that he realized the letter might very well be
pointless. The mail coach might not be any faster than the
Count’s carriage, meaning he might have already arrived by
the time she received the letter.

Fan Xian tended to save his energy. Since he already wrote

the letter, he might as well send it. He was just about to beckon
Sisi to remind her to send the mail tomorrow when he turned
around and saw her looking at him blankly, deep in thought.
 "Sisi, what’s on your mind?" He waved the letter in his hand
to get her attention.

Sisi came back to her senses abruptly. She was quite

embarrassed. "Oh, it’s nothing. Is that for your sister? I’ll take
it for you."

Fan Xian retracted his hand and looked at her with curiosity.
"What is it?"

Sisi thought for a bit. Finally, she gathered up her courage.

"Young Master, you’re about to leave for the capital. Aren’t you
happy?"

Fan Xian sat up straight and smiled at her. "Why this all of a
sudden?"

"Young Master, I hear the capital is full of bad people." Sisi

bit at her lip, unsure if she should continue. "Besides… you
don’t have much status. Once you’re there, in front of the
Count’s second wife, I’m afraid your life will be difficult."
 Fan Xian laughed. "So you’re worried about me. Well, I can
simply avoid the second wife. Even if I don’t make a name for
myself in the capital, I can still make a living running a clinic.
As long as I don’t stay at the Count’s place… and quite frankly,
I only want to go there to take a look."

Sisi said, "You won’t be stuck doing menial tasks your whole
life. After all, you’ve read so many books. You will certainly
pass next year’s examinations and become a high-ranking
official. You will bring honor to your family."

Seeing how she said it so seriously, Fan Xian smiled slightly

and didn’t respond. He never thought of honoring his family,
and deep inside he didn’t even hold much feeling for his cheap
father in the capital. Life over there was much different from
how it was here with his grandmother.

"Why don’t you take me with you to the capital?" This was
what Sisi was actually worried about. She looked at Fan Xian
with a pitiful expression. "The servants in the capital will
certainly follow the second wife’s orders, so you don’t have
anyone to rely on. What are you going to do?"
 Fan Xian sighed. Sisi was two years older than him. If she
were a maidservant of some other household, she would have
been chased out a long time ago. The only reason she thought
of herself as being dependable was because Fan Xian was
secretly very mature as a result of having lived a previous life.

Fan Xian then told Sisi in a matter-of-fact manner, "I don’t

have any idea what the capital is like, so I can’t possibly take
you with me."

Sisi knew this was true. She was afraid she might never see
her young master again after he left. She felt her heart sour a
little and quickly turned around to organize the bookcase.

Fan Xian too felt gloomy as he watched her work, but there
was nothing he could say.

Perhaps in the capital there would be some pleasant scenery,

or interesting people, or curious things. But there would surely
also be brandished blades and hidden darts. Fan Xian was
willing to take such risks; he wanted to experience them.
Because he had been gifted a second life, there was no sense in
growing old and lonely without ever leaving the tiny city of
Danzhou. However, he couldn’t say the same for those he cared
about. He wasn’t confident he could protect them, so it
wouldn’t be possible for him to take Sisi along.

At night, he took a secret trip to the shop.

Chapter 39: Leaving Danzhou Harbor
Teng Zijing never would have imagined that the Count’s
assignment would be completed so smoothly this time — he
had originally thought that, since young master Fan Xian
didn’t have a reputation worthy of respect, he would be
extremely reluctant to come to the capital and contend with
the Count’s second wife, and therefore must be trying his best
to stay in Danzhou Harbor — the fact that this young master
had agreed to the Count’s request without complaint was
beyond expectations.

That morning, he found out that the Countess had decided to

stay in Danzhou Harbor. He didn’t mind, however, because all
he needed was for that lowly young master to go back to the
capital. Since the Countess liked to be by the sea, she could
stay there and live out her remaining years. In any event, the
Count had not requested that everybody in the Danzhou estate
move back to the capital.

At the front gate of the estate, a black carriage was waiting. It

was pulled by three horses and there was a blue cushion at the
driver’s seat. The contrast between the blue and the black was
rather striking. Surrounding the carriage was a huge crowd of
Danzhou residents, drawn by the spectacle. After some
gossiping, they found out the young master of the Fan
household was moving back to the capital that day.

As with all humans, the residents of Danzhou Harbor had

their shortcomings - being envious or sharp-tongued. Even so,
all of them had developed some sentiments towards the little
Fan child. After all, for over ten years, they watched this
young master — who certainly did not act like one — stroll
down the streets or shout from the rooftops. Now, hearing the
news that he was leaving for the flourishing capital, they
figured it was unlikely he would return. This caused some
sobbing in the crowd.

The crowd waited outside the Count’s estate, waiting for Fan
Xian to step out for the last time.

They waited for a long time, but the charming face with its
perpetual gentle smile never appeared.

...

...
 The backyard was a mess. Fan Xian leaned against a column,
smiling as he watched the maidservants rushing about. One of
them shouted, "Toothbrush, forgot the toothbrush." They
ended up spending even more time looking for it.

After coming to this world, Fan Xian hadn’t come up with

any major inventions. One of the minor things he came up
with was a more comfortable toothbrush which used boar
bristles instead of the conventional horsetail ones. He also
made a softer pillow, replacing the hard pillows with cotton
ones. And finally, he made a showerhead which he hung up
behind the bedroom.

There were many others, but from the way things were
going, he could only bring a few of them back to the capital.

After quite some time, when the carriage was completely

stuffed by the last few bags, Fan Xian finally walked out
slowly. He was smiling brightly and supporting the Countess
as they walked.

Fan Xian greeted the people around him and wasn’t surprised
to see Sisi in the crowd. Her eyes were a little swollen; Fan Xian
recalled her crying last night.

Today, as an exception, he wore a changshan. Lifting the

front lapel, he knelt and kowtowed to the Countess.

After standing up, Fan Xian, going completely against the

customs of this world, hugged the old woman tightly and
firmly kissed her wrinkled forehead. He then said lightly,
"Grandma, please find a good family for Sisi to marry into; at
least a family like Dong’er’s."

All of the estate’s servants acted like they didn’t see the
young master causing trouble.

The Countess was surprised too. She never thought her

typically well-behaved grandson would make such a scene. She
knocked him on the head and said, "Why are you trying to stir
things up? Of course I’ll handle it."

Scanning the familiar faces before him, Fan Xian made a

gesture of respect by saluting everyone. Smiling, he said,
"Thanks for putting up with me all these years."
 The servants dared not accept Fan Xian’s courtesy and
hurriedly found something to do.

Suddenly, the Countess smiled. "Go. Don’t make your father

wait. As for Sisi… if you eventually feel comfortable living in
the capital, I’ll send her over to you."

Fan Xian was startled for a moment. Before he could say

something, he was already in the carriage in a confused state.
With the sound of the wheels turning, the carriage slowly
made its way out of Danzhou Harbor.

It was a bright and clear day. The silky white clouds floated
across the blue sky. It was an exceptionally beautiful scene.

The carriage passed by the closed general store and passed far
beyond the tofu stand. Lifting the curtain, Fan Xian looked
towards the young woman running the tofu stand and her
little daughter, who was now old enough to run around.
Smiling slightly, he sat back down.

Under his seat was an ancient, black leather box.

 ——————————————————————————

In Danzhou Harbor, that struggling general store finally

closed down for good. The city residents casually mentioned it,
fearing the blind shop owner would end up old and poor, and
offered their sympathy. Shortly afterwards, the topic switched
back to young master Fan, who had just left the city. They were
guessing that the Count had called his illegitimate son to the
capital to assign him a position.

Presently, Fan Xian was lying in the spacious carriage. His

carriage was in the middle of the traveling caravan. Inside, Fan
Xian had laid his blanket down so that its softness could absorb
some impact from the bumpy road. Of course, he also wanted
to learn the real reason why his father wanted him in the
capital, so he invited Teng Zijing, who was leading the guards,
inside for a chat.

Teng Zijing sat on the other side of the carriage with a dark
expression; he didn’t know where to put his feet, as he feared
he would dirty the snow-white blanket. He felt uncomfortable
— in his eyes, this young master was just another prodigal son,
no better than the other young master in the capital.
 Fan Xian comfortably stretched. He squinted at the middle-
aged man, who obviously possessed significant strength, and
asked, "Mr. Teng, since we’ve already traveled so far from
Danzhou Harbor, can you tell me why my father is summoning
me to the capital?"

Teng Zijing was somewhat hesitant, as if there were some

things he should not say.

Smiling, Fan Xian’s eyes were sparkling clear. He said in a

gentle voice, "You know my background. It’s no wonder you’re
being cautious."

Teng Zijing squeezed out a smile in return, and respectfully

answered, "Try not to look too much into it. The Count wants
you to come to the capital in order to prepare you for your
future."

Fan Xian waved his hand and shook his head. "There are only
the two of us here; no need to beat around the bush." He
suddenly laughed. "If you don’t tell me, perhaps I’ll jump out
of the carriage and run away."
 Teng Zijing laughed. "You’re quite the comedian, my lord."

Before Teng Zijing could finish, Fan Xian stated coldly,

"There are times when I don’t like telling jokes."

Teng Zijing’s heart skipped a beat as he wondered if Fan Xian

was serious. "If you really didn’t want to go to the capital,
everyone would understand. So why didn’t you speak out
against it back in Danzhou Harbor, in front of the Countess?"
Looking at the handsome youth, Teng Zijing started to realize
Fan Xian wasn’t as simple as he had thought.

Of course, Fan Xian wouldn’t actually run away. Even

though he figured that nothing good could be waiting for him
in the capital, having lived a wealthy and leisurely life these
past years, he lost his adventurous spirit a long time ago. A
difficult, destitute life would not suit him.

He had come to this world to indulge himself.

At the same time, he wanted to see what the capital was like,
which was why he had no intention of refusing when Count
Sinan sent people to take him there. But that didn’t mean he
wasn’t curious about what was being hidden from him.

After a long period of quiet, Teng Zijing could no longer

endure the cold silence within the carriage. "My lord," he
began, "in truth, the Count has arranged a marriage for you in
the capital."

Fan Xian looked at him for a long while before finally asking,
"Marriage?"
Chapter 40: Approaching the Capital
"Correct," Teng Zijing replied respectfully. He did not wish
for the same miserable ending as the housekeeper from a few
years before, so he remained respectful toward this half-prince.
.

Fan Xian frowned, and a calmness unusual for someone his

age appeared on his face. His expression was nothing like that
of any normal teenager who had just been told who they were
going to be married to. "I’m curious about who my bride will
be," he said softly.

He was 16 years old, and he knew that among influential

officials and powerful families, marriage was discussed as a
part of the agenda. Even after all these years, his father hadn’t
forgotten about his illegitimate son, and so this day was
inevitable. However it seemed rather rushed, and he couldn't
understand why.

"I am…not sure either," replied Teng Zijing. "But I have heard
that the young lady of that family is good and virtuous, and
that people say many good things about her in the capital."
 His cautious explanation only made Fan Xian more
suspicious. He was unsure why high-ranking officials would
wish to marry off their daughters to an illegitimate son with
no status, even if his parents were, secretly, extremely well-
renowned people.

Seeing his facial expression, Teng Zijing eventually spoke.

"The only thing is that the young lady's health is not good. She
recently became ill, so it is rather urgent..."

Fan Xian had a sudden realization: he was a gift for the

family of the sick girl. He couldn't help but shake his head and
smile bitterly.

Teng Zijing studied the expression on his face and found that
the young master was neither furious nor sorrowful. If
anything he seemed calmer. He was to be married off to a dying
girl - surely he should be at least somewhat angry?

Fan Xian had nothing to be angry about; he had seen this plot
too many times before in his previous life, and getting angry
wouldn't help matters. He felt a touch of sympathy for this
girl, who was in her sickbed in the capital, forced into a
marriage to some man she had never met just because of her
failing health.

And what about him? Fan Xian was not easily depressed; he
had always been somewhat chauvinistic, feeling that when it
came to matters between men and women, it was always
women who got the worst of it, and men who took advantage.
He had always wanted to get married and have children in this
world. If he happened to find a good woman, wouldn't that be
all the better? Anyway, he had yet to arrive in the capital, so
there was no need to flee straight away - he though it a good
idea to investigate the matter first.

He just had to wait and see.

Would she be pretty? Cute? Is she like a lolita?

...

...
 "Young master," asked Teng Zijing carefully, "why..."

"Why am I not angry?" Fan Xian smiled at him. "First, my

going to the capital doesn't mean I agreed to getting married.
Second, if I accept this marriage, it means that I like this girl.
Third, even if she is confined to her sickbed, I don't think that
it's anything to be embarrassed about. Fourth... perhaps you
didn't know this, but I am quite a good doctor."

Teng Zijing was taken aback. This four-point explanation

had confused him, particularly the last part - was the young
master really a medical expert? But he still did not think that
the young master's wedding could turn so easily from tragedy
to happiness. The young lady's family situation was by no
means a simple one. Even the imperial physicians could not
treat her illness; how could the young master do so?

Before their carriage had stopped, Teng Zijing stepped out

and climbed onto the first carriage, leaving Fan Xian by
himself. The journey was a lonely one. He pulled back the
curtain of the carriage and allowed the wind to caress his face.
Squinting slightly, he looked at the scenery as it hurtled past
and the flagstones set upon the road. It felt like a series of
endless pictures being displayed over and over again.
 It looked just like it had when he had come to this world 16
years ago.

———————————————————————————

It was a late April day. The grass that surrounded the capital
had been trimmed, and the orioles had been startled by people
out on nature walks. There were only two rows of green
willows along the side of the moat, swaying gracefully,
proudly observing the people who had come to the city from all
over the world.

A convoy of three carriages approached from afar and joined

the line along the road that was waiting to enter the city.

The curtain of the carriage was lifted, and out came a clean
face with a brilliant smile. He looked at the city walls and the
peaceful happy faces of the people around him. He breathed in
deeply. "So this is what the capital is like."

The face, of course, belonged to Fan Xian. After weeks of

difficult travel, they had all finally arrived in the capital. On
the road, he had observed the unfamiliar sights of the Kingdom
of Qing with great interest, finally fulfilling his own
wanderlust, and having gotten to know Teng Zijing and his
bodyguards, he had become closer to them.

Fan Xian was a loveable teenager who always had a smile on

his face. A person like that finds it easy to make people happy.

Teng Zijing took hold of his arm and helped him step down
from the carriage.

When his feet touched the road, Fan Xian rotated his ankles
slightly, letting the soles of his cloth shoes touch as much of
the ground as possible. It was if he was trying to feel whether
the ground in the capital was different.

A great many people were trying to enter the capital, and

security was tight, so the line was long. The waiting left Fan
Xian rather bored. He pointed at the city before him, and
chatted idly with Teng Zijing. He figured that the Count had
not sent a large team of people to collect him because his status
was not particularly great.
 As they chatted, there was a sudden disturbance in the crowd
behind them, and the people parted to create a wide path
through. A squadron of cavalry rode silently and quickly
through toward the city gate without stopping.

On the horse in the front was a young woman wearing a

light-colored jacket and skirt. She had on a white deerskin hat
that looked very attractive on her in the bright spring air.

Her eyebrows were indigo, like the color of distant

mountains, and her eyes were clear and bright. She was quite
beautiful, though she seemed worried as she sat on the horse.
It seemed that she was in a hurry to return to the city;
something must have happened.

Fan Xian stood by the side of the road, smiling as he observed

the riders rushing past. "It seems there are many beautiful
women in the capital," he said in admiration. He couldn't help
but wonder what his 'wife' looked like.

Standing on the side of the road, Teng Zijing coughed lightly.

 Fan Xian was only giving a compliment, he hadn't forgotten
his manners - what was there to be nervous about? "It seems
the capital is not as uptight as I thought," he said with a smile.
"That girl was wearing a skirt while she was riding a horse, and
nobody said a thing about it."

Teng Zijing laughed bitterly. "The woman who went passed

us was the daughter of the master of the garrison," he
explained. "Nobody would dare say anything to her."

"Oh," said Fan Xian, standing on top of the carriage to get a

better look at the city gate. When the riders reached the gate,
they did not wait in line at all. Presenting a token, they entered
the city.

When it came time for Fan Xian to enter the city, he studied
the guard's expression. It remained neutral, which was a part
of his job.. When he looked back at the carriage, he realized
why.

There were none of the markings of the Fan family on any of

the carriages. It seemed that the capital would not be
welcoming him with any great fanfare.
Chapter 41: Entering Fan Manor
Fan Manor stood on the east side of the city, some distance
away from Tianhe Avenue, and out of sight of the imperial
palace. This was a place where many high-ranking officials and
nobles lived; commoners were rarely seen, and so the streets
appeared much quieter. On the cold and cheerless street, a
mansion stood every thirty meters. Outside the entrance to
each mansion, a stone lion lay peacefully. The dozen or so
lions stood guard, staring with what almost looked like a bored
expression at the carriage that rolled down the street.

The black carriage passed slowly by, drawing little attention

from either side of the road. Reaching Fan Manor, it turned
with a little difficulty into a side alley, coming to a halt
underneath the shade of a tree by the corner gate.

Fan Xian pulled the curtain on the carriage aside. Taking

Teng Zijing's hand, he stepped down from the carriage. There
was no expression on his face, and as he surveyed his
surroundings he gave an almost imperceptible nod.

The wooden gate creaked open, and the servants came out to
meet them, looking upon Fan Xian with curious glances,
seemingly unsure how to greet him.

Fan Xian smiled and said nothing as he walked through the

gate with Teng Zijing. The servants let out a sigh and began to
unload the luggage that filled the carriage.

Within the gate, a young manservant waited, bowing as he

ushered them in. As they entered, there was a rock garden in
the courtyard, with neatly-groomed grass and a bubbling water
feature. It was a most elegant sight, and as the old women saw
them arrive, they moved quietly to the side, not uttering a
word, remaining neatly in formation.

As they carried on, still yet to reach the inner courtyard, Fan
Xian couldn't help but let out a sigh of awe at the sight of all
the splendor of this old mansion. It was much, much grander
than the estate in Danzhou. With such a grand mansion in one
of the most expensive areas of the capital, it seemed that his
father was certainly a man of great influence.

Entering such a grand residence as this would make any

average ordinary person feel flustered and anxious, not daring
to say a word for fear of putting a foot wrong.
 But Fan Xian was not any person. He had lived two in two
worlds; he had died and been reborn. And so he felt rather
more at ease. He was accustomed to his status as a baseborn
son, and in keeping with the social attitudes of his previous
life, he didn't see anything wrong with it. If anything, he
thought his father was the one who ought to be ashamed, so
the grandeur of Fan Manor did not perturb him too much.

As he walked along, looking around the manor, he smiled,

completely at ease. Although there was perhaps a hint of
shyness in his smile, it was a cover and nothing more. As he
surveyed the scene, he let out a low whistle of astonishment.
As he passed by a weeping willow, he stroked its branches with
his hand. As he strolled over an arch bridge, he peered at the
goldfish that swam in the shallow waters beneath. It appeared
that he did as he pleased.

The servants of the manor could not help but look upon his
manner with curiosity. So this was the "young master" they
had heard so much about. Some of the things they heard were
good, some not so much. Either way, it was suggested that this
young man had a forceful personality, though it was hard to
describe in words.
 As they approached the inner courtyard, Teng Zijing spoke in
a low voice. "Young master, I am not permitted to go any
further. You must enter alone..." He paused for a moment in
thought. "Young master, when you speak..." Teng Zijing
secretly harbored some admiration how young Fan Xian
seemed unaffected by all the trappings of status. He felt he had
to say something to the young lad about the power struggles
that went on inside Fan Manor, but the words could not leave
his lips. It felt impetuous to do so, and he had no idea how to
word it.

Fan Xian could tell that he was deep in thought. Moved, he

clasped his hands respectfully and bowed slightly. "Don't
worry, Mister Teng," he said, asking him to make sure his
luggage was taken care of, and suggesting that he might call
upon him later that evening.

To calmly arrange the day's later affairs at such a moment at

this suggested to Teng Zijing that this handsome young man
possessed a great maturity. On hearing it, he relaxed slightly
and smiled, going off with the young manservant to rest in the
courtyard to the side.
 A young servant-girl took the place of the young
manservant. She was a rather pretty young woman. Fan Xian
followed her into the rear courtyard.

A middle aged woman, carrying a brass basin, walked up to

them and curtsied. She washed his face with pleasantly warm
water.

Fan Xian remained silent as he washed his hands. He

returned the towel and thanked her.

The woman was rather taken aback to hear him thank her.
She walked away, somewhat confused.

Fan Xian smiled. "The capital's nothing like Danzhou", he

thought. The politeness he'd shown to servant girls was seen as
excessive and inappropriate here.

He entered the inner courtyard, but instead of standing in a

foyer, he was led into a side door by the servant-girl. The walls
around the side door were all painted white, and black eaves
protruded slightly from above the passageway.
 He stood there for a while, but no one came to meet him. He
was unsure whether this was intended to put him in his place
in the mansion as the Count's baseborn son. He sighed,
beginning to feel uneasy. He looked up at the carefully-
constructed black eaves. The old manor was a indeed a rather
tasteful building.

He was incorrect in his assumptions, however. The young

servant-girl and the old made stood to one side not because
they wished to treat him coldly, but because they were aware of
his status. They did not dare to approach him. This was partly
because they were unsure how to address him, as he was not
the son of the Count's legal wife. But it was also because the
Count had not yet arrived, and as servants they did not dare to
act rashly. Someone had already gone to inform the master of
the house.

Fan Xian waited. With a self-deprecating smile, he called

over the young servant-girl.

She was quite young, her face delicate and fair. "Young...
young ... what is your wish?" She had, at first, wanted to
address him as 'young master', but she was unsure if it was
appropriate. She stammered, her face turning crimson.
 "Bring me a chair," said Fan Xian, giggling at her discomfort.

She followed his orders, carrying in a heavy wooden chair

from the hall, which left her slightly out of breath.

Fan Xian drew closer and took hold of the chair, placing it on
the ground and smiling slightly. He sat down on it with noble
bearing, and lifted his head to look at the eaves, ignoring the
rest of his surroundings.

When she saw him sit on the chair, the servant-girl was
shocked. If one's elders are yet to arrive, one should stand with
one's hands folded - how could he act so boldly?

...

...

The sound of footsteps echoed from the hall, and a light

fragrance was carried on the wind. It could make one's heart
flutter. Fan Xian turned his head to the side, and saw a
noblewoman approaching, a slight smile on her face. She was
good-looking, and her eyes were neatly decorated with
eyeshadow. She wore a skirt that fluttered around her, and her
beauty was sure to turn heads wherever she went. Hers was an
air of reserved nobility that suggested that she was not to be
trifled with.

Fan Xian let out a sigh and stood up from the chair.

She raised her umber-painted eyebrows and smiled, lighting

up the room. "Xian," she said, regarding him from afar. "The
journey must have been difficult. Take a seat."

"Good day, stepmother," said Fan Xian, smiling sweetly.

Chapter 42: Lady Liu
This was the second wife of Count Sinan, Lady Liu Ruyu,
who was taken into the Count's household over a decade ago.
Her family's roots ran deep: within three generations, they had
become high nobility. So when she had become a concubine of
Count Sinan, it was a source of great discussion within the
capital. Everyone wondered what the Liu clan could be
thinking, to give away a daughter to Fan Jian. Even if he had
just been made Count Sinan, he was only a distant relative of
the influential Fan clan. It was only in the past decade that he
had gained the Emperor's favor and amassed great prestige,
climbing up the ranks; now the great family served her ruthless
vision.

But strangely, the Count had never intervened in her

scheming. Whether this decision was made rationally, or out
of deference to the Liu clan, it made little sense either way.

Fan Xian smiled sweetly. "It is good to finally meet my

father's concubine."

Lady Liu also smiled, but an indescribable expression flashed

in her eyes. Hearing this child call her 'concubine' rankled;
most people would have called her his second wife.

There was a world of difference between 'concubine' and

'second wife'.

"Come along," she said, smiling, "you've come a long way.

What have you been doing dawdling under these eaves? If
anyone saw you, they'd think that Fan Manor was
inhospitable."

Inhospitable? There were certainly some people they didn't

want to be hospitable to, thought Fan Xian. He knew that she
was reminding him of his own status as an illegitimate child,
but at the same time, he admired the beauty of her words. He
wasn't prepared for a war of words with the woman; he knew
full well that she had been in the manor for a long time, and it
wouldn't have been worth it to spar with her verbally. But,
considering that they were at cross-purposes with each other,
why did he have to back down?

It seemed that she wasn't some fool with sinister intentions,

as he had imagined her before. So now he felt somewhat
confused - why had she tried to kill him four years ago?
 As he followed her into the hall, he made sure not to stay too
far away. Her unique scent reached his nostrils, and he inhaled.
It was quite a pleasant aroma.

In times like these, one may have trivial thoughts. Fan Xian
felt rather pleased with himself, and he smiled as he made
small talk with Ms Liu.

The noblewoman and the young man both played their part,
putting on a facade of a mother and son.

...

...

The tea arrived. It was genuine Wufeng tea - a fine variety.

The refreshments had also arrived - fine flaky pastries from the
south. After talking about the journey, how the lady of the
house was faring back in Danzhou, the seaside scenery of the
town he had just left behind, and what was worth seeing in the
capital, the two found that they had nothing else to say to each
other - at the very least, nothing polite.
 So, going by what seemed to be a quiet mutual
understanding, Lady Liu and Fan Xian sat in silence. Both were
aware that the other person was not easy to deal with. There
was no sense in sounding out each other with clever words; it
was best that they both stayed silent.

The awkward atmosphere of the room had convinced the

servant-girls to keep quiet out of fear, even making sure that
they stepped lightly as they came by to refill the tea.

But neither Fan Xian Nor Lady Liu felt awkward; once in a
while they would grasp their teacups and look at each other,
their gazes soft and gentle but hiding daggers underneath.

Lady Liu was perturbed. She had discovered that this was no
ordinary young man before her. To her surprise, the situation
had not stopped him from responding freely, without the least
bit of nervous restraint. He seemed mature and earnest,
perhaps even more prudent than his father.

It seemed to her that she should not have listened to advice

she had received four years before, which had made her hasty
to see him as an enemy without good cause. Now it appeared
something of a mistake. It would be difficult to resolve this
situation.

As they sat in silence, Lady Liu suddenly got the feeling that
it was weakening her position. After all, she was his elder. She
cleared her throat. "Your father is now an official at the
Treasury," she said. "Have you come to the capital to prepare
for next year's imperial examinations, or will you be going
straight to the Treasury for work?"

Fan Xian smiled. "I shall do as Father says." He paused for a

moment. "But I'm not sure when he'll be back."

He was telling the truth. There were a few people he wanted

to meet with in the capital. Lady Liu was one of them, as was
Fei Jie and his little sister Ruoruo. But the person he was most
interested in meeting was definitely his father.

He was very curious as to how Count Sinan had caught the

eye of his mother, the head of the illustrious Ye family. In his
mind, he thought of the dead woman as his mother, but never
much considered Count Sinan to be his father. This was
perhaps a quirk of the male mentality.
 "Your father will return shortly."

As she said this, there was a slight clattering outside the door
to the inner courtyard. The servant girls hurried to greet
whoever it was, but the noise came too quickly, and the
servant girls were unable to bar the way. A young woman
walked in.

She wasn't particularly pretty, but she was exceptionally

neatly-dressed, with what seemed to be a somewhat delicate
and faintly indifferent disposition. The indifference was not
that of an ice maiden - a loathing for the impure things
surrounding her - but rather of someone who had yet to
discover their own self-confidence, and so created an apathetic
demeanor, feeling at odds with the world around them.

Fan Xian's heart skipped a beat. It wasn't becoming of a

young noblewoman to have such a cold exterior.

The young woman looked Fan Xian in the face. Her cold
expression softened until it finally melted away entirely, and a
slight blush began to spread on her cheeks. She opened her
mouth to speak, but stopped. She took a step back and slightly
rearranged her garments. Curtsying, she spoke in a gentle,
clear voice that seemed both polite and boastful. "Good day,
brother."

Fan Xian smiled, and held out his hand to support her.
"Ruoruo, there's no need to be so polite."

The two exchanged glances and faint, earnest smiles. They

had exchanged letters for many years. In this world, each was
the person the other one knew most deeply.

But the sound of a clumsy child immediately broke their

tender reunion.

"Hey, are you Fan Xian?"

Fan Xian turned to face the youngster who had entered. He

was rather chubby, and the left side of his face was covered in
unsightly moles. His face seemed full of resentment, and he
stared at Fan Xian with a slight disgust.
Chapter 43: Ruoruo’s Lessons
Fan Xian sat down, ignoring the boy, and offered his little
sister a seat. "Who's the boy?" he asked, smiling. He had
already guessed who the plump young lad was, but he wasn't
going to say anything.

"I'm Fan Sizhe," the boy said, "the young master of the Fan
family." He looked Fan Xian in the eyes. "Hmph. So you're the
bastard."

He heard a faint sound, and tried to catch sight Lady Liu in

the corner of his eye. To his surprise, she had already left, and
he wasn't sure where she'd gone. It seemed she had
intentionally allowed her son to come in and annoy him,
overturning his efforts to remain calm. In any case, if he acted
inappropriately, there was the excuse that Sizhe was still
young and unaware of how he should behave.

A strange smile crept across Fan Xian's face. He was already

aware when he left Danzhou that the Count's heir was a bad-
tempered, rude, and unreasonable young boy. For his father's
sake, Fan Xian decided that he would commit himself to
educating his 'little brother'... to prevent him from committing
some grave offence and bringing the house of Fan into
disrepute.

But taking on this task was more than he had bargained for.

"Give me your hand," said Ruoruo, coldly. As she said this,

she pulled out a ruler.

"Why?" mumbled Fan Sizhe. His face was filled with fear, and
yet he still obediently extended his hand.

Two solid whacks later, Fan Sizhe's hand was left with two
red marks. Tears began to well up in his eyes, but he gritted his
teeth and tried to keep them back. "But sis, he is a bast..."

Before the word could leave his mouth, Ruoruo had already
brought the ruler down on his hand again, her expression
completely unchanged.
 Fan Xian realized that the coldness of his sister's manner, in
the eyes of most people, would seem rather repressed.

"First of all, you are to call him ‘older brother’. Second of all,
you understand our family's status, so you shall not make such
awful remarks. Third of all, if you will not respect your elder
brother, then you will be punished."

Fan Ruoruo spoke coldly. The way she gripped the ruler in
her hand reminded Fan Xian of a kindergarten teacher - gentle
on the outside, but ferociously strict on the inside.

Fan Sizhe looked Fan Xian resolutely in the eyes, pressed his
lips together tight, and ran away towards the rear courtyard.

"Every time, he runs crying to mama," sighed Fan Ruoruo.

"I was wondering what he was about to say."

"He'll think twice before saying it again."

 "It's quite funny to watch you be so strict with him."

"I don't think there's anything funny about discipline,

brother."

"Why do you carry a ruler to hit him with?"

"Father gave me the authority to discipline him."

"It seems I was mistaken in my analysis of how the world

works."

"You mean, in terms of male authority?"

"Uh-huh. There's still the question of distribution of power

in the household."

"It seems that I now hold a little power."

 "But don't forget, that kind of power is completely dependent
on that man's whims."

"Brother, you should not forget that 'that man', as you call
him, is our father."

...

...

Their quick-fire question-and-answer session at an end, Fan

Xian and Fan Ruoruo smiled at each other. They were truly
happy to be in each other's company, with no one else around.
Fan Ruoruo let her guard down and allowed herself to laugh; it
seemed her happiness was difficult to restrain.

Fan Xian was the same. Perhaps because they had exchanged
so many letters, they were able to have a conversation on each
other's intellectual level. When they had started to write to
each other, Fan Ruoruo was still young. To an extent, her view
of people and of the world had been deeply yet imperceptibly
shaped by Fan Xian's influence.
 They had not seen each other in ten years, so it would have
been natural to feel like strangers to each other. But as they
sensed the bond that had developed between them, it soon
brought them closer together. It was as if the two siblings had
never been apart but had seen each other every day; as if they
were long-standing intellectual confidants and close friends.

In their relationship, Fan Ruoruo saw Fan Xian as a kind of

tutor, and Fan Xian saw her as his student and his junior. They
had a subtle mutual understanding.

Fan Xian smiled. "It seems like you have a good life here," he
said to her in a low voice. "I suppose I don't need to worry."

Fan Ruoruo lowered her head. "I have missed your counsel,
brother," she said quietly.

"Oh?" Fan Xian smiled shyly. Had the last chapter he wrote
and sent to her had an effect? It wouldn't be right to ask so
directly.
 "Lady Liu has been happy with herself recently," she said
coldly, calling her by her name. Even though she and Fan Xian
were the only two people in the hall, the atmosphere had
clearly gotten colder.

Fan Xian paused for a moment in thought. "Even though I

was far away in Danzhou, I knew about the Liu family's
position in the capital. You shouldn't disrespect her."

"I won't." Fan Ruoruo's eyelids drooped, and her eyelashes

hung beautifully on her pale skin.

Fan Xian gazed at her with a slight smile. It was his good
fortune to find someone who understood him in this world,
even if it was someone that he had taught himself.

"Did you receive my letter?" he asked softly.

"Mm." Fan Ruoruo smiled, and the coldness left her face. "I
saw it in my room the other night. It scared me, I thought some
awful person had left it there. But then I saw the handwriting
and I realized it was you."
 Fan Xian shrugged. Relying on Wu Zhu's abilities to deliver a
letter was truly a waste of his talent.

No one had entered the room to interrupt their conversation.

Fan Xian was happy for that. He took a sip of his tea. "You
probably don't know why I'm in the capital," he said firmly.

Fan Ruoruo lifted her head and looked at her brother with a
smile that didn't seem quite like a smile should.

Fan Xian felt somewhat embarrassed by her gaze. "What is

it?" he mumbled.

Fan Xian gave a sigh that seemed almost mocking, then

smiled. "I think most people know why you're here. I believe
the children of the capital's noble houses are quite curious.
Count Sinan must have big plans for his illegitimate son, if he's
going to summon him to the capital."

"Eh?" Fan Xian was taken aback. "I thought father brought
me here in secret. How come everybody knows? There can't be
that many people in the capital who know who I am. Why is
everyone so curious about me?"

"Because you're here to be married." Fan Ruoruo laughed.

"The bride father has arranged for you is quite well-known."

Fan Xian frowned. Although he didn't necessarily want to

marry her, he was still rather concerned over what his bride
might be like. "Do you know her?"

"My future sister-in-law is a daughter of the Lin family." Fan

Ruoruo's eyes shone. "Not only do I know her, I believe the
whole capital knows her."

"What Lin family? Why is this girl so famous?" Fan Xian

raised his eyebrows.

"Brother, although you were far away in Danzhou, I know

that the imperial household sent you a letter about it.
Grandmother should have a copy of it." Fan Ruoruo laughed.
 Fan Xian thought back and slapped his palm to his forehead
in realization. "You mean the Lin family, as in the family of the
Prime Minister, Lin Ruofu? She's the illegitimate daughter
from that great scandal he was caught up in?"
Chapter 44: Father and Son
The Qing Kingdom had entered an age of prosperity. The past
ten years had seen fine weather for crops, and peace and
stability for the people. The nation had the wisest ruler in its
history, who received a great many accolades for his
management of state affairs. But strangely, it also had the most
corrupt bureaucracy in its history, and its most wicked Prime
Minister.

This was Prime Minister Lin Ruofu. Lin Ruofu was born in
poverty - he was by no means the son of a noble family. He
entered the bureaucracy after passing the imperial exams,
starting as an evaluator in Suzhou before being transferred to
the capital to work as an administrator for palace affairs. He
later moved on to being responsible for the imperial army,
before returning to lead the Overwatch Council in the capital.
He also held a degree from the elite Hanlin Academy, and
during the last government reforms, he was responsible for
specific affairs of the six departments, rising from an assistant
minister to minister in the Ministry of Appointments, before
rising to head of the bureaucracy. He was subordinate to only
the Emperor, with thousands of people underneath him in his
role as Prime Minister.
 People who paid cautious attention to the posts he had held
discovered that he had he had experience with civilian affairs,
military affairs, literature, and the Auditors. Although his
career had had ups and downs, he had experience in every area
of the bureaucracy, and had made slow but steady progress
climbing the ranks throughout his life.

There were rumors that Lin Ruofu was not trusted within the
palace. His ability to move throughout the complex
bureaucracy despite his lack of deep connections left many
feeling astonished.

The Prime Minister seemed a principled man on the outside,

but his exterior hid a treacherous spirit, and he accepted
countless bribes. His plotting and scheming within the
bureaucracy and the nobility had caught the ire of many
people, and so he was loved neither by officials or by the
common people.

But his efforts over the past decade had granted him a control
over the bureaucracy that could not be toppled. Occasionally
an official would accuse him of misconduct, but lacking any
concrete evidence they would have no choice but to drop the
subject. The upstanding officials of the capital hated him to the
bone, but did not dare to cross him.

Only the Emperor could strip him of his power or his life -
every official knew this. Only the Director of the Overwatch
Council could spit in his face. No one else among the nation's
most powerful people had the courage.

And when the Director had spat at him in the street, he was
fined three years' salary; the punishment was personally
ordered by the Emperor.

...

...

People found that the Emperor's trust in his Prime Minister

would never waver. Officials who considered themselves
uncorrupt began to despair. No one could have foreseen that,
at that moment, a scandal would emerge in the newspaper,
accusing the Prime Minister of having fathered an illegitimate
daughter.
 In noble houses, it was normal for the master of the house to
have a number of concubines; to only have one woman was
seen as rather embarrassing. But parentage and etiquette were
seen as extremely important in society. Everyone knew that the
Prime Minister was cunning and ruthless, but he had always
appeared uncorrupted. To have an illegitimate daughter
outside one's household showed a great lack of morals. And
that daughter was now a teenager. She was not permitted to
live within his manor; she lived outside, alone. It was proof
that, when he came to fatherhood, he lacked even the slightest
compassion.

Because the news had come from the imperial palace, it

caused a great stir within the capital. People debated whether
the Prime Minister had angered His Majesty, and whether the
Emperor was preparing to replace him with someone else. The
imperial censor Master Tai later gathered a petition on the
matter.

To everyone's surprise, the Emperor personally intervened to

put an end to the matter. The affair gradually settled down,
but the Prime Minister's illegitimate daughter became the
center of attention.
 ———————————————————————

Fan Xian laughed bitterly. He never would have thought that

he and his bride-to-be would have so much in common. At that
moment, the silence outside was broken. They both knew who
had returned home. They looked at each other, unsure what to
say. Fan Xian gave her a look that suggested they go outside.
Fan Ruoruo nodded slightly.

Candles were lit, but the sky was yet to darken, which made
their flames seem much weaker.

In the hall was a table laid with a sumptuous variety of

dishes. Five people sat around it, with a number of servant
girls attending to their needs. Fan Xian realized that Lady Liu
was no ordinary concubine. She did not wait for the master of
the house to eat first, but sat by the side of the middle-aged
man, her face calm and composed.

Is that middle-aged man really my father? Fan Xian couldn't

help but furrow his brow, and pleasant-looking wrinkles
spread across his forehead.
 Count Sinan had a stern, average-looking face, with a four-
inch beard on his chin in keeping with the current style. He
seemed quite a serious man, not given to humor.

Calmly finishing his meal, Count Sinan walked away, and

Fan Xian followed him to the library.

This was the first time he had ever been alone with his
"father". He smiled. He wasn't particularly emotional about it -
deep in his heart, he had never seen the man as his own flesh
and blood.

Count Sinan looked at the young man before him, noting his
delicate complexion. He looked thoughtful, and after a long
while, he finally spoke. "You look just like your mother."

Fan Xian had no response - he had never seen his mother. He

had many questions for the man who stood in front of him, but
he knew it was not his place to ask first.

"How has it been in Danzhou?" Count Sinan looked at him,

his face betraying a hint of exhaustion, and yet still carrying
traces of the beauty he possessed in his prime.

"It's been alright."

"I believe you already got Teng Zijing to tell you why I have
summoned you to the capital when you were on your way
here."

"Yes."

"Do you feel wronged?"

"No," Fan Xian smiled. "I just took a ride to the capital. I
never said I agreed to marry Miss Lin."

There was a deathly silence in the library as soon as he said

it. "Do you know what marriage means?" asked Count Sinan
coolly, eventually breaking the silence.
 "Other than continuing the family line, it means the Fan
family has a chance at currying favor at the palace?"

Fan Xian's response was in jest, but he had no love for his
father. Logically, he knew he should have remaiined
dispassionate. But his father treated his own son's marriage as
merely a political allegiance. Although he understood and
accepted it, that did not mean that he wasn't angry - just that
over the past few days, he had managed to hide his anger well.
Chapter 45: Palace Intrigues
"Very well. You're showing your anger at last." The corners of
Count Sinan's mouth curled into a slow smile. "From what I
heard of you in Danzhou, I assumed that you were not prone to
anger. My child, you are only sixteen. If you suppress your
emotions, it will cause you no end of pain."

"So what?" Fan Xian fixed his father with an odd look, and
made up his mind. "There's something I need to tell you first,
father."

"And what would that be?"

"I... I'm not going to let you control me." Fan Xian's speech
was blunt.

"I have no desire to control you... even though... you are my

son." Count Sinan looked into Fan Xian's eyes coldly, as if he
were searching for the slight panic behind his calm demeanor.
"But we must forge this alliance to the Prime Minister's family
through marriage. I am not going to debate this with you."
 Fan Xian lowered his head in a moment of thought, then
raised it again with a smile brimming with self-confidence and
perserverance. "You can try."

Count Sinan seemed somewhat angered. He gripped the

armrest of his chair tightly, the exertion making prominent his
blue veins. After some time, he composed himself. "What is it
about this that do you not understand?" he said coolly. "The
Lin family's daughter is a gentle, considerate girl, educated and
well-mannered. It would be a good match... and our family
does not need to cement its status through marriage. Does
someone as insignificant as Lin Ruofu really matter to us?"

Fan Xian was felt somewhat surprised. His father seemed

genuine... but if he really saw the Prime Minister as
insignificant, then why did he want his son to marry into the
Lin family? Was it simply because the young Miss Lin really
was that wonderful? Fan Xian couldn't believe it, no matter
what.

Fan Xian frowned. "Why does it have to be her?"

 Count Sinan gave a slight smile. "Because Miss Lin's mother
is the Eldest Princess, the younger sister of His Majesty. The
Eldest Princess has never married, but she has managed
business for the imperial household in secret, providing no end
of money for the nation and the royal family."

Fan Xian was shocked. To think that his yet-unseen bride-to

be was the daughter of the Eldest Princess! And that the Prime
Minister and the Eldest Princess had had an affair... even
multiple affairs? No wonder the Prime Minister had climbed
his way up the ladder so easily... he was quite the lothario after
all.

There were surely only a few people in the entire nation who
knew of this secret... were it not for his father's close and
lifelong friendship with the Emperor, he would not have
known either. Fan Xian suddenly realized that this secret was
not something that his father should have divulged to him.

Count Sinan smiled. "Make no mistake, this should never

leave these walls. If you speak of it, you'll be put to death. So if
it ever reaches your ears, you are to act as if you never heard it.
I am telling you the the royal family's secrets because I want
you to be prepared. I don't want you to ruin your relationship
with Miss Lin when you meet her."

...

...

Fan Xian suddenly recalled something that Wu Zhu had told

him. His face fell, and he sighed. "The royal business that the
Eldest Princess has been managing... was it once the Ye family's
business?"

"Correct." There was a trace of tenderness in Count Sinan's

eyes - admiration for this young man before him, able to see
through things and get to the truth so easily.

"Miss Lin is the Eldest Princess's only child, and the Emperor
has long allowed the Eldest Princess to manage the royal
household's business. So whoever marries her, becoming the
Eldest Princess's son-in-law, is likely to become the master of
the royal family's business."
 The long explanation had left Count Sinan somewhat tired,
but he deep down, he felt a twinge of excitement. He pushed
himself up from the chair and gazed at Fan Xian, emphasizing
every word. "That business belonged to your mother, so you're
only taking back what belonged to you!"

...

...

There was a deathly silence.

"Father, I'm in awe of your plans." Fan Xian bowed to his

father. "Even though Miss Lin is not a princess, she is of royal
standing - do you really think we can take back mother's
business this way? It feels somewhat arrogant to me."

"Of course, I have tricks up my sleeve. Do not forget that I am

an official in the Treasury. I also manage financial affairs."
Count Sinan smiled, finding himself more and more
appreciative of his son's ability to keep a cool head. "There's
something else I must tell you. That old thief Lin Ruofu has
little control over the matter, but he has some doubts about
this marriage. I hope that you will soon make yourself well-
regarded within the capital."

"Why?" Fan Xian had some doubts. Although Lin Ruofu was
Prime Minister and head of the bureaucracy, he was fully
aware that the Fan family was held in high regard in the
capital. Surely he should be pleased about his daughter making
such a powerful allegiance - why would he oppose it? In terms
of status, the young lady was roughly on a level with Fan Xian
- they were born in the same circumstances.

"Everyone has their own positions," explained the Count,

coldly. "Different people will see things differently. The Fan
clan is one of the capital's great houses. Lin Ruofu is head of
the bureaucracy. It is of great significance for the two families
to be secretly connected by marriage. Lin Ruofu has misgivings
because he fears that His Majesty will doubt his intentions. He
also fears that his young subordinates in the bureaucracy will
be disloyal as a result."

Fan Xian sighed, and smiled self-effacingly. "I gave it a lot of

thought on my way here, but it sounds like it's your way or the
highway."
 "That's right. So you had best find a way to get Miss Lin to
approve of you." The Count laughed. "But what does 'my way
or the highway' mean?"

"I misspoke." Fan Xian pursed his lips and smiled, changing
the subject. "Father, there's something I have always wanted to
know, but I don't know if can ask you."

"Go ahead."

"Never mind. It's getting late. I'd best go to bed." He didn't

know why, but he couldn't find the words. He decided to ask
something else instead. "I'm still new to the capital, would you
mind if Teng Zijing could accompany me?"

"Teng Zijing would make a good guide, but he is not the

greatest of fighters..." Count Sinan frowned. "I shall assign you
a bodyguard. The capital can be a treachorous place."

Fan Xian smiled. "No need, we've been through a lot together.
I'm used to him. No need to change him for someone else."
 After some more light conversation, Fan Xian saw that it was
late and bade his father good night. The servant girls had been
waiting for him the whole time, and when he left the room,
they escorted him through the twisting corridors to his
bedchamber.
Chapter 46: Old Friends in a Distant City
Fan Xian lay on the freshly made bed and ran his hands over
the wonderfully smooth silk cover while he thought about
what his father had told him. Although he had expected to run
into some problems in the capital, he had never expected them
to be so serious.

Before he left, Fan Xian had originally planned to ask his

father about the attempt to assassinate Fan Xian ordered by the
Liu clan four years ago, but after some thought he decided
against it. There was no use in forcefully uncovering the dirty
secrets of high status clans. What's more, Fan Xian could tell
from the first conversation with his father that he really did
care for him.

It seemed like he was sent to Danzhou because the people

who had killed his mother were still in the capital.

Thinking of this, his lips formed a dry smile. Was he really

going to marry that sickly girl? At this point, it felt like he was
the one scheming against the young Miss Lin.
 She really did seem like a pathetic girl.

With this in mind, Fan Xian decided to visit Miss Lin when
he had the chance. His attention moved to the slender box
placed carelessly in the corner of the room. He wondered
where its key was.

Due to the journey, Fan Xian had to stop training for ten
days. Without a word, he began to practice and the zhenqi
began slowly flowing. Just before he entered a meditative
state, he thought of his father and his head filled with
countless questions.

While Fan Xian tossed and turned during his first night in the
capital's estate, Count Sinan was in a daze in his study. Seeing
Fan Xian’s charming and dainty face for the first time in 16
years brought back old memories. "Xiao Yezi," he mumbled to
himself, "Your child has grown up to be so smart at such a
young age, just like you were... Chen Pingping was against him
coming to the capital, so when he went on vacation I brought
Fan Xian over. I have been guaranteed by someone that the Ye
family business will be rightfully returned to him…"
 A light shone on the face of the serious middle-aged man as
he whispered softly. "Don’t worry. No one in this country
would dare harm him."

————————————————————

Sunlight peaked through the gaps in the clouds, causing the

land below to flicker between light and dark. The new branches
of the old trees by the roadside danced gently in the breeze. It
was the end of spring and young lotus flowers covered the lake
by the foot of the mountain.

The Fan estate’s carriage rolled forward slowly, surrounded

by guards. It was quite an impressive scene.

The carriage was silent inside. Fan Xian had his eyes half-
closed while Ruoruo was carefully peeling the thin skin of
some loquats before feeding the sweet and sour fruit to her
brother.

Fan Xian opened his mouth and swallowed the fruit in one
bite. It was so sour that he had to swallow repeatedly.
 A look of disbelief was plastered on Fan Si’s face as he
observed this scene in horror. His 15-year-old sister was an
expert in the arts. She was famous amongst the aristocracy of
the capital for her ice-cold attitude which caused countless
noblemen to sigh in grief. And yet….. Here she was peeling
loquats and feeding them to some fellow named Fan Xian!

Fan Rourou had no idea she was looking at her older brother
with a face full of admiration, or that her younger brother had
witnessed everything. She had only wanted to make her older
brother more at home. She thought he must have had a hard
time in Danzhou, and now that he had finally moved to the
capital, he had been assigned to marry Miss Lin. In Ruoruo’s
eyes, no one was fit to be with her brother, let alone a girl who
was in such a sickly state.

Though the young Miss Fan was well known throughout the
capital, she always saw herself as a little girl listening to ghost
stories in the Danzhou estate. She was the only one who knew
that her brother was full of poems and stories. Fan Ruoruo
remembered the pen names he had used in his letters – Su Weng
and Cao Gong – and smiled gently. She looked at her older
brother and wondered why he hid his talent from others.
 Fan Xian enjoyed the warm feeling he got from his sister.
Half-closing his eyes, he knew that his sister had guessed long
ago that "The Story of the Stone" and those other articles had
been "written" by him. But he was thinking about something
else.

The situation at the Fan estate differed from what he

expected, but at least the Liu Clan seems to have learned their
lesson four years ago and have not stepped out of line since.
Meanwhile, the rumored rude and wild little brother was
obedient to Ruoruo. There was nothing that Fan Xian found
particularly intolerable.

They were quite the happy family.

...

...

Fan Sizhe looked at Fan Xian’s face curiously. He had to

admit that his older step brother was much more handsome
than he was. Despite this, he was certain that the only heir fit
to inherit the Fan family fortune was himself, the rightful
young master and not this outsider before him.

Fan Si thought of his sister, who was normally simple and

straightforward, and of how much he admired her. He then
thought of how much his sister seemed to admire Fan Xian.
This puzzled him. Could it be that there was something
impressive about Fan Xian?

"No one on this street dares mess with me," Fan Si proudly
told the boy who was four years older than him. He continued
arrogantly, "Since you have just arrived in the capital, I’ll show
you around."

Fan Xian leaned lazily on the soft cushion and burst out
laughing. He had planned to let his sister take him around the
capital to sightsee. He never imagined that his "brother" Fan
Sizhe would join – without having been invited – and tag along
in the carriage.

"Why must you follow us around, little guy?" he asked Fan

Sizhe.
 Fan Sizhe shouted back, "Don’t call me ‘little guy’, I am the
rightful young master of the Fan family."

"Don’t you think shouting makes you look low class?" Fan
Xian questioned him curiously. "And if you were worried about
me taking the family fortune, you should be more scheming…"
He patted his brother's head and laughed. "You should take
some lessons from your mother."

Fan Sizhe looked at the shy smile on Fan Xian’s pretty face
and all of a sudden felt scared. He retreated behind Fan Ruoruo
and wondered why this strange boy could speak without the
slightest restraint.

As they were speaking, the carriage arrived in a busy part of

the capital. It was noon, and there were many people out on
the streets. Restaurants on both sides of the carriage were
welcoming customers and the sound of merriment together
with the delicious smell of food floated into the carriage. It was
so enticing that Fan Si noisily announced it was time to eat.

While Teng Zijing entered the restaurant to claim a table, Fan

Sizhe and Fan Rourou, under the protection of some guards,
went to a noodle bar by the side of the street. Fan Xian, on the
other hand, was half-kneeling as he admired the engravings on
the pillars beneath the restaurant. These engravings were
elegant and decorated with gold paint. They were so uniquely
vibrant and unlike anything he had ever seen in the books of
his previous life.

Two guards stood in the distance, their observant eyes

scouring the surroundings.

Just then, a middle-aged women dressed simply and carrying

a baby hurried towards Fan Xian as though she were a thief and
whispered, "Would you like some books? Ones that haven’t
been censored by the Eighth Bureau."

Fan Xian was touched by this warm, familiar scene. It

reminded him of home. He lifted his head and asked her ever so
gently, "Are they Japanese or Western?"
Chapter 47: The Treasured Red Book
The Eighth Bureau of the Overwatch Council, also known as
the Department of Court Articles, was similar to the news
examination board of the Republic of China in the previous
world. They were responsible for the review of all legitimate
books. Only a book approved by the Eighth Bureau would be
published. In recent years, many of the duties of the
Department of Court Articles were reassigned to the Ministry
of Education, though they had still held onto their right to
review books printed privately by civilians.

The Eighth Bureau would not accept anything that involved

creative descriptions of the human body, the art of violence, or
suggestions of revolution that were not permitted by the
emperor. However, it didn’t matter what world you lived in;
the subjects of sex, violence and politics were bound to be hot
topics, so it was inevitable that underground booksellers
would surface.

Normally, the booksellers wouldn’t dare sell books about

politics, but romance novels like ‘"Of Joy and Passion" were
mass-produced and passed through the hands of many before
finding an owner.
 There was no doubt that a middle-aged woman with a child
in her arms w was the last in the chain of recipients of the
book.

Nobody in the capital batted an eye at this familiar scene,

and even government officials let it slide under their watch,
say less of the civilians who benefited from it.

"What did you say sir?" The women selling prohibited books
stared blankly, oblivious to the beautiful existence of AV.

Fan Xian laughed and asked, "What books do you have?"

The woman put the child in her other arm and retrieved a
book from the layers of clothes. The book was roughly eight
inches, square, and completely red. It looked to be of good
quality. Fan Xian was quite impressed by how the woman
managed to keep the edges pristine despite storing it in her
clothes whilst carrying a child in her arms.

"These are the most popular short stories in the capital." The
women spoke with an air of secrecy.
 Unaffected by her facade, Fan Xian took the book. He smiled
as he opened the first page… He could not contain the look of
surprise on his face.

Although there was no author name printed on the front

cover, the four words ‘Feng Yue Bao Jian' was written in large
font on the title page.

On the following page were the words, "Who knew that this
daughter-in-law possessed a natural charm. Her entire body
becomes limp and soft whenever a man bumps into her, and
the man would experience the sensation of lying on a bed as
soft as clouds."

Fan Xian was speechless and his mouth opened wide. He

recognized the book right away. It was called ‘Dream of the Red
Chamber’ and he had sent a written copy to his sister before.
The section he had just read was from chapter twenty one,
when Qiao Ping saved Jia Lian by using softly spoken words,
and it was a told about Miss Duo.

The middle-aged woman mistakenly thought that the pretty

boy in front of her was enticed by it all, and continuing in a
low voice, she said, "That’s just a small taste; there’s more
exciting parts to come."

In his previous life, Fan Xian was stuck in his bed for years,
incapable of doing a lot of things. He couldn’t bring himself to
ask his nurse to help him turn the pages of lewd books, so he
reread Dream of the Red Chamber countless times instead. He
was able to relieve his fatigue all thanks to Miss Duo’s ‘lady-
like manners’ in the book.

Now that this familiar scene was played out right in front of
his eyes on the busy streets of the capital, he couldn't help but
be surprised. He was grateful, but confused at the same time as
he couldn’t understand how this story known by only him and
his sister was being published and sold on the streets.

Without asking for the price Fan Xian paid her handsomely
for the book. He had earned quite a sum of money from selling
newspapers in Danzhou, money he would spend without
hesitation.

After the overjoyed middle-aged woman had left, Fan Ruoruo

led Fan Sizhe to the restaurant, his hands occupied by a sugar
figurine he was holding.

"What were you up to?" Fan Ruoruo questioned her older

brother with a smile.

Before Fan Xian could answer, Fan Sizhe cut in with a cold
chuckle, "I saw everything. He bought a book from that
woman and he wasn't even discreet when going about his dirty
business."

Fan Ruoruo felt slightly panicked, as she had no idea what

was going on. Fan Xian couldn't be bothered replying to his
brother and instead wanted to speak to his sister in private.
Just then, Teng Zijing conveniently announced that their
tables were ready, Fan Xian gently tugged at Ruoruo’s cold
hands as they walked up the stairs.

Fazed, Fan Sizhe licked his sugar figurine once more before
following them up the stairs in a hurry.

Although there were many people in the restaurant, the third

floor remained quiet. Even though the private rooms were all
booked, Teng Zijing proved to be skillful, as he still managed
to find a compartment. Fan Xian felt that his decision to ask his
father to let Teng Zijing come was the right one.

As Fan Xian sat down, he noticed how Fan Size’s eyes were
busy studying move. He smiled and openly handed his sister
the red book..

Fan Ruoruo frowned as the book was given to her. Her eyes
grew large in astonishment when she saw the title page, and
she grew even more bewildered as she scanned through the
pages. She explained to her brother hurriedly, "Brother, this is
the first I’ve seen of this."

Fan Xian laughed and comforted her, "I’m not blaming you."
He had already guessed that his sister would take her copy of
Dream of the Red Chamber and make it into a book, and also
knew that she could not resist sharing the story with her good
friends.

The only question on his mind was how the story had
managed to spread beyond her circle of noble friends.
 It was when he saw the book ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’
being sold on the streets that he realized he had completely
underestimated how tough the underground bookseller of this
world was.

—————————————————————————————
—————————

Fan Ruoruo thought back to an incident that happened the

previous year when she had just bound the first 68 chapters of
Dream of the Red Chamber and left them to sit under the
pressure of some wood. Rou Jia princess from Lord Jing’s
family had come to visit and she saw the book. Once she had
read it she refused to let it go, as she was convinced she would
be able to take it back home.

But to Fan Ruoruo, her brother put his blood and sweat into
this book, and she would not risk losing it under her watch, so
no matter how much Ruo Jia begged or threw tantrums, she
stood her ground. In the end, it was Princess Jing who
suggested that their made rewrite a copy.
 Fan Ruoruo couldn’t find a reason to object, so she let her be.
Who knew that the book had spread like wildfire and soon
became a secret that everyone shared? It passed through the
houses of the lords.

And then to the public market.

"Nobody knows I wrote it?" Fan Xian took the book, turning
it in hands. He noticed that the author was named, Cao Zueqin
and he felt instantly relieved.

Fan Ruoruo spoke with guilt, "I know that you don’t care
about fame. Letting your story spread into the public was bad
enough; there’s no way I would have revealed your identity as
the author."

I don’t care about fame? Fan Xian laughed awkwardly and

rubbed his sister’s head, apologizing quickly when he realized
he was messing it up. "When I wrote it, I had already knew it
was going to be read by the public." He thought of the deposit
he had paid and felt a jab of pain in his heart. "I just didn’t
expect the underground sellers to get the biggest benefits. It’s
just a shame I spent my silver on nothing."
 The siblings continued to talk until the waiter came with
their food.

It was at this moment that they noticed Fan Sizhe looking at

Fan Xian with shock, and he broke the silence, mumbling
enviously, "You wrote...that book?"
Chapter 48: Street Literature
Hearing those words, Fan Ruoruo was reminded of the fact
that her little brother had just heard their entire conversation.
Her cold emotionless face was slightly tinged with worry, as
she wondered if he would cause Fan Xian trouble by telling
Lady Liu. She glanced at Fan Xian.

Fan Sizhe’s expression changed from a look of shock to one of

admiration.

"What is it?" Fan Xian looked at him with a strange smile.

Fan Sizhe could no longer tolerate his gaze, a gaze that

seemed extremely gentle but that was in reality limitlessly
cold. He trembled as he spoke,

"I’m just surprised you wrote that book."

Fan Xian was baffled.

 "You’ve read this book?"

In his memories of his previous world, anyone who read

Dream of the Red Chamber before the age of 12 and loved it was
likely to become a hipster or a rogue who cheated female
hipsters.

"No." Fan Sizhe shook his head in a hurry, "I read a little of it
and thought it boring." He felt he regained confidence with
these words, and held his head higher.

"My teacher read it, and he said…"

He deliberated before deciding to tell the truth, "He was full

of compliments. He said that the author wrote colorfully and
was brimming with talent."

The high praises failed to make Fan Xian blush. Instead he

smile and asked, "So you admire me?"
 "I admire my teacher." Fan Sizhe thought about it. "And my
teacher really likes the book you wrote."

All of a sudden, his eyes sparkled with greed as he said

enviously, "Although I’ve not read it, I know that it is sold by
chapters on the market. Each chapter could be sold for a price
as high as eight taels of silver."

He nodded his head and regarded Fan Xian like an idol,

"Making so much money just for some words is quite
impressive… I think I understand why my sister admires you so
much now."

"I haven’t made money off of it," Fan Xian corrected him. He
was confused as to why Fan Sizhe viewed him so highly all of a
sudden because of the money he could make rather than his
apparent talent in writing stories. After some thought he
understood: his innate passionate love for money was
inherited from his father, who was the emperor’s personal
accountant.

Fan Sizhe rubbed his hands together and spoke in a frenzy,

saying, "If you ever wish to make money off your talent in
writing in the future, then I will happily buy shares."

Fan Xian sighed as he realized that his brother was quite

innocent; merely, it was a shame that they were so conflicted in
how they saw the benefits.. Although Fan Xian did not really
plan on taking over the Fan business, the idea was deeply
ingrained in the minds of the Liu Clan.

In the spur of the moment, Fan Xian decided to attempt

something, as after all, he was related to his brother by blood,
and it was in his interest to avoid a tragic conclusion..

"You haven’t told me why you’ve been following me; don’t

you have school today?" Fan Xian had made up his mind and
decided to chat with his stepbrother.

Although Fan Sizhe was young, he was not stupid. He knew

that what he said earlier may have pleased Fan Xian, so he
smiled sweetly and replied, "Because… mum says… you’re
competent, and that I should hang around with you more…
that you would be a good influence."
 Fan Xian sighed on the inside. No one could hold a candle to
him when it came to being cute, and so Fan Sizhe’s cute act put
him to shame.

Fan Xian was clear it was Lady Liu’s idea to have Fan Sizhe
follow him, but there was no reason for Fan Sizhe to flatter
him; even if he realized Fan Xian was treated more importantly
than a useful tool by their father, there was still no sense in
doing so.

Dinner was served. Fan Xian’s chopsticks flew as fast as

lightning around the table as he picked up his food with
precision and put it in his mouth. He was oblivious to the
dumbfounded expressions of his siblings.

He licked his lips as he tasted the food daintily and he

nodded, "The cuisine of the Capital is quite delicious."

Fan Ruoruo was delicate and ate only a little, her body
turned to the side as she concentrated on the book Dream of
the Red Chamber. Meanwhile, Fan Xian and Fan Sizhe were
munching away, with Fan Sizhe growing more depressed at as
he ate, not understanding why he was chubbier than Fan Xian,
who ate faster and more than him.

Fan Ruoruo’s frown grew deeper as she realized that this copy
of Dream of the Red Chamber was practically identical to the
one that was in her room, the only difference being the that the
excerpt concerning Miss Duo that was intentionally extracted
from the first page and that might lead the capital people to see
Dream of the Red Chamber as a dirty book.

Seeing her expression, Fan Xian knew what was on her mind.
He smiled and placed his chopsticks down on the plate of fish,
saying, "This is merely a marketing method; what’s there to be
upset about?" Their voices slowly increased in volume.

Fan Ruoruo guessed what marketing method meant but Fan

Sizhe was completely confused.

"Before someone buys a book, they will flick through it for an

idea of what it’s about. Things like the foreword, preface,
postscript or prologue must be written clearly- not necessarily
to explain the novel in full, but to catch their interest."
 Fan Xian took a sip of tea and continued to talk, "Sister, you
are angry because you feel that the bookseller has no morals,
as they placed Miss Duo’s excerpt at the front which could
easily cause the misunderstanding that the story was a
romantic affair novel, right?"

Fan Ruoruo blinked her eyes and nodded. Treating such a

lofty novel as something so unrespectable- wasn't this
something to be mad at?

"But the booksellers must do this." Fan Xian Looked at his

sister’s serious face and burst out laughing. "If it were me, I
would have been even more excessive. This is a copy of chapter
ten, so on the title page I would have wrote the most intriguing
excerpts designed to intrigue the customer so much that they
must buy the book to find out more."

"Like what?"

"Ones like Miss Duo’s excerpt."

 "How about this chapter?" Fan Ruoruo understood what her
brother meant, and with a slight smile, she pointed to a section
of the book, chapter twenty-three: Lines from ‘Romance of the
West Chamber quoted for fun, a vibrant song from ‘The Peony
Pavilion’ singing the distresses of the heart.’ This chapter
talked about things which happened before the flower burial,
and there were no sentences which would have made someone
blush.

Fan Xian chuckled as he spoke, "The words’ vibrant song

makes it easy. If it was me, I would use the excerpt… where
more than half of the people in the garden were girls, and it
was a chaotic and innocent place. People lay around lazily,
laughing to themselves. At the time, Baoyu had something on
her mind and wasn't herself. She hung out in the garden and
only messed around outside, yet once again she stupidly…
witnessed the red array of flowers."

"And then I would outline the words lay around lazily,

laughing to themselves and playing around, stupidly and red
array in the color red."

Fan Ruoruo looked down in thought and realized that this

really seemed to work. The words meant nothing special on
their own, but once combined, and in addition the words
‘vibrant song’ in the title, a vast room for imagination was
created.

She blushed, and spoke in a low voice, "It would seem that
brother has much experience in this sort of business."

Fan Sizhe, however, was stunned; he gave his brother thumbs

up and said, "Big brother, you really are full of talent."

Fan Xian snorted and spat out all the tea in his mouth.

At the moment, a highly arrogant voice could be heard from

outside of their compartment, "Just where did those ignorant
people come from? How do they dare call a mind full of dirty
thoughts talented?"
Chapter 49: In the Restaurant
The Fan siblings had chosen a restaurant named "Yi Shijiu", a
well-known wealthy establishment in the capital. Every day at
noon, the place would always receive some rich government
officials, gifted scholars, or beautiful ladies. No one knew
where the scholars got their money from, or how famous those
ladies were—regardless, the third floor was vacant; without a
great reputation, one cannot get there.

It was pretty common knowledge that only those with

reputation could be seated on the third floor, and so there was
rarely ever an issue over it. After all, the capital wasn’t as
small as they said, though, its governmental circles were
intertwined with many hidden connections and shady deals, so
no one could really be sure what their exact relationship with
someone was.

The one who refuted the "Fan Xian trash publication" was a
proper scholar, named He Zongwei. He was well-known in the
capital and praised by his peers, so his arrogance was
understandable. A few days ago, he read the "Dream of the Red
Chamber" at his friend’s place. Although he was very displeased
with the contents of the book and unimpressed by its literary
style, he was still impressed by the fact its author had put
down several hundred thousand words.
 Today, in this restaurant, gulping down three cups of yellow
wine had made him a bit inebriated. Hearing a few youngsters
making unrestrained outbursts about "Dream of the Red
Chamber" from the next room made him angry. So he let loose
that remark.

At that precise moment, the three Fans had finished eating

and were chatting over some tea. Hearing what He Zongwei
just said, Fan Sizhe thought about his boast, and then realized
that the scholar was addressing Fan Xian. Because it made him
lose face also, he was enraged. Born to the great Fan family,
Fan Sizhe was too privileged to endure embarrassment from a
mere scholar. He raised the curtain and went to the main hall
on the third floor.

Fan Xian though that since it was his first time in the capital,
it would be best if he kept a low profile, and he hinted this to
this sister. Fan Ruoruo knew what he was thinking and smiled
while shaking her head, signaling that Fan Sizhe shouldn’t go
overboard.

In the past year or two, Fan Sizhe had grown up a bit. Thanks
to Fan Ruoruo’s intense upbringing, he matured slightly, just
enough that he no longer played rowdy games in the streets.
Because of that, Fan Ruoruo wasn’t worried.

Fan Sizhe barged into the hall, picking out He Zongwei from
the crowd. With great swagger, he walked up to the scholar
and said: "Was it you who said that?"

"And what if it was?" He Zongwei’s skin was a tad tan and his
face had a pronounced shape to it. Overall, he was on the ugly
side. Seeing someone barge out of a private room, he knew his
words had caused offense. However, the sight of an arrogant
rich kid had made him very hot-blooded. So he tried to brush
Fan Sizhe off: "watch it, child. Where are your manners? Who
were you raised by?"

While this scholar was well-connected in the capital, he had

never met the twelve-year-old Fan Sizhe and wasn’t afraid of
the youth.

Fan Sizhe was only planning on scolding the guy, but now
that he heard "where are your manners", he was reminded of
his mother’s constant berating. He retorted angrily with a
shout: "And you?! Which family’s scoundrel are you?"
 At this moment, Fan Sizhe had already forgotten his sister’s
discipline. He leapt forward trying to slap the scholar.

He Zhongwei wasn’t expecting to have to deal with uncivil

behavior in a place as high-class as Yi Shijiu. He took half a
step back, avoiding a slap to the face, though the green cloth
on his head was ripped away, leaving him embarrassed.

Other scholars and an honored guest were sitting at He

Zhongwei’s table, and were infuriated by what they saw: "How
dare you behave with such insolence?! Have you no sense of
the law?"

"Law?" Fan Sizhe snorted: "I am the law." As soon as he said

this, he swung his fists at He Zhongwei.

Suddenly, a hand came from the side and firmly grasped Fan
Sizhe’s skinny wrist!

Fan Sizhe felt as if his wrist was caught in red-hot shackles.

The pain pierced through to the bone, forcing him to shout
out: "Can someone come help me, please?!"
 His bodyguard went forward, but there was a flash of shadow
as he received two palm strikes to his chest and abdomen,
forcing him to back down.

The man holding Fan Sizhe’s wrist was none other than the
bodyguard of the valued guest. While appearing ordinary, the
bodyguard’s eyes hinted at how skilled he was.

"Toss the child aside; don’t ruin Mr. Zhongwei’s mood."

The skilled bodyguard swung his arm. Fan Sizhe was thrown
out like a hatchling chicken!

Fan Xian had thought there would simply be some bantering.

He had no idea things would get this ugly so quick. He
expected Fan Sizhe to throw temper tantrums in spite Ruoruo
saying otherwise, and seeing his expectations play out; he
wanted his little brother to learn a lesson.

However, he was not expecting the other party to have

someone so skilled, not to mention someone with such
merciless methods. That toss had hidden intents. If things
went badly, Fan Sizhe would end up with broken bones—for all
his insolence, Fan Sizhe was only a twelve-year-old child, and
using such a move on him went way over the line.

Somehow, Fan Xian was already outside the private room.

With a single flick of the wrist, he caught the collar of Fan
Sizhe’s shirt. Following the body’s rotation, he twisted his
right hand clockwise, making Fan Sizhe spin.

Once, twice, thrice… Fan Sizhe stopped spinning. Nauseous,

he could only stare blankly, not knowing what had happened.

Fan Xian let go of his brother’s shirt and left him in Ruoruo’s
care with an uneasy smile. Stepping forward, he looked at the
refined bodyguard, and in a meek voice, said "While my
brother may have offended you due to his youth, what you did
went a bit too far.."

The people at the table could only "give a haughty snort in

response. They couldn’t retort because they agreed with Fan
Xian. The young man who had bodyguard only drank his wine
in silence; he didn’t even look at Fan Xian.
 He Zhongwei felt embarrassed after adjusting the cloth on his
head. Seeing the beautiful looks of the youth in front of him, a
sudden, unforeseen wave of anger overtook Zhongwei. To him,
Fan Xian’s smile appeared malevolent and despicable. He spat
out: "You have such an unruly brother; what’s wrong with
giving him some punishment?"

Fan Xian ignored He Zhongwei. His smile was directed to the

bodyguard. He took two steps forward. In response, the
bodyguard who had just witnessed this young master cancel
out the force of the toss felt a sense of unease. He couldn’t
measure up this youth. The bodyguard frowned slightly and
took two cautious steps back.

Fan Ruoruo’s figure came into view as their steps shifted.

Fan Ruoruo was known throughout the capital, and everyone

in the restaurant had heard of her name. Some of them had
even seen her from far away in government meetings. The
crowd gasped and paid their respects from a distance.

It was only now those guests at the table realized which

family that brat came from. Naturally, they became nervous.
And when He Zhongwei saw Fan Ruoruo, his expression
changed just so slightly, as if he was about to say something.
Chapter 50: What is Strength?
Teng Zijing rushed up the stairs. As he looked upon the
scene, he frowned, and whispered something into Fan Xian's
ear. Fan Xian finally realized that this was the somewhat-
renowned palace scholar Guo Baokun - the only son of Guo
You, Director of the Board of Rites.

After the gloomy-looking young man caught sight of Fan

Ruoruo, the expression on his face filled Fan Xian with
loathing. "I wondered which family could have such powerful
children. So you are the offspring of Count Sinan."

Count Sinan was a favorite of the Emperor, but he was only

an assistant minister - a fourth-rank title. And the average son
of an official would be unaware of the power that the Fan
family held in secret.

Fan Xian had no desire to inflame matters further. After all,

Fan Sizhe had started it, and no matter what anyone said, it
seemed that he was a fan of Dream of the Red Chamber - but he
could not help but frown upon hearing this clear attempt at
provocation.
 Guo Baokun was a high-ranking official and a scholar within
the palace. He was on good terms with the Crown Prince, and
so he had grown up to be an arrogant, condescending type. As
soon as he laid eyes upon the allegedly cold-hearted Fan
Ruoruo, he was filled with wicked urges. "How amusing. All
the insignificant inhabitants of Fan Manor see fit to throw their
weight around. Truly a disgrace to the educated classes."

In keeping with his self-proclaimed scholarly air, he flipped

open the folding fan in his hand with a confident and nimble
energy.

The group of scholars sat beside him, worried that they had
offended Count Sinan and were unsure what to do. When they
heard Guo Baokun's words, they immediately agreed, and
rushed to label them as bullies, not even considering for a
moment that they might have been in the wrong.

Only He Zongwei, who had kicked off the incident, was

silent.

"Educated?" Seeing that his opponent had no desire to let

matters lie, Fan Xian could not help but adopt a tone of
mockery. "If a scholar does not study, he will not gain
knowledge; if he has no ambition, he cannot become a scholar.
You call yourselves geniuses, but you don't even bother to
attend school. You run to the first tavern you find to get drunk
instead. What sort of ambition is that? You call yourselves
'educated'?"

Other than Guo Baokun, the others at the table were also all
gifted scholars; when they heard Fan Xian's words they were
bewildered.

One scholar chided him. "Don't think you can get away with
such impudent language just because you're the Fan family!"

Fan Xian frowned slightly. He didn't think that he and his

siblings were completely in the right, but when he looked at
the faces of these scholars, he couldn't help but feel disgust.
"You say we use our power to take advantage of people," he
said, "I can't comment on that. You all sit at that table,
drinking with the sons of high officials, not afraid of power
and boasting of your own virtue. I'm truly in awe."
 As they realized the meaning behind his calm words, some of
the people in the building began to stop talking. The people
who sat with Guo Baokun were angered, and were ready to get
into a full-blown dispute. Guo Baokun waved his fan,
preparing to teach these youngsters a lesson.

But Fan Xian was an odd type. On the surface, he was gentle,
but if he was unhappy, he liked to make others unhappy. He
did not like to give his opponent the chance to retort; he
preferred to end things with one blow.

So he did not wait for the official's son to open his mouth,
but pointed at the fan that Guo Baokun held in his hand and
smiled. "When I first came to the capital," he said, "I saw how
young people would amuse themselves all day, all skin and
bones, fanning themselves. Is that really strength of character?
If that's what you call strength, then I'd rather not study at all."

Guo Baokun came in and out of the imperial palace as he

pleased. He was a friend of the Crown Prince. Who would dare
to speak to him this way? He slammed his fan down on the
table, speechless and shaking with rage.
 The current ruling Kingdom of Qing prized affairs of culture
as well as political and military achievements. Young scholars
could be found throughout the capital, and in this tavern, a
great many of the guests were scholars. Among those
scholars... who didn't wield a fan?

Hearing Fan Xian speak so mockingly of strength of

character, not only were the table of people sitting with He
Zongwei suddenly angered - even the other people on the third
floor stood up.

Fan Xian had never had much tolerance for these so-called
gifted scholars. As he had lived in two worlds, he was generally
unconstrained in his behavior, and so he let slip a remark. But
seeing the unusual atmosphere in the restaurant, he finally
realized that he had angered a number of people. But he wasn't
afraid. He smiled, and bowed to them all, cupping his fist in his
hand as a sign of respect.

They weren't sure why, but when they saw the brilliant smile
on the young man's face, the angry scholars felt their anger
recede.
 But Guo Baokun remained enraged, and threw his fan upon
the table with gritted teeth, signalling that he wished to fight.

————————————————————————

Scholars tend to disparage each other with words, and they

were surrounded by the sons of high officials and great
families, so a dangerous atmosphere began to rise.

Teng Zijing fixed the Guo family's bodyguard with a cold

stare, and prepared to defend his master.

With the sound of two blows, the two men collided with each
other. Their fists flew, and the enfeebled scholars in the
restaurant cried out in surprise.

Heroic struggles within the capital were always fought to the

death by servants. Masters stood to the side as if watching
some sort of game, rarely affected by the fight themselves.
 But Fan Xian was completely different to the sons of the
nobility. When Teng Zijing and the Guo family bodyguard
came to blows, he quietly slipped behind them. Finding an
opportune space and moment, he extended a clenched fist.

With an echoing smack, what the onlookers expected to be a

bitter and drawn-out fight was brought to an abrupt end.

Fan Xian retracted his right hand, and stood in his original
space, beaming, as if he had never moved.

The Guo family bodyguard was crouched on the floor. The

bridge of his nose was broken by the blow, and blood gushed
out along with tears.

Fan Xian was very satisfied with the results of the blow.
Master Fei had taught him well. Breaking the bone in that
place caused such pain that even a ninth-level master would be
unable to bear it.

Guo Baokun looked at his strong family bodyguard, brought

to the floor like a dog by a single punch. He turned pale with
fear, and pointed at Fan Xian, his voice trembling. "You... you
bullies!"

Fan Xian looked at him and shook his head. He felt

somewhat confused. Fighting was something you should do by
yourself, he thought. He wasn't some sort of hooligan. He took
Ruoruo's hand and walked downstairs, confident that he was in
the right. He never imagined that what he had done could be
such a violation of the customs of this world.
Chapter 51: Crown Prince Jing
For a long time, the people in the restaurant stared blankly,
unable to say a word. They had seen fights before, but they had
never seen the son of a noble house get involved himself. Even
if they were lucky enough to have seen such a rare scene, they
had never seen such an open two-on-one scenario.

Even Teng Zijing was somewhat gloomy. Even though he was

substantially weaker than the Guo family bodyguard, the blow
the young master had struck had caused him to lose face rather
badly.

Suddenly, he had a fleeting thought of the comical scene that

had transpired earlier - the young master could see such a
complicated situation so clearly, and... though that blow had
seemed chaotic, the angle of it, the accuracy, and the power
behind it had led to such a frightful result. He looked at Fan
Xian with reverence and admiration in his gaze.

Watched by everyone in the vicinity, the Fan clan attempted

to leave the restaurant. The door to a private room opened, and
a number of people came out, who had come to see what the
noise was, seemingly having heard all the commotion outside.
Among them was someone with a high and noble air, wearing
beautiful clothing. When he saw Fan Ruoruo, his eyes shone.
He approached them and bowed. "Ruoruo," he said, "it is so
rare to see you out and about."

He was handsome, with thick eyebrows and bright eyes, a

straight nose and thin lips - an attractive man indeed.

Fan Ruoruo bowed in response, slightly surprised. "I did not

expect to see you here either, Crown Prince." She hurriedly
introduced him to Fan Xian, who had not realized that this was
Crown Prince Jing, heir of the royal house that his own family
was closely acquainted with. The two exchanged pleasantries.

The House of Jing and the House of Fan had a friendly

relationship, and so when Fan Ruoruo introduced Fan Xian,
the Crown Prince guessed immediately who he was, and he
couldn't help but feel somewhat surprised.

He saw that Fan Xian was neither servile nor overbearing in

his words, and sensed an unspeakable self-confidence in him
beneath the surface. And yet he found that the youth's gentle
smile put him at ease.
 At that moment, Guo Baokun came over to greet the Crown
Prince, and a member of the restaurant staff came to whisper
an explanation of the clash between the Guo and Fan families
into the Crown Prince's ear. On hearing this, the Crown Prince
seemed quite intrigued. "It seems you have objections with the
scholars," he said to Fan Xian.

"Anyone who can read can be a scholar," replied Fan Xian,

bowing to the Crown Prince. He did not care for the hierarchy
of this society, nor did he believe that reading a few essays
made you superior to the common people. "I have read many
books myself. It is not that I have a problem with academia...
it's just..."

He smiled. "It's just these so-called geniuses I have a problem

with."

As he said this, the people in the restaurant fixed him with

curious expressions, wondering what this skilled fighter and
son of the noble house would say next. Even the Crown Prince
looked at him with great interest. "And why do you despise
these scholars?"
 The Crown Prince remained polite, but due to Fan Xian's
illegitimate parentage, he did not make reference to the name
of his clan.

Fan Xian understood the rules of this society, and was not
angry in the slightest. "The reason I have a problem with them
is that I feel that deception is a common practice nowadays," he
explained, smiling. "It seems one only has to spend all their
time in a tavern to become a genius. They spend more time
painting their faces than they do reading books. It is not
beneficial to the nation to let them squabble among one
another."

Though his words were harsh, they were not cruel, and were
almost light-hearted.

The Crown Prince laughed, and so did the people in the

restaurant. It seemed to have eased matters somewhat. As
everyone else saw it, the young master of the Fan family had
come out of nowhere, and seemed to be quite friendly with the
Crown Prince. Guo Baokun was Fan Xian's rival neither in
fighting nor in words, and so he had to drop the subject.
 Crown Prince Jing invited Fan Xian to drink with him.
Making the excuse that he had to return home, Fan Xian
tactfully declined, but agreed that they would do so at a later
date, and all of the Fan family left the restaurant.

Just they were about to climb onto the carriage, He Zongwei

caught up with them. He looked Fan Xian in the eyes, and
thanked him sincerely.

"What are you thinking me for?" asked Fan Xian, smiling.

"I've always considered myself one of them," he replied,

laughing, "and today you showed their boasting for what it
was. Now I know that I just liked the idea of being one of them.
Deep down, I still can't get away from those clichés."

Fan Xian frowned. This person seemed rather quick to

change his mind.

Even though he didn't care for this seemingly-honest scholar,

the fight had after all been a result of him defending the
"author" of Dream of the Red Chamber. "Everyone has their
weaknesses," he explained with a smile. "It's just that
sometimes you have to press on regardless. Sometimes scholars
can be small men underneath those fur-lined gowns. I was
talking nonsense back there myself, I hope you don't mind."

"Small men under fur-lined gowns?" He Zongwei thought on

this, and he seemed to have realized something. He bowed
deeply to Fan Ruoruo, who stood next to Fan Xian, and
returned to the restaurant without looking back.

Fan Xian saw that the dark-skinned scholar's face was

slightly reddened, and he realized what had happened. He
looked at his sister with a mocking smile. She remained
expressionless, as the scholar had never approached them at
all.

He knew that He Zongwei's love for her was unrequited, and

he had little sympathy. As he saw it, the husband that his little
sister would find did not necessarily have to be well-renowned,
but he definitely had to be someone she liked.

———————————————————————
 After Fan Xian left, Guo Baokun, He Zongwei and the rest of
the table were left ashen-faced, and they also slinked out of the
restaurant. Quiet returned to the third floor of the restaurant,
save for the patrons discussing the business that had just
transpired with that young man from Fan Manor. They had
never heard of such a person being part of the family of Count
Sinan, and they all guessed that he must have been a cousin of
Miss Fan Ruoruo.

Crown Prince Jing knew of Fan Xian's identity, but he could

not tell the people outside his private room. He slowly emptied
a glass of wine, and sighed. "They all say that the Crown Prince
is fond of literature, and deals only with the great and the
good. Today it seems clear that the none of those people have
any kind of decency."

An advisor by his side thought for a while before responding.

"He Zongwei is a student of Zeng Wenxiang. He will be among
those who take the imperial examinations next year. I do not
know what he is like."

Crown Prince Jing shook his head. "He Zongwei has talent,
but his disposition..." He had overheard some of the talk from
outside, and had remembered their discussions on strength of
character. He laughed. "He lacks strength of character."

The advisor laughed too. "Count Sinan has hidden his

illegitimate son away for so many years. It is interesting
indeed."

Crown Prince Jing waved the fan in his hand, and prepared
to mutter some words of praise, when he suddenly recalled Fan
Xian's words of mockery. He placed the fan on the table and
smiled. "Guo Baokun wields his father's power. He is also on
good terms with the Crown Prince. So do not attach much
importance to Fan Manor. It must have been difficult for those
slow-witted types to survive for so long."
Chapter 52: In the Carriage
Crown Prince Jing was a member of the royal family.
Naturally, he knew the Emperor's feelings for the Fan family.
He was somewhat lost in thought. He heard an advisor
speaking. "Fan Xian entered the capital in a hurry, and today he
is in this restaurant... he shows little talent, and he seems
somewhat impetuous."

Crown Prince Jing waved a hand at him dismissively. "It's

always good to see a bit of dynamism in a young man..." His
tone of voice seemed completely incongruous, considering he
was only 20 years old.

Recalling the young Fan boy's amiable smile, a slight smile of

admiration appeared on the Crown Prince's own face. "What's
more, the Fan family is currently preparing for a wedding. If
Fan Xian is too subdued, it would not be particularly
appropriate. I would presume that after today, the people of
the capital will know that the Fan family has produced a
handsome son."

He had a sudden realization, clapped his hand to his

forehead, and laughed. "When he first asked you to be an
advisor, and it was agreed that you would advise me on
matters of the heart, my father was an idle prince who did not
understand affairs of state. As his son, I am much like him."

"Come, come." He called on the others at his table to drink.

They hurriedly complied. If you are truly resigned to being an
idle prince, they thought, why are you getting so close to the
Fan family, and why are you so close to the second-in-line?

—————————————————————————

As they got into the carriage, the roads were quiet. After a
while, Fan Ruoruo began to giggle. "What's so funny?" asked
Fan Xian.

Fan Ruoruo tried to stifle her laughter, eventually calming

down. "I just thought about what you said earlier. It was really
mean."

"What did I say?" Fan Xian had said a lot at the restaurant,
going completely against his usual principle of keeping a low
profile. It felt improper.
 "That bit about - you know, how they play around all day, all
skin and bones, holding those fans, and was that really
strength?" Fan Ruoruo imitated his tone of voice, and couldn't
prevent a smile from creeping across her face.

Fan Sizhe laughed foolishly, but once he realized that neither

of his siblings were paying him any attention, he was puzzled.

Fan Xian laughed bitterly. "Strength of character is a good

thing, but it's not something exclusive to scholars. When I saw
the snooty looks on their faces, it didn't sit well with me. They
spend the whole day slacking off and getting into pointless
debates. They don't take the imperial exams, or sit and keep
records with Guo. Those bigwigs like to keep a foot in both
camps. They just like the image of being a scholar. They have
no real prospects."

Hearing this, Fan Ruoruo couldn't stop herself from

laughing. No one spoke like her brother did, and maybe there
was nobody else who could understand what he meant.

"When you were talking to Crown Prince Jing earlier, you

certainly had some misgivings." Fan Ruoruo wanted to know
what her brother's true opinion was on the scholars.

"No misgivings. It's just that I spoke too gently." Fan Xian
smiled. "I'm not against that sort of establishment, and I don't
think that scholars shouldn't go there. But I've always felt that
brothel patrons are brothel patrons. If you want to go to a
place like that and still act like you're a scholar, then it's like
being a whore and building a monument to your virginity."

"Don't be so rude," said Fan Ruoruo bashfully. In her view,

her brother could be counted as a gifted scholar - how was he
not scolding himself with this sort of talk?

Fan Xian laughed out loud. "There's nobody else here

anyway." He looked at his sister with a sudden seriousness.
"Remember, whoever you marry, make sure it's not a scholar."

Ruoruo could not keep her calm expression any longer.

"What sort of nonsense is that?"

"That He Zongwei, what is he doing now?"

 Fan Sizhe chimed in. "He's a student at the Imperial College,
he was born poor, but they say he is a student of Zeng
Wenxiang, the grand academician of the archives. He's always
had some recognition for his talent, he's written a few verses...
everybody reckons that he'll be at least third rank at the
imperial examinations next year."

Fan Xian frowned. "He seems honest and considerate," he said

to Ruoruo, "but I think he's hiding something. I don't like
people like that. Be careful, don't get involved with him."

Fan Ruoruo nodded without the slightest hesitation. As she

saw it, Fan Xian was her brother and her tutor, the person she
relied on most.

Fan Xian thought about He Zongwei some more. Since he was

already a well-renowned scholar in the capital, if he wanted to
ingratiate himself with the influential families, he had plenty
to choose from. If it weren't because of his relationship with
his sister, he wouldn't have appeared - did he want to leave a
good impression? He smiled. Being able to discover his identity
in so short a time, and discover his place in Ruoruo's heart -
this so-called scholar really was remarkable.
 He turned his head and glanced at Fan Sizhe, who was
leaning on the window of the carriage, looking out. He felt a
slight chill in his blood. "You and Sizhe should go home first,"
he said to Ruoruo. "I want to take a stroll around the capital."

Fan Sizhe lifted his head from the window, his face
somewhat vacant.

Fan Xian looked at him, and thought back to when he was 12

years old and faced with his own assassination. Then he
thought about how his rival was merely a 12-year-old child,
dragged into these dangerous affairs, and he couldn't help but
sigh. "You're so young... I don't know what to say."

Fan Sizhe hid behind his sister, somewhat scared. He had

always been daring, but for some reason, every time he saw Fan
Xian's gentle smile, he felt afraid. "What are you saying?"

Fan Xian had originally thought that the fight in the

restaurant was deliberately caused by the young boy to make
him look bad in the eyes of Crown Prince Jing. If he wanted to
know what the opinion of the prince's office was when it came
to him inheriting the Fan family's property, it had worked -
because the restaurant was one he had chosen, and the incident
was something he had provoked. But when he looked at Fan
Sizhe's blank expression, he doubted his own judgement. Could
it be that everything that had happened at the restaurant really
was an accident?

The carriage moved slowly on. Fan Xian knew that of the six
bodyguards who followed him and his siblings, and least two
of them were men from the Liu clan. He said nothing.

Fan Ruoruo remained quiet, her head lowered, saying

nothing. As she thought on these family matters, she felt
gloomy.

The carriage reached the street where Fan Manor stood, and
Ruoruo led her little brother into the manor. Fan Xian
continued on with his tour of the capital. At first Fan Ruoruo
had wanted to go with him, but there was something he
wanted to do later, and he had to refuse her with a smile. He
looked into Fan Sizhe's eyes, and told him that he was not to
speak of anything to do with Dream of the Red Chamber; he
was unsure whether he would heed his words.
 Teng Zijing sat in the carriage, looking at his young master.
He wasn't sure when he had decided to follow this 16-year-old
boy. He was certainly a promising lad. Perhaps the spring
weather in Danzhou had lifted his mood; perhaps he had been
influenced by the youngster on their travels to the capital;
perhaps the two had reached some sort of agreement.

Fan Xian thought a while, propping up his chin on his hand.

"I asked father to send you. I didn't think you'd have to get us
out of trouble so soon. Don't blame me."

Teng Zijing laughed. "Young master, you are out of the

ordinary," he replied respectfully. "It is naturally of great
benefit to me to follow you."

Fan Xian smiled. "How am I out of the ordinary? Back in the

restaurant, I was mouthing off like any clueless youth."

Teng Zijing tried to figure out what he meant. "Young

master," he replied carefully, "I understand what you are
thinking. I believe this matter has nothing to do with you."
 The carriage had stopped, and the cool breeze entered
silently, refreshing their minds. Fan Xian looked Teng Zijing in
the eye. "I also hope it has nothing to do with him," he said
gently.
Chapter 53: Alone
Fan Xian had arranged for Teng Zijing to share his carriage
for their whole journey, so these words had not escaped him.
He frowned. "It does seem too much of a coincedence. I have
only just entered the capital. Why would I get into fights with
people? Sizhe follows me one day, and during a fight at the
restaurant, Crown Prince Jing just happens to be there. It is
hard to explain such a coincedence."

Teng Zijing smiled. "Your brother may be rude and

unreasonable, but there is no evil in him. Lady Liu would not
give him such a task.

"Her son is not fit to be a scholar or a fighter," he continued.

"It seems he is only good for eating, drinking, and bragging.
Lady Liu holds him in contempt."

A bitter smile crept across Fan Xian's face. "Because she does
knows her son cannot support her, she is plotting against me...
she's a tough one. Lady Liu... she wants everyone to think that
the Count's baseborn son is just a useless, spoiled braggart and
nothing more."
 "Perhaps you were unaware," said Teng Zijing, "but
something always happens whenever your brother leaves the
house. So when Lady Liu had him follow you, she didn't need
to plan anything. He would get you in to trouble all by
himself."

"You mean, just by having him causing trouble around me, I

would appear to the outside world to be the spoiled son of rich
parents."

"Correct." Teng Zijing smiled. "Lady Liu's plan is simple, but

it seems very effective."

Fan Xian laughed. "Lady Liu is very interesting... she knew

that everyone would tarnish Sizhe and me with the same
brush. Very interesting indeed. I just didn't think that Crown
Prince Jing would be at the same restaurant."

"You acted correctly, young master," replied Teng Zijing.

"Though you might have offended some of the scholars with
your words, but scholars are always quick to take offense. The
people of the capital may think you are arrogant, but it's better
than thinking that you are some good-for-nothing."
 "Is public opinion that important?" Fan Xian laughed. "Is the
Fan family really in such high demand? Is Lady Liu a pure and
simple-hearted woman after all?" He looked at Teng Zijing.
"These are all problems, but really, they're not my probems."

Teng Zijing was curious. "Young master, what do you

consider to be your problems?"

Anxiety crept across Fan Xian's handsome face. "My problems

are that I still don't know what my bride-to-be looks like, and
whether she's really on death's door."

————————————————————————————

The carriage stopped in an alley by the side of Tianhe

Avenue. All along the road, the government departments were
still open for business, the eaves of the buildings swooping like
phoenixes, heading towards the horizon. At the far end was an
unremarkable square building. It seemed terribly somber.

Fan Xian had not let Teng Zijing follow him. Although it
seemed that he had already made the firm decision to stay by
his young master's side, Fan Xian did not fancy himself as some
kind of leader of men. After all, he was his father's servant -
there were some things he could not allow him to know.

Next to a vendor's stall selling candied berries, he scoped out

the Overwatch Council. He bought a stick of the candied fruits,
and gnawed at it as he walked towards it, his toothache
subsiding.

He walked into a bookseller's shop along the way, taking a

look around. The books were various classics and histories
that he'd read countless times. He approached the shopkeeper.
"Do you have Story of the Stone?" he asked in a low voice.

A strange smile appeared on the bookseller's face, and he

replied in the same whisper. "Follow me, sir."

With no particular attempt at stealth, they walked into a side

room, and the bookseller retrieved a set of books, handing
them to Fan Xian. Fan Xian took them and looked at them.
They looked a lot like the version he had bought from the old
woman earlier. Satisfied, he nodded, and handed over the
money.
 "Keep them here for now. Someone from Fan Manor will be
along to collect them later." His sister already had a copy at
home. The books felt unpleasantly heavy, so he intended to let
servants from the house pick them up a while later.

"Fan Manor?" asked the shopkeeper, somewhat embarrassed.

"Count Sinan's estate, yes." Were there any other Fan

Manors? He still didn't know how large the Fan clan was in the
capital, if Count Sinan was simply head of a minor branch, or
whether it was only over the past decade that, thanks to his
grandmother, their prosperity had led them to become the
most prominent branch of the Fan clan.

The shopkeeper respectfully complied, wrapping up the book

and placing it under the counter.

Fan Xian asked a few questions about the bookseller, and the
answers the bookseller gave him made him feel uneasy. The
bookseller saw that the customer had not immediately left
after buying a book, and the chance to chat to a customer made
him smile.
 As they chatted, a faint sound made Fan Xian's ears prick up.

As he smiled and chatted with the shopkeeper, he shifted his

zhenqi around, and his ears immediately became more
sensitive, until he finally recognized the sound he was scouting
out in the quiet environment of the bookshop.

The sound of breathing, different to any normal person's

breathing.

The breathing was weak, long, and distant. It was clearly

someone who knew how to control their zhenqi. Fan Xian
knew that it was someone his father had sent to protect or
observe him. He frowned.

The bookseller saw his customer suddenly frown. Although

he thought it was a handsome frown, he assumed he had said
something wrong, and couldn't help but feel anxious.

——————————————————————————
 Coming out of the rear door of the bookshop, Fan Xian made
sure that he had escaped the two footmen behind him. He was
quite pleased with himself. He recalled the things he had
learned from Fei Jie when he was young. Other than the art of
poison, he had learnt how to lose someone who was on his tail
- it seemed it had finally come in handy.

Following the crowds as they walked along the flagstones on

Tianhe Avenue, he looked at the buildings on both sides of the
street. They were an interesting sight, particularly the space in
front of the buildings, where there stood a channel for gently-
running water. If you wanted to enter the government offices,
you had to walk over a small wooden bridge above the water.

The gentle waters were like a mirror, reflecting the shadow of

the bridge and the branches from the trees that hung over the
street. It was quiet and beautiful, and peach blossoms would
occasionally float past on the wind, landing on the surface of
the winter and being carried slowly along.

He walked along the side, looking at the flowing water

beneath his feet, and a satisfied smile crept across his face. In
the few days since he had come to the capital, he had found
that all sorts of things were greatly different from what he had
originally imagined, and he was tired out. Feeling refreshed by
spring in the capital, his spirit had been lifted.

As he came to the door of the Overwatch Council, he looked

at the limestone building and scowled. It wasn't a pretty
building, he thought, and it didn't fit in with the interesting-
looking buildings with their swooping eaves and strong walls.
He couldn't help but admit that the building matched Fei Jie's
not-too-pleasant-looking face.

When he walked in, he noticed that the officials and the

"pedestrians" who walked by were all staring at him strangely.

He looked at himself carefully, making sure that there was

nothing about him that might have drawn anyone's attention,
and lifted his head high - but the strange looks from people
around him had still not subsided.
Chapter 54: Inside the Overwatch
Council
Stopping a passing scribe and looking at his lifeless face, Fan
Xian felt inexplicably nervous. But he was amiable; the man
seemed like he could have been a colleague of Fei Jie’s. Fan
Xian smiled sweetly and called out, "Hello!"

The lifeless-looking fellow peered at Fan Xian with a strange

expression, just like everyone else in the building. After a long
while, he spoke. "Hello."

He sounded rather stiff.

Fan Xian gulped. "If I may be so bold as to ask... Why is

everyone watching me?" he asked, smiling.

The scribe smiled, showing his deathly pale teeth. He found

this youth's bashful smile interesting. "If a stranger were
discovered in a place that strangers never enter," he responded,
"wouldn't you stare too?"
 Fan Xian suddenly realized something, and then felt utterly
perplexed. "Is this not the Overwatch Council?" he asked. "It's a
royal institution... Has no stranger really ever come inside to
conduct business?"

The man pointed outside and explained kindly. "Look over

there."

Fan Xian saw that there was nobody by the entrance to the
Council, and the pedestrians had all made a detour to the
opposite side of the road.

The man smiled frightfully and knitted his wrinkled brow.

"The people of the capital always avoid our office. As for
official business, we never deal with the public; only matters of
state. And His Majesty does not involve the other departments
of the government in these matters. So we have nothing to do
with the other offices."

Fan Xian laughed bitterly. "So it looks like I'm trespassing."

 "Do you not know what the Overwatch Council does?" asked
the man, curious.

"I have some idea," replied Fan Xian. After all, he was a
student of Master Fei Jie of the Third Bureau of the Overwatch
Council, so he had some familiarity with their work.

"And yet you still presume to charge in here." The man

shrugged. "Any ordinary person would avoid this place as if it
were the palace of the King of Hell."

Fan Xan couldn't help but smile. "Perhaps I saw the King of
Hell myself when I was younger?"

The man smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Very well."

The skin on his right shoulder broke out in goose pimples.

His tone of voice reminded Fan Xian of Sun Erniang, the
character from Water Margin who would lure travellers into
her tavern before knocking them out, chopping them up and
stuffing them into steamed buns.
 The man smiled. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Fan Xian felt as if the man had suddenly turned into a hotel
concierge from his previous life. He shook his head, trying to
clear his wandering mind. He fiddled with a coin between his
fingers. "Is Fei Jie here?" he asked politely.

The man was taken aback. He opened his mouth, but said
nothing. His expression immediately changed from the
seemingly unconcerned one he had before; it was now one of
reverence with a touch of fear. "You are looking for Master
Fei?"

As they spoke, the man flicked his finger, rebounding the coin
up Fan Xian's sleeve. Fan Xian raised an eyebrow. He knew that
the man's skill seemed simple, but it was beautiful. He must
have practiced sleight of hand for many years. Such precision
told him that this seemingly ordinary functionary of the
Overwatch Council was a secret master.

Fan Xian nodded, confirming that he had come to find Fei Jie.
He noticed that the man was wiping clean the hand that had
patted his shoulder.
 "Master Fei is not here," he replied politely, carefully moving
back a few paces and creating distance between himself and
Fan Xian. "Master Fei is supervising matters near the border."

It suddenly hit Fan Xian that this was what Teng Zijing was
talking about. The Director of the Overwatch Council was
visiting his hometown, a journey that would take at least three
months. Assuming that Fei would do nothing, the only
superior who could control him was not present. Of course Fei
would slip away.

He thanked the man and turned to leave. "Pardon me, what is

your name?" he asked the man with a sudden smile.

"My name is Wang Qinian, sir." Wang Qinian, official at the

Overwatch Council, had seen this youngster with his bashful
smile come barging in to the Council demanding to see Master
Fei, asking for him by name. He decided that he was no
ordinary commoner, and it was best to be deferent and call him
"sir".

Fan Xian knew that after this man heard him ask after Fei
Jie, he would have subconsciously connected him with the
danger of poison, and so he wiped his hands and moved back.
He looked at Wang Qinian and smiled. "If Master Fei returns,
please let me know. Tell him... his student has come to the
capital."

Fei Jie's student? Wang Qinian had a sudden urge to chop off
his right hand; to punish himself for his impudence. He cleared
his throat.

——————————————————————

As he left the Overwatch Council, the sun shone down on the

trees on either side of the street, and the shadows of countless
leaves fell across Fan Xian's body. He walked westward along
the road, and then sat on a railing by the side of the running
waters. His hands were propping him up on both sides and he
watched the crowd walk by. For a while, he was unsure where
to go next.

He didn't want to go back to Fan Manor, even though his

beloved sister was there. When he thought about Lady Liu and
his father – and his plump little brother, forced to compete
with him instead of spending his days reading happily – he felt
uneasy.

He was willing to fight for what was his, and he wasn't going
to give up.

But Fan Xian was still unsure what exactly belonged to him
in this world. After all, he had once lived a different life, and
he felt a degree of separation from this world.

He had not told his father that he would be going to the

Overwatch Council to find Fei Jie. Although his father knew
that Fei Jie was his teacher, he always felt that Fei Jie seemed
more trustworthy. Perhaps it was because, not long after
coming to this world, he had grown close to Fei Jie, as he had
taught Fan Xian about the human body.

Now, Fei Jie was no longer in the capital. This raised some
questions for Fan Xian over the arrangements for him to come
to the city. And so he wondered what to do next.
 As he pondered, he leapt off the railing and began to walk
back absent-mindedly. When he passed the Council building
for the second time, he noticed that the pedestrians were all
sticking to the right side of the street, avoiding the entrance as
if they feared that some sort of foul odor was seeping from the
building.

He narrowed his eyes and headed toward the building. The

thin clouds overhead scattered and exquisite sunshine radiated
out, leaving him dazzled by a ray of golden light.

Rubbing his eyes, he headed toward where the light was

reflecting from and discovered a tablet by the entrance to the
Council, squatting like a vanquished tiger on the floor. The
tablet was made of stone and had a few words written upon it.

Fan Xian furrowed his brow. The words felt somewhat

familiar, as if he'd seen them somewhere before. But when he
racked his brains, he couldn't think of where they might have
come from. He looked beneath and saw the inscription.

It was a strange yet familiar name.

Chapter 55: Candied Berries and the
Temple of Qing
"Ye Qingmei?"

Fan Xian was shocked as he quietly and unthinkingly read

the name aloud. He never would have thought that his
mother's name would appear on a stone tablet outside the
Overwatch Council.

He remained calm on the surface, but his mind was racing -

why was his mother's name on this tablet outside the
Overwatch Council? Although the lady of the Ye family had
been the richest woman in the country, it seemed she was
treated even better than the Emperor. Furthermore, his
mother's strange death undoubtedly had something to do with
the nobility of the Kingdom of Qing. Although Wu Zhu had
said that during the incident ten years ago the enemies of the
Ye family had been completely annihilated, who could
guarantee for certain that the relatives of those enemies did
not remain in the royal court?

Now, Ye Qingmei's name was clearly not to be spoken, and

the Ye family's assets had been completely appropriated, their
business becoming property of the royal family.

The Overwatch Council clearly displayed Ye Qingmei's name

by their door. Wu Zhu had said that very few people knew that
Ye Qingmei was his mother, but the royal family of the
Kingdom of Qing knew; was Director Chen so brazen that he
didn’t care about the reputation of the royal family?

But as he read the small stone tablet, Fan Xian understood

the meaning of what Wu Zhu had said in Danzhou.

"Not many people knew that her name was Ye Qingmei. The
servants simply called her 'Miss'. But the name Ye Qingmei... is
well known in the capital."

Fan Xian rubbed his hands, lowered his head and walked on.
If such a tablet stood outside the entrance to the Overwatch
Council, so feared by the people of the capital, the name of Ye
Qingmei was surely well-known indeed.

These thoughts all came to him within a short matter of

time. He tried not to let it show, rolling up his sleeves and
continuing to walk eastward with no expression on his face, as
if he had never read the name.

And because he had read the tablet, Fan Xian couldn't help
but think of the Prime Minister's daughter, the girl he was
about to marry. He had heard his father say that her mother
was the Eldest Princess, now in control of the Ye family's
former business. If there was anything in this world that he
felt was his by right, it was this business - it was an odd
feeling.

He had heard from Teng Zijing where the mansion of the

young lady of the Lin family was located, but he knew her
background and her identity well, and the capital was filled
with hidden dangers, so he didn't dare try to sneak in. He had
come to the Overwatch Council to find Fei Jie, and wanted to
use the exceptional methods of the Council to find a way to see
her on her sickbed. At the same time, he had wanted to ask Fei
Jie to help him find out more about her illness.

But, to his surprise, Fei Jie was no longer in the capital. Fan
Xian was somewhat annoyed. Did he really have to wait until
he was married to even know what his bride looked like? That
was out of the question, he admonished himself. He had to find
a way to spy on her, just in case there was something wrong
with her, so that he would have time to prepare to flee this
arranged marriage.

The more he walked, the angrier he felt. When he first came

to the capital, he had sadly discovered that he was not familiar
with these roads at all. He came back up Tianhe Avenue and
found that he couldn't see his family's carriage anywhere.

Just then, he caught sight of a young boy holding candied

hawthorne berries on a stick, munching away as he walked
along. Smelling their sweet and familiar aroma, Fan Xian
caught up with the boy, snatched away the stick, and gnawed at
them, confirming that they had come from the same vendor
that he had visited before, and asked where the vendor was.

The young boy was rather frightened, thinking that he had

run into some kind of candy thief. After Fan Xian finally
pacified him by throwing him a handful of copper coins, he
pointed him in the right direction.

Fan Xian headed off that way, walking for a long time before
finally coming to the sad realization that the place that the boy
had said was not where he should have been at all. He had
already reached the edges of the city, a place he did not know at
all. Though he was quite proud of his stamina for walking so
far, he was not so proud of his intellect.

A single temple stood in this desolate place.

To find such desolate area in a bustling city was no easy feat.

It was, perhaps, not so much desolate as it was unusually
clean. On the eaves, beams and pillars of the temple, there was
not a speck of dust to be seen

As he craned his neck up to look at the black wooden

building, he couldn't help but be reminded of the Temple of
Heaven in Beijing in his former life, though the temple in front
of him was much smaller, and it seemed less connected to the
mysteries of heaven and more concerned with secular beauty.

The main entrance was covered in thick black lacquer and

looked extremely solemn. On a flat horizontal tablet above the
gate stood the words: "Temple of Qing".
 Fan Xian used his tongue to extract the last remnants of
candied berries from between his teeth. He looked at the
golden-painted words above him that designated this sacred
ground, and he was filled with a feeling that was hard to
describe.

This was the Temple of Qing. It was said that this was the
only place in the Kingdom of Qing connected to the Temple of
the Void; this was where the royal family came to make
sacrifices to Heaven.

When he was in Danzhou, Fei Jie had said that the Heavenly
Altar was three miles away from the imperial palace, which
Fan Xian took to mean a place that was three miles away, never
guessing that "three miles away" was a part of its name. .

Fan Xian's jaw hung open. Before he came to the capital, he

thought that since no one knew where the temple was, he had
to come and see the Heavenly Altar at the Temple of Qing,
because there was a question that had bothered him for 16
years, a question to which he had never found an answer:

Why had he come to this world?

 In the novels he had read in his previous life, Xiang Shaolong
had his reasons, there was a reason for the adventures that
followed, and ultimately, no reason was needed.

But Fan Xian was filled with deep doubts. He needed a

reason, something that explain to him how he could have
clearly died and been reborn in this world.

He never would have thought that that the child would have
pointed him in the direction of the Temple of Qing. This
realization made him feel somewhat dizzy. Perhaps there was
some faint and mysterious connection between him and the
temple. Perhaps this was fate.

He was firmly convinced that the candied hawthorne berries

had brought him to his destiny.

As he stepped forward, all was quiet around him. He softly

opened the heavy wooden gate, which seemed not to have been
opened in many years.

...
 ...

"Stop!"

An angry shout came through the air.

Xiang Shaolong is a character from a series concerning a man who was sent back through time.
Chapter 56: The Nobleman
Fan Xian was alarmed. A yell had suddenly had erupted in
what he thought was a silent and sacred place. He looked and
found that there were people inside the temple. Blocking his
path was a middle-aged man with deep-set eyes and a nose like
a hawk, who stared at him with a vicious glare.

Fan Xian could see that the man was not pleased. He thought
back to the historical classics he had read; in the customs of
the Imperial City, for someone to hide behind the door of the
Temple of Qing to scare people, swooping like a hawk hunting
a rabbit, was certainly not right.

Who the hell wanted to be that rabbit?

Fan Xian frowned. "Sir, you almost made me deaf with how
loud you were."

The man's expression was thoroughly stern, and he pushed

Fan Xian away, admonishing him in a low voice. "Get out of
here, quick! There are people praying inside the temple and
they are not to be disturbed." It was clear by the man's clothes
that he was the attendant for some rich family, though his tone
of voice sounded like some sort of government official.

But Fan Xian did not realize this. Ever since Fei Jie had taken
him to dig up graves in his childhood, he had become
something of a clean-freak. He saw the hand that was coming
toward him, frowned, intertwined his hands and grabbed the
man by the wrists.

There was a small cracking sound.

The two stared at each other in astonishment, having

discovered that they seemed matched in skill; they were
intertwined around each other like two snakes, neither able to
break free.

The middle-aged man made a noise of approval, his eyes

shimmering. With a hidden power that flowed like a river, he
forced his wrists back toward Fan Xian.

Fan Xian groaned. He hadn't expected to come across such an

expert fighter. His back began to feel hot, and the powerful
zhenqi he had kept pacified for many years immediately
reacted, pouring out form the dantian point in his pubic
region, striking the man with a rigid blow in response.

With a low humming sound, the dust that sat on the stone
steps began to rise up into the air, forming itself into some sort
of strange sphere before dissipating.

The pair walked back a few steps, shaken. The middle-aged

man covered his lips and coughed. Fan Xian remained
expressionless, as if nothing had happened.

The middle-aged man eyed him coolly. "So young, but with
such powerful zhenqi. Who are you?"

"It doesn't matter who I am. I just want to get into the temple
to pray. Why are you stopping me?" Fan Xian replied, matching
his gaze.

"There are nobles within the temple. You'll have to wait,

boy." The man thought that this boy's power seemed similar to
his own. He wondered just which of the capital's families he
may have come from, and whether it was senior to his own,
and so he suppressed his own urge for violence.

Slight amusement flashed in Fan Xian's eyes. "In the laws of

the Temple of Qing, there is no regulation that states I have to
wait outside before I can pray."

The middle-aged man frowned. He did not like this boy. He

brushed down his sleeves and went into the temple, leaving
Fan Xian outside.

Fan Xian opened his mouth to speak, but he was overcome

with a sense of gloom. He tasted blood, and retrieved a
handkerchief from his sleeve to wipe his mouth. Luckily, as his
secret power had flowed, at the crucial moment, his right
forefinger had quietly flicked the man's pulse point. He had a
much greater understanding of the workings of the human
body than most skilled fighters; otherwise it was likely that he
would suffer great wounds.

He looked at the heavy wooden door again, and his heart

skipped a beat. He didn't dare try to push the seemingly-
unopenable door open again.
 ...

...

Fan Xian coughed. A determined look crept across his

handsome face. Since he couldn't beat the man in combat, it
seemed best to retreat and come back to beat him some time
later. As he turned to leave, the door behind him opened again.
The middle-aged man who had injured him stood at the
entrance. "The master says that you may enter the side
chamber to pray. Don't go into the main hall."

After he'd finished, he spoke again. "I said don't go into the
main hall; do you hear me?"

Fan Xian turned around and looked at the man, and looked
again at the seemingly unfathomable and eerie Temple of Qing.
He frowned, dusted down his sleeves, and stepped over the tall
threshold, walking toward the side chamber without looking
back.
 As he watched this young man face such an obstacle without
getting anxious, angry, timid, or retreating, and continue on
with his goal, the middle-aged man felt a twinge of admiration.

He closed the temple door and looked around, furrowing his

brow. Those brats had let the kid get all the way to the door of
the temple. They were getting extra drills that evening.

————————————————————————

The Temple of Qing was a quiet place. The people of the

Kingdom of Qing were realists - if they wanted to make
offerings, they preferred to go to Dongshan Temple on the
western side of the city to pray to the Maiden Who Brings
Children and other immortals who would bring them wealth.

But the people of the Kingdom of Qing respected and feared

Heaven, and the Emperor was the so-called Son of Heaven, so
the Temple of Qing became a place where the royal family
would offer sacrifices to Heaven. Although the Temple of Qing
was open to commoners most days, the common people did not
like its heavy and eerie atmosphere.
 The main hall of the Temple of Qing looked a lot like the
Temple of Heaven: It was circular, with two floors and eaves
that jutted outwards; looked absolutely beautiful.

The middle-aged man stood respectfully outside the main

hall, looking at the nobles inside who admired its colorful
walls with their hands clasped behind their back. "I am
allowing this young man to enter the side chamber in
accordance with the master's wishes," he said in a low voice.

The nobles looked around 40 years of age, and though they

did not look anything like soldiers, their eyes seemed world-
weary, touched by an indecipherable tiredness.

"What family is he from that he would allow him to match

blows with you?" asked one of the nobles, smiling.

Though he was a highly-skilled fighter, he was an attendant

to the man who stood before him. "I do not know," he replied
sincerely. "But I wanted to let you know, sir. His methods...
were very similar to those of the family bodyguards."
 The nobleman was astonished. "Oh? Could he be the son of Li
Zhi?"

The middle-aged man laughed bitterly. "Sir, although I have

never liked having dealings with him, Crown Prince Jing
knows him."

"Oh." The nobleman turned around to continue looking at

the murals on the walls. He had so many matters to consider
each day that it was rare that he could find a moment's peace,
so he decided not to trouble himself further with this small
matter and let that youngster enter the side chamber to pray. It
was good to know that the nation could produce such talented
young people.

The middle-aged man stood guard quietly outside the main

hall, occasionally glancing into the side chamber.

...

...
 Some time later, a clamor arose from outside the hall. The
nobleman suddenly frowned. "The girl isn't resting in the back.
Is she doing something in the side chamber?"

The middle-aged man was alarmed. He turned his ears to the

direction of the sound. He raised his head. "The princess has
gone to the side chamber."

The nobleman furrowed his brow. "That noise..." He

suddenly thought of something, and his face changed. "Go and
look, and... bring that young man to me."

"Yes sir." The middle aged man was about to take his leave
when suddenly, a squawk came from outside the temple. The
temple doors were opened, and a rushed-looking man ran in,
handing him a letter with a wax seal upon it.
Chapter 57: The Fluttering Heart
Fan Xian kept his head low as he walked towards the side
temple, but out of the corners of his eyes, he couldn’t stop
looking at the Heavenly Altar in the main hall. He was very
curious as to who was blessed enough over there to drive away
such a skilled opponent. He knew his opponent must indeed
have an immeasurably in-depth background, but he was here
only to look around, and didn’t feel like butting in, despite
"minding other people’s business" being in his name.

His right hand was still at his lips, and from time to time, he
would cough once or twice. After scanning his upper body with
zhenqi, he was able to make sure there weren’t any substantial
injuries. His lungs and airways weren’t hurt, but his vocal
cords were torn when he was retaliating.

Fan Xian kept coughing as he walked, dotting his white

handkerchief with blood. He thought of Lin Daiyu, Su
Mengzhen, Zhou Yu, Lin Qinnan, and many of his seniors—
cough, well, not Lin Qinnan, who was not as tear-jerking as
the other three.
 By the time he arrived at the side hall, his zhenqi had already
healed his throat. Fan Xian put his handkerchief away
somewhat sadly. He turned and took one more look at the Sky
Altar before walking into the side temple.

The side temple was slightly smaller and surrounded by a

blue stone wall. There was no one inside. Fan Xian was
disappointed not to have seen any ascetics. As he walked in
further, he was even more disappointed after discovering there
were no statues of deities, unlike the temples he had known in
his previous life.

He eventually changed his tune, however. This should be

normal, since the people were worshipping the sky. Naturally,
they couldn’t grasp its form.

In the center of the temple was an extremely wide incense

table. Pale yellow satin hung down from the table, reaching the
ground and covering the stone pavement underneath.

On the table was an elegant porcelain incense burner with

three sticks in incense that had already been burned through
more than halfway. The entire room was filled with a calming
aroma.

Fan Xian wandered aimlessly, and his gaze scanned across the
murals. He discovered that those murals resembled the more
contemporary oil paintings from his previous life. However,
the deities depicted standing at mountaintops, floating on the
sea, or sitting by volcanoes all had blurred out faces. It was
almost as if the artist intended them to be this way.

Fan Xian noticed that the murals told of ancient folktales

commonly found in books, including stories such as Gun Yu
controlling the great flood, among other things Fan Xian
couldn’t match up the murals with their books.

He shook his head, relinquishing the thought he would find

answers here. He found a thin cushion, threw it before the
incense table, and got down. His clasped his hands together
and closed his eyes. His lips moved slightly to the rising of the
smoke from the incense as he kept praying.

Fan Xian was an atheist in his previous life, but the Fan Xian
now was truly religious. Such a change was to be expected.
Anyone going through what he experienced would surely do
the same.

Which was why he was worshipping so sincerely. He prayed

that the heavens and the temple would tell him why he was in
this world. Not to mention, though, that he prayed for a
trouble-free life with lots of money.

...

...

Suddenly, there was a disturbance in the incense smoke. Fan

Xian’s ears perked up, as if they had heard something. Feeling
doubtful, he opened his eyes and saw the little incense burner
trembling slightly. He was absolutely astonished. Had his
seemingly devote, absent-minded prayer finally reached the
heavens?

His gaze stopped at the wide incense table. Fan Xian finally
discovered where the problem was. His eyes flashed. With his
left hand on the hilt of his concealed dagger, he reached out
slowly but firmly with his right hand and lifted up the satin
which draped over the table.

———————————————————————————

Lifting up the satin, Fan Xian could not believe his eyes.

Half-kneeling under the table was a girl wearing a hanfu

wrapped youren style. She too was shocked as she stared at Fan
Xian.

The girl had big eyes with a gentle gaze, resembling the
surface of a tranquil lake. Her face was exquisitely beautiful;
she had pale, tender skin and long eyelashes, like a character
from a painting.

Stunned, Fan Xian couldn’t move his eyes away. He gradually

noticed that the girl’s forehead was slightly big and her nose
was slightly pointy. Her skin was just a bit whiter than normal,
and her lips were somewhat thicker than conventional beauty
standards. Despite those imperfections, her overall
appearance, plus her faintly frightened expression and innate
shyness, still made Fan Xian’s heart skip a bit.

His heart was moved.

The girl looked at this sky-worshipping youth with curiosity.

She wasn’t expecting the youth to look so beautiful with his
long eyelashes. She couldn’t help but sneak a few more looks at
him.

Afterwards, the girl felt she was being rather inappropriate.

A hint of red began to spread across her cheeks before quickly
disappearing. The redness had at one point spread to her ears.

And yet she still reluctantly refused to look away. She was
that curious, wondering where this good-looking youth came
from.

...
 ...

It was all quiet in the center of the temple, Fan Xian’s hand
still held onto the satin, his eyes were still fixated on the girl’s
face. The girl had now gathered up the courage to look back at
him. They mutually looked at each other. A long time passed,
everything was still silent.

Fan Xian scanned his eyes across the girl’s face, and she
couldn’t help but lower her head in embarrassment. An
unusual glisten on the girl’s lips got Fan Xian’s attention.

He took a couple more looks before realizing the reason.

What was about to happen would remain in his memory for a
long time—the girl was holding a chicken leg, and the grease
had gotten on her lips while she ate.

This beautiful girl in white; to think she hid under the

incense table to eat chicken! Fan Xian’s jaws hung open at this
contrast. He was speechless for a while.

Finally, the uncomfortably quietness was finally broken.

 "Who… You… Who are you?"

The beautiful duo spoke at the same time, their gently

shaking voice matching each other.

Fan Xian heard the girl for the first time. Her voice felt soft
and without strength. It was a comfortable sound, but it also
left him without any sense of direction. There was a feeling of
excitement around his chest. Fan Xian then threw up a
mouthful of blood.

"Ah!" the girl yelped in surprise. She wasn’t afraid, however,

as her eyes showed intense sympathy as if she felt all of Fan
Xian’s suffering.

Seeing the girl worrying on his behalf, Fan Xian’s heart

warmed. He reassured her with a smile on his face: "this is
nothing. I’ll get used to it."
Chapter 58: It Was Her
With wind from the South, the bitter fleabane comes into my
arms.

The flower bud blossoms in my arms, it blossoms for a

gentleman like you.

They are a rare pairing, time and tide wait for no man.

If you send me a papaya, I will return you a fine jade.

—————————————————————

Hearing the novel witty remark, a smile flashed across the

worried eyes of the girl.

Fan Xian looked at her with a smile and said softly, "Still
hidden inside?"
 The girl shook her head shyly.

Meanwhile, there came a voice from outside, "Madam, where

are you?" The girl in white immediately turned pale, knowing
that she had to leave.

Fan Xian also knew that someone outside must be looking for
her. Looking at her expression, a sense of loss arose in his
heart, fearing that he would not be able to find her after her
departure today. So he asked anxiously, "Will you come
tomorrow?"

She shook her head with a dim expression.

"Are you a member of the noble family in the main hall?" Fan
Xian asked tentatively.

The girl thought and smiled without answering him. She

came out from a long altar and ran out like the wind. Before
stepping out of the gate of the temple, she looked back at
Fanxian and cast her eyes on the chicken leg in her hand. She
stuck out her tongue playfully. She thought of how her uncle
would scold her if he saw her doing that.

Her eyes rolled around. She ran back and gave Fan Xian the
chicken leg. Then she ran out of the gate of the temple smiling
and waving her hand.

She never came back.

...

...

Fan Xian was half-kneeling on the prayer mat, confirming

that what he saw previously was not a fairy sent by god.
Looking down at the chicken leg in his hand and giggled. He
decided that he must find the girl in the capital city no matter
how deeply he had to dig up the streets. "If the girl is not
betrothed…" he thought to himself. "No– even if she is engaged
to some other fool, I’ll get her back!"
 When he walked out of the temple gate with the oily chicken
leg in his hand, he saw a line of carriages approaching from the
east. He knew that the girl in white must be in one of the
carriages.

The setting sun was shining in the green trees on both sides
of the road, making the leaves seem like they were on fire.

Fan Xian raised the chicken leg and nibbled at it absent-

mindedly. Suddenly, he remembered that the girl’s sweet lips
had also bitten the chicken leg and his heart swelled.

"Chicken leg, chicken leg, bitten by the maiden; you are the
happiest chicken leg in the world."

He went to the center of the capital city with a smile. With

great appreciation toward the little child eating a string of
candied hawthorn, he took his time, even though he couldn’t
find his way back to Fan Manor. The person who he really
should have thanked was the blind man who was not far
behind him, holding a bamboo walking stick and disappearing
into the twilight.
 —————————————————————

Gong Qu was not as upbeat as Fan Xian. He had come out

with the master for relaxation. Unexpectedly, there were many
troubling issues on the way. Firstly, an unknown teenager ran
through the secret blockade of his own bodyguards and ran
into the Qing temple. Secondly, the little girl was seen by
everyone slipping to the side hall. "What use are those old
nuns?" he was thinking.

However, he had no way to vent his resentment, because the

master looked gloomy and seemed very angry. It seemed that
the encrypted letter made him unhappy.

"Gong Dian," the nobleman in the carriage cried coldly. For 20

years now, he had hated sitting in a sedan chair. "If Chen
Pingping still does not want to come back, send your men to
get her."

"Yes, my lord." Gong Dian complied, but inwardly

complained, thinking about who might be able to do that job
well.
 Noticing that the carriage was quiet, Gong Dian secretly
sighed with relief and relaxed a bit. Turning around to see the
dejected guards behind, he burst into anger. The guards hidden
secretly outside the Qing temple had been knocked
unconscious by someone. And he didn’t even know who did it!

Because of this, that teenager had entered the heavily

guarded Qing Temple very easily.

Gong Dian frowned, wondering who had the ability to

silently knock the eight guards unconscious at the same time.
This was like something that only the Four Great
Grandmasters were capable of! If… it was an assassin…? His
heart was seized with fear and he dared not to continue that
line of thought. Yet he knew that a secret investigation would
be carried out after he came back.

The carriage with florally decorated windows at the end of

the procession was different from the other ones. The girl in
white who gazed at Fan Xian with embarrassment in Qing
Temple was now half-leaning on the seat. With a faint smile,
she seemed to be recalling something.
 The maid beside her was relaxed after seeing her ladyship
was so happy. The maid asked, "My lady, why are you so happy
today?"

The girl smiled and said, "Every time I go out with my uncle,
I feel so happy. At least it’s better than staying in that dismal
room."

The maid tooted and said, "But the imperial physician said
you cannot be exposed to the wind because of the disease."

On hearing the word "disease", the girl became dismal and

upset. But when she thought of the handsome young man she
met, she felt better. She thought to herself, "I am ill-fated and
cannot live much longer. Should I be happy or unhappy that I
met that man?"

Then she thought of the rumor that she had been involved in
and that aristocrat of Fan Manor. Even though the mother
opposed, and the strange father seemed to oppose it, too, but…
Who can bend uncle’s will? This made her depressed. With a
kind of sweetness in her chest, she pulled a white handkerchief
to cover her mouth.
 After coughing several times, the handkerchief was dotted
with a little bit of blood.

The maid panicked after seeing the blood, and said with a
crying voice, "You’re spitting up blood again. This can’t be
good."

With a faint smile, the girl recalled what the teenager said,
and chuckled. "So what? I’m used to it by now. "

The maid sighed in astonishment. She had no idea what the

girl meant. She thought the disease had made her delirious.

——————————————————————————

Fan Xian came back to Fan Manor at night in a fluster. He

made a decision that he had to tie the official belt onto his
waist when he went out next time.
 It was supper time, and four people were waiting for him at
the table. He felt sorry, but Count Sinan was expressionless and
Mrs. Liu smiled gently with no trace of disdain.

He explained what had happened with a few words. Fan

Ruoruo burst into laughter, thinking her older brother was
foolish. Even if he could not find his own carriage, it would
have been better to hire one from a carriage rental agency. Fan
Xian never thought of the carriage, so he had to endure the
ridicule of Fan Sizhe.

After the meal, the family of four began to happily play the
card game Madiao. Fan Sizhe was just like an accountant,
holding an abacus off to the side and helping everybody
calculate.

A trace of sadness flashed through the eyes of Mrs. Liu.

Bearing resentment at her son’s failure to become successful,
she chatted with Fan Xian with a smile.
Chapter 59: The Young Accountant
Fan Xian abandoned his spot after he lost several unlucky
rounds. He had grown frustrated and couldn’t deal with aunt
Liu’s cheery face. He patted Fan Sizhe. Fan Sizhe glanced
meekly at his father, who nodded his head in response. Wild
with joy, he squealed and jumped onto the stool.

Fan Sizhe was a timid child in front of his father. Usually, he

would have been sent to his study room after dinner and would
never have been allowed to gamble with money. He could tell
that today was an exception, as his father was in a good mood
and wanted to let Fan Xian to save face, and so Fan Sizhe’s
impression of this brother from Danzhou changed
significantly.

Fan Xian wandered around the garden, and when he returned

to the parlor, he was shocked at the scene before him. In front
of Fan Sizhe was a mountainous pile of coins, and in
comparison, it looked like the other three gamblers were more
or less broke.

Fan Xian remembered Fan Sizhe’s passionate show of love for

money earlier that day in the carriage, and he realized that his
less-than-angelic brother wasn’t talentless after all, that, at
least where money was concerned, his brother showed talent.

Curious, Fan Xian stood behind the 12-year-old and observed

his technique. After a while, Fan Xian grew a newfound respect
for Fan Sizhe as he saw the nimble movements of his hands.
Fan Sizhe handled all of his tiles in one hand while his other
hand hovered above an abacus and his five chubby fingers
worked rapidly.

Fan Sizhe won every round, and as the accounting method

was complicated, he ended up calculating everything himself.
As Fan Xian watched from the side, he noticed that Fan Sizhe
could easily put more money under his own name. It was no
wonder that he had a growing pile of coins stacked in front of
him.

Lady Liu’s face remained unchanged as she found Fan Xian

staring at Fan Sizhe. She sighed to herself, afraid that Fan Xian
had caught onto her own son’s ugly greed for money and hence
grow even more confident.
 She had no idea that Fan Xian was in a state of shock as of
this moment. This was because Fan Sizhe’s face showed no hint
of play or nonsense. In fact, it radiated the sense and
perseverance of an idealist.

Fan Xian was sure that the boy in front of him would grow to
be an impressive figure if he was given room to nurture his
potential. However, he was also aware that the only way of
gaining recognition in this country was through imperial
examinations, even if Fan Sizhe received a noble rank due to
his family relations. Judging from Fan Sizhe’s current standard
of school work it would be impossible for him to get a
legitimate job. This was why Teng Zijing said Lady Liu felt
pain and hate toward her son.

In this era, merchants were not respected. The ministry of

revenue was a different matter, as was the royal market. The
public merchants however, were a whole different matter still.

The last round of gambling was over and Count Sinan left
the table expressionless. Happy family gatherings didn’t suit
his personality, but today felt different. He glanced at Fan Xian
before he left.
 Fan Xian caught a vague message from the glance. It would
seem that he father was not pleased that he had thrown off the
guards sent to protect him. Fan Xian laughed and did not
respond. He disliked being followed and so decided to use
action to emphasize this fact early on.

Lady Liu gazed at her son, her eyes revealing hints of love
and helplessness. These emotions vanished in an instant. She
stood up and politely bid farewell to Fan Xian and Fan Ruoruo
before leaving with her husband. The servants of Count
Sinan’s mansion knew that their master liked to drink a cup of
fruit pulp handmade by Lady Liu to help him get to sleep, as he
had been working all day in the busy Ministry of Revenue.

Fan Xian frowned; he had wanted to speak to his father about

something, but it looked like he had to put that on hold. Fan
Xian turned round and saw Fan Sizhe still at the table,
recording his winnings. He asked curiously, "You still haven’t
put the money away? What are you writing down?"

Ruoruo was tired from playing. She circled her wrists and
laughed, "Father only allows him to play when guests visit on
New Year’s Day, but he won’t allow him to keep the coins he
wins. He says that a real man should not be greedy over such
little money. Of Course, Fan Sizhe wouldn’t dare go against his
father, so he records his winnings instead and says that he’ll
gradually come to us to deal with it in the future."

Fan Xian felt a sudden emotion as he thought about the

hidden meaning behind the word "deal." He calmed himself and
asked with a smile, "Sizhe, I see that you are good at
calculations. What do you plan to do when you grow up?"

Fan Sizhe was young, but could not be disturbed when he

was counting his earnings. Completely focused on his task, he
ignored the question. Fan Ruoruo grew worried that her older
brother would be angry at her little brother and was prepared
to offer an explanation, but instead, her eyes met with the
cheery-faced Fan Xian who was admiring this young
accountant at the table.

Fan Sizhe seemed to have registered the question only when

the counting was done.

He rubbed his head and frowned in thought before

answering, "Of course, I’ll study and become a government
official and bring glory to my family."
 Fan Xian laughed at him and asked, "Really?"

Fan Sizhe’s vigor quickly drained away, and he answered in a

defeated tone, "If mother hears me say otherwise, I’ll get
beaten again for sure."

"There’s only the three of us here; why be afraid to say what

you really think?" Fan Xian said jokingly.

Hearing these words caused unknown emotions to well up in

Fan Sizhe. He had grown up respected by the servants. It was
said that the noble boys had strict fathers and kind mothers,
but he had a strict father and mother. When his father gave his
sister the power to discipline him, it turned out that his sister
was even stricter, so he was used to respecting his elders but
love and care was something he had never experienced.

In the moment he heard the words ‘what you really think’,

Fan Sizhe was somewhat confused. His big brother, who was
four years older, was not as scary as mother had described;
instead he was kind.
 "I...like making money."

"What’s so good about the profits of merchants?" Fan Ruoruo

furrowed her brows as she disciplined her brother.

Fan Xian shot her a look of disapproval. He felt disappointed

that after all the letters they had exchanged, she still held on to
such silly logic. After being glared at, Ruoruo knew she had
said the wrong thing and instantly became silent

Fan Xian smiled at his brother, "No matter what you do, you
just have to do your best. Even if it is with making money, I
will support you."

"And what good is your support?" Fan Sizhe sighed in

despair. "I need father’s personal permission."

"Do it secretly." Fan Xian was like the devil on Fan Sizhe
shoulder.
 Fan Sizhe lit up as something occurred to him. He spoke
passionately, "Brother, give me your draft for the book. I have
a way of making big money from it." The word 'brother' rolled
off his tongue naturally.

Confused, Fan Xian questioned, "Won’t it be a slow way to

make money?"

"Oh, so you’re in such desperate need of money?" Fan Sizhe

sneered at him, "I’m just testing this out."

Realizing that the little rascal had just sneered at him, Fan
Xian replied in annoyance:

"You want the goods? Show me your proposal first!"

Chapter 60: A Brother-sister Chat
"What’s a proposal?" Fan Sizhe looked at his sister for help.

Fan Ruoruo blinked a couple times before she explained.

"Simple. It’s how you plan to achieve a goal."

Fan Sizhe nodded. Ever since he was a young child, he had

made a grand goal for himself. That was why he was able to
stay unusually focused and hardworking towards this line of
work.

Fan Sizhe childhood dream was to build the second Ye

Family; the richest family in the world! He was completely
unaware of the relationship between the Ye family and his
brother, who encouraged his dreams.

—————————————————————————————

After Fan Sizhe’s nanny took him away to wash up, the only
people left in the parlor were the brother and sister pair. Fan
Xian strolled into the corridor in silence and Ruoruo followed
his lead. Just as they were about to reach Ruoruo’s bedroom,
their footsteps stopped in unison by the shallow pool.

Ruoruo was the first to speak, "I know that I shouldn't focus
so much on people’s station. I just think that Zhe’er would have
a hard time if he chose to go down that path."

Fan Xian smiled and shook his head, "In a society of people,
class divide is inevitable. I’ve told you before; there’s no need
to force changes. We can admit that it exists, but there is no
need to change your true intentions because of its existence."

Fan Ruoruo’s eyes widened with curiosity and she asked her
brother, "What are true intentions?"

"True intentions are not what those God swindlers say it is."
Fan Xian patted his chest. "Just look at its literal meaning.
True intentions are… what you really want."

He continued, "Man's dearest possession is life. It is given to

him but once, and he must live it so as to feel no torturing
regrets for wasted years, never know the burning shame of a
mean and petty past; to live that, dying, he might say: ‘I did
everything I wished to, and even if I was unsuccessful, at least
I tried’."

Fan Ruoruo’s eyes wandered to Fan Xian’s face with a look of

admiration.

"I didn’t come up with that," Fan Xian explained awkwardly.

"This quote is from someone named Ostrovsky."

"That’s a weird name… It sounds like it belongs to somebody

who lives by the sea."

"That’s right, but I changed the ending of the quote as, after
all, I’m not a heroic person. I can only focus on the near
future."

"So… if it’s something Zhe’er enjoys doing, then he should

work hard at it so he has no regrets in the future. This is
staying true to your intentions." If Fan Ruoruo arrived at this
conclusion, then it meant she understood.
 Fan Xian continued, "Humans have to survive. It is ideal that
their method of survival matches their interests."

"Understood." Fan Ruoruo’s smile bloomed like a flower.

Fan Xian chuckled. "Perhaps you haven’t seen Fan Sizhe’s

face when he is calculating. His expression makes me think of
the quote ‘A hardworking person is the most beautiful’."

Fan Ruoruo snorted at the thought of her young brother’s

appearance described as beautiful.

Fan Xian disciplined her seriously. "Don’t laugh. Compared

to him, you are still lacking in this area. At least he knows
what he wants to do; and you? Even though the people of the
capital call you a talented girl, what do you actually plan to
do? The path of poetry is a serious one, so you will have to
work hard if you choose it. You can’t treat it as a pastime."

Fan Ruoruo’s head was bent as she was being disciplined, but
deep down, a warmth spread through her. In the past, the
teacher-student exchange had happened only through letters,
but now it was in person. She felt blessed. Moonlight flooded
the night and reflected on the shallow lake. It shone dimly on
the walls and on Fan Xian’s face. His already pure and
beautiful face seemed even daintier under the moonlight.

"You are the beautiful one." Fan Ruoruo spoke in a low voice
as she gazed at him.

Fan Xian did not hear her, as he was replaying the events
which occurred in the parlor that day in his head. He mumbled
to himself, "I hope that this mansion will become more
peaceful and that Lady Liu is clever enough to not disappoint
me."

...

...

Just as the pair was about to separate, Fan Xian suddenly

remembered the girl dressed in white whom he saw in the
temple at dusk. He described her appearance to his sister,
expecting his sister to have some knowledge of her, as the girl
looked to have come from a rich, noble family in the capital;
Ruoruo often visited the homes of the noble lords of the
capital.

After hearing her brother’s descriptions, she didn’t have a

clue. She giggled and asked him, "And just where did you see
this fairy girl? It seems like she has captivated your soul."

In her heart, her brother was an extremely mature teacher, so

in seeing the look of disappointment on his face, she could not
help but be curious about the girl. Fan Xian smiled wryly and
said, "If even you don’t know her, then it looks like there really
is no chance of finding her." Despite having said this, Fan Xian
was certain that one day he would come across the girl…
munching on the chicken drumstick again.

His heart quiver at a sudden thought.

He realized that it was a stick of candied haw which lead him

to the temple and in turn to the girl. Such a coincidental
occurrence made him believe in the word "fate". His heart
fluttered and he spoke excitedly, "Say… Could it be that she’s…
the girl from the Lin family?"
 Fan Ruoruo frowned, "Well, I haven’t seen Miss Lin before.
After all, her identity is a little, a little…" She glanced at her
brother, and continued carefully. "...inconvenient. Not many
people know what she looks like. There are just the occasional
pieces of information from the Ye Family. I heard that they are
best of friends and that they’re very close."

"Miss Ye?" Fan Xian panicked upon hearing the name "Ye".

"The daughter of the capital’s garrison; her name is Ye

Ling’er. What about it?" Ruoruo questioned Fan Xian
curiously.

Fan Xian laughed as he remembered back to the first day he

arrived in the capital, and of the young girl on horseback
whom he had seen. He didn’t have to worry about losing a lead
if he could just find the girl. After some thought, Fan Ruoruo
said, "However, I think that the girl you met today could not
possibly be Miss Lin, so it would be no use in asking Ye
Ling’er."

"How can you be so sure?" Fan Xian was anticipating the

experience of a scene out of a romance novel, so he could not
help but be surprised when he heard those words.

Zhe’er- An affectionate nickname for Fan Sizhe.

Chapter 61: The Proposal
Moonlight shines upon the porch.

Fan Ruoruo spoke with pity in his voice, "I’ve never seen my
future sister-in-law before but I’ve heard that she has
tuberculosis and often coughs up blood, and that because of
this, she has been banned from consuming meat and oily
foods. The girl you described was munching on a chicken
drumstick."

She pictured the scene her brother had described and burst
out laughing. "So naturally, she could not have been Miss Lin.
Anyways, Miss Lin is said to be pretty and delicate- nothing
like the goddess you described."

Fan Xian took a moment to think before agreeing with her.

He sighed and cast the topic aside, but it didn’t mean he had
given up on the idea of looking for this girl. An image surfaced
in Fan Xian’s mind which made him frown.

"Tuberculosis?" He knew that in this world, this was

considered an incurable disease. Miss Lin was the daughter of
the eldest princess, so surely she had been seen to by the
imperial physicians, and if they couldn’t help her, what good
was his year of knowledge from learning with Fei Jie and
continual practice?

Fei Jie’s absence was a troublesome problem.

Fan Xian woke up the next morning to find that his father,
sister and Lady Liu had gone out. After eating a light breakfast
provided by the servants, he prepared to leave. He wanted to
try his luck at the temple to see if he could meet the girl again.

Just as he was about to leave, Fan Sizhe ran towards him and
grabbed his sleeves, proceeding to drag him into the study. Fan
Sizhe handed Fan Xian some papers, doing so in seriousness.
Fan Xian glanced at him curiously and noticed that his
brother’s eyes were bloodshot; it looked like he had pulled an
all-nighter. "Aren’t you worried about being scolded by auntie
for staying up all night?" He asked Fan Sizhe.

Fan Sizhe chortled. "I learned from you how to keep things
secret."
 Fan Xian laughed and thumbed through the pages. It was a
proposal that Fan Xian had worked all night on. Although Fan
Xian was not a successful merchant, he went by the saying that
even if you haven’t had pork before, you must have seen pigs
run. Although the business atmosphere of this world could not
be compared to his previous world, he had already had his fair
share of experience in this special type of business, so he was
somewhat confident.

His brows slowly formed a frown. "It’s not a bad idea, but
I’m not familiar with the capital, so you have to decide
yourself if the location is suitable. There is one problem: even
though I am the only source for this book, how can you ensure
that other booksellers will not pirate it after it’s been
published?" he asked.

Fan Sizhe spoke excitedly, "The mansion has been pretty

quiet recently, so there’s not much for the servants to do. I
could let them wander the streets, and if they come across any
pirating bookstores, they can simply trash their store."

Fan Xian was dumbfounded. Was his only resort destroying

stores? This was far from the high expectations he had for him.
Fan Xian shook his head bitterly, "Don’t underestimate the
booksellers; they make a lot of profit. Who knows if they have
a powerful background."

"What’s there to be scared of? The story belongs to us, so

what makes them think they can pirate?" Fan Sizhe argued.

"There’s no law to protect books from being reprinted… And

anyways, it’s not as if these books have been approved by the
Eighth Bureau; if you take this to court, you’ll just end up
losing money out of your own pocket." Fan Xian reminded
him.

Fan Sizhe chuckled, "That’s nothing to worry about. If we

were to open a bookstore, all we need to do is get father to send
a letter to the Eighth Bureau and things will straighten out
naturally."

Fan Xian realized that he was right. Although his father

looked like an average man, his connection to the Overwatch
Council were deeper that what an outsider would think, but he
once again changed his mind, "Even if you could take away the
ban, you can’t just eliminate competition by trashing their
stores; it’s like slapping them in the face. Chasing those
middle-aged women off the streets of the capital and
prohibiting their stores is a foul method. Even if you earn
money, there will be retaliation, and nobody wins." Fan Xian
retorted.

"So what?" Fan Sizhe rolled his eyes; he felt like his older
brother was like a woman. "If you feel like our reputation is at
stake, then we can simply set rules to follow. If the other
bookstores continue to pirate the book, we can let the court
handle them."

Fan Xian howled in laughter, "Rules?! You think the

government would treat the law like child's play and change it
just because we are publishing a book?"

Fan Sizhe shook his head, "How can we change the law? We
will take a shortcut instead. Changing the garrison regulations
is simple. The crazy old lady from the Ye Zhong family is quite
close to princess Ruojia; we just asked our sister to ask Jing
palace to give word to Ye mansion, and it’s sorted."

Fan Xian was interested, "The garrison regulations of the

capital have to do with the selling of books too?" he asked.
 Fan Sizhe stopped to think about the question, "I think there
are a couple rules about civilian businesses that we can put to
good use."

Fan Xian was utterly impressed at the boy in front of him,

who had promising potential to be a corrupt merchant who
plucked ideas out of thin air like making deals with
government officials and having his own personal gang
trashing his competition. However, expectation always looked
better than reality. "Have you calculated the profit yet?"

"There are ten chapters per book, with each book sold for
eight silver taels, and there are sixty-eight chapters in total.
The population of the capital is 640,000, so let's say we sell a
book for every one thousand people, that's more than 600
copies sold. Careful calculation reveals that it would be a total
earning of 35,840 silver taels." Fan Sizhe relished in all he
explained, as he had long prepared these calculations
beforehand and knew them off by heart. "The rent on Loudong
Road is a little expensive when added to the production cost.
We can leave Wanjuan Tang to handle the publication, as it
would take some weight off our shoulders."

"Wanjuan Tang?" Fan Xian questioned curiously.

 "It’s the most famous private publishing company in the
capital." Fan Sizhe smiled dubiously. "It’s a big family business,
but there’s no powerful figure behind them. If they tried
betraying us, we could just steal their business. The only thing
we’ll have to worry about is making even more money."

Fan Xian was so appalled he was ready to cough up blood.

"My calculations show that we can at least earn a couple

thousand taels, and if other bookstores end up closing, our
numbers will only go up."

Fan Xian sighed and said, "You’re too positive. To be a

successful merchant, you have to be prepared for many
possibilities. Take your estimated income, for example: Even
though the people of the capital are well off, do you really
think they can afford to pay fifty odd silver taels just for a set
of books?"

Fan Sizhe was surprised, looking at Fan Xian like an alien

before saying, "You really have no idea how well your story is
doing on the market?"
 Fan Xian’s eyes widened. He knew that Dream of the Red
Chamber was popular in his world during the Qianlong era and
remembered seeing on the news that a limited handwritten
version was sold for over 100 silver grains. How could they sell
it at such an expensive price if they were printing in mass?

Fan Sizhe sighed and said, "These days, I’ve heard that Miss
Fucheng from the Fucheng family was left in a state after
reading the book. She could not eat or drink, and she stares
into the air. Mistress Fucheng burned the books in
frustrations, which made Miss Fucheng cry in agony, ‘Why did
you burn my treasure.’ She has not quite recovered from it.
The capital is a city full of government officials and how many
rich girls do you think have nothing to do all day? Selling
hundreds and thousands of books is far from a problem."

Fan Xian was flabbergasted. He was unsure whether or not he

should bring desserts to pay Miss Fucheng a visit in order to
comfort her.
Chapter 62: Early Summer
Fan Sizhe then said arrogantly, "This is only a meager
amount of money. After that last batch, you should write
another 70 or 80 books, except this time you must plan
carefully and make a limited edition. Afterwards, you could
auction it off to the highest bidder at your own pace. Whoever
wants to see the ending, to see whether or not Miss Duo got
married to Second Master Bao, they must obediently offer up
their silver."

Fan Xian twisted Fan Sizhe’s ear hard and scolded him. "Like
hell Miss Duo and Second Master Bao are getting married!
You’ve never even read a book, and now you’re talking about
selling them?"

Fan Sizhe complained. "The one you sold yesterday in the

streets—I asked Ruoruo for it after we got back. It’s just that…
after reading a few words, the book wasn’t very exciting, so I
fell asleep." This little Master Fan, who only cared for money,
really couldn’t figure out why all the women in the capital
were captivated by something as boring as that book.
 "Fine, I won’t argue over this anymore." Fan Xian said
helplessly. "These kinds of things are complicated. You’re still
a little kid. You still have to get in a school and get an
education. You don’t have time for this. Better wait a few
years."

"A few years? What about striking while the iron’s hot?" Fan
Sizhe yelled out in surprise.

"What are you going to do about it? You’re still a son of the
Fan household. If you really want to cast away your
background to start a business, could you hide it from Lady
Liu and father? They would skin you alive, so you’d better
watch out."

Fan Sizhe expressed his pain. "I know; which is why I’ve
decided to borrow a shopkeeper from Qingyu Hall to man the
front while I hide behind the scenes."

Fan Xian was very surprised. Other than being unruly and
arrogant, this young boy standing before him had such talent
in doing business. He just thought up the role of a manager,
and with the surge in mood, casually dropped the name of
Qingyu Hall.

Seeing the child’s determination, Fan Xian sighed. He took

out his savings from the past few years, along with the money
his younger sister had offered out of respect, and handed it
over to Fan Sizhe. Fan Xian instructed Fan Sizhe to go slow and
discuss with those freeloaders first; after all, their continuing
to leech off the Fan household was simply improper.

Fan Sizhe burst out grinning as he counted the money and

discovered his brother had quite a lot. Adding to the amount
he had saved up, the initial funding should be more or less
covered.

Fan Xian didn’t say anything else, but he told Fan Sizhe to
take caution. "Building a relationship with the higher-ups
while pressing down on the commoners at the bottom will only
work if you flaunt your dad’s name, so you’ll be better off
being more generous to others."

"Where did that come from?" Fan Sizhe then said

maliciously, "Bribes come naturally. If you ever get a high-
ranking position, they’ll eventually pay it all back."

Fan Xian almost split his sides in laughter, so he hurriedly

opened the door and left. He always thought silver coins had a
distinct aroma, and today he learned how pungent the stench
of copper coins could be.

————————————————————

At full noon, the sun burned intensely; the trees on both

sides of the road hung their limp branches, unable to provide
soothing shelter for the poor travelers.

Fan Xian was on the roadside with a bowl of plum juice,

taking small sips. He knew drinking too fast would not quench
his thirst; not to mention that it would give him an upset
stomach. The chirping of the cicadas greatly annoyed him.
"What month is this? Spring hasn’t passed yet, and summer is
trying to squeeze in"

The Temple of Qing in the distance appeared extra dignified

under the sunlight, which seemed to have dried off some of the
temple’s original elegance. With its round tiles glistening, the
temple painted a very holy scene.

The Temple of Qing was receiving more people than it was

the day before. From time to time, people would go in to offer
their prayers. Fan Xian was curious: why was the place so
desolate when he went yesterday? Of course, there was no way
he would know that when the valued guest was on a half-day
break, both sides of the road were made off-limits. And the
reason Fan Xian could still walk up to the gate and have a bout
with that skilled opponent was all because of someone’s secret
plan.

Wu Zhu truly indulged him, letting him drink and do

whatever he wanted. Even a minor thing like visiting the
temple resulted in Wu Zhu knocking out so many guards.

Fan Xian had no idea what a mess he had caused on the

previous day as he sat on a bench sipping plum juice. He
crossed his legs and waited for that girl.

There was a room close to the temple. Sunlight couldn’t get

in, making the inside slightly cooler. Gong Dian sat on a chair
while adjusting his breathing, enabling him to enter an
optimal state.

He was on guard duty the night before, but this morning he

did not return to the manor. Instead, he came to the temple,
because the more he thought about Fan Xian’s appearance at
the temple, the stranger it seemed. The lackeys of his
subordinates were all knocked out at around the same time by
someone with the skills of a grandmaster. Could that be
connected to the youth entering the temple?

Somehow, Gong Dian knew that the youth would show up

again that day. Perhaps that skilled grandmaster would also
come.

That was the intuition of someone who had obtained

significant skill. While not necessarily infallible, it was worth
betting on. But that damned Eunuch Hong wouldn’t believe
him and kept on single-mindedly investigating the guards.
Because of that, Gong Dian had come alone.

He sat quietly in the room, staring through a narrow crack

below, his cold eyes on the entrance of the temple.
 Outside, Fan Xian finally had enough of getting roasted
under the sun. He finished the rest of his drink in one go, undid
two buttons on his shirt, and walked towards the temple.

Fan Xian’s footsteps were getting closer.

Gong Dian appeared to have heard something. He frowned

slightly.

...

...

Under the sun, the stone slabs felt hot under Fan Xian’s feet.
He seemed to despise this feeling, and took a step back.

He then buttoned up his shirt and turned around, smiling.

He returned to the stand selling plum juice and asked for
another bowl. As he drank slowly, he casually wandered away
from the temple until he reached the waiting carriage. Letting
out a sigh of relief, he yelled, "Back to the manor, quickly!"

Teng Zijing gave Fan Xian an intrigued look, having

discovered that the young master was completely
expressionless.

——————————————————————

Gong Dian was still staring with an icy expression. As he

heard the footsteps getting further and further away, his eyes
flashed. He was about to stand up when he felt a chill wind
behind him. His neck was cold.

It was late spring. The weather was sweltering, and yet Gong
Dian had just broken out in a cold sweat.

His hands were flat over his knees. His fingernails were
neatly trimmed. His blade, which had a simple design, but was
sharp without equal, lay about ten meters away.
 He dared not draw his blade, however.

Because he could feel the person behind him was stronger

and faster than him.
Chapter 63: Simple Reasons
In the capital, Gong Dian was widely regarded as one of the
strongest fighters. Throughout his life, he had experienced
countless life-or-death scenarios. Never had he imagined he
would encounter an opponent of such a caliber here, next to
the temple, in the heavily guarded capital.

While the aura of the figure behind him was not particularly
powerful, it did blend in seamlessly with the surroundings. Up
until this moment of Gong Dian’s life, he had only seen his
own master accomplish this feat—he and the Commander of
Defense studied under the same master, who was none other
than Ye Liuyun of the Four Great Grandmasters.

Gong Dian couldn’t comprehend the fact that someone the

level of a grandmaster would disregard their identity and
appear behind his back like an assassin!

The room was silent for a long time.

Gong Dian’s left pinky twitched slightly; he knew he couldn’t

keep the thing frozen as they were. A cold light shown through
his eyes!

Without any warning, he released his zhenqi. As if having

turned into a grey dragon, he kicked back with his left foot and
hooked with his right hand. With a clear "clang", his blade
sliced through the air, turning into a fearless slash aiming at
whoever it was behind him.

With a grunt, his blade hit empty air. The mysterious

grandmaster was nowhere to be found.

He had been too forceful with his inner energy. After putting
all his might into that slash, there was no way for Gong Dian to
immediately return to a calm state. It was as if his chest got
struck my lightning. With streams of heat rushing to his head,
he began bleeding from both of his nostrils.

Staring at the empty room, there was no fear in Gong Dian’s

eyes, only a hint of confusion. The opponent had clearly
demonstrated the ability to easily kill him, so why did they
leave at the last moment?
 Suddenly, he remembered the youth from yesterday as well
as the boy’s methods, methods similar to his own. Gong Dian
guessed that, whoever this grandmaster was, perhaps they had
some connection with his master, and therefore spared him.

After a brief period of rest, he came out of the hiding room

with a somewhat dejected expression, ready to return to the
mansion.

Why didn’t Wu Zhu kill Gong Dian? It wasn’t because of Wu

Zhu’s relationship with Gong Dian’s master, obviously. It was a
fact that Wu Zhu was a beast who would go after even Ye
Liuyun. The real reason was simple: Yesterday, Gong Dian
made Fan Xian cough up blood, so today, Wu Zhu had come to
return the favor.

———————————————————————————

It was still early when Fan Xian returned to the mansion. Fan
Sizhe was still in the study room tinkering with his supposedly
lucrative business. Ruoruo was off visiting some other
household. In the whole courtyard, there were only
maidservants paying their respects. Even though some of those
maidservants were quite pretty, Fan Xian was currently in a
bad mood, and what’s more, it wasn’t the right place, so he
wasn’t in a joking mood.

Drinking tea with a frown, he thought: "Who was that at the

temple today? What were they doing by themselves? Let me
guess… That girl in white had a family member waiting for
her?"

As he thought of this possibility, his chest began to heat up.

But then he remembered Wu Zhu’s warning and immediately
cooled down. If he were to think in the same vein, : Wu Zhu
would not care about the flirty stuff; he would not give a
warning unless it was something serious.

Changing into a lighter shirt and tightening the sash at his

waist, Fan Xian walked into his father’s study room. To his
surprise, Count Sinan was there.

"The bureau wasn’t that busy today." Fan Jian had his son sit
down, saying quietly, "You’ve been in the capital for a few days
already; you shouldn’t spend all your time messing around
outside. About what happened at the restaurant, I heard.
Conflicts like those, avoid them as much as you can in the
future. Don’t be like your failure of a younger brother."

Fan Xian could only give a forced smile; he didn’t want to

explain too much. Suddenly, he remembered something and
asked, "Father, when could I go see that Miss Lin?"

As if shocked by the youth suggesting something like this,

Fan Jian laughed: "After your marriage, you get to see her
every day. Why the rush now?"

Fan Xian returned a cheeky grin: "That’s after marriage,

though. Not knowing what the bride looks like up until we get
to the bridal chamber? I don’t want that." He thought about it a
bit and laughed: "Look at my younger sister, that Ye Ling’er,
and Princess Ruojia. They are often outside, what’s the big
deal?"

"Young men and women, seeing each other one time isn’t too
much to ask, of course." Fan Jian explained with a smile. "But
you must know that Miss Lin’s background is rather special.
Although her family name is Lin, she doesn’t have too many
connections with the prime ministers. Growing up in the royal
palace, she was adopted by his majesty the emperor. The
emperor wanted to save face and also wanted the eldest
princess see her daughter all the time. While Miss Lin is a
princess, she is different from that Ruojia girl."

Fan Jian’s voice was somewhat held back: "even if there are
only a few people in this world who knew she is the daughter
of Eldest Princess, knew she is the daughter of Master Lin,
but… no one dares to say it, neither would anyone dare admit
it. Living in the palace for so many years, not many people got
to see her. She didn’t move out until earlier this year, and this
was because of the marriage and her bad health.."

Fan Xian sighed: "It was precisely because I heard she has bad
health that I wanted to go see her. Maybe I could help out with
something."

Fan Jian knotted his brows: "you only spent a year and a half
with Fei Jie, and now you’re claiming to know more than the
royal doctors? Young man, you must learn to be more modest."

Fan Xian halfheartedly replied with a "yes," but was still

unsatisfied, "But still, you have to let me see what she looks
like, right?"

"You are not marrying her for her, but for the things she
represents." Fan Jian looked at Fan Xian coldly. "You must
throw away all those impractical thoughts, and smash any
stale feelings you have to pieces."

Fan Xian frowned, mildly in disgust: "I feel like what you just
said was stale in its own right."

Fan Jian was slightly angry. "Excuse me?"

Fan Xian grinned and took on a respectful attitude: "as I’ve

said before, I’m not easy to keep in check."

"Don’t you want to take back everything that was yours?"

Fan Jian calmed down, as if he just thought of something.

Fan Xian blanked out for a moment in surprise, then said in a

serious tone, "In truth, I learned a lot while in Danzhou. I
believe I am able to obtain things worthy of my abilities. If it’s
to take back mother’s property, of course I will not object. But
it all depends on my desire. If I want to, I would do it. If I don’t
want to, I wouldn’t do it. It’s that simple."
Chapter 64: Poetry
Count Sinan sighed. He knew that this young man was just
like his mother; neither was easily persuaded by anyone. A
pitying look rose in his eyes. "This marriage was not the Fan
family's idea," he said softly, "and it wasn't the Prime Minister's
idea either. There are so many different matters involved. It's
complicated. If you want to see that girl, you think of a way to
do it. I'm not getting involved."

Fan Xian bowed. "As long as you'll allow me to see her," he

replied, "I'll find a way, father." When he recalled what he'd
heard before, he felt doubt clouding his mind. "If the Prime
Minister doesn't agree to the marriage, then what?"

Count Sinan laughed coldly. "As I said, there is a lot of power

behind this. It’s beyond his control to object... Don't forget;
Miss Lin can't really return to the Lin family. Her status is as
the adopted daughter of His Majesty, a princess of the palace."

In the late April weather, Fan Xian felt as if someone had

tipped a huge bucket of ice water over him, soaking him from
head to toe. He shivered. Finally, he understood - because his
own marriage involved the Emperor's decision over who was to
manage a vast estate, it truly was not as easy as it seemed on
the surface. The real decision-makers behind the scenes were a
small group of people hidden deep within the palace.

But he didn't know whether it was the Empress Dowager or

the Emperor.

"Why is the Prime Minister opposed?" he asked, frowning.

Count Sinan took a sip of tea and furrowed his brow. It

seemed the tea that day was rather bitter. He rubbed his tongue
against his teeth, trying to get rid of the astringent taste. "Did I
not say before?" he said unclearly.

Fan Xian smiled slightly, pointing out his father's misstep.

"Last time, you said that the Prime Minister thought that the
Emperor suspected that there might be something behind this
marriage. But actually, if the palace agreed to this marriage,
what is he still worried about?"

Count Sinan was quiet for a while. Then it came to him, and
he smiled as he placed his teacup on the table. "Fine, I shall tell
you the truth. The fact is that the Eldest Princess does not
want to marry off her daughter to you."

Fan Xian stared blankly. What was going on? Neither father
nor mother wanted to marry off their daughter, so what were
they doing taking advantage of this mess? He might as well
wash his hands of the whole thing and go off to find that girl in
white from the noble family. Although this was what he
thought, he knew it was best not to say it aloud. Considering
that his father had managed to persuade the powers-that-be in
the palace, it was clear that in the process, the Fan family had
used a lot of its hidden strength.

"So why does the Eldest Princess object?" he asked. "Miss Lin
and myself were born under similar circumstances. We're both
illegitimate offspring, so why are they acting so high and
mighty?" he thought.

"It is rather strange. His Majesty dotes on her, even more

than on his own flesh-and-blood daughter. I once brought it up
without thinking after we had been drinking. If she were to be
married, the Eldest Princess would have to give her power to
her husband, the Emperor's son-in-law, so as not to cause
trouble with the imperial bloodline." Count Sinan gently
stroked his four-inch beard, seemingly content.

Fan Xian spread out his hands and sighed. "So that's how it
is. It seems like the Eldest Princess loves power. I don't know
why she never married the Prime Minister. Surely she'd be
happier raising children and grandchildren with him."

Count Sinan smiled. "To put it simply, it wouldn't do them

any good. If the Eldest Princess had married Lin Ruofu, he
would have become a member of the nobility, and he would
have no way to fulfill his aspirations. He would never have the
power he has over the bureaucracy today if he had."

Fan Xian frowned. He remembered that the son-in-law of the

emperor would not be allowed to be both a bureaucrat and a
member of the royal family; they could only take a noble title
and nothing more.

"If you were to marry Miss Lin, even though her title of
"princess" is simply honorary and you would not be considered
part of the royal family, there might be issues with your career
as an official." Count Sinan saw Fan Xian's frown and thought
that he was worried, so he thought it was best to explain this.

Fan Xian stood up and smiled. "We'll see."

"Also, to take next year's imperial exams, you'll have to start

studying soon."

Did he really still have to take the imperial exams, competing

with all the others? He smiled bitterly and said nothing.

After that, Count Sinan told him that the monthly poetry
competition at Crown Prince Jing’s estate was coming up soon,
and that he had best prepare for it. When Fan Xian heard this,
he wasn't filled with the same fear as being told to write an
essay, but when he considered that he might have to fake some
more poems like he'd done with the old salt-seller, his head
began to ache.

Count Sinan looked at him and smiled. "I know you are a
talented poet. In some situations, it is not right to hide your
talent too much. Though there are people in the palace
assisting your marriage, if you are able to garner a reputation
in the capital's literary scene, perhaps the Eldest Princess will
warm up to the idea of marrying her daughter off to you."

Fan Xian laughed bitterly in response. It seemed the old man

had secretly read the letters he had sent his little sister. The
fact that he had written Dream of the Red Chamber was also
something he couldn't hide from him. He couldn't help but feel
some admiration for the old man's shrewd nature in keeping it
secret until now.

——————————————————————————

There were no Sundays in the realm; even if you worked, you

would not be punished by the gods. For the same reason, there
were no Mondays, Tuesday, Wednesdays, Thursdays or
Fridays. In short, there was no clear division between working
days and rest days.

Shops were open every day; government ministries were

open every day; and it was said that even the Emperor refused
to take a day off. But when it came to many sons of the great
houses of the capital, every day was a day of leisure.
 Sixteen years after the great war, the Kingdom of Northern
Wei had been divided and weakened beyond repair. The
western barbarians fled far away, their horses eating grass in
the mountains. The Emperor had ordered the prince to take a
hundred thousand soldiers westward to expand the border; this
was also little more than sport.

The Kingdom of Qing was strong in military affairs, but after

the Emperor had won his battles, they became fonder of
reciting poetry. As it was fashionable among the upper classes,
it became even more fashionable among the lower classes.
Other sons of noble families had no jobs for the most part.
Neither did they have the qualifications to lead troops. They
prepared for the imperial examinations, and so they amused
themselves in an elegant manner, keeping themselves separate
from the lower classes. They read books and discussed them,
and read and wrote poetry.

And so the capital was a place where it was fashionable to

duel with poetry rather than with weapons.
Chapter 65: The Prince’s Mansion
The poetry contest at Crown Prince Jing's mansion and the
Crown Prince's Poetry Competition were two of the hottest
social events in the capital. They were held monthly, come rain
or shine. Countless poor scholars and starving poets tried their
hardest to get in, hoping to set the world ablaze with a single
line of poetry and find a way of getting ahead in life.

The crown prince was well-renowned as a wordsmith, and

although Crown Prince Jing was the little brother of the
Emperor, he was determined to be a rich and idle prince, and so
he had little in the way of influence. In contrast, those who had
clear goals naturally flocked to the side of the crown prince.

If one could gain the praise of Crown Prince Jing, it was a

good way to build a reputation. So at each competition, many
guests would gather at the prince's mansion, not far from
Shixin Gate. Some came carried in on palanquins, some sat
atop carriages, and some walked, but the butler at the gate
treated all with equal favor, and after checking their name
cards, he would respectfully let them enter.
 Fan Xian sat on a palanquin with an unsightly look on his
face, alternating between green and deathly pale. From time to
time he would cover his mouth, trying to suppress the urge to
vomit.

He had chosen the palanquin because it felt appropriate for

such a grand literary occasion, and had invited his sister to
attend with him. He had spent his whole life by the sea in
Danzhou, and the swaying of boats had never made him feel
seasick, but this palanquin was making him feel quite queasy.
Feeling uneasy, he drew open the curtain on the palanquin.
"How much further?" he asked Teng Zijing meekly.

Teng Zijing stifled a smile. "Just past the next crossing," he

replied.

Fan Xian grunted in acknowledgement and sat back. His

fingers were splayed forth like orchids, and he placed his
thumbs and ring fingers together, allowing the zhenqi to
slowly release, rinsing out his internal organs and slightly
relieving his nausea, but in the end he couldn't stop feeling
dizzy.
 His eyebrows furrowed as he dealt with both the doubt in his
mind and his physical discomfort. His stay in the mansion over
the past few days showed him made him feel as though his
father had very different ways of thinking, and there were
many things that he could not explain. Like, why did he care so
much about his illegitimate child? Was it simply out of his
father's love for his mother?

He turned his head to look outside the palanquin, separating

the thin green curtain and looking at the figures of people on
horseback. He knew that although Teng Zijing was fond of
him, he was his father's man, and he could not place his faith
in him entirely. He sighed. He felt he had to find subordinates
he could trust, people like the ghost-like Wu Zhu, people he
could order around as he pleased.

Fan Xian very much wanted to know what his mother had
done in the capital, and how his father knew her, and... how
she had died. This was not borne simply out of pure curiosity
and parental affection; he felt that knowing his past was the
only way he could control both his present and his future.

Inside the prince's mansion, in front of the gate leading into a

garden, a group of scholars bowed humbly to a young man.
They could never have imagined that the person welcoming
them at the gate at today's poetry contest was Crown Prince
Jing himself.

Two small palanquins with green curtains slowly made their

way past. Crown Prince Jing gave a slightly impatient salute to
the scholars, who seemed overwhelmed by his presence, and
moved along to welcome the palanquin. At that moment, the
scholars realized that they had committed some kind of faux
pas, but did not dare let their emotions show upon their faces.
They continued to smile boastfully, and confidently cupped
their hands in a salute, ushered to the rear garden by the
butler.

The servants at the gate going to the prince's mansion were

somewhat curious about who this guest could be for the crown
prince himself to greet them at the gate.

When they saw the young woman in a golden-colored jacket

and gauze skirt get out of the palanquin, they finally realized
that the young lady of the Fan family had arrived. Considering
the relationship between the prince's manor and Fan Manor,
the personal friendship between the Crown Prince and Miss
Fan, and how rarely she showed her face in public, it was only
right that he greet her at the gate.

"Miss Ruoruo." Crown Prince Jing's surname was Li, and his
given name was Hongcheng. The gossip in the capital was that
he was never seen far from a pleasure house, but standing
before Miss Fan, he seemed a bashful and respectful young
man.

Fan Ruoruo curtsied, greeted the Crown Prince, and smiled.

"And so what did Ruojia choose as a topic today?"

The Crown Prince laughed in response, but his gaze

occasionally shifted toward the palanquin behind her. Was he
still not going to come out after all that effort? Servants came
forward and parted the curtains of the sedan chair in
deference... but to their surprise, there was no one inside. The
people inside the prince's mansion were taken aback. What was
he playing at?

Fan Ruoruo stifled a giggle. "My brother is behind us," she

explained.
 As they talked, they saw the 16-year-old catch up with them
from not far behind, gasping for breath, accompanied by an
attendant. The young man wore pale maroon robes with the
collar unfastened. He seemed rather frivolous, but combined
with his clean face, it made the people around him feel relaxed.

"My apologies, my apologies." Fan Xian cupped his hands and

bowed to the crown prince. "The rocking of the palanquin
made me feel dizzy," he explained awkwardly, "so I got out and
walked. But it's so hot out, so I stopped to drink some winter
cherry juice. I'm late, I know."

"Not late at all." Crown Prince Jing looked at this young man
who he had only met once before, and felt particular fondness
for him. He laughed heartily. "As long as you could come,
Brother Fan."

Fan Xian noticed that the crown prince was now calling him
by his surname, unlike a few days before. He could not tell
what the crown prince meant to show by this. He paused for a
moment, and a smile crept across his face. "The winter cherry
juice from outside your mansion is far better than what they
serve in other places, so naturally I had to try it."
 The crown prince smiled. They could have stood there
talking all day. With a wave of his hand, he ushered the
siblings into the garden.

From his days in Danzhou, Fan Xian knew that his sister was
a talented poet. Although her verse tended to be rather
melancholy and bound by convention, it was still good poetry.
But it was clear that she had little in the way of artistic
achievements compared to the princelings and young scholars
who attended the poetry contests, and so Fan Ruoruo had little
renown as a poet.

So he was very curious how his sister would behave at this

sort of gathering, as well as Princess Ruojia, who had caused
the leak of Dream of the Red Chamber to be sold by illegal
booksellers at dirt-cheap prices.

But as he followed Crown Prince Jing into the rear garden,

with its winding corridors and running water, he realized, in a
seemingly unconstrained nation such as this, there was still
segregation between men and women. The women sat beneath
a pavilion on the other side of the lake, with layers of thin
white silk hanging from it, swaying in the wind.
 Slightly disappointed, he followed the crown prince to the
edge of the lake. As he looked at the floating silk in the
distance, he couldn't help but think of Stephen Chow, a
director and actor who he had loved so much in his past life.
He sighed deep in his heart. "It feels like first love."
Chapter 66: Meeting Guo Baokun Again
They were in Crown Prince Jing's rear garden.

Mindful of the long history between their two families, the

Crown Prince invited Fan Xian to make himself at home, then
went on to greet some other guests - after all, a number of
luminaries had come today.

But Fan Xian was unaware of the undercurrents beneath the

calm surface. He strolled around, and among the seemingly
disordered seats he found a remote spot in keeping with his
own temperament and sat down. He saw wine on a small table,
grabbed a cup and emptied it into his mouth, pursing his lips.

There were no commoners in sight. All conversation seemed

to involve the literary classics in some way. He sighed and
looked up at the sky. He was secretly thankful that the sun was
not too fierce, otherwise he would not have caught sight of
some of the beautiful women at this annoying poetry contest,
who wanted to hear some melancholy verses and soak up the
sun's rays.
 The scholars seemed to be seated however they pleased, but
were encircling a small table on the grass, so not many people
were looking toward the periphery. A few young nobles around
the edges looked at his face; they had also been personally
welcomed by the Crown Prince, so they greeted him with
curiosity. He was prepared for them to ask about his
background.

None guessed which house this handsome young man –

smiling wholeheartedly, laughing, and confidently chatting
away – was from. They chatted for a while, and he couldn't
help but feel they were rather dull, so he withdrew from their
idle chitchat and waited quietly for the contest to begin.

This day was not like the past few days; the sunshine was
gentle, the willow trees swayed lightly, and the occasional
spring wind lifted up their collars. The spring evening winds
were neither cold nor fierce, and touched them gently like
invisible hands. It was a comfortable evening, and the sunlight
was the kind that made one want to sleep. Fan Xian did not
wish to seem impolite, so he continued to smile, forcing his
eyes open, listening to the poetry and watching as cups of wine
were served to guests. But the gentle spring breeze and the
warm sunshine made it increasingly difficult for him to feign
interest in the poetry, and he found himself nodding off.
 He caught a few lines: "On the road to Leizhou in my dream,
I was met with the following scene. I was no hermit begging
for money, I laughed at myself..."; "the wine was strong, the
old man was drunk, his cup embossed with patterns..."; "the
people of Dongyi drift about, but one capable man stayed
behind..."

Fan Xian pinched at himself to keep himself awake. Even

though he didn't much like reciting poetry, at an event like
this, he couldn't act like the scruffy young man he was when
he was 16 in his past life. So he smiled, staring in a somewhat
stupefied way at the scene before him.

As he stared, he caught sight of someone who seemed almost

familiar. A group of people were sitting on the comfiest spots
by the side of the lake – it was Guo Baokun and He Zongwei,
whom he had run into a few days before. Fan Xian frowned.
Crown Prince Jing no doubt knew of the tussle that had
occurred between the Fan and Guo families; why did he see fit
to invite them both here?

It seemed like they noticed Fan Xian staring at them. Guo

Baokun turned his gaze away from the beautiful women across
the lake. When he saw Fan Xian, his expression changed, and
he was unable to maintain his scholarly elegance.
Unthinkingly, he threw the ostentatious folding fan he was
holding onto a table.

Nearby, a scholar from the College of Supreme Learning was

giving a lecture on the classics, so not many people noticed
Guo Baokun's reaction.

Guo Baokun's companions followed his gaze, and noticed Fan

Xian hiding away in a corner. They all became angry. There
were so many distinguished scholars here, all without
bodyguards; if that brat from the Fan family decided to start
another fight, who would stop him?

But Fan Xian smiled as he looked at them and nodded as if he

were greeting friends.

The table murmured among themselves, and gloomy smiles

broke out among them. Guo Baokun's permanently-
downturned face seemed almost pleased. Only He Zongwei
seemed to take exception.
 ——————————————————————————

They didn't know what the girls were doing under that white
silk, but a woman had been continuously going back and forth
with copies of poems that the women had written, and reading
them aloud for the scholars to judge.

The crown prince laughed. "Although women are no match

for men," he said aloud, "literature is not the same as the brute
force of combat. Do not worry, gentlemen, there is no chance
you will be outdone by those feeble women."

The crowd agreed, and laughed and chattered among

themselves. Someone came up with an idea: write a poem on a
topic, and the best three poems would be taken to the opposite
side of the lake.

A scholar on Guo Baokun's table turned his gaze and cupped

his hands in salute. "I am but an untalented poet, but may I
suggest that the topic be the waters of this lake?"
 "Very good. Today's blue-green ripples float like gold..."
someone began to write.

"That'll do well. As I look out on the beautiful lake and

mountain landscape..." someone else set out their poem.

Guo Baokun stared in Fan Xian's direction. "I didn't realize

young master Fan would be here today," he said loudly. "Why
don't we let him start?"

Fan Xian had come on his father's orders. He was to make an

appearance in front of the people of the capital and nothing
more. When he heard that they wanted him to write poetry, he
smiled. "I'm really not that great," he said, shaking his head.
"Please feel free to ask someone else."

Seeing him back down, Guo Baokun felt all the more that Fan
Xian was all looks and no brains. He laughed coldly. "The other
day in Yi Shijiu you were mouthing off, saying how you didn't
care for scholars, but now you're so stingy with your advice.
You really do think a lot of yourself."
 Hearing this, the people present finally realized that the two
young men had a history of enmity with each other; the poetry
was only an excuse to start a fight. Most of the people in the
mansion were guests of Crown Prince Jing. Although they
didn't know who Fan Xian was, they saw that he seemed to be
friendly with the crown prince, so a few began to wonder
whether he was a son of the Fan clan, but none of them guessed
that he was the son of Count Sinan.

Watching the people around him discuss things, Guo Baokun

took a sip of tea and laughed sinisterly. "Brother Fan here only
just arrived in the capital a few days ago. I think we should all
hear what he has to say."

The people at the contest weren't idiots; they immediately

realized Fan Xian's identity. When they looked at him, they felt
a twinge of pity, a slight trace of disdain, and a number of
other complicated feelings.

Fan Xian's expression did not change from the faint smile he
had worn before, but he continued to refuse to compose a
poem. When Crown Prince Jing saw his smile, he felt all the
more unable to gauge the depths of this young man. A strange
look flashed across his eyes, and he spoke to broker a
compromise. "Poetry can only be written willingly, and
brother Fan clearly does not wish to write today. Gentlemen,
you will have to write yourselves."

Fan Xian leaned lazily on the small slanted table, looking at

the people milling about, listening to their average-at-best
prose. It was all rather boring. To an observer's eye, he looked
rather impudent. Someone could not help but sneer. "The
young lady of the Fan family is well known in the capital for
her poetry. It is rather surprising that young master Fan is so
silent."

Guo Baokun spoke quietly. "Well, he wasn't raised in the

manor," he laughed, "of course he's different from the rest of
them." Though he had spoken quietly, he made sure to let
everyone around him know. Although the Kingdom of Qing
had blossomed culturally, the status of illegitimate children
had remained as low as ever. Fan Xian's status was a sensitive
subject. When people heard his carefully-chosen words, a
strange atmosphere pervaded the grounds.
Chapter 67: By the Lakeside
By the side of the lake stood a pavilion, in which half a dozen
women sat under a canopy of thin white silk. Some were eating
fruit, looking at the people chatting by the other side of the
lake. Some furrowed their brows as they held their brushes,
trying to come up with something. Looking at their luxurious
and respectable clothing, it could be assumed that they were
the daughters of the capital's bureaucrat families. Among them
was one girl who wore a light yellow skintight corset. Her eyes
were exceptionally bright, like the semi-translucent jade
brought across the western sea. This was Ye Ling'er, the girl
who Fan Xian had caught a glimpse of outside the city walls;
the only daughter of the head of the city garrison.

Ye Ling'er's gaze flitted over to the other side of the lake, and
she turned to look at Fan Ruoruo. "Ruoruo, is that shameful
member of your family here today?" she asked.

When she heard her comment, Fan Ruoruo was filled with an
unnamable anger. She placed her brush on the table. "Ye
Ling'er, your tongue is usually as sharp as your family's
weapons... It's fine to have some edge to you, but what soy-
sauce seller have you been visiting to have such an acidity to
your words today?"
 When the ladies in the pavilion heard this, there was a
sudden silence. They did not expect such language from the
mild-mannered daughter of the Fan family.

For some reason, Ye Ling'er felt a thorough dislike for the

illegitimate son of the Fan family, so her words were rather
uncouth. Hearing gentle Fan Ruoruo speak to her so brusquely,
she harrumphed angrily, but she could not find the words to
reply.

Rou Jia sat by Fan Ruoruo's side, grinding an ink stick.

Listening to the two women's conversation, she giggled. "You're
both usually rather wonderful. Why is it that you're so
acrimonious today?" Rou Jia was the youngest of the women,
but also possessed the highest status. She had the calmest
temperament, and so her words cleared the air.

"Who knows why Miss Fan is the way she is today?" grunted
Ye Ling'er.

Fan Ruoruo smiled, suppressing her anger. She fluttered her

long eyelashes. Although she was the daughter of an official,
and had a reputation of being a talented girl, they were
ultimately all sixteen-year-old girls – how much emotion could
one bear? "If we are speaking of brothers, it is best not to be
rude."

Ye Ling'er laughed coldly. "How have I been rude? Don't tell

me that the person who came with you today has been adopted
into the family and added to the records of the Fan clan?"

Fan Ruoruo was exceptionally bright, and she knew that Ye

Ling'er was taking her anger over some other issue out on her
brother. She smiled coldly and did not respond; instead, she
got up to leave the pavilion. For some reason, Ye Ling'er
followed. Rou Jia called after them softly, but she wasn't sure
what was going on. The women in the pavilion did not know
which person Ye Ling'er was referring to, and they couldn't
understand why the two girls had suddenly gotten angry, so
they were quite confused.

The other girls didn’t follow them out of the pavilion. Fan
Ruoruo was able to speak more directly. She fixed Ye Ling'er
with a dark look. "You are on good terms with Miss Lin. That is
your business. If she does not wish to be married to my
brother, that is her business. If you continue to be so
impertinent toward my brother, you will not blame me if I
decide I no longer care for our friendship."

Ye Ling'er frowned and scrunched up her nose, looking rather

pretty as she did so. "Yesterday, you came to my manor," she
grumbled, "and I told you that Chen'er does not wish to marry
your brother. I wanted you to go home and say so. But instead
you bring him to the prince's mansion. Don't think I don't
know what your family is planning. Maybe you've decided to
use this poetry contest as an opportunity to make a name for
yourselves, and..." she stopped talking, and angrily
straightened her sleeves.

Fan Ruoruo saw the mood that she was in and sighed to
herself. It seemed that the girls saw things as her brother said
they would. "Who did you want me to talk to?" she asked. "My
father or my brother? You know full well that in families such
as ours, marriage isn't something we have any say over."

Ye Ling'er thought on what she had said. "...Or you could get
your brother to leave the capital," she said, a faint hint of hope
in her voice.
 Fan Ruoruo frowned at her. Ye Ling'er's words were
laughably absurd. Ruoruo's brother had had quite some
influence on her, and so she appeared much more mature. But
Ye Ling'er was still a clueless young noblewoman. "Let's not
talk of marriage anymore."

Ye Ling'er looked at her and smiled. "What is your brother's

status? And Miss Lin's?"

Fan Ruoruo smiled. "My brother has a father but no mother;

Miss Lin has no mother or father. Status? Those are their
statuses."

Although Miss Lin was the illegitimate daughter of the Prime

Minister, the Prime Minister did not dare acknowledge her, nor
could he. And her mother's identity was even more of an
unspeakable secret in the Kingdom of Qing – thus it was best to
say that she had neither mother nor father.

Ye Ling'er seemingly could not imagine what Fan Ruoruo was

saying beneath her smile. Unexpectedly caustic, her lips
trembling, she spoke in a low and fierce voice. "Do you think
this marriage is set in stone? Who knows what might happen?"
 Fan Ruoruo felt a twinge of fear, but a gentle smile remained
on her face. She walked slowly forward, pulling closer to Ye
Ling'er, suppressing her feelings with all her might. "Perhaps
you do not understand who my brother is. I advise you not to
do anything inappropriate. As for the marriage... I don't
consider it completely determined either. Perhaps when my
brother meets with Miss Lin, whom you love so dearly, he may
wish to leave the capital at once."

Though Ye Ling'er's family was known for its martial

prowess, she was unimposing before this weak girl. "You
presume your brother will dare to be so choosy toward
Chen'er?"

Fan Ruoruo sighed. She spoke with the same manner that Fan
Xian sometimes adopted himself. "I don't understand. This is a
matter between the Fan family and Miss Lin. Why are you so
concerned?"

Ye Ling'er thought for a while. "You know Miss Lin is in poor

health," she said quietly. "So why is it necessary to go against
her wishes and marry her off to someone she doesn't want to
marry?"
 Her words tugged at Fan Ruoruo's heartstrings. What young
girl did not yearn for love? What young girl did not wish to
marry a man of her own choosing? Putting herself in her
shoes, Fan Ruoruo felt some pity for the girl, who had no
power over her own love life. But... "First of all, the matter has
been decided by the authorities. Secondly, it all depends on my
brother's opinion. There's nothing I can do, Miss Ye."

She smiled as she said the last few words.

At that moment, concerned by the fight between the two

girls, Rou Jia stepped out to find them. Seeing that all seemed
well, she let out a sigh of relief. "Come back inside," she said
sweetly.

Fan Ruoruo suddenly seemed at ease. "Miss Ye," she said

gently, "I have heard that your friend is in ill health. My father
happens to know a fine doctor. Would it be convenient for him
to pay her a house visit?"
Chapter 68: The First Blow
Ye Ling'er was the only daughter of Ye Zhong, the head of the
city garrison – unfortunately, due to her family's martial
pursuits, she did not possess a gentle and refined temperament.
Ye Liuyun, one of the Four Great Grandmasters, was her great
uncle. The Ye family held a special position in the Kingdom of
Qing, but the young woman was not a tyrannical,
unreasonable sort. She simply cared deeply for Miss Lin, who
was confined every day to her sickbed, forced to marry a boy
she had never seen. So Ye Ling'er appeared very concerned.

Over the past few days, news had gone around a number of
the great houses of the capital that the palace was preparing to
marry off Miss Lin to the baseborn son of the Fan family from
far-off Danzhou. When the news arrived, Miss Lin was
mortified. She caught a chill during the night, coughing up
blood and worsening her already poor health. Ye Ling'er was
residing with her brother in Dingzhou; when she heard the
news, she rushed back to the capital, and that was where Fan
Xian saw her, outside the city gates.

A few days later, a rumor spread through the capital that the
baseborn son of the Fan family had already arrived in the
capital, and that he was just like Fan Sizhe – an arrogant and
aggressive playboy. The news filled Ye Ling'er with rage. The
day before, she had gone to see Miss Lin and found her to be
rather bashful. She asked her some questions, and although
she never got an answer, she guessed that Miss Lin had fallen
in love with someone.

She could not bear to see the young woman so broken-

hearted, so she went to find her father and ask if he could
intercede at the palace and convince them to break off the
engagement. She had not expected the question to make her
father quite so angry. With no other options, she invited Fan
Ruoruo to visit her at the family manor, hoping to see whether
there was any way the engagement could be called off. She had
always known that the chances were slim, but it was still
worth trying, using up all of the sisterly goodwill that they
shared.

Ye Ling'er looked at the mild-mannered Rou Jia, then at Fan

Ruoruo's seemingly tranquil expression. She had finally
realized that Miss Ruoruo, always so indifferent to her good
reputation, had quite some backbone to her. When Fan Ruoruo
suggested to her that she introduce Miss Lin to a skilled
physician, Ye Ling’er muttered weakly, "It's no use."
 Fan Ruoruo was not willing to drop the matter. She smiled.
"If you truly feel so deeply for her, what harm would it do to
let a famous doctor see her?"

"The imperial physicians have had no luck treating her. This

famous doctor you speak of..." Ye Ling'er held herself back. She
did want to appear disdainful in front of the princess. "The
doctor is a student of Master Gui," Fan Ruoruo explained
politely.

Ye Ling'er made sound of approval. Her eyes shone, and she

pulled Fan Ruoruo's hand toward her. "I shall ask her if it is
possible."

Finishing their chat, the three girls went back inside the
pavilion. When the other girls saw the calm expressions on
those two, they assumed that the matter had been dealt with,
and breathed a sigh of relief. By their sides stood servant-girls
attending to them and a maidservant who copied the poems
they had written before taking them to the other side of the
lake.
 Some time later, copies of the poems the scholars had written
on the other side of the lake came over to them. The ladies
glanced through them, occasionally exclaiming in admiration.
Fan Ruoruo held her chin in her hands and gazed at the other
side of the lake, wondering what they might be thinking. Ye
Ling'er curiously accepted the poetry scrolls, and read through
from start to finish, but did not see an inscription reading
"Fan". "What about young master Fan's poem?" she asked,
astonished.

Since they had sent the young man here to make a name for
himself, she thought there was no reason for him to hide
himself away. The maidservant explained respectfully that
Master Fan had not written a poem. Rou Jia glanced at Fan
Ruoruo by the side of the railings, and a look of bewilderment
passed across her innocent face. She was examining the scene
in detail. The girls in the pavilion realized that the battle of
words on the other side of the lake was just as pointed as it had
been on this side.

Rou Jia smiled sweetly. "Ruoruo, won't you come and see this
scholar's poem?"
 The women began to chat among themselves. Ruoruo heard
that her brother had been humiliated. She turned her head
away from the railing, hiding a trace of anger in her tranquil
eyes. "Can these people even write poetry?" she said coolly.

Although the women knew that Miss Fan was a skilled

poetess, hearing her talk this way was somewhat unexpected.
Fan Ruoruo returned, took up her ink-stone and slender brush,
and waved her wrist above the paper, writing a few words.
After she had finished, she passed it to a maidservant. "Take
these verses over there," she instructed her.

The maidservant did as she was told.

—————————————————————————

Meanwhile, on the other side of the lake, an uneasy silence

had due to Guo Baokun's maligning Fan Xian's status.

Anger flashed in Crown Prince Jing's eyes. This was no way

for people to act in the presence of a prince. He clenched his fist
gently, wondering whether to teach this fellow a lesson, but
when he looked at Fan Xian, he felt that he had the right
response, and that it was best not to use his fists.

Count Sinan had made Fan Xian attend the poetry contest for
a simple reason – to make himself known and gather some
renown so that he could gain the "affections" of the eldest
princess. But Fan Xian seemed completely unworried. People
around him wondered what on earth he might be thinking. Not
long after they had sent their verses to the pavilion, a
maidservant came with a response, giving the poem that Miss
Fan had wrote to the Crown Prince.

Glancing at it, the Crown Prince's eyes lit up. "Very good!" he
exclaimed.

The aide by his side looked it over and nodded his head. "Not
bad at all, but..." He felt that this poem, written by a woman,
had a slightly abnormal approach. But after considering the
relationship between the crown prince's family and the Fan
family, he kept silent.

The people around him were curious. They gathered together

to see the words, written in small, elegant characters: "In
August the lake waters are calm, the vapors and horizon mix
together. The steam travels across the Pond of Clouded
Dreams, the waves shaking the walls of Danzhou. I wish to
cross, but have neither boat nor oar; o wise one, it would be a
shame for me to settle down. Sitting, I see an angler, his
followers jealous of his fish."

"A fine poem. Miss Fan has truly proven herself." He Zongwei
was among the people who crowded around, and the sound of
his praise was especially loud, as if he wanted it to reach the
other side of the lake. "She writes in such awe of the lake
scenery. It is a wonderful comment on nature."

Guo Baokun frowned. "The lake's so small. You can't say that
there's steam. What's more, the Pond of Clouded Dreams is in
the south, and Danzhou is by the sea. Miss Fan only writes
pretty words, but they are quite lacking."

Crown Prince Jing had taken a different meaning from the

verse. Wanting to cross with neither boat nor oar, a shame to
settle down, sitting and seeing an angler whose followers were
jealous of his fish... Though it was vague, it showed the author
was not resigned to secrecy, and wanted to take action. It was
the pattern of a poem in which the writer wished to offer their
services. He turned his head to look at Fan Xian, who sat
calmly in a far-off area. He wondered... Perhaps he had written
it?

But it was a fine poem, so the people around him all praised
it; no one else agreed with Guo Baokun. As the prince
pondered, some people had already sent their comments to the
other side of the lake, and Miss Fan's explanation had already
come back.

"A lake is a body of water, as is the sea. Clouded Dreams

reminds one of the East Sea. My brother grew up in Danzhou.
His heart is in the rivers and the ocean, so why not use it as one
pleases? This poem was written by my brother when he was
ten. I have copied it out today for everyone's enjoyment."

They paid no attention to the first part, but they finally

understood that this poem was not written by Miss Fan... but
by the taciturn Fan Xian!

At that point, the scholars in the garden stopped looking at

Fan Xian with contempt and confusion, but were filled with
awe. For Fan Xian to write such a poem at ten years old – was
he a genius?
Chapter 69: The Poetry Battle
There was a whooshing sound as everyone's gaze turned to
Fan Xian. He smiled bashfully and cupped his hands. He did
not pass himself off as an artist; after all, he was Fan Xian, not
Fan Wei.

The Crown Prince looked at him and almost began to laugh.

He couldn't believe what Miss Fan had said. A ten-year-old
might be able to write good poetry, but to meticulously weave
together such a poem as this? It wasn't possible. He figured Fan
Xian had written it the night before and gave it to Fan Ruoruo
to pull out at the poetry contest in order to wow everyone.

He wasn't angry; on the contrary, he was quite intrigued that

someone as seemingly carefree as Fan Xian could write such a
poem.

Fan Xian had no idea what the Crown Prince was thinking.
The poem was from a poet in his previous world named Meng
Haoran, who had written it to suck up to the minister Zhang
Jiuling. It was of a far higher standard than the people at the
contest, so he was confident that he had satisfied his father's
wishes.
 Looking at the people around him, Guo Baokun began to get
angry. He could never have imagined that this young man, all
beauty and no brains, could write such a poem to save his skin.
He wasn't willing to let the matter lie. He laughed coldly. "Who
knew Brother Fan was such a fine writer? Such work... and
written at the tender age of ten."

His words made it clear that he did not believe that the poem
was written by Fan Xian.

Fan Xian sighed. Why did people always have to press him on
such matters? When it came to composing poetry, in this
world, who could be his match? After all, he had the works of
the poets Li Bai, Du Fu, and Su Shi on his side, and a mastery
of five thousand years of poetic tradition. He laughed. "I never
write compositions on set topics."

Guo Baokun regarded Fan Xian's thoroughly confident

manner and gritted his teeth as he spoke. "Then Brother Fan, I
invite you to write on a topic of your choosing, and let all of
the capital bear witness to your brilliance."
 Fan Xian frowned and glanced coolly at this troublesome
scholar. He wrote down a poem, then left the garden, asking
the servants to escort him to the latrine.

A single poem is recited in a resounding voice that stuns the

garden and forces the defeated enemy into retreat.

The poem he wrote was powerful and resonant. The entire

garden was stunned; his victory had been absolute.

After a bout of cheering, everyone was still pondering its

meaning. Guo Baokun's face went a pale green color, and he
was unable to speak. The Crown Prince felt unable to hold his
fan without incurring Fan Xian's judgement on his character.
He closed it shut with a bang, and read the poem aloud.

"The ape cries out in the windy skies. Birds circle round the
islet of clear white sand. Trees shed leaves endlessly, rustling
down. The great river surges on ceaselessly. Ten thousand
miles in sorrowful autumn, always someone’s guest. A
hundred years of ailments, I climb the terrace alone. With
much suffering, I regret my white temples. Frustratingly, I stop
drinking my murky wine.."
 ...

...

"Sorrow, clarity, ceaselessness, endlessness, ten thousand

miles, autumn, guests, one hundred years, sickness, loneliness,
and the worries of all eternity; all of these condensed into a
single cup of wine! Bravo! Bravo!" The Crown Prince praised
him loudly, before realizing how overly-carefree he must have
looked. In fact, he was feeling sad about his father. He wasn't
sure why, but he felt a certain heartache and a powerful
sorrow. He shook his head and said nothing for a long while.

Some time later, he came to a realization: Fan Xian was so

young; even if his life had been miserable, how could he say
that the hair on his temples was white, and he had suffered so
much illness? It was something he couldn't understand. It
didn't make any sense at all. But everyone was still lost in the
atmosphere of the poem. Watching the sunset, whether rich or
poor, brings to one’s mind the impermanence of life, the
inevitability of loss. And so everyone had simply forgotten any
of the discrepancies between the poem and Fan Xian's own life.
 And no one doubted that it was his work. After all, no one
but an expert in the world of poetry could write such a thing.
An expert would not be willing to write such a poem even on
behalf of the Emperor, let alone on behalf of the young son of
the Fan family.

"With this poem, even if Master Fan decided never to write

again, it would not matter," sighed Crown Prince Jing. The
scholars by the lake remained speechless. They all knew that
none of them could ever write a finer poem, and so the whole
contest fell silent as a result of Fan Xian's work. They never
even noticed that the author had already slipped away.

—————————————————————————

In all honesty, the poem fit neither the time nor

circumstances, but Fan Xian felt a desperate need to relieve
himself, so he quickly wrote down something he had
memorized just so he could finish off his enemy. He had
relieved himself of two burdens: the first being that scoundrel
Guo Baokun; the other, more-urgent one being from when he
had drunk a little too much in his earlier boredom.
 Hiking up his pants as he left the toilet, he gave a sigh of
relief, fastened his belt, took a towel from the servant and
wiped his hands. On his way back, he came across a beautiful
plant nursery that was filled with soft green leaves and delicate
flowers. He felt the energy of life itself underneath the tall
trees beneath the evening light.

He turned and asked the servant whether it was possible for

him to go in and look around. The servant knew that this was
the older brother of the Fan family. Fan Xian’s younger sister,
and the younger brother, Fan Sizhe, had before run around the
grounds of the prince's mansion as he pleased. Naturally, he
could not say no, and so he respectfully replied that it would be
no problem.

Fan Xian was quite pleased and sent the servant away as he
walked into the nursery and looking around. He discovered
that the nursery was lacking the rare flowers beloved by rich
families; instead, a number of plants were there that he could
not name. They were crude and awkward-looking, possibly
wild herbs or crops.

He was curious. The Crown Prince's family mansion was

extraordinary, and yet they had planted these things.
 As he wandered around the garden, the sunlight was still
bright, but the sky above him was obstructed by a canopy of
trees, so all seemed peaceful. He could hear the lively chirping
of birds returning to their nests, and surrounded by such
greenery, he felt very much at ease. Fan Xian was very happy to
break away from that boring poetry contest. He hummed a folk
song to himself as he walked further in, smiling as he walked.
"Maybe I’ll run into a fairy, just like Duan Yu had," he said to
himself.

"Who are you?"

Someone stood up from the thicket of plants, regarding Fan

Xian with curiosity.

...

...

Fan Xian was taken aback. He should have listened more

carefully, he thought. Walking this far away from anyone, if
this was a murderer, he would be done for. After he had come
to the capital, it seemed that he had significantly lowered his
guard.

He looked at the person in front of him, and laughed at

himself.

The person certainly wasn't Wang Yuyan, and it wasn't the

girl in white who he couldn't get out of his mind. It was a
middle-aged gardener, with a hoe in his hand and a muddy
basket by his feet. He had a fair and honest face, with a slightly
hurried look in his eyes. It appeared that, seeing the clothes
that Fan Xian was wearing, he was somewhat reverent.

Fan Xian smiled, and cupped his hands to the gardener in

salute. "I'm sorry to have surprised you. I'm a guest of the
prince; I saw all these wonderful plants on my way back, so I
thought I'd have a look around.

The gardener wiped his hands on his clothes, seemingly

unsure how to greet Fan Xian. After hearing praise for his
garden, he smiled earnestly.
Fan Wei, a Chinese sitcom and film actor.
Duan Yu, a character from the wuxia novel Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.
Wang Yuyan, another character from Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, with whom Duan Yu falls in
love at first sight because she resembles a statue of a fairy-like lady he chanced upon before.
Chapter 70: King Jing’s Declaration
Fan Xian looked around. Finding no one else, he decided to
sit down on a rock. He took the kettle offered by the old
gardener and took a few gulps without any complaints. On a
whim, he then began to chat with the gardener about planting
flowers and plants. Since Fan Xian didn’t know anything about
gardening, the gardener’s colorful descriptions proved to be
rather novel. But he became a bit irritated after hearing too
much. Fan Xian thought about leaving, but chose not to after
thinking about the even more irritating poetry gathering.
Instead, he sighed.

Hearing Fan Xian’s sigh, the gardener asked out of curiosity,

"Young sir, what’s troubling you?"

"The royal manor is holding a poetry gathering. It’s very

boring." Fan Xian blinked. To him, this gardener was but a
servant. There was no way a mere servant would be interested
in poetry.

As Fan Xian expected, the gardener nodded his head.

"Composing poetry is for people with too much free time. You
can’t make a living out of it. They really are a bunch of stupid
pigs."

Fan Xian was taken aback for an instant, thinking, "Didn’t he

just insult himself too?" He then changed his mind and let out
a hearty laugh. "Stupid pigs indeed." He finally realized
something. With a wave of his hand, they didn’t bring up
poetry again.

——————————————————————————

After the poetry gathering ended, all the guests went back. As
for what happened after that, nobody in the capital knew until
the following day.

That night, King Jing’s household was having its usual

dinner. The Crown Prince got ready to go to the Drunken
Immortal Tavern to indulge himself, but was called back by
the housekeeper. He sat uncomfortably at the dinner table and,
along with his sister, waited to be reprimanded by their father.
 King Jing sat at the head of the table. Amazingly, he was that
old gardener who was chatting with Fan Xian that afternoon in
the garden. Looking at his ever-indulgent son, a wave of anger
came over him. King Jing exploded. "You stupid pig! You waste
all your days in those places!"

Crown Prince Li Hongcheng knew "stupid pig" was his

father’s catchphrase. Without getting upset, he smiled
sheepishly. "What has caused you to become so angry today?"

King Jing gave a "Humph" in reply and ceased his outburst.

He then asked, "You held another one of those poetry
gatherings today?"

Li Hongcheng was surprised for a moment and answered

affirmatively with another sheepish smile. He knew his father
wasn’t very fond of those scholarly events. But in order for
him to gather talented scholars for the second prince, they
were necessary. Unexpectedly, King Jing didn’t get angry.
Instead, he asked, "During today’s poetry gathering, there was
a kid wearing chestnut-colored clothes. Who was that?"
 There were so many visitors, how could Li Hongcheng
remember all of them?

King Jing frowned. After thinking about the boy’s notable

features for a long time, he finally said, "He was very pretty,
like a girl."

Li Hongcheng let out a chuckle. He knew whom his father

was referring to. He answered immediately, "That must be the
one from Fan Manor."

King Jing raised his eyebrows in surprise, revealing a trace of

viciousness. "What?" he shouted. "You mean that’s Fan Jian’s
son? The one in Danzhou? I’ll be damned. To think he sired
such a good-looking son, even though he himself isn’t much to
look at!"

Princess Ruo Jia blushed in embarrassment as she listened to

her father spew out profanity. But at the same time, she was
curious. Just what kind of person was the man who was so
revered by Ruoruo? Li Hongcheng looked at his father with
some anger, thinking it was good that there were no servants
around. However, he quickly changed his mind, as the servants
should already be used to King Jing’s vocabulary. He quickly
asked, "Why do you ask about him, father?"

"Why?" King Jing grunted a few times in annoyance. When

he met the clueless Fan Xian that afternoon, he thought the
boy looked familiar, but wasn’t able to recall anything. Fan
Xian disliked the poetry gatherings, but he listened to King
Jing talk about gardening for so long. For that, King Jing took
a liking to the boy. But King Jing never expected that pretty
boy would turn out to be Fan Jian’s son. As anger swelled up in
his heart, he kept on going. "You should learn from him…
What’s his name?"

"Fan Xian."

"You should learn from that Fan Xian. He may not have the
proper pedigree, but he does have a good eye for things." King
Jing continued to educate his son. "That Fan Xian could talk
for hours with a gardener. And then there’s you, who puts so
much attention on his own background. You must know that
boasting is very inappropriate for what you are currently
doing."
 Crown Prince Li Hongcheng knew his deal with the second
prince couldn’t fool his father who, while appearing coarse on
the outside, was extremely wise. The prince hurriedly agreed
in response. After the meal, the crown prince readied himself
to go read in the study room so as to please his father.
However, King Jing abruptly asked, "Weren’t you planning on
going to Drunken Immortal Tavern before?"

Drunken Immortal Tavern wasn’t an eatery, but a brothel.

The prince got nervous and began to express his unwillingness
in a panic. King Jing stared him in the eye and chided, "You’re
a man. If you want to do something, go do it. Don’t be so
unaccountable." After he finished talking, King Jing called
someone over and kicked out the prince.

Li Hongcheng sat in Drunken Immortal Tavern with Miss

Yuan Meng—the most popular entertainer in the capital—in
his arms. But his mind was elsewhere, thinking chillingly
about why his father had acted so differently today.

Late at night, at King Jing’s estate, King Jing cursed as he

drank. "That rotten scoundrel. Visiting whorehouses used to
be his favorite pastime. How in the world did he make such a
good-looking son? I’m making my own son do the same so I’ll
get a handsome grandson."

—————————————————————————————

Temporarily putting aside King Jing forcing his own son to

seek out prostitutes, Fan Xian went back to his sedan chair
soon after the poetry gathering dispersed and met up with Teng
Zijing and a few guards. There was plenty of chatter among the
guests regarding Fan Xian’s poem. Seeing the sedan chair of Fan
Manor, a few scholars came up to bid farewell. In return, Fan
Xian hurriedly came down and sent them off with a smile. He
also ordered a few guards to escort Ruoruo back.

Before Ruoruo got up to her sedan chair, she nodded towards

Fan Xian, who knew "it" had been arranged properly. Suddenly
feeling refreshed, he began to plan for that evening.

"Guo Baokun must be living in Shang Shu Manor. He goes to

the palace once every three days. He claims to be a compiler,
but in truth, he is the prince’s reading partner."
 Something made Fan Xian frown. "The prince still needs a
reading partner? How old is he?"

"The prince is the son of the empress. He is the third

youngest among the royal siblings. He is eighteen."

Fan Xian laughed. "He’s an 18-year-old adult. What does he

need a reading partner for?"

"He likes slacking off," Teng Zijing said, smiling bitterly. "So
he’s flagrantly found some people to keep him entertained."

"And the emperor doesn’t care?"

"That… I am not certain."

Ever since that incident at the restaurant, Fan Xian was

worried that Guo Baokun wouldn’t let things go and would be
scheming. So he ordered Teng Zijing to gather some
intelligence, including the places Guo Baokun often visited and
the route he took to return home.

During today’s poetry gathering, that Guo fellow had made

some barbed remarks. As kind as Fan Xian was, all he could do
was keep a fake smile as anger burned deep inside him. Only
now did Fan Xian realize that he had subconsciously ordered
Teng Zijing to gather intelligence so that he could harass Guo,
not because he was worried of being harassed himself.
Chapter 71: Si Lili
"How did that saying go? When the master is put to shame…"
Fan Xian looked at Teng Zijing.

Teng Zijing was quick to pick up: "… the servant dies."

"How impudent. If you die, I gain nothing out of it. So it’s

natural that someone else must die. Do you know how to do
it?"

Teng Zijing responded without hesitation, even though he

knew that beating Guo Baokun in the streets would be a serious
crime, and that was without taking Guo Baokun’s relationship
with the prince into consideration. If Count Sinan wouldn’t
take responsibility, then he, as the main perpetrator, would
most likely have to escape the capital and go into hiding for
many years. Despite knowing that, he did not refuse, because
he believed in the young man standing in front of him. Teng
Zijing believed the young man would definitely escape his
present ambiguous standard of living. Teng Zijing’s trust came
not only from Young Master Fan’s knowledge in various
methods, but also his own instincts.
 Fan Xian nodded in acknowledgement, but said something
odd. "You don’t know how to do it."

Ten Zijing was startled. He didn’t understand what the

young master meant.

"The beating is a must, or else how can I relieve this foulness

in my heart?" Fan Xian said, carrying the gentlest smile which
contrasted with his words so much that it made Teng Zijing
shudder. "The problem is how to beat him. Who should beat
him? We must figure out how to beat him to our hearts’
content without fear of corporal punishment!"

"I originally did mind dirtying my own hands, but if I asked

you or some other guards back home to do it, it’ll bring all
sorts of trouble in the future when dealing with the officials.
And I believe father would not alienate the Guo household for
the sake of a few servants." Fan Xian continued to explain
while smiling, "If I do it, however, the consequences would not
be as severe, for my status is different. Besides, with the union
between the Fan and Lin families, father and that esteemed one
in the palace who want this marriage to follow through would
rather not let anything happen to me."
 Teng Zijing was worried. "Young Master, you mustn’t do it
yourself. Not to mention, scuffles between sons of powerful
families really aren’t that big of a deal in the capital. If you
bring the Master and aid from the palace, that’s a little too…"

Ten Zijing then shut his mouth, but Fan Xian finished his
thought. "Lose a lot to save a little? Make too much of a
scene?"

He then smiled and shook his head. "I was only speaking
theoretically. Truthfully, I wasn’t planning on giving him the
chance to bite me back."

Startled by the revelation, Ten Zijing felt his heart go cold.

Could the young master be planning on murder?

Fan Xian guessed what he was thinking and laughed. He

asked without explaining himself, "Has Crown Prince Jing
been invited?"

"Yes."
 "What’s the location?"

"The Drunken Immortal Tavern."

"Quite an extravagant name for a restaurant."

"…Young Master, it’s a brothel."

Fan Xian did a double take and replied with an awkward

smile. He then asked, "Is the bag ready?"

————————————————————————

To the east of the capital was a flowing river. Before it

reached the mountains, it gradually slowed and formed a pond
whose surface was as tranquil as a mirror. Every night, many
decorated boats floated across with their beautiful lights,
making the pond look like a crystal palace.
 The people all knew what went on in those boats, but the
knowledge was passed around so much that no one really
objected.

The Drunken Immortal Tavern was not the biggest of these

brothel boats, but it was of the highest class. The boat was
intricate and beautiful, with two elegantly-built levels. The
most important aspect was that Si Lili, the most popular girl in
the capital, was there.

Si Lili’s appearance spoke for itself. She was also quite

talented, being able to play instruments and sing. While she
didn’t really have many actual achievements, the many
scholars in different capital cities had praised her enough for
her to receive a reputation as a talented entertainer.

But that wasn’t the only reason for her sudden rise above
other women of the same occupation. On a much grander
level, there was a rumor that Lili’s family name was not
actually Si, but Li, denoting royal lineage. Supposedly, this
young woman was the remnant of the royal family which first
founded this kingdom, but due to her ancestors’ committing a
grave mistake, she ended up in her current state.
 The ones who truly understood the royal family tree scoffed
at such rumors, and the common people actually knew such
rumors were false, but Si Lili never bothered to explain. If
some people believed the rumor, then let them. It’s not like the
emperor would care about the family name of a prostitute.
That was an understandable thing to do, since her various
clients would probably be quite delighted if they believed her
to be a "distant relative" of the emperor.

She was the reason why the Drunken Immortal Tavern was
so popular despite its high prices. The boat was rowdy every
night, and countless people had willingly thrown away all
their valuables in order to become one of Si Lili’s regulars. But
today, something was different. The decorated boat was docked
at shore, but the usual crowd of eager young nobles was not
allowed to board. A few fierce-looking strongmen stood guard
at the boarding plank. A fight would have erupted had the
madam not come down to explain that the entire brothel had
been rented out by someone for the day.

How much did it cost to rent out the whole place? As those
young nobles left in a bad mood, they all secretly cursed the
one who rented out the Drunken Immortal Tavern as a
disgraceful and wasteful brat.
 Fan Xian stared at the intricate pastries on the table as he
drank high-class alcohol from a pair of delicate hands. He too
felt he was being a disgrace to his family. The money had come
from Count Sinan’s treasury. Although Fan Xian’s father was in
charge of the Kingdom of Qing’s finances, the Fan treasury was
but a measly one. It pained Fan Xian to think about the amount
of money he had spent on this. Fan Xian was also restless from
not knowing how his father would react once he learned
official funds were used in this way.

What really made him restless, however, was the young

woman in his arms.

Si Lili’s brows were sharp and shapely like willow leaves,

while her dark pupils were lively and expressive. Her lips were
colored red with lipstick and parted slightly, giving her a
natural expression. Most enticing of all was her voluptuous
figure. Sitting on Fan Xian’s lap, the lightest touch would put
him in a slight daze.

Feeling the heartbeat of this pretty rich boy gradually getting

faster, Si Lili snickered to herself. Having confirmed this young
master from Fan manor was still new to such matters, she
stopped teasing him and got off his lap. She poured some more
alcohol, raised the cup to his lips, and drizzled it in.
Chapter 72: Like an Orchid
As the boat slowly departed from the shore, so departed the
young woman from Fan Xian.

Seeing the tender beauty leave his lap, Fan Xian gave a sigh of
relief. After all, he was a thirty-some-year-old virgin in his
previous life. Experiencing such stimulation at once was too
much for him. Seeing his composure, Si Lili was a bit curious.
Other young men like him with money and status all had
messed around with maidservants back in their manors at his
age.

She had no idea that Fan Xian grew up in Danzhou, where

there were only a maidservants around. Dong’er, whom Fan
Xian fantasized about when he was younger, was already
married. And later on, when he was planning to mess around
with Sisi, he got called to the capital in a hurry.

Si Lili got distracted watching Fan Xian’s face for a moment.

Embarrassed, she added some appetizers to his plate.
 In his two lives, this was his first time going to a brothel, so
naturally he was nervous; he didn’t have any experience with
this and was silent toward his lover. Seeing Si Lili being silent,
he thought this was the way they served their customers and
also didn’t say anything. Only his left hand stayed half-
heartedly around Si Lili’s waist.

In an instant, the atmosphere had become rather ambiguous.

But things were getting lively in another cabin. Teng Zijing

were drinking with a few of his trusted subordinates. The
madam was waiting by their side and asked if they would want
some girls to accompany them. The subordinates appeared to
be tempted, but Teng Zijing shook his head coldly. After
following the young master for several days, he never got the
chance to demonstrate his abilities until today, therefore he
mustn’t let such distractions get in the way.

Seeing him being adamant, the madam didn’t try to persuade

any further; since she already got the money, she cheerfully
poured alcohol and provided conversation. This madam’s last
name was also Si, but it was obviously a fake. Her first name
was Ling, around thirty years old with an orderly demeanor.
Some charm from her younger days still remained. After a few
cups, she spoke softly to Teng Zijing: "From which house does
such a dignified master come from, if I may ask?"

Teng Ziiing laughed at such an obvious question: "That was

made obvious enough when we gave the order: Young Master is
the eldest son of the Fan household."

Si Ling gave a charming smile: "Fan is one of the five great

clans in the capital, with more than ten branch houses, even
the most prosperous numbered three or four."

Teng Zijing only chuckled and did not respond.

Si Ling suddenly had an idea and attempted to confirm:

"being so flashy with his money, could it be… Minister Fan’s
household?"

Since they specifically came here to visit this whorehouse,

there was no reason for Teng Zijing to deny it. He nodded.
With a look of shock, Si Ling exclaimed: "so he is Count Sinan’s
son." She was still troubled at the fact that the handsome
young man at the back of the boat must be the illegitimate son
everyone mentioned here and there. If that was the case, how
could he have access to so much money?

Of course, she didn’t openly pose her question. She

remembered when she first started taking in customers; her
seniors used to say that Count Sinan was a regular of the
capital’s brothels. Even after his marriage, he often visited the
boats on the river, provoking the official censor to file many
complaints condemning him. But due to his history with his
highness, nothing could be done about him.

Who would have thought that, after twenty years, Count

Sinan’s son would once again repeat the cycle? From at the
moment she caught glance of Young Master Fan, Si Ling
realized that he was new at this, which was why she was very
surprised when he requested the most popular girl here:

Like father, like son.

Some red lanterns suddenly appeared during the chatter, and

shouting could be heard. The madam stood up with some
uncertainty. With his sharp eyes, Teng Zijing saw that there
were two guards of King Jing Manor and ordered the flower
boat to get to shore.

After Crown Prince Jing got on, he went to the back like he
always did. Madam Si Ling was very startled seeing another
important guest. Apparently, that young master had very
impressive connections.

Teng Zijing was well acquainted with the prince’s guards and
went to drink with them.

In the cabin in the back of the boat, the Prince saw Fan Xian’s
pitiful state, and said mockingly, "It’s not like Miss Lili will eat
you or anything, so why are you sitting so far away?"

Fan Xian thought: "If you had come any later, I might have
started eating people." He then asked, "Why have you come so
late?"

That caught the Crown Prince off guard. "What should I tell
you? Father gave me an earful because you invited me here."
Instead, he answered, with a smile, "Being from Danzhou, you
are unfamiliar with the customs in the capital. Only after
meals are you supposed to come out to enjoy the evening scene.

"Evening scene" was carefully chosen, and Fan Xian realized

this custom might not necessarily exist. But he decided not to
expose the prince and instead raised a toast. Strangely, despite
meeting the prince only three times, both of them felt their
personalities were somewhat compatible. Crown Prince Jing
didn’t have the lordly aura for a relative of the emperor, and
Fan Xian was not like the other sons of wealthy families. Even
more, Fan Xian was honest and behaved naturally, even in
front of the prince, which incidentally worked well with Li
Sicheng’s temperament.

After a few cups of alcohol, the two began to get familiar

with each other. The crown prince seemed to be very interested
in Fan Xian’s life in Danzhou. Fan Xian spoke carefully and
discussed things that weren’t too out of the ordinary, such as
the mirage he saw that one time.

The only other person in the room besides them was Si Ling.
She felt quite uneasy, as she wasn’t sure which one to serve.
Although the one who rented out the boat was Young Master
Fan, Crown Prince Jing was still the crown prince. What if
Young Master Fan wanted her to serve the prince?

Li Sicheng looked at the girl with a smile. Frequently visiting

the brothels, he had seen Si Ling before, but for various
reasons he never had any interactions with her. Seeing the
troubled look on her face, and in spite of the fact that he was
well aware of her struggle, he still gestured for the girl to sit
next to Fan Xian.

The madam wouldn’t let the prince sit alone and already
called in a girl from another boat. This girl was named Yuan
Meng, and also very popular on the river. Together with Si
Lili, they were at least worthy of their guests’ status.

The alcohol became thicker as the night grew darker. Fan

Xian and the crown prince deepened their connection, both
were satisfied with this meeting. Seeing the bright moon had
changed position, the two looked at each other and smiled,
each taking their girl to their cabins.

...
 ...

Red candles were lit. Li Sisi’s gaze was soft and gentle like
silk. She leaned lightly against Fan Xian, her fingers caressing
his palm. Her breathing was as graceful as an orchid.

Undetected, Fan Xian took out a pill he had made from his
sleeve and quietly crushed it. With a smile, Li Sisi fell into a
peaceful slumber. The scent of the sleep drug made the cabin as
fragrant as orchids.
Chapter 73: The Bag of Pain
The decorated boat rested by the shore. The crown prince
stood next to it. He looked at the figures disappear into the
darkness while embracing Yuan Meng, who asked, "What is
Master Fan up to?"

The prince poked at the tip of her nose. "You sure you want
to play innocent in front of me?" Yuan Meng smiled sweetly.
"Regardless of what he does, he has nothing to hide from you.
Si Lili, on the other hand, doesn’t know anything I’m afraid."

"Nothing to hide, that means he’s a smart one." Li Hongcheng

smiled. "He’s merely using me as a shield. If I wanted, he
couldn’t hide anything from me no matter what he did." He
suddenly asked, "What does Fan Xian think of Si Lili?"

Apparently, Yuan Meng was very familiar with the prince.

After some thinking, she answered, "Master Fan seemed to be
really fond of Miss Li, but I don’t know if he can handle the
spring night and go do other things." She hid her grin with her
hand, giving her a different feel than that of an entertainer.
 "Then you should interact with Lili more often. Perhaps Fan
Xian will frequent Drunken Immortal Tavern in the future." Li
Hongcheng knotted his brows.

"Yes," Yuan Meng replied like a servant, despite being slightly

curious as to why the prince would be so interested in Fan
Xian.

Li Hongcheng reached his hand down her top and gently

squeezed her flesh. Yuan Meng moaned lightly as her body
went limp. "Do you know who Fan Xian is?"

"An illegitimate son, the favorite son of Minister Fan Jian."

Yuan Meng’s voice was like that of a kitten, but her eyes were
still bright. "I understand now. Master wants to get a hold of
Qing’s main source of revenue."

Li Hongcheng smiled while shaking his head. "I have no such

ambition. I simply feel that Fan Xian is worthy of being a
friend." While those were his true feelings, there were a few
things he did not clarify. Li Hongcheng knew about Fan Lin’s
secret marriage, and therefore he knew that the young man
named Fan Xian could very likely control the entire business of
the royal family in the future.

If the second prince were to compete with the crown prince,

money would be the most important weapon.

—————————————————————————

Guo Baokun was embarrassed at the poetry gathering that

day and was in a foul mood. He only felt slightly better after
indulging himself for the night. But when he thought of his
strict father, his mood worsened once again. As he planned on
what to bring to the palace tomorrow to entertain the prince,
his sedan chair stopped abruptly.

He was already drowsy for some reason, and unprepared for

the sudden halt. He bumped his forehead, which brought him
great pain. He yelled, "What are you bastards doing?"

No one answered him; everything was silent. Guo Baokun

crawled out of the tilting sedan chair and discovered the streets
were quiet. He was on Nulan Street on the way back to the
manor.

Surrounding the sedan chair were three masked men dressed

in all black. The sedan carriers and the guards of the Guo
household had all collapsed; it was unknown whether they
were dead or alive. Guo Baokun thought he had run into
robbers and was scared senseless. When did the security in the
capital become so bad? "Who are you?" he stuttered. "What do
you want?"

Nulan street had always been quiet, especially at night when

there were almost no people. Guo Baokun felt despair; he
doubted anyone would come to his rescue even if he yelled,
which was why he kept his voice low.

A clear yet gentle voice answered him. "I’m Fan Xian, and
I’m here to beat you up."

Just as Guo Baokun was about to express his shock, a cloth

sack came down from above and engulfed him completely. He
wasn’t able to see Fan Xian’s despicable face.
 The sack was faintly fragrant, which made Guo Baokun’s
alert again. This was unfortunate, as he was now fully
conscious to endure the merciless storm of kicks and punches
that followed.

Seeing Teng Zijing and the other two servants at work, Fan
Xian felt a small bit of satisfaction. Among other intentions,
he also wanted to make it clear that he wouldn’t be made a fool
of so easily. Raised a scholar, Guo Baokun had never
experienced such humiliation and pain in his life. However, he
knew he was dealing with Fan Xian. Fights between rich sons
had never turned lethal, so Guo Baokun said maliciously:

"You little mongrel, Fan! If you have the balls, I dare you beat
me to death!"

Hearing this, Fan Xian became enraged. With a wave of the

hand, Teng Zijing and the two servants stopped their silent
beating and let Fan Xian through. Walking over, Fan Xian got
down and started beating Guo Baokun himself. Afterwards,
looking at the sack writhing on the ground, he said softly,
"Guo, do you know why I wrote that poem this afternoon?"
 Fan Xian was strong. In the sack, Guo Baokun could no
longer speak due to the pain. He just cried out.

"The ape cries out in the windy skies. Birds circle round the
islet of clear white sand. Trees shed leaves endlessly, rustling
down. The great river surges on ceaselessly. Ten thousand
miles in sorrowful autumn, always someone’s guest. A
hundred years of ailments, I climb the terrace alone. With
much suffering, I regret my white temples. Frustratingly, I stop
drinking my murky wine. You’ve taken advantage of me twice,
so I will beat some sadness, grief, and ailments into you. That’s
the only way I can feel happy."

As soon as he finished speaking, his fist had already slammed

into Guo Baokun’s face. Somehow, in the dark of the night,
separated by the cloth sack, Fan Xian’s fist accurately found
Guo Baokun’s nose. Guo Baokun felt a wave of intense pain
assaulting his mind as he bled profusely. Unable to take
anymore, he finally cried out and begged for mercy.

Seeing the cloth sack writhing on the ground made Fan Xian
discover his savage side; it was as if he was starting to come out
of his sheltered lifestyle from all those years ago. He kicked the
sack a few more times before giving the signal to stop and
leave. They disappeared into the night; easy come, easy go.
Guo was not looking forward to their next meeting.

After a long time, Guo Baokun crawled out of the sack. He

was covered in bruises. His guards and porters were still on the
ground. He couldn’t help but hurl countless curses at them and
kick them awake. As it turned out out, they had all been
knocked out by a sleeping drug. The sack was dosed in another
drug which neutralized drowsiness, so he could feel the entire
ordeal.

The guards, rubbing their half-asleep heads, saw their own

master beaten to a pulp and were all frightened tremendously.
They immediately went forward to assist Guo Baokun. They
didn’t even think about the sedan chair. They carried their
master home on their backs.

That night, Guo manor plunged into chaos. Early next

morning, a servant was dispatched to the capital building with
a written complaint delivered directly to the ministry detailing
the beating from last night. They wanted the Fan family to be
charged with a major crime, especially that illegitimate son
who committed this act of violence in the capital streets and
proved to be extremely audacious. If he couldn’t be kept in
check, how would the officials handle the loss of face?
Chapter 74: The Lawsuit
Si Lili felt as if she were dreaming. In her dream she had met
a husband, and they were consummating their marriage. After
a few rounds of sex, she slowly awoke. The first thing she saw
was an unfamiliar yet handsome cheek.

She realized what had happened the previous night. The

young man who had held her was the charming young Master
Fan. She felt somewhat odd. Perhaps she had drunk too much -
how could she not remember the details? She thought about it,
and couldn't help but feel slightly bitter . She knew that she
was walking a difficult path, but when she recalled some
memories of overwhelming ecstasy, she couldn't help but press
her legs together, feeling limp and painful all over.

When she noticed the man by her side begin to move, Si Lili
quickly pretended to be asleep.

After Fan Xian woke up, he looked at the girl's sleeping face,
delicate as a flower. Finding it hard to bear, he held her
tenderly for a while. Pleased by her faint scent, he washed his
face, rinsed his mouth, and left.
 After a little while, Si Lili opened her eyes and began to
rearrange the room that had been messed up the night before.
She didn't know what she had discovered, but she let out a
shamed and doubtful cry.

...

...

Daylight had yet to break through fully as he left the flower

boat. The Crown Prince was still sleeping with Yuan Meng in
his room, so Fan Xian decided not to call after him. The reason
he had left so quickly was because he had only just come to the
capital. It was not proper to visit prostitutes, and furthermore,
he presumed that the Guo family would soon come to raise a
fuss, so he got ready to return to Fan Manor and watch the
proceeding scene.

He had not really done anything with Lili the previous night.
It was not because he was some kind of Daoist master, but
simply because, psychologically and physically, he had
developed an obsession with cleanliness that had ruined the
mood. He found it difficult to be with a woman who had been
touched by another man, and in his previous life, he had seen
plenty of notices about preventing sexually transmitted
diseases, so he was scared of catching one. There were no
condoms in this world, so while there may have been no harm
in visiting a brothel, actually doing something there would no
doubt have its dangers.

But this didn’t all happen without a consequence. Fan Xian

looked at the unsightly bulge in his pants and sighed
mournfully. He had some regrets from when he was in
Danzhou, and one of them was that nothing had ever
developed between him and Sisi. When the sedan chair reached
the corner gate of Fan Manor, the three servants and their
master quietly called for the gate to be opened, and slipped
inside, telling the guard at the gate not to say anything. When
the guard saw Master Teng and the young master from
Danzhou, he did not dare intervene, and simply went back to
sleep.

Fan Xian crawled into bed to catch up on sleep. When he

woke up, morning had broken. Putting on his wooden clogs, he
walked to the front courtyard. When he heard a loud racket, he
guessed what might have happened, and feigned a puzzled
expression.
 It was said that that morning, the city magistrate Mei Zhili
was napping in his study when he unexpectedly heard the
sound of a drum. He was rather annoyed, and wondered what
sort of hooligans would dare to interrupt his slumber. But
there were court rules he dared not neglect, and so he made his
way to the court where, after a bout of yelling, he was
presented with an accusation.

When Mei Zhili read the paper the accusation was written
on, his heart skipped a beat. Neither the plaintiff nor the
defendant were ordinary people. The plaintiff was Guo
Baokun, a man of some renown, the only son of Guo You,
Director of the Board of Rites and now an editor at the palace.
The defendant was Fan Xian, son of Fan Jian, assistant
minister of the Treasury. Fan Xian was accused of stopping
Guo Baokun in the street the previous night, starting a fight,
and assaulting an official of the court.

When he saw their two surnames on the paper, Mei Zhili was
rather worried. The royal court was divided into two factions.
One faction supported the Crown Prince; the other faction was
secretive, but was secretly headed by the Second Prince. Guo
You, Director of the Board of Rites, had been the Crown
Prince's teacher, so naturally he took the side of the Crown
Prince. Although Treasury minister Fan Jian did not
outwardly pick a side, he had always had good relations with
King Jing, and Crown Prince Jing was the Second Prince that
the other faction supported.

The case was simple, but it was not a good case. He feared
that he might provoke the wrath of either the Crown Prince or
the Second Prince. As he pondered, he secretly cursed Fan Xian,
this young man who had no sense of what was important. Fan
Xian had begun to make a name for himself in the capital; the
bureaucrats all knew he was the illegitimate son of Count
Sinan, raised in Danzhou. He spent all this time in Danzhou,
thought Mei Zhili, but as soon as he gets to the capital, he gets
into a fight in the street. How am I supposed to deal with this?

But the accusation was very clear, with human testimony

and material evidence. There was no way he could put it off.
He looked at the paper and frowned. He sent off a secretary to
Count Sinan's estate to apprehend the defendant, and then
secretly sent an attendant to the Treasury to let Minister Fan
know as soon as possible..

Fan Xian saw that a city bailiff had been dispatched to

apprehend him. He wanted to know, considering that the Fan
family and the royal household such a close relationship, on
what grounds he was being detained. So, taking up their clubs,
the manor guards got ready to loyally defend their master,
preparing to pounce like tigers on the put-upon bailiffs.

At the gate to Fan Manor, the bailiffs were also at their wits'
end. They argued that it was their master's wish to apprehend
the defendant, that the staff of Fan Manor were always so
overbearing, and that they had to take the defendant before the
court.

Fan Xian smiled and got ready to answer to their calls.

Unexpectedly, he heard the yell of a youngster's voice. "Where
did you thugs come from? Come on, take me on!" The person
who dared to threaten government workers, of course, was not
any of the servants, but the hot-headed young Fan Sizhe.

When the guards heard the young master's words, they

bellowed and lifted up their clubs as they valiantly moved
forward, but remembering that their adverseries were
government workers, they did not actually beat them, instead
simply pounding the ground to scare them. At this point, the
bailiffs were feeling exasperated. . They knew it was best not to
provoke their opponents, so they did not bring out iron chains
for those crude young men, and instead fled in unexpected and
miserable retreat.
 "What's all this noise?" At that moment, Lady Liu walked
elegantly out, looked at the bailiffs, and frowned. She ordered
them to come in and have tea, and looked at Fan Xian uneasily.

Fan Xian shrugged his shoulders innocently.

In the reception pavilion, a handful of bailiffs sat, uneasily

looking at the countess. Due to their status, they would not
usually receive this sort of treatment. They also understood
the stately Fan family were treating them so courteously for a
particular reason, which is why they sipped their tea rather
uneasily. They were small fry; if someone in the Fan family
were to get angry with them, how would they ever survive in
the capital?

Trying to get a clear picture of the situation, Lady Liu

frowned as she asked questions. "This cannot be right. Our
eldest returned from the poetry contest at Prince Jing's manor,
then came straight home to study. Niulan Street is far away
from Fan Manor. How could he have beaten up the son of the
Guo family?"
 The bailiff responded with some unease, "Master Guo
identified him personally, and what's more... was Master Fan
really here yesterday?" he said with some disbelief.

Lady Liu's gentle gaze turned to daggers, and she fixed the
bailiff with a ruthless glare. "Are you calling the House of Fan
liars?"

The bailiff's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately

stopped talking. But he couldn't retreat either; after all, the
plaintiff was waiting in the court. Fan Xian sat quietly to one
side, somewhat astonished. He did not know why Lady Liu was
sticking up for him. In fact, he did not understand the noble
families of the era. No matter how fierce the conflict within the
family, if an enemy came from outside, then these clans would
always put aside their differences and close ranks.

Lady Liu took a sip of her tea. She knew that these bailiffs
had no choice, and it was no use pressing them on it. She
smiled slightly. "Is what the Guo family calls 'assault' really
assault? All things are governed by human emotions. Must we
really respond to such an accusation? Even if we are not a rich
house, we have our dignity within the capital. I am curious:
who was it that brought this accusation to the court?"
 "It was a butler of the Guo family," replied the bailiff
hurriedly. If the Fan family aren't rich, he thought, then
nobody in the capital is.

As soon as she heard that it was merely the butler who had
brought the accusation, she raised her eyebrows sharply. She
pounded the table. "They have the butler bring the accusation,"
she scolded, "and yet they want us to respond in person? What
sort of logic is that? Was it not Master Guo who was beaten?
How so? Since he wishes to levy such an accusation, he can
levy it in person. Otherwise one of these days, I shall send my
butler to lodge the accusation that Guo Baokun is a bully who
terrorizes men and accosts women, and regardless of whether
my accusation has merit, you shall get him to go to court and
answer for it!"

And as she finished her tirade, she called in a loud voice:

"Butler Xu!"

Butler Xu tactfully and knowingly stood to attention. "Yes,

Mistress?"
 "Tell Mr Zheng to write out a dozen lawsuits," she said coolly,
"and starting tomorrow, we will take one to the city hall each
day. If it doesn't scare the Guo family, it will at least tire them
out." She almost seemed to smile as she turned to the bailiff.
"Mr Zheng is our counsel, but I hear that some years ago he
was also a legal adviser to your master's family. I'm sure it will
be no problem for him to file the lawsuits."

Regardless of whether it scares or tires out the Guo family,

thought the bailiff, it'll certainly scare or tire out the city hall.
He had no choice but to beg for forgiveness. "Madam, I humbly
beg of you, please forgive me... we have no choice in this
matter."

After her long tirade, Lady Liu's mouth felt somewhat dry.
She reached out her hand to grasp her teacup, but found that
Fan Xian was already holding it out to her, smiling. They
exchanged glances, and swiftly looked away.

The bailiff held out his hands, begging for mercy. "What is
your decision, my lady?"
 Lady Liu muttered to herself. She knew this matter had to
come to an end, and they had spent too much time on it. "The
matter of this assault has not been determined."

Fan Xian butted in. "There was no 'assault'."

"We at Fan Manor do not understand why the Guo family

wishes to do us such an injustice," continued Lady Liu.

Fan Xian was deep in thought. "A few days ago, we got into
an argument at a restaurant. Master Guo was somewhat
humiliated, so perhaps this is all my fault."

"Is that so?" said Lady Liu. "Perhaps it is your fault, but...
would Master Guo harbor such a grudge as to falsely accuse
you?"

Fan Xian frowned. "It looks that way," he replied.

Chapter 75: Courthouse Farce
The official broke off the comedy skit. With a bitter smile, he
said, "It was written clearly on the Guo household’s complaint.
Master Fan held resentment over the incident at the restaurant
and committed the act of violence in the streets during the
dead of the night."

Liu Shi asked Fan Xian, "What ended up happening at the

restaurant?"

"I broke the nose of one of their guards." Fan Xian blamed
himself.

"Were you alright?"

"How could I not be alright? All the guests there saw that I’m
the type of person who refuses to be put down by others."

Liu Shi signed. She turned to the official and said, "Hear
that? Those that harbor vengeance always tend to get taken
advantage of. Our Young Master was the one taking advantage;
how could he still hold any malice?"

The official had come to court to listen to the attorney spew

some nonsense. He wasn’t expecting anyone to show up in
court and defend themselves. The situation left the official
helpless. Liu Shi emotionlessly signaled with one finger, and
the official found himself with coins in his hand. His eyes
shone at the sight of money.

Liu Shi then resumed the dignity of a countess and said, "We
shall go to the court. Might as well go see what the Guo
household is playing at. But not right now. Go back and tell Sir
Mei that when that Master Guo decides to go to court, we will
meet him there."

The official thought this went against the rules. He had come
here to apprehend an offender; how could he receive money
and go back instead? As he was about to speak, he was stopped
by the little one, so he answered "Yes" and left Fan Manor.

Having finally attained peace and quiet, only Liu Shi and Fan
Xian remained in the reception pavilion. Fan Xian watched Liu
Shi and smiled, thinking how great it would be if she wasn’t
his enemy. Having seen the way she handled things, he
couldn’t help but be impressed. The Guo household attacked
while father wasn’t home, and yet Liu Shi managed to neatly
take care of everything. Not losing face was one thing. More
importantly, she had bought valuable time.

Taking a sip of her tea, Liu Shi asked, "Why did you decide to
make such a scene?"

Fan Xian grinned. "Father hoped I would quickly make

myself known in the capital. Stuff like writing poetry is
boring. If I could settle a court case with the Guo household,
my name is sure to spread much faster." Of course, he was
joking.

"I don’t care if you gave him a beating, but why did you fully
expose yourself? As if there wasn’t enough trouble in your life
already." There was a hint of anger in Liu Shi’s words.

Fan Xian replied respectfully, "I only wanted to get even.

How could I have done that if I didn’t reveal my identity?"
 Looking at him, Liu Shi felt this handsome young man was
much more capable than her own son. Even though he would
still occasionally do some uncivilized things like this, both his
demeanor and the way he carried himself showed that he knew
what he was doing. Liu Shi couldn’t help but feel a sense of
loss and sighed.

Fan Xian didn’t know what she was thinking, and asked with
a curious smile, "Why did you help me?"

Liu Shi slowly raised her head; the areas around her eyes
were slightly wrinkled. As if surprised by the youth’s direct
question, she only spoke after giving it some thought.
"Although my family name is Liu, I’m still a member of the Fan
family."

Fan Xian stared into her eyes, knowing he must believe this
woman. He didn’t believe her entirely, but he also didn’t know
how to properly respond.

It was so quiet in the reception pavilion, one could hear the

drop of a needle.
 …

"Sir Mei is my father’s head disciple. I’ve already dispatched

someone to get the letter. Your father should have gotten
notice already. I don’t think anything will happen; in the
worst-case scenario, compensate them with some silver." Liu
Shi closed her eyes, seemingly fatigued. "This afternoon, go to
the capital building with the housekeeper. Teng Zijing was
with you last night. He doesn’t need to come along today. That
way we can avoid putting up too much of a front."

Intrigued, Fan Xian looked at Liu Shi’s still-beautiful face; he

didn’t understand why such a capable woman with such a
background would agree to be his father’s second wife.

At noon, everything was ready at the Fan manor. The

location had been set, and the path was already determined.
After making sure Guo Baokun had already been carried to the
courthouse, Liu Shi half-heartedly prepared a carriage and
some servants. Fan Xian marched out like a victorious general.
 In the carriage, Fan Xian didn’t care too much about this trip.
He really did beat Guo Baokun out of vengeance; he had
wanted to do it the first time Guo Baokun looked at him wrong.
Being humiliated at the poetry gathering further fueled his
hatred. However, this was his first time in the capital, and
while he kept a few tricks up his sleeve, he still wasn’t sure if
he could handle all this.

Even so, he had still wanted to do it. Beating up Guo Baokun

was merely the means; more importantly, he wanted to see
what the consequences would be. Fan Xian had beaten Guo
Baokun for three reasons. First, he wanted to see exactly how
much power his father held over the government circles—his
father had always hidden such details from him, and asking
directly would certainly not get him the answer he wanted.
Now his greatest question could finally be answered. Secondly,
he wanted to dirty his reputation just a little bit. No matter
what, he would play out the role of a ruthless son to the
fullest. Fan Xian did hope that would happen, for he had been
carefully controlling the palace’s opinion of him,just as his
father requested—to show his learned side while being
notorious at the same time, making the palace consider
voiding the marriage. It was all for Miss Drumstick.

The third reason was simple enough: Guo Baokun really

deserved a beating.
 ————————————————————————

Once he arrived at the courthouse gates, Fan Xian was in for

a shock. Outside the red wooden fence was an excited crowd.
Only with a few servants clearing the way did Fan Xian manage
to squeeze by. Standing on the stone floor, he stared at the wall
behind the official’s desk, which was painted with a mural of a
red sunrise over the east sea. On both sides stood wooden
staves used for punishment. Deep down Fan Xian thought,
"Nice!" It reminded him of Beijing Municipal High People’s
Court. Apparently, this trip was worth it.

Turning around, Fan Xian discovered the crowd outside was

even more excited, for the spectators all tried to find the best
spot by squeezing forward. A few "professionals" almost sat on
the red fence.

Fan Xian asked Liu Shi about his attorney, Zheng Ta. This
Mister Zheng was once a very famous secretary of
jurisprudence around the southern regions. Even today, in the
capital, he still had very friendly connections. Liu Shi was
correct in choosing him.
 "People in the capital tend to be bold," Zheng Ta explained
with a smile. "They may appear to be some poor peasant, but
they could turn out to be some distant relative of the royalty,
so no one is afraid of each other. Today’s case… a lawsuit
between a high official and a minister is truly rare. No one
wants to miss out on such a spectacle."

Fan Xian thought, "Did you guys come here to watch a

blockbuster?" The thought gave him a slight headache, so he
shook his head. Zheng Ta said quietly, "Young Master, while
we’ve talked back in the manor, I am going to ask one last time:
were you responsible for this incident? Of course you wouldn’t
admit it in front of the magistrate, but you should be honest
with me here so I know what to say later."

"Mister Zhang, I didn’t lie to you," Fan Xian said with a face
full of sincerity. "I truly did not attack Guo Baokun." Seeing the
youth’s handsome face full of honesty, Zhang Ta chuckled and
patted him on the shoulder in appreciation.

After a while, the call to begin the case could finally be

heard. Magistrate Mei Zheli came out from the back hall and
sat down, full of swagger. A while later, a "mummy" rolled out
on a wheelchair, followed by an attorney who gently fanned
him. Seeing the mummy, Fan Xian couldn’t help but laugh. He
hadn’t hit Guo Baokun that hard; apparently a proper
household would also play such tricks to receive pity.

Of course, this mummy was none other than Guo Baokun,

who was beaten to a pulp. He was currently in great pain,
especially his nose. Treatments from the doctors didn’t help
much. Unbeknownst to him, Fan Xian had put some neigong
into that punch; Fan Xian’s zhenqi was already unusual in this
world. Being so overpowering, the injury it caused couldn’t be
healed in such short period of time.

Seeing Fan Xian standing so nonchalantly, rage seeped out of

Guo Baokun’s eyes from behind his bandages, as if wanting to
eat Fan Xian alive. Fan Xian pretended not to notice and looked
instead at the attorney holding the fan. He asked Zhang Ta and
learned the other attorney was the great barrister Song Shiren.
He was very famous in the capital; his conduct had always
been questionable. He only worked for officials, which earned
him the nickname "rich mouth".

Seated high up, Magistrate Mei Zheli slammed down the

wooden block on his desk with a crisp smack. The noisy scene
outside the courthouse became quiet for the moment; the
spectators on the red fence didn’t make a single sound. After
all, no one wanted to miss out on this.

"Who has come to court?" Mei Zheli asked slowly. He already

knew about the two parties beforehand, but he still needed to
carry out the necessary formalities. With great authority, he
scanned the people before him.

Regardless of who you are, here in the capital’s courthouse,

you have to listen to me.
Chapter 76: Dispute
The defendants of the courtroom agreed after hearing the
judge talk. Song Shiren passed the document of complaint to
Mei Zhili, who pretended to scan through it before handing it
to Zheng Tu, who in turn gave it to Fan Xian to read. Fan Xian
read through it meticulously and found that it was pretty
much as he expected it to be. He nodded and returned the piece
of paper.

Song Shiren spoke coldly with balled fists. "As a student, I

can’t understand why Mr. Fan Xian remains aloof in the
courtroom. He has not performed a formal greeting or knelt
down in respect. With this kind of attitude, it's no wonder he
committed those violent crimes last night."

Fan Xian glanced at the lawyer who complained before

questioning curiously, "You have to kneel in court?" He was, of
course, well-educated on the laws of this country and was
familiar with the formality, having done a lot of reading in
Danzhou. His question was an intentional one.

"Naturally, or would you disrespect the greatness of the

imperial government?"
 Song Shiren eyed his opponent with a frown. He had not
wanted to be involved in this case, as after all, the opposition
was the inconspicuous Fan family, whose power was feared by
many. He did not have much of a choice though as he had been
a high official for so long that he could no longer turn back, so
there was no room for rejection.

Fan Xian chuckled and said, "Why is it that Mr. Song has not
knelt down then?"

Song Shiren squinted at the boy; he was unsure if the boy

was truly an idiot or just acting. He retorted immediately,
"According to government regulations, one with achievements
need not kneel in front of the magistrate."

Fan Xian bowed at Mei Zhili and said, "When a student sees a
teacher, are they required to kneel?"

Hearing this, Song Shiren was certain that his opponent was
one with achievements. His previous research on Fan Xian
revealed that he had never sat an imperial exam before, so how
did he turn out to be a scholar? He stroked the fan in his hands
and questioned, "Might I dare ask what year Mr. Fan took part
in his imperial examination?"

Fan Xian replied politely, "Last year in Danzhou." This was

pre-arranged by Fan Jian before Fan Xian came to the capital.
Only till the day of the court case did he realize that he had
somehow attained the title of scholar.

The subject of kneeling was dismissed and the court case

officially began. Both sides discussed the main topics, each
expressing their own opinion. Guo Baokun had no doubt that
he was attacked by Fan Xian and his guards, while Zheng Tu
was certain Fan Xian was in Fan Mansion the entire night and
that there were plenty of servants who could attest to that.
Conflict arose and sounds of discussion from the civilians
watching from outside got louder. It seemed that the majority
believed Fan Xian was innocent. They couldn't imagine the
pretty and gentle boy as a cruel person. On the other hand, the
beaten up Mr. Guo in the wheelchair looked like a suspicious
man.

Mei Zhili grew weary of the noisy dispute. He waved his

hands in the air and the civilians went silent.
 "Judge, May I ask why you haven’t made an arrest when the
culprit is standing in the court?" Song Shiren’s voice was loud
and intimidating. He thought that the documents could not
have been even clearer, but the magistrate judge was yet to
make a call. He began to suspect that he was biased towards the
Fan family and so decided to press the matter.

Zheng Tu smirked, "Let’s not jump to conclusions, Mr. Song.

The document states that the assault on Mr. Guo happened
after his head was covered by a bag. So tell me, how could he
possibly determine that the culprit was Fan Xian when he
could not see?"

"Naturally by having heard Mr. Fan’s voice. What’s more, Mr.

Fan admitted that it was him at the time. Have you changed
your mind and decided to deny the charges instead?" Song
Shiren looked at Fan Xian with a sneer and continued with a
taunt, "What kind of man are you if you can’t even take
responsibility for what you did?"

Fan Xian was aware that his opponent was trying to provoke
him. Despite this, his expression remained calm with a mixture
of astonishment. It was as if he was confused as to why the
man in front was accusing him falsely. Zheng Tu’s voice cut in
and he spoke mockingly, "Voice? I’ve never heard of any case
being determined by a voice- and I know the laws inside out."

Song Shiren did not back down, instead he spoke

deliberately, "If voice is not enough to prove Mr. Fan’s identity,
then allow me to show everyone a poem." With this, he
retrieved a piece of paper from within his sleeve and recited
slowly.

...

...

The absent-minded Mei Zhili behind the bench was suddenly

awakened from his daze by the poem and he spoke
energetically, "What a wonderful poem. Who is the poet?"
Only then did he realize that he was not in his study, or in a
poem festival but in court working on a case. He cleared throat
and requested the piece of paper from Song Shiren.

He inspected the piece of paper in detail and saw not only the
brilliance of the poet, but also how rarely elegant the
calligraphy was. Curious, he asked Song Shiren, "Who is the
poet and what does this have to do with the case?"

Song Shiren replied respectfully, "This poem was written by

Fan Xian during the poem festival at Jing palace yesterday.
When Mr. Fan assaulted Mr. Guo on the street, he recited these
lines. It’s quite obvious he was belittling Mr. Guo."

Mei Zhili was amazed. He observed the bright-faced and

innocent-looking young man in court, bewildered at the fact
that he could have written such a poem. He felt a sense of
regret for him- why would he recite his poem if he was beating
someone up? Not to mention the fact that the elegance of the
poem did not even fit the violent environment of a fight.
Furthermore, he had essentially provided his opponent
evidence against himself.

Mei Zhili was a well experienced man, however the key to

how he managed to secure his position as the capital’s
magistrate could be found in his skill in blurring the lines
between right and wrong. There are many rich, powerful and
formidable figures gathered in the capital. If he had been fair in
all of his cases, he would not have lasted long. He remembered
back to when he first worked for the palace and of how Guo
Gonggong had given him the advice of making concessions to
avoid trouble. Mei Zhili had since then lived many peaceful
years because of that advice.

Today’s case was no different, as he planned to maintain the

attitude he’d always had and refrain from making any
decisions. He would leave them to sort out their differences
themselves, and if that didn’t work out, he would delay the
case for a couple days and send them to the Ministry of
Punishments. If he planned to stay out of trouble, then he had
to avoid closing this case his court. He glanced worriedly at
Fan Xian and Zheng Tu.

Zheng Tu had once worked for Mei Zhili for a while as his
clerk, and knew what was on his old boss’s mind. He chuckled,
"This is ridiculously funny. Many scholars were gathered on
the day of the poem festival, and Mr. Fan’s poetry stood out
from the rest. It can only be assumed that people had taken
note of it, so it’s not unusual that others know the poem. More
importantly…"

He glanced at Song Shiren coldly with a sneer and continued,

"…do you think Mr. Fan is out of his mind? Reciting a poem he
had written while beating up a man during the night?! Only an
idiot would be stupid enough to reveal his identity, not to
mention how ridiculously amusing the whole situation already
is. It’s quite obvious that someone who has a feud with Mr.
Guo knew of Mr. Fan and Mr. Guo’s disagreement in the
restaurant a few days ago. The real culprit had obviously
planned to mislead Mr. Guo into thinking that Fan Xian was
the culprit."

It seemed that his hypothesis was quite logical. Fan Xian who
smiled while standing silently to the side.- What was it he
said…?" Only an idiot would be stupid enough?? He coughed
awkwardly. Mr. Guo Baokun on the wheelchair could no longer
suppress his anger and he yelled, "Quit trying to twist the
truth! This illegitimate bastard is just using the Fan family’s
authority. He’s so reckless because he doesn’t think the law
applies to him!"

Zheng Tu’s face darkened when he heard the words

illegitimate bastard. He deeply agreed with the young master’s
wise decision of beating up the man in the wheelchair. He
spoke coldly, "As the compiler of the imperial palace, you
should watch what you say. I know that you are angry, but you
shouldn't throw tantrums. After all, you work closely with the
crown prince, and it would be a shame to hurt the reputation
of the palace."
 While those words directly offended Guo Baokun, they were
also filled with shade. In terms of authority, The Fan could not
be compared to the Guo family, who worked closely with the
crown prince, and what Guo Baokun had said before was
naturally inappropriate. This caused another wave of
discussion by the civilians outside. There were many more
who believed Fan Xian to be innocent.

Although Fan Xian was expressionless, on the inside he was

thoroughly impressed by Zheng Tu, who utilized all of his
plans flawlessly. It seemed weird that the lawyer Song Shiren
was not as desperate as Guo Baokun. Song Shiren smiled and
said, "Magistrate, my master is in pain. Would you allow us to
rest?"

Mei Zhili nodded, and Guo Baokun went to the backroom

with the help of his servants. At this moment, Song Shiren
turned and bowed to Fan Xian and Zheng Tu, saying, "So it
looks like Mr. Fan will not be admitting to beating people up."
For some unknown reason, Guo Baokun’s face was full of life
as he left. It was as if the real battle was about to begin.

Zheng Tu and Fan Xian smiled in unison and said nothing.

Who were they kidding? Niulan Street was pitch black, there
were no witnesses, and no evidence. What did they plan on
using as proof? What’s more, it was stated clearly on the
document of complaint that the servants from Guo mansion
were drugged, so nobody would believe their witness statement
that "Fan Xian beat him up." Mei Zhili frowned and called Song
Shiren to the front and spoke in a low voice, "Let's wrap it up
for today."

Song Shiren bowed as he spoke, "Mr. Guo is the compiler of

the imperial palace and he was beaten up. How could you close
this important case so carelessly?"

Mei Zhili was agitated, "When did I say I was closing the
case? I’m just simply delaying it. If you wish to claim that he
had been beaten up, then get some evidence to prove who did
it." It was said that the court was not allowed to carry out
punishments on officials in public, and even if Fan Xian was
not a scholar, he doubted that they would punish him. It was
basically impossible to get him to admit what he had done.

Surprisingly Song Shiren turned round to ask, "Mr. Fan was

at home all night yesterday?"
 "That’s right. The servants of our mansion are witnesses."
Zheng Tu replied.

Song Shiren laughed coldly, "Call in the witnesses." Mei Zhili

realized that there may be a change to his initial judgement and
he nodded. Servants from Guo mansion brought in a bunch of
people, all dressed differently and with different jobs. There
was a dumpling seller, a night watcher, bearers for businesses
in streets and even a prostitute; the list just went on and on.

Zheng Tu frowned uneasily and the people watching from

the sidelines questioned curiously, "What’s with all this?"
Chapter 77: In the Palace
The crowd understood the situation after Song Shiren spoke.
Gathered here were people from the capital who worked night
shifts. After being questioned by Song Shiren, all of them
admitted to having seen the Fan family carriage head west
yesterday after leaving Jing Palace, without returning to the
Mansion, only discreetly returning to Fan Mansion in the
middle of the night.

Fan Xian observed the situation before him with slightly

narrowed eyes. He was quite impressed by how capable the
Guo family was at finding so many witnesses in merely half a
day. Seeing Fan Xian’s lack of concern, Zheng Tu began to
panic. He whispered in a low voice, "Whatever you do, don’t
admit anything. Just say that the Guo family bribed them with
money."

Fan Xian replied with a sigh, "It’s true that Guo Baokun has
been assaulted and hurt terribly. Why would he go through all
the trouble and money just to frame me? It’s doesn’t make
sense." Zheng Tu stalled, as he had not expected young master
to think in the perspective of their opponent.
 Just then, Song Shiren’s lips curled into a sneer as he looked
at Fan Xian, "Wasn’t Mr. Fan at home last night? Why is it that
there are many witnesses who say otherwise? Dare I ask Mr.
Fan what he was doing in the middle of the night that required
so much discretion?"

The capital's magistrate, Mei Zhili, glanced at Fan Xian, and

wondered how he would respond.

A heavy silence permeated the court.

Fan Xian exhaled. His face was tinged with embarrassment,

as if his secret had been revealed. He answered quietly, "Last
night… I was at Drunken Immortal Tavern."

Everyone knew what kind of place Drunken Immortal Tavern

was. It was perfectly understandable to have wanted to be
discreet about spending the night at a brothel. The crowd
responded with "oohs" and laughed and as some people made
fun of Fan Xian. On the other hand, Mei Zhili seemed relieved
by this explanation. However, a smile remained on Song
Shiren’s face as he questioned in a direct manner, "Drunken
Immortal Tavern? Does Mr. Fan have someone who can back
this up?"

"Si Lili can vouch for me." Fan Xian replied awkwardly.

Song Shiren paused before he spoke mockingly, "Is that so?

But… Miss Si Lili has left the capital this morning to travel to
Suzhou. What a perfect coincidence, one might think that
someone was afraid she might say something she shouldn’t."

Fan Xian lifted his head and stared at Song Shiren. Only then
did he realize that Guo family has somehow forced Miss Si Lili
out of the capital. It looked like they came prepared. After
seeing Fan Xian’s speechless state, Song Shiren knew exactly
what he had to do. He bowed at Mei Zhili, "Everything is quite
obvious now. Mr. Fan had beaten someone and admitted to it
after. Please arrest this criminal and decided on his
punishment."

Zheng Tu, who had been quiet for a while, suddenly spoke
up, "What a magnificent conclusion. Just because my master
was out late at night, he is being charged with such a serious
crime?"
 Song Shiren pressed further, "Then why did you say
beforehand that he was in the mansion for the duration of the
whole night when he was out?"

Zheng Tu responded in an instant, "Visiting prostitutes is not

exactly a reputable thing to say so we had no choice before but
to…" Song Shiren’s laughter cut him off. "Visiting prostitutes?
So tell me, where is the prostitute?"

He waved his arms in the air and bellowed, "Mr. Guo and Mr.
Fan had an argument just the other day and Mr. Guo was
attacked yesterday. The attacker was arrogant and claimed to
be Fan Xian. Mr. Fan did not return to Fan mansion at the time
of the attack and he can’t account to where he was. The
obvious truth lies right in front of your eyes. Who do you say
the culprit is?"

Mei Zhili regarded the lawyer coldly. Did he really think that
he could end the case even if he actually cracked it? Did he not
realize that this was not a normal court case? It looked like he
overestimated the famous lawyer.
 Mei Zhili turned and questioned Fan Xian, "Do you have
evidence to prove where you were last night?"

Fan Xian thought about it and laughed. "Actually… Prince

Jing came as well. Does he count as a witness?"

If Prince Jing was getting dragged into the case then there
was no way Mei Zhili was going to continue to judge the case.
His face darkened as he called in the people at his side and
whispered something to them. He then announced that he was
wrapping up the case for today.

Fan Xian was to remain in the capital at all times. Naturally,

the Guo family was not happy, but they couldn’t do anything,
as their opponent’s witness was an important figure. They
could only further discuss their tactics in the meantime.
Realizing the boring ending to the dull argument, the crowd
left after a collection of disappointed sighs.

As Fan Xian and Zheng Tu exited the courthouse, they were

surprised to see Song Shiren awaiting them.
 "Mr. Fan." Song Shiren bowed with a smile.

Fan Xian returned the bow even though he has no idea what
Song Shiren was up to.

Song Shiren spoke softly, "I am indebted to the Guo family. It

was not by my choice to cause any offence. My apologies." Fan
Xian suddenly remembered something, "Is Miss Si Lili really
leaving the capital?"

"Yes." Having left the courtroom, Song Shiren treated Fan

Xian with utmost respect. Fan Xian stared into his eyes and
asked, "Was it your doing, or was it the Guo family?" Song
Shiren was surprised as he replied, "I thought it was Mr. Fan
who forced her to leave the capital… so you were really at the
Drunken Immortal Tavern last night?"

Fan Xian spoke bitterly, "Do you really think I attacked Guo
Baokun?" Despite the fact that the case had wrapped up for the
day, there was no end to the debate. After some more
discussion, Song Shiren turned and left on his ride.
 Fan Xian watched as he left and said curiously, "What’s the
use of treating me nicely after offending me?"

"Song Shiren is a clever man." Zheng Tu laughed and shook

his head as he spoke quietly, "Young Master, you never told me
that you went drinking with Prince Jing. Song Shiren's tactics
nearly gave me the fright of my life."

Fan Xian laughed, "Everyone knows that the courtroom is

merely a stage. Why are you getting nervous over nothing?"

Zheng Tu shook his head and sighed, "It doesn’t matter how
this situation plays; we’ve already greatly offended Guo
family."

"Whatever we do we’ll offend someone. We might as well

practice on someone who deserves to be offended."

"Young Master, your... fake name and the prostitute's name...

It'll only take a day for them to spread around the capital."
 "That was my intention. I can only hope for the best."

"I’m quite impressed."

"You're too modest."

Deep within the palace grounds, the sun shone on yellow

glass tiles which emitted a golden glow. The intimidating
bright red high walls created a feeling of imprisonment. In the
garden, a kind-looking old lady listened to the female officials
talk, her eyes half-closed. Waiting next to her were two noble
ladies, and they were by a stone table covered with exotic fruits
and vegetables. One of the women looked quite proper, eyes
like a phoenix and bright red lips, and she seemed to have
complete control of her expression. She peeled a fruit and
carefully fed it to the old lady.

"It’s you, dear queen?" The old lady opened her eyes as the
fruits were delivered to her. She smiled and continued, "You
should leave these things to the younger ones. You rule the
palace, the mother of the nation. Why are you doing this?"
 The lady laughed warmly and said, "I'm only carrying out
my filial duties."

It turned out that this lady was the queen of the country and
the old lady she was serving was the emperor's mother, who
used to be Queen Cheng and was now the empress dowager. So,
who was other lady who’s able to sit next to the queen?

"Alright, you need not stay." The empress dowager then spoke
to the maids, "You may leave now."

The maids left with the exception of two older housemaids.

Empress dowager closed her eye to rest as she asked, "What do
you think of the poem we heard, the one written by the young
boy Fan Xian?"

The queen smiled and said, "I don’t understand the art of
literature, but I did think that the poem sounded good."

The empress dowager chuckled, "’Good’ doesn’t even describe

it. Let’s not even mention how happy the poem made the
audience, let’s talk about the poem as heard from the visitor
from afar… How could it have been the work of a regular
scholar…? It’s just…" Seeing empress dowager at a loss for
words, the queen asked, "It’s just what?"

Empress dowager exhaled and continued, "It’s just that every

line overflows with sorrow. How could someone so young
express bitter sorrow with such maturity? It feels like he is an
unfortunate child."

Upon hearing this, the lady who had remained silent the
whole time suddenly burst into tears. The queen was quick to
comfort her, "The empress dowager isn’t serious. Anyways, if
the young boy Fan Xian was truly unfortunate, that could
easily be fixed with a wave of the empress dowager’s finger."

Empress dowager disliked the crying and she spoke with a

displeased expression, "I have given birth to three children. I
don’t need to bring up the emperor. Li Zhi mucks around all
the time, but at least he knows to live life freely. And you,
you've been crying constantly for the last 10 years yet you still
don't understand... It's such a..." She couldn't continue with
the harsh words, as after all, her daughter had led a bitter life
and had no one to rely on.
 The lady continued to sob as she spoke, "My child is already
unfortunate, yet the emperor, my own brother, has arranged
for her to marry someone from the Fan family, who is even
more unfortunate. How are we supposed to live our lives?
What will happen to Chen'er if her illness does not improve?"
The fragile, sobbing lady was Fan Xian's potential mother-in-
law - the unmarried elder princess!

The empress dowager could no longer hold her anger back,

and she scolded her. "The cause of her illness had to do with
you, her mother, not doing what was necessary to help her.
How could you have to audacity to complain! What's wrong
with the Fan family's child? He travelled all the way from
Danzhou without a complaint just to boost her blessings. Even
if he was a poor child with no reputation, you should not
disregard the Fan family's efforts for our emperor."

The maids were long gone and only two old housemaids
stood by the sides, their faces serious and oblivious to the
conversation.

The empress dowager was so angry that her breaths became

heavy and frequent. The queen lifted he hand to comfort her,
but empress dowager pushed it away. She calmed down a little
before speaking again, "Anyways, Chen'er has got to get
married someday. It's not as if she would have had a good life
for sure if she married a government official. That Fan... Fan
what?"

The queen quickly reminded her, "Fan Xian."

"That’s right, Fan Xian. You’ve heard already that he’s a

talented child and fit for Chen’er. We’re not doing any wrong
towards her." The dowager sighed a couple times before
continuing, "What’s more, the emperor has already approved
of this marriage, so what use is it crying to me?"
Chapter 78: The Slap
The eldest princess was the former emperor’s only daughter.
When the current emperor had ascended the throne, she was
renamed Yong Tao the Eldest Princess. She was well loved and
spoiled at both the Cheng Wang mansion and the palace.
However, this did not result in a domineering demeanor;
instead, she delved deeper and deeper into bleak green waters,
her depression triggered by pretty much anything. She would
cry for a wilting flower and weep for a river headed east. Of
course, this particular trait was known only to her close family
members.

She looked at empress dowager and spoke with bitterness

hidden in her tone. "How can the emperor, my own brother,
choose the Fan family, out of all the possibilities? He knows
darn well about the relationship between the Fan family and
the prime minister…"

"You may leave." The empress dowager’s eyes flashed open as

she spoke in a low, authoritative voice. The housemaids left
quietly with no expressions.
 "SLAP!" The sound reverberated, and a painful red handprint
appeared on the eldest princess’s cheeks. She looked at her
mother in fear. The empress dowager spoke icily through
gritted teeth, "How many times have I told you not to mention
that man’s name in front of me? The royal family wishes to
remain reputable, even if you don’t. If you hadn’t protected
him with your own life, I would have made sure he was dead
long ago!"

"Not once did I allow him to visit Chen’er all these years, but
I never gave him a hard time either." Empress dowager’s
kindness had vanished and her expression was as cold as ice. "I
knew that he wanted to marry you, but you were afraid of
ruining his career. That’s fine by me… Don’t get married. You
wanted him to have a career, I gave him a career, and now he is
head of hundreds of officials. You probably want to go forward
with your wish but… I will not allow you to have anything to
do with him. He will have absolutely no say Chen’er’s
marriage. Do you understand me?"

The eldest princess wiped her tears and smiled forcefully,

though her voice trembled as she answered.

"I understand."
 The empress dowager then continued as she looked at the
queen queen and spoke lightly, "Since the emperor is busy with
government affairs, you should be handling the kind of things
like the marrying off the girls in our family. However, as the
emperor has already decided upon Chen’er and Fan Xian’s
marriage, you do not have to worry about them."

"Yes." The queen bowed her head quickly. She was still in
shock from the scene she had just witnessed.

"You shouldn't be by my side all the time serving me. You

should keep the emperor company when you’re free and help
him de-stress." The empress dowager spoke much more softly
than before, and it was clear that she was encouraging her.

The queen smiled wryly and promised her, though frowned

suddenly as a thought came to her mind.

Of course, no thought went unnoticed by empress dowager,

who asked, "What’s on your mind?"
 The queen glanced at the princess, who was still wiping her
tears, and spoke in a low voice, "Hong Gonggong sent word
about a case in the capital’s office today"

"Huh? What sort of case could that old dog possibly have
taken interest in?"

The queen laughed awkwardly, "Actually mother, everyone is

interested in this case. This is because the court case had
started this morning and has gone on all day. Only just there
was there any sort of conclusion… I heard that it’s the only son
of Guo You the high official from the Board of Rites that took
someone from Fan mansion to court.

Apparently, the culprit recited a poem as he beat up Guo

Baokun. The poem he recited… is the one you read before,
Mother."

"Huh?" Empress dowager exclaimed in surprise, "The

sorrowful visitor from afar assaulted someone?"
 Hearing this, the queen could not hide her laughter, and even
the eldest princess sniffled, saying, "My mum is quite quirky."

The empress dowager laughed and said, "It’s me that’s

quirky- it’s Fan Xian. How could he beat up the high official’s
son right after arriving in the capital a couple of days ago? Tell
me, what was the situation in court like?" She frowned as
something came to her, "Surely the capital’s court did nothing
to punish Fan Xian. How will he get married in October if he’s
sullied?"

The queen burst out laughing, "What are you talking about
mother? Even if Fan Xian did not have a legitimate identity at
birth, he’s still Count Sinan’s well-educated son and a scholar.
He can’t be punished."

"That’s fine then." Empress dowager continued, "Does Guo

Baokun not hang around with the crown prince?"

For some unknown reason, the queen’s expression turned

uneasy and she agreed in a low voice. Empress dowager then
tutted, "Those rascals; they know only how to strut around
and have nothing but bad intentions. It goes without saying
that Fan Xian must have been in the right."

The eldest princess’ face was frozen, but her mind was full of
thoughts. She had never expected her mother to not question
the story behind the case and assumed straightaway that Fan
family’s illegitimate son was in the right.

However, she kept quiet due to the painful slap she had
received earlier. Fortunately, the queen added as an
afterthought, "Guo Baokun does have a bit of reputation. It’s
not logical to have him beat up in the middle of the streets."

The empress dowager did not react to their differing

opinions. She continued to speak, "How did the case end?"

"Fan Xian called out Prince Jing as a witness, so the capital's

court could do nothing but delay the case for another retrial."

"Hong Chen agreed to be his witness? Looks like this Fan

Xian is quite the popular boy."
 The queen was secretly pleased. Although the empress
dowager had not revealed her thoughts, the queen knew that
she detested government officials with close relationships to
members of royalty. The queen then turned the conversation
around, being careful so as not to cross a line. "I heard that on
the day Guo Baokun was assaulted, he was playing… On Liuhe
River with Prince Jing, so the assault probably had nothing to
do with him."

The palace garden became silent and the atmosphere heavy.

Just then, the empress dowager sat up and said, "I’m a little
tired." The housemaid waiting outside helped her up and
accompanied her back to the palace.

The queen and the princess stood up and watched as the

empress dowager slowly retreated to the palace. They looked at
each other and the corners of the queen’s lips curled into a wry
smile, "Looks like the empress dowager is not pleased about
Fan Xian’s visits to the whorehouse, but she’s kept her mouth
shut about it, so it looks like Chen’er will be getting married in
half a year's time."

The eldest princess exhaled and said, "I’m only worried about
Fan Xian’s personality, however…" She looked at the queen, her
eyes emitting a strong sense of fragility. "The Fan family and
Prince Jing are quite close to each other. You would do well to
be careful."

The queen’s heart clenched. She knew the princess was

reminding her that if Fan Xian really married Chen’er and the
emperor handed him the responsibility of the national
treasury, it would mean that the Fan family had both the
Ministry of Revenue and the national treasury under their
control. This was the equivalent of handling the entire wealth
of the Qing Kingdom. If the emperor became biased towards
the second prince because of a Fan family relationship with
Prince Jing, she was afraid that the crown prince… She
frowned at her son’s lack of potential. Did the emperor have
hidden intentions behind this decision?

"Don’t think about it too much." The eldest princess

comforted her. "Even you know that for the past two years, I
haven’t done much in the managing of the nation's treasury.
There’s always someone from The Overwatch Council who
does it. Besides, the Fan family does not have a strong enough
reputation, so even if Chen’er married him, he still wouldn’t be
able to control the nation's treasury himself.
 The queen frowned, "I’m just wondering what kind of drug
that old man had fed the emperor to change his mind."

The eldest princess smiled, "Has it been awhile since you

invited Lady Liu to visit?"

The queen's face was icy as she spoke," That women married
Fan Jian to become his wife. She may seem like a fool, but in
reality, she’s as sly as a fox. When you came up with the idea to
assassinate the illegitimate son in Danzhou four years ago, we
let Lady Liu take the blame. She must hate us. It would be very
hard to entice her to be our cover again."

"So what?" The eldest princess smiled openly, her skin was
well maintained for someone in their thirties. "What would
she dare say? I’ve known her since I was little, and I know she
likes to make a fuss over nothing.

The queen suddenly frowned, "It’s actually kind of weird.

Why did the emperor decide four years ago to let Fan Xian be
responsible for the nation's treasury? If it hadn’t been such a
dire situation, we wouldn’t have had to take such risks."
 The eldest princess spoke feebly, "The emperor dislikes us
being too close, so he had already planned to take the
responsibility of the nation's treasury off my hands. That's
why he had the director stationed with me right from the
beginning."

She continued with a sigh, "All of the government officials

can be controlled one way or another, regardless of their
intelligence. The only exception is Director Chen, who is loyal
to the emperor. He has managed his council so that there are
no weaknesses. It’s impossible for to plant a spy in their
premises."

Hearing this, the queen frowned unconsciously, "It’s normal

to be faithful to the emperor. The sole reason for planting spies
is purely to look out for the emperor by finding corrupt
government officials. It goes without saying that Director Chen
is loyal to the emperor."

The eldest princess knew that she had said the wrong thing,
saying softly, "That’s right. However, The Overwatch Council
has been investigating the assassination attempt in Danzhou
ever since, and they are under strict instructions from the
emperor to do so."
 "Well that’s only natural. The emperor was drunk when he
first saw your daughter. He liked her so much that he took her
in as his adopted daughter and appointed her marriage to the
Fan family. This is something that very few people in the
palace knew about."

The queen remembered back to the scene four years ago and
continued coldly, "Within a month, there was a hitman in
Danzhou. Although the assassination attempt was never
broadcasted, the Overwatch Council was well aware of it, so of
course the emperor knew about it. It’s obvious that he does not
care about the survival of the illegitimate son, but does care
about someone in the palace who dare leak his commands."
Chapter 79: The Wise Empress Dowager
The Elder Princess’ eyes flashed with fear as she spoke
anxiously, "It’s been four years, and The Overwatch Council
hasn’t let up on the case at all; I fear that the truth may be
revealed… I heard that Chen Pingping has returned to his
hometown on a visit and doesn’t want to come back to the
capital. If… he decides to retire now, then it would be for the
best."

"I’m not so sure about that." The queen laughed coldly,

"Don’t forget that one night four years ago, it was Chen
Pingping who convinced the emperor to call off the arranged
wedding. Fan Jian took Sir Chen Pingping’s hometown visit as
an opportunity to convince the emperor to once again give
Chen’er to Fan Xian in marriage. This means that you won't be
in charge of the national treasury in the future… If Chen
Pingping was still in the capital, then this marriage would not
be set in stone, and it might have gone the way you wanted…
or, the way the prime minister wanted."

The Elder Princess laughed through pursed lips, saying,

"What a way to put it, dear Queen. Surely you would be
pleased if the wedding was called off, since it would mean the
second prince would lose this opportunity to make some profit
from it."
 The queen smiled and replied, "What have I to be pleased
about? Whether or not this marriage between the youngsters
takes places does not concern me. The empress dowager has
asked me to organize the marriages of our family, but told me
that not to worry the Fan family."

The elder princess’s expression changed, but a smile

remained as she spoke, "What you said was quite logical.
There’s nothing for me to be worried about as a mother.
Although Fan Xian was not born of a dazzling identity, I have
seen from these past couple days that he’s well educated.
Anyways, Chen’er has been in a good mood recently, perhaps it
is thanks to the good news."

The two most powerful women of Qing Kingdom sat quietly

across from each other, drinking tea and making small talk. It
was as if nothing had happened. Neither wanted to show their
vulnerable side or be the one to execute the crucial move. With
the murder of Fan Xian, the wedding would fall to shambles,
and the Fan family would lose an heir. The second prince
would lose his support and the prime minister could sleep
soundly. The elder princess could continue to control the
palace treasury and provide an endless source of money to
those who needed it. With the death of just one person, it
seems as if the power around distributing power would be
easily resolved.
 Unfortunately, no one was willing to make that move. After
all, it was not like four years ago and the capital was not like
Danzhou. Here, the wall had eyes on everyone. Assassination
was no longer a valid method in dealing with a reputable
government official’s son, especially at such a sensitive time.
Furthermore… Lady Liu would not fall for the same dirty trick
a second time.

In the empress dowager’s palace, an old and virtuous lady let

down her snowy white hair and felt a steady pair of hands
brush through it. She spoke in a low voice, "Why did I give
birth to such a foolish daughter?"

The person behind her smiled and replied, "But you love her
just as much anyway, otherwise you would not have requested
the emperor make all those arrangements, or secretly help the
prime minister with so many things."

The empress dowager exhaled and said, "I really don’t know
if Lin Ruofu owes me or if my own son sabotaged him…. You
do indeed have quite a sharp eye so tell me, why did the
emperor choose Chen’er to marry the boy from Fan family?"
 The person’s voice was filled with hesitation as they
answered: "The princess is at the age to get married, and it’s
unlikely that her health will get better. Getting married to Fan
family is quite fitting. However, the marriage is just a cover,
and main attention is paid to the emperor’s ambiguous oral
command to let an outsider take control of a grand business.
Perhaps… the emperor feels that the queen and elder princess
are getting too close to each other, and he is unsatisfied with
the crown prince so he has taken away elder princess’ authority
and plans to let second…"

She silenced herself.

Having served the empress dowager for over ten years, she
knew that she was out of line to have overshared her opinions.

Empress dowager paused, the wrinkles on her face spread out

like chrysanthemum petals. "The emperor takes care of
government affairs and I take care of family affairs. I will not
be taking care of this particular affair."

The person flattered her, "You are truly wise, Empress

Dowager."
 "This was a stupid thing to do." Count Sinan Fan Jian was
staring coldly at his son in the study.

Fan Xian smiled wryly. He knew that this round of scolding

could not be avoided, so he made no move to explain and
admitted to his wrongs instead.

"You’re not a fool. Guo Baokun is not surrounded by

powerful people. If you really found it necessary to beat him
up, why leave behind all those clues?" Count Sinan continued
coldly without waiting for his explanation, "Don’t say
anything. Beating someone up and not owning up to it is
absolutely ridiculous!"

Fan Xian realized that Lady Liu had repeated his words from
earlier to his father, and he laughed awkwardly. Fan Jian found
it impossible to be mad at him when he had such an innocent
and radiant smile on his face. He sighed and asked, "Tell me;
why did you stir up so much trouble?"

Fan Xian thought for a bit before he answered, "After

drinking with Prince Jing, I decided that I wanted to be his
friend. I used this fight as an opportunity to tie us together. If I
have Prince Jing supporting me then in the future, some things
could be done in a more convenient manner." Fan Xian sneaked
a peek at his father and continued after he found no abnormal
changes to his expressions, "Secondly, Guo Baokun was a bully
and I wanted to make sure that he knew I wasn't someone to be
messed with."

Fan Jian laughed coldly and said, "The second reason is what
it is, but as for the most important reason... that was because
you disagree with the marriage so you are trying to ruin your
own reputation so you can be kicked out of the arrangement."

Fan Xian did not expect his father to see through him like
that. He stalled and began to think of an explanation.

Fan Jian continued coldly, "When I said that you were stupid
it was because of the fact that you dragged Prince Jing into the
matter. You must be aware of the fact that Guo family is on the
crown prince's side while Prince Jing is on the second prince's
side. Attacking Guo Baokun and involving Prince Jing can only
mean that the Fan family stands with the second prince's side
in the eyes of outsiders.
 Fan Xian pretended to be surprised, "Everyone knows that
father and Prince Jing are close friends while sister and
Princess Ruojia had been friends since childhood. The two
families have a close relationship with each other that's rarely
seen between government officials. Could it be... You...?"

"Don't forget that your grandmother was his wet nurse and
that she brought him up. Since the emperor was busy at that
time, I was the one who played with him, so naturally we are
close to each other." Fan Jian tutted and continued, "Personal
relations, work and government affairs are separate matters.
Who are we to discuss what happens in the palace? The crown
prince is still the crown prince and heir to the throne. When
the emperor dies, we will serve the crown prince loyally."

Fan Xian found a loophole in his words and decided to

exploit it, "What if the crown prince wasn't the crown prince?
What happens then?"

Count Sinan Fan Jian was strangely unbothered by his son's

outrageous and disrespectful words. Rather than scolding him,
he simply said, "That's something that only the emperor can
decide on; choosing sides before the decision is a foolish
tactic."
 "I understand now," Fan Xian finally understood the
consequences of his attack on Guo Baokun.

"The Fan family stands with neither the crown prince nor the
second prince. We stand with the emperor.."

"That's right." Fan Jian replied. "If you don't want to be on

the wrong side then don't rush to choose. You can't go wrong
by sticking with the most powerful and the emperor is the
most powerful man under the sky."

"What if the emperor was to die all of a sudden?" Fan Xian

asked intentionally as he knew that his father was loyal to the
emperor.

"The emperor is in his prime and he is younger than me."’

Fan Jian smiled, "This is a matter for own generation to deal
with."

...
 ...

You have no idea what was done for you to be able to walk
out that courtroom so easily. Do you know how much conflict
was in the shadows between us and Guo family today? Our
shadows were everywhere - at the Supreme Court, at the
Ministry of Justice and at the Ministry of Personnel Affairs.
The Guo family even went to the Overwatch Council. If it was
not for Chen Pingping’s absence, you may not have been able to
return tonight,"

"Chen Pingping?"

Fan Xian’s brows furrowed. This name was familiar to him.

He knew that he was the hidden power leader of Qing
Kingdom, but was also aware of the close relationship between
the Fan family and the Overwatch Council, so he was
confused. "Why wouldn’t I have come back if Chen Pingping
was present?"

"Because he opposes your marriage with the elder princess’

daughter. Bringing you to the capital in such a rush was
because Chen Pingping’s visit to his hometown presented an
opportunity.. We were able to confirm the marriage because he
was not here to convince the emperor not to. It had nothing to
do with the girl's illness."

Fan Xian looked at his father and said, "Fie Jie is my teacher,
and you and Director Chen have a close relationship. Why
would he oppose?"

"No, to outsiders, my relationship with The Overwatch

Council is normal." Fan Jian continued light, "The reason he
opposes is simply because we had different views that led us to
different judgements."

"What views?" Fan Xian stared into his father's life,

unwavering.

Fan Jian furrowed his brows before deciding to tell him part
of the truth. "The emperor does not like the crown prince, but
the queen and elder princess are becoming close to each other.
The princess controls the palace treasury and can easily access
the money, and this worries the emperor greatly." Fan Xian was
truly surprised as he said, "It looks like there might be some
changes to the Eastern Palace.
Eastern Palace: where the crown prince lives
Chapter 80: Searching for his Fiancée
Within Count Sinan's study, there was no indication that a
court plot was afoot.

Count Sinan smiled. Although this child was clever, he

thought, he had little experience in political battles. It
appeared that he would have to slowly teach him. "His Majesty
has always reserved his judgement in matters. It is nothing to
be concerned about. It is just that he does not wish to see
himself quarrel with his son, so uses this matter to warn the
Empress's followers."

The Empress's followers? There appeared to be the empress,

the crown prince, the eldest princess... and perhaps the prime
minister. "His Majesty should find a better way to settle this
dispute. You said before, the property of the treasury is
overseen by the Overwatch Council. Why has he chosen me?"

"The answer is simple." Count Sinan looked at Fan Xian as if

he were looking from a far-off distance, and as if he were
looking at someone else. "It’s because I suggested it to him."
 Fan Xian raised his brow. He knew his father would not
explain further, so he changed the subject. "So why is Chen
Pingping opposed?"

"Because he advised the Emperor not to choose you," said

Count Sinan. "Chen Pingping has always felt that you should
choose a different path."

The grand Director of the Overwatch Council was so

concerned about him! Fan Xian suddenly recalled the stone
tablet by the entrace to the Council chambers. He couldn't hold
back the powerful suspicions he felt. "Why... by the gate of the
Overwatch Council..."

"Why is your mother's name there? That's also simple. When

the Kingdom of Qing was founded, there was no Overwatch
Council. Your mother suggested it..." Count Sinan smiled. He
seemed very happy. "So that is why we have the Overwatch
Council."

Fan Xian's heart pounded fiercely. He opened his mouth,

seemingly dazed for a long time. He thought of the phrase he
knew very well from his previous life - "And God said, let there
be light."And there was light!

They continued their discussion. Fan Xian finally knew what

formidable powers the Ye family had held. When the Kingdom
of Qing's military expeditions to the west and east had brought
the kingdom to the brink of bankruptcy, it was the Ye family
who had stabilized the nation's collapsing political system.
And the Overwatch Council that the Emperor had used to
"unite" the kingdom – to the great shock of the bureaucracy –
was his mother's idea, and she had used her vast finances to
support its establishment. It had all been handled and provided
by his mother, all by herself.

No wonder her name was inscribed by the entrance to the

Council. No wonder he had been under the surveillance of the
Council since he was a child. Fan Xian looked at his father for a
long time before finally shaking his head. "Father, I must tell
you something. Please don't be angry."

"Don't worry. When have I ever been angry with you?" Count
Sinan seemed to have guessed that he had something to say.
There was a slightly odd smile on his face.
 Fan Xian tried to find the best wording. Finally he thought of
the right way to phrase it. He smiled bitterly. "I'm not sure...
how my mother fell for you."

"Haha, don't forget your mother's name..." Count Sinan

seemed happier than he had been in years. He waved Fan Xian
out of his study.

Fan Xian walked into the courtyard. What did it all mean?
Suddenly, he understood. Ye Qingmei, Ye Qingmei... scorning
the men of the land.

"Did father not rebuke you?" asked Fan Ruoruo concernedly.

She and Fan Xian were different after all. What they held most
in common were their long eyelashes and fair skin.

Fan Xian smiled bitterly. "Rebukes are not the worst part of
education. The worst part is having a long exchange of ideas.
Parents always think that they should discuss ideas with their
children, but they don't know how hard that is to endure...
When you're young, you're caught in this shroud of banality."
 This was something that had just occurred to him as he went
through the reception pavilion. He watched Fan Sizhe's face as
he impatiently listened to Lady Liu's admonishings. When
Lady Liu saw him, she went quiet. He cheekily brought Fan
Sizhe over.

Fan Ruoruo sighed. "There's nothing to be done about that."

She suddenly recalled the hubbub in the capital around the
court case that day. "Xian," she asked curiously, "you once said
if you were doing something you didn't want to do, there was
definitely a clear and strong reason behind it. There must have
been a reason behind you going to court today."

Fan Xian nodded.

Fan Ruoruo didn't ask what the reason had been. Instead, she
asked something else. "Did you get the result you wanted?"

Fan Xian laughed. "I'm fairly satisfied. At least now I know

which side father stands on in the imperial court. And I know
that the Fan family has even more influence in the imperial
court than I imagined. As for the reason; you can guess. I don't
know what the result will be. After all, I can't turn into a
mosquito and eavesdrop on the conversations of the big players
at the palace."

"You didn't need to take such a gamble just for that," rebuked
Fan Ruoruo.

Fan Xian smiled as he explained things to her. "Anyway, by

getting the idea to beat up that Guo scoundrel, I've found out
how deep the waters run in the capital."

"Hey! I don't get it!" Fan Sizhe, who had been listening the
whole time, could not keep to himself any longer.

Fan Ruoruo smiled and brandished her ruler. "I get hit just
because I don't understand?" blurted Fan Sizhe. Fan Ruoruo's
smile became tighter. "I have told you many times, you are to
address him as 'older brother'."

"I'm sorry for my mistake, older brother." Fan Sizhe was only
young, but his dishonest way of thinking meant he was never
at a disadvantage.
 Fan Xian looked at him and laughed. "I saw the proposal that
you altered. I think you have some talent. How can you say
you don't understand what I and your sister are talking about?"

"Shrouds and education rounds," he blurted out angrily,

"who knew you'd use such weird phrases? ...But I understood
the last part. Hey... sorry, I mean older brother, that rat Guo
picked on me at that restaurant. You should have hit him. How
come you waited until last night? ...It doesn't matter. Next
time you go and have fun making trouble, you should bring me
along."

Fan Xian looked at him and smiled bitterly. Maybe he'd get
into less trouble if he didn't act like a little tyrant in the streets
all the time.

As sister and brother talked, they did not ignore Fan Sizhe
rolling his eyes next to them. This was Fan Xian's decision. On
one hand, he was using this as a pretext to let Lady Liu know
what he was thinking, so that the two sides did not
accidentally spark a conflict over a lack of information. It was
much like how China and the USA had exchanged military
information in his previous life - both sides would dispatch an
attaché to observe all military maneuvers. Fan Sizhe naturally
was that attaché. On the other hand, he wanted to gradually
change this stubborn little brother... Fan Xian believed the
atmosphere between the three children of the Fan family could
secretly influence the habits they acquired in their upbringing,
and make them consider things more clearly before they made
decisions.

After Fan Sizhe had gone to sleep, Fan Xian turned to his
sister. "Is everything ready?"

Fan Ruoruo nodded, smiling sweetly. "What if someone

recognizes you? If the people of the capital find out that you're
so concerned about getting to see your new wife, they'll laugh
themselves to death... and it might make a lot of people
unhappy."

"It doesn't matter." Fan Xian waved his sister's suggestion

away, somewhat annoyed. "I have to figure this out first."

Early in the morning, a carriage from the Ye family, the head

of the city guard, stopped at the entrance to Count Sinan's
estate. Inside the carriage sat Ye Ling'er, waiting anxiously.
After a little while, Fan Ruoruo led a pale and slightly
hunchbacked youngster out of the manor. Ye Ling'er's eyes
shone, and she greeted the young man.

Ye Ling'er curtsied. "Thank you for your trouble, Miss Fan."

Then she turned to the hunchbacked youngster and smiled.
"Sir, are you a student of Master Fei’s?"

The young man laughed. His yellow and sallow skin matched
the wrinkles around his eyes. It looked as if there were
something wrong with him. He cupped his hands in salute.
"That is correct," he replied.

"My apologies for this imposition, sir," said Ye Ling'er.

The young doctor laughed. "If it's a serious illness," he

responded politely, "we had best get going right away."

Ye Ling'er and Fan Ruoruo got into the front carriage, and the
young physician got into the rear carriage. He discovered that
the carriage was quite spacious. It was rather different from
the kind usually seen in the capital, and the inside was
outfitted with many kinds of ornaments. It looks like the Ye
estate, though born from the battlefield, had always had some
class. The young phyisican was, of course, Fan Xian. That
morning he had arisen early, and with the help of Ruoruo's
eyebrow pencil and foundation, transformed himself. These
were just some tricks he had learned from Fei Jie as a child, but
the results were effective.

The main reason for his confidence was that he believed he

had already garnered a reputation within the capital, but few
people had actually seen him. At the very least, neither Ye
Ling'er nor Miss Lin had laid eyes on him. As soon as he
thought about Miss Lin, who he was soon to meet, his heart
beat faster. No matter what he planned to do afterwards, she
was his fiancee. And the girl in the white dress who had
lingered in his memory was also clearly from a noble family.
He wished he could keep one as a wife and the other as a
concubine, but that was out of the question. It looked like he
was going to have to make a choice.

As the carriage rolled on, Fan Xian became increasingly

nervous, because the carriage was also heading toward the
imperial palace, where Miss Lin – his fiancée –resided. Today,
he was pretending to be a doctor. It was an absurd situation.
But he thought of the chicken leg, and he thought of the Ye
family. And a wife was someone with whom you shared a
pillow for the rest of your life. Fan Xian couldn't help but feel
cautious and timid, but also brazen beyond belief. He felt as he
had before he came to the capital. He had to see for himself.
Was she cute? Was she pretty? Was she a lolita?
Chapter 81: Entering the Hall
In the front carriage, Ye Ling'er and Fan Ruoruo were talking.
"Sorry to bother you about it," said Ye Ling'er, her face
suddenly skeptical, "but is he really a student of Master Fei? He
looks rather young."

Fan Ruoruo laughed. "I know, one expects a doctor to be

older. But he's only having a look today, and after all, even the
imperial physicians respect Master Fei's medical skill. Our
family has a relationship with Master Fei. It won't do any harm
to let him take a look."

Ye Ling'er thought so too. None of the doctors had found a

way to treat Miss Lin's tuberculosis. The palace had contacted
Fei Jie, but they found that he had gone to the border, and it
seemed he would not be returning for a long time. They were
still quite lucky to have found one of Fei Jie's students. She
thought for a while, until eventually she couldn't bear it any
longer. "Ruoruo," she asked, "I heard that yesterday your
brother was accused of a crime?"

Fan Ruoruo wondered why she had decided to ask now. She
laughed. "Do you have something else to bring against him?"
 Ye Ling'er harrumphed. "I am thankful to you, but when it
comes to your brother, I have no good will towards him. He's a
brute, but he's as pliable as dough. He'll do what anyone tells
him, and he doesn't have any will of his own."

Fan Ruoruo was secretly amused. If his brother had his way,
this marriage wouldn't be happening anyway, and who knows
who that might upset. But she didn't say anything. Instead, she
smiled. "People of our status learn quickly that there are many
things outside our control."

"But your brother is one for making trouble, is he not? It's

clear that he wants to marry Miss Lin, but he still... frequents
houses of ill repute. How does he think that reflects on Miss
Lin?" Ye Ling'er recalled the rumors she had recently heard,
and welled up with anger. "Not only that, but he beats people
in the street. That sort of behavior... Ruoruo, please don't be
angry with me. But... if you had to marry someone like that,
would you be willing to?"

Fan Ruoruo sighed. Where did free will come into it? "Clever
people don't listen to rumors. It's all just gossip, do you
understand? My brother is a distinguished fellow. He’s not
hiding some sort of terrible behavior."
 Ye Ling'er laughed coldly. "Is that so? Do you know what the
people of the capital have been calling him since yesterday?"

"What do they call him?" Fan Ruoruo's eyes were wide open
as she asked curiously. She truly wanted to know what the
people of the capital thought of her remarkable older brother.

"They call him... The Brute of Fan Manor!" said Ye Ling'er,

panting with rage. "That’s what people say about your
brother."

Fan Ruoruo covered her mouth to hide a smile. "Did you

know my brother has another nickname?"

"What?"

"The Empress Dowager said 'ten thousand miles in sorrowful

autumn, always the guest, and yet he still beats people?'" She
stifled a laugh. "Ten-thousand miles-in-sorrowful-autumn-
always-the-guest, isn't that a bit long for a nickname?"
 Ye Ling'er knew that she was trying to tell her something.
Not only was Fan Xian a prize fighter, he was also a great poet.
She harrumphed, but she couldn't refute the Empress
Dowager's opinion. It was clear that the Empress Dowager
appreciated Fan Xian's poetry.

The two carriages entered a quiet courtyard not far from the
palace. Outside the courtyard, one could clearly see a great
number of palace guards. They had simple belts tied around
their waists, so it was convenient for them to draw their
daggers.

Alighting the carriage, Ye Ling'er made her way along the

familiar path to the palace, but she unexpectedly found it
blocked by a guard. "What's going on?" asked Ye Ling'er.

"I can’t let you in, Miss Ye," said the guard, slightly
embarrassed.

Ye Ling'er laughed heartily. She pulled Fan Ruoruo to her

side. "This is the daughter of Count Sinan. She's quite well
known in the capital." She glanced at Fan Ruoruo. "You mean
to tell me that the little sister of ten-thousand-miles-in-
sorrowful-autumn-always-the-guest cannot enter?"

"Who's 'ten-thousand-miles-in-sorrowful-autumn-always-
the-guest'?" The guard was not a literate man, and he looked at
them dumbstruck. Ten-thousand-miles-in-sorrowful-autumn-
always-the-guest was hidden behind Ye Ling'er, forcing a smile.

Ye Ling'er giggled. "I've invited a doctor to see Miss Lin today.

Are you going to let us through?" she said, explaining kindly to
the guard.

The guard turned to look at the doctor. He was rather ugly-

looking, and his posture was somewhat stooped. He looked like
he was in poor health himself, the guard thought – and he
wanted to examine the princess? But the guard said nothing, as
he wished to protect Miss Ye's honor. How many of the guards
did not have some sort of relationship with the Ye family? He
forced a smile. "Miss Ye, if you had told the master you were
coming earlier, I would not dare to stop you. Nor would I stop
this doctor. But I cannot let you through today. The doctor you
have invited has not been approved by the palace. What if
something bad were to happen while he was treating her?"
 Fan Xian lowered his head. He felt nervous. He had gone to
all this trouble, and yet he still couldn't even see Miss Lin's
face. Was it best to just give up? He wasn't sure whether this
was his own fault or not. Last time, he had inadvertantly
barged into the Temple of Qing and matched blows with the
temple guard, and the whole palace guard had been subjected
to a torrent of abuse by Eunuch Hong and the head
commander, so today they were extremely strict.

"What are you talking about? This man is a student of Fei Jie
of the Overwatch Council." Ye Ling'er fixed the guard with a
glare.

When the guard heard mention of Master Fei, he looked at

Fan Xian with a sudden deference, silently stepping backward,
but then he thought of something and frowned. "A student of
Master Fei’s? I've never heard of such a thing."

Ye Ling'er also thought about it. Any student of Master Fei

would no doubt also be well known. How come she had never
heard of him? Suspicious, she turned and looked at Fan Xian.
But Fan Xian had prepared for this. He shook his head
gloomily, and fished out a token from his chest pocket.
 It was a token from the Overwatch Council. No one could
have counterfeited it – or more precisely, there was not a
craftsman in the land who would dare to counterfeit it. It was
given to Fan Xian by Fei Jie in Danzhou when he was six years
old.

The guard took the token and looked at it. It proved his
identity beyond a shadow of a doubt. He looked again at the
young man's pallid complexion and yellowing skin, and he
realized that this most definitely was a student of Master Fei,
someone who had experimented with poisons for many years –
that ghostly appearance was unmistakeable.

Having received a sufficient guarantee, the guard let them

pass. The three walked into the quiet courtyard, glancing at
clusters of flowers as they walked along a stone-tiled path
through them, leading to a small building deeper within the
courtyard.

A servant girl ushered them into the building and served

them tea. Fan Xian observed her movements and noticed that
her every move seemed extremely proper. Clearly she had
received long years of training at the palace. A while later, an
old woman with a slightly arrogant air walked out. "Miss Ye,
it's you."

Ye Ling'er clearly did not like this woman, and she made a
grunt of acknowledgement in response. "Where is Miss Lin?"

"Miss Lin is sleeping. May I ask why you have come today,
Miss Ye?" The old lady seemed to be standing respectfully, but
her tone of speech was clearly meant to keep people away. Fan
Xian couldn't help but wonder what would get in his way next.

Ye Ling'er was not in the mood for arguing with the old lady
today. "I have brought a doctor to see Miss Lin," she said
reproachfully. "Go and tell her. When she is ready, this doctor
will come and examine her."

The old lady looked at Fan Xian. She knew this was the
doctor. "You are aware of the young lady's status," she said
coldly. "Other than the palace physicians, who could treat
her?"
 Ye Ling'er brought up Fan Xian's identity as a student of Fei
Jie. Surprisingly, the old lady did not concede. She was much
more troublesome than the guard outside. Fan Xian did not
know what the palace regulations were, but young unmarried
ladies always had plenty of ladies-in-waiting by their side.
Although they did not restrict them and they were not like the
frightful spinsters of the court of the Qing dynasty in his
previous world, these women were always loyal to a fault. She
absolutely would not allow her mistress to get in any sort of
danger.

Fan Xian felt rather annoyed. He cast a glance at Fan Ruoruo.

Fan Ruoruo understood what he meant. She stood up, smiling.
"Since it is not in keeping with regulations," she said to Ye
Ling'er, "I suppose we had best leave. This is not like any other
place in the capital, after all."

Sure enough, Ye Ling'er was enraged. She shot up and

unleashed a torrent of abuse at the old woman. Fan Xian
watched and frowned. She was a rather angry girl, he thought.
Who was going to teach her to control her temper in the
future? At that moment, Fan Ruoruo attempted to intercede
insincerely, asking the aggrieved old woman to sit at the table,
handing her a cup of tea.
 After a moment, the old woman's face changed, and she
hurried off. Having heard all the commotion, one of Miss Lin's
serving girls came out. She saw that the old lady was not there,
and ushered the three upstairs.

Although Ye Ling'er had a temper, she was not stupid. She

cast a suspicious glance at Fan Xian. Fan Xian lowered his head
a little, said nothing, and followed them up.

He always carried things on him that people had no idea

about – laxatives, knockout drops, aphrodisiacs, and not just
medicine, but a dagger and a hidden crossbow too; all little
tools to defend himself. With these things on his person, he
could get himself out of any jam.

As they entered Miss Lin's bedchamber, Fan Xian lowered his

head. He did not dare show that anything was off. A delicate
fragrance reached his nostrils. He could tell that they were
burning a specific type of incense that helped sick people
convalesce, but it was concentrated too strongly, overpowering
the delicate aroma of her boudoir.
 Ye Ling'er went behind a curtain and said something, and
then was followed by Fan Ruoruo. Fan Xian strained his ears,
and heard that his sister was greeting the young woman. The
young woman only coughed. It seemed that she was short of
breath. In his mind, Fan Xian sketched out the scene. He didn't
know how he should act when he saw his bride-to-be.

As he thought about it, Fan Xian realized that he was

somewhat unfaithful. He felt deep love for that girl in white
who nibbled at the chicken leg. Entering Miss Lin's bedchamber
and smelling her rare perfume, he began to wonder what her
blushing face might look like.

"Please enter, sir." Ye Ling'er conveyed Miss Lin's request.

Fan Xian straightened his appearance slightly, lifted the

curtain, and entered.
Chapter 82: Enter the Chamber
Fan Xian was stepping into the bed chamber of his "fiancée"
for the first time, although he was doing so in the disguise of a
doctor. The first thing he saw was the bed decorated with blue
shells and purple glass, then the three ladies—Ye Ling’er, his
younger sister, and the head maidservant who was busy fixing
the blankets.

Fan Xian cleared his throat and walked forward. He sat down
on the round stool provided by the maidservant and stroked
his beard like a legitimate doctor. As it turned out, the newly
glued-on beard wasn’t very secure, so he almost pulled it off.
Giving up on the stroking, he said, "My Lady, please show me
your hand."

Lady Lin lay in bed; her silhouette showed faintly behind the
veil. As the doctor instructed, she slowly reached out her left
arm and rested her wrist on a soft arm pillow. This pillow
seemed to be a common item here; the royal doctors must visit
her often.

Fan Xian’s heart skipped a beat when he saw her pale arm. He
thought about how if that wrist’s owner became his wife, he’d
be able to caress it every day thereafter. It was a very pleasing
thought… Putting his mind back on track, he put a finger on
Lady Lin’s wrist. For some reason, both trembled at that first
touch.

Ye Ling’er didn’t want to interrupt the doctor from taking her

pulse, so she looked at Fei Jie’s student in wonder. When she
saw that he was using only one finger, just like the legendary
Fei Jie did, she became much more trusting. There was no way
she would know that Fan Xian had studied the healing arts, but
only for a year. He could not match a legitimate royal doctor.
His only strong point was his usage of medicine and the
knowledge he had from his past life. He decided to take her
pulse in order to intimidate the others and to set his image as a
miracle doctor.

The feeling of smooth skin under his finger was a more or

less strange sensation for him, and for a moment he didn’t
want to let go. He said gloomily, "The Lady’s pulse is a bit
weak, but there is plenty of dryness, like fire intermixing into
fine filaments. This is a bit complicated."

"What’s wrong?"
 "May I see the Lady’s face, to make a better diagnosis?"

"Absolutely not!" The head maidservant refused the

suggestion without a second thought. While Qing customs
were relatively open-minded, the one lying in bed was still the
adopted daughter of the emperor. Because of her special
identity, not even the royal doctors could view her face, let
alone this random doctor who had come from out of nowhere.

Fan Xian was a bit disappointed. He asked, "I hear the royal
doctors diagnosed it as fatigue of the lungs?"

"Yes." It was still the head maidservant who answered him.

Lady Lin appeared to be lacking in strength, as she didn’t say a
word.

Fan Xian thought about it for a moment and felt fairly

confident. This "fatigue of the lungs" was none other than the
tuberculosis found in his previous life. Although he didn’t
bring with him an emergency medicine kit, there were still
many ways to treat it, so he continued questioning: "Does the
Lady often feel tired? Frequent coughs?"
 "Yes."

"Is she gradually losing weight?"

"Yes."

"Frequent hot flashes?"

"Yes."

Fan Xian was getting irritated; this head maidservant kept

cutting him off. Rolling his eyes, he asked, "Does she sweat a
lot?"

"Yes." The head maidservant still tried to interrupt him.

This time Fan Xian pretended not to hear. He touched Lady

Lin’s soft palm and discovered it was slightly moist. Lady Lin
wasn’t expecting a doctor from outside the palace to be so bold
and withdrew her hand in haste—but Fan Xian was quick and
the other three ladies didn’t catch him.

Fan Xian frowned. "No coughing up blood?"

"She’s starting to. She got better at the beginning of spring,

but a few days ago it started again." Noting the young doctor’s
accuracy, the head maidservant stopped taking him lightly and
answered with a hint of desperation and hope.

"I see," Fan Xian said after some silence, "Her Ladyship really
does suffer from fatigue of the lung."

Hearing him say something they already knew after all that,
the head maidservant bit at her bottom lip and resisted the
urge to kick him out. Ye Ling’er stared at him menacingly.
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Fan Xian lowered his head.

He didn’t dwell on it for long, however, and walked over to

the desk. Picking up a brush, he started to write a prescription.
The head maidservant read it over and discovered it was still
the tonic made from lilies, except with two extra doses of
beautyberry, gardenia ash, and one extra dose of skullcap. She
frowned and asked, "The skullcap is bitter-cold. It suppresses
fire and strengthens yin energy, but it also hurts the
harmonious qi. Can it really be used here?"

Having been around an ill person for so long, this

maidservant had picked up a lot from the different doctors
over the years. She couldn’t be more familiar with the
prescriptions. Fan Xian looked at her, somewhat impressed. He
then explained, "If the patient has a sturdy constitution, there
shouldn’t be any problems. We first hit the ailment with
something strong, and then we can proceed slowly from there."

The head maidservant looked at Fan Xian crossly and said

with some anger, "The Lady has fatigue of the lungs and her
body is weak; how can she withstand that?"

Fan Xian chuckled; he did not get angry. He said, "Since she
has already begun to cough up blood, it’s a sign that the disease
is moving on to advanced stages. Therefore, we must first
strengthen her body before giving her medicine."
 "Give her medicine or strengthen her body; which one is it
exactly?" Ye Ling’er was already getting confused.

Fan Xian cleared his throat, "From now on, have her
Ladyship drink a bowl of goat’s milk every day. Make sure it’s
fresh." He had heard of this remedy in his past live. It happened
to actually be effective. He then asked, "How is the Lady’s
diet?"

The head maidservant was still thinking about goat’s milk.

Hearing Fan Xian’s question, she answered proudly, "Light
congee and small-portioned vegetables daily. She doesn’t
consume any meat."

Now Fan Xian really got angry. She was already so sick. How
could they do this? Preventing a frail girl from eating well
absolutely would not pass! Only after noticing his younger
sister and Ye Ling’er eyeing him strangely did he realize his
anger was unreasonable. Given Lady Lin’s status, no one would
suspect her diet as the problem. Laughing at himself, he asked,
"Why is that?"
 The three ladies stared at him like he was an idiot. Those
with fatigue of the lungs should avoid all forms of meat;
everyone should know that.

Regardless, it wasn’t part of Fan Xian’s education, so he

insisted. "The Lady must eat well. Don’t leave out the oils and
meats anymore. The goat’s milk is a must. Overall, her food
must be diverse. If she can’t handle too much at the moment,
give her a steamed mixture of barley and mountain yam. Then
break apart some dried persimmons and mix that in as well.
After a month, we can move on to my prescription."

As he said that, everyone else in the room frowned; they

didn’t dare to listen to him.

At that moment, the old nanny who had stopped the three of
them earlier came in. For some reason, she looked as if she had
just done something physically demanding. Supporting her
waist, she said in a weak voice, "Why have you come in?" The
head maidservant welcomed her with a smile and explained,
"This is the doctor brought in by Miss Ye. The Lady agreed to
let him take a look." The old nanny was a bit unhappy, "The
royal doctors come once every two days. What’s so special
about this doctor?"
 The head maidservant laughed, "Special, as you say. He
ordered us to have the Lady dine on delicacies every day."

Hearing this, the old nanny shook her head and said they
must not do that. What were they going to do if the Lady’s
condition worsened? After a few more things to say, she
excused herself from the room. An idea flashed in Fan Xian’s
mind. He told the maidservant, "That prescription must be
used along with the diet I suggested, or else it won’t work."

The maidservant still wouldn’t listen to him, which made

Fan Xian quite angry. He thought, "If I really end up bedding
your Lady in the future, I’ll have you prepare the bed!" He said
casually, "I have with me some premade pills. Have her take
them for now; if she shows improvement, then will you believe
me?"

"Your pills might be effective, but she must not eat any
meat." This maidservant refused to give in.

At this point, Fan Xian was clenching his jaws in anger; he

didn’t know what to do.
 When he coughed up blood, so did she; when he clenched his
jaws in anger, she did the same. That frail, bedridden girl,
hearing the doctor’s voice behind the veil, had already begun
panicking. His voice sounded so familiar. It was, without a
doubt, the voice of that young man she had met in the temple.
Although she didn’t know why he had come to her home or
how he became master Fei’s student, but still…

Lady Lin’s hands gripped the corners of her blanket tightly

and her cute teeth gently bit at her bottom lip. She was very
excited. A shade of unhealthy but pretty red dyed her cheeks.
What should she do? Even though that person was just behind
the veil, she had no idea how to get a look at him.

The conversation behind the veil seemed to have concluded,

and the owner of the voice was getting ready to leave. The girl
finally couldn’t take it anymore. She propped herself up and,
with all her strength, uttered in a voice which was as loud as a
mosquito’s buzz:

"Wait!"
 Hearing the voice, the people outside had different reactions.
The maidservant walked over first, quietly asking what was
wrong; Ye Ling’er showed her concern; and Ruoruo was
thinking that her brother had disguised himself to see Lady
Lin, but wasn’t able to see her, so she wanted to see his
expression. She didn’t expect it would be a stupefied one.

Fan Xian stopped in his tracks upon hearing the voice. He

stared dumbfounded at the bed, as if wanting to stare right
through the veil. At the temple, he had heard the voice of that
girl in white, especially that sentence, only that one sentence:
"Who… are you?"

Those three words at the temple imprinted themselves deeply

in Fan Xian’s mind. He would never forget them.

Fan Xian immediately knew who was behind the veil, and a
sudden urge of happiness flooded his brain, making him
temporarily numb. After this initial shock, he remembered
that one song by Huan Lixing: "The sound waves are too
strong, if you don’t sway, you’ll hit the ground…" He started to
sway a bit. However, he immediately came back to his senses
and forcefully checked his impulse to rip open that veil.
 "My Lady, what’s the matter?" The maidservant asked
quietly. Ye Ling’er also came over, "Chenchen, lay back down.
Why did you get up?"

"This… This doctor, what he said… I think there’s some sense

to it." The girl behind the veil seemed to be trying to find
excuses, "… If he could see my face, perhaps… Perhaps the
doctor could be more certain."

Despite hearing the Lady’s own words, the maidservant still

remembered the rules, so she looked at Ye Ling’er for help. Ye
Ling’er had begun to suspect Fan Xian’s abilities by now, and
offered a few words. But she couldn’t refuse in the end. Lady
Lin insisted. She knew her days were numbered, and therefore
wouldn’t give up on the slightest ray of hope—Ye Ling’er
sighed and parted the veil.

At that very moment, the despicable old nanny came up for

the third time. Seeing what was about to happen, she went to
drag Fan Xian away. Enraged, Fan Xian thought, "How
troublesome can you be?" He threw her a gaze like an angry
god of thunder. The old nanny suddenly put her hands to her
stomach and ran out.
 Fan Ruoruo knew her brother couldn’t harm people with his
gaze; the laxative seemed to still be working. Ruoruo covered
her laughter with her hand while a smile showed on Fan Xian’s
lips. Ruoruo looked at the slowly parting veil, waiting for the
moment.

After the veil had been lifted, in the blankets was a beautiful
girl with pale skin and clear eyes. Despite being seen by several
people, she acted like she was alone and directed her gaze at
one spot.

Fan Xian’s gaze was filled with joy, but Lady Lin’s was… filled
with disappointment! Fan Xian immediately realized he was
still in disguise. His fiancée had only seen him once before, of
course she wouldn’t recognize him.

The maidservant supported Lady Lin to a seating position.

Seeing this strange young doctor, Lady Lin found it difficult to
hide her dismay. But she frowned as if remembering
something, as if discovering something from this young
doctor’s joyous gaze.
 Ye Ling’er suddenly became annoyed by the gaze from Fei
Jie’s student. "What are you doing just standing there?"

Fan Xian walked forward with a smile. He carefully looked

over that beautiful face which he had retained in his memory
for several days. Seeing her unhealthy color, he was filled with
extreme pity. He said in a soft voice, "You must eat according
to what I just said, understand?"

Hearing that voice again, and pairing it with a completely

different face, Lady Lin became a bit dizzy. Putting her arm on
the bed for support, she said weakly, "Sorry to trouble you."

As they left Lady Lin’s room, Lady Lin respectfully thanked

the young doctor and Lady Fan. She knew this Lady Fan would
likely become her "sister-in-law" in the future, so there was
some unavoidable awkwardness. She then looked at the young
doctor and her heart became agitated. It was his voice, but why
wasn’t it him?

Seeing the young doctor about to exit, Lady Lin started to

panic. But there was nothing she could do. Given her status as
one of the ruling class, insisting on seeing the doctor was
already a bold move. She couldn’t possibly afford to chase
after him and ask "Didn’t you go to the temple a few days ago?
Didn’t you see a girl dressed in white? Do you still remember
the chicken drumstick?"

——Oh well. It’s not him, it just sounded like him. Seems I’ve
been sleeping too much these past few days and hanging onto
his voice too much. I almost lost control of my senses.

At this crucial moment, Fan Xian stopped abruptly at the

door. He turned around with a weird smile and said, "You must
drink goat’s milk and eat meat. If you’re really hungry, eat
some chicken legs."

Lady Lin’s eyes lit up. "But my stomach hasn’t been feeling
great recently. I often feel nauseous."

"That’s nothing. You’ll get used to it." Upon discovering his

future wife was smart, Fan Xian was overjoyed. "You could get
some fresh air during the day, but at night you must remember
to… close your windows."
 Both Ye Ling’er and the maidservant thought something
must be wrong with the doctor’s head for saying such things.

On the carriage ride back to Fan Manor, there were no

outsiders, only a grinning Fan Xian and a laughing Fan Ruoruo
beside him. Seeing her brother holding back the urge to burst
out laughing, she said, "Go ahead and laugh. Why hold it in?"
As soon as she said that, the sound of laughter came flooding
out of the carriage. It was so loud it startled the people passing
by, as well as Teng Zijing who was leading in front.

"Such a coincidence." Seeing her brother happy, Fan Ruoruo

couldn’t help but be happy for him. "Who would have thought
Lady Lin really was the girl you met at the temple."

"Coincidence indeed." Fan Xian scratched his itching

eyebrows. "Stop calling her ‘Lady Lin’. From now on, she’s
your sister-in-law; call her ‘sister’."

Fan Ruoruo mocked him, "Your marriage is still ten months

away. Isn’t it too early to call her that? Besides, you know the
prime minister and the eldest princess don’t like you very
much. And didn’t you consider avoiding this marriage?"
 Fan Xian smiled in embarrassment, "That was back then.
Now I have to marry that girl. Forget about the prime minister
and eldest princess. I wouldn’t care even if that Commander of
Defense returns to the capital."

Suddenly, Fan Ruoruo became curious, "I too saw Lady…

sister Lin for the first time today." She couldn’t hold back her
laughter. "She does look pretty, but she’s not as beautiful as
you described last time."

Fan Xian was surprised and asked in a serious tone, "You

don’t think she’s divinely beautiful?"

Fan Ruoruo answered frankly, "Nope."

Fan Xian thought about it for a bit, still shocked. After a

while he said, "Could this be what they call… Xi Shi is only
beautiful to those who love her?"

"I can more or less understand what that means, but who is
this Xi Shi?" Fan Ruoruo was always eager to learn.
 Presently, Fan Xian’s mind was filled with Lady Lin; he had
already forgotten his usual conduct as his sister’s mentor. He
replied stupidly, "Xi Shi is a girl who sells tofu in Danzhou.
She’s very beautiful. She’s very fair-skinned."

"Liar." Fan Ruoruo was a bit unhappy. She found that ever
since her brother discovered his future wife was the one he set
his eyes on, he wasn’t quite himself.

Fan Xian reassured her, "I didn’t lie to you. When you were
still little I snuck out with you to go to the market. Back then
she sold tofu there. You were too young to remember."

Fan Ruoruo half-believed him.

Thinking back on the day’s events, Fan Xian felt incredibly

grateful. "This isn’t just traveling between worlds; this is a
romance novel."

Lady Lin’s first name was Wan’er, and her nickname was Yi
Chen. She grew up in the palace and didn’t have many friends.
Her background was a bit absurd. Although she knew her
father was the current prime minister, she didn’t have many
chances to see him. On the contrary, she was closer to her
uncle, especially since four years ago, when her uncle arranged
this marriage and her mother was revoked of the authority to
control her. In doing so, she had some relaxing days. However,
such days did prove lonely, and Ye Ling’er often played with
her older friends over at Dingzhou. Even though they were all
in the capital, it wasn’t convenient for them to enter the
palace. Lady Lin never had a person with whom she could
converse personally.

Earlier this year, her uncle exposed his relation with her
father for no apparent reason. At the time, she thought her
uncle wanted to give her father a tough time and force him to
resign. But she couldn’t have been more wrong. On the
contrary, the marriage from four years ago resurfaced.

His name was Fan Xian. He was Minister Fan’s illegitimate

son from Danzhou? A smile crept across Lin Wan’er’s mouth.
He too had lived an uneasy life, separated from his parents at a
young age. But why must she marry him? Was her background
that disgraceful she could only be randomly arranged to Fan…
Xian?
 She didn’t know what Fan Xian looked like.

Lin Wan’er couldn’t help but think about that doctor during
the day. Hiding her laughter with her hand, she thought he
sure was fun. Using such a method to sneak onto royal
property, where security was tighter than tight. She couldn’t
figure out how he managed that—pretending to be master Fei’s
student? His boldness knew no bounds—but she then thought
about how he came with Lady Fan. "Does he have some
connection with the Fan family? Then he must know about my
marriage with that Young Master Fan… My goodness! If he
knew, why did he come to see me? Why did he say all that?"

She blushed, as beautiful as the clouds during sunset. The

maidservant who was fixing the bed was transfixed by her.
Snickering, she asked, "My Lady, did you think of something
happy again? You keep smiling for no reason these days."

Lin Wan’er felt a bit pressured, so she retorted, "What, can I

not smile now?" The maidservant stuck out her tongue and
slowly walked over to the window to close it. It was late,
already past bedtime. Lin Wan’er thought about the last thing
the youth said before he left. She said quietly, "Go get some
incense." The maidservant wondered for a moment, since there
was still some incense left, but ultimately did not question it
and went downstairs.

Lin Wan’er made her way towards the window, resting her
slender fingers on the small wooden lattice work, thinking,
"Should I close it or not?" Remembering her illness and also the
fact that she had already been given to the stranger named Fan
Xian made her heart ache. She gathered some strength into her
fingers and tightly shut the windows.
Chapter 83: Through the Window
The night watchman’s drum could be heard on this spring
night. It was the time when roosters crowed—the perfect time
for the likes of thieves to sneak about.

A shadow lightly fell from the back wall of Fan Manor like a
leaf. It hit the ground without making any noise and dusted
itself off before disappearing into the darkness. That shadow
was none other than Fan Xian. As he prodded along in the
dark, he inwardly lamented that there wasn’t any true
qinggong in this world which would let him jump ten meters in
one leap; every time he climbed a wall he got himself covered
in dust.

As prosperous as the capital was, not many places were

illuminated at night. Areas that were lit included places such
as Wanong Alley, where there was a night market as well as
various street performers, and the areas around the river pond
which were lit so customers could board boats. Most other
streets were dark, only sparingly dotted by dim lights from
private residences, some of which shone through cracks in
door and onto the stone-paved streets, forming bright lines.
 Fan Xian navigated between those lines, running in the
night. The cool night wind brushed against his slightly
burning cheeks, giving him a very refreshing feeling. After
only a short while, he had already arrived at the royal
complex, at the same alleyway he’d visited during the day.
Seeing the building in the courtyard a distance away, he
frowned—there must be palace guards roaming about. In Wu
Zhu’s words, his neigong was level seven, and his control of it
was level three. If he wished to get inside without alarming
those very skilled guards, he had to be extra cautious.

He had to see Lady Lin no matter what, even though he still

did not know her full name. He had to tell her who he was,
who she was going to marry, and most importantly, what
disease she had.

Everything was quiet in the night. The night watchmen’s

drums had just sounded and would not sound again anytime
soon. Only some frog calls carried over from the distance. Fan
Xian stood quietly behind the alley walls, adjusting his zhenqi,
letting it slowly course through his entire body. Using xueshan
behind his waist at the control center, Fan Xian could perfectly
control his every muscle and his awareness.
 He didn’t know if Wu Zhu was around, but he did know he
couldn’t rely on Wu Zhu his entire life. Regardless of how
strong Wu Zhu was, the blind man couldn’t protect him at all
times, or else his mother wouldn’t have suffered the fate she
had all those years ago. Vigorously wiping away any sweat
from his palms, Fan Xian aimed at an inconspicuous spot on
the wall. Zhenqi slowly seeped out from the center of his palms
and miraculously flowed back along the outer edges, forming a
dip. Just as he had climbed the cliffs back in Danzhou, his
hands easily adhered to the wall. Fan Xian began to slowly
climb.

That wall was over six meters high; an ordinary person, no

matter how skilled, could not have jumped over it.
Furthermore, the wall was smooth, lacking any footholds in
order to discourage climbing. For those reasons, this spot was
the least heavily guarded. No one would expect that a Spider-
Man would come visit tonight.

Having scaled to the top, Fan Xian anchored one hand on the
wall while wiping away his sweat with the other. Why did he
have to take so much risk just to see his future wife? But now
was not the moment to back down. He raised his head and
watched as the crescent became obscured by the clouds. This
opportunity excited him.
 With the sudden darkening of the moonlight, Fan Xian
dropped down to the courtyard and squeezed into the dense
bushes like a leopard cat. With the vegetation hiding his
presence, he darted straightforward. And yet, he did all of that
without making a single sound, all thanks to Wu Zhu’s harsh
training back in Danzhou.

He was even more fortunate that there weren’t that many

guards in the courtyard. It was close to midnight now, and the
security was even laxer. From the sound of it, there were still
people awake at the front gate, but there were basically no
patrols in the courtyard. Fan Xian let out a sigh of relief.
Carefully making his way to that building, he discovered all
the lights were out. He wondered if she had already gone to
sleep.

The door was locked. Furthermore, there was the chance the
laxative from earlier was still working, which meant that old
nanny could get up at any moment. Grinning at the possibility,
he gave up on the initial path and walked around. Putting his
strength into his hands, he held on firmly to the wooden
corridor and climbed up. Once on top of the corridor, the
second level projected horizontally about half a meter
outward. Fan Xian lightly breathed out and started feeling the
framework with his hands. Finding a small crack, he hooked
onto it with his index and middle fingers. His body then hung
in the air. Using the strength in his abdomen, he swayed and
lurched upwards like a bat, sticking closely against the
window.

Fan Xian believed the Lady inside must have understood his
words earlier that day, so he pulled on the window with a
confident smile… It didn’t budge. He used more strength and
pulled it again… The window still didn’t budge!

Lin Wan’er had gone to bed early, but she couldn’t fall asleep.
She gripped the corners of her blanket, eyes wide open in the
darkness, staring at the canopy of her bed, thinking of
something.

She immediately heard the sound from outside. Suddenly

nervous, she didn’t know what to do; she wasn’t expecting that
youth to be so bold, sneaking into the royal complex in the
middle of the night. She thought about calling someone over
but stopped herself. If guards really came, that handsome
youth would surely get the death penalty. Unable to bear the
thought, Lady Lin could only bite at her bottom lip in
frustration.
 She offered herself some consolation by thinking it was good
that she had shut the windows. She thought that if the young
man couldn’t get in, he would eventually realize the futility of
the situation and leave on his own. In that case, she wouldn’t
have to deal with an undesirable situation, and he wouldn’t
have to atone for a capital crime.

Unfortunately, things did not go as she had hoped. The

window was pushed open with a creak. A young man dressed
in all black vaulted in wielding a thin dagger, also painted all
black. Seeing this scene through the veil, Lin Wan’er nearly
screamed out, but upon seeing his face— that face she once saw
in the temple under the incense table— she forcibly stopped
herself.

Fan Xian acted quickly, without the shyness one would

expect from a boy experiencing his first love. He closed the
window and walked to the bed. Lifting the veil, a faint
fragrance began to drift throughout the room.

Lin Wan’er had been feeling drowsy earlier, but smelling that
fragrance made her immediately alert. Now she realized this
youth had deployed some sleeping incense earlier. Startled, she
wondered if he was one of "those" she often heard about…
Could he be a rapist?

As her heart began to fill with deep regret, she opened her
mouth, ready to scream!

Fan Xian wasn’t prepared for this, he was about to happily

awaken the sleeping lady. Seeing her awake with a terrified
expression and her mouth ready to scream out, he immediately
came back to his senses. As if floating, he put one knee on the
bed and put a hand to Lin Wan’er’s mouth.

Her soft lips touched his palm. It tickled.

"Don’t scream." This was Fan Xian’s first time sneaking into a
girl’s room at night in the name of love. His lack of experience
was not surprising. He said in an uneasy way, "It’s me, me. It’s
me."

She seemed to be able to tell that he didn’t have any

malicious intent. Lin Wan’er gradually relaxed. Fan Xian
removed his hand and said lightly, "No need to scream."
 Lin Wan’er suddenly remembered the incense and asked in a
panic, "What did you do to my maidservant?" The maidservant
was sleeping close by. Despite the current scene, she did not
wake up. Fan Xian explained quietly, "It’s nothing. That
incense soothes the mind. It does no harm to the body. She’s
merely sleeping."

Lin Wan’er was slightly relieved. Seeing this smiling face

before her, she was happy, but also very afraid. Who exactly
was he? Seeing the fear in her eyes, Fan Xian said, "Don’t be
afraid, I’m the doctor from earlier today. Didn’t I say I’d stop
by tonight?"

Lin Wan’er suddenly gave him a sly smile, "Didn’t you tell me
to shut the window tight?" Seeing this beauty’s smile, Fan
Xian’s heart quivered; seeing her lips, Fan Xian started to have
some ideas. At that moment, he felt something cold on his
neck.

A short sword. It gave off a cold gleam. Its hilt was in Lin
Wan’er’s hand, while its blade was on Fan Xian’s neck!
 Lin Wan’er stared at her intruder. Suddenly, with a change of
heart, she said, "I don’t care who you are, if you leave
immediately, I shall not pursue this matter."

With a blade on his neck, Fan Xian was still smiling. He said
softly, "I’m going to leave in a little bit. I just came tonight to
see you." After he said that, he reached into his shirt and pulled
out an oilpaper package, completely oblivious to the sharp
sword. Ironically, Lin Wan’er didn’t want to cut him
accidently, so she moved the blade away a little bit.

Ripping open the package, Fan Xian took out a delicious-

smelling chicken leg, raising it to her lips. He said with a grin,
"You were eating one at the temple the other day. I know it’s
your favorite, so I specially came to bring you this."

Lin Wan’er didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. How was he

still messing around at a time like this? If the guards
discovered a strange man in her room, both of them would be
doomed. With a shaky voice, she beseeched him, "I’m begging
you, please leave."
 Fan Xian had planned on teasing her for a bit longer, but
upon seeing how worried she was, he gave in and tried to offer
her some consolation. "Don’t be afraid, I’m not going to hurt
you." That sounded somewhat wrong. Why did that sound like
something a rapist in a wuxia novel from his past life would
say?

Unsurprisingly, Lin Wan’er’s expression changed. The

sword’s edge was once again on his neck. In a trembling voice,
she told him, "I don’t care who you are, if you continue to
belittle me, I will make this cut."

Only now did Fan Xian realize sneaking into a girl’s bedroom
at night really was something which could destroy the girl’s
reputation. But seeing her adamant expression, he couldn’t
help but wonder, "Are you really prepared to murder your own
husband?"
Chapter 84: Time-Crossed Lovers
"I've thought about you a lot these past few days." Fan Xian
threw caution to the wind and spoke his heart. "Ever since I
saw you in the Temple of Qing, I've wanted to see you again so
badly."

"What are you talking about!?" said Lin Wan'er, worried and
shy. She gritted her teeth. "I am already betrothed to another.
And what's more, you can't go sneaking into a girl's
bedchamber in the middle of the night, it isn't proper."

"You are betrothed to the Fan family. I know." Fan Xian

laughed as he gazed at her.

Lin Wan'er thought back to the first time she saw this youth,
and the complicated feelings she had felt as they silently laid
eyes on each other. She felt a twinge of heartache. "Since you
know, why don't you leave? Do you have a death wish?"

Fan Xian could not tease her any longer. He looked at her
with a sincere gaze. "I'm... I'm Fan Xian."
 There was a deathly silence for what felt like forever. Fan
Xian felt rather awkward, but then he saw a tear fall from the
corner of Lin Wan'er's eye. She hurriedly wiped it away.
"Please, get a hold of yourself."

Fan Xian laughed bitterly. "I'm telling you the truth. What
will make you believe me?"

Lin Wan'er looked on his face, silent for a long while. Finally,
she spoke in a low voice. "You are... master Fan?"

Fan Xian nodded, smiling, but her facial expression remained

skeptical. At that moment, the moonlight shone through the
clouds, illuminating his bright and beautiful face. It sprinkled
its faint luster upon the earth, shining through the window
and enveloping the pair in its light.

"I am," said Fan Xian quietly.

Lin Wan'er could not believe what she was hearing. Her
passion stirred, she could not help but cough, dropping the
blade in her hand. "You're the Brute of Fan Manor?"
 Fan Xian couldn't stop himself from laughing. He looked at
her delicate features and lovingly extended a hand to hold her
wrist. He gave her some of his zhenqi, carefully stabilizing her
pulse. When he heard the word 'brute', he laughed bitterly.
"But I've only been in two fights."

Lin Wan'er slowly began to trust him, and happiness rose in

her cheeks. "Are you ten-thousand-miles-in-sorrowful-autumn-
always-the-guest?"

Fan Xian continued to laugh. "I wrote that in a hurry... It

doesn't count."

Lin Wan'er's eyes slowly began to brighten. "Is it... is it really

you?"

Fan Xian was about to lose it. "I came here today with my
sister," he said, trying not to cry. "If I weren't Fan Xian, why
would my sister have helped a stranger see her future sister-in-
law?"
 Lin Wan'er agreed, and stifled a smile. But she soon thought
of another question. "That time you went to the Temple of
Qing," she asked angrily, "were you there just to see me?" When
she realized that she had been kept completely in the dark by
this young man, she felt furious. When she thought of the pain
and worry this awful young man had caused her over the past
few days, and all that improper business, she wished that she
could... give him a good thrashing.

When Fan Xian saw her expression, he realized what she was
thinking and hurriedly explained. "I was there to make a vow
to Heaven. Meeting you at the Temple of Qing was a
coincidence, honestly. Other than that, this morning was the
only time that I've seen you. It's only now that I know who you
are, my lady." He beamed as he gazed at Lin Wan'er's beautiful
face. "It was fate," he said quietly.

Lin Wan'er lowered her head, bashful, and freed her wrist
from Fan Xian's grasp. "Why did you come to see me today with
your sister?" she asked in a low voice.

Fan Xian was taken aback. How could he tell her he was
getting ready to cure her and then flee his arranged marriage?
He dared not say it even at pain of death. "I heard that you
were in ill health," he replied gently. "And there was no other
way I could see you, so I had to do it in secret... I had no idea
that you were that chicken leg girl I met at the temple."

Lin Wan'er groaned. How could he call her something so

awful? Fan Xian laughed and pointed at the chicken leg next to
them. "Did you want to eat it?"

Lin Wan'er couldn't hold her laughter any longer. "You take
it," she replied, "I'm not that hungry."

Suddenly, Fan Xian heard the sound of someone getting out

of bed downstairs. It seemed like they were coming up the
stairs. He frowned. "Someone's coming."

Lin Wan'er began to panic. Even if he was her future

husband, if someone saw him, she would be humiliated. She
pushed him away. "You must go, quickly." After having gone
through all this trouble in the middle of the night, he was in no
mood to leave. Fan Xian smiled slyly and leapt under the
covers. The bed was very large, as was the quilt, and the room
was pitch black. If anyone came in to look, they would see
nothing untoward at all.
 As she saw Fan Xian slide under her blanket, Lin Wan'er was
taken aback, but there was nothing else that she could do. She
heard someone feel their way up. It was that old nanny who'd
had an upset stomach earlier in the day. Bashful and nervous,
Lin Wan'er slipped deeper under the blanket, facing her body
between Fan Xian and the door, pretending to be fast asleep.

The nanny looked and saw nothing unusual. She grumbled to

herself quietly, wondering if she'd been dreaming. Her
tiredness returned and she went back downstairs.

Lin Wan'er elbowed Fan Xian. "She's gone," she chided him in
a quiet, shy voice. "Now you have to go."

With great difficulty, he kissed her. For the first time, he felt
thankful to the old nanny for leaving immediately. "You're
tired. You should lie down," he said shamelessly.

Lin Wan'er realized that deep down, her future husband was
a rascal. "This is... this is unacceptable!" she said angrily.
 Fan Xian laughed darkly. Getting closer to her and smelling
her faint scent, his heart was filled with joy. "Why?"

"If... if this ever gets out, how can I face people?" Ashamed,
she buried her head in the covers. As she felt the heat of his
body behind her, she moved away from it.

Fan Xian sighed. He feared she'd move so far that she'd fall
off the edge of the bed. That would be something of a shock.
He got up, filled with unsatisfied desires, and sat on the edge of
the bed, holding her trembling hand. Lin Wan'er pulled away
from his grasp, but couldn't break free. At least he wasn't lying
down on the bed; that was a good start.

Fan Xian looked at her as her eyes began to droop. "I'm

finding out that I've been lucky all my life," he said quietly.

"Huh?" Lin Wan'er kept her eyes open with curiosity, gazing
at him with pupils like two clear pools.

"I fell in love with a girl. But before I even fell in love with
her, it turned out that she was my future wife. How is that
anything other than lucky?" His fresh and handsome face was
filled with joy as he explained.

Lin Wan'er was curious. "If... if..."

"If what?"

"Never mind."

Lin Wan'er bit her lower lip and pushed the doubts from her
mind.

"There's something else I need to tell you." Fan Xian saw the
faint trace of sweat along her forehead, below her fine black
hair. His heart ached. "I was serious when I told you about
your health today. You need to recuperate. Clear rice porridge
and a few vegetables might be easy on the stomach, but it won't
help your illness."
 She knew, deep down, that the wonderful surprise she had
met with today would not last. When she heard him talk, she
was immediately reminded of her own illness. At once, she was
gloomy again. Filled with rage, her face dimmed, and she spoke
with grief. "The imperial physicians have studied it, and they
say it is not easy to treat. Although my tuberculosis is not that
severe... if we are together some day, I fear I will wear you out."

Fan Xian suddenly fixed her with a serious expression. "Goat

milk, chicken legs. If you give me a moment, I'll leave you
some of the pills I prescribed you. Take them like I said, and
your health will recover."

Lin Wan'er sighed. "The imperial doctors can't treat it. It'll
just get worse every year."

Fan Xian laughed. "Of course, my medical expertise isn't as

good as the imperial physicians. Even if my teacher was in the
city, we'd probably still have to treat you in secret. Your health
is what's important. I'm worried that the nobles of the palace
won't dare try. Anyway, eat like I've told you. But there's
something that the imperial physicians haven't thought of. We
need to you build up your strength too. When my teacher
returns—he's inspecting the border at the moment, I'm sure
he's gathering lots of rare medical herbs—then we'll have a
chance to treat your sickness. Diagnosis is only one part of
treatment. Medicine is another part. Even though there are a
lot of rare medical herbs in the palace, in all honesty, I don't
think they're as good as the things in my teacher's collection."

Lin Wan'er listened to his earnest words. She was moved.

"You have gone to all this trouble for me, master Fan."

Fan Xian was taken aback. How could she still talk so
formally? He did not understand how women thought. Once
she had confirmed that the young man in front of her was her
future husband, Lin Wan'er's speech had become more
reserved. This was the way of women. He was a little confused.
He smiled. "You're still calling me master Fan?"

Lin Wan'er was curious. "What should I call you?" Suddenly

she realized what he meant, and blushed bashfully. She turned
away from him and spoke in a tiny, timid voice. "When we are
married, then I shall call you something else."

"What I meant was, you can call me Brother Fan." Fan Xian
stifled a laugh.
 When Lin Wan'er realized what he meant, she was bashful
and annoyed. She wanted to reach out a hand and slap him,
but when she remembered that she had only ever met him
twice, and he was still a stranger, she stayed her hand,
grumbling. Fan Xian gazed at her slender shoulder blades.
"When we are married, we will go to the Cang Mountains. It's
high above sea level, and there are hot springs. It will be good
for your health."

When she heard the word "married", she felt slightly bashful.
She nodded her head, though she didn't understand what "sea
level" meant. Something else came to her. "Is Master Fei really
your teacher?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah." Fan Xian smiled. "I always thought that since Master
Fei worked for the Overwatch Council, he was a very secretive
man. It turns out that everyone in the capital has heard of
him."

Lin Wan'er smiled. "He was highly praised for his service in
the wars in the north and the west. Of course he's well-known.
But everyone is scared of his poisons, so they hide from him."
She looked at Fan Xian's handsome face. "How did Master Fei
end up becoming your teacher?" she asked curiously.
 Fan Xian shrugged. "Miss Lin, it's a very long and
troublesome story, and to this day I'm still not sure I
understand it completely. If you marry me, I'm worried that
you might get caught up in that trouble too. You will have to
think it over."

Lin Wan'er smiled and shook her head. She too knew that
behind this marriage was a secret exchange and division of
benefits. When she had learned of it, the pressure of the
conflict had made her illness worse. But since she had learned
that Heaven was keeping an eye out for her after all, and the
young son of the Fan family stood before her... she was filled
with gratitude to Heaven; what more could she ask for? She
recalled the recent scuffle in the capital. "Master Fan,
sometimes I truly do not understand. You are the son of Count
Sinan, a student of Master Fei of the Overwatch Council, and
an accomplished poet... that line, ‘Ten thousand miles in
sorrowful autumn, always someone’s guest’, did you really
write that?"

Fan Xian did not see any doubt in her face; she simply asked a
question. He responded with curiosity. "What's wrong?"
 A trace of anger flashed across Lin Wan'er's face. "The
Empress Dowager loved that line, but there has been talk in the
palace recently. They say that the last four lines were copied
from a poet of a previous age." Since she now trusted the young
man who stood before him, she felt rather angry.

Fan Xian now realized that the matter of the poetry contest
would not be resolved so easily, and that the Guo family's
lawsuit had not ceased. He had not expected this criticism, but
he had plagiarized Du Fu after all, so he was not angry. Instead,
he looked at his fiancée's tired face and felt a twinge of
heartache. He patted her hand gently and told her not to talk
any more.

"I'll come and see you as often as I can."

"But... if someone discovers you, then what?"

"You're right. I'm still worried that after I get caught, that old
pervert will kill whoever found me... It's a problem, and one of
these days I'll have to sort it out it with him." Fan Xian's hair
stood on end when he thought of the terrible things that could
happen.
 Lin Wan'er looked at his face, not wanting to close her eyes,
but eventually she couldn't escape her tiredness.

The next morning, Lin Wan'er arose, slightly dazed, from her
warm blankets. She opened her eyes, rubbed at them, and
found that she felt very much at ease. A sweetly-smiling
servant girl bowed to her and got ready to help her get out of
bed, wash, and dress. At that moment, she remembered what
had happened the night before and gave a cry of surprise. "Oh!
Is he here?"

"Is who here?" asked the servant girl curiously.

"Did you hear a noise last night?" asked Lin Wan'er, nervous.

"I heard nothing, madam," answered the servant girl

earnestly.

Lin Wan'er walked to the window. Her long black hair rested
on her shoulders and a thin white gown was draped around
her. She looked stunningly beautiful. She looked out of the
window, but did not see a trace of that young man. She
couldn't help but wonder if it had all been a dream— one that
she wished dearly could become reality.

As her imagination ran wild, the servant girl approached her,

holding the torn greasy paper wrapping. She smiled slyly.
"Madam, you have been eating secretly. When nanny sees this,
she will call for the Emperor... Close the window, you don't
want to catch a cold."

Lin Wan'er took the oilpaper and realized that she had a
number of pills stashed in her belt. Her heart was filled with
warmth. She looked out the window at the garden scenery,
which seemed just a little greener. She closed the window. It
seemed that she could not stop her thoughts of love from
opening the window and escaping.
Chapter 85: Clan School
"We common folk are happy today! Really damn happy!" Fan
Xian sat in the reception pavilion, drinking soy milk and
chewing on a fried dough stick. He felt completely at ease.

He had to admit that he had very good luck. Clearly he had

died, but he came to this world to live again; clearly he was
born in pitiful circumstances, his mother dead and his father
nowhere to be found—but he later found out that the foes who
had killed his mother had been disposed of. He personally had
little appetite for revenge. Although he had some issues with
his father, it was nothing that he could not bear. Furthermore,
he had clearly been preparing to copy books and earn a little
cash to make his life easier—but he didn't expect to have a great
pile of glittering treasure waiting for him.

Most importantly, it was clear that if he wanted to make

quick cash, he had to go against his own wishes, and accept the
plans that had been made by higher-ups, marrying a woman he
had never laid eyes on. And as it turned out— hey—that
woman was a girl he liked!
 Some people have good luck. Some people have great luck.
But Fan Xian could not believe how lucky he was. Discovering
that Fan Xian was in high spirits, Lady Liu had no response.
But Fan Sizhe was interested, and after his mother left, he
quietly asked Fan Xian about it. "Why are you so happy? The
store looks good. When are you going to go see?"

"Shouldn't you ask the shopkeeper?" Fan Xian was in a good

mood, with a beaming smile on his face, throwing caution to
the wind. "I said before; you can deal with this yourself. Just
come find me if anything goes wrong. If you think you're too
young to hold down the fort, there are plenty of advisors
around. Take a couple with you."

Fan Sizhe grumbled. "How can you say you're the boss? The
books are yours, the money's half yours, you should take a
look."

Hearing him call him the boss, Fan Xian smiled. "Fine. I'll
come in a few days. But hasn't father been scolding you lately
and telling you not to slack in your studies?"
 "If you take me, it's fine. Afterwards I'll take you around the
capital."

"Give it a rest. If I go out with you, you'll only offend

someone else. I don't want to be going to court every single
day." Fan Xian finished the last of his soy milk, savoring the
last dregs. He felt somewhat dissatisfied. "If you can handle
this book business well, when you're older, there'll be a lot
more business waiting for you to handle."

Fan Sizhe didn't understand what he meant, and walked away

scratching his head. Fan Ruoruo was sat to one side listening
quietly. She laughed. "So you've chosen to accept the
marriage?"

"Honor thy mother and thy father." Fan Xian sighed. There
was nothing funny about it. He smiled and shook his head. "I
definitely want to get married. But it's the things that happen
after the marriage that are the problem. Offending so many
people without good cause, and it's still not likely that I will
have a great grasp of those things—I've thought about it, and it
doesn't seem worth it."
 Fan Ruoruo knew that her brother was speaking of the royal
family's business. She felt worried for him. After all, the Eldest
Princess had managed affairs for so many years; who knew
how much profit the Prime Minister and the Crown Prince's
faction had creamed off? If they really were going to give the
business to Fan Xian to manage, he would have to audit the
accounts. Who knew how many people had their eyes on the
treasury and the royal business?

She frowned. "What if you didn't audit the accounts?"

"I don't have to audit the accounts, but I have to freeze the
old account completely. If any of the dirt from before hits us,
we're done for. And the key thing is, if I cut off their
livelihood, some people will be angry."

"What if... if you just marry Miss Lin and ignore the
business. After all, it was a result of negotiation between
father and the Emperor. If you get father to concede, His
Majesty won't be too angry."

Fan Xian shook his head. He thought of his father's mood

that evening and knew how dedicated his father was to reclaim
his mother's former business. Though he didn't know where
this dedication had come from, it would be no easy task to get
him to renounce this opportunity.

And he didn't want to renounce it either. After all, it was

something his mother had left to him personally. Why would
he let the royal family benefit from something that belonged to
him? According to talk from the palace, after he had married
Lin Wan'er, it would take a few years before he was managing
things personally. But he wanted to familiarize himself with
the process, so Fan Xian now handled the bookstore business.
On one hand he was skilled; on the other hand he wanted to
prove to people that he also had a head for business.

"Could... could anyone use some more unusual strategies?"

asked Fan Ruoruo, anxious.

Fan Xian thought for a while. "Although I've never met the
Eldest Princess, and I've never met any of the big players at the
palace, I think since she has been managing the business for
over a decade, no matter what kind of person she is, she's
definitely a clever one. With this bookstore business, if I'm
really killed, no matter whether or not it's her doing, a lot of
people will look at her for it. The Emperor may not care
whether I live or die, but he won't tolerate anyone secretly
wrecking his decree. As ruler, his own prestige is top priority,
and with me being caught up in this lawsuit, I can't leave the
capital. If anyone moves against me while I'm in the capital..."

He shook his head. "It would be really stupid."

Fan Ruoruo looked at him with admiration. "Your analysis is

right."

"Don't look at me like that." Fan Xian looked at her

grudgingly. "You trust me more and more. I'm not some sort of
god. I'm just a normal guy. There are undoubtedly many things
that run contrary to our expectations."

Hearing this, Fan Ruoruo felt somewhat worried, but Fan

Xian felt fine. After all, Wu Zhu was always hiding somewhere
in the shadows, and if someone wanted to move against him, it
would only be if Ye Liuyun, currently travelling, had returned
to the capital.
 At midday, with the escort of a big group of guards including
Teng Zijing, Fan Xian rushed to the Fan clan's own private
school to see Fan Sizhe. In the classroom, the children of the
Fan clan were happily and noisily playing, paying no attention
to the old master. Some of the bolder boys were dipping their
brushes in ink and spraying it in front of them for a laugh. Not
only did they make a mess of the wall, they even got it on the
master's clothes.

The old master was ashen-faced, but he knew—in light of

their backgrounds—it was no use getting angry with these
urchins, even though their parents often warned them to pay
attention to the revered master's words. But when they arrived
at the private school, the youngsters' faces changed. What's
more, they had their vile manservants backing them up, so
they messed around endlessly at school, and often got up to no
good in the streets.

Fan Xian peeked inside and took a careful look. He found

that Fan Sizhe was well-behaved in comparison, sitting at a
table in a corner and writing something. The manservants
assigned to him by the family were crouched by his side,
drinking tea. It looked like he wasn't listening to the teacher's
words either, but at least he wasn't doing anything too
untoward. He had overestimated his little brother. If
something more fun hadn't just caught his attention, perhaps
he would end up just even more impudent than the degenerate
children in the classroom.

Fan Sizhe called him in. "So this is where you study?" Fan
Xian asked calmly.

Fan Sizhe didn't know why he was unhappy. "Yeah, what of

it?" he replied angrily.

"You should be taking charge." Fan Xian believed in his

leadership ability. What was more, of all the Fan clan today,
Count Sinan's manor was the most magnificent, so he should
have held a special place among all the children.

Fan Sizhe scratched his head. "They listen to what I say."

"That's good," replied Fan Xian. "You go in, and I'll teach
those brats a lesson, get them to listen to the teacher."

"Huh?" Fan Sizhe seemed not to have understood.

 "You don't listen to your teacher?" Fan Xian frowned,
thinking back to his time in Danzhou. Whether it was Mr. Xixi
or Fei Jie, he was always respectful to the utmost. The noise in
his ears got louder and more chaotic. Angrily, he chided him.
"If you dare act like them, I'll give you a good slap."

Fan Sizhe didn't know why the always-gentle Fan Xian had
suddenly become angry with him. He looked at him and
howled. "Why would you slap me?"

The manservants gathered around. They were already

familiar with Fan Xian, but when they heard that he was going
to beat their master, they were eager to protect him. They
glared fiercely at Fan Xian, and counting on his familiarity
with Sizhe, one manservant began to scold Fan Xian and swear
at him.

Fan Xian frowned.

Teng Zijing and the other bodyguards stepped forwards,

relentlessly seizing the manservants and giving them a good
thrashing. The manservant who had scolded and sworn at him
got the worst of it. The men following Fan Xian were direct
subordinates of Count Sinan, and so they did not care in the
slightest for these manservants, who were lower in rank than
they were. Now they were happy to hurt even a minister's son
with no trouble. They didn't hesitate to get started.

And that was how the lesson ended. Filled with fear and
pain, the manservants looked at Fan Xian and retreated,
cowering. And that one manservant's cheeks were red through
and through. He howled incessantly.

Fan Xian towered above Sizhe, looking at his scared face, and
spoke quietly. "I never said I'd slap you, but if you do
something wrong, naturally, I'll slap you. As for why? It's very
simple. You can't beat me, and you can't scold me. And you
won't dare tell father. If you want to challenge me further by
messing up, you'll be looking for trouble."

Seeing that he seemingly did not mean to beat him, Fan Sizhe
sighed in relief. Deep down, he was the son of a noble family
who didn't care about people below him, and he didn't mind
that deeply that Fan Xian had beaten up his servants. Although
he had lost some face, sticking with him seemed to have some
benefits. He thought about the natural qualities of being a
businessman, and found that it was better than offending Fan
Xian.

"Go in and establish some order in there. I'll wait for you
outside. Didn't you say you wanted to go to the shop?" Having
said this, he straightened his sleeves and walked out the door
of the school. As the members of the Fan clan waited outside,
seeing that earlier sight, they couldn't help but be astonished.
Count Sinan's bastard son was truly a formidable sort. He had
the impertinence to bully Count Sinan's legitimate son in the
light of day. The crowd looked at him with fear.

Fan Xian paid them no mind as he sat outside, waiting on a

bench. A little while later he heard the sound of miserable cries
from the school, and the unmistakable sound of a face being
slapped, and the sound of Fan Sizhe's arrogant voice. "Pull
yourselves together! If you dare disrespect our teacher again,
I'll give you a good slap!" The words were pretty similar to
what Fan Xian had said. It seemed that young master Fan had
taken his brother's anger out on his young clanmates.

This time he had certainly disturbed them. The Fan clan

manservants who were waiting outside the school heard the
cries of pain from their young masters in the schoolhouse.
They glared angrily at Fan Xian and rushed inside. Fan Xian
worried that Fan Sizhe would be harmed, and signaled to Teng
Zijing with his eyes. Teng Zijing led the other bodyguards in
after the crowd, and soon after, they came out clutching Fan
Sizhe.

Fan Sizhe still wasn't satisfied. He waved his fist and scolded.
"Don't worry, don't worry, those guys won't dare misbehave
again." And just as he'd said, the servants rushed in to protect
their young masters, but did not dare return the blows. It
seemed that across the entire Fan clan, Count Sinan's estate
held a special position.

After they were beaten, Fan Xian dragged Fan Sizhe into a
carriage by the scruff of his neck, leaving the chaos he had
singlehandedly created behind them. Next to them, Teng Zijing
frowned. "Young master, although there are some in the clan
who are more and more unreasonable, there are those whose
help we may need at a later juncture. Offending too many
people is not necessarily good."

Fan Xian laughed bitterly. "What are you afraid of?" Maybe
those clanmates really did have some power, but he was soon
going to marry a princess, and the Emperor would be his wife's
uncle; what did he have to fear? He could teach those brats a
lesson and they couldn't fight back.

"Are you satisfied?" he asked Fan Sizhe.

Fan Sizhe was a bit puzzled. "I beat people up a lot, but it
never makes me feel satisfied like it did today. Why is that?"
The resentment he had at the lesson his brother had taught
him today had dissipated without trace in the course of his
own heroic beatings.

"It's very simple. You need a reason to beat people, just like
going to war. If you have an honorable reason, then you can
beat people up without any mental burden. When our kingdom
attacked the Kingdom of Northern Wei, wasn't it because they
had violated our borders? Whatever the issue is, it's all the
same; we must stand on the side of righteousness. Do you
understand what righteousness means?"

"No," Fan Sizhe replied sincerely.

Chapter 86: Shopkeeper Ye of Qingyu
Hall
Arriving at the chosen bookstore on Dongchuan Road, Fan
Xian’s group took a good look and discovered the location was
indeed excellent—convenient for transportation and not too
far from the Imperial College. All of Qing Kingdom’s scholars
who came to the capital to prepare for the Imperial
examinations had to pass by here almost every day. Most
importantly, the place wasn’t too rowdy, which meant that the
ladies from various manors and official households could send
their maidservants here to purchase books in peace.

Fan Xian nodded and walked inside with Fan Sizhe. Upon
seeing the few freeloaders inside, he said, "Mister Cui, sorry to
bother you."

Mister Cui replied, with a smile, "My two young masters; this
bookstore doesn’t earn that many coins a year, so spending this
much energy really isn’t worth it."

Fan Xian knew they were all former government officials

who naturally wouldn’t take such measly business seriously.
He explained, "My younger brother is really fond of the place,
so just let him do as he pleases." He didn’t want to hide this
from Count Sinan forever, so he asked some freeloaders in the
manor for their help. Since his allowed Mister Cui to help
them, that means he also agreed to let his two sons do as they
please outside the manor.

Fan Sizhe was writing something while biting on the handle

of his brush while the others were chatting in the back room.
For Fan Sizhe, once he set his eyes on a checkbook, he would
block out everything else. While the chatting in the back
continued, the shopkeeper they invited from Qingyu Hall also
arrived. This shopkeeper wore a loyal expression on his face;
his eyes lacked shine, but had a clarity to them. As they say,
the eyes are the window to the soul. Fan Sizhe was satisfied and
gave the responsibility of running the bookstore to that
shopkeeper.

Fan Ruoruo had already gave over sixty chapters of Dream of

the Red Chamber to Fan Sizhe, and Mister Cui had sent people
over to Wansong Hall to make copies. There shouldn’t be any
issues. Fan Sizhe frequently pressured Fan Xian for the later
chapters, ready to make a big hit in the capital. However,
recently, Fan Xian wasn’t in the mood to copy down books and
kept pushing it back.
 Once the time of the opening was determined and the permit
from the Eighth Bureau of the Overwatch Council was
guaranteed, they discovered they had ran out of things to do,
so they imported some historical records and classical
literature from Wansong Hall and decided on Dream of the Red
Chamber as their main seller; it looked as though all that was
left was for money to come flowing in. As for the staff and the
rest of it, all of those were handled by the shopkeeper from
Qingyu Hall; the Fan side didn’t have to worry about one
thing.

Fan Xian thought it was strange the way everyone trusted

this Qingyu Hall so much. Finally getting the opportunity to
talk to the shopkeeper one on one, he kindly asked,
"Shopkeeper, may I ask your family name?"

The shopkeeper smiled, "Family name Ye."

Fan Xian was a little bit shaken. He repeated the name, "Your
family name is Ye?"

Seeing his surprise, the shopkeeper was somewhat baffled.

"That’s right, there are seventeen shopkeepers in total at
Qingyu Hall, all with the family name Ye. This is known by all
in the capital. Young Master Fan?"

"All?" Fan Xan frowned. "What is your connection with the

Ye household from twenty years ago?"

The shopkeeper was very surprised and looked at Fan Xian

for a while before showing some feelings of nostalgia. "It’s
been so many years. I thought the young ones nowadays had
long forgotten about the Ye House. Indeed, we were all once
shopkeepers of that Ye household. When it later got in trouble,
the entire business was taken over by the palace. We were
supposed to find other means of living elsewhere, but for some
reason, we were forbidden to start our own business under
Imperial law, leading to this embarrassing scene today. We
could only take care of business owned by others, but not start
our own. That is also how Qingyu Hall came to be."

Knowing this shopkeeper was his mother’s former

subordinate gave Fan Xian a slight sense of closeness. He asked
curiously, "After the incident with the Ye house, did the
government…" He didn’t finish his sentence, but the
shopkeeper understood very well what he meant. To weed
something out, you’re supposed to dig up its roots; since the
government took over the Ye business, it had no intention of
keeping these old geezers around. The shopkeeper suddenly felt
close to this young master from Fan Manor as well, and
answered, "We also thought it strange. We’ve been living in
constant fear these past years—we are not allowed to leave the
capital, so we are scared that someday something will happen
to us."

"One of these days, please bring me to visit Qingyu Hall."

Having suddenly found a place in the capital with direct
connection to his mother, Fan Xian couldn’t help but be
excited. He grabbed the shopkeeper by the shoulders, "I have
many, many things to ask you guys."

After going back to the manor, he went to his father in the

book chamber and told the count what he learned. "Is Qingyu
Hall really made up of former staff of the Ye household?"

"Of course." Fan Jian stroked his short beard, as if

remembering the past. He slowly continued, "Each one of them
are impressive, to say the least, having been dispatched to
various prefectures to head the different branches.
Unfortunately, you mother ended up offending the powerful
nobles. You knew how glorious and influential the Ye
household was back in the day. If it falls, then the entire
kingdom would most likely descend into chaos for at least a
few decades. For a while, even the Imperial court didn’t know
what to do. It ended up with a compromise: let the royal
family take over the Ye household, which at least made sure no
official would be able to take advantage of its fall, and then…"

Fan Xian cut him off, asking, "The ones who killed mother,
how did they die?" He had been wanting to find out for a long
time.

Looking directly into Fan Xian’s eyes, Fan Jian said coldly,
"You were too young, you probably don’t remember anything
fourteen years ago."

"I do." Fan Xian frowned. "Fourteen years ago, apparently

someone who wanted a revolution tried to usurp His Majesty,
and stirred up all kinds of major problems in the process. There
was an entire month of killing in the capital, in which all the
original noblemen were slaughtered. Their heads were
displayed on the city walls and formed a line half a kilometer
long. That month became known as the ‘’The Month the
Capital Bled’,. Even though I did not experience it, my teacher
Fei Jie spoke of it many times."
 "Very good." Fan Jian said in a chilling tone. "It was during
that ‘clean-up’ when we killed all those involved in the fall of
the Ye house."

Taking notice of "we", Fan Xian asked, "Who do you mean by

‘we’?"

"Myself and Cheng Pingping, of course." Fan Jian smiled. "For

over twenty years, we had followed His Majesty. That was our
most successful operation."

"That also marked the rise of the Fan household. On the

other hand, that incident further established the terror of the
Overwatch Council and firmly secured the influence of those
government officials." Fan Xian sighed, "Turns out it was due
to you and Sir Chen avenging mother."

"And then?" Fan Xian was asking about what happened to the
Ye house.

"As was previously explained, all Ye-owned businesses got

taken in. During the time, it was the best strategy to stabilize
the Imperial court. No better ideas came out from the talented
court," Fan Jian explained. "But the problem with those head
shopkeepers remained. They were all taught by your mother.
While they couldn’t match your mother’s intelligence, if they
were allowed to roam free, who knows when a second Ye House
would appear? For that reason, they were all rounded up in the
capital and ordered to take care of other businesses while not
allowed to start any of their own. That was how today’s
famous Qingyu Hall came to be."

"You kids wanted to do business; asking them was a good

decision."

Fan Xian was saddened. "Those shopkeepers were pretty

much imprisoned in the capital for over ten years because of
that, how terrible… Father, if all of them were employed at
once, wouldn’t that attract the attention of the Imperial
court?"

Fan Jian shook his head. "Using them was the preferred
method way for various manors in the capital. The Imperial
court wouldn’t care. However, I don’t think you need all
seventeen of them."
 "If the Imperial court really minded, how come those
shopkeepers weren’t all killed off early on?"

Looking at his son, Fan Jian explained while smiling, "Back

when your mother suffered her misfortune, I was waging a war
on the western front. Cheng Pingping was off to Northern Qi
boarder on a secret mission and didn’t realize the truth until he
was halfway there. You’re underestimating your father far too
much if you think he would be killed after returning to the
capital."

Lady Liu knocked on the door; father and son stopped their
conversation and Fan Jian let her in. Only after seeing the bowl
of fruit pulp in Lady Liu’s hand did Fan Xian realize it was
already getting late—time for his father to go to bed. He stood
up and was about to excuse himself, but Count Sinan beckoned
him to stay before asking Lady Liu to go to bed first.

Before Lady Liu left, Fan Xian could see that she held some
worry in her eyes. He knew she was concerned for her
husband’s health. Knowing this fact only made Fan Xian
frown. She probably held genuine sentiments towards his
father; too bad her heart was a bit too ruthless, carrying out
"those" acts back in the day. Knowing his father must have
something important to tell him, Fan Xian listened eagerly.

"Time to talk about the recent happenings in the Imperial

court." Count Sinan slowly drank the still-warm fruit pulp. "I
know you still held much anger and hatred over the fact that
she tried poisoning you four years ago.."

Fan Xian was greatly shocked; he didn’t think Lady Liu

would have anything to do with the current developments in
the Imperial court, and he was even less prepared to hear his
father bring up the assassination attempt so easily. At that
moment, he didn’t know what to say.

"The two are, in fact, connected." Fan Jian knew what his son
was thinking. "Regarding her motive four years ago, first, Sizhe
was getting older but wasn’t acting any more appropriate for
his age. And I wasn’t able to set her on the right track, causing
her to lose hope and make that decision out of impulse. More
crucially, she was granted an audience in the palace during
that time. , She was told that with your death, Fan Sizhe would
inherit Fan house’s everything."
 "The palace? And whose word would make her disregard
even Grandmother’s life?" Fan Xian asked coldly.
Chapter 87: Pillow Talk
Fan Jian frowned, putting down the bowl of stewed fruits he
was holding; it seemed that it was warm enough to have
burned his hand. "I am not speaking on behalf of Lady Liu.
While person she found seemed to follow her command, they
were acting under the orders of the palace. Lady Liu is merely a
scapegoat in this matter."

"Who in the palace wants me dead?" asked Fan Xian,

frowning. "Why do they want me dead? Could it be that they
know that I am the son of the Ye family?"

"Of course they don't know that!" For some reason, Count
Sinan had become unusually agitated. His right hand gripped
the armrest of the chair. "Of those who know about this, no
one wishes to harm you. If there were someone who wanted to
harm you, that would not be the reason why."

"You mean to say that there has never been anyone in the
entire capital who knows about the relationship between my
mother and my father? If those people know about that
relationship, then why would no one suspect that a bastard son
is the child of the Ye family?"
 Fan Xian was filled with doubt as he pondered this question.
He felt his blood run cold. After having found all this out, it
seemed that there were more important questions, but he
didn’t them. "So then why?" he asked quietly. "Four years ago, I
was a twelve-year-old boy, living far away in Danzhou, and I
had no connection to anything going on in the capital."

"Four years ago was also when His Majesty accepted Miss Lin
as his adopted daughter, and when she was betrothed to be
married. At the time, His Majesty decided that you would be
the one to handle royal business, and it then that you were first
mentioned at the court. Seeing a twelve-year-old boy being put
in charge of such a direct source of wealth, what do you think
the nobles and the palace might choose?"

"They'd choose to do away with me as neatly as possible."

"The Overwatch Council had already found out four years

ago, but unfortunately they had no proof, so there was nothing
that they could do about them."

Fan Xian laughed. "Even if they had proof, perhaps the

reason they did nothing was because the Overwatch Council
were bureaucrats, and those people were nobles."

Fan Jian nodded.

"Who is it who wants to kill me?"

"The empress dowager and the eldest princess," Count Sinan

answered with a smile. "But since you already survived to
adulthood and came to the capital, I believe it has given them
courage again. They also cannot risk the Emperor's wrath by
moving against you."

"You're too optimistic," Fan Xian said sorrowfully. "Even if

they killed me, how could the Emperor even do anything to his
wife and his little sister?"

Fan Jian did not respond, instead changing the subject.

"Recently, it's been obvious that Crown Prince Jing has wanted
to get closer to you, and you must also think of a way to meet
with the Second Prince. Tread lightly when doing that.
 Fan Xian agreed. He knew that every great house in the
capital, actively or passively, had to take a clear stand on this
issue. Princes fought over the right to inherit the realm.
Although one seemingly had a number of cheap tricks, whether
it was in this world or the previous world, the story was always
the same: Once the curtains were raised, the actors would all
make their appearance on the stage, and their weapons were
either their blades or their words. They played their part for
others to see, and for themselves - if Fan Manor wished to
remain impartial, and close to the Emperor, it would have to
make great efforts to do so.

Late that night, Count Sinan sat alone on the imperial tutor's
chair, eating his now-cold stewed fruit and thinking on what
Fan Xian had said. He thought of the painful price that he
himself had once paid, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
He thought of the terrifying bloody scenes that occurred in
that month of violence. On that dark and secret night, the
Empress Dowager's father had trembled at the point of his
blade, and he had beheaded him himself. The head had rolled
across the floor. Seemingly recalling the sound that it had
made, Count Sinan's mouth turned to a gentle smile.

Over the next few days, Fan Xian was at ease, enjoying his
status as the eldest son in the manor. Occasionally he would
slip away to Dongchuan Road to see how far the bookstore had
come with its preparations. And the bookseller, also named Ye,
had gradually warmed to him, doing everything that he said,
and so Mr. Cui, the family advisor, had returned to Count
Sinan's side. And every other evening, Fan Xian would slip
away to the courtyard of the imperial palace, climbing over the
wall on his familiar path. But now, the window was no longer
closed, and the chicken-leg girl was always quietly waiting for
him.

He did not go there because he was driven by romantic

passion, but because Lin Wan'er's illness would not let her go
any further. The palace men were blockheads, but thankfully,
after the imperial physicians had received a number of bribes
from Count Sinan's estate, they were eventually willing to
admit that giving the princess a little bit of meat or fish would
be beneficial to her health.

Fan Xian often went there to bring her food and the pills that
he had made himself. He feared that the medicine he gave her
might clash with what the imperial doctors prescribed her, so
he made sure only to use the gentlest ingredients. He also
bought her a lot of fine food to satisfy her day-long hunger. As
the days passed, Lin Wan'er's health clearly got better. Her
cheeks were much rosier, but not with the redness that her ill-
health had caused her before. And her figure filled out, with
her cheeks becoming much rounder.
 Lin Wan'er was a bit concerned by this, but Fan Xian was
happy. After they were married, he would prefer to be with a
woman with fertile curves.

The guards in the courtyard were always slacking off, and

with the help of the wall-climbing skills Fan Xian had learned
from Wu Zhu in Danzhou, no one ever discovered his secret
trips to deliver medicine. But there was no way to get rid of Lin
Wan'er's illness completely, and Fan Xian felt that it was no
good waiting for Fei Jie to return; after they were married,
they would find a way to leave the capital and go to a mansion
in the Cang Mountains owned by the Fan family, where it
would be most suitable for her to recuperate.

After a number of nights of close contact, the feelings grew

between the two of them. For some reason, after they had
fallen in love at first sight at the Temple of Qing, each of them
felt that the other was alike in a lot of ways. Perhaps it was
their appearance, or the way they carried themselves, or the
way that they looked at things. This rapport made both young
lovers feel the wonders of their first love, and that they could
grow old together hand-in-hand. It took little time for them to
go from strangers to lovers who knew each other only by gazes
and gentle touches of the hand.
 Lin Wan'er gazed at his face, and suddenly developed a
worried expression. "You always use that incense to help me
sleep. It's been a long time, are you sure there’s nothing wrong
with it?" Fan Xian comforted her. "The first time I came, I told
you that this incense only had a positive effect on health.."

Lin Wan'er thought back to the first time that he had snuck
through her window, and she couldn't help but giggle. "If I had
really thought you were a rapist and killed you, then what
would I have done?"

Fan Xian laughed bitterly and took her hand. "Yichen, maybe
there's something you should know."

Lin Wan'er felt bashful at the sound of her pet name. "What
is it?"

"Hm... if you want to kill me, I reckon it won't be easy." Fan

Xian laughed. "I've trained under powerful people ever since I
was a child. Deep down, I'm much more of a brute than I am a
poet."
 Lin Wan'er sighed. "I know. If you weren't a brute, then how
could you have beaten up Minister Guo's son in the street and
got into all that trouble, to the point where you still aren't
allowed to leave the city?"

Fan Xian's assault case against Guo Baokun was still ongoing,
with both sides matching wits. The city government had
already flown the white flag and passed the case on to the
Ministry of Justice on the grounds that it was a complicated
and difficult-to-judge case. In fact, if one wanted to get to the
bottom of the case, all one had to do was get hold of the guards
who were strolling along the street following Fan Xian, and all
would be clarified after a little light torture. But the problem
was that the lawsuits that both sides had filed were not simple
in the slightest, and so the case had become much more
complicated.

This was not an honest practice, but it was the correct path
through the bureaucracy - after the case was handed to the
Ministry of Justice, that was when the Ministry's troubles had
started. Now, they were planning to ask the palace for an
official decree, putting the case in the hands of the Overwatch
Council. Cases of public security were not within the purview
of the Council, but both sides were comprised of officials, and
the Council was tasked with overseeing the bureaucracy, so
they agreed - all of the capital's bureaucrats knew that the
Director of the Council did not care about the noble pedigree of
any official.

So as that the Guo family waited for the day that the Council
began their investigation, they were unaware that Fan Xian
was also waiting for that day, when he could flash the token
that Fei Jie had given him. He did not fear the Council's
fearsome enforcers in the slightest.

In the calm night, Fan Xian found himself lost in thought. He

continued to console Lin Wan'er. "You don't have to worry
about this. It'll all be dealt with soon." He suddenly thought
about her mother, who had tried to kill him four years ago, and
his brow could not help but crease.

Lin Wan'er was an extremely clever young woman. "Has

something been troubling you?" she asked when she saw his
face.

Fan Xian looked at her picturesque face and sighed. "If in the
future... if something were to happen between me and the
Eldest Princess, I'm worried you'll get hurt."
 Lin Wan'er smiled. "Why do you have to worry about things
that still haven't happened? I have been sick since I was a child,
and it always seemed like my days were numbered. I've never
known if the next day might be my last, so I've never liked
thinking about awful things that haven’t happened yet."

Fan Xian sighed. He drew her into an embrace, full of

tenderness, smelling her hair. "I know how you feel, because I
once had the same experience as you."

They kissed, their lips coming together in harmony.

"Mm... Wan'er, your body is so soft."

"You're... you're rubbing the pillow you brought the other

day."

Fan Xian very much liked the feeling of sneaking off to her
bedchamber. It was a secret love affair, but one with no guilt at
all. If it were possible, he'd like to spend even longer like this.
At least there wasn't anything to disturb them much before the
wedding. Before he'd left Danzhou, he never imagined he could
live so happily in the capital.

But things didn’t go the way he wanted them to; all good
things had to come to an end. That evening, Crown Prince
Jing's clearly visible carriage came to Fan Manor. Lady Liu
hurried to greet him respectfully, and brought him into the
reception pavilion for tea.
Chapter 88: Can the Ant Climb the Tree?
Crown Prince Li Hongcheng had waited for quite a while.
The person he was waiting for still hadn't arrived. He couldn't
help but laugh at himself. This Master Fan was rather
arrogant, he thought. Among all the civil and military officials
of the state, there was barely a handful who were entitled to
make him wait. Turning his thoughts to affairs in the capital,
he secretly felt some admiration for Fan Xian; he had entered
the city not too long ago and had already become the talk of
the town, turning the literary scene on its head with his poems
and shocking the bureaucracy by assaulting someone in the
middle of the night. And his marriage to the Prime Minister's
illegitimate daughter had caused great consternation among
those who were privileged enough to know the facts.

As he pondered, Fan Xian called to him from far away,

saluting as he quickly walked toward him. He had not intended
to make the Crown Prince wait; he had simply been delayed
while discussing business at Qingyu Hall with the keeper of the
bookstore. The two young men sat at a table, sipping tea, and
began to talk.

The first one to speak was of course Fan Xian; he had to

express his gratitude for matters that evening. Hearing his
thanks, Crown Prince Li Hongcheng smiled. "At the time I
thought that we'd only known each other for a few days, so
how could you be willing to rent out all of the Drunken
Immortal Tavern to entertain me – so I wondered what could
you have been thinking? But it didn't matter. That idiot Guo
Baokun is the worst among my retainers. He's only there
because his father is smart. And if you were the one who beat
him up, how could you have an ulterior motive?"

Fan Xian knew that the Crown Prince was talking of his court
case. He laughed at himself. "Is that not a lack of experience? If
I had known that it would be that easy to beat people in the
capital, I would have beaten him right there at the prince's
mansion."

Li Hongcheng was taken aback, and hurriedly waved the

small fan in his hand. "That would not do. If you take things
too far, there is no way I can defend you."

Fan Xian laughed and thanked him again, then asked who
had invited him to come there that day. Li Hongcheng
muttered to himself for a moment before speaking. "I can't hide
it from you. Due to the relationship between our two families,
I must explain some thing. Originally, the Second Prince
wanted me to trick you in to meeting with me, to find a way to
meet you naturally so as not to provoke your anger. But that
would still be tricking you, so I wanted to say that tomorrow
the Second Prince will be holding a banquet on the Liuhe
River. You are the guest of honor; I am simply there to be
company."

Fan Xian frowned. "I really don't understand. The Second

Prince is of such respected status, and I am merely a scholar;
why have I caught his eye?"

"Do you really not understand, or are you simply pretending

not to?" Li Hongcheng tapped his nose and laughed. "All this
game-playing will be your downfall."

Fan Xian laughed awkwardly, but did not respond.

Li Hongcheng noticed that there were no servants attending

them anywhere inside the reception pavilion. "There's
something else," he said earnestly. "When I first met you, I took
a liking to you, and I can't bear to keep you in the dark. It
seems to me that that would inevitably lead to distance
between us, as I'm sure you'll agree. Now, His Majesty is in the
prime of his life, but anyone who does not keep a long-term
view of things will encounter difficulties, and so all eyes in the
court are on the princes. The Eldest Prince is a natural fighter.
But he is leading troops far away. Even though I am a child of
the empress herself, my behavior has always been rather
improper. Though my estate is impartial, to tell you the truth,
among the princes, the Second Prince and I have always been
on good terms."

Fan Xian was rather shocked. How could things be so

different from what he had expected? In the works of historical
fiction he had read in his previous life, written by the writer
Eryue He, princes always had complex thoughts behind simple
words. He wished he could better control his behavior, and not
act in such a way that people gossiped about him. How could
there be someone like the person in front of him, one who had
always spoken honestly? This business of being a bastard child
who usurped his legitimate brother was greatly taxing. How
could one not go stark raving mad?

Noticing that his words seemed to scare Fan Xian, Li

Hongcheng smiled awkwardly. "Do you dislike my bluntness?
I'm speaking the truth. I don't know why either. It's good to see
that you don't want to get caught up in that sort of trickery.
I'm enticing you on behalf of the Second Prince. It's a bit like
getting married - always a business of mutual consent."
 Fan Xian was stunned. He looked into the Crown Prince's
clear eyes, as if he wanted to see something hidden emerge
from them. He could not figure out whether the Crown Prince
was a true-of-heart nobleman, or simply used plain speaking as
a strategy to get people on his side. But either way, the Crown
Prince had clearly made his stance clear. Stark raving mad or
not, insignificant Fan Xian had no power within the capital,
and no allies. He did not dare tell the prince what he really
thought. He smiled. "Just to be clear, why does the Second
Prince want to see me?"

"For your wedding in October." Li Hongcheng still seemed to

be very frank. He looked at him and smiled. "After the imperial
exams next year, if it appears you have the capability, His
Majesty will grant you the authority to supervise the estate.
When it comes to us, this is a good thing. First of all, there is a
lot less money coming in, and there are some inconvenient
matters that need dealing with. Furthermore, I believe Count
Sinan has been in charge of the Treasury for many years. He
will definitely understand when the new takes over from the
old, and he will certainly need to audit the accounts, and if
that is the case, perhaps there will be some unexpected happy
surprises."

Fan Xian said nothing. His eyebrows drooped but he did not
seem disappointed in the least. Instead, it seemed as if he did
not want to be regarded as a threat. "It's rather early," he said
quietly. "The wedding isn't until October. I won't be able to get
hold of things until next year or perhaps the year after that."

"You're right. That's why tomorrow is just a meal." Li

Hongcheng looked at him earnestly. "How am I to repay you
for your gift last time? You know, I'm telling you this now
because I have great trust in you... perhaps once you have met
the Second Prince tomorrow, you will have changed your
mind."

Fan Xian laughed. The struggle between the Second Prince

and the Crown Prince might not start in earnest for another
decade. Getting someone as unremarkable as himself involved
in it seemed to be making a very early start of things. He
agreed, and saw the Crown Prince out of the manor. He
returned to his father's study and sat on a chair by a desk. He
stared at the brushes in the brush pot, furrowing his brows,
deep in thought.

He had chosen Crown Prince Jing to cover up his business of

assaulting Guo Baokun, and that gave Crown Prince Jing the
opportunity to involve him in his own matters, because if one
wanted to survive in the capital, one had stand behind
someone. His father had always stood behind His Majesty, but
he also said the future was a matter for the young.

Fan Xian wanted to stand behind someone, not necessarily

behind the Second Prince, but... definitely against the Crown
Prince. The reason was simple. Four years ago the empress had
wanted him dead. Four years later, people in the palace still
wanted him dead. And deep within the capital, it felt like he
was an ant who could be crushed at any time.

Could that ant climb a tree?

The Second Prince had invited him to the Liujing River. Fan
Xian had faked a smile when he heard the name of the place.
Recently, he had been spending nights with Wan'er, and
although they were sometimes sweet, there was little physical
contact between them. After all, she was his fiancée, so she was
bashful, and it would not be good for him to be too pushy. He
thought of that night where he had touched her skin, smooth
as jade, and he thought of her name, Si Lili, and his heart
began to pound. He remembered that in his previous life he
had read that intestines had been used as condoms in Europe in
the Middle Ages. He started to wonder how one might manage
that. But then he thought of something else. On the day that
they had filed the lawsuit, why had that woman just suddenly
happen to leave?

Law and order had always been well-kept in the capital, save
for a few recent incidents caused by the Brute of Fan Manor. So
the Fan estate's carriages were only accompanied by four
guards, who slowly headed toward the western side of the city
under the bright spring sunshine.

After they had passed Wangchun Gate, they walked down

Niulan Street where he had beaten Guo Baokun. Fan Xian
opened the curtain on his carriage and laughed. Teng Zijing
was among the four guards. Three of them had been there that
day, and when they heard the young master's laugh, they
naturally knew why he was laughing. They laughed along with
him.

There weren’t residences on Niulan Street, but there were a

number of stores which had not long fallen into disrepair, so it
had received another name: Bankruptcy Street. It was quiet
there, no matter day or night, and there were no pedestrians.
One might call it the best place to hold someone up and give
them a sound beating.
 Fan Xian looked outside, seeing the wide expanse of canopy
tree leaves over his head. As he looked at sunlight above him,
he wondered how he should act after meeting with the Second
Prince. The Second Prince was likely to have a clear
understanding of Count Sinan's power, and it was unlikely that
he would make any excessive demands on him. He reckoned
that this desire to meet came from a wish to lay the
groundwork for events that might occur ten years from now.

As they continued on, Fan Xian suddenly frowned. He wasn't

sure why, but something didn't feel right. As if there were
something odd about his surroundings. Looking around the
carriage, everything seemed calm, and there was nothing
unusual.

Suddenly, his nose twitched, and he smelled a faint sweet

smell.

It was the smell of "Kurenjian", a poison that the western

barbarians extracted from frogs, and liked to use for their
poison arrows!
 "Get out of here!" shouted Fan Xian. He had already taken the
lead and leapt from the carriage, grabbing hold of a guard next
to him, and although he could not see who it was, the training
he had received since childhood had left him with an acute
sense of smell. But as he could sniff out this rare scent, that
meant that the arrows were close by, and that the assassination
attempt was about to begin!

In the moment that he leapt from the carriage, someone had

thrown a large rock from somewhere down the end of an alley.
It whistled through the air and firmly struck the carriage. The
carriage splintered into countless pieces!
Chapter 89: The Case of the Young Killer
on Niulan Street
There was a loud crash. Someone with unnatural strength
had tossed that large stone over the tall wall! After the carriage
was smashed to pieces by the stone, a rain of arrows followed.
Had Fan Xian not took evasive action quickly, those arrows
would have turned him into a bristly hedgehog even if he
managed to survive the stone.

With the exception of Teng Zijing, Fan Xian’s guards were

rank 5 in terms of skill. Facing this assault, they did not panic
and drew their blades. Several flashes of silver light later, most
of the arrows had been knocked down. The attackers were few,
but due to the close range, the guards weren’t able defend
themselves completely. The three of them were eventually hit
in the leg and collapsed to the ground.

Gritting their teeth, they got back up and leapt over the wall,
cutting down the archers. However, the poison was too potent,
and in no time all three guards felt numb and lost control of
their bodies.
 It was at this moment they saw a pair of terrifyingly massive
hands crash down upon their heads!

Hiding behind a tree, Fan Xian was spared from the initial
rain of arrows. But it also prevented him from coming to his
guards’ aid. Hearing three familiar screams from behind the
wall, he was filled with rage. It was during his emotional
turmoil that he almost got skewered by two swords, which
struck like venomous serpents.

Two women surrounded him. They were dressed in all black,

their swords also painted black to avoid reflecting any light—
they were obviously seasoned assassins. Fan Xian knew clearly
that, since they weren’t covering their faces, it meant they
were here to eliminate all their targets.

Slightly bending his knees, he turned his body and made a

twist with the tip of his foot. A sword brushed past his chest
from the left, followed by the other sword from the right.

Fan Xian never learned how to fight, having only trained his
body under Wu Zhu for the past ten years. All the dodges he
performed were out of reflex. Despite the swords striking with
the flexibility of snakes and elusiveness of smoke, they were far
inferior to Wu Zhu’s wooden staff in both speed and accuracy.
Time after time, Fan Xian managed to evade by the skin of his
teeth.

The three of them began to drift away from the wall, and Fan
Xian finally woke up from his panic; now those two swords
looked so much slower.

The two female assassins, with their pale white faces,

discovered that their hits weren’t landing despite Fan Xian’s
seemingly pathetic movements!

Another loud crash. This time the wall fell. A huge brute
appeared from the rubble. He walked towards a guard who
collapsed under a tree with an arrow in his left leg.

Three of the four guards who came out with Fan Xian today
had been killed; he was the last one, also paralyzed by the
poison. Only now did Fan Xian discover that last guard was
Teng Zijing. His chest tightened as he wanted to rush over to
help. Unfortunately, the two female assassins were relentless
in their attacks, completely trapping Fan Xian.
 At that moment, Teng Zijing, who appeared to be taking his
last breaths, leapt up from the ground. The blade he had kept
hidden behind his back turned into a blur, hacking towards the
brute’s neck!

Fan Xian was overjoyed at first, but what happened next

stunned him.

The brute tilted his head and raised his right hand, catching
Teng Zijing’s blade like a fly. A line of blood dripped down, but
that is all the damage his hand suffered. What was his body
made of?!

Seeing he was in a bad situation, Teng Zijing kicked against

the brute’s chest with the tip of his feet, ready to jump over a
nearby wall. Among Fan Xian’s guards, Teng Zjing was the
leader, even though his martial art abilities were the weakest,
and this was due to him being the most clear-headed of them
all.

The brute only grinned and threw a punch. At this instant,

Teng Zijing felt the poison taking over his body. Since his body
had gone limp, he was unable to avoid the giant fist. There was
a crackling sound, followed by Teng Zijing’s scream. His left
leg was broken by the punch. Lying on the ground, blood came
gushing out of his pant leg.

Fan Xian knew things weren’t good when Teng Zijing’s blade
was caught. Grunting, his footwork turned stiff, and the two
swords danced past his torso even closer than before. The blade
tips pierced his shirt, drawing two bloody lines across his body.

Taking advantage of this moment, Fan Xian gripped his

hands together and released two puffs of pink smoke directly
into the faces of the two female assassins.

The assassins reacted with supernatural speed; they closed

their mouths and held their breath, ready to jump back. But
Fan Xian would not let this hard-gained chance slip away. With
a tremendous shout, he released the overpowering zhenqi in
his body. For the moment, it was as though his arms
lengthened, enough to reach the two assassins’ throats.

With two cracks, the female assassins had their windpipes

crushed. Frothing blood at their mouths, they collapsed to the
ground.
 Meanwhile, that monstrous brute had raised his hands, ready
to slam them down onto Teng Zijing’s skull.

Fan Xian was exceptionally calm. This calm came from the
experience of having lived a previous life, and also from Fei Jie
and Wu Zhu’s tutelage. Right now, he wasn’t at all thinking
about why Uncle Wu Zhu hadn’t done anything. He knew this
was his most dangerous trial after coming to the capital; if he
couldn’t make it past this, it would only prove that he didn’t
deserve his second life in this world.

Despite being over ten meters away, Fan Xian covered that
distance in a flash. With his left hand, he already put a pill into
his mouth. With his right, he propped up the palm of that mad
brute in front of the almost dead Teng Zijing!

There was a muffled sound of explosion as shockwaves made

the surrounding trees shake. Leaves fell.

Fan Xian felt intense pain travel down from his right hand to
his bones; he had never faced such formidable strength. Only
moments had passed and he was already at his limit.
 Blood trickled down the corner of his lips, but he only
grunted and didn’t lose his composure. His left hand had
already found the key to dealing a killing blow.

Then something very strange happened.

A gust of wind came blowing in, gentling swirling around

Fan Xian’s body. As if carrying a strange power, it blew against
Fan Xian’s body. While only a weak breeze, it was quite
annoying, enough to disrupt Fan Xian’s next course of action.

The brute laughed, seeing the look in Fan Xian’s eyes. He was
like a wild beast filled with raw power; even his eyes were
ghastly bloodshot.

Fan Xian gazed past the brute’s massive frame. At the mouth
of the alleyway was the blurry figure of a person. That person
was wearing a conical hat of bamboo.

"Let me crush your head." The brute apparently discovered

that Fan Xian had run out of options and started to laugh
maniacally. He then put more strength into his hand.
 "Hmph." Fan Xian only exclaimed coldly. He knew this was
the greatest dilemma he had faced since his rebirth. His right
arm started to tremble, but deep inside his heart he was
screaming "Screw you!"

In this life-or-death moment, the zhenqi that had flowed

through his entire body like a calm ocean suddenly began to
stir as if provoked, a massive amount of zhenqi gushing from
the xueshan in his back, a small circulation going along his
body and infusing with his right arm.

Suddenly, if just for an instant, Fan Xian felt the illusion that
his right arm was made of iron.

The collision between powerful zhenqi forced apart two

hands—which differed greatly in size—by about an inch before
they crashed back together.

Countless currents of broken zhenqi arose around the two,

turning the leaves in the air to dust.
 "Die!" Fan Xian roared, withdrawing his arm with terrifying
control before throwing a straight punch right into the brute’s
torso. A strange expression formed on the brutes face as he
opened his mouth, bathing Fan Xian’s face in blood. His chest
and abdomen had been completely caved in!

But this brute turned out to be surprisingly resilient. Despite

receiving such a heavy blow, he stood unmoved, crashing his
hand mercilessly down onto Fan Xian’s right shoulder and
turning it into a bloody mess.

Today, Fan Xian’s true viciousness finally exploded.

Responding to his severe injury with only a cry, he used the
momentum of the blow and charged into the brute. Using his
left hand, he took out his thin dagger and rammed it
mercilessly into the brute’s throat.

He then pulled down with all his strength.

With his torso already caved in, the brute was gutted alive.
His organs came flowing out in a torrent of blood and fluids.
 Unable to believe what his own eyes showed him, the brute
looked at Fan Xian one last time before crashing down
backwards like a felled tree.

It appeared as though the whole world had gone silent.

Panting hard, Fan Xian remained standing with great

difficulty, staring at that shadow in the bamboo hat.
Chapter 90: Investigation
There came refreshing wind, but the bloodshed remained.
Looking at the person in the bamboo hat standing at the mouth
of the alley, Fan Xian somehow guessed he was a sorcerer, the
unimportant one of the group. The figure didn’t realize the
danger due to Fan Xian almost dying at the hands of that brute.

The figure politely saluted Fan Xian and prepared to leave.

There was about twelve meters between them. That sorcerer

specialized in wind sorcery and therefore was confident in his
ability to escape. Except for the Four Great Grandmasters,
there were no one in the world who could catch him, especially
not the gravely injured Fan Xian—with the assassination plan
failed, it was natural for him to leave in a dignified manner.

Seeing the figure still abiding by formalities, Fan Xian threw

down his dagger. He raised his left arm and gently pressed the
trigger. At the mouth of the alleyway, that figure clutched his
throat and fell to the ground, dying after letting out a cry of
pain. A thieves’ crossbow arrow stuck out from between his
fingers.
 "Idiot."

Fan Xian then fed Teng Zijing a medicinal pill that

neutralized some of the poison. Teng Zijing regained
consciousness, but still needed medical attention to deal with
the rest of the poison as well as his injury. Fan Xian’s handsome
face was pale with worry right now and drenched in the brute’s
blood, giving him an exceptionally grisly look. Looking at the
now-conscious Teng Zijing, he said, "Press down here."

He was pointing at a place near the base of Teng Zijing’s

thigh; that place held a major artery.

Teng Zijing’s leg was broken, and the pain drained all color
from his face, causing him to sweat heavily. Teng Zijing
applied pressure to the base of his thigh with shaking hands,
but accidentally agitated his injury in the process, making him
scream out. He proved himself a real man afterwards,
however; while Fan Xian stopped his bleeding with a rag and
applied power to his wound, which he watched without
uttering a single sound, even though it caused him even more
pain.
 The fifteen minutes after suffering such injuries were
considered to be the "golden period" for treatment in Fan Xian’s
previous life. After hurriedly patching up Teng Zijing and
making sure he wouldn’t die, Fan Xian finally let out a sigh of
relief, almost falling to the ground.

With great difficulty, Teng Zijing said, "Young Master, your

wound…"

Only after being reminded did Fan Xian feel the pain of his
own injuries. Grunting from the pain, Fan Xian directed zhenqi
towards the site and discovered his meridians were unharmed;
there shouldn’t be any major consequences. He told Teng
Zijing, "Stay down for a moment."

Fan Xian still hung on to a thin string of hope that the other
three guards might still be alive, so he walked towards what
was left of that wall. Behind it, the ground was covered with
corpses, most of them belonged to the bowmen who were slain
by those brave guards. Fan Xian then saw three more corpses,
all curled up with their skulls smashed in.
 Curling up was the result of the poison, and their skull was
without a doubt smashed in by that terrifying brute.

Confirming the death of the three guards, Fan Xian returned

to Teng Zijing in silence and began to tend to his own wounds
without saying a word. Together, they waited for the arrival of
anyone, friend or foe.

This incident on Niulan Street became, without question, the

most shocking news circulating through the capital in the
months after. The Qing Kingdom had experienced peace for a
long time, and the security in the capital was exceptionally
tight, to the point where even normal murder cases were rare,
to say nothing of an assassination of Minister Fan Jian’s eldest
son in broad daylight.

While Fan Xian still wasn’t registered in the family record,

this was even different from the Chun Dou’ou case. This time,
he was clearly the target. Even more significantly, this
assassination attempt had deployed archers—using archers to
kill someone in the heavily-guarded capital far breached the
bottom line of Imperial law.
 The internal institutions of the great Qing Kingdom began to
take action. After a short period of time, they found out the
"truth" of this assassination attempt. This was in part thanks
to Fan Xian; if he hadn’t retaliated and killed his attackers,
there wouldn’t be any evidence left behind, and this case would
forever remain a solvable mystery.

It turned out that the brute whom Fan Xian had gutted like a
pig was well known, so the investigation didn’t take too much
effort. At least, judging from the fact Director Chen and Fei Jie
still didn’t hurry back to the capital, this incident was nothing
major.

That brute’s name was Cheng Jushu, a notorious man of

violence hailing from the Kingdom of Northern Qi. His body
was trained to be resistant to both the sword and spear. More
importantly, he wielded supreme physical strength and
vigorous zhenqi. He was one of the few Level 8 masters in the
world. As for the female assassins who got their throats
crushed by Fan Xian, they were killers from a small vassal
state. However, the Overwatch Council was secretly aware that
they had always been controlled by Northern Qi.
 The case seemed to be clear-cut. Northern Qi Kingdom had
ordered this assassination in secrecy. However, whether it was
ordered by that young emperor or the priest Ku He was still
unknown.

The capital was filled with people gossiping about,

questioning why Northern Qi Kingdom would go after Young
Master Fan. After all, despite having declined, the country was
still a powerful force to be reckoned with.

True, Fan Xian had established a reputation now in the

capital as a poet, a playboy, and also as someone capable of
violence. But to the world, he was still a very minor character.
Northern Qi deploying a Level 8 master and two female
assassins from a vassal state to kill Fan Xian, who just arrived
in the capital, was simply inexplicable.

But for Northern Qi to make contact with a secret place

against the sovereignty of Qing, they used a brilliant but
ruthless tactic.

It wasn’t known how they managed to find out Fan Xian was
likely to inherit Imperial business property in the upcoming
years and thus a target in the power struggle between the
crown and second princes. If Fan Xian had died that day, people
would surely suspect the crown prince for not wanting to lose
the source of his money. Alternatively, the second prince
would be suspected for trying to frame the crown prince.
Regardless, no one knew how that would shake up the Imperial
court.

Fan Xian was only a minor character, but his life and death
were extremely significant. The officials in the Second Bureau
of Overwatch Council were impressed by their peers in
Northern Qi for coming up with such a brilliant plan. A small
move on their part could greatly impede Qing’s secret northern
expedition.

This "northern expedition" only existed in the Ministry of

War, the Overwatch Council, and the emperor’s own head. Its
reality, it was all up to the emperor’s decision. Northern Qi had
been had existed in the shadows all this time, so it was wise of
them to act now—that was, of course, if they had successfully
killed Fan Xian without leaving behind any evidence.

Not even Northern Qi would have guessed that this minor

character would prove to have such tremendous power. Fan
Xian’s four bodyguards were all "private property" of Count
Sinan; each of them had Level 5 abilities, which was why they
could exterminate all the archers despite being poisoned—and
it went without saying that the handsome illegitimate son was
the scariest of them all, being able to take down the poison-
using female assassins and the Level 8 master, Cheng Jushu!

As for that sorcerer, no one paid any attention to him; he was

truly insignificant.

"The Overwatch Council and the Ministry had made their

judgement. The one responsible was indeed Northern Qi.
They’ve dug up even more—the second prince chose the
Drunken Immortal Tavern to meet you because he thought you
liked that Si Lili, but turns out, the Drunken Immortal Tavern
was a ‘sleeper spot’ planted by Northern Qi."

Count Sinan sat in the dark bedroom, looking at his son in

the bed. He said calmly, "I know you’re extremely angry, but
since you’re fine and killed the assassins, you should let this
go."
 "Let it go?" His father’s indifference brought a slight chill to
Fan Xian’s heart. Fan Xian tried to change the subject, "Where
is Si Lili now?"

"She was on her way to escape to Northern Qi, but she was
captured by the Fourth Bureau of the Overwatch Council. They
should be on their way to bring her back to the capital."

"I hope she won’t die." Fan Xian’s voice lacked emotions.

Fan Jian smiled. "People attended by the Overwatch Council

wouldn’t die so easily."

"You really believe things are this simple?" Fan Xian

suddenly asked with a smile.

"You have a different explanation?"

"Those archers… How did they get in the capital? I heard

their bodies were cremated the next day. Was it to destroy some
evidence hidden on them?" Fan Xian adjusted his body posture
with some difficulty. "I know you don’t want me to know too
much, fearing I’d lust for revenge. But I believe I have the right
to know who is trying to end my life?"

Fan Jian stared at him coldly. "You should know… that I have
some hidden authority on behalf of the emperor. While it’s
nothing compared to the Overwatch Council, it’s enough for
me to be considered one of the inner circle. However, we still
couldn’t find out who Northern Qi was cooperating with. Our
current suspects aren’t only limited to the two princes, but also
the likes of the prime minister and Eldest Princess."

"Since that could not be determined, the matter of who is

your real enemy… should not be openly discussed, lest you
make even more enemies." Fan Jian continued, "This is my
advice to you, and I hope you accept it."

Fan Xian nodded. He agitated his wound again, making him

frown. After exhaling twice, he answered, "I will figure out a
way to investigate this."
 Fan Jian was satisfied by his son’s response. He offered Fan
Xian some words of consolation and left the bedroom.

After his father left, Fan Xian’s eyes calmed down

immediately. Staring into a corner of this dark room, he asked
with some anger in his voice, "Why didn’t you do anything
that day?"

Wu Zhu emerged from the darkness, his eyes still covered by

that black cloth which was without any wrinkles, just like its
owner’s forever-emotionless face.
Chapter 91: Fan Xian on the Move
"Why did I have to do anything?" Wu Zhu rarely asked such
rhetorical questions. Ever since Fan Xian left Danzhou for the
capital, he seemed to be even more mysterious, having never
met up with Fan Xian until now.

Fan Xian became gloomy after realizing Wu Zhu was right.

Even if Wu Zhu had helped raise Fan Xian, Fan Xian had no
reason to demand anything in return. If anything, it was Fan
Xian who was in Wu Zhu’s debt.

In response to Fan Xian’s silence, Wu Zhu said coolly, "I said

this before; both Fei Jie and I have taught you for many years.
If you can’t take care of small matters like this, it’s your
problem, not ours."

"I only learned one of them was a level eight master

afterwards. You also said before that my true power is level
seven, but my abilities are level three. I shouldn’t be able to
match that brute by any means." Fan Xian smiled uneasily.
"You say it’s my problem, but don’t you mind me getting
killed?"
 "Did you die?" A rare second rhetorical question from Wu
Zhu.

Looking at the black blindfold, Fan Xian gasped. "You were

following me all along?"

"Yes."

"Why didn’t you interfere?" Fan Xian was suppressing his

shouts of anger. "Those three guards died! Teng Zijing was
hurt!"

"I don’t care about the life of anyone but yours," Wu Zhu
spoke without emotion. "Those people around you were
gathered by yourself. If you want to have authority over their
lives, then you must protect them, meaning those guards’ lives
are your responsibility, not mine."

Once again Fan Xian fell into silence. Once again he knew
Wu Zhu was right.
 "I couldn’t help you too much," Wu Zhu said. "In Danzhou,
on the cliffs, I told you once: If I’m with you in the capital, I
will bring you nothing but trouble, troubles you definitely
would not want to face."

Remembering how he had sheepishly told Wu Zhu "I’ll

protect you", Fan Xian smiled bitterly. He was, after all,
kidding.

"You must remember, here in the capital, I will never stand

by your side out in the open, unless you are dying. Or…
already dead," Wu Zhu continued, still devoid of emotion.

Fan Xian didn’t understand what someone as strong as Wu

Zhu was afraid of. But hearing how resolute he was made Fan
Xian nod without any further discussion.

"Someone’s coming," Wu Zhu said quickly before

disappearing into the darkness.

It was a guest, but not the one Fan Xian wanted to see at the
moment. Li Hongcheng walked in with a gloomy face and sat
down on Fan Xian’s bed without asking. With a suppressed
voice, he moaned, "You heard, right? The envoy of Northern Qi
wouldn’t admit to anything, and those students almost trashed
Honglu Temple."

Honglu Temple handled Qing’s foreign affairs, dealing with

Northern Qi, Dongyi, various vassal states, and also that
assassination attempt. Hearing that the place was almost
trashed, Fan Xian smiled bitterly. "Those youths sure are hot-
blooded. Well… of course Northern Qi wouldn’t admit it. If
Qing’s people found out that another nation was able to send
assassins to the capital so easily, I’m afraid the two nations
would never come to peace."

Li Hongcheng smiled bitterly. "Peace has already begun to

break down. As per His Majesty’s order, that envoy from
Northern Qi was kicked out, luggage and all."

Fan Xian laughed mockingly. "They deal with outsiders

quickly."

Picking up on Fan Xian’s hidden meaning, Li Hong Cheng

frowned. "You’ve been recovering for the past few days. Some
things weren’t convenient to say out loud."

Fan Xian sighed, "I don’t know if it’s because I owed you in
one of my previous lives; I invited you out, and that lead to me
almost getting assassinated. You’re one of the few people I
know in the capital, a proper prince on top of that. You
normally don’t mince words, what’s up with you today?"

Li Hongcheng somewhat blamed himself. "It’s actually my

fault. No one would have thought that Drunken Immortal
Tavern was controlled by Northern Qi." He then considered it
for a moment and said, "For today’s visit, first of all, I’m here
to apologize on the second prince’s behalf. He did plan on
coming here himself, but as you know, the whole situation is a
bit messy, so he can’t easily do so. There are still many out
there who believe the second prince and I were the ones
responsible."

Fan Xian looked at him with a forced smile.

"Why are you looking at me so mysteriously? Must I be

forced to confess?"
 Fan Xian and Li Hongcheng laughed together. He trusted that
the prince wasn’t responsible. For the second prince, who was
without any strong support in the Imperial court, losing the
support of the Fan household was a grave loss. At least, it was a
loss greater than the benefit they would have received from
framing the crown prince.

With great difficulty, Fan Xian sat up on his bed. A

maidservant helped him drink some water. Seeing another
figure at the door made Fan Xian curse in silence. Despite his
serious injuries, the stream of visitors never seemed to stop.
How was he supposed to recuperate when he was suffering?
The visitor this time was a stranger, who reported himself as
an official from the First Bureau of the Overwatch Council who
was investigating the Niulan Road case under Imperial order.
The case involved officials of the Imperial court and various
baseless rumors, so it was all handed over to the Overwatch
Council.

"May I ask your name?" A servant had already poured tea for
that official. Fan Xian squinted at him. Other than the time
when he "barged into" the Council, this was the first time he
saw one of Council’s officials. This official was seemingly
cloaked in a rotten aura, reminding Fan Xian of his damned
teacher Fei Jie.
 "My name is Mu Tie." This official had thin lips and slightly
tanned skin. He said emotionlessly, "Due to the severity of
your condition a few days ago, a few issues need to be be
clarified, which is the reason for my visit today. I respectfully
request your cooperation regarding this."

Fan Xian frowned. It looked like this official didn’t know

about the connection between Fan manor and the Overwatch
Council. He said lightly, "I am tired. Let’s talk about this some
other day."

Mu Tie didn’t seem to expect this refusal. He appeared

uneasy.

Fan Xian waved his hand and asked, "The Council and the
ministry already sent their reports, what’s more to ask?"

"Some questions remain unanswered." This Mu Tie followed

Fan Xian intensely with his eyes. Fan Xian suddenly realized
that the Overwatch Council was also suspicious about the
archers. But what was the use in asking him? The only one he
had seriously offended was Guo Baokun, who had a scholar’s
background and wouldn’t conspire with Northern Qi. As for
the princes… that was a matter he could not speak of.

Fei Jie had given him a badge. Fan Xian took it out from
under his pillow and tossed it over to the official. "We’re all on
the same side. If you have something to say, just say it."

Mu Tie hadn’t touched his tea. Upon seeing the badge, his
expression changed greatly. He stood up, walked over to Fan
Xian, and knelt down on one knee. Putting his hands together,
he saluted, "I have seen Your Highness."

Fan Xian was greatly surprised by this display of respect; he

didn’t think the badge would be so powerful. Unknown to him,
that badge was an overseer’s badge, denoting a level of power
beyond the eight bureaus of the Overwatch Council. Whoever
possessed it held the same authority as the heads of the eight
bureaus; only Director Chen could give them direct orders. It
was no wonder that Mu Tie was so shaken at the sight of it and
became so courteous.

Signaling the official to rise, Fan Xian frowned. "When will

Sir Fei Jie return to the capital?" It was his most important
question; first of all, he could only improve Wan’er’s body, but
not cure her of her illness. Secondly, the capital was currently
in a state of chaos. Wu Zhu refused to be out in the open, and
his father was hiding something. Fan Xian found himself
inexplicably trusting of Fei Jie, who was not in the capital.

Hearing this young master asking about Sir Fei, Mu Tie knew
that the youth was an important person that the Council kept
hidden. It wasn’t unusual for organizations such as the
Overwatch Council to cultivate some talents among the
various manors in the capital. This young master of Fan
Manor was obviously one of them, and a high-ranking one at
that. Mu Tie answered respectfully, "It should be a few more
days."

"Did you find out anything?" Fan Xian stared into the
official’s eyes.

Mu Tie replied, "The Council received word too late. The

bodies of those archers had already been cremated. Our
investigation brought us to the patrol division and the clues
ended there."
 "Patrol division? Who’s in charge there?"

"Jiao Ziheng."

"Huh?"

Mu Tie gave Fan Xian a look, curious as to how the youth did
not know who Jiao Ziheng was, and answered, "It probably
isn’t one of the prince’s men." Taking another look at that
unforgeable badge and reaffirming Fan Xian’s identity, the
official didn’t question it any further. This was the way the
Overwatch Council did things; everything on the inside was
strict and orderly.

"You’re in charge of this case?" Fan Xian looked at the official

with curiosity. "What rank are you?"

"Seventh ranked," Mu Tie replied with a smile, "Only good

for running errands."
 "When will Si Lili return to the capital?" Fan Xian suddenly
remembered the only living alibi and looked worried.

"They quickly fled. Even if we caught them now, it would

take some days for them to be taken back to the capital."

Looking at Fan Xian, Mu Tie did some guess work of his own
as to why anyone would conspire with Northern Qi to plot the
assassination. It seemed that this young master was chosen by
the Council to be developed as one of its members. Thinking
about this had Mu Tie excited; he apparently thought of a way
to advance his career. Brazenly, he asked, "Your Highness,
while I don’t know what your duties are in the capital, you are
still new to the place. If there is anything I can do to help, just
give me the order."

Fan Xian asked, "Then what about this case you’re working
on?"

Mu Tie grinned, "I can assign it to somebody else. The

Council orders the importance of its affairs by magnitude of
rank. With Your Highness’s status, asking me to help elsewhere
is a common thing."
 Fan Xian guessed what he was thinking right away and gave
an uneasy smile. "Forget it, not even I know what could be
done. If you somehow lose your life following me around,
what good does that do?"

His heart darkened as he thought about his three dead

guards. They had been with him since the day he entered the
capital. Now they were dead, and Fan Xian didn’t even
remember their names.

Fan Xian asked the maidservant to open the windows. The

bright daylight flooded his room, which had been under
constant darkness. Inhaling deeply, Fan Xian forced himself to
become alert and decided to do something. To this enthusiastic
official from the Overwatch Council, he asked, "Isn’t there a
guy by the name of Wang Qinian at the Council?"
Chapter 92: Wang Qinian’s Life
Wang Qinian looked at the pastry stand. Smelling the spicy
aroma, he almost cried. His life hadn’t been so good recently,
having gotten himself kicked out of the Council. Not only had
he lost simple things like income and pension, he was also
barred from all other government positions due to his time
with the Overwatch Council. He knew neither how to use an
abacus nor start a shop; he only knew how to investigate
criminal cases and use tools of torture.

When he first joined the Overwatch Council, his haughtiness

was off the charts as he cracked one case after another. The
offenders under his charge were all forced to confess the truth.
Who would have thought he too would have ended up like a
stray dog? He was getting old, with a wife and daughter back
home to support…

Dispirited, he left while feeling the broken bits of silver in his

pocket. He pondered who he had offended to deserve this fate.

In truth, he knew the reason—a very simple one. Supposedly,

his master’s master’s master went to the temple incognito for a
stroll, but a reckless young man also made his way in, and all
the guards stationed along the roads and in the palace passed
out at once. The palace was enraged and began investigation.
Agents of the Overwatch Council also tagged along to help.

This incident originally had nothing to do with Wan Qinian.

But after asking around street by street, the inner ministry
found out that young man had went to the Overwatch Council
before going to the temple—a major development. Without
Director Chen, the Council was like a fatherless child. The
higher-ups in the Council all wondered how they would
possibly explain once the palace found out that youth had
connections with them.

Toward the end of the investigation, Wang Qinian’s name

was revealed. On the accounts of many Council officials, after
entering the Council, that youth talked the most with Wang
Qinian, who then agreed to be investigated, despite being in a
state of complete bewilderment. He confessed everything they
brought up, except for the fact that the youth was Fei Jie’s
student. Ultimately, the inner council didn’t find anything
wrong with Wang Qinian, but still found an excuse to kick him
out, having finally found a scapegoat.
 "Once old Fei returns, I’ll go make a complaint," Wang
Qinian said with a dejected face, his head meekly supported on
his shoulders. He walked into the distance.

"Mr. Wang." An official appeared from around the corner, his

face all smiles. He blocked Wang Qinian’s path.

Wang Qinian recognized Mu Tie. He had heard Mu Tie was in

charge of the investigation of the Niulan Road assassination
case. But they normally didn’t talk to each other; why did Mu
Tie decide to seek him out now? With a suspicious expression,
Wang Qinian greeted Mu Tie. "Sir Mu, how may I help you?"

Mu Tie showed an almost flattering grin and said in a soft

voice, "Congratulations, Mr. Wang. Congratulations."

Mu Tie had thought he could climb to greater heights via the

platform that Fan Xian apparently provided him with, and
didn’t think the opportunity would go to someone else instead.
But since Young Master Fan had given the task to him, there
might still be chances in the future. Mu Tie had always lacked
emotions, especially when it came to official business.
However, with his advancing age, he had no choice but to start
planning for his future. Seeing Fan Xian’s badge made him
connect the bits and pieces he had overheard years ago,
convincing him that Fan Xian was someone of extreme
importance. He thought Wang Qinian might be Fan Xian’s
trusted aide, which was why he was being so polite.

Unfortunately, for the ever-stoic Mu Tie, being this

expressive was a first. His smile was a bit stiff and unnatural.

That stiffness greatly alarmed Wang Qinian. Had Mu Tie

been sent here to eliminate him after all?

With some lingering fear, Wang Qinian found himself sitting

in a secluded room. Facing him was a handsome young master.
No matter what had happened, Wang Qinian would always
recognize the face of the one who got him kicked out of the
Overwatch Council. Upon seeing the badge, he knew he was
right to make that gamble. This young man was not only Sir
Fei’s student; he also commanded a terrifying status.

Fan Xian genuinely did not expect this badge to have such
terrific commanding power. He squinted and began to reflect
upon the time he spent with Fei Jie. That cripple from the
Overwatch Council was the one who saved him after he was
reincarnated. It was very obvious that the Council took care of
him for his mother’s sake. Fan Xian decided that he must put
this advantage to good use.

"What I just said, did you understand?" Fan Xian smiled at

Wang Qinian. The official was getting a little old, with a child
and wife back home, which happened to be just what Fan Xian
was looking for. He didn’t have any experience ordering
subordinates around, so he had to learn how. That was why he
wanted his first aide to be someone he met by coincidence;
someone without too much ambition.

"I understand, Master Fan." Wang Qinian chuckled, his

fingers on his belt. In his belt pocket, other than the few bits of
silver, there were many bills which weren’t in there before.
"Excuse me, it should be Sir Fan."

"I’m still new to the capital, so I don’t have many

subordinates to count on, and my teacher isn’t around." Fan
Xian thought for a little bit, and then said, "I have another aide
named Teng Zijing. But he’s injured and probably won’t
recover for a few months. Once he does, I’ll introduce you
two."
 "Yes sir." Wang Qinian didn’t say too much. Compared to
when Fan Xian first came to the Council, he got a lot better at
it.

"Then go and gather some people." Fan Xian was trying out
such things for the first time and felt he was out of his comfort
zone; he had no choice but to learn step by step. "Can people
like you and I really reassign people from the Council?"

Suddenly, Wang Qinian said unsettlingly, "Your Highness,

actually I… had to resign."

Fan Xian was shocked; how could things have gone so

wrong? He asked, "Why?"

Working up his courage, Wang Qinian told Fan Xian about

the investigation and the temple incident, taking care to
emphasize the fact he didn’t expose Fan Xian’s identity, so as to
demonstrate his foresight and his "predetermined loyalty".

Fan Xian asked with a frown, "My current position is that of

a department head, would that have the authority to help
you?"

Certainly." Wang Qinian was overjoyed, realizing he had

followed a person fated for greatness in the future. "There are
just some procedures to follow. Your Highness could send out
an order first and reappoint me. I would return to my post after
a few days."

"Very well, I’m going to have that taken care of as soon as

possible." Looking at this slightly elderly man, Fan Xian
couldn’t help but have doubts; how useful would this person
be as an aide? He asked gently, "Sir Wang, may I ask your area
of expertise?"

"Tracking, while keeping myself hidden." Upon hearing

"expertise", Wang Qinian’s spirits elevated immediately. After
listening for a long time, Fan Xian discovered that he had
stumbled upon an amazing person. During his younger years,
this Wang Qinian was a thief who operated alone in the
northern parts of Qing. He thoroughly enjoyed sneaking from
one vassal state to another, between Northern Wei and Qing.
Then he would bring the goods he stole from one vassal state
to another and sell them. Because he never exposed the origins
of the stolen goods, and due to his natural skill at hiding his
traces, over the years he operated without incident. Eventually
the officials in those vassal states couldn’t take it anymore and
conducted a manhunt. Left with no other choice, he was forced
to stay in Qing. Unexpectedly, he ran into Director Cheng
Pingping, who was ordered by the emperor on the northern
expedition. Wang Qinian submitted on the spot and gave up his
ways as a thief, whereupon he became a government official.

Looking into his eyes, Fan Xian said lightly, "Si Lili is being
taken back to the capital. There might be people trying to rob
her or kill her. Whatever happens, do not interfere. You only
need to observe the traveling party and find out who their last
contact was." Fan Xian paused a little before continuing, a bit
embarrassed, "I came up with such a dumb plan because you
said you are good at tracking, but not martial arts."

Wang Qinian laughed, "When I was young, the Council

wasn’t this big. Zong Zhui and I were the best trackers in the
Council. But he later followed the Director, while I got lazy
and switched to a civil position… But Your Highness can rest
assured, despite my old bones, tagging a few people shouldn’t
be a problem."
 "I’ve got a lawsuit on my hands and can’t leave the capital, or
else I would definitely go watch your skill with my own eyes."
Fan Xian then began to chuckle. "Mr. Wang, above all else, you
must preserve your own life. That is of utmost importance."

After assigning Wang his mission, Fan Xian went directly

back to Fan Manor. Grimacing, he asked his younger sister to
re-bandage his injured shoulder. He had mixed some medicinal
powder out of motherwort himself. It was amazingly effective
at stopping bleeding and promoting muscle growth. He didn’t
want doctors to operate on him, on one hand because he did
not trust their abilities in treating poison, and on another hand
because Ruoruo’s slender yet soft fingers were far cuter than
the callous-riddled bear paws of those clumsy old men.

Fan Xian then went to the study where Count Sinan was.
Seeing his father’s greying hair, he saluted with some
difficulty. He then asked his father directly, "Father, I need
some men."

Fan Jian looked at his son and couldn’t keep back his smile.
"What have you got your eyes on?"
 "The eldest princess’s mansion; the living quarters of the
prime minister’s servants; the brothels frequented by the
prince; the second prince’s favorite polo court… King Jing’s
winery?" Fan Xian shrugged. "You know I’m not very familiar
with this type of thing, so I was hoping you would lend me
some experts. Once I have their advice, I could come up with a
plan to investigate."

Fan Jian shook his index finger. "We don’t need experts. But
you were right in that we need to make some arrangements. A
bunch of experts, as long as they’re being directed by someone
inexperienced, still wouldn’t do a good job."

"Father, please give me your advice." Fan Xan was

exceptionally humble.

Fan Jian looked down and went back to reading his book.
"Actually, people are already keeping an eye on the places you
just mentioned. I just find it strange that you know about these
places even though you haven’t been in the capital for that
long."
 Fan Xian grinned, knowing that his father was only telling
him to bear with it on the surface; he had already begun
investigating in secret. "Such things are easy to find out when
you chat a bit with the servants."

Fan Jian raised his head slightly, although his gaze was still
fixated on his book. "But you must be prepared; the
investigation in the capital most likely won’t get you any
results."

Fan Xian frowned after hearing that.

Fan Jian continued, "You still have to pay attention to things

over on Si Lili’s end." He paused briefly. "The two female
assassins you killed… It seems that they were disciples of the
Sigu Sword Sect from Dongyi City, and from what I heard, the
the Sigu sword style hasn’t been seen in Dongyi City for a long
time. You must be more careful." Fan Xian replied with worry,
"If a great grandmaster were willing to risk it all to kill
someone, who would be able to escape?" Fan Jian nodded in
agreement. "True. However, there shouldn’t be any reason for
him to go after you. Relax. This is only some useful
information."
 Over ten days later, about two hundred and fifty kilometers
to the north of the capital, a traveling party was progressing
southward against the cold morning wind. The party consisted
of people from the Fourth Bureau of the Overwatch Council.
After being in pursuit for several-thousand kilometers, they
finally apprehended Si Lili before she could escape the country.
Presently they were taking her back to the capital. They had
been walking south for a long time. They would reach the
capital in a few days. The leading official handed a steamed
bun to Si Lili in the jail cart. "Eat."

Si Lili’s face was thin and pallid. Her long hair was a mess,
blowing in the wind. There was also some dust on her cheeks.
Had Fan Xian seen her now, he definitely wouldn’t believe that
she was the most popular entertainer with whom he had "slept"
with. Chewing the tough, dried-out bun, Si Lili suddenly
raised her head and said ferociously, "Even after going back to
the capital, I will tell you nothing."

That official gave her a look, his eyes full of mockery. "You
think we’re sending you back to get to you to confess
something? I don’t understand, are the officials over at
Northern Qi bored out of their minds? Putting an idiot like you
in the capital."
 Indeed, Si Lili was a spy of Northern Qi. But every day she
had presented herself as a courtesan who was showered by
compliments and praises. Never before had a man so coldly
called her an idiot. Her voice trembling, she said, "Of course I
know you aren’t after a confession, since that would plunge
the Qing Imperial court into chaos for a long time."

The official replied cynically, "Actually, your best choice of

action was towards the beginning, on the day when the
assassination attempt occurred. You should have turned
yourself in immediately. This way, you could have exposed
who was conspiring with Northern Qi, which would be enough
to accomplish Northern Qi’s goal. Your escape only showed
that you value your life more than your mission."

Si Lili lowered her head in admittance of this fact. She

gripped the tough bun in her hand tightly, leaving behind deep
marks.
Chapter 93: Talking About the Capital
Outside Cangzhou City
The official added coldly, "We knew Drunken Immortal
Tavern was planted by you Northern Qi. We never did
anything except surveillance since you guys were ineffective.
Who would have thought you were this reckless? Running
away after what you’d done? Do you really think this world is
so easy?"

Only after getting caught did Si Lili find out that her each
and every move was being watched by the Overwatch Council.
She couldn’t help but feeling a sense of horror toward this
organization of the Qing emperor.

Seeing that they were about to resume moving again, Si Lili

suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs, "You better kill me
now! Or that someone from your Imperial court will certainly
come to my rescue!"

The official merely raised his eyebrows. "More like come to

shut you up for good." As soon as he said that, over the hills in
front of them, some bandits on horses appeared. The traveling
group had been expecting robbers, but they weren’t expecting
to encounter raiders from the northern border and the
surrounding vassal states. There were dozens of them, all
brandishing swords. Against the Council’s group of only over
ten men, the outcome of this clash seemed obvious.

While the highwaymen weren’t that many in number, they

did appear only two hundred and fifty kilometers away from
the capital without the Qing military’s knowledge. If the
civilians knew this, there would be no rest in the Imperial
court. Now Si Lili’s face was pale with fear. She wasn’t
exceptionally intelligent, but she was smart enough to know
that she’d lose her life for certain if she were to fall into their
hands.

The Council officials also couldn’t believe this conspiring

official in the Imperial court would somehow have connections
with the raiders near the nation’s border. Looking tense, the
leading official leaned towards the jail cart. "Si Lili, looks like
you and I both won’t be making it out alive. Since we’ve gotten
to this point, how about you tell me who the traitor is? If some
of my men manage to escape, they can report it to the court
and avenge us in the process."
 Si Lili looked down, her life flashing before her eyes. She was
about to speak before noticing something wasn’t right. She
raised her head and said, "You’re bluffing."

The official wasn’t expecting her to see through his plan and
made a hardly noticeable frown.

Si Lili then continued in a sad tone, "You should know what I

do for a living. I’ve learned to notice faint signs on people’s
faces since I was a child. Your voice was shaking slightly, but
your hand on this cart was steady and relaxed. You obviously
aren’t as concerned about this matter as you say. You probably
already saw this ambush coming."

"Well done." Only now did the official start to feel this
woman truly had the talent to be a spy. With a smile, he said,
"If we couldn’t anticipate something like this, then the
Overwatch Council wouldn’t be the Overwatch Council."

As they were talking, dozens of horse riders came charging

down the hill, their killing intent fouling the sky. This front
obviously did not belong to ordinary highwaymen.
 Around the jail cart, the men of the Council formed a
defensive semicircle. However, as they were few in number,
their defensive formation looked pitiful. Facing the incoming
onslaught, despite it being a life-and-death situation, the men
all held solemn and respectful expressions.

"Ho…!" The leading official clenched his right fist tightly,

coldly eyeing the wave of riders. He had just given the signal to
keep everything steady. Had Fan Xian heard the signal, it
would surely have reminded him of the English word "hold" he
often heard from foreign movies in his previous life.

As the horsemen closed in, the leading official suddenly took

a step back. Straightening his right arm, he shouted, "Ready!"
The semicircle formation suddenly readjusted into a wedge.
More terrifyingly, the men all took out crossbows—seemingly
from out of nowhere. Raising the crossbows to eye level, they
took aim at the horsemen in front of them!

The distance between them was too close. The leading rider’s
eyes showed panic as he pulled on the reins of his horse. The
entire group managed to turn to go around the crossbowmen.
They had been galloping at full speed; in order to come to such
a sudden stop and then immediately change directions, their
horsemanship must be superb.

"Fire!" The commanding official gave the order just as the

lead horseman started to turn his horse.

A rain of crossbow bolts launched into the air. Although it

wasn’t a dense volley, each bolt flew with exceptional speed
due to the power of the crossbows, ripping through the air
with a chilling hiss. With several grunts, the foremost
horsemen were hit and crashed heavily to the ground. The
riders behind them wanted to overwhelm the crossbowmen
while the men were reloading, unaware they were using
repeating crossbows!

The repeating crossbow appeared in this world about twenty

years ago. Each magazine held eight bolts. That weapon was
the bane of light cavalry. Seeing what was happening, the
entire group of riders panicked. They split into two branches
and went around the crossbowmen from both sides, ready to
carry out a pincer attack.
 Had they continued to charge straight on, they might have
gotten better results. But there weren’t any what-ifs in this
world. A few more horsemen fell while attempting the pincer
attack. To the horror of the other riders, they discovered that
in the hills behind the jail cart, an ambush was waiting for
them!

Upon seeing the camouflaged ambush party, the horsemen

lost their wits and no longer cared about killing the woman in
the cart. They scrambled and fled in all directions.

The ones lying in wait were part of a cavalry unit made up of

riders wearing black armor. It was the same unit Fan Xian saw
immediately after opening his eyes for the first time in this
world. Those cavalrymen were assigned by the emperor
himself while Director Chen was away from the capital on
official business; they were none other than the emperor’s
personal cavalry unit—the Black Knights!

Those Black Knights rode after their targets like a wolfpack

ripping into a flock of sheep, completely surrounding the
enemy horsemen before making quick work of them with swift
sword strikes.
 "Leave some alive! Leave some alive!" Fei Jie yelled out in a
hurry while watching the slaughter in a carriage behind ranks
of Black Knights. "Don’t kill all of them!"

One of the curtains on the carriage was lifted by a dry and

withered hand. An elderly gentleman surveyed the
surrounding situation before coldly saying, "Fei Jie, don’t get
too worked up over these whelps. I doubt they even know who
their master is. Just capturing their leader will do."

Fei Jie cursed, "Sir Fan took little Fan Xian into the capital
while we were gone and you know what almost happened.
How could I not get worked up?"

The elderly man grunted. Smoothing out the fleece blanket

on his lap, he said, "I was visiting my home. Your ran out on
your own. You only have yourself to blame."

Even a decade later, Fei Jie still retained his strange look; his
hair was broken up by white patches and his eyes were the
same shade of brown. Frowning, Fei Jie said, "Who knows
what Sir Fan is planning. Your Highness, after we get back to
the capital you must go have a chat with Count Sinan."
 That elderly gentleman was none other than Chen Pingping,
a man who held vast hidden authority. He was smiling while
looking at the enemy leader in the distance. "Naturally, I
understand what Fan Jian was thinking. But I must say, his
thinking is… absolutely chaotic! All in order to gain these; I’d
rather not have them…" He repeated again, "… I’d rather not
have them."

While the two of them were talking, the enemy leader rode
off into the distance and became a small dot on the horizon. He
knew he had been ambushed by the Overwatch Council.
However, he could not figure out why Chen Pingping appeared
outside Cangzhou City to the north of the capital when he
should be visiting his home!

He knew all was lost as soon as he saw the Black Knights.

Against the ruthless and sinister Director Chen, even his real
master could only focus on self-preservation, so he had to get
away first. This was also the reason he didn’t get as close to the
Black Knights as the rest of his men. The Black Knights began
to tire after chasing for about a kilometer, and the distance
between them and their target lengthened. They had no choice
but to give up their pursuit.
 "I’m assuming Zong Zhui is already on the move?" Chen
Pingping quietly asked his aide.

The aide bowed in confirmation.

At the same time, from the woods in the distance, a rider on a

grey horse darted out, silently chasing after the fleeing enemy.

"That’s not Zong Zhui." Fei Jie frowned.

Chen Pingping suddenly laughed after staring at that grey

blur for a while. "Since he hid himself from us, he must be one
of ours… Considering how he was able to keep up with Zong
Zhui’s skills, I believe there was someone like that in the
Council many years ago."

"Wang Qinian?"

"Indeed." Chen Pingping smiled. "Looks like that brat we

were worried about finally learned something."
 After dispatching Wang Qinian from the capital, it became
inconvenient for Fan Xian to go out because of his wounds. He
even stopped frequenting the still in-progress bookstore,
opting to live a secretive and simple life for a period of time. By
now, he had already become famous in the capital, especially
due to those two poems which didn’t match his experiences at
all. The poems further made him a source of controversy.
Those who supported him viewed him as a genius poet, while
those in opposition accused him of forcefully expressing scenes
of grief in his poems—however, no one knew even that phrase
was brought to this world by Fan Xian from his past life.

There were also rumors of plagiarism going around in the

dark, but the line "Ten thousand miles in sorrowful autumn,
always a guest" was overly flashy to the point that no one was
shameless enough to claim it, and therefore those rumors
never went anywhere. However, Fan Xian knew that day would
come eventually. The father of Guo Baokun was the Director of
the Board of Rites, and their entire household always dealt
with influential figures in the literary circle. Fan Xian,
however, never liked to assume the worst in… so-called
"scholars".

It was precisely due to his controversy and fame that the

scholars who frequented the poetry gatherings at King Jing’s
manor often came to visit. While on the surface they came
offering get-well wishes, they were actually there hoping that
Fan Xian would compliment their poems.

Fan Xian patiently greeted each one of his guests, but he was
quite stingy while evaluating their poems. After all, he was far
above the "literary world", just like how Zhang Xianlian started
his own business. Still, he didn’t believe he had the privilege.
At only sixteen years old, he made it thus far thanks to his wits
from his past life. To gather some poet following just because
of that would be too absurd!

Compared to his reputation as a poet, what really made his

name stand out in the capital and earned him praise was the
assassination incident on Niulan Street.

Some of the details of the investigation could be accessed by

the general public. Once those leaked out, Fan Xian, as the
victim under such grave danger, not only preserved his own
life but also initiated a counterattack, killing his assassins
from Northern Qi, one whom was an eighth level master.
Those facts raised Fan Xian to a whole new level in the eyes of
the people. No longer did people accuse him of unjustly beating
up others. Instead, everyone spoke of him as the Young Master
Fan who was endowed with both literary and martial virtues,
who had bravely slain his assassins.

"Civil enough to compose poetry, martial enough to kill;

doing both in seven steps. That, is Young Master Fan."
Chapter 94: The Functionary Wins the
Queen of Flowers
After the killing on Niulan Street, Fan Xian had a number of
things on his mind. Teng Zijing had already left for the
countryside to recuperate, and it was unclear whether he
might be left handicapped. The families of the three dead
guards had received sufficient financial compensation, and
even the relevant court departments had issued them an order
of commendation. The guards were buried in the tombs of the
Fan Clan, just outside the capital; if Fan Xian were allowed to
leave the city, he naturally would have gone and paid tribute.

The bloody incident had taught him that surviving in this

world was no easy task, and it was not enough to simply invite
guests to banquets. So he needed to have control of forces that
belonged directly to him, such as Wang Qinian, Fan Sizhe, and
his own martial arts training.

Now he had changed the period he spent meditating in the

capital from midday to evening. Often half-awake, he felt that
the zhenqi at the xueshan point in his spine was like a body of
warm water, comfortably rinsing out every part of his body. It
seemed almost as if the volume and concentration of his
zhenqi had increased to
 some extent.

The fact that he had been able to kill an eighth-level master

alongside two female assassins seemed almost inconceivable to
him. He had checked the zhenqi circulation of Teng Zijing and
discovered that there was no one in the world who trained in
the way that he did. This realization had not made him feel
panicked in the slightest. Since he could kill an eighth-level
master with his slender dagger and his hidden crossbow, it
showed that his zhenqi was extremely useful.

He was different from others who had trained in martial arts

in this world. He did not hold to the idea that levels of ranking
were insurmountable—the big guy's bloody guts sprayed out
along the floor had shown him that. If you were ferocious and
prepared enough, would the five grandmasters even pose a
threat?

But he had not begun on the second badao scroll. His gaze
fell on the box tossed into a nook in the corner of the room.
After he had come to the capital, he had seemingly forgotten
about this item that his mother had left him. It seemed that he
would have to go find a key at some point.
 Si Lili, a key player in the assassination attempt, was still on
her way to the city after having been arrested, but a decree had
flashed across the city as quick as lightning. The decree was
issued from deep within the palace. It regarded Fan Xian. In the
current context, the content of the decree seemed highly
unusual.

"In accordance with the will of Heaven, His Majesty the

Emperor thus decrees..." He watched the court eunuch's lips
flap as he spoke, but he could not make any sense of what he
was saying, as the proclamation was written in highly formal
classical language. Kneeling in the lobby of Fan Manor, Fan
Xian feared that the eunuch's spittle would land on his face,
and watched uneasily as it pooled on the green floor tiles below
him. The imperial proclamation was finally read aloud in its
entirety, and under Lady Liu's instruction, Fan Xian did what
was expected of him by the rules, calling out "may His Majesty
live ten thousand years!", thanking him again, and taking the
proclamation from the eunuch. With no anger at all, Lady Liu
handed the eunuch a banknote worth a sum of silver, and,
satisfied, he departed.

"Where do I put this thing?" Fan Xian asked Lady Liu,

clasping the edict in his hands. "I can't hold on to it forever."
 Lady Liu laughed and took it from him. "We receive a lot of
proclamations at the manor. But you can't just call it 'this
thing'. There's a special room in the manor where we store
them." Over the past few days, there had been what seemed like
an odd harmony between Fan Xian and Lady Liu. It was a
product of the circumstances they found themselves in, but
neither knew how long it would last.

"To tell you the truth, I've studied the classics, but I couldn't
make heads or tails of what that the eunuch said." Back in his
bedroom, Fan Xian redressed the wound on his shoulder. He
looked at his sister, sitting at the desk next to him, who wore
something that looked like a smile, yet was not.

"Eunuch Dai is from Tiaozhou in the south. His accent is so

thick it's hard to tell what he's saying. But these sorts of
proclamations have come to the manor a lot over the past few
years, so I can understand what they're talking about."

"What does it say?" asked Fan Xian, worried. "Why is it

addressed to me?"
 Fan Ruoruo pursed her lips and smiled, choosing not to
respond directly. "The palace has bestowed many rewards upon
our house in the past decade or so. Although father hasn't risen
in the ranks, Sizhe and I, and even Lady Liu, have received our
own titles. Now it looks like they have granted you a title too."

Fan Xian knew that Fan Sizhe, despite being nobody of any
stature, had received a title usually given to cavalry officers.
But when it came to himself, he couldn't help but feel curious.
"But I still haven't been made a legitimate child of the family.
Even if the palace wanted to give me a title, there aren’t any
that they could give to me."

"That's correct. That's why the proclamation talks about you

killing enemy spies and so on, and your services to the country,
and gives you the title of Functionary of Taichang Temple."

"Functionary of Taichang Temple?" Fan Xian sounded very

surprised. Taichang Temple was a temple where people offered
sacrifices to their ancestors, and although functionary was
only an eighth-level official position, they could enter the
Temple of Qing as they pleased. Since he had met Lin Wan'er,
he had often guessed at the identity of the nobles who were
worshipping at the Temple of Qing. Since they were Wan'er's
elders, and Wan'er had grown up in the palace, it seemed that
the noble had been someone from the palace. He couldn't be
sure whether it was the Empress or the Eldest Princess. In the
past few days that he had visited Wan'er, she had seemed
particularly worried about the power struggles that would
occur after their marriage, so he took pains not to ask her
anything about it.

So what was the meaning behind all this? Fan Xian frowned
as he pondered. If that person could persuade the Emperor to
make such a proclamation, they wanted to point out what had
happened that day at the Temple of Qing. So what was the idea
behind it? Was it a show of goodwill? Or a show of force?

Fan Ruoruo looked at his pained face, deep in thought, and

eventually could not stop herself from laughing out loud.
"Xian," she said, pointing at him, "what's got you in such a
muddle? Functionary of Taichang Temple... it's a title that is
always bestowed on anyone who becomes the Emperor's son-
in-law by marrying a princess."

Fan Xian suddenly realized and laughed, somewhat

embarrassed. It seemed that the wedding was finally
confirmed. Due to his injuries, it had been a while since he had
been to the palace. No doubt Wan'er was worried about him
after the incident—could that have made her illness worse? He
suddenly felt bewildered; how could someone so exceptionally
smart have the mother and father that they had?

"I asked you if you would help me by going there yesterday.

Did you deliver my letter?" he asked, trying to suppress the
unease he felt.

"I did," she replied serenely. "She listened to your words, and
persuaded that older servant girl. Now she eats well every day,
and her health is improving. When she heard about the attack,
she was rather worried, but yesterday she was too busy, and Ye
Ling'er was there too, so she didn't have a chance to write a
letter to you."

Fan Xian sighed and said nothing. Fan Ruoruo was the person
who understood him most in this world, and when she heard
him sigh she knew he was troubled.

"Romeo and Juliet." When Ruoruo was young, she had

listened to her brother tell her their story of love, and had
always remembered it. She smiled as she encouraged him. "You
once said that people have to be brave enough to seek
happiness."

Fan Xian was greatly moved, and embraced his little sister
tightly. He could feel her shoulder bones jutting out of her
skinny frame as he patted her on the back. "Don't worry," he
said, "those two died after one of them drank poison and the
other stabbed herself. But I'm an expert in poison and knives,
so it'll be different."

"Are you hurt?" As she watched the young man climb

through the window, Lin Wan'er felt a twinge of heartache as
she let him lie on her bed. "You're still coming here and doing
this," she grumbled, "with your health the way it is?"

"I'm worried that you're worried about me," said Fan Xian,
anxious.

Lin Wan'er felt warmth fill her heart when she heard of his
worries. She got rid of the tea in her teacup and steeped some
fresh tea for him to drink. She spoke quietly as he raised the
cup to his lips. "I understand what you mean. I've been looking
after my health the past few days. You should be looking after
yours too."

Fan Xian held the cup in his hands and waved away the rising
cloud of steam. "How can a princess wait on someone?"

Lin Wan'er bit her bottom lip. "If you annoy me again I shall
chase you out."

"Are you really willing to part with me?" Fan Xian gazed at
her, grinning slyly.

"I have decided after we're married we'll go to the villa in the
Cang Mountains and spend the winter there." Fan Xian leaned
on the bed, gazing at his fiancée's face, which was filled with
worry for him. He smiled. "It'll be good for your health, and
before that, I believe Fei Jie will have returned to the capital."

"Don't just think about me alone." Lin Wan'er bit her bottom
lip, her white teeth cutely complementing the red of her lips.
"If that sort of thing happens again, what will you do?"
 Fan Xian had already forgotten the exact number of times
that he had stolen into her bedchamber. The guards in the
manor were truly awful. They had not discovered him even
once, and had no idea that the couple was already quite so
familiar with one another. Fan Xian was proud enough of that.
Just think of the other, smaller imperial palaces—had there
been anyone in history who could sneak into them as well as he
had?

"What else is going to happen? The Northern Qi aren't idiots.

Since they've already played their hand in this manner, there's
no way that the palace will be fooled by them again."

"I'm worried that there's someone in the palace who will

target you, feeling confident that they can use the
assassination attempt by Northern Qi as pretense," said Lin
Wan'er, worried.

Fan Xian knew that his fiancée was a smart girl, and that she
had grown up in the palace. Even though the Empress was fond
of him, it was a complicated situation they found themselves
in, so he was sure that she knew more about palace affairs than
he did. When he heard her say this, he smiled and lifted up her
soft chin, rubbing it with his fingers. "Don't worry. I'm firmly
convinced that I'm the luckiest person in the world."

Feeling him tickle her chin, such an intimate gesture made

her feel both happy and nervous. Patches of red suddenly
bloomed on her snow-white cheeks, and she immediately
pushed away his hand. "Nobody can rely on luck all their life,"
she said, a little uneasy.

Fan Xian loved it when she looked so bashful. "I was lucky
enough to have you," he said, teasing her. "Is having me...
important?" Lin Wan'er drooped her head a little. From this
angle, the fluttering of her long eyelashes suggested that she
was rather nervous.

"Very important." Fan Xian embraced her. He wasn't an expert

in words of love, so he felt a little nervous, and he awkwardly
tried to search for her lips.

As Lin Wan'er allowed herself to be embraced, and his

masculine scent filled her nostrils, she couldn't help but feel
weak. She leaned into his chest and turned her head. "Who
could want to kill you?" she said quietly.
 This fortuitous turning of her head evaded Fan Xian's stolen
kiss. Fan Xian wasn't resentful at all, and when he heard the
question, he felt a slight chill. He held her close, feeling her
soft skin, his hands involuntarily stroking her back. "Don't
worry."
Chapter 95: Not Letting Flirting
Interfere with Selling Books
Lin Wan’er felt a tickle along her back and had to giggle.
Still, she managed to say, "If it were my parents…"

Fan Xian, who was enjoying the feeling of the girl in his
arms, stopped suddenly. He looked at her seriously. "If it really
were eldest princess and the prime minister, what would you
do?" The two of them were still in contact with each other’s
bodies when he said that, which took away from the
seriousness of the question.

After a long period of silence, Lin Wan’er stared bravely into

his eyes, her hands clasped behind his neck. "Once I’m married
to you, I will belong to the Fan household."

Fan Xian knew what she meant. While there was some
lingering worry in their conversation during Fan Xian’s nightly
visits, he knew his fiancée wasn’t overly close with the eldest
princess because she was raised in the palace by Empress
Dowager. Even so, upon hearing how much she was willing to
give up, Fan Xian was so grateful that he felt embarrassed.
 This young couple came from similar backgrounds and led
similar lives, so they knew each other’s hardships and pride.
Because of that, they chose each other to spend the rest of their
lives with from the moment their eyes met at the temple. How
could the royal family care for such sentiments? Fan Xian gave
this young maiden care and gentleness she never experienced
before, while she, in this dark bedroom, provided solace to his
fatigued spirit.

"When can you go outside?" Fan Xian embraced her.

Lin Wan’er leaned against his left shoulder, taking care not to
touch his injury. Hearing Fan Xian’s question, she answered,
"I’ve been in the palace ever since I was little. I rarely get the
chance to go outside, and that was only after my uncle gave me
the authority as a ruler four years ago. And now that my body
is weak…" She suddenly broke off. "Hey, don’t you think it’s
inappropriate to be groping around all the time?"

That took Fan Xian by surprise, but only for a moment. He

quietly giggled, "But I really like this feeling of groping
around… Back to the topic, you need to move around and get
some sunlight." Hearing him say he enjoyed groping made Lin
Wan’er realize how absurd she had been for the past few nights,
letting a young man lay next to her in the same bed. She
helplessly blushed and said, "Then I’ll go ask uncle tomorrow."

"Uncle?" Hearing such a familiar title made Fan Xian laugh,

"Oh yes, our uncle is the greatest emperor under the heavens.
With his word, you will become my wife."

Only now did Fan Xian remember the Imperial order from
yesterday. After hearing about the order, Lin Wan’er learned
that the young man next to her had been named the
Functionary of Taichang Temple, meaning their marriage had
been officially confirmed. Overjoyed, she couldn’t help but
blush again.

Fan Xian looked at her blush with a smile on his face. This
girl was gentle and spirited, but also shy. He had always
thought the girls in this world were like the ones from his
previous life. He didn’t think he would be climbing walls every
night. And for a proper ruler like her, this was already a major
event.

"Oh, by the way, when we first met in the temple, who were
you with?"
 "I was with His Majesty." Lin Wan’er replied curiously.

"Hm?" Thinking he passed by the royal prerogative without

realizing it, Fan Xian couldn’t help but have other thoughts.
Since that guest was His Majesty the emperor, then the martial
artist he traded blows with must be the lead guard from the
palace. Fan Xian felt somewhat proud of the fact the encounter
only left him tasting blood in his mouth and nothing more.

Seeing his expression change made Lin Wan’er curious.

"What’s wrong? Was it unexpected?"

"I can only blame myself for being stupid; I didn’t think of
that." Fan Xian smiled bitterly. "I always thought you would be
with either Eldest Princess or Empress Dowager. Man,
traveling in this world, it’d be a shame not to see His Majesty
once."

"Although I don’t know too much about the outside, I do

know the Fan household is revered. It wouldn’t be difficult for
you to seek an audience with His Majesty. Besides…" The girl
lowered her head in embarrassment, "After we get married, you
would have to go see uncle anyway."
 Hearing her mention marriage and seeing her charming
shyness made Fan Xian’s heart skip a beat. He sneakily snuck
his left hand—which had been around Lin Wan’er’s shoulder—
downwards along her waist until it finally reached that soft
and plump place. With his heart swaying, he squeezed his
hand. The smooth firmness was just to his liking.

Lin Wan’er had previously been tolerating his presence

because he presented himself as a well-mannered gentleman.
For the past few days he didn’t do anything too unreasonable.
Not only did she trust him, but she even inexplicably felt a bit
proud of him.

Never once did she think he would start lusting after her!
Because of that, she initially did not respond to the fact her
butt had just been squeezed. She stared at Fan Xian blankly for
a moment and noticed the lust growing stronger in his eyes.
Only now did she realize what just happened. Her entire face
turned bright red and tried to pry off that perverted hand from
her backside.

Fan Xian was too enamored by her ample hips and would not
let go. He embraced her more tightly. As his right arm was still
in no condition to do this, he decided… to use his legs. Hanging
on to the girl like an oversized koala, he locked his lips with
hers.

From the first touch, her lips were moist and warm.

They didn’t part from each other for a while. Fan Xian felt
refreshed and speechless, while Lin Wan’er was in a daze and
on the verge of tears. She did in fact cry out from
embarrassment. Looking at her, Fan Xian didn’t know what to
say. He forced a smile and tried to explain, "I couldn’t control
myself, I just couldn’t."

"You’re harassing me." Lin Wan’er wept. However, she kept

her sobs low in order not to alarm the guards outside and the
old nanny downstairs.

"How so?" Fan Xian felt greatly wronged. They would be

husband and wife soon. What was wrong with getting a little
intimate?

As if guessing what the young man was thinking, Lin Wan’er

said with a pout, "There are still a few months until our
marriage."

Fan Xian looked at her with a shady smile. "We’ve already

spent so many nights together. What’s the big deal?"

Lin Wan’er was afraid he would say that. She blushed yet
again and started to hit him. Halfway through, however… she
thought about his injuries and stopped. Unfortunately, while
turning, she came in contact with something rather indecent.
As gentle as she may be, she knew what just happened and no
longer cared for Fan Xian’s injuries. She forcefully pushed him
off her bed.

"You should go back now. You’re still wounded." She buried

her face in the blankets, unable to look at Fan Xian.

Naturally, Fan Xian looked down. Feeling wronged, he told

her, "Then I’ll see you tomorrow."

Lin Wan’er pulled down her blanket for a bit, exposing her
rather pitiful face. She asked, "Don’t you have actual business
to do tomorrow?"
 "Oh, that’s right. The bookstore opens the day after
tomorrow," Fan Xian recalled. The men from the Overwatch
Council weren’t back in the capital yet, so he wouldn’t be able
to investigate anything. In that case, it was better to take care
of matters at hand. As the saying goes, sharpening your knife
won’t waste your time cutting. This could probably be
considered one of Fan Xian’s good points.

He dared not bully the girl any more than he already had, so
he opened the window to leave. Moonlight spilled in,
illuminating the maidservant who was sleeping close by.
Seeing her sound asleep, Fan Xian let out a chuckle, wondering
if she would get fat after sleeping like this for a few days.

Two days later, the bookstore officially opened. Dongchuan

Road was crowded with people. Even the Imperial scholars
ditched classes to come and see. The storefront was
constructed out of high-class timber and the building was
decorated by colorful lanterns. Furthermore, the entire store
was garnished by the smell of new books. Eventually, however,
too many people came, and the fragrance of books got replaced
by the stench of sweat.
 Half of those people were here to see Fan Xian. Everyone was
curious about this illegitimate son who had just came to the
capital a little over a month ago. How did he manage to
become so influential in such a short period of time? They also
wanted to know why a martial scholar like him would open up
a bookstore. There were many lucrative trades in this world,
and selling books was far from an ideal business.

Ever since his near-assassination, Fan Xian’s view on life

underwent a drastic change. He no longer had any intention of
running this bookstore behind cover. He instead came out in
the open and introduced himself and his brother as the owners.
He also gave his bookstore a name, calling it "Danbo
Bookstore". Its nameplate was calligraphed by King Jing
himself and hung proudly above the front door.

The surrounding crowd pondered at the meaning of this

name. Fan Xian explained that "Danbo" implied "sincerity", and
meant "being worry-free without chasing fame or riches". He
then threw out the quote "one can’t be sincere without simple
living, one can’t have high aspirations without a peaceful state
of mind" by Zhuge Liang. The crowd was shaken at the sound
of this; even the crown prince was hearing this explanation for
the first time and was shocked—he took this as a sign that they
were confessing unwillingness to interfere with major affairs;
obtaining safety by showing weakness.
 Only Fan Ruoruo understood her brother. "Danbo"
represented "wandering in Danzhou."

Seeing the crowd growing large and larger, Fan Xian began to
sweat. He whispered to Ye the shopkeeper, "Those
advertisements worked a bit too well. So many people have
come on the first day."

The shopkeeper was no stranger to the term "advertisement"

and chuckled. "It is known that the Dong family had Minster
Cao’s original copy. After 68 chapters, we are the only ones
printing it. The fame of Story of the Stone alone is enough to
attract this many people." He paused for a bit before chuckling
again. "And of course, they’re mainly here to see you; to see
what a poet who could kill an eighth-ranked master looks like."

Fan Xian was taken aback and muttered, "I’m neither over
two meters tall nor over two meters wide; what’s there to see?"
Chapter 96: Danbo Bookstore
Whether Fan Xian wanted it or not, he was showered with
congratulations. Perhaps they were seeking a rare opportunity
to get closer to Minister Fan, or perhaps they knew that the
Emperor had granted Fan Xian the title of Functionary of
Taichang Temple and that someone in the palace was soon to
be married. So they came from every department of the
bureaucracy to gain face, all sending their subordinates with
messages of congratulations. Even the estates of the princes
sent people bearing gifts. Dongchuan Road was filled with
sedan chairs, and the sound of praise sprang up everywhere,
with gift boxes quickly filling up the drawing room.

The people on the street gathered round and watched in

astonishment. For this much activity to be going on in a
bookshop, this Fan Xian—a master of the pen and the sword—
must have been a rare individual indeed, they thought. And the
best part of the opening was that from that point on, Danbo
Bookstore would never again be harassed by those shady
figures from the criminal underworld, and rarely would there
be troubles with officials either.

Fan Xian watched the situation calmly, cupping his hands in

greeting to the customers, knowing that most of them had
come for his father's sake. Fortunately, the bookstore itself was
much too narrow, and the customers were not of great
importance, so they only stayed for a brief chat, explained
which house they represented, and went on their way. After
those people left, there was still some doubt. Why were the
members of the magnificent Fan family engaging in such a
business? They must have known that it wasn't particularly
prestigious work.

At that moment, Li Hongcheng, Crown Prince Jing, finally

arrived. The people on the street who were aware of his
identity all saluted him, and he returned it with warmth and
none of the arrogance of a relative of the Emperor. His face was
like the spring winds, and he looked particularly cultured.

"That Danbo Bookstore sure is something," said a couple of

people on the street, curious as they watched him enter the
store.

"Prince Jing's estate and the Fan family have always had good
relations, didn't you know?" came the reply.

Seeing that he had arrived, Fan Xian felt slightly worried. He

was gentle as a spring breeze, yet willing to compete with the
Second Prince. What kind of person was the Second Prince? He
smiled and shook his head and tried to get the whole thing out
of his head. He stepped outside to greet him. He still wanted to
have a simpler friendly relationship with Li Hongcheng.

After they had both gone inside the quiet store, Li

Hongcheng looked at the decor and gasped in admiration. "It
looks like you've spent quite a lot."

"Just 1,700 taels of silver," said Fan Xian, pouring him a cup
of tea. "It's a small business, certainly not something that
would catch the Crown Prince's eye."

Li Hongcheng accepted the tea, shaking his head. "The Fan

family is skilled at making money. Every court bureaucrat
knows that. It's just that Count Sinan makes money for the
royal family, while you're making your own money. It's not the
same at all."

Fan Xian laughed. "When you're making money, you always

have to pay taxes to the state. Even if you keep some for
yourself, you can't let it go to waste in your hands. If you go
out and spend it, and you care about other people's businesses,
then other people's businesses will do well. And the state will
receive more in taxes. So no matter what sort of business it is,
as long as it earns money, that money ultimately goes to the
royal family, and ultimately goes back to the common people."

Li Hongcheng was a little confused, but it seemed like he

understood. "That's quite a claim," he said in admiration, "but
it seems to make a lot of sense. The state has always honored
agriculture and restrained commerce, so I'm curious as to why
you would engage in such a business. Perhaps you have no
intention of following an official career."

Fan Xian felt embarrassed. In his previous life, before he had

fallen ill, he had tried and failed his political economy exam a
number of times. It was just idle chatter. Why did it now make
a lot of sense? He suddenly stopped and changed the topic. "All
right, no more talk of official careers. I've only written two
works of doggerel, it's not like I'm preparing to give up straight
after taking the imperial examinations."

Li Hongcheng had long been perturbed by Fan Xian's strength

of character. He finally took out his fan in front of him again
and began fanning his neck. He smiled. "If what you wrote was
doggerel, how will the people at the Imperial College survive?
Look, there must be a number of students outside who want to
pay their respects to the poet Fan Xian. If it weren't for your
family's servants blocking the way, it wouldn't be nearly so
quiet in here."

Fan Xian looked anxious. "Those students from the Imperial

College, some of them are old enough to be my grandpa, but
they're still called students. It's really difficult to bear."

Li Hongcheng laughed and pointed his fan at him as he

spoke. "Look at your face; so worried. Even if I'm teasing you,
you always take it so seriously. You really are an interesting
fellow."

Fan Xian rolled his eyes. What was interesting about him?
"This time I must trouble the prince with a request," he said.
"When may I visit your mansion and pay my respects to your
father?" Li Hongcheng was taken aback. But then he realized
that the young man did not know that he had already met his
father. He smiled and decided not to mention it, preparing for
the joke that he would later play on Fan Xian. "Whenever you'd
like to visit. You don't need to have my permission."
 Li Hongcheng, Crown Prince Jing, had always felt that Fan
Xian seemed much older than his sixteen years suggested. It
wasn't that he didn't care how he was perceived by others, but
at the very least he was always exceptionally calm. He had
always wanted to break that calmness. He clapped his hands
together suddenly. "That's right, I forgot to congratulate you."

Fan Xian was taken aback. He wasn't sure what he had to be

congratulated about.

Li Honcheng stood up. "Congratulations on being named

Functionary of Taichang Temple. It is wonderful news. We
should have some celebratory drinks."

Fan Xian laughed. "I would have thought you'd have known
about it much earlier."

"Before it was just a rumor in the palace, but it wasn't the

truth just then, so it didn't count."

It wasn't clear what Li Hongcheng was thinking. He suddenly

frowned. At that moment he suddenly recalled something. He
and the Second Prince had always assumed that the Fan family
would not want to help either of them, nor would they support
them, but his own side had overlooked an important issue.
After Fan Xian was married, his wife would be the illegitimate
daughter of the Prime Minister. It wasn't impossible... he
slowly shifted his gaze.

"Si Lili has returned to the capital in custody," he suddenly

said in a quiet voice. "Perhaps she can find out who those
people from Northern Qi were colluding with."

Fan Xian hadn't thought that the Crown Prince was capable
of thinking of so much so quickly. He was somewhat taken
aback. He faked a smile. "I'm merely an ant. I would prefer that
the nobles in the palace did not pay attention to me."

Li Hongcheng looked at him, knowing that this was not

completely true. But he did not want to lay the matter bare. He
smiled. "In short, much like that business with beating Guo
Baokun, if there's ever anything you need me to do, don't
hesitate to ask."
 "Of course," replied Fan Xian humbly. Something else
occurred to him and he changed the subject. "I was planning on
opening a tofu store in the south of the city, would you be
interested?"

Li Hongcheng was sipping his tea, and he almost swallowed

it all. Battered and exhausted, he rearranged his clothes. "A
tofu store might make a little money," he said happily. "A
bookstore at least leaves you with the dregs of a literary
reputation."

Fan Xian laughed and took no notice of him. He'd see how the
prince felt when he could get fresh soy milk delivered to his
manor. In Danzhou, he ate plenty of tofu, but because eating
habits were different on the coast, soy milk was rarely
consumed. After he had come to the capital, he drank it a few
times, but always felt that there were too many dregs in it. He
didn't know whether it was a question of craftsmanship or
something else, so he had decided to improve on it.

Later that evening, Fan Sizhe got out of school and snuck
through the back door. The last time he had been taught a
lesson by Fan Xian, he had taught the same lesson to his
classmates at school, and he felt good about it. So he didn't find
going to school quite as arduous. But today was the opening of
the bookshop, and everything from choosing the location to
choosing the paper, employing the storekeeper and setting the
prices, had all been his responsibility. He couldn't help but feel
nervous, so he went as soon as he could.

When he entered the bookstore, he groaned that he had not

been able to see the busy scene during the day, then he stuck his
head into the accountant's office. Fan Xian sipped tea as he
waited for him. After a while, Fan Sizhe strolled out, looking
confused and innocent.

"What's wrong?" asked Fan Xian, surprised.

Fan Sizhe hemmed and hawed for a long while. Finally, he

took a long breath and cursed. "We made even more money
than we thought!"

"Huh? Is that so?" Fan Xian had imagined that on their first
day, business would be decent, but he never thought it'd be like
this. He looked at the accounting papers that his brother
handed him, and his heart couldn't help but flutter. Leaving
aside the 80 sets they'd sold of the edited version of Story of the
Stone, the bustling crowds of scholars had even brought a
number of historical classics from Wansong Hall.

Fan Xian counted it up on his fingers... Doing business

definitely gave one a sense of accomplishment.

"At today's opening, there were a lot of people we have

connections with who came to flatter us. From now on it
naturally won't be as good," Fan Xian warned Fan Sizhe.
Looking at him, he clearly had dollar signs in his eyes.

Fan Sizhe swallowed some spittle, and looked at his older

brother with an envious glare. "I know that. But you can sit in
the bookstore every day. I have to sneak around. I'm really
jealous."

Fan Xian couldn't help but laugh. "You really like being a
businessman that much? Father's title will pass on to you.
You'd best study hard. One day all of the royal family's money
will be your responsibility."
 "Then I'd have to become Minister of Revenue." Fan Sizhe's
face was gloomy. "Father came third out of all the exam
entrants, but he's still only an assistant minister. Everyone
knows that that old high official has been lying about for
years, but the royal court still won't promote father. As for
me... at best, I might do okay in the exams, but I'm afraid that I
won't even be able to get that far."

Fan Xian looked at his little brother, somewhat surprised.

The boy might be unbearably stubborn at times, but he was
unexpectedly shrewd when it came to the way he looked at
things. He thought for a while. "If you love doing business,
then do it. I'll talk to father."

Fan Sizhe looked at him with joy which suddenly turned to

anxiety. "But what about mother?"

Fan Xian suddenly thought of Lady Liu, who he had not

thought about in a while. Though Fan Manor seemed joyous
and harmonious, who knew how much longer that would last?
Chapter 97: The Official’s Suicide
Ushering Fan Sizhe out of the bookshop, Fan Xian had a
sudden thought. He turned and spoke sincerely with Ye the
shopkeeper. "Could you deal with the things we've talked about
the past few days? I don't want too many people to know."

Although Shopkeeper Ye did not understand why his young

boss was interested in the people who had plundered Qingyu
Hall, he nodded in response. Those seventeen shopkeepers had
long gotten used to life in the capital, following the orders of
the princes' estates; although they had no way of doing their
own business, they lived lives of riches and honor.

"Deal with what?" asked Fan Sizhe curiously.

"Do you know what Qingyu Hall is?

"Of course I do." This shopkeeper Ye was the one that Fan
Sizhe had spent a large sum of money on to invite back. Of
course he knew. "This is a shopkeeper from the former Ye
family. I can go into business and have a team of capable
people under me. It’ll be better."
 Fan Xian was surprised, and increasingly felt that he had
been acting too cautiously. It seemed that the name of the Ye
family had become ancient history, and that the people of the
capital no longer saw it as taboo. When the carriage came to
pick him up, he found that Ruoruo was sitting inside it. Fan
Xian blamed himself. "If I'd known you were coming, I'd have
left sooner." Fan Sizhe looked at his sister and felt an
inexplicable fear. "I just came to look," he explained. "The
business has nothing to do with me. Don't tell father."

Hearing this, a smile broke out across Ruoruo's cold face.

"We are family," she said. "Who would want you to get in
trouble?"

Dongchuan Road had quieted down after its noonday bustle.

The Fan estate carriage rolled along toward the east side of the
city with the family's three children inside it. The sun set in
the west, and the carriage's shadow lengthened, spilling out
onto the paving stones. Springing up from the tiny undulations
of the paving stones, a slight chill seemed to struggle to escape
from the slates, throwing itself into the fiery twilight.

There was one more thing. Fan Xian felt that his family life
had been happy as of late. When one has grasped a few strands
of happiness, one must hold on tight. So when it came to the
attempt to assassinate him, Fan Jian—Count Sinan— was
bound by his status as an official. It was not possible to find
out the truth, so there was no choice but to endure it for the
time being. And Fan Xian was a free and unfettered soul, so he
had no misgivings.

In order to achieve the three goals that he had set for himself
after his rebirth, he could not accept being in a dangerous
environment. In his previous life, the United Nations had once
said that people had the freedom to live without fear. Although
Fan Xian did not understand politics, he thought that even if
he had passed through to the next life, there had to be some
sort of human rights.

Wang Qinian sat ashen-faced at a table. The building was a

place rented with Fan family money before leaving the city; it
was in an unremarkable location, where no one would pay any
attention to it.

Fan Xian quickly gave him some tea. "My apologies."

 He noticed that he was using formal language. Wang Qinian
did not dare accept. It was his duty to report immediately. "As
the master expected, as the group with Si Lili returned to the
capital, they were intercepted on the road. But the state had
prepared for that. The enemy was defeated. According to the
master's instructions, after they came out of Cangzhou, the
subordinates had followed the state's troops and were
pretending to be highwaymen, but after their retreat they
found evidence that they were soldiers."

Fan Xian was shocked. He wondered how soldiers could have

gotten in. "Was it soldiers from the state capital or someone
else?"

Wang Qinian thought for a moment. "We aren't sure.

According to the master's instructions," he continued, "they
were only tracking them, and finally found that the officer in
charge had escaped to Wuzhou."

"Wuzhou?"

"Correct. That night that officer met with the army in

Wuzhou." Wang Qinian suddenly thought of something else he
had to explain. "There was someone else following them at that
time," he hurriedly continued.

"Who?"

"Zong Zhui."

Fan Xian suddenly realized. "You were talking about him

before. At the time, Zong Zhui was just as well-known as you.
Didn't you say he was always by Director Chen's side?"
Suddenly, he understood. It seemed just the same as him. The
Overwatch Council had used Si Lili as a pretense to track down
clues behind the scenes.

"Correct. That day I saw Director Chen's carriage from afar.

The Black Knights were also there. If they weren't, they would
have been unable to hold back the cavalry." Wang Qinian was
somewhat uneasy as he asked. "Master Fan, since the state has
already tracked them down, shall we continue?"

"Mm. Do not worry too much about them. Which official

joined the army at Wuzhou?"
 "Be careful. His surname is Fang and his given name is Xiu.
He has no background; he is just a distant relative of General
Fang of the city guard."

Fan Xian frowned as he thought. This official of the city

guard had indeed acted disgracefully in this matter, but how
could he dig himself out of this hole? Or rather, should he
really dig himself out of this hole? If too many people were
implicated, matters would come to a difficult end. Someone
who had been commended by the palace for his bravery such as
himself might be forced to play the role of someone else.

He sighed deeply. His lips went slightly pale. "When will Si

Lili arrive?" he asked quietly.

"Tomorrow." Wang Qinian looked at him and suddenly

opened his mouth to speak. "The Director will also return
tomorrow. Master Fan, do you wish to ask the Director for
advice first? Si Lili will face the death penalty."

"And Master Fei?"

 "It seems he was not present."

Hearing that Fei Jie had not returned to the capital, Fan Xian
felt slightly disappointed. But when he thought about Chen
Pingping's imminent return to the capital, he was inexplicably
worried—although his mother had single-handedly created the
Overwatch Council, it had been many years, and men's hearts
might have since changed. But the scene that he saw when he
was reborn into this world and the careful teaching that he had
received from Fei Jie had convinced Fan Xian that the Council
was neither an enemy nor a friend... but they were their own
people.

He felt like a bullied, motherless child after fighting with a

group of strong older boys, a young child wiping away tears
and thinking: screw you all, who would dare to bully me when
I come to the capital?

At that moment, Wang Qinian suddenly laughed.

"Congratulations, sir." It seemed that even someone who had
just returned to the capital was aware of the news that Fan
Xian being given the title of Functionary of Taichang Temple.
But most people did not know the person inside the palace that
he was to marry. Fan Xian had no choice but to smile. He said
nothing.

There was a saying amongst the bureaucracy in the Kingdom

of Qing: "There's nothing that the Overwatch Council can't find
out; even if it's money hidden in a chamber pot." Fan Xian
could believe it. His father hadn't found the slightest clue, but
if there was anyone else left who could find out, it was Chen
Pingping. For the purpose of safety, Fan Xian allowed Wang
Qinian to temporarily cease his activities so he could gather
some manpower. He closely followed every movement of the
estate.

When Director Chen returned to the capital, the entire

bureaucracy responded. The night they heard that Chen
Pingping was to return, they were hurriedly called to the
palace by official decree. They discussed matters long into the
night as an already somewhat weary Director Chen returned to
the capital. The civil and military officials envied how Director
Chen remained a favorite of His Majesty. On the one hand,
they silently cursed the old man for how his labors had led to
sickness. They thought that he should retire.
 When the Director was in the palace, the Overwatch
Council's activities were meticulously carried out to the letter.
Later that evening, a large team of Overwatch Council officials
burst into the office of the city guard ferociously and began to
search the premises, and another team headed directly to
Fang's official residence.

Outside the official's residence stood a tall tree. Fan Xian

firmly grabbed onto a branch. The zhenqi flowed slowly
throughout his whole body, quietly fading into the many
leaves as he hid himself among them. His eyes looked coolly
upon the chaos inside the house.

Not long after, the activity ceased.

Disappointed-looking Overwatch Council officials came out

of the manor. They carried with them a dispiriting sight: city
guard official Fang had committed suicide to escape his
punishment, just half an hour before the Council had arrived,
by hanging himself from the roof beams.

Fan Xian sighed and waited for them to disperse, then slipped
down from the tree. On the quiet street at night, his mind was
preoccupied. Fang was a military general. Even if he had
colluded with Northern Qi and had decided to kill himself after
his plot was discovered, a knife to his own throat seemed a
more appropriate method for a military man. Hanging was too
much for a palace grievance. Perhaps he hadn't wanted to do it.

His heat skipped a beat, and he had no way of controlling it.

He headed directly to the address that Wang Qinian had left.
Wang's house was in the south of the city in an alley full of
commoners. At night, old men would lie around outside to
cool off and sip tea while their wives remained indoors. Fan
Xian slipped away from the street unnoticed, found the right
place, and disappeared into the shadows of the alleyway.

Although Wang Qinian was only a low-level official, he was

still a member of the Council. The reason he had seemed so
destitute after leaving his job was because all of his savings had
been used to buy this house.

When Fan Xian entered, Wang Qinian was lovingly watching

over his son with a large palm-leaf fan in one hand. He heard
something unusual and turned his head sharply. When he saw
Fan Xian's handsome face, he couldn't help but feel shocked.
 "Shh!" Fan Xian gestured with his hands, and quietly moved
into the peaceful space.

Wang Qinian did not think that his young master had come
to discuss his performance during the day, but unexpectedly, he
had come to find him immediately. "Master, what has
happened?" he asked, filled with suspicion.

Fan Xian told him about Fang's suicide. Wang Qinian

frowned. "You are quick indeed. It will be difficult to handle."

"Take me to the prison," said Fan Xian. "I want to see Si Lili."

"There's an ongoing investigation. If we get involved, won't it

cause misunderstanding?" Wang Qinian was more thorough in
his way of thinking than Fan Xian.

Fan Xian thought about it for a while. "Director Chen was

summoned to the palace," he said grudgingly, "I'm worried
something might have happened in the prison."
 Wang Qinian wanted to establish the truth more firmly first.
"Master," he said respectfully, "you don't want to dirty your
hands with such matters. Let a subordinate take care of it."

Fan Xian shook his head. "Let's go together," he said. To tell

the truth, he had always been curious about the prison of the
Overwatch Council. Of course, he was also curious about Si
Lili.

Night had already fallen upon the capital. The ink-black

darkness was sprinkled with bright glowing lights, and the
Liujing riverside looked magnificent, even more so than
Wanong Alley. And in the darkest part of the pitch-black
darkness was the Overwatch Council. That evening, Wang
Qinian led a mysterious man, clad head to toe in dark-grey
robes, into the prison of the Overwatch Council.
Chapter 98: Torturing a Frail Woman in
the Celestial Prison
Due to the Overwatch Council operating directly from the
emperor’s orders, the Celestial Prison was no longer located in
the Ministry of Justice building, nor was it in the Supreme
Court. It was located near the Council itself, right around the
corner, to keep serious offenders behind bars. The security was
exceptionally tight; due to its close proximity to the Council, if
something happened, help would arrive immediately.
Although Wang Qinian was no longer a part of the Council—
on the surface, at least—he and Fan Xian were trusted by the
guard thanks to Fan Xian’s badge. Together the two of them
entered the Celestial Prison.

The two iron doors opened silently; not the rusty creaking
sound Fan Xian had been expecting. The guard on duty
inspected the badge carefully before respectfully inviting the
two inside. The guard then closed the doors from the outside.

Behind the iron doors was a long corridor. Dim oil lamps
were lit on the walls on either side lit. The stone steps felt
slightly damp and slippery, but there was not a single bit of
moss, a sign that the place was carefully taken care of every
day. As they proceeded, for every set distance they walked,
they saw a warden. While those wardens didn’t look to be too
fearsome, Fan Xian eyed them carefully and discovered each
one was a fourth-ranked official.

After walking for a while, the air became stale and musty,
blending in with the dim lights. The environment was enough
to make anyone feel sluggish, as if this place was no longer part
of the world of living, but the underworld.

"Please show your official documents or permit." A head

jailer with murky eyes looked at Wang Qinian.

Wang Qinian was very respectful towards this head jailer and
gave him Fan Xian’s badge. The head jailer had a very
weathered look; the wrinkles on his face looked like ridges of
dirt that had been washed over by water. Receiving the badge,
he looked at Wang Qinian suspiciously. "Did you get a
promotion, Wang?"

Wang Qinian politely moved aside, showing Fan Xian who

had been hidden behind Wang Qinian’s frame. "I’m
accompanying His Highness today to investigate a case." The
head jailer couldn’t make out Fan Xian’s face, but he
nevertheless knew the significance of the badge in his hand.
Nodding to show his permission, the head jailer took out his
keys and opened the door next to him. With a gesture of his
hand, he invited the two to proceed inside.

Fan Xian had a troubled expression. Would they be

questioning Si Lili from behind a barrier? He didn’t want to let
too many people hear his voice, so he turned and winked at
Wang Qinian.

Wang Qinian shook his head with a smile.

After the door behind them closed, Fan Xian expressed his
curiosity. "Why are you afraid of him?" Wang Qinian replied
with a bitter frown, "He was the former boss of the Seventh
Bureau; spent his whole life watching over the prison. Even
after he passed the age limit, he willingly came back to be the
head jailer. He says he likes the smell of blood and gore here.
Your Highness, how could I not be afraid of someone like
that?"

Fan Xian shuddered. It seemed like this Overwatch Council

was a nest full of freaks like that. What was his mother
thinking, spending money to create this monster of an
organization?

As they had asked for the directions previously, they easily

found the cell holding Si Lili. Seeing the beauty inside the cage
made Fan Xian frown. Despite being locked up in such a
terrifying place, the frail woman was sitting calmly. At first,
Fan Xian thought Northern Qi must have disciplined her well.
But then he thought she wouldn’t be that impressive, or else
she wouldn’t have attempted to escape the capital. Anyone
more capable would have willingly submitted and dragged
down some higher-ups with them in order to cause as much
unrest in the Imperial court as possible.

Unbeknownst to Fan Xian, his theory was largely in

agreement with the theory of the official who was in charge of
bringing Si Lili back to the capital. He took off the grey robes
from his head and looked at Si Lili while gently calling out,
"Miss Lili."

Si Lili knew someone was there. She had just arrived back in
the capital today; for her to be questioned so soon, she thought
for a moment that she was quite important, so she
intentionally showed a haughty expression. But to her
surprise… it was the esteemed son from Fan Manor!

"Sir Fan?" Si Lili was beyond bewildered, but managed to

keep herself from shouting out.

"Miss Si, it’s been a few months since we bid farewell at the
Drunken Immortal. I didn’t think we would meet again,
especially not under such circumstances." Back on the day
when they shared a bed, they had been so intertwined. Back
then, nothing would have made Fan Xian believe she was a spy
from Northern Qi.

Si Lili thought of something as her expression darkened. She

said, "I never imagined you would be so secretive."

Fan Xian sighed slightly. "Thin bamboo is reflected on the

banks of the Yi River, just like the cold, crisp autumn night. If
a crane were standing proudly by the side, it would be an
incomparable scene. I suppose it was fate that brought us
together, although I don’t understand, how could you plot
against my life?"
 Fan Xian had quoted that Qian Weiyan poem in order to
show his refinement. As Si Lili was a prolific courtesan in the
capital, she had been adored by the public all her life as a
woman of civil virtues. Due to that, Fan Xian believed she
would have at least some virtue to her. His sigh was also
intentional. It was his attempt to weaken the spy’s mental
defenses. Unexpectedly, Si Lili only lowered her head,
seemingly unmoved.

Fan Xian sighed again. "Such a pretty woman; why choose to

be a criminal?"

Si Lili gave him a charming smile. She was a pretty woman

indeed, "Since you were able to come here to see me, you must
command some status. We each serve our masters with our
lives. What else is there to say?"

Fan Xian’s display of civility had been all for naught. Smiling
bitterly, he realized that not every woman would fall for that
kind of show; he was being absurd by expecting results.
Calming his nerves, he took out a small bottle.
 Throwing the bottle through the bars, he said coldly, "It’s
poison. Eventually someone will come to force you to confess.
If you don’t want to suffer, take it." The bottle rolled on the
straw on the ground before stopping next to Si Lili, who picked
it up and gripped it tightly. She never imagined this gentle and
endearing young man would turn into a demon in the blink of
an eye, enticing her to kill herself.

If she was willing to die, she wouldn’t have tried to escape

the capital in the first place.

Fan Xian predicted this. Looking into her eyes, he said softly,
"What? You tried to kill me, am I supposed to pamper you?
Don’t be ridiculous. Since I just provided you with an easy way
out, why not be grateful? You’re not worthy of being a spy if
you’re this afraid to die."

Si Lili gritted her teeth in anger and stood up. Her dark gaze
pierced through the messy hair, focused on Fan Xian’s face.

Fan Xian’s face was at ease. "No need to talk more about life
and death. You are no idiot; you knew even if you exposed
whoever it was that conspired with Northern Qi, you would
still die. That’s why you’d rather say nothing."

Suddenly, Si Lili felt the young man’s voice was getting more
and more distant, more and more weightless, and more and
more terrifying.

"I don’t belong to the Imperial court, I purely wanted to find

that person to exact my revenge."

"I want to make a deal with you."

"Other than trusting me, you have no other choice."

Fan Xian spoke without emotion, but his words were beyond
chilling and got lower and lower. Eventually he sounded like
he was talking to himself. "I’m reluctant to torture women.
But you did try to kill me. Because I’m a proponent of women’s
rights, I believe men and women are equal, especially in this
struggle of life and death."
 He had been digging graves since he was a child; his
refinement on the surface couldn’t completely hide the chilling
horror underneath which would occasionally burst out. Wang
Qinian left to find the head jailer to prepare some torture tools
without saying a word.

A woman’s countless screams resounded throughout the

Celestial Prison!

A long time later, Fan Xian looked at Si Lili, who was passed
out on the pile of straw. Looking at the bloody pulp which used
to be her fingers, Fan Xian showed no emotion. The one who
did show emotion, however, was Wang Qinian, who had been
standing nearby in silence. He didn’t think such a refined
young gentleman would be so unshaken at the sight of torture;
he didn’t know exactly how merciless Fan Xian could get under
his gentle mask.

"In order for torture to be effective, you need to cycle at least

once every five days," Wang Qinian swallowed nervously. He
then explained in a low voice, "As we just saw, this Si Lili is
new to this, which was how we managed to force some
information out of her. But in the end, she is still disciplined.
Once it involves information she must keep hidden—plus the
unbearable pain— it’s no wonder that she fainted."

By the time the frightening head jailer came, Fan Xian had
already put on his grey robe and hid his face. As he started
gathering up the torture tools, he said while shaking his head,
"Your Young Highness, torture is also a trade. If you made her
confess in such a short period of time, you would shame every
one of us professionals."

In frustration, Fan Xian made may for the head jailer to

leave. Once the head jailer was far away, he turned to Wang
Qinian with a bitter smile. "I guess it’s better to leave it to the
professionals. Let’s come by again after a few days to get an
update. Judging by the guards, I don’t think anyone will be
able to sneak in to eliminate her." As they were about to leave,
Si Lili woke up. Feeling the wounds on her hand, she let out a
chilling scream. Back during her days on the entertainment
boats, she had entertained countless men with her hands and
lips. Today, those hands had been ruined, and those lips could
only scream out.

Fan Xian stopped for a bit. He turned to look at Si Lili behind

the bars.
 Si Lili bit her bottom lip, all color drained from her face.
Cold sweat drenched her hair, and her two eyes were like those
of a wounded lioness. She stared at Fan Xian’s face maliciously,
as if wanting to imprint his appearance into her mind.

Fan Xian continued to stare at her, standing silently still.

Taking the hint, Wang Qinian distanced himself.

"Take care of that bottle. Next time, if you really can’t

endure the torture, take it." Fan Xian tested her with death for
the second time, his tone full of indifference.

This time, Si Lili cried out. She hatefully stared at Fan Xian
with a gaze that was venomous without equal.
Chapter 99: Sweet Words
The damp air, mixed with the fishy scent of blood, was
beginning to ferment at the end of the corridor outside the
prisoner's cell. The man and woman who had exchanged
insincere affection in bed just a month ago had long since
switched roles. Fan Xian looked at this miserable woman and
frowned slightly. At first he had thought that she was the kind
of woman that they wrote about in novels of the Ming and
Qing dynasties, and that they could do wonderful things
together, or that he could take her home like the poet Bai Juyi.
Who would have thought that the story would end so hastily;
before it had even started? But there was little to regret. Since
she had wanted to kill him, if he had shown too much
sympathy, as Fei Jie had warned him years ago, that would be
extremely irresponsible, not just for himself but for those
around him.

Their bitter glares met each other. "I think life is something
you should grasp hold of if you can," explained Fan Xian
calmly. "I gave you the poison, but you should know that your
death would be of no benefit to me, so there's no need to look at
me like that. I still pity you, but I don't feel guilty in the
slightest. Your people crushed three of my guards' skulls like
watermelons. Who would feel guilty about your death?"
 He waved his hand. "Perhaps you don't believe me. I once
despised Heaven, and thought that all the good things in life
would always come to a miserable end. If hate was of any use,
then my hate would have pierced a million holes in Heaven. So
I finally understood, when you are still able to take control of
your own health, you should be happy that you still have more
days left to live."

Si Lili remained silent. She simply lifted her wounded hands

to stop them from touching the rough grass on the floor.

"Think about it, Miss Si. No one's life is that important in

this world," said Fan Xian calmly. "You are a subject of the
Kingdom of Qing, but you are giving your life for Northern Qi.
You're giving up so much. I don't think it's for the money, but
for revenge. I don't know if the rumors about you in the capital
are true, but if you want to do something about it, then you
have to save your own life. And if you want to live, you're
going to have to pay the price."

Si Lili suddenly lifted her head, though the light in her eyes
had dimmed, like a fire burning deep within a tomb. She was
never going to be willing to let it burn out. After a long time,
she finally spoke through gritted teeth. "How can you make
sure that I'll stay alive?"

Fan Xian was surprised. He knelt down beside her. "You came
back to the capital today, and today I'm able to be here to
investigate you in the Celestial Prison. You can guess at what
my position is in the Overwatch Council."

Si Lili weakly shook her head. "Do you think I can believe
you?"

"It has nothing to do with belief," said Fan Xian gently. "This
is a gamble, but right now, you're only a passive part of it.
Because you don't get to choose between life and death."

Si Lili's gaze wandered helplessly. It seemed like her emotions

had gotten the best of her. For some reason, she turned to look
at Fan Xian's handsome face. But when she thought of the
night that the two had spent in the pleasure boat, an
inexplicable hatred arose in her heart. Like a lunatic, she threw
herself at him and spat in his face.
 Fan Xian moved sideways to avoid it. He was astonished. It
was clear that this woman was softening toward him. How
could she suddenly act this way? He did not know that no
matter whether it was in his previous life or in this one, no
matter what their occupation, women's thoughts were elusive.
They were as treacherous as the seafloor and as hard to get a
hold of as climbing on rocks.

Fan Xian felt rather annoyed. His brow wrinkled tightly, and
his face shifted from one expression to the next. It was unclear
what he was thinking. He thought of the official who had
killed himself the night before, and of the one in Wuzhou who
he feared was already dead. He knew that this woman was
ruthless and quick. If he wanted to capture the person who had
really targeted him, it seemed he only had Si Lili's say-so to go
on. If her confession came too late, he feared that the people
linked to her would also be dead, or would have already
escaped. And it seemed that there was not enough time to
break down this Northern Qi spy using torture. Unfortunately,
what Fan Xian needed now was time. Even if he tried to stall
for time, who knew what might happen?

It looked like she wasn't going to say a word. Fan Xian felt
somewhat dispirited. He stood up from the bars of the cell,
seemingly ready to leave with Wang Qinian. Suddenly, he
sighed deeply, and returned to the cell entrance, frowning. He
looked at her coldly through the bars that separated them.
Wang Qinian looked at him, astonished.

Fan Xian spoke in a quiet voice. "Tell me who did it, and I
swear on my ancestors that I will let you go."

The response that greeted him was a deathly silence, but Fan
Xian wasn't willing to give up. He looked at Si Lili, his gaze
softening, looking over the bloody hands that she held over her
chest.

The damp air of the Celestial Prison smelled like mold, and
the bars that separated Fan Xian and Si Lili also appeared to
have mold growing on them. After some time had passed, Si
Lili was still biting her lower lip. She said nothing. Clearly she
was struggling with some kind of pain deep in the bottom of
her heart. The bottle of poison he had thrown her was made
from green porcelain. She held it in her hands as she lay
quietly on the dry grass. It seemed like it was letting off a
strange smell.

Some time later, Fan Xian sighed, seemingly giving up. He

moved closer to Si Lili. "The way you're holding your hands...
you’re like a cute little dog," he said.

Afterwards, Wang Qinian felt that Fan Xian must have been
on edge for being able to poke fun at an enemy spy in that kind
of situation. Fan Xian did not think so; it was something that
he'd said without thinking. Of course, he did not know that
this utterance would have an immediate result for him.

When Si Lili heard him mention a cute little dog, she was
shocked.

To everyone's surprise, the spy began to giggle, and then

burst out laughing. Her face changed, and it was unclear what
she was thinking, but it seemed that she had relaxed. It seemed
that after this fit of laughter, she had lain down all of her
burdens. Her attitude became timid, and she began to plead for
her life, gently and cautiously. It was like her body was
floating in warm water, totally comfortable, and she clearly
began to think of all the beautiful things in life.

She slowly lifted her head, and two words came from her
pale, quivering lips: "Mr. Wu."
 Hearing this, Fan Xian turned to Wang Qinian, shocked.
Wang Qinian nodded to show that he'd heard the same thing.
He let out a sigh of relief, and a faint excitement rose up in
him. He reached into the cell, watched by a confused Si Lili,
and retrieved the porcelain vial of poison from the dry grass.
"Thank you," he said to her, and then turned and left.

Si Lili seemed to have understood something. She gripped the

bars with her bloody hands and called out to him sadly as he
left. "Don't forget. You swore on your ancestors."

After the thick steel door opened noiselessly, the prison of

the Overwatch Council was plunged back into silence and
darkness. The prisoners never lasted more than a few days in
this place, and so there weren't many criminals left. Deep
within the prison corridors came the faint yet clear sound of
pitiful sobbing.

A moment later, a prison guard respectfully pushed a

wheelchair out from a secret room. Chen Pingping sat in the
chair, his eyes closed in rest. Suddenly, his eyes opened. "What
do you think about the appointment I've made?" he asked.
 He was asking about Fan Xian.

The prison guard thought for a moment. "He's ruthless," he

replied. "But he's only half up to the task."

"Which half?"

"He might be ruthless in his methods, but deep down, he's a

gentle young man."

Chen Pingping smiled. A look of admiration floated across

his aged face. "That's fine, that's fine. A warm heart with
ruthless methods is better than a ruthless heart with useless
methods. At least he got the information out of Si Lili, even if
it was by accident."

"What do we do with Si Lili?" asked the prison guard.

Chen Pingping thought for a moment. "We'll see," he said

quietly. "If we can turn her into one of ours, then we should
try. If that's not possible, then of course we'll have her killed."

"Do we not need to give that task to commissioner Fan?"

"I am preparing to give him this building, but as he still lacks

the ability at the moment, there's no need for him to know too
much."

"Yes sir," replied the guard. "Something is already being

prepared."

Chen Pingping coughed. At the moment, the entire

bureaucracy thought he was still being detained at the imperial
palace. No one would have thought that he had come to the
Celestial Prison. He coughed violently, and indicated to the
guard that he wheeled out. He closed his eyes and thought for a
moment. "Since Mr. Wu has already hounded that official Fang
to death, I presume he has already left the city. I fear it's too
late."

The guard shrugged. He was in charge of the affairs of the

Seventh Bureau, and had always held the First Bureau in
contempt for its ruthless efficiency. There was no pleasure in
these sorts of matters. So he did not care whether or not they
caught this Mr. Wu. He looked at the corridor with its high
ceiling. "Mr. Director," he said with some grief, "you shouldn't
eavesdrop next time. It's hard for you to move this wheelchair."

Chen Pingping smiled. He had come here as soon as he had

left the imperial palace. He wanted to see his enemy's son for
himself, to see what he was like, to see whether he had the
ability to take on everything he had prepared for him. As for
the assassination attempt on Niulan Street, he felt the same as
Wu Zhu did. Nothing was important; everything was simply
trivial. If Fan Xian had died that way, it wouldn’t have been
anything to worry about. And there was an important aspect to
how Fan Xian had dealt with the matter.

It was a small test.

Fan Xian did not know this. He and Wang Qinian hurriedly
left the Celestial Prison. Wang Qinian told him that Mister Wu
was a well-known strategist within the capital who flitted
between the Second Prince and the Crown Prince, seemingly
without taking a clear side. But according to rumors, he was
behind a number of incidents within the bureaucracy.
 Fan Xian raised his eyebrows slightly. His handsome face
darkened slightly. He knew that he was a wily old fox who
would have covered all of his tracks. It was possible that he
had already learned of all this and fled to some mountain to
live in seclusion. This so-called master manipulator's favorite
thing to do was to wait seven or eight years for things to die
down, and then smugly emerge, continuing to play his evil
tricks.

"How do we know that what Si Lili said was true?" asked

Wang Qinian.

"It's simple," replied Fan Xian calmly. "If that Wu Bo'an is still
in the capital, then it isn't him. If he has already fled, then it is
him."

It was a simple judgment, and perhaps it was closest to the

truth. There were too many matters in this world that men's
stupid brains had made complicated.

"Don't tell me you're really going to set Si Lili free?" asked

Wang Qinian, anxious. "Sir, you don't have the right to do
that, and what's more..." Although members of the Overwatch
Council had no respect for ghosts, they still had respect for
their ancestors.

Fan Xian did not reply. The ancestors he had in this world
bore little relation to him. He knew it would be difficult for
him to show his face again, and told Wang Qinian to inform
the First Bureau. Mu Tie knew his identity, and should believe
what Wang Qinian had to say. As they parted, Fan Xian
confirmed that the person they wanted was Wu Bo'an.

After things were sorted, Fan Xian slowly made his way back
to Fan Manor, vaulted the wall, and quietly laid down in bed,
waiting for the next day's news. After Wang Qinian entered the
Council, he was surprised to find that his First Bureau
colleagues were ready and waiting. Mu Tie smiled as he saw the
shock on his face.

That night, there was no business in the capital. After Fan

Xian returned to Fan Manor, he greeted everyone, then entered
the secret room that he had requested from his father. He
carefully retrieved a small leather bag, and pulled out the
small green porcelain vial. The bottle was green and slightly
bigger than other porcelain bottles, so it was enough to hold a
little bit of sleeping gas—the kind he had used to loosen Si
Lili's resolve before. Fan Xian had truly made use of a lot of
skill. He took out a pottery jar from the corner and opened its
lid. The strong smell of the sleeping gas almost made him feel
dizzy.

He dipped the small porcelain bottle into the jar and refilled
it. Fan Xian returned to his bedroom. His legs intertwining
with the thin silk blanket, he fell into a somewhat restless
sleep. The next day, Wang Qinian came to report to him.
Somewhat ashamed, he told him that Wu Bo'an had already
left the capital. He had already expected this, so he was not
disappointed in the slightest.

Within nine kilometers of the capital there stood a manor. In

the distance, one could see the snow-capped summit of the
Cang Mountains. Even if it was already early summer, the air
around the manor was cool and refreshing. The grapevines had
already begun to sprout their leaves, and the vast, lush
greenery was pleasing to the eye.

At that moment, Wu Bo'an—whom Fan Xian was

painstakingly searching for—was sitting free and unfettered
among the vines. When he saw the young man in front of him,
he reproached him. "You shouldn't have come."
 The young man was the second son of the Prime Minister,
Lin Gong. He looked at Wu Bo'an and spoke with a tone of
utmost courtesy. "Mr. Wu, you are about to be forced to leave
the capital. I am here to send you off."
Chapter 100: The Vineyard Collapses
Wu Bo'an smiled slightly. He believed himself to be a key
player in all things, and in calculating all of his affairs, people
always assumed that he wavered between the Crown Prince and
the Second Prince. But no one knew of his link to the Prime
Minister. "It's too risky," he said reproachfully. "The Prime
Minister does not know of our plans. If anyone were to find
out, I fear your father would find it difficult to escape."

Lin Gong laughed sinisterly. "Sir, if you would hide yourself

away in the Lao Mountains and wait for chaos to erupt in the
capital, then the Crown Prince will know that he will only be
able to depend on us, the Lin family, to stabilize the land."

"Correct." Wu Bo'an seemed anxious. "Ever since I heard news

of the young lady's marriage, I have been unsure of whether
the Eldest Princess was still capable of managing the treasury.
The Empress seems rather indifferent."

From the incident with the Prime Minister's illegitimate

daughter at the beginning of the year up to the latest attempt
at currying favor, Wu Bo'an felt that His Majesty had caused
the Prime Minister to greatly lose face. He feared that it was all
part of a plan to ensure that the Crown Prince ascended the
throne. Just as expected, the Crown Prince had begun to
distance himself from the Prime Minister, and so the latest plot
he had secretly hatched would not only kill Fan Xian in one
stroke and temporarily stabilize the situation with the royal
purse - it would also let forth a flurry of rumors regarding the
Crown Prince, forcing the prince's estate to renew its close
relationship with the office of the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister had objected to the plan from the

beginning, but his second son had seemed particularly
enthusiastic. The son and the master strategist had begun to
plot in secret. Falsely claiming to be under the auspices of the
Prime Minister, they had issued orders to the Fang brothers,
long hidden within the armed forces - but to Wu Bo'an's
surprise, Fan Xian had survived the terrible assault, and he had
killed an eighth-level master who had left behind unerasable
traces.

Although the situation was still under control, the official

Fang had already been killed. Even if the Overwatch Council
discovered that Wu Bo'an had been behind it, there was no way
they could have detected any link to the Prime Minister. So Wu
Bo'an told the Prime Minister's second son to make haste back
to the capital.
 Lin Gong smiled proudly. "I've already been running this
manor for a long while. Even if the emperor's bodyguards or
the Overwatch Council come, they'll find it very hard to get
inside to capture anyone. Besides, all of our business has been
carried out in secret. Who could even know that we were both
here?"

Wu Bo'an thought for a moment. That was indeed the case.

After putting his mind at ease, his deeply ingrained scholarly
habits revealed themselves once again. He waved his paper fan
toward the grapevine trellis above his head and laughed. "This
grapevine trellis is very well-built, but it reminds me of a joke."

"What joke?"

"There was once this henpecked official. One day, he was

scratched on the cheek by his wife. The next day he went to
court, and the governor asked what had happened. The official
replied awkwardly, Last night I was cooling off in the shade
under the grapevine trellis when it collapsed, and it scratched
my face.' The governor was angry, and chided him. 'This was
that shrew of a wife of yours. Don't be so ridiculous. Quick,
tell the bailiff and he will come find your wife.' At that
moment, the governor's wife was eavesdropping on them.
Angry, she burst into the court and began to chide the
governor. The governor panicked and quickly said to the
official, 'Run and save yourself, my grapevine trellis has also
collapsed...'"

After telling the joke, the two men laughed out loud. The
Prime Minister's second son, Lin Gong, had of course heard
this joke before, but he had gleaned another meaning from the
joke. Was Mr. Wu mocking his father for being henpecked? His
mother had died prematurely... could it be that he was saying
that the Prime Minister was afraid of the Eldest Princess?

Lin Gong felt angry.

At that moment, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a

shadow appear in the garden.

It was a blind man, his eyes covered with a length of black

cloth, holding a rock drill with a point that dripped with
blood.
 Lin and Wu both stood up, startled. They knew that this man
had slipped in silently, and that the highly skilled guards
outside had already been murdered with his stone drill. When
he realized that the guards had died without even making so
much as a sound, Lin Gong's blood ran cold. "Who are you?" he
shouted, filled with fear. "Tell me!"

Wu Zhu said nothing. Like a ghost, he rushed in from the

garden.

Lin Gong screamed. He pulled the blade from his belt and
threw it straight at him.

Wu Zhu moved to one side, dodging the blade. Wu Zhu was

already standing right in front of his face. The two men were
extremely close together. It was a strange-looking situation.

There was a thwack.

Blood dripped from the rock drill, which had sliced through
into Lin Gong's back. He looked at the length of black cloth in
front of him. His eyes were filled with fear and shock. He was
the son of the Prime Minister. And this man had killed him
without saying a word. The rock drill had pierced through his
chest. With a final quiver, Wu Zhu drew it up across Lin Gong's
body. It was a terrible sight.

With a tearing sound, Wu Zhu quietly withdrew the rock

drill from Lin Gong's body. It seemed extremely unhurried, but
he had already quickly moved three steps to the side, to avoid
the spray of blood gushing out from his chest.

The rock drill had gone straight through Lin Gong's heart,
and blood spurted from the hole in a beautiful arc.

Watching this bloody scene, Wu Bo'an turned pale, but his

mouth remained rigidly shut, not making a single sound. He
saw the cloth over the man's eyes and realized that he was
blind, and decided to try to slip away.

Wu Zhu turned his head and "looked" at him.

Wu Bo'an was overcome with a sense of hopelessness, but he

still maintained a bitter smile. He tried his utmost to steady his
voice. "I'm not working for the Prime Minister! A warrior like
you, giving your life for people...It doesn't seem like you have
much of a future. My name is Wu Bo'an, I'm old, I have many
friends in the capital, and if you've got the ambition, a fighter
like you could..."His voice suddenly stopped, and with great
difficulty, he lowered his head to look at the rock drill that had
already pierced through his throat.

He didn't understand why this assassin didn't even want to

hear what he had to say... he was a feeble scholar, and there
was nothing threatening about him. And he had considered
himself such an expert tactician, planning for everything,
eloquent beyond compare. If this blind killer had just listened
to what he had to say, he would not have murdered him - there
were so many things he still wanted to do with his life; why did
he have to die like this?

The death of Wu Bo'an, master manipulator, was a simple

one.

In Wu Zhu's thirty years of life in this world, there was

something he had never understood. No matter where they
were from - whether it was Dongyi, Northern Wei, the capital,
or here - every time he killed someone, they would talk
incessantly right up until the end. The Lady had once said that
"the point of the sword is always more powerful than words".
Wu Zhu always thought he had understood that saying, but he
never understood why no one else in the world did.

Wu Zhu withdrew the rock drill, and walked alone out of the
garden.

After he had left, the grapevine trellis could no longer bear

the force of Wu Zhu's murderous onslaught. With a crash, they
collapsed, covering the two men's corpses in a mess of vines
and bamboo.

Over the next few days, the Overwatch Council received no

information. Mu Tie visited Fan Manor in attempt to butter up
to them, but could say nothing of Wu Bo'an. The formidable
master strategist had disappeared without a trace. Fan Xian
seemed uneasy, so Mu Tie's hand on his thigh did not leave a
good impression.

Count Sinan also secretly aided the search party, and yet they
came up with nothing. After Wang Qinian reported, ashen-
faced, that the operation had been a failure, Fan Xian had no
choice but to rid his mind of the matter, forcibly turning his
thoughts to the more-positive matters of his little sister, the
bookshop, and chicken legs, waiting for the man with the
black cloth on his face to do his work.

One afternoon, he brought Ruoruo and Sizhe along to pay a

visit to Prince Jing's manor.

To his surprise, Prince Jing was not in the house. Crown

Prince Li Hongcheng had no choice but to tell them. "Father
has gone to the temple and said that the Empress Dowager
wanted him to come."

Fan Xian laughed. He hadn't thought about the matter much.

He went with Li Hongcheng under the awnings in the rear
garden, eating melon seeds and chatting, avoiding the early
summer heat. They were not strangers, so the young princess
Roujia, the one who had once interested Fan Xian, was also
there, and they did not refrain from saying anything. Fan Xian
looked at the young girl, and could not help but feel a lingering
fear. He had heard Ruoruo talking about the situation with
Story of the Stone, and had once fantasized that once the
princess knew that he was its author, she might fall in love
with him at once.
 But looking at Roujia, Fan Xian put a stop to that kind of
thinking.

The princess was very pretty, with rosy red cheeks and a
gentle and polite demeanor; she was perhaps the gentlest girl
that Fan Xian had ever met in this world. But Fan Xian
continued to turn his nose up at her, refusing to show her the
slightest appreciation.

Because this princess was just turning twelve this year, she
was an under-ripened fruit; she was a girl, not a young woman.
Underneath the surface, Fan Xian felt some affection, but he
was not fickle in love. As soon as he began to think about this
twelve-year-old girl, he began to panic and tried to think of
something else.

Who would have thought when that Princes Roujia’s gaze

met Fan Xian's as she sat obediently by Ruoruo's side, her eyes
would sparkle with shyness, her thoughts would be muddled,
and her heart would fill with panic?

The servants of the prince's manor took Fan Sizhe off to

shoot arrows. Fan Xian and the Crown Prince chatted idly as
the two girls quietly held their own conversation. Fan Xian felt
awkward. Suddenly, he saw an official of the prince's palace
hurriedly making his way toward them and whisper something
into Li Hongcheng's ear. Li Hongcheng's face changed, and
they turned their gazes to Fan Xian, looking doubtful.

"What is it?" Fan Xian looked at the awnings and smiled. "
The grapevine trellises in your manor are so well-built. It
reminds me of a joke."

The Crown Prince did not give him the chance to show off in
front of the girls. With a serious look, he pulled him to one
side and spoke in a quiet voice. " Something has happened."
Chapter 101: No Title
"What’s the matter?" Fan Xian knew something was up, or
else Li Hongcheng wouldn’t be so tense. Regardless, he still
forced a smile. "Did your grapevines not work out?"

On another note, despite already being old enough to marry,

Li Hongcheng had yet to do so for unknown reasons.

"I don’t have time to joke around," Li Hongcheng said with a

dark expression, "There had been a double murder yesterday in
a manor just at the foot of the mountains. Both Wu Bo’an and
the second son of the prime minister died."

Fan Xian went pale with shock. "What?"

Li Hongcheng said, "You heard me right. Your future brother-

in-law is dead."

Fan Xian, however, wasn’t thinking about such complicated

family relationships. This news made him panic somewhat.
Wu Bo’an’s death had been within his predictions, but… if this
wasn’t the work of Uncle, rather someone trying to eliminate
all evidence, the second son of the prime minister wouldn’t
have been caught up in it. Fan Xian knew well enough that his
status was far below his brother-in-law. Since he and Wu Bo’an
died together, could it be that the one who plotted the
assassination was…the father-in-law, the prime minister?

Fan Xian didn’t hold much sentiment towards this brother-

in-law he had never met. But thinking about it, Fan Xian
couldn’t help but be troubled. He calmed himself down and
asked, "How did they die?"

Li Hongcheng described the crime scene. Because the manor

was relatively secluded, normally a something like this
wouldn’t be discovered for a long time. However, on the third
day, people came to deliver some orders and discovered the
bodies. Because the victims were the son of the prime minister
and Wu Bo’an, who had special status, the incident was
reported—skipping the government building and Ministry of
Justice and going directly to the palace.

King Jing was in the palace today and happened to hear the
news. He asked the father-in-law he knew to pass it on to Fan
Xian.
 This suddenly hit Fan Xian; King Jing should know of his
visit today. For King Jing to take the risk to deliver the news
meant it must be important for Fan Xian to know. But why?
Seeing Fan Xian’s confusion, Li Hongcheng lowered his voice,
"The Council is looking for Wu Bo’an because they heard he is
related to your assassination attempt. And for him to die at a
time like this, people might suspect you."

Fan Xian pretended to be frightened and waved his hand.

"I’ve nothing to do with this mess. If the Council couldn’t find
him, how could I? If the prime minister believes I did it, how
am I supposed to continue living?"

Li Hongcheng was convinced and let out a sigh of relief, "If

you really did it, I had to reevaluate my opinions of you; I have
to really be on your good side in the future."

Fan Xian and Li Hongcheng had gotten this familiar with

each other by now. Fan Xian scolded jokingly, "What a rotten
thing to say. I could only pray to heaven that the prime
minister wouldn’t link his son’s death to me."
 Li Hongcheng reassured him, "That shouldn’t happen. Your
words hold a lot of weight. You haven’t been in the capital for
too long, and there is no way you could catch someone who
eluded even Director Chen. Even if he was caught, he wouldn’t
randomly start killing." He looked at Fan Xian seriously, "I
believe you. I’m also going to speak to my father on your
behalf; I think not even the prime minister would act
irrationally."

Fan Xian sighed, "I’m just afraid that the prime minister
would want to explain why his son was with Wu Bo’an. You
should know that Wu Bo’an is connected to the spy from
Northern Qi; he is a confirmed traitor."

Li Hongcheng nodded and spoke with slight worry, "It’s just

that the old prime minister lost a son. After suffering such a
blow, if he were to be framed by the political enemies for
having connections with Wu Bo’an, his life would most likely
not be peaceful."

Fan Xian secretly gave the prince a look, thinking, "Aren’t

those ‘political enemies’ you and the second prince? Why
speak as if this doesn’t involve you?"
 Leaving King Jing’s manor on the Fan carriage, Fan Ruoruo
noticed her brother had an uneasy expression. Worried, she
asked him, "Do you feel unwell? Too much time under the
sun?" Fan Sizhe also came over, giving Fan Xian his folding
fan.

Fan Xian was a bit irritated and in a foul mood. He spat out,
"None of your business!" Only after he said it did he realize it
wasn’t appropriate of him. With an uneasy smile, he
explained, "Something really complicated came up; I really
have to think on it. Don’t worry about me for now."

Once back to the Fan manor, the first thing Fan Xian did was
run to his father’s book chamber. Fan Jian was not there;
perhaps he had been summoned by the palace.

Fan Xian went back to his room, a bit unsettled. After sitting
down at his desk, he discovered the back of his shirt was
drenched in sweat. In truth, as soon as he heard Li Hongcheng
describe the bodies, Fan Xian knew who the killer was; in this
world, no one was more familiar with Wu Zhu’s methods than
him.
 The night he found out Wu Bo’an’s name, Fan Xian knew the
man was as good as dead—however, he did not expect Lin
Wan’er’s second older brother to die too.

While no one knew how Wu Zhu found Wu Bo’an, it was

regular practice for him to kill whoever plotted against Fan
Xian’s life. Wu Zhu was as strong as a grandmaster; in his eyes,
he didn’t care if a person was the son of the prime minister. In
his eyes, everyone were merely flesh-and-blood bodies. As long
as it could bring Fan Xian trouble, no one would was safe from
Wu Zhu’s iron stake.

The reason Fan Xian found it unsettling was because, if even

King Jing suspected him, what would the prime minister
think? He did want to avenge his bodyguards, not to mention
Teng Zijing and himself; he also considered the one behind it
all could be the prime minister, his future father-in-law. Even
if the latter were true, Fan Xian would only kill Wu Bo'an as a
warning. The death of Lin Wan’er’s second brother was
completely unexpected. The Lin family only had two sons,
supposedly the eldest had some problems…

Thinking of Lin Wan’er gave Fan Xian a headache. Even

though she grew up in the palace and wasn’t that close with the
rest her family, they were still siblings related by blood. That
was an indisputable fact.

Fan Xian stood up and circled around his desk a couple times.
By the time he focused his eyes, he decided to keep this from
Wan’er for the rest of his life; he must never let her know it
was his uncle who killed her brother.

Deep in the royal palace, there was only utmost solemnity.

However, the room where the one with the most authority in
the world resided wasn’t as impressive as the land upon which
he ruled. Incense gradually burned down, leaving behind only
a pile of ash. The sun, descending eastwards, casted its light
through the door, illuminating the floating puffs of willow
seeds.

The room floor was paved in pale stone. To either side stood
dozens of high-ranking government officials. There was no
official court summon today, and this was not the Imperial
court, but rather a side palace. The great emperor of Qing
wasn’t sitting high up on his dragon throne, but in an ordinary
chair.
 Today, the emperor was dressed in a casual blue-green outfit.
He wore a gold silk belt decorated with dragons, and his jet-
black hair was tied back tightly, although a few white strands
shown through his sideburns. He sat leisurely on the chair,
placing himself lower than the officials standing around him.
But somehow, he still retained the same aura as if sitting at the
top of the world, looking downwards at his retainers.

The political events had already been discussed. Only some

senior and very important officials stayed behind.

Chen Pingping was the first one on the left. Because he was in
a wheelchair, he was quite conspicuous. He hung his head,
seemingly without much energy, to the point of almost falling
asleep. The other officials present all knew he was His
Majesty’s number one aide, Director Chen. Due to his insights,
he was exempt from the court summons. But this summon for
today was mandatory.

The Prime Minister, Lin Ruofu, was the first one on the right.
Because of his special circumstances, he too was seated, but on
a round stool. Due to his robes being a bit long, he looked
somewhat humorous. This notorious man had a nice
complexion, his eyes were full of spirit. Only his slightly
graying facial hair exposed his true age. He must had been very
handsome in his younger days.

Today, his eyes were slightly red, and his lips a bit pale. It
appeared that he had been weeping.

"My condolences, Prime Minister," the emperor said gently,

his voice reverberating in the room. "You may rest a few days
at home, so that you can… bid farewell to your child."

Lin Ruofu stood up and saluted in respect. With a strained

voice, he said, "I wouldn’t dare. This was merely about that
son of mine; to trouble Your Majesty was already a crime."

The other officials too, offered their words of condolences,

saying stuff like you can’t bring the dead back to life, among
other things.

Suddenly, Lin Ruofu raised his voice, "Your Majesty, pardon

my disrespect, but I ask that Your Majesty seek justice on my
behalf, for that dead child!" After saying so, he knelt down.
This prime minister normally had a heart of stone, but even he
nearly fainted upon hearing about the death of his second son.
The old burying the young; how could he withstand such
emotional trauma?

The emperor showed the most inconspicuous sign of a smile,

but it went unnoticed, since no one dared stare His Majesty in
the face. stare at His Majesty in the face, the expression went
unnoticed. The emperor showed surprise at the prime
minister’s words. "It hasn’t been too long since the young son
of Fan household was attacked, and now came another violent
crime. Of course, the capital will take care of it, rest assured. I
promise to give you an answer… if anyone were to catch the
criminal, they are to send them to the Ministry of Justice. If
anything couldn’t be worked out, then let Director Chen be in
charge of dealing with it.

Although he appeared to be deeply asleep, Chen Pingping

opened his eyes and replied with a smile.

There was a flash in Lin Ruofu’s eyes, but only for an instant.
He kowtowed to the emperor and didn’t stand back up until the
other officials urged him to.
 The emperor looked at him calmly. The Qing Kingdom did
not place too much importance on such formalities, and the
emperor knew it was not easy being the prime minister.
Suddenly, he frowned and asked, "There was involvement from
Northern Qi in the previous case; that was to stir up the
Imperial court. Could this case also involve foreign criminals?
Has the security really fallen to such pitiful state? Send down
the order, have Bei Sansi do an investigation."

He then scolded harshly, "Chen Pingping, you should be

more mindful as the director! Have you forgotten your duties?
Your home-visit this time dragged on for an entire month, and
it took the death of several people to get you to come back!"

In front of the emperor’s rage, the entire room was quiet.

Chapter 102: Deception Before Emperor
Hearing His Majesty raise his voice made the officials
nervous; they had rarely seen him get this angry, and it was
even rarer for His Majesty to be so harsh towards Director
Chen. Chen Pingping, however, wasn’t fazed in the slightest,
explaining, "On the way back to the capital, someone in the
Imperial court tried to take Si Lili away; the spy from Northern
Qi who has connections with the assassination attempt on Fan
Xian. Because of that, I was forced to take a detour, which took
more time."

"Oh, I see. Then it’s fine," the emperor said lightly. He had
brought the topic to such attention, and he had now put it back
to rest just as simply..

The other officials initially feared that Director Chen had

fallen out of favor of the emperor. But after later
developments, they understood the reason for Chen Pingping’s
lateness and the fact His Majesty was trying to clear the
department. However, at the mention of Si Lili, the officials
were shocked; it was their first time hearing about an
abduction attempt on an escorted prisoner. Perhaps there
really was someone in the Imperial court collaborating with
Northern Qi to inflict chaos onto the political system.
 "Put Si Lili aside for now and focus on solving the case of the
prime minister’s son first." the emperor stared at Chen Pingping
coldly.

Cheng Pingping stretched his body. He took a look at Lin

Ruofu, before smiling in reply, "Those two cases… are actually
one and the same."

"How so?" Not only the emperor, but all the other officials
became intrigued by what Director Chen just said. Only Lin
Ruofu thought of something and appeared uneasy.

"The prime minister had just lost his son, and so there is
something that would be inappropriate to say now. But I also
wouldn’t dare hide anything from Your Majesty, so please
pardon my insolence."

The emperor frowned. "Speak."

Clenching his dried-out hand into a fist, Chen Pingping

raised it to his mouth and coughed, as if to get rid of all the
phlegm from his lungs. Finishing, he said, "When the second
son was killed, he was with Wu Bo’an."

"And who is this Wu Boan? Be clear."

Wu Bo’an was quite well-known among the political circles

in the capital. The officials present all heard of him. However,
they always thought he only hung around the crown prince
and the second prince; for him to be with the son of the prime
minister had been unexpected. They started to get worried.
After all, everyone here were civil officials; if that rabid dog
Cheng Pingping exposed something, it would be a blow to all of
their dignity.

Lin Ruofu still sat on the round stool. His eyes were still red,
but otherwise he didn’t look worried.

"During the current investigation, Si Lili confessed that the

one conspiring with Northern Qi was none other than Wu
Bo’an. The one who let the archers into the capital was the
leader of the city patrol, Fang Daren. The raiders we
encountered outside Cangzhou City were led by a subordinate
of Fang Daren’s distant cousin Fang Xiu… from the look of this,
Wu Bo’an was the planner, while Fang Xiu and Fang Daren
carried out the plan. As for why the bodies of the archers were
cremated with such haste, that remains a mystery.

"What are you trying to say."

"Nothing else other than curiosity as to why the prime

minister’s second son would meet up with the main culprit of
the Fan Xian assassination case at the manor beneath the
mountains."

The other officials gasped upon hearing this. Guo Youzhi, the
director of the Board of Rites, was the first to speak on the
prime minister’s behalf, "More like that Si Lili couldn’t handle
torture and threw out a name as a scapegoat, even if Wo Bo’an
was connected with the previous case." Turning to the
emperor, he said, "Please forgive my act of impulse. I genuinely
do not believe it was suspicious in the slightest for the second
son to be with Wu Bo’an. After all, Wu Bo’an was a high-
achieving scholar from twenty years ago with many
connections in the capital. For Director Chen to make such
baseless accusations despite the prime minister’s pain is too…
unbearable! Unbearable!"
 Lin Ruofu stood up and bowed to His Majesty. He spoke in a
pained voice, "My son was not the most-disciplined and
unpredictable. But to accuse him of anything traitorous, I
refuse to believe it no matter what." He then added, "I have met
that Wu Bo’an. He was indeed a man of talents. I traveled with
him before to visit the various sights of the capital. Should he
have a mortal enemy, wouldn’t I too be likely targeted?"

"Indeed." Another official shook his head. "I too have met
him. The man appeared proper and formal. If he really turns
out to be an absolute scoundrel, why would it concern the
second son? Director Chen should be more mindful about his
words."

Lin Ruofu was suddenly moved. "Should I have any

connections with this incident, may I be damned! Damned!"
Seeing the prime minister make such a serious statement, the
officials knelt together. Seeing them, the emperor gave Chen
Pingping a look, his eyes showing his amusement. Suddenly,
His Majesty’s expression turned icy. He gave the officials the
permission to rise and said, "Chen Pingping had already asked
for pardon. Furthermore, he’s not yet finished. Please allow
him to continue."
 Chen Pingping had always dominated the Imperial court
alone, while the other officials huddled together. Chen
Pingping glanced at Lin Ruofu and said, "I beg your pardon,
prime minister. I merely don’t understand. The Overwatch
Council could not find Wu Bo’an after days of searching, but
your son was able to chat with him over alcohol. It’s natural to
want to know what’s going on."

"Regardless, we don’t know if Wu Bo’an is the main culprit at

the moment. Perhaps he made plans to go to the mountains to
sightsee with the second son. Chen Pingping, put the matter
aside for now." The emperor suddenly stopped Chen Pingping’s
explanation.

Seeing His Majesty taking their side, the other officials

breathed a sigh of relief. But Lin Ruofu was hit by the last
sentence and felt a chill. He knew His Majesty was warning
him not to exaggerate the matter.

This was a trade which both sides were aware of. Lin Ruofu
believed in Yuan Hongdao’s judgement. Gong’er’s death should
be unrelated to the Fan household. He fell silent as he accepted
the facts. If the Overwatch Council really do investigate along
the current trail, his position as the prime minister would be at
grave risk.

"You said the two cases are actually one; what did you
mean?"

Chen Pingping looked at his colleagues mercilessly. In

response to his venomous gaze, the officials uncomfortably
cleared their throats. Director Chen said quietly, "During the
autopsy for both cases, the victims’ wounds all suggest that the
killer was a practitioner of Sigu sword style. That was the
reason why I suspect the two cases are connected."

Hearing those three words, even the officials without any

knowledge of martial arts shuddered. That would explain how
a single killer was able to kill over ten highly-skilled
bodyguards without causing a commotion, not to mention
killing every one of them with a single strike. Only Lin Ruofu’s
expression remained unchanged, as if he knew from the
beginning.

"Eh?" the emperor frowned. While the Four Great

Grandmasters still weren’t something worth his concern, they
were still the strongest martial artists. To the prestige of the
Imperial court, they were intolerable existences.

"Among the assassins sent to kill Fan Xian, the two females,
according to Council records, should be disciples of the Sigu
sword school in Dongyi City. Months ago, it was reported that
Sigu sword style is not in Dongyi City. I suspect that sword
freak has come to Qing."

The emperor slowly closed his eyes. "Why didn’t he go after

the Fan child, but Wu… Boan instead?"

"Everyone knew that Sigu Sword was obsessed. His disciples

were killed in a counterattack, and he would most likely
admire the opponent instead of holding a grudge. But someone
like him would also despise underhanded tactics and forbid his
disciples from taking part in political struggles. Maybe Wu
Bo’an managed to bribe those two female assassins. I’m afraid
that Sigu only sees Wu Bo’an as the one responsible for the
deaths of his disciples."

There wasn’t even the slightest change in Chen Pingping’s

expression as he lied.
 A long time later, the dignified voice of the emperor could be
heard reverberating throughout the room. "It will be done as
thus: demote Yi Mei for a year; have the Overwatch Council go
investigate the patrol division and relieve Jiao Ziheng’s of
duty. The ministry of justice will continue to work on the two
cases. Afterwards, have Dongyi City hand over the culprit."

After declaring so, the emperor offered some words of

consolation to Lin Ruofu and left the room.

After the other officials withdrew, Chen Pingping had a

palace girl push him in his wheelchair to the deeper parts of
the palace. The palace people were used to seeing this; they
never even imagined receiving the same privilege. That was
also the reason why they grouped together to oppose the
authority of the Overwatch Council, which also meant they
were opposing the authority of the emperor himself. This
seemed to be deeply imprinted in the minds of various officials
since the day Qing was founded.

Some of the officials even wondered if it was because that

rabid dog Chen Pingping received His Majesty’s trust due to
being paralyzed and without an heir.
 Deep inside the palace complex, there were no servants
around, only the emperor and Chen Pingping sitting across
from each other.

The emperor raised his teacup and took a sip. As if unhappy

with the temperature, he smashed the teacup to pieces before
Chen Pingping’s wheelchair. The tea splashed onto Chen
Pingping’s pants; after all, the man cannot move his legs.
Unlike previously, the emperor’s voice was exceptionally icy
and crushing. "Sigu sword style? Don’t you think you are being
a bit too absurd?"

Chen Pingping pretended not to notice what just happened,

still smiling. He answered respectfully, "I dare not fool Your
Majesty. The wounds point to Sigu sword style. The entire
Council and the ministry agree."

The emperor gave a slight smile. Suddenly, his eyes flashed.

"Is Old Wu in the capital?"

Chen Pingping slowly raised his head. He opened his mouth

but didn’t speak until moments later. "Correct, Sir Wu is
currently in the capital."
 As if tired, the emperor massaged his eyebrows. "How much
more are you hiding from me?" His Majesty then sighed,
"Forget it. But, if you dare to hide things from me, then you
must be able to hide it from the world. Let none of them
discover Old Wu’s existence."
Chapter 103: Breakthrough in the Puzzle
"As you wish." Chen Pingping respectfully complied.

"Were those two female assassins really disciples of Sigu

sword style?"

"Yes."

"And that Sigu Sword really won’t go after the Fan heir out of
revenge?"

Chen Pingping replied with respect, "As one of the

grandmasters, he still has his dignity, and is still currently
training in Dongyi. Things will be fine as long as Fan Xian does
not go there. In addition, I am currently dealing with the
situation."

"Very well. We haven’t finished discussing the other thing

from two nights ago. Let’s continue today." The emperor half-
closed his eyes to take a rest. He then asked, "After dragging on
for so long, you’ve finally returned to the capital. Even if you
aren’t afraid of complaints in the court, I still have to respond
to them. I know you don’t want to meet his demands."

Chen Pingping lightly tapped a finger with his right hand, it

was unknown whether he was nervous or excited. But his face,
full of wrinkles, was still calm as ever. "After this incident, the
prime minister would be sure to seek revenge. While he would
believe Sigu Sword was responsible, in the end, he is going to
think his son died because of Fan Xian. So, about this
marriage…better call it off."

The emperor said quietly, "That wouldn’t be an issue. King

Jing already came to the capital. For some reason, he really
took a liking to that kid. While King Jing normally doesn’t do
much, if he decided he wanted to protect someone, no one in
the Imperial court would do anything about it. As for Lin
Ruofu, he’s smart. Now that Lin Gong is dead, he’d rationally
figure out who to trust after twenty years or so."

"King Jing?" Chen Pingping sounded surprised.

"Of course, he didn’t recognize him, which is also the reason

no one knows why he took a liking to the kid," the emperor
sighed. "Perhaps everything about this has been fate."

That last sentence seemed to have brought up painful

memories in both of them; they became silent.

Suddenly, Chen Pingping said, "I was opposed to it four years

ago. Today, I still am."

The emperor opened his eyes. "You are younger than I am,
yet years of toil have aged you so much. I advise you to keep
away from so many things. You don’t have the right to
interfere with the kid’s business anyway."

Chen Pingping smiled. "After this is over with, I’m going to

retire."

"After what’s over with?"

"The business with that child, Your Majesty."

 The emperor’s tone suddenly became light. "I went through
so many loopholes trying to get his mother’s belongings back
to him. I pretended to spoil Chen’er and made her a ruler. I
made the property the marriage gift and then asked the
empress to appoint it. Only then did I manage to get him to
openly have what’s his. After all I’ve done, are you still not
satisfied?"

"I dare not say that." Chen Pingping knew His Majesty had
spent considerable effort to ensure the Ye household would
return to Fan Xian. He said seriously, "I’m only worried that,
after I’m gone one day, what would happen to the Council? If
an outsider were to take charge, it would be very dangerous."

Unlike the sovereignty of an emperor, the Overwatch

Council was an unusual existence which relied entirely on the
emperor’s absolute trust of Chen Pingping. Once Chen
Pingping died, it would cause unimaginable disturbance in
Qing’s political circles, regardless of who took over.
Appointing some other official would endanger the royal
family; appointing one of the princes would lead to an
unbalance of power and make passing on the throne difficult.
 The emperor closed his eyes again, this time to think. "You
think I should give the Council to him?"

"Correct. That child is no outsider and naturally would not

threaten the Imperial court. Also, his status ensures that he
wouldn’t be able to interfere with the struggle for the throne.
He is the most neutral choice," Chen Pingping explained slowly

The emperor seemed to be a bit convinced. "Let me think

about it. You take care of your body; you should easily have
ten or twenty years left. No need to hurry."

"Yes." Seeing his goal for today had been achieved, Chen
Pingping saluted the emperor and took his leave. One of the
palace girls was already here to push him out.

The emperor stood up, his eyes remaining closed for a long
time. He opened them suddenly and watched the wheelchair
make its way out of the palace. He never suspected Chen
Pingping’s loyalty, but he did question why that woman always
on the mind of that old dog. To obtain all possible authority
for the sake of that child—thinking of whom, a flash of
gentleness suddenly appeared on His Majesty’s face for an
instant. The two had never met, so His Majesty wanted to see
him sometimes.

After the palace girl pushed his wheelchair out of the palace,
another servant took over and pushed him to the gates, where
the men from the Council helped him to get on the carriage.
The carriage proceeded along Zhuque Avenue, its wheels
rolling over the stone pavement and making a rhythmic noise.
However, after a while it still hadn’t left the inner city.

The road towards the east was very quiet and the day was
getting dark now. The carriage found a secluded spot and
stopped. There, another carriage was waiting. The attendants
of the two carriages seemed not to know each other, but they
silently left their carriages in sync and formed a somewhat
secretive circle of defense.

The two carriages were close to each other. At the same time,
the occupants lifted up their curtains and Chen Pingping and
Fan Xian’s father looked at each other. Chen Pingping became
angry at the sight of that proper face. "You took the moment
when I’m not here to ask His Majesty to set up a nice marriage
for your son!"
 Seeing him getting angry, Fan Jian was neither afraid nor
tense. With a smile, he said, "Four years ago, you ruined my
thing. Now I’m merely trying to get even."

Chen Pingping said coldly, "That pile of stinking money,

what’s so joy-worthy about it?"

Fan Jian shook his head. "Money is most important. Don’t

forget, when the Council first came to be, had it not been for
Xian’er’s mother, you would all probably be begging on the
streets today."

"The current palace treasure is no longer the Ye household. If

you Fans want to take over, you would only make matters
worse. His Majesty forced the Ye family to acknowledge the
illegitimate daughter in order for you to coexist peacefully
with the prime minister. And, it’s done out of foresight to not
let people know the princess married the prince," Chen
Pingping laughed in mockery, "Listen to me and call off this
marriage. It would be a good thing for you and him both."

"You think I don’t know what you’re planning?" Fan Jian

frowned. "You always believed the eldest princess has
something to do with what happened all those years ago. It’s
been this long, you still have no evidence."

"That’s not the only reason. Even if His Majesty feels he owes
him something, think about it: If His Majesty really hands the
Ye household back to him, what’s going to happen to the
Council? His Majesty had sworn to never allow anyone to
possess two national weapons at the same time, not even him."

Fan Jian only frowned even more. "If you know that, then
why make my son get involved in these things. Wouldn’t it be
better to have him become a rich man?"

"And a rich man is easy to become?"

"With you and me in the capital, and the eldest princess

having learned her lesson, the future years should be very
peaceful."

Chen Pingping took on a chilling tone, "Don’t forget, your

own… son, was almost killed a month ago."
 Fan Jian looked at him in the eye. "That was my carelessness,
not your problem. Had you not throw a tantrum and not
returned to the capital when you should have, the capital
would not have been shaken as much as it had been."

Chen Pingping asked calmly, "If your son really died like
that, would you and I still have to spend so much effort?"

After some silence, Fan Jian said, "With this incident, I have
a much bigger price to pay than you do. So, whenever there
isn’t a choice, I hope you can respect my decision." Chen
Pingping thought about it for a moment and agreed. Without
saying another word, Fan Jian let down his curtain and gave
the order. The two carriages parted and went on their separate
ways.

Darkness enveloped the capital. In this night, black as ink,

some people came together for mutual benefit, while others
came together for the same ideals. Often times, they would
separate because of the same reasons, only to wait for fate to
reunite them again someday. Outside the palace complex,
under the red walls, a sedan chair was proceeding slowly. At a
distance behind it followed some entourage. The royal guards
saw the sedan chair walking along the palace walls, but didn’t
question it.

The sedan chair belonged to the prime minister. Every time

Qing became plagued by issues, he would let people carry him
on his sedan chair and circle around the palace walls. Some say
he was using the dignified and quiet environment to think.
Those who didn’t see him in a positive light thought his
obsession with authority drove him to the point of perversion.
The second year after Qing was founded, the southern region
suffered from major floods. The prime ministers circled around
the palace walls on his sedan chair and came up with a detailed
plan for disaster relief the next day. His plan was clear enough.
However, the treasury could not fulfill the financial demands.
At such crucial times, some large sums of money entered the
treasury from outside and provided backing for the prime
minister’s disaster relief. The emperor too, of course, was glad.

This world’s people always say "The prime minister is akin to

wickedness", as shown by his household. But when looking at
the big picture, the prime minister had been very capable.
Whether wicked or capable, under certain circumstances, the
prime minister would revert back to his most basic roles, such
as being a father. Today, he was circling around the palace
walls without being interrupted because people knew his mood
was at a low point due to his second son’s death.
 It was gradually getting late. The red candles and lanterns
were lit in the palace. The faint yellow light shone through the
window and casted over the tall walls, but the area under the
walls was still cloaked in total darkness. The sedan chair
slowly made it to a secluded spot. Walking towards it from the
opposite direction came a single lantern. After it had gotten
close, another sedan chair could be seen.
Chapter 104: That Woman
The two palanquins stopped at the same time. The porters
lay down the rods, and just like the meeting between Fan Jian
and Chen Pingping, they quietly withdrew to a spot in the
distance. The palanquin passengers faced forward, and the
people inside should have felt uncomfortable, but strangely,
neither the Prime Minister nor the other person in the
palanquin got out to see each other.

So the palanquin passengers bowed to each other, like two

friends clasping their hands in greeting, and like a bride and
groom coming forth from the bridal room to kneel before
Heaven in ceremony.

"Ruofu, do not grieve too deeply." A gentle voice finally came

from the opposite palanquin. It was the Eldest Princess, come
out of the palace to see her lover of many years.

Hearing that familiar voice, the Prime Minister frowned

slightly. It seemed that he was thinking back to all those years
ago. He spoke quietly. "I am deeply grateful that you would
concern yourself with my family's affairs, Your Grace."
 Hearing such a distant tone of voice, the Eldest Princess's
voice became soft and mournful. "This distance between us...
how can we speak of it? Why do you speak so formally?"

A cold laugh came from the Prime Minister's palanquin.

"Your Grace, I could not allow myself to become putty in your
hands."

The other palanquin was silent, seemingly taken by surprise

by such wounding words. After a long time came a pitiful
reply. "Ruofu, what are you really thinking? Though Gong was
not my child, I would still have people send him gifts during
the New Year, and I still loved him just as you did... how can I,
a princess, have become your punching bag? To hell with it
all... you are sad. Otherwise you would not be speaking with
me."

Lin Ruofu suddenly gave a snort. "Today I am visiting Your

Grace because I wanted to say that I have given my consent to
Chen'er's wedding in October."

Darkness hung outside the palace walls, with only the

lantern beside the Eldest Princess's palanquin scattering a few
scarce beams of light. The long period of silence was enough to
confirm that the woman inside the palanquin was weak and
delicate. At that moment she was astonished, and on hearing
those words she became angry. After some time had passed, the
Eldest Princess spoke with a voice as clear and cold as the
winter winds. "She is my daughter! You cannot allow her to
marry that Fan bastard!" Whether she was inside the palace or
outside, the Eldest Princess had always presented an image of
utter frailty. Who could have known that she would speak so
forcefully?

"Can you... disobey His Majesty?" Lin Ruofu's voice had

somehow taken on a tone of self-reproach. "Besides... His
Majesty has informed the kingdom that Chen'er is my
daughter. That means that she is doomed to be considered a
less-than-brilliant character."

The Eldest Princess spoke in a sad and poignant voice. "You

really are going to do this..."

Hearing this, Lin Ruofu felt nauseated. "Your Grace is

worried about the royal purse," he said with disgust. "That is
not within the scope of my consideration."
 The Eldest Princess's voice trembled. "If you won't consider
it, then who will? I am a mere woman, and I live alone in the
palace; do you think that the past few years have been easy for
me?"

Sitting in his palanquin, Lin Ruofu was filled with loathing.

"I have a daughter, but all year round, we cannot see each
other, and can only glance at each other from a distance at
royal banquets. Do you think being a father in this way has
been easy for me!?"

The Eldest Princess tried to mount a miserable defense.

"There's nothing to be done about that. I gave birth to her in
secret, and I didn't have the heart to ruin your future. She was
raised alone. Over these few years, I have arranged things for
you in the palace, transferring money from the royal purse in
secret for you to use. Do you think nothing good of me at all?"

There was a coldness in the Prime Minister's voice. He spoke

in a low snarl. "My future? Ever since then, when have I ever
wanted this kind of future? Back then, I was a poor scholar-
minister, and now I have become Prime Minister. It may seem
impressive, but I have a daughter I can never meet. I had a son,
but..." His voice began to tremble. "But he is dead. How could
this be the future that I wanted? This is just the power that you
wanted. You weren't willing to marry someone who could
never stick his head out, settling down for the rest of your days
didn't interest you, and you think I'm supposed to be thankful
for that?"

Hearing this, the Eldest Princess was angry, her voice filled
with tears and curses. "Lin Ruofu, this is the way that things
are, and yet you come to me to say such awful things. If you
really weren't willing, why didn't you say anything when you
entered the Overwatch Council? Why didn't you feel sad when
you entered the Hanlin Academy? When you were found a post
at the Ministry of Appointments, why didn't you blame
yourself? You climbed up step by step, and you never thought
of me once. Now nothing stands in your way, and yet you take
all your anger out on me!"

"Very well, Rui'er." Hearing the Eldest Princess's voice get

louder and louder, Lin Ruofu's voice was calmed, but his words
were incomparably bitter. "I would rather you were the shrew
that you are, rather than being in the sorry state that you are
in. It makes me sick, did you know that?"

The Eldest Princess said nothing.

 "As for Chen'er's wedding, I have made my decision. I have
investigated Fan Xian. It doesn't matter what kind of person he
is; at the very least, he is not an easy person to kill." Lin Ruofu
spoke coldly. "I do not wish for my daughter to become a
widow."

The Eldest Princess spoke harshly. "Have you lost the plot?
Gong has been murdered, and you urgently rope in the Fan
family. Don't tell me you really believe what that old bastard
Chen Pingping says? Who is Sigu Sword, and how could they
come to the capital and kill people? We can't know for sure
that Fan Jian isn't the mastermind behind the scenes."

"My son has died," said Lin Ruofu coldly. "Do you not realize
that I wasn’t able to see him one final time? I can't cover up
those scars. Sigu Sword is swift and fierce and moves as he
pleases. I may have made a mistake, but I can never admit it."

Seeing that she could not convince him, the Eldest Princess's
tone softened. "Let me look into it," she pleaded. "Even if you
don't feel any tenderness towards me, you cannot let Chen'er
marry into the Fan family."
 After a moment of silence, Lin Ruofu finally spoke. "Wu
Bo'an came to me with a plan to assassinate Fan Xian. I
disagreed. I didn't realize he would have convinced my stupid
son Gong."

The Eldest Princess was quiet. She knew it was already very
difficult to get him to believe that she had nothing to do with
this matter.

"Wu Bo'an is your man." Lin Ruofu's voice was so cold that it
seemed it could freeze still the flapping curtains of the
palanquin in the night breeze. "I always knew he was your
man. You used him to keep an eye on me, but I never realized
that my son died because of you. So I think we should end it
here."

The night winds slowly wound their way through the

Imperial City, and the green palanquins were raised up and
carried into the darkness, a decrepit lantern hung alone on the
side of one of the sedan chairs. From the palanquin came the
faint sound of a woman's sobs.
 Filled with fear, a palace eunuch stepped forward. To the
side, a palace maid carried a lantern, and the party of people
slowly entered the corner gate of the palace.

The palanquin along moved some way before finally

reaching the building where the Eldest Princess was
temporarily residing. The curtain on the palanquin lifted, and
the Eldest Princess stepped out, tears streaming down her face.
The eunuchs and maids quickly lowered their heads, and did
not dare to look up. The Eldest Princess stepped weakly up
onto the stone steps, finally wiping the tears from her face.
Suddenly, she smiled sweetly, revealing her beauty like the
blossoming of a willow tree. She spoke timidly. "Kill them."

Suddenly, countless points of light appeared! The eunuchs

had no time to beg forgiveness before the palace maids
withdrew knives from their sleeves and slit their throats.
Within the palace hall that night, there was only the sound of
their bodies hitting the ground.

The Prime Minister's mansion was not the biggest in the

capital, but it was the most magnificent. Whether it was King
Jing, or the oldest and richest families, they could not match
the Minister's mansion. The entrance and the decorations of
the Prime Minister's mansion did not look particularly
expensive, but anyone who was truly in the know would be
impressed by the items on display. Just the items inside, a few
chairs placed at random, were worth about as much as King
Jing's plant nursery.

Of course, the comparison made exclude Emperor's palace.

No one could dare compare themselves to the Imperial Palace.

Lin Ruofu had collected much wealth over the past twenty or
so years. Everyone knew of his greed and wickedness. How the
Emperor had never seen it despite having his eyes constantly
on him was truly a puzzling matter.

Walking past the lobby, he greeted the officials who had come
to convey their sympathies. Looking rather disappointed, he
entered the inner chamber. The officials knew that the Prime
Minister was in a gloomy state of mind, and that it was
inappropriate to disturb him, so they took their leave, with
only a handful of officials with urgent business left behind,
bewildered. Lin Ruofu seemed to have thought of them, and he
returned and asked them what had happened. Forcing himself
to deal with the matters, he finally waved them away. When
the officials left his residence, they both blamed themselves
and were filled with indescribable gratitude. The Prime
Minister put public affairs first in the midst of such a tragedy;
truly he was a pillar of the nation.

Coming into the inner chamber, Lin Ruofu entered his study
and sat at a desk. He said nothing for a long time.

"Sir, it is not very fitting to be hostile to the prince at this

moment." The Prime Minister's closest friend and most secret
advisor, Yuan Hongdao, handed him a cup of tea. Yuan
Hongdao was dressed in mourning clothes. As he watched Lin
Ruofu forcing himself to go about his business, he could not
help but feel sullen. "We don't need to talk right away. You
should rest, sir."

Lin Ruofu shook his head, the creases of his brow thick with
worry. "This is the way things are. For my descendants, and for
the Lin clan, I must prepare my approach."
Chapter 105: The Arrival of Summer
Yuan Hongdao furrowed his brows as he listened to the prime
minister speak softly: "I’ve been working in the government
for so long that I don’t have a clue as to how many people I’ve
offended. Out of my two sons and one daughter, I had expected
Gong’er to make something of himself, but after such an
unprecedented tragedy, I only have Dabao and Chen’er left… I
have to at least arrange something for them."

Yuan Hongdao frowned, "It’s just that the sudden turn of

events is quite radical."

Lin Ruofu’s gaze softened all of a sudden. "As a father, we

need not overly exert ourselves. Right now, the emperor is in
his prime, so by the time the fight to be crown prince occurs,
we will have been long dead. There’s nothing to be worried
about."

He continued with a question. "Has it been confirmed that it

was the doing of somebody using the Sigu sword style?"

Yuan Hongdao nodded. "Yes."

 Lin Ruofu inhaled the cold air. "I have found that the
authority and power I hold cannot be used in exchange for
anything… However, if I bring in the old master, together with
the fact that the Fan family and The Overwatch Council have
been in close contact all these years, they are unlikely to
refuse."

Yuan Hongdao smiled and said, "Vice minister Fan used his
relationship with the emperor to make the marriage happen. It
looks like he has high hopes for master."

Lin Ruofu laughed in reply, "One of these days, I will see the
boy named Fan Xian and whether or not he deserves my
daughter for myself."

Yuan Hongdao spoke hesitantly, "Then the Eldest Princess…"

He knew that the death of the prime minister’s second son

was no accident, and that it no doubt had something to do with
the Eldest Princess’ plan. He had to be careful when
mentioning her name.
 "Li Yunrui asked Wu Bo’an to come up with an assassination
plan which could kill three birds with one stone. Murdering
Fan Xian meant that she could regain her control over the
Palace Treasury. If Hong’er was persuaded, she would have had
the Prime Minister's Mansion under her thumb. Except she had
no idea that Fan Xian could not be easily killed. Yet that
bastard Wu Bo’an and my son… died." Lin Ruofu’s eyes shone
with ferocity. "But she caught onto an important point by
predicting the emperor's thoughts. She knew that if Cheng
Jushu managed to escape the capital, she could still send out a
false command under my name and have him killed in
Cangzhou by Fan Xiu; an example of murder by just sitting."

Yuan Hongdao frowned as he spoke. "So the princess

predicted that the emperor wanted to use his army."

Lin Ruofu shook his head in response, "In the battle with the
north, the emperor regretted that he did not fight with all of
his effort. The eldest princess had presented him with a perfect
opportunity; one which he had to acknowledge, even though
he disliked her making decisions behind his back. However, as
the contract from the year of the battle was complicated, the
most he could do was overtake some small cities in order to
posture up with Northern Qi Kingdom."
 Yuan Hongdao replied with a sigh, "It’s hard to go against the
Eldest Princess’ plans."

Lin Ruofu closed his eyes slowly and said, "I’ve never
thought of going against her… Let’s leave that to the future
generation."

"Yes sir."

At that moment, a ruckus could be heard from outside the

study. The expressions of Yuan Hongdao and the prime
minister revealed that they knew exactly who it was that dared
to make such a commotion. The door was pushed open and a
chubby 12-year-old boy entered. The old ladies and maids
standing behind him made no attempt to stop him; instead,
they begged the prime minister for forgiveness. The rules of
the prime minister’s mansion were strict; without the
permission of the prime minister, anyone who entered the
study would be heavily punished. Lin Ruofu waved his hand in
acknowledgment before he turned to look warmly at the
chubby child and spoke lightly, "Dabao, are you misbehaving
again?"
 The eyebrows of the chubby boy called Dabao were wide
apart and his he looked confused. He appeared to have some
sort of developmental problem. He immediately calmed down
upon hearing Lin Ruofu speak and he replied shyly, "I’m being
good, but my little brother hasn’t returned."

This was Lin Ruofu’s eldest son. A childhood illness had left
him with the intelligence of a three- or four-year-old boy. As a
result, he rarely left the mansion. The people of the capital
were sympathetic and seldom brought him up in conversation.
As Dabao was close to Lin Gong, he grew stressed when he had
not seen his little brother for two days.

Lin Ruofu’s heart clenched painfully and he rubbed his chest

for a while before he answered lightly, "Your brother has gone
on a trip. He should be back in a couple of days. Go to sleep
now, Dabao."

Dabao was finally quiet and he smiled dumbly as he was

taken away by the maids for bedtime.

After a heavy silence, Lin Ruofu spoke coldly, "I have only
one son and daughter. What am I supposed to do when Dabao
is like this?"

Yuan Hongdao replied with a frown and said, "If it was for
the sake of your eldest son, then it can be concluded that Miss
Chen and Fan Xian’s marriage is a bad idea. This is because Mr.
Fan cannot keep out of political conflicts. That will ultimately
lead to a troubled life. We would not be able to ask Miss Chen
to look after your son under such circumstances."

Lin Ruofu shook his head, and spoke with a chill, "If one has
the surname ‘Fan’, then one is destined to never escape these
webs. I’d rather that he was cruel and merciless, as then he
would be able to provide security to Chen’er and her brother…"

With this, he returned to his calm self, made his way to a

directory on the wall, and unveiled the cloth which covered it.
He regarded a map silently with a frown. His gaze was focused
mostly on the area north of Qing Kingdom where there was a
complicated system of cities, though he averted his gaze
occasionally in the direction of Dongyi city.

After a while, Lin Ruofu spoke with furrowed brows, "We

have to come up with a tactic as soon as possible. Although it
may not be a big battle, and the opposition may not make
direct contact with us, we still have to ensure that the
transport horses are ready beforehand."

Yuan Hongdao agreed with him, then he listened to the prime

minister have a coughing fit. It was so intense that his eyes
began to tear up. The prime minister stood in front of the map
with his hands behind his back, frowning as he tried to come
up with a plan. It was as if he had not lost his own son on the
same day. Yuan Hongdao observed from the back and sighed on
the inside. He felt a touch of pity for him as he thought about
how, despite being so wealthy, Ruofu did not have an easy life.
His whole life had been ruined the moment he met the
princess.

——————

Everything happened in a day's time and nobody knew what

the hidden deals and fights would lead to. The number of
people in the government who knew about Count Sinan Fan
Jian and Chen Pingping’s encounter and the prime minister
and eldest princess’ meet-up was less than the fingers on Fan
Xian’s hands.
 Fan Xian had no idea of the golden path he had been arranged
to walk on.

His first couple of months in the capital could be described as

dark as a moonless night, as if thick and sticky ink was
smudged over his face. He felt so much pressure that he
couldn’t relax. In comparison, his recent life was so refreshing.
It was like god himself had cleansed his face. He had never felt
more present.

In recent days, Fan Xian tried to convince himself that his

second-brother-in-law’s death had absolutely nothing to do
with him, as it was the only way he could face Lin Wan’er, who
was going through a difficult time. Even though Lin Wan’er
had only met her brother a couple of times, she was still upset
when she heard of his death as, after all, they were related by
blood. Fan Xian was aware of this and he felt bad, even though
his brother-in-law was behind his assassination attempt. He
thought about how he sometimes could be cold-blooded. If he
had heard that Fan Sizhe had died whilst he was still living in
Danzhou, he would most likely have not felt any sort of grief.

Naturally, the situation was different now and Lady Liu

seems to have accepted the current circumstances. The Liu
family of the capital was surrounded by strange rumors and
Lady Liu was unusually restrained in response. She made no
attempt to stop Fan Sizhe and Fan Xian wandering the streets
of the capital together.

What made Fan Xian feel more at ease was the fact that
nobody, including the prime minister, suspected that the death
of the prime minister’s second son had anything to do with
him. This was a matter which Fan Xian and Prince Jing were
much concerned about. Wu Bo’an and Lin Gong were so well
hidden that day that even the Overwatch Council could not
find them. Besides the Four Great Grandmasters, who else
could possibly find them? As long as no one knew of Fan Xian’s
relationship with Wu Zhu, it was safe to say that no
connection could be made between Fan Xian and Lin Gong’s
death.

The most unexpected thing was that after some exchange of

messages from the prime minister’s mansion, Fan Xian could
vaguely tell that the prime minister was somewhat on board
with the marriage. He could only guess that the reason behind
this was because the old man was crestfallen over his son’s
death. However, the crafty old scoundrel Count Sinan Fan Jian
saw right through him before anyone else had. He knew that
the prime minister was in dispute with either the Eastern
Palace or the elder princess and was looking for someone new
to invest in. Perhaps it was a hint that the prime minister was
changing allegiance to the second prince.

The two assassination attempts struck the capital like spring

thunder, and their impact eventually died away. The prime
minister was desolate and disheartened. He used sickness as an
excuse and rarely turned up at court. The cripple, Director
Chen, also hardly turned up at court. Instead he stayed in his
garden and sent out occasional commands. Fan Xian grew
more suspicious the more he thought about it. He wondered
why Chen Pingping had not requested to see him upon his
return to the capital. However, Fan Xian was completely
unaware that the old man had already spied on him whilst he
was in prison. What was even more curious was the fact that
Fie Jie had disappeared when Chen Pingping came back to the
capital.

Anyhow, a weak and new balance of powers was established

at the cost of human lives after a short yet destructive conflict
occurred between different sides of the government. Some
people had no choice but to accept changes such as the
handover of the Palace treasury. Others began to look for a way
to protect themselves and their family, such as the prime
minister. These changes were no doubt beneficial towards Fan
Xian as he no longer needed to worry too much about his own
safety. It was only then that he wrote a letter to his
grandmother informing her that everything was going well for
him in the capital and that she need not worry about him too
much.

Needless to say, summer came after spring. After a long road

of hardships, Fan Xian could finally stand tall in the capital.
There were less rainy days and more sunny days in his life and
the promise of happiness seemed to wave softly at him.

Now that summer had arrived, how much longer would it be

until the marriage in autumn?
Chapter 106: The Country Estate
The imperial edict had already been sent to the city of
Dongyi, but Dongyi had simply sent back a humble and
flattering reply, offering a large sum of gold and silver,
refusing to admit any involvement with the incident at the
country estate beneath the Cang Mountains. It was an obvious
response that even a fool could understand, and it allowed the
grandmaster and sole defender of the Dongyi sword to keep his
pride. They also didn’t want the people of Dongyi to be set
upon by military forces, and so they kept silent.

The situation was tense in the north. It was far beyond any
justification the Northern Qi kingdom could come up with
about secretly meddling in the politics of the Qing Kingdom.
Both sides had amassed troops at the border, and with small
skirmishes breaking out in the various vassal states, it seemed
as though they were on the brink of war.

Dark clouds floated over the northern Qing Kingdom, but it

was midsummer in the capital, and the people wandered
around, at ease, peaceful and content, enjoying the safety and
prosperity of a golden age. Fan Xian was one of those people.
Even though the aftermath of the incident on Niulan Street
had still not been resolved, there had at last been an
explanation for concerning himself and those who died . And
in the process of resolving this matter, he had learned a great
number of things. Although every step he had taken had
depended on the strength of the Overwatch Council, he had
come to understand a lot about the workings of the Council,
and when it came to the things that Fei Jie had said before, he
had direct knowledge of a number of other things.

Summer was hard, and the lawsuit between the Fan family
and the Guo family had finally been settled. Many people saw it
as a trifling matter. Since Fan Xian had been appointed
Functionary of Taichang Temple, it was clear that he was
going to marry a princess of the palace, and the insignificant
Guo family didn’t dare disturb the palace with their affairs, so
they had quickly withdrawn their accusation - and with that,
Fan Xian had finally been allowed to leave the capital.

Daring to leave the capital so soon after that horrible

business had occurred took gall But now he had plenty of
guards following him around. There were the old hands of Fan
Manor, as well as guards from the Overwatch Council. Now
Fan Xian had a secret identity - a commissioner of the
Overwatch Council. Like Wang Qinian, a number of other new
recruits in various areas had been placed under his control.
 Early that morning, before the blazing sun had risen, the
three children of the Fan family squeezed into a carriage.
Protected by bodyguards and by Wang Qinian, they sped out of
the capital, arriving at a country estate owned by the Fan
family, not far from the city. This was not a summer vacation.
It was an act of worship.

The guards had already arranged fruits, incense, and other

offerings within the graveyard. Fan Xian looked over the still-
new gravestones in silence. He was filled with many feelings.
The notions he held since his rebirth, notions that he had
thought of as stable, had unexpectedly become quite muddled.

The bundles of ritual paper money that they had lit as an

offering to the dead gave off thick smoke. Unable to handle the
fumes, Fan Sizhe quickly retreated to the carriage, and Fan
Ruoruo was trying her best to bear it, her eyes squinting and
half-closed. She pulled her brother to the tomb by his sleeve.
She knew that the three bodies in the tomb, now resting
eternally, were the three guards who had died protected her
brother, and so her heart was filled with gratitude. As she had
learnt from the letters her brother had sent her in her
childhood, it was not unbecoming to offer tribute to those of
lower status than oneself.
 In the smoke, a group of new guards stood silently behind
Fan Xian. They didn't know whether it was the smoke or the
fire that had made their eyes red, but as they looked at the
young master's back, they felt something different about him.
After some time, a guard spoke kindly. "Young Master, you
have shown true kindness in paying tribute to these brothers of
ours but there is a lot of smoke; perhaps we should return to
the estate."

The fumes were really stinging Fan Xian's eyes. He smiled as

he rubbed at them, and returned to the carriage. In the
carriage, Fan Sizhe was looking over the last month's accounts
from the Danbo Bookstore. When he saw his brother and sister
approaching, he shifted over, and suddenly spoke in a low
voice. "Brother, isn't this just a way to bribe the people and win
their hearts?"

Fan Xian's was in a somewhat gloomy mood, but he smiled

slightly and paid his brother no attention, simply raising a
hand to tousle his hair. "Why you! Always having to believe
that there are some true things in this world," he said.
"Heartless people are not necessarily true heroes..." Fan Ruoruo
softly continued his sentence. "A true man is one who loves his
children."
 Fan Xian looked at his sister with some surprise. "You..." Fan
Ruoruo lowered her head. "You said it a little while ago," she
explained. "I remembered it." Fan Xian felt rather glad that his
sister was so intelligent. "The phrase you've remembered was a
quote from a person surnamed Zhou."

Fan Sizhe looked at them and grumbled. "Oh, dropping

author names again? When are you going to come up with the
last dozen chapters of Story of the Stone?"

Fan Xian wasn't exactly in the right frame of mind, but the
word 'authors' had left him feeling inexplicably distressed.
Explaining who was behind his writing was really rather
unnecessary.

He felt slightly angry and ashamed, and so he continued to

lecture Fan Sizhe. "You might be able to win over the people's
hearts, but feelings come naturally. What sort of monster
would not have feelings? Living in this world without caring
about anything, neither for one's family, not for life or death;
even if you were an immortal, what would be the point?" Fan
Sizhe shook his head, saying in rebuttal, "You're not an
immortal, so how do you know how immortals feel?" Fan Xian
shot back quickly. "I'm not an immortal; I'm just a person, so I
know that people can't live forever. It's a pity."

After saying that, Fan Xian suddenly thought of Wu Zhu, and

was filled with an intense uneasiness and blame for himself. He
was worried that when Wu Zhu grew old, he'd become a silent
and lonely old man - but as long as Wu Zhu continued to
escape away into the night, Fan Xian had no way to find him.

The carriage left the clan graveyard, following the widest

path through the fields of crops, arriving at the country estate
after some difficulty. The carriage arrived at the foot of a slope
that surrounded the estate, and the people within the estate
came out to greet them. It was not just tenant farmers who
lived there, but also some of the more estranged families of the
Fan clan who could not stay in any of the many expensive
properties in the capital, moving instead to farms on the
outskirts. They did not own the fields, and were not willing to
suffer the indignity of working the land alongside the other
sharecroppers. Although Count Sinan was not willing to part
with his money for sake of his poor relatives’ comfort, he
could not watch them starve either, and so these clansmen
looked after matters on the farm in exchange for a small
stipend.
 Curiously, Fan Jian made no mention of Fan Xian being made
a legitimate son; Fan Xian assumed that he had forgotten it,
but he still had some doubts that he was unable to resolve. In
the capital, and in that moment, no one looked at Fan Xian
with the contempt usually reserved for illegitimate children. It
was also known within the Fan clan that the clan's future
riches also depended on this handsome young man, and so he
was treated with the utmost respect.

Taking the tea that an older person handed to him, he

drained the cup in one gulp and nodded in all directions. Then,
led by the house guards, Fan Xian strolled to a small courtyard
in the woods on the western side of the estate. This was Teng
Zijing's courtyard. After he entered, he found that Teng Zijing
had already risen and was waiting courteously for him from
within. "Young Master," said Teng Zijing uneasily, "I would
have gone out to greet you, but Hou San'er would not allow me
to."

Fan Xian did not follow through with the formalities, taking
him by the arm as he assisted him into the main hall. "Don't
blame Hou San'er, I'm telling you." Hou San'er was a
bodyguard who had recently come under Fan Xian's command
and who had entered the estate before him. Fan Xian looked at
Teng Zijing's stout-looking face. "How's your leg been
recently?" he asked.
 Teng Zijing chuckled. "Fine. I can move it now. I'll probably
be able to return to the capital in a few days."

"If you're not finding it easy to recuperate here, you might as

well go back and recuperate in the capital." As he spoke, Teng
Zijing's wife and daughter entered to greet their master.
Standing to the side, Fan Ruoruo handed them some money,
and pulled Teng Zijing's five-year-old daughter aside to ask her
some questions, then carried her outside, leaving the men in
the room.

Fan Sizhe was still looking over the accounts, and when Teng
Zijing greeted him he merely grunted. Fan Xian had no choice
but to look his brother in the eye as he listened to Teng Zijing's
explanation. "I was staying here since my wife and child are
here. Once I've recovered properly, I will return to the capital
to serve the young master."

The two of them had been through the same life-or-death

experience, and so their speech appeared rather direct. Fan
Xian nodded. "You live a fine life - wife, kids, and a heated kang
bed," said Fan Xian in admiration. "Why don't you stay and
enjoy it?" Teng Zijing laughed. "When it's as hot as it is today,
the kang is even hotter."
 The weather in Danzhou was exceptional, with warm winters
and cool summers, so no one used a kang bed. But after coming
to the capital, he had only lived through a spring and a
summer, so Fan Xian hadn't had the chance to sleep on a kang.
As he listened, he sat down on the kang, and found it to be
thoroughly cool and comfortable. He shifted his gaze, thinking
about spending the days in the Cang Mountains after his
marriage. It seemed like they had to find a way to set up a kang.

Teng Zijing had not realized that his young master's thoughts
had turned to the snowy mountains he would be living in after
October. "Master, stay a while and eat some fruit, then you can
return to the manor. There's not much good to eat around here,
and if you dawdle too long and return to the capital too late, I
fear you might not be able to enter the city gates."

Fan Xian laughed and waved his hand. "I told Father to send
word before I came here. Today the three of us will be staying
the night in the estate, and we'll return tomorrow. The past
few days in the capital have been quite stressful, and it's hard
to find an opportunity for peace and quiet. Though we won't
stay around for long, I'm sure it's okay for us to be around for
an evening." Teng Zijing realized that he was planning to stay
overnight, and quickly called his wife in, asking her to prepare
the guest room and hot water, among other things. Although
life on the estate was not grand and glamorous, there were a lot
of people living there. Once they heard that the young master
of the Fan family was planning to stay the night, a dozen or so
middle-aged women all sprang up to attend to him, and before
long, everything was in order. Fan Xian looked around, and
whispered in Teng Zijing's ear. "Make sure the people following
me are staying in the places closest to me."
Chapter 107: Moonlight in the
Mountains
Teng Zijing glanced at Wang Qinian, who always stood
quietly behind Fan Xian. He felt that the air with which he
carried himself was not the same as the bodyguards in the
manor, he said in a low voice. Fan Xian looked him in the eye
and explained quietly. "This is Wang Qinian. I now hold a
position within the Overwatch Council - don't tell anyone."
Teng Zijing was taken aback. He looked at Fan Xian again with
a changed expression. After all, he never could have imagined
that the young master he had decided to follow would, after
only a few months in the capital, get himself mixed up with
that den of vipers.

Fan Xian called over Wang Qinian and introduced him. "This
is the second time we have met. I mentioned Teng Zijing to you
before. You should get to know each other. He saved my life."
Hearing this, patches of red appeared on Teng Zijing's dark
face, and he waved his hand dismissively. "Young Master, you
speak too kindly. You were the one to actually save my life that
day."

Wang Qinian cupped his hands in salute and smiled, saying

nothing. Much like Teng Zijing, he was very satisfied with the
situation. Not only had he successfully returned to the
Overwatch Council, but even more crucially, his salary had
risen considerably. He had been granted a personal audience
with the Director. He had never received this sort of treatment
in all the years since he had taken up his position. Although
Master Fan was an eighth-level Functionary of Taichang
Temple, he carried the token of a commissioner - apart from
the team he was in command of, only Mu Tie and the jailer
knew of this; no one else was aware. Having this secret
authority in his hands made him feel comfortable.

They ate game meat for dinner. Teng Zijing had said that
there was little good food around the estate, but as the grease
swirled in the boiling pot, the meat, accompanied by some
tender green vegetables for soup, was utterly delicious. Even
Fan Sizhe's appetite was satisfied, and he wolfed it down as if
no one was watching. Fan Xian looked at him with amusement
as he popped a chunk of meat into his mouth. The meat was
extraordinarily tender, but there was a clear layer between the
skin and the tendons that was extremely chewy. Full of praise,
he couldn't help but ask, "is this muntjac deer or what?"

Teng Zijing's wife called over from one side. Hearing Fan
Xian's question, she quickly responded: "It's moose meat."
 Hearing this, Fan Xian was surprised. He placed his
chopsticks in front of him, seemingly having forgotten about
them, and within a moment, he recalled a memory from many
years ago, before he even arrived in Danzhou. He was lying on
his sick bed, thinking constantly about how he had wanted to
eat moose, and the good-looking nurse had poked fun at his
odd desires - in his old life, Fan Shen had never eaten moose, he
only knew that it was a game meat that country people loved
to eat. The memory had seemingly returned afresh. Fan Xian
had not thought about his old life for a long while. But
unexpectedly, today's moose meat had dredged up long-hidden
feelings.

Fan Ruoruo ate small bites as she sat by his side. When she
saw the strange look on her brother's face, she was worried.
"What is it?" she asked.

Fan Xian immediately snapped out of it. He smiled. "It's

nothing." He turned to ask Teng Zijing whether they made
dried meat from the game they caught in the mountains. After
Teng Zijing confirmed it, he happily asked if he could help him
get hold of a few pounds of the stuff to bring back to the
capital. Teng Zijing never thought that the food prepared that
day would be so in line with the young master's tastes. He was
also very happy.
 Fan Xian took up his wine goblet and drank a round along
with the others at the table. He smiled. "Master Teng, your
wound is still yet to heal fully; you shouldn't drink too much."
Sitting to his side, Fan Ruoruo looked at her brother and
smiled. It seemed like she was ashamed of him. Fan Xian knew
that his sister was trying to guess at what he was thinking.
Apart from wanting to eat it himself, he was bringing dried
meat back to the capital mainly because he wanted to give
some to the ravenous Wan'er. Having eaten his dinner, Fan
Sizhe - rather oddly - retired to his room to continue looking at
the accounts. Fan Xian truly did not know what was so
enjoyable about accounting, and how this little tyrant, at 12 or
13 years of age, had suddenly wrested control of temper and
developed an infatuation with dry and boring numbers. "To
each his own," he sighed, and let him go.

Refusing Teng Zijing's request to accompany him on his

crutches, he led Fan Ruoruo out of the courtyard and into a
furrow of the fields, looking at the round moon which seemed
to float unmoving above a gap in the distant hills. Above their
heads, the trees rustled, though he did not know what sort of
trees they were. It was a beautiful scene.

"I dream of past lives and doubt whether it is a dream; some

work themselves to the bone while some grow rich." Fan Xian
was thinking about the memory of his past life that had arisen.
Finding himself sighing with regret, he unthinkingly recited
two sentences. "Man's time is finite, and he is but a passing
guest through one hundred generations. Heaven and earth and
all things are as a guest-house, and life is but a long dream.
Sometimes I wonder whether I am still lying in that bed,
dreaming a dream from which I cannot awaken."

He sighed, knowing that his sister probably could not

understand what he was talking about. However, he had
forgotten the transcendent sentiments hidden within the poet
Li Bai's words, and the power that they could have on a young
woman. Sure enough, Fan Ruoruo's eyes sparkled.

Fan Xian immediately realized he had made a mistake. He

looked distressed, and prepared to explain that what he had
said was all the work of the official Li Bai, but he suddenly
remembered how Sizhe had mocked him in broad daylight. He
sighed quietly and did away with what other people might have
seen as an affectation, but what he saw as a natural movement.
He also knew that his little sister would not believe what he
was saying. After all, the Overwatch Council had arrested a
number of poets like Xin Qiji, but there was no salt-peddler
among them who could write verse, so he might as well hug
Ruoruo tight and look at the moon with her.
 Although Fan Xian had lived in this world for over a decade
and a half, he still retained a unique disposition. This
disposition was not in harmony with this world, but it was of
great benefit to him in matters between men and women and
bodily contact. As he hugged his little sister, of course, he had
not a trace of the thoughts that pass between men and women;
his was simply a feeling of pure fraternal love. But as Fan
Ruoruo was held in his embrace, she felt a warmth and a slight
bashfulness, and she naturally forgot what she was going to
ask him about.

In the distance, two members of the Overwatch Council

stood as straight as rock drills underneath a tree as they kept
their charges safe.

"We must be up early tomorrow, I have matters to take care

of in the capital." Fan Xian sniffed his little sister's hair and
discovered the faint scent of orchids. "What did you use?" he
asked curiously.

Fan Ruoruo was embarrassed. She didn't know whether to

respond to her brother. "I washed it with pear blossoms. Does it
bother you?"
 Girls rarely washed their hair in this world, which didn’t
leave a pleasant smell - and that had been the case when he had
slept together with Si Lili underneath that quilt, when it had
been covered up by strong perfume. Since Fan Xian had come
to the capital, he had brazenly demanded that Fan Ruoruo and
Lin Wan'er wash their hair frequently, and had presented them
with the plans for a showerhead he had come up with in
Danzhou. Ruoruo and Wan'er were unable to say no to him,
and so they did so. They never thought the effect would be so
distinct; unexpectedly, it spread widely to other households
outside Fan Manor and the imperial palace. Now, even Lady
Liu washed her hair frequently.

"Father should be very pleased," he said, hinting at

something, before going on to respond to Ruoruo's words. "It
should be quiet in the capital in the early morning. There's
somewhere I want to go and I want you to come with me,
without anybody else following us."

Knowing that her brother trusted her, Fan Ruoruo was quite
moved.

"Tomorrow we must visit Qingyu Hall," continued Fan Xian.

"Shopkeeper Ye told me that it has been quiet in the capital as
of late, so it is a good time to take a look." The shopkeeper at
Qingyu Hall enjoyed a well-deserved reputation. Fan Sizhe had
prepared the business accounts, and with Shopkeeper Ye's
special business maneuvering, business at Danbo Bookstore
had been getting stronger and stronger. Relying on the family's
own capital, and official backing, it had put all of the nearby
bookstores out of business within two months, and was slowly
beginning to make inroads in the neighboring county.

Fan Ruoruo suddenly recalled a certain matter. "Is that tofu

stand open?" she asked. "The Crown Prince was very happy
with the soy milk you sent him every day. If he runs out one
day, won't he urge you to open it?"

Fan Xian smiled. "I will soon become someone who makes
100,000 pieces of silver a day, so why should I bother with
tofu?" Of course, this was a joke. "I will deal with it when I
have time," he continued. "Anyway, you've nothing keeping
you right now, you should take care of it yourself." As he saw
it, there was no reason why the daughter of a great house
should not show her face in public, and it was no use bringing
up the idea of running a tofu stand, but he felt that for Ruoruo
to simply read books and write poetry every day might leave
her with little else but book smarts.
 Fan Ruoruo felt a little awkward, but she agreed.

Fan Xian recalled an important matter, and frowned. His

hands grasped his little sister's shoulders as he spoke sincerely.
"Ruoruo, in my eyes you are only a girl of fifteen and it is too
early for you to marry. But the common practice in the capital
is not good. Even a young man like me has been forced to take
a wife. You must take care not to attract too many wandering
eyes, like He Zongwei’s, the guy who comes to the manor every
day. I can chase them off with a broom, but if you are married
off to someone not worthy of you, then what can we do?"

"Since you want to marry," he said sincerely, "you must take

care of yourself, and marry someone good, someone who you
like, and set to it sooner rather than later, before you are
betrothed. There is a lot of danger in betrothals, and not
everyone in this world has the good luck that Wan'er and I
have had. I have faith that you'll be able to stand up to
whatever Father and your mother demand of you, but if... if
it's a decree from the palace, then what? We have no choice but
to protect our family's position."

Listening to her brother's words, Fan Ruoruo first felt

bashful, and then laughed at his decision to blow his own
trumpet. But when he mentioned the palace, she felt worried.
It wasn't that she was not aware that at her age; a girl from the
family of an official was likely to be married off... but after
spending every day with her brother, she felt that all the men
of this world would always be rather boring. How could she
ever find a sweetheart of her own?
Chapter 108: Paying Respect Across the
River
It was still early the next morning, the sky was not yet lit and
the hills were still bathed in mist. The moon had already
moved across to the other side. The carriages of Fan manor
rode towards the capital without disturbing anyone in the
country estate. In the backdoor of the yard, Teng Zijing, who
was on crutches, stood with his wife to see them off. Beside
them was the couple’s young daughter who was rubbing her
eyes as if still asleep.

He had arrived at the capital gates once again. However, this

time was different from the last, for Fan Xian’s carriage was
now unmistakably marked. The guards quickly let the
carriages through after a brief inspection. Looking at the Fan
emblem on the carriages, the soldiers on guard duty dared
cause any unnecessary trouble. After all, Jiao Ziheng, their
former boss, lost his job due to the assassination attempt on
Fan Xian.

The carriages had arrived at Fan manor. Yawning, Fan Sizhe

got out and ordered the servants who came to greet him,
saying, "There are some salt-cured foods; unload them and put
them away in the back—and don’t you even think about
sneaking a bite or two. Big Brother had it prepared as a gift!"
He then opened his eyes wide and roared, "If, when my big
sister from the Lin household comes over tomorrow to eat the
muntjac but finds it with only three legs, I’ll personally break
one of yours as payback!" The servants had long been used to
this young master’s temper and didn’t make a sound. They
obediently began to unload the goods.

The bodyguards also came over. Wang Qiannian walked to

Fan Xian’s carriage, waiting for him to get out. But the carriage
was all quiet. To his dismay, Wang Qiannian discovered that
the carriage was empty; Fan Xian and Fan Ruoruo were
nowhere to be seen. He immediately ran to Fan Sizhe and
asked, "Little Master, may I ask where Sir Fan is?" Fan Sizhe
gave him a look and scolded him, "Look at you, all tense. My
brother and sister got off in the middle of the trip. They don’t
want you to always follow."

At this point Wang Qiannian was half-scared to death. This

Sir Fan was the sole reason he could return to the Overwatch
Council. When Director Chen Pingping personally greeted him,
he was ordered specifically to ensure Sir Fan’s safety; he was
supposed to never let Sir Fan leave his sight. Wang Qiannian
never expected Sir Fan to secretly ditch him. Looking at his
strained expression, Fan Sizhe said, "He said he’d be back this
afternoon; don’t be so worried." Fan Sizhe didn’t know who
Wang Qiannian was; in the beginning, he thought this Wang
Qiannian was just someone skilled who got assigned to Fan
Xian by their father. Later, though, he sensed something
wasn’t quite right, but was too lazy to dig any deeper.

Wang Qiannian didn’t interact further with this second

young master. He signaled a servant with his eyes, got on a
carriage, and headed out.

...

...

The cicadas called lazily in the sweltering summer heat. Fan

Xian led Ruoruo on a stroll on the bank of Liujing River (with
Liujing meaning "flowing crystal"). It was good that they got
here early, and there were plenty of shade around to make the
heat somewhat tolerable. Fan Xian had already unbuttoned his
shirt down to his chest, showing a large patch of skin. Ruoruo
couldn’t do the same and had to rely on fanning herself with
her handkerchief. With a smile, Fan Xian took the
handkerchief and dipped it in the river before handing it back
to her.
 "Do you know why this river was called ‘Flowing Crystal’?"

"According to capital records, this name predates the current

dynasty. Supposedly, as the river flowed around the capital
towards the Cang Mountains in the west, the terrain caused the
waters to flow extremely fast. But in some areas, the water is
tranquil like the surface of a mirror, like crystals suspended in
time. That is how this river got its name."

Fan Xian nodded as he thought of this tranquil part of the

river. Occasionally flower boats floated past, reminding him of
Si Lili, who was behind bars; he didn’t know what would
ultimately happen to that woman. Walking a bit further, they
could see a house hiding among the trees on the other side of
the river. The house had a simple yet very elegant courtyard. A
few bamboo branches poked past the walls towards the sky. In
this summer heat, they managed to express a sense of coolness.

"So that’s Taiping Courtyard?" Fan Xian squinted. Fan

Ruoruo answered him, "Yes, I heard back in the day, the owner
of Ye household lived there. The courtyard later became
Imperial property once the Ye household was dissolved. I just
never heard Ruojia mention a lady having lived there before."
 Fan Xian thought about it for a bit and suddenly smiled. So
that’s where his mom once worked, fought, and lived. Seeing
her brother’s smile made Ruoruo happy too. She asked, "You
seem happy, what’s on your mind?" Fan Xian rubbed his
slightly damp fingers and shook his head without saying
anything. It was already bold of him to bring his sister here,
even though Ye Household didn’t appear to be that much of a
taboo. But remembering his father and Wu Zhu’s seriousness
made him decide to be careful about it.

He had planned to go there to pay his respects. Now that he

knew it was Imperial property, he gave up on the idea. The fact
he still didn’t know where his mother’s grave was made him
very uncomfortable.

Since coming to this world, he had never seen the woman

who gave him his body, but he still acknowledged her as his
mother. Perhaps it was due to him losing his parents early on
in his previous life. No matter when, be it his exile after being
reincarnated, or his time in Danzhou, or his days in the capital,
everything seemed to point to the power, authority, power, and
determination that woman once held. Everything seemed to
remind him his mother was that woman, that woman named
Ye Qingmei.
 Ye Qingmei, whose eyes saw through this world.

Fan Xian once even wondered if his mother was not dead, but
hiding in some desolate place, observing his life with a caring
yet cold smile.

Count Sinan mercilessly terminated this delusion and told

him his mother’s grave was in a very secluded place in the
capital. Once the time was right, Fan Xian would naturally go
pay his respects.

Letting out a sigh, Fan Xian knelt down and kowtowed

towards the courtyard across the river. Fan Ruoruo was
stunned for a moment, not knowing what her brother meant.
But the smart Ruoruo quickly guessed something and turned
pale with fright. Nevertheless, she braced herself and knelt
down besides Fan Xian.

Because of the trees, there was bound to be people on the

other side, hidden from view. To them, seeing the two kneeling
on the ground must have been an amusing sight.
 Fan Xian was a bit surprised and pulled her up. He asked
gently, "Why kneel with me?" Ruoruo forced a smile, "What
should I call her? ‘Auntie’?" Fan Xian chuckled, "Ah, I knew
you’d guess it. I didn’t plan on hiding anything from you, but
there are things I cannot say to anyone. It’s extremely
frustrating keeping them to myself." Letting out another sigh,
he said, "No wonder I spent my early years in Danzhou."

"I only know my mother was from that Ye household. Did

you, by any chance, hear father or Aunt Liu mention
anything?" Fan Ruoruo tried to remember, but shook her head.
Fan Xian guessed it was probably due to some inner working of
the Royal Family who disliked any remnants of the Ye
household, resulting in his father always hiding the truth.
However… with the power of the Imperial court, if Count
Sinan had a relationship with the owner of the Ye household,
how did he escape attention? Unless the Overwatch Council
hid everything. But regardless of how much Chen Pingping
respected Fan Xian’s mother, not even he could keep everything
a perfect secret.

As various questions formed in his head, Fan Xian became

very agitated. Being motherless aside, he started to question
the "other parts".
 The siblings dared not to get too close to that courtyard.
Going through the woods, they went back to an open road and
began walking towards the capital. They were planning on
walking a bit further and hiring two small carriages. But they
quickly discovered a small path to their left. There were some
moss-covered rocks hidden among the grass, quite cryptic. The
path seemed to be rarely used.

Fan Xian, with his excellent eyesight, saw a small wooden

bridge that the end of this path which he believed to lead to
Taiping Courtyard. Sighing to himself on the inside, he
forcefully removed his gaze and said to Fan Ruoruo with a
smile, "Your handkerchief has dried. Do you feel hot?"

An air of coldness seemed to be always hanging between Fan

Ruoruo’s brows, but she did not feel it in front of Fan Xian.
Sweat rolled down the side of her temples before spreading out
on her slightly flushed cheeks, adding even more color to them.
Fan Xian stared slightly. She told him in a soft voice that she
was okay and continued walking with her elder brother.

A short while later, they came upon a teahouse. The entire

structure was made of bamboo, which let the breeze through
while blocking out sunlight, making it extremely cool on the
inside. Fan Xian was overjoyed by the sight of it. Taking his
sister’s hand, they talked inside. He shouted, "Two cups of tea."

A dense silence answered back. There were only a few people

in the teahouse. A middle-aged man stood furthest back. He
slowly made eye contact with Fan Xian after hearing Fan Xian’s
voice. That man had a pair of deep-set eyes and a nose hooked
like a raptor’s beak. While a dark aura surrounded him, he
seemed to be forcibly containing it. The middle-aged man
looked towards Fan Xian with malice like a hawk locking its
sight on a rabbit.

Fan Xian was greatly shocked as he recognized the man. That

man was none other than Sir Gongdian, the leader of the
guards, the one with whom he had traded a palm strike with,
resulting in Fan Xian throwing up blood. Wang Qiannian was
kicked out of the Council because he was trying to capture Fan
Xian!
Chapter 109: An Encounter Between
Unacquainted Enemies
Gong Dian was the deputy commander of the royal guards.
Because of his duty, he had to work in close proximity to His
Majesty at all times. He was also a disciple of Ye Zhong, the
disciple of the Ye household which was famed for being the
number one martial household in Qing. While being a rare
eighth-ranked master, his combat ability far surpassed that of
Chen Jushu, whom Fan Xian had managed to kill. Fan Xian
only managed the feat because Chen Jushu had underestimated
him. Had both of them fought their best, Fan Xian would be
most likely have been vanquished.

Facing Gong Dian, Fan Xian could not come up with any
ideas. Win or lose aside, even if he were to win… would he dare
to become the enemy of the entire Imperial court? A drop of
sweat rolled down Fan Xian’s forehead as he shouted on the
inside, "Wu Zhu screwed me over, Wu Zhu screwed me over."
Had Wu Zhu been the one to knock out the guards, Fan Xian
wouldn’t have been able to enter the temple, and therefore the
events which followed could not have happened. But for Fan
Xian, his current danger also originated from that. Of course,
he wouldn’t really blame Wu Zhu, he was just releasing
tension and trying to calm down.
 Gong Dian took a step forward with a smile on this face. His
deep, rich voice resonated, "Young one, ‘tis such a
coincidence."

Fan Xian pulled his still clueless sister behind him and
answered with a smile of his own. "I didn’t think I would
encounter Your Highness once again." As he said this, his brain
was working overdrive. Wan’er had told him that the esteemed
one he met at the temple was His Majesty the emperor, and
Gong Dian, as His Majesty’s guard, was equal to the emperor’s
left and right hands. Since Gong Dian had appeared in this
teahouse, the emperor should also be here.

As he thought about it, Fan Xian stared past Gong Dian’s thin
but raised shoulders. Over by the table sat the middle-aged
esteemed one, who was drinking tea. Deep down, Fan Xian was
dumbfounded, but did not show it on his face. Smiling
apologetically, he said, "Your Highness, why act as if you’ve
been searching for this encounter far and wide, only to find it
effortlessly by chance? I did offend Your Highness the other
day outside the temple, but I ended up coughing up blood for
several days, which should have atoned for my crimes."
 Fan Xian deliberately used a novel phrase. But, unexpectedly,
Gong Dian did not react.

"Capture him." Gong Dian did not want to alarm his master,
so he issued the order in a quiet voice. Three other guards came
forward. Seeing what he was up against, and realizing he was
with a young lady, Fan Xian knew escape would be impossible.
With a frown, he rushed forward and struck first!

Gong Dian, unexpectedly, was happy about this. With a wave

of his hand, he ordered the other guards to stand down. He
then spread out his hands like a hawk cornering a rabbit with
its wings. With his burly and powerful fingers, Gong Dian
locked down onto Fan Xian’s maimen. While Fan Xian didn’t
have any extraordinary skill, he did have the reflexes beaten
into him by Wu Zhu. With a peculiar turn of his wrist, he drew
a line over Gong Dian’s maimen with the tip of his finger. With
an eerie aura, Fan Xian locked Gong Dian’s wrists in place.

At the same time, Gong Dian’s iron claws also locked tightly
around Fan Xian’s wrists.
 The two were greatly shocked. They had locked together at
the first contact in both encounters. Quite a phenomenon
indeed. Gong Dian then said with extreme self-confidence,
"Stand down and submit." Fan Xian had never intended to face
the leader of the royal guards head-on, but he did have other
intentions. He answered with utmost resiliency, "Perhaps."
With a muffled grunt, Fan Xian’s xueshan began to heat up and
then erupted. The waves of heat traveled through Fan Xian’s
arms to attack his opponent.

Gong Dian frowned as if detecting the young man’s

overpowering zhenqi. But with his master behind him, he
naturally wouldn’t back down even half a step. With a flash of
his eyes, he let out a light shout. The vigorous zhenqi he had
been accumulating for several decades flowed into his palms.

Their arms had already unlocked; now they touched palms.

There was a dull noise as powerful qi spread through the

teahouse. The esteemed one who was drinking tea gave a
frown; he didn’t seem to have close bodyguards. Fan Ruoruo,
who was standing behind Fan Xian, felt her legs give out and
almost collapsed to the ground.
 Many rays of white light burst forth. The other guards all
drew their blades and put them against Fan Xian’s neck. At that
moment, Fan Xian’s arms were sore and weak, completely
powerless—not that he was hoping to counterattack anyway.
Gong Dian coughed twice and put his hands behind his back.
He looked at Fan Xian with a strange expression and said in a
light voice, "Young man, it’s been several months. You’ve
improved."

A drop of blood flowed down the corner of Fan Xian’s lips,

which reminded Gong Dian of that person in the secluded room
across from the temple. Gong Dian could feel a chill in his
heart; he did not know if his actions today were appropriate.

This clash was obviously Fan Xian’s loss, but it didn’t look to
have been easy for Gong Dian. Other than the esteemed one,
nobody else saw his hands shaking uncontrollably behind his
back. The strange and overpowering zhenqi which Fan Xian
had forced into Gong Dian’s body had remained in his
meridians and was slicing away like tiny knives. It was only
some moments later that Gong Dian regained stillness in his
hands.
 "Capable in both civil and martial virtues, such youths seem
to be all over the place these days." With a faint smile of
admiration, the esteemed one watched Fan Xian, whose
expression remain unchanged despite being surrounded by
several blades. Gong Dian knew his master valued such talents
and was afraid the captive would be released, just like last
time. He walked over and quietly explained why Fan Xian
needed to be captured.

The brows of the esteemed one knotted together but quickly

released. His deep pupils seemed to gradually lighten. Looking
at Fan Xian, the esteemed one squinted, "So this is the young
man from the other day." He then said quietly, "Gong Dian, you
said the master you ran into could hunt you down with ease.
Did you tell this to anyone else?" Gong Dian replied in
embarrassment, "I only investigated in secret, but with no
results. As to not reporting it, please… I beg your pardon."

The esteemed one said coldly, "Granted. But you must never
speak of it ever again, or you and your family will all be
executed." Gong Dian accepted the pardon with a shudder in his
heart. The two had conversed so quietly that even Fan Xian,
with his superhuman hearing, could only pick out a few
words; not enough to get a sense of what was going on.
 "Leave us; I have a few things to say to this young man." The
esteemed one coldly ordered.

Gong Dian was shaken. While his master had all the power in
the world, he was still powerless in combat. Gong Dian dared
not let his master be alone with the youth. As if guessing what
his bodyguard was thinking, the esteemed one reconsidered his
order. "Gong Dian stays. The rest of you leave."

"Yes sir!" Although they didn’t understand, the other guards

dared not question their master’s orders and quickly left the
teahouse. With his neck liberated, Fan Xian comfortably
adjusted his head a few times. At this time Ruoruo came
running over, holding onto his hand. Thinking back on the
clash, she was on the verge of tears.

...

...

"Officer Fan Xian, what do you have to say about your

misconduct?"
 "This civil servant knows not his crimes."

Those two lines which Fan Xian had imagined were not
spoken. The esteemed one only sat by the table and looked at
him with curiosity. The esteemed one’s gaze seemed to be
gentler than before, casually yet carefully scanning Fan Xian’s
face, making him slightly uncomfortable.

The esteemed one spoke in a soft voice, "Which family do

you belong to, young one?"

"Your Highness, we are from the Fan household. Yesterday

we went to our country estate to rest, and today we were
simply enjoying the sights and came here. I don’t know why
your esteemed servant has to give us a hard time." Fan Xian had
thought about it and decided "Your Highness" was an
appropriate title. Hearing Fan Xian’s answer, Gong Dian was
bewildered as he realized the person he was trying to capture
was Fan Xian, who had killed an eighth-ranked master. He then
thought of Fan Xian’s father, Count Sinan, who was one of his
master’s most trusted aides, who possessed authority that not
even Gong Dian fully understood. For that reason, Gong Dian
thought he knew why his master ordered him not to disclose
the existence of that master. He also gave an awkward gaze
towards Fan Xian in apology.

The esteemed one smiled, "You are the son of Fan Jian?"

Hearing his father’s name being addressed directly allowed

Fan Xian to confirm the identity of the esteemed one. His
answer became noticeably more respectful, "Precisely."

Fan Xian didn’t expect the esteemed one to be so easy to

converse with. He blanked out for a moment before coming
back to his senses. He apologized profusely.

The esteemed one then said, "You’ve been in the capital for
some months already. How have things been?"

While he didn’t know why the esteemed one was asking

about his well-being, Fan Xian would not let this chance slip
by. Remembering the mess of these past few months, he said in
a somewhat complaining tone, "Living in the capital has been
difficult. It pales in comparison to home."
 "You mean Danzhou."

"Precisely."

"You like living in Danzhou?"

"While secluded, Danzhou’s people are simple folk. As long as

you don’t harm others, nobody will harm you, unlike in the
capital where things tend to come to you regardless of whether
or not you want them."

The esteemed one wasn’t expecting the youth to be so direct.

He was just so slightly taken aback. He then said with a smile,
"The capital is prosperous without compare. Its hardships are
naturally also peerless. But under Sir Fan’s protection, as well
as taking into consideration your current achievements in civil
and martial matters, I’d imagine you will have a secure life
later on."

If it weren’t for the purpose of disguise, Fan Xian really

wanted to kneel down and thank the esteemed one for his
Imperial compliments. As wild as Fan Xian had been in the
capital, His Majesty was said to have a mouth of gold and
words of jade… However, Fan Xian’s expression remained
unchanged. He answered softly, "I hope so."

It was getting late, and the esteemed one had many matters
to attend to. Before he left, he squinted again at Fan Xian
before giving him a satisfied smile, "Let us meet again, if fate
will allow it." He then turned towards Fan Ruoruo and said
lightly, "Young girl, I once held you when you were just a baby.
To think you’ve grown up so much in the blink of an eye…
There is a fine marriage waiting for you in the future."

Fan Ruoruo was slightly startled and didn’t know what to

say. Upon saying this, the esteemed one let out a hearty laugh,
as if very glad, before boarding a carriage and leaving the
teahouse. After traveling some distance, the esteemed one
sighed lightly, "Him climbing the walls every night reminds me
ever so vaguely of myself back in the day."

Back in the teahouse, Fan Ruoruo asked, "Who was that

man? He seemed to be familiar with father."
 Fan Xian finally relaxed and sat down on a stool. Breaking
out in sweat, he said, "That was His Majesty… Dammit, why do
they all like coming out incognito? Don’t they know how scary
it is?" With this, Fan Ruoruo covered her mouth in shock.

At that moment, a clap of thunder echoed through the blue,

cloudless sky, as if wanting to pierce through the bamboo of
the teahouse and blast a certain someone to death for speaking
without a filter.
Chapter 110: Talking About the Future in
Qingyu Hall
The siblings, unsettled, only asked for some water before
setting off again. They hadn’t traveled far when they saw
Wang Qinian’s carriage coming to pick them up. Seeing Fan
Xian’s unusual expression, Wang Qinian dared not speak
unnecessarily.

"Why would His Majesty show up here?" Fan Ruoruo asked,

wiping away sweat with her handkerchief.

Fan Xian smiled uneasily. "This emperor of ours has always

lived in secret and ventures out dressed simply. I guessed this a
long time ago. How could a man spend year after year in a
palace? He must come out sometimes, and it wouldn’t be
strange for him to come to Liujing River. I did it find it
amusing, though, that Sir Gong Dian did not call him ‘Master
Huang’."

Fan Ruoruo chuckled. "How could everything be like your

stories? If what you said was true, you should have started a
bookstore from the beginning."
 Speaking of bookstores, Fan Xian thought of the tofu stand.
He asked with a frown, "Ruoruo, what are you going to do in
the future?" Fan Ruoruo’s expression turned more serious. In
this day and age, once a woman marries, she will dedicate
herself to performing wifely duties. Considering Ruoruo’s
capabilities, she would most likely not want that.

But they couldn’t plan too much at the moment, so they had
to put the matter aside.

After entering the capital, the carriage galloped straight

toward Twenty-eight-Li Hill. Despite its name, it was not a
large hill, but a famous place to the south of the capital.
According to legend, several centuries ago, before the capital
reached its current state of grandeur, this Twenty-eight-Li Hill
was the last hill one reached before entering the capital. It was
named after its exact distance from the last inn on the road to
the capital. Traveling this distance would fatigue the men and
horses alike, and to them, this small hill appeared to be taller
than the great eastern mountains.

Today, this hill had been encompassed within the city walls
and was now a street. But its name remained. Qingyu Hall was
located there. The carriage parked far away, and the Fan
siblings stepped out, walking along the streets. They saw neat
rows of various shops, all constructed with cheap timber
imported from Lingnan. They were brushed over with a thin
coat of paint and their many spots showed. At a glance, they
appeared to look back with countless eyes.

Fan Xian was surprised, "Why use those?" He was familiar

with this type of timber in his previous life, where they were
commonly used in small eateries. Since they reflected natural
wood, they gave off a feeling of simplicity and refreshment.

Wang Qinian shook his head; he was no businessman. Fan

Ruoruo explained, "This is Qingyu Hall. Each one of these
shops are run by a disciple of a great shopkeeper. There are
seventeen shopkeepers and seventeen rooms." Fan Xian
counted over twenty of those rooms and asked his sister about
this, who answered, "With the passing time, some of the
shopkeepers got old, so they are beginning to retire. Others
have fallen ill."

They walked towards the front and saw a very beautiful

mansion with a huge courtyard. Its roof hung over the walls,
and by the look of it the courtyard was probably divided into
several sections. Fan Xian’s heart stirred as he sensed
something familiar. After a brief moment, he remembered that
this architecture was the same style as the Taiping Courtyard
he saw earlier.

Those shopkeeper’s living quarters were strange. The front

gate was not labeled "Qingyu Hall". At the same time, a
bodyguard had already sent up a notice. Upon seeing the name
on that notice, the gatekeeper knew who the guest was, and
very respectfully welcomed them in. Because one shopkeeper
was currently helping the Fan household with Danbo
Bookstore, there was no need for further formalities.

Just before they were about to enter, an official from the

Imperial court who was in charge of Qingyu Hall forced his
way over and began to do background checks. Wang Qinian
stared at him with cold eyes and dispatched a minor
subordinate to deal with the official. Wang Qinian then
followed Fan Xian into Qingyu Hall.

The one in charge of Qingyu Hall was also from the

Overwatch Council, so he realized he just did something quite
redundant.
 ...

...

They entered the hall and were seated and served tea.

Sitting at the main seat was a man in his forties. He had

gentle eyes, as if he had learned to become timid after years of
pressure. Fan Xian knew, however, that the man was the head
shopkeeper of Qingyu Hall, named "Big Ye". Back in the day he
was in charge of the most important businesses in the Ye
household, despite the boring and worthless image he gave off
presently. Fan Xian smiled and said, "I had always thought the
head shopkeeper would be advanced in age. Only after this
meeting do I see you are still so young."

Ye the head shopkeeper was completely unaware of the

reason for Fan Xian’s visit. Even though several decades had
passed, and the Ye household was no longer a touchy subject,
he had been placed under house arrest in the capital for over a
decade. So he was less vigorous, his body had shriveled, and
his character was not as passionate as it had once been. The
shopkeeper answered with an uneasy smile, "I am but an old
man. You sure like to joke around, Young Master Fan."

Fan Xian chuckled. "Let’s get to the point. I came here today
to offer my gratitude. Thanks to the seventh shopkeeper, the
bookstore has been flourishing. Secondly, I wanted to see what
Qingyu Hall is like."

The head shopkeeper smiled, "Since you spent money to hire

one of us, it’s only natural that we earn more money for you in
return. If we didn’t know how to make a business lucrative,
we’d have perished in the capital long ago." When he talked
about earning money, the head shopkeeper couldn’t hide his
pride and former glory.

In his mind, Fan Xian praised the shopkeeper. That was how
someone taught by his mom should compose themselves. Fan
Xian then saluted the shopkeeper, "In truth, I came here today
to trouble you specifically regarding something unexpected."

The head shopkeeper was greatly surprised. If it was only for

business, one of Fan Xian’s status would never visit in person.
Could he be planning something? Head Shopkeeper Ye was
concerned for the lives of his fellow shopkeepers and their
families, so he refused with great difficulty. "The Imperial
court has given the order that we cannot leave the capital. We
really can’t offer much help."

Fan Xian laughed, "I know that. I’m asking you to be

someone’s teacher. To my knowledge, in these years there are
several members of the treasury that were taught here. I work
pretty well with your seventh shopkeeper, so I wanted to
recommend a student."

"Who, if I may ask?"

Fan Xian smiled without saying a word. Understanding the

gesture, the head shopkeeper said, "You’ve traveled far. How
about I let my wife accompany Miss Fan for a stroll in the
garden?" He looked at Fan Xian with a smile, "Our yard is
nothing extraordinary, but it was designed by the house owner.
It is worth a look."

Fan Ruoruo understood as well. She smiled and followed the

shopkeeper’s wife out to the garden. Wang Qinian and the
others were ordered to leave by Fan Xian. Seeing this level of
secrecy, the head shopkeeper couldn’t help but feel alarmed.
Who was it that wanted to come here to study business?

"Fan Sizhe, my younger brother," Fan Xian took a sip of tea,

"You must have heard of him."

The head shopkeeper Ye was secretly stunned by what he

heard. Though there was no apparent conflict between the two
Fan sons, Count Sinan’s heritage was at stake. How could a son
of that status be willing to learn to do business? Could Fan
Xian be taking advantage of this in order to make Fan Sizhe
ineligible from receiving an inheritance…? That would be
much too absurd; much too improper.

Fan Xian didn’t realize the head shopkeeper would be

thinking this much into it. "My younger brother takes great joy
in doing business, but he has only been keeping up due to his
innate abilities and his love for the trade. He really lacks the
ability to accomplish anything major. I hope you will be able to
bless him with your knowledge."

The head shopkeeper immediately shook his head. As timid

as he had become, he didn’t want to partake in such matters.
"Minister Fan is in charge of land tax. That is the biggest
business there is. How could we, the miniscule Qingyu Hall,
dare to teach the Younger Master?"

Fan Xian was a bit disappointed, but he didn’t fret. With his
plan, this teacher would have nowhere to run. He sat quietly
and slowly adjusted the zhenqi in his xueshan. He closed his
eyes and made sure no one was eavesdropping. Only after all
that did he lower his voice and said, "There’s another thing. If
you’re willing to listen, I’m willing to tell you."

Seeing Fan Xian being this secretive made the head

shopkeeper laugh. He knew even if he wouldn’t listen, Fan
Xian would tell him regardless. Just as expected, Fan Xian
smiled. "I am the Functionary of Taichang Temple."

The head shopkeeper was a bit confused that Fan Xian said
this out of nowhere, but he offered his congratulations
anyway, since he knew this Young Master would soon become
an esteemed individual. However, Fan Xian followed up with:
"I am to marry the daughter of the Ye household." He knew
that, despite having been under house arrest in the capital for
over ten years, this shopkeeper must have had many channels
for receiving secret information in the past.
 Just as he thought, the head shopkeeper’s expression changed
dramatically. He stared straight into Fan Xian’s eyes and asked
coldly, "What are you trying to say?"

Fan Xian answered nonchalantly, "In two years at the latest, I

will be able to take over the palace treasury… but I know I still
lack the power. Father’s authority is on the national level, but
what I need are resources from the palace, so my father can’t
help me much with that. So, I…" Looking back at the head
shopkeeper’s eyes, Fan Xian emphasized each one of his words,
"…need help. I need… your help."
Chapter 111: Morning Roll Call at
Taichang Temple
There was silence in the hall for a moment. For a long time,
neither of the two said a word. Ye the shopkeeper was shocked.
The treasury? He had once been personally responsible for it...
The Lady had left them everything—how many years had
passed in which they were unable to get anywhere near it? But
how could the royal court allow people such as them to
approach it again?

Seemingly having guessed what he was thinking, Fan Xian

smiled. "I have seen the decree summoning you to the capital.
It doesn't allow you to invest in commercial activities. But no
one said anything about not permitting you to take over the
duties of the House of Ye."

For these shopkeepers of Qingyu Hall, it was extremely

tempting. Taking over the management of the estates of the
princes and controlling all of the copper mines and saltbeds
from afar would not be sufficient to display their true talent.
And the treasury... As the shopkeepers of Qingyu Hall saw it, it
had always been theirs to take care of! It was unbearable
watching the Eldest Princess squander everything that the
Lady had left them over the years. Every time they thought
about it, these specialist "professional managers" were filled
with so much hatred it made them gnash their teeth.

The invitation that Master Fan had issued represented the

view of Fan Manor, and Fan Manor had a special relationship
with His Majesty... Could it be that His Majesty had come
round to the idea?

Fan Xian stood up and smiled. "It was just a proposal. There
is still plenty of time. You may think it over as you wish, Big
Ye."

Having said his piece, there was nothing more to discuss.

Having waited for Fan Ruoruo to return from her boring stroll,
the delegation from Fan Manor took their leave. Big Ye the
head shopkeeper respectfully saw them off. As he watched
them climb aboard their carriage, he wiped the cold sweat from
his brow.

Fan Xian's head suddenly poked out from inside the carriage.
His handsome face was as brilliant as sunshine. "Big Ye!" he
yelled in a loud voice. "If you come round to the idea, invite us
over for a chat. I shall bring some of the dried meats that my
younger brother brought as a gesture of goodwill."Big Ye heard
his shouting. He had assumed that Master Fan would bring up
the delicate matter of managing property in front of everyone,
and he was filled with a sudden fright. After he heard what Fan
actually said, he felt at ease. He knew that Fan Xian was
reminding him that if he wanted to accept his conditions, he
would also have to act as the younger Fan brother's teacher in
return.

But there were a few things that Big Ye did not understand,
like why he had to pay respect to his teacher with dried meats.
He frowned, and then thought about how many years prior,
either the ninth Ye or the twenty-third Ye had brought dried
meat... Now, why had ninth Ye or twenty-third Ye brought
dried meat? He clapped his hand to his head and returned to
Qingyu Hall, saddened that his powers of memory had
seemingly faded.

Returning to the manor in a carriage, Fan Xian felt rather

tired. He was not the sort of person who liked plotting, but for
the sake of himself, the Fan family, and a great many other
people, there were some things that he had to do. In his plan,
the property of the Ye family had to be slowly transferred to
the second brother. After all, he had a talent for business,
though it wasn't as good as that brat's. As for the rest... he had
to wait and see.
 At that moment, he finally understood what Master Fei had
said to him in Danzhou.

"Your family's affairs are far more complicated than you

could even imagine. It involves not only your own life, but the
lives of a great many others, so you must take great caution. As
you grow up over the years, you must learn to protect yourself.
It is the only way that you will have the power to protect
others in the future."

"In the future... who will I have to protect?" Fan Xian had
asked, filled with doubts.

Fei Jie had laughed, and tapped his nose. "People like myself.
Those who have strong attachments to you."

So there were things that Fan Xian had to do, so that he could
finally protect... people like Ruoruo and Wan'er; people in the
Fan family who already had strong attachments to him. At the
same time, he wanted to make life a little easier for the old
ladies of Qingyu Hall. Of course, at that moment, he still did
not imagine that there would come a day where those old
freaks Fei Jie and Chen Pingping would also require his
protection.

For the young master Fan to visit Qingyu Hall was a matter
of great importance, at least in the eyes of the great many
people carrying the Ye family name. Business was at an end,
after all. Although these shopkeepers had earned a great
amount of money for the estates of the princes, they were still
considered unworthy of appearing in public. So when Big Ye
told the others the purpose of master Fan's visit—someone with
even the slightest status had personally come to visit Qingyu
Hall, and have secret discussions in the rear garden—some of
those sitting around the round table were shocked, while
others began to reminisce about their glory days. Some went
pale thinking of the ruthless goings-on inside the palace.

"We need not over-think it. Master Fan has already had the
courage to bring us this proposition, so he will undoubtedly
think of a way to persuade the palace." Big Ye looked at the
other members of the council and frowned. "To see how
everyone feels, the five of us shall vote. According to the old
customs, each man has one vote, and I have two. Old Six is
currently doing business at Fan Manor, so I invite him to
provide us with his opinion."
 The other shopkeepers cast a glance at seventh Ye of Danbo
Bookstore. He lowered his head in thought for a while, then
spoke. "The relationship between master Fan and his younger
brother is much better than we imagined, and master Fan
seems to live a simple life, but in truth his ambitions are lofty.
Everyone knows that he has now made a name for himself in
the capital. I see him going about his business every day. It
appears he does not seem to care in the same way about the
property of Count Sinan. And he spends his days in contact
with formidable characters such as Crown Prince Jing."

Big Ye nodded. "It is early yet, but we must be prepared as

soon as possible."

Some of the council members held opposing views. "And

what of the risk? We were lucky to save our own lives, and we
have lived happily enough these past few years."

"There is not that much risk to it. After all, over the past
years, I presume that opinion in the palace has softened toward
us. We have never left the capital, and our lives remain in the
hands of the royal court." Another man shook his head. "We
are merely merchants. We cannot rebel, so what is there to
fear? Alas, how I long to take charge of such matters again. It
excites me to imagine it. We have had so little to boast of for so
many years... and I was the one among us who had the most to
boast about."

This utterance seemed to have stirred up beautiful memories

for everyone. They all laughed. "The Lady always did say you
liked to blow your own horn," scolded one of them.

"I am not you," he said, distressed. "I used to prefer blowing

bubbles at the soapworks."

Big Ye smiled. He held up his hand to silence their

neverending chatter. "Does anyone have anything to add?" he
asked.

The first person who had raised objections stopped laughing.

"First I wish to confirm whether this is authorized by the
palace," he said coolly. "Then I shall go along with it. Although
we all wish to go back to the way things were for our house,
our safety is still our first priority. The Lady once said that as
long as we had our health, then we would be fine."
 Big Ye frowned. "Fan Manor had a great relationship with the
Ye family at that time. Over the years, the Overwatch Council
and Count Sinan have continued to take care of us. I presume
that Count Sinan does not wish to deceive us."

The cold-faced councillor spoke. "Do not forget; the Li family

also had a great relationship with us at that time. Were we not
also deceived by them?"

Li was the surname of the ruling dynasty. The House of Li

was the royal house. When he said it, the hidden room in the
rear garden of Qingyu Hall went silent, and the faces of the
men around the table all took on uneasy expressions.

Convening the elders of the House of Ye was a risky matter,

so Fan Xian had only made a small step toward it, and had
done it under the pretense of hiring a tutor for Fan Sizhe. It
was assumed that not many people would take note of such a
matter. After all, he did not know how long it would be before
he took control of the treasury. Before taking control, he had
to make sure that he had the power to do so. Before he could
make sure of that, he had to go along with His Majesty's
commands.
 His Majesty's conditions for taking control of the royal purse
were simple—whoever married Lin Wan'er would take control
of the treasury. He did not know why the Emperor loved his
fiancée so dearly, but as he had chosen to accept the marriage,
he had naturally also chosen to accept the struggle that came
before the marriage.

First, he had another struggle to face.

Functionary of Taichang Temple was a ceremonial post,

similar to an honorary title, in order to bestow a more elegant
official title upon the future son-in-law of the Emperor. It was
only an eighth-rank minor position, but it was prestigious
enough. At first, the custom in the Kingdom of Qing was to
confer upon them a sixth-rank position as a chamberlain at the
Academy of Combined Learning, but they later discovered that
many sons-in-law of the Emperor could not take on the burden
of composing poetry, so the custom was changed and they were
granted the position of a functionary. In the previous dynasty,
functionaries had been called "functionary-sergeants". When it
came to being in charge of a temple, the imperial household
presumed that sons-in-law of the Emperor would always be
unable to compose poetry, and it would be fine if they could
simply hum a few bars of a tune, so the rule was thusly set.
 Although it was a ceremonial post, it was still necessary to
report to Taichang Temple. So, early one morning, a grumpy
Fan Xian climbed into the family carriage and hurried to the
entrace to Taichang Temple. A fourth-level official of Taichang
Temple was already standing there to greet him. This show of
extravagance made Fan Xian feel overwhelmed by favor from
his superior. He hurriedly dismounted the carriage to
affectionately greet the official. After exchanging pleasantries
with the officials of Taichang Temple, he finally entered the
office, and sat in a small room, listening to the officials explain
his duties to him.

The official who had greeted him had been hand-picked by

the Prime Minister, so his warmth toward Fan Xian was
understandable. But this official, and a number of other
bureaucrats in the royal court, still could not understand
something—in marrying the illegitimate daughter of the Prime
Minister to the illegitimate son of the Fan family, why was
everything being done according to palace customs?

Perhaps His Majesty was too fond of the Lin and Fan
families, but in the eyes of many officials, the Emperor had
acted far too willfully, and those who knew of Miss Lin's true
identity would say nothing of the matter—even at pain of
death.
 Fan Xian had originally presumed that he was tone-deaf and
would inevitably commit some kind of faux pas. He had never
imagined that when he sat idly about one morning, his belly
full of warm tea, he would discover that his colleagues were
much the same as him, clasping a couple of newspapers issued
from the palace. Feeling somewhat bloated from all the tea he
had drunk, he sighed, and learned that the others also took a
newspaper with them to visit the latrines.

The newspapers were full of gossip, talking about how Chen

Pingping had returned to the capital. The palace editors did not
dare say a word about the story of the Director and his first
love. Hiking up his pants as he left the latrine, he unthinkingly
stuffed the newspaper in his underwear, and suddenly realized
something that made him burst into laughter. This was a habit
of stealing newspapers that he'd gotten into as he'd grown up in
Danzhou. The money that he had stashed away relied on this
method of raking in cash.

He was returning to drink more tea when he suddenly heard

joyous shouting from inside the room. "Victory! Victory! May
Heaven preserve the great Kingdom of Qing!"
 His heart skipped a beat. He realized that in the struggle
between the imperial household and the Kingdom of Northern
Qi, with the imperial household's victory in the small
skirmishes occurring throughout some of the vassal kingdoms,
it was possible that some land had come under the scope of the
Qing Kingdom's power.
Chapter 112: Reaping the Whirlwind
Within the room, bureaucrats huddled together looking over
imperial bulletins, on which were clearly written an account of
what had happened in the north. Regardless of whether it was a
result of their timeliness or the abundance of the information
they contained, they always attracted many more readers than
the palace newspapers. What was more, they contained news
of national victories. Fan Xian forced a smile as he fished the
wrinkled newspaper from his breast pocket, mumbling an
apology to old Pan Ling, the official calligraphy master of the
secretariat. He sat back down at the table and began to sip
some more tea.

The people around him excitedly discussed military affairs.

None of them took notice of Fan Xian's calm silence. Instead,
the head official smiled at him, and suggested that he should
come outside with him for a moment. Somewhat
apprehensively, Fan Xian left the room, and came to a secluded
place. Deep within the courtyard, there stood a stone table
with two stone chairs. The official indicated to him that he
should sit. "Everyone is rather joyous," he asked with a smile,
"and yet you remain unmoved, sir. Why?"

The official's name was Ren Shao'an. He had once been a

distinguished man of letters, and had later become a
nobleman, rising steadily to a position within Taichang
Temple. His circumstances were not unlike those that Fan Xian
found himself facing at that moment. Fan Xian was unsure
whether Master Ren was offended by something, and so he
sighed, unsure how to respond. "It was only natural that the
imperial household should be victorious in such a matter," he
replied with a weak smile, "so this is no great surprise."

"Why is it only natural?" asked the official Ren, curious.

Fan Xian had no unique insight into the military affairs of

the kingdom. He had no choice but to try to dodge the topic.
"His Majesty is wise, the officers and soldiers are obedient, and
Northern Qi lacks confidence, so it is only natural that we were
victorious."

Master Ren looked at him and smiled. "It has only just
occurred to me that this battle between the two nations is
inextricably linked to the assassination attempt on your good
self, Master Fan."

Fan Xian was taken aback. It had only just occurred to him as
well. One of the excuses for this military expedition was an
attempt by Northern Qi to infiltrate the Kingdom of Qing and
assassinate the son of a major minister. He could only think of
all the dead bodies that must be piled up along the rivers of the
northern border. In every region, wives would be waiting for
their husbands in empty bedchambers. For some reason, it
made Fan Xian's heart ache. He sighed. "A sage has no choice
but to take up the weapon of the soldier." He knew that
although the Kingdom of Qing had known peace for many
years, beneath the surface, its martial spirit had never receded.
So every day, he made sure to hide it, but he gave no thought to
the idle chatter between himself and Master Ren, so he had
spoken freely.

Master Ren seemed to admire his words. He nodded.

"Although that may be the case, we have gained much in this
instance. There have been many years of peace in the Kingdom
of Qing, and we deserve it."

Fan Xian was not an inflexible pacifist; he smiled in

acknowledgement of the fact. "Although our victory in war
belongs to the officers and soldiers and His Majesty," continued
Master Ren, "this has been planned in secret by the royal court
for many months. It must have been a thoroughly exhausting
effort."
 Fan Xian immediately understood another meaning behind
Ren's words. He realized that Master Ren was suggesting that
the bureaucratic system of the royal court had considerable
power over military affairs. After all, Fan Xian had lived two
lives; he knew that waging war relied on logistics. "Much credit
must also go to the court ministers," he said with sincerity.

Master Ren smiled. "The Prime Minister will soon be your

father-in-law," he continued. "When you have time, you should
go and pay your respects to him. It is only proper."

"You're right. Thank you for reminding me, good sir." Cold
sweat trickled down Fan Xian's back. He wanted to marry
Wan'er as soon as possible, but he had still yet to pay his
respects to his own future father-in-law. This was indeed
inexcusable. But... this was supposed to be a fair and
aboveboard relationship between the Lin and Fan families.
Why did Master Ren have to talk to him in secret?

Just as expected, Master Ren spoke. "I hope that you will visit
the Prime Minister's manor. You would not want to alarm too
many people."
 Fan Xian fearfully accepted the order.

In the royal court the next day, in thoroughly flattering

language, the military received commendations. The
Overwatch Council also received praise for their capabilities in
information-gathering. But, in a move which many did not
expect, Fan Jian, Count Sinan, Minister for the Treasury,
stepped forward to suggest that this victory was all down to
the careful planning of the Prime Minister. He had put the
affairs of the nation ahead of the affairs of his own family,
controlling logistics to provide ample rations and fodder for
the army, and had truly provided a great service to the nation.
There was a hubbub among the gathered ministers, who could
not understand why a political opponent would be so kind, but
when they recalled the approaching marriage, they suddenly
realized why.

Even more unexpectedly, the Prime Minister's long-time ally,

Guo You, Director of the Board of Rites, raised an objection.
And most unexpectedly of all... Chen Pingping appeared in the
royal court, and when the Emperor asked him about the
matter, he sat in his wheelchair and replied simply: "This was
all the Prime Minister's work."
 With this, the political opponents who had been using Wu
Bo'an and collaboration with Northern Qi as a pretext to attack
the Prime Minister had seemingly quieted down. With the
Emperor's consolation, Lin Ruofu could stand firm again. A
rumor circulated throughout the palace that due to the
upcoming marriage with the Fan family, the Prime Minister
had turned to the Second Prince. The Second Prince, who
originally had no support within the royal court, had suddenly
become a powerful figure.

But no one knew that behind all this was an idle chat
between Master Ren of Taichang Temple, soured by the loss of
his hopes, and Fan Xian, the eighth-level Functionary of
Taichang Temple.

Having made a good impression on his father-in-law, Fan

Xian finally felt a bit more at ease. Although he was still
greatly worried that the Prime Minister would discover that
his second son had been killed by someone under Fan Xian's
command, he did not avoid him as he had been doing over the
past two months.

His duties at Taichang Temple did not require him to attend

every day; he simply had to attend for roll call every ten days.
One afternoon, Fan Xian came to the palace by carriage.

Now the whole capital knew that he would be marrying the

young lady of the palace, and in addition, Fan Manor had spent
a great amount of money, so the imperial bodyguards turned a
blind eye. Fan Xian and his sister strolled inside, with no
intention to see the flowers of the garden. They only intended
to go along the cobblestone path straight into the small
pavilion. Fan Ruoruo was rather surprised. "Brother, you seem
very familiar with this path."

Fan Xian smiled. "I have a good memory, did you not know?"
Secretly, he smiled to himself. Over the past weeks, there had
been a few evenings where he had snuck through the garden; it
would have been difficult for him not to become familiar with
it.

Unfortunately, according to custom, this future son-in-law

of the Emperor still could not see Lin Wan'er, so he sat
downstairs drinking tea while Ruoruo went up to see her. He
was not worried. When night fell, he could see his fiancée, so
he was happy to hold off for now. After a while, two people
came back downstairs. When he saw the young woman behind
Ruoruo, Fan Xian's eyes sparkled. She had beautiful eyes and
fine eyebrows. But she did not seem coarse, and instead was
rather spirited. It was Ye Ling'er, only daughter of the captain
of the garrison, Ye Zhong.

She thought it rather odd to see a strange man waiting

downstairs. Fan Xian stood up to greet her, smiled, and cupped
his hands in greeting. "Miss Ye, it has been a long time."

As he spoke, Fan Xian realized that something was amiss.

When he had seen Ye Ling'er, he had been in disguise. He was
pretending to be a doctor. Although today he had come to visit
without any disguise, as soon as he said that it had been a long
time since their last meeting, he feared that Ye Ling'er's
suspicions would be raised.

Unexpectedly, Ye Ling'er regarded him meekly and curtsied.

"It is good to see you, master Fan."

Seeing that she knew who he was, and that she was not
surprised by what he had said, Fan Xian knew that Wan'er had
told her of his secret meetings with her. He smiled. "Wan'er is
lucky to have your company. It must be terribly boring on her
sickbed. I wanted to thank you."
 "You are too kind, master Fan," said Ye Ling'er coldly.

Fan Xian saw that this girl did not seem to like him at all, but
that she was not angry either; he could only imagine that this
was thanks to his own handsome face. He could make all the
women of the land feel a fondness toward him. So he smiled
and saluted her again, and then turned to Ruoruo. "So, how are
things?"

Fan Ruoruo smiled. "You are worried. Miss Lin said..."

Fan Xian suddenly waved his hand and smiled. "Let us go

home to discuss family matters."

Hearing this, Ye Ling'er was suddenly angered. Fan Xian was

such a narrow-minded sort, she thought. His meaning was
clear—did he really mean to say that matters between the Lin
and Fan families were not to be discussed around someone of
the Ye family? Her anger spilled over. "Master Fan, you must
not bully people through your words and deeds."
 Fan Xian was surprised. He wondered why she had said that.
He had no mind to deal with Miss Ye's temper and her
unfathomable anger. Taking his sister's hand, he led her
outside.

As they walked out of the pavilion, Ye Ling'er and the servant

girls also came out. When she saw Fan Xian pulling Fan Ruoruo
along by the hand, she smiled coldly.

Fan Xian did not understand, and continued to lead Ruoruo

by her slightly-cold hand as they waited for the carriage.
Ruoruo's face changed to an awkward expression. In truth, a
close brother-sister relationship such as theirs was rare in this
world, and Fan Xian had not taken much notice of it. Looking
at her face, Fan Xian finally realized something. How could
that girl try to intertwine herself with them? He and Ruoruo
were close, so he suddenly became angry, and he turned around
and frowned at Ye Ling'er. "Miss Ye, have you no one in your
household to teach you anything? Is that why you wander
around the capital and Dingzhou?"

Ye Ling'er had not expected that her absent-minded smile

would result in such an attack. "Why are you criticizing my
upbringing?"
 "Who said that?" Fan Xian smiled gently. "No one around
here said that."

Seeing his shameless behavior, Ye Ling'er became even

angrier. "So you don't wander around the capital either? You
want to get married, but you don't have the morals for it, and
yet you have visited Taichang Temple a number of times. Don't
tell me there is no one in your household to teach you either?"

Some cracks of anger began to appear in Fan Xian's gentle

temperament, but he doubled down on it. He knew that if he
got angry, she would get even angrier, and so he spoke even
more gently. "I have come to ask after my fiancée, as is
acceptable and proper. You are a good friend of my Wan'er and
you visit her often, and I have thanked you for it. I only hope
that you will take note of my words, and do not attempt to
meddle in the relationship of our households."

Ye Ling'er pursed her lips as she heard such provocation. "I

do not know what Wan'er could possibly see in a playboy like
you," she scowled.

Fan Xian sighed. "How am I a playboy?"

 "You are neither a scholar nor a soldier," she spat. "And so
you are just that; a playboy."

Fan Xian smiled, somewhat embarrassed. "I hate to boast, but

I am known throughout the capital to be a fine scholar and a
soldier. I have composed seven-step poems, and I have killed
men in seven steps. Excessive praise will make me complacent.
Young miss, your words today have made this clear to me, and
I must express my gratitude."

Seeing his pretentious act, Ye Ling'er considered his

reputation, and she stomped her foot angrily, unsure of what
to say. She bit her bright-red lips, and reached for the dagger on
her waist. After a moment of thought, she drew it, and threw it
at the ground in front of Fan Xian with a clatter.
Chapter 113: The Glorious Tradition of
Cheap Shots
With this clamor, it became all quiet in front of the palace
side yard. While Qing had experienced a long period of peace—
excluding the sparse skirmishes on the northern front—it had
only been established a few decades ago, so the civilians more
or less had some fight in them. For Ye Ling’er, having received a
martial education, it was nothing out of the ordinary to carry
around a small curved blade. What was out of the ordinary,
however, was the fact she threw it on the ground just in front
of Fan Xian.

Fan Xian raised his eyebrows as he realized he was being

challenged to a duel. It was similar to the custom of noblemen
from Europe in his previous life, where they threw gloves in
each other’s faces. Fan Xian scratched his cheek and chuckled
to himself—if throwing stuff at faces remained unchanged in
Qing, then probably no one would refuse a duel.

Everyone’s eyes were on Fan Xian. Ruoruo nervously pulled

on his sleeve. Despite Ye Ling’er’s delicate build and slim waist,
she was a proper seventh-ranked martial artist whom no one in
the capital dared to bother. Now that she had issued the
challenge, Fan Xian, as a man, shouldn’t turn her down, lest he
be forever shamed in the capital.

Seeing the heated standoff, the gatekeepers pretended that

they didn't hear a thing. At the same time, none of them were
oblivious enough to go find the ruling Lady in the other yard—
"your dearest girl friend is about to fight your future
husband"—who would be that stupid?

...

...

"I always hear people praise you for exceling in both ‘civil
and martial’ affairs. I’m no match for you in poetry, but I want
to confirm for Wan’er if you have what it takes to protect her."
Strangely, since throwing down that knife, Ling’er’s
personality changed; she calmed down, and her eyes, which
were as beautiful as fine jade, became filled with confidence.
What kind of great power was hidden within that seemingly
frail body, ready to be unleashed upon Fan Xian?
 Fan Xian was surprised as he realized this girl was a strong
one who kept her abilities hidden. However, he smiled and
waved his hand, and said what no one expected to hear:

"I refuse."

Refusing a duel? That alone was rare enough, but Fan Xian
was backing down from a woman; could he ever raise his head
again in the capital? None of the spectators could figure out
what prompted Fan Xian to make such a bewildering decision.

Fan Xian explained humbly, "While Miss Ye dislikes me,

you’re still a dear friend of Wan’er’s. How could I lash out at
you?" Before the crowd could cheer at such an excellent
answer, he added with a smile, "Besides, unless the situation is
dire, I do not wish to hit a woman."

His carriage had arrived a long time ago, but it remained

unable to approach due to the current incident. Not even Wang
Qinian dared to intervene.
 After explaining himself, Fan Xian took his sister’s hand and
turned to leave.

A clear voice erupted in rage! In a flash of shadow, Ye Ling’er

charged up behind Fan Xian and jabbed at him! She was
considerate enough to adhere to the courtesy of a duel and gave
him a warning beforehand.

Feeling the forceful wind pressure behind him, Fan Xian put
some strength into his right hand and led his sister to the side.
He then turned.

He saw Ling’er’s fist coming straight at his face!

That fist was small and graceful, with white skin that had
some veins showing through vaguely. washer fingernails were
painted pink.

To observe so many details in such a short instant only

proved two things. One, Fan Xian was a man of considerate
carnal desire. And two, while Ye Ling’er’s punch was fast, it
wouldn’t hold a candle to that wooden stick on the cliffs above
Danzhou.

With a tap of his foot, Fan Xian leaned toward his left with
unnatural quickness. Ye Ling’er’s fist, full of lethal intent,
went past his cheek and missed completely.

The buzz of the wind made Fan Xian’s hair rise. Meanwhile,
Fan Xian had already withdrawn his right hand and, in a flash,
flicked Ye Ling’er’s maimen!

Not even Gong Dian could avoid this trick when caught off
guard, so there was no way Ye Ling’er could. She grunted
lightly and opened her fist right next to Fan Xian’s cheek. But
Fan Xian had no time to be pleased. He squinted and took three
steps back in an odd manner. He then clapped in the air three
times.

Clap! Clap! Clap! Three claps rang out next to him!

As it turned out, as soon as she opened her hand, Ye Ling’er

spread her fingers like the branches of a peach tree and aimed
them at Fan Xian’s temples. Fan Xian dodged the initial attack
with pure instinct, blocking the three blasts of qi with his
hands.

"Ye style sanshou!" The crowd gasped. They knew

Grandmaster Ye Liuyun was her granduncle, but they didn’t
know she had inherited any skills from him.

Before the gasps died down, Fan Xian closed in with a

perfectly calm expression and landed a solid punch into Ye
Ling’er’s still-opened hand.

There was a dull thud. Peach branches or not, Ye Ling’er’s

sanshou had been breached by Fan Xian’s overpowering zhenqi!
She drifted over a meter backwards, holding her wrist in pain
while staring at Fan Xian in shock. She could never have
imagined his zhenqi would be so powerful. After contact, it
traveled up her own meridians to attack her. The pain made
her release her sanshou.

"You are no match for me." Fan Xian provoked her.

 Ye Ling’er clenched her teeth and charged at him again, even
fiercer than before. She chopped down with her hand, her
fingers lined up into a blade which pierced the wind. As a
young woman, her zhenqi was already inferior to an adult
man, which was why Ye Liuyun taught her to use a slashing
motion when fighting opponents with stronger zhenqi.

Fan Xian was secretly startled, but managed to make use of

panicked footwork developed on the Danzhou cliffs to escape
Ye Ling’er’s strikes by the skin of his teeth.

As the wind pressure from Ye Ling’er’s strikes picked up, the

spectators felt a chill.

Countless blades of qi danced around Fan Xian, who vaguely

sensed danger. With a restrained grunt, he filled his entire
body with zhenqi and stomped his foot down hard, forcibly
stopping himself from retreating any further. He then
channeled strength into his waist and threw himself forward,
as if he had been punched from behind. He had changed from a
retreating posture to an advancing one. It was completely
unexpected!
 The winds disappeared, and so did Fan Xian.

...

...

The next moment made everyone drop their jaws.

Fan Xian was right up between Ye Linger’s arms, his hands

firmly grasping her armpits. Ye Linger’s terrifying hands
stopped just short above Fan Xian’s shoulders—more
accurately, right before her hands came down, Fan Xian struck
her in a weak spot by practically hugging her.

What Fan Xian had done might have looked improper, but
among the wildly dancing blades of qi, this was the only way
to get close enough to her. Fan Xian’s eyesight and speed had
reached such terrifying levels; Wu Zhu had taught him well.
 Having first been charged by Fan Xian, who looked like a
vengeful spirit, and then having been embraced by him, Ye
Ling’er was greatly shaken. But she did not panic. She pushed
down with both arms, raising herself into the air!

Without warning, she kicked down towards Fan Xian’s tibia.

If it connected, Fan Xian would be sure to fall on top of her
from the pain, but she didn’t care that much at the moment.

Right before the kick landed, Fan Xian let go, and she fell.

Such was how the human body moves. If you chop down
with your hands while kicking up at the same time, it would be
extremely unpleasant. Fan Xian was aiming for this moment
and stabbed out with his own punch!

Other than the incident on Niulan Street, this was the third
punch he had thrown since arriving in the capital. Each one
prior had broken someone’s nose; today was no exception.

There was a light crack and a splash of blood; the way it

trailed in the air somehow gave off a romantic feeling.
 ...

...

Ye Ling’er immediately knelt down and clutched her nose.

There was blood between her fingers. After a moment, she
began wailing. Fan Xian was uneasy; she wanted a fight, he
obliged, and now she cries?

The maidservants of Ye manor rushed forward, but didn’t get

in the way. It looked like this young miss often challenged
people to duels. Fan Xian did not feel guilty in the slightest—
just because he disliked hitting women didn’t mean he wanted
to get hit by one. When his mother first came to the capital,
she had beaten Ye Ling’er’s father—Sir Ye Zhong, the current
Commander of Defense—into a sorry pulp. Uncle Wu Zhu had
fought a grand battle against Ye Liuyun under the city walls,
forcing the grandmaster to shut himself in for many months,
renouncing the sword for sanshou.

Fan Xian punching Ye Ling’er was him carrying on this

glorious tradition, in a way.
Chapter 114: Coffin-Breaker Technique
and Little Tricks
It was only natural for Fan Xian to allow both fighters to go
home and lick their wounds, but he had absolutely not
expected Fan Ruoruo to be glaring at him. It seemed that his
little sister did not like how hard he had fought. He smiled
bitterly and shook his head, and watched his little sister pull
out a handkerchief to wipe Ye Ling'er's bloody nose.

"Ye Ling'er has such a pretty nose. It's such a shame that it
makes her look like a snot-nosed child at the moment."

"Ye Zhong's family is surnamed Ye, and my mother was also

surnamed Ye. Perhaps that is why they always disliked each
other, and now Ye Ling'er and I also dislike each other. It seems
like a family tradition."

In truth, Fan Xian was an unflappable sort of person, but the

whole scene had made him feel very awkward. For a while it
would have been inconvenient to leave, so he had to think of
something trivial to hide his own mood.
 After some time, a sobbing Ye Ling'er finally calmed down,
comforted by Fan Ruoruo. When she looked at Fan Xian again,
there was hatred in her eyes, but also a sense of reverence. She
was, after all, a daughter of the Ye family. Her skill was not as
great as the others, and she could not extricate herself from
them. She struggled to salute Fan Xian and admit her defeat.

Seeing how open-hearted his opponent was made Fan Xian

feel somewhat embarrassed. He cleared his throat. "What
technique were you using?" he asked without thinking.

"Coffin-Breaker Technique," Ye Ling'er sniffed and responded

defiantly. "I concede, but that is only because I am
inexperienced. It has nothing to do with the martial skills of
the House of Ye."

At that moment, Fan Xian realized that there was something

rather cute about her. He laughed. "Coffin-Breaker is a fine
name. It seems to be a concise version of Liuyun's own
sanshou. For a young woman such as you to achieve such a
standard of martial arts must not have been easy."
 A group of people came along carrying a sedan chair. There
were people at the front, and there must have been people at
the rear, so Ye Ling'er covered her bloody nose. She cleared her
throat. "What was the move that you used?" she asked.

The entire Ye family were martial arts-obsessed, and Ye

Ling'er was in no hurry to return, but she was anxious to know
the sly trick that her opponent had employed. The people of
Qing were warriors, but there had never been someone like Fan
Xian, who only had to rely on his zhenqi, speed, and judgment
to come out on top. He used his knowledge of the human body
to attack his enemies in positions they weren't expecting, and
thus bit by bit he achieved victory—this was a technique that
Ye Ling'er had never seen before; but her uncle had.

Fan Xian was surprised. He wasn't sure that his fighting

tricks could be considered moves. "Those were just a couple of
tricks I picked up," he answered with some trepidation. "You
should really see to your wounds, Miss Ye."

These tricks were the killing techniques that Wu Zhu had

taught him, and what Fei Jie had taught him about the human
body. On top of that he included the knowledge he had put to
the test for the first time at Niulan Street, and synthesized
them together into a technique. Fan Xian had called them little
tricks, and indeed they were just that.

Later, Fan Xian's tricks would be famous throughout the

capital, and become a necessary part of study for anyone
wishing to take a martial path; but at the time, Fan Xian could
never have imagined it. Nor could he have imagined that there
would such names as "the fist of Danzhou", or "Sinan sixth
palm strike".

But today, his little tricks had beaten the Coffin-Breaker

Technique.

This sort of "swapping pointers on martial arts" was mostly

done within the walls of one's manor, but it was nothing new,
so no bad blood arose between the Fan and Ye families as a
result. The defeated Ye Ling'er left resentfully, but before she
did, she presented the curved knife that she kept around her
waist to Fan Xian, saying that it was a talisman of good luck in
tournaments.

Sitting in the carriage, Fan Xian smiled bitterly as he held the

talisman in his hand. He worried that getting into a fight with
a young lady for no good reason could have offended the Ye
family. Fan Ruoruo seemed to have guessed what he was
thinking. She smiled. "It doesn't matter. The children of the Ye
family are fighters, everyone knows that. If they weren't, they
would not have produced a grandmaster. Master Ye Zhong is an
upstanding fellow; he will not be angered by this little
incident."

Fan Xian sighed. "That's not the only reason why I'm
worried, but I think it's silly."

Fan Ruoruo laughed. "I think people would be more surprised

by the fact that you refused her duel at first."

"Surprised? Am I worried that the people of the capital will

think I'm a weakling? You said before, she is only a seventh-
level master, and I'm some weird scholar who even managed to
kill an eighth-level master. Even if I didn't fight her, do you
think the people of the capital really would have thought that I
was afraid of her?" Fan Xian smiled. "Even though they say
that swords are more powerful than words, if words are
enough for me to belittle and attack my opponent, then why
should I pick up a sword?"
 Having said this, he clapped a hand to his head. "Whatever,"
he said, annoyed. "The fight is over, there's no use talking
about it anymore."

Fan Ruoruo giggled.

"Why doesn't Miss Ye think much of me?" asked Fan Xian,

curious.

"I don't know." Fan Ruoruo thought for a moment. "Perhaps

first of all it's because you are betrothed to Lin Wan'er. It must
be difficult for her. After that, although it's not an issue, we did
trick her once, and it's thanks to her help that you were finally
able to meet Wan'er, so she must feel rather angry about that."

Fan Xian smiled bitterly. "I know there are no secrets between
girlfriends."

"The main thing is that you were a student of Master Fei,"

continued Fan Ruoruo. "That was the name you dropped last
time. Now it seems that many people know of the relationship
between our family and the Overwatch Council. That could be
what let the cat out of the bag."

Fan Xian's heart skipped a beat. Could he have been the one
who let people draw conclusions from such matters? He
thought about it again. The business with the Ye family was
years ago, and over the past few months, from what he had
seen, it seemed that the people had already forgotten about the
events of years before.

At that moment, Fan Ruoruo handed him a sheet of paper. He

took it and looked over it carefully, then crumpled it up into a
ball and threw it out of the carriage window. On the paper were
words that Wan'er had written. Today, his main reason for
visiting the pavilion was to discuss matters with his fiancée. He
wanted to visit his father-in-law and pay his respects as soon as
possible, and bring up some business. Although Lin Wan'er did
not lived with her father, they were still father and daughter
after all, and she would know much more than he did as an
outsider.

As the next day dawned, black clouds approached the city,

slightly dimming the blazing sun, and making the capital feel
even more like a steamer basket.
 Fan Xian wiped away his sweat and crouched by the side of
the road on Jiazhu Way, picking carefully from a vendor's
wares. Jiazhu Way was a center for selling antiques and curios
in the capital. Anyone who had an interest in such things
would flock there whenever the weather was good. Fan Xian
had studied the mannerisms of connoisseurs, and crouched
with one foot on the side of the road, and one foot on the
leather floor covering of the vendor's stall. His fingers moved
across the stall for a long time, but with no ultimate
conclusion. The vendor began to feel nervous.

He saw how finely dressed this nobleman was, and so he said

very little, eventually having no choice but to take the plunge
with a smile. "Sir, what is it that you're really looking for?"

"A snuff bottle." Fan Xian couldn't help but start to talk.
Wan'er had once told him that the Prime Minister had long
been a lover of snuff bottles, so he hoped that he would be able
to find a good one that day. He had not expected to be suddenly
dazzled, nor had he seen anything that caught his eye. "I see.
You have come to the right place." The vendor's eyes shone as
he spoke. "I have blue and white porcelain, jadeite, amber; any
kind you might like. The jadeite is especially fine. The best.
Have a look." He picked up a small snuff bottle, which was a
sleek green color with streaks of yellow. "Did you look? The
yellow and green one. I dare not say how old it is, but it is of a
truly fine quality."

"Do you have emerald?" Only the most expensive would do,
thought Fan Xian. "Emerald is far too noble," said the vendor
uneasily. "Only the palace would use it for snuff bottles.
Although there is not great demand for it now, it would be very
difficult to find an emerald snuff bottle on Jiazhu Way."

The vendor was a good man, and pointed the way of a large
emporium out to Fan Xian . He said that if he was looking for
an emerald snuff bottle, that would be the only place that
would have it.

Fan Xian thanked him, and gave him some silver in exchange
for some porcelain fragments that may or may not have been
fake before standing up and leaving. Wang Qinian was
standing to one side watching, and a slight smile floated across
his face. It seemed that his master treated the common people
with great tenderness, and more importantly, with caution.

As they entered the emporium, a cool breeze wafted directly

into their faces. They stared at a fan that rocked back and forth
incessantly, and Fan Xian exclaimed in delight. He was
suddenly unconcerned about asking for a snuff bottle. He
grabbed the owner and asked him who had sold them the fan. It
was a new product that had come out last year, and the owner
was friendly with the merchant, so he placed it in the vestibule
as a sort of advertisement.

After asking what the merchant's address was, Fan Xian

began to ask about his snuff bottle. The store owner looked Fan
Xian up and down, ascertaining Fan Xian's wealth from the
clothes he was wearing. Entering a back room, he cautiously
produced a box, placed it on the table, and opened it. The box
was lined with red brocade, the soft material holding snuff
bottles of all kinds to prevent them from breaking. The store
owner decided to get straight to the point. "Do you want a good
one, or the best one?"

Fan Xian appreciated his directness, and smiled. "The best, of

course."

Hearing this, the owner closed the box, and fumbling around
his waist, took out a light green jadeite snuff bottle. It was a
sleek green color, with not a single imperfection to be seen. It
was truly made of high-class material. Inside was a depiction
of a fisherman sitting on a cold river bank. Not only was it a
high-quality object, but the brushwork was also extremely fine;
it was clearly the work of an exceptional craftsman.

"Give me a price." Fan Xian took it and held it in his hand,

feeling its wonderful smoothness in his palm. It tickled, and it
was smooth and glossy.

"Two thousand taels of silver," said the store owner, his face
betraying no expression. He seemed thoroughly bored of
having people come buy things, and appeared somewhat
standoffish. Fan Xian was interested. It was a fine item indeed,
but the owner seemed to be acting otherwise.

He thought for a moment. The money he had saved in

Danzhou, and that which his sister had given him, had all gone
to their little brother to open the bookstore. Business at Danbo
Bookstore was flourishing, but the money had not come back
to him yet. So of the two thousand taels of silver he had had
Teng Zijing transfer, minus the four hundred taels that he had
used at the pleasure boat party, he had around thirteen
hundred taels of silver left over after recent spending. He
frowned. "Eight hundred taels."
Chapter 115: Give Mountains, Give
Rivers, Give Snuff Bottles
Fan Xian did not know how to bargain. But in his previous
life, a young beautiful nurse once told him, when girls shop for
clothes, they always started at one-third the original price. Fan
Xian was not a girl, however, and therefore asked for two-
fifths.

Unfortunately for him, the shop owner gave him a glare and
closed the box and prepared to take put it back inside the shop,
as if annoyed by Fan Xian’s inability to see value. Fan Xian
wanted to quickly call him back to renegotiate the price, when
unexpectedly, Wang Qiannian, who had been standing right by
in silence the entire time, signaled Fan Xian with his eyes.
Confused, Fan Xian followed him out.

"It’s only worth four hundred taels."

With respect, Wang Qiannian said to Fan Xian, "Your

Highness, allow me to go ask." He then entered the shop, which
lacked a signboard. After a while, Wang Qiannian came out,
this time with a very green snuff bottle. He took the bills of
money worth four hundred taels from Fan Xian and gave them
to the shop owner, whose face was of a very unhealthy color.

...

...

Once in the carriage, Fan Xian said, "We shouldn’t abuse our
over the people." Touching the snuff bottle in his pocket, he let
out a chuckle. "But bullying such dishonest businessmen once
in a while isn’t bad."

Wang Qiannan smiled, the wrinkles around his eyes

blossoming like a chrysanthemum—the man was over forty
years old, after all. He explained, "He wasn’t exactly dishonest.
The snuff bottle is worth a bit over three hundred at most. We
gave him four hundred, that’s not really bullying."

"Oh?" Fan Xian looked at Wang Qiannian in surprise. "You

can see the value in these antiques, Sir Wang. You really must
know a lot about this line of business to be able to have such an
eye for the pricing.
 Wang Qiannian laughed, "Your Highness, did you forget
what I did for a living before joining the Council?"

Realizing, Fan Xian laughed too.

"So you picked it up from your time as a lone thief."

Wang Qiannian answered, "When I was smuggling stolen

goods back and forth, I didn’t dare ask for assistance, so I had
to develop a good eye for these things.." With an antique expert
like him, no wonder Fan Xian was able to obtain the snuff
bottle at that price.

When they returned to Fan Manor, Wang Qiannian’s men

dispersed, leaving Fan Xian in the hands of his own protection
force. It was at that time that the line-pulled screen fan Fan
Xian had ordered previously arrived as well. As the servants
hurried to take in the order, the accountant said to Fan Xian,
with a pained expression, "These are nice, but it’s too
expensive. Young Master, you bought five of them, and that’s
difficult to explain to My Lady."
 Lady Liu happened to walk in and heard the accountant. She
looked at Fan Xian and nodded, "Record the purchase."

Fan Xian gave a faint smile and greeted his aunt. The
relationship between the two of them was quite awkward at
the moment; it couldn’t be called close, but there wasn’t
enough of a grudge to make them full-fledged enemies.

Fan Xian was troubled by something. "Aunt, I bought them to

cool the house. They would be amazing in the main hall. How
come no one else uses them?"

Lady Liu smiled and shook her head. "You’ll understand soon
enough. Who could afford them at that price? Summer is only
so long, it wouldn’t be much more expensive if you dug an
icehouse."

Fan Xian was sharp and understood immediately. "This is…

the treasury’s business?" Lady Liu nodded. Fan Xian sighed and
exclaimed, "How could it possibly be this expensive?" At this
level of craftsmanship, anyone can learn how to make them.
How come there’s no one else selling them?"
 Lady Liu chuckled, "While no one has said anything about it,
everyone knows that the emperor sponsors the inner treasury.
Would anyone dare to copy it? With just a single word, the
Overwatch Council could frame you with anything and have
you imprisoned or exiled."

Fan Xian shook his head in displeasure. Lady Liu asked out of
curiosity, "Why buy five at once?" Fan Xian explained in a
gentle manner, "One for the flower hall, one in you and
Father’s bedroom. As for the other three: one for King Jing,
one for the prime minister… and the last one for the duke."

In Lady Liu’s family, her mother’s side was one of the great
clans in the capital. Three generations ago, there had been a
duke. Whenever the word "duke" was mentioned in the Fan
household, it was in reference to Grand Duke Liu Heng.

Lady Liu was slightly taken aback, not expecting the youth to
be so considerate. It was even more surprising that he had
made the first move to offer a benevolent gesture. She didn’t
know how to respond and only gave an unfocused smiled
before taking her leave.
 In fact, it was by chance that Fan Xian thought to improve
the relationship between Lady Liu and the Liu household; if he
wanted Fan Sizhe to stand firmly by his side, there was sure to
be some family quarrel that he would want to avoid, and Lady
Liu might… once again do something that would prevent the
two sides from coming to terms.

Such small gestures couldn’t achieve that in one go, so he

had to take it one step at a time. Fan Xian was sure Lady Liu’s
heart was in three pieces, with one piece belonging to Count
Sinan, and one with Fan Sizhe. As long as he could maximize
the benefits between the two, she would not complain too
much. As for the assassination attempt when he was twelve
years old…

Fan Xian forced down his emotions with a frown and

convinced himself that his true enemies were the empress and
the eldest princess.

In the manor of the prime minister, Lin Ruofu gently held a

snuff bottle. He said lightly, "Seems to be made of high-quality
emerald. The cap is intricately fitted. While the inside of it is
painted, the artwork is excellent, if not a bit excessive." Yuan
Hongdao listened and knew what the prime minister meant.
"The groom has come to visit his future father-in-law while
bearing gifts; that’s how it should be."

Lin Ruofu smiled and stood up. He unraveled the scroll on

the table, revealing a painting. That painting, too, depicted an
old fisherman fishing by a river that disappeared into the
horizon. The rest of the painting depicted a snowy scene. Next
to the painting was a poem.

"Over one thousand mountains, there are no birds in flight;

on a myriad of paths, there are no footprints in sight." Reading
the poem, Lin Ruofu exclaimed, "The painting is ordinary, and
the calligraphy isn’t anything extraordinary, but the poem
itself is very nice. I’ve heard of Fan Xian’s reputation when it
comes to poetry, and I can now see it’s well deserved. But do
you still think this is what a groom like him should be doing,
with a poem like this?"

Yuan Hongdao smiled uneasily and thought about how

strange this Fan Xian was. Lin Ruofu had recently lost his
eldest son; he hadn’t yet returned to his old self, and for some
reason, Fan Xian decided to give him such a depressing
painting and poem. Yuan Hongdao fell silent for a moment
before something caught his eye. "Your Highness, look here."
He pointed at something on the painting.

Right between the mountains, some fine ink lines were

forking out, barely visible, like new grass blades wanting to
rise up underneath the snow with the coming of spring.

"This is…?"

"A touch of green in the chilling river and snowy cliff." Yuan
Hongdao explained while smiling.

In response to the barely visible shoots of grass, Lin Ruofu’s

expressions gradually softened. "Looks like you’ve taken a
liking to this Fan Xian also."

Yuan Hongdao didn’t refute it, and laughed. "He has an

excellent background, excellent education, and an excellent
nature."
 "Sounds like he’s the perfect person to you?" Lin Ruofu
smiled before continuing, "If Chen’er can live a good life after
being married to him, all is well." He suddenly lowered his
voice, "but regarding that incident, can you really confirm it."

Yuan Hongdao replied seriously, "The incident beneath the

Cang Mountains has been confirmed. Fei Jian is currently
negotiating in Dongyi City."

"Ah." Lin Ruofu half-closed his eyes. "I thought as much. I

actually don’t care about Fan Xian’s background and
education, only his nature and methods. It would be the best if
he has a good nature but merciless methods of action. This
way, once I die, the Lin household and my only son and
daughter will be protected."

After Lin Gong’s death, the prime minister was truly

disheartened. His eldest son was mentally challenged, while he
hadn’t seen his daughter for years. On top of that, he still
thought of the officials and relatives who relied on him. Who
Lin Wan’er was to be married to was the decision of utmost
importance.
 "How are things going outside?" Lin Ruofu asked gently.

"Very good, better than we imagined, Your Highness."

"Why is the sky blue?"

"Because the sea is blue."

"Why is the sea blue?"

"Because once light enters the water, it becomes blue… uh,

don’t listen to me, I’ve not studied that topic and was
sprouting nonsense."

"Why is the pond clear and not blue?"

"Because the water is too shallow?"

 "Ah?"

"Eh?" In the garden, Lin Wan’er’s big brother sat on a rattan

chair, his chubby frame seemed to take up all the space the
chair had to offer. He asked Fan Xian with curiosity, his gaze
showing a child-like innocence, although occasionally they
would appear sluggish.

Fan Xian knew the eldest son of the prime minister was not
healthy, but he hadn’t expected him to be mentally challenged.
For reasons unknown to Fan Xian, the prime minister still
hadn’t come to greet him. Hanging around the back garden, he
ran across his elder brother-in-law, and could only chat along.
Fan Xian secretly laughed to himself, wondering if this chubby,
mentally-challenged child would get angry and beat him.

"What’s your name?" Fan Xian asked his brother-in-law with

a smile. After chatting for a while, Fan Xian discovered him to
only be slow to react to things, like a small child. His silliness
was a bit cute, cuter than the accountant Fan Sizhe at least.

Fan Xian’s brother-in-law twisted his lips, his fat cheeks

making his face appear even rounder. "My name is Big Bao; my
little brother is Little Bao. Little Bao hasn’t been home in a
long time."

Fan Xian was shaken upon hearing this. He thought of the

late Lin Gong. The next instant, he had no idea what to say to
his brother-in-law in front of him.
Chapter 116: Summer Vacation
Were he a normal adult, chatting with someone with the
mental capacities of a young child, perhaps he would become
easily bored, but Fan Xian was not that sort of person. Fan
Xian had spent the last years of his previous life confined to his
sickbed, unable to move, and in this life, when he was
practicing strange and powerful arts, he would often find
himself slipping into a vegetative state, and so he had great
patience. Even more than that, he felt pity for his brother-in-
law, Dabao, and his learning difficulties, so he could control
his temper with a smile and chatted happily with Dabao.

As Fan Xian saw it, the plump fellow who moved around
slowly was more loveable than the other people of the capital,
and more trustworthy.

"Big brother, why am I so fat while you are so thin?" Dabao

frowned, seemingly perplexed by this problem.

Fan Xian forced a smile. "First of all, you are my big brother.
I'm going to be your little sister's husband. Second, I'm not
thin at all, it's just that you're a little bit chubby."
 Dabao shook his head and yawned, took a cake from a nearby
table, and stuffed it in his mouth, chewing it thoroughly as he
spoke. "I'm not fat; I just like to eat."

Seeing that the Prime Minister was not yet onboard with his
idea, Fan Xian turned his gaze and whispered into his brother-
in-law's ear. "Dabao, when shall I take you out to play?"

"What... what are we going to play?" Dabao spoke happily. "I

want to play polo."

"Huh?" Fan Xian had something of a headache. He realized

he'd really created work for himself. He'd thought he'd take his
brother-in-law on a summer vacation, and he'd used this as a
pretext to allow Wan'er to come out of her strictly-guarded
pavilion. How was he to know that his tubby brother-in-law
would want to play polo? He quickly changed tack. "Dabao, do
you want to hear a story?"

Dabao's nostrils flared as he breathed in. "Yay! I love stories,"

he said excitedly.
 And so, in the garden of the Prime Minister, Fan Xian began
to tell a story in a calm and relaxed voice. The story was about
a beautiful girl named Snow White, seven dwarves, and their
happy life in the forest. One day, Snow White picked up a
mushroom...

——————

"It's somewhat surprising." Prime Minister Lin Ruofu gazed

out of a far window and smiled. "Do you think he's faking it?"

Yuan Hongdao shook his head. "It doesn't look like it. Master
Fan has a sincere smile on his face. That can only come from
his heart."

"Hm." Lin Ruofu sighed. "Ask him to come inside."

Fan Xian entered the Prime Minister's residence and

immediately felt somewhat nervous. When he entered the
Prime Minister's private study, it would be the first time that
he saw his future father-in-law's face. He could not stop the
little finger of his right hand from trembling. After all, he was
inextricably linked to the death of the Prime Minister’s only
legitimate son. But his face remained respectful and unusually
calm. "I have come to pay my respects to you, Uncle Lin."

He had given a lot of thought to how to address him. Calling

him "Mister Prime Minister" was inappropriate, and calling
him "Old Master" was inelegant. Calling him "uncle" could help
to bring the Fan and Lin families closer together. It also subtly
hinted at the closeness that the wedding could bring.

Lin Ruofu looked at Fan Xian's calm face and felt quite
satisfied with his behavior. After a moment of consideration,
he spoke. "I presume you understand why I have invited you
here today, Master Fan."

Fan Xian quickly responded with a smile. "I am happy to

simply have been invited, Uncle."

Lin Ruofu nodded. "Fan Xian... do you have any thoughts on

this marriage?"
 Fan Xian did indeed have thoughts about the marriage. He
was extremely happy about it, and he could not prevent a blush
from forming on his cheeks. Seeing his face, Lin Ruofu felt
much more at ease. He smiled. "You are no doubt aware that
after Gong'er's passing, I have but one son and one daughter.
Chen'er is to be married to you, and you must treat her well."

Fan Xian lowered his head and quietly responded yes,

without mumbling in the slightest.

"All those of an older generation must one day pass away." Lin
Ruofu suddenly spoke clearly. "If I may be so bold, when that
day comes, I ask that you take care of my son. Are you able to
take on that responsibility?"

After a moment of thought, Fan Xian stood up, clasped his

hands, and bowed. "Of course."

"Someday, we shall be considered one family, and so there are

some things you must understand." Lin Ruofu looked into the
young man's eyes. It seemed that he wanted to look deep into
his heart. He spoke slowly and carefully. "Although I have had
little contact with Wan'er, she is still my daughter. Her
surname is Lin, and so you must take the House of Lin into
consideration. Once the marriage is concluded, then I believe
that Count Sinan also understands that our two families will
be linked in common prosperity. I hope that in the future,
whether or not you are in a position of power, you will
remember your status, and that you will henceforth protect the
interests of not only the Fan family, but the Lin family as well."

His words were frank, but only in this way could the Prime
Minister at last show his approval of the marriage. Happiness
welled up in Fan Xian's heart. Although his marriage to Wan'er
was by order of the palace, receiving his father-in-law's
approval naturally felt much more appropriate.

But when he thought of the second meaning behind those

words, Fan Xian could not help but feel a headache coming on.
His father-in-law had clearly abandoned the Crown Prince, but
he didn't know whether he was preparing to support the
Second Prince. Everyone knew that the Fan family and King
Jing had assisted the Second Prince, but Fan Xian also knew
that his father's feelings on the matter were complicated.

Meanwhile, after the successful conclusion of the visit to the

Prime Minister's manor, Lin Wan'er finally spied an opening to
approach the palace, paying filial respects to the Empress
Dowager for most of the day. She wasn't sure how she had
persuaded him, but her usually stony-faced uncle, the
Emperor, issued a decree, allowing her to leave the palace
grounds and walk freely.

Under Fan Xian's careful medical attention, Lin Wan'er's

health had improved greatly. She was able to leave the house
and walk around. Although her illness had not disappeared
completely, she no longer had to hide herself away indoors,
and so when Fan Xian heard that the palace had lifted their
prohibition, he was filled with happiness at the unexpected
good news. Early the next morning, he travelled by carriage to
the pavilion in the palace to make sure everything was
prepared.

After waiting for some time, there was a bustling from inside
the pavilion. First, a number of bodyguards came out, followed
by ladies-in-waiting, and a couple of pretty-looking servant
girls clearing a path. Finally, Lin Wan'er leisurely strolled out,
assisted by four servant girls.

Lin Wan'er wore a beautiful white skirt and a conical hat

made from Longxi bamboo. The hat was very light, and
underneath it hung a thin layer of gauze which kept out the
sunlight and hid her beautiful face. All one could see was a
faint smile on her lips.

Fan Xian came forward to greet her, but the old ladies-in-
waiting were nervous at the sight of this future groom, and
blocked his path, fixing him with glares as fierce as lightning.

Fan Xian was angry. He didn't understand why they had to

meddle in his love life. He thought about slipping them
laxatives again and letting them spend a good long while on
the commode.

Lin Wan'er looked at him apologetically, her hand tightly

gripping the servant girl next to her. The girl almost cried out
in pain, wondering what she had done to offend, but she
understood her mistress's meaning, and quickly hurried
forward to speak with Fan Xian. "Master Fan, you must travel
separately. We will see you again in the summer estate west of
the city."

The summer estate was a royal summer garden, about twenty

miles west of the capital. Were it not for Lin Wan'er's outing
today, Fan Xian would not have been allowed to enter and
enjoy it.

Fan Xian scoffed, but he knew that before they were married,
it would have brought her great shame for them to travel in the
same carriage, as well as drive the old ladies-in-waiting
absolutely mad. He said nothing more, but shot a glance at
Ruoruo who stood by his side. Ruoruo understood his
meaning, and smiled. She walked up to her future sister-in-
law's side and gently took her hand. She said a few words, then
followed the procession leaving the pavilion, climbing into the
palace carriage.

"Brother, being the Emperor's son-in-law... it must be so

annoying." Fan Sizhe stood by Fan Xian's side and looked at
him with great sympathy.

"Autumn is coming," sighed Fan Xian. "It's fine letting our

sister go with Wan'er. Those damned ladies-in-waiting can't
really think that lilies will bloom in that carriage."

"What are lilies?"

 "A holy plant."

The two sides set off early, just as day was dawning, but by
the time they had reached the summer estate, the sun had fully
risen, its warmth shining down on the earth in a warm
embrace.

Fortunately, such things had been taken into consideration

in the construction of the estate, which was built in such a way
to keep out the heat of the sun. The villa was built by the side
of the woods, next to the mountains, overlooking a lake and
shielded from the sun and facing the wind. The surface of the
lake was tranquil, but the cool wind blew gently through,
bringing dry air from between the trees and fanning everyone
with a cool breeze.

Fan Xian stood on the grass by the lake, looking over the
scene in front of him as he was filled with awe. The Emperor's
rural retreat was truly unique, and life here was grander than
that of any of his subjects.

When he entered the estate, he wondered whether Ruoruo

had managed to pull some strings. The bodyguards had been
persuaded to corral all of the old ladies-in-waiting into a
pavilion to spend the time drinking tea and playing card
games. Only a young man was left by the side of the lake, with
the bodyguards sitting or standing far away, with servant girls
only occasionally coming out to wander and chatter
incessantly. The quietness of the lake had subsided somewhat,
but with no onlookers to disturb his happiness, Fan Xian felt
very comfortable.

Moving further away from the others, he gritted his teeth

and made a face to drive away a servant girl; Fan Xian could
finally be alone with Wan'er.

"It wasn't easy," sighed Fan Xian, his right hand moving
through the grass like a snake, before pouncing on Wan'er's
soft hand as quick as lightning. His face remained calm as he
looked out over the lake. "It really wasn't easy to meet with
milady."

Her hand in his, Lin Wan'er suddenly blushed and lowered

her head shyly. She did not move her hand away, but scolded
him in a low voice. "I don't know why you're calling me
'milady' so formally, when you were happy to climb that wall
so shamelessly."
‘Lilies’ is Chinese netizen slang for lesbian sex.
Chapter 117: A Waft of Cumin by the
Lakeside
Fan Xian chuckled mischievously, not refuting anything as
he stroked his fiancée's hand in his own. Although he had lived
two lives as a virgin, he was of a generation influenced by
Japanese porn actor Taka Kato, and Lin Wan'er would no
doubt find his tricks hard to resist. The young lady began to
feel nervous, and shifted uneasily where she sat . Fan Xian
summoned up the nerve to ask. "Or you could lay in my arms?"

"My big brother is really smart." Fan Sizhe sat in the carriage,
not willing to get out. He hated how many mosquitoes there
were in the grass. He sighed in admiration as he watched the
couple at the side of the lake from a distance. "He has only just
met my future sister-in-law, and now they're sitting down
together. Maybe in a little while, they'll consummate the
marriage ahead of schedule?"

Fan Ruoruo giggled. Although she knew about his brother's

secret visits to Wan'er's bedchamber, she didn't know quite how
often he had visited her, so as she looked upon the scene, she
also felt some measure of surprise and awe.
 "Go help unload things." Ruoruo cuffed Fan Sizhe around the
ear and laughed. "I don't want to get the guards to do it."

Fan Sizhe stared at her. "Then what are those people here
for?"

Fan Ruoruo smiled. "They're servant girls, but they're not as

strong as you."

For some reason, as soon as he saw Fan Ruoruo's delicate

smile, Fan Sizhe felt an inexplicable fear. He obediently
climbed down from the carriage and began helping the dainty
servant girls unload. It was no wonder that Fan Ruoruo wanted
him to help. Fan Xian had brought quite a number of things on
this vacation. It took Fan Sizhe and the servant girls quite a
long time to unload them all.

Fan Sizhe wiped the sweat from his brow, and yelled across
the lake. "Big brother! The things are all unloaded. Which ones
are yours?"
 Sitting by the lakeside, Fan Xian heard his yell and clapped
his hand to his head as he realized what was going on.
Embarrassed, he apologized to Wan'er, stood up, and brushed
the bits of grass from his buttocks. He walked to the carriage
and began to give orders to organize things.

After he had settled in the capital, his grandmother had sent

along all the things he had left in Danzhou, so they had all
come into use that day. There were three handmade tents, a
metal barbecue rack, some large-eyed metal mesh netting, and
bags and pots of pepper, cumin, salt and so on. There were
some bamboo rods, eggs, fish, radishes, a big block of tofu, and
a bag of charcoal; in short, everything one needed for a
barbecue.

The servant girls pointed at a pile of rags with curiosity.

"What's this?"

"Tents," explained Fan Xian kindly.

The servant girls were intrigued. "Is this what the military
uses?"
 Fan Xian smiled. "In the evening, we can watch the stars by
the lakeside." Seeing his kindly and handsome smile and the
gentleness in his eyes, the servant girls were no longer
inquisitive; they bashfully turned their faces away and left.

After starting a fire with some of the charcoal, someone came

over to take over duties. Fan Xian moved a lump of stone over
by the metal mesh, carefully smeared it with soy paste and
other ingredients, and speared some fish onto a bamboo
skewer. A faint sweet scent arose with the charcoal fire. He
sniffed and looked over at Wan'er, who sat alone on the far side
of the lake. He smiled gently and made sure not to make the
flavor too strong as he cooked three skewers of fish. Giving a
skewer to his brother and his sister, he walked over to the
lakeside and sat down by Lin Wan'er.

"Take this," he said with a warm smile.

Lin Wan'er looked at him with suspicion. Was his skill that
great? Taking it, she carefully bit off a piece and chewed it
slowly. Gradually, her eyes lit up, and she looked at Fan Xian
and laughed, but stopped short of praising him. She began
gobble it down, but the fish was too hot. She begrudgingly spat
it out, extending her scalded tongue and fanning her mouth
with her hand, panting.

It was very cute. Truly adorable… Loveable.

Fan Xian looked at her plump lips, and for some reason, he
remembered the chicken leg, when they had first run into each
other at the Temple of Qing. "Chen'er," he teased her, "I've
brought you no end of chicken legs over the past few days.
How can you still be hungry?"

Lin Wan'er slapped his face, furious. "If I knew you could
cook this well, I wouldn't have eaten your cold chicken legs."

Fan Xian laughed, almost tumbling backwards. His fiancée

definitely had some spirit in her. Sometimes, she was timid,
lowering her head and not daring to speak; at other times, she
had a temper, her illness-weakened body suddenly like that of a
tiger cub. In a word, she was cute; indeed, she was very kawaii.

Lin Wan'er gazed into the distance and saw that the barbecue
stall had become busier than the lakeside; Fan Sizhe had
already eaten his fish, and had set about ordering the servant
girls to roast some corncobs. Only Ruoruo was eating
gracefully, eating as she strolled around the side of the forest.
It wasn't clear whether she was looking at the scenery or
thinking about something.

Her gaze fell upon the pile of things that had been unloaded
from the carriage. Lin Wan'er increasingly felt that there was
something rather queer about her fiancé. "In the past few years,
we usually ate at the villa, and I've never seen the servant girls
so happy... I've never seen so many strange things as the ones
you've brought today."

Fan Xian smiled as he explained. "Although they're servant

girls, they are servant girls who have spent their days with you
in luxury. How many of them have ever really cooked food?
The food from this barbecue might not necessarily taste better,
but the feeling of doing something by yourself is different, and
your taste buds react in a different way too."

"Taste buds?" Lin Wan'er was a little confused, and she stared
at Fan Xian with wide eyes.
 "Our tongues have these little things on them that help us
taste flavors." Fan Xian knew this was a difficult thing to
explain clearly. After all, the naked eye wasn't as good as a
microscope. "That's why the back of the tongue tastes
bitterness, and the front of the tongue tastes sweetness," he
explained.

Lin Wan'er laughed. "It's clear that you were Master Fei's
student, seeing how you have knowledge of such things."

When he heard her mention Fei Jie, Fan Xian felt uneasy. He
had a good teacher-student relationship with him, and he had
been in the capital for a number of months now. Even Chen
Pingping had returned to the city; why wasn't Fei Jie willing to
come back? It didn't seem right. He put the matter out of his
mind, and caught Wan'er's admiring gaze. Fan Xian set up a
small barbecue just for the two of them, picked up a few
ingredients, and they cooked and ate some food. Of course,
most of the cooking was done by Fan Xian, and most of the
eating was done by Lin Wan'er.

Caught in the aroma, fiancé and fiancée relished eating the

charcoal-grilled food .
 "Hm, I've never seen these seasonings before." Lin Wan'er
extended the tip of her tender tongue and licked a sesame seed
from the corner of her mouth. She sighed contentedly. "It
smells wonderful."

"You're joking. We have plenty of sesame seeds, and this

cumin wasn't easy to find." Fan Xian wondered if any of the
things he'd brought to the holiday villa would have been
available if he did not have a good relationship with the
shopkeepers at Qingyu Hall. "If you like, you can eat it every
day after we’re married."

Lin Wan'er's face changed quickly - of course, it hadn't

changed into a hostile expression, but she had gotten into the
habit of bashfully lowering her head when she heard the word
"marriage". But today the situation felt inappropriate. There
was some grease on her lips, and a little on her nose. How
could she look at this young boy when she looked like she'd
been pilfering food from her family's kitchen?

Fan Xian laughed when he looked at her face. She wasn't an

especially beautiful girl, but for some reason, in his eyes, he
felt like he could find nothing wrong with her, like there was
nothing about her appearance that wasn't adorable. Seeing him
laugh at her, Lin Wan'er seemed like she was about to angrily
pounce at him. Fan Xian quickly spread his arms wide to feed
this tiger.

Meanwhile, far away on the other side of the lake, a large tree
that had grown out of the waters just happened to obstruct the
servant girls' view. Fan Xian thought that he could take her
into his arms out in the open, but to his surprise Wan'er looked
embarrassed, and forcibly stopped herself from falling into Fan
Xian's embrace.

Fan Xian couldn't help but shake his head. He took a

handkerchief and wetted it with some lake water, and then
returned to sit next to Lin Wan'er. He stared at her face, and
carefully dabbed at the ash stains on her nose and her chin.

The two were very close to each other, and feeling his
husbandly tenderness and his concentrated gaze, Lin Wan'er
began to feel nervous, and tightly grasped the hem of her skirt.
Fan Xian noticed that she was nervous and was momentarily at
a loss. He paused with the moist handkerchief on her cheek,
and their gazes met. It was as if their breaths were interweaved
together, their chests moving up and down at the same speed,
gradually quickening.
 But their thoughts were not the same as their actions. Fan
Xian said nothing, and lowered his head... to kiss her on the
brow.

Lin Wan'er was startled and embarrassed, but faintly

disappointed. But she was unable to cover up her faint
disappointment, as Fan Xian's lips had stopped the mouth she
was preparing to rebuke him with - wet, soft, fragrant and
sweet.

"Aiya!" Fan Xian found that she had bitten his bottom lip. He
quickly stood up to move his lips away from the scene of the
crime.

He stared at her, but found that Wan'er had a smile on her

face. Her smile was like spring sunshine, and on the lake that
they sat by, the ripples flowed gently along the mirror-like
surface, moving them deeply. It was adorable how she seemed
to be trying not to smile, showing front teeth as white as
pearls... and it was adorable how she bit her bottom lip.

Fan Xian was moved, and summoning his remaining

courage, he drew his fiancée into an embrace, not allowing her
to escape, his fingers softly stroking her cheek. "My little tiger,"
he said softly, "watch out, or I shall devour you."

Lin Wan'er's body went rigid in his embrace, her eyes like
lakes in spring, still bewildered and flattered. She bit her
bottom lip and looked at him. "I don't feel well," she said,
"could you go?"
Chapter 118: A Tale of Quarreling Fairies
Letting go…why should he have had to? But seeing the young
bride savoring her happiness, Fan Xian could not be like Liuxia
Hui and ignore the fire that burned within him. If he were to
let go, he’d never forgive himself. There was no need to decline
to devour what was offered to him.

So, the two of them came together as one.

...

...

Despite the trees providing shelter, the lake mountains held

many sights, and the sight of this couple being intimate would
eventually be seen by the maidservants. Those maidservants
were smart and took the hint; each one of them looked away,
some flipped the slices of meat, some pretended to check the
miss’s makeup box, while some didn’t know what to do and
can only pretend to have sprained their ankles.
 Fan Sizhe was chewing happily and didn’t notice the
"quarreling fairies". Ruoruo was currently taking a stroll by the
woods; she didn’t to seem to pay attention to what was going
on over there. The maidservants did not clear their throats
nonstop to try to stop this improper behavior because Fan Xian
had been preparing them for this in the past few days.

If it’s about national matters, then you must bribe the

leading government figures. If it’s about household affairs, you
must bribe the maidservants. Fan Xian knew that well and had
been generously rewarding them thanks to his status as a
functionary and the fact his bookstore kept on churning out
money. The maidservants were all delighted and were won
over to their future master’s side.

Neither one of the couple knew how much had passed before
they parted from one another. Both panting, their hair slightly
messy, looking a bit pathetic. Rather than being intimate, it
looked more like they had a fight.

Lin Wan’er combed her hair with her hand and took a glance
at the maidservants in the distance who didn’t seem to notice.
Still, she was quite upset and glared angrily at Fan Xian. To do
this in broad daylight, this was too ridiculous. But the sweet
fragrance lingering on her lips made her heart flutter like
crazy.

"What are you afraid of? I never saw you this uncomfortable
all those nights." Fan Xian teased her. With "tricky fingers", he
gently flicked her earlobe.

Wan’er could only sigh lightly. She raised her small fist and
hammered down on Fan Xian’s chest.

"The husband is being murdered." This was a joke told too

many times by Fan Xian and his friends in his previous life. But
to his fiancée, it was quite new.

Wan’er bit him on the wrist. Fan Xian forcibly stopped

himself from shouting out. He forced a smile and said, "The
fairies aren’t fighting, what’s gotten into you?"

"Fighting fairies" came from the seventy-third chapter of

Dream of the Red Chamber. In it, the guileless Sister Sha picked
up a sachet in the Grand View Garden. On the sachet was an
embroidery depicting a man and a woman embracing in the
nude. Sister Sha did not realize it was a pornographic scene
and thought they were fairies fighting. She gave the sachet to
Lady Xing and a fable was born.

No one here should know this story. However, recently, Lin

Wan’er learned her own future husband opened up a bookstore
with Story of the Stone as its bestseller. She made Fan Xian
"copy" down the later few chapters. Hearing "fighting fairies"
made her blush. "Who do you think I am?"

Fan Xian snickered, "A good person, of course. Those before

us once said, the fairies fought a fight of perfection. Besides,
what we did was fairies quarreling."

"Bah! To hell with your nonsense. ‘Those before us’? Please

don’t use their name for this." Lin Wan’er laughed. "Also, what
is the difference between quarreling and fighting fairies?"

"You see, in a fight, you use your entire body. In a quarrel, of

course… you only use your mouth."

"Drop dead."
 "It’d be a privilege if it were by your hand."

----------------

When taking refuge from the heat in a summer estate, it was

easy for a couple in love to pass time. In the blink of an eye, it
was noon. Somehow Ruoruo was able to get the ladies at the
front of the state to remember they had things to do, and they
came to Fan Xian with all smiles; it looked like they received a
lot of benefits from the Fan family.

But Fan Xian still didn’t like the sight of them, because, with
their arrival, his time with Wan’er was over. He sat up and
distanced himself from Wan’er.

Fan Xian’s roasted fish wasn’t enough to be called proper

lunch. So, the lot made their way to the mountain estate and
chose an elegant courtyard to have lunch. As the servants went
to prepare food, the sound of horse carriages could be heard
over the sound of chatting. Fan Xian and Lin Wan’er stood up
at the same time, as if knowing who it was. Upon seeing they
both stood up, they looked at each other in surprise.
 Fan Xian and Lin Wan’er had each invited a guest without
informing the other. Upon seeing the occupants, both of them
were surprised. Wan’er felt some nervousness and hurt on top
of her surprise, while Fan Xian felt some nervousness… and a
headache.

Lin Wan’er had invited Ye Ling’er. Wan’er knew about the

fight the other day, so she invited Ling’er here today to get the
two to know each other better. Fan Xian knew Wan’er’s
intention and welcomed Ling’er with a smile. He put his hands
together and greeted her, "Nice to see you, Miss Ye."

While her nose was still hurting, Ye Ling’er was not awkward
in the slightest. She greeted back, "Good to see you too, Master
Fan. I was greatly impressed with your skills."

Fan Xian chuckled, although inside he felt somewhat

strange. Were they filming a historical film?

Fan Sizhe saw the scene and said to Ruoruo quietly, "Sis, I
understand. Our future sister-in-law wants to play the
peacemaker." Fan Ruoruo replied in agreement and was about
to greet Wan’er when Fan Sizhe’s next sentence made her stop.
Fan Sizhe had said in a perverted voice, "Looks like our sister-
in-law wants her own younger sister."

Fan Ruoruo spat and knocked Fan Sizhe on the head. She
scolded in a low voice, "Never mind older brother’s wishes,
even if he wants her, with Ling’er’s status, there’s no way it
would be so trivial." In her heart, Ruoruo didn’t care who Fan
Xian married, as long as she was to his likings. On that, Fan
Xian shared the same logic.

A fat man came out of the other carriage. Led by a nanny, he

looked around in bewilderment. Fan Xian gave Ruoruo a look,
signaling her to take Ye Ling’er to rest. With one hand, he
gently pulled on Wan’er’s sleeve.

Looking at the fat man, Lin Wan’er covered her mouth with
her hand, but her exclamation could still be faintly heard. She
looked back at Fan Xian with eyes full of gratitude.

"Go." Fan Xian encouraged her with a gentle smile and the
two made their way towards the carriage. Upon seeing Fan
Xian, the fatty’s bewilderment immediately turned into an
expression of joy. He took a few steps and grabbed Fan Xian’s
hand and shouted, "Little Xianxian, it’s you."

"Dabao, didn’t we agree not to call me that?" Fan Xian smiled

uneasily.

Lin Wan’er was a bit saddened by how her own brother had
seemingly forgotten who she was. But after hearing what he
called Fan Xian, she couldn’t help but laugh. "Little Xianxian?"

Fan Xian could only nod.

"Thank you," Lin Wan’er looked at Fan Xian in gratitude,

"You know it’s inconvenient for me to see him."

"Yes." Fan Xian smiled. He turned around and patted Dabao

on the shoulder. "There’s no polo today, Dabao, but we can do
other fun things."
 Under the hills, passing through a hall, they could see a
green lake under the mountains in the distance. Dabao sniffled
and shook his head. "Little Xianxian, the water is green, not
blue."

Fan Xian sighed, "Because the water isn’t deep enough."

"Then let’s see how deep it is."

Fan Xian had originally planned to bring Dabao here because,

first, he didn’t want his older brother-in-law to be bored at
home, and second, he could leave him with Fan Sizhe, since
they were both little kids. But somehow, Fan Sizhe had an
intuition about matters like this and stayed far away as soon as
he saw Dabao. Being taken by the hand, Fan Xian was led down
the hill by Dabao. It looked like this lunch was a failure.

As they were about to walk out, Dabao suddenly turned his

head around, looking seriously at Lin Wan’er, "Little sister,
why don’t you follow us?"
 Lin Wan’er was shocked at first, then she felt something
pulling at her heart. Her mentally challenged older brother had
remembered his own sister, whom he had only seen a few
times. She quickly agreed and took Dabao’s other hand.

...

It was evening, and the sound of people playing mahjong

could be heard in the distance. The guards were drinking
together; their duties had been light, everything was peaceful,
and so their defenses were all lowered. The maidservants were
tired and went to sleep after drinking some yellow wine. As for
those being served, they had retired to bed early. Occasionally,
the chorus of frogs came, and a fish could be heard breaking
through the surface of the lake. Otherwise, everything was
quiet in the royal summer estate.

Beside the lake, a tent was hiding in the woods under the
faint moonlight, facing the night wind blowing across the lake.
It was during this time of the night that the couple in the tent
were whispering.

Liuxia Hui was an official in ancient China known to be so noble that he was able to hold a later
on his lap without even the slightest hint of ignobility.
Chapter 119: Finding a Plum Branch in
Summer
"You're so eager to be out with me; aren't you worried that
the servant girl might find us?"

"She's a very deep sleeper nowadays. I didn't even use

sleeping gas. I reckon she won't wake up."

"But, but... there's always a chance."

"We're watching the stars. Just watching the stars, that's all."

"You think they'll believe you?"

"So what are you planning to do, Wan'er?" Fan Xian

snickered as he looked at her face. The moonlight shining on
the tent was not particularly bright, so her face was shrouded
in darkness. It was particularly beautiful.
 Lin Wan'er wrinkled her pretty little nose and gave an
exaggerated sigh. "If you were such a pervert that you
kidnapped someone in the night, what could I do?"

Fan Xian also sighed. "I'm worried about being so sneaky all
the time. If, after we're married, we go into the bedroom and I
can never come out, then what would we do?"

Lin Wan'er tutted, worried that his thoughts really had

become lecherous. After all, it was the dead of night, the two of
them were alone, and if he really wanted to... she would be
powerless to resist.

Fan Xian did not know what she was thinking. If he had
known that Lin Wan'er was thinking about how she was
powerless to resist him, he would have already thrown himself
at her. It wasn't a case of it being impossible, simply that he
chose not to do it. As Fan Xian saw it, as soon as a woman
thought she was powerless to resist, she was already preparing
not to resist.

The two lay on the soft mat, covered by the mosquito net,
looking up through the canopy through which they could see
the night sky. The moon was dim that night, and so the stars
were particularly bright, looking down on all the lovers of the
world from the dark curtain of night.

Lin Wan'er lay on Fan Xian's chest, and he inhaled her faint
scent. Her soft back and buttocks were on his chest and
stomach, and with the light summer clothes that the pair were
wearing, it was as if no cloth separated the two at all. Any man
who did not have a reaction to this, whether he was 16 or 60
years old, had already degenerated to a phase worse than a
beast, so Fan Xian nervously drew his arms in tighter to bring
the two of them even closer, not leaving even a hair's breadth
between them. He felt a bewildering happiness in his chest
with each slight touch.

Fan Xian began to perform his magic trick, his right hand
leading Wan'er's hand. In an instant, his hand was under the
thin garment covering her chest, holding the softness inside.

The tent was completely silent; even the ripples on the water
had ceased to make a sound.
 A good while later, a bashful sound came from inside the
tent, as well as the voice of an enchanted young man. "There
are always some things that you cannot believe even when you
see them with your own eyes. Truly they are difficult to
grasp... very difficult to grasp."

Lin Wan'er's ears went red, she moaned, and turned away to
free herself from Fan Xian's clutches. But she could not. She
felt that her body had been weakened even further by his
enticing. In a moment of desperation, she coughed, and
attempted to stiffen in response to the oncoming feeling of
weakness. Just as expected, Fan Xian was surprised, and
presumed she had caught cold. He hurriedly recited a sutra in
an attempt to suppress his desire.

He adjusted her clothing and covered her with a blanket. Lin

Wan'er remained shyly clothed, secretly feeling somewhat
amused and touched. Worried that he might try again, she
turned her eyes to him. "Today... those new things that you
made, if you sold them, maybe you'd sell a lot of them?" She
was talking about the barbecue ingredients and the tent that
they were both in.
 Fan Xian felt that his desires were being somewhat thwarted.
He sucked in air through his teeth. "You are a majestic
princess. What do you care about money? Come on; kiss me
again."

Lin Wan'er blushed in panic again. "You opened a bookshop,

and you sell tofu, everyone thinks you're fond of doing
business."

Fan Xian didn't really care for making tofu; he much

preferred eating it. He forced a smile. "I have to make sure that
I can make my own money, and that's how I can do it. In the
future, the Emperor will put me in charge of the royal estate,
and that's when I can finally relax." After he had come to the
capital, he had put all his effort into doing business. That was
why he had made connections at Qingyu Hall.

Their passions had at last cooled, and they hugged as they

watched the stars and whispered sweet nothings. For some
reason, they began to talk about Fan Xian's visit to see the
Prime Minister, his future father-in-law.
 "How is my father's health?" asked Lin Wan'er, concerned.
She rarely saw her father, but she still worried about him
greatly. Seeing her mentally-challenged brother that day had
made her think of her second brother Lin Gong's untimely
death, and her father's lonely hardships. She feared he was
greatly hurt, but she was unable to help him even though she
was his daughter. It was unacceptable to her.

Fan Xian knew what she was thinking, and comforted her.
"He is fine. Once we are married, we’ll show him our devotion
to him, and things will be better than they are now... and he
really does give his consent for our marriage..."

The pair got quieter and quieter until they were inaudible,
vanishing into the silence of the night by the lake. Any arguing
about what happened that night would have to wait until the
next day.

The next day dawned, and the pair naturally could not stay
in the tent, otherwise the guards and the servant girls would
know that their mistress had spent the night in a loving
embrace with her future husband, and such a thing would
cause a great scandal in the capital within the month.
 Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er opened their eyes in their own
bedchambers, rubbed them, turned over, smiled, pondered on
the night that had passed, and feebly stretched out their
bodies.

Everyone arose from their beds and ate at separate tables, the
servant girls busying themselves incessantly. Lin Wan'er sat at
the round table, gently feeding Dabao some thin congee with
vegetables, not even shooting a glance at Fan Xian. On the
other side, Fan Xian giggled as he blew the steam off his
younger sister's bowl, the two seemingly sharing a moment of
sibling closeness.

Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er did not look at each other, but the
mood that the two of them were in seemed to resonate, making
the whole hall begin to feel somewhat happier. Sensitive Ye
Ling'er and clever Fan Ruoruo shared a suspicious glance with
each other, and looked away with quiet, mutual
understanding.

It was still early, and after they had eaten breakfast, Fan Xian
got ready to go into the woods to find a secluded place to
exercise, keeping up the training he needed to do every day. To
his surprise, Ye Ling'er strolled up to him looking resolute,
clasped her hands in salute, and asked for his guidance.

After Ye Ling'er had returned to her manor and told her

father of what had happened that day in the palace grounds, Ye
Zhong had thought carefully for a while, then expressed
admiration for Fan Xian, saying that the way that Fan Xian had
avoided those assassins and disemboweled Cheng Jushu was
quite out of the ordinary. Hearing her father's words, Ye
Ling'er finally felt some acceptance of Fan Xian, but she hung
onto the martial concepts of the Ye family, and wanted to find
an opportunity to ask Fan Xian for his guidance.

This attempt to seek guidance really proved that Ye Ling'er

had not been convinced.

Fan Xian rarely trained with other people. At the beginning,

in Danzhou, he had simply been a pitiful figure, beaten
senseless by Wu Zhu. And so he could help but feel
surprisingly happy about being qualified to give guidance to a
seventh-level master like Ye Ling'er. It wasn't really guidance
in a true sense; Wu Zhu had not been a great teacher, and so he
was not a great teacher either. He simply spoke of how one
should extend one's fist and how one should conserve one's
strength; he was starting from the obvious, and had no way to
consummate such things into a complete theory.

His so-called little tricks had become a set of techniques to

kill people, but it was not easy to teach them to others,
especially to a pretty young girl with eyes like green jade. And
Fan Xian was not being entirely sincere, so Ye Ling'er could not
study the essence of Wu Zhu's killing techniques, but she did
make some progress.

Fan Xian smiled. Now he could finally see Ye Liuyun's

sanshou clearly and in its entirety. It turned out that a simple
pair of hands could turn out to be a serious attack style. Even if
it was Ye Ling'er who was performing it, it had a power that
could smash the wind and kill gods. If Ye Zhong or Ye Liuyun
had performed it personally, it was possible that the Coffin
Breaker Technique was powerful enough to smash gravestones,
and their sanshou could make the opponent's body as stiff as a
board, unable to dodge them!

With a heavy blow, Fan Xian was convinced of the flexibility

of Ye Ling'er's body. He smiled at the thin-waisted young girl,
and saw something unusual about her gaze. Ye Ling'er took no
notice of his gaze, otherwise it might suddenly provoke her
wrath. Yet she was deeply shocked by how Fan Xian perfectly
matched her in movement and power.

In short, it was a meeting of equals.

Sometime later, a cry of pain came from the woods. Fan Xian
came out rubbing at his wrist, and then Ye Ling'er came out
holding her bloody nose, finally completely sincere.

In truth, for the people of this world, everyday life was like a
current account. One could only make one step after another,
repeating every day. It was hard to avoid being bored. But
power and riches could occasionally bring about some new
figures on the ledger. Fan Xian had sent Dabao and Fan Sizhe
off to the mountains to ride horses and shoot arrows. They had
guards protecting them and servant girls attending them, and
so there was nothing to worry about.

At that moment in the villa, there was only one man left, as
well as the three girls - Wan'er, Ruoruo, and Ye Ling'er.
 Sitting in the hall, sipping tea and listening to music and
watching good-looking young girls singing in low voices, Fan
Xian smiled. Power was truly a good thing. If a lord wanted to
hear music, then he could call for people from the capital to
come and sing. The girl was a genuine singer, and thanks to her
fine voice she strolled leisurely between the houses of the
princes and the nobility, as well as the noble and virtuous.

At that moment, Fan Xian finally realized how it felt to be a

man of the Kingdom of Qing. He had to strive for power and
riches for himself and for those around him if he wanted to
make sure his life remained happy, peaceful, and not reduced
to the level of frontier horse thieves and coolies who worked in
the brick kilns. Or perhaps there were some things that were
worth giving up.

He was a selfish person, and he often reminded himself of

that fact. In front of the mountain hall, the singing girl Sang
Wen's voice was crisp and clear, and it mixed with the wind
and penetrated through the hall, reverberating throughout the
rafters.

"The villages live through the winter, frost from the north
and south of the creek settles on my boots, and trees cover the
isolated peak. From whence comes the fragrance in these cold
winds? I suddenly come across silk sleeves and petticoats. I
sober up, trembling, awoken from my dream, the sound of the
flute is melancholy, the spring is long gone, the moonlight
faint and yellow."

The chapter title comes from the song Sang Wen sings, a Yuan dynasty tune named "Seeking
Plum Blossoms, to the tune of ‘Immortals’".
Chapter 120: The Crown Prince Rides
"A fine tune, and fine words too." Fan Ruoruo smiled and
sighed. "Miss Sang is truly an extraordinary songstress."

Having received praise from the well-regarded young lady of

the Fan family, Sang Wen was truly pleased. She blushed and
bowed.

"A winter scene and a chilly spring make a mild summer seem
that much fresher," said Lin Wan'er, also nodding her head in
praise.

Fan Xian had spent all 16 years of his new life in the Kingdom
of Qing, but he still did not care much for music. Often, he
found himself remembering the songs of Aska Yang, a famous
singer from his previous life. He thought of Aska Yang, and
then he thought of He Zongwei, who often came calling to Fan
Manor to pay his respects. He frowned. For some reason, he
couldn't stand him.

But the line in Sang Wen's song - "I suddenly come across
robes and silk shirts" - suddenly evoked some unexpected
feelings from inside him. Robes and light silk sleeves, with
white silk underclothes as simple and neat as white plum
blossoms. And in front of the incense burner of the Temple of
Qing, the first time that he had met Wan'er, wasn't she wearing
white clothes, clothes like white plum blossoms?

But those white plum blossoms had carried the scent of

chicken legs. Fan Xian unthinkingly gazed at Lin Wan'er, and
found that she was also looking at him. Their eyes met. Fan
Xian smiled, and Lin Wan'er blushed.

Ye Ling'er now recognized Fan Xian's skills, but when she

looked at the scene in front of her, she still felt some
uneasiness in her hear about it. She cleared her throat. "I don't
care much for music."

Fan Xian laughed. "It seems you're as unrefined as I am, Miss

Ye." It was a throwaway remark, but it brought Ye Ling'er
closer to him, and the two other girls couldn't help but laugh.
Even Sang Wen, who had been in something of a daze, had to
cover her beautiful mouth.
 At that moment, there was only one young man in the villa,
with his sister and Wan'er sitting by his side and Ye Ling'er
sitting by Wan'er's. There was a delicate feminine aroma that
made Fan Xian feel good. He sighed. Life was not in vain. This
trip was not in vain. As long as Princess Roujia wasn't here, it
was fine. Fan Xian had a worrisome thought - young women
were the most beautiful things in this world, but if young
women were looking at you like they wanted to marry you in
ten years’ time, it wasn't right.

At that moment, Sang Wen suddenly summoned the courage

to curtsy, and spoke quietly to Fan Xian. "If I may be so bold, it
would please me greatly if Master Fan would say a few words."
The performers of the capital were extravagant types, and had
a fanatical hierarchy. At the top were those who were heard by
princes and dukes, the finest singers with the best skills in
singing and poetry.

Sang Wen was paid attention to by nobles and the young lady
of the Fan family. Naturally, she was a first-class singer and
had fine songs and poems on her mind day and night. Today,
she had coincidentally met with the famous poet Master Fan,
and she could not help but be aloof, and regardless of the great
difference in their status, she bravely made her bold demand.
Fan Xian was taken aback.
 Lin Wan'er and Fan Ruoruo giggled and urged him to write.
Even Ye Ling'er gazed at him with curiosity, wanting to see
what sort of verse he would write.

Fan Xian was thoroughly vexed and had no choice but to go

into the house. Spreading out paper and grinding an ink stick,
Fan Ruoruo had sat quietly down at the writing desk, picked up
a writing brush and waited. It turned out that Fan Xian was
taking the role of an assistant, and the three girls who followed
them in and beheld the scene could not help but laugh.

"My sister writes very well," explained Fan Xian awkwardly.

Although he had diligently practiced writing characters when
he was in Danzhou, his handwriting was nowhere near as
elegant as his sister's, so he thought it best to let her do it.

A little while later, Fan Ruoruo wrote out the words that Fan
Xian dictated in small, graceful handwriting. When Sang Wen
heard it, her eyes lit up, and was overjoyed when she nervously
took the paper and read it carefully. She bowed deeply to Fan
Xian. "Master Fan, you have my deepest thanks for composing
this poem. Words cannot express my gratitude enough."
 Lin Wan'er and Fan Ruoruo both nodded, agreeing that the
poem was worthy of gratitude. Sang Wen seemed to be
arranging the poem to music so that she could sing it all across
the capital. Perhaps it would be sung for many years. Fan Xian
had copied out a fine verse written by Tang Xianzu: "Already,
bright purple and passion pink bloom in profusion. Yet on
crumbling walls, such splendor is abandoned. But in this
glorious season, where are sounds of joy in the garden?
Mornings take wing, evenings unfold, and beyond the green
arbor, rosy clouds soar. In windy strands of rain, gilded
pleasure boats nod in misty waves. Maidens shielded by
brocaded screens are blinded to such glorious scenes."

He saw the girls' infatuated expressions, sighed, and shook

his head. The Peony Pavilion was such a beautiful work, and
taking this section from it without context, even though it was
beautiful, made it lose some of its soul. But now he was busy
with roll call at the temple, business, courting, and even a
vacation all packed into two days. He had no time to do
anything properly. It seemed that issuing labor in this
advanced culture was very difficult indeed.

"How sad." Ye Ling'er, who had kept silent, was somewhat

sluggish in her reaction, only now passing a judgement full of
feeling, grief and sorrow.
 Suddenly Fan Ruoruo's face changed. She recalled the line
about the glorious season; it had already appeared in Story of
the Stone, in a drinking game played by Lin Daiyu. If Sang
Wen were to sing this poem, would people not immediately
realize that Story of the Stone had been written by her
brother? But it seemed to her that Fan Xian had forgotten
about it. She thought about her brother gaining even more
fame, and couldn't help but smile, deciding not to bring it up.

The outing ended well, and everyone had gotten what they
wanted. Ye Ling'er had learned a few "little tricks", Sang Wen
had received a poem from Fan Xian, Fan Sizhe had gotten a
bellyful of roasted fish, Dabao had finally brought a horse to
the Prime Minister's manor, Fan Ruoruo had gotten two days of
beautiful scenery and peaceful surroundings, Lin Wan'er had
gotten a chance to get closer to her brother, and Fan Xian had
gotten the most, but he could not say what.

If it had ended this way, everyone would have been happy.

But after Fan Xian heard Wang Qinian's report, he frowned. He
had not expected things to be quite so fortuitous.

The Crown Prince was coming!

 "Retreat!"

Hearing that the Crown Prince was coming to the villa that
day, Fan Xian said nothing. He ordered Wang Qinian to get a
team of his people ready to go back to the capital.

He was joking, surely - if the illustrious heir-apparent

wanted to spend the summer here, how could he dare struggle
for control with him? What was more, the Fan family had been
taken into the Second Prince's faction, and the Prime Minister
had broken ties with the prince's palace. The Overwatch
Council clung to the Emperor, and although Fan Xian had
some power behind him, he was the biggest target of the Crown
Prince's hatred. If the two sides were to meet face to face, even
given that Fan Xian was with the "false princess" as well as the
two young women of the Ye and Fan families, the Crown Prince
would truly wish to humiliate him, and he would have no way
to find someone to come up with judgments about things.

The Emperor had said in the Green Bamboo Tearoom on

Liujing River that Fan Xian should have been able to live
comfortably in the capital. But the Crown Prince was not
happy with Fan Xian living comfortably. If father and son had
a difference of opinion, Fan Xian could not be held responsible,
and believed that the Emperor would intervene on his son's
behalf against the insignificant son of a minister.

It was for that reason that he wanted to make a clean getaway

and not give the Crown Prince an opportunity to meet and
humiliate him. At the same time, he also wanted to avoid
giving himself the opportunity to beat up the Crown Prince
after being unable to bear being humiliated by him and
committing a crime that went against the will of Heaven.

He had come confident and at ease, but he was fleeing

alarmed and anxious; Fan Xian felt rather upset. Lin Wan'er
also frowned and felt uneasy; her brother Chengqian was no
tiger; how could her future husband be so afraid? Ye Ling'er
once more felt a measure of contempt for Fan Xian for being
afraid of the powerful - what was so bad about the Crown
Prince? When she was small, the Emperor had sent him to the
Ye family to train in combat - and she'd gone through the same
training.

Fan Xian after all was only an eighth-level functionary, the

insignificant illegitimate son of Count Sinan. How could he be
as used to the sight of the most important person in the world
with these two girls who had known him since their
childhoods? And his thoughts were more mature than those of
girls with him, so he knew that this matter was somewhat
sensitive.

Because he had gotten things arranged quickly, Fan Xian’s

retinue was already on the road when the Crown Prince's
retinue arrived at the summer estate, and the two sides just
brushed past each other.

At that moment, there was a sound of gongs and drums, like

someone was about to start singing on a stage. The Crown
Prince's retinue stopped, and the palace bodyguards also
stopped Fan Xian. Fan Xian parted the curtain and looked out,
his face expressionless. He saw the only heir to the throne upon
the bright yellow carriage - soon to be the most powerful 18-
year-old in all the land, and he dispiritedly said something to
the carriages behind him.

Crown Prince Li Chengqian had a face that looked eminently

handsome, but there was something off about his complexion -
it was somewhat pale, and the corners of his mouth were
slightly darkened. When he came that day to spend summer at
the summer estate, he had not imaged that he would suddenly
meet his sister Wan'er and the young lady of the Ye family on
the road. He had grown up with them both, so he stopped to
exchange pleasantries.

He knew that Wan'er had spent the previous night in the

summer estate. Li Chengqian seemed pained as he spoke. "Do
you not care for your health? The imperial physicians say you
are too ill to endure the cold weather."

Ye Ling'er, by her side, laughed. "Miss Lin is not worried. We

have an imperial physician with us." Lin Wan'er frowned at Ye
Ling'er, though smiling as she explained, "It’s been summer for
awhile now; where is the cold weather?"

But he did not change the subject. The Crown Prince was
rather curious about what Ye Ling'er's was saying, and he asked
careful questions, finally realizing that sitting inside the
carriage was Wan'er's future husband. He was shocked. "Is that
the Beast of Fan Manor? He has garnered quite a name for
himself recently. Let me take a look at him."

"Let it pass. Your Majesty must not intimidate him," said Lin
Wan'er, a little uneasily.
 The Crown Prince frowned. "The Emperor's family has some
poor relatives. After you are married, he will be my brother-in-
law. What’s the harm in me meeting him? Besides, the Emperor
will summon him to the palace so he can pay his respects to the
Empress and Empress Dowager." He paused. "And the royal
court has a duty they wish to give him as soon as possible.
Don't tell me he is hiding away from people?"

The words were very serious, and there was a silence across
both retinues.

"I pay my respects to Your Highness." A voice broke the

silence. No one knew when Fan Xian had come up to the Crown
Prince's carriage. He was beaming as he bowed.
Chapter 121: Unlucky Despite the
Promotion
Prince Li Chengqian had a weakened constitution and was
susceptible to illness. That much Fan Xian knew beforehand.
After having saluted the prince, Fan Xian somewhat bashfully
looked up and smiled at him. Despite the prince’s status, Fan
Xian wasn’t overly nervous. After all, he had drunk tea with
the emperor.

Originally, he hadn't wanted to meet the prince, but the

blabbermouth Ye Ling’er foiled his plan.

When Fan Xian looked at the prince, the prince was looking
back at him. To the prince, Fan Xian was already unusual for
having shaken up the whole capital in these few months.
Furthermore, his younger sister Wan’er was appointed by Lord
Father to marry Fan Xian. As the prince, Li Chengqian
understood the intentions behind this marriage very well.

If his aunt, the second princess, were to lose the right to the
palace treasury and an enemy took over, all that debt would be
exposed. That was what the prince was most worried about.
Luckily, the palace treasury would not be switching owners for
another two years, so it wasn’t of the utmost urgency. But the
Fan household was getting along very well with King Jing, and
King Jing’s crown prince Li Hongcheng was… rather close with
the second brother. The prince frowned slightly and stared at
his junior who was stepping off the carriage, forgetting what to
say for a moment.

The aides in the western palace were also divided over

whether to use force against the Fan household, or to pull it to
their side. If it were a regular household, the prince would not
care. But the Fan household was different. The grandmother of
this young man in front of him was Lord Father’s wet nurse.
With that kind of relationship, the prince couldn’t really do
anything to Fan Xian.

"You… You are Fan Xian?" The prince finally came back to
himself and asked with a smile.

"I am, Your Highness, and I have met you before." Fan Xian,
with utmost respect, saluted the prince again. "I did not know
your carriage was here, so I did not get out of mine. I beg your
pardon."
 "Oh." Seeing that Fan Xian’s face was extremely honest, the
prince’s initial malice lessened. In an instant, the prince
decided to observe for a while. "Ignorance isn’t a sin. My sister,
Wan’er, is always sickly, so you must take care of her. Don’t be
like those other young men in the capital who only seek
temporary pleasures."

"I would not to go against your wishes." Fan Xian realized the
prince wouldn’t be dealing with him today and calmed himself.

"But don’t be overly uptight. After the marriage, you are a

relative of royalty and will be walking in and out of the palace
often. You should relax your demeanor a bit." The prince
lectured.

Fan Xian smiled and answered "Yes, Your Highness." The

prince’s next sentence shocked him.

"The diplomatic groups from Dongyi City and North Qi are

entering the capital soon. Because the Niulan Street incident
revolves around you, the Imperial court has named you
assistant deputy for the time being. I thought I’d let you know
in advance so you can get ready. When the time comes, don’t
panic." The prince said without much emotion. Unknowingly,
he had just done Fan Xian a favor.

Fan Xian was taken aback. He said, "As the functionary of

Taichang Temple, I fear it would be improper to be involved
with national matters."

The prince snorted coldly. "If you don’t earn yourself some
merit, do you think there’d be any place for you in the court?"

Fan Xian could tell the prince was a bit angry, so he quickly
agreed. After thanking the prince, he moved to the side to
make way.

The prince waved his whip, which was made from black silk
and gold thread, and nodded in satisfaction. He turned around
to speak to Lin Wan’er, "You should come to the palace more
often. Aunt misses you very much." He paused and then
continued, "Aunt often suffered from… headaches." There was
nothing unusual in the prince’s voice, his expression was as
gentle as usual. Fan Xian, however, scanned the prince’s face
and picked up some unrest in his weak gaze.
 Ling Wan’er only smiled, and didn't say anything.

"The prince is setting off." With a shout, the prince’s fleet of

carriages began moving slowly towards the summer estate in
the mountains. Fan Xian dared not to move until all the
carriages disappeared from view. Sighing gently, he stretched
his slightly stiff waist and smiled bitterly. "Being a civil
servant is hard."

"You dare to be disloyal?" Ye Ling’er asked mockingly, seizing

on the opportunity.

"Ling’er, don’t say such nonsense!" Such was how the food
chain operated. Sizhe was afraid of Ruoruo, Ye Ling’er was
afraid of the tiger cub. Lin Wan’er got angry, and Ye Ling’er
hopped back on to the carriage.

Lin Wan’er walked toward Fan Xian. Seeing him still staring
at the direction the prince had gone, she couldn’t help but sigh.
"I know your worries. None of my three brothers are easy to get
along with. I say it’s best if you don’t rely on anyone in
particular."
 Fan Xian had always acknowledged Lin Wan’er’s political
wisdom, which she forged from her days spent deep in the
palace. He nodded very seriously. Suddenly, he remembered
something. "What about the youngest prince? Is he a difficult
one too?"

"Wenyun is only eight. What does he know?" Lin Wan’er

consoled Fan Xian. "You’re the emperor’s son-in-law. Adding in
all the formalities, there had been such precedent. I don’t think
the eastern palace is really trying to pull you in, so relax."

Fan Xian laughed; he thought he was relaxed enough. Faking

a sigh, he asked, "How can I not be nervous seeing Qing’s
future ruler?" In his previous life, the highest-ranking person
Fan Xian had ever met was merely his school principle. But
strangely, since being reborn—perhaps due to being reborn into
a high-ranking family—Fan Xian no longer felt nervous around
these big shots. He could stay composed, even in front of the
emperor.

Lin Wan’er couldn’t hold back her laughter. She pulled on

the corner of Fan Xian’s shirt. "Didn’t you hear what the prince
said? Before our marriage, you can enter the palace to greet all
the Ladies. If that ‘Ancient One’ is in a good mood, it won't be
impossible that he'll want to see you. After going through ten
sections of the palace or so, you'll turn numb, even if you are
anxious."

"Ancient One?" Fan Xian realized Wan’er was talking about

the empress dowager who resided in the depths of the palace.
For some reason, he shuddered.

"Time to go. What are you still standing around for? The
prince is long gone." Fan Sizhe finally lost his patience and
complained. Dabao in the middle carriage heard voices outside,
so he raised his voice too.

Fan Xian laughed and, with a whip of his sleeves, put

everything behind him.

----

Since Fan Xian was fortunate enough to be given another

life, then he had to live it to the fullest. Beautiful women,
money, power; he mustn’t run low on those. But he had been in
murky waters since coming to the capital. He couldn’t help but
be vexed.

Currently, his bookstore was doing very well, and the later
chapters of Story of the Stone were in preparation to be
printed. Fan Xian could see the money pouring in. Once he
took command of the palace treasury, he was ready to leave the
bookstore to Qingyu Hall and Fan Sizhe. As for the matters in
the Imperial Court, there were his father, Chen Pingping, and
the rest of his mother’s comrades. As for hidden dangers, there
was Wu Zhu. Even if Wu Zhu decides to not show up, as he did
during the incident on Niulan Street, Fan Xian believed he had
the ability to protect himself.

Suddenly, Fan Xian felt he had the potential to become a

millionaire.

All that was still a figment of his imagination. Those around

him and himself all knew that. Calmly looking at the dirt road
outside his carriage, Fan Xian snapped his fingers. "That’s too
much to be a coincidence. There are thirteen royal estates in
the capital, two temporary palaces, and a hunting ground. All
of them can be accessed by the prince. Why did he choose today
to go to the summer estate? The summer palace is far from the
capital and quiet, so we picked it beforehand."

Once they were back on the road, Fan Xian and Wang Qinian
shared a carriage and therefore their conversation was rather
direct. Wang Qinian also frowned. "If someone deliberately
made the prince go in order to place us in conflict with him,
such an arrangement would be too complicated, and it
wouldn't guarantee good results."

Fan Xian shook his head and said with a faintly cold gaze, "As
long as someone is beside the prince, then it wouldn’t be
difficult to manipulate the prince’s travel destinations. Besides,
my reputation in the capital is inseparable from ‘arrogant’, so
I’m guessing whoever set us up was not expecting the prince to
not get angry at me for trying to take his silver."

"It’s just that I don’t know the way the palace does things.
Take the prince’s trip outside the capital for example, how long
does it take for preparations? We came to the estate yesterday.
Had the prince set his eyes here a few days ago, then this really
is a coincidence, not a deliberate ploy."
 Fan Xian shook his head again. "We asked earlier. For the
prince to go out, as long as he stays within 14 kilometers of the
capital, all he needs to do is to report to the palace. To get
ready, it should take about a day. Seeing when we met, I
estimate the prince left this morning."

Wang Qinian looked at Fan Xian with worry. He asked in a

low voice, "What good can whoever planned this gain?"

Fan Xian smiled. "Plenty. If the prince really shamed me here,

then I suppose my family could only hold up red flags and
expose ourselves."

"Could it be the second prince?" Wang Qinian tried to

confirm his suspicion.

Fan Xian gave it some thought. Despite all the coincidences,

and the second prince calling repeatedly, he and the second
prince never met. Fan Xian really didn’t know what kind of
character this second prince was, but he thought he probably
wasn't the kind of person who decides everything through
force. Fan Xian said lightly, "Who knows? Everyone is sharp in
the palace. Who am I to give a damn?"
 Fan Xian wasn’t lying when he said he wouldn’t give a damn.
But he still made Wang Qinian get out of the carriage to check
if they were being followed. He believed in Wang Qinian's
abilities. If someone was spying on them, then whoever it was
must be captured. If no one was spying on them, it was enough
for the encounter to be a coincidence and prove that he was
simply too cautious.

With a bitter smile, Fan Xian leaned back against the soft
cushion, hoping he really was being paranoid.
Chapter 122: The Box, the Poison Needle,
and the Killer
In the capital, by the side of Shenzheng Way, there stood a
house. Wang Qinian had bought the house with 120 taels of
silver, and having gone through a few formalities, he was
confident that no one could ever find out who its true owner
was. Fan Xian frowned as he looked at the two burly men
completely tied up in the corner. Their mouths were stuffed
with smelly cleaning rags, and their faces were red, with tears
rolling down from the corners in their eyes. They could not say
anything, and naturally, they were unable to bite down on
their tongues to kill themselves.

"Where did they catch them?" asked Fan Xian softly.

The people standing behind Wang Qinian bowed in response.

"Three-and-a-half kilometers outside the city, Master Wang
discovered their tracks. They tried to argue with us after we
blocked their path, but we investigated, and they confessed to
their deeds. After you left the capital yesterday, these two
followed you. We don't know how it was done, but someone
informed them, and we don't know what connection they have
to the prince's palace. This chance meeting was suddenly
arranged."
 Fan Xian frowned. He hadn't ever guessed that such a clue to
a plot would appear. It appeared that it was not down to his
own brilliance, but to his enemies' stupidity. The capital was a
dark place, and everyone had a forked black tail hanging from
their buttocks. He also understood that what his subordinate
had called investigation undoubtedly involved the use of
torture. But since they had confessed, whatever method they
used was unimportant.

"Is the person who interrogated them here?" Fan Xian

lowered his voice as he asked Wang Qinian. Wang Qinian
shook his head. "The less the subordinates know the better, so
they have been waiting for their master to carry out the
interrogation personally.

Fan Xian nodded. He was pleased with his prudence, but he

found himself caught up in his own thoughts. He looked at the
two burly men in the corner, and easily observed a number of
things from looking in their eyes. They had a look of
unswerving determination, but they had not been trained in
how to survive under torture. First of all, they could not have
been men from the Overwatch Council. Second of all, they
could not have been men from the palace. A quick examination
showed that they were not eunuchs.
 So it was most likely that they were the private forces of the
Second Prince. Of course, the Prince at the foot of the
mountains was also unable to escape suspicion. At that
moment, Fan Xian suddenly recalled something his father
Count Sinian had said. When you do not know who your
enemy is, you should not be reckless to make an enemy of
people - but what should you do when you do know who your
enemy is? If he were to discover whether this was the work of
the Second Prince, could he really raid the prince's mansion?
Fan Xian laughed bitterly. He knew that there were a few
things that he could not easily get to the bottom of.

"No use asking." Fan Xian wiped his brow. It was rather
stuffy. "Kill them."

"Yes sir." The subordinates were Overwatch Council thugs, so

they were not the least bit surprised by this bloody order. They
quietly moved forward, pulled out knives for their belts, and
plunged them into the stomachs of the men. There was a
spluttering sound, and the two burly men flailed their feet
recklessly for a moment before their eyes glazed over.

"Bury them well," Fan Xian ordered, with a measure of

unaffected grief.
 "Yes sir," replied the subordinates.

Leaving the house, they went through the small alleyways of

the capital before the two men reached a main street. Wang
Qinian walked alongside him, keeping the respectful silence of
a subordinate. Fan Xian suddenly spoke. "When will the
emissaries from Northern Qi and Dongyi arrive? We should
have information on this."

"After they've crossed our border," replied Wang Qinian, "all

local authorities will be provided assistance in receiving them.
With luck, they should arrive at the beginning of next month."

Fan Xian nodded. "Help me find out who is among them. And
furthermore..." he began to mumble to himself. "If it is not
considered against the rules, could we trouble the manor to do
some digging around among the Northern Qi spies? It would be
best to investigate what the baseline for punishment of
diplomatic missions is in Northern Qi."

Wang Qinian had heard what the Crown Prince had said
before, so he knew that Master Fan wanted to take up a post as
a vice envoy. "Yan Ruohai's son Yan Bingyun has already been
hiding in Northern Qi for four years, and there have been some
results. I imagine it will have some benefits."

"I want as little talk about this as possible after it has

happened," Fan Xian reminded him. "Otherwise, if Northern Qi
were to find out, I fear that Master Yan's son will be in danger."

Wang Qinian smiled. "Master, you are a commissioner, you

know the scope of authority regarding this matter."

Fan Xian also smiled. "Taking responsibility for this sort of

thing, the less I know the better."

Wang Qinian looked at his master's delicate face and warm

smile and thought back to the killing that had happened in the
courtyard before. He could not help but feel a little strange.
"Since it would be better not to know," he asked quietly, "then
why must we investigate? It seems that there was no need for
those two men to die."

"Although it is better not to know than to know, we still must

investigate, and those two still had to die," replied Fan Xian
quietly. "Because I must let other people know that I know that
they do not want me to know things, those two lives serve as a
warning, warning them not to try to manipulate me again. It
seems that the incident at Niulan Street did not convince the
powers on high to exercise some restraint. The death of my
brother-in-law at the foot of the Cang Mountains was the work
of Sigu Sword; perhaps they feel I am deceiving them?"

Although the series of "knows" was something of a tongue-

twister meaning-wise, the slightly confused Wang Qinian
slowly understood his meaning and nodded. Fan Xian's
suddenly smiled. "Don't worry about whether I've never seen
blood and dead people. You don't know how I grew up."

The following few days were peaceful. The death of those

two nameless burly fellows seemed to have been of little
importance. But Fan Xian had guessed that the incident would
already have started to show its effects. He made occasional
visits to Taichang Temple for roll call; occasional visits to
Danbo Bookstore to pick up cash; occasional visits to the tofu
stand to help out; occasional visits to the Prime Minister's
mansion to get in his future father-in-law's good graces;
occasional visits to the royal palace to woo his lady; occasional
stops home to tell stories to his little sister so she could copy
them as books. That was Fan Xian's entire life for those few
days.
 That night, after he had washed himself and was preparing
for bed, he caught sight of a black leather box out of the corner
of his eye. He did not know what was inside the box, so
naturally he was somewhat curious. But it had been in the
same place for a long while, and there had been no sign of the
key, so now he was somewhat apathetic about it. Of course, if
he knew that Chen Pingping was greatly interested in the box,
he would certainly have re-evaluated the box's worth, and
would not have thrown it idly in the corner of his room;
instead he would have kept it in the hole under his bed, hidden
under three layers of iron.

Where was the key? It was as if he heard the voice of Heaven

asking him a most important question from deep inside his
heart. A cold voice rang in Fan Xian's ears.

"The key is in the palace."

Suddenly, without a sound, a black rod came from nowhere

and struck Fan Xian firmly in the spine. There was a thud, and
Fan Xian was too late to dodge as he was knocked to the
ground. A wave of raw pain coursed down his spine, and he
coughed, blowing away some of the dust on the floor in front
of him.
 "You've gotten soft." There was no emotion in Wu Zhu's
voice, but he clearly held some sort of negative attitude toward
Fan Xian's behavior.

"Uncle?" Fan Xian had gotten used to this sort of life when he
was little, and with some difficulty he rose, circulating the
zhenqi in his body to soothe the pain in his spine as he looked
at the dark corner. "Uncle," he said in a low voice, unable to
stop himself, "I haven't seen you these past few days. I truly
feared you were dead."

Wu Zhu showed a slight passion that did not fit his words.

Coldly, he took half a step back, and saw through Fan Xian's
lie. "I know that you were not worried about me."

Fan Xian laughed, somewhat embarrassed. It was true, he

wasn't worried; that weirdo Wu Zhu was a master assassin. He
wouldn't get into trouble no matter where he went. But Fan
Xian had not seen him in a long time. He had been thinking of
him, and he was curious as to where he had been the past few
days. Perhaps Wu Zhu had been by his side the whole time, and
he didn't know it?
 "The key is in the palace," Wu Zhu continued.

The second time he said it, Fan Xian had a sudden

realization. He frowned. "So you were looking for the key all
that time."

"This belongs to the Lady. I should not have listened to Chen

Pingping and left the key in the capital." Wu Zhu's tone
remained indifferent, unlike any normal person. "I spent a few
days in the palace, and I have found three locations where it
could be."

"It's too risky!" Fan Xian howled in a low voice, feeling a

slight anger well up deep within his heart. Although Wu Zhu
had grandmaster-level strength, the Royal Palace would be
more than a match for him. Not only were the guards all
experts, but as Fei Jie had pointed out, the most secretive of the
four grandmasters was hidden somewhere within the palace.
Wu Zhu had risked spending a number of days inside the
palace; if he had been discovered, that secretive grandmaster
would have naturally engaged him, as well as five hundred
knife-wielding guards. Even if Wu Zhu were possessed of truly
miraculous skill, there would be no way he'd get out of there
alive.
 Seeming not to have noticed Fan Xian's anger, Wu Zhu
continued to speak in a cold voice. "Do you want the key?"

Fan Xian went quiet. He realized why Wu Zhu had come

there today. He was a man who lurked in the shadows. If it
wasn't a matter he needed to share with him, Fan Xian doubted
that he would ever see him; he would simply remain in the
shadows to protect him. And Wu Zhu had come to talk about
the key not because he wanted Fan Xian's opinion, but because
he needed him to be part of it.

But... if Wu Zhu was trying to get hold of something this

difficult, then how could Fan Xian even help at all? "What do
you need me to do?" Fan Xian asked as he pondered.

"Those three locations in the palace are not easy to enter,"

said Wu Zhu without a hint of emotion.

Fan Xian was curious, and asked Wu Zhu where these

locations were.

"Xingqing Palace, Hanguang Hall, and Guangxin Palace."

 Fan Xian was taken aback, and laughed bitterly. These were
the most tightly-guarded locations in the palace grounds, the
living quarters of the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the
Eldest Princess. Not only were they the most difficult-to-enter
locations in the palace grounds, they were practically the most
difficult-to-enter locations in all the world.

"I want you to think of a way to get the eunuch named Hong
Sixiang outside the palace for a time."

Fan Xian frowned. "Eunuch Hong? He is the leader of the

palace eunuchs, he has served three different emperors, and I
heard that he has been in the palace since the founding of the
nation. His powers are deep, but if you're going to the palace to
steal the key, then why do you need me to trick him into
leaving the palace? What's the link between those two things?"
He suddenly understood something, and lifted his head in
surprise to look at the black cloth that surrounded Wu Zhu's
face. He spoke with a trembling voice. "Are you telling me that
Eunuch Hong is the one they talk about, the most secretive
grandmaster?"

Fei Jie had said that of the four grandmasters, one was Sigu
Sword in Dongyi, one was Ku He in Northern Qi, and one was
Ye Liuyun, with his Liuyun sanshou, in the Kingdom of Qing;
there was one other who was also a man of the Kingdom of
Qing, but no one knew who he was. Even the Overwatch
Council, with all of their power, was only able to ascertain that
whoever this person was, they were hiding within the royal
palace of the Kingdom of Qing.

Wu Zhu shook his head. "I don't know. I have never fought
him. But I know that within the palace right now, the one who
would discover me the easiest would be the Eunuch Hong
Sixiang."

Fan Xian nodded. In his heart, he was still full of respect for
Wu Zhu. Old Eunuch Hong had to be the unmeasurably
powerful person hidden in the palace. If even Wu Zhu were
scared of the consequences, perhaps Eunuch Hong's identity as
a grandmaster was already on the verge of being revealed.

In his cold nature, he had even attacked Ye Liuyun, but had

failed to kill him. Naturally he could not fear any grandmaster
from that day on, but that last time it was in order to hide his
connection with Fan Xian. This time it was in order to steal the
key, so the style would be somewhat different.
 Fan Xian pondered over the latest plans, and considered the
coming emissaries from Northern Qi and Dongyi; he could not
think of a way to build a relationship with the head of the
court eunuchs deep within the palace. It was not convenient to
ask for his father to step in - he would have to explain a
number of things that he did not wish to explain. Suddenly his
eyes lit up. "Wan'er should have a clear understanding of
things inside the palace. She has grown up inside the palace for
her entire life and only moved out at the beginning of this
year. I'll go by her way tomorrow."

Wu Zhu "looked" at him, not making a comment, before he

spoke coldly. "I just need you to get Hong Sixiang outside the
palace for a while. As for how you do it, that is your business."

Fan Xian shrugged. "Uncle, you always give me the hardest

tasks."

It was a joke, and having not spoken to Wu Zhu for some

time, it seemed that he had forgotten that Wu Zhu did not have
much of a sense of humor. "So, I will attack Hong Sixiang,"
replied Wu Zhu sincerely, "and whether or not I succeed in
killing him, it is likely that I will be able to delay him for six
hours. You will enter the palace and find the key."
 It was as if a burning hot meteorite had fallen from the sky
directly onto Fan Xian's foot. He moved quickly to speak,
extremely gently and respectfully. "It is just stealing
something. Don't take the risk of challenging Hong Sixiang. I
will try to contact him."

After Wu Zhu left, Fan Xian finally realized that he had no

way to find him. If he did manage to arrange everything, then
how would he tell Wu Zhu? He laid back down on his bed.
When he looked at the box again, something was different. If
the key had to be hidden in a secret place within the palace,
whatever was inside the box had to be something extremely
important or extremely terrifying.

Something like a map of the border defenses, a list of high-

ranking spies from the Overwatch Council his mother had
singlehandedly established, or... a map to the Ye family
treasure?

Fan Xian found himself unable to sleep. He stood up, and

moved the box under his bed with his foot. It seemed to him
that it would be safer this way.
 His face serene, Fan Xian came to Ruoruo's bedchamber and
asked if she could find him a needle and thread to sew some a
seam in some clothing. She obliged. She took out a few small
needles from a box and gave them to him, feeling rather
curious about it. She looked him in the eye. "This is for
embroidery. Have you torn your clothing, brother? It'd be best
if you gave it to a servant-girl to take care of."

Fan Xian laughed. "It's a bit more complicated than clothing."

He thought for a moment. "Don't let anyone know that you've
given me these three needles."

Fan Ruoruo nodded, confused.

The wedding was approaching, and Fan Manor had begun to

prepare for it. There were a number of odd things about Fan
Xian and Lin Wan'er's marriage, so all customs were revised. At
the very least, they were not the same as other pairings of
princess and Emperor's-son-in-law, where the royal family
arranged a mansion for the Emperor's son-in-law; after all, Lin
Wan'er's status as princess had always only ever been in effect
within the palace. If it had been done within the capital, there
may have been some gossip.
 The newlyweds' residence was near Count Sinan's manor. It
was just some empty land that Count Sinan had been preparing
since the beginning of the year, and so they had already erected
a sumptuous mansion. The rear gardens of the two compounds
were connected by a door, so the two manors were linked as
one. But the compound in which Fan Xian would live after he
was married faced out onto a different street.

Over those few days, the manor was quiet. The workers had
already downed tools; the trees and the rock gardens had also
been taken care of a long time ago, and had grown out in the
open. Because there was no one there in such a large mansion,
the silence was deafening, and no one wanted to stay in it for
long.

A black shadow floated across. It was Fan Xian, quietly

making his way through the courtyard, holding a chunk of
tofu in his right hand, and clasping three needles between the
four fingers of his left hand. He found a secluded area, and
carefully placed the tofu chunk among the branches of the
willow tree. He had improved the tofu, making it extremely
soft, so when he placed it in the swaying spot, it seemed like it
could fall out at any moment.
 Fan Xian closed his eyes, and slowly summoned the powerful
zhenqi out of his dantian point, routing it through the crown
of his head and into the xueshan point at the back of his waist.
He formed one large and one small channel for the zhenqi,
allowing his whole being to sink into silence, without a single
errant thought.

The sound of the wind arose, and his whole being became
part of the wind, blowing between the willow branches, softly
touching it, his feet valiantly preventing him from leaning
forward. There was a sudden noise. Relying on his control of
his body, he leapt back.

It was like a crafty fish teasing the dumbfounded angler's

hook.

Some time later, he walked slowly forward with his hands

behind his back, squinting as he looked at the block of tofu in
the branches of the willow tree. Three needles stuck out of the
tofu, trembling slightly. In a flash, he quickly thrust the
needles into the tofu, cutting it into three cubes. According to
Fan Xian's understanding of the human body, if this trick were
used to kill someone, it would most likely be extremely
effective. Satisfied, he retrieved the pins.
 After Niulan Street, he had been searching for ways to best
arm himself. Wu Zhu's weapon was a cudgel; whether it was a
wooden staff or a simple rock drill, in Wu Zhu's hands it was a
deadly weapon. This was the state of things, and Fan Xian was
clearly aware that when it came to himself, an easily-handled
weapon could save his life many times over.

In truth, he very much liked the slender dagger he kept in his

boot. Whether it was in Danzhou or on Niulan Street, the
precious and sharp dagger had already helped him out twice.
But in certain palace, it was not possible to have a dagger to
hand - such as the palace.

And Fan Xian knew, since the key was inside the palace, it
was possible that in the end he would have to make like the
heroes of the wuxia novels of his previous life and rush in
headfirst. Wu Zhu's rod and his words from the day before had
irritated him, and he set himself to it with renewed fervor. He
looked at how the dawn's light glinted off the needles between
his fingers, and he couldn't help but frown as he wondered -
what sort of poison would be most appropriate to smear them
with?
 After setting his goal, he did everything with much more
enthusiasm. So on one pitch-black night, Fan Xian excitedly
stole into Lin Wan'er's bedchamber. Wan'er could not help but
feel happily surprised. After all, it had not been that long since
their vacation. After a moment of affection, Fan Xian casually
brought up matters in the palace.

Lin Wan'er had grown up in the palace. She was quite

familiar with the people inside the palace, and was not curious
as to why her fiancée had taken a sudden interest. She assumed
that he was worried about the custom of entering the palace to
pay his respects, so she consoled him. "The Empress has always
been very nice to me. And the Emperor is not fond of
femininity, so he isn't like that Emperor of Northern Qi who
died a while ago, where his six palaces were all filled with
beautiful women. Apart from the Empress, there is the prince's
birth mother, Ning the Talented, and the Second Prince's birth
mother, Concubine Shu. There is the third son's mother, Yi
Guipin, and some other concubines who you won't need to pay
respects to."

Fan Xian imagined that the concubines naturally would not

want to offend her birth mother, the Eldest Princess, who was
doted on by the Empress Dowager and controlled the royal
purse. He shifted in the bed to make his embrace of Wan'er
more comfortable. "Why is the prince's birth mother only
'Talented'?"

"Ning the scholar is from Dongyi. The Emperor brought her

back from his first military expedition to the north. I've heard
that His Majesty was wounded on the battlefield, and Ning the
scholar tended to him night and day, so His Majesty freed her
from her bondage as a slave and brought her to the palace, and
she gave birth to the prince. But she is not from the Kingdom
of Qing, and although she saved the Emperor's life, and gave
birth to his eldest son, there was still no way for her to win the
favor of the Empress Dowager, so naturally she could not
become Empress. And she was an imperial consort, but ten
years ago it seemed like something happened in the palace, and
His Majesty was very angry, and stripped her of her position,
so she dropped to the rank of "Talented".

Fan Xian was slightly surprised. The struggle in the palace

was just as complicated as he had imagined. Lin Wan'er sighed
and continued. "Fortunately, the great prince is now in the
west excelling in military pursuits, so Ning the Talented can
keep finally her position. She seems to understand a great
many things, and is now content in the palace. In truth, I used
to run over to her palace to play, but for those two years I
didn't so much."
 Fan Xian asked about some of the other inner secrets of the
palace, and Lin Wan'er was happy to hell him in full detail.
Finally, Fan Xian got to the crux of his questioning. "I've heard
that the head eunuch, Eunuch Hong, is extremely powerful
within the palace," he said casually.

"That's right." Lin Wan'er was not a little tiger that night, but
a small kitten in his arms. He gently caressed her face. "Eunuch
Hong has been in the palace since the founding of the nation,
when he was a manservant. When the first Emperor was on the
throne, he trusted Eunuch Hong immensely. Now he is still in
a fifth-level position as head of the palace eunuchs, but his
responsibilities are not as great now that he is older. Basically,
he is being kept in the palace by the Empress Dowager."

"Kept in the palace by the Empress Dowager?" Fan Xian had a

sudden recollection of the history of his old world.

"What?" Lin Wan'er asked curiously, blinking.

Fan Xian took hold of her nose and smiled. "Nothing. So if I

want to have a good relationship with the palace, I'll have to be
on good terms with Eunuch Hong."
 "There's no point," explained Lin Wan'er. "The old eunuch
just strolls around the palace, he's not in charge of anything."

Fan Xian could not say a word of his plans to the girl in his
arms, so he just smiled. "When should I announce that I am
coming to visit the palace?"

Lin Wan'er was both bashful and teasing. "In a few days, I
suppose. Why? Are you nervous?"

"Of course I'm nervous. I'm taking such a wonderful princess

away from them, who wouldn't be nervous?"

Silence gradually fell on the upstairs room of the pavilion in

the palace grounds. As he watched his fiancée drift off to sleep
in his arms, Fan Xian sighed. Whatever else came up in his life,
he hoped that he could deal with it well enough.

The next day, he went to Taichang Temple for the morning

roll call, and Ren the official quietly took him to one side and
spoke to him quietly. "Do you know what this is about?"
 Fan Xian looked at the 34-year-old man, who seemed to have
aged handsomely, and played dumb. "What is it?"

Ren sighed. "Honglu Temple sent out a letter today, asking

you to transfer there." Honglu Temple was especially in charge
of receiving foreign guests, and handling matters between
countries. Fan Xian was surprised, and realized that the matter
that the Crown Prince had spoken of had started. He clasped
his hands in salute. "Master Ren, why do they want me to
transfer there? I have hardly been at Taichang Temple for more
than a few weeks."

Master Ren frowned. "Master Fan, do you not have a

relationship with the prince's estate?"

Fan Xian knew that he was asking about his father, and he
shook his head. "You know that my father always had very
little contact with the palace, and even less with the ministers
with the cabinet."

"That is so." Ren nodded his head. Count Sinan was famously
stubborn. He had made use of his special relationship with the
Emperor as they had grown up together. Even the Prime
Minister did not understand how he had always remained
neural toward the various princes. He thought for a moment.
"I have heard that it was a suggestion of the prince's estate to
allow you to participate in these negotiations."

Fan Xian did not know how to respond. He could only

continue to feign confusion. "What negotiations?

"Emissaries from Northern Qi have come to discuss the

aftermath of the war among the vassal states along the
northern border, things such as deliberating boundaries,
compensation for losses, and so on. And emissaries from
Dongyi have come to discuss the matter of the murder of the
Prime Minister's second son at the foot of the Cang Mountains.
I have heard that they have brought a lot of silver and
beautiful women with them. These so-called negotiations are
really the royal court haggling prices with these two parties."

Ren the official, surnamed Ren, given name Shao'an, was a

disciple of the Prime Minister, so he naturally treated Fan Xian
as someone on his own side. "If matters are dealt with well," he
carefully warned him, "it will be nothing more than gilding the
lily. In any case, the officers and soldiers have followed their
orders, and have already attacked those territories. But if they
are not dealt with well, and they do not bring the Emperor the
benefits that he was expecting, then they would be extremely
inappropriate. And as for Dongyi, in the matter of the second
son's death, if you are too soft, then it will not be received well
by the Prime Minister. But since the royal court has permitted
Dongyi to send emissaries, it shows that the royal court does
not wish to pursue this matter too diligently, and would
simply like to get something out of it... after all, Sigu Sword is
still in the city of Dongyi."

Fan Xian frowned. These matters were complicated indeed.

Ren carried on, speaking with sympathy. "Your status is
unique. You and the Prime Minister will soon be father and
son-in-law. If you follow the will of the Emperor, you will lose
the favor of your father-in-law. So this is a very difficult
situation, and you must tread carefully."

Fan Xian was taken aback as he pondered the critical

components of this matter. He clasped his hands in a grateful
gesture. "When I entered the bureaucracy, I did not know that
things would be so profound... this matter is so complicated,
and I am only an eighth-level functionary. Even if Honglu
Temple requests that I transfer there, I fear that my lowly
words will carry little weight, so it is 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.

"Talented" was a ranking for concubines in the Tang dynasty – it was the fifth rank out of nine.
Chapter 123: The Emissaries from
Northern Qi
Fan Xian did not dare be arrogant. He quickly stood up and
clasped his hands in salute to the people around him, greeting
the other diplomats of the Kingdom of Qing with a warm
smile. "Sirs," he said earnestly, "I have not spent long at
Taichang Temple, and I know little of the customs of the royal
court. The palace has assigned me as a vice envoy, and I
presume that they wish for the deceitful Kingdom of Northern
Qi to see that they cannot attempt to murder the people of the
Kingdom of Qing as they please. They wish for me to serve as a
reminder; they do not necessarily want me to actually be part
of our negotiations." He laughed and continued. "I have no
knowledge of matters of diplomacy, and I do not wish to tread
on anyone's toes. I humbly request your guidance."

After all, he had not been an official for very long; such a
speech could not avoid inspiring some enmity and being seen
as somewhat reckless. But instead, it made the officials of
Honglu Temple feel more comfortable. At first, when they
found out that the son of Minister Fan would be taking part in
the negotiation process, these bureaucrats who bragged of
their foreign policy credentials as diplomats of the Kingdom of
Qing felt rather uneasy. They felt like a murder of crows
interrupted by a vulture trying to steal their carrion.
 When Fan Xian had shown to them that he did not intend to
compete with them, all of Honglu Temple felt much happier.
Xin Qiwu nodded his head in slight admiration. Of course,
everyone knew that if they were to succeed in demanding large
sums of silver as tribute, deciding reward based on merit, this
son of an influential official, here to serve as decoration, would
also get his share.

After the meeting was finished, Xin Qiwu led him to a room
that had been prepared for him, and pointed out a large
cupboard that had already been filled with documents. "All the
relevant material is in here. The key point of these
negotiations is that Northern Qi wishes to send us silver in
exchange that we return territory that we are currently
occupying. Dongyi has no demands; they simply wish to settle
matters regarding the two assassinations. The first of which is
the incident on Niulan Street involving you; the two female
assassins have already confirmed that they are disciples of Sigu
Sword. The second is the incident in the villa at the foot of the
Cang Mountains. However..."

He glanced at Fan Xian and spent a moment of consideration

before continuing. "You are also aware that this is a very
complicated affair, so the royal court cannot provide too-
conclusive proof of this matter."
 Fan Xian nodded. The air of empty platitudes was beginning
to make his head hurt. Would he really have to deal with such
things over the next few weeks? Seemingly reading his mind,
Xin Qiwu smiled. "If you would prefer not to work office
hours, you may also take them home. Only the documents
with the red top-secret label may not be taken out of the office."

Fan Xian was happily surprised. Although he knew that Xin

Qiwu did not wish for him not to be there, he was grateful. "In
truth, I was very confused coming here today. If you do not
mind me being lazy, sir, I would prefer to sleep at home every
day."

Fan Xian reckoned it was extremely rare in the Kingdom of

Qing for an insignificant eighth-level functionary to make such
a joke with a fourth-level official of Honglu Temple. Xin Qiwu
was rather surprised by Fan Xian's words, but soon after he
burst into laughter, and suddenly spoke to Fan Xian in a low
voice. "Master Fan, the prince's estate has high expectations of
you."

Fan Xian smiled. He knew Xin Qiwu's status, and did not dare
to be ambiguous. "Be assured, sir," he replied quickly, "I
understand. My father has often lectured us. If one is to be an
official, one must strictly follow the ways of an official."

On hearing his response, Xin Qiwu, trusted aide to the Crown

Prince, nodded in satisfaction. "Count Sinan has dedicated
himself wholeheartedly in service to the Kingdom of Qing. I
have always admired him."

After chatting for a little bit longer, Xin Qiwu left the room.
Fan Xian watched his shadow as he left and slowly narrowed
his eyes. His father Fan Jian had once said, as long as the
Crown Prince held his position, then the Fan family would be
loyal to the Crown Prince, but even he didn't believe those
words. Fan Xian could not simply believe Xin Qiwu, being the
Crown Prince's man that he was.

Assigning Fan Xian to the position of vice envoy in these

negotiations was a careful test by the prince's estate to see
whether the Fan family was capable of following the Crown
Prince's orders even slightly.

Over the next weeks, Fan Xian did as he said he would, and
shut himself in the room to sleep. Of course, for him, sleeping
was also an unavoidable way for him to train. Regarding
official affairs, after he took some documents home, he handed
them to Wang Qinian to allow him to formulate an appropriate
plan of action for the negotiations.

In truth, Fan Xian's intentions were clear; Wang Qinian

could report to the old cripple at the Overwatch Council in
secret. In this way, this complicated yet dull task was given to
Wang Qinian and Chen Pingping. Whether it was for the sake
of his mother or his father, they dealt with it appropriately,
ensuring that he did not lose face at the imperial court or
among the ordinary people.

He had no qualms about exploiting every resource he had to

the utmost.

And indeed, a few days later, Wang Qinian, looking haggard,

came to a small cabin where they had agreed to meet, and
handed him a thick folder. Fan Xian's mouth opened curiously,
and his eyes could not help but light up. He saw that the folder
was divided into two sections. One section was internal
reference material that only high-ranking officials of Honglu
Temple were allowed to read, and the other section was a draft
dossier for negotiations with Northern Qi.
 The materials included a thorough analysis of the internal
situation in Northern Qi: the power struggle between the
young Emperor and the Empress dowager, grandmaster Ku He
being a pacifist, and other such information. The documents
also reported that the Marquis Ning, younger brother of the
Empress Dowager, was under attack by the bureaucracy of
Northern Qi for losing the war, and so the young Emperor did
not care how much money he had to pay in compensation, or
how much land he had to relinquish, as long as he could go
along with popular grievances and use this opportunity as a
pretext to reduce the considerable power of the Empress
Dowager's faction. And because the Empress Dowager was
anxious to settle unrest, and attempts to rectify politics in the
royal court had been in vain, instructions were given to be
patient and accommodating in the negotiations.

Of course these things, hidden in the dark, went unseen by

the diplomats of the Kingdom of Qing. It was only thanks to
the tremendous secret powers of the Overwatch Council and
their network of spies throughout the Kingdom of Northern
Qi, who ferreted out various trivial matters and assembled
them into an analysis so that they could finally come to this
definite conclusion.

"Incredible." Fan Xian sighed. "Having these reports on hand,

the officials of Honglu Temple would be absolutely delighted."
He paused for a moment. "How reliable are these reports?"

Wang Qinian's eyes drooped. It seemed that he had not slept

in the past few days. "They are extremely reliable. Liu Bingyun
has made a breakthrough in Northern Qi. He has installed an
entire information network and cross-referenced everything.
There should not be any issues."

Fan Xian could not help but feel respect for Yan Bingyun, the
young son of an official. For the good of the nation, he was
content to hide in the shadows like a rat, and to do so for
several years as the son of a high official of the royal court was
no easy feat indeed. He did not know that the reason that Yan
Bingyun lived his miserable existence in Northern Qi was
entirely a result of the unsuccessful attempt on Fan Xian's life
when he was 12 years old. If Fan Xian had known that this was
the case, it was impossible to say whether he would have felt
guilty or burst into laughter.

"Wang Qinian, I did not expect you to be so proficient in

intelligence analysis and tracking." Fan Xian was fully aware of
where the dossier had come from, but he did not broach the
subject.
 Wang Qinian wasn't sure how to respond. He simply replied
with a timid salute, not daring to take the credit for himself.

"So, tomorrow I will go to Honglu Temple and meet with my

superiors." Fan Xian saw Wang Qinian's nervous silence. "Is
there anything else?"

"Sir," began Wang Qinian uncomfortably, "you cannot give

this information to Honglu Temple."

"Why?"

"Because... it involves top-secret information of the highest

level. Nobody in Honglu Temple—not even the top officials—
has the qualifications to handle it."

Fan Xian clapped his hand to his head and laughed bitterly.
"So what do you propose I do? I might as well let the Council
give it to Honglu Temple directly, through the proper
channels."
 Wang Qinian sighed. "If the director hadn't wholeheartedly
believed that it was a surprise that you were involved in these
negotiations, paving the way for your future career," he
thought, "there is no way that he would have ordered all six
bureaus to work through the night to produce this dossier."
The dossier looked thoroughly ordinary, but in fact it was a
conclusion of the meticulous, specialized analyses of dozens of
intelligence reports. If he were to just casually hand it over to
Honglu Temple, the Director might well be angry enough to
leap out of his wheelchair.

It was the end of the summer. The lotus petals had fallen, but
the heat remained. The pedestrians and the black dogs on the
streets of the capital had all been weakened and dispirited by
the weather. The eighth of August was a very auspicious day.
The diplomatic missions from Northern Qi and from Dongyi
both arrived at the same time at an official relay station in the
northwest of the capital. The Emperor of Qing decreed that the
two diplomatic missions were permitted to lodge in a
temporary residence owned by His Majesty. Officials from all
three parties argued for a number of days, before at last drawn
up a schedule and plans for their entrance into the city.

The common people of the capital were roused in spirit,

feeling like abrupt autumn rains had appeared in their dull
day-to-day lives. As they saw it, the emissaries from the two
nations had not come to negotiate, but had come to hand over
documents of surrender.

As a vice envoy involved in negotiations, Fan Xian naturally

was part of the welcoming committee for the emissaries. He
watched the officials from both nations from the western gate
of the capital, and arranged for them to stay at the relay
station. The delegation from Northern Qi was clearly not
happy. After all, in the military campaign in the vassal states,
they were losers, and many of their officers and soldiers had
been captured. Most importantly, a large amount of territory
had been captured.

"Good sir, who are you?" The highest-ranking official among

the Northern Qi delegation was Marquis Ning, younger brother
of the Empress Dowager of Northern Qi. He looked down
haughtily at this handsome young son of an official, and felt
thoroughly angry. It was clear that the Kingdom of Qing did
not view him as important enough to dispatch an envoy of
equal importance to greet him, and had instead sent a junior
official from Honglu Temple. Sending such a young man to act
as a vice envoy was undoubtedly a show of contempt.
 "I am Fan Xian. It is my pleasure to welcome you, your
grace."

Fan Xian had a clear smile on his face as he regarded these

guests from enemy nations. He thought of the report from the
Overwatch Council. This old man was simply decoration.
Behind him, sitting inside a sedan chair, was Zhuang Mohan,
who had been quickly arranged by the palace to stay within the
palace grounds; he was the true leader of their party.
Chapter 124: Unartistic Negotiation
Compared to the eager inhabitants in the capital, Fan Xian
wasn’t as excited. He was carefully writing on a strip of paper
in his bookroom. He was writing in the tone of a young man
with a privileged upbringing in the capital, rewriting the
reports Council and adding a l a bit of bookishness to their
them so that the officials at Honglu Temple wouldn’t be
shocked upon hearing him and suspect another terrifying
organization had stepped forward other than His Majesty’s
Overwatch Council, an organization that worked for the
functionary.

Fan Ruoruo was not in the mood either as she copied in small
script and stuck the paper strips together. She asked, "Brother,
this is really strange. Where did you get these reports? Why
don’t you use them as they are; why make such absurd
excuses?"

Fan Xian rarely hid things from his younger sister; not even
Lin Wan’er had this privilege. He said with a troubled
expression, "I was being lazy in the beginning, so I wanted to
borrow their power. But who knew I’d dig up such a scary case.
The origin of these reports cannot be exposed, so I can’t give
them directly to Honglu Temple."
 "Who’s the ambassador from Northern Qi this time?" Fan
Ruoruo was glad that her elder brother could finally properly
engage in government affairs. While Fan Xian had been
educating her, she was merely a little girl growing up in the
confinement of the yard. She always thought that, since Fan
Xian was a man, making tofu could only be a hobby; he
couldn’t keep on doing it.

"No one from the emperor’s faction or from the empress’s

faction, and definitely not the prince’s faction; just some
pushover faction," Fan Xian answered as he cleaned up the
documents on the table. "He’s the younger brother of the
Northern Qi empress. His name is Chang Dinghou, a supposed
genius. But the most conspicuous one wasn’t him, but his
teacher. A great scholar of Northern Qi, named Zhuang
Mohan. All the scholars in the world worship him. Who knows
what price Northern Qi had to pay to have him show up. Even
His Majesty might take that into consideration. I’m afraid the
usual demand for money and land would be taken back a bit
this time."

"Zhang Mohan?" Fan Ruoruo perked up at hearing the name,

her expression appearing to glow.
 This was the first time Fan Xian saw something akin to
fanaticism in his sister, who had always been a reserved girl.
Other than her own brother, she didn’t hold much admiration
for other scholars; seeing her this way made Fan Xian felt just a
tad jealous. He said, "Good thing the report was clear. This
Zhang Mohan is seventy, or else I better be careful."

Fan Ruoruo felt a bit ashamed and said, "You’re my brother;

do try to be more proper."

Fan Xian laughed, "You liking that old geezer is what I’d call
improper." Seeing Fan Ruoruo get slightly angry, he quickly
waved his hand. "But seriously, the stuff at the farm estate the
other day, do you have any ideas about that?"

Days passed, the siblings were here worrying about the

marriage of that little girl. Despite worrying for a while, no
potential suitors came to view, so they gave up. Incidentally,
Fan Xian remembered something else. "The last time when we
went to Liujing River, didn’t His Majesty say something?"

"What did he say?" Fan Ruoruo had a rare expression of

confusion on her face . It looked like both of them were overly
shocked back then and couldn’t remember everything.

Fan Xian closed his eyes and thought back. With a slap on the
table, he said with all colors drained from his face, "His
Majesty said he would arrange marriage for you!"

"What?!" Fan Ruoruo was very frightened by what she heard.

What were children from official households afraid of?

Marriage. In fortunate cases, like Lin Wan’er being married to
Fan Xian, everything was well. But it would be unfortunate for
someone to marry a tigress. The most terrifying would be a
marriage arrangement from the palace. Such an arrangement
would be too mighty to decline. Even if you were to get
married to a rich playboy, you would have no way to refuse.

Years ago, many officials had hoped to bring their daughters

into the palace in the hope of receiving His Majesty’s favor. But
the emperor did not indulge himself in women, so the method
became a dead end. Even the crown and second princes dared
not have too many concubines, despite the second prince being
notoriously lecherous in the capital, and even in the East
Palace, there were only three concubines.
 Fan Ruoruo seemed to have remembered it also. With tears in
her eyes and a shaky voice, she asked, "What should I do?"

Fan Xian, with his sharp mind, quickly determined the

possible households. He squinted and said, "Eldest prince,
second prince, Crown Prince Jing. With the status of the Fan
household, His Majesty would only choose from those three. If
it’s the household of one of the high-ranking officials, then
there is nothing to be afraid of. If you don’t agree, I have ways
to annul the marriage."

Of course Fan Xian had ways. After all, he had the support of
father, Cheng Pingping, and the prime minister. Because of
those three, even the prince in the East Palace was trying to
test to influence him. If the other two princes and Crown
Prince Jing don’t get involved, Fan Xian was confident that he
could ruin any marriage his sister didn’t agree with.

But the most likely candidates were the three most esteemed
ones. Fan Xian calmed himself, but suddenly cried out, "So
that’s why Li Hongcheng goes to brothels every day and doesn’t
marry; he was waiting for this moment!"
 Seeing his sister lose her nerve, Fan Xian consoled her with a
smile. "The eldest prince spends his years fighting in the
western front, and his martial abilities are exceptional. While
we’ve never met the second prince, I heard he too was an
impressive character. As for Crown Prince Jing, we know him
well. He may be a bit of a playboy, but he’s overall a good
person. If it really is Li Hongcheng, with me by your side, he
wouldn’t take in a single concubine, let alone visit a brothel."

It would have been better if he didn’t console her. Now that

he did, Fan Ruoruo found it more and more likely, as if it were
to happen at any time. She said with great sadness, "Brother, I
don’t want to marry any of them."

Fan Xian sighed; he didn’t want to continue this growing

pain. He tried to lift the mood. "What’s so bad about this?
When I see you in the future, I’ll have to call you ‘Princess’. If
the second prince becomes emperor, with your mother-in-law
controlling the world… wouldn’t she be my mom?"

His joke was extremely unfunny, so Ruoruo did not break out
from her sadness. The bookroom sank into awkward silence.
Within it, the siblings were thinking. While Ruoruo was filled
with despair, Fan Xian steeled himself. If something were to
happen in the future, he must be prepared in some way.

----

The location for negotiations wasn’t so spacious; it was set in

the biggest room in Honglu Temple. There weren’t any long
tables between the officials of Northern Qi and Qing. Rather,
they seemed to be chatting over tea, sitting in their own chairs.
Fan Xian sat in a most inconspicuous spot and eyed the scene.
He remembered a word from his previous life: tea party.

Because the investigations hadn’t reached the final stages,

and because he himself insisted on being there, the officials in
Honglu Temple couldn’t do anything to Fan Xian.

Between the exchange of seemingly gentle words, knives

were hidden. It wasn’t too long before the officials of the two
nations began to get worked up; some of the more impatient
ones were about to leave their chairs.
 "Huh! Who won this war? You Northern Qi, or us?" One
sixth-ranked official from Honglu Temple finally had enough
of the other side’s insolence and stood up.

"There are many dangers in war. Our ruler, out of care for
our people, intentionally called for a truce. Who knows which
side is the winner." The ambassador from Northern Qi didn’t
exactly have a thick skin, but he was certainly not here to
initiate the first wave of provocation. Seeing the guy stroking
his small beard in a matter-of-fact manner, even the normally
calm Fan Xian wanted to walk up and beat him.

The shaoqing from Honglu Temple only smiled, but Fan Xian
noticed it was an insidious one, based off Qing’s twenty years
of victories. The Qing official said, "In that case, my esteemed
guests, please return. Between our two nations, let us fight one
more time to determine the winner. Negotiations can wait."

What’s this? This was a bare-naked threat; a bare-naked state

of terrorism and bared-naked method of a ruffian.

Fan Xian didn’t show any surprise, but deep down, he was
greatly impressed, "Good on him for having the guts to say it."
 As expected, this caused Northern Qi to start hurling various
offensive things at Qing, irreparably damaging the relation
between the two nations. Unexpectedly, the shaoqing said
coldly, "When has this thing called ‘friendship’ ever existed
between our two nations?"

"This is pretty much how Wei Xiaobao would have

negotiated." Fan Xian thought. A proper shaoqing of Honglu
Temple was acting shamelessly in such an exchange between
two nations. Had it not been for Qing’s might, such a scene
would never occur.

Negotiations in Honglu Temple had always been properly

matched. Various characters took their turns, and one thick-
skinned official registrar stood up. "Your Highnesses, please
don’t forget your position. Please don’t wound the relationship
between our two nations out of impulse."

Both sides withdrew, and the tea party was over. The various
officials had already showed what they were made of. As for
the actual negotiation, that was left to the underlings and
lower-ranked officials to work on.
 With the negotiation at a stalemate, no progress could be
made. And as for that great Zhuang Mohan, he had rarely been
seen since he went to the palace and had a talk with the
empress. This baffled Fan Xian, was that old man here on
vacation?
Chapter 125: Old and Vicious Shaoqing
Xin
Two days later, in Honglu Temple…

"The captives, that’s the first thing we need to take care of."
The rashness displayed by Xin Qiwu during the negotiations
between the two countries had already disappeared. The
shaoqing said emotionlessly, "Per His Majesty’s orders, we
must retrieve our captured soldiers at all cost. The rest are
minor things. Why don’t we concede on this point?"

Below, another official answered him, "The men from

Northern Qi and its tribute nations that we’ve captured
number over twenty-four hundred in total, while about a
thousand of our men are being held captive. Going with His
Majesty’s order, we can get all our soldiers back, even if we
trade two soldiers for one.

"Right." Xin Qiwu nodded; he was satisfied with his

subordinate’s rate of work. He then said, "As for the issue of
redrawing the boarders, His Majesty was clear on that as well.
We must not give up even an inch of the territories we’ve
gained in battle. If Northern Qi want land, they must trade the
plains of Qianlonggang."

Qianlonggang was situated to the northwest of Qing and was

the only enclave connected to Qing. If Qing could take it back,
then security would be ensured.

The lower-ranking officials recorded their superior. Someone

said in irritation,, "But Northern Qi won’t budge on the matter
at the moment, almost as if they would fight to the death over
it. They are willing to pay in money and horses, just not that
piece of land.

The main registrar from the negotiations was obviously an

impulsive one. He slapped the table and exclaimed, "We
already have control over it! What would they have us do?!
Give it back?!"

Xin Qiwu nodded. "While Sir Xiao is a bit direct, that’s about
the gist of it." He scanned his subordinates with a cold gaze and
heavily put down the teacup in his hand. He said, "My fellow
officials, do not forget: these lands were obtained by our brave
soldiers through sword and spear, through blood and flesh.
What those soldiers paid for with their lives we cannot give it
back. As for ourselves? We’re only talkers, so we cannot give
up on the authority of Qing. We must struggle and bargain
with the other side with however miniscule amount of silver
we have to offer."

The person who spoke before continued, "Your Highness is

absolutely right, but according to the secret reports by the
Northern Qi envoys who went to the capital, the Northern Qi
empress is beginning to reconcile with our emperor due to
failures in the war. The empress’s own younger brother had
already been condemned and sent back. If we demand too
much right now, relations with them may split again in the
future; another war may break out, something His Majesty
would not want. Everyone knows, if Northern Qi really is that
united, it’ll be like a centipede with a nasty bite."

"It’s been too long since Northern Qi sent envoys to the

capital. That report may not necessarily be useful." Xin Qiwu
had a headache. While they had the advantage of home soil
and being the winders, the other side was in their own capital.
Taking advantage of the information network, which was not
yet exterminated by the Imperial court, they could obtain
firsthand intel regarding Qing’s reactions. On the other hand,
for Qing to obtain info regarding Northern Qi was very
difficult.
 Someone came forward with an idea, "Why don’t we ask His
Majesty to lend us the help of the Overwatch Council? Those
from Northern Qi are tougher than what we have in the other
organizations."

The various officials brightened up as they agreed. Even

though they were all afraid of the Overwatch Council, they
had no objections if it was to unleash this rabid dog upon an
enemy. Unexpectedly, however, Xin Qiwu yelled out, "You
think the main registry and I haven’t thought of that?! The
emperor wouldn’t allow it, so what can I do? You want me to
cry about it in His Majesty’s sleeping quarters?"

The officials saw truth in that and calmed down. Deep inside,
however, they all agreed, "If it’s to obtain intel on Northern Qi,
why not cry to him?"

The hall became quiet. Although the people of Qing all

believed their nation to be one of the strongest, their emperor
was still without a successor to the throne. Therefore, they
couldn’t help but live in the shadow of the great Northern Wei.
Northern Wei, despite losing half its territory to Northern Qi,
was still a terrifying force to be reckoned with should another
war break out. Without any strong sources of persuasion, the
negotiation seemed to be stuck in a quagmire.

"I will go to the palace again tonight and seek His Majesty’s
opinion," Xin Qiwu said with a frown. He glanced down at Fan
Xian, who had been sitting quietly. Despite being a deputy, Fan
Xian certainly did not appear to be one. For the past few days,
regardless of negotiations,, he always sat smiling, never saying
a single word; no one knew what he was thinking. Xin Qiwu,
under the orders of the prince, asked for Fan Xian in hopes of
allowing him to establish some political authority. The brat
had been obedient in not taking the spotlight so far, but sitting
speechless was far from proper.

Xin Qiwu thought for a moment before asking gently, "Sir

Fan, what are your thoughts on the matter?"

Fan Xian slightly tightened his fists in his sleeves, but his
face remained calm. He replied, "I believe Northern Qi is
merely bluffing. Suppose they really do have the strength to
keep on fighting, they wouldn’t be in a hurry to send their
envoys."
 The other officials all heard of this Sir Fan and his
achievements in poetry and fighting. Furthermore, they had all
admired the way Fan Xian seemingly stayed put for the past
few days. Therefore, they were eager to hear what he was about
to say. Unsurprisingly, they were disappointed after hearing
Fan Xian tell them such generic things. Regardless, they
couldn’t do anything on the surface but agree.

However, Xin Qiwu believed Fan Xian was merely trying to

appease everyone and be done with it. "You are absolutely
right. But the intentions of the nations has been mixed. It’s like
each nation is its own entity, and occasionally emotions will
get the better of reason. Deputy Fan, do you have any
evidence?" Xin Qiwu believed Fan Xian had something which
would surely impress the officials at Honglu Temple.

Fan Xian secretly admired Xin Qiwu for saying "each nation
is its own entity." He thought about it for a moment before
saying, "The key is Zhuang Mohan. We here all know what
kind of reputation he has. If Northern Qi didn’t really want to
negotiate, they wouldn’t pay the hefty price of including
Zhuang Mohan in their envoy."
 The officials at Honglu Temple were all from learned
backgrounds, so of course they all knew who Zhuang Mohan
was. After hearing Fan Xian’s reasoning, they all realized that
really was the case. But that wasn’t persuasive enough.

Xin Qiwu frowned. "If only we know the reason for him
being here. Perhaps that would help."

The case files from the Overwatch Council were clear on

that. Zhuang Mohan came as part of the envoy because, first of
all, the emperor and empress of Northern Qi wanted to lower
themselves, and secondly, this Zhuang Mohan held a
reputation as being a saint of sorts and wanted to mend the
relationship between the nations, and third, because of as-yet-
to-be-revealed personal reasons that Zhuang Mohan’s hadn’t
revealed. While Fan Xian looked down on the demeanor of this
"saint," he didn’t underestimate him. However, he couldn’t just
explain these reasons to the officials either. He said quietly,
"Perhaps there would be some clue if we could see him."

The official registrar shook his head, "As per custom, ,

normally you could only see someone like him during a royal
banquet. If we were to request an audience, there would be
nothing we could do should we be turned down." Suddenly, his
eyes brightened. "However, since Deputy Fan’s fame in poetry
has already spread everywhere, you could arrange a poetry
gathering. I don’t believe Zhuang Mohan would refuse."

That startled Fan Xian. He had only plagiarized three poems,

two of which were composed by Ruoruo; how can that spread
"everywhere"? Fortunately, Xin Qiwu helped him out, "This
Zhuang Mohan has always been known to be prideful; he was
praised by poetry and essay and song, truly a prodigy. He
wouldn’t lower his pride just to see Deputy Fan. In my opinion,
Northern Qi invited him for the royal banquet, where his
reputation would be useful in persuading His Majesty."

That made sense to the officials.

After the meeting had been dismissed, Fan Xian took some
time to show Sir Xin the files he and Ruoruo had "organized".
Flipping through the papers, Xin Qiwu’s eyes brightened, as he
wasn’t expecting Fan Xian to write such things. While the files
contained certain absurdities, they more or less made sense in
pointing out the current political situation in Northern Qi.
 "Very good!" Xin Qiwu exclaimed. "With this, we could
negotiate with more backbone. It’s just that… Deputy Fan, why
tell me all this in private?"

Seeing his superior’s suspicion, Fan Xian smiled, "Some of

the content is too preposterous. They are only what I think, so
I dared not to share it in public. It would be more appropriate
for only Your Highness to consider."

Unable to contain himself, Xin Qiwu began reading through

the files while still standing in the hallway. Gradually, his
brows knotted together. After a long time, he sighed, "Mister
Fan, there are many things in here that not even the Imperial
court knows."

Fan Xian felt a chill; he wasn’t able to fool Xin Qiwu in the
end. But what he had been through over the past decade—from
Danzhou to the capital—steeled his demeanor. His smile
remained unchanged, "I would not say anything unnecessary."

To feign understanding of something as unpredictable, such

was the way of the civil official. As expected, Xin Qiwu did not
question any further. Rather, he smiled warmly, "If the
negotiation is a success, I shall personally write a
recommendation to His Majesty to guarantee you a grand
merit."

Fan Xian excused himself with a grin.

After Fan Xian had gone out of sight, the color on Xin Qiwu’s
face changed in a flash. He was close to the prince, and was
therefore aware that Count Sinan held a portion of His
Majesty’s personal sovereignty, but this power has never
showed itself in Qing’s political stage, unless… Fan Jian used it
now because of Fan Xian? Ultimately, Xin Qiwu did not
connect Fan Xian with the Overwatch Council. It was, after all,
His Majesty’s personal organization, which not even the
princes could interfere with, never mind the illegitimate son of
a civil official.

Sitting in his sedan chair, Xin Qiwu propped up his chin,

deep in thought. After the sedan chair had come to a stop, he
stared at the tall, red palace walls and thought, "The prince
was correct regarding the Fan household. We could only try to
win them over, not try to beat them."
Chapter 126: Sincerity in the East Palace
There had been two factions in the East Palace: The one
opposing Xin Qiwu believed that since Count Sinan was in
good relations with King Jing and connected to the prime
minister’s family through Fan Xian’s marriage, Prince Jing
must be close to the second prince. As for the prime minister
gradually distancing himself from the East Palace, it must
mean that the Fan household was with the second prince’s
faction. Xin Shaoqing adamantly rejected the idea. To him, Fan
Jian was not the type of official who could be swayed so easily
by King Jing and the prime minister.

Deep inside the palace, Xin Qiwu prostrated in front of the

book chamber with his butt in the air. Good thing his robe was
long enough so that he didn’t look too ridiculous.

"You may rise." The emperor’s voice rang out from behind the
curtain.

Xin Qiwu stood up, his arms by his side. He didn’t dare
move. He had been here a few times, but he still couldn’t shake
this feeling of pressure. He was sweating, either from the
remaining summer heat or his own nervousness. Regardless, he
didn’t dare wipe away his sweat.

Behind the curtain came the sound of paper being put away.
After a long period of silence, the emperor said, "There is logic
and evidence, very good. Since those guys in the north
wouldn’t settle down, this is very good; you’ll have to speak
loudly for me."

Xin Qiwu replied in a bright voice, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

The emperor’s voice suddenly had an odd tone to it. "You

made Minister Fan’s son your deputy?"

Xin Qiwu wasn’t expecting the emperor to be so interested in

Deputy Fan, and sweated a bit more. He answered respectfully,
"Indeed."

The emperor seemed to be intrigued, "Oh, I had already

appointed him the Functionary of Taichang Temple. Why did
you move him to Honglu Temple?"
 While the emperor was speaking in a gentle tone, Xin Qiwu
was so nervous he could faint. Not daring to hide anything, he
answered truthfully, "I had recently come to the East Palace to
study per Your Majesty’s orders. During that time, I talked
with the prince regarding the envoy from Northern Qi. Since
Fan Xian was involved with, and because of his reputation in
the capital, I thought it would be best to have a scholar on our
side as well. As Your Majesty knows, there’s a certain Zhuang
Mohan in Northern Qi’s envoy."

"Hm." The emperor really admired this official’s frankness .

He was never afraid of people conspiring in the Imperial court,
but those factions needed be made public. "You weren’t wrong
to do so. I leave all the authority over the matter to you today.
Even if it’s the prince, you do not have to ask for permission."

"Yes." The link between Xin Qiwu and the prince was never
hidden from the emperor. After all, he was assigned specifically
as a servant in the East Palace.

The emperor flipped through the files again. He seemed to

frown slightly. "How did Fan Xian do?"
 Xin Qiwu didn’t dare steal Fan Xian’s merit and answered
honestly, "The files Your Majesty is reading right now was
analyzed by Deputy Fan."

...

"Analyzed?" For some reason, the emperor’s tone became

slightly angry. "This is getting more and more absurd!"

Xin Qiwu was terrified; he didn’t know why His Majesty

became angry. But fortunately, it didn’t appear to be related to
negotiations. After Xin Qiwu withdrew from the book
chamber, the emperor parted the curtain and walked out.
There was a bitter smile that went along with the hint of anger
on his intimidating face, as if to say, "It can’t be helped". He
ordered a servant, "Summon Chen Pingping to the palace."

This owner of Qing, a middle-aged man who held the most

authority in the world, walked out of the book chamber.
Standing in the hallway, he gazed up at the moon. He smiled
and said to himself, "A sharp tool which could benefit the
nation, instead of using it to help Honglu Temple, you used it
as the stepping stool for a child. Chen Pingping, if I still don’t
tap you once or twice, you’re really going to give my Council
to that child as a plaything."

Just what caliber of a person was the emperor? From Fan

Xian’s files, he managed to immediately pick up the presence of
the Overwatch Council. But his expression was no longer
angry. Rather, he found it somewhat funny. Xin Qiwu seemed
to be letting the prince win over the Fan household. The prince
finally displayed some political wisdom, and His Majesty was a
bit happy .

An intense quarrel was developing in the East Palace between

Shaoqiang Xin Qiwu and Guo Baokun. The topic, of course,
concerned the low-ranking Fan Xian. One could tell how
intense the quarrel was from the look on their faces.

Xin Qiwu gave Guo Baokun a condescending look and said,

"As a civil servant, I must obey His Majesty’s wishes and aid the
prince in his accomplishments. So for the time being, I need to
find a few talented individuals. Functionary Fan Xian is
famous in the capital and has a fine demeanor, and the Fan
household is no stranger to the palace. The prince should
accept such a distinguished individual instead of refusing over
a certain someone’s tantrum."
 Guo Baokun laughed coldly, "You think I only remember that
one time? Don’t forget the relationship between the Fan manor
and King Jing’s manor. Fan Xian will soon become the son-in-
law of the prime minister. Are you that unclear as to which
side the prime minister leans?"

Xin Qiwu straightened out his neck and said, "I have no idea.
I only know that there is only one emperor and one prince in
Qing. Any thoughts of splitting into factions would be
extremely stupid."

Xin Qiwu was not unskilled, and naturally, he knew the

second prince was on the rise. But in terms of strategy, he still
didn’t view the second prince as a threat to the East Palace.
Otherwise, it would be opening a door full of danger. As long
as the prince acts properly and sticks to principles, there would
be no enemies.

The prince who was sitting up high sighed. While lecherous

and cowardly, he was by no means stupid. Deep down, he
understood that, in the big picture, Xin Qiwu was correct.
However, in term of politics, this was a life-and-death struggle.
Even if he were to be careful, no one could guarantee that his
two brothers wouldn’t plot anything.
 "It hasn’t gotten to that point," the prince said, massaging the
sides of his head. He then continued, albeit somewhat
annoyed, "The palace is still ruled by one individual. Those
ready to serve the Imperial court should have the same
intention. As for my royal brothers, don’t say any senseless
things."

Such was the helpless situation in the palace. Even though

they were impeding each other as much as they could, they
couldn’t say anything on the surface.

"And Fan Xian?" Guo Baokun wasn’t willing to give up.

Xin Qiwu snorted, "Sir Guo, I believe you have been

misjudging one thing."

"What is it?" The prince asked.

"Many officials, including you, grouped Fan household into

the second prince’s faction merely because of their relationship
to King Jing. Is there any evidence to prove that? This time,
orders came down from the East Palace to give Fan Xian a
chance to really prove himself. If what you say is true, then
Fan Xian would not accept in the first place." Xin Qiwu
continued coldly, "Most importantly, Fan Xian is soon to
become the prime minister’s son-in-law. If your judgement is
merely based on that, then you are being ridiculous."

"How would that be ridiculous?" Guo Baokun revealed a hint

of venom in his eyes. "Both official and secret reports showed
that the prime minister is splitting from the eldest princess. He
is trying to remove the influences from the palace."

"As the prime minister, of course he shouldn’t be influenced

by forces in the palace." This wasn’t appropriate for Xin Qiwu
to say, and he realized that and apologized to the prince. The
prince shook his head, signaling Xin Qiwu to continue.

"That is precisely the issue. Everyone knows the prime

minister is splitting from the eldest princess… what does that
have to do with the East Palace? Would that mean the prime
minister is no longer loyal to His Majesty?"

The prince frowned, "However… recently, my aunt has been

angry with the prime minister."
 "Your Majesty, forgive my insolence… you must not change
your view towards the prime minister just because of the eldest
princess’s mood."

The prince only frowned harder. "But…" He stopped. Taking

the chance, Guo Baokun said coldly, "But if the prime minister
is still the same, then why did he stop visiting the East Palace
after court meetings?"

Xin Qiwu grinned with extreme self-confidence and replied,

"I didn’t deny anything having to do with that." Turning to the
prince, he said, "Your Majesty, that is only an arrangement; it
is still far from an actual competition of power. The real smart
ones would follow the emperor closely to ensure their families’
survival. The same applies to the prime minister. While he
appears to be swaying between you and the second prince, he
still has to obey His Majesty’s wishes. If we want the prime
minister on our side…" Xin Qi Wu inhaled deeply, "Fan Xian is
the key. The prime minister doesn’t have an actual son
anymore; if Fan Xian proves to be the future of Lin Manor, and
if we can win Fan Xian over, then the prime minister will
surely change sides."
 Guo Baokun warned, "Don’t forget the relationship between
Prince Jing and Fan Xian."

"And don’t you forget whose subordinate was exposed by the

investigation," said Xin Qiwu coldly To have set up an
encounter between Fan Xian and the prince, he was certainly
hoping the prince would recall the grudge from all those days
ago and humiliate Fan Xian. Good thing His Majesty was wise
and would not fall for such petty trick."

The prince smiled warmly.

"Why would he use such methods if the Fan household

belonged to these factions?" Xin Qiwu then said, "I believe
that, with Fan household’s power, whatever’s happening
behind that incident will surely come to light. If it was really
‘that person,’ I’m afraid Fan Xian would hold a grudge, so for
now, there is no need to worry where the Fan household
stands."

The prince was somewhat moved. He said lightly, "If the Fan
household is still being fooled, there is no harm in telling
them."
 "Winning over Fan Xian equals winning over both Fan and
Lin Manors. Those are two great powers in the capital. Many
years from now on, I believe the inner treasury will be run by
that youngster." Xin Qiwu said quietly to the prince, "An
eighth-ranked official like him could do more for the people
than merely write a few poems."
Chapter 127: There Isn’t a Single
Trustworthy Person in the World
The prince calculated, obviously moved. After quite a while,
he made his decision. "Very well. I’m going to give Fan Xian a
chance. I hope he wouldn’t disappoint us."

With this decision, Guo Baokun fell silent, while Xin Qiwu
became excited. The prince felt he was being wise and
generous. However, none of the three knew that the empress
and the eldest princess tried to have Fan Xian killed. The real
forces behind the East Palace had already clashed twice with
the real forces behind Fan Xian; once in Danzhou, once on
Niulan Street and beneath the Cang Mountains.

Even more unknown to them was that several years later,

things would develop into unprecedented absurdity. The palace
at night was always more secluded and darker than other
places. It hid all truths and all who passed by. It also hid
whatever the future held.

----
 Backed by the Overwatch Council’s reports, the negotiations
over the next few days changed drastically. Northern Qi still
tried to play their sticky tactics, dragging things on day after
day in hopes of decreasing Qing’s patience. They weren’t
expecting this shaoqing of Honglu Temple to unleash such
intensity. During the next two days of deliberation, it was as if
Xin Qiwu had turned into a mountain-splitting axe, chopping
down the other party!

After three meetings, the problems regarding captives,

tributes, and names were all solved. All that was left was also
the most difficult—the issue regarding redrawing the borders.

As a deputy, Fan Xian had always overlooked this process.

Nevertheless, he was very impressed by Xin Qiwu’s ability to
converse. Fan Xian really didn’t expect anyone so close to the
prince to be so ferocious. Not everyone in the East Palace
deserved to be hit like Guo Baokun. Xin Qiwu, during his
conversations and observations, felt surprised by Fan Xian’s
patience, which far surpassed that of his peers. The shaoqing
felt he couldn’t see through Fan Xian’s character.

Overall, the negotiations went smoothly. Other than help

from the Overwatch Council, Fan Xian didn’t put in too much
effort, and therefore didn’t get his part of the merit. He was
satisfied with his current life.

The bookstore was taken care off by the shopkeeper from

Qingyu Hall, and Fan Sizhe often interacted with the
accountant. Fan Xian didn’t have to worry about any of that.
As for his marriage in two months, the nannies of the Lin and
Fan Manors would be busy taking care of that. Even Lady Liu
liked the idea of Fan Xian being the emperor’s fake son-in-law
and was ready to be a stepmother. She knew that, once Fan
Xian married the emperor’s adopted daughter, he wouldn’t
threaten Fan Sizhe’s position in the household.

On top of all that, there was also Lin Wan’er’s status. Those
old maidens often came to Fan Manor to speak of various
things; once every few days, some would come to deliver some
lady’s wishes, making Count Sinan quite irritated. As for Fan
Xian, who didn’t know the formalities of the palace, he tried to
get away from them as best as he could. Lin Wan’er and Ruoruo
suffered as a result of having to clean up after him.

The second prince came twice on behalf of Prince Jing, who

wanted to meet with Fan Xian, but Fan Xian was still hung up
on when he happened to run into the eldest prince. Hoping for
things to calm down a bit, Fan Xian kept pushing the meeting
back until the end of the month. After all, the East Palace
seemed to have changed its view on him. Not that he dared to
refuse the invitation from one of the princes; rather, he dared
not play around while still serving the country.

During those days, Fan Xian was only slightly worried about
that Zhuang Mohan, who hadn’t shown himself since, this in
addition to the disciple of Sigu Sword from Dongyi.
Respectively, they were at the top in civil and martial virtues,
so why was the capital this quiet? Zhuang Mohan had been
invited by the empress to stay in the palace for studies, which
the head disciple of Sigu Sword stayed with Dongyi’s envoy.

The one who got most of Fan Xian’s attention was Yun
Zhilan. Zhuang Mohan had done nothing to Fan Xian, but Yun
Zhilan was after Fan Xian’s life. However, since Yun Zhilan was
far away outside the capital, Fan Xian believed himself to be
relatively safe. After all, Yun Zhilan wouldn’t be so stupid as to
challenge him alone. The thing most prominent on his mind
was the matter regarding a certain key.

He stared blankly at a black chest at night. The lock appeared

to be made of brass. However, as much as he tried, he couldn’t
leave a single scratch on it with his think dagger, so the
material must have been something unique. There appeared to
be some other mechanism behind the keyhole, but without the
key, Fan Xian had no idea what that mechanism even looked
like.

Fan Xian had tried various means to get acquainted with the
old eunuch Hong from the palace. However, he discovered
something: While he had made a name for himself in the
capital, he was still far from reaching the top. Both the eldest
and second princes were trying to win him over for the sake of
Fan and Lin manors; he himself wasn’t worth the hassle. The
palace itself didn’t need to see civil servants, so he couldn’t
even go there.

Besides, it was inconvenient for Wan’er to enter the palace,

so there wasn’t anyone who could help Fan Xian. It would be
extremely difficult for him to even get to know Hong Siyang,
never mind getting him out of the palace like Wu Zhu said.

When the second prince visited on behalf of Prince Jing, he

once asked through other people if he could get to know Hong
Gonggong that way, but Li Hongcheng kept shaking his head.
That old dog only lay around in the empress’s palace; he would
never venture out.

"It looks like we must change our plan." With a smack, Fan
Xian kicked the chest back where it was. He looked at Wu Zhu
who was standing in the corner, as though falling asleep, and
said, "I have no way of making Hong Gonggong come outside
the palace."

Wu Zhu slowly raised his head, "I can lure him out, or, you
can try to find the key in the palace."

Fan Xian was greatly frightened. He was only above a fourth-

rank, not yet a sixth-rank in martial arts. For him to sneak
around the palace would mean certain death. But he squinted
and thought the plan as being the most feasible at the moment.
After all, while Wu Zhu said his "potential" was Level 3, he
managed to kill Cheng Jiushu, meaning that Wu Zhu
overestimated his assessment and thus underestimated Fan
Xian’s ability to use zhenqi. Of course, Fan Xian couldn’t say
that out loud.
 "If it really is that risky, why must I find this key?" This
question had been on Fan Xian’s mind for a long time. "If it’s
just to satisfy curiosity, such risks aren’t worth it."

"Don’t you want to know what the Lady left you?"

"I do." Fan Xian sat with his head hung low. "But I believe
that my mother wants me to live happily and safely. If
something she left me were to put me in danger, perhaps, she
would not want that."

Wu Zhu also hung his head low. The black blindfold seemed
to blend into the night. While he wasn’t "looking" at Fan Xian,
Fan Xian could still feel a chill.

"You are satisfied with your current life."

Wu Zhu’s voice was without emotions; he rarely used such

rhetorical questions. Rather, he was stating a fact. Startled,
Fan Xian thought back, especially on the summer days. He
seemed to have been genuinely enjoying the riches and
authority and stability of the life of a rich son.
 "But you can’t control your life." Wu Zhu continued coldly.
"All that’s in front of you is planned by Cheng Pingping and Fei
Jian."

Fan Xian felt a chill in his heart as he understood what Wu

Zhu meant. Despite living a second life and seeing the highs
and lows of the world, Fan Xian was still having a hard time
believing what Wu Zhu said. He lowered his voice and asked, "I
can’t trust even them?"

Wu Zhu’s voice only got colder. "Trust no one; that’s the way
I do things."

"That would make life difficult." Fan Xian closed his eyes, as
if trying to imitate a life in eternal darkness.

"What would you do after they die?" Wu Zhu rarely asked

questions, but now that he did, he attacked Fan Xian’s
weakness.

Fan Xian frowned, "I understand."

 Wu Zhu didn’t care for his declaration and continued to
speak in his expressionless voice, "What protects you isn’t
some secret plot, not authority, not anything. Only power can
protect you; you must remember that."

Fan Xian stood up from beside his bed and respectfully

saluted this servant, this teacher, this elder brother.

"I don’t know what the Lady left you in that chest, but I do
know that you must obtain the power to protect yourself, the
power to make your enemies quake. Determination is a form of
power itself, which is why I want to you find that key."

"Yes. I’ll do it."

When Fan Xian raised his head, Wu Zhu had once again
disappeared into the darkness. In over ten years, other than the
time he remembered back on Fan Xian’s mother, Wu Zhu rarely
spoke this much.

Fan Xian realized what Wu Zhu meant. The prosperity of the

capital eats away at the body and soul; it really created a hint
of weakness in his calm and strength which he had polished
from a young age. This was a warning, warning him not to rely
on his family’s authority and his mother’s legacy. Even though
he had been recently training hard with his zhenqi, trying to
become familiar with the three poison needles on his body, it
was as Wu Zhu said—his heart was no longer as resilient as
when he was in Danzhou.

Only his own powers could protect everyone around him. A

child without a mother is like a lone shoot of grass. However,
even a long shoot of grass would need to grow out of the crack
in the rock without caring for sunshine or rain. He would have
to thrust his root deeper and make his stem sturdier. That’s
what Fan Xian would have to do.
Chapter 128: That Chilly Royal Palace
The eastern skies were already dyed red. From behind the
still-sleeping clouds, the sun slowly crept up, casting its light
upon the biggest building complex in the capital. The palace
walls, which were even redder than the dusk, observed the
crowd in the public square silently and terrifyingly. Fan Xian
was among that crowd. He gazed up at the walls and gazed
down at the gates, which reminded him of the mouth of a
monster. He couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.

Like every other person in this world, Fan Xian viewed His
Majesty with absolute awe. But awe did not equal complete
obedience, neither did it represent a total lack of
rebelliousness. On that, Fan Xian was different from others.
The palace gatekeeper nodded a bit pridefully after checking
everyone, and only then was Fan Xian allowed to walk in.

Today was full of formalities. The order came yesterday from

the palace summoning the eighth-ranked functionary. Fan
Xian was busy all night and was able to determine how many
people would be present. Naturally, Fan Jian would not be
there. There was a lack of women at Fan Manor, so the distant
relatives in the capital from the great Fan clan all volunteered
to accompany Fan Xian.
 Fan Xian had never seen such a scene before, so Fan Jian
denied the relatives their wishes. It was ultimately decided that
the one to follow Fan Xian into the palace would be Lady Liu,
Fan Ruoruo, and two old nannies. Those two nannies were
from Fan Xian's grandmother’s time in Danzhou. They knew
well all the palace rules. The fact that Lady Liu agreed to come
seemed to have been unexpected for Fan Xian. However, she
had been keeping in touch with a few esteemed ones from the
palace since she was young, so she was more than just a guest.
With her by his side, Fan Xian’s trip to the palace would likely
be much smoother.

Light yet chaotic footsteps echoed through the tunnel. It was

a long tunnel; even the sun at dusk could only illuminate half
its length while the other half stayed exceptionally dark. A gust
of cold wind blew in, forcing the people to close their eyes. It
was merely September, but this wind gave them a taste of late
autumn.

Fan Xian inconspicuously touched his belt and felt the few
pills, which were smaller than soybeans. Feeling assured, he
knew the security would be extremely tight, which was why
before leaving the manor he hid his crossbow and dagger in his
room. But what Wu Zhu told him had been carved into his
memory. Even if the palace was the safest place in the world,
Fan Xian still made sure he had some means to protect his own
life.

Humans are strange animals. And when together, they form

a strange herd. Walking beneath the quiet palace walls, their
steps began to synchronize, rising at the same time, and falling
at the same time. The young eunuch leading the way was no
exception. The rhythm was like someone plucking a ukulele.

Fan Xian suddenly felt quite unpleasant and forced himself

to break free from the synchronized footsteps. He pulled his
sister’s sleeve and said quietly, "I’m a bit nervous."

Fan Ruoruo smiled, trying to offer some encouragement. But

that young eunuch turned around, displeased, and frowned at
them. Lady Liu said gently, "The palace isn’t like other places.
Watch what you say."

The eunuch wasn’t all that good-looking, and his frown only
made him look worse. Hearing Lady Liu, he momentarily
became full of himself. Where is this place? This is the royal
palace, of course. Fan Xian forced a smile. Unexpectedly, Lady
Liu continued, "But you don’t need to be so nervous. I’ve been
visiting this palace since I was little. Back then it was Eunuch
Hong who led the way. Now that job is left to such youngsters.
Oh, how time flies."

Hearing this, the young eunuch dared not act self-important

anymore. He turned and quickened his pace. He thought he
was only leading some commoners, not regular visitors.

The palace was massive. After exiting the tunnel, a large

square greeted them. The morning sun was directly above
Taijin Palace. Its yellow roof tiles glistened, and the roof was
supported by great pillars. Its long stone steps resembled a
white path leading to the Milky Way. The whole scene invoked
extreme solemnness.

Fan Xian squinted at the buildings in front of him. Suddenly,

he started to wonder if he had arrived in the Forbidden City.
Perhaps because of that absurd thought, his nervousness died
down ever so slightly. Afterwards, Fan Xian finally returned to
his normal demeanor; the same he assumed when he first
entered Fan Manor. With a bright smile, he looked around at
the various palace girls and eunuchs. He occasionally looked
up at the roof of some unknown building, wondering who
lived there.
 The young eunuch leading the way saw it all and shook his
head. Lady Liu smiled faintly, as if it couldn't be helped. This
young master was the fearless type after all.

The reason for today’s visit was simple: a talented young

man of such reputation was about to marry Chen’er. The ladies
of the palace wanted to see what he looked like.

While the reason was simple, the process was beyond

complex. The party from Fan Manor got up early to clean and
dress themselves. Then they got to the palace just as the palace
gates opened. After that, they waited in a room in the corner,
waiting to be summoned by one of the ladies. They could wait,
but those ladies from the palace weren’t the type of people who
would do the same.

And so, Fan Xian sat in the room by the corner, drinking
high-class tea from the palace. Because he woke up so early, he
felt drowsy. Lady Liu looked at him, and then stood up with a
smile on her face. She said to the eunuch who had been leading
the way, "Eunuch Hou, it’s been some time." As she said it, she
handed him a silver tael.
 Watching this secretly, Fan Xian smiled. Such a method was
sure to be the result of his father’s influence; paving one's way
with money.

That Eunuch Hou, however, made an uneasy expression. He

said politely, "Madam Fan, you might as well slap me in the
face. You grew up together with those masters in the palace.
How can someone like me receive charity from you?" Lady Liu
couldn’t help but laugh, "It’s merely a gift. What are you afraid
of?"

Eunuch Hou chuckled, showing his wrinkles. He said

quietly, "Those masters knew you are coming today, so they
never had the intention to make you wait. Rest assured. It’s
only still too early. They're most likely getting washed up now.
Please, have a seat."

Fan Xian’s ears twitched as he heard the words "Madam Fan".

It looked like the palace found out about the matter Lady Liu
becoming Count Sinan's proper wife. Upon hearing that those
in the palace were still getting ready for the morning, he
smiled bitterly. He thought they were much too early.
 It was wise of Count Sinan to let Lady Liu accompany Fan
Xian. Long before the morning court began, the three members
of the Fan family already entered the back palace. The two
nannies waited outside. At least they had fine tea and water.
They were used to these kinds of palace customs, so they knew
how to stay occupied.

...

They first visited Yi Guipin. She was the birth mother of the
current third prince, and she was a talented woman, which was
how she came to receive the title of Guipin. Fan Xian was very
well-behaved. He saluted her. He heard a gentle voice: "You
may rise."

This Yi Guipin possessed a plain demeanor, but there was

something more, something different from Fan Xian’s
expectations of her being graceful beyond words. Even more
unexpectedly, Lady Liu began to tear up as she looked at Yi
Guipin. After exchanging greetings, they both cast away
formalities and held hands together without saying anything.
Fan Xian looked at his sister confusedly, but Ruoruo’s
expression was calm and unsurprised.
 Only after listening to them talk for a bit did Fan Xian learn
that this Yi Guipin was Lady Liu’s younger cousin!

Fan Xian was greatly shaken as he now realized how deep the
Liu bloodline flowed. It was fortunate that he decided to try to
appease her after coming to the capital, and that she had been
rather kind to him. Had there been any serious conflict, who
knows which side would end up dead!

"You never visit me." Yi Guipin wiped away her tears. "It’s
been four years; how could you leave me alone in the palace?
Last time I went through all that trouble to get permission for
you to come in, and you refused. I was so depressed."

A look of sadness flashed across Lady Liu’s face. She stayed

silent for a while before saying quietly, "It's my fault. It’s all
my fault."

She wasn’t looking at Fan Xian at all, but Fan Xian noticed
her slightly thin shoulders. Upon hearing "four years", he
quickly thought back to the assassination attempt in Danzhou.
According to what his father said, Lady Liu was only a
scapegoat. The real culprits were the two women considered to
be the "noblest" in the palace. Lady Liu hadn't been to the
palace for four years. Could it be because of them?

"I’ll visit often from now on." Lady Liu smiled warmly as she
held Yi Guipin's hand. "I came today, didn’t I?"

Yi Guipin laughed and said lightly, "If it weren’t for your

household’s young master marrying the dearest girl in the
palace, how could I possibly hope to see you?" She then turned
towards Fan Xian and asked gently, "So, you are Fan Xian?"

Fan Xian quickly stood up and gave his friendliest smile. He

greeted her, saying, "Aunt Liu, I have come to pay my respects."

That sentence was very inappropriate! The eunuchs and

palace girls were all stunned. Even Lady Liu was taken aback,
thinking "I’m not your mother." But Fan Xian continued to
shamelessly build up this relationship, which happened to suit
the tastes of Yi Guipin, who was tired of the formalities in the
palace. Yi Guipin looked at Fan Xian with a bright smile. "I
knew you were such a good child."
Chapter 129: The Imperial Concubines
There were many things in this world that made no sense,
but to be considered a good son after simply saying a few words
struck the soon-to-be 17-year-old Fan Xian as particularly
nonsensical. The royal palace was indeed greatly different
compared to other places. The judgments of the lofty nobility
always seemed very random, and relied on their own particular
preferences.

Although Fan Xian was not aware of the family relation

between Lady Liu and Yi Guipin, it did not stop him from
realizing from Lin Wan'er's words that Yi Guipin was a most
favored concubine. Otherwise, she could not have given birth
to this eight-year-old prince, raised under the Emperor's
instructions to cultivate himself mentally and spiritually and
to avoid all things effeminate.

Chatting idly in the palace, Yi Guipin seemed to genuinely

like Fan Xian, and she looked more and more pleased. Fan Xian
was aware of the need to be tactful, and he told a few jokes that
he remembered from his previous life, in response to which the
palace hall suddenly erupted with the sound of laughter that
tinkled like silver bells. Fan Xian discovered that the concubine
Yi Guipin had a thoroughly open and candid temperament. He
did not know how she could keep this kind of disposition
within a palace where she could not show her face, and he felt
a measure of surprise and appreciation for this.

After they had exchanged a few pleasantries, the sun had

already risen. "And the Third Prince?" asked Lady Liu with a
smile. Yi Guipin sighed. "That child is still utterly afraid of
strangers. As soon as he awakes he withdraws to the back of the
palace hall and refuses to come out. He can only be convinced
to show his face when it's time to eat." Lady Liu tutted and
laughed. "Of course, the Third Prince is still shy with us."

Despite the differences in their status, Lady Liu and Yi

Guipin had a sisterly relationship, so their speech did not seem
particularly formal. Yi Guipin extended a slender forefinger.
The fingernail, painted a beautiful red color, was pointed at
Fan Xian. "Isn't this one from your family shy too?"

At that moment, a bashful smile crept across Fan Xian's face

as he responded to Guipin's words.

"Very well. Sister, will you and Ruoruo keep me company?"

Yi Guipin was seemingly aware that Lady Liu did not wish to
see the Empress and the Eldest Princess, and decided to ask her
to stay a while as a guest. "Those ones in the palace would be
happy if I simply had Xing'er lead Fan Xian inside."

Lady Liu's brow creased slightly, and she spoke with respect.
"That will not be possible. Today we received an imperial
command to enter the palace. I fear visiting concubine Guipin
first will no doubt provoke the ire of the other consorts, so I
must enter the place. To not visit the others would be
disrespectful, I fear." Hearing this, Yi Guipin sniffed and
cleared her throat. "I can see that you do not wish to go. The
summons was for Fan Xian. Stay here and chat with me, I shall
make sure that no one in the palace makes any thoughtless
remarks."

Yi Guipin was a cheerful woman with a touch of naiveté. But

in her anger she appeared very imposing, and so the entire
palace would quiet down. Fan Xian cleared his throat. "Aunt...
mistress, I am happy to go by myself. Stay with your cousin
and talk a while."

Hearing him say this, Lady Liu agreed, and the palace girl
named Xing'er escorted him out of the hall. Reminding him of
some matters that he should take note of, and not seeming to
notice that Fan Xian was giving her the cold shoulder, she
spoke with a voice like a mosquito. "Everything in the palace
has been put in order. Someone will be there to greet you at
each palace, so you don't need to worry too much."

Fan Xian felt a shiver, and as he responded, he turned around

to see that his little sister had followed him out and was
looking at him with an encouraging expression. For some
reason, he felt warmer. He smiled. "The mother-in-law meeting
the son-in-law. The more people see of me, the more they like
me, to say nothing of my own handsomeness. It cannot be very
difficult to handle a few complaining women in the palace."

Once the Emperor's potential son-in-law had left Yi Guipin's

room, Lady Liu had said a few words of warning to Fan
Ruoruo, and then gone into an inner room with Guipin. Yi
Guipin looked her faintly in the eye. "Four years ago I urged
you not to listen to advice from the palaces. Now, Fan Xian still
lives, but you put a chill in Count Sinan's heart. You are truly
intelligent. Why did you get involved in such a mess?" Lady
Liu was at a loss for words, and said nothing for a long while.
Her expression gradually showed more and more hidden
bitterness as she spoke softly. "You are aware, as mothers, must
we not think of our children? The Third Prince is young, and
you can still stay out of it. In a few years, perhaps you will
understand why I made the mistake that I did then."
 Xing'er was a fair-faced young girl, probably around 13 or 14
years old. As Fan Xian walked alongside her in the palace
grounds, he found that she kept her head lowered. He couldn't
help but ask. "Can you see where you're going?" Xing'er
giggled, revealing her teeth like fragments of jade. "Master Fan,
we do not talk within the palace." Fan Xian forced a smile and
shook his head. He knew that palace customs were strict, but
he had not imagined that even this young girl would be
keeping to them so strictly.

Fan Xian followed behind Xing'er, looking over the clothes

she wore as a palace maid. His gaze fell upon her still-
undeveloped waist, and quickly moved to the buildings of the
palace grounds. There was a smile on his face, but his mind
moved quickly as he tried to commit all of the myriad paths
and views to memory in preparation for the future.

They went through flowers and trees, stepping on stone and

grass. The palace was large, but they would eventually reach
their destination; although there were many halls, not was all
of them were so great as to inspire awe. Looking on the quiet
courtyards, Fan Xian sighed deeply, following Xing'er the
palace maid. This was the residence of Concubine Shu, the
mother of the Second Prince. It seemed that she was
particularly fond of peace and quiet, and her courtyard was
decorated simply yet elegantly. Save for a few blossoming
trees, there were no other decorations. The path was covered
by bamboo with hanging screens, which covered everything
inside, but the hanging screens could not hide the smell of
burning incense.

"I have come to pay my respects to the imperial consort."

"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 autumns always a guest. Master Fan,
in your youth you spent most of your time in Danzhou. Could
it be that you feel that you are merely a guest in the capital?"

Fan Xian was stunned. He answered firmly, and with this as a

starting point, he sat and pontificated with the imperial
consort; they spoke of countless verses of various scriptures,
until they both found their mouths feeling parched, after
which they said nothing, but felt a quiet, mutual
understanding. Fan Xian had some lingering fears. He had not
expected that the Second Prince's mother would be such an
intelligent woman with such exceedingly 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 bamboo hanging screen, Fan Xian could see a
wooden hairclip on her head, its simple neatness quite
incompatible with the ostentatious palace. "Wan'er has grown
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 him quietly. "In the palace we are fond
of reading, 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 shiver go down his spine. He knew that this
was a generous gift; he knew that the imperial consort was
sending this gift 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 from his brow. Xing'er, the palace made who acted
as his guide, felt somewhat familiar with him, as she bounced
along 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 himself even more nervous than if he
were taking the imperial exams. He presumed that the
concubines were curious as to who Lin Wan'er would be
marrying, and so would want to look into Fan Xian's literary
and martial abilities. Carrying on, the two came to the mother
of the Great Prince, Ning the Talented. Fan Xian knew that
although her status was not high, and was only the rank of
"talented", he learned from Wan'er that this was because she
was from Dongyi, and so Fan Xian took pains to show her the
utmost respect.

Ning the Talented was approaching her forties, but she was
still very attractive. Her face had the softness that women
from Dongyi 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 come to her palace to play, so her
feelings toward Lin Wan'er were not the same as the other
concubines. She regarded 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 who was a fine warrior. She
was indeed a formidable woman, but he felt no great surprise
and replied calmly. "I am indeed, your grace."

"Hm." Ning 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,
taking measuring of him. "I cannot believe that you were
capable of killing an eighth-level master," she harrumphed
coldly. "You look so thin and weak. It does not look as if you
had a martial upbringing." 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 men and women. She would not go so far
as to attempt to attack him, would she? "But since Ye Ling'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 women. There was the cheerful
and naive Yi Gupin, the gentle and smart Concubine Shu, and
then there was the uncivilized Ning the Talented? But he had
known beforehand that Concubine Shu had been a thoroughly
intelligent woman. Perhaps Ning 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 women showed that the
Emperor of Qing was a man of quite some skill.
 To say the least, Fan Xian pondered whether or not he had
such skills.
Chapter 130: My Hand Running
Through Your Black Hair
Still making his way through the palace, Fan Xian saw a
number of the other concubines, said a few words to them and
received their blessings, and could not help but feel rather
bored. But he did not show it on his face in the slightest; this
was the palace, and who could say which figure this or that
eunuch reported to, or which palace maid, gathering willow
branches, was someone's trusted confidant? If they had seen
the frustration on his face, they would have relayed it to their
masters, and their masters would whisper it into the Emperor's
ear. And what then? Even if he had drunk tea and chatted with
His Majesty, he could still find himself in trouble.

But when he thought of the figures he was about to visit, Fan

Xian calmed himself. With some gloom and painstaking effort,
he met their glances with smiles, as though he looked forward
to meeting them. Yaohua Palace was much larger than the
other palace courtyards. It clearly showed the status of the
person who lived inside: the Empress of the Kingdom of Qing,
mother of the nation.

Fan Xian had not expected his audience with the Empress to
have concluded so simply.
 The Empress had a gentle smile upon her face, and her words
put Fan Xian at ease. Looking on the Empress's beautiful and
noble features, with her eyes as serene as still ponds, Fan Xian
responded with sincere respect. An absurd feeling welled up in
his heart. The elegant and exquisite bearing of this woman put
him at ease with every movement she made. And yet, four
years ago, she had wanted him dead!

He kneeled before her, his forehead touching the floor as he

kowtowed. Fan Xian left Yaohua Palace with an uneasy look on
his face; his meeting with the Empress had begun simply and
ended quickly. Since he could conceal his mood as if there were
nothing out of the ordinary about it at all, the Empress,
watching Fan Xian, felt not even the slightest unease. Fan Xian
smiled; the corners of his mouth were slightly open, but his
heart was cold. Perhaps he had overestimated his own
importance; perhaps the attempt on his life four years ago was
of little importance to the nobles of the palace.

He waited at the gate of Guangxin Palace, the court eunuch

who had followed the whole time cautiously and solemnly
behind him, not daring to utter a word. The palace maid
Xing'er also stood out. She spoke in a low voice. "Please enter,
Master Fan."
 Fan Xian raised his eyebrows. Was it not against custom for
him to enter unescorted? If the Eldest Princess were to have
him murdered, then who would intercede? Was that not what
had happened to Lin Chong? But he knew that there was
nothing to be scared of now; the eunuchs and palace maids
were afraid of the Eldest Princess for no reason, and nothing
more.

The Eldest Princess, Li Yunrui, had a somewhat masculine

name. But she was a weak and delicate person, so it was only a
facade. She had many different positions: true controller of the
royal purse, former lover of the Prime Minister. She was the
most capable political advisor of the Prime Minister, she took
precedence over the concubines, and she was the beloved
daughter of the Empress Dowager.

And for Fan Xian, she held two more roles: first, she was his
personal enemy who wanted him dead; second, she was also his
future mother-in-law.

There was a chill through Guangxin Palace. By day, the

palace gate would not be closed. Anyone who stood outside the
gate could see the white plum blossoms planted within, the
secluded and heat-loathing orchids, the yet-to-bloom daisies.
Within the palace, one could see a number of white muslin
curtains lightly fluttering; the whole thing had the purity and
softness of some fairytale world. Fan Xian looked coldly upon
it all. It was as if he had been infected by the atmosphere of the
palace. A palace maid in her twenties appeared at the gate and
gave a slight salute to Fan Xian.

Her eyelashes were long, and although her expression was

cold, her words and her movements were still thoroughly
polite as she respectfully welcomed Fan Xian inside the palace.

The white muslin took him somewhat by surprise as he

walked through it. There was even more fine silk in Guangxin
Palace than there had been in the rear garden of Prince Jing's
mansion. There was something unusual about the decorations
that surrounded him. It seemed inconsistent with the stately
atmosphere of the palace; it was more like this was the
bedchamber of a little girl. Behind the layers and layers of
muslin curtains was a low daybed, upon which reclined a
woman wearing a light pink cheongsam skirt, propping her
chin up on her arms. Naturally, her waist showed slightly, and
her countenance was picturesque, yet with a look of tender
shyness.
 This was the first time that Fan Xian had laid eyes on the
Eldest Princess, his mother-in-law. And just like so many of the
other times when people had first laid eyes on Li Yunrui, the
Eldest Princess, he was stupefied, unsure whether the woman
before him was real or whether she was a character from a
painting, or some kind of water nymph.

The Eldest Princess was 30 years old, but she had the air of a
shy 16-year-old maiden. Her countenance, and the long black
hair that reached over her hands on the daybed, was enough to
excite the yearnings of all the men in the world. Fan Xian was
stunned. Sixteen years of training his mentality in Danzhou
allowed him to remain calm in the face of this wondrous
meeting, but he still could not deny that his mother-in-law,
although she resembled Wan'er, was much more beautiful than
her own daughter.

Though Fan Xian remained calm, he did not want to call her
his mother-in-law; it seemed calling her this way would not be
appropriate for a woman of her natural beauty. The Eldest
Princess fixed Fan Xian with a look that seemed indecipherable;
shyly provoking his affections, her delicate lips parted as she
spoke. "Please take a seat. I have something of a headache."
 Fan Xian looked around, slightly uncomfortable. The Eldest
Princess was talking nonsense; in the entirety of the expansive
Guangxin Palace, there was not a chair to be seen. In his
bewilderment, he heard the Eldest Princess gently speak again.
"Master Fan, I hear that you are an accomplished physician.
Wan'er's health has improved greatly these past few days, all
thanks to you."

Fan Xian quickly bowed in response. "Your Highness is

mistaken in her praise. It is the imperial physicians who have
seen to her with utmost care; I have simply suggested a few
folk remedies."

"Oh?" The Eldest Princess extended her slender fingers and

rubbed her temples, which turned red as she brushed them
with her fingertips. "Is there a folk remedy for a migraine? My
head has pained me so lately."

Fan Xian had heard from Wan'er that the Eldest Princess
suffered from chronic headaches; he had also heard the Crown
Prince mention it the last time he was on vacation at the
country estate. But Fan Xian also took note of how the Eldest
Princess was referring to him and to herself; with just these
few words, she had seemed particularly affectionate toward
him. Fan Xian smiled. "There are many different kinds of
headache. My master's lessons were in themselves a kind of
headache."

They were weak words, but amusing; the Eldest Princess

smiled a weak and charming smile. Fan Xian knew that his
connection to Fei Jie was no great secret within the capital,
and there was no way he could conceal it from the Eldest
Princess, so he decided it was best to bring it up.

"Is there really no way to treat it?" The Eldest Princess could
speak of nothing else but headaches, and her face was filled
with delicate weakness. "I have been in absolute agony for
days."

Fan Xian lowered his gaze slightly and tried to calm his
spirit. "I have studied a number of forms of massage. Although
this would only treat the symptom and not the cause, it would
have a comforting effect."

The Eldest Princess's eyes lit up. "Then try it, quickly," she
said gently.
 Fan Xian forced a smile. "I... don't know if that would be
appropriate."

The Eldest Princess stifled a giggle. "Who would have

thought that the renowned and talented Master Fan would be
such a stickler for customs? Leaving aside the expedient
treatment of maladies, in a few days you will be my son. What
do you have to worry about?"

Fan Xian watched her maiden-like demeanor, and then

remembered her true age. Such a thing would have brought
about some feeling of disgust in him, but as he looked at her
soft and smooth cheeks and her delicate brow, he found it hard
to feel any antipathy. But when he heard the word "son", he felt
a chill in his veins. His face remained calm as he responded.
"How could I disobey the commands of my elders?"

A eunuch brought a copper basin filled with fresh water. Fan

Xian carefully washed his hands and slowly came to the Eldest
Princess's side. He sighed deeply and calmed himself, trying
not to let his gaze fall on the slightly exposed pale skin of the
nape of her neck beneath the Eldest Princess's long black hair.
He steadily reached out his hands and placed them on her
head.
 His fingers ran through the Eldest Princess's hair, which ran
gently past his fingertips, tickling them slightly.

Fan Xian thought it best to close his eyes, and imagine that
he was just like Wu Zhu, his eyes covered by a length of black
cloth, his fingertips feeling along the Eldest Princess's hairline,
then moving gently upward, his thumbs pressing her temples,
his forefingers rubbing her brow, confirming the position of the
space between her eyebrows.

He pressed it forcefully. The Eldest Princess was apparently

unprepared, and she groaned softly, unsure whether it was her
headache or the pressure.

Fan Xian remained calm, relying on his knowledge of the

acupuncture points of the human body, slowly and steadily
rubbing her head. Every touch of Li Yunrui's head with his
fingers was steady.

"Hm." The Eldest Princess frowned, unsure whether she was

being rash. She hadn't expected this young man's hands to
work so well. His fingers seemed to bring about a tiny flowing
stream, which massaged at the source of her pain, and with
each press of his fingers she loosened more and more. Her
thoughts gradually relaxed, and she grew sleepy.

"Did Fei Jie teach you this too?" Her eyes were half closed,
and she leant on the daybed, her crimson lips parted slightly,
speaking without thinking.

"Master Fei taught me how to manipulate acupuncture

points." Fan Xian's fingers were still smoothly and steadily
moving across her flesh, and his voice did not tremble in the
slightest. "But I learned this massage method myself." A long
illness can turn a patient into a doctor, they say, and in his
previous life, as he had lain in his sickbed, he had in the
beginning fostered extravagant hopes of being able to stand up
again one day. So that cute nurse had often helped him
massage his feet and the rest of his body. Eventually he had
given up hope, but he still remembered the methods of
massage.

"It's rather nice," said the Eldest Princess as her eyes began to
close under the young man's gentle, relaxing touch.
 There was silence in Guangxin Palace. The Eldest Princess's
eyes were shut, her long eyelashes rested on her fair skin,
trembling slightly. Suddenly, she spoke. "If you are to marry
Wan'er, you must forget that incident four years ago."

Fan Xian's fingers stopped moving, pausing on a point below

her ears. It looked nothing out of the ordinary. But it was a
potentially fatal acupuncture point.

Lin Chong is a character in Water Margin, who is tricked into entering White Tiger Hall with a
weapon in his possession and is arrested.
Chapter 131: The Rush Back to the
Manor
It occurred only for only an instant, but Fan Xian quickly
began moving again with a smile, though his voice sounded a
bit surprised. "Four years ago?"

The eldest princess grinned, her lips forming an aesthetic

curve, as if cursing the young man in secret. She changed the
subject, asking, "When did Fei Jie began teaching you?"

Fan Xian knew she was probing him, his expression

unchanged., "When I was little." It was a very vague answer,
but due to the eldest princess’s status, she couldn’t pry any
deeper. She gave a fake laugh and said, "If they didn’t know Fei
Jie is your teacher, I think many in the palace would never
have realized how close the Fan household was to the
Overwatch Council."

Fan Xian’s grip began to relax, though he remained cautious

with responses. "I’m not all clear on that either; maybe Father
and Mister Fei knew each other in the past."
 Eldest Princess said softly, "Of course they do. During the
first northern campaign, your father and Fei Jie always
followed Lord Brother into his military tent. It would be
strange for them to not know each other. But I was still young
back then, so you wouldn’t know such things."

"It is as you say." Fan Xian knew better, so he only smiled and
didn’t say anything. But Eldest Princess seemed to have entered
a chatty mood and asked, "How is your grandmother?"

"She is doing well."

"Oh, I haven’t seen her in a long time," the eldest princess

continued softly. "Back when I was little, your grandmother
was my favorite. Whenever Elder Brother tried to bully me, she
protected me."

Fan Xian thought to himself with a smile, "If grandmother

knew you’d be trying to kill me now, she’d probably beat you to
death with that stick back then."
 " I believe Sir Fan has already explained to you in detail what
His Majesty has intended." The eldest princess spoke on such
serious topic with her sweet tone. The contrast made Fan Xian
shudder.

Fan Xian frowned slightly without having the princess

notice; he knew she was referring to the matter regarding the
inner treasury. Playing dumb wouldn’t help him now, so he
said, smiling, "I await His Majesty’s and Your Highness’s
arrangements."

"Oh? I heard you recently opened a bookstore and a tofu

store in the capital." The eldest princess couldn’t help but gave
a beautiful smile. "Rich sons like you, most of them are
useless, only knowing how to talk. They would never get
things done. You can go into business to prepare for your
future running the inner treasury; I admire this about you very
much. Although I must say, the tofu shop just sounds like
you’re messing around."

Fan Xian could only chuckle; he didn’t know how to respond

to this.
 ...

"Truthfully, I want to kill you." The atmosphere had just

gotten somewhat peaceful, but with such words, it
immediately turned cold like the northern front, freezing
everything in the palace. Even the white silken screens which
were gently blowing drooped down.

Fan Xian still kept his smile, although he shifted back his feet
into a steady stance from which he could quickly react.

The Overwatch Council already found out the relationship

between Wu Boan and this woman. Since she tried to kill Fan
Xian two times already, a third time wasn’t impossible.

Of course, he came here on Imperial orders. No one should be

crazy enough to do anything to him while in the palace. But
ever since entering the palace of the eldest princess, her looks,
along with her demeanor and her tone, gave Fan Xian chills.

The woman seemed insane!

 At that moment, Fan Xian was still massaging the eldest
princess’s head. While she had ordered this, while he was to
marry her daughter, there was still the difference between both
men, as well as women the status between them. What if this
woman framed him for a misdemeanor and had him executed?
What could those who had his back do? He couldn’t even save
himself if that happened.

Fan Xian knew very well that in this world, the scariest ones
were children, women, and the insane, because those three
groups of people could not be dealt with using logic and could
not be rationally analyzed. Furthermore, there was the danger
of grave consequences. This extremely beautiful woman right
now was all three combined.

While this vicious woman was highly aware, her actions

were a bit childish, and her methods a bit crazy, making her
more unique and terrifying than anyone else.

It was at that moment that a few palace girls walked in, all
wearing tight-fitting, pomegranate-colored uniforms. Which
their clothes accentuated their curves, the tightness also made
it easy for them to move. There was something wrapped
around their waists. To Fan Xian, who had been familiar with
assassination techniques for over ten years while in Danzhou,
he was able to recognize the flexible yet sharp belt-swords at
the first glance!

However, his fingers still calmly massaged Eldest Princess

just below her ears. He asked with a smile, "Why does Your
Highness wish to kill me?"

"Many people believed I have the reason to kill you, a good

reason at that." Eldest Princess’s eyes remained closed, as if she
didn’t at all fear that Fan Xian would suddenly retaliate and
kill her under his hands.

Fan Xian only half lowered his head and didn’t respond, as if
distracting himself by focusing on his fingers. Actually, up
until now, his eyes too were shut.

...

Guangxin Palace was now silent enough that one could hear
the ghost of a cat. The palace girls slowly walked up to the
princess. Fan Xian still kept his eyes closed, only his head
leaned just a tad to the right.

"Mister Fan, please clean your hands." From somewhere, the

palace girls got him a wash basin of warm water and a towel.

Fan Xian opened his eyes and saluted the eldest princess,
signaling his massage was over. He then thanked the palace
girls with a smile and dipped his sore hands in the warm water.
After drying them on the towel, he bowed. "Does Your
Highness feel better?"

Eldest Princess Li Yunrui looked at Fan Xian with a forced

smile, her weak gaze held a hint of cowardice. But Fan Xian
knew, this woman was the most terrifying person in the world.

"Much better." Eldest Princess sat up straight and brushed her

fingers through her hair. Half lowering her head, she said
gently, "I never thought Wan’er’s future husband had such a
talent. Honestly, you make me… unwilling."
 Fan Xian respectfully stood in silence, daring not to utter a
single word. He knew that, facing a woman like her, anything
he say would result in serious complications, therefore it’s
better to play the speechless role.

"You may leave, I’m getting bored." She then continued

softly, "Tell Sister Liu I’m disappointed that she didn’t come to
see me today."

After Fan Xian respectfully made his exit, one of the palace
girls who was closest to the eldest princess came forward and
asked, "Princess, should we end him?"

"It was merely to entertain him, or else this life in the palace
would be way too boring." the eldest princess stretched with
the charm of a cat. "This young man really surpassed my
expectations. He was able to endure and conceal very well, like
he’s thirty or forty years old."

The eldest princess didn’t really want to kill him today. But
seeing Fan Xian being cautious about every step while not
exposing a single weak point made her ache. After all, she’s the
type of woman who viewed struggles as a game. From what
Fan Xian could imagine, plus her status in the palace, had Fan
Xian made a single misstep, she probably really would have
ordered him killed.

The princess took a side glance at the palace door draped by

white silk. She smiled strangely, thinking, "You tilted your
head just as you were preparing to make a move. What did that
mean? I am curious, Fan Xian… how did you grow up? Such a
shame." No one knew what was a shame. Perhaps this woman
felt bad for Fan Xian for postponing the inevitable?

Fan Xian grew up playing with poison, which was why he

thought the eldest princess was a rare and virulent poison. She
had proven to be with a most difficult opponent for him to deal
with. Having come out of Guangxin Palace, he looked at the
sleeping palace girl Xin’er and said coldly, "It’s time to go back."
Then he made his way back to Guipin Yi’s palace. Amazingly,
he didn’t get lost.

Only now did Xin’er discover this Mister Fan’s back was
drenched in sweat, leaving a dark mark on his light azure shirt.
He looked rather pathetic.
 Having left the palace complex and gotten on the carriage,
Fan Xian’s face was a bit pale. He placed his hand on the pills in
his belt and laughed at himself, not knowing whether he was
simply being careful or cowardly. If the eldest princess really
wanted him dead, why do it in Guangxin Palace?

"How did it go?" Fan Ruoruo looked at her brother with

concern. There was no way for her to know how taxing the
interaction in Guangxin Palace had been for Fan Xian. She
thought he was simply tired from visiting the various Ladies.

Fan Xian shook his head with a smile and quickly delivered
the Ladies’ greetings to Lady Liu. He then hurriedly asked the
carriage to return to the manor. Both Lady Liu and Ruoruo
looked at him in curiosity, unable to understand why he was in
such a hurry.

The carriage arrived at Fan Manor. Fan Xian apologized to

Lady Liu first before taking a hold of Ruoruo’s slightly cold
hand and taking off with her towards the backyard. A short
while later, they had sprinted to the book chamber.
 Struggling to catch her breath, Fan Ruoruo managed to ask,
"Brother… what… are you doing?"
Chapter 132: Startling News of Lord Yan
in the North
Fan Xian had no time to explain. "I talk; you write," he
ordered with a smile. There was no time to grind down an ink
stick. He picked up a goose-feather brush, dipped it in ink, and
gave it to his sister. He closed his eyes tight and began to recall
all of the complicated and scattered pathways that he had
taken through the imperial palace.

Fan Ruoruo's face got paler and paler as she wrote. The
amount of effort Fan Xian was expending on recalling his
memory also made him increasingly pale; both brother and
sister turned white as a sheet. With difficulty, Fan Ruoruo
traced out the pathways of the imperial palace. Finally, she
couldn't stop herself from asking in a low voice, "Brother, you
do know that this is conspiracy to treason, don’t you?"

Fan Xian calmed himself and sat down on a chair, saying

nothing for a long time. He had spent most of the day in the
palace, swapping pleasantries with the nobles and committing
its twisted pathways to memory, finally confronting the eldest
princess; it had taken its toll on his mental state, and for a
while, he could not rouse himself from his sluggishness.
 He was naturally acquainted with the laws of the Kingdom of
Qing, and he knew that the palace would not allow maps to be
made of its buildings; this was to prevent anyone from
attempting to break in in secret and get up to anything
seditious. Fan Xian needed this map because he had already
made a plan: that evening, he would sneak into the palace and
find the key.

He could have taken the route that he took to sneak in and

see Lin Wan'er, but it was too dangerous, and the path that the
palace nobles walked was a different route to the one that Fan
Xian had carefully planned. Even if Wu Zhu had told him how
to do it, it would not work - if he had not personally walked
through those hiding places behind the rocks in the garden and
those blind spots among the flowering shrubs, he could not
create the map he had created today, which he was fully
satisfied with.

Fan Xian stood up and took his sister's drawing from the
table. Although it had been hurried, he found that her
penmanship was still meticulous, and he could not help but
pat her on the head happily. "We're finished here," he said. "Let
me take you to Yi Shiju for some seafood."
 Fan Ruoruo, angered, snatched the map from his hand.
"We're finished here? What's finished!? Do you know how
serious this is? This won't do. I'm telling father."

Fan Xian laughed bitterly. The idea of the Emperor's

inviolable sovereignty really did lodge itself deep in people's
hearts. Of course, he also understood that his sister was deeply
concerned for his safety and for the future of their family. If
anyone had found out about this map they had secretly made
of the palace, it could do great damage to the relationship
between the Fan Manor and the royal family.

"Don't worry. I'll take a moment to hide this right away, and
then I'll burn it. Nobody will know." Fan Xian smiled as he
consoled his sister.

Anxious tears welled in Fan Ruoruo's eyes. "Brother, why do

you want this map?"

Fan Xian sighed. He lowered his head to look his sister

sincerely in the eye and spoke slowly and carefully. "Because
there is something in the palace that I want."
 "You want to go into the palace to steal..." Fan Ruoruo was so
surprised that she wanted to shriek, but she quickly covered
her mouth.

"Right, but it's not stealing," he said earnestly, "because it's

something that belongs to me."

Fan Ruoruo shook herself from her shock, and quickly

returned to her usual cool-headed intelligence. Judging the
truth of the matter, she tried to stop her voice from shaking.
"Is it... something to do with Lady Ye?"

Fan Xian smiled. "I can't hide it from you." Those few words
were filled with mutual understanding between brother and
sister. "There's no harm in telling you what kind of person
your brother is," he continued, smiling. "Punching a seven-
year-old child, kicking a 70-year-old man, standing on a grave
mound and howling, people who refuse to obey me stand up,
and as a result, no one dares to say a thing. Haha."

Ruoruo smiled, though a little uneasily. There was little that

was amusing about her brother's joke, and she was still rather
nervous. She knew that Fan Xian looked handsome and gentle
but had a heart of ice, and could not be persuaded of anything.
One could only let him do as he pleased and pray for him.

"In truth, I am quite selfish." Fan Xian saw the worry lines on
her brow, and suddenly reflected on himself calmly. "Whenever
there is something I am having trouble with by myself, I
always want to tell you. It appears to be trust, but maybe it's
really that I want to find someone to share the pressure with.
But I never thought about it before. For you, the pressure is
overwhelming, but at least I still have you to turn to. But who
are you going to tell? And what? That my mother is Lady Ye?
That I’m going to steal something from the palace."

Ruoruo looked at him, slightly distressed. "Trust and

pressure cancel each other out. I would still prefer that my
brother did not hide things from me."

The negotiations were still ongoing, and the work of

demarcating the boundaries was extremely taxing. Originally,
supported by Fan Xian's analysis, the officials of Honglu
Temple had taken a hard line and had almost pressured the
emissaries of Northern Qi into signing their agreement several
times. But for some reason - perhaps something had happened
within the Kingdom of Northern Qi - the emissaries of
Northern Qi had shamelessly, even hysterically, backtracked. It
seemed as if they were waiting for something.

This air of conspiracy was quickly ferreted out by the highly-

experienced official Xin Qiwu of Honglu Temple. That
afternoon, after the conclusion of another round of fruitless
talks, he took hold of a teapot, glanced at Fan Xian, and
indicated to him to follow him outside. All along the way,
officials saluted the two of them respectfully. With some
difficulty, they finally came to a quiet place. Xin Qiwu sighed,
somewhat tired. "Master Fan, does something seem strange to
you?"

Fan Xian had maintained the proper attitude for these

negotiations, being there to learn and simply act as window
dressing. But he had been involved since the beginning, after
all, so something did seem strange about the behavior of the
emissaries from Northern Qi. But if their counterparts had just
gotten ahold of some sort of reliable bargaining chip, then they
should have come out with it rather than dragging their heels
in such an inappropriate fashion. He thought for a moment,
and suddenly frowned. "Perhaps Northern Qi is now thinking
of a way to obtain some bargaining chips in order to make
things more convenient at the negotiating table."
 Xin Qiwu looked at him and nodded. "I thought the same
thing. So tonight, I am going to seek an audience with His
Majesty and ask him to issue a decree ordering the Overwatch
Council to assist Honglu Temple in our work. I won't rest easy
until I can find out what Northern Qi is really thinking."

Fan Xian leant on the railing and squinted as he pondered.

What was it that Northern Qi wanted? It didn't make sense.
Suddenly, something occurred to him, and he thought about
the Overwatch Council's spy network in Northern Qi. He
thought of Yan Bingyun, who had been hidden away in
Northern Qi for four years.

Xin Qiwu was unsure what Fan Xian was thinking. "I’ll go to
the palace this evening," he said, "but there is little I can get
from them openly. Vice Envoy Fan, this time you can’t avoid
doing what you don’t want to."

Fan Xian forced a smile. Xin Qiwu no doubt thought that his
father had secretly helped him to get ahold of the dossier last
time, but heaven knew that the power that his father secretly
exercised on behalf of the Emperor was something that even he
had never been in contact with. But thinking for a moment, he
felt it really was necessary to ask. At least he could ensure that
Yan Bingyun was safe in Northern Qi.

That night, in that hidden courtyard, Fan Xian summoned

Wang Qinian and told him of Xin Qiwu's worries. The face that
Wang Qinian made in response struck Fan Xian as something
of an inauspicious sign.

"The Council has not received a letter by raven for eight days
now," said Wang Qinian with a worried frown. "This is
information that you should not know at your level." Fan Xian
smiled and shook his head. "But I won't ask you how you know
about it. I would just like you to remind the Council to ensure
that things are safe in Northern Qi."

Wang Qinian shook his head. "All connections are singular. If

one is severed, it is hard to restore it. What's more, Master Yan
is head of the spies in Northern Qi. If anything happened to
him, getting in touch with him again would be a problem.."

"Regardless, I would like you to remind him to stay safe."

There was a slight coldness in Fan Xian's eyes. He did not like
the prospect of leaving someone behind for the benefit of the
nation, particularly Yan Bingyun, the son of a high official,
hidden away for four years, having sacrificed so much. Fan
Xian now saw himself as part of the Kingdom of the Qing, and
part of the Overwatch Council. He found that he felt an
involuntary admiration for Yan Bingyun, the spy that he had
never met.

Fan Xian thought of something else. He looked at Wang

Qinian with a calm gaze. "There is something I must do, but I
can't go through the Council. I was hoping that you could help
me."

Wang Qinian looked at his superior with some confusion.

"You can't report this to Director Chen," Fan Xian said calmly.
But Wang Qinian heard the coldness behind it.

"Yes." With a word, Wang Qinian knew that he was placing

his and his family's lives entirely in the hands of this
seemingly gentle and yet utterly ruthless young man. As for
the Council - Director Chen had ordered him to do everything
that Master Fan said. He hadn't said anything else.
 That evening, the sad news was confirmed. The
overwhelming majority of the spy network that the Overwatch
Council had installed in Northern Qi had thankfully managed
to remain in place. But no one could have anticipated the
spymaster Yan Bingyun would be captured alive by palace
guards in a fabric shop in the capital of Northern Qi!

This sort of thing usually happened when an underling had

opened their mouth and the network had been traced to the
top. It was very rare to see a high-level spy arrested in such a
fashion. For such a thing to happen, there was only one
possibility - someone in the high ranks of the Kingdom of Qing
had connections to a foreign country.

Of course, the news that Yan Bingyun had been captured

could not be allowed to spread. Although it would no doubt
bring about a great blow to the prestige of the Kingdom of
Qing, it would not be in Northern Qi's interest to do so.
Northern Qi needed to use this spymaster for their own benefit,
not to merely strike a blow to the enemy's morale.

As far as the Qing bureaucracy knew, the son of Yan Ruohai,

head of the Fourth Bureau of the Overwatch Council, had died
four years ago. No one knew that he had been dispatched to
Northern Qi by the royal court.

Over the next few days, anyone who knew of the incident
didn’t sleep well at night

In a secret room in Honglu Temple, Xin Qiwu closed his eyes

as he passed the piece of paper to Fan Xian. Fan Xian took it
and looked over it. It was a painting of a thin cloud floating
high above an icy plain. One of the emissaries had secretly
slipped it into Xin Qiwu's hand during the negotiations that
day. The look on his face as he did so had almost made Xin
Qiwu want to take out one of the guard's swords and plunge it
into him.

It was a painting of ice - bing, and a cloud - yun. It seemed

that the emissaries had already received word, and were
preparing to negotiate.
Chapter 133: Agreement Beneath the
Sewage
"So we have a mole!"

Fan Xian and Xin Qiwu both said it dramatically at the same
time, then went quiet afterward. Both of them believed that
the head of their spies in Northern Qi was not a man who
would give in under torture. Since they were so easily able to
capture Yan Bingyun, and knew his real name, it was very clear
that there was someone hidden in the Qing court who had an
agreement with Northern Qi.

Xin Qiwu shook his head. "Before this incident, even the
Crown Prince and I hadn’t known that Yan Bingyun had gone
to Northern Qi. I believe that there are no more than five
people in the court with appropriate clearance for this
information. Even a fool would not believe that one of them
had sold out our country. There must always be a benefit to
someone committing treason, and in truth, His Majesty had
trusted these people with running the country, so what benefit
would treason bring?"
 Fan Xian and Xin Qiwu looked at each other and saw the
anxiety in each other's eyes, because they had both
simultaneously had the same terrifying thought. If it wasn't a
mole, then what? If it was a way for major players in the court
to attack the Overwatch Council, then what could be done
about it?

Fan Xian thought back to when Wang Qinian had told him
about Yan Bingyun. There was something strange about it.
How did he even know? Did the Overwatch Council really have
complete trust in its own internal controls? Afterwards, he
understood - this was something that Chen Pingping had
relayed to him via Wang Qinian, but he still had some
lingering fears. If he had been responsible for leaking the
information, he would die a thousand deaths.

"Could someone really be so mad that they’d do such a thing?

To put the interests of the entire nation in danger for the sake
of a court power struggle?" Xin Qiwu laughed bitterly and
shook his head.

Fan Xian also shook his head, thinking of his own travels in
the palace. He knew deep down that there were indeed many
such madmen in the upper echelons of the kingdom. "If Master
Yan has already been captured," he asked, composing himself,
"then what arrangements has His Majesty made?"

"Northern Qi still underestimates His Majesty's resolve." Xin

Qiwu thought of his mighty sovereign and felt sudden
confidence. "He will not cede even an inch of the territory that
has been captured."

Fan Xian was astonished. "Then what are we to do about

Master Yan?"

"Exchange!" There was a sudden ferocity in Xin Qiwu's face.

"An exchange of prisoners. His Majesty has already set forth a
plan. The previous agreement for prisoner exchange has been
completely nullified and will be redone. Once we have
confirmation from Northern Qi that they have Yan Bingyun,
then we can start a new round of negotiations for exchanging
prisoners."

Fan Xian frowned. "Northern Qi is very satisfied with the big

fish they have caught. I doubt that they will agree."
 Xin Qiwu shivered. "We can send two more people back to
Northern Qi this time. If Northern Qi still does not agree, then
when winter begins in three months' time, His Majesty will
behead one thousand Northern Qi captives and send their
severed heads back to Northern Qi and re-ready the army."

"Using power to pressure people might be thought of as a

move for someone with no other choice. I fear that Northern
Qi will also be involved in this life-or-death struggle. Both
sides have a total of 3,000 prisoners, and it will be of no use to
execute them tit-for-tat." Fan Xian softly tapped the desk with
his hand, and suddenly a strange idea came to him. "Who are
the two prisoners we are preparing to exchange? Can we get
Northern Qi to agree?"

"One of them is Xiao En, who has been in our custody for 20
years." Xin Qiwu looked at him kindly. He knew that this
youngster would not know Xiao En.

"He was the spymaster of the former kingdom of Northern

Wei. Before the Second Northern War, the Director of the
Overwatch Council and Master Fei were leaders of the Black
Knights, and they rode five hundred kilometers to capture Xiao
En at his son's wedding. After we captured him, the Northern
Wei spy network was unable to communicate with each other.
When His Majesty took to the battlefield, he did so with
irresistible force, crushing what was once an enormous empire
into the weak nation it is today. The Overwatch Council was
greatly applauded for its work on this matter, and at the time,
we young officials felt that if Xiao En had not been so bold as
to leave the capital city of Shangjing in Northern Qi to travel so
far for his son's wedding, then the court would have had no
way of capturing him, and the war would not have gone on as
smoothly as it did."

Hearing what had happened decades ago, Fan Xian sighed

and said nothing, simply listening to Xin Qiwu's words.

"Of course, Xiao En was indeed brave enough to leave

Shangjing, though Director Chen was braver still,
unexpectedly daring to cross four hundred kilometers into
enemy territory. Although he paid the price of losing both his
legs, he still managed to capture Xiao En. Before then, Xiao En
of Northern Wei and Chen Pingping of Southern Qing were
considered the most fearsome shadowy officials in the world.
Naturally, after Xiao En was captured by Director Chen, no one
dared to compare the two men any further."
 Fan Xian thought back as he listened. So that was how the
old cripple had lost his legs. He never would have imagined
that Chen Pingping was once so daring.

"Exchange Xiao En for Yan Bingyun." He thought for a

moment, then made a judgment based entirely on reason. "It
seems that we are quite fortunate."

"Last night, a number of high officials also felt that way," said
Xin Qiwu, smiling. "But His Majesty and Director Chen did not
agree. After all, Xiao En is 70 years old, and having been
defeated by Director Chen, there is no way he can return to his
former glory. Master Yan has suffered in silence, hiding in an
enemy country for four years, and his achievements are yet to
reveal themselves. Would they not accept exchanging an old
man for the future of the Kingdom of Qing?"

Fan Xian nodded. "Who else could be added in the event that
Northern Qi didn’t agree?"

"That woman was Northern Qi's original demand, so His

Majesty might as well allow it." Xin Qiwu looked at Fan Xian
and suddenly laughed. "I hear that the Emperor of Northern Qi
is very fond of that woman. Master Fan, it appears that you
have already cuckolded the young Emperor."

Fan Xian's face lit up. "You mean... Si Lili?" he stuttered.

Negotiations were always split into two parts. On the

surface, it appeared that the court councilors of Qing and the
emissaries of Northern Qi were weighing every word on the
negotiating table, attaching particular importance to every
phrase and every word, and only in this way could the royal
court save face and avoid ultimately losing out diplomatically.
So every day, there was the endless clamoring in Honglu
Temple, the pounding of tables and stomping of feet; the
negotiations between two countries appeared more like an
argument between two old shrews in a vegetable market.

The other part of the negotiations appeared much more cool-

headed. The officials for these negotiations were not within
Honglu Temple, and neither were they emissaries of Northern
Qi, though they were hidden in secret - it would be accurate to
say that they were the ones with real power.
 Yan Ruohai, head of the Fourth Bureau of the Overwatch
Council, was also a highly-regarded official among the many in
the capital. He coolly signed his name to the secret agreement
for the transfer of prisoners without taking a second look.

The agreement contained his son's name. He could have

asked to resign from these negotiations, but he insisted that he
wanted to look.

The unremarkable official from Northern Qi made his mark,

smiling as he looked at Yan Ruohai. "Do not worry, Master Yan;
your son is being treated well in our country."

"Today I wanted to see just how brilliant our northern

colleagues are," said Yan Ruohai without emotion. "Able to
capture the brat I have taught since birth. But looking at a
moron like yourself, I realize how it all came about."

The official was not suddenly angered, but simply retorted

coldly, "Be careful with your words, Master Yan. You know,
your son is still in our custody. If we truly are morons, then
what does that say about your son? Or yourself even?"
 Yan Ruohai laughed bitterly, got up, and walked toward the
door. "The issue is that my son was not captured by you."

He left through the door. Sitting in his wheelchair, Chen

Pingping looked at him and shook his head. "You have been in
this position for a long while, and yet you are unable to cope as
you did before."

"I am more able to cope, but I cannot handle having arrows

launched from behind my back." From the look of it, Yan
Ruohai had great respect for his superior in his words. Pushing
Chen Pingping's wheelchair, he unhurriedly wheeled him into
a quiet place.

Chen Pingping sat in his wheelchair and extended a finger.

"In the court, there are countless people who want us both
dead. This time, we can exchange Xiao En for Bingyun. Next
time, we will not have someone like Xiao En in our clutches."

"There will not be a next time," replied Yan Ruohai. "We need
to find that person," said Chen Pingping. "This time, the
Emperor is on our side, because he understands. No doubt
there is some noble who wishes to teach us a lesson. But I do
not like the feeling of being provoked."

"Yes, Director." Yan Ruohai knew that his old superior would
find a way to deal with this situation, so he was not worried.
"Although prisoner exchanges are not necessarily easy, as long
as Bingyun does not die, then it can be considered a learning
experience for the young man. It wouldn’t be such a bad thing."

"It makes sense, so I have decided to let that young man steel
himself. It must not be too long. A few months ought to do it."

"A few months? Is this not a matter for the emissaries

returning to Northern Qi?"

"Correct, and we want Bingyun to return in one piece. I hope

he can deal with it."

"Who?"
 "Before going, I will let the eight major bureaus see him."

Everything was proceeding smoothly. After the Kingdom of

Qing had played their substantial bargaining chip, the two
parties secretly drew up an agreement for the exchange of
prisoners. Each was satisfied. Qing had gained face and
territory. Northern Qi had gained face, as well as Xiao En and
the woman that their Emperor was fond of.

Only the Dongyi emissaries were left, whom everyone

seemed to have quickly forgotten about. The Qing court had
deliberately frozen them out so as to extort the maximum
amount of money from them for the incident at the foot of the
Cang Mountains. The City of Dongyi was still the biggest
center of commerce in the land. They had been trading with
others across the sea long before the Kingdom of Qing had
opened its ports to the south. Although martially all they had
was the fighting prowess of Sigu Sword, they had inexhaustible
financial resources.

Three days later, the Emperor hosted dignitaries from both

states at a banquet in the palace. As vice envoy, Fan Xian
naturally attended the banquet. It was his second time visiting
the palace, and it was the night he intended to put his plan into
action.

In his room, he meticulously prepared everything he needed,

occasionally glancing at the black leather box underneath his
bed. With the official matters of the past few days, he looked at
everything more deeply. The Kingdom of Qing seemed great
and powerful, and considered itself to be unexcelled in the
world. But the royal court was limited to the hidden whims of
a handful of nobles, and still had its own murky depths.

The Emperor and the princes were heartless, not necessarily

toward members of the royal family, but particularly toward
their subjects. Fan Xian was fully aware that even if the
Emperor knew who it was who wanted to handle his secret
organization, he could not truly deal with it, because it could
be his wife, his little sister, his son, or even his mother.

"Think only of yourself." After Fan Xian had come to this

world, he had reminded himself of this countless times. The
look on his face gradually turned grim, and having hid his
slender dagger, he carefully inserted three poison-tipped
needles into his hair.
Chapter 134: Evening Feast
The festivities were everywhere three days later. The giant
red lanterns were hung up high as valued guests passed
underneath them. Hosting the festivities was Qing, the guests
Northern Qi and Dongyi. They greeted each other with smiles
and walked through the tunnel towards the solemn Imperial
palace. Seeing the expressions on all three sides, it was as if the
war and its horrific violence never occurred at all.

The feast was set just outside the palace, in the Hall of
Prayer.

The palace girls who came to prepare the plates and liquor
were all very beautiful. Fan Xian, watched them busying about
with a smile and raised eyebrows. The palace girls, noticing
that the young and handsome Mister Fan was watching them,
couldn’t help but blush. They too stole glances at him from
time to time.

Crowds of guests gathered, yet it was silent in the hall. On

Qing’s side were many major figures and some nobles Fan Xian
had never seen before. Only Director Chen and the prime
minister called in sick. Across from Qing sat the envoys of
Northern Qi and Dongyi City.

Despite his low rank, Fan Xian was still a deputy and was
made to sit with higher-ranked officials much older than him.
Naturally, his placement made him feel uncomfortable.
However, the old man sitting next to him said with a smile,
"This feast involves many formalities, but His Majesty had
always been amiable. No need to be so nervous."

The old man who just spoke was the functionary of the Board
of Rites, Zhang Zigan. Because Fan Xian made an enemy out of
the Director of the Board of Rites, he was secretly suspicious.
But after detecting no malice from the old man’s words, he
replied with a smile, "Having come from a lowly village, I have
never seen such grandeur. Should I step out of turn, please
provide me with guidance."

Zhang Zigan stroked his beard, saying, "It has been said you
made significant contributions in negotiations. For that alone,
no one in the Imperial court should do anything against you,
but you should be wary of those people."
 The two looked over and saw Chang Ninghou of Northern Qi
waiting lazily; the first table was still vacant—it should have
reserved for Zhuang Mohan. And sitting at the head of
Dongyi’s table was a middle-aged man of massive stature. He
wore a longsword on his waist. Fan Xian frowned, "How come
he could come to the palace with a sword?"

"He is an exception; His Majesty personally permitted it.

Under the Sigu School, the sword cannot part from its owner."
Zhang Zigan explained as if talking to a descendant of his own
family.

"So he’s the head Sigu disciple Yun Zhilan?" Fan Xian inhaled
cold air and slightly squinted his eyes as he felt a hint of killing
intent from the big swordsman.

In recent days, Qing had neglected Dongyi’s envoy on

purpose. It appeared that this ninth-ranked swordsmaster
wasn’t in a good mood. While he was sitting in the Qing
palace, his entire being was cold as ice.

Fan Xian was staring at Yun Zhilan’s blade-like eyebrows.

Coincidentally, at that moment, Yun Zhilan stared back.
 Their gazes met like two bolts of lightning, splitting the
atmosphere.

A short moment later, Fan Xian gave way and looked down,
clearing his throat. Even Yun Zhilan’s gaze was full of "swords".

For the moment, everyone in the hall had their eyes on the
two. They all knew that Fan Xian killed two female Sigu
disciples on Niulan Street. The reason Dongyi City sent an
envoy was to take care of the matter. But most people believed
that this sword master Yun Zhilan wouldn’t hesitate to cut Fan
Xian down.

It was fortunate for Fan Xian that the prince in the East
Palace had made prior arrangements regarding the case. No
one, regardless of factions, dared gloat at Fan Xian over it.
With a foreign enemy in front of them, everyone from Qing
stared viciously at Yun Zhilan. The atmosphere in the hall
turned tense immediately.

Fan Xian was without any expressions. He secretly adjusted

his zhenqi, readying himself for any moment.
 At that moment, the sound of instruments could be faintly
heard in the distance. Among the solemn palace music, a
eunuch yelled out, "His Majesty has arrived." The one holding
most authority in the world, the only master of Qing, His
Majesty the emperor walked with the empress came forward.
With bright smiles, they stood next to the dragon throne.

"We wish Your Majesty a very long life."

The Qing subjects all knelt down, while members of the

envoys bowed. The tense atmosphere had been replaced by
somberness.

The emperor sat up high, the empress next to him. The

prince too had his own seat two steps below his parents. For an
occasion like this, the other princes wouldn’t be here. The
emperor scanned his subjects and said, "You may rise."

They did, and the feast officially began. The envoy from
Northern Qi went up first and sang their praises along with
some recitals of the friendship between the two nations.
Dongyi’s Yun Zhilan came up next and expressionlessly said a
few words.
 The empress smiled and quietly murmured to His Majesty,
"This one from Dongyi is quite haughty." This exchange
couldn’t not be heard by anyone else, so it was rather direct.

"He is the head disciple of Sigu Sword. If he couldn’t be

haughty, he probably wouldn’t have to courage to swing his
sword either, especially not here."

The palace girls served up food, and the various officials

began to eat. None dared to say anything. His Majesty hadn’t
spoken yet, so all were quiet.

Fan Xian uncomfortably lowered his head and

inconspicuously observed the people sitting across from him.
The table which was vacant a moment ago was now occupied
by an old man. Despite his age showing on his face, his eyes
were clear, and his wrinkles seemed to be hiding countless
wisdom. The old man wore a cloud-like white robe which hid
his short stature. Without question, that must have been
Zhuang Mohan.

Fan Xian hadn’t seen him take a seat. "So," he reasoned, "he
must have arrived with the emperor. If that was case, then the
rumors must be true. The empress must favor this Zhuang
Mohan, who stayed in the palace the entire time."

While Fan Xian secretly observed the old man, both the
emperor and empress were observing him. The empress took a
small sip of liquor and said, "That young man is Fan Xian, the
future son-in-law."

His Majesty smiled, "He certainly is handsome, with a quite a

reputation in poetry, not to mention today in court, where two
shaoqings complimented his talents. I am most curious as to
why the prince would go out of his way to establish good
relations."

The empress’s smile was a bit forced, "Perhaps the prince

understood the importance of having good relations? Besides,
Fan Xian is soon to be the prime minister’s son-in-law."

"Oh, good relations?" His Majesty didn’t quite smile, nor did
he look at the empress. Instead, His Majesty stared at his son
sitting below, "Looks like he finally gets it now."
 While there was just a hint of dissatisfaction, the empress
felt His Majesty was in a good mood today, since he rarely gave
such a direct evaluation of the prince. She said happily, "As he
grows up, he’ll come to realize things."

The emperor only smiled without saying anything.

...

Only a short while after the main feast, Fan Xian was
drinking nonstop. Whether it was due to his nervousness or
something else, no one knew. The alcohol served was more or
less the same type as yellow wine; it wasn’t very strong and
tasted sweet and sour. Drinking it, Fan Xian didn’t feel like it
was too much. But in the eyes of the various officials present,
Fan Xian was drinking like a wild animal. Even Zhang Zigan
had enough and warned him, "Sir Fan, you mustn’t drink
anymore. Should you misbehave in front of His Majesty, it
would be a major crime."

Hearing he was being called "Sir Fan", Fan Xian realize he was
being reminded. After all, this was not Liujing River but the
most solemn Imperial palace, and he wasn’t here to drink but
to be a civil servant. Fan Xian smiled on the inside and adjusted
his zhenqi, moving all his drunkenness onto his face. Slight
confusion clouded over his eyes. He lowered his voice and said,
"I’m not going to lie to you, sir, I’m actually this nervous. So it
would be better for me to drink some now in order to relax."

Seeing Fan Xian’s drunken state, Zhang Zigan could only

smile uneasily, "The prime minister claimed to be sick, and you
father also isn’t here, leaving you under my care. If you really
drink yourself into a mess, how am I supposed to explain?"

In the past few days, the envoy from Northern Qi were quite
miserable under the hands of Honglu Temple. Seeing Fan Xian
being drunk, they looked at each other and decided to take
revenge. Those of the envoy all knew the reason behind
Honglu Temple’s viciousness, which was thanks to Fan Xian’s
plotting. While they didn’t know exactly what it was he
plotted, they hated the way Fan Xian stayed silent and only
occasionally showed a plotting expression on his handsome
face.

Now that the negotiations were over, regret would

accomplish nothing. Chang Ninghou smiled shadily and stood
up. He saluted His Emperor sitting up high, "Your Majesty,
both sides had worked hard over the negotiations. May I raise a
toast to the officials of Honglu Temple as a sign of friendship?"

While he spoke, the envoy from Dongyi knew what he was

plotting. But they only observed and did not chose to get
involved.

Perhaps it was due to them sitting up high, neither the

emperor nor the empress noticed Fan Xian and therefore was
unaware of Northern Qi’s scheme. With a chuckle, His Majesty
gave the permission. Even the prince added in, "Enemies on the
court, friends off the court… although, still enemies at a feast."

The prince was merely expressing himself; he didn’t know

how the situation would develop. The various officials of
Honglu Temple, on the other hand, became worried. They had
already accepted Fan Xian as one of their own, they did not
want Northern Qi to intentionally get him any drunker. But
due to them sitting far away, they had no way of helping.

With a smile, Fan Xian drank with the various officials of

Northern Qi. Inside, he felt uneasy. Recently, the eldest
princess began making a move on Danbo Bookstore, raising the
price of paper in order to lower the price on books. Such a
simple two-step method made Zhang Sizhe and the shopkeeper
quite dispirited. But Fan Xian knew the actual scheme was yet
to come. And what he was about to do today requires the help
of alcohol.

It was difficult to not get drunk, but it was even more

difficult to pretend to be drunk. This was the first strong
feeling since the feast began. Northern Qi’s side was about
done. Six of the eight members already collapsed. Finally, even
Chang Ninghou no longer cared for his position and passed out
still hanging onto Fan Xian’s arm.

Up to now, His Majesty had been chatting with the empress

and Zhuang Mohan. He smiled and said to himself, "It’s been a
long time since the palace was this lively."

Zhuang Mohan had been silent, only giving out the

occasional reply when asked questions. He appeared to have
just noticed Fan Xian who was holding up Northern Qi’s Chang
Ninghou. Zhuang Mohan asked, "That young sir over there,
would that be Mister Fan?"
 Zhuang Mohan could hardly believe his eyes. This young
genius who became famous for a mere three poems turned out
to be a drunkard.

His Majesty also seem to be irritated at the sight. He raised

his voice and yelled out, "Fan Xian."

Everyone in the palace had been paying attention to what

went on around the dragon throne in case something
happened. When His Majesty spoke, the entire palace went
quiet, except for Fan Xian, still yelling out "Victory! Victory!"

It seemed to be a southern thing to say; this little Sir Fan

Xian really drank too much.

"Fan Xian!" Seeing how sloppy the brat became, the prince
also scolded angrily. After all, Fan Xian being a deputy was the
decision made by the Eastern Palace. It was the only reason
why he was allowed to be here. Fan Xian embarrassing himself
today wouldn’t translate well for the prince.
 Having detected the abnormal silence around him, Fan Xian
stupidly stood still and looked around with confused eyes. But
his handsome face still carried a trace of wildness.

"Who’s calling my name?"

The Qing officials around were all well-acquainted with both

the Fan and Lin households. Hearing what Fan Xian just said,
they wanted to stuff his mouth and throw him in a carriage
and send him right back to Fan manor.

To the surprise of everyone, His Majesty, hearing a reply

which only should be heard in a restaurant, wasn’t angry. On
the contrary, he laughed and said, "It was I."

Hearing the emperor speak was enough to make anyone come

to their senses, regardless of a real or a fake drunk. Fan Xian
quickly bowed and apologized, "I… I deserve ten thousand
deaths, I… drank too much."

He let go of Chang Ninghou who had been holding onto his

arm. The official from Northern Qi collapsed onto the ground.
Seeing his miserable state, the Qing officials were all quite
satisfied and smiled. The only two people from Northern Qi
who were not drunk quickly got Chang Ninghou back to his
seat, while the palace girls came to give him a tonic to clear
intoxication.

His Majesty scolded, "I know you drank too much, or else I
would condemn you for misbehaving in front of the emperor."

With difficulty, Fan Xian forced himself to stay in a bowing

position. He explained, "Not to excuse myself, but these guests
had come from afar. If I don’t show them a good time, I won’t
fulfill my duty as the deputy."

"Look at that," His Majesty turned to speak to the empress,

"Still claiming not to excuse himself. It wouldn’t be impossible
for him to say I made him drink."

The empress knew the emperor held a soft spot for Princess
Chen, but she didn’t know if His Majesty would do the same
for Fan Xian out of association. So she merely smiled, neither
speaking for nor against Fan Xian.
 "Fan Xian." This was the third time the emperor had called
out that name. The various officials all listened closely,
noticing something in His Majesty’s tone. Seemed like the Fan
household had some special connections with the royal family.

His Majesty said blandly, "Your household has some special

connections with me. In my eyes, you’re but a member of a
younger generation, not a civil servant. When I speak, you
should keep your sharp mouth shut! Did you think I didn’t
know what was said at the tavern? Young one, do you really
think you could look down on everyone just because your
mouth is sharp?"

It was a lecture on the surface, but there were some hidden

compliments. The officials present weren’t stupid and
understood.

And as expected, His Majesty said lightly, "Taking advantage

of this clear night near the end of summer, with both the ruler
and his subjects together, Fan Xian, with your reputation in
poetry, compose a poem to atone for your misbehavior."
 The officials all knew His Majesty was trying to save Fan
household’s dignity and also take the chance to show what
kind of person this eighth-ranked functionary was. However,
they feared that Fan Xian would let this chance go to waste due
to his drunkenness.

Fan Xian was in fact a little out of it, but he heard His
Majesty’s words clearly. He saluted and said, "Your Majesty, I
can only compose some inferior sentences, I dare not disgrace
myself in front of Mister Zhuang Mohan."

As soon as he said that, all eyes were on the old man as they
realized this wasn’t just letting Fan Xian show off; it was also
in order to prove to Northern Qi and Dongyi that Qing also has
the talent to rival Zhuang Mohan!

Fan Xian’s reputation as a poet had echoed throughout the

capital for months. It was only due to his reluctance to
compose more did his fame die down a bit. Hearing Fan Xian
bring up Zhuang Mohan, the various officials believed he and
His Majesty had plotted this from the beginning to deal a blow
to Northern Qi.
 Actually though, Fan Xian was only guessing; his experience
in his previous life was not enough to see through the
emperor’s intentions. However, based on the literature
practices of Qing, Fan Xian believed His Majesty would not
settle for being treated as a barbarian by Northern Qi.

Since this Zhuang Mohan arrived in the capital, he had been

staying in the palace. Despite the empress and various Ladies
admiring him, His Majesty was bound to feel unpleasant. For
some reason, there were no great scholars in Qing, so a copier
like Fan Xian had been pushed onto the stage.

Fan Xian knew he didn’t guess wrong, for with his sharp
eyesight, he was able to see His Majesty’s gaze, which was deep
and full of admiration.

At the same time, His Majesty was warning Fan Xian,

warning him to come up with a good poem and not to lose
Qing’s dignity.

"Then you compose a poem and have Mister Zhuang Mohan

judge it. If it’s not good, then you shall drink as punishment."
The empress smiled. She knew what the emperor was thinking
and helped out Fan Xian.

Now that things had developed to this point, what else could
Fan Xian do? He walked back to his seat, disregarding his
drunkenness, and drank another cup. Tasting the sour wine, he
frowned hard.

The Qing officials knew he was performing under pressure,

so they counted silently. After counting to fifteen, Fan Xian’s
eyes flashed. With a bright smile, he went off, "In front of the
wine, I sing a song. A lifetime really is not that long. Life is
like the dew before the rising sun. Bygone days did not bring
me much fun. You are the talented ones in your prime. I think
of you all the time. For you, I am willing to bow, quietly
chanting my poem up ‘til now.

My distinguished guests will come for dinner.

I will entertain them with a flute, a drum, and a zither. The

bright moon shines all around. But how and when can I take it
down? How joyful we are to chat and eat during our reunion? I
am grateful to you for your help on several occasions. The
moon is so bright with a few stars around. Some crows and
magpies fly southbound. They circle around the same tree
thrice. Which branch do they perch for the night? No
mountain is too steep and tall. No sea is too deep for my cause.
Learn from Master Zhou for valuing all talents. Then people
will come to my corner with enthusiasm."

Every time Fan Xian come up with a poem, it was as if he was

beating someone up. As soon as the poem came out, all was
quiet.

The poem he just recited out belonged to Cao Cao. Fan Xian
did some editing, taking out a few verses, before chucking it
out. Coincidentally, the story of Master Zhou also existed in
this world, and winning over people’s support happened to be
in accordance to the emperor’s wishes. It’s just that Master
Zhou actually became an emperor himself.

A long silence later, in the great palace hall, people cheered,

"Fantastic poem!"

The emperor was pleased. He turned to Zhuang Mohan and

asked quietly, "What does Mister Zhuang think of this poem?"
 Zhuang Mohan’s expression was indifferent. In his life, he
had experienced such scenario countless times, and judged
countless poems, which was how he came to be respected by all
across the land. Even many of His Majesty’s own subjects read
his works. Most importantly, people looked up to his
demeanor, his insight, and of course, his knowledge.

"It was a good poem." Zhuang Mohan said quietly, picking up

a peanut, "A good poem indeed. There was some breakage, but
its content is its strength. For poets, the intention comes first,
while content is of the most importance. Fan Xian was able to
achieve both. Never had I thought that Southern Qing could
produce such talent."

Fan Xian smiled, he didn’t feel anything special about this

old scholar, but he didn’t like how Zhuang Mohan had acted.
He made a shallow salute and went back to his seat with
staggering steps.

Some officials were still bickering among themselves

regarding the poem. Under normal circumstances, it should
have ended here. But today’s atmosphere was strange. Someone
said coldly:
 "It was improper for Mister Zhuang to say ‘Southern Qing’.
As a great scholar known throughout the world, you were
unable to see Sir Fan’s abilities. There are many scholars in this
country, and Sir Fan is among the best of the best. Not to
mention he was able to compose within fifteen counts. I really
don’t know, in Northern Qi, who can accomplish the same?"

That was very inappropriate as well as disrespectful,

especially at a national feast. The emperor of Qing did not
expect such a literary matter progress so far. His Majesty
frowned, not realizing where such insolence came from. But
whoever it was, they were speaking on Qing’s behalf, not
committing a crime.

Fan Xian stopped in his tracks and saluted Zhuang Mohan for
real this time. Zhuang Mohan coughed twice and was helped
up by a young eunuch. He looked at Fan Xian calmly and said,
"Young Fan’s name has already spread to the Qi capital. I have
often read his ‘I have come five thousand kilometers to visit
the sad autumn’."

Suddenly, Fan Xian noticed a hint of sadness in the old

scholar’s gaze, as well as a determination which seemed to cut
off all paths of escape. Suddenly, Fan Xian was greatly shaken
as he felt a danger he hadn’t detected until now slowly
approach. Despite the alcohol, he sharply turned and found
that face which started it all.

Guo Baokun.

Guo Baokun, who suffered a punch from Fan Xian. Guo

Baokun, the one who was close to the prince. Guo Baokun of
the palace also received the right to come to the feast. But it
was obvious that the prince had no idea he would say all that.
Both the prince and Fan Xian squinted at Guo Baokun’s
somewhat prideful face, not knowing what he was up to.

Fan Xian felt danger, but he kept smiling.

Again, Zhuang Mohan coughed twice. After saluting the

emperor, he said lightly, "This old man came from the great Qi,
but his heart belongs to the literature of the world. I wish not
to damage the friendship between the two nations, but there
are certain things I must say."

His Majesty gradually calmed down. "Please go ahead."

 As His Majesty spoke, the empress raised her cup. She was
about to say something but stopped herself.

"In a sharp gale from the wide sky, apes are whimpering,
birds are flying homeward over the clear lake and white sand,
and leaves are dropping down like the spray of a waterfall,
while I watch the long river always rolling on. I have come five
thousand kilometers to visit the sad autumn. And with my
hundred years of woe, I climb this height alone. Ill fortune has
laid a bitter frost on my temples, heart-ache and weariness are
a thick dust in my wine." The entire hall was absolutely silent.
No one knew what shocking things this great scholar would
say next.

"The first four verses of that poem was superb."

Chapter 135: Luminaries of the Ages
Hearing the final line, those gathered were puzzled. The
poem had appeared in spring in the capital, and had spread
throughout the land. Apart from the mention of the river that
had made the readers uncomfortable, numerous poets had
always assumed that nothing about this poem could be
nitpicked. But the last four lines were the best part, and they
were unsure why Zhuang Mohan felt otherwise.

"The reason the first four lines are the best," said Zhang
Mohan coldly, "is not because the last four lines are not good,
but because... the last four lines were not written by Master
Fan!"

With these words, there was a great hubbub in the hall,

which quickly turned to a deathly silence. No one said a word.

Fan Xian pretended to be stunned, but he understood many

things. As things quietened down, he leant on a table, drunk,
looking at Zhuang Mohan with a smile on his face.
 A few months before, Lin Wan'er had said that people in the
palace were saying that his poem had been copied. At the time
he had taken no notice, but he had not expected today's
explosive reaction. Guo Baokun had brought up this matter.
Obviously, it had been incited by some noble or another.

After he came to the capital, the one thing he had to his name
was his so-called literary reputation. If he had completely
destroyed his own reputation, in this world which prized
literature and morality, the only thing to do was to break off
the engagement.

Fan Xian had felt greatly uncomfortable after Zhuang Mohan

had read the first four lines. Seeing that Master Zhuang still
did not know that the river was the Yangtze River, he realized
that his greatest fear had still not come to fruition. If he
wanted to testify to his plagiarism, Zhuang Mohan could only
rely on his own scholarship and reputation to pressure people
and nothing more.

But he did not know how the eldest princess had persuaded
the greatly renowned Zhuang Mohan to come from so far away
to act so vilely.
 Some time passed. His Majesty frowned. Plagiarism was a
grave denunciation, but if Zhuang Mohan had nothing to rely
on, why would he dare to spread such idle gossip within the
walls of the royal palace of the Kingdom of Qing?

"Baseless," said Zhang Ziqian, the assistant minister of the

Ministry of Rites who had been sitting by Fan Xian's side. He
smiled. "Mr. Zhuang Mohan is a great master. Many students
have read his books of research on the scriptures. Throughout
the land, no one would dare doubt Mr. Zhuang's words. But on
this matter of plagiarism, perhaps he has been deceived by
some villain."

He looked at Guo Baokun, the son of his superior. He had

absolutely no fear of revealing who this villain he mentioned
was.

Zhuang Mohan raised his head, a complex mood behind his

wise eyes. "The last four lines of this poem were written by my
old teacher travelling through Tingzhou. Because it is a
posthumous work, I have had it on my mind for decades, but I
do not know how Master Fan happened to come upon these
lines. Things long-buried may once again see the light, and I
believe this to be true. But Master Fan has built his reputation
upon this, and I cannot let that pass. Scholars must cultivate
their hearts and their virtue, and the poems belong to finishers.
I adore the works of talented people. I am not willing to
recklessly expose this matter, my reason for coming to the
Kingdom of Qing was to see how the son of an official conducts
himself. I did not expect that Master Fan would not know how
to repent, instead acting all the more triumphant."

Fan Xian almost smiled. It was truly shameless, he thought,

but the others around him did not smile at all. The atmosphere
in the hall had become utterly stifling. If this was true, not
only would Fan Xian no longer have face in official literary
circles, all of the court of the nation would lose face.

All of the scholars of the land treasured Zhuang Mohan's

essays on virtue and behavior; of this there was no doubt.
Furthermore, Zhuang Mohan had said that it was written by
his old master; it was tantamount to using his teacher's moral
standing as proof, and who would dare doubt that?

The officials considered it confirmed that Fan Xian's poem

was a copy, and fixed him with grotesque loathing glares. But
this matter could not change the truth: after all, it involved the
reputation of the royal court of the Kingdom of Qing, so His
Majesty glared coldly at Shu Wu, Grand Secretary of the
Pavilion of the Imperial Library. After a moment of
awkwardness, Grand Secretary Shu stood up with some
difficulty, and first paid his respects to Zhuang Mohan.
"Teacher, it is an honor."

Grand Secretary Shu had once travelled to Northern Qi to

study under Zhuang Mohan, and so he greeted him according
to the etiquette appropriate to teachers and students. He
believed that what Zhuang Mohan had said was true, that Fan
Xian had copied the poem, but under the Emperor's strict gaze,
he could not help but stand and speak on Fan Xian's behalf.
"Teacher. Master Fan has always been a talented poet. The
ballad that he performed previously was also particularly fine.
If he has plagiarized, it would be hard for people to believe,
and it would appear that he has no need to do so."

Zhuang Mohan had already sat down. He cleared his throat

and spoke gently. "Shu Wu, could it be that you suspect that I
am using my old teacher's name in vain?"

Grand Secretary Shu was dripping with sweat. He did not

dare to say a word, and he could not bear the Emperor's cold
stare. He withdrew with sincerity. If anyone still had their
doubts at this point, it would be akin to accusing Zhuang
Mohan of lacking any sense of shame as a scholar, and no one
dared to assail his reputation.

But the Emperor was no ordinary scholar. He was not

Concubine Shu, nor was he the Empress Dowager. He had
never liked this Zhuang Mohan and so he spoke coldly. "The
Kingdom of Qing attaches great importance to laws and
decrees, unlike the frail and weak Kingdom of Northern Qi. If
Mr. Zhuang wishes to accuse someone of a crime, then he must
provide proof."

All those present could hear the anger in the Emperor's voice.
If Zhuang Mohan were truly accusing Fan Xian of plagiarism,
it was possible that Fan Xian could never show his face again.

Zhuang Mohan smiled, and had his attendants following

behind him take out a roll of parchment. "This is a letter
personally written by my teacher. If any learned person were to
look upon it, they would know how old it is." He looked at Fan
Xian and spoke with sympathy. "Fan Xian's poetic talent is but
a pale imitation. Though I do not know the poet's inner
feelings, how could Fan Xian write the last four lines of this
poem considering the life experiences he has had?"
 The hall was silent, save for Zhuang Mohan's aged but steady
voice reciting the poem. "Ten thousand miles of sorrowful
autumn, such cold? One hundred years of sickness, this was
when my teacher climbed to a great height in his last days.
That torrential river water, fills the eyes with desolation...
Master Fan is still young, how can he have known a hundred
years of sickness?"

As Zhuang Mohan continued to speak, everyone was more

and more convinced that this poem could not have been
written by a young man. Zhuang Mohan's voice resonated for a
long while. "Many hairs of frost refers to gray hair growing
everywhere. Master Fan' has a head of fine black hair. It would
be hard to say that he has anything to worry about."

"As for 'frustrated, I stop drinking my murky wine',"

concluded Zhuang Mohan gently, "regardless of whether
Master Fan's family background is fine or frustrating, with this
line 'I stop drinking my murky wine', perhaps Master Fan does
not understand why my teacher said such a thing." He looked
at Fan Xian, his face suggesting that he did not have the heart
to say it. "In my teacher's later years, he contracted a lung
disease. So he could not drink wine, and this is why he said
that he 'stopped drinking'."
 Having said this, the officials of the Kingdom of Qing finally
lost heart. They no longer had need of that roll of parchment;
with these unexplainable questions, Fan Xian's charge of
plagiarism was inescapable.

At that moment, a round of applause suddenly resounded in

the previously-silent hall.

Fan Xian, who had seemed to be bent over the table drunk,
suddenly stood up and smiled at Zhuang Mohan. The applause
slowly died down, and he felt a certain respect. Naturally, no
one knew who this Mr. Zhuang's teacher was, but his opponent
had successfully deduced Du Fu's circumstances from the
poem. His illness really did correspond with that of the literary
world's greatest master.

But Fan Xian knew that Zhuang Mohan was trying to entrap
him. Perhaps the roll of parchment had been handled
beforehand, and therefore he could not admire it in the end. A
wild impetuousness appeared on his bright and handsome face,
and he laughed drunkenly. "Mister Zhuang truly places no
importance on his teacher's reputation. I do not know what
could cause him to disregard the luminaries of the past."
 Those around him assumed that being exposed had caused
him to have a nervous breakdown. They found any more talk
increasingly hard to bear, and frowned deeply. The Empress
quietly instructed servants to fetch the imperial bodyguards,
so as to prevent Master Fan from making a scene. To her
surprise, the Emperor waved his hand dismissively, imploring
everyone to listen to what Fan Xian had to say.

Fan Xian staggered forward, a mocking expression in his

eyes. "Bring in the wine!" he yelled loudly.

The palace maids at the back saw his crazed expression and
did not dare to approach. A cabinet minister who felt great
indignance toward Fan Xian brought a wine jar weighing
roughly a kilo from the back and set it down in front of Fan
Xian.

"Many thanks!" Fan Xian laughed, breaking the clay seal on a

wine cup and drinking from it like a whale sucking in sea
water. In a short while all the wine in the jar had entered his
belly. After a drunken belch, he began to feel thoroughly tipsy.
He had drunken a great amount that day, and now his hasty
drinking had made his face ruddy and his eyes wet and
sparkling. He swayed back and forth.
 He staggered toward the head table, moving as if he were
doing some sort of dance. He pointed at Zhuang Mohan's nose.
"Is this great master really going to carry on talking like this?"

Zhuang Mohan sniffed, and the smell of alcohol assailed his

nostrils. He frowned slightly. "Young sir, it is best if you
repent. There is no need to do yourself such harm."

Fan Xian looked him in the eye and smiled. "Everything has
its cause and its effects," he said, his diction unclear. "Mr.
Zhuang accuses me of plagiarizing his old teacher in these four
lines. I don't know why I would want to copy him? Don't tell
me that using that ballad from before, I could not win fame in
life and in death?"

The words "fame in life and in death" were very fine, and
even Zhuang Mohan felt somewhat moved. He felt an urgency,
and compelled by circumstances, he was harming the good
name he had held all his life. He could not bear to meticulously
frame this young man, and he slowly moved his head away.
"Perhaps Master Fan copied that too," he said faintly.
 "Copied from whom? Could it be that the ballad I wrote was
also copied? Could it be that Mr. Zhuang has studied
everything on earth, and knows every single line of poetry, and
is entitled to determine whether I have plagiarized?"

Seeing Zhuang Mohan's fingers lightly tapping the scroll of

parchment on the table, Fan Xian laughed bitterly. "Master
Zhuang, this scheme might be enough to fool a child. You say
that I have plagiarized your teacher's poem, but I am baffled. If
that is so, then why has this poem never been seen in this
world before I wrote it?"

Zhuang Mohan seemingly did not wish to debate with him.

Fan Xian spoke softly. "Sir, you say that my hair is not white,
and thus I cannot speak of white temples. I am in good health,
and thus this hundred years of ailments cannot be... but you
are unaware, sir, that I have enjoyed making trouble all my
life. I plan to start my life anew. You do not know my past, and
yet you do me such an injustice. How dull."

He did not know whether he had truly drunk too much, or

whether he was taking a rare opportunity to vent feelings of
despair that he had had for a long time. Fan Xian's handsome
and neat face had suddenly taken on a deranged expression.
 "A poem is one's inner voice," said Zhuang Mohan gently,
looking at him. "Fan, my young friend, this is not your past, so
how can you have written such a poem?"

"A poem is literature," said Fan Xian, eyeing him coldly. "In
poetry, talent is what is paid attention to. Perhaps my poem
talks of worries, but who can say that one cannot turn things
that one has not experienced into poetry?"

His words were extremely arrogant. He compared himself to

a great talent, thereby saying that Zhuang Mohan's inference
from the poem was untrue!

Hearing this, Zhuang Mohan frowned and he laughed

bitterly. "Do you mean to say that you can write a beautiful
poem on something that you have never encountered
personally, any time, any place?" The great master did not
believe it. Even if he were a great poet, there was no way he
could possess such a skill.

Seeing that his opponent had fallen into his plan, Fan Xian
smiled. With no thought to etiquette, he grabbed a wine cup
from the table and drank it in one gulp. He looked at him,
calm, his eyes intoxicated but more and more filled with
burning passion. Suddenly, he waved his hand and called out.

"Bring in the paper!"

"Bring in the ink!"

"Bring in the people!"

The people in the hall were puzzled by his drunken yells, but
the Emperor calmly ordered the palace maids to comply with
his demands. After a moment of preparation, the hall was
clear, with just a table, an ink-stone, and one person, standing
alone and arrogant in the middle.

Fan Xian stood somewhat uneasily. With some difficulty, he

spoke courteously to the Emperor. "Your Grace, may I borrow
the services of a palace eunuch to write?"
 Although the Emperor did not understand why, he nodded in
approval. A eunuch scribe walked over to the table, set out a
sheet of white paper, and ground down an ink stick.
Unexpectedly, Fan Xian resisted his feelings of drunkenness
and shook his head. "One is not enough."

"Fan Xian, what are you trying to pull?" The Crown Prince,
not far from him, could not stop himself from speaking up. But
the Emperor calmly acknowledged his request. A smile
gradually spread across his face. It seemed that he had guessed
what was about to happen.

Fan Xian smiled and looked at Zhuang Mohan. Fighting back

his drunkenness, he spoke with the three eunuch scribes by his
side. "I shall speak, and you shall write. If you write slowly,
and cannot copy them, I cannot say them a second time."

The three eunuchs were inexplicably nervous. A number of

people had guessed what Fan Xian was preparing to do. How
could he get people to believe that his talent was on a par with
a great master? It was not very late in the evening, and the late
summer evening breeze was not even slightly cool But the
atmosphere in the room gradually intensified, like the sound of
a drum on a battlefield.
 "Even a prairie fire cannot destroy the grass, it grows again
when the spring breeze blows... the many flowers will
gradually grow to dazzle men's eyes, sprouting where horses'
hooves have not trod... even heaven and earth have their
endings, the regret of our parting will last forever and never
end."

With no warning, and no mulling over the issue, Fan Xian

had blurted out a section of work entirely by Bai Juyi in no
time at all. And then there were ten more verses. He stood by
the table, looking at the night sky outside the palace hall,
reciting without ceasing this famous poem that he had
strangely committed to memory. The eunuch scribes
brandished their pens and scribbled rapidly, almost unable to
keep up with him.

The onlookers were silent, savoring the words.

Facing an unceasing torrent of plots and plans, under

enormous pressure, he had finally exploded. In his madness, he
cared only about reciting this poem he had memorized,
completely uncaring whether the eunuchs had remembered it
or whether the observers could understand him. Profound and
eloquent words from his previous life came through his thin
lips, sounding in the palace hall of the Kingdom of Qing.

Zhuang Mohan's expression gradually changed to one of

amazement.

And once the people began to simply enjoy watching the

spectacle, he could not help but mutter to himself that these
poems had nothing in them that anyone had heard before, but
they were truly brilliant verses. Could it be... that they were all
written by Master Fan?

"Evening arrives, the sky wanting to snow, no matter what,

may we drink a cup..." this was Bai Juyi's drinking.

"Do you not see, my lord..." next it was Li Bai's turn to drink.

"The shadow becomes three persons..." this was Li Bai, still

drinking.
 "But only the host can get the guest to drink..." still this was
Li Bai, drinking.

"The yesterday that abandoned me cannot be retained; the

today that leaves my heart in disarray causes me great worry..."
this was Li Bai, already drunk.

The people in the hall thought of the gentleman's previous

breach of etiquette, and gradually sat gathered around Fan
Xian. Hearing the poem he recited, their faces were filled with
astonishment and disbelief. Everyone was listening to the
poem. There were quite a number of geniuses in the world, but
since ancient times, there had never been anything resembling
such a scene as this.

They had seen poems being written, but not like this!
Writing a poem was not like selling cabbage at a vegetable
market - but countless verses spilled forth from Fan Xian's
mouth without him even having to think about it. How could
it be different to selling cabbage?

Although there were some odd phrases in the poem, that was
because the people gathered knew nothing of the classics of
that world. They were dumbstruck. These verses... every single
one was a masterpiece!

Fan Xian still had yet to finish. The gathered officials looked
at Fan Xian, whose expression was becoming monstrous. They
felt like this handsome young man was not of this world, and
was a celestial being reborn in this life. Filled with shock, the
three eunuch scribes who had leant their labor to the sober-
headed Grand Secretary began to engross themselves in the
verses that fell from his mouth and passed on. Young Master
Fan had said that he would not repeat them.

Fan Xian had no idea what he looked like. His eyes remained
closed, his brain turning rapidly, recalling these verses while
he thought of his next move. If he had let the officials know
that he currently had the leisure to think of other things,
perhaps they would be even more astonished.

He felt a little bit thirsty, and so he stretched his hand out to

the side, where the Grand Secretary was discreetly holding
some wine. He placed it carefully into his hand, so as not to
disturb his concentration.
 From the lords of the Book of Songs, to the mute horses of
Gong Zishen, to the bright moonlight of the Tang dynasty, the
spring rivers of the Song dynasty, Du Fu's greenhouse, Su
Dongpo cooking Huangzhou fish, Du Mu visiting a prostitute,
Liu Yong also visiting a prostitute, Yuan Zhen crossing a vast
ocean to live with his mistress, Li Qingzhao with her harp and
her inexplicable thoughts of beautiful times, Ouyang Xiu's
fierce love for his niece (this was an unresolved miscarriage of
justice).

Fan Xian closed his eyes, took a sip of wine, "wrote" a poem,
he finished three cups and had produced three hundred poems!

In the wide hall, countless points of light and shadow seemed

to flutter, gradually congealing into a scene that only he could
see behind his closed eyes. It was the poets of his previous
world, old handsome men and young handsome men, singing
effortlessly beneath the bamboo. A bare stomach on the bed,
with the fast winds of the pavilion, the sad tears shed on the
riverside.

This was all from his previous world, all that Fan Xian had
from his previous world, and in its sudden way, it had abruptly
descended on the world of the Kingdom of Qing, assailing
men's hearts. With the help of all the outstanding poets
throughout eternity, Fan Xian struggled against Zhuang
Mohan.

He suddenly opened his eyes. He looked at Zhuang Mohan

coldly, like he was looking at another world from a distance.

"Do you not see, my lord, how the yellow river's waters wind
their way toward Heaven?" Who could be more unconstrained
than Li Bai?

"Waves crash and cleanse heroes of ages past." Who could be

more bold than Su Dongpo?

"Last night the rains were thin and the winds sudden,
although I fell into a deep sleep my drunkenness had not
abated." Who could be more graceful than Li Qingzhao?

Who could rival the strength of luminaries of ages past all in

one person?
 With a loud clatter, Zhuang Mohan's trembling hand finally
lost its grip on his wine cup, and it fell to the bluestone floor,
smashing into countless pieces.

Silence. A moment of silence.

Some unknowable amount of time later, Fan Xian finally

stopped his mad performance. But the people in the palace hall
of the Kingdom of Qing could not escape from this state of
mind. The scholars and the eunuch scribes were the first to
awake from it. They slumped down on the floor, rubbing their
aching hands, staring at Fan Xian as if he were some kind of
supernatural entity.

Fan Xian was drunk. He swayed as he walked toward Zhuang

Mohan, and extended a finger pointing at his nose, wagged it,
and after a drunken belch, he spoke quietly.

"In commentary and interpretation, I am inferior to you. In

writing such things... you are inferior to me."
 The hall was still silent, so though he had said it quietly,
everyone heard it clearly. The officials now believed his words
entirely. They prostrated themselves in admiration of young
Master Fan's poetic talent; regardless of Zhuang Mohan's great
prestige, when it came to poetry and literature, every single
person who had listened to Fan Xian's "recitation" of the 300
ancient poems could never believe that anyone could ever
match Fan Xian's poetic talent.

Now no one wanted to bring up the matter of plagiarism.

Everyone believed what Fan Xian had said, this so-called
genius could write staggeringly incredible poetry about things
he had never experienced. What was that? It was the work of
an immortal of poetry! Plagiarism? What plagiarism?

Since no one believed that Fan Xian's poetic talent could have
been copied from anyone, it was clear that Zhuang Mohan was
lying. As they looked at Zhuang Mohan, they could not hide
their disappointment, their pity, and their disdain. This great
master, who had enjoyed a stellar reputation all his life, had
suddenly found himself lacking in virtue in old age as he
waged war on the young.
 Zhuang Mohan looked at Fan Xian as if he were a monster.
There was sadness in his eyes, and inexplicably, he felt a
sudden melancholy in the pit of his stomach. He covered his
mouth with his white sleeve as he spat blood.

His Majesty's face wore a smile that was not quite a smile as
he looked at Fan Xian. "Why do you not show such talent every
day?"

Fan Xian seemed drunk but was not drunk. He met the
Emperor's gaze. "Poetry and literature are things for
cultivating the mind, not a skill for struggling ferociously."

The words were a little shameless; had he not seen this

evening as a ferocious struggle? Fan Xian finally could not hide
his drunken discontent. He fell buttocks-first to the ground
before the Emperor, squinting his eyes at Zhuang Mohan's
trembling lips. "I'm tired and I want to sleep," he mumbled.
"And screw you."

Finally finishing Li Bai's final pose, Fan Xian fell into

drunken dreams at the Emperor's feet.
Chapter 136: Intentions of Entering the
Palace While Drunk
That night was destined to be like no ordinary night.

After Fan Xian had given his immortal wild poetic

performance, the master Zhuang Mohan had left saddened. His
Majesty clearly wished to cultivate and educate the son of the
Fan family. The Crown Prince's position was secure. So much
had happened that night, so whether it was the emissaries from
Dongyi, or the other officials, after returning home, they all
discussed with their aides or colleagues what they had seen.
But what had shocked everyone and caused the most
discussion was of course the performance of the eighth-level
functionary Fan Xian in the palace hall that night.

The common consensus that was finally reached was that

young Master Fan was an immortal of poetry.

Any who had doubted whether Fan Xian was the true author
of those verses had their suspicions roundly removed that
night. Because after all, the context of the poems differed, as
did their sentiments. If one were to go back and forth between
such discrepantly intense moods all in one night, then
naturally one could fear that such a poet were mad.

But regardless, everyone still believed that Fan Xian was no

ordinary person. It was nonsensical. What ordinary man could
spit forth such amazing poetry as if he were a seller at a
vegetable market? Even if he took no notice of his tiredness, it
was truly something to behold.

In short, every work of exquisite poetry - whether beautiful

or intense or melancholy - that existed in a world similar to the
one where the Kingdom of Qing existed had unwillingly or
willingly fallen from Fan Xian's lips. From that moment on,
they had become a part of the spirit of that world and could
not break away from it.

Within those poems were a number of literary allusions that

were not clear, or parts that could not be understood; they
were all taken by people to be a result of Fan Xian's drunken
unintelligibility, and they prepared for him to explain them
further once he had awoken from his intoxicated stupor. As for
whether Fan Xian would - in order to justify his lies - have to
invent a fictional history of China, write the Four Classic
Novels of Chinese literature, or castrate himself to avoid
inconvenience, that was for another time.

In the carriage back to Fan Manor, Fan Xian was still in a

deep drunken sleep. Afterwards, some busybody calculated for
him that that night in the palace, regardless of how many
poems he had composed, he had drunk no less than four and a
half kilos of the Emperor's finest wine. So while he was
composing the poems that would win him the infatuation of
all the scholars in the land, he was utterly blacked out.

He had been lifted from the Emperor's feet and carried out of
the palace by a eunuch, absolutely stinking of wine, grumbling
incoherently, and thankfully had not fainted while all those
presents regarded him as a supernatural being.

As he got into a carriage from Fan Manor, the palace eunuchs

warned the servants of Fan Manor to look after their master.
His brain was the prized possession of the Kingdom of Qing,
the old men joked, they could not allow him to injure it.

When the carriage arrived at Fan Manor, news had arrived of

the young master's great triumph at the palace, and the blow
he had dealt to Zhuang Mohan. The whole house shared in his
glory. A servant happily carried him from the carriage on his
back, with Lady Liu personally clearing the way, taking him to
his room, and going to the kitchen to cook some soup to sober
him up. Fan Ruoruo worried that the servant girls were not
attentive enough, and carefully wrung out a washcloth to
moisten his dry lips.

Fan Sizhe, woken by the noise, rubbed his sore eyes and
looked at his blackout-drunk brother with a mixture of envy
and admiration. Count Sinan smiled as he wrote in his study.
The look of fatherly pride on their master's face was clear even
to his uncultured servants. He thought about what he should
write in the folding notebook he was going to give to His
Majesty. He figured that His Majesty would not be surprised by
the things that had happened to Fan Xian; after all, he was a
child of the tianmai.

After a burst of excitement that lingered into the night,

everyone gradually dissipated, not daring to disturb Fan Xian's
drunken dreams. At that moment, his eyes opened quickly. "My
belt," he said to his sister, standing watch by his bedside. "Light
green pill."
 Seeing that he was awake, Ruoruo did not have time to ask.
She quickly retreived the pill from his belt and put it in his
mouth.

Fan Xian closed his eyes for a long while and slowly
circulated his zhenqi, finding that the pill really was quite
effective in counteracting the effects of the alcohol. The
uneasy feeling had already disappeared from his belly, and his
mind was absolutely sober. Of course, he was not really drunk.
During his earlier "recitation" at the palace, when he had
recited those ancient writers' works just as they had, that was
his own brilliance.

"I was worried whether someone would come to see me in the

middle of the night. After all, right now I should so drunk that
being awake would be impossible." As he put on his clothes
with his sister's help, he frowned while he pondered. His eyes
were completely clear, the alcohol at the palace having taken
no effect.

"They probably won't. I told them that I would look after you
myself." Fan Ruoruo, knowing what he was about to do, could
not help but feel anxious.
 "Lady Liu..." Fan Xian frowned. "Will she come to look after
me?"

"I'm here on the lookout. Nobody should be coming." Fan

Ruoruo looked at him nervously and spoke in a low voice. "But
you had best be quick, brother."

Fan Xian felt for the dagger hidden in his boot, the three
needles in his hair, and the pills on his waist. Confirming that
he was completely prepared, he nodded his head. "I'll be as
quick as I can."

He left the back of the manor, going through the residence

that was being prepared for his marriage. He had put on
clothes made for moving around at night, and under the cover
of darkness he was very difficult to see. Only when he moved,
his body swiftly travelling through the darkness, was there the
slight sense of the presence of some sort of demon. Moving
through a prepared hole in the wall, there was a carriage
already waiting outside.

A slight frown showed through the black cloth that bordered

Fan Xian's eyes. Although there was no night curfew in the
capital, the streets were still strictly guarded at night. After the
incident at Niulan Street, the city guards had been
considerably whipped into shape, so now he had to take serious
precautions. So he temporarily gave up the idea of taking a
carriage. His body trembling, he routed his zhenqi through his
whole body, quickly accelerating his speed as he disappeared
into the darkness of the capital.

Fan Manor was not far from the palace, and Fan Xian quite
quickly reached the foot of the palace's western wall. This was
a place where the part-time workers in the palace came into
contact with the inner keep. It was often quite busy, but this
late at night, it was silent. Shielding himself behind shrubbery,
he crouched as he leapt towards the bank of the Yudai River.
With his left hand, he felt for the stone railing by the side of
the riverbank, and like a koala, he sidled along it.

There were some bright lights ahead of him, but the river
itself appeared completely dark. Fan Xian did not dare to lose
focus. Using the deep wellspring of zhenqi in his body, he
stopped his breathing, and carefully moved his body along.

Some time later, he had finally bypassed the two arch

bridges, and had come to a secluded grove of trees within the
palace. Fan Xian relaxed slightly, opening his mouth to take
hurried breaths. He could feel his body becoming gradually
more excited, as if these dangerous maneuvers brought him
some kind of pleasure.

The wall by the side of the thicket of trees was 16 meters tall
and extremely slippery; there was nowhere one could hold on
to. Even the strongest warriors in the land could not vault it.
Of course, to those who had already approached the rank of
grandmaster, whether they could make use of this wall was a
matter of waiting to be tested.

Fan Xian was not one of the four grandmasters, but he had
other ways. The red surface of the wall looked slightly blue in
the dark of night. Like a shadow, he swept from the trees to the
wall, finding a dark gap that the light from the palace lanterns
did not touch, and forcibly calming his mind, he sat cross-
legged. He gradually channeled his powerful zhenqi through
his xueshan point, warming it and adjusting the conditions
within his body. Deep in the palace, not far from Hanguang
Hall, Hong Sixiang sat quietly in a room. The Empress
Dowager's health was not good. Hearing the amusing things
that had happened at the palace banquet, of how Fan Xian had
caused Zhuang Mohan to spit blood, the Empress Dowager
could not stop herself from laughing, but she didn't know why.
It seemed that some of the old men were sorrowful, so they had
gone to bed early.

Hong Sixiang had spent years within the palace. The young
eunuchs did not know how old he really was - seventy? Eighty?
His only responsibility in the place now was to keep the
Empress Dowager company. He had been there since the
founding of the Kingdom of Qing. When he was young, he still
liked to leave the palace and wander around, but as he got
older, he found that there was not much difference between the
inside and the outside of the palace after all.

Hong Sixiang took a shelled peanut, put it in his mouth, and

chewed it loudly. Then he took hold of a wine cup and had a
long, satisfying sip from it. The oil lamp on the table gave off a
weak light. The old eunuch thought about young Master Fan's
drunken madness in the palace hall, and he could not prevent a
smile from forming on the corners of his lips. Even if he was a
eunuch, he was still a eunuch of the Kingdom of Qing; if
Northern Qi could be embarrassed, then Eunuch Hong felt that
it was not a bad thing.

In another part of the inner palace, there was a bright candle

lit in the Emperor's study. It was naturally much brighter than
the light in the eunuchs' room. The Emperor was an
enlightened ruler who loved his subjects and was politically
diligent, and so he would often read long into the night. The
eunuchs had long become accustomed to it, and warmed up
some midnight snacks for him, awaiting his summons at any
time.

It was late in the night after the palace banquet, and the
Emperor was still diligent. He sat at a desk, a writing-brush in
his hand, its tip freshly moistened, like a dagger waiting to kill
a man in silence. Suddenly, the tip of his writing-brush halted
above the paper in front of him, and his brow gradually turned
to a frown. "Are you tired, Your Majesty?" asked one of the
eunuch scribes by his side. "Perhaps you should rest?"

The Emperor smiled as he rebuked him. "How did your hand

not break copying all those poems in the palace hall this
evening?"

The eunuch pursed his lips into a smile. "I would eagerly
copy poems slavishly every day for such a genius of poetry."
 The Emperor laughed and said nothing more. He simply
glanced out of the window now and again, feeling like there
was something strange about the dark night.

The palace was large, in the summer evening it was quiet.

The palace maids closed their eyes, but found it hard to sleep
for long. The guards outside the walls kept careful watch. All
was peaceful within the palace.

At the corner, by the side of the rock garden, wearing brand

new dark clothes, Wu Zhu dissolved into the dim light of
night. The only part of him that could have been noticed by
anyone, his eyes, was also covered by a length of black cloth.
With the help of some sort of technique, his whole body had
become like the inanimate things around him.

His breathing and heartbeat had slowed significantly, and he

moved in harmony with the gentle night wind surrounding
him. Even if someone had walked past him, they were unlikely
to have seen him were they not looking carefully.

Wu Zhu "looked" at the light coming from the Emperor's

study. He didn't know how long he looked. Then he slowly
lowered his head, pulled over his black head covering, and
silently headed in a direction away from the palace. His path
remarkably avoided all light. Going with the terrain, along the
grass and the flowers, he left no trace and made no sound. Like
a terrifying demon, he walked casually around the strictly
guarded inner palace.

In Jin Yong’s novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, the character Yue Buqun castrates himself in
order to study the technique of Bixie Swordplay.
Chapter 137: Eunuch Hong
The oil lamp in the room suddenly spattered. It was a good
omen, but a frown crawled across Hong Sixiang's gray
eyebrows. He seemed displeased. His wrinkled right hand
firmly gripped the chopsticks he was using to grasp deep-fried
shelled peanuts. With little movement, he slowly swallowed
the peanut mush in his mouth, savoring their taste. He took
another sip from his wine cup, and stood up.

"For many years, no one has wandered within the palace

walls." Eunuch Hong's eyes were muddied, and he looked
dispassionately out the window as he spoke in a low voice, his
finger softly twitching.

The door was open.

Like two strong arrows, the chopsticks in Eunuch Hong's

hands were thrown, filled with zhenqi. There were two
whooshing noises. In a flash, the window broke, and they shot
directly at the dark corner where Wu Zhu's face was!
 The chopsticks whooshed as they travelled through the air
with shocking momentum. If anyone had been hit by one of
them, it would have been like being hit with an arrow. For
Eunuch Hong's subtle snap of his fingers to be so powerful was
truly terrifying.

For some reason, Wu Zhu's reflexes were slower than normal.

Unable to turn in time, the chopstick tore the fabric on his
right shoulder.

Whoosh! The chopstick stuck in the muddy ground at an

angle, the tail end quivering slightly.

Outside the pavilion, old Eunuch Hong looked at the visitor

wearing gray. His brow trembled. His opponent's face was
completely covered. There was no way he could see who it was.
"Who are you?" There was a smile on Eunuch Hong's face. It
seemed like this trespasser was a mere servant, but it was very
clear that he was much more formidable than he appeared.

The clothes Wu Zhu was wearing that night were completely

new, so he felt somewhat strange. He followed Fan Xian's plan,
raising his head, seemingly "gazing" at his opponent.
"Apologies. I am mistaken," he hissed.

"Mistaken? You mean you are lost?" Eunuch Hong laughed.

"Good sir, you would be the first person to have become so lost
that you have wandered into the palace. You have been here
once before, five days ago. I have been waiting for you. I am
very curious as to who you are. I think, save for a few old
friends, no one else would be so bold."

Wu Zhu forcibly added a note of worried urgency to his

voice, but he was no good at hiding his mood, so he appeared
somewhat false. "I am a prisoner of this country. I had no
choice but to enter. It is not convenient for me to salute you
showing my true face. I ask that you forgive me, elder sir."

Old Eunuch Hong frowned, no longer amused. This person

believed he belonged to the younger generation. This was
nothing more than an apprentice of those old freaks. Looking
at his skill, he was at least at the ninth-level, if he had been
able to infiltrate the palace without being discovered. But his
voice was clearly deliberately distorted by the muscles of his
throat, so there was no way he could find out any useful
information from his voice.
 "This is the royal palace, my child." Old Eunuch Hong sighed.
"Do you mean to tell me that you come and go as you please?"

Having said this, he opened his right hand, and his whole
body began to glide along the floor, suddenly arriving in front
of Wu Zhu. He moved his thin and wizened hand toward Wu
Zhu's face.

Wu Zhu's face, hidden behind the length of black cloth, was

without expression, but he knew that his opponent had
misestimated his power. Now he had the chance to kill him -
should he? In the past, this would not have been a question for
Wu Zhu, but tonight, it was.

He thought quickly, and made a decision. Even if he killed

him now, he would probably pay some sort of price. The key
thing was that this might alert the palace guards, which would
cause Fan Xian great difficulty in his ongoing operation.

So he took a step back, bent his knees, and lifted his elbows.
Beneath his elbow was a thoroughly ordinary stainless steel
sword. Skillfully plunging it into old Eunuch Hong in an
armlock was the plan. More important was the intention
behind it, which could make the person at its point suddenly
lose all propriety.

But Eunuch Hong was no ordinary person. He laughed

darkly and scolded sharply. "Evading the subject?" There was a
hint of astonishment in his voice, but he was quick to take
action. With the swiftness of a dragon, his left hand flew out of
his sleeve and aimed toward Wu Zhu's chest. The blow flew
with the wind, landing with great force. This was the greatest
technique in the entire world.

Wu Zhu took another step back, straightening his knees and

elbows.

He drew the greenish-black blade across his body, as if he

were cutting his own throat, but he just managed to protect his
chest, blocking Eunuch Hong's wizened palm strike.

"Overly cautious?" Eunuch Hong's voice sharpened. He

retracted his palm, and from his waist upward, his whole body
began to tremble. It looked very strange. With a groan, the old
eunuch changed the zhenqi he had been cultivating for decades
into countless streams of air, spurting forwards, trying to bind
Wu Zhu.

Wu Zhu did not give him the chance, and coolly took two
further steps backward. These two steps seemed simple, but
moving so casually, in a flash – in the face of such a high-level
grandmaster – he just managed to avoid a powerful qi attack.
He had clearly been disturbed by Eunuch Hong's decades of
powerful zhenqi, and seemed in something of a difficult
situation.

Eunuch Hong's frown deepened. "Do not presume that you

may deceive people by changing the direction of the blade," he
said coldly, looking at him. "Since I have taken a liking to you,
you may stay here in this forbidden palace."

Wu Zhu lifted his head slightly to "look" at him. He did not

know quite how he felt. His next step was to cup his hands in
salute.

Old Eunuch Hong frowned in astonishment! With a rustling

sound, Wu Zhu turned his body away. As if Eunuch Hong were
not there behind him, he put his sword on his back, and ran
toward the direction of the palace walls, his whole body
moving quickly, trampling the grass into dust.

Placing his blade on his back was a simple move, but it was
wonderful protection.

"Minding the rear?" A sudden gloom appeared in Eunuch

Hong's eyes. He did not call for the palace guards. He shook his
arms, and his whole body rocketed upward like a weak-
chested, wide-winged blackbird.

A moment later, the two men were high up on the palace

wall. Eunuch Hong looked coldly at the man in dark clothing
in front of him. He wanted to see just how he would manage to
vault over the wall.

Wu Zhu immediately rushed down to the bottom of the

palace wall without losing speed, his right foot trampling
ferociously on the stones at the bottom of the palace wall. The
stones suddenly sank into the mud, and from this one could see
that there was great strength behind these feet. And the
forward-moving quickness of his whole body had been
transformed into an upward force by this shock; his whole
body flew upwards with force, following the palace wall in the
gloomy night, floating upward like some kind of demon.

He had leapt ten meters in a single bound, and his

momentum was sure to dissipate. With a whooshing noise, the
ordinary blade in his hand was, for some reason, suddenly
stuck deeply into the palace wall. Using the strength of the
sword, he freed himself, and then like a stone, he launched off
the high wall!

Eunuch Hong groaned, realizing that his opponent had

planned all of it. The zhenqi in his body was swiftly released,
and he floated up toward the palace wall, his posture elegant,
all on a wave of zhenqi. Compared to Wu Zhu's ruthlessness, it
seemed much more confident and at ease.

Leaping ten meters, the sallow old eunuch gently extended a

finger, pressing on the hole Wu Zhu had left with his sword.
With another burst of strength he rose upward, launching off
the palace wall like a giant bird in the night, evading its glossy
outer surface and slowly floating downward.
 As he floated downward, his eyes like a hawk, unwaveringly
scanning the night city scene, the incomparably quick forward-
moving grey shadow laughed darkly, quietly floating over the
tips of the trees, floating over houses, and he followed him.

The two top-class warriors pit themselves against each other

without making a single sound, so the palace guards did not
notice a thing.

Fan Xian sat in the darkness beneath the palace walls like a
rat. He cocked his head slightly to listen out for a faint sound,
stood up, and softly brushed the grass and dirt from his
buttocks. He pressed his fingers into the glossy surface of the
wall.

His body was not as valiant as Wu Zhu, and he did not have
the deep neigong cultivation of old Eunuch Hong. But his
zhenqi circulation technique was different from any warrior in
the world. He had even managed to climb up the moss-covered
overhanging cliffs outside Danzhou, not to mention this palace
wall.
 This was what Fan Xian relied on most. His whole body like a
flightless bat, he slowly climbed up the palace wall. Although
he was slow, he was steady. There was no way he could fall.

If it had suddenly turned to day, and someone was looking

from a distance, they would find that there was a sudden, ugly,
black spot on the vermilion wall.

Vaulting over the wall, carefully avoiding any possible

hidden guards, Fan Xian's feet finally stepped safely onto the
grass inside the palace. As he had sat in meditation outside the
palace wall, he had gone over his map of the palace in his
mind. Now he stood within the palace, looking at the
enormous complex under the curtain of night, listening to the
faint sound of drums in the distance. He felt slightly nervous,
and somewhat excited.

The map seemed to have formed a clearly visible passage.

After steadying his breath one last time, he merged into the
darkness of the palace. Not only did he not make a sound, but
his velocity did not slow even slightly. Relying entirely on the
map in his memory, using the cover of the shrubbery and rock
gardens, he made his way toward his goal. His method was
very similar to Wu Zhu, but also had some subtle differences.
After all, his ability for planning was still not like Wu Zhu's.

Deep in the night, most of the people within the place were
asleep.

Fan Xian hid in the darkness in Hanguang Hall, confirming

that there were no expert guards inside. The real armed guards
seemed to all be in the front hall and the corners. This
realization made him frown slightly. The security of the royal
palace was rather weak; it was dangerous indeed. If Northern
Qi were to send expert fighters to infiltrate the place, what
would he do?

To worry about the nation and the people as a thief breaking

into the forbidden palace at night, Fan Xian was remarkable
indeed. But he was perhaps thinking about things too much.
He knew that in this world, to be able to leap over a fifteen
meter wall without alerting the guards was a feat that only a
few of the world's most talented people could accomplish. If
such a grandmaster were to come here, ordinary bodyguards
would seem to be of no use whatsoever.
 He had forgotten that he was the only person who had the
skills of Spiderman.
Chapter 138: There Is a Key in
Everyone’s Heart
Five days prior, Wu Zhu entered the palace for the last time
and confirmed that the key was hidden somewhere in
Hanguang Hall. Therefore, it was the first location Fan Xian
investigated. Perhaps because of the long period of peace,
Hanguang Hall, which was inhabited by the empress, was quiet
and tranquil. The palace girls were all asleep, and the young
eunuchs were starting to get drowsy.

A faint fragrance wafted by. Whether eunuch or palace girl,

they all drifted off into a deep slumber.

In the dim light, Fan Xian walked along the dark corners and
entered the empress’s sleeping quarter. Seeing the
extraordinarily elegant bed in the distance, he frowned
slightly. On the bed lay an old lady; could that be the empress?

There wasn’t much for Fan Xian to exclaim, nor would he

humor his own delusion of doing something which might
change history. He walked forward calmly to the side of the
bed. He was not even looking at the most powerful woman in
the world.
 Keep calm. That was the most important thing that Wu Zhu
and Fei Jie had taught him.

The imagined hidden guard did not appear. Fan Xian was
prepared for some unseen master lying in wait to protect the
royalty.

He didn’t think too much about where in Hanguang Hall

tone could hide valuables. He slid under the empress’s bed
without much hesitation. He closed his eyes and began to
touch the wooden floor beneath the bed. The floorboards were
made from high quality timber, but his current actions were
strange.

A short while later, he opened his eyes in the darkness. There

was a glint of absurd joy in his pupils.

Back in Danzhou, he had hidden his nameless skill-book

under his bed boards; in The Deer and the Cauldron, Mao
Dongzhu hid forty-two scriptures under the darkness of her
bed. As it turned out, the empress of Qing followed suit.
 The current situation showed the limits of human creativity
and imagination.

Putting just a little force into his dagger, Fan Xian dug the
blade in from the side. The tip made no sound as it pierced the
wood. The empress turned and said something in her sleep, but
Fan Xian pretended not to hear and continued expressionlessly.
Soon, the lattice came off, although he dared not to disturb it
with his hand. With his superhuman night-vision, he was
easily able to see it.

There was only a white cloth, a letter, and… a key.

Looking at the shape of the key, Fan Xian frowned slightly,

making a strange expression. Ignoring the white cloth and the
letter, he took the key and slipped out.

Moments later, he appeared again under the palace walls.

He climbed into the carriage. Looking at Wang Qinian, he

said lightly, "I need speed."
 "Yes sir." Wang Qinian didn’t know the details of the plan. He
only knew that he had to pick up Fan Xian, and then go meet
the "other person".

"I hope nobody knows I’m in this carriage."

"Sir, rest assured. This carriage was borrowed from the Privy
Council. No one would dare to stop it, so no one will find out."

"Very good." Relaxing a little, Fan Xian half-sat down. First,

he had pretended to be a drunken, poetic maniac, and then he
was snaking into the palace at night. Both were severely taxing
to his mind.

The carriage stopped somewhere Fan Xian did not recognize.

The two silently got out. Putting on their headcovers again,
they walked down to a chamber underground. Wang Qinian
said in a muffled voice, "Sir, this is the locksmith Suo Jiang."

Standing in front of them was a small wooden table. On it

were many unrecognizable metal tools gleaming under the
light. The owner of the tools appeared to be an honest, middle-
aged man. His face was dark tan and he had a hearty smile.

Locksmith was a profession, and it was also a title. But this

Suo Jian didn’t just stop there—"Suo Jiang" literally meant
"locksmith". From his name alone, one could see his level of
craftsmanship.

Fan Xian nodded and said to Wang Qinian, "Wait outside."

And so, Wang Qinian excused himself. He knew that there

were things he would never know, and not knowing would
ensure his safety.

"This involves the survival of the nation. By the authority of

the Overwatch Council, I ask you to serve your country." Fan
Xian said calmly through his headcover.

That gave the locksmith quite a shock. Thinking about the

foreign envoys in the capital, Suo Jian believed he had guessed
something and hurriedly saluted, not knowing what he was
about to do.
 "You must be quick and precise." Fan Xian took out the key. "I
want an exact replica."

The locksmith took the key and examined it closely. "There

are no locks in the world that this key would open."

"I don’t care. I only want you to make a copy of it. Can you
do it or not?"

"It will be very difficult. This key is extremely complex. Even

if I make an exact copy in appearance, I can’t guarantee that it
will open the corresponding lock."

"Very good. Begin." Fan Xian was happy at the reply, but his
voice was still calm.

The locksmith began to nervously replicate the key. The

sound of metal scraping could occasionally be heard in the
room. Fan Xian was nervous too as he looked at the door; he
didn’t know how long Wu Zhu could keep Eunuch Hong
occupied. Eunuch Hong’s living quarters were too close to
Hanguang Hall. If Eunuch Hong returned, it would be difficult
for Fan Xian to put back the duplicate key.

Finally, sweating, Suo Jiang finished. Comparing the two

keys, Fan Xian discovered the two to be completely identical,
replicated down to the last bit of rust. Finally relaxed, he
smiled. "What do you really do for a living?"

Because his face was covered by black cloth, his smile looked
odd.

"I… am a thief." Suo Jiang admitted, sweating profusely. He

didn’t know what fate awaited him now that he had finished
this top-secret job.

"So, he's a thief," Fan Xian thought. Squinting at the tools

and key pattern on the table, he frowned. He then walked over
and crushed the pattern to bits with a powerful burst of
zhenqi.

Even the tools he had left for Wang Qinian were destroyed.
Suo Jiang was sent off to the southern regions in order to keep
away from potential trouble. Only then did Fan Xian put his
mind to rest and go back to the palace.

Entering Hanguang Hall again, the sleep-inducing fragrance

had begun to disperse. The night breeze was still blowing; the
palace resonated with a peaceful atmosphere. Fan Xian slipped
under the empress’s bed like a ghost. He put back the replicate
key, and resealed the floor board with the glue he brought.
Finally, he silently slipped out of the palace.

It had been some time since the last drum sounded. Fan Xian
knew it was time for him to leave. At that moment, a small
courtyard next to the palace caught his attention. That
courtyard was Guangxin Palace, where the eldest princess
resided.

Fan Xian’s plan and execution of it had been perfect today. If

he didn’t want unnecessary complications, he should leave
now and wait for things to develop. However, for some reason
—probably drunk at his success of having obtained the key—he
did the unexpected.
 Fan Xian believed that, under the cover of darkness, he could
walk freely, even in the solemn palace. He proceeded down the
hallway, relying completely on the night traveling skills he
learned from Wu Zhu and Fei Jie. With great difficulty, he
approached Guangxin Palace, even brushing shoulders with a
yawning palace girl.

The palace was still lit, and there were people inside.
Guangxin Palace was different from other palaces in the
complex. It was surrounded by a wall of its own.

As they say, those who cross rivers aren’t afraid of a dirty

moat. But Fan Xian knew many master martial artists had been
killed because of such assumptions. So, he carefully took a
detour to the back and climbed up a thick pillar.

With his palms adhering to the smooth pillar, Fan Xian felt
somewhat irritated, probably from exerting himself too much
today. Climbing the pillar proved to be difficult, but he
managed. Carefully scaling onto the roof, Fan Xian dared not
lift up any roof tiles. Instead, he started looking for
transparent glass tiles.
 Normally, one would not find glass tiles on the roof of a
palace, but it possibly because of Fan Xian’s great luck, Eldest
Princess happened to enjoy having sunlight shine from above
during the day. Fan Xian managed to find one such tile. He
knelt down, making sure his every movement was steady and
silent.

The room under the glass tile was dimly lit, but Fan Xian was
able to see and hear clearly thanks to his amazing senses. He
squinted, and he knew he had guessed right. His luck was
indeed great.

...

Eldest Princess Li Yunrui sat reclining with a lazy look on her

face, looking exceptionally charming. She only wore a white
night gown. Under the thin fabric, the outline of her body
could be seen. There was a hint of youth in its maturity. If any
man were to see this, he would probably bow down to worship
her feet.

As His Majesty’s younger sister, she had no need to use sex

appeal to lure people. Besides, the one sitting in front of her
was around seventy years old. He was the greatest scholar in
the world. He was not one who would be tempted by such
things.

Zhuang Mohan coughed twice, "My business here is finished.

I hope you do not mind, Princess.

Eldest Princess played around with her fake scroll, which was
made from gold. Suddenly, she beamed a huge smile and said
softly, "Master Zhuang, I want you to stomp that Fan Xian into
the ground so hard he no longer has the dignity to stay in the
capital. Can you do that?"
Chapter 139: Guangxin Palace
Zhuang Mohan smiled, "Today, I fell by his hands. I gambled
seventy years of my reputation and I fully accept my loss. It’s
just that I don’t understand how this young Sir Fan is like an
immortal sage when it comes to poetry. Had you informed me
beforehand, naturally I would not make that gamble."

Eldest Princess sighed. "Other than the fact that he can

compose poetry, I also didn’t think he could be so maniacal."

Zhuang Mohan closed his eyes. After a long time, he said

slowly, "I only regret one thing. I had believed myself to be
wise for over half of my life. Now that I’m at the end of it, I
was subjected to such disgrace. Had young Sir Fan not
composed three hundred poems in one night, perhaps everyone
in the world would have believed me and thought Fan Xian was
a shameless plagiarizer."

The old man opened his eyes, his expression returned to its
former calm. He smiled and said, "It’s better this way."
 "Better?" Eldest Princess lightly slid her bare feet along the
cushion. She lightly bit her lip and said, "Master Zhuang,
Mother has always admired your wisdom, which was why you
were invited to live in the palace. I have upheld my end of the
deal. What about what you promised me? Don’t tell me you
were hoping for Fan Xian to preserve his reputation after the
negotiations have been signed and your brother would be
welcomed back to Qi?"

Zhuang Mohan said, "A wrong is a wrong. I fell for your

schemes because I cared for my relatives. That brother of mine
has spent half of his life killing. If you wish to revoke, there is
nothing I can do besides pray for him; pray that he won't suffer
too much in the Overwatch Council prison."

"I believe that student emperor sold to you by Bing Yun. It’s
the only reason you could bring Xiao En back to Northern Qi.
This is not a trade between you and I, but a trade between your
emperor and I. I have fulfilled my end of the bargain. You did
not. If you didn’t pretend to throw up blood and concede, who
knows how things would have developed? So… Master
Zhuang, tell that student emperor that Northern Qi owes us a
favor."
 Zhuang Mohan said, "Young sir Fan has great talents. I
believe even you would have guessed that he is likely to be a
Tianmai being. I am curious. Since there's a Tianmai being in
Qing, why try to get rid of him instead of protecting him?
Furthermore, even if he was framed for plagiarizing, how
would that hurt him?"

Eldest Princess said blandly, "I have never believed in such

nonsense as Tianmai beings. Even if he is one, his abilities are
limited to composing poetry. How is that any useful to the
country? As for why I want to get rid of him, that would be
none of your concern."

As it turned out, Zhuang Mohan risked his reputation, which

had been built up over decades, to try to ruin Fan Xian in front
of so many scholars under Eldest Princess’s wishes. But he
didn’t know about the complex relations in Qing’s political
circles, nor was he clear about Fan Xian soon becoming Eldest
Princess’s son-in-law.

But Fan Xian knew why Eldest Princess was after him.
 Half-kneeling on the roof, his fingers and gaze turned
slightly cold as he looked at the charming princess, who was
barely thirty. Back when Guo Baokun spoke, Fan Xian knew
someone from the palace was conspiring with Zhuang Mohan
to chase him out of the capital.

Now, plagiarizing seemed so minor. Had he not pretended to

be mad and shocked the various officials with his poems,
everyone probably would have believed Zhuang Mohan. While
being a plagiarizer wouldn’t get him any additional
punishment, it would likely involve his marriage with Wan’er,
and put him on the empress dowager’s bad side. Eldest Princess
must be more familiar with these matters than Fan Xian was.

What was even more chilling to Fan Xian was that the head
spy from Northern Wei was Zhuang Mohan’s elder brother! In
order to persuade Zhuang Mohan to pressure Fan Xian, Eldest
Princess wagered Northern Qi’s spy leader, Yan Bingyun.

She was too reckless! Even if she was the emperor’s sister,
could His Majesty tolerate such treachery?
 The summer breeze blew by, calming Fan Xian slightly. He
knew that even if he heard all these secrets, he couldn’t use
them to threaten the princess. She was the emperor’s sister,
and the dearest daughter of the empress dowager. On those two
points alone, she was able to operate with such lawlessness.

Seeing her beautiful black hair, Fan Xian couldn’t help but
feel disgusted.

This woman was not only crazy; she was twisted too.

Now, Fan Xian seemed to have unraveled the entire plot.

Eldest Princess had made a deal with the emperor of Northern
Qi. By selling out Overwatch Council’s head spy Yan Bingyun,
who had been a sleeper in Northern Qi for over four years, she
hoped the other party would trade Xiao Si and Si Lili. The price
Northern Qi had to pay would be to move Master Zhuang
Mohan, who would use his reputation to crush Fan Xian’s own
in the capital. At the same time, this would serve as a lesson to
the rebellious Overwatch Council.

He still didn’t know what other details were involved in the

deal. Eldest Princess should gain more than just this. There
had to be a more terrifying reward.

Did the emperor know what his own sister was plotting?

He touched the key around his waist. With a flash in his eyes,
he determined a counter-method. He adjusted his breathing in
the night breeze and began to leave. It was too risky in the
palace; he didn’t know when his luck would run out.

As soon as he descended the pillar. Two people slowly walked

over carrying lanterns. Fan Xian’s heart went cold. He
carefully hid himself in the pillar’s shadow. As the shadow
changed direction under the approaching light, Fan Xian
meticulously shifted his footing in order to stay in the
darkness.

He prayed that this palace girl would be like the one before
and not discover him.

The two palace girls already passed the pillar, and Fan Xian
was on the other side. Suddenly, they stopped. It appeared that
one of them ranked higher than the other, as she was telling
the other something. The lower-ranked girl replied sweetly and
left, leaving only the older palace girl.

There was only the pillar between her and Fan Xian.

Suddenly, a cold gleam flashed in Fan Xian’s eyes. He forcibly

twisted his body to the side a few inches. It was this intuition
in response to danger that saved him this time!

Where he originally stood, there was the tip of a sword

protruding out of the wooden pillar!

Because the pillar was too big, the sword didn’t protrude out
too much. At a glance, its tip even looked a bit cute, as if
warning Fan Xian it would bury itself in his vertebrae had he
not moved.

Fan Xian coldly moved around the pillar like a pond loach.
With extreme precision, he locked down on to the palace girl’s
left forearm. Unlike normal martial artists, he didn’t care for
her drawing her sword.
 It was effective. With her surprise attack having failed, she
was afraid this "assassin" would stop her from pulling out her
sword, so she gathered all her zhenqi into her right arm, and
her left arm’s defenses weakened significantly.

With a noise like the ripping of paper, the palace girl pulled
out her sword, ready to shout out!

Twisting his brows into a knot, Fan Xian poured his

overpowering zhenqi into the palace girl’s left arm! This palace
girl would rank seventh in ability, but she had never
encountered anyone with such strange zhenqi. She felt the pain
of countless small knives slicing through her meridian and was
forced to swallow her scream. Her throat could only utter out a
weak cry.

Fan Xian recognized her at a glance. This palace girl was the
one who greeted him into Guangxin Palace. She had long
eyebrows; quite unforgettable.

The palace girl’s brows quivered as she worked up her zhenqi

for an all-out clash. But Fan Xian suddenly let go, causing her
zhenqi to be released into the empty air. Due to being let go so
suddenly, the girl lost her balance. The right side of her body
was spent.

In that instant, she felt the right side of her neck turn numb.
Then immediately, she felt her whole body stiffen slightly.

Fan Xian frowned, withdrawing his two fingers from the

girl’s neck. He knew the poison needle wasn’t enough to silence
her. He followed up with a palm strike just below the palace
girl's ribcage.

There was a muffled noise as the palace girl’s chest caved in.
She fell over dead, bleeding from her eyes, mouth, ears, and
nose.
Chapter 140: Who is the Assassin?
He didn't know whether the palace maid from before had
gone to raise the alarm, or if the female fighting master who
had died by his hand had been a distraction, but Fan Xian knew
that this fight—although he had not allowed the female master
to make a single sound—would have alerted the real masters of
the palace, so he did not bother to deal with the body. With the
tip of his foot on the paving stones, he made his whole body an
arrow, and flew upward toward the palace wall as he had
planned.

The wall was still very high, and Fan Xian was frustrated by
his speed. Once he had climbed the wall with great difficulty,
he heard a humming sound behind his head, as if the space
behind him had begun to vibrate.

He turned his head, stunned, then saw a space in a distant

corner of the palace walls where a commander was drawing a
bowstring pointed at him.

An arrow flew through the night like a ravenous ghost,

headed straight for his face!
 In one breath, the arrow was on the horizon; one breath
later, it was within range of his vision.

The arrow seemed fierce and confident. Fan Xian howled, the
black cloth surrounding his face ripped to tatters by the sound.
The unnamed and powerful zhenqi that he had quietly
cultivated for 16 years wildly and ruthlessly rushed into his
hands at this life-or-death moment.

Filling the air with his fists, he managed to strike the shaft of
the arrow!

In an instant, the powerful zhenqi in his fists clashed

violently with the formidable power of the arrow. The arrow
shaft broke into dust, and the dangerous arrowhead glanced
Fan Xian's hair as it whooshed past, puncturing the distant
night sky!

A loud noise reverberated throughout the night sky of the

palace, awaking the sleeping people inside. They were
astonished, as if there had been a thunderclap within the
palace walls.
 The arrow had been too ferocious; there was no way it could
have been launched by any ordinary person. After he had
blocked it with his fists, Fan Xian's body had been emptied of
zhenqi and sapped of his strength. He fell down the palace
wall. His black clothing fluttered in the night breeze, and he
looked thoroughly miserable.

Palace commander Yan Xiaoyi, in a distant corner of the

palace walls, saw this murderer fall down along the wall and
squinted. His face took on a valiant expression. "He isn't dead,"
he said coldly. "Capture him."

"Yes sir!" His subordinates followed his order and went.

Below the palace wall, Fan Xian, clad in black, fell

powerlessly. He was about to smash face-first into the ground.
He forced his body to twist, supporting himself on one knee,
one foot and one hand, and hit the floor with a groan. The
powerful impact made him spit up blood, moistening the
remaining tatters of the black cloth. Soon after, with a low
roar, he ran into the woods outside of the palace walls. Just
one moment before the guards appeared, he disappeared into
the dark city night.
 The next day, in an unremarkable room beneath the palace
grounds, Eunuch Hong seemed out of sorts. His eyes half-
closed, he sat in his chair, with two officers also resting with
their eyes closed, none of the men seemingly wishing to speak.

Some time later, vice commander Gong Dian, who had been
resting at home the night before, spoke gently. "His majesty is
shocked."

Yan Xiaoyi, the commander who had launched the arrow at

Fan Xian the night before, slowly opened his eyes. "A lady-in-
waiting of the Eldest Princess was killed last night," he said
coldly. "She is very angry."

After the two men had spoken, Eunuch Hong finaly opened
his eyes. "Last night I met with a plot to lure me away from the
palace," he said, his voice sounding aged. "The Empress
Dowager is very unhappy."

"Who was it?" asked Gong Dian. Of course, he knew in his

heart that even if they had lured him away—whoever it was—
they would not have escaped from the gaze of Eunuch Hong, a
unique master who had a tiger's strength even in sickness.
 "I do not know." Eunuch Hong smiled. "He appeared to only
be of an intermediate ninth-level, but he was extremely
familiar with the capital's buildings. On such a dark night, I
was lured into the city and pursued him for a long time, but I
finally lost track of him. He was... thoroughly remarkable."

To make Eunuch Hong say such a thing, that person must

have been remarkable indeed.

Yan Xiaoyi was 35 years old, and at the peak of his strength.
He was a commander of the palace guards, and was responsible
for the security of the entire palace. He looked at Eunuch Hong
coldly. "Where did you follow him to last, Eunuch?"

"An alleyway not far from the Dongyi diplomatic mission."

"Today's investigation has brought about a result," said Gong

Dian. "Eunuch Hong's chopsticks tore through an assassin's
clothing; after the Overwatch Council performed a
comparison, they determined that it was Tianxiang satin."
 Yan Xiaoyi closed his eyes to rest. Gong Dian continued to
talk. "The Overwatch Council discovered a little while ago that
the Dongyi emissaries ordered a set of clothing. Rather than
using the name of the diplomatic mission, they found someone
else to order it for them." "What are you saying, vice
commander?" asked Eunuch Hong softly.

Gong Dian smiled. "If you were ordering clothes, why would
you do it under someone else's name? It's obvious - because you
were worried that someone might pick up your traces. Looking
at the clues, the first time the assassin came, it must have been
someone from the City of Dongyi. The only follower of Sigu
Sword who could have ninth-level abilities is Yun Zhilan, who
has been silent inside the capital over the past few days."

Yan Xiaoyi suddenly opened his eyes. "It isn't Yun Zhilan. If
people from Dongyi had infilitrated the capital, why would he
want to buy new clothes? Yun Zhilan is more the kind of
person to beat someone senseless on the street and steal their
clothing."

Eunuch Hong nodded. "Although that ninth-level hid his

sword training, he was still using Sigu Sword's technique. So I
am interested - if it was not Yun Zhilan, is it really possible
that other people from Dongyi have come, and would dare to
disobey Yun Zhilan's orders?"

"It's highly likely that they were shifting the blame onto
somebody else." Gong Dian frowned as he listened to the two
men speak. "It's too convenient. So it's possible that someone
was trying to shift the blame onto Yun Zhilan."

"Who else in Dongyi could be following the teaching of Sigu

Sword?"

"Including Yun Zhilan, there are three ninth-level fighters."

"So the other two are also under suspicion."

"Going back to the intruder who was shot down by the

commander on the wall; I heard that the strength of the
commander's arrow shocked the entire palace. It's a shame it
did not kill him." By the tone of his voice, it seemed that
Eunuch Hong had no particular fondness for the commander.
 Yan Xiaoyi looked at the eunuch with contempt, but he knew
of the deep and mysterious power that he held in the palace. He
harrumphed. "The second assassin was also a ninth-level
fighter. Although he was only at the lower ninth-level, if I
could kill him with one arrow, then why would I not be a
grandmaster?"

"Another ninth-level?" Gong Dian was astonished. He had

been stuck around the upper eighth-level for most of his life,
and had found it difficult to advance any further. Hearing that
two ninth-level experts had infiltrated the palace the night
before, he could not help but feel a number of complex
emotions.

"There are only seven ninth-level fighters in all of the

Kingdom of Qing, four of whom are within the capital. How
can there be so many ninth-level experts in the whole world?"
Eunuch Hong spoke coldly. Clearly he did not believe
Commander Yan's judgement, and thought that he was evading
responsibility.

This was what Gong Dian had feared the most. "His Majesty
ordered me to conclude the case within ten days," he said
quickly. "I'll be transferring someone from the Overwatch
Council soon, and investigating the situation in all of the
palaces. The first thing to clarify is why these people would
take such a great risk to infilitrate the palace."

Yan Xiaoyi shook his head. "I don't know why the second
person did it, but the first person definitely has links to
Dongyi. So start at the Dongyi diplomatic mission and see why
they really ordered those clothes. It'd be best if we can clarify
the whereabouts of each item of clothing."

As they were arranging preparations for the investigation, a

young eunuch hurriedly entered the room to announce a
decree from the Emperor. The entire investigation was to be
handed over to Ye Zhong, head of the city garrison; the palace
guards were to carry on as before, and it was not to be made
public. After the young eunuch left, the three men looked at
each other.

Yan Xiaoyi slowly closed his eyes. He knew that the Emperor
had begun to distrust one of the three of them. Eunuch Hong
clasped his hands behind his back and walked out, his face
peaceful.
 Some days later, they had still failed to track down the
assassin.

The Emperor's order had in fact helped Fan Xian, the real
intruder, out of his predicament. There had been no great
mistakes in the plan, but forcing Wu Zhu to wear the brown
clothing, although he had thought it to be clever, had instead
revealed something they wished to conceal.

Fan Xian had secretly investigated why Dongyi had bought

Tianxiang satin; it was because the son of the ruler of Dongyi
was fond of the classical style of clothing in the capital, and so
they had ordered some. As for why it had been ordered under a
different name, it was for a very simple reason - Dongyi was an
intersection of all the merchants of the land. If news had
broken that the ruler's son was fond of the fashions of those
Qing barbarians to the south, he would perhaps have been
thorouhgly condemned by some of the more audacious
merchants.

Of course, Fan Xian had used several skills. Mainly, he did

not believe that Wu Zhu could have completely imitated the
swordplay of Sigu Sword; if he had known that Wu Zhu was
capable of such strange steps, he would have used it to perfect
his plan to frame someone else.

But the conclusion was fine. At least the palace still suspected
the other two ninth-level experts in Dongyi; the Overwatch
Council also began to investigate the whereabouts of the two
intruders from that night.

No one could have linked it to Fan Xian, because on the night

that the intruders came to the palace, all of the officials of the
capital had seen him drink countless cups of wine as he
composed his poems, making the master Zhuang Mohan of
Northern Qi spit blood and curse that night. He had been so
utterly drunk that he collapsed at the Emperor's feet.

This was a misconception in human thinking: not only did

they presume that Fan Xian would have been unable to awake
after drinking himself into a stupor; they believed that after
having accomplished one shocking feat, there was no way he
could have immediately performed another.

One cannot have a second climax after the first; there must
always be a refractory period.
Chapter 141: Secrets of the Box (Part 1)
Safe and comfortable, Fan Xian lay down on his bed. His face
was pale. He looked like a young man yet to recover from a
hangover. Next to his bed was a copper basin, but it was clean
because the vomit had already been washed out of it.

He had already dismissed Ruoruo from the room; a different

servant-girl was looking after him. Fan Xian's pale face was not
a pretense, and the vomit was not brought about by drugs -
rather, the force of Yan Xiaoyi's arrow really had damaged his
organs. His chest and stomach felt heavy, and it would
probably be a number of days before he could fully recover.

Thinking of the arrow that had nearly taken his life, Fan
Xian still could not help but feel fear. If he had not had a
sudden eruption of zhenqi at that life-or-death moment that
far outstripped his level, it was possible that he truly could
have been killed by that arrow. The arrow still had so much
power from so far away. It was truly hard to imagine. It seemed
that that commander was a ninth-level fighter and that he
could well have risen to the highest rank at any time.
 In fact, at the moment that he had smashed the arrow with
both hands, his hands had still moved with quite the same
violent speed as the arrow, so he had only managed to smash
its shaft. It was very dangerous, but it was also extremely
fortunate that it had not left any marks on his hands. If they
would be been seen by anyone, he did not know how he could
have explained them away.

He had taken a great risk in going to Guangxin palace. On

one hand, he wanted to see if he could discover anything; on
the other hand, he did not want the people in the palace to
think that anything might have happened to the key in
Hanguang hall because Eunuch Hong had been led outside by
Wu Zhu - this was the most important part.

His fingers rested lightly on his waist, slowly stroking that

hard object. His heart was at peace: his luck was good, but
would his fortune follow him forever? He decided that after
this, he would no longer hide things in the secret compartment
under his bed, and he would no longer mess about in the
palace.

Over the days in which he pretended to be recovering from

his heavy drinking, news of Fan Xian's "immortal poetic
performance" had spread throughout the capital. Countless
scholars and officials came to pay him a visit, but Count Sinan
coldly blocked their passage, saying that his son was
thoroughly exhausted and needed to rest.

But the visitors of higher and higher ranks began coming.

Even some national figures and high-ranking generals came by.
Just as Count Sinan was beginning to develop a headache, Fan
Xian announced a decision via an intermediary that made the
gathering crowds feel great regret and confusion.

Fan Xian would write poetry no more!

Many people still presumed that this was Fan Xian talking
nonsense, and did not take it seriously. Only those who had
some understanding of Fan Xian's nature, such as Prince Jing
and the officials Ren and Xin, realized that this might be true.
But as everything was still up in the air, they did not discuss it
much.

The summer heat had already gradually dissipated in the

capital. A squall of autumn rain was slowly floating across the
city.
 In fact, it had only been three days since he had entered the
palace, but Fan Xian felt that those three days had been the
slowest three days in both of his entire lives. The box was
under his bed. The key was in his hand. There was nothing
more enticing than this, but Fan Xian had still beared it for
three days, like a child stealing snacks from the kitchen that
his mother had forbidden him to eat, carefully hiding them in
his wardrobe, and knowing that the snacks were in there. Then
sleeping perfectly contented, looking at the wardrobe every day
before going to sleep, but not really wanting to eat, until
finally the snacks had gone rotten.

The box could not rot, but Fan Xian had still decided decided
that he would open it in the evening.

The autumn rains fell softly outside his window, falling on

the rear courtyard of Fan Manor, falling on the plants that
were soon to be covered in autumn frost. Inside, Fan Xian had
not lit any lamps. He knew that his eyes could see clearly
enough in the darkness. He put the box on a table, and steadily
inserted the key into the brass keyhole.

There was a clicking sound. The clamp on the front of the

box sprang open and revealed a small black board. On the
board were some strange square boxes. Pressing them softly,
they sank down. Each check had a unique symbol on it; no one
in this world could have recognized what the symbols were.
Fan Xian laughed, but his smile was pained.

With a mixture of clear understanding and guesswork, he

was finally comforted by the confirmation some time later.

He closed his eyes and could not help from laughing. This
world was truly mad. So with his trembling fingers, he lit a
clay pipe that Teng Zijing had given him as a present to pacify
his mind.

This was the first time he had smoked in this world, and it
tasted very fine. The white smoke rose in spirals in the dark
room. The autumn rains fell gently on the lonely courtyard.

Fan Xian felt that he would never be alone again.

The people of this world could not have known what these
small black boxes were, nor what the strange symbols on them
were. But Fan Xian knew.
 Because when he opened the box, he had revealed... a
keyboard. It was a keyboard that he had been familiar with in
his past life. The strange symbols were in fact the 26 letters of
the Roman alphabet, as well as numbers, and the F5 key with
which Fan Xian had been ever so familiar.

Seeing this thing before him, Fan Xian pondered about it for
a long time. He had finally obtained the strongest proof that
his birth mother, the woman known as Ye Qingmei, had come
from the same place that he had. At that time, he did not
consider the conversation between Zhuang Mohan and the
Eldest Princess in Guangxin Palace regarding the Tianmai.

The light of his pipe flickered in the dark room. Fan Xian's
facial expression had calmed, and his hands ever-so-softly
stroked at the keyboard as he began to guess at what the
password might be.

"It's a name." Wu Zhu, who had been by his side for who
knew how long, stood in the corner of the room. Though his
eyes were covered by a length of black cloth, his face, facing
the box, revealed an emotion that one might have called
sadness. "I remember that it's a name. The Lady said that it
only had five strokes."
 Fan Xian nodded calmly and began to type. He had not had
contact with one of these things in sixteen years, after all;
when he started, it inevitably felt a little strange. But after a
few tries, that familiar feeling returned to his body, to his
hands. His fingers struck the keyboard as if they were dancing.

But after a number of attempts, he suddenly laughed bitterly

and raised his head. "What name exists that would only require
five strokes to be written?"

As he said this, he realized what the issue was. He took two

drags of the pipe, looked at the box in front of him, shook his
head, and sighed. "Mom, you really are causing trouble. But
the question is, did you really teach Wu Zhu the five-stroke
method?"

"Five strokes" did not refer to the strokes of a brush, but to

the five-stroke computer input method.

"kfh.lca.nhd." Fan Xian typed in the first name - Ye Qingmei.

There was no response. With disbelief, he typed in his own
name in five-stroke: "aib.usi".
 There was still no response from the box. He laughed
bitterly. His own name had only been given to him many years
later, how could Ye Qingmei have known it? Suddenly, he had
a thought. With something that didn't look quite like a smile
on his face, he looked at Wu Zhu in the corner of the room.

Wu Zhu seemed to have sense that something was odd, and

cocked his head. "What are you doing?"

Fan Xian did not respond, and instead typed Wu Zhu's name
in five-stroke: "gg.ttgh".

The box whirred, and then turned on. Fan Xian looked at Wu
Zhu again and laughed. "Uncle, I suspect that you and my
mother had some inappropriate secrets."

Fan Xian had taken the box from Danzhou to the capital; of
course, he knew its weight, so he was not worried that it was
hiding a hydrogen bomb. But after he had seen the box's
contents clearly, until he had finally left the room, and
somewhat foolishly walked through the rainy night, he still
could not stop himself from shaking his head and wondering
whether his mother really had any creativity to her at all.
 The box was divided into three layers. Because it was limited
by its shape, the objects that one could put into every layer had
to be long and narrow. The first layer was divided into three
sections of metal tools. In one section, they were tubular. In
another they seemed suited to one's grasp. Fan Xian frowned as
he looked at these metal implements. Although he had also
come from that world, he still could not figure out what they
were until he placed a finger inside one of the tubular ones.

He lifted it up in front of his eyes to take a proper look, and

found that it had something written on it: "M82A1".

"Holy crap." Fan Xian's fingers trembled slightly. Although he

wasn't a huge military nut in his previous life, he knew what
those letters represented.

It was a sniper rifle. The world's best sniper rifle. If coupled

with armor-piercing bullets, it could pierce through a thick
wall from a kilometer away.

Fan Xian picked up the rifle barrel with his right hand. He
couldn't stop his hand from trembling. He understood deeply
what it meant to have a sniper rifle in his hand in a world that
still used swords and arrows.

It meant that from this point on, from a long way away, he
could kill anyone he wanted, and not have to worry about
being discovered.

It meant that - whether it was the frightening arrows of that

commander, or Yun Zhilan of the Dongyi diplomatic mission
who seemed to have it out for him - if he so wished, he could
kill his opponents many times over. But he didn't know
whether it would be useful against the grandmasters.

Somewhat nervously, he gently arranged the three sections

of the sniper rifle on the table. Having put his pipe to one side,
he supported himself on the table with his hands and took a
few deep breaths to calm himself. It seemed that he had all the
necessary requirements to become some sort of demon.

Of course, the prerequisite was that he needed to have

bullets.
 Fan Xian looked dumbstruck at the second layer. Aside from
a letter, there was nothing else. Not even a handful of bullets,
like he had been expecting.

With no bullets, the sniper rifle was about as strong as an

iron poker.

The "wubi", or "five-stroke", method is a method of inputting Chinese characters on a keyboard

Chapter 142: Secrets of the Box (2)
"Where are the bullets?" Fan Xian was like a young girl who
had just awoken from a wonderful dream to find herself still
sleeping on a heap of firewood in the kitchen. He asked Wu
Zhu, slightly angry.

Wu Zhu answered honestly, although his answer was odd to

hear in this world: "What’s a ‘bullet’?"

Fan Xian couldn't do anything about that, so he described to

Wu Zhu the size and shape of a bullet, and how it was used. He
then asked hopefully, "Uncle, you’ve seen my mother use them,
right?"

Wu Zhu shook his head. "Like I said, I've forgotten certain

things." Just as Fan Xian was about to despair, Wu Zhu
suddenly said, "But I do recall the thing you described. Back
then I thought they were useless, so when I took you away, I
left them in the cellar of Taiping Courtyard."

Fan Xian had been trained to have an extremely steady

disposition, but after hearing that, he almost wanted to
embrace that lovable blind man and give him a kiss.

There was a letter in the second compartment of the box. The

box had an extremely tight seal. Fan Xian tapped the letter
gently. There wasn’t a single speck of dust on it.

"For Wu Zhu."

Fan Xian didn’t know how to feel about the fact this box
wasn’t for himself, but for the person beside him. He forced a
smile and handed the letter to Wu Zhu, seemingly forgetting
that he was blind.

Wu Zhu refused and said coldly, "The Lady wrote it for me,
so that you may listen. You can read it directly."

Fan Xian grinned and ripped open the envelop and started to
read it aloud. After a few rows, he began to lose his
seriousness. He had thought the box contained some godly
legacy; how lacking in creativity. Just when he was starting to
dislike his mother’s methods, he came upon this letter, which
made him realize that this woman named Ye Qingmei really
was the type of person who looked down at the world.

Her writing wasn’t the most graceful. It was far inferior to

Ruoruo’s, even somewhat crude. The tone was strange too, not
to mention that the contents were disconnected and seemed to
be written at different times.

"Cute little Zhuzhu. Warmest greetings… Sister really likes

you, and wanted to introduce you to a wife many times, but
you’re always cold as ice. I… Well, to put it nicely, I’m very
angry. You went to that temple for a fight. I think you still
won't win, and you are going to run back again like a beaten
dog. So, here I am writing something to make fun of you."

Reading up to here, Fan Xian glanced at Wu Zhu. A

grandmaster-level martial artist, there wasn’t a dog’s shadow
on him. The letter continued:

"As for me? While you were gone, I slipped him an

aphrodisiac and now I'm pregnant with his child. It’s just that I
don’t know if I’ll give birth to a dear daughter or a bastard son.
This chest counts as my only legacy in this world. Old Mao
once said that his life actually only influenced the outer border
of Beijing. Remember. I said it too. I came to this world only to
leave behind this chest."

Reading about the aphrodisiac and "bastard son" almost made

Fan Xian fall out of his stool. It turned out that not only was
his background extraordinary, but it was fateful as well. It was
unfortunate that the letter didn’t specify who his mother used
the aphrodisiac on. This remained the greatest question on Fan
Xian’s mind.

The following were the words left behind by Fan Xian’s

mother, a woman named Ye Qingmei who shook the world:

"It's sad, isn’t it? I’m sure that in this world – besides you –
no one else can open this box. Why was I so kind to teach you
the five-stroke method of typing? It’s not like you'd be able to
use it to do anything else. Cute little Zhuzhu, I really want to
hug you to sleep. Come back quickly.

"I'm putting the box back where it was. You should know
where. Ha, if you’ve opened the chest and read this letter, of
course you know where it is. Looks like I've said something
unnecessary again.

"I’m only curious: will I have a daughter or son? I hope a

daughter. If it’s a son, it will be his father’s turn to have a
headache. A man's ambition is too great. There's no telling
what he might do.

"Fine, fine. My ambition is great too. I just want this world to

become a more beautiful place. Can a girl’s beautiful dream be
called ‘ambition’?

"Why do I feel like writing a will? To hell with this. This is

way too ominous.

"Heh, who knows? Let’s just pretend it’s my will. Remember

to not use that gun anymore. There's no point in cleaving an
ant with a great sword. After reading this letter, destroy the
chest. Don’t let any irrelevant outsiders know about my
glorious life. They don’t deserve to know.
 "I came, I saw, I played, I became rich, I killed royalty, I
pulled the old emperor’s beard, I lived gloriously under this
world’s sun. The only thing I’ve yet to do in this world is rule
over it. How’s that? My dear daughter, bastard son, I doubt
you will be able to live as I did. It would be good if you can live
a peaceful life.

"Hm… After I die, will I return to that world?

"Dad, Mom, I miss you very much.

"Little Zhuzhu, you don’t understand what I’m saying. You

don’t know where I came from. I’m very lonely. Despite my
interactions in this world, I’m still so lonely.

"I’m very lonely.

"I’m so very lonely.

 Having finished reading the letter, Fan Xian was silent for a
long time. Then he asked with a smile, "Mother did not belong
to this world, do you still remember?"

Wu Zhu was slow to respond, "I think I remember a little."

"Mother said you went to fight someone at the temple. Was it

that battle? Was it how you lost some of your memories?" Fan
Xian slowly traced his hand on the edge of the box.

"Most likely."

"If you hadn’t lost that part of your memory, you'd be the one
opening this chest now. After you'd opened it, would you have
told me everything?"

"No."

"Right." Fan Xian nodded. "I didn’t think so either. Perhaps

you would have found a small, unknown mountain village and
raise me there." He smiled. "Maybe that life wouldn’t be so
bad."

He then sighed, shaking his head. "It’s too bad that things
cannot start over."

"Why aren't you curious about why I was able to open this
chest?" Fan Xian teased Wu Zhu, wanting to see his surprised
face when he realized that his Young Master also came from
another world.

"Why should I be?" Wu Zhu was still as calm as ever.

Suddenly, he realized Young Master was just as chatty as the
Lady.

Fan Xian felt very stupid. He changed the topic. "Does her
death involve the temple?"

"I do not know."

 Fan Xian was silent for a while. He then checked the rest of
the box. The last compartment was covered by a strip of paper.
This last compartment wasn’t too deep. He removed the strip
and was shocked to see what was on it:

"Hey, if this is Wu Zhu, he’d have destroyed this chest as soon

as he read the letter. You’re still reading this. Fess up. Who are
you? How did you open this chest?"

His mother was a sharp one. Fan Xian blanked for a moment
and actually answered "I’m your son". Naturally, she wasn’t
going to hear him.

The strip was rather short, without much writing on it.

There was one last warning:

"I suppose it’s either my daughter or my son. Looking at

what's below requires the cost of one life. Remember this!"

The exclamation mark was much exaggerated with a big

circle for the bottom dot. As per his mother’s final wishes, Fan
Xian dared not ignore her warning. He obediently put the strip
of paper back.

"I’m heading out for a walk." With that, Fan Xian left the
room. Lowering his head, he departed into the rainy night. The
chest would be safe with Wu Zhu, so he wasn’t worried.

Only after Fan Xian’s figure disappeared into the rainy scene
did Wu Zhu walk out of his corner. He sat next to the table, a
bit robotically. He touched the chest and the gun before resting
his hand on the letter. His finger moved back and forth on the
envelope, thinking about something.

With the sound of his finger brushing the paper, the light
pitter patter of the rain could be heard outside.

The room was dark. Wu Zhu sat alone by the box. The
blindfold on his face seemed to have softened somewhat as he
made a gentle expression.

Fan Xian walked alone on the street, letting the rain wash
over his face and drench his body. A smile appeared before
quickly turning into a sorrowful expression, and finally into
one of calmness. Right now, complex emotions were brewing
inside him, conflicting with each other.

Ye Qingmei. This glorious name only entered his life today,

entered his mind. He was currently realizing many things—
where his mother came from, and the things that she did.

In Danzhou, his grandmother had told him that there used to

be two likely successors to the Qing throne. But both
individuals died under extremely absurd circumstances.

Having read the letter, Fan Xian understood that both

successors died before mother’s sniper rifle.

In other words, today’s royal court was only able to come

about and obtain so much power thanks to his mother. She
built Qingyu Hall and the Overwatch Council to strengthen
this nation and provided it with all of the basic necessities.

It could even be said that there would be no Qing without Ye

Qingmei.
Zhuzhu: Ye Qingmei's endearing nickname for Wu Zhu
Chapter 143: Clarity after Autumn Rain
Fan Xian wandered the streets somewhat absent-mindedly.
The rain drenched his shirt, chilling his body, yet his heart was
burning hot. He was watching the streets of Qing; the carriages
that traveled across them, some rich family’s windows, the
kaleidoscopes he often saw, the slippery soap… He was able to
connect all of that in an instant.

It was as if his mother left her mark on all of it! On this

street, in that room, under the heavens; that woman’s presence
seemed to be everywhere.

The last part of that letter read, "I am so very lonely."

Before today, Fan Xian felt that way too. But not anymore.
He began laughing loudly. His laughter carried far away,
waking up the people who had gone to sleep early on this rainy
night.

Someone cursed at him.

 He was still smiling.

In life, Ye Qingmei would never act like the little girl she was
in that letter; of that Fan Xian was certain. His mother had a
most adamant heart, which was the only reason she led such a
glorious life in a totally strange world underneath a wholly
unfamiliar sun.

This both familiar and unfamiliar Qing Kingdom, you owe

Ye Qingmei so much.

The raindrops battered down on Fan Xian’s face. Like some

monster, he seemingly "merged" with the darkness of the night.
Even if that box wouldn’t provide his life with any significant
aid, this sense of no longer feeling lonely allowed him to walk
more and more freely in this world, in this rainy night.

Fan Xian trekked through the wind and rain alone. Suddenly,
he chuckled. Since he wanted to live fully, why not live with
style? Like he once told his younger sister: when looking back
at everything, don’t feel as though the world "discomfort" was
written all over one's face.
 Autumn wind and rain worry people. They worry them to
death.

Infiltrating the palace at night couldn’t be simply dismissed.

As for the Commander of Defense Ye Zhong, who had never
officially been on the stage, he received royal orders and began
to investigate the matter. Despite being the Commander of
Defense, in recent years he stayed in Dingzhou to the west.
When he finally made it back to the capital, three days had
already passed.

The ones in the palace were well aware why His Majesty
would choose him. Firstly, the Ye household had always been
favored by the emperor for their peerless loyalty. Only Director
Chen received more trust from His Majesty. However, Chen
Pingping’s crippled body meant he could not take charge of the
investigation. Secondly, the three individuals at the top were
all suspects.

Ye Zhong also realized how complex this mess was. The head
of the royal guards, Tan Xiaoyi, was uncovered by Eldest
Princess years ago. He supposedly was the strongest martial
artist in the palace. Vice commander Gong Dian was his
disciple. And that reserved Eunuch Hong… Forget it. Not even
Ye Zhong wished to deal with it.

Ye Zhong wasn’t suspicious of those three at all. He was only

intrigued—what was the goal of the second person who
infiltrated the palace? Why would they kill one of Eldest
Princess’s palace girls?

The investigation was being carried out in the dark. Due to

the Overwatch Council’s spy being discovered in Northern Qi,
His Majesty was enraged, and so having the Council’s help now
wouldn’t actually be all that helpful. It was difficult to make
any meaningful progress.

Some days later, after Ye Zhong had already carefully

investigated several palaces, he came to Hanguang Hall. He
caught the scent of a strange incense in the air which reminded
him of that old venomous bag who was in His Majesty’s tent
during the northern campaign. Ye Zhong also remembered that
the night the palace was infiltrated, Zhuang Mohan was also in
Guangxin Palace. The information made him think too much.
He felt the whole situation was stranger than strange.
 He decided to immediately seek an audience with His Majesty
to confess his incompetency and beg for forgiveness. With a
face of shame, he prostrated himself on the ground.

"Are you unable to do it, or are you afraid to do it?" His

Majesty’s face kept a meaningful smile. The officials close to
His Majesty occasionally wondered if it was some sort of trick.
But Ye Zhong knew how much wisdom this emperor held and
answered truthfully, "I am unable to investigate. I am also
afraid to investigate. I really don’t think I can handle matters
involving the royalty."

"You are a member of the Ye household. Are you not afraid of

me sentencing you for disloyalty, for unwillingness to serve
public affairs?"

Ye Zhong dared not rise. "I do not dare to guess Your

Majesty’s intentions. I am stupid, and do not know where to
begin my investigations."

"There is no longer the need to investigate. I’ll deal with this

accordingly." His Majesty’s grin held a hint of dark coldness,
but Ye Zhong, who was prostrating on the ground, could not
see it.

...

On the other hand, Fan Xian, the real culprit, spent his days
hiding in the manor. After his poetic show the other day,
things like drinking tea at Taichang Temple or observing
Honglu Temple became a luxury.

The negotiations were finished. Northern Qi’s envoy already

left the capital. Dongyi’s envoy would be staying around for a
bit longer.

After everything had truly died down, Dongyi left behind a

large amount of silver before reluctantly leaving the capital.
They didn’t know that it was purely due to His Majesty’s
generosity that they hadn't all been imprisoned after the night
infiltration of the palace.

Fan Xian had truly become someone who shook the capital
through and through. No longer did people only watch out for
the powers standing behind him, but rather he himself became
the center of attention. After all, he was the only one who
made the great Zhuang Mohan throw up blood, and he had
done this at such a young age.

As if planned, both the eldest and second princes multiplied

their efforts in trying to win Fan Xian over to their side. Li
Hongcheng often came over for tea. Xin Shaoqing also came to
visit.

But Fan Xian still had a lot of things to do, so he suspended

contact with both of them for the moment. So far, he’d only
accomplished two things: he found the key and he framed that
Yun Zhilan from Dongyi. The pressure from the imperial court
and that ninth-ranked master made him leave the capital
without his will to live or a guarantee of his own safety.

Fan Xian had been waiting for a chance after discovering

Eldest Princess’s conspiracy with Northern Qi.

Two days after the Dongyi diplomatic mission left the

capital, that chance arrived.
 Fan Xian had no solid proof of Eldest Princess’s treachery,
and therefore he could not tell anyone about it, nor could he
use it to take action against the princess. He always had a
complex opinion of the emperor. Besides, if he told His
Majesty, it wouldn’t be entirely impossible that His Majesty
would kill him to preserve the dignity of the royal family.

Had it been a regular citizen of Qing, they would keep a

secret like this deep in their heart, carrying it to the grave.

But Fan Xian was no regular citizen. With two lives’ worth of
memories and knowledge, he knew the importance and the
lethality of propaganda. He also knew that in order to deal
with a crazy princess, he should use even crazier methods.

After the evening feast, the paper industry and related

businesses of the palace treasury had all been monopolized.
While nothing had affected Danbo Bookstore so far, it was only
because Eldest Princess couldn’t mobilize the Eighth Bureau.
Fan Xian knew this was the calm before the storm.

Therefore, before the storm landed, he had to strike first.

 That night, Wu Zhu stood in the corner and listened to Fan
Xian. Ever since opening that chest, Wu Zhu had been visiting
the Fan manor more often, as if he was concerned for Fan
Xian’s safety. Fan Xian spoke as he thought: "If it’s to leave
behind no trace, then use the gun for everything."

Wu Zhu tilted his body, showing that he understood.

Fan Xian continued, "For the past few days, the ones trying to
press down on Danbo Bookstore were those from Xishan
Papermill and Wansong Hall from the palace treasury. With
that established, we are going to take the paper, and use
Wansong Hall’s ink. Only… Can anybody recognize your
handwriting?"

Wu Zhu said coldly, "Don't worry about it."

Fan Xian knew his almost uselessly absurd plan was bound to
work. He grinned. "Make pamphlets. There's no need to make
them too big." He gestured the size with his hands. "It’s more
important to make sure there’s a lot of them. Spread them
everywhere, especially in the imperial college and other
academies. The students are all hot-blooded young men;
they're very easily manipulated. As for the scholars of
Wenyuan Institute, they like to flaunt their characters. I think
they'll get angry after seeing the pamphlets."

Wu Zhu asked coldly, "And the contents of these pamphlets?"

Fan Xian raised his eyebrows and sighed to himself, "I’m like
an undercover Communist Party member."

He started to describe the contents in great detail, paying

much attention on how to make the pamphlets persuasive.
They had to contain both truths and lies, such as how Eldest
Princess spoke to Zhuang Mohan, how much Yan Bingyun
suffered undercover in Northern Qi, only to be abandoned by
the palace, how Eldest Princess was harming the nation for her
own benefits, exactly what benefits she gained, how many fake
eunuchs were in the palace, how many old lovers were outside
the palace…

Wu Zhu analyzed everything calmly. "No one would believe

the princess is sacrificing so much just for some monetary
gain."
 Fan Xian raised his eyebrows again, "Not many people in this
world are as smart as you. As long as the commoners believe it,
all is well. As for the emperor, this counts as a reminder."

Wu Zhu said coldly, "The emperor doesn’t need your

reminder."
Chapter 144: Leaflets Like Snow
Fan Xian smiled. If the eldest princess, who was living in the
palace, was in contact with Northern Qi, and the countless
informants under the Emperor's hand were unaware, it was
absolutely inexcusable. "I don't understand why he still allows
the eldest princess to live in the palace rather than sending her
to another fiefdom."

"The eldest princess is the Empress Dowager's most beloved

daughter. She is his sister, and he does not need to fear
anything."

"How do you suppose the Emperor will react to this?" Fan

Xian had great trust in Wu Zhu's powers of analysis.

"The Overwatch Council would be immediately dispatched,

eliminating the influence that you have singlehandedly built
up, greatly rewarding the eldest princess in order to prove the
unity of the royal family. After matters have quieted, they
would find an opportune moment to allow the eldest princess
to return to the fiefdom of Xinyang." Wu Zhu spoke coldly.
"When rewarding the eldest princess, they should be able to
conveniently reward the Princess Chen, simultaneously raising
your status."

Fan Xian laughed bitterly, knowing the facts of his response,

but listening to them as if they were a corny joke.

"Why does the Emperor not use this simple method to force
the eldest princess out of the palace? As you say, he already
knew that the eldest princess was colluding with Northern Qi."

"First, this method is very unusual. Second, he doesn’t need

to force his sister to leave the palace. He prefers to let those in
hiding reveal themselves, and then destroy the network. He is
very accustomed to such an approach."

Fan Xian could tell that Wu Zhu sincerely believed in the

power of the Emperor. His frown grew deeper. Although the
Emperor's family were heartless scoundrels, when comparing
the two, it was clear that the Emperor, who he had met twice,
was kinder than the eldest princess, so Fan Xian had
unthinkingly begun to worry about the treason that could
occur after some years' time.
 "So what we are doing is tantamount to pacifying the
situation in the palace? The eldest princess will likely still have
companions in the palace."

"I will check," said Wu Zhu coldly.

Fan Xian thought for a moment, deciding on a plan of action.

He laughed bitterly. "I have to think of a way to get the eldest
princess far away from the royal court for a time. Otherwise
His Majesty will have no way to smash the network of his
enemies. I’ll become a ghost among the enemy's ranks. His
Majesty is courageous to wait, and is strong in waiting for the
enemy to make the first move; we can’t."

If a power willing to collaborate with a foreign country

plunged into madness to deal with Fan Xian, Fan Xian could
only flee behind Wu Zhu. Although Fan Xian had wished to
travel the world, this wasn't how he had wanted to do it.

"I will go."

 "Go." Fan Xian waved his right arm, feeling as if he had the
imposing manner of a youthful student leader.

He had watched a number of movies about the war against

Japan in his previous life. He felt that in the darkness at that
moment, the Kingdom of Qing felt much like the city of
Beijing, then called Beiping, when it was occupied by the
Japanese army. He and Wu Zhu were those students who had
dared to resist the invaders, carefully distributing leaflets at
night, calling on the people of the Kingdom of Qing to rise up
against their shameless oppressors.

He smiled as he lay back down on the bed. The box was

stashed beneath the bed, and he was not worried in the
slightest. After Wu Zhu had lost his memories, he had been the
only one in the world who could open the box.

After he had fallen asleep, he had a wonderful dream where

snow fell on the capital in early autumn. The eldest princess
shyly stepped into a carriage, resentfully turning her head to
look at the imperial palace, then leaving her world behind.
 In September in the capital, a great snow truly did fall.
Heaven and earth were elegantly covered like a field of flowers
across every part of the city, particularly near the Imperial
College and the Pavilion of the Imperial Library, which were
covered. As dawn gently broke, scholars and commoners alike
picked up the strange papers, and were greatly shocked when
reading them.

This was the first time that a war of pamphlets had arisen in
the land of the Kingdom of Qing.

However, Fan Xian had overestimated the passion of the

people of Qing, and understimated the control of the Overatch
Council and the six ministries. Within four hours, the leaflets
that had covered the entire capital found their way to the
square office on Tianhe Avenue.

No one dared hold onto a leaflet for themselves. Although the

commoners rarely had any contact with the Overwatch
Council, they were all terrified of its vicious reputation, and no
one wanted to gamble their lives or those of their families.
 The Imperial College reacted with lightning speed, asking for
a decree to be made the same day, and beginning the autumn
term exams ahead of schedule.

All kinds of measures were taken in the space of half a day,

one after another, until the situation was finally under control.
But rumor does not need wings to fly, nor air to breathe.
Throughout the streets and alleyways of the capital, when
people saw each other, the glances they gave no longer
suggested the usual greeting of "Have you eaten," and instead
asked, "Have you seen it?"

The eldest princess's reputation within the capital had never

been great. After all, she was in her thirties and never married,
which was quite unusual.

So although the common people did not necessarily

completely believe the accusations in the leaflet that she had
collaborated with a foreign power, they still believed that they
were not entirely without cause. The logic of the old women in
the streets was even simpler: an unmarried woman of her age
was not to be trusted.
 The first time that the palace confronted this situation, they
were inevitably nervous. Although the Overwatch Council
took capable measures, the palace was still anxious and uneasy.
Palace maids and eunuchs trodded lightly. They heard that the
Emperor had flown into a rage in his study and that the
Empress Dowager had gone into Guangxin Palace, where the
eldest princess had cried for a long time after being slapped in
the face.

In the rooms of the Overwatch Council, there was a deep and

awkward silence. The heads of the eight bureaus all looked at
their leader, Chen Pingping, as he sat in his wheelchair, pulling
at his beard, looking at the leaflet, and chuckling strangely.

Master Chen could laugh, but his subordinates did not dare
to. Everyone knew what was written upon the leaflet.

"Tell me, what truth is there to what is on this paper?" Chen

Pingping finally suppressed the happiness in his heart and
looked at his subordinates.

The head of the eighth bureau naturally bore the brunt of it.
All the literary products in the capital were a responsibility of
his and of the relevant officials in the Ministry of Education.
The events that had transpired in the capital that day had
frightened him, and so he was unable to respond to the
Director's question. "The paper came from the Xishan paper
store, which is the responsibility of the royal purse," he
reported hurriedly. "The ink is from Wansong Hall; that family
has no powerful backers."

Chen Pingping looked at him and frowned. "I asked whether

there was any truth to it," he reprimanded, "not who wrote it."

The head of the eighth bureau wiped the sweat from his
brow. "Slander of the princess, lies about national affairs, and
inciting quarrels," he replied carefully. "Of course there is no
truth to it."

Chen Pingping smiled, but his smile was cold. The window
was still covered by a length of black cloth, so the area where
his wheelchair was appeared somewhat chilly. "Is it all false?"

The leaflet spoke of secret agreements between the eldest

princess and Northern Qi, and how she had given the Qing
spymaster Yan Bingyun to Northern Qi on a silver platter. Yan
Ruohai, head of the fourth bureau, frowned. "The matter with
Yan Bingyun was definitely a result of a leak from someone
inside the court, and that someone was of high-rank. But if it
were the eldest princess, I can’t understand what benefit she
would get out of it."

"This leaflet says that over the past few nights, Zhuang
Mohan has secretly met with the eldest princess in Guangxin
Palace," said Chen Pingping, feigning disinterest.

Yan Ruohai shook his head. "Master Zhuang was invited to

stay at the palace by the Empress Dowager; we cannot take this
as proof."

Chen Pingping looked at him with admiration. "Bingyun has

been taken prisoner in the north, but you still continue to
analyze matters dispassionately. Commendable." He suddenly
lowered his voice. "But... we should not neglect our suspicions.
Do not forget that we are loyal to His Majesty and to the royal
family, but we did not vow loyalty to any single other person
within the royal household."
 He looked calmly at the person sitting at the back. That
person was the head of the first bureau of the Overwatch
Council, Zhu Ge. He was especially responsible for monitoring
officials within the palace, and was the bureau head with the
greatest power within the Overwatch Council.

Zhu Ge nodded and frowned. "People who are aware of the

matter involving Yan Bingyun include both myself and Section
Chief Yan. There are five people total. If the eldest princess is
connected to this matter, then how did she get hold of the
information?"

Chen Pingping was still looking at him calmly. The other

seven officials in the room began to feel a strange atmosphere
building up around them.

After a long moment of silence, Zhu Ge was still calm. He

occasionally frowned, seemingly pondering whether the leaflet
was true, and if so, where the eldest princess had gotten hold of
the information. But the eight section chiefs sitting next to
him could clearly see the sweat pouring down his temples.

Chen Pingping continued to gaze calmly at him.

 Zhu Ge frowned, then suddenly spoke. "Sir, why do you
suspect me?"

Waiting for him to open his mouth, Chen Pingping slowly

closed his eyes and spoke quietly. "Because you're stupid."

"Why not Yan Ruohai? There's no shortage of people selling

out their children in exchange for glory." From the moment
that Zhu Ge had learned of Yan Bingyun's capture, he knew
something was going to happen to him. He laughed bitterly
and looked at Yan Ruohai.

"You are a section chief, and Fei Jie is old. If I were to step
down, then you would be the one in charge of this
organization." Chen Pingping closed his eyes and spoke calmly.
"Unfortunately, you knew that I had other arrangements, so
you were unhappy. The other side would allow you to one day
take control of the Overwatch Council... His Majesty has been
interested in this matter for some time, but I never thought
that the snowflakes of paper that fell this morning would bring
everything out into the open much earlier than planned."Chen
Pingping spoke gently. "So we must deal with it earlier than
planned."
 "Thank you for your assistance, sir." Zhu Ge knew that if His
Majesty dealt with the matter personally, he would be greeted
with a tragic result. He cleared his throat and took a deep and
difficult breath.
Chapter 145: Doing the Math
Chen Pingping looked at him without even a trace of pity.
"You have followed me for 20 years. Before you die, I shall give
you the chance to say your last words."

The head of the First Bureau's face went pale before returning
to a tranquil smile. He looked at the master who had promoted
him from a common functionary to the third-highest man in
the Council, and spoke with sincerity. "Don't believe women.
They're all mad. They're not suited to politics."

Having said this, he patted the top of his head. With a clunk,
his body immediately crumpled, and he slumped over on the
wooden desk, no longer breathing.

His words were sincere. Even if the eldest princess and

Zhuang Mohan's nightly conversations had not been
deliberately listened in on by Fan Xian, one could tell from
Chen Pingping’s expression that the eldest princess had been
the under the Council’s observation. From the moment that the
eldest princess had made the insane decision to sell out Yan
Bingyun, Zhu Ge's days as head of the First Bureau were
numbered.
 His corpse was dragged away. Of course, there would be a
follow-up operation in accordance with relevant regulations.
Chen Pingping looked at the paper before him and shook his
head. "Continuing the analysis, who would be mad enough to
bring everything out into the open like this?"

He was capable of being impervious to desires and passions,

but when the seven other bureau heads saw the man they had
worked with for decades come to such a tragic end, they could
not help but feel somewhat emotional. A moment later, they
recovered and responded. "The diplomatic mission from
Dongyi finally left the day before yesterday," said one of them.
"I see today's incident as being connected to the City of Dongyi
in some way."

"Very good. The investigation at the palace found that the

assassins who entered the palace on the night His Majesty
entertained emissaries from both countries at a banquet were
definitely connected to Dongyi in some way."

"And on that night, an assassin was discovered in Guangxin

Palace. They killed one of the eldest princess’s maids. I reckon
that at that time, they also overheard the conversation
between the eldest princess and Zhuang Mohan."
 "The reason Dongyi is spreading rumors, is because, first of
all, they hope to provoke chaos within the royal court. After
all, there hasn’t been an effective agreement between the two
countries as there was with Northern Qi, so Dongyi fears that
the palace will dispatch troops."

"And once this matter is uncovered, His Majesty will be

shocked, and might tear up the agreement with Northern Qi,
reigniting war between the two nations. Dongyi has always
fallen between the cracks, and presumably would be happy to
see such a situation."

"Whether you look at it in terms of motive or as a final

result, Dongyi is the most likely perpetrator, and the one who
would stand to gain most from this matter."

"The only problem is, the paper was only taken from the
Xishan paper store last night. If Dongyi can write this many
copies in one night--and we are monitoring most of their
people hidden within the capital--we need to know about those
who are not under our control. There shouldn’t be too many of
them." Yan Ruohai continued his analysis. "To do all of this in
one night would require at least 40 trained men."
 Hearing his subordinates' meticulous analysis, Chen
Pingping smiled. He said nothing. The room went quiet.

After a while, a voice suddenly spoke. "So what about the

prisoner swap agreement?"

"Continue with it," said Chen Pingping calmly.

"Master, you lost both your legs to capture Xiao En.

Returning him purely as a result of the eldest princess’s
betrayal is a decision that we, as your subordinates, are
uncomfortable following.

"Uncomfortable? How would you suggest we recover Yan

Bingyun?" Chen Pingping laughed grimly. "Someone must be
exchanged. We can deliver Xiao En into the hands of Northern
Qi alive, but we can only allow him to see the sky above
Shangjing, the capital of Northern Qi."

The bureau chiefs knew that the Director had already made
his decision. They nodded humbly. They didn’t want to give
Xiao En to Northern Qi, no matter what. The old man was the
former spymaster of Northern Wei. Who knew how many Qing
spies he had killed. And even today, his scheming mind could
pose a great threat to the Kingdom of Qing. If the person
captured by Northern Qi had not been the son of Yan Ruohai of
the Fourth Bureau, these unfeeling spymasters of Qing would
undoubtedly have followed their Director's order and urged the
Emperor to sacrifice the unfortunate captive's life for the sake
of the nation.

Yan Ruohai also knew this, and so he was deeply grateful to

the Director. Suddenly, he spoke. "What of the eldest princess?"

"We are loyal to His Majesty, and His Majesty has not said
anything; we won’t act on what we don’t know. Chen Pingping
had made his final judgment.

"Shall we capture the emissaries from Northern Qi and bring

them back?"

"What would bringing them back do? Concede that the royal
court has lost face? I’ll leave this matter in the hands of the
Eighth Bureau. Say some remaining elements of the former
nation of Yue to the south who are still unwilling to concede
defeat are spreading rumors within the capital and have
already been captured entirely. We will take a couple of
prisoners to the market and execute them. Before we do, make
sure the common people of the city are there to witness the
spectacle." Chen Pingping spoke coldly.

The gathered chiefs departed, following their orders to

counteract the rumors and arrest people. Only Yan Ruohai was
left behind. He looked at the Director and spoke calmly. "There
is no poison in the world that would allow Xiao En to survive
the journey only to die before the lords of Northern Qi."

"What is your point?" asked Chen Pingping.

Yan Ruohai frowned. "I know my son. He would not agree

with His Majesty's methods. I think he would happily trade his
life for Xiao En."

Chen Pingping looked at him coldly. "You should avoid

arousing suspicion in this matter. Do not get involved, and do
not discuss it. As for how it is done, that is my business. You
are correct, there is no poison that could miraculously bring
about such a situation. Even if Master Fei were here in the
capital, he could not achieve it. But Xiao En must die, and Yan
Bingyun must return."

He smiled. "Do not forget, it was I who sent your son to the
north four and a half years ago."

Yan Ruohai was about to say something, but Chen Pingping

stopped him with a wave of his hand. "I was going to wait for
Bingyun's return before I promoted you to Zhu Ge's place. Zhu
Ge could have lived a few days longer, but with these leaflets
flying all over the capital, and the city in uproar, I want to
make it clear to you."

Chen Pingping sighed. "Something that was hidden in the

shadows has suddenly become known by everyone in the
capital. Such a preposterous yet effective method will probably
also force His Majesty to make things clear to the officials who
are aware of this matter."

Chen Pingping cleared his throat. "You should know, there is

now a commissioner within the council, and as I told you once
before, I am preparing to send him to Northern Qi."
 Yan Ruohai frowned. "It is very dangerous." He understood
that the Director wanted to give this commissioner the task of
killing Xiao En.

"One cannot make a sword without striking the iron." Chen

Pingping's eyes seemed somewhat tired. "If he is successful, I
hope that one day, you can help him run the Council properly."

Yan Ruohai finally understood. He was secretly rather

surprised, but he did not dare say anything. Crouched in front
of Chen Pingping's wheelchair, he nodded sincerely.

"So who did it?" Chen Pingping pushed his wheelchair to the
window, his sallow fingers lifting up a corner of the black
cloth, furtively peeking his head out to look, like a child. The
days of uninterrupted autumn rain had already finished the
day before yesterday, and it was a bright, sunny day outside.
There was a golden glint on the imperial palace in the distance.

He leant on one side of his wheelchair, using the light that

peeked through the black cloth to look at the paper in his hand.
He could not help but shake his head. "Regardless of whether
or not she collaborated with Northern Qi, was there really any
need to say that she kept three thousand gigolos inside the
palace for promiscuity?" This issue regarding the reputation of
the royal family was rather inconvenient to bring up in their
previous discussions. Chen Pingping looked at the lettering on
the leaflet, as straight and neat as matchsticks, and laughed. "It
really is causing trouble. Shameful... but, the penmanship
really does look like it was written by that idiot from the city
of Dongyi."

"Dongyi, Dongyi... is it really you?" As he muttered to

himself, a smile floated across his face. "Sigu Sword was an
idiot, but he wasn't mad. In dealing with that madwoman the
eldest princess, this method could actually be quite effective. If
you smash porcelain to pieces, no one can tell the pieces apart.
But if you break His Majesty's rules, His Majesty may not be
happy.

Whether it was the calculating Chen Pingping, or the

secretive and crazed eldest princess, neither could have
imagined that such a great matter was caused by the work of
just two people, a master and his servant.

Fan Xian watched the aftermath of the affair calmly, even

was even detached. His dictation of erotic literature was
seemingly something that this nation could not bear. No
matter how the Emperor genuinely felt deep down, he did not
care what damage he might have done to the eldest princess’s
true power. But what he had wanted to happen had finally
come to pass.

The eldest princess had left the palace in absolute silence,

returning to her fiefdom of Xinyang. As for the conflicts and
struggles that this affair had brought about within the palace,
Fan Xian was unconcerned.

Just as Wu Zhu had calculated, His Majesty had bestowed

titles without restraint. At the same time, Fan Xian had
benefited. Although on the surface it had nothing to do with
him, it seemed that His Majesty was praising him for his
services to the ruling dynasty.

By imperial decree, Fan Xian immediately changed from an

eighth level academic to a fifth-level administrator of the
Imperial College.

In the reception pavilion, Fan Xian held the imperial decree

in his hands, racking his brains. "What does an academic of the
Imperial College do?" he asked his father.

"Teaches the students of the Imperial College." Count Sinan

also felt that this decree was excessively unfathomable. He
shook his head. "You don't have an official certificate of
examination; how can you be an academic of the Imperial
College?"

"Does that mean I don't have to take the imperial

examinations next year?"

"That's right." Count Sinan seemed unhappy. He spoke

unenthusiastically. "Not taking the imperial examinations is
not the right way. Right now, it may seem extremely
convenient, but in the future, it will be a hindrance to your
official career." But he thought it over. Did the demand not
mean peace for the whole of Fan Manor that this handsome
young man could comfortably live out his days?

That was his thinking. Otherwise he would not have named

the child "Xian", meaning "leisure", or his courtesy name
"Anzhi", which meant "peaceful".
 Once he heard that he would not have to sit the imperial
exams, Fan Xian was overjoyed, and with a huge grin on his
face he returned to the study. Fan Sizhe was already waiting
there, grinding an inkstick while he looked at him.

"What are you doing?"

"Making an inscription."

"For what?"

"The Banxianzhai Poetry Anthology."

Chapter 146: Poetry Anthologies and
Speeches
"What's a Banxianzhai?"

"That's what this study is. Father said that he'll leave this
study to you; you can discuss if after you’re married. I already
got Qiye the shopkeeper to go to Laohengju and order a stone
tablet for the inscription. The name is going to be
Banxianzhai."

Fan Xian felt something wasn't right. "So what's the

Banxianzhai Poetry Anthology?" he felt compelled to ask.

"Huh? It's the poems you recited in the palace hall the other
day. It's already been compiled into a collection by the Imperial
College. His Majesty is making preparations for it to be printed
under the name of the Imperial Library. I was the one who
asked father to get it done."

After the Xishan Paper Store had been robbed, the imperial
merchants had been removed from their posts and
investigated. They were still yet to return to their former
power, and furthermore, the inner treasury had been warned
by the palace not to target the Danbo Bookstore again. Danbo
Bookstore was slowly regaining its momentum. Naturally,
wanting to prepare for its great expansion, Qiye the shopkeeper
and Sizhe had fixed their sights on this poetry anthology
mandated by the Emperor. Part of the money was taken by the
palace, and the palace gave permission for private individuals
to sell it after it was printed; this was the source of the money.

Who were the poems written by? Fan Xian. Who was Fan
Xian? The behind-the-scenes proprietor of the Danbo
Bookstore. This moneymaking business, whether it was Qiye
the shopkeeper of Qingyu Hall, or Fan Sizhe standing behind
the shopkeeper with an evil laugh, could not be allowed to
benefit the royal court. Fan Sizhe had been thoroughly
annoyed by his brother’s unwillingness to come up with the
next ten chapters of Story of the Stone. Now that he had come
up with this poetry anthology, he was willing to let that slide.

Fan Xian wrote his signature below the words "Banxianzhai

Poetry Anthology" on the paper, laughing bitterly to himself.
That evening, in order to provide cover for his whereabouts
later that night, he had feigned drunkenness in the hall. As a
result, he had fallen into a wild state, not holding his tongue
for a moment. Within these poems were countless unexplained
references to the classics; if he wanted to explain these
references, he would have to write countless history books and
stories.

Could you write the Four Classic Novels? A New Account of

the Tales of the World? The Analects of Confucius? The Book
of Songs? Don't think that that's too quaint. Could you
compose A Mirror for the Wise Ruler out of thin air? Or Sima
Qian's Records of the Grand Historian? Nobody would have the
faintest idea of how to write them all.

Thinking of such a volume of work made Fan Xian quiver

with fear. If it really were to extend that far, perhaps Danbo
Bookstore would really become a disseminator of all of the
culture of his previous world, as had been his dream in
Danzhou long ago. "The Imperial Library's proofreading won't
do," he said. "You must get it back. I need to re-edit it all. I was
so drunk that day. Who knows what nonsense I might have
been talking."

He laid down his plan. If he could deceive them, then he

would, but it really wouldn't do. He could reluctantly make a
loss, using drunkenness as an excuse to totally delete it all.
Anyway, people often suffered from amnesia after a night of
heavy drinking.
 "This is out of print." Fan Sizhe shook his head. "As I see it,
wait five years. You say you won't write any more poems. If
you come out of retirement in the poetry world, I reckon it'll
make quite a bit of money."

Fan Xian laughed and shook his head. His gaze suddenly fell
on a sheet of pink paper from the bookstore. "What is that?" He
asked curiously.

"A list of gifts," replied Fan Sizhe.

Fan Xian was slightly surprised, and finally thought of his

own upcoming wedding. But so much had happened recently,
not to mention the fact that his frame of mind had changed
slightly from what it was that first time at the Temple of Qing.
He could no longer get along with her mother. The current
Emperor still could still keep a handle on things. Once the
Emperor no longer wanted to control keep things under
control, the eldest princess would definitely kill him.

Or he would definitely kill her.

 He had been looking forward to his marriage for a long time,
but Fan Xian could not feel a little restless and aggrieved.

Over the next few days, the Danbo Bookstore brought out the
Banxianzhai Poetry Anthology. This time, Danbo Bookstore
had the printing rights, and Fan Xian had personally made bold
and sweeping changes to the text. He felt somewhat more at
ease. To his surprise, the bookstore held a ceremony, using Fan
Xian's name to invite people such as Crown Prince Jing and Xin
Qiwu of Honglu Temple.

Fan Xian was rather shocked, and was only willing to allow
his talented sister Fan Ruoruo to show her face in public and
act as his spokesperson. As the bustling sale began, he used the
excuse that he wanted to maintain an air of poetic mystery, and
hid in the pavilion at the palace to flirt with Lin Wan'er.

An eighth-level functionary had composed one-hundred

poems on the spot, shocking the master Zhuang Mohan so
badly that he had spat blood and fled: this story had already
spread throughout the Kingdom of Qing. Although some of the
poems had already spread among the masses, this self-edited
version of the poetry anthology was naturally an uncommon
thing. Sure enough, as the poetry anthology spread outside of
the capital, Fan Xian's reputation grew and grew.

By the pavilion, autumn winds blew in the night. Fan Xian

looked kindly at his fiancée and smiled. "The method you
mentioned wouldn't be of any use."

Lin Wan'er looked miserable, and pouted her lips adorably. "I
haven't been outside for days."

In truth, the young woman also knew of the business that

had gone on in the capital over the past few days. Although she
had grown up inside the palace, the concubines all had her in
the palm of their hands. A part of it was due to her own
sickness and gentleness, and she could not harm them.
Another was because His Majesty seemed to love her so dearly.

Naturally, she had not read the "essay" on the eldest princess,
but she had gradually heard some of the rumors. After, but
before the eldest princess had left the capital for Xinyang, she
had come to the pavilion, and mother and daughter had sat
facing each other, somewhat like strangers; it was then that the
eldest princess got in her carriage and left the capital.
 Although Lin Wan'er didn’t know how Fan Xian was
connected her mother's departure, being the sensitive person
she was, she still felt that Fan Xian's mood was not as relaxed
and carefree as it had been in the past, so she suggested that
they find a day to go out again and appreciate the autumn
scenery. The red leaves of Xishan, the mountains to the west of
the capital, were well known.

But hearing the word 'Xishan' reminded Fan Xian of the paper
workshop than had monopolized all the paper in the capital.
He thought of the eldest princess seemingly observing him
from the behind the paper workshop with seeming malice and
timidity

Fan Xian knew that the eldest princess’s departure from the
capital was a result of the Emperor's power. His own "speech
paper" had only given the Emperor a reason to convince
himself and the Empress Dowager, nothing more.

To explain things, all levels of Qing society had named the

leaflets that covered the capital like snow that day "speech-
papers" at that time, because they thought it was a method that
the common people used to get their grievances addressed after
they exhausted all other options.
 Over those days, there was a sudden vogue for such "speech-
papers", which had worried the Overwatch Council. Once
someone had been arrested, they discovered that it had
originally been a forced laborer at a copper mine, who had
come to Taiyuan Road to present a grievance to the Emperor,
but had been unable to enter the palace, and so had learnt to do
it this way.

The Overwatch Council followed the thread, and finally

discovered that the ones supplying these struggling types with
paper had been the Xishan Paper Workshop!

But the people helping the laborers to write their complaints

could not be found out. They could only track down the
flexible and sleek handwriting to a fortune teller who had been
outside the Temple of Qing. But when the Overwatch Council
came to search the Temple of Qing, they discovered that there
were no fortune tellers there - save for the temple attendants
who had never left the temple once in all their lives.

The business with the copper mine was naturally given to a

bureau to sort out, and they quickly discovered a group of
officials from Taiyuan Road and arrested them as they made
their way back to the capital. A month later, they were
beheaded. The royal court could not bear this movement of
speech-paper-writing, and reinforced the supervision of paper.
But Director Chen of the Overwatch Council had not punished
the copper mine laborers, and in the eyes of the bureaucracy,
he seemed to have gone soft.

He came to his senses, looking at the worried Wan'er, came

up to her, smiling, and softly caressed her smooth chin. "What
are you thinking about?" he asked gently. "The eldest princess
has returned to Xinyang. When we have the chance after we're
married, naturally, we should visit her."

This, naturally, was a lie; Fan Xian hoped that he never had
to go to Xinyang in his life, and hoped that the eldest princess
would die there. Of course, he also knew that he had not truly
dealt a shocking blow to the power of the eldest princess and
her mysterious partner. The Emperor enjoyed playing cat and
mouse - with his enemies; the eldest princess would return one
day.

Lin Wan'er smiled reluctantly. "We'll see. Yesterday I entered

the palace. You know that with the recent events in the capital,
the concubines are still well, but the Empress Dowager does
not seem comfortable. His Majesty has also not been as
friendly to me as he was before."

Fan Xian sighed. The Emperor was worried about who the
prince that her mother had been colluding with was. How
could he have been as he was in the past?

The two exchanged some more idle chat before they suddenly
heard what sounded like a lady-in-waiting making her way up
the stairs. In a conditioned reflex, Fan Xian leapt up and
climbed out onto the edge of the window, preparing to jump
off. Lin Wan'er giggled. "That's still a habit of yours?"

Fan Xian smiled, somewhat embarrassed. Looking at Wan'er's

pale face, he could feel his heart soften. He went up to her and
hugged her tight. "Don't tire yourself out before the wedding,"
he said quietly. "And when it comes to your illness, don't be
afraid. Leave it all to me. I'll be here for you."

The green branches outside the window had kept their lively
colors in the stubborn autumn winds, trying to prove that
despite their bleak surroundings, that they were still beautiful.
 At a bend in the staircase, the servant girl Siqi watched the
mistress and her young man, and couldn't help but stick her
tongue out. She knew that the young man of the Fan family
was a gifted scholar, but he was still shameless.

The wedding was at hand, and all of Fan Manor was in

motion. The eldest princess was not in the capital, so the work
of making arrangements was down to Concubine Shu in secret.
Apart from feeling a sense of glory, all of Fan Manor felt
cautious. There was a fear that some detail had been missed
somewhere, that rules had not been meticulously abided by.

But rules are difficult things. Lin Wan'er's status as a princess

was only in effect inside the palace. Outside the world of the
palace, her status was that of Prime Minister Lin's illegitimate
child, only forced to be acknowledged by him at the start of the
year. So it could not be ascertained whether this marriage
ultimately still used the ceremonial protocols reserved for
princesses, or normal marriage standards for the children of
cabinet minister.

Lady Liu entered the palace again, finally receiving clear

instructions from the Empress Dowager. Although the Empress
Dowager did not like the Lin family's participation in her
precious little granddaughter's marriage, she had to agree to it.
At the same time, she also announced that the wedding would
not be performed in accordance with protocols for the
marriage of a princess.

Although those old ladies with inside knowledge within the

upper echelons of the Fan clan were slightly disappointed,
when they thought of the marriage to the family of the Prime
Minister, they felt it was a thing of great renown, so they
eagerly prepared for it.

But no one imagined that the sight of Fan Xian's marriage to

Lin Wan'er would be thought far more deserving of
remembrance than the marriage of a princess and the
Emperor's son-in-law for many years to come.
Chapter 147: The Grand Wedding (I)
Autumn in the capital was different from anywhere else.
Young girls gathered the red leaves found on the mountains to
the west and sold them in the streets like flowers. The white
grasses of the great lake to the east were gathered and woven
into bundles—they were given to rich families to ward off evil.
Slightly chilly autumn winds weaved through the capital
streets, blowing through the forests, brushing past the smooth
cheeks of traveling ladies, dispersing the steam rising from
food stalls, as if trying to blow away a whole year’s worth of
bad luck and shady occurrences.

Among the streets of the capital, Tianhe Avenue was the

cleanest and the most peaceful and beautiful. Various
government buildings lined both sides. Today was the first day
of the month, so the various officials got a rarely earned break
of ten days. But they dared to not relax completely. Today was
the day Fan Xian—the eldest son of Fan manor—got married.
No matter the rank or post, all the officials were going.

This great wedding was a major sensation in the capital. The

Fan clan was famous enough already. Due to Count Sinan’s
relationship with the royal family, in recent years they
experienced a long period of prosperity, and the current
functionary was sick in bed. In about a couple years’ time, Fan
Xian would take that position.

As for the groom Fan Xian, he had only recently become an

even more sensational character. Not mentioning the Niulan
Street incident half a year ago, it was only last month that he
went into a drunken poetic frenzy in the palace. That incident
made him the topic of every single household. Ever since that
day, Fan Xian hid himself in his home, making the people
wonder exactly what the newly appointed scholar looked like.

The bride was equally impressive. While she was only

adopted into the Lin family at the beginning of the year, she
was still the daughter of the prime minister. As the head of all
civil officials who governed the nation, his daughter being
married was a major event. Despite certain events in the
imperial court that made the prime minister’s position less
than stable, there was no political danger with this wedding,
and so various officials were happy to attend.

Both the bride and groom were illegitimate children, but

everyone in the capital seemed to have forgotten about it now.
 As for the high-ranking officials who knew this couple’s real
backgrounds, they secretly raised the standards for the
wedding gifts. They took their seats early in Fan manor,
curious as to what sort of developments would there be today.

...

Five old nannies were dressing Fan Xian up as if he were a

wooden dummy, making him vow that if he had to go through
this torture again in the future, he would turn down all
weddings, or even swear to never get married again. Rather
than being chained down by weddings, he’s rather settle for
hook-ups.

Normally, according to Qing traditions, weddings were held

at dusk. But Fan Xian got dragged out of bed before the sun
even came out. Bathing and brushing his teeth were simple
matters, but immediately afterwards, one of the nannies began
to dissolve some rouge in warm water. Greatly frightened, Fan
Xian asked the nannie what she was doing. Only now did he
realize that, as the groom, he needed to wear make-up!
 Obviously, such things were more than what Fan Xian could
endure, so he adamantly refused. Not even Fan Jian was able to
persuade him after over half an hour. Although he was
victorious, Fan Xian did lose much time, which was the reason
why five nannies were helping him dress.

The clothing he had gotten used to long ago became

unbearable today. Under the straight red robe were three layers
of garments. On the outside, the robe was decorated by various
jewelry, ribbons, and tassels; it was so colorful it made the eyes
water.

After putting on the headdress, Fan Xian tied up the jade

tablet. His silver shoes chaffed his feet, while his gold collar
dug into his neck. Like an idiot, he was pushed to the front hall
by the nannies.

Both Fan Ruoruo and Fan Sizhe were also dressed festively,
Ruoruo especially so. Her pink top contrasted spiritedly
against her calm face. The siblings tried to hide their laughter
when they saw their elder brother. Fan Sizhe mocked, "Where
did this flower dumpling come from?"
 Fan Xian took two steps forward angrily, however, all the
decorations he wore chimed out. Laughing at himself, he said,
"Flower dumpling? I’m a wind chime spewing out colors."

For this living, walking wind chime, having to walk the

streets was the most painful thing to do. Fortunately, Fan Xian
would be riding in a sedan chair rather than on a horse.
Otherwise, he’d dash back to Danzhou out of shame. Finally,
the wedding parade arrived at Fan Manor. Lin Wan’er moved
back to Lin household ten days ago. A wedding parade outside
the palace wouldn’t be appropriate for the entire capital to see.

Sitting in the sedan chair, the sound of firecrackers made him

blank out slightly. As he smelled the smoke, the scent
somehow reminded him of something from far past. He shook
his head and pulled himself back together. He forced a very
stiff smile and set off.

By rule, Fan Xian cannot enter the bride’s room, while the
prime minister cannot enter Fan manor. Among the ruckus of
firecrackers and instruments, the gates of Lin manor slowly
opened. The one who came out to greet them was Yuan
Hongdao. A red flower adorned his hat, giving him quite the
look.
 "Young Master Fan." Yuan Hongdao greeted with a smile.

Fan Xian smiled uneasily, feeling a worrisome twinge in his

stomach, but he forced himself to keep a bright expression. He
greeted back "Mister Yuan." The two had seen each other in the
prime minister’s building. Knowing who each other were, the
two of them weren’t exactly strangers.

Of the specialist veterans in the capital, about half of them

were accepted by Fan Xian. As soon as the front door to Lin
manor was open, those old ladies opened their mouths and
began to spew out good wishes. The sheer amount of words
stunned Yuan Hongdao. Soon the crowd gathered at the
entrance.

Then, they witnessed a truly strong stopping power.

So, where did the other half go? Taken by Lin manor, of
course. Soon spit began to fly through the air as the chatter
went on. While celebratory on the surface, they were full of
hidden disdain. They didn’t sound like they were celebrating
the marriage between the prime minister’s daughter and Count
Sinan’s son, instead they sounded like they were putting up
with a pair of rich commoners from the countryside.

Fan Xian couldn’t help but smile bitterly; he understood this

was merely a custom. Before marriage, the bride’s side must
start a quarrel. Supposedly, this would use up all the quarrel
the newly-wed would face in the future.

Fan Xian was forced to stood there listening. As time passed,

he was getting nauseous. Finally, he noticed the noise died
down a bit. Overjoyed, he opened his eyes and shouted,
"Done?"

...

An awkward silence later, someone quietly told him, "Young

Master Fan, it’s still too early."

Someone from Lin manor added with a chuckle, "Looks like

the groom is getting impatient. Well, can’t blame him, since
our Lady…" He then proceeded to throw out a ton of
compliments regarding Lin Wan’er.
 More time passed, Yuan Hongdao noticed Fan Xian was
turning pale. He lowered his voice and said, "Please endure it a
bit longer. The capital isn’t like Danzhou. There really are a lot
more customs here."

Fan Xian forced a happy expression, "I’m not impatient at

all." Inside, he said to himself, "I waited thirty years already,
this is nothing." After a short while, this evil ceremony finally
ended. After some cheering, the gates to Lin manor opened a
second time. The daughter of Lin Household finally walked
out, led by two nannies.

Fan Xian’s eyes brightened. Lin’er was dressed in an all-red

robe with wide sleeves. Alongside her beauty was the
atmosphere of peerless festivity. However, the red veil covered
the decorated headdress and her unforgettable face.

The crowd gathered to spectate, starting an uproar before

Fan Xian could do anything. The crowd shouted for Fan Xian
to lift the veil to let them see if the bride was pretty.

Had they carried out such unruliness on a regular day, they’d

be fortunate to receive a crippling beatdown at the hands of
Wan’er’s family; they’d even be imprisoned for life by the
Overwatch Council.

But today was a day of grand celebration, and all were to be

joyful. So neither households wished to disrupt this
atmosphere. Fan Xian was still displeased and gave those
people a look. The subordinates understood what Fan Xian
meant. A few yelps came out of the crowd, it sounded like the
rowdiest ones in there got kicked.

After another series of ceremonies, Lin Wan’er, dressed in all

red, got onto the wedding sedan chair.

During the entire procedure, Fan Xian wasn’t able to talk to

her once, or make eye contact, or even get a fingertip on her.

...

Back at Fan manor, all the guests were there. The music made
everything exceptionally lively.
 The bride was invited to the room first, while the groom
welcomed the guests in the front hall. As he greeted
acquaintances and strangers alike with a smile, Fan Xian
quietly asked someone next to him, "When do I get to exchange
vows?"

"It’s still too early for that, Young Master. You must first sit
together, eat together with the same utensils, and…"

Fan Xian didn’t hear the rest. Forcing down his urge to curse
out, he consoled himself to be patient. As he said earlier, he
waited thirty years already, why be impatient now?
Chapter 148: The Grand Wedding (II)
Whatever was said, Fan Xian couldn’t remember, but he did
remember drinking a lot. He also remembered being asked by
the many officials present to write a couple of poems to
commemorate the event, some of which held genuinely good
intentions, while others were simply being greedy. Regardless
of how much he drank, Fan Xian adhered to his vow of
withdrawing from the world of poetry—he forced a smile and
declined.

During the feast, the guests from Jing Palace finally arrived,
and all of the officials stood to greet them.

King Jing had always liked the brat Fan Xian. Seeing his
flamboyant outfit today, he said, "What kind of outfit is that?"

Fan Xian knew King Jing’s temperament. He smiled and said,

"May I ask how Your Highness dressed on the day of your
wedding?"

Crown Prince Jing lowered his voice and said, "Probably

worse than you."
 King Jing cursed out, "When I married, you didn’t even exist.
What the hell do you know?"

Seeing King Jing and the crown prince quarreling, the other
officials dared not interfere. Instead, they all stood to the side
trying to hide their laughter. But the host, Count Sinan,
couldn't afford such leisure. He went to council them. "Your
Highness, that really was unnecessary." Despite being a count,
the two households had had good relations for over ten years,
which was why he was able to converse so casually with King
Jing.

King Jing waved his hand and stopped minding everyone else
as he followed Fan Jian inside. Halfway there, he stopped and
turned around. He said to Fan Xian, seriously this time, "Not
bad."

Fan Xian was surprised and hurriedly thanked him for the
compliment. King Jing continued to speak with a frown, "I was
originally planning to wait two years or so and have Rou Jia
married to you. Who would have thought that older sister of
mine would make the first move?" He seemed to feel truly
regretful as he shook his head and walked inside.
 Who was this older sister? Of course, it was Fan Xian’s new
mother-in-law, the eldest princess. Fortunately, King Jing
lowered his voice when he said it, so no one else heard this. Fan
Xian thought how scary it would be if he married Rou Jia
before changing the subject—his mother-in-law looked so
much younger than King Jing, which was very intriguing.

As he became lost in thought, Li Hongcheng patted him on

the shoulder, "Between the two of us, my household is
supposed to arrive earlier. But you should know, with
occasions like this, it’s not convenient for us to do so."

Fan Xian understood. Despite the two of them being on

friendly terms, Li Hongcheng was still King Jing’s crown
prince. It would be against the norms for him to come help out
the son of a civil servant. As Fan Xian smiled and was about to
say something, Li Hongcheng continued in a light voice, "Rou
Jia couldn't be here today. She asked me to let you know."

Fan Xian raised an eyebrow. Rou Jia was his and Ruoruo’s
friend. Why didn’t she come on his wedding day?
 Seeing his expression, Li Hongcheng explained with an
uneasy smile, "My younger sister is currently wiping away her
tears back at the manor. What Lord Father said was true; if it
wasn’t for your fiancée’s background, he really would have
asked the empress dowager to wed Rou Jia to you."

Fan Xian was shocked at first, but then he felt a bit bitter. He
realized that he really didn’t know what to say, so he decided to
stay silent for the moment.

The time had finally arrived for the couple to exchange vows
to Heaven and Earth. Fan Xian and Lin Wan’er each held onto
one end of the red silk sash, staring at each other
affectionately. Delicately, they said their vows. This made Fan
Ruoruo cry and Fan Sizhe cringe.

When saluting the parents, Count Sinan Fan Jian sat while
gently stroking his beard. Lady Liu sat somewhat awkwardly
in the seat of the mother. The people watching were all
wondering: since when did Lady Liu establish herself as the
head wife?
 The spectators didn’t know it was the result of Fan Xian’s
plans for the past month. Fan Xian was not the type to love his
enemies, but he was also not the type to hold a grudge. He was
still cautious of Lady Liu. But seeing how she was truly loyal
and dedicated to his father, establishing her position as the
head wife would stabilize her influence as well as calm her
down a bit.

Of course, should Lady Liu act against him in anyway, Fan

Xian now could protect himself and hurt the enemy. It’s just
that Fan Xian didn’t want that to happen; if he was correct,
Lady Liu had suffered much in her life, not to mention that
Fan Sizhe was between them too. Up until last night – until
empress dowager herself gave permission – Count Sinan had
always been silent about changing Lady Liu’s place in the
household.

After having endured for ten years, Lady Liu was finally
sitting as the head wife of the household. Not used to the
position, she touched the hand rests of her seat. A bit
unsettled, she received the tea that was offered to her and took
a noncommittal sip. She began to stare uneasily at Fan Xian.
 Fan Xian didn’t look back at her, however. He was offering
tea to his father with a smile.

With great difficulty, a faint smile appeared on the corner of

Lady Liu’s lips.

The outsiders who were watching couldn’t help but feel

confused. After all, they didn’t know what happened, so who
could blame them? But those from Lady Liu’s mother’s side
couldn’t help but sigh over the scene.

At this moment, some ruckus sounded outside the manor.

Fan Xian rose while Wan’er was helped up by a nanny. The
family looked outside in unison.

"An Imperial decree has arrived for the Fan clan."

Eunuch Hou, who was familiar with the Fan household,

came in with a bright smile to deliver the Imperial decree.
Despite today being a day of celebration, both Fan Jian and Fan
Xian guessed there had been some arrangements in the palace,
and thus weren’t surprised.
 But the civil officials in the courtyard were. As Eunuch Hou
announced the decree, the officials found the award being
bestowed to be atypical. The amount of golden silk far
surpassed what was normal; there were also some tribute
items. Regardless of how they looked at it, this was not the gift
to bestow upon a marriage between the children of civil
servants. Rather, it was more suited to be given to a ruler or a
royal relative.

Even considering that this involved the prime minister and

Count Sinan, the royal family shouldn’t be giving this much
attention.

As he listened to the Imperial decree, Fan Xian said quietly to

his wife, whose face was hidden under the red veil, "Hear that?
That's all thanks to you."

Under her veil, Lin Wan’er was greatly embarrassed.

...
 After Eunuch Hou left, and as the various officials were just
about to take a breath of relief, another voice outside
announced, "Fan and Lin, a match made in Heaven, Imperial
Consort Shu brings gifts."

Surprised, Fan Xian and Wan’er saluted again. Imperial

Consort Shu had given them the original copies of that rare set
of books. Lady Shu was the mother of the second prince. As it
turned out, she too had connections with Fan manor. The
officials were awed.

A short while after that, a voice rang out once again, "Fan
and Lin, a match made in Heaven, Ning the Talented also
brings gifts." While the status of this talented woman wasn’t
all that high, her only son was the eldest prince. She always
had a retinue of troops with her, as the emperor valued her
highly.

Ning’s gift was a sword, which suited her Dongyi

background. The newly-wed couple had no choice but to
receive it with a salute. Fan Xian said quietly to his wife, "See?
Now it’s the Ladies’ turn to award us. This sword must be for
you. If something ever goes against your wishes, you can use it
to slay me."
 Again, Lin Wan’er became extremely embarrassed. In front of
this crowd, it was impossible for her to give her husband a
smack.

Since both Imperial Consort Shu and Ning the Talented had
given gifts, the other Ladies were no exception, only the less
prominent ones sent their gifts together. Only Lady Ning was
different, as she was part of Liu family. Furthermore, last
night, she received word that Lady Liu had finally been
promoted to head wife. She was overjoyed, so she decided to go
all out; the gift list alone was about two feet thick, to the shock
of the watching officials.

After the Ladies, it was time for the empress dowager’s gift.
As the mother figure to the nation, her gift was bound to be
extraordinary: it was a delicate and translucent jade ruyi
scepter of indescribable value.

The wedding was an eye-opening event for those civil

officials. Since Qing’s founding day, they had never seen so
many esteemed ones from the palace be so involved in the
marriage between the children of officials.
 It goes without saying that the high-ranking officials who
knew Wan’er’s background realized what was happening. Lin
Wan’er was not only Eldest Princess’s illegitimate daughter.
Most importantly, she was beloved by both the emperor and
empress dowager. Growing up in the palace, it was no wonder
that her relationship with those esteemed ones was so atypical.

Gradually everything began to calm down as the officials

slowly learned what was happening. As they became more
collected, their views toward the bride changed.

Finally, the biggest bombshell dropped. His Majesty’s own

calligraphy was carried into Fan Manor by a group of eunuchs,
as though it were some invaluable treasure. Everyone in the
courtyard knelt.

"By this Heavenly edict, His Majesty hereby decrees: the

unison between Fan and Lin, a match made in Heaven, His
Majesty has written words of blessing."

Carefully, Fan Jian and Fan Xian received it and displayed it

to the crowd. On the white paper were the words "May you
share a hundred years in happiness together".
 On the surface, the meaning was simple, but His Majesty had
never been known for interfering with the private affairs of his
subjects. There must be some complex, deeper meaning behind
this. The crowd in the courtyard started guessing. It looked
like Fan Xian had stumbled upon great fortune by marrying
Lin Wan’er.

In a room deep in the palace, the emperor of Qing was

looking at a painting with a smile. The painting was a portrait
of a woman in a yellow shirt.

The emperor had given his dearest Wan’er to Fan Xian. His
Majesty thought the woman in the painting would like the girl
too. So much had happened in Fan manor today. The onlookers
all believed it was due to His Majesty pampering Wan’er. Even
the Ladies didn’t stray too far from that belief. But the truth
was that His Majesty felt regretful that Fan Xian could not get
married as a prince.

Gazing at the woman in the painting, the emperor smiled.

"You used to enjoy such lively events. I hope he does too."
Chapter 149: Gifts (Part 1)
Young women who had read a great number of romance
novels would be greatly enamored with such a wedding scene.
Fan Xian was, to put it simply, not a fan. He was of a strong
enough will not to be moved by the palace's bestowals. What
was more, he felt deep down, as did the guests attending this
ritual, that these rewards were naturally all being bestowed
upon "Princess Chen", Lin Wan'er.

Fan Xian's main concern was that his knees and lower back
couldn't take all the kneeling required every time someone
from the palace came to present them with a gift. It made him
think of Wu Zhu's quarterstaff.

In a burst of joyous sounds of rituals and music, the

marriage between Fan and Lin families was finally complete.
The bride and groom were sent into their bridal chamber, and
the guests began to leave. Strangely that day, save for Prince
Jing, all alone, no one drank to excess.

Count Sinan, Fan Jian, watched as the newly married couple

were escorted into their bridal chamber, and a gentle smile
formed on his face. The thing that he had worried about the
most today had not occurred. It seemed that the Crown Prince
and the Second Prince also knew that on the day of his son's
wedding, coming to attend the ritual without careful
consideration of status could cause alarm in the palace and
conflict with Fan Xian.

But the Crown Prince and the Second Prince had still sent
people to deliver heavy gifts.

Evening came, and the newlyweds, assisted by serving-girls,

arrived at their new home. The place was illuminated by red
lanterns, with auspicious symbols plastered everywhere, all in
a festive brilliant red color.

When he arrived, Fan Xian was finally able to relax. Some of

the serving-girls were his own, some hand been sent by the
estate of Prince Jing, and some were the older ones who had
followed Lin Wan'er from the palace, still somewhat fearful of
this young master.

He entered the room, stretched out his entire body, and with
a beaming smile, asked the gathered servants to leave. The
servants, gathered outside the door, bowed to the newlywed
couple. Wan'er quickly handed her lady-in-waiting Si Qi a
small sum of money in appreciation of the work she had done
in the wedding.

"Si Qi, you must be tired too. Please, go to bed," said Fan
Xian, smiling, his brows forming a Y shape.

Si Qi looked somewhat awkwardly at her mistress, thinking

about the traditional exchange of cups of wine between bride
and groom that was yet to occur. At that moment, she caught
sight of the hand on Lin Wan'er's knee, and waved
imperceptibly, seemingly in a hurry to depart.

The servant girls hid their laughter and quickly left the
bridal chamber, closing the wooden door.

Only Fan Xian and Wan'er were left.

"Come out. You don't want me to beat you." To Lin Wan'er's

surprise, Fan Xian spoke coldly. Sure enough, Fan Sizhe's fat
figure wriggled out from underneath the bed and fled the room,
his head lowered.
 Fan Xian frowned. "I wouldn't mind if the chamber pot by the
bed had choked him to death."

Lin Wan'er giggled, her head covered in a red veil. "The

chamber pot has never been used." Fan Xian thought she was
right: the top of the chamber pot was still lined with gold
lacquer, the inside filled with aromatic herbs.

Looking around, he saw no one else, just the silent flickering

of the red candles. He chuckled and walked towards her, taking
hold of her slightly cold hands from inside her sleeves.

He suddenly thought of Wu Zhu. If that grandmaster had

hidden in the corner as he always liked to, and once the
newlyweds were doing the things that newlyweds do on the
bed, and he had seen that shadow in the corner, it would
probably scare him out of his wits. He cleared his throat
quickly. "Uncle, are you there?" he said quietly.

Uncle was not there.

 Lin Wan'er, her hand in his, was imagining with some shame
the things that were about to happen. Hearing him suddenly
call out "uncle", she couldn't help but be perplexed. "Huh?"

"It's nothing." Fan Xian smiled. "When things have settled

down, I'll show you."

"Oh." Lin Wan'er was confused and had no idea what he was
talking about.

"My bride." Fan Xian had not used the traditional rod to lift
the red veil over Wan'er's head, but had instead softly lifted it
with it grasped between his fingers. He watched the red cloth
slowly lift to expose the young woman's head, lowered and
bashful, with a soft chin like white jade, and above that a pair
of soft lips, a tiny, pointed nose, and a nervously closed pair of
eyes with a set of gently trembling eyelashes.

The red lanterns gradually darkened, and Fan Xian sat

slightly nervously on the bed, the thumb of his right hand
gently caressing his bride's smooth cheek.
 "Ahem."

From outside the room came the ill-timed sound of coughing,

then the sound of a sword being unsheathed by one of Fan
Xian's bodyguards. There was a groan, and finally, an alarmed
cry from Wang Qinian!

Fan Xian frowned, bursting out of the door. His long red
gown floated behind him like a beautiful red cloud in the
night.

He could not see who this visitor was. His wrist trembled and
he took a staggering step, avoiding the persons hands clapping
his shoulders. Spontaneously, he took out his needles, jabbing
them into his opponent's shoulders. The needle-tip was coated
with a powerful poison, and it was unlikely that the opponent
would be able to move a single step.

At that moment, his vision was finally clear. The handful of

bodyguards standing before the stone steps had already
collapsed, unconscious, and Wang Qinian stared in fear behind
him.
 Fan Xian was greatly shocked. Who in this world could still
move after being affected by his own poison? He felt a
movement in the air behind him, and turning his palms to
weapons, he slashed at the air.

As he tried to slash at the person's face, Fan Xian let out a

pained moan and crouched to the floor clutching his stomach.

The first reason for this was because he had failed to slash
the person; the other reason was because he had been hit by
poison.

He saw the person's disheveled hair and weathered face. They

were very old, but he could not make out who it was. A pair of
dark, cold eyes, mottled with a dark brown color. They looked
terrifying.

"Teacher?" cried Fan Xian in surprise. There was a sharp pain

in his stomach that he could not dare to ignore. He hurriedly
fetched an antidote tablet from his belt and put it in his mouth,
unsure as to whether it would work.
 Then he hurriedly moved forward to salute, embrace, and
curse Fei Jie, who had appeared suddenly today after ten years'
absence.

"You haven't changed much." Fei Jie sat in the study, drinking
tea, appreciating the servant girls massaging his legs, and
looking at Fan Xian who stood next to him. "I thought that
after ten years I'd hardly recognize you. I didn't expect you to
grow to be so handsome."

Fan Xian sighed, but did not dare sit. "Teacher," he said,
"could you not... even if it's just one time, please don't sneak
into my room in the middle of the night. It's easy to make a
mistake. Even though there is a soft pillow in my room, if I'd
just taken out a knife, then what would you do? You're clearly
the weakest one of the eight bureaus when it comes to martial
arts, but you're fond of playing some kind of hero who sneaks
around at night. It's very dangerous."

In truth, Fan Xian had imagined his reunion with his teacher
countless times. Perhaps they would cry on each other’s'
shoulders; perhaps they would pour each other poisoned tea to
test each other's skills. But he had not imagined him showing
up to disrupt his wedding night.
 All the thoughts he had had of him since they had parted
quickly turned to unsatisfied anger. Today had played havoc on
him. Fan Xian had always comforted himself - he had lived for
thirty years, so what did he had to worry about? But he was
soon to be successfully accomplished, and had been disturbed
by this old poisoner. He could not help worrying, wondering -
he could have come at any time; did it have to be tonight?

Fei Jie took no notice of him. "I have just returned from
Dongyi," he said. "I heard that you were getting married, so I
travelled for days. I've finally made it back here."

Fan Xian was filled with emotions. He quickly bent over to

bow in respect. It was this man's efforts that were to thank for
the fact that he had managed to live so long in this world.

Fei Jie handed him a small box. A faint fragrance wafted

from inside it. Fan Xian was curious. "What is it?"

"A wedding gift for my student. Take a look."

 Fan Xian knew that his teacher's gifts were unlike any other.
He opened the box and looked. Inside were a number of pills
about the size of a fingertip. He was moved, and scraping some
of it off with a fingernail, he transferred it to his lips to test it.

Watching his movements, Fei Jie smiled. That pretty young

boy had become a handsome young man, and he felt relieved,
especially upon seeing that he had maintained the professional
habits that he had once taught him.

"Tortoiseshell, made with vinegar." Fan Xian knitted his

brow as he analyzed the pills. "Foxglove, donkey hide glue,
beeswax... but there's another ingredient I can't figure out."

"Iced smoke." The corners of Fei Jie's lips raised. He seemed

pleased.

"Iced smoke?" Fan Xian had already guessed at the uses of

this pill. When he thought of his teacher's startling methods,
he could not help but feel confidence in him, and he asked with
pleasant surprise.
 "Correct. It is an ingredient from overseas. I tasked the
merchants of Dongyi with finding it for me four years ago, and
this year they finally found it, so I spent a number of days there
waiting for a boat." Fei Jie waved his hand, signaling to the
servant girl attending him that she should leave.

Four years ago was when the marriage between the Fan and
Lin families had first been discussed in the palace. So from that
moment, Fei Jie had started his search for a cure for Lin
Wan'er's tuberculosis, so that his student could marry a
healthy bride. When he realized this, Fan Xian could not help
but feel greatly moved.

"There was something else in Dongyi."

Fan Xian understood.

"I sold cures to Sigu Sword. In return, they promised not to

make a move against you."

Fan Xian sat down next to his teacher, with no complaints at

all about the fact that he had cut short his wedding night.
"Master," he said, greatly moved, "for your medicines, you have
my deepest gratitude. Thank you so much."

"This is the first time I have made such a medicine, but it has
been tested, and it is effective." Fei Jie smiled. There was a flash
in his mottled brown eyes. "But it has some side effects that
you must be fully aware of."

"Teacher, please, tell me." Seeing Fei Jie's caution, Fan Xian's
face also turned prudent.
Chapter 150: Gifts (Part 2)
"After taking the medicine, you cannot have sex for a month."
Fei Jie smiled. He still hadn't mentioned any of the real side
effects.

"You're really cruel." Fan Xian glared at his teacher, wishing

he could bite him.

"So I'll give it to her tomorrow," said Fan Xian anxiously.

Fei Jie almost spat out his tea. He pointed at Fan Xian's nose.
"You're truly stubborn. You've been to the pleasure houses of
the capital countless times; don't tell me you're worried about
tonight?"

Fan Xian chuckled. "Because I know you're playing with me,

teacher."

Fei Jie could do nothing to this handsome youngster. Ten

years ago, he was no match, and ten years on, he was still no
match. He stood up, seething. "Could it be that I was destined
to owe you from a previous life? You are capable of guessing
everything."

Fan Xian quickly stood up alongside him to console him.

"Because you care about me, teacher."

Fei Jie suddenly looked him in the eye, and was silent for a
long time. Because this study had only just been put into use,
the smell of wood still hung in the room. The whole
atmosphere was slightly odd.

"You have been in the capital for so long," Fei Jie said quietly
after a long while, "and you have visited the Overwatch
Council. I presumed you already knew these things."

"I know some of it." Fan Xian smiled innocently. "For

example, I have learnt about my mother, but I still don't know
about my father."

He looked Fei Jie in the eye. Fei Jie, a shrewd and ruthless
poisoner, also felt some pressure. He smiled and changed the
subject quite ingeniously, turning the questioning onto Fan
Xian. "I presume you were aware that your mother founded
both the House of Ye and the Overwatch Council. Count Sinan
and the Director both wanted you to take over. But Count
Sinan wanted you to take over the businesses of the royal
purse, and the Director seemingly wanted you to take over the
Overwatch Council."

Fan Xian shook his head. "Teacher. When you gave me that
token long ago, it turned out to be the token of a
commissioner. After I understood what that token represented,
I knew what could happen in the future. What's your point?"

"My point is not the same as the Director's." Fei Jie seemed
somewhat crestfallen. "The Overwatch Council is too close to
the Emperor, and can very easily be dragged into terrible
political power struggles. Though the royal purse is something
of a hot potato, it is still easier to control than the Overwatch
Council."

Fan Xian nodded, secretly laughing bitterly to himself. It

seemed to him that he had already been dragged into the power
struggles of the palace long ago. He had even been involved in
the eldest princess’s exile from the capital. He thought for a
moment, then smiled. "There is no need to waste your effort,
Teacher. You must be exhausted from the journey. Rest in the
manor. As for future matters, whether or not I want to receive
my mother's property, I fear that even if Director Chen and...
my father wish to give it to me, there are still many people who
would oppose such a thing."

Fei Jie nodded. "Things are complicated," he said seriously,

"and as I see it, the Prime Minister cannot remain at the royal
court much longer."

Fan Xian frowned. His father-in-law had managed to remove

himself from the incident with Wu Bo'an long ago - what else
was likely to happen?

Fei Jie did not explain, and instead simply asked his question
quietly. "Is Master Wu in the capital?"

"After I came to the capital," said Fan Xian without a

moment's hesitation, "he left. It seems that he went to the
Southern Sea to find Ye Liuyun. I'm not sure what he's doing."
 Fei Jie shook his head and suddenly looked Fan Xian in the
eye. "I hear that you have written a number of poems in the
capital," he said with a chiding frown, "and gained some
renown?"

Fan Xian smiled, somewhat embarrassed. "You know,

Teacher, I have enjoyed writing since I was young."

Fei Jie sighed. "It appears that the old salt seller Xin is also
your excuse."

Fan Xian chuckled.

Fei Jie could not help but shake his head as he looked at him.
"Your mother was quite a talent herself, but she looked down
on such triteness. After you entered the capital, you practiced
such skills. If your mother could see, you she'd be livid."

Fan Xian shrugged. He reckoned his mother must have been a

formidable scientist in the previous world, so naturally she
wouldn't agree with his path.
 Fei Jie refused his student's offer of hospitality; naturally, he
had a house in the capital. As he prepared to leave, Fan Xian
finally could not stop himself from asking.

"Teacher. Were you and Chen Pingping and Wu Zhu

followers of my mother?"

"That's right."

"Did you once find medicines for my mother?"

"What medicines?"

"Hm..." Fan Xian had no choice but to shake his head.

"Aphrodisiacs or knockout drops?"

Fei Jie had seemingly thought of something, and there was a

strange look on his face. He laughed darkly. "Now that you are
married, do you need such things?"
 The next morning, the birds chirped incessantly on their
branches. Even the leaves, gradually turning yellow, seemed
soaked in happiness, turning soft. The morning sun shone at
an angle into the courtyard, filling it with a faint and plentiful
warm light. The grasses in the courtyard, tilting slightly over
the stone footpath, were covered in a slight dew. All looked
peaceful and quiet.

With a creak, Fan Xian pushed open the door and stretched
out his body. There was a tired look on his face, but his eyes
were still incomporably bright and clear. He yawned, smiled,
and waved behind him. "Hurry up; you can see the season best
in the morning. Chen'er, how can you dawdle in bed?"

Lin Wan'er's bashful and nervous answer came from inside

the room. "I've never seen you so shameless. Close the door,
quick."

Fan Xian laughed. "It's early in the morning, yesterday was

the wedding. The servants are all tired. Perhaps we are the first
in the household to wake up."
 As he said it, he heard the sound of movement throughout
the courtyard, with men and women all coming out to greet
him. "Good morning, Master."

Fan Xian was startled, and suddenly went back inside,

closing the door.

After a moment, a servant girl came in to help the newlyweds

get washed and dressed before leaving the room. Fan Xian
carefully took Lin Wan'er's hand. He looked at his wife's
annoyed but beautiful face and smiled. "Last night I was with
my teacher for a while, so time was short. This evening I shall
return to make up for it."

Lin Wan'er had grown up in the palace, so she chose her

words carefully. Now she had married a man who seemed to
enjoy talking complete nonsense. "It's not proper," she said
bashfully.

Fan Xian led her by her slightly-cold hand and smiled. "After
the lakeside, we started to look at the scriptures a bit
differently."
 "There you go again."

"From today, you can call me 'husband'."

"Yes, husband." The way Lin Wan'er answered bashfully

could really make one feel love for her.

When Fan Xian heard the word "husband", he thought of

mahjong, of all the fortune and misfortune he'd had in his life,
of the madness of last night, of the beauty of his wedding
night, of the eldest princess exiled to her fiefdom by the
Emperor; he couldn't help but smile. "I seem to have a few
more tiles than most."

Now, since he'd come to the capital, he'd finally found

happiness. He couldn't help but sing to himself. "One night in
the capital left me with so many feelings."

He held Lin Wan'er in his arms, who looked at him with

innocent eyes, not understanding a word.
 Over in Fan Manor proper, there was quite some commotion.
The servants were divided into two rows to greet the
newlyweds, all knowing that this lady of the house was quite a
woman. At last night's wedding, the gifts from the palace had
shaken all of the Fan clansmen.

Having drunk their wedding tea, Count Sinan amiably asked

them to come forth and asked Wan'er about the health of Prime
Minister Lin, then let them carry on comfortably. Seeing this
new husband and wife, Count Sinan felt content, and Fan
Ruoruo, standing to the side, was also delighted for her
brother.

The two returned to the courtyard, then heard a commotion

outside. A servant opened the door to find the the people who
lived in the Fan Clan estate on the outskirts of the capital had
come bearing gifts. It was not required for these people to see
Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er in person, but then Teng Zijing and
his wife had appeared, and Fan Xian was rather astonished.

"Is your leg better?" Fan Xian sat on a chair, looking carefully
at Teng Zijing's leg.
 Teng Zijing laughed. "It's been better for ages. I just have a
little trouble getting out of bed."

Fan Xian smiled. "The venison I sent you was all thanks to
Teng Zijing," he said to Lin Wan'er who was next to him.

Lin Wan'er smiled and nodded slightly. In one night, she had
gone from a maiden to a prudent wife. Changes in one's life can
be sudden.

Having said a few words, Teng Zijing's and his wife were led
out to where they were staying. After they had left, Teng
Zijing's wife spoke with quiet curiosity. "That young woman is
so noble, but her posture seems rather weak. I worry she won't
be a good fit for the young master."

Teng Zijing was startled, and chided her. "The young lady is
truly noble. Think about who might be listening before you
open that mouth." Teng Zijing's wife was still a young woman
in some ways. She laughed, noncommital. "It just looked to me
like the bride wasn't as attractive and intelligent as the groom.
It's funny."
 Teng Zijing laughed too. "In the capital, finding a young
bride more intelligent than the young master might be a hard
task."

Meanwhile, the gift from Fan Xian's grandmother in

Danzhou, delayed on the road for a number of days, had finally
arrived at Fan Manor. Count Sinan naturally came out to
receive it, and let people know about the young people. Fan
Xian was very happy. He led Wan'er by the hand outside the
compound, talking as they walked. "My grandma loves me a
lot, but I don't know what she might have sent us."

As they came to the gate, Fan Xian was taken aback. He could
never have imagined that the gift his grandmother would send
him would be a person.

Sisi looked happily at the young master she had served for
many years, and paid them both her respects. "Young master,
young mistress, it is an honor to see you."

The word "xianggong", which means husband, is also used to denote a mahjong player
disqualified by unintentionally taking the wrong number of tiles
Chapter 151: Chapter 45
Fan Xian never imagiend that his grandmother could have
sent Sisi all the way from Danzhou to the capital. He was
happy to see the young woman he had spent so many peaceful
years with. But he was also somewhat pained and unsure of
what to do. His grandmother's thinking was clear: get him to
take Sisi into their house. And looking at Sisi, he reckoned that
she would not choose any other solution.

"Come in and rest." Fan Xian did his utmost to seem gentle.

But Sisi still felt that the young master before her seemed to
have become something of a stranger. After all, Fan Xian had
been through too many trials and struggles within the capital;
other than his steady temperament, there was something else
about his manner that she couldn't put a finger on.

Seeing Sisi's slightly uneasy face, Fan Xian laughed. "This

girl, what is she thinking? Once we've eaten and drunk our fill,
I'll show you around the capital."
 "I have come to serve you, master," said Sisi, seemingly
aggrieved. "Not for you to serve me, sir."

Such frankness - this really was the woman he had grown up

with. Direct in her words and actions, nothing like the servant
girls of Fan Manor in the capital, who did not dare to show
even the slightest emotion before him, let alone refute any of
his ideas.

Fan Xian walked forward and gently patted her slightly gaunt
cheek, smiling. "Very well, I shall let you serve. Even if you're
just making copies of books and grinding down inksticks, you
had best wash first. Being all sweaty, reading books at night
with the incense burning, you'll add a vinegar smell to the air."

The Kingdom of Qing did not have the story of Fang

Xuanling's mistress drinking vinegar to demonstrate her
convictions, so no one thought of this comment as clever. Fan
Xian could not help but regret that he was casting pearls before
swine.

Sisi, slightly embarrassed, saluted once more, and was led off
by a servant girl to wash. The servant girls had quickly noticed
that this woman was not the same as them, and so they were
especially courteous.

"Who is that woman Sisi?"

Devoid of the jealousy that Fan Xian had been expecting, Lin
Wan'er's face was full of curiosity. She smiled. "I heard you say
a while back that there was a servant-girl in Danzhou who was
even more hardworking than Si Qi. Today I finally meet her."

The Kingdom of Qing was, after all, part of a world that

regarded men as superior to women. Although Lin Wan'er was
a princess, she seemed not to have much in the way of opinions
and sensitivities. Besides, even if Fan Xian were to take a
concubine, what would the illustrious princess have to be
jealous of? Fan Xian laughed. It was lucky that this business
had nothing to do with him. Otherwise he risked provoking the
dissatisfaction of his little tiger. Did he want his arms ripped
off?

"Marriage is the tomb of love," said Fan Xian casually. "So we

must keep moving, lest we become zombies."
 Lin Wan'er looked anxious, her mouth sunken. "I can't stand
the cold," she said miserably.

"The snow of the Cang Mountains is great. Autumn and

winter there are wonderful." Fan Xian smiled at his wife. Like
some kind of travel agent, he tried to entice her. "The medicine
my teacher gave you is extremely effective, and the imperial
physicians were surprised after taking your pulse. But places
high above sea level will be very good for your health."

Lin Wan'er cocked her head and leaned against his chest,
rubbing against it. "I still don't understand what 'sea-level'
means," she said softly.

"It's how high a place is above the sea." Fan Xian felt that his
explanation was somewhat awkward.

"I still don't understand," said Lin Wan'er, pained. "If I don't
want to go, is that ok? I'm afraid of climbing mountains, and
of the cold."
 "Look how round your face has become now," he said,
somewhat annoyed. "A bit more movement won't be bad for
you at all."

Lin Wan'er struggled out of his embrace, angered. "Last

night, you said you liked me a little bit plump!"

Fan Xian narrowly avoided bursting into laughter, but

managed to keep a straight face. "With the lights out, of course
it's fine to be a little plump... but in the light of day... it's still
better to be thin."

Lin Wan'er gave an angry harrumph, and walked briskly out

into the corridor. Fan Xian quickly followed after, but didn't
look at her face. He just walked forward a few steps. "I love
your body, don't you know that?" he said quietly.

In the palace in autumn, it was still as if the summer wind

blew through it. Lin Wan'er's face was hot, and in a moment
her face reddened. She stepped forward, grabbed Fan Xian's
hand, and lowered her head. "There are so many people
attending to us, and you still have no shame."
 The two were now in the palace, followed by a thrall of
ladies-in-waiting and palace eunuchs, who all kept their heads
lowered and stayed at a distance from Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er.
It seemed that they had not heard what the two were talking
about.

Fan Xian was still facing forward. He smiled. "Dear, you

must learn from your husband how to do many surprising
things without a change in your demeanor."

There was a subtext to his words that Wan'er did not

understand. This was the first time the pair had entered the
palace since their wedding. The palace concubines had come to
see Lin Wan'er and clutched her to their breasts, crying out and
giving them gifts. Fan Xian was not going to refuse, but seeing
how the concubines loved Lin Wan'er so dearly, he could not
help but feel scared. His wife's parents' home was the palace; if
one day they were to have a falling out, he might meet a tragic
end. The Emperor had four sons - one Crown Prince and three
princes - in one sense, this was proof that he was no
womanizer.

Another fortunate thing was that none of the concubines of

the palace had given birth to a princess. So Lin Wan'er, who
had grown up in the palace, was naturally beloved by all the
concubines.

Lin Wan'er had become accustomed to the palace. Naturally,

she had none of Fan Xian's cautious nervousness when he first
entered the palace, but instead, she felt like she was playing
around in one's own rear garden. Fan Xian was influenced by
this, and as the Eldest Princess who he avoided most had
already returned to her fiefdom in Xinyang, he was able to
relax, and followed her all around the palace. Fan Xian had
brought up the matter of the vacation to the Cang Mountains
to the Empress when he had met with her, and received her
approval.

But Wan'er still feared the cold. However, Fan Xian had his
heart set on it, especially as next year, the prisoner exchange
between the Kingdom of Qing and Northern Qi was set to
officially begin.

The Overwatch Council had informed him through Wang

Qinian, and it seemed that he was somewhat implicated in the
matter, so he needed to be somewhere calm to sort out a few
things and prepare.
 But, unfortunately, on this visit to the palace, they had not
seen Wan'er's uncle, the Emperor. Lin Wan'er was somewhat
disappointed. Fan Xian's calm face hid other emotions.

A fleet of carriages rumbled out of Fan Manor. Today, Prime

Minister Lin had come to send off his beloved daughter, so the
scene seemed increasingly grand. The passers-by on the street
gesticulated as they watched the procession. After all, a few
days earlier the wedding between the Fan and Lin families was
held, and the wedding scene had surprised half of the capital.
They had not expected that a few days later, the "immortal
poet" son of the Fan family would be causing a stir yet again.

"Why would you leave the capital after you got married?"
asked an old man in the crowd, frowning with his hands
behind his back. "Young people these days, they have their
family's money behind them, and all they know is leisure. I
heard that Master Fan is now an academician of the Imperial
College. Why is he going to the Cang Mountains?"

"Look, don't you understand?" a young man next to him

mocked. "Master Fan calls this a honeymoon. He's picked some
place quiet to go."
 "What's a honeymoon?" asked a spirited older lady.

"It means that life is sweet as honey," said another person

who clearly had some distant relationship to the Fan family. "I
don't know. It's a word that Master Fan invented."

The older lady was annoyed. "Such an odd word. What's the
point of it? Whether the moon is honeyed or not, since they're
staying someplace quiet for several days, I'm sure they'll have a
peaceful, happy, plump baby."

Sitting to his left in the carriage on its way out of the capital,
Lin Wan'er was wrapped inside her fur coat like a kitten. She
looked at Fan Xian with a smile on her face. Her eyes shined
like spring water. To her left was the gentle and respectful Fan
Ruoruo, peeling an orange, carefully scraping the white pith
from the fruit, and placing the segments between Fan Xian's
lips.

Fan Xian had his eyes half-closed, but when he caught a

glimpse of Lin Wan'er's expression, he couldn't help but frown.
"It is now autumn. How can you be so afraid of the cold?"
 Lin Wan'er laughed, climbed up next to him and opened her
mouth, which made Fan Xian's heart flutter. But instead he
heard her say to Ruoruo: "Dear sister, please hand me an
orange."

Fan Ruoruo smiled. "Sister-in-law, you cannot eat oranges in

your condition. It will cause heat."

Lin Wan'er looked miserable. "Bother."

Fan Xian really did not understand how his wife and his
sister addressed each other. "One calls the other 'sister', the
other 'sister-in-law'. What sort of way is that to address one
another?"

Lin Wan'er stuck out her tongue. "I had gotten used to calling
her 'sister' before." Fan Ruoruo also couldn't help but laugh and
pointed her finger at her brother's nose. "Before you were
married, brother, you told me to call her 'sister-in-law', so I
also got used to calling her that."
 Fan Xian could only shake his head. The coach warmed up,
and was heading up the mountain roads out of the capital, so
they were getting sleepy. Lin Wan'er gradually leaned on Fan
Xian's shoulder. Ruoruo also rested her head against the
carriage siding.

The carriage suddenly rocked, waking up Wan'er, who was

leaning on Fan Xian's shoulder. She rubbed her eyes. "Are we
there yet?"

"That quickly?" Fan Xian laughed and shook his head. "The
cottage in the Cang Mountains is nothing like the pavilion in
the palace, but it's on the mountainside. It will take at least
three days' travel from the capital."

"We left the capital so quickly after the wedding," said Lin
Wan'er calmly. "Other than to help me recover, what was the
reason for this?"

Fan Xian knew he could not hide this from her, and he hadn't
prepared to, so he smiled. "Those two half-brothers of yours
send people to our manor every day. I'm afraid of them. So of
course I'm going to hide. Standing in line at this moment – no
matter which side I stood on – would be a silly thing to do."

Fang Xuanling, a Tang scholar, was offered a beautiful woman as a concubine by the Emperor,
but his wife refused. The Emperor issued an ultimatum: either allow him to take a concubine, or
drink a cup of poison wine. She chose the poison, but unbeknownst to her, he served her only a
cup of vinegar. Respectful of her will, the Emperor rescinded his offer. "Drinking vinegar"
became a metaphor for jealousy in Chinese.
In traditional Chinese medicine, certain foods are considered to be "hot" or "cold", and
imbalances of "hot" and "cold" in the body can cause problems with one’s health.
Chapter 152: Chapter 46
Two days later, the carriages had slowly made their way up
the mountainside.

The Cang Mountains were unmatched in their majestic

brilliance. Centuries before, an emperor had ordered
thousands of slaves to dig out a path through the mountains
through which carriages could ride, in order to make summer
vacations to the mountains more convenient. In fact, not long
after wasting tremendous amounts of manpower and resources
in the creation of this road, that emperor died while lying with
a concubine, and thus he never got to use it.

In the intervening years, the world had seen countless rises,

falls, and scatterings. But gradually, this great mountain, close
to the capital, had become a garden for the officials and
nobility. The previous dynasty had set down many laws, and
had instituted a thick atmosphere of nobility to the Cang
Mountains that even the cold alpine winds could not blow
away.

From then on in the Cang Mountains, it was forbidden to

hunt, burn trees to open up land for agriculture, or any of the
other things that the common people did. It became simply a
vacation spot for the rich. Save for a handful of temples for the
ascetics and a few hermits, everywhere else in the Cang
Mountains had been bestowed by the palace upon its courtiers,
so that they might build villas to temporarily avoid the
bitterness of court politics.

The Fan clan villa was on the mountainside, and had been
bestowed upon them by the previous emperor half a year
before his death. It was surrounded by peace and quiet on all
sides. In front of the villa flowed a small brook, and red
autumnal leaves drifted down from the summit, floating along
its clear waters. By the side of the brook were a patch of yellow
flowers. The pavilion stood solitary and quiet. Its silence in the
cold autumn sunset, with the occasional shadow of wild geese
flying across the heavens, was unspeakably peaceful.

After Fan Xian and his entourage arrived, things soon

became livelier. People who had arrived in advance were
putting things in order at the villa. Because they did not know
how long the young master and mistress and the young lady
were going to stay, Fan Manor had prepared plenty of dried
game. They had even transferred three singing girls to the
mountains, who sang squeakily every day. Perhaps they were
trying to scare away the squirrels who had attempted to get
through the winter by feeding on their food stores.
 "It is truly a wonderful place." Sending a servant off to get a
room ready, Fan Xian strolled down to a stone platform in
front of the villa. Seeing the clouds and mist float by not far
below his feet, and the clear green forests in the distance on the
bare mountainside, he couldn't help but sigh.

Lin Wan'er leant on him gently and smiled. "It really is

incredible. When I was small I spent a little time in the Cang
Mountains, but it wasn't nearly as beautiful and secluded as
your family's villa."

"It's our house," Fan Xian corrected her. He then lovingly

made sure her coat was done up; the mountains were cold
indeed, and he worried for her poor health, and that she might
catch cold.

Lin Wan'er giggled. "I see, my dear."

The young couple spent the next days in peace and quiet on
the mountain. It was as if they had never known such tranquil
happiness. It was a beautiful kind of life that Fan Xian had
been separated from for many days, so he seemed to enjoy it to
the utmost. If he wasn't taking Wan'er out for walks on the
slippery mountain roads, he was standing behind his sister,
watching her delicate penmanship. She committed everything
about the unimaginably beautiful mountain scene onto paper.

This, at last, was true married life for Fan Xian and Lin
Wan'er after their wedding. Over the days, the newlywed
couple had gone from love at first sight, to the excitement of
meeting separated by a wall, to deeply worried longing, and
finally to being able to peacefully enjoy their love together.
Their passion was in its final stage, becoming a delicate and
enduring fragrance.

Early one morning, Lin Wan'er lazily opened her eyes and
unthinkingly moved her arm over, only to find that no one was
there. Under their warm and comfortable blanket, she was
unsure where her husband had gone.

Lin Wan'er was not startled at all. Ever since they had gone
to their bridal chamber, she had known that Fan Xian awoke
extremely early every day. She didn't know where he went.
Then, before she awoke, he would quietly return to their room.
 She had been curious, but when they were staying at Fan
Manor, it was inconvenient to do anything about it. Now that
they were in the Cang Mountains, with no elders or annoying
old wet-nurses about, Lin Wan'er looked around, rose from her
bed, and put on her thick cloak and soft shoes. Like a thief, she
sneaked out of the door.

She was greeted by a rush of morning mountain wind, so

cold it made her shiver. She did not dare tarry, and smiling, she
silently walked to the room at the end of the corridor and
knocked twice on the door. A sleeping and bleary-eyed Fan
Ruoruo heard the noise, and quickly got up to open the door.
She had a thin garment draped over her. She rubbed her hands
together against the cold. "Wan'er," she said wearily, "it's early,
isn't it?"

After Lin Wan'er had arrived at the Cang Mountains, some of

the rowdiness that she had always hidden behind her shy and
loveable exterior had finally shown itself. She stuck out her
tongue and hugged Ruoruo around the waist, then pulled her
back to her warm blanket and sighed comfortably.

Fan Ruoruo was not used to sleeping in a bed with other

people, so she felt a little strange. Her sister-in-law had turned
out to be quite affectionate after all. She hugged Ruoruo,
bringing her face close. "Do you know what your brother does
early in the mornings?" she asked softly.

Fan Ruoruo felt her sister-in-law's cold hands on her waist,

and wondered if her brother's heart would ache to see them
both this way. She quickly caught her cold hands to warm
them and spoke brusquely. "You're his wife. Why are you
asking me?"

Lin Wan'er laughed. "Your brother is so secretive. Leaving

that aside, every evening, when we talk and play chess in the
room, where does he go off to? Aren't you curious?"

Hearing her sister-in-law speak this way, the naturally calm

Ruoruo also could not help but feel somewhat puzzled. Every
morning her brother went out to practice his skills; that she
knew. But the past few evenings, her brother had been
disappearing for a short while, and she really wasn't sure what
he was up to.

"In the mornings he practices his skills, in the evenings... I'm

not sure. Ask him."
 Lin Wan'er was curious. "Practice his skills? What skills? Can
we watch?"

"You are really curious about this."

"Of course." Lin Wan'er's eyes lit up. They looked like the
waters of the lake on the summer estate. "It's only normal for a
wife to feel curious about what her husband is doing."

Fan Ruoruo realized that this princess sister-in-law really did

not have many of the habits of the palace. In some respects, she
felt like Wan'er could cause more trouble than she could. She
couldn't help but laugh. "On such a cold day, if I were married,
I would prefer to stay in bed. If you rush out and my brother
sees you and scolds you, then I won't be able to help you."

Lin Wan'er still did not know what Fan Xian looked like
when he was angry, but knowing her husband's temperament,
she was wary. Suddenly, she laughed. "If you were married? It's
autumn, but it appears that our young lady has spring fever."
 Whether it was due to the warmth of the two of them under
the blanket, or embarrassment, Fan Ruoruo's face went read.
"You are incorrigible," she said in a reprimanding tone. She
extended her fingers to tickle Lin Wan'er, and Lin Wan'er
responded with a yelp and threw a hand at her. The two young
women tussled in bed, their youthful girlishness filling the air.

Fan Ruoruo was no match for the new bride's tricks, and
panting, she had no choice but to spring up from the bed. She
wrapped her sister-in-law up in layers, made sure that the cold
mountain air could not reach her neck, and then, relieved, she
took her by the hand and led her out of the villa to find her
brother.

The sky was warm and bright, and the people in the villa
were still going about their early-morning business. No one
noticed the two young ladies sneaking around like thieves. A
large part of the mountainside was the property of the Fan
family, so no one else was there to disturb them. The two girls
trod across the autumn dew, carefully making their way
through a small path in the forest on the mountainside.

"Are you sure it's here?" Fan Ruoruo frowned. "This

mountain is so big, we'd better not get lost."
 "Don't worry." Lin Wan'er laughed. "I have an intuition. It's
like I can sense where my husband is."

Fan Ruoruo couldn't help but think that all they had to go on
was this unreliable intuition, but she noticed that the ground
beneath their feet had been trodden on. The trail was quiet; she
presumed that, other than her brother, no one else would be so
keen to travel this far up the mountain.

Some time later, the two young women gathered some

autumn leaves to wipe the dewdrops off their clothing. They
passed through a stretch of woods and came to the mountain's
edge. Thankfully, Lin Wan'er's health had improved greatly
after taking Fei Jie's medicine; otherwise she would not have
been able to keep going on. Seeing her sister-in-law's reddened
face, Ruoruo lovingly caressed it, and told her that the top
button of her cloak had come undone. The two girls looked out
ahead.

When they saw it, they were startled. There was a gradual
slope, rarely seen in the Cang Mountains. On top of it was a
still-green meadow covered in autumn dew, and looking
upward, there was a thirty-meter precipice. The slope was
uneven, and among the rocks, yellow bamboo pointed toward
the sky like swords.

On top of the cliff was a person, wearing only an unlined

garment. It was Fan Xian, and by the look of him, he was
preparing to jump off!

Seeing this, Lin Wan'er was shocked. She opened her mouth
to cry out, to stop Fan Xian from moving. To her surprise, a
soft and cold hand was clamped over her mouth.

Fan Ruoruo squinted at her brother on top of the precipice

and forced herself to stay calm. "Don't worry." She didn't know
whether she had confidence in her judgment.

Fan Xian had already started his descent. He leapt along the
rocks, each step finding a safe foothold, and as he descended,
his speed increased. He almost collided with the bamboo
several times.

But he seemed to have some kind of innate premonition, and

was always able to move just in time, or find a good foothold
two steps ahead, and glided over the bamboo.

He relied on the powerful zhenqi in his body, and for this

valiant control, he relied even more on the influence of Wu
Zhu's instinct.

In a flash, his body was a blur, and he made his way through
the rocks and bamboo forest to come to a steady stop on top of
the meadow. Fan Xian turned his head slightly, and looked at
the two girls, flabbergasted. "How did you get here?"

His breathing was not disordered in the least, and the

bamboo on the slope swayed gently in his wake.
Chapter 153: Chapter 47
What Lin Wan’er and Ruoruo just saw stunned them
speechless. Although the two of them both knew about Fan
Xian slaying an eighth-ranked master on Niulan Street,
watching him rush down from a cliff was something
completely different from their understanding of martial arts.

Precise, composed, powerful—those were the impressions

that hit them.

To the elder brother whom she had always admired, Fan

Ruoruo yelled out – despite being much calmer than Lin
Wan’er, "Xian, how did you do that?"

Fan Xian walked over from the grass. Looking at the two
girls, he shook his head while patting theirs. "This is just my
daily training." He believed that had they witnessed Wu Zhu’s
sheer drop from the cliffs of Danzhou, what he just did would
have seemed like nothing.

He then frowned, "What are you doing here so early? There

are wild beasts in these mountains."
 Fan Ruoruo gave Lin Wan’er a look before replying with a
smile: "Sister woke up and you were nowhere to be seen, so she
dragged me out to find you. She’s curious about how you
train."

Fan Xian looked at his wife, whose face had already turned
red from the morning chill. He tapped her on the tip of her
nose. Lin Wan’er wasn’t used to such intimate acts in front of
Fan Ruoruo, so she shied away. Her mind was still immersed in
what she just witnessed—who knew her husband was such an
impressive martial artist?

As if seeing right through her, Fan Xian shook his head,

"Don’t think too highly of me. Someone once said that I’m
above rank four but not enough to be rank six."

Lin Wan’er didn’t really believe that, "I grew up in the palace.
I’ve seen plenty of seventh and eighth ranked martial artists.
Dear, you are much better than them."

"Really?" Fan Xian grinned, but didn’t take it seriously. He

then spoke, a bit troubled. "While Fei Jie’s medicine is working
very well, the wind is strong in the mountains, especially in
the morning. What are we going to do if you catch a cold?" He
tightened Wan’er’s scarf. "I’m used to these daily training
sessions. It's my fault for not telling you. But you mustn’t
come out like this again."

Fan Ruoruo was happy for them. She silently watched them
with a smile. However, Fan Xian turned to her and said coldly,
"That applies to you too."

Seeing her brother upset made Ruoruo sad. She said quietly,
"I was wrong. From now on I definitely…" She was ready to say
she would take good care of Wan’er, while Wan’er was ready to
speak on Ruoruo’s behalf, as she was the one who dragged
Ruoruo out.

At this moment, however, Fan Xian touched Ruoruo’s cold

ears. He said gently, "Your sister is ill, but are you that much
healthier? If something were to happen, how would you get
married in the future?"

Only now did the two girls realize Fan Xian was upset about
the other marriage. Knowing this young man in front of them
cared for his wife and sister made them feel exceptionally
fortunate.

The truly fortunate one was Fan Xian. Spending days in the
mountains almost made him forget about everything in the
capital. Every once in a while, Count Sinan would have
someone deliver a private letter. And Wang Qinian would take
the secret path Fan Xian provided and come to report the
events in the capital.

Everything was calm in the capital. The only change that

occurred was that Commander Yan Xiaoyi, who shot Fan Xian
with an arrow, was transferred to the north as a captain. While
the transfer itself was nothing out of the ordinary, it was His
Majesty’s warning to Yan Xiaoyi.

The treaty between Qing and Northern Qi went into effect

last month, so there were really no opportunities of action for
the military forces stationed up north. Despite being a captain,
Yan Xiaoyi was rendered ineffective under the current
circumstances and could only let his frustration brew silently.
 Fan Xian frowned slightly as he read Wang Qinian's letter.
Everyone knew Yan Xiaoyi’s sudden rise was due to his ninth-
ranked martial prowess, and also due to Eldest Princess’s help.
If the emperor wished to get rid of Eldest Princess, Yan Xiaoyi
would be made to remain in the palace so that the Overwatch
Council could keep an eye on him more easily. It didn’t make
sense for the Bureau of Military Affairs to get involved and
promote Yan Xiaoyi to command an entire army.

Fan Xian lightly tapped the desk and shook his head as he
realized what this was about. It looked like the emperor still
had no intention of making any other moves besides issue a
warning for the entire court to see. Apparently, it would
become even safer in the capital. But how could a man who
held sovereignty for over a decade tolerate the other faction
gaining power without any restraint? With His Majesty’s
authority, the Overwatch Council’s talents, and the loyalty of
the Commander of Defense, it would be extremely simple to
take out Eldest Princess and the one prince who had been
hiding in the dark.

That was what Fan Xian could not understand; he didn’t

know how the emperor could just watch the other faction
without concern, instead of act first.
 Regardless, after ensuring it would be safe in the capital, Fan
Xian started to relax. But at the same time there was a sense of
regret. He had waged that propaganda battle because he was
left with no other choice; he didn’t know what His Majesty was
capable of and therefore dared not wait. In the end, he only
helplessly alleviated the standoff.

The struggle between Fan Xian and Eldest Princess shouldn’t

have been so significant. When they traded blows in secret, Fan
Xian came out on top every single time. With Eldest Princess’s
temperament, should she ever get the opportunity to rise up,
she would most definitely not forgive Fan Xian. If His Majesty
was willing to play this dangerous game from beginning to
end, how should Fan Xian respond?

Killing Eldest Princess seemed to be the most logical method,

but that would involve many other issues. First of all, could
Wu Zhu guarantee to not leave behind any evidence after
killing the princess? Such insolent provocation against the
royal family would likely incur His Majesty’s wrath. Second of
all, Eldest Princess was still the mother of Fan Xian’s wife. If
she were to die by his hands, how would he and Wan’er live
together once she found out? The death of Fan Xian’s second
brother-in-law was already lodged in Fan Xian’s heart like a
thorn.
 Lastly, and most importantly, neither Fan Xian nor Wu Zhu
could guarantee Eldest Princess’s death. She had already
returned to her own fief. Who knew how many skilled masters
were over there? As for the sniper rifle… Fan Xian dared not
use it; he feared it would remind all the nobles in the capital of
the deaths of those two successors years ago and make them
remember the name Ye Qingmei.

Fan Xian peered outside at the early snow on Cang Mountain.

Tonight, sparse snowflakes were already falling, making the
mountain estate gracefully solemn. He sighed and burned the
letters from his father and Wang Qinian before walking out.
Since that rainy autumn night, he vowed to bury the truths
involving his mother in his heart, until someday when he
gained true control over everything.

Between the hallways, in the main room, a heater basket was

burning, making the surrounding area as warm as spring. The
manor had sent over three singing girls; Lin Wan’er and Fan
Ruoruo asked them to play cards together. As the game only
needed four people at a time, the one left out was asked to help
keep score. Fan Xian walked over smiling. The three song girls
hurriedly stood up to salute him. Even the young maidservant
who was preparing the bed in the inner room came out to
salute the young master.
 With a wave of his hand, Fan Xian told them to continue
what they were doing. He then sat between Ruoruo and Wan’er
and said, "If Sizhe was here, he’d have you both crying."

Lin Wan’er smiled at the remark, "I played him once in the
manor. I didn’t lose much."

Fan Xian didn’t believe that Fan Sizhe, with his twisted and
stubborn calculation abilities, could not win against Wan’er.
Fan Ruoruo confirmed what she said. "She's not lying. That
night, Sizhe only won two stacks of coins."

Fan Xian’s eyes brightened, "I didn’t think Wan’er was so

formidable."

"There wasn’t much to do in the palace. All the Ladies

enjoyed playing cards," Lin Wan’er said with a grin. "You
should know that when those palace women start calculating,
each is shrewder than the one before them. Naturally, it was
the same with playing cards. Having lived in the palace all
those years, of course I’m no pushover."
 With a somewhat apologetic smile, Fan Xian said, "I see, I
see."

The other servants were all drinking and chatting in the side
yards. Stepping over the bits of snow on the stone slabs, Fan
Xian walked outside. The area behind him was dimly lit by
candles, and echoed with the faint noises of Mahjong tiles and
the excited voices of the girls. Suddenly, he remembered how
Stephen Chow, playing Tang Bohu, might have also
experienced such a scene in the movie Flirting Scholar. But
Tang Bohu was very miserable, while Fan Xian was very
fortunate; there was a huge difference.

Wan’er and Ruoruo both knew he would venture outside

every night. But after seeing him train this morning, both of
them obediently didn’t ask him about anything and accepted it
as a fact.

Bracing the light snow, Fan Xian went up the secret path,
straight into the depths of the bamboo forest. He only stopped
when he reached the bottom of the cliffs next to the plum
blossom trees.
 This was the most secluded place in Cang Mountain. Very
casually, Fan Xian reached out his hand—Wu Zhu’s hand
reached down as if descending from Heaven—and the two
hands grasped together. By alternating their strength, Fan Xian
"floated" up to the peak. Here, he could see far and wide, while
staying relatively safe from view.

Under the moonlight, the snowy Cang Mountains were

silently beautiful. Fan Xian received a black, cold metal object
from Wu Zhu. He laid on the ground, and took aim at the rocks
in the snow far in the distance.
Chapter 154: Chapter 48-49
Some time passed before Fan Xian finally got up from the
snow. His movements were sluggish; he appeared to still be
recovering from his emotions from before. This "firestick" had
been well-protected. Having spent many days putting the three
parts back together, Fan Xian discovered all the parts were in
excellent condition; even the scope. Only now did Fan Xian
realize how stupid he was for kicking that chest.

Fan Xian knew nothing of military matters; it took him many

days just to get familiar with the weapon. As for actually
training to use it, he discovered that reality was shockingly
different from what he had imagined—when you find sunshine
in your dream, you learn that the dream is fake.

How to judge distance; how to aim; how to ensure everything

runs smoothly; this was all knowledge that nobody in this
world knew. Without a teacher, Fan Xian could only try to find
out himself. The further away he was from his target, the
harder it was to hit. As for the effects of the wind, that was an
even more difficult problem.
 Fortunately, he had many good points to compensate for
such difficulties. Firstly, he was very calm; almost as calm as
Wu Zhu. Secondly, he was very steady; his overpowering
zhenqi enabled his body to maintain the same posture for long
periods of time. Most importantly, he was patient; he had the
patience of a seasoned hunter. That was due to his encounters
in his previous life and the "naps" from his current life. As long
as he had the energy to do so, Fan Xian believed that he could
hide motionless for an entire day.

After getting up from the snow, he felt the cold had turned
his body stiff and numb. By slowly circulating his zhenqi, he
recovered his numb limbs and turned to look at Wu Zhu who
had been standing like a flagpole. He shook his head, "If I’m up
against Yan Xiaoyi, I might not be able to shoot before he kills
me with an arrow."

Wu Zhu said coldly, "You have no need for that."

Fan Xian didn’t really understand what Wu Zhu meant.

Troubled, he sat down holding the sniper rifle. "I know very
well that my true strength is above rank eight, but below nine.
You’ve been keeping the fact from me because you didn’t want
me to get arrogant. But if I have to deal with some ninth-
ranked masters in the future, it would be better for me to have
a weapon no one knows about."

Wu Zhu said, "By my standards, your rank is still seventh."

Fan Xian chuckled at himself, "A seventh-rank, killing Cheng

Jushu? Trading palm strikes with Gong Dian?"

Wu Zhu continued, "Gong Dian ranks eighth, Cheng Jushu

ranks seventh at most. Perhaps… while I spent the past dozen
years in Danzhou, the quality of martial arts has gone down
across the world."

Fan Xian frowned and dusted the snow off his hips. Although
he didn’t say anything, Wu Zhu’s words still gave him a strange
feeling. As to what was strange, Fan Xian couldn’t explain. He
shook his head, "I must become strong, or else I can’t protect
those around me; Wan’er and the royal family and Eldest
Princess. And Ruoruo? Don’t forget, she is also a poor child
who grew up without a mother."

Wu Zhu was silent.

 Fan Xian smiled. At the moment, the snowy mountain was
bathed in the gentle and clear light of the moon, illuminating
his flawless face. Watching Wu Zhu’s black blindfold, which
had gathered a few specks of snow, Fan Xian suddenly had an
idea and did what he never dared to do growing up.

He took a step forward, carefully reaching out his hand to

remove Wu Zhu’s blindfold. His movement was extremely
gentle.

Wu Zhu took a step back, which brought him precisely to the

edge of the cliff without any distance to spare. Fan Xian’s right
hand stopped awkwardly in midair, inches from Wu Zhu’s face.

"Time to return." Wu Zhu took the sniper rifle from Fan Xian
and disappeared into the darkness.

Staring into the place where Wu Zhu disappeared, a sense of

sadness gushed forth from Fan Xian’s heart. Such a strong and
peerless person who remembered only a fraction of his past;
what would he be like in the future?
 The mountains do not care for the passage of time. Every
day, Fan Xian woke up at dawn with great self-discipline to
train in martial arts. At night, he would make some time to
train in sneaking about at night with Wu Zhu. For the rest of
the days, he mostly lived a comfortable life with Lin Wan’er
and his younger sister. As the girls gathered in the yard to
compete in poetry, paint, sing, and play cards, days passed.

Ye Ling’er and Rou Jia also dropped by and stayed for a bit.
Naturally, they held a small-scale poetry gathering. Rou Jia
seemed to have gotten over her sadness from Fan Xian’s
marriage. With watery, pleading eyes, she asked to hear Fan
compose a few poems. Not fooled in the slightest, Fan Xian
escaped at the first opportunity.

Toward the end of the year, Fan Sizhe finally got away from
his ethnology studies and rode his carriage up the mountains
to ask his sister-in-law to play Mahjong. In his eyes, finding Lin
Wan’er at a game table was like akin to a peerless swordsman
finally finding a worthy rival. Human lives could be lonely like
snowflakes.

As the Fan siblings gathered, Fan Xian, being the young

master, could not forget his wife’s older brother. Teng Zijing’s
wounds had healed, so Fan Xian asked him to bring Dabao
over. The traveling party was protected by Wang Qinian's
group, so there probably wouldn't be any problems.

One day after lunch, Fan Xian asked servants to prepare a

carriage. Together with Lin Wan’er, they descended down the
mountains to welcome Dabao. A short while later, they saw the
traveling party. After the carriage and carts stopped, Teng
Zijing quickly went forward to greet Fan Xian and the ruling
Lady. Lin Wan’er knew this man was Fan Xian’s first aide when
he arrived in the capital, so she was exceeding kind to reply.
But she couldn’t help by be distracted by the carriage.

"Little Xianxian."

Needless to say, that was Dabao calling Fan Xian. Fan Xian
couldn’t help but smile as he saluted. He then went to greet his
chubby brother-in-law, whom he hadn’t seen in months.
Fascinated by the mountain landscape, Dabao opened his
mouth and laughed. "There's not nearly as much snow back in
the capital."
 Snow fell heavily in the Cang Mountains. Much of it
accumulated on the roads. Looking at the snow on her
brother’s hair, Lin Wan’er walked up and brushed it off. She
then put the fox pelt cloak she brought onto him. "That father
of ours, seriously. He knew it’d be cold in the mountains, why
didn’t he prepare more clothes?"

Fan Xian only smiled. The prime minister was a man, and
there weren’t many women in Lin manor. As much as the
prime minister treasured Dabao, he couldn’t cover every
aspect. Fan Xian then turned to ask Teng Zijing, "Did anything
happen on the way here?"

"No." Teng Zijing answered, "Although, when entering the

mountains, we ran into another traveling carriage. They saw
we came from the prime minister’s manor and let us pass first."

Enjoying the snow and avoiding summer heat; these were the
favorite pastimes of the elites in the capital. In some areas
leading up to the mountains, there were even soldiers stationed
to guard the passes. Hearing there were no major incidents,
Fan Xian made some more small talk and prepared to go back.
 At that moment, the sound of horses could be heard behind
them. A short while later, a traveling party of carriages came
up in an aggressive manner. They were currently at a fork in
the road, so for the moment everything seemed extremely
crowded.

"That’s them." Teng Zijing said somewhat uneasily, "Young

Master, I spared you some details because I didn’t want you to
get angry."

The leading carriage driver saw the pileup and began

swearing. Fan Xian squinted in that direction and recognized
Guo You’s carriage. Fan Xian smiled, thinking about
something.

Eventually the leading carriage driver realized he was

shouting at people from the prime minister’s manor. The
standoff suddenly became less heated.

"Even if you are from the prime minister’s manor, you

shouldn’t block the path. We already made way for you once.
Can you hurry up?" A voice came from the Guo carriage. Fan
Xian recognized its owner.
 Immediately, a rich son came out of the carriage. He pointed
at Teng Zijing’s party and scolded, "Why are you still in the
way? Prime Minister Lin is still in the capital. What are you lot
doing in the Cang Mountains?"

"Guo Baokun?" Fan Xian was overjoyed and waved.

Hearing somebody call out to him in such a friendly manner,

Guo Baokun thought it was someone he was close with. So he
turned with a warm smile. Upon seeing Fan Xian, that smile
froze on Guo Baokun’s face, making him look incredibly
awkward. There was some nervousness and fear in his eyes.
"Who is that? That’s Fan Xian…"

During the poetry gathering, at capital court, and in the

Imperial palace; Guo Baokun had alienated Fan Xian numerous
times. To Guo Baokun’s misfortune, Fan Xian was one who
stirred up the capital. Every time there was conflict, Fan Xian
would pay it back in full. Now that Fan Xian had married that
girl, the extravagance of their grand wedding made Guo
Baokun accept his bad luck. Until now, all he had hoped for
was to never run into Fan Xian ever again. But who knew fate
could be so cruel?
 Looking at Guo Baokun, Fan Xian thought, "This fellow’s
luck is so bad it would make both mortals and gods cry. Why
must I run into him again?"

Seeing Guo manor’s traveling party descend the mountain

like fleeing rabbits, Fan Xian flexed his wrists. Lin Wan’er
walked over and lowered her voice, "Why do you chase them
away for no reason? His rank aside, he is still a civil servant
close to the prince. Not to mention Cang Mountain is not Fan…
ours. If other people find out about this, they would sure to
call us uncivilized."

"I didn’t chase them away," Hearing his wife, a mischievous

smile appeared on Fan Xian’s flawless face. "I only said I’d go
visit him at midnight for some tea. I didn’t know they’d run
away."

Fan Xian spoke those words with such gentleness he made

Lin Wan’er laugh. She said, "Oh you, who in the capital doesn’t
know it was you who beat him up? Go visit him at midnight?
Of course he’d run away. He couldn’t match you in fame or
prowess. What other choice did he have?"
 Fan Xian chuckled. "I, too, feel bad for him."

Teng Zijing also brought letters. In them, Count Sinan

sounded somewhat worried, as if something had happened at
the Imperial court. But from the contents, it didn’t appear to
involve the Eldest Princess, so what could it be? He then
opened Wang Qinian's letter and put the two letters together.
Everything made sense now.

"Letting business run politics. Now it’s the Council. How

long is this going to continue for?" Looking at the dark, snowy
sky outside the window, Fan Xian shook his head.

He knew that eventually, the duty of going as an envoy to

Northern Qi would fall upon him. His performance at the feast
that night was overboard; escaping to the mountains wouldn’t
be enough to calm the waves.

Reason number two was Chen Pingping, his mother’s former

comrade whom he had never met. Director Chen very much
wanted Fan Xian to take over his position in the Overwatch
Council. But Fei Jie had confirmed that taking over that
position would be harder than becoming prime minister. Fan
Xian’s fame and talent weren’t enough to shake the Council’s
thousands of dark agents.

The Overwatch Council was not the regular Sixth Bureau.

Those without competency could only get by momentarily;
they could not gain lifetime control. What the Council itself
and the emperor wanted was long-term stability. That was the
reason why Chen Pingping left the duty to Fan Xian. If Fan
Xian could successfully rescue Yan Bingyun, it would earn Yan
Ruohai's favor. When he returns to the capital, there is bound
to be a promotion. And with Fei Jie and Cheng Pingping’s
arrangements, Fan Xian would at least earn support from more
than half of the leaders.

The problem was his father. Fan Jian wanted his son to
peacefully take over the palace treasury and become
exceptionally wealthy.

Between the two sides, Fan Xian knew he didn’t have much
say on the matter. Ultimately it depended on what His Majesty
thought. Thinking about this emperor made Fan Xian frown. If
he really took over the Overwatch Council, it would only
confirm a certain terrifying thought.
 Being the envoy to Northern Qi was a gilded opportunity. But
Fan Xian knew he was only a piece of brass; gilded or not, brass
cannot turn into gold. While he was still unaware of the
riskiest part of the Overwatch Council’s plans, he guessed this
envoy wouldn’t be unusual.

Outside the window, snow mixed with the wind. Toward the
end of the long hallway, the faint sound of laughter could be
heard. There was also the red light from candles, providing a
warm sight in this snowy night.

Taking the two letters, Fan Xian ripped them to tiny pieces
and threw them out the window where they mixed with the
powdered snow, lost forever. A gust of wind blew in, chilling
the room.

The dim candlelight brightened a bit.

"Close the window, it’s freezing in here." Wan’er had gone to

bed early. She peeked out half her face from under her
blankets. With just her eyes showing, she said to Fan Xian,
"Time to sleep. Let them do as they wish. My older brother is
behaving, there’s nothing to worry about."
 Smiling, Fan Xian walked next to the bed and slid his hand
under the blankets as if it were natural. As he gently palmed
his wife’s ample bosom, he began to talk about a completely
different topic, "I know Dabao will behave, but you should
know what that younger brother of mine is like. If I don’t keep
an eye on him, one of these days he'll bring Dabao into the
mountains to hunt bears again."

Despite being married for some time now, Lin Wan’er was
still not used to her husband’s hand reaching out at her so
leisurely. Her face turned bright red, and her eyes looked like
they were about to shed tears. She caught the hands on her
chest, "You’re misbehaving again."

"My wife is calling me to bed, how should I behave?" Fan

Xian chuckled. With a reverse palm strike, he extinguished the
candle, leaving the couple in the quiet and dark room. After
the rustling of clothes, Fan Xian was only wearing an
undershirt. As he got under the blankets, his chilled body made
Lin Wan’er shiver. She said, "You sleep so late every single
night. No one knows what you’re doing at the table."

"Is that a complaint?" Fan Xian teased his wife, who had yet
to turn sixteen. A girl younger than him, who grew up
treasured by her parents, was now his wife. Every night they
indulged in pleasure. Fan Xian had no idea if she could endure
it all. As he thought about it, he began to fondle Wan’er chest.
This sense of fullness behind a slick, thin fabric was pure bliss.

Lin Wan’er moaned lightly and buried herself in Fan Xian’s

embrace.

Fan Xian lowered his head and met her lips with his. The two
bodies slowly entwined, almost burning up, raising the room
temperature.

...

Clouds clear; rain stops; mist dissipates. Flowers blossom

and wilt; there’s a time for everything.

It was still snowing outside the window. But it was warm as

spring under the blankets. Wan’er, embarrassed, meekly buried
her face in Fan Xian’s chest. Fan Xian affectionately looked at
his wife and gently stroked her lips. For some reason, he
remembered the chicken drumstick from the temple.
 "Your… Your hands are not clean." Wan’er turned her head.

Fan Xian smiled warmly. "Unclean? Where? My Wan’er is

clean everywhere."

Lin Wan’er was afraid her husband would say some even
more embarrassing things, so she changed the topic. "So, are
you going to Northern Qi?"

Fan Xian embraced her tighter and asked her in return, "Will
you follow me for life?"

"Eh?" Wan’er’s expression couldn’t be seen in the dark, but

hearing her husband ask such a question must have made her
nervous. In this world, divorce was unheard of. She asked,
"Why do you ask?"

Fan Xian now realized his question was not appropriate, so

he explained, "It just slipped out." It was something he carried
over from his previous life. Although he exchanged vows with
Wan’er, there were still certain things he wanted to hear from
the mouth of a cute girl.
 "Slipped out?" Lin Wan’er was suspicious. She asked weakly,
"Were you thinking about Sisi?"

That made Fan Xian remember Sisi whom he had

intentionally left at Fan manor. According to Teng Zijing, she
was living quite well. But as for the mess grandmother made,
he had to deal with that eventually.

He consoled Wan’er, "How could I be in the mood to think

about that? If we want to get through the business of life, we
must plan far ahead. Besides, you know your mother doesn’t
like me very much."

It was a new phrase that fell on Wan’er ears, warming her

heart. Satisfied, she said, "I’m married to you, what other
choice do I have?"

"Then that’s that." Fan Xian smiled in the dark, his lips
holding a gentle curve. He said lightly, "Some esteemed ones in
the capital are holding a big Mahjong game. I don’t know if I
can join."
 Wan’er smiled, "Fighting dirty, I’m no match for you. Playing
table games, you’re no match for me." That was the phrase Fan
Xian used to trigger Zhuang Mohan to throw up blood. It had
spread far and wide in the capital.

...

The snow and wind picked up. Fan Ruoruo could not sleep.
She stood holding an umbrella, staring into the darkness and
carefully keeping her distance from the edge of the pavement.
On her face was a smile which lacked any emotion. Her heart
was empty. The brother she admired the most was already
married. Where did her future lead? Brother had said that she
should be like Sizhe. She could find some things, emotions, or
even fine arts to dedicate her life to. But she herself couldn’t
find such a thing.

Snow fell upon her umbrella, and onto her heart.

Wu Zhu, forever wearing his blindfold, silently appeared

behind her. His emotionless voice rang out next to Ruoruo’s
ear, "Can you keep a secret?"
 At dawn the next day, after Fan Xian returned from his
training, he was surprised to find Dabao wearing the fox pelt
cloak and looking down the cliffs of the estate. Worried that
he’d fall, Fan Xian quickly walked towards Dabao and asked
gently, "Dabao, what are you looking at?"

Dabao innocently grinned. He pointed downward and said,

"Little Xianxian, there, big white bird."

Far away in the mountains, mist was rising. There, several

white cranes, with black necks and tails, were foraging.
Occasionally, they raised their heads and called out in their
crisp voices. Between the calls, they would spread their wings
and dance about. It was a beautiful sight.

Fan Xian was somewhat stunned. In such cold weather, those

cranes remained in the mountains; could there be hot springs
somewhere? Cranes are birds of freedom. They do not enjoy
confinement. Watching the cranes in the distance dancing
without restraint made Fan Xian inhale deeply. It brightened
his spirit.

"Dabao, do you like those birds?"

 "No."

Fan Xian was surprised. He asked with a smile, "Why not?

Isn’t their dance pretty?"

Dabao rubbed his lips, "They’re always jumping around. It

Make Dabao restless."

Fan Xian laughed and slapped his older brother-in-law on the

shoulder. For some reason, this third talk with Dabao was the
most relaxed. Perhaps it was because Dabao really was like a
child, so there was nothing for Fan Xian to watch out for.

While the crane dance was beautiful, watching them was

truly tiring.

"Dabao, have you been having fun these past few days?"

Dabao frowned ever so slightly, as if not knowing how to

answer the question. Nevertheless, he tried his best, "Was…
Was… good. Play Mahjong… Little fatty throwing tantrums.
Pretty… fun."

Fan Xian chuckled. He stared at the dense snowy forest

below; he stared at the mist in the distance and the cranes
within that mist; he stayed silent for a long time.
Chapter 155: Court Discussions (Part 1)
During the New Year festival, in accordance with palace
customs, each prince and princess was given a gift by the
palace. This year's gifts were different from the norm. Firstly,
the Crown Prince received the first gift. This was only natural,
but it was much more generous than it had been in previous
years: it was a book from the Emperor's own collection. The
next was the Second Prince's gift, which was of a higher level.
And the Great Prince, defending the distant border, received a
bow and arrow. Most importantly, accompanying this imperial
bow was an order to return to the capital at the end of the
summer to accept the title of king.

The officials of the capital were confused. They were unsure

what His Majesty was thinking. It appeared that the Crown
Prince's position was still secure, so why summon the Great
Prince back to the capital? This prince had spent the entire
year on the edges of the kingdom leading troops; although he
was not the son of the Emperor's first wife, he was still the
eldest son. If he were to return to the capital, it was possible
that the situation behind the scenes would not be entirely
stable.

Among the imperial gifts was another eye-catching decree. It

bestowed a gift upon Fan Xian, fifth-level academician of the
Imperial College, currently hidden away in the Cang
Mountains, in accordance with the customs regarding the son-
in-law of the Emperor. The officials all presumed that this was
for the sake of the reputation of the young lady of the Lin
family.

There were plenty of dealings and visits to be made at the end

of the year when the families of the officials and the gentry all
sent gifts to one another. People who had known each other for
a long time also visited each other, and two sets of envoys also
made their way to the Cang Mountains carrying generous
presents. The gifts were divided into those from the Eastern
Palace - the palace of the Crown Prince - and those from the
estate of the Second Prince. The target of their gift-giving was
Fan Xian.

Everyone presumed that, if after the metropolitan civil

service examinations, Fan Xian was constrained by his title of
"Prince Consort", he would find it hard to rise through the
ranks of the bureaucracy, and so His Majesty would order that
he be given control over the palace treasury. So before this
occurred, both the Crown Prince and the Second Prince rushed
to redouble their efforts to entice him. But they did so covertly,
believing that no one would discover the envoys they had
dispatched bringing gifts.
 "What did Number Two send?"

The Emperor of the Kingdom of Qing leaned upon a soft

couch, clad in black robes, his face tranquil. The handful of
wrinkles on his well-kept face were particularly apparent; his
eyes peered calmly at the snowflakes outside his study, which
looked like goose feathers.

Chen Pingping cleared his throat and adjusted the blanket

covering his knees. "It is a poem from the previous dynasty," he
said respectfully.

The Emperor smiled, but there was a hint of mockery in that

smile. "It appears my second son is fond of trite and vulgar
literature, but then again, so is everyone. Fan Xian writes a
poem every time he opens his mouth, and has far exceeded the
poets of the previous dynasty. That was an inconsiderate gift."

He continued on with his questioning. "What did the Crown

Prince send?"
 "A case of green jade Mahjong tiles." Chen Pingping stroked
his smooth jaw. Following His Majesty's gaze, he looked out
upon the blanket of snow upon the palace, squinting slightly.
"Fan Xian was quite fond of them."

"Fan... Xian. It appears that he desires to be an idler,

showered with riches and honor." His Majesty spoke quietly.
"The Crown Prince has sent a fine gift. I do not know who in
the Eastern Palace had the idea to send it." [1]

"It was most likely Xin Qiwu," said Chen Pingping, smiling. "I
do not know what Fan Xian is thinking, but I do know that
Princess Chen and the younger master of the Fan family both
love to play mahjong."

The Emperor's eyebrow rose slightly. "And how has my dear

Chen been recently?"

Chen Pingping spoke carefully. "Having Fan Xian, who

knows her condition well, taking care of her, she is likely
happier than she was in the palace."
 "No one can truly be happy within the palace." The Emperor
smiled. "Have you really decided to send Fan Xian to Northern
Qi?"

Chen Pingping sat in his wheelchair. His head still uneasily

lowered, he spoke respectfully. "Yes, Your Majesty. As Your
Majesty agrees with my suggestion, I shall make arrangements.
If Fan Xian does not take care of matters for the Overwatch
Council, then it will be difficult for him to truly take control of
it in the future, in service of Your Majesty."

There was a sudden cold silence between the two men. The
Emperor looked coldly at Chen Pingping, and after some time,
he spoke quietly. "Do not forget that he is the lifeblood of the
royal family. How can you take such a risk?"

There was a long silence. Chen Pingping smiled uneasily and

defended his plan. "My lord, the issue is that he can never
become the lifeblood of the royal family. I am your servant,
and I plan to ensure that his future is secure." He paused a
moment before continuing. "If he takes control of the palace
treasury, he will no doubt become the object of the princes'
enticement. I presume, my lord, that you do not wish to see
that happen. Thus it would be better to send him away and
allow him to lie low. Hiding in the Cang Mountains is not
possible."

The Emperor looked coldly at the cripple before him. This

was his faithful dog in the bureaucracy. But how long had it
been since he had called him "my lord"?

"Very well." The Emperor slowly closed his eyes, and

seemingly for a moment, the snow and wind in the palace
disappeared without trace.

Chen Pingping sat calmly in his wheelchair, waiting for a

long while for the Emperor to speak. "But you must be aware
that Count Sinan and Prime Minister Lin will not agree to
these arrangements. When they arrive to discuss courtly
matters, I shall no doubt be greatly vexed by them."

"Ready the imperial carriage!" The young eunuch's clear voice

reverberated from the eaves of Xingqing Hall. With a clatter,
the imperial eunuchs and palace maids spilled out from the
hall, carrying the Emperor's sedan chair, waiting upon His
Majesty's every need, moving toward the palace hall.
 The sedan chair was sealed tight; the wind and the snow that
filled the air could not penetrate it. The Emperor closed his
eyes, resting his chin on his hands, pondering. His palms
gently touched the small burning stove. A moment later, he
sighed, opened his eyes, and looked over the all-too-familiar
palace. Weary of the scene, he shook his head gently.

In the main hall, eunuchs holding horsetail whisks came out,

loudly proclaiming "The Emperor approaches!"

The gathered officials, who had already been waiting a long

time, adjusted their garments and kneeled to the floor, calling
out "Long Live His Majesty!" The Emperor glanced at the
bureaucrats before approaching the Dragon Throne and sitting
down. "Come forth," he said.

Hearing his command, the officials stood back up, although

some of the high-ranking officials and nobles, who lived
comfortable lives in the capital, had inevitably put on some
weight, and so their movements were sluggish. It was a
comical sight.
 "Other matters have been settled. Spring is approaching, and
after the Imperial Examinations, the agreement drafted with
the northerners will go into effect." The Emperor seemed
clearly displeased, and he leaned on one side of the Dragon
Throne. "Ministers, has a suitable envoy been chosen?"

There had been rumors over the past few months that the
Prime Minister's new son-in-law, Fan Xian, fifth-level
Academician of the Imperial College, was to be dispatched as
envoy to Northern Qi. Prime Minister Lin Ruofu had always
presumed it was officials of the royal court who opposed him
making mischief, so he had long been fully prepared.

Originally, there had been mutual animosity between the Lin

and Fan families at court. One was a steadfast supporter of the
Emperor's faction, while the other had unclear connections to
the Eldest Princess. After Fan Xian had entered the capital,
everything had been acutely transformed. The Prime Minister
had broken his ties with the Eldest Princess, and Minister Fan
had become his relative by marriage.

Assistant Minister Fan Jian of the Ministry of Revenue had

stepped back somewhat. He glanced at the line of people in
front of him, and found that Prime Minister Lin Ruofu was
also looking at him. Their gazes met, and the two men smiled.

"I commend my report unto Your Majesty. I thought that

when vice-minister Xin of Honglu Temple was negotiating
previously, all matters were settled to the great benefit of the
nation. He is a fine talent, and if vice-minister Xin were to be
dispatched as envoy, it would be most suitable."

The first one to hurriedly reply was a disciple of Prime

Minister Lin Ruofu, Ren Shao'an, a vice-minister official of
Taichang Temple. Because today's court discussions were on
the topic of the return visit, everyone wanted to hear his
opinion, so he and Xin Qiwu, vice-minister of Honglu Temple,
were both in attendance in the palace hall.

Xin Qiwu was somewhat taken aback. How could he have

been recommended? Of course, he understood, the Prime
Minister did not wish for his own son-in-law to be sent to an
enemy country hundreds of miles from his daughter. Although
there were no issues of safety, the road was long and high
through the mountains. After the civil service examinations,
Fan Xian would certainly be promoted; if he were immediately
dispatched as envoy afterward, who knew what changes could
occur in the court months later?

In truth, the Crown Prince's opinion was similar to that of

the Prime Minister's. Now that there was none of the Eldest
Princess's madness behind him, the Crown Prince's
understanding of issues had grown. He presumed that Fan Xian
would stay behind in the capital and soon take control of the
palace treasury, and at the same time, he could step up his
efforts to win him over. This was the correct approach, and if
he could use it as a pretext to take hold of Assistant Minister
Fan Jian and restore ties with the Prime Minister, that would
be even better. Besides, the imperial examinations were
approaching, and the Eastern Palace still relied heavily upon
Fan Xian.

In light of this, it seemed that no one was going to bring up

the matter of dispatching Fan Xian as envoy to Northern Qi
that day in the court. After all, offending the Fan and Lin
families, even if you were a senior figure or a high official,
would arouse the ire of those two men, which could very well
be unbearable.
 So the hall was silent for a short while. It seemed that the
ministers had all approved the suggestion of dispatching Xin
Qiwu to Northern Qi. Even Xin Qiwu had begun to prepare for
the order to go in place of Fan Xian.

The Emperor frowned. It seemed he had not expected this

would happen. He set the small furnace in his hand gently
upon a small table by his side, covered in yellow satin.

At that moment, someone emerged from the ranks of the

ministers and spoke quietly and calmly. "I suggest that Fan
Xian, academician of the Imperial College, is dispatched as
envoy to Northern Qi."

The gathered officials had never expected that someone

would be willing to offend the Fan and Lin families. Numerous
glances centered on him, and discovered that the source of
these words was Qin Heng, an attaché of the Bureau of
Military Affairs. Qin Heng had a military background, and so
he was not afraid of the glares of the bureaucracy. But the
officials did not understand; even if you were from the Bureau
of the Military Affairs, was there really any need to offend the
Prime Minister and the Fan family?
 Hearing this suggestion, Prime Minister Lin Ruofu's
expression did not change. He was thoroughly calm. Count
Sinan could not help but smile. Hindered by their connection
to Fan Xian, the two old foxes naturally found it unsuitable to
speak, but officials with connections to them spoke up on their
behalf. After a period of discussion in the hall, one official
spoke calmly.

"I do not believe it is appropriate. Young Master Fan is not

yet 17, and has not the slightest experience in official affairs.
Sending him as envoy to Northern Qi as a representative of
imperial power to establish diplomatic connections is a great
task. Although Young Master Fan is greatly talented, he is still
inexperienced. I fear that he will find it difficult to shoulder
such a responsibility. By contrast, vice-minister Xin is of
steady bearing and is a thoroughly suitable choice. He should
have no trouble in journeying to Northern Qi."

Xin Qiwu sighed, knowing that he would have to make a

decision. He stepped forward from the ranks and bowed as he
asked for orders. "I wish to offer my service to the nation."

The "Xian" in Fan Xian’s name can mean "leisure" or "idleness".

Chapter 156: Court Discussions (Part 2)
As he sat high upon his Dragon Throne, watching his
ministers' performance below, an imperceptible smile formed
on the Emperor's lips. He waved a hand to allow Xin Qiwu to
withdraw, and spoke gently. "Gentlemen, do you all believe
that Xin Qiwu is the most suitable man for the task?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." The gathered ministers bowed, their

words elongated, using their whole breath to show respect.

Qin Heng, the attaché of the Bureau of Military Affairs who

had suggested Fan Xian as envoy to Northern Qi, looked at the
Emperor a little oddly before quickly returning his gaze. Now
that all the ministers deemed Fan Xian an inappropriate choice
for envoy, he reckoned that His Majesty could change his
mind.

"Ministers, I do not agree with your views."

The hall was suddenly silent. Only the Emperor's gentle

voice reverberated through the palace. "It is said that one
cannot make use of jade without cutting it. Gentlemen, I
preresume you still remember Fan Xian's graceful bearing in
the hall on that day. Although he is a civilian official, he also
had the bravery to slaughter his would-be assassins at Niulan
Street. How can we allow such brilliance to go to waste in the
quiet corridors of Taichang Temple or the Imperial College?"

Hearing this, the ministers understood that the Emperor had

long held this view. But they did not understand why His
Majesty insisted that Fan Xian go to Northern Qi.

The Emperor looked coldly at the gathered officials and

continued. "He is inexperienced. Thus, we must provide him
with experience. Fan Xian will go. This assignment shall be
given to him."

If the Emperor - the Son of Heaven - said so, then it was so.

The gathered ministers did not dare speak up. Only on the
faces of Fan Jian and Lin Ruofu did some trace of anxiety show.
As his father and father-in-law, they were unable to hide it.
This reaction was only natural. If they were to pretend to be
overjoyed and praise the Emperor's brilliance, they would
simply arouse the scorn of His Majesty and all those present.
 "Fan Jian." The Emperor looked at the assistant minister of
the Ministry of Revenue and frowned slightly.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Heaing his name, Fan Jian was

somewhat surprised, and hurriedly stepped forward.

"I wish to give this task to your son," the Emperor said
quietly. "What is your opinion?"

Fan Jian was quiet for a moment. Suddenly, he smiled. "I do

not dare to have an opinion on the matter."

"Is it that you do not dare, or that you do not have one?"

"I do not dare."

"If you dared, what would your opinion be?"

 The wind and snow intensified outside, while inside the hall
was as warm as spring. And yet the words between their lord
and his minister made it as cold as it was outside. The officials
who were on good terms with Fan Jian could not help but
secretly worry. How could Count Sinan answer so
inappropriately?

A moment later, Fan Jian quietly responded to the Emperor.

"I was separated from my son for 16 years, and we only met
months ago. If we are separated again, I cannot deny that it
will be difficult."

The word "difficult" echoed through the hall. Who knew who
might have heard it?

The Emperor smiled. He knew that Fan Jian's response was

that of his childhood friend. In truth, he did not understand
the real reason why he was sending Fan Xian to Northern Qi. It
seemed... that Chen Pingping was the only one who
understood him.

"But it will only be a few months. Leaving in mid-spring,

returning in early autumn. What about that is difficult?"
 The Emperor did not await Fan Jian's response. Smiling, he
waved his hand, issuing his decree. "The Minister of Revenue is
old, and his health is fading. He has been convalescing for a
long time. I hereby decree... that assistant minister of revenue
Fan Jian is to take his place."

There was no objection from the court. Fan Jian had long
hidden the truth at the Ministry of Revenue, but he had never
been promoted. Embittered officials grumbled to themselves.
Assistant Minister Fan had finally promoted his concubine
Lady Liu to the status of wife, and the Emperor had finally
promoted him to Minister. If the assistant minister had known
this long ago, would he not have taken Lady Liu as his wife
much sooner?

Of course, the officials all presumed that this was

compensation for the Emperor's decision to send Fan Xian to
Northern Qi.

Fan Jian knew that nothing more could be done about this
matter. His face calm, he advanced and kowtowed to the
Emperor in gratitude. The Emperor then turned to Lin Ruofu
and smiled. "Prime Minister, your precious daughter is newly
married. I am sending Fan Xian as envoy to Northern Qi. Do
you wish to say anything?"

Prime Minister Lin Ruofu forced a smile, stepped forward,

and saluted. The Emperor of the Kingdom of Qing and his
Prime Minister appeared to be on good terms, but in truth, the
monarch's power was imposing and none would dare provoke
him. His previous benevolence toward Fan Jian was somewhat
puzzling. His Majesty had asked for his opinion, and he did not
dare object. He spoke calmly. "Fan Xian should indeed acquire
experience."

After the cabinet meeting, the Emperor seemed to be in a

slightly better mood as he climbed into his palanquin and
made his way back to his palace. The officials filed out. Outside
the high palace walls, they all congratulated Fan Jian on his
appointment as Minister of Revenue. From now on, he would
be in charge of the nation's financial affairs in name as well as
in practice.

"Master Fan, from now on, our salaries are in your hands,"
teased Guo You, Director of the Board of Rites. "Go easy on us."
 Fan Jian chuckled and shook his head. "Master Guo, you
always were a joker." Fan Xian had had several run-ins with
Guo Baokun, but in the royal court, there was no ill will
between the two men.

As they walked out, Lin Ruofu cleared his throat. As he

walked onward, the officials saluted the Prime Minister.
Knowing he would have a few words to say to the father of his
son-in-law, they dispersed. "Master Fan, why was His Majesty
so insistent on sending Fan Xian as envoy to Northern Qi?" he
asked quietly.

As they were now relatives by marriage, the two men

naturally had dispensed with a lot of the formalities. Fan Jian
forced a smile. "Sir, I truly do not know. Perhaps... His Majesty
truly does wish to give my son experience?" Though he said it,
in his heart he knew that that damned cripple was behind it
somehow. But thinking about it for a moment, Fan Xian would
only be away from the capital for a short while – away from the
attempts of the Crown Prince and the Second Prince to curry
his favor. Waiting until the Great Prince returned to the capital
was perhaps not a bad choice.
 Lin Ruofu seemed to think the same. But his doubts went
further. It seemed that His Majesty was greatly concerned for
his own "beloved son-in-law". Could it be that this was only for
Chen'er's sake?

The Prime Minister shook his head and smiled at Fan Jian.
"Dabao being in the mountains must be an inconvenience for
you, Master Fan."

"Nonsense," said Fan Jian, smiling. "We are all family. In a

month's time, when the spring flowers bloom, the diplomatic
mission will depart for Northern Qi. When that happens I shall
allow Wan'er to visit your manor as often as she pleases."

"Indeed. Recently, without Dabao in the manor, it has felt

rather lonely." Lin Ruofu felt somewhat emotional. He sighed.
"Master Fan, should you have some free time, you might as
well pay me a visit."

"How could I dare disobey my Prime Minister's request?" said

Fan Jian, smiling.
 Again in a deserted place, again in two carriages. Again, the
two people who had conspired behind Fan Xian's back for over
a decade still hid inside their own carriages as they spoke.

"I said I did not wish for him to sever ties with the Overwatch
Council!" Fan Jian, recently promoted to Minister of Revenue,
did not sound pleased in the slightest; his tone was thoroughly
cold.

In the carriage opposite, Chen Pingping hissed with quiet

laughter. "Sending him to Northern Qi has nothing to do with
my lousy Council."

Fan Jian could not help but draw open the curtain of his
carriage. "Nothing to do with you? Don't think I don't know
what you're thinking. Xiao En is in your hands now. If you
want to kill him, then kill him. Why bother sending him to
gain a reputation? We both know what kind of person Xiao En
is. If you allow him to return to Northern Qi, then killing him
will be that much harder. You know that."

"I have not forgotten. You hold some of His Majesty's power
in your hand. I believe some of your people are within the
Overwatch Council." Chen Pingping still laughed quietly. His
laugh seemed somewhat sinister.

"I fear that His Majesty would not be pleased with our
private meetings. As for Xiao En, it doesn't matter whether he's
dead or alive. I've put him under pressure for 20 years, and he's
left me nothing. And the young Emperor of Northern Qi won't
necessarily be as open-minded as our own liege when it comes
to whether he dares to use the head of the spy network of the
former Northern Wei Kingdom. And as for Fan Xian's
departure, it truly was the Emperor's will. Master Fan, you
know that if we allow your son to stay in the capital, the
Crown Prince and the Second Prince will try every day to win
him over. And that will likely cause us great trouble in the
future."

Fan Jian was silent for a while. He knew this was a serious
issue. He absolutely could not allow Fan Xian to be caught up
in the royal family's struggles over their rights of inheritance.
He let down the curtain from the side of the carriage and closed
his eyes, leaning on the soft padding. He was still unable to
relax when it came to the child he had watched over for over a
decade and the connections he had built within the Overwatch
Council's terrifying machinery.
 Chen Pingping had seemingly guessed what he was thinking.
"Since the Emperor has agreed to the plan, you can relax."

No one saw the sneer that curled the corners of Fan Jian's
mouth. "Yan Bingyun was captured," he said coldly. "How is
your Council coordinating with him?"

"Naturally, someone will be there to receive him."

"Don't send someone mediocre!"

Chen Pingping smiled. "Perhaps you should try harder too.

You should know that Ye Zhong has always suspected that the
assassins from Dongyi who entered the palace and killed the
Eldest Princess's maid were from the Council. The rumor has
also reached Xinyang. So it's caused me some trouble."

Fan Jian's heart skipped a beat.

 In the Cang Mountains, the snow settled thick and deep.
White steam arose from a hidden hot spring in the distance,
and red-crowned cranes moved across the sky in an endless and
directionless dance. Fan Xian pored over a letter that had
arrived from his father and Wang Qinian. Then, crumpling it
in his hand, he ripped it into tiny pieces and threw it out of the
window.

Outside, the snowy scene was beautiful. Dabao and Fan Sizhe
were making snowmen. One large and chubby, the other small
and plump, they made constant noise. At times like these, Fan
Sizhe could finally act like a child, and not like some
embittered bookkeeper.

Fan Xian smiled. The snow was no doubt difficult to traverse,

but Danbo Bookstore had still dispatched people into the
mountains with their accounts. Seventh Ye the shopkeeper was
truly loyal to his duties. Business at the bookstore was
absolutely booming. Thanks to the publication of the
Banxianzhai poetry anthology, several branches of Danbo had
established a firm foothold in the capital, and in the next
county over they had begun to turn a profit.
 The next evening, Fan Sizhe sorted out the accounts. Seeing
the net income of 23,000 taels of silver, his eyes reddened, and
he urged Fan Xian to finish the last ten chapters of Story of the
Stone. Fan Xian did not answer him. The poetry had stirred up
so much; if anyone knew that Story of the Stone was also his
doing, who knew what chaos might ensue?

The Eldest Princess had returned to Xinyang, but her

influence remained at the court. The key thing was that he did
not know who was on her side. Was it the Crown Prince, or
was it the Second Prince who he had never once laid eyes on?
Chapter 157: Chapter 3
Walking out of the book chamber, Fan Xian breathed in the
fresh winter air of Cang Mountain. He stretched lazily and
followed the sound of Mahjong and quickly found his wife
playing with some other ladies. Seeing the jade-green tiles
rolling around in those soft, white hands, the sight struck Fan
Xian’s heart.

Then he saw his sister. The second prince had given them a
poetry collection from the previous dynasty, and Fan Ruoruo
was immersed in reading it. This sight also struck Fan Xian’s
heart.

Just as he thought, being too famous wasn’t a good thing.

Getting fat isn’t good news for a pig, and getting famous isn’t
good news for a person. Fan Xian smiled bitterly. Since the
banquet, both the eldest and second princess didn’t directly
contact him, but vice-minister Xin and Li Hongcheng
frequented Fan Manor. Even after hiding in the mountains,
Fan Xian could not stop them from sending gifts.

On the last day of the lunar year, the group on Cang

Mountain went back to the capital. In those few days, Li
Hongcheng caught the news and begged to come back to Cang
Mountain with Fan Xian. While Fan Xian dared not bring
Crown Prince Jing, he was forced to bring along Rou Jia.

Rou Jia was the first one to notice Fan Xian blanking out in
his room. The young girl asked, "Brother Xian, do you want to
play cards?"

Being called "Brother Xian" reminded Fan Xian of "Brother

Bao" from Dream of the Red Chamber. He waved his hand and
said, "Go ahead. I shall go for a stroll."

"Stroll" came out a bit unnaturally. Catching that, Rou Jia

made an adorable pout. Lin Wan’er had to intervene. "My dear,
why don’t you come and play a few rounds?"

"I’m going to pass." Fan Xian refused even more firmly. As he

left the game table, his foot touched something fluffy. Not
knowing what to make of it, he looked down and discovered a
box. Inside the box slept three plump kittens on top of some
straw and shredded rags. With their closed eyes and wrinkled
noses, those kittens were very cute indeed.
 Fan Xian gasped. "What are these kittens doing here?"

Lin Wan’er, also seeing the box, picked it up and put it on the
game table. She smiled, "Auntie Teng was worried we would get
lonely in the mountains, so she had someone bring us these
three kittens today."

Fan Xian got closer and saw that there was a yellow kitten, a
black one, and a white one. Aside from their colors, they were
identical otherwise. Fan Xian laughed. "Oh you lot, you don’t
even know how to feed yourselves, much less keep some cats."
He picked up the black one and held it in his arms. The
sensation from this little ball of fur was very interesting.
When he gently petted the kitten on the back of its head, it
opened its eyes and lazily looked at him before falling back to
sleep. It didn’t seem to mind being held.

"Do they have names?"

"No. Let’s go with Little Yellow, Little Black, and Little White
for now."
 "Oh, I like the sound of Little White."

After dinner, Fan Xian sat in the main seat. Sizhe sat next to
him. The brothers received the reports from the capital.
Towards the end of the year, the Fan clan owned suburbs in the
capital, as well as the Danzhou estate and some other pieces of
land. They all had to report their taxes. Lady Liu at Fan Manor
in the capital always took care of these primary matters. Now
that she had become the head wife, it was even more
appropriate for her to take care of these matters. But this year,
after having done so, she picked the biggest couple of
expenditures and asked Mister Cui to write a letter reporting
them to Young Master Fan.

Fan Xian could understand Lady Liu's intentions, so he didn’t

immediately react. Rather, he was even more attentive of the
reports. Occasionally he would interject to ask some questions.

The third housekeeper finished his report obediently. Fan

Xian closed his eyes and thought for a while. He then opened
them and looked at Sizhe. "Do you think there will be any
issues?"
 Fan Sizhe scratched his left cheek, where there were three
moles. He shook his head. "No problems, big bro. But mother
always took care of those expenditures. Why is she having us
look over it this year?"

Fan Xian gave a faint grin. Fan Sizhe was talented in some
areas – to the point of being a little tyrant even – but in other
areas he was like a blank sheet of paper.

The third housekeeper then respectfully said, "The yearly

goods should have arrived in the capital before the coming
year, but because of heavy snow to the east and north, they
arrived some days late. Other than the fruits and grains from
last time, the letters included the various meats, wild game,
and floral tea sent from Danzhou. The Lady had prepared to
send three more cartloads, enough to last all of you until
spring."

"There's no need for that much, we could just settle for the
new and interesting stuff. One cartload would be plenty." Fan
Xian then added, "Grandmother’s floral tea – remember to
bring a lot of that." He had often spoke to Wan’er and Ruoruo
about his life in Danzhou, mentioning that fragrant tea
countless times.
 The housekeeper smiled. "The tea already arrived today. The
latter two loads are food and some small goods. Those are for
in case you two young masters wish to stay until spring."

Fan Xian heard it clearly and inwardly complimented Lady

Liu for her flawless caretaking. He asked the housekeeper to
take a rest and receive his payment.

Spring arrived. As a fifth-ranked scholar, Fan Xian had to

return to the capital to assume his position; he couldn’t hide in
the mountains forever. And after the examinations in the
fourth month, an envoy would be required for the negotiations
between two nations; a secret trade of captives must take place
as well. Everything seemed to be happening all at once.

If Fan Xian were to have a say in the matter, he would have

exchanged the captives last year. The soldiers and generals
aside, Fan Xian was most worried about that Yan Bingyun,
whom he never met but admired in secret. Being the head spy
of Qing, who knew how much he suffered whilst imprisoned
by an enemy nation for over half a year?
 Fan Xian was willing to serve this nation, but not the
Imperial court.

At night, after he finished his regular training, he dragged his

fatigued body back to the mountain estate. His night clothes
were dirty from snow and mud, so he put those in a bag he had
prepared. He then tossed the bag aside.

While training, he had lain in the snow, alone. Under the

pale moonlight, he aimed at his targets. His eyesight froze into
a straight line as he stared at the rocks in the distance, black
rocks protruding from the snow which had remained still for
millennia. Other times, he would take aim at the rabbits
dashing rapidly through the snow. All of this chipped away at
his stamina. Not to mention that a few days ago, Wu Zhu gave
"that" to him and disappeared. In the past few training
sessions, there was no one to talk to; no one to oversee him.
This feeling of loneliness reminded him of his past life.

It was all silent in the mountain estate. Only the main

bedroom remained lit; that was Wan’er awaiting his return.
Smiling, Fan Xian walked towards the light. It had been sunny
for a while during the day, melting the snow on the stone
platform. Fan Xian walked around the puddles which reflected
the moonlight. He leapt over the rails. Suddenly, something
alerted him and he stopped abruptly.

Presently, he stood at the other end of the hallway, right

outside Ruoruo’s room. His ears perked up and he frowned. He
sharpened his gaze. He turned and pressed his palm against the
door and released just a small amount of his zhenqi. The
wooden door was forced open from the shock, and Fan Xian
drifted inside like the night breeze.

On the bed, the blankets were in a mess. Ruoruo was

nowhere to be seen.

Calmly, Fan Xian reached under the blankets and discovered

that, other than the spot near the bed warmer, the rest had all
already gone cold. Ruoruo had been gone for a long time. His
heart was slightly shaken – could this be the work of some
unknown enemy? He steadied himself and turned around, his
hand brandishing his thin dagger. He was ready for a night
raid.

"Xian!"
 Outside the doorway, Fan Ruoruo was holding a lantern.
Seeing her brother standing by her bed wielding a blade, she
called out to him in surprise. Fan Xian, seeing her safe and
sound, felt his entire body and nerves relax. He closed his eyes
and took a few deep breaths. Moments later, he asked, "Where
did you go? Are you alright?"

Ruoruo had covered herself with a silver-colored blanket, but

under that she was only wearing her sleepwear. She looked at
Fan Xian, as if not realizing what he meant. After a while she
forced a smile, "You’re scaring me, asking that while holding a
dagger."

Fan Xian smiled in apology and put back the dagger. He

walked toward her and held her shoulders, "You're the scary
one. I was walking outside and it was abnormally quiet, I
couldn’t even hear you breathe. You had me worried to death."

"You sure can talk. You are the one running around outside
in the dead of the night, and you're saying I was the one who
scared you?"
 "Where did you go exactly?" Fan Xian asked. Fan Ruoruo
blushed and lowered her head, "Sometimes it’s best if you don’t
ask for details."

Only now did Fan Xian realize. "There’s a toilet inside. The
mountain winds are harsh at night. Don’t catch a cold."

"I know." Ruoruo smiled shyly and pushed him out the door,
"Wan'er is still waiting for you."

Outside, Fan Xian gently rubbed his cold fingers. Judging

from the temperature of her bed, she had been gone for a
while; definitely not to the bathroom. She must have gone
somewhere right after he left the mountain estate.

Thinking about that, Fan Xian couldn’t help but treat this as
a great mystery. But he forced back his desire to find out.
Everyone keeps secrets, and it’s important to respect their right
to do so—Fan Xian had taught Ruoruo that back in the capital.
Now, as her elder brother, he must lead by example.
Chapter 158: Back to the Capital
The spring winds brought people joy and urged on the
horses. Fan Xian, who had been resting on Cang Mountain for
an entire winter, finally decided to leave with his family.
Altogether, they packed into six carriages, and that was only
for a portion of the luggage. When descending the mountains,
the likes of Guo Baokun were nowhere to be seen, and there
were no other unpleasant happenings. All of the female family
members seemed to be drunk on spring breeze.

Fan Xian was in excellent spirits. To him, this "hibernation"

in Cang Mountain was a much-needed adjustment; he made
much improvements in both martial and spiritual aspects.
Gazing far ahead, he could see the foot of Cang Mountain was
already turning green, and the sky seemed to be full of signs of
life.

The sky was currently clear, but there were some dark clouds
in the distance. Strangely, behind them, blue sky and white
clouds could still be seen, giving viewers a sense of a heavy
dark layer.
 With the clopping of horse hooves, the carriages meandered
down the mountain path. Having gone around the shaded side,
the group was suddenly showered by intense sunlight. Piercing
through the clouds, it was almost intimidating.

Turning his eyes back down to the earth, Fan Xian smiled to
his wife. "Staying in the mountains for so long, you must be
pent up."

Lin Wan’er asked, "Pent up about what?" Fan Xian wasn’t

quite expecting that. "While the mountain is good, the sights
are only snow and trees. Eventually you get tired of seeing
them. Wan’er, do you miss the bustling life back in the
capital?"

Lin Wan’er smiled meaningfully. "In the capital, it’s either

the palace or one of the various courtyards. Besides, you know
I didn’t live too long in the prime minister’s manor. I never had
many chances to go outside. While the life in the mountains is
a bit dull, it’s more comfortable than the sight of those palace
walls." Knowing her husband cared for her very much, Wan’er
felt a sense of warmth in her heart. She giggled, "Also because
the mountains had you."
 Before Fan Xian could react, Wan’er became shy and turned
her face away.

Fan Xian laughed and thought to talk about something else.

"After the spring examinations are over, I guess the Imperial
court will send me on a diplomatic mission to Northern Qi."

It became quiet in the carriage. Only the sound of horses and

the wheels could be heard coming in from outside. After a
while, Lin Wan’er said, "Don’t worry, I will be in the capital."

Fan Xian thought for a moment and said, "I think I’m
bringing Wang Qinian. If anything comes up, first ask father
for advice. If Fei Jie is still in the capital, you can also go to
him for help. I already conveyed everything to Teng Zijing. Of
course…" He smiled. "Nothing should happen."

Once they returned to the capital, they discovered the

remnants of the colored lanterns and the paper scraps from
firecrackers. In the streets, people walked around in new
clothing, intoxicated by the festive atmosphere. Fan Xian
regretted going to the mountains and missing out on the lively
festival.
 Arriving at the Fan manor, there was more ruckus as they
had to unload everything. The couple saluted their parents and
met up with relatives. Fan Xian discovered that the Fan clan
was exactly as they say. While no relatives held a high position
in the Imperial court, they all seem to have a place in the
various government buildings and led very comfortable lives.

Days later, Fan Xian first led Wan’er back to her manor and
greeted his father-in-law and bid farewell to Dabao. Then he
went to visit King Jing. With no time to rest, he was treated
twice by vice-minister Ren Shao'an of Honglu Temple and vice-
minister Xin Qiwu of Taichang Temple; as the two were
officials who had been through much with Fan Xian, he could
not refuse them.

Soon, it was the second month of the lunar year. The various
aspiring students already entered the capital. Those with
money stayed at inns. Some lived with relatives. Those
without money made do in the bookstores in the suburbs of the
capital. Eventually the dormitories of the Imperial college
opened to accommodate those students without a place to live.

The examination was held by the Board of Rites, and

students were to take it on one of the three days of the second
month: the ninth, twelfth, or the fifteenth day. When Fan Xian
got there, the time was already close. But fortunately, his
position didn’t hold much substance; it was something His
Majesty came up with. The Imperial college never had any
intention to assign him anything anyway so naturally he had
no need to go to lectures; it was a quiet life.

Occasionally the other students would come to his room and

look at him with greedy eyes, resembling a pack of hungry
wolves.

With a sharp noise, Fan Xian opened the fan in his hand and
started stirring up the still-cold spring air. The students took
the hint and backed off. Fan Xian smiled at them,. "Everyone, I
am still young, I wouldn’t take on a responsibility as
important as teaching. Should you continue to bring this up,
you will embarrass me."

The students took note of Fan Xian’s interesting way of

speech. For someone of his reputation, a fifth-ranked official at
the age of seventeen, Fan Xian wasn’t the type to look down on
those below him. That took away some layers of intimidation.
Someone joked, "Sir Fan, you were the one who mentioned
style at Yishi Inn, and now you are here waving a fan."
 Fan Xian laughed, "So what? I simply enjoy messing around.
You shouldn’t hold what I say against me."

All the examiners and related personnel had been chosen. Fan
Xian’s age and rank alone were enough to be somewhat
intimidating, but he was still far from matching those
important roles. Nevertheless, his fame as a poet had spread far
and wide. Even though he swore to never compose poetry
again, few took him seriously. The students always wanted to
bait something out of him. Should they really obtain
something, it would be an unexpected reward for them.

The "Banxianzhai Poetry Collection" was already a national

bestseller, which was why all the students from outside the
capital were all curious about this young man. Some were
more straightforward than others, and managed to find the
location of Fan manor. But upon arriving at the gate, staring at
the stone lions, even they couldn’t gather the courage to knock
when they saw what kind of household Fan Xian came from.

Only a few days into his stay at the Imperial College, Fan
Xian followed the Fourth Bureau to check up on the various
students who had come to the capital to take the examination.
He discovered much suffering among the poorer students.
Despite the Imperial court ordering all the books stores and
local temples to accommodate them, life could still be difficult
for some. Some of them didn't even have enough money to buy
food.

Remembering Wu Zhu’s story back in Danzhou, Fan Xian was

slightly shaken. He took some silver out of the book
department’s budget and asked the shopkeepers at Qingyu Hall
to make those poor students’ lives more comfortable. While
not an earth-shattering act of kindness, Fan Xian still wouldn’t
let those students know he was their benefactor. Upon
returning home, Fan Xian complained about this situation to
his father, who had been promoted to Director of the Board of
Rites.

Fan Jian was a tad surprised that his son cared for such
matters. Other than feeling glad, he was more assured
regarding Fan Xian’s safety and future.

On the seventh day of the second month, two days before the
examination, Fan Xian felt bored and snuck out from the
Imperial College. He really couldn’t put up with those students
who weren’t diligent yet still brought him poems. Some of
those students were old enough to be his father, which made
things quite awkward.

Outside the city walls, Fan Xian watched the clear water in
the moat and began to relax. In fact, until recently, not very
many people in the capital knew what he looked like, so it was
very liberating for him to walk in the streets, especially under
the red walls of the palace. He eyed those walls and the
intimidating guards standing on them, "So what? I snuck in
once."

The tower in the far corner belonged to the Imperial troops;

it was where Yan Xiaoyi launched his arrow from.

Fan Xian withdrew his gaze and shook his head. Yan Xiaoyi
had been relocated to the north as a general. If he were to go to
Northern Qi, he would have to pass through Yan Xiaoyi’s
domain. Naturally, Fan Xian did not want to expose himself as
the assassin on that night.

He arrived at Tianhe Avenue, not too far from the palace.

The flowing waters to the side were still warm, while the
golden characters on the building gate shined. Fan Xian
pretended not to notice and passed by.

"Say, Sir Fan, to think it would be so hard for me to see you.

You sure have become a celebrity in the capital."

Fan Xian turned around with an embarrassed smile. Crown

Prince Jing sat on top of his horse, smiling at Fan Xian. Fan
Xian saluted him. "It is an honor to see you, Prince. I only
wanted some peace and quiet. It was sheer coincidence which
brought me to you."

"Not coincidence." Li Hongcheng waved his horsewhip, "I

chased you all the way from the Imperial College."

Fan Xian was a bit startled, but immediately regained his

composure, "What is the matter, Prince?"

The prince smiled, "Today, someone wishes to invite you out

for a feast."
 "Who?" Fan Xian asked bluntly. Something seemed wrong.

"The Second Prince." Li Hongcheng replied.

Fan Xian shook his head in frustration. This second prince,

who had never made contact before, now made his move.
There was no way Fan Xian could get out of this one.
Chapter 159: The Second Prince
It was a secret banquet located on a pleasure boat upon the
Liujing River, just as before. The outside of the pleasure boat
looked exceptionally elegant, but without the gaudy romance-
novel feel there had been on the other side of the river. At that
moment there were neither clouds nor rain over the river. The
scene was bathed in a majestic pale red light, and under the
light winds, the waves softly lapped the riverbanks as if the
river were breathing. Compared to the other side, where one
could hear faint sounds, this pleasure boat, arranged by the
Second Prince, seemed a much more serene and worldly place.

Fan Xian and Li Hongcheng, Crown Prince Jing, chatted and

laughed as they walked to the riverbank. With their
bodyguards leading their horses, the two men helped each
other onto the boat. There was a smile on his face, but deep in
his heart, he sighed. This prince seemed to be a thoroughly
elegant man, but he did not know why he was not content to
act as prince in peace. Why did he feel the need to provoke such
affairs within the Kingdom of Qing?

On the slightly wet boards of the boat, Fan Xian's feet were
just about to step onto the side of the ship when he suddenly
heard the sound of a string being plucked. He did not feel
somber at all. He instead felt pure-hearted and cordial as the
song arose. "Leaving the clear water and green hills, I came to a
cottage with a bamboo fence. The wild flowers bloom on the
edges of the road. Wine is brewed in vessels in the village, and I
drink to complete intoxication. Even though drunk, the
mountain children do not mock us, chrysanthemums stuck
randomly in my white hair."

A smile curled the corners of Fan Xian's lips, and he entered

alongside Li Hongcheng. As he listened to the song, he felt
more and more curious as to what kind of person this Second
Prince was.

The beaded screen parted, Fan Xian saw only a young man
wearing a blue-green jacket, sitting in an odd fashion upon a
chair. His head was slightly tilted to one side, and his eyes were
lightly closed, with a look of satisfaction on his face as he
listened to the song of the woman singing in the corner.

Without having to ask, he knew that this young man was the
Second Prince of the Kingdom of Qing, son of the Emperor and
Imperial Consort Shu.
 The Second Prince was sitting in an odd position indeed. He
was in a half-squat on top of the chair, looking a lot like a
peasant resting in his field. His blue-green jacket covered his
legs, but more oddly, looking at his drunken expression and
elegant facial features, one suddenly felt a feeling of refined
tranquility, as if he had long tired of the comings and goings of
this world, and was reflecting purely on the song.

Fan Xian's first thought on seeing the Second Prince was:

"This man gives me a familiar feeling." His second thought
was: "This man is exhausted, and so is his spirit." His third
thought was: "This man's thoughts are deep." He had his belief
in his ability to look a man in the eye, but it was still an
awkward scene. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Li
Hongcheng had long since quietly taken a seat, and Fan Xian
was standing in the middle of the room, looking at the Second
Prince, unsure of how to address him.

The Second Prince seemed to only care about listening to the

music, and had completely forgotten about his own guests. Of
course, considering his status, it was only natural that he
would make Fan Xian wait.
 The tune finally came to an end, and the songstress carried
her guqin in her arms, bowed sincerely to the three men in the
room, and quietly withdrew to the rear chamber.

And the Second Prince, squatting on his chair, still seemed to

be lost in the music. He remained there for a long time. His
eyes were still closed. His right hand, hanging in the air,
slowly moved to the side to feel a plate of grapes left upon a
small table; pinching the grape stalk between his fingers, he
took a bunch. Suspending them in mid-air like a child, he
raised his head, parted his lips and teeth, and unhurriedly bit
at a very green grape. He chewed for a moment, and then
swallowed. His throat trembled pleasurably as he swallowed; it
seemed that he even found eating a grape to be a thoroughly
satisfying experience.

Fan Xian was neither nervous nor angry. He watched the

Second Prince with a smile on his face. His eyes were calm, but
he did not let the Second Prince get away with any petty tricks.
He tried to figure out from looking at him what kind of person
this Second Prince was.

A long while later, the Second Prince sighed, slowly placing

the grapes back onto the plate before he finally opened his eyes.
He seemed to have only just discovered that the guests he had
invited had arrived on the boat. There was the unavoidable
flash of a smile in his eyes, and his lips curled into a slightly-
embarrassed grin.

Fan Xian's heart skipped a beat. That familiar feeling was

getting more and more intense.

The Second Prince calmly regarded Fan Xian, who stood

before him, before he suddenly spoke. "Since you've arrived,
why don't you take a seat?"

Crown Prince Li Hongcheng sat to one side, smiling as he

sipped his tea, saying nothing to help Fan Xian. With a gentle
smile, Fan Xian bowed and cupped his hands in salute to the
Second Prince. "Since Your Highness is seated, I did not dare
take a seat without making my salutations."

The Second Prince smiled as he looked at Fan Xian. "I have

never welcomed you; you need not salute me."
 Fan Xian laughed. "Your Highness need not welcome your
servant; your servant must salute Your Highness."

The Second Prince smiled and shook his head, wiping his
grape-juice-stained hand willfully on his blue-green jacket. "It
is only you and I and my brother Hongcheng upon this boat.
Furthermore, you are my younger sister's husband; there is no
need for such talk of servants and Highnesses."

Fan Xian chuckled, cupped his hands in salute, and did not
say anything more, going back to sit down next to Crown
Prince Li Hongcheng. Since the Second Prince was fond of
trifling with scholars' feelings – even though he wasn't very
good at it – taking a seat would be fine.

In truth, the first few words the two of them exchanged had
no particularly deep meaning to them, but Fan Xian felt it was
still quite marvelous. Because the Second Prince spoke
particularly slowly, and the rhythm of his speech every time he
opened his mouth was half the speed of the average person's,
any conversation with him would arouse sudden feelings in the
listener. And what Fan Xian found even more interesting was
that the longer he looked at the Second Prince, the more
familiar he felt. But he didn't know where this feeling of
familiarity came from. He was certain that it was not because
of his relationsihp with Wan'er.

"This boat was built with my own money. What do you

think?" The Second Prince seemed to have some fervant desire
to know how Fan Xian felt about the boat. Fan Xian forced a
smile, only now sizing up the decorations on the boat. He
found that whether it was structure, or the green flowerpots in
the corners, or the art and calligraphy hanging on the slanting
walls, this pleasure boat did not seem like a pleasure boat at
all, but more like a library. He couldn't help but shake his head
and laugh. "Your Majesty, this pleasure boat is thoroughly
peaceful. I don't know if 'pleasure' is the right word for it."

The Second Prince smiled gently, and raised his head to look
him in the eye. "Silence is good."

Fan Xian suddenly felt that this conversation was slightly

boring and arduous. He was about to fix Li Hongcheng with a
look that suggested he was asking for help when Crown Prince
Jing spoke just in time.
 "I say, can the two of you not speak so wearily?" Li
Hongcheng laughed as he changed the subject.

The Second Prince chuckled. "Do you see?" he said to Fan

Xian. "Do not presume that the sons of the royal family are
boring people. In any case, you and Wan'er are already
married. We are family. We should see each other more often
from now on."

Li Hongcheng interjected: "Even if it were in a princely

palace, you are the Second Prince. Meetings would likely be
dangerous."

The three of them all knew that some months back, Fan Xian
had been attacked on Niulan Street by assassins from Northern
Qi on his way to attend dinner with the Second Prince. The
three men looked at each other, thinking of all the things that
had happened over the past few months. They could not help
but become aware of an indescribable feeling, and at once, all
three began to laugh.

After their laughter had subsided, the lid had probably been
taken off that incident. Fan Xian laughed bitterly. "Your
Highness," he said to the Second Prince, "though you did not
set up a Feast at Hongmen, it is quite terrifying when going to
dinner means facing such danger."

The Second Prince and Li Hongcheng were somewhat

stumped by the words "Feast at Hongmen", but they did not
show it on their faces. Naturally, they had never heard the tale,
but hindered by their status as nobles, they did not wish to ask
about it. The Second Prince smiled. "Do not call me 'Your
Highness'. Just like Wan'er, you may call me 'second brother'."

Fan Xian's face did not change, but he felt somewhat vexed.
Getting too familiar... seemed like it would have its problems.
Seemingly having guessed that he was worried about
something, the Second Prince dangled his hands in front of his
knees, and smiled, still half-squatting. "There's no need to be
too cautious about everything. Wan'er was the baby of the
palace. Remember, now you have one more older brother, still
on the western border playing with his cavalry. I am still
hidden away inside the Imperial Academy, editing books. As
for the Crown Prince, the third brother, it's only right you be
closest to him. How can you be so distressed about having a
few extra relatives?"
 Fan Xian laughed. These royal relatives, of course, were a
great source of troubles. "It is my great fortune," he said. "But
not calling you 'Your Highness' feels rather improper to me."

The Second Prince laughed bitterly. "Ask Wan'er what she

calls me when you get back home."

Their pleasantries finished, the feast began. On the table

were some fresh seasonal vegetables and elaborate appetizers.
Fan Xian ate happily. He had long had a plan drawn up, so after
they had gotten to know each other, he was able to relax a
little. At the table, the three chatted about the comings and
goings of various people within the capital, and of the works of
luminaries of the past; it was a pleasant conversation. Sure
enough, the Second Prince was greatly influenced by Imperial
Concubine Shu. In matters of literary research, he and Fan
Xian echoed each other to a large extent. Sitting to the side, Li
Hongcheng made a few choice interjections, but they could not
avoid bringing up the topic of Count Sinan's glorious success
that year. Although there were some inappropriate topics of
conversation between the Second Prince and Fan Xian, the
atmosphere remained convivial. Fan Xian nevertheless tried to
avoid the topic and save face, speaking of stories from Danzhou
and things he had learned by the wayside.
 When the banquet had concluded, having each gotten
something out of it, the Second Prince and Fan Xian parted
happily.

The Second Prince did not see him off. All this time, still
squatting on his chair, he seemed to have kept this position
without moving. His shadow, still watching Fan Xian and Li
Hongcheng, disappeared in the boat doorway. Finally, he
sighed gently.

"Your Highness," asked one of his followers respectfully,

"what are your thoughts on young Master Fan?"

The Second Prince smiled. "My sister's husband is too

cautious. He has not a drop of the arrogance and violence of
young men raised in the Kingdom of Qing. In truth, I am
skeptical that the young master Fan, who gave such a raucous
poetry recital in the palace hall, was the same one that I met
today."

Having said this, he lowered his head, as was his habit, and
his finger stretched out to the side to feel for a bunch of grapes.
Seeing this, his follower knew that His Majesty was thinking
on most important matters of state, and did not dare disturb
him. He hurriedly and silently departed.

Some time later, the Second Prince slowly raised his head.
There was confusion in his eyes. In truth, he had not been
considering grand matters of state at all. He had been thinking
about Fan Xian's phrase "Feast at Hongyan". As a child, he had
read the classics together with his mother, but he still could
not remember any story about a "Feast at Hongyan".

"My sister's husband is a learned man indeed. It seems I must

go back to my books."

With his white teeth, the Second Prince chewed at the green
grape he held in his mouth. The juice was sour and sweet.

"Feast at Hongmen" is a Chinese idiom named after a historical event in 205 BC, which means to
set up a banquet with the aim of murdering a guest.
Chapter 160: The Riverside Makes One
Weary
Fan Xian rode on his horse. His buttocks felt a bit
uncomfortable. He couldn’t shake the sense of familiarity as he
thought about this Second Prince. He understood very well he
should not talk too much during this first meeting. Matters
regarding the palace treasury shouldn’t be brought up either.
This was simply a casual meeting.

Brushing aside a willow branch that was in the way, he asked

Li Hongcheng, "The Second Prince just wanted to see me?"

Li Hongcheng answered, "He’s one of your admirers, and it

just so happens you married Princess Chen. So, as your
brother-in-law, he wanted to see what this ‘Poetry Sage’ was
like."

That caught Fan Xian off guard. Wondering if that was all,
he shook his head. Moments later, he suddenly sighed, "Why
does Second Prince look so familiar to me?"
 Li Hongcheng had known Fan Xian for many months; he
knew Fan Xian had a gentle demeanor, but that he was also
resolute on the inside. Other than the occasional bouts of
insanity, he put in effort to keep himself composed. Seeing him
being caught off guard like this, Li Hongcheng said, "You
shouldn’t have met him."

Fan Xian could only smile and shake his head. While the
Second Prince was handsome, he was no Sister Lin, and Fan
Xian was not interested in the same sex. As to why he couldn’t
forget the Second Prince, Fan Xian smiled shyly.

Li Hongcheng was staring at him the whole time. After

staring for a while, he said, "I know why you find Second
Prince familiar."

Fan Xian opened his eyes wide. "Why?"

Li Hongcheng pretended to be disgusted. "Because,

sometimes, you both make that shy and effeminate smile."
 Fan Xian was startled and immediately stopped grinning.
"Like I was doing just now?"

Looking at Fan Xian’s flawless face, Li Hongcheng suddenly

felt a chill, "Your demeanors are similar too; truly effeminate."

"Nonsense." Fan Xian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

But suddenly, he had a change in thought. Perhaps… Second
Prince and he were really alike in those regards. He shook his
head and got rid of the question lingering in his heart. He made
the same smile again to disgust Crown Prince Jing once more
before waving his horsewhip and galloping back to the capital.

On the way back, he took the path along the river. The spring
wind caressed his face, and willow branches were also coming
at him. Fan Xian was too lazy to duck, so he moved his zhenqi
to his face and literally shocked the incoming branches away.
He felt lively on top of his horse.

Having distanced himself from Crown Prince Jing and his

guards, Fan Xian’s horse began to tire. So he slowed down and
gazed across the water. He found himself having arrived at
where pleasure boats gathered. Far in the distance, there was
one that was gathering dust. Compared to the other boats
teeming with guests, that one looked exceptionally desolate.

Fan Xian squinted as he guessed which boat that one was.

That boat once had the most popular girl in the capital. To
think it had fallen to such a state, Fan Xian couldn’t help but
remember Si Lili who was still imprisoned. After the spring
examination, Qing would release her to Northern Qi.
Coincidentally, since he would be the envoy this time, he
didn’t know what their next meeting would be like.

In the prison, he had utilized drugs, words, and

psychological warfare in order to wring out an answer from
that girl, and discovered that the one behind his assassination
attempt was Wu Bo'an. At the time, he vowed to let her go
without the intention of keeping his word, but now things had
become much more complicated.

He smiled gently, in the way Li Hongcheng described. He

thought he should follow through with his promise.

The sound of hurried hooves came up behind him. Li

Hongcheng had also shook his guards and followed ahead. The
two riders stopped at the same spot and both stared across the
water. Occasionally they took a glance at that one desolate spot
on the water.

Moments later, Li Hongcheng said gently, "The night you

beat up Guo Baokun, you drank with me over there."

Fan Xian smiled. "We also spent a night there."

"What’s this?" Li Hongcheng gave Fan Xian a look. "Feeling

pity? Your status is different from mine. Never mind Si Lili in
prison; even the other girls out there right now – if you go out
every single night, the palace would probably send out some
guards right away to give you a beating."

Fan Xian smiled sheepishly, "How could I think about that? I

just felt something watching that one boat."

"Wu Bo'an is not with your father-in-law." Li Hongcheng

thought Fan Xian didn’t know that, so he quietly reminded
him."
 "I know. He’s with Eldest Princess. But since she’s not in the
capital, I’m not going to bother thinking about all of that."

"Don’t forget that Eldest Princess is on very good terms with

Empress Dowager – to the point of being adored. Also… in
recent years, Eldest Princess has trusted her very much." Li
Hongcheng looked at Fan Xian silently, as if wanting him to
take a hint.

Fan Xian smiled, "Whatever’s on your mind, just say it.

Second Prince and I met for the first time. Naturally there
would be something that shouldn’t be said. The reason I left
the guards was to speak to you in private."

The two horses proceeded slowly, their heads occasionally

touched in a display of affection. Li Hongcheng, parting a
willow branch away from his face, said lightly, "After you
return from Northern Qi, you will probably be put in charge of
the palace treasury. Both the East Palace and Second Prince
need you. I believe you know that."

Fan Xian smiled without saying a word and listened.

 "The only reason those in the East Palace are being friendly
with you now is because of Eldest Princess’s absence. While I
don’t know why she despises you so, I do know that a thousand
of you isn’t worth a single sentence from her. You shouldn’t
trust those in the East Palace." Li Hongcheng said very
seriously, "You and I are friends. I want to remind you, if there
comes a day you fall – whether or not it's from public or
private matters – I hope you will fall to our side."

He pointed at a single hill on the other side of the river. It

was divided in two by a forest, looking like the Chinese
character for two.

"What a coincidence." Fan Xian followed Li Hongcheng’s

finger and looked. "Waiting in line is stupid enough already,
Hongcheng. I advise you not to wait in line too early."

"it's not a coincidence. That’s Second Prince’s estate." Li

Hongcheng smiled, "My father said similar things. But there
are always things one must do."

Fan Xian shook his head in disagreement. "After seeing

Second Prince today, I have this strange feeling. How come he
wouldn’t settle for a safe position as the brother of the
emperor, like how King Jing did?"

Upon hearing Fan Xian mention King Jing, Li Hongcheng’s

gaze turned to ice, and his usual smile disappeared. "There are
no private matters in the royal family. Many things can’t be
avoided even if one wants to. Do you remember how the
previous emperor, my grandfather, attained the throne? The
two other successors to the throne were assassinated on the
same day. The capital was such a bloody place back then – can
you even imagine? If you were to go back to the past, would
you ask the two why they wouldn’t back down?"

Fan Xian felt a chill in his heart and forced a smile. "Back
then, the nation had just been founded. It was unlike the
current period of peace. If Second Prince is willing to give up, I
don’t think anything would happen in East Palace. King Jing
spends his days planting flowers; isn’t he quite happy? I can see
that Second Prince enjoys studying. Why can’t he follow your
father’s example?"

"You’ve seen His Majesty, and also Eldest Princess. My Lord

Father ranks second, but he’s already an old man." Li
Hongcheng gave a fake smile. "Would giving up really bring a
happy ending? My Lord Father always seems to have some
regret. Although I don’t know why, it must be due to all of the
rotten things going on in the royal family."

In fact, Crown Prince Jing was wrong about why King Jing
took up planting flowers.

Fan Xian frowned. "But you shouldn’t follow Second Prince

so closely. No matter how you look at it, he’s the least likely
one." Fan Xian was now close enough to Li Hongcheng to be
able to speak so frankly.

Li Hongcheng blanked out a bit, then his usual smile

returned to him as he knew Fan Xian was treating him as a true
friend. Moved, he said, "When our parents place dessert in
front of their children, we must first express that we want to
have it. That way, when our parents allocate food later, they'll
think of us first."

Fan Xian smiled, "So Second Prince had been showing he

wants to eat."
 "Correct." Li Hongcheng looked away from Fan Xian. He
looked toward Cang Mountain in the far distance. "The
previous emperor was fortunate to have only two sons. The
current emperor is fortunate too, with only three sons. But…
who knows what trouble the Eldest Prince will cause when he
comes back? That’s why Second Prince must make the first
move, show his intentions, and obtain all the power he can."

"I still don’t understand why you chose him."

"It's simple." Li Hongcheng smiled at Fan Xian’s question. "I

don’t dislike him."

Fan Xian raised an eyebrow. He couldn’t fully believe what

he heard. He emotionlessly stared at Crown Prince Jing, who
was smiling warmly. Fan Xian did not seek to be free from
worldly affairs. He knew there were many things he could not
avoid, which was why he never had the intention to in the first
place.

Living as a man, "live freely" was his motto—of course, that

process would most likely involve more things.
 Before they entered the city, Li Hongcheng asked Fan Xian to
go to certain restaurant. Naturally, Fan Xian was too lazy to
oblige and bid him farewell. Before that, the prince said to
him, "Second Prince had asked to see you first because, after
the examination, you won't be able to escape this favor."

Fan Xian was slightly shocked as he picked up on the hidden

meaning behind Li Hongcheng's words. While he didn’t have
enough merits to even grade the exams, he would still be
hanging around the Imperial College and the Board of Rites.
Chapter 161: Examination
At night, Fan Xian returned to his own place. He chatted to
Wan’er about meeting the Second Prince the day before
greeting an unexpected guest—vice-minister Xin Qiwu, the
Crown Prince’s aide from the eastern palace.

Having been given a seat and some tea, Fan Xian stared at the
names on the strip of paper. He knew what Crown Prince was
up to, but he didn't know the reason for this visit.

"Why are you showing this to me?" Fan Xian asked while
shaking his head, "Vice-minister, I’m afraid I do not have the
authority to interfere with the examination in any way."

Many months ago, during the process of negotiating with

Northern Qi, the two of them were head and assistant deputies.
They had cooperated quite well with one another, and there
were no character conflicts. Furthermore, a few days ago, they
drank together. So it was no wonder that they had become
more familiar with each other today. Xin Qiwu took a sip of tea
and explained, "You should know what those names mean."
 Of course Fan Xian knew. The examination began in two
days. At this crucial time, the various government
organizations were all secretly in touch with each other; their
back doors were almost broken. Supposedly Guo You of the
Board of Rites became annoyed by it, but he was afraid to
provoke too many nobles, so he asked for Imperial permission
to wait it out in the palace. The examiners practically turned
the Imperial College into their own residence, and they dared
not to leave.

But, just based on the current authority of the eastern palace,

Crown Prince should have access to plenty of ways if he wanted
to pick out some talented people from this examination.
Everyone knew that Guo You was a firm supporter of the
eastern palace, so it should be simple to deliver word to him.
Why, then, was Fan Xian involved?

As if detecting Fan Xian’s suspicion, Xin Qiwu shook his

head. "Young Sir Fan, you are admired by all, but you don’t
seem to understand the various customs of the capital very
well. The current rules regarding examinations were passed
down from the previous dynasty. There weren’t many changes.
In order to prevent cheating, all the submitted exams are to be
copied. That way the graders could not associate the exam with
an individual by their handwriting. The most important part is
sealing an examinee’s name on the exam to discourage fraud."
 Xin Qiwu continued, "Those six names on the paper – I’ve
seen them all in person." He smiled, "They are all very
talented."

Fan Xian always thought of himself as a composed person.

But after Xin Qiwu left, he sat quietly in the study looking at
the strip of paper. He could feel anger faintly brewing. Just
two days before the exam, he found out that, along with the
director, head examiner, and other officials involved, his own
position was a complicated but important one.

Xin Qiwu had told him that the Imperial court had ordered
him to be the proctor for this year’s exam. It was a rather
strange position which took full charge of the exam. The
proctor held substantial authority. Most importantly, at night,
before the officials of the Board of Rites and teachers from the
Imperial College copied down the exams, and before the exams
were changed for the next day, Fan Xian would be in charge of
sealing all the examinees’ names.

For those who wanted to play some tricks while taking this
exam, the first thing they would have to take care of would be
the sealing of the name. Even if one were to bribe some official
from the Board of Rites beforehand, the official couldn’t do
much if the name seal wasn't tampered with.

Over the years, cheating had already become a skilled trade

among the various officials of Qing. Each of them contributed
the best they could to provide some assumptions for reference.
As for the famous Fan Xian miraculously taking the position of
mediator, no one was sure what this little Poetry Sage would
do.

That was why Crown Prince sent Xin Qiwu directly to Fan
Manor. He didn’t think Fan Xian would betray him; he believed
that the eastern palace had rewarded him enough, and now it
was time for Fan Xian to show his appreciation.

Fan Xian looked at the paper strip again. With a grin, he

ripped it to pieces. He then walked slowly back to his bedroom.
He was a bit thankful toward Second Prince. Had Second
Prince been planning the same thing, Fan Xian would be
caught in the middle and it would be a difficult situation.

But he was still underestimating the complexity of it all.

 Lin Wan’er sat beside the table, looking at him with a smile.
She then gently knocked on the table. The sheets of white
paper next to her finger gave off a chill. Fan Xian sighed and
slapped his forehead. "Don’t tell me names are written on
there."

Li Wan’er chuckled. She stood up and walked over to him,

holding onto his arm. She said, "You are smart indeed."

Fan Xian smiled uneasily, "I thought I’d live a life of leisure
just before setting off for Northern Qi. Who knew…?" He
finally couldn’t hold back anymore. "Who appointed me to this
position?"

"My father, and yours." Lin Wan’er looked at him painfully,

"While not a head examiner, it’s still a crucial position. Based
on how it’s always been, the students that pass this year’s exam
and become officials have to call you 'teacher' when they see
you."

Fan Xian was still not pleased. "Don’t you think our fathers
are being too enthusiastic? I’m only seventeen. Do I have to be
saluted by a bunch of pedantic scholars?"
 Li Wan’er giggled. "With your current fame in the capital,
there were even people who wanted you to oversee the exam.
Your age was the only thing that made the palace reject the
idea. You were close to becoming the youngest overseer in
centuries."

Fan Xian said, "That’s not a good thing. I regret getting drunk
at the banquet." As hindsight always comes afterwards, Fan
Xian received the papers from his wife and discovered that he
was familiar with the names. All of them were famous students
in the capital, some of which he had met in person. They were
truly talented. Only after seeing this did Fan Xian settle down a
bit.

"Since I’m the proctor, how could they still so brazenly come
to the manor?" Fan Xian sighed. "The papers are evidence of
their fraud. With this on my hand, they’re being way too bold."

"Old customs." Lin Wan’er had resided in the palace for many
years, so naturally she knew about such things. She explained,
"Your position is an important one, yes, but due to its low
rank, it wasn’t treated too seriously. On the contrary, if
someone from the palace really wanted to cultivate some close
aides, the proctors could only pretend nothing happened. But
this year, with you taking the position, people are wary of your
methods. Bbut they aren’t familiar with your disposition.
That’s why they thought to visit you to show their manners
and respect. Of course, those that couldn’t get a hold of you
would adhere to the old ways; they wouldn’t dare to bother
you."

"In that case, I just have to follow the old customs?" Fan Xian
frowned slightly; he really wasn’t expecting Qing’s political
circles to be so corrupt. As he thought about those poor
students living in the libraries in the suburbs, he became
unsettled.

"You do what you want." Lin Wan’er was no ordinary person.

She said lightly, "Even if none of them wanted to curry favor
with you, who would dare rile you?"

Fan Xian smiled bitterly. "You’re a princess. Naturally you’re

not afraid of anyone," he thought to himself. "While my
background isn’t insignificant, your prince brother wants to
use this chance to see my attitude." He asked, "Who sent these
papers?" There were only three papers; not as many as he
thought.
 Lin Wan’er was a bit embarrassed. "In truth, I started all
this."

Fan Xian was surprised, "How so?"

"I went to the palace today to visit Ning the Talented. You
know I always played with her when I was little. That’s one
paper." She frowned, "As for the other two, one was sent by
Mister Yuan on father’s orders, and the other was sent by Sir
Qin from the Bureau of Military Affairs."

Fan Xian shook his head. Ning the Talented represented the
Great Prince who was still stationed far west. And since the
prime minister made him a proctor, making use of one’s son-in-
law seemed natural. As for Sir Qin of the Bureau of Military
Affairs, while Fan Xian had never met him, he knew Sir Qin
was a senior official who commanded much authority when it
came to the military. That raised a question: instead of
educating some fine generals, what was he doing interfering
with civil officials?

"Never mind those trivial matters. Since the whole country is

a crow, there’s no need for me to pretend to be a crane," Fan
Xian said emotionlessly as he shredded all the papers. He
gently embraced his wife and walked toward the front of the
manor.

It was the ninth day of the second month; the first day of the
grand examination. All scholars had to show what they learned
in the past ten years to the Imperial court. And this
examination was the standard for whether or not their
knowledge was deemed useful. Like a school of fish, the
scholars excitedly walked towards the second bureau of the
Board of Rites where the exam was taking place. They looked
like they were squeezing into a tiny fish trap.

The previous night, Fan Xian had already met up with the
other officials who were in charge of the examination. They
somewhat nervously arranged the procedure and assumed
their positions the next day.

An official’s chair was placed by the front gate. Next to it

were the various officials from the capital’s office and
Overwatch Council. Fan Xian sat firmly on that chair, coldly
eyeing the students passing by.
 The students that walked by, regardless of age, all saluted
Fan Xian. Those that knew him saluted out of respect for his
name; those that didn’t know him saluted out of respect for his
position. The officials next to Fan Xian had already spread out
a cotton curtain and were preparing to carry out body searches
to look for prohibited items.

Fan Xian took a sip of tea. He shook his head as he looked at

those students who led difficult lives carrying around blankets,
rations, and chamber pots like they were some laborers from a
village. Suddenly, he saw one student who just got checked and
was about to enter the examination area.

Fan Xian rolled his eyes and shouted, "Wait!"

Chapter 162: Being an Examiner is
Really an Interesting Job
There was a silence outside the courtyard, and countless
nervous glances turned to young Master Fan, unsure what this
student's problem was. Fan Xian looked at the student carrying
his crumpled bedclothes. "Have you checked?" he suddenly
asked.

The functionary from the Ministry of Rites and the official

from the Overwatch Council both gave their reports at the
same time: "We've checked; there's nothing out of the
ordinary."

The student raised his head and puffed out his chest as he
looked at Fan Xian. His face was calm, with not a trace of
nerves. Fan Xian frowned slightly. "Have you taken his clothes
off and checked?"

"Yes, sir." The official to his side looked at the doorway,

increasingly filling up with people, and could not help but feel
slightly nervous. In a little while, the order would come from
the palace. If things remained at this speed, the exam
candidates would have difficulty getting in.
 At that moment, Fan Xian suddenly stood up from the seat of
the imperial tutor, walked over to the calm-faced student,
looked him up and down, and laughed. He moved in close to
his ear, saying, "There's a problem with your clothes."

He spoke very quietly so that only student could hear. It was

a chilly early February, but the student had sweat on his brow!
The student's name was Yang Wanli, and he had absolutely no
idea how young Master Fan, poetic wunderkind, had
discovered his secret. Under Fan Xian's calm gaze, he couldn’t
help but feel his was beginning to crack.

Fan Xian suddenly smiled. "Go in. If I expose you, you'll have
spent ten years in vain. But remember, don't let me find out
you've been using your clothes over these two days in the exam
hall."

Yang Wanli was pleasantly surprised, but he couldn't stop his

lingering fear. "Thank you for your help, Master," he said
sullenly. He feared that the young intermediary, his eyes like a
hawk, could go back on his promise. He took up his ragged
bedclothing, and covering up his face, rushed into the exam
hall. He was determined that over these two days, he would
not open up his clothing to look at the inside layer.
 Soon after, Fan Xian cautioned a number of poor students
who tried in vain to smuggle in crib sheets. Gradually, the
functionaries gathered around him understood what was going
on. Although they were very surprised by his sharp eyes and
judgment, they had a faint worry that there would not be
enough time.

Fan Xian seemed to have some feelings about his first time
acting as an official. He smiled - as he carefully scrutinized the
entrants, he made sure not to let a single one slip by. He
confiscated many pairs of shoes, caps, and wads of paper
hidden behind writing brushes, which began to form a small
mountain by the entrance. By now, the students lined up
finally realized that this year's intermediary was strict, and
nothing like the poetic immortal they had imagined. He would
not understand their attempts at cheating, and so they quickly
retreated, throwing all of the things they carried on them into
a ditch behind the exam hall.

That day, the person taking the lead for the Overwatch
Council was someone who Fan Xian knew - Mu Tie, who was
currently temporary head of the First Bureau. Hearing his
subordinate's report, he quickly came by. Seeing Fan Xian, he
spoke uneasily. "Master, time is getting on; you must be
quicker."
 When the functionaries from the Ministry of Rites and the
Overwatch Council saw his deference to Fan Xian, they
couldn’t help but feel shocked. They wondered how someone
from the Overwatch Council could be so polite to a junior
official; then they considered Fan Xian's family background - a
Prime Minister, a government minister, and a princess - and so
they didn’t dare speak out of turn, instead simply and quietly
listening to Fan Xian's reply.

Fan Xian fished out the pocket watch from the ship, looked at
it, and found that time was indeed getting on. He shook his
head, stopped his interesting little game, and stood up. "I, the
official Fan Xian, presume that all of you have heard," he
announced to the hundreds of waiting students. "As everyone
has seen, in order to avoid any further delays to the timing of
the exam, we will not be performing any more body searches
today."

The entrants were overjoyed.

Fan Xian smiled as he looked around. "Throw all of the

things you are carrying into this bamboo basket, and there will
be no punishment. If you are discovered over these two days of
exams, I shall have you taken away and thrown in front of the
royal palace, where all will know what your education is really
worth."

The entrants were shocked. Finally, they understood that a

ruthless spirit hid behind the smile of this poetic genius,
Master Fan. So they all entered, walking in a well-behaved line.
As for the students who still wished to risk it, that was a
matter for another time. With this allowance, things sped up,
and a little while later, the entrance to the exam hall quickly
returned to peace and quiet, with only a number of stinky
shoes on the floor and countless scraps of paper and some
distraught-looking faces. The official from the Ministry of
Rites hurriedly got the staff to clear things up in order to greet
the order from the palace to begin the examinations and sort
out the burning of incense. Things got awfully busy.

Everyone was bustling about and thinking about how Master

Fan was certainly different from the other officials of the
Kingdom of Qing. If he didn't allow people to bring things in,
then fine. But what had happened today, where he searched for
them, then still allowed students to enter the exams? If it had
been carried out by another examiner, then perhaps the
imperial censor would have been angered. But everyone knew
that as Fan Xian had dared to do it, he didn’t fear such things.
 Fan Xian sat in the seat of the imperial tutor and smiled as he
looked at the busy scene, chatting with Mu Tie Mu. Mu Tie had
assumed that his promotion had been thanks to Fan Xian, so he
was particularly friendly toward him. "Thank you for your
hard work, Master Fan. Once the imperial order arrives and the
exams are declared to have started, then you may return home
to rest. The business of watching over the exams naturally is
the work of subordinates."

Fan Xian looked at him and smiled. "As you are here, wait a
moment and take a stroll around the exam hall. We cannot
have a moment's rest."

"Sir, it is your first time taking on this task, so perhaps you

are unaware that once they have entered the exam hall, there is
no need to worry too much." Mu Tie laughed as he spoke,
presuming that the young noble was unclear on the unwritten
rules of the imperial exams.

Fan Xian suddenly spoke in a quiet voice. "This journey to

Northern Qi - Master Mu, are you going?"
 Mu Tie was taken aback. He had not prepared his thoughts
on the matter, and unthinkingly responded, "The Council is
still arranging things, but it should be a matter for the Fourth
Bureau, so I cannot intervene." He suddenly looked elsewhere,
thinking about how young Master Fan wrote poetry but did not
love it; instead he seemed prefer business. Presuming he had
figured something out, he smiled. "Master Fan, are you
preparing goods to take over the northern border? I can help
you arrange that."

Fan Xian chucked. "It’s no big deal. I was just asking." A

subordinate came by to serve them tea, and Fan Xian offered
Mu Tie a cup. "Master Fan, you seem to be in a good mood
today," said Mu Tie curiously.

The corners of Fan Xian's mouth curled, and an indescribable

expression flashed in his eyes; it was like a smile, but not a
smile. It was unclear what he was thinking, and some time
later, he finally spoke quietly. "In truth, I always presumed
that reading without having to take an exam was one of life's
greatest pleasures. After I came to the capital, the thing I
feared most was the imperial exams. To my surprise, a year
later, I have become the intermediary; I can read books
without having to take the exam, and I can relax while
watching my peers go through gruelling exams. This really is
life's greatest pleasure."
 The imperial edict arrived, the fireworks were launched, the
incense table was removed, the doors to the hall were closed,
and the curtains were opened on the first imperial exams of the
year in the Kingdom of Qing. Hearing the heavy doors of the
hall close behind him made Fan Xian suddenly recall the
gaokao exams of his previous life. He had never taken them. At
the time, he presumed that it was the biggest regret of his life.
Now, in this world, he had no need to take part in the imperial
exams. Although he was relieved, he still felt some slight
regret.

"Master, I have come to pay my respects." The cold early

spring wind filled the room upon their entry. Fan Xian bowed
toward Guo Youzhi, head of the Ministry of Rites, who sat in
the middle of the hall. "The door of the exam hall has closed,
and may not be opened again without your order. Scholars
from all the counties and prefectures of the kingdom have their
examination papers in hand and have begun to compose their
essays. Master Mu of the Overwatch Council and an official
from the Ministry of Rites are in charge of ensuring candidates
have access to food and drink; all should be taken care of."

Guo Youzhi looked at the handsome young face of this fifth-

level official and could not help but feel a frown forming. Soon
after, he smiled. "Young Master Fan, thank you for your hard
work." He called to the examiners. "According to the old
customs, you are to go and inspect in a little while."

The two examiners had recently graduated from imperial

exams. One was a scholar of the Imperial College, the other
was an academic of the Tongwen Pavilion. They had both been
selected by the Emperor himself. Hearing Minister Guo's
orders, they nodded. "Yes, Master."

Guo You turned to Fan Xian. "Young Master Fan, your task is
to keep order in the exam hall and help them supervise; patrol
the exam hall every now and then and look for any sign of
movement at the corner gate. Be ready to accept an imperial
decree at any time."

Following Minister Guo's words, all kinds of officials within

the exam hall returned to their duties. A solemn and nervous
atmosphere quietly filled every corner of the exam hall.
Everyone knew that after his various northern campaigns, the
current Emperor had shifted the center of his rule onto the
bureaucracy. So every year, each set of exams seemed
particularly important. A few years ago, there had even been a
precedent of a high-ranking official making undercover
inspections, so no one dared be careless.
 And this time, as far as those diligent students were
concerned, this was an even more crucial juncture in life. If
they could get through it smoothly, then it was their path to
prosperity. If they couldn't, then they could only return home
to the countryside in sadness to prepare for the next year's
exams. The back-and-forth whittled away the youths of
countless people, and there were some proud and stubborn
ones who, if they failed the exams, lingered around the capital,
not willing to return to the countryside. Some of them fell into
decay, some loitered, and some disappeared without a trace.

This was a ceremony of the nation; this was a place of life

and death for scholars.

Fan Xian stood on the stone platform, closed his eyes, and
listened to the sound of scribbling coming from all corners. He
thought of the Crown Prince's scrap of paper, and a strange
smile floated across his face.

The gaokao exams are grueling examinations taken by high school students in China wishing to
enter university.
Chapter 163: Spring Wind and Rain
Enters the Imperial Exams
The sun slowly rose, lessening the chill in the air of the exam
hall. The nervous students finally had a chance to warm
themselves. They rubbed their hands endlessly to make sure
that their handwriting on the page did not appear too stiff;
penmanship was one grading criterion for the examination
paper, so although the exam had already started a while ago,
many of them were still only making mental notes and weren’t
in a hurry to start putting pen to paper. It seemed that many of
the scholars in the exam hall had experienced suffering of their
own.

Fan Xian strolled through the exam hall with a smile on his
face, his feet not making a sound so as not to disturb the
candidates' thoughts. Strangely, what they usually feared most
when writing their essays was an examiner passing behind
them or looking their examination papers up and down. But
when these students discovered that the one who had stopped
to observe them was the brilliant and distinguished Master Fan
at the entrance to the exam, they could not help but feel their
self-confidence increase ever so slightly.
 Fan Xian did not seem like the other two examiners, who
supervised them with solemn faces; instead, a faint smile hung
on his face, and so every student who dared to lift their head to
look at Fan Xian felt that the smile on young Master Fan's face
encouraging them.

Having patrolled every part of the exam hall, Fan Xian

returned to the corner gate where Mu Tie was waiting for him
with some well-steeped tea. He watched him take his seat, then
laughed and spoke in a low voice. "This is rather boring.
Master Fan, it’s fitting that you’ve chosen to rest here. You
have a connection to the outside world from here near the
corner gate, so it's not so difficult."

Fan Xian smiled. If he were really to return to the main hall

and sit down with Minister Guo, perhaps the minister would
not be pleased. Fan Xian wouldn't feel comfortable either.
Sipping his tea, he recalled something odd. The Crown Prince
had given him a list of six names, but He Zongwei's name was
not among them. After he had entered the capital, he had
learned that He Zongwei was a student of the Grand Secretariat
and that he was secretly an official in the Eastern Palace.
Logically, he should now be sitting in the civil service exam.
 He temporarily put the issue aside, casting his gaze over the
countless separate little heavy doors, and then to the
innermost part of the exam hall. He though up a slightly
absurd notion; if he had not used his drunken stupor to
frenziedly recite Li Bai and create the poetry anthology, then
he would not be sitting here watching over the testers. Life
really wasn't a level playing field.

If those students who were scribbling away knew the results

of these grand examinations would be sorted through by the
major players in the royal court and in the palace like
watermelons, how would they feel?

Time seemed to go so very slowly. Fan Xian was already close

to falling asleep in his chair at the corner gate before he
discovered that the sun had risen in the sky. The relevant
government offices had sent men with lunches, and someone
was there to greet them at the corner gate. After they had
carefully inspected the tableware and found that nothing was
amiss, they delivered six boxes of food to the central hall.

Fan Xian went into the central hall to eat lunch with the
other masters and listen to them describe their mornings. They
had reprimanded a cheating student in the southeast corner.
The supervisor shook his head and sighed. "I have seen
cheating students, but I have never seen a student cheat so
blatantly like that. To go so far as to overtly copy from an
entire book of essays hidden underneath the writing desk,
presuming that the curtains around them mean that no one
will discover them. They had no idea that the officials around
them have sharp eyes."

Guo You, Director-General of the civil service exam and

Director of the Board of Rites, suddenly frowned. "How did
they bring the book in?"

Fan Xian knew that this was his mistake. He smiled. "The
security checks were going too slowly, and the official from the
Overwatch Council was pressing us for time, so I was slightly
worried. I feared breaching the time limits set by His Majesty,
so I made a careless mistake. I ask your forgiveness, sir." He
was asking for forgiveness, but was also foisting half the blame
onto the Overwatch Council. It was very slippery slope.

Guo You looked at him and harrumphed, but did not give
him any trouble. After all, this was something that was
inevitable in every generation of imperial exams. He could not
attack Fan Xian for it. He simply spoke quietly. "This is young
Master Fan's first experience with this. He is inexperienced. You
should all be helping him out."

Fan Xian smiled and cupped his hands in salute to the other
officers around him, particularly to his superior at the
Imperial College. "Principal, please forgive my ignorance. I ask
for your guidance."

The principal, Secretary Shu of the Imperial College, was the

one who had been glared at by His Majesty that night in the
palace hall,. He was a student of Zhuang Mohan, but had
always worked for the glory of the people of the Kingdom of
Qing, so he did not remember the incident where Fan Xian had
made Zhuang Mohan spit blood with any malice. Instead, he
chuckled and pointed at Fan Xian. "Dear academic, if you are
ignorant, then who in the Kingdom of Qing could dare call
themselves knowledgeable?"

The other administrators and supervisors also laughed and

poked fun at Fan Xian. "The greatest scholar in the illustrious
Kingdom of Qing. If you weren’t an astonishing scholar, young
master Fan, you should now be in the hall writing at
astonishing speed, gnawing at dry bread in hunger, rather than
sit here with us eating lunch."
 Even Guo You could not help but laugh at this. Fan Xian
himself did not have an ounce of self-confidence in his own
scholarly talent. But it seemed that no matter whether it was in
the bureaucracy, or the entire nation, everyone else had far
more confidence in Fan Xian than he did.

The students in the exam hall were still nervously scribbling

away. The daylight began to fade, and Fan Xian strolled around
the hall a few times, looking at everyone's test papers. He saw
that a few of them were truly talented, and could not help but
stop and look. Although in Danzhou he had read the scriptures
of this world, he had not thought that he would be taking the
official exams to enter a career, so when it came to composing
such essays, he feared he would be worse off than most. But
after all, he had lived in two worlds; it was somewhat of an
exaggeration to say he read extensively, but he had a particular
way of looking at things.

He secretly memorized the names of those people, then

strolled to the corner gate and faked a yawn. Cocking his head,
he found that Mu Tie was almost asleep as he leaned to one
side on the chair. He couldn't help but laugh. This Mu Tie was
a clever person, and extremely capable. Otherwise, Chen
Pingping would not have made him head of the First Bureau.
But his integrity was somewhat lacking. Perhaps he had only
just learned how to flatter. Every time he saw Fan Xian he
would be greatly respectful, and for some reason this made Fan
Xian feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"Master, the corner gate must not be opened." Seeing the

intermediary Fan Xian walk to the side of the corner gate, there
was an uncomfortable look on the Overwatch Council officials'
face. He blocked the way. "Other than for deliveries of food and
water, the corner gate must remain closed."

"I am aware of that rule," Fan Xian laughed. "I just wanted to
have a look around, and see if there's anything fun."

His talk seemed somewhat odd and not in accordance with

decorum. In the Emperor's civil service exams of this mighty
nation, Fan Xian was an examiner, and yet he wanted to look
for amusement in the exam hall. But what was strange was
that this official, hearing his words, also smiled in response.
"There's a lot of fun to be had in the exam hall. Come around
later."

Fan Xian was quiet as he looked at the official's ordinary-

looking face. Suddenly he spoke. "Is it you I should be looking
for?"
 "Correct, Commander." The official lowered his head.

Fan Xian looked him in the eyes. He knew that this official
was not of high status within the Overwatch Council, but he
certainly was placed here as Chen Pingping's trusted aide. He
couldn't help but smile. "Did Master Chen specify a time?"

"After the civil service exams, within three days," replied the
official quietly.

"Very well, I still have something that requires your help. I

need to check the background of a few people." Fan Xian told
the official the names of the people he had memorized. "Don't
look into their family background, just their conduct."

"Understood," said the official quietly. "Commander, if you

could show me your token?"

Fan Xian took out the Overwatch Council commander's

token from his waist, the one that had helped him countless
times. The official took a look at it. "Have you memorized
them?" Fan Xian asked gently.
 "I have," replied the official, "but I will have to report this to
the director."

"I understand." Fan Xian smiled warmly. "Before the exam

papers are sealed, I want your report back."

"Yes sir."

"Do I need to know your name?"

"No need," said the official quietly. "I am but a lowly official
of the Council. I dare not waste your faculties remembering my
name."

The Crown Prince wanted to arrange for his backers of many

years to be within the court. Perhaps the Great Prince was the
same. As for his father-in-law and the Bureau of Military
Affairs, it was the typical path of the corrupt official. Thinking
about this, Fan Xian couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. His own
father-in-law was still not willing to make things easier for
him.
 But he understood that this was the normal state of affairs of
the bureaucracy, and what he was about to do was rather
unusual.

Fan Xian sighed slightly. In a few years, when he was older,

should he also arrange for his own backers to enter the seeming
playground of the bureaucracy? But at the moment, he had no
way to do such a thing. The most important thing was to
coordinate with the Overwatch Council and make sure that the
civil service exams were dealt with properly. He didn't want to
give himself too much trouble.

After his "speech-paper" had successfully ousted the eldest

princess from the palace, he had wanted to make sure
everything was a bit more stable. If it wasn't for the powerful
tricks of the Eastern Palace trying to pull him closer, perhaps
he still could manage it. And he considered his own plans to be
low-risk. Whether it was his own overt power, the grandmaster
who stood behind him in the shadows, or the terrifying
Council, they were all powers that most people were yet to
understand. He believed that as long as he did not interfere
with the most basic interests of the royal family of the
Kingdom of Qing, then in this seemingly formidable but
actually mutually restrictive bureaucracy, he had great
prospects for the future.
 After his rebirth, he had lived for a good while, and he could
not back down too much. Otherwise, would he not have
wasted the efforts of the many interesting helpers his mother
had left behind for him? Why couldn't he do the same things
that the princes and the high officials did? Not only did he
want to do them, he wanted to do them beautifully.

"At heart, I really am shameless." Fan Xian looked at the hall

full of suffering students, and a smile arose on his face. "If a
monk paws at the nun, then why can't I? Not only do I want to
paw at the nun, I want to make sure that the monk can't."

"Spring Wind and Rain" is a Chinese idiom referring to the long-term influence of a solid
education.
A reference to Lu Xun’s The True Story of Ah Q; the protagonist is the loser Ah Q, who bullies a
nun to make himself feel better, accusing her of sleeping with a monk and trying to molest her by
saying "if the monk paws at you, why can’t I?"
Chapter 164: You’re Confused, I’m
Confused… Everybody’s Confused
"Troublemaker!"

Chen Pingping mumbled the insult, and the heads of the

Overwatch Council felt a slight twinge of fear seeing the
Director's anger. Chen Pingping pulled down the blanket over
his knees and coughed. His messy white hair was not all that
appealing to look at. "The Council regulations are extremely
clear. We do not stick our noses in palace affairs, except on the
Emperor's orders."

Fourth Bureau head Yan Ruohai forced a smile and shook his
head. "Unfortunately, it really can’t be helped. Before, we were
checking for cheating in the imperial exams. But this sort of
thing happens in the highest echelons, and we don't have
enough people in those positions. It's hard to find the thread.
Now that we have these names, we can follow the thread, and
it shouldn’t be difficult to find the official behind this. I just
did not expect it to lead us to the Eastern Palace."

Internal discussions in the Overwatch Council had always

been extremely bold and full of biting criticism. Except for
their unparalleled loyalty to His Majesty, these secret police
chiefs did not care in the slightest about the people around
them.

Chen Pingping pushed his wheelchair over to the window, his

white hair standing out against the black curtain, appearing
especially clear as he said, "This commissioner's order is truly
something. Last night His Majesty finally decided to look into
this year's exam hall scandal. He has sent quite a gift."

Yan Ruohai was also thoroughly curious about this

commissioner, whom he had never laid eyes on. He was not
sure how he had gotten hold of this list of names. "We should
look into it as soon as possible," he said quietly.

"Mm." Chen Pingping waved a hand, dismissing the gathered

subordinates and sending them back to making arrangements
for the big operation that was to happen in a few days' time.
But Yan Ruohai stayed behind, and some time later, he spoke
coldly. "There are plenty of people who know this
commissioner's identity, so there is no way to keep this a
secret. His Majesty wishes to ensure that the Crown Prince can
save face, so we cannot move against the person in the Eastern
Palace."
 "And the Prime Minister?" Yan Ruohai had a sudden thought.
Guessing at the commissioner's identity, he couldn't help but
feel rather shocked.

Chen Pingping narrowed his eyes. "So you know who it is. Of
course, we cannot move against his father-in-law no matter
what, as you well know."

"The truth is that we can't move against any of these people."

Yan Ruohai laughed bitterly. "Apart from the Crown Prince,
one is a noble of the palace, one is the Prime Minister, and one
is a senior figure in the Bureau of Military Affairs. The Council
has always had a good relationship with the military. We can’t
sever it for the sake of such small matters."

"Mm." Chen Pingping let out a grunt. "We must move on

these three threads. But we cannot follow them to their source,
or there will be repercussions throughout all levels of society.
Even His Majesty would be unable to escape it. These people
are officials. Perhaps they have guessed that the Emperor does
not have complete control over his officials as a result of the
exam hall scandal and have become much more brazen
recently."
 He suddenly laughed, but there was a coldness in his smile.
"But they didn’t expect that someone might be even more
brazen then they are. Someone has sold them out."

Yan Ruohai frowned. "Commissioner Fan has acted

inappropriately here. When there are so many nobles
transgressing like this, where does it end?"

"This is what he is doing by giving me this." It wasn't clear

whether Chen Pingping's expression was one of fury or
madness, but he was clearly not in a good mood. "He knows
that the old man can’t allow him to be at the heart of the
struggle, and so that is why he gave me this list of names. He is
telling me that he does not wish to be led around by the nose,
and he wants me to help deal with this!"

Yan Ruohai did not dare say anything, but he felt rather
alarmed. What really was the relationship between Director
Chen and Count Sinan's eldest son? Why Would he all of a
sudden act like this? And looking at his master's face, it looked
as if he was really going to go along with Fan’s plan.
 Chen Pingping calmed himself down, then suddenly burst
out laughing, though the laughter was barbed and ugly-
sounding. "Interesting. Truly, truly interesting."

"What benefit does it bring Commissioner Fan to act like

this?" asked Yan Ruohai, curious.

"There are always a few strange people in this world who do

not act in their own self-interest." Chen Pingping seemed to
have recalled something, and a rarely seen look of reverence
appeared on his face. It was a look that Yan Ruohai had never
seen on Chen Pingping's face, not even when he had met with
the Emperor.

"Sir, if I may ask, how high up does this exam scandal go?"

Chen Pingping lifted his head slightly. "His Majesty feels that
the Guo family has been in charge of the Board of Rites long
enough."

"Understood."
 "Currently there is no one at the First Bureau. Mu Tie is not
clever enough, so I will put you in charge."

"Yes, sir."

The civil exams had reached the third round. Fan Xian
dabbed at the corner of his eyes with a warm wet cloth, and
found that the past few days had really left him feeling
fatigued. The sleep in his eyes had increased, and he couldn't
help but laugh bitterly as he stood up and stretched. He took a
scrutinizing look at the students who were bent over asleep at
their desks. If he had found it this hard just to be their
examiner, he felt even more pity for the students.

This was the last day of the civil service exams. Fan Xian had
already spent several days inside the exam hall located in the
second office of the Ministry of Rites. Although they had
frequently sent food and other revitalizing things from home,
his body and mind were both extremely fatigued. He yawned
and walked up to where Yang Wanli was to take a close look.
Over the next few days, he discovered that this Yang Wanli was
a very committed student. The things that he had wedged into
his clothes had not moved an inch. He couldn't help but feel
pleased.
 What particularly surprised him was that Yang Wanli seemed
to have a truly talented mind. Though his commentary were
not completely without reproach, and his opinions did not fall
on any overtly political line, they were conscientious,
unadorned, and were very much in line with Fan Xian's own
temperament. The nameless official from the Overwatch
Council returned with his report. Yang Wanli was from a poor
family. As a child, he had studied at a clan school in
Quanzhou. His performance in the provincial exams had been
excellent, and Fan Xian had uncovered his cheating, so he was
inevitably more careful.

Yang Wanli had now finished the final exam question, and
with tiredness across his face, he was checking to make sure he
had not made any slip-ups. Out of the corner of his eyes, he
caught a glimpse of young Master Fan once more coming
toward him, and he couldn't help but feel nervous.

Although he was in the exam hall, Fan Xian obviously could

not talk to any of the students. But having gone through days
of torment, Yang Wanli's state of mind was somewhat
distracted. Boldly, he took hold of his lapels, staring miserably
at Fan Xian. It seemed that he was asking the young examiner a
question: How had Fan Xian discovered the things he was
hiding earlier in the exam hall?
 Fan Xian couldn't restrain his smile. Was this how he made
the most of his scholarly talent? It was inappropriate to speak
with him; he only used the forefinger of his right hand to
gently point at Yang Wanli's bedclothes.

Yang Wanli was confused and looked down. All he could see
were the bedclothes lumped together behind him that looked
like a big black jujube. Then he looked at the long satin gown
he was wearing, which, while unwashed for several days, still
projected an air of nobility. His heart skipped a beat as he
realized how he had slipped up. How could an exam candidate
wearing such a freshly washed silk gown carry such a dirty pile
of bedclothes into the exam hall?

He couldn't help but laugh at his foolishness.

Fan Xian smiled. He had made his decision. With his hands
behind his back, he strolled away.

It was night time, and the students were gradually making

their way out of the exam hall at the Ministry of Rites. After
several grueling days, they were on the verge of fainting,
yawning incessantly, their bodies stinking, and their faces
heavy with a dazed expression. There were still a few students
left over who wrote slowly, bent over their desks chewing on
their writing brushes. Some others had fallen asleep in the
lamplight; it was still not yet time, so none of the examiners
had come to deal with them.

Suddenly, there was the sound of a gong in Tongtuo Alley by

the side of the Ministry of Rites. It sounded crisp and clear, and
was seemingly meant to awaken all of the nighttime city.

"Your time is up; students, please put down your writing

brushes."

Shouting loudly, the officials of the Ministry of Rites began

to clear the hall, clearing out those students who had still yet
to put down their writing brushes. There was one candidate in
his forties, his hair already white, who had yet to finish the
questions. He howled in despair as he refused to leave his
writing desk, until eventually he was pitifully dragged out by
some officers of the Overwatch Council.

They could still hear his sobbing some time later. It was not
easy to listen to as it echoed all around outside the exam hall of
the Ministry of Rites.

Fan Xian sighed. He had no sympathy. This world and that

world were the same; whether you were able and suitable to do
something depended entirely on your own effort, and nothing
more. It was not that he was heartless, but as he saw it, their
tests were finished, and his test... well, that had only just
begun.

On the night that the civil service exams concluded, the

scrolls had to be sealed; this was Fan Xian's job. The chief
examiner, two examiners and two supervisors were all high-
ranking court officials, and they did not dare leave. They all
waited as Fan Xian led people in sealing the examinees' names
on their examination papers and making copies of the answers.
Then they could seal the papers and signed them.

The candles shone bright and clear on the busy scene within
the second office of the Ministry of Rites. Outside, dozens of
functionaries separated the exam papers and arranged them. In
another room, Fan Xian rubbed his temples as he watched the
officials from the Ministry of Rites seal the names on the
papers.
 Before all the test papers had been sealed, they had to be sent
over to Fan Xian. Fan Xian did not dare show the slightest
neglect, and he carefully pored over the names on each test
paper, affixing corresponding names to the four sheets of
paper. Some time later, he had gone through dozens of test
papers, inconspicuously placing them on his right hand side.

By his side, the two officials from the Ministry of Rites

lowered their heads and looked at each other. They knew that
these dozen or so papers had been called for specifically by
higher-ups in the palace and the royal court.

Having finished this, Fan Xian beckoned them over and

indicated that they were to begin sealing them. The two
officials from the Ministry of Rites did not dare miss a thing,
and they quickly began covering over the names and
birthplaces of candidates on the sheets with paper.

Fan Xian also didn’t arouse suspicion, looking carefully to

the side, eventually discovering how these officials of the
Kingdom of Qing carried out such matters. It turned out that
as they sealed the test papers he had gone through, the slips of
paper they were using when pasting names were slightly
shorter than the paper they used on the other exam sheets for
the pasted names of the average sentence.

Watching the officials from the Ministry of Rites solemnly

paste short slips of paper onto the exam papers he had gone
through, Fan Xian couldn't stop himself from smiling. If Guo
You knew that not these papers were from candidates hand-
picked by the palace - that some of them were talented students
that he had chosen personally, such as that foolish Yang Wanli
- how angry would old Guo be?

But he did not know that if his little trick fell into the hands
of the Overwatch Council, Minister Guo would perhaps not
even have the chance to get angry.
Chapter 165: A Clap of Thunder
As the strips of paper being pasted onto the exams only
differed very slightly in length, one would not notice anything
unusual at just a glance. But if you were one of the officials
making copies, who knew what was going on, you would be
able to notice the difference. After Fan Xian saw that Yang
Wanli's scroll had been affixed with a short strip of paper, he
inexplicably felt quite pleased. He shook his head and laughed
and couldn't help but say something. "Even if they've been
chosen, when they're being copied out, how do you make the
seal?"

The official next to him laughed a little uneasily. He knew

that this new guy didn't have a good understanding of the
customs, and responded carefully. "Young Master Fan, when
copying, as long as the characters have been written with skill,
then the examiner marking the papers will understand."

Fan Xian had a sudden realization. "That way even if the

marker doesn't know who it is, they know it is the correct
person," he exclaimed in admiration.
 "Yes, master," replied the official from the Ministry of Rites
politely, all the while silently cursing this talented youngster
in his head who still did not know the customs of the
bureaucracy.

At the same time, Fan Xian silently cursed these people's

stupidity. If it weren't for the unbridled arrogance of the
officials of the Kingdom of Qing, this custom - full of loopholes
- would not have continued for so many years, and he couldn't
exploit the loopholes himself to allow the true scholars to do
something.

Of course, he understood, the reason that the whole

bureaucratic system had tacitly agreed on this method was
because whether or not they were political enemies, they had
all tacitly agreed to this method of sorting. Save for madmen,
no one in the system dared to rock the boat.

In truth, the Eastern Palace and the major players, even

including the Prime Minister, had other methods of arranging
such things. But they all happened to have found him by
chance. One reason was because the proctor was in charge of
sealing names; it was an important step in the cycle. Another
reason was that other than Prime Minister Lin, they all wanted
to see what Fan Xian's approach would be.

Fan Xian's approach was very simple: screw that. After all, no
one could turn from an easygoing disposition to violent
resentment like Fan Xian. After all, no one had as good a father
as Fan Xian did, or a mother like Princess Iron Fan.

After a busy night, the civil service exams that decided the
lives of countless scholars finally came to an end. Many
officials gathered in the main hall, rubbing their tired eyes,
listening to the exam director and Minister of the Board of
Rites Guo You's admonishment of his subordinates.

After a raft of arguments lacking new ideas and lies about

collecting material for the nation, Guo You, somewhat
fatigued, waved a hand and allowed the subordinate
bureaucrats to depart. Afterward, he looked kindly at Fan
Xian. "Thank you for troubling yourself with this these past
few days, young Master Fan."

"It was no trouble at all, sir," said Fan Xian with a vigorous
smile. "Besides, I am still young."
 Guo You smiled. "Everyone has gone to some trouble." At that
moment, the high-level officials in the hall all understood the
inside story of this year's exams, and the ones who had
benefited from it had not only been Guo You and the two head
examiners. Even Fan Xian was unaware that over the past few
days, the sum of silver that he deserved had been sent to Fan
Manor. The sum was even more formidable than half a year's
profit from the Danbo Bookstore.

Over the several days of the examination, the whole exam

hall had been filled with the unpleasant odor of urine and
sweat. Fan Xian, standing on the stone platform, held his nose
and looked at the dark exam hall. A satisfied smile floated
across his face. He had come to this world many years ago now.
He knew that he wanted to live, but he did not know how he
should live; until he had made the firm resolution to do this
sort of thing. He had discovered that simply being a generally
good person was quite satisfying.

Of course, being a good person does not mean being

unwilling to offend anyone.

Officials from the three departments had gathered up the

exam papers. Under the command of a palace eunuch, and the
protection of the palace guards, the Overwatch Council and the
Bureau of Military Affairs, a team of people made their way
through the slowly fading night toward the Imperial College.
Within a few days, those exam papers, copied out with their
names sealed, were fully evaluated. Thus the list of third-rank
candidates who had passed was drawn up. The highest-level
candidates were looked over by the Emperor, and it was
decided who would be given the ranks of Zhuangyuan,
Bangyan, and Tanhua - highest, second-highest, and third-
highest scorers respectively.

Leaving the stinky exam hall, Fan Xian found that a carriage
from Fan Manor was waiting for him at the corner gate. After
he boarded the carriage, he took the towel that Teng Zijing
handed him and wiped his face. "What does father think about
my approach?" he asked, somewhat tired.

"He has said nothing." Teng Zijing moved his injured leg and
responded quietly. "But your father seems somewhat
displeased. I've always felt that you should inform the Prime
Minister of your actions, young master. And this matter
implicates a wide range of people. If you truly provoke the
wrath of the people, I fear that the Prime Minister and your
father will find it difficult to protect you."
 Fan Xian smiled and said nothing. The Overwatch Council
was still behind him, and crucially, Chen Pingping was
communicating with him through Wang Qinian. His Majesty
was planning to clean up governance this year, and he was just
seizing the opportunity. He reckoned Chen Pingping would
scold him for causing trouble, but he would finally have a
pretext to act in secret.

Fan Xian had just provided the Overwatch Council with

justification, which they would bring before the Emperor, who
would make a decision. As for the Crown Prince and Ning the
Talented, Fan Xian had also made arrangements. Before the
names were sealed, whether they were asked for by the Eastern
Palace or by the Great Prince, Fan Xian had chosen the names
of some of the talented scholar and hidden them - somewhat to
protect them, and also to give his counterpart an explanation.

When the matter came out, Fan Xian wanted to give people
the feeling that he had done it not as a result of any bias for
one side or another of court politics, but purely as a scholar.
Out of a stubborn desire, he had made a "noble" and insane
decision.
 Over the next few days, all was quiet in the capital. As Fan
Xian's exposé began to complement the hidden strength of the
Overwatch Council, at least before the list of third-rank
candidates was published, the unsurprising information made
its way through the bureaucracy. Finally, the third-rank
candidates were chosen, and the names that Fan Xian had
hidden in there had not been weeded out. Clearly some of Chen
Pingping's spies were inside the Imperial College and the
Ministry of Rites, and were helping Fan Xian in secret.

Guo You and his high-ranking officials had perhaps made

sure cheating was too easy to accomplish in the exam hall over
the past few years. And behind him, he had the Eastern Palace
as a supporter, so to not have seen such clear problems, they
were clearly not paying enough attention.

On the 22nd of February, the trees gradually began to

blossom, with little birds perching on the branches in pairs. It
was a fine and happy spring day. In a tavern in the capital, not
far to the west of the Imperial College, the flustered scholars
gathered together awaiting the news. There were no snacks or
drinks on the table, because these students did not have the
heart to eat a thing, focusing only on the important news that
was to come.
 "Not a chance," said a student from Shandong Road with a
bitter laugh as he shook his head. "I don't think I stand a
chance this time."

"Jialin, brother, why do you say such a thing?" The student

sitting by his side was ashen-faced - it was Yang Wanli, the one
who Fan Xian had looked in the eye in the exam hall.

He came from Quanzhou, and made his living by the sea; he

was very different from those other scholars who had come
from wealthy backgrounds and spent their lives in libraries.
You could tell from looking at him that he was of a thoroughly
easygoing disposition. He grabbed a pair of chopsticks from the
table and began snacking on some pickled peanuts, chewing as
he spoke with his mouth full. "Jialin, you're one of the most
well-known people on Shandong Road. You can write a
marvelous policy essay, and everyone will shower you with
praise for days afterwards. Me, I'm no good at it. I've not got
the skill in writing. Although self-confidence is enough to
govern a province, there's no way my name will be on that list."

Cheng Jialin was from Shandong Road. This was his third
time taking the exam. He laughed bitterly and kept his voice
low. "Do we really not understand these things? So many
people take these exams each time. The major players at the
court pick a couple, the palace picks a couple, and the Imperial
Palace picks some. People like us from the provinces – maybe
we've got some renown from taking the provincial exams, but
what good does that do in the capital? Even if the royal court
wanted to find a few more talented people to fill the gap, there's
plenty of scholars in the capital. Why would they pick us?"

The other scholar at the table had a lean face. It seemed that
he was not happy; perhaps he had drunk too much and had
pent-up frustrations. He laughed coldly. "Jialin, you're right.
As I see it, it's best you don't take it again, so as not to spend all
your money on travel. Goddamn civil service exams. It's only
for the high officials and the palace to pick their pet poodles!"

Cheng Jialin's face darkened with slight fear. "Jichang, keep

your voice down. If the Overwatch Council is listening, never
mind our careers, it'll be our lives we'll have to worry about."

Hou Jichang was an oddity, someone who did not want to

walk the road of an influential official. Although he had some
renown in the capital, and was once equally famous as He
Zongwei, his sharp tongue and his temper left him somewhat
lonely. Hearing his friend's anxious words, he couldn't help but
laugh. "The Overwatch Council might be fearsome, but why
would they bother to spy on people as worthless as us? If
they're so great, why don't they stop the cheating in the exam
hall?"

Yang Wanli shook his head. "Although nobody thinks well of

the Overwatch Council, when it comes to supervising
governance, they are quite good at it."

Hou Jichang waved his finger. "Is anyone in the entire

bureaucracy clean and honest? If we're placing our hopes in
the Overwatch Council, it's like asking a tiger to give you its
hide."

"The officials are also chosen from the scholars," retorted

Yang Wanli. "They can't all be bad, I think..." he muttered for a
moment, trying to think of a single clean person in the entire
bureaucracy of the capital. Finally, his eyes lit up. "I think the
academician Fan Xian of the Imperial Academy is a fine
official."

The two others beside him both knew that he had been called
up by Fan Xian for smuggling things into the exam hall, and
they couldn't help but laugh. "So he lets you finish the exam
and that makes him a good official? Being a good official seems
pretty simple."

The three men chatted and laughed, and as the alcohol

slowly went to their heads, they couldn't stop themselves from
quietly bemoaning the abuses of the royal court. They
wondered whether the Overwatch Council was really going to
investigate the scandal properly - if so, maybe things would get
better in the exam hall.

Suddenly, there was commotion within the tavern. The three

of them stood up and heard a scholar frantically shouting
outside. "There's been a scandal in the exam hall, and the
Director of the Board of Rites, Guo You, is going to prison!"

A roar! The spring thunder rumbled above the capital, and

fresh spring rain fell upon the students in the tavern.

A traditional saying, meaning to make a doomed petition.

Chapter 166: Cheating at the Exam Hall
Sparse raindrops fell around the inn along with the sound of
spring thunder. The students were all stunned as they stood
stiffly in the rain. This alley was where students from outside
the capital who had come to take the examination gathered.
Despite the number of people, all was strangely quiet after
hearing that shout.

Many moments passed. Finally someone came back to their

senses. The student who shouted out was surrounded. There
was a loud ruckus like an explosion. There were questions
everywhere. Hou Jichang and Yang Wanli both had an excited
expression, but they forced down their impulses, and just
walked forward to listen.

There were too many people asking questions, and only one
person was doing the answering. After a long time, it was
finally made clear that the Overwatch Council sent out over a
hundred secret agents last night. Splitting into five paths, one
went directly to Guo Manor to the south, while the rest went to
four other manors. Together, they caught four students from
Jiangnan.
 Due to how quickly they acted, the night covered their
tracks. It was only this morning when His Majesty blandly
mentioned to have given out the order to let the Overwatch
Council thoroughly investigate this year’s examination for
cheating. As the Imperial court descended into chaos, the
various officials realized why the Director of the Board of Rites
Guo You wasn’t among them.

The only ones who were calm amidst the chaos were the
Prime Minister, the Minister of Revenue, and of course, Chen
Pingping of the Overwatch Council, who had yet to make an
appearance at the royal court.

The Overwatch Council had acted quickly and precisely,

especially the groups that caught the four students. They were
able to find letters to certain officials. Even more shocking was
the amount of silver they found in Guo Manor. After the initial
investigation, the families of those students were all quite
despotic. Three of the families were salt merchants. They had
brought with them large sums of money when coming to the
capital and then, using various methods, were able to buy
Director Guo’s favor.
 Guo You and those students had already been imprisoned.
Since yesterday, the Fourth Bureau of the Overwatch Council
began to order their branch offices in Jiangnan to apprehend
those involved in this serious case. While those four students
bribed the head examiner Director Guo, most of the money
went to the eastern palace, meaning the one behind this case
was none other than… the Crown Prince.

Of course, the students would never know such details. It

was all they could do to curse Director Guo in the rain. They
even cursed his poor mother and son.

His Majesty seemed to be determined to investigate this

year’s examination. Other than the Board of Rites, at least
dozens of other officials had their positions suspended and
subjected to investigations. According to rumors, the reason
for the speed and accuracy of the investigation was due to a
blacklist which contained the names of students and the
officials involved in secret plots. Starting from those students,
the Overwatch Council worked their way up to the officials. It
was a very effective method.

Hou Jichang walked to the table, still shocked. He raised a

cup and downed the alcohol in one gulp. As if not affected by
the strong alcohol, he said to himself, "Never would I have
thought this would happen. I really didn't."

"You didn’t think what?" Yang Wanli and Cheng Guilin also
came back to their senses and asked.

Hou Jichang laughed and slapped the table forcefully. "I

never thought the Overwatch Council would be so accurate
and so vicious. They were able to obtain a list which
practically sentenced those nobles in Imperial court to death."
He raised the jar of wine and poured some for his two friends.
Hou Jichang raised his cup, his face full of joy. "Here’s to the
Overwatch Council!"

"Cheers!" The other two were all in agreement and completed

the toast.

Currently, the inn was full of excited students drinking in

sheer joy. The examination of Qing’s political circles had been
rotten for a long time. While they all knew it wouldn’t be
cleaned up overnight with the arrest of a single director,
everything started with a single step. As long as His Majesty
knew about the problem and was willing to solve it, those
young, spirited, and extremely naïve students all believed that
Qing was destined for a more beautiful future.

As the alcohol began to show its effect, Yang Wanli squinted

and chuckled stupidly. "How exhilarating. Even if I don’t pass
the exam, I was able to experience such a momentous event.
What a rush."

Cheng Guilin drank the least, so he was the most clear-

headed. He asked hesitantly, "Since they uncovered the
cheating, then… will they redo this year’s examination?"

"They won't." After all the alcohol he consumed, Hou

Jichang’s thin face became calm. His eyes became extremely
clear, "This is a warning from His Majesty. A similar case
happened twelve years ago, when fourteen officials from the
Board of Rites were executed. Back then, they went on to post
the scores from the examination; only the students who had
dealing with those officials got their names taken off and
replaced by the students after them."

"Then… our chances just improved?" Yang Wanli chuckled

stupidly. Being naïve, his question was simple too. "There are
only so many openings. After the cheating ones get their names
taken off, our chances to pass will increase by a lot."

Hou Jichang laughed coldly. "Only if there are not any other
nobles even more powerful than them doing the same thing.
Director Guo was only a single official. He wouldn’t dare to do
anything drastic to this grand national examination. I’m afraid
there are even more cheaters who are under the nobles’
protection. The loss of a few salt merchants’ sons is not
significant at all."

As the other two pondered this, they became a bit downcast.

Moments later, Yang Wanli suddenly slapped the table and
grinned. "Regardless, this is worth celebrating. The most
shocking event last year was the propaganda that forced Eldest
Princess back to Xinyang. And the most shocking event this
year is probably this blacklist which toppled a director."

Cheng Guilin warned: "Let’s talk more after the results are
released tomorrow."

Hou Jichang and Yang Wanli knew his temperament. They

were still hopeful about this year’s spring examination. "I have
to go and wake up that Shi Chanli to tell him the good news."

Yang Wanli laughed. "Remember to buy him some food."

"Beautiful. Very beautiful." Fan Xian was in a good mood as

he went over the papers Wang Qinian had brought him. Wan’er
sat next to him worried. "Aren’t you afraid the Crown Prince
will find out it was you?"

Fan Xian had been scolded severely by his father that day and
was under house arrest. Forced to stay in the manor, he knew
he was being overboard by disclosing this case. But of course,
without the Overwatch Council obtaining intelligence first,
Fan Xian wouldn’t know that His Majesty was ready to set an
example this year, and therefore wouldn’t dare to make
enemies in the royal court.

The blacklist itself wasn’t much of a secret; all examiners

had a few sheets. To cheat in such a bold and shameless way,
one could see that the bureaucracy of Qing was used to it. That
was precisely the reason why this investigation by the
Overwatch Council turned out to be so shocking. For the
moment, no one suspected Fan Xian.
 Hearing his wife’s question, Fan Xian showed a strange
expression. "Your prince brother is too bold, and his methods
aren’t effective. Those officials at court are all idiots who don’t
know their limits. To cheat so openly during the spring
examination – even if I don’t report it, were they really going
to get away if His Majesty decides to investigate?"

Wan’er raised herself up from under her blanket. She looked

at Fan Xian’s face quietly. "Dear, please don’t take such risks in
the future. There is no such thing as guaranteed safety in this
world. What are you going to do if someone finds out?"

"What am I going to do? I'll make do!" Fan Xian made

another one of his otherworldly puns. He smiled. "So what if
they were to find out?"

Wan’er sighed. Her husband was learned and well-mannered

on the outside, but no one knew when he would do something
crazy like this.

Fan Xian knew his wife was worried. He said quietly, "The
most crucial part is still in the palace. What’s the point of
examinations? It’s a method for His Majesty to gather talented
officials to serve him. One emperor from the past once laughed
during the examination about how the heroes of the world all
came to him under such methods. His Majesty could tolerate
the various officials taking advantage of the examination to get
rich, but he could not tolerate them using every student to get
rich. Besides, two princes were involved in this. The emperor
had to ask himself… what his two sons were planning to do."

Wan’er didn’t completely understand. "To cultivate talented

officials who would serve them in court, of course."

Fan Xian continued: "Then His Majesty is sure to ask why.

The Great Prince led armies; why does he need officials in the
royal court?"

Wan’er smiled uneasily. "And what about my brother? He is

the Crown Prince, who will someday take command of the
nation. It is only right that he tries to find talented people. The
Imperial tutor of the Eastern Palace once said that the Eastern
Palace cannot be powerless. It must not fear rumors. So it must
prepare some people to become useful servants and officials.
That is true loyalty to the crown."
 Fan Xian shook his head and let his ridicule faintly show.
"The Imperial tutor spoke well. He was certainly correct. But
the problem is that His Majesty is still healthy. For the Eastern
Palace to prepare subjects now, wouldn’t His Majesty wonder if
the Crown Prince was losing patience?"
Chapter 167: A Visitor in the Rain (Part
1)
Wan'er sucked in a breath of cold air as she discovered that
this was how things were, and listened to Fan Xian, who
continued to talk, smiling. "So, His Majesty can endure for a
while, but not for an age. He can restrain the bureaucracy, but
he cannot restrain his own son. If His Majesty has never
thought about it, then fine. But when he begins to think about
the first problem, then he will be unable to control his
suspicions regarding many things. So rectifying the
examinations scandal naturally becomes an issue."

Lin Wan'er leaned her head against his chest. "In truth, it's
easy to talk of such things," she said quietly. "If I thought about
it, I could understand it. Why does my brother the Crown
Prince not wish to understand it?"

"It is not that the Crown Prince does not wish to understand,
but that he has begun to feel unsafe." Fan Xian recalled the gifts
that the Emperor had bestowed upon the three princes at the
start of the year, which were all deep with hidden meaning that
even Fan Xian could not understand. It appeared that whether
it was the Crown Prince or the Great Prince, they were all
nervous and uneasy, and so they had all tried to meddle in the
exams.

Lin Wan'er sighed. "I don't want my husband to divide the

land and rule over a part of it. I only want you to be a free and
good nobleman. Such matters are always troubling."

"Riches and honor and an easy life; that has always been my
desire," replied Fan Xian with a laugh, thinking of Jia Baoyu's
nickname in Dream of the Red Chamber. "But there are some
things I cannot bear to see. There will always be some enmity.
Who said the name my father gave me was no good?"

Seeing him make fun of her father-in-law, Lin Wan'er

couldn't help but giggle. "Your father shouldn't have any
problems, right?" she asked a little while later.

"Relax. My father went to visit the Prime Minister that

evening." As Fan Xian began to speak, he shook his head and
sighed in admiration. "So, as I said, the Overwatch Council
handled things wonderfully. Look at the officials who have
been caught recently. Other than Director Guo, they've been
sacked from the Eastern Palace and the Bureau of Military
Affairs. My father-in-law has lost his right-hand man, but
there has been no serious harm. If the proper behavior had not
been carried out by someone with many years of experience
within the bureaucracy, they wouldn't have been able to
understand it so perfectly."

"Is it very difficult?" asked Lin Wan'er with a smile.

Fan Xian softly ran his fingers through his wife's dark hair.
"Very diffcult," he replied gently. "You want to cause those with
power some pain, but not so much that it kills them, so as to
avoid making it difficult for His Majesty to deal with things."

Having said this, faint worry lines appeared on his brow.

"What is it?" Wan'er grasped her husband's arm gently as she

asked.

Fan Xian shook his head and tried to disperse his inner
worries. "I thought this was exposing a scandal that couldn't be
hidden from people, so I prepared carefully. I didn't expect the
Overwatch Council to shield me so well. But you're right; there
is no such thing as guaranteed safety in this world. The
Eastern Palace can always find out about my connections with
the Overwatch Council, and... there are too many madmen in
the Kingdom of Qing. At the moment, I'm worried about that
crippled madman."

"Chen Pingping?" Lin Wan'er immediately knew who he was

talking about. But she wasn't sure why – other than he having
exposed the scandal – it had anything to do with the terrifying
spy organization of the Overwatch Council. So she was
somewhat puzzled, and her doubts were so strong that they
covered up her confusion as to what "safety" really was.

Fan Xian smiled. He didn't try to explain everything clearly,

and instead simply spoke gently. "I am worried that Chen
Pingping has never thought of hiding such things."

"How dare he!"

Every young woman wants her husband to be a righteous

hero, so although Fan Xian's secret exposure of this scandal
worried Lin Wan'er somewhat, it had also made her feel deeply
proud of him. Hearing that Chen Pingping wanted to expose
her husband to the people, the thought of the danger made her
body shake. With the mien of a princess, she harrumphed.
"Tomorrow I shall go to the palace and find the Empress
Dowager!"

Fan Xian laughed and comforted her. "Even if Chen Pingping

wants to entrust this to me, perhaps it is not a bad idea."

Lin Wan'er did not understand. But Fan Xian understood that
this was a good opportunity. If the poetry recitation at the
evening banquet had established his firm reputation among the
common people of the Kingdom of Qing, the exposure of this
scandal was undoubtedly the best opportunity. As Master Fei
Jie had once said: as his mother's close ally, Chen Pingping had
never been happy with him becoming rich off the palace
treasury. He was determined to give him the power of the
Overwatch Council. So considering what had been said of Chen
Pingping's disposition, using the exam scandal to suddenly
come to the forefront was not impossible.

The problem was the ratio of gains to losses. Of this, Fan

Xian was somewhat unsure.
 He climbed out of bed. He looked at the gentle rain that fell
outside the window, and realized that it was already nearly
noon; he had spent half the day in bed with his wife. He
couldn't help but smile sweetly, though his smile was a
somewhat exhausted one. His exposure of this scandal was
firstly because he really had felt sorry for the truly talented
scholars, and secondly because of how those indignant princes
had pulled him between them like a rope. The most important
reason, however, was that he wanted to finally test Chen
Pingping.

Fan Xian was going to Northern Qi, so he wanted to be sure

what approach that old man - with the terrifying power of the
Overwatch Council - would have toward him. At the same
time, he wanted to see more clearly what approach the
Emperor behind the old man would have toward him.

The approach decided everything. It decided their

relationship. It could show their history. It could make
known... his life history. Fan Xian narrowed his eyes, looking
through the window that beared his mother's mark. He saw the
clouds in the sky, and felt that everything in the Kingdom of
Qing seemed to have gone through an interesting change of
mind. It seemed that he was walking on an unbounded path
approaching the truth.
 Perhaps his goal was already close.

The street was slightly wet outside Fan Manor. An unmarked

carriage waited quietly. Suddenly, a figure floated from the
manor like a falling leaf drifting to the ground. Its right palm
hung from the edge of the carriage as it climbed aboard.

"Go." Fan Xian spoke the moment his buttocks hit the seat.

From the driver's seat, Teng Zijing looked back at his young
master and laughed bitterly. "Young master, if your father
knew that you were going out at this time of night, he would
chide me."

Fan Xian laughed even more bitterly. "Then get moving. Not
only will my father beat me for being an unfilial son, but my
dear wife will tie me down."

At that moment, the people of the capital felt rather anxious.

News that Guo You, Director of the Board of Rites, had been
imprisoned had taken only an hour to spread through the city,
but all of the officials linked to the civil service exams all
remained anxiously in their homes. After a moment of fear,
spies from the Overwatch Council came to knock on their
doors, and politely invited them out for tea.

And Fan Xian was a major character in the scandal. Count

Sinan, who knew the inside story, and Princess Chen would not
dare let him make a move, so he he had to sneak out. He
sighed. "Master Teng, I am lucky to have you as my trusted
aide in the city. Otherwise it would be difficult for me to even
walk outside."

Wang Qinian had been sitting by his side. His smile had
clearly become pained, and he frowned as he spoke. "Master, I
have always worked hard to become your trusted aide."

Fan Xian laughed and teased him. "Wang Qinian, you should
be a comedian."

With the sound of a horsewhip, the black horse slowly

trudged on, the carriage wheels splashing through puddles.
The green trees around them were bathed in rainwater. Even
more green and delicate, behind the carriage, were spies from
the Overwatch Council, wearing raincoats and following the
carriage from a distance; these were Wang Qinian's men,
specially responsible for Commissioner Fan's safety. "If there
are reprisals in the court bureaucracy, then what is to be done?
I do not have enough men." Wang Qinian knew that
Commissioner Fan had done something within the Overwatch
Council, and he was concerned.

Fan Xian smiled. There was coldness in his eyes. "Things are
different now. We are not going to Niulan Street. I want to see
– other than that old madwoman – who in the capital would
still dare to assassinate me under the watch of His Majesty."

"Where are we going?" asked Teng Zijing, his head forward,

his voice low.

Fan Xian looked at Wang Qinian. Wang Qinian said the name
of the place quietly, then explained. "Fortunately, the students
that you took a fancy to are all staying in this tavern."

The carriage stopped outside Dieyi Alley. There was still

drizzle in the air; after Fan Xian climbed down from the
carriage with Teng Zijing, the two men walked with umbrellas.
Wang Qinian had already disappeared into the crowd.
 Dieyi Alley was filled with people from other provinces who
came to stay here. As the exam scandal had been exposed that
day, it was a boiling cauldron of voices. The place was
completely packed. Holding his umbrella, Fan Xian carefully
walked along the street. His umbrella sloped outward, so as to
prevent rainwater from falling into the pots of the hawkers
who lined the street under the eaves of the buildings.

"Excuse me, excuse me." A skinny scholar called out

impatiently, holding two pots of wine. He brushed past Fan
Xian and Teng Zijing, rushing onward, unafraid of the falling
rain. As he was walking, he turned his head back and looked at
Fan Xian.

Fan Xian held his umbrella aloft and watched the person
disappear into the rain. He shook his head, laughing. "Doesn't
this look like a group of crazy graduates? The minute they
finish their exams, they get wildly drunk." He smacked his lips,
feeling somewhat regretful that due to his health problems in
his past life he had never been able to take part in his school's
graduation feast.

Teng Zijing didn't understand what he was saying, but still

explained respectfully: "I reckon it's Guo You's downfall that's
made them so excited."

"Is Minister Guo's reputation so poor?" Fan Xian moved

casually on, looking like the pampered son from a wealthy
family who enjoyed strolls in the rain.

Teng Zijing laughed. "Few city officials have good

reputations. In the countryside, there is a saying: If you lined
up the officials of the six ministries and beheaded them, five of
them would have deserved it."

Fan Xian laughed, thinking of a similar joke from his

previous life. "So would my father be the one wrongfully
executed minister?" he teased.

Everyone knew that Count Sinan, Fan Jian, who had been an
assistant treasury minister, and then become a senior minister,
had taken money from the public purse. When it came to
corrupt officials, neither Fan Xian's father nor his father-in-law
could escape the charge. But Teng Zijing did not dare say such
things. Hearing his young master's words, a cold sweat ran
down his back. He forced a smile. "Young master, I misspoke.
Please do not be offended."
 "What does a corrupt official fear? The people do not worry
about corrupt officials, but they worry about officials who are
both corrupt and incompetent."

"Sir, such talk is inappropriate."

Suddenly someone rudely barged under Fan Xian's umbrella

to avoid the rain. In their hand they were carrying a paper
bundle of roasted chicken. The smell of the slightly charred
chicken was inescapable, even in the heavy rain.

Fan Xian’s name can also sound like the Chinese word for "enmity".
Chapter 168: A Visitor in the Rain (Part
2)
The rain continued to fall, and the umbrellas held by people
in the alley opened like a garden full of pitiful flowers
blooming.

Fan Xian smiled as he looked at this rude and impetuous

youth. Seeing that he was completely soaked, he said nothing;
if this were a bad person, then Fan Xian had at least five
different ways to immobilize him within a split second.

Clearly, it was just a poor scholar who had bought some roast
chicken for a feast, so Fan Xian did not stop moving, and held
his umbrella aloft as he carried on. He moved confidently, as
did the young man who had barged under his umbrella. Saying
nothing, he stood on Fan Xian's right, using his umbrella to
shelter his head from the rain, walking forward calmly.

As they walked a few steps under the umbrella, Fan Xian felt
more and more that there was something quite loveable about
the young man's disposition. If this were an ordinary scholar,
they would not dare to barge under someone else's umbrella,
and walking ten steps together in silence, an ordinary scholar
would not have such an easygoing expression. So he turned his
head slightly and took measure of him. The young man looked
ordinary, with a set of thick eyebrows that looked like they had
been painted on with a writing brush.

Teng Zijing followed two steps behind.

The two men under the umbrella continued to walk forward

in silence. Unsure whether this was a contest of patience or
something else, Fan Xian finally smiled and spoke. "I didn't say
anything before, and now it's just awkward."

As the umbrella-holder spoke, the young man laughed

politely. "If an official is corrupt, he cannot turn his thoughts
to politics. So if you believe a corrupt official is capable, that
I'm afraid that is a rather ridiculous thing."

Fan Xian laughed, and found that the umbrella could not
accommodate two people. The right shoulder of the young
scholar by his side was completely soaked, so he stealthily
moved the umbrella over it. "Even though a corrupt official
may neglect politics, it is better than a completely incompetent
person taking charge and fooling around."
 The young scholar's eyebrows shot up. He did not seem to
understand. "As long as one is willing to handle things, it is
better than neglecting government affairs."

Fan Xian gripped his umbrella more tightly and shook his
head. "If a river dike is not maintained, then within a few years
it will surely burst. If an honest official who has no knowledge
of river work maintains it foolishly, it may burst several times
each year. Do you believe that those living along the river hope
that their local official is incompetent, diligent, and honest, or
incompetent, lazy, and corrupt?"

The young scholar was quiet for a moment. Then he

laughed. "Perhaps this is a special case. There are certain
things that a county magistrate will always have to do, such as
measuring fields and provisioning grain, providing disaster
relief and aiding the people, passing litigation and determining
prison sentences. If it is a lazy official, then perhaps there will
be political chaos."

Fan Xian laughed. "So the important thing is competence,

not corruption."
 In truth, his view was not necessarily correct; he had been
influenced by bureaucracy novels from his past life. But when
it came to the people of the Kingdom of Qing, it was rather
novel, and the young scholar sharing his umbrella could not
help but feel interested. "If an official is competent yet
completely corrupt," he asked, "would the royal court allow
him to continue?"

He was unsure why, but when Fan Xian heard him say this,
he thought of his own father-in-law, the well-known corrupt
Prime Minister Lin Ruofu. Everyone knew that he was corrupt,
but the Emperor was fully aware of his capability, and
therefore had promoted him up to his present-day position.
Thinking on the young scholar's question, he could only shake
his head. "Politics is a complicated matter with no simple and
effective answers. But if you only seek the supervision of the
royal court, and study and cultivate virtue yourself, then
demanding that the bureaucracy be well-ordered is something
of a fantasy."

"If the royal court redoubles its efforts to supervise matters,

then how can it not prevent political corruption?" The young
scholar frowned, his thick eyebrows like roof beams. "Today,
Minister of Rites Gou You has been imprisoned. If the
Overwatch Council was the same a few years ago as it is now,
then that is how the practices of the exam hall became as
corrupt as they are today."

In truth, Fan Xian had no lofty opinions on political matters.

But this light intellectual conversation, though perhaps
seditious and confusing, had perked his spirits. "If Director
Chen of the Overwatch Council were to bribe Guo You to allow
his nephew to be ranked as a first-class scholar, then who
would watch over that?"

The young scholar took exception. "Naturally, the Emperor

would. Heaven's eyes are quick as lightning."

Fan Xian took even more exception. "Is it really so easy to

have one person rule all under Heaven?" In truth, he knew that
the Emperor had his own secret methods of checks and
balances for the great and independent Overwatch Council.
Those methods might even include the power that his father
had never openly exerted. But in his previous world, a handful
of young and inexperienced political ideas had caused Fan Xian
to turn up his nose at the work of an Emperor. He had never
believed that the Son of Heaven, who treated the land as his
own piggy bank, could have the mind to understand all of the
injustices of the bureaucracy. Speaking freely, the two men
under the umbrella arrived outside the tavern. The young
scholar smiled warmly at him. "Sir, thank you for sharing your
umbrella. This is my destination."Fan Xian put the umbrella to
one side and looked at the name of the tavern. It was truly a
coincidence that this was also the place he was looking for. He
smiled. "Let us enter together. I am meeting some people here."

The tavern's name was common, auspicious, and folksy - the

Tongfu Tavern.

As he entered with the young scholar, he learned that his

counterpart's name was Shi Chanli, and that he had been an
entrant in this year's exams. But it was not convenient for Fan
Xian to say his own name, so he only told him that his
surname was Fan.

"Master Fan, who are you looking for?" Shi Chanli at this
moment realized from this man's clothing that he was no doubt
the son of a noble, and so his speech was not as unrestrained as
it had been under the umbrella, but instead much more
reserved. "I have come to visit a friend," said Fan Xian. "I
cannot say much more. Perhaps fate will bring us together
again some day."
 Having said this, he bowed toward Fan Xian, and headed
toward a corner of the tavern, where there stood a table of
drinks. By the table were two scholarly-looking types playing a
drinking game. Next to them was another person who seemed
completely dead to the world, slumped over the table asleep. As
there was no food on the table, it seemed they had been waiting
for Shi Chanli to return with the roast chicken.

Fan Xian narrowed his eyes, and then saw that the person
drinking at the table was Yang Wanli, the person he had come
to find. Following Shi Chanli, he walked toward their table.

Shi Chanli did not know that someone was following behind
him. He placed the chicken in its greasy paper down on the
table, and scolded the two others drinking at the table with a
smile. "Hou Jichang, you send me out to get food, but you
don't leave me any wine?"

Hou Jichang laughed. "This wine is the inferior stuff I

bought off the street. It tastes bad, but there's plenty of it. Let
me introduce you. This is Cheng Jialin, a talented scholar from
Shandong Road." As he pointed a finger in Cheng Jialin's
direction, he discovered with alarm that the delicately
handsome son of a noble was standing behind Shi Chanli with
a smile on his face, and that this young man looked somewhat
familiar.

"Brother Shi, who's this?" asked Hou Jichang, confused.

Shi Chanli was startled, and turned around to see that Fan
Xian had followed them to their table. He forced a smile.
"Master Fan, I simply borrowed half your umbrella. I don't
presume you want payment for it?"

Fan Xian saw that he seemed somewhat afraid of him, and

had seemingly guessed that he was the son of a noble. He did
not dare come too close, so he laughed. "I wouldn't dare ask for
payment. But I wouldn't mind a little bit of that chicken that
you have there."

"Master Fan, did you not say you were looking for someone?"
Shi Chanli couldn't help but ask.

"It appears I have been searching far and wide, only to find
them by chance," said Fan Xian with a smile. He had said this
before, when he met with the Emperor on Liujing River. It had
gained no reaction, but today, in front of these learned
scholars, just as expected, Hou Jichang immediately
understood his meaning. His interest was peaked. "Master Fan,
did you come looking for us?" he asked.

Fan Xian pointed at the drunken Yang Wanli. "Master Yang

and I are friends, so I have come to pay him a visit."

Hou Jichang laughed. "I never heard Wanli mention that he

had such a wealthy friend in the capital. Come, please take a
seat. We've wine and roast chicken, it's no trouble." Shi Chanli
had quite enjoyed Fan Xian's style of conversation, and seeing
that he was a friend of his friend, he decided to stop putting on
airs and pulled out a seat, smiling.

Cheng Jialin tried unsuccessfully to rouse Yang Wanli for

what seemed like ages. He could not help but mumble as he
smiled at Fan Xian. Fan Xian however was interested in
something else. He cupped his hands in salute toward Hou
Jichang. "May I ask your name, friend?"

"Hou Jichang."
 "Master Hou, why do you presume that I am the wealthy son
of a nobleman?" Fan Xian, hearing the name Jichang, couldn't
help but want to laugh. "I wonder if you are not also living a
life of gluttony. It seems you spend all day eating and nothing
else."

Hou Jichang laughed and apologized. "Your clothes are quite

expensive. No ordinary scholar could afford to wear such an
outfit. As for calling you 'wealthy', we're all used to cracking
jokes; please don't take offense." At that moment, it struck him
that this young man looked familiar, but drinking had blurred
his vision, so he couldn't remember where he knew him from.

"Don't worry about it," said Fan Xian with a gentle laugh, as
he sat self-consciously at the table. The scholars were all free
and at ease, and none objected to the appearance of their
uninvited guest. A moment later, Yang Wanli had yet to awake,
so save for Cheng Jialin, who urged Fan Xian to have a few
drinks, Hou Jichang and Shi Chanli both drank as if no one
else was there. They began to pontificate.

They did not discuss the mysteries of the Dao, but instead
matters of state, the economy, and the welfare of the people.
Sitting to the side, Fan Xian grabbed a chicken leg and gnawed
on it leisurely. Listening to their debate, he found that Hou
Jichang's way of thinking was similiar to that of the Legalists,
who emphasized the importance of law, and Shi Chanli was a
sentimentalist who emphasized indoctrination.

Nonetheless, the one who advocated legalism did not blindly

demand severity, and the one who advocated indoctrination
did not blindly exhort orders from above. These were two wise
scholars. Sometimes they would speak of the political affairs
of each region, painstakingly analyzing and debating each one
without blindly speaking out of turn. They were not like the
average scholars who always fixed their sights on the entire
world, without knowing that the world was far bigger than the
vast majority of people ever saw.

The more Fan Xian heard, the more he was proud of himself.
This Hou Jichang was one of the names he had sealed, and it
seemed that his view had been correct. But Shi Chanli's nature
was so gentle and unconstrained, how had he not made an
impression in the exam hall?

While he congratulated himself, he suddenly heard the

gentle Shi Chanli pound the table. "At least we can all agree," he
rebuked indignantly, "it's all that young Master Fan's fault!"
 Fan Xian was shocked.

"Tongfu" means "common fortune".

Chapter 169: A Brilliant Day
The conversation at the table had turned from matters of
bureaucracy to matters of literature. Naturally, they could not
avoid talking about last year's astounding poetic performance
by young Master Fan. Fan Xian pretended to be holding his
wine cup up to his lips, but if this young fellow dared say
anything bad to him, he was preparing to spill it,
understanding the air of frustration.

To his surprise, Shi Chanli stood up, his face the color of
peach blossom, his words sickeningly sappy. Tears were
flowing from his eyes. "I have been reading the Banxianzhai
Poetry Anthology for many months. How can I read any other
poet again? How can I ever have the courage to put pen to
paper again? Though some of the poems are odd, with young
Fan before me, how can I control myself? It is a tragedy. A
tragedy!"

Fan Xian beamed, thinking of those loveable people who

criticized leaders and comrades, not paying attention to their
own rest.
 Hou Jichang took some exception. "Poetry and literature are
irrelevant. How do they help statecraft and politics?" Having
said this, he turned to the previously-snubbed Fan Xian for
help. "What do you think, Master Fan?" He suddenly couldn't
stop himself from looking him in the eye, and he suddenly
yelped. "It's you!"

Fan Xian was startled again. How could they have recognized
him? The exam hall was not brightly lit, and apart from Yang
Wanli - who had dared to look directly at him and speak to him
with his eyes - no one dared to scrutinize the faces of their
examiners.

Hou Jichang's next words came quickly. "I brushed past

Master Fan on my way to buy wine."

Fan Xian thought back. So he was the student with the two
jars of wine. He didn't know why, but with this trivial thing,
Hou Jichang quickly became much more friendly toward Fan
Xian and began to talk to him warmly. Not only did Fan Xian
feel it was a little strange, but it also left Shi Chanli scratching
his head.
 "Master Fan, as you are of the same clan as the young Master
Fan, there's no harm in telling us your thoughts on the
Banxianzhai Poetry Anthology."

"I can't say anything that you haven't already," said Fan Xian
cheekily, embarrassed about boasting in front of other people.

No one expected Shi Chanli to be angered by this remark. He

put down his chopsticks. "Could it be that Master Fan is the
same as that Master Zhuang? I had always prized Zhuang
Mohan's moral quality, but he turned out to be a silly old thief.
Even if Master Fan had read books of poetry since his youth, he
still wouldn't be able to make such fantastic and ridiculous
remarks."

Fan Xian was taken aback. He finally realized that he already

had a firm standing in the eyes of the scholars of the Kingdom
of Qing. He was somewhat embarrassed, and unsure of what to
say. Rather tipsy, Shi Chanli laughed as he scolded him. "Two
young noblemen, both surnamed Fan, and yet there is such a
gulf between them!"
 At that moment, roused by Cheng Jialin, Yang Wanli finally
awoke. Seeing Fan Xian's handsome face, he was shocked, and
quickly stood up and saluted him. "Master... Master Fan...
you're here?"

"Master Fan? Which Master Fan?" The others around the

table couldn't help but feel confused. They didn't know why
Yang Wanli was so nervous.

Yang Wanli laughed bitterly. "This is the one I was talking

about – the Master Fan who allowed me to take the exam...
Brother Shi, didn't you love the Banxianzhai poems? You
should pay him your respects."

Shi Chanli finally realized that the one he had chided was
indeed Fan Xian! His complete shock made him jump up from
his seat. Feeling incredibly awkward, Hou Jichang and the
previously-unflappable Cheng Jialin stood, their mouths
agape, not knowing what they should say to convey the
entirety of their respect and admiration.

Fan Xian had long been an established author in the eyes of

the land's scholars, and then he had married the Prime
Minister's daughter and become a fifth-level academician of the
Imperial College at the age of 17. No matter how you looked at
it, he was the target of every scholar's envy. And his
Banxianzhai Poetry Anthology had become popular
throughout the nation. His name emerged over the lands like a
red sunrise.

"What?" laughed Fan Xian, a little embarrassed. "Is it that

shocking to see me in the flesh?"

Hou Jichang was the first to come to his senses. He laughed

bitterly. "Master, you are indeed that Master Fan. We were rude
earlier."

Shi Chanli's eyes shined, and he bowed deeply to Fan Xian.

"We did not expect that Yang's good fortune would allow us to
meet Master Fan personally. We are truly lucky."

Fan Xian shook his head and laughed. "The exams are
finished, and I did not want to stay in my mansion the whole
time, so I decided to go out for a walk. I knew that Yang Wanli
was staying in this tavern, so I came to find him. But I didn't
realize my luck. Sitting at this table and listening to your high-
minded discussions, I know this trip was not made in vain."

The scholars could not help but feel their embarrassed sweat
drip from them. Thinking back on how they ran their mouths
in front of one of the land's most eminent scholars, they felt
ridiculous. Even the proud and arrogant Hou Jichang forced a
smile. "It's all Wanli's fault; he was drunk this whole time."

At that moment, Cheng Jialin finally mumbled an

introduction. "Master Fan, my name is Cheng Jialin." When he
thought of how it seemed he could get closer to one of the
palace's favorites, Cheng Jialin, scholar of Shandong Road, felt
inexplicably nervous, and he spoke haltingly.

Everyone was stumped. Then they suddenly noticed the error

in his speech, and couldn't help but laugh. Cheng Jialin's face
went red, and he mumbled something nobody could hear.
Thankfully this peal of laughter had diluted some of their
shock.

Hearing that young Master Fan had come to find him, Yang
Wanli couldn't help but feel puzzled and somewhat
overwhelmed. "To what do we owe the honor of your presence,
young Master Fan?"

Thankfully, all of them behaved appropriately. Mostly out of

wanting to keep him to themselves, they all stayed quiet so as
not to let any of the other scholars drinking in the tavern know
that the young Master Fan that they had all talked about for
days on end was right beside them in this very establishment.
Otherwise, there would no doubt be chaos.

Fan Xian had originally only come to get in touch with Yang
Wanli, but he had not expected such a situation. Naturally he
did not want to say much. He smiled. "Anyway, it seems that a
jacket connects me with Brother Yang." He turned to Shi
Chanli. "And half an umbrella connects me with you, brother.
And to you, Brother Hou," he said, turning to him, "it seems we
were fated to brush past one another. So, brothers, there are a
few things I wish to call your attention to."

As he said this, Cheng Jialin, who he had not mentioned by

name, was worried. Hou Jichang also could not keep a calm
expression. The scholars did not expect great prospects for
their careers. To have Fan Xian - the proctor of the civil service
exams - appear before them roused their suspicions; what he
had to say was no doubt of the utmost importance.

Fan Xian paused for a moment, weighing his next words.

"Court examinations are on the first of March. You should
prepare yourselves."

They were shocked, and within their sleeves, they could not
stop their hands from trembling. Though the words sounded
normal, they had a hidden, startling meaning. Fan Xian was a
favorite of the royal court, and he had the Prime Minister and
Count Sinan behind him. If anyone knew in advance the names
that would be on the list of third-rank candidates, Fan Xian
would be one of the people with that authority. Since he had
told them to prepare for the court exams, then that meant...
they had passed!

Fan Xian put a finger to his lips in a gesture to silence them.

He smiled. "It is not certain. I have just come to remind you."

Hou Jichang was somewhat despondent. "Minister Guo is

imprisoned. Surely there will be changes to the list of names."
 "Brother Cheng and Brother Shi - I cannot remember if your
names are on it," he replied quietly. "But Brother Hou and
Brother Yang, yours certainly are." Hou and Yang were both
elated, and unable to contain their pride, they stood up and
bowed deeply to Fan Xian, knowing that the young official had
chosen them personally. As long as they had the ambition,
their future was bright. Cheng Jialin and Shi Chanli were
somewhat disappointed, but as Fan Xian had said he couldn't
remember, they still comforted themselves with the thought
that the next day might still end well.

The tavern was clearly not a suitable place for conversation.

Yang Wanli respectfully asked Fan Xian to come to his room
and offered him tea. After a while, he finally spoke. "Master
Fan, I have no money, no authority, no mouth, and no face. I
truly do not know what I could have done to deserve your
attention, nor do I know why you chose to take such a risk in
informing me."

"No money, no authority, no mouth, and no face" was a

saying among scholars who felt powerless and miserable about
their lack of social connections. Fan Xian smiled and shook his
head. "As the exam system is now, everyone knows that while
the list of third-rank names has not been released, it has
already mostly been decided. As for why i came here today, it is
because I feared that you would abandon yourself to despair,
cast aside your books, and give up everything. If you lost face
in the hall, I would perhaps lose face too. You should know
that outside that exam hall, many people saw me let you in.
There is no harm in telling you that I have taken a few risks in
this matter, but there was no harm in it."

Today, the examiners of the capital were all anxious. When

Fan Xian said there was no risk, the scholars were inevitably
astounded.

Now, these clever men naturally understood Fan Xian's

meaning. They looked at each other, and Hou Jichang bowed.
"You have my deepest gratitude, master." Yang Wanli also
bowed, and even Shi Chanli and Cheng Jialin got up and
bowed.

Fan Xian looked at the four scholars, who were all some
years older than him, and he couldn't help but feel rather
strange. He laughed. "I am not my father-in-law, nor am I
Minister Guo. I have money, and in the future I shall have
more money, so do not worry. I only care about your
scholarship and your morals. As for what happens after the
court examinations, and entering the court to become officials,
as long as you are loyal and diligent in matters of state, and
work for the good of the nation, then I will know I have not
misjudged you, and I will be pleased."

His words were warm, but there was a great coldness

underneath. The four of them were scared, and responded
sincerely. Changing the subject, Fan Xian asked why He
Zongwei had not attended the exams. They told him that an
elder in his family had died of an illness. He sighed and took
his leave.

As he left and climbed into the carriage, Fan Xian frowned as

he spoke with Teng Zijing. "Why do I feel so unaccustomed to
such things?"

Wang Qinian, ever the comic foil, piped up from inside the
carriage. "Because, master, deep down, you are a scholar, not a
master."
Chapter 170: A Royal Proclamation
Once Fan Xian had left the Tongfu Tavern, the four scholars
in the room looked at each other in dismay. It seemed they had
not expected such fortune to fall from Heaven straight into
their laps.

"This is good... right?" Yang Wanli sat on the bed,

dumbfounded. Cheng Jialin and Shi Chanli congratulated him
and laughed. "From now on, Brother Yang, you'll be rubbing
shoulders with the Prime Minister and the Minister of
Revenue. Perhaps your career will turn out just fine."

There was a certain look of dejection on Yang Wanli's honest

face. "I have always greatly admired young Master Fan's talent.
And I am thankful for his willingness to bend the rules in the
exams. I presume that behind the scenes of the grading, young
Master Fan expended considerable effort. But... I wish Master
Fan had not come here today."

Cheng and Shi were both astounded and lost for words. They
knew that Yang Wanli felt that Fan Xian seemed to be trying to
win his favor.
 Hou Jichang, who had always considered himself the group's
leader, smiled and shook his head. "If Master Fan was trying to
win your favor, then he wouldn't have come here personally.
Wanli, you think too much. I've decided that from this
moment on, at court, I shall devote myself to Master Fan in all
I do in my career."

Shi Chanli was stunned. Why had the always-virtuous

Brother Hou suddenly had a change of heart?

Yang Wanli shook his head. "I am also aware that at each
exam, this is the custom. But Brother Hou, you know that I
have always prized Master Fan's scholarship. Because of the
notes I smuggled into the exam, and because I like his
temperament, I hope Master Fan is different from some of
those court officials."

"Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good," Cheng Jialin
reproached him. "Although Master Fan is an immortal poet, he
is still a court official and the son of a noble. For him to come
here himself was not easy for him. Brother Wanli, don't tell me
you hoped that he was something more than a mere mortal?
Besides, having an immortal spirit come to the material world
is not necessarily better than having a competent official who
is adept at plotting."

Shi Chanli clapped his hands and sighed in admiration.

"Jialin, though you do not speak much, your words are
incisive." He turned to Yang Wanli. "When it comes to
admiration, Wanli, you're nothing compared to me. I often
carry the Banxianzhai Poetry Anthology with me to read
aloud. I might know those poems so well that I can recite them
by heart. But today, meeting with Master Fan, I wasn't
disappointed in the slightest. Why? Because his poems show
the emotions of his heart. Master Fan truly has interceded for
us. How can he be spoken of as being the same as those corrupt
court officials?"

He laughed and continued on. "Earlier when I was bringing

back the roast chicken, there weren't many people in the alley
with umbrellas. I don't care much for stuffiness. I saw a young
man with an umbrella and a handsome face. He looked neat
and agreeable, and he was having a very interesting discussion.
So I barged under his umbrella and walked along with him, as
if I were a bigwig just like him. How could he allow me to be so
rude? And yet Master Fan simply smiled and walked along
with me, his face completely natural. When I learned in the
tavern that he was Fan Xian – to tell you the truth, I was
absolutely flabbergasted. Fan Xian didn't disappoint me at all."
 They finally realized that this was what had happened - no
wonder Fan Xian had talked about being linked to Shi Chanli
with half an umbrella. When they thought about it, they
couldn't help but smile. Yang Wanli rubbed his head
awkwardly. "Perhaps... I just feel that my delusions have been
shattered? I always felt that Master Fan was the kind of noble
and pure official who lay in a vineyard, studying literature and
verse, paying no attention to the dirty matters of the court."

Hou Jichang shook his head disapprovingly. "That sort of

person may appear to rise above the dirt of this world, but they
are of no use to the state and no benefit to the people," he said
coldly. "If Master Fan really were that sort of literati type, I
wouldn't care for him."

"Not necessarily. Not necessarily." Yang Wanli sighed.

Hou Jichang laughed a little. "I don't care if you laugh at me.
A scholar can only dedicate himself to the service of the
country if he enters the court as an official. And court politics
are terrible and complicated. How can outsiders like us even
begin to understand them? So the reason that Master Fan came
to us today was not because he needed us. It's because he knew
we needed him."
 He paused for a moment. "Though I may be somewhat lofty
and unyielding, I am not stubborn and lacking in propriety.
Since we have this opportunity, we must seize it. If we must
follow someone in the court, then I think Fan Xian is the best
man to follow. I think, as future officials, that this is the only
way that we will not come into conflict with our everyday
ideals."

The others all spoke at once. "Why?" Everyone was

somewhat puzzled by Hou Jichang's resolute attitude. Hearing
him stress it again made them even more curious.

Hou Jichang raised a teacup from the table. He looked at the

tea that Fan Xian had left behind. He seemed somewhat lost in
thought, and took a while to speak. "A palace favorite, walking
on a rainy day, goes so far as to make sure that the water
dripping from his umbrella does not fall into the pots of the
street-side food peddlers hiding from the rain. He would rather
he got wet himself, so he walks further to one side. Such an
attentive and kindhearted person – if he is not evil, then he
must be a great sage."

He smiled. "A seventeen-year-old boy cannot hide himself so

easily anytime and anywhere he pleases. So I believe that
Master Fan is a great sage. My judgment is simple because I was
moved by the incident in the rain."

There was silence in the room. Sometime later, there was the
sound of sobbing.

The next day, on the vermilion wall on the left side of the
exam hall, they had finally pasted up the sheet of yellow
parchment that the students had been waiting for. The custom
of choosing scholars in the civil service exams was simple.
First were the provincial exams, then the metropolitan exams.
From the metropolitan exams, the third-rank candidates were
chosen, but they were not given ranks; instead they were
arranged upon the royal announcement depending on the
stroke order of the characters of their names.

The number of third-rank candidates varied from year to

year, because a special extra exam was held every third year, so
the other two years had fewer candidates. This year, the royal
proclamation contained 108 names. Because fewer people had
been chosen, whether they were students from the Imperial
College in the capital, or those who had come from all the
other regions of the land to take the exam, everyone was
anxious and uncomfortable.
 On the west side of the exam hall was a bridge. If you wanted
to see the scroll on the vermilion wall, you had to cross the
bridge. A crowd of students had already gathered beneath the
vermilion wall wearing their long scholars' robes, craning their
necks to nervously scan for their own names on the large
yellow parchment.

Already reassured, Hou Jichang and Yang Wanli made their

way slowly across the bridge. It was still soaked from
yesterday's rain, and the moss on the stones looked
particularly slippery. The four of them walked along. Cheng
Jialin almost fell over, which provoked laughter from the
others. Cheng Jialin laughed at himself too. Although he and
Shi Chanli were just as slow as the other two men, they were
inevitably much more nervous.

Coming to the vermilion wall, the four of them made their

way through the crowd with some difficulty and started from
the left-hand side. Quite some time passed. Suddenly, they
heard Shi Chanli shout happily: "Brother Hou, Brother Hou!
You passed! You passed!"

When the other three heard, they rushed to Shi Chanli's side.
Sure enough, astonished, they saw Hou Jichang's name on the
top of the third line. They couldn't help but feel excited. Yang
Wanli gently clapped his hands on Hou Jichang's shoulder. He
had a big smile on his face.

Hou Jichang smiled, wanting to show off a little, but this

was a major event! Although he called himself noble and
virtuous, he thought of the decade he spent studying, the
earnest hopes of his parents at home, and the envious glances
of his fellow scholars, and he couldn't help but feel elated. He
couldn't stop his lips from forming a delighted smile.

At that moment, the characters for "Hou Jichang", written in

golden ink, seemed to glitter in the sunlight. They looked
priceless beyond measure. His future was boundless.

The four of them stuck together, and decided to start reading

from the right-hand side. And some time later, they finally
found Yang Wanli's name. Finally, he believed what Fan Xian
had said the day before. Seeing his name on the Emperor's list,
Yang Wanli was overcome with emotion. His eyes reddened,
and he mumbled to himself. "I passed. I really passed."
 He suddenly gave a strange yell, burst out of the crowd, ran
to the side of the bridge, and howled as he faced the water
under the bridge. The sound reverberated from underneath the
bridge, making a humming sound.

The three friends laughed as the watched him, knowing why

he was so excited. Yang Wanli had lost his mother at eight
years old. He had hardship bitter upbringing in Quanzhou. His
father, enduring hunger and cold, had bought him a large
collection of books, and urged him to enter a clan school and
study. With great difficulty, he had gone through the
provincial exams, and had finally come to the capital.

But in the capital in January, Yang Wanli had finally

discovered that although he had talent, and his grasp of policy
and reason was more practical than his peers, his distant
mountain home and his ramshackle clan school had not taught
him the flourishing rhetoric of the other scholars in the
capital. His essays were always dry and uninteresting.

So even his close friends Hou Jichang and Shi Chanli did not
believe that he would be chosen. And neither did Yang Wanli.
So he had spent a lot of money on a very fine padded jacket,
hiding Shi Chanli's essay inside it, thinking he would take a
gamble.

He had not expected that before entering the exam hall, he

would be called up by the proctor Fan Xian. At that moment,
he wanted to die, thinking that his decade of assiduous
studying would have been wasted. He had not expected young
Master Fan would give him a second chance.

After he finished the exam and left the hall, he had not dared
to use the cheat sheet stuffed inside the jacket. Naturally, his
policy essay and his poetic essay had not gone well, so he put
all thoughts out of his mind, and turned to drink and
merriment. But when he heard that Miniser Guo had been
arrested, there was a smile on his face. He never imagined that
Master Fan would come to the Tongfu Tavern the day before to
tell him personally, in secret, that he had achieved third rank.

His grief had turned to joy; his despair had turned to hope.
He had been battered by that state of mind until today, after he
had crossed the bridge and stood beneath the vermilion wall,
believing more and more that Fan Xian's visit the day before
had been a dream – that he could not have passed.
 And yet, he had passed!

Yang Wanli looked at his distorted appearance in the rippling

waters and calmed himself slightly. Naturally, he understood
why his fortune had turned in such a short span of time. He
felt truly grateful to that young master.
Chapter 171: The Powerful Minister
Takes to the Road
None of the scholars paid much attention to Yang Wanli's
strange behavior. Even the citizens of the capital passing by the
riverbank barely gave him an odd glance, because this sort of
thing was common in the capital, particularly when the results
of the yearly civil service exams were posted. Next to the
vermilion wall of the exam hall, there was always bound to be
a few madmen.

The faces of the scholars on the bridge who had come to see
the scroll varied greatly. Some were excited; others were
disappointed. Those who had passed looked up at the sky and
yelled; those who had failed sank to the ground, their heads
hitting the floor. All kinds of facial expressions could be seen,
and it was hard to say whether the whole thing was rather
comical. Some of them howled miserably, clinging to the
locust tree next to the vermilion wall and rubbing their faces
against it until their cheeks were rubbed raw and bloody,
leaving the other fellows to try to drag them reluctantly away.
It was a thoroughly miserable sight.

The imperial exams were how the Kingdom of Qing chose its
scholar-officials. Those who were not of high birth could not
be awarded the special exam, so as far as the common-born
scholars were concerned, the Emperor's proclamation after the
civil service exams was the only way they could change their
lives. This sort of pressure and power was enough to turn the
most cultured and refined scholar into a deranged lunatic.
Compared to some of the successful scholars who were
frenziedly kowtowing toward Heaven to show their gratitude,
Yang Wanli was practically reserved. He had only yelled twice.

Of course, this had only made the other three's silence more
conspicuous.

They waited for Yang Wanli to calm down, and excitedly

returned to the vermilion wall. Once the three of them had
read over the whole proclamation, to their surprise, Shi
Chanli's name was not on it. But Cheng Jialin's name had
appeared on the final line, which lessened their feeling of
despair.

Cheng Jialin couldn't hide his excitement, but looking at Shi

Chanli's disappointed face, he tried as hard as he could not to
let it show too much. "So you didn't make it this year," he said,
comforting him. "There's always next year."
 It was a well-worn platitude, but in these sorts of
circumstances, it seems that it was the only thing he could say.
Shi Chanli laughed bitterly, looking at the other crestfallen
failed scholars around him. Trying his hardest to hearten
himself, he laughed. "Out of four of us, three of us passed.
That's really great. Comapred to the previous years' exams,
this year the list is much fairer. As for me, I've got some
thinking to do."

Hou Jichang nodded and gently patted Shi Chanli's shoulder.

He knew that he was the most easygoing of the four of them,
but he had still taken a hard blow today. Changing the topic, he
smiled. "I don't know how young Master Fan did it, to protect
so many people. From what I can see, the list of names is very
different from last year. There are a lot more genuine talents,
and a lot fewer incompetent fools who depend on their family
backgrounds."

"It's probably got to do with the Overwatch Council looking

into the exam hall scandal." They had walked to a quiet place
further down by the riverside and sat down. They still kept
their voices low, worried that they might cause trouble for
their great benefactor Fan Xian.
 Hou Jichang shook his head. "Although they arrested a great
number of officials this time, apart from a handful of scholars
from the south, no other scholars were caught. From that I
presume that Master Fan Xian had already made his
arrangements before the Overwatch Council had made their
move." He shook his head, laughed bitterly, and sighed. Fan
Xian really did have strong and stable footing if he could pull
off such a strategy in the one of nation's great ceremonies. But
it seemed that he had not been mistaken in his appraisal of Fan
Xian. The list of names this time did seem much fairer.

The group also talked about matters in the capital. Quite a

few officials had lost their posts over the past two days;
everyone in the bureaucracy was afraid, and Fan Xian seemed
to have great confidence in himself. At that moment Shi
Chanli, who had been silent, spoke. "As I see it, Master Fan
can't distance himself from the exposure of this scandal."

The other three were shocked, and muttered to each other. "If
that's true, then Master Fan... is even more extraordinary than
we thought."

Of course Fan Xian couldn't hide his connection to the

exposure of the exam hall scandal, but the Overwatch Council
had acted in a perfectly appropriate way. Although Guo You,
Director of the Board of Rites, had fallen, the Eastern Palace
had not suffered too much damage, so the Crown Prince could
only have his suspicions about Fan Xian, and nothing more.
And when it came to the list of successful exam candidates, of
the ones that the Eastern Palace had demanded, three of them
had succeded. Compared to the Great Prince and the Bureau of
Military Affairs, it was already a good result.

Fan Xian sat in his study, looking at the copy of the list of
names that Wang Qinian had brought him, and frowned. The
capital had not been peaceful these past two days. Director-
general Guo You, a chief examiner, and a supervisor had all
been invited to "go out for tea" by the Overwatch Council, and
he himself was a proctor; he had been the one who had been in
charge of the crucial step of pasting over the names, and yet he
had not had any trouble. Anyone who used their head could
begin to guess.

But he was also quite happy. The students who he had

supported - apart from Shi Chanli, whose temperament he had
liked the most - had all managed to make their way onto the
list of names. As for the results of the highest-level palace
exams, that was dependent on the individual's luck; he had no
way to help them too much there.
 He left the study, and caught sight of a blue-green silhouette
walking along. He yelped and prepared to run back into the
study to hide. Who would have thought that his father would
suddenly come to his own house today?

Fan Jian, Count Sinan, was now officially the Minister of

Revenue. But there had been little change in his worried
expression. He coldly pushed open the door to the study that
his son had not quite managed to close in time and walked
inside. "Did you go out last night?" he shouted in a stern voice.

Fan Xian forced a smile and bowed to his father. "Father," he

replied, "it was raining last night, so I wanted to go out for a
walk."

"You thought you could hide the fact that you went to
Tongfu Tavern!"

Fan Jian sat down. Hearing his voice, Lin Wan'er hurried in
from a side room, and quickly ordered a servant girl to serve
her father-in-law some tea. Fan Jian looked at his daughter-in-
law warmly and smiled. He waved a hand to indicate that she
should go back to her room and rest. Then he turned to Fan
Xian. "This business with the exam hall is linked to a number
of very complicated affairs," he said in a voice as cold as ice.
"You acted very rashly. I let you stay in the manor, and you
hide yourself away from trials and hardships. Then yesterday
you go to Tongfu Tavern to visit a group of scholars. Today
their names appeared on the royal proclamation, where
everyone can see them. How do you think this makes you
look?"

Fan Xian smiled. "Though I am young, I borrowed the

identity of a schoolmaster to see if the exam candidates were
ordinary people. As for the proclamation... everyone knows
how it works. There's no need to be concerned."

"But the Overwatch Council has been investigating the

scandal, and the pretext for that was the slip of paper that you
handed them," said Fan Jian coldly. "For your safety, if you
really want to work for the benefit of the nation, then you
shouldn't be placing your own men as third-rank exam
candidates. If you only want to use the civil service exams to
build up your on strength, then you shouldn't have betrayed
Guo You."
 Count Sinan looked at his young son for some time. Then he
sighed. "No matter where you are, there are always rules – in
the capital's bureaucracy even more so. There are clean
officials and there are corrupt officials. There are ministers
who slander others, and those who speak frankly before the
Emperor. These are two entirely different paths. If you wish to
be an official who speaks frankly, then you must not walk the
path of the slanderer."

Hearing the way his father spoke, Fan Xian knew that the old
man was angry. "I do not wish to be a minister who speaks
frankly," he replied warmly. "Neither do I wish to slander
others. I want to be a minister... with power."

Having said this, the air in the study suddenly seemed thick
and cold. After a long time, Fan Jian finally spoke faintly. "A
powerful minister? What kind of minister can be thought of as
powerful?" He shook his head, and a strange smile floated
across his face. "The Prime Minister has power, a father has
power, Chen Pingping has power. But do you really believe that
this kind of minister can be considered powerful?"

"They cannot," replied Fan Xian calmly, "because power lies

in the hand of the Emperor."
 "Then what sort of powerful minister do you want to be?"

"One with power in my hand, who has nothing to worry

about." Fan Xian spoke sincerely. "I want to be a powerful
minister whose life and death cannot be decided even by the
family of the Emperor. I have the ability to protect myself, but
not the ability to protect those around me. So I need power."

Fan Jian looked at his son. His worry showed in his eyes. Fan
Xian could not help but laugh. The reason he had chosen to
walk such a dangerous and dull path was naturally because of
the darkness deep in his heart.

Some time later, there was a coldness in Fan Jian's eyes.

"From now on, don't cause such trouble. Chen Pingping can
protect you for a while, but he can't protect you forever. So I'm
warning you, don't get too close to the Overwatch Council."

Fan Xian lowered his head as he received the advice. "I

understand. Sometimes I need you to remind me, father." He
knew that his father had always feared the consequences of
him taking over the affairs of the Overwatch Council, but Fan
Xian was not willing to renounce it.
 Fan Jian slowly closed his eyes. "You have not handled
matters well this time. Even if Guo Baokun speaks up in the
palace - as you have guessed, the Guo family were on the Eldest
Princess's side - you should not make a move yourself. If you
had told me in advance, then – using the strengths of the Prime
Minister and me – we could have used the pretext of the exam
scandal to eliminate him, and would not be in such an
impossible situation, like we are now."

Fan Xian knew that his father was right. He had taken a risk
in getting the Overwatch Council to handle Minister Guo, and
it could only bring about openness as a result. Nobody knew
what could happen behind the scenes, as the initiative was
with the Council. He thought for a moment before he spoke.
"In truth, I was only doing the things I wanted to do."

It was perhaps a cheap feeling of righteousness that many

people would hold in contempt, but Fan Xian still stuck to it.
Now he was worried what Chen Pingping's plans would be.

Seemingly having guessed what his son was thinking, Fan

Jian opened his eyes. There was a comfort in his gaze, with a
hint of worry. "You can give up your delusions. Chen Pingping
will no doubt let everyone know that the exposure of this
scandal was the work of the eldest son of the Fan family."

Fan Xian laughed bitterly. He knew his father was right;

Chen Pingping did not fear the Crown Prince in the Eastern
Palace. So long as he allowed him to establish his own
reputation, and so long as he let him draw closer to taking
control of the Overwatch Council, then he could do anything.

Before he left his son in his study, Count Sinan spoke calmly.
"Be more mature in your affairs from now on. You can keep
this childish talk of being a powerful minister to yourself. You
don't need to tell me."
Chapter 172: The Counterattack of the
Capital Officials
One day near the end of February, a rumor began to circulate
within the political circle in the capital. The Overwatch
Council was able to act so swiftly and precisely all due to a
blacklist. And that blacklist was provided to the council by this
year’s proctor, young Sir Fan who was also known as the "Poet
Sage". Supposedly, Sir Fan Xian felt the misery of those diligent
scholars and could not tolerate the amount of cheating that
had been going on; he was angry at this infringement of
justice, which was why he didn’t mind stirring up the political
circle, enraging those above him, and obtaining that blacklist.

It was an absurd rumor. With Fan Xian’s legendary wisdom

and courage, that list somehow became the darkest slip of
paper in the capital, despite not being much of a secret to begin
with. Fan Xian was able to recognize the intent of this with one
glance; it was a rumor stirred up by those from the eighth
bureau of the Overwatch Council.

As soon as the rumor came out, Fan Xian became a thorn in

the foot of every official at the Board of Rites. On the other
hand, however, his reputation in the eyes of the common
people and scholars just increased a step higher. While the
Imperial College and Tongwen Institute kept quiet so far, Fan
Xian had now firmly become admired by all scholars.

Fan Xian adjusted his clothes and mocked himself. "Isn’t this
too new?" He then gently tapped his sister’s face, which was
full of worry. "What are you worried about? You brother
belongs to the most powerful faction in Qing." His voice was
light and his words strange. Ruoruo was only able to
understand what he meant on the surface.

Lin Wan’er didn’t hear him speak; not that she would have
understood anyway. But she wasn’t worried. With a warm
smile, she tied the jade ruyi scepter--given by empress dowager
—and some other accessories to her husband’s belt. Pretending
to dust them off, she said, "Come back early."

Just as Count Sinan said, Fan Xian was too immature in the
way he did things, and he left behind many loose ends. Now
that the rumor was out, the entire capital was shocked. All
eyes were on Fan Xian. Those behind the cheating case, while
they were weary of Fan Xian’s background at first, were now
gradually beginning to move. This morning, there were
already some young imperial censors suspecting Fan Xian
himself was involved in cheating and other immoral deeds.
 Fan Xian was getting ready to go out. He had to go to the
Ministry of Justice to be interrogated. Even though the
cheating case was being investigated by the Overwatch
Council, the officials who had suffered by the investigation
didn’t want the council to deal with Fan Xian. The Ministry of
Justice wasn’t very close with either the Prime Minister or Fan
Jian.

Walking out of the courtyard, Sisi greeted him. "Have a good

journey, Young Master." Staring at the maidservant whom he
hasn’t seen for a while, Fan Xian laughed. "We talked about
this when we were younger, saying ‘good journey’ is bad luck."
Sisi reconsidered. "Then, Young Master, please don't stay out
too long."

"Okay. Make some millet porridge for me. Add some sweet
chestnuts from Danzhou. I haven’t eaten something you
cooked in so long." Fan Xian suddenly turned to ask, "What’s
the progress on the things I told you to copy?"

Recently, Fan Xian didn’t know what to do with Sisi, whom

he had grown up with. He didn’t want her to keep being a
maidservant in Fan manor, so he asked her to help him copy
books. Sisi rarely had a chance to talk to the young master in
the past few days, so naturally she was a bit unsettled. Hearing
her young master’s question, she answered proudly, "I'm
almost done."

"I see. Good." Fan Xian nodded and was on his way. He said to
his wife and sister, "See? The maidservant I brought up is
different than the rest. Ruoruo, she was much calmer than you
are."

Slightly worried, Fan Ruoruo said, "That’s because Sisi

doesn't know how serious today is."

Serious indeed. By exposing this case, Fan Xian made many

his enemy. Many officials at court wanted to sue him,
disregarding their relationship with the Prime Minister and
Count Sinan.

Walking out the front gate, the always quiet street was now
crowded with people. The officials who had come to apprehend
him had troubled expressions on their faces. They stood
behind a stone lion, looking like thieves. Outside the gate was
Fan Sizhe with a team of guards waving around broomsticks
aggressively.
 There were also common people who came after hearing that
Fan Xian was to be interrogated; they already knew Fan Xian
was behind the exposure of the cheating scandal. Being simple
folks, they wouldn’t think any deeper than that. To them, Fan
Xian was learned and a genuinely good person. They all felt he
had been wronged.

Standing at the front gate, Fan Xian looked at the crowd with
a smile. Upon discovering most of the people were young
scholars, he knew Chen Pingping’s method was taking effect.
In a low voice, he said to Teng Zijing, "Where are Shi Chanli
and the other three?"

"Young Master, as per your orders, they’re under the secret

protection of Council agents. Sir Wang Qinian suggested that
they be sent to King Jing so that those rotten officials at court
wouldn’t frame you. In my humble view, Young Master
wouldn’t want to link anything to Crown Prince Jing, so I
refused."

Fan Xian looked at Teng Zijing in surprise; the bodyguard

had foreseen a scenario Fan Xian hadn’t. Sending those four to
King Jing appeared to be a safe move, but in the eyes of the
Eastern Palace, this case would no longer be about Fan Xian’s
sense of justice and His Majesty’s wishes, but rather wanting to
support the Second Prince and defeat the Crown Prince. If that
happened, Fan Xian’s relationship with the Eastern Palace
would be torn beyond repair.

Seeing Fan Xian walk out made the crowd of scholars burst
out in cheers. They rushed forward, shouting their firm
admiration and support.

Fan Xian smiled and waved, like a superstar from his former
life. He said quietly to Teng Zijing, "Scholars are too naïve;
that's their biggest problem."

Teng Zijing chuckled and said nothing. Fan Xian suddenly

laughed too. "If the opportunity arises in the future, will you
become an official outside the capital? With some hard work, I
think I can guarantee you a sixth or seventh-rank."

Teng Zijing was shocked. While he had read some books, he

had been a bodyguard all his life. Why did Young Master Fan
bring up becoming an official? He then immediately realized
that the Young Master probably wanted to have trustworthy
subordinates in various counties of Qing. He replied, "If you
wish it."

"If I wish?" Fan Xian laughed, "It's a shame there’s no Baling

county in Qing."

Fan Xian’s face was flawless. His smile was like sunshine, or a
gentle breeze in spring. It calmed the hearts of all the scholars
present. As the "Poet Sage", this was what he should look like.

Fan Xian then rubbed Fan Sizhe’s head, and told him to not
cause a ruckus. Finally, he greeted the officials from the
Ministry of Justice and boarded his carriage.

The crowd gradually thinned. The scholars chased after the

carriage. No one noticed another heavily guarded carriage
departing from Fan Manor. That carriage was headed toward
the palace, and in it sat Lin Wan’er. She had planned it out
with Fan Xian last night. Today, she would go to the palace and
explain things to everyone there in order to mediate a bit.
 Fan Xian, meanwhile, walked to the main hall of the
Ministry of Justice. The hall was a bit shaded, with wind
rushing in. Despite it being spring, Fan Xian felt chilly. Even
so, he smiled and saluted the three men sitting high above him,
"It is an honor to see you again, my lords."

The spring examination cheating scandal was a major

incident, and Fan Xian was heavily involved. Besides the
Director of the Ministry of Justice, two high-ranking officials
from the Supreme Court and the censorate also came. On both
sides of the hall were the officials from the thirteen branches of
the ministry. Together, they were a terrifying sight.

Fan Xian frowned when he received no reply to his greeting.

A while later, there was the call to order. Director Han Zhiwei
asked coldly, "You who are standing there; are you the fifth-
ranked Fan Xian from Imperial College?"

Fan Xian was far from the newborn calf that had just entered
the capital and responded to everything with a smile. He gave
the director a look and replied blandly, "Yes, I am."
 "You are summoned here today to answer some questions
regarding the spring examination."

Fan Xian chuckled. "From my knowledge, the cheating

scandal is being taken care of by the Overwatch Council. I
didn’t know the Ministry of Justice was also involved."

Hearing such a disrespectful comment, the three officials

became angry. They knew the one standing before them was a
big character—backed by a prime minister and a high minister.
He had also won the hearts of the scholars because of this
scandal. This Director Han Zhiwei of the Ministry of Justice
always emphasized being just and impartial. He very much
detested such spoiled fronts. "I am carrying out Imperial
orders. Do not try to evade our questions."

Fan Xian shook his head, "I am not trying to evade anything.
I really don’t know why I have been summoned here. If it’s
about the details of the case, I must apologize in advance. The
Overwatch Council set strict orders that I not disclose any
details of the case before it’s concluded."
 The vice-minister of the Supreme Court chortled. "You won't
even answer the Imperial court?"

"The Overwatch Council is a part of the Imperial court, and

the Ministry of Justice is another part of the Imperial court."
Fan Xian sighed. "You all must know that this case involves
many people. I really don’t know how to handle it. It’s not
explained in Qing’s lawbook either."
Chapter 173: Debate
As soon as he opened his mouth to retort, the three stately
officials were at a loss. The three looked at each other, seeing
their opponent's resentment. Fan Xian had had Guo You
removed from his post with no regard to the rules. In truth, it
had provoked the ire of many an official in the capital.
Thankfully, the majority of officials did not dare do anything
out of consideration of the Prime Minister and Minister Fan.

But these three officials each had their own backers, and each
had their own interests and schemes.

Some time passed before Han Zhiwei, Minister of Justice,

suddenly spoke coldly. "Yesterday, the imperial censor gave the
order to impeach you, as you are aware, Mr. Fan."

"I know of the matter, but not in detail," replied Fan Xian
calmly.

Han Zhiwei glared at him. "Fan Xian, do not be so arrogant

simply because of your reputation as a talent and the support
you have behind you. And do not presume that I will believe
that you exposed this scandal simply out of dedication to the
nation and its people. If you cannot explain clearly your
despicable behavior regarding the civil service exams, then do
not blame me for not treating you kindly."

Fan Xian frowned. "Sir, there are some problems with what
you say. If I did anything during the exams, would I really be
willing to take such a risk to bring this before the court? As for
'despicable', I could say the same for you."

"The audacity!" The three officials denounced him. In all

their years in the capital, they had never seen such an arrogant
youth. Han Zhiwei's whiskers shook as he reprimanded him.
"Do not presume that all of the capital's officials fear those who
stand behind you. I have headed the Ministry of Justice for
eight years, and I stand on the side of righteousness, not your
methods of flattery and threats."

Fan Xian laughed. "If you care about the truth in

investigating this matter, then why are you so impassioned in
discussing such things? I truly do not understand."
 Han Zhiwei's anger turned to laughter. "Very well," he said,
"then I ask you: on the 26th of February, did you or did you not
visit the Tongfu Tavern?"

Fan Xian knew they were asking about that rainy day. He
smiled. "That is correct."

"And did you or did you not meet with Yang Wanli and his
three other associates?"

"That is correct."

"Before Yang Wanli entered the examination hall, did you or

did you not whisper something to him?" "That is correct."

"You acted as proctor in that exam. Sealing examinee's names

on their papers to prevent fraud is a great responsibility... so I
ask you, did Yang Wanli enter the third rank of candidates?"

"That is correct."
 "Outside the hall that day, many people have affirmed that
they saw you catch Yang Wanli smuggling notes in with his
clothing. Why did you allow him to enter the exam hall?"

Fan Xian smiled to himself. He had explained the silk robes to

Wang Qinian, allowing Yang Wanli to be ruined. "That did not
happen," he said, without the slightest hint of nerves.

"It didn't?" asked Han Zhiwei angrily.

"That is correct."

"Very well. Then I ask you: on that day outside the hall,
many other candidates were caught carrying objects that would
allow them to cheat. Did you still allow them to enter?"

Fan Xian trembled slightly. He knew that on the small end of

the scale, this was not considered an issue, but if his opponent
got hold of him, he would not let go. This was somewhat
troublesome. But he remained unflustered in his reply. "That is
correct."
 "Very well." There was a flash of color in Han Zhiwei's sallow,
haggard face as he glared at Fan Xian. "Since you have admitted
to it," he said coldly, "we have no choice but to send you to
prison, pending more detailed enquiry."

"What have I admitted to?" said Fan Xian, surprised.

Han Zhiwei frowned. "You have admitted everything that I

have asked you. It is all clearly visible, fifth-rank Academician
Fan Xian. As proctor of the civil service exams, you secretly
colluded with candidate Yang Wanli to abuse your position for
personal gain, ignoring the laws and decrees as well as the will
of the Emperor. Your conduct was truly reckless."

Fan Xian narrowed his eyes at the minister. "To what have I
confessed? Correct, on the 26th of February, I met Yang Wanli.
That was because I appreciate his scholarship. At that time, the
scandal had already been exposed. If I truly had contempt for
the law, then how could I meet with him that day? And our
meeting place was indeed the Tongfu Tavern, where many
other scholars were gathered. Do you think I would not fear
the gossip of others present?"
 He smiled. "Since I dared to go, though I dare not say this
proves the honesty of my intentions, how can you decide that I
colluded with Yang Wanli on the basis of this? Sir, you know
that the first time that I met Yang Wanli was outside the exam
hall. If you are saying that I colluded with him in advance,
that is a grave misaccuation."

"Then how do you explain your decision to allow him to

enter the exam hall with smuggled notes?"

Fan Xian frowned. Too many people had seen it at the time.
This was all because he had not taken the civil service exams
seriously. His behavior had been truly arrogant. He had no
choice but to shake his head. "Because I received orders from
the Overwatch Council to observe corrupt officials within the
exam hall, so it was no good to save a little only to lose a lot.
As for the details of my reasoning, you may write to the
Overwatch Council and ask that they explain the particulars."

Han Zhiwei groaned with anger. The Overwatch Council was

the Emperor's own spy agency; how could he question it? The
more he looked at Fan Xian's handsome face, the angrier he
felt. He brandished his judge's rod, and called out in a loud
voice: "Very well, since you are not willing to admit it—guards!
Beat this shameless criminal for me!"

"There will be no beatings!"

Two people had shouted those words in the hall. One of them
was a Commandant of Justice. He forced a smile as he tried to
persuade the Minister of Justice that before them stood no
ordinary son of a nobleman. Beating him was out of the
question. The powerful people who stood behind him would
find ways to teach them a lesson. Who would dare beat him for
his crimes?

After Minister Han had calmed down, he recaleld that Fan

Xian was not only the son-in-law of the Prime Minister and the
son of a minister, but also a favorite official of the Emperor. As
he worked in the Six Ministries, there was no way Han Zhiwei
could not have known of Lin Wan'er's identity. After he had
been roused by his colleagues, Han Zhiwei could not help but
frown. If he really were to have Fan Xian beaten, he would
have no choice but to explain it to the other nobles of the
palace.
 Shortly, after, the three officials were somewhat curious.
Who was the other person who had shouted "there will be no
beatings"? They looked down into the hall, and saw Fan Xian
looking at them with an innocent face.

The Commandant of Justice was somewhat amused. He

couldn't help but ask. "Why can there be no beatings?"

"I am from the family of a successful exam candidate.

According to the law of the Kingdom of Qing, I need not kneel,
and when questioned, I cannot be tortured arbitrarily. Thus,
you cannot beat me. Otherwise, if a future imperial censor
should take an interest and find that Minister Han has not
observed the laws of the kingdom, then what does that mean
for me?"

One of the officials investigating the case, Guo Zheng, from

the censorate, was a distant relative of Guo You. He was the
sort of person to take the initiative. Hearing the barbs in his
opponent's words, he could not help but laugh coldly. "Master
Fan, not only are you a talented scholar, but you are also very
familiar with the law of the Kingdom of Qing," he said quietly.
"But you should know that there are 15 great crimes mentioned
in the legal commentary of the kingdom, for which we may
disregard the customs you mentioned." The imperial censor
naturally also did not truly dare to torture Fan Xian, but he
was willing to use words to threaten him, taking out the
officials' frustrations over the past few days.

Fan Xian shook his head, his face remaining innocent. "I still
cannot be beaten."

Out of the three officials, the Commandant of Justice was the

one who was least involved in the exam hall scandal. He could
not help but feel curious. "Speaking of great crimes, young
Master Fan, you are still not willing to argue for yourself. Why
can you not be beaten in this court?"

Fan Xian was still playing with words. It would be better to

bring up the tricks of the Overwatch Council. "The matter is
classified," he replied earnestly. "I have not received
authorization from the relevant office of the Overwatch
Council, so I cannot speak in detail."

The investigation into the case was truly sullen. The three
officials looked at each other, seeing the fear and anger in each
others' eyes. If they couldn't beat him, then how could they get
Fan Xian to confess? The masters who stood behind each of
these officials wanted to see Fan Xian suffer. They saw no basis
for allowing him to return home.

At that moment, a worried old man ran in through the

curtain at the side of the room, and whispered something into
Justice Minister Han Zhiwei's ear. Han Zhiwei's face suddenly
changed. There was a flash of coldness in his eyes, but still a
hint of visible fear.

Fan Xian narrowed his eyes as he watched his face. The

powerful zhenqi in his body began to circulate, but all he could
make out in Han Zhiwei's reply was a few phrases, and among
them were the words "Eastern Palace", spoken fiercely. He
didn't know who had given him the information, nor what
could have made the Minister of Justice so fearful.

At the same time, two pieces of paper were placed into the
hands of imperial censor Guo Zheng and the Commandant of
Justice. Guo Zheng looked at the paper, his face unmoved,
while the Commandant of Justice's face betrayed slight shock.
The Commandant thought for a moment, then stood up and
cupped his hands in salute to the two officials. "I must answer
the call of nature. Sirs, if you will investigate, I will return
soon."

Fan Xian was shocked. What piece of paper could scare the
Commandant of Justice so? Before he had come to the Ministry
of Justice, Fan Xian had understood that the Minister of
Justice seemed to be an equitable and incorruptible sort. But in
truth, though he was the Eastern Palace's man, the
Commandant of Justice was on very good terms with the Qin
family in the Bureau of Military Affairs. And Guo Zheng, the
imperial censor, had had some sort of unclear relationship
with the Eldest Princess in his youth. If Fan Xian had not had
the terrifying strength of the Overwatch Council at hand, he
would not have known of such hidden relationships.

After a moment of consideration, there was a sudden shout

in the hall. "Guards! Academician Fan Xian is causing chaos in
the court! He is involved in the scandal. He has committed the
15 great crimes! Beat him!" Minister Han Zhiwei's face was
contorted, and he seemed to have made a major decision.

The Commandant of Justice had already slipped away. It

seemed he knew that there was about to be a dangerous
situation, and his master did not wish to offend the Fan family
and the Prime Minister. Fan Xian's eyes were cold as he glared
at Han Zhiwei. "Minister, do you intend to have me confess
under torture?"

There was viciousness in the eyes of Guo Zheng, the imperial

censor. "Beat him!" he yelled.

Two staves smashed into Fan Xian's fragile shins. The

thirteen offices of the Ministry of Justice were accustomed to
doing this sort of thing. Staves were inelegant, but swift and
fierce.

Fan Xian's face went white. He did not attempt to avoid

them. There was a cracking sound. The pants on his legs did
not shield him from the blow - it wasn't his shin bones that his
broken, but the two staves that had cracked in the middle,
leaving only splintered wood!
Chapter 174: Chaos in the Ministry of
Justice
Fan Xian took a deep breath, and allowed the powerful
zhenqi in his body to begin slowly circulating. His clothes
began to ripple, and the ruyi scepter fastened to his waist, a gift
from the Empress, began to flash. He looked coldly at the
bailiffs of the 13 offices who surrounded him. He knew that
today was not going to go as he had planned. As his opponents
had dared not to allow the Prime Minister and his father to
save face, and had indeed ordered people to beat him with
staves. It was certainly simpler than using torture!

He took two steps forward, and kicked the two staves to

pieces. He looked coldly at the two officials who tried to
remain calm, and knew that he had made a huge mistake: he
had forgotten about that madwoman, far away in her fiefdom
of Xinyang. But he wasn't sure whether Han Zhiwei was
involved in all that, and whether it was the Crown Prince who
had been angered by his behavior, or the Empress who had
learned of some terrifying things.

It had been some time since the incident at Niulan Street.

The picture of Fan Xian that people in the capital had was one
of a talented scholar-official. It seemed they had forgotten that
he was an expert martial artist.

The people gathered in the courtroom were shocked. There

was the sound of a knife being unsheathed, a terrifying sound,
and countless blades were pointed toward Fan Xian, who stood
proudly in the middle of the hall.

The punishment staves used by the 13 offices of the Ministry

of Justice were specially made. The average seventh-level
master, beaten with such staves, would cry out in pain. But no
one knew how forceful the powerful zhenqi in Fan Xian's body
was. He did not attempt to dodge the blows, but faced them,
and the rods snapped in half!

The scene shocked the bailiffs of the Ministry of Justice.

Now they finally remembered that this seemingly weak-
looking scholar-official had once slit Cheng Jushu - the eighth-
level master of Northern Qi - from belly to breast.

The dozen bailiffs unsheathed their swords, and in the cold

hall of the Ministry of Justice, the sinister light glinted off
them. They encircled Fan Xian. Fan Xian took two steps back,
and the bailiffs, frightened, also took two steps back.

Fan Xian frowned as he looked at Han Zhiwei and Guo

Zheng. "Have you considered the consequences of your rash
decision?" he asked quietly.

Han Zhiwei and Guo Zheng's blood ran cold. Though the
young man had spoken calmly, his words were sinister.
Though Prime Minister Lin Ruofu's influence in the royal court
had diminished in the wake of the incident with Wu Bo'an, he
was still the head of the bureaucracy of the Kingdom of Qing.
On top of that was the Minister of Revenue, who was a
childhood friend of His Majesty. Han Zhiwei felt a sudden
regret. He should not have followed that nobleman's
command.

Guo Zheng had been angered by Guo You's fall from power,
and furthermore, he had the backing of the Eldest Princess. He
knew that since this business had already started, it was not
going to have a peaceful ending. He gritted his teeth. "I am
investigating this case on the orders of the Emperor. What
consequences will there be?"
 Things had already gotten this far, and Han Zhiwei felt he
had no leeway to back out. He steeled himself. "Very well,
young Master Fan," he said coldly. "If you are willing to admit
your involvement in the exam scandal, then we will not
torture you. If you are not willing to confess, then in
accordance with the laws of Qing, we may use torture."

Fan Xian pursed his lips and gazed at him with something
like a smile that was not a smile. "15 great crimes..." He shook
his head and sighed. "If I get the chance, I'm changing that
law."

Who could change the law? Only the Emperor, of course.

Thankfully, he spoke very quietly. Otherwise the others
around him might have heard, and on the basis of his
utterance, they would have executed the entire Fan family.

Han Zhiwei frowned. "Take this criminal official away!" As

soon as he spoke, the bailiffs of the 13 offices encircled him,
and in a whirl of blades, two knives were at Fan Xian's neck,
forcing him to submit.
 Fan Xian groaned. His hands shot out of his sleeves, soft but
with unmatchable speed, turning to mist, attacking the wrists
of the two bailiffs near him, quickly catching their fists and
driving them back into their own torsos.

The series of moves was too quick for anyone to see clearly. A
moment later, they heard the sound of snapping, a whacking
sound, and cries of pain!

The snapping sound was the bailiffs' wrists, and the

whacking sound was the sound of their blades being thrown
into the air by zhenqi. They flew upward, and embedded deep
into the corners of a Ministry of Justice plaque above the
doorway which read "Just and Honorable". The two blades,
stuck above the sun in the doorway, made it look like it had the
horns of a demon!

And the bailiffs, who Fan Xian had pushed gently in the
torso, both flew backward and fell onto two chairs, smashing
them into pieces and letting out screams of pain.

Everyone was shocked. They did not imagine that Fan Xian's
strength would be quite so great. Unthinkingly, they took a
step back.

Guo Zheng was neither worried nor angry. He smiled as he

gazed at Fan Xian. "Assaulting an officer of the court. Another
crime."

Han Zhiwei understood his meaning. Whether they could use

torture was a trifling matter. The more crimes they could
saddle Fan Xian with, the better - the less he was willing to be
restrained, and the more intensely he resisted, better still.

Guo Zheng smiled as he looked at Fan Xian. "Young Master

Fan, be a little more honest. I know that you are a master of
the pen and the sword. If you wished to escape the court of the
Ministry of Justice, it would not be difficult. But... don't tell
me that you wish to start a rebellion? That is treason against
your father and your ruler." His finger lightly tapped the table.
Thoroughly pleased with the current situation, he spoke softly.
"Young Master Fan, should you rebel, your heart is filled with
evil; if you do not rebel, then you will be tortured."

He had one more thing to say. "Should you wish to murder

your way out of the Ministry of Justice, then go ahead, but it
would be a pity... a pity indeed, for such an illustrious poetic
master, an idol to the scholars, to become such a criminal, to
cause such chaos in the government, and to drag your name
through the mud."

Fan Xian looked at him calmly, then suddenly spoke. "Old

man, you are scared."

He spoke from his experience of dissecting corpses every day

when he was young. He thought of what Guo the censor had
just said, which had the elegant manner of Stephen Chow in
his film Hail the Judge in Fan Xian's past life. There was a cold
glint in his eye that he immediately held back. He knew that he
could not murder his way out of the Ministry of Justice, but he
was not willing to submit to torture. All he could do was stall
for time, until the people who supported him could react.
"Killing my way out of the Ministry of Justice would be a great
crime indeed. Very well, I shall chat with you both for a while."

Having said this, he went to the side and sat in a chair. His
eyes drooping, he spoke gently. "If you wish to torture me, I
shall resist. If you will not torture me, then I don't mind sitting
here. Sirs, when your investigation is finished, please do
inform me; I would like to return home for some rice porridge."
 "The insolence!" cried Han Zhiwei. "Bring him to me!"

This was the third time that he had yelled in that day's
investigation proceedings. There was no expression on Fan
Xian's face. He gently tapped on the side table next to him, the
zhenqi in his palm released as gently as a cloud. Suddenly, the
wooden side table had smashed into countless pieces!

Then he looked at the bailiffs surrounding him. Brushed by

his gentle gaze, they considered the terrifying power that
young Master Fan had shown. These bailiffs from the thirteen
offices, who usually did not fear even demons and gods, did
not dare to take a step further!

Since the founding of the nation, there had never been such
chaos within the halls of the Ministry of Justice. It didn't seem
like something that could happen in reality. It seemed more
like a scene from a drama that Fan Xian had seen glimpses of in
his previous life and couldn't make sense of - the defendant
calm in the midst of chaos, sitting on a wooden armchair,
surrounded by bailiffs who did not dare to advance. The
prisoner was not willing to murder his way out, and the others
had no way of apprehending him.
 In all of Fan Xian's life in this realm, the chairs and stools he
had sat on had always, by chance, indicated his approach -
possibly angry, or perhaps waiting to strike. In Danzhou, when
he was 12 years old, he had stepped onto a stool to smack the
second housekeeper in the face. The day he had entered the
capital, he was underneath a side door, sitting in a wooden
armchair, suppressing his anger, preparing to greet the daggers
behind his father's wife's gentle words.

Today, in the great hall of the Ministry of Justice, he still sat

calmly on the wooden armchair, his face tranquil as he looked
at the two high officials who wanted to teach him a lesson with
cudgels. He began to calculate who else, other than the Eldest
Princess, might also be behind this.

The Ministry of Justice once more fell into a standoff.

Looking at the bailiffs of the 13 offices who surrounded Fan
Xian with their knives drawn, censor Guo was not worried. He
knew that Treasury Minister Fan Jian and Prime Minister Lin
Ruofu were being delayed by other matters today. They had
plenty of time to wait for Yang Wanli to enter the court and
give his testimony. He smiled. "Tomorrow I shall bring today's
matters before His Majesty, and we shall see if you will still
wield your father's influence so arrogantly. Do not presume I
cannot charge you with your crimes. In a moment, Yang Wanli
will arrive to testify. Minister Han still wants to see you
detained. If you still dare to resist, then do not be surprised if
we ask for an imperial decree declaring you guilty of treason."

"Master Guo," said Fan Xian calmly, "since both sides have
dealt each other a blow today, then I wish to say that if there
are problems with Yang Wanli, you should be prepared for
what happens next."

This was a bare-faced threat. Since the founding of the

Kingdom of Qing, Fan Xian was the first fifth-level official who
had dared to threaten a minister of the royal court and an
imperial censor in the court of the Ministry of Justice!

Sensing the danger behind Fan Xian's calm words, Han

Zhiwei felt an inexplicable chill. The corner of his eye twitched
ominously. "Fan Xian," he said coldly, "you should know that
as an official of the court, you should not establish your
strength with a sword. I look forward to seeing how you will
end all this chaos in the Ministry of Justice today."

"The Ministry of Justice has tried in vain to obtain

confession under torture," said Fan Xian calmly. "You are
angered by Minister Guo's departure of his office mired in
scandal, and are making a futile attempt to retaliate. I do not
know what kind of officials you are. Tomorrow, I shall write a
vast essay on today's affairs, and circulate it throughout the
land. I shall show the people what the officials of the Kingdom
of Qing are really like, and I shall also enlighten the Emperor.
Who will the officials of the court listen to?"

"Say what you like," said Guo Zheng. He knew of Fan Xian's
reputation, and such a thing was entirely possible. "If you
knew the details of the scandal, why did you not report it to
your superiors and allow the royal court to investigate and
handle the case, rather than handling matters through the
Overwatch Council? In brief, you are guilty of the crime of
holding the royal court in contempt. I shall see how Minister
Fan explains this matter to the royal court tomorrow!"

His words were menacing, and a sudden murderous intent

flashed across Fan Xian's face. He stood up and fixed the two
high officials with a cold stare. The bailiffs surrounding him
tensed, and pointed their sharp blades toward Fan Xian's vital
parts. As the dangerous situation unfolded, there was the
sudden sound of Yan Ruohai's chilling voice from outside the
Ministry of Justice. "The Overwatch Council has received an
imperial decree. When have we ever needed to explain
everything to an imperial censor?"
 Fan Xian smiled, let out a sigh of relief, and shook his head.
It was a pity that someone from the Council had not arrived
sooner.
Chapter 175: Commissioner!
Commissioner!
With hurried but orderly footsteps, Yan Ruohai—director of
the Fourth Bureau of the Overwatch Council—entered the
Ministry of Justice. Behind him was a mob of the council’s
secret agents. They were quite intimidating.

Seeing the Overwatch Council putting up such a front, Guo

Zheng didn’t say much, "I didn’t think Sir Yan would come to
oversee the interrogation." Yan Ruohai, however, ignored the
Imperial Censor. He only looked at the handsome youth sitting
on the chair. Smiling, Yan Ruohai greeted him. "Yan Ruohai at
your service. Young Mister Fan, we've met before."

Fan Xian stood up and smiled, "If you hadn't come, I’d have
demolished the entire ministry and gone into exile." He was
kidding, of course.

Han Zhiwei took a glance at Yan Ruohai and frowned. Why

did the council come here to complicate things? He said,
"Young Sir Fan is acting impetuously in a court of law, and he
has struck several court officials. His crimes are so severe that
I'm afraid he may not be able to leave the Ministry of Justice
today—no matter who comes to save him. What's more, I have
already sent out the order to apprehend over a thousand
suspects, including Yang Wanli. As soon as they confess,
everything about this case will come to light."

"There's no need for that," Yan Ruohai said. "The men you
sent were all stopped by Sir Mu Tie of the council. They’re
having tea now. Minister, if you have time later, why not go
and take your men back?"

The apprehenders had become the apprehended. The

Ministry of Justice had been made a fool of today! Han Zhiwei
pointed at Yan Ruohai and cursed out: "Since when do you
have the right to interfere with my business? How dare you
obstruct my orders?"

"The cheating scandal is being taken care of by our council.

By His Majesty’s wishes, the Ministry of Justice and Supreme
Court are both assistants." Yan Ruohai looked around. After
realizing the Commandant of Justice wasn’t there, he smiled,
"As assistants, you must do you jobs well. Including Yang
Wanli, there are four people under the supervision of the
council awaiting their sentences. We cannot hand them over.
Yourmen are the unruly ones, Minister. What’s wrong with Sir
Mu inviting them to the Overwatch Council?"

Han Zhiwei said coldly, "Forget about the matter with Yang
Wanli. It’s just that, by the rules, the Ministry of Justice is to
interrogate this Young Sir Fan first. And since he is standing
here right now, you can talk all you want, but you shall not
take him away."

Up until this moment, the three interrogators had no idea

about Fan Xian’s true relationship with the Overwatch
Council. They thought the council was trying to shield him
because he was working on the cheating case, and because Fei
Jie was his teacher. That's why Han Zhiwei tried to pressure
Yan Ruohai by bringing up rules. Yan Ruohai frowned as he
saw Fan Xian was surrounded by the Ministry’s men
brandishing sabers. "How dare you disrespect Sir Fan like
this?"

Realizing he had been ignored, Han Zhiwei became enraged,

since Yan Ruohai was of a much lower rank. Han Zhiwei hadn’t
dealt with the Overwatch Council too often and was unaware
of how haughty the officials from there could be.
 Yan Ruohai frowned again. This time he saluted Han Zhiwei.
"Minister Han, I respectfully ask for your understanding in
having young Sir Fan returned."

Han Zhiwei thought things would get complicated as soon as

he saw the Overwatch Council enter. His master probably
wouldn’t expect Cheng Pingping to interfere. But since things
had already developed to this point, Han Zhiwei clenched his
teeth, "The interrogation isn’t over yet. How can I allow him
to leave? Sir Yan… this is against regulation." Copying Guo
Zheng, Han Zhiwei tried to cite regulation to pressure Yan
Ruohai.

Yan Ruohai frowned for the third time and waved his hand.

Many grunts sounded in unison. There was a flurry of

punches and kicks as the men of the ministry got knocked out
cold before they had a chance to react. In terms of martial
prowess, the Fourth Bureau was second only to the Fifth
Bureau in the Overwatch Council. These low-level bailiffs
never stood a chance.
 Finding his surroundings had quiet down a bit, Fan Xian
waved his sleeves and walked over to Yan Ruohai. "Sorry for
the trouble. I thought only Wang Qinian would come."

Han Zhiwei erupted, "Such disregard for Imperial law – is

your council trying to rebel? I will tell this to His Majesty
tomorrow and have you all executed."

Yan Ruohai frowned for the fourth time. "By Imperial law,
the officials of the council’s Eighth Bureau only answer to the
emperor. During times of emergency, they may even disregard
the laws of Qing. Unless His Majesty wishes it, the other
government branches may not conduct their own
interrogations. Director, did you forget that?"

Guo Zheng mocked him. "Sir Yan, of course we wouldn’t put

you on trial. But what does Sir Fan have to do with the
Overwatch Council? Nobody knows which eight officials are in
the Eighth Bureau. Since when did Sir Fan became one of those
eight officials? Just getting a position in the council takes five
years… Sir Fan is seventeen. Did he start managing council
business when he was twelve?"
 No one would believe this, so Guo Zheng and Director Han
weren’t worried that Fan Xian would leave the Ministry of
Justice that day. As soon as he took a step outside the building,
he would be disregarding the laws of Qing, and that would be a
grave offense. Along with all of the officials he had alienated,
and not even the Prime Minister and Minister Fan could
protect him. His Majesty would have no choice but to sentence
him.

Yan Ruohai took a glance at Fan Xian and smiled warmly.

Fan Xian smiled in reply. He reached for his belt and took off
the jade ruyi scepter and other accessories. He tossed them to
one of the council agents. He then slowly took out a yellow,
wooden plaque. The title "commissioner" was written on it.

He straightened his arm to show the plaque to Guo Zheng

and Director Han, who straightened their necks to see it. After
making out what the plaque said, they were shocked back to
their seats. It was as if that wooden plaque had slapped them
hard across the face.
 Fan Xian shook his head while smiling. "May we meet again,
my lords." After that, he and Yan Ruohai left under the guard of
the council agents.

Guo Zheng’s face turned pale, while Minister Han leaned

back in his chair, deep in thought. Neither of them had
expected Fan Xian to hold the position of a council
commissioner!

What is a commissioner? It is a supreme existence above even

the Eighth Bureau of the Overwatch Council; the council’s
most secretive position. The officials at court all had their
guesses, but none of them guessed this legendarily secretive
Commissioner would be the young Sir Fan full of poetry and
sunshine!

"What do we do?" Han Zhiwei opened his eyes, showing a

chilled gaze, "Unless His Majesty wills it, no one may
interrogate the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council. You
and I both knew there’s no way His Majesty would grant such
an order."
 Guo Zheng frowned, looking at the departing crowd. "It’s like
an iron tortoise; there are no openings for us to make a move.
But I am curious, why didn’t Fan Xian reveal his status from
the beginning? Why did he come here? Was he really not afraid
we would lock him up before Yan Ruohai arrived?"

Director Han was puzzled by this also, but he was worried

about something bigger. Since he could not eliminate Fan Xian
from power today, it meant that he would be facing a great
counterattack in the future. He sighed as he recalled Fan Xian
saying "may we meet again". His sigh was bitter and fearful. He
didn’t know if those currently backing him up could protect
him.

Outside the Hall of Justice, Fan Xian said calmly, "There was
no need for such drama to force me to reveal my identity."

Yan Ruohai smiled. "Director Chen believes that since your

identity must be made known to all in the capital, it’s only
natural to choose the correct location and time – and to reveal
it using a most dramatic method. That was a great
opportunity. All the scholars in the capital had gathered
outside the Hall of Justice protesting on your behalf.
 Fan Xian shook his head and said nothing. Today had been
very risky. If whichever power was behind this really wanted
to succeed, they would be sure to use even more vicious
methods. If it weren’t for his training in Cang Mountain, Fan
Xian wouldn’t so confident to act like that in a court.

"The Overwatch Council is a special organization, so its

never had a good reputation." Yan Ruohai explained, "So Sir
Director Chen wanted to establish and spread your name from
this case. Having gained the support of the people, they would
not fear you as the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council."

"I see… So it was just to build my image." Fan Xian inhaled

deeply. He was still troubled by earlier developments. There
would be a time to sort those out.

Yan Ruohai didn’t understand that he meant. He returned the

jade ruyi scepter and the other accessories to Fan Xian.

Feeling the scepter in his hand, Fan Xian suddenly said,

"Wan’er is in the palace now explaining things to the prince. I
also didn’t think the prince lost too much face during this
year’s examination. Going by his temperament, he shouldn’t
react so strongly. Back in the Hall, Minister Han became
vicious all of a sudden. Who in Eastern Palace is backing him?"

Yan Ruohai smiled. "If not the prince, then empress

dowager."

"Empress dowager?" Fan Xian raised an eyebrow. He was

starting to alienate more people. But he didn’t know if empress
dowager… was trying to deal with him due to the reason he
feared the most. He gripped the jade scepter tightly and
remembered it was given to him by empress dowager. He
wanted to throw it away.

Yan Ruohai reminded him, "It’s a gift from the palace. To

dispose of it would be a capital crime."

Fan Xian laughed, "Thanks for the warning. But now that
everyone knows I’m the Commissioner, who would dare
question me?"

"Nobody in any of the administrative organizations, but

there is still the palace." Yan Ruohai sighed. Knowing Fan Xian
was younger than his son, Yan Ruohai patted the youth on the
shoulder.

Fan Xian gratefully accepted the information and stated

sincerely, "Please rest assured, Sir Yan. During the forthcoming
trip to Northern Qi, I will surely bring back Brother Yan
safely."

"Thank you."

Once outside the ministry gates, the surrounding commoners

and scholars all burst into cheers, overjoyed that Sir Fan had
walked out safely.

Fan Xian smiled at the crowd and thanked them. Now he

understood why he had acted so arrogantly in the Hall of
Justice. It was because he felt he had finally done something
extremely right, just like that one part he read in a novel in his
previous life: "What is justice? Justice is doing the right thing."
He had done what he felt was right to do. It was a good feeling;
a powerful feeling.
Chapter 176: The First Visit to the Manor
News of the incident at the Ministry of Justice quickly spread
through the city. The expected counterattack by the Overwatch
Council, the Prime Minister, and Minister Fan against the
Ministry of Justice and the Imperial Censorate had not
immediately unfolded, contrary to the expectations of every
bureaucrat.

And in the court exams, the Emperor of the Kingdom of Qing

had finally quietly shown his attitude. Fan Xian's preferred
scholars had entered the 2nd rank of candidates. As for the
first, second, and third place titles - zhuangyuan, bangyan, and
tanhua respectively - they unsurprisingly went to scholars
whose names had long been established. Fan Xian was well
aware that these three names had appeared on those pieces of
paper, and he had taken that step when he was sealing the
names on the exam papers.

His Majesty clarified his position further on the exam hall

scandal in the specific circumstances of the top-grade court
examination. During a feast, the officials were extremely
surprised to discover fifth-level academician Fan Xian of the
Imperial College sitting somewhat coyly and uneasily before
them, seated to the right of the Crown Prince and the Second
Prince, smiling bashfully. It seemed that he had not been
drinking that day, so he lacked the frenzy of the night in which
he had spat out his 300 poems. He seemed a little
uncomfortable with the acclaim of the masses.

After Fan Xian's chaos at the Ministry of Justice, the officials

of the capital soon knew of his real identity, and moreover
knew that the Overwatch Council were using it as a pretext to
cause havoc, using Commissioner Fan Xian's extralegal status
to completely tear into Justice Minister Han Zhiwei and
Censor Guo Zheng. There was news that the palace had also
kicked up a fuss.

The bureaucrats had always found it difficult to get a hold of

the countless spies with the secretive position of Commissioner
of the Overwatch Council, and to connect Fan Xian with a
position that secretly held the lives of officials in their hands.
But regardless, when the officials looked at Fan Xian anew,
they saw not only a scholar-official and the son of a noble
family with powerful backers, but for the first time, they had a
sense of Fan Xian's true power.

After the court exams, the civil service exam hall scandal was
still under the jurisdiction of the Overwatch Council, who
were slowly and steadily investigating it. Commissioner Fan
Xian had relaxed somewhat - he knew that people in the know
had guessed that he was preparing to go abroad as ambassador
in the next few days.

It was the third of March. After the court exams, the

banquet, and the various other celebrations concluded, Yang
Wanli, Hou Jichang, Cheng Jialin, and Shi Chanli - those four
scholars whose luck had turned in an instant - finally had some
spare time. They sat a little uneasily in a carriage, and came to
the gate of Fan Manor, on a big avenue in the south of the city.

Yang Wanli lifted his head to look at the imposing gate of Fan
Manor, and anxiously looked at the ferocious stone lions
guarding the gate. "I'm kind of nervous," he mumbled.

Hou Jichang was the calmest of the four, but this was the
first time he had ever been to such an opulent estate, and he
was also somewhat nervous. He forced a smile. "We have all
met young Master Fan before. Not only is he young and
promising, he has an engaging tone of conversation, unlike the
other repulsive officials of the court. What have we to worry
about?"
 By their side, Cheng Jialin muttered something
indecipherable. They had all been harrassed by the Ministry of
Justice and the Overwatch Council over the past few days.
Theoretically, the court exams having concluded, they had all
come to Fan Xian's door to pay their respects to him regardless.
After that day in the Tongfu Tavern, the four skillful scholars
had suddenly discovered that the terrifying Overwatch Council
of the Kingdom of Qing were moving against them and against
the bailiffs of the thirteen offices. It had almost scared them to
death.

Shi Chanli's temperament was the most gentle and

easygoing. This time he hadn't passed, so he seemed more
relaxed than the other three. He laughed at them. "You look
pretty worried to me. But I don't think it's the kind of worry
that comes from paying respects to one's teacher. It's from
discovering that young Master Fan has suddenly changed, and
become a Commissioner of the Overwatch Council. There's a
sense of dread. Am I right, brothers?"

Yang Wanli looked at the stone lions again, and laughed

bitterly. "Who'd have thought that in the space of two days, the
immortal poet Fan Xian would suddenly turn out to be one of
the most powerful officials in the Overwatch Council? You
know what a terrifying place the Overwatch Council is. The
court officials have always been somewhat afraid of it. If
young Master Fan is part of the Overwatch Council, then his
reputation must be rather shocking."

"That's just the prejudice of ignorant commoners," said Shi

Chanli, laughing. "You said it yourself in the Tongfu Tavern
that day. It's a good thing that the Overwatch Council is
monitoring officials." He turned to Hou Jichang, who seemed
to have somewhat taken exception. "After Minister Guo was
sent to prison, you toasted to the Overwatch Council. How
come? Now we have discovered that our master is a high
official in the Council, and you all want to keep a respectful
distance like the rest of the common people?"

Yang Wanli sighed. "Everyone knows that the exam hall

scandal came about as a result of young Master Fan's work.
Only after did we understand that he was working for the
Overwatch Council the entire time. With this act, not only did
he contribute to our futures, but more importantly, he has
helped every scholar in the land walk a more equitable path.
Everyone is grateful. Even after they found out that he was a
Commissioner of the Overwatch Council, there's not a scholar
out there who would dare not to show him respect. As for us,
there's nothing more to say. Even if Master Fan stays at the
Overwatch Council for good, we should still follow him.
There's no point discussing this anymore, Brother Shi; I've
already made my decision.
 Hou Jichang smiled. "You're right. But it's a pity that every
person in a high post at the Overwatch Council, according to
the customs of the court, can never become Prime Minister. It's
a shame that young Master Fan is such a talented scholar."

At that moment Cheng Jialin seized the chance to butt in. "If
Master Fan still has that status, then his career cannot develop
too much further. I have heard that next year he will take
control of the palace treasury, so if he can take up a post at the
Overwatch Council, then it is not that much of a pity."

They all understood that he was talking about Fan Xian's

status as "son-in-law of the Emperor". When they thought of
their master, so many years younger than them, occupying so
many different positions, they couldn't help but marvel at him.
The four of them debated quietly outside the gate of Fan Manor
for a long time. Finally, gathering their courage, they stepped
inside, handing over the name cards that they had prepared a
long while ago.

The gatekeeper at Fan Manor had been watching the four

talented scholars, and with a suspicious look, he took their
name cards, and realized that they were the four whose names
that had been bandied around the capital for a while now. The
servants of Fan Manor all knew that their young master had
invited these four scholars, and here they were. They quickly
invited them inside and waited on them, serving them tea.

The four of them knew that this was the custom of noble
families - every guest who entered first had to be waited upon
and served tea at the gate. To their surprise, a moment later,
the gatekeeper came back to them, somewhat apologetic. "The
young master has stepped out and is not currently in the
manor. Sirs, would you like to leave a message for him, or
come back another time?"

The four of them could not help but feel somewhat

disappointed, but for some reason, they also felt relieved. At
that moment, a sedan chair stopped by the side door. The
gatekeeper hurried out to greet them. Out from the sedan chair
stepped a solemn-looking middle-aged official, with soft and
spirited eyes. As he walked through the gate, he stopped to
look at the four scholars.

The gatekeeper, seeing that his master had stopped, began to

introduce them, but his master waved his hand dismissively,
turned to the four of them, and spoke calmly. "Which of you is
Yang Wanli? Shi Chanli? Hou Jichang? Cheng Jialin?"
 Hou Jichang was stunned. Not only had the man known
their identities without asking, but he had asked their names
without omitting a single one. It seemed that he did not wish
for them to presume he favored any one of them over the
others. Such an attentive-minded person must have been
young Master Fan's father. He hurriedly bowed in respect. "I
am Hou Jichang. It is an honor to meet you, Minister."

The other three finally realized that this official was young
Master Fan's father, and they also hurriedly showed their
respects.

Count Sinan smiled and looked at Hou Jichang, speaking

with a small measure of praise. "It seems that Fan Xian chose
well in his estimations. He is not currently here. But if you do
not mind my prattling, I would like to invite you inside for a
chat."

How should they address their master's father? Although all

four scholars were rising stars in the bureaucracy of the
Kingdom of Qing, in the face of this wily old minister, they
dared not say a word. They merely followed behind him
obediently.
 The ugliest building on Tianhe Avenue remained silent in the
spring sunshine. The famous petals on either side of the road
had yet to fall into the water. Because it was still early spring,
the flowers had not yet bloomed; they were unwilling to part
with their clothing and cast it into the waters.

The common people of the capital still stuck to their old

customs, and kept far away from the Overwatch Council. The
stone tablet outside the gate quietly watched them, as if it were
saying "the Council watches over you, why are you so afraid?"
There was no point asking why the common people feared the
Overwatch Council, just as Yang Wanli and the other scholars
did. People feared the secretive institution for no reason.
Because there was no light in that office, it seemed to have only
secrets and darkness.

Inside the square building of the Overwatch Council, the

seven bureau chiefs sat soberly at a long table. They knew that
today's discussions were particularly unusual, so they looked
at the crippled Director at the head of the table with doubting
glances. After the leader of the First Bureau, Zhu Ge, had killed
himself in that very room, the First Bureau had been without a
chief. Mu Tie was only leading it temporarily, so today there
were seven people for the eight bureaus.
 The door slid quietly open, but the seven most powerful
people in the state machinery of the Kingdom of Qing
naturally sensed it, and unthinking turned their heads around
to look. Even Chen Pingping, sat at the head of the table, lifted
his head to look, his eyes calm.

An old man with slightly brown eyes, messy hair, and a

stooped posture entered the room.

Everyone was somewhat astounded. Seeing Fei Jie, someone

spoke quietly. "Let's get this over with. Come in. Don't dawdle."

A young man appeared behind him, somewhat embarrassed.

The young man was fair of face and friendly-looking, with a
shy smile. He cupped his hands in respect and bowed to the
leaders gathered around the table, speaking somewhat quietly
and uneasily. "Hello, everyone. I am Fan Xian."
Chapter 177: The Real Overwatch
Council
In the meeting room of the Overwatch Council, an awkward
silence fell. No one had expected that this was how
Commissioner Fan Xian would first show his face in the
Council. In defiance of the customarily somber atmosphere of
the Council, a moment later, some of them couldn't stop
themselves from laughing.

Fan Xian smiled, cupped his hands in salute, and walked in.
Of the seven formidable people in the room, he only recognized
Yan Ruohai. The others were all unfamiliar. Thankfully, Fei Jie
had been beside him all day. Otherwise, he would still have felt
afraid and alone facing these spymasters who were feared
throughout the Kingdom of Qing, if not the whole land.

At the head of the table, an old man sat in a wheelchair. His

eyes were clear and cold, but he gazed at him warmly. For some
reason, Fan Xian found himself sighing deeply. He slowly
stepped forward. He had already recognized the old man. 16
years ago, when he had come to this world, he had seen him. In
those 16 years, the old cripple's face seemed not to have
changed at all.
 Chen Pingping watched the young man come closer and
closer to him, and a strange look of satisfaction floated across
his face. Fan Xian was now next to him. Chen Pingping opened
his arms. "My child, come here," he said gently.

Fan Xian slowly bent down, and softly leant his head on the
old man's shoulder, slipping his body into his narrow, soft
embrace.

Chen Pingping was very thin. Their bodies touched only

gently, but Fan Xian could feel a warmth.

The young man and the old man embraced each other as if
the spymasters of the Kingdom of Qing were not even there. It
was a moment of impudence. Some time later, the two parted,
and Fan Xian bowed respectfully. "It is an honor to meet you at
last."

Chen Pingping suddenly gave a pointed laugh. It sounded like

a happy one.
 Save for Fei Jie, the other seven spymasters, who didn't know
the facts of the situation, kept a respectful silence. But deep
down, they were shocked. None of them knew that the
commissioner and the always-distant Director had this sort of
relationship.

Today was the first day that Fan Xian had entered the
Overwatch Council officially in his status as commissioner, so
the members of the eight bureaus had been waiting for him.
After a round of quick introductions, Fan Xian sat quietly on a
chair to Chen Pingping's left, and Fei Jie sat to his right.

"This is Fan Xian," said Chen Pingping calmly, looking at his

subordinates. "From now on he is a commissioner of the
Overwatch Council. Colleagues, I ask that you lend him your
support."

In introducing the newest member of staff, Chen Pingping

had never been so serious, and had never spoken so much, as
he had today. The seven bureau chiefs all knew the weight of
his words. They stood up, bowed toward Fan Xian, and said
nothing more.
 Ever since Fei Jie had begun tutoring him at the age of five,
Fan Xian knew that he would have something to do with the
secretive organization feared throughout the land and avoided
by the common people. Especially after he learned of his
mother's connection with the Council, he was even more aware
of the fact that his relationship with the Council was to be a
particularly special one.

When he was young, Fei Jie taught him about the structure
and activities of the Council. After he had entered the capital,
many things had happened in coordination with the
Overwatch Council. Independent of the Council, he had
organized Wang Qinian's team. Today, he listened to their
official explanations, and gained a deeper understanding of the
Overwatch Council.

The Overwatch Council was a spy agency directly

subordinate to His Majesty the Emperor. Its authority existed
outside the Six Ministries, and was not limited by the laws of
the Kingdom of Qing, operating instead exclusively on the
orders of the Emperor. It was split into eight bureaus. The First
Bureau specialized in monitoring the bureaucracy in the
capital, and had spies planted in each critical department. It
was the most crucial bureau of the Council. The previous head
was Zhu Ge, who had been secretly collaborating with the
Eldest Princess, and had died some months ago. The Second
Bureau was responsible for gathering and analyzing
intelligence and strategy, and devising plans for the Emperor
and the military.

The Third Bureau was the one that Fan Xian felt closest to,
because before his retirement, his teacher Fei Jie had been head
of the Third Bureau. The Third Bureau specialized in
manufacturing drugs, poisons, and all kinds of secret weapons.
The knockout drops, poisons, and aphrodisiacs that Fan Xian
kept on his person had been a result of the work of the Third
Bureau.

The Fourth Bureau was Yan Ruohai's office. It specialized in

monitoring the bureaucracy outside the capital, and the
related work of intelligence gathering, investigation, and
arrests. Its authority extended outside the national borders,
and included Northern Qi and the City of Dongyi. In terms of
the scope of its authority, it was the most powerful bureau next
to the First Bureau.

The Fifth Bureau of the Overwatch Council had always been

stationed outside the capital. It had been established on the
orders of the Emperor, and comprised of the Black Knights,
responsible for ensuring Chen Pingping's safety. When
necessary, it could also travel long distances to mount a
surprise cavalry attack. The daring raid behind enemy lines in
Northern Wei to capture the spymaster Xiao En had been the
Fifth Bureau's finest achievement. It could be said that from a
martial point of view, the Fifth Bureau was the strongest
section of the Overwatch Council.

The Sixth Bureau was the least well known, yet most
fearsome of all the departments. Even Fan Xian, in all his time
since entering the capital, had not made contact with the Sixth
Bureau, because it was specialized in carrying out the work of
secret assassinations. Of course, from another perspective, the
Sixth Bureau was responsible for protecting those appointed by
the Emperor.

The Seventh Bureau was responsible for interrogation of

enemy prisoners. It was more specialized than the 13 offices of
the Ministry of Justice. The unremarkable jailer at the
Overwatch Council prison that Fan Xian had once laid eyes on
had been the former head of the Seventh Bureau.

At the mention of the Eighth Bureau, Fan Xian saw that the
middle-aged official wanted to laugh. Was it not the bureau
that he had been in contact with the most? The Danbo
Bookstore had made significant contributions to the Eighth
Bureau. Though there were some usable connections, Seventh
Ye the shopkeeper had still made sure to make his monthly
contributions to the Eighth Bureau. Fan Xian felt that this
office was similar to the Magistrates' Yamen of his previous
world, though its power was greater and it was more
independent.

After the cursory introductions had ended, the seven bureau

heads needed no introduction from Fan Xian, as they were all
very familiar with his resumé and his brilliance; indeed, the
entire Kingdom of Qing knew. Besides, these seven spymasters
were wily as foxes, fierce as wolves, and ferocious as tigers.

Of these seven spymasters, Fan Xian only recognized Yan

Ruohai, though he was more interested in the heads of the
Third and Sixth Bureaux, because during their introductions,
the head of the Sixth Bureau had said he was acting on behalf
of another. Fan Xian was curious. If not here, then where was
the most feared assassin in all of the Kingdom of Qing?

As for his curiosity about the head of the Third Bureau, it

was because of a boring aside from Fei Jie. This bureau head,
surnamed Leng, had been a student of Fei Jie. Fan Xian
presumed that, as a senior student of the same master, he
should call him Brother Leng.

After the meeting had finished, Chief Leng of the Third

Bureau and Yan Ruohai of the Fourth Bureau stayed behind.
Fan Xian and Brother Leng chatted for a while, talking of
poisons and concealed weapons with inevitable delight. Yan
Ruohai watched them from the side, feeling his hair stand on
end somewhat before he recalled that the Commissioner had
been the last student of Fei Jie, and was a strange fellow who
had grown up familiar with poisons. He didn't want to get too
close to him.

Seeing the two of them talking happily, Fei Jie frowned. "I
have long known what kind of person Xiao En is. I presume
that after the diplomatic mission enters Northern Qi, he will
demand that they wait at Wudu River for a month, where
under the protection of Northern Qing, he will confirm that
there is no poison remaining in his system. Only then will he
send the hostage toward the capital. I cannot concoct a poison
that will only take effect after a month's time. You two have
been muttering amongst yourselves for a long time. What use
is that?"
 With a deep and mournful sigh, Fan Xian and Brother Leng,
whom he had only just met bowed to each other and parted,
knowing that Fei Jie was right.

Chen Pingping gently clapped his hands, getting the

attention of the handful of people left in the room. "This
journey to Northern Qi has four objectives," he said calmly.

Fan Xian sat down, listening earnestly.

"First, we must ensure that Yan Bingyun returns safely home

to take up his post at the First Bureau. Second, after ensuring
the success of the agreement between the two countries,
immediately assassinate Xiao En." Chen Pingping spoke as if he
were describing something completely normal. "Third, carry
out Operation Red Sleeve. Documents containing details of this
plan will be provided to you soon. Fourth, on the basis of the
completion of the first three objectives, integrate into the spy
network of Northern Qi, and ensure that there is no lag in
intelligence gathering as a result of the departure of Yan
Bingyun."
 Four objectives, each more difficult than the last. Fan Xian's
face was relatively calm, but he was secretly both excited and
uneasy. Chen Pingping turned to Yan Ruohai, his face
expressionless. "Prepare the necessary resources, and before
Fan Xian leaves, give him a briefing."

Yan Ruohai nodded, turned, and left the room.

The only people left in the room were Fan Xian, Chen
Pingping, and Fei Jie. After a moment of silence, Chen
Pingping softly smoothed out the creases on the blanket
covering his knees. A hint of a smile floated across his face as
he looked at Fan Xian. "I believe, after having seen that name
outside the Council, there are a great many things you should
know."

" Wu Zhu told me a few things." Fan Xian smiled as he looked

at the old cripple before him. His heart was filled with a
number of complicated feelings. So much in his life had been
arranged by him, but for some reason, Fan Xian did not feel a
contradiction in his mood as any ordinary person would.
Instead, he felt a strange kind of trust. It seemed as if the most
terrifying official in the whole nation, who stood before him,
deserved his trust.
 This was his intuition, and Fan Xian had always trusted and
honored his own intuition.

"Old Wu?" Chen Pingping closed his eyes and frowned. It

seemed that he had sunk into some kind of memory. He
suddenly spoke. "Are his memories any better?"

"Perhaps he remembers everything he should," Fan Xian said

quietly, "and he has forgotten everything he does not want to
remember."

Fei Jie cleared his throat and looked at his student. There
was no need at all, in his opinion, to speak so mysteriously
with the Director. He didn't like it one bit.
Chapter 178: A Shadow in the Mortal
World
Chen Pingping let out a sharp laugh. He rubbed his rough
fingers together and asked, "Is Sir Wu in the capital now?" This
was the question Fei Jie had asked on the day of Fan Xian’s
wedding. Fan Xian shook his head and answered as he had last
time: "I hear he went south to look for Ye Liuyun. I don’t know
when he will return."

Somehow, Fan Xian felt like he could hear a person sighing

somewhere in this room. He frowned and put his finger on the
trigger of his crossbow—what the three of them were
discussing now was too terrifying to be leaked. If someone
were to eavesdrop, the result would be difficult to bear for both
Fan Xian and Chen Pingping.

"You may come out." Noticing the movement in Fan Xian’s

sleeve. Chen Pingping explained, "I believe you must be
intrigued as to who leads the Sixth Bureau."

As soon as he said that, a person—more precisely, a dark

shadow—floated out of the darkness. Only when it got behind
Chen Pingping could its figure be clearly seen. It was a figure
dressed completely in black… The figure of someone extremely
powerful.

Noticing the person’s aura, Fan Xian’s pupils contracted

slightly as his entire body tensed up. Then he relaxed a bit as
he remembered having seen this person before. Sixteen years
ago, this same shadow stood atop of Chen Pingping’s carriage
and killed a mysterious sorcerer in mere seconds like a
swooping eagle.

"He is the head of the Sixth Bureau. He doesn’t see outsiders."

Fei Jie explained with a smile. "Of course, you are not an
outsider."

This leader of Qing’s assassins did not speak; he stood

silently behind Chen Pingping, as if not interested in Fan Xian
at all. Chen Pingping’s voice was a bit hoarse as he picked up
where Fei Jie had left off: "Other than Sir Wu, he is the most
terrifying assassin in the world. Naturally, he is also the best
protector in the world. He is the reason I am still alive today."

The shadow bowed slightly, showing gratitude in response to

the praise.
 Looking at Fan Xian’s eyes, Chen Pingping smiled, "This
shadow here is an admirer and follower of Sir Wu. Many of his
techniques he picked up at a young age from seeing and
imitating Sir Wu. Hence why he was a bit disappointed after
hearing you say that Sir Wu was not in the capital."

Fan Xian now looked at this shadow assassin differently. To

be this strong by simply imitating Wu Zhu—what astounding
talent!

And it also meant that blind Wu Zhu was even more

horrifyingly strong.

Pushing Director Chen on his wheelchair, they made their

way to the Overwatch Council’s courtyard. The shadow
disappeared in broad daylight. Following behind, Fan Xian felt
strange. The strongest assassin of Qing really did act like Wu
Zhu—whom he hadn’t seen for many days. While Fan Xian
wasn’t worried, he still wanted to see the person dearest to
him.

This was Fan Xian’s first time entering the council’s

courtyard. It was a vast yard; there were no tall buildings
within tens of meters around the walls. No one could see what
was happening in the courtyard from the outside. Contrary to
the outsiders’ imaginations, the courtyard of the Overwatch
Council was a beautiful place. There were lush green lawns,
many tall trees providing shade, and wild flowers growing by
paths paved with stone.

The other officials of the council traveled between the

different buildings in silence. As they saw the black
wheelchair, they all saluted in respect.

Fan Xian would frown occasionally after walking for a bit.

Below those beautiful, artificial rocks, within the fresh green
woods, there seemed to be hidden guards everywhere. The
security of this place was even tighter than that of the palace.

"Familiarize yourself with this place; this courtyard will be

yours soon." Cheng Pingping suddenly said that very casually,
as if throwing a steamed bun at Fan Xian for him to eat.

Fan Xian’s heart skipped a beat. While he knew about the

arrangement, he was still unsettled by how nonchalantly the
old cripple had said it.
 Cheng Pingping turned and gave Fan Xian a look. Shaking his
head, the old man sighed. Fan Xian didn’t know why. The
youth smiled and said, "I have a few questions."

"Let’s hear them." Cheng Pingping, in his wheelchair, was

beside a pond. The pond water was clear and the golden hue of
swimming fish could be seen. Cheng Pingping gazed at the
water.

"I’ve alienated many people because of this year’s

examination, but how come Imperial Censor Guo and Minister
of Justice Han dared to make a move? Do they not fear the
wraith of my father and the Prime Minister?" Fan Xian looked
at Cheng Pingping’s messy hair. "Moving on to the Eastern
Palace, if it wasn’t the prince’s orders, then why is the empress
plotting against me?"

Cheng Pingping didn’t turn. He instead waved his hand. Fei

Jie patted his student on the shoulder, praising his courage. Fei
Jie then distanced himself from the pond.

Taking over Fei Jie’s position, Fan Xian began to push the
wheelchair alongside the pond. After a moment of silence,
Cheng Pingping said, "Are you forcing me to spill everything?"

"You should at least tell me how much they know about us."

Cheng Pingping laughed sharply. "What a cautious youth

you are. Looks like you've guessed some things, and you are
afraid the empress is trying to deal with you over those things."

Fan Xian smiled. "Indeed. If the empress finds out about the
things I guessed, it’s only natural for her to act against me.
That’s the only reason I can think of. If it’s true, then, with my
current power, I cannot stand up against the Eastern Palace."

"Your enemies are all paper tigers," Chen Pingping suddenly

said.

Fan Xian wasn’t expecting to hear that term from the

director, who then said, "That's what your mother used to say.
She also said we must strategically take the enemy lightly and
tactically take them seriously."
 Fan Xian wanted to laugh. His mother didn’t come up with
that quote, but there was no way for the old cripple to know
that.

Cheng Pingping smiled. "Your biggest problem right now is

that you are overestimating your enemies strategically. You’re
even afraid of them. So you tend to find yourself getting tied
up when you do things. Just the other day; even if you fought
your way out of the Hall of Justice, do you think anyone
would dare to hurt you? And when it comes to tactics, you
consider too little. If it weren’t for the Council cleaning up
your mess, some of the things you’ve done after coming to the
capital were enough to have you executed hundreds of times."

Fan Xian was speechless. Chen Pingping gently crossed his

hands and said in a light voice, "Don’t view the Eastern Palace
as being too powerful. In all of Qing, there is no true power.
That includes the Prime Minister and your father Fan Jian."

Fan Xian felt a bit enlightened. "Violence is true power,

which is why only the military and the Overwatch Council are
truly powerful."
 Chen Pingping raised a hand and wagged his long, old finger.
"Incorrect. In Qing, only one individual holds true power."

Fan Xian lowered his head. "His Majesty."

"Correct. His Majesty can ignore everything as long as he

holds sovereignty over the military. His subjects may be
causing all sorts of unrest, but he couldn't be bothered to even
bat an eye."

Fan Xian chuckled. "A very leisurely emperor indeed."

Chen Pingping rubbed his dry hands and slowly said, "The
Overwatch Council belongs to His Majesty. I’m only taking
charge on his behalf. The same will be true of you in the
future. You must remember that."

Fan Xian calmly stared at Chen Pingping, the leader of the

Overwatch Council, Qing’s special organization. He wondered
whether to question the old man’s legendary loyalty to the
emperor.
 The black wheelchair had been circling around the pond for a
while. Perhaps the fish were tired of watching, as they sank
and began to stir the sand on the bottom with their mouths.

The other officials of the Council were watching the Director

and the newly-revealed Commissioner from a distance; none
dared to go and interrupt their conversation. Suddenly, Cheng
Pingping sighed. "Time flows fast. In the blink of an eye, your
mother’s son has grown so much."

Fan Xian did a double take. "Why ‘your mother’s son’? What
kind of saying was that? Why not refer to me directly?" With a
bitter smile, Fan Xian said, "I only regret that I don’t know
what my mother looked like."

Cheng Pingping smiled. "There is only one portrait of your

mother , drawn in secret by a former national master. That
master artist was almost killed by Sir Wu."

Fan Xian asked, "Could that portrait be in the palace?"

 Cheng Pingping didn’t answer him directly. He only said
faintly, "As mentioned before, you don’t need to worry too
much about the Eastern Palace. The empress’s power was
reduced quite a bit by His Majesty over twelve years ago."

Fan Xian knew the story of the capital’s bloody history. He

frowned. "Why didn’t His Majesty overthrow her?"

"She is still the mother of the Crown Prince, and she was
liked by the empress dowager. Most importantly…" Cheng
Pingping gave a fake smile. "Where would our emperor find
another empress as powerless and unwise as she?"

Fan Xian felt a chill as he realized that this emperor really

was no pushover—just as he had surmised. Fortunately, Cheng
Pingping didn’t know that was how Fan Xian described His
Majesty. The director said gently, "Don’t worry about your
identity being revealed. The death of that infant sixteen years
ago is an unchangeable fact in the eyes of the palace. The
unwise empress ordered Minister Han to act against you
because she was taking the Crown Prince’s side. At the time she
didn’t know that you were the Commissioner of the Overwatch
Council. She was merely angry at you for meeting the Second
Prince on his boat."
 Cheng Pingping then became slightly angry. "I believe Count
Sinan told you not to get too close to those princes. Did you
think the nobles in the capital wouldn’t find out about you
meeting the Second Prince on that boat?"

Fan Xian laughed nervously. He didn’t think the empress was

warning him because she feared the Second Prince. At the time,
he really did believe she knew his true identity.
Chapter 179: Small Flower
Pinching off a small pink flower, Chen Pingping carefully put
it in his hair. Seeing it would fall at any moment, Fan Xian
fixed the old man's hair, ensuring that the flower would stay
put.

Chen Pingping laughed joyfully and gently tapped Fan Xian's

hand. "After seventeen years of turmoil, you've finally come to
the capital and finally grown up into a man. Your mother's
wishes have been answered."

Fan Xian had always been curious about "those" years. He

couldn't help but ask, "How many of you were there back
then?" By that he meant: how many powerful people had
followed his mother, wanting to change the world?

"Do some counting."

Fan Xian did. He smiled. "Six."

 "Yes, your mother was most impressive." Chen Pingping
smiled. "Looks like you're a smart one too."

"Regarding the former, Fei Jie told me when I was little."

"Well, I suppose he didn't tell you how much we miss your

mother. From a certain point of view, she was our guide."

"Somewhat surprising." Fan Xian smiled. "But not

unimaginable."

"Be more respectful towards Count Sinan and the Fan clan."
Chen Pingping suddenly became solemn. "They sacrificed a lot
for your sake."

Fan Xian closed his eyes slightly. All those years ago, under
such a dangerous situation, father must have sacrificed a lot to
save his life as an infant and make those in the palace believe
he had died. "Who are my real enemies that I must watch out
for? Thatt crazy Eldest Princess can't be among them; she was
too young back then."
 "Eldest Princess is a pitiful woman. To the royal family, she
spent her entire life in your mother's shadow. While she was
smart, talented, and obtained many benefits for Qing, she was
never able to match your mother in His Majesty's heart. All
that jealousy made her insane. As for your enemies… there are
none, none." Chen Pingping repeated the last part quietly as if
trying to convince himself.

"If I take charge of the Overwatch Council, and then the

palace treasury, I think some people will notice that things
aren't right," Fan Xian said with a smile. "What exactly do you
want me to do?"

Chen Pingping asked lightly, "Don't you wish to be a

powerful minister?"

Fan Xian looked into the old man's eyes calmly. He suddenly
said, "I do. And I know what you are planning."

Chen Pingping's expression remained unchanged. "I hope you

keep feigning that you don't know."
 Fan Xian frowned. "Even though I don't have any blood
relation with them, I still don't want to see too much
bloodshed."

"It's still too early for that," Chen Pingping said quietly.
"Besides, bloodshed tends to always be caused by stupid people
trying to slit others' throats and who ending up slitting their
own instead."

Fan Xian smiled somewhat bitterly. While he respected and

trusted this old man, he still needed to walk his own path. This
Director of the Overwatch Council had cooperated flawlessly
with Fan Xian without meeting him, and done many other
things for him. But should things come up in the future and
spark disagreement between the two, Fan Xian would choose to
act in favor of his own interests.

Chen Pingping waved his hand and frowned, "You should

learn to broaden your views. Don't always pinpoint each
individual official. Learn to see things from a wider
perspective…"

Fan Xian responded with a chuckle, "The sky's the limit?"

 Chen Pingping smiled. "Perhaps even higher than that."

Fan Xian was puzzled and fell silent.

"Go now. Be careful while in Northern Qi." Chen Pingping

coughed and took the small flower out of his hair and gently
kneaded it between his fingers. "Xiao En must die. Of course,
you must ensure your own safety first. Other than that, take
care of those three duties as you see fit. If the situation will
allow it, you can even try to investigate the location of the
temple. After all, so far only Northern Qi's Imperial Advisor Ku
He had contact with it."

Fan Xian frowned. "The temple… That was sudden. I'm not
so sure about this, although I tend to enjoy such adventures."

"So did your mother." Chen Pingping nodded. "But to tell you
the truth, I'm rarely worried for your life. If you don't come
back alive after all Sir Wu has taught you, I will most
definitely show my disappointment during your funeral."
 The old man smiled. He ripped the small flower to pieces and
spread them across the ground. He thought, "The real enemy
isn't one that can be dealt with by you."

After saying goodbye to his mother's dearest old comrade,

Fan Xian returned to the building and met up with Yan Ruohai.
He took some scrolls to study back at the manor. Northern Qi
was currently in an unusually messy situation. Even if Chen
Pingping wanted to use this opportunity to have Fan Xian
officially take over the council, no one could force Fan Xian to
go to that strange country if he didn't want to.

But Fan Xian wanted to.

In his previous life, he was imprisoned in his sickly body,

and now he was imprisoned by his unusual social status. This
envoy to Northern Qi was a rare chance for him to roam freely,
a chance he would never want to let pass. So he diligently
asked Yan Ruohai about all the aspects he should pay attention
to, as well as the people he must take note of.

Yan Ruohai shook his head as he looked at this young

Commissioner, seemingly not able to understand the reason
behind his enthusiasm. "Northern Qi has always been unstable;
both the emperor and empress dowager are too young to truly
rule. But the capital appears to have been stabilized since that
war last year. Sir Commissioner, you must pay attention to
three people. One is Friar He, one is Shang Shanhu, and the
last one, of course, is the rarely-seen Ku He the Imperial
Advisor."

"Friar He?" Fan Xian frowned. Taoism did not exist in this
world. Why was he called "Friar", a title which was usually
reserved for Taoist priests?

Yan Ruohai didn't know why Fan Xian was puzzled, and so
didn't explain. He continued, "Friar He is a master in the Rear
Faction. Cheng Jiushu, whom you slayed, was his disciple.
Shang Shanhu is a rare "tiger general" of Northern Qi who had
been fighting barbarians in the northern tundra. Supposedly,
after Northern Qi's defeat last year, he was moved back to their
capital by the young emperor. Sir Commissioner, you must pay
extra attention to him; the council had been suspicious about
his school of teaching for a while. And Ku He, as one of the
Four Great Grandmasters, shouldn't interfere with such
worldly matters. However…"
 Yan Ruohai frowned. "Ku He took in a secretive disciple who
officially starts training this year. Sir Commissioner, with your
name being so well-known, it's best to watch out for that
disciple."

Fan Xian blanked out for a moment as he inexplicably

remembered those Valkyrie warriors from the novels in his
previous life. "Don't tell me that disciple is a woman."

Yan Ruohai said expressionlessly, "That is unknown. All we

know is that, for the past three months, this Great
Grandmaster's disciple traveled across Northern Qi and dueled
countless high-ranking masters. There is even the rumor this
disciple is a legendary Tianmai being." He looked at Fan Xian
and asked quietly, "You know what that is, correct?"

That word sounded somewhat familiar. Suddenly, Fan Xian

remembered: when he was little, Fei Jie had mentioned it once,
and Eldest Princess said it too while she spoke with Master
Zhuang Mohan.

Hearing Yan Ruohai's explanation, Fan Xian frowned. "A

gifted person with the blood of Heaven and Earth in their
veins, appearing only once every five hundred years. They're
not like growing leeks in a field, where one shoot grows to
replace the one that was just cut off. I don't believe that at all."

Yan Ruohai nodded. "According to our analysis, it is likely

that due to Northern Qi's repeated defeats, they must have felt
the need to create the image of a young individual whose might
is world-breaking in order to boost their people's confidence."

Fan Xian smiled. "Quite likely. Like how the council shaped
my image as a Commissioner… What's the disciple's name?"

"Hai Tang."

Fan Xian felt a headache coming on. "I hope whoever it is is a

pushover, but I definitely hope it's not a woman."

The two then chatted for a bit. In the end, Yan Ruohai looked
at Fan Xian calmly, "Regarding things on my end, I hope you
can be of assistance, Sir Commissioner."
 "I already said so in front of the Ministry of Justice," Fan
Xian answered very seriously. "I will bring you safely back to
Qing."

Walking out of the Fourth Bureau, Wang Qinian, who had

been waiting outside, hurried over to carry the documents Fan
Xian had brought. While Fan Xian's eyes were looking straight
ahead, he said quietly to his "aide", "I will definitely take you
with me to Northern Qi."

"I am grateful for your faith in me," Wang Qinian answered

with a smile. This gilded trip to Northern Qi, had there not
been other arrangements, could have been truly a relaxing one.
No nation in this world would dare to harm an envoy.

Fan Xian shook his head and laughed. "I'm bringing you
because you're the fastest in the Overwatch Council, not
including Zong Zhui, of course."

Wang Qinian smiled uneasily and didn't say anything. He

had just paid Zong Zhui a visit and spent a long time talking
about the past. He and Zong Zhui were once called the wings of
the Overwatch Council. But due to Wang Qinian eventually
moving on to a civil position, Zong Zhui felt greatly frustrated
that Wang Qinian had become rather trivial. Now that Wang
Qinian became Commissioner Fan Xian's aide, Zong Zhui felt
his old friend had returned to his former glory, and was
overjoyed.

The head of the Third Bureau, Senior Disciple Leng, was

already waiting by the secret room. He didn't offer a greeting
after seeing Fan Xian, giving off a cold impression. With the
opening of the door came a gust of wind, which wasn't too fast.
Fan Xian raised his eyebrows as he knew immediately that
places with airflow like this one must have nothing to do with
making poison.

Leng took a look at this junior disciple and suddenly grinned.

"You're well built."

Fan Xian looked at his senior, whom he had just met and
shuddered, thinking "It can't be…?" only to hear Leng senior
immediately shout to the inner room, "Standard!"

Fan Xian froze. A while later, a few people came out from the
inner room carrying a large table. On the table were some
boxes and clothing made from some strange fabric. Those
people who carried the table—there were five or six of them—
were all expressionless as they stared at Fan Xian. Perhaps they
had stayed in this strange bureau for too long and became
numb. But after being debriefed, they couldn't help but show
admiration as they kept on saying to Commissioner Fan, "He
really is well built."
Chapter 180: Chilling Equipment
What those weird officials from the Third Bureau meant was
that Fan Xian’s body conformed to standard proportions; the
equipment they had provided would fit him perfectly without
the need for adjustments.

Fan Xian put on his outfit and frowned as he recalled that

night when he was five years old. Fei Jie was wearing the same
kind of clothes which were very resistant to tearing.

Senior Disciple Leng explained, "It is mildly resistant to fire,

and it effectively reduces damage from bladed weapons. But if
someone is coming at you with a great axe, young disciple, I
advise that you dodge."

Fan Xian smiled bitterly and spread out his arms. The outfit
was in accordance with the newest style in the capital, only it
had a hood on the back.

"I shall be taking your hidden crossbow." Leng recognized the

crossbow on Fan Xian’s left arm with a glance.
 Fan Xian sighed as he reluctantly obliged. That crossbow had
accompanied him for about five years now, rarely leaving his
person.

Boss Leng judged the circumference of Fan Xian’s arm and

opened a box on the table. He took out a small and delicate
crossbow that was painted all black. He carefully put it in Fan
Xian’s sleeve and made some adjustments. Leng then took
another glance at the crossbow Fan Xian just took off. "What a
piece of junk. To think you’re still using a model from seven
years ago."

Fan Xian smiled sheepishly. "It works. I'm not greedy."

Leng carefully explained the mechanism of the crossbow to

Fan Xian: "…This is a repeating crossbow. But due to size
restraints, it only has a capacity of three bolts. Those bolts
have been dipped in poison number four. You should know
what it is."

Fan Xian knew indeed. Poison number four of the Third

Bureau was poison obtained from the golden gourd. It was
potent enough to kill as soon as the bolt drew blood. Fan Xian
tested the trigger with his pinkie and frowned, "I need a range
of ten meters."

"It can only guarantee three meters. At ten meters, it won't

reliably hit the eyes, throat, or groin," Boss Leng said calmly.
"As for your dagger, it’s Sir Fei’s favorite short weapon, and it is
peerlessly sharp. You may hang on to that. Here are also some
unconventional weapons, as well as some tools. Because we
didn’t know what kinds of missions you will undertake, you
must decide what to take."

Fan Xian knew his choices would heavily affect his

operations in Northern Qi, so he took his time to look at his
options before picking out a few items. One of the items he did
not choose was a grappling hook that could be launched over
thirty meters into the air.

One of the officials was curious. He asked, "Sir

Commissioner, while I do not know the details of your
mission, I assume you will have to venture into Northern Qi’s
imperial palace. Their palace walls are no shorter than ours."
 It was a naïve thing to say; very much like something Wang
Qinian would say, in fact. This made Fan Xian laugh. He stared
at the intricately-designed iron claw and shook his head
without explaining anything—in this world, there was yet to
be a person who could scale walls better than Fan Xian.

"Regarding poison, Sir Fei told us that your talents lie far
above the personnel of the Third Bureau, so we did not make
preparations." Leng checked over Fan Xian’s equipment again
and nodded in satisfaction.

Fan Xian said, "But I lack ingredients for making them."

That got Senior Disciple Leng’s interest. "What do you need?"

"Maokouzi, arsenic, strychnine seeds, Southern Sea

camphor."

"Maokouzi is too bitter. It also won't work well in your plan,"

Leng said curiously. "But arsenic and strychnine seeds are very
common."
 Fan Xian smiled apologetically, "With my current position,
it’s really difficult to have people purchase those items for me.
It would draw unwanted attention."

"Then go with some chloroform. It’s a very effective

sedative. Fei Jie created it two years ago." Leng became excited.
"It's better than strychnine seed."

Fan Xian was even more excited. He couldn’t stop nodding.

"But arsenic is a must. I’ve tried it in Danzhou. It's good stuff—
acts faster than poison arrows."

The topic of poison invoked a sort of professional

excitement. The three other officials, also from the Third
Bureau, joined in and began a heated debate regarding which
poison would bring the slowest, most painful death, and which
drug could turn the widow living under the memorial archway
into the most ferocious animal on Liujing River.

All things considered, the Third Bureau of the Overwatch

Council was a bizarre department, occupied by a bunch of
bizarre people.
 After stepping out of the Third Bureau, Wang Qinian noticed
Sir Commissioner Fan wasn’t as steady as usual. His face was
slightly flushed, as if having done some… things.

Fan Xian spoke excitedly: "Acting like a learned scholar every

day is hard work. It’s much better to talk about useful skills at
a place like this."

The bizarre senior member of the bizarre Third Bureau was

currently having a cup of tea. He looked at Fan Xian in the
distance with a satisfied expression.

"How about you stay with the Third Bureau?" Fei Jie walked
with his disciple. "Forget going to Northern Qi, forget being a
minister, forget taking over the palace treasury. A quiet life
here isn’t bad at all."

Fan Xian was silent. He knew his teacher was worried for
him.

"Growing up, you were always quiet. Yet you know very well
what you want." Fei Jie’s eyes became somewhat misty. "After
coming to the capital, your heart has become even more
vigilant. But with things like power, it’s easy to become
intoxicated by them. Are you clear on what you want?"

Fan Xian was silent for a while before answer respectfully, "I
am."

Fei Jie suddenly cackled. "If that’s the path you wish to take,
then you must learn to kill, learn to be willing to kill, learn to
enjoy killing."

Fan Xian held a bitter expression. "I’m not some little

psychopath."

Fei Jie blinked tiredly. He coughed twice and said, "This

world is psychotic. How can you get by if you’re not psychotic
in return?"

Fan Xian, standing in front of Fei Jie, felt he was once again
the little kid from the past. He smiled sweetly, "There are many
different degrees of getting by… By the way, Master Fei, why
did the Director sigh when he saw me?"
 "Hm, perhaps it was out of disappointment. You aren’t as…
prideful as the Lady was."

Fan Xian was troubled. "A real man does not compare himself
to women."

After that, he took his teacher’s hand and went to Yishi

Tavern. Today they would drink to their heart’s content. Now
that the entire capital knew his relationship with the
Overwatch Council, there was no longer any need to be
discreet. Wang Qinian, on the other hand, suffered. He huffed
and puffed as he carried a huge collection of documents. He
knew they were all top secret, so he didn't have the leisure to go
to the tavern. He called a few subordinates to make some
preparations and grumpily headed to Fan Manor.

The Crown Prince sat in Eastern Palace with a gloomy

expression. He tightly gripped the cup in his hand, his fingers
shaking. After a while, he managed to squeeze out a sentence.
"How come all the women in the palace never learned how to
settle down?"
 Vice-minister Xin dared not interject. He knew the Crown
Prince was in an exceptionally bad mood today. The events
that happened these past few days angered everyone in the
Eastern Palace, including the always gentle Taifu.

First it was the spring civil service examination scandal.

That actually caused the Eastern Palace the least amount of
setback. Among the dozen officials who were arrested, only a
few belonged to the Eastern Palace. Though in the eyes of other
officials, the fall of Director Guo appeared to be a huge loss for
the Crown Prince, the prince gradually discovered that the Guo
clan were actually lackeys of the Eldest Princess.

The Crown Prince wasn’t angry over Fan Xian taking down
Director Guo. On the contrary, he was secretly elated.

"No one guessed that Sir Fan was the Commissioner of the
Overwatch Council." Xin Qiwu frowned. He had drunk many
times with Fan Xian. Never did he imagine that Fan Xian, with
his gentle face, would be a senior member of that special
organization.
 Crown Prince Li Chengqian shook his head, his face still
gloomy. "Fan Xian is a sensible person. He uncovered this case
mainly because of his duties. Him not contacting the palace
wasn’t unreasonable. He gave us enough prestige, so I do not
blame him too much. Besides, Wan’er delivered a hand-written
letter from Fan Xian. I believe he was not targeting the Eastern
Palace

Vice-minister Xin had befriended Fan Xian because he hoped

Fan Xian in the Overwatch Council would be a tremendous
source of help for the Eastern Palace. The vice-minister nodded
in agreement, "Indeed. While Commissioner Fan didn’t say
anything beforehand, afterwards he made plenty of amends…
Unfortunately he is to leave for Northern Qi soon. Otherwise I
would have arranged that he meet with Your Highness."

The Crown Prince snorted and put down his cup loudly. He
was enraged. "Even so, dare he still have a change of heart?
News of what happened at the Hall of Justice is now all over
the capital. Even though the Prime Minister and Director Fan
haven’t made a move, they still know about Han Zhiwei's
relationship with us. I fear the Fan clan will waste no time to
loathe the Eastern Palace. Don't even mention them asking us
for help."
 m Xin was silent, he knew the prince was wise in how he
handled this matter. But there were two masters in the Eastern
Palace.

Suddenly, a eunuch’s voice rang out: "The Empress has

arrived!"

Vice-minister Xin gave the prince a look and signaled him to

keep calm. He then saluted the Empress, who had just entered,
before taking his leave.

The Empress stared silently at her son with her thin and
graceful eyes.

The Crown Prince just sat there with a smile, unwilling to

start the conversation.

The Empress bit at her bottom lip. A flash of disappointment

and sadness flashed across her eyes. Suddenly, she raised a
hand and slapped it down!
Chapter 181: Blasphemy
The Crown Prince tilted his head and dodged the incoming
slap. In response he grabbed his mother’s cold wrist and stared
calmly at her.

The empress wasn’t expecting the always meek prince to have

such a sharp gaze. She impulsively shuddered and pulled back
her hand. She said slowly, "Do you believe your mother to be in
the wrong?"

The Crown Prince frowned. "I wouldn’t dare."

The empress suddenly raised her voice, "Do you not know
Fan Xian is meeting the Second Prince on his boat?"

The prince suddenly raised his head and stared directly into
the empress’s eyes. He said calmly, "Mother, will you allow me
to handle these matters? As a leading poet, it isn't unusual for
Fan Xian to meet with Second Prince."
 The empress was angry and frustrated, but she didn’t know
how to respond.

The Crown Prince looked at her and continued: "I have often
wondered; can you not be so sensitive? You will only chase my
potential allies away to join my brothers."

The empress clenched her teeth. "As the mother of this

nation, what’s wrong in punishing a mere subject? Does he
dare to hold a grudge?"

The prince said in faint ridicule, "Mother, you shouldn’t

have let Minister Han do that the other day. There is no way
you would really have Fan Xian beaten to death. Why make
enemies out of the Prime Minister and the entire Fan clan? I
believe Minister Han will lose his standing in a few days. The
number of officials, the ones with real power, who would
willingly get involved with the Eastern Palace are already few
in number, and you just had to stomp on your own foot. I
really don’t know what you were thinking."

The empress frowned. "Han Zhiwei is a proper minister. And

on that day, he was acting under Imperial order. What can the
Prime Minister and Fan Jian do? With the Eastern Palace’s
protection, His Majesty should save face for him."

"Don’t forget; Fan Xian is the Commissioner of the

Overwatch Council, and Lord Father always liked him very
much," the prince spat out. He frowned and sighed. "This time,
Han Zhiwei severely angered too many people. You should
know that it was Lord Father’s idea to rework the examination.
It will be impossible for us to protect him."

The empress jeered, "And you must not forget Fan Xian also
alienated many officials in the capital; even the Imperial
Censorate. Although your aunt is now far away in Xinyang, her
remaining influence will not go idle in the court."

"Do not bring her up." The Crown Prince seemed to dislike
Eldest Princess. "She has been acting so strangely for the last
two years, being so bold as to conspire with Northern Qi. What
happened to Qing’s dignity? As for that Guo-whatshisname of
the Imperial Censorate, he is a mere bookworm; the Eldest
Princess’s toy. Even if he gets assassinated by the Overwatch
Council, she would not bat an eye."
 Despite the fact that the Eldest Princess had been close to the
Eastern Palace in recent years, after Fan Xian’s propaganda fell
upon the capital like snow, even the Crown Prince started to
become wary of her. Of course, there were other reasons as
well.

The empress painfully said, "We have no other help to rely

on; only the Eldest Princess."

"We shall rely on Lord Father," the princess replied calmly.

He, who had always appeared somewhat meek, finally
exhibited political judgement and senses befitting a prince.

The empress slowly closed her eyes, "In any case, I do not like
Fan Xian. He must die, somehow."

The Crown Prince slapped the table in anger. "Die? Did you
forget he is Chen’er’s husband? Please do not listen to
everything the Eldest Princess says. That woman is insane; a
psychopath! Do you know that? Do you want to be a
psychopath and get chased out of the palace too?"
 This enraged the empress. She began to tremble
uncontrollably. Pointing at the prince’s nose, she said in a
shaking voice, "What do you know? What do you know? What
do you know? You… what do you know?" Perhaps what the
prince said really hit the empress where it hurt. She repeated
the same question four times.

The eunuchs and palace girls had already left this heated
exchange. Only the mother and son remained in the Eastern
Palace. After an extremely long period of silence, the empress
stood up. Feeling weak, she swayed. The Crown Prince
immediately stood up and held her steady. Without much
choice, he begged her pardon.

The empress was heartbroken as she watched her son.

Wrinkles already appeared around her graceful eyes.
"Throughout history, the Crown Prince has always had the
most difficult position. You have to watch out for those in
front of you and behind you. There is no one else on my side of
the family. The unrest twelve years ago—I doubt you have
memories of it, but I do, clearly. Things that belong to you, if
you don’t struggle for them, others will take them from you."
 The Crown Prince softened his tone. "I understand. Mother,
please go rest for now."

The empress shook her head. "You don’t understand. You

don’t… I've had this feeling recently that something
unfortunate will happen… Just like many years ago, when that
woman entered the capital."

"Which woman?" The Crown Prince was curious.

At that moment, the heavy doors of the Eastern Palace were

pushed open.

"Who is it?!" the prince asked angrily.

An old eunuch, with his back hunched over, walked in. He

said respectfully, "Hong Sixiang, at your service. I’ve come
under the order of empress dowager to invite the empress to
Hanguang Hall."
 The empress had a fleeting expression of fear before she took
on a bright smile. With the help of some palace girls, she
followed that hunched over eunuch to where the true
matriarch of the palace resided.

The Crown Prince frowned. While he disliked the insolence

of that old dog, he knew that eunuch was the closest servant of
his grandmother. Not even his mother would want to displease
Eunuch Hong, so why would he do anything unnecessary?

As the candlelight started to dim, Crown Prince Li Chengqian

recalled that absurd scene in the Ministry of Justice. Inside, he
was even more troubled; he couldn’t figure out why his mother
was so obedient to Eldest Princess. As soon as he thought of his
young and enchanting aunt, the prince felt a wave of heat rush
to his heart. While he appeared to be slightly fearful, in his
eyes there were faint signs of lust.

He walked to the back hall. Moments later, suspicious

groaning could faintly be heard. As he breathed heavily, he
wondered why all the beautiful women must play such tricks
instead of obediently staying in bed.
 It was spring. The flowers were blossoming and the birds
were singing. Yang Wanli’s group of four—now newly-
appointed officials—visited Fan Manor, hoping to be graced by
Sir Fan’s presence. However, Sir Fan was not in the manor
today. Even more frustrating was that Sir Fan was on official
duty, and was to leave for Northern Qi tomorrow.

Second-degree scholars do not go to the Imperial Academy.

Going by usual customs, they could be appointed anywhere.
With the Board of Civil Office sending an envoy soon, it was
unsurprising that the other three—aside from Shi Chanli—
would come to ask Fan Xian for orders. After all, during this
year’s spring examination, they had gotten to this point
entirely thanks to Fan Xian’s power. So naturally, they believed
Fan Xian would have them do something.

Fan Xian could not meet with them. He left them two letters.
One was for the three newly-appointed officials who had to
leave the capital soon. The other was for Shi Chanli who would
return home to prepare for the next spring examination.

The four sat in Fan Xian’s study. Disregarding any

formalities, they opened up the letters.
 The letter for the three officials had only two sentences:

"Do your best as a person. Do your best as an official."

There was one more sentence for Hou Jichang. Fan Xian
wrote, "Jichang, don’t be so spineless."

That was an inside joke only Fan Xian understood, so the

three new officials focused on the former two sentences. While
simple, they were very true. To be an official, they must first
learn to conduct themselves as people.

Those two sentences had another meaning. It was unclear

which one of them realized it—"do your best as a person" did
not necessarily mean to be a good person, and "do your best as
an official" did not necessarily mean to be a good official.

After reading that letter, Yang Wanli was curious to see Shi
Chanli’s. So far, only Shi Chanli was rather silent.
 A bit unsettled, Shi Chanli opened up his letter. Upon seeing
what Fan Xian had written for him, he almost laughed aloud.

"I know things aren’t going well. Life is decided more by fate
than by men. Do not worry that there will be no friends to
share an umbrella with. Enjoy your time leisurely. "

The last three characters of the letter hinted that Shi Chanli
should wait for Fan Xian's return, as Fan Xian's name was a
homophone for leisure.

Currently, Fan Xian was at the estate he had bought.

Frowning slightly, he ran his fingers across the hollow belt and
felt the pills Fei Jie had given him long ago. His teacher said
that should there be something wrong with his overpowering
zhenqi, those few pills were there to save him. After coming to
the capital, there hadn’t been any mishaps, and Fan Xian
almost forgot about the pills until now. So many years had
passed, he didn’t know if the pills were still effective.

Wang Qinian sat across from him and said respectfully,

"We’ve found the person." Raising his head, he continued, "The
likeness is there. With some careful makeup, there shouldn’t
be any observable flaws from a distance. But the flaws are still
there."

"What flaws?" Fan Xian asked. "Didn’t you say the likeness is
there? It’s been a month. The skin tone more or less matches."

Wang Qinian answered lightly, "Sir, to find someone as

striking and attractive as you among those men is already
difficult enough. Even if the appearance were to match, he still
has to be able to act out your learned, scholarly demeanor.
That would be exceedingly difficult."

Fan Xian was surprised. He jeered, "You're a real joker. Your

skill at brown-nosing is getting deadly."
Chapter 182: Night
That night Fan Xian went home, and having learned that
Yang Wanli and his group had come by, Fan Xian was not
greatly concerned. What he had wanted to say to them was
what he had said in the tavern: he asked them to be good
officials, to love and protect the common people, and to work
to rise through the ranks. Though Fan Xian was not some great
hero of the people, if his own disciples could become such
people, then he would be satisfied. As for any clandestine tasks
he could give them to carry out, that was a matter for another
time.

As he was about to depart, he naturally wanted to meet with

his younger sister Ruoruo for a tearful goodbye, and to warn
Sizhe about the issues of his money-making ventures. He paid
his respects to his father and to Lady Liu, and then returned to
his bedroom, preparing himself for bed, and comforting his
own forlorn young wife... only to find that his brother-in-law,
the simpleminded Dabao, was in his bedroom.

Fan Xian smiled as he chatted with Dabao, and nearby, Lin

Wan'er watched them, feeling somewhat odd. Her husband and
her brother had a strange relationship. She didn't think they'd
have that much to talk about, and she didn't know why Fan
Xian had such a patient temper.
 Some time later, Fan Xian and Dabao put their left hands on
each other's shoulders with a laugh and said something that
sounded like a catchphrase. Finally, Fan Xian had a servant
lead Dabao out.

"What were you saying to Dabao?" Lin Wan'er clutched a thin

quilt miserably as she watched him, pouting as if she were
jealous of her brother. Her bare feet poked out from the hem of
the quilt, snow-white under the golden coverlet. They were
very beautiful.

Fan Xian smiled and sat on the side of the bed, extending a
hand to rub his wife's feet, his fingertips pressing down on her
soft soles. "He was promising little Xianxian that he would be a
good boy when I'm not here to play with him in the capital.'

Lin Wan'er felt an ache in her sole, and heard the play on
words in his terms of endearment, and her snow-white face
suddenly turned red. Even her ears went somewhat rosy. It
seemed she was very pleased. She hurriedly withdrew her feet.
"It's still early, isn't it?" she said timidly.
 Fan Xian laughed. "It's not too soon. Tomorrow I shall be
leaving, and it must be as early as possible."

"I see. Will your father see you off in the morning?" Lin
Wan'er touched her husband - a refined scholar in public, and a
shameless pervert behind closed doors. She didn't know what
to do, and had no choice but to distract him. But she had tried
to distract him too many times.

Fan Xian had long been immune to it. "Your father scolded
me, firstly about the exam hall scandal, and then about the
diplomatic mission to Northern Qi. I don't want to listen to his
and my father's arrangements." In truth, he could clearly see
that his father-in-law was concerned during his visit to the
Prime Minister's manor, but he didn't know what the Prime
Minister was worried about.

As he responded, he slid his feet under the quilt to stroke his

wife's. In a moment, he penetrated the covers, spread out his
toes, and took hold of her soft flesh, leading her to cry out in
surprise.
 In their pillow talk as husband and wife, they would
remember back to their meeting at the Temple of Qing. In the
midst of such sweetness, Fan Xian's heart pounded. He thought
of the grandmaster Ku He of Northern Qi, and he thought of
the Temple of the Void; for some reason, he became serious.

Sensing that he was out of sorts, Lin Wan'er propped herself

up and leaned lazily onto his chest, smiling. "You leave
tomorrow. What else are you thinking about?"

Feeling his wife's hair tickling his own bare chest, Fan Xian
smiled. He put such trivial matters out of his mind, and with a
furtive glance his gaze went past his wife's night-black hair and
greedily fell onto her soft, half-exposed bosom.

Wan'er looked him in the eyes, and felt that her husband's
clear and bright eyes seemed as if they could talk, with their
soft gaze even gentler than that of any average woman. For a
moment it seemed as if they were saying he would miss her,
that they were saying he hated to have to part with her, that he
would return as soon as he could... Hey—how could a gaze
seem to say such vulgar words?
 Following Fan Xian's gaze, she finally realized that her
undershirt had slipped down to her waist, and her top half was
completely exposed. With an embarrassed squeal, she
hurriedly dug under the quilt.

The sight inspired his arousal, and he feigned anger: "We are
husband and wife, and yet you still hide?"

Lin Wan'er's face half-emerged from the blanket, and she

looked at her husband shyly. But there was a shy smile in her
limpid eyes, and her covered lips trembled as she spoke.

Fan Xian couldn't make out what she had said. Her pale bare
foot softly made its way out of the quilt, and her face emerged,
revealing those soft and tender lips. With strands of hair just
falling by them, she spoke bashfully. "My husband, did you not
say before that... you wish to preserve... some... sense of
mystery?"

The erotic scene had left Fan Xian staring in awe, and now
she kept that damnable sense of mystery - he lifted the quilt,
drew her close, and together they watched Venus descend.
 Some time later, after the winds had ceased, the rain had
stopped, and the clouds had scattered, they were tired, Lin
Wan'er finally opened her lake-like eyes. "You must come back
soon," she said tiredly.

Fan Xian's eyes were closed, and he had a satisfied smile on

the corners of his lips. He ran his fingers through his wife's
hair. "Don't worry," he said gently. "I've lived a life full of good
luck. The journey will go just fine."

The next day, outside the prison of the Overwatch Council,

which Fan Xian had seen once before, one of the current heads
of the Overwatch Council stood by the iron gate, his face
expressionless. Fan Xian narrowed his eyes and saw this former
head of the Seventh Bureau, and was somewhat surprised to
see the uneasiness in the man's eyes.

And, surrounded by secret agents and swordsmen of the

Sixth Bureau, a handful of carriages stopped outside the grand
gate. Fan Xian stood some paces away from the carriages, and
found that his Overwatch Council colleagues all seemed
inexplicably nervous. The carriages had all been specially
made, with walls of steel. The horses, whether from tiredness
or nervousness, were panting incessantly.
 With such a tense atmosphere, Fan Xian could not help but
frown. He recalled the rumors surrounding this man who was
about to be released from prison.

Xiao En, spymaster of Northern Wei, had had countless

subordinates under his command, spread throughout the land.
His spies were placed in every nation, skilled in manipulating
the hearts of the people, trained in the use of poisons, toppling
the sovereigns of countless petty kingdoms. Those who died by
his hand, directly or indirectly, were enough to form a
mountain of bones. And most fearsomely, this once-celebrated
spymaster had a world-class mind and many powerful methods
to employ; who knew how many times he had avoided the
blades of assassins dispatched from enemy countries?

At that time, the civilian official most trusted by the King of

Wei was Zhuang Mohan, and the military official he most
relied on was Zhan Qingfeng; but the true pillar of the nation
was Xiao En, who was always hidden in the shadows.

At that time, all of the land was in chaos. Thanks to the

ruthless methods of Xiao En, the nations surrounding the
Kingdom of Qing had been eliminated, which, as well as
greatly expanding Northern Wei's territory, had indirectly
helped the Kingdom of Qing stabilize the country and found
the nation.

But as the Kingdom of Qing slowly rose, Xiao En's dark hand
naturally reached southward. In those years, there had been
chaos in the bureaucracy of the capital. After the demise of the
founding Emperor, the two princes had pit themselves against
each other, and behind this was the work of Xiao En. Northern
Wei's fierce armies were waiting for one of the princes to make
a move against the other, at which point they would ride south
and swallow up the Kingdom of Qing as their own territory.

But nobody knew that just at that moment, a young woman

named Ye Qingmei, along with her young, blind manservant,
entered the capital of the Kingdom of Qing. On the
manservant's back, he carried a black box.

Thus the two princes had mysteriously died, and King

Cheng, the father of the current Emperor, had ascended to the
throne. The Kingdom of Qing had not seen any real damage to
its strength, and the capital gradually settled down; Northern
Wei had missed its best chance to invade.
 And it was at that moment that a man named Chen Pingping
gradually emerged on the stage of history. Chen Pingping had
started as a servant to King Cheng, but for some unknown
reason, he had become King Cheng's trusted aide, always by his
side. And after the unconventional creation of the oddity that
was the Overwatch Council, Chen Pingping had become its
Director, a position he held to this day.

The people did not know what the Overwatch Council was at
first; nor did they know that Ye Qingmei was still working
behind the scenes. They only gradually became aware of Chen
Pingping's ruthlessness and of his dark gifts.

The world's two most fearsome secret organizations

answered to the world's two greatest military powers. As the
situation between Northern Wei and the Kingdom of Qing
became more and more fraught, they began to secretly move
against each other.

One year, the Kingdom of Qing finally took the plunge and
carried out the first northern expedition. This operation,
attempting the impossible, led to miserable defeat by Northern
Wei, the most powerful country in the world.
 In the face of Zhan Qingfeng's cavalry and Xiao En's dense
spy network, the Crown Prince of the time - now today's
Emperor - suffered a series of losses, finally almost dying in the
mountains and rivers of the north. The Black Knights, under
the command of Chen Pingping, had led a daring rescue
mission, clearing a bloody path through the battlefield to save
his life and bring him back. At the same time, hidden within
Shangjing, the capital of Northern Wei, a spy from the
Overwatch Council disseminated rumors and bribed high
officials, framing the High Commander Zhan Qingfeng. After a
series of military operations, a small crack finally showed in
the battlefield of the mountain ranges of the north.

The road home to Qing was long and dangerous, and troops
were caught in dire straits without food or water many times.
Chen Pingping - still young and strapping, unlike today -
stoically gave all of his provisions to the Crown Prince and his
subordinates, choosing to drink horse urine and eat wild
grass... Finally, they were able to return to the capital, but
with only a tenth of the men they had started with.

On the road, they had depended on a female prisoner from

the City of Dongyi to attend to the Crown Prince, who had seen
to his wounds and nursed him back to health. This female
prisoner from Dongyi was the mother of the Great Prince of the
Kingdom of Qing: Ning the Talented.
 Some time later, the people still surmised that some plot of
Chen Pingping's had caused the royal family of Northern Wei
to lose trust in Zhan Qingfeng, but nobody could say for sure.
Even the Empress Dowager could not find out. Only a handful
of people were faintly aware that it was said to have secretly
had something to do with the Empress of Northern Wei.

From that day on, Chen Pingping had the absolute confidence
of the Emperor and the Crown Prince. At the same time, a
rumor spread through the land.

The North had Xiao En; the South had Chen Pingping.
Chapter 183: Xiao En Leaves Prison
The thick iron door slowly opened, its oiled hinges making
no creaking sound at all. But the pressure of the silence made
those keeping watch outside the gate of the Overwatch Council
all the more nervous.

Fan Xian lowered his head slightly. His left eyelid twitched.
The air that flowed out from behind the iron door felt slightly
cold. It was as if this 80-year-old man - who had lived only as a
character in the yellowing pages of history, imprisoned for 20
years - still gave off all the airs that a spymaster would.

The sound of the iron chain scraping against the paved road
was ear-piercing. It got louder and louder, meaning that the
person inside was coming closer and closer to the great iron
door.

Fan Xian lifted his head and looked calmly at the iron door.
He thought about how Chen Pingping, during the Second
Northern Expedition, had led the Black Knights on a daring
surprise raid, kidnapping Xiao En from a wedding he was
attending and secretly bringing him back from Northern Qi.
What graceful skill must it have taken? But as a result of this,
Chen Pingping had also lost both of his legs. This Xiao En was
a powerful man indeed.

After Xiao En had been imprisoned, the Kingdom of Qing

attacked the north once more. After the Third Northern
Expedition, Northern Wei - which had once considered itself
unparalleled on the world stage - was left shattered, fracturing
into numerous petty kingdoms. The family of the military
commander Zhan, who directly inherited the power of
Northern Wei and the majority of its territory, founded a new
nation: Qi.

This was the history of the current nation of Northern Qi.

Commander Zhan Fengqing had been censured despite his
innocence, and Northern Qi had then fallen apart. Finally, the
Zhan family had arisen from these shambles. It was quite a
story indeed.

The spring sunshine softly filtered through the big trees

outside the prison, shining onto the iron door. The mottled
traces of light upon the door also fell upon that old face at the
same time. The sound of the iron chain dragging against the
floor came to a sudden halt, and there was the sound of an aged
sigh.
 The four swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau of the Overwatch
Council held firmly to his chains as if they were facing some
great enemy, keeping their distance from the man in the cangue
fastened around his neck. The man in the collar had a head of
completely white, unruly hair. He looked to be in complete
disarray. His wrists and feet were bound in steel manacles and
leg irons, and yet the clothing on his body was completely
clean.

The sound of the aged sigh had come from his wizened old
lips. "It has been a long time since I last saw the sun," he sighed
again quietly.

This was Xiao En, imprisoned by the Kingdom of Qing for 20

years. Seeing him walk out of the Celestial Prison, the guards
around him felt inexplicably nervous, as if the air had slowly
been filled with the slightly-sweet smell of blood. Fan Xian
frowned. The air around the old man was enough to drive
people mad. The people around him gripped the blades on their
waists tightly, or fingered the triggers of their crossbows,
taking aim at this tall but stooped old man.

There was a muffled cracking sound!

 The former head of the Seventh Bureau, now a cloudy-eyed
jailer, had hit Xiao En in the spine with his stick for no reason!

But Xiao En did not seem to feel a thing. He slowly turned his
head to look at the former head of the Seventh Bureau, and
coughed gently. He brushed the messy hair from his face,
exposing a pair of cold, dark, serene eyes. A croak came from
his withered lips. "Neighbor, we have lived together for 20
years. I am leaving now, and this is how you see me off?"

The former head of the Seventh Bureau slowly closed his

eyes, the hand holding his wooden cudgel drooping down. He
seemed scared of Xiao En's gaze, and forced himself to breathe
as he spoke. "These people are all of a younger generation.
Why should you provoke them? If these children were to
accidentally kill you, I presume you would not be so willing."

Xiao En slowly blinked. He looked at the handsome young

man among the crowd who surrounded him.

Realizing that Xiao En was looking at him, Fan Xian used his
zhenqi to settle his mind, and smiled back at him.
 Xiao En was somewhat surprised. Such a young person, and
yet so calm. He shook his head slightly. "I am leaving the
Kingdom of Qing," he said to the jailer. "I presume you will not
stay inside the Celestial Prison any longer. But I think you hope
for my death. Otherwise I will find a way to repay you for your
20 years of company."

The jailer's face did not change. "I wish you a pleasant
journey. Do not return."

Xiao En hissed with laughter. "I shall return." He looked the

jailer in the eye, speaking each word carefully. "Every
punishment you have inflicted upon me, I shall inflict upon
your children."

The jailer closed his eyes. He knew that if Xiao En could

recoup his hidden power in Northern Qi, then he would make
sure to exact revenge upon him specially. He would have
difficulty keeping his family safe.

Xiao En looked up at the sky and laughed, and the thick iron
chains fastened to him clanked, seemingly also afraid of this
terrifying man who had gained his freedom.
 The gathered personnel of the Overwatch Council were
thoroughly nervous. Fan Xian, hearing the bitter resentment in
his laughter, was not only slightly nervous, but narrowed his
eyes, still completely puzzled as to why the Eldest Princess had
played such a trick.

There was an air of trepidation outside the prison of the

Overwatch Council. It seemed they had sensed the slight sheen
of blood on the wooden collar the man wore.

At that moment, there was a groaning sound, and an

ordinary black wheelchair slowly approached the man in the
cangue.

Fei Jie pushed the wheelchair which Chen Pingping sat in.

The wheelchair rolled quietly, but like a temple bell, it freed

those gathered from their anxious mood. Seeing the Director
arrive, they let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.

Their nervousness in facing Xiao En was because they did not

know what this person - who they had heard of only in legend -
would do if he were ever to escape from prison.

With Chen Pingping's arrival, they felt more at ease, because

the personnel of the Overwatch Council all deeply believed
that as long as Director Chen was there, Xiao En would not be
able to resist them.

Chen Pingping slowly raised his head and looked at the old
man in the cangue. "What are you laughing at?" he said gently.
There was a hint of disdain in his voice, and a hint of curiosity.

The disheveled Xiao En looked at Chen Pingping in his

wheelchair, and suddenly spoke. "I was laughing about your
legs, destroyed by my hand."

Chen Pingping smiled and shook his head. "I thought you
were laughing at your own pathetic life. I've had you locked up
for 20 years. Is there anything else that needs to be said? I am
the victor, and you have been defeated. It is a fact that has gone
down as part of history. And you can never change it."
 Xiao En snarled. His hair, as silver as a blade, scattered
behind him. Furious, he took two steps forward, his iron
chains shaking. The four swordsmen from the Sixth Bureau,
holding the chains fastened to his thick cangue, finally pulled
him to a stop. As they struggled, the dust in front of the prison
was kicked up.

Chen Pingping was not worried in the slightest. He regarded

him with pity. "So old, and yet so angry?"

Xiao En suddenly closed his eyes and faced the sky. Some
time later, he opened them again, and they shone with a frigid
cold light. "Chen Pingping, are you truly daring to let me
return to the north?"

Chen Pingping smiled. "Go back and live out your retirement
in peace. These days, my arms and legs are old. I don't feel like
running so far to capture you again."

Xiao En's voice was as sharp as a knife, his aged timbre was
like a streak of rust, scraping the ears of everyone who heard
him. "My son died by your hand at his wedding. I hope you do
not get the chance to capture me again."
 Chen Pingping beckoned Fan Xian, who walked over with a
smile on his face. The closer he got to Xiao En, the more he felt
his innate coldness, but he did not let it show on his face.

"We are old. What can you still do? Supposing I were to
capture you again..." Chen Pingping smiled. "Xiao En, this is
Fan Xian. He is my successor. He will accompany you on your
journey north. I hope you will not be lonely."

Xiao En leaned to one side, the chains of his cangue and leg-
irons making clanking sounds. Through his hair in front of his
eyes, the old man looked at the young man, this delicate and
handsome young official of the Overwatch Council. He said
nothing for a long time. Fan Xian finally saw clearly the
unfading resentment in the man's eyes.

Pushing the wheelchair, Fei Jie spoke slowly. "Master Xiao

En, the poison at the wedding was my doing. It just so happens
that Fan Xian is my student."

Chen Pingping and Fei Jie both smiled. Fan Xian saw fit to
speak with a smile. "Xiao En, as you are an elder, I shall
accompany you in the days that follow."
 Xiao En chuckled, but there was no happiness in his laughter,
only cold-blooded murder. He had suffered the greatest defeat
of the era, inflicted upon him by Chen Pingping and Fei Jie, but
he had not imagined that his young escort to the north would
be so deeply connected to them. He turned his head slightly to
look at Fan Xian, and spoke slowly. "You are green. You should
take more care on the road."

Fan Xian bowed politely. "On the road, I hope to learn much
from you, sir."

The thin grass on the side of the road was like shards of
jasper. The trees hung low in the air by the side of the
carriages. The silent convoy left the prison of the Overwatch
Council, going along Tianhe Avenue to the north of the city.
Along the road, the city garrison had set up security
checkpoints. The long street was emptied of people, and only
soldiers stood guard. In the distance one could faintly make
out bowmen from the Sixth Bureau, stationed in the high
towers.

The side door to the palace grounds was closed, and vice-
commander Gong Dian coldly watched the convoy go past on
the street from a distance. Suddenly, he spoke. "I rather admire
Fan Xian."

The military officer to his side frowned. "Sir?"

The corner of Gong Dian's lip curled upward. "You have never
had dealings with Xiao En, so you have no idea how dangerous
this is. Fan Xian's name is known throughout the land, and he
is a powerful person with connections to the Emperor. There is
no need for him to take such a journey to Northern Qi. And yet
the boy has the gall to take on such a task... I really do admire
him."

Fan Xian sat in the front carriage of the convoy, resting his
eyes. The real diplomatic mission had left the capital
yesterday. This group of people plus himself—because Xiao En
had been part of Yan Bingyun's secret agreement—had followed
along later. Last night, he had vetoed his family's absurd
notion of seeing him off. His mind was focused entirely on the
mission.

The rocking of the carriage was making Fan Xian sleepy. He

was calculating a number of things. Other than Xiao En, he
was also considering the thorny problem of Si Lili and
Operation Red Sleeve. He finally recalled that the charming
young woman he had once spent the night with was in the
carriage behind them, and he couldn't help but feel somewhat
surprised.

At that moment, the carriage jolted. He knew that the convoy

had just passed over the stone threshold of the city's northern
gate.

A cangue was a large square wooden board fastened around the necks of prisoners in feudal
China. It was often so large that the prisoner would be unable to reach their face to feed
themselves.
Chapter 184: Outside the Capital
Once outside the capital, the sun started to set. The envoy
slowly made its way north along the main avenue, under the
gazes of willow and poplar trees.

The accompanying city guards returned after about nine

kilometers. Guard duty for the rest of the journey fell on the
Commander of Defense. For this diplomatic mission, the most
important vehicles were horse-drawn carriages. There were
dozens of them; other than carrying people, many were
carrying gifts as well.

Xiao En was still in shackles, locked in the second carriage.

In it with him was an official of the Overwatch Council who
took care of his daily necessities. That official was all smiles as
he carefully wiped the prisoner with a towel. The towel was
very soft, it wouldn’t cause any harm to Xiao En’s already
withered face.

"If I catch you and use you to threaten that Fan youth, would
it work?" Xiao En’s old and dry voice rang out with the sound
of chains. He said this in a nonchalant manner, as if he already
guessed the answer.
 The official smiled warmly and said, "Mister Xiao, since they
assigned me to take care of you, of course I am prepared. As a
loyal subject of Qing, if you were to hold me hostage, I could
only ingest poison so that I wouldn’t cause unnecessary
trouble for my higher-ups in the Council."

Xiao En closed his eyes. The chilling aura surrounding him

seemed to be fading a bit. He said lightly, "My hair is too long,
help me tie it."

As they talked, they seemed to be overlooking one thing—

Xiao En was still restrained. How could he do anything to this
official? Perhaps they both knew that once they were far from
the capital, those shackles couldn’t restrain Xiao En forever.

The official walked over to Xiao En and took out a comb from
a small cabinet. He then carefully combed Xiao En’s waist-
length white hair. His hand was incredibly steady.

Many decades ago, Xiao En was one of the few ninth-ranked

masters in the world. Had he not been imprisoned for twenty
years by the Overwatch Council and subjected to torture and
poison, he would have been at the level of a grandmaster by
now.

Even so, an ill tiger is still a force to be reckoned with. From

the way he stepped out of prison, and the natural aura he gave
off, one could tell this old man still had terrifying power.

If Xiao En decided to make a move now, that official would

have no chance of resisting. But with his calm smile, Xiao En
knew his resolve must have been firm. Once captured, he
would immediately ingest poison. Xiao En did not know where
the poison was hidden.

"Is Qing really that good? Good enough for you to happily
accompany a demon like me?" That was something Xiao En
never managed to understand. Despite Qing’s political circle
being equally rotten, the nation was illogically powerful. In
comparison, the Imperial court of Northern Wei split apart,
although it was partially due to Xiao En being captured with
Master Zhan Qingfeng.

The middle-aged official said respectfully, "Should I die, the

council will take care of my family. Once my child turns
twelve, he will be awarded. Besides, I believe Sir Fan will help
my family. He is very rich. This cheap life of mine can be
exchanged for so much. It's a great deal."

Xiao En moved his wrists, the sound of the chains

accompanied his annoyance. "Same old tricks… What is your
name?"

The middle-aged official chuckled, "My name is Wang

Qinian."

Fan Xian opened the curtains of his carriage and looked at

the second carriage of the envoy. He summoned a Tiger Guard
and asked, "How is the person that was assigned next to the
carriage doing?"

What were the Tiger Guards? That topic would have to go

back to when Count Sinan talked with Director Chen Pingping
for the second time outside the palace. In any case, with his
son about to leave to a foreign nation, Director Fan finally
could not hold back the hidden strengths he held and assigned
a detachment of Tiger Guards to the envoy.
 Each one of the Tiger Guards was quite strong. While they
couldn’t compare to the Fifth and Sixth Bureaus, they were
still carefully chosen for the job. Their loyalty to their master
was unquestionable, to the point of being indescribably
ferocious.

Fan Xian had vaguely guessed that his father was actually
taking charge of the Tiger Guards for that emperor deep within
the palace. They might even help to keep the Overwatch
Council, but obviously it wouldn’t be just them doing the
controlling. In order for Count Sinan to dispatch seven Tiger
Guards to follow his son, he must have gotten permission from
the palace.

The leader of the Tiger Guards was named Gao Da. He

answered respectfully, "Rest assured, Young Master. Even
though no one is from the Sixth Bureau, we can guarantee
safety."

Because these Tiger Guards belonged to Director Fan’s private

forces, Gao Da called Fan Xian "Young Master" rather than
"Sir". But Fan Xian still wasn’t used to it, so he laughed.
 The soldiers of the Commander of Defense surrounded this
strange envoy, slowly making their way north. They were
silent in their armor; for them, it was a rather casual trip. But
the leading military officers who knew the details felt
unpleasant. Their silence represented a type of humiliation.

For the past dozen years, under the leadership of the current
emperor, the Qing military had never suffered a single defeat;
winning had become a habit for the soldiers. Last year as well,
in what was deemed to be a "border conflict", Qing had still
been the victor. However, now the victor was forced to back
down—for a severely despicable reason—and return Xiao En to
Northern Qi!

As if given wings, Fan Xian’s propaganda had spread to every

corner of the capital, so those military officers knew about the
Eldest Princess’s detrimental involvement. All of the military’s
dissatisfaction toward the royal family seemed to be focused
on that beautiful yet insane woman.

Fan Xian was still troubled by that—the Eldest Princess,

while insane, was not stupid. What good could she gain by
selling out Qing’s leading spy, Mister Yan, to Northern Qi? If
she had done it only to have Zhuang Mohan come to the capital
to embarrass Fan Xian, there was no way Fan Xian would
believe that; he didn’t believe he was that important.

If the Eldest Princess called for Northern Qi’s aid for the
struggle for the throne, wouldn’t it severely offend the
majority of the military? No matter how one looked at it, this
was not a profitable deal.

The envoy had journeyed for half a day. As the sun descended
behind the mountains, and the light grew dim. The group
stopped by the edge of a vast forest to take a rest. An assistant
officer came up to Fan Xian. According to regulations, the
envoy should stop by the courier station one and a half
kilometers ahead and settle for the night.

Fan Xian shook his head. He ordered to discuss the matter

later and have the group rest here for now. He then got out of
his carriage, stretched his body, which was getting numb from
long periods of sitting, and walked toward the back.

That leader of the Tiger Guards followed Fan Xian in silence,

his hand on the hilt of his long saber. Fan Xian noticed the
length of that saber was a bit absurd, so he asked, "Won't it be
difficult to draw from the scabbard?" Wu Zhu had taught him
the importance of reaction speed in combat. The longer the
weapon, the slower its wielder would react.

Gao Da raised his long saber to Fan Xian and explained,

"There is a mechanism that enables a quick draw. Because of
our guard duty, all seven of the Tiger Guards use these extra-
long sabers. The extra range is all we need."

Fan Xian nodded, signaling to Gao Dao not to follow him. He

had already reached the second carriage. Slightly sniffing the
air, Fan Xian thought he felt a chilling aura and smelled the
faint scent of blood. He smiled as he thought of the possibility
of Wang Qinian going crazy from staying with that old
monster for the entire trip.

As he had expected, as soon as he got into the carriage, Wang

Qinian was standing at the entrance with a pained expression.
"Sir, when may I take a break?"

"In two days." Fan Xian patted him on the shoulder and then
asked, "Did Xiao En make any strange moves?"
 Wang Qinian shook his head and calmly reported Xiao En’s
every move to the young Sir Fan. Fan Xian listened quietly,
knowing all Wang Qinian said would be heard by Xiao En. But
he wasn’t worried. After some time, he told Wang Qinian
quietly, "I’m going in to take a look."

"It’s dangerous." Wang Qinian shook his head in

disagreement. "A sickly tiger is still a tiger. While he may not
be his former self, he was still once a ninth-ranked master. If
you aren't careful and get taken hostage, what are we going to
do?"

Fan Xian replied, "Be at ease. Xiao En is not stupid. We are

not yet ten kilometers from the capital, for him to make a
move now would seal his death." Of course, Fan Xian knew
how scary Xiao En could be. What does it mean to be ninth-
rank? Fan Xian had experienced the power of one through Yan
Xiaoyi’s arrow on the night when he infiltrated the palace.

"There’s still a long way to go. I'll have to see him

eventually." Fan Xian laughed.
 In the dark carriage, the cold Xiao En kept a gloomy
expression. His white hair had already been tied back. Fan Xian
held a small box and entered. "Mister Xiao, the journey to
Northern Qi is a long one. Please have some food and water."

Xiao En slowly opened his eyes. Their cold bitterness flashed

for a brief instant. He smiled and replied, "Please, if Sir Fan
would go through the trouble."

Fan Xian didn’t appear to be afraid in the slightest as he

opened the box with a bright smile. Carefully, he held a pastry
up to the old man’s still-withered lips. He then gave the old
man some water.

There was silence for a while, and then Xiao En suddenly

spoke. "Those poison are useless."
Chapter 185: An Artless Poisoning
Naturally, inside the pastry was an essential, first-rate poison
that Fan Xian had meticulously prepared for the journey
northward.

He presumed that his companion, owing to his identity, also

felt it beneath his dignity to cheat. Seeing that he had seen
through it, Fan Xian gave a pained smile. "I was confident that
this drug powder had no unusual taste to it at all. How did you
detect it, Master Xiao?"

Xiao En looked at him and slowly closed his eyes. "You are a
student of Fei Jie. No matter how you may try to distinguish
yourself, you cannot escape his shadow. I consumed Fei Jie’s
poison in your prison for decades. He and Chen Pingping could
not bring themselves to kill me. They could only use poisons to
damage my body’s meridians. If you had eaten pastries from a
vendor for over a decade, and then one day, that vendor had a
new apprentice who made a pastry, although it might taste of
scallion, I think you would still be able to taste that vendor's
product."
 Fan Xian felt a slight admiration deep in his heart. He sighed.
"Perhaps every vendor's flour and water quantity is different."

"Correct." Xiao En smiled. It was a smile that could make one

feel a chill. "Poison is the same. For an old bastard like me,
sampling poison is not a case of detecting flavor, but simply
feeling with the mouth."

Fan Xian opened his mouth, wanting to speak, though

ultimately just sighed and smiled. "It's like eating poison as if it
were simply plain cooked rice." Since Xiao En had tasted the
poison in the pastry, and yet still ate it calmly, it appeared as
though the poison was useless. "There are three grandmasters
specializing in the poison in all the land," he said with a smile.
"My teacher is one. Another one is already dead. I almost
forgot that you were the third, Mr. Xiao. It appears I rather
overestimated my own capabilities."

Xiao En moved his wrist, and his iron chains clanked. Fan
Xian placed fresh water into his hand. Having drunk the water
bowl dry, Xiao En suddenly closed his eyes and smiled. "If I
wish to relieve myself, then what is to be done?"
 "There is a chamber pot in the carriage."

"The sun is quite nice outside."

"It has already set behind the mountains."

"It is also nice to see the evening sky in the Kingdom of

Qing."

"It gets cold at night. You are old, sir. It is best that you rest
inside the carriage."

The old man spoke softly, his eyes closed, and the young man
replied with a smile. Xiao En opened his eyes calmly. "I have
spent many years in prison, seeing only a crack of light from
the door. Master Fan, will you allow me to go out and look?"

Fan Xian shook his head resolutely. But a smile still hung on
his face. "It is dangerous."
 "I am not dangerous," said Xiao En gently. "Since you have
already reached an agreement with the north, anyone with
even the slightest wisdom would know that it would be my
smartest choice to peacefully follow the diplomatic mission."

"Mr. Xiao," Fan Xian replied calmly, "on the road out of the
capital, the safety of the diplomatic mission throughout its
journey is the responsibility of the city garrison. I think you
can guess why the Kingdom of Qing wishes to exchange you
with Northern Qi. It is quite a humiliating affair. So I am
worried that if you were to get out of the carriage wearing your
leg-irons and manacles, it is possible that a volley of arrows
might suddenly be launched from afar, turning you into the
hedgehog."

Xiao En knew that this young enemy was not telling

falsehoods. He smiled. "Can it be that you do not wish to kill
me? If I return to the north, then within three years, I will
have wreaked unbearable damage upon your nation."

Fan Xian shook his head, his self-confidence showing

through the smile on his handsome face. "I am not of the older
generation, so my respect for you is solely a product of legends.
I never presumed that you would return to the north and cause
as much damage as you did in the past. Of course, if I could kill
you, it would be the simplest way of dealing with you, but by
comparison, I consider exchanging you as a bargaining chip to
be more important. So do not be concerned. I will protect your
life until you arrive in the Northern Qi city of Shangjing and
are handed over to those friends of yours."

Xiao En was silent.

Fan Xian smiled. "Until now, I had no way of precisely

determining your current strength, so I have been extremely
careful throughout the journey. As for you leaving the
carriage, I have enough power at any time to ensure that
should you try to leave , I can respond quickly and
appropriately."

Xiao En smiled, still saying nothing.

Since the secret poisoning had been seen through, and clearly
had no effect, it seemed time for a more uncivilized approach.
Fan Xian exhaled and stood up, stepping over the iron chains
firmly bound to Xiao En's hands, and tied a length of black
cloth around Xiao En's elbow, softly but impolitely patting the
back of his hand.

Then he removed a small box from inside his jacket, opened

it, and took out a sharp and slender needle. The thin syringe
had been skillfully hollowed out. The back end of the needle
bulged. It wasn't clear what material it was made from, but it
could be presumed that it was used to store medicine. Xiao En's
eyes went blood red and he looked Fan Xian in the eye coldly.
Fan stepped steadily closer, carrying the needle.

There was a sudden eruption of a strange feeling in the

carriage. Fan Xian sensed a slight sweetness on the tip of his
nose. The air was filled with the smell of blood, faintly red,
coming from Xiao En's angry body.

The guards and the officials of the Overwatch Council

outside the carriage immediately felt that something was amiss
inside it, and silently rushed forth, drawing their weapons.
Keeping watch outside the carriage, Wang Qinian turned his
head and frowned, then waved his hand dismissively at them
to indicate that there was nothing wrong.
 In the carriage, Fan Xian slowly withdrew the needle from
the back of Xiao En's hand, using a cloth to wipe the tip. He
raised his head and smiled. "Thank you for your cooperation,
Mr. Xiao."

Unsure which acupoint the needle had pierced, and unsure

what drug he had injected him with, Xiao En's astonishing and
imposing manner had already diminished greatly. Even his
face appeared to have become more withered.

"My respect for you is as an elder," said Fan Xian, stooping to

step out of the carriage. "But remember, right now, you are not
the spymaster of Northern Wei, neither are you the one who
struck fear into hearts across the land. You are merely my
prisoner, and nothing more. If you try to escape, I have many
ways to kill you."

"Master, there is no need to be so cautious," said Wang

Qinian, accompanying him as he sat beneath a tree by the side
of the road. He saw the fatigue on Fan Xian's face. "If Xiao En
wishes to regain his freedom, then he should co-operate with
us in passing the border to Northern Qi."
 Fan Xian shook his head. "You don't understand. For
someone like Xiao En, given that he has been imprisoned for
nearly 20 years, what else is there? Look into his eyes. Other
than resentment what else is left? A terrifyingly clear vision,
and a burning ambition. If he only seeks freedom, then he will
cooperate with us. But if he seeks more, he will think of a way
to flee. In the Overwatch Council prison, he was watched
closely, and didn't have a chance. But on this slow road north,
there are too many opportunities. So I want to think of every
single way possible to weaken his strength and his resolve
while still keeping him alive."

"Why does he want to escape?"

"Because the regime now in the north is not the regime of

Northern Wei - the one he served for many years and was even
imprisoned for - but rather that Northern Qi." Fan Xian smiled.
"Although the royal family of Northern Qi is the House of
Zhan, and Commander Zhan Fengqing and Xiao En had good
relations at the time, there has been a change of dynasty. Xiao
En has been imprisoned for many years, and is not sure how
the current northern royal family sees him. If the royal family
of the north considers him to still be of use, then he will be
treated as an honored guest. But if he is of no use, do you think
that the royal family of Northern Qi would be mad enough to
allow such a terrifying spymaster to establish himself in
Shangjing once more?"

Then why does Northern Qi wish to trade Master Yan for

Xiao En?"

"Because of two people," Fan Xian explained cursorily. "One is

Zhuang Mohan, and the other, I presume... is the famous
northern general Shang Shanhu."

"Master, you presume that the reason that Xiao En would

risk an escape is because he does not trust the royal family of
Northern Qi?"

Fan Xian thought of what Wu Zhu had told him, and sighed
quietly. "For people in our profession, no one can be trusted. As
for Xiao En, he undoubtedly has other ideas, but I am unable to
guess at them. All I know is that he must reach Shangjing
alive. It is that simple."

"Where could Xiao En make his move?"

 "Before we cross the border. If we cross the border into
Northern Qi, even if he escapes, he is also the responsibility of
Northern Qi. Since Xiao En wants to have Northern Qi
recognize his position, he cannot break the agreement," said
Fan Xian calmly.

He suddenly stood up. "We cannot go to the relay station

today," he ordered. "We will make camp in the countryside."

His subordinates received his order, and each went to his

own team to organize setting up camp. Wang Qinian looked at
Fan Xian, somewhat puzzled. Fan Xian shook his head. "We
must train ourselves and adapt. After leaving Cangzhou, there
will be no relay stations we can use in the north. We must take
advantage of our closeness to the capital and get the
subordinates used to the situation as quickly as possible."

"A battlefield operation is not playing house." Wang Qinian,

seeing his master's concern, tactfully began to play the
supporting role.

Fan Xian quietly clapped his hands together and waved him
away with a smile. Then he sat quiet and alone beneath the
tree, looking at the carriage and thinking about the old man
inside.

"I hope you don't change your name to Shawshank."

When he had injected him with the needle in the carriage

earlier, Fan Xian had still been somewhat nervous. He didn't
know whether or not Xiao En might have flown into a rage.
After some investigation, he still did not know how much
strength was left in this ninth-level master - one of only a
handful in the world - after his years in prison. But he knew
that before he caught sight of his best opportunity, the
fearsome Xiao En would be honest.

The mountain wind blew past the tree behind Fan Xian,
blowing past the cold wet patch of sweat on the clothes on his
back. Some time later, he stood up, his face expressionless, and
headed toward Si Lili's carriage.

The character "Xiao" in Xiao En’s name is also used to spell the word "Shawshank" in Chinese,
as in "The Shawshank Redemption", a movie about an escaping prisoner.
Chapter 186: Romance in the Carriage
Time can change a great many things, including people's
faces and minds. But there are exceptions. As Fan Xian walked
into Si Lili's carriage, the first thing he saw was a gaunt, pale,
but still beautiful woman. She had been in prison for the
greater part of a year, but it didn’t seem to do any damage to
the complexion that she flaunted on the pleasure boats of the
Liujing River.

When she saw Fan Xian enter, Si Lili felt a slight joy, her eyes
frenetic. It seemed that she didn’t know how to address him,
nor was she sufficiently prepared for this encounter.

Fan Xian calmly looked the young woman in the face. Her
eyebrows were still as supple as willow branches, and her dark
eyes still darted around the room, but her lips had no color to
them, looking somewhat pale.

When the two of them had first met, Fan Xian was the
illegitimate son of a noble who had just entered the city for the
first time. Si Lili was the most popular young woman on
Liujing River. That night, they had caressed each other to the
point of madness, and though it was not true ecstasy, they had
essentially performed the most intimate of acts between a man
and a woman.

But he had not expected Si Lili to be a Northern Qi spy

planted in the Kingdom of Qing; by way of the Second Prince's
invitation, she plotted Fan Xian's assassination with Wu Bo'an.
Fan Xian was lucky to escape with his life. Finally, he had
entered the Overwatch Council, and now had received the duty
of returning Si Lili to Northern Qi.

He calmly looked her in the face, his gaze going from her
eyes to her nose to her lips. Somehow, he found himself
recalling her touch that night on the pleasure boat; although it
did not give him pause, he still felt something indescribable.
After all, before he had gotten married, and apart from a
couple of servant girls in Danzhou, she had been the woman
with whom he had been the most intimate.

"A few days ago, I was passing by the Liujing River on

horseback." Fan Xian gently broke the silence in the carriage. "I
saw that pleasure boat."
 Si Lili was somewhat taken aback. She hadn't expected this
handsome and elegant young man to start off with that sort of
opening remark. She had fully believed that what was to
follow would be a solemn conversation.

Fan Xian laughed. "It's already in ruins, but I don't think you
much cherish the memory of the place anyway."

Si Lili smiled, a little embarrassed. "We are but duckweed,

adrift on the waters. Please, do not mock your servant, sir.

"I do not like to hear the words 'your servant'." Fan Xian
looked into her bright, intelligent eyes and smiled. "Some
things in life are truly remarkable. You once wanted to kill me.
Such was your mission. Although I cannot forgive you, I also
have no prejudice against you for this. I told you in the prison
of the Overwatch Council that if you provided me the name of
the mastermind behind it, I would find a way to let you live.
But I must tell you clearly, I made no effort to have you
returned to Northern Qi. So there is no use in thanking me."

Slightly startled, Si Lili raised her head, her lips slightly

parted, wanting to speak but saying nothing. She was less and
less sure of this young man - at one moment pure and amiable,
the next cold, dark, and frightening. Why did he want to say
such things?

"From the day you left prison, we became colleagues." Fan

Xian sat down beside her and leaned in relaxation against the
side of the carriage. He could smell a faint fragrance, and he
knew that it was her own bodily scent. He inhaled it,
appreciating it. "I do not know what agreement you have with
Chen Pingping. But since he believes you are trustworthy, then
I trust you. I hope that you can trust me, and we can carry out
Operation Red Sleeve."

Si Lili grasped the green sleeves of her garment with her

hands and softly bit her bottom lip, unsure what to say.

"Will you massage me? I'm on edge every day. I don't know
when that old bastard in the front carriage might explode.
There's a lot of psychological pressure." Fan Xian wasn't lying.
He really did look exhausted.

Si Lili let out a slight noise of acknowledgement and leaned

to one side, kneeling on a soft floor cushion. She carefully
placed her supple, gentle hands on Fan Xian's head and began
to slowly knead his temples.

Fan Xian closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of comfort

radiating through his skull and the gentle touch of Si Lili's
fingers. Unthinkingly, he sighed.

"What is it? Do you feel heavy, sir?" He didn't know what

methods Chen Pingping had used, but Si Lili seemed
completely unlike she had been in the prison - desperate and
stubborn - and instead had returned to the way she had been in
the pleasure boat: tender and charming. Her voice penetrated
Fan Xian's heart.

"I was just thinking of punishments," Fan Xian said gently.

"In truth, I was worried what damage they could do to a young
woman's beautiful hands."

Si Lili's fingers stopped at his temples. After a long while, she

spoke quietly. "People who have had a hard lot in life are not so
easy to break."
 "There is no need to be resentful. It's of no benefit to our
agreement in Shangjing," said Fan Xian calmly, his eyes still
closed. "You wanted to kill me, I only wanted to punish you.
When you look at it, you owe me."

Si Lili gently bit her bottom lip once more. The points of her
pearly white teeth pressing down on her lip looked utterly
beautiful. There was a soft light in her eyes. "Your s... I do owe
you, sir. You could take me back at any time."

"Take you? Like I did on our first night?" Fan Xian opened his
eyes, filled with mischief.

Si Lili opened her eyes that fixed on him with a tenacious,

unyielding look. There was a long silence. She looked at this
handsome and elegant young official, and found herself
somehow recalling the shameful events on the pleasure boat.
She felt a sudden weakness in her body, and slowly leaned to
one side onto Fan Xian's shoulder, her fingers still massaging
him. "All the women of the world have had a hard lot in life. I
don't know how you are preparing to take me."
 That night on the pleasure boat, Fan Xian had used knockout
drops and aphrodisiacs, and Si Lili had reacted strongly. It was
engraved in her memory to this day. Then, in the prison, Fan
Xian had punished her without even a hint of remorse, his
heart full of hatred and many other odd feelings.

Fan Xian became aware of the softness on his right shoulder,

and knew, without thinking, that it was Si Lili's soft bosom. He
presumed that she wanted to seduce him, and he took a deep
breath to calm himself. As he did, he unexpectedly inhaled her
faint scent, and his heart skipped a beat. He turned his head
with a smile. "So where did that Si Ling end up?"

"Still locked up in the capital." There was no expression on Si

Lili's face. It appeared that Si Ling was not a true friend of
hers.

Fan Xian was increasingly curious as to what Chen Pingping

could have done to make Si Lili heed the orders of the
Overwatch Council. He thought for a moment, then frowned.
"You are not pathetic, young lady. At least the young Emperor
of Northern Qi still always keeps women in mind."
 Si Lili creased her brow and sighed. "One cannot win people
over with beauty forever."

"That's something I doubt too," said Fan Xian with a smile. "I
don’t know if you’re able to speak of your past with Emperor of
Northern Qi in detail. It is best if we arrange for you to enter
the palace after we have arrived in Shangjing."

This so-called Operation Red Sleeve, as Fan Xian saw it, was
merely copying the story of Xi Shi entering the Kingdom of
Wu. From the terms of this secret agreement, he could see that
the Emperor of Northern Qi and Si Lili truly had some feelings
for each other; otherwise they would not have stressed the
importance of her return. But Si Lili was of low birth - even if
Northern Qi respected her service to the country, they could
only show respect, nothing more. Compared to the Kingdom of
Qing, Northern Qi placed even more importance on one's
bloodline and the circumstances of one's birth. They could
never allow a woman who had once been a prostitute to enter
the palace.

Si Lili seemed unwilling to discuss matters of her past. She

simply lowered her head. "Do not worry, Master Fan. Simply
get me into Shangjing. Everything after that will be for the
Emperor of Northern Qi to worry about.

Silence fell upon the carriage once more. Fan Xian sat by her
side, smelling her faint scent. For some reason, he felt some
regret at separating from her touch. He sat in silence for some
time before he finally spoke. "You had best get some rest."

To his surprise, she suddenly spoke at the same time. "Sir, do

you want me to massage you some more?"

"That would be fine," replied Fan Xian quickly.

"Very well." There was a trace of disappointment in her

response.

After this odd exchange, they both found that a strange

atmosphere had fallen upon the carriage. It seemed they could
both vaguely sense something. A warm darkness began to
ferment in the air.
 Si Lili bit her lower lip once more and kneeled on the pillow,
her hands kneading Fan Xian's shoulders, secretly using her
strength. She did not want to be alone in the carriage, and so
she was willing to debase herself in attending to... this enemy.

There was a slight smile on Fan Xian's face as he enjoyed the

soft touch of the woman behind him. Not only did she not hold
a grudge, she made great effort to fawn on him. Why? Could it
be... she had fallen for him? As soon as he thought of it, he
immediately wanted to slap himself around the face. Although
he was Pan An, he reminded himself, he was not the kind of
brute to release an aphrodisiac into the air.

Why did he want to stay in Si Lili's carriage? Fan Xian

frowned, and tried to think of a persuasive answer. Perhaps he
was uncertain about this trip to Northern Qi. Perhaps it was
because Xiao En was not easy on the eyes. Perhaps... it was
really nothing. He was an ordinary man, and Si Lili was a
beautiful woman whose naked body he had once touched. It
was only normal to want to stay with her.

Fan Xian did not linger too long in his fantasies. He knew he
was a lech, but he was also a person of unswerving
determination. He would not allow himself to be trapped by
tenderness, unable to free himself. He let Si Lili massage him,
just to rid him of some of his fatigue, then he left the carriage.

Wang Qinian came to greet him, and accompanied him as he

walked to the rear of the convoy. "Sir, be wary of who may be
listening or watching. After all, we want to deliver Si Lili to
the Emperor of Northern Qi. If you are going to spend so long
in her carriage, then make sure the subordinates are dispersed
first, so as not to allow rumors to spread throughout
Shangjing. It will have an effect on your future plans."

Fan Xian knew that his aide had gotten the wrong idea, but
he explained nothing, and simply rubbed at his temples.

Pan An, a young prodigy and poet, known for being one of the most handsome men in Chinese
history.
Chapter 187: Operation White Sleeve
Having left the capital, the diplomatic mission immediately
quickened its pace on the road. No longer under the
contemptuous and distant gaze of the garrison commanders,
the members of the diplomatic mission, including the officials
of the Overwatch Council, seemed to be more at ease.

It was March, and as they headed north, the remarkable

spring scenery became more and more prominent.

Each county had its own local government office that greeted
them. They all knew that the diplomatic mission was headed
for Northern Qi, and so no local official dared to slight them.
What was more, among the officials of the diplomatic mission
was the illustrious Master Fan, so every official who greeted
them was particularly attentive. Although they did not dare
delay the mission's schedule,, there was always a great banquet
and good company at every stop, and endless flattery of Fan
Xian at the banquet table.

It was at this point that Fan Xian finally realized just how far
his reputation had spread throughout the Kingdom of Qing. He
could not help but feel elated, and at the start he could not say
no to each banquet. But as they continued on, he inevitably
grew tired of them, and each time he had to repeat his oath
that he would no longer write poetry. It was quite
troublesome.

Wang Qinian quite enjoyed the whole thing; he found the

elegant dancing of the singing girls at the banquets was very
entertaining. At each stop, the local magistrate would make
extravagant arrangements for the company of local escort girls.
Every night was ecstasy, and the things they got up to far
surpassed anything he could have done with his aging wife
back in the capital.

But these sorts of arrangements did not interest Fan Xian,

because the diplomatic mission included one woman who even
the Emperor of Northern Qi thought of constantly: Si Lili, the
most beguiling woman in all the capital.

So Fan Xian gradually lost interest in attending the banquets,

only stopping to chat with those high officials who were old
friends of his father. More often he stayed at the diplomatic
mission's encampment: he could keep a close watch over Xiao
En, and also spend more time in Si Lili's carriage.
 Counting on his fingers, they had left the capital around half
a month ago. In that half month on the road, Fan Xian had
spent most of his time in Si Lili's carriage. He was also getting
rather tired of spending time with all the men and their jokes;
how could it compare to talking with a beautiful woman?

Si Lili carefully peeled the skin and scraped the pith from an
orange before placing the flesh into Fan Xian's mouth.

Fan Xian was the most senior in the diplomatic mission, and
the officials of the Overwatch Council followed him and him
alone; the Tiger Guards were even more devoted. No matter
what he did, no one would dare say a word.

But as Fan Xian closed his eyes and slowly chewed the
orange, he found himself somehow thinking of his sister. In
the capital, Ruoruo had also often fed him oranges. Then he
thought of his wife Wan'er, left at home. His eyes opened
slightly, and through a gap in his eyelids, he secretly watched
Si Lili as she prepared the oranges. He began to feel somewhat
uneasy.
 In truth, on this journey, he and Si Lili had not done
anything; they had simply talked and eaten fruit to while away
the boring hours. They rarely even brought up the matter of
making arrangements once they had reached Shangjing... Of
course, occasionally there was the massaging of tired bodies,
the holding of hands, the watching of scenery outside the
window.

"What are you thinking?" Seeing Fan Xian's dumbfounded

look, Si Lili smiled sweetly. In these days of contact, all she
had seen was Fan Xian's gentle and exquisite face. She had
faintly forgotten the horrors of being taken advantage of as a
feeble woman in the Celestial Prison. The young woman
seemed to like the feeling of sitting and chatting in the
carriage. Deep in her heart, she secretly wished the trip would
never end.

"I was thinking, uh... you've recuperated pretty well over the
past few days. Your figure is coming back." Fan Xian teased her.
"When I touched you once we'd just left the capital... it made
my hands hurt."

Si Lili blushed slightly. "Then don't touch me."

 Fan Xian smiled and took her hand, grasping her wrist and
pulling her into his embrace. His palms slowly caressed her
body. "Don't you like it?" he said quietly.

"I was born under an ill-fated star. After all, I was bullied by
you, drugged by you in the pleasure boat, tormented by you in
the Celestial Prison, and now in this carriage, I cannot escape
your clutches..." Si Lili said all of this while leaning on Fan
Xian's chest. The young man's embrace was gentle and warm,
and she didn't want to leave. She felt his hand parting her
clothing and moving onto her buttocks. Her heart skipped a
beat, her crimson lips parted slightly, and she breathed into
Fan Xian's ear.

Fan Xian's ear turned warm and tickled, and he unthinkingly

put more weight into his palm.

Si Lili spoke gently, her flattering voice soft as silk, quietly

gasping in his ear. "Do you want me? In any case, there's no
happy ending for me in Shangjing."

Some time later, Fan Xian left the carriage with a strange
smile on his face.
 There was a poison in Si Lili's body, a slow acting drug. In
the past few days of their close contact, Fan Xian had
ascertained this early on. It seemed that the Overwatch
Council had planted it in advance.

The poison was one that Fan Xian had seen in the book Fei
Jie had left him, but he had never seen it in practice. The
poison would slowly spread through the woman's body, and
then could be spread by contact with a man. All that was
needed was for the Emperor of Northern Qi to be intimate with
Si Lili, and then he would contract the poison. The symptoms
would look just like a sexually transmitted disease.

No wonder Chen Pingping had been so serious about the

matter. Operation Red Sleeve was not a copy of Xi Shi's
infiltration of the Kingdom of Wu. It was a poisoning plot.

The poison was not untreatable, but it could effectively

weaken the target's body and nerves. Just think. If Si Lili was
truly a favorite of the Emperor of Northern Qi, after their
nights of passion, perhaps he would very quickly fall ill. The
factions of the royal court of Northern Qi were gravely
opposed to each other. If he were to fall gravely ill, perhaps the
political situation of Northern Qi would fall into chaos once
more.

Fan Xian sighed. Si Lili knew that there was poison in her
body, but she presumed that it was only a way for the
Overwatch Council to control her. She didn't know that she
could transmit it to the men that she liked.

He felt somewhat uncomfortable about the fact that Chen

Pingping had not told him. If he had not felt that something
was strange during his close contact with Si Lili, then he would
not have discovered it. Of course, even if he had contracted the
poison, he could treat it quickly, but this feeling of secrecy was
still not good.

"Operation Red Sleeve?" He sat in his own carriage and

laughed bitterly. "So it's operation White Sleeve. A conjuring."

He knew that compared to Chen Pingping, Fei Jie, and even

Xiao En in the carriage behind him, his methods were not cruel
enough and his heart was not cold enough - Si Lili was only a
chess piece that could be thrown away at any moment, but he
didn't know what Chen Pingping could have promised her that
would make her blindly willing to be such a pawn.

But what really surprised Fan Xian was something else. It

was the real reason that nothing had happened in all their days
of close contact.

Si Lili was still a virgin.

The diplomatic mission had reached the northern region of

the Kingdom of Qing, and before them stood the kingdom's
northernmost city - Cangzhou. Looking at the vast expanse of
city from a distance, Fan Xian narrowed his eyes. The sky had
become somewhat darker and the north wind was strong,
dispelling the spring air in all directions. The heavens were
covered by a canopy of black cloud; it was ominous weather.

Finally, the county guard responsible for escorting them

came forward to salute them and began to turn back, leaving
behind their own convoy. Although the convoy was long, in
the wastelands outside the walls of Cangzhou, it still looked
rather tiny and pitiful.
 "How long does it take to reach the border after setting out
from Cangzhou?" Fan Xian narrowed his eyes, looking at the
northern horizon.

"We're going around a big lake, so it's rather longer," replied

Wang Qinian respectfully. "At least 20 days."

Fan Xian frowned. "The real danger will be within those 20

days." He turned his head to the side and looked at the still-
quiet carriage. "How is Xiao En now?"

"You have injected him with poison every day, and I presume
he is taking great efforts to dispel it, so he has been calm. He’s
been quiet these past few days It seems he is thinking of
something."

"Be careful." Fan Xian sniffed the air, seemingly smelling the
thickening odor of blood from the carriage.

"Yes sir. The county guard has retreated, and I am not put
greatly at ease by the Cangzhou garrison. You know full well,
sir, what happened the last time Si Lili was escorted back to the
capital."

Fan Xian smiled. "Do not be afraid. Passing through

Cangzhou will be the least of our security concerns. What I am
worried about is issues from within the diplomatic mission."

As soon as he had said it, a cavalry attachment appeared over

a low distant hill in the wastelands. There were around 500
men, all wearing black armor. In the dim sunlight, they
conveyed an air of cold menace.

Wang Qinian smiled. "So the Black Knights have arrived. We

have nothing to worry about."

The wind whipped past them, and the stones on the ground
rolled slowly along. Wang Qinian and Fan Xian prepared to get
into their carriages and head toward Cangzhou. Fan Xian
suddenly paused and slowly turned around. Si Lili had already
left the carriage, and stood by its side, looking at him with a
frustrated glare.
 "Have someone give Miss Si some more clothes. It gets colder
the further north we go. This spring is damned late in
arriving." Fan Xian looked calm as he spoke, but his heart was
pounding; he had barely entered Si Lili's carriage at all these
past few days.

Wang Qinian looked at Fan Xian a little strangely, then

waved a hand to set his subordinates to work. There were three
handmaids in the diplomatic mission; they were there to wait
on Si Lili as a future woman of the Emperor of Northern Qi.
But Fan Xian had spent so much time in the carriage over the
past few days that those three women could only follow behind
the convoy. A little while later, the handmaids came to Si Lili's
side, and gave her a purple-red cloak before urging her to
return to the carriage to rest.

Si Lili allowed them to fasten the cloak to her, but she did
not return to the carriage. She simply stared calmly at Fan
Xian, seemingly trying to find something in his face.

The distant black riders approached the feeble woman in the

purple-red cloak. The dull sun hung in the sky. It was a
beautiful scene that made one feel powerless.
A reference to an internet novel called White Sleeve Contamination, which involves a woman
who dies after falling in love and being spurned by a crown prince who gives her poisoned wine,
and comes back as a powerful vengeful ghost in her own body.
Chapter 188: Learning from Xiao En
Having left Cangzhou, the diplomatic mission was escorted
for a distance by the Black Knights, slowly and steadily making
their way north. Northern Qi was not truly to the north of the
Kingdom of Qing, but rather to its northeast. Between the two
countries lay a great number of powerless vassal states. On the
eastern shore lay the largest city in the land and its most
prosperous seaport - the City of Dongyi.

The route the diplomatic mission had chosen did not go

through the vassal states, because the more cities the route
passed through, the harder it was to be on guard. Of course,
the implementation of this secret agreement between the two
countries could not pass through the City of Dongyi either. If
the once-demented Sigu Sword were to descend into madness,
then it could provoke a war between all three states; who
would want to be responsible for that result?

So the diplomatic mission crossed north of the wastelands,

then made its way eastward around a great lake. Although the
route was much longer, it was also much quieter. Save for a
few horse thieves, there was unlikely to be anyone strong
enough to cause them harm.
 The journey was quiet. Xiao En was quiet, as was Si Lili.
Even Fan Xian, the most important person on the diplomatic
mission, kept quiet. Each person had their own reason for their
silence.

Fan Xian withdrew the fine needle from Xiao En's hand,
carefully looking over the old man's always-weary face. Xiao
En suddenly opened his eyes. The cold light in his gaze hit Fan
Xian's face as if it had taken physical form. He smiled. "The
younger generation are brazen, not caring who sees them."

"I have a question," said Xiao En, slowly closing his eyes.
"Why do you bind my elbow with cloth? I can guess that it
makes my veins more prominent. But is it really necessary that
you go to such trouble to pour this poison into my veins?"

"It is." Fan Xian smiled. An intravenous injection, of course,

was a much faster method of administering poison than
putting it in food. No one in this world knew methods for
intravenous injection, but that didn't mean that Fan Xian
didn't. For the fearsome Xiao En, normal poisons had had no
effect, and his zhenqi was formidable indeed. Only intravenous
injection could have any effect. Xiao En frowned, and after
some time, he suddenly spoke. "This method seems somewhat
familiar, and I will admit that it is indeed effective... it is a
shame that I have gotten so old that I have forgotten who it
was."

Fan Xian's heart skipped a beat, but his face showed no

response. He smiled. "Think back in your own time, Mr. Xiao."

"Those riders in the distance are Chen Pingping's minions,

correct?" Xiao En suddenly spoke.

Fan Xian was taken aback. There were no windows in the

carriage, and he was separated by a thick layer of steel. For him
to be able to know that the distant Black Knights encircled
them was truly rather remarkable. "They are the Black
Knights," he replied gently. "The descendants of the ones who
made that daring dash years ago." He was referring to Chen
Pingping's leadership of the Black Knights years before, when
they had kidnapped Xiao En from his son's wedding and
brought him back to the Kingdom of Qing.

It had been Xiao En's greatest humiliation, and had left him
incurably wounded.
 "When are you preparing to kill me?" Xiao En spoke casually
again, without a hint of emotion in his voice.

It was a sudden change in questioning, suggesting some kind

of hypnosis. An ordinary person might perhaps have
unthinkingly fallen into the trap - but Fan Xian was no
ordinary person. "What?" he said, somewhat astonished.

Xiao En smiled, a faint redness in his narrowed eyes. "I think

Chen Pingping does not want me to return to the north."

Fan Xian shook his head. "I am not in the habit of thinking
about my superiors' motives. I simply wish to do my job."

"You are a fine young man." Xiao En looked at him calmly

and slowly moved his wrist, placing his heavy iron chain onto
the table.

"What makes you say so, Mr. Xiao?"

 "We have travelled for many days, and although you spend
much of your time in that young woman's carriage, you do not
allow your fondness for her to blind you to your duty." Xiao En
spoke indifferently. "Most importantly, you have not ceased
practicing every day, morning and evening. Your willpower is
far greater than mine, even in my youth."

Fan Xian smiled. "I work to compensate for my limited skill. I

know that my strength is not great and my innate gifts are not
enough. Naturally, I must practice."

Xiao En shook his head. "Your innate gifts are very good and
your powers are strong. But you have never challenged true
strength by yourself, so you have had no way to rouse the true
strength of the zhenqi within you."

Fan Xian looked calmly at the old man's withered smile. His
eyes were deep as wells. He couldn't help but think - what if the
old man was the first truly powerful person that he could
challenge alone?

Having left Cangzhou, the diplomatic mission was under the

jurisdiction of the northern army. Their camp was 50
kilometers away from this stretch of grassland. Fan Xian did
not wish to cross paths with the ninth-level master Yan Xiaoyi.
The mission took a roundabout route, and in any case, they
were under the escort of the Black Knights, so he presumed
that no one would dare try anything. Over the past few days,
scouts from bands of mountain outlaws had tried to discreetly
spy on them, but the Black Knights, watching from afar and
leading from the front, had scared them back into the
mountains, from which they did not dare to emerge for
months.

Xiao En was still quiet. Si Lili was also quiet, and gradually
looked increasingly thin and pallid.

Fan Xian looked coldly at the two escorted prisoners, unsure

what he was feeling. Over their days together, for some reason,
he had developed pity for Si Lili. Firstly, he pitied her lot in
life, and secondly, he pitied her fate. But Fan Xian trusted his
own willpower. He would not save a little only to lose a lot. If
something really happened between himself and Si Lili, then it
would cause great problems for the Overwatch Council's plans
in Northern Qi.
 He didn't know how the young Emperor of Northern Qi knew
that Si Lili was still a virgin. But if he were to discover that Si
Lili had already lost her virginity, then Operation Red Sleeve
would be of no use at all.

But Fan Xian did not much want to look at Si Lili's somewhat
frustrated face. It seemed that the grasp she had on him was
not that strong, so he did not go back into her carriage, and
instead spent more time in Xiao En's carriage, gaining news
and gossip about the past years from the seemingly-silent old
man, insider details from around the country. On one hand, he
truly learned much from the once-terrifying spymaster; on the
other hand, Fan Xian did not want to give Xiao En too much
time to arrange things in secret.

As the journey carried on and the air outside got colder, the
conversations between the shadowy figures of the old man and
the young man gradually turned from the old Kingdom of
Northern Wei to current affairs.

"No one can truly unite the land," said Xiao En casually,
looking at him. Over the days, he had gradually warmed to Fan
Xian's conversations with him. This young official Fan Xian
was a fine conversation partner.
 "The Emperor of Qing once had two opportunities. One was
after the Third Northern Expedition." Fan Xian frowned. "The
strength of the Qing army at the time was enough to head
north and eliminate Northern Qi."

Xiao En shook his head. "At that time I was already in prison,
and had not heard such news. But hearing your explanations
over the past few days, I think there could only have been two
reasons why the Emperor at the time suddenly halted his
advance. One reason is problems in the internal politics of the
royal court. The other was that he met with powerful
resistance that made him decide that hastily heading
northward was a risky idea."

Fan Xian thought for a moment. At that point, the incident

with the Ye family had yet to erupt. The royal court was
entirely under the control of the Emperor and his mother; by
all logic there should not have been any internal strife. As for
external enemies... he frowned. Could there really have been
anything in the world with the strength to stop the advance of
the powerful Kingdom of Qing?

"The temple." Xiao En seemed to have guessed what Fan Xian

was thinking, and gave him an answer.
 Fan Xian shook his head. "An illusory target would not be
enough to stop men's ambitions or lust for power. For an
Emperor, the lure of uniting the land and making the four seas
as one would be too great."

Xiao En smiled in agreement. "With many years of war

between north and south, even if Qing to the south were to
defeat Qi, if they wanted to truly stabilize the situation and
wipe out all remaining power, it would have taken over a
decade. What's more, do not forget the City of Dongyi... the
place in the world with the highest concentration of ninth-
level masters. Although their power is not enough to defend
themselves and expand into new territory, if they make
alliances, they can still cause chaos under the leadership of
that idiot Sigu Sword."

"A triangle is most stable, and the three nations are like a
three-legged vessel. It is truly the most stable infrastructure."
Fan Xian nodded. "Even if the three powers have their own
strengths and weaknesses, if any wanted to break the
equilibrium, then they would be the one to suffer the greatest
loss."
 "The royal court of the Kingdom of Qing is the same." Xiao
En looked at him with a smile that was not a smile. "The
Emperor, the officials, and that one you said was mad, but is in
fact treacherous: the eldest princess. They form a triangle, as
you say. Whoever wishes to break the balance will come to
harm."

Over the past few days, Fan Xian had not refrained from
discussing matters of the Qing court. There were no secrets. If
that old man did not die after reaching Northern Qi, he had
plenty of ways to find out.

Fan Xian's temples began to ache. For some reason, he began

to remember Si Lili's gentle touch. "If everyone were smart
enough, then they would keep the balance as it is."

"Impossible." Fan Xian looked at him. "Because you moved

first, your opponent must react. I wager that the capital has
already become a complete mess. In bringing me to the north,
you were lucky to miss such chaos. It's rather a pity."

Fan Xian was shocked. Then he listened intently as Xiao En

began to give a dispassionate analysis of the situation in the
capital.
Chapter 189: Silent Killings in the
Capital
The capital was warmer than the northern regions. The signs
of spring could be seen awakening the flowers on tree branches.
Every night, lights from tens of thousands of households
illuminated the bridges and rivers. It was a bustling scene; the
perfect time to enjoy the spring.

When the day came, the capital was a bit quiet. Civilians and
officials alike felt sleepy and didn’t want to move much, so
there weren’t too many people on the streets.

Past noon, a scholar with a gloomy expression came into the

capital from the eastern gate. With him was a married woman.
From their expressions and actions, they didn’t appear to be
mother and son. Instead of settling at an inn, they went
straight to an inconspicuous house to the western side of the
capital. Only a few people knew the real owner of that house
was an Imperial Censor.

One cannot prevent being made sleepy by the spring weather,

but one could be awoken from it. One day in the third month,
thunder descended suddenly. The spring rain began to fall,
drenching all the buildings and all the alleyways.

Once the Forth Bureau returned with the offending officials

and salt merchants, the cheating case finally concluded. One
proctor was exiled 1,500 kilometers away, while the other
seventeen offenders received capital punishment. That was the
Emperor’s order. With irrefutable evidence, no one dared to
object.

Director Guo was to be executed. Since the founding of Qing,

he was the highest-ranking official to receive the death penalty.
The news shook both the court and the rest of the capital. Even
the empress dowager asked His Majesty for mercy. But after
some gentle talking, Director Guo’s execution was changed
from beheading to hanging so that his body would remain in
one piece. The empress dowager fell silent and didn’t speak
further.

Sixteen other officials were to be executed along with

Director Guo.
 Raindrops fell slowly onto the salt market, the busiest place
in the capital during the day. The rain could not disperse the
crowd of people who had gathered to watch the executions.

Those sixteen officials, in their white clothes, were kneeling

on a prepared wooden platform. Their white uniforms were
already splattered with blood, hinting at all the torture they
had gone through while in prison. With their defeated faces
and unkempt hair, they were a pitiful sight compared to the
former glory they once exuded. A few with tougher spirits
opened their dejected eyes and tried to find their loved ones
among the crowd. But as they opened their mouths to shout,
they couldn’t make a sound. No one knew what the Overwatch
Council did to them.

Mu Tie was assigned to oversee the execution. As he sat on

the observation platform, he expressionlessly watched
everything happening in front of him. But the rest of the
observing civil officials were obviously disturbed. These
sixteen officials had been their colleagues. Together they had
all indulged themselves in pleasure boats and over liquor.
Today they were about to witness deaths of these sixteen men.
 There was a restaurant by the entrance to the salt market.
Rain fell onto the roof and gathered into a small stream as it
flowed down the rooftiles. Towards the edge, the stream fell,
making it look like a tiny waterfall. There were many buildings
in the vicinity, so such "waterfalls" numbered in the dozens.
They dove straight down into the stone pavement like white
dragons with a splash.

A senior official rose to announce something, but the sound

of those tiny waterfalls made it hard to hear him; the crowd
only saw his lips move. However, towards the end, the official’s
expression stiffened as he declared loudly: "Begin!"

The people heard that word clearly and became excited. Each
one of them tried to squeeze their way to the front in order to
get closer to this rarely observed spectacle.

The executioner rubbed his hands with spit and wiped the
rain from his face. With his great blade on his back, he went
forward to his first victim. After confirming the location of the
vertebrates with his left hand, he let out a powerful roar as his
blade came down in a flash.
 The sound of the impact became muffled as the sharp blade
entered flesh; it was like someone chopping pork.

With a swooshing sound, blood came spurting out of the

headless neck, spraying far, far away. The head of that official
fell onto the platform and rolled, as if still afraid of the blade
which just separated it from its body. It kept rolling until it fell
off the platform.

Seeing a disembodied head, bloodied and with its eyes still

open, the crowd took a large step back out of fright.

The head left a trail of blood, which was then washed away
by the rain.

Only now did cheers come from the crowd. But not many
cheered, and they weren’t doing it at the same time, making it
very disorganized. On the platform, Mu Tie showed a
displeased expression.

With another swing of the blade, another head fell, another

stream of blood gushed, another wave of exclamation shot out
from the crowd, and another life was extinguished. There were
three executioners in total and soon all sixteen officials had
been beheaded, leaving behind their bodies and pools of blood.

With the fall of each head, the crowd became bolder and
bolder, and their cheers grew louder. With the final head, the
cheers were enough to shake the heavens! The rain clouds
began to part, as if startled by the noise.

A few bailiffs of the capital’s court tried to find the head of

the first executed official, but failed in doing so.

Moments later, a black dog darted out from the crowd. In its
mouth, between its sharp teeth was the official's head. As it
looked around, its eyes gave out a chilling light.

One of the bailiffs struck the dog’s hindquarter with the

scabbard of his saber. Barking out in pain, the dog dropped the
head and ran off into the rain.

Days later, something else happened. The Director of the

Ministry of Justice was found guilty of taking bribes. The
Overwatch Council discovered a certain amount of gold, silver
and illegal items in the residence of his third aunt. After
reporting to the royal court, Han Zhiwei was demoted to a
local judge in Yizhou. With this demotion, Director Han fell
from first rank to seventh.

Situated far in the south, Yizhou was a sweltering place.

Director Han Zhiwei would probably never return to the
capital again.

Censor Guo Zheng of the Imperial Censorate didn’t seem to

be too effected on the surface, but the court still found a reason
to send him to Jiangnan. Although it was a beautiful place,
Jiangnan was filled with agents from the Overwatch Council.
It was only a matter of time before they made their move.

The civil officials did not come together and descend into
unrest, however. Partly, this was due to the Prime Minister,
and also because the Overwatch Council had solid evidence.
Besides all of this, the punishments weren’t too severe. This
event was a heavy blow to the Council.
 All of the officials knew that the Council had done it out of
revenge. It was revenge in response to the time Commissioner
Fan Xian visited the Ministry of Justice.

Revenge and counter-revenge; control and counter-control;

all until a silent equilibrium was achieved. This had been a
recurring theme among Qing’s political circles for decades.
That was why while the revenge of the Council and Prime
Minister had tolerantly stopped at a certain limit, no one
expected the counterattack from Xinyang and the empress
would come so quickly.

The scholar from before was none other than He Zongwei,

who did not take part in the civil service examination due to
the death of his elderly father. He had always been close to the
Guo family. He was back home when the shocking news
reached him. In addition to the Director being sentenced to
death and having all of his assets seized, He Zongwei’s dear
friend Guo Baokun was nowhere to be found. What enraged He
Zongwei even more was the fact that the Crown Prince of the
Eastern Palace did nothing to intervene!

The woman who came with He Zongwei had an even stranger

background. She was the widow of Wu Bo'an. Wu B'oan was an
advisor planted in the Prime Minister’s manor by the Eldest
Prince. Last year, he urged the second son of the Lin family to
conspire with Northern Qi and have Fan Xian killed on Niulan
Street, only to suffer a terrible death among the grape vines.

Wu Bo'an had indirectly caused the death of Lin Ruofu’s only

normal son. So naturally, Lin Ruofu, as the Prime Minister,
hated Wu Bo'an. Despite Wu Bo'an’s death, the Wu household
still had a lot of property in Shandong. The officials there were
pupils of the Prime Minister. Under the Prime Minister’s
wishes, those officials tormented the Wu family. In only half a
year, they took away much of their money. And Wu Bo'an’s
own son was imprisoned for no reason and tortured to death.

This widow, although illiterate, still knew the Prime

Minister was too powerful for the Wu household to resist. But
her son’s unjust death drove her to come to the capital to
accuse the Prime Minister before His Majesty.

As she was resting outside the city, this poor Lady Wu

"coincidentally" met He Zongwei.
 He Zongwei was clever. After hearing Lady Wu’s story, he
knew those responsible for what had happened to her could not
be allowed to escape punishment. He counseled her, saying he
would find a way to enact justice.

After entering the capital, He Zongwei used his teacher’s

name and helped Lady Wu settle momentarily at the manor of
an old censor. Recently, mysterious people often stopped by
and gently questioned Lady Wu regarding the details of her
tragedy.

He Zongwei watched it all with indifference, only smiling

when Lady Wu asked him questions out of fright. He assured
her that officials in the royal court were taking action; the
Prime Minister would fall in no time.

The garden of the old censor was somewhat in ruins. He

Zongwei stood behind the garden rocks with just a hint of pride
on his face. As he destroyed his secret letter from Xinyang, he
thought about what the political circles would be like if the
Prime Minister were to be taken down. Inadvertently, he
thought about the Prime Minister’s relatives by marriage—
Minister Fan and the somewhat aloof young madam of the Fan
household. He felt a bit of heat in his heart.
Chapter 190: A Blade in an Oil-Paper
Umbrella
Barely a few days later, the Imperial Censor wrote a letter
impeaching Prime Minister Lin Ruofu on charges of secretly
usurping the property of another and conspiring to commit
crimes against the people. This matter shocked all levels of
society, but as Wu Bo'an had been labeled a spy for Northern
Qi, generally speaking, public opinion had been on the side of
the Prime Minister.

But as Lady Wu was on her way to make a statement to the

Supreme Court, she somehow came across an assassin. It was
unclear whether it was simply Lady Wu's good fortune, or the
bad fortune of the Prime Minister, but at that moment the
Second Prince and Crown Prince Jing were walking together,
and just managed to save her.

From that moment on, things began to change.

It was said that inside the palace, His Majesty had asked the
Crown Prince and the Second Prince how he should deal with
this matter. After a moment of silence, the Crown Prince said
that there was not enough evidence, and that the Prime
Minister had worked tirelessly for the state, so rumors were
not to be easily believed. Although the Second Prince had saved
Lady Wu in the street, he and his elder brother the Crown
Prince kept silent.

After all, the Prime Minister was head of the bureaucracy;

however the matter was dealt with, it would cause a ruckus.

But hearing this from his own son that night, King Jing was
angered. He rarely entered the palace, but he did so and spoke
all night with his elder brother, the Emperor. No one knew the
specifics of what they had talked about. That night, His
Majesty looked at over a decade's worth of official documents,
looking at the accounts of the Ministry of Revenue and the
hard-won political achievements of the Prime Minister. Silent
and dumbfounded, he could only sigh.

"Provincial governor of Shandong Road, Peng Tingsheng...

Hm, he passed the provincial exams 11 years ago. At the time, I
had just taken my position. I felt that he was an obedient
scholar." Prime Minister Lin Ruofu was in his forties, but his
face looked old and haggard. "But I didn't think he would be
this obedient. You should be aware that I did not order Peng
Tingsheng to carry out such matters. Wu Bo'an was already
dead. If I really wanted to take my anger out on his family, it
wouldn't be so simple."

"Perhaps Master Peng tried to fathom your thoughts, Prime

Minister, and that is why he did such a confusing thing." Lin
Ruofu's trusted aide, Yuan Hongdao, frowned slightly as he
spoke.

"Oh?" Lin Ruofu looked at him with a smile that didn't quite
look like a smile. "But Peng Tingsheng is not a confused
person. If the order did not come from the Prime Minister's
office, then he would not put his own career at stake. Besides,
who was it who attempted murder on the street the other day?
Why are they investigating my office?"

Yuan Hongdao looked somewhat stupefied. He gently stroked

his long whiskers. "He Zongwei is on the side of the Eastern
Palace, but he is merely a pawn. He wouldn't have the gall to
do such a thing. Someone is certainly supporting him, but I do
not know whether it is the Empress or the Eldest Princess."

"It is Yunrui." The Prime Minister smiled. "Her power in the

court is mainly with the Imperial Censorate. This is her
revenge against me."

"Revenge for what?"

"For... many things." The Prime Minister sighed. "Including

matters with Chen'er, with her son-in-law, and matters
between her and myself."

"In truth..." Yuan Hongdao started to speak, but stopped.

"Out with it."

Yuan Hongdao smiled. "In truth, we must still look to His

Majesty's opinion. If His Majesty does not believe it, then your
position as Prime Minister is as stable as Mount Tai."

"His Majesty can certainly see such a clumsy strategy

clearly." The Prime Minister smiled. "But the question is
whether His Majesty wishes to see things clearly or not."
 "Why do you say such a thing, Prime Minister?"

"A great number of city officials have died these past few
days. I am head of the bureaucracy, and as such it is my
responsibility." The Prime Minister closed his eyes as he made
his analysis. "The most important part is whether His Majesty
wishes to allow me to continue as Prime Minister."

"Prime Minister, there is still a chance to turn things

around," replied Yuan Hongdao respectfully. "I ask that you
speak with Minister Fan. Fan Manor has close relations with
the Overwatch Council. If Chen Pingping wishes to stand by
you, then no matter what the Imperial Censorate tries to do to
you, His Majesty will also stand resolutely by your side."

Lin Ruofu shook his head. "His Majesty simply wants me to

get out of the way."

"To get out of the way of whom?"

"The Crown Prince. Or perhaps the future Prime Minister."

Lin Ruofu thought for a moment. "Fan Xian has great power. If
I am still in the court, and he has control of the Overwatch
Council and the palace treasury as well as still having me
behind him, then perhaps even the Princes cannot touch him.
Some days ago I told him that a tree that stands out in the
forest will be broken by the winds..."

"His Majesty's opinion is clear. He wants Fan Xian to become

a great minister, who can assist the next Prince who sits upon
the Dragon Throne... Since Fan Xian wants the top spot, I will
naturally have to resign." Lin Ruofu smiled. "While I remain in
place, Fan Xian is dangerous."

Yuan Hongdao was somewhat alarmed, but in the corner of

his eye he saw the faint smile on the Prime Minister's face. It
seemed that he was mocking something.

The sound of Dabao playing in the water could be heard from

outside. The Prime Minister's face seemed to soften. He stood
up, walked to the window and looked out, watching his
simple-minded son. He frowned. "Tomorrow I shall have
Wan'er take Dabao to Fan Manor."
 Yuan Hongdao waited for what the Prime Minister was going
to say next.

"I will enter the palace and seek an audience. I believe that in
light of my years of service, His Majesty will allow me to have
a relatively peaceful retirement."

Yuan Hongdao was about to speak when the Prime Minister

coldly waved his hand to silence him. He turned his head and
gazed at him quietly.

After a long period of silence, Lin Ruofu spoke, a twinge of

sadness in his voice. "You wrote the letter to Peng Tingsheng."

There was a sudden silence in the study. Some time later,

Yuan Hongdao finally spoke in a low voice. "That is correct.
Even this assassination attempt was arranged by me, to be
carried out by your guards, Prime Minister."

"Why?" The Prime Minister frowned, seemingly pained.

"Ever since I entered the court as an official, you have been my
only friend. I have had great respect for you. Why have you
waited all these years to finally move against me and leave me
with no way out?"

Yuan Hongdao and the Prime Minister had been friends for
half a lifetime; indeed, they could be called lifelong friends. To
his surprise, Yuan Hongdao had made many arrangements that
had left the Prime Minister in such an awkward situation. He
knew too many of the Prime Minister's secrets, and this
entrapment had left Lin Ruofu with no choice but to concede!

He looked at the Prime Minister's withered face and spoke

with a hint of regret. "Everyone has their own goals and
intentions. Old friend, I have hidden myself in your study all
these years precisely for such a day as this. I promised someone
that when they needed you to step down, I would lend a
helping hand."

Lin Ruofu looked at his old friend, the corners of his mouth
slightly curled. "Yunrui must have promised you a great many
things to sell out your friend for glory."

Yuan Hongdao shook his head. "I am neither selling out a

friend, nor do I seek glory... It is simply that His Majesty needs
you to retire, as does the Eldest Princess. The royal court needs
you out of the capital. As for glory..." he laughed bitterly. "I
always assumed... if you had never discovered what I have
done, I would accompany you to the countryside, and we could
spend our retirements together."

Lin Ruofu was rather surprised. He felt less and less sure of
the true feelings of this advisor who had followed him all these
years.

Night shrouded the capital, and accompanied by a pageboy,

Yuan Hongdao prepared his luggage. Somewhat disappointed
and frustrated, he turned around to look at the tightly closed
gate of the Prime Minister's manor. He sighed quietly and
climbed into a carriage.

Inside the carriage, an imperial censor looked at him coldly.

"Mr Yuan, when will you give your statement to the Supreme
Court?"

Yuan Hongdao did not look the middle-aged man in the eye.
He softly stroked his long whiskers with his left hand, and
after a long time, he spoke dispassionately. "There's no point.
The Prime Minister will seek an audience at the palace
tomorrow. His Majesty will put a stop to the investigation."

Hearing this, the imperial censor became suddenly angry.

"The evidence is there. His Majesty will have that corrupt
Prime Minister sent to prison! If you will not dare to testify,
then you will be held responsible. You have followed him for
so many years. Do you really think that you are clean?"

Yuan Hongdao looked at him coldly. He was widely known as

a refined master manipulator, and now his gaze was frigid and
severe, like a pair of sharp blades. It struck fear into the
imperial censor.

"I only take orders from Xinyang." Yuan Hongdao looked at

the pitiful censor and spoke with a voice like ice. "When have
you ever arranged my affairs?"

The censor was shocked. He finally understood how the

Prime Minister's most trusted advisor could turn traitor at the
most crucial moment... He was on the side of the Eldest
Princess!
 At dawn, a carriage hurried out of the west gate of the city,
its horses galloping unceasingly along the official road toward
Xinyang.

Yuan Hongdao fingered the sharp blade hidden in his

umbrella and frowned. He calculated that after he arrived at
Xinyang, that madwoman the Eldest Princess would have
orders for the pawn she had kept hidden for so many years.

Deep in his heart, he could not help but feel some remorse for
Lin Ruofu. After all, they had been friends for decades, and he
had spent more time together with him than he had with his
own family. He had been hidden in the Prime Minister's manor
for so many years, and had finally fulfilled the promise he
made long ago. In the process of the Prime Minister's
resignation, Yuan Hongdao had played the most dishonorable
and yet most important role. Lin Ruofu had not killed him;
Yuan Hongdao was grateful for that.

He had already dismissed the pageboy who was following

him. Other than Yuan Hongbao himself, the only other person
in the carriage was the coachman. Yuan Hongdao coldly
watched him crack his whip. He had a nimble hand and was
clearly quite skilled.
 Some time later, the carriage passed a courier station 40
kilometers away and came unto a desolate and uninhabited
mountain road. At that moment, the carriage slowly came to a
halt. The coachman turned his head and fixed Yuan Hongdao
with an unusually sharp glare.

There was a moment of silence before the coachman

suddenly spoke. "The Director has asked me to express his
gratitude." He was quiet for a moment. "Allow me to show my
admiration personally, sir."

Yuan Hongdao felt somewhat hurt. "I do not admire myself...

When it comes to the plan in Xinyang, I believe that having
done this, the Eldest Princess will believe me now."

He was a saboteur; one who had been planted by the Prime

Minister's side many years ago by Chen Pingping.
Chapter 191: White Birds on the Lake,
People on His Mind
"All for the Kingdom of Qing."

"All for the Kingdom of Qing?"

Yuan Hongdao sat in the carriage headed for Xinyang, the

fiefdom of Eldest Princess. The phrase that he had kept deep in
his heart for so many years felt absurd.

Many years before, when the Eldest Princess had first taken a
liking to the man who was now Prime Minister, Yuan Hongdao
had been a secret officer of the Second Bureau of the
Overwatch Council. Chen Pingping had arranged everything
for Yuan Hongdao: he was to have a new identity and a new
life, and would gradually ingratiate himself with Lin Ruofu,
who at the time had yet to reveal his talent.

At the time, they were simply two scholars who happened to

cross paths.
 Lin Ruofu was high-spirited. Yuan Hongdao was steady and
straightforward. After a serious of coincidences arranged by
the Council, they finally became close friends. As the years
went by, Lin Ruofu rose through the ranks of the bureaucracy
supported by the Eldest Princess, and Yuan Hongdao was
happy to stay by Lin Ruofu's side as his confidant. Even on the
many occasions that Lin Ruofu hinted or even explicitly stated
that he could make Yuan Hongdao a county magistrate, he
simply smiled and refused.

And it was for this reason that Lin Ruofu saw him as his
truest friend. But the Prime Minister never expected that this
friend had an ulterior motive from the very beginning.

Yuan Hongdao gradually got used to his life, because the

Council never gave him any other task, and those who knew
his identity were always kept at a distance. Over the years, the
only thing that Yuan Hongdao had helped the Council do was
frame the City of Dongyi, telling a lie on behalf of the Council
in the aftermath of Lin Ruofu's son's death at a villa in the
Cang Mountains.

Because he was the one who said it, Lin Ruofu believed him.
 Yuan Hongdao had only betrayed Lin Ruofu once in his life,
and it was enough to have him sadly withdraw from the royal
court. This was the Emperor's wish, and through the
Overwatch Council, he had been tasked with carrying it out.

Perhaps it was this betrayal by an old friend that forced the

Prime Minister to see things as they really were. The next day,
there was no way to stop him from entering the palace—not
even Fan Jian's repeated suggestions that he could turn a blind
eye. As for the future of the Lin family, the Prime Minister had
placed all his hopes on his son-in-law Fan Xian; he did not
want to have the father of his son-in-law dragged into this
mess.

In mid-March, Guo You, Director of the Board of Rites, died,

and Minister of Justice Han Zhiwei was demoted. The Prime
Minister humbly begged forgiveness. The Emperor urged him
to stay, but to no effect. He claimed his pension and returned
to his hometown.

The Imperial Censorate's investigation into the Wu Bo'an

case disappeared; Lady Wu left for parts unknown. His Majesty
decreed that He Zongwei was a talented and virtuous scholar.
He entered the palace and was bestowed the title of Imperial
Censor.

"Why?" Fan Xian sat in his carriage, softly fingering the piece
of paper in his hand. It was a report from the Overwatch
Council on developments in the royal court. As commissioner,
although he was far away in the north, he received the news
from the capital only a few days later than those in other
places had.

His father-in-law was not a good official in the purest sense.

The accusation of corruption was not without basis. But Fan
Xian still felt that it was absurd for the Prime Minister of such
a magnificent nation to be unexpectedly deposed by a silent
power struggle within the nation's bureaucracy.

Fan Xian had to think about what came next. Although his
father-in-law the Prime Minister seemed not to have helped
him much in the past year, he knew that the reason the court
officials had been so tolerant of everything that had happened
during the exam scandal was because they had taken their lead
from his father-in-law. Other than the two ministers who had
already been deposed, he had never encountered real conflict in
the bureaucracy of the Kingdom of Qing.
 The person he posed the question to was a formidable talent,
bound up in chains and unable to move - Xiao En.

"Why?" Xiao En gave his cold analysis. "Because you made

your move. The Emperor of Qing seized the opportunity to
weaken the power of the bureaucracy, but how could a mere
two ministers be enough to satisfy the appetite of an Emperor?
You are the son-in-law of the Prime Minister, and your
reputation now precedes you. If the Emperor truly wishes to
hand the Overwatch Council over to you one day, then for the
sake of safety, the Prime Minister must quickly step down."

"As for how he steps down..." Xiao En laughed mockingly. "If

an Emperor wants an official to resign, he has countless
methods. Moreover, your Emperor has always been fond of
using the Overwatch Council."

The reason he had said that the Emperor of Qing was fond of
using the Overwatch Council was because the Council's power
was far too great, and yet the Emperor still had complete trust
in Chen Pingping. This was unusual.
 Fan Xian shook his head. "There is something strange about
this. Even if my father-in-law was pained by the death of his
son, and wanted to wipe out Wu Bo'an's entire lineage, there
are other ways to do it. As for the ambush on Lady Wu, it is
still rather fortuitous that the Second Prince and Li Hongcheng
just happened to pass by. Such an idiotic approach is
unbecoming of my father-in-law's power."

"There is a turncoat by the Prime Minister's side," said Xiao

En casually. "As for whether it was one of the Eldest Princess's
men, or one of your Emperor's own men... in truth, there is no
difference."

Fan Xian did not dare to confirm it. "If they can make my
father-in-law resign, then there must be solid evidence. My
father-in-law is a prudent man. How could he let a spy from a
hostile power get so close to such important business?"

He could never have imagined that the person who sold out
his father-in-law was Yuan Hongdao. And for the time being,
he had no idea that the Overwatch Council was behind it.
 Xiao En smiled, seemingly somewhat delighted. "What can a
young man such as you know of such things hidden in the dead
of night?" He was entitled to say such things. The turmoil that
had once enveloped the Qing court was all singlehandely
plotted by the old man. If it had not been for the sudden deaths
of those two princes, perhaps there would be no Kingdom of
Qing today.

Fan Xian's eyelid twitched. In his days of conversation with

Xiao En, he discovered that although he had been imprisoned
for many years, and was not completely sure of the
distribution of power in the Kingdom of Qing, once Fan Xian
had explained things somewhat, Xiao En had clearly
discovered where the problem lay. He had even guessed exactly
what punishments were to befall those officials involved in the
exam scandal.

Xiao En had once said that the Prime Minister would resign
for exactly this reason. But this matter had not been
foreshadowed in the slightest; the exam scandal had not
involved the Prime Minister's office, and the Eldest Princess -
with whom the Prime Minister had such a ruptured, resentful
relationship - was far away in her fiefdom in Xinyang, so Fan
Xian was not particularly convinced... He hadn't expected him
to be so accurate. Fan Xian couldn't help but feel astonished by
his sinister gaze. Finally, he knew for sure that his reputation
was warranted.

Fan Xian sighed as he looked at the old man. "I am becoming

more and more curious as to why the Overwatch Council didn't
just kill you the moment they captured you."

"Because there are many things inside my head that they can
use."

"Then they could at least be a little rougher with you," said

Fan Xian. "Like cutting off your fifth limb."

"What's 'fifth limb' mean?" Xiao En was curious. "Everything

has its limits. If things ever got more than I could bear, then I
think I would at least still have the ability to kill myself, and
you... wouldn't want to pay that price."

Fan Xian wrinkled his brow in thought. The old mad had a
point. He bowed to him and left the carriage.
 He stood by the side of the carriage, looking at the reeds that
fluttered slowly in the wind by the side of the distant lake. He
vaguely understood the Emperor's true desire. The royal court
needed fresh blood - flowing water does not rot, they said - and
the Prime Minister had already been in his position for too
long. His own sudden rise in the capital had made the Prime
Minister's resignation a matter of vital importance.

No bigwig in the imperial palace would allow the Prime

Minister, as head of the bureaucracy, to have a son-in-law who
commanded the Overwatch Council. If His Majesty truly
planned to make use of Fan Xian in the coming years, then he
had to get rid of the Prime Minister... Otherwise, he had to beat
down Fan Xian. But Fan Xian knew that the distant Emperor
could not truly suppress him.

The new constantly replaces the old, like how the rear waves
of the Yangtze River drive on those before them. If Fan Xian
was a wave at the rear, then the Prime Minister was
undoubtedly the spray beating powerlessly against the
riverbank in front. He had to depart the stage of history to
make space.
 This was normal in the bureaucracy; for the new generation
to replace the old. He was still confident about the Prime
Minister's departure. He presumed that he had anticipated the
end to this story. But Fan Xian thought of Wan'er, staying in
the capital, and he thought about the simple-minded Dabao
with whom he inexplicably got along well with. His worry
formed faint lines on his brow.

"I hope that my father and Chen Pingping can look after the
rest of the Lin family." He frowned and looked at the golden
reeds. Why hadn't they changed to green? His heart was still
pounding as he began to think of the role the Overwatch
Council had played in all this.

For some reason, Fan Xian felt a hint of anger. He was a

Commissioner of the Overwatch Council, and he did not
believe for a second that the Council could not know the
Emperor's intentions. He thought of the poison coursing
through Si Lili's body, and he suddenly felt a shiver.

Chen Pingping was simply removing the obstacles in Fan

Xian's way. Even if the obstacle was someone Fan Xian held
dear. The methods of removal were particularly indifferent
and ruthless, taking absolutely no account of Fan Xian's own
feelings.

That afternoon, after many days of travel, the diplomatic

mission finally approached the great lake that bordered the two
nations. The great lake had no name, but was simply called the
great lake, because it was particularly big. Fan Xian watched
the endless blue-green ripples before him and felt the strong
breeze from the lake push past him. He felt completely
refreshed, and a handsome smile floated across his face.

Although the diplomatic mission convoy had already reached

the great lake, they had to go eastwards around it. It would be
a number of days before they actually entered the Northern Qi
border. Fan Xian knew that if Xiao En was going to act, it
would be in the next few days.

In the distance, water birds cautiously circled above the lake,

their long beaks sliding into the water, nimbly scooping up fish
and flying back to the bank where they trampled the spasming
fish with their slender claws. With the fish in their beaks, they
faced up toward the sky, swallowing them in one gulp, looking
completely at ease.
 Fan Xian's heart suddenly skipped a beat. He made his way
toward the carriage that he had not visited for many days,
lifted the curtain, and entered. Seeing Si Lili's somewhat
startled and then confused face, he smiled.
Chapter 192: Si Lili’s Secret
"Do you wish to keep on living?"

Si Lili didn’t know what to think as she stared at Fan Xian,

whom she had not seen in many days. Hearing his sudden
question, she felt it was a strange thing to ask. "Even the ants
value their lives. I, your servant, am no exception."

Fan Xian did not like how she referred to herself as his
"servant", but that was her temperament. After all, she wasn’t a
true, veteran spy who would be much more vicious.

The carriage once again began to move forward. Taking

advantage of the shaking, Fan Xian sat next to Si Lili, who
inconspicuously moved away from him, as if trying to keep
some distance. Fan Xian frowned and said directly, "You have
poison in your body. I believe you are not aware that."

Si Lili’s sparkling eyes gazed into Fan Xian’s own. After a

period of silence, she asked, "Really?"
 "I see you don’t seem surprised."

"I got out of prison alive. What could surprise me anymore?"

Si Lili mocked herself as she sighed. "Sir Fan, you’re adept at
using poison. Since you say there’s poison in my body, it must
be true. I had guessed the Overwatch Council must have ways
to keep me in check."

Fan Xian looked at the woman’s beautiful face and didn’t

speak for a while. Since coming to the capital, Si Lili was the
most charming and beautiful woman Fan Xian had seen.

"It’s not to keep you in check," Fan Xian explained with a

smile. "It’s to deal with the emperor of Northern Qi."

At this point, Si Lili could no longer pretend to remain calm.

She covered her mouth in shock. After a while, she asked,
"What do you mean?"

Seeing her reaction, Fan Xian somehow felt a bit of

discomfort in his heart. While he had guessed what her
reaction would be, after discovering that young emperor held a
special place in Si Lili’s heart… He smiled and replied calmly,
"This poison will be passed onto the emperor through your
body."

Si Lili, looking into Fan Xian’s eyes, suddenly bit at her lip
and asked hatefully, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I know you want to change it before you

accomplished your goal." Fan Xian smiled warmly, "So I hope
you'll tell me what method Chen Pingping used to keep you
under control."

Si Lili fell silent and didn’t answer him. She took on a bright
smile and said, "Well, since you've told me that I'm going to
Shangjing, there would surely be ways to cleanse the poison.
Thank you."

Fan Xian mocked her. "True, it is not a potent poison. But

other than me, probably only those Imperial doctors in the
palace can cleanse the poison in you. Are you going to let them
know you're poisoned? If you really tell them, I’m afraid you'll
be barred from the palace for your entire life, no matter how
much feeling the emperor of Northern Qi has for you."
 Si Lili said stubbornly, "So what? At worst, the council’s
Operation Red Sleeve will fail. That has nothing to do with me,
your humble servant."

Fan Xian finally got angry. "I said I dislike you using that
term."

For some reason, Si Lili was on the verge of crying. Looking

at Fan Xian, she clenched her teeth. "In your heart, am I lower
than a servant?"

Staring at her beautiful face, Fan Xian frowned harder as he

tried to deduce exactly what she was thinking. After a moment,
he said quietly, "Miss Si, I believe you understand your current
situation. Your life, at least for now, is not in your control… As
for what will happen in the future, that’s another matter. I also
think that you never thought about those very… nonsensical
things."

"Nonsensical things?" Si Lili looked at him in cold mockery.

"Very nonsensical indeed. You and I are merely a pair that met
one another by chance. We’re using each other, which is realer
and more reliable than warming up to each other."
 "Miss, I’m very glad you understand that," Fan Xian
responded calmly.

"Why are you so curious about my agreement with Chen

Pingping?" Si Lili sneakily turned around to wipe her eyes. She
then calmed herself and smiled sweetly like a blossom in
spring. "You are the Commissioner of the Council. You should
know all the details of Operation Red Sleeve."

Fan Xian replied in self-mockery, "I know about the plan, I

just don’t understand how Director Chen persuaded you." He
paused, and then asked, "Miss, since you knew Chen Pingping
is using you as pawn to deliver poison, why didn’t you tell me
the whole story?"

"How would I benefit from that?"

Si Lili forced herself to remain calm. Looking at the bright

and handsome face before her, hatred made her heart itch.
Somehow, during this short journey, she was gradually falling
for that face, which occasionally flashed an innocent smile.
But as soon as she remembered those cold words Fan Xian had
spoken, her hatred returned. She asked coldly, "Can you give
what Chen Pingping promised me?"

"Chen Pingping is getting old. I’m still young."

As soon as he said that, both he and Si Lili felt it wasn’t

proper. This serious negotiation suddenly took on an
ambiguous, flirtatious air.

Can you give what Chen Pingping promised me?

Chen Pingping is getting old. I’m still young.

The faint fragrance of cape jasmine began to spread. Fan Xian

cleared his throat, while Si Lili’s blush stayed on her face for
only an instant. The pair’s hearts weren’t in the right places, or
else they wouldn’t feel so awkward after two very ordinary
sentences. Si Lili rolled her eyes. She seemed to know that Fan
Xian still fancied her. She couldn’t help but show a shy but
haughty smile.
 Fan Xian cleared his throat again and explained. "I can guess.
Whatever was planned must be big. But Chen Pingping, as old
as he is now, may or may not live another year or two. If you
wish to cooperate with me, I believe the chance of success will
be greater."

Si Lili was slightly angry, but she forcefully kept it down.

After some consideration, she said, "Sir Fan, you still haven’t
told me how I stand to benefit."

"I can cleanse the poison from your body. Should I take
control of the Overwatch Council, I swear to mobilize the Qing
forces in the north, and, with all my power, help you climb to
the top in the palace of Northern Qi."

Si Lili laughed coldly and shook her head, "The borders

touch. As strong as Qing is, and as impressive as the
Overwatch Council’s spies are, you cannot touch the inside of
Northern Qi’s royal palace. And who told you I want a position
in their palace?"

Fan Xian couldn’t say anything in response.

 Suddenly, a light shone in Si Lili’s eyes. With her hand, she
beckoned him to come close, like she was calling a pet. She
giggled flirtatiously. "Sir Fan, come closer. This must not be
heard by others."

In his helpless situation, Fan Xian smiled bitterly. He knew

this woman was trying to vent her anger over being ignored for
several days. He did as he was told. Before hearing anything,
however, he felt her body heat on his earlobe. Si Lili’s body
heat and fragrance made Fan Xian’s heart skip a beat, but what
he heard from her shocked him back to normal.

A long time later, this youthful pair parted from each other.
Si Lili said, "I risked danger and told you the agreement. If I
dare ask, can you help me?"

Presently, Fan Xian was frowning deeply, as he was still in

shock. He shook his head. "I don’t believe you. What kind of
person do you take Chen Pingping for? Even if he thought of
this, he wouldn’t have told you."

"Even you don’t believe it, so of course he’s not afraid of me

telling others. No one in the world would believe that old
cripple would think of something like that."

Fan Xian pondered for a while and understood what was

going on. He smiled. "I see." He then suddenly said, "A long
time ago, a rumor persisted that you were a descendant of
someone from the royal family back when Qing was founded.
The people always thought it was only a way for you to raise
your price, but now… it appears to have been true."

Si Lili closed her eyes slowly. After some time, she said
lightly, "My real name is Li Lisi."

Fan Xian looked at her smooth lower jaw and couldn’t help
but gently twirl his fingers. He sighed. "No wonder Northern
Qi’s emperor doesn’t care about your identity, no wonder you
willingly let Chen Pingping use you. But allow me to advise
you: you’re just a young woman. You're far too innocent
compared to those old snakes. It’s better to be careful. If you
can settle in Northern Qi’s palace, let go of Chen Pingping’s
plan, and pay him no mind."

Si Lili looked into his eyes. She felt surprised, but also a bit
of warmth. She smiled sweetly. "Than you for your concern.
Now that I told you what you wanted to know, when are you
going to detoxify this poison?"

Fan Xian replied, "Starting tomorrow, I must prepare some

ingredients. Another thing… If this diplomatic mission goes
smoothly, I will try to take over the issue regarding… your
younger brother’s, or more precisely, the prince's, safety. Please
rest assured, under my hand, the prince sneaking into Qing
shall never happen again."

Si Lili was silent. She stood up in the cramped carriage. With

great difficulty, she saluted Fan Xian in gratitude.

In the carriage in front of theirs sat Xiao En , his white hair

tied back tight. His hands were in a strange posture, like a
lotus flower about to bloom. His left pinkie finger was raised
slightly, resting on the edge of the chamber pot.

Xiao En’s zhenqi began to slowly circulate. A faint, musky

smell covered up the strange scent of the carriage. A drop of
black, thick, sticky liquid was forced out along his gradually
recovering meridians. That drop of liquid flowed along his
pinkie nail and into the chamber pot.
Chapter 193: Eldest Princess’s Vision
After the drop of concentrated poison went into the chamber
pot, the glow in Xiao En’s eyes became livelier. He made
another hand gesture and calmed his zhenqi. In the Overwatch
Council, he was constantly subjected to torture and poison.
The former head of the Seventh Bureau was very familiar with
the state of his body, and so his methods were extremely
meticulous. They made Xiao En hover right on the line which
separated life from death.

Once outside the capital, Fan Xian’s methods were even more
overbearing—injecting poison directly into the veins in order
to greatly harm Xiao En’s bodily functions. As Fei Jie told Fan
Xian long ago, the most important aspect of using poison was
how you use it; more potent did not necessarily mean better
results.

But after all, Fan Xian had little experience dealing with
special people like Xiao En. He didn’t expect that Xiao En, after
twenty years of suffering, had accumulated hundreds of types
of poison inside his body. All those poisons seemed to have
reached equilibrium; while Xiao En wouldn’t die from them,
they also prevented him from cleansing himself using zhenqi.
 The poison Fan Xian used this time was like a mountain-
splitting axe, chopping directly into that complex equilibrium.
It brought Xiao En intense pain, but it also gave him a chance
to break free.

Xiao En faintly smiled. With his dried-up lips and his snow-
white hair, he looked exceptionally terrifying.

Suddenly, he focused the cold gleaming in his eyes as his

entire body seemed to wither, appearing much older. The smell
of an old person began to emit from his body.

The envoy slowly came to a stop next to a lake and people

began to search for a suitable camping spot. The Black Knights
in the distance passed by on the right like a gust of cold wind.
They patrolled the front before returning. Wang Qinian took
out his keys and opened the tightly sealed iron door from the
outside. With a respectful expression, he walked in and gave
Xiao En some food and water. He then carefully wiped Xiao
En’s face with a damp towel. Finally, he asked, "Would you like
your hair combed today?"
 Xiao En shook his head, his eyes gleaming. But then the cold
gleaming died down. Xiao En asked in a slightly coarse voice,
"When will Sir Fan come today?"

Xiao En was asking about when Fan Xian would come to

inject the poison. Wang Qinian answered with a smile, "We’re
getting close to the border, Mister Xiao. Sir Fan said there’s no
more need for you to go through that every day."

Xiao En’s face did not show any signs of joy. He closed his
eyes and said, "I heard this Sir Fan will take control of Qing’s
palace treasury next year?"

Wang Qinian thought Fan Xian told him, so he didn’t really

mind. "Yes. That's where all the money is."

"More money than the Ye household?" Xiao En showed some

scorn.

Wang Qinian was startled, then he recalled that strange

name. He replied, "The Ye household broke apart a long time
ago."
 "What?" For some reason, there was shock in Xiao En’s eyes,
but he hurriedly hid his surprise. Seeing he didn’t want to talk
any more, Wang Qinian let out a sigh of relief. He took the
chamber pot and got off the carriage.

Pinching his nose, Wang Qinian took the chamber pot to

another camping spot. Arriving at the center tent, he put down
the chamber pot and complained, "So old, but still crapping so
much every day." He frowned slightly. "What a stink."

"That move was a real stink."

In the beautiful palace in Xinyang City, white mesh curtains

were gently swaying in the spring wind. Although it was early
spring, it was chilly inside the palace due to all the plums
planted there, just like in Guangxin Palace back in the capital.
Behind the white mesh curtains, a delicate and beautiful
woman was half-reclined on a short couch, watching her
trusted aide making a move on the checkerboard.

The aide’s name was Huang Yi. Though he possessed an

ordinary name, he was adept at coming up with strategies.
Hearing the Eldest Prince, he smiled and said, "In front of the
princess, even a master can only make stinky moves."

"Not necessarily." Eldest Princess Li Yunrui took on a bright

expression. For seemingly no reason, she began laughing.
"That child is a smart one. Don’t think he got by so smoothly
because of Fan Xian and my brother. Although I am still
puzzled, why does Chen Pingping like that good son-in-law of
mine so much?"

Huang Yi shook his head and lightly slapped his leg. "There
is no explanation. If I were to force one, I could only guess that
His Majesty likes Fan Xian."

"It’s possible that my brother, the Emperor, likes Chen’er, and

therefore likes Fan Xian by association. Besides, that child
excels in both literature and martial arts, which can give the
Emperor some pride." The Eldest Princess smiled meekly. "But
it's too bad he fancies himself smart, and ultimately ended up
making a stinky move. While the envoy seems to be taking a
safe route, in reality they are crossing vast plains and lakes
that are good places for escaping."
 "According to reports, the Black Knights are with them."

"I know that." The Eldest Princess smiled. "So it’s up to Xiao
En now."

"Why would he escape?" Huang Yi asked, frowning, "In the

agreement between you and Shang Shanhu, as long as Xiao En
returns, there’s always another day. With the Imperial court
conspiring with the master and disciple, there’s a reasonable
chance of overthrowing the current royal family of Northern
Qi."

"Xiao En is not easy to control… just like Chen Pingping. If

he returns to the North as agreed, he will be under the
complete control of Northern Qi’s royal family; he may even be
imprisoned again until he dies of old age. As for Shang
Shanhu, there’s no help… I casted away my reputation, and
casted away that poor official Yan Bingyun, for Xiao En’s
freedom. Only then did Shang Shanhu commit… I shall not
allow anyone to meddle with this."

"What if Shang Shanhu turns back on his words? He is a

great general in Northern Qi."
 "Would Xiao En willingly give his life for Northern Qi? Also,
once I make a move, even if Shang Shanhu doesn’t go back,
those stupid military people will force him to."

Huang Yi smiled, "Eldest Princess, you are so resourceful. No

one can match you."

"Save your flattery." The Eldest Princess hid her smile. "I
don’t hold a candle to my brother."

She suddenly sighed, staring through the mesh curtain to an

unknown place. Her pensive appearance was as beautiful as a
painting. Huang Yi stood no chance. He was stunned by her
beauty.

"The propaganda incident hurt your reputation." A long time

later, Huang Yi freed himself from this beautiful scenery. In a
low voice, he said, "Unfortunately, investigations never found
anything, but according to information from Commander Ye,
the Overwatch Council should be involved in the Guangxin
Palace assassin case.
 The Eldest Princess continued to stare at the sky, as though
she did not hear. Moments later, she said, "Don’t worry about
those trivial matters. What we need to do right now is win
Shang Shanhu completely over to our side."

There was silence from Huang Yi. Suddenly, with an angry

expression, he said, "In my humble opinion, they are not trivial
matters. Regarding the Niulan Street incident from last year,
the obtuse civilians and officials with ill-intent only thought
you tried to kill Sir Fan in order to regain the palace treasury.
How would they know you were trying to find His Majesty a
reason to march the army up north…? From this, Qing
obtained much land, but who would remember your
involvement in this?"

The Eldest Princess waved her hand in irritation. "There's no

need to say any more."

"Then, regarding Yan Bingyun, that was planned out in

secret, but now it’s been exposed by those despicable ones and
every single civilian of Qing believes you are conspiring with a
foreign nation. Those stupid people—do they not understand
there is no benefit to you in doing so? People only see things on
the surface. They could not understand how your brilliant
plan would benefit Qing."

The Eldest Princess looked at him coldly. Suddenly, she said,

"Inform me when Yuan Hong arrives."

Huang Yi stopped there.

A while later, the Eldest Princess chuckled. "Everyone laughs

at me for being insane. I laugh at them for not being able to see
through me. As long as my brother and Qing are well, I don’t
really care."

Huang Yi felt a chill. He vaguely sensed something, but

dared not speak.

"Chen Pingping must have his own schemes." The Eldest

Princess smiled. "As does that child Fan Xian. Now that I
mention it, everyone’s goals on the outside are more or less the
same; they only differ on the inside… If Xiao En can't escape
this time, then after he goes to Shangjing and lets our people
contact the diplomatic mission, we can make Fan Xian
cooperate with us."

Huang Yi was greatly shocked. How could Eldest Princess

collude with the enemy?

As if guessed what he was thinking, the Eldest Princess said

weakly but mockingly, "There are certain things you don’t
need to think about. Did you say everything you did today to
move me? Being persuaded by commoners like you is what I
despise the most."

"I wouldn’t dare." Huang Yi began to sweat profusely. He

raised his head and asked, "Then what about Yan Xiaoyi’s plan
regarding Sir Fan? Does it need to be suspended for the
moment?"

"Why?" The Eldest Princess looked at him with a smile,

causing him to lower his head again. "I like that Fan Xian. My
son-in-law did not let me down, so I really don’t want him too
far away from me… Alive or dead, he’s still a very pretty boy."
 The most puzzling beauty of Qing slowly raised her head, her
alluring face full of determination. Who said a woman can’t
shine in the world? Since there had been one who shone, there
was no reason she couldn’t be the second.
Chapter 194: Uncaged
Before, Fan Xian had never looked at Si Lili carefully. He'd
never even paid attention to her beautiful face, because Fan
Xian's face was much that way too. Yet since they had left the
capital on this long journey, for some reason, little by little,
she had left her mark on his mind.

Perhaps it was her pitiful past. Perhaps it was the cruelty of

the Overwatch Council's methods. Perhaps it was what that
former head of the Seventh Bureau had said the first time he
entered the prison of the Overwatch Council - Fan Xian's
methods might have been cruel, but his heart was soft. Every
part of him could still easily weaken.

He kept on reminding himself that he couldn't have feelings

for her, but more and more he felt a certain exquisite pity for Si
Lili. It wasn't a false pity, but a feeling that came as a natural
result of encountering someone with such a transient life,
completely different from the beautiful and seemingly
extraordinary Eldest Princess.

In the past few days, Fan Xian had taken the pills he always
carried on his person, and searched the lakeside wilderness for
several different kinds of suitable plants. Somewhat stupefied,
he had blended them with the pills. This was his promise to Si
Lili, and since Si Lili had told him about Chen Pingping's
thoughts, although he didn't know whether or not they were
true, he agreed to treat Si Lili.

As for Operation Red Sleeve, Fan Xian didn't really pay any
mind to it. The things he thought about were simpler and more
direct.

After a few days of treatment, Si Lili's face had not changed,

but she was going to the toilet more. Fan Xian waited calmly to
one side, making the young woman feel rather embarrassed.
The convoy gradually made its way eastward around the great
lake. Two days later, they were able to cross over the lake,
where the Northern Qi army would be there to receive and
protect them.

"People in Northern Qi call this lake the 'Northern Sea'." Si

Lili sat by the lake side, idly fingering a coarse reed stalk.

Fan Xian looked at her. "When did you go to Northern Qi?"

he asked.
 "When I was very small. My parents took me and my elder
brother and we fled for our lives. The Overwatch Council was
hunting us. Many of my grandfather's trusted aides died, and
no one would dare take us in." Si Lili laughed bitterly. "To be
honest, I have no memory of my grandfather, but I know that
at the time he was the prince most likely to take the throne."

Fan Xian made some calculations. It had been a number of

years since the assassinations of the princes of the Kingdom of
Qing. He couldn't help but be silent for a moment. Out of the
corner of his eye, he watched Si Lili's clothes flutter in the
breeze. He smiled. His own mother had killed this woman's
grandmother. He couldn't let her know that.

Si Lili sighed, smoothing the hair on her temples that had

been blown out of place by the wind from the lake. "Because
the Council was following us so closely," she said with a
worried frown, "my father died by the blade of a palace guard.
My mother was lucky enough to escape with my older brother
and me. We were in such a big country, and yet there was
nowhere we could go. After some thought, we had no choice
but to flee to a foreign country, and we finally settled down in
Northern Qi."
 Fan Xian frowned. A family torn apart, their father killed,
forced to flee a foreign country. Dark times indeed.

Si Lili looked out at the slowly shifting mists of the lake and
sighed. "It's a shame that times of stability can't last forever.
Somehow, the royal family of Northern Qi learned of our
identity, so we were taken to Shangjing."

Fan Xian frowned again. "They must not have had good
intentions."

Si Lili turned her head and smiled at him. "And you do? The
Emperor of Qing, and the royal court – did they have good
intentions for us?"

Fan Xian was at a loss for words for a moment. He gave a self-
deprecating smile. "They're still an enemy nation."

"Before my father died... that's what we said, too." Si Lili

seemed to have recalled something. She slowly closed her eyes,
her long eyelashes fluttering. "Then my mother fell sick and
died, and it was only my brother and me left, on our own. As
the royal family of Northern Qi wanted to make use of our
background, they took us in. So we grew up in the royal palace
of Northern Qi."

"Is that when you met the Emperor of Northern Qi?" Fan
Xian came closer to her, tightening her cloak. "I guess you and
the young Emperor were childhood sweethearts."

Si Lili smiled. "His surname was Zhan. At the time, he didn't

seem like a monarch in the slightest. He was the same age as
me. But he was like my brother. The two of them used to get up
to trouble in the palace all the time."

"So how did you end up agreeing to become a spy for

Northern Qi, and return to the Qing capital for them?" Fan
Xian was very interested in the matter.

"The Emperor of Northern Qi wanted to marry me." Si Lili

turned around, fixing Fan Xian with a smile that didn't look
much like a smile. "And I hated that enemy nation. I had
irreconcilable differences with the royal family of Qing. So I
wanted to return home. That was reason enough for me."
 Fan Xian shook his head. "That's not reason enough."

Si Lili smiled. "Mainly, the Empress Dowager would not

allow me to marry the Emperor, so I was allowed to return,
allowing secret agents from Northern Qi to coordinate with
me. On Liujing River in the capital, I set up a base of
operations."

Fan Xian thought of something, and wanted to speak, but

said nothing.

Si Lili guessed what he was thinking, and fixed him with a

gaze revealing a hint of charm. "Si Ling and my other
associates were all experts from Northern Qi, all skilled in the
use of sleeping drugs. Those guests of mine who crossed behind
my curtains had no way of touching me. Other people took my
place."

Fan Xian raised his eyebrows, a strange expression on his

face. He laughed. "Did you really have to explain it to me?"
 "Did you not want to hear?" After all, Si Lili was a woman,
with a bright heart and a quick wit. She had seen what Fan
Xian was thinking, and was not angry. She instead asked
gently.

Fan Xian laughed. "At least that night, you didn't fool me."

"If I had known you were a student of Fei Jie, then I would
have hidden far away, and avoided... those knockout drops and
the other lowlife drugs." Si Lili's gaze pierced him, charming
him, shaking him.

Fan Xian looked a little uncomfortable. He chuckled, then

met the young woman's gaze. "Since that day when you
discovered you had been knocked out, did it scare you? Did
you feel that your body had been recklessly defiled? Did you
feel worthless?"

The breeze from the lake had little of the warmth of early
spring. It was cold and raw. The reed stalks, not showing the
slightest hint of green, wavered back and forth. The wind
reached Si Lili's face, and she felt as if all the warmth had left
it, unaware that there were two patches of red showing her
shyness.

Some time later, Si Lili finally softly bit her bottom lip and
spoke. "After I woke that day, I felt a certain secret bitterness,
but I thought..." She bravely raised her head, looked Fan Xian
right in his handsome face, and smiled. "I thought that losing
my virginity to such a handsome young man as you was still
worth it."

Fan Xian had not expected Si Lili to say something so brazen

and so shocking. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
"That's... that's..." he could only mumble.

"That's... what?" Si Lili's smile didn't look like a smile as she

fixed Fan Xian with her soft gaze.

"I feel that since you were a princess of the Qing royal family,
and you always hung around the pleasure boats, you were in
some danger. If the person you'd slept with hadn't been me, but
instead had been some other pervert who used knockout drops,
then what would you do?" Fan Xian cleared his throat. For
some reason, he suddenly felt worried about Si Lili's difficult
and dangerous situation.

Si Lili's face was somewhat sluggish. "I never considered

myself any kind of princess. Just a pitiful woman from a hated
bloodline who didn't know how to exact her revenge. Don't
misunderstand me, Master Fan."

As night fell, the diplomatic mission convoy set up camp on a

stretch of high terrain on the lake's edge. The carriages formed
a protective semicircle, and in the middle were a handful of
tents and some long, burnt-out lights. Si Lili and Fan Xian's
dwellings faced each other. Perhaps because the day's earlier
conversation between the two of them had been too
emotionally draining, they did not leave their tents, and
nothing occurred between them that night.

Everything was silent. In the distance, the faint outline of

the Black Knights formed an outline on the slope, surrounding
the encampment. The Tiger Guards and the Overwatch
Council's agents organized together into teams, patrolling the
camp.
 The moon's bright light shined down onto every corner of the
terrain. There were no clouds, no wind, and no stars. The
silvery moonlight, like the gentle caress of a fairy's hands,
touched each person in the camp, ushering them into a quick
sleep in anticipation of tomorrow's difficult journey. Xiao En
sat inside the heavily-sealed carriage. Fan Xian would not
allow him to leave. The moonlight shined on the black
carriage, reflecting strange beams of light.

Deep in the night, the whole camp seemed to have fallen into
a sweet, dark sleep. A shadow, like a gust of wind, floated
alongside Xiao En's carriage. It pulled out a key, wiped it with
an oiled cloth, then slid it into the lock of the carriage door.
The keyhole made no sound. The utmost care was being taken.

The carriage door opened. Xiao En slowly lifted his head and
stared at the midnight visitor at the door. The iron chains that
should have bound his hands had already been loosened and
were placed steadily on the floor of the carriage.

Xiao En left the carriage, his long white hair draped over his
shoulders. In the bright silver moonlight, he looked around
coldly and frowned, knowing that something was very wrong.
But he had little time to think. The old man looked at Fan
Xian's tent. His whole body was like a shadow, disappearing
into the night by the lakeside.

Fan Xian, who should have been sleeping, had his eyes open
as he sat on a chair in his tent. His fingers softly grasped a
teacup. Inside the teacup was a small amount of knockout
drops and hibiscus seeds. Mixed together as a tea, they were
very hard to detect.

He felt a slight change in the air outside, and began to count.

"One, two, three, four..."

Chapter 195: Open the Door; Release the
Dogs
After counting to thirty, Fan Xian parted the curtain and
walked out. He watched that black carriage with a cold gaze.
There was nothing unusual about the carriage; even the trap
Wang Qinian had set in front of the carriage door remained
untouched. Fan Xian was dealing with a veteran here.

At that moment, a trembling noise sounded throughout the

camp. Except for the envoy members who had been drugged
into an unconscious stupor, Wang Qinian’s group, which Fan
Xian had notified, was now standing behind him. Also behind
him came heavy breathing and the sound of something
scratching the dirt—that came from three black dogs. They all
had muzzles on and couldn’t make any noise.

Fan Xian scratched his head. With a wave of his hand, he

ordered, "Open the door and release the dogs."

Wang Qinian signaled with his hand and his subordinates let
go of the leashes. Those three black dogs, which had been
locked away for an entire month, could not contain their
beastly instincts. Picking up faint scents, they went off on a
silent rampage as they rushed out like three black shadows.

Suddenly, many chilling flashes appeared! A barrage of

projectiles, each laced with poison, flew toward the dogs!

There was a clattering noise as the projectiles were met by a

whirlwind of flashing blades, which deflected them far away.
Immediately following that, those flashing blades went after
two attacking assassins.

Then came the sound of flesh being torn and ripped apart. A
few screams later, the two assassins were cut in three. Their
heads flew into the air, spraying blood in all directions!

A long blade cut into the armpit of the last assassin. In one
fell swoop, that assassin’s arms parted from his body and
bounced against the ground a few times.

Gao Da, leader of the Tiger Guards, withdrew his long saber
behind his back, his movement natural and unrestrained. The
six other Tiger Guards also sheathed their blades. Standing in
formation in the night, they looked exceptionally cool.

But it wasn’t the time to make cool poses. In one great leap
that could only be described as superhuman, Wang Qinian
pounced next to the armless assassin. Being able to cover that
many meters in a single leap showed why Wang Qinian was
known as one of the "Wings" of the Overwatch Council.

Acting quickly, he jabbed an iron rod into the assassin’s

mouth. After some very ugly noises, Wang Qinian reached into
the assassin’s bloodied mouth and took out a single tooth
which was filled with poison. Carefully, he wrapped that tooth
in a cloth. He then took out a wooden ball-gag and stuffed it
into the assassin’s mouth in order to prevent him from biting
off his tongue.

With blood pouring out from where his arms used to be, the
pain was already making the assassin long for death. Now
gagged and unable to end his own life, tears, snot, and saliva
flowed together into his mouth. It was a most wretched sight to
behold.
 "To think the enemy managed to sneak in." Wang Qinian
frowned as he discovered the assassin was not a stranger.
"Fortunately, he used the Council’s old method of hiding
poison."

Wang Qinian turned to his subordinate and ordered: "Treat

his wounds. He must not die. And treat him well; we have to
get a confession out of him."

Wang Qinian's subordinate answered to the order, but asked

curiously, "Sir Wang, you broke all his teeth. Won't the poison
enter his body?"

That startled Wang Qinian. Being a civil official for many

years had made him rusty. He hurried to take out the ball-gag
and washed the assassin’s mouth with clean water. Only after
giving the assassin some poison-cleansing pills, which were
granted by Commissioner Fan, did Wang Qinian become
somewhat relieved.

Seeing that Wang Qinian was about to gag the assassin again,
the subordinate couldn’t help but ask, "How can he still bite
his tongue with all his teeth broken?"
 Wang Qinian became angry and lashed out. "I like stuffing
his mouth with this wooden ball. Is that a problem?"

During the ruckus, Fan Xian tightened his pant legs and
sleeves and hid his face by putting on his hood. Camouflaged in
this dark outfit, he slipped away into the night. Those seven
Tiger Guards with astounding swordsmanship followed Fan
Xian’s silhouette. In complete silence, they went in the
direction that the three tracking dogs had gone. Only the slight
shaking of reeds showed their movements.

The camp was watched over by Council men. Outside the

camp there was a group of Black Knights. Fan Xian was
confident in them.

The poison he had injected into Xiao En was potent, but most
importantly, it left behind its faint scent in the pores of Xiao
En’s skin even after he forced it out of his body using zhenqi.

Xiao En could not smell it, but the dogs could. When it came
smell, men are inferior to dogs.
 A dark cloud passed overhead and the moonlight dimmed.
There were only the sounds of the night wind blowing across
the great lake and the rustling of reeds.

Fan Xian was wrapped entirely in black. Only his bright eyes
showed.

After discovering Xiao En succeeded in eliminating the

poisons from his body, Fan Xian planned out this operation on
his own. After all, no one in the envoy would dare to oppose
him. As for the members of the Council who knew the details,
they were even more willing to follow his lead. But it was a
dangerous mission. If Xiao En really managed to escape, they
wouldn’t be able to bring back Yan Bingyun, and a venomous
serpent would lurk forever in the dark, waiting to deal them a
lethal strike. Fan Xian absolutely could not afford such great
setbacks.

From the dense reeds in front of him came several strange

noises. Fan Xian sniffed the air and picked up the scent of
blood. Those three extremely ferocious black dogs seemed to
have been killed. Being able to kill those dogs in such a short
amount of time without exposing himself, Xiao En must have
recovered drastically.
 Fan Xian stood silently on the damp soil and squinted. He
was gauging his distance from Xiao En.

He then raised his right fist. The seven Tiger Guards

understood what Fan Xian meant. They made eye contact with
each other before dispersing into the dense reeds. They
couldn’t afford to get too close to Xiao En.

Xiao En must have noticed he was being pursued. Twenty

years in prison hadn’t made him forget all of his survival
skills. Under the cover of the night, the reeds, and the wind, he
silently made his way northeast, towards Northern Qi’s border.

Fan Xian knew someone must be waiting there to receive

him.

Calmly, Fan Xian started to run. His tremendous zhenqi

began to circulate. His feet parted from the muddy ground as
soon as they made contact with it, carrying his entire body
forward at great speeds. Darting like an arrow, Fan Xian
forcefully parted the reeds in front of him. Occasionally he
stopped and carefully investigated his surroundings, running
his fingers over the freshly-broken reeds, casting his eyes over
the footprints in the mud.

Xiao En was going in circles.

Fan Xian was following him in circles.

In the night, the hunter followed his prey, not knowing when
their roles would be reversed. Xiao En had to free himself from
the envoy and meet up with that person. Fan Xian had to grasp
this opportunity he had created for himself.

Fan Xian’s gaze became brighter as Xiao En’s trail became

more and more obvious. It seemed that the poison and Xiao
En’s own old age had taken their toll.

Piercing through the dense reeds, Fan Xian arrived at the

edge of a forest of short fir trees. He frowned. With his sharp
eyes, he could see the footprints getting messy, even in the
dark. Fan Xian dared not act carelessly, so he withdrew a
distance and took a detour, entering the forest from the side.
 A shrill cry suddenly rang out in the dark. A black rope
pounced out from the grass on the forest floor and snared
someone’s ankle—it was a Tiger Guard who had followed Fan
Xian into the forest! Still dangling in the air, he bounced his
body upwards with great strength. Twisting his right hand, he
drew the long saber from his back and cut the rope.

The Tiger Guard fell towards what appeared to be solid

ground.

A crossbow bolt came flying out, forcing the Tiger Guard to

use his saber to deflect it. He then twisted his body backwards,
landing about half a step behind his planned landing spot. As
the tip of his foot came down, the Tiger Guard discovered a pit
in front of him. It was a simple pit trap with sharpened stakes
on the bottom.

Fan Xian stood close to a tree and let go of the trigger. He

breathed a sigh of relief seeing that Tiger Guard disappearing
into the darkness once again.

From the forest came the harsh calls of an owl. Somewhere, a

branch moved slightly. Flashes of blades suddenly burst out of
the silence; seven beautiful white trails cutting into that space.

Splatters of blood dyed the forest floor. Gao Da lit a special

paper torch and took a look at the body. He shook his head. It
was not Xiao En.

Putting out the torch, the seven Tiger Guards showed

themselves and went deeper into the forest in a semicircle
formation.

Fan Xian disappeared into the darkness, moving along the

trees. He didn’t think Xiao En would take the one who opened
the carriage door with him. Knowing that gave him a strange
feeling. But he knew Xiao En was still in this forest, because
the poison was still emitting its faint scent.

The moon peeked out from behind the clouds, bathing the
forest in its silver light. Fan Xian pressed his palm against a
tree, feeling the faint vibrations of his surroundings. He was
fully confident that he would kill Xiao En.

Xiao En was in this forest.

Chapter 196: You Die, I Live
It was impossible for Xiao En to have gotten too far away.
Twenty years of suffering in prison had already dealt
irreparable damage to his body, which was then forced to fight
Fan Xian’s poison for the past few days. After reopening his
meridians with great difficulty and making a daunting escape,
he still had to waste more stamina to kill three very
determined dogs.

He tightly clutched a branch, his chest heaving intensely.

Slightly out of breath, he mocked himself for getting old.

As the moonlight illuminated the forest, Xiao En could

clearly see seven figures with long blades behind their backs.
They were moving very cautiously towards his hiding spot.
Xiao En was in fact quite shocked. Since being let out of
prison, this was his first time seeing the envoy’s Tiger Guards.
He didn’t know when the Sixth Bureau of the Overwatch
Council managed to obtain such a powerful force.

What worried him even more was that youth named Fan
Xian. Xiao En understood early on that Fan Xian was
determined to kill him, which was why the youth had
intentionally created this opening.

Across the mountain next to the forest was Wudu River. Xiao
En’s closest secret disciple had dispatched a team to wait for
him at Northern Qi’s border.

A cold light gleamed in Xiao En’s eyes as he decided to take a

gamble. It had been two hours since he escaped from the camp
and engaged in this game of cat and mouse. Far in the distance,
the sky was beginning to brighten, and a milky white mist,
unique to the great lake, began to rise in the forest.

The forest shrouded in white mist provided Xiao En with the

perfect opportunity. He silently slid down the tree. Flat on his
stomach like a pond loach, he began to crawl bravely in the
opposite direction—toward the seven Tiger Guards. Crawling
on the ground brought back a familiar feeling – a feeling from
long ago. It was the life-or-death feeling from when he was still
a lowly spy in Northern Wei.

Suppressing his heavy breaths to the utmost and reinforcing

his declining stamina with his pure zhenqi, Xiao En was going
to "brush past" those seven powerful Tiger Guards under the
cover of the mist. While it looked ridiculous, as long as he
could get out of the forest and safely back north, Xiao En
didn’t care.

Twang! Twang! Twang!

Three serpent-like bolts that seemed as though they had eyes

flew toward Xiao En’s position with lightning speed. But Xiao
En’s body seemed to have some special senses. Before the bolts
got close, he had already moved several centimeters to the left
and avoided being pierced.

But in doing so, he was exposed. Seven long blades came

down, forming a most terrifying lattice of death.

There was a muffled grunt. Xiao En had disappeared from

where he was. The true strength of a powerful master was
unleashed at this moment. A wave of crackling sound filled the
air. In this brief moment, the old man had moved outside of
the matrix of blades. He leaned forward, dispersed the
surrounding thick mist, and delivered two palm strikes against
the blades!
 Two Tiger Guards were sent flying, crashing through two
small trees.

Letting out a ferocious roar, Gao Da, his two hands gripping
the hilt of his blade, chopped down at that ghostly figure.

The slash rang through the air, but Xiao En was

expressionless. His eyes shined dimly behind his wild white
hair. He clapped his hands together and disappeared into the
mist, dodging Gao Da’s unblockable blow. Xiao En then struck
out with his palm. The wind created by his strike forced Gao
Da to come to a halt.

In the blink of an eye, the blades of the remaining four Tiger

Guards once again enveloped Xiao En.

With a sharp cry, Xiao En stomped the ground hard,

splashing up the mud. Then, with swift work of his fingers, he
sent countless slivers of wood—each as thin and sharp as a
needle—in all directions!
 Hearing something tearing through the air, the four Tiger
Guards raised their blades to shield themselves, especially their
eyes, from the unknown weapon. Even so, they felt the pain as
those slivers of wood embedded in their hands.

Gao Da flashed powerfully and the wind from his swing blew
away the wooden spines. With both hands on his hilt, he
looked up to see Xiao En’s shadow slipping into the mist,
almost to the edge of the forest.

There was a great rustling noise as all of the leaves on a

freshly-grown branch were blown away by a powerful force.
Fan Xian, dressed in all black, crashed through like a rock. He
rose to the highest point using all of his zhenqi in an attempt
to catch Xiao En!

Fan Xian had been hiding. He had fired those three bolts.
Now that he was presented with such a perfect opportunity,
how could he let it slip by?

In a flash, he and Xiao En crashed together. Fan Xian aimed

his gleaming black dagger into the old man’s throat.
 But in that moment, Fan Xian suddenly found Xiao En’s eyes
to be perfectly calm.

All of Xiao En’s focus was on Fan Xian; he too had been
waiting for this moment. Another sharp cry rang out from the
old man’s dry lips. Maneuvering swiftly, he grabbed Fan Xian’s
attacking arm with one hand and, with the other, he jabbed at
Fan Xian’s eyes like a serpent.

The pair crashed hard against a tree, but even that seemed to
be within Xiao En’s calculations. He intentionally jutted his
elbow back a bit and used the impact to further accelerate his
strike.

The old man’s fingers were dry and terrifying. But Fan Xian’s
eyes flashed.

In the thick mist, two hands of different skin colors twisted

together like they were wringing a towel. Xiao En sensed a
strange feeling, as if he did not know how Fan Xian extended
his other hand.
 Fan Xian had predicted his enemy’s move; it was the excellent
result of training under Wu Zhu’s stick.

As scary as Xiao En was, he wasn’t as scary as Wu Zhu. Fan

Xian grunted as he locked onto Xiao En’s wrist with his right
hand. He then started to attack the old man with his powerful
zhenqi. Swinging out his free hand, there was a flash which
pierced the mist.

It was a blade!

Xiao En suppressed Fan Xian’s wrist and attempted to knee

the youth in the abdomen. Pressing down his right thumb, a
dark gleam could faintly be seen. It brushed past Fan Xian’s
neck.

As soon as Xiao En’s thumb moved, Fan Xian twisted his

body. Using his inexhaustible strength, he avoided Xiao En’s
knee. But he felt something cold on his left shoulder. Fan Xian
knew he had been scratched by Xiao En’s hidden blade.
 With both their hands locked together, they appeared to be in
a hopeless situation. But with the pain in his shoulder, Fan
Xian grunted. A sharp blade projected out of the bottom of his
dagger and cut off one of Xiao En’s fingers!

The pain from losing a finger made the old man loosen his
grip. Fan Xian silently pressed down. His dark, gleaming
dagger… pierced deeply into Xiao En’s left shoulder!

At that moment, the two were still in freefall. Xiao En was

silent, as though he hadn't been stabbed at all. But he did open
his mouth, as if he was about to express his pain.

A thin needle launched out of the old man’s mouth towards

Fan Xian’s face!

Fan Xian stomped down with his left foot onto Xiao En’s
knee. With the crunching of broken bone, Fan Xian managed
to gain a few centimeters of height and the needle hit his chest.
Feeling the dull pain, he twisted his left wrist, turning his dual-
bladed dagger into a pinwheel, aimed after Xiao En’s wrist.
 With a slap, Xiao En let go. His pure strength was enough to
shock away Fan Xian’s right hand.

While Fan Xian’s right arm appeared to weakly fall back, the
hand swiped Fan Xian’s hair line… and bounced right back
with lightning speed! Between his fingers was a needle which
jabbed delicately into Xiao En’s neck!

Xiao En’s body stiffened and Fan Xian felt his chest getting
stuffy. The two finally crashed to the ground, shaking up
layers of fallen leaves and mud. The smell of decay was
punishing.

A long blade came down and there was the sound of flesh
being cut. The mist gathered again. Gao Da stared at Sir Fan,
who was splattered with blood. But Xiao En was nowhere to be
seen.

While the silent struggle between Fan Xian and Xiao En

seemed to have taken a long time, in reality it all took place
while they were falling from the top of a tree. In that short
moment, the two duelists, under the cover of the night,
silently carried out one of the most ferocious battles that the
world had ever seen. The maneuvers they executed, though
they seemed normal, actually represented the quintessence of
Northern Wei's deadliest killing techniques and Fan Xian’s own
fatal practice, which he had been training since he was a child.

While certainly not graceful, the results were

unquestionable. Had it been another strong warrior fighting
either of them, there surely would have been a chill in this
misty night.

It was a fight to the death between two ninth-ranked

assassins. It was a rare occurrence in this world.

"Xiao En is finished."

Fan Xian coughed twice. With his hand in a thin glove, he

removed the needle which almost killed him from the Council’s
specially-made clothes. After making sure the poison which
had gotten into the flesh wound on his shoulder wasn’t potent,
Fan Xian reloaded his crossbow in silence.
Chapter 197: Startling Developments in
the Meadow
Xiao En knew he was finished. After hitting the ground, he
relied on his decades of experience; he covered himself with
rotten tree leaves, hiding his scent and quietly escaping the
forest.

Since Fan Xian and the seven other Tiger Guards had
followed him through the reeds along the lakeside into the
forest, he had definitely left them some kind of trace. Xiao En
covered his mouth with his hand to stifle his coughing. 20
years of life in prison had damaged his circulatory system.
Falling that high from a tree, he realized with some sorrow
that his brain reacted more slowly than his body.

If this were 20 years ago, he believed he could have calmly

killed Fan Xian in the process of falling. Even if there were
seven expert swordsmen under the tree, as long as he retained
his familiarity with the mists of the Northern Sea, Xiao En still
strongly believed he could easily escape.

But... old age comes to all of us eventually.

 He had no way to stop up the bleeding wounds on his
shoulder. Fan Xian's strange dagger had left two strange
puncture marks, and the blood flowed from them incessantly.
Xiao En could feel his body weaken, and a smile seemed to
flash in his eyes as if he had seen through something. He tore
off a strip of clothing and wrapped it around his hand, pressing
it onto the bloody wounds.

His kneecap had shattered to pieces, and the pain stimulated

his mind, allowing the ageing spymaster to continue making
his way through the thick mists.

After he had fallen from the tree, Gao Da, leader of the Tiger
Guards, had slashed at his belly with a blade as white as snow.
Although he had quickly evaded it, he still could not stop the
sliced flesh from opening up, and his black robes were being
soaked with blood.

Although Xiao En had suffered many wounds to his body, the

one that had made him feel powerless to resist was still the
needle in his neck. He did not dare to pull it out, unsure of
what the consequence would be. He could feel the blood slowly
congealing in his body, and his pace slowed as he tried to move
forward.
 His aged and withered hands could still firmly pull
mushrooms up from under the tree. He chewed them and
swallowed. These were hongshan mushrooms, which could
enrich the blood and counteract poison. This was Aishan
Forest, a place he had been familiar with decades ago, so he had
chosen this place to make his escape. To his surprise, he was
still not out of the grasp of that young man's tricks.

Dawn slowly arrived, and the thick mists had still not
dispersed. Bright rays of light saturated the fog, bringing about
a feeling of holy purity.

The blood finally began to drip from the old man's body,
spilling to the muddy ground. Though the sound was subtle,
he knew clearly that that young man was stalking him like a
hidden tiger, and could emerge at any moment. He just didn't
understand why he hadn't already made his move.

But Xiao En knew... he was finished.

It was unclear what strength had stubbornly supported this

old man, tormented for 20 years and now ridden with wounds,
as he made his way through the mists of Aishan Forest,
climbing to the summit of a hill. Walking across the broad and
slightly wet meadow, he finally saw Northern Qi territory.

The village of Wuduhe shined under the sunlight in the

distance. Xiao En sighed. Rather disappointed and powerless,
he sat down, using his hands to move his right leg with its
shattered kneecap to the left-hand side. He coughed.

The shine came from the reflection off the village's colored
glass tiles. Although this was the countryside, where glass was
of little use, many years ago Xiao En had learned that there had
once been a glassmaker's workshop not far from the village.
After it had been destroyed, the people of the village took the
glass fragments and arranged them upon the roofs of their
houses.

No matter when or where they were, in a dark world, people

always wanted to create a little light for themselves.

Xiao En was the same. He narrowed his eyes and looked at

the shining glass tiles, thinking back to over 20 years ago. The
small village seemed to have hardly changed.
 In the fields outside the village, a battle had long since ended.
The troops who had come to rescue Xiao En had been
completely massacred. Around 200 Black Knights, like a
lifeless black wall, stood on one side of the field. A handful of
them had charged into the bloody fray, seen their still-living
enemy, and drawn their blades. The endless spluttering sound
had echoed throughout the battlefield.

"Those young men in the bloodbath in the meadow were

Shang Shanhu's men, were they not?"

Xiao En narrowed his eyes and looked at the scenery. He felt

a sudden tiredness, and coughed again. He already completely
understood Fan Xian's plans. Although the handsome young
man lacked experience, he had the boldness and courage to
make a move. He had chased him all the way to Wuduhe.
Naturally, he wanted him dead along with the pitiful Northern
Qi solders in the meadow below.

A slender dagger quietly came forth. Its surface was cold

enough to make the old man's neck break out in goose pimples.
 "You aren't as strong as I thought." Fan Xian's calm voice
came from behind him.

Xiao En pursed his withered lips and laughed bitterly. "I'm

not as strong as I thought either."

"With all your experience, it shouldn't have been hard to tell

this was a trap. Why did you still try to escape?" All the while
that he had been chasing him throughout the night, this was
something that Fan Xian could not understand.

Xiao En didn't respond, remaining silent. He didn't tell the

young man that because of Wang Qinian's careless words, he
had thought of a young woman and of a temple.

"Why don't you make your move?" Xiao En was strangely

cold. He looked at the unusually quiet village in front of him.
"You and I are both in this line of work. You should know that
the longer things are drawn out, the more variables may arise."

"I just got the sudden feeling that I seem to have made a
mistake." Fan Xian drew his dagger tighter, a slight frustration
appearing in his eyes, framed by black cloth. "I presumed that
the Eldest Princess would have dispatched someone to receive
you. I didn't expect it would only be men from Northern Qi."

"I don't know who this 'Eldest Princess' is." Xiao En seemed to
have long since lost any regard for his life or death. He took a
deep breath of the fresh meadow air. He hadn't smelled such a
natural aroma in many years. In the Overwatch Council's
prison, all he could smell was iron and straw. After so many
years, he hated the smell. Loathed it. Tired of it.

Fan Xian suddenly felt that something was strange. His eyes
fixed like knives onto the back of the old man's white head.

"I remind you again that since you wish to kill me, and have
chosen to do so at the border, then it is best to do it quickly,
and leave me with the bodies of those soldiers who wished to
free me," said Xiao En coldly. "Otherwise the Northern Qi
welcoming party will arrive, and if you wish to kill me, you
will have to consider the life of that colleague of yours."

Fan Xian narrowed his eyes. This plan to kill Xiao En on the
border was risky. To be exact, it risked Yan Bingyun's life. Since
the Northern Qi general Shang Shanhu had dispatched people
to receive the escaped Xiao En, in the chaos of battle, Xiao En
had died – this was reasoning that the young Emperor of
Northern Qi could, and had to, accept. The important part was
the fact that the diplomatic mission had relied on the military
might of the Kingdom of Qing the entire time. But what made
Fan Xian unusually disappointed was that Yan Xiaoyi's army
had not appeared on the battlefield as he had expected. If he
could not secretly kill the Eldest Princess, then what sense was
there in killing Xiao En?

Unsure what he was thinking, Fan Xian gripped his dagger

tighter, until his knuckles went white.

"Why do you always presume that I am still a tiger?" Xiao En

did not turn his head, nor did he lower it to look down at the
blade. He smiled as he talked to himself. "I am but a frail,
toothless tiger. I just know some things that others do not, so I
am still able to struggle on whilst at death's door to this day. In
the Kingdom of Qing, I was a prisoner. In fact, having returned
to the north, I will still be a prisoner in Northern Qi. Naturally
I want to fight. When you live to my age, you fear nothing...
but I fear not having freedom."
 "Perhaps I understand now why Director Chen wanted to
send you back, and then have me kill you." Fan Xian seemed
not to have paid any attention to Xiao En's warning, and still
appeared to be talking at length. "This is a test. Mr. Xiao, you
said that my talents were great and my strength was
formidable, but that I had never faced real strength alone. You
may be the first truly strong person who I have fought by
myself in my entire life."

Xiao En shook his head. He still sat cross-legged facing the

village. "No. I am not strong anymore. All I have done on our
journey is scare people. As for Chen Pingping..." He smiled, his
face filled with both bitter resentment and deep joy. "In truth...
he knows nothing. He only knows that he cannot kill me, so he
has no choice but to imprison me. And yet he does not know
why he cannot kill me, nor what he can learn from me. He
boasts of his plots stretching throughout the entire land, but in
truth, he is a pitiful, confused fool!"

The old man's speech was agitated. He coughed. His wound

had opened again, and fresh blood spilled out, falling on the
meadow.

The grass trembled slightly in the breeze.

 "Just what are your secrets?" Fan Xian's face did not change,
but he quietly changed his bearing. "What do you know?"

"I was imprisoned for 20 years, and I said nothing. Even

Chen Pingping lost all patience and sent me to be your prey in
your test of maturity," jeered Xiao En. "And you think I'll tell a
naïve child like you?"

"If you don't even fear death, then why are you afraid to tell
me your secrets?"

"There are things in this world much more terrifying than

death."

Fan Xian sighed. He could tell that the seven swordsmen

behind him had already retreated to a safe place nearby. He
smiled, and turned his head to the right to look at the orderly
line of Black Knights in the distance. Everything seemed to
have worked out.

Suddenly, without warning, he placed a foot on the meadow,

and his body slid leftward. A poison needle left his hand and
flew into the underbrush!

He was already in midair, like he was dancing through it.

The slender dagger in his hand was like a pitch-black viper, and
he stuck it out, perfectly straight. It made a humming sound in
the air. It had been imbued with all of the powerful zhenqi in
his body!

The seven Tiger Guards had already secretly taken up

positions on the favorable terrain. Fan Xian suddenly mounted
a sneak attack. The seven swordsmen, acting together in silent
understanding, attacked the underbrush, stirring up great
drifts of snow, dazzling the eyes!

Such power and such a sudden movement. No matter whom

the ambusher was - even if it was the enigmatic Eunuch Hong
of the Qing Palace, perhaps battered and exhausted; they
would have to pay with their flesh!
Chapter 198: Haitang Duoduo
But events have a way of exceeding one's expectations. As this
thundering offensive began, a fair and gentle hand emerged
from the underbrush!

Like a beautiful young girl catching a firefly, the index finger

and thumb were together, with the poison needle that Fan Xian
had launched held between them.

Then the figure flew from the underbrush. Seemingly

somewhat afraid of Fan Xian, it pressed on, nimbly moving
backward but easily rotating, avoiding the black dagger that
tore through the air like a gust of wind.

The seven swordsmen's blades whirled like snow in the wind,

leaving no place uncovered. The figure flew upward, dancing
lightly between the seven blades like snowflakes. Finally, the
figure's foot touched on the blade with the greatest
momentum, and it suddenly swiftly withdrew 15 meters away,
standing calmly on the grass.
 Gao Da groaned, sheathed his blade and turned back,
standing with the six other Tiger Guards in front of Fan Xian
and Xiao En, afraid that this master would erupt in fury.

It was a woman with a flower-patterned cloth tied around her

head, carrying baskets on her elbows. Inside the baskets were a
few fresh mushrooms.

To be exact, this was a village girl.

But who would have thought that she could have broken Fan
Xian's poison needle, avoiding its thrust with her entire body,
as well as being able to float away in retreat from seven blades
surrounding her like a flurry of snow... This was no ordinary
village woman.

Out of the corner of his eye, Fan Xian noticed that when the
northern spymaster Xiao En, who did not blink in the face of
death, had seen this woman, his eyes had trembled for a
moment. Fan Xian was somewhat surprised. Just who was this
female master hidden in the underbrush?
 He walked forward. The seven Tiger Guards moved out of his
way. Gao Da lowered his head and retreated, his hands gripping
his saber tightly, guarding Xiao En from behind. If anything
happened, he would separate Xiao En's head from his
shoulders.

"Madam, who are you?" Fan Xian asked calmly, looking at

this woman, his face betraying a hint of fascination.

The woman lifted her head. There was nothing strange about
her face. Neither could she be considered particularly
beautiful, but there was a strange brightness in her eyes, as if
they reflected completely the meadow and the dawn's light in
the blue sky. They were clear, bright, and incomparably pure.

Fan Xian was briefly dumbfounded. He cupped his hands in

salute. "I am a member of the Overwatch Council of the
Kingdom of Qing, escorting a prisoner into the Kingdom of Qi
by order of the Emperor. I am not sure why you are here,
madam. I apologize greatly for any offense we have caused,
and ask you not to be angry with us."
 This enigmatic woman was more ferocious than Fan Xian.
Fan Xian was a man with a gentle exterior and a deep inner
darkness, so he could not help but smile and say a few words he
didn't truly believe. He knew what she had come to do, and she
knew that he knew that. But he still spoke grandly and
sincerely.

The young woman smiled. Though her cheeks were not

beautiful, her smile animated them, and the crude flower-
patterned cloth she wore upon her head began to seem
familiar. She lowered her head and looked at the needle
between her fingers. After a moment, she spoke. "Master Fan, I
did not expect your weapon to be a needle."

Since she had already called him by his family name, Fan
Xian found it hard to put on an act again. All he could do was
rub his nose and force a smile. "Am I that recognizable? Or has
my reputation spread all the way to the north?"

"Surely all the land will have heard of an immortal poet...

For this immortal poet to suddenly become a Commissioner of
the Overwatch Council of the Kingdom of Qing is an even more
absurd and shocking matter. There's not a soul alive who hasn't
heard of you."
 The young woman held up the needle in her hand, looking
up carefully at the sky. Her eyes narrowed into crescent
moons, and she looked at the slender needle on the blue sky
backdrop, as if it were one of the flying blades that the
immortals walked on in legend.

"Ah. It is only a normal sewing needle." The young woman

seemed rather surprised at her discovery. The back end of the
poison needle had a hole bored through it.

Fan Xian forced a smile. His little sister had prepared it for
him; of course it was only a sewing needle. "Madam," he
suddenly asked, concerned, "must we still chat idly? Mister
Xiao has lost a lot of blood, and I fear it would not be
appropriate."

Xiao En smiled.

The young woman laughed. "Were you not planning to kill

him?"
 Fan Xian laughed gently. "No, it was a rebel army of Northern
Qi who intended to free him, thereby voiding the peace
agreement between our two countries. During the battle,
Master Xiao En fled in the crossfire."

The village girl giggled, pointing her middle finger at Fan

Xian's nose, looking much like those peasant women from
farming villages. "Not only are you a fine poet, Master Fan, but
you can even lie without changing your expression. You truly
are worthy of being called a Tianmai, like the legends of old."

"I don't deserve such praise," said Fan Xian, his face
unchanged, still gently looking her in the eye. "You are the
Tianmai of legend. I am simply hardworking and lucky."

The village girl's expression changed slightly. She seemed to

look at Fan Xian with much more interest. There was a deep
silence.

Suddenly, an early-rising bird flew into the nearby meadow

with a caw. It seemed to have smelled a strange and bloody
scent, and immediately took off, shocked. She smiled self-
effacingly and introduced herself. "My name is Duoduo."
 "Haitang Duoduo?"

"Correct."

Haitang was an outstanding member of the youngest

generation of Northern Qi, a disciple of the grandmaster Ku
He, and very possibly a legendary Tianmai being. In the
Overwatch Council, Yan Ruohai had warned Fan Xian of her.
At the time, Fan Xian had not expected that person to be a
woman... and yet, sure enough – to his surprise – she was.

Seemingly not reacting, Fan Xian's face was calm. "Miss

Haitang, could it be that you have come to take Master Xiao
back?" Now he knew her identity clearly, but he was still
hiding his shock well. He turned his head back to look Xiao En,
who was still surveying the meadow below with rapt attention.
"I didn't expect to meet you so soon."

Haitang was clearly one of the most remarkable people in the

world, but she still acted like she was a simple country girl.
She smiled. "Call me Duoduo, please. It's more pleasing to the
ear."
 At that moment, Xiao En suddenly spoke. "Neither of you are
Tianmai," he hissed. "You're just a pair of bickering brats."

Fan Xian felt ashamed. Although he knew that the old man
did not have the strength of his former days, he didn't seem too
bad off by the look of it. He and this "country girl" were
putting on an act, and it was really rather unnecessary.

At that moment, Haitang moved closer to the decrepit Xiao

En, who sat cross-legged in the meadow. "By order of my
master, I have come to escort you to Shangjing, Master Xiao."

Fan Xian frowned. His hands dropped down by his sides. "We
have yet to cross the border, Haitang... Miss Duoduo, I fear
you are acting prematurely."

He shook his head and waved his hand. The six Tiger Guards
behind him immediately moved into attack formation,
pointing their arrows at her. And behind them, Gao Da's sturdy
arms prepared his lightning-like blade, ready to behead Xiao
En.
 A strange smile flashed in Haitang's eyes. Her fingers
loosened, and the needle fell silently into the underbrush. The
corners of the simple clothing she was wearing fluttered in the
dawn breeze. "Master Fan," she said calmly, "don't tell me
you're planning to commit murder right in front of me."

Fan Xian laughed. He thought for a moment, and then looked

into her eyes. He knew that she had not come to stop him from
killing... Perhaps she had come to watch him kill. He didn't
know what kinds of secrets Xiao En held that could make Ku
He, the Imperial Advisor, break his long-held principle of non-
interference, and dispatch this girl who clearly had the
strength of a ninth-level master to serve as a murderer.

In this world, there are times where one needs to make tough
decisions in a very short span of time. Fan Xian had expended a
great amount of effort to entice Xiao En into this deadlock and
create this chance to kill him - but in an instant, he not only
had to renounce his former plans, but had to do the very
opposite of them!

Undoubtedly, this was absurd. It was a nonsensical choice.

Any normal person would be saddened by such a hindrance to
their plans.
 But Fan Xian was brave enough to let things be. Since this
plan had not been successful in ensnaring Yan Xiaoyi, then
whether or not Xiao En was killed was no longer so important.
Besides, he had developed quite an interest in the old
spymaster. So he gave a strange smile and pounced on Haitang.
At the same time, he signaled to the seven Tiger Guards to
protect Xiao En and take him in the direction of the Black
Knights.

Ching, ching, ching, ching... In total, the sound of seven

clashes rang out in an orderly fashion. On the meadow, even
the light dawn breeze seemed to have been cut to pieces by that
slender, black, poison-coated dagger. The fragments of zhenqi
were like countless shattered blades, flying all around the
flower-patterned cloth tied around Haitang's head.

Fan Xian was thoroughly pleased with his seven blows.

Although they had pursued Xiao En throughout the night and
his body was already rather fatigued, facing someone who was
absolutely outstanding among her generation - particularly the
kind of person he had naturally detested when reading novels
in his past life - Fan Xian had finally roused all of the hidden
potential within him to deliver some dazzling blows.
 Like seven black lotuses, Haitang's hairline... burst forth,
then lifelessly and faintly disappeared.

Haitang smiled, holding a simple dagger in her hand. The

side of the blade had fragments of grass on it, leaving droplets
of green fluid that congealed into spots.

A moment earlier, every vicious, lightning-fast thrust that

Fan Xian had made had all been gently parried by the girl's
dagger. Its point quivered, looking delicate and powerless in
the wind, yet like countless clear breezes, it had bound itself to
Fan Xian's slender dagger, and in the end, had turned the
powerful zhenqi Fan Xian had channeled into it into a slight
breeze.
Chapter 199: Shamelessness Against
Virtue
There was a look of surprise in Fan Xian's eyes. He sighed in
admiration. "You are indeed a worthy disciple of Grandmaster
Ku He, with the strength of a ninth-level master, if you were so
easily able to dispel my attack." His facial expression was
affected, but his words had a hint of truth; Fan Xian knew full
well that under Wu Zhu's forceful guidance, he had still not
truly faced an opponent like Haitang.

He took a step back, his face filled with resolve, slipping his
poison-laced dagger into his boot. He held out his right hand in
invitation. "In combat, madam, I am no match for you. I ask
for your guidance in martial arts."

Haitang was somewhat taken aback, and slowly slipped her

blade back into its scabbard. The blade she carried with her
was not particularly long, so the scabbard hidden on her
person in her country-girl clothing - rather at odds with her
identity - was not easily to find at first.

Fan Xian cupped his hands in salute and planted the edge of
his foot on the ground. Without another word, he became a
gray dragon, charging directly at the young woman.

Haitang looked into his clear, bright eyes. Since she had
finished her apprenticeship, she had fought with countless
northern masters, but she had never come across a style which
took such headstrong and brave risks as Fan Xian's. Did he
really not know that such a reckless dash would only require
her to turn her body slightly to gain complete control of the
situation?

Originally, her world-renowned teacher had not given her

any other task, and had warned her repeatedly not to be
distracted. But when Haitang looked at this handsome young
man who looked at her the way he did, she still could not stop
her eyes from sparkling. If she killed him right at that
moment, she thought, it seemed like it wouldn't be such a bad
idea.

Then, with a slight turn of her heel, she shifted her center of
gravity backward two inches.

In a flash, Fan Xian had already arrived in front of her, and

extended an inelegant fist, aimed straight for the bulging chest
underneath her clothing.

When his fist was only three inches from Haitang's body, like
a willow branch snapped in half by the wind, her whole body
moved backward remarkably, pivoting on her heel in a
semicircle. A moment later, like a gust of wind, her whole body
floated behind Fan Xian, and she softly raised her right fist to
strike Fan Xian in the back of the head.

It seemed like a simple move, but in light of Fan Xian's speed

and the short space of time, it looked incredible.

The effortless strike was like swatting a housefly. The blow

was so casual, so... inevitable. To an onlooker, it seemed only
natural that the gentle blow would strike the back of Fan Xian's
head, and prove that the "immortal poet" was very much
mortal indeed.

Unfortunately, she had misestimated the speed of Fan Xian's

reactions, his valiant physical control, and the powerful
zhenqi within the young man's body.
 Fan Xian gave a grunt. The foot in front of him had already
been planted deeply into the soft mud of the meadow! If any
normal person had wanted to stop while charging forward at
such a speed, perhaps their right knee would shatter to pieces
under the force. But Fan Xian, making use of powerful
opposing force, suddenly stopped the momentum of his body.

His head did not turn. With a whoosh, he withdrew the

dagger from his boot and thrust it insidiously underneath his
armpit!

Its black point travelled forth, looking unreal. The palm that
carried it forward was like the breath of a fairy!

Haitang frowned. She had not expected the young man to be

so shameless! But she was also not frenetic in the slightest.
Flicking out a flinger striking a flint onto the side of the viper-
like, black dagger, her palm naturally lifted up, and her sleeve
made a ripping sound. Although she had avoided the danger of
it going through her palm, she still had no way to parry Fan
Xian's blow, filled with his concentrated and powerful zhenqi.
 The basket that had been hanging on the crook of her left
elbow just happened to be upturned.

The dagger entered the bamboo basket, and with a chaotic

crashing sound, it broke into fragments.

A faint fragrance along with a white mist swiftly dissipated

in the air between the two. Haitang frowned once more, held
her breath, and touched the tip of her foot to the ground, about
to make a temporary retreat. To her surprise, through the
white mist came three silent crossbow bolts. By the time she
realized, they were already a foot away from her!

If she were an ordinary ninth-level master, after her energy

had become somewhat disordered, holding her breath tightly,
she would inevitably feel the gloom building in her chest, and
suddenly meeting with Fan Xian's crossbow trick, it would be
hard to avoid a feeling of terror. But Haitang was a Tianmai of
legend; with a mere flick of her hand, she tore the patterned
cloth tied around her head and held it flat before her cheeks,
motionless in the wind like a sheet of iron.
 Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! The three crossbow bolts seemed
to hit this iron sheet, shattering into pieces, and the patterned
cloth in Haitang's hands was also powerlessly torn apart.

So far, she had defended against all of Fan Xian's sneak

attacks. Haitang slowly drew the short blade from her
clothing, her face expressionless. With a toss of her hand, the
blade was like lightning, slicing through the faint mist,
following a strange trajectory, and suddenly heading straight
for Fan Xian's face.

Fan Xian interlocked his hands, swiftly releasing the

powerful zhenqi in his body. With a clap, he caught the dagger
between his hands. He felt a searing pain in his palms, and
knew that his opponent's pure zhenqi was still coursing into
the blade, incomparably sharp.

A silhouette floated forth. Haitang's figure was like a flying

blade, not slowing even slightly; she drew close to Fan Xian,
calmly gripped her sword hilt, and turned gently.

The point of the blade was incomparably sharp, and it cut

into Fan Xian's palm.
 Fan Xian groaned, circulating his zhenqi into his palms,
giving Haitang's blade no chance to reverse. Haitang frowned
slightly, seemingly somewhat astonished at the powerful
zhenqi being forced through her blade, but she made no
extraneous movements, and automatically pulled it out,
thrusting it back toward Fan Xian's face.

It was a simple move, and an involuntary movement, yet it

gave Fan Xian an idea he could not avoid. His palms aching,
the blade he had grasped had already disappeared, and a
moment later was heading straight for his brow.

Haitang gave a low groan! Her face seemed filled with anger,
and her whole body floated.

In her underbelly was the black dagger that Fan Xian had
somehow pulled from nowhere.

Two young, powerful warriors. One stood in the meadow,

one flew through the air. Fan Xian's biting blade had sent
Haitang's highest-quality sword backwards. She moved around
Fan Xian quickly in a circle, the clothes on her body
blossoming like flowers, dazzling to the eye.
 A hand emerged from the flowers and hit Fan Xian in the
chest.

Fan Xian narrowed his eyes slightly. It was a glancing blow.

His right palm filled with powerful zhenqi, he struck Haitang
softly in the chest in the midst of those flowers.

Haitang retreated once more, pulling out her blade. There

was a clanging sound as the wind rushed past their palms and
their blades clashed again and again.

A moment later, Haitang lowered her head, grasping her

sword in her right hand, and slid backwards. The cloth
covering her hair had already been cut to pieces, and now her
black heart spilled forth. Although she was still wearing simple
clothing, the power of her blade was as beautiful as the
mythological fairy Xuan Nü. She was no longer a rustic
country girl.

On the other side, Fan Xian looked at her, his hand gripping
the dagger, trembling slightly. A feeling of defeat came over
him; a feeling that his style was not enough to match this
woman, that even the powerful zhenqi that he had always
taken great pride in seemed weak in the face of this tranquil
and accommodating woman's pure zhenqi, and that he was
completely at a disadvantage.

In truth, Haitang felt somewhat astonished. Since she had

finished her apprenticeship, she had come across countless
masters. Fan Xian was clearly not the strongest, and his power
was, at most, just on the threshold of the ninth level - but Fan
Xian was certainly the one who had most put her in a difficult
situation.

Fan Xian was simply not willing to show weakness before

her. Such was his innate stubbornness. Haitang was an
exceptionally powerful upper ninth-level master. If he were
facing Yan Xiaoyi, perhaps he would have already retreated.
But facing this girl, he valiantly and stupidly chose to fight on.

Fortunately, his manner of fighting was without any sense of

shame; it was very different from battling any ordinary
powerful fighter.

Haitang looked at his handsome and valiant face, and

suddenly revealed a hint of loathing. "Among the younger
generation, Master Fan, you may be considered an expert. But
your style is so shameless. Have you no sense of honor?"

She was right. Earlier, Fan Xian had called for a contest of
martial arts, and yet he had used a dagger in a sneak attack,
and finally had used some kind of poison arrow. He had
employed low blows and all sorts of dirty tricks. Haitang had
never faced such a dishonorable opponent.

Fan Xian panted, trying to calm the disorderly breathing in

his chest. He laughed forcibly. "I have never been an expert in
martial arts; of course I cannot comply with some sort of
custom. I am a Commissioner of the Overwatch Council of the
Kingdom of Qing - an official. You are a subject of Northern Qi.
Now you trespass the national borders and stand on the
territory of my country, and I must capture and punish you.
What does it matter what methods I use?"

Haitang was silent, seemingly approving of this explanation.

She slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The
exceptionally natural and pure energy began to strengthen
around her. The dewdrops of the meadow seemed to be excited,
and fell from the blades of grass, turning to faint vapor.

Fan Xian narrowed his eyes, knowing that the palm that head
struck her breast and the thrust at her private areas had made
this nymph angry.

Like a gust of wind and a ray of light, the spring dawn breeze
drifted gently across the meadow. Haitang's blade followed the
breeze, the light, and the shadows, heading completely
naturally toward Fan Xian. This was her second attack, and it
seemed gentler than the first, but Fan Xian knew that it was
more dangerous.

His feet felt somewhat numb. The repercussions of a night of

fierce battle were finally showing, and facing this upper ninth-
level master, he knew that he could not fight on without any
regard for consequences; he did not have the strength.

So Fan Xian relinquished his dagger, withdrew his hands,

and narrowed his eyes, not advancing any further. He felt
every inch of his body in contact with the air around him, and
relying on this incredible sensitivity he moved to dodge her
seemingly godlike blade.

Many years before, he had done the same. At the time, it was
Wu Zhu's staff he was dodging.

Now, he was doing it again, but his opponent held a blade.

Wu Zhu could hit him, but Haitang... was not Wu Zhu. She
was an upper ninth-level master, but still was nowhere near
Wu Zhu.
Chapter 200: Untitled
In Haitang's hand, the blade was like the wind, twirling
around Fan Xian. He jumped and leaped and crouched and fell
prone, assuming all kinds of strange and comical positions.
Between each pose, he used all of his formidable physical
control to string the postures together.

The blade stuck into the mud just by his left year, the grass
by the little finger of his right hand, and fell onto a dewdrop
next to his throat.

He was impossible to hit.

A strange look slowly filled Haitang's eyes. She had been

training since childhood, and her innate skills were
outstanding. She had a natural confidence with the blade, and
save for the four grandmasters, she considered none her equal.
This young Fan Xian, no matter how one considered him, was
not her equal... But then why, with him being in such a
difficult situation, was her blade still not enough? Every time
she tried to stab him, his body seemed to have anticipated it,
and at the moment of greatest danger, shifted by inches!
 The sweat on Fan Xian's brow dripped onto the meadow.
Things were getting too dangerous. At a number of points, he
had come close to impalement. Although her speed and
accuracy with the blade was not quite that of Wu Zhu, it was
still remarkable. He felt some regret, and felt that he shouldn't
try to evade her but instead face her head-on as recklessly as
before, overwhelming her calmness with his intrepidness.

But as things stood, there was no other way.

At a life-or-death moment, Fan Xian rolled across the dew-

moistened meadow, battered and exhausted as he dodged. He
would have no chance to complain about Wu Zhu's quality of
teaching if such a talented fighter was still unable to harm him.

With a whoosh, a black arrow broke through the air, headed

toward Haitang's face. At that moment, Haitang's attention
was completely focused on Fan Xian. She turned her body
slightly, allowing the arrow to whistle past her cheek.

Following after it were two more—three more arrows!

 A densely packed and deadly hail of arrows missed Fan Xian,
who was rolling around on the floor like a puppy, dodging
toward Haitang.

Haitang sighed and brandished her blade in a circle,

sweeping away one arrow after another. Her wrist began to feel
numb, and could not help but become somewhat startled; how
could the puny bows of the cavalry let forth such a powerful
volley?

Shortly after, a blade flew forth with unstoppable force - it

belonged to Tiger Guard Gao Da! The point of the blade stuck
into the mud just in front of Haitang, forcing her to step back.

The sound of horses' hooves rumbled like thunder. The Black

Knights had finally dashed to the meadow from outside the
village. Hundreds of hooves restlessly galloped. They seemed
to bring an air of terror to the meadow. Immediately, with
their faces covered, the Black Knights drew their bows, aiming
at the powerful master who was dressed in the clothing of a
village girl.
 "You're lucky." Haitang floated lightly away, retreating a
distance from the terrifying cavalry. She softly ran her fingers
through her hair as she spoke to the distant Fan Xian, who was
struggling to get up.

Fan Xian laughed bitterly, not saying a word as he watched

the distant village girl wave goodbye.

The meadow fell silent. Ordered to do so, the Black Knights

dismounted their horses one by one and chanted all at once.
"Commissioner, it is an honor."

Fan Xian turned around and saw the chilling cavalry. He

finally calmed down somewhat and spoke rather wearily. "This
place is poisonous. Be careful that your horses are not
harmed."

Returning to the camp, an imperial physician who had

followed them saw to Fan Xian's wounds, bandaging him
liberally. Fan Xian's face was grave and stern as he entered the
camp. He told his subordinates that today they would rest, and
tomorrow they would enter the village of Wuduhe.
 "Who was it?" Fan Xian was not in a good mood. He looked at
Wang Qinian coldly.

Wang Qinian bowed. "The person who opened the carriage

door was someone from Xinyang. The spy in the Council also
had some connection to Xinyang. As for outside the village of
Wuduhe, the army responsible for receiving him were in
disguise, but we discovered that they were private forces of the
Northern Qi general Lü Jing. Lü Jing first served in the army of
Shang Shanhu a decade ago, and since then he has risen
quickly through the ranks.

Fan Xian nodded. The wound on his shoulder had begun to

ache. He frowned. "Xiao En is connected to Shang Shanhu, I
could guess that. So it's only normal that Lü Jing came. As for
Xinyang... Xiao En was able to leave prison thanks to Xinyang's
tricks. But if they knew we were going to arrive safely in
Shangjing, I don't see why they arranged an attempt to set him
free?"

His head ached, and he could not understand just what the
secret agreement between the Eldest Princess and Northern Qi
entailed.
 "It's very clear. The Eldest Princess and Shang Shanhu both
hope that Xiao En does not fall into the hands of the royal
family of Northern Qi," Wang Qinian conjectured. "It seems
that the royal family of Northern Qi wants Xiao En's secrets,
but not Xiao En himself."

"In that case, if Xiao En arrived safely in Northern Qi,

perhaps he would die of old age in prison instead of wielding
power. No wonder he was so desperate to escape." Fan Xian
frowned as he talked to himself. "It seems that the young
Emperor of Northern Qi is no fool. Perhaps he also
understands the connection between Shang Shanhu and Xiao
En."

"But... what kind of secrets could make the royal family of

Northern Qi so nervous? Why did Ku He dispatch Haitang to
silence him? Why was Chen Pingping willing to let him go
free? Why was he not willing to have him killed?"

"I feel like such an idiot." Fan Xian looked at the wounded
Xiao En and propped his chin on his hand in thought. This was
how things were. Before he had fought Xiao En, his enemy had
been a tiger. After they had fought, he had found that he was
merely a paper tiger. His mother had taught Chen Pingping
well.

"I definitely wanted to kill you," he continued. "And in the

end, after all that work, at the crucial moment, I became your
bodyguard." The way things had developed was truly absurd.
Xiao En's aged voice rang out. "Many things in life are thus. If
they were not absurd, then they would not be true."

Fan Xian laughed. "But the lure of killing you is still strong."

"Haitang is a student of Ku He. When that bald fool Ku He

speaks, everyone in Northern Qi listens," said Xiao En calmly.
"Since she knows that I am alive, then you can't plant me
among those corpses outside the village. If you were to kill me
now, then it is doubtful that Master Yan would make it out
alive."

"Then what secrets are you hiding?" Fan Xian looked at him
quietly. "Something that would make Ku He go to the trouble
of killing you."
 "It's a few old stories and nothing more."

"When we were in the meadow, speaking of your secrets, that

was when she appeared, ready to kill you." Fan Xian looked at
him coldly. "The secret indeed seems to be a great one, if it
could cause such chaos to the tranquility of an upper ninth-
level master."

Xiao En laughed at him. "Why do you presume that she was

not preparing to kill you?"

"There is no enmity between her and me. Why would she

want to kill me?" Fan Xian looked into Xiao En's bloodshot eyes
as if he were trying to divine the secret long hidden behind
them.

"You're wrong." Xiao En laughed gently. The cold air of fear

that had surrounded him when he had first left the prison of
the Overwatch Council had long since disappeared.

"It seems that Ku He does not want you to return to Northern

Qi alive."
 "Correct. The reason I knew that you had laid a trap and yet
still dared to escape was because I knew that, ultimately,
whether it was the royal family of Northern Qi or even this
Eldest Princess - who I have never met - no one would let me
die so easily. The Eldest Princess you speak of would perhaps
wish to use my death as part of some agreement with Shang
Shanhu. After all, she is too young, and knows nothing of the
secrets of the past...

"More importantly," Xiao En continued, "Ku He wants to shut

me up, so he rushed to kill me before I crossed over the
border... You are quite a remarkable person. No doubt you will
wonder what sort of secrets could provoke him to kill me.
Since this is the case, you had no choice to turn from my
assassin into my protector."

Fan Xian was silent.

"You set a trap, I sprung it, and ultimately I lost. But I have
one last thing to rely on. All I can do is play that last card,
which will stop you from killing me. Tomorrow we cross the
border, and you will have no more chances to make your move.
So now... it is up to you." Xiao En's face did not change.
Although the old fox did not have his former strength, it
seemed his calculating mind could still see clearly through
men's hearts.

"I'm interested in that card of yours; more so than anyone

else. I'll admit that's enough to spare you for now." Fan Xian
did not seem discouraged in the slightest. Instead, he smiled to
himself. "But you haven't escaped. When we get to Shangjing,
Shang Shanhu has no way to save you. You will still be locked
up by the royal family of Northern Qi, tormented until you die
of old age or reveal your secrets."

There was a sudden flash of fear in Xiao En's eyes. After his
serious injuries today, it seemed that he had been weakened.

"So what kind of secret is it?" Fan Xian continued his

questioning from the meadow. "Since you don't fear death,
why won't you talk? Don't tell me that there are things worse
than death, I don't believe that nonsense."

Xiao En seemed to have finally discovered the coldness deep

in Fan Xian's heart. He smiled, his mouth shut tight.
 Fan Xian suddenly closed his eyes and thought for a moment.
He extended his hand like a gust of wind, and softly took hold
of the needle in Xiao En's neck. It had not been removed since it
had been stuck into one of Xiao En's meridians when they were
in Aishan Forest. As the needle slowly left his body, the old
man suddenly groaned, a pained expression on his face. All at
once, blood suddenly began to leave the many wounds, large
and small, on his body!

"This needle can stop the flow of your blood vessels, but in
truth it can also help you staunch bleeding. After pulling it
out, by the time I count to about 20, you'll have died from
blood loss." Fan Xian spoke calmly as he fingered the needle.
"This is the only way you can keep yourself alive, so proceed
carefully."

The blood dripped from Xiao En's body, soaking his clothing
and dripping onto his chair. His face became increasingly pale,
and the old-man odor that hung around him became
increasingly thick. It seemed to slowly morph into the stench
of death.

But his mouth remained closed.

 Drip. Drip. Some time passed. Fan Xian frowned. His finger
flew like lightning, sticking the needle into another of Xiao
En's acupoints, helping him to staunch the bleeding. Then he
carefully smeared knockout drops under the nose of the semi-
conscious Xiao En.
Chapter 201: Haitang’s Lust
A bitter smell entered his nostrils, and Xiao En was gradually
roused. He fixed Fan Xian with an indescribable expression and
spoke with some difficulty. "I believe Chen Pingping would be
very disappointed in you. If you want to kill me, kill me. If you
want to let me go, then let me go. With all this back-and-forth,
how will you be able to achieve greatness in the future?

Fan Xian's face was blank. "Other people presume I will kill
you, so I will not. What do I have to fear in going back and
forth? As long as I end up with the information I want, I'm
happy to torment you over and over."

Though he said it, his eyes still slowly drooped. He knew

that the old man was using his curiosity, and he knew full well
that he had a secret that even the royal family of Northern Qi
and a grandmaster had an interest him. If he killed him at that
moment, it would not be done willingly.

He hadn't expected that the plot to murder Xiao En was to get

rid of such an incredible secret. Nor had he expected such a
remarkable young woman. But Fan Xian was not put out in the
slightest. He had learned since his youth how to adapt to
changes to one's plans.

Some time passed. He suddenly smiled. "If I arrested Zhuang

Mohan to threaten you, would you come out with your
secret?"

Xiao En slowly raised his head. There was a hint of shock in

his lifeless eyes. He seemed not to have imagined that the
young man knew about the brotherhood between himself and
the literary master Zhuang Mohan.

"Of course, for an old snake like you; someone who only lives
for himself. I reckon you don't care about Zhuang Mohan at
all, even though he's done so much for you." Fan Xian kept up
his smile, pressuring the old man. Suddenly, his heart skipped
a beat. "So I hope that you will have the chance to tell me your
secret soon. Otherwise... if I figure out the secret of the temple
by myself, I will murder Zhuang Mohan personally!"

The temple? The temple!

 With these two successive blows, a hoarse sound came from
Xiao En's throat. He lifted his weakened arm and pointed at
Fan Xian. His eyes were filled with shock. It seemed like he
wanted to know how the young man knew that the secret he
was keeping was linked to the temple!

Fan Xian satisfied Xiao En's curiosity. "My conclusion comes

from my confidence in Cheng Pingping. You say that Chen
Pingping knows nothing of the secret you are keeping. Then it
is simple. I believe that in all the land, the only things that
Chen Pingping does not know about are affairs of the temple.

"Since your secret is that great, I will make sure that you are
not killed by Haitang." Fan Xian's voice carried a hint of
mockery. He couldn't help but think about his uncle with his
cloth-bound eyes. If Wu Zhu's memories returned one day,
would going to the temple not be like returning home?

These were just his own thoughts. But at that moment, he

still couldn't try to kill Xiao En again. One reason was because
Haitang was close by, and so it would be hard to use the
surprise attack outside the village as a pretext. The other
reason was because of his mother. Fan Xian very much wanted
to know where the temple was. And that damned Wu Zhu
seemed like he would never return.

After leaving the carriage, rather exhausted, Fan Xian

gathered up the rest of the incense he used to knock people out,
and arranged for the imperial physician who was with the
diplomatic mission to go into Xiao En's carriage and treat his
wounds. He closed his eyes for a long while, and then
summoned Gao Da and made a gesture. Some time later, he
heard two groans come from the carriage, and the faint smell
of blood.

Fan Xian went back into the carriage, and spoke calmly to a
sinister-faced Xiao En. "Since you dared to escape, and I still do
not wish to kill you, then the price will be your legs. I am not
Chen Pingping, and your so-called secret is not entirely
indispensable to me. If you wish to threaten me with your
suicide, please go ahead.

"But you must be feeling a lot of emotions about this

homecoming. I presume you will not have the courage to kill
yourself anymore." He smiled and left the carriage.
 Xiao En looked at the blood that seeped out onto the broken
bones below his knees, and a faint worry showed in his eyes.
He knew that this young man of the Overwatch Council would
become a terrifying character in the south.

Fan Xian looked at the camp in the noonday light. His own
plan was certainly not perfect by any means, and had
unexpectedly brought about this absurd result. He had taken
advantage of the opportunity provided by Xiao En's terror, and
with the help of knockout drops, he had confirmed that the old
man's secret involved the temple. Otherwise, this plot would
not seem to be worthy of the intractable hatred and desire for
revenge of that natural blade-master Haitang.

In the distance, the sound of horses' uncomfortable

whinnying echoed through the Black Knights' camp. Fan Xian
narrowed his eyes and looked toward it. He knew that his
poison on the meadow had begun to take effect. He waved a
hand to summon a Tiger Guard, and asked him to relay an
order to the Black Knights.

"If they have mares, that's the best way to deal with it. If
that's not possible, then wash them all thoroughly with fresh
water."
 The Tiger Guard took the message. Fan Xian smiled, turned,
and entered Si Lili's carriage. Somewhat weakened, he sat on a
chair. It was strange, facing this woman, knowing that last
year she was one of the plotters who had wanted him dead. But
he still felt quite relaxed. It seemed that he had gotten used to
the faint aroma of the carriage, which had become like a kind
of calming drug to him.

Si Lili took off his blood-soaked clothes for him and gently
washed him in warm water. The warm towel slipped over his
nude and well-proportioned body.

"Have you ever met Haitang?" asked Fan Xian suddenly, his
eyes closed.

Si Lili frowned slightly, seemingly trying to remember life in

the royal palace of Northern Qi.

"Ku He's female disciple."

Si Lili had a sudden realization. "You mean Duoduo?"

 Fan Xian frowned. "I came across her today." He told her
everything that had happened that day. "At first I thought she
was some kind of magical being. The way she spoke and moved
didn't look like some powerful master at all. She looked just
like some kind of village girl."

"Duoduo is no ordinary woman." Si Lili looked at him with

slight worry in her eyes. "Since childhood, she was obsessed
with martial arts. She had no interest in poetry or painting or
calligraphy at all. In Ku He's priory, she started a vegetable
garden, and the only thing she did apart from practicing
martial arts every day was tend to her plants."

Fan Xian was somewhat stunned. That kind of behavior

wasn't completely unlike Prince Jing. He could guess why
Haitang had lived that sort of life. Ku He's school of martial
arts sought to unite man and heaven, and placed particular
emphasis on closeness to nature. Since Haitang had been such
a talent, it was only natural that she hid herself away in her
vegetable garden. It seemed that her country-girl act was
perhaps not that much of an act.

"Be careful. She is dangerous." Si Lili teased Fan Xian, drying

him with a towel. "I reckon you were lucky to come back today
at all."

That was indeed the case, but Fan Xian still raised his
eyebrows and smiled strangely. "Although my martial art
practice is not as good as hers, it was a real battle... I think she
came out of it worse than I did."

Si Lili smiled at him. "If we cross the Northern Qi border and

Haitang comes to kill you, I can't speak for you."

Fan Xian laughed and shook his head. "If she dares to attack
me when we cross the border, I'll take off my clothes and let
her kill me quick. If she doesn't fear provoking a war between
our two countries."

He suddenly looked at Si Lili's delicate figure and thought

back to that night on the pleasure boat, and the drug that he
had used. He couldn't help but think of Haitang, wherever she
was. It was as if he could still feel the coldness of her dagger on
his neck.
 He shivered. Si Lili presumed he was cold, and hurriedly
covered him with a robe.

Only Fan Xian knew. He was somewhat scared of Haitang

and her blade. If those seven Tiger Guards and the Black
Knights hadn't arrived in time, then he may well have died by
her hand. Right now, he couldn't put up a fight against an
upper ninth-level master. Yan Xiaoyi shot him down from the
top of the palace wall with one arrow. Although he had made
progress since then, he still couldn't match Haitang.

This business was all rather odd. Fan Xian had fought two
battles from night to dawn, showing more courage than he had
ever been able to before. He much preferred assassinations to
fighting all-out with military force.

Some time later, Fan Xian sighed, silently posing a question

to the heavens. "That damned Wu Zhu. He hasn't followed me.
Does he not know how to contact me at all? Give me the box,
give me the box!"

In the distance, in the reeds by the lakeside along the

national border, in that cold, deep water, a head suddenly
appeared. The lake water cascaded down her hair. It was
Haitang, disciple of a grandmaster, considered to be a Tianmai
by the people of Northern Qi. She exposed her bare upper body,
a look of anger floating across her face.

She had already withstood the poison for an hour. She was
surprised it still hadn't been purged from her system. Her
insides burned incessantly as if they were on fire. Even ice-cold
lake water couldn't dispel the thoughts of lust in her heart.

Haitang bit her bottom lip, giving a slight sigh of ecstasy.

Finally, she understood what had happened. The hatred flashed
in her eyes. "That shameless Fan Xian!" she cursed in a low
voice.

Fan Xian had not used poison, but an aphrodisiac. A top-

quality aphrodisiac would do no harm to the human body.
Haitang had used zhenqi to withstand the poison, which had
instead made the drug circulate through her body that much
faster. No wonder that in the cold spring lake, her heart soared
and her body felt hot all over.
 Haitang sighed, and thought of what Fan Xian had said. He
was an official, but he also considered himself a fighter. He was
a ninth-level master, and yet he used such underhanded
tactics.

But there were still many things she did not understand.
When the poison was released, she had held her breath. Could
it be that when they were fighting later, in a moment of
inattention, she had inhaled... the remaining drug? She
suddenly lifted her right hand and frowned as she examined it
closely. In between her thumb and index finger, she saw a small
scar. The scar did not ache. It must have been created by the
poison needle from before.

Haitang had always thought highly of herself, and had never

given any thought to any of the poisons throughout the land.
So she grasped at it with her hand, unaware of how
complicated Fan Xian's methods for administering poison
were. First he used the needle to inject poison into a wound,
then he had used an aerosolized version of the drug to cover
her body, circulating it into her body through the wound!

First injecting poison into the skin through a needle, then

using an aphrodisiac to confuse her will. The lust tired out her
body, and all of her anger was directed toward Fan Xian.
Chapter 202: Prelude to Psychological
Warfare
Haitang gave a seemingly pained sigh and sank once more to
the bottom of the lake, trying to put out the blazing fire inside
her. Her body writhed and calmed, roving from place to place.
Looking at her from the surface of the lake, she looked like a
beautiful and incessantly moving white fish. In the distance,
fish followed behind her, carefully swimming up beside her
naked body.

Some time later, white froth churned on the lake surface, and
Haitang burst forth, swimming to the lakeside. A cool breeze
swept past her. She put on her simple clothes.

She was not a particularly pretty girl, but there was a faint
sense of rural character to her appearance that was quite
endearing. Her eyes were unusually bright and clear,
contrasting with the white birds and sandy islets of the lake. At
that moment, they were filled with a hint of fury.

"Fan Xian, I will kill you!"

 Clearly, her attempts to dispel the poison had failed.

Fan Xian awoke from his meditation and strolled around the
camp. The ambushing Northern Qi troops had already been
almost completely massacred by the Black Knights. The
corpses on the battlefield were the clearest proof of this. An
envoy had passed through Wuduhe to express the strongest
possible protest to Northern Qi.

"It is rather regrettable," said Wang Qinian with a sigh,

following behind him. "With some difficulty, we accurately
calculated the point where the enemy attacked. We can
attribute his death to their attempt to free him. All kinds of
evidence has been prepared appropriately. But your plan for
Xiao En's death has been unexpectedly disrupted by that
woman."

Fan Xian shook his head and strolled underneath a tree,

looking at the slowly drifting fog in the distant mountains.
"Perhaps I have also disrupted her plans. Though Xiao En did
not die in that exact spot at that exact moment, it may yet still
be a good thing. At least it has allowed me to learn what he is
hiding."
 "Use torture, then." Wang Qinian had begun to come out with
rotten ideas.

Fan Xian glared at him. "Chen Pingping tortured him for 20

years and got nothing out of him. Do you think we can make
any kind of progress within two days?"

"Then what do we do? Are we really going to give Xiao En to

the north?" Although he did not know what it was that Xiao En
knew, from the position of an official of the Overwatch
Council, Wang Qinian was very much unwilling to deliver
Xiao En and his secrets into the hands of their northern enemy.

"Give him to the north. In any case, there are powerful

people there who want him dead. There are also powerful
people who want to protect him." Fan Xian frowned. Did he
really want to make use of that box? But the box wasn't with
him, and he had no idea where Wu Zhu was.

"Don't think too much about it." Fan Xian shook his head.
"Tomorrow we get ready to pass through Wuduhe. We must
watch out for Haitang. If she kills Xiao En within our borders,
then the responsibility will be entirely ours."
 "Do you want to dispatch the Black Knights to get rid of her?"

"Your ideas are terrible today." Fan Xian coughed and found
that his chest still ached. He leaned against the trunk of the
tree. "If it were a fight between two armies, coming across a
line of Black Knights, they'd have no choice but to flee even if it
were a grandmaster. But if we use the Black Knights to
assassinate her, I fear they'd all be silently snuffed out by her
blade."

"You know yourself quite well."

From the mountain road ahead of them came an angry voice

and a woman wearing simple clothing, her long hair somewhat
wet. She stared at Fan Xian.

They were some meters away from the camp. The Tiger
Guards, tired by working through the night, had been ordered
by Fan Xian to rest. Wang Qinian glanced at Fan Xian, shocked.
He knew that this was the upper ninth-level master who had
almost killed Commissioner Fan - Haitang of Northern Qi!
 Fan Xian's face was calm. He waved a hand. "You came back."

Wang Qinian, not giving a damn, ran frenetically back to the

camp, trying desperately to call for Gao Da and the other
swordsmen. The Black Knights' horses had all gone into heat,
and they were unsure what had gotten into them.

Fan Xian cocked his head slightly as he looked at Haitang.

"Aren't you worried that he's gone to call for help?"

"Aren't you worried that I'm just about to kill you? It's not
the same as this morning. I reckon I'll have your head off your
shoulders within three rounds."

"You can try... if the poison has been cleansed from your
body." Fan Xian's intonation was somewhat frivolous.

Haitang bit her lip as she looked at Fan Xian, her bright eyes
full of resentment. After a long while, she spoke a single word.
"Shameless."
 Fan Xian softly licked his own dry lips, narrowing his eyes as
he looked back at her. His face was shameless and his reply was
quick. "Thank you."

"Give me the antidote."

"Why should I?"

"If you don't, I'll kill you." Haitang spoke viciously, but fan
Xian could see in her eyes that she was slightly flustered.

"Kill me, and you'll be bathing in the waters of the northern

sea every day." Fan Xian appeared to be completely
unrestrained.

The negotiations had broken down, with neither side willing

to concede, and neither able to take the next step toward
mutual benefit. The young man and woman stared at each
other like a pair of angry young children. As they stood under
the trees of the mountain road, glaring at each other, the whole
scene looked rather amusing.
 "Have you killed Xiao En?" Haitang suddenly changed the
subject, looking at him as she talked. "If you have misgivings
about me, I presume you are unaware. My journey south was
not to prevent you from killing him. In fact, we have the same
goal."

Fan Xian shook his head. "I really would like to kill Xiao En,
but as you want to kill him, then I must protect him."

"Why?"

"Oh, nothing." Fan Xian wasn't going to tell her that he really
wanted to know what Xiao En's secret was.

Haitang was angry now. She withdrew her sword, and with
none of the natural gracefulness she had shown before, she
soared upward and chopped a tree sapling in half.

The corner of Fan Xian's eye twitched. Though his face

remained calm, deep down he was aghast. If she really wanted
to kill him, with no Black Knights or Tiger Guards by his side,
he was unsure as to what he should do.
 Suddenly Haitang's brow twitched and she ran up the
mountain road, looking back to call to Fan Xian. "I don't want
anything to do with these servants. Are you coming or not?"

"Am I coming?" What kind of invitation was this? Was this a

fight to the death or a tea party?

With a smile, Fan Xian clasped his hands behind his back and
followed behind her. As an official of the Overwatch Council,
there was no one else more willing to cause trouble than him.
In terms of seriousness, this was the irresponsible behavior of
someone who held his own life to be of no importance.

Watching the shadows of the young man and woman

disappear down the end of the mountain road, there was a
rustling sound as a number of figures flew from the tree
branches. As they converged in one place, Gao Da drew his long
blade and frowned, looking at the mountain road. "Master
Wang, we should follow them," he said to Wang Qinian.

Anxiousness showed on Wang Qinian's face. "The Master is

exceptionally wise and excessively horny."
 Of course, Fan Xian had not followed Haitang because he was
entranced by her beauty. But he knew that what she was about
to say was not to be heard by others. Otherwise, she would fly
into a rage out of humiliation, would no longer accept his
threats, and would likely kill him.

"I can cure the poison." Fan Xian looked calmly at the girl as
she leant against a tree, seeing the wet clothing that clung to
her body. "But I need you to promise me something."

"I'm not listening to your threats."

"It's not a threat." There was a slight look of distress on Fan

Xian's face. "I am an official of the Overwatch Council of the
Kingdom of Qing. As you have crossed our border in an
attempt to murder a criminal under my escort, then I must use
every method I can to stop you. Do you think I am particularly
pleased about using such underhanded tactics?"

His lips curled into a self-deprecating smile.

 Haitang was somewhat surprised. After a moment of silence,
she suddenly spoke. "What do you need me to promise?"

"It is about a day's travel from here to the north side of

Wuduhe. I hope that you will not make your move during that
time."

Haitang looked at him calmly. "You must know that if you

are to enter Qi territory, I cannot move against you."

"Why?" Fan Xian seemed rather surprised.

"Because... I am a citizen of Qi. I must think of the common

people of this nation. I cannot break this agreement within the
borders of my own country. If I were to provoke the anger of
the royal family, then the two countries might declare war
once more. Those who suffered and died, in the end, would be
the unarmed and defenseless common people." A look of worry
floated across Haitang's eyes. "But I cannot allow Xiao En to
return to Northern Qi alive."
 Fan Xian listened, his face calm, his heart gradually sobering.
It seemed to be just as Si Lili had said. Did this upper ninth-
level master before him really have the character of a village
girl, bemoaning the state of the universe and pitying the fate of
mankind? Such was the fine moral character of Fan Xian's most
beloved enemy.

"Why do you want to kill Xiao En?" Strangely, there was a

hint of disapproval and loathing in Haitang's eyes. "You do
know that if Xiao En dies, then your official who fell into the
hands of the royal court must die too?"

Fan Xian was silent. Of course, he could not tell her his
darkest secrets. He smiled. "Has he not already been killed?
Even if Xiao En were to die, that would be the responsibility of
Northern Qi. You dispatched troops to sneak across the border.
How can you wash your hands of this? As for Master Yan, I
believe I can still bring him back to the Kingdom of Qing."

He waited a moment, then asked with curiosity, "Why is it

that you want to kill Xiao En?" His face was naive, even a little
stupid.
 Haitang looked at him with loathing. "I don't have to explain
why to you."

Fan Xian shrugged, and took out a pill from his breast
pocket. "The... aphrodisiac you were administered was one of
my own creation. It cannot be dispelled with zhenqi." Having
said this, he threw the pill far.

Haitang's face was filled with anger, and then shame, before
returning to anger once more. It seemed to fluctuate. She
caught the pill and looked at him coldly. "I didn't answer you.
Why were you willing to give me the antidote?"

Fan Xian sighed and turned away, turning his back to her.
Leaning against a sapling, he looked at the green valleys of the
mountain range, and the wildflowers on the distant hillsides.
Chapter 203: In A Word, Heart
"Last night the rain was sparse and the winds were fierce.
Though I slept soundly all night I was still not sober upon
waking. I asked the maid who opened the curtains how the
flowering apple trees were. She said they were the same as
before. Does she not know? Does she not know? Their green
leaves should be blooming, the red flowers withered away."
Under the tree, Fan Xian quietly recited, his voice gentle,
unsure whether he spoke of people or things. This was the first
time that the immortal poet Fan Xian had recited poetry since
that night in the palace.

Haitang calmly looked over his slender, even emaciated

body, and gradually relaxed the grip on her sword.

"If you want to fight, then I shall fight." Fan Xian suddenly
turned around, looking at Haitang with a smile on his face and
a look of determination. "But one day, I would like to see, even
without these sobering methods, whether I can protect Xiao
En's life from your hand, Haitang."

Sobering methods? Naturally, that meant sobering one up

from one's lust.
 Haitang's face remained calm. It was unclear what she was
thinking. It seemed she hadn't expected Fan Xian to recite such
poetry while still showing all of the integrity and courage that
a man should have. She was a paragon of her generation, and
yet she had fallen by Fan Xian's hand. She had not expected
him to face her alone with such courage. At that moment, she
discovered that she did not truly understand this young man
before her, and she could not help but frown.

But it seemed that what interested her was something else. "I
heard that you were no longer composing poetry, Master Fan,"
she said calmly. "What has made you so elegant today?"

"Looking at the pines one thinks of winter. Looking at

chrysanthemums one thinks of autumn. Looking at the
flowering apple trees..." Fan Xian just managed to stop himself
from saying the word "spring". He smiled and narrowed his
eyes at Haitang. "I have finished writing verse as it is of no use
to the nation or to the people. I have some reputation as a poet
in the Kingdom of Qing, yet I have been impatient to speak in
verse. That poem was written some years ago after a storm.
Today, after seeing your delicate appearance, I could not stop
myself from reciting it. I hope you do not think it absurd."
 Haitang lifted her head and narrowed her eyes at Fan Xian.
Suddenly, she smiled. "I shall take no notice of your pretension
and your attempts to weaken my resolve. I simply feel that
what you said before had merit. You are an official of the
Kingdom of Qing, and you have the freedom to employ
whatever method you choose, so I do not begrudge you for it.
As for whether or not your poem was a good one, such things
have never made any sense to me, and so I do not understand
its meaning. But... flowering apple trees should not get soaked
by the rain. If water accumulates in their planting pots, then
they will rot. So when their green leaves bloom and their red
flowers wilt... perhaps the branches are rotten and weak."

Having said this, she turned around, and soon afterward she
disappeared into the quiet mountain woods. All that was left
was a faint aroma, the call of birds, and an embarrassed Fan
Xian.

"Lady of the flowers, how can you leave?" Fan Xian gave a
sigh, as if he had lost something. "I was just about to tell you a
story of a girl who picked mushrooms."

Haitang walked confidently and at ease, and so did Fan Xian

as he made his way back. He patted his buttocks and held his
hands behind his back, walking slowly back along the moss-
covered mountain road. A few steps down the road, he caught
sight of the seven Tiger Guards turning a corner in the road,
looking ready to face some great enemy, and Wang Qinian
leading a group of officials from the Overwatch Council,
hidden in the underbrush, getting ready to strike.

Seeing the Commissioner making his way back so peacefully,

everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. The Overwatch
Council officials hidden in the underbrush stood up, all
covered in wet grass and leaves. It looked rather comical.

"Master, is it finished?" Wang Qinian frowned as he followed

behind Fan Xian. "Our reports say that Haitang is an upper
ninth-level master, and in Northern Qi they say that she is a
Tianmai. Yet she looks so ordinary... Did she not lay a hand on
you, sir?"

"Lay a hand on me?" Fan Xian heard the dirty meaning in

Wang Qinian's words and scolded him. "If she had laid a hand
on me, would I still be able to return so free and at ease?"
 He suddenly stopped walking and looked at Wang Qinian
with suspicion. "You have always been skilled in surveillance. I
presume that your hearing is good."

"That is correct, sir." Wang Qinian was unsure what he

meant.

"So did you hear what I said to her?" Fan Xian smiled, but it
was a menacing smile.

Wang Qinian did not dare hid it. "I heard some of it."

"What did you hear?"

Wang Qinian looked anxious. "I heard some lines of

wonderful poetry, and talk of medicine."

"Do not reveal a thing," Fan Xian warned him. "If the news
ever gets out that I drugged Haitang with an aphrodisiac, then
I will no doubt offend the people of Northern Qi. And Haitang
might not be able to show her face in public."

"Yes sir," said Wang Qinian respectfully. "You are quite

remarkable indeed sir, to have made such a terrifying and
powerful fighter flee with just a few words."

Fan Xian paid no attention to his flattery. He simply stood a

while in thought. The day's events seemed simple, but had
been quite mentally taxing. He had made sure to emphasize to
her his status as an official, to show her that this was not
merely some roadside fight, so that she did not fly into a rage as
a result of the aphrodisiac coursing through her body and
forget the things she had to be mindful of.

And as for that poem - As in a Dream by Li Qingzhao - Fan

Xian had had it prepared as a tactic to make her heart ache ever
since Yan Ruohai told him of this strange northern girl named
Haitang. He had even prepared Han Wo's Lazily Arising: "At
midnight last night rains fell, and now comes a cold spell. Are
the flowering apple trees still standing? I lie on my side and
look out at the curtains."
 But that poem was even more intimate than Li Qingzhao's, so
he dared not make use of it that day. He smiled to himself. He
was careful to say he saw her as delicate, so the feeling must
likely have made that girl, touched by his aphrodisiac, feel
quite happy. Since childhood, she had been a disciple of a
grandmaster, and was worshipped by the idiotic commoners as
a Tianmai. After finishing her apprenticeship, she had been
without equal, a hero among women. But as a woman, she still
wanted to be seen by others as delicate - a woman, even a
queen, is still a woman.

Perhaps Fan Xian was not the most capable in the land when
it came to seeing through others' thoughts, but he certainly
knew how women thought. That was because in a world where
men treated women as inferior, no man wanted to consider
what any woman wanted by treating her as his equal.

Fan Xian wanted to, because he loved any woman who

presented herself well, so he could leave his mark on them
while still letting them enjoy it.

He took a pill from his pocket, the same kind that he had
given to Haitang, and swallowed it. "What kind of drug is
that?" asked Wang Qinian, curious. Fan Xian handed one to
him. "Pills made from dried orange peel. It clears and dispels
internal heat. I always keep them on me."

There was no antidote to Fan Xian's aphrodisiac. One could

only soak in cold water and wait a day for it to pass. The
aphrodisiac Haitang had been dosed with was real, but the
reason she had been unable to dispel it was in large part due to
the reeds surrounding the northern sea. Every spring, the reeds
would sprout with white-haired catkins that fell into the
waters, reacting with the drug that Fan Xian had administered
and strengthening it, making her body itch all the more and
presume that the remaining drug was impossible to purge.

And it was because of this that Haitang had quietly accepted

Fan Xian's offer of peace in exchange for the antidote.

Thinking on all this, Fan Xian could not help but shake his
head and sigh. He truly was lucky. But he didn't know when his
luck could turn.

That day, the diplomatic mission had stopped in a valley next

to the lake. Broken-legged and expressionless, Xiao En stayed
in his carriage. He knew that he was facing imprisonment at
the hands of the royal family of Northern Qi. The Zhan family
had always been fanatical, and they would make things
difficult for him until they found out where the temple was.
And Ku He, wanting to prevent such a thing from happening,
would no doubt use all his power to have him killed. As for
Shang Shanhu... the old man suddenly felt tired of all the
fighting and scheming. If he were to die by Fan Xian's hand in
the morning, perhaps that wouldn't be such a bad way to go.

The envoy sent over the border had yet to return. Perhaps he
was exchanging angry words around a table with Northern Qi
officials. If that were the case, then the Kingdom of Qing had
already gathered up the corpses outside Wuduhe. They were
the greatest proof of the Northern Qi army's attempt to trespass
over the border and their futile attempt to set Xiao En free.

All across the land, when it came to power, Qing was on the
attack, and all other nations were on the defense. Fan Xian's
diplomatic mission could not help but express their anger, and
taking advantage of the opportunity, they expressed it in the
strongest possible terms. After some time, the Northern Qi
officials receiving the Qing envoy finally managed to pacify his
anger.
 The secret agreement and the overt agreement had begun
their next phase.

The diplomatic mission's carriages all formed into a line and

rolled slowly along the edge of the northern sea, entering into
another valley. Fan Xian sat in his carriage, looking over the
vast lake and watching the mists float gradually past, with his
face expressionless, but his mind preoccupied.

The carriage trampled over the meadows, leaving deep tracks

and churning up fresh mud. Its wheels turned with great effort
to prevent it from being stuck in the morass.

Before they entered the village, Fan Xian entered Si Lili's

carriage one last time. They looked at each other in silence,
and after a long time, Fan Xian finally spoke. "After we enter
Northern Qi, it will be difficult for me to see you."

Si Lili nodded. She appeared calm. "Thank you for all your
hard work throughout this journey."
 Looking at her gentle face and the smooth curves of her body,
Fan Xian cocked his head slightly to one side, as if he were
about to say something. Ultimately, he left the carriage, still
unable to bring himself to speak a word.

The meadow outside Wuduhe was still stained with the

bloody marks of the previous day's battle. Deep in the
underbrush below the hillock still lay a number of overlooked
severed limbs and discarded weapons.

Fan Xian leaned on the window in the carriage. He looked at

the scarred land. He thought back to the terrifying strength the
Black Knights had shown the previous day, and felt somewhat
worried. The corpses had been sent back to Northern Qi. The
compensation that was to be demanded for this incident was
not what currently bothered Fan Xian.

The convoy entered the village, not stopping for even a

moment. The villagers stared dumbstruck as they slowly rolled
along the stone road, continuing on to the northeast. The
curtain of the carriage was still open. This was Fan Xian's
habit: he liked sitting in the carriage and watching the people
and the scenery go past, and he didn't want his eyes to be
covered by a length of black cloth.
Fan Xian recites from As in a Dream by Southern Song female poet Li Qingzhao. The characters
of Haitang's name are also those for the name of the tree known as the Chinese flowering apple
tree.
As well as Haitang's name meaning "flowering apple tree", the word "spring" can also mean
"lust" in Chinese.
"The Girl Who Picked Mushrooms" is a Chinese children's song.
Chapter 204: Wuduhe
The small and remote village of Wuduhe sat on the border
between the Kingdom of Qing and Northern Qi. Because it was
not an area of territory that armies cared to fight over, it had
not seen any sort of serious battle for many years. But each side
had their own guard encampments, and so small skirmishes
were naturally inevitable. After the various vassal states had
become the center for trade and war between the two nations,
the village had found itself becoming quieter and gloomier.

Fan Xian knew that 20 years ago, this village had belonged to
Northern Wei. Now it was part of the national territory of the
Kingdom of Qing.

And so the villagers had no particular feelings of closeness

regarding the diplomatic mission. It seemed that it would take
a number of years for the people of one nation to get used to a
change of ruler.

The village's glass tiles dully reflected the sunlight. Sat in his
carriage on the road, Fan Xian narrowed his eyes, unceasingly
trying to plan for what he would do once they crossed into
Northern Qi territory.
 Fan Xian wanted to get Xiao En's secret out of him. This was
more important to him than the interests and orders of the
whole Qing court! That was because the temple was connected
to Wu Zhu, and the message that his mother had left him in the
box showed that she had once sneaked into the temple and
stolen things from inside it.

A slight smile floated across the corners of Fan Xian's lips. He

had never laid eyes on his mother Ye Qingmei, and yet
remarkably, he truly loved her. When he thought of how many
years ago, that young woman had secretly infiltrated the
Temple of the Void - located in a place no one knew of - he
sighed in admiration of his mother's bravery, her audacity, her
cunning.

Fan Xian knew he was not the same as his mother; it was a
fact that did not make him feel discouraged in the slightest.
Instead, it made him feel all the more positive in the face of
this seemingly charmed and yet truly dangerous second life of
his.

So he needed to know just where the temple was. Then he

could go and experience the place where his mother had once
tread, and the breath she had left behind.
 There was a small brook that surrounded the village of
Wuduhe. This was the stream that formed the border between
Northern Qi and the Kingdom of Qing. There was a strip of
temporarily-built platforms along the stream, enough to carry
a single carriage across at a time.

The officials from Northern Qi and the Honglu Temple

official from within the diplomatic mission were all awaiting
their arrival on the other side of the bridge. On that side of the
river, listless and malnourished-looking local garrison troops
stood guard. But looking at the way they clutched their spears,
it was unclear whether they were attempting to make a
dignified display or had fallen asleep while clutching their
spear shafts.

The first carriage made its way across the bridge. The wheels
rumbled on the uneven surface. It looked as if it could give way
at any moment, and those watching could not help but feel
rather nervous.

Fan Xian had already dismounted the carriage, and walked

along the bridge, calling out to the awaiting officials, then
turning his head to look at the carriage making its slow and
unsteady crossing. The bridge seemed increasingly unstable,
and the creaking sound got louder.

Seemingly catching sight of the worry lines in Fan Xian's

brow, a Northern Qi official surnamed Hou hurried to reassure
him. "We've tested it," he explained. "There are no problems."

Fan Xian nodded. He knew that in dealings between the two

countries, everything came down to power. There was no need
for him to be too cordial toward this low-level official. His
attention was focused mainly on the diplomatic convoy. If
Haitang truly wanted to kill Xiao En to keep him silent, then
right here and now on the bridge would be her final chance.

As the disciple of grandmaster Ku He, she was responsible for

her master's reputation, and responsible for the safety of the
citizens of Northern Qi, so she could not make her move
within the borders of the nation.

Suddenly, Fan Xian's heart skipped a beat. He slowly turned

around, but saw only a stretch of poplar trees on the side of the
stream to the southeast. The trees were slim but pointed
straight upward toward the sky, as rigid as the soldiers' pikes.
 Wearing flower-patterned clothes and carrying a basket, a
young woman watched the convoy cross the bridge. The wind
breezed along the side of the bank, blowing at the cloth tied
around her head, revealing her ordinary-looking face and her
bright eyes.

Fan Xian smiled at Haitang and nodded his head ever so

lightly, expressing his gratitude and perhaps a certain amount
of goodwill. He knew that once they reached Shangjing in
Northern Qi, he would undoubtedly see her again. And Chen
Pingping had ordered him to think of a way to get closer to Ku
He.

Haitang was nothing like Fan Xian had imagined her to be

when he was in the capital. She was not as beautiful as Shi
Feixuan. But Shi Feixuan's beauty was external. Haitang
possessed beauty of character.

Fan Xian never thought that fairies could exist, and if they
did, they were no doubt she-devils in disguise.

Although Haitang had come to assassinate Xiao En and had

wanted at one point to murder Fan Xian, he still quite admired
her. One aspect of his admiration was her natural strength.
Another aspect was the way she had planted her hands on her
hips and wagged her finger at him like some kind of vixen
while they were on the meadow. Her country-girl air had left
Fan Xian quite enamored.

The carriage stopped next to Fan Xian, and he drew back the
curtain and entered, no longer looking to the side of the
stream. Passing the stream and going through a forest, the
diplomatic convoy, under the protection of the standing army
of Northern Qi, reached a main road. Fan Xian sniffed the air
and looked at the blooming green trees along the side of the
main road, and noticed a strange feeling: had they really left
the country? Why didn't he feel any different?

The soldiers on the main road were much more inspiring.

There were two cohorts, one on each side of the road. On one
side was a line of women. There were delicate, young girls;
agile, middle-aged servant women; and old, treacherous ladies.
On the other side of the road was a line of men, gloomier-
looking than the women, covered in brocaded clothing, with
curved blades at their waists and a sinister air about them.
 At least half of the people in the diplomatic mission were
personnel of the Overwatch Council of the Kingdom of Qing.
As the convoy joined the main road, as soon as they saw the
guards with their curved blades, a powerful feeling of hostility
began to brew between them. Each hand subconsciously rested
on the blades in their scabbards.

The Overwatch Council of the Kingdom of Qing and the

Brocade Guard of Northern Qi were the two most secretive and
dangerous spy organizations in all the land. Over the past
decades, the two sides had made secret contact with each other
countless times. Their espionage and counter-espionage
struggle was cruel and ruthless, and each side had hands
covered with the blood of the other.

With their sudden meeting on the main road that day, each
side began to rankle at the presence of the other.

A Northern Qi official hurried up to Fan Xian to explain

things. Fan Xian, unconcerned, waved his hand dismissively,
and allowed the subordinates to stand down somewhat. After
all, this was a friendly meeting between two countries
separated by a strip of water, not a clashing of swords on the
battlefield. But the seven Tiger Gards behind him remained
stone-faced.

In truth, feelings between these two countries separated by a

river – in particular by the border village of Wuduhe – were
clearer than ever.

Taking no time to rest, Fan Xian quickly ordered his

subordinates to begin making arrangements for an official
meeting ceremony with their counterparts. Wang Qinian was
somewhat puzzled. "Why not continue with our escort of Xiao
En? Perhaps on the road to Shangjing we can ask questions." He
did not know what secret Xiao En was hiding, but as
Commissioner Fan's trusted aide, he knew what Fan Xian
wanted.

Fan Xian shook his head. "That won't do. There will be
Northern Qi spies all along the road, so it won't be that easy. It
would be better to just hand him over. We can worry a little
less. If anything happens to Xiao En on the road, then it will be
Northern Qi's responsibility. Do you think they wouldn't dare
give us back Yan Bingyun?"
 Though that was what he said, Fan Xian felt a certain
amount of gloom. If they were to enter Shangjing, it wasn't
clear if Xiao En would be safe from Ku He. Given that Xiao En's
strength came from his connection to Shang Shanhu, he had
no better way to pry the secret from the old man's withered
lips.

The iron chains clanked along the ground. Fan Xian glared
coldly at the old man as attendants helped him from the
carriage. Xiao En's legs were broken, so getting off the carriage
was particularly difficult. There was a sweet, faint smell of
blood from the garments covering his knees.

Many of the Northern Qi Brocade Guard were young men

who had no idea what Xiao En looked like, but from the stories
told by the commoners and the chatter of the old men at the
barracks, they knew that the current spy structures of
Northern Qi had all been singlehandedly created by the work
of this pitiful old man, unable to stand up by himself. In other
words, this white-haired old man could be considered their
forefather.

A strange atmosphere descended upon the scene. The

Northern Qi Brocade Guard did not know how they were meant
to treat Xiao En. Was he a hero of the nation? Or the dregs of
the former regime? Was he their forebear, or a criminal to be
strictly guarded?

After a moment of silence, the emotion that had been flowing

in their blood finally took over. In their fine uniforms, the
Brocade Guard dismounted their horses and stepped onto the
main road, kneeling to the ground and making a show of
subordinate salute to the old man. "Praise be to Master Xiao!"
they echoed in unison.

At the sound of their salute, a powerful and familiar strength

seemed to return to Xiao En's body. He looked at his disciples,
kneeling in the road, and narrowed his eyes. His silvery-white,
messy hair fluttered in the wind, and he opened his parched
lips to speak. Ultimately, he could not say a word, and merely
waved a hand.

It was the wave of his hand that made Fan Xian, standing and
observing behind him, feel shocked.

Xiao En straightened his body, his shoulders like iron,

seemingly strong enough once more to carry Heaven upon
them.

Nearby, the servant girls from Shangjing had already entered

Si Lili's carriage, carrying with them countless ornaments and
utensils. Inside the carriage, they bathed Si Lili in fragrant
perfumes. Some time later, the carriage door opened, and Si
Lili left, stepping softly down onto a stepping stool.

Under everyone's gaze, she shone. After a moment of

surprise, Fan Xian's gaze returned to normal.

A pair of lily-white hands extended from her wide, light-

green sleeves. Her smooth curves were accentuated by her
gorgeous clothing, and her black hair was lightly tied up with a
simple ebony hairpin. Her lips were vermilion, and her eyes
looked around gently, her brow neatly painted. She was a
beautiful painting from every angle.

This was Si Lili: the belle of Liujing River, the beauty who
had captured the heart of the Emperor.
Shi Feixuan is a character in Huang Yi's wuxia novel Legend of the Two Dragons of Tang. She is
both beautiful and extremely powerful.
Chapter 205: By the Roadside
Wang Qinian looked at Fan Xian, seemingly wanting to see
something different in his face. After all, Si Lili was entering
the palace, and it was possible that the two would never have
the chance to see each other again.

But to his surprise, Fan Xian's face remained unmoved, his

eyes like two calm, clear pools. He smiled as he walked forward
and cupped his hands in salute, separated from her by a gaggle
of handmaids. He was about to say something, but to his
surprise, he caught sight of a hateful glance fixed on him from
the side.

Fan Xian felt somewhat uncomfortable, and turned his head

to one side to see an old woman whose clothing clearly
indicated that she occupied some status.

The old woman did not wait for him to say a word. "Lady Si
has set foot on our territory," she hissed with cold disdain. "She
need no longer listen to the rebuke of some official from
Southern Qi."
 Fan Xian frowned, wondering where such animosity had
come from. The old woman muttered to herself, her voice
filled with contempt. "This southern official still dares to gawk
slack-jawed at the lady. What ill manners."

The old woman was from the palace, and had indeed once
had some status. When Si Lili was young and lived in the
Northern Qi royal palace in Shangjing, she had waited on her.
The Emperor of Northern Qi, worried that Si Lili had suffered
in Qing to the south, and that she would be wronged by the
officials of Qing on their journey northward, had ordered the
old woman to receive her at the border in the hopes that she
could help Si Lili recuperate.

Fan Xian frowned once more, then suddenly made his way
toward the carriage where Si Lili stood. The powerful zhenqi
in his body dissipated outward slightly, causing the women
around him to give a yelp and withdraw to the side, clearing a
path for him to approach. At the end of that path, next to the
carriage, was a somewhat uncomfortable Si Lili.

"How rude!" scolded the old woman. "What are you doing,
you southern barbarian? Guards, remove him at once."
 Hearing this, the Northern Qi Brocade Guards and officials
hurried over. They were a handful of inexperienced young men
getting ready to pull out their sabers. But the Northern Qi
officials knew Fan Xian's background. Son-in-law of the noble
Prime Minister, son of a minister, Prince Consort of the Qing
royal family, the immortal poet who had caused the mighty
Zhuang Mohan to spit blood... This was no ordinary official!

In the last year's war, Northern Qi had lost numerous battles.

This diplomatic agreement was not coming from a position of
strength. No one would dare not to show the proper
consideration to such an important person. An official
hurriedly dismissed the Brocade Guard.

The old woman became even angrier, and pointed a scolding

finger at the official. "How can we let these southern
barbarians impinge so wantonly on Qi territory!?" Her eyes
bulged like a fish. Her years in the palace had left her
completely ignorant of the outside world. She gritted her
rotten teeth, puffed up her sallow cheeks and waved a wrinkled
palm, aiming a slap directly at Fan Xian's face!

Smack! With a smile, Fan Xian had grabbed hold of the old
woman's wrist. He turned his head to look her in the eye.
 There was a hint of fear in the old woman's eyes, and yet she
remained defiant. "Unhand me! Or I shall truly give you what
for!"

Smack! This time, the old woman was the one who sustained
the blow. Her legs buckled and she tumbled to the yellow earth.
She held her aching face in her hands and looked at Fan Xian
with shock. It had probably been many years since anyone had
hit her, so the shock of the blow made her forget to even cry
out in pain.

Fan Xian withdrew his hand, and with a hint of loathing,

touched the bark of a tree with his palm. He dusted off his
clothes and spoke gently. "Since you call me a southern
barbarian, I shall act barbarously."

The slap had stunned everyone. No one expected the

immortal poet, Commissioner Fan Xian, to raise a hand to an
old woman. Wiping the sweat from his brow, an official
hurried up to him to explain. "This old woman is an elder of
the palace, and even officials must show her some respect."
 Fan Xian looked at the old woman, who sat on the ground
clutching her mouth, wailing. He shook his head. "I am not an
official of Northern Qi," he replied calmly, "so I see no need to
fawn over her, even if she is a palace elder. I think she brings
shame onto the palace."

His words were arrogant indeed. He paid no mind to the

honor of the royal palace of Northern Qi. The official gritted
his teeth and lowered his head, knowing the situation was
beyond his control. Even if Fan Xian had lifted a hand to hit
someone, there wasn't much he could say about it.

Fan Xian strolled along the path that had opened up to the
carriage. By that point, no one dared to obstruct him. He
smiled at Si Lili. "Please take care of yourself in the palace."

Si Lili gave a faint smile, covering up her previously frenetic

look. She pursed her lips. "I am afraid I cannot repay you for
your considerateness during our journey. I am at a loss…"

Fan Xian smiled. "At a loss... of course. Don't worry." In a few

simple words, they had agreed on the future of Si Lili's
brothers left behind in the capital. Saying nothing more, Fan
Xian withdrew. He stood at a distance in the middle of the
diplomatic convoy, watching the old man and the woman who
had accompanied them on their long journey get into Northern
Qi carriages.

He narrowed his eyes. It was rather remarkable. Northern Qi

did not seem to treat this as a secret agreement. By all rights,
Xiao En was being secretly transferred to Shangjing. Today
there were crowds and countless Brocade Guards. It wasn't
discreet in the slightest. If Shang Shanhu was important to the
Northern Qi royal family, then how was the young Emperor
supposed to deal with him? And Haitang was yet another
opposing force. It seemed that the Emperor of Northern Qi
must have had something of a headache.

Fan Xian was still confused by Si Lili's treatment. It seemed

that the Emperor truly liked her, otherwise she would not have
been received so warmly. But even if Si Lili was the daughter of
a Qing prince, it had been so many years that she had long
since ceased to have any value... Could it be that the young
Emperor truly did believe in such a thing as love? But if he was
so serious about the matter, wouldn't the Empress Dowager be
angry about it? How was Si Lili going to be able to enter the
palace?
 The old man, his legs broken, silently entered his carriage.
Fan Xian couldn't help but sigh to himself. Xiao En had finally
left his prisoner's carriage to enter another prisoner's carriage.
How could a carriage carry his the pain of 20 years of
separation and imprisonment?

After crossing over the border into Northern Qi, the Black
Knights had quietly made their way back to a relay station near
the capital. The safety of the diplomatic mission was entirely
in the hands of the Brocade Guard and their army detachment.
Fan Xian managed to get a hard-fought half-day's rest, feeling
quite content. In any case, it appeared that his brazenness on
foreign soil had not caused any trouble for the diplomatic
mission.

The spring sunshine shone down on their route. Many of the

people in the diplomatic mission had visited Northern Qi
before; even Wang Qinian had once done business on behalf of
someone else between the two countries. The only ones who
seemed particularly excited about leaving the country were Fan
Xian and the seven Tiger Guards.

Although Gao Da, as head of the Tiger Guards, kept stony-

faced – as was befitting a man of his position – as he looked at
the others as they gazed out of the window at the bustling
scenery outside, he knew that they were quite excited by the
landscape of this foreign land.

Fan Xian laughed. "I suppose this is a new experience for us.
But the scenery here in Northern Qi isn't all that different from
Qing. The trees look different, and even if the weather is
colder, it's still warmer than the wastelands southwest of the
great lake."

"Although Northern Qi is to the northeast," explained Wang

Qinian, "it has quite a fine climate."

Gao Da suddenly muttered something in his low grumbling

voice, and because he was a man of few words, Fan Xian was
quite interested in what he had to say. "The scenery in the
north is fine indeed. My greatest wish has always been to
follow His Majesty in the Fourth Northern Expedition,
capturing territory for the Kingdom of Qing and helping His
Majesty unite the land."

The carriage shuddered as it travelled swiftly along the road.

Green leaves hung from the deciduous trees outside. Swept up
by the breeze from the moving carriage, they seemed to shake
their heads and sigh.

Fan Xian sighed too. "In such beautiful spring scenery,

perhaps we should speak less of battles."

That being said, he still proceeded to explain to everyone

what they had to pay careful attention to in their trip to
Shangjing. It was not necessary to conduct further
negotiations. The implementation of last year's agreement was
unlikely to be too difficult, but there were some areas that
required concern. Save for Fan Xian, Wang Qinian, and Gao
Da, the only other person in the carriage was vice-envoy Lin
Jing of Honglu Temple, so no topic was off-limits for the four
men; all that was necessary was ensuring that they were not
heard by Northern Qi men.

There was still some distance from Wuduhe to Shangjing. As

the carriage made its way eastward, the lines in Fan Xian's
brow gradually grew deeper. He was no longer in the mood to
look out at the endless dry, dull scenery outside the carriage.
He sat and pondered. Where was Xiao En headed now? And Si
Lili? Before she entered the palace, what identity would the
young Emperor have arranged for her? Chen Pingping's
Operation White Sleeve had been secretly aborted by Fan Xian.
Was Fan Xian's Operation Red Sleeve going to be put into
practice one day?

Seeing that Commissioner Fan seemed to be in low spirits,

vice-envoy Lin Jing spoke respectfully. "Sir, though the
diplomatic mission is safe, the road is yet far and arduous. I
ask that you exercise patience a little while longer."

He knew full well of Fan Xian's status. When he had slapped

that old woman in Wuduhe, Lin Jing had not thought it to be
important. In the capital Fan Xian's temper was well known by
the Guo family and by the only daughter of Commander Ye, to
say nothing of this insignificant servant woman. He knew full
well that the diplomatic mission operated entirely on the
orders of Commissioner Fan and that he was merely a
functionary sorting out odd jobs. Fearing Fan Xian's sour mood
and the possibility he had overstepped his boundaries, he
hurriedly tried to straighten things out with a smile.
"Shangjing is one of the most flourishing places in the world.
The girls there are different from the ones on Liujing River
back in the capital. They have a different kind of graceful
bearing. When we get there, you can see for yourself, sir."
Chapter 206: Arriving in Shangjing
Fan Xian shook his head with a smile, showing he hadn’t
suffered from loneliness during the trip. He knew that ever
since he became a frequent visitor of Si Lili’s carriage, he and
the word "dissolute" probably became inseparable in the eyes of
others. He thought for a moment before saying, "We’ve been
traveling at a fast pace on the official route for several days. We
should have passed the distance between the capital to the
border… It seems like Northern Qi’s territory is quite vast."

For a moment, a strange silence fell over the carriage.

A while later, Lin Jing smiled. "Indeed. Although last year we

took a large piece of land from them, Northern Qi still remains
the biggest nation in both territory and population. They
weren’t a strong opponent only because of many years of civil
unrest, which caused the people to become fractured."

Fan Xian frowned as he thought about all the troubles

Northern Qi would bring if it was able to pull itself together.
As he processed his thoughts, Gao Da said in a low voice,
"Looks like there’s still a huge piece of land waiting for us to
conquer."
 Gao Da was a man of few words. Recently – not having to
escort Xiao En anymore – he had started to spout out some
simple remarks every once in a while. Absurd yet humorous,
Fan Xian let out a chuckle, laughing at this terrifying self-
confidence that Gao Da had cultivated from Qing’s twenty
years of victories.

Wang Qinian smiled bitterly, "Say, Sir Gao, please don’t take
my role as the fall-guy."

It had always been customary for envoys to stop by Northern

Qi’s various courier stations; only a few made stops at larger
towns. While Qing’s envoy wasn’t exactly happy with the
arrangement, they couldn’t object much considering how well
they were treated. Everyone knew that Northern Qi lost much
dignity during the negotiations, so naturally Qi wouldn’t want
its people to see the envoy from the south pass through the
cities with swagger.

However, meeting civilians along the way was unavoidable.

One day, Fan Xian asked a question he had been holding in for
a while. "How come the people of Northern Qi don’t hate us?
On the contrary, their gazes hold a hint of contempt and
disdain, and even sympathy?"
 "In their eyes, we’re still barbarians from the undeveloped
south," Lin Jing explained. "As for the war, that has been
covered up by Qi’s Imperial court. Even though the civilians
realize Qing is tremendously powerful, deep down they still
somewhat look down at us."

Fan Xian shook his head and sighed. "Pretending to be

unafraid of the dark by blindfolding oneself…"

"Northern Qi is continuing Northern Wei’s tradition. They

believe themselves to have the Mandate of Heaven. It’s little
wonder they look down upon all surrounding nations."

That was the truth. Despite the extermination of Northern

Wei two decades ago, it had casted its shadows onto the
surrounding smaller nations as the most powerful of its time.
Now, that influence still remained in the hearts of the people in
the northern regions, which was why the people of Northern
Qi believed themselves to belong to the most powerful nation
in the land. To them, Northern Qi still held onto its former
glory. When they encountered people from other nations, they
would habitually raise their chin and gaze down upon them,
wallowing in self-esteem, self-pity, and self-respect.
 People always wanted to live in the past. Of course, Northern
Qi’s officials knew the world had changed. That fact could be
seen in their manners toward Qing’s envoy.

"And most importantly," Lin Jing continued to explain,

"Northern Qi inherited most of Northern Wei’s land and
officials. For that reason, all the scholars basically treat
Northern Qi as the standard in education; and they are correct.
Northern Qi’s spring examinations are way more exciting than
ours. Not only do their scholars gather in the capital; even
those from Dongyi City go, regardless of the distance."

Wang Qinian added, "That’s right. Several years ago, even

scholars from Qing would go to Northern Qi to take the
exams."

"Nonsense," Fan Xian said mockingly. "A subject of Qing

could hold a position in Northern Qi?"

Lin Jing smiled. "Of course not. It’s just the people of the
world all seemed to agree that if one could score into the top
three in Northern Qi’s examination, that person would be
qualified to become an official in any nation. That includes our
Qing. Sir, you are an Academician of the Imperial College, I
believe you should know the scholar Shu Wu?"

Fan Xian nodded.

Lin Jing sighed. "This scholar Shu took Northern Qi’s

examination, during which Zhuang Mohan was the examiner.
Because of that, Shu Wu could go around calling himself
Zhuang Mohan’s student… Just think, he could become an
official by taking an examination in Northern Qi. That shows
how esteemed Northern Qi’s education system is."

Fan Xian smiled and shook his head. "No wonder His Majesty
has been focusing so much on education in the past few years. I
guess he couldn’t stand being inferior in that regard."

"Correct. In martial prowess, no one can rival our nation,"

Lin Jing said. "But regarding civil virtues, there are not many
notable Qing scholars."

"Education isn’t the end of the road." Fan Xian said.

 Lin Jing thought of something and laughed. "Of course, Sir
Commissioner, you made such a splendid debut and made that
Master Zhuang Mohan cough up blood. After that, I doubt
anyone would dare to say anything against Qing."

Wang Qinian hurried to agree, and Gao Da nodded. It was

true that Fan Xian’s rise in the capital didn’t necessarily make
all sides happy, but in the bigger picture, having a talented
young man who could beat down Northern Qi’s pride was
something everyone in Qing wanted to see.

It was such a dry and boring journey without any beautiful

women; Fan Xian wanted it to be over soon. But this long path
seemed to have no end. The four wheels of the carriages stirred
up pale dust, giving the entire envoy the appearance of a
yellow dragon, locked onto the path by the trees on either side.
This dragon seemed to be writhing in vain to escape its
constraints.

The trees on either side of the road had leaves of various

sizes. But overall, compared to the trees in Qing, their leaves
were much broader. Their trunks were thick, and they were
planted a certain number of meters apart. Fan Xian poked his
head out the window, squinting at the trees as he passed them.
For some reason, he recalled the world of his previous life,
which he hadn’t thought of in a long time. He still remembered
being on the train to Beijing many years ago. When the train
passed Hebei, the same types of trees grew on either side of the
tracks, and he passed them just like he did now.

There was no dust outside of his window. Because of his

position, he sat in the first carriage. The ones suffering from
the dust were the subordinates and the officials of Northern Qi.

Then, without warning, a black shadow appeared in the

distance, towering directly above the tapering line of trees. It
was an intimidating sight.

Fan Xian thought it was a dark cloud and grinned. While he

wasn’t going to ask everyone to take their clothes inside like he
did back in Danzhou, he was ready to remind the carriage
driver to put on a rain cloak.

As the carriage moved forward, the group eventually saw the

shadow clearly. At that moment, the clouds in the sky
dispersed, as if to welcome these guests from afar, letting the
rays of the spring sun shine onto that shadow.
 It turned out… the shadow was the extremely huge walls of a
city.

This city’s walls were much larger and more magnificent

than those of Qing’s capital. At almost ten meters tall and built
using large blocks of stone, the walls slanted slightly, giving
visitors from afar a feeling of pressure which was hard to
describe. It was as if those walls would press down onto you at
any moment. On top of the walls were watch towers and
patrolling soldiers.

Overall, those tall walls gave off a sense of towering

solemnness.

It was all clear in front of the city gate; there were no

civilians lingering there. Northern Qi’s foreign relations
officials were waiting there for the arrival of the diplomatic
mission from the south.

On the official path, the carriages gradually slowed.

Squinting, Fan Xian pulled his head back inside. He didn’t
think this city would appear so stunning; he wasn’t prepared at
all.
 They had reached Shangjing, the capital of Northern Qi.

Festive music sounded as the two sides greeted each other.

The officials of Northern Qi were dressed in bright, fancy
clothes. Qing’s envoy, on the other hand, were obviously
fatigued from their journey. The contrast in appearance was
quite jarring.

Fan Xian calmly observed all the tedious procedures. When

he was introduced, he gave a slight nod. In the eyes of
Northern Qi, this handsome young official was an arrogant
person of low standing. However, Fan Xian did not care about
his impression in the slightest.

All his attention was on the buildings of Shangjing. These

massive city walls – for how long had they been standing on
these lands? How many storms had they endured? The huge
stones showed signs of weathering on the edges, but they
adamantly retained their sturdiness.

This sight gave Fan Xian a feeling that was different from
everyone else’s. He felt that eighteen years after coming to this
world, he finally got a sense of this world’s history, even if it
was only remnants of it. While Qing’s capital was also grand,
to him everywhere seemed to have a "fresh" taste to it. Fan Xian
knew that taste was left behind by his mother, which was why
being able to see such ancient buildings today gave him an
incredibly aged feeling.
Chapter 207: Thick Night on Mottled
City Walls
"It is an honor to meet you, Commissioner Fan." Fan Xian's
contemplative silence was broken by Lin Wen, the Qing
diplomat to Northern Qi.

Fan Xian withdrew his gaze from the mottled city walls. "In
this country, it's best to call me Envoy Fan."

Lin Wen was slightly surprised. He had been stationed for a

long time in a faraway foreign country, so he wasn't sure of the
particulars of what went on in the capital, but he knew that
this Commissioner Fan was a favorite of the palace. He hadn't
expected his first greeting to be rebuffed like that. Looking at
the young man's face, he couldn't help but presume he was
coasting on favors from his father and the Emperor. He felt
some concern at his arrogance.

Lin Jing, the vice-envoy with the diplomatic mission, smiled.

"Master Fan meant that as this is a peaceful visit, it is best not
to mention his position in the Overwatch Council, so as not to
upset our counterparts."
 Finally understanding, Lin Wen smiled. "As Master Fan
commands."

Fan Xian turned his head to look at the resident official. He

looked an upright sort, but there was something familiar about
him that made him feel vaguely distrustful. Lin Jing laughed.
"Master Lin Wen is an older cousin on my father's side."

Fan Xian laughed at his realization. "Is that so? It appears

officialdom is your family trade. With the two of you on our
side, I'm sure things will go fine."

The three men managed to quiet down just in time as a

Northern Qi official walked past them. They changed their
conversation topic to the marks and ant trails along the city
wall until the official had passed. Lin Wen seemed to have a
sudden realization. "Has Brother Wei Hua come with you
today?"

Fan Xian turned around, looking at the Northern Qi official

whose name was Wei Hua. He smiled, finding it inconvenient
to say anything.
 Wei Hua cupped his hands in salute. He seemed to be quite
familiar with Lin Wen, and scolded him jokingly. "If it weren't
for having to receive your diplomatic mission, I'd probably be
enjoying myself at the Lixiang Courtyard right now instead."

Fan Xian was amused. This fellow reminded him of Li

Hongcheng. Both had the gift of gab.

Lin Wen hurriedly introduced him to Fan Xian. "This is Wei

Hua, vice-minister of the Office of the Grand Herald of
Northern Qi." Then he turned to Wei Hua to make the same
introduction. "This is..."

Unexpectedly, Wei Hua gave a strange smile and waved his

hand dismissively. "Master Fan is famous throughout the land,
Brother Lin. There's no need to introduce him."

Fan Xian, somewhat taken aback, cupped his hands in salute.

"You are too kind, sir."

"And you are too modest, Master Fan." Wei Hua had delicate
features, but there was a hint of wildness in his eyes. He
seemed more like a madman than a bureaucrat. "A magnificent
immortal of poetry and a commissioner of the Overwatch
Council to boot. Perhaps next year you will take over the
palace treasury of Qing. Before you set out on your diplomatic
mission, you uncovered a scandal in the imperial exams, and 17
officials lost their jobs. And now... you are here in Northern
Qi."

He laughed. "I'm not sure as to what the Emperor of Qing

was thinking. Someone as important as Master Fan should
really be kept in the capital. Why put him through the torment
of coming all the way to Qi? ...Suppose you were to catch a
chill on your journey – then what would be done?"

Fan Xian could hear the faint hint of menace in his words,
but paid no attention to it. He smiled. "You really think I'm
that fragile?"

Wei Hua noticed that this famous young official seemed to

have taken an interest in Shangjing's city walls, and he could
not help but feel some pride. "This city was built 300 years ago,
and it has never once been taken by invaders. Isn't that just
incredible, Master Fan? I don't know if you have anything like
them in the capital in Qing."
 Fan Xian smiled. "Incredible indeed. But they seem rather
old. I imagine they could use some repairs."

The two traded hidden barbs in their words while the others
remained silent. After a while, Wei Hua spoke calmly. "Master
Fan, you have come far. Allow me the honor of playing host
once your official business has concluded."

Fan Xian looked at him. There was a faint hostility hidden

behind this man's words, and yet it had not reached the stage of
outright hatred. Why? He couldn't help but feel curious. He
had never met this man before; what could he have done to
offend him so?

At that moment, by their side, Lin Wen laughed. "I must tell
you, Envoy Fan, Master Wei Hua is the son of Marquis Ning,
who was part of the delegation who visited Qing last year.
Envoy Fan was drinking with the Marquis at a banquet last
year and the old man could not hold his liquor. After he came
back, he told us all about the formidable young man who had
appeared in the south. He said that not only were you a fine
poet, you were also an accomplished drinker. Master Wei Hua
has heard a lot about you, and naturally he wants to put you to
the test."
 "I see." Fan Xian forced a smile and looked at Master Wei once
more. He could indeed see some resemblance between him and
Marquis Ning. Last year, he had been vice-envoy receiving the
Northern Qi diplomatic mission, and had had some dealings
with Marquis Ning. Later on in the banquet hall, he had drunk
quite a lot, and the Marquis had attempted to join him. He
couldn't help but mumble and cup his hands in salute. "Brother
Wei, should you wish to avenge your father, then I'm afraid
you may have to wait a few days. Otherwise my drinking might
affect matters between our two nations, and that would not be
an easy thing to explain to His Majesty."

They all laughed, and the matter was postponed to a later

date.

Shangjing was a bustling city, and though its streets were not
wide, the roadsides were lined with taverns and eateries. The
walls were lined with light-green tiles which set off with the
tall trees. It was a beautiful scene, and the people strolling
along the street wore gentle smiles on their faces, filled with
confidence and pride. This did not seem like a defeated nation
at all.
 Accompanied by Wei Hua, the diplomatic mission made its
way toward the west side of the city. Arrangements had been
made for the party to stay in property owned by the royal
family behind the Office of the Grand Herald. From these
arrangements it was clear that the royal family of Northern Qi
wished to honor the diplomatic mission appropriately.

As they travelled, Fan Xian chatted with Wei Hua, and found
that he knew quite a fair amount about the Qing bureaucracy.
Not only could he name a number of influential figures, but
from his words, it seemed that he even knew Crown Prince
Jing personally. This surprised Fan Xian somewhat. The
capitals of both countries were so distant from each other; he
didn't imagine they could get to know each other so well.

From their chat, Fan Xian also gained a vague knowledge of

the current political situation in Northern Qi. Of course,
before reaching the north, he had pored over countless
documents in the Overwatch Council, and knew that things
were not as warm and affable in the Northern Qi royal court as
Wei Hua suggested.

The Empress Dowager of Northern Qi was only in her late

thirties, and was still young. The young Emperor had not been
long on the throne, and had no way of assuming complete
control of the political situation. The Emperor's faction and
the Empress Dowager's faction had their own power in court,
and were pursuing a silent struggle against each other. Had it
not been for Northern Qi's utter defeat the previous year,
which had temporarily suppressed their conflict, perhaps
Shangjing would have already erupted into all-out war.

Shang Shanhu was a general of the north, and for this

reason, he had been transferred back to Shangjing.

"I've heard that Shang Shanhu is quite a hero," said Fan Xian,
feigning ignorance. "When you have time, Brother Wei, you
must take me to pay my respects to him."

Wei Hua was puzzled. "You have an interest in General Shang

Shanhu, Master Fan?"

"Though I am not some weak and sickly scholar, I have

always admired those heroes who resist the barbarians." Fan
Xian smiled warmly.
 There was an odd look on Wei Hua's face, as if he did not
want to speak any more of Shang Shanhu. Seeing the look in
his eyes, Fan Xian did not bring it up again, and simply smiled.

The diplomatic mission reached the courtyard where their

lodgings were arranged for them. After a flurry of activity,
everything was sorted. As a vice-minister of the Office of the
Grand Herald, Wei Hua had naturally arranged their evening
meals. At the banquet table, he tried to sound out Fan Xian's
ability to handle his liquor, and found that the young official
drank wine like it was water. He couldn't help but feel some
apprehension, and immediately reconsidered his idea of
avenging his father in drinking.

The dinner guests dispersed, and the only ones left in the
courtyard were members of the diplomatic mission. The
Northern Qi guards stood respectfully on guard outside the
door, leaving the diplomatic mission to their own affairs.

There were five people in the room: Fan Xian, the cousins Lin
Wen and Lin Jing, Gao Da, and Wang Qinian.
 Fan Xian shut his eyes for a long time, ensuring that no one
around them was listening, and then finally spoke, his voice
quiet. "We are in the heart of an enemy state. Everything we do
must be with the utmost care."

Lin Wen and Lin Jing kept quiet, nodding slightly. But Lin
Wen, seeing that Wang Qinian and Gao Da seemed to be
Commissioner Fan's trusted advisors, and that they perhaps did
not understand recent developments in Northern Qi, after
muttering to himself, finally spoke. He wanted to explain the
latest situation in Shangjing to Fan Xian.

"Shang Shanhu's position has no real power or

responsibilities?" Fan Xian frowned. This wasn't how he'd
thought it to be before. The Overwatch Council had presumed
that Northern Qi's most capable high-ranking military officer,
since he had been transferred south from the frozen wastes,
had to have been there to cope with Qing's overbearing
military offensive. How could it be a sinecure?

"Supreme General of Huaiyuan sounds nice as a title, but he

only commands about a hundred personal soldiers here in
Shangjing. Here in Shangjing there is the Shangjing garrison,
the three high commanders, the General of Fast Cavalry...
Although the Supreme General of Huaiyuan is a venerated
position, he hardly commands any troops. Even if Shang
Shanhu is lauded as an exceptional hero, all he does is have
meetings with the Emperor and embrace his concubines."
There was a hint of mockery in Lin Wen's voice. "A tiger raised
in a cage may be mighty, but all he can do is scare people and
nothing more."

Fan Xian gently drummed on the table, shaking his head in

bewilderment. "Just what is going on? Bringing someone like
that back to the capital and not letting him out to fight? Just
keeping him here instead? Does Northern Qi have money they
felt needed spending?"

Lin Wen sighed. "The Emperor and the Empress Dowager are
competing against each other. They both want Shang Shanhu's
support, but they both fear that he'll go over to the other side,
so for now they just keep him here. But Shang Shanhu is
highly vaunted within the military. Even if he only has a
hundred soldiers under his command here, no one would dare
look down on him."

Fan Xian shook his head and sighed. "No wonder there were
only a few soldiers at Wuduhe. It struck me as odd, considering
how it was so important to help Xiao En escape, that Shang
Shanhu would be so neglectful."

Lin Wen was stunned. He had no idea what had happened to

the diplomatic mission on their journey. Lin Jing hurriedly
took him to one side and quietly filled him in. He was taken
aback, but seeing that Fan Xian seemingly had not come to
harm, he relaxed slightly. "What is Shang Shanhu's connection
to Xiao En?"

Fan Xian was quiet for a long while before he finally spoke.
"If the Council's judgment is correct, Shang Shanhu is an
orphan who was adopted by Xiao En."
Chapter 208: The Envoy Enters the
Palace
"An adopted orphan?" Everybody was shocked.

Fan Xian answered calmly. "It was a long time ago. After Xiao
En’s capture, Northern Wei fell and the world was plunged into
chaos. Shang Shanhu appeared in the scene during that time."
Of course, the Overwatch Council had other evidence, or else
they wouldn’t come to such a conclusion. However, among Fan
Xian’s missions during this trip, one of them was to confirm
who Shang Shanhu's teacher was.

"No wonder Shang Shanhu was in a hurry to rescue Xiao En."

"This is a great problem for Northern Qi." Fan Xian stopped

here and frowned slightly. Haitang wanted Xiao En dead, the
Qi emperor wanted to imprison Xiao En and find out the
location of the temple, and Shang Shanhu purely wanted the
old man to live out his final years in peace. The three most
powerful factions went to three different directions because of
Xiao En. It would be quite exciting to see how this played out.
 Fan Xian also wanted to find out the secret of the temple, so
he couldn’t afford to simply watch.

It was getting late and the group was tired from their
journey, so they began to get ready to call it a day. The
arrangements for tomorrow were naturally taken care of by
the appropriate officials. Lin Wen picked out a few important
events to report to Fan Xian. The most important things for
tomorrow were going to the palace to meet the emperor, and
also discussions at the Office of the Grand Herald regarding
prisoners.

After some thought, Fan Xian said, "Going to the palace will
be in the morning. As for the Office of the Grand Herald in the
afternoon," he turned to Lin Jing, "I’m going to have to trouble
you to attend to that, Sir Lin."

"Sir, what about you?" Lin Jing looked at Envoy Fan in

confusion. For an event as important as the exchange of
prisoners, how could the head diplomat not be present?

Fan Xian narrowed his eyes. "I have more important matters
to take care off." The agreement of exchanging captives
consisted of two papers; one white and one black. The black
paper was more important to Fan Xian. He had already given
back Xiao En and Si Lili. Next he had to immediately confirm
where Yan Bingyun was.

Fan Xian sat on the carriage to Northern Qi’s Imperial palace,

unable to stop yawning. He wasn’t so spoiled as to complain
about beds, but he really didn’t sleep well last night. Next to
him, Wang Qinian and Gao Da also held fatigued expressions.
Obviously, every member of the envoy had insomnia last
night.

When they were about to go to sleep last night, that Vice-

Minister Wei Hua from the Office of the Grand Herald came
again. Although he didn’t enter the backyard, many beautiful
entertainers entered the rooms of the various Qing officials,
shocking them greatly.

Fan Xian didn’t know Northern Qi had such a custom, and he

was startled. Even though the girl kneeling by his bed was very
attractive, with big, alluring eyes, such absurdity on the first
day in Shangjing was too much for him. Fan Xian could only
ask the girl to leave.
 It was little wonder not many people could sleep well after
that. However, one entertainer entered Lin Jing’s room and
didn’t come out.

When having breakfast, Fan Xian noticed Lin Jing’s

expression didn’t look so good. Lin Jing, surprised, explained
that Honglu Temple would make similar arrangements when
Northern Qi sends envoys to Qing’s capital.

Fan Xian rubbed his eyes. Looking at Wei Hua, who was
leading the group in great spirits, he cursed silently. Northern
Qi wanted to tire them out on purpose.

Fan Xian thought this diplomatic mission was… similar to

the business trips in his previous life. The carriage progressed
smoothly. He greedily lifted the curtain to look at the street
scene outside the window. It was with great difficulty that he
came to Northern Qi’s capital. Going straight to the palace
without catching a glimpse of the street scenes would really be
a shame.

Getting out of the carriage, Fan Xian entered the palace

complex. He put on a smile and gently clasped his hands
together. Entering a long dark tunnel, he saw a patch of
brightness. That brightness was coming from the roofs of
many buildings, most of which were black. Among the overall
solemnness there was a hint of aged refreshment.

Fan Xian was slightly dazed as he came to a stop and gazed

upon the palace. Just like he did when he first saw Shangjing’s
city walls, Fan Xian was a bit out of it. As expected, the
Imperial palace of Northern Qi was different than that of Qing.
Instead of vastness, it emphasized layers instead, giving it a
silent but intricate aesthetic. It was as if every single black
pillar held a story of what once happened in the palace. Every
single hallway told visitors of how great historical figures once
walked through here.

The entire envoy became silent. Because the seven Tiger

Guards were armed, they could not enter. Other than Lin Wen,
Lin Jing, and Wang Qinian, only the necessary officials from
the Board of Rites followed Fan Xian.

Onward they walked, going through long walkways, passing

by flowing creeks, and finally arriving at the main Imperial
hall.
 Outside the hall stood stern guards with determined
expressions. From a glance, one could tell that each one was at
least a seventh-ranked fighter.

Just outside the massive wooden gates, a head eunuch was

waiting.

As the group approached, the head eunuch opened his eyes

and meekly took a look at this group of southern barbarians.
With a brush of his hand, he belted out, "Southern Qing’s
envoy has arrived!"

The eunuch’s voice wasn’t too loud, but the wooden gates
behind him slowly opened, showing the visitors the true face
of the central power on the northern continent.

The main Imperial hall was extraordinarily vast. The double

eaves above were made from highly precious glass, which
enabled daylight to saturate the hall unobstructed, eradicating
all sense of gloominess commonly associated with Imperial
palaces.
 On both sides of the hall were support pillars made of an
unknown material. The pillars were painted black with gold
decorations; each one of them was adorned with the image of a
dragon ascending into the clouds. They were peerlessly
beautiful.

Behind the pillars were layers of mesh drapes. Behind those,

people’s shadows could be seen. It was impossible to tell if
those shadows belonged to palace girls or eunuchs.

The first sight that greeted Fan Xian’s eyes – the sight which
he remembered most profoundly – was that long straight path.
On either side of the path was a pool of clear water!

The envoy, led by the eunuch, slowly walked along the path.
The Qing officials who entered this place for the first time
reacted very much like Fan Xian did; they couldn’t help but be
shaken—the floor they were walking on was made of jade! This
jade floor was covered by a beautiful carpet which yielded a
strange softness to all who stepped on it.

The two pools proved to be the most unexpected features of

the hall. The water was exceptionally clear, and goldfish could
be seen swimming in it. For those with good eyesight, like Fan
Xian, they could see the deepest parts of the pools, where two
great fish – one black and one white – rested on the white sand,
gently undulating their graceful tails.

Seeing this sight made Vice-Diplomat Lin Jing sigh. "Such an

extravagant palace shows just how much power and wealth
Northern Qi owns after taking over Northern Wei’s assets," he
thought to himself." But at the same time, it was this
extravagance which made Northern Qi soft, resulting in
continuous defeats at the hands of Qing."

The officials of Northern Qi gathered behind the long path .

A breeze picked up from nowhere, leaving ripples on the pools.
Here, the ground was paved with sandalwood planks.
Everything was solemn.

At the front, up high, was the Dragon Throne. On it sat

Northern Qi’s emperor, who was observing the foreign
diplomats with interest.

The diplomats knelt and wished the emperor a long life.

 "You may rise." The emperor of Northern Qi smiled, as if he
was pleased at having made the citizens of Qing bow at his feet.

Fan Xian sighed inwardly and rose, only to find a pair of eyes
fixated on his face. Slightly shocked, Fan Xian stared back and
traced the ambiguous gaze back to the young emperor on the
Dragon Throne.

This young emperor had ruled for less than two years. This
year he would be seventeen; the same as Fan Xian. In academic
learning, his tutor was the second son of Zhuang Mohan; in
martial arts, his master was the Imperial Advisor Ku He's head
disciple. He excelled in neither area. He shared a similarity
with Qing’s emperor in having no interest in women. He was
also a bit overly playful. He treated the empress dowager with
respect and fear and anger, and was mostly generous to his
people.

Hmm, seems like this young emperor still believes in this

thing called love.

That was Fan Xian’s first reaction upon seeing the emperor’s
still-childish appearance. But he immediate realized he was
being disrespectful. When a nation’s ruler is looking at him, as
an official, he had no right to stare back.

So Fan Xian hurried to lower his head and stood aside in

silence. Inside, however, he was suspicious of that ambiguous
gaze.

Next to him, Lin Jing’s strong voice rang out. Since Envoy
Fan was being extremely lazy, Lin Jing, as the vice-diplomat,
reluctantly shouldered all the complicated formalities and
other duties—he was now reading the letter of credence written
by Qing’s emperor himself.

Fan Xian casually listened, knowing they were just some

empty words. Things like the friendship and brotherhood
between the two nations couldn’t even fool Dong’er, who sold
tofu back in Danzhou. But now they were being read aloud
with such seriousness.

As expected, the young emperor of Northern Qi kept nodding

slightly, showing approval of his counterpart to the south.
 Fan Xian jeered on the inside, but smiled respectfully on the
outside, as if intoxicated by the friendly atmosphere between
the two nations. Immediately, the officials from Northern Qi’s
Board of Rites stepped forwards and said some fanciful words.
This diplomatic mission seemed to have made some initial
progress.

But Fan Xian still felt uncomfortable, because he discovered

that, other than that young emperor, there were now many
more pairs of eyes on him. As calm as he was, Fan Xian
couldn’t help but wonder.

The ones who really wondered were the various officials of

Northern Qi. Everyone knew the head diplomat of this envoy
from the south was none other than the immortal poet Fan
Xian, so they were all very interested as to what this young star
—the one who sent Master Zhuang Mohan back to Northern Qi
dispirited—was really like. But now, Fan Xian was keeping
silent. Even something as important as reading the letter of
credence was left to the vice-diplomat.

That made the officials even more interested in this

handsome young star.
Chapter 209: Chatting with the Emperor
Beginning to feel uncomfortable, Fan Xian took half a step
back without anyone noticing. He lowered his face and
scanned the hall out of the corners of his eyes.

There were no one extraordinary people among Northern

Qi’s officials. What got Fan Xian’s attention was the gently
swaying bead curtain besides the Dragon Throne. Light was
reflected off the pools of the water and danced beautifully onto
the beads.

Fan Xian knew that the empress dowager – the one who truly
held real power in Northern Qi – was behind that curtain.

A while later, the emperor on the Dragon Throne yawned,

showing his boredom.

"My diplomats, you’ve made a long and difficult journey.

Please go get some rest." The young emperor dismissed the
envoy with a wave of his hand. Fan Xian knelt with a face full
of smiles. He and everyone else in the envoy saluted the
Dragon Throne . He was planning to leave, find the officials of
Northern Qi who were really in charge of things, and get poor
Mister Yan out.

But things always develop unexpectedly.

"Mister… Fan?" The corner of the emperor’s mouth curled up

as if in a smile. He looked at Fan Xian and beckoned quietly,
"Stay here. Let us have a chat."

The officials were all slightly surprised to hear His Majesty

refer to Fan Xian as "Mister" rather than the official title. It was
rather inappropriate. Fan Xian wasn’t thinking about that,
however. He was quite shocked. Could this young emperor
know something?

Fan Xian hurried to salute the emperor. "As this is my first

visit, I do not know how to respond. Forgive me if I offend
Your Majesty."

"Don't worry about it." The young emperor seemed to be easy

to talk to. He chuckled, "Your presence here pleases me. Mister
Fan, I am excited to learn from you. I often read Banxianzhai
Poetry Anthology, and even the Imperial tutor sings your
praise. Now that the diplomatic matters have concluded for
today, I must ask you to take a stroll with me. I have been
looking forward to your arrival for a long time. And I can
show you around the palace."

Since things had progressed to this point, there really wasn’t

anything Fan Xian could say as a foreign diplomat. He was
slightly shaken. The Imperial tutor of Northern Qi was the son
of Zhuang Mohan. After the miserable treatment by Fan Xian
in Qing palace, how could there be praise to give?

The envoy left the great hall, Lin Jing gave Fan Xian a
worried look. Fan Xian returned a slight nod, signaling that he
would be careful.

After the officials of Northern Qi also left, the great hall

appeared to be even vaster. The sound of fish tail splashing the
surface of the water could faintly be heard, while the soft
footsteps of palace girls came from behind the mesh curtains.

The young emperor relaxed on his Dragon Throne.

Stretching, he looked at Fan Xian with a chuckle and hopped
down from his throne. Taking a towel from a eunuch, he
randomly wiped his face. Finally, he patted Fan Xian’s
shoulder, "Let’s go, I want to show the immortal poet of the
south our divine palace of the north."

Fan Xian grumbled to himself silently; he wasn’t expecting

His Majesty to be so childish. As he was about to follow the
emperor, a cough came from behind the bead curtain.

The emperor of Northern Qi was slightly unnerved. With a

bitter expression, he turned around and saluted toward the
bead curtain, "Mother, I was very excited to see Fan Xian.
Please forgive my rudeness."

A palace girl had already parted the bead curtain. As the

beads bumped into each other, they made a delicate sound, and
a royal lady walked out from behind them.

Fan Xian immediately lowered his head, daring not to take a

close look. But he still stared at the woman's feet.
 She was wearing a pair of golden shoes embroidered with silk
flowers. They looked casual, but were incredibly luxurious.

What shocked Fan Xian even more was another pair of feet
following those embroidered shoes from behind the bead
curtain—in this world, who would dare to sit with the empress
dowager of Northern Qi behind a bead curtain and listen in on
a diplomatic mission?!

That other pair of feet wore a pair of simple cloth shoes, the
bottoms of which were made from many layers of fabric using
a method found typically in the villages. The top edges of the
shoes were black and white, and near their wearer's delicate
ankles exposed a cheerfully patterned cloth. This type of cloth
shoes could often be seen around the countryside during New
Year. But it was very strange for them to make an appearance
in an Imperial palace.

Fan Xian guessed who those cloth shoes belonged to. No

longer caring for formalities, he raised his head. With calm
eyes, he cautiously stared at her, at the girl Haitang, who still
wore that patterned cloth around her head.
 Fan Xian never imagined that it would be Haitang who came
out from behind the bead curtain with the empress dowager!

Fan Xian and Haitang’s gazes clashed, and the atmosphere in

the palace became uneasy. But in a flash, Fan Xian looked away
and knelt to the empress dowager next to Haitang. "My Lady, I
am Envoy Fan Xian. It is an honor to be in your presence."

The empress dowager looked at him and frowned slightly.

"How can this Qing official Fan Xian be this handsome? One
could even say he is cursedly good-looking. No wonder Duoduo
had to come to the palace to have a peek. Could that girl…" She
brushed her thoughts away and gave a slight nod. She then said
to the emperor, "Haitang has returned. Since you want to take
Sir Fan for a walk in the palace, take her along too."

The emperor appeared troubled, as if not wanting to take

Haitang along. But he couldn’t go against his mother's wishes.
So, with a bitter smile, he asked Haitang, "When did you
return to the capital?"

Haitang shifted her cold gaze away from Fan Xian’s face and
saluted the emperor. "Your Majesty, I returned yesterday.
Master is worried that there have been too many evildoers in
the capital lately, so he sent me to the palace."

Fan Xian smiled uneasily, evildoers in Shangjing? Of course,

Haitang was referring to him.

Walking together in the palace made Fan Xian remember an

already-unfamiliar Chinese idiom, a remnant of his previous
life: the fortune of the man from Qi. Because this palace truly
was worthy of being deemed "divine", the Qi nobles who lived
in it truly were fortunate.

Tall trees extended over the black palace structure. They

looked like aloof yet attentive women holding small fans. The
green branches peeked out from the corners or rested weakly
on the rooftiles. Flowers stretched out lazily on the ground, as
if looking up at those delicate branches in contempt.

Trees could be seen intertwining everywhere. The mixture of

black and green was a union of strength and gentleness too
beautiful to be absorbed all at once.
 The various palace halls were divided into many levels, all of
which were built into the side of a mountain in a marvelous
design. The trio proceeded onward while being served by a
group of eunuchs. Together they walked around the long
walkway next to the mountain creek and went up to the second
level. Only now did Fan Xian start to calm down and carefully
observe the scenery. He couldn’t help but be awed. In terms of
both military and daily life, building a palace into the side of a
mountain wasn’t exactly a wise decision. But seeing the clear
water flowing past and the surrounding scenery, Fan Xian was
able to understand exactly why people chose this location
many years ago to build the palace.

It was simply too beautiful for words.

Unfortunately, Fan Xian was not a citizen of Qi, and

therefore was without the fortune of the man from Qi. He
didn’t have two stunningly beautiful women accompanying
him, as the man from Qi had. All he had were His Majesty the
emperor of Qi and Miss Haitang, Qi’s strongest martial artist in
recent times, who had beaten Fan Xian into crawling on the
ground like a dog.
 The emperor wore a black outercoat. Around his waist was a
belt made from golden silk. His sleeves were wide. The entire
getup had an ancient look. With his hands behind his back, the
emperor led the way, as if forgetting he was the one who forced
Fan Xian to stay behind.

Fan Xian cautiously followed the emperor, occasionally

throwing a sideways glance at Haitang. He and the girl had
quite a bit of history. While Fan Xian believed she wouldn’t do
anything rash in the palace, he still felt nervous.

Haitang, however, did not look at Fan Xian at all. She was
acting as if she had never met him, never been poisoned by
him, and never heard his biting remarks.

Fan Xian understood something and smiled warmly without

speaking. A moment later, the young emperor appeared to be
tired from walking. He pointed ahead at a pavilion and gently
tapped his finger.

In a flash, a mob of eunuchs rushed over, tidied up the

pavilion, wiped the seats clean, lit some incense, and prepared
a tea set.
 Walking into the pavilion, the mountain breeze blew by,
picking up the faint moisture from the stream. The emperor
stood next to the handrail, his hands behind his back, and said
quietly, "Patting the handrail, the forest flowers blow against
my temples and the mountain breeze cools me. My grand song
startles and disperses the floating cloud."

Fan Xian responded, "That was well composed."

The emperor turned around. With intense curiosity, his clear

eyes gazed at Fan Xian. A moment later, he suddenly said,
"Among all the people who have flattered me, you are the first
one to do so in such a casual manner."

Embarrassed, Fan Xian could only clasp his hands together, "I
did not mean to be so casual, Your Majesty."

"It's good that you show proper etiquette, as long you don't
let it stifle you." The emperor sat down and took a sip of tea.
Suddenly looking at Haitang, he grinned. "Why so formal
today? Normally you don't come even when you're invited; you
only want to plant vegetables in the garden. Well, I suppose it’s
good that you agreed to come to the palace today and enjoy the
scenery." The emperor then sighed lightly. "I always think this
palace is too beautiful, to the point where I don’t want to
venture outside of it."

That sentence sounded like it had another meaning, but Fan

Xian pretended to not understand. Signaled by the emperor’s
gaze, Fan Xian sat down and slowly sipped his tea, wondering
why exactly this young emperor asked him to remain in the
palace.

Haitang was also holding a cup of tea. She sat on the

handrail at the edge of the pavilion, gazing at the flowing
water, lost in thought.

"Fan Xian, what do you think of the palace scenery?"

Fan Xian was mildly startled. How many times had the
emperor repeated this topic today? After giving it some
thought, he replied, "The palace is in the mountain, the
mountain has trees, there are trees in the palace; a refreshingly
beautiful arrangement. What I found most fascinating is the
fact that the many buildings seem to blend into the mountain.
On one hand, the mountain scene is not overpowering the
majesty of the palace. On the other hand, the grandeur of the
palace is not taking away from the beauty of the mountain. It
creates a sense of unity between Heaven and humanity. I have
nothing but the utmost admiration for the palace."

"Eh?"

Without intending to, what Fan Xian said seemed to have

shocked the emperor of Northern Qi.
Chapter 210: There Are a Lot of Talented
People Named Fan
The Emperor and Haitang both in unison fixed Fan Xian with
a strange look. The Emperor had asked an offhand question,
not expecting Fan Xian to respond by discussing the oneness of
Heaven and humanity. The two of them – some of the most
important people in Qi – could not help but feel taken aback.
Of the sects of the four grandmasters, Ku He's was the one who
believed in unity of Heaven and humanity, and following the
way and the laws of nature. But this doctrine was not shared
with outsiders. And yet Fan Xian had brought it up so casually
while speaking of the scenery. It was quite astonishing.

Haitang looked at Fan Xian's face with her calm, bright eyes.
It seemed like she wanted to see whether this famous poet had
come across it by chance, or had seen some logic in the palace
scenery.

Fan Xian had not had any feeling of the sort. The idea of
"unity of Heaven and humanity" was a phrase from the distant
memories of his philosophy lessons, one that they'd repeated
over and over again. He had simply made an offhand
comment; he had not expected to cause such alarm. Looking at
the Emperor and Haitang's pensive expressions, he could not
help but feel somewhat doubtful. "Have I misspoken?"

The Emperor laughed. "Not at all. You are indeed an

immortal of poetry, Fan Xian. Even in your casual speech, you
hit upon truth. Remarkable." The Emperor smiled and looked
at Haitang. "What say you of Master Fan's words, young lady?"

"Master Fan speaks well of the scenery. He is erudite indeed."

The three of them chatted freely, then, covering up the

matter, the Emperor suddenly frowned. "I stayed in this
mountain pavilion for much of the last month. With the trees
in the pavilion, the moon in the sky, the running water below
me, and a cool breeze around me, I felt most elated, and forgot
the troubles of this world. So these past few days I have
stopped by here often, and yet I have not been able to feel as I
did then. I am not sure why."

There was a sudden seriousness in Haitang's face. "Your

Majesty, as Lord of Qi, the people look to you. There are
troubles in this world, and it is difficult to force oneself to
forget them altogether, let alone when one is responsible for
the safety of the realm as your Majesty is. When Your Majesty
is concerned by the fortune of all the people, how can you seek
even a moment of happiness in forgetting the troubles of this
world? Your Majesty must remember that the people of the
realm are in great hardship, and take their troubles upon you
as your own. This is how a ruler must think."

The Emperor received the advice sternly, then stood up and

saluted her. "Thank you for your guidance, my lady."

Fan Xian observed calmly, finding that the Emperor seemed

to be genuinely taking the lesson to heart. He was quite
surprised. It seemed that Haitang, who he had once butted
heads with, occupied quite a high position within the Kingdom
of Qi. He could not help but take some exception to her words,
and although he did not show it on his face, there was the flash
of a smile behind his eyes.

But how could such a change escape the gaze of an upper

ninth-level master?

"Do you disagree, Master Fan?" Remarkably, there was no

sense of hostility or sharpness to Haitang's words; instead, it
seemed like a genuine question. In Northern Qi, the use of
learning to benefit mankind was a frequent topic of discussion,
and so they were much more willing to consider topics from
other points of view than people in the Kingdom of Qing.

Fan Xian frowned, then laughed. "The first concern is affairs

of state; pleasure comes later. This is a concept that rulers and
their servants must always keep in mind. But if, as Haitang
says, you can never forget the pain and suffering of the earth
and the common people, then although Your Majesty may be
vigilant, untiring in government affairs, and seek good fortune
for all people, as time passes you will inevitably grow tired.
When you are in poor spirits – even with all the goodwill in the
world – you will still perform poorly. So it is my belief that
when you seek to forget your troubles, you must dispel them
from your mind completely. The Emperor cannot concern
himself with the so-called 'troubles of this world' all of the
time."

His explanation was not persuasive in the least. But hearing

the remarkable words he began with, Haitang's eyes shone. She
did not listen to what he said after that; she simply slowly
turned the words over in her mind.
 The Emperor banged the table in amazement and cheered.
"'The first concern is affairs of state; pleasure comes later.'
What a wonderful phrase! Minister Fan, you are indeed a
devoted official. I shall treasure your words!"

The palace eunuchs and serving girls around them did not
understand the Emperor's meaning, but seeing that this envoy
from the south had caused him to be so joyous, then could not
stop themselves from smiling slightly and looking at Fan Xian
with gratitude.

Fan Xian smiled, saying nothing. He imagined himself giving

a thumbs-up to the gruel-eating sage in his previous life.

The young Emperor had already begun to call Fan Xian

"Minister Fan"; it was clear that he appreciated Fan Xian
greatly. The Emperor kept this foreign official in his palace
when, of course, he had other urgent matters to attend to. As
for appreciating the scenery - because Haitang had been
ordered by the Empress Dowager to accompany them, the
Emperor did not find it easy to speak freely with Fan Xian, and
so chose his words carefully. He did not expect Fan Xian's
responses to be so meaningful.
 The Emperor laughed and looked at Fan Xian. "Skilled in
literature and in battle, Master Fan. You are a rare talent
indeed."

Fan Xian did not dare say a word. Haitang suddenly spoke.
"As you see it, Master Fan, how should man best follow the way
of Heaven?" Fan Xian was somewhat surprised. He did not
consider much of himself when it came to speaking of
mysticism. The words he had said before were rather
depressing, and he wasn't sure he wanted to continue. The
Emperor smiled and waved a hand to silence Haitang's
question. "Master Fan, why do you think I have not been able
to find the peace I felt before?"

Fan Xian frowned. Looking around the mountain pavilion,

he pointed at an incense stick. "If Your Majesty takes incense
with you, and retreats away from others, perhaps you will find
once more what you felt that night."

The Emperor was somewhat surprised. He ordered the palace

eunuchs and maids to retreat somewhere they could not be
seen, then took the calming incense. A moment later, a cool
breeze blew, dispersing the fragrance, leaving a faint peaceful
air in the mountain palace.
 The Emperor slowly closed his eyes. A little while later, joy
appeared on his face, and he opened his eyes with a smile. "I
did indeed feel something."

Fan Xian smiled. "In the palace incense is used, and it is a fine
product. But compared to the fragrance of the mountain forest,
it is somewhat inelegant."

To the side, Haitang nodded slightly, seemingly in deep

praise of Fan Xian's words.

Sat in the mountain pavilion, drinking tea, Fan Xian's doubts

began to grow. This was his second day in Shangjing, and the
young Emperor had kept him in his palace. This was very
much against custom. No matter how you looked at it, he was
a foreign official, and although relations between the countries
were fine on the face of it, beneath the surface there were
always secret maneuvers taking place.

The Emperor suddenly sighed. "Master Fan, do you know

why I am keeping you here?"
 Fan Xian shivered slightly. He wasn't sure whether the
Emperor had seen through his doubts, or whether it was just
chance. "Please, Your Majesty, enlighten me," he said
respectfully.

The Emperor smiled. "Ostensibly, it is because I enjoyed the

Banxianzhai Poetry Anthology." He laughed. "Of course, I
enjoy your poetry very much. I used some money from the
palace treasury to buy some of the treasures of the Danbo
Bookstore and have your poetry published throughout Qi,
sending it to academies throughout the land. Do you intend to
repay me for my interest?"

The ruler of a country, using his own money to publish the

works of a young poet and make him famous. How could Fan
Xian not feel utterly moved?

He had not expected there to be a hint of bitterness in Fan

Xian's face. Dawdling for a while, he finally stood up and
saluted the Emperor – though in his head, he scolded him.
There was no such thing as piracy in this world, but the royal
household had caused a 30 percent drop in business in the
north for Danbo Bookstore. Seventh Ye the Shopkeeper tore his
hair out daily, and yet he had to thank him.
 Haitang suddenly spoke. "Your Majesty, Danbo Bookstore is
Master Fan's business. I'm afraid that not only might Master
Fan not appreciate your actions, he may indeed be rather
angry."

Fan Xian smiled. "Not at all," he explained quickly.

The Emperor looked at Fan Xian with some surprise.

"Minister Fan, you are an immortal of poetry, how can you be a
merchant?"

Fan Xian forced a smile. "It's always good to have a little

pocket money."

Haitang laughed. "The largest bookstore in the land, all to

give Master Fan a little pocket money."

The Emperor did not know what had happened between

Haitang and Fan Xian just outside Wuduhe, so seeing that
there seemed to be some hidden enmity between them, he
could not help but find it amusing. "My lady, you and Minister
Fan are perhaps the most lauded people in the south and the
north. And yet you seem to enjoy squabbling like a child."

Haitang was somewhat shocked. Finding that her words

seemed more pointed, and at odds with her quiet and contented
temperament she had had in the past, Fan Xian smiled.
"Perhaps Miss Haitang still believes the merchant's trade to be
a lowly one." Although the Ye family had done much to show
the importance of commerce throughout the land, and the
royal families of the nations had paid attention to such things,
apparently a great many people still looked down on
merchants as a profession.

Unexpectedly, Haitang shook her head slightly. "Workers,

farmers, merchants, and scholars; all people must work - there
are no lowly professions."

Fan Xian quite liked what she had said.

It seemed that because the Empress Dowager had ordered

Haitang to accompany them, the young Emperor was unable to
say what he had wanted to say to Fan Xian, and his face grew
increasingly vexed.
 Fan Xian and Haitang looked at each other. He had presumed
that she would tactfully give them some space. Instead she had
stayed there, her calm face unchanged, paying no attention to
the Emperor's looks.

The Emperor suddenly laughed self-effacingly and walked to

the side of the mountain pavilion, looking out on the flowing
mountain waters below him, and sighed. "Fan Xian, what did
you think of the scenery of Qi on your journey northward?"

"Northern Qi has a landscape to be treasured," Fan Xian

replied quietly. "Verdant hills and clear water, a vast territory
with abundant resources. The common people live in peace
and work happily. It was enough to make me gasp in
admiration."

The Emperor suddenly turned around and looked at Fan Xian

with a calm gaze that seemed completely unlike the 17-year-old
that he was. "So, how would you compare my realm to the
Kingdom of Qing?"

"The first concern is affairs of state; pleasure comes later" is a quote from Song dynasty writer
Fan Zhongyan.
Fan Zhongyan is regarded to have grown up poor and hungry, and yet ignored his troubles for
the sake of studiousness. He was said to subsist on one portion of rice gruel a day, which he
would let go cold and divide into four portions, sprinkling only a few chopped vegetables on it,
eating it, and going back to his studies.
Chapter 211: A Country Girl Indeed!
Comparing Northern Qi and Southern Qing?

The topic had to be treated with care, as he could not

downplay his own country's strength, and as an envoy, he
could not criticize Northern Qi too harshly. But Fan Xian
answered freely, as if he had known the answer to this question
since birth. He spoke with courage in his convictions, his
words resounding and powerful, and delivered rapidly. He
made Haitang's seemingly always-calm face change, and left
the Emperor jaw-dropped, showing his well-kept white teeth.

Fan Xian smiled gently and cupped his hands in salute.

"But as a foreign official, I do not know for sure."

Such modesty. The Emperor was stunned, then burst into

laughter. He couldn't punish this rascal: after all, he was a
"foreign official", even if he did know plenty about the
Kingdom of Qing, he knew little of Qi, so how he could he
compare them?
 The Emperor looked at Fan Xian, laughed, and shook his
head. "Today I have discovered that the immortal poet I have
thought about for so long has a glib tongue indeed. No wonder
the Emperor of Qing sent you as his envoy." Fan Xian laughed.
"I am merely an official. The reason His Majesty sent me here is
mainly my interest in the culture of Northern Qi, and as I have
some regard in that aspect, he sent me to learn more of it."

The Emperor laughed. "With the famed immortal poet here, I

should have some of the students of the Imperial College come
in and listen to Minister Fan's teachings."

Fan Xian felt some uneasiness at the fact that he was a fake
professor at the Imperial College of Qing without having
attended a single lecture - how could he come to the north and
become a visiting lecturer?

"If I were to head south, Minister Fan, have preparations

been made?"

The young Emperor looked placid, but the sense of prestige

that came from having grown up in the palace suddenly began
to appear on his face. It was a sensitive and arrogant question,
there were only two people who could ask it and in the whole
world. But the one he asked was the envoy of an enemy nation.
The meaning behind it was rather fascinatng, like a spring
thunderclap. Fan Xian's face did not change. "No preparations
have been made."

"Why not?" The Emperor looked at him coldly, leaning on a

railing.

"The people of Qi do not concern themselves with war, so it

will be dangerous." Fan Xian smiled. "The people of Qing are a
warlike people, and so there will be great peril. Luckily, Your
Majesty is determined to better yourself, and His Majesty is an
experienced ruler. There is a fortunate balance between these
two ends."

"What kind of man is the Emperor of Qing?" asked the

Emperor suddenly. "I have corresponded with him in two
personal letters, but I cannot figure him out."

Fan Xian muttered curses under his breath. He was an official

of the Kingdom of Qing, after all - what kind of game was the
Emperor playing? So he said nothing. The Emperor of
Northern Qi looked at him and laughed. "Your Emperor is
ageing," he said gently, "and I am yet young. Should I ride
south, I hope that you may speak on my behalf in the palace,
Minister Fan."

Fan Xian raised his eyebrows. "Should Your Majesty be a

guest in the south, I shall write a poem of praise," he said in a
manner that was neither servile nor overbearing.

"Heading south" had two different meanings to the two men.

For the Emperor, it meant leading his armies southward to
capture territory from Qing. To Fan Xian, it meant going to the
Kingdom of Qing to be held as prisoner after his defeat.

Choosing not to waste words, Fan Xian's face remained calm.

He himself was not anxious. The young Emperor was indeed a
man with high aspirations, but in speaking with him he
seemed overly talkative. He could not be sure whether it was
youthful indiscretion, or whether he really wanted this foreign
official to report his intentions to the royal court of the south.

A slight look of concern suddenly appeared on the Emperor's

brow. It was not clear what he was thinking. He waved his
hand. "Shangjing has known only peace, but there have been
many misunderstandings between our two nations. I fear that
there are those who plan to do you harm, Minister Fan.
Although they may not dare to make their move against you,
I'm afraid that provocation may be inevitable. For my sake,
Minister Fan, be forgiving."

Fan Xian was taken aback, not by the content of the young
Emperor's words, but by their tone. Be forgiving for the
Emperor's sake? Fan Xian wondered what entitlement he had
to be considered so important by the ruler of a nation, and
could not understand why the young Emperor was so
concerned for him.

"I am rather tired, Minister Fan. Perhaps you had best leave."
The Emperor lightly tapped the railing, and turned back to
look silently at Haitang. "My lady, see Master Fan out of the
palace. Make sure he doesn't get lost. If anyone behaves
inappropriately toward the Qing diplomatic mission over the
next few days, please have a word with them."

After having a word with Haitang, it was likely that any

over-zealous patriots would exercise restraint.
 Haitang smiled. "As you command, Your Majesty."

Fan Xian raised his eyebrows slightly. Was he to be seeing

more of this upper ninth-level woman? He couldn't be sure
whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

The Emperor suddenly smiled. "I hear that you are no longer
composing poetry, Master Fan. I must admit I am somewhat
disappointed."

Fan Xian forced a smile. "Please forgive me, Your Majesty.

Poetry is the language of the heart, and recently I have been in
a perturbed state of mind. It is not possible."

The Emperor raised his eyebrows and looked at him with an

odd smile. "Perhaps, since poetry comes from emotion, seeing
such an ordinary person such as myself has left you with no
desire to write."

Fan Xian felt himself break out in sweat.

 The Emperor suddenly laughed. "Yesterday the Empress
Dowager showed me some writing... 'does she not know? does
she not know? The green leaves should be blooming, the red
flowers withered away'. You are talented indeed, Fan Xian."

Fan Xian was embarrassed; Haitang even more so.

Escorted by Haitang, Fan Xian left the mountain pavilion,

following the quiet and secluded path to the jet-black palace in
front of the mountain. In the pavilion, the young Emperor of
Northern Qi stood silent, having already shed his excited
expression from the previous conversation. His lips curled into
a faint smile, and he suddenly closed his eyes and inhaled
deeply. Once more, he felt a trace of what he had felt that
night, as he had watched the moon alone.

From behind him came the sound of footsteps. He knew that

it was a eunuch hurrying to attend to him, and, slightly
annoyed, he waved a dismissive hand. He forbade anyone from
entering the pavilion, and just as before, he stood alone at the
railing of the pavilion, unsure of his thoughts.
 Some time later, he suddenly sighed. "So that's what Fan Xian
has become," he said to himself. "Lili should have arrived by
now."

Meanwhile, Fan Xian hurried quietly along behind Haitang

on the path toward the palace. He was in no mood to
appreciate the mountain scenere or the cool breeze. He simply
kept a false smile plastered on his face, haughtily keeping his
distance from the strange girl.

He could clearly see the way she walked.

Haitang seemed to sway back and forth with each step, but it
was not the bashful and affected swaying of a woman trying to
seduce someone, but the swaying of someone with a country
air. Her hands were stuck into the pockets of her rustic
clothing, and the top half of her body didn't sway at all, but
her feet seemed to pull her legs along the stone path. It looked
careless, but not with the languid erotic air of some bathing
beauty.

Fan Xian narrowed his eyes and gazed at her. He couldn't

understand how she moved. Could it be that she was
constantly practicing some kind of natural art as she walked?
Fan Xian felt quite some admiration. He had always presumed
that he was one of the most diligent practitioners of martial
arts, practicing twice a day at morning and twilight. Ever since
he had started in Danzhou, he had not once suspended his
practice. But he had never imagined that one could practice
while simply walking along a path!

No wonder this young woman was at the upper ninth level,

while he had done his utmost and yet still was barely on the
theshold of the ninth level! No wonder the people of Northern
Qi praised her as a Tianmai, while he shamelessly relied on his
reputation as a poet! No wonder the young woman could
simply wave a hand and he would fall to the floor like a dog!
No wonder that when he had injected her with aphrodisiac
using his secret crossbow, she had bathed in the river like
anyone else, and finally had confidently walked away, paying
him no attention - her disdain of him meaning she did not even
feel hatred.

Fan Xian was silent. Someone as diligent and talented as her

could probably only match wits with someone like Wu Zhu. He
had no chance.
 As he looked at her for a long time, Haitang seemed to feel
the heat of his gaze on her back, staring at her buttocks and her
waist. Eventually she could stand it no longer, and she quietly
turned around and stared calmly back at him, seemingly
wanting to peel back Fan Xian's layers and reveal his true,
wretched self.

Fan Xian's eyes were bright, without a hint of prevarication.

Seeing her turn around, he was surprised, and knowing that
she had gotten the wrong idea, he forced a smile. "I was just
watching the unusual way you walk. I presumed you were
practicing, and I am quite in awe."

If he was surprised, Haitang was even more surprised. She

opened her mouth slightly, looking at the young man from
Qing, her thoughts in disarray. She had spent much of her life
staying in mountains and palaces, and she had always been
steady as a rock. For some reason, looking at Fan Xian's
damnable pretty face and hearing his useless words, she felt
suddenly angry. She couldn't make sense of what he was
saying, and after a long moment of silence she spoke curtly. "I
was not practicing."
 Having said this, she felt somewhat confused. Why did she
have to explain anything to him?

Slightly angered, she continued. "I have always walked this

way, ever since I was a child. The Empress Dowager chided me
about it for many years, and I never changed. If it offends you
so, Master Fan, then perhaps you should walk in front."

Fan Xian was stunned. What was the problem? Sullenly, he

continued to follow behind Haitang.

But Haitang continued to drag her feet with her hands in her
pockets, walking carelessly along.

Fan Xian tilted his head and frowned for a long while, then
finally understood - this wasn't practice at all! This was just the
way that country girls walked!

When he thought of how this upper ninth-level master

Haitang, seen by all the world as some mystical being, was
truly a country girl at heart who walked through palaces like
she would walk through a field, he could not stop himself from
laughing.
Chapter 212: To and Fro
"Why are you laughing, Master Fan?"

This was what he had expected Haitang to ask. Fan Xian

cleared his throat and beamed. "I like the way you walk, my
lady."

Haitang was rather surprised, and anger flashed behind her

eyes.

"If I am lying, may Heaven strike me down," said Fan Xian

hurriedly.

Haitang could not help but doubt his oath, but she still did
not understand it. She had been teased in the palace for the
way she walked for many years; why did this young man like
it? She thought back to his underhanded tactics by the edge of
the northern sea, and felt even more confused.

The two of them were silent as they walked toward the

palace under the dark canopy of trees that covered the
mountain. Haitang was highly revered in Northern Qi, and the
moment the palace eunuchs and maids heard the sound of her
cloth shoes padding along, they immediately withdrew to the
side under the trees, bowing reverently toward this indolent
country bumpkin, not daring to look directly at her.

"His Majesty is quite fond of me. I must admit I am rather

terrified." Fan Xian finally spoke, carefully choosing his words
to gauge her response.

"There is no need to be modest, Master Fan," replied Haitang,

her face unwavering. "His Majesty is a great fan of poetry, and
when the Banxianzhai Poetry Anthology came out, all the
scholars in the land had a copy. His Majesty was no exception.
When Zhuang Mohan returned from Qing and told His Majesty
of his experience, from that day on His Majesty took great
interest in you, and speaks often of you. If Northern Qi had
such a poetic talent as yourself, that would be wonderful
indeed. We regret that we have yet to find such talent. Now
that you have returned Xiao En to the capital and our two
countries stand in confrontation to one another, His Majesty
naturally fears for your safety."
 Fan Xian said nothing. It seemed that the young Emperor had
formed quite a connection to a person - himself - that he had
never once met. And yet the Emperor's worried frown
suggested that there were other things he wanted to tell him,
but the walls of the palace had ears, and he did not want to talk
of such things in front of Haitang - what these things were, he
had no idea.

"Is that so? That is quite unexpected." Fan Xian frowned,

seemingly not believing what Haitang was saying.

"Today you looked over the mountain forests of the palace

and spoke of man as part of nature. I quite admired it. Once
your official business is concluded, if you have time to spare, I
hoped that you might give your advice. After my master read
the Banxianzhai Poetry Anthology, he was silent for a long
while, and then finally sighed in admiration of you, Master
Fan. I was originally rather surprised, but speaking with you
today, I have only now realized that your reputation is well-
deserved."

"You are too kind." She spoke genuinely, and so Fan Xian
replied with sincerity. "I hope that you will provide assistance
regarding Yan Bingyun."
 "I do not involve myself with politics," replied Haitang
calmly.

Fan Xian frowned. "Then why did you travel alone to the
northern sea in the hopes of killing Xiao En? Don't tell me you
didn't know the great effect Xiao En's death would have on this
agreement."

Haitang smiled. "Before I made my move, Master Fan, it

seemed that you also wanted to kill Xiao En. Why did you
suddenly change your mind?"

"Because I was interested in the secrets that he holds." Fan

Xian rubbed his slightly wet hands, and turned his head to look
at the wide expanse of palace scenery.

"I tried to kill Xiao En because that secret could cause a lot of
trouble for a lot of people," replied Haitang calmly.

They stood in silence under a large tree. The green leaves

above them blocked out the sun, leaving them cool. Fan Xian
turned his gaze to Haitang's sturdy shoulders and suddenly
spoke. "In this world, nothing can stay a secret forever."

"While Xiao En is still alive, it's possible that many people

could die."

Fan Xian raised his eyebrows. He knew that her inexplicable

melancholy seemed in many respects to be devoid of sense, but
he could not change anything with mere words.

"His Majesty seemed to have something he wanted to ask of

you," said Haitang.

Fan Xian was slightly taken aback. She had seen it too. He
paused for a moment in thought. "Do you know what it was?"
he asked earnestly.

"I don't know either," replied Haitang. "But if it is anything to

do with Si Lili, I ask that you inform me, Master Fan."
 Fan Xian did not reply straight away. The thought troubled
him. What help could the ruler of a nation need from him?
Could it really be about Si Lili? He was powerless in Northern
Qi. What could he do about it?

"Poor Lili. She's a good person." Haitang's hands were still in

her pockets. "Please help if you can, Master Fan."

Fan Xian had all kinds of thoughts of their carriage ride

north. For a moment, he was despondent, unsure of how to
respond. And so the two fell silent once more, walking slowly
onward, allowing the leaves above their heads and the sunlight
even further above to weave in and out of each other, falling
upon their bodies, on his green robes and her simple, flower-
patterned clothing.

Fan Xian suddenly rushed a few steps ahead, walking side by

side with Haitang. She turned her head and looked at him
casually, but said nothing.

Fan Xian slowly began to relax, copying the young woman's

country walk. He lifted his chin slightly, a slight laziness in his
eyes as he looked around. His green robes had no pockets, so he
had nothing to stick his hands in, and could only hold them
behind his back like some old scholar. He shifted his hips
forward and relaxed all the muscles of this body, allowing his
seemingly heavy feet to drag his seemingly exhausted body
along the stone road, lazily strolling on.

Haitang turned her head to look at him again, seemingly

unsure of why he had decided to copy the way she had walked
ever since she was a child. She looked a little confused.

There was a warm smile on Fan Xian's face, as if he hadn't

noticed her looking at him as he walked leisurely alongside
her. Haitang didn't feel like paying any more attention to that
rascal, and she rolled her neck slightly. She seemed very
comfortable. Fan Xian also stretched and yawned.

By that point the sun had reached the midpoint of the sky,
and its warm light shone down.

The sounds of their footsteps slowly merged into one,

making them feel inexplicably sleepy. And so they dragged
their feet back to the palace, looking like a pair of married
farmers heading from the fields back home to sleep.
 A bead of sweat dripped from Haitang's nose. Her ordinary-
looking face had a strange charm.

"That antidote you gave me... the orange peel was too strong.
It tasted rather bitter." Haitang seemed to be reveling in the
sunshine.

Fan Xian laughed, knowing that she had already seen

through the tricks he had used that day. "I am a commissioner
of the Overwatch Council, not some sage seeking harmony
with nature. It makes my methods somewhat coarse. I hope
you don't mind. Of course, if you do mind, you could give
me... that drug."

His words were somewhat frivolous, but Haitang did not

blush like any ordinary girl. "If I had the chance, I would use
it," she replied casually.

Fan Xian broke out in a sweat. "You are a commissioner of

the Overwatch Council," she continued, "someone who walks
in the shadows. Why did you draw so much attention to
yourself after leaving Danzhou for the capital? It seems that
now you walk in the light."
 "The dark night has given me black eyes, but I use them to
search for light."

Fan Xian continued to use the wonderful words of a poet

from that world, even though that bastard had died in such a
stupid and cowardly way. Sure enough, Haitang was surprised.
She turned her head and looked at him. Surely something had
imperceptibly shifted in her view of him.

Fan Xian laughed and continued. "Of course, the dark night
has given me black eyes, and I have more opportunities to use
them... to roll my eyes at this world."

Haitang finally laughed. She really was "smiling sweetly

between the bamboo fence". Haitang had been coarse all the
way along the mountain. If the palace walls were a bamboo
fence, then what did she have to fear of what people thought
vulgar?

Leaving through the palace, he said a few words to the

worried-looking Wang Qinian and the Tiger Guards. Escorted
by the Northern Qi Imperial Guard, Fan Xian the southern
official sat in his carriage and rode back to his lodging. Exiting
his carriage, he was greeted by a chaotic scene, and could not
help but feel somewhat surprised.

Once he had taken a few steps toward the gate, and saw
clearly what was going on, he was completely shocked.

In front of the gate were a number of Northern Qi officials

and guards, crouched on the floor picking up things. Every
man dragged a sack behind him, and they would pick up an
object from time to time and place it inside. From the way they
carried it, it seems that the objects were heavy. Fan Xian was
very curious. "What's going on?" he asked Wang Qinian, who
was standing next to him.

Wang Qinian was also puzzled.

As they walked further, they realized that on the floor in a

large space in front of the courtyard gate were all sorts of
swords. Some had scabbards decorated with beryl, some were
plain and unadorned, some were modern, and of course, many
of them were the curved sabers beloved by the people of
Northern Qi.
 Fan Xian sucked in a breath of cold air. "Go and grab those
bags. Since they fell in front of their door, even if they're only
good for scrap, some of their value should be ours." Having
appreciated the palace scenery, chatted, and imitated that
country girl's walk, he felt quite at ease, so he smiled as he
spoke, seeming a little bit like Fan Sizhe.

Wang Qinian forced a smile. "You must be in high spirits, sir,

to make such jokes."

Fan Xian couldn't help but laugh bitterly. "And if not, then
what? Don't tell me we're picking up every single blade?" Ever
since he had almost taken a blade to the face, courtesy of Ye
Ling'er back in the capital, Fan Xian was clear on the customs
of combat in this world - throw your blade at your opponent's
feet, and if they accept the challenge, then pick up your sword.

"But they've had all day. What's causing all this trouble?" he
asked with a frown.

A quote from "A Generation" by the modern poet Gu Cheng (1956-1993). Gu killed himself after
killing his wife with an axe.
A reference to Song poet Su Shi's poem; "Lodging East of the Dinghui Courtyard, Many Flowers
Cover The Mountain, And There Is A Flowering Apple Tree Whose Worth The Locals Do Not
Know". One line in the poem is "smiling sweetly between a bamboo fence, the peach and plum
trees coarsely cover the mountain".
Chapter 213: The Fighting Envoy
Vice-Deputy Lin Jing and Lin Wen felt uneasy outside the
door. They breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Fan Xian
return. They snuck along the wall and made their way in front
of everyone, explaining: "Someone, we don’t know who, leaked
out a part of the negotiation. Now the people of Shangjing all
are upset because they found out Northern Qi is going to give
up land. While the ordinary civilian dared not to do anything,
those young nobles did come forward asking to challenge us
southerners in martial arts."

Fan Xian was somewhat taken aback. The Imperial court of

Northern Qi would definitely not tell the negotiations
regarding captives and land to everyone. Then who did? It
seemed like that young emperor wasn't exactly living a
leisurely life. But now Fan Xian had no time to care about his
number one fan. With a headache, he stared at the knives on
the ground and said, "Take care of this on your own, I’m going
to visit their Board of Rites in a bit."

Even though he let the right subordinates take care of

various affairs, such as dealing with the captives, redrawing
the borders, and exchanging letters of credence, Fan Xian
insisted on handling the Yan Bingyun matter himself.
 "Sir, you must not leave." The Lin brothers were stereotypical
civil officials; seeing knives fly in the heart of a foreign nation
scared them senseless. They were afraid of those young nobles
stirring up trouble again if Fan Xian were to leave now. After
all, the Tiger Guards, who were the strongest in the envoy,
would naturally follow Fan Xian, and the strong ones in
various disguises from the Overwatch Council only listened to
Commissioner Fan.

Fan Xian frowned and looked at the two in slight annoyance.

"As Qing officials, you should calm yourselves a bit unless you
want to embarrass our nation. As for those troublemakers,
Northern Qi arranged guards for us. Would those guards just
let them in?"

"The point is…" Of the two brothers, Lin Jing was more
familiar with Fan Xian and didn’t mind speaking more directly.
"…those people are here for you. If you avoid them, I’m afraid
these northerners will think of us Qing as cowards."

That was somewhat biting to say. Laughing, Fan Xian

scolded Lin Jing and then told him, "Even if they are here to
bring me trouble, I’m sure they are just some bookworms. Sir
Lin, you once scored third on the civil service exam, just say
something to them and get over it."

Suddenly, Fan Xian discovered Northern Qi’s assigned palace

guards had strange expressions, while Gao Da already had his
hand on the hilt of his blade.

Fan Xian turned around and discovered another group had

arrived. Leading that group was a young aristocrat looking up
at the sky. As Fan Xian had already acknowledged them,
nobody went out to stop the group. So the young noble was
able to walk right up to Fan Xian and deliver a punch.

The fist was fat and had no strength. It was very irritating.

Without hesitation, Fan Xian returned a slap. His

overpowering zhenqi was unique in this world. Under Wu
Zhu’s teachings, Fan Xian’s timing was world-class. This one
slap raised knife-like winds, pierced through the air, and
slammed down onto the young noble’s fist viciously.
 Fan Xian had acted reserved and obedient in front of Haitang
because Haitang was too powerful. When it came to actual
martial arts, Fan Xian ranked as one of the most talented
practitioners among his generation. However, since his
opponent this time was too young, Fan Xian wasn’t planning
on injuring the young aristocrat.

He was probably around ten years old. Fan Xian’s slap forced
him on his buttocks, causing him to cry out in pain. Since Fan
Xian looked like a weak scholar, the young noble probably
wasn’t expecting to be knocked down by one blow. He stared at
Fan Xian and cursed out, "Curse your mother! These southern
barbarians are mad!"

Fan Xian, who was about to go back inside, stopped.

He grinned and returned to the young noble. He held up the

boy’s wrist. The boy’s bodyguard, although nervous, paid the
simple gesture no mind. Believing Fan Xian to be just an
entourage of Southern Qing’s envoy, the bodyguard spat out
some harsh words.
 Next came the sound of a torn joint, followed by a scream of
pain and then enraged outbursts.

"Had my mother heard you, she’d probably rip you apart

alive," Fan Xian thought. Letting go, he stared at the boy on the
ground. Judging by the fact that Northern Qi’s palace guards
dared not do anything, there must be someone high-ranking in
that boy’s family.

The boy’s bodyguards and servants gathered around.

Looking at their young master crying and holding onto his
limp wrist, they discovered that Fan Xian had broken it in a
despicable move! Unable to hold back their anger, they stood
up, ready to teach Fan Xian a lesson.

Seeing that things were getting out of hand, the palace

guards hurried to separate the two sides, trying to mediate the
matter. The Qi side would not stop spewing out curses about
the southern barbarians.

Fan Xian pulled Lin Jing over. "Whose brat was that?"
 "The young master of Chang Anhou’s household." Lin Wen
was very familiar with Shangjing’s politics and rushed in to
answer.

Fan Xian was slightly startled after hearing the name Chang
Anhou. It reminded him of Chang Ninghou, whom he had had
a drinking contest with. "Is he also a brother of the empress
dowager? The one who got sent home after last year’s defeat?
Chang Ninghou’s younger brother?"

Lin Wen nodded, "Chang Anhou was relieved of power due to

last year’s defeat. But this year, under the empress dowager’s
order, he resumed power and regained his former arrogance. I
suspect this young lad here wanted to take advantage of the
chaos and take revenge against Qing."

"Stupid brat." Fan Xian shook his head. Without even looking
back at the mess, he was ready to go back inside.

"You think you can just leave after what you’ve done?"
someone yelled out angrily. "How dare you hurt our Young
Master Hou!"
 The commander of the palace guards had gotten the situation
under control and wasn’t expecting Fan Xian to leave without
saying a single word. Such an unjustifiable act even made that
commander upset. "You Southern Qing are too arrogant," he
thought to himself.

Fan Xian slowly turned around and said to the crowd of

Northern Qi, "Everyone, look carefully. This young man here
sneak-attacked me. I didn’t know he was only a child, so I
didn’t hold back. I will send some of my people to Hou Manor
to pay for medicine later. Is there any need to squabble about
this any further?"

Beating someone up then offering to pay for medical costs

was a classic rich-kid tactic. But the problem was that Fan Xian
was the head diplomat of Qing, and the rich kid was the boy of
Northern Qi. The crowd wasn’t buying it

Fan Xian raised his eyebrows and said to the commander of

the palace guards, "Commander Wei, do you wish to see this
envoy go at it with Qi civilians? Do you want another battle
between our two nations?"
 Commander Wei felt a chill. He knew things wouldn’t get
that out of hand, but if Fan Xian really were to be attacked by
an angry mob, it would be a diplomatic incident, and he, being
in charge of guard duty, would be responsible. So the
commander hurried to block the people from Hou Manor. Fan
Xian went back inside and shut the front gate.

Now the mob realized Fan Xian was the head diplomat of the
barbaric southern envoy. Seeing him duck inside immediately
triggered a barrage of insults and curses which flew like
arrows. Fan Xian’s ancestors on his father’s side became the
targets.

A short moment later, the front gate suddenly creaked open.

The mob quieted down. Seeing that the one who came out
wasn’t the handsome youth Fan Xian, they rushed forward
demanding that he come out.

The official who came out was Wang Qinian. He smiled and
saluted the crowd, which came to a halt and put down
whatever makeshift weapons they had brought. They were all
ready to hear what this southerner had to say. Wang Qinian
waved his hand and said gently, "Get them."
 A dozen people rushed out from behind Wang Qinian like
tigers. Charging at the crowd, they were all wielding mops or
other types of sticks. As soon as Wang Qinian gave out the
order, Commander Wei realized things just became very bad
and was about to say something. But Wang Qinian grabbed his
arm with extreme friendliness, saying that if they had time
afterwards, Commander Wei had to take them to the red-light
district.

Hearing this, Commander Wei was speechless, while the rest

of the guards were stunned. Their duty was to ensure the
safety of the envoy, but they didn’t expect this envoy to be so
strange, charging out with sticks—which side did they actually
have to protect?

At that moment, a bustling scene unfolded. Sticks were

waving in the air and there were many screams, some of which
sounded like pigs being slaughtered.

Commander Wei raged, "Sir Wang, are you trying to make

things even worse?"
 "Nonsense. Do you think I wanted this?" Wang Qinian also
became angry. "He cursed Commissioner Fan's mother. Even
though he’s only a little brat, I want to ask you: on our envoy’s
first day in the capital, why are there so many people here
asking for trouble? What are you Northern Qi planning?"

The screams continued. While the dozen people who rushed

out had no blades, they were composed of four Tiger Guards
and skilled members of the Overwatch Council. Beating some
servants from a rich family was truly an unskilled thing to do.

"I don’t care if you curse my paternal ancestors." Fan Xian

walked out with Gao Da. Looking at the scene in front of him,
he thought, "But I absolutely will not allow you to curse my
mom and my grandmother."
Chapter 214: Tan Wu Is Not A Literary
Man
After all, no one wanted to make things worse. After a
reprimand, Fan Xian waved a hand and ordered his men to
withdraw. The Imperial Guard set once again to clearing things
up outside the courtyard gate. Commander Wei spat on the
ground and thought about how ridiculous Chang Anhou's men
were. If they had only come for a duel, why did they allow this
famous playboy to sneak attack Fan Xian? Things were no
longer as they were in the days of Northern Wei's unification;
why did these envoys from Qing see fit to provoke things
further?

At that moment, a strapping young fellow suddenly walked

past. Seeing the chaotic scene, he could not help but frown. His
feet kicked up dust from the ground as he threw himself into
the fray, extending a fist to strike a blow and a leg to deliver a
kick. Moving cleanly and efficiently, not sloppy in the least,
within the blink of an eye he had thrown out half a dozen
blows, striking at each of the Overwatch Council officials who
had yet to stay their hands.

The man's blows were simple, yet quick and powerful,

catching the officials of the Overwatch Council on the back
foot and forcing them to retreat. A number of those who had
been ordered to step back by Commissioner Fan caught kicks to
the leg and, in a flash, almost tumbled to the ground.

Fan Xian turned his head. Where had this fighting master
come from? He could not tell his exact level of martial skill for
the time being, but his natural strength and viciousness had
forced his subordinates to step back.

After the man had helped Chang Anhou's men out of their
predicament, he stood tall on the spot, his eyes narrowed. He
seemed confused that all of his previous vicious blows had not
managed to knock any of his enemies out. He then saw that Fan
Xian, standing on the stone steps, was their leader. He
frowned. "You Qing diplomats are an impressive group. I didn't
think that I'd be met by sixth-level fighters!"

Fan Xian looked at him for a moment. "When one is sent to

represent one's country abroad, it is of chief importance to
ensure that one does not diminish the nation's prestige. Since
you are clearly a military man, how can it be that you do not
understand this principle?"
 The man glanced at the people around him, who moaned in
pain on the floor. He frowned. "But these are mere flunkies. As
rude as you are, don't tell me that you rely on these weaklings
for power?"

Fan Xian narrowed his eyes. "So as you see it, I should turn
the other cheek?"

The man was alarmed. It wasn't clear what he was thinking.

His face darkened. Commander Wei had realized who the
young man was, and his face was reverent as he saluted him.
"General Tan, what are you doing here?"

The army man, surnamed Tan, did not immediately

recognize the commander of the Imperial Guard. "I am Wei
Wuji, sir," said Commander Wei hurriedly.

At first, General Tan Wu had been a capable subordinate of

the northern general Shang Shanhu. He had fought against the
barbarians in the frozen north, and last year he had followed
Shang Shanhu when he was recalled to the capital.
Unexpectedly, he found himself with nothing to do and no
duties, except for occasionally having to turn up for morning
roll call at the Ministry of War. Although Shang Shanhu, his
army colleague in the capital, had always been considered
heroic and brave and had always been respected, he felt
somewhat upset. Today, he had been out walking, and had not
expected to bump into this chaotic scene involving the
diplomatic mission from the south.

Tan Wu looked at Commander Wei and felt he had no choice

but to say something. "How can you let these southerners run
amuck in Shangjing?"

Wei Wuji forced a smile. "By order of the palace, we must

ensure their safety. I dare not neglect matters of state."

Tan Wu thought of Qi's successive defeats over many years.

He and Shang Shanhu had never had the chance to wage war in
the south, and he could not help but feel gloomy. He looked
again at the injured officials and felt contempt and anger. He
suddenly raised his head and cupped his hands in salute to Fan
Xian, who stood on the stone steps. "Sir, may I ask if you are
Master Fan Xian, head diplomat of this mission?"

Fan Xian cupped his hands in return. "That is correct."

 Tan Wu looked to be in awe. "I am Tan Wu of Northern Qi,"
he said in a stern voice, "and I humbly beg your guidance,
Master Fan." Having said this, he gently placed the blade that
he wore on his waist upon the floor.

Fan Xian shook his head. He knew that his opponent did not
claim an official position, and this was about to be done
according to folk dueling customs. "Master Tan," he said
calmly, "before you came along, I have already received two
sacks' worth of daggers. Even if I wanted to duel, you would
likely have to wait for a number of days."

Tan Wu frowned. "There is no time like the present, as they

say. Master Fan, I ask that you bestow me your guidance."

Fan Xian shook his head again.

"I know that you are not merely an exceptional poet, Master
Fan," said Tan Wu angrily. "You are also highly skilled in
martial arts. Last year you singlehandedly fought and killed
Cheng Jushu, a fighting master of Northern Qi. Could it be that
you hold me in contempt?"
 Fan Xian looked at him, knowing that this soldier was
unyielding. He laughed. "Although I am head of this
diplomatic mission, and it appears that we are causing trouble,
I have always respected men on the battlefield. I know that you
have spent all year fighting back barbarians in the snowy
north. Is it too late to offer you my respects? Why must we
insist on declaring a winner with our fists?"

Tan Wu was a straightforward sort of fellow. Hearing Fan

Xian's calm words, his face softened slightly, but his temper
remained. He cupped his hands in mid-air.

Fan Xian sighed and shook his head. "Take care not to overdo
it," he said to Gao Da, who stood behind him.

Gao Da slowly withdrew the blade from his back and lay it on
the ground, stepping off the stone steps and steadily extending
his right hand to this valiant young man in a gesture of
invitation.

Tan Wu narrowed his eyes. He could sense a slight air of

danger from this bodyguard. He knew that his opponent was
an expert, and the southern diplomatic mission sending him
out to compete with him was no dishonor upon him. He spat
on the ground, placed his palms together, and advanced toward
Gao Da to attack.

They set to each other, with loud groans, their strengths

pitted against one another, kicking up dust from the ground.
After the dust had settled, Gao Da had caught a blow to the
right side of his chest, a trace of blood seeping from the corner
of his mouth, and Gao Da's cold, heavy right hand was wrapped
around Tan Wu's throat! The calluses on his hand, formed by
years of daily sword practice, scraped against the skin on Tan
Wu's neck. This Northern Qi military officer had never once
known fear. Now, he trembled.

Gao Da slowly stepped back, releasing his right hand.

Tan Wu looked at this master, his name unknown to him,

and felt a sense of shock. The diplomatic mission had casually
sent out this fellow who had given him no chance to hit back!
In the blink of an eye, as he had chopped at his opponent's
chest, he had not seen the man's hand reach out toward him.
He knew that if Gao Da had not shown lenience, his throat
would have been crushed long ago!
 Tan Wu also knew full well that if this were a fight to the
death, this man, a clear master of the blade, would not allow
him the opportunity to even get close to him with his sword.
He bowed deeply toward Gao Da, and saluted Fan Xian once
more. After admitting defeat, he departed, not looking back.

Although it had only been one move, it had shaken him to

the core.

The carriage went along the streets of Shangjing toward the

Ministry of Rites, protected on all sides by stern-faced Imperial
Guardsmen who refused to give anyone a chance to get
anywhere near the Qing diplomatic mission. Fan Xian sat in
the carriage, his eyes lightly closed. "Why did you take that
blow just now?"

Gao Da cleared his throat. "My opponent was a military man,

so I wanted to be direct, and I did not want to reveal my own
strength too much." He looked at Fan Xian and lowered his
head. "And it seemed that you wanted to make friends with
him, sir, so I thought I should go easy on him."
 Although the Tiger Guards were the Qing Emperor's secret
bodyguard force, they had after all been personally chosen by
Count Sinan, so Fan Xian saw the seven Tiger Guards who had
accompanied him on his journey north much like he had seen
Teng Zijing. He fixed Gao Da with a look that was amiable yet
strict. "I don't know a thing about Tan Wu. Why in the hell
would I want to make friends with him? There are plenty of
powerful fighters in this world. Tan Wu might be brave, but
there's nothing else interesting about him. Even if he is a
skilled fighter, why does that mean I have to make friends with
him? Am I meant to work myself to death? Are you going to let
me eat? Are you going to let me have any fun at all?"

Gao Da was stunned. Was making friends with capable

people not the favored pastime of every son of a noble family?
What had he done wrong? If there was a problem, what did it
have to do with eating and amusement?

Fan Xian fished around inside his breast pocket and finally
pulled out a pill which he handed to Gao Da and asked him to
take.

Sitting next to them, Wang Qinian poked fun. "Is that orange
peel too?"
 "It's for your injuries," said Fan Xian grumpily.

Gao Da took it, but still didn't understand. "I thought you
told me to go easy?"

"Which finger did you touch Tan Wu with?" he scolded him.

Gao Da was silent.

"I'm not sure whose idea it was to send Chang Anhou's son to
cause trouble." Wang Qinian was still thinking about the
previous events. "Logically, since the Emperor of Northern Qi
wants to fulfill the obligations of the agreement and admires
Commissioner Fan, ordering the Imperial Guard to ensure our
safety, then that should be enough to show a clear signal to
everyone in Shangjing. To still have people come and make
trouble is rather odd."

"Do not forget that the agreement between the two countries
seems to have been leaked." Fan Xian lightly tapped the
window frame of the carriage. The Northern Qi soldiers were
outside, so the three of them kept their voices low. "It appears
that things in Northern Qi are even more tangled than they are
for us in the south. The young Emperor, it would seem, does
not have a firm enough grip on his power."

"As long as it doesn't affect our business, then it's fine."

He had been quite busy today, entering the palace early in the
morning, then chatting with the young Emperor, walking
along with Haitang, and getting caught up in the chaos outside
the diplomatic mission's lodgings. His first day in Northern Qi
had been awfully busy, and he hadn't had a chance to eat, his
stomach filled only with the tea he had drunk with the
Emperor.

His stomach began to rumble. Fan Xian laughed at himself.

Life was tiring him out. The reason he had tired himself out
today was because he had settled on a plan - he would quickly
get Yan Bingyun out of Northern Qi's strict, ice-cold prison.
Otherwise, if he were seen to be eating and drinking well, he
feared that he would not be able to enjoy it.
Chapter 215: The Old Shop on Xiushui
Street
The arrangements of diplomatic affairs between the two
nations were already arranged in advance. Going by the norm,
for someone of Fan Xian’s status to be able to move around in
Shangjing would require the appropriate personnel as escort.
But Fan Xian was worried about such arrangements. While
there were already resident officials beginning the
negotiations, Fan Xian still asked permission from Northern
Qi’s Imperial court, and came to the Board of Rites.

In the secret agreement, Yan Bingyun was to be exchanged

for both Xiao En and Si Lili. This already put Qing at a deficit,
which was why Fan Xian was in a hurry to find the person
secretly in charge. But unexpectedly, Minister Shu of the Board
of Rites, who was actually the vice-recruiter of the Brocade
Guard, refused to see him!

It looked like Northern Qi wanted to drag things out a few

more days. Enraged, Fan Xian ignored Northern Qi’s officials
and stormed out of the Board of Rites. At the front gates, Lin
Jing had rushed over from the Office of the Grand Herald. He
secretly shook his head at Fan Xian.
 Once the four were back in the carriage, Lin Jing said, "Vice-
Minister Wei Hua also disappeared after leaving the palace."

Fan Xian sighed. "I bet it’s the same elsewhere. Qi wants to
delay a few more days."

"What good does that do for them?" Wang Qinian frowned.

"They’re going to hand the person over in the end regardless. I
doubt they could drag this on forever."

Fan Xian shook his head. "We must fish out Yang Bingyun as
soon as possible."

"How?"

"We go to Wei Hua’s home."

"Chang Ninghou Manor?" Lin Jing said, troubled. "We’re

talking about the empress dowager’s own brother. For us
foreign diplomats, going there would be very taboo. I’m afraid
doing so would only stir up more trouble."

Fan Xian laughed. "Hopefully those Imperial censors under

Northern Qi’s emperor will help. It would be amazing if we
could report Chang Ninghou for conspiring with a foreign
nation tomorrow morning."

With the plan made, the carriage left the Board of Rites,
followed by the Imperial Guards. Some agents, looking like
passersby, tailed the group from a distance. Wang Qinian,
although sitting in the carriage, could smell the scent on those
agents. He said quietly to Fan Xian, "Sir Commissioner, there
seem to be be men from the Brocade Guard following us."

"We have the Imperial Guards with us; are they afraid of us
getting lost?" Fan Xian said. "Ignore them. More importantly,
in the coming few days, do not hurry to contact the Council
members situated in Northern Qi. We don’t want to bring our
agents any unnecessary risks."

Those secret agents of Northern Qi were under Imperial

orders to watch over the envoy. They were puzzled as to why
those southern officials would be interested in touring the
streets after leaving the Board of Rites. Furthermore, they were
not touring just any street, but the most upscale, luxurious
street in Shangjing—Xiushui Street. It sold luxury items made
from glass and such; not something ordinary civilians could
afford.

One of the agents frowned. "Why do those southern

barbarians want to visit Xiushui Street?"

His subordinate answered, "Visiting a foreign country is a

rare occasion. Of course they want to bring back something
nice. Those southern barbarians are all madly rich now. How
will they explain to their families if they don’t bring back some
glass goblets?"

"Idiot! All the glass is exported by Southern Qing. Why

would they come all the way here for it?"

There weren’t a lot of people on Xiushui Street, but the few

that were seen walking around were all potbellied rich men or
ladies adorned in jewelry. From a glance one could tell they
didn’t carry around much silver, but stashes of bills thicker
than a book. The stores were spaced out along the street at just
the right distance from each other.

The signs of those stores were even more conspicuous,

erected vertically outside the storefronts. The signboards were
painted black, with golden characters, though some were
fading. The store owners didn’t seem to be bothered to get new
signs. However, upon closer examination, one would realize
those signs had quite some history to them. The characters
were probably written by some famous calligraphers a century,
or perhaps even many centuries ago. Those business men
wanted to use the faded paint to flaunt the history of their
stores, and to add an air of antiquity.

The seven stores in the middle of the street were different

from the others; their signs were horizontal and, while not
brand new, looked obviously newer than the signs of the other
stores. Some of them sold glass goods, some sold soaps and
such, some sold perfume, some sold cotton cloths, and some
sold liquor. One shop was most astonishing because it
specialized in selling toys.

The carriages stopped just in front of the street entrance.

Being accompanied by soldiers of the Imperial Guard, such
style surpassed even that of the highest-ranked nobility. But
the stores on Xiushui Street kept their self-esteem; no one came
out to welcome the guests. They waited for the four people
who exited the carriage to pass by one by one.

The four of them walked until they came before the store
that sold cotton cloth. The extremely handsome young man
scratched his head, seemingly unable to understand why
cotton would count as a luxury item.

After going into the shop, the store owner explained to his
guests: "Speaking of weaving cloth from cotton, according to
legend, some genius named Wang did it many centuries ago,
but his methods were lost over time, until twenty years ago
when our founder rediscovered it. Everyone look, this cotton
cloth is warmer than silk, inexpensive, and of excellent quality
—even compared to the ones in Southern Qing’s capital."

The handsome young man seemed to be very interested. "Let

me try thirty centimeters."

The store owner’s face darkened. Recognizing the youth’s

Southern Qing accent, the store owner rudely said, "Oh, a
fellow countryman. My dear sir, where’s the logic in us
Southern Qing coming to Northern Qi to buy cotton cloth?
Besides, others buy it by the bundle. And you want thirty
centimeters?"

The young man chuckled and made his exit. Looking at the
store’s sign, he frowned. "Those characters are terribly ugly."

The store owner became enraged. "They were written by our

old boss. You ignorant lad, leave now!"

The young man chuckled again and led his three

subordinates to another store. That young man was, of course,
Fan Xian. The characters which he called ugly were none other
than traces left behind by his mother many years ago. They
were just like the handwriting of that letter in that chest—and
just as ugly!

After strolling for a while, Fan Xian knew these shops all
belonged to people from Qing. Of course, many years ago, they
belonged to the Ye household. Just by looking at the products,
Fan Xian new his mom must have made a fortune from this
world’s rich people.
 Walking down Xiushui Street, between signboards written by
his mother, Fan Xian was in a slight daze. He didn't want to go
any further.

"Sir, what are we doing here instead of going to Chang

Ninghou manor?" Lin Jing asked worriedly.

Fan Xian came back to his senses and replied, "To buy gifts,
of course. We shouldn’t show up empty-handed."

Saying that, he stepped into the fanciest glass shop on the

street. Inside were all sorts of things beautifully made of glass;
mainly vessels for holding alcohol, but also many smaller
trinkets, including cricket boxes, various board games, and
even a small oil lamp.

The whole shop looked like it was covered by crystals. It was

dazzling. A faint sense of pride rose in Fan Xian’s heart. While
he seemed to have been spending every day in this world just
getting by, not doing anything to shake up the world, seeing all
the things his mother had left behind made him think, "Seems
like my mom already invented everything. What's left for me
to do?"
 The owner of the glass store heard his guests talking and
knew they were fellow southerners. He said with a smile, "My
guests, it’s not that I’m unwilling to do business with you, it’s
just that buying glass in Shangjing is a bit of a rip-off."

Fan Xian smiled. "I know you guys sell stuff here at a higher
price than back in Qing. But I noticed the Northern Qi palace
uses so much glass; aren’t they worried about the price?"

The store owner grinned. "Who’s the dumbest customer in

the world? The emperor, of course. I hear the deal with the
Northern Qi palace was the biggest deal back then for our
master. The sheer numbers stunned all other businesses
senseless."

Fan Xian laughed and said, "You sure are a bold one. Being in
Northern Qi, aren’t you afraid of being arrested for saying
that?"

"Not at all. As long as our great Qing remains the most

powerful nation in the world, we businessmen can go
anywhere without being harassed." Despite saying that, the
store owner still lowered his voice before continuing. "As for
the remark about the dumbest customer in the world… I didn’t
come up with it. My master told me it was said by the owner
back then."

Fan Xian chuckled, suddenly asking, "Which one of the Yes is

your master? Big Ye?"

This startled the store owner. He looked up at Fan Xian,

having a hard time believing this handsome young man knew
so much. For the moment he forgot to reply.

Lin Jing, who had been standing on the side, spoke up with a
smile, "This is Sir Fan Xian, the head diplomat of the current
diplomatic mission. While you may have spent your time far
north, I believe you know Sir Fan’s background."

Sir Fan? That’s the great owner of all Imperial businesses in a

few years! The glass store owner was in great shock and
hurriedly bowed to Fan Xian.
Chapter 216: Developments in the
Imperial Business
Fan Xian hurried over to help him up, but the proprietor of
the store was insistent on kowtowing. Eventually, he stood up
and sighed, deeply moved. "So you are the future master. I
shall kowtow no matter what. And what is more, you are the
head of the diplomatic mission. I have spent many days in this
foreign country, hoping to pay my respects to the masters of
my home country, with no chance to do so."

The proprietor suddenly realized something. It seemed that

he had mentioned something taboo in front of this master from
the south. "Master Fan, why have you come here?" he asked,
unable to prevent himself from mumbling.

Northern Qi was, after all, a long way away from the Qing
Emperor, so the merchants here were rather bolder, still
keeping their old shop signs, saying that they were proud
owners of property. Fan Xian looked at the man's face and
realized that he was worried that his words would be taken
back to the capital, offending the royal family who controlled
businesses outside of Qing.
 He laughed. In the future, he would have to greatly raise the
quality of his wares, rather than selling these low-quality glass
wine goblets.

The proprietor was curious. "How can I help you?" He had

originally assumed that Fan Xian had used the opportunity of
the diplomatic mission to make a preliminary investigation
into the business he would one day control. He didn't know
that he was about to buy glassware.

Lin Jing gave a brief explanation. The shopkeeper hurriedly

called for the shop assistants, and a few nimble fellows rushed
into the storeroom. It appeared that the real high-quality
goods were not left on display. While they waited, Fan Xian
chatted with the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper knew what he
wanted to know, and did not dare hide anything from him,
giving him a rough estimate of the quantity of glassware that
had been transported northward from Qing over the past years.

Although it was only a rough estimate, Fan Xian was still

rather surprised. There was only one Qing glassworks in
Shangjing, and its yearly income was astonishing. It was no
wonder that even with all the splendor of Qi's products, they
could only just about match Qing in financial matters.
 The shopkeeper suddenly sighed. "But in the past few years -
I'm not sure why - the goods sent from the capital have not
been as good as they were before. And we've had no new ideas,
so business has suffered somewhat."

"How much worse has it been compared to the best times?"

asked Fan Xian.

"About thirty percent."

Fan Xian muttered to himself hesitantly. He knew where the

problem came from. After the Eldest Princess had taken control
of the palace treasury from the Ye family, even if that
madwoman had political intelligence and trickery up her
sleeve, in the completely new area of glass and soap, it seemed
likely that she still had no idea what to do. The quality of the
glass was still poor; there were definitely problems with the
mixture and the workmanship. Currently the Ye shopkeepers
of Qingyu Hall could not do it themselves, and so there was no
way to adjust the process.

But business had only gone down by thirty percent. It seemed

that the Eldest Princess knew the importance of these shops to
the Qing economy and had not interfered with them too much,
simply following the convention of previous years.

There was too much keeping with the old ways, and not
enough innovation.

As they had talked, a young shop assistant had brought out

the most precious of the glass goblets. Fan Xian picked one up,
narrowing his eyes in the sunlight inside the shop. There were
no impurities in the glass. Indeed, it was better quality than
most of the windows in the capital. He couldn't help but laugh.
"Yes, these are the ones."

The shopkeeper quickly ordered the assistant to wrap it up,

but Fan Xian waved him away. "Don't worry about it." Everyone
was puzzled by his intentions, but heeded his instructions.

Suddenly, the shopkeeper gave an awkward look. Fan Xian

spotted it immediately. "May I ask your surname?"

"My surname is Yu," responded the shopkeeper quickly.

 "An apprentice of Qingyu Hall, surnamed Yu?" Fan Xian
smiled to himself. "Shopkeeper Yu, why do you look uneasy?"

The shopkeeper forced a smile. "Master Fan, these glass

goblets were being held for the birthday of the Empress
Dowager at the end of this month."

Fan Xian was somewhat surprised. "So the nobles of

Northern Qi order their palace gifts from you? In that case, I
shall not take it. Change it for something else, Shopkeeper Yu."

Shopkeeper Yu was stunned. It seemed he hadn't expected

such an important official to be so lenient. "The order has not
actually been finalized, because the nobles of Northern Qi have
always known that we keep some of the best products in our
store. Returning to the topic at hand, this glass goblet is not
our most expensive gift... but the palace treasury's customs are
very strictly kept. This month is usually a good month.
Master, if you were to take these, then when we report our
accounts to the south at the end of the month, there would be a
large gap in our finances, and I fear that the master of the
palace treasury would..."
 After he had said it, Fan Xian understood what it was that he
feared. He smiled. "Do not worry. I will pay."

Standing to the side, Wang Qinian scolded him humorously.

"You're afraid the royal treasury will check our accounts? Did
you not know that this man before you is the future head of
the royal treasury?"

Shopkeeper Yu, mumbling, wiped the sweat from his brow.

Even if Fan Xian were to be the future head of the treasury, the
problem was that currently... he was not.

Suddenly, Fan Xian patted his change purse and laughed

bitterly. "It seems I forgot to bring something on our trip to
Northern Qi." Everyone silently realized that Commissioner
Fan, as head diplomat, had been spending public money on
their journey to Northern Qi. Although he had some pocket
money on him, he had not brought that much with him.

Shopkeeper Yu continued to wipe away his sweat. "Master, if

this is official business, then I should report it in the accounts.
If you will write a note, then I will send it back to the capital,
and the debt can be repaid."
 "An IOU? Good idea." As he took out his paper and an ink-
stick, Fan Xian thought about this Shopkeeper Yu. He was
probably a man of good judgment, and no doubt he had seen
plenty of IOUs from officials in the past. He scribbled some
characters down on the paper, and Shopkeeper Yu carefully
wrote down a price, giving the paper back to Fan Xian to sign.
He hesitated for a moment, then turned around to ask Wang
Qinian a question. "Does the Council have any funds?"

Wang Qinian laughed bitterly. "One third of the Council's

finances come from His Majesty, and two thirds from the
Ministry of Revenue - that is, your father. Recently we have
had to tighten our belts."

Fan Xian turned his head and looked at Gao Da. He knew that
Gao Da knew his father, and that the Tiger Guards were well-
funded. Gao Da saw that Fan Xian seemed to want to ask him
something, and an awkward expression suddenly appeared on
his face. "Master, the money that your father gives to the Tiger
Guards is strictly managed."

Fan Xian sighed and looked at Lin Jing. "It appears that this
will have to be done in the name of Honglu Temple."
 Lin Jing stifled a bitter laugh. Fan Xian was openly fleecing
Honglu Temple. What could he say? In any case, it was all
public finances. Lin Jing was not particularly distressed about
it. "Either way, it's the public purse."

He was quite correct. No matter whether it was the palace

treasury under the command of the Eldest Princess, or the
Ministry of Revenue under Count Sinan, in the end, it was all
money that belonged to the Kingdom of Qing. Fan Xian and
Lin Jing both confidently signed their names. They looked at
the sum on the paper 2,000 taels of silver - then left the
glassworks shop.

No one followed behind them, so Shopkeeper Yu ordered his

assistants to take the precious glass goblets and follow them
out. Because Fan Xian had not ordered them to send them back
to the diplomatic mission, he presumed they still had other
plans.

Passing a toy store that sold various puzzles on Xiarong Way,

Fan Xian looked inside the store next to it, which was a wine
shop. He went inside. The shopkeeper had already been
informed by his assistants, and knew that some high-ranking
officials had come from their home country. He stood by the
door, welcoming them respectfully.

Fan Xian sat on a chair and looked around. The vessels that
held the wine in this shop were also of a high quality, though
they were nowhere near as good as the glass goblets that he had
just "bought". He waved a hand, summoning the shopkeeper
toward him. "Which is your finest wine?"

The shopkeeper's surname was Sheng. Like he was

performing a magic trick, he produced a transparent, slender
bottle. Inside the bottle was a liquid with an alluring, thick red
color.

Fan Xian narrowed his eyes. "Grape wine?" he said, surprised.

"Master Fan, you are indeed as much a master of wine as you

are of poetry." Shopkeeper Sheng asked some questions about
the members of the diplomatic mission, then gave an
enchanting smile. "This is indeed a fine grape wine."
 Taking a goblet, Fan Xian closed his eyes, swirling it around
and taking a sniff. Seeing him do so, Wang Qinian - once a
thief who had known luxury - and even Lin Jing and
Shopkeeper Sheng sighed to themselves with admiration. It
looked as if Master Fan was from a prestigious family indeed.

Fan Xian was no master wine taster. He was simply putting

on an act. He placed the goblet on the table. "I shall take this
wine. Pick out some of the stronger ones."

Shopkeeper Sheng dared not dawdle, and hurriedly offered

him a few more. Fan Xian took a sip of each. He frowned. It
wasn't very different to the wine he usually drank. It was
weaker, and nothing like the sorghum wine Wu Zhu had given
him in Danzhou, or the wines of the capital.

Seeing his frown, Shopkeeper Sheng spoke quietly. "Forgive

me, Master Fan, but strong drink is not allowed to be imported
into the north."

Fan Xian knew that the man was not speaking the truth.
There was nothing in the world that money couldn't buy, and
the nobles of Northern Qi were lovers of leisure and of
spending money. The shopkeeper still would not show them
his finest goods. He said nothing, simply shaking his head and
expressing his dissatisfaction.

Shopkeeper Sheng suddenly looked at him, then brought out

two bottles. Fan Xian frowned. At first, he had seemed like an
ordinary shopkeeper, but it appeared that he was anything but.

Holding a small porcelain cup, Fan Xian pursed his lips then
frowned deeply, saying nothing for a long while.

The people around him did not think that the liquor smelled
particularly pleasant. Wang Qinian eventually couldn't stop
himself from asking. "Master, what is it?"

Fan Xian sucked in a breath of air, turning the burning

feeling in his throat into a feeling of stimulating pleasure. In a
loud voice, he called out in admiration. "Fine wine! Fine wine
indeed! What is it called?"

Shopkeeper Sheng smiled. "Five Grain Liquor."

 Fan Xian's face remained unfazed. "A fine name," he said. "Ye
Qingmei," he said to himself with a bitter laugh, "you really did
know how to have fun."

After business was settled, the four officials stood up and left
the shop. But as they were leaving, Fan Xian saw Shopkeeper
Sheng give him a meaningful glance. Remembering something
he had meant to take note of, Fan Xian stopped, letting the
other three continue on. He turned around and followed
Shopkeeper Sheng into a side room.

There was no one else in the side room. It was strangely

quiet.

Once Shopkeeper Sheng had entered the room, he seemed to

change entirely. He stood straight upright, and his face became
solemn and respectful. He bowed to Fan Xian, who sat in a
chair. "I am Sheng Huairen of the palace treasury. You are the
son-in-law of my mistress. It is an honor to meet you, sir."

Five Grain Liquor, or Wuliangye, is the name of a brand of high-class grain alcohol in China.
Chapter 217: Chang Ninghou’s Mansion
Fan Xian maintained his stoic expression. He'd expected this
to happen. The apparent purpose of today's trip to Xiushui
Street was in fact secondary to its main purpose, which was
seeing how the palace treasury's businesses were run in the
north. So Fan Xian was not surprised to hear Shopkeeper Sheng
address him so respectfully. The palace treasury was still under
the Eldest Princess's control, after all. It was quite possible that
some of the Eldest Princess's trusted aides were hidden in
Northern Qi.

Fan Xian was convinced that the Eldest Princess would send
people to find him while he acted as chief diplomat, though he
wasn't sure why. This wasn't only intuition; it was also a
conviction about the people of Qing. The people of Qing, no
matter whether they were virtuous or deceptive, were all given
to self-confidence and arrogance. The Eldest Princess was
focused on freeing Xiao En and undoubtedly had an ulterior
motive for it. If it wasn't to do with the secret he held about the
temple, then it was definitely something to do with Shang
Shanhu, who whiled away his days in Shangjing. Xiao En had
now been sent into the interior of the country, and the Eldest
Princess wanted to break him out. Naturally, she would try to
make contact with him, as her daughter's husband and the
chief diplomat.
 But the term "son-in-law" had struck him as somewhat
absurd. It seemed unlikely that his mother-in-law might have
warmed up to her son-in-law.

As Sheng Huairen had dared to call him "son-in-law" directly,

then he must have been a trusted aide of the Eldest Princess.
Fan Xian looked at him and nodded. "What do you wish to tell
me?"

Sheng Huairen said nothing and merely handed him a letter.

Sitting in the carriage, Fan Xian felt the letter inside his
sleeve. He had not had time to read it, but he could already feel
its weight. Once the day's business was concluded, he had to
deal with it. Next to him was Wang Qinian, a talented tracker,
and Gao Da, a powerful warrior. But he lacked someone who
could aid him in judging his current situation and analyzing
information.

He couldn't help but think of those students he had picked

out during the civil service exams. They had probably all been
sent away to take up their positions by now. But while they
may have been talented administrators, that didn't mean they
were talented when it came to getting involved in such
conspiracies. Even if he had wanted to train Shi Chanli, there
hadn't been enough time. Fan Xian's heart suddenly skipped a
beat. If he could get Yan Bingyun freed quickly, he was sure it
would no doubt be a great help to the palace's plans.

At that moment, Wang Qinian respectfully passed him a

tissue. Fan Xian raised his head and glanced at him. It turned
out to be a banknote worth 500 taels of silver. He frowned.
"What's this?"

"Commission from Shopkeeper Yu of the glassware shop."

Fan Xian looked at him again and smiled. "Commission for

an IOU... you and Gao Da can split it. And give some to those
Tiger Guards."

500 taels of silver was quite a large sum of money, but Fan
Xian didn't look twice at it. Only someone from a rich family
like the Fan family could have cultivated such a habit. Fan
Sizhe was now making an income of tens of thousands of tael a
year, so he had no reason to care about such a sum.
 Next to them, Lin Jing laughed. "Master Fan regards money
as if it were dung. I am in awe."

Fan Xian knew that he didn't really admire his honest

practices; perhaps it was more that he admired his family's
wealth. He laughed and said nothing. Neither did anybody else
for the rest of the journey. The carriage made its way through
Shangjing's calm and beautiful streets, finally coming to an
area where many high officials and nobles resided and stopped
outside the gate to the manor of Chang Ninghou, the Marquis
Ning.

There were some similarities between Shangjing and the

Qing capital. The spring wind blew through the branches of
the trees in every manor, and the sun shone down, dispersed
through the canopy of leaves. Fan Xian stood by the side of the
carriage, looking at the long stretch of road and the stone lions
that sat outside the grand facades of the buildings. For some
reason, he thought of the first time he had entered the Qing
capital.

The carriage stopped outside Chang Ninghou's gate,

protected by the Imperial Guards. There was no small amount
of hubbub outside, with some people already beginning to peek
out of the shadows. Marquis Ning's servants, looking at the
carriage stopped outside the manor, seemed unsure of what to
do - were they supposed to welcome them in, or hurry in and
inform their master?

The servants could see that the visitors were garbed in fine
clothing. These were the envoys from Qing! What reason was
there for these envoys to personally visit the manor of a high
official of a foreign country? If this were indeed permitted by
both countries as part of the itinerary, then Marquis Ning's
manor would have made preparations sooner. How could they
arrive so silently?

The gatekeeper swallowed his spittle. What were they

playing at? Did these envoys not understand convention at all?
The diplomatic mission was not here on official business. Fan
Xian had decided to cause trouble and shake off his escorts
from the Office of the Grand Herald, so the only Northern Qi
official with him was Commander Wei. Seeing that Fan Xian
and his entourage were planning to enter Marquis Ning's
mansion, Commander Wei was concerned. He blocked their
path. "Master Fan, this cannot be done without the approval of
the royal court. An envoy cannot fraternize with a court
councilor. If you are truly on good terms with Marquis Ning,
Master Fan, then it even more important that you do not enter.
If you were to cause trouble for Marquis Ning, then what?"
 Marquis Ning was the brother of the Empress Dowager. What
trouble could they cause? Fan Xian muttered to himself. It
would be good to cause him some trouble, considering his son
had hidden himself all day. But he kept a smile on his face.
"There's no harm in it. This morning I spoke with His Majesty
in the palace. If His Majesty doesn't mind, then who cares
about idle chatter?"

When he brought up the Emperor, Commander Wei was

stunned. Had he really gone to seek confirmation from the
palace?

Fan Xian and his three subordinates had already entered

Marquis Ning's gate. The gatekeeper hurried out to greet them.
He was respectful, and his words were clear. Fan Xian felt a
secret sense of praise. This really was a high-ranking noble
family. "May I trouble you to inform the Marquis that his
drinking companion from the south has arrived?" asked Fan
Xian.

Fan Xian had learnt this kind of familiarity from the past
year's worth of official banquets. The gatekeeper was
surprised. He knew that his master had travelled south to Qing
the previous year, and he had heard that he had gotten drunk
in the south a number of times. Was this really that young
official before him?

But he still did not dare go up and report it to his master.

After all, these were foreign officials entering the mansion.
This was a serious matter. As he fretted, a sound came from the
corner gate, and someone came out. "The master requests the
pleasure of your company," the person said, bowing to Fan
Xian.

Fan Xian had not expected it to be so easy to enter the

Marquis' mansion. He entered the main hall. Seeing the
middle-aged man in a chair, he laughed, and walked up to him
to embrace him warmly. "I haven't seen you in a year. You look
more svelte than before, Marquis." In fact, last year in the Qing
capital, he had only met this envoy from Northern Qi a
handful of times. The last time had been their night of
drinking at the palace. He only vaguely remembered what the
Marquis looked like.

Marquis Ning was the brother of the Empress Dowager. He

held a highly respected position. He had never met with such
"warmth" before. He cleared his throat and spoke with some
awkwardness. "A year indeed. Young Master Fan, your
reputation has only grown since. What has brought you to my
mansion today?"

"I only entered Shangjing yesterday. This morning I was

chatting with His Majesty. As a matter of fact, as soon as I
realized that I had no other acquaintances in the city, I thought
I simply had to come and pay you a visit, Marquis."

Chang Ninghou's face was pale and his eyes were swollen. He
was 45 years old, but excessive drinking had left its mark on
his face. As he got close, Fan Xian could clearly smell the
alcohol on him. It seemed that he had been drinking all
through the night. Fan Xian was amused. It appeared that the
gift he had brought had been the right approach.

Not only was Marquis Ning a drunkard and a womanizer, he

was also something of a blowhard. The Empress Dowager had
two brothers. Chang Anhou could still lead soldiers into battle,
and although he was the leader of a defeated army, he was still
stronger than him. The Marquis had spent many years lazing
around the capital. He was a slow-witted sort, and relied on the
support of his sister, the Empress Dowager. Only in this way
could he naïvely welcome Fan Xian, an envoy from Qing, into
his mansion.
 Fan Xian's main reason in visiting was to get closer to the
brother of the Empress Dowager. The other reason was to use
Marquis Ning to get one over on that vice-minister Wei.

Sure enough, when he saw the wine that the servants

brought in, Marquis Ning laughed, his eyes narrowing.
Although he did not have a clearly respected role, being the
brother of the Empress Dowager was enough to make him
think little of people. Even if Fan Xian were a commissioner of
the Overwatch Council of the Kingdom of Qing, it didn't cross
his mind. When he heard the news from the gatekeeper, he
thought of that young man with his handsome face and
impressive ability to hold his liquor. After returning to
Northern Qi, he had thought often of the time he had "lost",
and so he let Fan Xian enter his manor.

As soon as he saw the jars of fine wine, the Marquis felt even
happier. He deeply believed in his own intelligence, and this
Fan Xian was indeed a knowledgeable and tactful fellow.

According to the Overwatch Council's reports, Chang

Ninghou was from the borderlands. Although he had once
studied under Zhuang Mohan, he was unhappy with his
position at the royal court of Northern Qi. The officials of
Northern Qi always presumed that he had been promoted as a
result of favoritism on the part of the Empress Dowager, so few
bothered to take him seriously. In the royal court, his
reputation was not even equal to that of Wei Hua. And so the
Marquis was frequently drunk. It was the middle of the day,
and yet the staff of the Marquis's manor immediately prepared
a great feast. Chang Ninghou ushered the foreign officials in,
and they began to eat and drink their fill.

Fan Xian narrowed his eyes and sipped from his cup,
watching the old man as he greedily smacked his lips. He
laughed. "Marquis, when we were coming in, Commander Wei
said that we might end up causing you trouble."

"Perish the thought!" scolded the blustering Marquis. "When

visitors arrive at my gate, how can I turn them away? Last year
in the Qing capital, you and Master Xin Qiwu accompanied me
graciously indeed. Today I shall return the favor. Who would
dare do anything less?"

Fan Xian agreed. After three rounds of drinks, he could see

the Marquis' pale face getting gradually rosier. His expression
looked somewhat distracted. Knowing that the man had drunk
a little too much, Fan Xian decided that now was the time to
ask the question he'd been meaning to ask. Hearing it, Chang
Ninghou was somewhat taken aback. "Master Fan, you wish to
meet with Master Shen, Provost of the Discipline
Commission?"
Chapter 218: Do You Want To Get Rich?
Fan Xian laughed. "I have heard that when Shangjing was
once in chaos, Marquis, you took a great risk in leaving the
palace, carrying a letter written by the Empress Dowager to
Master Shen's Brocade Guard, which eventually redeemed the
situation. From that moment on, everything went well for
Master Shen in his career, and you have kept on good terms
with him, so I thought I would ask you if you could introduce
me to him."

The incident he spoke of was perhaps the one single

impressive moment in the Marquis' life. Chang Ninghou was
already drunk, and at this point his face was bright red. His
drunken thoughts were clouded, and there was a boastful look
on his face, but no matter how stupid he was, he still felt there
was something strange about what he'd just heard. He let out a
drunken belch and fixed Fan Xian with an odd look. "Young
Master Fan, you are an envoy. Meeting with the Provost of the
Brocade Guard's Discipline Commission... is rather at odds
with custom."

Fan Xian looked anxious. "Marquis, as you know, when a

diplomatic mission visits a foreign country, there are a great
many inconveniences." He lowered his voice. "I won't lie to
you, your grace. I have also offended a number of officials in
the Qing capital. Even His Majesty himself was unwilling to
defend me, so he used the excuse of this diplomatic mission to
kick me out of the country."

The Marquis nodded and let out another belch. He felt rather
distressed. Last year, Northern Qi had lost the war, and all of
the influential officials with ties to the Empress Dowager had
had their feet held to the fire for it. Chang Anhou had been
demoted, and Ninghou himself had been sent away to the south
to be signatory to a humiliating treaty... Fan Xian's great
offense against the scholar-officials of Qing had indeed been
rather shocking. The Prime Minister had been deposed, as had
the Director of the Board of Rites and 16 high officials. News of
the exam hall scandal had even reached the royal court of
Northern Qi, and so Chang Ninghou believed Fan Xian was
telling the truth.

"But why exactly do you want to meet the Provost?" Chang

Ninghou felt somewhat uneasy, and in truth, he was not sure
what it was that this southern official wanted to do.

"I want to get rich. Do you, Marquis?"

 The words "get rich" filled the Marquis with a sudden
interest.

"Business." Fan Xian filled up the Marquis's wine goblet.

There was no one else in the dining room save for the two of
them; the young man and the old man. He spoke in a whisper.
"You may well have heard, Marquis, that in two years' time at
the latest, I will take control of the palace treasury of the
south. At least 40 percent of the goods of its associated
businesses are sent to the north, so I must be sure to have good
relations with the Discipline Commission. Otherwise, how can
I ensure their smooth passage?"

The Marquis looked at him, shocked. Without thinking, he

yelled, "You mean smuggling?"

Fan Xian put his index finger to his lips, smiled, and took a
sip of wine. "Look, Marquis, do you want part of this business
or not?"

The Marquis had already begun to sober up a little—partly

from shock, and partly from happiness. What had Qing's
success of the past years relied on? Was it not the former
businesses of the Ye family? If one could turn the profit of the
southern court into one's own personal profit, just how much
money could one make?

But Chang Ninghou was still wary. The audacity of this

young southern official! The Marquis sat in thought for a long
time. If Fan Xian wanted to smuggle goods, then he needed a
good relationship with the Discipline Commission.
Corruption? Not in the slightest!

In any case, Fan Xian was taking money from the palace
treasury of Qing. There would be no loss for the Qi royal court
whatsoever! If they were smuggled, then the prices of the goods
could be lowered. The palace would still make money. The
Empress Dowager and his nephew the Emperor would probably
be pleased with the arrangement. Seeing as he stood to gain
and others stood to lose, then why wouldn't he do it?

The Marquis took a voracious gulp from his goblet. "Very

well! I shall arrange for you to meet Shen, but..."

"But what?"
 "Fan Xian, let me be clear. This business must be done with
the palace's approval."

"That's not possible!" Fan Xian was resolute. "I have already
said too much. This business can only be carried out by the
three of us. If you tell the palace, then would I not be risking
everything by putting myself at the mercy of the Qi royal
court?"Chang Ninghou knew that Fan Xian was right, but he
still laughed bitterly. "This is serious business. I dare not get
involved."

"Then I ask that you think about it, Marquis," said Fan Xian
coldly. "But my life is on the line here. You must keep silent."

There was a sudden flash of ruthlessness in Fan Xian's eyes.

The Marquis saw it, and was not scared in the least, but instead
gave a grim smile. Such an illustrious official, dealing in such
underhanded trickery. The Discipline Commission was no
match for him. Perhaps the Marquis was so astonished by the
possible profits to be made from the smuggling that he had
forgotten that Fan Xian's true role was very much like that of
the Discipline Commission.
 Looking at the Marquis's expression, Fan Xian knew that he
had more or less taken the bait. He laughed and changed the
subject, bringing up the diplomatic mission's scuffle with
Chang Anhou's manor and asking Chang Ninghou if he would
intercede.

At that moment, Chang Ninghou was thinking only of the

meeting between Fan Xian and Provost Shen, and how he could
enter the palace and convince the Empress Dowager to approve
of the business, which guaranteed a profit. Hearing Fan Xian's
words, he naturally took complete charge of the situation in
his response. "That brother of mine can never do anything
right. He always causes trouble. Do not worry, I will deal with
this matter."

They had drunk much and not eaten enough, and thus were
quite merry. Fan Xian took his leave, and climbed into his
carriage, preparing to head back to the diplomatic mission's
lodgings. At that moment, he suddenly heard the hurried
beating of hooves in front of him and immediately stopped the
carriage.

Fan Xian peered through the carriage curtain. Sure enough,

there was Chang Ninghou's son. Wei Hua, vice-minister of the
Office of the Grand Herald, hurried up to him. He couldn't help
but smile - it seemed that the four objectives behind his gift to
Chang Ninghou had been achieved.

"Master Fan, just what were you thinking?" Wei Hua gritted
his teeth, speaking in a low voice to Fan Xian in his carriage
window.

Fan Xian let out a drunken belch, and the sour stench filled
Wei Hua's nostrils. He laughed and wafted it away with his
hand. "Your father and I are old drinking buddies. As I am here
in Shangjing, it's only right that I pay him a visist."

Wei Hua was angered. "You are the envoy of a foreign nation.
People are paying attention to your words and actions. If you
truly wish to visit acquaintances, then you must wait until our
official business is concluded, and arrange things through
myself and the Office of the Grand Herald, or ask for an official
decree from the palace through the Ministry of Rites. What if
the royal court hears of your unplanned visit and summons my
father to the palace tomorrow to give an explanation?"
 Fan Xian laughed. "The Marquis is an easy-going chap. He
didn't mind at all. You are very different from your father,
vice-minister."

Wei Hua tried his utmost to quell the anger in the pit of his
stomach, grinning and bearing it. "My father is fond of drink,
as everyone knows... Master Fan, just what were you
thinking?"

Fan Xian's drunken expression disappeared, and he fixed Wei

Hua with a cold glare that made Wei Hua feel rather uneasy.
"What was I thinking? I thought I would offer your father a
business opportunity."

Wei Hua was unsure what he meant, but he had a feeling that
it was risky. He placed his hand on the carriage window frame
and frowned. "Master Fan, if you have something to say, say it
directly."

"I was looking for you today. You've been hiding." Fan Xian
looked at him with an odd smile. "I wanted to find the vice-
provost, and he was not at the Ministry of Rites. I wanted to
ask, who should I be looking for?"
 "Should everything not be being sorted out between
yourselves and the Ministry of Rites?" replied Wei Hua,
somewhat awkwardly.

"The territory is being divided, and the prisoner exchange is

also underway." Fan Xian looked at him. "But there is
something I need to deal with. As a vice-minister of the Office
of the Grand Herald, you should know it cannot wait any
longer. By tomorrow, I must meet with someone."

"The procedures are complicated. You cannot simply meet

with someone any time you please."

"Very well, tomorrow I shall have another meeting with your

father." Fan Xian laughed, his expression suddenly changing.
"We shall drink, and chat, and discuss business. A diplomat's
life is quite a happy one."

Having said that, the carriage, under the escort of the

Northern Qi army, happily went on its way down the street.
 Wei Hua angrily threw his horsewhip to his servant and
walked toward the manor, asking them when Fan Xian had
arrived and what he had done. Hearing that Commander Wei
had accompanied him, he relaxed somewhat, presuming that
the Emperor's officials were unlikely to make a big deal out of
it.

Entering the main hall, he saw that Chang Ninghou was still
drinking. The anger welled up in him, but he forced it back,
and respectfully bowed.

Seeing that his son, the family's brightest future prospect,

had returned, Chang Ninghou laughed. "Come, come," he said,
slurring his speech. "We had a guest today. It was that Fan Xian
I've spoken so much about. Hey, that fellow got hold of two
jars of the finest strong wine from Toushui Street."

Finally, Wei Hua could not take it any more. He sighed.

"Father, he is an envoy from an enemy nation. There are
countless people in the royal court watching both us and
Chang Anhou. Could you..."
 Before he could finish, Chang Ninghou was already howling.
"What!? I am the brother of the Empress Dowager, and if I wish
to entertain guests in my own home, then I shall do so!"

"He was no ordinary guest! He was an envoy of Qing!" Wei

Hua's voice became louder. "Because our family is not like
other families, even if it's only for the sake of the Empress
Dowager, you should not have let Fan Xian in today."

For some reason, Wei Hua's anger had spilled over, and
Chang Ninghou had softened. He clutched his goblet. His face
looked bleak. As he spoke, he almost sobbed. "For my sister's
sake? Ever since she entered the palace, I have been humiliated!
What sort of a man am I? I was a student of Zhuang Mohan!
But in everyone's eyes, what am I? In all these years in the
capital, when have the ministers of the royal court ever
bothered to visit me? The only ones who call on me are the
ones without any sense of shame. I'm sick of it."
Chapter 219: What’s It Got To Do With
Minister Fan?
"It's rare that I have an envoy visit me, my boy," said the
Marquis, his voice trembling, "even though I am the brother of
the Empress dowager. But that was Fan Xian, the immortal of
poetry. It reflects highly on me indeed!"

Wei Hua was also feeling increasingly crestfallen. He knew

that although his family lived a life of luxury and had
considerable power, when it came to their reputation in
Northern Qi, they were not spoken highly of. His position of
vice-minister in the Office of the Grand Herald had finally
managed to shut some people up, but people still presumed
that it was a favor granted to him by the Empress Dowager.

He sighed. He knew that his father had studied under Zhuang

Mohan, and that he had been preparing to do great deeds all
across the land, but due to his aunt, his father was left only
able to be an idle nobleman. His melancholy had grown over
the years, as had his attachment to drink, and so Wei Hua
could say nothing more. But when he thought of the things Fan
Xian had told him before he had departed, he still felt a certain
quiet fear. "Fan Xian just told me that he wanted to do business
with you. He is a commissioner of the Overwatch Council of
Qing; what business can he do? And what business would he
need you for?"

"I'm just a middleman," replied Chang Ninghou. "The person

he needs is Master Shen."

"Uncle Shen?"

"That's right. Fan Xian's father is Minister of Revenue in the

south. He himself is Prince Consort, though not legitimately.
He will take over operating the businesses of the palace
treasury from the Eldest Princess. He wants to meet Master
Shen because he is taking steps to prepare for his future
position. On their journey north, without your Uncle Shen
escorting them, this shady business could not last long."

Wei Hua's jaw dropped, shocked by what his father had told
him. "You mean... he's planning to smuggle goods?"

"It's a trap!" This was Wei Hua's first response.

 "He didn't threaten me," said the Marquis, shaking his head
in disagreement.

Wei Hua was agitated. "Do you not know that there is still an
agreement between our two countries? Fan Xian is anxious
about it, and His Majesty wants to delay it to cause the Qing
diplomatic mission to worry. In doing this, regardless of
whether or not this business is legitimate, if you really have
arranged a meeting with Master Shen, then we can't
disassociate ourselves from this. If Fan Xian comes looking for
me again, then how can I put him off any longer?"

"So His Majesty says it should be delayed, and it's delayed?"

Chang Ninghou looked at his son. "In any case, that man will
be set free, and if we can get some benefit out of it and help Fan
Xian, then we should. What's there to worry about? Anyway,
your aunt is still in the palace."

Wei Hua sighed. He didn't know what to say. After a long

while, he finally spoke in a quiet voice. "Do you think Fan Xian
is telling the truth? I really don't understand why he would
take such a great risk to smuggle goods into the country."
 "Men will die for money, just as birds will die for food."
Chang Ninghou was still drunk. He thought himself the sort of
man who understood the world completely. "The palace
treasury?" he said with a sneer. "That's quite a goldmine. It's a
shame that it doesn't belong to the Fan family! Even if his
father is the Minister of Revenue for the Kingdom of Qing, how
much benefit can he make from the public purse? If Fan Xian
really does smuggle goods produced by the palace treasury's
business up north to sell, do you know how much money that
could make?"

Wei Hua was a clever, nimble fellow. He frowned, then came

up with a rough figure. Over the past decade and a half, the
Kingdom of Qing's every expense had been funded by the
businesses left behind by the Ye family. At the same time, they
had made plenty of money from other places across the land. If
Fan Xian really could pull off such a shocking stunt, the profit
he could make... was stupendous!

"Fan Xian... wants to pocket that much money?" Wei Hua

seemed to be finding it hard to associate the talented Master
Fan he had heard so much of with this kind of greed.
 With a wry face, the Marquis poured himself another glass of
wine and belched. "What do you think? You know, poets have
to eat too."

After he finished speaking, the Marquis, once a gifted scholar

of Northern Qi, was now asleep hunched over the table. He was
covered in liquor and gave off an unpleasant smell.

In the carriage, Wang Qinian looked at Lin Jing, who was

pretending to be asleep next to him. He gave Fan Xian a
disapproving glare. It seemed he felt that the commissioner
should not have spoken so brazenly of smuggling in front of a
minister of the royal court.

Fan Xian smiled. "You don't think I was being serious, do

you?"

Wang Qinian thought he was. As did Gao Da. Who wouldn't

be tempted by the prospect of taking complete control of the
palace treasury and making huge profits from those glass
wares? Fan Xian was not tempted, because as the Eldest
Princess saw it, the palace treasury belonged to the royal court,
and as Fan Xian saw it, the palace treasury... belonged to the Ye
family. It was his. At the least, one day, it would be.

Taking his own family's goods and smuggling them to the

north to sell them at a lower price? Only an idiot would do
that. But the issue was that no one knew Fan Xian's true
intentions. No one knew Fan Xian's deep history with the
businesses of the so-called palace treasury, so everyone who
heard of Fan Xian's plans all presumed that the young
gentleman of the Fan family wanted to carve his own little
niche out of the pile of gold that was the palace treasury.

Fan Xian didn't want to carve out a part for himself. He

wanted the whole pile.

"Don't pretend to sleep." Fan Xian yawned. He felt tired. Next

to him, Lin Jing opened his eyes awkwardly and looked at Fan
Xian with slight apprehension. Although he was the vice-
envoy, the young official before him was not only the chief
diplomat, but also a commissioner of the terrifying Overwatch
Council. He saw nothing as off limits for discussion in front of
him. He spoke of illegal business that would see his assets
confiscated and his entire family executed. It was hard to say
for sure whether, on his way home, he wouldn't end up
encountering some unfortunate accident arranged by Fan Xian.

Fan Xian smiled as he looked at him, and clapped him on the

shoulder. "Playing dumb? I'm talking about this in front of
you, so of course I'm not afraid if you know. If you go back this
evening and write a letter to the capital, don't worry, the royal
court will understand my plans."

Even if the royal court didn't understand, the Emperor

would.

Lin Jing forced himself to believe that the young master

would not become the most corrupt official in the history of
the Kingdom of Qing. He swallowed, trying to moisten his dry
throat. "Master, why did you visit Marquis Ning's manor
today?"

"First of all, I want to establish good relations with the

people surrounding the Empress Dowager of Northern Qi. Hm,
now it seems that the Emperor of Northern Qi is looking out
for our diplomatic mission." Fan Xian lowered his head, closed
his eyes wearily, and continued talking. "At the same time, I
got Marquis Ning to sort out the incident that happened at the
gate of our diplomatic compound. After all, people were beaten
by that brat, the young son of a Marquis, so something had to
be done..."

Hearing him call the boy a brat, Wang Qinian and Gao Da
smiled. Their master was quite right.

"...without having an effect on our current diplomatic

affairs. Thirdly, I wish to meet with master Shen, and that can
only be organized through Marquis Ning. Fourthly, I wanted to
scare Wei Hua. Whether or not the Marquis has confidence in
the offer I gave him, I presume he will secretly make sure
things are done quickly."

"Why are you taking such a complicated series of steps... in

order to see the Provost of the Discipline Commission?" Lin
Jing frowned. "He is a truly powerful official, unlike Marquis
Ning. Northern Qi won't allow it."

"So I wanted to see what Marquis Ning thinks of it. In any

case, if it doesn't work out, there's no great harm." Fan Xian
opened his eyes and yawned again. "As for why I want to see
him? That is Council business. I can't discuss it in front of you,
Master Lin."

Lin Jing shivered when he thought about Fan Xian's real

position. He said nothing.

Fan Xian yawned again, and indeed yawned incessantly

throughout the journey. It seemed that he really was
unbearably tired. After entering the palace today, he'd barely
had a moment's rest.

"What do we do in the meantime?" said Wang Qinian quietly.

"This is Shangjing, the capital of an enemy nation. Will we
disguise ourselves and try to make contact with our spies in the
city?"

"That won't be possible." Fan Xian stuffed his knuckles in his

mouth, attempting to stifle yet another yawn, trying his
hardest to speak through his fatigue. "We can't make our spies
take that risk. It's not time yet. What should we do in the
meantime? Sleeping would be best. And waiting for Wei Hua
to bring us to Yan Bingyun tomorrow."
 He fingered the stiff letter in his clothing, and a slight,
worried frown appeared on his face.

After he had read it, without changing his expression, he

ripped the letter into tiny pieces. This was a habit he had
picked up from his time in the Cang Mountains. The pieces
became almost a fine powder. Even if the intelligence experts of
the Second Bureau of the Overwatch Council were to pick it
up, they would have no way to put it back together.

The letter was written by someone named Huang Yi. Fan

Xian had heard that name before. It was one of the Eldest
Princess's advisors in her fiefdom of Xinyang. In the Overwatch
Council's top-secret briefing, they had pointed out this
scholar's shady relationship with the Eldest Princess.

"Help, help, help. I'm not some kind of firefighter." Fan Xian
laughed bitterly. He finally realized the complicated
connections behind this matter. Chen Pingping clearly did not
know that Xiao En knew a secret about the temple. The Eldest
Princess didn't know either, so the motive for their actions was
simple and clear.
 Chen Pingping wanted Yan Bingyun to return and Xiao En to
die, because he hated that old man and he presumed that it
would be a good training experience for Fan Xian.

The Eldest Princess didn't care whether Yan Bingyun lived for
died, but she wanted Xiao En to live and take over command of
the Brocade Guard, because she liked to see Shang Shanhu and
Xiao En working together, standing between the Empress
Dowager and the Emperor of Northern Qi, looking for an
opportunity to cause trouble in the north.

Although he didn't know the entirety of the Eldest Princess's

plans, Fan Xian had already decided that his mother-in-law, far
away in her fiefdom of Xinyang, had definitely formed some
kind of secret agreement with Shang Shanhu. Otherwise he
couldn't have spent as much money as he had.

The Eldest Princess knew nothing about the leaflets, and had
not discovered their secret explorations of Guangxin Palace.
But Fan Xian had hidden in the shadows, and, keeping a safe
distance from the Eldest Princess, was waiting for an
opportunity to strike. Now, far away in a foreign country, he
had received her letter, and could not help but feel somewhat
perplexed.
After all... what did it have to do with Minister Fan?
Chapter 220: Seeing Yan Bingyun for the
First Time
Using intelligence gathered from all sources, and by resorting
to all sorts of means, they gathered at a courtyard in the
southeast corner of Shangjing. The envoy confirmed that Xiao
En had already entered Shangjing in secret. As to where he was
being held, probably only the mother and son in the palace and
that Sir Shen of the Discipline Commission knew. Strangely,
Northern Qi made quite a welcoming scene at Wuduhe, but
everything was quiet when returning to the capital. It seemed
like Shang Shanhu was still playing tug-of-war with those who
wanted Xiao En dead.

Fan Xian did not care if Xiao En lived or died. More

accurately, once in Shangjing, before he could be certain to
utilize the various assets hidden in Northern Qi, Fan Xian did
not have the power to care for Xiao En’s life.

Unless Wu Zhu came, or Wu Zhu came to give Fan Xian that

chest.

That brought up another question which had been bothering

Fan Xian for a while: why did the inhumanly cold Wu Zhu so
adamantly refuse to come up north? Was there someone up
north he didn’t want to see?"

On the other hand, the suggestion Fan Xian had given to

Chang Ninghou was obviously taking effect. Having
successfully baited certain people, there was much profit
hidden in the suggestion he made. A meeting with that Sir
Shen was also arranged in secret. Fan Xian knew, however, that
despite all the secrecy, the Northern Qi empress dowager would
definitely be watching over everything from the shadows.

They wouldn’t completely trust Fan Xian, but he still had to

try.

Fan Xian did not trust them at all, but the bait had been set.
There was always the hope something would bite.

Vice-minister Wei seemed to still be trying to delay things,

but both sides involved in this negotiation could feel the pace
of events speeding up. Although later than what Fan Xian had
strongly requested, the Office of the Grand Herald and
Discipline Commission secretly dispatched the right
documents, and the envoy finally got the chance to meet with
Yan Bingyun on a beautiful day.

The blue sky was clear. Shielding his eyes from the intense
sunlight, Fan Xian grinned, remembering a phrase commonly
used to start writing assignments in elementary school.

He was very happy, and also a bit excited—although during

the journey, before this trade was agreed on, the darkness
hidden in the deepest parts of his heart almost drove him to
make a certain exchange. Fortunately, none of that became
reality—as mentioned a while back, Fan Xian admired this
Mister Yan, whom he had never met, very much.

He was a high-ranking official, and yet he was able to discard

his riches and prosperity to take up the dangerous job as a spy
in a foreign nation far away. Even more impressively, he was
exceptionally successful, successfully entering Northern Qi’s
upper levels. On that alone, Fan Xian knew this Mister Yan was
more accomplished than he was in many areas.

Yan Bingyun was locked up in a heavily-guarded manor on

the outskirts of Shangjing. A military base was situated right
outside of it. Brocade Guards were stationed within. After the
manor’s iron gates opened, the carriage entered, proceeding
along the stone path, and soon the envoy arrived at a small
building.

This building didn’t have the historical atmosphere of other

buildings in Shangjing. It was built from hard rock. There was
no courtyard, and from the corner watchtower, one could see
every single movement on the lawn below; truly a great place
to imprison someone.

Today, only Wang Qinian followed Fan Xian to see Yang

Bingyun. Gao Da belonged to the Tiger Guards and the Lin
brothers were from the Office of the Grand Herald; none of
them had much to do with Council business, nor was it
convenient for them to come.

Wei Hua calmly said to Fan Xian, "Sir Fan, take a look at this
scenery. Wouldn’t you agree that we treated him well?"

Fan Xian was even more emotionless. "Even if it’s some

palace in a divine realm, if you stay in it for too long, it’s still a
prison in the end."
 The vice- arbitrator who was accompanying them said,
"While it may be a prison, it’s still much more comfortable
than your Overwatch Council’s dungeon." This high-ranking
member of the Brocade Guard became angry as he recalled Xiao
En’s state when they received him at the border.

Fan Xian frowned, he disliked this vice- arbitrator the most.

After the envoy’s arrival in Shangjing, this vice- arbitrator was
supposed to be the one to contact the appropriate personnel on
both sides, but he ended up hiding away. Even now, Fan Xian
was still confused about the official rankings of Northern Qi.
Despite being members of the Brocade Guard, why was the boss
called the "Provost of the Discipline Commission" and his
secret agent the "arbitrator"? When he heard the title for the
first time, Fan Xian almost thought he was dealing with people
from the military.

"What’s the use in so much pointless talk? I want to go in."

Fan Xian gave the man a cold look. True, Xiao En had suffered
for twenty years in the south, but who knew how much torture
Yan Bingyun suffered after his arrest? The fact he had survived
up until now was quite a feat.
 Before going in to see Yan Bingyun, Fan Xian had imagined
many scenarios in his head: Mister Yan being tied to a rack,
covered in deep gashes; steel needles driven into his fingers and
his toe nails all ripped out, exposing the tender flesh
underneath; other parts of his body were burned black by hot
irons; even his gums were bare, having lost all his teeth.

That, of course, was the cruelest possibility.

Fan Xian also imagined that perhaps Mister Yan was sitting
on a cushion right now, surrounded by soft blankets and a
handful of scantily-clad beauties who fed him grapes. As the
juices from the grapes dripped onto Mister Yan’s firm chest, the
women carefully wiped it away with soft pieces of cloth.

That, of course, was the worst possibility.

There was also an absurd scenario that wouldn’t leave Fan

Xian’s mind. Perhaps, upon seeing him, Yan Bingyun would
come charging like a wounded tiger and rip Fan Xian to pieces.
He would be wailing, complaining about how the Council had
abandoned him; he hated his homeland for coming so late to
his rescue.
 That, of course, was the most unlikely possibility.

Regardless of what he thought, Fan Xian still felt the human

imagination was truly lacking, himself included. As he looked
at the young man sitting on a chair in the room, Fan Xian
opened his mouth slightly in surprise; he never would have
thought Yan Bingyun would be in such a state.

Vice-minister Wei and that vice-arbitrator were also

unprepared for the scene. They both gasped.

The room was decorated simply but elegantly. There was a

large bed, a desk, and some everyday furnishings. It was more
like a regular living quarter than a place for imprisonment.
Fan Xian wasn’t sure if this was Northern Qi’s temporary
arrangement to fool him; he was only looking toward that
chair.

On it sat a handsome young man with a cold expression.

Judging by his dashing face, he seemed to be a very fickle
person. What surprised everybody was the girl sitting on the
young man’s lap, her light sobs echoing in the quiet room!
 Fan Xian finally closed his mouth. Confused, he grinned and
thought about how the entire envoy had been so worried for
this head spy of Qing. None of them had thought a romance
drama would play out in this prison cell; it was not the
interrogation scene from James Bond movies Fan Xian had
envisioned.

The young man in the chair was none other than Yan
Bingyun. Upon discovering his visitors—two of which were
dressed as members of the Qing court—he frowned. A cold
atmosphere began to fill the room.

This cold atmosphere seemed to have awakened the crying

girl on his lap. That young woman raised her head in surprise
and looked at the people at the door. Only now did Fan Xian
notice this girl was quite beautiful, with a submissive
expression. While Fan Xian could tell she must have come from
a grand household, he didn’t know why she was here in this
heavily-guarded prison.

"Miss Shen?" Wei Hua was shocked. He shouted, "Someone,

lead the Lady out."
 "Shen?" Fan Xian frowned. Things were starting to get
interesting.

A few Brocade Guards rushed in. Wei Hua, with a harsh

expression, scolded them. "Letting Miss Shen come to such a
dangerous place, what were you all doing?!" The vice-
arbitrator was also full of anger. A couple of slaps later, the
Brocade Guards walked toward Miss Shen while covering their
faces. However, they dared not make a move.

"Miss Shen? If you still won't leave, I must resort to using

force." The vice-arbitrator bowed to Miss Shen.

Wei Hua also walked over and gently urged her, "Miss Shen,
please go back. If Sir Shen finds out, he will beat you to death."

Fan Xian hadn’t made eye contact with Yan Bingyun, he just
silently watched the girl. A girl named Shen was able to enter
this manor, which was heavily guarded by the Brocade Guard.
Without question, then, she must be the daughter of Sir Shen.
 But Fan Xian didn’t know Miss Shen’s relationship with Yan
Bingyun. Chuckling to himself, he wondered if the great Sir
Shen was trying to use her to seduce Yan Bingyun.

Miss Shen quietly stood up and stared at Yan Bingyun, who

hadn’t said a word. A wild and venomous hatred surfaced in
her submissive eyes. She said, emphasizing each word, "I only
ask you this: which part of what you said before was true?"

Yan Bingyun tilted his head slightly and met her gaze with
emotionless eyes. He said quietly, "I am a member of the
Fourth Bureau of Southern Qing’s Overwatch Council. Miss
Shen, you should know that none of what I said was true."

Wei Hua looked at Fan Xian, who had been coldly observing.
He was afraid Miss Shen would invoke ridicule from these
southern officials if she continued to talk. Hurriedly, he
ordered the Brocade Guard to drag Miss Shen outside.

Miss Shen coldly shook off the hands of the Brocade Guards.
Full of sadness, she said to Yan Bingyun, who was sitting
motionless as a mountain, "Good. What an affectionate and
honest man you are, Yan Bingyun."
Chapter 221: Ripping the White Robe
"What an affectionate and honest man you are, Yan
Bingyun."

That sentence was filled with heartbreak and despair. Even

Fan Xian, with his heart of iron, couldn’t help but sigh. Wei
Hua was exceptionally angry. He glared at Yan Bingyun, who
was sitting in his chair, as if wanting to immediately cut this
enemy spy into pieces.

With much weak sobbing, Miss Shen finally left the room.

Fan Xian sighed again. "What an affectionate and honest

woman." Though that was what he said, he was still very
suspicious. Even if Miss Shen was the daughter of the boss of
Northern Qi’s Brocade Guard, and even if Yan Bingyun had
been emotionally involved with her during his years in
Northern Qi… who was Yan Bingyun? He was the highest-
ranked Qing spy caught by Northern Qi in the past fifteen
years. Being locked away under such security, how was Miss
Shen allowed to walk in so openly and coincidentally put on a
show in front of these Southern Qing officials?
 Fan Xian's heart suddenly leapt. He understood what these
Northerners were thinking.

The prison—which was much unlike a prison—was now

much quieter. Yan Bingyun didn’t stand up from his chair. He
just poured himself a cup of tea and drank slowly. This
impressive character who had lurked in Northern Qi for many
years had such a cold and unapproachable expression. He gave
off a feeling that he didn’t care for anything—even his own
life.

Wei Hua calmed down and frowned at Yan Bingyun. "Mister

Yan, at any rate, we have been good friends during recent
years… That we hail from different nations isn’t such a big
deal in the first place, but I want you to remember, there are
certain things I can never forgive. After you leave, please
remember to never set foot in Qi again. His Majesty had send
down an order through Sir Shen that if you, in the future, take
a single step on Qi soil, we will risk three thousand knights for
your head.

Yan Bingyun half-lowered his head as if he didn't hear Wei

Hua. He toyed with the teacup’s handle in his hand. Ever since
his identity was exposed last year and he became imprisoned,
this great genius Yun, who was once so socially active in
Shangjing, seemed to have become a person who was born
mute.

"Today I’m only here to see him," Fan Xian said to Wei Hua
expressionlessly. "I need an exact date for when I can bring him
back to the envoy."

"He must not go back to the envoy. He may only leave

Shangjing in secret. Do you know how many people in
Shangjing… want to rip your Mister Yan to pieces?" Wei Hua
said chillingly.

Fan Xian shook his head. "I was ordered by my emperor to

bring Sir Yan back to the envoy. We will take care of disguising
his return. Do you think we want to stir up unnecessary
trouble?"

Wei Hua frowned. He knew Xiao En and Si Lili were already

in Shangjing. In this secret negotiation, Southern Qing had
done more than enough for their part, making it hard for him
to delay any longer. And while Fan Xian taking the liberty to go
to his manor had invoked much criticism, Fan Xian’s seemingly
absurd suggestion was somehow able to move those in the
palace as well as Sir Shen, who held much power.

"I will begin the procedures immediately."

Fan Xian calmly nodded. "Could you excuse us for a

moment? I want to have a chat alone with Sir Yan."

Wei Hua frowned. If they really wanted to plot something,

wouldn’t it be safer to do it after he takes Yan Bingyun back to
the envoy? Wei Hua couldn’t figure out what this Sir Fan was
thinking. Giving Fan Xian a nod, he left the room.

Now there was only Fan Xian, Wang Qinian… and the aloof
Yan Bingyun with his head half-lowered

Fan Xian was not at all self-conscious about being in the

enemy nation’s Brocade Guard prison. With a warm smile, he
pulled a chair and sat in front of Yan Bingyun. "My name is Fan
Xian"
 Fan Xian knew he had already entered the capital before Yan
Bingyun’s capture. As the northern leader of the Overwatch
Council, Yan Bingyun must have heard of the name.

As expected, after hearing the name "Fan Xian", Yan

Bingyun’s fingers slowly left the handle of the teacup and he
looked up.

Unexpectedly, his gaze was full of ridicule and disdain.

"Fan Xian? The illegitimate son of the treasury’s Fan Jian.

The one who grew up in Danzhou, enjoys alcohol, and has no
talents; that is all," Yan Bingyun said. His voice was very soft,
completely in contrast to his cold expression. "What are you
doing here?"

Fan Xian sighed. "Sir Yan, much has changed since you were
locked away. My father has become the Minister of Revenue,
and I, the one without any talent, am now the head diplomat
of this envoy. My main purpose for coming to Northern Qi is to
bring you back." For some reason, Yan Bingyun seemed to
despise the name "Fan Xian".
 "Bring me back?" Yan Bingyun slowly raised his head. He was
no more than twenty years old, but strands of silver could
already be seen in his eyebrows, giving him a strange look.
"Who are you? Why should I believe you?"

"I am Fan Xian. I am the current Commissioner of the

Overwatch Council." Fan Xian knew Yan Bingyun, as the head
spy, was being extra cautious; he must be trying to figure out if
this was one of Northern Qi’s tricks. So Fan Xian took off the
plaque on his waist and showed it to Yan Bingyun.

Yan Bingyun scanned the wooden plaque and frowned,

knowing it was extremely difficult to forge. But he still
couldn’t believe this youth younger than him was the Lord
Commissioner of the Council. That position was a supreme
existence just below the director. While the eight Bureaus
weren’t under the Commissioner’s jurisdiction on the surface,
they were still under the Commissioner’s control.

Being imprisoned for over half a year made Yan Bingyun lock
away his emotions; he wouldn’t believe any illogical
developments. He dared not to take any risks, because
anything he exposed could potentially destroy Qing’s entire spy
network in Northern Qi.
 Wang Qinian, who had been quiet so far, said, "Sir Yan, Sir
Fan was recently appointed Commissioner. He has come here
today to rescue you."

Yan Bingyun gave Wang Qinian a cold look. "You’re Sir Wang
from the First Bureau?"

"Correct." Facing Yan Bingyun somehow made Wang Qinian a

bit nervous. Knowing Yan Bingyun had been imprisoned for
over half a year, Wang Qinian didn’t know whether to admire
or pity him. His time in prison must not have been easy.

"I don’t need you to confirm my identity." Fan Xian gently

patted Yan Bingyun on the shoulder. "In any case, all this will
be over soon. You may keep silent and follow the envoy back to
Qing. You don’t have to talk until after seeing Chen Pinging or
your father. I think such arrangements will put you at ease a
bit."

Hearing that, Yan Bingyun frowned. He knew that couldn't

be what Northern Qi was planning.
 But Fan Xian saw something in Yan Bingyun’s frown. With a
chilled expression, he carefully pinched Yan Bingyun’s collar.

Yan Bingyun, with a sense of ridicule in his cold eyes, gave

Fan Xian a look. "You want to see?"

"Yes," Fan Xian calmly replied. Slowly, his fingers parted Yan
Bingyun’s white robe, which was as plain as the clouds and
snow. As the fabric parted from Yan Bingyun’s body, however,
there was a most subtle ripping sound.

Yan Bingyun’s face remained unchanged, he didn’t even

twitch an eyebrow.

Fan Xian, on the other hand, looked uneasy. Beneath the

white robe was the horrifying skin on Yan Bingyun’s neck,
covered in scars. Judging by how much it had healed, Yan
Bingyun must have been in recovery for some time now. With
so many wounds on his neck, one could imagine just how
much suffering the rest of his body endured.
 Wang Qinian cursed out, while Fan Xian regained his calm.
"How long has it been since your last torture?"

"Three months" Yan Bingyun answered with a laugh, as if his

tattered body did not belong to him.

Fan Xian carefully readjusted Yan Bingyun’s collar and

sighed, "Northern Qi knew when we would arrive, so they
stopped three months ago. Even after three months, your
wounds are still horrific. You have suffered so much, Sir Yan."

Yan Bingyun gave Fan Xian a bland look, as if not satisfied by

the Commissioner’s words. "You seem like you worry
unnecessarily."

Fan Xian didn’t know how to respond. He had merely wanted

to show his concern, and in return he was mocked as being
unprofessional.

"Before the negotiation is confirmed, I will not say anything."

Yan Bingyun looked Fan Xian in the eyes. "I’m just curious,
what methods did our Imperial court use to be able to free me
from Northern Qi’s grasp?"

Without waiting for an answer, Yan Bingyun sighed and said

viciously, "Don’t tell me the Imperial court was stupid enough
to trade the plains of Qianlong Port for useless old me."

"Rest assured, even if I wanted to, His Majesty is not that

stupid." Fan Xian shook his head and briefed Mister Yan on the
actual negotiation.

The room suddenly sank into a strange silence. Yan Bingyun

hung his head and didn’t speak for a long time. Suddenly, Fan
Xian heard him talk to himself. "Trading Xiao En for me?"

"You idiots!"

Yan Bingyun suddenly raised his head and stared at Fan Xian
with a gaze of ridicule and hatred. However, he still managed
to calmly keep his voice down.
Chapter 222: The Idealists
Yan Bingyun's cold, inhuman expression did not shift once.
He was indeed an outstanding intelligence operative, but in
this moment of anger, he had proven his power and control as
Qing's spymaster in Northern Qi. Facing the rage that shot out
from this prisoner's eyes, even Fan Xian had subconsciously
wanted to take shelter.

Yan Bingyun's lip trembled slightly. In a quiet, quick voice,

like an exploding firecracker, he whispered into Fan Xian's ear,
"Is Xiao En still under control?"

Fan Xian shook his head. "After Wuduhe, we gave him over to
the Northern Qi Brocade Guard. I imagine he has already
entered the capital."

"Was there any way to kill him?"

"No."

"Did you get his secret out of him?"

 Fan Xian shivered and pulled himself away from Yan
Bingyun. He looked at him with his tranquil eyes. "Do you
know what his secret is?" he asked.

Yan Bingyun looked at the young Commissioner, and there

was a strange movement at the corners of his mouth. "I have
spent four years in Northern Qi, and I know that the Northern
Qi royal family has thought about Xiao En constantly. Though
I don't know what the secret is about... if the Northern Qi royal
family regards it as this important, then it cannot be
something simple."

After a pause, Yan Bingyun suddenly spoke. "Do you know

who Xiao En is?"

Fan Xian nodded and smiled. "I believe I know that better
than anyone else."

Yan Bingyun quickly scolded him. "Since you know, how

could you allow this to happen?"
 Fan Xian looked at him calmly and spoke slowly. "His
Majesty and the Director's wishes were clear. Xiao En is old;
you are young. So in this deal, we have the upper hand."

Yan Bingyun fell silent again. He hadn't expected that the

royal court of Qing would be willing to exchange Xiao En for
him, but the fact they had made him feel like something of a
failure. He had been captured by the Northern Qi Brocade
Guard, which was humiliating in the first place. Now that the
royal court had paid such a high price for him, he felt even
more humiliated.

He was crestfallen. In his white robes, he seemed to shrink

into himself.

Fan Xian looked at him calmly. "You are a smart man. Since
things have already been decided, you will return safely to the
south. For that, we should consider ourselves lucky."

Yan Bingyun remained silent, his face cold. He knew that this
Commissioner of the Overwatch Council, who had appeared
out of nowhere, was speaking proper nonsense.
 "In three days' time, I will be waiting for you at the
diplomatic compound."

Fan Xian smiled. He walked out alongside Wang Qinian.

Accompanied by Wei Hua and the vice-provost, who were
waiting at the door, they climbed into the carriage and
returned to the diplomatic mission compound.

After they had returned, the Qing representatives gathered

together to have a debriefing about the past few days' events.
Afterwards, they left, leaving behind Fan Xian and Wang
Qinian. Fan Xian propped his chin up on his fist and sat in
thought. He said nothing for a long time.

"Master Fan, what are you thinking about?" asked Wang

Qinian.

"Why did Miss Shen show up?" Fan Xian yawned and
continued talking. "Perhaps Northern Qi wanted to interfere
with our plans, or at the very least weaken the royal court's
confidence in Yan Bingyun."
 "How could they?" Wang Qinian was puzzled. "The royal
court understands the methods that Master Yan employed."

"Things can always become more complicated," said Fan

Xian, his face unmoved. "If someone has resolved to do
something, then this could be a snag... besides, there's
something I still don't understood. Wang, when we went to see
Master Yan, it was clear that he will be able to return home.
Why did he look so unhappy?"

"Because the royal court paid too high a price for him to
return home." Wang Qinian was an experienced member of the
Overwatch Council, and knew much more about the eccentric
higher-ups of the Council than Fan Xian did. "If Master Yan
knew that we were going to exchange him for Xiao En, perhaps
he'd have killed himself the moment he was captured, rather
than waiting until now."

Fan Xian seemed to find it hard to understand the psychology

of these Overwatch Council officials. "Could... such a brilliant
Council official... really..." he considered his wording for a
long time before finally speaking carefully. "Could he really be
willing to sacrifice himself for the nation like that?"
 "Yes." Wang Qinian took a furtive look at Wang Qinian, and
saw the dazed look on his face. "I have much admiration for
Master Yan," he said respectfully, "but an official of the
Overwatch Council or an agent of the royal court should be
prepared to sacrifice themselves for the nation the moment
they enter the Council. A spy of the Overwatch Council only
believes in one thing, and for that goal, any method and any
sacrifice is permitted."

"What goal?"

"All for the Kingdom of Qing." There was a slightly crazed

look in Wang Qinian's eyes.

Fan Xian's finger unthinkingly traced out a character on the

table. When he had met Yan Bingyun for the first time today,
he had been sitting calmly on a chair, and his sitting position
was somewhat odd, as straight as a javelin, with no part of his
body touching the chair save for his buttocks. As he was
leaving, Fan Xian had finally realized that his feet were chained
to the chair, and there was only one explanation for Yan
Bingyun's posture.
 There was no part of his flesh that was intact, and he was
bruised all over, so that was the only position he could choose.

"All for the Kingdom of Qing?" Fan Xian frowned. "So it's a
group of idealists."

A letter from the Qing royal court to the diplomatic mission

arrived, sent through official channels. There were, naturally,
no secrets contained in the letter. It simply stated that the
diplomatic mission was to postpone their return until after the
birthday celebrations of Empress Dowager of Northern Qi, and
after events were concluded, they were then to return home.

This was of no particular significance. The dealings between

the two countries had happened to overlap with the Empress
Dowager's birthday, so they might as well go along with it. And
while he was in Shangjing, Fan Xian still had a few more
matters to take care of, so he was happy to stay a few days
longer. That being said, he did miss his wife and his sister, and
worried about them somewhat.

"We will be representatives of the royal court for the Empress

Dowager's birthday. We must make sure to present a good gift,"
said vice-envoy Lin Jing, pondering aloud. "Perhaps one of us
could take a stroll along Xiushui Street?"

Hearing the words "Xiushui Street" reminded Fan Xian of the

letter that the wine merchant had handed him. He shook his
head. Shangjing's waters ran deep indeed. The Eldest Princess
could still exert control over the internal disorder of a foreign
country from her remote fiefdom of Xinyang. Fan Xian wanted
nothing to do with it.

"So what shall we send?" Lin Jing had begun to worry about
the gift.

Fan Xian had already decided. He waved his hand. "When the
time comes, I shall write a poem. Mount it on a good scroll and
that should be enough." It sounded arrogant, but the
subordinates around him all nodded in unison. The immortal
of poetry, Fan Xian, no longer wrote poetry. Everyone knew
this. If Fan Xian were to break his rule for the birthday of the
Empress Dowager of Northern Qi, then that would be a great
gesture indeed.

But... Fan Xian couldn't really write beautifully.

 Wang Qinian began to set out another terrible idea. "Master
Yan's identity in Northern Qi was as a gifted scholar, skilled in
chess, the zither, painting and calligraphy. He is indeed a
master calligrapher. Last year, in Northern Qi, one of his
scrolls could sell for a thousand taels. If Master Fan composes
the poem with Master Yan as scribe, then two young greats of
the Kingdom of Qing have contributed to the present. Would
that not cause the Empress Dowager of Qi great joy?"

Lin Jing and Lin Wen both knew that Wang Qinian was Fan
Xian's trusted aide. They thought his suggestion was quite
good. They knew of Master Yan's identity. But they felt
something was a little odd about the proposal, and they
couldn't figure out what exactly it was.

Fan Xian laughed and scolded him. "What kind of person is

Master Yan? I'm afraid that the people of Northern Qi want to
eat him alive and drink his blood. You're actually suggesting
that we get him to write a scroll and give it to the Empress
Dowager as a birthday present. The moment she opens the
scroll she'll die from rage. We'd turn her birthday into her
funeral."
 Wang Qinian was embarrassed, having only just realized the
absurdity of his proposal. "If we can kill the Empress Dowager
that way," he said laughing shamelessly, "then that'd be quite a
tale to tell."

Fan Xian didn't feel much like laughing at Wang Qinian's

thoughtless joke. He fell silent in thought. It was clear that if
Yan Bingyun returned to Qing safely, it was very likely that -
on the basis of his four years of work in Northern Qi and his
past year's imprisonment - he would be immediately promoted
within the Council. His father Yan Ruohai was head of the
Fourth Bureau, and the post of head of the First Bureau was
still vacant. The Council was clear: Director Chen was to
award the position of head of the First Bureau to Yan Bingyun,
the former prisoner.

And if nothing got in the way, Fan Xian would gradually

begin to take over the Council - once Chen Pingping died, that
was. And Fan Xian knew that day might not come for a long
time—or it might well come very soon.

If Fan Xian wanted the Overwatch Council firmly under his

control, then he had to get the heads of the Eight Bureaus
under his control. This was Fan Xian's biggest weakness. Other
than the Third and Eighth Bureaus, he had no trusted
connections within the Overwatch Council. He presumed that
while he was in the north, he could win Yan Bingyun's
friendship, gaining the support of the First Bureau and the
Fourth Bureau. But to his surprise, at their first meeting, Fan
Xian had a clear feeling that Yan Bingyun felt a secret hostility
toward him.

Why was that? Fortunately, Yan Bingyun seemed not to want

to hide his hostility, which made Fan Xian feel slightly more
relaxed. "Master, it's time." By his side, Wang Qinian reminded
him quietly.

Fan Xian nodded, got up, and left the courtyard. Behind him
were Lin Jing and Lin Wen, looking at each other in dismay,
unsure just where the chief diplomat was headed.

Outside the courtyard stood Chang Ninghou's men. People

from the palace had already sent word, so the Imperial Guard
responsible for the diplomatic mission had quietly agreed to
change over with those men wearing Brocade Guard uniforms,
who guarded the carriage as it made its way along Taiping
Alley, one of the most dazzling streets in the city. A fine drizzle
was falling from the sky, and for a moment, it hid the convoy's
tracks.

Today Fan Xian, commissioner of the Overwatch Council of

the Kingdom of Qing, was to meet with Master Shen Zhong,
Provost of the Discipline Commission of the Brocade Guard of
the Kingdom of Qi. This meeting of spymasters was extremely
mysterious.
Chapter 223: Meeting Shen Zhong in the
Rain
Raindrops beat upon the roof of the carriage, their impact
echoing within. Fan Xian closed his eyes and tried to rest.
Some time later - he wasn't sure how long - he found that the
carriage had stopped. The carriage door opened. Fan Xian
smiled and stepped out into the rain, finding that an umbrella
was already being held out for him, shielding him from the
elements, with only a slight spring chill making its way
through the alley and underneath the umbrella.

Wang Qinian was wearing black, holding the umbrella above

Fan Xian's head. Behind him, the seven tiger guards carried
their longswords on their backs, silently forming two lines on
either side of Fan Xian.

Fan Xian was wearing a dark-colored overcoat with a white

gown underneath, and underneath that were the night-walking
clothes he had prepared before he left the Qing capital. This
way of dressing, with simple and unadorned clothes hiding
lethal power underneath, combined with his heroic and
vigorous appearance, looked formidable indeed.
 "Commissioner Fan. This way please." The Brocade Guard
who led the way extended a hand, his face expressionless as he
ushered them into the courtyard. In the alley by the side of the
courtyard, Fan Xian turned his head slightly, hearing the faint
bustle ahead of him. He laughed. "Looks like this is the rear
courtyard of a pleasure house."

The Brocade Guard's face was rigid. Then he smiled. "Your

hearing is impressive, Commissioner Fan. This is the rear
courtyard of Panshanlin. Master Shen likes to entertain guests
here."

Fan Xian knew of Panshanlin. He had heard that it was

Northern Qi's finest red-light establishment. The first Emperor
of Northern Qi was once a frequent guest here. He smiled and
nodded, stepping on the wet paving stones into the rear
courtyard. In the courtyard, the bamboo formed dense
shadows and the rock garden was made up of layers upon
layers of stones. Agents of the Brocade Guard were everywhere.
These men were clearly guards, and had made no effort to hide
themselves.

As they walked, Wang Qinian held the umbrella, the seven

Tiger Guards following silently behind, with Fan Xian at the
front coolly and confidently walking deeper into the
courtyard.

As they walked, watching these enemies from the south, the

Brocade Guards could not help but feel somewhat surprised.
They were surprised by their counterparts' boldness, and by
the youth of their leader who walked in front.

Wang Qinian put away the umbrella and fell in silently

behind Fan Xian. Fan Xian rested his hands behind his back
and narrowed his eyes as he looked at the courtyard. The room
was quite spacious. A large round table with a floral pattern
stood in the middle, and there was still a great deal of space
around it, filled with all sorts of elaborate decorative items.
The table was wide enough to seat 15 or 16 people, but at that
moment, only two people were sat around it.

One of them was a man in expensive clothes, with a silk cap

on his head and a jade thumb ring on his hand. After he saw
Fan Xian enter, an unusual coldness appeared in his otherwise
ordinary-looking eyes. He looked Fan Xian straight in the eye,
and after a moment, he spoke. "Commissioner Fan? I have been
looking forward to meeting you for a long time. Our meeting
today is very much out of the ordinary."
 Fan Xian did not immediately respond to the man's polite
greeting. He was savoring the fact that the Northern Qi
Brocade Guards had all addressed him as "Commissioner Fan".
It seemed that today's discussion was between the Overwatch
Council and the Brocade Guard, rather than being diplomatic
negotiations between the governments of the two states. He
lifted his right hand and undid the collar around his neck with
his two fingers. The overcoat he was wearing slipped off him.

Wang Qinian was already behind him to catch it.

Fan Xian sat on one side of the round table. Looking at this
rich man, he saw that his brows were extremely thick, as if
they had been painted on. He couldn't help but smile. "Master
Shen, if you scowl so at everyone you meet, why are you
instead so courteous toward me?"

So this was Master Shen Zhong, Provost of the Discipline

Commission of the Brocade Guard. Countless members of the
Brocade Guard were under Shen Zhong's control. It was hard to
believe that so many dangerous men were led by such an
ordinary-looking man. If it weren't for the Overwatch
Council's thoroughly detailed files on the man, Fan Xian
wouldn't have even been able to guess at his identity.
 "It is not courtesy." Provost Shen sighed. Looking at Fan
Xian's handsome face, he couldn't help but shake his head.
"Master Fan, you are renowned throughout the land as a poet.
You have my admiration. I had not imagined that two months
ago I would receive the news that Fan Xian, Fan the immortal
of poetry, had become a commissioner of the Overwatch
Council of the Kingdom of Qing... I... must admit I do not
quite understand. What exactly is old Chen thinking? Master
Fan, how can someone such as yourself live as we do, scurrying
around like rats in the gutter?"

Fan Xian laughed. "Master Shen, you are too modest.

Travelling thousands of miles from home to be an official is
something one does for money. No matter what one does, first
of all one must seek benefit for the state, but after that... one
must carve out a life for oneself."

His speech was rather informal. Shen Zhong sighed to

himself. He couldn't help but look down on this southerner
despite their common profession. After all, he was young and
he spoke crudely. He really didn't know what Chen Pingping
was thinking, and he didn't know why the South's formidable
Emperor would agree to such an absurd arrangement within
the Overwatch Council.
 In truth, Provost Shen Zhong of the Discipline Commission
of the Brocade Guard had always felt an unspeakable envy for
his southern counterparts, and a certain respectful fear of that
old wheelchair-bound cripple. He had never been able to
understand how his southern counterparts had earned the
complete trust of the southern Emperor, unlike himself, who
stood trembling in the royal court, unsure if one day he would
be thrown out of the palace like a pair of worn-out shoes.

Realizing his mind was wandering, Shen Zhong immediately

pulled himself together. He knew that this young man was the
head diplomat, and he knew why had taken a risk in
demanding a meeting with him through Chang Ninghou.
There was great benefit to be made in this deal, and both Shen
Zhong and the palace were intrigued.

"No one dislikes things like silver and gold." Shen Zhong
suddenly smiled. "But I don't understand how the Discipline
Commission can benefit from this."

Fan Xian waved a hand, and Wang Qinian and the seven
Tiger Guards all retreated. Shen Zhong nodded his head, and
the other men in the hall also stepped back. Fan Xian looked at
the man who sat next to Shen Zhong, feeling somewhat
puzzled. He was wearing fine clothing, but he didn't have that
regal air to his appearance that Fan Xian was familiar with. He
presumed that he had not been sent to observe by the Northern
Qi royal family. In that case, what gave him the right to sit
with them?

"This is Master Cui," said Shen Zhong, introducing him.

Master Cui stood up and bowed to Fan Xian, a self-confident

look on his face. Fan Xian wrinkled his brow. "A man of Qing?"

Shen Zhong laughed. "I thought you two might recognize

each other. Commissioner Fan, this is Master Cui, second son
of the Cui clan of Qing. The Cui clan and the Fan clan have
always been equals. You are both sons of rich families."

Fan Xian frowned. "Master Shen, what is the meaning of

this?"

There was a flash of viciousness in Shen Zhong's eyes.

"Master Fan, did you not want to talk business?" he said
calmly. "You should know... I have been in this business for
many years. So I would like to know how I might stand to
benefit, Master Fan."

Fan Xian turned his head to look at Master Cui, trying to see
something in his face. "Master Cui," he asked suddenly, "did
you come to this meeting of your own accord, or were you
asked to by an elder of your clan?"

"How could I miss such an illustrious meeting?" Master Cui

seemed to have no fear of Fan Xian at all.

In truth, matters were already very clear. Master Cui was

there to represent the interests of the Cui clan, and behind the
Cui clan... was the Eldest Princess, far away in Xinyang. Fan
Xian had considered the possibility that the Eldest Princess's
heavy plundering of the palace treasury had relied on this
smuggling route. But what he had not expected was that the
Provost of the Brocade Guard's Discipline Commission would
bring the Eldest Princess's representative to the table!

And what made Fan Xian even angrier was the fact that that
scoundrel Cui dared to sit alongside them, acting as a
bargaining chip for the other side in their negotiations. Now
that the Eldest Princess was making demands of him, how
could he not act to wreck Fan Xian's own business? This was no
doubt that pampered brat Cui acting on his own initiative!

Fan Xian had taken the initiative in making contact with

Shen Zhong for two reasons. The first was to open up a channel
for communication. The second was to strike at the source of
Xinyang's finances. He hadn't imagined that the Northern Qi
royal court would make such a move, bringing what should
have been haggled in secret out into the open.

Seemingly sensing his unhappiness, Shen Zhong smiled.

"Master Fan, there's no harm in clarifying things. Everyone
wants to make money. Master Cui and you plan to engage in
similar business. I wouldn't be able to cooperate with both of
you at once, so naturally, I'm interested in what you two have
to say on the matter."

Fan Xian calmed down and looked at Cui. "Master Cui," he

said calmly, "I didn't expect you to be brave enough to get
involved in such serious business."
 "Certainly not as brave as you, Master Fan," replied Cui with
a smile.

Seeing the awkwardness of the situation, Shen Zhong

laughed. "Master Cui is the son of a rich family, and there are a
number of important members of the Qing royal court among
them. Currently, he is travelling outside the country. In the
future, he will enter the court as an official. The two of you
should be friends."

Hearing this, Fan Xian laughed grimly to himself and looked

at Shen Zhong. "Master Shen, perhaps you have forgotten my
status. The matters of aristocratic families are of no
importance to me."

Having said this, Fan Xian stood up, saying nothing, and left
the hall, where Wang Qinian was ready, holding his umbrella.
The seven Tiger Guards gripped their longswords in their
hands, guarding their master as he left the courtyard. With
such a stern appearance, none of the Brocade Guards dared to
block their path.
 All that could be heard was the sound of the carriage as Fan
Xian left in his rather discourteous way.

Shen Zhong did not seem to have expected such an angry

response from Fan Xian. He sat there, rather stunned. He had
been deep in the bowels of the bureaucracy for decades, and
had seen all sorts of negotiations over profit, but he had never
seen something like this. The young Commissioner Fan's
conduct really went beyond his expectation.

He turned his head. "Master Cui," he said, smiling warmly, "it

seems Master Fan is quite a headstrong fellow."

Cui blushed. Fan Xian's words had pricked his ego. The
matters of aristocratic families were none of Fan Xian's
concern! Then what was the Fan family to him? He drank from
his cup of wine, trying to drown his sorrows, feeling that he
had done something wrong.

Shen Zhong looked at him and said nothing.

 Suddenly, Cui's hand began to tremble. He thought about Fan
Xian's position in the Overwatch Council, and how he was the
son-in-law of the Eldest Princess. He went pale with fear.
Looking Shen Zhong in the eyes, he suddenly became angry.
"Master Shen," he cursed, "you tricked me into coming here! Do
you want me dead?"

Fan Xian quotes from Living Hell by Qing dynasty novelist Li Baojia, a novel about malpractice
in the judicial system.
Chapter 224: Young Yan Is Freed
The night rains fell upon the soil of that foreign land,
making their familiar pitter-patter. Fan Xian swallowed a
mouthful of tea. "Write a letter immediately," he said to Wang
Qinian, who sat beside him. "Tell the Council to investigate the
relationship between the Cui clan and Xinyang."

Wang Qinian looked at him. "The Eldest Princess cannot

make any sort of move from there."

"I know that." Fan Xian knew full well that everything that
the Eldest Princess did was done with the Emperor's tacit
consent, but today's confrontational meeting with Shen Zhong
had confirmed a number of his ideas. "I just want to know for
sure exactly how much strength Xinyang has in the royal
court."

"Yes sir," replied Wang Qinian. "Master Cui is still kneeling

outside... do you think we should allow him in? After all, the
Cui clan is also an influential family in the capital, and they
have a number of officials at court."
 Fan Xian looked over the reports from the Council, not
paying attention to what Wang Qinian had said. These past
few days that the diplomatic mission were in Shangjing, before
Yan Bingyun returned, Fan Xian had not dared to utilize their
information network in Northern Qi, and so their sources of
intelligence had been somewhat reduced, which left him
worried. A moment later, he seemed to have heard what Wang
Qinian had said. "Let him kneel," he said quietly. "A subject of
Qing allowing himself to be used by Northern Qi like some
kind of tool. I shall teach him a lesson, on my mother-in-law's
behalf."

The rain gradually lessened. It dripped down from the eaves

of the building. The courtyard was an old one, so the rain
droplets fell and formed small pools in certain places. Fan Xian
pulled on a robe and walked out, catching sight of Cui, who
kneeled before the stone steps. For a long time, he said
nothing.

The others in the diplomatic mission had long departed from

this area, so all seemed quiet.

"If your family still wishes to do business in the north, you

should know what to do." Fan Xian looked coldly at Cui, who
was soaked from head to toe. "Regarding today's incident, I
shall show mercy. I will send a letter to Xinyang, and as for
how the Eldest Princess decides to punish you, that is your
business. But while I am in Shangjing, I do not wish to see you
sitting alongside men of Northern Qi again."

Master Cui kowtowed deeply, his upper body laid out along
the wet ground as he trembled. He didn't dare speak.

"I shall remind you once more. I am the Commissioner of the

Overwatch Council. Even if the Eldest Princess protects you, if
I wanted to see the Cui clan destroyed, I have many ways to
make that happen. That may be a very crude threat, but I think
for somebody as stupid as you, if I do not spell it out clearly,
you will find yourself being used as a weapon by Northern Qi
again. That would be most unfortunate."

Cui remained kneeling miserably. In the rear garden in

Panshanlin, he had realized the extent of his error. For the time
being, regardless of Fan Xian's position within the fearsome
Overwatch Council, he was the son-in-law of the Eldest
Princess. In Fan Xian's eyes, he was no more than an ant.
Today, he had acted on his own initiative, wanting to see what
business the Overwatch Council wanted to carry out with
Northern Qi. Originally, he was there to consider issues from
the Eldest Princess's position, but if Fan Xian really wanted to
make him pay, he feared that she would not be willing to
protect him.

When it came to the power that Fan Xian now wielded, the
aristocratic families really were of no importance to him at all.

"Let us talk plainly." Fan Xian looked at him, spelling things

out slowly. "You work for the Eldest Princess. I don't want to
make things difficult for you. But there are some things I want
to do, so I hope that you will see the situation clearly."

"Yes, Master Fan," said Cui, shivering. "I have erred."

"We are both subjects of the Kingdom of Qing, regardless of

what happens at court. But the moment we set foot on foreign
soil, do not forget, we are still men of Qing. We cannot allow
the foreigners to see us as a joke. That is what angers me most."

After this little incident, Xinyang made sure to show the

diplomatic mission the appropriate respect. And Northern Qi
finally felt Fan Xian's true strength. To be exact, they felt the
strength of the Overwatch Council. Shen Zhong had made a
deal with Xinyang, so when Fan Xian suggested his deal
through Chang Ninghou, he thought little of it. But seeing the
current situation, it seemed that the rumors were true - if Fan
Xian really was going to take control of the palace treasury in
the coming years, the Eldest Princess would lose her power. If
Shen Zhong's Discipline Commission offended Fan Xian again,
that would be a way to cut themselves off from a large share of
the profits.

They knew this in the royal palace of Northern Qi too. The

Empress Dowager ruthlessly laid the blame on Shen Zhong.
Shen Zhong was worried. He hadn't expected Commissioner
Fan not to even give him the opportunity to haggle. And the
news of Cui kneeling before the diplomatic mission that very
night had reached the ears of the Brocade Guard. Shen Zhong
knew that he had to see Fan Xian in an entirely new light.

But no one had thought that Fan Xian did not actually want
to make the deal at all. A number of times, Shen Zhong
dispatched men to entreat Fan Xian; every time, he coldly
turned them away, appearing not to want to discuss the matter
again.
 "Master, what is it that you want to do?" Wang Qinian was
Fan Xian's most trusted aide. He knew some things that even
the Overwatch Council did not. He knew that his master had
done a number of things in secret to make the Eldest Princess
pay, but the Eldest Princess seemed not to have noticed.

But now, Fan Xian appeared to be taking a stance of

reconciliation toward the Eldest Princess. This puzzled Wang
Qinian greatly.

"I want everyone to not know what I am going to do." Fan

Xian straightened out his clothes, not turning his head as he
spoke. "The Eldest Princess now makes demands of me, and I
want to make use of this opportunity to derive some benefit."

Wang Qinian was still confused, and Fan Xian did not
explain further.

That afternoon, a carriage entered the diplomatic compound.

The carriage looked worse for wear and thoroughly ordinary.
Whether it was the decoration of the carriage or the way the
coachman looked, there was nothing eye-catching about it. But
the guards tasked with protecting the diplomatic mission could
sense an air of nervousness from inside the mission. The
patchwork of shadows outside all belonged to the Brocade
Guard.

Fan Xian looked at the carriage, and said something which

seemed to have nothing to do with the current situation. "It
looks like Si Lili has also arrived in Shangjing."

A youth wearing white robes opened the carriage doors and

slowly stepped out. Standing there, he looked at the sky,
narrowed his eyes, then lowered his head and looked around at
the people within the courtyard who were staring at him. From
looking at them, he could feel the atmosphere in the courtyard.
He couldn't stop his lips from curling into a wry smile.

Fan Xian stepped forward, respectfully taking Yan Bingyun's

right hand and carefully helping him down from the carriage.
"Welcome back," he said gently.

To the people of Qing, the location of the diplomatic mission

was the same as enemy territory. Yan Bingyun had been held
prisoner and had long believed that he was soon to die.
Although the day had come, he still could not accept the
agreement that had seen him exchanged for Xiao En. But now,
stepping on the ground of the diplomatic mission, and hearing
Fan Xian's welcome, he couldn't help but still feel moved.

There were no officials from Honglu Temple in the

courtyard. Save for the seven Tiger Guards, everyone else was
an official of the Overwatch Council, hidden within the
diplomatic mission. Seeing the young man, who had a little
difficulty walking, they spoke in unison, kneeling on the
ground. "Master Yan, allow us to pay our respects."

Their voices were neither passionate nor loud, but one could
feel their sincerity.

Yan Bingyun smiled and said nothing. After a while, he spoke

quietly. "It feels strange to have made it out alive."

Fan Xian took his hand and laughed. "Your fingernails

haven't been completely pulled out. That is strange."

The two men - the future leader of the Overwatch Council

and his future second-in-command - spoke so quietly that only
they could hear what they were saying.

With Yan Bingyun returned to the diplomatic mission, half

of their duties in Northern Qi were done with. Fan Xian steeled
himself, said a few words to Wang Qinian, then helped Yan
Bingyun into the bedroom. "Take off your clothes," said Fan
Xian, "and I'll see to your injuries."

Clearly, Yan Bingyun was not given to misunderstandings.

He slowly took off his white robes, revealing his sculpted
naked body. Fan Xian raised his eyebrows and thought of his
own feelings when he had changed clothes for the Third
Bureau in the Qing capital. Bingyun seemed much more cool-
headed than he was.

He took a small box containing medicine from out of a chest,

dipped a finger into it, and then began to rub it onto Yan
Bingyun's body. The places his fingers passed over were covered
with frightful scars and bruises that were difficult to describe.

"I always thought you were simply blessed with good

fortune," said Yan Bingyun coldly. "But to remain so calm at
the sight of my wounds, it seems you are stronger than I
thought."

Fan Xian's fingers stopped on the left side of Yan Bingyun's

chest. The bone had clearly been re-set after being broken. It
stuck out in a lump, and the flesh surrounding it was red-raw
and ugly-looking. "That is because you don't understand what
I went through growing up."

"I thought I understood very well." Yan Bingyun stared coldly

into Fan Xian's eyes. "Master Fan, I know a lot about your life
from your birth to your 12th year."

Fan Xian turned his head to look at him and said nothing.

Yan Bingyun was also silent. It seemed that he didn't want to

say any more on the subject. After a while, he spoke. "Thank
you for treating my wounds. But I would like to concoct my
own medicine. I imagine I am more adept than you at it. Allow
me to write a recipe for the prescription, and have the
diplomatic mission's men help me in gathering a few
ingredients."
 Fan Xian paid no attention and continued to apply the salve,
using the treatment methods he had learned in his childhood.

"Swallow this." With no regard for politeness, Fan Xian

placed a pill into Yan Bingyun's mouth. "When it comes to
treating wounds and infections, save for Fei Jie, there's no one
who'd dare talk such rubbish in front of me."
Chapter 225: Things Aren’t as You
Imagined
"Who’s Fei Jie?"

"Who else has the surname Fei in the Council?"

"You mean old Fei?"

"That old monstrosity, yes." Having finished the

preparations, Fan Xian called for a tub of warm water and
washed his hands. Drying them, he told Yan Bingyun, "You
were under torture too long. They damaged your meridians
and greatly crippled your martial abilities."

After saying that, Fan Xian carefully observed Yan Bingyun’s

face and discovered he was calm, as though he hadn't heard
anything. Fan Xian couldn’t help but be impressed, and he was
even more determined to make this seemingly haughty and
aloof young man one of his companions.
 "After we return, take good care of yourself. Your nails will
eventually grow back. Your bones healed wrong. I’m going let
that baldy from the Seventh Bureau break them again and reset
them. And with my treatment on top of that, there’s no way
you'll end up an old cripple like Chen Pingping."

Fan Xian was joking, but it gave Yan Bingyun a strange

feeling. There wasn't anyone in the entire Council who would
dare to call Director Chen an old cripple!

Yan Bingyun slowly squinted, trying to see the truth behind

all of this, like… why Fan Xian had become the Commissioner
of the Overwatch Council at such a young age. At that
moment, a burning sensation slowly rose from his abdomen to
his chest. As indominable as he was, the sudden pain still made
Yan Bingyun’s brows flinch.

"Don’t worry, it’s to combat the poison. Since I don’t know

what kind of poison is in you, the medicine I chose was on the
strong side. But with me watching over you, you won’t die."
Fan Xian helped Yan Bingyun get dressed. "Hang in there."
 Sweat began to pour from Yan Bingyun’s forehead; he was in
extreme pain. In a low voice, he said, "Damn! This is worse
than being poisoned. What medicine is this supposed to be?"

Fan Xian was overjoyed. Clapping his hands together, he said

in awe, "You just cursed. That’s right; who are you putting on
that cold front for? Playing cool in front of those Brocade
Guards was fine and all, but don’t do it in front of me. I’ve seen
enough of it back when I was little."

What he had seen enough of was, of course, that thoroughly

cool Uncle Wu Zhu.

"Who taught you to cleanse poison this way? I don’t believe

you," Yan Bingyun asked in a chilling voice. The medicine Fan
Xian applied to Yan Bingyun’s wounds also started to hurt.

"I already told you." Fan Xian looked at him with a smile.

A chaotic look flashed in Yan Bingyun’s eyes. Forgetting the

pain in and on his body, he asked in a coarse voice, "You’re Fei
Jie’s disciple?" His tone was full of surprise. "Fei Jie never had
you as a student."

"Who was the one who claimed to know all about me up until
I was twelve?" Fan Xian started to pack up the bottles by the
bed. "You don’t even know who my teacher is."

Yan Bingyun stared at Fan Xian for a while without talking.

Fan Xian stared back innocently, staring at Yan’s body which
was riddled with wounds, and asked quietly, "Brother Yan, how
come I always feel you’re looking at me in anger?"

That had been a thorn in Fan Xian’s heart for some time.
Since he wanted to win over Yan Bingyun, he had to know the
reason behind such strong negative emotions, or else things
wouldn’t be easy in the future.

There was a long silence. Yan Bingyun didn’t seem to want to

talk about it. For some reason, as his pain gradually dissipated,
he started to become dizzy. Looking at Fan Xian’s handsome
face invoked an unfounded hatred. Thinking back on his
exhilarating life in Northern Qi, words began to pour from Yan
Bingyun’s dry lips.
 "Sir Commissioner, do you remember that still unsolved
murder case in Danzhou five years ago?"

Fan Xian didn’t stop packing things away, but he was

inwardly surprised. Of course he remembered that murder
case; it was the first time in his two lifetimes that he killed
someone. Even today, the cold chestnut on that assassin’s
throat seemed to still be irritating Fan Xian’s palm.

"I know what you’re talking about." Fan Xian frowned.

"What does it have to do with us?"

"That assassin was under the jurisdiction of the Fourth

Bureau. Because of that incident, I got chased up north to
become a rat."

"That’s why you hate me?" Fan Xian sank into silence. A
moment later, he suddenly laughed. "I believe you should be
grateful."

"Why?" His dizziness faded somewhat, Yan Bingyun regained

his indifference after some surprise.
 Fan Xian stared into his eyes. "Because I can see it; I can see
you were born to be a spy. You enjoy this kind of life… I
imagine lurking in Northern Qi for the past four years, being
high-strung day and night, was a fulfilling and exciting life for
you."

Yan Bingyun replied. "If you think you'd enjoy it, you could
try it too."

Fan Xian grinned. Taking his medicine chest, he walked out

of the room like a doctor and closed the door behind him.
Inconspicuously, he scratched out the sleeping drug from
under his fingernail and into the corner of the chest. Fan Xian
admonished himself that this would be the one and only time
he drugged one of his own. Yan Bingyun was indeed
impressive. He was able to quickly regain consciousness
despite being under the influence of chloroform. If he found
out about being drugged, the relationship between him and Fan
Xian would be irreparably damaged.

Hearing what Yan Bingyun said moved Fan Xian greatly. At

the same time, Fan Xian felt consolation after knowing the real
reason behind Yan Bingyun’s unpleasant gaze.
 No one could have thought he and Yan Bingyun would share
such a strange part of their past. Because of a murder case in
Danzhou five years ago, Yan Bingyun was chased up north and
became the head spy for the Overwatch Council. Now, five
years later, it was none other than Fan Xian who had come to
take Yan Bingyun back to Qing. Thinking about this made Fan
Xian laugh. Perhaps everything in this world happened in a
full circle.

"Sir, Master Shen brought alcohol," A servant said.

Fan Xian waved his hand. "Go receive it. I don’t want to see
him." The servant bowed and walked out. Fan Xian frowned.
He had just finished disciplining Mister Cui when Xinyang’s
letter came. That Eldest Princess sure was chasing closely
behind. Presently, Wang Qinian walked in. "A letter from
Sheng Huairen."

Fan Xian read the letter carefully and flashed an expression of

surprise. "What are they playing at?" Raising an eyebrow, he
entered the back courtyard.
 Yan Bingyun was very alert. His hand was already on the
saber nearby when Fan Xian opened the door.

"Relax." Fan Xian looked at Yan Bingyun, who still had his
eyes closed. "No one here will come to assassinate you."

Yan Bingyun slowly opened his eyes. Looking at Fan Xian’s

face, there was a glint of harshness in his eyes. "What did you
give me? Why have I been feeling dizzy?"

"I used some medicine that would calm your spirits," Fan
Xian explained calmly. "The toll on your mental state was too
much. If you want to heal quickly, you need adequate sleep. I
wasn’t expecting your body to be so resistant to the medicine,
so it didn’t really do much, unfortunately."

With that, the matter of drugging Yan Bingyun was covered

up. Fan Xian’s pure and most innocent face was the best
disguise for secret plots.

Yan Bingyun knew Fan Xian came into the room for a reason.
Looking at Fan Xian’s hand, Yan Bingyun asked, "What is it, Sir
Fan?"

Fan Xian shook the letter in his hand and laughed. "A letter
from Eldest Princess."

Yan Bingyun was surprised, but he didn’t show it on his face.

He asked blandly, "What does it have to do with me?"

"Before we return to the capital, you are still the leading spy
of the Overwatch Council." Fan Xian smiled. "That's why I have
to ask for your opinion about what the Imperial court wants to
do."

"Please continue." Yan Bingyun was unmoved.

After hearing the contents of the two letters, Yan Bingyun

frowned. With some silver strands in his brows, he looked
feeble. He asked quietly, "Why does Eldest Princess want to be
involved with these things?"
 Fan Xian said, "I’m only here for your opinion. Regarding
this matter, does the Council need to be involved?"

Yan Bingyun shook his head. "The Council wants Xiao En

dead, but Eldest Princess want us to cooperate with Shang
Shanhu and rescue Xiao En. Two opposite objectives; how can
we cooperate?"

Fan Xian took a seat. Looking at Yan Bingyun’s cold face, he

said, "Putting that issue aside, I need you to tell me about
Northern Qi’s current political situation."

Yan Bingyun gave Fan Xian a look and raised three fingers,
"There are three factions. One is the empress dowager's, one is
the emperor's, and the other one is Shang Shanhu's… However,
since Shang Shanhu has moved back to Shangjing, his power
has been greatly reduced. He must choose to side with either
the emperor or the empress dowager."

He spoke simply, but made very confident deductions—Fan

Xian was silent, and then signaled Yan Bingyun to continue.
"Going along with your views, if Xiao En is Shang Shanhu’s
adoptive father, and if Ku He wants Xiao En dead, then Shang
Shanhu is bound side with the emperor.

"Why?"

"Because the empress dowager is bound to listen to Ku He."

Fan Xian raised his eyebrows and said hesitantly, "True, the
empress dowager is still quite young… but does Ku He still
have those kinds of thoughts?"

That caught Yan Bingyun off guard. It wasn’t until moments

later that Yan Bingyun realized the young Commissioner
misunderstood. Yan Bingyun gave Fan Xian a look of disdain
and said, "Things aren’t as you imagined."
Chapter 226: The Plot
Yan Bingyun explained past events to Fan Xian.

After the Kingdom of Qing's Third Northern Expedition, the

Zhan clan took advantage of the situation, founding the
Kingdom of Qi. However, the founding Emperor unfortunately
passed away before the twelfth year of his rule, leaving behind
the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, who was then only a
few years old, to fill the void at the palace.

Although the Kingdom of Qing had halted their northern

advance, the cruel Chen Pingping was unwilling to let such an
opportunity go to waste. Secretly, he funneled money to and
instigated dissent among a number of nobles of the former
dynasty and cadet branches of the Zhan clan in Shangjing.
Ultimately, this led to a situation in which they attempted to
force the Emperor to abdicate. Seeing that the Empress
Dowager and the young, fatherless Emperor were about to be
ejected from the palace by this rebel faction, Ku He entered the
palace, using his status as a friend and teacher of the recently-
deceased Emperor Zhan Qingfeng.
 At that moment, 3,000 troops surrounded the palace. Ku He
sat in front of the great hall. Behind him were the miserable
mother and child, and a battalion of trembling palace maids
and eunuchs, clutching candlesticks and brooms.

Facing the countless spears and arrows pointed at them, Ku

He sat alone in front of the great hall. No one dared to move a
muscle.

Then the older brother of the Empress Dowager, Chang

Ninghou, crawled through a sewage hole out of the palace,
secretly making contact with Shen Zhong of the Brocade Guard
and linking up with a royalist group. They launched their
counterattack in the palace, and under extremely dangerous
circumstances, managed to stabilize the situation in Shangjing.

After that incident, Ku He did not investigate the matter, and

the Empress Dowager also kept her silence. Those nobles who
had tried to force abdication were not harmed at the time, but
in the days afterward, they did not meet good ends.

So no matter which way one looked at it, the Empress

Dowager's peaceful reign within the palace was all thanks to
Ku He's popularity, and his incomprehensible strength.

"Ku He is so cool." Fan Xian clapped his thighs and sighed in

amazement. "One man keeping back thousands of troops.
'Going forward against thousands.' So damn strong."

Yan Bingyun looked at Fan Xian. His speech was rather

vulgar, he thought, and did not show the proper respect to the
revered four grandmasters. "Ku He is one of the four
grandmasters. He considers himself above earthly matters. But
if he declares a position on a matter, then everyone, no matter
who it is, will find themselves restrained somewhat by fear."

Fan Xian shook his head. "When it came to those idiots who
tried to force the Emperor to abdicate, I don't think Ku He
could really have done anything against a hail of thousands of
arrows."

"Ku He had taken a blood oath to kill whoever dared to sit

upon the Dragon Throne." Yan Bingyun suddenly felt as
though this Council Commissioner had become somewhat
childlike. "With Ku He's terrifying strength, anyone in the
north who he wanted killed would be dead. The moment their
buttocks touched the Dragon Throne, they would find their
heads separated from their shoulders. Who would want to be
Emperor when they couldn't guarantee their own life?"

"A grandmaster?" Fan Xian frowned. For the first time, he felt
that this extraordinary existence was quiet a troublesome one.

"What? Master Fan, you are young and promising. Do you

not pay any attention to the grandmasters?" Yan Bingyun
looked at him coldly.

Fan Xian smiled and said nothing. Of the world's four

grandmasters, he had only seen Ye Liuyun. At the time, he just
felt that he was singing quite a pretty song. As for the
mysterious Wu Zhu, who in truth was an equal of the four
grandmasters... Fan Xian had grown up with him, so he
couldn't get particularly excited about him.

"Tell me more about matters in Shangjing," said Fan Xian,

waving a hand to urge him to carry on. "If the Empress
Dowager listens to Ku He, and Ku He wants Xiao En dead..."
 Yan Bingyun interrupted. "How are you so sure that Ku He
wants Xiao En dead?"

"I have my sources." Fan Xian laughed. He hadn't mentioned

Haitang's name, or the secret of the temple. "So Shang Shanhu
must take the Emperor's side, gathering up all the strength of
the Emperor's faction, and only then will they be able to
protect Xiao En's life... Master Yan, is there any plan we could
make to be able to stand to gain from all this?"

Yan Bingyun shook his head, then suddenly thought of

something. He smiled. "In fact, when it comes to power,
Northern Qi has never been weak. Over these past four years, I
have seen much... but I believe that when compared to Qing,
Northern Qi will never be able to claim victory."

Fan Xian wasn't sure why he had come out with this
conclusion. He had some doubts. Yan Bingyun laughed
happily. "With the royal court sending Xiao En north, within a
year, the balance and peace that the Empress Dowager and the
Emperor have worked so hard to maintain will be broken. I am
quite in awe... in awe of those in the royal court who made
such a plan."
 The one who plotted to send Xiao En back was the Eldest
Princess. Fan Xian's expression remained calm, but he laughed
grimly to himself. "There is nothing to admire. You know that
you were the price of this transaction."

"What do you mean?" said Yan Bingyun, frowning.

"It was the Eldest Princess who singlehandedly sold you out
to the Qi royal court, then arranged with Shang Shanhu to
have Xiao En returned to the North... even if the unrest in the
Qi royal court was a result of matters with Xiao En, do you
really think it could make such great waves? You're simply a
pawn in the hands of the nobles. A pawn should be aware of his
status as a pawn. For you to have such admiration for someone
who holds you in the palm of their hand... I don't understand
it at all."

Fan Xian's words were harsh and carefully chosen. He wanted

to plant a seed of hatred for the Eldest Princess within Yan
Bingyun's heart. To his surprise, Yan Bingyun's face remained
calm, as if he hadn't heard him say anything, and instead he
continued to outline his plan. "We can't interfere in this
matter. The diplomatic mission is stationed on foreign soil,
and since Ku He has made a decision on whether Xiao En may
live or die, we cannot interfere - nor is there any need to."

"I agree," said Fan Xian, looking at him. "But there's

something else that I need your opinion on."

Fan Xian told Yan Bingyun about the past few days' events
with Master Cui. "What do you plan to do?" asked Yan
Bingyun, his face unmoved.

Fan Xian was silent for a while, but since he had already
broached the topic, he decided to continue talking. "The
Council believes that we should gradually reduce the amount
of profit that Xinyang is making from the north."

"That's what the Council believes?" asked Yan Bingyun

calmly, looking Fan Xian in the eye. "I hear that you may be
taking control of the palace treasury in the years to come,
Master Fan."

Fan Xian smiled as if he hadn't heard Yan Bingyun say this.

"Master Yan, you have been imprisoned for the best part of a
year, and yet you're still so well-informed."

There was a long silence before Yan Bingyun suddenly spoke.

"Why are you telling this to me?"

"Because you are most familiar with the lay of the land in the
north. If in the future there is ever a need to tighten our net...
From now on, I must keep a careful eye out, and with you back
in Qing, I will have no strength in the north."

"You have great faith in me, Master Fan," said Yan Bingyun
calmly.

"I never presumed you were merely a simple patient," said

Fan Xian coldly. "I believe that if you wanted to, Master Yan,
you could still stir up trouble in the north."

"Why should I help you?"

 "Because I am your superior officer." Fan Xian's face gradually
turned cold. "I am not asking for your help. I am demanding
your cooperation."

Yan Bingyun could not accept this. He laughed coldly. "On

the day that you do take control of the Overwatch Council,
Commissioner Fan, we will have this discussion again."

Fan Xian smiled and waved his hand. "I know it's not useful
to discuss such things." He paused for a moment. "In truth, my
reasoning is simple. The Eldest Princess is our common enemy.
Not only do I need you, but I believe that you also need me."

Yan Bingyun did not spend long in thought. He gently

nodded, then spoke directly. "As that is the case, then I must
speak plainly. Your plan has been completely wrong from the
start."

"Why do you say so?"

"If you want to gradually reduce the profit that the Eldest
Princess makes from smuggling, then you should not look to
Shen Zhong."

"Shen Zhong is the Provost of the Discipline Commission of

the Brocade Guard. If he's not the key, then who in the north
is?"

Yan Bingyun looked him in the eyes. "Shen Zhong and Chang
Ninghou are both trusted aides of the Empress Dowager... They
have been involved in the Eldest Princess's dealings for many
years... If you want to start from scratch, why not seek out the
young Emperor?"

Fan Xian sighed. "Because I am not sure what the Emperor's

true thoughts are."

"The Emperor of Northern Qi is a clean and honest person. It

is very easy to excite him." Yan Bingyun pointed a finger
upward. "A clean and honest radical faction requires money."

Fan Xian looked at him for a moment in silence. "I trust you,"
he said.
 "Now I deserve your trust," said Yan Bingyun.

Fan Xian gave a secret sigh of relief and patted him on the
shoulder. "Relax. Although the world is theirs for now, it will
be ours in the end." He left the room, leaving Yan Bingyun to
ruminate on his odd words.

Over the next three days, the diplomatic mission still dealt
with diplomatic affairs in the north. Head diplomat Fan Xian
and Yan Bingyun plotted in their chambers. Gradually, Yan
Bingyun no longer concealed anything from him, providing
him with analysis of all the information he had, and very
clearly establishing the ideas that would guide Fan Xian's
future actions.

It was better to move than to stay put; Xinyang was waiting

to make their move, as was the Empress Dowager. Contact only
needed to be made with the palace. Fan Xian considered
whether he should go to pay his respects to Shang Shanhu, but
Yan Bingyun coldly dismissed the idea.

Yan Bingyun did not consider such things to be necessary. If

he needed to do so, he would knock on his door. In Yan
Bingyun's expert eyes, everything that Fan Xian had done since
entering Shangjing had been a complete mess.

Fan Xian received his advice silently, knowing that in such

matters, he was no match for Yan Bingyun. In their chats, they
had mentioned reintegrating their spy network in the north,
but Yan Bingyun was clearly concerned about his capabilities,
so he did not yield.

After dining one day, Fan Xian suddenly spoke. "That

daughter of Shen's was quite capable. If she knew you were
hidden within the diplomatic mission, she would come
calling."

Yan Bingyun's face was like ice, completely unconcerned for

others. "Let Shen Zhong know that he can handle his own
daughter's affairs."

Fan Xian looked at him. He didn't understand how this

young official could have cultivated such a heartless and
detached outlook.
"Going forward against thousands" is a quote from Mencius.
Chapter 227: A Real Man Loves His
Children
Things had settled down in the Qing diplomatic mission. It
was others' turn to worry. Shopkeeper Sheng came by
frequently to deliver wine, obediently passing on greetings
from Xinyang. Shen Zhong also sent a number of invitations to
Fan Xian, who found various excuses each time to turn them
away. Shen Zhong had no way of expressing his anger. Instead,
it was Chang Ninghou who was pained by the revenue that had
been snatched away from him, sullenly urging Shen Zhong to
press on.

Perhaps there was some kind of agreement between the

Eldest Princess and Shang Shanhu, but Xinyang did not have a
particularly established base in Northern Qi. They had always
needed the strength and support of the Overwatch Council.
Persuaded by Fan Xian, Yan Bingyun had finally agreed to his
plan, and they were preparing to utilize the network that had
been built over the past four years.

News from the south suggested that all was peaceful in the
Qing royal court, but a report from the Overwatch Council
mentioned a number of particularly strange recent cases at
Shandong Road; although those killed were commoners, the
methods used were particularly violent. It was a case for the
Ministry of Justice, but they had turned up nothing, so now
the Fourth Bureau of the Overwatch Council had taken up the
case.

Fan Xian didn't pay much attention to this case, and neither
did Yan Bingyun. After all, matters in Shangjing were enough
of a headache as they were, and the two of them were busy
making their plans.

The reasons Fan Xian had for turning down all his
invitations were sufficient, because over the past two days he
had been chatting with that country girl. Thanks to that
country girl's identity, whether it was Shen Zhong or Chang
Ninghou, no one would dare steal her guest away from her.

In Shangjing's quiet alleyways, the pair strolled and chatted,

their words flowing freely, causing a swarm of butterflies
perched on a nearby shrub to scatter.

"Nature is composed of heaven and earth. Man is part of

heaven and earth. When we say that man is part of nature, it
means that human affairs must follow the path of nature.
Then both will be in harmony."

"Harmony is merely appearance. What do you believe to be

the difference between 'man being part of nature' and 'man
being in communication with nature'?"

"Oh, on that, I am unsure. I simply feel that if man follows

the law of earth, earth follows the law of heaven, heaven
follows the way, and the way follows the law of nature, and
thus all can be in harmony."

"Is that still harmony?"

"The greatest harmony."

"What you have said today is quite enlightening, Master Fan.

I am in awe." Though she professed her admiration, the
country girl Haitang still stuck her hands in her pockets and
elongated her steps, walking down the city streets like a lazy
rural woman without the slightest hint of admiration on her
face.
 Fan Xian rubbed his nose, laughing at himself. He thought it
was lucky that the streets were quiet, because if he copied
Haitang's sweeping steps like he had that day in the palace,
anyone looking at them might have died laughing. Seeming to
have guessed what he was thinking, Haitang spoke. "I just feel
it's more comfortable to walk this way. As for how other people
see me, I don't really care."

Fan Xian thought for a moment. She was right. People love
comfort and hate work, and this way of walking was indeed
more comfortable than walking with one's head high and chest
stuck out. The question was, if you really were lazy, why not
lie in bed? As he thought about it, he found himself speaking
without thinking. "I still feel it's more comfortable to lie in
bed. If you wanted, Haitang, we could lie in bed and discuss
literature..."

Haitang looked at him.

Fan Xian laughed, embarrassed, and explained nothing. He

didn't feel any particular attraction toward Haitang, but he
didn't know why walking and talking with her always made
him feel so relaxed.
 After he was reborn, Fan Xian had always wanted to
experience many interesting things and meet many interesting
people. This trip to Northern Qi was taken, to a large extent, in
order to fulfill this psychological need. Although he had come
as part of an assassination plot, things had not been all that
interesting. But having met Yan Bingyun and Haitang, both
interesting people, he felt it was quite worthwhile.

"Master Fan," Haitang began calmly, "I hear that you met
with Shen Zhong the other day?" She extended a hand to pull a
branch off a tree. Summer was slowly arriving, but the past
few days' dense rain meant that the temperature was still cool,
and the branches and leaves still remained as they had been in
spring.

Fan Xian nodded. "We did not part on good terms." He knew
that although Ku He considered himself above court politics, it
seemed that he was more inclined to lend his power to the
Empress Dowager's side, so he guessed why Haitang had asked
such a question.

"Not on good terms?" Haitang smiled, her ordinary face

looking particularly gentle. "I was just curious. If you retract
your proposal so hastily, do you not fear the effects it will have
on your reputation as an official when you return south?"

Fan Xian's heart skipped a beat, but his face did not change. "I
don't quite understand what you mean."

"The Empress Dowager was quite intrigued by your

proposal," said Haitang.

Fan Xian's face dropped slightly. "Haitang, you should know

that these past few days, I have been turning down all
invitations. The reason why I am speaking and walking with
you is entirely because I feel that even though you attacked me
at Wuduhe, you are an extraordinary person, and we would
not talk about such mundane business affairs... Haitang, I
must admit I am rather disappointed in you."

"If I did not talk of such things, perhaps you would feel even
more disappointed, Master Fan." Haitang's mind was set, and
she would not be dissuaded by Fan Xian's flowery words. "The
Empress Dowager wishes to invite you to the palace."
 Fan Xian laughed and cupped his hands in salute. "I must
thank you for passing on the message."

"Master Fan, you said before that truth is the way of Heaven,
and achieving truth is the way of man." Haitang's eyes sparkled
like jade as she fixed Fan Xian with a look that made him feel
distracted. "Since you know the way, how can you not follow
it? Would it not be easier for you to achieve truth?"

Fan Xian took a deep breath, and slowly circulated that

strange and powerful zhenqi through his body, resisting the
pressure that Haitang put on it. He smiled. "There are greater
and lesser ways for man to achieve truth. Truth toward people
is the lesser way. Truth toward Heaven is the greater way... If
you wish to be truthful toward people, Haitang, then why not
tell me of the secret that Xiao En holds, if it is something that
can spur even one as great as your master to action?"

"And what of being truthful toward all that is under

Heaven?" Haitang's lips curled into a smile. "My master is
truthful toward All-Under-Heaven, and thus he cannot say
much. But if the secret that Xiao En has kept for twenty years
were to reach the masses, then I fear decades of chaos would
beset the world."
 Fan Xian was somewhat stunned. He knew something that
others did not - what danger could the temple hold, according
to Haitang?

The two returned to discussing the way, and the mysteries of

theology and philosophy. In any case, Fan Xian had knowledge
of the fundamentals of philosophy from his previous life. He
drew from the theories of Dong Zhongshu, Lu Jiuyuan, and
Wang Yangming, leaving Haitang quite surprised. Only many
years later, as Haitang reflected on it, would she begin to
collate the theories of the gifted scholar Fan, and realize that
the young man had said nothing of value.

For some reason, as spring turned to summer in Shangjing,

the rains were plentiful. What had been faintly warm spring
sunshine turned to cold winds, and the raindrops fell from the
branches and splashed onto their heads.

With a whoosh, Fan Xian opened up his canvas umbrella,

holding it over Haitang's head. In ordinary circumstances,
someone of Fan Xian's status would have a subordinate hold an
umbrella over them when outside. But at that moment it was
only the two of them, and purely in terms of status, it was only
right that he hold the umbrella for Haitang.
 The water slowly drenched the street. Fan Xian looked
calmly at the people around them hiding from the rain. In fact,
he was carefully observing Haitang's steps. The ground was
wet beneath their boots, and Fan Xian had long since given up
on copying the country girl's steps. Now he wanted to see how
she would walk.

Haitang walked the same as before.

Fan Xian shrugged helplessly. He discovered that although

Haitang's feet dragged across the puddles, it seemed that there
was some kind of invisble strength below her boots, dragging
her whole body along, so that the bottom of her boots did not
make contact with the water at all! This was a kind of power
that Fan Xian thought he could never achieve. He couldn't help
but laugh at himself. "Haitang, you float upon the water."

Haitang paid him no mind and carried on walking.

Fan Xian sighed. "There is no way walking that way can be

comfortable."
 "I don't like that Yan Bingyun fellow," said Haitang suddenly.

"I think that since you've always lived deep within the
mountains and the palace, you must not have had much
contact with him."

"Deceiving women for his own benefit; I think it is rather

shameful."

"We are officials. We are not ordinary people." Fan Xian was
explaining on Yan Bingyun's behalf. He did not want young
Master Yan to be remembered by this powerful upper-ninth
level master for all his life. "For the benefit of the Kingdom of
Qing, there are some things that we have no choice but to do."

"Ugliness is ugliness. Don't try to cover it up with the excuse

of being an official."

Fan Xian smiled. "Although he who is without mercy may

not necessarily be a true hero, if one's heart is too soft, how can
one survive in this chaotic world?"
 "Do you believe that this world is chaotic, Master Fan?"

"Man's thoughts are chaotic."

"Do you believe that a chaotic world may produce heroes,

Master Fan?"

"One should not seek to establish a legacy as a hero; one

should merely seek to be a man of character with a clear
conscience."

The two chatted some more before stopping outside a small

temple. Oddly, at that moment, the rain seemed to have
stopped. They were far on the outskirts of the city, and all was
quiet, with no one around them.

Leaves fell upon the stone steps of the temple.

The temple door slowly opened. Fan Xian saw a woman

inside, sitting before a shrine. Somewhat despondent, he
bowed. "Lady Si. It has been some time."

Haitang smiled. "Master Fan, you wish to be a man of

character. Who would have thought that it was just as I
expected? You have tender feelings for the fairer sex."

With a swish, Fan Xian folded up the dripping umbrella. He

looked at Si Lili, who had gotten up to greet him, and smiled.
"He who is without mercy may not necessarily be a true hero,
but a real man is one who loves his children."

Fan Xian quotes from Lu Xun’s Riposte to a Friend - "He who is without mercy may not
necessarily be a true hero/but a real man is one who loves his children. Even the tiger who roars
with the wind/turns back to look at her own tiny cubs."
Chapter 228: Killing in the Alley
"He who is without mercy may not necessarily be a true hero,
but a real man is one who loves his children?" Haitang repeated
it slowly to herself, that ordinary-looking smile of hers
returning to her face. She led Fan Xian through the wooden
temple doors.

"Master Fan." Si Lili curtseyed. A gentle, distant smile

appeared on Fan Xian's face. He cupped his hands and returned
her greeting. "Lady Si, when did you arrive in Shangjing?"

"Thank you for your concern. I arrived three days ago. The
journey was peaceful." Si Lili's eyes dropped. She was still
wearing the thin light-green garment she wore on her journey.
It was warm, so she had no fear of catching a cold.

Fan Xian exchanged some quiet words with her.

Haitang watched calmly to one side. There was a slight smile

behind her eyes; the strangeness between the two of them did
not escape her gaze. Fan Xian felt somewhat odd. Why had
Haitang brought him to this temple to meet Si Lili? And where
were those old palace maids who waited on her constantly? Did
Haitang not know he was a foreign envoy, who should have
kept miles away from the woman who was the object of the
Emperor's desires?

"This is where I live," explained Haitang, seeing Fan Xian's

puzzlement. "Lili cannot enter the palace easily, so His Majesty
has asked me to look after her."

Fan Xian laughed bitterly, then thought of something that Si

Lili had once said. The two women had first met and become
friends in the royal palace of Northern Qi. He suddenly
thought of something - could it be that Ku He also lived in the
royal palace? Although the temple was rather remote, Fan Xian
still felt some apprehension. "I shall wait for you outside," he
said after exchanging a few words with them. Without
awaiting their reply, he left, waiting in the courtyard outside.

After he had left, Haitang looked at Si Lili. There was a

moment of silence before she finally spoke. "I brought him to
see you," said Haitang. "Don't you have anything to say to
him?"
 Si Lili lifted her head, and a hint of frustration showed in her
beautiful face. "I told you I did not want to see him," she said
softly, "and I presume that he does not wish to see me either.
Now he is outside, and I still don't know how to reproach you.
Haitang, you are a troublemaker, even if you are Ku He's
disciple. You shouldn't meddle in such affairs. They are off-
limits."

Haitang smiled calmly. "What is there to fear? His Majesty is

not a narrow-minded man."

Wisps of sweet fragrance gradually filled the air in another

elegant, neat room of the temple. On the table, the color of the
green tea mixed with the amber color of the utensils, creating a
calming sight.

"Why did you bring me to see Si Lili?" Fan Xian sat cross-
legged at the small table, his brow wrinkled; worries had
finally appeared on his elegant face. He had done his utmost to
arrange matters regarding Xiao En; Si Lili was a hot potato
thrown into his hands.
 "I was talking about Yan Bingyun before," said Haitang with a
smile. "I wanted to see whether you were polluted by the
secular world, Master Fan."

"'Polluted by the secular world' is an odd thing to say."

"Master Fan, don't tell me you haven't read the Story of the
Stone?" Haitang seemed astonished.

Fan Xian's heart skipped a beat. He didn't respond, and

simply laughed bitterly. "Miss Haitang, have you
misunderstood something? Si Lili was simply the criminal who
I escorted on her journey. It was simply part of the agreement.
There's nothing between us."

"You have misunderstood me as well," said Haitang calmly.

"The reason I invited you to my home today is because there is
something I need your help with."

"What is it?" asked Fan Xian, getting straight to the point.

 Haitang smiled. "In truth, it was something that vexed His
Majesty when you last stayed in the palace."

Fan Xian looked at her. Her ordinary-looking face had a way

of making people feel closer to her. "Clearly, His Majesty did
not want you to know of his frustration."

Haitang adjusted her right sleeve with her left hand, grasping
a teacup with her fingers and bringing it to her lips. She sipped
gently from it. "His Majesty did not want you to know at first.
But I have been his close friend for a long time, and save for
me, there is no one in the Qi royal court willing to help him
deal with this matter."

"I don't understand." Fan Xian, of course, had guessed what

the young Emperor was distressed about. He smiled. "Since
there is such opposition toward Si Lili entering the palace from
all levels of society, why does the Emperor still wish to have his
own way? Looking at the current situation, since Si Lili can
only stay with you for the time being, I presume that the
Empress Dowager will not allow her to enter the palace.
 "Master Fan, do you think that there is something behind
this?"

"Correct. I have never believed that monarchs can have such

feelings." For some reason, Fan Xian was also faintly unhappy,
and it showed in the vitriol of his words.

Haitang was stunned. She looked at him with her calm eyes,
and after a long while, she spoke. "Rulers are people too. How
can one speak with certainty in matters between men and
women?"

Fan Xian shook his head, and thought of the rulers of his
previous world. Perhaps Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was a
different sort, but ultimately, had Yang Guifei not still died at
Mawei?

"Master Fan, you are married," said Haitang inadvertently.

Fan Xian stared blankly for a moment, then thought of his

wife at home, and of their first meeting before that temple
altar. He couldn't stop his lips from curling into a happy smile.
 Haitang watched his face and sighed to herself. "I hear that
you love your wife dearly, Master Fan. If someone were to stop
you two from being together, then what would you do?"

Fan Xian raised his eyebrows and did not reply. But if anyone
truly did dare to get between him and Wan'er, then they would
bring about their own destruction. Gradually, he seemed to
understand the mood of the young Emperor in his palace. But
when he remembered that the object of his affection was Si
Lili, Fan Xian felt somewhat odd - even though his agreement
with Si Lili was only an agreement that they would both make
use of each other.

Haitang's request was, in truth, what Fan Xian wanted. If Si

Lili could not enter the palace, then the losers would be the
Overwatch Council of the Kingdom of Qing. He just couldn't
guess what the Emperor wanted from Fan Xian.

"At all levels of society, no one wants to help His Majesty get
Si Lili into the palace. You should know that there were some
issues with Lili's identity in the south. And I am limited in my
position; in this matter I have no right to speak."
 Fan Xian laughed coldly. "Of course, she would give her life
for Northern Qi. But do you mean to say that I have the right to
speak on this? I am simply a foreign envoy. After Wuduhe, this
business should have nothing to do with me."

Haitang smiled. "His Majesty and I wish to make use of your

wisdom."

Fan Xian laughed involuntarily, smoothing the errant hairs

on his head with a finger. "You really do think highly of me,
Haitang."

"Master Fan, you were born in complete obscurity, but in a

short time, you became the immortal of poetry, watched by the
entire world. Of all the people in the south who have real
authority, if you say you have no wisdom, no one would
believe that."

"I will think of a way, but I do not know if it will be

successful." Fan Xian took a sip of the leftover tea on the table.
"The Empress Dowager is the key. If she is not willing, then
there's nothing that will work."
 Haitang stood up from her seat in a polite gesture. "Thank
you in advance."

"It seems that you and Si Lili are good friends." Fan Xian
returned her bow. "If I should need your help in the future, I
hope that you remember the feelings between us today."

"As long as it does not involve the politics of this country,

then there is nothing I will not do," replied Haitang, her face
expressionless.

"Do not worry. What I will ask you to do may never happen.
If it does happen, then it will only be a domestic issue for us in
Qing, and it will not require you to betray the way of nature
that you have sought after all your life."

"That is for the best," said Haitang, relieved.

Fan Xian was the head diplomat from the south, and his
every move in Shangjing was observed by Northern Qi. This
was something that all diplomats tacitly agreed to and were
accustomed to, so it was hard to find an opportunity to act
completely freely. But today was an exception, because Fan
Xian was walking with Haitang, and Haitang clearly did not
like having those Brocade Guard rats following her. So as they
walked under their umbrella in the rain, they seemed to walk
along leisurely. Having thrown them off their tail, they
believed that the Brocade Guard would not have the gall to
openly show any opposition to Haitang. And yet they still
dared to follow them.

Coming out of the temple where the two young ladies stayed,
Fan Xian stretched his body out, and discovered that there
were two Brocade Guards on the street corner that he had not
seen before. A smile floated across his face, and he walked
toward the street corner into an alleyway.

The weather had not cleared up after the rain, and a cool
breeze occasionally brushed past the raindrops that hung from
the tree branches, splashing them against his face.

Thinking of Si Lili and the Emperor, Fan Xian still did not
fully understand, but the topic that Haitang had just brought
up had filled this youth, who had not yet turned seventeen,
with thoughts of returning to the Qing capital, of returning to
his wife and his sister's side. A feeling of homesickness began
to well up in him, and warmth began to flood his heart.

People were passing through the alley, a few coolies dragging

handcarts behind them, hurrying toward the shops where they
worked. The smile on Fan Xian's face was as gentle as sunshine
as he strolled through the alley.

As the handcart brushed past him, Fan Xian flicked his wrist,
thrusting with the black dagger he had concealed in the palm
of his hand!

With a spluttering sound, the dagger stuck into the throat of

the coolie - a spy in disguise - the cold edge of the blade
meeting flesh. He collapsed to the floor, dead.

The next moment, Fan Xian stepped onto the overturned

handcart, his body flying through the alley like a shadow,
poison needles clasped in his fingers, sticking them into a
pressure point in one man's chest. His left hand moved
strangely under his right armpit, and he fired off three
crossbow bolts, killing another stunned man instantly.
 Turning his hand over, he chopped at the cervical vertebra of
the paralyzed man, breaking it to pieces. Fan Xian shed his
outer layer of clothing, turned around, and used his rain hat to
cover up his face, covering up his sunshine-like smile. He
pulled the crossbow bolts from the man's body and walked out
of the alley.

Yang Guifei was the concubine of Emperor Xuanzong, renowned for her beauty. After a mutiny
at Mawei Courier Station (in modern-day Shaanxi), Xuanzong acquiesced to the soldiers' demand
that Yang be put to death.
Chapter 229: Shangjing’s Secret Agents
After coming out of the temple, Fan Xian had been followed
by three people. He didn't know whether they were spies from
the Brocade Guard or men from the palace, but whoever they
were, he was not going to let them follow him today.

Having picked off those three adversaries, Fan Xian made

sure once more that there was nobody following him, and then
finally set off again. After exiting the alley, he did not get into a
carriage, because any contact he made with people would leave
traces that could be followed by Northern Qi. On the damp
street, the passersby slowly grew in number. Under cover of
the crowd, Fan Xian lowered his head, and quietly walked
alongside the masses of this foreign country.

According to Overwatch Council procedures for losing a tail,

he was supposed to look for a fabric store or similar
establishment, and then exit through the rear door, making a
number of twists and turns before finally arriving at his
destination. But Fan Xian did not employ this method. Firstly,
he did not believe that anyone was following him; secondly, he
believed that the more twists and turns he made, the more
people he would come into contact with, which would make
him more easily discovered. He crept carefully and secretly
into an official's residence, unsure what he was going to do
there.

Luckily, at that moment, the skies above Shangjing began to

open once more. The fine rain was silent but visible, and it
effectively covered up his tracks.

Near the Royal Academy in the southern district of

Shangjing, there was a neighborhood where commoners lived
known as Zhangjiadian. It was a mixture of good people and
riff-raff, filled with the hustle and bustle of everyday life, but
in the past few years, order had been reasonably well-kept. On
top of that, living quarters were cheap, so it had slowly become
more crowded. Petty merchants without much of their own
money had also begun hawking their wares there, making
some extra cash. They set up shop fronts on the street and sat
there doing business.

This area was unlike Xiushui Street; here, they sold everyday
goods at cheap prices, and naturally not of the best quality.
The third shop that one passed on the east side of the
neighborhood was one such establishment. The shop sold palm
oil that had come from overseas, imported through the City of
Dongyi. Although it was cheap, it tasted fairly good. But its
color was unappealing, particularly in the winter months,
when a layer of white scum would form over it. As a result,
households with a little bit more money would opt for
rapeseed oil from the east of the Kingdom of Qi.

Luckily, the majority of people always lacked disposable

income, so this oil merchant, who didn't even have a sign
outside the storefront, still managed to keep going. But he
didn't employ staff; other than the shopkeeper, there was only
one part-time shop assistant.

It had been raining on and off all day, and there were not
many people walking out and about in Zhangjiadian. Today it
was less busy, but the oil merchant's business had little to do
with weather conditions. Any household who had no oil to
cook with would stop by, so the oil merchant was not worried.
Instead, he set out a stool and sat in the doorway to his shop,
watching the rain fall outside.

Perhaps he really was getting old. The young shop assistant

had seen him staring blankly into space a number of times this
year, much more than he had before.
 "Shopkeeper, I'd like to buy some oil." Someone stood at the
entrance to the shop, blocking out the drab daylight from
outside. The shopkeeper waved a hand and ushered him in.

The person took off a rain hat to reveal an ordinary-looking

face. He laughed and entered the store. "Young man," he said to
the yawning shop assistant, "I'd like to buy some oil."

"What kind of oil would you like?" asked the shop assistant,
all smiles. "We've palm oil, and we've also just had some
rapeseed oil come in from the east of Qi." The shop assistant
was respectful, but secretly felt apprehensive. If they came into
the shop, of course they wanted to buy oil. Why waste words?

"Give me half a catty of palm oil."

"Very well," said the shop assistant in a loud, clear voice. He

nimbly poured and weighed the oil, then saw that the person's
hands were empty. He couldn't help but scratch his head. "Sir,
how are you going to carry it?"

"Do you have pots here?"

 "We do. Three coins for one wooden pot." The shop assistant
was happy to be doing business.

The customer said nothing as they took their oil-filled pot.

He seemed to be thinking about something.

"Is there anything else?" asked the shopkeeper curiously.

"Do you have sesame oil?"

"Do we have sesame oil?" he asked out loud, not particularly

loudly. Sitting in the doorway, the old shopkeeper's withered
right hand trembled.

"We don't have anything that high-quality, I'm afraid," said

the shop assistant dispiritedly. "This is Zhangjiadian, nobody
can afford sesame oil around here." As he spoke, the
shopkeeper slowly made his way back to the counter and
waved a hand to dismiss the shop assistant. He looked at the
customer and smiled.
 "Sesame oil is too expensive. Except on festive occasions,
people don't normally buy it. There's still half a year until the
next festival, so we haven't ordered any."

"It's not just for festival days. It's also for holding
remembrance ceremonies for people," said the customer,
smiling.

The old shopkeeper became more respectful. "If you tell us

how much, then we can place an order on your behalf, sir."

The conversation had reached its crux, so the two men

lowered their voices. But the customer's memory was very
good, so he rattled off the weight he needed clearly and
unambiguously. "I want seven catties, three taels, nine maces
and four hao... of palm oil."

The old shopkeeper shuffled the beads on his abacus. "There's

an issue with the price," he said reluctantly. "Sir, would you
mind stepping into the back room to discuss the matter
further?"
 "Sure."

The old shopkeeper told the shop assistant to keep an eye on

things, then led the customer into the back room. The shop
assistant realized at that moment that the man was not
discussing buying oil, but selling oil. He couldn't help but
stand slack-jawed, thinking how lucky it was that he had
managed not to offend this sesame-oil seller.

This sesame oil merchant was, of course, Fan Xian in

disguise. He followed the shopkeeper into the back room, and
found that that it was completely unlike the meeting place he
had imagined - it was bright and airy.

They did not exchange pleasantries over cups of tea. The

shopkeeper looked at Fan Xian, caution showing in his old,
muddy eyes. "Did you come from the south, sir?"

Fan Xian nodded.

The old shopkeeper made a welcoming gesture. Fan Xian

breathed a secret sigh of relief. Yan Bingyun's procedure had
been rather complicated, and begrudgingly, he had no choice
but to reel off another string of numbers.

At that moment, the shopkeeper finally confirmed his

identity, and he felt his whole body relax. He fished around in
his sleeves, his hands trembling, and took out a knife coated in
poison. Fan Xian understood that if a visitor was a Qi spy, the
shopkeeper would have to break things off with him
immediately.

This was also why Yan Bingyun had felt so humiliated after
his capture.

The shopkeeper looked at him. "Sir, are you part of the

Overwatch Council?"

Fan Xian shook his head. "I think that given the current
circumstances, it's best we keep words to a minimum."

The shopkeeper laughed bitterly. "It has already been a year,

a whole year, and we've heard no news from above. After the
incident with the spymaster, the royal court has not sent a
single person to take over his position. I presumed that the
royal court was preparing to have us go silent."

By "going silent", he meant for a spy in enemy territory to

immediately cease all action after a problem arises to avoid
being exposed. The period of silence might only last a month...
or it might last a decade.

Fan Xian frowned. As head of a spy network, Yan Bingyun's

capture was impossible, because he did not need to personally
take on the dangerous duties of delivering information back to
Qing or making inquiries himself. But the Eldest Princess had
made her move, leaving the Overwatch Council's northern spy
network paralyzed.

While Yan Bingyun had been in Northern Qi's hands, the

royal court and the Overwatch Council had not dared to take
the risk of getting in touch with those who had gone silent, and
so there had been a year-long period of silence.

"I hope that a year of inactivity hasn't meant that everyone's

gotten rusty."
 "Do not worry, sir." The shopkeeper knew that as the young
man had been able to take Yan's place, he was definitely a
formidable member of the Council. Smelling the faint scent of
blood on him, the shopkeeper was careful to respond. "I await
your orders, sir."

"There are three matters; some urgent, others not." Fan Xian
looked at the old man. He knew that he and the countless other
Council spies had had a very difficult year, drifting in the
wilderness like homeless orphans, so he made sure to speak
gently. "The most important matter is that we immediately
find out where Xiao En has been taken. The second matter is to
investigate the true reason for the hostility between the
Empress Dowager and the Emperor."

This was something that Fan Xian did not understand. It

seemed that the young Emperor had bitten off more than he
could chew.

The shopkeeper's face did not change. Although he knew that

both of these tasks were extremely difficult, he could only
calmly wait for the young man to give his third order.
 "Investigating Xiao En's whereabouts is urgent; the matter in
the palace less so." Fan Xian muttered something to himself.
"As for the third order, I want to make something clear: the
palace treasury has been smuggling goods to the north these
past few years."

The shopkeeper squinted. There was a strange light in his

eyes. "That is an issue regarding Xinyang, sir. Has the Council
finally decided to make a move?"

Fan Xian shook his head. "Find... find out the truth for me,
but don't make a single move against them. Make sure every
factor that can be controlled is controlled. If the Council
decides to make a move in the future, you need to make sure
that everything you have at hand is enough to salvage this
route entirely.'

"Understood." The shopkeeper knew that this was a long-

term mission, and that he could take his time.

Fan Xian was thinking about something else. He didn't know

whether that business with Master Cui was his mother-in-law's
attempt to test him, or whether she was now making demands
of him, so he had been forbearing. Although Xinyang did not
know that the business with the pamphlets and Guangxin
Palace was Fan Xian's doing, the clash in the Ministry of
Justice had gradually brought his conflict with the Eldest
Princess to the surface.

Catties, taels, maces, and hao were all units of measurement used in imperial China.
Chapter 230: Happy News
"How should I respond, sir?"

This was a crucial point. Fan Xian was not sure how Yan
Bingyun had first made contact with the agents under his
command, so he was careful not to act without thinking
carefully. "There won't be a specific handler in Shangjing
within the next two months, but I'll appoint someone
responsible for getting in touch with you for the time being."

The old shopkeeper looked somewhat concerned. "I ask that

you exercise caution, sir. In the 20 years since Xiao En's
capture, the Northern Qi Brocade Guard have been nowhere
near on a par with the Red Riders of Northern Wei. But in an
enemy nation, a subordinate must still consider those beneath
him."

Fan Xian nodded. This was also why the Overwatch Council
had not dared to contact those "orphans" abandoned in the
north over the past year. "Do not worry," he said calmly. "I'll
find the least trackable person in the whole Council."
 Of course, he meant Wang Qinian, a man who had spent his
life tracking others without ever being caught.

He couldn't hang around too long in that place. After

exchanging a few words, Fan Xian got ready to leave, but
before he did so, he suddenly had something else to say.
"Change the password."

"Yes, sir," said the shopkeeper, bowing slightly.

"One-three-one-four-five-two-seven-seven-seven."

"Yes, sir." The shopkeeper repeated the seemingly random

string of numbers without a single mistake.

Fan Xian nodded, satisfied, then returned to the main room.

Like a merchant, he cupped his hands in farewell to the
shopkeeper, not forgetting to pick up his two pots of oil. Seeing
the customer leave, the young shop assistant poked fun at the
shopkeeper. "Boss, isn't it a little early to be ordering in sesame
oil?"
 The shopkeeper looked at him and smiled. "Yes, well, it's big
business."

The shop assistant pondered for a moment. Could such a

crummy oil shop as their own really be doing business deals
like the oil merchants of Dongyi? Several hundred catties of oil
was big business indeed. The young man couldn't help but
frown upon the old man's unthinking moneygrubbing.

Fan Xian carefully disposed of the oil he was carrying as he

walked along the road. He didn't dare give it to a beggar, or
casually throw it away, because the most crucial point of the
Overwatch Council's spy operating procedures was that one
should not underestimate the enemy's capabilities. Although
Provost Shen Zhong of the Brocade Guard did not seem all that
powerful on that rainy night in the brothel, Fan Xian knew
that that was merely a pretence.

After having disposed completely of his jars of oil, Fan Xian

set off on the road back to the diplomatic mission. The sky was
darkening, and the crowds on the streets were thinning out. As
he crossed an arch bridge over the Yuquan River, Fan Xian
wiped his face with rainwater. Using both his hands, he got rid
of the make-up he'd taken from the young lady's dwelling. It
formed a dirty clump of reddish-yellow powder in the palms of
his hands.

He ran his hand along the stone lions on the arch bridge, and
the powder fell from his palms, quietly mixing in with the
river water. No one would find even a trace of it.

Leaving the bridge and going through an alley, and turning

making a turn to exit from a row of houses, Fan Xian had
already regained his true features. He took off his rain hat and
turned his clothing inside out, and he looked just as he had
when he was leaving Haitang - handsome and elegant.

He returned to the diplomatic mission with a swagger in his

step. The Brocade Guards, who had spent most of the days
drinking tea, looked at him a little strangely. Fan Xian knew
that news of the deaths of those three saboteurs had no doubt
reached Shen Zhong's ears, but the Brocade Guard could only
keep it to themselves. As for when they would make reprisals,
that was none of Fan Xian's concern.

In the most secluded courtyard of the compound, under its

long eaves, Yan Bingyun lay on a low couch. The couch was
covered with a soft embroidered quilt. Although Fan Xian had
treated his wounds, it would take a long time to recover from
the torment he had suffered over the past year. There were
wounds all over his body which he could not bear to be
touched, so Fan Xian had thought of a way to keep him covered
up. Thankfully the weather had not been too warm recently.

Though he knew that the detached northern spymaster was

now emotionally and physically exhausted during the process
of his recovery, Fan Xian still felt somewhat ashamed to have
to trouble him, having relied on Yan Bingyun's strategies over
the past few days in Northern Qi.

After Fan Xian gave him a brief explanation about what had
happened that day, Yan Bingyun looked at him gloomily. "I
hope you did not leave any tracks, sir. Otherwise my
subordinates will all be rooted out. Even if you are
Commissioner of the Overwatch Council, I will have to take
you to tribunal."

Fan Xian shook his head. "I know that your power goes far
beyond that. Although the individual contacts are safe,
efficiency is too low. There are a number of other aspects that
you will need to find a way to set in motion, but I probably
don't have the time to deal with them. I am getting ready to
hand the contacts over to Wang Qinian - I'm not sure how you
feel about that proposal."

There was a strange look in Yan Bingyun's eyes. The past few
days, this young high official had shown that he could only
work in accordance with the rules. His greatest merit was that
he was good at listening to his opinions. But today, he had hit
the nail on the head when it came to the network in the north;
it seemed that he was quite capable indeed.

"I'm happy with Wang Qinian..." He deliberated for a

moment. "Of all those in the Council who hid themselves in
the north at the earliest opportunity, Master Wang is one of
them."

Fan Xian was a little surprised. He hadn't expected Wang

Qinian to have been doing this since the beginning. "According
to your plans," continued Yan Bingyun, "we can co-ordinate
with Shang Shanhu and dig Xiao En out from his whereabouts.
But I hope that the Council's men will not get too deeply
involved."
 Fan Xian responded to his request, knowing that he didn't
want those hidden in the north involved because they had paid
too high a price for the internal struggles of the court. "Don't
worry," he promised, "I will act appropriately."

Yan Bingyun frowned. "Shang Shanhu is a lion. It is a pity he

cannot find a position of strength in Shangjing and so he can
only seek the Eldest Princess's help. As officials, we act on
behalf of the Eldest Princess's will, as it should be by rights,
but you must indeed act appropriately... I believe that the day
when Shang Shanhu moves to rescue Xiao En will also be the
day that the Eldest Princess and Shen Zhong get rid of the
power of the army."

Fan Xian knew that the seemingly-indifferent official had

guessed what he wanted to do. He couldn't say much more.
"That is what I would like to see. I cannot underestimate the
strength of Shen Zhong's control over Shangjing... Let them
fight amongst themselves. In any case, it won't do Qing any
harm."

After leaving the rear courtyard, Fan Xian found Wang

Qinian and told him of his duties. Wang Qinian memorized the
string of numbers, knowing that in the days to come, he would
be responsible for this dangerous and important task. He was
not that old shopkeeper at the oil shop; he was Fan Xian's
trusted aide. So he had the courage to ask something. "One-
three-one-four-five-two-seven-seven-seven... Sir, it seems like
that string of numbers represents something."

"All my life I love money, money, money." Fan Xian laughed.

In the dialect of Danzhou, the words for 'money' and 'seven'
sounded very similar.

Business had been good for the old oil-sellar over the past few
days, and he'd sold a number of barrels of oil. News came to
him in secret, and he began to re-establish contact with the
Overwatch Council's network in the north after a year of
silence. It hadn't taken much time. The spies, disguised as
ordinary Northern Qi citizens, had all received their first
missions in over a year.

Reports began to be fed back through all types of channels.

They were collated and summarized by a number of personnel
at the ends of the lines of communication, and finally sent to
the oil store in Zhangjiadian.
 At the same time, the Qing diplomatic mission attended a
number of banquets, increasing their capacity for liquor
considerably. Of course, shopkeeper Sheng from Xiushui Street
ran over to the diplomatic mission's quarters a number of
times, attempting to flatter Fan Xian, believing that he could
get the information that both Xinyang and Shang Shanhu
wanted from him.

They acted as mediators, handling a lot of information and

choosing reports for further analysis. Finally, the one who
came up with a precise conclusion was Yan Bingyun, who had
spent his days in the rear courtyard, frequently coughing.

Fan Xian did not have too much to do. After all, he was the
chief diplomat, and was busy drinking and entertaining guests.
And today, he was entering the palace accompanied by
Haitang. Haitang had told him a few days ago that the Empress
Dowager had invited him to the palace to discuss business.

For Fan Xian, drinking was a happy occasion, and to drink

with the still-attractive Empress Dowager of an enemy nation
wasn't too bad either. But after Fan Xian had returned to the
diplomatic mission, all of the officials and subordinates knew
that he was not in a good mood, but no one knew why.
 In his chambers, Fan Xian gave Lin Jing a cold glare. "Who is
the chief diplomat of this mission? Master Lin or I?"

Lin Jing felt uneasy. "Why are you asking such a thing,
Master Fan?" he asked nervously. "You're in charge, of course."

"Good, good." Fan Xian laughed. "So, tell me, Master Lin,
when I entered the palace today, why did the Empress Dowager
inform me that the Great Prince of Qing was to be married to
the princess of Northern Qi? Is that not quite a major event?
Why was I not made aware of this at any point since setting off
for this mission? Honglu Temple and Taichang Temple have
arranged this marriage over these past few days. Was I meant
only to learn of it when escorting the princess on our return
trip to Qing?"

Lin Jing gave a sigh of relief, given that this was all that the
problem was. "Sir," he said with a smile, "please don't blame
Lin Wen and me. We simply passed on handwritten letters
from the Empress Dowager of Qing, addressed to the Empress
Dowager of Qi. As lowly officials, there was no way for us to
know that the two women were arranging their children's
marriage in their letters. When news came from the palace,
what could we say? I wanted to inform you, sir, but you have
not been in the mission over the past few days, so I haven't had
the chance to do so."

Lin Jing rolled his eyes. He knew that the young man was
angry, and he smiled as he passed him a letter. "The official
proclamation will arrive soon. This is a secret letter from the
royal court, explaining His Majesty and the Empress Dowager's
position. Of course, they want this wedding to go ahead... In
fact, there are two happy occasions to celebrate.
Congratulations, Master Fan."

"One-three-one-four-five-two-seven-seven-seven" is pronounced yi san yi si wu er qi qi qi. "All

my life I love money, money, money" is pronounced yi sheng yi si wo ai qian qian qian.
Chapter 231: Ruoruo Is Getting Married!
"Congratulations?! Stop screwing around!" Fan Xian became
angry at the thought of more things to deal with. He even did a
full imitation of Chen Pingping’s catchphrase: "They worry so
much over nothing, but they don't care if they work us half to
death."

Such outrageous heresy startled Lin Wen, who tried to

explain. "The Imperial court has rules in dealing with things.
But the palace has its own ways. Sir, there’s no need to be
overly concerned."

Fan Xian nodded. While this marriage seemed improper,

seeing both sides in such a panic made Fan Xian believe that
this was the scenario that everyone wanted. However, since
Southern Qing and Northern Qi were currently the two most
powerful nations, if the two were to join through political
marriage, the emperors of nearby lesser nations probably
wouldn't be laughing anymore. Of course, the most
troublesome aspect would still be Dongyu City, which was
guarded by Sigu Sword practitioners.
 "Oh yeah. Didn't you just say there’s something worth
celebrating?" Fan Xian frowned, not knowing what there was
for him to celebrate about the Great Prince’s marriage.

The Lin brothers looked at each other and chuckled. "You

will know after reading this letter from the court."
Customarily, since the head diplomat wasn’t present to receive
a letter from the Imperial court, Lin Jing, as the vice-diplomat,
had the authority to open it.

"Just tell me." Fan Xian rubbed the area between his
eyebrows, feeling a sense of uneasy that came from nowhere
and was getting more intense.

"As you wish." Lin Jing smiled. "The Great Prince’s marriage
has been arranged, as has the Second Prince’s. As per His
Majesty’s order, the Second Princes is to marry Ye Ling’er next
spring."

Fan Xian paused slightly. The news gave him a strange

feeling. "That young girl who calls me mentor is also getting
married?" He had met the Second Prince and knew the Second
Prince was well-educated, yet he was still unsettled and
worried for Ye Ling’er. At the same time, he wondered what His
Majesty was planning. This marriage would bind the Second
Prince and the Ye household together. Could His Majesty really
wish to… change the candidate for crown prince?

While shocked, Fan Xian did not show it on his face, "What
does that have to do with me?"

Lin Wen spoke before his brother did. "Congratulations, Sir

Fan. His Majesty also complimented the Young Lady of the
esteemed manor as being virtuous and cultured, and arranged
her to marry Prince Li Hongcheng…"

"The Young Lady of the esteemed manor?" Fan Xian felt

stupid, "Which manor is that?" Only after a while did he
realize something. "Could it be Ruoruo?"

Ruoruo is going to be married to Li Hongcheng?

"No!" Unexpectedly, Fan Xian stood up and whipped his

sleeves!
 The officials nearby all opened their mouths wide, not
knowing why Sir Fan had reacted so strongly after finding out
about his sister’s marriage. Their congratulations had been
genuine. In the Fan family, Count Sinan Fan Jian was the
Minister of Revenue who was in control of Qing’s money and
food; Fan Xian was the Commissioner of the Overwatch
Council and was married to the daughter of the Prime Minister
who held a distinguished status; now Young Lady Fan was to
marry Li Hongcheng, a proper prince… they would be the most
influential family in Qing.

To think Sir Fan responded with… rejection?!

Fan Xian lost focus for a moment. He looked at everyone’s

shocked expression. Immediately, however, he recollected
himself and laughed. "That won’t do. Li Hongcheng visits
brothels every day. If I, his brother-in-law, do not approve of
him, there’s no way I’d give my sister to him unless he plies me
with a few hundred jars of top-quality liquor."

Fan Xian covered himself well. The various officials knew he

and Crown Prince Jing were good friends, and therefore Fan
Xian must have been joking.
 The officials laughed along. Some promised to pay Fan
Manor a visit after returning to the capital, while others joked
to go with Sir Fan to find Crown Prince Jing and try to get
some wine out of him.

Fan Xian chatted with officials with a lively expression,

acting just like an elder brother who was overjoyed by news of
his younger sister’s marriage.

After the crowd dispersed, Fan Xian walked alone to the quiet
rear courtyard. Standing next to a pillar, he stared at the stars
peeking out between the dark clouds in the south. He was
speechless for a long time.

My younger sister is getting married.

My younger sister is getting married!

He knew this was going to happen sooner or later. Not too

long after he arrived into this world, when he told the story of
Snow White to that little girl in Danzhou, he knew that little
yellow monkey would get married to someone someday.
Through the letters between the capital and Danzhou, Fan Xian
also thought about the girl he was writing to, whom he had yet
to meet. She, too, would get married to some man one day.

After coming to the capital, he finally met her. She was

intelligent and revered him both as an elder brother and a
mentor. Fan Xian chuckled as he thought of how her life would
be difficult if she were to marry an ordinary man.

One day—perhaps on the day when Fan Xian guessed his

identity—Fan Xian started to purposely refuse to think about
his sister getting married.

Even after the emperor told both of them that he would

arrange Ruoruo an excellent marriage, Fan Xian still refused to
think about it.

But things couldn’t always change according to one’s desires.

After Fan Xian’s marriage, Fan Ruoruo’s marriage naturally
came next.
 Fan Xian gently tapped the pillar next to him. His mind was a
mess. He had once discussed this with his sister, promising her
that, as her brother, he would definitely find her a good
husband. But now that things had reached this point, Fan
Xian, who always liked to play dumb, actually started to feel
like he was. Countless lines darted across his mind, making
breathing and thinking difficult.

The sound of his palm slapping the pillar echoed in the yard.

"What a racket." A cold voice came from the other end of the
hallway.

Fan Xian smiled bitterly. He was so shaken that he forgot Yan

Bingyun shared this courtyard with him.

"Sir, you appear troubled." Yan Bingyun wasn’t speaking out

of concern, but out of curiosity, since this Commissioner
normally kept his thoughts to himself while putting on a clear
and cheery front.
 Fan Xian stopped looking at the night sky and thought for a
moment. "My sister is getting married."

"The young lady of the Fan household?" Yan Bingyun said

quietly. "A talented woman, famous in the capital. This
marriage must have been arranged by His Majesty."

"Indeed. My future brother-in-law is Crown Prince Jing, Li

Hongcheng."

Yan Bingyun said, "All the young men in the capital knew he
liked your sister."

Fan Xian blanked out a bit. "Really? How come I never knew
that?"

"I hear that you and Li Hongchen are good friends. Now with
Fan Manor joining King Jing, outside of a few members of the
royal family, there really isn’t anyone comparable. Sir, I must
congratulate you."
 Fan Xian felt that Yan Bingyun’s cold congratulation held a
hint of malice. He tilted his head and smiled. "True, it is joyful
indeed."

"If so, why are you so worried?"

Fan Xian smiled, "Hongcheng is my friend, of course I like

him. However…" He shrugged, "having a frequent visitor of
pleasure boats as my brother-in-law; I believe anyone would be
worried."

Yan Bingyun coughed twice and jeered. "Sir Fan, are you
saying you have never visited a brothel in your life?"

Fan Xian shook his head with a smile; he was in a strange

mood today and didn’t want to argue with Yan Bingyun.
Currently there were no candles lit inside and the stars were
scarce in the sky. It was all dark and quiet in the courtyard. Fan
Xian turned around to look at Yan Bingyun’s constant
coldness. Suddenly, something came to him and he asked:

"Do you want to marry my sister?"

 "Nonsense!" Yan Bingyun chided such an absurd question.

Fan Xian shrugged and sighed. "Figures. You only love

yourself; you wouldn’t know how to treasure a woman."

Yan Bingyun ignored him.

Fan Xian continued, "How did things conclude with Miss

Shen? You lied to her. Shen Zhong isn’t a push-over."

Yan Bingyun’s face was chilling as always, but Fan Xian, with
his sharp eyes, finally discovered a hint of sadness in Yan
Bingyun’s eyes. Yan Bingyun said quietly, "I’m no lecher. As for
Miss Shen… there’s nothing going on between us."

Fan Xian understood. Yan Bingyun and Miss Shen were

bound to live their separate lives far apart. While Fan Xian
didn’t know whether Yan Bingyun had been emotionally
moved by the separation, he should have felt at least somewhat
guilty.
 Fan Xian’s thoughts once again returned to Ruoruo’s
marriage, and his worries resurfaced. Truthfully, everyone was
right; it would be better for Ruoruo to marry Li Hongcheng
than the other princes. Fan Xian should be happy about this,
but he couldn’t be.

In truth, not even Fan Xian knew what he himself was

thinking. But perhaps some details—his initial reactions, such
as first rising, or then dimly clapping his hands—revealed his
deepest wishes that even he was no aware of.

He said to Yan Bingyun, "Of course Miss Shen can't marry

you. But if… if that possibility existed, what would you do?"

"I never dwell on the impossible," Yan Bingyun replied coldly.

Fan Xian grinned and left. Yan Bingyun, staring at his figure,
which disappeared into the darkness, fell deep into thought.
Chapter 232: The More The Merrier
The three weddings were three brief interludes, or at least
that was how it seemed. No one knew of Fan Xian's frustration.
When he thought of the hidden possibilities, Fan Xian felt his
blood run cold. He was unsure what to say. He was far away in
a foreign land, and Wu Zhu - the only person he could truly
speak freely with - had disappeared without a trace. There was
no way he could discuss this.

Some things have to be talked over, but this could not be

spoken of with anyone.

To an observer's eyes, Fan Xian seemed overjoyed. He had

already begun to make preparations for returning to the Qing
capital. The officials presumed Fan Xian was anxious to return
to the capital and get ready for his sister's wedding, while also
attempting to derive his own benefit out of the marriage at the
royal court. No one knew that beneath Fan Xian's calm, even
happy exterior, he had already rid himself of his initial
astonishment and had begun to follow the steps of a plan he
had drawn up a long time ago.
 Yan Bingyun's had certainly been of assistance to Fan Xian.
He presumed that Yan was correct to some extent - there was
no use overthinking the impossible - but at the same time, he
told himself that if Ruoruo wanted to get married, then as her
brother, he wanted to make sure that her marriage was a
grand, happy, blessed one. Even if Li Hongcheng had gotten
caught up in the Second Prince's attempts to usurp his
position, for Ruoruo's sake, Fan Xian wanted to make sure that
peace reigned in King Jing's household.

Of course, if Ruoruo did not want to get married, then that

was an entirely different story.

Having concluded his thoughts on the matter, Fan Xian was

calm once more - at least on the surface.

He had visited the palace twice over the past few days,
mainly to handle the matter of the first ever marriage union
between the two countries since their founding. It was no
small matter, and no one dared to neglect it, including Fan
Xian. What made Fan Xian happy was the fact that, under
pressure from the imperial concubines, Shen Zhong and Chang
Ninghou had finally bowed their heads, and the spy agencies of
both nations had made initial steps toward sharing the profit
for goods imported into the north through irregular channels
in the coming years. As part of this plan, Fan Xian - as an
important figure in both the Overwatch Council and the palace
treasury - was guaranteed to profit handsomely.

In truth, this in itself did not make Fan Xian feel gratified,
because although his plan needed financial support from now
on, the proceeds of smuggling were still not as great as he had
planned them to be. What really made him happy was the fact
that, since the channels needed to be changed, pressure would
be put on exports from Xinyang, reducing their profits and
presumably weakening the Eldest Princess's influence as a
result.

Fan Xian also understood that the reason the Eldest Princess
was sitting by and watching all of this happen was because it
was crucial that she cooperate with Shang Shanhu in rescuing
Xiao En and his terrifying secret. It seemed that this clearly
showed that the Eldest Princess's own interests in the royal
court of Qing were tied up with his. This method, which was
somewhat like something Lei Feng would do, left Fan Xian
rather surprised.
 And it was over those days that the ailing Yan Bingyun's
capability for planning manifested itself to its greatest extent.
When Fan Xian received his dossier, he couldn't help but let
out a sigh of admiration. Yan Bingyun's methods were simple,
yet they were the safest, most appropriate way to ensure the
greatest safety of Qing's hidden strength within Northern Qi.

The spies of the Kingdom of Qing came in many different

types; those who Yan Bingyun controlled were deep
undercover, like the oil-seller, or the attendants hidden in the
royal palace, or even a number of officials. There were also
those who worked more openly, such as the merchants on
Xiushui Street and the travelling salesmen who came from all
the regions of the south. They were mainly there to do
business, but as they travelled through the land, they would,
naturally, feed information back to the Kingdom of Qing. As
the days passed, overt and covert operatives throughout the
nation all sprang into action. The intelligence system awoke
from its year of hibernation, immediately revealing a
formidable capability for intelligence-gathering.

Everything was prepared. Now they simply waited for Shang

Shanhu to make his move.
 Fan Xian and Yan Bingyun sat calmly in the diplomatic
mission, drinking their wine. Fan Xian glanced at the cold-
faced Yan Bingyun. "Master Yan, as you are my subordinate
after all, could you not pull that face at me every day?"

"As your subordinate, I'm not going to lick your boots," was
Yan Bingyun's cold but respectful reply.

Fan Xian smiled. He knew that he had been hidden in

Northern Qi for four years, and had a number of different
appearances. At the time, no one could have guessed that the
gifted scholar Yun, the young son of a seafaring merchant who
strolled freely through the halls of Qi's rich and powerful
families, was in fact a spymaster of the Kingdom of Qing. He
was gifted in social intercourse, aided by money and power.
His stony-faced expression toward Fan Xian was because he
was his commanding officer, rather than someone he wanted to
charm.

"They really are quite stupid in Northern Qi," said Fan Xian,
taking a sip from his teacup. "Letting you go so soon, and then
letting you stay safely in the diplomatic mission for so long. If
it were me, I wouldn't have swapped you even for ten divisions
of troops." This was a quote from a story in Fan Xian's former
life, so Yan Bingyun didn't recognize it, and had no reaction.

"Perhaps they thought that the royal court was already

stupid enough to exchange Xiao En for me." Thinking about
this, Yan Bingyun still seemed rather despondent. "But for
Northern Qi to have Xiao En back is of no great use. Still trying
to find a way to kill him - now that really is stupid."

Fan Xian sighed. "Somebody once told me that a country is

like a person. It can never be a perfect machine, and it usually
changes according to the ruler's moods. There is a difference of
opinion in the Northern Qi royal family, but it's only thanks to
Ku He's brilliance that they re-imprisoned Xiao En. If Shang
Shanhu weren't Xiao En's adopted son, then no one would dare
to challenge the decision of the royal family."

"And you?" Yan Bingyun frowned. "On the road north, you
clearly had the chance to kill Xiao En, but you let him go. Now
the enemy is in Shangjing, and you want to save him. Then
after he is rescued... Really, it's quite remarkable."
 Fan Xian laughed. He couldn't tell a soul about the secret that
Xiao En held, and as that was the case, the whole process was
beginning to look rather absurd.

He thought for a moment. "It is like chess," he explained to

Yan Bingyun. "Although, ultimately, you want to checkmate
the enemy's king, our pawns will take different routes, and the
benefit we derive from it will be different."

If he had killed Xiao En at Wuduhe, not only would it be

impossible to know whether the pawn he was willing to
sacrifice at the time would return home alive, but he would
also never have any way to know where the temple was. And
with this operation to rescue Xiao En, which had taken all of
the Overwatch Council's strength in the north, Fan Xian
wanted to end the game in a checkmate; he hoped that having
gone through so many twists and turns, he could stand to gain
something that Chen Pingping had never been able to.

"Xiao En will not break out of prison, and the Brocade Guard
will not be willing to kill him. After all, Shang Shanhu enjoys
a great reputation within the Northern Qi military."
 "The fact that that old devil Xiao En is still alive is truly
pitiful." There was a loud sigh. "After all, he is old. He'll never
be the way he once was."

"I don't recommend that you make the move yourself," said
Yan Bingyun, looking at him coldly. "If Ku He really does let go
of his arrogance and get involved, then how would you make it
out alive?"

Fan Xian was silent. He couldn't let anyone else hear of Xiao
En's secret. He was the only one who could take the risk of
acting. He tapped slowly on the table, closing his eyes,
imagining himself as a chess player moving somewhat
clumsily around the chessboard. Cunning, scheming
characters stood on both sides of the board. There was Ku He
and the Eldest Princess, the Empress Dowager and Shang
Shanhu. Compared to them, Fan Xian couldn't measure up.

A stubborn child may have no other skills, but the one thing
he does have is the courage to overturn the chessboard.

With all of their official duties concluded, the diplomatic

mission and the Northern Qi royal court both breathed a sigh
of relief, and began feasting vigorously. Fan Xian was no
exception. In the peaceful city of Shangjing, the only unusual
thing was that, along the banks of the Yuquan River, there had
been a number of strange murder cases, and in the wake of
these murder cases, there seemed to have been some
particularly frightening cases of arson. Over the following
days, the light from the fires reflected in the river waters
beloved by the people of Northern Qi.

Fan Xian knew that these cases were cover-ups for

something. When the Kingdom of Qing's intelligence personnel
had awoken from their year-long slumber, Shen Zhong,
Provost of the Discipline Commission of the Brocade Guard,
had caught their scent, and the Brocade Guardsmen hidden
amongst the people of Shangjing had moved fiercely and
appropriately in response.

The murders had already taken out a number of the agents

that had been under Yan Bingyun's command. After all, to be
stationed in a foreign country doing business right under the
enemy's nose without alerting them was nigh-on impossible.
But the intelligence network installed throughout the north
had been broken into several pieces, so they did not worry that
the Brocade Guard would dig up too many of their bases of
operation.
 So Yan Bingyun's expression turned increasingly gloomy. The
Fourth Bureau of the Overwatch Council only had a total of
seventeen spies in Shangjing, and now they had made a great
sacrifice for the matter involving the Eldest Princess and Xiao
En. He couldn't help but feel angry.

Fan Xian did not move to console him, nor did he say much
at all. He simply continued drinking, seeking pleasure, making
merry, and visiting prostitutes.

It was the sixth year of the sixth month of the sixth day of the
reign of the Emperor of Qi. The three sixes made this a very
auspicious day. Fan Xian didn't believe what westerners said
about the devil in his old life, so when he tied the collar button
of his cloak, his fingers were stable, and he seemed full of
confidence.

He carefully collected the weapons and drugs that he kept on

his person. He kept some in his belt, and some on the inside of
his clothes. His hidden crossbow, which could fire three bolts
simultaneously, was strapped to his left elbow. The pouch
containing the smoke bombs secretly created by the Third
Bureau of the Overwatch Council was around his right wrist; it
was the size of a finger knuckle.
 Fan Xian looked at the metal box on the table under dim
lamplight. He narrowed his eyes as he opened it. Inside were
three pills: red, blue, and white. They looked somewhat
strange.

The red pill was not small in size, but its smell was
somewhat faint; one could not tell from the smell what it was
made of. Many years ago, Fei Jie had left this pill behind for
him, concerned about the zhenqi in his body. Fan Xian thought
for a moment, then hid the pill, which looked like a dragon's
eye, in his belt.

Looking at the leftover pills, Fan Xian laughed bitterly.

Changing his mind, he put them all in his belt. Perhaps he
might meet with that grandmaster. If he did, then when it
came to carrying things that could save his life, the more the
merrier.

Lei Feng (1940-1962) was a legendary Chinese soldier whose name was used as a byword for
altruism and dedication.
Mao Zedong, grieving the loss of his trusted lieutenant Lu Deming, is reported to have said
"Return Lu Deming to me! I would not exchange him even for three divisions of troops."
Chapter 233: Overlooking the Prison
Break
Hiding the pills, Fan Xian twitched his nose. For some
reason, his mind had started racing, and the powerful zhenqi
in his body had begun to flow quickly through his vast
meridians. All of his pores seemed to open up, greedily
absorbing all of the energy that they could.

The faint smell of ephedra leaves had excited him.

He took the Tiger Guard longsword from the table. It had

been modified beyond recognition. He felt its weight in his
hand, and using a cloth band, he carefully fastened it to his
back, making sure that it was at a convenient angle for when
he might need to draw it. As for the slender black dagger he
carried strapped to his leg, after all these years it seemed like it
had become a part of his body, and it required no further
attention. With a creak, the door was pushed open. Wang
Qinian walked in, bowed to Fan Xian, and said something in
his ear.

Fan Xian nodded, glanced over the leftover tools on the table,
and indicated that he had begun.
 Wang Qinian smiled awkwardly. "My craftsmanship is
nowhere near yours, sir."

"You never saw my disguise," Fan Xian said scoldingly. "How

do you know you're worse than me? You were a wanted thief in
many nations for years; did you never dress up in disguise?"

"Did you not take care of the person in the next room
yourself?" Wang Qinian said, slightly flattering him. "That
craftsmanship really is something. Nobody else knows, but in
my view you're like a god come to earth."

"Nonsense." Fan Xian sat down on a stool and laughed.

"There are clay idols in the roadside shrines of the capital that
look better than I do."

One was brazen, one even more so. The two of them swapped
flippant words, effectively dispersing the last worries still left
behind in Fan Xian's mind. Wang Qinian was his closest aide,
and save for the tracking outside Cangzhou and his recent
responsibility for making contact with the intelligence
network, he had never played a major role. Luckily, he was
skilled as a comedic fall-guy, and able to help Fan Xian relax.
 Wang Qinian picked up a dagger and shaved Fan Xian's
eyebrows, then scooped up some moistened powder from the
table and began to apply it to Fan Xian's face. The paste-like
texture and the color looked somewhat unusual on Fan Xian's
face. He couldn't help but frown. "Maybe some cornstarch
would help."

Fan Xian sighed. "Where would we find some? The other day
I snuck into the house of an official and took some powder and
rouge. It was pretty effective."

In a large residence in the south of the city, holding their

torches high in the vast courtyard, a dozen or so people waited
silently, dressed in black from head to toe. To the side of the
courtyard, a middle-aged man sat in contemplation on a high
chair, his eyes closed. His right hand caressed the sleek jet-
black arm of the chair, and his feet rested imposingly on the
bluestone tiled floor.

This was General Shang Shanhu, who had led Qi in seven

years of fighting against the barbarians of the north. There
were few generals whose names were known throughout the
land, and he was the strongest and most well-known of all the
military men of Northern Qi.
 Some time later, Shang Shanhu slowly opened his tiger-like
eyes. His cold, piercing gaze penetrated the person kneeling in
front of him. "Since the palace leaves me no way out, I will not
resign myself to my fate. Take heed in this endeavor. Though
those southerners would have me pay a high price, no one
knows what I have planned."

His voice was not loud, but it was still deep and resounding,
like the sounding of a bell. One could tell that this general was
a man of great power.

The one who kneeled before him was Tan Wu, who had
passed the days gloomily in the capital after he had been
soundly beaten by Gao Da in front of the diplomatic mission.
He cupped his hands in salute. "Master, the southerners are
cunning. Take caution."

"I am taking the appropriate measures," said Shang Shanhu.

Today was the last time he would enter the palace. The young
Emperor still would not profess his trust in him. The Empress
Dowager continued to hold Xiao En in captivity. Shang Shanhu
worried for his adoptive father's safety, and he had no
alternative but to prepare for this criminal endeavor.
 "We cannot give the young scion of the Zhan family the
opportunity." Shang Shanhu laughed bitterly. If it weren't for
the secret his adoptive father knew, then he presumed the
young Emperor would grant him this favor. Though the young
Emperor was rather soft and effeminate, he still had the awe-
inspiring power of his father Zhan Qingfeng. He could not give
him the opportunity to strengthen the nation in a short period
of time, and even lead troops south to unite the land. So there
was no way that Xiao En could leave his prison alive. When he
thought of the decades of misery his adoptive father had been
put through, tears welled in his eyes.

"Go." He waved a hand, and then returned to the rear

courtyard, where his wife was preparing the gifts for the
Empress Dowager's birthday.

"Yes sir." Kneeling on the ground, Tan Wu acknowledged his

order and left.

In a residence outside Chongwu Gate in Shangjing stood a

small, unremarkable courtyard. The dense tangle of streets and
alleyways that surrounded the houses were so interweaved that
even long-term residents of Shangjing could find themselves
lost. A short distance away from this courtyard stood a handful
of trees which were a common sight in the north. The trees
were tall and straight as blades, their off-white bark clearly
visible in the dark night. Thanks to the arrival of summer and
the plentiful rains, their branches and leaves had flourished.

Fan Xian made careful adjustments to his breathing to

control the zhenqi in his meridians. Clothed in black, his body
blended in with his surroundings, making sure he could not be
discovered. He glanced through the tree's leaves, which were
the size of the palm of one's hand, peering into the residence
below him and to his right. Calmly, he waited for Shang
Shanhu's operation to rescue Xiao En to begin.

Xiao En had been held captive inside a small building. This

was information the agents of the Fourth Bureau of the
Overwatch Council had expended great effort to discover. But
the only ones making a move tonight were Shang Shanhu's
fearless men. Yan Bingyun's men had already returned to the
shadows. And no one knew whether Xinyang would send any
sort of experts to assist the operation.

In breaking such an important prisoner out of jail, Shang

Shanhu was breaking the law. Whether or not he was
ultimately successful, the connection between the royal family
and the army of Northern Qi was on the edge of being
permanently ruptured. Fan Xian thought about this as he lay
on the branch of the tree like a koala, and he couldn't help feel
some admiration for the nobles of the south.

Although the Eldest Princess was a madwoman, she was a

very powerful madwoman. Since the day she had sold out Yan
Bingyun, it seemed that no matter what changes had happened
afterwards, she had managed to benefit from them. She was a
complicated woman indeed.

The night darkened, and the residence below the tall tree
remained quiet. In the distance, a child's cries came from the
riverside. Nearby, a horse strapped to a carriage feebly chewed
at hay. The stars hid themselves behind the clouds, and the
leaves on the tree rustled gently against him in the night wind.
It was just like any other night in Shangjing; there was nothing
unusual about it.

Without any indication, Fan Xian's eyes widened as he looked

beneath him, still hidden on the tree branch.

The jailbreak had begun!

 A carriage slowly pulled up to the doorway of the small
building. At the same time, a small cart, covered in a dark grey
cloth, quietly rolled up to the rear wall of the courtyard house.
The guards in the courtyard did not seem to have noticed
anything suspicious, but from his high vantage point in the
tree, Fan Xian could clearly see everything that was happening.

A middle-aged man stepped out from the carriage, and at the

same time, Fan Xian saw a number of shadows disappear into
the surroundings of the building.

"Who is it?" The Brocade Guardsman tasked with guarding

Xiao En was on high alert. The top half of his body appeared
from above the wall, holding a heavy crossbow pointed at the
middle-aged man outside the door.

The middle-aged man was Tan Wu, who Fan Xian had seen
once before. He saw him smile. As he opened his mouth to
speak, two dark blurs flashed past him. Two deadly crossbow
bolts flew from either side of him, sticking firmly in the
Brocade Guardsman's throat. His blood splattered out.
 The two iron shafts were lodged in his neck. It was a bloody
scene indeed.

"Attack!" Tan Wu gave his order, and a loud sound came in

response. A sturdy-looking man came out of the carriage. He
was eight feet tall, clutching an iron hammer, and he took long
strides as he walked up to the doorway of the house. His meaty
right arm smashed against the door. Considering his strength,
the wooden door should have shattered to pieces.

There was a deafening crash!

A number of wooden splinters went flying... but the door was

still unbroken! It had been reinforced with steel plating. High
up in the tree, Fan Xian shivered. The places where the Brocade
Guard held the most serious criminals were not easily
destroyed.

In an instant, the Brocade Guards inside the house had

already responded. They gathered in the courtyard. Under the
giant man's powerful hammer blows, the reinforced door
began to creak and tremble. It seemed like it couldn't take
another blow.
 With a murderous yell, ten figures in black vaulted over the
wall, killing the Brocade Guards inside where they stood. The
black-clothed figures were skilled fighters. The most dangerous
of them had a clear bloodlust in his fighting style, and his
every move was like a crack of thunder, striking with no regard
for his own life. The Brocade Guards, who had guarded the
flourishing city of Shangjing for years, were no match for these
men. Their blood filled the night air, and soon they had been
defeated.

Fan Xian watched it all from high up in the tree. He knew

that Shang Shanhu had broken down the door because Xiao
En's crippled legs left him unable to stand tall. Watching the
robust man smash down the door with his brute strength, he
couldn't help but wonder whether he could have just smashed
the wall. Yet it seemed that he had forgotten that Xiao En's legs
had been broken on his command.
Chapter 234: Ambush
With a sound louder than a sundered gong, the steel between
the wood boards was finally broken by the strong man. There
was no joy or applause in reception to its breaking and the
soldiers of the Brocade Guard in the council chamber were
silent.

The door collapsed. The well-prepared Brocade Guard,

equipped with their small crossbows, let loose a hail of bolts in
quick response.

The strong man’s right arm was one that displayed countless
past wounds. His true strength had already been fully drained
and, looking at the bolts bearing down upon him, he hadn’t the
energy to react. Hearing the whiz of the oncoming bolts, they
struck his wide body; one in particular pierced his eye. With a
squelch, crimson bits of gore projected from the socket.

"Ah!" The man howled in pain. Pierced by the barrage of

bolts, he moved toward the courtyard. With each heavy step,
blood squirted from his wounds.
 After his third step, he tumbled down upon the slate floor
like a mountain, in a plume of dust. His blood was everywhere.
This made the Brocade Guard step back a few steps too.

The strong man’s dead body was extremely wide, so it

shielded the others from most of the bolts that were fired from
the courtyard. By using his body as protection, Tan Wu and a
few of the elites that remained snuck forward like a brisk wind.
By the time the strong man fell down near the Brocade Guard,
they had drawn near to their enemies.

Now, the battle upon the high wall had moved to the
courtyard. A dozen of the black-clothed men, wielding their
extremely rare Zhiwan daggers, of which only a few existed
within the capital, had killed and mutilated over 20 of the
Brocade Guard with extreme violence and cruelty. Even though
their numbers were lesser than their enemy, the Brocade Guard
were unable to resist their onslaught.

The scene was comparable to a large shark in the deep sea as

it ripped, tore and fed on schools of smaller fish. The large
groups of fish were being eaten by the sharks, coloring the sea
battle red. It wouldn’t be long before they were all consumed.
 But Tan Wu could not wait any longer. His adoptive father
was still in the courtyard. Tan Wu gestured with his right hand
for the men-in-black to present their three greatest warriors to
lead the way forward and begin the killing.

Even though they had lost three men, the Brocade Guard felt
no relief. Amidst the incessant clanging of swords, the
occasional squirt of blood would be seen, followed by the
writhing of a fallen comrade on the floor, having lost an arm or
been stabbed through the heart.

High above, in a tall tree, Fan Xian calmly watched the battle
unfold. Knowing things were never this simple, he assumed
the plan devised by Yan Bingyun had already been approved by
Master Sheng. Shang Shanhu and Xinyang both believed this
plan of assault was one of great divination; therefore, Yan
Bingyun was sure to know what was behind the Brocade
Guard.

Tan Wu also believed things weren't as simple as they

appeared.

…
 …

A single scream erupted, the sort that would be let out by a

fallen soldier. It was a warning. The three –black-clothed
warriors who were first to enter the building were knocked
back. They flew through the air back into the courtyard
drenched in blood. It was hard to imagine that the Brocade
Guard were the ones inside the tower, for the average soldier
did not possess such power. Inside were the Brocade Guard's
elite.

Tan Wu’s face did not change. Quickly launching himself

into the air with a leap taken from the tip of his toes, he
brutally beat down his chosen opponent three times. And to
coincide with each hit, three distinct, audible pounds rang out.

"I did not expect you to be here to defend this place, Vice-
provost Xiao." As Tan Wu looked upon this green-clad person
with an unconcerned expression, he recognized him as one of
the Brocade Guard’s most renowned soldiers. Xiao Yuanbing,
vice-provost of the Discipline Commission, had deep eyes that
shone with the fire of life. Coldly, he looked upon Tan Wu and
said, "Empress Dowager knows of you and your fellow traitors’
coming and, as such, I have arrived here to defend this place.
To look at who will be able to free the prisoner!"

The vice-provost’s mannerisms painted him as a supremely

confident and formidable man. Tan Wu raised his hand to his
lips and coughed twice; specks of blood followed. He knew the
foe before him was not an opponent he could take on with
assured victory. Even so, he felt no fear. With squinted eyes,
Tan Wu peered intently toward the back of the courtyard.

Fan Xian, still perched within the tall tree, no longer paid
attention to the battle. Instead, he was watching a trolley
placed against a stone wall at back of the courtyard. It was an
incredibly strong structure.

Xiao Yuanbing, the vice-provost, could just about discern a

faint hissing noise. With skewed eyebrows, as Tan Wu rushed
forward, he knocked him aside with a single fist and turned his
gaze toward the courtyard as well.

…
 …

Fan Xian, with great care, repositioned his stance in a

manner that would allow him to exit the tree at an immediate
need. Looking in the direction of the trolley, he muttered a
single word: "Boom."

A deafening roar struck terror into everybody in the

surrounding area. How the trolley exploded, nobody knew. It
was like one giant lightning strike, and a hole manifested upon
the great stone wall in the back of the yard.

Rubble and stones of great proportion were propelled

through the air. At the moment of the explosion, the flames
eviscerated thirty soldiers of the Brocade Guard who were in
hiding there.

This was the greatest gift the Overwatch Council had ever
bestowed upon Shang Shanhu. The trolley full of explosives –
the work of the Third Bureau – had finally been given a
purpose. Of course, the use of these explosives was Fan Xian’s
suggestion, but the amount given to them by the Third Bureau
exceeded their expectations. The explosion was of such
magnificent proportion, however, that he was frightened for
the safety of Xiao En on the other side.

The airborne rubble returned to the ground as a black

carriage, with little regard for its own safety, backed up
towards the newly created opening in the stone wall.
Clambering across rubble, through plumes of thick dust,
several people also followed suit, and entered the back of the
courtyard. It wasn't long before they returned, bearing an
individual whose legs were visibly crippled. One could also
quite easily discern his white, scraggy hair. And after they
hoisted this person onto the carriage, it quickly took off into
the shadows of an adjacent alley. That person was Xiao En.

Strangely, Fan Xian could only smirk. He did not descend

from the tree to pursue the carriage.

As the brave carriage made its daring, high-speed escape, the

sound of galloping hooves reverberated across the capital.

Vice-provost Xiao was locked in combat with Tan Wu, and it

prevented him from attending to the chaos and subsequent
freeing of Xiao En behind him. Shang Shanhu attacked the
front door to divert all forces from the back entrance of the
yard, allowing for the unnoticed placement of explosives. Yet
despite the commotion out front, Xiao had still kept an
additional thirty soldiers lying in wait at the rear wall.

In the aftermath of the explosion, however, the rest of the

battle did not carry out as expected.

In the wake of the explosion, Xiao’s heart began to race and

he wondered whether the terrible force of sound behind him
was of this earth, or whether it was the noise of an enraged
God. It was at this moment, also, that the spirits of his men
flagged and their eagerness to do battle wavered.

In Xiao’s momentary distraction, Tan Wu saw this as an

opportunity to finish his foe once and for all. But Xiao, ever
wary, brought forward a few of the Brocade Guard's soldiers to
fight in his stead before diverting his full attention. Tan Wu let
out a war cry and unleashed the fury of his fists to lay waste to
the enemies before him. As this happened, the battle began to
wind down as several of the men-in-black took for the exits,
ready to disappear into the darkness.
 …

The noise of galloping horses could be heard once more,

however. Subverting the expectations of all, the carriage that
had once departed into the shadows of the night returned.

Tan Wu was just as surprised, as he led a number of the men-

in-black towards the southern end of the courtyard, at a
junction which split into three separate pathways. He
promptly yelled, "Why have you not left!?"

The carriage was beaten and scarred; the work of long-range

weaponry. The carriage driver was an elite soldier, but even he
wore a face that was stricken with fear. "General," he hissed,
"we fell right into their trap!"

Following this, the driver dropped the arm he had been using
to clutch his chest tightly and keeled over before falling to the
ground, revealing a gaping wound. He would arise no more.
 The horse in the front wasn't wounded, but it was as if it had
sensed its master’s death, and so it reared and neighed with
visible concern. Rain began to fall, as if in response to the
horse’s grief. As the downpour grew and grew, the rapid
thumping of rain on the housing tiles rose in volume too.

It had been a pitch black night, but now at last, the stars
returned to the skies and cast their faint light upon the capital;
revealing the carriage’s location at the same time.

The Brocade Guard, with even greater numbers, shed their

shadow-born concealment and descended upon the carriage
like a swarm from all directions. The lone carriage and its nine
men-in-black were wholly surrounded, and countless pikes
were raised at them. There was no hope of escape.

"Surrender at once!" The Brocade Guard stepped apart and

made way for the passage of someone else. Fan Xian, still
watching, believed him to be an important character of the
Northern Qi Kingdom. He was correct, for this person was
Shen Zhong, Provost of the Discipline Commission of the
Brocade Guard. Shen Zhong smiled and said, "Shang Shanhu
kindly provided me with this opportunity; it is something I
thank him for dearly."
 The prison break was a failure. Shen Zhong had finally
gained the opportunity to bring Shang Shanhu down. In this
situation, there was nothing he could do about it.

Tan Wu was as fearless as ever, but anger was his dominant

emotion at this time. Throughout the night, he had envisioned
what were to happen if he were to fail. He himself was one of
Shang Shanhu's soldiers, and he was not one to cherish his own
life. The fire of hatred burned brighter. It was already
suspected that Shen Zhong would ambush him and for this, he
had already devised a way to deal with such a predicament.

But the fire that was to prevent a pursuit of the escaped

carriage had not been started.

The soldiers of the Brocade Guard, those hiding in the alleys,

were to be enveloped in fear by now; but they were not.

…
 Fan Xian, still perched within the boughs of the tall tree,
calmly observed the situation developing below. Without a
trace of emotion, he watched Tan Wu, who was as furious as a
hawk. Shang Shanhu was responsible for the attack, and their
escape was to be ensured by Xinyang and the Overwatch
Council's covert operatives in Shangjing. And yet neither the
Eldest Princess, Yan Bingyun, nor Fan Xian did anything.

Comparing Shang Shanhu’s men and the northern soldiers

with those from Qing, the latter were uniformly insidious and
well-coordinated when dealing with foreign affairs.
Chapter 235: Failure
It was autumn, in the fifth year of Tianbao. The young
Emperor, via a secret letter, made a promise to Shang Shanhu.
"I will return Xiao En home to our country." And so the famous
general, Shang Shanhu, left behind the northern fortress he
had commanded for over a decade. With a band of soldiers and
Tan Wu, he departed and made way to the capital Shangjing,
for he believed the Emperor was never one for deception.

Upon Xiao En’s capture in the capital, the Emperor had no

desire to let him go, for he longed to know the secrets he
harbored.

During this time, Empress Dowager wanted Xiao En dead, for

Ku He did not desire for anyone else to know of Xiao En’s
secrets.

Because the Brocade Guard’s monitoring of Shang Shanhu

was too restrictive, he did not have much help in Shangjing. He
was only able to rely on his reputation within the army,
something even the Emperor and Empress Dowager had to
respect. It was for his military influence that they chose not to
humiliate or be too harsh on him. This entire, precarious
situation regarding Xiao En and Shang Shanhu was something
the Northern Qi Palace would prefer cloaking their eyes to.
Therefore, if the opportunity to weaken Shang Shanhu’s power
or stance amongst the populace ever arose, they would not
squander it.

Like today.

Shen Zhong looked at Tan Wu, who was standing near the
beaten carriage. Knowing everything that had transpired, and
knowing that he would be unable to charge Shang Shanhu with
treason, he believed that by capturing his men and his most
trusted ally, Shang Shanhu’s reputation would be dealt a
significant blow amongst the army. Colluding with the Qing
Kingdom was a crime no soldier would be able to bear.

Tan Wu shook his head and muttered an insult at Shen

Zhong beneath his breath: "You southern dog."

Shen Zhong, with a smile, responded, "I garnered a good look

at the explosion from earlier. Who else but the southern
Overwatch Council's Third Bureau could create such a
contraption? The southern people were aiding General Tan Wu
in a prison break; it doesn’t get any clearer than that."

Tan Wu paid no attention to Shen Zhong’s attempt at riling

him up. He simply turned around and looked at the nine men
standing behind him. These elite troops had been trained
extensively by Shang Shanhu himself, and tonight, many of
them had died. If it wasn’t for the betrayal of the Southerners,
Tan Wu believed he could have brought each and every soldier
out of the battle alive.

Tan Wu turned around once more and stared back at Shen

Zhong. He bowed and said, "Could you please deliver a message
on my behalf?"

"What would that be?" replied Shen Zhong, with a

mannerism that suggested a lack of true concern. Shen Zhong
assumed that even if anything were to happen to Tan Wu, the
capture and interrogation of others would yield the results he
desired.

"The one who killed me is Fan Xian."

 Tan Wu, the most trusted aide of General Shang Shanhu, was
undoubtedly in the know of who exactly was involved in the
planning of this entire ordeal. Fan Xian, Commissioner of the
southern Overwatch Council, was conveniently in the capital
at this time; therefore it was obvious what role he had in this
plan. Tan Wu was fuming, and felt an overwhelming sense of
betrayal. Tan Wu could not help but yell Fan Xian’s name as it
rolled off his tongue. Hundreds within the capital must have
heard that name be called out.

Fan Xian maintained his composure, as he continued to

watch the unfolding events from the boughs of that tall tree as
though he had not heard his named called. In his heart, he
believed that Shang Shanhu would understand his
dishonorable actions throughout this entire ordeal. Especially
since Tan Wu shouted like that.

Following Tan Wu’s outburst, he unsheathed his sword and

within seconds, slashed his own face before decapitating
himself outright.

Immediately after, the drawing of nine more swords rang

out, complete with the dropping of nine more heads. On the
slanted road, nine heads rolled alongside Tan Wu’s all together,
leaving a trail of blood as they went. Tan Wu’s now frozen
expression was one of pure anger.

Strangely, Shen Zhong did not seek to stop this mass act of
suicide and instead watched coldly, with nary an expression.
He remained motionless for a while, until speaking once more
beneath his breath. With genuine sincerity and quiet
admiration, he said, "These are the brave and revered warriors
of their nation? It is unfortunate to see them become victims of
this conspiracy. May your spirits sleep softly."

Before Tan Wu ended his own life, Fan Xian, still up in the
tree, felt his heart stop for a moment. With his exceptional
hearing capabilities, Fan Xian was able to overhear what Shen
Zhong whispered to himself. Upon hearing this, he realized
that Shen Zhong wasn’t a simple man, either.

…
 Everyone involved with the prison break died that night.
Only the lonely carriage that had been used to transport Xiao
En had the company of the Brocade Guard to encircle it.
Everyone knew that the founder of the Brocade Guard, Xiao
En, who was still inside, was far past his prime.

Without any indication, the carriage suddenly burst into

flames.

The fire was fierce and the flames engulfed the entire cart.
The horses were still tied to the carriage, but their mouths
were banded and were unable to make a sound. All they could
do was run, and so they did. But before they could get
anywhere, the ringing of a drawn blade sounded once more,
followed by several "thuds" - the legs of each horse was hewn
off! Shortly after, lakes of blood encompassed the horse heads.

Shen Zhong watched the carriage burn, callously. His lack of

emotion made it difficult to imagine what he was thinking.
Vice-provost Xiao looked at him anxiously and said, "Sir, put
the fire out! The Emperor does not want Xiao En dead!"
 Shen Zhong, however, smiled and instead gestured with his
hand for the men to not do that which was pleaded of them. He
then signaled for the vice-provost to approach. After he did so,
Shen Zhong whispered quietly to him, "But Empress Dowager
wants Xiao En dead." The vice-provost’s face dropped.
Knowing that which he said was done impulsively and without
thought, it was only then that he took notice of Shen Zhong’s
eyebrows. The farthest tip of the eyebrows gave off an uneasy
aura. After seeing this, Shen Zhong began muttering to himself
once more, saying: "Locked up all these years, unable to escape;
perhaps death is the sweeter conclusion?"

As the flames continued to rage, smoke and ash clogged the

air. The carriage was burnt completely, scenting the entire
street with an awful smell.

After a while, though, the flames receded and petered out.

Then the Brocade Guard’s forensic pathologists arrived to
examine the scene and its charred corpse. It was not long
before they were able to state: "This is Xiao En!"

Shen Zhong nodded and asked: "Are the wounds upon his leg
new?"
 "Yes, we can deduce that they were inflicted within the
previous two months."

"Teeth?"

"The records obtained from Wuduhe suggest they are indeed

the same; three missing teeth."

Shen Zhong`s expression was one of perplexity. He found it

difficult to believe that Xiao En had just died right then and
there. He was confused as to how he should express himself.
His faint smile was strange and indifferent.

In General Shang Shanhu`s manor in the southern part of

Shangjing, the famous Shang Shanhu was speaking with his
wife. On the table beside them was a list of gifts. In the
courtyard, one could faintly hear a curious noise. The wife`s
eyebrows raised in wonder and she said, "My dear, Empress
Dowager`s birthday is soon; yet for the next few days, you will
be unable to leave the capital. What are we to do?" At this time
of the night, the manor was supposed to be silent, but even
Shang Shanhu`s wife was having trouble falling asleep.
 Shang Shanhu`s expression did not change. In a deep voice,
he said, "Of course we are not leaving."

"And about the birthday gift…," his wife looked down.

"Of course we won`t prepare a gift, my dear. You should

instead prepare your luggage."

In the midst of their conversation, the wife witnessed a large

man suddenly run to the back of their living room. The wife
recognized him as Shang Shanhu`s bodyguard. Strangely,
however, it was midnight and he appeared to be uninvited. She
shrugged it off as a figment of her imagination and became a
little flustered. She looked at Shang Shanhu and with a
trembling voice, asked, "Did you really do it?"

Shang Shanhu maintained total composure, save for his

eyebrows, which suddenly lifted like large blades. In a deep
voice, he said, "I am loyal to this land. It`s just that with the
government, there are instances where we don’t see eye to eye."
 The wife did not speak again and instead quietly returned to
the bedroom. She hadn’t the motivation to resolve the
situation with Empress Dowager`s birthday at this hour.

"Marshall, the number of saboteurs outside the manor is

growing."

Only the people closest to Shang Shanhu were allowed call

him Marshall, instead of General. The person who spoke was
his closest bodyguard, who was once a nameless orphan. Many
years ago, he was rescued from a snowy forest by Shang
Shanhu. He raised the boy and even named him Shangshan Po.
Their relationship was similar to that which Shang Shanhu
shared with Xiao En, but the greatest discernible difference
was that Shangshan Po looked up to Shang Shanhu with
tremendous awe.

"Wait for more information." Shang Shanhu reclined in his

chair, with a calm expression.

After this, Shangshan Po returned outside to continue his

patrol.
 …

A long while later, Shangshan Po returned to the back of the

room. He kneeled before Shang Shanhu and said, "They failed."
His voice possessed no trembling pitch, but it did not hide the
sadness he was trying to conceal.

Shang Shanhu put his arm to the arm of his seat and froze.
He closed his eyes with extreme force, and the wrinkles near
his eyes bloomed like sunflowers. At that moment, you could
discern the famous general’s true age.

Shang Shanhu stood up and went to the bedroom. His wife,

still restless, was sat upright at the side of the bed. He smiled
and said, "It is very late. Why are you not yet asleep?"

His wife was visibly nervous, and had to force a smile upon
her response, saying, "I cannot sleep."
 Shang Shanhu, smiling, told her, "We are not leaving
Shangjing, it would seem. Let us discuss the guest list for
Empress Dowager’s birthday."

It was in the early hours of the morning, by now; at the

darkest time before the dawn. The mess in the courtyard
following the battle had almost been cleaned up. The carriage
that had been burnt to ash and the bodies of the deceased had
already been removed by the professionals of the Discipline
Commission. It wasn’t long before the peace and tranquility
returned to grace this place. In a kingdom as large as this, the
ability to cover up and conceal the events that had transpired
here was not a difficult task, however.

Those of the Brocade Guard who had sustained injuries were

still on the ground, occasionally groaning in agony. The
structural damage dealt from the explosion was still to be seen
and the fatalities it had accumulated were many. Those who
were lucky enough to survive the explosion were instead
covered in blood and thick dust.

Whilst the injured were being delivered to the government

office, the doctors were already pre-occupied with patients of
their own. The queue of medical stretchers that had formed
was not unlike a centipede, crawling forward ever so slowly.

Fan Xian, who was now precariously lying upon the thick
branches and boughs of the tall tree, flexed the muscles in his
legs and arms to prevent cramps and stiffness from settling in.
He could not afford his reaction time being diminished at a
time like this. He looked down upon the stretcher-bound
wounded; they reminded him of when he watched Silence of
the Lambs and The Professional in his past life. He breathed a
sigh of relief, acknowledging that Xiao En, the old man, really
did die in the fire and had not escaped.
Chapter 236: Fan Xian Follows
The battle scene beneath the tree had calmed. The Brocade
Guard used carriages to transport water from the Yuquan
River. Tipping over the barrels, the water splashed out onto
the street, cleaning away the dust and blood in an instant,
leaving behind wet, clean paving stones.

Brocade Guards stood guard all around, and officials from

the relevant offices all moved to quell the disturbance in the
surrounding houses, so nothing unusual occurred in the T-
shaped alley. The rear stone wall had been temporarily patched
up. In a short space of time, the arbitrator basically had to
make things the same as they were before.

The palace did not want word of this incident to get out.
After all, wanting to frame Shang Shanhu for Tan Wu's heroic
death was somewhat difficult. And besides, one had to consider
the attitude of the military. So for the time being, they
prepared to cover up the matter.

The chorus of dawn began to chirp. The Brocade Guards

raised their heads. The sky was discolored, and the birds had
risen early. Could it be that they knew what had happened?
 Hidden beneath the tree, Fan Xian wiped away the cold sweat
from his forehead, silently cursing the insomnia that had
woken those birds. He carefully concealed himself in the
twilight darkness as the injured ranks of Brocade Guards made
their way to the north of the city.

No one was walking along the long street, and the sound of
road sweepers, so common in his previous life, was absent. He
vaulted across the tall buildings of a neighboring street, certain
that no one would discover his tracks.

The stretcher-bearers had already moved some distance away

from that small building, and had entered another courtyard,
but he didn't know whether it belonged to the Provost or to the
Thirteen Ministries. The injured were triaged and sent to
different rooms for treatment. Covered in blood, a handful of
doctors rushed in.

Fan Xian went around to the rear of the building, waiting

behind some bamboo baskets.

Not long after, a number of groans came from a side room.

They weren't loud, but they could be clearly heard. After
focusing on his breath to calm himself, someone climbed down
from the wall. His movements were somewhat sluggish, and
after he landed, he carefully straightened out his clothing,
presented a token to verify his identity, and then began
walking westward.

Fan Xian saw that the man was wearing the uniform of the
Brocade Guard. Though his cap was tightly fitted, there were
still a few stray strands of white hair poking out. As he walked
along, the white hair whipped formidably in the night wind.

Fan Xian's cold gaze peered out from under his cap. Watching
the figure walk away, he noticed that his gait was somewhat
odd. He knew that the old man's legs were still not recovered
from after he had broken them.

He followed, the two men heading west through the quiet

streets. Although there were guards at each crossroads, Xiao En
was wearing the uniform of the Brocade Guard. Killing a man
and taking his pass had allowed him to rush through
checkpoints without being challenged.
 And like a ghost, Fan Xian had vanished into the dark night,
following him from afar, quietly moving past those same
checkpoints.

On the road at a normal-looking house, Xiao En stopped to

catch his breath.

Behind it, on top of another ordinary-looking house, Fan

Xian also rested.

Then the two set off again, one behind the other, following
in the direction of the fleeting night. Making their way through
the Brocade Guards' network of checkpoints, they arrived at
the western city gates.

After the city gates opened, the vegetable farmers who had
been waiting outside - whose documents the guards had spent
the past half hour checking - all rushed in, and Xiao En took
advantage of the chaos to sneak out of the tall gate. A while
later, the old man, having been given a new lease of life, made
his way with some difficulty to a dense forest at the foot of the
Yan Mountains, west of Shangjing.
 Fan Xian followed far behind, his sharp eyes fixed on the old
man in front of him. A moment later, Xiao En came out of the
mountain forest, wearing a tattered robe. The corners of the
robe still had black kitchen grime on them, as old village men
often tend to pick up, and on his back, he carried a bundle of
firewood that he had somehow picked up from somewhere.

At that moment, the sun had begun to rise in the east, and its
light illuminated the silent mountain forest, immediately
dispersing the mist and clearing the air.

Everyone who saw the old man presumed he was some

hardworking old farmer who had been gathering firewood at
dawn, and had no connection to the spymaster who had struck
terror throughout the land two decades previously.

Fan Xian stood quietly in a tree, coldly watching Xiao En's

crooked figure slowly walk ahead. He felt a certain
ruthlessness rise up in him. Xiao En was old, after all. Not only
was his health not what it was, even his mind was slower than
before. Who would choose to gather firewood in the morning?
A real farmer gathered firewood at dusk.
 It was quiet inside the city as well as outside.

The report came back from the Brocade Guard's spies. "The
Qing diplomatic mission is quiet. According to Lin Wen, last
night they arranged for two dancing-girls to visit Chief
Diplomat Fan, and he hasn't slept all night."

"Did you confirm that Fan Xian is in the mission compound?"

Shen Zhong had already taken off his official uniform and
swapped it for his opulent rich man's clothes. He brought a
chunk of roasted donkey meat to his lips and chewed on it, the
grease running from his mouth.

"Yes sir," replied the spy respectfully. "A brother of mine

knows what Fan Xian looks like, and he is watching outside
their quarters."

Shen Zhong was taken aback. He placed the donkey meat,

dripping with grease, on the table. His eyes were sunken, and
he seemed dispirited. He had spent the whole night tossing and
turning, his health troubling him. Suddenly, he laughed. "I
doubt they're telling the truth. Has Friar He already gone?"
 "Yes sir." The spy had a sudden realization. "Lang Tao has
also left."

Shen Zhong closed his eyes. It was unclear what he was

thinking about. Some time later, he began to talk to himself
quietly. "Since those southern barbarians want us to presume
that Fan Xian is in the diplomatic compound, if he were killed,
I suppose there would be nothing they could do about it."

He opened his eagle-like eyes, fierce and merciless. "The

southern barbarians have spent the past decades learning how
to scheme. Perhaps they will be too clever for their own good."

Having been awake throughout the night, Fan Xian also felt
rather tired, but the zhenqi in his body was abundant, so he
was still able to spur himself on. Looking at the old man as he
struggled to make his way down the small road that led from
the distant mountain forest, he couldn't help but feel some
admiration for him. He was in his eighties, and had suffered
decades of torture, and yet he was still able to break out of
prison and make it this far. He didn't know where the old man
got his strength from.
 Fan Xian didn't move, because he had a feeling that some
unknown danger lay in wait for him, and Xiao En had managed
to leave the city a little too easily. He began to think of all the
possibilities. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he slipped down from
the tree, retreating in the opposite direction. In the blink of an
eye, he had disappeared.

The sun inched its way westward, and Xiao En did the same.
To the west was paradise; perhaps death, perhaps bliss.

The diplomatic mission and Xinyang could not announce all

of their plans to Shang Shanhu, and Xiao En also had his own
backup. The mountain road led upward, and he reached the
end of it; a precipice on the top of a grassy hill. To the left was
a stone road that led to the Shangjing cavalry barracks. Shang
Shanhu and Xiao En had arranged it as their meeting place.

The redness in Xiao En's eyes had already faded. He leaned

over to one side, letting the small mountain of firewood on his
back topple to the ground. He clapped his hands on his thighs
and sat down. Since no one had come to meet him, the plot had
been discovered by the Qi royal court. He knew that someone
would be waiting here.
 Just like on the meadow by the riverside at Wuduhe, Xiao En
once more felt tired, and didn't want to walk any further.
"Come out."

He spat the words from his dry lips.

The grass trembled in the wind. At the sound of his voice, a

swordsman wearing black slowly emerged from the end of the
mountain road. The swordsman had a high forehead, and his
face was very pale. The weight of the world seemed to hang
upon his brow. He looked about forty years old. With his right
hand, he steadily gripped the hilt of the sword on his waist. His
knuckles were prominent. His entire body was like a blade.

"Friar He?" Xiao En narrowed his eyes, his glance cold.

The swordsman was indeed Friar He, the ninth-level master

of Northern Qi. Cheng Jushu, the eighth-level master that Fan
Xian had disemboweled on Niulan Street a year and a half ago,
had been his disciple.
 Friar He's face was pale and his clothing was black; the two
contrasted with each other like snow on charcoal. Respectfully,
he cupped his fists in salute. "It is an honor, sir."

In Northern Qi, save for Ku He, anyone who met Xiao En

would address him with the courtesy expected toward an elder.

"I never imagined that that young swordsman I met all those
years ago would become the Brocade Guard's deadliest
weapon." Xiao En coughed, then sat down on the ground,
lightly massaging his knees.

"Many years have passed." Friar He looked at Xiao En with

sincere respect on his face. "I'm not the Brocade Guard's
running dog. I am the Empress Dowager's sworn guardsman. I
have come to bring you peace."

"You know that this land belongs to His Majesty," Xiao En

said quietly.

Friar He knew what the old man meant. The Emperor did not
want Xiao En dead, and his blind loyalty to the Empress
Dowager would no doubt offend the young Emperor. He smiled
and looked around. "I thought I would see that handsome
young Fan fellow today."

Xiao En coughed again. "I can't believe I spent so long

striking terror into men's hearts, only to die as bait."

"There is no need to feel sorrow, sir. Since Fan has knowingly

retreated, I reckon his luck is good."

Friar He's sword rang out as he unsheathed it from its

scabbard. He moved swift as a bird in flight, his wrist and
elbow forming a straight line, plunging his blade into Xiao En's
chest.
Chapter 237: Damp Firewood and Cheap
Shots
The sword tip buried itself deep into Xiao En’s left shoulder
for an instant before being pulled out, trailed by a stream of
blood that was anything but graceful. At his age, even the
amount of blood in Xiao En’s body was visibly less than that of
a younger person.

Friar He, with his sword across his chest, floated back!

Xiao En sat on the ground, his withered right hand holding

onto a branch as thick as one’s forearm. Before Friar He’s
sword made contact, the old man somehow, giving up his left
shoulder, struck the branch down hard at Friar He’s shin from
a seemingly impossible angle.

The front end of the branch had been smashed to pieces,

demonstrating how powerful the blow had been.

Feeling a sharp pain, Friar He’s already pale face turned even
whiter. While his right hand still steadily held onto his sword,
his left leg started to shake.
 With his ninth-ranked might, Friar He had thought it would
be easy to kill a severely-weakened old man. Even though that
old man was none other than Xiao En, who had been so
terrifying years ago, Friar He believed he had made adequate
preparations. It was now clear, however, that the old man
proved to be much more unpredictable than Friar He imagined.

Coughing, Xiao En said, "My legs were broken by that brat

Fan, so I had to land a hit on your leg, even if I failed to break
it—"

Before Xiao En finished, Friar He attacked again. His sword

meandered like a dragon around Xiao En, who was trapped
sitting on the ground. Now Friar He had completely stopped
underestimating his opponent. Instead, he became careful, as
if facing a grandmaster.

Friar He’s swordsmanship, violent and fierce like a dragon,

was completely different from the more commonly-seen sword
styles. Supposedly, it was taught to him by some foreigner
north of the mountains. While some parts were diluted, it
matched perfectly with Ku He’s teachings, which benefited him
greatly.
 Xiao En, on the other hand, only had a stick, and he was
unable to move.

Even so, Xiao En’s stick began to move like the tongue of a
venomous serpent, jabbing out occasionally, forcing Friar He
back. But Friar He began to arouse his zhenqi, filling the air
with a buzzing sound. Ultimately, that stick in Xiao En’s hand
could not hold.

The sword and the stick clashed, with the latter was shaved
down into a rain of slivers.

Xiao En reached out, grabbed another stick, and jabbed

diagonally to the right, intercepting Friar He’s deadly strike.

Xiao En had brought with him a bundle of firewood.

However, he would eventually run out of those damp
branches.

Some time passed, and the temperature started to rise as the

sun began to cast down its merciless rays. Xiao En was
bleeding, his tattered shirt covered in slashes. On his chest
were some deep wounds. But the old man had lost too much
blood. His wounds were turning pale.

Around Xiao En, the ground was covered by a dense layer of

fly wings and legs. Those insects had been drawn by the scent
of blood, only to be sucked into the torrent of sword strikes
and cut to pieces.

Friar He stood about five steps away from Xiao En, his pale
face slightly flushed. His right hand, holding onto his sword,
finally started to tremble. He didn’t have an easy time either;
strikes from Xiao En’s sticks turned Friar He’s black shirt into
rags and gave him numerous wounds. More terrifyingly, the
areas around those wounds were embedded by wooden
splinters.

"Come out, that Fan brat won’t be coming."

Friar He gulped, not expecting the old man’s desire to live to

be so strong. Seeing that Xiao En was almost finished, and that
the expected man from Southern Qi was still nowhere to be
seen, Friar He finally called out his comrade.
 Xiao En weakly gave a look at the new enemy. "Ku He keeps
on sending out a bunch of young whelps. He wants this old
man to lose face."

The newly-appeared foe approached. In his hands were a pair

of curved knives. Terrifyingly, the knife blades were covered in
many thin spines; they looked like Friar He’s wounds.

He silently saluted Xiao En and said, "Mister Xiao, under His

Majesty’s strict order, I could not make a move when Haitang
was escorting you to Shangjing. Today, with your escape, I am
forced to do this. Mister Xiao, I hope you understand."

Xiao En laughed coldly, "So it turns out Ku He’s disciples also

learned his bluffs; I though as much. You pretend to be all
honorable on the surface, but deep down you are as wicked as
can be, only looking to kill me. Why pretend to be so
innocent?"

This new enemy was Lang Tao, Ku He’s head disciple and the
emperor's martial arts teacher. Hearing Xiao En speak badly of
his master, he wasted no more words and crossed his wrists.
The two curved knives in his hands became two masses of
black light, aiming towards Xiao En’s head!

Suddenly, Xiao En let out a wild roar!

His pure inner qi, which he had trained for nearly fifty years,
erupted at this instant. Utilizing impossible angles, Xiao En
pushed out with both his palms flat into the path of Lang Tao’s
attack. If his palms were to come together, Lang Tao’s wrists
would be crushed immediately.

A layer of flesh on the back of Xiao En’s hands was taken

away by the spines on those knives, but at the same time, Xiao
En’s palm strikes closed in.

Lang Tao was still expressionless. He let go of his knives and

pushed out with his own palms. The two pairs of palms, with
an age difference of thirty years, violently met each other.
There was nothing fancy about it; it was a pure contest of
power.
 Lang Tao, being Ku He’s head disciple, was in peak condition.
Xiao En, however, was not, having suffered for many years in
prison. In this contest, Lang Tao had the advantage.

Having beat back Xiao En’s attack, Lang Tao shook his
wrists. His knives flashed again, this time aiming at Xiao En’s
shoulders. Lang Tao’s knives were attached to his wrists by
thin chains!

The two knives reflected the red sun above. They looked
exceptionally terrifying.

Xiao En, who was close to death, unexpectedly gathered more

strength. His eyes rolled up, he bent his middle finger slightly
and raised it up towards the sky, blocking the bottom edges of
Lang Tao’s hands!

At this moment came the sound of a flurry of wind. A shadow

rose up from the grass nearby and charged directly at the pair
locked in combat!
 Friar He had been waiting with his sword ready, waiting for
Fan Xian’s appearance!

Grasping the hilt of his sword with both hands, Friar He,
without any unnecessary moves, slashed vertically down!

The sword seemed to be cleaving apart the air itself.

But Friar He did not know his target was among the most
impressive in the world when it came to dodging. The
incoming shadow twisted awkwardly in midair, and, without
any leverage, avoided the sword like an actual flickering
shadow!

As explained before, having been struck too many times by

Wu Zhu in the past resulted in Fan Xian being difficult to hit.

His attack missing the mark, Friar He felt a pressure in his

chest as the sounds of numerous objects flying through the air
approached his face. Friar He forcibly withdrew his sword and
made three horizontal slashes, knocking down most of the
thrown weapons. Only after they hit the ground did he
discover they were stones.

He forcibly withdrew his sword. His blood vessels pounded.

Blood rushed up to his throat and he forced it down. During
this slight opening, three black shadows zoomed down at his
head!

Presently, the two of them were too close. Friar He flicked his
wrist up and the tip of his sword knocked into those three
black shadows with extreme accuracy. However, his last strike
was off just so slightly, and the crossbow bolt did not change
its direction too much. It brushed past Friar He’s thigh and
landed in the grass!

That was close! Only now did Friar He realize just how tough
it was to deal with Fan Xian. He turned around, his face full of
shock.

When he dodged Friar He’s sword, Fan Xian also paid dearly
for forcing his body to twist in midair. Although Fan Xian was
fortunate in having wider meridians than the average martial
artist, he still couldn’t stop blood from rushing to his heart.
His zhenqi collided in his meridians as if about to tear.

Fan Xian did not have a martial artist’s discipline, and, while
he was still in the air, blood came spraying out of his mouth.
As miserable as that looked, it was able to clear his meridians.

At this moment, Lang Tao’s terrifying knives had already

penetrated deeply into Xiao En’s shoulders!

Fan Xian let out a strange cry. Still in the air, he drew the
halved saber from his back and slashed at the back of Lang
Tao’s head.

As if having eyes there, Lang Tao swiftly withdrew his

knives, the tips of which met Fan Xian’s blade about sixteen
centimeters above the hilt—the blade’s weakest point.

With a clang, the already-halved saber broke again.

However, Fan Xian still swung down the sorry remainder of his
saber with brute force and broke off all the spines from Lang
Tao’s knives.
 In that brief instant, Fan Xian discarded his blade,
redistributed his qi, and threw a punch.

Two blows of his most adept cheap shots rushed toward Lang
Tao’s temples like two dragons. Fan Xian wasn’t at all paying
attention to the fact Lang Tao’s knives were directly in front of
his abdomen. He knew that, when facing such a high-ranking
master, he must be steady, accurate, and merciless, denying
himself and his opponent any opportunity of escape.

Lang Tao abruptly turned his head around, a cold light

flashing in his eyes. Crossing his palms, he caught Fan Xian’s
fists, their powerful qi clashing. Fan Xian’s ineffable and
overpowering zhenqi and the zhenqi that Lang Tao had
cultivated with Ku He finally met head-on in that moment.
Chapter 238: Fan Xian Jumps off the
Cliff
On a grassy mound to the edge of the cliff, a crashing noise
was heard.

Fan Xian glided through the air, as if harnessing the essence

of the atmosphere itself. Upon the ground below, Lang Tao
stood firm like an obelisk of stone, as if channeling the very
power of the earth. In the space of a few seconds, their zhenqi
met with a collision that brought utter ruin to the unkempt
grass that paved their battleground.

Lang Tao groaned, before twirling around to penetrate his

knife deep into Xiao En’s chest.

Lang Tao’s mission comprised of two objectives; the slaying

of Fan Xian and the slaying of Xiao En. If he was unable to
overcome Fan Xian in mortal combat, then he would have to
resort to the killing of Xiao En first; this was repeated to him
many times by his master, Ku He.
 Fan Xian’s fists bore at Lang Tao with the heat of fire, but his
enemy spun like a whirlwind. Both knives lusted for Fan Xian’s
soul with each swipe, each making Fan Xian’s chest their
primary target.

As Fan Xian was unable to garner reprieve from Lang Tao’s

relentless assault, Xiao En lay upon the ground dying,
transforming this battle into one of tremendous stakes.
Grinding his teeth, Fan Xian committed to his most reckless act
since the dawn of his new life. He chose to disregard Lang Tao’s
spinning blades, and instead take hold of Xiao En’s clothes. In
this moment, where death could greet either of the two at any
second, Fan Xian raised his knee.

Lang Tao’s knives made contact, but the sound emitted was
not of the piercing of flesh, but of the ringing of a thick metal.

Fan Xian grunted, before exerting strength into a vault that

lifted him above and beyond Lang Tao’s head. Whilst airborne,
he flicked his enemy’s ear before returning to the ground; this
was his little trick.
 Lang Tao suddenly felt a prickling pain stem from his ear,
and so he raised an eyebrow in bewilderment.

Fan Xian’s left calf was overcome with pain, as if it had been
struck by a lightning bolt. Unable to pause, however, he
grabbed Xiao En and pushed forward towards an open clearing
so that he might briefly recompose.

Then, without a second thought, he ran toward the cliffside

and leapt off.

Lang Tao was baffled, and his face froze amidst the
confusion. He was convinced he had managed to slice Fan
Xian’s lower leg, but he questioned as to why the cut emitted a
sound as if he had struck steel. He was supremely confident in
his abilities of swordplay, not to mention his competence with
the sacred arts that made it possible for him to cut through
materials composed of pure gold and iron. Even if his
opponent were to have been clothed in heavy armor, he was
sure that the strike he had dealt would have severed the leg
clean off. How then, had Fan Xian been able to withstand such
a blow?

Lang Tao and Friar He approached the cliffside and glanced

over the edge. The sun shone brightly at this time, but it still
wasn’t enough to pierce and disperse the thick fog which
cloaked the valley. All they had been able to glimpse were the
faint, fleeting shadows of one young man and one old man
falling out of sight. A while later, an audible thud sounded
from below. Although light to their ears, the mere fact that
they were both able to hear the sound of something hitting the
ground from such a high, fatal drop, was a testament to the
velocity of their fall.

"They must have fallen to their deaths," Friar He said.

Lang Tao shook his head remorsefully and spoke: "It will
take more than that to kill Xiao En, and even more still for Fan
Xian."
 Lang Tao and Friar He were both of the sparse few that
comprised the Rank Nine elites in Shangjing. Yet despite that,
they were unable to defeat a severely wounded Xiao En and Fan
Xian, the newest member to broach their rank. Their inability
to complete this task made their hearts stern.

"It will be impossible for them to climb back up." Friar He

frowned as he said this.

Lang Tao scanned the valley once more. The cliffs that
composed the Yan Mountains were straight like razorblades.
The Four Great Grandmasters of the world would be unable to
ascend the cliffs of such a place, so the thought of ordinary
soldiers doing so was preposterous. In agreement, Lang Tao
nodded and said, "Send word to Shen Zhong and have a search
party scour the mountains below to be doubly sure."

…
 The two elites continued to peer into the mists below. With
troubled minds, they reflected upon their battle with Fan Xian
and Xiao En. There was something amiss, they thought.

"Why would Fan Xian go to such lengths to save Xiao En?"

Friar He asked, with uncertainty.

"The strength Fan Xian displayed far exceeded the

apprentice’s prior evaluation," Lang Tao stated.

All of a sudden, Lang Tao opened his eyes wide and shakily
drew upon his knife, severing a part of his ear off without
hesitation. Friar He had always possessed unshakeable faith in
what his master, Ku He taught him. He frowned and looked
upon his lap, where Fan Xian’s crossbow bolt had grazed him.
Although it did not hurt, the slight cut appeared black. He
grimaced and said, "This man that they refer to as ‘Fan Xian’ is
wicked."

Lang Tao replied with a deep voice: "Have you forgotten that
Fan Xian of the southern Qi Kingdom is renowned for his
dishonorable tricks?"
 Even as he said this, Lang Tao thought back to his combat
with Fan Xian. He could not help but wonder how his
opponent possessed such overwhelming zhenqi. It weighed
upon his mind, for he had not known anyone else to possess
such aggressive and cruel zhenqi. It was of greater power than
any others he had ever bore witness to.

What do people normally run into when they leap from

cliffs? Do they see expert martial artists? Pretty women? Secret
knowledge? Infinite wealth?

When Fan Xian contemplated his leap from the cliffs, it

dawned upon him that he was indeed carrying an expert
martial artist with him. If he was to land slightly off-mark, he
knew it would be an abrupt farewell to the beautiful woman
awaiting his return home. The infinite wealth left behind by
his mother would be squandered. And so would the possibility
of ever learning the secrets of the legendary tome which, upon
his passing, would undoubtedly be burned by his Uncle Wu
Zhu on his behalf.

If he were to die there, he knew that his most wonderful

mentor, Uncle Wu Zhu – unexciting, unidirectional teaching
strategies aside – would never be able to overcome such a
tragedy.

When he was young, Wu Zhu performed the leap-from-a-cliff

trick for Fan Xian and at the time, it was the most frightening
thing he had ever witnessed. Therefore, in time, he came to
learn the method of this skill himself and practiced it
unceasingly. Even on his honeymoon in the Cang Mountains,
Fan Xian never let slip an opportunity to practice the trick
some more. And now, the years of vigorous practice had at
long last paid off. To do so with the weight of another man
upon his shoulders, through blinding mist no less, was an
incredible feat. He maintained control over his momentum
and velocity by skirting, sliding, and stepping down along the
smooth cliffside. This manner of control also allowed him to
keep track of his pre-determined landing spot, which was to be
a protruding yet flat-faced rock far below.

Fan Xian`s legs made contact with the rock. The

overwhelming zhenqi within his body aided in making it an
untroubled landing. That being said, his left leg had been
severely wounded by Lang Tao`s blade and, with a groan, he
fell to the floor.
 He had no time to reel in pain, however, and so Fan Xian
sprang back into action. He approached a large boulder and
gave it a hefty shove further down the cliff, the sound it made
was that of a heavy thud.

"Are you insane?" Behind him, Fan Xian caught sight of a

cave. The terribly wounded Xiao En had already made his way
inside, and thus had the time to ridicule Fan Xian for his
actions by further saying, "I'd like to see how you plan on
climbing back up there!"

Fan Xian`s only response was to shrug his shoulders. He was

most certainly not going to divulge his secrets to the dying old
man. Looking to gain an understanding of his new
environment, Fan Xian peered further into the cave. The last
thing he desired was for this place to harbor some affiliation
with Zhang. Returning to Xiao En, he presented him with a
certain pill.
 Graciously, Xiao En accepted the pill and proceeded to
swallow it promptly. With further ridicule, however, he told
Fan Xian: "Twenty years ago, the likes of Lang Tao and Friar
He could never have hoped to oppose me. What about you, eh?
You are the Commissioner of the southern Qi Kingdom`s
Overwatch Council, are you not? Chen Pingping and Fei Jie`s
successor, yes? But you were made to leap off a cliff, only to
survive the fall and now be forced to rot away in this cave, to
die of starvation."

These words did not rile Fan Xian up. Instead, they made him
smile and so he replied, "When an old man likes to talk about
‘the good old days’, it usually means he's dying."

Xiao En paid little heed to these words and said, "Nothing can
be done to alleviate these wounds. I am fine with this, for I
have nothing more to lose. What I do not understand, is why
someone as young as you would go to such lengths to save a
fellow like me." He stopped talking for a brief while, before
resuming: "Furthermore, how on earth did you summon the
courage to leap off that cliff, with such thick fog masking your
vision?"
 "Your so-called godson is a remarkable fighter, but he is not
one for plans, secrets, and diplomacy." Fan Xian pulled out a
needle from his hair and poked it into Xiao En’s body to cease
the bleeding. Following this, he said, "Even the Brocade Guard
were able to uncover where you two were supposed to meet, let
alone me. It takes little thought to surmise this was a set-up."

Xiao En had no quarrel with allowing Fan Xian to perform

his practice of medicine upon him, but he couldn’t help but
roll his eyes. Xiao En called out an observation, stating, "Your
needle contains a poison."

Fan Xian hadn’t the motivation to explain and instead replied

with, "You are dying and your body possesses a few hundred
manners of toxins, anyway. What harm can one more do?"

Xiao En coughed twice, and his eyelids began to grow heavy.

The behavior and temperament of a dying soul is a strange one.

Fan Xian could see that the old man was going to die due to
severe blood loss. Already, his face had gone pale. But all of a
sudden, Fan Xian asked, "When Shen Zhong had the courtyard
surrounded, you should have known that the Brocade Guard
knew full well of Shang Shanhu’s plans to save you. Why do
you still continue?"

"Continue what?"

"Continue to pretend that you were injured upon your flight

from the capital. You knew full well that those elites were
lying in wait for you and you knew that those who fought so
hard to rescue you were all dead."

Xiao En looked at Fan Xian, and after a brief period of

silence, he began to laugh. "Perhaps I am cooperating with the
Brocade Guard, playing the helpless victim? Perhaps I am
simply luring you out, so that you may die with me."

Fan Xian, tired of his jests, finally said, "Can’t you be serious
for once?"

Xiao En’s eyesight drifted to look past Fan Xian’s shoulders,

and take in the deep valley. The sunlight was getting brighter
and brighter and the fog that dressed the cliffs began to clear.
In the distance, one could see the mountain that looked like a
cracked yellow mirror. It was of another kind of beauty.

"I had been locked away for so long, I always dreaded the
thought of dying in that cell," Xiao En said solemnly.

Fan Xian turned around to look in the direction that

captivated Xiao En’s attention so much, and noticed that up
ahead was a mountain with a surface that was incredibly
smooth, only marred by the occasional cracks that were not
unlike the shape of lightning bolts. Upon the mountainside, a
single lone tree was seen to be growing there. And whilst it
looked sorrowful, standing there all alone, it’s determination
to do so, with profoundly green leaves, was admirable.

"This place has yellow mountains and green trees. Down

below, there is water and white fog. This place would make for
a fine tomb."

Fan Xian smiled and began to sort out his right leg’s pants.
The Overwatch Council’s clothing was of tremendous worth,
being fireproof, pickpocket-proof and cut-proof. It was
remarkable, therefore, to see how Lang Tao’s knives managed
to cut through that which threaded this clothing. Fan Xian
unequipped the dagger given to him by Fei Jie, but held the
curved blade gently for a while and said, "Thank you. I had no
desire of changing my name to Fan Pingping."

"Why would you stupidly get into such a fight and thrust
yourself into this grave situation?" As he asked, Xiao En
curiously examined the face of the disguise that Fan Xian still
wore. He took particular notice of his dry lips. Perhaps when
on the verge of death, one’s curiosity heightens?

Fan Xian placed the dagger near his foot. He began massaging
the clogged veins of his wounded left calf and softly spoke:
"When I found out this was an ambush set by the Northerners,
I was prepared to fall back. But when I saw that you were
dying, I have no idea what spurred me into action."
 The reason, however, was quite simple; Fan Xian desired to
know Xiao En’s secrets. He wanted to know where the temple
was, and the relationship that existed between the temple and
Ye Qingmei, and of his rebirth into this world. He wanted to
know about his life, where he came from and he wanted to
know about his arrogant mother. Fan Xian had always
cherished his life, but for just this once, he was willing to risk
it all.
Chapter 239: Traveler of this World
The sunshine in the valley seemed to have turned into a solid
substance, enshrouding everything. The clouds parted in
waves as if being disturbed by an oar. Most of the fog had
dispersed, and only a small amount of mist remained between
the cliff walls like smoke, floating through the sparsely-grown
saplings.

The area just above the small cave jutted out a bit. The
opposing cliff wall was far away, as was the bottom of the
valley. Even with his excellent hearing, it took Fan Xian a long
time to faintly make out the sounds from the bottom.
Shangjing’s Brocade Guards were probably searching the
bottom for the bodies of Fan Xian and Xiao En.

It should be dark and damp down there. Fan Xian believed

the search party would eventually realize he and Xiao En did
not fall to the bottom and would continue their search
outwards. However, He dared not underestimate Shen Zhong;
he didn’t know when someone would cast their eyes onto this
mirror-smooth cliff wall. As for Lang Tao, Fan Xian knew from
their initial clash that this senior disciple of Haitang was
indeed one of the strongest men in this world; with his
unwavering spirit, Lang Tao wasn’t someone Fan Xian could
fool easily.
 There was a slight mountain breeze, and Xiao En’s deathly-
pale face quivered. The old man had fallen unconscious; he
could die at any moment. The sun outside didn’t seem to
deliver any warmth to this dying old man’s body.

Fan Xian scratched his head. The old man’s face was starting
to look like the skin of a tangerine covered in white paint. He
thought for a moment and carefully took out that small blue
pill.

The pill gave off the faint scent of ephedra leaves. It had
already been split in half before. Fan Xian crushed the
remaining half and put it into Xiao En’s mouth. He then took
out the water tube from his sleeve and gave Xiao En some
water from the water bag hidden under his clothes.

A while later, the dying Xiao En regained consciousness. The

scarlet tinge in the old man’s eyes, which had mostly faded
away, reappeared. This old man, right before his own death,
seemed to have regained some of his former power.

"What did you give me?"

 "A blue pill." Fan Xian smiled. "To stimulate your spirits. But
it’s not going to bring back your former vigor."

Of course, old Xiao En did not understand Fan Xian’s joke.

"You took it before making your move, didn’t you?" There

was now strength in Xiao En’s breathing, and he was no longer
dispirited. If terminal lucidity wasn’t at work here, then it
meant the blue pill was activating the remaining lifeforce in
the old man’s body.

Fan Xian didn’t reply immediately. He checked Xiao En’s

pulse, and discovered that it was vigorous yet somewhat
disorderly. Fan Xian knew the pill was working. However, such
a primitive stimulant could only give Xiao En a momentary
boost; the old man’s life had already passed the point of no
return.

Fan Xian took a deep breath and calmly said to Xiao En,
"Against Lang Tao and Friar He, we couldn’t win even if we
worked together, since I broke your legs. That's why I had to
take some drugs. I am curious, however, as to why only the
two of them were sent to deal with us instead of a large group.
 Xiao En coughed violently; the pill was releasing its intense
effects. Waving his hand with great difficulty, Xiao En said,
"They didn't want to make too big of a scene. If they couldn’t
hide it from that little emperor, there would be trouble waiting
for them."

Fan Xian gave him a look. The emperor’s reason to spare Xiao
En was the same as Fan Xian’s. However, he did not continue
the topic.

"You saved me because of that secret I hold." Xiao En watched

the chirping birds flying through the valley; a hint of jealousy
suddenly flashed across his eyes. "But in the end, why does that
secret matter? The emperor wants the temple’s aid to rule the
world. Why do you want to go to the temple?"

"I have my own reason, of course."

"Would you let me hear it?"

Two secret agent leaders, one young and one old, each with
his own history, were now chatting calmly like a couple of
villagers.

"Sure, I’ll tell you a part of it." Fan Xian squinted, feeling his
body becoming a bit weak. The effects of the ephedra pill were
going away, making his spirit fatigued. "I don’t know if you’d
believe this, but I, living in this world, am like a traveler most
of the time. I want to walk to every interesting corner of this
world, and the temple… is no doubt the place that interests me
the most."

"Traveler?" With his blood-shot eyes, Xiao En stared at Fan

Xian’s face, which appeared most ordinary after disguise.

Fan Xian laughed, "Is that strange? The world is just a

temporary lodging place for all living things, and we are just
visitors here while our time allows. Since you and I are living
in this giant inn known as the world, naturally we would like
to see what is inside each of its rooms."

"There might be a venomous snake in the backmost room on

the second floor." With great difficulty, Xiao En shifted back,
feeling the dry heat in his body. He knew he was near death, so
he wanted to take a more comfortable position.
 "Or, there might be a beauty bathing in a tub." Fan Xian
grinned.

Xiao En looked at this young man and shook his head.

"Curiosity killed the old cat. To think you saved me over such
an unbelievable reason, only to seal your own fate. Do you
regret doing so now?"

Fan Xian looked back at the cliffs. He sighed without saying a

word.

"What a fool." Xiao En was smiling. "Paying for a worthless

secret with your own life."

Fan Xian smiled bitterly. "You’re right. Before death, all

secrets become unimportant."

Xiao En suddenly looked at Fan Xian strangely. "Could I beg

of you one request?"
 Fan Xian was shocked. While this old man was long past his
prime, his status and background were no less valid. In the
entire journey up north, there had never been one "beg". Fan
Xian asked, "What do you want?"

Xiao En’s voice sounded strange, "I am not afraid of death…

But after I die, with you trapped in this cave alone, you will
probably start to take interest in my body when starvation
leaves you no choice."

Fan Xian was dazed for an instant, then he realized what the
old man feared. He said with disgust, "Just look at your old
arms and legs; I don’t want to break my teeth trying to take a
bite out of you."

Xiao En smiled bitterly. "When you’re starved to your limits,

what wouldn’t you do?"

Fan Xian frowned. "You’re not afraid of death, but you’re

afraid of me eating your body?"
 Xiao En watched Fan Xian steadily. "In this world, there are
many who aren’t afraid of death, but they are afraid of
cockroaches." He paused before continuing, "I don’t fear death,
but I fear being eaten by you after I'm dead. It gives me a very
bad feeling."

Xiao En began to speak more fluently as the blue pill gave a

temporary boost to his focus. His wounds had also stopped
bleeding. But the redness remained in his eyes, which was not a
good sign at all.

Fan Xian gave Xiao En a look and shook his head. "Don’t
worry. If you die, I’d immediately toss you down to the
bottom," Suddenly, Fan Xian’s pupils contracted as something
occurred to him. He quietly asked Xiao En, "Old man, you've
eaten human flesh before, haven’t you?"

The cave suddenly became silent. A long pause later, the old
man spoke, devoid of emotions, "When I went to the temple, I
was trapped on the mountain by snowstorms. Running out of
food, I had no other choice."
 Fan Xian could feel his heart skip a bit. Although he had done
gravedigging since he was young, the thought of cannibalism
still made his stomach churn. He purposely removed his gaze
from Xiao En’s dried-up lips.

Xiao En cackled, "Human flesh tastes terrible… But back

then, Ku He enjoyed it much more than I did."

Fan Xian’s heart skipped another beat. One of the Great

Grandmasters, revered by so many people, once also engaged in
cannibalism?

He immediately figured out the connections. Xiao En knew

where the temple was. Ku He was an inheritor of the temple's
techniques. The two of them must have gone to the temple at
the same time. For two such powerful figures to resort to
cannibalism, Fan Xian could only guess how perilous the
journey must have been. But he still couldn’t understand why
Ku He was so determined to kill Xiao En. Was it merely to hide
the fact that he had eaten human flesh?

"When did you and Ku He go to the temple?"

 Of course, Xiao En chose this moment to shut his mouth. Fan
Xian felt like a famished diner at a restaurant watching a
waiter come by with a sumptuous platter, only to see the
waiter swerve in the other direction and take the platter away.
Fan Xian felt a ball of anger in his chest and let loose. "Seeing
as how both of us are going to die soon, can’t you let me die
with some satisfaction?"

Xiao En rolled his eyes and jeered, "You fool."

Fan Xian sighed, "This secret isn’t going to save your life
anymore, so why keep it hidden?"

"The temple is to the north."

Very suddenly, very unexpectedly, Xiao En spoke.

"How far north?"

 "In the northernmost tundra. After going through North
Keep Pass, you still have to travel more than three months."

Outside the cave, the sky was getting dark. Fan Xian’s
expression was unchanged, but he felt slightly nervous.
Finding out the general location of the temple meant he was
already half-successful. The mountain breeze started to pick
up intensely, and it was getting slightly chilly. Fan Xian looked
at Xiao En, who had closed his eyes and was waiting for death,
and casually spoke as if chatting to a friend, "Dying old man,
what is the scenery like around the temple?"

Xiao En did not open his eyes. He sighed lightly. "What

scenery? It’s just a big temple. And you? Which rock did you
jump out from?"

Fan Xian yawned. "I’m from Danzhou. Danzhou isn’t much

to look at either. But there were two trees in my backyard
growing up. One was a date tree; the other was also a date tree."
Chapter 240: The Temple of Eternal
Night
"The temple has no trees, and is hidden within the snow-
covered mountains. It is said that there are two days in the
year when it shows its true facade, and if you are not pure of
heart, then you cannot see it."

Xiao En's aged-sounding voice was calm. The temple was

extremely significant to him. Because he knew of the
connection between the temple and that young woman, Chen
Pingping had paid a high price when kidnapping him and
bringing him back to Qing. And because he knew the location
of the temple, Ku He, who had benefited most from what was
inside the temple, wanted him dead. And the young Emperor
held the extravagant hope that he could receive the aid of
Heaven from that temple.

But what was the temple? It was just a building.

Xiao En suddenly felt as if half his life had been a lie, and
only the second half, spent behind bars, had been real. The old
man looked at the dawn light spreading outside the cave.
"Master Fan," he said, a stupefied look on his face, "do you
believe that there really are gods?"

Fan Xian was silent. He thought of his own rebirth, and of

that box he had been left behind, and he nodded. "I believe in
the gods more than anyone else in this world."

"What are they?"

"If I knew what they were, then I would be a god myself."

Xiao En fixed him with a look of admiration. "For someone as

young as you to see things so clearly is rare indeed." He paused
for a moment. "But the current Emperor is still young, so he
does not see clearly."

Fan Xian knew that the story had finally begun. Not was
somewhat nervous and filled with anticipation.

"Do you know what this land was like thirty years ago?"
 "The Kingdom of Wei was strong, and could have united all-
under-Heaven at any moment."

"Correct. At that time, I was the head of the Red Riders of

Wei, a trusted aide of the Emperor." There was a strange look
on Xiao En's face as he remembered the past. It was not as if he
were lost in his memories of his former glory, nor that he bore
any sort of grudge. Perhaps his impending death had brought
him a kind of serene indifference. "The whole land belonged to
the Kingdom of Wei. Every man of talent and accomplishment
was part of their royal court. But the ones who stirred up the
court, apart from the first Emperor, were two pairs of
brothers."

Fan Xian saw the old man's seemingly determined look, and
felt somewhat more at ease. "One of those pairs was you and
Zhuang Mohan," he said gently.

"That's right. He had greater prospects than I did." Xiao En's

face softened. "And he was more sentimental than I. I was
locked up by Qing for 20 years, and he still remembered me. I
owe him."
 "Why does no one know you are brothers?"

"The reason is very simple. My reputation was terrifying.

Who knows how many men I had killed in secret? He was a
scholar, and naturally he didn't care for me. I didn't feel any
connection to him either," Xiao En replied in a matter-of-fact
voice.

Fan Xian paused for a moment before changing the topic.

"And who were the other pair of brothers?"

"Zhan Qingfeng and Ku He."

"Zhan Qingfeng? The first Emperor of Northern Qi, the one

who was a famous general at the time?" Fan Xian was finally
stunned. So that was the secret connection between Ku He and
the Northern Qi royal family! No wonder he had once
singlehandedly defended the current Emperor and the Empress
Dowager, and the royal family were so reverent of Ku He.

"Ku He is the younger brother of Zhan Qingfeng. Since

childhood, he was resolved to spend his life as a monk, walking
the path of Heaven, doing his best so that he might one day
enter the temple." There was a hint of mockery in Xiao En's
voice. "Many people believe in the temple, but who has even
seen it in a thousand years? But those monks preached all
throughout the land, living lives more pitiful than beggars."

"But the temple really does exist," Fan Xian piped up.

"Yes." Xiao En closed his eyes. "When the first Emperor passed
away, and the young Emperor ascended the throne, although
that Emperor still held us ministers in high regard, for some
reason, he had an unusual fear of death. All day, he would
practice some kind of art that he thought could lead to
immortality."

"Considering how powerful the Kingdom of Wei was at the

time, he had nothing to worry about as Emperor. It was only
natural that his mind would turn to such things," said Fan
Xian.

"So Ku He took the opportunity to enter the palace and

convinced the Emperor to dispatch a diplomatic mission to
search for clues regarding the temple's location," continued
Xiao En. "He said that if the immortals of the temple were to
pass their teachings on to the Emperor, then he could become
immortal too. The moment the Emperor heard that, there was
no way he could object..." Xiao En laughed bitterly. "As the
Emperor's trusted aide and captain of the Red Riders, the duty
naturally fell to me."

"Ku He was the one who proposed it. He was fervant in his
belief in the temple, so naturally I could not stay out of it," said
Xiao En calmly. "They gathered all the power of the Kingdom
of Wei and searched for who knows how long. Finally they
found a lead, so Ku He and I led a thousand men north."

Although the dying old man spoke vaguely, Fan Xian knew
that the process at the time was rather complex. The people
worshipped the temple, but it was illusory, leaving no trace. To
be able to find a genuine clue to its existence would be a
shocking development indeed.

The sound of the old man's aged and apathetic voice

reverberated through the cave. The dawn light was dimming
outside. Fan Xian listened silently, interjecting with timely
questions. His mind was racing as he tried to sketch a map of
the group's expedition to the temple in his head.
 Time seemed to turn back to thirty years ago, and the yellow
mountains' mild air turned to endless wind and snow. In the
old man's memories, Fan Xian seemed to catch sight of the
thousand men of the expedition, caught beneath a sky that
snowed as far as the eye could see, soldering on through the
wastelands of the frozen north. They wore leather boots and
thick leather clothing, showing only their eyes, but they still
could not stop the cold winds from penetrating them down to
the bone and filling their bodies.

At the head of the ranks were their two leaders: Xiao En, in
the prime of his life, and the young pious monk Ku He.

The men moved northward, the route becoming more

perilous, their numbers thinning. Some men perished from the
cold, some fell down the icy ravines and disappeared without
trace, some were ripped apart by birds of prey that descended
lightning-fast from the skies. In short, as the men moved
further ahead, their numbers shrank, and a strange mood
befell them.

The whole world was an endless expanse of white snow.

Because they had spent so long in this dull and freezing
landscape, some men's eyes began to falter. Xiao En, ruthless,
abandoned them in the wastelands. In the distance, hungry
wolves, resistant to the cold, awaited the blind men's demise.

Everything happened in silence; even such bitter things as

death.

The team carried on for a long time before they finally came
to a great mountain range deep in the north. There was a
narrow path through the mountains, and the snow was thick
enough that it had already covered up the mountains' faces. It
looked like a string of endless icebergs.

After the men - now numbering merely a hundred - passed

through the mountains, they found that behind the mountains
was another stretch of land still concealed by ice and snow,
where animals rarely even appeared. Tenacious, the team set
up camp, wanting to find traces of the temple there, but after
many days, no one had found anything.

It was winter, the snow fell thick and hard, they were
separated by mountains, sun had set, and food had run out.
 The strongest men made it through to the end. In a stretch of
endless night, Xiao En and Ku He sat back to back in their tent,
a wall of dead bodies around them. Their fire had burned out,
and the ruined tents and clothing of the dead men was all they
had to grant them the slightest warmth and the slightest hope.

"This is the wrath of Heaven."

Inside the mountain cave, Xiao En struggled to open his eyes.

There was a redness growing denser in his pupils, but they still
betrayed his endless dread. "The temple knows that mortal
men are trying to find it, so Heaven is angered. Heaven has sent
this boundless darkness upon us."

Fan Xian looked the old man in the eye, saying nothing for a
long time. "That was polar night." In his head, he confirmed
once more the location of the temple.

Xiao En did not understand what "polar night" was. But he

had sunken deep into his memories, and there was a look of
frustration in his face. "At that point, Ku He was hungrily and
meanly devouring human flesh while he prayed piously to
Heaven. I couldn't help but despise him. To my surprise...
perhaps he had finally truly aroused the feelings of the
immortals of the temple... daylight suddenly came."

Fan Xian couldn't stop himself from looking at Xiao En. How
could the two men have survived the long months of polar
night? Even if they had flesh to eat and tents to burn, for the
two of them to struggle alone like that could well send a man
insane.

Xiao En suddenly laughed. "At the moment that day broke,

Ku He and I had reached the end of our lives. But suddenly, we
discovered hope, a strength that came from some unknown
place, that allowed us to continue living."

"And then you found the temple." Fan Xian drew his dagger
and put it to one side. "What was the temple like?"

Many years ago, past the snowy mountains, two men,

emaciated to skin and bone, emerged with great difficulty from
their tent. Their eyes were sunken and their skin was pallid.
When they breathed, exposing their rotten and swollen gums,
the signs were clear - these two men would soon be dead.
 The dawn renounced its miserliness and its rays of light
finally began to appear. A handful of animals emerged once
more from their holes. The two once-hardy men had spent the
last of their strength, but they were still more ferocious than
these beasts, and so they managed to replenish themselves,
standing to their feet once more.

That day, they narrowed their eyes, looking blankly at the

mountains before them, unsure where the temple – that they
had gone through hell to find – could be.

All that stood before them was a vast expanse of pure white
snow.

Suddenly, a shaft of light descended from the dark-blue sky.

The light that fell upon the mountains seemed to bend in some
queer way, and suddenly, a beautiful temple appeared amongst
the mountains.

The grand temple had been built upon the mountainside, its
black stone walls and light-gray eaves standing against each
other to create a vista of indescribable dignity.
 Ku He stared dumbfounded at the mountains, and suddenly
fell to the ground, overcome with emotion. He burst into tears
at the appearance of the temple, overcome with a feeling of
incomparable wretchedness. Xiao En stood stupefied. A long
time later, he finally came to his senses, sitting down on the
snow ground, unable to gather the strength to stand again for a
long time.

This was the temple.

Chapter 241: The Little Girl Escapes the
Temple
Along the snow-brushed steps, a young Ku He and a
distraught Xiao En began to ascend the frost-bitten mountain.
The look upon Xiao En’s face thawed somewhat, allowing him
to once more express a range of differing emotions, from
excitement, to anxiety, to fear.

Ku He possessed no fear; he only harbored a fervent

fanaticism. He was a monk, and he had made it his life’s goal to
touch the temple’s door and kneel upon the stone steps of that
sacred place in worship of its divinity.

As they pushed on with their snowbound venture, it wasn’t

long before they neared their final destination. However, upon
approaching its frigid steps, they would immediately be taken
aback. You see, each time they neared, the temple would
vanish from sight and reappear in the far distance, once more.
After half a day of intense climbing towards their desired
haven, this continued, and the temple’s distance away from
them appeared to gradually lengthen, with its black, solemn
walls looking like little more than fleeting, flickering shadows.
 In legends, it was said that the temple would only appear
twice a year. Ku He and Xiao En were unwilling to relinquish
this opportunity, however, and so they exerted every ounce of
their strength in their climb. And climb they did. They
climbed, crawled, and clambered until they lost track of how
long they had spent doing so. Over the course of their pursuit,
their bodies developed innumerable cuts and bruises from the
harsh ice and lethal icicles and as they endured, two trails of
blood marked their route.

Slap. Ku He’s hands slapped flat stone - he had reached the

footsteps of the temple. The young monk, in his relief, could
not help but slap the stone twice in a presumptuous manner.
He was quickly filled with boundless joy and his heart leapt in
elation.

Xiao En was slightly slower to reach the top and as he peered

at the door of the temple, he clutched the weapon that he had
hidden within his sleeves. As he looked upon the seven-meter-
high door, Xiao En became slightly unnerved, and with its
presence there, it almost looked as if a god had dropped a book
onto the earth. Although the door wasn’t as fancy as the grand
door that existed within the Great Wei Palace, it made the
latter look miniscule in comparison. The place seemed
otherworldly, as if it weren’t built for the presence of mortals.

The walls of the temple were caked in dust, and it must have
been several years since anyone else had treaded upon the
grounds of this place.

Xiao En gulped, and steeled himself to find a way inside. The

king had bestowed upon Xiao En the task of discovering the
key to immortality. He believed that the end of his search was
nigh, and so his excitement grew. Ku He, however, felt
differently. His kowtow before the temple door had become
quite unsettling, and he was performing the act so vigorously
that his forehead began bleeding.

Xiao En approached the temple door and as he leaned

forward to touch it, the temple seemed to move away from
him.
 The temple was so close, yet so far.

30 years later, in the cave. Xiao En’s pallid eyes grew sad.

"I was unable to enter."

Fan Xian let go of Xiao En’s hands and lightly told him, "It is
as I thought. If this were not so, there would be five grand
masters, not four."

"Ku He was stronger than me. Even if I were as lucky as he,

there is no way I could become a grand master." Hearing this,
Fan Xian shook his head. "But Ku He could not enter, either.
That temple possessed an aura, and it was shielded by a mystic
force. Back in the day, Ku He and I were the strongest warriors
on the face of the earth, but even we were unable to breach that
place."

Fan Xian perked his head. The tale that Fei Jie’s mentor
mentioned had detailed Ku He’s incredible strength stemming
from the time he spent kowtowing before a temple’s door. It
would appear that this tale was one of truth. Fan Xian frowned
and asked, "What resides in that temple?"

Xiao En struggled to provide a response, for he was entirely

drained of strength. "In front of the temple’s door, there resides
a large plaque. Over the course of the eons, its face had
weathered and its message faded. If I were to hazard a guess, I
would assume that what was once written on that plaque were
runes, left to us mortals by the gods themselves!"

Fan Xian’s heart began to pound and he fervently asked;

"What sort of runes?"

Xiao En caught the excitement that was beginning to develop

within Fan Xian, and his eyebrows moved in response. In his
heart, he found it admirable that the young man in front of
him was still filled with such wonder and curiosity regarding
the mysteries of their world.

"Do not…" With difficulty, the old man raised his finger to
trace the shape of the rune in the air.
 Fan Xian understood immediately. "The dragon hiding in
deep water?" he said to himself. After he said this, he could not
help but laugh.

"And there were three of the exact same runes," Xiao En said.
Through strenuous effort, Xiao En managed to raise his finger
and in the air, gestured the shape of two circular arcs,
providing a mystic sensation.

Fan Xian began to believe that it was impossible for him to

discern anything from these runes. Does my rebirth have
anything to do with this temple? Does the temple possess a
connection to my mother? It looks as if I’ll have to find out
myself. I don’t believe I have the strength and luck of Ku He
and Xiao En to brave and endure the cold nights of travel to
such a place.

"I don’t imagine this story has such a simple ending."

Xiao En coughed and said, "You are correct. When you spend
so much time and effort in pursuit of your lifelong goal, to
finally be within reach and fall short of it, you may not be so
willing to give up."
 "As Ku He continued to kowtow on the steps before the
temple, I walked to the sheltering mountainside."

The onset of night had come, and without the light of a

campfire, the darkness blinded them both. Xiao En, in a
softened voice, began to once more describe the events that
occurred decades ago. Fan Xian, after a while said, "You were
looking for a sewer entry?"

Xiao En looked at the young man's silhouette framed by the

mouth of the cave. "You're in the same line of business as me,"
he said. "That's why you know what I would have done at that
time."

"You were unable to get close to the temple’s walls, so how

were you supposed to enter via a sewer?" Upon saying this, Fan
Xian’s eyebrows moved in a manner to suggest slight
confusion. Then, he asked, "In a place such as this, a relic left
from the gods, how could there be a sewer?"

"So I failed." Xiao En said these words in haste. "Now that I

think about it, I must have had a lot of courage in my youth. In
front of that temple, there I was, believing I could get inside
through such a mundane point of entry."

"And then?"

"And then…" Xiao En fell into a weird mood. "Then I

returned to the front of the temple. And when I did, I saw Ku
He hold something in his arms. In my curiosity, I approached
to ask him what he held and then…"

The old man’s speech stammered and slowed, and as it did,

Fan Xian’s heart grew tenser and tenser.

"The door of the temple swung open."

"What!?" Fan Xian, without realizing it, inched closer

towards Xiao En in a manner that seemed to suggest he wanted
to protect him.
 Xiao En’s eyes gleamed and smiled on his behalf. With his
voice beginning to break, he said, "The temple’s doors opened
quietly and quite naturally. It was an exciting thing to witness.
On my way there to take a look inside, from beyond that
massive door, a beautiful person stepped outside."

"A beautiful person?"

"Yes, it was a fairy."

Xiao En stood before the door like a fool as a little girl ran
directly into his arms. Blood from his still-battered and
fatigued body almost spilt from his mouth. In the pale light,
Xiao En glanced at Ku He, who looked like a fierce tiger. He
dashed towards the temple doors and began to make battle
with a dark entity.

Ku He was the youngest Rank Nine elite, but he had no idea

what came over him. He was quite visibly exerting all of the
strength that he possessed to take on this entity that had
emerged from the temple. The whole scene quickly descended
into chaos.
 A few moments later, it dawned upon Xiao En that he did
indeed hold within his arms a young girl. Before he could
react, however, the young girl began yelling at Ku He,
"Retreat!"

It was a simple word that was uttered from the mouth of frail
young girl, but it was spoken like a decree issued by an
emperor. The power within her voice made Xiao En shiver.
And then, all of a sudden, his face was smacked.

"You too!"

Ku He stepped backwards with grace, but Xiao En, clutching

the young girl, clumsily fell backwards and rolled down the
temple stairs.

The dark entity did not give chase and rather warped back
inside the temple. Xiao En, in shock, returned his gaze back
towards the temple doors. He hazily thought that for a brief
moment, the dark entity resembled the shape of a man. Fear
overcame Xiao En, and he saw Ku He was already coughing up
blood after his brief clash. Even Ku He was no match for that
dark entity. It was evident that whatever was inside that
temple was not from this world.

Xiao En understood quite quickly that while he was off

looking for his supposed sewer entrance, Ku He must have
bargained with the little girl that was in his arms upon Xiao
En’s return. A bargain that would free her from the temple.

But who was this little girl?

"Carry me. Drag him and let's go."

The little girl appeared to be extremely cold and so she buried

her head in his chest, before signaling him to move. Xiao En
did not dare to relent and so he held the girl tight, grabbed a
hold of Ku He and began his descent back down the mountain.

It took what seemed like an age of running, but at long last,

they returned to their campsite. He was exhausted and upon
sitting down in his tent, he suddenly questioned why he took
flight. The Emperor had ordered him to retrieve the secrets of
immortality, but he had come back without them. Why had he
listened to the little girl, without a second thought? The
strangest aspect, or so he thought, was that the dark entity did
not go after him.

Xiao En turned around to look at the little girl, as she sat

upon the floor, rubbing her nose. She took notice at the mound
of human bones that had been left over in the corner of the
tent.

"These poor and hateful humans." The little girl spoke and
returned her gaze to Xiao En. It was only now that Xiao En was
able to get a good look at her and see what she truly looked
like. Her skin was pale like snow, without a single blemish. Her
eyes were wide and they sparkled. Her beauty was something
no mortal could possess.

In the pitch black cave, Xiao En could not make out Fan
Xian’s facial expression, but he could tell through the tone of
his voice, that something was amiss. Fan Xian asked, "How old
was the little girl?"

"Four years of age, at the most." Xiao En’s eyes were wide
open, as if he could see her face before him. "When I held her
in my arms, she was as light as a feather."

Fan Xian, in a tone of astonishment, asked, "She was four

years old as well?"

"Why 'as well'"?

"It’s nothing." Fan Xian laughed, opened his eyes and asked,
"Do you know who that little girl is?"

Xiao En replied assuredly, "Of course I know. She was fairy

who wanted to become mortal, and thus she escaped that
temple."

Fan Xian was laughing and shook his finger in disagreement,

"Believe me, she was just a little girl that entered the temple to
steal stuff."

The character in the rune, "do not" (wu), made Fan Xian think of a Chinese idiom about a dragon
hiding in deep water, which is a metaphor for not acting rashly until the time is right.
Chapter 242: Today’s Chapter is Untitled
Xiao En heard Fan Xian's confident words and began
coughing violently, unable to stop for a long time. It was the
middle of the night, and they sat on a precipice, unsure
whether the Brocade Guards searching below would hear. Fan
Xian was rather worried. He took out a needle and thrust it
into Xiao En's neck, helping to ease the tension in his veins.

Fan Xian's gently felt Xiao En's neck, where there was a slight
sticky dampness. He sniffed, picking up a faint scent of blood.
He knew that Xiao En had begun coughing up blood, and
though his face remained expressionless, he felt somewhat
emotional.

"It was a fairy." The dying man stubbornly confirmed the

judgment he'd made 30 years before.

Fan Xian didn't want to argue with him on that point. "How
could a four-year-old girl carry a chest? Who carried it then?"
he asked.
 "What chest?" Xiao En's was asked in a genuine tone of voice.
He didn't sound like he was lying.

Fan Xian was rather taken aback. He knew that the old man
didn't need to hide anything, and Wu Zhu was still yet to
appear. Wu Zhu had once said that he and his mother had left
home together. Where was that home? According to the letter
his mother had left behind, Wu Zhu had once waged war
against the powerful forces of the temple, and as a result he
had lost a portion of his memories. Why had Wu Zhu wanted
to fight against the people of the temple? Could it be that he
was fighting for a woman's affections?

"And then what?"

This is the work that every person who listens to a story

must do. Old Xiao En, the storyteller, was nearing death, and
there was no way Fan Xian would forget to ask those three
words.

Inside the tent, Ku He lay down on a pelt, his breathing

hurried. He didn't know what that little girl had allowed him
to do, making him capable of turning his back on his long-held
beliefs and attack the people of the temple.

Xiao En looked out of the open tent at the little girl in the
snow. The blizzard was still fierce outside, and the little girl's
skin was whiter than the snow. Her tiny hands tightly gripped
the thick tent material, and she looked out at the vast outside
world, her frame tiny against it. There was a feeling of
loneliness about her that seemed completely at odds with her
tender age.

He carefully moved up next to Ku He, placing a hand into a

hole in his robe.

"I gave him that," said the little girl, her head not even
turning. "Don't touch it."

Xiao En looked at the little girl with a sudden ominous glint

in his eye. Ku He was definitely hiding some kind of tome of
divine knowledge from the temple in his breast pocket, and he
couldn't stop himself from feeling tempted. But when he
thought about how the girl who had snuck out of the temple
was a fairy, Xiao En immediately relinquished such thoughts.
 He kneeled, completely deferential, kowtowing toward the
fairy. "I am the leader of the Discipline Commission of the
great Kingdom of Wei, and on His Majesty's command, we
have come to hear the will of Heaven, and beseech that the
immortals bestow upon us the elixir of immortality."

These were Xiao En's orders. He had not forgotten them.

At the entrance to the cave, the young girl laughed merrily at

his words. After a moment, she suddenly threw a pill to Xiao
En. "You have aided me, and I will grant you aid in return.
That monk has already received his reward, and you shall have
yours."

Xiao En caught the pill and looked at it carefully. There was

nothing unusual-looking about it, but since it had been given
to him by a fairy, he could only treat it with the utmost care.
He took out a jade box and carefully placed the pill inside.

"Return home," said the little girl, her voice sounding far
older than her years. "This is no place to stay."
 Xiao En was somewhat disappointed. They had expended so
much effort to find the temple, yet they had not been able to
enter, and they had no idea what the immortals of the temple
actually looked like.

"Thank you for your gift of this medicine, fairy."

"Do not come here again," said the young girl calmly. "And do
not tell anyone where the temple is.

"If I ever learn that you have revealed the temple's location, I
will kill you both." The young girl turned around, her young
face utterly austere. "Do you hear me?"

Xiao En kowtowed over and over in affirmation. Although

her words were cold, there was something almost amusing
about this tiny little girl who seemed as if she had been
sculpted from ice. But the fact that a four-year-old girl could
say such things clearly showed that she was no mortal being.

Even though Xiao En was captain of the Red Riders, he still

did not dare disobey her orders.
 The old man had no choice but to obey.

"After Ku He awoke, the fairy forced us to swear a vow, and

then we headed south," said Xiao En, recounting his memories.
"As the days passed, the smile on the fairy's face grew. It seemed
that she was very interested in travelling through the world of
mortals. It sounds strange, I know. Every time Ku He and I
looked at her tiny figure, we could get a sense of just how
marvelous her powers were... immortals and mortals are
different indeed, and we are but fools who understand
nothing.

"Later on, there was one day when the fairy turned around to
look at the snowy mountains behind us, and then she suddenly
said something to herself - 'he deserves our sympathy'. I
remember it very clearly, because I had never seen such a look
of compassion on the face of any mortal."

Of course, Fan Xian knew that his mother was not a fairy. He
presumed she probably was not particularly powerful at that
time, but to be able to scare two of the world's most powerful
men, she definitely had brains. But he didn't understand -
exactly who was she referring to when she said "he deserves
our sympathy"?
 And he didn't believe in this feeling of compassion either. He
couldn't help but laugh.

"You and I are but rats living in the gutter," sneered Xiao En.
"How can we comprehend the beauty of the red-crowned crane
that takes flight in the clouds of the highest peaks of heaven? I
could not describe the look on that little fairy's face, but it is
something that Ku He and I will never forget."

Fan Xian was silent.

"The next day, the fairy disappeared without a trace. I didn't

know where she had gone. Her sudden disappearance in that
endless snow scared Ku He and me half to death." Xiao En
gasped for breath as he continued to narrate his memories.
"This was the most secret expedition I had ever undertaken,
and to catch sight of an immortal who was not of this world, I
figured our luck was pretty good."

"Then you and Ku He returned to the Kingdom of Wei?"

asked Fan Xian.
 "Correct. The way back was even more perilous than the way
there, but we made it back safely," said Xiao En. "I gave the
fairy's pill to His Majesty. The whole business ended rather
favorably."

"Don't try to trick me," said Fan Xian. "Surely you swallowed
the pill yourself."

Xiao En let out a hissing laugh. "I knew I couldn't trick you."

"Does the elixir of immortality really exist?" asked Fan Xian.

"It's a temptation that no normal person can resist," sighed

Xiao En. "Of course I swallowed the pill. Though my health
improved, immortality was absolutely impossible. That's when
I realized the fairy had tricked me."

"I believe that tricking people is that fairy's favorite thing to

do," said Fan Xian, seemingly in another world, "perhaps even
in her death."
 "Death?" asked Xiao En. "How can a fairy die?"

Fan Xian paid no attention to him. He closed his eyes, trying

to look back in his own memories, then he stood up and picked
up his dagger. Now darkness surrounded them, and black
clouds covered up the light of the stars and the moon. It was
pitch-dark, and Xiao En could not see what he was doing.

"Why does Ku He want you dead?" Fan Xian had finally

voiced his suspicions. "I don't believe that your knowledge of
the temple's location could cause such trouble."

Xiao En felt that Fan Xian's question was rather odd.

"Everyone knows what the temple means to the world of
mortals. If such important information were to get out, there
would be chaos across the land. Whether it was the young son
of the Zhan family of Qi, or the sinister Emperor of Qing, they
would all send their men north on pilgrimage. The world's
most powerful men would not cease in their efforts to find the
temple."

Fan Xian rubbed his nose. "The temple? You went, and you
said that it's just a big temple. What's there to worship?"
 Xiao En laughed coldly. "Ku He merely kneeled before the
temple, and he became the greatest of the grandmasters. Such a
temptation, for practitioners of the martial arts, is stronger
than you could imagine... and you think Ku He is truly a sage?
He kneeled so piously before the temple, but the moment that
fairy gave him that book, he overturned everything he ever
believed in and attacked. When faced with his own benefit, he
is simply an evil man who is skilled at hiding his true nature.

"If you had killed me, then he would be the only person in
the world who knew of the temple's location," continued Xiao
En. "What does the temple really hold? Perhaps Ku He will
never be able to find out, but he has already benefited from it,
so why would he take the risk of letting the world's strongest
people have that same chance?"

Fan Xian thought for a moment. He was right. He could

understand, to some extent, why Ku He had thought of nothing
else but murdering Xiao En. Perhaps he had wanted to preserve
his own glory as the grandmaster of the nation, and didn't
want the repulsive things that had happened on their journey
north exposed. Perhaps Ku He knew that the things the temple
held could bring untold danger to the world.
 "So what is really inside the temple?"

Fan Xian was deep in thought. Without thinking, he traced

the "do not" runes on the temple's doors in the air with his
finger, gradually tracing faster and faster.

"For a thousand years, mortals have all known that the

temple was not of our world. Ku He and I took great risks in
searching for it. We had proof of its existence, and as long as
we left the temple, the people of the temple would not come to
trouble the world of mortals... Ku He now protects the
Kingdom of Qi. How could he dare take the risk of offending
Heaven in all its might?"

Xiao En's energy had gradually faded away. His voice became
weaker and weaker, but the terror in his words would not
subside. "Besides, the fairy had sworn us to secrecy. Given that
Ku He claims to be the closest to Heaven that one can get, how
could he dare go back on his word?"

"Do not put too much weight in the things people promise,"
said Fan Xian. "Did you not just tell me the location of the
temple?"
 "That is because I am about to die." With some difficulty,
Xiao En turned his head to one side. "And you will die in this
cave too."

Fan Xian let out a laugh tinged with slight regret. "I don't
think so."
Chapter 243: Close Your Eyes and Be at
Peace
In the silent night that fell on the ravine, looking upwards,
one would not see weeds, but a thick, ink-black night that
stretched all the way across the precipices on both sides. Fan
Xian adjusted his clothing, binding together his ripped left
trouser leg.

"That fairy's name was Ye Qingmei," he said quietly.

"Ye Qingmei?" said Xiao En, shocked. "What are you talking
about? Do you mean to tell me that the young lady of the Ye
family was the fairy that I met?"

When the Ye family had suddenly risen to prominence, Xiao

En was still the spymaster of the Kingdom of Wei, so through
his spy network, he had some knowledge of her life. Fan Xian
was not surprised at all. He laughed. "Who else but the 'fairy'
you speak of could turn the House of Ye into a name known all
across the land in such a short time?"
 "So that's what happened!" Xiao En began coughing once
more. "No wonder the Kingdom of Qing could rise so quickly.
They had the temple behind them."

"No," said Fan Xian. "You're dying, so I'll tell you. Ye Qingmei
was the 'fairy' that you speak of. She wasn't an immortal of the
temple at all... She was just like you and me. Just an ordinary
person; nothing more."

Xiao En still hadn't recovered from his shock. He couldn't

believe what Fan Xian was saying. Instead, he asked a question
in his final moments. "...Why... did the fairy want to capture
me and take me to Qing?"

He had been the spymaster of Wei at the time, so naturally he

knew of the connection between the Ye family and the
Overwatch Council of the Kingdom of Qing.

"At the time, the Kingdom of Qing needed you dead." He

paused for a moment. "I must admit, at the time, you were a
truly terrifying figure... The reason Ye Qingmei dispatched
Chen Pingping to capture you alive was because when you
broke through into the temple, she was finally able to come to
this world."

"Then... who... are you... really?" Xiao En spluttered in

between violent bouts of coughing. In the dark night, his eyes,
filled with dismay, were fixed on Fan Xian like arrows.

Though he was dying, the old man's gaze was still sharp. Fan
Xian couldn't help but feel slightly startled. He laughed
quietly. "Me?"

There was a moment of deep silence before he finally spoke."I

am Ye Qingmei's son."

Ye Qingmei's son... In this world which was so familiar and

so strange, so intimate and so distant, Fan Xian had never
thought he'd say those words out loud. The night grew darker,
reaching the darkest moment before the dawn. In a cave with
just two people in it, Fan Xian had quietly said those words.

I am Ye Qingmei's son.
 For some unknown reason, as the words left his lips, he felt a
sudden calm, like his heart had thrown off the weight it had
been bearing, overturning the creeping vines and tendrils that
covered it in an instant. At least he had found some fleeting
peace in the sense of freedom that filled the night air.

Daylight came slowly.

There were not many memories left. But Xiao En spoke

slowly, and as midnight came and went, Fan Xian had finally
achieved his most important goal in this journey north. He
looked at Xiao En. "Is there anything else you want explained?"
he asked quietly.

Xiao En looked at him, a strange expression on his face. A

long time passed before he finally spoke, wheezing. "You're...
her son?"

Fan Xian nodded and smiled. "I don't take after my mother."

Xiao En coughed violently, letting loose a few more of the

last drops of blood in his veins. He looked like he wanted to
laugh and cry at once. "No wonder you know so much. No
wonder you're so interested in where the temple is..." Facing
death, the old men finally saw everything clearly. He gasped
for breath as he spoke. "It looks like you're not stuck in this
cave."

"I've made a habit of not dying." Fan Xian had already

prepared everything. He came in closer to Xiao En.

Xiao En suddenly fixed his gaze intensely on Fan Xian. "If you
want to live a good life, don't go to the temple," he said.

Fan Xian's face didn't change. He said nothing.

Xiao En stopped looking at him. He cast his gaze at the

precipice over the ravine behind Fan Xian and frowned slightly.
It seemed he was thinking about something. A moment later,
he spoke, gasping for breath. "I always thought I was the kind
of man who didn't fear death. All I wanted was freedom. Now
death stares me in the face. And now I know that everyone
fears it."
 "There is no one in this world who doesn't fear death." He
didn't know why, but Fan Xian looked at the dying man and
slowly relaxed his left hand. "But... perhaps death is not the
end. Perhaps you will find yourself in a strange new world."

That was his greatest secret. His greatest sorrow.

Xiao En gazed into the distance, his bloodshot eyes fading.

"Are you really the son of a fairy... no, the son of Ye Qingmei?"
He didn't wait for Fan Xian's response. "But you're so unlike
her."

"You only saw her when she was four years old. How can you
be so sure?"

Xiao En smiled. "Because you're nowhere near as pretty as a

fairy."

Fan Xian cocked his head unthinkingly. "There's not many

women in the world who are better-looking than me."
 "The look in your eyes is different."

"In what way?"

Xiao En looked at him, a hint of indifference in his voice.

"Now I understand. In those snowy wastelands, the fairy
looked out at that vast stretch of white, and her gaze was still
soft, compassionate... I've never known how to describe it.
Now it seems that I can feel the darkness coming. And I can
understand the emotion that was behind her gaze, and what it
showed."

"What did it show?" Fan Xian's heart skipped a beat.

"A burning love for life itself." Xiao En smiled. "Although

you've a clear and bright smile in your eyes, it's not the same...
your mother was filled with love. Underneath... you're empty."

Fan Xian laughed. "I won't deny that."

 "I've killed a lot of people in my life, so I've never held out
hope for a happy ending." Xiao En would say no more on the
topic. He just looked out spellbound at the daylight as it
filtered through the thin mist. "If I am to die in this cave, as
you say, it will make a fine tomb."

Fan Xian crouched down beside him. His left hand rested on
the old man's shoulder, and he found that the flesh was already
soft.

The daylight coming over the precipice was still dim, but as
it scattered through the fog that covered the ravine, there was a
feeling of holiness to it. The light rays shone on Xiao En's
wizened face. His hands were stained with the blood of
countless men, and the old spymaster had spent the last part of
his life in miserable loneliness. But somehow, the light made
him feel as if he were leaving it all behind.

"There aren't any date trees in Danzhou, are there?"

These were Xiao En's last words.

 Fan Xian withdrew the last needle from underneath the old
man's ear, then checked that he had passed. He turned his head
and looked at Xiao En's body. "Though there are no date trees
in Danzhou... Maybe there's a better world waiting for you
after your death."

Xiao En's eyes had already softly closed. His bloodshot pupils
would never look out on this strange world again.

Fan Xian exhaled, and laid Xiao En's body out flat deep in the
far end of the cave. As for whether the hawks who encircled the
mountain might peck at his corpse, it seemed he hadn't
thought about it, so he appeared a little indifferent.

He walked out of the mouth of the cave, reaching his hands

out into the air over the precipice outside. The white mountain
fog moved along with the movements of his fingers, but all he
could grasp at was air.

The Brocade Guard were probably still searching for traces of

the two of them, or their corpses, in the valley below and the
roads leading away from the area. The cliff face of the Yan
Mountains was as smooth as a mirror. No one imagined that
anyone could jump from the cliff edge and land safely, and
they certainly never thought that someone could manage to
scale the slick surface.

Fan Xian's body clung tightly to the cliff face like a poster on
a wall. The thick dawn fog around him effectively hid his
figure. Even if someone were directly facing the cliff edge, they
would have no way of seeing the person who was scaling it like
a gecko.

In Danzhou, from the age of 12 to 16, he had spent four years

controlling the zhenqi outside his body. It was a very silly way
to practice. But Wu Zhu had not been concerned for him. He
had practiced thoroughly himself and unexpectedly saved Fan
Xian from a great many scrapes later on in his life.

Crawling like a gecko, pressed up against the wall like a

snake against the floor, he carefully made his ascent, his face
expressionless. The ephedra pill had worn off. His zhenqi was
flagging, so he dared not lose focus.

The grasses trembled slightly as a hand gripped the stone of

the cliff edge. Clad in his night-walking clothes, a ghost-like
figure climbed up from the ravine.

His hood covering his face, Fan Xian turned around and
looked. All that was there was the ravine, completely silent, as
if nothing had happened. A moment later, his heart skipped a
beat. Gazing through the thick fog, he looked toward the
mountain forest in the distance. There was nothing there.

But it seemed like someone had been watching him; like he

could feel the physical presence of their gaze on him.

Fan Xian lowered his head slightly and turned around. He

didn't think - there wasn't time to think. He pierced through
the fog like an arrow clad in black, running toward the capital.

And outside the diplomatic mission compound, Gao Da's

hand gripped his longsword. His eyes were as ferocious as a
tiger's as he glared at the people in front of the building. The
young master had not been seen for a day and a night. All the
visits from the officials of Qi had been turned away but today,
early in the morning, men from the Brocade Guard had come
to relay a decree from the palace. They said that the young
Emperor wished to speak with Fan Xian at the palace.
 There were few people who knew that Fan Xian was not
inside the diplomatic mission compound. Shen Zhong, Provost
of the Brocade Guard, hoped that Fan Xian was not in the
building, but after a whole night's search, they still had not
found his body, so suspicions had been raised for Northern Qi,
and it was urgent that they confirmed Fan Xian's whereabouts.

They had not expected the southerners to be so rude and

unreasonable, making the excuse of Fan Xian's drunkenness to
prevent Northern Qi officials from entering the building.
Tempers were about to flare, and at that moment, there was a
rustling sound from the street.

It was not the sound of street-sweepers, but the sound of

footsteps. The people of Northern Qi were overjoyed.
Chapter 244: Why Have You Gone so
Pale Once Again?
Shangjing was lively today, as the envoy’s arrival had been
greeted by the presence of several hundred people. In the midst
of these proceedings, the Northern Qi Kingdom’s officers and
fellow Brocade Guard had to step aside to clear a passage, and
with great respect, kneel to the discourteous walk of one
woman in particular. "Greetings, Lady Haitang."

Haitang’s eyes were swollen and it looked as if she had not

slept much the night before. With her hands tucked into her
large pockets, she yawned and brazenly asked, "What the hell
are you guys doing here?"

An officer, with great haste, stood up and ran toward her to

say, "In accordance with the decree, we have gathered here to
welcome the arrival of the southern Qing Kingdom’s head
diplomat, Fan Xian. But a guard in the employ of Fan Xian will
not inform his master of his allowance to enter the palace."

Brocade Guards and officers from the Office of the Grand

Herald stepped forward to declare their desire to meet Fan
Xian.
 Haitang appeared unaware; she did not seem to have any
knowledge of the events that had transpired within the capital
for the past two days. With widened eyes, she asked, "Why will
the guard not inform him?"

Tiger Guard Gao Da knew that the women before him was an
important person to Northern Qi, despite her rugged apparel
that suggested a countryside upbringing. What he found most
curious, however, was that during the time that the
delegations had been within Shangjing, Fan Xian had been
spotted with this woman numerous times. It was because of
this, he decided to approach the woman and with a deep voice,
tell her, "Mister Fan drank too much yesterday and is now
unwell. He is resting now; do not disturb him."

Haitang groaned and quietly said, "I’ll go take a look."

After this, she walked up the envoy’s entrance. She had

visited the envoy in search of Fan Xian on numerous occasions
and therefore Haitang had become a frequent sight for the
others within. Seeing her stoutly march in, Lin Wen, who
stood upon the stone steps, felt slightly concerned - but he did
not dare to stop her.
 Tiger Guard Gao Da sought to protect his master and so he
frowned, firmly grabbed the hilt of his blade and impeded
Haitang’s advance by stepping in front of her. "Miss Haitang…
Hrm!"

He was at a loss for what to say, and thus his words trailed
off at the end.

Haitang did not respond and instead simply turned around.

The cloth shoes she wore did not leave the ground and they
made a grinding noise as she spun. All of a sudden, for reasons
he did not understand, Haitang had appeared behind Gao Da.

Gao Da thought to cease her passage by a demonstration of

the zhenqi that he possessed but for some reason, his ability to
do so had been suppressed. Being unable to release it, he shook
his shoulders as a look of anger warped his face.

Haitang smiled, turned around and lightly slapped his

shoulders. The expressionless, unconcerned face that Haitang
had previously displayed now gleamed with life. "Fan Xian and
I are friends. I am sure that my presence, no matter the timing,
would bring him much joy."
 When her hand touched Gao Da’s shoulder, the contact
imparted a soft, gentle, and comforting warmth.

Gao Da slowly closed his eyes and drew his longsword. He

fiercely spun it around before driving it three inches into the
pavement, scattering shattered cobblestones across the ground.

Gao Da was an incredibly menacing and highly-talented

fighter, but even his skills paled in comparison to the dexterity
of Haitang. And her identity was one of importance, which put
him at a further disadvantage.

As such, Gao Da was unable to commit to doing anything

which might have stopped her. He was at an impasse, but was
still firm in his desire to not allow Haitang to visit Fan Xian
alone. Thus, Gao Da grimaced and decided to accompany her,
as she continued her staggered walk toward the courtyard.

The Brocade Guard and their fellow officers of the Northern

Qi Kingdom, however, knew their place. They did not follow,
but they were keen on having Haitang inadvertently confirm
whether or not Fan Xian was in the area.
 "Good morning, Lady Haitang." The words were slightly
garbled, revealing the presence of a man who was in the midst
of brushing his teeth with a ridged instrument. It was Wang
Qinian, and he appeared in a corridor in the courtyard that
Haitang would have to pass by. Wang was close to Fan Xian,
and as such, he was a person that Haitang had seen many
times.

Haitang smiled in response, but acknowledged that Wang

was simply seeking to slow her advance. She wasn’t in a
particular hurry, so she decided to engage Wang in
conversation. "What are you holding in your hand?" she asked.

Wang Qinian pulled the tool out of his frothy mouth, showed
it to Haitang and laughed before saying, "Fan Xian invented
this. It’s a toothbrush."

"Toothbrush?" Haitang asked, with a confused expression.

"It’s to brush your teeth?"

"Yes."
 "Why don’t you use willow sticks?"

"Because these things are wonderful! The brush is soft and

delicate." Wang Qinian realized that he had taken the
toothbrush out of his wretched mouth and displayed it directly
to Haitang. After noticing how boorish this act was, he quickly
pulled it back and apologized.

Haitang gave a wry smile, stroked her hair and then

proceeded forward. Seeing her departure, Wang threw his bowl
and toothbrush to his assistant and quickly followed after her.
For a man who was almost forty, he was as spry as rabbit. As he
followed Haitang, he continued talking to her, explaining that
Fan Xian had gotten drunk the night before and was still
resting. He then pleaded that she return later.

Everybody who saw Haitang that morning knew she was on

her way to see Fan Xian, for nobody could think of another
discernable reason for her appearance at such an early hour.

Off the corridor that the two walked along, a figure dressed
in white began walking toward them. Haitang took notice of
this person and turned around, a glint of frost showing in her
eyes. As she did this, she exclaimed, "It’s you, Mister Yan!"

Yan Bingyun could tell that this apprentice of Ku He was in a

foul mood this morning. Even though he had already been
released by the Brocade Guard, Yan Bingyun always made sure
to stay out of sight and avoid the fleeting potential that he may
aggravate or annoy any of Northern Qi's civilians or officers.
Right before he was arrested, Haitang was returning to the
palace. She met him once when he was masquerading as a
scholar and, as such, this reunion left Yan Bingyun feeling a
little awkward. He silently retreated.

Looking at the wooden door that appeared to be shut tight,

Haitang frowned and raised her hand in an attempt to push it
open.

Even though she was a friend of Fan Xian, to barge beyond a

door like this would be considered extremely inappropriate.
Wang Qinian was taken aback by what she was planning to do,
and so he decided to spring in front of her to halt her. As
established, he was quick on his feet, but he was not fast
enough for this move. A strong wind picked up and before he
could get in front of Haitang, the door swung open with the
gust.

Wang Qinian was sweating profusely, unsure of whether or

not he could prevent her from finally reaching Fan Xian.

Haitang delicately glanced over at the bed inside the room

and then told Wang Qinian, "Mister Wang, you can go back
now."

Wang Qinian did not move.

A harsh and cold voice emanated from someplace within the

house and said, "Wang Qinian, you can indeed go back now."

Wang Qinian took a deep breath and joy returned his eyes
once more as relief washed over him. He bowed and responded
with "Yes, Mister Fan!"
 Haitang stepped inside as the door closed itself behind her.
She was not at all surprised, and the manner of her stride
suggested she was in no hurry either. She approached a teapot
that was set upon a table, poured its cold tea out into a cup,
and had a sip. She then sat on a stool beside the bed.

On the big bed, Fan Xian was resting with the duvet upon
him. His face was pale, but he managed to raise a smile. He
gazed at the crass woman who had just sat near him and a brief
while later, he said, "You can keep watching me like that, if
you so wish."

Haitang raised her hand to suppress a yawn and then said, "If
Empress Dowager hadn't asked me to come here, do you think
it would bring me pleasure to gaze upon your early-morning
unpleasantry?"

Fan Xian laughed and responded, "I'm not fond of how I look
either. That being said, it is far from ugly." He looked down
and said, "She's not ugly either."

Fan Xian pulled back the duvet to reveal a woman with black,
silk-like hair resting upon his chest.
 "Been drinking in a brothel, day and night have you?"
Haitang averted her eyes and acted as if she had not seen the
woman upon his chest. She yawned once more and said, "She's
not that pretty, anyway."

"Are you going to keep looking?"

"You haven’t tried to stop me." Haitang smiled.

Following this tense exchange, it was Fan Xian who first

began to feel uncomfortable. He ended up saying, "Could you
please turn around for a moment? We should allow this lady in
my arms to get dressed with a modicum of privacy." He calmly
continued: "You may not have to respect me, but you should at
least respect this woman. There is no need to embarrass her."

When the courtesan had gathered her things, she turned to

face Fan Xian with a look of dismay. The gleam in her eyes
conveyed a look that was both shy and salacious at the same
time. Then, she went to bow before Haitang before exiting and
leaving the two of them.
 Fan Xian continued to lie in bed, with his hands placed
behind his head, unconcerned about showing his naked torso
to Haitang.

Haitang wasn’t one to blush easily, neither was she one to

feign a reaction. She had no intention of complaining and thus
paid no heed to the naked young man before her. "Do you have
any idea of the events that have transpired within the capital
these past two days?"

Fan Xian, for but a few brief seconds, was startled. He

quickly retracted his reaction and began smiling, "Ugh. I have
no intention of engaging in a formal conversation with you. I
have been in Shangjing, so of course I know. A lot of Shang
Shanhu’s men were killed and Xiao En was killed by your
people. I believe your mentor will be very happy, so I suppose
congratulations are in order."

Haitang was still staring at Fan Xian with a gaze that grew
increasingly intimidating. Fan Xian, however, didn’t seem to
acknowledge that anything was amiss. With a continued smile,
he said, "Not bad. I knew this was going to happen. So, to avoid
any suspicion, I have had to lock myself within the envoy for
the past two days. I hope you understand."
 Haitang was unsure about whether or not his words were
ones of sincerity or deception. But earlier, in the courtyard,
Wang Qinian had attempted to slow her approach. This would
have given Fan Xian enough time to prepare, and nobody knew
why Haitang had been willing to allow this.

Since Fan Xian was here in the mission, she knew that she
wouldn't be able to get any confession out of him. Though he
seemed like any other young, handsome Southern official he
was in actuality exceptionally rigorous in how he carried out
his tasks, and she wouldn't be able to catch him if he were
lying.

Haitang stood up and returned her hands to her pockets.

Then, all of a sudden, she began to deliberately eye Fan Xian’s
naked body. Through use of his zhenqi, Fan Xian mendaciously
feigned a blush.

Haitang began smiling and questioned, "Why are you

blushing?"

"I am simply feeling energized." Fan Xian then suddenly felt

that some vague danger was drawing near. Two nights of
exhaustive trials, the effects could still be felt and so in the
color drained from his face.

"Why have gone so pale once again?"

Fan Xian took a deep breath and smiled. "Last night took a lot
out of me."
Chapter 245: Why Are You Coming,
Xianxian?
"Don't you wish you'd had more time with her?"

"Too much of a good thing can be a problem too."

"Those toothbrushes you made... I'd like one."

Fan Xian was a little surprised. He hadn't expected such a

demand from her. He forced a smile. "As far as I know, they sell
them on Xiushui Street."

Haitang smiled. "Not the ones you make."

"You're too kind."

"I never thought that the son of a noble family like you
would care about such things." Haitang looked at Fan Xian as if
she were trying to see him anew.
 Fan Xian slowly closed his eyes. "You clearly don't know
much about me."

Haitang was silent for a moment. "But I do know that you're

going home after the Empress Dowager's birthday," she said.
"What are you going to do about the promise you made to me?"

There was a look of reluctance in Fan Xian's eyes. "Let me

sleep on it, and I'll come talk to you later."

Haitang frowned. "Very well."

Fan Xian suddenly opened his eyes. "I don't feel too well
today, so I'm not up for talking."

"Farewell." It was the first time Haitang had seen such a cold
and indifferent expression on Fan Xian's face, but she made no
response, and simply left.
 Fan Xian lay down on the large bed, clearly exhausted, and
yet he couldn't sleep. He looked calm, but his mind was racing.
There wasn't enough time to work through everything he had
heard and felt the night before. He opened his bright, clear
eyes, and looked at the embroidered veil that hung over the
bed. It was as if he wanted to penetrate the roof with his gaze,
breaking through the clouds to the Ninth Heaven, shooting up
into the distant sky.

Since they had confirmed that Fan Xian was in the diplomatic
mission, for Northern Qi, that begged the question - who was it
who had tried to save Xiao En on top of the cliff? Suspicions
were naturally raised.

Lang Tao, Friar He, and Shen Zhong sat around a table with
deep frowns on their faces. Of the three of them, Shen Zhong's
position was most senior, but Lang Tao was a disciple of Ku He
as well as being the martial tutor of the young Emperor, so his
status was highest. Friar He seemed rather taciturn.

Yesterday, after the two of them had forced Xiao En and Fan
Xian over that precipice, the Brocade Guard had begun a secret
search in the area surrounding Shangjing. To their surprise, a
day and a night's worth of effort had not produced any results.
Early in the morning, they had given up and asked the palace
for assistance in entering the diplomatic mission where,
astonishingly, they had found Fan Xian lying in bed!

"Could it be that it wasn't Fan Xian?" Friar He's pale face

looked even paler. Although the poison that had entered his leg
had been expelled, he had still experienced significant damage
to his zhenqi.

"It was definitely Fan Xian," said Lang Tao, his eyes closed.
"An expert in the use of poison, and needles, and all those little
tricks. Who else could it be?"

Friar He frowned. "But that person didn't look like Fan Xian."

"People can disguise themselves," said Lang Tao, opening his

eyes.

Lang Tao had special status, so when he spoke, people rarely

doubted him. But the fact was that Fan Xian had been right
there in the diplomatic mission. If the person who had thrown
himself off that cliff was him, then how could he have escaped
without a scratch? Unless he was some kind of demigod.

Shen Zhong couldn't help but doubt Lang Tao's judgment,

but he retained his demeanor as an affable old rich man. "It
most likely was Fan Xian, because the one who colluded with
Shang Shanhu was a southerner, and only a southerner could
know so much about the situation. It couldn't have been one of
the masters from the City of Dongyi."

Seeing Friar He disagreeably shake his head, Shen Zhong

laughed. "Of course, it could have been someone else."

"If not Fan Xian, then who?" asked Lang Tao quietly. He
didn't care much for talking with these agents of the state. If
this matter hadn't involved Xiao En, then he wouldn't have
bothered leaving the palace to assist the Brocade Guard.

Shen Zhong looked at Lang Tao with a broad smile. "Master

Lang Tao, there are a great many masters in Qing too. As for
the question of methods... I think you once said yourself that
Chen Pingping always has an assassin by his side known as the
Shadow, but no one has ever seen him, and no one knows of his
methods and practices. Since Fan Xian is a commissioner of the
Overwatch Council, then he has some connection to that
Shadow's methods... In that case, the one who attacked you on
that cliff may not have been Fan Xian, but that Shadow."

The Shadow was Chen Pingping's personal bodyguard.

Although no one had seen him, as the spymaster of Northern
Qi, Shen Zhong naturally knew of his existence.

"It doesn't matter who it was," spat Friar He. "The most
important thing right now is that we confirm Xiao En's death."

"Xiao En is dead."

Lang Tao spoke calmly. When Fan Xian, dressed all in black,
had made his rescue attempt, he remembered that his curved
blade had already struck Xiao En in the chest. He was confident
that the force of his blade was enough to cut Xiao En's life
short.

Shen Zhong smiled. "Very well. The grandmaster and the

Empress Dowager will be very pleased. I wish to express my
gratitude to both of you."

The sun was sinking below the western city wall of

Shangjing, as it had done for millennia. A slight warm breeze
rustled the drooping leaves of the trees, drifting through the
houses of the city, whirling around people's bodies, brushing
past those silent tree trunks.

After night fell, the breeze cooled. Fan Xian, wearing a

simple robe, stood by a tree in the rear courtyard of the
diplomatic mission compound. He narrowed his eyes, looking
at the first star that had appeared in the sky. In that weather,
an unlined garment was fine, but he was still weary, so he felt a
little chilly.

He carefully tore apart the letter in his hand. Unlike the way
he had done it in the past, he didn't rip it up into a thousand
tiny pieces, because the letter wasn't a confidential message
from the Council, just a standard letter.

The letter was from Wan'er. Although news from home had
flowed steadily from the north, this was the first time he had
received a letter from his wife. He presumed she was waiting at
home, somewhat worried. The Prime Minister, his father-in-
law, had left his position; Dabao had moved into Fan Manor.
Ruoruo was as unflappable as ever; it seemed that she wasn't
worried by the news of the wedding in the slightest. His father
was busy with court politics. All of this was in the letter.

There was no message expressing her yearning at the end of

the letter, no urging him to return home. There were simply a
few lines of poetry. "The summer night winds have stopped,
and I toss and turn in bed, wounded in my dreams. I know that
you will return soon, and my fine black hair has grown longer.
When will our short absence be ended? I think of you for three
days. Why are you coming, Xianxian? To immerse yourself in
your books."

By "three days", she meant yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Fan Xian smiled. He could feel how much she missed him in
her letter, and her rare feeling of optimism made him feel
comforted. He had been so busy the past few days in matters of
espionage that he had barely thought about home.
Occasionally, he would think about them and feel guilty.
 He met up with Haitang the day after. For some reason, he
found himself looking forward to their meeting.

It wasn't anything to do with romance. It was just a kind of

pure anticipation. Fan Xian wanted to talk with her. To be
more precise, he wanted to tell her everything about what had
happened with Xiao En... but there was no way that he could.

There was a strange and remarkable feeling in his heart.

On that rainy night in the Qing capital, after he had opened

the box, Fan Xian presumed that he would never be alone in
this world again. After all, invisible traces of his mother were
everywhere in this world. But now, he still found himself
feeling alone, because those traces were still silent and
intangible.

"Xiao En was right. I'm empty inside." Fan Xian felt as if he

had no friends. He shook his head and walked into a side room.

Inside the room were Fan Xian, Yan Bingyun, and Wang
Qinian. This was the last meeting of Overwatch Council
members in Shangjing. Yan Bingyun looked calmly at Fan
Xian. "Master Fan, did you find out?"

This was the situation that Fan Xian had anticipated. He had
used all of the power of the Overwatch Council and Xinyang,
and had found out Xiao En's secret, the one that everyone
urgently wanted to discover, as he had teetered on the edge of
death.

He frowned. "I was too late. Xiao En is dead."

There was a strange look in Yan Bingyun's eye which

suddenly disappeared. He shook his head and sighed. "All of
that planning for nothing. What a pity."

Fan Xian gave a mocking smile. "That old cripple spent 20

years and couldn't get it out of him. Did you think I'm some
kind of god?"

He often called Chen Pingping "that old cripple" in front of

Yan Bingyun. It was very rash and even clumsy threat, but in
dealing with a man as intelligent as Yan Bingyun, this kind of
recklessness was more useful.

He turned his head and spoke to Wang Qinian. "Prepare for

the journey home."

"Yes sir," said Wang Qinian quietly. He paused for a moment,

and then frowned. "Master," he asked, "what shall we do with
the forgery you left in the room yesterday?"

Fan Xian knew he meant killing people to keep them quiet.

He felt a little uneasy. "Take it back," he said.

Yan Bingyun shook his head disapprovingly. "And if it were

to be discovered by the northerners?"

"If it's discovered, then what?" Fan Xian looked at Yan

Bingyun, a hint of mockery in his voice. "It'll be a mess, of
course. Even if it were discovered, what could we do? You were
imprisoned for a year; this wouldn't take much more courage."
 Yan Bingyun and Wang Qinian looked at each other. Seeing
that Fan Xian seemed to be in a sour mood, they remained
silent. Fan Xian looked at the two of them and suddenly
sighed. "Did you think Haitang wouldn't see? She's left me no
other choice."

Wang Qinian went off with his order to prepare for the
journey home. Fan Xian was silent for a moment. "After the
Empress Dowager's birthday feast, we will set out straight
away... I'm feeling rather homesick."
Chapter 246: Get Thee to a Nunnery
Wang Qinian was given the order to arrange their departure,
and at the same time negotiate with Lin Wen and Lin Jing.
After all, when the envoy was to return, it would do so in the
presence of a noble princess. Fan Xian at the time also said,
"For the horses that we have prepared for our journey, Wang
Qinian, you will be the one in charge of cleaning and
maintaining them. Do not bring needless trouble to the
countrymen."

Yan Bingyun was not present for their previous discussion,

so he did not understand the plan.

Wang Qinian looked at Fan Xian, and Fan Xian waved in

return. Following this, Wang Qinian took his leave. Yan
Bingyun’s eyebrows showed a slight sense of surprise.

The three of them then performed three separate actions,

each with a distinct meaning. Fan Xian smiled and said, "Why
do you insist on keeping up this front around me?"
 Yan Bingyun did not respond with amusement; he merely
picked up his cup of tea and had another sip. With a demeanor
more akin to the subordinate that he was, but one that he
rarely adhered to, he said, "If you do not wish me to know,
then I can shelve my curiosity and not bother asking."

Fan Xian did not weigh his response for long and replied,
"This is just the beginning of our plan. If we do not stick to it,
of course we should wipe our bums clean." Fan Xian proceeded
to explain, as simply as possible, the plan to Yan Bingyun. In
the beginning of spring, Fan Xian became acquainted with a
young Overwatch Council officer that looked exactly like him.
Upon their meeting, Fan Xian made sure to watch over him.

The plan began with making this lookalike play the role of
Fan Xian, accompanying the envoy from the Northern Qi
Kingdom to the Qing Kingdom in the south. At the same time,
the real Fan Xian would remain in Shangjing dealing with the
matters he was originally supposed to.

"You planned on staying in Shangjing alone since the

beginning?" Yan Bingyun asked, with a concerned look on his
face. "What business do you have to resolve here?"
 Fan Xian looked at him and said, "Chen Pingping wanted
Xiao En dead. Therefore, I had planned to remain within
Shangjing to kill him. Once this was to be done, I would flee to
the border and reconvene with the envoy, in the event that the
Northern Qi Kingdom would attempt retaliation."

Yan Bingyun asked, "What about the horse business you

spoke of with Mister Wang earlier?"

Fan Xian laughed and explained, "In our time here, I had
enlisted the aid of officials from the Council and palace
treasury in the acquisition of horses that will be taken to a stop
along the southern road. These horses were to be hidden in a
stable to avoid drawing the attention of the Northern Qi
Kingdom’s officers. And needless to say, these horses were of a
remarkable variety."

"After you killed Xiao En in the capital, you planned to

escape with a horse to the border as fast as you could?" Yan
Bingyun sneered at Fan Xian.

"A horse can travel a thousand miles. What is the problem?"

 Yan Bingyun sighed and said, "This is the real world. This is
not a novel of fiction. If you followed the original plan and
killed Xiao En, the entirety of Shangjing would be locked
down; every road in every direction would be patrolled and
there would be checkpoints to examine each and every
individual that passed by. You being alone with a horse; how
could you have hoped to flee back south?"

Fan Xian laughed and said, "Back in the day, Chen Pingping
led a legion of soldiers in a battle from the north to the south.
Why could I not do this alone?"

"It is a brave and daring plan, but it is a stupid one, as well."

Yan Bingyun shook his head and said, "You are Commissioner
of the Council; you should take greater care of yourself. With
this plan, even the Northern Qi Kingdom will lower their
guard, due to their focus being on the envoy’s departure. But it
would have still been impossible for you to assassinate Xiao En
within Shangjing, guarded as well as it is."

Of course Fan Xian did not tell Yan Bingyun about the revised
plan. After all, Wu Zhu was missing, the box had disappeared
and the Eldest Princess was in collusion with Shang Shanhu.
Everything that Fan Xian was preparing for kept changing, and
so did his plans in accordance.

Two days passed.

In the capital of Northern Qi, Shangjing, there flowed the

beautiful Yuquan River. Luscious trees skirted its wind and one
could frequently admire the flight of egret birds that soared
above. Upstream resided the palace and thus it was heavily
guarded. For the average civilian, to tread the paths and roads
of this area was a nigh impossibility. Fan Xian and Haitang
walked along the river side by side, engaged in conversation.
The aura was quite pleasant and ill feelings did not distort
their shared atmosphere - quite the change from Fan Xian’s
disposition in the past few days. It would appear that Haitang’s
informal ways and company brought him happiness.

This was strange, for Haitang was neither pretty nor a

woman of elegance, and her temperament was better fit for a
countrywoman, as well. Regardless, when he was in her
presence, Fan Xian felt far freer.
 After chit-chatting for a while, their discussion took a turn.
Haitang’s eyebrows angled to a look of concern and said,
"Empress Dowager has not said anything, so far. Will you be
able to come up with any ideas?"

Fan Xian sighed and said, "Your Emperor wants to take a

wife, and I have no choice but to help." He looked at Haitang
with eyes that suggested discomfort. "You are a good friend of
Si Lili; you should know a thing or two about how she feels.
Don’t you think that asking for my assistance would make her
feel uncomfortable?"

Haitang’s hands were tucked inside her pockets, and she

stood upon a moss-covered stone on the bank of the river. Her
eyes were fixed upon a willow tree that hung low, and as she
stared, she said, "If Si Lili wants to do this, and you are able to
arrange it, she will not come to Shangjing. You are a heartless
man, so why must you feign concern? You want to see her
enter the palace, so that even when you have returned to the
south, you will have a trusted ally within the northern Qi
Kingdom."

Fan Xian did not expect Haitang to have figured out his true
motive and he was taken somewhat aback. He felt exposed, as
if he had been stripped naked all of a sudden, with nothing to
mask his callous, narcissistic self. A moment of silence passed
by and then with a bitter smile, Fan Xian said, "I am just a
Commissioner. I do not have the power to change everything."

"So, you will just let this happen?" Haitang did not say this
harshly; she said it in a straightforward manner, as if to
confirm this was his true stance. "In that case, there's no need
to say so much."

Fan Xian stroked his head and replied, "Once you enter the
palace, you are to be granted no reprieve from trifles large or
small, for the rest of your life. You and Si Lili are like sisters.
How can you allow her to become trapped in that palace?"

"His Majesty is not a bad man." Haitang smiled and said,

"And Si Lili is a Southerner. If she wants to live in Shangjing,
only the palace can offer her the protection she needs."

All of a sudden, Haitang turned around and as she did so, Fan
Xian caught the river’s reflection within her eyes, which made
them sparkle all the more. Fan Xian believed that Haitang and
Ye Ling’er possessed the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen.
While Ye Ling’er had naive eyes that would twinkle like
crystal, Haitang’s eyes were like beacons of understanding, or
deep wells of profound wisdom.

"Mister Fan, aren’t you tired of living a life that requires you
to conceive and devise conspiracies each and every day?"

Fan Xian turned his gaze to the ground. After a while, he

staunchly raised his head to the sky, put his hands behind his
back and moved around slowly as Haitang did. Suddenly, he
spoke: "In this world, not everyone can be like you and live
freely. Everyone has to find their own purpose in this life,
whether it be to grow crops or tend fields. I must think about
myself, the people around me now, and those in the future."

After his speech, he drew a letter from out of his chest

pocket. He presented it to Haitang and said, "I am not a person
of great wisdom. I have very little, truth be told. But see if
these methods can be of use to you."

Haitang opened the letter read it carefully under the

sunlight. Following a long pause, she looked at Fan Xian with
an odd expression. "Do you think Empress Dowager will
believe this?"

"If Empress Dowager wants to maintain her relationship with

the emperor following this incident, what she needs is a way to
disassociate herself from the events that will occur. Whether
she believes it or not, these events have enough persuasive
power."

Fan Xian’s plan was quite simple. In the history of his past
life, Emperor Wu of Han became enamored with Lady Gouyi,
and this was a tale that Fan Xian remembered clearly.

On one of Emperor Wu’s many patrols, he came to a river

with his sage in tow. On the banks of that place, the sage spoke
of a wonderful presence there. He told Emperor Wu that this
sensation indicated the existence of a special woman that was
sure to reside someplace in the nearby vicinity. Upon hearing
this, he ordered his men to search for her and so they did. A
beautiful woman was indeed discovered not far from there.

Even though her appearance was nothing short of stunning,

she had a frail body that was prone to sickness. She did not eat
much and her hands were always curled into fists. This curious
quirk of hers could never be made undone by anyone. Emperor
Wu was entirely infatuated with her beauty and so decided to
untighten her hands himself. Almost by a miracle, the hands
opened, but the strangest thing about this entire ordeal was the
fact that she held a jade within the palm of her right hand.

Emperor Wu of Han was ecstatic and immediately brought

her into the palace, bestowing upon her the title "Lady Fist".
Only later did she become Lady Gouyi, the empress.

"Who is this emperor you are referring to, Fan Xian?"

Haitang asked.

Fan Xian laughed in response and said, "Oh, it’s just a story I
have made up." He stopped for a minute and then continued,
"Of course it is not real!

Haitang was not well-versed or experienced in relationship

matters and thus asked, "What are we going to do?"
 Fan Xian stroked his head once more and sighed. To remind
her of who she was, he asked, "Who are you?"

Haitang was silent, and did not respond. Fan Xian’s heart
shivered for a moment and he thought to himself, "She cannot
be that stupid to genuinely ask herself who she was, can she?"
He then purposely coughed a few times and said, "You are the
apprentice of Ku He, and Ku He is a grandmaster. If Ku He said
that in the west there was a cloud of fortune, and under that
cloud there was a mystic woman, would that be more
convincing?"

Haitang raised a wry smile and asked, "Why would my

master speak such nonsense?"

Fan Xian’s scoffed to himself, recounting that her master was

one to eat human flesh. But Haitang was indeed his most
cherished apprentice and for him to joke with her wouldn’t be
too out of the question.

Haitang worriedly stated, "But every noble in the capital

knows about Si Lili. There is no possible way for us to hide her.
 Fan Xian smiled and said, "We could take Si Lili to the
Temple of Qing for a few months and make her a nun."

"What does becoming a nun entail?"

"It means she will worship the gods with sincerity, and put
marriage out of her mind."

"And then?"

"We could wait until the heat dies down and then send her to
the palace quietly."

"Would that work?"

"There are further details enclosed there within that letter.

When time permits, you should take a closer look. And of
course, if you are able to convince the grandmaster to accept Si
Lili as an apprentice, that would be even better."
 "Your plan sounds ridiculous. But now that I think about it,
it could work." She smiled at Fan Xian and thanked him dearly.

Fan Xian smiled in return and thought, "This worked for Wu

Zetian and Yang Guifei, two beautiful women from my world’s
history. If it worked there, then there is no cause for it to not
work here." In his heart, however, a sliver of doubt remained:
"Why was the emperor fixated on bringing Si Lili to the palace?
And why did Empress Dowager oppose the plan entirely?
Haitang must know something I don’t, and I have a feeling that
she we won’t be inclined to tell me. I am still an outsider, after
all."

All of a sudden, Fan Xian’s heart leapt within his chest. He

thought of the young emperor’s demeanor each time he had
visited the palace and as he did so, a crazier thought broached
his mind. It was a plan, and it was most absurd.
Chapter 247: Farming, Drinking,
Chatting, and Deciding the Future
Naturally, Fan Xian could not tell her of his conjecture. He
simply took in an involuntary breath of cold air, as if he had a
toothache. Haitang looked at him, said nothing, and carried on
along the Yuquan River. After a short walk, they came to the
edge of a small garden with a bamboo fence and a gate. There
was a well on one side of the courtyard, and a stone table under
the shade on the west side. Yellow, fuzzy-feathered chicks
pecked silently at the ground.

This was where Haitang planted her vegetables.

Fan Xian couldn't help but shake his head. "You can't
compare one person to another. To tell the truth, you always
give the impression of being close to nature. But when you
compare such a refined and elegant place as this to those
stinking pigpens in the countryside, I've finally realized that
planting vegetables and rearing chickens is something you
have to pay careful attention to."

Though Fan Xian appeared to be praising her, he was actually

disparaging her. All Haitang could do was laugh. "Did you
think I would be satisfied hanging around Shangjing? I have
commands from my master and demands from the palace, so I
had to find a quiet little garden for myself nearby."

Fan Xian laughed. "I'm just concerned that Shen Zhong

planned to give you some land to plant vegetables just to cause
trouble for the local gentry."

"I don't know about that," said Haitang, "and I've no way to
find out." She spoke calmly, and Fan Xian listened calmly. This
was something he admired about Haitang. She was an
extremely important figure in Northern Qi, and yet she didn't
rigidly put on this fairy-like manner. She wasn't bitter, she
wasn't dry, and she didn't take pains to remain indifferent to
everything. She simply acted as she pleased.

Before the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, it was

difficult to carve out some free time. Fan Xian had also
temporarily dispelled his gloomy mood of the past few days.
He pulled up his sleeves, rolled up his pant legs, took his tools
from the grindstone, and begun helping Haitang turn the soil.
After dividing the fine yellow earth in two, he took up a bowl
of millet, and like the avaricious Dragon King, he stingily
sprinkled the grains onto the ground, leaving the chicks
chirping away, running behind him all around the garden.

Haitang crouched down and attended to the fruit trees. She

smiled at Fan Xian's tomfoolery, and as she did so her gaze was
drawn to his left leg.

Fan Xian had tired himself out and was feeling rather warm.
He took up a bucket of water from the well and stuck his head
in, taking a great big gulp from it. As his face made contact
with the water, he saw Haitang out of the corner of his eye and
found that she was indeed proficient in tending to her garden.
He presumed that this had been her livelihood for many years.

Ever since Fan Xian had left Danzhou, he hadn't worked the
soil. Holding a hoe in his hand wasn't quite as comfortable to
him as holding a dagger. When he watered the plants, he
wasn't as efficient at it as he was at sprinkling poison powder.
In all his clumsiness, he was eventually reduced to the position
of spectator. Even so, he was still tired and drenched with
sweat, steam rising from the top of his head.
 The sun rose to its peak at midday, and Haitang dragged
along two reclining chairs and put them beneath the trellis.
Some sort of fruit hung from the canopy, with its great big lush
green leaves blocking out the sunlight completely.

Fan Xian exhaled a breath of warm air. He sat down on the

reclining chair, casually accepting the iced tea that Haitang
offered him. He took a sip and then put it down. The chair gave
a creak. He closed his eyes and began to take an afternoon rest,
relaxing just as he would at home.

Haitang looked at him and smiled. She wiped away her sweat
with the cloth she tied around her head, and then lay down
too.

The two bamboo chairs sat under a canopy, and a cool breeze
made its way past the resting pair.

After some time had passed, Haitang suddenly broke the

silence. "You're an odd one, you know."
 "You're pretty weird yourself," said Fan Xian, his eyes still
closed. "Up until now, I couldn't figure you out."

They had already dispensed with all the formalities in

talking to each other. Haitang felt rather more comfortable.
She smiled. "Why do you want to figure people out? And what
does 'figuring someone out' mean?"

"There are some things that people do for clear, defined

goals." Fan Xian's lips curled into a slight smile. "And I don't
know what your goal is."

"My goal?" Haitang fanned herself with her patterned head-

covering. "Why does living need to have a goal?"

Fan Xian closed his eyes, stretched out his fingers and shook
his head. "Life doesn't have to have a goal, but all the things
that we do, all the goals that we wish to achieve, are done in
order that we can live."

"I'm not used to all this talking in circles," said Haitang.

 "Oh, I'm just talking nonsense," said Fan Xian, stretching out
his entire body. "I like talking nonsense with you. It makes me
feel like I'm really alive, and not just controlled by my goal of
staying alive."

"You're still talking nonsense," said Haitang dismissively.

"I just... like the way that you do things." After he'd said it, he
couldn't stop himself from laughing. "People like you and I
who have no friends always want to find somebody to talk to."

"Master Fan, your talent is unparalleled and you are known

throughout the land. How can you have no friends?" For some
reason, she had gone back to addressing him as "Master Fan".

Fan Xian was silent for a moment. "I really don't have any
friends, and you're beloved all throughout Qi. I'm in the
middle of the enemy camp, and yet I feel like you could be my
friend. After all, you haven't been able to kill me while I've
been in Qi."
 Haitang shot him a glance. This handsome southern official
was a rascal indeed. "You are from a rich family, Master Fan.
Ever since you entered the capital, things have gone easily for
you. You've had no setbacks in your career, and the leaders of
two nations both think highly of you. Who wouldn't be
satisfied with that kind of life?"

"It's lonely." Fan Xian didn't seem to think that his response
was pretentious in any way.

Haitang laughed, mocking him slightly. "You have someone

as formidable as Yan Bingyun under your command, Master
Fan. You are a powerful official of the Overwatch Council of
the south. You have a beloved wife at home, your sister is a
woman of some renown herself, your father is in a high
position, and for now you have various friends in high places.
How can you say that you are lonely?"

"My father is my father, my wife is my wife, my sister is my

sister, Yan Bingyun is my subordinate, and all the people I am
friends with have tangled themselves up with my own
interests." Fan Xian didn't know why he was being so
magnanimous with Haitang. "If you think I'm only pretending
to be lonely or in despair, then fine. To sum it up, I can never
relax as an official... I'm just unhappy."

Haitang's eyes were as bright as the sunlight. "Do you want

to be my friend, Master Fan?"

"Let's not talk of friendship for the time being," said Fan
Xian. "At least, when I'm with you, I feel at ease. It's hard for
me to find that."

"What if I want something else of you?"

"You wouldn't try," Fan Xian answered confidently.

"You seem to have forgotten the enmity that exists between

us."

"No matter. At least if someone comes to kill me right now,

you'll help me out." The audacious nature that Fan Xian had
hidden for so long had finally slipped out.
 "Master Fan, I've always been curious... about just why
exactly you wanted to come to the north." Haitang laughed and
looked at him. The affairs of the southern bureaucracy were
not exactly a secret in the north, so of course she knew of the
goings on involving the Emperor's family.

Fan Xian laughed. "...I can't tell you."

Haitang sighed. Fan Xian got up from the chair and

stretched. "I'm hungry."

"There's rice in the house, there's water in the well, and there
are vegetables in the garden," replied Haitang. "Help yourself."

Fan Xian sighed. "When a man says he's hungry to any

woman who's not his wife, what he means is... he could do
with some wine."

Shangjing's most illustrious, quietest, and most dignified

restaurant was the Century Pine Inn. Today, it had a
distinguished guest. The visitor was rich, so the proprietor of
the Century Pine Inn was waiting outside, having respectfully
asked all of the restaurant's patrons to depart, leaving behind
three quiet and empty floors.

The staff of the restaurant were naturally rather surprised,

but the boss gave them no explanation. He had informants in
the very highest levels of the royal court, and he knew the
identity of the man and woman who were coming. The man
was the immortal of poetry from the south, and the woman
was the Emperor's own teacher. Together, they could have
easily walked around the palace itself, let alone a restaurant.

In a private room facing the street, Fan Xian squinted at the

road outside while he drank from his wine goblet. Having
drunk three cups, he was still frowning, and he called for the
innkeeper to bring him a fresh cup.

The innkeeper saw that he was in a foul mood, and

immediately decided against his original plan of asking for an
autograph from the immortal of poetry, handing him another
cup of Northern Qi's finest rice wine.

Fan Xian took a gulp and nodded.

 "That was Five Grain Liquor," said Haitang, "the finest liquor
in the world. And you're still not satisfied, Master Fan?"

"I like strong wine," said Fan Xian, turning his head to look at
her, a strange look on his face. "But I don't want to drink Five
Grain Liquor right now, because there's a certain taste to it that
makes me feel like I can't relax."

Five Grain Liquor tasted like Qingyu Hall, like the Ye family.
It was a taste that had something to do with Fan Xian
personally. He didn't want to drink it today.

Haitang was silent once more. She just watched Fan Xian
drink it all down. Her eyes got brighter and brighter, as if she
were watching something she found interesting.

As he became gradually more intoxicated, there was a

blurred look in Fan Xian's eyes. His smile became brighter.
"Funny, isn't it? I live such a charmed life and yet I appear to be
drowning my sorrows."
 "The youth knows not the taste of worry..." Fan Xian tapped
his bowl with chopsticks as he sang. This was the first verse he
had "copied" after his reincarnation. When he thought back to
that time, his feelings became even more complicated.

He sang softly once more. "Leave a legacy, leave a legacy, and

you will come across a benefactor; treasure your mother,
treasure your mother, and amass your hidden merits. Spend
your life aiding the needy and supporting the poor. Do not love
money as I once did, and forget your flesh and blood. For
Heaven decides what is given and taken, what is multiplied and
divided."

This was the song sung by Jia Qiaojie in Dream of the Red
Chamber: "Leave a Legacy".

Haitang's eyes lit up.

Fan Xian let out a long sigh, and drained his goblet. "Haitang,
you're not listening to me. Get drunk with me."
 Why did he want to get drunk? There were a great many
reasons why men got drunk - the greatest was sadness, feeling
under attack from life's pressures. On his trip to the north, Fan
Xian had obtained the secret of the temple, he had fostered
friendship between two nations, and he had successfully
assembled the spy network in the north. Any way you looked at
it, he should have been happy. But for some reason, he was sad.
Where had this pressure come from?

The truth was simple. His sadness was because of his restless
heart. In that mountain cave, he had told Xiao En that he was a
traveller in this world, so he had always looked upon this
world with the eyes of a temporary visitor. Even after going
through all the vicissitudes of the past 18 years, he still felt a
certain distance from this world. If he didn't have Wan'er, or
his sister, or Wu Zhu, then Fan Xian wished he could throw
caution to the wind and live happily in this world.

And yet the pressure came from the conversation he had in

that cave. Chen Pingping had made Fan Xian set his sights
high. And now that Fan Xian knew of the temple's
whereabouts, he realized that he had to bear that burden alone.
The secret that had weighed on Xiao En for decades would
weigh upon Fan Xian for many decades more.
 If he went to the temple, his life would be in danger. And
what would happen to the people he wanted to protect? If he
didn't go, then he would never know what had happened all
those years ago. Fan Xian was frustrated. Before, when he
didn't know, he wished he could have dug a hole into Xiao En's
skull to get at his secrets. Now that he knew, he wished he had
never found out.

For his own safety, what he probably had to do was return to

the capital and continue enjoying many years of success in
business and in the bureaucracy, keeping the secret of the
temple forever buried deep inside himself. But he would always
feel somewhat apprehensive about it. He hated how he could
never forget his mother Ye Qingmei, his own flesh and blood.
So he didn't want to drink Five Grain Liquor. He even had an
urge to take the glass goblet in his hand and throw it to the
floor, smashing it to pieces.

It was as if Qiaojie's words in Dream of the Red Chamber were

written specifically for him.

He had had the fortune of being reborn, of meeting with

benefactors, of having a mother who had amassed hidden
merits, allowing him to live an easy life, easily obtaining a vast
fortune with her great help.

Leave a legacy, enjoy one's remaining years. What was he

meant to do for his remaining years?

Haitang's bright eyes seemed to see right into his heart.

"Spend your life aiding the needy and supporting the poor," she
said slowly.

Fan Xian suddenly snapped out of his thoughts, frightened.

He knew that even if he was completely drunk, he still could
never reveal the secret to anyone. But... why had Haitang said
that?

In fact, she hadn't said it for any particular reason at all. She
looked at Fan Xian's somewhat demented-looking expression,
and then thought of what she had heard of that night in the
palace hall banquet in Qing, when the immortal of poetry had
appeared mad and unruly to the entire world. She presumed
that Fan Xian had already set upon his way on the path of life,
and yet he had become world-weary and dispirited, his endless
success being simply by the by.
 It was a common thing to see in the lives of scholars, so
Haitang had said those words simply to speak her mind,
wanting to urge Fan Xian to think of the people of the land...
because Haitang had always believed that deep down, Fan Xian
was a scholar.

"There is always so much happening in this world, where

each man comes and goes, driven by his own interests." Fan
Xian laughed mockingly. "Haitang, you walk the path of
Heaven, close to nature, cherishing the people, and yet you do
not know that they simply act in their own favor. I have no
desire to capture new territory, and I want the common people
to live a little easier, but I must live easier myself first... If I
want the common people to live better lives, then I must
capture power for myself. But in the bureaucracies and royal
courts of this world, if you have a high position, then how can
you live comfortably?"

Hearing his bitter words, Haitang was taken aback. "You hold
significant authority, Master Fan. Never forget that morality
must be your watchword."

"What nonsense." Fan Xian noisily struck the porcelain bowl

with his chopsticks, and yet it did not break.
 "There is little that distinguishes man from the animals," said
Haitang, still frowning. "Only our sense of righteousness. You
and I are from different countries, but whether the people are
from Qing for from Qi, they are all unique, living beings. If
you revere righteousness, Master Fan, then do not forget to do
your utmost to prevent war from breaking out again once you
return to your home country."

For all people to lay down their arms - this was Haitang's
goal, as Fan Xian imagined it. It was a lofty goal. If anyone else
had said it, he would feel uneasy. But when Haitang spoke of
it, it appeared nonchalant and natural, and it gave him
confidence.

Fan Xian laughed, a hint of mockery in his voice. "So was

Xiao En not a living being?"

"Killing Xiao En would save the lives of thousands. What

choice does one have?" If Xiao En had escaped from prison and
met with Shang Shanhu, their power would be greatly
increased. If the secret of the temple were ever revealed, then
the grand ambitions of the young Emperor of Qi could plunge
the world into decades of war. So she had a point.
 Fan Xian had the awareness of neither a politician nor a
Taoist sage. He sneered. "If a hundred people were to die, and
by killing 49 you could save 51 of them, then would you kill
them?"

Haitang was silent for a long time.

"So we're both heartless." Fan Xian suddenly didn't want to

think about such boring things any more. Somewhat stiffly, he
changed topic. "There is little that separates man from the
animals? Man is simply better at asking for help from others."

Haitang looked up, somewhat surprised.

"My fighting skills are nowhere near yours," said Fan Xian.
"But if it were a true fight to the death, you could not kill me
easily."

Haitang nodded.
 Fan Xian drank another cupful and looked at her. "Why?" he
asked gently. "Because I'm good at making use of all means I
have to hand."

"In following the path of a warrior, one must first steel one's
heart, for the strength of others cannot be relied upon forever,"
replied Haitang quietly.

Fan Xian shook his head. "The righteous man does not
necessarily display his righteousness. But one who seeks to
take advantage of others may not necessarily be an immoral
man. The righteous man stands to gain much. If his goals are
proper, then what does it matter what method he employs?"

Having said this, Fan Xian felt somewhat dumbfounded.

Their idle talk had digressed somewhat, but had accidentally
touched upon his own innermost thoughts. It was as though a
ray of sunlight had struck his heart, and he suddenly
understood his own true feelings. Was he empty inside? Or was
he filled with emotion?

He had been given another chance at life, but he had never

known what to do with it. Until today. At that moment, his
mind felt clear and sober, though his eyes still clearly looked
drunk. He looked at Haitang. "Thank you," he said gently.

Haitang's words had mostly fallen on deaf ears, but she

wasn't angry at all. Hearing those two words, she felt
somewhat at a loss. She looked into Fan Xian's drunken eyes
and saw a trace of persistent determination. She suddenly felt
slightly uncomfortable. She was lost in thought for a while,
and it showed in her clear eyes. "In days to come, the south will
be a great stage for you to prove your talent, Master Fan. Since
you do not desire war, then you are my friend. I hope that one
day you will come to renounce glory, and act conscientiously
on behalf of the common people. The correct path can only be
walked without an ounce of complacency."

Fan Xian placed his wine goblet gently upon the table. "Do
not worry. I will follow the path."

Save for Ku He, Haitang was the greatest fighter in all of

Nrothern Qi. Having such a wonderful woman protecting him
dispersed all the doubts in his mind. Fan Xian had been
drinking with abandon. Although he had childishly turned
away the Five Grain Liquor, he had still drunk plenty of rice
wine. Now his throat was dry and burning and his mind was
sluggish and muddled. Airy and cheerful, he slumped on the
table.

This was the first time he had drunk himself into a stupor
since he had opened the box, and yet it was in a restaurant in
the enemy city of Shangjing. It was perhaps a strange and
stupid move to do so in front of Haitang, when he did not truly
know whether she was an enemy or a friend.

"I really can't figure you out," said Haitang, looking at the
drunken Fan Xian as he slept like a baby on the table. She
smiled. "I'd always wanted to meet Cao Xueqin."

Fan Xian quotes from Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian.
Fan Xian quotes from On Learning by Xunzi
Cao Xueqin was the author of Dream of the Red Chamber.
Chapter 248: This World, this Woman!
Fan Xian’s head ached as a pair of warm, sensuous hands
began rubbing his temples. A feeling of fear and uncertainty
had washed over him. His eyes remained closed and he blurted
out, "Where am I?"

Perhaps because he had drunk too much, he noticed that his

voice had become rough and coarse. As the delicate fingers
continued to rub his temples, he suddenly felt one depart.
Shortly after, a cup was slowly raised to his lips; a cup to
which he helplessly drank from. The concoction that he tasted
was a benevolent, perfectly measured mixture of honey and
hot water - it was the consummate remedy for the battle that
was a hangover. As the succulent nectar passed his lips, Fan
Xian smiled.

Fan Xian believed that Haitang would not poison him, for
there would be no clear benefit for her doing so. As the thought
of this crossed his mind, his nose perked to the sensation of a
new and intoxicating fragrance; one that embodied elegance
and grace. The mere scent made Fan Xian’s heart pound. He
then began to feel a certain heat arise from the space below his
waist, which drove his mind into a lustful frenzy.
 That wonderful fragrance drew closer and closer and as it
did, the sudden warmth of a soft and voluptuous body leant
against Fan Xian’s head from behind. His heart began to pound
at an even greater pace, and it was as if the fire of his heart was
stoked into an uncontrollable blaze.

Fan Xian forced his eyes open. An unshakable desire had

taken a hold of him, as he witnessed the pale hands of a
recognizable figure clothed in white outstretched towards him.
"Lili?"

Si Lili turned around and felt her body crumble, and so she
fell upon Fan Xian`s chest. As she stared at Fan Xian, her eyes
bore credulous innocence and a faint glimmer of sadness. It
was if she was in anticipation of something that had yet to
occur.

Fan Xian continued to inhale the sweet fragrance of the

woman in his arms, but he could not help but feel his mind
being led astray. Ever since he had arrived in Shangjing, he had
only met her a brief few times in the temple and he had decided
long ago to avoid the establishment of an association of any
particular magnitude with her. But right now, there she was,
fawning for him once again. This delicate and all-too-familiar
touch continued to press against his chest.

A moment ago, he was drinking merrily with Haitang and

now he was getting affectionate with Si Lili.

Fan Xian quickly understood what was happening here, but

he could not figure out why the world was changing as fast as it
was.

In the early summer of the capital, Shangjing, if there was no

wind, the days would be hot and sultry. If there was no rain,
the dust would arise and cloak the area. It was not the most
ideal weather. Fortunately, it was already late when the events
transpired and a gentle breeze graced the air, cooling the
grounds of the temple. Fallen twigs and leaves dressed the roof
of this abode, and all was illuminated by the gaze of the
sparkling moon, which appeared larger than usual on this
particular night.

Fan Xian hastily tightened his pants and took leave of the
temple, with a silhouette not unlike a thief running through
the night. His face wore a ridiculous expression. Just beyond
the entrance of the temple, Fan Xian looked back and saw the
sight of a woman who was perched upon the roof, with the
moon lit up at her back as if it were a halo. Fan Xian yelled,
"You and your mentor are exactly the same! You are both as
crazy as each other."

Fan Xian was always fond of donning the appearance of

someone who was sweet, shy and wholly innocent. Even
though few believed it, he was kindhearted. But today, he had
been thrust into this bizarre scenario, which flustered his mind
and made him incredibly angry, but frightened too. To bark at
the woman in this manner was a way of venting his
frustrations.

Haitang’s vigil watch, up there on the roof of the temple,

portrayed her as a figure of mystique; a guardian of the
lovebirds, so to speak. The kerchief that she ordinarily wore
was now tied around her neck, and she looked like some kind
of military commander. There was a look of surprise on her
face and a glint of awkward amusement in her eyes. She had
apparently not expected Fan Xian to awaken so quickly.
Mockingly, she said, "That quick?"
 Hearing this, Fan Xian was driven into a rage. He exclaimed,
"What kind of woman are you?"

Haitang was fast to understand that which had actually

transpired and with some shame lowered her head into the
palms of her hand, saying, "How could I forget that you were
the apprentice of Fei Jie? I should have increased the dosage of
the drug I slipped into your beverage."

The moon quivered and the twigs that had adorned the roof
were knocked away when Haitang leapt from the rooftop to the
ground below. The grace of her landing did not disturb the dust
of the temple ground as she landed near Fan Xian. She smiled
and looked back at the temple, opening the doors as she did so.
She signaled for Fan Xian to return inside with her.

Outside the temple, it had grown pitch black. The resident

frogs of a nearby pond ribbetted in the night, as if the two of
them were visiting a temple that was far off in the wild. Fan
Xian’s heart writhed in anger and with a fierce look, he
demanded, "What the hell did you put in my drink?"
 "Aphrodisiac," Haitang replied, quickly and sincerely, with
an expression that suggested the deed she did was of no special
concern. "The best that the palace was able to provide."

"You…" Fan Xian raised his arm, pointing directly at her

nose; her nose that was sharper than anyone else’s. The
thought to break it crossed his mind. "I am a Commissioner of
the Qing Kingdom and she will be a wife of your emperor soon.
How dare you attempt this!"

Haitang’s face became cold all of a sudden. "When you

drugged me at Wuduhe, that was okay? You mean to say that it
was okay for you to do it and not me?"

"Back then, we were enemies. Today we are friends! How

could you say that?" Fan Xian immediately dropped his facade
of righteousness.

Haitang smiled and said, "When we were back at the palace,

what was it that you said to me?"

Many days ago in the palace…

 "The antidote for the aphrodisiac you gave me last time
required orange peel. It was too concentrated and thus tasted
far too bitter." Lady Haitang spoke as she stood there drenched
in sunlight.

Fan Xian laughed and was aware that Haitang had gotten
over the horrendous deception he had committed upon her and
he said lightly, "I am the Overwatch Council’s Commissioner,
not some noble person with profound honor. These things
happen. Do not mind me using such methods. If you actually
do mind, then you are free to also use that… aphrodisiac on
me."

These words were frivolous and devoid of earnestness, but

Haitang was not a woman who would shrivel up and become
ashamed for what had transpired and been done to her, so she
said, "If there ever comes a chance, I will use it."

If there ever comes a chance, I will use it.

Fan Xian had an incredible memory, and so it was of no

surprise that he remembered this clearly. He was merely
surprised that she was a woman, and had the courage to do
something like this. He gasped, and the anger in his heart
would not quell, partly because he knew that there was
nothing he could do about it. He had inadvertently allowed
someone else to drug him, and that person was merely doing
that which he had proposed. There really was nothing he could
do about it. Fan Xian looked up to the moon, telling himself
how much he now hated Haitang.

"I am no ascetic woman. I am just a woman who harbors

bitter resentment and a personal grudge." Haitang laughed.

"It shouldn’t have been Si Lili. She is like a sister to you!" Fan
Xian looked at Haitang coldly and continued, "Do you know
what this means?"

"Lili likes you." Haitang smiled and said, "You are not
objecting her appearance, are you? A few of use girls thought
this would work out well." Ever since she knew that Fan Xian
was the author of Story of the Stone, which was written under
the pseudonym Mister Cao, Haitang was even more confident
about her plan.
 Fan Xian became quiet all of a sudden, lost in deep
contemplation. After a while, he looked at Haitang and said,
"Actually, since you are the one who drugged me, and even
though you yourself are not that pretty, I can face the music. I
can give myself away for a brief time. Why bring Lady Si into
this?"

Even though Haitang was free and easy, and not the sort to
take things to heart, she was just a young woman. When she
heard what Fan Xian had to say, she was furious. Her big,
bright eyes peered at Fan Xian like razorblades. Her appearance
right now was not unlike a wolf, roaming the moors at
midnight.

After Fan Xian made his awful speech, he calmed down at the
sight of Haitang. To try and ease the situation, he forced a
smile and said, "I can just leave, but be wary of your mentor Ku
He. He may punish you for your actions on this night."

Haitang took a deep breath in an attempt to suppress her

bubbling, increasingly volatile emotions, and in a low voice
spoke, "Please forgive me for setting you up today."
 With an expressionless face, Fan Xian replied, "You could
always do this again another time. There will be plenty of
other men willing to accept a lustful romp; well, as long as it’s
not with you.

Haitang was no longer angry and had little regard for Fan
Xian’s snide and spiteful remarks. She lightly said, "The day
after tomorrow, the palace will have a banquet. There will be
fighting, so please prepare for it."

"After the banquet, I will be returning to Qing." Fan Xian

observed Haitang’s now strangely serene face. "I cannot stay in
Shangjing any longer, for I have an emergency within my
family I have to deal with. Can you go arrange for Lady Si to
meet with me once again?"

Haitang agreed in silence and then watched Fan Xian’s

shadow become one with the dark of the night. As Fan Xian
walked across the fields, he staggered and almost collapsed
wholly. He at first thought it was because of his distraught
mind, but looking down, he realized he had not tightened the
cord of his robe well enough and that is what caused his
stumble.
 So the scholar of the generation and the most promising up-
and-coming minister’s most embarrassing moment of his life
had actually taken place in a temple in a remote corner of
Shangjing.

Haitang laughed. Her wide eyes beamed with joy, for no

apparent reason.

Fan Xian had at last returned to the envoy. His eyes relayed a
sense of peace, a view that would belie the distressing evening
he had truly had. The anger that overwhelmed his face had
now at last dissipated, too. Living in this world, having to
avert and avoid the constant barrage of tricks and traps was no
small feat. One had to be a person of flawless composure and
not be one to make a single mistake - that is not to mention
one's need to possess the ability of reading others at a whim.

Fan Xian never imagined that Haitang would be capable of

committing such treachery. He never thought she could be so
reckless in deciding her course of action, either. In a way, he
thought it similar to how he was, as Fan Xian enjoyed the thrill
of imprudent, daring deeds.
 "Only four?" Fan Xian had already taken a shower, but as he
sat in his chair, he couldn’t help but believe he could smell that
delicate fragrance once again. And much to his surprise, he
couldn’t help but think about Lady Si, either. In his heart, he
knew he was a callous person, but he closed his eyes and began
to think about what possible influence he could have over that
woman.

Perhaps what Haitang said was true, but so what?

Yan Bingyun skewed his eyebrows into a frown. He looked

upon Fan Xian and thought it was both strange and foolish of
him, his superior and chief of the envoy - an envoy which was
preparing to depart - to suddenly disappear for a whole day. He
grimaced at the thought of all the business matters that had
piled up, issues that all required Fan Xian’s presence. A source
had previously informed him that Fan Xian had been spotted
with Haitang, drinking in merriment at midnight. She wasn’t
one to reveal herself to many, he thought. But if that was at
midnight, where did he go after? And why did Fan Xian look so
peculiar today?

"Yes, four years. Only four women have been brought to the
temple in just as many years" Yan Bingyun answered. "The
northern Qi Kingdom’s emperor, ever since he was young, has
been quite a down-to-earth fellow. Judging from how he has
managed this country, you can tell he is a wise lord. Any man
with great ambition will not waste much time dealing with
romance."

"And the northern Qi Emperor has yet to produce an heir?"

Fan Xian asked, with his eyes closed.

"The emperor is still young, so the palace is in no rush for

that just yet."

"Not in a rush…? Never mind. You go tell Wang Qinian to

arrange a meeting at the palace in two days' time and have a
discussion regarding our way back." Fan Xian then waved his
hand, gesturing for Yan Bingyun to leave.

Yan Bingyun looked at Fan Xian with a puzzled expression,

knowing that his master possessed numerous secrets he was
not willing to divulge. Although Fan Xian was the
Commissioner of the Overwatch Council, there was plenty of
intelligence he wasn’t prepared to let anybody know about.
 For example, that which occurred tonight. And for another
example… the northern Qi emperor might be attacked. Fan
Xian’s fingers were still a little cold, and it was then that he
realized that perhaps his courage was not as great as Haitang’s.

The gate of the main entrance of the palace, which was

nestled between the cliffs, slowly opened.. From right outside
the gate, they bore witness once again to the beauty of its black
canopies gently rustling in the wind, as an incredible waterfall
pounded the rocks below and to their side. Fan Xian looked
upon the officers of the northern Qi Kingdom and noted that
their faces were unfamiliar to him. As he approached the
palace, he stared at them with a menacing gaze. Wei Hua and
recognizable officers from the Office of the Grand Herald had
arrived before them, however, and he made sure to greet them
politely. They were then courteously welcomed by the eunuchs
into the hall.

Inside, the hall was completely silent. Alongside the tiled

path that they walked upon, a serene water stream followed.
The water stream itself was almost wholly still, save for the
odd ripple that occasionally arose due to the passing of fish.
 Empress Dowager and the Emperor were sat upon their
thrones, which were perched slightly higher than the rest of
the hall. A dozen low tables had been spread about the hall,
and they were each occupied by high-level nobles and officers
of the kingdom. The ordinary officers would have to remain in
the adjacent courtyards to eat. Fan Xian was a commissioner of
the southern Qing Kingdom and as such was granted a seat
upon the first table on the left. Aside from Gao Da - currently
weaponless - who stood behind Fan Xian, only two others from
the envoy were eligible for a seat at his side. Their names were
Lin Wen and Lin Jing.

Sitting opposite them was the northern Qi Kingdom’s prime

minister and the emperor’s very own tutor. Fan Xian looked at
the tutor and immediately acknowledged that he was Zhuang
Mohan’s most prized student. What struck Fan Xian the most,
though, was how young he looked.

After a series of rituals, the birthday feast began. As Fan Xian

looked upon her now, Empress Dowager was younger than
what would be expected of someone in possession of such a
title. Even though she had faint crow’s feet, she would most
certainly be regarded as an average-looking middle-aged
woman, not some "grandma" that would typically occupy her
seat and title.
 But Fan Xian recalled something that Xiao En had once told
him, and it was that Empress Dowager was a heartless woman.
She would issue a death sentence on a whim, with no remorse.
As he thought of this, he turned away and suddenly noticed
Shang Shanhu sat at the table beside him. It was a shame that
when Fan Xian entered the hall, he did not get the chance to see
Shang Shanhu make an entrance.

Empress Dowager lifted her wine glass and began her speech.
She was soft-spoken and rather quiet, but Fan Xian paid no
heed and decided not to listen. He just followed what his
adjacent fellows did mindlessly, making sure to bow repeatedly
and so on.

It was Empress Dowager’s birthday, so it would naturally be a

more grandiose banquet than something that a commoner
could afford. The northern Qi Kingdom’s officers and nobles
were all flustered in their attempts to find the most valuable
gifts they could present to her, and subsequently bring to the
palace. One of these remarkable gifts was a dragon, carved
entirely out of the jade that was mined from Dong Mountain.
There was also an excessively large clock that had been
delivered all the way from Dongyi city. There were even twin-
tailed ferrets, brought down from the frozen wastes of the
north; to which a tall tale was ascribed that only one of these
ferrets could exist every thousand years.
 She seemed pleased with the gifts she had received, and gave
a nod in response to their offerings.

The southern Qing Kingdom’s envoy’s gift had already been

delivered to the capital a long time ago. Even though it was
absurdly valuable, the gift itself wasn’t in any way noteworthy.
Of course Fan Xian wouldn't really compose another poem for
the Empress Dowager comparing her to a celestial fairy who
had descended to the mortal realm. That would give her a big
head at the expense of Fan Xian losing face; and besides, his
calligraphy wasn't much to look at.

His personal gift was provided in a little bottle. Inside this

bottle was a liquid that was amber in color. Aside from that, it
looked fairly average and uninspired. When Empress Dowager
opened the lid to have a sniff, however, she looked upon Fan
Xian with genuine, heartfelt appreciation.

And yet it was merely perfume. The palace treasury had

halted its production of this concoction fifteen years ago, but
Fan Xian had managed to take one from Qingyu Hall. He had
been keeping it to seduce Haitang with.
 At the time, he did not know Haitang wasn’t the sort for such
items, and, as he well knew now, that she was not often
concerned with glamour and elegance. When Fan Xian was in
the capital copying down the works of Li Qingzhao that he
could recall, and preparing a perfume originally developed in
France, he never thought his attempts at reining in Haitang
would fail. And to now think that he was the one almost
tricked by her.

After Fan Xian bowed before Empress Dowager, he looked up

at the Emperor and noticed that even he was smiling toward
Fan Xian. He had long held a preconceived prejudice toward
the emperor and empress, but seeing what he saw at that very
moment, he couldn't help but feel his heart flutter ever so
slightly.
Chapter 249: Fighting and Play-fighting
in the Palace Contest
Fan Xian was moved, though his expression remained
deferential. He lowered his eyes, avoiding the young Emperor's
gaze, and uneasily cast a glance to one side at the Empress
Dowager. There were no expressions on the aged faces of the
grand tutor and the Prime Minister, so his gaze naturally fell
upon the table to one side of the grand tutor.

The table was empty; it appeared that someone had failed to

attend. As he considered this, someone came into the hall from
a corridor to the side, bowing to the Emperor and the Empress
Dowager and sitting casually at the table, where palace maids
served him wine.

The man was dressed head to toe in black. He was tall,

slender, and powerful-looking, yet his eyes were as calm as old
water wells, their darkest depths invisible. The strangest thing
was the chain around his waist, to which two curved blades
were fastened. This was brazen indeed!

Fan Xian took in a breath of cold air and then turned to Lin
Jing. "Who is that?" he asked. "If he can sit next to the grand
tutor while carrying weapons into the palace, he is a
formidable man indeed."

"That man is Lang Tao, a disciple of Ku He," said Lin Jing

quietly. "He is a commander of the palace guard, but I've heard
that over the past few years he has taken responsibility for the
Emperor's martial practice. He has little involvement in
political affairs."

Fan Xian grunted in acknowledgment. Seemingly having

finally understood, he was rather taken aback. "So this is
Haitang's senior student under Ku He. No wonder he has such a
high position."

At that moment, Lang Tao's deep, calm gaze had already

fallen on Fan Xian.

Fan Xian smiled and raised his glass, gesticulating a toast

with Lang Tao. "Hello," he mouthed silently.

Lang Tao frowned. It seemed unclear what he was thinking.

A short moment later, he finally raised his cup and drank along
with Fan Xian.

"Sir, you ought to make friends with him," said Lin Jing
quietly. "It's a shame that we leave for home the day after next
when today is the first time you've met him."

Fan Xian made a regretful face, but wondered whether Lang

Tao might recognize him. While he pondered, Lang Tao also
had his suspicions. Looking at the face of the young Qing
official, it didn't look unnatural at all. Could it be that Shen
Zhong's conjecture had been correct - that the man in black on
the cliff had been Chen Pingping's shadow bodyguard, and not
this Commissioner Fan?

Fan Xian calmed himself as his gaze swept over the tables in
the palace hall. "Why do I not see Master Shen Zhong?" he
asked.

"Though Shen Zhong is Provost of the Discipline

Commission, he is not of a high enough rank to enter the
palace," replied Lin Jing. "Besides, today is the Empress
Dowager's birthday. He is no doubt dealing with all matters of
security in Shangjing."
 Fan Xian nodded and said nothing. A moment later,
wonderful music began to play throughout the palace, and
dancers filled the courtyard. Clear light shone through the
rafters; the birthday feast had officially begun.

First, the Emperor raised a cup to toast the Empress Dowager,

and then the ministers kneeled, wishing the Empress Dowager
a long life. As an official of a foreign nation, Fan Xian sat at the
front, with Lin Jing to one side quietly instructing him on
what to do so that everything went smoothly.

The beautiful palace maids brought out drinks and fruits and
vegetables, and quietly and effortlessly placed them on the
tables. Every time a palace maid came out to wait on people,
Fan Xian turned slightly and smiled. In the midst of all these
Northern Qi officials, he couldn't help but be a little artificial,
but the more some of them watched him, the happier they felt,
feeling that this young wunderkind was quite an outstanding
character.

Yet as he looked upon the fair-faced maids, Fan Xian felt

somewhat uneasy. The young Emperor spent his days with all
these beautiful women, and yet he hadn't become a licentious
youth. It was curious indeed.
 Although the Empress Dowager's birthday wasn't like the
birthday of any other old woman, it wasn't all that different.
The only thing was that the guests were of a somewhat higher
caliber, the food and drink were of greater quality, and as for
the post-meal entertainment... it wasn't anything you'd see at a
middle-aged woman's birthday party. It made Fan Xian's head
ache.

Fan Xian rubbed his temples. He had a warm smile on his

face, but in his heart, he had already begun to curse.

Gentle girls now like to curse like old fishwives, and boorish
boys now like to play at bashful coquetry. Pig-slaughtering
butchers like to eat their neighbor's vegetables, and unmarried
old maids with flowers in their hair like to go around acting as
matchmakers. These people all wish to get closer to the sort of
things they are completely unsuited for, and to do the sort of
things they should not. In psychological terms, this feeling of
lacking something is emphasized by the subconscious mind.

So the Kingdom of Qing, always renowned throughout the

land for its martial prowess, had set itself upon the path of
culture and literature under its current Emperor. Its famous
generals and great fighters began to involve themselves in
poetry competitions. The palace concubines who loved
literature gained the Emperor's favor. The Second Prince threw
himself into studying the classical scriptures, winning the
hearts of the people until Fan Xian, the immortal of poetry,
appeared, immediately gaining the attention and reverence of
all the scholars of the land.

And Northern Qi, always prized as a center of culture, had

worked to strengthen itself, no longer holding contests of
poetry but instead contests of strength. It had given up on
using words, instead choosing to reason with fists. So the
fighters who had thrown their swords to the ground outside
the diplomatic compound, wishing to duel with Fan Xian,
could have stretched from the door all the way to Mount Yan.

Fan Xian had closed his door and not come out, choosing
instead to travel around with Haitang, narrowly avoiding the
constant offers to fight. To his surprise, just as he was about to
return home, he found that he could not hide himself any
longer in the palace hall.

"Master Fan, what do you think of this suggestion?" The

Empress Dowager smiled, looking at the seated Fan Xian.
Though it was a question, there was only one possible answer.
 Fan Xian trembled slightly. Previously, the top general in
Northern Qi had suggested a contest. Although it had sounded
fine - just swapping pointers on martial techniques and
nothing more - everybody knew that the immortal of poetry
had no choice. This was shaping up to be a humiliation, and
the Empress Dowager didn't know why it seemed that he didn't
like her.

He stood up, looked around the room, and suddenly laughed.

"Empress Dowager, I lack the strength even to truss a chicken.
It is best that I sit this out."

Laughter erupted in the hall. Nobody believed what Fan Xian

had said. News of how he had killed Cheng Jushu and bested Ye
Lin'g'er had spread throughout the land. Everyone knew that
he was a rare combination of talented scholar and expert
fighter. No one had expected the South's chief diplomat to be so
timid.

"You are too modest, Master Fan," said the Empress Dowager,
her face calm. She then said something else that Fan Xian
found it impossible to refuse.
 Fan Xian's eyes widened. No wonder that in all the novels he
had read in his old world about people who travelled to other
worlds, those travellers carried on the honorable tradition of
Wei Xiaobao, and called the Empress Dowager an "old whore".
If he really let himself go at that moment, losing face in front
of the royal court, he would find it rather hard to explain
himself to his father and the old cripple back home; and who
knew what sort of tricks Xinyang would play with whispers
and rumors.

So with a smile, he took a step back and cupped his hands in

deference.

The Empress Dowager's eyes were bright. Sitting by her side,

the Emperor looked slightly concerned. "Minister Fan," he
asked, "if you're not feeling well, then you should sit it out."

Though Fan Xian had talked with the Emperor on a number

of occasions, he had some measure of ill-feeling about him. But
hearing his sincere concern, he felt a certain respect for him as
a ruler and could not help but feel touched. "Your Majesty," he
said, raising his head and speaking in a bright, clear voice,
"even if my blood may splash upon the ground before the
palace, then I shall offer it as a birthday gift to the Empress
Dowager."

It was an inappropriate thing to say, very much in violation

of etiquette, and the mood immediately soured. The Empress
Dowager's face sank. Yet the Emperor laughed, amused by his
words. Fan Xian may have appeared calm and gentle to him on
the outside, but was willful and determined to come out on
top, with an eccentric temperament. He waved a hand. "We
have said enough. As it is a contest, do not go too hard on each
other."

There was a coldness in the Emperor's eyes as he looked at

the ministers gathered in the palace hall. "If anyone feels
unsure whether they can control their strength, then it is best
they do not come forth to show themselves up." The words
gave pause to those who were intending to inflict "accidental"
injuries.

The ministers trembled. The speed at which their young

Emperor had reached maturity over the past few years had
been rather frightening. His power had grown to a point where
it looked unlikely to recede... and what was even stranger was
his relationship with Fan Xian. Was he their Emperor, or the
Emperor of Qing?

The chatter died down. A general came in from outside,

bowing to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. "I, Cheng
Puzhu, ask for the guidance of Master Fan of the Kingdom of
Qing."

The Empress Dowager nodded slightly. The Emperor knew of

Cheng Puzhu's strength. He was a fellow student of Lang Tao,
and they were students of the same sect. Currently, he held a
post in the palace guard, and had probably heard the order and
so he had come to participate in the contest. The Emperor
knew from Haitang that Fan Xian was already a ninth-level
master, and Cheng Puzhu was only seventh-level. The Emperor
looked at Lang Tao, his own martial tutor, and saw that he was
sitting calmly at his table, his face unmoved. Why?

Cheng Puzhu bowed once more to Fan Xian. "Master Fan, you
are renowned for your talent in both literature and combat. I
ask for your guidance."
 Fan Xian laughed and looked at Lang Tao. He knew that this
contest in the palace was not in order to declare a victor, but
for Lang Tao to see Fan Xian's fighting style before he left for
home. After he had arrived in Northern Qi, he had not fought
in front of others. Lang Tao definitely still had doubts about
the incident on top of the cliff.

He cupped his hands toward Cheng Puzhu. "Master Cheng?"

"I am he," said Cheng Puzhu.

"You are no match for me," said Fan Xian. He sat down.

There was a burst of chatter as those present discussed Fan

Xian's arrogance. Then they heard something else. "Master
Cheng, I ask for your guidance."

Cheng Puzhu was angry, and yet behind Fan Xian, he saw
that a guard had stepped forth. He stood before him, the light
coming down from the glass roof window and scattering clear
and bright, illuminating the palace hall, and very clearly
showing the vengeful expression on the guard's plain-looking
face.

With just one step forward, Gao Da seemed to have

undergone a monumental change. Before, he was an
unremarkable guard, hiding in Fan Xian's shadow. Now that he
had stepped forth, he had the air of a grandmaster. There was
no wind in the hall, but his zhenqi circulated, causing his
clothing to flutter.

Fan Xian shielded himself behind the table, sitting cross-

legged on the floor, his fingers grasping his wine goblet. He
squinted, taking note of Lang Tao's expression out of the
corner of his eye.

Lang Tao didn't seem happy about the current situation. He

was picking up some vegetables from a plate with his
chopsticks, but Fan Xian could see his chin move slightly... it
seemed to be a nod of approval.

Cheng Puzhu took a deep breath. Everyone in Shangjing

knew that Gao Da was a powerful bodyguard for the southern
diplomatic mission. In one move, he had bested Tan Wu,
Shang Shanhu's subordinate. He was a true master!

But, things being as they were, Cheng Puzhu could not

retreat. Instead, he called in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, grant
me the use of my blade!"

Though the young Emperor admired Fan Xian, he was no

fool. He knew what his duties as Emperor of Northern Qi
entailed, and he admired the courage and power of this
military leader. "I shall permit it..." he said, a praiseful look on
his face. "General Cheng, take care. This is purely a test of your
martial prowess. Do not look upon this as defending the honor
of the royal court. Whether you win or lose, you have my
respect."

The Empress Dowager looked at her son disapprovingly, but

the young Emperor laughed, seeming not to have seen his
mother's glare.

The Lin brothers were extremely nervous. They had wanted

to return home immediately, how could they let such a scene
unfold in the palace? If their side won, then Northern Qi
would lose face. And if they lost, then Qing would lose face.
Even worse! But the Qing officials, who had cultivated a
natural ruthlessness over the past decades, saw their
opponent's provocations, and though they were civilian
officials, they felt genuinely angry. "Gao, don't go too hard on
him," they said.

Before battle has begun, one must first win the war of words.
Fan Xian looked at his two vice envoys and laughed bitterly. So
those two were more arrogant than he was after all. He turned
to face the Emperor, sat upon his Dragon Throne. "Your
Majesty, I ask that you allow my subordinate to bring a sword
into the palace."

The Emperor smiled at him and waved his hand.

Outside the hall, they already knew that a contest was about
to take place. It was the Empress Dowager's birthday, so rules
were relaxed somewhat within the palace, and the Emperor
approved, so the officials who had been dining in a side
chamber rushed into the main hall, fervently craning their
necks to see what was about to take place.
 A young eunuch entered the corner gate of the palace
carrying Gao Da's longsword, passing it to the eunuch in front
of the palace, who brought it into the hall. Fan Xian saw Wang
Qinian shoot a furtive glance in his direction from the
doorway, and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of worry. Was
Wang going to take up his old trade and steal something from
the palace?

Meanwhile, Gao Da took up his sword in both hands, his

mental state immediately shifting into one of complete focus.
The previous might was no more, and the feeling of stress had
disappeared... All that seemed to be left was him and his blade,
but in the eyes of the spectators, it was still only a blade.

Lang Tao put down his chopsticks, looking at the unique

longsword that Gao Da wielded. It wasn't clear what he was
thinking. He frowned.

Cheng Puzhu and Gao Da faced each other, sizing each other
up as opponents, getting rid of all distracting thoughts. Cheng
Puzhu took a breath and slowly withdrew his curved blades
from their scabbards. The blades chafed against their sheathes
with an ear-piercing metallic screech.
 Gao Da still didn't move. He held his longsword in his hands,
leaning his body a few inches to the right.

Cheng Puzhu slowly began circulating his zhenqi,

channeling it into his wrists. He felt as if his arms were
becoming one with the curved blades. He raised them up. He
was a fellow student of Lang Tao, a member of Ku He's sect,
and although he was only at the seventh-level, his teaching
had given him self-confidence. His opponent might be arrogant
and willful, but he was not.

The flash of his blades blossomed like snow!

The distance between the two experts disappeared in an

instant, as if it had never existed. The next moment, Cheng
Puzhu had appeared right in front of Gao Da. The two men
were close; face-to-face, body-to-body!

And that icy glint had come from the sword in Cheng Puzhu's
hand. His curved blade was hanging strangely downward, and
he raised it high, plunging it toward Gao Da's left shoulder!
 The two men were too close together. Even Cheng Puzhu's
curved blade could only hang downward, thrusting in this
erratic and treacherous fashion. And the longsword that Gao
Da held in his hands could not be unsheathed, and even if it
had, there was no way to make use of it in so small a gap.

Cheng Puzhu was indeed an outstanding disciple of his sect,

and in a short space of time, relying on his judgment of his
opponent's weapon, he had figured out a plan to subdue his
enemy.

The ministers were surprised. It seemed that they were about

to see blood spurt from Gao Da's shoulder.

Fan Xian frowned. Apparently, he hadn't expected Cheng

Puzhu's attack to be as fast and unrelenting as thunder.

There was an unpleasant sound. Soon after, there was the

sound of something shattering, and a low groan. The next
moment, the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and all of those
ministers who had gathered outside trying to peek in watched
in shock as a figure flew across the room!
 Cheng Puzhu collapsed to the ground, his face covered in
blood. It seemed he had suffered a serious wound!

The spectators presumed that Gao Da had used his zhenqi to

forcefully repel Cheng Puzhu. They couldn't help but feel
astonishment. To send a seventh-level master flying with one's
zhenqi alone - only the four grandmasters, or perhaps a very
skilled upper ninth-level fighter could do such a thing... And
yet Gao Da was merely a bodyguard!

Only those in the room who were skilled in martial arts knew
what had really occurred. As Cheng Puzhu had brought his
curved blade down, Gao Da had not pulled out his sword, but
rather his longsword had plunged downward!

The handle of the blade was roughly an inch in diameter, and

this small hilt had come into contact with the point of Cheng
Puzhu's curved blade!

Gao Da's blade was as tall as a man, and he stood it up

vertically, the scabbard planted steadily into the floor.
 So when the tip of the curved blade hit the hilt, it was as if all
of Cheng Puzhu's power and zhenqi had used Gao Da's
longsword as a bridge, transmitting it into the bluestone floor
beneath their feet. Gao Da remained uninvolved, and watched
as Cheng Puzhu's charged-up attack had collided with the
ground.

Even if you were a grandmaster, how could you go up against

Mother Earth?

In that instant, Cheng Puzhu had felt an extremely powerful

force transmitted through the tip of his blade, obstructing his
breath.

Then Gao Da sheathed his sword and cupped his hands, his
arms forming a circle. He turned to the left, his right fist like
steel as his elbow smashed into Cheng Puzhu's jaw. It was a
powerful blow, immediately dislodging his opponent's teeth
from his lips, the blood spattering. This was Gao Da acting
with restraint; if he were not holding back, Cheng Puzhu
would have been dead.
 Rather than losing to Gao Da, Cheng Puzhu had lost to the
floor.

The waiting eunuchs carried Cheng Puzhu away to see to his

injuries. Gao Da bowed deeply to the Emperor and the Empress
Dowager, pulled out his longsword, and slowly returned to his
place behind Fan Xian. With a cracking sound, the stone floor
where they had fought began to split apart inch by inch.
Everybody in the hall finally understood that Cheng Puzhu's
blow had hammered his still-sheathed longsword into the
floor. What sort of strength was that?

Understanding Gao Da's quick thinking, the gathered guests

chattered among themselves, but they had little to say.

Looking at the faces of the Northern Qi officials, Fan Xian

found himself laughing boastfully. In the eyes of onlookers, it
was a somewhat evil laugh. Fan Xian offered the cup he was
drinking to Gao Da behind him.

Gao Da was somewhat stunned. He took the cup and drank it

in one mouthful. "Thank you for your wine, sir, and for your
guidance." It wasn't clear what guidance Fan Xian had provided
him with.

Fan Xian smiled. "You should be thanking the Empress

Dowager for it..."

Before he had finished speaking, he realized that silence had

descended upon the palace hall, including the officials and
eunuchs outside... because Lang Tao was speaking.

Lang Tao smiled at Fan Xian. "Your reputation for little

tricks precedes you, Master Fan. I didn't expect your bodyguard
to be well-versed in them too." Having said this, he stood up,
taking off his outer layer of clothing and giving it to a palace
maid, revealing the two curved blades on his waist.

There was a low humming sound in the hall.

Lang Tao had stepped forth! He was a disciple of Ku He and

the martial tutor of His Majesty. The ministers of Shangjing
had not seen him do battle for many years, and they did not
expect that he would make an exception for a southerner.
 The gathered officials stared at Lang Tao with fervent gazes.
Due to his high status, they did not dare say a word.

Not waiting for Lang Tao to step forward, Fan Xian laughed
and waved a hand. "I am no match for you." Before, he had said
that Cheng Puzhu was no match for him, and now he said that
he was no match for his opponent. To the northern spectators,
he was being candid and straightforward.

Lang Tao laughed. "We will only know that for sure once we
have fought."

Fan Xian's heart skipped a beat. He knew that if he were to

really fight Lang Tao, then firstly, if he were not able to use his
concealed crossbow and his poisons, then he truly would not
be any match for him. Secondly, if he let Lang Tao figure out
that he really was the man on the cliff, then considering Ku
He's endless attempts to cover up the secret of the temple, then
his only way out would be death.

He frowned. Yet he knew that challenging someone of Lang

Tao's stature would bring great honor to Qing. He could not
send Gao Da out on his behalf once more. He steeled himself
and got ready to do battle. Just at that moment, he heard a
voice. "Brother, I shall do it."

Fan Xian was happy. Very happy.

The people of Qi were also happy, and those who had come to
see the spectacle happier still.

Haitang walked slowly out from behind the Empress

Dowager, bowing slightly to Lang Tao. "Brother, allow me."

Lang Tao looked at her with warmth. "Very well, Haitang...

but beware of Master Fan's... tactics."

Haitang bowed to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.

She said nothing, and simply walked up to Fan Xian. "Are you
ready?" she said with a smile.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Neither of them felt there was anything

childish about their conversation.
 Of course, neither the crowd of onlookers nor even the Qing
diplomatic mission had noticed anything. Everyone had fallen
into a state of total anticipation, something that went beyond
victory or defeat or the reputations of both nations - they
simply wanted to see what would happen next.

From Qing, the immortal of poetry, skilled in literature and

in combat, who had become Commissioner of the Overwatch
Council at not even 20 years of age: Fan Xian.

From Qi, the upper ninth-level fighter, the youngest disciple

of Ku He, the legendary Tianmai, believed by many to be most
likely to become the fifth grandmaster: Haitang.

The two were the leading lights of their generation; the talk
of every town. They had been spotted walking around the
streets of Shangjing, seemingly appreciative of one another's
talent; from a certain perspective, it showed that they were of a
class all of their own.

They had become quite a pair.

 It was unclear how much time had passed. Standing by the
doorway, Wang Qinian yawned, watching the two young
fighters. "Who are they trying to fool?" he mumbled to himself.

The eunuch standing next to him was indignant. "A fake fight
in the hall! Lady Haitang, how can you bear to disappoint
these people so?"

"You've taken the spectators' money," said Wang Qinian,

peeved. "It's all for show, so what does it matter if it's fake?
When you consider who those two are, maybe the Emperor
feels too embarrassed to expose it as fake."

Wei Xiaobao is a character in Jin Yong’s The Deer and the Cauldron, a wheeler-dealer bureaucrat
who exposes an impostor who has been sent to impersonate the Empress Dowager.
Chapter 250: Look Up, Look Down and
then Laugh
Fan Xian’s movement was clumsy. He was chopping the air in
a misdirected, almost zany manner. There was no finesse to his
movement and to coincide with each wave of his hand, he
would let out a gentle gust of wind. And so that is what he did
for a while, bluntly slashing the air in Haitang’s vicinity, not
even coming close. He did not want to harm or deliver the
lightest of bruises to Haitang, so he continued to do this for a
while, where the furthest extent of his attacks would only
make her clothes flutter.

What kind of technique was this? Well, this was inspired by

a singer from his past life, Wu Bai, who always had a number
of electric fans positioned below the stage blowing cool air on
him. It was like when Stephen Chow would use fans to create
special effects in his films to make it look like the actors'
sleeves were moving.

Haitang’s clothes were ruffled like clouds and she was visibly
smiling in between each gust. Alongside the water stream that
adorned the palace’s hall, she could have been mistaken for a
fairy lost in the wind. She would raise her arms to point east,
and then west, and then in all manners of different directions.
She feigned to fight like a real palace girl would.

They had been fighting for a while, but there had yet to
develop the sight of smoke, sparks or even fire, as was
traditionally expected in the clashing of two powerful zhenqi
energies. Neither of them wanted to spill each other’s blood, so
gently did they continue. It could be compared to the
vegetarian food served at temples, which was boring enough to
make people vomit.

Even the young eunuch could see that these two masters
were indeed faking their combat. That’s not to mention all the
high-ranking officers and nobles within the hall that were each
and all thinking the same thing. Chancellors had seen through
their facade a long time ago, but they did not expect to see
them continue with the farce and truly falsify a whole battle,
in complete disregard of the monarchy.

Empress Dowager stared at the stage that had been

established in the hall, and seeing the flickering shadows of the
two who ought to have been fighting, she couldn’t help but
groan. She did not lose her temper outright, but if one looked
close enough, one could see the wrinkles of her eye portray a
look of frustration. On the contrary, however, the young
emperor who watched Haitang and Fan Xian deliver their act,
suspended in mid-air, was delighted.

Lang Tao’s face was calm as he watched them both fight.

From first-hand experience, he knew that Fan Xian was
falsifying the inaccuracy of attacks, but he could see the moves
he was actually employing were real and took extreme skill to
perform. One strike in particular was called the Coffin-Breaker
technique. This was a legendary ability, devised by the Ye
family of the southern Qing Kingdom. How could someone
who possessed the surname Fan have learned it?

The rest of the onlookers could not help but feel

disappointed at their display. They had watched for so long,
many began yawning. A eunuch in the front shook his head
and asked, "How long will this fight go on for? Neither of them
will win or lose, anyway."

Wang Qinian felt a pang of shame and said, "I think it won’t
be long before someone calls it off."
 The young eunuch couldn’t believe what he was seeing and
said, "All these officers that are present here today are smart
and civilized, so it’s not as if they’d all begin yelling to call it
off."

Wang Qinian began to argue with the eunuch and made a bet
with the young fellow as to when the two dancers on stage
would put an end to their performance. Several people that
were beside them took notice of this little quarrel, and so they
joined in too; each partaking in the wager. One bet a box of sea
urchins, and another bet two cucumbers. And so that’s how it
went, for there were numerous people betting upon different
foods of the banquet.

"Ridiculous!"

At long last, a chancellor who had watched Empress

Dowager’s expression sink further and further into frustration,
slammed the table and angrily said, "This is Empress Dowager’s
birthday; how dare you both slander it with deceit! Are you
honestly trying to fool Her Majesty?"
 These words were not pretty, and the chancellor himself had
demonstrated great disrespect by rudely shouting. No matter
how ugly the world had become, it was said, whoever begins
shouting at a festivity must be a spiteful person. Fan Xian and
Haitang were fooling around, yes, but provided no one made a
scene, the Empress Dowager herself was still willing to sit and
watch. Even though it was her birthday, no harm was done by
the viewing of two talented youths putting on a show.

And so with the chancellor yelling that they were cheating

the monarchy, would this possess the vitriol to incite the
Empress Dowager to anger? No, not at all. But as she looked
upon the rude chancellor, her heart curdled with a desire to
tear the lips from his face.

The Emperor was still laughing.

Fan Xian and Haitang continued their facade, ignoring the

words of the chancellor that had soured the mood. Haitang
began dodging as Fan Xian pushed forward. She had an elegant
figure and Fan Xian possessed a pretty face, so it wasn’t a too
bad of a sight to keep one’s eyes on. The entirety of the fight
thus far had been on the stage, and now they decided to leave it
and fight a few meters away from the throne. They moved
around quite a bit after this and, after a while, they decided to
pay the boorish chancellor a visit.

Fan Xian’s hand rose at one point, and he looked to bring it

down upon his table with a terrifying blow, but with an
audible "Oops", he missed the target.

Haitang leapt into the air, but her maneuvers were quite slow
and dull. She had two fingers raised, as if she was going to
descend and drive them through Fan Xian’s chest.

Somehow, in the blink of an eye, both the fighters had

switched positions and the gust of wind that was to be
delivered met no recipient - it just kept going.

Ahead was that crude chancellor's seat.

When Fan Xian and Haitang deployed their skills in unison,

even the grandmaster Ku He could not withstand such a blow.
 The low table shattered into a thousand miniscule splinters.
The bottles of alcohol on the table were destroyed and all the
dishes there were smashed to pieces. Strangely, the drink and
saucers of the banquet were all lifted, directed, and thrown at
the chancellor who had insulted them previously. When the
airborne wreck settled, a single vegetable hung from his
eyebrow, enoki mushrooms decorated his ear, and a carrot
protruded from his mouth. To make the sight of him that
much worse, he was also drenched in soup.

The hall was silenced. The officers in the hall knew that Lady
Haitang and the southern commissioner were the masters of
horseplay, and to not upset Empress Dowager, they held their
tongues.

With the silence, Fan Xian and Haitang stopped. They stood
a mere few steps away from each other, and they smiled
joyfully.

Haitang looked towards the Empress Dowager and said,

"Mister Fan’s Coffin-Breaker technique is too powerful. I could
not defend against it and so I deflected it towards that
chancellor's table. Please forgive me!"
 Fan Xian acted in a self-deprecating manner also, saying
"Even graceful horses stumble on occasion!"

Empress Dowager loved Haitang, so she did not harbor any

animosity towards her. And since it was her birthday, a little
bit of goofing about to lighten the atmosphere was a good
thing. She didn’t say a word to Fan Xian, but in response to his
post-performance humility, she gave a smile of appreciation.

The emperor was beaming with joy, and all the officers of the
room began laughing at the antics that had just unraveled
before them. Only the real fighters could acknowledge the
great care and deliberation that went into the performance
Haitang and Fan Xian had put on for them. The execution of
the Coffin-Breaker technique was made to look extremely
clumsy, but the lethality of the move was still there in full
display. Haitang’s sword-finger technique looked gentle, but
that too possessed tremendous force. And though it was done
as if it were a merry dance, it was made to look as if Fan Xian
lost.

When the fight ended, sunlight was still coming in through

the skylights of the ceiling. Fan Xian and Haitang stood in a
particular sunbeam, and both of them looked beautiful and
gloriously incandescent. In the water, the sunbeam was
reflected, giving the image of a bright lamp.

That fight had been a humorous one, indeed.

But now the day was fading, and the night now sought to
shroud the palace in darkness. The moon was half-risen, but it
was enough to shine through and illuminate the northern Qi's
palace grounds. The long black eaves and the grey and white
walls of the palace looked ever more beautiful during the
nighttime.

During this time, the officers began to take leave of the hall.
Around the palace, garrisons of officers decorated the walls in
absolute protection of the monarchy’s abode. Many eunuchs
lined up along the road leading out of the palace and it wasn’t
long before everyone had left, leaving the palace quiet once
more. In the plaza, there was nary a soul in sight. In the time it
would take to burn through a single incense stick, everyone
had departed.

Following the big banquet, the Empress Dowager was

rubbing her temples as she returned to her chamber. Fan Xian,
however, was requested to remain and wait in Huaying Palace
by the Emperor himself. The palace was extremely quiet, and
numerous scented candles tintilated his nostrils as Fan Xian
waited. It crossed his mind to think that the Emperor should
have been with his mother now, so he was perplexed as to why
he was asked to wait around here.

The chambermaids brought him tea and fruit to ease the

wait, to which Fan Xian smiled and thanked them all. He
thought they were strikingly charming. They looked shy, and
this made Fan Xian’s heart pound.

But when Fan Xian thought of the Emperor making him wait
all alone in the palace at night, and thinking of the Emperor’s
tendency to not really care much for the building of
relationships with other women, Fan Xian quivered.

"The Emperor has matters that need to be dealt with; those

that could benefit from your aid." There was a lady beside Fan
Xian, and it appeared as if she shared the same concerns that he
did. What she had just spoken of, however, was said calmly. It
was Haitang who was speaking. Fan Xian stayed in the palace
as a guest, so it was only natural for her to be somewhat of a
host. She was reflecting upon what they did together in the hall
earlier that day, and thought it was tremendously funny. It
seemed as if whenever they were together, the two would
always become involved in a series of absurd events.

Fan Xian smiled, but did not respond.

A eunuch began shouting something outside the palace, and

a hurried chorus of footsteps could be heard quickly
approaching Huaying Palace. Fan Xian wondered what was
happening. What could the emperor possibly desire of me? He
is the emperor; aside from ruling the whole world, is there
anything he could not do without my aid?

As Fan Xian continued to question himself, the emperor

arrived and stepped into the palace. As he approached, he
signaled to Haitang and Fan Xian that there was no need for
formal greetings, and he then used his right hand to throw his
coat into the arms of a eunuch. The emperor was now only
wearing a thin layer of clothing. The emperor reclined upon a
sofa, lifting his legs to allow a eunuch to remove his boots; to
which the eunuch carefully did. Only thin socks remained on
his feet.
 Perhaps Haitang was used to seeing this private, informal
side of the Emperor, for she did not look concerned. Fan Xian,
however, did. The Qing Kingdom’s emperor would never reveal
this side of himself to anyone else; but there was the Qi
Kingdom’s emperor getting uncomfortably comfortable on the
couch. Fan Xian looked upon his chest and feet twice.

Neither big, nor small.

His chest was not big and his feet were not small.
Chapter 251: Even the Emperor Gossips
"Mother enjoys quiet." The young emperor leaned against his
cushion. A eunuch brought some swallow's nest soup, which
the emperor drank. The emperor then frowned slightly and
dismissed all the eunuchs and palace girls. For the moment, the
entire hall was silent.

Fan Xian gave a light bow. "What are your orders, Your
Majesty?"

Seeing this official from the south being so polite, a hint of

amusement flashed in the emperor’s eyes. "Minister Fan, you
will be returning in a few days. You must treat the Great
Princess well on the journey."

Fan Xian was slightly shocked; only now did he remember

the recent major event which he hadn’t been paying attention
to. Taking the princess back to Qing for her marriage was a
huge responsibility; there was absolutely no room for error. In
the past few days, Fan Xian had learned about the background
of this Great Princess from Yan Bingyun. She was the half-
sister of the emperor, born from a different mother, and
resided deep within the palace. Her mother was most likely
dead long ago. Because she wasn’t liked by the empress
dowager, she ended up being the "sacrifice" for this political
marriage.

Fan Xian didn’t know why the emperor brought her up; he
probably wasn't too close to his half-sister.

Judging by the way the emperor spoke, Fan Xian realized he

had guessed wrong. The emperor sighed. "The Great Princess
has never ventured outside the palace. Now with her being
married far down south, I am unable to offer her more
protection, despite my position."

Fan Xian replied humbly, "Rest assured, Your Majesty. The

Great Prince is my nation’s greatest hero, admired by all.
Together they are sure to live a long life of harmony. All civil
servants of Qing surely would not dare to show her neglect."

The emperor laughed coldly. "What’s the use in that?" He

suddenly stared into Fan Xian’s eyes. "Minister Fan, I see you as
my friend… I hope that you, back in your southern capital,
will give plenty of advice to the princess and ensure she lives
well."
 Fan Xian was shocked again. Friends with the emperor? He
and the emperor had only met each other four times in total.

The emperor smiled, knowing what Fan Xian was thinking.

"Minister Fan, back when we first met, I told you I enjoy your
works, so much so that I treat them as you talking in person.
Having 'talked' with you for the past year, it’s really not
strange to see you as my friend."

At this point, being so favored by the emperor had Fan Xian

feeling genuinely overwhelmed. As he was about to express his
gratitude, the light voice of the emperor rang out again, this
time with a hint of anger.

"But you seem to be keeping your distance. You refusing to

visit me aside…" The emperor was looking directly into Fan
Xian’s eyes. "You are keeping many things from me."

Fan Xian, in great distress, explained, "I have a great number

of things to attend to. I was worried coming to the palace
would disturb Your Majesty’s rest."
 The emperor took a glance at Haitang, who had been quiet
thus far, and laughed suddenly. "Really? I thought recently
you’ve been busy with Haitang, strolling the streets and…
drinking."

With that, even Haitang became unsettled. She said, "I often
consulted Sir Fan for his wisdom. I have learned much."

The emperor shook his head and returned his gaze to Fan
Xian, "In that case, Minister Fan, how long do you intend on
keeping ‘that’ hidden from me?"

A drop of cold sweat appeared on Fan Xian’s head, his first

thought being—had that meeting with Si Lili been exposed? If
so, even assuming this emperor has no interest in women, Fan
Xian probably wouldn’t leave Northern Qi alive!

Fan Xian looked out of the corner of his eye and discovered
Haitang’s face was at ease. So he calmed himself and
respectfully asked, "Your Majesty, I’m afraid I don’t know what
you are talking about?"
 No one should know about Xiao En, although Haitang might
be able to guess parts of what had happened. As long as the
emperor wasn't talking about Si Lili, Fan Xian was certain he
wouldn’t feel any guilt or fear. However, what the emperor
said next almost scared Fan Xian out of his seat. Tonight,
surprises kept coming one after another!

"Then, let me ask you, how is cousin Lin?" the emperor asked
coldly.

Like a clap of thunder, like that young girl shouting to

heaven on that stormy night, Fan Xian was dumbfounded,
unable to answer—how could this emperor know Wan’er was
Fan Xian’s cousin?! In other words, this emperor knew Fan
Xian’s true past!

Impossible! Impossible! No more than five people in this

world knew Fan Xian’s true past, and none of those five would
expose it.

But the problem was, with all the power the emperor
commanded, could he really have discovered the truth? Or else
why would he ask about… Fan Xian's wife, his cousin?
 The emperor coldly stared at the panicking Fan Xian. He
slapped down his hand hard and ordered harshly, "Speak!"

Fat chance!

Fan Xian was mostly faking his expression of panic; inside he

kept his calm. He hooked his left pinky slightly, but
remembered he did not bring his black dagger becaused he
feared that Haitang would make a connection to what
happened at the cliffs.

Fight? He couldn’t win against Haitang. Flee? If Northern Qi

exposed his identity, all the Qing princes would be after him
like a bunch of starving tigers, let alone those women in the
palace…

Fan Xian coughed twice, his smile reappearing on his face.

Since the emperor had spoken to him directly, this must be a
threat, which was why Fan Xian decided to continue to play
dumb, so that he could listen to the emperor’s conditions.
"Your Majesty, what are you saying?"
 The emperor stood up, too lazy to put on his shoes, and
walked straight towards Fan Xian. His expression turned from
slight anger to slight amusement, mixed with just a hint of
excitement and anticipation.

Fan Xian was taken aback by this, further convinced that this
young emperor was a little weirdo.

The emperor laughed as he put his hands on Fan Xian’s

shoulders and shook him, "Minister Fan, oh Minister Fan. You
made me suffer so much hiding it from me. You made the
people of the world suffer so much hiding it from them."

"What?" Fan Xian had long disregarded any drastic measures

and stared stupidly at the face which was only centimeters
from his own. He discovered this emperor was good-looking,
and he smelled rather fresh from being washed daily. Haitang,
looking at His Majesty’s feverishness and Fan Xian’s stupefied
expression, couldn’t hold back her laughter.

"Mister Cao!" The emperor shook Fan Xian again, "Mister

Cao! Hurry and tell me, did Sister Lin end up with Bao Yu…?"
 While he didn’t know how the emperor had guessed it, Fan
Xian finally understood what was going on. No longer able to
withstand the stress, he dropped back into his chair. Before
saying anything, he first raised his teacup and drank.

The emperor looked at Fan Xian, "If you don’t read the rest of
Story of the Stone to me today, I won’t allow you to leave the
palace."

Fan Xian sighed, "How did Your Majesty know it was I who
wrote it?"

The emperor looked at Haitang, who smiled back and said,

"The book is only being printed at Danbo Bookstore, while this
Mister Cao always keeps himself hidden from the public. Other
than the bookstore, no one knows who he is. With how famous
the book has become, there are countless number of people
guessing Mister Cao’s identity. Sir Fan, when we drank
together a few days ago, you seemed to have spoken a bit
much, so I took a few guesses. His Majesty confronting you
today is more of a test. Since you admitted it, then that means I
had guessed correctly."
 Fan Xian could only smile uneasily. Right now, he didn’t
exactly need to be known as the author of Story of the Stone.
Hearing this emperor call out "Mister Cao" so endearingly
almost made Fan Xian mistake him for Guo Jia. As it turned
out, the emperor was also a fan of the book.

Having confirmed that Fan Xian was the author, the emperor
was greatly pleased, "Hurry and tell me, how many girls did
Bao Yu take in by the end?"

The emperor turned out to be a fan of the harem genre. Fan

Xian waved his hand and pleaded, "Your Majesty, I only wrote
those sixty-or-so chapters on a whim. I haven't figured out how
to continue the story." Fan Xian recalled back to his time in
Danzhou, when Ruoruo asked him for the story, how he
thought about problems regarding the draft, renewal, and
eunuchs. It was complicated indeed.

The emperor frowned and took a look at Haitang. Suddenly

he leaned in and whispered in Fan Xian’s ear, "The Haitang
Poem Club in chapter thirty-seven… what does it have to do
with Haitang?"
 In his peripheral vision Fan Xian could see Haitang was
eavesdropping, so he smiled and replied boldly, "Your Majesty,
authors shouldn’t disclose themselves. I beg your pardon."

The emperor had a look on his face. He then said, "Then you
must return quickly to write a new chapter, and also remember
to mail a copy here."

Fan Xian accepted the order in fright, daring not to say

anything more.
Chapter 252: Carry on the Torch
In the woods, two people were walking on the stone-paved
path of the palace. In the sky was a full moon. Fan Xian’s back
was entirely drenched, chilling him despite it being a summer
night. He sighed and patted his chest—there was still some
residual fear—and complained to Haitang: "You guessed I was
the… author. Then why didn’t you say something to me? That
emperor of yours almost scared me to death."

Haitang laughed. "It’s your fault for fooling everyone for so

long." She rolled her eyes. "Say, if it wasn't about your identity
as the author, what could His Majesty possibly say that would
make you so afraid?"

Fan Xian didn’t even think about his answer. He smiled

warmly and asked, "What do you think?"

The corner of Haitang’s lips curled up just so slightly, but she

didn’t say anything. Fan Xian tilted his head and saw there was
a charming silver glow to her long eyelashes, while her eyes,
the most striking feature of her face, were exceptionally bright
in the night. There was no denying that the moonlight was
magical. Its silver haze seemed to be able to turn any ordinary-
looking woman into a living fairy.

Fan Xian didn’t feel much, however, and simply put his
hands behind his back and continued to walk slowly. "You got
me this time. But, I’m not looking for payback. You should
know why."

"You want me to help you with something." Haitang smiled.

"While I don’t know what, I suspect it has to do with the south,
which is why you want an outsider like me to help you."

"Correct. You and I… are both hypocrites." Fan Xian smiled in

a strange way, partly to mock himself. "Which is why we could
be more direct when talking with each other. The thing I need
your help with might happen, or it might not. Regardless,
when the time comes, I’ll send someone to inform you."

Haitang looked at him and said suddenly, "I heard you are
extremely fond of that Prime Minister’s illegitimate daughter,
so much that you even refused to take in the maidservant your
grandmother sent you from Danzhou."
 "I don’t like you probing around what happens in my family,"
Fan Xian turned around and said seriously. "Enough of this."

Haitang smiled and nodded. "Actually, I’m just curious.

What kind of man is moved when he meets a woman, but feels
uncomfortable when he meets a man? Who believes that an
unmarried woman is a pearl, but a married woman is
disgusting. Who believes that women are made of water, while
men are made of mud. Who thinks women are valuable and
men are contemptible…"

A long string of words later, Haitang looked into Fan Xian’s

eyes and said gently, "I’m very curious. The world has always
respected men. Sir Fan, what are your thoughts?"

Fan Xian only smiled in return.

Haitang suddenly put on a serious expression. "Mister Fan,

on behalf of all women in the world, I thank you for defending
us against injustice."
 Fan Xian was silent for a moment. Suddenly, he said, "I am…
fundamentally different from most people in this world."

Exiting the palace gate, Haitang, to her surprise, discovered

that the grand tutor was still waiting outside. Fan Xian didn’t
react to seeing the emperor’s teacher; he had known
beforehand.

Haitang saluted the grand tutor. She then turned around.

"Sir, I shall come send you off in two days."

Fan Xian knew what she meant. He nodded to her and got on
the grand tutor's carriage.

Watching the three carriages gradually disappear into the

night, Haitang’s bright gaze suddenly became disturbed for an
instant. She thought about what the handsome southern
official said before he left. Different from others? Well, in
others’ eyes, Fan Xian was certainly unique. But Haitang didn’t
know what Fan Xian considered unique about himself.
 The carriage stopped outside a quiet yard. The troops who
were assigned to guard the envoy only now realized the young
genius from Southern Qing, for his last visitation in Northern
Qi, was here to see this master. As everyone thought back
about that night's poetry battle, stories of which had been
spread across the land, they became uneasy, not knowing what
Fan Xian was thinking. But seeing as they were outside a
courtyard of such civility, they soon calmed down.

The Tiger Guards got out of the lead carriage and secured the
few crucial checkpoints.

Fan Xian and the grand tutor of Northern Qi got out of their
carriage together, hand in hand. While they didn’t appear to be
friendly with each other by any means, there wasn’t any malice
either. The surrounding company only saw the always-proper
grand tutor whisper something to Fan Xian before the two of
them entered the courtyard.

Fan Xian signaled his Tiger Guards not to follow.

Having arrived at a house in the yard, the grand tutor bowed

deeply toward the inside. He then turned to Fan Xian and said,
"Mister Fan, the master hasn’t been feeling too well as of late.
Please do not talk for too long."

Fan Xian politely saluted this great scholar. He adjusted his

clothes and gently pushed open the door. He saw an old man
writing something with a little brush.

That old man was the current master scholar, with students
all over the world. Northern Qi’s grand tutor and Southern
Qing’s great academician were both his proud disciples. Before
Fan Xian came onto the scene, no one could match this old
man in scholarly matters. Even after Fan Xian’s victory that
night, no one believed Fan Xian matched the old man in areas
other than poetry.

Because this old man’s name was Zhuang Mohan.

There were neither servants nor bookboys inside; only the

old man in a loose, long robe writing incessantly. Occasionally
he would stop to stare at the paper with a frown and to flip
through the books nearby, as if trying to find some seal.
Compared to last year, Zhuang Mohan seemed to be in much
worse shape. His headful of gray hair was still tied back
tightly, but the age spots on his cheeks had grown darker; an
ominous sign.

Fan Xian did not want to bother the old man. He approached
quietly and peeked over the old man’s shoulder. To Fan Xian’s
surprise, on the old man’s desk was Danbo Bookstore’s
Banxianzhai Poetry Anthology! The blank spaces of the
anthology were filled with notes. Could this world-leading
scholar be taking notes on the poems Fan Xian memorized?

With his withered finger, Zhuang Mohan pointed to a line of

the anthology: "There are no rivers to one who has crossed the
ocean, and no clouds to one who has scaled Mount Wu". He
kept tapping on the page and said, somewhat painfully, "This
doesn’t work. The aesthetic of contrasting words is empty; the
latter half of the line really doesn’t work. Tell me, Fan Xian,
what does this mean?"

A moment of silence later, Fan Xian’s gentle voice rang out,

"Mount Wu is a sacred mountain in the southernmost region,
surrounded by clouds yearlong. It rains in the evening and it is
cloudy in the morning. All who have beheld this sight will no
longer be amazed when seeing clouds in the sky anywhere else.
Those two words offset the next two lines. It's about loyalty."
 "I see…" Zhuang Mohan smiled bitterly and pointed at a thick
book on the corner of his broad desk. "I could have guessed
that. It’s just that I could not find reference to this 'Mount Wu'
surrounded by clouds anywhere. So it turns out it’s a sacred
mountain to the south. No wonder I didn’t know."

Seeing that Zhuang Mohan did not realize he was making

things up, Fan Xian knew this old man was a gentle and
generous person. Fan Xian smiled and helped Zhuang Mohan
grind ink. Fan Xian saw, filling the blank spaces of the pages,
Zhuang Mohan’s handwriting. Zhuang Mohan was also famous
for his calligraphy, which was undisputed in quality. But now
the old man’s hand was shaky, and his handwriting had waned.

"In olden times, King Chen held a fabulous feast. Ten

thousand casks of alcohol were enjoyed… What is that a
reference to?" Zhuang Mohan asked without looking at Fan
Xian.

Fan Xian felt awkward. When he published the anthology, he

had purposely taken out that poem by Li Bai. Why was this old
man asking about it again?
 Zhuang Mohan sighed. "Since I was a young boy, I never
forgot the things I saw and heard. As you can imagine, I took
pride in that. On that day, you churned out poems like the
rivers and seas. Inevitably, my self-esteem took a hit…" The old
man laughed at himself. "But thankfully, because of that, I was
able to remember all the poems you said. That was how I
noticed a lot of them were missing once the anthology came
out. Child, I’ve no clue what you’re thinking."

Hearing Zhuang Mohan call him "child" gave Fan Xian a

strange feeling. He tried to explain. "King Chen was a prince,
surnamed Cao. Back in the day, he held a grand feast…"

"Prince Cao?" Zhuang Mohan raised his head, there was

disbelief in his murky eyes, "But… there have been no
dynasties with that name for millenia."

Fan Xian inwardly sighed and said, "It’s something I made

up. There's no need for you to bother yourself thinking about
it."

"That won’t do!" In certain areas, Zhuang Mohan could be

described as stubborn. He flipped through the pages, pointing
to another poem. "'Xiao Xie's fine, black hair'. Who is this Xiao
Xie?"

Fan Xian was turning various shades of pale. A while later,

he responded, "Xiao Xie was a disappointed lyricist. His works
were too vulgar to be well known, but he has some fame
among the common folk."

"Then…"

Time passed. Just as Fan Xian was running out of ways to

reply, Zhuang Mohan finally sighed and rubbed his eyes.
Throwing down his brush on the inkstone, he said, slightly
dejected, "The oil lamp is burning out. I can't keep up like I
used to."

The two committed themselves to this absurd task before

they got the chance to greet each other. Now, Fan Xian rolled
down his sleeves and bowed with extreme courtesy. "It is good
to see you again, Master Zhuang. Why have I been summoned
here today?"
 The room became quiet. A while later, Zhuang Mohan
abruptly forced his withered body to bow down to Fan Xian.

Fan Xian was so shaken up he forgot to help support the old

man. Zhuang Mohan occupied one of the highest positions in
the land. How could he bow to Fan Xian?

Zhuang Mohan straightened himself, his wrinkly face

bursting into a smile. "It’s been a year since my visit to Qing.
My whole life, I conducted myself according to morals. Sir Fan,
last year I tried to frame you, and my heart has never been at
rest. I have called you here today to apologize for my crime."

Fan Xian was silent. Needless to say, he was aware of why

Zhuang Mohan would agree to Eldest Princess’s request to act
so despicably and sacrifice his dignity, which he had built up
over decades. It was all because of what Xiao En had explained
in the agreement. This kind of brotherly bond was what Fan
Xian lacked the most at the moment.

"Xiao En died." Fan Xian looked at the old man who had
withered so much in a mere year.
 Zhuang Mohan only smiled at Fan Xian without saying
anything.

Fan Xian smiled back, knowing that had been unnecessary.

Zhuang Mohan had, after all, been through many things over
the course of many decades; how could he not know?

"Everybody must die sometime." Zhuang Mohan seemed to be

talking to himself and Fan Xian at the same time. "That is why
we must live well. My brother lived a meaningless life. He
killed so many, only to come to such an end…"

Fan Xian didn’t quite agree with that. "In this world, one’s
fame and accomplishments are built upon the most terrible
crimes."

Zhuang Mohan shook his head. "Do not be that kind of

person."

Not "can’t"; it was a very direct "do not". Any outsider would
find the conversation between these two abnormal. Their lives
were simply too far apart, and their only previous meeting had
been an underhanded plot. Even so, these two could express
their thoughts so directly.

Perhaps it was what they call the power of books.

"Why do you say that?" Fan Xian was a bit cold.

"I am very confident." Zhuang Mohan suddenly laughed, but

there was a deep sadness hidden within. "I am confident I lived
a much happier life than my brother."

Fan Xian looked into the old man’s eyes. "But you must be
aware that, without Xiao En, you might have never gotten
your current position back then."

Zhuang Mohan stared back. "But you are still unaware, when
death is approaching, you shall discover that power or position
or riches are all simply passing smoke."
 Fan Xian was very calm and persistent. "No, when death is
approaching, you may regret your whole life, regret that you
never experienced anything, never indulged in anything… You
are only someone who managed to obtain something ordinary
people could never manage. That’s the only reason you feel
that way."

Zhuang Mohan shook his head helplessly. "You are still

young; you have yet to know what it’s like to be able to smell
death closing in day by day. How would you know what you’re
going to think about when that time comes?"

"I know," Fan Xian said almost mechanically. "Trust me, I

know."

Zhuang Mohan seemed to be getting tired and changed the

topic. "I didn’t think someone who could write something as
deviant as Story of the Stone would still be dirt under my
brush."

Fan Xian smiled bitterly. "I also didn’t think rumors could
spread faster than birds could fly."
 Zhuang Mohan’s eyes suddenly showed concern, "Sir Fan,
you must be careful after you return to Qing. Story of the
Stone… touches upon many taboo topics."

Fan Xian was silent. He knew that. In his moment of youth,

he didn’t want those words to not have a chance to appear in
this world, so he wrote them down. Now that he was heavily
involved in political affairs, he was very aware of how easy it
would be for someone to use the book to target him.
Furthermore, there was also the coincidence that even he was
shocked by, and which forced him to remain cautious.
Unfortunately, the emperor of Northern Qi turned out to be a
fanatic; there was no way for Fan Xian to keep a secret
anymore.

But Zhuang Mohan shouldn’t be this concerned for him. This

puzzled Fan Xian.

Zhuang Mohan seemed to have guessed what was troubling

Fan Xian and smiled. "Sir Fan, other than my selfish request to
confess my crime to console myself, I also want to thank you."
 "Thank me?" Fan Xian frowned. Zhuang Mohan shouldn’t
know that Fan Xian prolonged Xiao En’s life by one day.

"I thank you on behalf of all academicians in the world,"

Zhuang Mohan smiled, "When you first entered the Overwatch
Council, you exposed all the cheating that had been occurring
during examinations. The ripples stirred up by that event
shook the rest of the world. His Majesty has also expressed
desires to reform our examinations. Your deed will benefit so
many poor students for many years to come. Sir, you may not
see me as much, but out of reason, I must thank you."

Fan Xian grinned, laughing at himself. "It’s all scholarly

business. Is this really needed?"

Zhuang Mohan did not laugh, his murky eyes were spiritless.
He hadn’t done much regarding Xiao En’s return, and more
importantly, he didn’t want to sink the entire nation into
chaos. But he knew that, in this world, there were not only
scholars. There were also politicians, schemers, warriors.
Sometimes, their ways of doing things were even wilder and
more direct.
 He looked at Fan Xian, ready to say something, but then
decided otherwise, since it involved Northern Qi’s inner
political affairs.

Much later, Fan Xian left Zhuang Mohan’s residence. Fan

Xian would never visit him again.

The summer heat was blasting in full force. Judging by the

months, the hottest days should have already passed, but with
Qi being in the northeast, the weather was still exceptionally
hot, even with autumn approaching. The drizzling rain which
frequented spring and early summer was nowhere to be seen.
There was only the sun shining overhead, forcing people to
strip down until they couldn’t strip anymore.

Outside Shangjing’s southern gate, a bright yellow royal

carriage disappeared through it. Once again, the greenish gray
city walls became the most noticeable feature to those outside
the city.

Fan Xian squinted in that direction, feeling uneasy. For the

Qi Emperor to send off the Qing envoy in person was a very
improper thing to do. The Qi officials could not stop the
emperor no matter what, so they could only gather a lot of the
higher-ranking ones to come along. Even the grand tutor came.
The Qing envoy was being honored plenty.

Earlier, the emperor was holding Fan Xian’s hand while

engaging in idle chitchat, unwilling to stop talking about
things related to Story of the Stone. They attracted the
attention of so many people— after great difficulty, the
eccentric emperor was finally persuaded to go back. Now,
outside the city, there were only Northern Qi officials. Fan
Xian scanned them and saw Wei Hua. However, he did not see
Chang Ninghou or Shen Zhong.

Fan Xian felt his back was soaked; he didn’t know if it was
from his fear of the emperor, or from the sun’s heat.

It was not yet time for the envoy to depart. Fan Xian looked
at the fanciest carriage at the front. In it was Northern Qi’s
Great Princess. Fan Xian could faintly see she was a beautiful
noblewoman, but he didn’t know what her personality was
like. But Fan Xian wasn’t worried about the journey back.
Having interacted with Haitang, he had become more
confident in his ability to deal with women.
 A cool breeze blew by, and Fan Xian relaxed for the moment.
He tugged at his tightly-buttoned shirt, wondering what kind
of weird weather would bring about such a breeze. Turning
around, he saw Wang Qinian waving a fan nearby with a face
full of sadness.

Fan Xian couldn’t help but laugh. "It will only be a year. Why
are you crying like this? Your wife and children will be under
my care. There's nothing to worry about."

Once the envoy departed, Yan Bingyun would go back too,

meaning that Qing’s Overwatch Council would have no one
leading its spy system in Northern Qi for the time being.
Therefore, the Council decided, Wang Qinian was to remain in
Shangjing until the Council sent someone to take his place half
a year later.

As the commissioner, Fan Xian held special status and didn’t

need to go through the normal procedures to decide on such
things. Wang Qinian, however, wasn’t expecting to stay
behind, and was understandably unsettled and disappointed,
even though he knew this experience would benefit his
standing greatly.
 "Sir, I cannot go a day without your presence." Wang Qinian
reluctantly looked at Fan Xian.

Fan Xian grinned, "Don’t start conflict with Northern Qi. Act
wisely and play safe. I’ll be waiting for you back in the capital
in a year." He too, had grown used to Wang Qinian’s company.
But most importantly, Wang Qinian was his only aide in the
Council. Unfortunately, there was no other choice than to have
Wang Qinian stay behind.

Suddenly, a horse dashed through the city gate. Riding on it

didn’t appear to be an official, but a servant. All the attention
was on him now. How could a civilian have been allowed
through?

Fan Xian had sharp eyes and saw the face of the grand tutor
darken; there was sadness in his eyes.

The servant rode up to the group and immediately got off his
horse. In a crying voice, he said something to the grand tutor
and gave him a cloth roll. He then pointed at the city gate.
 The grand tutor wobbled, as if having received some shock.
Looking at the approaching carriages, he sadly shook his head
and looked back at Fan Xian. In his eyes, however, there was
surprise.

He took a deep breath and walked towards Fan Xian. Fan

Xian, not knowing what was going on, got off his horse to
receive what the grand tutor had to give. Unraveling the cloth
quickly, he discovered it was a book. On the cover was old and
slightly shaky handwriting which read:

Banxianzhai Poetry Anthology: Annotated by Zhuang Mohan

The grand tutor gave Fan Xian a silent look of complex

emotions and said, "Sir, Master Zhuang leaves this to you."
Having said that, another layer of sadness was added onto his
voice.

"Master Zhuang… has passed."

Chapter 253: The Long Pavilion, the
Ancient Road, Tossing the Handkerchief
Fan Xian gripped the tome, not knowing what to say. His
meeting with Zhuang Mohan two nights ago turned out to be
his last. Although on that night, he had discovered that
Zhuang Mohan’s health had declined since last year, Fan Xian
never thought this leading scholar would depart this world so
suddenly.

In his final words, Zhuang Mohan gave his last literary work
to Fan Xian, a gesture which contained complex meanings.

Gradually, all the Qi officials learned of the shocking news,

and a mournful atmosphere began to spread among the crowd.
Most of the officials cast their glances at Fan Xian, glances
which were filled with caution, hate, and suspicion.

Fan Xian knew what those Qi officials were thinking: that he

was the one responsible for Zhuang Mohan’s only downfall.
Now that the old man was gone, even Fan Xian felt a bit sad.
He intentionally took in the complex emotions behind every
single glance aimed at him.
 As Fan Xian was still in thought, the carriage finally arrived
from the city gate, drawing all the attention to the back of the
envoy. This carriage was slightly misshapen and creaking, a
sign it was carrying a heavy load. The servant who had
originally delivered the news led Fan Xian to that carriage. In a
shaking voice, he said, "Sir Fan, in his last wish, the Old
Master asks that you bring back this carriage and take good
care of the contents."

The crowd had yet to recover from the news of Zhuang

Mohan’s death, and now they had become even more
sorrowful. But at the same time, they couldn’t help but be
curious; what exactly did Zhuang Mohan give Fan Xian?

Fan Xian was standing, facing the bright sun, which caused
him to squint. Even so, he was shaken when he saw what the
carriage was carrying.

As was said, through reading one could find beautiful

women, houses of gold, and sumptuous feasts.

While the carriage did not contain any beauty or jewelry, it

was filled with books—Zhuang Mohan’s lifetime collection,
most likely. Just based on Zhuang Mohan’s status, it was easy
to guess that they were all rare books without even flipping
through them.

The servant then gave Fan Xian a booklet. "Sir Fan, this is the
Old Master’s hand-written catalog. It also contains important
steps on how to preserve the books."

Fan Xian sighed and closed the carriage. He read through the
booklet carefully. In the current age, despite great
advancements in printing technology, printing books remained
a challenging task. The number of books aside, Zhuang
Mohan’s act of giving his books alone moved Fan Xian. He then
heard the servant say, "The Old Master gave you his books
hoping you could preserve them during your life."

Fan Xian knew the servant had said that on his own. Even so,
he sincerely gave the servant a solute. "Brother, please rest
assured. Even if I, Fan Xian, perish, these books shall continue
to be passed down in this world."

The officials of Northern Qi had gathered around and saw all

the books in the carriage. As they had all gone through civil
examinations, all of them knew the value of those books.
Never would they expect Master Zhuang to give his valuable
collection to an official from the southern nation. Other than
surprise, some of them were also slightly jealous.

The grand tutor knew his master’s intentions and sighed.

Book-giving was a formality. In doing so, Zhuan Mohan

wanted to show his intentions in a more symbolic manner. No
matter how much pride each civil official of Qi had, from this
point on, no one should take Fan Xian lightly. At the same
time, Fan Xian’s place in the eyes of all academicians finally
received some sort of proper acknowledgement.

Fan Xian turned to look at the grand tutor. "It is only right
that I return to Shangjing so I may pay my respects to Master
Zhuang."

The grand tutor could not hide the pain in his eyes. Only the
thought of going back to pay his respects to Zhuang Mohan
filled his mind. Fan Xian’s offer gave him some consolation,
and he agreed. However, Minister Wei Hua approached. He
gave a salute and said, painfully, "The world weeps at Master’s
passing. But everything regarding the envoy’s departure has
already been set. I am afraid you may not go back into the city."

After a moment of silence, Fan Xian gazed towards

Shangjing’s gray walls, as if he could see a faint purple light
floating in the sky above. He tidied up his clothes and bowed
deeply towards the city in the manner of a disciple.

The grand tutor was slightly surprised that Fan Xian was
bowing in this manner. This showing of extreme respect
calmed the grand tutor somewhat, and he returned a salute.

Firecrackers sounded. Nobody knew if it was sending off the

envoy or for Zhuang Mohan. Pieces of paper flew in the sky,
while the slightly pungent smoke dissipated after a brief
moment, showing the world’s impermanence.

The envoy began to slowly move west. Seeing that heavy

book carriage departing with Southern Qing, the Qi officials
sighed. With faces full of sorrow, they returned to put on
mourning clothes and then hurry to Master Zhuang’s manor.
The empress dowager and the emperor should have already
arrived, so no one dared be tardy. Meanwhile, the grand tutor
and several great scholars taught by Zhuang Mohan almost
fainted from weeping.

The envoy continued onward. As Shangjing’s grand walls

began to disappear behind the mountain forest, the envoy had
arrived at the first courier station outside the city. According to
the rules, they had to spend a night here and resume their
journey back the next day. Fan Xian slowly got off his horse
and walked towards the station. As he passed the carriage full
of books, he couldn’t help but look at it, although he forced
back his desire to get in.

He walked to the carriage painted red and gold. Bowing, he

said very respectfully, "We have arrived at the courier station.
Princess, please rest here."

Some moments later, a faint voice said, "… Sir, please carry
on as you deem fit. I wish to sit alone for a moment."

This was Fan Xian’s first time hearing the princess speak. Her
voice was a bit hoarse, which Fan Xian found strange. The
curtain of the carriage entrance then lifted and a palace girl
came out, her eyes red. She walked to Fan Xian and said
quietly, "Her Highness isn’t feeling too well. Please wait a
moment."

Fan Xian, showing concern, said, "Her Highness needs much

care. It’s not surprising she isn’t used to long journeys.
Frequent rest is needed."

Seeing this southern official’s handsome face, the palace girl

for some reason developed a strange sense of trust. She told
Fan Xian, "The Princess once studied under Master Zhuang.
Hearing the news today has saddened her greatly."

Now Fan Xian realized what was happening. His gaze toward
the carriage now contained a hint of sympathy. Crying for her
teacher’s passing, this princess didn’t appear to be an arrogant
person. As a member of the royalty, being unable to go pay her
respects was indeed a sad thing.

Fan Xian sighed. He may or may not be thinking about his

own background. He gave some directions to the palace girl
and then summoned the Tiger Guards and important envoy
members to make some arrangements. After that, he entered
the station alone.
 The station knew who was passing though. The staff had
cleaned the place spotless and conducted themselves according
to palace rules. After checking the place, Fan Xian passed
through the main room and silently exited through the back
door. He disappeared into the tall sorghum field behind the
courier station.

Moments later, most of the envoy had entered the station.

The officials from the Board of Rites were all busy, and no one
noticed where Fan Xian had gone.

Outside the courier station were still two carriages with

people inside. The first was occupied by the princess. People
knew Her Highness was mourning and dared not to bother her.
The other carriage held a handsome devil—no reason for Qi
officials to care. Only the Tiger Guards and the Council
officials guarded those two carriages under Fan Xian’s order.

A hand lifted the window curtain on the second carriage and

beckoned. It was a hand so pale it appeared cold. The
Overwatch Council official walked to the window and asked,
"Sir Yan, what are your orders?"
 Yan Bingyun’s handsome yet exceptionally chilling face
appeared in the window. He asked quietly, "Where did the
Commissioner go?"

In this envoy, only he addressed Fan Xian as "the

Commissioner". The Council official looked at Yan Bingyun
and replied, "I don’t know."

Yan Bingyun frowned, as if something was inconvenient to

say. He hesitated for a bit before asking, "Along the way, was
there a woman dressed in light green following the envoy? She
likes to ride on a red horse."

The Council official shook his head. Yan Bingyun showed no

expression and put down the curtain. Having made sure Miss
Shen did not take the risk to come see him, he relaxed a bit. But
for some reason, he also felt a bit gloomy.

Outside the sorghum field, there was a lonely pavilion next to

an ancient road that had been abandoned for ages. On the road
was a carriage, and two girls stood under the pavilion.
 A gust of wind blew past. There was a slight rustle among the
sorghum stalks. Fan Xian walked out and slowly approached
the pavilion. With warm eyes, he looked at the girls and said
quietly, "I didn’t think the only time for us to have a proper
talk after coming to Shangjing was the time for me to leave."

Si Lili curtsied. Her voice was somewhat shaky as she said,

"Sir Fan."

Fan Xian only gave a look to Haitang, who was standing to

the side, not saying anything. Haitang smiled and put her
hands in her pockets. Dotting the cracked ground with the tips
of her feet, she floated off to a distance, leaving the pavilion to
this special couple.

Once Haitang left, Fan Xian’s warm expression suddenly

turned serious. He said, "After you enter the palace, you must
be careful. The empress dowager isn’t a simple person. Fooling
her won't be easy."

Si Lili looked at him, a lingering tenderness in her gaze. She

said softly, "Only telling me to be careful; don't you have
anything else to say?"
 Fan Xian smiled, but he did not embrace her frail shoulders.
He said, "Since you are so adamant in remaining in Northern
Qi, why try to soften me up now? Do all women find joy in
toying with men’s feelings?"

Si Lili smiled, no longer as delicate as she had appeared when

Haitang was present. She said, "Sir, aren’t you the same? Even
though I insisted on staying, for you to hurry to say that, are
you afraid I would demand you to take me back?"

A sense of teasing flashed in Fan Xian’s eyes. "You may one

day rule the Northern Qi palace. Why suffer with people such
as me?"

Si Lili laughed, "It would be nice if there were a place for me

in the palace. I dare not entertain overly extravagant wishes."

Fan Xian shook his head. Suddenly, he said, "Lili, you are
different from other women."

"Oh," Si Lili responded calmly. "Perhaps it was because I

traveled to many places at a young age. Compared to those
women who spend all their days inside doing embroidery and
writing poems, I am not as conservative."

Fan Xian was silent. He knew Si Lili was right. In this world,
most women stayed in their homes; not many had Si Lili’s
experience, or Haitang’s freedom. Fan Xian looked at where
Haitang had disappeared and then said to Si Lili, a bit sternly,
"I believe in your abilities, but I still want to warn you: do not
underestimate those who appear old and dull."

The atmosphere was becoming stagnant. A long time later, Si

Lili curtsied deeply. She then said softly, "Sir, you may not
believe it, but I really enjoy talking with you, just like in the
carriage on the way to Qi."

Fan Xian stared at her, not knowing how much of what she
said was true.

Si Lili smiled faintly, her beauty bright without equal. "Sir, I

am very grateful that you cleansed my body of the poison.
That… is the truth."
 "I am not Chen Pingping," Fan Xian said. "I believe, even
when it comes to interests, there could be milder methods.
Besides, I do not want the emperor of Qi to be poisoned because
of you… Of course, looking at it now, Chen Pingping’s plot had
no chance of success from the very beginning."

Si Lili blushed slightly. She knew this man, who was closest
to her and standing in front of her, had already guessed
something.

Fan Xian continued softly, "Living in the palace, you must

take care. The Overwatch Council, even with all its reach,
cannot control you. Whether or not the agreement between us
will work all depends on us."

Si Lili replied seriously, "Please rest assured."

Gazing at this woman’s beauty suddenly put Fan Xian in a

slight trance. After recollecting himself, he said, "You wait for
information. Stay safe. I believe that, pretty soon, someone
will help you avenge your family."
 Si Lili suddenly raised her head, looking at Fan Xian in slight
disbelief. Fan Xian didn’t care for the joy in her eyes and took
out a slip of paper from his sleeve. "Contact me through this
person. Once you memorize the contact information, destroy
this slip of paper."

Fan Xian suddenly smiled. "I permit you to abandon our

agreement, but I definitely do not accept you selling me out.
This contact is one-way; it will do you no good to expose him
to Northern Qi, so you better not take the risk."

Seeing this young official’s strangely sweet smile made Si Lili

a bit afraid for some reason. She hurriedly nodded.

"And, if…" Fan Xian was quiet for a moment before

continuing suddenly, "If one day you no longer want to stay in
Qi palace, let me know, and I’ll take care of it."

"Thank you, Sir." Si Lili finally showed some sincerity and

reluctance in her voice. She knew they would part ways after
this, and said, "With this goodbye, who knows when we will
see each other again? The thought of that hurts me, as if it's
cutting into my innards."
 After saying that, Si Lili quickly turned around and left the
pavilion, leaving behind Fan Xian to frown and ponder about
what meanings could be hidden behind "cutting into my
innards".

Seeing the carriage depart on the ancient road, Fan Xian

didn’t show any expression, although he sighed deeply on the
inside. He then punched one of the pavilion’s pillars. The
pavilion was already about to collapse due to not being
maintained for so long. Fan Xian’s punch made it creak even
more loudly.

A shadow floated down from the roof. Who else could it be

but Haitang? She landed lightly next to Fan Xian, smiling
sheepishly. "I didn’t eavesdrop."

"If you were," Fan Xian said, "I’m going to become a mute."

Haitang smiled. "Sir Fan, you are leaving the Great Kingdom
of Qi. I don’t know when I will see you again."
 Fan Xian thought about his sister back home. He sighed. "It
won't be too long, I think… Where’s that famed teacher of
yours?" He changed the subject. "Coming to Northern Qi
without visiting that Great Grandmaster was truly a shame."

Haitang thought about it for a moment and decided to not

hide anything from Fan Xian. "Three days before you entered
Shangjing, Master received a wooden plank and left. No one,
including the empress dowager and me, knows where he went."

"During my stay in Shangjing, you hid a lot of things for me."

Fan Xian was looking at a single tree near the end of the
ancient road. "I have to thank you for that, so… Regarding the
goods heading north, I am currently talking with Chang
Ninghou and Shen Zhong. If that emperor of yours needs to
borrow silver from me, Shen Zhong must be taken care of.
Despite him looking ordinary, he is anything but."

After a while, Haitang said, "This is secret between you and

I."

Fan Xian stared into her bright eyes and said, emphasizing
each word, "In this world, other than my brothers-in-law, I
really haven’t seen many pure idiots. How many people do you
think we can fool? Duoduo, with you helping me so much both
in broad daylight and undercover, don’t think your senior
disciple wouldn’t notice."

Haitang frowned. "What are you trying to say?"

Fan Xian smiled, "I’m saying, since you and the emperor
want to free yourselves from the empress dowager’s shadow,
you must not only rely on struggles within the palace, nor
must you rely on me, an outsider, to provide much money.
After all, Northern Qi is a grand nation. Taking complete
control of it would take several years of effort."

Haitang grinned. "I believe you are mistaken about

something."

"Oh?" Fan Xian laughed. "What are you worried about?"

Haitang seemed to be talking about a different matter. "I’m a

good student. I respect my teachers."
 Fan Xian suddenly said, "Zhuang Mohan died."

Zhuang Mohan had students all over the world, and was
revered by all. Other than the one incident last year, he was
flawless. Even Haitang respected this old man very much.
Since she had been waiting in the countryside, she wasn’t there
to learn of the old man’s passing. Hearing it now, she couldn’t
hold back her shock and sadness. She was speechless.

For the moment, loneliness and sadness filled the pavilion.

A long while later, Fan Xian broke the silence. "Xiao En died.
Zhuang Mohan died. All the big-names will eventually die. A
good and respectful student you may be, but I believe, you
should also have prepared for this day."

Haitang stared into his eyes. "Sir, you seem to be hinting at

something."

Fan Xian smiled. "The strong desire of young people to take

on a leading role; I understand it very well."
 Haitang laughed, and the gloominess of Master Zhuang’s
death was lifted just so slightly. "How come many grave topics
sound much lighter coming out of your mouth? How come
many dark topics become so bright after you say them?"

"The dark night gave me black eyes, but I use them to seek
the light."

Haitang tilted her head. "I remember you said that you use
them to… roll your eyes at the world."

"This world?" Fan Xian said. "This world is theirs, and also
ours. But in the end… It’s ours."

A thick cloud floated over, covering the sun completely. But

the sun was shining too brightly, and its rays still peeked out
from the cloud’s edges, like the golden borders embroidered by
a goddess. A gust of wind blew from the plains, past the
ancient road, past the pavilion.

Fan Xian looked at Haitang. "Duoduo, thank you for all your
help."
 Haitang finally took her hands out of her pockets. A bit
unnaturally, she curtsied toward Fan Xian like an ordinary
girl. "You're too polite."

Without hesitation, Fan Xian took a step forward and

embraced Haitang, who, for some reason, did not avoid it. The
hug was over as soon as it began. With an earnest smile, Fan
Xian said, "To be honest, if you and I can really become
friends, I don't think that would be such a bad thing at all."

Haitang gently brushed her hair. There were no signs of

awkwardness on her face. She smiled. "Likewise."

Standing under the tattered pavilion, beside the ancient road,

Haitang watched Fan Xian disappear into the distance. She
leaned her head to the side, thinking back on the recent days in
Shangjing, and smiled. She thought this young gentleman
from the south was indeed interesting. His eyes were sharper
than others. After he return to Qing, some very subtle changes
would occur.

She sighed, clearing away the sadness from Zhuang Mohan’s

death. Then she realized she had forgotten one thing—the
Haitang Poem Club from Story of the Stone; was it related to
her or not? Out of habit, she reached up to tighten the
handkerchief on her head, only to grab thin air. She
immediately knew what happened and felt her cheeks turn hot.
Though she kept her face from showing it, that hug earlier still
made her nervous—she didn’t even notice that thief had taken
her handkerchief.

Fan Xian was crossing through the sorghum field, a smile of

pure happiness on his face. This trip to Northern Qi finally had
a rather wholesome conclusion, and he, since having been
reborn, was able to meet some interesting people, like that
block of ice named Yan Bingyun, and the flower named
Haitang, who appeared bland and unrefined. Other than some
conflicts of interest and differences in beliefs, he enjoyed
talking with Haitang very much.

The emperor needs to have a son, Ku He needs to eat meat,

the cripple Chen needs to go to the bathroom, and Fan Xian
needs friends.

He put the handkerchief in his chest pocket and parted the

sorghum stalks in front of him. Looking at the smoke rising
from the courier station in the distance, he began gently
singing, "Toss it, toss it, toss the handkerchief…"

Fan Xian quotes Chinese modernist poet Gu Cheng's poem "A Generation", considered an
accurate representation of the younger generation during the Chinese Cultural Revolution
seeking knowledge and future.
Chapter 254: Autumn Harvest
As autumn began, above the northernmost plains of Qing
Kingdom’s capital, the clouds boiled and swelled. The field
workers didn’t raise their heads, for they had no interest in
God’s play with the sky, its clouds and the sun - they merely
wanted to harvest their crops before the rainclouds would
arrive.

The volume of rain in this particular year had been high. The
people spoke of the big river in the south breaching its banks
and overflowing. For those that lived within the northern
territories, however, this did not greatly concern them.
Instead, it was the worrying prospect of the heavy rainfall
delaying their annual harvests.

Occasionally, large, fearless muskrats came to scour the

fields for grain, weaving between the farmers’ legs as they
went. Uncaring for their presence, though, the farmers would
continue to go about their harvesting duties, scythes in hand.

There were two well-trodden roads that bordered these far-

flung fields. The sound made by a symphony of blades slicing
in unison was known to bring about great joy to those who
passed by and listened.

With their faces aimed at the soil and their leaf-cut backs
aimed up toward the dreary skies, the farmers did not realize
the passing of a grand congregation of travelers - a collective
which went along the roads as far as the eye could see.

It was an envoy venturing home from the Northern Qi

Kingdom, fulfilling their promise of leaving in the spring and
returning in the autumn. And here they were, arriving home
mid-September. The band was larger coming home than what
it was when it first left. This growth had come not only from
the swathe of gifts given by Northern Qi, but also the guards of
honor and other diplomatic personnel that were now
accompanying them.

It was evident by the large host that the marriage of the

princess of Northern Qi was something of profound
importance; and rightly so, for it was the first marriage
between royalty of these two kingdoms. For this land, that had
been peaceful for twenty years, what could these changes
bring?
 Although the princess’ luxurious stagecoach was the sort to
draw awe, there was another in the company’s midst that was
bound to elicit attention - but for not the same reasons. In
contrast to Northern Qi's painted carriages and Qing's black
carriages, this particular vehicle was rather grubby in its
appearance. The carriage itself was being pulled by fare and
healthy horses, but their pace was almost staggered as they
plodded along with their heads lowered, slowly swinging from
left to right.

Those within the envoy understood that the horses’ fatigue

stemmed from the carriage’s obscene weight. The carriage
contained Zhuang Mohan`s wealth of scriptures, that were
given to the envoy`s head diplomat, Fan Xian, before Zhuang
Mohan's death. In appearance, the books looked to be of little
importance; so it was surprising how such tatty manuscripts
outweighed the princess` abundance of jewelry. But its
presence there was not an ill one, for members of the envoy
would always look upon the carriage with great admiration.
Master Fan, the scholar that he was, was appreciated by the
members of the envoy for his honorable nature and profound
knowledge. Ever since they departed Cangzhou City, however,
Master Fan had taken to locking himself inside his carriage to
read and study the manuscripts, even foregoing meals and rest.

"I cannot go on like this."

 Fan Xian sighed. Returning a collection of poems to the chest
behind him, the curtains of the carriage appeared to draw
themselves shut by a sudden gust of wind, swiftly engulfing his
chamber in complete darkness. Those outside were unable to
see the expressions on his face, but hearing the sounds from
inside the carriage, it was evident that Master Fan was not
willing to continue his charade as a diligent scholar.

The road they were upon, leading south, was utterly

unspoiled; it was both smooth and peaceful. The princess of
Northern Qi was at last getting over the grief brought on by
Zhuang Mohan’s passing, becoming once more the reserved
and self-respecting noblewoman she was expected to be, and
decided not to give him any trouble. Within the garrison at the
courier station, Fan Xian would often speak with the beautiful
princess and engage her in fairly ordinary conversations in
order to relieve himself of his loneliness. Although possible
courtiers wouldn’t dare to get so close, being with a woman
was a far fonder experience than being with the cold, stone-like
swordsmen or Yan Bingyun.

But following their departure from Cangzhou, these

meetings never occurred again. This wasn’t because of their
return to Qing, where Fan Xian couldn’t dare to speak with the
Great Prince’s soon-to-be wife, but it was because the envoy
suddenly received one additional member. This person’s
identity was unique. Her origins were shrouded in an
unsettling aura of mystery and uncertainty and possessed an
unknown connection to someone else within the envoy. That
person had been staying in the princess’ stagecoach the entire
time. It was also due in part to the fact that Fan Xian did not
desire to see this enigmatic person weep profusely, and thusly
decided to hide himself within his own carriage and leave the
delicate situation for Mister Yan Bingyun.

On the road, the Overwatch Council would sometimes

receive intelligence, but investigations into the murders
occurring in the south were yet to yield any details of worth.
That aside, there was nothing notably new to report upon. The
most dismaying of all possible news, however, came from the
north.

Shen Zhong was reported dead. On a rainy night, under the

protection of 13 of the Brocade Guard, Shen Zhong was killed
by General Shang Shanhu; taken out with an unexpected joust.

Provost of the Discipline Commission, Shen Zhong was the

most renowned agent after Xiao En in Northern Qi. It was
difficult to believe this is how he met his end. Although it may
seem too outlandish to believe, it was the truth. Fan Xian
rubbed his temple and gave a wry smile as he thought about
Wang Qinian’s report, detailing the events that had transpired.
Pondering the details, he almost felt a little scared.

According to the reports, on that rainy night, Shang Shanhu

was clad in dark armor, pike in hand, above a lengthy street. As
Shen Zhong's horse galloped by, a sudden pike-thrust pierced
his head. Then, in one mighty swing, Shang Shanhu sliced the
remainder of Shen Zhong's guard. It was at this moment, when
he sheathed his weapon, that rain began to fall - concluding
the night’s frightening turn of events. Shang Shanhu, the high-
ranking warrior that he was, made use of this doughty method
to bring ruin to the conspiracies. He was now using force to
challenge the entire government’s authority. It was reckless –
even ruthless. Shang Shanhu was never previously thought to
be so barbaric. Fan Xian knew he had always underestimated
the jagged minds of soldiers during the heat of battle and,
pondering these events further, his head began to throb. Yet no
matter how much he massaged his temples, the pain would not
recede. After all, the people knew he was involved with the
freeing of Xiao En; and even when Tan Wu committed suicide,
his influence was not made known. Looking forward, he
believed Shang Shanhu would lay the blame of Xiao En’s death
and the defection of the Southern people upon him.
 Fan Xian only hoped that Qing and Northern Qi would
maintain their peace and stability forevermore, without the
need for any further wars and a possible confrontation with
Shang Shanhu himself.

Doubts and suspicions continued to surround Shen Zhong's

death. After all, he was both a powerful and influential figure
in the Brocade Guard. And now, Shang Shanhu’s violence and
volatility had made him the target of the army. So great was
the desire for his arrest, they were willing to kill him in the
street. Unfortunately, it was never to be that simple. Following
the incident, Northern Qi's response was tame. After a quiet
night in the palace, they only put Shang Shanhu under house
arrest at his manor and stripped him of his titles. Also, it was
only just brought to light that quite shockingly, Shen Zhong
had been partaking in numerous illegal deeds for many years.
It was hard to believe that they were dirtying the name of a
man who had just died.

Because of these revelations, Shen Zhong's relatives had their

assets seized and the Brocade Guard underwent significant
personnel changes. This news in particular made the
kingdom’s army quite happy. The young emperor maintained
his quiet composition, but it was suspected that even he
himself was made joyous at these disclosures. After this, Shang
Shanhu’s enmity towards the royal family lessened. But
someone like Shang Shanhu can be compared to a tiger, in the
way he is not easy to control. By keeping him locked within his
manor, it was evident that the palace was still unsure of
exactly how to deal with him. He couldn’t be killed, for the
risk of a military revolt was too high. Letting the issue slide,
however, would be like releasing an untamed tiger unto the
populace - who would know what were to happen then?

Fan Xian shook his head. Haitang overheard Fan Xian talking
to himself from within his carriage. The way Shen Zhong was
killed was so abrupt and violent, and picturing it in his mind,
the fear he possessed gave way to a manner of appreciation. It
was a quick death, one that brought no remorse to the
murderer. When Shang Shanhu raised his black pike, mounted
his steed and prepared to harvest Shen Zhong's life, he must
have been completely devoid of a conscience. He even thought
the sky agreed with Shang Shanhu’s actions, releasing a torrent
of rain right after the deed was done.

Opening the curtains of his carriage once again, Fan Xian

leapt out without calling for the driver to stop. Standing on the
road, Fan Xian raised his arms as a visor against the wind.
Looking at the farmers working hard in their fields of grain,
ease returned once more to Fan Xian’s mind. He was now able
to put all of the events that had transpired in the north behind
him. With a renewed resolve, he determined that all that had
happened would no longer affect him and that dwelling upon it
would yield no good.

Looking up, Fan Xian watched the clouds brighten and dim
as they traversed the sky. He squinted and, knowing that he
was to arrive at the Longquan Station by the end of the day,
breathed a sigh of relief. The princess was to marry somewhere
so far from home, but the journey’s pace seemed to be shorter
than what they had initially estimated. Fan Xian was not
completely free from worry, but none in the envoy would stop
to ask him of his troubles and as such, they traveled with
greater speed. Seeing that it would not be long before he
reached the capital, he finally stopped thinking about his
family. It was possible that he might even see Wan'er the next
day and he wondered if her body was recovering. Regarding her
sister, if Wu Zhu was in the capital, she would undoubtedly be
fine.

Hopping onto the carriage behind him, he saw Yan Bingyun

pretending to be asleep, and so Fan Xian scowled. "This is all
your fault," Fan Xian said. "You caused all these troubles and
you need to sort it out. We are headed into the capital now, are
you simply going to allow her to follow the princess? If
Northern Qi discovers that we are providing asylum for one of
their greatest criminals, how are you going to explain this to
the council?"
 Yan Bingyun opened his eyes, but didn’t even bother to look
at Fan Xian. Looking out at the golden fields of grain outside
the carriage, he wrestled with whether or not he should tell his
boss. Quietly, Yan Bingyung said, "It’s just a step for the
Northern Qi emperor to take over. I don’t think the kingdom
will care very much about her life."

Fan Xian looked at him and spoke in a softer tone, "If you do
not care whether this woman is dead or alive, allow me to deal
with it."

Yan Bingyun slowly turned around to look at Fan Xian and

replied, "Killing her is not an ideal solution."

Fan Xian shook his head and stated, "If you cannot let it go,
you cannot let it go. I thought you were special. I cannot
believe you are deceiving yourself in this way."

Yan Bingyung did not answer. He silently returned his gaze

back to the hard-working fieldworkers, harvesting their
majestic crops.
 Inside the luxurious carriage that was spear-heading the
envoy, the princess of Northern Qi sighed. She looked at her
best friend, who was sat at the window and did not say
anything. Miss Chen had made it out alive from Shangjing city.
At that moment, she saw her lying against the window’s
wooden lattice, looking out upon the same views Yan Bingyun
was also engaged in, without any idea whether or not she was
thinking about her heartless lover, the tragedy of her family’s
demise, or even the sadness involved with leaving one’s home
country.
Chapter 255: Fighting for Passage
As the nobles of the envoy were lost in thought and
contemplation, the band arrived at the final courier station of
their journey; the one before the capital. Looking at the Honor
Guard lined up in attention, Fan Xian sighed and thought to
resolve Miss Shen’s situation upon their arrival in the capital.
He believed her presence there was entirely unnecessary, and
she only remained with the envoy because of her friendship
with the Princess and Yan Bingyun’s sympathy.

At this time, officers from the Board of Rites, Honglu

Temple, and Taichang Temple were already there, awaiting
their arrival. Watching the envoy slowly approach its
destination, they dusted themselves off and greeted the
princess of the Northern Qi Kingdom with the utmost grace
and respect. Fan Xian, with merely a look, signaled the Tiger
Guards to shield the princess’ carriage and hide the presence of
its additional passenger.

In truth, given Fan Xian's current authority and stature, he

did not have to be so careful.
 "I appreciate your perseverance through these most laborious
times, Mister Fan!"

"Mister Fan, your trip has reflected upon our kingdom

greatly and pleases His Majesty tremendously. Upon your
return to the capital, I suspect further deeds of importance
await you."

"You are incorrect, old Hu! Nowadays, Mister Fan…"

Amidst this cacophony of flattery, Fan Xian entered the

courier station, passing by a copious amount of officers. The
Northern Qi Kingdom’s princess was resting indoors. The
pageantry involved with the welcoming of the Head Diplomat
was even more grandiose, however. If one did not know of Fan
Xian’s identity, one would be perplexed as to why Qing's
counselors would respect such a young, middle-ranked officer
so much.

Fan Xian smiled and waved back to the officers around him.
He wasn’t visibly annoyed, but he wanted such proceedings to
go by quicker. He looked around him and realized that he knew
most of those who were celebrating his return. Some were once
colleagues of his from Taichang Temple, while some of them
were those he became acquainted with from the times Honglu
Temple negotiated with the Northern Qi Kingdom. Only the
officers from the Board of Rites held some semblance of fear in
their greetings with him, and Fan Xian knew exactly why; he
was entirely responsible for ruining Guo You's machinations,
after all.

He sat down on a chair and had a sip of tea before asking,

"What is to happen next? The palace has yet to receive the
decree. When can the envoy proceed to the capital?" He did not
wait for the officer to reply. In self-deprecation, Fan Xian said,
"I am the head diplomat. I have no idea how this should
proceed."

The Board of Rites’ officers weren’t often given the

opportunity to get close to Fan Xian, so who would have passed
on this chance? One officer quickly responded: "No worries,
Mister Fan; the Honor Guard was established by us, and all the
arrangements with the palace have been taken care of."

A lesser-ranked member of Honglu Temple spoke: "The

Emperor is aware that the envoy has been away from home for
a considerable amount of time, and you are undoubtedly
longing for your return. Thus, he did not issue the decree.
Therefore, you are free to enter the capital whenever you may.
However, upon returning, make for the palace…"

He was unable to finish his dialogue as an officer clad in a

fourth-ranked outfit entered from outside the chamber. The
officers were quick to welcome his presence. Fan Xian chuckled
as he stood up, approached the officer and placed his arms
around him jovially. "Mister Ren, why have you come?"

This man was the vice-minister of Honglu Temple, Ren

Shao'an. He was also a bannerman of Fan Xian’s father-in-law.
Ren Shao'an, upon seeing Fan Xian had safely returned, felt
great relief, and this brought a wry smile to his face. "The Qi
Kingdom’s princess is getting married; it’s a huge event. We of
Taichang Temple cannot work too hard; there is no need for
the Imperial Censorate’s censor to come visit, so I will have to
leave."

Fan Xian laughed, beguiling the uncertainty in his heart.

Knowing that the envoy arrived today, he pondered why the
vice-minister would appear as late as he did. Fan Xian bid
farewell to the officers in the house and pulled Ren Shao'an
outside alongside him before asking, "What is going on?"
 Ren Shao'an knew the person in front of him was young, but
his personality was one that only appeared compassionate on
the surface, misleading his tough-as-nails character beneath.
Being in the capital for only one year, he was the impetus
behind many incidents and concerning events. He had
overthrown many officers, and Ren Shao'an was unsure of
whether or not he should mention that. But Prime Minister Lin
Ruofu was already retired, and the Lin family could only rely
on the Fan clan. Upon consideration of both of these
situations, Ren Shao'an was hesitant. "Mister Fan, what do you
mean?" he asked.

Fan Xian looked straight into his eyes and said, "I am no fool.
The envoy is returning to the capital. When we left Shangjing,
the regulations that the Northern Qi Kingdom set down was
something that our Imperial Court should know of. To have
the princess in our envoy be greeted by such low-ranking
officers… Where is Xin Qiwu? And the ministers of the Board
of Rites? The princess is getting married; at least send some of
the old countesses from the palace. You are from Taichang
Temple; this is one of the royal matters you are supposed to be
in charge of. If I don’t ask you, whom else should I ask?"

Ren Shao'an gave another wry smile and said, "Today, as luck
would have it, Xin Qiwu and members of the Board of Rites
have gone there. Please don’t lay the blame upon me, Fan Xian.
I hurried on my way over here and displeased the people over
there by my doing so."

"Where is this 'there' you keep mentioning?" Fan Xian asks

with surprise.

Ren Shao'an laughed bitterly, his wry smile still glued to his
face. He said, "The Great Prince will be returning to the capital
today, as well. He has made camp only a mere three miles from
here. That is quite the coincidence, isn’t it? Those from the
Board of Rites, Bureau of Military Affairs, and the Ministry of
War are stationed there. It should come as no surprise as to
why the envoy’s greeting would be a slightly more subdued
affair!" Continuing his speech, Ren Shao'an said, "Fan Xian, I
know of the friendship that exists between us, and in light of
it, I am unafraid to ask; do you truly care so much for the
frivolity of such circumstances?"

Fan Xian, finally acknowledging Ren Shao'an’s true plight,

laughed. Shaking his head, he said, "Personally, I just want to
hurry on back to the capital, but the princess is still a princess.
If the Imperial Court does not treat her with the respect she
deserves, people may start to gossip. And that can never bode
well."
 Fan Xian was at the very least relieved to have his confusion
regarding the envoy’s dim reception clarified. After all, the
Great Prince was the figure in command of the kingdom’s
entire military forces. It should not be surprising why the
officers would attend the return of the Great Prince instead of
the arrival of the princess of another kingdom; if they were to
suck up to someone, they’d do so to someone of greater
importance." Fan Xian gestured with his hand to interrupt Ren
Shao'an, and then asked curiously, "The decree that was
established at the beginning of this year, the one that referred
to the Great Prince’s bid for departure, stated that he was to
return at the end of autumn. Why has he returned so soon?"

"According to that which I have heard, Empress Dowager has

missed her grandson a tremendous amount and as such, called
for his return sooner than expected." Ren Shao'an gave a
profound laugh. "And here they are, returning sooner. I do
believe that the army in the west remained in Dingzhou. The
prince brought with him 200 of his men."

Fan Xian, shaking his head once more, said, "Those officers
from the Board of Rites, did they spend far too much time with
the Guo clan and have their stupidity rub off on them? The
envoy is returning to the capital and the Great Prince is
returning to the palace; could this not have been prepared for
more adequately? Or how about a letter to inform us, at the
very least? I’m sure either the envoy or the Great Prince would
not mind the prospect of delaying travel for an additional two
days, if it meant we would each receive a fairer welcome.
Tremendous, this is. We are all stuck here, outside the capital,
to await the bickering and sorting out of which party should be
allowed to enter first."

"The Board of Rites and even Honglu Temple sent numerous

letters, informing you to slow your envoy’s quick pace. Who
would have thought an envoy bearing a princess would not
even spend a day’s rest? It was your envoy’s quick pace and
eager desire to return that caused this."

Fan Xian chuckled in amusement, but had no response. It

was actually his own idea to quicken the pace of the envoy’s
return, but he had no desire to mention this.

"All that can be asked of you is a little patience in waiting for

these procedures to be resolved and sorted out. An additional
two days should be sufficient; is that okay?" Ren Shao'an, upon
saying this, made sure to watch Fan Xian’s eyes. He never did
know how long he had been a member of the Overwatch
Council, but he hoped that in his time there, the snobbish and
arrogant attitude of Chen Pingping had not rubbed off on him.
As he thought of this, Ren Shao'an said, "The new Director of
the Board of Rites was too embarrassed to come tell you, so he
sent me to relay the message."

"Blast! There is nothing more I desire right now than to

return home and hold my wife." Fan Xian shared a close
friendship with Ren Shao'an, and as such, his typical
formalities were keen to lax in his presence. "And now I must
wait for a further two days? The next time you visit my manor,
be wary of my wife, for she’ll kick you in the rear for this."

A bead of sweat trickled down Ren Shao'an's forehead, for he

knew what Fan Xian’s wife was indeed like. Despite her frail
body, with her tendency to fall ill frequently, her background
suggested that she was not one to trifle with.

Fan Xian had no desire to cause trouble with the Great

Prince, whom he had never met before. He was the Great
Prince, after all, and Fan Xian’s stature held no comparison; for
this, there was no point in even attempting to compete over
who may enter the capital first. Laughing, Fan Xian patted Ren
Shao'an’s shoulders and said, "Fret not, for I won’t thrust you
into any awkward position." He continued by saying, "I will go
and inform the princess. There’s no use trying to risk the
establishment of bad blood between the princess and her soon-
to-be husband. And we, the little guys, are the ones who must
explain it to her."

Ren Shao'an froze as Fan Xian approached the room in which

the princess was resting. In his heart, he pondered what benefit
Fan Xian might claim by telling the princess this. There was
nothing entirely wrong with waiting an additional two days,
after all. What if the princess was the sort to lose her temper if
things didn’t go exactly the way she desired? What if this
would start an argument? These were the many thoughts that
crossed Ren Shao'an’s mind as he stood there.

Ren Shao'an wasn’t aware of Fan Xian’s incredibly selfish

nature. The truth was, Fan Xian did not care at all about the
possibility of bad blood between the Great Prince and the
Princess. He merely, and quite impatiently, wanted to return
home first, and if this was the way in which he could achieve
that, then he had no qualm with confiding in the Princess.

It was sweltering, and so Ren Shao'an wiped the sweat from

his brow. As he did this, he caught sight of a rank-four officer
run into the courier station frantically. His back was drenched
in sweat. Although it was just the beginning of autumn, it had
been considerably hotter than most years, which made it
particularly difficult for this man, who had been running back
and forth between the princess in the envoy and the Great
Prince, three miles away. This man was the vice-minister Xin
Qiwu of Honglu Temple. He too caught sight of Ren Shao'an,
and so he bowed before him and said, "Hey, you’re here early!"

Ren Shao'an acknowledged that Xin Qiwu was of the eastern

palace, but they weren’t particularly close with each other,
unlike how Ren Shao'an was with Fan Xian. In fact, their bond
was so close that when the Prime Minister resigned, those who
worked in the government offices put those two together as a
team. Ren Shao'an laughed and said, "Mister Fan is in there.
You can go in, but I will most certainly not. If the princess
begins yelling, it’s better that you be the target than I. Besides,
why are you so late? I thought you were quite close with Fan
Xian. Regardless, you must now be wary, for he may get mad at
you for your tardiness."

With a wry smile, Xin Qiwu replied, "Mister Fan is not that
sort of person." Thinking about the day’s events and
revelations, he found it quite humorous how the envoy
managed to arrive at the same time the Great Prince did. "I see.
Well, let’s not dwell and speak of how the Board of Rites
mishandled these proceedings. It’s no wonder why all these
officers are confused, pondering whom they should welcome
into the capital first. Tell me, who do you think we should
greet first, Mister Ren?"

It was a brief while before either of them spoke again, and

the silence that quickly encircled them was a little awkward.
After some time, they each coughed. They came to the
conclusion that the envoy was equally important as the Great
Prince, which was of course quite absurd, and they realized
this. But was the reason that they thought this because of Fan
Xian’s presence? He was, after all, head of the Overwatch
Council, and he was transporting a considerable amount of
legendary scrolls and scriptures with him in the envoy. Could
it be that they regarded Fan Xian with as much importance as
the Great Prince himself?

Xin Qiwu shook his head and shelved those ridiculous

thoughts. Still, he couldn’t deny that in the hearts of many,
Fan Xian was held in extremely high regard; the confusion
between whom to welcome was testament to this. Whatever
the case may be, Fan Xian had a profound effect on the people
of the capital. He was the catalyst to a whole swathe of
important events in the space of the single year he had been
there. And now, in his envoy, there was a princess from a
foreign land, but it was doubtful that she was the reason for so
many officers being there. The officers, instead, wanted to be
close with the Fan family and the Overwatch Council.
 "Mister Fan didn’t see me earlier. Did he mention me at all?"
Xin asked with care.

Ren shook his head, which brought relief to Xin’s mind. Now
smiling, Xin said, "If we were to be reasonable, the Great Prince
would undoubtedly go first. So for now, I must go aid the
eastern palace in welcoming him. Mister Fan is little more than
a courteous fellow who knows his place."

"I don’t really know my place." Fan Xian approached Xin and
Ren as they concluded their dialogue, waving as he walked. In
jest, Fan Xian said, "Will you share a beverage with me, Xin? I
have been away from this country for many months, and upon
my return, you weren’t even here to welcome me. I am very
angry. Haha!"

Xin Qiwu laughed apprehensively and was on the verge of

saying something when he caught sight of Fan Xian smiling.
Then, Fan Xian said lightly, "To be reasonable, you are the
vice-minister of Honglu Temple, and you are versed in the
diplomacy of foreign affairs; there was no need for you to visit
and welcome the envoy. And furthermore, why did you have to
go welcome the Great Prince? Are you planning to join the
Bureau of Military Affairs by heading over there to lick his
boots?"

He spoke gently, but there was clear contempt behind his

words.

Xin was taken aback and thought it quite intrusive of Fan

Xian to make mention of such things.

And there Fan Xian was, facing two young, high-ranking

officers. He bowed, stood up straight and then said, "The envoy
will be entering the capital today. Can you two set it up? I am
unable to locate anybody else from the Board of Rites, so it will
have to be up to you."

If they were taken aback before, now they were aghast. Never
did they believe that Fan Xian possessed the guts to supersede
the Great Prince in any particular matter. It seemed as if the
palace had forgotten all about it, as they had no decree; thus, if
the envoy truly wanted to enter the capital first, the rules
dictated that such a thing was indeed allowed.
 The greatest problem that faced them was the fact it was the
Great Prince himself they were opposing.

Ren Shao'an coughed again, to hint to Fan Xian that Xin

Qiwu was in the crown prince's camp. He thought it unfair to
back Xin Qiwu into such a corner, making him appear so rude
before the Great Prince - but this did not concern Fan Xian.
Instead, Fan Xian continued smiling and repeated, "The envoy
wants entry into the capital first. You two ensure that this
comes to pass, as it is the princess’ idea. The Great Prince can
wait!"

Following this, Fan Xian promptly turned around and exited

the courier station. Almost immediately, he began rallying
those in the envoy to prepare their departure for the capital.
And while he did so, the two vice-ministers continued to stand
dumbstruck. Though they did not say it out loud, they both
shared the same concerns, asking themselves, "Who does he
think he is? How dare he try to supplant the Great Prince in
any matter!" Xin Qiwu`s face became distorted in an array of
shifting facial expressions, until at last he clenched his teeth
and said, "I won`t do it. If the palace has no further orders for
me, then it is settled. I don’t care."
 Ren Shao'an curiously asked, "If you do not do this, where
will you go? If you as vice-minister of Honglu Temple
completely disregards matters concerning an envoy bearing the
princess of a foreign land, be wary of losing your position!"

Xin laughed and said, "I am not particularly concerned about

the Great Prince. This is my job, after all. Even if the Great
Prince is made unhappy, I still have a reasonable explanation;
for I have been following the envoy. And what about you? You
are vice-minister of Taichang Temple. You are in charge of the
royal family’s business. That includes the emperor’s son; while
the envoy includes the emperor’s soon-to-be daughter-in-law.
Which side will you stand for?"

Ren Shao'an, cursed Xin within the pits of his heart but said
nothing. At the end of the day, he was a good friend of Fan
Xian, so what else could he do? He shook his head and
reluctantly made the decision to go inform the Great Prince
about his need to wait, and to inform the Board of Rites to
prepare a welcoming ceremony for the envoy. How the Great
Prince would to react, he had to wait and see. And he wondered
just what would occur upon the only official road into the
capital.
 Fan Xian embarked Yan Bingyun’s carriage, shook his head,
and told him, "Stay here and do not reveal yourself to anyone.
When we enter the capital, Mister Yan will send someone to
retrieve you. Now remember, prior to your debriefing, do not
give away a smidgen of information."

Yan Bingyun raised his drooping head and said, "What the
hell are you fighting for? This is the Great Prince you are
snubbing - he is the son of the Emperor! What gave you the
idea that you could compete with him? You aren’t a stupid
person, so why are you committing such a stupid deed?"

"The prince?" Fan Xian decided to sit down beside Yan

Bingyun, as all they were doing was waiting for the envoy to
recommence its journey, anyway. He laughed and asked, "Does
this not happen often? And besides, it’s not me going against
him. It is one of the other nobles that has decided to compete
with the Great Prince."

Yan Bingyun was perplexed, and Fan Xian laughed once

more. He followed up by saying, "Those two have yet to lay
eyes upon each other and they are already quarreling over
which one of them will be the boss. This princess was once a
gentle woman, but the moment she heard that the Great Prince
sought to enter the capital first, she changed completely. She
stood near the banks of the eastern river with her mouth
agape… This woman. She still did not understand."

"Eastern river? What river? What are you talking about?"

Yan Bingyun denounced Fan Xian by saying, "Your meddling
and provoking both of them are plain to see. I do not
understand. We have yet to even reach the capital and already
you have gone and picked a fight with the Great Prince himself.
What the hell are you thinking?"

"Wow, you are starting to grow concerned for the well-being

of your boss." With a soured expression, Fan Xian declared to
Yan Bingyun, "I truly did not provoke the princess. Who would
have thought the princess harbored such a lust for
dominance?" This speech was taken directly from chapter
eighty-two of Dream of the Red Chamber. Fan Xian had not yet
written it; he was simply speaking aloud. Inside his heart, he
had grown somewhat happy, and there was nothing more that
he desired right now than to return home and see his wife. And
quite simply, this was the catalyst for his deceptive actions on
this day.
 "The reason I have chosen to displease the Great Prince is
quite simple. Not often am I provided with such an
opportunity; that opportunity being a way in which I can
display how much I genuinely despise the Great Prince."

"Why do you feel this way?"

"Even though you had been in the north for a long time, I can
only surmise that lately you may have heard a lot regarding my
exploits from others in the envoy. Fan Xian looked at Yan
Bingyun.

Yan Bingyun nodded.

"Do you know what my relationship with the eastern palace

is like?"

"It would appear that there has been turmoil and a barrage of
disputes in recent times, but believe it or not, the Crown Prince
cares for you quite dearly. The same applies for the civil
service examinations; the Crown Prince supported you then, as
well. And he did so for the diplomatic mission to Northern Qi
too. He has been most kind to you."

"That is good news. So, I must look after the eastern palace
in return." This conversation is in reference to the
examinations scandal, but this was not something Fan Xian
had ever told Yan Bingyun about. Continuing, he said, "And I
am in Crown Prince Jing’s good books, also. Furthermore, he is
associated with the second prince; which means my
relationship with him can’t be all that bad, either."

Yan Bingyun was beginning to understand why Fan Xian

sought to offend the Great Prince.

"So, in regards to the eastern palace, my relationship with

two of the princes is good. In the future, if my relationship
with the Great Prince improves…" Fan Xian’s face then changed
to suggest more light-hearted self-deprecation and with a smile
he said, "If there was a young man in charge of the Overwatch
Council and the palace treasury, and he was someone who had
become friends with the three princes, one would wonder what
this young man truly desired. The women that see him in the
palace would consider him an eyesore."
 Outside the capital, on this day, it had been chaos. The only
entity with the authority to quell the disorganization was the
palace, but they had yet to issue a decree. Sweating in the
sweltering heat, the officers who were stood outside the city
gate with unease saw the two separate caravans in the distance.
In their hearts, they bid ill words to Fan Xian for his actions on
this day. Of course, they would not dare to think the same of
the Great Prince, for he was the Great Prince.

Many of the soldiers that marched with the Great Prince were
battle-weary warriors returning home from the western front.
Seeing the envoy, they scoured their thoughts for any possible
solution that would enable them passage into the capital first;
they were unhappy. Those who were under direct command of
the Great Prince, however, were most disciplined. They were
unaffected by almost anything and as such they possessed no
cruel or bitter thoughts about the large envoy that now passed
them by. There was one horseman of the cavalry amongst
them, however, that could not bide his tongue. As they passed,
he yelled, "Where is that foolish officer? Does he have a death
wish!?

The envoy and the Great Prince’s caravan came to a pause

right beside each other. The tension was palpable.
 Fan Xian disembarked his carriage and hastily dusted himself
off. He looked towards a carriage that resembled the sort the
Great Prince may be within and hollered, "It is I, Fan Xian. I
bid thee greetings."

"Fan Xian? You are Fan Xian?!" An intimidating voice arose

from within the carriage. With great scorn, the voice
continued, "I cannot believe you are the husband of Chen’er.
How dare you compete and attempt to supplant me! You are
not brave. Nay, you are foolish!"

Fan Xian smiled and politely responded, "To compete against

you was never my intent. It’s just that…"

Before Fan Xian could finish his response, a quiet, yet

confident voice came from the fabulous carriage behind him; it
was that of the Princess of the Northern Qi Kingdom. "I am a
weak woman, but I have travelled an extreme length of
distance. Would you truly force me to wait outside the capital
for a few more days?"

The soldiers of the Great Prince looked on in disbelief, only

now recalling that the envoy bore the presence of an important
noble. It was the woman who was to be their empress.

Fan Xian glanced at the Great Prince's cavalry. "This is family

business," he thought to himself. "Best stay out of it."
Chapter 256: Family Business
The eldest prince had been on deployment for the past
several years. Even though the men of the west weren’t as
barbaric as they used to be, the fields of battle were as bloody
as ever - so much so that the weapons and armaments of the
men were each now crusted in crimson blood. The eldest
prince was remarkably different from his brothers, who had
remained within the comfort of the capital for the duration of
their years. He was a man who didn’t rely so much on
materialistic needs and the amenities typically desired by
noblemen. For all accounts and purposes, he was a grizzled
man of war.

The Great Prince was now returning to the capital as a

General, commanding his own legion of soldiers. The rules of
the monarchy and city dictated that he was allowed to bring a
regiment of 200 to 500 soldiers with him upon his return to the
capital, but he only brought the lowest of the given threshold.
He didn’t want to bring an extreme amount, in the event that
any possible unruliness that may arise from his men would
distract the officers of the city from their other duties. That
being said, the men in his company were hardened warriors
who had suffered greatly and toiled arduously on their journey
home. With the souring revelation that the envoy sought to
enter the capital first, it was difficult for them to maintain
their composure. The 200 men that the Great Prince had
selected to travel with him were all on horseback, and the
expressions upon their face spoke of utter disdain toward those
of the envoy. 400 eyes were now peering at that carriage in
particular, for they knew who resided within.

Inside the carriage they all stared at sat the princess-to-be.

No matter how infuriated the soldiers were, they made sure to
hold their tongues, for they did not desire to upset the future
empress.

The Director of the Board of Rites had walked ten miles out
from beyond the city gates in a bid to welcome them all. He
was the highest-ranking officer, and therefore he was the most
qualified for this task. In the awkward silence that enveloped
both parties, he was visibly uncomfortable. He spoke a few
words, but the horses shared the anger of their masters, and
were making so much noise as to drown out said the Director.

The neighing of the horses of the western army grew louder

as all the riders aligned their steeds into two lines facing the
envoy. Although intimidating, it did make the place look a
whole lot tidier. In between the noise, a person clad in Xuansu
armor clapped his steed and approached slowly.
 As this happened, Fan Xian stood beside the carriage
containing the princess. His eyebrows were raised as he
watched and dodged the sudden passing of the western army’s
soldiers. As they went, they did so quickly, in a bid to kick up
dust to both dirty and intimidate Fan Xian and the others in
the envoy. The soldiers had been away from the capital for
many years and as such had no knowledge of who Fan Xian
was. The precipitous appearance of Fan Xian, to whom they
took for some snobbish pretty-boy, irritated them almost
immediately and for that they wanted to humiliate him by
making him believe he was to be trampled.

But Fan Xian merely smiled, and bowed before the horses,
not caring for the horses and their men who thought
themselves superior. "I am Fan Xian. Greetings, Great Prince."

The Great Prince of the Qing Kingdom was upon a steed, and
he possessed eyes of burning steel, which gave the impression
of someone fiercely angry. His face had been graced with a tall
nose and high cheekbones, which was beautiful to look at. Just
a mere, passing glance would have you know how much of a
real man he was. To compliment his beauty, the Great Prince
wore armor that was radiant. Clad in such equipment, he
glistened in the sun, creating an image that almost seemed to
portray him as god. No one would dare to look at him head-on.
 Fan Xian did not do this, either. But he was wearing a smile
that suggested he did not think much of the prince at all. He
was still bowing, though, so it could not be seen.

The Great Prince looked as if he did not notice Fan Xian

directly before his horse. He mistook Fan Xian for a petty and
low-ranked officer of the capital. The truth was that he was
perhaps the most popular official in the city. "Why is he
smiling like a girl?" the prince at last said.

The Great Prince was not one to beat around the bush and
dress up his words - he was quick and to the point. He had
planned to say this quietly, in a one-to-one with Fan Xian, but
he mistakenly shouted it out loud for all of his men to hear.
The soldiers then thought the Great Prince sought to humiliate
Fan Xian, the one who sought to claim the road to the capital
first, and so they all began laughing out loud. The noise
emitted by their unified laughter could undoubtedly be heard
miles away. This surprised even the Great Prince, which then
brought a smile to his face.

A few of the mounted soldiers cockily drew nearer to Fan

Xian. They had gotten so close that he could hear them breathe
and he could even smell the scent of their breath. As many of
the soldiers inched closer and closer, they desired to push the
envoy off the road and take it themselves.

Fan Xian frowned, not expecting the Great Prince to be so

disrespectful towards his future wife and his own brother-in-
law. He trotted forward slightly, bit-by-bit, until his own
horse’s face was staring Fan Xian directly in the eye. And what
big eyes did that steed possess. It was a risky move, for he knew
that warhorses were difficult to fully control and master. In his
heart, Fan Xian could only sigh.

He was prepared to step back, knowing that his goal of

aggravating the Great Prince had succeeded. He did not desire a
proper confrontation, in which they might possibly fight. Fan
Xian had no affiliation or relations with the army, and it was
his greatest weakness - one that he recognized. If the Bureau of
Military Affairs received mention of Fan Xian’s desire to
disrupt and go against the soldiers of their kingdom, it would
dramatically affect his role within the government.

As he was thinking about this, it suddenly dawned upon him

that Fan Xian’s own men weren’t aware of this fragile state of
affairs. Seeing their Commissioner in danger, a dozen of
highly-trained warriors drew their swords from varying places
within the envoy. It was as if they materialized from thin air,
with many of them taking to the tall rocks that dotted the
road, and others stood upon carriages. They brandished
crossbows, and they trained the crosshairs of their weapons
upon the heads of the horses that had gathered around Fan
Xian

"No!" the Director of the Board of Rites shouted in fright. He

was in shock at the prospect of these two companies engaging
in a battle right outside the capital, for it would be an
embarrassment to the entire country. The Director also
believed he would be fired and lose the support of the Great
Prince. Even though Fan Xian had the support of the
Overwatch Council, even he would receive grave punishment
from the prince if this were to occur.

The officers who had come to welcome them were aware that
Fan Xian was a person that everybody should be frightened of,
and in a bid to ease the tension, they each and all yelled, "Stop!
What are you all doing!?"

The Great Prince did not move; he simply watched the

proceedings in silence. He wasn’t angry at the man that was
called Fan Xian of the Overwatch Council and he in fact
thought the opposite. He now possessed a modicum of respect
for him, for he knew that whomever would actually choose to
confront the Great Prince was a man with tremendous courage.

Fan Xian, in his heart, knew that his options now were quite
few. His officers from the Overwatch Council had been trained
extensively, quite often by Fan Xian himself, on their travels.
He just didn’t expect they would care far more for Fan Xian’s
personal safety than their reputation within the government.
And even now, they still kept their crossbows aimed at the
horses around Fan Xian. The soldiers of the western army were
honorable soldiers, who had fought to keep their kingdom
secure; if news of this confrontation spread any further, he
suspected that Chen Pingping would be in trouble for quite
some time.

The Great Prince laughed, having figured out that which now
ailed Fan Xian’s mind. He was curious as to how he sought to
resolve the predicament he now found himself in.

But seeing the Great Prince threatened, his soldiers now also
grew concerned. The harsh training they had each endured
over the years was beginning to show. They began shouting,
and many riders departed the main formation to the front of
the envoy and block its passage. Another group went to
surround the flanks of the envoy and a few extra soldiers now
decided to encircle Fan Xian.

Despite being further surrounded by ferocious horses and

their brutish riders, Fan Xian raised his hand, keeping his
middle finger and ring finger concealed to gesture.

The officers and swordsmen of the Overwatch Council

recognised the gesture and without a sound or expression,
sheathed their swords and withdrew their crossbows. All
together at once they did this, before returning to their place in
the envoy as quickly as they originally appeared.

The Great Prince was still on his horse. He wore a helmet,

but it did not mask his face; like stone, it was unchanged. This
belied his true feelings, however, for in his heart, he was quite
surprised. Seeing such a weak, bookish person before him, he
found it difficult to believe that he was the one in command of
such well-trained soldiers. And to be in a situation as fraught
with peril as this, the sight of a single gesture signaling all of
them was most impressive. The Great Prince knew that even he
could not discipline and train his own men to achieve such
effective compliance.
 The Great Prince knew that outside the capital, he could not
do anything to harm the envoy, either. Besides, near the gates
of the city, two of his brothers were awaiting his arrival. So, he
gestured to his own soldiers to back off, a gesture which was
met with hesitant compliance and low grumbling sounds of
disappointment from within the ranks. With visible
unwillingness, the horsemen withdrew their weapons and
stepped back with their horses. The difference between the
prince’s men and those of the Overwatch Council was as stark
as night and day, and the Great Prince saw it all too clearly.
This made the prince grimace.

As the horses were getting ready to pull back away from Fan
Xian, the horses were too close as they were. With one heavy
step, dust from the dried earth was kicked up, which went into
the nostrils of one of the horses. This aggravated it, which
caused it to kick its legs up angrily, confusing the other horses
to do the same.

Two horses began charging at Fan Xian.

This was an accident; that was plain to see. The Prince had
moved away from Fan Xian at this point, and when he heard
the commotion, he looked back in shock. He knew that if one
of these horses were to trample and kill the much-loved,
widely celebrated commissioner Fan Xian before the Emperor
and his city, the work he had been doing in the west would be
squandered entirely. His thoughts trailed to the legends
surrounding Fan Xian and he earnestly hoped in his heart that
if he was indeed the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council,
surely a few angry horses would not be the end of him.

Swish! The horses went right past Fan Xian, as he was wholly
enveloped in a giant plume of dust. Only the greatest of
warriors could have perceived the appearance of two phantom
slashes from within the dust cloud.

Thud! Thud! The sound of two heavy objects hitting the

ground quickly followed. When the dust settled, Fan Xian
could be seen once again bearing his arrogant smile, with
complete composure retained. The two frightened horses
continued running for a little while longer, before collapsing
on the ground totally, with the weight of their fall breaking the
dried ground. The riders that were upon them seemed to pass
out, but the full truth of what had occurred was soon revealed.
Two horse heads were seen rolling along the ground, leaving a
messy trail of blood in their wake.
 Behind Fan Xian stood two swordsmen clad in brown, each
bearing longswords. Their faces were stern and cold, as they
looked all around at the company of the Great Prince.

Two swords had decapitated the two stampeding horses. It

was a perfect counter, exacted with flawless precision. The
Great Prince’s pupils shrank as he peered at the two swordsmen
behind Fan Xian. They seemed strangely familiar, particularly
in the way that they moved. His fingers were tapping the plates
of his armor as the Great Prince approached Fan Xian to speak.
"Mister Fan, you really are something. Your king has been at
war for the past few years, but I never thought upon my return
to the capital, I would have two of my horses slaughtered in
public by you. So, this is how the soldiers of the kingdom are
to be welcomed home?"

Fan Xian sighed and used his hand to cover his mouth and
nose, for the scent of the horse blood tainted the air with an
awful fragrance. He then explained to the Great Prince, "My
Lord, even if I was infinitely brash, I would not dare to slay the
warhorses of my lord." It was at this point that Fan Xian
realized that although the Great Prince was macho and
boorish, he was not stupid. Every word was about himself, and
to hear the Great Prince refer to himself 'your king' made Fan
Xian recall how before the prince was to return to the west, the
current Emperor had already decreed to swear in the Great
Prince as the next in line to ascend the throne. He was chosen
first, before his two brothers.

Thinking of today’s grand offense towards the Great Prince,

Fan Xian looked vehemently troubled.

When the Great Prince’s face turned cold, the bodyguard

beside him turned to speak to him privately. After that, the
Great Prince looked once more towards the two swordsmen
behind Fan Xian and said, "So, it's the Tiger Guard."

At the same time, Gao Da was standing behind Fan Xian, and
he whispered to him, "The man next to the Great Prince is a
Tiger Guard, same as I."

Fan Xian raised his eyebrow and turned to ask, "You know
him?"

"I don’t know him personally, but I know of him." Gao Da

replied quietly. Horse blood continued to drip from Gao Da’s
weapon, even as he spoke. Fan Xian said, "If you are a Tiger
Guard, how could you be so rude towards the Great Prince?"
 Gao Da, once more in a whispered voice, said, "Sir, the
emperor gave me an order. That was to secure your safety, no
matter the cost or the transgressor."

They were both engaged in quiet dialogue and Fan Xian’s

eyebrows were still raised. When their talk ended, it was silent.
After this short while, Gao Da and Fan Xian bowed to the Great
Prince, and said nothing more.

At this time, the Great Prince ordered his men to retrieve the
two soldiers who had passed out following their horses'
headless collapse. Now, the rest of the soldiers in the Great
Prince’s command were teetering on edge, anticipating the call
to arms in which they could attack the envoy and its people.
But the Great Prince remained silent. After some time, he rode
closer to Fan Xian and deepened his voice to say, "This attitude,
I like it. But I do not respect you killing those horses. When we
enter the capital, be wary of the trouble I am sure to leave on
your doorstep."

Fan Xian sighed and said, "My Lord, this had nothing to do
with me. Please, keep that in mind."
 The Great Prince groaned. As he was of the royal family, he
knew full well what the Tiger Guards were capable of. He
assumed that the Tiger Guards alongside Fan Xian were
bodyguards, given to the envoy by his father. It was because of
this, he knew it truly did not have anything to do with Fan
Xian, but that did not quell the anger in his heart.

"This was my idea. If you have a problem with it, do not take
it out on Mister Fan." The Princess who had remained within
her carriage this entire time spoke once more.

As she spoke, the remainder of the officers had arrived in

haste. Ren Shao'an approached Fan Xian and tugged at his arm.
Xin Qiwu was holding the Great Prince's legs. Servants that had
also arrived from the palace of the capital stood beside the
Great Prince and led his horse away. The Director of the Board
of Rites stared at the soldiers of the western army with a
disapproving look and had them move back, away from the
envoy. Needless to say, the soldiers weren’t happy about it.
Almost the entirety of the Bureau of Military Affairs’ officers
then arrived in a bid to become peacemakers, to settle the
dispute and ease the palpable tension. All members from the
varying offices that represented different cornerstones of the
government had come out to work together and quell the
unease.
 And it worked. Due to the presence of so many capital
officials, the conflict that had arisen between the Great Prince,
his men, Fan Xian and the envoy had to be put off. If a fight
were to break out and injure some random elderly official who
had come out there to negotiate peace, it would make the
imperial court look bad.

What allowed the imperial court to operate smoothly? It was

not the efforts of the varying departments and ministries. It
was pride; the individual pride and reputation of each and
every minister.

At the gates of the city, the people who were looking out
beyond the pastures of the capital began to understand that
something was amiss. It took them a long time before they
learned that the envoy had arrived early and demanded to be
welcomed into the capital before the Great Prince. This was
not something that low-ranking officials could resolve, so they
quickly reported the matter to their higher-ups.

The entire situation had spiraled out of control and become

overblown, so much so that even Fan Xian was willing to
throw in the towel and submit. The princess and the other civil
officials in the envoy, however, were now adamant in their
stance of being the first to enter the capital.

It was an embarrassment of massive proportion for the Great

Prince to have two of his steeds slain in the open like so. It
would have been taken as a grand blow to his reputation. Had
he known that the Tiger Guards were allied with Fan Xian by
decree of the Emperor, he would have approached matters
differently. If this were not the case, he would have long
decided to attack the envoy and its people then and there. But
with the crowds that had gathered, such a course of action was
now off the table. But now he was angry - he refused to allow
the envoy entry into the capital first. What a wretched
princess, thought the Great Prince. Aren’t you just the bitch
whose job will be to clean my feet in the future?

The arguments were now, by force of the coalition of

government officials present, over. This was not accomplished
by the ramblings or simple pleading of government men; the
officers that were there forcefully led the Great Prince and his
soldiers’ away. If they were to continue their fight, it would
have to be done through mere verbal communication.
Although the soldiers possessed much might when it came to
physical combat, when it came to the sharp exchange of words,
they were remarkably less adept. Compared to those within the
envoy, they were of no match to such sophisticated people;
those who frequently dealt with diplomatic issues. From the
government and friendship of two countries, and from the
emperor and the officer’s reputation, the Great Prince was at a
disadvantage. But, stubbornly, he held true to his desire of not
allowing the envoy to pass first.

The events that were unfolding were undoubtedly the

kingdom’s most exciting since its establishment and now, a
yellow carriage was seen to be stopping by this grand
commotion.

All that were present saw this, and, in unison, they each
closed their mouths. By this time, Fan Xian had already backed
off and departed the quarreling outside. He was in Yan
Bingyun’s carriage talking when he received notice of the
yellow carriage that had just come forth. With great
immediacy, he leapt out of the carriage, dusted himself off and
ran towards the officers that were before the carriage and
began bowing alongside them.

"Greetings, Crown Prince."

 The Crown Prince had thought to follow the decree and
prepare to welcome the Great Prince at the gates of the city, but
he did not know of what was happening. As such, he resolved
to come out here himself and see what disturbance had been
birthed upon the plains.

Thankfully, to the relief of all, the Great Prince’s anger was

quelled with the arrival of the Crown Prince. No longer
seething with rage, he dismounted his horse rather quickly. He
then approached the carriage in anticipation of bowing before
it. As he went to do so, the Crown Prince exited the carriage
and prevented his bowing by saying, "Brother, you are still clad
in heavy armor. There is no need for such formality. Besides,
you are my elder - how could I possibly allow you to bow
before me?"

The Great Prince showed no modesty and made no remark;

he simply did as the Crown Prince said. The Great Prince then
stood up straight and took off his helmet. Those who had
gathered around from the Board of Rites and Taichang Temple
all said something in their hearts: Their bowing was a required
formality. If they did not care for such proceedings, we as
officials have no place to comment on it.
 The Crown Prince looked upon the Great Prince’s face and
was enamored. He said, "Brother, your tireless efforts at war
have you looking worse for wear."

The Great Prince laughed and replied, "That's nothing. It has

been a great joy to ride horses into battle all this time; you
know how much I dislike staying in the royal palace. There, I
can’t help but be bored to death. If grandma had not insisted
that I return, I'd still be out on the front!"

The Crown Prince spoke, "It’s not just the Empress Dowager
that desires your early return, but the Emperor, Empress, Lady
Ning, and all your brothers as well.

The Great Prince looked at Fan Xian with a disrespectful

stare and said, "I am afraid that some people do not want me to
return quite so quickly."

The Crown Prince saw the face of the Great Prince turn sour
and asked, "What are the issues here, exactly?" He then started
laughing. The officers who had gathered here were unsure of
what the Crown Prince had sought in his arrival. Then, the
Crown Prince raised his hand and bid Fan Xian to follow him,
saying, "You are attempting to supersede the Great Prince and
gain access to the capital first? You must surely know this is a
most grievous crime."

Fan Xian laughed and explained: "I could not possibly have
the courage to attempt such a thing. This was all the doing of
the northern Qi Kingdom’s princess. Upon her arduous journey
here, she caught flu. It cannot be expected of her to remain
outside the palace for two more days."

The Crown Prince was holding the Great Prince’s hand, as

they walked towards the carriage and spoke softly to each
other. The Crown Prince then turned around, laughed, and
said, "Do not harbor animosity toward the officers. Besides, in
the past two years that you have been gone, much has
transpired here in the capital. You have no clue about what has
occurred or who Fan Xian is. Come, let me introduce you."

Fan Xian and the Crown Prince did not actually see each
other all that often, but he knew that the Crown Prince was
being as gracious and as gentle as he was to avoid further
quarreling. So, Fan Xian put on a big smile and approached the
Great Prince and bowed, saying, "I am Fan Xian, Academician
of the Imperial College. Greetings, my Lord."
 "You are also a fourth-rank officer." the Crown Prince said.
"How could you forget your title?"

Fan Xian gave a wry smile and shook his head. "The arduous
trials of the road from the north to the south really messed me
up. Please forgive me."

The Crown Prince quietly spoke to the Great Prince and said,
"Right now, Fan Xian is aiding the Director of the Overwatch
Council."

"I know, I know. He is the Commissioner of the Overwatch

Council. What might." The Great Prince replied with great
sarcasm.

The Crown Prince was attempting a parley of peace and said,

"Fine, fine. If you don’t want to uphold my reputation, then at
least save face on behalf of Chen’er. You can’t fight with Fan
Xian. When we were kids, you were very close with Chen’er,
and that makes Fan Xian our brother-in-law. We are family. So
try to cool your temper."
 The Great Prince groaned, moving his gaze back upon Fan
Xian with a glint of acrimony in his eyes. "This is why I am
mad! Chen’er is everyone’s favorite in the palace, and yet she
married this effeminate piece of dog waste. It infuriates me!
Married for less than half a year and yet he has already become
an ambassador, leaving his new wife alone back in their manor.
These are the telltale signs of someone who merely desires
power; he is no good for her!"

Fan Xian smiled wryly, and only then did he realize he had
assessed the situation wholly incorrectly. This entire issue of
securing entry into the capital first truly was a family matter.
But this was not about the Great Prince and his future Empress-
to-be; it was about himself and Chen’er.
Chapter 257: In a Hurry
There was an awful racket. Fan Xian simply smiled, not
looking the least bit arrogant, but instead entirely sincere. He
had played his part as brother-in-law, and spent the
appropriate amount of money as an official, letting all the
bureaucrats see it. No one would have imagined that this
matter, causing offence by scrambling to enter first, had been
his idea.

Fan Xian had a natural advantage - he was a scoundrel with

an honest demeanor, an insidious fellow, more than willing to
offend and bully others, but on the surface he was completely
accommodating. This had served him to great benefit, such as
with the Eldest Princess, who Fan Xian had forced out of the
palace with his leafleting campaign, but who still to this day
did not know that her own son-in-law was responsible. She
presumed that her son-in-law was willing to suffer in silence,
and to take her at her word in the north, not daring to be
hostile.

He had always believed in one thing - that it was fine to be

gorgeous and arrogant, but it was better to be subtly gorgeous
and take advantage in secret.
 If one can move, then one should move. If one who cannot be
moved were beaten to death, then he could not move either.
The Great Prince was someone who could not be moved, and
yet today he was jostling with him for entry. This was a
betrayal of his usual interests. Naturally, no one knew that this
was all being done simply as a show for the Emperor, and the
Great Prince, who had shown his true temperament, was
without a doubt the best audience for this show. Perhaps only
that old fox Chen Pingping could have guessed this.

Finally the two parties came to an agreement mediated by the

Crown Prince. The vanguard of the diplomatic mission and the
Great Prince's men would enter the capital together. This was
not in keeping with custom, angering the Director of the Board
of Rites, and making Ren Shao'an of Taichang Temple rather
scared. How the ceremonial weaponry would be arranged
became the greatest question.

The Crown Prince saw Fan Xian, staying quiet over on one
side, and felt an unexplainable happiness. He pretended to
scold him. "You are a troublemaker. It was clearly suggested
that the diplomatic mission arrive in the capital the day after
tomorrow. How could you suddenly bring it forward, leaving
the royal court with no preparations and bringing about this
mess?"
 "I was anxious to return home," said Fan Xian with a smile.
"Please forgive me for this incident, Your Highness. It is
possible that the imperial censors may summon me tomorrow."
In truth, he felt it rather odd. They had not seen each other in
several months, and the Crown Prince now looked even better
than before. He had lost his previous timid, gloomy air, and
was all smiles. Something good must have happened to him,
though Fan Xian wasn't sure what.

Naturally, he was unaware that after the Eldest Princess had

left the palace, returning to her fiefdom of Xinyang, the
constant pressure upon the Crown Prince from the Empress
and the Eldest Princess had suddenly relented. His mood
brightened immediately, and the Emperor had been much more
reassuring toward him this year. The Crown Prince had been
enjoying life much more than before.

The bureaucrats always presumed that the Crown Prince had

it easy, and the Second Prince presumably didn't feel quite so
comfortable. But at the city gates, when the onlookers saw the
Second Prince preparing to welcome the Great Prince back to
the capital, they had seen nothing out of place on the elegant
nobleman's face, and instead, the young boy beside him had
drawn greater attention.
 This was the youngest son of His Majesty the Emperor. The
Emperor had sired four sons in total, and since the Crown
Prince was not given a number, this one was the Third Prince,
who had been raised deep inside the palace. This year, he had
just turned nine years old. Now that the Great Prince had
returned to the capital from his military expedition, the
Emperor had ordered that all the princes in the capital go out
to greet him, showing him the appropriate respect. At the same
time, he had allowed the young prince, who had never
appeared before the court councilors, the opportunity to make
his first formal appearance.

Taking the little prince's hand, the Second Prince bowed to

the Great Prince. The Great Prince seemed to be on good terms
with the Second Prince, coming forth and taking him in a bear
hug, then tousling the little boy's hair and speaking casually.
"How did you get so tall?"

The young boy giggled, showing his real personality. "I'll be

as tall as you some day," he replied, "and I'll go and fight the
barbarians."

The mother of the young prince was the sister of Lady Liu of
Fan Manor. In a roundabout way, he was somewhat related to
Fan Xian. But looking at the youthful young prince's innocent
smile, Fan Xian's heart skipped a beat. He could see a certain
self-possession in that smile that was incongruous with his
age, and he couldn't help but give a slight smile himself. The
young prince had started out by pretending to be innocent and
bashful, and he had dared to play such a game in front of Fan
Xian, naively attempting to win him over with his charms.

The Second Prince also knew what had happened previously.

He forced a smile as he spoke with Fan Xian. "I say, brother-in-
law, when will you stop causing so much trouble? I imagine all
the officials in the capital will thank Heaven when that day
comes."

Fan Xian's smile was even more pained. "In truth it was the
Princess of Northern Qi's idea. As a mere official, I would never
be so bold."

The Crown Prince frowned almost imperceptibly; he seemed

unhappy with Fan Xian's conversation with the Second Prince.
"Brother, the ceremony has not yet finished. Behave in a
manner that befits your position."
 His words were a little unreasonable. Previously, the Crown
Prince had been happy to address Fan Xian warmly as "brother-
in-law", and yet he was not willing to permit the Second Prince
to do the same. The Second Prince's face stayed the same as
ever. He chuckled in response and whispered something into
Fan Xian's ear. "Before the civil service exams, I asked you to go
home and ask Chen'er how she would address me. Did you ask
or not?"

Fan Xian thought back to that time, then shook his head and
smiled. "As Your Majesty knows, something happened during
the civil service exams, and I forgot. I shall return today and
ask her."

The Second Prince smiled and said nothing more. Taking his
little brother's hand, he followed the Great Prince and the
Crown Prince before him and walked toward the city gate.
Although the two men's conversation was quiet, it still reached
the Great Prince's ears. The Great Prince, who had spent the
year fighting in a different part of the country, couldn't help
but feel suspicious. Although he knew of Fan Xian's reputation,
he had not been in the capital, so he didn't know what kind of
power Fan Xian held. He was stunned to discover that both the
Second Prince and the Crown Prince were conciliatory toward
him in speech. It seemed that they feared that the officials
present did not know of their close relationships with Fan
Xian.

A mere official, and yet he was looked upon so fondly by

both sons of the Emperor that they were willing to put rank
aside. The Great Prince couldn't help but frown unhappily.

Fan Xian was thinking about other things. He saw that the
four princes - three grown, one only a child - were all adorned
differently. They all wore yellow silk robes, and walked toward
the pitch-dark city gate somewhat absent-mindedly. Would the
day come when he stood between these four princes?

Autumn in the capital was indescribably beautiful. The pale

white clouds hung high in the sky. The yellowing leaves
drooped over the edges of the houses, lingering, unwilling to
fall into the water. The canals along the side of the street were
somewhat quiet, and at the end of the long road, in the
distance, a corner of the eaves of the palace jutted out,
imposing against the clear blue sky.

The Great Prince's convoy had already departed in a huff, and

the diplomatic mission's convoy was taking pains to keep their
speed down. Accompanied by an official from Honglu Temple,
they made their way toward the palace. Since they had already
entered the capital, Fan Xian was no longer quite so nervous.
In any case, he couldn't return home straight away; he had to
make his report at the palace. So he finally had a little spare
time to admire the scenery around him. He had only stayed in
the capital for less than a year, so he wasn't nearly as familiar
with it as he was with Danzhou, but for some reason, the
moment he entered the city, saw the houses all around him,
and smelled the city's unique scent, he felt a certain spiritual
refreshment.

"You are anxious to return to the capital. Presumably there is

business to attend to at home." From the carriage to his side
came the meek voice of the Princess of Northern Qi.

Fan Xian smiled slightly but did not reply. He knew full well
that she was taking pains to make friends with this seemingly
ordinary official who was in fact particularly important. But
they had already talked plenty on their way back to the capital.
Now that they were entering the city, there were eyes and ears
everywhere, and it was best to avoid any further incident at
this final stage. Besides, he knew that she was right, and yet he
had no idea how to respond.
 The House of Fan were now greatly favored within the city.
Peace reigned in their household. Nobody around him could
understand why he was so anxious. He urged his horse onward,
trotting forward until he came to the side of Yan Bingyun's
carriage. "If you don't want to cause me any more trouble," he
said in a low voice, "you need to take her away."

Sitting inside the carriage, Yan Bingyun shook his head. He

surveyed the results of his work, but still kept the same
familiar expression that he always did. He couldn't understand
when Fan Xian had taken up matchmaking as a hobby. He
sighed as he broached the subject. "Trying to jostle for entry
into the city was not a wise move. The Overwatch Council has
always remained neutral in struggles between the princes. You
once said that you must verify everything that you hear. Both
the Crown Prince and the Second Prince were awaiting your
arrival. Since that is the case, then in order to remain neutral,
you should not have provoked the Great Prince. It goes against
the objectives of the Council."

Fan Xian was silent. He knew that Yan Bingyun was right,
and that as an official of the Kingdom of Qing – particularly as
a commissioner of the Overwatch Council – he should not have
such dealings with the princes. Since he had to associate with
them, he had to treat them all equally, so as not to have the
palace suspect that the Overwatch Council could not be
impartial in their dealings with them.

But he wasn't happy about it, because he knew that his status
was not simply that of an official - having a degree of partiality
toward one of the princes could at most make the Emperor
suspect that he was making plans for his own future power and
riches, and that his loyalty was not comparable to that of Chen
Pingping. But if he were to remain truly neutral, making use of
money and power in his occupation, then perhaps it would
make the Emperor suspect... that he was not resigned to merely
being an official.

This was Fan Xian's biggest secret fear.

The convoy travelled down Xingdao Lane, no longer needing

the city's bailiffs to maintain order because it had already come
to a relatively quiet area of offices and housing for officials.
Naturally, there were no longer so many commoners lining the
sides of the street. At that moment, a carriage in the convoy
peeled away from the group, quietly making its way down a
side alley where one could faintly see people waiting to meet it.
 Although it was silent, the officials could see it clearly. They
knew that the diplomatic mission was composed of numerous
complicated parts. They presumed it was a matter for the
Overwatch Council, and looking at Commissioner Fan's rather
solemn face, no one dared to ask about it.

Naturally, Fan Xian had a serious expression because he was

about to enter the palace. Its red walls appeared before him.

A group of diplomatic mission members waited outside the

palace gates to give their reports. The Emperor's power was
imposing, and no one dared to look as if they were relaxing.
Instead, they constantly rushed around, tiring themselves out.
After waiting for a long time, the order had yet to arrive. The
gathered officials felt rather uneasy. But they had gone to
Northern Qi in order to sort out carving up territory for the
royal court, and Fan Xian had brought them honor in the royal
court of the north. The carriage looked old and of little value,
but they presumed that His Majesty would be happy to see
them - how could he leave people such as themselves outside?

The official from the Ministry of Rites who was waiting

outside the palace gates also began to gradually feel somewhat
ill at ease. Ren Shao'an whispered something into Fan Xian's
ear. "I imagine His Majesty is meeting with the Great Prince. As
officials, all we can do is wait."

Fan Xian smiled, and said nothing. The Princess of Northern

Qi's carriage had already been ushered inside by the palace
eunuchs. The most important issues had been more or less
dealt with. But he had guessed why the members of the
diplomatic mission were being left outside.

The imperial guards glared coldly at the officials, whose

nervousness was clearly showing. The guards' expressions did
not change, and the eunuchs standing outside the palace gates
did not look directly at them.

But Fan Xian's status was different from the others. He was
still a prince consort of the palace, and a particularly well-
favored one, as well as a high-ranking official of the Overwatch
Council. This diplomatic mission would no doubt lead to
further plaudits being bestowed upon him, so a eunuch had
already brought him a round stool and invited him to rest
there for a while.
 Fan Xian was somewhat stunned. "Is this the custom?" he
asked.

As he was speaking, the head eunuch came up to him,

helping him onto the stool, and said to him with a flattering
tone of voice, "Master Fan, His Majesty has missed you dearly.
It is only right that you rest upon this stool a while after
making such a journey."

"Oh, Eunuch Hou, how did you get here?" Fan Xian feigned
amazement. The eunuch who stood before him was the one
who he had seen when he accompanied Lady Liu and Ruoruo to
the palace for the first time. He knew that he was on good
terms with the Fan family, so his expression was an amiable
one, and the eunuch had addressed him respectfully, wanting
to maintain this mood of friendliness.

Fan Xian smiled in response. "I have come from afar, but it
seems my path is blocked. There will be no honors bestowed
upon me today."

Eunuch Hou snickered. "Everyone knows that everything

you touch turns to gold," he whispered to Fan Xian. "And
what's more, you've even more gold coming in your future."
The old servant was ready for a chat, but he heard the palace
gate creak open. A eunuch rushed out to convey His Majesty's
order. Fan Xian immediately moved away from the stool and
kneeled alongside the crowd of officials at the palace gate.

To his surprise, the Emperor had indeed issued a rebuke to

Fan Xian for relying solely on his talent, being inobservant,
reckless, and so forth... He also said that the day's events had
left him tired, and that Fan Xian was to return to the palace to
give his report tomorrow. Count Sinan would discipline him
appropriately, and his reprimand would be severe. Finally, the
diplomatic mission was to be commended nevertheless, with a
formal message of praise to be sent in the days to come.

The officials looked at each other in dismay. They had not

expected for the diplomatic mission to be treated this way on
their first day back in the capital. They couldn't help but sigh
dejectedly. But some of the more cunning officials looked at
Fan Xian. His heart beat like a drum, he had been thoroughly
rebuked by His Majesty, but in the end, nothing had been done;
Count Sinan was merely to discipline him later. It seemed that
Fan Xian was indeed a favorite of the Emperor.
 Fan Xian kowtowed in acceptance of the order. He looked
somewhat embarrassed, but he was in fact rather pleased. He
stood up, patted his buttocks, and turned around to see an old
friend. It was Gong Dian, commander of the Imperial Guard.
Gong Dian caught sight of the look of appreciation on Fan
Xian's face and was getting ready to chat with him. To his
surprise, Fan Xian cupped his hands and bowed somewhat
grudgingly, made an apology, then leapt up onto his horse,
pressing his legs together, cracking his horsewhip, and
galloping away from the grand plaza outside the palace walls,
leaving behind a cloud of dust and nothing else.

Gong Dian was stunned. He and his subordinate guards

stared blankly at the cloud of dust in the distance. Although he
hadn't been expressly told not to leave the palace, Fan Xian was
perhaps the first official to have made such a swift getaway.

Autumn had yet to fully arrive. Fan Xian's business with the
Council had been sorted, and Gao Da and the other Tiger
Guards had all been relieved of their duties. He galloped along
the long street with the wind through his hair, and a little
while later, he finally arrived in the south of the city. The
sound of his horse's hooves echoed off the stone lions at the
entrance to Fan Manor.
 It was already dark. The lanterns had been lit outside the
various mansions of the wealthy nobles who lived along the
street. They were not particularly bright; only the ones outside
Fan Manor blazed brightly. The main gate opened, and the
guards standing outside the entrance turned their heads to
look. Inside, Lady Liu had gone about her parental duties,
ordering the serving-girls to make tea in anticipation of Fan
Xian's arrival.

The news of the diplomatic mission's arrival on the outskirts

of the city had long since reached Fan Manor. They thought it
best to stand on ceremony. They had squandered two days
before finally being able to enter the city, but the young lady of
the manor still said the same thing: "He will arrive today."
Everyone knew that Master Fan and Miss Lin were no ordinary
people. Since she had said Fan Xian would arrive today, he
would. So they all waited, exhausted.

They were still unaware of the news of his struggle with the
Great Prince. Otherwise, they would undoubtedly have been
rather worried.

"He's here, he's here." The sharp-eyed servants saw him

approach on horseback in the distance, and they rushed out to
the stone steps, forming two lines.

With a stomping of hooves, Fan Xian brought his horse to a

halt and vaulted down from it. He launched a soft kick at Teng
Zijing's buttocks as he waited to help him from the stirrups.
"You've broken your leg," he said, scolding him with a laugh.
"You don't need to take after the servants."

"Welcome back, young master," called the two lines of

servants.

Fan Xian smiled and said nothing. He climbed up two stone

steps, taking a hot towel from a servant girl to wipe his face,
and then took a sip from a warm cup of tea that he had been
offered. He knew that this was a necessary formality, and he
didn't think too much about it. Seeing all the familiar faces of
the servants and maids made him feel quite happy. Even Lady
Liu's smile as she stood by the doorway appeared different
from days gone past. It was more sincere than before.

"Your father is in his study," said Lady Liu, taking the towel
from his hand.
 Fan Xian nodded, then suddenly frowned and shook his head.
"Step..." he couldn't bring himself to say the word "mother". He
smiled. "I shall visit Ruoruo and Wan'er first, and then I shall
visit Father."

Lady Liu knew that she could not control the young man
with notions of filial piety, and so she had no other choice but
to nod her head.

Fan Xian entered the mansion door, but the ruddy-faced fatty
was the first to greet him. He couldn't help but turn pale with
fright, thinking of how he had not seen him in months, and
now the young bookkeeping child prodigy had grown as robust
as an iron tower. Yet he did not enquire after him, and simply
yelled at him: "We need to go over the accounts! There are
things I need to do!"

Fan Sizhe was stunned. He took a step back and scolded him.
"You seem in a good mood today. If you are going to ignore me,
then I don't feel like discussing matters of accounting with you
when you won't understand them anyway."
 Fan Xian was also stunned. He chuckled. For some reason, he
thought about the four princes that he had met outside the city
gates. He took something out of his breast pocket and gave it to
Sizhe, chiding him with a smile. "Accounting? It's all
meaningless to me. You should go enjoy yourself. We're grown
men; don't give me all this just because we've not seen each
other in so long."

"It's not like I feel like playing games with you anyway," Fan
Sizhe grumbled to himself, but as he stared blankly at Fan Xian
as he entered the rear of the house, he felt a slight uneasiness.

After Fan Xian had gotten married, he had gotten his own
house at the back of Fan Manor. The buildings were connected,
so it was one residence with two houses. He was fond of his
sister, and Wan'er and Ruoruo also got on well, so Ruoruo
spent much of her time in their house.

On the day that Fan Xian returned home, his father was,
naturally, in his study. But strangely, Wan'er and Ruoruo had
not come out to greet him. This was rather odd. It made Fan
Xian walk that much faster, and the servant girl beside him
was unable to keep up. "The young lady is still here, as is the
mistress," she said, panting for breath.
 Fan Xian frowned. The servant girl's words sounded rather
ominous. He didn't know who had taught her.

He gently pushed the door of his bedchamber only to find

that it had been locked from the inside. Fan Xian was
surprised. Unsure what to say, he called out, but nobody
answered. He was somewhat puzzled, and knocked harder on
the door. If it weren't for his respect for his wife, he would
have already knocked the door down. A moment later, the
servant-girl Sisi's uneasy voice came from inside the room.
"Master, the mistress is sleeping. Please don't knock."

Fan Xian's frown deepened. He wasn't sure what had

happened. He had travelled a thousand miles, and yet Wan'er
had closed the door, unwilling to see him.

He saw the dim lamplight coming from inside the door. He

said nothing, and waving his sleeves, he walked into another
room. This time he did not knock, but simply pushed the door
open and entered. The young woman in the room was
frightened. She stood up, and after seeing Fan Xian come into
the room, the look of indifferent vigilance on her face
gradually dissolved. There was a look of genuine happiness in
her eyes. She kneeled down and spoke in a quiet, joyful voice.
"Brother, you're back."

Fan Xian looked at Ruoruo, and his previous unhappiness

completely vanished. He smiled warmly. "I'm back, aren't you
glad to see me?"

Fan Ruoruo smiled and approached him, taking his sleeve

and leading him to a chair. "It's not been that long," she said.
"Did you want me to hoot and holler? Would that make you
happy?"

Fan Xian could only shake his head. "You've always been so
calm and collected. I couldn't bear to see that change."

Fan Ruoruo laughed. "If I change, am I still Ruoruo?" she

replied. She picked up a teacup as she spoke and carefully
handed it to her brother.

Fan Xian took it but did not immediately drink from it.
Instead, he looked at his sister's not-particularly-beautiful, but
completely relaxed face. For a moment, there was a strange
silence in the room, as the two siblings, both thoroughly
patient people, waited for the other to speak.

In the end, Fan Xian sighed, moved by his feelings toward his
sister. "Why bother with this? It's best to wait for my return
before sorting things out."

There was a momentary sadness in Ruoruo's eyes. She knew

her brother had already seen through her plans. "I intended to
wait until you came back so I could see you, so it was delayed
until today."

Fan Xian stood up, walked over to her bed, and pulled out a
package from underneath. From the wardrobe behind the bed,
he pulled out an unremarkable-looking box, and emptied it out
onto the table. A few banknotes fell out, along with a few
beaded hairpins and some silver coins which clanked as they
hit its surface. He frowned and looked at the objects on the
table. "Leaving home and taking all this stuff with you... It's
nowhere near enough."

Fan Ruoruo was silent for a moment, then withdrew a dagger

from her sleeve.
 Fan Xian was angry, pleased, and heartbroken all at once. He
looked at his sister. "You are a young woman with money.
What do you know of the hardships of this world? Even if you
don't want to get married, did you not think of the worry it
would cause father, running away so hastily like this? Or me?
Did you not think about how I would feel?"

Fan Ruoruo lowered her head, her hands grasping the corners
of her sleeves. She was silent for a long while before she finally
spoke. "When has father ever truly cared for me? And as for
you... have you forgotten? Ever since I was a child, you taught
me that I should make my own destiny, especially when it
comes to marriage. That I shouldn't just go along with what
my family arranges."

Fan Xian was struck dumb. In this world, the young women
of noble families never even had thoughts of challenging the
norm, let alone putting it into practice. Had his sister dared to
bravely, impulsively run away because of the tales he had told
her in her youth? Was it the morals of those stories - like the
story of Cousin Mei - that had awakened her awareness as a
woman?
 Uneasily, he tapped at the table, unsure what effect his past
actions might have had on his sister. After all, this world was
entirely different from that world, as were the ways of
thinking. Perhaps the dagger might hurt him. He suddenly
raised his head. "But it might not all be that bad," he said
gently. "You've never met Hongcheng. How do you know that
your marriage will be an unhappy one?"

Fan Ruoruo kept her head lowered, but her tone remained
guarded. "I've known the Crown Prince since I was young. I
know what he's like. I don't like him."

If anyone else had heard what she said, it might have scared
them half to death - the young lady of the prestigious Fan
family, outright stating what she thought of the matter. Fan
Xian's head was swimming, but he still tried to ease her
anxiety. "Nothing's set in stone. Just look at me and your
sister-in-law. That was an arranged marriage, and now we're
very happy together."

Fan Ruoruo suddenly looked up, a look of determined

dedication in her eyes. "Xian, not everyone can be as lucky as
you and Wan'er."
 Fan Xian was stunned. This was the first time he'd seen
disapproval in his sister's face. Ever since they were children,
whenever Ruoruo looked at him, it was always with a sense of
reverence and awe. This was the first time that Ruoruo had
expressed opposition to him, and he couldn't help but feel
shocked at how much his sister had changed.

After a long silence, Fan Xian's stiff facial expression

softened, and finally he began to laugh. It was a bright, happy
laugh that wasn't faked in the slightest. He felt a sense of
satisfaction - the silly little girl he'd once known had finally
grown up, and at last learned how to stick to her own point of
view.

"Ruoruo, do you trust me?" Fan Xian smiled at her with a

look of encouragement.

Fan Ruoruo hesitated for a moment, then gave the same quiet
and content smile that she'd given in those days, nodding her
head.

Fan Xian looked at the items on the table and shook his head
with a smile. "Since you trust me, don't mess about. I'll arrange
things properly."

Ever since she had learned of her impending marriage in the

palace, Fan Ruoruo had sunk into silence. She knew that her
own feelings were very much rebelling against custom, and
that disobeying a royal order could have dire consequences.
But ever since she was young, her brother had taught her with
his stories. He had planted a seed in her spirit, and although it
looked weak, it was the seed of strong-willed freedom. But she
could never talk of such ideas to anyone. Deep in her heart, she
feared that even her brother, who she trusted more than
anyone in the world, would oppose her decision.

Hearing Fan Xian's promise, the uneasiness that Fan Ruoruo

had felt for the past month faded with the autumn breeze, and
instantly disappeared. Her high-strung nerves that had been
building up for the past month suddenly relaxed. Her brother
had come back, and he would take care of things for her.

Some months had passed since the two siblings had parted,
and naturally there were things to discuss. But Fan Ruoruo
looked at him somewhat oddly. If her brother wasn't speaking
with their father in the study, then surely he should be with his
wife. Why would he run to her room? As she thought about it,
she couldn't help but stifle a laugh. "Xian, when you were
advising me before, you said that you and Wan'er were an
arranged marriage but now you're happy. Yet currently you are
distressed. Why?"

Fan Xian's heart skipped a beat. His sister and Wan'er were
good friends, so of course she would know why Wan'er had
shut her door and refused to come out. "What happened?" he
asked nervously.

Fan Ruoruo gave a rarely-seen mischievous smile. "I can't

help you with that. You'd best go see her yourself."

Fan Xian frowned. He was in the right; what did he need to

see her about? As he pondered, he heard the voice of a servant
girl. "Master, the mistress has awoken."

Fan Xian shook his head. He knew his wife had a short
temper, but Wan'er had always been a graceful and agreeable
woman. How could she not take things seriously? She knew he
had had an exhausting journey home. If she didn't come to
greet him, then fine. But how could she close the door on him?
 As he thought about it while he walked toward the bedroom,
he began to feel somewhat angry. But when he crossed the
threshold of the door and heard a verse come from the room,
the anger disappeared immediately, and was replaced by a look
of wonder.

The voice was clear and sweet. It wasn't Lin Wan'er's, but
someone else's. And the verse sounded extremely familiar.

"Does she not know? Does she not know? Their green leaves
should be blooming, the red flowers withered away."

Fan Xian looked embarrassed. The poem by Li Qingzhao that

he had used to get one over on Haitang was only known to the
Emperor and the Empress Dowager of Northern Qi, and
himself and Haitang. How could it have made its way south?

Cousin Mei is a character in Ba Jin's novel The Family. She marries, becomes a widow, falls ill,
and dies. The Family is a criticism of the Chinese feudal system.
Chapter 258: Absurdities in the Rear
House
Fan Xian made a fist and put it to his mouth to stifle a cough.
He walked up and pushed at the door, and this time it swung
open. He understood what had happened. Since he and his wife
were about to quarrel, there was no point in closing the
entrance to the arena of their argument. Even Fan Xian's
coughing had been intended to signal to his wife that he had
arrived, and there were matters to discuss in the bedroom.

Theirs was a world in which men were to be revered. Lin

Wan'er was of a more noble background that Fan Xian, but
since she had married into the Fan family, she was expected not
to voice her dissatisfaction so directly. But their meeting as
husband and wife was unlike that of any normal noble family.
Although Fan Xian could not free himself from the control of
his male hormones, on a psychological level, he thoroughly
respected women.

In the end, it was all Fan Xian's own fault. His sister was
planning to run away from home, and his wife was jealous. He
hadn't managed it all alone, but he had perhaps made it worse.
 "Master." The servant girl Sisi covered her mouth to hide her
smile as she greeted him. She took off his outer layer of
clothing and handed him a towel. Fan Xian waved a hand,
indicating that he had already cleansed himself. Looking at the
young woman's sinister smile, he couldn't help but sigh to
himself. Of course it wasn't just limited to Ruoruo and Wan'er.
Even the servant girl whom he had grown up with, whom he
had loved regardless of their different stations, now mocked
his valor as she looked upon the scene of their domestic drama.

Lin Wan'er was lying on the bed, covered by a light quilt

pulled up to her chest. Her black hair cascaded loosely down to
her shoulders, and she looked as if she had just woken up. Her
big eyes looked around the room, looking curiously and
happily at her returning husband, greeting him without any of
the anger that Fan Xian had expected. She stuck up her delicate
nose and groaned slightly. "My lord, I did not come to greet
you. Please do not take offense."

Fan Xian saw her teeth behind her lips, white as rice and
delicate as porcelain. He smiled and sat by her bedside. He
explained nothing, concealed nothing, and said nothing. He
placed a hand under the cover, taking her slightly cold hand
and squeezing it. In their many months apart, he had missed
the touch of her soft, dainty hands.
 At that point, Sisi was still in the room, and Lin Wan'er felt
rather bashful. With a sideways glance, Fan Xian saw that Sisi
was pretending to tidy up the medicine box on the table, and
yet her eyes were still looking in their direction. He couldn't
help but smile as he scolded her. "This woman does spoil you,
doesn't she? And she's not afraid of needles. Hurry up and get
going, will you?"

Sisi laughed, bowed to her master and mistress, and left the
room, closing the door behind her. By chance, she happened
upon Siqi, who was bringing a tray of food back from the front
house to serve to Wan'er. She hurried to block her from
entering. Siqi was a servant-girl who had followed Wan'er to
Fan Manor when she married. She was of the same position as
Sisi, and the two of them got on well. Seeing her block the
path, she immediately understood what the master and
mistress were doing, and couldn't help but give a wry smile.
Then she looked down at the food she was holding. "The young
master has just returned home, surely he'll want something to
eat."

Sisi laughed. "Those just look like snacks to stave off hunger.
Aren't they making a proper dinner in the front house?
Besides... the young master has something else to eat."
 Siqi thought the comment rather coquettish, especially as it
involved her mistress. It wasn't the sort of joke a servant
should make. She glared at Sisi, harrumphed, and set down her
tray of food in the neighboring wing of the house.

Sisi was somewhat stunned. Then she realized the

frivolousness of her words, stuck out her tongue, and followed
after her. A little while later, after a moment of silence in the
side room, there was the sound of quiet giggling. The two
servant girls had reconciled.

On the big bed, beneath the large blanket, Fan Xian stuck out
his hand and untied the hair tied up on top of his head. At
home, he liked to wear it tied behind his head, leaving it free.
His mouth felt a little dry, and he took a sip from the teacup on
the bedside table. He thought for a moment, and then raised it
to Wan'er's lips, giving it to her to drink.

Wan'er gave him a gentle glance. Her cheeks flushed as she

sipped the tea. She seemed to rouse from a daze, and she
bashfully and angrily bit him on the left arm. "What's made
you so impatient? It's nearly nighttime and you've let the
servants guess what you're doing. How can you do such
things?"
 Fan Xian snickered and turned to embrace his wife. His
fingers traced along the soft skin of her upper arm, and he felt
thoroughly content. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder,
and we've been apart for so long. Who would begrudge us a
little tenderness?" He looked around and carried on his teasing.
"Besides, if I weren't so impatient, perhaps you might begin to
suspect what I was up to outside."

Hearing this, Lin Wan'er remembered that she had intended

to argue with her husband today. How could she let him in so
easily? It was if he had swindled his way in, leaving her
hypnotized, forgetting what she had even wanted to say to
him. Perhaps he had some sort of enchanting power. As she
thought about it, she felt somewhat ashamed and embarrassed.
She lightly hammered at him with her fist. "Don't think you
can make me forget. I was going to ask you what that verse was
supposed to mean."

Fan Xian licked his dry lips. His elegant face matched this
expression quite well; there was nothing obscene about it.
Instead, there was a slightly sinister air to it. He had always
been active when it came to marriage. He didn't pay attention
to what Wan'er might be thinking. They could go to bed first,
and talk later. After an act of intimacy, women would always
cling to their men, the ache in their heart quieted for a while.
But he knew that this matter would eventually come to a head,
so he took the initiative to bring it up. "How could you not let
me in? I've a mind to spank your bottom!"

Lin Wan'er leaned against his chest. "Spank me if you like.

You only bully me anyway."

"How can you say that?" said Fan Xian, laughing. "Are you
angry at me because I didn't bring you a chicken wing all the
way back from Northern Qi?"

Lin Wan'er got up, half-crouching on the bed. She undid her
clothing, revealing her bare shoulders. She stared at Fan Xian,
and after a moment of silence, she spoke. "I wasn't happy
before."

Even if the women of this world were jealous, it is unlikely

that any of them would be so open about it as Lin Wan'er. So
Fan Xian was at something of a loss, unsure of how to respond
for a moment. He could only choose his words carefully.
"What have you got to drink vinegar about? That verse was
just something I wrote, but it's not what you think it is."
 "What do you mean 'drink vinegar'?" Lin Wan'er didn't
understand what he meant.

Fan Xian then finally remembered that this world didn't have
the story of Lady Fang drinking vinegar in a suicide attempt to
demonstrate her sincerity. He laughed and told her the story,
but pretended that it was something he had read by a writer
from long ago.

After Lin Wan'er heard the tale, she sighed at Madam Fang's
strong will. But she also felt that the tale had been made up by
her husband, perhaps written just so he could tell it to her; she
couldn't help but feel rather angry. "I'm not the kind of angry
person who wants to control you completely. Sisi and Siqi
always want to come in here. You don't need to tell me stories."

Fan Xian knew that his wife had gotten the wrong idea. He
laughed. "If you don't want to control me, then you're not
going about it the right way." Lin Wan'er, after all, had grown
up in the palace, and didn't much understand the hidden
affection in her husband's words. "If you're not jealous, then
why didn't you let me come in before?"
 Lin Wan'er was still half-kneeling on the bed. She puffed out
her cheeks and was quiet for a moment before she spoke. "Did
you not know that that verse has already spread through the
land? Everybody in the capital knows it. The immortal of
poetry said he would never compose again, and then he leaves
for Northern Qi and breaks his vow for a woman."

"It's just one verse. If you want to hear it, then I'll write one
for you every day," Fan Xian beamed.

"Just one verse?" said Lin Wan'er quietly. "I hear that in
Shangjing you walked around with that Haitang woman every
day, sitting together and drinking with her, wandering the
streets on rainy nights. It has become quite the story."

Fan Xian felt embittered. He knew that the Emperor of

Northern Qi must have spread this news, and as it spread from
person to the next, it would make Lin Wan'er feel rather
uncomfortable. He was getting ready to explain when she
interrupted him. "Tell me, my husband... this Haitang, what is
she like?"
 Fan Xian was taken aback. Of course, he could not praise
Haitang to the heavens. But for some unknown reason, he
didn't want to lie to his wife either, and say that Haitang had
not a single redeeming feature - even though every man will lie
to his wife on their bed without shame. He thought for a
moment before he spoke. "Haitang is the last disciple of Ku He,
grandmaster of Northern Qi. She is a favorite of the Emperor
and has great stature within the palace. Since our diplomatic
mission was undertaken for the benefit of the Kingdom of
Qing, then it is only natural that I should form a friendship
with such a person."

Lin Wan'er shook her head and sighed. "Haitang had no such
reputation in the south, but now everyone knows of her
position in the north. This woman... does her status allow her
to become a concubine?"

Fan Xian was shocked. This question had come out of the
blue. Lin Wan'er sighed. "I presume that a woman like that has
her sights set high. If you weren't the kind of man you were,
then she wouldn't pay you any notice. But her status makes it
difficult to arrange things in the future. I am angry with you
because you never think of the consequences of your actions,
and you can't help but make trouble."
 Fan Xian laughed. "I'm really not looking to make her my
concubine. What consequences? Wan'er, don't be silly."

Lin Wan'er was rather shocked. For some reason, she began
to feel a sort of sympathy for Haitang. "So you were planning
to have your fun with her and then spurn her?" she scolded.

Fan Xian waved a hand dismissively, stifling a laugh. "There

was no fun, and there was no spurning!"

Lin Wan'er gazed at him suspiciously. "Really?" she asked.

"Then why did you write her poetry to flirt with her?"

"Flirt?" Fan Xian was dumbfounded. He thought for a

moment, then told his wife everything that had been arranged
before leaving the capital, and all of the goings-on in
Shangjing. Then he shook his head. "Haitang is a highly
accomplished fighter. Save for the four grandmasters, it's
possible that she might be one of the strongest people in the
world. As I was going to come into contact with her, it was
only natural that I had to prepare my weapons."
 Lin Wan'er frowned. "Are you telling me the truth?"

"I am," replied Fan Xian, laughing. "When two countries are
in conflict, then psychological warfare is paramount."

Some time passed between them. Then Lin Wan'er finally

sighed. "Dear... you are shameless indeed."

Having dealt with one domestic disagreement, Fan Xian

thought for a moment, and then told her about his struggle
with the Great Prince to enter the city first. He knew that
Wan'er had grown up in the palace, and had more of a right to
speak on palace matters such as these than he did. So after they
were married, he had slowly gotten used to discussing his own
plans with her.

As she heard him tell the story, she frowned. She came to the
same conclusion as Yan Bingyun - that Fan Xian hadn't needed
to offend the Great Prince so, and had really done more than
was required. Fan Xian couldn't explain his own secret worries
to his wife. All he could do was laugh gently. "Wan'er, you
don't care about why I did such a thing. Just tell me, do you
think this will make the palace believe that the Great Prince
and I will become enemies?"

Lin Wan'er looked at him and smiled. "It's hard to say."

Fan Xian was rather stunned. "Why?"

Lin Wan'er sighed once more. "There's something you've been

doing wrong all this time. In the eyes of the bureaucracy and of
the people, the Overwatch Council is a sinister and shadowy
organization. The officials of the Six Ministries all secretly
curse you behind your backs, but it's not that everyone hates
the Council... like the military, or the Bureau of Military
Affairs, or the western armies. They all have good relations
with the Overwatch Council."

Fan Xian immediately understood what she meant. For an

army to march and to do battle, intelligence and logistics were
most important, and the Overwatch Council's network of spies
stretched across the land. They provided the utmost support to
the military, allowing them to minimize casualties, and so it
was only natural that the military liked the Overwatch
Council. He frowned. "That's one thing, but the Great Prince
wanted to return to the capital and show off his military
power. The opinion of the military is no great influence upon
him."

Lin Wan'er didn't understand why he absolutely had to let the

palace believe that he wasn't on good terms with all three
princes at the same time. She sighed. "There's something else.
Perhaps you've forgotten; of the three princes, the one that I
am closest to... is the Great Prince. Even if it's just for my sake,
he can't hold a grudge against you."

Fan Xian laughed bitterly. He knew that when Wan'er was

young, she had spent much of her time in the palace with the
concubine Ning the Talented, and it was only natural that she
was closest to the Great Prince. But when he was thinking it
over, intentionally or otherwise, he had overlooked their
connection.

Or perhaps, deep down, he hadn't wanted to associate his

wife with the Great Prince.

Lin Wan'er knew that Fan Xian was worried about

something. "I think you worry too much, dear. I know you're
concerned about His Majesty's health, but he has many more
years left to live."

Fan Xian sighed and clutched her to his chest. "He who gives
no thought to faraway problems soon finds suffering nearby.
From the atmosphere in the capital on my return, I can tell
that the Crown Prince and the Great Prince will not be willing
to let me take over the palace treasury next year."

"What happened to the idea I gave you last year in the Cang
Mountains?" Lin Wan'er was no longer like a 16-year-old girl.
She was more like an accomplished advisor now. After all, she
was the daughter of the Eldest Princess, and such things can be
passed on from generation to generation, so Fan Xian had
always trusted her suggestions. But he had never agreed with
the suggestion she made in the Cang Mountains.

He lowered his head slightly, and spoke slowly yet resolutely.

"Requesting the transfer of power is, by reason, the most
appropriate thing to do. A young official such as myself, in
control of both the Overwatch Council and the palace treasury.
The Emperor's favor weighs heavily upon me indeed. My power
really is too great. I can't let this happen... but Wan'er, I can't
let go of the palace treasury."
 Although Wan'er did not know exactly why her husband
could not relinquish his control over the treasury, as his wife,
she could only quietly support him. She nodded. "I
understand."

"Since I can't let go of the palace treasury," continued Fan

Xian, "then I can't let go of the Overwatch Council either."

If the palace treasury were a pile of gold, then the Overwatch

Council was the army protecting that pile. If he only had the
treasury, then Fan Xian would be left exposed and completely
insecure, waiting to be recklessly humiliated by the people in
the palace.

Lin Wan'er sighed and shook her head. "It's difficult for you."
She suddenly looked him in the eye. "Are you confident?"

Fan Xian smiled and patted her cheek. "I won't say that I'm
happy, but I've always been arrogant. Even narcissistic. You
know that as well as I do."
 Lin Wan'er smiled and suddenly kissed him on the lips. "I
still have another way."

Fan Xian was intrigued. "What?"

There was a glint in Lin Wan'er's eye. He couldn't tell what

she was thinking. "Bring Haitang here as your concubine!"

Fan Xian was shocked. His wife was no ordinary woman.

"Haitang is an upper ninth-level fighter. You said that she

might well end up becoming a grandmaster one day. If we were
to have a grandmaster in our house, and one with the strength
of Ku He behind her, then even the princes wouldn't dare do
anything against us. Even the Emperor would try to win you
over. Look at Ye Zhong and his family. There's only Ye Liuyun,
and yet they've moved unhindered through the bureaucracy
for over a decade without a single defeat..."

Fan Xian knew that she was right. If he were to take Haitang
as a concubine, then it would be seen by all as a great badge of
honor. But he didn't know whether his wife was merely testing
him one more time. So he laughed sinisterly. "But... Haitang
really isn't much to look at."

Lin Wan'er was stunned for a moment. "You cad!" she

admonished him.

Fan Xian laughed. Then he thought about what Lin Wan'er

had said about the Ye family - Ye Zhong was commander of the
city garrison, and Ye Ling'er was soon to marry the Second
Prince. What did the Emperor think of all this? Or the
grandmaster? If the situation proceeded as it was supposed to,
as Fan Xian saw it, perhaps the palace had no worries about Ye
Liuyun at all.

He frowned. "When I wasn't in the capital, did Ye Zhong

resign from his post in the garrison?"

Lin Wan'er shook her head.

Fan Xian sighed. "Has your mother sent a letter?" By

"mother", he meant the Eldest Princess in Xinyang. He knew
that Wan'er had no feelings for the woman, but it felt best to
him to be respectful in her presence.

Lin Wan'er shook her head again, her face expressionless. Fan
Xian felt pity. He gently stroked her brow. "How's your health?
I was focusing on all the other stuff before, and I didn't even
ask about the most important thing. Forgive me."

Lin Wan'er smiled. "Master Fei came to see me often. He's

been giving me pills to keep my strength up. I feel quite well."

Fan Xian nodded. "It seems that our stay in the Cang
Mountains did you good. This year, when winter comes, we'll
all go stay there as a family. It's a pity that we didn't even bathe
in the hot springs last year."

Their voices got quieter as they whispered sweet nothings

and hummed love songs to each other. The noise of the serving
girl's anxious yell coming from outside took them by surprise.
"Master! Mistress! Dinner is served. His Lordship asks that you
make haste."
 Fan Xian gave a strange yelp, threw off the covers, and
immediately began to get dressed. He had been preparing to
only spend a little while in the rear house before going on to
give his salutations to his father. He hadn't expected to get so
comfortable. He had completely forgotten that his father was
waiting in the study. When he thought of his father's strict,
solemn face, Fan Xian could imagine his anger. Fan Xian had
travelled a thousand miles home, and instead of first paying his
respects to his parents, he had gone to cavort with his wife. It
was shockingly unfilial.

Wan'er reproached him as she also pulled on her clothes. Sisi

and Siqi stood guard outside the door. Listening outside, they
entered to help their master and mistress get dressed quicker.
Following their servants carrying a lantern, pretending as if
nothing had happened, they entered the front house.

In the great hall, the servant girls waited quietly to one side.
Fan Jian, Count Sinan, Minister of Revenue, sat in the middle
of the hall. Lady Liu, his former concubine, had already been
made his wife, but she was still standing by his side, arranging
his cup and his chopsticks, as was the custom. Fan Ruoruo sat
on his left, looking pensive. Fan Sizhe sat at the other end of
the table, his hands hidden as he toyed with the object Fan Xian
had given him before.
 Seeing Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er enter, Ruoruo stood up. Fan
Sizhe hurriedly hid the object inside his sleeve, and bowed
toward them alongside his sister. Count Sinan did not look at
Fan Xian, but nodded at Lin Wan'er. His daughter-in-law's
status was such that he could not ignore her.

Great families have many rules and customs, but Count

Sinan was busy with official business, so he rarely ate dinner at
home. Today, Fan Xian had returned, so it was a more formal
occasion than usual. There was not a single sound at the table.
After they all finished eating, Count Sinan finally looked at his
son. His voice was calm. "You are to be made a baron."

In the story, Emperor Taizong of Tang offers his Prime Minister Fang Xuanling several
concubines. He refuses on account of his wife's jealousy. The Emperor then summons his wife,
telling her that if she refuses to let them enter their home, then she will have to drink poison. He
expects her to back down, but she drinks the liquid, only to find that it is vinegar. Thus, in
Chinese, "drinking vinegar" is used to mean jealousy.
Fan Xian quotes Ma Su, a general in the Three Kingdoms period under Zhuge Liang.
Fan Xian quotes from the Analects of Confucius.
Chapter 259: The Ninth Month
The First Baron, second-rank.

Fan Xian had been calculating the importance and presence

that the position of baron would grant him. As he mulled it
over, the alarming thought that others may criticize his all-
too-sudden rise amongst the ranks of the city broached his
mind. Perhaps needlessly, this made Fan Xian cautious and
wary of the prospect. His time as ambassador to the northern
Qi Kingdom was nothing entirely perilous, but it still
accounted for tiresome work. In the early spring, there had
been an assemblage with the Emperor. With little regard for
the reputation of the sufferers of his transgression, the
Emperor had Prime Minister Lin and Assistant-Minister Fan
forcibly removed from their positions and exiled from the
capital. The aftermath of these events resulted in Fan Jian
becoming Minister of Revenue. Perhaps, then, if Fan Xian was
to become a baron, others would presume it was
reimbursement for Fan Manor.

Moreover, ever since Fan Xian and the envoy had returned to
the capital, everybody seemed to be aware that the Emperor in
the palace greatly admired Fan Xian. In part, this was due to
Fan Xian’s literary talent and profound wisdom, but this
admiration increased with his return of the carriage that
possessed the ancient and legendary books from the northern
Qi Kingdom. The Emperor had long desired to rule his
kingdom with gentle virtue and thoughtful deliberations; he
was not one for iron enforcement and violence. For Fan Xian’s
acquisition of such a bounty, the Emperor now sought to
reward him.

The position that Fan Xian currently possessed was nothing

compared to that of being a baron. If he were to be knighted, it
would have been an elevation of class and for the added
influence it would also impart, such a boon would be beneficial
for the matters Fan Xian wished to personally pursue in the
future. He looked upon his father before him, and asked,
"When is the decree coming?"

As it was, Fan Jian and his son, Fan Xian, were in the study
of Fan Manor, and they had been in deep discussion for a long
time. Fan Xian had relayed to his father the many events that
transpired during his time in the northern Qi Kingdom, but
only what he was permitted to divulge. There were certain
things he could not mention, for obvious reasons. Whenever
their dialogue approached the concerns of the Overwatch
Council, Minister Fan insisted on skipping over it, lest there be
awkward stalling between them.
 Fan Xian grew up in Danzhou, but he rarely spoke to his
father following his arrival in the capital. Whenever they did
speak, it was always in the study, where it was quiet and there
were no interruptions. It could be surmised that their
relationship wasn’t particularly deep, but as he looked upon
his father’s graying hair, his thoughts drifted to the northern
Qi Kingdom’s fading memory of its heroes of legend, and Fan
Xian couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.

Chen Pingping was correct; Count Sinan did not owe Fan
Xian anything, but Fan Xian owed him a lot.

"If you go to the palace tomorrow, there may be a decree."

Minister Fan closed his eyes and took a sip of the juice that
Lady Liu made each night. It was a drink he enjoyed a lot. "You
did well in the north. Director Chen notified his superiors to
how well you performed there, and the Emperor was much
pleased."

Fan Xian’s mind continued to wander over his trip to the

northern Qi Kingdom. Aside from tending to sensitive matters
of his own, he did not actually do anything for the
government. Securing and returning Yan Bingyun home was
accomplished entirely by coincidence, also; there was no hard
work involved. With the presence of a wry smile, he said,
"Actually, on the return trip home, I did not do anything."

"Sometimes, to do nothing is the best that can be done."

Saying this, Minister Fan opened his eyes.

To hear this, Fan Xian was surprised. He had thought that his
father would tell him off, especially considering his
confrontation with the Great Prince outside the capital. He
didn’t make mention of it at all, actually; he skirted it entirely
and shifted the conversation to another subject. "I told you
many times; do not get too close and involved with the
Overwatch Council. I can’t believe you did not listen to me in
the first place, and that you were tricked into that treacherous
organization by that old dog Chen Pingping."

Minister Fan was visibly upset when talking about this. "Just
peacefully, and without trouble, work in the palace treasury.
Such an opportunity would not come easily for other people."

With another wry smile, Fan Xian said, "I would have liked
to. But you know the problem. That woman in Xinyang would
not let that go so easily. She is the one who started this. If I did
not commit to the Overwatch Council, how could I have
possibly hoped to contend with her?"

Minister Fan sighed, thinking that perhaps he did indeed

misjudge the matter. He never thought that the Eldest Princess
would possess such a strong reaction. He waved his hand and
told him, "She is the Empress’ sister; the Dowager’s most
favored daughter, and Wan Er’s mother. But all that is in the
past; you should let it go."

Fan Xian earnestly believed in what his father told him, but
he did not believe his father was one to accept such an affront
and bear it without retribution. Fan Xian knew full well of his
father’s loyalty to the kingdom, so much so that it prevented
him from attending to all of his familial duties. But this was
not without want; he would still do what he could for his
family if he was able. The reason Minister Fan had been so
vehemently against Fan Xian’s integration with the Overwatch
Council was because he could not stand for his son to be thrust
into political struggles, espionage and other such ugly business
that was done in the shadows.

If he were to work for the palace treasury, money would be at

the forefront of all his deeds there. Working for the council, in
any of its many capacities, political intrigue could not be
avoided. While they both had their connections, this was not
something his father was aware of in the beginning. But
whatever the case may be, Fan Xian was forever appreciative to
Count Sinan, and so he said, "Do not worry about it, father. I
will be careful."

Minister Fan was satisfied with his response and so he

replied, "Only those who are truly strong can afford to display
weakness. The losers are already weak, and they cannot feign
weakness, for that is what they inherently are. Think about
this, my son."

Fan Xian understood the meaning behind his father’s words

and smiled. Then another matter of discussion popped up in
his mind, and so he asked, "Father, after I return to the palace,
will I be allowed to have Gao Da and the other seven Tiger
Guards follow me around?"

Minister Fan looked upon his son and his stern eyes dissolved
into a soft and caring appearance. He said, "You know I am
only training the Tiger Guards on behalf of the palace. They
still dictate where the Tiger Guards may go and whom they
may accompany. If you seek to maintain those Tiger Guards in
your company, I can go speak to the palace officials on your
behalf. I do not expect the Emperor to permit it, however."

With yet another wry smile, Fan Xian acknowledged his

yearning for the company of Gao Da and the others. Having a
few elite guards around him, he felt that his safety was
guaranteed. Upon the plains of Wuduhe, even Haitang had not
been able to anything. The strength and dexterity that they
possessed, in comparison to the swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau
of the Overwatch Council, was of a whole other league. Even
though he had direct command of Qinian's unit, the group of
Overwatch Council soldiers trained by Wang Qinian, they only
excelled in spying and other such espionage tactics. They were
in no way comparable in their skills with the blade.

Fan Xian understood that the Tiger Guards were traditionally

reserved for the protection of the monarchy. Like the western
army, they were few, and they were for ensuring the Great
Prince’s protection. Rarely did the Emperor send them
alongside to guard others, but in most such cases, the persons
they were sent to protect were people on special missions of
some importance to the palace. For example, when Fan Xian’s
father-in-law, Prime Minister Lin, was relieved of his duties,
the Emperor sent alongside him four of the Tiger Guards to
ensure his safe return home. This was a public display, in
adoration of his services to the kingdom. After their task was
done, they would return to the capital and take refuge in
houses that looked inconspicuous.

The reason why Fan Xian knew so much was because his
father was previously in command of such duties for the
Emperor. The envoy had already returned to the capital and if
the Tiger Guards had still followed Fan Xian, to the
acknowledgement of the monarchy, there would have been
much distress.

Minister Fan noticed that his son’s facial expression was one
of much pity, and so he laughed. He thought to himself that
Fan Xian was exactly like his mother; a person who was truly
special, more so than anyone else. He was still quite a young
man, however, and so he could not help but remind him,
saying, "Whilst you were away on your travels, there was a
man named Shi Chanli who frequently visited the manor. He
was a scholar and I managed to see him a few times. He looked
to be a person of profound wisdom, but the way he carried
himself was to suggest otherwise. He hid it well."

Fan Xian was surprised and immediately understood. His

father knew that Fan Xian had decided not to leave the
Overwatch Council and start a new career within politics, and
so he resolved to impart advice and help him as best as he may.
Fan Xian, after all, was held in high regard by many, and even
his father-in-law, Prime Minister Lin, had made efforts to
ensure that others in the government would look out for Fan
Xian. As good as this was, he still wanted to secure positions
for the people he had already come to know and trust, to whom
he could talk freely.

He acknowledged what his father was thinking, and he was

touched. But because he was a man, he was unable to express
his emotions and so instead Fan Xian took a deep bow before
his father.

Minister Fan waved his hand and departed, making for his
bedroom. Fan Xian remained and thought about his sister’s
marriage. There was no need to tell anyone so soon, for it was
something they could slowly arrange by themselves. Softly,
Fan Xian then also left the study and went to his bedroom.

Seeing Fan Xian exit the study, walking straight, Minister

Fan was filled with an overwhelming sense of relief. He
thought to himself, "To have a son such as this; what more
could a man ask for?" Without haste, he drank his last sip of
juice from the bowl, comfortable in the knowledge that his
child had found his way and purpose, and knew full well what
he wanted to do in this life. But in regards to his son’s
personality, as long as he did not say anything, everything
would be fine. The future of the Fan family and lineage was
entirely upon Fan Xian.

Minister Fan now held great admiration for Prime Minister

Lin, who had already withdrawn from the absolute center of
power within the Qing Kingdom’s government. He thought to
himself that the old fox had gotten quite lucky. Minister Fan
was made to give up so many things in his life, as he toiled and
worked to his absolute limit for the kingdom. All the Prime
Minister had to do was conceive a daughter.

The ninth month was generally quite plain and boring; it

was a month where trouble never typically stirred.

Fan Xian was sitting in a carriage, leaning against the

window frame, humming the melody of a song nobody else
was sure to have ever heard before. Entering the palace was a
matter of grand importance to most who came this way, but
Fan Xian thought otherwise - he was bored. When he returned
to the capital, he conceived an idea alongside his father-in-law,
believing that inside the government or outside the capital,
nothing could wrought trouble. He wanted to enter the palace
and accept the position of baron so he could then resolve the
issues regarding the Overwatch Council. He also thought to
then revisit the Cang Mountains and practice his cliff-jumping
ability once more.

The melody-coinciding rhythm of the fingers he repeatedly

tapped against the window frame came to a stop. His mind
drifted to the thought of his sister’s marriage. He then thought
of Li Hongcheng’s request of hosting a feast upon the Liujing
River, for the welcoming of his return, and his face quickly
donned a most terrible scowl. I never thought my life could be
this wretched.

Today was Sunday, and in the morning, many chancellors

had gathered right outside the palace. Earlier this year, certain
rumors had circulated that spoke of chancellors expressing
their gratitude to the Emperor. They began changing their
uniform in the middle of the night, attempting to arrive at the
palace before dawn, so that they could hear the palace’s doors
open. This was due to the fact that when the chancellors were
to retire, they could no longer hear this noise and they would
miss it dearly.
 Nowadays, the Emperor was here at this time and the most
forlorn suck-ups were there, also. Therefore, the chancellors
made sure to not arrive too early, but not too late, either.
Whose idea it was, nobody knew, but someone had booked a
few tables in the restaurant nearby the palace so that the
chancellors could gather there, bide their time, and depart at
the most opportune moment.

The Commissioner of the Overwatch Council had no

manners, except for the mystique person who had already been
forgotten. Fan Xian was the only Commissioner to have existed
since the formation of the kingdom, so he was still considered
a fourth-ranked member of the Imperial College. If it was not
at the Emperor’s behest, he would not have been allowed to
visit the palace. As such, he did not have to adhere to the strict
dress code and dress up in a fashion that would have
undoubtedly taken a very long time to equip. Therefore, Fan
Xian set off for the palace in the early morning, with little
concern for what was to occur during his visit. By the time he
arrived at the gate, however, he was much later than the
others.

The more fame one was to receive, the more jealousy would
be directed their way. This had been especially true for a young
man who had only entered the capital a year and a half ago,
and had ascended the ranks in the way which Fan Xian had.
This young man had also been prone to humiliating the other
officers, and in some cases, had gone and brought complete
ruin and devastation to their reputations. He had gotten one
minister exiled, and he had even killed another. But now, with
a boorish yawn, all could see that young, handsome
Commissioner for the Overwatch Council disembark his
carriage.

Fan Xian took a look around and felt that the atmosphere had
been tinged with a feeling of unease. All the chancellors were
ministers hailing from various departments and commanders
of different temples about the kingdom, each being of at least
the second-rank. Even their wives were well-known, and their
houses had each assuredly been showered with gifts given by
the emperor. In comparison, Fan Xian was just a young man
showing up to work late. If he had not received the support of
his father and Chen Pingping, it would not have been long
before the people in front of him began yelling at his presence.

They all knew they weren’t allowed to openly complain, but

that didn’t mean they were going to make things easy for him.
They all looked upon him coldly, before turning away in
disgust. Amidst the chancellors present, there were a few who
had been trained by Lin Ruofu himself and now they were
mulling the idea of approaching Fan Xian. But seeing the
fervent antipathy of their peers, they ultimately decided not
to. All they did was impart upon Fan Xian a friendly look from
afar.

From the amount of hateful stares he was receiving, Fan Xian

began to feel uncomfortable, but he still kept his calm. With
remarkable grace, he approached each and every chancellor he
could see, and greeted them politely. As he did this, someone
coughed behind him to notify him of his father’s arrival. The
reasons for Minister Fan being late on this day were unknown,
as were the reasons he did not travel to the palace alongside his
son. Fan Xian quickened his pace to the carriage and carefully
aided his father get out.

Minister Fan looked at him and shook his head before saying,
"I’m not that old yet."

Fan Xian laughed and understood that his overt politeness

was a little too much, particularly from the quick frown his
father gave him. On this day, however, the chancellors could
immediately recognize that Minister Fan was in a delightful
mood, for he did not let go of Fan Xian’s hand as he led his son
forward.
 As Minister Fan walked with his son toward the other
chancellors, they had to quickly mask their feelings of
discontent, especially when it came to the direct greeting of
each other. After a while, Minister Fan took a polite hold of
Fan Xian’s arm and guided him around the entire area to ensure
he could put the names to the faces and properly recognize
each and every chancellor that was present. As Fan Xian
greeted them each amiably, the chancellors began to feel a little
more at ease, seeing the young clown before them laugh as he
did so. The chancellors that personally followed Mister Lin
made sure to passionately greet Fan Xian, also. They made
particular note of how well Fan Xian was performing, as well,
given his relatively young age.

Still, there were a few chancellors lurking upon the fringes of

their encounter that continued to display no motivation for
putting aside their pre-conceived ill sentiments regarding Fan
Xian and of getting to know him properly. They persisted with
their cold and emotionless greetings. After all, who within the
Qing Kingdom’s government was not aware of Fan Xian’s near-
constant projected deception? The manner in which he would
always appear to be polite and generous with others, with a
self-wrought facade that sought only to advance his own
selfish ambitions was rather well known by now.
 The eldest minister, and the one who possessed the highest
reputation, hailed from the Ministry of Appointments. He
approached both Fan Xian and his father and groaned, saying
"Ever since this country began, back when the Kingdom of Wei
was in power, the inclusion of both a father and son in court at
the same time – like you and your son – was a rare occurrence,
indeed. Your self-assuredness comes as no surprise."

Fan Jian started laughing. "Thank you for the compliment. I

thank the Emperor also, for allowing such a thing." As he said
this, it was as if he did not acknowledge that the eldest
minister was in fact taunting them. Fan Xian understood what
was happening, but he thought that it was been he remained
silent.

As this occurred, three eunuchs now approached them from

the palace. The fellow in the middle could clearly be seen as a
person of a higher-rank, and as they drew closer, he greeted
them with a gentle wave of his staff and bid them, "Please, do
come in."

All the chancellors hushed their chatter and quickly tidied

their garments before advancing to the palace. Perhaps it was
because they were familiar with the proceedings in the palace
and had seen them many times before, but they did not care to
look at the sentries of pike-wielding royal guardsmen outside
the palace building, nor the sword-wielding bodyguards that
resided within. As they passed by the eunuchs, they puffed
their chests in a prideful display.

This was the first time Fan Xian had ever visited the Royal
Court, but it was not considered appropriate for him to walk
alongside his father and it was because of this that he walked
at the back of the collective alongside the eunuchs. Eunuch
Hou was leading the group. At a time like this, of course, Fan
Xian didn’t dare to say a word toward him. Instead, he simply
smiled to display his genuine appreciation.

A while later, Hou San'er mulled something over in his mind.

He questioned to himself as to how he could believe that Fan
Xian was a true ally in which he could place his trust. The
resolution that brought an end to his worries was when he
caught sight of Fan Xian’s smile, which looked as real and as
earnest as could be. The other chancellors, who were only
polite and graceful to the eunuchs when they provided a
service that aided them dearly, often feigned their smiles to the
eunuchs, and Hou San'er knew this.
 As it was Fan Xian’s first time in the Royal Court, he was
quite nervous. He now found himself standing at the back of
the line, quite a distance from the throne. Thankfully, his
zhenqi allowed him to hear all that was said, and it was
particularly important that he heard every word the Emperor
spoke. He knew it was only a matter of time before the
Emperor drew attention to Fan Xian specifically, but that did
not prevent his idle observations of the hall he was now in.

Even though he had entered the palace grounds a few times

before, it was mostly out of everybody’s way, chatting up the
girls and going for long walks with Chen’er. Taiji Palace was
the primary building of the Royal Palace, but he had only ever
been able to view it from afar. He had never once been granted
the opportunity to stand beneath its roof before today and
now, as he stood there, he thought it far grander than he could
have possibly imagined. The pillars were each adorned with
intricate carvings of dragons and a pleasant fragrance
permeated the air. There was even a copper-plated carving of a
crane on both sides of the hall. But as his minded drifted to the
thoughts of the northern Qi Kingdom palace’s nature-themed
decor, he thought it was slightly underwhelming by
comparison.

As he stood there in the hall, another feeling encroached

upon him - and that was of power. The throne’s position at the
forefront of the hall was slightly elevated above all else, and
every time the chancellors looked upon it, their hearts were
filled with awe.

But their feelings weren’t explicitly regarding the throne, as

they were more about the middle-aged man who was sat upon
it. Even though his palace was not as pretty as the northern Qi
Kingdom’s, and the food was not as good as the food provided
at Dongyi City, everyone knew that this man was most likely
the most powerful man on earth.

The topic of discussion for the Royal Court today was in

regards to the envoy and the Great Prince, but not of their
dispute over who was to enter the capital first. Even though the
Censor of the Imperial Censorate wished to write of those
events, it was impossible for them to do so on a day such as
this. It was not that they would be unable to chronicle the
proceedings of that day in one night. It would merely look
hasty and unkempt before the Emperor; something which
would displease him greatly.

The subject of discussion was regarding the western army,

and where its displaced soldiers were to reside following their
deployment and return from the war. The need to present
rewards and create medals and titles to showcase their bravery
was also a concern that would need to be deliberated. Even
though the Great Prince had been already been announced as
the Emperor-to-be, there were a hundred-thousand more
soldiers in need of a place to settle down. The suggestion for a
debate about these issues came from the Bureau of Military
Affairs, and no chancellor could even dream of objecting a
matter that came from such an organization. The Emperor
sought to rule the kingdom with compassion and great love for
the people, but against this, the history of the Qing Kingdom
dictates that it was a kingdom founded through war and force,
and this was why their military presence was so large. Nobody
would want to displease the army with these sensitive issues.

In regards to the envoy, following the report that surmised

their journey, Honglu Temple, on behalf of the Qi Kingdom,
had delivered an updated codex that detailed the nation’s size,
and the borders that defined what was known as the northern
Qi Kingdom. As the Emperor looked at the revised map of their
kingdom, he took notice of the Qing Kingdom’s borders
widening in the wake of these changes. And from a calm and
still expression, came a fount of relief and delight at the
revelation.

As was customary for them, the chancellors each and all

expressed their "heartfelt congratulations" to the Emperor
upon hearing the news. Even the high-ranking officers of the
Bureau of Military Affairs stroked their beards and projected
their happiness. This expanse of the Qing Kingdom’s borders
was a result of the western army’s sacrifices across their years
of battle.

As this was happening, a few of the chancellors took notice

that during the discussion, the officers from Honglu Temple,
Xin Qiwu, Fan Xian, and the Fourth Bureau of the Overwatch
Council played an influential role in these changes. The three
in question knew full well of their deeds, but with humble
modesty, they did not speak a word of them.

Fan Xian looked at the chancellors who were now truly

happy, in full earnestness, and brought to himself a smile of
his own. After all, he did indeed play a part. He was thinking
also that if it wasn’t for the Eldest Princess selling out Yan
Bingyun, the Qing Kingdom would have received even more of
a benefit. But the Eldest Princess did also want Xiao En to
return to the northern Qi Kingdom and incite a civil war. It
was quite the play. Between those two moves, it was the
difference between a short-term benefit and a long-term
benefit.
 The most powerful middle-aged man – the Emperor – had joy
in his heart, and it was of such a profound amount that even
he had trouble holding it in. With his absolute strength, he
managed to maintain his composure and upon doing so, placed
his elbow upon the throne’s arm and nestled his face within the
palm of his hand. As he listened to the chatter of the
chancellors’ repeated congratulations, he looked upon his
audience and noticed the presence of a particular young man
bearing the most heart-warming of smiles. Upon seeing this, it
elevated the happiness within his heart even further.

The Emperor gestured to his eunuch transcriber and his

fellow assistant who held the edict open for him, and with his
sharp voice, the eunuch began reading aloud what had been
written upon the parchment. The resolving of the issue of the
rewards being gifted to the soldiers would have to be delayed a
few days, due to the copious amount of men there were.
Furthermore, they would have to consult the Great Prince and
General of the army. The edict being read out now, instead,
spoke of the rewards that were to be gifted to the members of
the envoy.

All who were now in the hall were silent. Everybody knew
that when the envoy returned, the giving of gifts was to be a
routine affair and as such, the chancellors had little interest in
such a doing. They only perked their ears at the hearing of Fan
Xian’s name.

"…First Baron, second-rank."

All the chancellors were relieved, for they thought the

Emperor made the right call. No matter their relationship with
the Fan family, not a single chancellor would have liked to
have seen Fan Xian manage to become a baron at such a young
age. Certain chancellors viewed the issue from separate angles
and such, but this general sentiment was shared between them
all.

Xin Qiwu and Fan Xian were already upon their knees in the
hall, graciously thanking the Emperor. As the chancellors’
listened to the usual sentence of, "If there is further business
that need be brought to light, speak now. Else, you may all
depart," the Emperor gently added, "A few of you will remain."

The Emperor looked about the hall and then gazed at the few
high-ranked officers who were near the throne. After Lin Ruofu
left his position as Prime Minister, the court was unable to find
a suitable replacement at such a short notice. Therefore, for all
of the government’s business, it was headed by leading
scholars and ministers. After the convergence, it was
customary for the Emperor to remain a while and talk. Today,
however, the Crown Prince and the Great Prince were in the
hall, and they were of the few who were asked to remain. The
chancellors didn’t believe anything to be amiss and so they all
exited the hall in an orderly fashion.

As they were leaving, the chancellors heard a sentence that

filled them each with spiteful envy.

"Fan Xian, you remain, as well."

Chapter 260: Sky above the Carriage,
Bean Sprouts in the Palace
The officials took their leave, passing by Fan Xian with
strange expressions. Fan Xian was also a bit uneasy. He knew
what the upcoming talk with His Majesty would be like. Even
with his status as the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council,
there was no guarantee his presence wouldn’t be unexpected.
After all, he was way too young—but things had already
reached this point, so there wasn’t much else he could do. He
followed behind some elderly officials to the back of the
palace.

They didn’t walk for too long. A few turns later, they arrived
at a side hall which wasn’t exactly spacious. On the left were
wooden shelves each as tall as a man, filled with books.
Judging by the setup, Fan Xian supposed this was the
legendary Imperial Library. He smiled, probably thinking
about the Qing dynasty-themed TV shows he had often
watched in his previous life.

The emperor had already taken off his dragon robe and
changed into a sky-blue shirt. On his waist was a jade belt.
Overall it was a casual getup. He sat, slightly leaning on the
short couch and set up some tea cups. With a casual wave of
his hand, some eunuchs hurried to bring seven cushioned
stools. The seven elderly officials gave their thanks and took
their seats.

The Crown Prince and Great Prince stood with great

discipline next to the emperor. While they didn’t have seats,
based on their expressions, one could tell this was customary.

There were seven stools for the seven elderly officials.

However, there was also a younger, eighth official. The
eunuchs probably were unsure, having never seen Fan Xian
before, and didn’t know if he was simply a low-ranked official
who was summoned here for questioning, or some esteemed
guest.

Fan Xian alone stood out, both figuratively and literally. But
his father didn’t even look at him. Laughing at himself, Fan
Xian moved back from his already inconspicuous spot.

The Crown Prince noticed his small movement and smiled at

him. Fan Xian could only dare to respond with his gaze. During
the process, he happened to witness the Great Prince yawning
behind the emperor. Having just returned to the capital
yesterday, the Great Prince probably drank too much and was
tired as a result.

Not counting the encounter in the tea shop, today was the
closest Fan Xian had ever gotten to the emperor. Fan Xian
raised his head slightly and rapidly scanned what was in front
of him. He dared not to let his gaze linger, as it would be
incredibly rude.

Despite how briefly he looked, Fan Xian was able to see the
emperor’s face clearly. He was almost stunned by the emperor’s
returning gaze!

The emperor did not take offense. Fan Xian knew he got
lucky and showed it on his face, although he wasn’t afraid in
the slightest. A short while later, the Second Prince, who had
been reading with the Third Prince in Xingqing Palace, were
also invited over by a eunuch. He was still holding the Third
Prince’s hand as they entered the Imperial Library. Seeing the
brothers getting along, the emperor nodded in satisfaction.
Although the Crown Prince was smiling, he was probably
cursing away on the inside.
 "Bring a seat for Fan Xian." After the four princes had all
lined up, the emperor appeared to just notice Fan Xian was
standing.

Fan Xian was slightly surprised. "I dare not." With his rank,
getting into the Imperial Library was already an exception;
how dare he sit when the four princes were standing? The
elderly officials also subtly expressed their discontent. Each of
them had earned their seats after serving for at least twenty
years; how could this Fan brat be given a seat the first time he
came?!

The Crown Prince looked at the officials and said to the

emperor respectfully, "Lord Father, Fan Xian is still young. His
body is much sturdier than those elderly officials’. Seeing as he
is so afraid, he should remain standing."

That was said very reasonably; both Fan Xian and the
officials were thankful.

The Great Prince chimed in, "Lord Father, I recall when you
let my brothers and I listen to the officials discuss national
matters, we were required to stand, because in the future we
would have to aid the Crown Prince during his rule. It was like
listening to a lecture. As students we must conduct ourselves
as such…" He didn’t finish, but his meaning was clear. Fan Xian
was too young and had too few achievements; there was no
reason for the princes to treat him as a teacher.

The elderly officials also shook their heads—the seats may

look ordinary, but the implications they held were anything
but. If Fan Xian were to really receive a seat, the news would
spread all over the capital in no time.

Fan Xian was about to take advantage of the situation. He

was ready to decline the seat. But the emperor’s indifferent
gaze had him slightly shaken, causing him to force down his
words.

The emperor looked at his subjects and then looked at his

straightforward but impatient eldest son, and said, "Of course,
Fan Xian does not deserve this seat… But today, he must sit.
Not to be rewarded for his efforts, but for what he
accomplished."
 The others didn’t understand. But since His Majesty spoke,
no one said anything. The emperor looked at his sons and said
softly, "If you bring back a cartload of Zhuang Mohan’s books,
I shall let you sit too!"

Everyone knew what that carriage stood for, but they still
felt the emperor was being a bit paranoid when it came to an
empty literary reputation. Of course, there was no way for
them to object.

The emperor knew what they were thinking and said coldly,
"Don’t think this only involves academicians. What are
academicians? You, my subjects, are all academicians. Political
and martial achievements—I do not lack the latter, but the
former… It’s easy to conquer land, but to rule over people’s
hearts is exceptionally difficult. Sharp blades and swift horses
are not enough to accomplish that."

The Great Prince showed disagreement on his face, but he

dared not to interrupt.

The emperor continued, "You can obtain territory on

horseback, but you cannot rule from on top of a horse.
Literature may appear to lack substance, but it involves all the
scholars of the world. Three times I have fought Wei into
chaos, and in that chaos, some managed to rise up, gather
together a large number of talented men, and form today’s
Northern Qi in only several years. They stopped us from
advancing north… What did they rely on? They relied on the
proper place that was in the hearts of their scholars! Our order
is promulgated by scholars… Shu Wu, Yan Xingshu! You are
both subjects of Qing, and yet back then you took Northern
Wei’s examinations. Why?

Scholar Shu and Director Yan quickly stood up in fear.

The emperor shook his hand. "All the scholars are like this,
and the distasteful practice continues today. I do not blame
you, nor should you doubt yourselves. I only want to tell you
there is much benefit to be gained from unifying the scholars.
Able ministers are abundant, and they can gain an advantage
in public discourse." He looked at his eldest son, "I know what
you are thinking. But if there is less resistance before you set
off, resulting in you losing less men, do you not want that?"

The Great Prince was silent.

 The emperor then said coldly, "With that cartload of old
books, I could gather more traveling scholars and preserve the
lives of many soldiers. Is it still wrong for me to award Fan
Xian this seat?"

Everyone felt something was off, His Majesty seemed to be

intentionally showing the world that he favors Fan Xian. Also,
how come Minister Fan didn’t take the seat for his son? On the
other hand, the entirety of Qing was born from warfare. Its
civilians held an overwhelming enthusiasm and sense of being
predestined toward the possibility of their nation ruling the
world. Since His Majesty just connected Fan Xian bringing
back books with world domination, no one dared to object.
They all stood up to praise the emperor for his wisdom.

A carriage directly connected to the world? Fan Xian thanked

the emperor and sat down with extreme calm. On the inside,
however, he was smiling uneasily, not knowing why the old
emperor had to put him in the spotlight so much.

The red cloth unraveled, exposing a vast map which had

recently been renewed. The yellow territory of Qing was
expanding northeast ceaselessly. Other than some barren
wastelands, Qing had already taken over the surrounding
regions. While Northern Qi was still a colossus, even it
appeared weak and bloated in front of the ferocious beast
known as Qing. Northern Qi was also a young nation, but it
didn’t only inherit the vast territory of the former great Wei; it
also inherited Wei’s decaying political structure and general
conduct.

Looking at the map, listening to the discussions around him,

sitting in the center of Qing’s power, Fan Xian for the first time
felt Qing’s relentless demeanor and wild ambition. He couldn’t
help but let out a sign. After all, Northern Qi was still
powerful, and with their emperor’s and Hai Tang’s wish, an
all-out war would only make the common people suffer yet
again. It would take years for them to recover.

Fan Xian was no teary-eyed pacifist, but he had no interest in

warfare either.

As the emperor discussed national affairs with the officials,

Fan Xian occasionally picked out something about raising the
river embankments, or the amount of tribute coming in each
year from the various vassal states. Fan Xian had no clue what
those were about, and naturally he wouldn’t interject. Even if
he had something to say, he wouldn’t say it while sitting on
this hot seat.

Gradually, he became forgotten in a corner. Blanking out at

the newly changed map, Fan Xian sighed.

Suddenly, his ears picked up a word—palace treasury! He

frowned slightly and became alert. As he expected, the emperor
had summoned him here not simply to award him with a seat.

"As you all know, although the palace treasury is named as

such, it is closely linked with many crucial and vulnerable
parts," The emperor said hatefully, "The treasury in recent
years is an embarrassment. In the third year of the new
calendar, the southern rivers needed to be dredged. On top of
that, the cold weather was approaching from the north. I sent
out the order asking the treasury to distribute some silver, only
to find out that… the Guanghui Treasury was unable to!"

The Guanghui Treasury was one of the ten divisions within

the palace treasury that stored banknotes. Actual gold and
silver had to be stored in Chengyun Treasury. The emperor
seemed to be getting angry at the wrong target. But regardless,
both treasury divisions were joint-managed by the Eldest
Princess and the Treasury. Although the Treasury had not
dared to act on its own in the past decade, Fan Jian still stood
up to beg forgiveness.

The emperor waved his hand and didn’t even look at Fan
Jian. "The new establishment died without cause, but I am
willing to work on the palace treasury. I ask not to return to
the prosperity of over a decade ago, but at the least, the Court
could get some money each year."

The emperor did not raise his voice, nor did he intensify his
tone, but the prestige of his words was more than enough to
silence everyone else. He then said, "My sister returned to
Xinyang. I need place an official in charge of this matter. If any
of you have any candidates to recommend, report to me."

The officials and the princes present all knew this was simply
a formality; the entire capital knew His Majesty wanted Fan
Xian to take the role, which was why he was using today to
give Fan Xian a push. The emperor also seemed to want to
make his intentions clear so that there wouldn’t be any
objections.
 Those present also knew the situation of the palace treasury
was not as disastrous as the emperor had described. Every year,
the goods shipped up north earned a significant amount of
silver. If it weren’t for the very secretive support from the
treasury, Qing would not have gotten the monetary resources it
needed to expand its territory. Suddenly, there were many who
were jealous of the Fan household.

But considering how upset His Majesty was, regardless of

who would take over the palace treasury, they would sure to
get a headache over turning a profit each year.

Thinking about this, the feelings of jealousy lessened

significantly. Even so, no one wanted to recommend Fan Xian
—it was a matter of dignity and also economy. As difficult as it
was to manage the palace treasury, the one in charge would
definitely gain plenty of benefits each year. Those officials also
received significant rewards from Xinyang on a yearly basis, so
they knew what was going on.

No one spoke. Because of his position, not even Fan Jian

brought up his son. For the moment there was an awkward
silence. The emperor only raised his teacup and took a small
sip; no one noticed the coldness in his eyes.
 "I recommend…"

"I recommend…"

To everyone’s surprise, the silence was broken by two people

simultaneously. It was the Crown Prince and Second Prince
who spoke. Things should get interesting from here.

The emperor nodded. "Speak."

The Second Prince looked at the Crown Prince and smiled,

"Since the Crown Prince has a good candidate in mind, I’m
more than happy to listen."

The emperor looked at him without saying anything.

Seeing that the Second Prince offered to back down, the

Crown Prince, being the master of the east palace and the
future Emperor of Qing, took the opportunity. Saluting the
emperor, he said, "Lord Father, I recommend Fan Xian."
 All those present were well aware that the east palace wasted
no effort trying to win Fan Xian over. Therefore, the Crown
Prince’s recommendation was understandable. Unexpectedly,
however, the emperor did not respond immediately; instead,
he asked the Second Prince, "And you?"

The Second Prince smiled, "I was also planning to

recommend… Fan Xian, Sir Fan."

It was still quiet. The emperor scanned Fan Xian with a

meaningful gaze. Fan Xian, without any changes in his
expression, prepared to stand up and respond, but the emperor
did not grant him the chance to do so. His Majesty said
blandly, "Since you two both agreed on Fan Xian, then so be it.
The arrangements shall be made after autumn. There’s no need
to inform each county."

And so, the decision was made. Even though it had been
determined when Fan Xian married Lin Wan’er a year ago, the
decision was officially passed and recorded today. There would
be no changing it. The fact that the father and son of the Fan
household controlled the national and palace treasuries,
respectively, made others feel strange. There were no other
households in the capital that received such favor from the
emperor. Seeing that both princes also backed Fan Xian, the
Fan household would most likely continue to climb even
higher in the future.

Fan Jian and Fan Xian stood up to express their gratitude.

The emperor didn’t pay them much attention and said, "With
that decided, why did both of you pick Fan Xian?"

The Crown Prince thought about it for a moment, "It was

only a crude thought of mine. With Minister Fan being so
efficient at managing the nation’s revenue, Fan Xian should
naturally have some talent in it as well."

The Second Prince smiled. "I thought the same. Plus, because
it involves gold and silver, there needs to be someone with a
clean background. Forgive my insolence, but there is too much
corruption within the current political circle. While there are
honest and upright officials elsewhere, young Sir Fan has
considerable talent and knowledge in many other areas. For
that reason, I believe it would be suitable for him to manage
the palace treasury."
 "Oh?" The emperor’s expression did not change. He asked,
"That was barely persuasive. Are there other reasons?"

The two princes looked at each other and felt puzzled. Could
the emperor be testing them? The bow had already been drawn
back; the arrow must be launched, and the Crown Prince
struggled to find another reason. "My brother is absolutely
correct. There’s also the fact that the palace treasury has
always been under the jurisdiction of the Overwatch Council.
Sir Fan is already the Council commissioner, so that would
make things easier."

The youngest prince felt his legs were getting tired, and being
too young to understand the matters being discussed only
worsened his focus. Strangely, out of nowhere, he said with a
childish chuckle, "Brother, from what you just said, wouldn’t
this Fan Xian be investigating himself?"

Being only a child meant he could talk a bit more bluntly.

However, pointing out this hole in logic still made the Crown
Prince embarrassed.
 Fortunately, the Second Prince spoke up, "Lord Father, I also
couldn’t think of anything else to say."

The emperor only said blandly, "Nothing else? Then why

recommend him?"

The emperor was all over the place; even though he clearly
wanted Fan Xian, he was still giving his sons a hard time.
Those who were watching could not figure out what His
Majesty was thinking and could only keep their mouths shut in
order to prevent unnecessary trouble.

Since this was all about him, Fan Xian felt more and more
uncomfortable sitting there. Then, the Second Prince spoke
somewhat hesitantly, "Actually… there’s another reason. It’s
because… because I’m on good terms with Sir Fan."

His Majesty quietly looked at his two sons. Moments later,

he began to laugh. "You may list as many reasons as you could
come up with, but that one is enough… What is the palace
treasury? It is the treasury of the royal family. If Fan Xian were
to take charge of it, naturally he needs to get close to the royal
family. Since he has been to Taichang Temple, he is close
enough."

Enough indeed, as Fan Xian was still a Prince Consort after

all, as both the Crown Prince and Second Prince often called
him brother-in-law. The Crown Prince sighed, impressed by his
brother while at the same time blaming himself for not being
quick enough to think of the answer.

Due to the army’s return and setting of the borders, today’s

discussions took longer than usual. It was now time for lunch.
The emperor ordered the eunuchs to prepare food and asked
the various officials and princes to stay to eat. Despite eating
the Imperial kitchen’s cooking for the first time, Fan Xian did
not feel anything out of the ordinary; it was merely some
vegetables with fish and chicken. He felt even more
comfortable after realizing eating with the emperor wasn’t as
much of an ordeal as he had imagined. He didn’t even need to
kowtow before eating.

What the two princes had said earlier, Fan Xian heard it all
and knew he couldn’t avoid the responsibility. When he looked
at the emperor again, Fan Xian felt a chill and a sense of
caution—the emperor’s favor was based on some absurd fact,
but he didn’t believe a ruler would easily bestow something
such as affection.

Fan Xian wasn’t easy to control. He would kneel, he would

endure, he would listen; but when things started to threaten
his baseline, he would reach towards his left shin with a smile.
Then, he would not kneel, endure, or listen; he would only say
"screw it all".

After serving the emperor as he ate, the princes went to the

side halls to eat. Presently, the emperor was casually chatting
with the elderly officials. Naturally, there would be no talk of
serious national business as they ate. They talked about which
household had the best well water for brewing tea, which
region produced watermelons the size of boulders, and so on.
Occasionally, they mentioned news from other parts of the
world and inadvertently brought up the passing of Zhuang
Mohan. Everyone’s voice took on a dejected tone, since they all
had at least read Master Zhuang works.

In any case, this lunch was more relaxing than eating back at
home. Fan Xian was hungry, so he didn’t really listen to the
chatter. As he picked up a long beansprout with his chopsticks
and was ready to put it into his mouth, His Majesty suddenly
said, "Fan Xian, come here."

Fan Xian froze slightly for and instant. He then put down his
chopsticks. Reluctantly parting from his beansprout, Fan Xian
put on a bright smile and quickly walked over to the emperor.
Looking at the thin but very charismatic face before him, Fan
Xian raised his hands and saluted.

The elderly officials didn’t know why His Majesty had called
Fan Xian over, so they all listened. The emperor looked at Fan
Xian with a smile and said, "Do you still remember what I told
you in the tea house that day?"

Fan Xian wasn’t expecting His Majesty to bring up that

coincidental encounter in front of all the officials here. He
smiled and replied, "I did not know it was Your Majesty, and
even clashed with the palace commander. I deserve ten
thousand deaths for my insolence."

The Director of the Board of Civil Office stroked his beard

and said, "Ah, so Your Majesty has met young Sir Fan before
outside the palace."
 The emperor of Qing was quite intimidating when discussing
serious matters, but now he appeared as gentle as could be. The
emperor chuckled and recounted the events on that day. Fan
Jian was shaken by the absurdity and could only beg His
Majesty to forgive Fan Xian. The elderly officials were
chattering among themselves, having realized why the emperor
liked Fan Xian so much; that brat was way too lucky. At the
same time, they were curious as to what His Majesty promised
Fan Xian.

"I said I would arrange an excellent marriage for your

younger sister," The emperor looked at Fan Xian with an
extremely gentle gaze which held a hint of self-esteem a ruler
shouldn’t even have. "Now that Miss Fan had been arranged to
Prince Jing, what do you think of the marriage?"

Fan Xian felt only extreme bitterness in his heart, but on his
face, there was only the expression of emotional gratitude as
he and his father thanked the emperor. After recovering from
their initial surprise, the elderly officials started to add in their
praises.

They were being a bit loud, and the princes eating in the next
hall heard them. The Great Prince frowned while the Crown
Prince smiled, believing himself to be even wiser for
influencing the Fan household. The Crown Prince
intentionally looked at the Second Prince, only to discover
there was no change in the Second Prince’s expression. The
Second Prince was unhurried as usual—even chewing his food
strangely slowly. The Crown Prince couldn’t help but silently
curse the act.

Back at where the emperor was, there were waves of cheer

and laughter. No one knew the agony Fan Xian was feeling
inside.

And when Fan Xian left the palace under the remaining
daylight and saw that prince riding along the new street, he felt
even more troubled. Prince Jing Li Hongcheng came over,
overjoyed, and Fan Xian went to greet him with a face which
appeared to be happy about this reunion; his true emotions
were nowhere to be seen.

Then sun went down. It was night.

Chapter 261: Leaving the Palace to be
Lords
In a corner of a public square outside the palace, on a street
connected to Xinjiekou, going along the length of the street,
one could catch a faint glimpse of a bashful crescent moon
hanging in the dusky twilight sky. Li Hongcheng dismounted
his horse and casually waved his hand. Sizing up the beautiful,
effeminate friend who stood before him, he couldn't help but
smile. "That's quite the blush you have on your face. It's an
incredible color. I presume you have made quite significant
gains today."

Fan Xian laughed in response. "We've not seen each other in

many months, and your first words are to mock me. The great
Crown Prince Jing, the fifth-ranked, rich playboy of the
capital. Why would you make life difficult for me when it's
already hard enough as it is?" Among the younger generation,
Li Hongcheng was naturally afforded the greatest respect. Fan
Xian had deliberately pointed out that he was fifth rank. If this
were any normal friendship, it would inevitably appear
frivolous. But between the two of them, this was a sign of
affection.
 Li Hongcheng was a little surprised. Fan Xian had always
been so reticent to provoke him, and had always hidden a deep
humility within his gentle smile. Why this change of
temperament today? He recalled something, and presuming
that he now understood, he laughed heartily. "Your life is hard
too? His Majesty favors you greatly. He even bid you to stay
behind after the royal court meeting. The city's officials would
be chomping at the bit to undergo such hardship."

Fan Xian waved a dismissive hand and said nothing. Teng

Zijing, who had been waiting outside the palace, had already
come up to greet him, but seeing that his young master was
talking with the Crown Prince, he was reluctant to interject.
"Young master," he said hurriedly, "your father said previously
that I was to accompany you."

Li Hongcheng smiled. "Is that so? Does Fan Jian worry that I
will entice his son into heavy drinking?"

"Follow me, then," said Fan Xian.

As they talked, the carriage from Fan Manor rolled forward.

Li Hongcheng had his attendants bring forth his horse. He
turned his head to look behind. "Are you still only happy to sit
in a carriage? Will you not ride on horseback?" he asked
curiously.

"If we're not pressed for time, then why ride a horse?" asked
Fan Xian.

Li Hongcheng couldn't help but shake his head and sigh. "If
the people of the capital didn't know that you were both a
talented scholar and a fighter, then they might well look down
on you, presuming you were just a puny bookworm." In the
Kingdom of Qing's martial tradition, young people saw
horsemanship as a mark of glory. Fan Xian did not choose to do
so. When there was a carriage available, he refused to ride on
horseback. News of this strange trait of his had spread
throughout the capital.

Fan Xian scolded him with a laugh, then climbed into the
carriage. "Horse-riding is a pain in the buttocks."

The Prince's attendants had surrounded them, and combined

with the attendants from Fan Manor, they formed a group of a
few dozen men, protecting the Prince on horseback and the
unremarkable black carriage as they travelled eastward along
the street.

There was no curfew to speak of in the capital. Though night

had already fallen, there was still quite a number of people
walking the streets. Seeing this eye-catching squad, catching a
clear glimpse of the valiant young man on horseback, and then
seeing the insignia upon the carriage, they realized the
identities of these two men. The people of the city all knew
that the diplomatic mission had returned. Since he was
travelling with Crown Prince Jing, they presumed that the
person inside the carriage was the illustrious illegitimate son
of Fan Manor, Master Fan. They couldn't help but stop and
stare, brazenly calling out to the carriage: "Master Fan! The
immortal of poetry!"

News of last year's events in the palace hall banquet had long
been on the lips of the common people of the city, and the news
of Zhuang Mohan's bequeathal of his books, intentionally
assisted by the Eighth Bureau of the Overwatch Council, had
also become common knowledge. Fan Xian's standing had
improved further. The verses now spreading through the land -
"do they not know? do they not know?" proved that he had
once again picked up his pen. Now the common people knew
that young Master Fan had been cavorting in broad daylight
with a female disciple of Ku He in front of countless young
nobles of the north. When they thought of it, their passions
were further aroused. It was even more brilliant than Zhuang
Mohan's leaving his books to Fan Xian. Did you see? Lady
Haitang, who you treat as a holy woman, was nothing more
than a delicate flower waiting to be picked by our young
Master Fan!

Fan Xian had become a source of great pride for the common
people of the capital. Of course, they were also a source of
pride for him. As he travelled along the road, people came out
to wish him well. Many of them were scholars, as well as a few
blushing maidens coming to express their adoration.

Young Master Fan had won over the hearts of the people.
Everyone had involuntarily overlooked Crown Prince Jing,
even though he was the highest young lord in the city. But
Crown Prince Jing didn't seem displeased in the slightest.
Instead, he smiled happily. It seemed like the reverence that
Fan Xian was receiving was his honor too.

Hearing the sounds of discussion and well-wishing coming

from outside the carriage, logically, one would presume that
even if Fan Xian were not to pull back the curtains of the
carriage and wave regally, at the very least, he would have a
satisfied smile upon his face. But no one could have imagined
the grudging bitterness in his smile.

The reception that the Crown Prince had arranged was at

Yishi Tavern, the restaurant where Fan Xian had once let forth
his critique of moral character upon first arriving in the city. It
was considered to be quite an extravagant establishment, but it
wasn't a particularly quiet place, and wasn't exactly the
greatest restaurant in the whole city. Fan Xian couldn't help
but wonder why exactly Li Honcheng had chosen this place,
but he had no particular objection to it.

Once he had dismounted the carriage, he found that Yishi

Tavern was unexpectedly quiet. There were only a handful of
people on the street in front of it; the usually-bustling
restaurant was peaceful. If it weren't for the brightly-lit
lanterns inside the place, he would have suspected that the
restaurant's business had collapsed in the few months he had
been away.

Seeing the note of puzzlement in Fan Xian's eyes, Li

Hongcheng thought it best to explain things. He smiled. "This
was all my doing."
 Fan Xian laughed bitterly. "Even if you are the great Crown
Prince, this is far too great a display of power. So many of the
city's nobles and officials come to Yishi Tavern every day, and
yet you've caused them quite some inconvenience just to invite
me to dinner. Perhaps you will arouse their ire and their
gossip. If you wanted it to be quiet, then we could have gone to
the west side of the city. Even if it's just that you like their
food, then you could have just booked a single floor. Booking
out an entire restaurant just for two people is really rather
ostentatious. If news of this reaches the palace, I'm not sure
they'll be too happy either."

Li Hongcheng saw that his words were sincere, and for a

moment, he said nothing. He felt quite moved. "What is there
to fear?" he asked with a smile. "It's quite likely that everyone
already knows. My father likes to grow flowers, and I like to
pick them. I have always been hasty in my actions. I can never
escape the label of 'idle prince'. What does it matter?"

Fan Xian knew that this all came as a part of his status. He
laughed and shook his head. "You're soon to be married, and
yet you don't know how to exercise moderation."
 Hearing him talk of marriage, there was a faint look of mirth
on Li Hongcheng's face, though he was slightly embarrassed by
the subject. "You're no miser yourself. You've got quite some
power behind you, and on top of that there's the young lady
you married... let me speak plainly with you. In the palace and
in our residences, we as the younger generation must observe a
degree of decorum. But once we've left our palaces and manors,
we are lords. Let people talk!"

They were impetuous, outrageous and arrogant words, but

coming from the mouth of Li Hongcheng, there was nothing
provocative about them.

Fan Xian had taken his fair share of liberties at the palace
himself. He laughed and followed him in. There was a sign
that read "Yishi Tavern" in fine, gold-lettered calligraphy. Li
Hongcheng stopped and pointed at it. "Do you remember where
we first met?" he asked.

"It was right here," said Fan Xian with a smile.

"Correct. But within the space of only a year, you have gone
from someone who criticized the moral character of our so-
called 'talented scholars' to the most well-known talent in all
the land." Li Hongcheng couldn't help but shake his head and
laugh. "If you could have imagined the great Zhuang Mohan
bequeathing his works to you upon his passing, would you still
have scolded those scholars as you did then?"

Fan Xian thought back to that encounter a year ago and

sighed with emotion. "When a year begins, no one knows how
it may end. I don't care if you laugh at me. At the time, I had
just entered the city, and I was an illegitimate son with not a
scrap of knowledge or experience. It's only natural that I was
full of discontent."

Li Hongcheng smiled at him. He knew the reason why his

young friend had changed so much within a year. The
Emperor's favor, the tacit protection of Minister Fan, and a
strong marriage - these were all great factors. But for someone
so young to become a Commissioner of the Overwatch Council
and be granted a seat in the Imperial Library without having
any talent at all was completely unthinkable. What was more,
the Banxianzhai Poetry Anthology and his various endeavors
were all the proof the world needed of his talent.
 As for being a Commissioner of the Overwatch Council, the
nobles of the capital had never linked Chen Pingping with Fan
Xian. They simply presumed it was the Emperor's will, and
that scoundrel Chen Pingping had simply complied with a
royal decree.

"Even though you always try to drag me out to cavort along

Liujing River, I've never relied on my talent to hoodwink
pitiful young women." Fan Xian looked at the somewhat
stumped Li Honcheng and laughed, patting him on the
shoulder. "So as for those damnable scholars, I'd scold them all
the same."

As he saw it, Haitang had been hoodwinked by his poetry,

but she wasn't a pitiful young woman at all.

The two of them stood in front of Yishi Tavern, reminiscing

about old times and getting emotional. The staff inside the
restaurant were rather nervous. Although they didn't know
how the restaurant's owner had convinced the Crown Prince to
hold the reception here. If young Master Fan's first meal out
since returning to the capital was to be at Yishi Tavern, then
the restaurant's reputation would grow considerably. Perhaps
rich scholars would come from the south one day to eat here,
bringing their shiny coins with them? Although Yishi Tavern
already had quite a good reputation, when it came to fame,
power, and money, who could say no?

Luckily they didn't have to worry for too long. Li Hongcheng

and Fan Xian had already strolled arm-in-arm into the
restaurant. Behind them, two guards from the prince's
mansion followed behind, standing guard outside the entrance
to the building. The attendants tending to the carriage from
Fan Manor joined the other servants.

With a creek, the door to Yishi Tavern closed. This was

perhaps the first time in the thirty years since its founding that
it had done so.

As the doors closed, Li Hongcheng seemed to look

unthinkingly behind him, and noticed a number of secret
agents in plain clothes stationed in key points in the
restaurant. He was well aware that they were men from the
Overwatch Council, there to protect Fan Xian, but even he
wasn't sure which bureau they had come from. The Crown
Prince sighed. "You still say that I'm arrogant. Look at all the
people from the Council who stand guard for you while you
eat. And you had the Tiger Guards as your bodyguards went
you went on your diplomatic mission. When it comes to
arrogance, I'm nothing compared to you."

The two of them had ascended to the third floor. They

separated the sliding screen doors, and a small round table
stood there laid with a number of fine cold appetizers. Fan Xian
chose not to stand on ceremony, and sat down on a stool to
explain things to him. "The Tiger Guards were there to protect
the mission, and now that I'm back in the capital they're no
longer with me. As for the Council..." he laughed bitterly.
"After the incident at Niulan Street, do you think the Council
would be happy to let me walk around the capital by myself?"

Hearing this, Li Honcheng became rather angry. "You don't

think at all. You quietly exercise your power as Commissioner
of the Overwatch Council. Look at how nervous the Council
was after the Niulan Street incident. I presume that at that
point you already were... If it weren't for the fracas at the
Ministry of Justice, I'd still be completely in the dark."

At the time of the Niulan Street attack, Fan Xian was still yet
to give his famous poetic performance before the Emperor.
Both the Crown Prince and the Second Prince were secretly
trying to find out just why the Emperor trusted Fan Xian so
much.

Fan Xian explained nothing. He wiped his hands with a hot

towel and began to drink his wine. He said nothing for a while.
He had forgotten the taste of the city's wine. Li Hongcheng
laughed bitterly, knowing that he wouldn't explain anything to
him.

Not long after, a waiter came and laid dishes upon the table.
Knowing that the Crown Prince and Master Fan had much to
discuss, the staff knew that the two guests would tactfully say
little in their presence. After he left, Fan Xian took up his
chopsticks and began to pick at a plate of fish belly. He
smacked his lips and took a gulp of wine, clearly enjoying it
very much.

Li Hongcheng looked him up and down and laughed.

"They've put down a fine bear paw but you make a beeline for
the fish instead."

"I like bear paw and I like fish," blurted out Fan Xian. "If I
can't have both, then I'll gladly choose fish over bear paw."
 The answer aroused Li Hongcheng's curiosity. "Why?" he
asked with a smile.

Fan Xian scratched his head and laughed. "You wouldn't

understand. It's just something I read in a book once."

Since it was his reception, it shouldn't have been quite so

lonely. But Fan Xian had already sent people to inform the
Crown Prince that his journey had been hard, and he didn't
want a great number of people to accompany them. What was
more, the Crown Prince knew that Fan Xian was in the
doghouse with his wife thanks to his little poem, so he hadn't
called for dancing girls to join them. However, Li Hongcheng
was an influential man who knew how to treat people well.
The two knew each other well. They spoke a little about
Northern Qi and made some small talk as they ate and drank.
The food was light yet agreeable. Fan Xian could finally be
himself to an extent, and he was quite happy to eat.

After drinking a few rounds quite quickly, the Crown Prince

found himself unable to drink much more. He pointed at Fan
Xian and scolded him. "I hear that you got rather drunk in
Northern Qi. How can you have suddenly become such a
seasoned drinker?"
 Fan Xian had studied medicine intensively. His zhenqi was
powerful, and there was no way a few cups of wine would leave
him drunk. The reason that he had gotten so drunk with
Haitang was entirely because he wanted to give vent to the
gloom he had felt for years. He had deliberately sought to get
drunk, and nothing more. Hearing Li Hongcheng's words, he
laughed. "You are a great man. What good does it do me to get
drunk in front of you?"

There was a sudden look of fascination on Li Hongcheng's

face. "That Haitang... does she really seem like an immortal
being?" he asked, his voice low.

Fan Xian spat out his wine. Fortunately he quickly turned it

away and spat it on the floor. He laughed scoldingly. "Is that
why you asked me here today?"

They had drunk three rounds. Fan Xian's eyes got brighter as
he drank. Li Hongcheng was intoxicated. He pointed at Fan
Xian's handsome face. "Fan Xian, I don't know what you came
across on your mission. But now there's something different in
your face."
 Fan Xian unthinkingly touched his own face. "What's
different?" he asked curiously.

Li Hongcheng scratched his head and took a sip of wine. It

seemed that he was trying to figure out how to say it. After a
moment, he laughed. "It's like before, you had this faint smile
on your face, like you do now, and it made people want to
approach you. But it always belied a sense of distance, as if you
didn't want to get too close to anyone. And now, your smile
doesn't have that deliberate simplicity. It makes people feel at
ease, and there's a brightness in your eyes. Your words and
your mannerisms are like polished jade. They're so gentle."

Fan Xian laughed appropriately. But thinking on it, he

presumed this change was probably due to that night he spent
in the cave. He finally understood a number of things, and he
had begun, deep in his heart, to view himself as a part of this
world. He had begun to make true plans for his future. It was
no wonder that this change on the inside had led to changes on
the outside.

Li Hongcheng got progressively drunker, and yet Fan Xian

remained sober.
 "I know that the Emperor has put you in charge of the palace
treasury." Li Hongcheng seemed not to be taking his liquor too
well. "Maybe you could send a little my way in future."

Though it was a joke, coming from someone with the stature

of the Crown Prince meant that Fan Xian had gained face. Fan
Xian couldn't help but feel somewhat astonished. He looked at
him. "You're first in line to the throne. Why are you concerned
with such things? Don't tell me that His Majesty has cut off
your allowance."

Li Hongcheng poked out his tongue in a mocking expression.

"You know I spend quite a bit of money. A shopkeeper of
Qingyu Hall has helped my household arrange financial
affairs, so there's a little income, but not enough..." He sighed.
"You also know that the Emperor's brother has not been willing
to do much these past few years. He even only enters the palace
to visit grandmother once a month. He is a pigheaded fellow,
an idle prince lacking in filial piety. And I am hindered by my
status. It is difficult for me not to put on airs in my dealings
with officials. There are times when it gets difficult."

Fan Xian seemed rather surprised. "If talk like this got out,
nobody would believe it," he mumbled to himself unthinkingly.
 Li Hongcheng waved a hand, spreading the smell of alcohol
everywhere. He laughed grimly. "Being a son of the royal
family really isn't worth a damn. You don't need to feel
embarrassed. The palace treasury ultimately goes to the royal
family. You don't need to be so thankful that it was given to
you. In the past few years when my aunt was running it, who
knows how much I got out of it. Even when the Guo family's
house was searched on your order, and they seized 130,000
taels of silver, the palace treasury was still in deficit. If you go
and see my residence in Wuzhou, you'll see where all the
people's blood, sweat, and tears have gone."

Fan Xian was rather taken aback. He knew that the Crown
Prince was telling him this especially.

Looking at the Crown Prince, who was now slumped over the
table, Fan Xian smiled coldly to himself. Wu Zhu had been
right. There really was no one in the world who was worth
trusting. His travels in Northern Qi had been emotionally
exhausting. He knew that friendship was hard to come by, so
he was quite aware that Li Hongcheng had only hosted this
reception dinner in order to announce to the capital that Fan
Xian and the Second Prince were close, but he still hadn't
refused. But he still hadn't expected him to stake his honor on
such a huge lie.
 Li Hongcheng, Crown Prince Jing, had a trusted aide under
his command, who had always secretly handled his carnal
affairs on Liujing River. Although it was not particularly
illustrious business – seemingly incongruous with the role of
the Crown Prince – he was willing to provide an unending
supply of silver for it. The Crown Prince had kept his affairs
extremely secret. If Fan Xian had not sent men to investigate
this fixer, named Yuan Meng, last summer, then perhaps the
Second Bureau of the Overwatch Council would never have
learned of this matter. It was no wonder he dared to bewail his
poverty before Fan Xian.

But Fan Xian also knew full well that the Second Prince had
not necessarily taken a fancy to the money in the palace
treasury. But while the Eldest Princess had been at the helm,
the Eastern Palace had also had a hand in the palace treasury.
Perhaps the Second Prince only planned to rely heavily on Fan
Xian, figuring that this was the best way to get one over on the
Crown Prince.

And he also understood that there was some truth to the

Crown Prince's lies. There were in fact a number of noblemen
who did not act so unrestrainedly - even Fan Xian would have
to do so if he did not have the support of the bookstore behind
him. The man in charge of the state treasury was also part of
his household, and it was very likely that he had fingers in
numerous pies - his children were not supporting him with
money, so how could he survive merely on an official's salary?

The feast had been consumed, the wine drunk dry. Fan Xian
tapped Li Hongcheng twice. He didn't respond. He was
reluctant to find out whether Li Hongcheng was genuinely
drunk or had been faking it. He pretended to stagger as he
helped Li Hongcheng up from the table and walked outside
with him, where attendants, previously informed by the staff
of the restaurant, stood to wait upon them.

The wooden door of Yishi Tavern opened and the early

autumn wind blew through. Fan Xian shook his head and tried
to get some kind of reaction from his friend, but none came,
leaving him somewhat disappointed.

At that moment, a middle-aged man in simple clothes came

out of nowhere, and bowed in reverence toward Fan Xian. Fan
Xian bowed slightly in response, then frowned slightly. Since
Li Hongcheng had closed down the entire restaurant for them,
with guards posted on the door, how could this man get inside?
 Seeing the suspicion on Fan Xian's face, the man hurriedly
responded in a servile manner. "I am Cui Qingquan, the
proprietor of Yishi Tavern. It is an honor to meet you, Master
Fan."

So this was the owner of Yishi Tavern. Presuming he was

there to lick their boots, Fan Xian found himself about to laugh
unthinkingly. Then he suddenly recalled the man's surname
and frowned. "Cui?"

Cui Qingquan smiled. "Correct. The leaders of my clan asked

me to convey gratitude for the favor and kindness you showed
our second son in the north. They know that you are a fine
poet, and not fond of doing such things, so I have been
assigned to wait upon you today."

Fan Xian nodded, his face expressionless. He knew that the

Cui clan were a prestigious house with a foundation in the
capital, and that they did business in the north. Master Cui,
who had begged him for his life in the rain as he kneeled before
the diplomatic mission in Shangjing, was one of their number.
He presumed that the Cui clan knew of his transgression, and
so had wanted to deal with the matter by every possible means.
 Cui Qingquan had very tactfully not stepped forward. He
passed him a box. "It is wild dwarf ginseng. Though it is not
hugely efficient, it is best used to dissipate the effects of
alcohol. It has been washed, and it is best chewed for optimal
effect."

Fan Xian nodded, and Teng Zijing took the box.

Sitting in the carriage as it made its way down the long

street, Fan Xian opened the box perched upon his knees. He
discovered that it wasn't filled with ginseng at all, but a thick
pile of banknotes. He frowned as he looked through it. There
was as much as 20,000 taels of silver there!

Teng Zijing sat opposite him, stupefied. "The Cui family

knows how to spend their money."

Fan Xian's face didn't change, though he was rather

surprised. This sum represented months' worth of income
from the Danbo Bookstore, and the man had casually handed it
over to him. Of course, he also understood that if the Cui clan
wanted to do business in the north for the palace treasury, then
they had to be on good terms with him. When he thought
about the well wishes he had received on his journeys to and
from the palace that day, he couldn't help but sigh. Though he
had lived in two worlds and his temperament was far more
persistent than the average person, at that moment he truly
experienced the feelings that power can bring, and it made him
somewhat frustrated.

But the Cui clan had sent their money in vain. Since Fan Xian
had already made his decision long ago, the Cui clan would one
day find themselves buried alongside the Eldest Princess. When
he thought on it, his enmity toward the Crown Prince softened
slightly. After all, men only have one life, and when all is said
and done, they had to take advantage of each other and that
was it. But he didn't like the fact that Li Hongcheng seemed to
treat him as a fool. In the end, he still wanted to keep him as a
friend.

Teng Zijing looked at his master's face and realized what he

was thinking. He frowned. "Is this appropriate?"

Fan Xian looked at him and laughed. "The Crown Prince said
something to me before. 'Once we leave our palaces and
manors, we are lords.' What's inappropriate about it?"
 The carriage came to a secluded side street. The moon was at
its zenith in the sky, its light silvery and dim. Fan Xian
dismounted the carriage and dismissed the prince's attendants.
Teng Zijing knew that they had been followed and protected by
secret agents of the Overwatch Council the entire time, so he
said nothing.

He waved over at the shadows, and an agent of the

Overwatch Council quietly stepped forth. He was also one of
Wang Qinian's men, who was considered to be Fan Xian's
closest advisor. Fan Xian looked at him. "Deng Ziyue, send a
secret message back to the Council tomorrow. Investigate the
Minister of Appointments, the Director of the Imperial
Observatory, and the Assistant Imperial Censor to check
whether they have any involvement with the Cui clan's
businesses."

Deng Ziyue suddenly lifted his head, his eyes wide and
bright. "Commissioner, we cannot investigate the royal family
without an imperial decree." He was of a high rank within the
Overwatch Council, so he was secretly aware that standing
behind these three ministers was the Second Prince.
 Fan Xian frowned and waved his hand. "It's just vetting a few
ministers. Why are you so alarmed?"

Deng Ziyue knew that his facial expression had not satisfied
the Commissioner, and he quickly responded.

Fan Xian looked at him. "Wang Qinian understands what he

should and should not ask. Since you have taken his post, you
can learn."

Frightened, Deng Ziyue accepted his orders. Then he looked

at the box that had suddenly appeared in front of him. He
didn't dare open it. He simply clutched it to his chest and
walked along behind Fan Xian, who kept his hands clasped
behind his back. Finally, he gathered his courage to ask him
something. "Sir, how shall I make contact with the Council
from now on?" He also did not know whether or not this
question was one that should be asked.

Fan Xian stopped walking and smiled. "Don't do it through

official channels. That can be recorded. You need to directly
contact Mu Tie of the First Bureau."
 "Yes sir."

Fan Xian carried on walking, taking the rare chance to

appreciate night in the city that he had been away from so
long. He didn't want to squander the opportunity. He only said
a few more words.

"I'm not giving this box just to you; I'm giving it to all of
you."

Fan Xian is referencing Mencius, who said "I like fish, and I also like bear's paws. If I cannot
have the two together, I will let the fish go, and take the bear's paws. So, I like life, and I also like
righteousness. If I cannot keep the two together, I will let life go, and choose righteousness."
Chapter 262: The Lone Bureau
It was nighttime in the capital, and the evening had been
quieter than Shangjing ever was. Qing's citizens were not ones
for such effervescent times, and as such, they would frequently
withdraw and stay in their homes at day’s end. Of course, this
did not include the gondola operators taking travellers up and
down the rivers and women of the night, busy in their
brothels.

Fan Xian paced slowly on this night, and Deng Ziyue

followed him, carrying a few large boxes. All of a sudden, Fan
Xian stopped and waved to the darkness behind and in front of
him. From out of the night, the presence of several of the
Overwatch Council’s guards was revealed, as if by accident.

"Everyone in the capital knows that you accompany me in

the shadows. Why attempt to remain out of sight?" Fan Xian
laughed as he said this.

Deng Ziyue possessed a wry smile and said, "The government

is not fond of seeing the Overwatch Council’s secret agents out
on the streets. Their presence scares the civilians, also; that
could never bode well for your reputation."
 Fan Xian understood what he had spoken and replied, "You
guys are always running across people’s roofs. Aren’t you
afraid of waking those who are asleep?"

The agents were speechless, for not a word came to

correspond with Fan Xian’s jest. They did, however, depart the
roofs and descend onto the streets. They were revealed to be
the "nobodies" of the Overwatch Council; those who were
trained vigorously and diligently over time by Wang Qinian,
for his appropriately named "Qinian Unit" at the behest of the
Council. Nowadays, these highly trained individuals tended to
follow Fan Xian. In the Council, Fan Xian was boisterous and
cocky, regardless of the issues he was tending to, for it seemed
each and every person from any and all departments were nice
to him. Alongside his generous salary, he received hefty
bonuses each month, as well. The recent changes had filled the
agents that watched Fan Xian with a sense of pride.

It was late into the night by now, and the air had become
rather chilly. Deng Ziyue quickened his pace to place a black
cloak upon Fan Xian, before returning to an appropriate
distance behind. There were now eight of them walking along
the streets, clad in the Overwatch Council’s specialized black
outfits. Its length ended just above the knee, and its color was
so dark as to mask anyone who desired concealment.
 Under the moonlight, this collective held to a tight
formation around Fan Xian, each in flawless sync with each
other, all without saying a word.

The following day, Fan Xian went to visit the Overwatch

Council building on Tianhe Road.

As he walked forward, numerous officers bowed before him.

"Good morning, Commissioner."

"Good morning, Commissioner Fan."

He smiled and replied to each of them, but he did not halt his
own passage - he kept his pace toward the room at the back of
the building. He pushed open the door and saw figures from the
eight bureaus all sitting down together.

Fan Xian bowed before them all and, with nervous

expressions, they each did the same to him. Yan Ruohai from
the Fourth Bureau in particular was looking at Fan Xian with
overwhelming joy and an expression of sincere appreciation.
This was due in part to the last two days he had spent gleefully
with his son, Yan Bingyun. For obvious reasons, only
wheelchair-bound Chen Pingping - who sat at the end of the
table - did not rise to greet Fan Xian.

Fan Xian coughed and went to sit at Chen Pingping’s right

side. Fan Xian thought it surprising that his teacher was absent
and, as perceptive as always, Chen Pingping knew for where
his mind lay. As she rubbed his knees gently, he said, "He has
gone to Jiangnan on a mission. I cannot reach him, either."

Fan Xian laughed and lowered his voice, and looking

forward, said, "When are you due for a holiday?"

Chen Pingping looked at him and replied, "That entirely

depends on when you are set to replace me."

To have a meeting like this was quite a rare occasion for the
Overwatch Council and, coincidentally, Fan Xian was present
for the past two. As a matter of fact, the past two meetings had
revolved around him to a certain degree. They had each read
Fan Xian’s detailed reports of the events that transpired up in
the northern Qi Kingdom, and they were relieved to hear that
the spy network that had been established there was okay, but
that was the extent of their concern.

In regards to Fan Xian’s nomination of Wang Qinian being

the one to handle business with the northern Qi Kingdom
henceforth, nobody had any qualms with the prospect. Fan
Xian was commissioner so he would have the authority to
instate Wang Qinian on this job and secondly the man in
question really was quite experienced with the dealings of
these two kingdoms. If he had worked harder during his earlier
years, the possibility of Wang Qinian becoming one of the key
figures of the government was quite real. Fortunately for him,
he was a follower of Fan Xian and, perhaps unsurprisingly, Fan
Xian was always sure to strive to raise the rank of any who did
indeed follow him. For Wang Qinian to deal with the northern
Qi Kingdom, one must also account for it being quite a hostile
place; dealing with such a place was quite suited for a man like
Wang Qinian. Seeing what befell Yan Bingyun was a testament
to this.

Later, when they announced the personnel arrangements,

nobody had any idea of what to expect. The officers in the
council always believed that after Zhu Ge of the First Bureau
committed suicide, the position had always remained vacant,
but this was not true. Chen Pingping left the position open in
anticipation of Yan Bingyun’s return. But now that he had
returned, Yan Bingyun chose to succeed his father in the
Fourth Bureau, instead. Who was expected to fulfill the
position in the First Bureau now was unknown.

Chen Pingping was struggling to keep his eyes open and said,
"Ruohai has been in the Council for too long and has become
tired of his position. Therefore, he will be quitting his position
in the Fourth Bureau. He has prepared a letter for the Ministry
of Personnel, requesting a quieter job better suited for him in
his old age." Chen Pingping didn’t seem pleased at the
revelation that Yan Ruohai was leaving his position, but he
knew that he was concerned about his son’s life each and every
day during his time away, in addition to being tired of being in
the Council. Yan Ruohai also knew that it would be unwise for
him to remain in a position of power alongside another family
member. Therefore, if he was to allow Yan Bingyun a position
within the Council, he himself would have to leave first.

Amongst the Overwatch Council’s eight bureaus, it would

seem like the chiefs of each bureau were lacking authority, but
this was most certainly not the case. If you were in charge of
one department, not even the higher-ups in the Council would
dare offend you.
 Fan Xian looked at Yan Bingyun’s father and noticed that his
eyes did indeed look tired, but that did not beguile the obvious
look of relief concerning his departure from the Council.

Now that Mister Yan and the Director of the Overwatch

Council had established who was to succeed Yan Ruohai in the
Fourth Bureau, nobody said a word until the chief of the
Second Bureau asked, "The position in the First Bureau has
been empty for quite some time; someone must take it on… Mu
Tie…" He stroked his head before continuing, "No, though he is
peerlessly loyal, he is a hopeless flatterer. He is not suited for
such a position. The First Bureau is perhaps the single most
important bureau within the Council. It is in charge of
observing each and every officer within every facet and
organization of the government - we must find someone
suitable for such a position."

All the others in the room nodded and agreed. The First
Bureau was the most revered of all the bureaus. Aside from Yan
Bingyun’s father, all the other chiefs present began to mull the
possibility of them ascending to lead the bureau.

Chen Pingping slowly turned his head to look at Fan Xian,

who had a dubious look upon his face and said, "Starting from
today, the First Bureau will have no chief. The authority of this
position will be given to Fan Xian."

These words were spoken lightly, but the implications

weighed upon everyone’s hearts like stone. Their sudden
thoughts of taking such a position had quickly dispersed, as
nobody would dare to compete with Fan Xian. He was already
everybody else’s superior, and it would come as no surprise for
them to learn that Fan Xian would one day succeed Chen
Pingping upon his retirement. But for now, at least, he was to
take control of the First Bureau, and nobody would dare to
object.

The hearts of all who were present fell stern. The position of
Commissioner was already one of high authority and little
restriction, but for a single person to now possess the powers
of Commissioner and chief of the First Bureau at the same
time? That was unheard of, and it would also mean the
Council would never need to comply with any activity of the
First Bureau. This was slightly unfair, for every other bureau
would have to cooperate with each other to get something
done, which made the current position of the First Bureau
higher than the rest. In a matter of minutes, Fan Xian had
become their boss, and whatever he said had to be carried out.
 But even Fan Xian was surprised at this sudden turn of
events. He pondered as to why Chen Pingping would give him
control over the First Bureau. He turned to him and asked,
"Chen Pingping, I was reluctant to become a Commissioner,
and in my time in this position, I haven’t taken care of much
business. If I also take control of the First Bureau, what benefit
could that yield the Council?"

Chen Pingping replied, "If you haven’t yet had to deal with
certain fragile matters specifically, that is why I am putting
you in charge of the First Bureau - so you can gain the
experience you need."

After the meeting, every officer present went to congratulate

Fan Xian on his new position. Those in the Overwatch Council
were prone to do such things in finer grace and, as such, Fan
Xian did thankfully not receive many words that would
constitute an eye-rolling suck-up. As everyone left, only Yan
Bingyun’s father remained with Fan Xian to thank him.

In his heart, Fan Xian was humbled and so he laughed,

saying, "Yan Bingyun and I are friends. And besides, it was
purely business, I did not have to go to great lengths. There is
no need to thank me so much."
 Yan Ruohai, seeing Fan Xian’s humility, really admired the
young man. He slapped his shoulders and smiled, before
saying, "In a few days, I will send you an invitation so that you
may visit my manor."

"Of course, of course." Fan Xian did not think to reject, for he
was curious as to how Miss Shen was faring in Yan Manor.

In the room now, only Fan Xian and Chen Pingping

remained.

"This is ridiculous!" Chen Pingping looked at Fan Xian with a

scowl. "I know Yan Bingyun is a calm and rational fellow; he
would never have thought to bring that woman back to the
capital. This was your idea, wasn’t it?"

Everyone was afraid of Chen Pingping, but Fan Xian never

had been. He was quite playful before him, but not this time.
He had been wronged, and so he said, "Director Chen, this has
nothing to do with me! That Miss Shen, as soon as she entered
the envoy, she went to stay with the princess inside her
carriage. It’s not as if I could have dragged her out and killed
her."
 Chen Pingping replied, "On the way back to the capital, I had
riders follow the envoy. If this was not your idea, how could
that woman have entered the envoy alone?"

Fan Xian froze, unable to explain. Upon thawing, he said, "It

was an ill-fated relationship."

Chen Pingping cared deeply for Fan Xian, and so he decided

not yell at him. He simply asked, "Why are you exposing the
Qinian Unit?"

Fan Xian knew he could not hide this, but he had a prepared
response for it if he was ever asked about it. He told him, "It is
because I desire for the Council to have more presence and
transparency. To perpetually hide and conspire in the dark, it
is no wonder why people fear us. It is not necessary for us to do
this."

"More presence?" Chen Pingping’s eyebrows were skewed

somewhat, and so he said, "You are quite thoughtful. Perhaps
you are correct, and this is for the best."
 Fan Xian aided Chen Pingping in lifting the blanket above his
knee and said, "Slowly, now. Take your time."
Chapter 263: A Youngster in the Bureau
"We're fighting for time. How could I hope to take it easy?"
Chen Pingping’s thin face did not show any expression. His
smooth, beardless chin made the wrinkles on his face appear
deeper and his overall appearance older. "Remember, I’m not
that much younger than Xiao En."

Fan Xian kept a dim silence. He picked up an ashy scent from

this old cripple and reported some secret information gathered
during the envoy. However, he did not reveal he had had a long
talk with Xiao En in a cave one night and found the location of
the temple.

"When will Si Lili enter the palace?" Chen Pingping seemed

confident that he could control that woman from so far away.

Fan Xian frowned slightly, pondering about when he would

come in contact with Si Lili’s younger brother. He replied, "I’m
having someone arrange that right now. It’s nothing major for
Northern Qi and shouldn’t be difficult."
 Chen Pingping nodded and said, "You too know that the
position at the First Bureau was originally left for Yan
Bingyun. But no one expected Yan Ruohai to retire at such a
young age. Yan Bingyun had been working under his father, so
he is quite familiar with the Fourth Bureau; it’s not a bad
decision for him to stay there. That, however, leaves the First
Bureau to you. You must take great care."

Fan Xian squinted. "Is there anything specific I must pay

attention to?"

Chen Pingping looked at him with a strange smile. "There are

a lot of things. To tell you the truth, His Majesty always hoped
you would reorganize the First Bureau. If you don’t monitor
the officials in the capital closely, there will be trouble once
they get too close to the princes."

Fan Xian felt a chill and started to silently curse that

esteemed one in the palace for making him clean up his sons’
messes.

Chen Pingping’s dried-up finger gently tapped the handle of

his wheelchair. The joints of his fingers made them appear like
stalks of bamboo. Fan Xian listened to the sound of the tapping
and realized the handles were hollow, just like bamboo. He
made a strange association; could the most terrifying old man
of Qing be like bamboo, showing its strength against the wind?

"You did well up north," Chen Pingping said. "I know what
you’re planning making Wang Qinian stay behind. But as long
as His Majesty doesn't give the word, you may not take action."

Fan Xian frowned, "The Eldest Prince got a lot of money out
of this. And you know I’m going to take over the palace
treasury next year. If I don’t clean this up before that happens,
I’m going to take over a complete mess. How can I face the
world when I won't be able to accomplish anything?"

Chen Pingping gave him a look, "Lady Cui appeared on the

Eldest Princess’s behalf and illegally sold goods to the north. If
you were to disrupt this operation, is there anyone suitable to
take it over?"

Fan Xian thought Chen Pingping would recommend

somebody, so he perked up his ears.
 Chen Pingping waved his hand. "I’m going to report this to
His Majesty. The emperor too felt the Eldest Princess has
influenced too much in recent years, even though they are
family. If the emperor does not say so, you must not act…
Know that the Council also want you to firmly grasp the palace
treasury. Firstly because you’re the Commissioner, and
secondly because the palace treasury has been crucial in
maintaining the Council’s current position among the Three
Departments and Six Ministries."

Fan Xian asked, "What’s that supposed to mean?"

Chen Pingping looked at him and lowered his voice, "The

Overwatch Council keeps watch over hundreds of officials, so
it cannot have any involvement with the other divisions.
National duties and Council duties had always been made
separate, and each year the Council really does use up a
considerable amount of money. But so far, not a single coin has
come from the national treasury, and no one can order the
Council around. That is what they call independence."

Fan Xian understood. "The Overwatch Council’s spending

came directly from the palace treasury."
 "Correct," Chen Pingping continued. "This is the iron rule
that was set by your mother so that the Council would separate
itself from the other officials. It is why when you’re in control
of the Council, you must consider the thousands of Council
officials and all the personnel abroad. The healthier the palace
treasury is, the more solid the Council’s financial foundation
is. As long as that is the case, the Council can maintain its state
of independence."

Chen Pingping chuckled coldly. "Since that bloodshed

thirteen years ago, His Majesty has made countless of changes.
The Department of Military Affairs was changed to the
Ministry of War and now to the Bureau of Military Affairs.
This is just a microcosm of the greater change. Even though
there haven't seemed to be much fundamental change, in
reality, those departments were already mixed together into a
pile. The Council remained unchanged because of its
independence."

Fan Xian smiled bitterly. "Isn’t it still at the mercy of His

Majesty’s one sentence?"

"That’s why you must struggle!" Chen Pingping chillingly

stared into Fan Xian’s eyes. "If one day the palace wants to
break up the Council, you must fight! If the Council becomes as
broken as the Supreme Court, I’m afraid… that the great Qing
will slowly end up like the Wei dynasty!"

Fan Xian understood the old cripple’s worries. He had an

extra life’s experience and knew the importance of keeping the
Overwatch Council independent.

"Which is why the palace treasury and the Overwatch

Council are one." Chen Pingping emphasized each word. "Your
father is being too naïve! To control the palace treasury, you
must hold authority and tightly control this Council! And to
control this Council, you must ensure its life source! Do not
underestimate money; it can destroy organizations under even
the strictest control."

Hearing his father being chided, Fan Xian, as his son, could
only listen.

Fan Xian went to the First Bureau on the same day and
properly took up the position. The First Bureau wasn’t located
in some square, dark-gray Council building, but in a courtyard
next to the Supreme Court. The front gate was still just as
solemn. However, the plaque that was hanging from it made
Fan Xian almost shower Teng Zijing, who was driving the
carriage, with spit.

Fan Xian supported himself against the carriage, forcing back

his laughter as he looked at this nondescript plaque.

"Per Imperial edict: the Overwatch Council of Great Qing,

First Bureau"

For the moment, Fan Xian felt an absurd mix-up in time, as if

he had arrived in another timeline, standing in front of an
Overwatch Council which was famous for its oilfields.

He didn’t tell Mu Tie beforehand, and the official papers

weren’t sent out by the Council yet, so the Council members of
the First Bureau had no way of knowing the new chief would
arrive today. Those who were outside the front gate looked at
their visitor who was laughing like an idiot in complete
contrast against his handsome face. What was he doing still
standing outside?
 Fan Xian was already heading inside with Deng Ziyue and a
few other aides. Teng Zijing refused to go, wanting to distance
himself away from places like the Overwatch Council. An old
man, around fifty years old, walked out, asking, "My lords,
what has brought you here today?"

Fan Xian was a bit surprised; no one had gotten in the way
the first time he barged into the Council. That was because no
one in their right minds would go to the Council without a
legitimate reason. Thinking quickly and looking at the
doorman, Fan Xian wondered if the First Bureau often received
visitors.

Although he wasn’t wearing his official garb today, Deng

Ziyue and the others were wearing Council uniforms. The
doorman wasn’t sure of their identities and therefore was very
polite.

Fan Xian ignored him and continued straight ahead. Deng

Ziyue raised his arm and stopped the old doorman.

Once inside, Fan Xian discovered the First Bureau really was
different. No one came to ask any questions, and several rooms
were completely empty. Somewhat puzzled, Fan Xian found a
chair and sat down. Some faint noise could be heard behind
him.

Many members of the Qinian Unit were originally from the

First Bureau, and one of them was with the Commissioner
today. His name was Su Wenmao. Seeing the expression on the
Commissioner’s face, he hurried to go find whoever was in
charge. Unexpectedly, he couldn’t find anyone. Su Wenmao
was also confused. He had only left the First Bureau a year ago;
how did the place become like this? Fortunately, he still knew
where to find tea and hot water, so he brewed some for Fan
Xian.

Fan Xian wasn’t in a hurry and slowly sipped his tea like
some elderly official in the palace.

Deng Ziyue stared harshly at Su Wenmao, wondering why he

hadn’t found anybody. Su Wenmao could only smile uneasily.
He really didn’t think the First Bureau, under Director Chen,
would have become so idle.
 The doorman peeked inside and discovered the visitors were
only drinking tea, probably waiting for someone, and therefore
paid them no mind. The group sat awkwardly, until Fan Xian
stood up. Signaling the others to keep seated, he walked over to
the cabinet to the side and looked over the dusty casefiles. No
one came to stop him, a sign that the conduct here had
declined severely.

Suddenly, a few people came in, all dressed in Council

uniforms. In their hands was a large bamboo basket full of fish,
which were chilled with ice and appeared fresh. They didn’t
even look at Fan Xian as they passed him. Instead, one of them
saw Su Wenmao and yelled, "Old Su, you got the time to drop
by today?"

Su Wenmao felt very embarrassed, but he saw Fan Xian’s

hand signal. Returning a smile, he said, "The Commissioner is
doing a report today. We have nothing better to do, so we're
just strolling around." The Qinian Unit knew Fan Xian’s
methods, so they dared not drop any hints

With a clap, that person told the rest to take the fish inside.
He then said to Su Wenmao, "You sure climbed up to a high
position following that young sir. Just how high will you
climb in the future?"

Su Wenmao replied, "The Commissioner is strict. I dare not

to take advantage of his name and misbehave."

The person laughed, "Let’s change the subject. The First

Bureau would never be so lucky anyway. Come…" He beckoned
Deng Ziyue and the rest of his colleagues. "Since you’re here,
no need to leave anytime soon. We all know how long Council
meetings take."

Deng Ziyue turned his head to the other side. Having been
rejected, the man believed Deng Ziyue was only showing off
because he had Commissioner Fan’s backup. So he chatted for a
bit with Su Wenmao, and was then prepared to leave.

Then Fan Xian walked out and asked with a kind expression,
"Hey, I saw your basket of fish earlier. For lunch, I assume? I’m
afraid I must bother you to share some."
 It was a bit dark. The man didn’t see Fan Xian’s face clearly.
He only knew he was talking to a young man. Chuckling, he
said, "We couldn’t afford to eat them now. Later, they’re to be
sent back home."

"Really? Then they must be some high-quality fish, or else

you wouldn’t have chilled them with ice." Fan Xian said.

"Of course!" The man's face was full of pride, "What we got
are yunmeng fish, delivered with extreme urgency from the
south, 800 li away. Netted from the great lake, their taste is
damn fine. Without ice they would have gone bad already.
Even the high-ranking officials in the capital don't get to eat it
so easily, only the military. And fortunately, we’re the
Overwatch Council, or else there’s no way we could have
gotten any."

"Ah, so it was given by the army." Fan Xian smiled. He knew

the various departments of the capital would try to get on the
First Bureau’s good side, but he didn't know they would spend
this much effort.
 The person then said, "Very well, since you all are here
waiting for Sir Commissioner to finish his meeting, please sit
here for a moment. I must go inside first to get my share of the
fish."

Fan Xian said, "We’re in no hurry; we just came to ask Sir Mu

a favor, but weren’t able to find him. Please help us out."

The person smiled. "I thought it was some urgent business.

Okay, I’ll go report. You wait here."

He then headed toward the back while chuckling. Once

outside the view of Fan Xian’s group, his expression changed.
He jogged to the last room and kicked opened the door!

Inside, a few people were playing Mahjong. They were

startled and started to curse. Mu Tie, sitting in the main seat,
threw a Mahjong tile. "What’s wrong with you? Are you really
this desperate for some fish?"

The person stuttered, "Sir Mu, a youngster has come to the

Bureau."
 Mu Tie frowned. "Who is it? If it’s someone we know, bring
him here. I don’t want to give up this hand."

"I don’t recognize him," The person’s voice was shaking, "But
Su Wenmao is with him. I suspect… could he be… that young
sir?"

Mu Tie was shocked. He slapped the table and pointed at the

man. "You… you've got to be responsible for your words!" Mu
Tie was so scared he walked around in circles, "Is it really the
Commissioner?"

"I believe so. I dared not call him out to his face, so I hurried
to inform you. If he really is Commissioner Fan, you must be
careful."

Mu Tie was panicking and ordered people to clear the desk.

He jogged to the front hall along with the others, saying
"Feng’er, this is all thanks to you. After this I’ll have your aunt
arrange a nice marriage for you… Damn. The Commissioner
came so suddenly. Thankfully you responded quickly… I
expected no less! Not dropping the disguise, excellent!"
 The agent called Feng'er wiped away the cold sweat on his
hands. "It’s all thanks to your brilliant guidance."
Chapter 264: Rectification!
Mu Tie walked in with a dark expression. Without even look
at the visitors, he said in a cold voice, "Which lord wishes to
see me in person? This better be important. Do you not know
how busy the First Bureau is?"

Su Wenmao winked at his colleague. Actually, Mu Tie was

aware who came and was only putting on an act, pretending to
just notice Su Wenmao’s hint. He turned around suspiciously
and saw the young man.

"You are?" Mu Tie frowned and took a step forward.

Suddenly, with a shocked expression, he fluidly knelt down on
one knee. "Lord Commissioner, Mu Tie at your service!"

Fan Xian showed no expression; he had no intention of

playing along.

In a cheerful voice, Mu Tie said, "Sir, why didn’t you tell us

you were dropping by today? Now that we made you wait
outside, it reflects poorly on us."
 Fan Xian still didn’t say anything, but the corners of his lips
curled up. Seeing this smile gave Mu Tie a chill; it was well-
known that this young Sir Fan always smiled the sweetest
when he was at his angriest. As a result, Mu Tie lowered his
voice, "Um… Sir, uh… I."

Fan Xian kept on smiling and looking at him in silence.

A look of regret appeared on Mu Tie’s tanned face. He dared

not utter another word. He knelt again.

The atmosphere was utterly crushing.

Regardless, after Zhu Ge’s suicide, Mu Tie had been running

the First Bureau and taking care of pretty much everything.
For that reason, Fan Xian did not want to make a fool out of
him any longer. Frowning, Fan Xian said, "The guest hall is too
dirty. It is unsuited for keeping visitors."

Startled, Mu Tie’s mood perked up immediately. He harshly

chided Feng’er, "Get someone to clean the place up, quickly!"
 "The case files are left out in the open. That’s not where they
belong." Fan Xian smiled.

Mu Tie quite literally jumped up and hollered toward the

back, calling forth the other officials of the First Bureau, who
began to move those dusty case files back to a secure room. The
officials had all been slacking off, their laziness apparent as
they staggered out. They saw Sir Mu obediently standing next
to a young man whom they didn’t recognize. However, since
their job was to carry out various investigations, they were
able to figure things out quickly and realized who the young
man was. Greatly startled, they picked up their pace.

Soon, the place had been cleaned and the case files put away.
The First Bureau still retained its ability to react quickly.

"Other than those absent due to Council duties and those

who cannot expose their identities, I want to see all the
personnel of the First Bureau. You have one hour to gather
them before me."

With that, Fan Xian sat back down. He then reached out his
hand, and Mu Tie fawningly delivered a cup of tea. Somewhat
dejectedly, Mu Tie said, "Right away, Sir." He knew it would be
incredibly difficulty to fool this young lord; and besides, his
entire future was in this young man's hands. Mu Tie had no
choice but to obediently carry out the order, hoping Fan Xian
would dislike him less.

"Just for that, no need for you to go." Fan Xian took a sip of
his tea. Finding it cold, he made a face. Just as Mu Tie hurried
to pour him another cup, he looked at Mu Tie and set the cup
down onto the sparkling-clean table. "Follow me inside. I’ve
some things to say to you."

Wasting no time, Mu Tie ordered a subordinate to go

summon all the absent Bureau members that were not out on
official duty. He then followed Fan Xian to the backyard.
Looking at Fan Xian stepping inside the room he had just
exited, Mu Tie became nervous.

Fan Xian frowned, looking at a Mahjong tile by the doorsill.

"I see how this Bureau held the most authority within the
Council; even the Mahjong tiles are made of jade."
 Sweating, Mu Tie explained: "It’s fake jade. I wouldn't dare
lie to you. It was a new product made by the palace treasury
two years ago, and the First Bureau received a set. The material
resembles jade, but it won't shatter when dropped. This set has
always been here in the Bureau. No one dared to take it back to
their own home. Normally… when there isn’t much work to
do, we occasionally play… This is truly shameful; please
punish me harshly."

Fan Xian shook his head. "Let’s put this aside for now. I’m
only disappointed by the fact the First Bureau of the
Overwatch Council would do this shabby of a job at hiding its
tracks. You did play Mahjong here earlier, correct? You put
everything away. Why is there a single tile by the door?"

Mu Tie wiped away the sweat on his forehead; he had thrown

that tile at his nephew earlier; some servants must have failed
to see it when putting the Mahjong set away.

Fan Xian sat down and looked at Mu Tie. "What have you
been doing? Seeing how the place is short on work, it’s not
really a crime to play Mahjong once in a while…"
 Just as Mu Tie felt a sense of relief after hearing that, he
heard a thunderous slap! Scared senseless, he cowered in front
of Commissioner Fan.

Fan Xian had smacked the table forcefully. With his power,
obliterating this table into pieces was child’s play. But his
intension was simply to make noise. In a cold voice, he chided,
"After seeing the fish, I found out you guys have the gall to
receive benefits from other departments. Do you have a death
wish? If the rest of the Council finds out, you’re most likely the
first one to be executed."

Mu Tie immediately knelt down. He stammered but couldn’t

come up with words; he didn’t realize a basket of fish would be
such a big deal.

Fan Xian continued coldly, "Didn’t think that basket of fish

would be a big deal, did you? You and the rest of the First
Bureau should especially know about the rules of the Council.
If you chummy up with those Court officials, how the hell will
you investigate them?"
 Fan Xian always carried himself as a gentle person, but even
a gentle person gets angry at times. His words were chilling
and serious, and they made Mu Tie feel dreadful.

Fan Xian was surprised and disappointed; not only in the

First Bureau he was about to take over, but also in the official
kneeling before him.

"Stand up."

Under normal circumstances, such seriousness was not

needed. But Mu Tie knew he had to put on his best, most
formal behavior. Besides, he had at least some connection to
Fan Xian. Mu Tie only dared to rise to his feet after Fan Xian
permitted him to do so.

Staring at his striking face—with its dark skin and thin iron
lips—Fan Xian frowned. "In the entire capital, you are the first
to know my real identity…"

When the investigation for the Niulan Street case was

underway, Mu Tie had visited Fan Manor to ask questions. At
the time, the Fan household didn’t have its current fame. And
yet this young lord revealed his identity as the rumored
Commissioner of the Council. For Mu Tie, it was a rare
opportunity. He had thought his years from that point on
would get easier, but unfortunately that opportunity went to
Wang Qinian instead.

"This year, you’ve helped me with some things." Fan Xian

squinted. "Logically speaking, you should try to pick up after
me. But you didn’t, and I am very pleased with this. I thought
you were a man of honesty. I was not expecting you to change
so much in just a year. You once carried yourself so properly
you even felt uncomfortable flattering your superiors. And
now, you’ve become like this, a slippery, lying official who
spends his days just coasting by. I am so disappointed."

The only one more disappointed in Mu Tie was Mu Tie

himself. Although he wasn’t as close to Commissioner Fan as
Wang Qinian was, and although Commissioner Fan did not
have any grand plans for him, Mu Tie still rose from seventh-
rank to fifth-rank within a year; he was well aware it was all
thanks to Commissioner Fan.
 Mu Tie took a deep breath. He didn’t try to explain himself.
Instead, he lowered his voice and said, "Sir, I shall make up for
it in the future."

Fan Xian noticed the change in Mu Tie’s demeanor; the man

now spoke reflecting his actual rank. With a hint of admiration
in his eyes, Fan Xian said, "Good. Not everyone has the talent
to be the supporting role. Don’t get hung up on how Wang
Qinian does things. You should return to your former self – the
man who was so dedicated in carrying out the investigations.
Of course I won't ruin your future."

A storm is followed by clear skies, and clear skies are

followed by another storm. Mu Tie thought the
Commissioner’s mood was like the summer. Fan Xian then
lowered his voice. "So tell me, how did the First Bureau become
like this? I’ve been to the other Bureaus, and there is no
comparison. The people at the other Bureaus all watch
themselves and work diligently. Playing Mahjong? They made
sure to hurry even when coming out for greetings… and look at
you! How is this place any different than a marketplace?"

Mu Tie was already determined to redeem himself. He did

not dodge anything and said, "Sir Commissioner, the blame
does fall on me. It’s just that in the past year there hasn’t been
a proper chief taking charge, and the other personnel didn’t
really obey me, so the whole place started to fall apart."

Fan Xian was aware of that. The first chief of the First Bureau
secretly aligned himself with Xinyang and sold out Yan
Bingyun, which led to his capture. When the Council
investigated itself later, Zhu Ge, having failed, committed
suicide. From that day onward, the First Bureau had been
without a chief. Partially because Chen Pingping wanted to
wait until Yan Bingyun’s return, and partially because, for the
time, there wasn't anyone suitable to take such a controversial
role.

"Even without leadership and management, the regulations

and duties still exist, so why is everyone idle? Did the Council
never discipline you?" Fan Xian asked.

Mu Tie didn’t understand either and shook his head, saying,

"The regulations are indeed there… but for we in the First
Bureau to take any action, we must first receive word from the
Council. Without a leader, the ordinary officials like us can't
just go around and wait for things to happen."
 Fan Xian became angry. "Did the Second Bureau not send in
any intelligence in the past year?"

"They did, but we do not have the legal authority to initiate

investigations on officials third-rank or higher. At the very
least, we need the Director’s permission."

"Third-rank or higher means you can't do anything. What

about those of lower ranks?" Fan Xian was feeling a bit
hopeless.

Mu Tie replied, "Sir, I really wouldn’t dare to hide anything

from you. Even though the First Bureau is the most crucial in
name, it is the most useless in practice, and the reason is
simple. The Second and Third Bureaus only deal with
intelligence, poison, weapons, and other inanimate things; the
Fifth and Sixth Bureaus are responsible for guard duties; the
Seventh Bureau deals with criminals; and the Eighth Bureau
deals with books. Of the eight bureaus, only the First and
Fourth Bureaus interact regularly with ordinary people, and
the Fourth Bureau is mainly focused on foreign and domestic
affairs. No lower-ranked official would dare to go against the
Fourth Bureau. They withdrew those county magistrates after
coming up with some random excuses. Who would dare
question them?"

Speaking here, Mu Tie started to mock himself. "The First

Bureau is located in the heart of the capital, looking glorious
and all, but the ones we deal with are the officials of the
Imperial court. In terms of status, they’re more distinguished
than we are, never mind rank—it’s only natural for them to
treat us well because of the Overwatch Council. But if conflict
were to arise… they certainly wouldn’t be afraid of us."

That did not sound right, Fan Xian had never heard of such
immense uselessness—"You have the authority to investigate
any official below the third-rank. If they want to get on your
good side, it’s only because they fear you. How could there be
any confrontation?"

Mu Tie laughed at himself. "Sir, those officials might be

below the third-rank, but what about their teachers, mentors,
and whoever's backing them? They had already spread out a
large network in the capital. For certain cases, even if we do dig
up evidence, it won't be easy for us to report the findings."
 Fan Xian squinted, "Why?"

"Simple. Those in the First Bureau also live in the capital."

Mu Tie sighed. "While their wages are much higher than what
the average court official earns, their relatives still need a
source of livelihood. Putting aside anything involving the
officials, let’s take selling vegetables for example. If you
investigated a low-ranking official, then whoever backs that
official could make it so that you wouldn’t be able to set up a
vegetable stand. On top of that, they would do it completely
within the law so that there is nothing you could do about it.
As for those with connections to the palace, they wouldn’t
even take us seriously. An official’s corruption might be known
to many, yet we could not do a thing… why? Because Eunuch
Dai of the palace might be his uncle!

"Ever since Sir Zhu… chose to end his life for his own crimes,
the First Bureau has been without a person in charge. There’s
no way we would offend the court officials so easily. Who
doesn’t have relatives? We’re all trying to leave some breathing
room in case of future interactions.

"I must admit that I too had acted with self-preservation in

mind for the past year. Other than the big cases sent down by
the Council, I pretty much did no investigations. Sir, it’s not
me being a coward; living in the capital is simply too difficult.
There are simply too many officials I have to face on a daily
basis."

Fan Xian responded calmly, "This is how I need you to talk to

me from now on. In rectification, the first thing that needs to
be fixed is the First Bureau only trying to please your superiors
without actually being productive."

This was the first time Mu Tie heard the term "rectification",
and for some reason it made him afraid, so he quickly began to
ask Fan Xian for advice. As Fan Xian spoke expressionlessly,
Mu Tie listened as if in worship. Afraid he might forget
something, Mu Tie prepared a brush and some ink to write
things down… Some time passed before Deng Ziyue lightly
knocked on the door. "Sir, everybody is here."

Barring those made unavailable due to their duties, all the

personnel of the First Bureau were present, each in official
uniform, standing solemnly to hear the Commissioner speak.
 Fan Xian sat in front of them without any intention to stand
up. He scanned the crowd and gave a slight nod. To his
satisfaction, the past year did not take away these men’s
solemnness. He could detect the Council’s signature gloom
about them.

Mu Tie leaned down and whispered to Fan Xian, "The First

Bureau is special. The men here are all the ones that could
show themselves openly. The majority of our personnel are
still hidden. The list of names is being kept by the Council and
could not be accessed. If you wish to read it, you need the First
Bureau’s report and permission from the Director." Thinking of
Fan Xian’s position, Mu Tie added, "As the Commissioner, you
do not need permission from the Director. I am going to work
on that report in a bit."

Fan Xian shook his head. He said with a smile, "No need.
Starting today, I am in charge of the First Bureau. If there is a
need for any reports, I will have people write them."

Mu Tie stiffened for a moment. He thought Commissioner

Fan was only here today on an inspection, not to take charge of
the place! But then Mu Tie showed a face of joy after realizing
working with Commission Fan every day would make it easier
to get close to him.

It was all quiet for a long time. Fan Xian did not speak, and
the officials remained standing without relaxing their posture
one bit. Although they were not soldiers, their black clothes
were still quite pleasing to the eye, reminding Fan Xian of
Scotland Yard in the rain.

A long time later, Fan Xian stood up and said lightly, "I am
Fan Xian. Starting today, I am your boss."

Most of the men had guessed who Fan Xian was, but having
the famed young Sir Fan take charge of the First Bureau today
still surprised them. Still, the majority were happy. After all,
after Zhu Ge’s death, not only did work become difficult, but
the Bureau was being looked upon with disapproval even
within the Council. Now, under young Sir Fan’s leadership,
who would dare to get in the way of things? They believed they
would secretly receive even more benefits from the other
departments in the capital.

But what Fan Xian said next chilled them all.

 "I know how you spent the past year." Fan Xian smiled. "From
now on, that way of life is over."

After this very simple statement, Fan Xian sat back down and
gave Mu Tie a look.

Mu Tie stood up and cleared his throat. Looking at the men

with authority, he said, "I have gathered everyone here today
because the Commissioner has some things to say for his first
day in charge of the First Bureau. And now, I have things to say
as well, on the Commissioner’s behalf. The main points were
all suggested by the Commissioner. I ask all of you to listen
carefully."

And the men did just that.

"Today, I want to talk about the way we conduct ourselves."

Mu Tie frowned, deeply bitter. "Why must there be an
Overwatch Council? Why must there be us, the First Bureau?
Because there are corrupt officials out there taking advantage
of the people, lying to His Majesty, and twisting the law. His
Majesty wishes for honest rule, the people should live
enjoyable lives, and the law must be upheld. Those are the
reasons why the First Bureau exists."

Mu Tie had always been known as an investigator, so the

crowd of officials were stunned at this political speech. But
facing the weight of His Majesty, the people, and the law, no
one dared to say anything.

"We, the First Bureau, are His Majesty’s eyes and ears. If we
wish to fulfill our duty in assisting His Majesty, we must be
united in action, stay in optimal condition, and act with
authority! In reality, however, we have been the opposite…"

"What problems do we currently face? His Majesty had been

clear. We are not without accomplishments. On that, the
Commissioner has commended us." Mu Tie’s voice suddenly
turned cold. "… But! There have been many issues in the past
year. I, who was in charge, assume all responsibility and will
ask to be disciplined tomorrow. However, starting today, you
must cease any actions which go against Council regulations.

"Do not privately use the First Bureau’s name as a way to

receive gifts or money from other government divisions.
 "Do not, for any reason, refuse to make any reports.

"Do not maintain frequent contact with any outside officials.

If doing so is required to investigate a case, you must report
this to at least three people!

"We must strengthen our organization and efficiency,

strengthen…

"Strictly adhere to Council regulations and related policies. If

any one of you have done anything improper in the past year,
you have ten days to report to me without consequence."

As Mu Tie kept talking, the crowd of officials grew tense.

They didn’t know this was the so-called "rectification". All they
knew was that if Commissioner Fan really wanted to, they
could no longer leach off benefits like they had done for the
past year, and would instead once again be involved in the
dangerous work of antagonizing high-ranking officials in the
capital. Many couldn’t help but appear troubled or even bitter.
 Even so, there were no murmurs among themselves, nor
were there any objections. Though there were changes in
expression, each official still forced themselves to stand
motionlessly with extreme self-control—they had been trained
by Chen Pingping himself, and were still the most disciplined
secret agents in the world.

After Mu Tie finished speaking, Fan Xian stood up. With his
hands behind his back, he smiled. "If there are any objections,
please speak now."

Silence.

The difference in status between Fan Xian and the Council’s

ordinary personnel was too great; no one dared to disagree.

Grinning, Fan Xian casted his bait. "Come together and

think, all of you. The Director sent me here to show that each
of you is still being held in high regard. You all know how busy
I am; if this were some ordinary government division, I’d be
too lazy to come."
 Hearing this made the crowd relax a bit; Fan Xian was
infamous for hiding malice behind his smile, and this time, no
one was able to see it. Not to mention, with Fan Xian’s noble
background and his reputation as the world’s leading scholar,
no one expected him to know all the shady business of the
Council. Together, they decided to agree with Fan Xian for now
and bowed. "As you wish, Lord Commissioner."

Fan Xian frowned slightly, a bit dissatisfied.

Mu Tie was standing close to Fan Xian and saw the glint of
coldness in the Commissioner’s eyes. Believing Fan Xian to be
dissatisfied by his subordinates for not showing enough
loyalty, Mu Tie anxiously signaled to Feng’er, who was
standing in the front row, with his eyes. Feng’er was Mu Tie’s
distant nephew, and also had the family name Mu.

Mu Feng’er thought his uncle was signaling for him to make

an objection—but how could he refute the Commissioner?!
Terrified, his legs shaking, Mu Feng’er thought back on his
uncle’s kindness and steeled his resolve. Stepping forward, he
made a clear salute and said, "Lord Commissioner, while the
First Bureau watches over the hundreds of officials in the
capital, private relations are unavoidable. Everyone has
relatives. My older brother-in-law, for example, works in the
Equestrian Bureau. It’s fine for me to avoid interacting with
him, but I’m afraid there would be much unrest once back
home."

No one dared to laugh despite hearing such mischievous

words. No one knew why Mu Feng’er was so bold today.

Fan Xian was secretly happy, but he kept a gloomy expression

and chided, "You think Council regulations are a lump of
excrement for you to smear all over your face? Mu Tie, drag
this distant nephew of yours outside to await punishment!"

Mu Tie sighed and did as told with a sad face. Fan Xian
scanned the crowd coldly. "Anything else to say?"

Everyone knew Fan Xian was abusing his authority.

Unexpectedly, someone came forward and said, "Lord
Commissioner, it is our duty to carry out investigations, but
what should we do in cases of people of high status? What
should we do if our families are being troubled? What should
we do if the palace speaks out?"
 Everyone was quiet. The First Bureau was most afraid of
dealing with officials who had connections to the palace. As
mighty as the Overwatch Council was, it still belonged to the
palace.

Fan Xian was extremely calm. "Use my name."

Those words meant that when dealing with whoever dared to

use their status or connections to threaten the First Bureau,
simply throw out the name Fan Xian! Nowadays, with the
exception of officials above the third-rank and members of the
nobility, no one would dare to mistreat Fan Xian’s subordinates
and risk offending him.

With one hand controlling the Overwatch Council, the other

controlling all the money, who would want to offend him?

That official still spoke out despite what just happened to Mu

Tie and his nephew. For that, Fan Xian looked at him with
slight admiration. Slowing his speech, Fan Xian said, "Let me
hear all your opinions. I hold nothing against you."
 That official had just said all he wanted to say and struggled
to add, "I believe it is only right for us to not accept valuables
in private, but there really is no harm in accepting some under
the Bureau’s name. Also, setting up good relations with other
government divisions could aid in future investigations. And
lastly, after dividing up the benefits, it’s nothing but a bonus."

Fan Xian knew they all treasured the benefits they received
and laughed coldly. "Speaking of payment, you earn three
times as much as a government official of the same rank. Even
though you don’t have as many outside resources, you’re still
being paid plenty, which has been the Council’s intention since
its creation. What’s there to complain about?"

Su Wenmao was a bit more familiar with Fan Xian. He said,

"The Council always endured retaliation from the officials and
disdain from the people, and the First Bureau is in a rather
special situation. Since the Imperial court isn’t willing to give
out bonuses, so…"

Fan Xian shook his head and stopped Su Wenmao. He stared

at the Council members gathered before him. The heavy
atmosphere had been crushing down until there was only
silence. Then, Fan Xian said slowly:
 "Do not ask what the Imperial court can do for you—ask
what you can do for the Imperial court."

Su Wenmao was stunned for a moment. Upon further

pondering, he realized what Fan Xian just said was extremely
meaningful. He felt a sense of admiration for Fan Xian, while
at the same time he felt a sense of shame in himself. Indeed,
when those of the First Bureau were all plotting for their own
benefits, did they ever think about why the Overwatch Council
was established?

The official who had spoken out before Su Wenmao was also
awed. Years of education and training by the Council and
discipline by Chen Pinping made him feel like his mindset had
returned to how it was when he stepped into the Council for
the first time. Deeply moved, he clasped his right fist and
shouted:

"All for Qing."

"All for Qing!" was what all of them had to memorize on their
first day in the Council.
 Fan Xian was happy and clasped his fist in return. "All for
life," he thought to himself.
Chapter 265: Xinfeng Restaurant
The sky had grown dark, and a gloomy atmosphere now
veiled the capital. The aridity of autumn was replaced by a
cold rain that both battered and cleaned the tile roofs of
residential houses and firmly washed the dust-caked streets.
With its coming, this rain marked the first chill of the year; the
fifth year of the Qing calendar.

Fan Xian was rubbing his hands as he sat in the second floor
of the Xinfeng Restaurant. A wind tarp had been installed
outside the window, and Fan Xian watched it mesmerized. He
averted his gaze towards the First Bureau yamen across the
street, and then to the Supreme Court’s yamen. Comparing
both yamen, the one that belonged to the First Bureau was
considerably quieter. The officers from the Overwatch Council
looked to be at ease, not at all like how they used to be.

The rectification had been going on for a few days now. Of

course, Fan Xian did not believe that the yelling of a slogan
would rewrite the regulations in any immediate capacity, if
ever. In secret, he had been continuing his investigation into
the affairs, sour relations and corruption that had become
ingrained within the Overwatch Council. He had ruthlessly
fired numerous individuals and even sent many officers to trial
at the Seventh Bureau. The atmosphere in the First Bureau had
now at last received its turnaround for the better, and like a
timekeeper’s clockwork, the yamen began to work as efficiently
as they should.

Fan Xian had not yet become accustomed to being on-duty at

the First Bureau, but he rejected the idea Mu Tie had proposed
to him, which involved the erection of an office room for Fan
Xian to quietly work and wait within. What Fan Xian elected
to do instead was to book every table of the upper-floor of the
restaurant across the street. Upon doing so, he was able to
relax and recline in the quiet that came with the lack of
customers, and snack out all day, all the while being in close
proximity to the First Bureau.

This is now where he sat. On the table Fan Xian was sitting
at, there was a bamboo steamer with a single bun inside. It was
no ordinary-sized bun, for it occupied the entire space inside of
the bamboo steamer! Its outside was gleaming white and
possessed 18 folds, and from the inside came a steady flow of
steam which made one’s mouth water. He gently blew the bun
and then stuck his chopsticks inside it, which created an
eruption of juices.
 Fan Xian picked up a wheat straw and asked, "Do you want
the juice?"

"Hot."

Fan Xian smiled and laughed, using the chopsticks to split

the bun further. He collected the meat that resided deep within
its fluffy interior and put it upon a plate, which he passed to
the person at his side. He comfortingly told him, "Dabao, the
sauce is hot, but the meat is not. You should still blow on it
before eating."

Dabao heeded Fan Xian’s words well and blew the plate with
all the might of his lungs.

Ever since Fan Xian’s father-in-law retired, the Fan manor

had become quiet. When Fan Xian was in the northern Qi
Kingdom, Dabao had spent much of his time visiting the
manor in his absence. When Fan Xian returned, he did not see
Dabao for a number of days and he wondered why. After asking
Wan’er the reason why, she told Fan Xian that because he had
just returned to the capital, she sent Dabao to the Lin manor.
After Fan Xian heard this, he wasn’t very happy. Even though
they only sought to preserve his reputation, they did not dare
to put the Lin manor is an awkward position. But in that
manor, the people there were quite picky and difficult to
please, and now the Lin manor only had Wan’er and a distant
relative to take care of it.

Ever since he took the job at the First Bureau, he had been
brushed off his feet every single day. Fan Xian could hardly
believe that he did not have the time to take care of this matter,
so he decided to take advantage of this lazy, rainy, windswept
day and talk to Deng Ziyue about bringing Dabao out to the
Xinfeng Restaurant to try out its most revered dish, the jietang
bun. He could return him to the manor later.

"Stop blowing, you can eat it already!" Fan Xian was laughing
at his brother-in-law.

He had no idea why Dabao’s mental capacity was that of a

child, something which undoubtedly led to him adhering to
every word Fan Xian would say. With immediacy in response
to Fan Xian’s words, he turned his head down and gobbled up
the meat in one mouthful. As Fan Xian watched him do so with
haste, he pondered if he had even tasted the food.
 When Fan Xian saw this, he thought about Zhu Bajie from
Journey to the West eating pepino melons and he could not
help but laugh.

Deng Ziyue was present, but he sat at a different table. He

watched the scene and thought it to be slightly creepy. There
were 30 people from the Qinian Unit, and they were divided
into four smaller subunits to provide Fan Xian protection from
each and every angle. Deng Ziyue had taken over Wang
Qinian’s position, and dared not leave Fan Xian’s side for a
moment. And as such, Deng Ziyue was the only person who
knew precisely what Fan Xian had been up to in the past few
days. In his heart, however, he knew that he was merely
following a Commissioner, a person whose full intentions were
often masked and kept secret - even to his closest allies. After
Fan Xian cleaned up the First Bureau, he had yet to receive a
specific order from him, and so he just sat in the Xinfeng
Restaurant eating food and singing songs to the delight of his
master. He thought to himself, "As a Commissioner, the fact
that he is so keen to look after his mentally handicapped
brother-in-law is surprising, and I greatly admire him for it.

From downstairs came the sound of heavy footsteps, and

hearing them he snapped out of his deep thoughts. His hand
clenched the hilt of his sheathed sword and he quickly turned
to peer at the stairs that led to the second floor of the
restaurant. This person was revealed to be Mu Tie, and he had
been spearheading the investigations into determining whether
certain suspected officers were indeed guilty of committing
unlawful acts. He was also responsible for maintaining the
morale of the entire department and making preparations for
the secret mission Fan Xian had tasked him with. He was an
incredibly busy man who had been put under a large amount
of pressure. His eyes were visibly sunken and dark, and from
the way he held himself, he looked worn out, tired and
unhealthy.

Mu Tie took off his rain hat and raincoat and tossed them
into the corner of the room. He carefully presented a cylinder
from his chest pocket. What it was made of wasn’t known, but
it was evidently waterproof, for the paper inside was still dry
as a bone.

Fan Xian approached Mu Tie and took it from him. He got to

reading it immediately and with a focused expression read
every line, clearly fixated. Slowly, a frown formed upon his
face, and his mood took a sour turn. At the beginning, when he
first returned to the capital, he had asked Deng Ziyue to
investigate the chancellors that possessed deep ties to the
second prince. It had nothing to do with the Cui family. After
Fan Xian became chief of the First Bureau, this mission was
immediately given to Mu Tie as his first task.
 It seemed as if there was no incriminating evidence to be
found, but it was as Fan Xian expected. Those sorts covered
their tracks well and would go to great lengths to avoid
anything dirty showing up, but still, what Mu Tie had
uncovered was perhaps almost too clean. The Cui family were
nobles and over the years it was impossible for them not to
have given any kickback to the Minister of Appointments or
Director of the Imperial Observatory. Their record was too
clean to be true and so Fan Xian sighed, before asking, "As that
all there is?"

Mu Tie nodded.

Fan Xian asked, "Did the Second Bureau ask anything?" Mu

Tie looked at him, shaking his head and said, "The Second
Bureau is cooperating with us. They believe it to be an order
from the palace, not an investigation instigated by you. I can
assure you that no one knows."

"Did the Second Bureau not possess any information?" Fan

Xian only noticed now that he was still holding a pair of
chopsticks, an indication of how involved with the matters
that he was. He laughed at himself, and placed them down
upon the steamer. Now, his greatest enemy was the eldest
princess in a faraway place called Xinyang. No one knew when
the eldest princess was due a return to the capital, so he had to
confirm who within the palace was allied with her and find out
who was not, all the while she and the Second Prine were away.

Mu Tie spoke softly and politely, but he found himself to

possess more confidence and so he said, "In regards to the
investigation in the capital, the Second Bureau is in charge of
obtaining the necessary information, but they still cannot
match the First Bureau in that regard. Do not worry, my lord."

Fan Xian nodded and gestured to Mu Tie that he could leave.

He waited until Mu Tie left and then Fan Xian looked at the
parchment he was given once more. Reading the jargon, found
himself lost in a sea of thoughts. The document recorded the
Cui family’s bribing history, and included the dates of such
"transactions" and whom they dealt with. Most of the officers
in the government were included, but there was no trace of the
second prince and his closest allies. This disappointment gave
Fan Xian a headache, and his gut feeling suggested there was a
problem there. So, amidst the barrage of words that had been
written onto the parchment, he was unable to find anything of
true value.
 Fan Xian knew of his own proficiency in assassination, how
to maintain and handle authority, and the production of
certain fabrications when the time required it. After all, he
would always present himself as someone soft and
approachable, but his heart was like one of a killer. He was not
a person who could comfort others, nor was he good at
analyzing information. He knew of his dexterities and
limitations, and working within those, he could excel at what
he was best at. It was because he had such a strong grasp of
himself that he could get a strong grasp of others and tell what
sort of person they were.

He thought about the plan he conceived in Shangjing, in the

northern Qi Kingdom. He sighed and thought about the goofy-
looking character who helped him a considerable amount
during his time there - Wang Qinian. But of course, the person
who ensured the effective execution of the plan was Yan
Bingyun, and right now, Fan Xian was remorseful at his
inability to secure him as a follower upon his return to the
capital. "Who knew that the Overwatch Council would take on
Yan Bingyun for the Fourth Bureau? And then for me to take
up the First Bureau?" He had desired to suppress Yan Bingyun’s
intelligence, but that was an even more difficult task now.

Fan Xian looked at Dabao and saw him eating noodles like a
madman. He laughed and picked up the now empty bun and
put it in his bowl. Fan Xian dipped it into the noodles and then
quickly put it in his mouth before chewing it heartily.

Dabao was shocked at the presence of a hand quickly appear

and disappear in front of him. With a slow reaction, he raised
his head to look at Fan Xian. He then shook his head before
resuming his feast upon the noodles.

Outside, it was still pouring. And as the heavy rain lashed the
streets, a mist arose, veiling the streets and houses, limiting
the visibility of those who braved the outdoors. The chill had
descended upon the city by now, and as the breeze picked up its
speed and strength, the people outside were remarkably
windswept. It was as if the wind itself was seeking the warmth
of the people’s necks.

Fan Xian placed a coat upon Dabao and carefully tucked in

the clothes around his neck to ensure the wind would not
breach his own warmth. He then tapped his shoulder and said,
"Xianxian has some business he must take care of. Why don't
you return to the manor and go play with Wan'er?"
 Dabao was chewing an apple. He mumbled back, "Sister is so
mean… me… Fan… play."

Fian Xian understood what he meant and began laughing. He

wondered if any of the officers, chancellors, businessmen,
prostitutes and even poets of this world capable of owning a
simple heart, such as the one Dabao possessed. Perhaps life
would be so much simpler and easier if they did.

Fan Xian then carefully spoke to Teng Zijing, and the

carriage that belonged to the Fan manor departed for home.
Deng Ziyue looked at Fan Xian and asked, "Sir, where should
we go now?"

"To Yan Manor."

Chapter 266: She Showed Self-Respect,
You Became a Pervert
In such heavy rain, instead of staying in the Bureau to be
served by his subordinates; or chowing down on delicious food
in Xinfeng Restaurant; or going back to the manor to enjoy
some warm tea; Fan Xian insisted on going to Yan Manor. Deng
Ziyue was mildly surprised.

"Allow me to call a carriage," he said to Fan Xian as he was

about to cross the street.

Fan Xian shook his head and put up the hood of his raincoat.
Unintimidated by the downpour, he began to walk down the
street, allowing the raindrops to fall on his dark gray coat.

Most of the Council’s uniforms were rather ordinary, but

there were exceptions. For example, there was the special
raincoat for operating under rainy weather—the sleeves were
roomy and not too long, and the entire coat was made from a
waterproof fabric. It also had a hood, giving it a strange
resemblance to both a wind jacket and a cloak. When rain fell,
each drop would smoothly glide down the fabric.
 When Shu the scholar saw this raincoat for the first time, his
artistic sense was inspired and he dubbed it "lotus coat", since
the material repelled water just like it was made of lotus pads.
Contrary to its artistic name, however, the raincoats looked
too strange and went against the established aesthetics, so it
failed to become popular among the general public; only
personnel of the Overwatch Council would wear it.

Today, when it rained in the capital, the sight of anyone

wearing this raincoat meant that the Council was out taking
care of some matter or another, prompting ordinary people to
stay away.

Fan Xian was walking in the rain, and the Qinian Unit dared
not linger behind. Just like on that moonlit night, they divided
themselves and followed, neither too far nor too close.
Together they walked down the long street in silence. Only the
splatter of water could be heard from the rain which fell onto
their clothes and from their boots when they stepped into
puddles.

Seen through the haze, this small group carried a killing

intent.
 The owner of Xinfeng Restaurant was quite fascinated by the
scene. This Commissioner Fan sure was amazing; somehow
that strange Council raincoat managed to look good on him.

Yan Manor wasn’t too far away. The group went through an
alleyway and then took a right turn after they exited. The front
gates of Yan Manor weren’t too wide, but Fan Xian felt them
quite imposing when he remembered that the father and son
who lived here controlled the entirety of Qing’s foreign spy
network.

Yan Ruohai had been in charge of the Fourth Bureau for over
ten years and had gained the respect of both Shen Pingping and
His Majesty. Even the high-ranking court officials would not
dare to show him any disrespect. Technically speaking,
however, his rank was very low due to how the Overwatch
Council was set up back in the day. In order for all members of
the Council to operate more easily, His Majesty had been
forcefully raising their political statuses through an award and
merit system.

Several years ago, Yan Ruohai already a second-ranked earl.

After Yan Bingyun was sold out by the Eldest Princess, His
Majesty, in an attempt to appease the Council officials, directly
promoted Yan Ruohai to a third-ranked earl. Even Fan Xian’s
father, the current Minister of Revenue, was merely a first-
ranked earl. This just showed just how well His Majesty treated
the members of the Overwatch Council.

However, the door plaque had remained the same; nothing

was changed which would show the new status. The characters
were written in black ink rather than gold, which made it seem
quite low-key. But Fan Xian knew that, other than the other
than the senior ministers who had inherited their titles from
fiefdoms, only officials who had been granted a manor by His
Majesty had the right to label their titles on a plaque. That
meant that Yan Manor, too, was once granted by His Majesty.
It could not get any more low-profile even if it wanted to.

The doorman, from a distance, recognized the group as

Council officials, but he didn’t know if they were the Master’s
colleagues or the Young Master’s friends. He hurried down the
steps to greet Fan Xian’s group.

Fan Xian took off his hood and asked, "Is Yan Bingyun
home?"
 The doorman was about to say that the Master wasn’t home,
but hearing that Fan Xian was here for the Young Master, and
judging by Fan Xian’s appearance, the doorman was able to
guess Fan Xian’s identity. He replied respectfully, "The Young
Master is home. If I may ask, would you be the Lord
Commissioner?"

Fan Xian nodded and took off his raincoat. The doorman
took it and opened an umbrella, "Sir, this way please."

This doorman was a smart one; he knew the Young Master

most likely wouldn’t have made it back without this
Commissioner Fan and therefore invited the party in without
reporting their visit first. Fan Xian smiled at the doorman and
walked in quite naturally. As he ranked above both Yans, there
was no need for excessive formalities.

This was Fan Xian’s first visit to Yan Manor, so he was rather
curious regarding its layout. But as he followed the doorman,
he saw nothing of interest except for the artificial hill that was
absurdly huge and covered in green moss.
 Around the hill, they had arrived at the inner sections of Yan
Manor. Fan Xian, from a distance, saw the pair under the
pavilion and smiled. Signaling to the others not to follow, he
went ahead along the stone path, making as little noise as
possible.

Under this rain, even the ground directly under the pavilion
was getting damp, but the pair did not move, sitting and
staring blankly into the rain.

One of them was the Young Master Yan who had just
returned to the capital recently, the other was Miss Shen who
took many risks in following him. They did not speak, nor did
they look at each other; they just stared into the rain, as if
hoping the downpour would form a screen to reflect their gazes
into each other.

Fan Xian smiled bitterly as he discovered there was now a

hint of warmth in the eyes of Yan Bingyun, who otherwise bore
his usual cold expression. As for Miss Shen sitting beside him,
she seemed to have gotten out of her misery which resulted
from her family’s tragedy; her face now has a hint of
bashfulness, although her eyes seemed lost.
 The way they pretended each other didn’t exist presented a
rather interesting situation.

What struck out even more to Fan Xian was the fact Miss
Shen was wearing the clothes of a maidservant, while her
ankles were shackled, the long chain of which ran all the way
into her room. Apparently, Yan Bingyun had chained her up!

Fan Xian quietly observed for a bit longer. Seeing that Yan
Bingyun still hadn’t noticed his presence, Fan Xian sighed as he
knew Yan Bingyun must not be as relaxed as he appeared.

Fan Xian cleared his throat.

Yan Bingyun turned around and was greeted by that

despicable, gentle smile. His eyes were full of rage, although it
was not clear if he was responding to being disturbed or to the
fact a captive was pretty much forced upon him.

Miss Shen’s expression darkened as she saw Fan Xian. She

gave a slight curtsy and went back to her room, the sound of
her chain echoing behind her.
 Yan Bingyun didn’t seem to be surprised by Fan Xian showing
up unannounced, but Fan Xian wasn’t expecting the Yan manor
to be this unfrequented. Sitting down where Miss Shen had
been sitting moments ago, the residual heat distracted Fan
Xian. Forcing back his inappropriate thoughts, Fan Xian said,
"I was expecting your place to see more visitors after your
arduous return, and here I see you and Miss Shen sitting teary-
eyed together in this rain."

Yan Bingyun explained very seriously: "First of all, we were

not looking at each other. Second of all, the tears all came from
the sky, not me."

Fan Xian shrugged and didn’t say anything.

Yan Bingyun continued, "Father never liked dealing with

Court officials, and I’m not famous in the capital like you, so
it’s only natural that we don't get many visitors."

Fan Xian shook his head. "I know you were well-known in
the capital as a young gentleman before you left for Northern
Qi. Now that you’ve returned, your promotion is pretty much
guaranteed. How could there not be anyone knocking on your
door trying to get on your good side? Even if you belong to the
Overwatch Council, which is separate from the Imperial court,
I doubt anyone would miss this opportunity."

"Father kept three dogs to guard the door, so no one dared to

approach."

Fan Xian was puzzled, "But I didn’t see any when I came in?"

"Today the rain is keeping away visitors, so the dogs are

taking a rest."

Fan Xian didn’t know what to say.

"And Sir, why am I being graced with your visit today?"

Young Master Yan was purposely trying to distance himself

from Young Sir Fan, although it also had to do with his
upbringing. Fan Xian didn’t care, however, and took out a
tube. He opened the tube and took out a scroll, which he tossed
to Yan Bingyun.

Yan Bingyun read through the contents briefly and showed

an unnatural expression. "Sir, you must really have faith in
me. But still, this is how the First Bureau gets by. Letting me
see this is breaking regulation."

Fan Xian smiled. "Don’t think you get to avoid me every day
just because you’re going to receive your father’s position
soon… Since you’re calling me ‘Sir’, it means you’re fully
aware that I, when pushed, can easily order you to be relocated
to the First Bureau and demote you, and you wouldn’t be able
to do anything… With that said, enough nonsense; read this
report."

Yan Bingyun became angry. "How could you pull others into
your dirty waters?! Sir, if you try to oppress me again using
your rank, I’m going to tell Director Chen!"

Fan Xian waved his hand and jeered, "Go ahead, just don’t
regret it when I move you to the First Bureau to be a registrar."
 Yan Bingyun forced down his anger and asked, "What do you
want to know?"

"Something big." Fan Xian chuckled as he stood up. "I want

you to find out if there are any relationships between the
Second Prince and the Cui clan."

Again, all was quiet.

Yan Bingyun’s face held neither shock nor fear. He said,

"Since we were in Shangjing, I knew you were definitely going
to deal with the Cui clan. On that, Sir, you did not hide
anything from me. However, the Second Prince? There is
nothing about him having any connection with Xinyang." Yan
Bingyun knew Fan Xian was dealing with the Cui household
because of the Eldest Princess. To investigate the relationship
between the Second Prince and the Cuis was also directed at the
Eldest Princess. Yan Bingyun could not figure out why this
would involve the Second Prince.

"Intuition," Fan Xian said calmly. "Regarding Xinyang, I was

being frank with you from the start because it naturally brings
up the possibility of us joining forces. As for my suspicion
toward the Second Prince, it was because during the half year I
spent in Northern Qi, I found him to be too quiet… Only
recently did I discover this seemingly secretive Second
Highness holds so much authority and attracts so many
officials trying to get on his good side."

When analyzing the situation using the viewpoint of Fan

Xian’s previous life, when royal siblings fought for the throne,
the Crown Prince pretty much had his future guaranteed
without him needing to do anything. Indeed, in the past year
or so, without the Eldest Princess’s influence from the
shadows, the Crown Prince had done just that. The same,
however, would not apply to the Second Prince. For him to
secure a spot for himself, he had to act one way or another. A
quiet dog may still bite, but a quite prince will not seize power.

Yan Bingyun gave Fan Xian a strange look. "Sir, it appears

that you’ve decided to get involved in the princes’ struggle
after all."

Fan Xian smiled and shook his head, "No, I’m merely making
preparations so that I won't lose a roof over my head because of
them."
 Yan Bingyun was silent for a moment, as if calculating how
this might influence the future. Any civil servant would care
about where this nation was headed, especially young and
high-ranking officials like Fan Xian and Yan Bingyun.

"Sir… You belong to the Crown Prince’s faction?" Yan

Bingyun suddenly raised his head and somewhat
disrespectfully stared into Fan Xian’s eyes as he asked this
idiotic, overly-direct question which did not leave any room
for reconsideration.

That caught Fan Xian off guard, but he smiled and shook his
head. "I do not."

There was another instant of silence from Yan Bingyun.

Then, he too smiled. "Ah… So you are with His Majesty."

Fan Xian did not respond, knowing Yan Bingyun would

definitely offer his help—being locked away for a year, plus
staying put to heal his wounds after his return, made Yan
Bingyun ache for some fun or exciting action. It was no
wonder he bit hard on Fan Xian’s hook.
 Yan Bingyun looked at the scroll again, thoroughly this time,
and shook his head. "Although the First Bureau scouts in the
capital aren’t as good as they used to be, they’re still excellent.
But still, with something as big as this, we must not rely on the
reports in the capital alone. Information needs to be compared
with other information, and this here is already established
and not too valuable. I know that Mu Tie; he is quite capable
dealing with single cases. But this is too big for him to control.
If… Sir, if you trust me, let me take care of this."

Trust? Fan Xian looked at Yan Bingyun’s lowered head and

saw the silver strands in his brow, even though Yan Bingyun
was still young—only a few years older than Fan Xian. Fan
Xian squinted and said, "I trust you." This thing called trust
was supposed to be this simple and based on one’s mood.

"How long do you need?"

Yan Bingyun raised his head, his tone flat but carrying some
self-confidence. "I return to the Fourth Bureau next month. I
shall inform you by the end of the month."
 Fan Xian nodded. "Is there anything that requires
assistance?"

Yan Bingyun shook his head. "If this gets out of hand, I don’t
want to be the scapegoat."

"Worry not, I like goats." Fan Xian laughed. Not only was he
happy for the fact he and Yan Bingyun seemed to have
rediscovered the connection they had in Shangjing, but also
because he knew if Yan Bingyun were to seriously start
investigating, then Yan Bingyun was guaranteed to follow his
footsteps from now on.

The relationship between the Second Prince and Xinyang had

to be investigated, but it was more important to sway the
young Yan to his side.

"One more thing." Yan Bingyun suddenly frowned. "I wish

to… request a team of soldiers from you."

Fan Xian was curious. "Haven’t you been resting since you
got back? Unless you are also doing your own secret
investigations? As for requesting soldiers, you father at the
Fourth Bureau has so many capable ones—why ask me?"

The rain began to fall harder, splashing against the stone-

paved ground as if trying to riddle the surface with countless
pits. The trees in the yard, which were getting plenty to drink,
began to droop their leaves and branches, shying away from
the downpour. Yan Bingyun flashed a look of worry before
saying, "There’s a serial murder case in the south spanning
several provinces. The thirteen yamen of the Ministry of
Justice lost many men, but they weren’t able to catch the
murderer. His Majesty sent this case to the Council."

Fan Xian nodded. He had been well-informed, having once

received the Council’s secret report when he and Yan Bingyun
were still in Shangjing, although at the time he didn’t give it
too much thought.

Yan Bingyun then said, somewhat puzzled, "This goes under

the jurisdiction of the Fourth Bureau, but unexpectedly, after
the Fourth Bureau took over the case, thirteen agents died one
after another without finding a single trace of the murderer.
Furthermore, their deaths were reported to have been
extremely gruesome, which means this killer must be a very
powerful martial artist. Of course, we have no way to confirm
the rank, but we estimate this killer to be ninth-ranked judging
on how they were able to kill so many of our men without
leaving a trace.

Fan Xian also became interested in this case. In the current

world, as long as a martial artist boasted ninth-rank prowess,
they would be welcomed and solicited regardless of which
nation they were in. Even the military, for certain reasons,
changed its usual attitude and began to try to attract such
masters.

The problem, however, was that not many people in this

world were ranked ninth or higher. Most of them resided in
Dongyi City, due to its wealth and the presence of the Sigu
School.

Which was why, for martial artist who were ranked ninth or
higher, they could become part of Qing’s military and defend
the nation, like the Ye clan, or they could be like Friar He of
Northern Qi, and become an assassin specializing in missions
on foreign soil. Supposing that the murderer enjoyed freedom,
in the worst-case scenario, they could go to Dongyi, where they
could help back up the merchants and go to the Sigu School in
their spare time for some sparring sessions… Those were all
very lavish options to choose from.

But a serial killer? Was there also rape or robbery involved?

There was simply no need for a ninth-ranked master to resort
to such actions.

"Perhaps we’re dealing with a perverted killer." Fan Xian

signed. "…Who finds thrill in killing."

Yan Bingyun frowned, apparently unaware that such people

could exist. Of course, he didn’t fully understand what Fan
Xian meant by "pervert". He said, "The Fourth Bureau lost too
much, hence the need to send out very powerful fighters. And
as you know, ninth-ranked martial artists are rare to begin
with, and the ones in the capital all rank above my father. So
the Fourth Bureau couldn’t say anything, and His Majesty isn’t
going to permit it either. That’s why, Sir, I would like to
borrow soldiers from you."

Fan Xian was curious. "But the First Bureau doesn’t have
such masters either… Even counting the guards back home,
two are seventh-ranked, and that’s already impressive."
 Yan Bingyun gave a smirk. "The one I want is… Gao Da! And
the six other blades under his command!"

Seeing Yan Bingyun’s scheming appearance, Fan Xian wanted

to slap him. Chuckling coldly, Fan Xian said, "We sure are of
the same mind. I also want to have Gao Dao by my side, and I
asked the old man the first chance I got. And the result?" Fan
Xian spread out his hands. "It was but wishful thinking. Just
like you. They belong to the palace; the palace isn’t going to
lend them out whenever we ask."

"I don’t care about that." Yan Bingyun grinned. "If in the
future Gao Da gets transferred under your command, the
Fourth Bureau would like to make use of him for a few days.

Yan Bingyun’s rarely-seen grin stunned Fan Xian slightly. He

knew the Yan household had various connections in the
capital; perhaps they overheard something? The thought made
Fan Xian’s heart skip a beat. Could he really take command of
Gao Dao and the other six swordsmen? The possibility of such
fortune made Fan Xian laugh. "Let’s take your wishful thinking
as a blessing. If that day really comes, there’s nothing wrong
with lending them to you."
 Having addressed the important stuff, Fan Xian took a glance
into the room and began to chide Yan Bingyun. "How has
living with Miss Shen been recently?"

Hearing this, Yan Bingyun turned back into a chunk of ice.

"Sir, please have some self-respect."

"Self-respect my ass!" Fan Xian cursed out. "You, chaining her

up like that, are you letting her have self-respect too? You’re
just like that serial killer down south… a pervert."

The rain kept falling. The atmosphere was far from

harmonious. Fan Xian was waving his arms around, full of
himself, while Yan Bingyun was speechless from rage. He could
guess that "pervert" didn’t have a nice meaning. Finally, unable
to contain his anger, he said, "If you didn’t leave her in the
envoy, would I still be tormented out of my mind?"

"Dressing her up like a maidservant is not going to work

long-term. Besides, I don’t see the point of the chain. I doubt
Miss Shen would want to go anywhere else with you here." Fan
Xian continued to mock Yan Bingyun.
 "Then, Sir, do you have any ideas?" Yan Bingyun laughed
coldly. "And that Princess from Northern Qi is also something.
After only a few days in the capital, she managed to persuade
the Great Prince to come to the manor and pressure me to treat
Miss Shen well. She’s Shen Zhong’s daughter, a wanted
criminal of Qi. I can’t kill her, I can’t release her, what do I
do?"

A faint wail could be heard coming from inside.

Fan Xian withdrew his gaze, having just found out that the
Great Prince also knew about this. Putting on a serious
expression, he said, "If it really is an inconvenience, I could
take Miss Shen with me."

Yan Bingyun suddenly raised his head, and Fan Xian

adamantly remained silent. A while later, Yan Bingyun slowly
nodded.

Fan Xian and his group left Yan Manor, this time with a
carriage which was called over from Fan Manor. Fan Xian
wasn’t in the mood to stroll in the rain. Sitting in the carriage
and looking at Miss Shen, who appeared fearful, he smiled. "It
will only be for a few days, Miss Shen, so please be at ease.
Once things start to calm down, I shall bring you back."

Because of his feud with the Eldest Princess, Fan Xian was
justified in investigating the Second Prince. However, Fan Xian
also had some more personal reasons that he would never
disclose. With the scale of things being so huge this time, Fan
Xian could not place complete trust in Yan Bingyun without
having a grasp over certain things. Trust, though established
on intuition, would only equate to mutual benefit when there
was not enough of it. So far, Fan Xian was only satisfied by the
fact that, with Miss Shen in his manor, Yan Bingyun would be
sure to come over often to talk.’

Fan Xian talking away Miss Shen made Yan Bingyun secretly
feel a bit unpleasant, but otherwise he wasn’t really against it
due to being influenced by the ways of the Overwatch Council.
After all, to him, Miss Shen was like a time bomb. While it
hadn't gone off yet, Yan Bingyun and his father were already
quarreling on a daily basis. What Fan Xian did was akin to a
trade in an attempt to achieve mutual trust, and also to put
things temporarily to rest.
 Looking out the window, Fan Xian sighed. A year ago, on the
night when he opened that chest, it was also raining.
Comparing his state of delirium on that night with his current
brooding boredom made him realize this world had deeply
changed him before he could change it.

As the rain died down, people began to come out, and the
carriage slowed. There seemed to be some traffic as the carriage
stopped. Another carriage came up from behind and pulled up
next to Fan Xian’s carriage. An arm in a light-yellow sleeve
reached out and lifted the curtain of Fan Xian’s window,
followed by a joyous cry, "Master!"

At this moment, Deng Ziyue had already drawn his blade,

and Fan Xian signaled him to stand down. Looking at the other
carriage in shock, Fan Xian was surprised the other party had
remembered their relationship as master and disciple.

Ye Ling’er’s bright eyes stared back, also in shock, but she

was reacting toward the presence of Miss Shen. "As expected of
my Master… Which household did you lure her out of?"
 Fan Xian retorted, "Since you still remember me as you
Master, you should speak to me with more respect. You are
going to be a princess soon; why are you outside wandering
about in this rain?"

Fan Xian had already started to suspect the Second Prince as

the true culprit behind the incident on Niulan Street. The feast
was hosted by the Second Prince. While later investigations
revealed that Si Lili had informed the Eldest Princess, whose
agent was planted in the Prime Minister’s manor and then
planned the assassination with Wan’er’s second brother, Fan
Xian never let down his guard due to the Second Princess
setting him up to run into the Crown Prince.

Everyone thought the Eldest Princess supported the eastern

palace, Fan Xian was no exception in the beginning. But now,
looking at everything carefully, what would the Eldest Princess
gain in doing so much to support a proper heir, the Crown
Prince?

And after he and Prince Jing ate at Yishi Tavern, Fan Xian
unexpectedly discovered the owner was from the Cui
household, which was rooted in Xinyang. Linking those
together was not enough to prove or explain anything, but it
was enough for Fan Xian to place firm belief in his instincts.
The Second Prince being so quiet was abnormal; a great power
must be supporting him in the palace.

Should the Second Prince turn out to be in the same direction

as the Eldest Prince, then there was nothing Fan Xian could do
other than apologize.

Despite having launched his investigation of the Second

Prince, Fan Xian did not feel or show any conflict when looking
at the girl, who was to become the Second Princess next spring.
His first meeting with Ye Ling’er was far from pleasant, and
afterwards he had fought her coffin-breaker technique with his
cheap tricks. But after his marriage, she often came over to the
manor to accompany Wan’er, and from those visits, Fan Xian
came to appreciate this pretty girl whose eyes were clear as
jade. To him, she was easy-going and free-spirited, unlike the
average daughter from a rich family.

Ye Ling’er referred to Wan’er as "older sister" and Fan Xian as

"Master". Fan Xian found it hard to bear being called master in
front of Wan’er, because the title made it sound like he was an
entire generation older.
 Ye Ling’er said excitedly, "Master, how come you never
visited me after you got back?"

"Master, where are you going now?"

"Master…"

Fan Xian rubbed his temples in response to Ye Ling’er’s

barrage of words. Smiling bitterly, he sighed, "Sun Wukong,
you’re causing mischief again."
Chapter 267: Eunuch Dai’s Wise
Decision
Fan Xian had taught Ye Ling'er a few tricks by the lakeside,
but it had all been in order to learn the Ye family's Coffin
Breaker technique. It amused him that she had brought up last
year's events. "Where are you going?" he asked, fondness in his
voice.

"I'm going to your house to see Wan'er," said Ye Ling'er. She

looked at Miss Shen standing beside her as she said this,
though snorted and said nothing

Fan Xian didn't much like her naturally carefree arrogance,

but as he was not one to judge others, he decided not to say
anything. He retained a respectful air, and though Ye Ling'er
was accepting of this, she knew from their interactions over
the past year she that he was the kind of man who paid
attention to detail. She smiled. "Don't worry. I know you're a
big shot in the Overwatch Council now. A woman in a nice
house isn't likely to come out onto the street."

Fan Xian laughed and said nothing. It was then that the
crowd in front of them seemed to disperse as the Ye family's
carriage made its way through before stopping. It seemed that
Ye Ling'er had discovered something worth looking at.

Fan Xian waved a hand, signaling for the carriage to continue

on. After he came up to the Ye family's carriage, he put on his
raincoat, and Deng Ziyue and a number of other members from
Wang Qinian's team followed close behind.

In the carriage, Ye Ling’er saw that they were all wearing

black raincoats and walking through the rain, and finally
realized that Fan Xian was not merely passing through
Dengshikou, but had specifically come to Dengshikou to
handle matters.

Every day, Dai Zhen of the Dengshikou Produce Inspectorate

would wait for fruits and vegetables to come in from outside
the city, ascertain their quality, then divide them up for
selling. He also saw to the daily food orders for the royal court
and the great families of the city. Specifically, he was a kind of
kitchen porter for the noble families of Qing, though he had a
wide range of responsibilities. One stick of celery was not
worth anything, but a hundred sticks of celery were. A single
egg was worth nothing, but a hundred eggs were enough for
Yishi Tavern to turn into a feast.
 The Produce Inspectorate was not considered a government
office; it had no rank, and because of the many different places
it served, it did not even have a supervisory office above it.
Perhaps the officials paid it no attention because they felt there
were no ill-gotten gains from delivering food in the city. In
fact, Fan Xian was quite aware that new policies regarding this
form of production had been put in practice from time to time
over the past few years and were occasionally left unfinished.
His Majesty was simply fooling around, and this subordinate
structure was thoroughly disordered and redundant.

Dai Zhen was head of the Produce Inspectorate. Over the past
few years, he had gained a steady supply of cash from eggs and
vegetables. He presumed that he was the only one who knew
just how much profit could be made from such unremarkable
things. Often, in the middle of the night, he would laugh to
himself in bed. Even when his most beloved concubine urged
him daily to ask his uncle for a decent, honorable position in
the bureaucracy, he said nothing.

It was marvelous. He was probably the first person in all of

history to have made such a profit from selling vegetables. Dai
Zhen couldn't help but consider himself a genius.
 But today was the day that he would cease to be so pleased
with himself. In the autumn rain, the personnel of the First
Bureau of the Overwatch Council had come to shut down his
pitiful little department, and were blocking the way to Datong
Lane. Datong Lane was where the peddlers sold their groceries,
and it was where a third of the city's food was purchased daily.

He face was ashen as he rushed into his office and saw those
devils in black clothing inside. He patted his cheeks to make
his smile seem softer. "So the men of the First Bureau are here.
As it is mid-autumn, we have a number of rare fruits on offer.
Perhaps I can offer them as a gift..."

Today, the person heading the case at the First Bureau was
Mu Feng'er. He knew that this action today had been part of a
demonstration by Commissioner Fan, and he dared not be
negligent. He looked at Dai Zhen and spoke coldly. "Master
Dai, come with us, please."

The officials of the First Bureau had already confiscated his

accounts. They began picking out people in the street based on
the names on their register and escorted them into their
carriages outside.
 The autumn rains were still falling. Dai Zhen felt colder and
colder. He smiled apologetically. "I'm no 'master'. Perhaps you
are mistaken, Master Mu." He customarily slipped a banknote
into Mu Feng'er's sleeve.

Mu Feng'er looked at him and felt slight pity for the man.
Could it be that he had not heard that Commissioner Fan was
now heading up the First Bureau? Two stone-faced officers
came up from beside him and kicked Dai Zhen in the back of
the knee, forcing him to the ground. They took rope from
around their waists and bound his hands tightly in one swift
move. It seemed that the First Bureau had been doing that sort
of thing a lot that year.

Dai Zhen fell to the floor, his thoughts in disarray. There was
a sharp pain in his wrists, and he was both ashamed and
furious. Finally, he could hold back no longer. "What are you
doing?!" he shouted, cursing them.

Mu Feng'er gripped the object in his breast pocket and

thought for a moment before deciding not to take it out. "This
is official business, and we ask for your co-operation, Master
Dai."
 Dai Zhen panicked, his eyes swiveling around the room.
"Help!" he yelled in a loud voice. "The Overwatch Council are
trying to kill me for my money!"

When the First Bureau team had rushed in through the rains
to raid the Produce Inspectorate, the people of Qing, always
fond of a good scene, had already gathered around. But fearing
the black-clad men of the Council, the commoners did not dare
get any closer. Now captured, the once-arrogant Dai was a
sorry sight indeed. He was fearful, and though the hired thugs
that he had hired in secret were roused by his cries, the
Overwatch Council blocked their path.

Dai Zhen's hands were bound, and his heart was beating fast.
He knew that when the Overwatch Council made a move,
nothing could make them stop. He howled for his life. "The
Overwatch Council want to kill me for my money!" In truth, he
was truly distraught. For a moment, he couldn't think of doing
anything but shouting those words. He hoped that his uncle in
the palace would hear the news as soon as possible and
intervene before he was taken to their terrifying prison.

Looking at the excited crowd outside, Mu Feng'er frowned.

He took out a document from his breast pocket, and read out
Dai Zhen's crimes aloud to the people.

The workers and common people of the city all believed in

the government and trusted them. After all, everyone knew
that Dai Zhen's hands weren't clean in the slightest. But as the
crowds gathered, it became harder for them to leave. The First
Bureau had only sent a handful of men, and seizing the
accounting books and gathering testimonies seemed rather
difficult.

Looking on the scene, Mu Feng'er felt rather angry, but he

glanced in the distance beyond the crowd and saw two
carriages that were over to one side. A group of unfamiliar
colleagues from the Council were escorting Commissioner Fan,
dressed in rain clothes. He peered through the heavy rain, and
his heart pounded.

"Go!" he yelled.

Dai Zhen's hands were tied. He knew that the Overwatch

Council's prison was a place that officials could not go to. His
face reddened as he howled himself hoarse. He was like a child
throwing a tantrum, laid out on the floor and absolutely
unwilling to leave.

His henchmen had gathered around outside. Although they

wouldn't dare lay a finger on the men of the Council, they
forcefully blocked them from returning back with their
detainee.

As the rains fell, Fan Xian glanced at the scene on the not-so-
distant stone steps, making a silent evaluation of Mu Feng'er's
capability. He heard Ye Ling'er's curious voice come from the
carriage behind him. "Sir, the work that you Council men are
doing seems rather absurd. Hassling a minor official in broad
daylight. What’s next? If the commoners see what you are
doing, then how will that reflect on the royal court?"

The rain beat down upon Fan Xian's rain hat. The droplets
fell down from the brim, hiding his face.

"If an official does not care for his reputation, there is no

reason why the royal court should cover for them," he said
calmly. "Ling'er, despite being just a minor official, he can graft
5,000 taels of silver from the palace in the span of a year. As for
the profits he's made on Datong Lane in the past few years, who
can say?"

Ye Ling'er was by the carriage window, and the rain water

had soaked the hair on her forehead. There was a look of
interest in her eyes. She had been planning to enjoy herself at
Fan Manor today; she hadn't expected to run into Fan Xian, and
certainly hadn't expected them both to be witness to such a
scene. She finally realized that a petty official could still make
off with a large amount of money.

At that moment, and with great difficulty, Mu Feng'er's men

finally fought their way out of the Produce Inspectorate,
approaching Fan Xian and dragging the miserable Dai Zhen
with them through the heavy rains.

The thugs who had encircled them seemed to have caught

sight of the strength and power that those two carriages
represented and did not dare rush forth. As for the commoners,
seeing Fan Xian and Deng Ziyue's uniforms, they seemed to
sense the chilling air that emanated from the two men, and
unthinkingly retreated.
 Dai Zhen was still a forceful petty official. His official's
garments were already soaked through by the dirty rainwater.
His hair was scattered across his round face, and he looked
truly exhausted, yet he still scolded them ferociously. "You
Council men, you take what we have, and you still want more?
And now you want to torture my money out of me!"

When the ignorant masses surrounding them heard his

words, there was a sudden look of realization on their faces.

Fan Xian lowered his eyes and looked at the official who
struggled before him, flailing his legs like a tied-up hog about
to be slaughtered. He was not concerned about getting him to
shut up, because the common people had always seen the
Overwatch Council as a shadowy organization. Even if Dai
Zhen cursed them all day long, it wouldn’t have any effect on
the situation. And today was simply a trial run; the main
objective was seeing how his subordinates handled affairs.

Seeing a look of shame and uneasy anger on Mu Feng'er's

face, Fan Xian shook his head. "Why did you not choose to
capture him at home, in the middle of the night? Although it's
raining today, you knew that Datong Lane would be full of
people, and the whole scene could easily descend into chaos."
 Mu Feng'er was stunned. The new regulations were clear -
from now on, cases were to be handled out in the open as much
as possible, so they had chosen to arrest him at his office. If
things were as before, then of course they would have taken
him in the middle of the night. How was this his fault?

Fan Xian did not wait for him to explain. "Even if you had
done it in the middle of the day, you could have closed up his
office and left immediately. Could you not have let him quietly
come with you to the Council? What use were your methods?
Reading out an official record of his crimes. Did you think you
were bureaucrats from the Supreme Court? Do I have to
specially employ a clerk to follow around after you make
official proclamations?"

Hearing his harsh words, Mu Feng’er grumbled. On the one

hand, Dai Zhen had some serious support behind him, and they
feared the possible consequences of making a chaotic scene. On
the other hand, he worried that the commissioner, as a gifted
scholar, would look poorly on their usual cloak-and-dagger
methods.

Although the commissioner was known as an immortal of

poetry, it seemed that that did not contradict the secretive
methods of the Council. Hearing Fan Xian's mockery, it seemed
he felt even more strongly about them than Mu Feng'er did.

At that moment, Dai Zhen let out another howl as he lay face
down on the wet ground. His eyes were covered by the mud,
but he saw a glimpse of who Mu Feng'er was reporting to. He
knew that this was a major figure in the Council, and he
couldn't help but feel afraid. He didn't recognize Fan Xian, but
he recognized Ye Ling'er in the carriage behind him. Ye Ling'er
was the only daughter of the Commander of Defense. Ever
since she was a child, she had enjoyed riding on horseback
through the city streets. There were very few of the city's
denizens who could not recognize her.

Dai Zhen immediately cried out to the young woman in the

carriage. "Lady Ye, please, help..."

Ye Ling'er looked at Fan Xian's strangely calm face. She did

not dare say a word, and abruptly pulled her head back inside
the carriage.

Dai Zhen knew that he was done for, and finally played his
trump card. "Do you know who my uncle is?" he yelled. "How
dare you arrest me! My uncle is... ugh!"

Seeing Fan Xian signal with his eyes, Deng Ziyue knew that
he did not want to hear Eunuch Dai's name spoken aloud, and
wanted him muzzled.

At that point, Mu Feng'er understood, and somewhat

shamefully took from his breast pocket a small wooden stick,
both ends tied with rope, and crudely placed it in Dai Zhen's
mouth. The stick was stiff, and tore at the corners of Dai
Zhen's mouth, leaving him unable to speak, with blood
dripping from both corners of his lips.

The people around them were shocked. Fan Xian paid them
no attention. "I don't care who his uncle is," he said, speaking
to Mu Feng'er. "I only care who your uncle is. Do your job well.
Don't bring shame upon Mu Tie."

Mu Feng'er let out a slight grunt of shame in response and

hauled the bloody-faced Dai Zhen to the carriage. His
subordinates had caught a number of the thugs who had
hidden themselves in the crowd, and they turned around and
beat them fiercely to the ground with his Council-issued
truncheon, not giving them a chance to resist.

Seeing him lay blows upon them, the gathered commoners

were filled with fear, and immediately and loudly dispersed.
Once they had reached a safe distance by the corner of the
street, they turned around to watch curiously once more.

Through the rain, all they could see were a few agents of the
Council dressed in raincoats, brandishing sticks, their faces
cold as they beat a number of men on the ground. The men did
not dare fight back, perhaps due to the power the Overwatch
Council had amassed over the years.

It was a rather bloody sight.

Fan Xian looked at the commoners who had been watching

the spectacle from a distance, and imperceptibly shook his
head. Yet what surprised them was the fact that he did not
return to his own carriage, but lifted his hat and went directly
into Ye Ling'er's carriage.
 Ye Ling'er was shocked. How could a man so brazenly enter
her carriage?

Fan Xian pretended not to have realized this. He looked at Ye

Ling'er's slightly damp hair, hesitated, then pulled a
handkerchief out of his breast pocket and handed it to her. Ye
Ling'er took it and dried off her damp hair. She could smell a
slight perfume on the handkerchief, and presumed that it was
Wan'er's. She smiled, then asked him what all that earlier
business had been about.

Fan Xian laughed bitterly and told her all about Dai Zhen's
circumstances. "Such a trifling matter," she asked curiously.
"Why did you have to see to it personally?"

Fan Xian sneered. "The water is deep in the capital. Despite

Dai Zhen being just an official who sells vegetables, he's
managed to steal quite a lot. The reason he's so brazen is
because he's got support. His uncle is Eunuch Dai of the palace.
I'm overseeing all this today because I'm afraid that my
subordinates might move too slowly and allow Eunuch Dai to
catch wind of things. If I didn't get involved, the First Bureau
would have no way of catching the man inside the palace."
 Ye Ling'er looked into his gleaming eyes. "My father once said
that matters are most complicated inside the palace. He told us
never to get involved. You're quite brave."

"It's just a eunuch; nothing more." Fan Xian smiled. Eunuchs

had no rights anyway.

Ye Ling'er shook her head disapprovingly. "Don't

underestimate the palace eunuchs. They have their own
masters, and if you make them lose face, you will also cause
the palace concubines to lose face."

Fan Xian was somewhat stunned. It seemed that the thought

had only now occurred to him. A moment later, the smile
returned to his face. "And why should I fear that? I don't much
care for Wan'er going to the palace and acting as a go-between.
If the concubines find me troublesome, then as a Prince
Consort, at worst I'll get a slap on the wrist from the palace
and nothing more."

Ye Ling'er cocked her head to one side and looked at this

fearless young man, unsure of what he was thinking.
 The carriage reached the gate of Fan Manor, and the two of
them got out. Teng Zijing was waiting outside. Fan Xian told
him to tell his wife to make space for young Miss Shen in the
rear house. He then led Ye Ling'er into the manor, not without
forgetting to take his handkerchief back from her.

The handkerchief had been stolen from Haitang. And Fan

Xian wasn't willing to give it away.

Eunuch Dai was the favorite of Imperial Consort Shu, and Ye

Ling'er would immediately become the concubine of the next
Emperor, which meant that Concubine Shu was essentially her
future mother-in-law. Ye Ling'er would also immediately
become the liege of Eunuch Dai. Fan Xian had gossiped with Ye
Ling'er before regarding these relationships. He wasn't willing
to give her the handkerchief, but he had to use it where he
could.

The rain fell on the capital all day long, though had
somewhat subsided by sunset. Having received the news, a
flustered Eunuch Dai hurried out of the palace.
 He was a popular figure within the palace. Because Imperial
Consort Shu was a woman of outstanding literary talent, she
often helped the Emperor compose works, and she took
Eunuch Dai along with her. He also had the responsibility of
sending imperial edicts - when Fan Xian first learned that he
was to be named Functionary of Taichang Temple, the decree
was issued by Eunuch Dai, and there were a number of benefits
related to this. Now he could enter and leave the palace
regardless of the rules, and no one would dare complain.

Eunuch Dai stood in the doorway of the Produce

Inspectorate, his face red. He looked at the mess inside and
heard the shrieking of the people around him. Anger rose up
within him, and he pointed a scolding finger at his nephew's
subordinates. "I already told you! The other government
offices in the city aren't worth a damn, but when the
Overwatch Council come knocking, you better lick their damn
boots!"

One man clutched his half-swollen face, sobbing. "My lord,

normally we gladly hand out money. Today, the boss handed a
banknote to the man from the First Bureau. Who knew they
were going to follow their instructions to the letter?"
 Eunuch Dai's rage made his whole body tremble. "Who would
dare humiliate us like that!? Who are these scoundrels? I shall
find Mu Tie...How dare they cross the Dai family!"

He was a eunuch of the palace. The Overwatch Council had

no right to interfere with him, and he was confident in saying
so. Filled with rage over this humiliation, he took a sedan
chair to the First Bureau and find the person responsible.
Though his nephew Dai Zhen was a good-for-nothing, he had
still sent plenty of money his way over the years. He could not
simply stand by and watch as he was beaten half to death by
the Council's men. Everyone in the bureaucracy knew that
when you entered the Council, the only way you could leave
would be missing a few vital parts.

The sedan chair came to the gate of the office of the First
Bureau. Though Eunuch Dai was filled with doubt, he was
determined. First, he asked a footman to go inside and make
inquiries. A moment later, the footman returned and
whispered something in his ear. Eunuch Dai's face immediately
changed. He paused for a long time, then spoke through gritted
teeth. "Go back to the palace."
 Covered in bruises from head to toe, a thug saw Dai's sedan
chair return to the palace. For a moment he was alarmed.
Unable to approach the gate of the First Bureau, he yelled after
him. "My lord, you must seek justice for us!"

Eunuch Dai was a cunning man indeed. His experience in

making proclamations had trained his tongue in the art of
speaking carefully. He spat out some phlegm which just
happened to land on the man's face, and his voice quivered as
he spoke. "I am a eunuch! Not a judge!"

Having said this, he retreated to his sedan chair, feeling

thoroughly uneasy. The footman had made it clear. The person
in charge of today's operation was none other than Master Fan!

At that moment, Eunuch Dai realized that the Emperor had

already given Fan Xian control of the First Bureau... but why
had young Master Fan chosen to target his nephew? Eunuch
Dai knew full well that his nephew was corrupt, but when it
came to the scale of corruption in the capital's bureaucracy, he
was little more than an ant in comparison.
 He had no idea that Fan Xian simply wanted to train his men
and open up the market. Yet he presumed it had something to
do with him, and when he thought of the Fan family's
considerable power, Eunuch Dai's blood ran cold.

Watching the sedan chair pass by, Dai Zhen's hired thug
dimwittedly wiped the disgusting spittle from his face. He
couldn't understand it. Who was Eunuch Dai so afraid of?

A few days later, Eunuch Dai sought out an opportunity. He

brought up the matter in front of Lady Shu, hoping that she
could intervene on behalf of his nephew and pass on any news
to him. To his surprise, Lady Shu had already somehow learnt
of it, and was thoroughly aware of his nephew's situation. She
was thoroughly determined to have him punished.

At that moment, Eunuch Dai realized that Fan Xian had

somehow already blocked any way for him to take alternative
action. Filled with shock and fear, he gave up on any hope of
retaining his dignity, and rushed to Yi Guipin's chambers in a
shameless attempt to curry favor with her. He hoped to use her
connection with Lady Liu to quietly transfer money to Fan
Manor.
 Meanwhile, Mu Feng'er, who was in charge of the case, was
racking his brains. He looked at Dai Zhen, who had yet to be
transferred to the Celestial Prison, and felt a certain
frustration. It was this this no-good wheeler-dealer who had
caused him to lose face in front of Commissioner Fan, and yet
Commissioner Fan had ordered that this ruffian was not to be
punished. Why? He felt the purse of silver coins hanging from
his belt with his hand, and couldn't help but grumble.
Chapter 268: Interlude of Black and
White
Fan Xian ordered the First Bureau to capture Dai Zhen
precisely because of the head eunuch standing behind him.

Seeing that even Eunuch Dai submitted without a hassle, all

the officials in the capital were stunned by the First Bureau’s
determination and Commissioner Fan’s method. In the dark,
the First Bureau began to systematically carry out its work.
Going by the usual procedure, they broke in under the
darkness of the night and silently took those officials back to
the Council.

Such a sudden purge brought a cold wind to the capital. The

various officials thought this great scholar was going to shake
up the entire capital like he did with the examinations back in
spring. But gradually, people discovered that wasn’t the case.
The officials involved were all ranked rather low and
unimportant. There were no major cases involved either.

The senior members of the Imperial court and the princes’

subordinates did not show any strong reactions. As time
passed, they discovered this disturbance did not threaten
anything crucial within the political circles, only bringing
knocks on random doors. Once again at ease, they guessed that
Fan Xian, being new to his position, was merely trying to show
off his power.

While nothing became widespread, there were always people

who worried that something would, which was why over the
past few days, Lady Liu became the busiest person in Fan
manor. Contrary to her usual ways, she began to collect
money, which was turned over to Fan Xian, who gave the
majority of it to the Bureau and the remainder to Yan manor.

Since ancient times, money had been the best tool to buy
people, to placate them.

As a result, the First Bureau personnel became more

motivated in their work, while those that came close enough to
touch Lady Liu’s fingers became much more at ease—the ones
giving out money, receiving money, all received their own
consolation.

With everything entering the main phase, Fan Xian did not
go to Xinfeng Restaurant that day. Instead, he stayed home in
his book chamber, looking through the casefile written by Mu
Tie. Mu Tie’s handwriting wasn’t exquisite by any means, but
the content was clear-cut.

Eunuch Dai’s nephew, after paying a hefty fine, finally

returned from the Overwatch Council. Taking advantage of a
loophole in Qing law, he wasn’t sent to the Ministry of Justice
or Supreme Court, but he could no longer keep his lowly
position of inspecting produce. There were some other minor
cases, all of which were taken care of appropriately.

Under normal circumstances, since the Overwatch Council

wished to investigate the case involving the Produce
Inspectorate, not only would Dai Zhen lose his official
headwear, he would most likely lose his head as well. However,
Fan Xian was somewhat appreciative of Eunuch Dai being
sensible and considerate, helping him avoid some future
complications, not to mention Ye Ling’er went to the palace on
her own accord to speak on his behalf and to deliver a plea
from Lady Shu; it was only natural, then, that he do them this
favor.

Shi Chali, watching this young "master" sitting across from

him, felt uneasy. After the spring examinations, he and his
three good friends—Hou Jichang, Yang Wanli, and Cheng Xilin
—had already been sent out to become local officials.
According to the letters, they were all doing well in their
counties—Prime Minister Lin, having been serving in the
Imperial court for so many years, naturally had many
connections in the various counties. And now, with everyone’s
eyes on Fan Xian, his three "proud students" were being looked
after as well.

Among the four, only Shi Chanli failed to land himself on the
score list and therefore was unable to begin a career
immediately. Before Fan Xian left for Northern Qi, he left Shi
Chanli a letter, telling Shi Chanli to wait for his return.
Contrary to the letter, however, this Sir Fan immediately took
over the duties of the First Bureau. Shi Chanli really had no
clue on how to help the master; his friends had all become
important officials, while he could only sit and copy some
casefiles. Despite being an outgoing person, Shi Chanli
couldn’t help but brood over that realization.

Fan Xian raised his head, smiling, "Is this getting too
boring?"
 Shi Chanli smiled bitterly, "Teacher, you’re several years
younger than I am, and yet you’re able to remain so calm and
steady amongst all this paperwork. It looks like I, as the
student, must hone my patience."

Fan Xian chuckled. Had it been Hou Jichang, he would

definitely stand up to retort; had it been Yang Wanli, he would
probably start asking why he was releasing a major criminal.
Only Shi Chanli would be so mild-mannered to the point of
lacking words. It would appear that Fan Xian hadn’t been
wrong in choosing him to stay by his side.

"Stop calling me ‘teacher’," Fan Xian said, "it just feels so

ridiculous. I’d rather you call me ‘Sir’."

Shi Chanli was confused for a moment. It was actually quite

common for a test-taker to be younger than the test official, so
he didn’t feel anything wrong with it.

Fan Xian gave him the casefile on the desk, "Do you have any
thoughts on the matter?"
 Shi Chanli didn’t know if Fan Xian was testing him, but he
had thoroughly memorized these official documents in the past
couple of days. He shook his head and said honestly, "I really
don’t understand… Sir, what does this mean? If we’re really
going after a tiger, we shouldn’t have to keep an eye out for
these rats."

Fan Xian smiled, "It’s to give those cats over at the First
Bureau somethings to do, to familiarize, so that they wouldn’t
panic too much when the time comes to tackle big things."

Shi Chanli pretended to not hear "big things" and said

sincerely, "Sir, it is only expected for an official of the Imperial
court to alleviate some of His Majesty’s concerns and do work
for the court. But in the past few days, even though you only
went after the smaller targets while letting the bigger ones go,
you still offended some people."

"Offending people is one of the Council’s essential traits," Fan

Xian explained, "As you know, the Overwatch Council is His
Majesty’s private organization. It is not a public tool, but a
personal one. We devote our loyalty to His Majesty only.
Having said that, no matter if it’s from the views of the palace,
or from our own views, we must play our role of provoking
people… With the First Bureau situated right in the middle of
the capital, surrounded by all the prosperity, it has started to
lose sight of His Majesty’s original intention, and is now
lacking toughness and ruthlessness. The reason His Majesty let
me take charge of the First Bureau was to regain our initial role
as the ones most willing to offend people."

With Fan Xian being this transparent, Shi Chanli could no

longer disguise anything, "So His Majesty wants you to…
become a solitary official, without support."

Fan Xian nodded, "Impartial, taking no sides, His Majesty

wants me to become a second Chen Pingping, it’s just that…"
Fan Xian changed his tone to a slightly mocking one, "I visited
Sir Director’s manor, the extravagance there surpasses what
some members of the nobility could afford. But the loneliness
of it was just simply not for me."

Shi Chanli immediately understood what he meant and put

on a pained expression, "But Sir, if you only agree out of
courtesy without any sincerity, you could not fool His
Majesty’s wisdom and insight. I fear it would only be
detrimental to your future endeavors."
 Fan Xian grinned and didn’t say anything. Under normal
conditions, that old emperor shouldn’t have any thoughts
crueler than a tiger’s.

Shi Chanli also realized he had said too much, so he changed

the topic, "With the First Bureau’s current investigations,
although the tradition of apprehending people at night has
been restored, you still wouldn’t keep information hidden.
What if someone were to find out and expose everything? On
that I really have to disagree."

Fan Xian asked, curiously, "Why?"

Shi Chanli replied, "The Overwatch Council is His Majesty’s

special organization. Excluding its special privileges set by
Qing law, it is able to shake hundreds of officials largely due to
its mysteriousness and the way it operates in the dark. People
are ignorant, the more they don’t understand something, the
more they fear it. Sir, now that you intentionally put the First
Bureau on display out in the open, I fear it will weaken people’s
fear and lead to them not taking Overwatch Council seriously."
 Fan Xian acknowledged what Shi Chanli said, but responded,
"I know you disagree with some parts of the First Bureau’s new
rules—the release of information, for example—and I do admit
that keeping our public image as a demon which devours
people in the dark would greatly benefit our operations."

Shi Chanli was surprised Fan Xian agreed with him. Was Fan
Xian unhappy about his image in the eyes of the people and
trying to change it?

What Fan Xian said next invalidated that question, "On the
other hand, I don’t care how people view the Overwatch
Council… But you must understand, I’m currently only in
charge of the First Bureau, not the entire Council. With it in
the capital, other than the agents planted in the manors of
nobles, everything simply could not be kept hidden. The
officials in the capital are as numerous as stray dogs and
swimming fish, with they have tens of thousands of
connections… Since I can’t maintain the First Bureau’s secrecy,
I might as well do things out in the open; it might even add to
the intimidation."

Fan Xian then said seriously, "But, I only demand that the
results of the investigations be presented clearly and honestly.
In order to accomplish that, I am willing to accept all sorts of
means to get it done, no matter how dark and sinister… You
should know that I do not wish to be a saint."

Shi Chanli nodded, satisfied with that. Sure enough, his

teacher really was someone who dared to expose the
wrongdoings of current politics, and he was simply reserving
his opinions at the moment.

Fan Xian, unaware of Shi Chanli’s thoughts, said, "Starting

today, with all the cases being handled by the First Bureau, you
are to write a report which is going to be posted after each one
is closed and sent to the Ministry of Justice of Supreme Court.
You should explain the details in it, such as how the case came
to be. As for the location, I already decided on that wall
between the First Bureau and the Supreme Court.

Shi Chanli was flabbergasted, "This… This… This goes way

too far against the grain. The Ministry of Justice post wanted
posters, the Imperial court post the results of examinations,
the Overwatch Council… Also posting announcements?!"
 Fan Xian became moody, "It’s the First Bureau, not the
Overwatch Council! Didn’t I say to be more open in doing
things? Unless you want me to write a novel and sell it."

Shi Chanli misunderstood and responded happily, "That

would be for the best. You would be able to clarify the people’s
confusion and also somewhat maintain the First Bureau’s do-
not-approach vibe… Besides, you have already opened a
bookstore, which would make things even easier."

In his anger, Fan Xian spat out a breath of disgust and walked
outside, with Shi Chanli carefully following behind.
Eventually, Shi Chanli couldn’t hold back his question,
"Teacher, does this mean I’ve now started working in the
Overwatch Council?"

Fan Xian sighed, knowing that no scholar in this world

would want to get involved with such shamelessly dark
organization. He patted Shi Chanli on the shoulder and said,
"You are my private secretary. I’m going to have a word with
my father to temporary place you in the Ministry of Revenue.
Let’s stop here and discuss this at another date. Don’t worry,
no one is going to point fingers and call you the Council’s dog
behind your back."
 Walking in the shockingly huge garden of the Fan manor,
Fan Xian frowned slightly, "Using dark and sinister methods, to
achieve clear and honest results?" He accepted the fact he
wasn’t a saint; although he would more than gladly serve Qing
and its people, make some adjustments to the rotten politics
and at least ensure the embankment of that great river to the
south wouldn’t crumble so quickly. As for the changes he made
to the First Bureau, those were out of his personal desires.

Despite having the title of "Poetry Sage" and being secretly

praised by the recent generations of scholars, twenty years of
dirt from the Overwatch Council would still more or less
tarnish his reputation. That was the reason why he wanted the
First Bureau to operate more openly; a favorable reputation
would assist him greatly in the future.

Thinking about dark and sinister versus clear and honest

reminded Fan Xian of when he chatted with Hai Tang in
Northern Qi. He had mentioned how the dark night gave him
dark eyes that he rolled at the world. He couldn’t help but be
worried about the situation up north, not knowing if Hai Tang
could successfully arrange the task—Uncle Wu Zhu was still
missing, and there were no words on Ku He returning to
Shangjing.
 A few girls could be heard chatting in the distance. Today
was a clear autumn day, the grasshoppers were jumping about
in the grass, while the last remaining cicadas of the year,
nearing the end of their lives, screamed away in the trees. Big
Bao was catching ants; Fan Sizhe wasn’t at school, but wasn’t
home either.

Fan Xian squinted and discovered Ye Ling’er had come to

visit again. He couldn’t help but groan to himself. Every since
that girl believed she had been a great help to Fan Xian, she had
been visiting more frequently in the past few days without any
restraint. When Fan Xian saw the timid Ruo Jia sitting next to
Ye Ling’er, he felt even more troubled. The young girl had
turned thirteen… But still a young girl nevertheless, and Fan
Xian did not want a young girl to look at him with such
adoration.

Recently, Fan Xian had refused Li Hongcheng’s invitations on

multiple occasion. Before Yan Bingyun finds out anything, he
had to keep a low profile. And today he must keep himself away
from Rou Jia, the little girl who seemed to fall in love with
him. Channeling his zhenqi, the young Sir Fan silently leapt
out of the manor using the qinggong he has practiced before.
 Arriving at the residence Wang Qinian had bought for one
hundred and twenty silvers, Fan Xian took a seat in the
innermost room and stretched comfortably. This was his most
secret hideout. Other than the Qinian group and Chen
Pingping, no one knew he often worked on both official and
official businesses here, not even his own family members.

Deng Ziyue put two bamboo tubes on the desk and then
withdrew from the room. He knew he hadn’t earned the same
amount of trust from this Commissioner as Wang Qinian.

The two tubes were of similar color, perhaps both coming

from Yan Mountain in nearby Shangjing. Even the wax seal
looked alike, showing the same degree of neatness that
shouldn’t be touched. On the tube were subtle marks to let the
Council agent in charge of delivering them know that these
two letters were top-secret and belonged to two separate routes
in the northern network.

Picking up the tubes, the first thing Fan Xian did was to
inspect their seals. On the wax seals was Wang Qinian’s unique
handwriting, which could not be easily forged. Having made
sure the tubes weren’t opened, Fan Xian took out the letters.
 One letter came from Si Lili, while the other was from Hai
Tang. Fan Xian had set up a communication line specifically
for Hai Tang in order to keep contact with her more easily.

Si Lili didn’t have much to report. While she did what Fan
Xian and Hai Tang had planned for her to do, which was to
join Tianyi Dao, her efforts after entering the palace hadn’t
shown any results for the time being. As for Shangjing, Chen
Zhong’s household was completely dismantled; other than
being a heavy blow to the Rear Faction, it didn’t incite any
severe repercussions. Shang Shanhu had been trapped at home
and the letter made no mention of Ku He returning to Shang
Jing. Although no one dared to suspect otherwise, Si Lili
strongly believed that grandmaster had been wounded in one
way or another.

Fan Xian smiled. In this world, only those couple of

grandmasters could tussle with that man-eating monster
named Ku He.

Hai Tang’s letter didn’t even mention the word

"grandmaster", not that Fan Xian expected her to disclose
anything. All he cared about was how she had handled that
task.
 After giving it some thought, Fan Xian began to write a reply,
urging Hai Tang to proceed with their agreement. For Hai
Tang, it was something that could be done on a whim, but for
Fan Xian, it was of utmost importance. In his letter to Si Lili,
he only recited a short poem by Li Qingzhao as a gesture of
consolation, nothing more.

During the days he had spent dealing with the First Bureau,
what took up most of Fan Xian’s mind was Ruoruo’s marriage
to Li Hongcheng. This fundamentally had nothing to do with
the prince’s character. To Fan Xian, whether their political
standpoints would come in conflict depended on one crucial
aspect.

Would Ruoruo like it?

The answer to that was a negative; Ruoruo had made it clear.

Fan Xian, like all older brothers, felt helplessly frustrated at
this girl in puberty, thinking, "So you’re never going to get
married, ever?" However, he was mostly being protective.
Since his sister didn’t like it, he must break up this marriage; it
was that simple.
 But doing so was no trivial matter. In a sense, it could be
considered the most complicated matter Fan Xian had ran into
since leaving Danzhou. This match had been made by His
Majesty, there was simply no room or reason for Fan Xian to
intervene.

Fan Xian was left with two options: first, keep a close eye on
the Second Prince and be ready to bring him down at any
moment while dragging down Li Hongcheng at the same time;
requesting that the marriage be annulled when that happened
just might work. Second, starting with Ruoruo, make an offer
of interest not even the emperor could ignore and have Ruoruo
leave Jingdu for a time.

With his first option, there was no knowing how much chaos
it would cause. As for the second option, it seemed so
insubstantial not even Fan Xian felt confident.

"As they say, ‘a general’s success came from the deaths of

thousands’; must I cause the deaths of thousands to break
apart this marriage?"
 Fan Xian laughed at himself. If unsuccessful, he could merely
trouble Uncle Wu Zhu to bring Ruoruo to wander the world.
On the other hand, His Majesty shouldn’t execute the entire
Fan household over this matter.
Chapter 269: A Saint?
Returning to the residence, Ye Ling'er and Princess Rou Jia
went back as well. Fan Xian returned to his own room and
requested that Si Qi brew him some tea. The maid was very
much like Si Si, for in the autumn, she frequently complained.
Now, alone with his wife, Fan Xian asked, "Has there been any
movement in the palace lately?"

Lin Wan’er sat next to the window, illuminated in the pane-

borne light, continuing to stitch. As she heard him talk, she
felt odd. She raised her head to speak. "What’s going on?"

The sun was setting and the light of dusk did not provide the
brightness best suited for her stitching. As Fan Xian watched
her eyes tighten, he walked forward and rubbed the space
between her eyebrows, saying, "The light is no good here. Why
do you continue with your stitchwork?"

Wan’er’s face was a little pale, which was most likely due to
her lack of rest the previous night. She laughed and looked
down, attempting to conceal the item she had been stitching.
She told Fan Xian, "I will let you see it once I am done."
 Fan Xian looked upon his wife’s weakened face and her long
lashes. Doing so, he could not help but feel sorry. Ever since he
had left the capital, in the spring, the care and attention he had
given to wife had lessened and waned. That was not to suggest
his love for her had receded, however. Fan Xian had yet to take
a second wife, and due to the trouble and political intrigue he
could never seem to take a break from, the ability to spend
time with his family had suffered.

Lin Wan’er recalled what Fan Xian had asked, and so she
responded, "The palace has been quiet. There has been nothing
of too great a concern; why do you ask?"

With a wry smile, Fan Xian said, "Your cruel uncle has put
me in control of the First Bureau. My placement there has
offended a great deal of officers. The masters of many of the
officers reside in the palace, so it is only natural for me to be
concerned."

Lin Wan’er’s identity was quite unique. The Empress

Dowager took great interest in her well-being, and the Emperor
made sure to look over her when he could. The position and
regard she held in the palace was higher than Fan Xian
assumed. The Emperor did not bear a daughter and it was
because of this that the Qing Kingdom did not have a true
princess. But despite this, she was almost treated as one.

She thought about it and smiled. She reaffirmed Fan Xian by

saying, "Do not bring your own mind unease. The Emperor is
fond of you. Even the ladies of the palace only have kind words
when they speak of you."

Fan Xian smiled and said, "The Emperor? I have only seen
him a few times; what makes you believe that he is indeed fond
of me? If you told me that the Emperor liked you, then I would
have no trouble believing it; I feel that the extent of his
warmth toward me merely extends to a cordial knowing, and
acknowledgment of my marriage to you."

Lin Wan’er’s eyes gleamed with the spark of love, and she
quietly spoke to Fan Xian. "You are always like this…" After a
brief pause, she continued to say, "Lady Shu frequently
compliments you these days. And Lady yi… you know, we are
relatives. She has many nice things to say about you, also. It is
just the Empress who is as quiet as usual. As for his other
wives, they do not even have the privilege to speak, so there is
nothing I can tell you about their thoughts or feelings."
 Fan Xian believed his wife. He knew that even if he were to
assume total control of the Overwatch Council in the future,
the palace was one place that he could not direct. But Wan’er
had unknowingly proven to him to be his most reliable spy and
fly-on-the-wall there. The reason Imperial Consort Shu spoke
kindly of him was because Fan Xian had done her a favor, but
still… words were cheap.

"What did Lady Ning say?" Fan Xian asked with a stroke of
curiosity. "When I fought for passage with the crown prince;
the news about that should have reached the palace by now."

Lin Wan’er brought her hand to cover her mouth and

laughed. She told him, "Auntie Ning would not care. She
always liked me the most, saying that you and the crown
prince were little more than two idiots throwing a fit at each
other. She said she would happily have you both lashed fifty
times!"

Fan Xian feigned a fright and said, "Oh, no! The punishment
of the palace is far too cruel, you’ll have to do your best to
appease their wrath and tell them how great I am!"
 Lin Wan’er could not be bothered to join in with his gag, and
so she said, "You have always enjoyed offending others. You
cannot always ask me to clean up after you." She took the cloth
that she had been stitching and, with a laugh, told Fan Xian,
"Do you have any more to ask of me? If not, then you can
leave. You should not interrupt me while I am busy in the
middle of something."

Fan Xian pulled back the hand he had extended in

preparation of grabbing hers and said, "I have no idea what you
are doing that is so important." Getting ready to leave, he then
recalled one other name he had forgotten to inquire about. He
asked, "Did you see the Empress Dowager?"

Lin Wan’er’s hand stopped, and she raised her head. The light
of her eyes had dimmed somewhat, and she mournfully said, "I
saw her, but she did not say anything."

The Empress Dowager had forever lived in the palace. She

was actually the real leader of the palace. That which was
strangest was the fact that on each occasion Fan Xian had
entered the palace, he had not yet been given the opportunity
to meet her. When Fan Xian entered the palace alongside Lin
Wan’er the previous time, the Empress Dowager had a message
sent, saying she was too sick and could not see them. But it
seemed that whenever Wan’er entered the palace alone, the
Empress Dowager was always happy and willing to see her. The
Empress Dowager would hug her and tell her how much she
adored her. It was fairly obvious by this point that the Empress
Dowager was simply avoiding Fan Xian, and this brought
Wan’er a heavy heart and muddled thoughts.

Fan Xian coldly laughed inside. He knew what the Empress

Dowager was guessing, but he wasn’t afraid of this.

Lin Wan’er looked him in the eyes and sighed. She said,
"Linger told me today about the last time she entered the
palace. My love, I know that your work has proven strenuous,
but you are yet to discover who you are. To me, it seems as if
you are using her, but you are merely too afraid to owe her a
favor. What you told me last night was scary. The second
prince may look like a nice person on the surface, but he is as
stubborn as a mule on the inside. If you have to investigate
him, I can only suspect that something will go wrong in your
doubts of him."

Fan Xian looked at his wife, who was visibly worried, and
smiled to reaffirm her. He told Wan’er, "I did not expect that
you were the one who gave the second prince his nickname of
'the stone', when you were young."

"He may seem fairly lax, but it is little more than a facade;
never would he divert from his own route or concede a matter
at the behest of others." Wan’er spoke these words with a look
of anguish.

Fan Xian believed that for being in a relationship, honesty

was paramount. After his rebirth, if he could not trust or place
faith in the person he was to sleep with each night, it would be
the recipe for an unhappy existence. This was why he did not
hide the fact that he was investigating the second prince.
Taking further note of Wan’er’s growing apprehension, he
approached to comfort her. He told her, "I am just trying to
help the second prince. To see what has occurred now, the
officers are confused; they don't understand why the Emperor
wants to keep the crown prince. If no one were to stay the
prince’s ascent now, then it would only become more of a
challenge to come back down."

Wan’er smiled. Without wanting to continue the

conversation, she said, "I fear that I truly do not know how
your heart works. You perceive things differently from others,
and in more complex ways. Your mind is… crooked."

"My mind is crooked?" Fan Xian almost spoke out loud, but
he knew the reality of it was that he was good at acting. He
knew however, that the only thing he could truly rely on was
his gentle veneer and sub-surface cruelty. With a prolonged
stare toward his wife, he said, "Yet I am nothing compared to
you, the master strategist, for you are fairy who escaped the
scheming halls of the palace."

Wan’er was laughing, and in response, she said, "Do you

truly believe that life in the palace was that difficult?"

Fan Xian laughed as well, and he replied, "A monk once said
that if this world was a brothel, then that palace was veiled in
a darkness where no human could stay."

Wan’er heard these words and froze, her heart feeling slight
offense at the jest. She looked down toward the ground. Fan
Xian only now just recalled that his wife was born and raised
in the palace, so to say something like this was quite callous.
He laughed and apologized, which quickly brought the two
back to their earlier disposition of happiness. After a moment
of silence elapsed between them, Wan’er began to feel
emotionally touched. Although her mother was the eldest
princess, how many women in this world, following their
marriage, could still be treated with great respect from their
husband? She had never heard of any other man apologizing to
his wife before.

Wan’er softly said, "The palace is not as you surmise. My

uncle, the Emperor, is a very wise man, and he is not addicted
to chasing women. A few of the princes in the palace tread in
his footsteps, also. The methods of rule that you spoke of in
your novel were something no one would dare to use here. The
Empress Dowager is always watching, and if something set its
sights on the ruin of this kingdom, she would not dare allow it.

After Fan Xian heard this, his heart jumped, and he was then
brought solace.

Wan’er was laughing, and she then said, "The Emperor is

rather strict when it comes to the establishment of
relationships. He treats all of his wives with equal respect, and
so there is no cause for resentment or bitter rivalry between
them in terms of who garners greater affection. The Empress
did not care about any of the issues that transpired in the
palace, and so the ladies occupy their time with idle joys like
card games. It is good to have competition in games, and that
isn’t at all different from a traditional family."

Fan Xian was quite shocked. He did not expect life in the
palace to be like this behind the scenes. It meant that the books
he had read in his past life about emperors, dynasties, and
imperial politics were most useless to him here. He quizzically
scratched his head and said, "It is no wonder you are so good
when it comes to Mahjong. Even Fan Sizhe can only achieve a
draw with you."

As soon as he said the word "Mahjong", Wan’er’s face lit up

like a lamp. The glow of her stare was almost scary to Fan
Xian. He stepped closer to take a look and noticed that despite
her best attempts to hide her desire, it was too ardent to
withhold and suppress. With her being as radiant as she was
now, he called her "the master of light".

Wan’er rolled her eyes and looked at her husband, who was
not being serious. She said, "I was just bored. I married you
and yet you are busy every day. I never get to see you! Still, I
am lucky that I can grab my brother-in-law, who is a genius in
Mahjong."

She gritted her teeth and rolled up her sleeves. She

menacingly rubbed her fists and said, "Actually, where the hell
has Fan Sizhe been lately? Every time I want to play Mahjong
with him, he is gone! Instead, I end up playing with his
mother, which is a tortuous affair! She is always letting me
win. Ugh, she’s just like my grandma."

Fan Xian simply poked her tall nose and told her, "What kind
of thing is that to say?" He continued by jovially saying, "Of
course Lady Liu is not like your grandma. And you'd best not
get too impetuous in our manor."

Wan’er did not relent, and she rebuked by saying, "Do I look
like that sort of person to you?" With a hasty change of
subject, she said, "In a few days, we are going to go see the
flowers. According to tradition, the nobles from the palace will
be going to Xi Mountain. I am not sure how they will be
arranging our travel this year, however. We must go there, yes,
but we’ll have to see how we are to get there. Perhaps in a few
days, the palace will send a eunuch over and deliver us a
message. Don’t let this slip your mind."
 "See the flowers?" Fan Xian’s eyebrows warped. He knew that
the autumn was cool and dry, and that the people of the capital
often enjoyed going to the countryside so that they could
admire the flowers. He simply did not expect that this was a
past-time of the Royal Family as well. Since it was a large
gathering of the Li clan, it was inevitable that Fan Xian was to
go. Thinking about the events that had occurred recently, were
the old men going to observe the flowers with the same rigid
austerity as they did Fan Xian?

She did not notice that her husband was silent and in deep
contemplation. With a tone of gravity, she told Fan Xian, "I
haven't been able to play Mahjong recently, and the flowers
have yet to bloom. I’m just so bored. The book that you
promised me before we married—when are you going to write
it? When are you going to finish it so that I may read it, huh?"

Fan Xian’s mind was still clogged with thoughts of business,

political intrigue and other such matters. Where was he going
to find the time to continue writing Dream of the Red
Chamber? With a wry smile, he begged her, "I would say that
you should just let me off the hook for that one." He saw
Wan’er’s eyes twist to give a murderous look, one which called
out for the manuscript she so ardently desired. Fan Xian no
longer dared to stay within her presence, and so he quickly ran
to the door, pushed it open, and ran off.
 Fan Xian sprinted away like he was being chased by a ghost.
He ran across the wide path that separated the houses until he
met a few maids who promptly began laughing at him.
Realizing his slightly immature behavior, he coughed and
straightened himself up to act with the demeanor of the noble
stature he was expected to possess. Like a pencil, he stood up
straight. But in less than a second, he reclined his walking pose
to that of a slouch. He gritted his teeth and thought to himself,
"If I want to live my life happily, why should I care of what
others think of me?" Reaffirmed, he made a loud "hum" noise
and began singing. With a spring in his step, he danced a jig
and kept going until he reached his study.

He had obtained a hefty batch of information from the

conversation he had just shared with his wife, even though
that wasn't his sole intent of the talk with her. What weighed
on his mind the most, though, was Fan Sizhe's behavior. What
had he been up to lately? Fan Xian frowned and began to feel
the tender pangs of worry. He then turned his mind to think
about the Dream of the Red Chamber, and then thought of the
northern Qi Kingdom’s emperor, who did Fan Xian a favor by
keeping the news of the story's authorship a secret. It looked as
if it was best to send him a chapter. But still, he thought he
could no longer hide the fact that he was indeed the author. He
decided not to use the methods that were frequently employed
by the Overwatch Council, like sending a secret letter.
 He sat there for a bit. The light outside the room had not yet
grown too dim. He saw then that Yan Bingyun had arrived. Fan
Xian took a look at the document he delivered and couldn’t
help but rub his temples. Earlier in the day, he looked over the
scroll that Mu Tie had delivered, and then he established the
main points with Shi Chanli. Later, he visited the "Old Hall" to
do business before returning home to comfort his wife. Now,
he was to speak with Yan Bingyun. To do so many things in one
day, it looked as if the life of a powerful counselor was a
difficult and strenuous one.

"The person you wanted me to capture? It is done. I don’t

know if it will assist your work in any capacity, however." Fan
Xian did not look at the scroll, he just casually asked. A while
ago, the "beating of rats" incident did not seem to have made
much of a difference or affect the field of politics. But actually,
Fan Xian was covered by many old leftover cases and carefully
got close to the second prince’s secret ally. He tried to arrest
two officers but Yan Bingyun believed the rank of the officers
he wanted was too low. Fan Xian, on the other hand, thought
that they were two pivotal characters that could be used to find
out whether or not there was a connection between the second
prince and the eldest princess.

Yan Bingyun sat on a chair and, with a calm look, pointed

out the scrolls in front of Fan Xian. He simply told him, "It is
done."

Fan Xian was shocked and blurted out, "That quickly?" Fan
Xian could not be bothered reviewing the scrolls and asked him
plainly. "What was the conclusion?"

Yan Bingyun spoke coldly. "The amount of contraband they

smuggled to the northern Qi Kingdom and Dongyi City from
Xinyang was of an incredible amount. On the surface, it did
indeed look as if there was a deficit created by the crown prince
from the eastern palace, but it was actually a large amount of
money. It was sent to the second prince via the Ming family. It
was to bribe the officers within the government and buy off the
border ministers. So, yes, your judgment was correct. The
eldest princess does indeed have the second prince’s support."

Fan Xian frowned and said, "The Ming family? The family
that is married to the Cui family?"

"Yes."
 "This is a huge amount of money we are talking about. How
can it get sent to the second prince from the palace treasury?"
Fan Xian asked.

"To nobody’s surprise, it is not as if they are taking the path

through the capital. They went around from Jiangnan. In the
middle of their route, they were split up into a few royal
merchants. From the lowest to the top, they eventually all
gathered up with the prince again." Yan Bingyun then looked
directly at Fan Xian and said, "The progress is complicated. I
wrote it all down in the scroll; if there is something you do not
understand, take a look inside. It is far more difficult for me to
tell you."

Fan Xian ignored the tone of Yan Bingyun’s voice, which

sounded as though he doubted Fan Xian's ability to read.
Instead, he descended into deep thought. He felt that his
judgment had been correct. After taking a deep breath, he said,
"I am going to the palace to meet the Emperor. Are you coming
with me?"

Yan Bingyun was surprised, but did not mince his words. He
told Fan Xian, "I am not going. Besides, is it really necessary to
reveal all of this to the Emperor?"
 Hearing this, Fan Xian asked, "The eldest princess and the
second prince have been doing all of this secretly, yet we were
able to uncover the truth with little to no effort. Do you truly
believe that the palace is not aware of these dealings? Do you
think it is possible that Chen Pingping didn’t know, as well?"

"Even if the palace knows of this, they may not be in

possession of the appropriate evidence." Yan Bingyun half-
closed his eyes and said, "Please do not forget that the last chief
of the First Bureau, Zhu Ge, had always been a man of the
eldest princess. For this case, if you do not take total control of
the First Bureau, and obtain the full co-operation of each and
every department, it may become impossible to find out. The
situation we are in right now is this; if this case is made public,
the capital may very well descend into chaos."

He said these words calmly, but Fan Xian could hear and feel
the coldness that accompanied each syllable. Aside from the
resources that the Overwatch Council provided, a big part of
this relied on Yan Bingyun’s abilities. Quite obviously, Yan
Bingyun was not willing to let the case that he had been
working so diligently on bring harm and ill repute to the
kingdom. Such chaos would be the complete opposite of the
peace and prosperity that had graced the kingdom since its
founding.
 In the end, Yan Bingyun was not entirely loyal to Fan Xian.
Instead, he was simply loyal to the Overwatch Council, the
Kingdom, and the Emperor.

Fan Xian looked at him and said, "Do you know what will
happen if you keep this a secret?"

Yan Bingyun shook his head and replied, "All I know is that if
these issues were to come to light, your wife would be the one
thrust into the worst situation and possibly suffer the most."

Many nobles knew that Fan Xian’s wife was a daughter of the
princess, but it wasn’t a subject of much talk. If Fan Xian really
wanted to bring this up, there was no doubt that the Emperor
would be forced to make a difficult decision. Whatever that
was to be, it would put Wan’er in an awkward and extremely
difficult situation.

What Fan Xian did after he came back to the capital was
soothe the fighting that had transpired within the palace by
trying to make up for the exile of the eldest princess. What Fan
Xian wanted was to force the Emperor, who had another plan,
to strip the eldest princess of her powers in the shortest time.
 "I respect my wife." Fan Xian looked at Yan Bingyun coldly.
"But I am not going to slow myself down due to the awkward
position she may find herself in."

Yan Bingyun slowly raised his head. His eyes expressed a look
of confusion. He said, "This is what I don’t understand about
you. Sir, what do you want?"

"There are two different things that I desire." Fan Xian stood
up and walked toward the window. He observed the setting sun
and noticed that in the corner of the courtyard, there was a
woman raking the lifeless leaves that had departed their trees.
Fan Xian continued his speech by saying, "The first thing is
simple. The government has a lack of money, and the river in
the south has been in disrepair for years. This year, the
embankment broke down and it hundreds of thousands of
deaths. I may not have witnessed the event myself, but just the
mere thought of it makes me sad, my friend.

"Where are we going to get the money to save these people?

This is a problem that has plagued my father’s mind, also. The
financial situation of the country is different from other
countries throughout history. Over the years, the wealth of the
kingdom has been poured into the military. The source of
where the money comes from is odd, too. Much of the entire
country’s annual income comes from the palace treasury. But
the palace treasury holds the Emperor’s own personal wealth.
You and I both know that those funds were left behind by Lady
Ye; that means they rely on that business to generate an
infinite amount of money to support the kingdom."

Fan Xian turned around, looked back toward Yan Bingyun,

and said, "And the eldest princess? She loves nothing more
than power. All these years, the wealth of the palace treasury
has been taken and used to buy-out countless officers for a
trade of allegiance, all to boost her support… Excuse me, I
misspoke. Let me say it a little more plainly and succinctly; she
is taking the Emperor’s money and using it to steal his own
people. All this money has been spent on buying the feeble
support of officers and now, when the kingdom is in dire need
of such money, there is none left to be used."

"Money is just money; the problem is how it is used. You do

not know how much I would rather this money go toward
helping victims of the flood, rather than allowing all the
money to crumple in the officers’ rotten hands."
 "So, am I in a rush to investigate the second prince and the
Cui family? Yes. Why? To prevent the eldest princess and
second prince, who constantly wears the facade of an honorary
scholar, to throw away all of the kingdom’s money." Fan Xian
looked down toward the ground and lamentably told Yan
Bingyun, "Of course, if I do reveal this, it is highly unlikely
that Emperor would not be willing to punish his own sister.
But just like last time, when she was exiled, the Emperor kept
on trying to delay the matter. He would rather check out the
palace treasury and instead tell off the second prince. And I?
He will probably believe me to be nosy and become angry at
me. With wrath, he’ll have me forcefully evicted from the
Overwatch Council and dragged away to the ends of the earth."

He reached out and stretched. His face was now wearing a

naïve and innocent smile. He said, "This is the only way. I just
hope the Emperor will at least allow me to return to Danzhou."

Yan Bingyun’s head was slanted, his face petrified. It was as if

he had no idea who the man ranting before him was. He said,
"But you are going to take over the palace treasury next year.
Begin your investigation at that time; wouldn’t that be the
correct course of action to take? It would look much better."
 Fan Xian laughed, continuing to talk like a wholly different
person. "But our kingdom no longer has surplus supplies. If I
can put an end to the squandering of the palace treasury’s
funds but a single day earlier, then the poor civilians of the
south can receive many more bowls of porridge to eat.
Everything else can wait, but to miss a meal is to starve."

Yan Bingyun stared at Fan Xian without blinking. It seemed

as if he wanted to know if the person in front of him was an
insidious officer or a genuinely kind, earnest, self-sacrificing
saint; one who feared no evil.
Chapter 270: The Memorial in the Palace
Storm
"Do not believe me to be a sage." Fan Xian shook his head and
continued, "After all, I am only concerned with myself. Next
year, will I be in charge of the palace treasury? It will end
Xinyang’s revenue. What will she do then to support the
prince? Could she allow this to happen? The palace treasury’s
books make it seem like it is doing well, but a look behind the
curtain reveals a different story. Do I have to take it, only to
end up hairless and gray with the amounting stress of being in
such a position?"

"I am not willing to clean up after her."

"The palace treasury is a mountain of gold, sinking into a

wallow of filth. The eldest princess has the Empress Dowager
to take care of her, but what about me? I am just an outsider
officer, and I am to be put in charge of the palace treasury?
This is not meant to be. This is to make me suffer." With
visible distress, Fan Xian further spoke: "But I do wonder; is
the Emperor looking to make me a scapegoat for the eldest
princess? In the future, if they look at the palace treasury and
find out something is amiss, nothing I say will ever avert the
blame. I will never be able to placate with such a miserable
fate."

If Chen Pingping or Fan Jian heard him talk as he did, with

the fiery expression he wrought, they would sing praise for
him; a young man with such talented acting skills was a rarity.
An outsider officer? As if!

Yan Bingyun did not know the ultimate secret behind Fan
Xian’s facade, as he watched him make a scene, all riled up. In
his heart, though, he was beginning to admire him all the
more. He had previously assumed Fan Xian to be an annoying,
brattish and entitled punk - but seeing Fan Xian act in such a
manner changed his mind completely, so that he saw him now
as a man of honor, dignity and of a desire to do good; by
himself and others. With perked eyebrows, Yan Bingyun said,
"Then why did you not assert your position and outright
decline to take over the palace treasury? You knew of the
dangers beforehand."

Fan Xian, in a self-deprecating manner, laughed and said,

"Perhaps you will not believe me, but I really sought to serve. I
wanted to serve the people; the government; the kingdom!"
 Yan Bingyun maintained a face of cold stone, but the warmth
of his heart was continuously stoked by Fan Xian’s words. He
stood up and bowed with great respect. With a noticeably
calmer voice, Yan Bingyun began talking from the position of a
subordinate and gave Fan Xian suggestions. "Any change of
leadership of the palace treasury is uneconomical. It would be
foolish"

Fan Xian quietly looked at him.

It seemed as if Yan Bingyun did not notice the stare of

aggression he had actually given him. He proceeded to say,
"Ever since this matter was brought to light, look at what you
have been able to accomplish in the past few days. Perhaps now
you will have the courage to ask Shi Chanli to write a
document and eloquently post it upon the Supreme Court’s
board, to let the world know how the eldest princess and the
corrupt officers within the government have taken advantage
of their positions to rob the palace treasury."

With a self-deprecating laugh and smiling once more, Fan

Xian did think of doing that, anyway. There was no question of
his courage, and he most certainly had support; not from the
emperor, but most certainly from his uncle.
 "...That would be no use." Yan Bingyun said, and then
continued: "It would yield nothing of service to the victims of
the disaster. The amount of money given out by the palace
treasury is vast; to recollect it all within a month would be an
impossible task. And I hardly believe the Emperor would be
willing to offend most of his officers. If there were a
considerable amount of officers suddenly fired or demoted,
there would be issues running the government. The disaster
relief efforts cannot afford to be delayed, either."

Fan Xian was in deep thought, and then asked, "What do you
suggest, then?"

"We can temporarily attempt to slow the palace treasury’s

bleeding of money. Then, the minister, who has been in charge
for as long as he has, will figure it out. It will most likely not
affect the relief efforts." And then Yan Bingyun quietly
continued by saying, "The matters you arranged in the
northern Qi Kingdom will take a while more to be prepared.
Wait until after the winter and cooperate with Wang Qinian
upon both sides. Firstly, take out the Cui family to severe their
money ties, and then take the opportunity of being the new
man in charge of the palace treasury to examine the old
documents and their fraudulent calculations."
 "This is a safe play," Fan Xian said, to which Yan Bingyun
frowned. "I am only worried about the time Wang Qinian will
spend in Shangjing. It may not be sufficient, if he is to assert a
modicum of influence on Qi's power and weed out the Cui
family."

Yan Bingyun froze for a moment and said, "I can help."

Fan Xian looked at him, eyebrows still raised. Although he

did not show it, his heart was one of secret merriment. He then
said, "You are quite infamous in the northern Qi Kingdom;
how do you expect to return there?"

Yan Bingyun replied, "I have a number of men here in the

capital. They can take care of business without me looking
over their shoulders all day."

"I will continue to strive and achieve more authority, and I

will use this power to do something that I desire. But if this is
to happen, I will need a lot of help." Fan Xian looked him in the
eye and with a deepened voice, said, "I want it to be like how
we were in Shangjing. Back then, our cooperation was at its
finest. And such teamwork will not only apply to then and
today, but it will be something that continues into the next
spring, too."

Yan Bingyun understood Fan Xian’s implication, but he

wasn’t quiet for long. Instead, he bowed and took leave.

Fan Xian was a pre-eminently talented person within the

Overwatch Council, but he wasn’t one to let matters drag. For
now, Fan Xian had to gain Yan Bingyun’s trust, and that might
take some time.

As Yan Bingyun was about to exit the study, he turned

around to look at Fan Xian with a bewildered look upon his
face. He asked, "Commissioner, you have been rich since birth.
Why do you care so much for the suffering of the average
civilian?"

Fan Xian scratched his head and answered, "Perhaps it is

because I had gotten used to doing good deeds in the distant
past."
 Yan Bingyun can really hold it in. I cannot believe he has yet
to ask about Miss Shen.

He looked outside the window and saw the fading sun glaze
the shrubs of the yard. His face bore no emotion, beguiling the
sighing of his heart. The field of politics was quite scary. Even
within his own manor, there was a spy.

Even though Fan Xian had revealed himself as the

Commissioner of the Overwatch Council to the Ministry of
Justice, the First Bureau had a spy in Fan Xian’s manor. Upon
discovering this, and the subsequent confrontation, he
departed with haste. But Fan Manor’s yard had a spy there. If
Wu Zhu was not backing Fan Xian, he would never have
noticed the innocent gardener was the agent.

As he himself had already said, Fan Xian was not a sage. He

was not a good person, and he was not a Lei Feng. His reasons
for dealing with the eldest princess and the second prince were
quite simple, for it all boiled down to his personal conflict with
Xinyang.
 And that which instigated this conflict was the palace
treasury. Ever since Fan Xian’s rebirth, this was his sole
purpose, and it was the one thing he would pursue until the
end of his days. The palace treasury was the Ye family’s legacy,
and what resided in there was of paramount importance. If
anyone got between him and the security of what resided in
there, he would callously kick them away.

How are we supposed to live our lives?

How was Fan Xian supposed to live his life like this? Was he
supposed to love himself, his wife, his family, and the people,
or was he supposed to love his one true love? This idea was not
brought on by cheesy TV shows; it was merely what he
thought. His life was a precarious one. To lead an army to war,
kill others without remorse and then rule the world? That
would be a life, too. Being a cruel and apathetic person was a
life, and living on the edge was a life, as well.

Fan Xian was just a male animal that relished in power and
pretty women. But through his experiences of rebirth, he knew
to make sure of his desires and grab a hold of them as best as he
could. It was because of this that he thought it fine to do as he
pleased. He thought it was okay to be mean whenever he
wished, and soft whenever the time to be arose. To get close
with numerous beautiful women was fine, too. To make more
money and see more of the world; that was the perfect life, or
so he thought.

First, he would have to assure his materialistic desires were

satiated before he even thought about improving his mental
health. If you want the world to be beautiful, you need to
make the people smile. At the beginning of this life, Fan Xian
was a sole, pitiable officer; it is of surprise, then, that life was
far harder for him.

If he had chosen to remain as another young delinquent of

Danzhou, perhaps his life would have been happier. He would
have had more freedom, to say the least. He wouldn’t have to
dote over the wellbeing of others at large, or care at all about
the current fiasco with the palace treasury. But in the
springtime of the Qing calendar’s fourth year, he was
overwhelmed with an unnecessary curiosity towards his wife-
to-be. Falling in love and then being given a family, every
passing day he felt as if he were being dragged deeper and
deeper down, forced to give up all aspects of the freedom he
had once enjoyed.
 That afternoon, the Overwatch Council’s Commissioner Fan
Xian had a private conversation about the palace treasury, the
second prince, and the welfare of the common people with the
Overwatch Council’s future Fourth Bureau chief Yan Bingyun
in Fan Manor. Unknowingly, their talk was being transcribed
and transferred to the palace’s study and Chen Pingping’s table.

Chen Pingping’s reaction was quite simple. He issued a

warrant that temporarily gave Fan Xian the entirety of his own
authority and direct command of the Overwatch Council. That
meant that until Chen Pingping rescinded the order himself,
Fan Xian was indeed in total control of every facet of the big
and scary Overwatch Council.

Inside the study, the supreme Emperor was overviewing the

details of their talk and gave a slight nod.

Inside the Emperor’s heart, he was truly pleased with Fan

Xian’s actions and behavior in recent times. If the world
thought that the Overwatch Council was like a dog on his
leash, then that dog would require the courage to bite people;
but there were limitations to who it could go after. So, he
allowed Fan Xian to maintain control of this leash and see
what he was truly capable of.
 Needless to say, however, the Emperor was pleased with the
conversation Fan Xian and Yan Bingyun shared. The power and
emotion they relayed during their talk was just like that
woman, back in the day. The Emperor’s skinny face possessed a
pleased smile, even though Fan Xian had been so disrespectful
to him in the past. Despite all prior transgressions, he knew
Fan Xian was loyal to him.

The Emperor gazed at the eunuch in front of him and, with a

smile, he asked him, "Hong Siyang, what do you think of Fan
Xian?"

Hong Siyang, the eunuch, bowed and his wrinkled face did
not move a muscle. But quickly he said, "Too fake."

The Emperor frowned at these words. He did not reply, but

his mind pondered whether or not Fan Xian had been indeed
putting on a show for him. He had heard that Wu Zhu was
always in the south; no one in the capital should have been
notified of his arrangements.

"My Lord, how do you plan to resolve this situation?" Hong

Siyang asked, referring to the business that involved the
second prince and eldest princess.

The Emperor coldly stroked his head and replied, "The show
has not yet started. How can I bring to an end before it has
begun?"

The Emperor of the Qing Kingdom had also been wracking

his mind over the emptiness of the palace treasury. Even
though he had always had his suspicions regarding Xinyang, he
had never gotten a hold of any evidence to prove his troubled
mind correct. And due to his constant worry of the Empress
Dowager’s health, he always believed in the sanctity of one’s
loyalty. It would be impossible for him to expose and draw
attention to the issue at this time. And it was due in part to the
fact that Li Yunrui yielded a greater benefit to the kingdom
than he did harm, and that the second prince was his own son.

Until today, he had truly believed in all that Chen Pingping

had told him. There were certain areas where the young people
performed their tasks too recklessly, but their frivolity
showcased their care, passion and outright ability to do what
they sought to. This not only applied to Fan Xian, but to the
young officer Yan Bingyun as well. The Emperor then thought
he had not been paying enough attention in earlier times.
 The maid lit the candles and made her exit. Not a sound
could be heard in the study room, as the Emperor sat waiting
for Fan Xian’s documents to arrive. "If Fan Xian truly guessed
what I have been thinking about, and if he was willing to do
solely what he himself desired and become a lonely officer,
later today, he should be able to retrieve the information that
he seeks and then deliver it to my desk."

"If Fan Xian truly followed Yan Bingyun’s suggestions to slow

the proceedings…" the Emperor frowned once more and
thought that even if Fan Xian was concerned about the stability
of the government, he shouldn’t have hid anything from him.

The study's door opened, and a eunuch carrying two boxes

walked in. The Emperor was a diligent fellow, and never put
off the reading of documents, for he was always willing to do it
as soon as they arrived - even if that meant right through the
night. It was a common occurrence these days.

The Emperor’s face did not change, but his heart was still
longing for what he truly wanted delivered. Looking at the
stack of documents, he caught a glimpse of what it was that he
desired. He smiled.
 He opened the secret box that was crafted by the Overwatch
Council and began reading the first of secret documents
written by Fan Xian.

In his heart, he thought that the contents of these documents

could change the destiny of numerous people; but that meant
nothing to him. As the Emperor rose to power over the course
of his lifetime, he had developed the ability to see through
many things. There were many subjects he saw and thought
about differently than Fan Xian, as well. He did not care about
the misdeeds of his sister, the eldest princess and the second
prince, for instance. No one would truly understand the
Emperor’s ambition and confidence.

In regards to Fan Xian’s performance, the Emperor was

greatly impressed and thoroughly pleased, for he knew that he
was not explicitly supporting the eastern palace’s conflict with
the second prince.

As the Emperor descended through the mound of documents,

his face all of a sudden changed to an expression of disdain.
 All the officers from the Imperial Censorate were gathered
together and sent to impeach the Overwatch Council’s
Commissioner and the First Bureau chief, Fan Xian, for his
malpractice. Being accused of bribery, he was to be declared an
outlaw.

Each document provoked the Emperor’s wrath further and

further, and he maintained a look of anger.
Chapter 271: An Zhi
Of the entire capital, the first to know of the Imperial
Censorate’s mobilization to impeach the popular politician Fan
Xian was the man himself. Before the Emperor even received
those documents of his, Fan Xian knew he would be riding a
riptide.

Mu Tie was sitting graciously, opposite Fan Xian. "It was

only last night. The right-hand man of the Imperial
Censorate’s leader started it. Over there, they had to confirm
the correct procedures, so it was only delivered today."

The Overwatch Council’s First Bureau was in charge of

observing and recording the movement of each officer. The
individual censors of the Imperial Censorate jointly composed
and signed a letter addressed to the Emperor. The contents of
the letter were so grave and of such massive proportion, that if
the First Bureau officers were unable to detect and be made
wary of its existence and notify Fan Xian right away, the
organization would be in need of another good scrubbing. Fan
Xian nodded and began flicking a parchment, whilst saying,
"Only these crimes?"
 Mu Tie noticed that the commissioner didn’t seem very much
to care about the allegations held against him and he frowned
sternly, telling him, "Sir, this cannot be taken lightly…"

Mu Tie then closed his mouth and did not say any more. Fan
Xian raised his head to look at him, and with eyes that
suggested he was jesting, he replied, "Do you really think I
committed these crimes?"

The document created by the censors read clearly, detailing

the falsified amounts of money Fan Xian had gained through
bribery during his time at the First Bureau for a month. He set
free criminals and even allowed and encouraged his men to
rampage through the streets. What was written last upon the
parchment was how Fan Xian had embarrassed and made a
mockery of the government. While there may be slight truth to
the latter, the first two accusations were the most grievous of
crimes. There were banknotes given to Fan Xian by Lady Liu,
banknotes that were traceable, and there were corroborated
stories of certain officers being captured by the Overwatch
Council and coincidentally being let go.

These crimes could bring down just about any officer or

government official.
 Fan Xian rubbed the creases of his forehead. After a long and
busy day, something as troublesome as this had now happened.
Although he did not let it show, this matter concerned him
deeply. He then said, "In the Qing Kingdom’s Imperial
Censorate, their bark is worse than their bite. They are happy
to mouth off at others, but they are just as quick to backstab
another if it’ll help boost them up a few rungs of the societal
ladder. Since when are they no longer afraid of those above
them? Is it that my power is not grand enough? Do I not
possess enough honor for them to respect me?"

Mu Tie heard what he said and wanted to laugh. It was a

great strain to prevent doing so, because the Overwatch
Council had always looked down on the Imperial Censorate.
He also suspected that Fan Xian was waxing rhetorically,
believing that Fan Xian knew exactly what had been going on.
In the capital these days, everybody knew that Fan Xian was a
person of honor and a true noble.

But Fan Xian, for once, did not actually understand the
reason why the Imperial Censorate had now garnered the
courage to strike out at him. He had actually tried to better
himself lately, going about matters a touch more softly. He had
never even seen the people who were after him. With Fan
Xian’s growing connection with the Emperor, were they not
afraid to potentially go against his wishes?
 Mu Tie watched his face and knew what Fan Xian was
thinking. He then explained, "Sir, this is an ordinary tactic of
the Imperial Censorate. Forever have they set their sights upon
the Overwatch Council. It was the government that gave them
this authority, but the Emperor has since suppressed the
methods of operation we can use in the Overwatch Council.
Therefore, in recent times, the Imperial Censorate has taken a
liking to picking on us." Mu Tie frowned and continued, "That
being said, even I am surprised to see they have the courage to
go against you, especially with such significant allegations."

Fan Xian, in an effort to calm down, reached for his teacup

and dabbed his fingers in the tea before painting his forehead
with the cool drink.

The Imperial Censorate was a very special department. In the

former dynasty, the Imperial Censorate was the most
important department when it came to supervision and
establishment, to the impeachment and eradication of those
who sought to disrupt their say. There were two primary
officers, each at the side of the leader. Below them were the
vice-ministers, and below that were the average officers.
Within the Imperial Censorate were several smaller
departments, also, which eased the workload between each
other.
 There was a book written by Zhuang Mohan called Notes on
Officialdom. It told the tale of the Northern Wei Kingdom’s
Imperial Censorate. The censors' primary task was to impeach
those who were found guilty of malpractice and clarify those
who may have been wronged. They were the ears of the
emperor. If there were any officers that were found out to be
corrupt, or in any way working against the government and
warping documents in a certain way, the Imperial Censorate
would be upon them and they would be stripped of all titles,
stature and wealth.

The Qing Kingdom’s Imperial Censorate was not half as

effective as that of the previous dynasty. They withdrew the
officers who would observe and inspect each department and
organization that composed the government and their
authority for being a certain body or party to represent
another in a court was given to the Supreme Court and
Ministry of Justice. For the newly established kingdom, the
Imperial Censorate had been splintered into numerous smaller
departments with limited influence. The power to spy and
observe others was taken away and given to Chen Pingping,
who established and built the Overwatch Council all by
himself. It was because of all these changes that the Imperial
Censorate was now a shadow of its former self, a body that
policed public morals more than they did officials of the
government.
 Who was eligible to be a politician? Strictly men. What do
men like the most, aside from pretty woman? Power. The
Imperial Censorate’s hatred toward the Overwatch Council
mostly stemmed from this, for it was Chen Pingping and the
Overwatch Council that indirectly "stole" their power and
influence. It was mostly jealousy and a nostalgia for the honor
and glory of their past that fueled the fire of the Imperial
Censorate’s disdain for the Overwatch Council. And while they
knew full well of their new boundaries and limitations, they
would still watch who they could and deliver as many petty
reports as they were able.

But with the old crippled Chen where he was, poisonous stare
and all, nobody dared supersede him. Why the Imperial
Censorate, which had been quiet for some time now, would
begin acting up all of a sudden was strange, and that is what
bothered Fan Xian.

The Overwatch Council was the largest department whose

mode of operation involved surveillance. That being said, the
Imperial Censorate’s influence inside the government had not
been wholly lost. There was some truth to the notion that said,
"The more people you have, the stronger you are". Even the
eldest princess was to be exiled by Fan Xian due to his few-
thousand page report of accusations. It was plain to see that
words could kill an officer. Most of the officers of the Imperial
Censorate hailed from poor families, which was something
that the scribes appreciated. Whenever the officers wrote a
statement, the scribes were sure to reply to them. Still, it was a
sad state of affairs for any officer to be accused and have
charges pressed against them; even if they were innocent. If
they were proven innocent, their chances of working as a
politician again were still rather slim, for their reputation
would be tarnished to a near unsalvageable state.

Fan Xian coldly laughed. After much deliberation, he

realized where the problem lay. He surmised that someone
must have discovered his monitoring and surveillance of
Xinyang and the second prince. He still remembered clearly
that the Imperial Censorate’s leader’s ex-right-hand man was
now taking orders from the eldest princess. He was responsible
for breaking Fan Xian’s legs in the Ministry of Justice. But
what she did not know was that she was unknowingly allied
with a coward. Fan Xian was also investigating a scholar by the
name of He Zongwei, someone who was also in the Imperial
Censorate.

Not long later, the secret documents that had been sent to the
palace received a response. Fan Xian looked at the gold box it
was concealed within, and opened it. There was one slip of
paper inside, with two words written upon it.
 "An Zhi."

Fan Xian’s surname was Fan, and his first name was Xian. His
courtesy name was An Zhi.

Back in the day, the Emperor himself had given Fan Xian this
name. Frowning, he had no idea what the meaning behind this
message was. When Fan Xian delivered his secret documents,
he knew that the Emperor would seek to delay the resolving of
the business concerning the emptying palace treasury. It was
just bad timing for these new allegations to arise at the same
time, perhaps messing with the Emperor’s head.

"Action is needed." Fan Xian shook his head and told Mu Tie,
"Investigate the censors who bear these allegations against me,
and check if they are truly clean. If they seek to do this to me, I
will do the same to them!"

Mu Tie was surprised and said, "Director Chen previously

said that in regards to the documents of the Imperial
Censorate, ignore them. Treat them with as much concern as
you would a dog’s barking. The palace does not wish for the
Overwatch Council to investigate the Imperial Censorate, in
fear of any ugliness that may arise. So, because of this, the
Emperor has not given the Overwatch Council the authority to
capture a censor of the Imperial Censorate."

Fan Xian disagreed, saying, "This is no longer just barking;

they are about to bite me! Why should I care about saving face
for the government? I told you to investigate it, and when you
found something, of course I was not going to deal with it. I
would have thrown it to the Supreme Court and the Ministry
of Justice. If the Emperor was willing to suppress these
matters, then what is the point of having the Overwatch
Council and the First Bureau?

Mu Tie was happy. The Overwatch Council had been waiting

for this day. They were extremely excited to be given the
opportunity to monitor and investigate the Imperial
Censorate, and uncover any dirt they may have hidden.

The next day, Fan Xian stayed at home playing Mahjong. The
sound of rain was quite lovely and he did not give the matters
with the censors any heed. Wan’er, however, was quite
nervous, for Fan Xian confided in her about these concerns and
she cared greatly, for everyone knew how important one’s
reputation was.
 Word of the allegations now held against Fan Xian had
spread all around the capital at this point. Palace secretaries
had already sent the document detailing the exact crimes he
was to be accountable for to Fan Manor. Fan Xian feigned to be
oblivious and not aware of the charges. He began acting
terrified, but truthfully he slept as well as ever.

On the morning of the third day, Fan Xian departed his

manor. In accordance with the law, the accused had to leave all
of their possessions at home and head to court to defend
themselves. Fan Xian, however, did not adhere to these rules
and instead visited the Xinfeng Restaurant to eat more of that
that acclaimed bun.

The recent events had already caused a ruckus within the

capital, but no one knew in what manner Fan Xian would fight
back against these allegations. The Imperial Censorate was
visibly prepared, and the threats held against Fan Xian were
tremendous. The censors were even keen to investigate every
single person who had any affiliation with the First Bureau in
the past month.

With Fan Xian not having done anything to fight back so far,
everyone was quite surprised at this turn of events. Instead,
Fan Xian was just fighting buns.

On the fourth day, the continuous rain had at last come to an

end, and so Fan Xian decided to lead his family into the nearby
countryside so that they may collect flowers. Using his fingers,
he gently touched the freshly-opened petals of daisies.

Normally, a palace secretary would have brought out the

Emperor’s decree by now, but nothing had come yet. The
Emperor was unsure of what to do. Either he could remind Fan
Xian not to overstep his boundaries, given his short tenure
within the capital and government, or he could warn the
Imperial Censorate to cease their incessant intrusions. He was
of two minds, and unable to come to a decision. When they
were in court, the the Minister of Appointments could not
harbor his curiosity any longer and, with great trepidation,
asked the Emperor whose side he was on of. To the surprise of
many, he did not react as one might expect, and simply gave a
faintly audible "Hm".

This awkward situation prolonged for a while later. The

officers of the Imperial Censorate were proud and sure of
themselves at the court’s convening, but they were beginning
to show signs of consternation due to the Emperor’s lack of
concern. They now planned to create another document
decrying Fan Xian’s deeds and try to get other officers of the
government and students from the Imperial College included
to join them.
Chapter 272: Confrontation in front of
the Palace
The Qing Kingdom’s emperor had been waiting for Fan Xian
to come defend himself. He would have ignored the issue and
hopefully have the matter fade from the people’s memory.
Were he not to mention anything further about it, it would be
reflective of other emperors from different eras; it was quite
effective at making others forget about a certain subject
entirely.

The Emperor did not expect Fan Xian to not do anything,

however. The man in question had showed no care at all thus
far. His attitude was one of innocence. He pretended he did
nothing wrong and appeared to merely allow others at the
palace to clean up this mess. What he did not know was that
Fan Xian harbored unruly thoughts. In his heart, Fan Xian was
telling himself, "You are the Emperor. You are supposed to
protect me. And now, because of these small matters, I must
throw away my reputation? If in the future I really do take
action against Xinyang and get rid of the eldest princess, are
you just going to throw me to the Empress Dowager so that I
may die a slow and torturous death?"
 If it was just some regular chancellor having these
allegations held against them, they would not have the
encouragement or luck Fan Xian had. One could not guess the
Emperor’s heart. As a chancellor, one would always have to
take advantage of the Emperor’s favor. If for whatever reason
he did not, and he sought that chancellor dead, nothing could
be done to avert such a fate.

But Fan Xian himself knew that he was no ordinary

chancellor, and even the Emperor did not guess that this he
knew. Therefore, this entire ordeal was quite amusing for Fan
Xian, and he sought to find out how far the Emperor would
bend for him.

It was now seven days since the allegations against Fan Xian
became public. Fan Xian was in his carriage outside the palace.
Upon getting out, the Qinian Unit encircled Fan Xian and
escorted him inside. He was clothed entirely in black, standing
upright in pride so that others could see clearly who this
person was. His face was expressionless.

The officers that had gathered at the gates of the palace all
knew that this person was a popular guy. That is not to
mention that this was the person who displayed his
bodyguards out in the open. This was Fan Xian.

Today was the day where a court meeting was to be

convened. The Emperor had issued a command for Fan Xian to
appear and listen. Every officer knew what the subject of their
discussion was to be on this day, and they were each excited
about it. A few good friends of the Fan family had also come,
and Fan Xian spoke with them a while. With the lame excuse of
telling him that the weather was cold, they vacated and moved
to a more private corner of the palace whenever they did so.

At this time, on both sides of the plaza, there were six officers
clad in red uniforms. Fan Xian’s men, who were clothed in
black, stood in direct opposition of these officers, staring them
in the eyes. Fan Xian took no notice.

The officers in red belonged to the Imperial Censorate, who

had gone against Fan Xian. He looked at them coldly and with
a lowered voice, said, "All of you look like pigs; how can you
expect to look like clean officers?"
 Deng Ziyue walked beside Fan Xian and said, "The First
Bureau has been investigating them the past few days and were
unable to find anything. These Imperial Censorate officers all
hail from poor families, and one’s reputation is what they each
value the most. This is why people decide to lean on them.
Even if they were to accept a mere gift of biscuits, they would
do so with great caution and trepidation. Everything they do is
done with the utmost care."

Fan Xian frowned and replied, "If the officers aren’t corrupt,
then the world is coming to an end!"

Deng Ziyue gave a wry smile and thought that Fan Xian’s
response was a little ridiculous.

The Imperial Censorate officers looked coldly at Fan Xian

without any essence of fear. Fan Xian knew that his opponents
weren’t afraid of him in the least, and so he thought, "If the
officers are no longer corrupt, then what is the point of hiring
a Commissioner for the Overwatch Council? They are
politicians that fight exclusively with words. It is not as if I
could assassinate them and go about my day." No matter what
was to happen in the court, the very least that Fan Xian
suspected would occur was that he may be exiled back to
Danzhou.

Fan Xian understood that the rarest thing one would likely
find in this world was a clean officer. He also believed in the
First Bureau's ability to investigate. If their search had been
thorough, then the men before him truly were clean. Fan Xian
also understood that the worst enemy an officer could be
confronted with was a collective of truly clean officers.
Thinking of this, he began admiring his young and beautiful
mother-in-law, for she could actually command these officers
to go against him. She really was something.

While Fan Xian was lost in thought, he had no idea that each
of the officers were looking at him in return.

What Fan Xian had done this month was hide his true self
and mask his own intelligence, and merely pretend to be a
corrupt officer that was as sinister as he was manipulative.
"They possess enough evidence to charge me, but why has the
Emperor not yet done anything?" They were not afraid of the
Emperor punishing them for going against his cherished Fan
Xian, for they still believed him to be a fair and true lord. But
even if this was not to be, the officers were doing their duty
and had no fear of death.

But the officers in the Imperial Censorate were said to have

had an unfortunate past few days. First, it was because the
campaign they had initiated against Fan Xian in the
government received very few signees. As polite as others were
to their requests, whenever an officer heard the petition that
they were to sign was against Fan Xian, few dared to go along
with them. Secondly, they requested to the scribes that they
produce a few articles attacking Fan Xian, but they refused.
Again, this was entirely because the crux of the matter was Fan
Xian himself, and they dared not criticize him. It was slightly
humorous, for they had publicly criticized many other officers
in the past.

And that which made the Imperial Censorate’s officers fume

was the attitude of the youths at the Imperial College. The
officer that went to visit the college to lecture and tell the
students about the "bad man Fan Xian" was promptly kicked
out. No one was willing to believe what was being said of Fan
Xian, who was the scholar of the generation, Zhuang Mohan's
soon-to-be successor, son of the Finance Minister, and all-
around idol of every young student. That’s not to mention he
was every young girl's dream man, too. No one believed he was
cheap enough to be bribed for such a small amount of coin.
 "13,400 tael? That's it?"

The Imperial Censorate had stumbled into their worst streak

of luck yet, for nothing they did yielded the results they
desired.

At this time, the wind began blowing a little harsher. It made

the officers that were outside the palace shiver in the cold.
Their faces changed as they looked into the sky, noticing the
presence of rain clouds forming above once more. They each
ran under the small eave that extended beyond the palace’s
door frame. The Royal Guard did not dare jeopardize the health
of those old men by letting them get soaked in the rain, and so
they did not stop them.

In the autumn, the capital always changed. After the wind,

rain would swiftly follow, fluctuating from small raindrops to
torrential downpours. The blue-tiled pathways of the palace
were now wet, and their color had darkened.

Near the palace gate, there was only a line of Fan Xian’s men
and a line of the Imperial Censorate’s officers standing there.
Although they stood in the rain, they had no reaction. Fan
Xian squinted and looked toward them, saying, "Officer Lai,
you should get out of the rain."

He was talking to the right-hand man of the Imperial

Censorate’s leader, a third-rank officer, Lai Mingcheng. Officer
Lai coldly looked his way and responded, "Mister Fan, do you
thinking standing in the rain like this will wash away the
crimes you have committed?"

Officer Lai bowed and said, "Today, we will meet before the
Emperor, and I will bring you down."

Fan Xian raised his eyebrows, thinking of how foolishly

assure he was of his own victory. Although he did not saying
anything, he firmly believed Officer Lai would be the one to get
knocked off his pedestal. Fan Xian bowed in return and said,
"Really? I am not sure if you’ll be singing the same tune once
they discover you are framing a member of the royal family."

The right-hand man was taken aback with a rage so fierce he

could not reply. He clenched his fists and walked toward the
gate of the palace. The officers that had followed him kneeled
in the rain.
 "Ah, the old 'kneeling before the gate' trick again?" Fan Xian
viewed these people as equal parts humorous and pathetic. He
sighed and said, "The purpose of life is fame. I have no idea
why the government keeps you lot fed."

Those few officers who were kneeling looked back with anger
in their eyes.

Fan Xian saw this, but he was not concerned. He merely

raised the hood of his cloak, smiled and said, "I am black. No
matter how I wash it, I will always be black. And you guys are
red. If you get washed by the rain, you may end up black, as
well."

The uniform that Fan Xian wore was composed of slick,

waterproof material. The water droplets that fell upon him
bounced off like stars. The black of his outfit, however, was a
little unnerving to behold.

The bright red uniforms that the Imperial Consulate’s

officers had been wearing were now soaked in the rain. The
color deepened to appear almost black as he had said.
 The officers looked down and saw their clothes, before
turning their heads to the sky to feel the rain upon their faces.
Stubbornly, they did not say a word.

They were waiting for the other subjects of discussion in the

court to be heard first. The Emperor seemed to notice the
presence of Lai Mingcheng and the Overwatch’s Commissioner
Fan Xian and frowned. He ordered a eunuch to command those
two to appear before him. He coldly told them, "Before the
officers present here, speak."

The right-hand officer tidied his clothing and spoke out loud.
"What I have to say is already in the document. It is my desire
that the lord evaluate these matters and resolves the issue at
the forefront of everyone’s mind, clearing the air and restoring
order to the people of the capital and the members of the
government."

The Emperor looked at Fan Xian and said, "Why did you not
submit your defense claim to the palace secretary?"

Fan Xian politely bowed and spoke, "Because I did not write
one."
 The Emperor became mad with rage and yelled, "How
arrogant! The Imperial Censorate’s job is to impeach
government officials who are deemed corrupt. People like you
who are so arrogant and haven’t a care for anything are the
first I have laid my eyes upon in this court. Do not think that
you may ride the good graces of your family’s predecessors and
that you have done well for the kingdom this year, imagining
that I would not punish you."

Fan Xian knew that the Emperor’s fury was not derived from
Fan Xian’s behavior, but of the fact that he had to deal with
these matters at all. Fan Xian apologized and said, "I really did
not know I had to write one. I acknowledge that I have done
wrong."

The Emperor’s face was one of serenity once more and he

said, "For the sake of your recent entry into the field of politics,
your father being busy at work and the old man Chen
Pingping's inability to teach you this, I will forgive you this
once. Today, the reason I commanded you to arrive here before
us was to hear of how you sought to defend yourself before me
and all these officers."
 Fan Xian’s facial expression appeared awkward. After a long
delay, he said, "I really haven’t a clue on how to debate and
defend myself in court."

With a gloomy demeanor, the Emperor told Fan Xian slowly,

"So, do you admit your crime?"

Fan Xian looked up with a bitter face and said, "My lord, I do
not plead guilty. The reason why I am not defending myself is
because the Imperial Censorate’s accusations are ridiculous
and appear to be pulled from out of thin air. I have no idea
what is going on. I have been accused of bribery and yet I don’t
know who supposedly bribed me. Therefore, I am unsure of
where to begin my defense."
Chapter 273: Courtroom Debate
All of the officers were in shock. No one had expected Fan
Xian would sooner select death before a debate. The Minister
of Appointments' face went dark, with a look as if he was
prepared to say something. When he raised his head, he saw
the higher-ranked officers in front of him, he was silenced. He
then realized that these matters were not as simple as he
believed them to be.

The Bureau of Military Affairs’ head diplomat, General

Qin’s, long, white beard hovered above his face like a cloud in
the breeze. His eyes were squinted so much that one might
have assumed he was asleep. Yan Hangshu was looking down
the aisle and spotted the General’s son, Qin Heng. He was silent
as well. Where was the courage he had shown in early spring,
suggesting that Fan Xian become the ambassador to the
northern Qi Kingdom?

The military’s silence was understandable, for this was a

battle of words and not one of swords. This is despite the fact
that they shared a very good, long-standing relationship with
the Overwatch Council. There was an officer, referred to as
Shu the Scholar, who looked almost afraid; as if he had never
seen the Emperor raise his voice before. Such was this scene
and its palpable tension, that many of the ministers in court
became petrified.

Yan Hangshu was of the mind to yell at Fan Xian, but he

ultimately deemed it unnecessary for him to offend the
troublesome dog while the eldest princess was away in
Xinyang.

Seeing as there weren’t any chancellors barking at Fan Xian,

the Emperor’s temperament was still spoiled. He gazed at Fan
Xian and told him, "If you continue to offer no counter-debate,
we will listen to what Officer Lai has to say."

Imperial Censor of the Left Lai Ming Cheng was keen to

adhere to such an order. He immediately stepped forward and
spoke aloud the crimes that were now held against Fan Xian.
He over-enunciated almost every word, ensuring everyone
present could hear each offence clearly. As he did so, Fan Xian
thought to himself, "This guy really is something. How can he
willingly place the blame for all these things on me? Those
little bastards I already evicted from the First Bureau accepted
a few loose-change briberies last month and now I must take
the fall?"
 An undercurrent of discussion between the people present in
the court could be heard. The way that they each looked at
both Officer Lai and Fan Xian was almost unnerving. The first
crime that the Imperial Censorate accused Fan Xian of was the
acceptance of a bribe by Eunuch Dai, who had done so on
behalf of his cousin Dai Zhen. Each and every officer there
thought it insulting that Officer Lai was willing to bring this
matter before everyone in the palace. They also thought that
the repercussions of such a crime were wasted on Fan Xian,
who had only accepted a measly 1,000 tael. None of the officers
in the court would have been willing to accept such a tiny sum.

When the Emperor heard that these matters concerning Fan

Xian were involved with the palace, his facial expression
remained resolute. The Emperor did, however, call upon
Imperial Consort Shu to bring Eunuch Dai to the court from
the manor where he currently was.

Every officer believed that the method in which Officer Lai

was going about the presentation of his case was a little
strange. Everyone knew that the Emperor wasn’t one to forgive
those involved with bribery, nor would he send them to prison.
Therefore, they were each curious as to how today’s events
were set to unfold. So they bit their lips in silence, perched at
the edge of their seats.
 Not long later, Eunuch Dai was brought before the court.
Without being told, he knew what was occurring. As he stood
there, he was both afraid and a little bewildered. In his
thoughts, he recollected how he passed on the money to Yi
Guipin. She was a cheerful woman, but not one to say much of
anything. She was also a distant relative of Fan Xian. "Could
she have sold me out? I doubt it. But then, how could these
revelations have come to light by the Imperial Censorate?"

While he was in the court, greeting the Emperor, he pleaded

the "injustice" that had been done upon him. He fell upon his
knees, begging as tears rolled down his cheeks, proclaiming his
innocence and how he had not been involved with anything
unlawful. He then said, "My lord has always forbidden the
workers of the palace from communicating with the officers.
Me? I have no courage. I could not even dream of breaking the
law or any command issued by the Emperor! Speaking of
Mister Fan, I have heard his name before, but…"

Eunuch Dai was a pitiable sight. He now looked up at the

Emperor and spoke: "Everyone knows about Fan Xian. He is
famous. But speaking of myself, I am a nobody. I am Iittle
more than a shadow in the Qing Kingdom. I had heard that Fan
Xian visited the northern Qi Kingdom, to represent and bring
further honor to our nation. It would be nigh impossible to not
hear of this man. But I swear, hearing is all I have done. I never
laid eyes upon this man in all my life!"

Imperial Censor of the Left Lai Mingcheng coldly asked, "You

really have not seen Fan Xian before?"

Eunuch Dai’s knees ached as he knelt upon the floor. He paid

no heed to it, though, as he cursed the nosy wretch before him
a million times within his heart. Hearing what he asked, the
eunuch perked his head and feigned the image of someone who
had just remembered something. "Ah, I remember now. It was
sometime last year. I think it was when I visited the Fan manor
- but I only saw him once. And I was merely delivering a
message. I entered and left shortly after. If that counts as
seeing him, then yes, I have. But it was only that one time."

Eunuch Dai then began to cry out loud, proclaiming the

earnestness of his words from the top of his lungs and amongst
the tear-rocked mumbling and sniffles, said, "My lord, I only
saw him once. Just once! If I was lying, may I be struck down
by lightning and may I be once more reincarnated as a
eunuch!"
 The Emperor was taken aback. The eunuch’s words appeared
honest, but he had no idea that the man despised his fate as a
eunuch as much as he did. The Emperor was brought to anger
and yelled, "What nonsense are you spouting?!"

Officer Lai looked a little worried and to perhaps ease

tensions, said, "About the bribery, it’s not as if you’d both have
to see each other to do it. Eunuch Dai, let me ask you
something. Do you have a cousin called Dai Zhen? He is a
small-time officer down at the markets, in charge of… the
inspection of vegetables. Yes, he is a vegetable inspector."

Eunuch Dai did not deny anything and simply nodded.

Officer Lai continued by saying, "My lord, this Dai Zhen is

the…" Officer Lai proceeded by speaking aloud the crime and
its details once again. He turned his gaze back over to Fan Xian
and with a chilling tone, said, "Let me ask you, Commissioner
Fan. Where is Dai Zhen right now?"

Fan Xian thought for a while before answering, "That case is

closed. That fellow Dai Zhen, after he was forced to relinquish
the money, he was fired. Where he is now, I have no clue."
 Officer Lai coldly said, "Objection! That is a lie. You took the
money off Eunuch Dai, do not deny it. Dai Zhen had been a
proficient inspector of vegetables for six years! Who knows
how much he took from the palace? I would wager that you
fired him, returned the money that he had stolen and then set
him free. Your mode of operation is shrouded in a suffocating
miasma of mystery."

Fan Xian looked unnerved, and so he calmly replied,

"According to the Overwatch Council’s investigation, in six
years, Dai Zhen accepted a number of bribes that, when all
added up, amounted to the gross total of 472 tael. The third
law of the Qing Kingdom specifically states that if the amount
of a bribe is below 500 tael, one will only lose one's job, pay a
fine in the amount of bribed money, and pay an additional fee
for committing the crime in the first place. There was no need
for him to be sent to the Ministry of Punishment. Therefore,
Dai Zhen was indeed fired, forced to pay 1,000 tael, and
subsequently let go. I have no idea why you would think my
treatment of the matter was an issue. Where is this suffocating
miasma of mystery you speak of, hm?"

The case of Dai Zhen was indeed investigated by the

Overwatch Council. Fan Xian spoke the truth, for he had only
accepted briberies that amounted to the figure given.
 Officer Lai began laughing. "472 tael? Are you trying to fool
us all?"

It was a little silly for Officer Lai to say that, but then Fan
Xian began laughing, too. He said, "Well, Dai Zhen was known
to slip a cucumber or two into his pockets. According to the
law, the sum of stolen vegetables should have been added to the
tally of his briberies. That was an oversight on my own behalf,
so I thank you for the reminder."

Officer Lai did not take kindly to Fan Xian making light of
the situation and, with great fury, he shouted, "Ridiculous! In
the past six years, Dai Zhen must have accepted a total that
exceeded 4,000 tael. The civilians down at the markets are all
mad about it. So why, Fan Xian? Why do you protect him?
What have you to gain from this treachery?"

The court’s audience stayed silent. All that could be heard

was the exchange between the commissioner and the Imperial
Censor of the Left.

Fan Xian slowly lifted his head and, with frosted eyes, peered
right at Officer Lai while taking a step forward.
 Officer Lai saw the gravity of his demeanor and took a step
back without realizing it.

Without averting his gaze, Fan Xian slowly said, "What do I

want? The seething discontent of the populace?"

Fan Xian took a deep breath and continued, "Let me ask you
something. You are a censor of the Imperial Censorate,
correct? And you are in charge of investigating bribery, yes? If
you are saying that Dai Zhen stole that much tael, and that the
civilians are all mad about it, in the six years that have elapsed,
why have you yet to notify anyone? I haven’t seen a single
document make mention of Dai Zhen’s crimes. Perhaps you are
the one who is looking to cover the tracks of others? Come on,
tell us. Why didn’t you alert the correct personnel and arrange
to capture Dai Zhen?"

Fan Xian suddenly exploded with rage, much to the

bewilderment of his audience.

Fan Xian would not permit Officer Lai the opportunity to

speak, and with a fiery look, he said, "I have been in charge of
the First Bureau for less than a month, and we were already
made aware that Dai Zhen was accepting bribes. Officer Lai
knew that Dai Zhen was accepting bribes and thieving from the
helpless populace for over six years and did nothing about it.
When the Overwatch Council investigated it, we quickly sorted
it out. Case closed. The Imperial Censorate on the other hand,
had their head in the sand for six years.

"Six years!? And you have the audacity to tell me that the
Overwatch Council is the one that is corrupted?"

Fan Xian bowed before the Emperor on his throne. He then

turned around with anger to face Officer Lai once more. He
said, "I really want to ask something. What are you trying to
pull here?"

After a barrage of questions, Officer Lai remained silent. He

was petrified. He acknowledged he had made a mistake in his
dialogue earlier, which left a breach in his defense for Fan Xian
to latch right onto, so that he could swing the discussion
around. If he were to admit that the Imperial Censorate was
not aware of the corrupt officer Dai Zhen, it would still put Fan
Xian in the right, for there was no way to disgrace his claim
that Dai Zhen only stole 400 tael. In his fury earlier, when he
told the court that Dai Zhen must have accepted 4,000 tael in
total, he walked right into the trap Fan Xian had laid out for
him. He fell for it, hook, line and sinker. As the second-in-
command for the Imperial Censorate, he could not claim to
have known about it for six years without doing anything to
resolve the situation. This case was only brought to their
attention following the Overwatch Council’s investigation,
after all. After Fan Xian pointed this out, it sounded as if the
Imperial Censorate was desperate in their jealousy of the
Overwatch Council, framing them with false allegations.

All the officers in the court stared at Officer Lai with

unpleasantness in their eyes. When they turned to look at Fan
Xian, it was only with respect and admiration. Of course, these
officers knew what was going on, but it was Fan Xian’s ability
to lay traps for his opponent with no prior planning that
astounded them. With this power and wisdom, it drove fear
into the hearts of even the oldest, most jaded officers who were
there. Fan Xian was unlike any of the other young officers.

In their hearts, they were each and all thinking that this Fan
Xian could not only write and fight with superb dexterity, but
that he was more than suited to be a politician. They each
thought his father, Fan Jian, was extremely lucky to have a son
as talented as this.
 The Imperial Censor of the Left Lai Ming Cheng’s lips were
trembling. He fell to his knees and as he gasped for breath. He
at last spoke. "I know I have done wrong. Please punish me, My
Lord! But Fan Xian broke the law; you cannot simply let him
go. Take him to the Supreme Court and you are guaranteed to
find something out."

The Emperor had grown annoyed long ago. Seeing Fan Xian’s
behavior, however, he was almost brought to smile. He spoke,
"Okay, okay. I understand. You are the Imperial Censorate’s
second-in-command; if you were unable to catch on to the
treacherous misdeeds of a professional vegetable inspector,
that’s fine. I won’t punish you this time. But if you come into
my courtroom with falsified allegations again, using the 'anger
of the people' as justification, I’ll have you know that I am not
like the emperor of northern Qi or Wei. And Qing is a different
kind of nation. Do not seek to bolster your reputation again.

Trying to bolster his reputation? Lai Mingcheng was filled

with both anger and embarrassment. He felt as if he would
rather die than be known for that. He maintained his position
on the floor, and kowtowed repeatedly.
Chapter 274: The Lashings
The repeated pounding of stone echoed across the vast
palace, as Lai Mingcheng struck the ground with his bloodied
forehead upon each vigorous kowtow.

The Emperor looked at him with dismay, and gestured for the
guards to take him away. Then, he turned to Fan Xian and said,
"Commissioner Fan, as an officer of the Overwatch Council,
your privileges exceed those of many. It is because of this that
you need to exercise greater caution with all your dealings, no
matter the size or gravity they would possess. Do not
embarrass me again."

It had been difficult for the Emperor to think of a method

that would resolve these issues harmoniously, but this seemed
to be as good as it was going to get. Before Fan Xian could
speak once more, the Emperor quickly waved his hand, which
called upon a eunuch to declare that the court proceedings had
come to an end.

Fan Xian sighed, knowing that he had put a strain on his

favor with the Emperor, and that perhaps the man in question
wasn’t so keen on protecting him as much as he had assumed.
 Inside, Fan Xian felt rather unsatisfied, despite how every
other officer thought the Emperor had stuck his neck out for
him far too much already. Before the officers took leave of the
Taiji Palace, they each expressed their regards to Fan Xian and
as they did so, it seemed as if the Imperial Censorate had fallen
out of favor with each and every chancellor there.

Fan Xian was left bearing a wry smile. As Fan Xian took leave
himself, he espied his father across the plaza, walking with a
hunched back. Fan Xian ran over to his side, as nearby officers
complimented the view of such a loving father and son
together at work in the palace.

Minister Fan felt a grip upon his shoulder and when he

looked to his side, he saw his son offering support. He sighed
and then he too showed a wry smile. He said, "An Zhi, why can
you not stay out of trouble?"

Fan Xian felt as if he had been wronged when hearing his

father’s words, but then he thought to himself, "Who would
have thought Xinyang would have kept us within their sights
all this time?"
 When they reached the gate of the palace, a eunuch softly
approached them both and relayed to Fan Xian an order from
the Emperor. Hastily, the eunuch brought Fan Xian all the way
across the palace once more. Minister Fan looked on in
bewilderment and watched him as he went. He thought to
himself that even though his son had always donned the
appearance of someone who would be accounted for as calm
and serious, he could tell from his running posterior that the
facade was wearing thin and that he didn’t look serious one
bit. Juxtaposed with the current solemn atmosphere of the
palace, it didn’t quite seem appropriate.

Colleagues approached Minister Fan from behind and so he

dropped his train of thought and concerned expression to
present them with a smile. Together, they all exited the palace.
The rain had already stopped, but the area had yet to dry up.
The officers of the Imperial Censorate were still down upon
their knees in front of the palace’s gate, soaked to the bone. It
wasn’t long before Officer Lai exited the court, as well, and his
face was one of tremendous scorn. He approached his men,
kneeled and then placed his hat across the left side of his chest.

After seeing Officer Lai’s actions, the men of the Imperial

Censorate knew that this ordeal was not yet over. Shu the
Scholar approached to comfort them, but it was to no avail,
and feeling the futility of his concerns, he shook his head and
promptly walked away. The rest of the officers, however, were
already rushing back towards their carriages. They knew it was
only a matter of time before things got worse, so they thought
it best to stay away.

Only Minister Fan did not rush, and he called for his servant
to retrieve umbrellas for each of the Imperial Censorate’s
officer’s that continued to kneel on the stone floor, in the event
that it began raining once again.

Fan Xian, led by a young eunuch, had jogged by many

buildings and walls to reach the palace's study. The young
eunuch was gasping for air by the time they arrived, but
through the use of his zhenqi, Fan Xian managed to maintain
his total composure.

He was a little nervous when entering the Emperor’s private

study, for he did not know what to expect. Following the
instructions of the young eunuch, he gingerly stood beside the
Emperor’s sofa. After a while, the curtains at the back of the
room rippled, and from behind them came the Emperor who
was dressed in his ordinary regalia. He looked at Fan Xian and
gestured with his hand to excuse the regular formalities of
bowing and the like.
 Fan Xian did as he was told and merely accepted the stool
that was offered to him by the young eunuch.

The study was much quieter on this day than the other day.
Only the Emperor and Fan Xian were now present, and a
peculiar awkwardness permeated the air. Fan Xian feigned an
amiable appearance, but his heart was more than a little
unsure. Conjecture was conjecture, and no matter how much
Chen Pingping had taught him, or how much of his own
experience would aid him, no amount of conjecture could
predict the way a meeting such as this could unfold.

When Fan Xian thought the Emperor was prepared to put on

the guise of a loving father, what the Emperor said broke all of
his expectations.

"Fan Xian, you don’t lack money. Why do you yearn for
more?" The Emperor was not fanciful with his words; they
were spoken plainly, guided by his cold stare towards Fan Xian.

A droplet of cold sweat took leave of Fan Xian’s forehead. He

knew he had been a little prying in the past, and he was
starting to believe that the Emperor was aware that he had
accepted money from the Liu family. He thought it impossible
to lie and hide something so grave from the Emperor, so he
stood up and told him, "My Lord, because I am the chief of the
Overwatch Council’s First Bureau, I need to receive such
money."

"Oh?" The Emperor expressed curiosity towards what Fan

Xian was planning on telling him.

"If you really want to investigate officers, you must first

blend in with them. In the past, the Overwatch Council’s First
Council was like water," Fan Xian began, "unable to integrate
with oil. Even though we have this large spy network, and the
power to investigate freely, it can often be like the search for a
flower in thick fog; it can’t be seen clearly. And in regards to
the corruption whose source flows from somewhere upstream,
higher-up in the government, it cannot be something that is
seen from the outside." Then Fan Xian carefully told him, "If
you want a thorough investigation to be conducted, I will have
to become one of them."

With a wry smile, Fan Xian kept going, "As you know, I am
from Danzhou." When he said this, he looked down, but he
could feel the Emperor react to these words ever so lightly.
 "When I first entered the capital, hailing from Danzhou,
things were considerably different from the get-go. I was just a
nobody, but now here I am, in charge of such an important
position within the Overwatch Council. My nervousness aside,
I always felt as if there was a barrier that prevented my
assimilation with the other officers in the government."

The Emperor acknowledged what Fan Xian was trying to tell

him before he had finished, and so he coldly told him, "If you
are a crane, even if you dye yourself black, you will not fool
the crows. I believe that this practice of yours is childish, but
as long as you are loyal to the kingdom, no one will prevent
you from doing this. But do not forget what befell Zhu Ge. He
was a fellow who had the same ambitions as you, but he fell in
too deep and could not return."

Fan Xian knew that the Emperor was repeatedly urging him
to become an officer devoid of allies. Although he did not say
it, he disagreed with the Emperor; so instead, he laughed and
said, "My Lord, but just this morning someone was attempting
to put me in a rough spot…"

The young eunuch who stood silently in the room was

shocked at these words, believing them to be highly
inappropriate. He thought to himself that Fan Xian was an
arrogant person and that despite the Emperor’s adoration for
him, such a statement could still induce his fury. Even the
prince was one to speak with great fear before the Emperor, so
what spurred Fan Xian to talk in such a manner?

Against the eunuch’s quiet assumptions, the Emperor smiled

to Fan Xian and said, "I wanted to clear your name, but this
was between you and your father, and I did not want to get
involved."

Fan Xian himself was surprised, learning that the Emperor

was aware that the Imperial Censorate was connected with
Xinyang. But why would he suppress Fan Xian’s desire to
resolve this entire situation? Fan Xian thought it was unfair of
him and just as he was about to act pitifully towards the
Emperor, he saw him rubbing his forehead. The Emperor then
spoke, "Come. There is a portrait that I very much wish to
show you."

Fan Xian’s mind raced with a thousand ideas as for what this
portrait could possibly signify. He thought of what Chen
Pingping had once said; that the last remaining portrait of Fan
Xian’s mother resided in the palace.
 At that moment, someone pushed the door of the study room
open; it was Eunuch Hou. Eunuch Hou was close with Fan
Xian, but he ran inside in a rush. He hurried to the Emperor’s
side and whispered something. Unbeknownst to the others
present, Fan Xian still possessed his tremendous hearing
abilities, and so he overheard what was said perfectly clear. At
what was said, even Fan Xian was brought to shock, believing
that the officers of the Imperial Censorate had most certainly
gone too far this time.

The Emperor’s face sunk and as he looked at Fan Xian, he

said, "Kneeling in front of the palace and removing their hats?
They are accusing me of being a moronic emperor! If this is
what they believe, then I will show them. Deliver them this
message; the Imperial Censorate is framing other officers for
crimes they have not committed, targeting other councils with
ruin and not adhering to the tasks they were established to
perform. In response to their incessant disobedience, I declare
that they each receive thirty lashings!"

This was Fan Xian’s first time seeing the Emperor erupt into
such a hurricane of fury and after hearing this, a chill ran
down his spine. "Thirty lashings? Such a punishment would
rob them of half their life."
 The fact of the matter was that this was all bad timing on the
Imperial Censorate’s behalf. The Emperor was interrupted just
as he was about to reveal to Fan Xian a portrait of grand
importance. This was unforgivable.

Near the palace’s exit, there was a small stream which had to
be crossed by a stone bridge. On the wet pavement of the plaza,
each officer was stripped of their clothing and the
commencement of their brutal punishment was to begin. The
cracking of the whip was like thunder, and each time it came
down and was lifted up, blood was cast into the air.

The other officers, as soon as they heard the news, returned

to the palace with great haste. After seeing the brutality on
display, they attempted to convince the Emperor to refrain
from committing this deed and halt the violence. When they
looked upon Fan Xian, who was there watching, their eyes
possessed great fear. After what had occurred this day, even if
it was the Imperial Censorate’s officers that started it, the
Emperor had brought back a disciplinary technique that had
not been seen for many years. It was then that they realized
how important Fan Xian was to the Emperor.
 Fan Xian stood beside Eunuch Hou, and with every crack of
the whip, his eyes squinted. Even though he felt no remorse, he
made sure to feign some manner of pity toward the old men.
He then said, "Eunuch Hou, tell them not to strike with such
force."

Eunuch Hou said, "Fan Xian, you have a good heart, but you
already told me this earlier. It may look extremely ruthless, but
fret not, they are not causing any internal damage."

Fan Xian looked down toward the ground and as he did so he

noticed that the eunuch’s toes were spread apart widely. He
knew this was in fact the secret signal for hitting them harder.
He quietly sighed and decided not think of it any further.

Not far from them both, the Imperial Censor of the Left, who
was spared punishment by the Emperor, looked on with a pale
face. He was sitting on the floor, forced to watch, and seeing
his subordinates treated in such a manner was like a slap to the
face. The servants that Fan Xian’s father had sent still held
their umbrellas. They felt tremendous pity for each of them,
and even for the Imperial Censor of the Left, who was sat
there, speechless, lost-in-thought.
 Fan Xian walked towards them and waved to tell the servants
that they could leave and return home. And then, in a
lamentable tone, he spoke to Officer Lai. "Why did you get
yourself involved with all of this?"

Officer Lai was unsure of how much Fan Xian actually knew,
and so just continued to sit there in silence, as if he were
petrified.

Fan Xian sighed and begged Eunuch Hou to call off the
lashings. With no result, he then ran back to the palace and
asked the same of the Emperor. His desire for halting the
punishments was not due to the sight of blood, nor because he
didn't want those who had targeted him to be disciplined; it
was to save face before all the officers who might now view Fan
Xian as a vicious man.

Fan Xian was running toward the palace and in his heart, he
thought, "You old man, trying to use this beating as a way to
isolate me from all the other officers. I will not stand for this! I
worked hard to get where I am these past two years. I can’t lose
it all over a few pointless lashes!"
Chapter 275: The Bright Fist in the Dark
Inside the carriage, it was all dark. The young man raised a
smile on his lips, but it wasn’t a natural one. It was forced, and
it gave the impression that he was trying not to look too
deliberate with his expression. It was not right for some men to
carry a look of timidity. The end of his eyebrows spread like
the strokes upon the paintings in Qing Temple. It gave off an
old-fashioned and earnest expression.

"I don’t understand." The young man’s smile was one of a

person who looked troubled. "I don’t understand a lot of
things, like why he had to investigate me in the first place.
Does he not know that I truly admire him?"

His fingers slightly rubbed the inside of a perfume bag that

was tied to his waist. He brought his hand up to waft the smell
of lilac and allow it to permeate the atmosphere of the
carriage. He lightly put his head against the soft wooden wall
and with eyes half closed said, "Is it normal for me to admire
him? Father was used to an immediate life; why does he think
of him as such an important person?"
 No one dared to reply to his words for no one possessed the
capacity to formulate a response that would put the young
man at ease. And so, the young man remained trapped in the
vortex of his wild imagination.

"Why?"

"Why?"

The shy smile began to dissipate from his face. He placed his
fingers into his perfume bag once more and brought his finger
back up to his nose and sniffed vigorously. He wanted to inhale
and gorge himself on every fragrant trace that remained on his
hand.

"This is not right."

"But it isn’t working." The young man sighed and turned

around to look at the grapes beside him. He grabbed a hold of
the stalk and emotionlessly threw them out of the carriage.
"Father loves him far too much."
 "More than he loves me."

He looked to be neurotic. He gave a twisted smile, thinking

about the crown prince in the palace and thinking about his
aunt in Xinyang. He waved his hand and spoke to the officers
that were groveling before him and said, "Seek peace."

The Imperial Censor He Zongwei did not participate in this

mission. He was surprised at the act and just raised his head.
He took notice of the second prince’s eyes, ones which looked
to be tired, and did not say a word.

The Imperial Censorate’s censors were beaten up badly, and

they were remarkably bloodied. This event had become the
latest hot topic in the capital. The official newspaper that had
been released from the palace, however, only made light
reference to what had transpired. The newspapers that were
released from other publications, though, made thorough
descriptions, accounts, and explanations of the affair.

Everyone knew that the Emperor was attempting to display

the power of the Overwatch Council to the world through this
incident. But what was made even more obvious to all was his
affection and protection for the young man named Fan Xian.

This young man had taken a seat in the royal study room,
and he had a position of importance in the Overwatch Council.
When the Censorate wanted to frame him, they ended up
getting lashed by the Emperor. "Fan Xian"; this name was
already shining brightly, but now, alongside that brightness,
encroached a touch of dark. This dark aura that now skirted
the man’s name put fear into the hearts of other officers.

On the day when the censors were lashed, there were rumors
of the young Commissioner kneeling before the royal study
chamber, pleading that the Emperor halt his punishment of the
censors. The reason why the censors were allowed to live was
because of Fan Xian’s mercy and forgiveness of the deeds they
had attempted to do upon him. The person who oversaw the
punishment was Eunuch Hou. A statement given by this man
explained that the reason why the censors were not killed after
three lashes was because Fan Xian requested that they not beat
the men so harshly.

Fan Xian did not use this entire event as leverage for the
Imperial Censorate to owe him a favor, either. Following the
ordeal, he remained tight-lipped about the whole event and
made no further reference to that day. This attitude worked
out in his favor, garnering him more support and preferential
outlooks upon his character; after all, he managed to keep the
censors alive. For the officers and students who had already
supported the young man, it reassured them regarding why
they initially placed their faith and trust in him. It worked to
remind them of why they bet on the horse that they did.

In the Qing Kingdom, people always thought that the

Overwatch Council was just a puppet of the Emperor. Until
this happened—perhaps it was because Fan Xian’s name was
one of such renown—people began to learn that there was a
secret, dark operation lurking behind the scenes. At least the
impression of the First Bureau was beginning to change. It was
not possible for things to remain black and white, with a clear-
cut separation of good and bad. There was a morally
ambiguous realm residing between the two.

This "grey" zone was where the Overwatch Council resided.

The royal flower-viewing excursion was in a few days. Fan

Xian was half-bending his head, sitting in the yard of his
house. He was contemplating several things; he wondered
what Wan’er was in the process of stitching; he also wondered
what Fan Sizhe had been doing to keep himself occupied lately.
He even wondered whether or not the second prince, to whom
he was much acquainted and in certain ways alike with, still
had a smile on his face.

When Fan Xian thought of this, a foreboding sense of unease

enveloped his temperament. Shy? Naive? This was Fan Xian’s
personality. All of a sudden, he had found out that someone of
a much higher class and position of nobility had many of the
same traits and qualities as him, and it was because of this that
his mind was slightly disturbed.

"Sir?" Teng Zijing asked politely. "I did what you requested of
me. Miss Shen has already moved in."

Fan Xian nodded in correspondence and replied, "How was

she? Has she been acting strangely these past few days?"

Teng Zijing answered, "Aside for the fact that she has been
slightly low-spirited, I would not surmise that her acts and
ways have been odd of late."
 Fan Xian nodded once more. He closed his eyes and told him,
"Help me extend an invitation. I would like you to invite the
Eldest Lord of the Yan family to come over and have dinner."

"Should I inform your father?" Teng Zijing looked at him

whilst asking.

Fan Xian smiled and said, "Of course. If Lord Father knows,
then he can come and have dinner with Yan Ruohai as well.
This will make him very happy."

Teng Zijing agreed and then informed Fan Xian, "A fellow,
the Imperial Censor He Zongwei, visited the manor once more.
Do you still not want to meet with him?"

Fan Xian opened his eyes, but a read of them could not be
gleaned. He knew this man, He Zongwei, for when Fan Xian
first entered the capital, they were both keen to interact with
each other in the Yishi Tavern. Back then, that scholar was still
allied with Guo Baokun, who was the only son of Guo Youzhi,
the Director of the Board of Rites. He would not let the
opportunity to engage with Fan Xian slip away lightly. Fan
Xian thought of him as a scholar with a passion for power; a
curious combination.

In regards to how he had become an Imperial Censor, Fan

Xian was well aware of how this came to be. He also knew that
this person had come to visit each day for the fast few days,
and he knew that he was visiting the manor in representation
of a matter pertaining to the princes. Because Fan Xian himself
avoided Li Hongcheng, he thought that it was inevitable for
the second prince to be annoyed about it.

"I’ll meet with him."

Fan Xian waved his hand and took to his feet. The stuff he
had prepared in the council was almost ready. To meet with
this man and present his thoughts on matters was not the
worst thing to do.

Fan Xian had been walking the length of the yard for half the
day and even he began feeling slightly annoyed. He walked to
the front of the residence, thinking of the night that he
returned from the northern Qi Kingdom. He asked himself,
"How could I have run so fast?" It was quite possible it all came
about through the belief that his sister may have run off and
his wife had cheated on him.

To think of such things, he could almost feel the path that

winded through the rocks and trees lessen to hasten his
passage. He ran to the study near the front residence and
acknowledged that the Imperial Censor He Zongwei was
already sitting inside.

Seeing Fan Xian arrive, He Zongwei quickly stood up and

performed a gracious bow before him. He said, "Greetings,
Mister Fan."

Fan Xian waved his hand and said, "It’s not as if this is the
first time we have met. There is no need for such a display of
grace."

This was true. During spring of last year, He Zongwei

frequently visited Fan Manor. Perhaps he wanted to do as the
Fan family did? Regardless, he did not expect Fan Xian to be so
wise as to think of this so quickly. Besides, Fan Xian wasn’t too
keen on the man due to the fact he often concealed his
emotions and true thoughts on certain subjects. It was because
of this that he hastily drew a line between them, and did not
interact with him much at all.

Having come here a few times already only to be greeted by

no one, He Zongwei was aware of the fact that he wasn’t
entirely welcome or looked upon fondly. But this famous
scholar of the capital knew all about the Fan family.

He Zongwei knew that there were no others present in the

study he was currently occupying and so, without reprieve or
hesitation, he bluntly said, "I came here due to what has come
to pass."

"That which has come to pass?" Fan Xian said this sentence
and closed his mouth. He raised his eyebrow to look at He
Zongwei with a face of interest. But he also waved his hand to
prevent further discussion.

He Zongwei’s face was tanned. One could see that he was

born into a poor family and had spent much of his youth in
impoverished conditions. Nowadays, however, it seemed as if
his working in the capital and its government over the past few
years had given him the appearance of someone most
trustworthy. The way he held himself was very much like the
scholar he was, as well; someone filled with vehement pride.

His eyes were his most striking physical trait, for they were
curiously bright. They complimented his face, which was
positioned in a way that silently spoke of him as a person who
was truly righteous. It made those who looked upon him feel
he would be difficult to get along with. This was an aspect of
his character that Fan Xian despised.

"What are you talking about?" Fan Xian squinted when

asking this, and he further continued to say, "I do not
understand what you're referencing."

He Zongwei was the mouth of the second prince. He smiled,

and his dark face highlighted the brightness of his teeth all the
more, making his smile one that few could miss. He proceeded
to tell Fan Xian, "It was nothing. I made a mistake. I have only
come here to deliver a box of tremendous tea leaves; leaves that
hail from the Yunwu Mountains. They are courtesy of the
second prince."
 Fan Xian looked at the unadorned box that had been
presented to him, and he fell into a silent trance. He knew that
if he were to accept this gift, the odds that had arisen between
them would be settled. From the second prince’s point-of-view,
Fan Xian had not lost anything; instead, he had earned a major
boost to his reputation. So, the second prince thought that he
would accept the tea and agree to let things go.

"When you misspoke just now, I thought of something." Fan

Xian smiled at He Zongwei.

He Zongwei’s heart was the recipient of a sudden chill, as he

thought of young and handsome Mister Fan. This young man
had only recently entered the capital and already he had stolen
his thunder as a scholar. How could he have the same
expression as the second prince?

"What event are you referring to?" He Zongwei’s heart was

now trembling with nerves.

Fan Xian looked at him coldly and said, "I left the capital in
the spring and travelled to the northern Qi Kingdom. I did not
expect that, within a few months, things were to change so
drastically within the capital. Even my father-in-law was
forced to retire during my absence." He Zongwei’s tongue was
bitter. He could not formulate a response - that which he had
feared the most had now at last happened.

Fan Xian quietly proceeded to speak, "I suppose you know

who Wu Bo'an is?"

He Zongwei replied, "He is an advisor of the prime minister."

Fan Xian raised his eyebrows and continued. "Do you recall
earlier in the spring of this year that you entered the capital
with Wu Bo'an’s wife? It’s the funniest thing; I cannot for the
life of me recall where she has since gone."

He Zongwei gritted his teeth, stood up, bowed, and told him,
"Sir Fan, I was too upset about the death in the Guo family. It
was because of this that I recklessly brought Wu’s wife into the
capital. I confess that there is indeed a connection between me
and the prime minister’s retirement, but this was a matter that
involved Qing’s law. I did not dare to hide. For this, I can only
hope that you forgive me." In his heart, he did not expect Fan
Xian to let him off the hook so lightly. But due to his allegiance
with the second prince, it gave him the wind to speak. "You can
hate and despise me however you wish, but the words and
sentiments of the second prince are sincere and true. It is my
solemn desire, at this moment, that you do not turn down this
gracious gift of his."

Fan Xian looked upon the man before him and lightly said, "I
am an officer of the government; I am not inclined to picking
on anybody. But as anyone else surely does, I keep accord of
those that do me wrong out of spite."

He Zongwei’s looked at him with a glint of hatred. He now

realized the futility of the parley he had come to engage in with
Fan Xian. He thought that although the retirement of the
prime minister did have something to do with him, he was just
an officer of the Qing Kingdom. It was not at all strange for
people to go behind someone’s back, and it was not as if Fan
Xian and the prime minister were not inclined to use such
tricks, either. As he thought about this, he stood up and
prepared to leave.

Fan Xian looked upon him with a face of utter disgust and,
all of a sudden, did something most out of character for a man
of his status. He walked forward and, with a raised foot, kicked
He Zongwei in the stomach.

A grand thud shattered the silence, and quite embarrassingly,

He Zongwei fell to the floor like a sack of potatos.

This scholar was a rather famous man in the capital, and a

member of the Imperial Censorate. He madly brought himself
to his feet and yelled, "You-you-you dare strike me!?"

Fan Xian was clenching his fists and said, "Yes, I am going to
beat you up. You asked for it. You came into my manor and
politely asked for it. Who am I not to oblige your request?"
Then, Fan Xian proceeded to throw He Zongwei a few punches.
Even though Fan Xian did not dare to beat the man to death, he
most certainly resolved to paint his face a wide array of colors.

He Zongwei did not dare stay in the manor any longer. He

held his head in pain and remembered that Fan Xian was
infamous as being the "Brute of Fan Manor". So, quickly, he ran
to the door as fast as he could, tripping and tumbling over
himself as he went. Just as he was about to exit, Fan Xian’s foot
personally escorted him through the door with a tremendously
powerful kick. The tea and its leaves followed like a flurry of
darts.

Fan Xian, seeing the embarrassing and clumsy figure of the

censor, felt quite a bit better. He lowered his voice and said,
"You deceive and disgrace my father-in-law, only to think that
you can come here and establish peace with a few tea leaves? If
you were not asking to get beaten up, why did you possibly
come here?"

Teng Zijing popped his head around the corner and with a
wry smile said, "Sir, if word of what has just occurred here was
to spread, your father would be most displeased!"

Fan Xian shrugged and responded, "I’m just beating up a dog

that won’t bite; delivering a message to his master."

A few months ago, while Fan Xian was still within the envoy
travelling north, he received a newspaper from the Overwatch
Council. It was about the prime minister, his father-in-law, and
it detailed the progress of his retirement. Through the
assistance of the old man Xiao En, the judgment provided over
this incident had proven most accurate.
 Wu Bo'an was an advisor to the prime minister placed there
by the eldest princess. Last summer, he requested the
assistance of the second lord of the Lin family and several
agents of the northern Qi Kingdom to assassinate Fan Xian on
Niulan Street. The assailants that attempted to do this ended
up dead. It was because of this that Wu Bo'an’s son was
tortured by the subordinates of the prime minister in
Shandong. Fan Xian was still not aware that it was Yuan
Hongdao, Chen Pingping's most covert agent, who did it.

Wu Bo'an’s wife was arranged to enter the capital by

Xinyang. Quite cleverly, she had to pass through He Zongwei,
who put her up in the old residence of an aged Imperial Censor.
There, she begged the Emperor for a trial.

The truth of the incident which saw the prime minister

evicted from his position was a senseless murder.

On the streets of the capital, a hitman attempted to murder

Wu Bo'an’s wife. It seemed as if a subordinate of the prime
minister sought to silence her, but quite strangely, she was
saved by the second prince and crown prince Jing.
 This entire ordeal was dragged into the palace, and so the
Prime Minister Lin Ruofu made a secret negotiation that
allowed him to depart the capital.

Fan Xian began to grow suspicious, contemplating the roles

that the second prince and crown prince Jing played in the
entire incident. He had done so ever since he read that
newspaper. The day he read it was also the day that he started
to ponder the second prince’s relation to the eldest princess in
Xinyang.

Every time he saw Da Bao, Fan Xian could not help but think
about his father-in-law, who had no choice but to return to his
hometown. This had nothing to do with the politics of the
country; it was a personal rivalry between Fan Xian and the
second prince. And on this topic, Fan Xian would have further
ideas to formulate. He was the son-in-law of the man who was
wronged and, for this, Fan Xian would ensure a just retaliation
was served.

Fan Xian rubbed his knuckles, and flexed the bones and
ligaments of his fingers. Almost immediately, he felt much
better. He turned around and returned to the back of the
residence. As he was walking, he spoke to Teng Zijing. "Do not
mention my actions to father. That He Zongwei will probably
be too embarrassed by what happened to spread word of what
happened, anyway."

Fan Xian arrived at the back of the residence where Wan’er

was still deeply engaged with her stitchwork. He looked at his
wife, smiled, and walked toward her.

Of the incident that had just occurred with He Zongwei, it

was true that he would have been too ashamed of his beating to
tell anyone else about it. It was not something that he would be
able to hide from the second prince, however. After hearing of
his deeds, the second prince struggled to wrap his head around
how Fan Xian could continue to display such arrogance. There
was a time when the second prince began to feel as if he had no
power or sway in the government, but after receiving aid from
the eldest princess in Xinyang, he was able to gain many
trusted allies to change that. It was because of this that he
viewed Fan Xian as a person of little importance.

Now that he had had the time to think about it, Fan Xian was
merely a scholar with brains. Since when did he become such
an unreasonable officer? Can one’s association with an
organization such as the Overwatch Council have such a
profound effect on one’s character?

The second prince assumed that Fan Xian’s lashing out at He

Zongwei was merely a release of pent-up, accumulated anger.
With him behaving the way he was, the second prince wasn’t
quite willing to go visit Fan Xian any time soon. But, the
beating must have at least worked to lessen his rage by some
degree. Following these thoughts, his mind worried the matter
a touch less, and so the second prince simply took to writing a
letter to Xinyang.

In the beautiful palace in Xinyang, a gorgeous tree of

immense age was now losing leaves and twigs to the autumn
breeze. The golden leaves landed to decorate a dove-white tent.
From inside, a hand reached out and into the air to gently
catch a falling leaf. The veins on the hand did not look rough,
for they were hidden beneath skin like pale jade. Like the
concentrated beauty of a gemstone itself, it was beautiful to
behold.

The eldest princess Li Yunrui, who had been away from the
capital for over a year, yawned like a teenage girl. She let the
leaf go, and allowed it to continue its descent to the ground.
She raised her arm to support her jaw and with a roll of her
eyes said, "What do you think, Mister Yuan?"

Yuan Hongdao, the man who sold out the Prime Minister Lin
Ruofu, had now joined Xinyang. His face was one deprived of
emotion, but a certain glint in his eyes revealed that he was
afraid. He replied, "Even though the second prince is a member
of the royal family, he continues to underestimate his enemy."

The eldest princess laughed and said, "This Fan Xian is just a
young man. For you to call him an enemy is a title that far
exceeds his worth."

Yuan Hongdao wore a wry smile and he said, "He is no

ordinary man. The incidents of the northern Qi Kingdom,
although they may not have unfolded the way he wanted -
something that could be said about the plans of your own - Fan
Xian was involved with it all, but remained clear, clean, and
out of sight throughout it all. He even manipulated the
northern Qi Kingdom’s emperor to secretly assassinate Shen
Zhong. For a character with a list of achievements like this,
none can say he is reckless or foolhardy. He’s even the greatest
poet this generation has ever seen. With a personality such as
that, I can only fear that his heart views situations and
scenarios from different perspectives than most people can
comprehend."

The eldest princess sighed. She raised herself up from her

bed, and the elegant noble clothing she was garbed in revealed
a large portion of her back. The skin was so pale and delicate,
it was like a swan.

"This man... Let us not forget that he did not save Xiao En.
And before everything was over, he got Shen Zhong killed. The
Cui family are over here each and every day complaining. The
northern Qi Kingdom’s Discipline Commission provost
position is still yet to be filled. The Brocade Guard could never
dare to lead, and they have even blocked the routes of their
shipments."

The eldest princess' trusted aide, Huang Yi, who had been
quietly observing the eldest princess and her conversation with
Yuan Hongdao, now spoke. He politely told her, "We are trying
to discuss it with the empress dowager of the northern Qi
Kingdom. But the northern Qi Kingdom’s emperor is far too
stubborn to pay heed. He has prevented the dowager from
giving the position of provost to Marquis Ning."
 The eldest princess laughed coldly and remarked, "That old
hag in the northern Qi Kingdom is such a fool! Can’t she just
choose someone trusted and who is not conspicuous? She has
to make her brother become some sort of spy leader? What?
Does she think her son is stupid?"

Yuan Hongdao was near, and made sure to remind her by

saying, "Let us not discuss the affairs of the northern Qi
Kingdom. For now, we don’t know what’s going on in our own
capital."

Huang Yi was not keen on Yuan Hongdao, because he had

only just recently arrived at Xinyang, but the eldest princess
favored him and placed much faith in him. He suppressed his
jealousy to say, "After a few minor incidents in the capital,
things will calm down pretty soon. I don’t think the Emperor
wants the leader of the Overwatch Council, the one whom he
picked himself, to fight and go up against his son."

Yuan Hongdao coldly laughed and commented, "I am unsure

of what the Emperor is thinking, but I know for a fact that this
'Fan Xian' is not a person who is likely to concede. This time
the Imperial Censorate attempt to frame him was a simple way
to refresh his memory and allow him to recall that there are
some things he is unable to touch. Who would have expected
the Emperor would be so kind to him?"

Huang Yi had to look into his face to say, "Is Fan Xian going
to keep going on about this?"

The eldest princess smiled and spoke, "Mister Yuan does have
a point. I should not have been as hasty as I was to try to get
the Imperial Censorate to clamp down on him. Ugh, this guy is
just so stubborn!" She held her mouth and forced a smile and
laugh before continuing to say, "Huang Yi, didn't you say that
this son-in-law of mine loves to create trouble? Fan Jian, that
old man, gave Fan Xian the courtesy name An Zhi. And now
that I think about it, it makes sense. He knows that my son-in-
law is unable to remain quiet." [1]

She held her mouth again and laughed once more. It was
quite the pretty scene to catch in this palace. Her eyes looked
to be vivid and full of life, and her eyebrows were most
attractive. They were painted like the raindrops of autumn,
moisturizing every room she entered. Huang Yi, seeing this
beauty, froze. He could formulate no response. It even caused
Yuan Hongdao to be lost in the space between atoms.
 "I can only surmise that this good son-in-law of mine will
bite the second prince once more," the eldest princess smiled
and continued. "Write a letter. Write one up and implore that
the second prince makes peace with Fan Xian. No matter how
much pride he has to swallow, no matter how bad it must
feel… Make peace."

Although the prettiest woman in the Qing Kingdom spoke

softly, the power beneath the surface was something none
could judge. Huang Yi wanted to say something, but he held
his tongue and merely shook his head.

The eldest princess had another sweet smile and she said,
"My mother sent me a letter, saying that I should be in the
capital’s palace for the New Year. When I return there, just you
watch. I will play this game that my son-in-law so very much
loves."

The capital was in the embrace of another night of autumn.

The First Bureau’s agents were put into motion.

The Director of the Imperial Observatory was a position that

was most tame, but on a special occasion, such as when a star
was spotted to be falling, or a lunar eclipse, he had to report to
the Emperor. His explanations of such events were paid great
heed to and the consequences could be grave.

He was allied with the second prince, but it was not yet his
time to prove his usefulness. And already, he had been bitten
by the infamous black dog of the Qing Kingdom.

A chorus of whooshing sounds echoed down the lane. A

dozen men, all clad in black, looked like demons overtaking
the streets. They leapt straight into the manor of the Director
of the Imperial Observatory and, before the guards could react,
their master was tied up.

They did not depart, however. They then lit up torches in the
middle of the manor’s yard.

With them now illuminated under this bright light in the

yard, the heavily armored guards did not dare to fight the men
who were clothed in black.
 Wearing pitch black clothing, Mu Tie was leading the team
himself. He coldly looked back at the director's family and the
others who had come to observe. He said, "The Overwatch
Council is working here."

After this, the officers from the First Bureau dragged the
Director of the Imperial Observatory out from his manor and
shoved him into a carriage. Not long later, it disappeared,
becoming one with the shadows of the night. Crying sounds
could be heard from the manor as the torches extinguished.

In Chinese, Fan Xian's courtesy name An Zhi can be taken to mean "silence him".
Chapter 276: The Youths Inside and
Outside the Palace
It was autumn in the fifth year of the Qing calendar. The
young eunuch Hong Zhu was holding onto a thick collection of
documents. Struggling with the amount, his back hunched, he
ran into the room of the western corner. His little feet dashed
along the puddles of the soaked floor with no hesitation. The
length of his robe had already been lifted and tied higher for
greater mobility and to reduce the chance of tripping. His right
hand atop the documents, he used the wide sleeves to umbrella
the parchments he was delivering, for he was afraid that the
grey skies could at any moment part and make way for another
downpour.

He stepped through the door and handed over his regulation

papers, and then performed a register check with the other
eunuchs that had gathered there. Hong Zhu was relaxed and
after carefully signing the documents, gave them over, too.

The office of the palace secretary was an important location

that dealt with matters of a great deal, including the affairs of
state. In comparison to the past, the office had grown in its
relevance and significance. This is because there was no longer
a prime minister to lead the six departments. The validity and
acceptance of all decrees authored by the departments had to
go through the prime minister before they went to the palace,
but Lin Ruofu had already retired and returned to his
hometown. The position of the office of the palace
secretaryhad now garnered a lot of attention and the Emperor
had invited many people there to work. The Emperor had
called upon the presence of many chancellors there and put the
location for their discussions outside the gate of the palace,
where it would be easier for them to communicate.

Those who were now in charge of important matters of the

imperial court, the palace secretaries, were a few senior
chancellors and Shu the Scholar.

A chill wind blew across the plaza of the palace. Hong Zhu
rubbed his hands together as he yawned where he stood,
outside the door. He was there waiting for a few old men to
stamp and return his documents. He could not yet leave, so he
just stood there solemnly outside the door. His ears perked to
the sounds coming from inside.

Sometimes, the occasional officer walked past him.

Whenever they did, they politely nodded to him. Remembering
his status, Hong Zhu would quickly return with a salute. No
one thought it strange that Hong Zhu was standing outside the
office of the palace secretary, for everyone was aware of his
position.

Occasionally, the palace would send out a eunuch to come

over and watch him. They were all polite and bowed before
him greatly. They invited him to a room to stay warm. Hong
Zhu didn't show much appreciation or polite mannerisms to
these younger eunuchs; he would just nod their way, disregard
their suggestions, and remain outside.

He was only 16, but he held quite the position in the palace.
The reason why was because the job he was appointed to
complete each and every day in the palace was important. But
the most important reason was because his surname was Hong.
As such, a rumor occasionally circulated about him possibly
being a relative of Old Eunuch Hong.

Hong Zhu touched the pimple on his lip once more and felt
annoyed. In the past few days, the Overwatch Council had
captured many people and because of this the officers were
ceaselessly drafting new decrees. The palace secretary was
growing increasingly noisier, as well. With more documents to
deliver, he had been running up and down the palace all day.
The toxins of his pimple had become too much and as he stood
there, it popped. He was thinking that after he returned to the
palace that evening, he would have to ask the kitchen staff to
prepare for him some herbal tea.

The discussion inside the room was not that loud, but he
could still hear what was being spoken.

"This is a task best appointed to the Overwatch Council. The

Emperor has declined to oblige the decrees and has had them
sent back; what is that supposed to mean?"

"Perhaps…" Following a pause, the voice picked up again.

"Has the Emperor been of the mind to believe Fan Xian's
actions of late have been a bit excessive?"

An older chancellor with an angry voice harshly responded

with, "It is more than excessive! Fan Xian is using his own
power to beat down those that disagree with him. In but ten
days, he captured five chancellors. He had his officers sneak
into their manors at the dead of night to take them as they
slumbered. This is not the behavior of the Overwatch Council;
these are the brutish actions of a bunch of thugs with
authority."

A voice that vehemently disagreed with what was spoken

now interrupted. "Fan Xian is no sly, sniveling dog; he does
things plainly for all to see. He does not hide things. These five
officers were captured and a trial found them guilty of their
charges the very next day. This was not done in secret, for a
bulletin was posted in front of the Supreme Court, explaining
the proceedings that had transpired. Any and all civilians were
able to come and learn of these events. What Mister Yan said is
far too much. The First Bureau of the Overwatch Council was
authored to unearth corrupt officials; what does that have to
do with him attacking those who disagree with him? Those five
chancellors were not doing their job as was originally bidden,
and it was because of this they were found out, captured, and
subsequently charged."

Old Chancellor Yan replied angrily, "Oh, you disagree that he

does not beat down those who aren't in favor of his ways? Then
how come following the events of the Imperial Censorate's
attempt at framing him, there has been so much additional
movement from the Overwatch Council?"
 His interlocutor coldly laughed, and then said, "If this was
about revenge, then how come he has kept clear of the Imperial
Censorate? They are the ones who were responsible."

"It is because the Emperor is smart, and he has forbidden the

Overwatch Council from having any interaction with them."

The man laughed coldly and replied with greater

intelligence, "Then may I ask you of the connection between
the Imperial Censorate and the Imperial Observatory? Can you
explain to me why Fan Xian would go after the old goat who
leads the Imperial Observatory?"

The Minister of Personnel, Yan Hangshu, was made

speechless. It was a while before he responded, but when he
did, he coldly said, "Whatever the case may be, we cannot
allow the Overwatch Council to expand their influence as they
have currently been doing. If their capturing spree continues,
there will be no officers left!"

Mockingly, his debating foe responded, "Do not worry. The

Overwatch Council lacks the authority to go after officers
above rank three." These words weren't entirely comforting,
for it was a veiled jab at Yan. He was insinuating that the
Minister of Personnel would not become a target, even though
he was corrupt. His fear of the Overwatch Council potentially
coming for him was undoubtedly what incited his wrath.

The anger in Yan Hangshu now had his voice elevated to the
level of a blaring trumpet. Even Hong Zhu, who stood outside,
could hear him. "This is ridiculous! Are you truly going to just
sit back and watch the Overwatch Council become the boss?"

The person who first spoke before the argument between the
two broke out now re-entered the fray of spiteful words as a
peacemaker. "Lord Minister, there is no need to be mad. Mister
Qin should not speak any further, either. The Overwatch
Council can only investigate cases. They are not able to cast
judgment or sentence anybody. These few chancellors…" he
coughed and then lowly spoke, "guilty or not, still have to go
on trial before the Supreme Court. The Emperor has made this
abundantly clear that we three have to come to a decision."

The man who had now been identified as Mr. Qin said, "The
concerns regarding the Overwatch Council are matters that
should be handled by the Emperor himself. I am just a
chancellor, and I have no further comment."
 Yan Hangshu was fuming. He yelled, "I don't think this can
go on as it is! Allowing Fan Xian to run free like a wild dog; do
you truly want this kingdom to have itself another Chen
Pingping!?"

Hong Zhu continued to guard outside the door. He could

hear the conversations unfold clearly. From the corners of his
lips, a cold smile was developing, as he thought that the
relationship between the Emperor and Chen Pingping was
unlike anything they could anticipate.

Just at this time, the Bureau of Military Affairs' councilor

Qin Heng pushed the door open with a cold smile and stepped
outside. Hong Zhu approached him and said, "Mister Qin, I am
in a rush to get back to the palace. When will I receive the
documents?"

Qin Heng was in his thirties. He was the son of General Qin
of the Bureau of Military Affairs. Last year, when they fought
against the northern Qi Kingdom, he was a leader of the Qing
Kingdom's armies. He was not qualified to participate in palace
secretary affairs, but ever since General Qin's punishment of
lashing, he had been sick and not come to court since. In
sympathy, the Emperor bid that his son Qin Heng visit the
office of the palace secretary and take part in the discussions
that were held there. It was a blessing to the Qin family, and it
was a sign that the kingdom still valued its military.

General Qin of the Bureau of Military Affairs was sick and

had not been to court because of this. People believed it was
because the Qin family did not like seeing Fan Xian there, as
boisterous as he was. But Hong Zhu knew this could not be the
reason, for he had just heard him defend Fan Xian today.

Qin Heng looked upon the eunuch and laughed, saying, "Let
them argue. In the end, I highly doubt anyone will go against
the Emperor's will. And as for you, you should not peep and
listen in on us as much as you do. Even if I encouraged you,
you still wouldn't dare to tell anyone, would you? Why risk the
possibility of inviting trouble upon yourself?"

Hong Zhu gave a nice smile. Seeing one of the most popular
men in the military walk away left him confused, and so he
shook his head.

Not long after, the argument inside the office of the palace
secretary was brought to a close by Shu the Scholar. Every
chancellor tactfully wrote their own opinions on the
documents, and they each asked the Emperor whether or not
he was sure about this. After all, the five chancellors who were
captured did not have a high rank; but still, they were elders of
the city. No one wanted to see their friends fall from grace,
least of all at the hands of the Overwatch Council.

Hong Zhu had now been given his documents back. He lifted
the length of his robe, used his sleeves to umbrella the
documents and began running across the palace once more.

The route from the office of the palace secretary to the royal
study chamber was forever under the watchful eye of the
guards and as such, none would dare bring harm to the
documents Hong Zhu was delivering. Along the way, an
attractive maid stopped to bid him a fond greeting - one he
ignored. The other eunuchs looked at him continue on with
jealousy in their eyes, but he pretended not to notice.

He reached just outside the royal study chamber when he

stopped to take a breather. He built up his gentle-looking
composure and softly opened the door, putting down the
documents upon the desk lightly.
 The Emperor, who was reading the southern decree, was
frowning. He picked up one of the documents and Hong Zhu
watched his eyebrows tighten even further. After a little while,
his lips moved to speak. "These are mere ordinary men. Shu
the Scholar knows about it, and Yan Hangshu must have some
guts… Hm. That kid from the Qin family is not bad, either."

Hong Zhu did not dare to listen to the Emperor. He stood

aside with a pounding heart.

The Emperor gestured with his hand.

Hong Zhu was brought relief when bidden to depart the royal
study chamber, for it meant his duties for the day were over.
He followed the blue stone path and took a few turns every
now and again until he arrived at the Taiji Palace. In this place,
there were a few eunuchs in the process of breaking melon
seeds. Seeing him approach, they bid him to come over and sit
with them. One of them asked, "Did anything interesting
happen today?"

Hong Zhu was annoyed and said, "Nothing much. Nothing of

great intrigue can come from listening to old men argue over
trivial matters."

The eunuchs quickly spoke complimentary words before

saying, "You go back and forth between the royal study
chamber and the office of the palace secretary every day. All
these important matters of the kingdom unfold right below
your nose, so it is no wonder you may not think they are
special."

Hong Zhu may be arrogant, but he still had the vigilance to

respond quickly and gravely: "What are you talking about? I
am just a servant!"

One of the eunuchs laughed and said, "Aside from the

Emperor, all of us, officers included, are servants. Hong Zhu,
even if you were famous, you would have no idea. Even if the
worthless sorts who took to stitching outside the palace were
to say that they knew of you, people would think of them in a
different way. In this capital, aside from Fan Xian over on
Minister Lane, you are to be the second one."

Hong Zhu reached out his hands to smooth his bangs and
smiled, not saying anything more. Although he knew that he
could not compare with Fan Xian, people always enjoyed boot-
licking praise and for them to make mention of him being
comparable to Fan Xian was an overwhelming delight. In his
heart, he began to feel cocky.

At this time, a shadow hovered past the door to the room

they were in. In an instant, each eunuch closed their mouth.
Hong Zhu's heart jumped as well, seeing that it was Eunuch
Dai, who was a subordinate of Imperial Consort Shu. Although
he accepted the task of delivering documents, he was far below
the prestige of Eunuch Dai in terms of rank.

Once Eunuch Dai had walked far enough, one of the eunuchs
in the room spat on the floor, believing it to be ridiculous how
they each and all went silent on his behalf. He harshly spoke,
"This Eunuch Dai is nothing compared to what he used to be. It
was because my mind was absent, but seeing him like this,
there is no cause for us to be afraid of him."

Hong Zhu's heart jumped and simply asked, "Why?"

The other eunuch's eyebrows raised, and he responded, "A

while ago, the Imperial Censorate attempted to frame Fan
Xian. They even got Eunuch Dai involved. Although the
Emperor called for the censors to be punished, Eunuch Dai
received punishments as well. I heard a rumor that his
entitlement to deliver decrees had been stripped. Even Lady
Shu wanted to have him kicked out of the palace."

Another one of the eunuchs wanted to flatter Hong Zhu as

well. "When Eunuch Dai was still popular, he frequently yelled
and beat up others who were below him. But now that he has
lost his position, who should care about him? He is little more
than an autumn leaf that has fallen to the mud. He is nothing
compared to you, Hong Zhu. You are a freshly budded leaf
upon a mighty tree."

Hong Zhu heard these words of extreme flattery and felt it to

be unbearable and rude. With a frown, he casually spoke a few
words and then departed.

He walked alongside the big pillars of the palace and now he

stood before the gate of the Emperor's harem. He saw Eunuch
Dai there, and his shadow looked to be one of dejection. He
quickly ran towards him and said, "Eunuch Dai, I could you
see from afar. I have come here to greet you."
 Eunuch Dai was surprised and looked at Hong Zhu. These
days, very few of the little bastards in the palace would show
the kind courtesy that he did. He knew that Eunuch Zhu had
spent much time in the royal study chamber and now his
popularity was to receive a major boost. As such, he found it
strange that he held onto such pleasantry.

Hong Zhu did not make mention of why he had come, he just
used his complimentary words to please him. It made Eunuch
Dai happy, and following this, they both departed.

Seeing Eunuch Dai disappear inside the harem, the young

Hong Zhu had a boisterous-looking smile.

People thought that Eunuch Dai would lose his position, but
Hong Zhu did not believe this. Because Eunuch Dai had a
relation with Fan Xian outside the palace, it was only a matter
of time before we would return to his feet. Hong Zhu did not
have much faith in Eunuch Dai, but for Fan Xian, he held an
immeasurable amount of trust.

Everyday Hong Zhu could hear the discussions taking place

between those in the royal study chamber and the office of the
palace secretary, and it was through them that he learned
much of what he knew about Fan Xian and his popularity. The
First Bureau of the Overwatch Council captured five officers in
as little as ten days, but the Emperor remained neutral the
entire time, despite how much the palace secretary
complained. They couldn't do anything to Fan Xian.

Five chancellors in ten days. Although they were all below

rank three, for a eunuch in the harem, Hong Zhu knew that to
make such a big fuss, Fan Xian must have possessed a lot of
power. And behind him, a legion of followers. Hong Zhu was
always in the royal study chamber, so he was aware of the
Emperor's own support of him.

Hong Zhu was playing with a pimple that was ready to burst,
skirting his lips. He greatly admired the Fan Xian who was so
very much adored outside of the palace. But seeing as they
were both young men, he pondered as to why there was such a
great difference between them. There was nothing more that
he wanted right now than to establish a relationship with him
through Eunuch Dai.

The Imperial Observatory and the Ministry of Appointments

lost five officers one after another, and the darkness brought by
the Overwatch Council felt as if it were beginning to veil the
entire capital.

But the civilians of the capital did not care for these matters
all that much. The ones who were in trouble were the officers,
who had little to do with them.

In the political field, the reviews given towards the First

Bureau of the Overwatch Council were mostly negative. Aside
from the fact they were killing their own, there were other
issues few were privy to. No officer could understand why the
young Fan Xian would commit such deeds to officers of little
repute.

Aside from a few people, no one knew that the people who
had been captured were pivotal pawns that belonged to the
second prince.

A lot of people believed Fan Xian to harness a vendetta due to

the Imperial Censorate's framing of him, but he was given a
direct order from the Emperor to stay away from them. People
viewed Fan Xian like a madman who had been provoked,
holding a large knife as he scoured the streets slicing innocent
bystanders and children, doing anything he could to quell the
raging fire of his heart.

But… Fan Xian's behavior in the past couple of years weren't

reckless like this.

Fan Xian was smiling as he sat in the Xinfeng Restaurant. His

right-hand was holding chopsticks, stirring the tantalizing
noodles and meat sauce. In his left hand, he held a scroll that
had been delivered by Mu Tie. The trials for the past few cases
had concluded very quickly, and so he was given the
opportunity to prepare himself. The evidence that the First
Bureau had come into possession of was inscrutable and
decisive. It looked like sending the evidence to the Supreme
Court and Ministry of Justice would yield no issues.

Before this entire thing began, Fan Xian noticed that his
father and the crippled old man remained silent. It was because
of this that Fan Xian knew where they both stood. This was a
matter that he could not hide from; he had to do it. He had to
make the second prince feel pain and make him think twice
about listening to Xinyang again. At the same time, Fan Xian
could reduce trouble for himself.
 But the second prince's reaction was different to what Fan
Xian had expected. After he kicked He Zongwei out of his
manor, he hadn't sent anybody else over to make peace. It
seemed as if the pride of being a prince stayed his desire for
further contact. With no retaliation of any kind, the entire
situation felt strange.

"What is this Baoyue Brothel?" Fan Xian curiously asked.

Mu Tie's face possessed a slightly horny look.

Fan Xian laughed and said, "You are too old for this. Go home
and hug your grandson; do not think of such things."

Mu Tie's face became slightly bitter, and then he said,

"Baoyue Brothel is a brothel. It was newly established this year.
The First Bureau has come to learn that this building has a
certain important character behind it. There is much going on
there, and something ill is brewing behind its closed doors."

Fan Xian was uninterested in the business of a brothel, and

Liujing River was crown prince Li Hongcheng's territory.
Although he was fighting with the second prince in secret, he
did not want to start a fight with Li Hongcheng just yet. The
both of them were friends, and who could tell what might
transpire if he was to join in?

But with further interest in what Mu Tie was trying to tell

him, he pressed a little by asking more.

With a concerned look, one that displayed a delicate

choosing of words, he said, "That brothel is evil. The people
there are restless and they are willing to commit any heinous
act in the chase of profit. In the few months of its operation,
many women who have worked there have shown up dead. Yet
despite this, the capital government has remained silent about
the entire affair. I fear that a prince may be behind it all."

Fan Xian fell silent. He didn't know if the Baoyue Brothel was
the work of the crown prince or the second prince, but the
former was the sort who only enjoyed fighting men of equal
caliber. He had recently returned from war and the Emperor
had granted him much in the ways of reward; it did not seem as
if he was the sort who cared for money-making.
 In the situation he was in, it was impossible for him to go
about offending everyone. He thought that this sort of
establishment may have been the work of the second prince; it
at least seemed more likely. With a calm expression, he told Mu
Tie, "Find some time to go out there and investigate. We need
to know more, and if that high-end whorehouse was a way for
a prince to make contact with the officers of court, then we
may need to plant some bugs on the inside."

Mu Tie shook his head and said, "The security there is pretty
tight, and it is newly opened. It may be difficult to infiltrate.
Furthermore, the Overwatch Council can only watch over the
officers. There is little we can do to the merchants of the city."

Fan Xian looked slightly annoyed, and so he looked at him

and said, "Although the Overwatch Council cannot deal with
prostitutes, we can deal with the Yamen who take care of them.
Just go take a look."

There was something further that he did not tell Mu Tie. He

knew that the second prince was too quiet and too nice, but
Fan Xian always believed him to hold a trump card up his
sleeves and that he was merely waiting for the right moment
before its use.
 After the business, Fan Xian did not return to the manor. He
had a headache and yet he had to go straight to King Jing
Manor.

Today, the whole Fan Family was visiting King Jing's manor.

It was King Jing's birthday, but he had not invited anyone

else except the family of Fan Jian. The sort of relationship and
friendship they both shared were quite profound. Although
Fan Xian had no desire of seeing Li Hongcheng, he had little
choice but to go.

Walking into the manor, the first thing Fan Xian thought of
was about what happened one and a half years ago. He was
reading aDu Fu poem near the lake. And when he was done,
there was to be a feast in the manor where Zhuang Mohan was
spilling blood. It seemed as if so much had transpired around
this elegant, seemingly quiet manor.

Fan Xian all of a sudden turned his thoughts to the precious

books in that carriage. After he sent the books to the Imperial
College as a gift, he had not yet received the opportunity to go
and read them. As he thought of this, Li Hongcheng already
approached with a bowl of sour juice in one hand.

Fan Xian's heart sighed. He accepted the drink and took a sip.
He then said, "You know I like to drink the juice that is
produced in your manor." The first time he visited King Jing
Manor, he was getting sick from his travel in the carriage. He
was given a bowl of the sour juice back then to help him
recover, and it was most effective. He had loved it ever since.

Li Hongcheng looked him in the eye and shook his hand,

saying, "You are the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council
now. You can capture whoever you please. Why can't you
capture the juice merchant outside my manor so that he can
produce the sour juice exclusively for you?"

Fan Xian understood the jest and with a wry smile and bitter
laugh, he responded, "I thought that I wouldn't be able to
escape this today. When you approached me with the sour
juice, I thought you were going to throw it in my face."

Li Hongcheng harrumphed. He walked alongside Fan Xian

and said, "You know that I am still mad?" He looked at Fan
Xian and continued, "It's not just that I don't understand, but
it's that my brother does not understand, either. You are not
with the eldest prince, so why do you care so much?"

Fan Xian shook his head and gave a wry smile. "You think
that I enjoy offending everyone I meet? My hand was forced."

After that, Fan Xian pointed to the heavy clouds of that

autumn day. There were many things he wished to tell him.
Chapter 277: King Jing’s Birthday Feast
"Am I a fool?" King Jing’s crown prince looked into Fan
Xian’s eyes seriously. "Please tell me that I am a fool."

Fan Xian did as he pleased and told him with a sincere tone of
voice, "In some ways, I think you really are a fool."

What Li Hongcheng asked was spoken when Fan Xian had his
fingertip pointed to the sky, and that which Fan Xian
responded to was his battle for authority with the princes.

King Jing’s manor’s lawns were finely cut, but as tidy as they
were, they lacked a certain elegance. The lawn was slightly
yellowed and almost looked like a carpet, spread out to skirt
the paths with care. Fan Xian knew it was King Jing’s own hard
work that shaped the lawns in the way they were; through his
adoration for gardening, he worked on them each and every
day. He pointed towards the grass field and said, "Look, this is
life."

Li Hongcheng mockingly responded, "If you are willing to

take care of a garden every day, I will have the second brother
give to you a few thousand acres of land in Jiangnan."

Fan Xian, in distress, shook his head and said, "I told you;
what occurred recently wasn’t my idea."

Li Hongcheng had a warm, sunlit face, and as he heard this,

he was surprised. The tip of his eyebrows furrowed somewhat.
If what happened in court recently was not initiated by Fan
Xian, then it may have been the Emperor. If this was true, then
that could suggest most vehement things. Did the Emperor not
love his second brother?

Fan Xian looked at him and said, "of course, I was a little
selfish. You should know that I am not all that fond of the
second prince."

Li Hongcheng frowned at these words and said, "Ever since

you entered the capital, my brother and I have treated you
nicely. Of course, I won’t tell you that there wasn’t room for
improvement, but we have treated you far better than the
eastern palace could."
 Fan Xian coldly laughed and did not respond.

Both of them walked side by side into the manor. They did
not visit the backyard, for the birthday feast was yet to begin.
They walked into Li Hongcheng’s hidden study room. Fan Xian
sat beside a table and between his eyebrows, a chill developed
as he looked upon Li Hongcheng.

The servants who served tea had already left and now it was
just the two of them.

"Polite? Having the Imperial Censorate frame me is polite?"

Li Hongcheng was surprised, and he wore a wry smile. He

said, "The Imperial Censorate was my aunt’s idea. I am sure
that you know why. No one asked you to investigate my aunt
and my second brother, as soon as you returned to the capital."

Fan Xian did not speak of what had occurred Niulan Road, he
just shook his head and said, "I told you before that I have my
personal reasons. The reason why I have to investigate the
eldest princess and your brother is something you should be
able to understand, too. Both of them have depleted the palace
treasury of its wealth, and what? You expect me to inherit an
empty shell next year?"

Li Hongcheng said, "how do I say it? You are the eldest

princesses’ son-in-law and Wan’er is her only daughter. Do you
really think they would push you onto a trail that you cannot
return from? Taking a step back will yield benefits for the both
of us."

"It is okay to take a step back." Fan Xian looked at him

sternly, and said, "I am just worried about you. I know why
you are standing by your brother’s side. You think that if he
was to become an emperor in the future, he will fare better
than the one in the eastern palace. His personality does seem to
appear nice and soft, and you think that your manor will
receive a better life once he takes the throne, but did you ever
think about how we constantly refer to him as ‘brother’ over
and over today? Do you truly believe he won’t forget about his
siblings once he inherits the mantle?"

Li Hongcheng laughed and said, "It is lucky that this is

coming from you. Others might believe these words were ones
meant to sow discord."
 Fan Xian waved his hand and said, "I was serious about what
I said, and you believe I am just being nosy… in the springtime,
I talked to you near the Liu Jing riverside, telling you that you
should not be getting yourself involved in all this." He looked
into Li Hongcheng’s eyes and said, "I know what you have
done. Your identity comes from King Jing, and despite your
swathe of subordinates, none are fighters. I am not saying this
because I am being arrogant, I am speaking to you in truth.
The power you have does not rival mine, so how can you swing
between princes so daringly?"

He did not wait for Li Hongcheng’s reply; Fan Xian just stood
up. With a serious voice, he told him, "What I have just told
you may contain traces of narcissism, and perhaps you will
laugh at me in secrecy, but the Emperor has already made his
choice. I suspect that your second brother is in for a rough
road in the days ahead, and that is why I recommend you keep
your distance for now."

He patted Li Hongcheng’s shoulders with genuine sincerity

and said, "I am not saying this for you, or anybody else. I am
saying this for Ruoruo’s sake."
 Li Hongcheng agreed. Although his face showed no emotion,
he was touched on the inside. After a while of silence elapsed
between them, he said, "You do not understand my second
brother. He was forced as well. Besides, we have since founded
a profound relationship between us; I cannot let that go so
easily."

Fan Xian shook his head and did not reply.

The King Jing’s birthday feast had now begun. Upon the big
circular table was place a variety of luxurious dishes. King Jing
was sat in the first seat, his beard riding the gentle breeze. He
was dressed not unlike a rich merchant, a far cry from the
noble he was, or the gardener’s role he often partook. He could
be compared to the boring merchants of Jiangnan, those who
had gathered too much wealth and were bored.

Seeing his son walk out with Fan Xian side by side, he
laughed. He waved to Fan Xian and gestured for him to
approach. He said aloud, "You, come sit next to me!"

What Fan Xian feared the most in King Jing was his vulgar
language. With a bitter face, he remorsefully went to sit beside
him. Wan’er, who had her hair tied up, laughed at him as she
joined. And then, beside Wan’er, Fan Xian’s sister went to sit
quietly. Fan Xian thought that he had just used Ruoruo’s name
shamelessly in a petty bid to comfort Li Hongcheng’s distressed
mind. He despised himself deeply for doing this. He picked up
a glass and cheered King Jing, his father and Liu Shi, who were
sitting on the opposite side of the table in apology of Fan Xian’s
late arrival.

There was nobody else at the birthday feast, it was just the Li
and Fan family. The elders were here, however, and it did not
matter if it was Li Hongcheng or Fan Xian, both were were
cautious in their presence. The vast amount of delicious food
that were laid out upon the table could not be enjoyed to their
fullest because of this.

After a while of drinking, King Jing grew unpleased. He

picked up a jar of alcohol and talked to Fan Jing, saying, "How
do you teach your kids at home? They’ve barely said a word
since they got here!"

Fan Jing picked up the tail of a deer and put it in his house
mouth steadily. He said, "Whatever it is I teach is better than
what you do. At least I do not swear incessantly in front of the
kids."

"F*ck you! King Jing wiped the drips of alcohol from his jaw
and said, "Don’t you speak ill of me before my daughter!"

King Jing’s wife died early, and he had a few other wives in
the manor, but none of them were qualified to sit at the table
today. Princess Rou Jia and Li Hongcheng were sat near him,
and after the Princess heard her father swear like that, she
glanced at Fan Xian. She felt incredibly awkward and quite a
bit angry, for she thought her father was being embarrassing.

After hearing this, Fan Jing’s face went dark. He then said,
"Hit yourself in the mouth!"

Not since Wan’er’s marriage and integration into the Fan

family had she had seen both of these families sit together.
Looking at both of these elders, who seemed ready to begin an
argument, she pulled at Fan Xian’s sleeves. She gasped when
hearing Fan Jing tell King Jing to hit himself in the mouth.
 Fan Xian, however, was used to seeing such thing unfold like
this. It was actually the reason he showed no concern. It was
strange that his father had always been serious and calm, but
he was different in front of King Jing. It was during these
times that you could see beyond his quiet, self-worn veil, and
catch a glimpse of the nuttiness of his youth.

King Jing heard what Fan Jing said, and prepared to fight
back. He thought about what he would say next, but when he
opened his mouth to talk, all that was heard was "Ouch!"

He had a wry smile on his face, and lifted his right hand to
lightly slap himself. It was obviously not too hard, but the
sound was crisp and clear for all to hear.

Fan Jing did not let it go, however. He instead raised a

chopstick and pointed it at King Jing’s nose, saying, "Your son
is getting married soon. Perhaps now would be the best time to
fix that mouth of yours."

Feeling slightly embarrassed himself, King Jing politely said,

"I am sorry for the way I spoke." He looked around the table,
taking notice of all the younger people who were there and
madly said, "As for what happened earlier, no one heard
anything!" He embarrassingly coughed twice, and then asked
Fan Xian, "How is my mother doing in Danzhou?"

Lin Wan’er did her best to hold back laughter, and thought
about why Fan Jing would ask for King Jing to slap his mouth
for saying "f *ck you". Her husband’s grandmother was special
because King Jing was raised by her in Danzhou

Fan Xian now had a bitter look on his face He was thinking,
You elders are the ones arguing, so why drag me into this? Why
don’t they just exchange simpler pleasantries, like "I wish you
good health". He rolled his eyes and said, "King Jing, why don’t
you take a drink? You have little to do in the capital, and
Hongcheng just spends his time relaxing there. Why don’t we
find some time next year to go back to Danzhou for a little
vacation. The tea trees there are the best."

King Jing looked at Fan Xian and understood what he meant.

In his heart, he loved the idea, and as such, he smiled and said,
"That is a wonderful idea. I am going to march right into the
palace and talk to the Emperor about it tomorrow. That being
said, you will probably be unable to go, for you will be in
Jiangnan next year."
 Li Hongcheng, whose ears perked up when he heard this, was
shocked. He acknowledged this was a cruel ploy by Fan Xian.

Fan Xian said, "Why am I going to Jiangnan?"

King Jing replied, "you look like you are so smart, all the
time. Even the second prince was put at a disadvantage by you.
But why are you sounding so stupid now? Next year, you are to
take over the palace treasury, yes? How are you to accept this
position without going to Jiangnan?"

Fan Xian held his head with a look of confusion and said,
"Why must I go to Jiangnan to take over the palace treasury?"

King Jing’s eyes opened wide. He looked at Fan Jing and said,
"Um, is your son pretending to be stupid? Or is he really this
dumb?"

Fan Jing’s eyes had now widened. He looked at Fan Xian and
said, "I thought this kid wasn’t very wise, but thought he was
at least a little smart. But now I know, he isn’t even a little
smart."
 Lin Wan’er’s cheeks puffed up as she spoke, "My husband is
not aware of the fact that the three big vaults are located in
Jiangnan. Uncle, you should continue your drink and not
proceed to talk about such dull affairs."

King Jing almost choked with laughter, saying, "Ladies are

outgoing. So it was true. I am your uncle, after all; how can
you keep helping the Fan family after marriage?"

Lin Wan’er was laughing, saying, "I think you like my

husband, too. You don’t always have to talk about me."

Li Hongcheng, who was sitting next to her, nodded, then

turned his gaze towards Fan Xian, who was sitting beside his
father. He then saw his father smile at Fan Xian, and a feeling
of jealousy consumed him. He and the second prince were the
same, disturbed with the notion that their father looked upon
Fan Xian with greater fondness.

At the end of the feast, the young ones at the table were
drinking, wishing King Jing a happy birthday. By this point,
however, he had drank too much and his spirit soared with far
too much hype. His words became increasingly ridiculous to
hear. He began saying after Li Hongcheng and Ruoruo got
married, they should quickly conceive a child. He then went
on to say Princess Rou Jia should marry Fan Xian in two years
time, avoiding her grace from benefitting any other family.

Ruoruo was nervous when hearing this, and she tucked her
hands into her own sleeves without saying anything. Li
Hongcheng’s face was calm, and he gave a loving look towards
his fiancee.

Fan Xian was the most nervous right now, however, and so
he quickly replied, "Rou Jia’s identity is not something I can
accept so lightly. King Jing, you have drank far too much."

The young lady Rou Jia, gave Fan Xian a stern and displeased
look.

King Jing reeking of alcohol, said, "In the capital, bastards

are everywhere. Do you think I will ever quit my worrying, if
she ends up marrying some other yahoo? What identity are
you even referring to, anyway? She is my daughter. Or what?
Are you trying to tell me that she is not good enough for you?"
He turned to look at Wan’er and asked, "Do you have an
opinion to share?"

Wan’er started laughing, saying, "I have no opinion. If you

can convince my grandmother, then this thing is already
settled."

As soon as King Jing heard the word "grandmother", his mind

awoke from the intoxication that ailed him. He thought that
his mother would not allow Fan Xian to marry both of his
daughters, and amidst a barrage of mumbling, said, "I may
have to think about this some more. Rou Jia’s personality may
be too soft and weak… F*ck! Not marrying Fan Xian? That
means the empty spot may be open for that northern girl. It
wasn’t worth it! It wasn’t worth it! Fan Xian looks so
handsome, and it’s going to benefit that female tiger from the
north? It’s not worth it!"

He looked drunk, and turning to look at Fan Jing, tripped

over his words to say, "What was that woman from the north
called?"
 Fan Jing had evidently drank too much as well. He burped
and responded, "Haitang. She is not far from sainthood in the
north. She is a student of the legendary master, Ku Hei. I don’t
know why she looks up to my good-for-nothing son."

Despite saying "good-for-nothing", the words were spoken

with a certain streak of pride.

After these words were said, everybody started laughing.

Even Liu Shi, who had been quiet the entire time, brought her
hands to her mouth as she giggled. Fan Si Zhe and Li
Hongcheng laughed the hardest, but Fan Xian was the one who
now looked the most miserable. He did not expect that after his
father became drunk, he would set loose the chains that upheld
his rigorous formality. He didn’t expect his father to remember
the name Haitang either.

Fan Xian felt a certain pang of pain his right arm, but his face
did not change. He gently held Wan’er’s hand and held a cup in
his left hand. He raised the arm up and spoke aloud, "Let’s
drink!"
 With a chorus of laughter being sung from across the table,
even Ruoruo was gently laughing.

"That Haitang…" King Jing suddenly said, "I am simply

afraid that she is not a private student of Ku He anymore."

Fan Xian was at first a little nervous when hearing Haitang’s

name being spoken, but hearing that last sentence, he was now
aware that his arrangements were now put into motion. This
information was already circulating around the capital.

Fan Jing nodded his head and signalled that he did not
understand. He said, "That is strange. This Haitang lady," he
looked at his son and continued, "The rumours speak of her
enormous talents, and of her being the youngest nine-ranked
elite in history. The northern people are known to claim her as
being a woman who was sent by God. To have a student like
this, why is Ku He not yet satisfied? Why has he begun
recruiting again?"

Li Hongcheng knew about it as well, and after furrowing his

eyebrows, said, "Is it a conspiracy of the Northern Qi
Kingdom?"

King Jing now began yelling and said aloud, "There is no

conspiracy! What? You think accepting a student is a
conspiracy? The next thing I know, him eating dinner will
become a conspiracy of the Northern Qi Kingdom. Stop
thinking of such nonsense all the time; you’ll only wear
yourself out. You are a grown up, and yet you have not done
anything of remote worth."

Li Hongcheng gave no response. Fan Sizhe, who was beside

him, felt for him. He lifted his glass and proposed a cheer with
him.

Fan Jing did not want to see King Jing teaching his son in
this way, and so he said, "It may not be a conspiracy, but there
is no denying that it is strange. After Ku He’s isolation for a few
months, he all of a sudden returns with the announcement
that he was told by God himself to take on two new recruits? It
was an auspicion, elucidated to him from the sky. That is
really strange."

King Jing slowly drank a whole cup of alcohol, and with a

serious look, spoke, "The four great grandmasters; they are the
best of the best. I know that of the other three, the first, Ye
Liuyun, has never accepted a student. Si Gujian, although he is
not known to accept many people, has taken to the smithing of
weaponry, and he created a lot of nine-rank elites in Dongyi
City. Ku He used to have four students, and each of them were
incredibly impressive."

Fan Xian thought of Lang Tao’s scimitar, which was like a

reaper of souls, and nodded in correspondence.

King Jing’s eyebrows still took on an odd shape as he

continued his speech, "But these three grandmasters have not
accepted new students in years. All of a sudden, Ku He returns
to say he will accept new ones once more? It is a tremendous
event for this world. Although people like us may care little for
such things, for the fighters of our land, this is an incredible
opportunity. If you became a student of Ku He, no matter how
you end up, you can forge a great relationship with Tian
Yidao." He sighed for a moment, and then said, "If people are
able to have a closer relationship with Ku He by being his
student, I am sure that the people of this world will only think
positively of it."

Fan Xian gave a curious facial expression and asked, "Ku He

is a Northern Qi Kingdom grandmaster, so if he wanted to
accept a student, he should search for one there, shouldn’t he?
What does this have to do with us?"

Fan Jing looked to his son and said, "this time, Ku He wants
to broaden his search across the world. He wants all to be
granted this opportunity. Although he is a grandmaster of the
Northern Qi Kingdom, he is only situated there. To be a
grandmaster is to be someone of supreme authority and
position; rightfully, he should not be relegated to the sole
kingdom he resides in. If any of our civilians were given the
opportunity to become a student of his, I am sure the Emperor
would be pleased."

Fan Xian nodded in understanding, but in his heart, he

thought of something else. He did not know how Haitang
convinced the grandmaster, but whatever she did had proven
to him that he had underestimated her abilities.
 After the feast, Liu Shi went to the back of the yard to join in
with the women and their conversation. The young ones went
down to the lakeside to enjoy the gentle breeze, while Fan Sizhe
had disappeared.

King Jing was in the yard he himself maintained. He and Fan

Jing both lay upon bamboo chairs; their eyes closed in silence
together.

"Recently, Fan Xian has been a little over the top in his
behavior. You should rein him in a little." King Jing’s eyes were
really bright and Fan Jing’s face was really calm. They did not
look drunk as they had earlier at the table.

Fan Jing agreed, though modestly. He replied, "When he

came to the capital, that kid once told me that I could never
fully control him."

King Jing "hmmm"’d and said, "if you and I are unable to
control him, are we just going to hand over the task to that
crippled old man? That crippled old man is full of poisonous
thoughts; who knows what he desires?"
 Fan Jing was laughing as he responded, "That crippled old
man was the person your manor first sent out. Otherwise, why
else would the Emperor trust him?"

King Jing coldly laughed and said, "Well, I will let you do as
you see fit. Besides, after all these events have begun to wind
down, and my interest in these matters wanes." He closed his
eyes as he continued talking. "Fan Xian, this kid, he has a good
heart. I am merely worried that the Emperor may end up
squeezing him too hard, and his modesty may escape him."

Fan Jing sighed and said, "You know, when it comes to this
whole thing, I don’t have the right to speak on it."

King Jing shook his head and said, "Let those kids to have
fun; this is the manner of scene I am most fond of watching."
Chapter 278: Is It Worth Studying
Abroad?
Far away from the shores of the lake could be heard the
sounds of a mahjong game in full swing. Two old men glanced
at each other and shook their heads.

"Fan Xian’s opinion was correct. The second one didn’t stand
a chance, but in this government, many are unable to see it
clearly." King Jing waved his hand and continued speaking,
"The son I have is different from me, never aspiring to do what
I’ve done. This worries me."

Fan Jing looked at him and said, "Hongcheng and the second
prince are getting far too close for comfort."

King Jing began laughing coldly to disparage the

conversation and shoo it away. "I think the second prince
studied too much for his own good, and it has in turn made
him dumb. Screw him! And Wan’er’s mother is a crazy bitch; I
can’t believe he is allied with her. There is no possible way to
suggest nothing bad will come of this. And as for my son? Pah!
He is a complete imbecile, too."
 Fan Jing was smiling and said, "the second one’s mother you
cannot screw. Shu Gui Fei is a woman of the emperor, but in
regards to the crown prince’s mother, feel free to screw her. I
won’t stop you."

King Jing snorted as he out loud, and snorted, "Hongcheng’s

mother has been dead for several years, though I can only
suppose that she is waiting for me in hell. You old man, haha,
finally speaking dirty again. Back in the day, you were in and
out of a whorehouse everyday, but now you have totally
changed."

He lightly tapped the arm of his chair and took a look at the
familiar view around him. When he was done, he turned
around and said, "Do you remember that house? It was King
Cheng’s manor. The three of us practically grew up in that
manor when we were young. Your mum looked after me and
my big brother despite not being able to take care of you, her
own true son, regardless of how dirty you became."

Fan Jing wistfully revisited the memories of his childhood.

King Cheng was the birth father of the emperor, but the man
himself was not one for authority, and he lacked the drive of
ambition. His family was a distant relation to the Fan family,
but his mother would come to the manor to look after the
children, giving her the identity of someone of a lower class.

"No one could have suspected things would turn out this
way." Fan Jing smiled and said, "I think my mother in Danzhou
is proud to have raised us to be who we are."

"When we three were arguing, I would always team up with

you to go against my big brother, but we’d still always lose."
King Jing spoke coldly now, saying, "Even though it was kid
stuff, he hit hard. You should most certainly know that."

Fan Jing did not reply. King Jing had dared to speak ill of his
brother, but he knew he would never do the same to the
emperor. Fan Jing now just laughed, and said, "back in the day,
somehow Cheng Pingping was always aiding the emperor in
matters. The emperor was older than you, and Chen Pingping
was stronger than me. It is fairly obvious why we were unable
to win."

King Jing shook his head and said, "Yes, and that is why I did
not want to fight them. I simply wanted peace. Like that time
they investigated the second prince, and Fan Xian knew it
clearly; it was because the emperor had run out of money. But
they had their kids go sort it out, which was a cruel thing to
allow."

Fan Jing was the shangshu of the Ministry of Personnel, so

being aware of such events in the palace obviously fell under
his purview. Bearing a wry smile, he said, "do not blame the
emperor. We really are running out of funds. Every
department needs that money. The Empress Dowager is still
here and the Emperor would not dare treat the eldest princess
harshly. Of course Fan Xian was willing to take on such a task,
and I earnestly believe that he has what it takes to handle it.
Although Chen Pingping’s demeanor is becoming increasingly
strange, I know he would not allow any harm to come to Fan
Xian. There is no reason for us to concern ourselves with such
issues."

King Jing looked at him, and after a while, boorishly

responded, "you are just like before! You continue to hide
everything and be dishonest right to my face. Even now you
won’t tell me the truth."

Fan Jing laughed and did not say anything.

 King Jing’s birthday feast came to a close, and the Fan
family, split into several different carriages, were now
returning to their manor. Fan Xian was bringing both his wife
and sister into his house, and something plagued his mind to
the point of annoyance. "Where has he run off to? You are his
sister-in-law, and you are his big sister, couldn’t you two both
keep an eye on him?"

Lin Wan’er showed her tongue in response. If Fan Xian had

wanted her to play mahjong with Fan Sizhe, she may have been
willing, but to take care of a child in a normal manner? Never.
Despite her age, she still possessed the mind of a child herself.
Listening to Fan Xian speak, she began stroking her tummy. As
she did, she wondered to herself, it’s been a while; why has
nothing happened yet?

Ruoruo was two months younger than Wan’er, but her

maturity was considerably higher. She had been taking care of
Fan Sizhe over the years, mostly by herself. A few months ago,
however, the call for a future marriage came from the palace,
and her heart began leaping like the nervous frolic of an
antelope. Ever since, the only thing that had been on her mind
were the preparing to leave home. She knew that Fan Xian was
not being polite with his question, and she knew that he was
mostly referring to her, and so she muttered, "Understood."
 Fan Xian himself knew that he was being a touch
unreasonable. It wasn’t fair to insist that a sixteen-year-old girl
become a babysitter every single day. In a bid to comfort her,
he said, "Don’t be upset; I was just saying."

The three of them entered the house, and the maid quickly
offered them tea. Fan Xian selected the white teapot and took a
sip before asking in curiosity, "Where is Si Si and Si Qi?"

Wan’er laugh and said, "Both of them went with us to King

Jing’s manor, so it would be best if we let them rest first."

Fan Xian responded, "Those are some high-class maids; they

are treated with greater respect than many mistresses of other
families are!"

Wan’er, hearing Fan Xian speak, was reminded of something.

She asked, "that person is like Si Si?"

Fan Xian was given a shock, and tea sprayed from his mouth
and hastily replied, "what are you talking about?"
 Ruoruo frowned her eyebrows and said, "Si Si’s personality is
not unlike Qing Wen. She is pretty casual, and everyone seems
to like her."

Fan Xian did not say anything in response, but he did

remember that he had not yet written the 77 remaining
chapters of Dream of the Red Chamber. Qing Wen would not
have a good ending. The problems regarding Si Si and Si Qi had
been giving him a headache. He thought that he should have
recruited Si Si as a maid earlier. He had grown up with her, and
so his master-to-servant relationship was considerably deeper
than most, but Wan’er wanted to recruit Si Qi as well; if he was
to recruit Si Si. It’s what Wan’er had insisted upon.

Everytime he thought of this, Fan Xian felt that the entire

situation was absurd, but at least it was one that was founded
on some remote sense of happiness.

Fan Xian and Si Si’s relationship had a firm and long-lasting

basis, but with Si Qi, it was slightly more complicated. He had
drugged her numerous times, so he found it difficult to
imagine what it would be like to share a bed with her.
 Si Si had grown up now, if she did not make a decision soon,
he was afraid that she would never get married.

Seeing Wan’er sleepy face, Fan Xian squeezed her cheek. It

was so soft and felt remarkable to touch. He gestured to
Wan’er, and it was a signal that she understood. She left the
room and brought along the maid, leaving Fan Xian and
Ruoruo be.

"Do you know what I admire the most about you?" Fan Xian
was pouring the tea for his sister as he asked.

Fan Ruoruo tilted her head slightly and used her silky hands
to take away the clips in her hair. She ran her fingers through
her raven black locks and it descended like a velvet fountain.
 She wet her fingers inside the teacup and rubbed her forehead
with the tea. With a look of annoyance, she pleaded to Fan
Xian, "Big Brother, I am going to worry myself to death! Please
don’t make fun of me."

Using tea to massage one’s forehead was an effective method

to calm down. Fan Xian made use of this trick numerous times,
and it looked as if Ruoruo had picked up on it. But Fan Xian
tended to use cold, leftover tea, opposed to Ruoruo’s usage of
fresh, warm tea. There was no considerable difference, though.

"I don’t plan to make fun of you." Fan Xian sighed and
continued, "Sister, you really are quite calm. Like today, when
we were in King Jing’s manor discussing the marriage. It was
already quite difficult for me to pretend it wasn’t such a big
deal, but there you were, at the center of this affair, fully
composed; you really are cool."

Ruoruo’s personality was a gentle one, but there was a reason

she kept her calm when discussing her future. She looked at
her big brother and smiled, saying, "When my big brother isn’t
home, I am scared. But when my big brother is, I’m not scared.
Everything is all because of my big brother!"
 Those three "big brother"’s felt like three mountains
weighing down Fan Xian’s ears. He looked troubled and said,
"The emperor himself arranged this marriage. King Jing was
happy about it, and so was our father. Even though the crown
prince is a little adulterous, he is quite possibly the smartest
man in the capital. To back out of this marriage would be
extremely difficult, and your unwavering belief in me adds a
crushing weight upon my shoulders."

Ruoruo nibbled away at her lips for a moment, but then said,
"well, I will do whatever you say."

Fan Xian thought for a while, but then looked upon her with
a serious expression. He asked, "do you remember that woman
Si Lili?"

Ruoruo looked at her big brother’s face and with surprise,

nodded and said, "That woman who wanted to kill you?"

Fan Xian smiled and responded, "That’s right. I always

thought her to be different from most women. No matter what
she did, for better or for worse, she always stuck to her own
volition and beliefs. She would do things her way and nobody
could change that. It’s an admirable trait. The day we left the
northern Qi Kingdom, I asked her why. She said that it was
perhaps because when she was young, her family was mostly
dead and she had to live alone with nowhere to go and no one
to listen to. She went through a lot more than most women
could ever endure over the course of their lives."

Fan Ruoruo raised her head and gently said, "You used to say
that to travel a thousand miles and study a hundred books,
that is what would benefit one’s life."

"That is correct. That is why I was willing to become an

ambassador to the northern Qi Kingdom, for on that road, I
could study whenever I pleased." Fan Xian looked into his
sister’s gentle eyes and quietly said, "it is a rare thing to do, to
travel around the world and take in the many sights that this
world can offer. This is especially true for a mistress such as
yourself, who has only ever remained within the capital."

Fan Ruoruo began mocking herself by saying, "Except from

living in Danzhou for one year during my youth, the furthest
place I have gone to in my whole life outside the capital is
Cangshan. To see the Wu Du river and the glorious meadows of
the northern Qi Kingdom is something that may never come to
pass, just like you said."

"Do you want to see such places?"

Fan Ruoruo gave a delayed response, but vigorously nodded

her head.

The way in which Fan Xian had been teaching his sister and
developing her maturity was working quite well. The reason
she was different from most noble ladies was because every
time she heard her brother tells stories, she felt compelled to
do as he did. She wanted to visit the places he had been, to
meet the people he had met. The women of the Qing Kingdom
had the freedom to traverse the capital and elsewhere however
they pleased…up until marriage, that is. For as soon as they
were taken for marriage, they would be locked up in the manor
for the rest of their days. Even if they travelled with their
husbands, there would be a great lack of freedom for them on
such ventures. To be taken as a wife was not unlike receiving
detention for the remainder of their lives. When she thought of
how her life may indeed end up wasted in such a manner, her
heart was not willing to resign to such a fate.
 Fan Xian sighed deep in his heart. If he had opened the
windows when she was young and allowed her to see the
beauty of the world around them more often, he thought
things may have turned out differently. And now, for the
predicament she was in, Fan Xian felt compelled to find a way
for her to escape what faced her. He needed to find another
door she could take.

"Before you marry the crown prince, I will think of a way for
you to be sent away." Fan Xian squinted, saying, "all is wrapped
around my finger, and going according to plan. Seeing my
father and King Jing’s reaction, I know I will be able to find a
way out for you."

Ruoruo was a talented woman and was quite smart, so she

understood exactly what Fan Xian was thinking. She was
shocked to learn of what he was planning, and so she said,
"Wait… you want me to become a disciple of Ku He?"

Fan Xian lightly tapped her head, and as his fingertips

brushed through her soft hair, he said, "Ah, I see you get it
now."
 Ruoruo’s mouth widened and her face revealed utter shock.
She thought it was unbelievable. After a while, she pulled
herself together and asked, "How would such a thing possible?"

"Well, why would it be impossible?" Fan Xian raised his

eyebrows and said, "Ku He is only willing to recruit you, and
this is something quite remarkable. And from where you hail is
of no concern. Besides, you are a talented woman and would be
much welcomed. Taking on another student adds to his
prestige; how could he not?"

Ruoruo thought this was a joke. She lowered her head,

looked down and mumbled, "I don’t know how to fight…"

"Every road is entwined." Fan Xian attempted to boost her

morale a little, and provide her some extra courage. "You are a
talented woman; you know how write poems. Learning to fight
will come quick and easy. Ku He is a grandmaster and of course
will understand this reasoning."

Fan Ruoruo quickly lifted her head to look at him with a

bubbly expression as she said, "Where did such good luck come
from?"
 Fan Xian laughed and shook his head. "I have and I will deal
with all these matters; it comes from me. In a few days, I will
take a fish from the kitchen and put some paper inside it."

Fan Ruoruo’s face was still bearing a wide smile and she
excitedly spoke, "So everything is prepared then?"

Fan Xian froze and after a while, with a wry smile, he said, "I
won’t hide it from you, but when I was in the northern Qi
Kingdom, I was indeed preparing all this. I thought that if you
were willing to marry Hongcheng, then I would not have to
continue such preparations. But if you weren’t willing, then I
would of course have to continue."

"Northern Qi Kingdom?" Fan Ruoruo smiled, looked at him

and said, "It looks like this Hai Tang lady was quite close with
you."

Fan Xian knew he could not provide a suitable explanation

for this, for if he could indeed convince that legendary
grandmaster to take on another student, it would only be due
to the strength of his bond with Hai Tang. But Fan Xian had
paid a good price for this, for how else could he convince a man
who was almost as powerful as an emperor to cooperate with
him? Unwilling to burden his sister with worry, he chose not to
explain.

"Do you want to go study in the northern Qi Kingdom and go

travel? Studying abroad is fun." Fan Xian asked his sister
directly.

Fan Ruoruo looked down and contemplated it deeply. It was a

grand question; she did not give an immediate response.
Chapter 279: Do You Want a Newly
Embroidered Handkerchief?
A while later, Ruoruo raised her head, sadly asking, "What
about Father?"

Fan Xian frowned as he responded. "I’ll still be here in the

capital to look after him. You can leave here for at least two
years, without worry."

"But… can we really call off the wedding just like that?" Fan
Ruoruo was still a bit hesitant about Fan Xian’s proposal.

"Ku He’s power is reaches further than that odd emperor’s of

the northern Qi Kingdom." Fan Xian balked, continuing, "even
our own emperor would have great respect for Ku He’s wishes.
And besides, you becoming a student is just an excuse to push
back this marriage another two years. King Jing’s family is
sure to understand."

Fan Ruoruo shook her head and said, "It cannot be that
simple, surely."
 Fan Xian was starting to get a headache, and so he started to
chew on his lip. In regards to the eldest prince and his fight for
the throne, he did not desire to tell his sister of this, as she was
a person of too much compassion. He thought that if she found
out that Fan Xian was in muddied waters and had gotten into
trouble in his efforts to cancel the wedding, she would throw
herself into the arms of the crown prince.

"The key is, you are only sixteen." Fan Xian was speaking
morally. "Sixteen. You haven’t even finished growing, and you
are to get married already? This is more like a persecution!"

Fan Ruoruo’s face turned from pale to red, feeling slightly

embarrassed. Playfully, she threw Fan Xian a gentle punch and
said, "How can you say that as a brother?" She took a deep
breath to gather her courage and composure, continuing,
"Besides, when my sister-in-law married you, she wasn’t even
sixteen yet."

Fan Xian rolled his eyes so hard he almost fainted.

…
 …

"Big brother, if I can truly leave the capital to see the world, I
would be ecstatic. I would be overjoyed!" You could tell from a
mere glance at Fan Ruoruo’s eyes that she was greatly looking
forward to her freedom. "Just… my thoughts of going to leave
you terrifies me, at least a little."

Fan Xian started laughing, and said to her, "You silly child.
Everyone should be afraid, the moment they first learn of how
to become independent. Just like when we had to learn how to
walk when we were young."

Fan Ruoruo held her mouth to prevent laughing and

responded, "Really? But the people in Danzhou say that you
learnt how to walk much sooner than anyone else. And as soon
as you began walking, you started running!"

In Fan Xian’s heart, he thought to himself, I must be a freak.

Normal people cannot do that.
 "Okay, but telling you all about this was just me seeking your
opinion. If you’re up for it, and are willing to do this, then I
will make the necessary arrangements and get it sorted." Fan
Xian stroked his sister’s head caringly and spoke, "You really
are the unique sister of Fan Xian. And I am going to make you a
woman unique to the entire world."

Fan Ruoruo was touched by what her brother said, but all she
did was nod; she made no promises. When she thought about
Ku He accepting her as a student, her mind wandered to that
Haitang lady and how close she was with her big brother. She
thought it was… a little strange. And maybe there was
something going on between them. She giggled, stood up and
prepared to leave, but said, "My sister-in-law has something to
give you. I will tell her to come see you."

Fan Xian was surprised at her hasty departure, and as she

went, he watched his sister’s shadow disappear behind the
door.

Fan Ruoruo was walking through the empty backyard, and

she raised her head to the sky. She watched the thick clouds get
blown to the east by the wind, the grey sky obscuring the sun -
it didn’t provide much comfort.
 As she walked through the yard, she extended her hands out
to brush the holly trees She thought to herself, As early as next
year, I may have the opportunity to go to another country. I’ll
be able to escape this suffocating life in the capital and be free
from those incessant, frustratingly boring meetings I must
attend with all the other noble ladies. I will no longer have to
worry about that grim, loveless marriage. She started to feel
joy, but a growing sense of emptiness started to take root in her
heart as well.

Fan Ruoruo’s fingers subconsciously clenched onto a holly

leaf, which gave her a cut, and and she could feel the pulsation
of pain. As her finger throbbed, she recalled the words of her
tutor, who once told her to always take care of her hands. As
she thought of this, she pulled her hand back like lightning. In
her heart, she then began contemplating whether or not she
should wait for her tutor to return, and perhaps he could offer
his opinion on whether or not she should go to the north.

"What were you and Ruoruo talking about?" Wan’er had seen
his little sister walk away, and she was asking out of curiosity.

Fan Xian knew to keep it to himself, and so he gave the

enigmatic answer: "I can’t tell you."
 Wan’er went to sit in front of the dressing table, picking up
her comb and beginning to brush her hair. Fan Xian, with a
smile, walked up to her and took the comb out of her hands.
With it, he began combing her hair for her. The comb slid
through his wife’s hair without any trouble, for her hair was
smooth and free of tangles.

Fan Xian commented, "You and my sister both have lovely

hair."

Wan’er was giggling as she responded, "That is because of the

soap you made in Danzhou. It makes managing my hair far
easier, so it should come as no surprise to learn that I can keep
it in such a great condition."

Fan Xian did not believe her, so he lowered his head to smell
her hair. A sweet fragrance greeted his inquisitive nose, not the
smell of sweat that he had expected. Wan’er pretended to be
annoyed and said, "considering what you just told me, it is
obvious that you haven’t paid much attention to my presence.
You did not even know how nice my hair was!"
 Fan Xian stood behind her and gazed down at his wife,
peeking at what was below her garment’s neck line. He caught
sight of her pale skin and his heart jumped, saying, "Getting
close to you does not require the love of my heart, for the mere
use of my eyes is enough."

Wan’er was aware of what her husband was referring to, and
so she tightened and pulled the neckline of her garment higher.
She did not wear anything particularly voluptuous at home,
but she did not expect her horny husband would be as smart as
to look from above in the way he did.

Fan Xian pulled his wife into his arms and sniffed her
fragrance deeply. He then put his face in front of her chest and
repeatedly inhaled. He sounded troubled when he spoke,
"Recently, really over the past few days, I feel as if I have
always wanted something. But I was not sure of what that
something might be."

Wan’er thought that he was talking about something sexual,

and so she tried to escape his clutch. This failed, for he held
her too tight. Fan Xian started giggling and said, "Don’t be so
stubborn. That which is occurring between me and my sister is
a secret for now, yes, but I will tell you of it in the near future."
 Wan’er had a curious look upon her face and said, "You are
being that cautious?"

Bitterness formed on Fan Xian’s face, with him saying, "It

may very well be the biggest act of deception in history." He
then thought of what his sister said, and so he asked, "Sister
said you have something to give me. What is it?"

Wan’er was suddenly brought to anger, and so she grinded

her teeth, saying, "That little traitor! I was going to see how
well you would behave recently before deciding whether to
give it to you."

Fan Xian started laughing, and told her, "It would

undoubtedly become mine eventually, so please give it to me,
princess."

Wan’er’s face wore a scowl and said, "No."

Fan Xian began grinning in an evil manner, as his hands

traversed up and down her waist. He began twiddling and
rubbing it in an attempt to tickle her. After squealing and
shrieking loudly, she finally gave up her resistance. Gasping for
breath, she pulled something out of her pocket and threw it at
Fan Xian’s face, saying, "There! Now let me go!"

A pleasant waft drifted into his nostrils. When it dropped, he

noticed it was a handkerchief. He let go of his hands, grabbed
it, and then froze.

It was a finely embroidered handkerchief, featuring two

mandarin ducks floating upon a river. It was composed of a
remarkable material, as if it had been given as a tribute from
the palace. The material it was made from could only be
gathered in Jiangnan.

The threading was exquisite, also. It did not matter if the

colour was yellow, red or green, you could always take sight of
the incredible threadwork. Fan Xian thought it might have
been a gift from Suzhou.

Just…

…
 …

As for the stitchwork, it was terrible!

You could see the stitches go up and down unsteadily and

make out a number of holes in the fine thread. Whoever made
this had committed a terrible amount of mistakes. The lines
that composed the image were crooked and twisted, not
graciously curved as they should have been. The two ducks
upon the cloth were supposed to look calm and harmonious,
but its terrible creation had rendered them into hideous
monsters. The flowers that dressed the riverbed became a
symbol for postmodernism.

Fan Xian opened his eyes wide in disbelief at the

handkerchief. Even the stitching of the water was just a few
flat lines. Those lines were the most accomplished stitches on
the entire handkerchief, but Fan Xian asked himself why a
yellow thread was chosen for the water.

Was the handkerchief supposed to depict irradiated, mutated

ducks flowing down a tainted river?
 Fan Xian looked at it over and over again. Eventually, he
failed to contain his laughter, and he began laughing out loud.

The laughing would undoubtedly be heard from every corner

of the house. Wan’er knew she had made it poorly, and so she
sought to flee and hide in her sister-in-law’s room. But hearing
Fan Xian’s hysteria, and how humiliating it felt, she stepped up
and mustered her courage. Before she was fully gone, she had
turned around and returned to the room. She put one hand on
her wrist and with fingers outstretched and pointed with the
other at Fan Xian’s nose. "Stop laughing!"

Fan Xian saw the anger in his wife’s eyes, but he could not
manage to contain his laughter. He raised one hand to cover
his mouth and brought another to hold his belly, and on the
chair, his suppressed laughs had him rock back and forth like a
tumbler.
 Wan’er was in a flurry of varying emotions. She was
annoyed, embarrassed, and had a desire to laugh all at the
same time. She stepped forward to try and grab the
handkerchief from Fan Xian’s hand. It may have come as no
surprise, but Fan Xian was most certainly unwilling to return
the gift, and so he quickly stuffed it in his pocket. He had
barely brought a pause to his laughing when he took to a
deepened voice and told her, "Wan’er, this is the first thing you
have ever stitched for me. You gave it to me as a gift, so you
cannot request it back."

Wan’er was born noble, and grew up in the palace. She

always had her servants and grandmother to take care of her;
she had almost never lifted a finger in her whole life. This was
her first attempt at stitchwork, as she had never been taught
before. Even though the final result of her endeavor was a
rough one, Fan Xian could see the heart and hard work she had
put into creating this handkerchief for him, and he was
touched.

He felt sorry holding his wife’s hands, now noticing the

amount of red dots that were peppered upon them. He blew
upon her snow white fingertips, saying, "Do not do stitchwork
anymore. I will do it for you. I once learnt how to stitch over
the course of a few days in Danzhou, when I had nothing else
to do."
 Lin Wan’er saw his caring, heartfelt plea and expression of
concern, and it warmed her heart. But hearing what he just
told her, she also felt somewhat depressed. In response, she
said, "I married a husband who looks better than me and
knows how to do stitchwork. You are so attentive…" Her lips
flipped upside down and she almost cried out, "Fan Xian, what
is the point of me living?"

"You’re silly." Fan Xian rubbed her soft cheek and said, "If you
are not going to live, because of this, then I think all the other
noble ladies should gather around and commit suicide together
to compete with a genius like me. To know that I can fight, be a
linguist, rile up the courts and even wind down by stitching
quietly… who am I? The genius of this generation!"

Hearing him boast and wax lyrical about himself, complete

with a self-loving look, Wan’er started to laugh and stop her
crying. She used her finger to poke his forehead and said, "You
are so cocky."

Fan Xian raised his eyebrows, conveying obscure look that

could not easily be deciphered. He responded, "To marry one
such as you requires hubris."
 Wan’er froze, but then put her hands out to reach into his
chest.

Fan Xian tried to protect his handkerchief and nervously

said, "Hey, you said you’d give it to me. What are you taking it
back for?"

Wan’er had a proud look upon her face and she said, "I am
not taking mine back. I am taking yours."

Fan Xian was surprised as she pulled out a bandana from his
chest. It was the one he stole from Haitang, back when he was
in Shangjing. Wan’er was smiling at him as she said, "If you
want mine, then I will keep this one then."

Fan Xian’s head was initially buzzing with confusion, but it

wasn’t long before he realised that the reason his wife had
endured the pain in her fingertips to create the handkerchief
was because she was jealous. Even though he did not love and
enter a relationship with Haitang, the evidence in her hands
was enough for her to believe otherwise. He was taken aback,
and was unsure of how he might defend himself, so all he said
was, "Wan’er, you misunderstood. I have told you once before
than Haitang was nothing special to me; for what possible
reasons would I like her?"

Wan’er made a "hmph" sound from her nose and said, "Your
taste in women has always been strange. Back in the day, you
complimented my beauty each and every day. I thought it was
weird, and that you were just another guy who spoke sweet
words to each and every woman he met. But then I heard from
Ruoruo that you genuinely believed me to be beautiful.
Therefore, your taste is different from everybody else’s, so who
could possibly believe that you did not find her attractive?"

Fan Xian pretended to be mad, saying, "Who would dare say

my wife wasn’t pretty?"

Wan’er copied his often-seen shrug and spoke, "no one has
ever thought that I am pretty."

Fan Xian started scratching his head in wonder, and so he

asked, "is my taste really that bad?"
 Wan’er held her mouth to suppress laughter and said, "Do not
interrupt me!"

She waved Haitang’s bandana in a boisterous manner and in

an assertive tone, told Fan Xian, "This is mine. You don’t have
a problem with that, do you?"

Fan Xian wore a bitter face as he muttered, "No."

Wan’er started giggling, and then ran outside the room.

When she was through the door frame, she turned around to
say, "You either marry that Haitang woman as a second wife or
you put an end to this sniveling and don’t miss her at all. You
are a man, carrying a bandana of sentimental value in longing
for another woman. You are a wimp. Even I feel embarrassed
for you."

Fan Xian waved his hand and blew her a kiss. He mockingly
told her, "That just means I am more innocent than you."

Wan’er returned Fan Xian’s gesture.

 Fan Xian all of a sudden thought of a few important things he
wanted to ask of her. With a seemingly nervous disposition, he
asked, "Wan’er, I recall that you have just had your birthday, so
when we got married, you were already sixteen, yes?"

Wan’er was curious for why he asked this, but she nodded in
response.

Fan Xian rubbed his chest, saying, "Good…good."

The second day outside of Fan manor, in the carriage:

"Mister, where are we going?" Shi Chan Li was having a

headache when he asked this. His teacher, Fan Xian, wore a
curious smile that formed at the corner of his lips. He
wondered what he might have been thinking about. For the
previous few weeks, the capital hadn’t been all that quiet; was
Fan Xian looking to stir up more trouble?

Fan Xian was looking at the handkerchief in his hands,

observing the creepy, malformed ducks smiling back at him.
He then felt pangs of sadness for the absence of Haitang’s
bandana; the apparel of a ninth-ranked warrior. He took a big
risk to thieve the bandana in the manner he did, and it was
taken away by his wife in a matter of seconds.

He raised his head, seeing Shi Chan Li and Deng Zi Yue both
staring at him in confusion. With quick-thinking, he bit his
teeth and madly told them, "Let’s go. Let’s go visit the Bao Yue
house. Familial matters have been bothering me, so I want to
go there and have some fun. Let’s go where I can trade
stitchworking tips with the ladies."
Chapter 280: Bao Yue House
The ladies in the Bao Yue House were not adept in the ways
of stitchwork, but they did deal with the needle business.
People say that if a person were to work hard enough, they
could grind an iron rod into a needle. If this was true, then
those girls at the Bao Yue House were pretty good.

Today, Fan Xian wore a disguise in his bid to relax. The party
that had accompanied him had decided to travel in an ordinary
carriage, doing so in the department and promptly going to the
quieter western side of the city. The carriage was brought to a
halt outside of a three-floor building, and almost immediately,
workers came out to lead the horses towards a finer place to
park. They were quite experienced with such a task. There
were also well-dressed receptionists who kindly welcomed
them in.

Fan Xian used make-up on his eyebrows and drew a few

pimples on his left cheek just like Fan Sizhe. It was a clever way
to look dull and wholly unremarkable. In this very
unadvanced society, it would have been difficult for people to
recognise him as the oft-spoken of Fan Xian.
 Bao Yue House was a wooden building. Any wooden
structure had to be built at least three-stories tall so the added
weight from above would apply pressure to the floors below
and ensure stability. But in the Bao Yue House, the space
separating the floors and ceilings was rather large, and the
windows were just as tall. If you were to stand before the
building, you could quite clearly see the sun shining behind it.

Fan Xian knew that this building’s wood must have been of
the premium sort, wood that was usually imported from the
north. He walked forward and entered Bao Yue House, and as
he did, his hands dragged across the sturdy wooden pillars
before the door almost subconsciously, confirming his theory
on the wood’s origin.

It was still early, but the lobby was already full of visitors.
There was a small circular stage in front of Fan Xian, on it a
woman dressed in plain clothing. She played her guzheng with
her hand, the sounds coming from it able to soothe any soul.

Fan Xian squinted his eyes, realizing how complex this

brothel was. The three of them followed a receptionist and
were led to the second floor. They chose a table at the back of
the house and sat down. Fan Xian sat near a rail and gestured
with his eyes as a signal to Deng Ziyue and Shi Chanli to sit
down. He looked down a little and found that the rail had gold
paint on it, not unlike that found in a palace. It was luxurious
and sublime to behold, and the untarnished decor indicated
that the establishment had not been around that long. It also
told him that the owner must have been a very wealthy man. It
already seemed as if Mu Tie’s judgement was correct, and that
this place did indeed bear some connection to the princes.

This Bao Yue House truly was a little strange, and the
elegance of the establishment was almost overbearing. It didn’t
seem that appropriate, and it gave the place an almost sickly
aura.

The decor was inappropriate for a brothel.

There was no security to be seen here, nor was there a pimp

adorned in makeup. Perhaps even more strangely, there
weren’t any prostitutes walking around with their bust
exposed. The fresh taste didn’t make it seem like a brothel at
all. Fan Xian entered the capital a year and a half ago and had
been privileged to enter a few places that looked like this, but
this was the first time he had seen it all laid out in such a way.
He leaned on the rail to look outside, and his heart jumped.
 The building was not on the main street, and despite the
crowd downstairs, the place was quiet. The was a large pond
behind the building that was long and slim, affectionately
dubbed the "Skinny Lake" by the populace.

The three of them now sat against the rail, and they could
feel a gentle breeze coming from across the pond caressing
their backs. It was an indescribable feeling. Fan Xian could not
help but pat the rail and squint his eyes. There were several
small houses behind this primary building and situated near
the pond, and they were rather hidden between the trees.
Through that green veil, it was almost difficult to make out the
gleaming white walls. Due to his supreme eyesight, Fan Xian
was able to pick out a trench behind one of the houses used to
release contaminated water. He noticed the color red in the
trench, which told him there were many girls living in those
houses. It looked as if the primary Bao Yue House was a
restaurant used to welcome customers and that the place for
fun would have been in those places.

Just like visiting Ming Shan, there had to be mist cloaking

the mountain; a veil that would only excite aspiring
adventurers.
 This wooden three-floor building known as Bao Yue House
was like the mist enshrouding Ming Shan. To put those mini
rooms behind the house was a way to incite excitement in the
customers.

The person who ran the brothel had to be a very smart man.
If he was a person he could buy out, and did not have a few
homicides hanging over his head, Fan Xian would have
considered the prospect of hiring him to take over the palace
treasury.

But in regards to the livelihood of working in a brothel, Fan

Xian had a rather simple outlook on the subject: A customer
was a customer and a prostitute was a prostitute. One of them
paid a certain amount of money, and the other person uses
their body to earn it; a zebra can’t change its stripes, and a pig
in a blanket is still a pig.

He looked out at the yard near the pond and could not help
but shake his head, imagining that this dreamy villa was
making more money than it ought to. It was a charming,
luxurious establishment, yes, but from his own viewpoint, a
disturbing thought plagued Fan Xian’s mind. Repeatedly, he
wondered how many bones and bodies of innocent women had
been buried beneath the soil of that garden.

While Fan Xian was lost in thought, Shi Chan Li had already
placed an order for a few dishes. Bao Yue’s service was
excellent, and in a short amount of time later, two young
servants appeared. They looked to be about thirteen to
fourteen years of age, and they were carrying with them meals.
They placed the refined plates gently upon the table without so
much as a squeak; it was obvious how highly trained they
were.

The food on the plates looked absolutely delicious. The dish

with camellia shrimp exuded a mouth-watering fragrance. In a
bowl that contained chicken soup and noodles, there were
yellow drops of oil sitting neatly on the brew. Another dish
contained succulent slabs of beef soaking in oil, providing a
pedestal to an array of finely diced onions. Alongside those
were presented a variety of smaller side dishes that looked and
smelled divine, also.

After a pretty young servant poured each of them their

drinks, Shi Chan Li signalled for them to leave. Fan Xian gave
him a smile, admiring the young student for his relaxed
demeanor and daring ability to make decisions confidently
before him.

The wooden spoon in the chicken soup looked troublesome

to use, but once it was moved, the waft of a tantalising
fragrance permeated the air. Even Fan Xian could not help but
be pleasantly surprised, and so he accepted the bowl that was
passed to him by Shi Chan Li and complemented it kindly.

To go with his disguise, Fan Xian had taken upon the alias
"Mister Chen"; a name that was chosen by his master, Chen
Pingping.

The three of them at the table were eating and admiring the
view as any three friends would. They drank together and
engaged in idle chit-chat, discussing the various events and
affairs around the capital and whatnot. Deng Ziyue was
manager of the Qinian Group, and his primary concern was
always the safety of the commissioner. In this place, one could
not tell friend from foe, and as such, he was unable to
completely relax. Deng Ziyue found himself bound to a
perpetual state of unease and caution. Amidst the drinks he
was offered, and the stern looks given to him by Fan Xian, he
eased his tension just a touch.

After they drank, Shi Chan Li could no longer hold his

tongue. With a frown and a deepened voice, he asked, "Mister
Chen, what are we doing here today?"

Fan Xian gave a slight laugh and replied, "Of course, we are
going to dip our toes in and enjoy the most luxurious of
activities this capital can provide." He quickly scanned the
area, and after he confirmed no one was watching them, he
lowered his voice and said, "Mu Tie gave me the intel that he
did for a purpose, even if that purpose is not made immediately
clear. Him being unable to say anything tells me that there
must be something hidden here, and I am going to suss out
what it is."

Shi Chan Li shook his head, and with a wry smile, said,
"Although I pity the women that live here in this brothel,
living a life like this is regretfully common and is something
that the law freely allows. Why must they put their lives in
such danger like this?"

Fan Xian used his chopstick to bring a silk-like slice of tender

beef to his mouth and slowly chewed on it. He then laughed
and responded, "In a single month, Bao Yue House has taken
the lives of four women. The manner of their deaths was
senseless and cruel, and of a horrid nature even I could not
fathom to perform, and that’s saying something, and I have
come a long way in that regard."

Shi Chanli frowned once more and said, "The case files are
for the Jingdou government to handle. The Overwatch Council
is only in charge of observing the officers of the court - we
don’t have the authority to involve ourselves in this. Master,
do you have something else on your mind?"

Deng Ziyue took another swig of his drink for a touch more
dutch courage and said, "We are going to investigate the
malfeasance of certain officers in the government in the capital
to deal with. Besides…" he looked at Fan Xian, and after
receiving permission to say it, lowered his voice and told them,
"the identity of the real owner of Bao Yue House is something
the Overwatch Council has yet to learn of. Strange, isn’t it?"
 Shi Chanli was shocked, thinking that despite this, the spies
of the Overwatch Council were everywhere in the capital. Even
the sovereigns in their manors were perpetually concerned
about the presence of a spy peeping on them at any given
moment. In a month’s time, they had already uncovered the
knotted ties connecting the second prince to Xinyang. But Bao
Yue House was merely a brothel and bar; how could they not
uncover the identity of its owner?

His heart was pounding at the possibility that, behind Bao

Yue House, the owner was connected with…

Fan Xian acknowledged the thoughts that were running

through Shi Chanli’s mind, and realized that they echoed his
own, saying to him, "If the owner was able to evade the
surveillance of the Eight Bureaus of the Overwatch Council,
there had to be a person on the inside, covering his tracks."

The most amazing thing about the Overwatch Council was

how professional it was and how flawless their members were
in executing their appointed tasks. It was quite surprising,
considering how many complicated systems were combined
and fused into a single organization. To find a chink in the
Overwatch Council’s chain was nigh impossible, so when the
events surrounding Zhu Ge were made public, it sent out
shockwaves across the capital. No one would have expected
that two days following the death of Zhu Ge, someone within
the Overwatch Council was already working for the princes.
This is what plagued Fan Xian’s mind the most.

He was the Overwatch Council’s commissioner; who would

allow someone to commit evil upon their own doorstep?
Therefore, he had to come and check out Bao Yue House
himself today and find out…

Who’s sticking their chopsticks into my own bowl. I’d do

well to spruce up the boring lives my subordinates lead.

"What can a student like me do?" Shi Chanli personality was

one of those calm people, and favored a simple life. This was
because he was a scholar. This was the first time he had done
something even remotely exciting, and his nervousness and the
trepidation on the face regarding the matter were as plain as a
day.

Fan Xian replied saying, "You don’t have the strength to fight
back, I know. I brought you here so you could take a look.
That’s all." Fan Xian patted Shi Chanli’s shoulder and told him,
"I’ll just use the fun of the public to treat you."

Shi Chanli froze, immediately understanding that which he

had meant. The scholar was not yet married, and the thought
of this made him blush. With surprise, Fan Xian laughed with
great humor and said, "You and Hou Ji Chang are amongst the
smartest young men in the capital. Have you never visited a
brothel to mingle with women?"

Shi Chanli was visibly in a state of awkwardness, and he

worriedly cried out, "I’m useless! I’m useless!"

Fan Xian laughed once again and affirmatively told the

scholar, "In a place such as this, it is impossible for you to be
useless."
 …

Not long after, the sun began to sink with the onset of
darkness. The pond glowed in the twilight like a shimmering
gold, which was somewhat dulled by the bad weather. Like the
instantaneous casting of a spell, the lights of Bao Yue House
now lit up. With an innumerous amount of lamps now
burning, the entire building was lit like a beacon of the night.
The reflection of the scattered lamps were cast upon the pond
and from afar, they looked like bright stars twinkling in the
night sky. This was sight more beautiful than the sunset itself.

With the settling of night, more and more people came to

Bao Yue House, for the most popular hour of the day had
arrived. Many litters were now parked in front of the building
and exited their cabins dressed in casual garb. While their
attire might suggest otherwise, their method of arrival and the
way in which they walked spoke of their true nature - they
were officers of the capital. They were visibly comfortable as
they entered, which suggested that they came here often and
had grown fond of the establishment. Many of the officers
arrived in the company of wealthy merchants.
 Fan Xian thought of using the funds of the Overwatch
Council to cover the costs that would include getting Shi
Chanli to lose his virginity. While the officers downstairs were
keen on sticking to a wealthy merchant to cover their expenses,
Fan Xian thought this course of action would be best for them.
Not only was it safer, but it looked better as well.

The area in which they were sat near the rail was getting
darker, and the shadows began to encompass the trio. Fan Xian
squinted his eyes and looked over to the brighter sections of
the establishment. He recognized the faces of a few officers at
the feast, a number of them entering a dining room with their
wealthy company, though Fan Xian was unable to make out
their identity. A little while later, all the rooms were full, and
the second floor was completely packed. The sound of music,
the sound of rabble and the sounds made by the clinking of
glasses were elevated in volume, and the place was looking to
be very lively. Voluptuously dressed women began to come
out, apparently appearing to be quite popular.

Fan Xian looked at the leftover dishes and diminishing

reserves of drink upon his table, pondering whether or not the
owner was aware of his true identity beneath the disguise he
had adopted for the day. He also wondered whether or not the
owner’s knowledge of this would be cause for another big
scene.
 "You guys should have fun." Fan Xian heartily told his party.

Shi Chanli looked nervous, and anxiously asked, "Master,

where are you going?"

Fan Xian answered, "I came to this establishment of

delightful relaxation and rehabilitation to do just that. If I
don’t put myself in danger, what could I possibly hope to
achieve?"

The way he said this was incredibly soft and sincere. Deng
Ziyue and Shi Chanli had to believe what he told them, but
they were still unnerved about the prospect of coming to a
brothel and sleeping with a prostitute.

Fan Xian smiled and said, "Later, when you are to spend time
with the women, do your best to obtain as much information
as you can. There is no need to ask of who the owner is, just
ask the girls what things are like for them on a day-to-day
basis. The more casual your approach things, the better your
results will be. Don’t make it an interrogation. If you believe a
possible question may be inappropriate to ask, don’t ask it.
Don’t have them start thinking we are here for something else;
that is the most important thing."

Deng Ziyue looked at Fan Xian, and it was at this moment he

believed his master was indeed here for the investigation and
this entire day wasn’t to be an excuse for a visit to a brothel.
That being said, the gathering of intel was a minor task and
something not ideally suited for officers of their level. There
was most certainly no need for the commissioner himself to be
there.

At this time, the small yards were lit up with torches, and
they bloomed like golden flowers.

Deng Ziyue stood up and waved for the attention of a

servant. He said, "Come set things up for us."

The servant accepted a nugget of gold that was roughly the

size of a person’s fingertip. His face was frozen as he was
shocked to find out that those three were actually rich
customers. In a rush, he ran over to the receptionist to tell
him. In equal haste, the receptionist then went over to greet
them, apologizing about the supposed incompetence in their
earlier service of them. They led them downstairs, graciously
holding them as they walked. They began chatting along the
way, and it seemed as if they had a desire o uncover the
identities of the trio.

Fan Xian merely ignored them, pulled his arm away and
walked ahead of them.

Shi Chanli was in the back, chatting with the receptionist.

He told the man that he was a scholar of Jiangnan and that he
came here for a simple visit. Of course, in a desperate plight to
save face, he implored to the receptionist how he had wandered
into the establishment without prior knowledge of it being a
brothel.

The receptionist was smiling and he said, "Three

gentlement? In Bao Yue House, there is nothing we cannot do
in service of your comfort and entertainment, for whatever
your desire may be, it is a command we will diligently work to
serve. And serve it we will."

During this dialogue, the man glanced at Fan Xian and

watched him walk forward. Without a doubt, he thought, he
was the most important individual amongst the trio. From a
mere glance at Mister Chen’s behavior, you could tell that he
was no commoner; he did not even bend an ear to listen to
what he had just said. If he had to wager a guess, he would
assume that he were a rich officer’s son from Jiangnan.

The Bao Yue House’s design was truly awful. Upon exiting
the restaurant downstairs, one would immediately arrive at
the shores of the pond. You could hear the chorus of many
birds singing in harmony from behind the yard. It was as if two
separate worlds existed side by side in complete tranquility.

The three of them were now being led by the receptionist,

approaching a yard that contained a multitude of smaller
houses. It was impossible to compare this place to the main
house, for after you stepped in, a number of pretty women
came forward to welcome you. Their smiles beamed as they
danced and quickly approached the trio, one woman clutching
each of the men’s arms. They welcomed them into the room as
a wife would welcome her husband home.

Inside the house was warm, and a radiator in the corner gave
off sensual heat. In an autumn such as this, it made the night
feel like spring. The fake flowers that decorated the tables were
made of soft, southern silk; they were beautiful to behold.

A most pleasing fragrance now greeted their noses. Fan Xian

furrowed his eyebrows and then looked back and smiled. He
saw Shi Chanli become grossly embarrassed before a beautiful
woman, and so he told him, "Relax. It isn’t like you have a
grumpy wife at home."

He took off the cape he was wearing, and the woman who
stood beside him graciously took it off his hands. As she did,
she said, "You three men have already eaten, so would you like
to listen to songs now? Or would you prefer to drink a little
longer?

Fan Xian reclined on a sofa, waved his hand and replied,

"Bring us a few more seats. I would like to hear a few songs
now, but I would appreciate a massage while I listen."
 The woman who served him displayed a happy, complacent
face and appreciatively responded with, "Mister, you are such a
gentleman." Then, she quickly put his coat away and a few
servants poured tea for the trio from outside. They brought the
cups in and gently placed them down beside each of the men,
which were accompanied by a plate of rare and costly fruit
from the capital. One woman went down on her knees upon
the sofa and placed her delicate hands upon Fan Xian’s
shoulders to massaged them gently.

Fan Xian knew that the more he was willing to spend here,
the greater the service they would receive. Feeling the strength
being applied to his shoulders, he was comfortable, and
satisfied with the attention they had so far received. He looked
at Shi Chanli beside him, who continued to writhe and wriggle
in a restless, distressing manner. He then looked at Deng Ziyue,
whose face looked like it had been chiseled from stone,
unmoving and serious, as if he were still at work. In his heart,
Fan Xian thought to himself that they were "good-for-
nothings" and that all it took was a mere glance to deduce that
they were inexperienced in such a place. The awkwardness of
their appearance made Fan Xian feel somewhat embarrassed,
not just for himself own behalf, but for the Overwatch Council
as well.
 The woman that had been massaging Fan Xian’s shoulders
slowly led her hands lower and lower and the two plush
articles of the woman’s body pushed against Fan Xian’s back.
All of a sudden, he noticed that he had not yet asked for the
woman’s name or even taken notice of her face. It was
surprising to even himself just how cold his behavior had
suddenly become. After a while, he politely asked, "what is
your name?"

"Yan’er."

The woman put her sweet-smelling sleeves in front of Fan

Xian and her enlarged, voluptuous chest smartly joined in with
the massaging of his back. The way she spoke her name was
seductive, also, like a gentle wind blowing directly into his ear.

Fan Xian could not help but start laughing at the sensation,
he reached his hands to his ears and humorously told her,
"That tickles!"

He knew that Yan’er was using an alias, but what was strange
was that after he looked upon her face, he could see how truly
pretty she was beneath all the heavy make-up she wore. Was
this manner of beauty a common sight in Bao Yue House? Did
the management truly select random servants to serve a
nobody?

Just when the room was beginning to look boring, the

woman who was to perform songs for them entered. Fan Xian
looked at the woman and thought to himself, Has this woman
been hired by Bao Yue House too?

Translator’s note: Litters: Chairs enclosed in a small cabin,

usually carried by servants. They go by many different names
in different cultures, but litter is an umbrella term for them.

Chapter 27 Bao Yue House

The ladies in the Bao Yue House were not adept in the ways
of stitchwork, but they did deal with the needle business.
People say that if a person were to work hard enough, they
could grind an iron rod into a needle. If this was true, then
those girls at the Bao Yue House were pretty good.
 Today, Fan Xian wore a disguise in his bid to relax. The party
that had accompanied him had decided to travel in an ordinary
carriage, doing so in the department and promptly going to the
quieter western side of the city. The carriage was brought to a
halt outside of a three-floor building, and almost immediately,
workers came out to lead the horses towards a finer place to
park. They were quite experienced with such a task. There
were also well-dressed receptionists who kindly welcomed
them in.

Fan Xian used make-up on his eyebrows and drew a few

pimples on his left cheek just like Fan Sizhe. It was a clever way
to look dull and wholly unremarkable. In this very
unadvanced society, it would have been difficult for people to
recognise him as the oft-spoken of Fan Xian.

Bao Yue House was a wooden building. Any wooden

structure had to be built at least three-stories tall so the added
weight from above would apply pressure to the floors below
and ensure stability. But in the Bao Yue House, the space
separating the floors and ceilings was rather large, and the
windows were just as tall. If you were to stand before the
building, you could quite clearly see the sun shining behind it.
 Fan Xian knew that this building’s wood must have been of
the premium sort, wood that was usually imported from the
north. He walked forward and entered Bao Yue House, and as
he did, his hands dragged across the sturdy wooden pillars
before the door almost subconsciously, confirming his theory
on the wood’s origin.

It was still early, but the lobby was already full of visitors.
There was a small circular stage in front of Fan Xian, on it a
woman dressed in plain clothing. She played her guzheng with
her hand, the sounds coming from it able to soothe any soul.

Fan Xian squinted his eyes, realizing how complex this

brothel was. The three of them followed a receptionist and
were led to the second floor. They chose a table at the back of
the house and sat down. Fan Xian sat near a rail and gestured
with his eyes as a signal to Deng Ziyue and Shi Chanli to sit
down. He looked down a little and found that the rail had gold
paint on it, not unlike that found in a palace. It was luxurious
and sublime to behold, and the untarnished decor indicated
that the establishment had not been around that long. It also
told him that the owner must have been a very wealthy man. It
already seemed as if Mu Tie’s judgement was correct, and that
this place did indeed bear some connection to the princes.
 This Bao Yue House truly was a little strange, and the
elegance of the establishment was almost overbearing. It didn’t
seem that appropriate, and it gave the place an almost sickly
aura.

The decor was inappropriate for a brothel.

There was no security to be seen here, nor was there a pimp

adorned in makeup. Perhaps even more strangely, there
weren’t any prostitutes walking around with their bust
exposed. The fresh taste didn’t make it seem like a brothel at
all. Fan Xian entered the capital a year and a half ago and had
been privileged to enter a few places that looked like this, but
this was the first time he had seen it all laid out in such a way.
He leaned on the rail to look outside, and his heart jumped.

The building was not on the main street, and despite the
crowd downstairs, the place was quiet. The was a large pond
behind the building that was long and slim, affectionately
dubbed the "Skinny Lake" by the populace.

The three of them now sat against the rail, and they could
feel a gentle breeze coming from across the pond caressing
their backs. It was an indescribable feeling. Fan Xian could not
help but pat the rail and squint his eyes. There were several
small houses behind this primary building and situated near
the pond, and they were rather hidden between the trees.
Through that green veil, it was almost difficult to make out the
gleaming white walls. Due to his supreme eyesight, Fan Xian
was able to pick out a trench behind one of the houses used to
release contaminated water. He noticed the color red in the
trench, which told him there were many girls living in those
houses. It looked as if the primary Bao Yue House was a
restaurant used to welcome customers and that the place for
fun would have been in those places.

Just like visiting Ming Shan, there had to be mist cloaking

the mountain; a veil that would only excite aspiring
adventurers.

This wooden three-floor building known as Bao Yue House

was like the mist enshrouding Ming Shan. To put those mini
rooms behind the house was a way to incite excitement in the
customers.

The person who ran the brothel had to be a very smart man.
If he was a person he could buy out, and did not have a few
homicides hanging over his head, Fan Xian would have
considered the prospect of hiring him to take over the palace
treasury.

But in regards to the livelihood of working in a brothel, Fan

Xian had a rather simple outlook on the subject: A customer
was a customer and a prostitute was a prostitute. One of them
paid a certain amount of money, and the other person uses
their body to earn it; a zebra can’t change its stripes, and a pig
in a blanket is still a pig.

He looked out at the yard near the pond and could not help
but shake his head, imagining that this dreamy villa was
making more money than it ought to. It was a charming,
luxurious establishment, yes, but from his own viewpoint, a
disturbing thought plagued Fan Xian’s mind. Repeatedly, he
wondered how many bones and bodies of innocent women had
been buried beneath the soil of that garden.

While Fan Xian was lost in thought, Shi Chan Li had already
placed an order for a few dishes. Bao Yue’s service was
excellent, and in a short amount of time later, two young
servants appeared. They looked to be about thirteen to
fourteen years of age, and they were carrying with them meals.
They placed the refined plates gently upon the table without so
much as a squeak; it was obvious how highly trained they
were.

The food on the plates looked absolutely delicious. The dish

with camellia shrimp exuded a mouth-watering fragrance. In a
bowl that contained chicken soup and noodles, there were
yellow drops of oil sitting neatly on the brew. Another dish
contained succulent slabs of beef soaking in oil, providing a
pedestal to an array of finely diced onions. Alongside those
were presented a variety of smaller side dishes that looked and
smelled divine, also.

After a pretty young servant poured each of them their

drinks, Shi Chan Li signalled for them to leave. Fan Xian gave
him a smile, admiring the young student for his relaxed
demeanor and daring ability to make decisions confidently
before him.

The wooden spoon in the chicken soup looked troublesome

to use, but once it was moved, the waft of a tantalising
fragrance permeated the air. Even Fan Xian could not help but
be pleasantly surprised, and so he accepted the bowl that was
passed to him by Shi Chan Li and complemented it kindly.
 …

To go with his disguise, Fan Xian had taken upon the alias
"Mister Chen"; a name that was chosen by his master, Chen
Pingping.

The three of them at the table were eating and admiring the
view as any three friends would. They drank together and
engaged in idle chit-chat, discussing the various events and
affairs around the capital and whatnot. Deng Ziyue was
manager of the Qinian Group, and his primary concern was
always the safety of the commissioner. In this place, one could
not tell friend from foe, and as such, he was unable to
completely relax. Deng Ziyue found himself bound to a
perpetual state of unease and caution. Amidst the drinks he
was offered, and the stern looks given to him by Fan Xian, he
eased his tension just a touch.

After they drank, Shi Chan Li could no longer hold his

tongue. With a frown and a deepened voice, he asked, "Mister
Chen, what are we doing here today?"
 Fan Xian gave a slight laugh and replied, "Of course, we are
going to dip our toes in and enjoy the most luxurious of
activities this capital can provide." He quickly scanned the
area, and after he confirmed no one was watching them, he
lowered his voice and said, "Mu Tie gave me the intel that he
did for a purpose, even if that purpose is not made immediately
clear. Him being unable to say anything tells me that there
must be something hidden here, and I am going to suss out
what it is."

Shi Chan Li shook his head, and with a wry smile, said,
"Although I pity the women that live here in this brothel,
living a life like this is regretfully common and is something
that the law freely allows. Why must they put their lives in
such danger like this?"

Fan Xian used his chopstick to bring a silk-like slice of tender

beef to his mouth and slowly chewed on it. He then laughed
and responded, "In a single month, Bao Yue House has taken
the lives of four women. The manner of their deaths was
senseless and cruel, and of a horrid nature even I could not
fathom to perform, and that’s saying something, and I have
come a long way in that regard."
 Shi Chanli frowned once more and said, "The case files are
for the Jingdou government to handle. The Overwatch Council
is only in charge of observing the officers of the court - we
don’t have the authority to involve ourselves in this. Master,
do you have something else on your mind?"

Deng Ziyue took another swig of his drink for a touch more
dutch courage and said, "We are going to investigate the
malfeasance of certain officers in the government in the capital
to deal with. Besides…" he looked at Fan Xian, and after
receiving permission to say it, lowered his voice and told them,
"the identity of the real owner of Bao Yue House is something
the Overwatch Council has yet to learn of. Strange, isn’t it?"

Shi Chanli was shocked, thinking that despite this, the spies
of the Overwatch Council were everywhere in the capital. Even
the sovereigns in their manors were perpetually concerned
about the presence of a spy peeping on them at any given
moment. In a month’s time, they had already uncovered the
knotted ties connecting the second prince to Xinyang. But Bao
Yue House was merely a brothel and bar; how could they not
uncover the identity of its owner?
 His heart was pounding at the possibility that, behind Bao
Yue House, the owner was connected with…

Fan Xian acknowledged the thoughts that were running

through Shi Chanli’s mind, and realized that they echoed his
own, saying to him, "If the owner was able to evade the
surveillance of the Eight Bureaus of the Overwatch Council,
there had to be a person on the inside, covering his tracks."

The most amazing thing about the Overwatch Council was

how professional it was and how flawless their members were
in executing their appointed tasks. It was quite surprising,
considering how many complicated systems were combined
and fused into a single organization. To find a chink in the
Overwatch Council’s chain was nigh impossible, so when the
events surrounding Zhu Ge were made public, it sent out
shockwaves across the capital. No one would have expected
that two days following the death of Zhu Ge, someone within
the Overwatch Council was already working for the princes.
This is what plagued Fan Xian’s mind the most.

He was the Overwatch Council’s commissioner; who would

allow someone to commit evil upon their own doorstep?
Therefore, he had to come and check out Bao Yue House
himself today and find out…

Who’s sticking their chopsticks into my own bowl. I’d do

well to spruce up the boring lives my subordinates lead.

"What can a student like me do?" Shi Chanli personality was

one of those calm people, and favored a simple life. This was
because he was a scholar. This was the first time he had done
something even remotely exciting, and his nervousness and the
trepidation on the face regarding the matter were as plain as a
day.

Fan Xian replied saying, "You don’t have the strength to fight
back, I know. I brought you here so you could take a look.
That’s all." Fan Xian patted Shi Chanli’s shoulder and told him,
"I’ll just use the fun of the public to treat you."
 Shi Chanli froze, immediately understanding that which he
had meant. The scholar was not yet married, and the thought
of this made him blush. With surprise, Fan Xian laughed with
great humor and said, "You and Hou Ji Chang are amongst the
smartest young men in the capital. Have you never visited a
brothel to mingle with women?"

Shi Chanli was visibly in a state of awkwardness, and he

worriedly cried out, "I’m useless! I’m useless!"

Fan Xian laughed once again and affirmatively told the

scholar, "In a place such as this, it is impossible for you to be
useless."

Not long after, the sun began to sink with the onset of
darkness. The pond glowed in the twilight like a shimmering
gold, which was somewhat dulled by the bad weather. Like the
instantaneous casting of a spell, the lights of Bao Yue House
now lit up. With an innumerous amount of lamps now
burning, the entire building was lit like a beacon of the night.
The reflection of the scattered lamps were cast upon the pond
and from afar, they looked like bright stars twinkling in the
night sky. This was sight more beautiful than the sunset itself.

With the settling of night, more and more people came to

Bao Yue House, for the most popular hour of the day had
arrived. Many litters were now parked in front of the building
and exited their cabins dressed in casual garb. While their
attire might suggest otherwise, their method of arrival and the
way in which they walked spoke of their true nature - they
were officers of the capital. They were visibly comfortable as
they entered, which suggested that they came here often and
had grown fond of the establishment. Many of the officers
arrived in the company of wealthy merchants.

Fan Xian thought of using the funds of the Overwatch

Council to cover the costs that would include getting Shi
Chanli to lose his virginity. While the officers downstairs were
keen on sticking to a wealthy merchant to cover their expenses,
Fan Xian thought this course of action would be best for them.
Not only was it safer, but it looked better as well.
 The area in which they were sat near the rail was getting
darker, and the shadows began to encompass the trio. Fan Xian
squinted his eyes and looked over to the brighter sections of
the establishment. He recognized the faces of a few officers at
the feast, a number of them entering a dining room with their
wealthy company, though Fan Xian was unable to make out
their identity. A little while later, all the rooms were full, and
the second floor was completely packed. The sound of music,
the sound of rabble and the sounds made by the clinking of
glasses were elevated in volume, and the place was looking to
be very lively. Voluptuously dressed women began to come
out, apparently appearing to be quite popular.

Fan Xian looked at the leftover dishes and diminishing

reserves of drink upon his table, pondering whether or not the
owner was aware of his true identity beneath the disguise he
had adopted for the day. He also wondered whether or not the
owner’s knowledge of this would be cause for another big
scene.

"You guys should have fun." Fan Xian heartily told his party.

Shi Chanli looked nervous, and anxiously asked, "Master,

where are you going?"
 Fan Xian answered, "I came to this establishment of
delightful relaxation and rehabilitation to do just that. If I
don’t put myself in danger, what could I possibly hope to
achieve?"

The way he said this was incredibly soft and sincere. Deng
Ziyue and Shi Chanli had to believe what he told them, but
they were still unnerved about the prospect of coming to a
brothel and sleeping with a prostitute.

Fan Xian smiled and said, "Later, when you are to spend time
with the women, do your best to obtain as much information
as you can. There is no need to ask of who the owner is, just
ask the girls what things are like for them on a day-to-day
basis. The more casual your approach things, the better your
results will be. Don’t make it an interrogation. If you believe a
possible question may be inappropriate to ask, don’t ask it.
Don’t have them start thinking we are here for something else;
that is the most important thing."

Deng Ziyue looked at Fan Xian, and it was at this moment he

believed his master was indeed here for the investigation and
this entire day wasn’t to be an excuse for a visit to a brothel.
That being said, the gathering of intel was a minor task and
something not ideally suited for officers of their level. There
was most certainly no need for the commissioner himself to be
there.

At this time, the small yards were lit up with torches, and
they bloomed like golden flowers.

Deng Ziyue stood up and waved for the attention of a

servant. He said, "Come set things up for us."

The servant accepted a nugget of gold that was roughly the

size of a person’s fingertip. His face was frozen as he was
shocked to find out that those three were actually rich
customers. In a rush, he ran over to the receptionist to tell
him. In equal haste, the receptionist then went over to greet
them, apologizing about the supposed incompetence in their
earlier service of them. They led them downstairs, graciously
holding them as they walked. They began chatting along the
way, and it seemed as if they had a desire o uncover the
identities of the trio.

Fan Xian merely ignored them, pulled his arm away and
walked ahead of them.
 Shi Chanli was in the back, chatting with the receptionist.
He told the man that he was a scholar of Jiangnan and that he
came here for a simple visit. Of course, in a desperate plight to
save face, he implored to the receptionist how he had wandered
into the establishment without prior knowledge of it being a
brothel.

The receptionist was smiling and he said, "Three

gentlement? In Bao Yue House, there is nothing we cannot do
in service of your comfort and entertainment, for whatever
your desire may be, it is a command we will diligently work to
serve. And serve it we will."

During this dialogue, the man glanced at Fan Xian and

watched him walk forward. Without a doubt, he thought, he
was the most important individual amongst the trio. From a
mere glance at Mister Chen’s behavior, you could tell that he
was no commoner; he did not even bend an ear to listen to
what he had just said. If he had to wager a guess, he would
assume that he were a rich officer’s son from Jiangnan.

…
 …

The Bao Yue House’s design was truly awful. Upon exiting
the restaurant downstairs, one would immediately arrive at
the shores of the pond. You could hear the chorus of many
birds singing in harmony from behind the yard. It was as if two
separate worlds existed side by side in complete tranquility.

The three of them were now being led by the receptionist,

approaching a yard that contained a multitude of smaller
houses. It was impossible to compare this place to the main
house, for after you stepped in, a number of pretty women
came forward to welcome you. Their smiles beamed as they
danced and quickly approached the trio, one woman clutching
each of the men’s arms. They welcomed them into the room as
a wife would welcome her husband home.

Inside the house was warm, and a radiator in the corner gave
off sensual heat. In an autumn such as this, it made the night
feel like spring. The fake flowers that decorated the tables were
made of soft, southern silk; they were beautiful to behold.
 A most pleasing fragrance now greeted their noses. Fan Xian
furrowed his eyebrows and then looked back and smiled. He
saw Shi Chanli become grossly embarrassed before a beautiful
woman, and so he told him, "Relax. It isn’t like you have a
grumpy wife at home."

He took off the cape he was wearing, and the woman who
stood beside him graciously took it off his hands. As she did,
she said, "You three men have already eaten, so would you like
to listen to songs now? Or would you prefer to drink a little
longer?

Fan Xian reclined on a sofa, waved his hand and replied,

"Bring us a few more seats. I would like to hear a few songs
now, but I would appreciate a massage while I listen."

The woman who served him displayed a happy, complacent

face and appreciatively responded with, "Mister, you are such a
gentleman." Then, she quickly put his coat away and a few
servants poured tea for the trio from outside. They brought the
cups in and gently placed them down beside each of the men,
which were accompanied by a plate of rare and costly fruit
from the capital. One woman went down on her knees upon
the sofa and placed her delicate hands upon Fan Xian’s
shoulders to massaged them gently.

Fan Xian knew that the more he was willing to spend here,
the greater the service they would receive. Feeling the strength
being applied to his shoulders, he was comfortable, and
satisfied with the attention they had so far received. He looked
at Shi Chanli beside him, who continued to writhe and wriggle
in a restless, distressing manner. He then looked at Deng Ziyue,
whose face looked like it had been chiseled from stone,
unmoving and serious, as if he were still at work. In his heart,
Fan Xian thought to himself that they were "good-for-
nothings" and that all it took was a mere glance to deduce that
they were inexperienced in such a place. The awkwardness of
their appearance made Fan Xian feel somewhat embarrassed,
not just for himself own behalf, but for the Overwatch Council
as well.

The woman that had been massaging Fan Xian’s shoulders

slowly led her hands lower and lower and the two plush
articles of the woman’s body pushed against Fan Xian’s back.
All of a sudden, he noticed that he had not yet asked for the
woman’s name or even taken notice of her face. It was
surprising to even himself just how cold his behavior had
suddenly become. After a while, he politely asked, "what is
your name?"
 "Yan’er."

The woman put her sweet-smelling sleeves in front of Fan

Xian and her enlarged, voluptuous chest smartly joined in with
the massaging of his back. The way she spoke her name was
seductive, also, like a gentle wind blowing directly into his ear.

Fan Xian could not help but start laughing at the sensation,
he reached his hands to his ears and humorously told her,
"That tickles!"

He knew that Yan’er was using an alias, but what was strange
was that after he looked upon her face, he could see how truly
pretty she was beneath all the heavy make-up she wore. Was
this manner of beauty a common sight in Bao Yue House? Did
the management truly select random servants to serve a
nobody?

Just when the room was beginning to look boring, the

woman who was to perform songs for them entered. Fan Xian
looked at the woman and thought to himself, Has this woman
been hired by Bao Yue House too?
Translator’s note: Litters: Chairs enclosed in a small cabin, usually carried by servants. They go
by many different names in different cultures, but litter is an umbrella term for them.
Chapter 281: Sang Wen
The lady who entered the house to sing was called Sang Wen.
She was a famous singer in the capital back in the day, and her
tremendous popularity at venues made her a difficult sight for
even the noblemen.

The reason why Fan Xian knew her was because one year ago,
whilst he was on vacation with his wife to the west of the
capital, they resided in a small village for a while. At their
summer house there, she was invited by Wan’er to sing a few
songs for them both.

During this blissful summer day, a breeze rustled the still

waters of a lake and, on its bank, Fan Xian sat beside Wan’er,
Wan’er’s sister, and Ye Ling’er. He was in the company of three
girls and he felt as if this was his favorite moment since his
reincarnation. As Sang Wen sung the lyrics "a woman appeared
like a fairy" it brought Fan Xian back to the time when he first
met Wan’er in Qing Temple. Sang Wen left a strong impression
upon him that day; an impression he would not soon forget.

Sang Wen entered the house and bowed before proceeding to

the corner of the room to sit. Within her arms she held a lute
and after a brief moment, she asked, "What would you like to
hear?"

Fan Xian’s eyebrows sharpened, realizing that she did not

remember him. He wondered if she would at least recall the
poem he had written for her. Last summer, in that wondrous
little village, he copied a Tang Xianzu poem and presented it to
Lady Sang Wen. She left with it in hand, and it wasn’t long
after that her popularity grew and she became famous across
the capital.

"Sing 'Plucking Laurel Branches'."

Fan Xian was lying within Yan’er’s arms. With eyes half-
closed, he had put in the request for a fairly ordinary song, but
in his heart he was thinking, "A singer like this Sang Wen, how
can she be owned by the Baoyue Brothel? And how can they
just send her out so casually? Yan’er isn’t like any of the other
women in the brothel, either. Could it be that the owner of this
establishment recognized my identity?"

Ding! Ding! A sound roused Fan Xian from his deep

contemplation. He smiled and thought to himself, "Maybe I am
correct? Perhaps the Baoyue Brothel does know of who I am,
and they are secretly treating me with greater grace than is
normally given. I don’t have to worry about being caught with
a courtesan, because I am Commissioner. The worst that could
happen is the Imperial Censorate trying to impeach me once
again."

Sang Wen possessed finely curved eyebrows that accentuated

her frailty. She did not wear lipstick and so she looked a little
pale. Her overall facial structure was pretty, but she had wide,
protruding cheeks that made her face look rather large. Her
lips were also quite wide in comparison to the average pretty
girl.

Her fingers gently strummed the strings of the lute and with
her lips hardly open, she began singing, "Why does the skirt
appear wider? It’s because I’m skinnier, and my waist is
slimmer. I don’t want to eat, I cannot sleep and breathing is a
struggle. If we can live together, then I am not afraid to die. I
would sooner die before subjecting myself to the throes of love.
Unfortunately, I have been working so hard for so long. The
expected life of marriage and love became one of lonesome
solitude."
 Her singing voice was soft, and it echoed the sentiment of
each lyric; particularly the lyrics "breathing is a struggle".
Yan’er’s breathing became heavier when Fan Xian laid upon
her, and it was something he found quite seductive. Fan Xian’s
eyes were still half-closed when he felt the cold rim of a cup
touch his lips. He did not open his eyes, for he was comfortable
with Yan’er delivering him wine, and as he consumed the
beverage, it filled his body with a warm sensation. He thought,
"Having the occasional night of relaxation isn’t too bad. As for
the owner of this establishment, he who has treated me so well,
I ought to find out who he is later."

As the song came to a close, a strange atmosphere permeated

the air of the room. Fan Xian slowly opened his eyes and
looked upon Sang Wen. As he looked, he was able to tell that
her aloof mannerisms weren’t because she recognized Fan
Xian, but that she was being cold on purpose. Perhaps it was
because she was in a row with Baoyue Brothel?

The final few lyrics of the song described it clearly. It relayed

the tale of a woman whose husband was traveling to a distant
land and that she missed dearly. The man chose to remain
there and for that, her hatred of him grew to match the love
she had for him.
 The song was simple, and the lyrics were simple and great. It
was a suitable tune for someone of her identity. It was just…
the people who visited this establishment came for little more
than a prostitute to spend time with and an opportunity to
drink through the night. For her to sing a long like this, it
didn’t quite seem appropriate.

Yan’er saw Fan Xian’s soothed demeanor, and when she saw
it, she conveyed a worried expression. Quickly, she poured
more alcohol into his cup and delivered it to his lips. She
pleaded, "Mister Chen, Sang Wen is a famous singer in the
capital. Ordinary folks cannot usually see her. Why not get her
to sing a few happy songs for you?"

Sang Wen did not expect the most popular lady of the house
would protect her. In her tragic-looking eyes resided a glimmer
of appreciation. She did not want Yan’er to be punished
because of her own mood. She acknowledged how
inappropriate the song she sang was and so she stood up,
bowed and said, "Mister Chen, please forgive me."

Fan Xian merely grunted in reply.

 Everyone in the house was looking his way. Shi Chanli and
Deng Ziyue had no idea what to expect next. They didn't expect
it when Fan Xian immediately smiled and replied to Sang Wen,
"Everything about this capital is different from Jiangnan. This
place is nice, and even the songs tell of how people should be
nice, as well."

All the girls heard Fan Xian tell this joke and felt relieved.
Yan’er, with a smile, said, "If you all become nice people, how
am I supposed to find work?"

Fan Xian chuckled and gently slapped her leg. And as his
hand remained upon her thigh, he gently slid his hand up her
lap. After this, she stopped massaging his shoulders and so
they both sat up facing each other, drinking.

Sang Wen went back to it, and began singing another song.
"Like a fairy in a dream, the raven-haired woman wore a
sparkling tiara. The adornment bore the delicacy of a sunny
day, glistened like the youthful joy of spring, and was sculpted
in the manner of the round of the autumn’s jade lotus. After
the consumption of much alcohol, her face was both red and
shy, like a beautiful woman walking out from the canvas of a
portrait. May I ask the fairy, with the moon setting in the west,
which year it is?"

After she was done singing, Fan Xian was the first to
compliment her, by saying, "Great song!" And then he turned to
look at the pretty face of Yan’er in his arms and said, "This
song is for Yan’er, for she glistens with the youthful joy of
spring and bears the arms of a delicate lotus." One hand trailed
down Yan’er’s fingers through her sleeves to feel her skin and
his other hand stroked Yan’er’s cheeks as he continued: "You
are a beautiful woman, it’s just your ability to drink alcohol is
bad. Your cheeks aren’t red at all."

Fan Xian looked at a person nearby, who was holding another

prostitute. He was red all over and possessed the squirming
face of one consumed with lust. His name was Shi Chanli. Fan
Xian looked his way and told him, "These words are for you."

The girls all thought him funny, and each began laughing.
Yan’er was smiling and quickly filled up two cups. She toasted
in his name and drank the whole thing. All of a sudden, she
began thinking; "This man is a master flirt. Is he really like
Yuan said? Is he an officer from the government?"
 It was now deep into the night. Fan Xian told the two horny
men Deng and Shi to each go to their separate spare rooms in
the house. The walls of the establishment must have been built
well, for they had been in their own rooms for a while now,
and not a peep was heard. Fan Xian laughed, thinking that
Deng Ziyue may have actually maintained his composure for
protecting his master, and not given into the temptation of
doing anything with the beautiful woman that accompanied
him. But he was not from the Third Bureau, so if he were
attempting to obtain information from the prostitute, it would
be a difficult thing to do. Shi Chanli was afraid that he may be
eaten alive by his woman. Earlier, when they drank, he was
able to taste the horny drug in the wine, which he explained to
be a common addition to the beverages that are traditionally
served at brothels.

Inside the room, Sang Wen’s face was one of alertness as she
looked upon "Mister Chen", who was lying upon the sofa. She
was unsure as to why, after having played every song, he
wanted to keep her there.

Yan’er’s clothes were loose and her hair had been brought
down messily. She looked at "Mister Chen" and was surprised
that this person the Baoyue Brothel had been focused on was
requesting two women at once. As she thought of this, she
began to feel uncomfortable. Yan’er acknowledged the fact that
she was the most popular woman in the building, but found it
hard to believe that she alone would not be enough to satisfy
this young man. She knew that the management earnestly
desired Sang Wen to work at the establishment, but due to her
cost, they had to close down one branch of the brothel to be
able to afford her. However, Sang Wen was a performer, not a
prostitute, and due to her fame within the capital, she was able
to strike a deal that ensured she never had to sleep with any
man.

When Yan’er was just about to put on a smile, she did not
expect tonight’s client to vigorously grab a hold of her. And as
she was pulled, she was overcome with the feeling of warmth
inside her. It was as if she lost all strength, and was brought
gently down upon Fan "Mister Chen" Xian’s chest.

Yan’er, upon seeing the smile upon Fan Xian’s face, then
began to think that the four dots upon his face weren’t quite as
obtrusive as she initially believed them to be. The entirety of
his being was soft and compassionate; he was rather sexy, also.

"I asked you to massage my shoulder earlier. Why don’t I

massage you, as well?" Fan Xian used one hand to hold her
waist and another to rub her temple.
 Yan’er was surprised, unable to overcome the soothing
sensation that his fingers delivered unto her. She lost
consciousness and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Seeing Yan’er lying down upon this man’s knee without

further movement, Sang Wen looked to be in shock. She stood
up, with her hands holding her mouth and her eyes full of fear.

"Do not be afraid. She is only sleeping." Fan Xian told her. He
then carried the woman who had pleased him all night long
onto the bed, before placing a pillow beneath her neck.

Yan’er looked to be in a state of tranquility, with her eyes

closed tight. He briefly wondered what she would dream about.
After seeing this, Sang Wen was able to confirm that Yan’er was
indeed not dead. But still, with great trepidation, she made her
way to the door. She was still unnerved by the way that the
young man hypnotized Yan’er through a two second rub of her
temples.

Fan Xian sat next to the sofa and looked at Sang Wen. He
gestured for her to be silent.
 All of a sudden, she felt dizzy and a second later Fan Xian was
directly in front of her again. Without knowing what was
going on, she was prepared to flee the building. And it was at
this point she heard a voice whisper directly into her ear,
saying, "How can a famous woman end up in a dump like this?
Lady, you are so cruel for not remembering me!"

Sang Wen thought that the evening’s proceedings had been

far too intense for her. She looked at "Mister Chen", and when
she glanced into his eyes, her mind swiftly recalled the mellow
summer of the previous year.

She opened her mouth wide and her eyes beamed with
surprise and delight, but there was a glint of sorrow hidden
away in there, also. It appeared as if she had a thousand things
to tell Fan Xian.

Fan Xian looked at her face and knew of how fortunate he

had been on this day. He shook his head to prevent her from
saying anything more and then he walked behind the bed
where a toiletry bucket resided. He squatted down and then
used his zhenqi to transform his finger into a blade. He tore
into the bed sheets and collected a ball of cloth. With it, he
plugged a conspicuous hole which resided behind the handle of
the toilet frame.
Chapter 282: Fan Strikes
Baoyue Brothel was not a simple place. Seeing this well-
hidden peephole, Fan Xian knew what was going on behind the
scenes at this brothel. For as much money as they would earn
from the prostitution trade, the proprietors would also collect
information obtained from the eavesdropping upon the
dialogue of officers who visited the place, those who thought
they could spend their time privately and freely. If Fan Xian
hadn’t been as attentive as he was, few would be privy to the
knowledge that someone lurked behind the bathroom.

Sang Wen looked at him strangely, bit her teeth, and then fell
to her knees before Fan Xian.

Fan Xian smiled gently, but did not stop her. He decided to
make a quick sweep of the room to ensure there weren’t any
more peepholes, so that their discussions could not be heard.
As for why she fell to her knees, he was able to tell; but he
chose not to say anything. He sat upon a chair and grabbed a
blanket. He lay it across Yan’er, who remained unconscious
upon the bed and as he did so, he said, "I ask, you answer."
 Sang Wen understood. She pulled herself back to her feet.
She was of the guise that she was looking forward to having a
talk with Fan Xian, and then walked in front of him. She gazed
behind him and Fan Xian shook his head. He couldn’t spare the
time to explain what he had done to Yan’er, but he wanted to
bring comfort to her mind, at the very least. "She won’t wake
up for a while, so there is no fear of her eavesdropping. You
should relax."

Sang Wen nodded in response.

Fan Xian was aware that Sang Wen had previously worked at
another brothel called Tianchang Bordello. He did not ask
what brought the Tianchang Bordello to shutter its doors for
good, nor did he ask what terms the Baoyue Brothel used to
employ Sang Wen. Those would be pointless questions to ask,
so he said, "Do you have a contract with Baoyue Brothel?"

Sang Wen suddenly looked rather joyful, acknowledging that

Fan Xian sought to help her out of her current situation with
the brothel. She quickly responded, "Yes. But they forced…"
 He did not wait for Sang Wen to finish her sentence, and so
he continued, "Today, they had you serve me. Did they arrange
this?" Fan Xian had assumed the unimportant identity of
"Mister Chen", so why would they have someone as
distinguished as Sang Wen to perform exclusively for him?

Sang Wen decided to place her entire faith in Fan Xian,

knowing that only the famous Overwatch Council’s
Commissioner could release her from this esoteric
establishment and perhaps even aid her in obtaining some sort
of vengeance over the closure of the Tianchang Bordello that
Baoyue was responsible for. She said, "I overheard that the
people that run this establishment believe you are an officer of
the Ministry of Justice, and that you have come here to
investigate a homicide. That is why they sent out Yan’er."

Fan Xian started laughing. He wondered how the brothel saw

through his disguise, but was amused that they believed him to
be an officer of a wholly different department. Sang Wen
looked at him and said, "Your follower possesses the aura of
someone who belonged to the government, and it scares
people."

That would be Deng Ziyue.

 Fan Xian gestured to change the subject, and told her, "I
would like to know something. Could you guess who the
owner of Baoyue Brothel is?" Fan Xian used the word "guess"
because inside the Overwatch Council, someone had been
purposely concealing this person’s identity. Therefore, it was
highly unlikely that she would know of this person. But still,
she had worked and lived here, and this was one of Fan Xian’s
only leads.

Even though Sang Wen did not know why the Overwatch
Council was so invested in this topic, she still tried her hardest
to remember. She was unsure, but said, "It must have
something to with the Minister Lane. Whenever the Baoyue
owner arrives, they do so in great secret. Despite that,
however, the carriage this person uses to arrive is always the
same. There are no signets on the carriage referencing any
particular family or household, but I have seen its roof
cluttered with many fallen leaves. I know of which tree such
leaves belong to, and it is a native tree of the northern Qi
Kingdom. In the entire capital, only the Minister Lane hosts
such carriages."

Fan Xian looked at her, and seeing this, she continued,

"When I was young, I lived in Minister Lane, so I know all
about it."
 Fan Xian then asked, "Who is the woman that manages this
place?"

"Her surname is Yuan."

Sang Wen’s dialogue came thick and fast, but sure and gentle.
Fan Xian appreciated her aid and earnestness, and told her,
"You are quite astute. You could most certainly work within
my Council."

Those that lived in Minister Lane were not actually all

ministers. It was a place where many barons resided; the
extremely noble sorts who helped in the founding of the
kingdom. But now, the Emperor was strict in his ruling of the
kingdom, so the influence and illegal dealings that were often
done by the barons were few. They were well-behaved.

And in regards to this Ms. Yuan, Fan Xian simply smiled and
thought about Hongcheng's subordinate, Lady Yuan Meng.

With this heap of new intelligence, Fan Xian was more than
satisfied with today’s outcome. His near-interrogation of Sang
Wen had now turned into a friendly chat, due to how pleased
Fan Xian was. Following their conversation, he was now aware
that Baoyue Brothel had quite the background. The
establishment had only been open since the summer, but in
this short time, they had already been able to bring ruin to a
number of other brothels in the capital. The method they used
to accomplish this was bloody, and the brutality of their
methods was what led to Sang Wen being within their employ.

"Within two days, I will have someone buy you out." Fan
Xian was not being helpful out of the kindness of his heart - he
merely thought this to be a fair exchange. And having a singer
like this relegated to performing in a brothel, of all places, was
a waste of talent. Besides, even Wan’er adored this person, too.
Therefore, he decided to arrange for someone in the council to
visit, pay a fee, and deliver Sang Wen away from the brothel.
He also thought that this would test the respect that the
brothel's owner held for the Overwatch Council.

Sang Wen was overwhelmed with joy. She had always been
precarious during her time in Baoyue Brothel. She had even
witnessed prostitutes from another establishment being beaten
to death. She spent every moment in the brothel thinking of
how to escape. She had only met Fan Xian once before, but she
never thought of seeking him out due to their estrangement.
She could never have dreamed that she would meet him again
on this day, and to be made this promise. With Fan Xian’s
position in the government, his plan would definitely go
through. Due to her newfound happiness, she burst into tears
and fell to her knees, thanking him.

Fan Xian had already seen her on her knees once, so he did
not want it to happen again. He moved toward her and picked
her up.

At that moment, from outside the room, there was a roar of

utter fury.

"I’m going to kill you!"

After this bark from a middle-aged man, the door was broken
into pieces. The shadow of a man quickly entered and rushed
towards Fan Xian, throwing the palm of his hand in the
direction of his chest.

"No!" Sang Wen was brought to terror and fell back down to
the floor. As she looked at the assailant, she saw how his face
had been wrapped up, masking his identity.
 The palm was like a blade going towards Fan Xian’s face. He
avoided the blow by turning his stance sideways and did not
look back. Pulling his hand from out of his sleeves, he threw
out his own palm towards the attacker.

The palm Fan Xian extended looked to be moving really slow,

but this was merely an illusion. By the time the aggressor
could cast another move, Fan Xian’s arm had extended to its
fullest.

The palm coursed through the air at a plodding velocity, yes,

but it was stable and of a directly composed trajectory. It
slightly came into contact with the enemy’s hand.

And from this gentle collision erupted a deafening sound.

The foe who had entered the room with the speed and
aggression of lightning and thunder, now made his exit with
the momentum of a rocket. Through the force of Fan Xian’s
palm, he had been launched out of the room as if he were the
rock upon a catapult.
 The wooden door that had already been shattered was now
strewn about with this final smash. The enemy did not solely
get thrown through the door frame, either, but he was
launched far across the yard, all the way to the gate and into
the pond there. A massive splash was heard.

Fan Xian then continued to stand there, as if nothing had

happened.

Sang Wen, after viewing this scene, let out a loud scream
over the fright and shock she had just experienced. In her
mind, however, she was thinking, "Oh my days! A guy who
seems so gentle wields such incredible power?"

She did not think about the attack Fan Xian had just
committed, and quickly stood up. With tears still rolling down
her face, she grabbed the length of her skirt and ran outside
toward the pond. She wondered if the person who attacked Fan
Xian was dead or alive.

Fan Xian looked down at his hands and noticed the presence
of some dirt, which told him that his assailant had most likely
been crouched down in the bushes outside. With a concerned
expression, he humorously thought to himself, "With poor
skills like that, he must be a reckless man."

Sang Wen was pretty popular in the capital and it was

expected of her to have fanatical obsessives following her,
tasking themselves with her protection. Even though these
captivated followers of Sang Wen could not beat the muscle of
the Baoyue Brothel that guarded her, they still did their best to
ensure her safety by protecting her from the shadows - to the
best of their abilities, leastways. That one fighter must have
been waiting in the yard for hours. Sang Wen had finished her
performance a while ago and hadn’t exited the room for a long
time since, so he must have thought Fan Xian was doing
something awful to her. That most likely prompted the attack.

Fan Xian knew that this situation could not be hidden from
anyone, so he ran into the yard, as well. At this time, Deng
Ziyue was already at Fan Xian’s side with a grizzled expression.
Shi Chanli, however, was still off in the land of nod. Fan Xian
gazed over at Deng, the man whom he had selected to be at the
head of Qinian Unit, and gave him a look of approval.

He wasn’t just satisfied with the speed at which Deng Ziyue

woke up and sprung to his side, but he was satisfied with the
results of his very own attack.

After he finished his attack, he reflected upon the time that

he went to the capital from Danzhou and practiced in the Cang
Mountains. He had been an ambassador to the northern Qi
Kingdom and traveling on the road was an arduous trial, but
one that proved fruitful in the betterment of his fighting
abilities. The pressure of the road, combined with the battle he
fought alongside Xiao En on the cliffs of Shangjing, and even
with the fight against Haitang; he had received so many
varying influences and witnessed so many different tactics and
methods of combat, he had now combined them all into one.
He believed that his power had now reached a level that was
almost terrifying.

If this had happened before, his attack might have utterly

destroyed his opponent’s right arm. But now, to possess this
power, would it ever again be possible for him to suppress an
enemy without killing them? Thinking of this, in his heart,
Fan Xian expressed gratitude to Haitang and the late Xiao En.
But of course, most of all, he appreciated the faith Chen
Pingping always placed in him, and the opportunities he had
provided.
 He did not need to thank Wu Zhu, however, for he was
family.

The pond’s water was still disturbed, and ripples continued

to formulate. Whether or not the man who was floating upon
its restless water was dead or alive remained to be seen. It was
a dark night, though, and the blood that had seeped into the
water was unable to be seen by those who had gathered there.

In a brief time following this event, the festivities of the

Baoyue Brothel resumed, and the body of the man had been
brought to shore with a net.

The Baoyue Brothel's guards gathered around the pond, and

in their midst was a good-looking, albeit aged woman. She
possessed an expression of terror at first, but then approached
Fan Xian to say, "I could not protect you, Mister Chen. This
was all my fault."

Her face seemed to show a combination of both fear and

apology, but if one looked closely, her eyes told a different
story. Behind that veil, she was looking upon Fan Xian with a
certain coldness, and a desire to test him.
Chapter 283: Ruthless Fighting
Fan Xian watched the cold eyes of that woman blink. He
knew that the Baoyue management and staff had arrived
outside purposely late, and he suspected that perhaps the
assailant’s presence in the yard was already known to them.
Fan Xian had blocked the peephole inside, and eager to learn of
Fan Xian’s true identity, this could have been their next play in
a bid to bring the enigmatic "Mister Chen" and owner to a
meet.

They continued to believe that Fan Xian was from the

Ministry of Justice, and still did not know who he truly was. If
they had known of his true identity, they would have sent
someone with greater prowess to "greet" Fan Xian at that late
hour.

The unconscious fighter had been pulled out and he lay

before everyone, getting the grass wet. The old woman gently
said, "I heard earlier that were was a humorous individual
called Mister Chen present. I would never have thought that he
could fight as well as this."
 This was to be the naked test. Fan Xian looked at her, but did
not bother to reply. He simply walked back to the door that led
to the courtyard. Of course, the door was little more than
broken planks of wood and splinters at this point, but it had
also made for a draught, and now the warmth of the chamber
he had spent the night in had depleted. The room, however,
could now be seen clearly.

The eyes of that woman were suspicious. They believed that

the three people who had come to visit the brothel were from
the Ministry of Justice and that they had come to investigate a
homicide. This is why they had sent out Yan’er. They sought to
obtain as much information about the trio as they could, but
they never expected "Mr. Chen" would be made aware of their
peephole. Sang Wen had been in there for far longer than she
was supposed to, also, which is why they had these proceedings
arranged.

They thought that if Mister Chen were to use a single palm to

counter-attack the assailant as he did, his identity would be
revealed and then they could host a discussion and perhaps
strike some sort of a deal. The old woman never anticipated
Fan Xian would see her as nothing and instead coldly walk
back inside.
 The woman gritted her teeth to feign a smile and hollered,
"The deficiency of the Baoyue's security is entirely our own
fault. We did not mean to scare you off. Consider your
evening’s expense on the house. Please forgive us."

Fan Xian’s eyebrows were warped, as he replied, "Okay then.

You guys can get out."

Seeing him respond as indifferently as he did, the old woman

rushed a little and asked, "Sir? Why must you be so heartless?
For when you are outside, you should always have a few
friends." By now, the old woman completely believed that Fan
Xian was from the Ministry of Justice; therefore she did not
beat around the bush so much.

Fan Xian was not heartless; it was just that the old woman
was unqualified to host a negotiation. He looked in her general
direction, but his eyes did not grant her the courtesy of
meeting hers. "I am here to enjoy the ladies, not make friends."

The woman felt a chill run down her spine, unable to figure
out what sort of person this Mister Chen truly was. As gently
as she could, she said, "But this door has already been ruined. I
plead that you seek your refuge in another room."

Fan Xian smiled and looked at her. He sat on the sofa and did
not say a word in response. Then, Deng Ziyue, who was at his
side, said, "My lord does not want to move. Why don’t you go
bring a couple of partitions over to cover the door frame?
Those will do."

Leaving the door open; what kind of sick joke was that? Deng
Ziyue’s face was one of stone, but in his heart, he was quite
embarrassed. He was afraid that the ladies of the Baoyue
Brothel would come to believe that Fan Xian was a nude
exhibitionist.

And now, after all this time had elapsed, Shi Chanli was
finally roused from his slumber. He was patting down his
clothes as he came out. In the house, a number of messy, half-
naked girls had gathered to overhear the conversation that was
held between the old woman and Fan Xian.

The old woman’s eyes rolled. She caught sight of Yan’er

sleeping on the bed. She secretly felt happy, but she decided to
feign anger. "That damn girl! How can she sleep through all
this, ignoring the customer like this? This is a terrible thing
for her to do." The old woman began shouting, "Someone, beat
up that incessant girl for me!"

Fan Xian frowned upon hearing the woman’s words. Her face
did not change when she repeated and elaborated upon her
barked order: "Beat her to death!"

She was of the mind that this turn of events would harden
Fan Xian’s resolve to reply and engage her in a proper
conversation.

With a continued frown, he said, "You keep calling for death

and a beating in my presence. You are so annoying. She is one
of your people, so she is also a concern of yours. If you want to
beat her to death, find me another beautiful woman in her
stead. But remember, I like them curvy."

Fan Xian’s speech was soft in its tone and deliverance, but the
meaning was heartless all the same.
 The young man had the appearance of someone quite nice
and sweet, but he harbored no care for the woman he had just
slept with. The woman felt frustrated. She had traveled a lot in
her day, and her ability to read people was nothing short of the
finest. She knew that if she truly were to have Yan’er beaten to
death before him, his eyebrows would lax and the frown would
dissipate.

"Why does the 13th Yamen of the Ministry of Justice have

someone such as this in their employ?" The old woman was in
shock.

Fan Xian was starting to feel annoyed. Deng Ziyue looked at

his master and acknowledged how he was feeling through a
quick, good study of his eyebrows. He coldly said, "Get out of
here!"

The woman gritted her teeth. Even though they had both not
formally begun an argument, and Fan Xian was remaining as
enigmatic as ever, the Baoyue Brothel could not afford to lose
any customers or potential business. For this, she decided to
retreat.
 Beyond the expectations of all who were present, just as the
old woman and Baoyue's security was about to exit the yard,
Fan Xian coldly spoke once more. "Keep that man."

These words may have appeared random, but they were

loaded with the pride of authority. Tonight, the old woman
who had been at a disadvantage the entire time, replied, "Sir,
this man must be delivered to the authorities to be dealt with."

Fan Xian had at last decided to do as she said. He smiled and

told her, "The officers can deal with it but the Ministry of
Justice cannot?"

The old woman laughed on the inside, thinking he was to

finally reveal his identity and forego his veil of concealment.
Before she could say anything in response, Fan Xian was
ordering a servant, saying, "That Sang Wen; I want her."

The Baoyue Brothel had only been established a few months

prior, but it had a powerful background. The old woman knew
that the true owner of the business had some affiliation with
the Overwatch Council, and so she wasn’t afraid of the Yamen
of the Ministry of Justice in the least. Hearing Fan Xian make
demands so rudely, she was filled with fury and yelled, "Sang
Wen’s price is lavish and out of your expense. The 13th Yamen
is far from the top, and if it is the Ministry of Justice that is to
field this sort of sum, such a figure could only be provided by
the minister himself or either of the ministry’s executive
assistants. Might I ask which one you are?"

Fan Xian’s eyebrows were raised, and he responded, "I am

none of those. I merely enjoy Sang Wen’s singing voice. So, I
am willing to offer 200 tael for her." The reason he desired to
free Sang Wen from the employ of the Baoyue Brothel was
because they already knew they had held discussions together
in the room for some time. If she was to remain in the house
another day without him there, he was afraid that she would
soon become another corpse in the pond.

The woman was enraged enough to begin laughing

maniacally. In the midst of her hysteria, she said, "Well, well,
well. This lord is going to use his authority to crush this
establishment. It seems to me as if you aren’t aware of how
deep our pond truly is."

"Less chit-chat." Shi Chanli finally spoke. In an attempt to

match Fan Xian’s tone, he said, "Sang Wen is a performer of the
capital; she is not a prostitute for the army. According to the
Qing Kingdom’s law, if anyone is willing to buy her out, the
Baoyue Brothel has no choice but to comply. What? You think
we can’t present you with a few hundred tael?"

A few hundred tael. The woman was made fuming at the

petty sum, for if someone truly desired to buy Sang Wen’s
freedom, the cost would be at least 2000 tael. The three people
who had come to cause so much trouble now presented a
ridiculous offer to purchase the establishment’s finest talent?
Thinking it over, she had now completely lost her wig. She
began yelling, "If you can present me with 10,000 tael, I’ll hand
her over to you immediately. I’ll even throw in that useless
man for free!"

For 10,000 tael, one could purchase a dozen houses. One

could even use it to buy enough food for several lifetimes. Even
in an affluent location such as Jiangnan, 10,000 was no small
sum.

The old woman began laughing coldly, believing no one

would fork over such an amount for a woman who could only
sing and wasn’t even all that pretty.
 This was the opportunity Fan Xian had been waiting for.
Without squandering it, he immediately waved his hand and
said, "Okay then, present me with the contract."

As soon as he said this, everyone within earshot was audibly

surprised. Even Sang Wen herself, who was still stood next to
the wet man, was in such shock as to possess a distorted
expression. And as for the old woman, she said nothing; she
stood there like a petrified chicken.

"Pah!" The sound reverberated loudly. Another woman had

entered the yard and slapped the old woman across the cheek.
This woman was quite beautiful, and she bowed before the trio
and with a smile said, "Mister Chen truly is a humorous man
who likes to jest.

Fan Xian did not know who this pretty woman was. She
possessed red lips, and her soft eyes were crowned by thin
eyebrows. Her lips bore a lovely smile, but she gave Fan Xian a
feeling of discomfort. From the outside, she looked to be weak,
but her inside propagated a feeling of unease, that made it
seem as if she despised the trio, despite her fonder mannerisms.
Fan Xian believed her to be the subordinate of Yuan Meng.
 "This is no joke." Fan Xian pocketed his smile and continued,
"10,000 to buy a person was the deal. Unless you mean to imply
that the Baoyue Brothel is intent on not honoring this
proposition?"

The beautiful woman looked at Fan Xian coldly and said,

"Baoyue Brothel is willing to give you 1,000 tael to put
tonight’s transpirations behind us and swept under the carpet,
to be forgotten about."

The Baoyue Brothel was willing to pay Fan Xian 1,000 tael,
but he noticed the disdain in this pretty woman’s eyes.
Mockingly, he told her, "Tonight was fun. There was no
trouble. I only want to purchase Sang Wen and that man. Are
you daring to not honor the proposed trade?"

The beautiful woman did not expect Fan Xian to harbor such
disrespect towards her and asked, "Can you truly bring forth
10,000 tael?" By now, it was no longer about freeing Sang Wen
or even an investigation of the Baoyue Brothel; it was about
which side possessed the most power. But the Baoyue Brothel
was not willing to relinquish their hold on Sang Wen easily,
and the beautiful woman did not possibly believe Fan Xian
could possess such a sum on his person.
 Fan Xian stroked his smooth hair and did not speak. Shi
Chanli stood beside him and told her, "You don’t have to worry
about that."

The beautiful woman, with ice in her eyes, gazed at the trio
and harshly spoke, "Ah, I see. You three are here to bring ill
repute and tarnish the reputation of the Baoyue Brothel, aren’t
you?! Well, you should know that even if you were to free her
today, I am afraid you may have to send her back tomorrow."

The meaning behind her words was intimidating, but Fan

Xian did not care, for his position and authority had reach
considerable heights, as of late. He continued smiling and
looked her way.

"I will give you 10,000 tael tonight, but I am also afraid you
may have to return it on the morrow."
Chapter 284: Blocking the Street
Only the Baoyue house would dare to threaten people; no one
else would ever dare to do the same to them.

The beautiful woman was Shi Qing'er. She was an assistant,

trained by Yuan Meng. She believed that tonight, they would
only be hosting officers of little repute. A subordinate had left
to inform her that the "Mister Chen" they were catering to was
a powerful man, and could be a difficult person for them to
trifle with and challenge. That is the reason for her desire to
compromise with Fan Xian. Ever since September, the big boss
had made repeated requests for the Baoyue Brothel to operate
as quietly as possible, to avoid drawing any unwanted
attention. This was to be her aim with Fan Xian, but she never
expected him to neglect an amicable solution to the ruckus and
begin threatening them.

Shi Qing'er was fuming on the inside, and gazing at Fan Xian,
she spoke each and every word slowly: "You are going to regret
that which you have done tonight."

"Do not threaten me. Hurry up and go fetch me the contract."

Fan Xian began laughing, and then called out, "You guys have
ruined my mood. I'm going to go home!"

Seeing Fan Xian’s soft smile, Shi Chanli could do little but
sigh. He knew that whenever Fan Xian was unhappy, the
possibility of ruinous circumstances could always follow.
Perhaps in a few days, the Baoyue Brothel would no longer be
in operation, and will have been closed down. Shi Qing'er’s
temper was stoked and she bitterly demanded for a subordinate
to bring her the contract. After a little while, the thin
parchment was placed upon the table for all to see.

"Cash only. If you have a 10,000 tael banknote on your

person, then I will give Sang Wen over to you." Shi Qing'er
stared directly into Fan Xian’s eyes and continued speaking, "In
Qing law, there is a clause attached to the proceedings that
involve the purchase of others. I cannot put her on reserve and
patiently await your deliverance of the tael. If she is on sale,
she will be available for purchase by anyone and thus, there is
every chance that someone may come along and buy her out in
your absence."

Fan Xian’s facial expression did not move an inch, but in his
mind, he was laughing out loud and struggled to contain it.
"Who would willingly purchase another human being for
10,000 tael, eh? But if I do not buy her, I can only suspect the
next customer to come along and snap her up would be the
Baoyue Brothel itself."

Shi Chanli brought out a quill and a small bottle of ink and
wrote out the contract. He placed it beside the parchment
provided by Shi Qing'er, which contained the details regarding
the sale and ownership of Sang Wen. He then waited for Fan
Xian to present the costly banknote, as he always had full,
unwavering faith in Fan Xian’s financial management. Shi
Chanli himself was a studious, scholarly sort and for such
people, finance wasn’t a great concern for them.

Shi Qing'er had not yet averted her gaze from Fan Xian.
Throughout her entire life, she had seen numerous amounts of
rich people, but even the nobles and prosperous merchants of
Jiangnan could not fathom the prospect of carrying 10,000 tael
upon them. That is, unless they were preparing to present
another certain noble a gift at some affluent feast. So, could
this presumptuous young man could truly match the requested
fee and bring out 10,000 tael? She did not believe it.

It felt as if time stood still there. It felt like it had taken the
longest time, but in actuality, all this happened rather quickly.
Fan Xian stood where he was, without moving. Shi Chanli was
filled to the brim with feelings of terror and surprise. Shi
Qing'er’s lips were spread out in a manner that suggested
unadulterated pride; as if a certain victory had already been
decided favorably for her.

Fan Xian looked at the beautiful woman, who was now stood
there, so full of herself. All of a sudden, he began feeling good
about things. He poked Deng Ziyue, who had remained by his
side the entire time.

Deng Ziyue bowed and said aloud, "Mister Chen, what is

your desire?"

Fan Xian then whispered quietly to Deng Ziyue, "Are you

feigning this stupidity? I don’t have anywhere close to this
amount on me, so I’m going to have to borrow it from you."

Deng Ziyue’s face contorted into a look of sheer

awkwardness. He had no idea why Fan Xian was so sure that
Deng Ziyue possessed a banknote for 10,000 tael on him. But
without hesitance, put his hand into his chest and searched
around for the wallet containing the banknote. A long while
had elapsed, as he repeatedly felt around the inside of his
clothing and eventually, he found the puffed-up wallet of the
First Bureau.

Everyone present in that room was stunned. Everyone looked

upon Deng Ziyue’s wallet with surprise, which looked as
ordinary as one could be. He began pulling out a number of
banknotes as if he were tearing out his own guts.

Deng Ziyue placed them all upon the table and repeatedly
counted them, again and again, with a searing pain in his heart
as if he had been stabbed. He counted ten, and then passed
them over to Shi Qing'er.

Shi Qing'er’s face could not have appeared any more

disfigured from surprise. In her hands, she held 10,000 tael,
and so much was the utter shock that she could not bring forth
any words to her mouth. She was for all accounts speechless.
She thought to herself that this young man might have been
the son of a supremely wealthy family, but even his
subordinate possessed the sum of 10,000 tael upon his person.
 With the 10,000 tael banknotes grasped firmly in her
trembling hands, she looked upon Fan Xian’s unconcerned
face. She was asking herself, "What kind of demigod is this
man?"

Fan Xian ignored her expression of disbelief and lightly

stroked Yan’er, who was still blissfully asleep behind him the
entire time. His fingertips ruffled her neck a little, almost like a
tease and after, she slowly awoke. As she arose, she greeted her
widened, yawning mouth with her arm. It must have been a
restful, deep slumber.

"Let’s go."

He said these words gently and without acuity, and

immediately after he did so, he stood up and walked out of the
room. Deng Ziyue carried the damp man, who may have been
dead or alive, and followed. Shi Chanli gave support and
helped Sang Wen come along, as the intermittent shocks of the
evening weighed heavily on her heart and ability to walk with
a sense of composure. In this way, they all exited.
 A while later, this collection of young people had passed
beyond the pond of the yard and disappeared into the shadows,
away from the Baoyue Brothel.

Shi Qing'er maintained her grasp of the banknotes in her

hand, but was now beginning to squeeze them. The banknotes
wrinkled and folded in on each other. Still, she knew that it
would be foolish to throw away such a large sum of money and
after a while she quickly pocketed them. Her eyes trailed the
people who were now walking away, and the shadows that
embraced them, and muttered, "You better watch out."

The Baoyue Brothel was owned by two figures, both of who

were shrouded in secrecy. Shi Qing'er was with the second
owner. Their operations were heartless and cruel. Presently,
Yan’er frowned and was almost fully awake, save for a slight
dizziness she continued to suffer from. Looking at the state of
the room she was in, she was well aware that she hadn’t simply
fallen asleep. She thought that it was nigh unbelievable that
such a young man, with the charming smile that he carried,
could possess such power.

Shi Qing'er raised her hand and went to slap her across the
face.
 No one expected she had the capacity to quickly dodge the
incoming strike. After the move, she looked at Shi Qing'er and
said, "What are you trying to hit me for?"

Shi Qing'er grinded her teeth and spat out, "You useless
wench! I asked you to gather intelligence and information
from this person but instead, you slept through half the night."

Yan’er once again viewed the scene and was able to guess
what occurred. She coldly smiled and responded, "I am useless.
But if you are so useful by comparison, how could you allow
those people to walk away in possession of Sang Wen? What
reception do you expect to receive when you explain this to
Yuan?"

"Humph!" Shi Qing'er looked at Yan’er’s face, which was

caked in heavy makeup. With a glance of disdain, she said, "Do
not think you are able to get away with anything you please
simply because the owner is fond of you. The Baoyue Brothel is
a business, just like any other; we cannot simply take to having
fights with our customers. But fret not, for I will find a way to
resolve these issues."
 These two women were well-known to the Baoyue Brothel
and, as such, there was much bitterness between them. For
whenever they would talk to each other, some manner of
belittling would be hidden amongst their words, and fights
were not an uncommon sight. The other workers of the Baoyue
Brothel quickly backed away in fear of getting dragged into
another of their quarrels that seemed to be brewing.

A while later, Yan’er smiled and said, "Do not forget. The
owner wants you to maintain a low profile these next few
months. That means you shouldn’t go about committing any
terrible deed you desire."

"Terrible?" Shi Qing'er smiled callously, saying, "We run the

capital."

Yan’er raised her eyebrows to feign confusion and told her,

"Oh! That guy today, I can only suppose he was a powerful
figure of the 13th Yamen?"

"Pah, that’s poppycock! He is not from the 13th Yamen." Shi

Qing'er’s eyebrows displayed the look of someone with murder
in their heart. "In the entirety of the capital, how many people
do you suspect can present 10,000 tael on a whim? There
cannot be many. Even if we were to search beneath each and
every rock and tile of the Ministry of Justice, I guarantee you
we wouldn’t find that sort of money. He must be the son of one
of those barons."

Yan’er was visibly shocked, not believing that the enigmatic

"Mister Chen" was someone of such identity. She thought back
to manner in which she fell asleep, and what he did that made
her feel absent-minded and lose consciousness.

Shi Qing'er watched her eyebrows soften, and with a raised

voice, told her, "Don’t get yourself all horny in reminiscence of
that man; be wary of upsetting the boss, you tart."

Yan’er heard what she said, but was unafraid nonetheless.

She began laughing and told her, "You arranged for me to serve
a customer. Aren’t you afraid that would upset the boss?"

Shi Qing'er smiled frostily and replied, "The man you were
with - Mister Chen - is going to be a dead man very soon. That
isn’t a problem for you, is it?"
 After hearing this, Yan’er was made visibly aghast. Her
eyebrows frowned and she said, "You're going to kill again?"

"I will not settle for any individual to disrespect the Baoyue
Brothel and get away with it." Shi Qing'er's eyebrows were full
of ruthlessness. She continued, "Considering his identity,
perhaps it would be best if we didn’t kill him yet. But at the
very least, we may be able to kill that bitch Sang Wen. Blame it
on their misfortune, for today, the second boss and his men are
enjoying the brothel as well."

After Yan’er heard this, she imagined that Mister Chen and
his fellows had unknowingly walked into a death sentence.
Even though she did not know of the identity of the second
boss, she knew who his cohorts were. They were callous,
unafraid of anything, and went about as if they dominated the
entire capital. Even if Mister Chen was the family member of a
baron, he might live through the night, but all around him
were sure die.

Yan’er sighed and said, "Being reckless like this, doing

whatever you please – it is only a matter of time before the
government begin an investigation. And when they do, I am
afraid none of us will be spared our lives."
 Shi Qing'er looked at her with utter disgust. She began
laughing and mocking her lack of courage. And as she did so,
she said, "There is a popular officer within the council that
would be willing to provide us with support. And there are
others who speak for us in the palace. Who are we to fear?
What have we to fear?"

Exiting the Baoyue Brothel, Sang Wen’s face was flooded with
tears. She bowed to Fan Xian, but this was something he did
not desire to see. He did, however, comfort her with a few
words of encouragement. With great haste, they hurried
toward the carriages. The party split up into two separate
carriages and had them ride through the brighter side of the
street.

It wasn’t long before the carriage was brought to a halt in the

center of a lengthy lane. Fan Xian furled the curtains of the
carriage windows and without much in the way of surprise, he
noticed the presence of two groups of people blocking either
end of the street. In each individual’s hand was held a torch.

From what little he could tell, these people were not old.
They were not even adults, for they appeared to be – teenagers
14 or 15 years old. Their pale faces portrayed the squalid living
habits they were no doubt accustomed to. They were mounted
upon horses, which revealed their identity, and further ahead
of them were a number of servants tasked with their
protection. They didn’t seem to display a care toward their
obstruction of the lane. Murdering others on the streets of the
capital didn’t seem like a foreign concept to these people.

"Get out of your carriages, fools!" The young man who led
the nefarious posse had a wretched face full of scorn and
hatred. His eyes harbored an excited, hyped-up malice, no
doubt anticipating the thrill of being able to slaughter
innocent people without remorse or reprieve. It would be fun.

"Wow, it didn’t take long for the Baoyue Brothel to spring to

action." Fan Xian mockingly complimented the would-be
assailants from within the carriage. He turned around and
asked, "Deng Ziyue, who are those people?"

Deng Ziyue’s face looked dour, and with this look, he told
Fan Xian, "They are the most infamous thugs of the capital.
They are evil manifest, and they are not known to ever commit
a deed of any remote decency. But furthermore, they are heirs
to the dukes. As such, none have ever stood against them."
 "It seems as if the Baoyue Brothel does not only bear an
affiliation with Hongcheng, but they seem to have quite the
relation with the dukes, too." Fan Xian shook his head and
noticed several shadows flickering along both sides of the
street; the Qinian Unit was on the move. Seeing this, he could
not help but shake his head once more.

The Qing Kingdom began through force. The generals that

followed the emperor into war for the establishment of the
kingdom eventually retired, and they now lived in the capital.
Their honor was forged upon the fields of battle and in respect
and gratitude for their performance and sacrifices, they were
given the title of duke. And now, the most recent emperor
made sure to care for these aged warriors and continue
supporting their families. They were not, however, permitted
to be too involved with the dealings of the government. To
ensure such restrictions remained in place, officers of the
government would cheat them out of successful exam results
and alter documents to keep them away.

Since the dukedom was bestowed upon these families, the

third and fourth generations had now come. But now, the
smart heirs of these families were few and far between, leading
to many brutish, arrogant, and aimless children. They were
now in their teens, and despite being uncared for and forsaken
by their government, they were rich. Left to their own
machinations, they could do whatever they pleased, with no
obligations to adhere to. Youthful but bored, they bullied
others. Possible consequences for their actions meant little to
them, and their degeneracy only got worse with age.
Nowadays, they were prone to drawing theirs swords and
cutting down others whenever they pleased.

These kids also believed themselves to be saviors; well-

meaning people who were set to going about the dirty business
of the capital’s truly heinous, criminal organizations. Being
almost like sellswords, they referred to themselves as
"Rangers". Of course, Fan Xian simply believed them all to be
scum. There was no knowing how many people they had
harmed or even killed in their free reign upon the city.

Even though Fan Xian was only a few years senior to those
infamous thugs of the capital, he was much more mature.
After assessing the situation, he returned his full attention to
the carriage and did not engage them any further. He merely
passed on his orders for his subordinates to follow.

The bloodline of the dukes was complex and difficult to trace

and keep a track of, despite their lack of authority in the
kingdom. Even the Fan family and Duke Liu shared relatives.
How could one separate and dismantle this? Fan Xian always
thought that if he did not have to be the one who took upon
this task, that would be the better choice.

"Someone, go over there and smash that carriage!"

The noble kid who was in charge was audibly excited in the
manner he yelled this command. He hurried his horse to
approach it and, in his wake, a bunch of screaming kids were
hollering strangely toward Fan Xian’s carriage, bearing in their
hands the manner of straight swords that were a common sight
within the capital. Swinging them wildly, they were like sharks
that had just detected the scent of blood.

Sang Wen watched the scene unfold in terror, but quickly

withdrew her head to hide. She was holding her skirt as the
carriage began to shake. She wanted to scream, but instead
gritted her teeth and did her best to stay quiet.

Fan Xian looked at her, but did not say anything. He pulled
back the curtains once again and saw the crazy kids bearing
down on them upon their horses. He thought to himself how
the public security of the capital must have degraded in recent
times. But the capital magistrates were closely affiliated with
the second prince. With the reputation these kids now held,
nobody would be willing to take care of them. And there he
saw them, with sheer adrenaline, excitement, and bloodlust in
their eyes. His visible disgust toward the sight was as if he had
just swallowed a fly.

While the kids possessed childish mannerisms and behavior,

their cold approach to life was still plain to see. With the way
they looked and preyed upon weaker folk, and how they craved
for the sight of gore, it was sick. Fan Xian was a person who
faced death when he was young and it was because of this that
he never thought the act of taking someone’s life was scary or
alarming.

Still, he always ensured it was something he would never do

pleasurably. He never wanted to enjoy the act. And on the flip
side, he enjoyed being alive, for he cherished his life dearly.

Besides, tonight, all he wanted to do was relax with the

public funds he had received. And despite that wish, the
Overwatch Council’s Commissioner had ended up getting into
a fight with a bunch of thugs on the street. It was quite
embarrassing.
Therefore, Fan Xian was upset.
Chapter 285: The Mantis Blocks the
Road
A whistle sounded.

Several men in black leapt down from the rooftops of the

houses that adorned both sides of the lane. Quickly, they
dashed into the crowd of the young, brattish nobles, separating
their numbers through the middle. The Qinian Unit had
trained as spies for several years, and their ability to assess and
react accordingly was phenomenal. They went for the legs of
their horses, toppling the kids that were upon them.

Much to Fan Xian’s group’s surprise, however, the kids did

not tumble off and fall to the ground as expected. Although it
was slightly awkward and without true finesse, the kids were
able to land on their two feet. It seemed that these sons of
dukes had been taught well.

"Screw you! Cut them up."

The leader of the immature group was about 14 years old, but
he had eyebrows of aged aggression. Despite seeing that their
opponents outnumbered them, they were unafraid. These kids
had been out on the streets for a long time and by this point,
were too far gone; nothing could strike fear into their hearts.
They grasped their swords and to the nearest man in black they
could find, swung their blades wildly in a bid to cut them
down. One was in their sights.

The subordinate that had been targeted knew who his noble
foes were. He saw his nearest assailant swinging like a
madman, with no concern for his own defense. His chest was
free to strike, but the man in black did not raise his own sword.
The opponent looked so young, and his fighting style painted
him as little more than a kamikaze fighter. The man in black
chose to dodge the attack, but he suffered a gash upon his left
shoulder.

The child arrogantly laughed and mocked him. "These people

know who we are. They won’t dare to attack us. Come on, my
brethren, let’s kill them all!"

The horde of kids was like a swarm, and the scene could be
best depicted by the image of an elephant surrounded by an
army of ants. But because of the Qinian Unit's knowledge of
their identity as noble descendants, they each stayed their
hands and dared not strike out at them. These children would
rampage through the streets ceaselessly, in full knowledge that
the government would not suppress them, out of honor and
respect for their heroic forefathers. And now, they all bore
down upon the Qinian Unit as a herd of berserkers. At the very
least, they hoped to break the resolve and mess up the
formation and composure of the Qinian Unit.

All the Qinian Unit did was keep them at bay, knocking them
back. And even though they did this to many, it was still an
even fight.

The swooshing sounds of swung blades were drowning the

entire atmosphere of this night-veiled lane. The darkness was
enveloping them all, and so the kids brought forward their
torchbearers to shed light on their enemies. In the chimney-red
and Halloween-orange of the torch’s glow, one could see the
spite and bloodlust that were consuming the kids.

Fan Xian, who was still in the carriage, was watching the
scene. As time progressed, his face grew dour. He knew that
those in the Qinian Unit were his closest bodyguards and even
though they weren’t as talented as Gao Da or the Tiger Guard,
he thought they could have dealt with these kids with little to
no hassle. It was only because of their years of service to the
Overwatch Council and government that they did not dare to
bring grievous harm to the self-proclaimed "Rangers".

He was, however, aware that his subordinates were taking

Fan Xian’s own well-being into consideration also, for they did
want to bring political trouble on him for the slaying of these
kids. But the Qinian Unit was choosing to gamble with their
lives by not putting a permanent end to the young nobles’
advances. Still, it brought Fan Xian’s blood to boil through an
overwhelming sense of unfairness, viewing his own men
having to fight like wimps in the face of such petty enemies,
whose arrogance continued to grow with each passing second.
In Fan Xian’s mind, he compared the complete turnaround to a
football match in his past life, of when AC Milan was vexed by
Liverpool’s six-minute miracle goals.

"Nonsense!" Fan Xian had leapt from his carriage when he

yelled this out in annoyance. The shout was infused with his
zhenqi and so his voice boomed, billowing down the length of
the street.

The battle that had been splintered into a number of smaller

groups by this point was brought to a pause. The Qinian Unit
took advantage of this and hastily retreated to the carriages.
Two of them had been brought to calamitous harm, however,
and blood gushed from their wounds down to the cobbles of
the street. Due to the Qinian Unit's inability to fight back
properly, the kids had all aimed at their weak spots.

Fan Xian looked upon his subordinates with a face that

conveyed no emotion or sympathy and told them, "When you
guys were fighting in the northern Qi Kingdom, how come you
weren’t this useless then?"

The subordinates were embarrassed and ashamed of their

performance, and so they looked to the ground. In their
pounding, breathless hearts, they too felt the state of affairs to
be unjust. The little bastards were inferior to them in skill and
yet they were taking pride in being able to beat back those who
could not do the same. They could not murder the grandsons
of the dukes themselves and thus, this disadvantage was too
great.

Deng Ziyue exited the carriage now to join them. His face was
motionless, as if chiseled from stone. He saw the kids
approach, laughing with blood-smeared swords; their eyes
conveyed the look of butchers preparing to decapitate another
chicken.

"Sir, the identity of our opponents is… Don’t worry, we can

resolve this." Deng Ziyue noticed Fan Xian’s face descending
further and further into ugliness by the second.

Fan Xian was brought to such anger that it was almost

lunacy. And in this fervor, he began laughing. "What identity?
All I know is they are a bunch of thieves. And now, we have
injured men in our ranks. If anyone hears of this, they will
laugh themselves to death."

"Hey, you with that guy – what are you guys talking about?"
The noble kid who was leading the swarm of brats had now
gotten extremely close to the carriage. The bloodlust and
hostility harbored in his eyebrows was becoming increasingly
obvious. He called to them, "Hand over that woman in the
carriage, make all your useless men chop off one of their own
arms, and then we will let you go."

Fan Xian looked at the kid for one brief moment, and then
looked away.
 With a callous, soulless smile, the kid said, "Hey, pretty-boy!
Yeah, you! I’m talking to you. Hand over that woman. How
dare you cross the Baoyue Brothel. Do you have a death wish or
something? Perhaps you would like to be the latest victim of
our newly-invented torture method? We call it 'the cudgel'!"

Each word and accompanying tone was filled to the brim

with humiliation, and it disgusted Fan Xian. A cacophony of
laughter emerged from the crowd behind him.

Fan Xian, however, disregarded everything the kid had

proudly told him. Smiling to his subordinates, he told them,
"As long as they are our enemies, then we have to fight our best
and be as cruel as possible. It does not matter if they are from
outside our country or within; these principles, have you not
yet learned them? Is it because following me around has been
so relaxing and uneventful that you have laxed in your ability
to fight and utilize all that Chen Pingping has taught you?"

The noble kid who was in front of the carriage, faced with
Fan Xian’s resilience to pay him any heed, had become furious.
In his anger, the explicit requests that were made by the
Baoyue Brothel was momentarily lost to him and it was in this
madness that he ran towards Fan Xian with a horse whip in
hand.

The distance separating Fan Xian and the noble youth was
short by this point, but the horse whip was only a few inches
long. It would have been impossible for him to hit Fan Xian’s
head, so it must have been a bluff.

Fan Xian’s eyes detected the horse whip’s immediate

proximity, and with split-second reactions, he raised his left
hand.

A cry of absolute pain resounded through the dark night.

The horse whip that was once in the noble kid's hand
dropped to the ground. The brat held his wrist and screamed in
pain. A black bolt was then fired from out of nowhere, piercing
the flesh of his hand.

Blood gushed from the crevice of the child’s hand. The kids in
the rear were in utter shock at the sudden turn of events. They
thought to themselves, "Crap! They are firing crossbows at us.
Does that guy not know who we are?"

These kids had been doing wicked deeds and perpetrating

crimes across the city each and every day; they had even killed.
They held a fundamental disrespect toward life itself. It was as
if they had been born without souls. But this was the first time
someone had retaliated properly, wielding a deadly weapon
against them. They weren’t only brought to shock, but they
were each brought to anger, as well.

As this happened, everyone looked toward Fan Xian. His eyes

were strange, as if the human inside had died.

"Sir!" Deng Ziyue was shocked as well. He was afraid that if

the commissioner was made any angrier, he would slaughter
each and every little bastard on that lane of battle. If
something such as this were to happen, the consequences held
upon Fan Xian would be most lamentable. And for the
preservation of stability in the capital, no amount of the
Emperor’s love for Fan Xian could spare him from this.
 Fan Xian slowly brought back his left hand, and eased off the
trigger on his right. He looked towards the kids, as if scanning
the crowd, and did not respond to Deng Ziyue. As he looked at
the children in front of him, he realized just how truly young
they were. The youngest was approximately ten years old and
yet even such a young face retained a look of ferocity and
thirst for violence.

It was no wonder why the Qinian Unit behaved the way they
did. Fan Xian took a deep breath and suppressed his fury,
channeling it away from his body. Then, he looked at the noble
children in front of him and said, "Whoever chooses to bar our
passage will die. So tell me, who wants to be the troublesome
mantis that blocks this road?"

His frightening black bolt would only suppress the soulless

child outlaws for a time. A little while later, the unnerved,
scared faces of the children were veiled in masks of cruelty and
ruthlessness once again. And the kid who had been struck by
the bolt and was now in tears, called backwards, "What are you
waiting for? Kill them all and bury them out in the Cang
Mountains!"
 "Have you ever killed anyone?" Fan Xian looked at him with
an expression of curiosity as he asked this.

The noble kid heard this and began screaming. "A noble piece
of dog waste like you? I have killed at least one every day!"

During this brief exchange of talk, the swarm of kids were

whipped up into madness, charging forwards, consumed with
a thirst for blood. But Fan Xian gestured for his subordinates to
put away their drawn swords.

Amidst all this noise, Fan Xian raised his right arm
incredibly fast. A kid approached and lunged towards Fan Xian
with his sword, but before it could make contact, Fan Xian
grabbed a hold of the kid’s wrist. An audible snapping sound
pierced the night, and the kid fell to the floor, writhing in pain,
fearfully clenching his crushed arm.

Fan Xian turned around and threw himself backwards into

the chest of another child. He kneeled, grabbed his opponent’s
arm above his shoulder and brought it down hard. Snap!
Another arm was broken.
 Immediately after, Fan Xian leapt up and performed a
roundhouse kick to the wrist of another child who was coming
at him. The sheer force of this strike caused blood to spurt
from the child’s mouth, and the power of such an attack would
undoubtedly mean that the injured thug would be recovering
at home for the next few months.

Fan Xian stepped forward and raised his arm with ferocious
speed, assaulting an attacker’s neck. Unlike the others, this kid
did not scream. He merely fell to the floor.

Like a ghost, Fan Xian spirited his way through the children
that were raging towards him. Whenever he raised his hand, a
kid would fall to the ground. The only sounds that could be
heard were the shrill shrieks of screams and the snapping of
bones.

The boisterous war cries of the kids had subsided. A heavy,

frightening atmosphere veiled the area like a suffocating fog.
The number of fallen bodies continued to mount, their
placements spreading further and further like a fractal pattern.
A few kids from the outer ring had already decided to run off.
 Bong. Bong. Bong. Bong.

It sounded like the striking of a gong, but in this world, there

was no king of hell pounding on his gong. In their minds, the
kids thought that the noises of their shattered bones were akin
to the reaper harvesting their souls, coldly pounding the face
of a gong.

The Qinian Unit, including Deng Ziyue, watched what was

happening with mouths agape. They were in sheer admiration
of Fan Xian.

Even though they would have been able to defeat the

attacking children, none could have done so with such finesse.
Fan Xian was doing it quick and clean, with flawless precision
and unhindered speed. He was heavily injuring his opponents,
yes, but was making sure that he would not kill a single person
that came at him.

Shi Chanli covered his eyes, not wanting to view the scene.
Sang Wen, on the other hand, gritted her teeth in suspense,
eyes fixed on watching Fan Xian weave his way through the
horde, battering their would-be assailants. She was fully aware
of the deeds these children had performed in the past, and she
knew the harm they had brought to the innocent civilians of
the city, and thus she was overjoyed at the sight of their
pummeling.

With their bated breaths, it felt as if this had happened for

the longest time, but it had only been a few seconds. Aside
from those who had run away, all that remained were the
injured, writhing around on the ground. After a few more
moments had elapsed, the sounds of crying children erupted
like a geyser.

Fan Xian, seeing these kids, bleeding and clutching their

broken limbs by his feet, felt pleased. And as he thought of this
accomplishment, he gently rubbed the wrist he had just
exercised. When he was young, he learnt of the human
structure from Master Fei; and it seemed as if he hadn’t
forgotten what he was taught, after all.

Then, he looked at Deng Ziyue with a serious gaze. "The next

time this happens, do not have me deal with it. It is
embarrassing."
 He walked over to the noble child who had been leading the
others, and who was the first to fall. He gently smiled and told
him, "To which family do you belong?"

This child was crazy. With his hand still being anchored to a
crossbow bolt, he looked menacingly into Fan Xian’s eyes
without blinking. He then madly retorted, "Kill me, if you
have the balls! Otherwise, you can wait until your whole
family is executed."

Fan Xian continued to smile as he wagged his finger before

the tantrum-throwing child and responded, "Firstly, I won’t
kill you. Secondly, you don’t have the authority to plead for
the execution of another. That is a privilege that belongs to the
Emperor and the Emperor alone. If you say this again, perhaps
it will be your family that is executed."

Fan Xian was no longer interested in engaging the pathetic

noble youth with further conversation, so he signaled to the
stagecoach driver to bring the carriages around.

At this time, far away, the servants who were holding the
torches for the young masters were aghast. Slowly, and with
great trepidation, they walked toward the downed children.
After witnessing the scene, they would not dare to commit or
attempt a foul deed against the carriages - they merely wanted
to find their individual masters amidst the injured. But as the
stagecoaches now passed them by, they stared at the crestless
carriages with eyes beaded and focused like hellhounds.

Fan Xian and his party were now nestled inside the carriages
again. The Qinian Unit and their two injured and ashamed
members faded away into the black of the night. Inside, Fan
Xian rested his eyes in a manner that suggested nothing had
just happened. As the others watched him, they did not dare
say a word.

All of a sudden, Fan Xian himself roused his eyes open again
and said, "That was odd. How was the brothel able to summon
such a legion of little bloodthirsty bastards?

Deng Ziyue asked, "You brought great harm to numerous

grandsons of the dukes; don’t you need to prepare yourself for
possible backlash? I highly doubt your identity can remain
hidden for much longer."
 Fan Xian looked at him and replied, "Bah. They are just a
collective of down-and-out fighters. Who gives a damn? What
concerns me is who was behind this assault."

Deng Ziyue, with a lowered voice, then asked, "So, what do

we do next?"

Fan Xian laughed and responded, "Tomorrow… you will go

to the Baoyue Brothel and retrieve the 10,000 tael we left in
their possession."

Fan Xian referenced an anecdote from Zhuangzi, an ancient Chinese text from the late Warring
States period. In that story, a praying mantis attempts to block a carriage from moving forward,
unaware that it is not powerful enough for the task at hand.
Chapter 286: There is Concern
The carriage traversed a fair number of quiet roads and lanes,
going in circles around the capital when all of a sudden a sharp
noise emanated from behind a nearby house. It was not,
however, particularly loud. Deng Ziyue turned around to
report it and said, "We knocked out a few more of their
servants. We are good to go now."

Fan Xian gave a wry smile and nodded as he responded, "You

know, it’s strange. Even though you guys were selected by
Wang Qinian, and the profiles of yours I was able to examine
listed your talents that included spying, tracking, and the
masking of trails – yet, when it came to fighting, why did you
lack the prestige expected of the Overwatch Council?"

Deng Ziyue, with an embarrassed look, said, "Sir, most of the

members of the group are composed of the First and Second
Bureaus' elders. Mister Wang was always best at tracking, so
the reason why he chose us was because we are good at
precisely that." Deng Ziyue paused to think for a moment, and
then continued, "Sir, about today, you stepping in as you did
was our fault. It was a dereliction of duty. But, may I ask that
you send for someone from the Sixth Bureau? They are the real
assassins of the Overwatch Council. In our journey north, you
saw what they are capable of. Their combat skills far exceed
ours."

Fan Xian shook his head and gave no verbal response, as he

feared establishing a relationship with "The Shadow". Upon
one of the few times he went to visit Chen Pingping, he had
only managed to see him once. Even though that person was
absolutely silent, you could tell from a simple look that he was
from the Sixth Bureau of the Overwatch Council. He had
actually expressed interest in Fan Xian at one time, for he was a
student of Wu Zhu.

This interest must not be taken for a romantic one; he merely

fancied the prospect of a duel with Fan Xian.

Therefore, Fan Xian was slightly unnerved by the thought of

making contact with the Sixth Bureau. But, in putting their
strength into perspective, the Tiger Guards that Fan Xian’s
father secretly trained would still exceed and defeat the Sixth
Bureau in battle. And according to Yan Bingyun’s predictions,
it may not be all that long before Fan Xian would be granted
the protection of the Tiger Guards, anyway. As such, there was
no need to hurry.
 "Investigate every illegal aspect of business the Baoyue
Brothel has been involved in."

Fan Xian issued this order quietly.

Deng Ziyue was horrified, and asked, "But what of the elusive
owner? The man behind the curtains?"

Fan Xian thought for a while before shaking his head once
more, and he told him, "If the Baoyue Brothel is covering for
him, then we’ll take it on from the outside and get that place
shut down. If we do this, the owner might get anxious."

He was thinking that with the revenue and percentage share

the owner would receive from the operations of the Baoyue
Brothel, it may all have had something to do with Li
Hongcheng. Firstly, Sang Wen did mention that the manager of
the establishment was surnamed Yuan, and secondly, who else
could make the brutish grandsons of the dukes do that which
they attempted to? He continued to think, "If Crown Prince
Jing and Ruoruo’s wedding is already well-known, and if the
second prince wanted to leverage tonight to suppress the
Overwatch Council and I, then it may very well be true."
 The thought and image of Crown Prince Jing making use of
the events that had transpired with the Baoyue Brothel that
night made Fan Xian’s blood boil. Even though he had been
trying to undermine their marriage, he would never allow
anyone to exploit or tarnish his or his sister’s reputation.

Fan Xian had only wished to visit a brothel with his

workmates, but it had taken an abhorrent turn; one that would
lead to the beginning of a new investigation. At the mere
thought of what had occurred that evening, Fan Xian was
greatly annoyed. He looked at Lady Sang Wen, who was sat
beside him quietly, and then he said, "I will arrange to have
someone escort and accompany you to someplace beyond the
city walls for a while, until the heat cools off. When the case is
wrapped up, you can come back safely. But first, there is
something you must do for me. I need a statement. I want you
to write down every last detail you can provide me with about
the Baoyue Brothel.

After talking with Sang Wen, he knew that this Lady was a
woman of careful deliberation and organization. In regards to
dealing with the Baoyue Brothel, she would be of great service.
 Deng Ziyue did not know why Fan Xian sought to get further
involved with the Baoyue Brothel. He simply believed that Fan
Xian was simply seeking revenge over what had occurred that
night, or if not that, then to find out who was supporting them
from within the Overwatch Council.

Shi Chanli then thought of something. He looked toward Fan

Xian, and Fan Xian noticed his desire to speak. He gestured an
allowance to do so and then he spoke before Sang Wen. "Sir,
why don’t you go ask Mu Tie? He was the temporary chief of
the First Bureau in your absence from the capital. It was during
that time that the Baoyue Brothel was established. If he
reminded you, he must know something."

Fan Xian closed his eyes and shook his head and proceeded to
reply, "The reason why Mu Tie reminded me, but did not
provide me with all the details, was because it must have
something to do with me or my family. If he would do his part
and tell me, that would be enough. I wouldn’t have to drag him
into this mess any further. Besides, for something this small, if
I am unable to handle it on my own, how can I expect to
perform in the field of politics?"
 The carriage then descended into silence, permeating the
aura of the interior with an unnerving atmosphere. After all,
everyone had just witnessed Fan Xian fighting like the spirit of
a madman. And to now see him turn back into a thoughtful
fellow with a soft smile was strange.

Fan Xian's talent in battle, was something the whole world

knew of after what had occurred at Niulan Street last year. For
those that had witnessed his skills first-hand, few could
extrapolate or tell of any more, for they would most likely be
dead. As such, what had been seen today was quite the rare
sight.

Fan Xian once warned Mu Tie to not become Wang Qinian

and try to be a funny guy. Deng Ziyue had been listening to the
Commissioner the entire time, and he could tell from his tone
that he was depressed. His mind wandered to ponder what
their former masters were like in the performance of their
duties. He then carefully asked, "Sir? Earlier in Baoyue
Brothel, why were you so sure I was in possession of 10,000
tael?"

Fan Xian opened his eyes with a smile and replied, "the last
time the Cui family gave us 20,000 taels as a gift, you said you
were worried that your subordinates would do nothing but
waste the money. So, you gave them 100 tael each; amounting
to the total of 3,200. And then you gave that old man, Wang
Qinian, 5000 tael, did you not? That left you with 11,800 tael."

Fan Xian closed his eyes, and spoke as if he were an

omnipotent being who knew all about everything. He said,
"You are a thrifty person. The food you eat and the clothes you
wear are all provided by the Council. Even when you were
invited to the Overwatch Council’s Third Bureau, Mister Peng’s
son’s wedding party, you only put 5 tael in your red gift packet.
And even with such a meager sum, you made sure to moan and
complain before me a multitude of times about it. You even
went on to make a speech about how you sought to end this
'sordid culture'. At the rate you go, your monthly expenses
likely do not exceed 2 tael.

"You are different from Wang Qinian. You aren’t married;

you have been single this entire time. So, what were you, such
a frugal man, going to do with 11,000 tael? I knew from your
cautious nature that you weren’t going to simply leave it lying
around at home."
 Fan Xian smiled and patted Deng Ziyue's shoulders lightly,
continuing, "But to be prudent is to be prudent. That young
widow who is your neighbor; if you do not wish to marry her,
you should at least buy her some jewelry or a well-meaning
gift. Do not make her think you are a cheap man. The
Overwatch Council cannot bear this sort of embarrassment!"

Everyone in the carriage started laughing.

Deng Ziyue’s mouth was wide open in surprise. He then

started explaining, "Sir, about the money thing, I informed you
of how I was to distribute it. 100 tael is a lot of money!"

Fan Xian began laughing, and mockingly responded, "That’s

stingy! And tell me, why were you so generous to Wang? He is
no longer your boss."

Deng Ziyue in his defense, quietly said, "Mister Wang is back

in the northern Qi Kingdom. It crossed my mind to think that
if anything were to happen to him, his family may have need of
the money."
 Fan Xian did not expect to hear a response like that. He
sighed, for he was rather touched. If Wang Qinian was just an
ordinary member of a diplomatic envoy of the Qing Kingdom,
or even an exchange student staying in the northern Qi
Kingdom, he would be totally safe. He could fit in with the
locals without issue. But Wang Qinian was a highly-trained
spy; if his identity were ever to be exposed, what would
become of him?

Shi Chanli asked, "Are we really going back to the Baoyue

Brothel tomorrow to retrieve our money?"

Fan Xian was still lost in thought, thinking of Wang Qinian,

who was so far from home, and the recent development of Si
Lili having now entered the palace. His mind was already
entangled, so hearing Shi Chanli ask this made him look
peeved. The Overwatch Council had been working their
hardest, putting their lives on the line for the government, and
yet the princes and nobles were constantly bickering and
attempting to harm each other. They were even trying to drag
the Overwatch Council into their petty feuds. It was horrible.

"Of course we are going!"

 He coldly told Deng Ziyue, "And you are going to reveal your
identity when you go there. Earlier, when I was talking to that
woman, she mentioned that if I bought Sang Wen this night,
then I would be bringing her back by the next. And then, they
attempted to have us attacked during in the middle of the
night. Someone who can do what they say – of course we have
to be nice to them.

"If we said we will take back the 10,000 tael, then we will
have to get it back." Fan Xian said this with firm assurance.

Teng Zijing accepted the order and prepared to escort Sang

Wen to the village outside the capital when the gates opened
the following day. After Fan Xian had dealt with all the
arrangements, he returned to his room.

In the blankets, Wan’er noticed Fan Xian’s worried demeanor.

She asked him what had occurred to make him like this, and
Fan Xian did not hold back. He told her of everything that had
transpired that night. His insistence on visiting the brothel on
behalf of an investigation was in some way truthful, and thus
he did not lie.
 Wan’er said, "Something is strange about this."

Fan Xian nodded. "I think so."

Wan’er had lived in the palace for a very long time. It was
because of this that she did not understand what happened on
Minister Lane and the issues concerning the dukes. She told
Fan Xian, "Tomorrow, if you have the opportunity, you should
go and ask Sizhe's mother about it. The Liu family grew up on
Minister Lane, and their house is nearby the ducal manors.
You might be able to gather additional information from her."

Fan Xian denied his own thought process to hear what

Wan’er had to say. The Liu family was experienced, and they
did all that they did without leaving a trace. They would not
get themselves involved during their season of popularity. But
now, Fan Xian was more familiar with the Liu family, and
Sizhe's mother was always putting the Fan family, Fan Xian’s
father included, as a number one priority.

"Tomorrow, you plan to return to the Baoyue Brothel?"

Wan’er’s eyebrows were frowning as she asked this. "Those kids
that run amok in the capital, they are manifestations of all
manners of evil. Even if you did break each of their bones, you
should still be wary."

Fan Xian shook his head and responded, "Do not fear for my
well-being. I am really careful when it comes to such dealings,
and I have been ever since I was young." He had a smile upon
his face, and continued by saying, "Back in the day, when I was
still in Danzhou, what I wanted to do more than anything was
to beat up those spoilt, rich thugs. But I never did it. I find it
hard to believe that I satiated my childhood desires tonight."

Wan’er lightly poked his chest and said, "In Danzhou?

Weren’t you the biggest, richest kid there?"

Fan Xian did not respond to her question, instead, he told

her, "The scariest thing in this world is not the cold-blooded
killer; it is the one who likes to kill without a purpose. Those
kids were all like that. They wanted to kill without reason. If
you must kill, then you should at least have a reason for doing
so. Those kids were…

"...they merely reveled in the excitement of taking lives. If a

baby could kill someone, they would do it just for a sip of milk.
That is because babies don’t yet have a conscience, and they
cannot feel guilty. At that age, they don’t know anything yet.
Therefore, in regards to those brats, the younger they are, the
worse they would inevitably be; possessing no respect for the
earth, government, or people. The things they do will only
become more and more ruthless and cruel. If they were to let
go of their self-taught principles, it would become like the
flood in Jiangnan this year, unable to be fixed."

He shook his head. He thought about the evil children that

lay battered and beaten, strewn across the cobbled street where
he stood earlier in the night, and as he did so, he felt slightly
depressed. He closed his eyes, feeling it to be sadness deep in
his heart.

That night, his fighting on the lane scared many people. The
department in charge of the security of the capital took the
most pressure. Those thugs on the street constantly leveraged
their family’s status to do that which they pleased, and that
included their malicious deeds. To see their free reign come to
a halt and for them to end up bloodied and broken, lying on
the street, was quite the surprise.
 The officers who were in charge of this case, after they saw
the injuries of the kids and the broken bones that they
suffered, were taken aback. After hearing of the elusive "Mister
Chen", they were stricken with both fear and wonder. Whoever
that person was, he must have been extremely harsh and
uncaring to not consider the power that the royal families of
the thugs possessed.

It was just like Deng Ziyue had said; it would be impossible

to keep Fan Xian’s identity hidden from everyone in the
capital.

After the news of what had occurred that night had

circulated across the city, and even though the government had
yet to find the "Mister Chen" responsible, many smart people
had it figured out. The men in black had been spotted jumping
from roof to roof that night, and it was well-known that the
Overwatch Council’s young Commissioner had a collective of
such people for bodyguards, who were referred to as the
"Qinian Unit".

"Let Yuan Meng return." The Qing Kingdom’s second prince

had a softness in his eyebrows when he said this. He gently
continued, saying, "If you offend Fan Xian, you aren’t going to
have a pleasant day."

The Crown Prince Li Hongcheng slowly walked to the

window, his heart going cold as he reflected upon the concern
shared by his brother. He told him, "No one could have guessed
that Fan Xian would visit a brothel. With his lonely
personality, he is sure to not let it go."

The second prince smiled and grabbed a piece of dried fruit

from the plate beside him. He peeled away the skin and ate it,
and as he chewed, he said, "The more information Fan Xian is
able to gather, the more crimes he is sure to uncover there. He
will become more and more confident as he does this, and it is
sure to lead to some interesting scenarios."

Li Hongcheng looked at him and said, "In the beginning, you

set this all up, but why are you now allowing Fan Xian the
opportunity to show off?"

The second prince appeared to be quite inattentive, and after

a while he said, "It is because, after all this time, I have been
searching for a way in which I could reconcile with Fan Xian.
This issue with the Baoyue Brothel is our final opportunity to
make peace. If Fan Xian is willing to put his hand out, I would
be honored to hold it. I want to give him a chance to be the one
who wants to make this peace."
Chapter 287: Heroes Start Young
The government’s volition to investigate the Baoyue Brothel
was restricted by the second prince. They were aware that the
Baoyue Brothel’s owner had associations with various criminal
syndicates in the capital, but they always turned a blind eye to
this. The restrictions that had been enforced by the prince,
however, did not apply to the Overwatch Council. Even though
they lacked the authority to investigate the government’s
problems, they were able to leverage the government’s
malpractices as a method to obtain information.

Fan Xian was sitting in his study, reading the case files in
front of him, and he was frowning. The Baoyue Brothel was
owned by two individuals, and a shroud of mystique veiled
both of their identities from only a select few. In regards to the
establishment at large, their methods of operation were both
fearless and cruel. The Baoyue Brothel had only been open
since the spring, and despite that, over the course of a few
months, they had utilized their hard cash and brutality to
intimidate and bully several other brothel establishments to
close up and shutter their doors for good. It was through these
measures that they were able to exclusively employ many well-
known courtesans, as well, which would only serve to
heighten their reputation.
 After his trip to the Baoyue Brothel, Fan Xian could see that
the owner must have been exceptional at running businesses,
all the way down to the finest of details. But despite the
legitimacy of the establishment, there was no possible way to
hide the darker side of the place, and the notoriety of the
methods they had used to secure their current position were
plain to see. Mu Tie was correct; for in less than a month, four
underperforming escorts had completely disappeared, and for
all anyone else knew, they most likely were killed and had their
bodies disposed of. But there was far worse, too, for there were
records indicating the employment of under-age prostitutes
and their willingness to cater to sick fetishes.

As Fan Xian read more, his eyebrows became sharper and

sharper; all the while his heart continued to sink. From
between now and his past life, the world seemed to never be
free of darkness, and here, in the clear skies of the Qing
Kingdom, the obscenities and immoralities highlighted this all
the more. The nobles would make frequent use of the authority
that their positions yielded in order to exploit and abuse those
who were below them. That which has been occurring with the
Baoyue Brothel was nothing particularly unique under the
administration of the government. All the nobles and officers
were known to make use of these methods to line their pockets.
 In regards to those who were not wealthy, and to those who
scraped by in poverty and the unfairness they were treated
with… Back in the day, Fan Xian would have gladly obliged to
remain a bystander, letting the evil of this world be and do as it
may. He would have forced himself to ignore it, if that’s what it
took, for he did not think of himself as a savior to any
particular person. Fan Xian himself already had enough
benefits, and with the authority he had been given, he enjoyed
his social standing. As a person of wealth and status, however,
he still showed refrain whenever he engaged with the rich,
noble circles and, for the previously mentioned issues, held his
tongue.

But his silence and acceptance of the current state of affairs

did not mean he had gotten used to it. And despite being in this
muck for as long as he had, he had still not goten over it.

The events at the Baoyue Brothel were not enough to change

his principles. Perhaps he would attempt to do what he could
in the name of good, like his freeing of Sang Wen and the
attempt to suppress the establishment in question, in order to
reel in the nobles and have them be gentler going forward. He
wanted to adjust and possibly diminish the class segregation
that existed within society, but he resolved to do what he could
through smaller acts; he chose to not do things by any drastic
means, like a thunderbolt.
 To react like a thunderbolt would be to deny everything the
Baoyue Brothel had committed. It would mean he was to
challenge the entire world, or some such act that was equally
incredulous. Only one such other person had done so before,
and that was Ye Qingmei. But considering this was Fan Xian’s
mother, it would be a safe bet to say she failed.

The Baoyue Brothel did not seem quite right, and the reasons
for its establishment were most certainly not so simple. Fan
Xian could smell the stench of nastiness and antagonism from
outside of its doors. Deep in his heart, he made repeated
assumptions about the nature of the place, each one worse
than the last, but it got him nowhere. His frustrations were
only exacerbated.

Therefore, he resolved to return to the Baoyue Brothel and

confirm whether or not his assumptions were true or not.

It was a sunny day for an autumn afternoon. The leader of

the Qinian Unit, Deng Ziyue, had come again to the Baoyue
Brothel.
 Seeing his emotionless face, each and every security guard of
the Baoyue Brothel quickly gathered around with the intent of
beating him to death. But taking notice of his black and dour
outfit, it made his possible assailants take a step backwards. It
was as if they were taken aback by an unpleasant smell that
emanated from his clothing.

Deng Ziyue was wearing the Overwatch Council’s uniform on

this day, so his identity was not the same as it was the prior
night. It had been previously stated that the Baoyue Brothel
was receiving support from the Overwatch Council, and so,
they dared not attack him. They immediately called for the
attention of a manager, which then approached and directed
Deng Ziyue to a quiet room on the third floor.

Inside the room, there were curtains veiling someplace he

could not see behind.

In front of the curtains lay a table that had been built from
Qingzhou stone. The table’s surface was immaculate. Shi
Qing'er, bearing a wide smile, welcomed Deng Ziyue and bid
him to sit at the table. Charmingly, she then spoke, "Oh, you
are the lord from the Overwatch Council? Yesterday’s kerfuffle
was entirely our fault. If I had known you were from the
Overwatch Council, I would have handed Sang Wen over to
you right away, free of charge. I would never have dared to take
your money!"

As she spoke, her eyes would occasionally flicker toward the

curtain. She did not take action to present the money, either.

Deng Ziyue knew someone had to be behind the curtain, and

the thought of that person being one of the elusive owners of
the Baoyue Brothel crossed his mind. He had been in the
Overwatch Council for eight years, but never once had he
engaged in a transaction with a corrupted merchant of sorts.
But Fan Xian, his master, had demanded him to return the
10,000 tael banknotes. And having made the trip, here he was
once more. After a while, he coldly smiled and responded, "You
are quite polite. It was just that when we departed last night,
we bumped into a few puppies on the road. Today, I came here
to enquire about whether or not those dogs belonged to this
establishment."

Shi Qing'er’s face did not change, but she was worried. Last
night, she assumed that the guests were officers from the 13th
Yamen. Who could have expected they actually came from the
Overwatch Council? The second owner’s brothers were always
rampaging about the capital, and no one would have guessed
that they were to be the ones who beat them up as brutally as
they did. But now one of them had returned and he had not
come politely. It already seemed as if the day’s proceedings
would go awry.

It was strange, for despite the time that had since elapsed,
their inability to yet uncover that Mister Chen was
Commissioner Fan of the Overwatch Council was rather quite
vexing. And it was because of this that she still did not take the
enigmatic Mister Chen seriously. She could also be unwilling
to return the 10,000 tael because the man behind the curtains
had encouraged her not to.

Shi Qing'er’s face was chilled, and she returned a fickle smile.
Then, she told Deng Ziyue, "Sir, that which you say is quite
interesting. Since when did the Overwatch Council become
involved in the prostitution trade? Shouldn’t these matters
belong to the government? If you, Mister, were to be bitten by
a dog, be wary of infection. What you should do is return
home and rest, rather than coming here and patronizing our
establishment again." She smiled and continued, "Sir, your
stamina is impressive."
 Deng Ziyue’s voice suddenly erupted with anger. In rage, he
yelled, "This is ridiculous! If you do not make amends for your
misdeeds last night, be wary of inciting the wrath of my boss,
who will tear this hovel down and burn it to cinders!" Fan Xian
had ordered Deng Ziyue to be hostile at the Baoyue Brothel, but
the man felt uncomfortable shouting at others in such a way.
After all his years in the Overwatch Council, however, the
ability to speak in an intimidating manner came naturally.

Behind the curtain, someone coughed.

Shi Qing'er’s face turned deadly serious, and she then slapped
the Qingzhou stone table and madly replied, "You witless
worm! How dare you come down here to extort money from
the Baoyue Brothel? The contracts were written clearly,
indicating your purchase of Sang Wen. Are you unable to read?
If you do not leave now, I will strip you of your clothes and
then have you thrown out. May the whole capital witness your
naked body!"

Deng Ziyue, with the sharpest of gazes, peered directly into

Shi Qing'er’s eyes. His ears however, were directed at the
curtains, to which he then picked up movement. With a
callous tone of voice, he told her, "It seems as if you people are
against the Overwatch Council, also."

It was just a brothel, and thus, they were hardly qualified to

be a formal opponent of the Overwatch Council. But Shi
Qing'er was strangely unafraid and smiled back, saying, "Don’t
you bring up the Overwatch Council to scare people. Perhaps
other organizations may buy into your threats, but the Baoyue
Brothel most certainly won’t."

Deng Ziyue laughed out loud and responded, "Ha! You have
some nerve, lady." He then stood up, gave another look toward
the curtain, and prepared to leave.

"Stop right there!"

Save for two coughing sounds, the area behind the curtains
had been silent thus far. And now, someone spoke. The voice
was of a young person, unmistakably, but it possessed a tone of
disdain and a flourish of nobility. The curtains then withdrew
a bit. The owner of the Baoyue Brothel, who had remained out
of sight from all, now appeared in front of Deng Ziyue, as clear
as day.
 Deng Ziyue, with great surprise, slowly turned around. His
eyes were now opened wide, and his pupils receded in size. He
had never expected the owner’s identity to be him, and he
would never have guessed that this owner desired an audience
with him.

He looked upon the young person who was stood behind the
curtains, dressed up fancily in yellow clothing and, in his
heart, Deng Ziyue was beginning to feel overwhelmed by the
nigh unbelievable ridiculousness of the scenario. Not only was
the Baoyue Brothel the biggest and most popular brothel in the
capital, but it was the most wicked and heinous, too. In this
place, where each and every day of business was met with
countless customers and their coinciding nighttime moans and
groans, it was owned by… a little boy who was less than ten
years old.

Deng Ziyue stared at the young boy, who was clothed in

yellow, utterly dumbfounded. When the initial shock had
passed, his eyebrows descended into a frown. Even though his
identity was quite special, if he was indeed the owner of the
Baoyue Brothel, it was an extremely shocking revelation that
shook Deng Ziyue to his very core.
 After a moment of silence, he dropped to his knees and bid
the boy, "I am a subordinate of the boss of the Overwatch
Council. Greetings, third prince."

The Third Prince?

...The Emperor’s youngest son was an owner of the Baoyue

Brothel.

Shi Qing'er, seeing this Overwatch Council officer, who had

just previously been yelling with a face of fire, now go soft and
drop to his knees before the owner, began laughing in spite.
Did it matter how much authority and power that the
Overwatch Council possessed? They were mere dogs in
comparison to the Emperor. The room was quite typical for
that of a brothel, but then there stood the son of the Emperor.

"This… Mister Deng? Do you not have anything further to

say?" Shi Qing'er’s face was dressed with a most scornful smile.
 Exceeding Shi Qing'er’s expectations, Deng Ziyue, who had
quickly descended to his knees, had already now stood up
before the third prince had even responded. On his feet, he
spoke, "I am following my master’s orders. I've come to make
inquiries and yet the lady here has yet to answer any of my
questions. I will report all of my findings upon my return, but
as for what happens next, the Commissioner will deal with
such matters."

The third prince was the youngest son of the Emperor of the
Qing Kingdom. His mother was the most favored wife in the
palace, Yi Guipin. He was just a child and already he had built
a brothel. The entire concept sounded ridiculous, but there it
was, directly before Deng Ziyue’s eyes. His temples leapt twice,
and he had to bury the feelings he wished to express deep down
in his heart. Politely, he said, "I will take my leave."

The face of the third prince was still one that looked
immature, but seeing the little officer attempt to walk away
from him incited great wrath. Fiercely, the prince threw his
teacup at Deng Ziyue. Even Fan Xian, outside the city gates
when he had first returned from Northern Qi, could see that
the third prince was young, but that his age did not belie the
smarts he possessed. Still, he really was just a child, and it was
because of this that he became furious at a mere hint of
disrespect. For all intents and purposes, he was a spoiled brat.
 The third prince went forward, pointing at Deng Ziyue’s nose
and began yelling, "Why are you leaving, huh? Where are you
questions now? Did you not want me to return your 10,000
tael?"

Deng Ziyue gave a wry smile, and he thought to himself, "No

matter how powerful the Overwatch Council is, it would be
futile to go against a prince for any sum of money. But judging
from the way the Emperor operates, the Overwatch Council
doesn’t owe the prince anything. And Fan Xian repeatedly
reminded me last night that, as a subordinate of the
Commissioner, no matter what was to happen, I should not
embarrass the Overwatch Council." Therefore, Deng Ziyue
maintained his composure and politely responded, "Regarding
the banknotes, my boss will come here to talk it over next time.
But, my third prince, would it not be best to avoid getting too
involved in a business such as this?"

Shi Qing'er, who had watched the exchange, was absolutely

shocked at what she heard. In her heart, she believed that if the
Overwatch Council was indeed as reckless as the tales told,
then he did not respect the prince at all.
 The third prince was less than ten, but he was born to the
royal family. This little boy had been born with power and, as
such, the way his mind worked was different from most. The
prince coldly smiled and said, "Since when did the Overwatch
Council’s men become beggars, asking for money in such a
manner? Cousin, do you know who this man is?"

After he said this, the half-open curtain fully withdrew to

reveal the presence of a multitude of fighters. Seeing the faces
of the fighters, Deng Ziyue was surprised, for he could
immediately sense the power that emanated from them. These
were not the average thugs that patrolled and bounced for the
establishment.

One of the first two young men who stood in front of the
fighters appeared to seethe with anger. His right hand was
bandaged tightly and had blood cascading from out of the
claret-soaked cloth. It was the person who had his hand pierced
by the bolt of a crossbow the previous night.

Deng Ziyue did a double-take, for he knew how unlucky he

was today. But he saw the person beside the boy who had been
the recipient of a bolt, and noticed that his face appeared even
worse. To see his face brought Deng Ziyue a surprise greater
than the initial reveal of the owner being none other than the
third prince himself.

He frowned and looked upon the chubby young man, who

had a mole on his cheek. He then quietly said, "Sir, you are the
owner of the Baoyue Brothel, too?"

This chubby young man wasn’t unknown to him, for he was

Fan Xian’s little brother, Fan Sizhe.

Deng Ziyue could never have expected that the Baoyue

Brothel, the establishment that Commissioner Fan Xian had
decided to investigate, was owned by none other than his
younger brother.

Compared to the third prince, who was profoundly arrogant,

and the fighters that desired nothing more than to beat up
Deng Ziyue, Fan Sizhe’s face looked notably more awkward.
His face was pallid, and his eyes harbored an image that
suggested a desire to murder Deng Ziyue. But this was out of
fear more than anything else.
 He exploded into a rage, looked towards the prince and
hollered, "You idiot! Do you not know who he is!?"

The third prince was taken aback upon hearing the

belligerency of the tone that was spoken toward him and, after
thinking, he replied, "You dare to yell at me?!"

Fan Sizhe grinded his teeth and took a deep breath to regain
composure. He knew what had occurred the previous night,
and he had sent for someone to take a look and report the
aftermath to him . He had hoped to learn why the 13th Yamen
officer had attempted to disrupt their business, harm their
reputation, and falter their stream of income. He would never
have guessed it was someone from the Overwatch Council.

He closed his eyes and took two almost humorously long

breaths and looked toward the third prince again. He stroked
his head and, in an appeasing tone, told him, "Oh, but look at
all the great deeds you have done." His heart jumped, knowing
that someone must have hidden something.

The third prince and Fan Sizhe were cousins. At the

beginning of the year, they opened the Baoyue Brothel together
and everything had been smooth sailing ever since. Knowing
that the older cousin was a genius of managing business and
finance, he could not fathom why he was not quite himself this
day. The prince thought to himself, "Even if they are from the
Overwatch Council, what is he afraid of? I am the prince, after
all, and his brother does hold the highest position of authority
in the Overwatch Council."

His youthful face was distorted into a perplexed look.

Fan Sizhe, took yet another baritone breath and after its
release, looked upon Deng Ziyue with a strange glimmer of
hope. He asked, "This Mister Chen, is he…?"

Deng Ziyue calmly looked at the young man and pondered as

to why he felt such regret and remorse towards his master, Fan
Xian. In response, Deng Ziyue nodded.

Fan Sizhe’s face looked as if it had just been petrified, but the
insides of his mind were whirling like a hurricane. He thought
about whether or not he should slay Deng Ziyue right where he
stood and abandon all of his dealings with the Baoyue Brothel.
He was horrified at the thought of what were to happen if his
big brother found out.
Chapter 288: Follow Me Home
What kind of person was Fan Sizhe?

Actually, he was a fairly ordinary young man of the capital,

whose heritage was that of a wealthy family. Due to his
family's affluence, he had always been a popular child in the
city. He was only a small boy when Fan Xian arrived at the
capital, and at 12 years of age, hated his brother with a passion.
Of course, he was a smart guy, and so he knew that he had been
restricted by the baron's heir. He was the sort of person that
could not stand losing, but when it came to his personal
interests, he was always keen to read ledgers and other
financial documentation. Perhaps he did not even realize it
himself, but he was exceptionally articulate and
knowledgeable when it came to business and financial
management.

There are many sides to a person, and that most certainly

applied to Fan Sizhe. As a 14 year old noble of the capital, he
was naive, enthusiastic, presumptuous and he even contained
a streak of a callousness. It would not be fair to look at him
from solely one perspective.
 His father was a prominent man in the government, for he
was the minister of the Ministry of Revenue. His name was Fan
Jian. Fan Sizhe's grandmother was a nanny for the Emperor,
and his birth-mother was a valued friend of Yi Gui Pin. His big
sister, Fan Ruoruo was perhaps the most famous, intellectual
woman in the entire city and soon, she was to be married to the
Crown Prince, Li Hongcheng.

And with his big brother, to which it seemed as if he held

great contempt towards, they actually got along fairly well
with each other. His brother was perhaps the finest linguist of
the generation, the Emperor's most trusted young officer, and
to top it all off, he was the commissioner of the Overwatch
Council. The man was an idol to every scholar, student and
remote intellect in the entire world. He had married a princess,
sorted out the palace treasury and even sat in the Emperor's
study room! His brother must have been the luckiest person to
ever exist and his name, at this point, must have been
distinguished enough to be heard by all. It was as if he had
garnered so much renown, he was like a shining statuette of
gold whenever he walked amongst the populace.

Yes. That was his amazing big brother, Fan Xian.

 With an illustrious heritage such as this, they seemed to be a
one-in-a-kind entity. It was doubtful that any other family had
achieved as much success ever since the very establishment of
the Qing Kingdom. Being born into such an environment,
however, what could be expected of him, Fan Sizhe?

Before Fan Xian entered the palace, Fan Sizhe was already an
infamous thug of the capital. Back then, it was due to him
being young and still undecided as to what he wanted to do
with the life he had been given. Therefore, what he chose to do
was to be little more than a delinquent, in which he would
spend his days eating freely, thieving from others, riding
horses in the street and being a plain, old bully to others. He
never went overboard or was responsible for huge misdeeds
and grievous crimes, however, for Ruoruo was in charge of
familial discipline. But this was the sort of life he had grown
accustomed to. It was in his bones and it beared the seeds of
today's recklessness.

After Fan Xian entered the capital, he was allied with his big
sister and big brother, and with them, they reigned in Fan
Sizhe; they attempted to turn his life around and have him
become a well-behaved individual. His parents were always
putting pressure on him as well, forcing him to study
arduously to become an officer, but such burdens were reduced
upon the arrival of Fan Xian. It was if Fan Xian had opened a
whole new door for Fan Sizhe, providing opportunities no
other nobleman had ever given him.

And now, Fan Sizhe finally knew what he wanted to do. He

discovered what he wanted to do with his life. He wanted to
obtain the sort of wealth that the hostess of Ye possessed. That
sort of wealth would be enough to threaten an entire country.
Therefore, he set to utilizing all the knowledge he had
accumulated about accounting, business and finance he had
gathered over the years.

As he grew older, his life goals became clearer and clearer.

Through both his intellect and noble authority, he became
reckless; he became Fan Sizhe, he who was afraid of nothing.

If he desired to do business, what would garner him the most

revenue? Even though the Danbo bookstore was being looked
after by Fan Sizhe and was being managed by Shopkeeper Ye of
the Qingyu Hall, the books they sold did not yield a terrible
amount of profit. And this was even after several other
branches of the business had opened up, in different corner of
the kingdom. Furthermore, the bookstore was still under Fan
Xian's name. Even though the latter point did not concern him
too much, Fan Sizhe desired to build a career of his very own.
 At the same time, the third prince of the palace, the cousin of
Fan Sizhe, held great disdain for the prospect of receiving
education. He could not stand listening to scholars talk all day
long. But still, the prince had a mind of greater maturity and
so, these two began to plot and devise the founding of
something grand in the capital.

One was 14 years of age, and the other was eight. It was this
strange combination that led to the creation of the much
renowned Bao Yue house.

While this collaboration may have seem childish, the

outcome was indeed quite fruitful for them both. And
undoubtedly, it was the result of both of their unique
backgrounds. The restrictions employed by the government
turned out to be of benefit to them. And much to Fan Sizhe's
surprise, he later learnt of Crown Prince Li Hongcheng's tight
business relationship with the Liu Jing He brothel. It was from
this place that he borrowed the manager, Yuan Meng.

It was the results of Fan Sizhe's business acumen, Yuan

Meng's ability to run a brothel effectively and the third prince's
power and authority that led to the Bao Yue house becoming
what it was. The brutality and reckless nature of their
operations also aided their ambitions, and served well to close
down most of the competing brothels in the capital, all within
two to three months. But as for the death toll they had
incurred, and the lives they had ruined? They did not care at
all.

His name was Fan Sizhe. Although he was young, he was a

noble, the very reason he was not concerned with others' necks
being on the chopping block. He was young, reckless, and
didn't much care about or think through the things he did.
This is what Fan Xian and Wan'er always worried about.

But Fan Sizhe did fear something.

He did whatever he could to make the Bao Yue house shine

whilst his brother was away in the north for a few months.
When the business was established, and it had achieved the
popularity he desired, he didn't worry too much. Fan Sizhe
believed that even if Fan Xian was to later find out about the
brothel, there was nothing he could because of how far it had
come.
 But he hadn't thought that something so major would
happen half a year after his brother had left.

The Fan family was still really close with King Jing during
the spring. People believed them to be aligned with the second
prince, which is why he didn't think it was all that bad, making
Li Hongcheng a business associate, that is. Nor should there
have been a problem getting closer with the third prince, that
had been raised by the second prince. But after Han Sen
returned, it surprised him to learn that his brother was now in
conflict with the second prince.

As the brother of an officer, Fan Sizhe didn't think his

wretched misdeeds would insult and set off his brother in the
way that they did. But in regards to the politics of it, he knew
that if he got too close, and his brother found out, it would
mean big trouble!

Ever since September, he had ordered the workers of the Bao

Yue house to maintain a lower profile. He was desperate to get
out of the business, and it had led to him being extremely busy
recently. But he didn't know who made the third prince hide in
the palace, delaying everything until today.
 Fan Sizhe nervously looked at Deng Ziyue, and recognized
him. He was a member of the Overwatch Council and was the
head of Fan Xian's bodyguards. But at the moment, he had
given up the idea of killing him. He knew his brother would
find that he was the owner of the Bao Yue house eventually,
and if he killed even more people, things would only get worse
for him.

"Go back. I will tell him about this."

Fan Sizhe's fat cheeks trembled in fear. He waved and

gestured for the hitmen to hold off on their assault. His
admiration for his big brother still came first, it would seem.

Deng Ziyue looked at him, bowed and then left.

Third prince, with his childish voice, yelled out, "You let him
go? How am I supposed to show my face in the capital now?
How can I allow an officer to bully me?"

Fan Sizhe sighed. He sat down, and glided his hand across the
table's smooth surface. He looked at the woman called Si
Qing'er. He asked her, "Where is Yan'er?"

Si Qing'er was already confused by what she had just

witnessed, wondering why he would be afraid of an officer
from the Overwatch Council. But her status wasn't high
enough for her to learn and be involved with such complicated
affairs. So, she just said, "Yan'er is resting in the backyard.
Would you like to see her?"

Fan Sizhe was only fourteen, and yet had a cruel look only
adults tended to have. After a while, he said, "It's nothing.
Everything will remain the same."

His heart was panicking as he raced to find a solution that

would get him out of this ordeal. If his father learnt about all
this, he was sure he would be beaten to death. His mother
loved him and would most likely go beg before Yi Gui Pin so
that she would beg Fan Xian… but he wouldn't even let the
eldest princess go. He wouldn't be convinced by Yi Gui Pin.

His heart jumped and he looked happy. He thought he might

be able to beg his big sister and sister-in-law. If they both said
something on his behalf, perhaps he wouldn't be punished so
cruelly.

"I have something I must do. I have to go now." Fan Sizhe

coldly looked at the third prince, and he knew something
strange was going on. Although he was young, he was brave.
He then coldly said, "I won't be visiting this place again. I don't
care about the benefits. But in the next three months, hand me
my share."

The third prince shook his head while laughing, and said,
"There is my second brother and your future brother-in-law
here to support you; what are you afraid of?"

Fan Sizhe ignored him. With an evil look in his eye, he told
Si Qing'er, "That ten thousand cheque, send it to him. It may
save your life."

Si Qing'er silently agreed. She knew that she had offended

someone she shouldn't have the night before.
 At the pond near the Bao Yue house, Fan Xian was watching
the boats and birds upon it and the people that wandered
around it. His fingers were tapping a table, and he calmly
contemplated everything that had been transpiring. He didn't
use much energy in formulating his plan of action.

This brothel's owners was Sizhe and the third prince, so the
government would assuredly not look into it. The Overwatch
Council wouldn't do anything because of him. Perhaps the
populace might be led to believe the brothel was Fan Xian's. No
one would report to him, and they would even hide it. Mu Tie
had some balls to mention this whole thing to his face.

Fan Xian had a wry smile on his face as he sipped some wine.
He knew Sizhe had been up to something strange lately, but as
his older brother, he didn't pay him much notice. He told off
Ruoruo and Wan'er, not expecting in this world where men
were the boss, as a sister and sister-in-law, they couldn't
control Fan Sizhe if he desired to do something bad away from
home.

And in regards to the second prince's plans, Fan Xian knew all
about them.
 In the spring, his relationship with the second prince hadn't
been too bad. The reason why the second prince was doing
business with the third prince and Sizhe was to earn some
money. He didn't think there was anything bad he was doing to
the Fan family, he just thought he could improve their ties
through the whorehouse. So, he hid himself, all the while
believing he was doing himself a favor.

In his past life, he had an experience at a brothel. What was

the relation between opening a brothel and welcoming a
customer? If there was really a connection, then it would be
difficult to separate.

But there were some small changes following his return to

the capital, and the second prince was surprised.

With this situation, the Bao Yue brothel was supposed to

improve relations. Instead, it became a tug of war.

If Han Sen wanted to make a move on the second prince, he

would have to acknowledge the assistance of the Bao Yue
house. After all, Fan Sizhe had done some terrible things there.
With the evidence the Overwatch Council had discovered, the
place could be shuttered and Sizhe could go to jail. If people
found out, even though the Fan family could escape the law,
it'd weaken everyone's integrity. It would be a difficult thing
for the Fan family to bear.

To Fan Xian, to be able to stand in court, he knew that aside

from his strange identity, the most important thing was the
way he would fight for his reputation in the past two years.

The brothel that the Fan family opened with the third prince,
had just ended up with harming all parties involved.

Fan Xian, who was always so cool, was now finally annoyed.
He didn't have to care about clearing his own name, but he did
feel compelled to care about his brother's fate now, not to
mention how his father would take things. Chen Pingping
always said he owned his father. So far, things wouldn't be too
difficult to settle. He just needed to be nice and everything that
happened in the Bao Yue house would be taken care of in the
capital. He also had enough time to think about what he might
do with Sizhe. What he needed to do was just shake his hand. It
seemed as if that would be the simplest option for benefiting
them both.
 But Han Sen would not shake hands with the second prince's
dirty hands. Even if his hands were offered as a call for peace,
he would be very careful in testing out his sincerity. He
wouldn't do anything real.

He could tolerate other people threatening to ruin his

reputation, but he could not tolerate someone using his
brother to threaten him. No matter what the second prince was
thinking, he still missed the most important part. He always
thought of things through the benefits they might yield. That
was his sole point of view. He looked at Fan Xian as little more
than an officer, and he didn't realise there was a lot more to
certain prospects than just their benefits. And Fan Xian was not
your usual officer.

Deng Ziyue safely got aboard the carriage and left Bao Yue
house.

Fan Xian felt pleased, now knowing that his brother could
still be saved. He raised his hand, pushed the door open, and
walked into the room. He then pushed open another door.
 He looked at the strange people in there. Fan Sizhe looked
both surprised and afraid. With a emotionless voice he said,
"Follow me home."
Chapter 289: Shutting Down
The security guards outside the room were already knocked
out. Fan Xian was standing alone inside, looking at his
younger brother, who was only 14 years of age. His face was
devoid of any emotion.

It was then that the fighters and the teenagers of the room
awoke. There were people who did not know who Fan Xian was
yet, but they still looked at him with nervous uncertainty. The
young boy whose hand had been the recipient of a crossbow
bolt recognised him as the "Mister Chen" of the previous night,
and so he screamed aloud, ordering a number of his men to
attack Fan Xian directly.

Fan Sizhe was unable to formulate a single cohesive thought

as his mind raced; all he did was grab a teapot and went to beat
someone with it.

…
 Pang!

The fighter that first passed Fan Sizhe on his way to attack
Fan Xian had received a whack on the head with the glass
teapot. Within a second, the man crumbled to the ground, his
head bleeding.

The teapot in Fan Sizhe was holding was in pieces, and the
boiling hot tea that splashed upon his hand scalded. As for the
man that was now on the ground, his head was was emitting
steam. Fan Sizhe’s eyes were full of shock, and as he looked
towards the doors, his right hand was holding the handle of
half a teapot. His hand began shaking, and with a change in his
tone of voice, he spoke.

"Big Brother, why are you… here?"

Fan Xian did not answer him. The people in the room were
currently in extreme shock, pondering why the big boss had
knocked unconscious one of his own men. They looked at Fan
Sizhe with a combination of consternation and fear. Only the
young third prince held a simple, naive look that was not
directed at him. He looked at Fan Xian.
 The people in the room who were quick to catch on,
remembered the title "Big Brother", and from that title, they
now understood who the man before them was. His identity
was at last clear. The reason why the Bao Yue house had been
so arrogant in its operations was because they thought that the
Big Boss’ owner could lean on his big brother, Fan Xian, the
commissioner of the Overwatch Council. They wondered if
this man was indeed the one from the Overwatch Council
whom they believed they would gain support from.

Fan Xian did not believe he had what it took to be the support
of a whorehouse. His eyes looked down and he asked, "Are you
coming back?"

Fan Sizhe did not have time to question the consequences he

were to face upon his return. He bit his teeth and the cheeks of
his chubby face began to wiggle. With an extremely quiet
voice, like a whisper, he uttered a single word: "Yes."

He walked to Fan Xian’s side with his eyes fixed toward the
ground, like a child who had just been told off. Fan Xian
looked at his little brother and it only just struck him by how
much his little brother had grown in the past two years. His
was almost up to Fan Xian’s ears. Deep in his heart, he sighed.
He then told him, "First of all, yes, you did something very
wrong. And secondly, you are not a child anymore. Don’t give
me that pitiful look."

"Yes." Fan Sizhe dishearteningly groaned.

Fan Xian ignored him and now scanned the room and its
dozen fighters/inhabitants. He noticed that there were a few of
the noble kids present that he saw amidst the crowd he beat up
last night. These were the ones who had run away from Fan
Xian, however, so they had not sustained any grievous injuries.
Fan Xian squinted his eyes and still recalled their faces, for he
had a tremendous photographic memory that most others
lacked. Now that the kids knew of who their assailant "Mister
Chen" was, however, they had no choice but to bow before
him.

"Greetings, Big Cousin."

 "Greetings, Uncle."

"Greetings, Uncle Fan."

The two young owners of the Bao Yue house now wore a face
of profound sadness, and they approached Fan Xian, bowing as
they came. Hearing these people talking of which families they
hailed from, Fan Xian was fuming on the inside and could not
help but feel disappointed. He thought to himself, What is this
madness? I was just going to investigate this big case, and the
case turned out to be about me.

It was no wonder why Sang Wen said that the carriages

always came from the shangshu lane. These people before him
were relatives. If they were not from the Fan family, they were
from the Liu family. Fan Sizhe and the third prince were
leaders of this place, and by opening this brothel, it was
inevitable that they would have to get involved sometime.

Fan Xian shook his head and released his pent-up anger. He
hoped that he could throw both of these bad seeds into the
pond behind the building.
 A while later, he managed to quell the fire in his heart once
again. He used one hand to grab Fan Sizhe sleeve like it were a
chicken and walked towards the exit of the room. While the
two brothers were about to step out, the third prince seemed to
at last recover from his thoughts. As he did so, he ended up
beaming with a wide smile. He called out, "Mister Fan? Big
Cousin?"

Fan Xian turned around and looked upon the youngest prince
of the kingdom, and his face also possessed a gentle
appearance. "Third Prince, please never try to pretend you are
an adult in front of me. And one more thing, I am not
interested in having a discussion with a little spoiled brat."

Everyone was aghast. From the day the country was first
established, Fan Xian must have been the first person ever to
have told off and called a young member of the royal family a
spoiled brat. This was most certainly true of the third prince
now before him. Everyone was shocked and taken aback by
how much tenacity Fan Xian must have possessed. They also
wondered that, despite how much the Emperor had taken a
liking to Fan Xian, how an officer like this could so easily talk
to a member of the royal family in such a manner. The third
prince looked at Fan Xian, and the rage that now built up
inside him was enough to make his lips quiver.
 Fan Xian’s demeanor relaxed, then appeared quite polite, and
he said, "The way your mouth quivers and moves like that is a
nice act."

The third prince almost passed out at the overwhelming

anger he was now feeling. But he then thought of what his
mother once told him, that when his Big Cousin was bearing
such a large smile, it meant he was absolutely furious, and that
it was a good idea not to make him any angrier so the third
prince settled for the private grinding of his teeth and said not
a word.

It was currently the afternoon, and as such, there weren’t

many customers around. That which had been occurring
upstairs was made known to those who were, and so they all
moved to the floor where the commotion was coming from.
They actually thought it was quite the poignant sequence to
watch; a big brother teaching his little brother right from
wrong. Those who were aware of what happened the night
before also now knew that the elusive "Mister Chen" was none
other than the widely renowned Fan Xian. Due to his status, no
one would dare interrupt what was going on, but that still
didn’t quell their ardent desire to watch, experience pangs of
worry about what might occur next, in their hearts.

Some of the ladies and security who did not understand the
situation were whispering amongst each other; their eyebrows
indicating their excitement as they discussed what had been
going on. The chubby man who was grabbed by the arm like a
chicken… Was he the boss?" they whispered. "He doesn’t look
like the ruthless and cruel man that was said to own this
place."

And who was that "pretty young man" grabbing their

suspected owner?

Fan Xian proudly walked forward, dragging the "owner" of

Bao Yue. His face didn’t show any particular expression, but
from the corner of his eyes, he caught a glimpse of Lady Yan’er,
who appeared to be fraught with worry.
 His eyebrows jumped. He knew that the situation was
steadily escalating, and these events were now laid bare before
the citizens of the capital. Still, while he never planned on
hiding this entire affair, but he had other methods in mind.

After exiting Bao Yue, they stood in the middle of a quiet and
long lane. Parked on each side of the road was a single carriage.
Fan Xian was to take the carriage to the west, but the carriage
on the eastern side of the road was seen not bearing any
markings or emblems of identification. Then, all of a sudden,
the curtains inside were lifted: Crown Prince Hongcheng
appeared in the window with a look of absolute regret. It was a
look that seemed to suggest there would never be sunshine
again. He waved at Fan Xian.

The sun began to sink in the west, and its setting was making
people uncomfortable. In autumn, the leaves danced on the
breeze, away from their trees. From the tree that shadowed
him, the sun pierced through the thicket of branches and twigs
to illuminate Fan Xian. It seemed as if it blinded him for a
while and while squinting, he looked as if he were annoyed by
its presence.
 Teng Zi Jing appeared as if from out of nowhere and quietly
spoke, "Your father knows you have something to do, so we he
wants me to deliver your brother home first."

Fan Xian did not turn around, and through the slight
movements of his jaw, replied, "Later, there will be someone
from our family going into our manor. You make sure that the
guards maintain extra watch, and do not allow any of them to
leave." He then looked t Fan Sizhe, whose face was robbed of its
color and said, "The next person to secretly slips out from the
manor next, I will break their legs."

The words were not true, but they were said so convincingly
that it drove fear into the hearts of those who heard them.
Teng Zi Jing could clearly sense the anger boiling within Fan
Xian at this moment, and so with great, near-muted caution,
said, "The master said something. He said that you can sort
this out. Today, the manor will close in anticipation of your
return."

Fan Xian nodded and walked toward Crown Prince

Hongcheng’s carriage. Fan Sizhe was behind him, and then he
started to cry. He yelled out, "Big Brother!!", but received no
response. Fan Si Zhi was then made to enter his family’s
carriage.

Fan Xian stood outside the other carriage, with the Crown
Prince Hongcheng at its window; they didn’t seem to be
involved in cautionary negotiations, but rather, it seemed as if
they were idly chatting. Fan Xian laughed and said, "why are
you in a rush to bring back Lady Yuan to Liu Jing He?"

Hongcheng had a wry smile and responded, "I can’t believe

that, even with Yuan Meng, I cannot hide from you."

To this, Fan Xian replied, "you know what I do. To hide

something like this from me is difficult."
 Hongcheng then invited Fan Xian into his carriage, but Fan
Xian merely shook his head in rejection. Looking into the
spacious carriage, there was someone elde alongside the curvy
Yuan Meng.

Inside was an elegant man half-squatting upon his seat. He

looked towards Fan Xian with a gentle, delicate look for that
ask for the same.

Fan Xian’s pupils became smaller, but returned to normal

after a while. He smiled and bowed, saying, "Greeting, Second
Prine."

"In the spring, you and I weren’t as estranged as we are now."

The second prince’s lips only moved a little, but you could tell
from his eyes how mournful he felt about this entire situation.
He then spoke slowly, "How could it come to this?"

Fan Xian smiled and said, "Perhaps Mister Fan does not know
how to appreciate one’s kindness?"
 The second prince then fell silent, but after some time, began
speaking once more. He told Fan Xian, "It is not entirely
appropriate for us to discuss matters in such a manner. Would
you kindly get into my carriage?"

Fan Xian once again put on his smile and shook his head once
more, responding, "I need to hurry up and return home, to deal
with this delinquent child. I don’t have the time to spare."

"I was just passing by." The second prince smiled at Fan Xian
as he said this; but such words were not believed by either of
them.

The entire conspiracy surrounding Bao Yue house had

nothing to do with the second prince. If Fan Xian decided to
investigate and question his involvement, it would only be a
disadvantage, for it would tarnish the Fan reputation
somewhat. If he chose not to investigate, that would be the
best course of action, for they would both profit in more ways
than one. The Fan family members that aimed to become
politicians in the future would have to learn and hone a greater
degree of tolerance.
 The second prince was aware of the emptying of the palace
treasury and due to their dwindling fortunes, viewed the
sustenance and revenue that would continually be provided by
their brothel establishments to be of great value. But when he
weighed the prospect of getting Fan Xian involved, the possible
bounty could be immense.

Fan Xian sighed and said, "To investigate this case and
unearth its connection to me and my family, and let the second
prince see it? This has been a humorous turn of events."

The second prince now shook his head, also, and said, "it is
not that funny. The events surrounding the Bao Yue house
have been far too complicated. Although I refrained from
getting involved myself, I was told by my little brother that at
least 70% of the shares are owned by Fan Si Zhe. You two are
brothers,and if there is something neither of you can control,
then perhaps it would be best to simply let it go?"

Both of them spoke, but each was in the knowledge that there
was something that the opposing party was not revealing.
 "How did he come into such a fortune, to be owner of this
establishment?" Fan Xian shook his head and revealed another
wry smile.

"Hong Yi Gong’s two grandchildren bought shares of the

property, too." The second prince was being quite polite to
inform Fan Xian of this.

Hong Yi Gong was in the Liu manor. Fan Xian feigne surprise
upon hearing this and said, "it looks as though it would be best
if I did not investigate these affairs, then."

The second prince knew that by halting the investigation,

Fan Xian was willing to, for at least the time being, make
peace. Realizing this, his heart was brought much joy and his
face seemed to beam with delight. "Our identity and stature are
not the same, of course, but we are both pitiable people trying
to survive and do the best that we can here in the capital. You
are an important character in the government, and you have
always led and been good to the people below you."

Fan Xian replied, "I am not going to hide. I am not an

honorable officer that is well-versed in the intricacies of law."
He looked into the second prince’s eyes and said, "You have
accounted for everything that could transpire here, so how
could I not take a step back?"

The second prince was taken aback by this remark. He knew

Fan Xian would never admit to his weakness. But then, all of a
sudden, the man began clapping, devoid of emotion. And from
the Bao Yue house, loud noises began to erupt from within.
You could hear the collapsing of people, the breaking and
destruction of furniture and the screams of the lady
inhabitants of that building.

Li Hongcheng’s face changed. He did not know how many

men Fan Xian had brought into the Bao Yue house from the
Overwatch Council’s First Bureau, and with great worry,
implored, "Fan Xian, to be honest, even if you do make this
case and uncover any evidence that incriminates us, why
bother? You cannot harm us either way."

Hongcheng is a straightforward person, Fan Xian thought of

this with a feeling of self-deprecation.
 Seeing Fan Xian’s continued resistance to cooperate with
him, the second prince maintained his composure, but his
heart felt cold. He stared at Fan Xian and said, "these are just
childish matters. Fan Sizhe and my brother were merely bored,
and so they created a brothel they could both play about in.
Don’t take it so seriously!"

Fan Xian knew that what had transpired in Bao Yue was not
enough to bring down a prince. That aside, the handsome
second prince before him obviously had nothing to do with any
of these matters. If starting from Yuan Meng, the most he
could get involved was Hongcheng. If he truly wanted to
investigate, he was only afraid of hurting himself.

"Sizhe is my brother. I will consider and determine the best

course of disciplinary action." He looked back towards the
second prince and said, "It’s just that you should take of your
brother, as well."

Hongcheng could no longer withhold his feelings. He

vigorously shook his head and said, "Fan Xian, there are
matters here that would be most unfortunate for you to
misunderstand. The trade in the Bao Yue house really was
operated by those reckless, foolhardy boys. Asking Yuan Meng
to get involved with the managerial duties? Yes, that I did
know about. But neither I nor the second prince got involved."

Fan Xian shook his head and said, "Sometimes, not getting
involved and watching things unfold is the greater move." He
looked at Hongcheng and said, "besides, I do not believe Fan
Sizhe had possessed the ability to find out that you were with
Yuan Meng."

The operation to ruin Bao Yue was still going on. From the
inside, there were continued screams and the sounds of
running footsteps. The second prince furrowed his eyebrows,
contemplating whether or not Fan Xian was truly this callous.
If it would mean his reputation would go untarnished, he
would happily leave his own family for dead, he thought.

Fan Xian was able to guess what he was thinking, and in a

self-deprecating manner, looked towards the prince and said,
"You didn’t guess incorrectly. I did not dare investigate Bao
Yue, for after all, I was unable to bring myself to deliver Fan
Sizhe to the capital government. If both sides are able to
maintain their peace like this, then the Fan family, Liu family
and people of the Bao Yue house will not have to suffer
pressure from said government in the capital." Even Fan Xian
himself thought that the second prince had played a good
game, and the price he would have to pay was not at all
substantial.

After a while of watching the building from where he stood,

he took notice of Mu Tie performing a secret gesture,
indicating that they were unable to recover the accounting
ledger of the Bao Yue house. He had not expected its recovery,
however, for he suspected that Fan Sizhe’s dirt had already
been taken by the second prince. That kid only knew how to
operate businesses on the sly, but he did not know that beneath
such a person, there were officers from someplace always
keeping an eye on them.

The second prince acknowledged what thoughts had been

traversing the currents of Fan Xian’s mind and put up a smile,
thinking that regardless of what was to happen, the Bao Yue
house was established by Fan Sizhe and there was no
discernable way for Fan Xian to bury that fact. The Fan and Liu
family were now both in this mess, and if he did not want for
this news to get out and circulate, he would have to cooperate.

"Bao Yue house will continue its operations." Fan Xian spoke
calmly, then continued, "I’m sure you will understand what I
mean."

The second prince nodded in confirmation of his

understanding, but deep in his heart, he felt a pang of
discomfort, for he knew that Fan Xian was not the sort of
person you could keep on a leash. He would not be stopped by
a simple brothel, he knew that much, but he worried about
what game Fan Xian might end up playing next.

Fan Xian decided to change the subject, saying, "Speaking of

that, what Hongcheng has done is not right. You are out here
dealing with prostitutes, and it is not my desire to confide in
Ruoruo about this. I hope you will remain more faithful when
the two of you are married. You knew that Sizhe was in the
middle of dirty business out here, yet you did not tell either of
us. Even though I was an ambassador, and was way from the
capital for many months, could you have not informed
Ruoruo? It won’t be long before you are Sizhe’s brother-in-law."
 He looked towards the Crown Prince with remorse and said,
"Hongcheng, you truly disappoint me."

The second prince was silent. No matter how smart he was,

he could not sense the true meanings behind Fan Xian’s words.
Even Li Hongcheng felt guilty when hearing these words
spoken to him, and he had no idea how Fan Xian was to
leverage the events that transpired at Bao Yue.

The investigation was still ongoing at Bao Yue. The second

prince thought that if he was to agree to a settling of peace,
why had he not called it off? He was slightly worried that the
black dogs of the Overwatch Council might uncover the
connection between the Bao Yue house and Li Hongcheng. He
furrowed his eyebrows and said, "Mister Fan, maybe now you
can call your men off? After all, this is the capital
government’s business. The Overwatch Council is supposed to
work inside the government, and what you are doing now goes
against the Emperor’s wishes. He has been quite adamant
about it."

Fan Xian smiled and mockingly responded, "I am just

following that which my family desired. Coming to this
brothel and bringing back a few of my useless and delinquent
relatives that enjoy playing around here. Of course, I did bring
people from the First Bureau, so you could say it’s an abuse of
my authority, but the officers in the government always tend to
use their subordinates for personal matters. My men only
know how to fight, so asking them to retrieve a couple of
relatives should be no big deal."

The second prince was now angry; Fan Xian had emphasised
the word "family", and so he did not know how to respond.

The noise coming from the Bao Yue house had at last ceased.
The officers of the First Bureau of the Overwatch Council were
wearing their disguises, and they brought eight people outside.
Each one was either a relative of the Fan family or Liu family.
They had been deeply involved with the concerns of Bao Yue,
and each of them looked disheartened. At the end of the line
was the noble kid who wanted to kill Fan Xian the night before
and had been shot with s crossbow; he was displaying a whole
new batch of fresh wounds.

Fan Xian’s eyes squinted and peered at his relatives, each of

whom looked terrified. It was as if a frosted wind howled from
his mouth as he spoke, "Take them all back to their respective
manors."
 He turned around and gently said to the second prince, "Do
not worry. I promise you I will get it done. But I want these
people, and it would not be appropriate to use the law to
investigate them. I will use the disciplinary rules and self-given
laws of my family to take care of them."

The second prince thought, No matter how well you use your
family rules, there is no way to hide the fact that several
members of the Fan family own shares of the Bao Yue house.
Your reputation is in the line of fire, whether you like it or not.
As the second prince watched the Fan and Liu family members
be shuffled aboard their carriage to be taken away, his heart
shivered as he pondered what exactly his "family discipline"
consisted of .

Fan Xian looked into his eyes and said, "For the people who
ambushed me last night, please send word so that I am never
made to see them again. Yeah…that’s it."
Chapter 290: Brother
The First Bureau of the Overwatch Council possessed the
necessary sense of proportion and expertise to flawlessly
handle the investigation of the Bao Yue house. As instructed,
they retrieved personnel from the establishment who only
belonged to the Fan family and Liu family. As for the little
bastards that lived in the sovereign manors, many were beaten
up by Fan Xian. There were quite a few who weren’t too deeply
involved with the conspiracy of the Bao Yue house, so they
were left alone.

After Mu Tie had finished gathering up those he was tasked

to, he didn’t report it to Commissioner Fan, who was standing
beside a particular carriage, instead delivering straight to Fan
manor. The officers of the Overwatch Council saw Fan Xian
standing outside the carriage for the longest time without
entering. The reverse could also be said for those who were
inside it; they weren’t coming out. One could almost certainly
tell from a mere glance that the people inside that carriage
were even more noble than Fan Xian himself. Fan Xian was a
relative of the royal family, and whoever was inside it must
have belonged to them.

The investigation of Bao Yue hadn’t yielded much in the way

of progress. Fan Xian desired to destroy the accountancy ledger
which incriminated Fan Sizhe in his involvement with Bao
Yue. Strangely, however, it had become an impossible task to
complete since it couldn’t be found, and it was due to his
failure in this regard that Fan Xian was forced to concede and
establish a temporary peace with the second prince. To
continue with his investigation under such circumstances
would be a foolish move.

The officers of the Overwatch Council had now left. The

officers of the capital government were arriving, coming to
clean up the mess and reinstate the stability of the
establishment and surrounding area. For all intents and
purposes, everything seemed to have gone back to normal. The
Fan and the Liu family were still in possession of 70% of the
shares and stocks of the Bao Yue house; they were the silent,
unspoken pimps of the capital.

Fan Xian was still continuing his intense discussions with the
second prince.

It seemed as if the capital city had now rediscovered

harmony.
 The second prince looked at Fan Xian’s peaceful face from the
carriage. He felt both admiration and appreciation for the
young man, deep in his heart. The events and revelations that
had recently transpired within Bao Yue were enough to drive a
man insane, but there was Fan Xian, perfectly calm. He had
even accepted his call for peace with little to no hesitation. He
really was a person who could evaluate a certain, complex
scenario and make quick but effective decisions on a whim to
best handle what had been dealt out.

Whenever he took sight of that familiar smile on Fan Xian’s

face, deep in his heart, he thought it to be one of fondness, but
that disturbed him somewhat. He repeatedly thought that Fan
Xian must be a kindred spirit of his, alike in many ways. Even
though he was just an officer, the second prince harbored an
overwhelmingly strong desire to engage that man with a deep
conversation.

…
 "Hongcheng, you leave first. I would like to talk to Fan Xian
in private." The second prince said this quietly, and he did not
care for the people on the street, simply disembarking from the
carriage.

Fan Xian frowned, but he was a little surprised at the second

prince wanting a private conversation with him, as earlier Fan
Xian had told him of his desire to returning to the manor as
soon as possible. He was not one for a long chat, at least not
now, but he was the respected prince, and he had actually
disembarked from the carriage especially for him. Fan Xian
was keen to hear of what he had in mind to discuss, even if it
was not out of respect for the second prince; so, he nodded a
yes.

Li Hongcheng looked at him with a sorry face, then bid the

carriage drive away from Bao Yue.

The brocade shoes that the second prince had been wearing
greeted the ordinary cobbles of the street. He began leading Fan
Xian to a nearby teahouse, away from the people who might
nosy in and eavesdrop on their conversation. Followers of the
prince had moved ahead to clear out the teahouse, so that
when they arrived to sit down, they did so privately and only
within their own company.

Fan Xian took a sip out of a bowl of tea and with surprising
delight as he raised his eyebrows and looked at the prince.

The second prince was laughing, saying, "I knew you would
like that tea. Every time we went to visit Hongcheng’s manor,
you would request that very same drink." He then gently said,
"As for Bao Yue, I thought you would hate me."

Fan Xian said, "I am not a saint, so I am afraid that I must

inform you that I do have certain feelings about it."

The second prince shook his head and responded, "In the
beginning, your little brother was talking about business with
my little brother. So yes, I did know about it, and I did indeed
help them secretly…" The second prince studied Fan Xian’s face
while continuing to talk, "but I implore you not to
misunderstand my intent. At the time, everyone was under the
belief that the Fan family maintained a strong relationship
with me and of course, it was never my desire to possibly
threaten you. I was merely looking for an opportunity that
would yield benefits for the both of us, to strengthen our
relationship. How was I supposed to know it would end up like
this? I never wanted things to end up this way."

Fan Xian already knew what the second prince was thinking,
back when they established the Bao Yue house earlier in the
spring, and he was not surprised. But hearing him admitting to
what had done was quite the shock. He was unsure of exactly
how to reply, and so he smiled politely and told him, "The way
you have treated me is quite flattering."

The second prince was not afraid of embellishing this branch

of the conversation further, and so he continued by saying, "I
would like you to know that I have always held you in high
regard. You are quite dear to me… so I did not understand as to
why upon your return to the capital you held me in such
contempt."

Fan Xian laughed, replying, "What you’re talking about is

actually silly. I am just a chancellor, for what benefit could I
possibly earn by opposing you?"
 The second prince peered into his eyes and slowly told him,
"I need you to tell me… I know you are unwilling to be the
pawn of the Crown Prince, so I do not understand your
behavior."

Fan Xian did not expect the second prince to be so honest and
straightforward. Within his delightful surprise, he smiled and
asked him, "Do you truly not understand?"

The second prince looking into Fan Xian’s eyes, then shook
his head.

Fan Xian looked up and used the middle phalanx of his

fingers to knock the wooden table, as a call for service. As he
did this, he said, "Niulan Street."

The second prince suddenly froze. After recovering a while

later, he admitted, "it was my fault, wasn’t it?" After this, the
second prince himself stood up and bowed to Fan Xian.

The son of an emperor bowed before an officer!

 …

There was no expression on Fan Xian’s face that the second

prince was hoping to see. He was like a stone statue, sitting on
his chair. Fan Xian simply looked him in the eye and told him,
"You are a prince, and I am just an officer. You are referring to
the loss of a life; do you really think apologizing to me will
make everything okay? And I, as an officer, should I start
crying and be simultaneously grateful for the apology and feel
sorry on your behalf?"

The second prince took a deep breath, suppressing a sudden

rise in anger that hadn’t visited him in many years. In
response, he coldly said, "Then how am I supposed to mend
fences with you?"

Fan Xian began laughing and said, "When I was investigating

my last case, you obviously seemed to know why. Who makes
my mother-in-law always look at me with such displeasure,
wanting to go so far as to kill me? First, an assassin was sent
after me. Then, it was the Imperial Censorate. And next year, I
am to take over the palace treasury; this in itself will
undoubtedly lead to a conflict with Xinyeng. But if you are able
to promise me at least one thing--and I cannot guarantee any
favoritism, at least in the future--I will ensure that the
Overwatch Council is put in a neutral position."

A chill frosted over the second prince’s heart. The anger in

his heart earlier was already long gone. In the past few
months, the people of the second prince, and the officers that
were allied with him, were being kept tabs on by the
Overwatch Council. Even the harmless astronomers of the
capital were being kept in their sights. All in all, it was putting
those who chose to ally themselves with the second prince
under great duress. Right now, he had just heard that Fan Xian
was able to change the Overwatch Council itself, and so he
thought to himself, Who wouldn’t want that?

He was quiet for a while, and then he raised up his right hand
and gently implored, "please speak, Commissioner."

This sentence referred to Fan Xian by his title, which was

commissioner.
 Fan Xian looked at him with a smile and said, "if you can
keep a certain distance away from the eldest princess, I might
very well guarantee your safety for the remainder of your days.
You can live happily ever after."

The second prince was taken aback, not expecting Fan Xian
to suggest such a ridiculous proposal. To guarantee my safety
for the rest of my life? That is absurd! His anger could no
longer be contained, and so with an outburst, he said, "You
cannot be serious!?"

The both of them weren’t actually all that familiar, but it

was just that their age and positions shared a certain
similarity. But now here they were, just the two of them,
unable to get along with each other.

Fan Xian looked at him and said, "I get it; there is something
you don’t understand. But there is also something I do not
understand either. Does the throne feel great to sit upon? Isn’t
the safety to maintain such a position one of the hardest things
to achieve? You have always been fond of literature, haven’t
you? Shu Gui Fei was the character who was as obvious as
daylight; why can you not get what this means?"
 Even though the teahouse was quiet with the absence of any
other sole individual they were not afraid of the concept of a
fly upon the wall. But Fan Xian was almost a little too
forthright in his speech. It was as if he was too keen on
speaking his mind, and hearing all that he had to say, the
prince’s heart shrivelled a bit. He mulled it over in his mind,
that in this world there were many things that one could only
do, but not talk about. For instance, his desire to actually take
the throne. Still, he thought to himself, Oh well, at least I am
super polite to the Crown Prince. But who could guess that the
man in front of me could mention this desire of mine so
casually?

It wasn’t until today that the second prince fully understood

how audacious Fan Xian actually was. The second prince
thought about it, but was unable to fathom why he was the
way he was.

There was a glow within the second prince’s eyes, and its
glow came into contact with Fan Xian. The pain that the prince
had suffered over the years suddenly began to burn deep inside
him, and so he looked at Fan Xian’s face and lowered his voice
to say, "Everyone knows that the throne is no good to sit upon.
But I am of the royal family, and because of that, I must. This
throne, if I truly have to fight for it, I will. But even if I did not
want to, I would still have to. If I was given the choice, I would
rather go study at college each and every day than involve
myself in such political intrigue."

Fan Xian squinted his eyes and said, "Has someone forced
you?"

Perhaps it was Fan Xian’s tenacity that had brought out the
second prince’s anger, but now he coldly laughed and replied,
"Of course someone has forced me! When I was 12, they told me
I was a person of virtue. They said if I was to become a prince,
it would be a waste of my talents. When I was 13, however,
they made me a crown prince. When I was 14, they built me a
house outside the palace. It initially looked as if I had been
kicked out of the palace, but it was to provide me an
opportunity to engage with other officers and chancellors
freely. It was also during my fourteenth year that they allowed
me to go to the Emperor’s study room so that I was able to
listen in on the court. Did you know that before me, only the
eldest prince was provided a similar opportunity?"

The pretty face of the second prince now began to contort as

he continued. "I don’t want to fight for the throne, but these
matters continue to arise again and again; pushing me towards
it. What am I supposed to do? Do you think that the eastern
palace believes that I do not want to fight for the throne? The
eldest prince was young, but the way in which he looked at me,
it was as if his eyes were full of hatred. But we are brothers.
When he was 13, he already wanted to kill me. Even if I could
convince the eldest prince, there’s still the matter of my
mother. Do you think she would ever forgive me?"

Fan Xian was speechless, listening intently to the second

prince’s speech as he spiralled further and further into
madness.

"It was he who pushed me into this situation…" The second

prince’s eyes were like icicles wreathed in flame. To look upon
them would make a person instantly shiver. "I need to protect
my mother and I need to protect my life. What can I do? If he
wants to compete with me, then yes, I will do the same."

Fan Xian looked down towards the ground. He knew that the
only person who had the power to push a prince towards the
competition would be the Emperor himself. He smiled and
said, "Did you ever think that he is merely using you like a
whetstone, ushering the eldest prince into maturity?"
 "I know about that already." The second prince uncaringly
ruffled his sleeves, and said, "We are the sons of the Emperor.
Who would be willing to become a whetstone, a tool that
would assuredly break in the future? I am going to compete.
And if I really do win this fight, and am made to see his
pitiable, regretful face, I would be happier to see that than sit
on the throne itself."

Fan Xian laughed and told him, "Why have you channeled so
much anger and hatred just to release it here? The Emperor has
already selected a crown prince. It looks to me as if he
understands matters more than you do. If someone wants to
throw you into a river, forcing you into a swimming contest,
the best resistance would be to not engage or swim down the
river at all. Either that or go and beat up the fellow who
wanted to push you in in the first place… instead of going all
the way down river to strangle your competitor to death."

The second prince finally calmed down a bit, but his face was
now aghast as he stared at Fan Xian. He pried his mouth open
and said, "What you have just said is close enough to revolt!"

Fan Xian acted as if he did not care. He merely shook his head
and said, "You said something that was just as horrible today as
well."

The second prince’s eyebrows leapt up suddenly. He studied

the entirety of Fan Xian’s face for a while, contemplating his
next words. After a while, he hopelessly pleaded: "Help me, Fan
Xian!"

Fan Xian maintained his composure, almost in a way that

seemed to suggest a total lack of concern for the second prince’s
plight. He then shook his head once again.

"Why?" The second prince quietly spoke again."You are going

to have to choose a side, sometime in the future."

Fan Xian did not give him an answer, for he was deep in
thought. He was thinking, This person in front of me could
figure for a big brother, considering our relationship. But I am
different from any other officer, for I do not want to make any
decisions. I am just a little worried about the Emperor of the
Qing Kingdom and the heart of steel that he possesses.
 Seeing the near-hopeless gaze of sincerity given by the second
prince, Fan Xian finally spoke. "Do not get too close to
Xinyeng; that woman is a very smart maniac. Even I cannot
calculate or determine her future moves."

The second prince calmed himself once more, and with a

gentle smile, returned to his seat.

Fan Xian sighed within, knowing that the second prince

sought his alliance solely due to his power and influence. But
still, he trusted the eldest prince’s power the most. The results
of this exchange made for a decent start, but the next time that
they met, he resolved to push on the second prince even
harder.

"But I still don’t want to become your enemy." The second

prince said, solemnly.

Fan Xian was quiet for a bit, after some time raising his head
to say, "Even if the events concerning Bao Yue had never come
to pass, I would still attempt to bring you down."
 The look inside the second prince’s eyes made it seem as if he
thought Fan Xian had made a joke. He thought he was being far
too arrogant.

Fan Xian ignored his expression as he quietly continued,

"Maybe this is the only way you and Hongcheng will manage to
both survive this."

The second prince could hear from Fan Xian’s tone of voice
that he harbored both pity and disdain for him. Once again,
the prince was brought to anger, and so he swiftly stood up and
peered right into his eyes.

Fan Xian mockingly said, "My Lord, do not for one second
stop to think that you can control all matters. Take a look at
what just happened at Bao Yue."

The atmosphere in the teahouse quickly floundered, but as it

did, eight people now approached the building. They were each
clothed in the same manner of garb, but their faces were
veiled, preventing any guess as to their age.
 As they each came, every one of them looked as if they
harbored a desire for murder.

They all approached with a different look of violence upon

them. One came as a sabre, one could be mistaken for a
straight-sword and another danced forward with the weight of
a great axe. Nothing would halt their coming.

Fan Xian knew that the second prince wouldn’t call for his
assassination. He squinted his eyes as this ugly band waltzed
directly into the teahouse. In a low voice, he spoke, "Gan, Liu,
Xie, Fan. Four generals. He, Zhang, Xu, Cao. Four scholars.
The legendary subordinates of the second prince; that’s what
they look like."

The second prince looked at him and said, "Fan Xian, I think
of you as an important person. But that does not necessarily
mean that I have absolute need of you. Try to somewhat
relinquish your overbearing arrogance, would you?"

Fan Xian stood up laughing, waving his hand. He replied to

the prince, "the subordinates I have, the Qinian Group, there is
no way they could defeat the eight warriors you possess.
Therefore, I won’t call them out. But there is something I must
tell you, and this is as honest as it comes; no matter how many
fighters you command, they are useless for a situation such as
this. Otherwise, Chen Pingping would already be Emperor."

In the midst of his laughter, he was making comments that

were to suggest a rebellion. Yet despite that, he merely walked
out of the teahouse as proudly as he had entered.

As he was leaving the teahouse, however, he walked past

those most powerful subordinates of the prince almost as if
they were not even there. As he passed Gan and Xie, he
shrugged. But as he passed Xu and Cao, he waved. The
atmosphere was palpable and the tension would have been
unbearable for most, as one could sense the desire of those
eight people to kill Fan Xian. This atmosphere, having filled
the teahouse, now spilt outside to mix with the fading sunlight
of that autumn evening.
 …

After Fan Xian had departed, the second prince returned to

his table and lay his cheek unto the palm of his hand. He
frowned his eyebrows as he began to reflect on the
conversations he had just had. He did not know why he had
lost his temper in front of Fan Xian, nor did he know why he
spoke of so many things that troubled his heart deeply. He took
a deep breath, and his pretty face almost seemed to fade away
completely, lost to an appearance of stern contemplation. He
coldly spoke aloud, "If there ever comes a day where I must kill
Fan Xian, how many people will you need?"

Xie Bi An slowly embedded his sword in its sheath and

replied, "I can do it alone."

Fan Wu Jiu wore a darkened face and slightly shook his head,
saying, "No, the eight of us will do it. That will ensure the end
of Fan Xian."
 The second prince was not thinking straight, believing that
the eight people in the room with him were of differing
opinions, as well. Fan Xian was not a character whose motives
were ever made clear. Thinking of what had just happened
with Bao Yue, however, he was at least confident in the
prospect of Fan Xian laying low for some time and not
bothering him too much. With that in mind, he shook his head
and shelved the notion of assassination for the time being.

Fan Xian, who had now returned to his carriage, carefully

washed away the residue of a truth-telling formula from his
fingertips. For as much as he had gleaned, he was still a little
disappointed in the conversation that was held. He took a big
risk in drugging the prince like so, but he hadn’t learned of
anything particularly useful. And in regards to the second
prince and eldest princess, his knowledge of their situation was
still far too murky. He had come away thinking that the heart
of the second prince was one that was strong, but the spirit of
the man was one that forever obliged to the yearnings of a
scholar. Fan Xian was no psychologist, though, and such
information was useless to him.

The carriage had at last arrived back at Fan manor. Upon its
arrival, Fan Xian leapt off the carriage and walked beyond the
side door of the manor and through the backyard, ignoring the
family members that watched his swift arrival and hasty
departure with a perplexed look on their faces. He approached
the entrance to his study room and calmly opened its door his
hands. Then, all of a sudden, he threw his leg forward.

A scream erupted from within the study room and everyone

in the family was stricken with sudden fear. Fan Sizhe , the
victim of Fan Xian’s ruthless kick, rolled forward like a plump
ball into the grandmaster’s chair. It shattered into pieces.
Chapter 291: Family Discipline
The Fan manor was separated into two separate districts. The
courtyard was luxurious and the buildings that peppered it
were large. There were three study rooms, and the one from
which erupted a high scream came from the west side, the side
which contained the least security. This was the study room
that most were familiar with and that people could get close to.
Like the squeal of a pig being slaughtered, the sudden scream
was a shock to all.

Two women who were also in the study when Fan Sizhe
screamed cried out in fear. Fan Ruoruo and Lin Wan'er looked
on in horror and quickly ran towards Fan Xian to tug at his
arms. They were afraid that their big brother - or husband -
was in the precarious position of kicking Fan Sizhe to death. It
was a plausible possibility, given his fury.

In their eyes, Fan Xian always appeared to be a gentle and

mature young man. Even though there had been previous
bouts of anger and sadness, he had never once looked so
frightfully mad. Seeing Fan Xian's ice cold demeanor made
chills ran down their spines. They were clueless as to what Fan
Sizhe had actually done wrong, and they made sure to pull at
Fan Xian's arms and not let him go one step further.
 After Teng Zi Jing received the order from Fan Xian to return
Fan Sizhe to the manor and study room, the boy was like a cat
on a hot tin roof. While contained there, he managed to catch a
glimpse of Lady Si Si, to whom he hurriedly requested that a
message be brought to his big sister and sister-in-law, asking
them to come over at once.

Fan Ruoruo and Lin Wan'er had yet to be made aware of what
had happened with the Bao Yue house, and so hearing that Fan
Sizhe was calling for their help was an amusing joke. When
Fan Xian entered the study room that they were in and brutally
kicked Fan Sizhe without warning, they immediately knew
something huge had occurred. Both of their faces turned a
whiter shade of pale as they looked at Fan Xian, fear contorting
both of their faces.

"Let go!" Fan Xian yelled out, with eyes as if they had been
frozen for a hundred days. "Father already knows about this, so
get your hands off me. I'm not going to kill him."

Fan Sizhe was now lying on the floor amidst a mound of

broken wood and splinters, playing dead. He peeped out with
one eye and was able to see his big brother's face, now a little
more composed and calm, and hearing him state that he wasn't
planning on beating him to death, he felt relieved.

Unexpectedly, however, Fan Xian coldly continued, by

saying, "but I am going to cripple the boy."

As he spoke, he escaped the two girls who were grabbing his

shoulders. Fan Xian was too mad and couldn't spare the time to
find the family's book of discipline and so he just grabbed the
teapot that was on the table and threw it towards Fan Sizhe

Crunch!

The teapot, full to the brim with hot tea, broke into pieces
near the boy, who was continuing to play dead.

The tea went everywhere, as did its broken shards of glass.

Fan Sizhe let out an audible yelp, as some of the tea scorched
his face and bits of glass brought blood to the surface. He
couldn't feign death anymore. He jumped up, crying out loud,
and went to hide behind Lin Wan'er. Amidst his tears and
screams of fear, you could discern "Big Brother! He's is going to
kill me! Help!"

Lin Wan'er saw her brother-in-law's face, all bloodied and in

shock, and repositioned him behind her. She slowed Fan Xian's
advance, who was directly in front of her, still seething with
rage, and quickly spoke. "What is this? What is going on here?
Is this not something we can sort out through a mature and
engaged dialogue with one another?"

Fan Xian looked at Fan Sizhe's flustered face as he hid behind

Lin Wan'er. But the anger in his heart did not quell or subside.
His mind turned to the wretched deeds Fan Sizhe had
committed, and it only stoked the fire. He raised his finger and
pointed it towards the cowering child and yelled, "You ask
him!! Go on! Ask him what he's done!"

When Fan Sizhe attempted to speak, he could only mumble,

for a foul metallic taste coated his tongue as he coughed up
blood. He hadn't realised until now how powerful his brother's
kick was, and he wondered if this was how he was to die. In
this sudden fright, he mustered the courage to call out amidst
his tears and weeping to say, "I just opened the house. Do I have
to die for it…? Sister, ah… I don't think I will live to see the
next sunrise… Ah!"

After one last brutal scream, Fan Sizhe could no longer stand
straight. He keeled over and fell to the floor in another act to
play dead, which scared the living hell out of Lin Wan'er and
Fan Ruoruo, who both raced to his aid. They kneeled down
before him and began rubbing his temples.

Fan Xian had at the very least been able to release some of his
anger today upon the battered boy. As Fan Sizhe once more
attempted to play dead, though, he was angry enough to begin
laughing in hysteria. He looked back and noticed the door to
the study room was still wide open. In the distance, servants of
the manor could be seen taking a peek at the events that were
transpiring in the room ,and so he approached to close the
door. He emotionlessly said, "That kick wouldn't kill you. So,
you better get up."

Fan Sizhe saw how his brother's face was twisted with rage,
and did not dare to stand up. He continued to lie on the floor,
hiding behind his sister-in-law and big sister, hoping he could
stall long enough for his mother to arrive.
 Fan Xian had now taken a seat, and as he sat there, none
could pierce the veil created by his expressionless face and
think of that which coursed through his mind. Fan Ruoruo
passed him a cup of tea and gently asked, "What house?"

After Fan Xian finished taking a sip of tea, he closed his eyes
and said, "Whorehouse."

Wan'er and Ruoruo were shocked. These two ladies had been
shocked many times today, but compared to Fan Xian's kick,
Fan Sizhe's opening of a brothel seemed even more ridiculous.
Still, they didn't think too poorly of the prospect; it was
commonplace for rich kids of the capital to start little
businesses of their own. Although running a brothel wasn't
something you should be too proud of, as Sizhe was too young
to be getting involved in such a business. But did Fan Xian have
to get as mad as he did, kicking him so hard?

Fan Xian laughed coldly, bringing out a scroll from his chest
pocket, which he passed to his sister. It concerned the
investigation of the Overwatch Council on the Bao Yue house.
 Fan Ruoruo took it and looked confused. Although the
document wasn't too long, it said many bad things about the
Bao Yue house. It only spoke about the evidence they had
found, so it didn't take long to read it.

The mess earlier had made her hair into a mess. Some of her
hair had fallen across the forehead and blocked her eyes. It was
difficult to make out her reaction. But then she started to
breathe heavily, and you could see that it was a mixture of
sadness and anger. She bit her lip uneasily.

Wan'er, seeing how Ruoruo was now behaving, wanted to see

what was on the scroll that would make her like this. She
wanted to go over to her sister-in-law and see what was on the
document, but she refrained, fearing Fan Xian would beat Fan
Sizhe to death if she left him unprotected for even a second.

Fan Ruoruo raised her head and looked calm, though she
seemed colder than before, and her eyes looked angry. She
looked at Fan Sizhe, who continued to play dead and asked,
"Did he do all this?"
 She asked the question calmly, but in her tone, there was an
element of something else. It made the people in the room who
heard it feel disturbed. Fan Sizhe had been raised by his big
sister, so he was afraid of her, despite being closest to her. With
a trembling voice, he asked, "What is going on?"

Fan Ruoruo looked disappointed, wondering since when had

her brother become like this. Her eyes welled up with tears as
she gritted her teeth and chucked the scroll at Fan Sizhe. It hit
his face and she told him, "Just take a look at it yourself!"

Sizhe looked at his big brother, who was still sitting in

extreme calm. Then, he looked at his sister-in-law. He picked
up the scroll and read it. The expression on his face worsened.
Fan Xian had learnt about everything he had done during his
time in the Bao Yue house.

Fan Xian now closed his eyes and stood up from his chair.

Sizhe screamed. He leapt up and started flailing his arms

around, mumbling to say, "Big Brother, I didn't do this. Please,
stop hitting me!"
 Fan Xian squinted his eyes while looking at his brother,
saying, "If you had personally killed someone and forced
women into being whores, I would have kicked you to death by
now already. But who are you? You are the owner of the Bao
Yue house owner. If you didn't issue the command, why would
those kids of sovereigns commit the foul acts that they did?"

Sizhe, with a rattled voice said, "Some things were ordered

by the third prince. Not me!"

"Fan Sizhe," Fan Xian coldly laughed and said, "Ruoruo said
you really are like a pig. I didn't believe it to be true at first, but
here you are, trying to lick yourself clean. I really
underestimated you, allowing you to become the thug-boss
here in the capital. You really are something."

And he really was.

Fan Sizhe's heart went cold. Although he wasn't old, his heart
was mature. He knew his big brother was not paying heed to
his plight of defence. He felt wronged, and as he started crying
he said aloud, "It really is none of my business!"
 Right here, he saw another scary scene.

Ruoruo calmly took out a stick that was the length of an arm.
She gave it to Fan Xian.

When Fan Xian had come to the capital, Fan Ruoruo used a
ruler to smack Fan Sizhe's hand when he misbehaved. This
ruler was the small discipline of the Fan family. What was the
big discipline?

It was a stick.

It was a stick with barbed-wire wrapped around it.

It was a stick that would ensure its victim would bleed when
hit.

Across the entire Fan family, only one person had been the
recipient of such big discipline. That person was the
bodyguard of Sinan Bo. They were the most pampered of
companions, depending on the Fan family's power and Fan
Jian's reputation, and yet they had done something bad in the
Ministry of Personnel. Fan Jian used that stick to beat him.
Now, he was disabled, living outside the city. One if his legs
was broken; he was a sorry sight to behold.

When Fan Sizhe was at school, he saw what happened to that

man. Now, he saw Fan Xian hold the big discipline in his
hands. His jaw dropped. He couldn't speak.

Fan Xian coldly said to his wife and Ruoruo, "This is

something I will be responsible for; but you two will be as
well."

Wan'er took a step back to stand near Ruoruo.

Fan Sizhe watched the stick get closer and closer. When his
fear reached its peak, he jumped, pointed to Fan Xian and
yelled, "Sister-in-law!! Big Sister!! Don't listen to him! Fan Xian,
don't you act like a righteous saint. What is wrong with me
operating a whorehouse. What is wrong with me being a
bully? Who isn't doing such bad things like this in the capital?
Why are you going to hit me? I really don't know what you're
thinking. It's only because you're having a conflict with the
second prince, and I happen to be caught in the middle of it!
You'll lose your reputation, and you're now taking it out on
me."

Fan Sizhe started crying louder and he continued, "If you

have the balls, why don't you just kill me? What kind of
brother are you? When I conducted business, how was I
supposed to know you'd get into a fight with the second prince.
This was none of my business; you never told me anything. Go
beat up the third prince, if you've got the balls to!! You're only
bullying me because I'm not the recipient of my parents' love.
Aren't you a commissioner? Go and arrest the prefect and beat
up the third prince. Go on, go! Go, go!"

His face was slapped, but it wasn't too loud. This had him
snap out of his tirade, only to be met with the sight of seeing
Fan Xian walk closer.

Fan Xian heard him spew such poppycock, and he was

infuriated. His hate didn't show it, but his forehead looked
green. In the twenty years since his rebirth, this was the
angriest he had ever been. What was most important about this
entire thing was that Fan Sizhe was his brother. He did not
expect him to do anything like he had, and he did not expect
him to shout out what he was.

"Shut up!" Fan Xian yelled. "If you wanted to just do

business, you know I'd let you. But if you weren't doing bad
things, why would people come and threaten me? Do you think
I can accept this? Today, I am teaching a lesson. It's one that
was long overdue. This has nothing to do with the second
prince or the third prince. This is all about you and what you
have done."

Fan Xian was both sad and angry. He said, "Despite your
young age, you have become such a callous person. Who
knows what trouble you will bring to my father? I had great
expectations for you, and I will not allow you to tread the path
you have currently been taking."

"The princes are nothing; it is you I am angry with! I am mad

at you and I hate you! They aren't my brothers. You are my
brother." He stared intently at him, coldly continuing, "My
investigations shows you were not involved, so you can still be
saved. You walked the wrong path, and I will use this stick to
correct that course."
 After he said that, the stick moved.

Under the family discipline, his pants were in tatters. Blood

seeped out from the holes. Screams of agony rang out across
the entire manor. The servants were all shocked, as were Deng
Ziyue and Teng Zi Jing. Even the gardeners turned around in
fright, feeling bad for the young master.

His screaming echoed across the yard, which made the people
there feel bad. Fan Sizhe was yelling just moments ago, but
now, he was crying and screaming, blubbering for help. His
voice gradually weakened, but amongst his fainter cries, he
could be heard calling for his mother.

"Sizhe, is going to be beaten to death!" Liu Shi was on her

knees in front of Fan Jian. She clutched his legs and pleaded,
"Go talk to him! Make him stop! This is enough. What if he
kills him?!"
Chapter 292: The Old Fan and the Young
Fan
Liu Shi always looked pretty, as she had a tendency to
boisterously show off her noble-heritage through an overt
brandishing of elegance each and every day. On this day,
however, she did not very much care for her appearance.
Today, she was looking pale and tired, clutching Fan Jing’s legs
as she cried her eyes out, saying, "Please say something! Fan
Sizhe is far too young; he cannot withstand this many
beatings!"

Fan shangshu looked at the woman in front of her and could

do little but sigh. Liu Shi had elected to follow him ever since
his wife passed away. Even though Fan Jing had already been
titled as Sinan Bo, he still had the emperor to watch over him;
it was something no one else knew about. Liu Shi was the
granddaughter of a sovereign, but she had chosen to marry
into the smaller Fan family, and this was a move that surprised
many within the capital. After they eloped, Liu Shi treated her
new husband very well, and even pulled him away from the
Liu Jing river.

So it was fair to say that he loved her from any and all
aspects. But he also harbored some guilt regarding her, as well
as for for the person who had now been beaten up in the study
room. He was his son, after all. Fan Jing was old, and as much
as he felt great sorrow for the image of his son receiving such
treatment - his own personal opinion on the matter did and
could not bear any relevance. He maintained his expressionless
facade, shook his head and said, "If jade is not refined, how can
one expect to become an accessory? It is the father who should
bear the sins of the son, but kind mothers always foster poor
children."

Screams of pain continued to erupt from the study room. All

could tell it was Fan Sizhe who was yelling in pain, pleading
with with remorse for his his absent mother. Fan Jing’s
eyebrows jumped, and his heart hopped with them. There were
additional words he felt compelled to speak, but he could not
say them.

Liu Shi continued to observe her husband’s cold and

seemingly careless expression, and her tears were finally let
loose, rolling down her cheeks in profound sadness. She stood
up, brushed her skirt and prepared to escape that room.

"Come back!" Fan Jing then lowered his voice to say, "Fan
Xian is his big brother. It is his right to discipline his little
brother. If you were to run up to them now, what would the
kids think?"

"What would the kids think?" Liu Shi was miserable, and as
she turned to look at him, so did the tears continue to roll. "It
is obvious that you care about how Fan Xian feels in all of this,
but how do you think I feel? Have you no concern for me? I
only have one son, and you are just going to stand here and
wait as he gets beaten to death?"

She bit her lips as the tears continued to flow, and she
continued to plead, "Fine! I know I may have messed up raising
the boy back in the day, but ever since he came here from
Danzhou, I have always been patient. I have always been
cautious. I was afraid he would not have a good life here, but
despite that, I have always adhered to what you have told me. I
have even continued trying to please every noble in the capital
so I have never had to appear as a burden in the face of Fan
Xian. The position he bears in this capital right now, I am a
part of it, too. Of course, I am a mother, and it is only natural
for me to do these things. It is not as if I would go and take
credit from him. But as for what is occurring now, how can he
so callously beat his own little brother so brutally? If he still
remembered what happened back then, I would just give him
my life in exchange for my son. Oh, please, don’t touch my
son. My poor son!"
 Fan Jing looked upon Liu Shi’s sobbing face, and an anger
arose from his boots all the way up to his chest. He angrily
yelled at her, "What are you doing!? What kind of person do
you think Fan Xian is? Do you not yet know by now? If he let’s
go of this matter right now, he won’t return to it. Although he
may still appear young, he knows what he’s doing! What Fan
Sizhe did crossed the line. If no one were to punish him, then
his horrible deeds might very well bring the reputation of our
entire family down. If that were to happen, would that still
make you happy?"

Liu Shi was no ordinary woman. She only knew of what had
transpired at the Bao Yue house today, but it didn’t take long
for her to surmise that part of this had to do with the
competition of power between Fan Xian and the second prince.
She raised her hand to wipe the tears from her eyes and said, "It
wasn’t something that serious at first; it was only because
these transgressions were taken notice of by the second prince.
That is why he is as mad as he is!"

This woman and her son both shared the same opinion
regarding why Fan Xian was actually this mad.
 Fan Jing’s face continued its stern, emotionless look, but he
then told her, "Isn’t it that serious? The stuff they had
delivered from the behind the study room, it is not as if you
did not see it. Sizhe is only so young, yet he was commanding
acts that were incredibly reckless. Although he himself didn’t
do these sordid deeds himself, what difference does that truly
make? He commanded the commitence of such acts. Do you
really want your precious son to finally get to the point where
he murders another with his own hands? Because that would
be serious."

Liu Shi couldn’t help defending her own son, saying, "Are
you sure this is such a rare thing in the capital? Which family
out there hasn’t dealt with big problems--"

Fan Jing did not wait for her to finish speaking, and cut her
off. His dialogue was spoken in a cold tone, saying, "Stop
discussing the matter."

Liu Shi listened and did not say anything more. The tears on
her face had dried and crusted upon her cheeks, but her eyes
were still wet with their presence. Hearing the repeated
screams from the study room now begin to subside, her fear
and worry only increased. She wondered whether or not he had
simply fainted…or worse.

Fan Jing looked at her face and sighed once more. He thought
of the conversation he had shared with Fan Xian the night
before, and it made the light in his heart dim.

Over the past few months, the business that Fan Sizhe had
been doing in the capital was not something that the boy
himself was unaware of. He merely lacked the mental aptitude
to take concern and contemplate that which he was doing. He
thought that it was all one big kid’s game, one that wasn’t
causing grave trouble for anybody else. No one could have
possibly expected what Fan Sizhe was capable of, what had
transpired over all this time.

"Let Fan Xian handle this." Fan Jing attempted to comfort

her, as gently as he could. He continued by saying, "You should
understand this; the harsher his punishment, the more true his
concern and care for his brother. The fact that he is his half-
brother has not crossed his mind in the least. Fan Xian truly
cares. Fan Xian has been known to smile when facing his
enemies. The entire reason he is going so hard upon him today
is because of the care and responsibility he genuinely feels for
Sizhe. If he did not think of Sizhe as his own, he would most
likely grab a sword and cut him down with little to no
hesitation. He wouldn’t be that flustered or angry about it
either. If you can understand this, then there is no reason for
you to worry about it any further. I’ll be honest with you; you
need to know who it is we can all depend on in this family."

Liu Shi understood what he had said. The Fan family’s

reputation was huge, as were the stakes for maintaining it. At
no small expense could the reputation ever be lowered, and it
would have no alternative but to climb. And Fan Jing was
getting old now. That is not to suggest he was anywhere near
dying of old age, but it wouldn’t be long before he retired. In
the future, it would not matter if it was Liu Shi or Sizhe; they
could not ensure that the manor would be around forever. Its
right to remain was entirely dependent on Fan Xian’s future
successes, and how well he performed in his duties in the
kingdom.

When I child is struck, most of the pain is felt by its mother.

It did not matter what more great deeds Fan Xian would do
following this day, for after the first strike of this evening, Liu
Shi would forever harbor some element of hate and resentment
towards him.
 Fan Jing shook his head, gesturing for Liu Shi to follow him
towards the study room. They both began their walk to that
building that was nestled between the houses of the yard.

Liu Shi was visibly better, and walked forward with a brisk
pace behind Fan Jing. She was so focused that she never left
any instructions for the maids who had been following her all
this time.

For the servants to see the master and his wife walk so
quickly was a strange sight on the grounds of the manor,
which surprised them. Although they were not told, this sight,
combined with the sounds of screaming that were being
emitted from that direction, had them correctly guessing what
was unfolding. Their hearts were stricken with worry; if Fan
Xian was beating up his little brother so vigorously and with
such audible brutality, for those two to approach and intervene
would be the cause of great commotion. An argument could
most certainly follow, at the very least. The Fan manor had
been relatively calm and had seen tremendous growth in the
past few years. While the responsibilities of all were taken on
with sincerity, it was generally a lively place, with plenty of
room for joy. Even the servants held a great sense of belonging
there, and with great concern for the well-being of the manor,
none wanted to see something unfortunate befall it.
 Liu Shi, her face full of anxiety, walked through the yard.
She wished she had wingsso that she could fly to the study
room sooner. When she looked ahead to see her husband stroll
almost as if there was no cause for hurry, she did not dare
overtake him.

When they arrived at the entrance of the yard beside the

residence, they were greeted by the noise of greater screams.
The ferocious lashing of wood against skin could now be heard
clearly. Those sounds would have struck fear into anyone in
remote proximity.

Liu Shi’s mind had already been disturbed, but to now hear
these sounds of punishment and the coinciding calls of anguish
proved too much for her heart to bear. As if in quicksand, her
heart sunk lower and lower until she lost all composure and
fell to the ground unconscious; Such was the wretchedness of
those sounds, no matter if it was her boy at the receiving end
of that atrocity or not.

With great fortune, her maids had decided to follow without

being commanded to. When Liu Shi fell to the ground, they
were able to catch and lay her down without injury.
 The quietest study room of the three located in Fan manor,
the one beside the zen garden, was where Fan Xian conducted
his business at home. He always forbid anyone from
approaching or entering, but this time, there were an
additional three people already in there. The person who was
sitting behind the bookcase was Yan Bingyun, who had just
become leader of the Fourth Bureau of the Overwatch Council.
The other two who were sat beside him were Fan Xian’s
students - Shi Chan Li and the Eight Bureau’s leader-assistant
Mu Tie.

Alongside Teng Zi Jing and Deng Zi Yue, who were watching

the punishment unfold in the yard, those three were Fan Xian’s
most trusted allies, and of them all, Yan Bingyun’s position
was the most special. Not only was he a subordinate of Fan
Xian, but he was now considered a friend, for a genuine
friendship had developed between them. Now, as he heard the
sound of wood striking the boy, he could not help but shake his
head and say, "This is something that should be dealt with by
the government, not by mere family discipline. By doing this,
you are not adhering to the law."

Of the three, only Yan Bingyun dared to question Fan Xian’s

course of action. Shi Chan Li laughed and explained to Yan
Bingyun, saying, "We can’t have this ordeal blow up too soon.
If it was truly put in the hands of the government, and if they
were to find out that it was Fan Xian’s little brother that was
allied with that person in the palace… There is simply no other
choice. If that happened, the commissioner would have no
choice but to start a war with the second prince. And no matter
who won, Fan Xian’s little brother would be sure to lose. If the
government were to uncover evidence regarding his
involvement with Bao Yue, he would either be sentenced to
death or exiled more than three thousand miles away."

Mu Tie awkwardly laughed and did not dare respond. After

all, he was the one who secretly hinted at Fan Sizhe’s
involvement with Bao Yue to Fan Xian; in a sense, whatever
was to happen to Fan Xian’s brother would be an indirect
consequence of this deed. Although Fan Xian was satisfied with
his decision to come forward with his knowledge, who knew
what the rest of the Fan family would think?

Yan Bingyun shook his head once more, as an obvious

disagreement to Fan Xian’s methodology. He was firm in the
stance that deliverance of the boy to the government was what
should have been done. Still, he understood why Fan Xian had
chosen to go about these issues in the way that he had. Yan
Bingyun then spoke, "Our commissioner is indeed a smart
man, using family discipline to punish the boy. In the future, if
word of the events at the Bao Yue house were ever unearthed
and Fan Xian at the palace, his ability to explain his course of
action and line of thinking to the Emperor would be simple. At
the very least, if the second prince chooses to prosecute the Fan
family for hiding crimes committed by their own, it would be
impossible."

Shi Chan Li heard his speech and froze. He knew that Fan
Xian wanted it known just how brutal this punishment was,
for he wished to test the reaction and response of the
government’s officers. But what Fan Sizhe did was a clear-cut
crime, and to go about solving the issue in such a manner
would most likely not work.

Yan Bingyun smiled and looked at Si Chan Li, acknowledging

wahat was plaguing his mind. He told him, "Don’t you worry.
Your teacher will sort this all out in no time." In response to
this, Si Chan Li’s started to think, This has nothing to do with
the Fourth Bureau. There must be some extra reason as to why
Fan Xian called upon the leader of the Fourth Bureau to be
present here, but it was a reason he had not been privy to.

Mu Tie walked near the window. Looking past the zen

garden, he watched the thick wooden stick lift up. It was
covered in blood and bits of flesh, and when it was brought
down again, a scream greeted its arrival. Even though he was
an officer of the Overwatch Council, he did believe that Fan
Xian was being slightly too harsh on them; seeing the Fan and
Liu family members all suffer beneath that wooden stick, he
couldn’t help but shudder with each strike.

Shi Chan Li then began to write out some documents on the

table that were to be important in the near future.

Liu Shi woke up, startled. With ardent determination, she

decided to confront Fan Xian. Rubbing her eyes, she saw that
the people who were now receiving punishment were the
distant relatives. The tool of their punishment was being
brought up high, and brought down fast. With each hit, a lash
of blood sprayed the ground and a painful screech pierced the
air. As long as it was not her baby boy receiving such a beating,
she was entirely fine with the sight of that scene. Having been
brought quick reprieve, she hastily returned to her former self;
the noble, elegant Mrs Fan. With all prior distress gone, she
looked on coldly.
 The way she saw it, her son Fan Sizhe was prone to making a
mistake or two on occasion, but to create so much trouble and
commit such wretched deeds across the capital was an
impossibility and that if such a thing were true, he must have
been negatively influenced by others. She assumed it to be the
Fan family members who were now receiving punishment, to
be the ones who drove Fan Sizhe to be this bad. Her delusion
that led to this belief was so high, she was now filled with
nothing but anger at the sight of those being beaten. She
ignored any of their strained plights for aid and simply bit her
teeth. She then yelled towards the subordinates of Teng Zi
Jing, "Fan Xian asked you guys to beat them harder than that.
If you don’t fix these little bastards, how can they be one day
expected to uphold the honor of this family?!"

After she yelled out, Fan Jing and Liu Shi entered the study
room. Seeing Fan Sizhe naked, lying on a long stool in the
corner of the room, Liu Shi once again lost her composure. In
absolute distress, she ran to his side. Looking at the bloodied
marks that painted the entirety of the boy’s back, she could not
help but start crying. She reached out her hand and with her
fingertips, she stroked the swollen bruises that now adorned
his body. Through her tears, she could only hiss, "My son."

A hand reached out towards her, holding a handkerchief. It

wiped the tears away from her eyes for her.
 Liu Shi looked up to see Fan Xian… gritting her teeth, she did
her best to suppress the raging fires of fury which were boiling
inside.

Fan Xian was already calm, for his personal beating of Fan
Sizhe proved a great outlet for the release of his own ire. He
comforted her, saying, "It will be fine. If you would excuse me
for just a moment, I would like to apply cream to the wounds
my little brother has endured."

Liu Shi did not want to move aside and leave her son, but she
had no choice but to comply. Watching Fan Xian rub the cream
across Fan Sizhe’s body, it looked as if the boy was dying, and
that he was only faintly skirting the edge of life and death.

Fan Jing looked the other way, seeing his daughter-in-law

and daughter, standing in a corner. Wan’er’s eyes were full of
fear, and he thought it may have been because the viewing of
the punishment was too much for her. Ruoruo’s eyes were full
of tears instead, but she was not crying for the punishment the
little boy had been forced to withstand, but it was in
knowledge of his overall failure to follow in the graceful
footsteps of his peers and become a person worthy of respect.
Fan Jing shook his head and coughed, and all in the room
turned their attention towards him. With words directed at
Fan Xian, he spoke, "How is it going?"

"According to your desires, Sizhe will be leaving tonight." Fan

Xian politely said. "It has all been arranged."
Chapter 293: Exile
The conversation between the father and son continued as
though no one else was present in the room. The three women
who were there were now reeling in shock, asking themselves,
Was the beating not enough? He is now to be exiled, also?

"Dear, what are you talking about?"

Liu Shi had a frightened look, and hopelessly looked toward

her husband. Fan Sizhe, who was lying down on the wooden
bench jumped up. In the critically injured state he was in, no
one could guess where that strength to do so came from. It
seemed as if the concept of exile was a terrifying prospect for a
noble, no matter their age.

Fan Sizhe shot up to hold his mother’s legs, his eyes clenched
shut as tears fell and rolled down his cheek. He usually had a
lot to say, but not this time. The utter shock and near disbelief
of the revelation that he was to be sent away had taken the
voice right out of his mouth.
 The little boy’s face was now soaked in tears, and despite the
vigorous shaking of his head, he was unable to formulate a
single word. The sight, coupled with the brutal wounds that
had painted his back red, was most pitiable to watch.

"Dear!" Liu Shu could not hold her tongue any longer, and
with a ghastly look of malice and eyes like piercing daggers,
she looked directly at Fan Xian. She then fell to her knees
before Fan Jing, eyes swollen with tears once more. "No, no,
no! He is your youngest son! Are you just going to stand by and
watch him get kicked out on your doorstep? Are you willing to
accept him becoming a faceless drifter in a foreign country,
devoid of love and family?"

She quickly grabbed onto Fan Ruoruo’s hands, pleading,

"Ruoruo, quick! Return to your father at once, implore to him
that he does not need to send away Fan Sizhe."
 In Liu Shi’s mind, she was thinking, The reason why they are
kicking Fan Sizhe out of the family is because of the Bao Yue
House. It must be Fan Xian who schemed and spoke ill of his
brother behind closed doors. And yesterday, Fan Jing and Fan
Xian were both in deep discussion with each other. To save
him, I must quickly drag Ruoruo into this. Even though she is
not my own daughter, we have lived together for a dozen years
now, and she has always taken good care of Fan Sizhe. We all
know that Fan Xian loves his sister, also.

Fan Ruoruo was not expecting her little brother to be subject

to such a serious punishment, either. With Liu Shi tugging at
her arm, she came down to her knees alongside her, and with a
voice that rattled nervously, said to her father, "Father, my
little brother has learned his lesson. He is sure to never act or
commit such deeds ever again. Please forgive him!"

Wan’er was standing alone in the corner, full of fear. She too
joined Ruoruo and Liu Shi on the floor, pleading for his
absolution.

Fan Jing maintained his composure, until he saw his

daughter-in-law kneel down alongside the other two. She was
special, and of grander nobility, and so he quickly brought her
up back to her feet. He frowned and looked at Liu Shi sternly
as he said, "Sizhe has to go. And you are not going to despise
Fan Xian for this, because it was my own decision."

Liu Shi’s face was full of disbelief, asking herself why over
and over She knew that Fan Jing was a person whose apparent
softness was to only veil the heart of cold steel that resided
within him, and it was this image that made her fall in love
with the man. If this was truly his idea, then he would not
budge from his decision.

She was a smart woman, and so she bit her lips, and while
still on her knees, turned around to face Fan Xian. With an
even greater look of pity, she begged, "Fan Xian, could you
please say something? Can you not convince your father of
something else?"

As it stood, Fan Xian would be the only person in the room

capable of changing his father’s mind on the matter.

Fan Xian did not dare accept her knee-borne plea, and hastily
avoided it by dodging to the side. He approached his father,
having in mind to ask him something.
 Fan Jing coldly shook his head as he spoke. "For the mistakes
and deeds of rotten contempt Sizhe has performed recently, if
he were to appear before the court, the verdict and
corresponding punishment would be the same. I am removing
him from his place within the capital today, as an action
performed by the family, rather than the government."

Liu Shi could not believe a word her husband has just
spoken. As an assumption that stemmed from the position and
power of the Fan family within the capital, owning a brothel
and murdering a few prostitutes did not seem like cause for
such concern. She figured that as long as the Fan family did not
conspire to revolt or hinder matters that revolved around the
palace and the palace alone, it did not matter what activities,
illegal or otherwise, the Fan family chose to involve
themselves in. She could not help but continue crying, asking,
"Why are you so cruel? Fan Sizhe is only fourteen years of age."

"It is because of our inability to be cruel in the past that has

led to this entire situation." Fan Jing laughed coldly, repeating,
"Fourteen?"

Fan Jing now began shouting, "Don’t you ever forget that
when Fan Xian was only twelve, he had been forced to kill
someone!"

The room fell silent after he spoke. Wan’er and Ruoruo were
visibly aghast as they turned to look at Fan Xian. They had no
knowledge that this had ever occurred. Liu Shi, who had been
distraught by the matters concerning Fan Sizhe, was also taken
aback by a bit, but now just turned her head and looked to the
floor, hopeless.

Fan Xian smiled awkwardly, well aware that such a time was
not the most appropriate for this revelation to arise. He
carefully picked up the grievously wounded Fan Sizhe and
returned him to the corner of the room. He then asked for his
wife and sister to bring him to his bedroom, so that he could
rest and recuperate somewhat.

"Fan Xian, you come over here later." Fan Jing spoke, then
looked at Liu Shi before exiting the study room.
 In the study room, only Liu Shi and Fan Xian remained. The
atmosphere’s awkwardness was almost palpable. After a while,
Liu Shi’s sensible mind returned to her, and with a modicum of
composure, she said, "Are you really going to exile him?"

Fan Xian sighed in his heart and walked forward. When he

approached, he lowered his voice to gently say, "Do not worry
about it. What father means to imply is that we are only going
to remove Fan Sizhe from the capital for a while we strive to
have these matters sorted out. It will do him some good to
grow up a bit out there…"

Fan Xian had not finished his words before Liu Shi
interrupted him, asking, "How far?"

"Very far." Fan Xian watched Liu Shi, who seemed to be a

little inattentive. He began thinking about how this smart and
elegant woman had lost all control for such a prolonged period
of time that day, all due to the worry about the wellbeing of her
son. For this, he could not help but feel a pang of jealousy
towards his brother. He started to miss someone.

"So, how far!?" Liu Shi screamed.

 Fan Xian did not care very much for her behavior and soured
mannerisms at this point, and simply responded calmly by
saying, "Yesterday, Father was able to put up with this. I
suggested moving Fan Sizhe out to Danzhou, so that he could
lay low there for some time. But Father worried about the
presence of his grandparents there, and them potentially
getting involved and spoiling him during our absence. With
that being a possibility, it was then that he suggested that he be
taken to the northern Qi Kingdom."

"Northern Qi Kingdom?" Liu Shi’s felt a bit calmer. Even

though the northern Qi Kingdom was extremely far away, it
was much better than where the government would of had him
exiled to had they been given control over the resolution to
this sordid affair. If the government were to decide, he would
be sent to the south, a place which was little more than a
desolate wasteland. The northern Qi Kingdom, by comparison,
was a far safer and far more developed nation. Even though the
relationship between the Qing Kingdom and the northern Qi
Kingdom hadn’t been the greatest in previous years, they had
just established a peace treaty. This agreement had put them in
a honeymoon phase, where relations were very high and very
strong.

Fan Xian saw that Liu Shi was giving him the look of a
beggar, and he knew precisely what she was thinking. He tried
to comfort her by saying, "There is no need to worry. I have
many friends in the northern Qi Kingdom, and I am sure they
will look out for him at my behest."

Beams of moonlight pierced the tangled forms of the trees,

but its presence was dimmer than the lights that continued to
burn in the Fan manor. The young men who were receiving
their punishments in the yard earlier had now been taken
away, driven in their carriages from the Shangshu Lane. The
relatives who had come to greet and see that which had been
done upon their sons were each taken aback with faces of
remorse. From others, looks of hatred were given. But because
of the power that the Fan family possessed, no one dared to
speak out against them.

Inside the study room, Fan Xian stood beside his father,
making juice for him. For the night, Liu Shi was stood guard
near Fan Sizhe, not allowing anyone else within his proximity.
The juice that Fan Jing drank everyday, could only be made by
Fan Xian now.

"The three people I made mention of to you, I have already

had them sent to the government." The three people Fan Xian
spoke of were the three now-convicted murderers in the
employ of the Bao Yue house. He looked towards his father
with a concerned expression and said, "the capital government
is allied with the second prince. I can only surmise that they
did not expect us to hand them over so easily. Their
convictions include homicide, so they can be expected to
testify that their orders came from Fan Sizhe and as such, they
will most likely be taken-in by the second prince."

Fan Jing smiled and responded, "Don’t hide anything from

me; I know you aren’t the sort to be as careless as that."

"I will handle it. Don’t worry." Fan Xian was now smiling, as
well. He had now at last made use of the powers Chen Pingping
had granted him. He had made use of the assassins in the Sixth
Bureau. "They willfully committed crimes that are worthy of a
death sentence, but it’s just… the family may have something
to say about it. For this, we may need you to come out and aid
in the resolution of these issues."

Fan Jing knew exactly what he was worrying about. The Fan
family was one of the largest families residing in the capital,
but there had never been record of an officer charging one of
their own before. He shook his head and told Fan Xian, "What
resolution can be achieved? We are the ones who are simply
delivering them to the government; what does it have to do
with us?"

Fan Xian heard these words and took them with great
admiration. He descended into deep thought for a while, but
then said, "Sizhe is leaving tonight… I have elected for Yan
Bingyun to handle these procedures. His disappearance will
leave no trace."

Fan Jing nodded, and responded, "I have no relation with the
people of the northern Qi Kingdom. In fact, it was many years
ago that I slew many of them. Are you comfortable with these
arrangements?"

Fan Xian met his father’s gaze and understood the cloaked
concern he truly harbored for his son being in that foreign
country. He nodded and told him, "Wang Qinian is in
Shangjing. And that ally aside, Haitang is still there, and we
are good friends. The emperor of the northern Qi Kingdom
himself is not a bad person. If Sizhe is willing to sit tight in
Shangjing and behave, there should be no problem; especially
with the relations I fostered in my time there."
 Fan Jing sighed, and the grey hair upon his face stood out
more today. He said, "You used to say that Sizhe was a smart
boy and that he did not have to pursue a road of arduous study.
I listened and paid heed to these words of yours. I just didn’t
expect him to turn out this way… only fourteen and
committing such heinous crimes? What was I doing when I
was fourteen? I was still in King Cheng’s manor, studying
alongside the crown prince who is now emperor, thinking of
what innocent games we might spend the day playing."

Fan Xian was bearing a wry smile when he responded, "The

third prince whom was raised by Yi Gui Pin is even crazier. He
is a certified pimp at the age of eight. If this matter was
brought to light, the history books that chronicle the Qing
Kingdom’s history in the future would undoubtedly be too
absurd for scholars to believe and out stock in."

"In regards to Yi Gui Pin, I will make sure to inform her." Fan
Jing shook his head and continued, "Sizhe is smart, but his
intentions have always been in vain. He has always strayed to
the side of evil. If this was to continue, things would most
certainly turn out even worse. We can use this opportunity as a
way to have him travel and be witness to the beauty of this
world. At first glance, it may seem like a simple, cruel
punishment for the lad, but it is more than that. This is an
opportunity for him to mature."
 Fan Xian sighed and said, "But this was partially my fault as
well."

"You cannot take the blame for this." Fan Jing rebutted his
statement and gestured for Fan Xian to sit down. Again, he
spoke, "when the Bao Yue house was established, you weren’t
even in the capital… but I am curious, why do you suggest that
I have Sizhe sent to the northern Qi Kingdom? It is a bold
move, but it is a decision you seem to have a great deal of
confidence in. You know that the northern Qi Kingdom hasn’t
always been our allies."

Fan Xian did not tell his father of the agreement he had with
Haitang and the young emperor, but he still explained his
goals. He smiled and said, "Xinyang always smuggled goods
through the Cui family to the northern Qi Kingdom. Shen
Zhong, is now dead and so their route to do so has proven
problematic. I think if Sizhe can be trained for a few years up
in the north, perhaps he will be able to take over the Cui
family’s illicit trade. After all, if this is the sort of business he
revels in and can’t get away from, then I am going to ensure I
put him in charge of one that will really bring in the coin."
 Fan Jing smiled and turned to look at his son, who was also
smiling happily. The wisdom of Fan Xian’s mind had grown
exponentially recently. Comparing himself to the rest of his
generation and Chen Pingping, the only thing he lacked was
simple cruelty.

"When will you be prepared to take on the Cui family?"

Seeing his father so casually ask about his grand plans, his
mood to discuss these issues lightened. Without feelings of
trepidation, he smiled and said, "it will be after I have taken
over the palace treasury. It will be around March or April next
year, I should imagine."

Fan Jing nodded, but all of a sudden, his face soured. With a
stern look, he told Fan Xian, "Okay, but do not grant them any
reprieve. Do not allow them to have the slightest chance to
strike back."

This was the first time Fan Xian had seen his father show off
his "other side", which existed below the exterior, where resided
a man who was quite callous. Looking at his father now, he
was quite shocked, and the only response he could give was a
nod.

Fan Jing, with a frigid voice, said "Regarding this entire

ordeal, you have done well. We can remain as we are for now
and bide our time. We can wait until Sizhe is gone, and
following that, you are free to do as you please. You will no
longer have to ask for my opinion and consent anymore. But
there is a certain person…"

"Yuan Meng? Is that her name?" Fan Jing, spoke abruptly.

"That which she does is abhorrent and downright evil. We will
wait until all this blows over before you get rid of her. Once
this is done, this entire mess will have been sorted."

Fan Xian was shocked. He had no idea why his father

possessed an ardent desire to kill someone. Was it to be an
outlet for the anger that had pent up, concerning the matters
Fan Sizhe had become embroiled within? Or was it something
else?

What Fan Jing is going to say, shows how this shangshu

possessed the greatest humanism, and will highlight the depth
of his love and his character. He said, "back in the day, I used to
frequently hang around Liu Jing river brothel. I always treated
the ladies well and I despised those who would not respect
them as I did… and this person, Yuan Meng… she was a worker
in that brothel, as well. What I fail to understand, is how could
she commit to deeds and commands that brought about
wretched ends to those who shared the same profession as she
once did? This is not a person I can allow to live."

Fan Xian now understood his reasoning. He thought of the

jokes King Jing would occasionally recite, and he remembered
that his father was a person who almost lived in a brothel. The
fetishes he possessed were still a topic in the capital, even.
Having learnt of the manner in which many of the Bao Yue
house’s prostitutes were murdered, is what drove Fan Jing to
feel the way he did about this entire ordeal. It was no wonder
as to why he desired her death, as he now did.

Fan Xian took his chance to say, "Yuan Meng is allied with
Hongcheng and Hongcheng is to soon marry my sister. Does
that mean…?"

Fan Jing did not wait for Fan Xian to finish his dialogue
before shaking his head and interrupting him with,
"Hongcheng is fine. For the next few days, you should keep an
eye on him… but you need to take into consideration that it
was the emperor that arranged this marriage; therefore, you
should exercise some element of caution."

Fan Xian was a little disappointed in his father, for not

putting Ruoruo’s happiness as the number one priority. Fan
Xian took the time to ponder whether his father put the
concerns of dead prostitutes before his daughter. With this in
his mind, he knew that for whatever he had to do next, he was
on his own.

Fan Xian took leave of the study room with his father, but
then entered another study room. He entered here alone.

The three people in the adjacent study room began bowing

upon his arrival. Si Chan Li delivered to him the documents,
upon which the ink had already dried. He relayed to Fan Xian,
"This is the agreement that indicates the transfer of the Bao
Yue ‘s shares; the seventy percent. Please, take a look. It will be
all taken care of, once Sizhe signs it."
 Mu Tie then said, "The eyes of the capital government never
rest. According to the intel a scout of ours retrieved, they had
concerns regarding the criminals we delivered. There was also
a person who we identified as an ally of the second prince enter
the capital government’s office. What was discussed there,
however, we have no knowledge of."

Fan Xian nodded and said, "it does not matter. We aren’t to
do anything for the next few days."

Mu Tie furrowed his eyebrows and said, "W if they have

misjudged the situation? What if they assume we are in
trouble…? And what if they have officers from the government
come and apprehend Sizhe?"

Fan Xian looked towards Yan Bingyun, who had been silent
the entire time. Fan Xian shook his head and said, "we have the
big boss of the Fourth Bureau, prepared to send Sizhe to the
northern Qi Kingdom. Who is to find him then?"
Chapter 294: Drawn Together
After all the necessary proceedings had been arranged, Fan
Xian entered the bedroom. Liu Shi was lying on the side of the
bed, and appeared to have already fallen asleep. He gently
woke her up and had her come to the corner of the room so
they could talk. Liu Shi still had dried, crusted tear marks
upon her face, but it looked as if she had already made her
decision. Now, with a nod, she confirmed her agreement to the
new arrangements. No one knew what Fan Xian had told her to
convince her.

They were moving further into the night. Because it was the
autumn, few insects now made noise in the dead of night.
Ruoruo continued to keep Liu Shi company as Fan Xian moved
to approach his little brother, who was still in slumber.
Looking across his face, observing the ravageous pockmarks
that dotted his face, he could not help but shake his head and
laugh. He took an ink pad from the desk and retrieved from his
pockets the document that Shi Chan Li had formulated earlier
in the evening. With his unconscious hand, Fan Xian pressed
his brother’s fingertips against the ink and then upon the
document.

Seeing the white document with its red fingerprint, Fan Xian
looked satisfied and nodded. After today, the 70% of shares that
Fan Sizhe had procured for the Bao Yue house would now
belong to someone else. From now on, his little brother had
nothing more to do with that wretched brothel.

Wan’er could tell he was not in a good mood, so she made a

humorous, mocking face at Fan Xian. She received no
response, however. Deep in her heart, she had been feeling
slightly useless throughout this entire affair, so the very least
she thought she could do was get and maintain a smile out of
him.

Fan Xian then smiled back, saying, "This has nothing to do

with you. Kids should always go out and explore, and it is
through that they can become wise men." Then, all of a
sudden, Fan Xian asked, "Has Lady Shen returned yet?"

"To the west pavilion," Wan’er began speaking, "Master Yan

has already headed out."

"Good." Fan Xian calmly replied, and then sat on the side of
the bed on which Sizhe was sleeping. After a while, he decided
to stand up and call for one of the servants in the kitchen to
prepare food for everyone. For himself, however, Fan Xian
made congee. He was blowing into it as he ate slowly. He
desired to give Yan Bingyun and Lady Shen the necessary time
to get their affairs in order. The most important part of all this
was to provide Liu Shi some additional last-minute timing to
spend with her son before his departure.

He did not know long it had been, but Deng Zi Yue had come
to see Fan Xian, following a servant. He nodded.

Fan Xian understood. He did not need anyone else’s aid, so he

got up and went to Fan Sizhe’s bedroom. He picked his little
brother up and walked him outside to the carriage that awaited
him. Despite all this, Fan Sizhe was still soundly asleep. Liu
Shi gritted her teeth and came over to stroke his cheek.
Ruoruo, sullenly played with his thick ears, and Wan’er looked
on, profound sadness welling up her eyes.

Only the Sinan Bo, Fan Jing, was still asleep in the manor,
seemingly without care for the well-being of his departing son,
who was soon to be taken to a foreign land in which he would
be mostly alone and without knowledge of when he could
return.
 "You guys go first." Fan Xian looked towards Yan Bingyun,
whose face was as expressionless as an icy mural, and
continued, "I’m counting on you. But be on your guard once
you depart from the capital."

At such a late period in the night, the capital gate had long
been closed. Only those from the Overwatch Council possessed
the power and authority to allow someone outside its gate at a
time like this.

Yan Bingyun slowly raised his head to meet Fan Xian’s gaze,
asking, "You are not coming?"

Fan Xian looked down at the ground and replied, "We will
meet up in Song Lin Bao. For now, there is something else I
must attend to."

Fan Xian was able to see clearly, despite the dim lights, and
he took notice of the tears rolling down his little brother’s shut
eyelids; it was obvious he was awake. But why he chose to feign
unconsciousness before his mother, Fan Xian could only guess.
Fan Sizhe’s lips were trembling, and Fan Xian imagined that he
must now hate him and his father very much.
 In the darkness, aside from the Qinian Group, swordsmen
from the Sixth Bureau also lay in wait. With the skill that these
people possessed, unless it was the second prince using the
power of the Yi family, none would be able to oppose them.

Fan Xian stood beside the carriage, his eyes returning to the
ground. He waved his hand at the carriage.

The carriage then began its departure, and slowly rolled

away beyond the gate. The three women who were standing at
the back of the yard in Fan manor all wore a solemn expression
on their face. Liu Shi’s face looked the worst.

A few carriages without emblems or identifying brands now

trotted down the streets of the capital in the dark. No one knew
what methods or arrangements Yan Bingyun had utilised, but
their departure and subsequent exit from the capital walls
went without a single hitch. Now they were travelling
northbound, and had been doing so for about half an hour.
Seeing the moon illuminate the hills and highlighting one
particular knoll that was decorated with short trees, it signified
their arrival at the Song Lin Bao.
 The band now stayed in place, awaiting Fan Xian’s arrival.

Fan Sizhe, who was in the carriage, opened his eyes. His face
was still adorned with that same look of recklessness, and so he
said, "Aren’t you afraid that during this trip, the one where I’m
being exiled, that I could run off at any given second?"

In the carriage, only Fan Sizhe and Yan Bingyun remained,

Yan Bingyun turned to gaze at the boy and coldly told him,
"You are a smart person, so of course you know what you need
to do. It is because of you and that which you have done that
Fan Xian has exerted a lot of effort in arrangements that will
keep you and the rest of the family safe."

Fan Sizhe lowered his voice to say, "Or he is merely doing all
this just so that he can protect his own reputation?"

Yan Bingyun mockingly said, "If reputation is indeed all that

he cares about, then he would have sent you straight to the
government. Who could deny his actions then?"
 Fan Sizhe knew what was going on, but he was stubborn and
not willing to admit to his mistakes. He screamed, "Father
would not allow this to happen!"

"The Minister?" Yan Bingyun’s cold eyes turned to an

expression of jest, and he mockingly said, "The Minister’s
thoughts are not something you and I are permitted or able to
understand."

Fan Sizhe now looked tired, and he asked, "Mister Yan, where
is my big brother sending me to?"

"The northern Qi Kingdom." Yan Bingyun plainly responded.

"Uh…" Fan Sizhe’s face dropped to one of complete

hopelessness, and he sighed as if he were deflating. With an
upset look that extended beyond what one could think possible
of a person his age, he lay down once more. He accidentally
grazed a wound on his back and within a second, began
screaming in pain.
 Yan Bingyun thought it funny, and so he turned to look at
him. He said, "Fan Xian’s medicine, although it is useful, can
be extremely irritating. Just try and keep it together." When
Yan Bingyun was in the northern Qi Kingdom’s capital, Fan
Xian had done the same thing for him.

"I knew what I was doing. It looks really bad, but I did not
hurt the bone. Why are you trying to garner pity?" Fan Xian
coldly said this as he entered the carriage.

Fan Sizhe saw the look on his face and thought of the family
discipline he had just received. His mind wandered to the pain
he endured, but quickly snapped back to the present from that
fearful recollection.

"Where have you been?" Yan Bingyun furrowed his eyebrows

and looked at Fan, saying, "Time is of the essence."
 Fan Xian put down the person on his back, laying them down
next to Fan Sizhe. All of a sudden, a pleasant fragrance
permeated the air of the carriage. Fan Sizhe was shocked,
seeing a pretty woman’s face and in this fright, he shouted to
Fan Xian asking, "What have you done to her!?"

The person Fan Xian had taken was the popular prostitute of
the Bao Yue house, called Yan’er.

Fan Xian looked at Fan Sizhe and with the intent to mock,
said, "You pity her? It looks like your evil personality has been
influenced by the genes of your father, in which you cherish
women of the night. When you established the brothel, why
did you not care for the women then?"

Fan Sizhe and Yan Bingyun had no clue what Fan Xian was
referring to when he spoke of "genes", but that was beside the
primary point of their current confusion. Why in the world
had Fan Xian brought that stranger along with them? To
capture her, however, well--Fan Xian was already known to be
a master of drugging, and in a time like this, when the brothel
of a certain prostitute was half-laid to waste, the kidnapping of
one such employee was not something that would prove
difficult.
 "She must be your first woman, yes?" Fan Xian looked into
his brother’s eyes and softly asked.

Fan Sizhe thought about it and then nodded for his reply.
With a look that begged for mercy, he hoped that Fan Xian
would be willing to let her go.

Fan Xian shook his head and sighed, "You really are better
than me. You lost your virginity at the age of fourteen…" Fan
Xian gave an outburst of laughter. A second later, though, he
returned to seriousness and said, "I know the way you treat
this woman is special, and that it is different. And I too can tell
that she cares about you in return. That being said, your age
gap could very well put you as her sibling."

Fan Xian’s lips widened once more.

"The Bao Yue house will no longer be safe. If this lady, Yan’er,
was to stay there, I thought you might have been concerned for
her future safety. It is not as if I could return her to the manor.
Father may allow such a thing, but if I were to turn my back
for a minute, Liu Shi may very well end up killing her!" Fan
Xian calmly continued, saying, "I thought about it when we
had established the prospect of sending you north. Even
though we are doing this to test you, it is of no use to leave you
there alone. Without anyone else, how are you going to
develop your mind? That is why I am having Yan’er sent with
you.

Fan Sizhe and Yan Bingyun were both staring, their eyes wide
open. To be exiled from the capital in the company of one of
the greatest prostitutes of the kingdom, was this truly
banishment? Or was it merely a vacation?

"Big brother, what are you trying to do?" Fan Sizhe still did
not believe this kindness despite all the arrangements that
were currently in motion. After everything that had happened,
he was now being granted the manner of treatment that few of
the Fan manor’s sons could ever have hoped to be given. He
had mumbled to say what he had, for he was frightened whilst
looking towards Fan Xian’s calm demeanor. But still, even as
he did so, the pain of his ravaged backside began to feel lighter.

Yan Bingyun looked at Fan Xian, and he once again felt that
no matter how well he had come to know him, he was still as
unpredictable as ever. Shaking his head, he patted Fan Sizhe’s
shoulders, saying, "your big brother is a wonderful man."
 Yan Bingyun now disembarked from the carriage to provide
space and privacy for the brothers who were soon going to be
separated.

There was to be little silence in their time together, for they

spoke intently. Fan Xian looked at Fan Sizhe with gentle eyes
and said, "Why did you not say goodbye to your mother?" Fan
Xian did not await his response, and he kept going. He asked,
"Do you know why I am so mad this time? And do you know
why your father and I have decided to send you away?"

Fan Sizhe looked down at the floor of the carriage, and after a
moment, perked his head up to say, "For sending me away, I
will at the very least have no worry for the government
sniffing around and investigating the Bao Yue house. Even if
they did so now, they will most likely believe I up and fled, and
it’ll have no bearing on the reputation of the family. With me
gone, you can now all freely compete with the second brother."
 "Not bad." Fan Xian was happy to notice that under his
influence, he had started to refer to the second and third prince
as second brother and third brother, respectively. Secondly, it
is a part of my punishment." All of a sudden, Fan Sizhe raised
his head in endurance of his pain. He began crying, and told
Fan Xian, "but I do not want to go… Big Brother, the northern
Qi Kingdom’s people are so mean. And what am I to even do
when I get there?"

"What can you do?" Fan Xian gave a serious response, saying,
"You should capitalizee on and do that which you are best at:
business."

Fan Sizhe looked like a simple child when he raised his head.
He did not look anything like the suspected owner of the
infamous Bao Yue house might be thought to have looked like.
He then asked Fan Xian, "Business?"

"Yes." Fan Xian responded. "Father has given me permission

to arrange and proceed with what I have planned. After much
deliberation, I’m going to give to you one thousand coins as a
capital investment. When you arrive at Shangjing, I will also
call for a trusted ally of mine to look after you. Aside from
this, however, I will not provide you with any other help. If
you are able to take this satchel of one thousand coins and turn
it into ten thousand coins over the course of the next five
months, then perhaps then I will acknowledge it as prof of
your own true value. Furthermore…"

"Increase the sum by ten?!" He did not wait for Fan Xian to
finish, and blurted out in shock. "I am no god."

"Well, in that case, that is your own problem."

"1,000 coins is far too little to accept as capital." Fan Sizhe

was embarrassed and annoyed, he continued, "with this measly
sum, whatever I do will be small and humiliating!"

"What crap are you going on about? Enough with the

nonsense! Back in the day, when we only owned Dan Bo
bookstore, how much did that cost us?"

"Humph! For me to have what it takes to replicate that

success, you must go right ahead and write more chapters for
Dream of the Red Chamber, so that I may sell them there.
Under those circumstances, then yes, I can guarantee you I will
make that one thousand coins become ten thousand coins."

"That won’t happen. The person named Cao was already

driven insane the last time I forced him to handwrite and
hand-in a multitude of copies of that book. No one is willing to
produce and distribute that book now."

The brothers continued their talks as if nothing had changed.

The atmosphere and mood had lightened up considerably, and
they were happy. Fan Xian observed his little brother’s chubby
face and could not help but sigh. He then told him, "It is
dangerous out there. Father told me that I can’t look over your
shoulder that much. Whatever happens to you out there
happens; you need to exercise a great deal of caution."

Fan Sizhe went silent and simply nodded. After a brief

moment, he said, "Big Brother, you once said that I am a genius
of business. Do not worry. I will succeed."

Fan Xian replied, "I hope you won’t be mad at me for kicking
you out of the capital."
 Fan Sizhe just shook his head, and did not say another word.

Fan Xian understood the confliction he must have felt within

his heart. He frowned and told him, "What you said to me
earlier, when you told me why you were to be exiled, it was not
true."

Fan Sizhe raised his head with a visible confusion.

Fan Xian quietly said, "Eve if you were to stay in the capital,
there would be nothing to be afraid of. You think I cannot
protect just one person? Just going to hide anywhere else and
waiting until this all cools off would be fine. And I know for a
fact that the second prince won’t do anything to me. Even if
the government wants to investigate the Bao Yue house, it’s not
as if they could march into our manor and take you away that
easily."

"The second reason, when you said it was because I desired to

punish you, that was mostly correct." Fan Xian looked at the
prostitute from the Bao Yue house who was still sound asleep,
then he calmly said, "On your journey to the north, I do not
doubt you will come in contact with some manner of trouble
along the way. But compared to the misdeeds you have truly
committed, what you meet with will not be equal in
comparison. And if I sent you back to Danzhou, as might have
been expected, I can only surmise that things would turn out
worse there."

Fan Sizhe was a little scared, hearing all this. He squeezed

himself, but as he did so, his wounds began to ache painfully
once more. He did not speak of this, but in his heart, he
pondered the question, Why must you send me to the north?

Fan Xian squinted and told his brother, "I never thought you
would do something so reckless as this. What you have done,
even if you did not know it, is wretched and cruel. If you
remain in the capital, people are going to lure you into doing
things that are merely for the sake of getting to me or our
father. In times like this, you may fall into the darkest pits of
our society. As such, I think it would be best for you to see
more of this world. For your maturity, exploration and the
occasional hardships of the road will work wonders."

He all of a sudden gave Fan Sizhe a cold look and said, "By
doing business, we have to do things either by hook or by
crook. But you must get a grip, and learn the difference
between them. But do not be overzealous in your dealings.
Take your time, otherwise, things are prone to backfire. And
furthermore, you only live once; it is therefore best for you to
spend that time being nice to others. Look to the bright side of
life, little brother."

Fan Sizhe always felt that what had occurred to him

following his acquisition and loss of the Bao Yue House to be
unfair. He saw its establishment as a monument to his success.
Even though many seedy dealings and horrid affairs tainted
the soil of its prosperity, it was not something he paid heed to.
He lied back down on the carriage seats and said, "What you
just said has a lot of justice to it. If people did not know you,
and heard you say all this, they would never believe you to be a
member of the Overwatch Council. They would think of you to
be some sort of bookworm in the Imperial College."

Fan Sizhe’s words were quite taunting, but Fan Xian did not
let that bother him; he only raised his eyebrows in response. As
the commissioner for the Overwatch Council, the spies he had
under his command were masters of the dark and were
renowned for committing foul deeds under the guise of
shadow. It was just a brothel, and no matter the amount of
iron control and unbendable will an owner of such an
establishment had, it did not come close to the abhorrent
management of the Bao Yue house and the same could be said
for Fan Xian and the Overwatch Council. Not thinking of it
this way, it was no wonder why his brother did not think
fondly of his speech.

Fan Xian smiled and said, "Do you think I am an evil person?
Using these high-moral mannerisms to talk to you. Is it just me
being ridiculous?"

Fan Sizhe saw his big brother smile and began panicking, but
his eyes rolled twice. This was an obvious indicator that he
thought it was ridiculous.

"I am not a saint, nor am I much of a good person." Fan Xian

continued, "even an executor, he who is responsible for the
deaths of many may still love his family. He would know of
what I am talking about. People who work like us, even though
we always carry the stench of blood, we still desire for our
brothers to be free of such a smell. We want them to be clear.
Perhaps it is because we face the evil in this world on your
behalf, and we do so in the hope that our siblings may never
need to themselves; it is our duty."
 Fan Sizhe heard his brother repeat the word "we", and
wondered its meaning.

Fan Xian now thought of telling his brother about Xiao En

and Zhuang Mo Han. With a smile, Fan Xian began reciting his
tale, "I do not know how many people Xiao En had killed in the
duration of his lifetime, nor do I know just how many
wretched deeds he may have also committed. But still, he
always wanted his brothers to become proud officers of the
court. And in this desire, he succeeded; for Zhuang Mo Han did
not disappoint him. Until the night he died, I admired that
man profoundly. Even though I am not smart, if Xiao En was
capable of doing this, I want to replicate such success as well."

It seemed as if Fan Xian wanted to convince his brother, but

it also seemed as if he was providing himself comfort. He said,
"It is a marvelous thing, a being good person. And I want to be
a good person."

…
 Fan Sizhe now heard of this crazy secret for the first time and
with his mouth agape, he remained silent for quite some time.
After a while, with a voice that trembled, he said, "But I looked
at the book Mister Zhuang wrote, and man, did it give me a
headache. Big brother, if I were to become a scholar, it would
be an arduous road."

Fan Xian found his musing humorous, and replied, "With a

brain like yours, of course you cannot study."

Fan Sizhe had no prepared response for this, but instead,

asked Fan Xian about his earlier tale. He said, "That story you
spoke of…"

"Just try your best to conduct business. Strive to become the

manner of merchant that will go down in the history books."
Fan Xian encouraged him by further saying, "being a merchant
does not have to be as everyone may imply, in which you must
conduct shady dealings everyday. In this world, there are
perfectly successful merchants that conduct their business
entirely by the book."
 Fan Sizhe harbored a look of weary confusion and responded,
"To become a merchant, all that is required of us is to turn a
profit. How am I to become truly heard, by conducting this
business on the straight-and-narrow? Even if they have it
made, it will only become a tasty dish for the greedy, corrupt
officers of the government to come dine upon."

"You have me and Father. If you do things right, no harm will

come to you or your business." Fan Xian gave his brother a
gentle look and said, "Did you forget about the Ye family? You
and I talked about this in Cangshan. The sole reason for your
fervent desire to conduct business ever since you were young
was because when you were small, Father always told you tales
of the Ye family. If that mistress of the Ye family did not die, I
can guarantee you that no government or kingdom in this
entire world would threaten them."

Fan Sizhe, with eyes wide open, momentarily froze. He said

with unease, "The business of a brothel can generate extreme
amounts of money. It produces more profit than any other
venture." His little brother still did not see the value or
importance in maintaining one’s reputation in the field of
trade; he still thought that the simple generation of earnings is
all that mattered.
 Fan Xian smiled and told him, "I once asked a person in
Qingyu Hall, and he told me that the Ye family would conduct
any manner of business. Anything except that which was
illegal. At first, of course it was because the leader of the family
was a woman, and she would hate the thought of making illicit
trades. But also, it was because evil was and still is evil. No
matter how much money one could line their pockets with, it
did not change the fact that doing something wrong was indeed
wrong. It’s like being water, trapped between the banks of a
small river. You will forever keep moving, but never does the
opportunity to make big waves come. If you want to become a
master of business, continuing to hang around these small
rivers will not yield to you the success that you so crave."

Fan Xian himself didn’t know why, but was beginning to talk
and talk with greater excitement at each passing sentence.
Perhaps it was because the possible fate of his brother was
touching the innermost sanctum of his heart, though he said,
"It is not easy to live your life. You must try your best to
achieve things to their greatest potential. To be a merchant,
you cannot be satisfied by remaining in the realm of
illegitimate exchanges, and you cannot be satisfied with being
one of little renown either. You may not even be satisfied as a
royal merchant. For utter satisfaction, you must become a
merchant of the whole world. The wealth of one individual
can be enough to change the fate of an entire kingdom. For
this, everyone would admire you and know your name."
 The way he spoke, as if everything was so simple, was
beginning to give Fan Sizhe a headache. He awkwardly looked
towards his big brother and told him, "The Ye family dealt
with armaments and weaponry of war. They even helped the
Qing Kingdom destroy the northern Wei Kingdom. The
northern people weren’t very fond of that family because ofit.
As to how I conducted my business in the Bao Yue house, I only
committed a few minor misdeeds. Yuan Meng only killed a
small number of prostitutes, but as for the mistress of the Ye
family, who knows how many innocent people she had killed?
Big brother, what you’re saying is…"

Fan Xian did not know to respond properly, he simply waved

his hand and decided to stop comparing Fan Sizhe to the Ye
family. He then said, "Regardless, it is not very nice to become
a bully and author of murder."

Fan Sizhe looked worried, and told Fan Xian, "but Big
Brother, I really do not wish to leave the capital," and
continued, "Both Mother and Father will remain there, so
could you at least take extra care in looking after them? For
me, please?" He knew that after what had happened with Bao
Yue, the only thing that could be done to ease tensions was to
leave. The excuse for the second prince to attack Fan’s family
would be gone. Even though Fan Xian would not admit it, it
was the thought and sight of his father’s resolve within all of
this that made him truly acknowledge the danger and trouble
he had placed his family in.

After the speeches made by Fan Xian, the fourteen year old
boy was given the appropriate determination to go north and
succeed. He now thought to himself, if I live my life and
become just like the mistress of the Ye family back in the day,
what a wondrous achievement that would be!

Fan Xian nodded and leaned closer. Into his ear, he whispered
to him the names of those he could trust in Shangjing.

Fan Sizhe heard what his brother truly desired and his heart
froze. The palace treasury… smuggling to the north… the Cui
family… and a terrifyingly large sum of money… Am I truly
capable of doing this?
Chapter 295: The Night Outside the
Capital
"Do you remember last year, when I used the Black Fist to
strike Guo Baokun? Did the capital government come around,
asking me about it?"

"No."

"Do you remember the incident in the spring exam this year?
Did the Ministry of Punishment come around, asking me about
it?"

"No." Fan Sizhe was a little confused as he looked at him. Was

his big brother seeking to remind him of the Qing Kingdom’s
laws? But the problem was, those two cases had threads that
led nowhere. Any effort to resolve them, was hopeless as they
had pretty much disappeared. In the Qing Kingdom, an
individual’s power could go above the law, and what Fan Xian
seemed to be telling his little brother went against what he had
preached in regards to justice.
 Fan Xian laughed and patted his bum, saying, "Both times,
you were the one holding the cane to beat the officers. Despite
your insistence on being someone who’s always been cocky and
rude, you have always been nice to me, even though our
relationship is one that has existed for a mere two years. That
is, unless I am mistaken."

Fan Sizhe’s backside was plagued with marks and pulsating

waves of pain that did not seem to relent. He gritted his teeth
and said, "Then why were you so rough to me earlier?"

Fan Xian smiled and said, "First, I was really mad. And that
was not something I was willing to hide. Second, if I didn’t
beat you up badly enough, how was I supposed to convince the
public that the Fan family is strict and law-abiding? I would
say it was a half-and-half thing. Half-acting, half-true."

Fan Sizhe suddenly spoke in a voice of absolute seriousness,

saying, "Big Brother, the events in the north are ones of
extreme significance; are you truly willing to let me handle
them?"
 Fan Xian replied, "You will first need to prove that you are
capable of taking on such a task."

Fan Sizhe gritted his teeth to display his enthusiasm and said,
"Yes, I can do that."

Fan Xian nodded and looked towards the Bao Yue’s

prestigious prostitute, who continued to sleep soundly next to
Fan Sizhe. He raised his eyebrows and told him, "Yesterday,
when we investigated the brothel, I noticed how fondly that
woman thought of you. I am your big brother, and I know that
your personality is one of harshness and cruelty, but when you
are supposed to be gentle, you should indeed become so. You
will soon understand how much more curious and fun life can
be when you slow down to appreciate the smaller things."

Fan Sizhe was still quite young, and when it came to the
discussion of men and women, he blushed like any child
would. With a red face, he nodded.

The two of them had been conversing in the carriage for

quite some time, and now, the carriage began moving forward
slowly. It signalled to them both that their time together was
now over, and the time for them to separate had at last come.
Fan Xian mournfully shook his head and said, "This trip you
are going on will be fraught with danger. Although you must
despise me on at least some level, I can only hope that, in the
future, you will understand my reasoning for placing you on
this path. This is done without ill will, for I have nothing but
good intentions. And in regards to how you may feel about
your father, you should not hate him for a single thing. It is
important for you to realize that in this world, rare is it to find
someone who will look out for your greater interests outside of
your father and family. You are extremely young, yet you are
already being exiled. Auntie Liu is sad about all of this, as is
your father."

Fan Sizhe’s face was one of utter dejection. He nodded and

saw the shadow of his brother disembark the carriage. He
thought of what his future may soon hold, and as he did so,
tears welled up in his eyes, and a profound sadness now veiled
his heart.

"Big Brother! Come and get me before long!" The shadow that
departed now froze in place, and within those few second, a
voice replied from the darkness. "Have no fear, for I will
remedy all of this soon enough."
 Seeing the carriage disappear into the enveloping darkness of
night, Fan Xian’s mind drifted. I am not a good person myself,
so how is it that I can expect him to be? Perhaps what I said
earlier was correct, and that the relationship between people
can be quite fascinating. Perhaps Wang Jing Wei never hoped
for his son to become a traitor as he had been? Or perhaps
Hitler would have preferred for his potential son to merely
take up painting?

Of course, it was unknown to Fan Xian whether or not such a

thing may have come to pass, but he did see Xiao En and
Zhuang Mo Han harbor great respect and love for each other,
despite their differences. Their relationship was both touching
and inspirational to Fan Xian.

In the legendary brothers’ maintaining of their relationship,

there were many things that Xiao En did for Zhuang Mo Han
without his knowing. Nobody ever knew of these deeds, for
Xiao En was a secretive person who favored sticking to the
shadows. Furthermore, Xiao En never admitted their shared
lineage to others due to the danger it may have posed to
Zhuang Mo Han’s reputation as a scholar. To do these deeds
without acknowledgment was an admirable thing indeed.
 When Zhuang Mo Han was around 70 to 80 years of age, at
the twilight of his life, his reputation peaked. It was during
this time he sought to help his brother, disregarding the
principles he had held onto throughout his lifetime. He
travelled from the north to the southern Qing Kingdom in a bid
to frame Fan Xian. The price he had paid was not something
entirely material, for he gave up that which he cherished the
most.

And yet despite this, as outlandish as it may have seemed, it

was Fan Xian who stood beside each of them as they passed
away.

Fan Xian was brought to his senses when the carriage was
long gone. He sighed in his heart and worried the prospect of
Fan Sizhe turning to despise him. He wondered if, one day,
what if he himself was to fall into a pit of darkness and end up
too far gone, suffering the same fate as the late Xiao En? Would
Sizhe end up like Zhuang Mo Han, giving up all that he
possessed to save him?

The wind rustled the mountainsides and across the plains

before the capital. Fan Xian mocked himself for mulling such
thoughts and shook his head. He humorously thought to
himself that with Sizhe’s personality, he would only go so far
as to lose 10,000 coins in a bid to save his brother’s life, if it
ever came to such a thing. If the price was any higher, Fan Xian
worried that his fat, greedy little brother would have to
contemplate the decision deeply.

Yan Bingyun approached to stand by Fan Xian’s side and

spoke, "you are a very manipulative person."

Fan Xian, curiosity piqued, asked, "Why would you say

that?"

"You use everyone around you, and have them believe you
have their best interests at heart…" Yan Bingyun’s lips raised
slightly.
 Fan Xian calmly replied, "You don’t have a brother. You
would never understand such a relationship. I really am
looking out for him, in the hopes that he will one day become a
better person. Perhaps my methodology is a little too harsh,
and there is every chance it will all be in vain, but what else
can I do? This is as far as I can go with my level of power. At
the very least, I can tell myself I played a significant in the role
of Fan Sizhe’s ascension to adulthood."

"This is what I wished to point out." Yan Bingyun followed

his line with a nod. "You are still a cruel person."

Fan Xian went silent, knowing that Yan Bingyun was sure to
continue his dialogue.

"The second master is still young, and the state of affairs

between our kingdoms is complex… and yet fully aware of this,
you happily exile him. It’s as if you’re sweeping him under a
rug so that you can halt the possibility of others blackmailing
you. Your course of action is so radical, I would be surprised if
the second prince could think this far ahead." Yan Bingyun
relayed his dialogue with cold earnestness.
 Fan Xian faintly smiled and responded with a question, "How
do you think a person should live their life?"

Previously, Fan Xian had posed this question to Ruoruo,

Sizhe and Wan’er. In this world, Yan Bingyun was now the
fourth recipient of Nikolai Ostrovsky’s ultimate question.

Yan Bingyun heard the question clearly and shook his head
before replying, "Mine is rather simple: As an officer of the
Overwatch Council, and one who is loyal to the emperor and
kingdom, I strive to elevate the position of our land so it may
one day dominate the whole world."

"To dominate the whole world?" Fan Xian mocked his

response and further added, "What is the purpose in doing
that?"

Yan Bingyun was shocked. As a young person of the Qing

Kingdom, born at a time when their homeland were rapidly
expanding, people tended to harbor this desire naturally. It was
a passive thought, accepted by all. It was strange to hear
someone question the desire for why they sought to extend the
reach and further the prosperity of their kingdom. And after
having asked, Yan Bingyun had no idea how to explain this
concept to Fan Xian at first.

"When the land is divided, many countries sprout up, and the
concept of war is a difficult circumstance to avoid. Civilians
lose their homes… if this is an unavoidable conclusion to the
creation of a multitude of different countries, then why not
have one sole, dominant one? There would be no need for more
war."

After much deliberation, Yan Bingyun eased his mind.

Fan Xian shook his head and said, "I never believed in the
idea of dominating the world. When the land is split up for too
long, it tends to come together. But when the lands are
together for too long, the desire for segregation and
independence tends to disrupt the peace you speak of. So, the
lands separate once more. This unification and division tends
to come and go every few hundred years. If the lands that split
up have no desire for war, where then does it come from?
Unification… it is not an effective method to avoid war and
foster everlasting peace. It is a seed that’s future harvest is war.
If everyone did not think of it that way, then perhaps the world
would indeed be peaceful."
 Yan Bingyun looked at him with a mocking face, and
spitefully said, "That is a childish thought!"

"I understand." Fan Xian sighed and continued, "but for the
duration of my existence, war is the last thing I desire to be
involved in. In the last year, the number of people who were
killed at the hands of our council tallied up to around four
hundred. In August, when the river burst its banks, over ten
thousand people were estimated to have died. If a war was to
begin, I am only afraid another one hundred thousand people
would be a victim of it."

"Even though our qualms with the other kingdoms have been
suppressed for now, it is not something that will last forever. It
is only a matter of time before more war visits our lands." Yan
Bingyun scoffed and finished by saying, "Even if you were to
collect the four Great Grandmasters as your personal fighters
and used force to quash the ambitions of vying royal families,
what would occur following your death?"

Fan Xian laughed and said, "After I die? After me, the flood."
 The most barefaced sentence spoken by Louis the Fifteenth
finally made Yan Bingyun’s face change. He shook his head and
sighed, before saying, "I thought you were the benevolent sort,
merely shrouded in darkness. Hearing what you have just said,
I knew I was being too polite to you… you are not just cruel,
you are an extremely selfish man."

"I think you have misunderstood. I told you before that I

wasn’t a saint." Fan Xian frowned and continued by saying,
"although it would not hurt for me to try and become one."

"A saint who is in charge of the Overwatch Council?" Yan

Bingyun looked towards Fan Xian as if he had just seen a ghost.

"How are you going to live your life?" Yan Bingyun rarely
obtained the opportunity to speak with his master as they did
in the northern Qi Kingdom.
 "I plan to live it well." Fan Xian said this vaguely, a pointless
sentence for which he did not await a response. He laughed and
said, "I would like to thank you and your father for arranging
Sizhe’s journey north." To make a person secretly vanish and
depart from the Qing Kingdom, evade officers that guard the
borders, ask for help from the Fourth Bureau of the Overwatch
Council and commit embezzlement, it would have been
impossible for Fan Xian to do all of this alone.

"You are my boss." Yan Bingyun replied straightforwardly.

Fan Xian understood his thinking and told him, "I will report
to the head diplomat."

He continued and said, "Did you know that the first night we
left the capital alongside the envoy, where we first made camp
was right here? Right here at Song Lin Bao." He touched his
nose and self-mockingly laughed and said, "back when we were
in the envoy, there was a prostitute named Si Lili, and today
Sizhe is getting exiled. Although his situation is far worse than
the position I was in, I still got him a prostitute of his own to
keep him company. It seems as if his journey north won’t be so
different from mine."
 Yan Bingyun winced at the words he had just heard spoken.
He shook his head and thought it quite difficult to get used to
Fan Xian, particularly when he was more than willing to show
his obscene side to his close subordinates. Desiring a change of
subject, Yan Bingyun said, "There is nothing to worry about
anymore, at least. What are your plans next?"

Fan Xian gave a wry smile and responded, "I plan to deal with
a certain prince; why? Do you think I will go so far as to
murder him?"

Yan Bingyun coldly spoke, "from what I have seen, I

wouldn’t put anything past you."

Fan Xian smiled and said, "you’ve come a long way in

understanding me… but there is no rush; we will soil
Hongcheng’s reputation one way or another. We will also keep
the second prince’s subordinates busy while giving the Cui
family a good push."

As Fan Xian ended his talking, he gently said, "I won’t deal
with the Bao Yue house anymore. You can aid Shi Chanli with
clearing up those matters. And as for what you would like to
do afterwards, that is entirely up to you. Besides, you are
really good at formulating conspiracies, and in this field, your
talents exceed my own."
Chapter 296: Repossession
The Bao Yue house was still in business. Word had spread
amongst the populace about recent events, and it was quickly
gaining notoriety as "the craziest brothel in the city". The
people whispered about the Fan family fighting the second
prince, and following that, all who were involved with the
establishment were promptly taken back to the Fan manor and
beaten with canes for hours. But then, that was all. But some
concerned voices spoke of the Overwatch Council’s impotence
in the affair, and some were saying that their watchful eyes
were flagging, being unable to keep the sordid deeds of the Bao
Yue house within their sights. Not long later, however, as the
events winded down, so too did the people’s interest, for they
thought it all to be over.

To the belief of many officers, things had unfolded and been

resolved as naturally as they ever could have. With the
confrontation between Fan Xian and the second prince, it was
believed that many of Fan Xian’s actions were taboo and that
he had been far too cocky, doing many things he should have
respectfully refrained from. Additionally, it was now known
that it was the second master of the Fan family who owned Bao
Yue. Although the family’s general reputation may have taken
a minor hit, the revenue they would have earned over the
many months would more than make up for it. And with
everyone working together to resolve the matters until things
returned to a state of normalcy, it was to be a win-win
situation.

But for the civilians who did not know of what had
transpired, all they were aware of was that an investigation by
the Overwatch Council into the Bao Yue house had been
undertaken, and at some point, a number of the tortured wails
of beaten children echoed from beyond the walls of the Fan
manor. It was all so very strange to them. Many of them would
think, Since when did our emperor’s special unit begin dealing
with brothels? What happened in the Fan manor, I wonder?
Why have all those young, thuggish brutes disappeared off the
streets all of a sudden?

It did not matter who knew what about what, however, for
the general consensus was that this was another petty squabble
between the nobles of the city. Its rapid conclusion was most
likely due to the network of relationships between families, it
was assumed, and that was of benefit to all.

But as for the managers and ladies of the Bao Yue house, they
did not seem as relaxed as they once did. Ever since the
investigation into Bao Yue, the owner of the establishment had
disappeared. Rumors had circulated in regards to a certain
"young owner" who was now forbidden to leave the manor he
may have belonged to, but confirmation of such a thing had
not yet been achieved. As such, all were concerned for his
wellbeing. As for the second owner, his identity was somewhat
special and so it was rather obvious as to why he could not
show up frequently. On the surface, Bao Yue house may have
looked fine once more, but under the hood, tensions bubbled as
things were put into motion.

Elsewhere, the officers under the second prince’s command

were left wondering why the Fan family were willing to send
the three men who were directly involved with the homicides
straight to the government.

Ever since Mei Zhi Li was transferred to another department,

this important Yamen had been under direct control of the
second prince. People should have known that the capital
government was heavily influenced by the will of the second
prince. If the Fan family was preparing to incriminate their
own who were involved, and send the second master to Yamen
to avoid ruining the entire family’s reputation, then why were
there certain rumours perpetuating the belief that the second
master had actually been placed under curfew? Furthermore, it
was strange to see that there was little movement or action
from the Fan manor.
 The second prince was having a headache, attempting to
wrap his head around the current actions of the Fan family. He
did not expect that the Fan family would so quickly decide to
exile one of their own to a foreign country, in the dead of
night, as he had learned they had. The way the Overwatch
Council performed their appointed tasks truly were without
fault. With the mounting pressure, he had thought to act upon
these issues, but before he could do anyone, word was received
of the Fan family’s severed ties with the Bao Yue house. They
were clean, and even if they were to try and preemptively move
on Fan Xian, his unpredictability rendered it near impossible to
calculate what course of action would be the best to take.

No one could correctly guess what Fan Xian was thinking,

and no one could ever guess what Yan Bingyun was capable of.

On this day, the wind blew gently, caressing leaves on their

journey to the ground. It was the perfect day for a hike and a
good day to observe the flowers of those meadows.
 In six days’ time, it was to be Royal Flower Observation Day.
Officers and civilians alike would bring their families out on a
hike to view the flowers of the kingdom. Since it was also the
daytime, the Bao Yue house was now quieter than usual.
Because they did not know the future of their favored
establishment, and because the owner of the place had been
missing all this time, the customers who were always delighted
to come were now deflated upon their seats. The ladies that
skirted the pond did their best to cheer the horny old men up,
and unknown bugs were writhing beneath rocks and stones,
awaiting their impending doom.

The workers inside the house were restless as well. With

cloth, they went about wiping down surfaces casually, in an
attempt to stay motivated, unlike their detest of the activity in
prior, more jovial days. Fan Sizhe would often give the order to
wipe down tables with a pure white cloth to highlight whether
or not there was a single speck of dust. Although they now
went about cleaning of their own volition, it was done in a
haphazard, careless manner.

All of a sudden, a person walked in. He possessed extremely

thick eyebrows, as if they had been painted upon his face.
Because a person of such an appearance was a rare sight, it was
one that was easily remembered. He had been here before ,and
the waiter who had once served him recognized him
immediately. In shock, he jumped up, but did not approach
him.

One worker looked upon him with a strangeness in his eyes,

and as he finished wiping a table, he slung his cloth over his
shoulders and said, "Welcome!" His speech was like the sound
of music, and its tone was joyous to hear.

The person gave a wry smile, and looked a touch awkward.

He stood in the lobby of the Bao Yue house for a while before
shaking his head and speaking, "Tell Shi Qing’er to come and
see me."

Upon hearing this, the worker was taken aback. She thought
of this customer to be somewhat boorish, particularly with his
speech mannerisms. His request to immediately see Shi
Qing’er, and his reference of her name, was unusually direct.
There were many nobles in the capital, but for those that
would come to the Bao Yue house, which of them would not be
nice to her?

The worker who recognised who this man was snapped out
of his daze, wiped the sweat from his brow and approached the
fellow. He politely said, "I will deliver the message, sir." And
then, one of the other works led this strange person to the third
floor. He was brought to the quietest, nicest room in Bao Yue,
in which others were told to treat him nicely.

After that person went upstairs, all the workers who

remained on the first floor gathered around each other and
began talking. They did not know why that person had come
here and, even though the Bao Yue house was not in any
immediate danger, the past incidents had left all of its staff in a
state of anxiety.

Although this person with bushy eyebrows seemed to be one

you could easily mistake for some common, bureaucratic nerd;
one person finally remembered who he was. He was the person
who arrived at the Bao Yue house with Mister Chen. Who was
Mister Chen? He was the big brother of the owner of the Bao
Yue house and the most popular person in the court. The
person that had arrived had to be Mister Fan’s good friend, and
as such, it was a person who was of a high rank in the
Overwatch Council.

Everyone was shocked in the house, for they all knew what
transpired that day. They were only afraid that the brothel had
gravely offended Master Fan, and this made the owner of the
establishment suffer. And now, on this day, someone else had
been sent. Was the Overwatch Council going to make a mess
again? Would the business still be able to operate as it usually
did?

It was then that someone sighed and said, "I see. I am only
afraid that the brothel might have to give out a large sum of
money to resolve its issues. It is a shame that although the big
owner was really cruel at times, the way he did business was
tremendous. But for no reason, we will have to stuff the
pockets of another couple of officers to remain afloat. Even if
the business is going well, I only fear that it would be a waste."

"Bah!" Someone was unable to cope with the sight of the

person who was speaking, acting like a priest of the Qing
Temple. Mockingly, he said, "You idiot! The owner of Bao Yue
house is Fan Xian’s little brother; there is no way the
Overwatch Council would take money from us. Do you expect
the brothers to take our money in their left hand, only to hand
it to their right hand? Furthermore, their old man is a
shangshu; he would always have his eyes on them."
 A person with a skinny face spoke up, "then what is this
subordinate of commissioner Fan doing here?"

The person with large eyebrows who had arrived at Bao Yue
was Shi Chanli. Today, Fan Xian had been relaxing, and
because he was little more than a self-disciplined, honorous
scholar, Shi Chanli had been commanded by his teacher to visit
the brothel. As it went against his nature, his mood was
soured.

Si Qeng’er’s eyes had a strange look to them, though she

politely poured him tea nonetheless. Her moderate, but her
disdain for the man did not stem from him being an officer; it
was because he was a close friend of Fan Xian. The owner had
vanished a few ago, and this person was visiting. After
thinking a whole she softly asked, "Mister Shi, I have no idea
why you have decided to come visit us on this day."

Shi Chanli was hesitant to reply.

Si Qing’er was a person selected by the third prince. She did

not know much about the Fan family, but seeing him hesitate,
she was given the wrong idea. While cusping her mouth, she
began laughing, "We are all family now. Is Mister Shi still
planning on… tearing down this building?" When she said the
word "tearing", it was pronounced so deeply, it sounded
otherworldly.

Shi Chanli’s thick eyebrows furrowed, for he disliked how

frivolous this woman was. He therefore steeled his expression
and immediately presented a document. With a deep voice, he
told her, "I did not come here today to destroy the house. I have
come to claim ownership."

"Claim ownership?"

Si Qing’er was visibly rocked. She clasped the document she

was given and gave it a quick look, her face curdling with every
passing second. When she reached the bottom of the page and
took sight of the red fingerprint, she gritted her teeth. After a
long silence, she seemed to have digested the shock of the
revelation, and with widened eyes, asked, "the big owner gave
up all shares of this house… to you?"

Her words were paced unevenly... 70% of the shares was a

most incredible sum of money; how could it have been
transferred so quickly and easily? Si Qing’er knew it could not
be this simple, and so she furrowed her eyebrows and asked,
"Mister Shi, this is too much. I cannot agree with it."

Shi Chanli now revealed a wry smile and responded, "I don’t
need your agreement. From now on, I am your boss. I am the
owner of the Bao Yue house. I came here today just so I could
notify you."

Si Qing’er gritted her teeth and said, "Might I ask you, Mister
Shi, where is the previous owner of the Bao Yue house? This is
such a big thing, I fear I must see it in person to believe it."

Shi Chanli could write very well, and the document he wrote
a few days ago had been composed quickly and cleanly. What
he himself had not expected was Fan Xian’s desire to position
him as the brothel’s new owner. In his heart, he felt extremely
uncomfortable, and he had the thought that he was merely
inviting more and more trouble to himself. When he heard her
ask her question, he coldly responded, "Do you truly believe
that this ownership transfer document can be forged? Do not
be a pest! The accounting folk will be here later, so don’t you
think about doing anything unruly."
 Si Qing’er was now aware that the Fan family was preparing
to severe all of its connections to the Bao Yue house and use the
scholar before her as little more than a pawn. Her ranking was
not high enough to learn of any more, however, and she
thought it strange that Yuan Meng had all of a sudden
disappeared. So, she said, "the Bao Yue house is going to be
owned by someone named Shi? I am just trying to get by with
my work here; I would not dream of competing with you." Her
heart was calmer now, and so she smiled and said, "Thirty
percent of the shares are still possessed by the third prince, but
I am sure that Mister Shi is well aware of this by now."

No matter what, as long as the third prince owned the sum of

shares that he did, the Fan family could not wholly escape
their ties to the Bao Yue house. Even so, she did not know that
Fan Xian had never planned to wholly scrap the establishment,
and instead wanted to obtain some form of ownership. There
was a lot of coin to be earned.

Shi Chanli looked at her and smiled, and both of his bushy
eyebrows came alive as he told her, "Today, I am merely laying
claim to the house. Therefore, I am going to have to ask you to
notify the other owner that I plan on taking the rest of the
shares, also."
 "You plan to take those, as well?"

"What arrogance!" Si Qing’er was brought to rage as she

yelled this. She was aware that the transference of ownership
between the Fan family and their closest allies was a simple
deed to do, but she did not believe that taking the third prince’s
shares could be done quite so simply.

Now, Shi Chan Li was comfortably slipping into the prospect

of him being the owner of a brothel. He told her, "to collect
this thirty percent of shares, I have many ideas. To bring it up
now is to respect the second owner; you must understand this."

Si Qing’er responded coldly, "oh? It looks like I’ll have to

thank you, but I just don’t know… how much you are willing
to pay?"

Shi Chanli raised his hand and lifted a single finger.

"A hundred thousand coins?" Si Qing’er asked, thinking that

such a price was fair enough. If the Bao Yue house was able to
maintain its current traffic and continue to generate the
income it currently was over the long term, 100,000 coins for
30% of shares was a fair price.

Shi Chan Li shook his head.

"Only ten thousand coins?" Shi Chanli was shocked.

"I only have one thousand coins." Shi Chanli professed

honestly, and said, "To be a scholar is to almost always be
poor."

"Ridiculous!" Si Qing’er shouted madly. "Do not think for one

second that because you are associated with the Fan family
that you can do anything you want. It is the third prince who
owns the rest of the shares, he of the royal family!"
 Shi Chanli raised his eyebrows and said in a friendly tone,
"Do not misunderstand. Seventy percent of these shares are
owned by Shi Chanli. That’s me. It has nothing do with any
other family. And it is irrelevant who owns the remainder of
the shares."

Si Qing’er, with a frosted voice, told him, "About the

remaining thirty percent what if he is not willing to sell?"

"Firstly, there’s always the chance a few documents might

turn up, incriminating a particular person in the harboring
secret ties to a foreign country. As for what this crime is called,
I am not so sure." Shi Chanli was now laughing, and he
continued, "Secondly, it won’t be long before an establishment
by the name of Bao Ri house opens up in the capital. If I own
seventy percent of the shares, then I can fire everyone in the
Bao Yue house. That goes for the waiters, as well as the ladies.
If this was to happen, then the Bao Ri house may find itself in a
wonderful position. Lady Qing’er? This is something for you
to think about. The Bao Ri house has yet to exist, but how
much time do you expect it will take to bring down the entirety
of the Bao Yue house?"
 Si Qing’er was wearing a surprisingly confident, almost smug
look. Without backing down, she retorted, "Regarding your
first point, I do not believe it. Is the Fan family… no…Is Mister
Shi truly willing to let the Bao Yue house shut down? Squander
the seventy percent of shares so that everyone loses?" With a
face beaming with pride, she then said, "As for second
suggestion? That would be impossible. When the owner
originally chose this spot for the Bao Yue house’s
establishment, it was done with very precise, very
contemplative thought. He also paid particular attention to the
contracts he signed with the girls in ensuring how their
contract cannot be rescinded. How do you expect to make them
all leave?"

Shi Chanli shook his head and sighed. He then said, "It looks
to me as if Lady Si Qing’er does not fully understand this
situation… You have to understand that I am the owner of the
Bao Yue house. No matter what the contract says, I have the
final say-so."

Si Qing’er face warped.

Shi Chanli stood up and pushed open a window. With a

hearty smile, he told her, "In regards to where the Bao Ri house
will be established, I won’t hide it from you. It’ll be established
right next door to the Bao Yue house. It is right beside the
pond, also. The only reason why I came here to claim the
house today, is because I have been busy these past few days. I
was busy claiming the land next door."

Si Qing’er’s eyes were wide open in disbelief and she was left
speechless.

Shi Chanli was now intoxicated with the power of being

being the owner of the Bao Yue house, and he had wholly
assumed the role of a cruel businessman. He was loving it. He
reached his hand out the window and waved his hand along the
breeze, telling her, "and about us perishing together, I have no
fear of doing that. If the other side refuses to quit, then I will
have no choice but to bring us all down together. Although the
seventy percent of shares is a lot of money, it is the least of my
concern right now."

After his utterance, He thoughtmy identity as a scholar, and

assume the role of someone far more powerful, where I can
bully others freely? He really was being a menace to Si Qing‘er.
Although he had only made shallow, simple threats, they
would be more than enough for them to give up the hope of
resisting such a takeover.

The land beside the Bao Yue house truly had been taken over
by the Overwatch Council, but at what method they used to
claim it, none knew. Shi Chanli knew that every step they took
in claiming ownership of that land was flawless. The
proceedings were overseen by Yan Bingyun and it all went
without a hitch. And now, if the third prince was unwilling to
give up the thirty percent of shares, Yan Bingyun would have
to find a way to bring down the Bao Yue house within ten days
or less. If this was done, there would be no coming back for
Bao Yue.

"If you don’t know how all this stuff began, it’s best not to
worry your little mind about it." Shi Chanli did not need her to
send a message to the third prince anymore. The matter of Fan
Xian wanting to claim the Bao Yue house had already been sent
by the Fan manor to Yi Gui Pin, who was residing in the palace.
Yi Gui Pin was the one overseeing the punishment of the third
prince, and the boy had been made to copy out archaic books
all day, everyday. Even if he felt bad about his money getting
scammed by his big cousin, there was nothing that he could do
to right what he was currently being wronged.
 He saw Si Qing’er’s face take on a look of confusion. The
nature of a scholarly fellow being nice is something that could
not be avoided, and he unwittingly smiled at her and said, "I
am a nice person. In the future, if you continue to work for
me, I won’t treat you poorly."

But who was to know that Si Qing’er was a person of extreme

stubbornness? She had always wanted to be responsible for the
second owner. The second owner was a young boy, but she
thought of his identity and thought that Shi Chanli was
overstepping his boundaries. It was common to see people fight
for businesses in the capital, but who would dare to push back
against a prince?

"If the second owner sends a message, I will let you know."
She gritted her teeth and continued to speak, "but the figures of
money that are penned into the ledger will have to be
calculated by you and I correctly. Do not mess this up."

Shi Chanli nodded. The repo men who had been waiting
outside now at last entered. Seeing this group of people, Si
Qing’er’s eyes were stunned; these were the secret agents of the
Overwatch Council dressed in casual clothing. And to prohibit
the entry and actions of a group such as that, who could do
such a thing?

She looked upon the group of people. One person in

particular had a long beard, and he repeatedly complimented
the decor as he walked about. As she took sight of him, she
could not help but sigh. And that is all she could do, for she
could no longer muster the effort to speak. She had tried her
best, but there was nothing she could do to prevent Fan Xian
from taking the money from the third prince.

Even with the Qingyu Hall’s Yi family’s accounting, there

was no wriggling out of this one. Her worst dreams had now
been realized, and in her horror, she thought of her cherished
establishment being owned by a man named Shi… no, by that
damn Fan Xian!

He would definitely not choke on the money he was to

receive, and he probably wouldn’t need water to swallow it
down.
Chapter 297: Prostitutes, Pedestrians
and a Downpour Assassination
The shopkeepers in Qingyu Hall were always assisting the
palace treasury, and they also lent aid to other manors in their
business dealings. That being said, it had been many years
since they had last shown their faces. But this Lady Si Qing’er,
if she could have come as far as she did, starting out as a lowly
prostitute and becoming a pimp, she was clearly a woman who
was willing to learn, a woman who was inherently motivated
and was someone with a high interest in the managing of a
business establishment. She knew about the old men from
Qingyu Hall, and as long as they were businessmen, she
showed them great respect and admiration that stemmed from
her bones. It was a reflection of the respect scholars of this
world had for Zhuang Mohan.

So when Si Qing’er saw the third shopkeeper approach, and

she immediately shelved her thoughts of cheating with the
ledger. She patted herself down and began her feminine stride
to meet the coming person, taking a deep, low bow as came
before him.

Judging from his looks, the third Ye shopkeeper was around

50 years old, his beard taking on the color white. Seeing Si
Qing’er’s pretty face, he nodded in his approval of the gesture.

Shi Chanli was standing nearby, wondering why Fan Xian

had sent this horny old man here.

The third Ye complimented her by saying, "This lady must be

the manager of this establishment. Looking at where the house
is situated, and at lighting and decor of the interior, I must say
I like it; in fact, I greatly admire it. If the lady is willing to
remain in the house, there is no need for my presence here; I
will return to Fan Xian, for my talents won’t surpass hers."

Si Qing’er’s face was now one of surprise, and she said, "You
compliment the wrong person. Everything you see in this place
is of the Big Owner’s design; it has nothing to do with me."

The third Ye shopkeeper displayed a look of disappointment

as he mournfully told her, "Then the owner of this place truly
was a genius of business. How could he have possibly offended
Fan…?" Even though he was old, he wasn’t stupid, and already
he realized he had said too much. With an abrupt end to his
dialogue, he caught the stare that Shi Chanli was giving him. If
he didn’t know any better, he would have thought he was
seeing a monster before his eyes. He shook his head, but in a
bid to seem natural, he slowly warped it into an act of looking
around and admiring the room.

The manner in which they conducted their business could be

seen in the finest of details. To Qingyu Hall, whose
shopkeepers had been running merchant establishments for 20
years, the Bao Yue house was a shady business. But despite
that, the brothel looked bright and clean, and there was a pond
in back and a lovely patio. The workers and waiters were well-
trained and polite, and the same could be said for the women
whose services were being offered. They weren’t trashy street
walkers; they were women who cleaned up well, dressed
elegantly, and possessed virtue and manners. This is what the
customers sought, and the hostess that maintained these
standards must have been someone with a tremendous amount
of talent.

The old shopkeeper continued admiring the place, and Shi

Chanli could do nothing but shake his head and think to
himself, The second master of the Fan family is no average
noble kid. It is a wonderful thing for the Fan brothers not to be
the run-of-the-mill sort.
 There had been no word from the palace, so Si Qing’er did
not dare do anything with the shares of the third prince. But
the repossession posse had already arrived, and she had no
choice but to bring out the ledger for their inspection.
Although it was common for merchants of the Qing Kingdom
to own two ledgers, one that was legit and one that was
illegitimate, before the third Ye’s shopkeeper, Si Qing’er did not
dare play tricks. Not long after, the Bao Yue house’s funds were
all calculated and deemed clean. The 30 percent of shares was
also attached the figure of a measly 1,000 coins, so they took a
hold of the shares and corresponding figure and sent it to the
third prince. Now all they had to do was await a response. For
all intents and purposes, the entirety of the Bao Yue house
would now belong to Shi Chanli.

After doing all this, Si Qing’er was happily thinking that the
manager of the Bao Yue house would now become the property
of the third Ye shopkeeper from Qingyu Hall. What she did not
expect, was the old man to suddenly turn around, return to his
carriage and drive off. She was suddenly frightened.

What shocked her the most was that there was going to be a
new manager for the Bao Yue house, and the person who was to
take up the job was someone with a familiar face - and one who
had just walked through the door.
 "Sang Wen!?" Si Qing’er was petrified for a moment before
snapping out of This Sang Wen was bailed out of the Bao Yue
house by Fan Xian, and there hadn’t been any news of her
since. But now there she was, back for revenge.

Shi Chanli took note of her expression and commented, "Very

good. This Lady Sang will be the manager of the Bao Yue house
from henceforth."

Si Qing’er grudgingly bowed before Sang Wen. Not long after

the Bao Yue house was established, Sang Wen had become a
famous and prominent figure. It was because of this, and the
fact that was cold and unyielding and as such, Si Qing’er
always picked on her. But to now see her become manager of
the Bao Yue house, she knew for sure that she would not have
much luck and with a forced, painful swallow of her pride, she
hastily made for her room so she could begin packing her bags.

Sang Wen was actually quite nervous. Mister Fan had

performed an incredible service for her, and with the
opportunity to manage the Bao Yue house, she knew she could
not let him down. With great worry, she was determined to run
the building flawlessly. Another bit of apprehension clouded
her judgment, and that involved the possibility of it being
third prince’s toes she may be stepping on. Seeing Si Qing’er
back out, however, brought her mind some element of ease.

Shi Chanli, watching Si Qing’er hasten for the door, called

out, "Oh, Lady Qing’er, you cannot leave!"

Si Qing’er laughed maniacally and said, "I did not sign a

single contract with the Bao Yue house, so please, do tell me
under what power can I be apprehended and be made to stay
within these walls?"

Shi Chanli looked troubled. He unfastened his collar and

explained, "I have never run a brothel before; and Lady Sang is
just a singer. If you leave, then I’m not sure the Bao Yue house
can retain its current status and earn the money it always
has…"

Si Qing’er thought that she was needed, and with a snide and
boisterous expression, responded. "If…"

She wasn’t even given the time to begin her sentence as Shi
Chanli cut her off, saying, "Mister Fan said if you haven’t been
given the permission to do so, you are not allowed to leave."

Si Qing’er sighed, realizing that she wasn’t actually needed.

They just wanted her trapped. She was just a woman, and
despite having a minor relation with the third prince, it was
the commissioner of the Overwatch Council that had
demanded her to stay. Even she would not dare defy his order.
In this world, there wouldn’t be a single officer willing to help
a former prostitute, especially one who had been in conflict
with the commissioner. Even the princes didn’t help her, as
there would be no benefit involved for them. If Commissioner
Fan wanted to ruin the life of someone like her, to do so would
be easier than stepping on an ant.

"What are you keeping me here for?" she asked, visibly

confused.

Shi Chanli told her, "Mister Fan… I mean…. I am preparing

to implement a few minor changes to the Bao Yue house. For
this, I believe Lady Qing’er will have a use at some point.
Perhaps every brothel in the Qing Kingdom is going to need
these changes."
 Si Qing’er was shocked. The Bao Yue house’s business was
doing great, and the thought occurred to her that the new big
owner was planning on establishing more branches of the Bao
Yue house across the kingdom. While it would make for a fine
suggestion, the Bao Yue house was still fairly minor and not a
big part of the prostitution trade in the Qing Kingdom. And in
regards to any possible changes, the brothel business had been
static for quite some time. Unless the big change was about the
big boss ran business, was Fan Xian aiming for sainthood,
throttling the industry and attempting to stop prostitutes from
selling their bodies?

The problem was, if the prostitutes weren’t selling their

bodies, and if the pimps weren’t drawing in customers, could
such an establishment still be deemed a brothel?

Shi Chanli couldn’t guess what Si Qing’er was thinking

about, and he was merely planning to do as his teacher told
him. He listed them off, "First, the ladies’ contracts are going
to be flexible going forward. Also, the duration of the contracts
is five years, and following that, they are free to do as they
please. Secondly, there must be a doctor on station at the Bao
Yue house at all times so they can tend to the women whenever
they are sick. With quicker recovery, the women can go back to
accepting more customers whenever they are better. And as for
the third change…"
 He did not get to finish his sentence before Si Qing’er cut him
off with a look of confusion. She asked, "Is it necessary to
make the contract flexible?"

Shi Chanli explained by saying, "Mister Fan…*cough* wrong

again… I think that adhering to this manner of business for
five straight years would be enough. You must always provide
people with hope for the future. If they believe that their entire
life is on a leash, handled by someone else, then the average
prostitute would be less inclined to perform their services to
the best of their abilities. With a brighter outlook comes
greater happiness, and with greater happiness comes a better
experience for the customer ."

Si Qing’er mockingly retorted, "Five years is your deal? After

this, will those poor girls be unable to do the business
anymore? After that, who is going to scrub away their
notoriety as a prostitute and elevate their social rank?"

In the Qing Kingdom, performers and prostitutes were

different. In the social stratification of the kingdom, once
someone’s social status hit rock bottom, a position which
frequently included prostitutes, one could never recover. The
only way to elevate your status was to be bought by someone
of a higher status, or have a decree referencing you from the
Royal Court. From what he had just said, prostitutes would
have to quit the Bao Yue house after five years and remain like
so in seedier environments, just to make a living. As for her
question, she received no response. It was something that had
crossed Shi Chanli’s mind in his discussions with his teacher,
but Fan Xian had told him it was something he would sort out.

Si Qing’er continued her mocking, by saying, "and the doctor

part of your reformation is ridiculous. The ladies in the house
are cheap and of little concern to others; no doctor would be
willing to come here. It is already hard enough to find a doctor
as an ordinary person, what doctor would be willing to stay
here, day in, day out? Do you think any doctor could handle
such shame?

Sang Wen, who had remained quiet the entire time, smiled
and said, "Mister Fan said there are many doctors in the Third
Bureau of the Overwatch Council. It would be no problem for
them to bring a doctor here."

Si Qing’er had a wry smile on her face, and in her heart she
thought, The Third Bureau of the Overwatch Council is of the
poisonous Yamen that everyone fears. Are they planning to
change their ways so that they can become doctors? She was of
the mind that Mister Fan was someone who liked to fantasize a
great deal about things. Tauntingly, she said, "So what? Even if
there are doctors, and the girls are clean, who can promise that
the customers who come here are free of sexual diseases?"

Shi Chanli was starting to get a headache a symptom of her

continued annoyance. He said, "I don’t have a solution for
that." It wasn’t that there was no solution, it was because Fan
Xian’s suggestion of a mass-produced product such as a condo,\
was quite possibly the hardest thing to sell.

"You should hear what else I have to say first." He coughed

twice and continued saying, "From now on, there is no more
forced buying and selling. If this ever happens again, I am
coming straight for you."

He stared into Si Qing’er’s eyes until she averted her gaze and
looked down towards the ground.

"Also, no more undergage prostitutes."

 "We should establish finer cuts of pay to take from the girls, a
cut that is gauged by their appearance and skill."

"The ladies should also be given three days off a month, so

they may do as they please."

Big Boss Shi kept on talking, giving no one’s ears a single

moment of reprieve. It wasn’t only Si Qing’er who looked to be
suffering, but Sang Wen as well; as he droned on and on, she
began to feel dizzy. After a long, long while, there came a point
where Si Qing’er could no longer stand it, and so she coldly
spoke out, "The way you keep going on like this—have I
mistaken this brothel for a charity place?"

Shi Chanli looked at her and said, "Fan Xian told me that you
are the one who was raised by Yuan Meng. We should take care
of you as well. But seeing that you were born poor,and have
worked hard to elevate your status, we have kindly decided to
give you an opportunity for redemption. There is no need for
you to concern yourself with whether the Bao Yue house is a
brothel or a charity place; all you need to do is perform your
duties diligently and follow Sang Wen’s lead. If this whole plan
does truly work and we can create a franchise for the Bao Yue
house that expands across the world, there may very well be
half a million brothel ladies working in your favor. That
would account for your redemption, and that would most
certainly make your life worth sparing."

It wasn’t until now that Shi Chanli avoided speaking Fan

Xian’s name.

Si Qing’er did not say anything, and to guess what she was
thinking would have been an impossible task, but there was
one thing for certain - she looked afraid.

Shi Chanli actually possessed a great amount of fear in his

heart also. Even though the Bao Yue house already had Sang
Wen, who was now secretly enrolled within the First Bureau of
the Overwatch Council to oversee the management of the
brothel, Shi Chanli himself was only a scholar; a student of
Fan Xian. He was afraid that after today, he could no longer be
an officer and would instead have to stay in the brothel,
becoming a pitiable owner who spent his days barking orders at
women, telling them to satisfy the demands of horny
customers.

He looked at Sang Wen and discovered that the female singer,

who may have looked weak, was of a calm disposition. She
didn’t seem to be troubled by the proceedings in the least.

An autumn rain had soaked the few days following this

encounter, and it turned the weather from cool and dry, to wet
and cold.

The Bao Yue house had now been taken over by Fan Xian
completely. The second prince was brought discomfort, and
was overwhelmed by an ominous feeling; for this, he began
arranging something. For Fan Xian, however, he had enjoyed
the past few days for the respite and relaxation they had
provided him. He had not visited the First Bureau’s office for a
few days and he hadn’t gorged on those buns from the Xin Feng
restaurant. Instead, he had spent his time in the Imperial
College, bringing a bunch of young teachers with him to aid in
the sorting of the books he had brought with him from the
Northern Qi Kingdom.
 The wind blew strong and the raindrops that clung to their
drunken clouds finally let go, bringing with them a downpour.
It wasn’t a worrying amount, but its persistence over the past
few days had become annoying. If you took the road to the
north from the Danbo bookstore, you would arrive at the
Imperial College, and the entire area belonged to it. The Yamen
that had been built during the founding times of the Qing
Kingdom had already been torn down.

Fan Xian was holding a black umbrella and walked between

the students who accompanied him to the Imperial College. He
nodded to each student that politely waved at him. Although
his identity had changed in recent times, the Emperor had not
taken away the five ranks of his career. The Emperor had even
told him that, if he ever had the time, he should return to the
Imperial College so that he could receive more lessons.

Although Fan Xian was not fond of being a teacher, he hadn’t

come for lessons; it was his career’s prestige that allowed him
to visit the Imperial College and read its trove of books. It was
a getaway for him, a chance to be momentarily free of the

day-to-day bustle.
 The first day he came to the Imperial College was a delightful
surprise for the students there, for it had been over a year since
his last visit. When the students thought of how the young
officer was from the Overwatch Council, however, they were a
little frightened. It was why their initial friendliness towards
him had waned somewhat. That being said, it didn’t take
longer than two hours for them to find out that Fan Xian was
as cheery and nice as ever, and their fears were lessened, the
cordiality between them both was restored.

He entered the study room that the Imperial College had

prepared for him and put away his umbrella. He turned to look
back at the dreary skies and couldn’t help but frown.

There were a few Imperial College teachers already in the

room sorting and organizing the books that Zhuang Mohan
had left them. The books there were of great significance to the
Qing Kingdom and the Emperor treated the matter with
profound concern. It was for this reason that the Imperial
College did not to delay these proceedings, and so they worked
their hardest to copy the books and maintain the original
source material with the finest of care.
 They saw Fan Xian walk inside, and so they stood up and
bowed.

Fan Xian smiled and bowed in return to the people that he

had seen working diligently. It was quite the strain to perform
these tasks alone, and so he had called upon these people to
work together and get it done. The results had so far been quite
successful, for they all got along well and made great strides in
the progress of their assigned task.

The black, soaking umbrella was left in the corner, and a

puddle of water formed on the ground. Slowly, it coursed its
way to the fire in the stove. All of a sudden, Fan Xian felt
humid and uncomfortable. He loosened his collar and spoke,
"It’s too humid, and not cold enough for this. I know we have
to trudge through, but is there any way to shut the stove off?"

One officer responded by saying, "We need a certain

temperature to storage books. If it’s too cold, then there’s no
way of preserving the parchment."

Fan Xian knew this, saying, "It is not winter yet. It should be
okay to keep these books in the room as they are; humidity
should be your greatest concern right now."

Everyone agreed and got back to work. The Imperial College

carried the traits of the Qing Kingdom, performing their
appointed tasks with quiet diligence for work of a higher
quality. Quite a big difference existed between the Qing
Kingdom and Northern Qi Kingdom in this regard. Fan Xian
sat down at his table to begin working, but before he could
start, someone requested a meeting with him

"Why have you returned to the Imperial College?" Fan Xian

was surprised, seeing the Big Scholar Shu Wu sitting in a chair.
Fan Xian bowed before him.

His father in law, the prime minister, had stepped down from
his position, and after the Board of Rites’ minister was hanged,
the officers in court were in disarray. Many of them chose to
follow Fan Xian, whereas others decided to follow the eastern
palace. But the second prince, whose popularity was not as
strong last year, received the most followers - this was due to
the amount of years he had spent in court.

Scholar Shu was a famous individual, and he had been a

student of Zhuang Mo Han. He was so prestigious that no
other could ever hope to replace him and replicate his
qualities. He did his exams in the northern Wei Kingdom, but
he had become a Qing Kingdom officer. Because of this,
problems frequently arose. In the fifth year of the Qing
Calendar, he had accidentally received the greatest benefit that
came about from the turmoil. Although his career in the
Imperial College was made void, he was able to assume Scholar
Tongwen Ge’s position after he was fired, following the spring
exam incident.

Scholar Tongwen Ge was clean and rich, and after the prime
minister was fired, there had yet to be a new one. So he joined
the business of politics and entered the Qing Kingdom’s court.
The authority of his position was very close to that of a prime
minister. Even though Fan Xian was powerful, compared to
him, he was little more than an average, run-of-the-mill
officer.
 Of course, Scholar Shu Wu was not so stupid as to treat or
regard Fan Xian in the same manner. If he was, he wouldn’t
have come calling for Fan Xian today.

"So, you can come back to the Imperial College, but I

cannot?" Shu Wu was joking with Fan Xian, whose age was the
same as his own son. "Outside it is cold and it is raini. You
young ones know how to make the most of your life, by
coming here to the college. What? You aren’t keen on the
Overwatch Council’s missions, that might keep you in the
rain?"

Outside, it was indeed raining and cold. Fan Xian did not
know whether this Scholar Shu Wu was joking or not, and so
he did not answer; merely smiling.

After Shi Chanli claimed the Bao Yue house, Yan Bingyun
had put into motion his plan. First, he used the Overwatch
Council’s power to force the Ministry of Punishment to bypass
the capital government and issue an APB right away, for the
apprehension of Yuan Meng.
 But this Yuan Meng had proven herself effective at hiding.
Under the protection crown of the crown prince Hongcheng,
no one knew of where she might be found. As troublesome as
this may have sounded, Fan Xian was in no particular rush,
because the issuing of an APB was the beginning of the process
that would establish something else soon after. The longer it
took to capture Yuan Meng, the better. In Yan Bingyun, he had
long deliberated and meticulously laid out the proceedings for
every stage of this scheme. His allowance to do so was only if
he could ensure that the end result that Fan Xian sought could
be achieved.

Over the past two days, certain rumors circulated within the
capital, saying that the Ministry of Punishment’s 13th Yamen
captured the brothel manager Yuan Meng, who was actually a
mistress of the King Jing’s crown prince Hongcheng.

Rumors spread like wildfire, but it was true that Yuan Meng
and Li Hongcheng were having an affair, and as such, it
became a hot topic within the capital. Li Hongcheng’s
reputation was like the rotting of roadkill on a hot summer
day; something that was beginning to get stinkier with each
passing moment.
 Li Hongcheng and the second prince were friends, and this
was something everyone was aware of. Not long after, there
were rumors about the infamous Bao Yue house in the capital,
and that its secret owner was in fact the second prince. The
Yamen of the Ministry of Punishment was investigating the
missing prostitutes, whose association with the nobles and
royals were becoming increasingly difficult to disregard.

The rumors spoken sounded real. Like the rumor that Yuan
Meng was the most popular prostitute at the Liu Jing River,
but except for the crown prince, no one ever saw her accept
other customers. There were other rumors too, ones that made
mention of the crown prince having a long talk with Fan Xian
outside the Bao Yue house. No one knew what they were
talking about, but the day after, the Fan family sold their
shares to a mystic merchant known only as "Shi".

These rumors were formulated and spread by the Eighth

Bureau of the Overwatch Council. In the beginning, Fan Xian
was forced to bring attention to the cases of the spring exam,
and in the end, he became an idol for the students. Behind the
scenes, it was the Eighth Bureau that created this rumor as
well. They were experts at enhancing one’s image in the public
eye, but they were even better at tarnishing one’s reputation.
 Of course, in the process of creating rumors that the whole
population was to be made aware of, everyone had to know
that the big owner was the second master of the Fan manor.
The Fan family’s reputation had indeed been affected by this.

The source of the rumor was from within the Fan family, and
the story was told to particularly talkative individuals. The
stories included the details of Fan Xian beating his brother, the
minister using family discipline, the screaming of relatives and
the Fan family’s ridding of their association with the brothel.
It was shocking to all who heard it in the capital. As time
elapsed, however, the rumors faded from commonspeak.

In regards to controlling the rumors, what Fan Xian did was

what may be considered a "masterpiece move". Back then, he
requested that Wu Zhu Shu write out a few thousand leaflets to
kick the eldest princess out of the palace. This time, they were
only dealing with an amateurish second prince. So now, they
thought that the second prince and the crown prince had
nothing to do with Bao Yue, despite them being the ones who
were behind it. Fan Xian was painted as the innocent one, and
there was no way they could explain all this.
 What Yan Bingyun was going to do next was focus on the
money being transferred between the second prince and the
Cui family. The specific method to do so, wasn’t even clear to
Fan Xian, but he believed in Yan Bingyun’s power and abilities
and didn’t seek to question or concern himself with that he was
going to do.

Scholar Shu Wu looked at him worriedly and said, "You

should know that the capital government has already taken
charge of the case involving Bao Yue house. Your little
brother’s crime is quite grievous. He has several homicides,
witness silencing and forced prostitution of women and
underage girls on his rap sheet. Today would have been the
trial."

Fan Xian had a wry smile and said, "it is unfortunate for our
family to know we have birthed such a bad seed."
 Shu Wu shook his head and told him, "But the capital
government still hasn’t searched your manor for his
whereabouts. Perhaps they are considering doing something
else? Master Fan, these charges are serious and the likelihood
of your brother being let free is slim to none. If the capital
government really wants to proceed with the trial and alerts
the Emperor, it will not end up well."

After this conversation, Fan Xian knew where this scholar

stood. He came here to tell Fan Xian the opinion of the officers
in court. He was convinced that the Fan family and the second
prince could come to a peaceful resolution without the need to
fight each other. It wasn’t about the reputation of the
government. These big scholars thought that if two people
were fighting each other, it was inevitable for one person to
end up wounded. Fan Xian and the second prince were the
young elites of the Qing Kingdom. It would be a great loss if
either of them were to be made to suffer and lost their prestige
because of the squabbling.

Of course, many people thought that Fan Xian could not

compete with the prince. And though he was the Overwatch
Council’s commissioner, that fact was something he himself
understood, and he knew that the big scholar in front of him
was suggesting that he made peace with the second prince for
his own sake. For this, Fan Xian was touched. With his gentle
smile, Fan Xian told him, "I thank you for your reminder. I can
only presume that you are indeed acquainted with the second
prince."

Shu Wu nodded. Ever since Fan Xian came back from the
Northern Qi Kingdom, he had been butting heads with the
second prince. The Overwatch Council had also apprehended
many people who followed the second prince. If Shu Wu
wanted to make peace, then he would have to consult with the
second prince first. He didn’t expect that upon meeting with
the second prince that he was quite nice and had politely
requested that he speak to Fan Xian so that they would both be
willing to take a step back.

Hearing what the Shu Wu scholar had to say, Fan Xian coldly
laughed in his head. The second prince’s nickname was "Stone",
for he wasn’t an easy person to get along with. They were
already deep in conflict, and Fan Xian was forced to send his
little brother to a foreign country. There had to be an
explanation for Fan Xian’s father-in-law being fired due to the
conspiracy between the eldest princess and the second prince.

A spy of the First Bureau of the Overwatch Council now

approached, bringing with him word that the second prince
had already hid the three hitmen of the Bao Yue house who had
escaped and brought them back to the capital. They were being
prepped for an appearance at court, to testify against Fan
Sizhe.

The second prince asked Shu Wu to deliver the message as a

way to temporarily soothe Fan Xian, but Fan Xian was not so
stupid, or so easy to fool. He politely poured tea for Scholar
Shu, saying, "This entire ordeal has nothing to do with the
Overwatch Council, and it has nothing to do with me. These
past few days, I have remained in the college in the
unfortunate event that someone was to misunderstand."

Shu Wu could not help but wear a bitter smile. His face
seemed to express grave sorrow, and all he asked was, "Why
even bother fighting? Does it truly matter if you win? It does
not matter how many times you win, it means nothing when
compared to what is truly important: the Emperor’s
happiness."
 Fan Xian’s heart jumped, knowing that the words spoken
were ones that rang true and made absolute sense. He
appreciated what the scholar in front of him had said.
Although he was thinking of something else in his heart, he
gently said, "If you have already said this, then I have nothing
more to say. I only need the capital government to ensure that
the reputation of my family is not tarnished, and as for the
case with the Ministry of Punishment, that they don’t look any
deeper."

In Shu Wu, the old scholar’s eyes, it was clear that Fan Xian’s
temperament had soured somewhat. In the field, everyone
knew how to hide themselves. Who would say something that
was obviously illegal in front of someone who was as high up
the ladder as a prime minister? But he also knew that this was
simply how Fan Xian was. He was satisfied, and smiled, but did
not say anything more. He averted his gaze towards the
window to observe the rain that continued to fall.

…
 Three miles away from the capital’s office on Yu Shan road,
the rain continued to fall.

The case of the missing prostitute in Bao Yue brothel had

already concluded its investigation. Although the bones had
not been discovered, the capital government had already
apprehended her murderer. If the three perpetrators were
arrested, and a confession could be obtained, they could point
their fingers at the Fan family and certify that it was the second
master that orchestrated these crimes. This would be a
tremendous blow to the family’s reputation and it would also
clear away the dirt that associated the second prince with the
Bao Yue brothel.

These three hitmen were pivotal to the development of this

case, but the second prince’s party still didn’t understand why,
after the conclusion of the family discipline, Fan Xian would
still send these three to the government. Wouldn’t he be
incriminating the family and bringing it harm?

But it wasn’t until the Fan family sold the Bao Yue brothel,
began investigating Yuan Meng, and pointed their fingers at Li
Hongcheng did the second prince finally understand that Fan
Xian was just using those three to comfort him and opt for a
peaceful resolution. Because of this, his reaction was a few
days slow, but the second prince still believed that Fan Xian
had done something most unwise. As long as these three people
were in their hands, where could that fat pimple boy run?

Now the second prince was truly angry, thinking that Fan
Xian did not know his place. He actually dared to do something
to him? Everyone knew that the rumors circulating in the
capital were made up and it made Li Hongcheng feel
disheartened, as well, with nothing he could do about it. He
was physically unable to visit the Fan manor to fight Fan Xian
as he might have desired. This was because King Jing had
become extremely angry upon hearing of these events, and
brought his wrath down on his son, having him lashed and
restricted to the Li manor. At the very least, it meant he could
avoid the madness engulfing the capital these days.

"Watch them closely. Do not allow anyone to have any

contact with them. We can’t let them withdraw their
confessions now." Fan Wujiu, who was one of the eight
personal guardians of the second prince, wore a gloomy visage.
He further told the servants of the capital government, "If you
fail in this task, be afraid for your life."
 Each of the capital government’s Yamen servants nodded
their heads, each with a nervous look on their face. They were
not nervous about failing to accomplish this task; they merely
trembled at the sight of the guardians of the second prince. Yu
Shan road was only three miles away from the capital. If not
for avoiding suspicion, Fan Wujiu would have taken these
three hitmen to be locked up in prison himself.

The carriage started moving through the dark autumn rain.

Fan Wujiu watched it go from a distance. The carriage was
passing through the rain like normal, and there weren’t many
people occupying the streets. There were only those who held
an umbrella, making their way to where they had to get to with
hurried paces.

It was in this moment that the rainswept civilians brought

their umbrellas down to the ground and unsheathed black
weaponry that were concealed within the handles. In a
strangely calm manner, they struck their new weapons
through the sides of the passing carriage.

Fan Wujiu, who was still watching, was greatly shocked, and
so he rushed over there. But over the distance he had to
traverse to reach the carriage, and the speed at which the
assassins moved, he knew he wouldn’t be able to get there in
time.

The pikes that they were revealed to be wielding were

extremely sharp and they pierced through the side of the
carriage as if it were made of tofu, killing the three men inside.

They withdrew their spiked weaponry and returned them to

their umbrellas without making any unnecessary movement.
They darted into the allies of the street and disappeared.

Blood trailed out from out of the carriage, and when Fan
Wujiu reached it, he did so with a cold face. He pulled back the
curtains of the carriage and his face changed. The wounds
inflicted were of a clear indication that the people who had
committed this atrocity were professionals. They were calm,
simple strikes from the outside, and the people within lost
their lives.
 Fan Wujiu could not help but gasp at the sight, and panicked
at the thought of the second prince. It was already difficult
enough to assassinate three people in the carriage as quickly
and cleanly as they did, but the scarier part was that they knew
when and where their carriage would be coming through. He
imagined that there had to be many spies of the Overwatch
Council embedded within the second prince’s party. How else
could they have obtained the precise details of when and where
to attack?

This assassination was devised cleverly and carried out

perfectly. The way it unfolded was all too natural, as if
watching someone eat a meal; it was not at all frightening.

Only the elites like Fan Wujiu could comprehend the eerie
chill that enveloped this quiet assassination.

He did not have to think about who had committed this act;
he already knew who did.

Aside from the assassins of the Sixth Bureau, those who

always dwelled in the dark, who else could have executed this
so effectively? His face grew pale at the thought. He was
imagining that if those few assassins also planned to take him
out, could he survive this?

It seemed as if the second prince’s party had underestimated

Fan Xian’s power. It was because the young ones of the Qing
Kingdom did not truly know how scary and dangerous the
Overwatch Council was.

Fan Wujiu was trembling, and he clenched the dagger hidden

in his sleeves. This was the first time in his life that he thought
of leaving the second prince’s side - in fear for his own life.

"Your chess skills are quite impressive. When I play chess, I

am not inclined to eat all the pawns." Fan Xian looked
embarrassed when he said this.
 Now, he was playing chess with Shu Wu in the Imperial
College. Today’s court ended early, and the disaster relief for
the south was almost brought to an end, so Scholar Shu now
had the time to spare for two rounds of chess. He found out
that Fan Xian, who was an intellectual scholar, was somehow
quite terrible at chess. His face warped and began thinking that
even though he was winning, winning this way was no fun.

Shu Wu sighed and said, "Fan Xian, I see you do everything

so intelligently, but why are you so bad at chess?"

Both of them then began talking about the events at court

this day. Because Fan Jing never discussed court matters at
home, and the Overwatch Council never investigated the
arguments Fan Xian had at court, Fan Xian was eager to hear of
what Shu Wu had to say. He was interested in the major events
of court that his lower rank prohibited him from learning
about. He also sensed something. Yan Xiaoyi was viceroy in the
north, but he kept asking for money. In the south, there were
minor wars unfolding, and because of this, the Qing Kingdom
was in need of something funding.

Fan Xian’s heart went calm. So long as the Emperor needed

money, the palace treasury would truly end up in his care next
year, and while the eldest princess’s people were excellent at
the formulation of conspiracies, they were not very good when
it came to making money through business ventures.

The rain began to recede. Fan Xian did not have what it took
to convince the old man to have dinner with him, and he
politely sent the scholar out. He turned around and went back
to the room, thinking to read through the legendary books that
had been given to him by Zhuang Mohan. Even after the
teachers had all left, he remained where he was. He did not
turn a page, but sat there engrossed in thought.

He knew of what had happened in the capital today, but did

not bring himself to think of it. The three men were pretty
much dead already, but the families of the dead prostitutes
went to the capital and testified against the Fan family.

Of course, Fan Xian wouldn’t dream of murdering those

innocents. But the three dead men he had assassinated had
been hidden by the second prince, and their removal from his
hands would not be something the second prince would make
public. Although Fan Xian was not inherently good, he did not
think of murdering the testifying women.
 He actually knew that no matter what identity he was to be
portrayed as, he was the commissioner of the Overwatch
Council. He had the resources and authority that greatly
exceeded that of the second prince. If there weren’t any further
hindrances in his fight with him, Fan Xian believed his victory
was assured.

It was just that the people did not know this. The only thing
that made Fan Xian care was the attitude of the Emperor in the
palace. If the Emperor believed that their game was of no great
concern, then he could play along. Fan Xian truly understood
the Emperor’s line of thinking, but the second prince was just a
whetstone to train the crown prince. He was also being used to
train Fan Xian, the commissioner of the Overwatch Council. It
looked as if the method and ideas Fan Xian had employed so far
were a good choice.

Of course, if Fan Xian’s methods were too harsh, the problem

could still be solved by the palace. He was not worried that the
Emperor would do anything of grave concern towards him, for
his involvement in all this. In a self-deprecating manner, he
said to himself, We are all bastards.
 The rain had now come to an end in the capital. He quietly
avoided the gaze of all and exited the Imperial College. He went
into a clothing store and removed his coat, revealing the work
uniform he was wearing beneath. He then received an ordinary
coat from a lowly shopkeeper. He wore it, pulled up the hood
to conceal his face and then returned to the street.

The rain stopped. The clouds in the sky were thawed by the
sun’s reappearance, becoming thin and plain. They separated
from each other, splitting up into numerous whiffs in the sky,
each drifting in different directions. Seeing the return of a blue
sky was like a victory.

The sunlight shone outside the capital’s Yamen, and a few

shafts of light pierced the entry. It illuminated the big plate in
the center of the room that had the words "fair and square"
engraved upon it.
 There were many people who wanted to watch the action of
the proceedings, and so they had all gathered outside the
capital government building. They were for the prefect to
arrive and become the judge of the Bao Yue brothel, which had
become a popular topic in the city. This case was a vast one: it
had homicides; it involved prostitutes which made people
think of naughty deeds; and it all took place in a brothel. It
tingled the curiosity of all the civilians, and that’s why there
was such a great interest in its resolution. After dinner, if there
were people who weren’t aware of what had been going on,
they wouldn’t dare join in the chat. And as for the carriage
drivers, if they did not know much about this case, they would
feel embarrassed when accepting passengers.

Fan Xian was disguised as a nobody, and he cloaked himself

deep in the crowd that had gathered. He looked into the Yamen
and began feeling strange. The capital government was an
important Yamen, and there had been a lot of changes in the
government over the past two years - but these changes were
all associated with him. He was only afraid that if he failed
today, this capital prefect would have to end up resigning and
relinquishing his position.
Chapter 298: The Greetings Outside the
Capital Government Office
The original prefect of the Capital government, Mei Zhili,
was a student of Liu Shi’s father. He always watched over the
Fan manor. He was quite helpful with the Guo Baokun case.
And when the assassination was attempted on Niulan Road,
Mei Zhili, as a government prefect, was punished. Although he
was allowed to maintain his job, his pay was suspended for a
year and he was heavily investigated. No one would have
expected that in the following year, the case of the spring exam
would unfurl. After all this trouble, Mei Zhili was then
removed from his position and sent out of the capital to return
to his hometown.

On certain occasions, the Fan manor and Mei Zhili would

exchange letters. Fan Xian had learnt that Mei Zhili was
somewhat relieved to be free of the corrupt and evil Capital
government.

Inside the court, there were many disheveled, visibly

impoverished persons. They were on their knees before the
court, crying loudly. These people were family members of the
murdered prostitutes of the Bao Yue brothel. In tears, they
were cursing the Fan family out loud and praying to God for
justice and for punishment to be handed down to them.

The current prefect of the Capital government, Tian Jingmu,

showed a face of supreme righteousness. The corners of his lips
twitched and the frame of his eyes were wet. It seemed as if he
was extremely touched by the families who were on the
ground, pleading and saying their bit. He immediately told the
Yamen servants to bring forth the suspects who perpetrated the
crimes, from the Bao Yue brothel. He said they would do an
investigation of the scene now. With stern sincerity, he pledged
to the people that he would aid them. He told them he would
call for someone to visit the Fan manor and drag the wretched
Fan Sizhe here. No word was spoken of Yuan Meng and her
people.

Fan Xian was still concealed within the crowd, coldly

watching. He could see Tian Jingmu, the prefect’s eyes harbor
a glint of fear. Fan Xian thought that he must have been aware
that the three men who were involved were dead.

In regards to the cursing and tear-drenched plights of sorrow

from the impoverished family members, Fan Xian thought
nothing of them. After the Bao Yue brothel murdered a few
prostitutes, he and his brother were only told off. The gravity
of the situation was not properly acknowledged. Right now, he
could only wonder whether the people on their knees were
sincere or if it was a scene that had been set up by the second
prince. The Overwatch Council’s investigation had yet to yield
results, but he could not stand here and do nothing.

The capital government’s trial was fairly boring. This scene

had probably been watched countless times over the last
thousand years. Although these civilians were enjoying the
show, Fan Xian’s mind had already wandered off. The reason
why he came here today was because he had the sneaking
suspicion that something big was to occur soon.

The reason why his father-in-law, the generation’s evil prime

minister Lin Ruofuo, was forced to quit his job was primarily
because his ascent to fame was too quick. This was caused by
the Emperor. Under the surface, however, you could see that
the true reason was because of Wu Boan, who died beneath the
grape shelf and because Shandong Road’s Peng Tingsheng
conceived the idea to tarnish and bring ruin to the Wu family’s
reputation through the death of Wu Boan’s son. Wu Boan’s
widow then went to the capital and raise a complaint with the
Emperor. An assassination was attempted on her way there by
people from the prime minister’s manor. Fortunately, she was
saved by the second prince and Li Hongcheng. Today, was the
second prince going to raise awareness to this?

In regards to his father-in-law’s retirement, Fan Xian did not

plan to retaliate over it, but he remembered the methods the
second prince had used. Normally, a professional conspiracist
would never repeat their methods, and so Fan Xian saw right
through the second prince. Although he enjoyed sitting on a
chair, trying to feign the appearance of someone who was
wholly unpredictable, it only took Fan Xian a few days to
notice his immature and twisted side.

Aside from the scary power of the Overwatch Council, the

reason why Fan Xian had a greater advantage over the second
prince was because, although he was younger than the second
prince in this life, the true years of experience he had was
greater.

…
 Not long after, the capital government’s Yamen servants had
brought back the so-called manager of the Bao Yue brothel, Si
Qing’er. There were others who remained at the brothel to
investigate and discover what they could around the Skinny
Lake. They had yet to find the bodies, and the lack of witnesses
made a possible discovery of them increasingly difficult.

Fan Xian, seeing this woman who was on her knees on the
blue stone floor, wondered how she would react to the entire
situation. He wondered if she would be intimidated by Fan
Xian into honesty, or whether or not she would lose
composure, believing the entire situation to be unfair. And in
regards to the bodies buried beneath the Bao Yue brothel, the
Overwatch Council were co-operating with Si Chanli a while
ago to dig up the bones one dark night and provide them a
fairer burial out in the countryside. They wanted to wait until
the case was over before finding a way to contact the relatives
of the deceased and tell them of where they could be found.

Si Qing’er simply bit her lips without speaking a word in

court, and whenever the judge asked something, she replied
with single, short sentences, ones that were preceded by
lengthy pauses. In her heart, it seemed as if she knew
everything. Before she came here, Mister Shi had told her
everything she could and could not say.
 Fortunately, the owner did not ask for much anymore, and he
had not once asked her to do something wretched, neither was
she told to hide anything about the second master of the Fan
family. So, she spoke everything without hesitation, foregoing
the need for an interrogation by the government. She told the
court who the first owner was and what they had done, and did
so clearly. But in regards to the homicides, she said that they
were authored by Yuan Meng, who was currently in hiding due
to the APB issued by the Ministry of Punishment. She also said
that the owner was aware of all of this, but had played no part
in these murders.

The capital government’s prefect was satisfied by the

smooth, unreluctant responses that the woman had given on
her knees. But after a while of hearing her talk, it seemed as if
she was trying to help clear the muddied name of the second
master, at least somewhat. But the second prince had said to
the prefect earlier that the homicides could not be associated
with Yuan Meng. Thinking of this, his face darkened and he
threw a stick on the floor, saying "this woman is evil. Beat her
up!"

At his command, the Capital government’s Yamen servants

picked up searing iron rods and began torturing Si Qing’er. Si
Qinger bit her teeth to resist the pain, knowing that someone
from the Fan family would be watching. She had already
received no aid from the third prince, so she knew that she
would have to accept what was happening and later lean on the
Fan family.

She held her pain in without saying a word; she did,

however, scream and babble in anguish. You could see through
the pain what she was feeling, and a raging fire of hatred
burned within her eyes. An aura of spite then permeated the
atmosphere around the Yamen. This awful sight made those
who were watching feel sorry for her.

Fan Xian was watching this unfold from the outside, and he
was surprised by the amount of anger he could see in her eyes.

After the torture, Si Qing’er continued to repeat the same

things she said before. When the prefect was going to issue
another command for further torture, the servant who went in
search of Fan Sizhe returned, dusty and with a disheartened
look on his face.

A group of people went to the Fan manor to capture Fan

Sizhe. They used their authority to demand entrance, and
when they were inside, had free reign to scavenge and search
for the person they sought. Unfortunately for them, Fan Sizhe
had reached the border of Cangzhou by now. He was most
likely inside the carriage, hugging Yan’er and professing how
difficult it was for him to leave his homeland. There was no
possible way for the government officers to find him. When
they were in the Fan manor, however, even before they were
given the opportunity to ask a single question, Liu Shi
appeared before them, leading a group of servants armed with
brooms and household tools to kick them out.

Though hearing of the subordinates’ humiliation, the prefect

of the capital government did not look mad at all. He was
secretly happy, actually. He raised his voice and yelled, "How
would these dignitaries be as reckless as to hide wanted
fugitives!?" In his mind, he thought to create a decree and
bring it before the Emperor the next day. He relished the
thought of how the Fan family would respond to this.

Fan Xian was coldly watching, but he was in no particular

rush, for he trusted Liu Shi with guarding of the manor. He
knew that this woman’s methods would not be careless. Yan
Bingyun’s conspiracy was trusted as well. Back in the day, he
had played the whole of the Northern Qi Kingdom’s like a
fiddle, and this was just a single crime he was dealing with.
 As expected, the people outside watching the show split in
half upon the arrival of important figures. The person leading
was partnered with Fan Xian the first time he came to the
capital government. He was the Fan manor’s entertainer, and
once-leader of the capital government, Mister Zheng.

Mister Zheng was famous, so there was no need for him to

kneel before the prefect; he merely bowed, and then said,
"What you are saying is ridiculous. Everyone in the capital
knows that the Fan family has always been clean and
upstanding. They wouldn’t be harboring fugitives. And in
regards to what crimes the second master has admitted to, you
have to investigate them carefully. They won’t deny their
occurrence."

The capital government’s prefect, Tian Jingmu, knew that

the famous entertainer in front of him was also a famous
writer in the capital. And the lawyer beside him was Song
Shiren, and he was renowned shyster. The fact that the Fan
family had brought forth a strong cast such as this made it
clear that they were not willing to take this lying down and
they were determined to clear their name. The prefect’s face
darkened once more and spoke, "If you are not in cahoots with
the Fan family, then why don’t you bring forth the criminal we
seek?"
 In this cold autumn weather, Song Shiren fluttered his fan
and mockingly responded, "Capturing suspects is a task for the
capital government. Since when has this duty been pushed
onto others?"

Tian Jingmu coldly laughed and said, "Your second master

committed a crime; it is only natural that you bring him forth.
If you choose not to hand him over to us, then that means you
are aiding and abetting a criminal. The Qing Kingdom’s law
has this in writing, plain to see. So why don’t you shut your
mouth, Song Shiren?"

Song Shiren paid no heed to what he said. He smiled and

replied, "the Qing Kingdom’s law does say it clearly that it is
the family of the criminal in question that has to hand him
over. But the second master of the Fan family was already
reported missing eight days ago; where can we expect to find
him?"

Tian Jingmu was furious and laughed maniacally. He spoke

aloud, "Hahaha! This is a ridiculous excuse!"
 Song Shiren bore a bitter face, and responded, "I do hope that
the Master Prefect is aware of this. It is no excuse. A few days
ago, the Fan manor already reported that the second master
committed many bad deeds, but it would appear you have
ignored that fact. They also said that the second master fled.
Please ask the Yamen servants to quickly go after him."

He waved his fan, saying with pain, "Despite their desire to

do so, Minister Fan and Fan Xian haven’t severed their ties to
the second master yet. So, tell me, why would they hide him?"

Tian Jingmu pounded the wooden table and madly yelled,

"When did the Fan family come here to report this!? And when
did they report Fan Sizhe was missing?! How can I not have
been made aware of this?! You should quit trying to fool me
and think long and hard about how you plan to get out of this."

"Is there not a report? Please, go take a look at the reports

made on that day. You will see them there." Song Shiren
clasped his hands together and bowed.

Tian Jingmu’s heart shivered in shock. He remembered that

he had not told his servants to check the reports on that day.
He thought of an excuse to pause the trial, and he and his
master quickly fled to the study room. They looked into the
reports that had been made in the past few days. He found a
report from the Fan manor about the second master’s quick
departure. The prefect was so mad he almost fainted.

This had never happened before! How could there be one

overlooked yet vital report be there?

The capital government’s Yamen security was tight. Even if

the Overwatch Council had planted the report there, it would
have been nearly impossible for them to do this without
alerting someone. How was Fan manor capable of doing
something like this? How could they secretly plant this report
there? Tian Jingmu’s face looked awful, thinking of a snitch
that may reside in the capital government. Unfortunately,
there was nothing he could do about it right now. Was it the
vice-prefect, or was it those who filed and organized the
documents?

When Tian Jingmu returned to the courtroom, that look of

righteousness on his face was no more. Despite what he had
loudly yelled, the reports had indeed been made. When he was
looking them over earlier, the vice-prefect and document
organizers were beside him. He thought of destroying the
document, but there was no way he could have done so
without anyone noticing.

Even though Fan Sizhe was undoubtedly guilty, the Fan

manor had received points for coming forth with the crimes
and not obscuring anything. In regards to the second master’s
escape, this was not something they had to hide, either. If this
was to continue, it would be impossible to tarnish the
reputation of the Fan family. At worst, it would only be the
Emperor issuing the declaration that they themselves
committed a crime by not punishing their own. They could be
stripped of their nobility and lose their income. No matter
what was to happen, it was impossible for the second prince’s
desires to be fulfilled.

The capital government’s prefect had a headache, but he did

not want to lose. He darkened his face and battled with the
strong team of lawyers that stood in support of the Fan family.

…
 The Capital government temporarily suspended the court
proceedings. Fan Xian understood that what needed to be done
was almost done. Fan Sizhe was to become a proper fugitive; a
criminal who ran off to escape the law. While it was a dismal
thought, Fan Xian’s resolve was to wait until some time in the
future, when his power had increased even further, to find a
way to allow him to come home. That way, the Fan manor
could be free of this.

In regards to the so-called owner of the Bao Yue brothel, Si

Chanli, he had accepted ownership of the establishment after
the case began. No matter how unreasonable the capital
government could be, there was no way they could arrest him.

Fan Xian couldn’t help but laugh. He was discussing the case
with a big man who had also come here to watch. He saw the
victim’s families were being lead by the Yamen servants to the
back of the Yamen for some rest. He opened his lips and bid
farewell to the big man. His eyes looked to the corner’s edge of
the rain canopy he stood beneath, and saw a curious fellow
there who looked to be a study man.

The prostitutes’ families looked dismayed as they came into

the street. As they went, and had just about disappeared from
everyone’s vision, down the alley five big men with masks
came out. They wielded straight swords and approached the
families and swung their weaponry at them. Cruelly, they
attempted to butcher the families of the victims.

This horrific sight incited terrified screams and panic from

those who were on the street. The crowd that had gathered to
watch the court proceedings broke up with ghastly wails, with
people fleeing in all manners of directions to get away.

Fan Xian was standing beneath a tree, observing the scene.

There was no fear in his heart. He thought he had
underestimated the second prince’s power, for he was doing
something similar to what he had arranged earlier in the day.
But the way the second prince had constructed this slaughter
was mismanaged and botched as a result. The last time he had
successfully framed the prime minister, it was by secretly
doing what the Emperor had said to. It was done in secret and
not exposed for all to see. Today, with him doing something
like this, was the second prince not afraid of the Emperor
humiliating him? In particular for doing it so nakedly?

For the lives of the families, Fan Xian shared no concern, and
as expected, there was a number of passers-by who joined in
the fight that had erupted down the street. Leaping into the
fray, they quickly grabbed and placed the family members
behind their backs for safety and approached their would-be
killers.

It was the passers-by again; Fan Xian’s favorite passers-by.

The passers-by were not in possession of armaments. They

only held a special spike that was constructed by the
Overwatch Council. With little effort, they broke the would-be
assassins assault. It was done both quickly and cleanly, simple
and powerful. The scene looked to be something that Master
Wuzhu would have done.

Fan Xian’s eyebrows raised. This was because he knew this

counter was enacted by the Sixth Bureau, and the shadow was
a fan of Master Wuzhu.

The assassins that had been sent by the second prince were
pretty talented, but they were no match for the fighters of the
Sixth Bureau. After a short battle, the men were wholly beaten.
They attempted to escape, but the passers-by were like maggots
attached to their bones, prohibiting their flight.
 Dong! Dong!

The sounds erupted.

This sudden battle was brought to an end. The masked

assassins were lying on the floor, and on their bodies were the
presence of several wounds oozing blood everywhere. Fan Xian
who had been watching the scene in secret nodded. He was
satisfied with Yan Bingyun’s arrangements. It did not matter if
they were dead or alive, but they could not be allowed to
escape under the many watchful eyes that looked their way. He
thought that the assassins may be bearing the stamp of the
Overwatch Council, so that the second prince could frame him
for the murders that almost came to pass. The fight and
subsequent result had ended very much how he expected. The
masked men were soldiers fostered by the second prince,
willing to sacrifice themselves at any given moment. They
were accounted for as part-time assassins. When they met the
professionals of the Sixth Bureau, they did not stand a chance.

But at this moment, everything changed.

 The study man who was still stood under the canopy on the
corner of the street all of a sudden came out to join the fight.
He drew his sword like a professional and the power of the
airborne steel was berzerk, and with insane force, the puddles
of water raised into the air and took to the form of arrows.
They shot forward, riddling one of the family members with
holes. He was killed.

This was a display of extreme swordskill, and yet it came

from someone who took on the appearance of a weak study
man. The swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau, who made
themselves look like simple passers-by, could not react in time.
And they did not dare fight with this man who could
manipulate water like so. They turned to dash and use the
pikes concealed within their sleeves to slow down the study
man’s next move.

Ching! Ching!

The pikes only pierced the study man’s robes, which tore
certain parts of his clothes into shreds. It did not stop his
sword, however, and all that could be heard next was "poof".
The Wuhua longsword struck into another family member’s
body.
 …

The most arrogant of the second prince’s eight guardians was

Xie Bian. He once said he would end Fan Xian in a single blow,
and that he had never missed a target.

Fan Xian had recognized the identity of the study man when
he was stood under the canopy; it was him. He did not expect
him to be so callous and heartless as to go kill innocent people,
those who were the family members of murdered women, no
less. Things had been settled at court, however; what could
their deaths possibly change?

He thought Xie Bian had merely accepted an order to come

here and oversee the trial proceedings, and did not expect him
to attack so arrogantly. As such, Fan Xian’s reactions were a
little slow.

The moment when Xie Bian drew his sword, he was well
aware that the members of the Sixth Bureau were present. This
meant that their plan to frame them had failed. Although he
was currently in a frenzy, even he wasn’t confident in his
ability to kill the assassins of the Sixth Bureau, here in the
daylight on a public street. Especially since the Sixth Bureau
assassins were trained to perform their actions in the dark of
night.

Still, he wanted to engage and draw his sword because he felt

that it was unfair. He saw his men be killed by these passers-by,
and despite the fear of the family members, the fighters of the
Sixth Bureau had not incurred a single injury. This total failure
made him angry, and he drew his sword irrationally.

It felt good to kill one of the victims’ family members, and at

least it would make the second prince look better in his feud
with Fan Xian. Besides, even if just one of those family
members were killed, Fan Xian would have a long, hard time
explaining how such a thing came to pass.

In his right hand, which grasped the handle of his blade, he

felt a familiar feeling. He knew that the tip of the sword was
struck into another stranger’s body again, and that he had
taken another innocent soul. He was satisfied, and laughed
arrogantly. He pulled his sword back and took sight of the
gaping hole it left, and the blood it gushed.

And then… his smile froze.

Xie Bian believed that he would never miss a single strike. Yet
it had happened. Although his sword had plunged deep into his
target, it had pierced two inches away from where he desired
his blade to go. Because of this minor distance, it had resulted
in the victim of his sword not dying outright.

He had also missed his second opportunity to strike, also. His

target was like a kite, swaying from left to right in his agony.
Then, all of a sudden, he flew towards the right.

He did not know what power this was. But whatever it was,
it went in violation of the laws of physics; as he flew away in an
instant.

…
 …

Xie Bian subconsciously twisted his wrists and brought his

sword up to guard his chest. He turned around and saw Fan
Xian, putting down the leg he had just used to kick the
innocent person away.

"Fan Xian!"

As an elite swordsman, he could immediately sense his

presence. Amidst the continuous screaming of frightened
citizens on the street, he gathered and channeled all the power
he could into his sword. He lunged forward, towards Fan Xian,
without a flicker of moderation.

At this time, those few assassins from the Sixth Bureau were
now aware of Fan Xian’s presence. They worked together to
round up the remainder of the distraught family members and
take them to safety.

Fan Xian’s kick from earlier had saved that man’s life, but by
prioritising this, it meant that he did not give himself the time
to bring out his dagger. All he saw then was a cold light right in
front of his face - he felt the chill of his enemy’s sword, and it
felt like his eyelashes were trimmed.

When he raised his hand~~~

Pew pew pew!

Three mechanical firings were heard consecutively. Three

poisonous bolts were launched against the wind-wake of his
enemy’s swirling sword, with Xie Bian’s head as their target.

In this moment, Xie Bian’s sword was brought to face Fan

Xian’s head, and the three bolts Fan Xian fired were coursing
towards Xie Bian’s face.

Neither cared who of the two was the most shameless. Fan
Xian was quiet and he made use of dexterous abilities in body
control to twist and bring his fist to Xie Bian’s chest; but this
was not without a slight nick on his cheek by the enemy’s
sword.
 This fist was fueled by powerful zhenqi and when it was
launched, it thundered. If it was a direct hit, it would have
crushed Xie Bian’s organs into jelly.

Xie Bian desperately fled to the left, prancing away as

delicately as a flower. With great difficulty, he managed to
avoid being struck by two of the bolts that had him in his
sights. He expected that his strike was the one to end Fan Xian’s
life, but he hadn’t expected Fan Xian’s risk to twirl and deliver
the terrifying fist as he did.

He squealed strangely, then brought up his wrist and quickly

shuttled the palm of his hand against Fan Xian’s. Snap! Xie
Bian’s wrist was snapped in an instant.

"Fan Xian!"

Xie Bian was madly screaming his name. It was not in fear of
Fan Xian’s zhenqi; it was because when his fist connected with
his palm, a yellow smoke erupted between them. Xie Bian did
not think Fan Xian, who was already at an advantage, would
make use of a toxic smoke.
 It didn’t take long for the toxic smoke to assimilate within
his body. Within seconds, his sword strength was wholly
exhausted, preventing further action from him. In a rush to
defend himself from the powerful fist, he left himself open
elsewhere. The one bolt he had not dodged now pierced his
shoulder.

He was poisoned again.

"Fan Xian!"

This was the third time that Xie Bian lost his composure in
rage, yelling Fan Xian’s name. He now knew that he had
underestimated Fan Xian’s power. He forced himself to start
the zhenqi in his body, so he drew out his sword and lunged
towards Fan Xian’s throat. It was a nasty and wild move, and
his body had been propelled into the air as he did so. He
readied himself to launch upwards onto the roof of a building
and escape his dastardly evil, uncompromisingly powerful
opponent.

But why would Fan Xian let him escape?

A great shadow flickered. Fan Xian was already ahead and he

had launched into the air to bring down his fleeing opponent.
He lifted his right hand and used it to chop Xie Bian’s ankle.
This chop utilised much of Fan Xian’s Coffin-Breaker
technique. Although the attack landed on a non-critical part of
his enemy’s body, it still dealt considerable damage.

Xie Bian made a grunting sound. He felt his ankle shatter

with the blow. There was a pain that was too much to endure,
that had now encroached upon half of his body, and it made
his escape to the rooftop fail.

Because of this delay, Fan Xian was given another window of

opportunity. He was able to make another move. In this short
battle, he wasn’t even sure of how many times he had struck
his opponent. They were now both standing on the damp
street, their two figures quickly becoming blurry shadows. One
was grey and the other was black as they dove into each other
and tangled once again.

Suddenly, many noises were heard. It went like…..

Pa pa pa pa!!!

No one knew how many punches Xie Bian received from Fan
Xian in that flurry. Because he had executed his attacks
quickly, his zhenqi was not depleted. Xie Bian used the defense
skill that he had learnt and practised over the past few decades,
and used this experience to block the incoming barrage. His
sword was as sharp as the wind, and try as he might, he could
still not counter and strike Fan Xian. With his repeated
inability to repel his invader, Xie Bian began to feel hopeless.

The opponent's moves were too quick.

Xie Bian screamed, and with his wonky wrist, used his sword
to create silver rain in order to protect his body. This was the
first time Fan Xian had to slow down, and so he took a few
steps back.
 Ding!

He used his trembling right hand to drop his sword upon the
floor. The tip of the sword was brought to a quick rest in a
puddle, and the vibrating metal brought ripples and discourse
to the water.

Xie Bian looked at Fan Xian’s calm face from afar and felt a
tremendous pain welling up inside his body. It was like there
were a thousand small knives slicing and dicing up his veins.
He knew that the attack from Fan Xian earlier had damaged his
inner body, and the effects of the poison he had incurred were
finally starting to show. His right leg could barely remain
straight. Facing this opponent, who had yet to break a sweat,
Xie Bian had now lost all confidence in attacking his opponent.

"Nine…" Xie Bian knew that even if he had underestimated

his foe by a great deal, he would have no chance to eliminate
Fan Xian. He was seeing Fan Xian in a totally different light
right now, and after acknowledging his opponent's true power,
his eyes conveyed a look of fear. Earlier he said the word "nine",
and when he spoke, it brought immeasurable pain. Blood even
spilled from his mouth.
 He looked upon Fan Xian with confusion, recalling how
outside the Bao Yue brothel teashop, he proudly said he could
take down Fan Xian all by himself.

This statement was founded on his self-confidence and prior

outlook of Fan Xian. Although this young man, whose
surname was Fan, killed Cheng Jushu on Niulan Road last
year, Xie Bian did not believe that a noble kid could possess a
mind dedicated to the learning of combat like so, and master
the technique of killing others with such masterful skill. Who
would ever expect a young noble person like this could enter
the ninth rank?

...

...

"...Ninth rank!" Xie Bian could not cease his coughing. But
still, he was able to speak these two words. His right hand's
thumb slightly moved and rubbed the hilt of his sword.

...
 ...

Fan Xian tapped the floor with his toes. His whole body then
became like an arrow, flying forward before Xie Bian. There
was a shiny black slash. Fan Xian used the dagger, that which
he was most proficient with, to sever Xie Bian's sword in two,
to prevent any attempt at suicide. Heartlessly, he punched Xie
Bian in his temple and retracted his fist like windswept smoke
as if nothing happened.

Xie Bian had fainted and crumbled to the ground into and
dirty water of the street. With a splash, his crumpled body hit
the deck to reveal a number of severe wounds on his body.

Fan Xian would not allow any loser to say anything or make a
pose before death. And by now, the capital government's
Yamen servants wimpishly arrived. The prefect of the capital
government had been told of what occurred and with a shock,
came running to see that which had transpired. He assessed the
scene and felt a chill grasp his heart. He knew that the entirety
of the second prince's plan had gone awry. Now, he looked
upon Fan Xian who was smiling. No one could tell what Tian
Jingmu was thinking about at this moment.
 "Someone wanted to murder the witnesses. It was by
coincidence that I happened to come here, to the capital
government and listen-in on my brother's case. My catching
sight of these felons doing this was by happenstance." Fan
Xian's face spoke softly, with no look of distress. His right
hand, however, continued to shake. "Luckily, I brought along a
few powerful subordinates. It was because of this that their
evil plans were not a success."

Xie Bian did not succeed at his suicide attempt. But to Fan
Xian, he was able to capture one of the prince's eight guardians,
and he was delightfully surprised at this. The eight guardians
of the second prince were not a secret to the capital, and today,
many civilians caught sight of Xie Bian assassinate the
innocent family members. It was a wonderful opportunity to
spread greater, more wretched rumors.

Fan Xian almost wanted to say "thank you" to Xie Bian, who
was still collapsed on the ground.

The capital government's Yamen then established a perimeter

to safeguard the area. There was nothing left for Fan Xian to
do. He did not need to point out Xie Bian's identity, for he
would have subordinates able to do this for him.
 "I am going to hand this person over to you." Fan Xian was
smiling as he looked upon the Capital prefect. "This criminal is
pure evil. Please keep him under heavy surveillance."

Fan Xian was not of the mind to bring Xie Bian back to the
Overwatch Council. Even if he was to admit that this entire
ploy was an idea constructed by the second prince, and this
information was to come from the Overwatch Council, the
power of these revelations would be considerably weaker.

He then delivered the unconscious Xie Bian to the Capital

government. He was actually having another idea. When he
was delivered, he was made sure to be alive. If he turned up
dead in the future, things would most certainly become
interesting.

The capital government's prefect was a third rank officer.

The Overwatch Council could not investigate him without first
gaining authority from the Emperor. It was rare to obtain the
opportunity to bring a person such as him down, so he did not
dare to let this chance slip away.
 If he did miss, he was only afraid that Yan Bingyun would
say that he was too soft.

...

...

The civilians had yet to be brought relief from the horrifying

spectacle. There was no doubt that what had occurred outside
the Capital government office today would be a hot topic for
the capital in the times to come. For the nobles who knew
about this and the feud between Fan Xian and the second
prince, if the Emperor did not intervene and the palace
maintained its silence on the mater, then the scales for
determining the victor had now been tipped to one side.

The subordinates who had concealed themselves as simple

passers-by now protected Fan Xian as he returned to the Fan
manor. One of them noticed Fan Xian's hand was trembling and
believed that he had sustained an injury during the battle.
 Fan Xian laughed and said, "It is nothing. I was just excited.
It has been a few months since I last enjoyed a combat
encounter such as that."

These words were honest and true. The fight with Xie Bian
did hype and exhilarate Fan Xian. It almost seemed as if he was
born to enjoy the task of killing others. He believed that Yan
Bingyun was more suitable to be the master of the Overwatch
Council, and he himself was more fit to follow.

But the shaking of his right-hand was not solely due to the
adrenaline. Fan Xian slightly rubbed his wrists and from his
expression that was as bright as the sun, it now became dim.
Chapter 299: There is Nothing Wrong
with Watching Leaves Fall
These days, the Overwatch Council was under Commissioner
Fan's wise lead and Yan Bingyun's command. They worked
their hardest to unceremoniously tear the second prince's party
to shreds, from the officers in his employ and all aspects of his
economic beneficiaries. They took advantage of recent events,
such as the Bao Yue brothel incident and the assassination
outside of the capital government building. They took the
battlegrounds to courts and did all they could to bring down
his business, digging deep into the swamp of his soul and
conspiring as best they could to make the second prince relent.

The first thing, as everyone expected, was for Xie Bian - one
of the eight guardians of the second prince – to die in the
capital government prison. This created an excellent portal of
opportunity for the Overwatch Council's joint committee to
send three decrees to the palace. The capital prefect Tian
Jingmu's career was brought to a standstill while he was
thoroughly investigated.

The stupid way in which the second prince sought to save

himself made the Overwatch Council able to remove the pillars
of support he had, one by one. Yan Bingyun had also started to
use another method as well to successfully control the cut-off
point for Xinyang to support the capital. It forced the Cui
family to worry about a big amount of money they would be
losing every day, so they had to use the money from Jiangnan
to buy off a route to the north that was stopped because of
Shenzhong's death. Because of all this, the second prince's
income saw a steep decline.

On the other hand, it would be a big disadvantage for the

second prince's party. Although there were people who were
pretty good at playing mind games in his manor, they were no
match to the professionals of the Overwatch Council.
Compared to the advocates of the Overwatch Council, the
people that the manor sent out to restaurants did not really
have the power to bewitch others. Although the Overwatch
Council was known to be cruel and their image was quite
menacing, the populace stood firmly in Fan Xian's court. They
were of the mind that the second master of the Fan family was
now little more than a scapegoat for the second prince. This is
why they thought that Fan Xian would strike back.

And Hongcheng… that poor crown prince of King Jing; his

reputation was now low enough for others to view with
disgust. Who told him to have a relationship with Yang Meng?
Everyone in the capital knew that in the spring of next year, Li
Hongcheng was supposed to marry the lady of the Fan family.
But he employed Fan Sizhe, a fourteen year old boy, to open a
brothel and make him shoulder the homicides of murdered
prostitutes… Who in this world could be so obscene as to use
the brother of his brother-in-law in such a manner?

Now, it did not matter if you were in the field of politics or

not; you could see that the second prince and his party were
being beaten badly. Their morale was at an all-time low, and
they lacked the necessary power and cunning to fight back
effectively. The only thing they tried to do was make use of the
Imperial Censorate, which was something that the eldest
princess controlled. But the efforts of those censors were all
wasted. Everything that the Overwatch Council did was done
under the jurisdiction and realms of authority they had been
granted. Try as they did, there was nothing illegal they could
find. And in regards to the nighttime assassination of the three
witnesses, it was a dead-end case. Even though people could
guess that it was most likely done by the Overwatch Council,
there was no evidence to prove this assumption.

The Overwatch Council's stance on that assassination was

made quite clear, however. Those three people were delivered
to the capital government's Yamen by Commissioner Fan's
family. If people said there was a problem, the ally of the
second prince, prefect Tian Jingmu, is who would look the
most suspicious.
 As to how everything had turned out so far, Fan Xian was
very pleased. It would be impossible for Fan Xian to remove
the second prince from the capital entirely, but the damage
done to his reputation could not be any worse. If he could
weaken the second prince's power and authority to the point
where he could not threaten or retaliate, and make him
speechless in retribution for the damage he had done to the Fan
family, Fan Xian was willing to call it even.

At this time, the scary strength of the Overwatch Council

was only glimpsed upon.

The reason why this operation went well was because Chen
Pingping bestowed complete authority of the Overwatch
Council to Fan Xian. What was most important to note,
however, was that Fan Xian's arrangements and deeds now
began their conception when he was still in the north in
Shangjing. At the start of autumn, Fan Xian and Yan Bingyun
had already done much preparation. They delivered a decree
that made mention of the relationship between the second
prince and eldest princess. The Emperor ignored it, though.
But this time, because of what happened with the Bao Yue
brothel, Fan Xian used his anger as fuel for the advancement of
his schemes.
 He was like a gale force wind striking a thin wisp of cloud. If
the Overwatch Council did not win this battle, Fan Xian feared
Chen Pingping would leap out of his wheelchair to yell at all
the little bastards for tarnishing the reputation of the
organization.

The palace had been strangely quiet recent, the second

prince's mother Shu Guifei and the eastern palace's prince
included. Even the Empress in the palace and all the nobles
around looked as if they were both blind and deaf. They were
being extremely cautious, not saying much of anything out of
fear. They were all waiting to see what stance the Emperor
himself would take regarding this affair.

What was the Emperor doing?

News came from the palace saying that the Emperor had
hired a troupe of actors from Jiangnan to visit the palace and
enact certain dramas. The capital was in chaos, yet the
Emperor had the time to spend the day with the Empress
Dowager to watch theatre? Who knew how much money he
tipped the actors, but the Emperor had been visibly happy and
relaxed.

When he finally took notice of the situation of higher

priority, though, he thought little of it. He didn't think the
matters were worth getting involved in, and he thought they
were the petty issues of youths squabbling in the capital; it was
nothing new, he believed. It wasn't as entertaining as the
dramas that were played for him, either way.

The people viewed this situation clearly. The officers who

had stayed neutral the entire time used their heads and
uncovered the truth. The Emperor cared for Fan Xian an
incredible amount. After all, who was the opponent of Fan
Xian? It was the second prince, his son. The Emperor was
willing to sit there and let all this happen due to an
unbelievable amount of favoritism.

Those people would not dare to offend the second prince,

either. So they had to walk a tightrope so as not to displease
either side of the battle. Like a really strong blade of grass that
was unwilling to bend to the forces of the wind.

This truth made the second prince exhale countless breaths

of cold air, knowing that the power he had built over the many
years in the palace was slipping away. And to make matters
worse, his father was turning a blind eye. This made him start
thinking that Fan Xian had selectively picked a fight with him
ever since his return from the north, and was it possibly at the
request of others in the palace? But the second prince was an
evil person, and he knew the situation was so bad that he had
been pushed into a corner and he was unable to step back any
further. Although he could let go of his pride as a prince and
attempt to parlay and call for peace with Fan Xian, he didn't
think he would accept. And the Emperor's lack of care towards
the entire affair disintegrated the resolve of the second prince,
making him fear the possibility that if he was not able to bring
Fan Xian down, then he'd have no choice but to sit there and
await his imminent doom. It was exactly as he said in the tea
shop.

Under this great pressure, the second prince still managed to

strike out again. The Imperial Censorates censors worked to
try and impeach Fan Xian once more. And this time, the crime
they could use was a real one and the evidence they had to
incriminate him was solid. It was related to Fan Sizhe and even
the Ministry of Personnel's shangshu Fan Jing. The snow-
white decree was being delivered, bypassing the Ministry of
Punishment and Supreme Court as it should not have. They
asked the Fan's father and son to quit their jobs for the crime
they were targeting them for. The situation that was being
created was of one of a final spar. Both sides would have to go
all-in to decide an outcome where either the second prince won
or Fan Xian.

Today, a few dozen officers joined the movement to impeach

Fan Xian. It was a greater turnout than last time. They all
kneeled in front of the palace gate, but there was no rain on
this day. The few dozen blue uniforms stood out far more in
the palace alongside the blue stone floor, and it made the
officers who were walking towards the gate shake their heads
and move away; they did not want to get involved.

By the Qing Kingdom's law, the officers who were being tried
for impeachment had to defend themselves. Now, the Fan
family's father and son had to go the palace and present a
defense before the Emperor and the people present in court.
But inside the court, the second prince's party still made up the
majority. It would be difficult for the Fan family's father and
son to debate.
 The Imperial Censorate's censors were all confident, waiting
for Fan Jing and Fan Xian to appear. They thought that these
biggest, most corrupt officers would surely fall and be struck
down by them. This was different from the last time, though,
because now they had strong evidence provided by the second
prince himself. It was enough to prove that the Fan family and
possibly even Liu's family had a connection to the horrible Bao
Yue brothel.

The censors remained kneeling, awaiting the arrival of Fan

Xian and Fan Jing. Even though the Fan family had sent away
Fan Sizhe, sold off the Bao Yue brothel and had the Emperor
already absolve them of their crimes, the evidence they now
available would mean the Fan family would have to pay a
grievous price. And so, they waited for the cocky Overwatch
Council commissioner to show up and admit his crimes and
lower his head in guilt and shame before them.

It wasn't only the Imperial Censorate's censors who had come

to watch this either. A lot of others had shown up. While the
Fan manor and Overwatch Council were really popular, how
were they going to face this menacing order of impeachment?
The officers wanted their level of reputation, but if they were
to be pinned-down by the Imperial Censorate, it would be an
embarrassing thing indeed. Everyone knew Fan Xian was a
person who took reputation seriously, so the officers who had
come to watch were quite interested in seeing how Fan Xian
would react. Even Shu Wu, the Big Scholar, was present and
full of evil thoughts. He could not wait to see Fan Xian's face
turn to one of scorn and shame.

What no one expected, however, was Fan Xian and Minister

Fan not showing up at all. This father and son was incredibly
deft and tactical, though, and so what they did was use an
obscene move. It was called the "sick leave".

Hearing this, the second prince was the first to freeze. He did
not expect that the Fan family to be as wily as foxes as they
were ferocious as a wolves. He did not expect them to be so
shameless as to not show up and grant the second prince a
chance of earning back his reputation.

The Great Scholar Shu Wu, who was hiding in the corner
drinking tea in the forum like usual, spat out a mouthful when
hearing the news. That day, he went to the Imperial College to
have a few matches of chess with Fan Xian, he had told him,
"Okay". Then, he brought chaos to the capital. And now he said
he did not fancy consuming all the pawns. Scholar Shu had
been tricked by the polite-on-the-surface, evil-on-the-inside
Fan Xian. He was hoping to see payback justly delivered upon
him today, but he did not expect for the kid to say he was sick
and not even show up; the old scholar was fuming with rage.

The news about them both being sick was delivered to the
palace. The Emperor, who was looking at the decree, was
shocked as well, though he simply furrowed his eyebrows and
did not say anything further.

The ladies in the back of the palace soon learnt about this
too. They giggled to themselves about how Fan Xian was a
really troublesome person, and how he did not know how to
make the Emperor worry about him less. They also questioned
why Wan'er took him to be her husband. In the beginning, he
looked like a polite and talented person…but now? Now he
looked like an obscene man.

The most disappointed people had to be the censors who

were kneeling at the gate. If they said they were sick and not
coming, it did not matter how strong the atmosphere was,
there was no point in them remaining. Their hearts were all
swiftly emptied. They each looked towards the ground and
mournfully disbanded. Even their uniforms looked to be
disappointed, clinging to their bodies with no care for the wind
that wished to flag their clothing.

Humans eat grain to grow up; they are not superhuman. No

one was immune to sickness, but the Fan's father and son had
both become sick at a most opportune time, and the "illness"
had brought them down quite quickly. People were actually
saying they were bed-ridden, which was a little strange,
especially since Fan Xian was Fei Jie's student. Although he
was not an official doctor, even the royal doctors in the palace
knew of their methods; so how could he get sick all of a
sudden?

It wasn't just the officers in the court who did not believe it,
but the civilians as well. The ladies in the palace, and even the
Emperor on the throne didn't believe it. So, when the court
disbanded, guards and royal doctors were led out following
Eunuch Hong. He rarely exited the palace, but here he was
now, leading all these people to the Fan manor. They were
going to deliver the Emperor's regards and observe what
sickness they were suffering from.
 There were a lot of spies from the palace following this group
as well, because everyone just thought they were truly sick.
They believed that the Fans would not want to embarass
themselves and also offend the Emperor, as it was a crime to lie
to him. That would be a really stupid move.

The second prince did not understand the motive for their
actions either. He was a prince, and he had grown up in the
palace; he knew what Eunuch Hong would do. You could not
hide anything from that man, and he would be sure to confirm
whether or not the Fans were indeed sick.

Fan Xian was really sick.

This intel was confirmed by Eunuch Hong. The Emperor did

not need to punish them in any capacity, and this news was
spread to every corner of the capital. No one doubted whether
or not Fan Xian was pretending to be sick anymore. Although
Minister Fan had just gotten a cold, Fan Xian truly was bed-
ridden, his body being extremely weak.

While the Overwatch Council was having an important fight

with the second prince, , Fan Xian had unfortunately and
suddenly fallen ill.

This news brought a lot of people emotion. They were

thinking about whether or not the situation in the capital
would change now because of it. After all, a similar occurrence
cropped up in history. Back in the day, the reason why the
general of the Northern Wei Kingdom succeeded was because
the famous general Zhan Qingfeng had an unfortunate case of
diarrhea for three days.

Although it may sound ridiculous, this was a real nugget of

historical truth.

"Don't worry about anything." Fan Xian furrowed his

eyebrows and looked at Mu Tie who was near the bed,
appearing restless. He continued, "Just listen to what Yan
Bingyun tells you and everything will be fine."

Ever since Fan Xian had returned from the capital

government, he had been somewhat sick. Although it wasn't
too threatening, the zhenqi inside him had become
uncontrollable ever since his battle with Xie Bian. The zhenqi
was messed up inside of him, and it had forced him to meditate
more often, in order to quell the forces inside him. The pale
face and strange pulsing had successfully tricked the smart
Eunuch Hong.
Chapter 300: Medicine
It was after midnight on this autumn evening. The moon was
gone, but the sun had not yet risen, leaving a grey blue shroud
for a sky. In the back of Fan Manor, there were strong coughing
sounds echoing with little reprieve. It had been going on for a
while and the sounds had rattled the slumbering servants from
their dreams. Out in the yard, it began to get busy.

Perhaps it was because of the weather, but it wasn't just

Minister Fan who had a cold. Some of the servants were
suffering from the illness as well, and those with snot
dribbling down from their nostrils had already been sent away
to the countryside. The people that remained did not dare to
drop their guard and risk infection, so they made sure to drink
the medicine Fan Xian had made. It was an effective serum, so
the cold did not spread. The coughing noises were coming from
Fan Xian's home. In the past two days, the master had been the
recipient of a strange disease and had been coughing like crazy.
Still, he did not visit the palace visit the royal doctors for their
medicine, as he was of the firm belief that his own medicine
would be more efficient. But after a few days, the coughing had
not yet lessened. The servants in the manor began growing
concerned over the welfare of their lovely employer; they
feared for his health - and his life.
 The lead maid Sisi had a red cloth wrapped around her
forehead to tie up her messy hair. She looked slightly annoyed
as she stood in the kitchen, smelling the nauseating scent of
medicine in the air. She yelled at her subordinates to work
faster. She was a woman who came from Danzhou, and the
future of her status was pretty obvious. So, in the Fan Manor,
whatever she had to say was quite important. The sleepy maids
around her knew that the mister was suffering a nasty
sickness, and hearing Sisi's orders , they gritted their teeth and
continued on working.

Sisi had been watching them for a while, but she was still
worried, so she moved a stool to sit near the stove, held a fan
in her hand and fanned it gently. Her eyes did not even blink to
stare at the medicine, which was steadily boiling and
producing steam. Slowly, it steamed her eyes and they became
red. She was still on guard and did not want to pull away,
however. When making medicine, the fire and the heat it
produced was the most important aspect of correct calculation.
Since the curative that was currently being created was for the
mister, she would not trust him to consume it if she wasn't one
hundred percent sure that it had been made perfectly.

Inside the bedroom, Lin Wan'er was wearing a common,

cotton-made robe. She felt sorry and rubbed Fan Xian's chest,
carefully telling him, "Shouldn't we try the formula given to us
by the royal doctors?"

Fan Xian's face was all red from his coughing. He waved his
hand and with a faint, strained smile replied, "I am not that
high-born. Besides, I know how my body works. I am not going
to die; so I will make the medicine myself."

Wan'er knew that her husband's medical skills were most

proficient, otherwise she wouldn't have been healed and be
relieved of her lung sickness which she had struggled with for
fifteen years. But to hear him keep coughing like mad in the
past few days, she couldn't help but worry. She bit her bottom
lip and said, "Even Eunuch Hong could not decipher what this
sickness is. Yet you say you know. Uh-huh…" She rolled her
eyes before proceeding to say, "How about I write a letter to
Master Fei? Maybe I could ask him."

Fan Xian coughed twice. He knew his wife's worry could not
be quelled and so he sighed and said, "That teacher of mine? It
isn't like you don't know what'll happen. In one year, he spent
half of it just wandering about. Even if he did choose to return
here and tend to me, who knows when that could be?" Fan Xian
then laughed. "It could be as long as three to four months. I
could very well be a dead man by then. And you…" He lightly
prodded her tall nose in a jest and said, "…you will become the
most beautiful young widow in the capital."

Wan'er started spitting on the floor. She said, "Don't say

something like that!"

Fan Xian laughed in amusement. He wasn't like the others in

the manor, all nervous about what was going on. He knew
what was happening to his body. The medicine that was
cooking right now was to just calm his mind and ease his body,
and to soothe the effects of the sickness. And in regards to the
real, underlying issues that brought this on, he would have to
deal with that by himself, alone. While the two were chatting,
he made sure to comfort Wan'er; but as he did so, he made sure
to conceal his right hand beneath the blanket.

His right hand sometimes shook. Ever since the fight outside
the capital government, it had been the same. It had not
improved one bit.

From outside the room, someone knocked on the bedroom

door. Sisi then came through, carrying the medicine
precariously. The big maid, Siqi, who slept in the same room as
her was also awake. She lit the lamp on the desk and placed it
in front of Fan Xian's bed. She took the medicine and put the
spoon in the bowl, stirring the mixture. She did this to disperse
the heat and bring it to a more comfortable temperature. After
she did this for a while, and she had hit the perfect
temperature, she brought a spoonful to Fan Xian's lips.

Fan Xian drank the bitter concoction and waggled his tongue
in response. Sisi quickly brought a sugar cube to his mouth
which he accepted, and this helped to wash away the rancid
taste. He could not help but laugh and say, "I am just a master.
Is this service all that necessary?"

Sisi laughed and responded, "Master, when you were young,

taking medicine was your most despised thing." Fan Xian was
thinking, The medicine in this world is not as if it were coated
in sugar. Of course I initially disliked the medicine here!

Siqi pulled a cloth out from her sleeve and gently dabbed and
wiped the corner of Fan Xian's lips. With seriousness in her
tone, she told him, "Mister, you are being quite patient right
now. Do not push yourself too hard."
 Seeing these two maids behave like this, even Wan'er felt
compelled to avert her eyes. She laughed and said, "Do not
spoil him too much!" As she said this, however, her hands were
stroking and rubbing Fan Xian's back to bring him greater
comfort.

Fan Xian had grown accustomed this life and enjoyed it very
much, and he thought being sick and being able to feel this
good was a marvelous thing. He shook his head and reached
for the bowl and downed it all in a few gulps. Then, he used his
sleeves to wipe his lips and smiled. He said, "I am a part-time
doctor, not some little kid."

The two maids near the bed looked at each other and
laughed. They looked out the window and saw the sky,
acknowledging the late time. Fan Xian realized that his
coughing had kept the servants up and had made the quite
busy, as well. For this, he felt somewhat guilty. He told them,
"Since I have taken this medicine, I should no longer be
coughing. You no longer need to tend to me; you girls should
go to sleep. Tell this to the other maids and servants who are
up, too. Tell them to get some rest. The nights of autumn can
be quite chilling; what are we to do if you all get sick?"
 "It will be dawn soon. There is no point in going back to
sleep."

"More sleep is always a good thing." Fan Xian responded.

This master was being extremely compassionate towards his

servants, and the two were well aware of this, but being under
his gentle service for so long, they knew he would not change
his mind despite their please. So, Sisi and Siqi did not object
any further. They agreed to rest and then left the room.

Fan Xian got off the bed and poured some tea to rinse his
mouth. Wan'er saw him do this and could not help but say,
"You are sick and yet you are still drinking cold tea? That is not
good for the body." Fan Xian laughed in response. He sat back
down on the bed and said, "I have already told you that this
sickness is different from the norm." Then, the both of them
continued chatting for a while. He did not cough anymore and
this made Wan'er feel more at ease. Comforted somewhat, she
began to feel sleepy, but did not go back to sleep because Fan
Xian didn't show any signs of wanting to sleep. Fan Xian could
not watch this any more, so he quietly reached out his hands to
rub and massage her shoulders. With his fingertips, he crawled
up her head and she eventually fell asleep.
 Seeing his wife, who was now deep in slumber, he knew how
just how much she had been concerned for his well-being in
recently. It was because of her constant fretting that she had
become incredibly fatigued. He could not help but shake his
head. He knew that his sickness was not going to be cured by
some extra sleep and attentive care, unlike the cold his father
was suffering from. The cold Minister Fan had, under Fan
Xian's treatment, was already being alleviated. He guessed that
after another two days, he would be fully healed once more.
But his father was getting on in age and his body wasn't as
strong as the youth's, so it took a little longer than it should
have.

He waved his hand and turned off the lamp on his table,
which was five feet away. The whole bedroom was enshrouded
in darkness, but still he could not sleep. And lying there, he
opened his eyes wide. For the past few days, he had done little
but lounge around resting, and it was because of this that he
found it difficult to become tired and sleepy.

He used his fingertips to peel at the leftover medicine bits

that had been caught between his teeth, and he mentally
reviewed the concoction that he had selected. He could feel the
activity of the curative mending his lungs already, and he was
able to feel the irritation quell. He looked slightly complacent,
and he then lifted the blanket to cover his wife, afterward
reaching hand beneath his pillow and pulling out a satchel of
drugs. Inside the pouch were a few big round and rough pills.

Although the room was dark, Fan Xian knew that these pills
were red. Ever since he was small, Mister Fei Jie ordered Fan
Xian to carry this medicine around with him. They were for a
failsafe against the possibility there was a problem with the
nameless skills Fan Xian had adeptly trained with. If the
powerful zhenqi proved to be too much and threatened to burst
through his veins and destroy his body, these pills were to be a
last resort.

When Fan Xian was young, and still living in Danzhou, Fei
Jie noticed a critical problem the boy had. With the nameless
skill he had received from either his mother or Wu Zhu, he
would have truly become the ultimate zhenqi master if he had
kept on training his proficiency and dexterity. If ordinary
people tried training with this skill, their bodies would not be
able to handle such zhenqi, and so their veins would burst and
their bodies would be brought to permanent paralysis.

But comparing Fan Xian to the people of this world, there

isn't a grand difference, save for the size of his veins. They
seemed to be much wider. Perhaps this was why, ever since he
was a baby, he already started learning these skills. By the time
he was four, the zhenqi had already reached the top level and
yet his veins did not rupture.

Fei Jie did say it once, however, that the zhenqi in his body
would eventually stack and coagulate inside his body. It was
only a matter of time before the veins could not manage the
zhenqi any more and that would be a cause of great distress for
him.

A decade had past since he was told this, and after so much
time, he had not been given a reason to fear or anticipate this
happening. Although the zhenqi inside him was always
powerful, it had always remained under his control. When he
was 12, he even finished the first phase of the nameless skill.
The zhenqi inside his body was like a hurricane on a leash; as
wild as it was, it was tamed and under control, never bringing
him harm.

So, over time he dropped his guard and almost forgot about
these words. He never even brought the pills out with him, and
usually just left them at home. When he left for the Northern
Qi kingdom, he did recall the existence of the pills, though. As
he would be gone for a long time, unsure of what may
transpire in his time there, and so did bring one, but that was
it.

Trouble always comes when people least expect it.

Going through the Northern Qi Kingdom, the journey itself

may have seemed safe. In actuality, it was pretty dangerous.
The zhenqi inside Fan Xian's body combined with his skills to
accelerate and give them the strength equivalent to a ninth-
ranked. It had started to reach the highest ceiling of power
possible in this world, and the ascension of zhenqi had finally
peaked. He could even do battle with Ku Hei's student Lang
Tao. He never expected that after his combat with Xie Bian, the
zhenqi inside him would actually start to break down and
inhibit him.

In his back, coursing all the way up through his veins, there
were two paths of zhenqi that were like circles. They would
keep channeling up and down his body ceaselessly. Right now,
it seemed as if the zhenqi noticed something different ailing
the masters body and it was beginning to rage. They were not
quietly remaining within the veins as they should have. They
were misbehaving and streaming through places they should
not.
 Fan Xian's hands were where he could control the zhenqi
perfectly, but it was now where the zhenqi seemed most likely
to leak from. Right now, his hands were occasionally being
made to shake. The reason this was happening was because the
muscles in his body were contracting and not co-operating
with the zhenqi inside him as they should.

It wasn't a grave situation, yet Fan Xian still had things

under control, more or less. After his periods of meditation
these past few days, he forced his mind to suppress the zhenqi
that was wreaking havoc inside his body. But both of these
forces came together and damaged his lung; this is what
brought on the cough these past few days. If he let this
continue, it was only a matter of time before he lost total
control of his zhenqi.

Fan Xian tried to learn the second phase of the nameless skill,
but he had not made any progress yet. When he was coughing
badly, he even thought to hate Wu Zhu, who was always so
mystic and obscure. In his mind, he said to himself, Even if
you told me about a skill I could learn, one with which I could
absorb power, at least give me a clue.
 He gently handled the medicine bag inside his hand and
furrowed his eyebrows. In the past few days, he had been
analyzing and observing what the exact contents of these pills
were - these pills given to him by his teacher. It was like a tiger
battling a lion; the teacher wanted to help him learn, control
and harness the zhenqi within him. This was a great force of
effort and took a lot of power to do. The medicine, which
served as a failsafe, was equally as powerful. He had no
confidence in what would happen if he took those pills. The
only thing he was sure of, was that the pills contained a large
amount of mayflowers. But this component would scatter and
dilute the inherent power of the other ingredients inside. They
were curious things.

Was Fan Xian really willing to let his zhenqi go? He had been
training and increasing the power of his zhenqi for over a
decade, after all. Even if it was not entirely gone, it would
mean he would have a considerably less amount within him.

But if he did not eat it… was this zhenqi he treasured so

much going to make him blow up like a balloon? It could
happen within a month, but it could also happen a year from
now. Even if this did not come to pass, to have his right hand
shake like this was no good either. He was still so young; was
he going to let himself walk around as if he had Parkinson's
Disease?
 To eat or not to eat; that was the question.

In the distance, a rooster crowed to greet the arrival of a new

day. Everyone else was fast asleep, but only now did Fan Xian
realise he had been on the bed, lost in thought for the past half
an hour. He laughed to himself a little, admitting to himself
that he was still afraid to die. He was caught between a rock
and a hard place; and the doubt wracked his mind.

Perhaps it was an opportunity? He comforted himself.

"No matter how broken the pond is, and how much I use the
water to wash my body…" He slowly said this out loud and
then started meditating once more. He carefully placed the
scattered, misbehaving zhenqi that was rampaging inside him
back in his veins. He returned them to his back, which was like
a broad, snow-capped mountain. He let them sit there, melting
the snow.

His heart jumped all of a sudden. Fan Xian opened his eyes
and gathered a few random articles of clothing. He rushed to
the bedroom door, pushed it open and ran out. He walked to
the quietest corner in the yard, where he had tried the
poisonous needles for the very first time back in the day. He did
not have to search long, but that was where he caught a
glimpse of the creepy uncle who veiled his face with a black
cloth. He was standing near the fake mountain.

He could not help but shake his head and start complaining.
He said, "So you do know how to come back?"
Chapter 301: There is a Swing on this
Side of the Wall, and there is a Street on
the Other
The sky was turning white, and the early winds of morning
began to blow and skirt through the yard. The light was still
dim. The person standing near the fake mountain was garbed
in thick, rugged clothing. A steel pike was affixed to his waist,
and a black cloth masked his face. The sight of him seemed as
if he was a part of some motionless artpiece of a serene yard.
Not a single sound could be heard, and his being there was
almost ethereal. If a servant were to walk by, it'd be surprising
if they took notice of the figure.

Fan Xian, now seeing this family member before him,

someone he had known for 16 years, thought about how long it
had been since they last saw each other. His heart was clutched
by an unfamiliar feeling. He wanted to strike this person
down, but he knew doing such a thing would be impossible,
and he wouldn't have the talent to beat him. He also wondered
if he wanted to run into his arms and cry. But this Wu Zhu was
not a person of sentiments.

Fan Xian simply shook his head and strained to subdue any
feelings of happiness he was feeling. He walked towards the
man and noticed that Wu Zhu's hand clutched a small knife.
He was carving something. As he walked closer, he noticed it
was wood that he was carving.

"Luckily, it is not the statue of a woman. Otherwise, I'd be

keen to believe you had become Mang Tanhua, that villainous
character Li Xunhuan." The yard was quiet. Fan Xian
suppressed his desire to laugh and said, "I would throw up!"

Wu Zhu nodded in surprise. He responded, "Li Xunhuan; that

person truly is obscene."

Now, Fan Xian was the one who was surprised. A while of
silence elapsed between them, but then he said, "You know Li
Xunhuan?"

Wu Zhu placed the wooden figure into a pocket with the

knife and coldly replied, "The lady used to tell me this tale, and
she always hated that character."

Fan Xian laughed and said, "It seems like I really am my

mother's son."
 …

After a while, they both retreated to the most hidden of the

three study rooms. There was nothing particularly intriguing
about the place, which would spark curious snoopers to go
poke about there, but everyone knew not to get close unless
they had been summoned by Fan Xian. Even Minister Fan
abided by this rule.

"Let's talk. In this past half year, what have you been up to
you?" Without a doubt, Fan Xian was overwhelmed with
curiosity over what Wu Zhu had been up to since his
disappearance and what he had been doing over the course of
that time. Although he confirmed his suspicion when he
caught sight of the wooden chip he was carving, shocking news
such as this should come from the horse's mouth. It would be
an exciting tale to hear of, for sure. At this time, it seemed as if
he forgot the zhenqi that was running around his body like a
bunch of blind, terrified rats. It also seemed as if he had
forgotten to ask what he could do to stay alive with this
rampant zhenqi. He stared into Wu Zhu's eyes.
 Fan Xian poured himself some more leftover tea from the
night before. He did not offer a cup to Wu Zhu because he did
not drink tea.

"I have been up north." Wu Zhu stopped to think about it,

almost as if he had to recall the places he had been. "And then I
went to the south."

Fan Xian had long gotten used to his uncle's abnormal mind
and mannerisms. Therefore, this vague and lame answer did
not bother him too much. Patiently, he asked for a little more
detail by saying, "What were you doing up north? And what
were you doing down south?"

"I went to the north in order to find Ku Hei." Wu Zhu said

this quietly, as if he sought to evade unfriendly ears. He
thought that if this news spread, it would shock a lot of people.
"I fought him and then went down south to find someone else."

Fan Xian started laughing. He acknowledged that it must

have been his blind uncle who injured the grandmaster. He
then thought of a question to ask. He furrowed his eyebrows
with concern and caringly asked, "Are you okay?"
 Wu Zhu looked at his left shoulder and said, "I was injured
there. The wound has healed now, though."

What he said came as no surprise, but Fan Xian felt a certain

tone of gravity to what was spoken. He had fought Haitang
before, so he could imagine what sort of power one of the four
legendary grandmasters possessed. Although Wu Zhu sounded
slightly arrogant about the affair, particularly due to the fact
he had managed to injure his opponent, he knew that a price
would have had to have been paid for the opportunity. He did
pay a price with the injury he incurred, but as long as he was
fine now, everything was okay.

"Why did you do this?" Fan Xian frowned.

Wu Zhu responded, "If he was in the Northern Qi Kingdom. I

thought he may have posed a hindrance to you." Fan Xian
nodded to these words. If Ku Hei was still in the capital when
Fan Xian was there, gauging from his power, it would have
been impossible for him to bring down the power of the
Northern Qi Kingdom and gather as much useful information
as he did before Xiao En died.
 Wu Zhu continued by saying, "I think I used to know Ku Hei
quite a bit. So I also went to visit him in the hope I could catch
up on what occurred back in the day."

Fan Xian all of a sudden raised his head. He looked at his

uncle with a profound look of shock. His mind quickly flashed
back to the memory of when Xiao En was telling him about the
Temple of the Eternal Night, before his death. He furrowed his
eyebrows once more and quietly said to himself, Maybe my
uncle really does know Ku Hei? Or at least he did back when
they were younger.

Fan Xian then told Wu Zhu about everything that happened

with him and Xiao En back in that cave, hoping to trigger the
recollection of certain important memories his uncle may have
lost. In particular, the connection between Wu Zhu and the
Holy Temple. When Fan Xian was young, he heard Wu Zhu say
that he and his mother managed to escape from the house. Was
the house... in fact the Holy Temple?

Wu Zhu then returned to silence and remained that way for

some time. He did not hold his head in a meditative fashion
like a novel would usually describe. He looked to be in pain,
and he scratched his head, looking as if he could not remember
anything. After a while, all he could say was, "I do not
remember."

Now it was Fan Xian's turn to scratch his head. He lowered

his head and mumbled, "What is this called?" He shook his
head and forcefully removed the feelings of disappointment in
his heart and asked, "Why did you not return to the capital
following your injury? If you were already injured, why did
you continue on down south in search of someone else? Is Ye
Liuyun down south?"

Wu Zhu coldly shook his head and said, "There are problems
in the south. After I made sure Ku Hei knew about me, I went
south to try and look for that person who has problems. But I
could not find him."

Fan Xian felt even more perplexed. For the past half a year,
Fan Xian had been busy in the north and south, unaware that
his uncle had been just as busy and not resting as he should
have been. He had gone to the Northern Qi Kingdom to fight a
grandmaster in hopes of triggering his wiped memories. He
had also traversed across the south in search of a family
member. But if Ku Hei knew Wu Zhu… Xiao En once said what
Ku Hei has today must bear a connection to his trip to the Holy
Temple. Back then, Ku Hei knew Fan Xian's mother. But at that
time, his mother was with Wu Zhu.

That "person with a problem" in the south? Who could that

be? Fan Xian's mind was spinning, a hurricane of thoughts on
who this enigmatic character might be. He recalled a certain
case that he received whilst in Fanjing. To the south of the
Qing Kingdom, there were reports of a cold-blooded serial
killer, and it was something that Yan Bingyun took seriously.
He was even prepared to request the assistance of numerous
Tiger Guards from the Emperor to join him in a hunt for the
murderer. But if this was the person Wu Zhu was also after, a
person who he failed to find, he could only assume Yan
Bingyun's own search would be just as fruitless.

He took a deep breath and put aside his thoughts and

musings of topics that could not affect him at this moment. He
then proceeded to tell Wu Zhu of what he had been up to for
the past half a year. He even disclosed to Wu Zhu the secret
agreement he made with Haitang, but was disheartened by his
lack of response to this.

Fan Xian also knew, ever since he was young, that Wu Zhu
was not one to give compliments. But so many things had
happened, from the death of Xiao En to the ruin of the second
prince; shouldn't he have at least give some sort of reaction?

Wu Zhu seemed to acknowledge Fan Xian was a little

demoralized by his lack of response, and decided to say
something. He said, "These are but small matters."

He was right. The fight with the second prince was little
more than a schoolground quarrel when compared to the
affairs of Wu Zhu and the Emperor, and that is how they saw
it. But in regards to the secret agreement, it may have been
something that would have interested the Emperor, but it
meant nothing to Wu Zhu. Fan Xian understood this
eventually, and he began to laugh in self-mockery. He reached
out his right hand and said, "Recently, my right hand has been
shaking like mad. I need you to take a look at it."
 Wu Zhu already knew that the zhenqi inside Fan Xian was
raging fiercely, but despite the threat this posed, his calm
composure was not disrupted. He then said, "I haven't learnt
about an issue such as this before; I don't know what to do."

This was a matter of life and death for Fan Xian, and this
reaction finally tipped him over the edge. He was made mad
and with a deepened voice, he told Wu Zhu, "This problem of
mine has is anything but safe. I was a newborn when you made
me learn it. What if this kills me?"

"The lady said that this would be for the best." Wu Zhu
continued coldly, "And someone had successfully learnt it
before."

"That means someone failed, as well!" Fan Xian picked up the

sentence Wu Zhu had conveniently dropped. But Wu Zhu was
not one to mask his words.

Wu Zhu did not deceive with his speech, saying plainly, "It is
no big deal. The worst case scenario will result in you losing
all your zhenqi; if this comes to pass, you will just become a
commoner. Unless you are stupid enough to hold onto this
zhenqi, of course… right up until the end."

Fan Xian was incredibly angry. In his heart he thought, You

are a monster! Of course you don't know how important zhenqi
is to a normal fighter. If I lose the zhenqi inside my body, how
will I deal with the numerous amounts of people that hate me
in this world? These people could come and kill me any
second. It's not as if I want it just so I can fool around with
Haitang.

"Then what am I supposed to do?" He raised his right hand

that was trembling as if in protest. With an annoyed look, he
wailed, "Do I have to keep letting it shake like so, and end up
learning Wu Wei Da? Right now, it's only my hand that is
shaking; but if this goes on long enough, I can only suspect
that it will be my ass shaking next."

Wu Zhu raised his head. The black cloth over his eyes looked
as if it was mocking Fan Xian. He said, "If you stop training,
then the zhenqi will cease to accumulate, and there will be no
more problems
 …

A word to wake up a dreamer.

Fan Xian was used to meditating and training twice a day.

The thought of reducing the time he spent doing this never
crossed his mind. Only now did he realise that before he found
a solution to his current plight, he would have to stop adhering
to this routine and improving the powerful zhenqi of the
nameless skill. Although his zhenqi would improve during a
fight, its ascension in power would at least lessen by cutting
down the training.

He nodded, sighed and said, "That will have to do. I can let
the big boom come a little later."

Wu Zhu all of a sudden said, "Fei Jie left you some pills,
didn't he?"
 Fan Xian froze, surprised that he would remember something
from so long ago in his youth. He explained, "But this medicine
is so powerful. I am afraid that if I take these pills my zenqqi
will extinguish."

Wu Zhu lowered his head as if he was trying to remember

something. All of sudden he said, "That must come in useful;
although it is only temporary."

At this time, Fan Xian wasn't ready to completely place faith

in the words his uncle spoke. After all, this deadly nameless
skill was pinned upon Fan Xian by him. He gave a wry smile
and said, "Let us talk about these matters in the future. For
now, let's discuss you. In the future, if you plan on going
missing again, could you at least inform me of where you will
be going?"

"Is that really necessary?" Wu Zhu asked with a serious tone.

"Yes." Fan Xian nodded. "When I was ambassador to the

Northern Qi Kingdom, I thought you were beside me the entire
time. And that box was with me; so I was brave enough to go
and bully Haitang. I did not expect that you weren't there at
all. If this happens again, someone might die."

Wu Zhu gave a delayed response. "Oh. Understood."

Fan Xian felt a sense of relief. He was used to Wu Zhu always

being by his side, such as being in the carriage, in the grocery
store or even on a cliffside. After he entered the capital,
however, the time he had spent with Wu Zhu had lessened.
Although Fan Xian's power had reached a point where he could
protect himself from most combatants, he knew that if he
continued on his path to develop this world further, then he
would only face greater challenges and fiercer foes. To have an
uncle such as his protecting him, he thought no matter what
challenge the world posed, he was safe by his side.

"I was planning to move out." Fan Xian slightly coughed.

"Living behind the residence lacks convenience. There are too
many people, though, so you cannot live with us."

Wu Zhu slanted his head, wondering why if he was to move

in, Fan Xian had to move out.
 "Wan'er still hasn't seen you yet." Fan Xian said with a serious
tone. "You are the dearest person to me in this world, so you
should come and meet my wife."

Wu Zhu slowly said, "I saw her."

"But she hasn't seen you yet." Fan Xian had a wry smile, and
he continued by saying, "And you were always alone outside
the house; I don't know where you are going to live. What do
you usually get up to? These thoughts make me
uncomfortable."

Wu Zhu slanted his head once more, but it seemed as if he

now understood what Fan Xian was trying to imply. He raised
the corners of his lips, but it was not a smile. He slowly spoke
and said, "You go and handle it. But I don't want anyone else
besides your wife to know that I am around you."

Fan Xian nodded gladly, but then he thought of something.

He felt awkward to ask this, but he did so anyway. "Not even
Ruoruo? I always wanted her to see you, as well."
 "No." Wu Zhu coldly declined. "This is it. You go and do your
things and do what you always do. Pretend that we never had
this conversation and that you never saw me."

Fan Xian sighed. Hearing the people outside the study room
start waking up, he held his wrist and walked out.

Inside the study room, the motionless face that appeared to

be deprived of expression and emotion changed to smile. This
was something that had not happened in 500 years. And this
smile looked as if it was at the behest of a joke, as if he were
amused by the fact Fan Xian did not not know something.

Inside the yard, in the autumn, the grass glittered with the
morning dew; warmed by the early sun. Fan Xian was covered
by a thin cotton blanket as he lay on a sofa in the yard, resting.
He coughed every now and then, but it was far better than
what it was like the night before. Inside the yard, there was a
swing. A few brave maids played on it merrily. The light-color
dresses they wore looked like flowers upon the wooden seat
that swung at the command of the rope's momentum. Near the
swing, Sisi and Siqi watched them with faces that appeared
envious. But due to their elegant identity, they were not
willing to play on them.
 Fan Xian squinted his eyes at the scene he observed. Seeing
the dress of a maid inflate like the blooming of a flower with
each swing, he compared it to a parachute from his past life.
The cream-colored pants beneath her skirt were showing
sometimes, and that reminded him of a movie called "Peacock".

A hand reached out to feed him part of a prune. It was light

and had been cut delicately, suiting his taste perfectly. He was
chewing, so the words came out in a mumble. "Ah, you aren't
there to treat your father? Why have you come all the way over
here for me?"

Wan'er and Ruoruo sat beside him, serving their patient.

Ruoruo smiled and responded, "I am stuck in the room at all
times with him; so it gets quite boring. But you? You are sick
and still have the motivation to watch the maids play on the
swing?"

Wan'er looked humiliated and clarified to Ruoruo by saying,

"He is not here to watch the swing itself. He is here to merely
watch the women who ride it!"
 Fan Xian did not bother to explain, and so he laughed and
said, "A view is always made prettier when it is occupied by
others." Then he loudly shouted, "Sisi, don't be a snowflake. If
you want to play on it, hop on!"

The words he yelled were said to propagate ambiguity. After

he said these words, though, he was the first to freeze.
Fortunately, the ladies did not hear what he said. It was only
him awkwardly laughing, and so he quickly changed it to a
fake cough in an attempt to conceal his failed gag. He then
thought of something and turned to ask Wan'er. "The autumn
is getting colder and colder. Look, the chrysanthemums in the
yard are getting shrivelled. The palace said the flower event
was supposed to take place soon, so when is it going to happen?
If we wait much longer, the snow might come and freeze them
all. If that occurs, won't the people be disappointed?"

Wan'er rolled her eyes and laughed. She said, "It is indeed
later than usual, but the latest word says that we will most
likely go to the floating temple to observe the gold
chrysanthemums. Those chrysanthemums can withstand any
cold, so there is nothing to fear."
 Fan Xian could not help but shake his head. He knew that the
flower observation event was delayed due to the recent turmoil
within the capital. In the past two days, the capital had been
relatively calm, however. Although a lot of people thought
that Fan Xian should keep up his sick image to keep the second
prince suppressed, in his heart, he understood that the
Overwatch Council was able to do their job and that he did not
have to worry too much. All the plans had been settled, and
Yan Bingyun was there watching with his all-seeing eye.
Everything was under control, so there needn't be any
problems.

His body was indeed recovering, but he still kept up his

facade of grievous illness. This excused him from visiting
court, the First Bureau or staying in the council. He was only
hiding in his backyard, being a patient of much pandering as
he watched the second prince sweat under his mounting
pressure. He thought it was like watching a movie.

"Higher! Higher!"

Fan Xian was lying on the sofa, being served upon by his wife
and sister. He watched Sisi bravely ride the swing, going higher
and higher. It looked as if she was preparing to launch out
from the manor and over the highwall to look down from the
skies and observe the capital. He could not help but giggle to
himself.
Chapter 302: Chen's Garden has Guests
The swing went higher and higher. All of a sudden Sisi
seemed to have spotted something while in the air. She quickly
stopped her repeated ascension and slowed down completely.
She didn't wait for the swing to come to a complete pause
before jumping off. She did not even wear her shoes, which
were on the lawn, before running towards Fan Xian.

The maids who were besides her jumped in surprise at her

action. Siqi was about to make fun of her, but from the look on
her face, thought it best not to say anything. Even those three
misters thought it was strange, asking themselves, what is
wrong with that lady? Why does she look so scared? Based the
manor's reputation, it is not as if any particular person's
sudden presence would be likely to bring them fear… unless it
was some eunuch leading the royal guard to kill everyone, of
course.

"At the gate; it is King Jing's carriage."

Sisi was gasping after her run towards Fan Xian's sofa. She
held her panting chest as she spoke. Fan Xian, hearing her
words, leapt up from the sofa. He said, "Run quickly!" Then, he
himself started to run to the back of the yard. He turned
around to compliment Sisi by saying, "You are smart."

Seeing this really skillful move, it did not seem like the
behavior of a sick person who was unable to attend court.
Wan'er and Ruoruo, who were near the sofa, now looked at
each other. They immediately noticed what was going on, and
their faces changed. They got up and ordered the servants to
arrange an exit from the manor. They also told Mister Teng to
prepare a carriage.

The blissful laughter that the Fan's yard generated had now
all ceased, making the place appear more like a battlefield.
Everyone was rushing around being busy; some took to
moving the sofa, others simply hid. Some hastily rummaged
for clothing for the masters. After the busy rush, they quickly
tidied up and took Fan Xian outside the residence. Teng Zijing
brought the carriage to the gate.

"You are still sick, and you are still off to hide yourself
everywhere." Whilst complaining to him, Wan'er placed a thick
coat on Fan Xian. "And my uncle… I told him he did not have to
visit."
 Fan Xian did not have the time to provide her with a
response. As speedy as an arrow, he dived into the carriage.

Wan'er mockingly laughed. She turned around and saw her

sister-in-law, equally nervous. In her hands, she held an
incense burner, and she followed Fan Xian into the carriage.
With surprise, she asked, "Ruoruo, why are you hiding, too?"

Wan'er, as Fan Xian's wife, knew why her husband was

running off after Sisi's sighted King Jing's carriage. Recently,
the Fan manor had been fighting with the second prince, but he
had been prone to saying countless bad words about Li
Hongcheng, and recently he had been imprisoned in the manor
by King Jing himself. The obvious reason for King Jing coming
to the Fan manor today, was so that he could see Minister Fan
to ask exactly what was going on. He would undoubtedly want
to speak with Fan Xian, and speak dignified words about his
son, hoping to bargain a re-establishment of peace between
them.

The Emperor's little brother was here. Across the years, the
Fan family had treated King Jing like an elder of their own
family - they got along really well. If he was coming to try
broker a peace, there was nothing they could do to prevent his
arrival. Fan Xian couldn't put off his fight with the second
prince, either. Besides, that old gardener had an evil in his
bones. He must have guessed that it was Fan Xian who had
framed Li Hongcheng, and Fan Xian was a little scared of his
incessant swearing. That aside, his reputation and standing
was one that could crush Fan Xian in one fell swoop. There was
nothing Fan Xian could do against him. It was best for him to
avoid an encounter with King Jing completely, so Fan Xian
quickly picked up his things and ran off.

Hearing what her sister-in-law said, Ruoruo's peaceful face

brought on a wry smile. She said, "You know how awkward it
would be for us to meet now."

Wan'er heard her and froze. She then remembered how they
had been bullying Li Hongcheng for the past few days, and the
reputation of King Jing's manor had been delivered a few
decent blows by Fan Xian. It wasn't quite suitable for Ruoruo
to meet her father-in-law right now, either. All of a sudden,
Wan'er thought that if her husband and sister-in-law went into
hiding, what was she supposed to do in the manor all alone?
The person coming was her uncle, and that mouth of his…
Wan'er had a chill run down her spine. She took her robe from
Siqi and jumped into the carriage, as well.
 The brother and sister in the carriage were shocked, and said,
"Why are you here, too?"

Wan'er rolled her eyes and said, "If uncle is going to question
me, do you expect me to handle it alone? I am not that stupid."

The people in the carriage were aware of what King Jing's

temper could be like. Being aware of how ridiculous it was, for
the three of them to be as scared as they were all together, they
could not help but start laughing. During this laughter, Teng
Zijing brought down his horse-whip and the carriage bearing
the Fan manor insignia drove away quietly. Inside the carriage,
there were a few young people making complaints.

The carriage was careful, and made sure to avoid the main
streets. It avoided all the major roads in a bid to leave the
south-side of the city. No servants from the King Jing's family
caught sight of their departure. As the carriage disappeared
from sight and into the winding streets, so too did the Fan
manor servants at the gate. A while later, a loud voice boomed
from the yard in the Fan manor.
 "F*ck!" King Jing was standing in front of a bunch of nervous
servants. He was holding his waist, staring into the empty
garden that was devoid of all life. He was fuming with rage,
yelling out, "These little bastards knew I was coming! Like a
fart, they have all disappeared. Am I that scary!?"

The person who stood in front of the people, the so-called

mother of Fan Xian, Liu Shi heard King Jing yell out the
expletive. With a bitter face, she deepened her voice to say,
"Master, I already told you. The kids went out to the west of
the city in search of a doctor."

King Jing saw the swingset continue to move gently, the seat
getting near the end of its abandoned ride. He made a bilabial
trill and then said, "Fan Jian's sickness was healed by Fan Xian;
why the hell does he need to go see a doctor?"

A few flowers had opened up in the garden. King Jing was on

the side facing the yard, flipping out at the clouds. The three
young people had escaped the Fan manor in a carriage, and
could now all relax. The air in the autumn capital was much
cooler and quite pleasant.
 Ever since Fan Xian returned from the Northern Qi Kingdom,
many events had transpired. There was no time to contemplate
taking a vacation to Cangshan or going out into the
countryside to relax at some farm. Even for the capital they
lived in, they rarely had the time to go out and walk around.
This was a consequence of Fan Xian having to scheme and
navigate a course of conspiracies each and every day, either
that or sit in the manor to sulk by himself. But for the next few
days, things had mostly settled down, and he had obtained
some free time. But because he had to feign a sickness and did
not visit court, he had to do something to maintain the respect
of the Emperor. He felt bad about pretending to be really ill,
and so he avoided going out and just stayed at home with his
wife and sister, who would pester him every day.

Luckily, King Jing was here. Assuming Minister Fan

wouldn't be mad about their escape, this was an opportunity
for the three of them to spend time walking around the capital
together.

Sitting on the carriage, Fan Xian parted a small gap in the

curtains. The two ladies looked out to peer at the people they
passed by on the streets. They passed by multiple stalls that
were selling snacks, whose owners would yell for the attention
of any possible would-be consumers of their goods. Some stalls
sold creepy toys, but overall, it was a peaceful scene.
 Wan'er raised her lips to say, "We are out, but we cannot exit
the carriage. Are we just going to spend our day in here?"

Ruoruo furrowed her eyebrows and said, "It would not be

appropriate for Big Brother to reveal himself…" Then, she all
of a sudden said, "Though you could disguise yourself."

Fan Xian laughed and said, "Even if the people of the capital
did not recognize me; do you think they would not recognize
you two?" He was lying, but hearing this, both Wan'er and
Ruoruo were happy. Girls are quite easy to please.

"Let's go to Yi Shi restaurant to eat." Wan'er was bored sitting

in the carriage, and so she suggested this. "We can buy
ourselves a room on the third floor where nobody can see us.
We'd have quite the view to ourselves, as well."

This was quite the coincidence. As this was spoken, the

carriage went right past that restaurant. Fan Xian took a look
outside the window, and all of a sudden recalled the very first
time he entered the capital after leaving Danzhou. The first
time he went for a day out in the city, it was with his sister and
brother, and they all went for a meal at the Yi Shi restaurant.
He forgot what they discussed that day, but it had something to
do with righteousness. What he did remember was that he
punched Guo Baokun with his black fist and that the old
woman at the bottom of the building bought an illegal copy of
Dream of the Red Chamber.

The Guo family was brought down by Fan Xian, and the
minister of the Board of Rites was hanged in prison due to the
events of the spring exam. This case did not implicate anyone,
however, so no one knew where Guo Baokun went.

He did not reply to what Wan'er had suggested, and feeling

slightly guilty, he replied, "Below the restaurant… why has the
book-seller left?"

Ruoruo looked at him and quietly said, "Ever since you

opened Danbo Bookstore, Sizhe went to look for more people
like him. The government was quite strict about this, and so
they have clamped down on illegal book-sellers quite a bit."

Fan Xian froze, and now he remembered how his little

brother used to say, You must use the good people and the bad
people to bring down the illegal traders. Thinking about this,
he thought about the well-being of Fan Sizhe and how he was
coping in the north right now. He said, "Sizhe should be
arriving in the Northern Qi Kingdom's capital next month."

The carriage suddenly went quiet. Wan'er and Ruoruo looked

at each other. After a while, she said, "The north is quite cold. I
don't know if he brought enough clothing."

Fan Xian looked down and smiled. He told her, "Do not worry
about this. He is fourteen, he is able to take care of himself."
Although he said these words in comfort, his heart was
actually thinking the opposite. He hated the second prince
even more now. He looked at this Yi Shi restaurant and felt a
certain stroke of hatred. He said, "This is the Cui family's
property. It is used to deliver money to the second prince; I
won't spend a penny there."

Wan'er had nothing to say tho this. After all, the second
prince was with her in the palace for ten years and as such,
they had developed a certain relationship. Although her
husband was fighting with her cousin, she still had the sense to
support Fan Xian silently. It would just not be very nice of her
to say something about it. Now, the atmosphere in the carriage
had dimmed significantly, which is when Wan'er smiled and
said, "If we are not going to support their business, then we
should support our own! You want to…"

She rolled her eyes and said, "…let's go to the Bao Yue
brothel."

Bringing a wife and sister to a brothel? Fan Xian almost had a

heart attack and died when hearing this suggestion. He
coughed twice and said, "Bao Yue brothel is not my property; it
is Shi Chanli's."

Wan'er rolled her eyes at him and said, "Everyone knows that
is just a facade. If you want to formally own a brothel, just go
get one. I won't complain."

Ruoruo was simply trying her best not to laugh out loud.
 Fan Xian raised his eyebrows and started laughing, saying,
"Why is it me who owns the brothel? I was just cleaning up my
little brother's mess."

Wan'er did not agree, and so she rebutted, "No matter what
the case may be, it's a business of our family. And didn't you
say that the food there is delicious? Didn't you say it was
amongst the best in the capital? We are not looking for ladies
there; so what's the harm in going there for some food?
Besides, it's our business; and you don't have to be afraid of
anyone seeing you pretend to be sick."

Fan Xian still objected her proposal and said, "If you really
want to eat their food, then I will ask the chef to prepare the
meals and have them sent over to the manor. You are a lady,
and you want to sit in a brothel? What is this?"

Wan'er pushed her tongue out and said, "The food will be
cold by the time it gets delivered."

Fan Xian almost lost his breath and suggested, "Then why
don't I invite the chef over so that he can prepare the food at
the manor?"
 Wan'er, seeing her husband continue to resist, sighed. She
felt remorseful and said, "I really want to go there. I want to sit
in the brothel and take a look at what my little brother-in-law
has wrought. I want to see what he made the place look like!"
Then, with wide eyes, she resolutely finished with, "Really! I
am so curious about this place!"

Ruoruo, who had been silent for a while, all of a sudden said,
"If you want to visit, then you should just go visit." She looked
at Fan Xian, who was preparing to say something. She cut
ahead and said, "If it was inappropriate for a lady to visit a
brothel, what makes it appropriate for you men to go?"

She smiled, and placed her jaw against the window. She said,
"Besides, you said that Lady Sang is managing the business
there. It has been so long since I last heard her sing a song. If I
don't visit the Bao Yue brothel, where else am I supposed to
listen to her?"

Wan'er saw her sister-in-law agree with her ideas, and she
was emboldened. With a begging face, she implored to Fan
Xian, "You know I like to hear songs sung by Sang Wen. She
disappeared for half a year, and now we have learnt that it was
that annoying brother-in-law who made her vanish by forcing
her into the brothel. You should bring us there."

Ruoruo said, "If men can go in there, then so can we."

Fan Xian could not respond with anything at that moment.

He observed his sister, and noticed that this woman was
getting braver and braver. And the way she approached matters
and thought of things was different from the majority of girls
in this world. Hearing the conversation earlier, she was being
much more straightforward and feminist than even Wan'er. Of
course, this was a result of what Fan Xian had taught her ever
since she was small. But he thought that there were other
qualities of her that defined how special she was.

Fan Xian showed a really wry smile, and he said. "I suppose
there is no harm in going there for a look. But you know I am a
person who loves frightening things, though… it has not been
safe in the capital lately, and I would hate for the officers to say
poor things about me."

Hearing him say something quite serious, Ruoruo and Wan'er

knew not to push the matter and say anything further.
 Fan Xian turned his head to look outside the carriage, and
then he was surprised. He noticed, not too far away from them,
that the Bao Yue brothel was there. It was standing in elegance,
and it looked quite unlike anything else. He was laughing at
Teng Zijing, who was driving the carriage, and said, "You
really brought us here? You only know how to please the
ladies; you have no idea how to consider my opinion. Do you
still want to become an officer in Donghai county? I know that
your family has asked me a couple of times."

Teng Zijing merely laughed in response, though he did not

say anything in return. Wan'er and Ruoruo held their mouths
as they giggled.

The Fan manor carriage had now arrived at the Bao Yue
brothel. Although they did not know that the person inside the
carriage was Fan Xian himself, they were aware that whoever it
was had to be a premium customer. Even Si Qing'er, who was
recovering from her torture at the hands of the Jingdou
government, came limping down for the welcoming - all the
way down from the third floor. When she saw it was the
severely ill legend himself, Fan Xian, she was shocked.
 Seeing the legendary young pimp, the elegant ladies in the
carriage were quite delighted. They were a little disappointed
to learn that Sang Wen was not present in the building,
however, and was away singing at another manor.

Without their excuse of wanting to see Sang Wen sing, Fan

Xian now had no reason to let them inside to mess about in the
Bao Yue brothel. But his heart wondered whether or not Sang
Wen was actually free and had secretly joined the Overwatch
Council. She did not need to go please the other nobles by
singing for them. Which manor could make her do this?

The carriage drove away from the Bao Yue brothel, and
seeing these disappointed ladies, Fan Xian smiled. He said, "If
we are going out to have fun, we have to make the most of it.
Bao Yue brothel is not the most luxurious place in the capital,
and the food they make is not the best--"

Fan Xian did not finish his sentence before he was cut-off.
"Do not try and lie to us. The Bao Yue brothel's reputation is
really good. If you are suggesting something better, then you
are suggesting the royal palace itself." She was giggling, and
then said, "I do not mind going to the palace to see the ladies. It
has been a while since I last saw them. But won't you be afraid
of the Emperor seeing you there? If he finds out you were only
pretending to be sick, he will be very mad."

Fan Xian laughed and rubbed her nose, saying, "Do not curse
me. I am taking you to a place that is comfier than the palace.
And the food they make there is prepared better than any royal
chef could manage."

The two girls were incredibly shocked at what they just

heard. They thought that he could not just push the ball to
another place, for how could there be a place more luxurious
than the palace? Even though salt merchants had this power,
they did not have the balls.

The carriage drove out the southern gate of the capital.

When they reached the countryside, there were far less people
there. The Qinian Group and guards of the Fan manor were all
awkwardly exposed. They felt bewildered, and looked at each
other in confusion. Their boss just walked behind the carriage,
following the trails left by the carriage up a mountain.

They were closer to the mountain now, and the path wasn't
so narrow. Still, it elicited the style that was common for Qing
Kingdom's roads. The mountainside was extremely pretty, and
the lovely fields reached out beyond their very eyes. In the
yellow grass, wildflowers that still exuded life continued to
thrive. The trees, whose leaves had departed their boughs,
spread across the fields. It was an evocative picture. Like an
artist's painting, the trees were layered and scattered about
everywhere, and it was a beautiful sight to behold.

Wan'er and Ruoruo were sighing. The view there was

excellent, and for this, they wondered why no one had
mentioned this place to them before. Even those travelling men
from last year did not visit this place. Usually, a good place
such as this would be bought out by rich noblemen, or even the
palace itself. They would do so to build houses there. But how
come they didn't know which family owned this place? Seeing
this narrow path, they could guess that they'd be arriving at a
certain manor eventually. Whoever lived there had to be pretty
awesome.
 But seeing Fan Xian create this aura of mystery to envelope
them in, the girls weren't very happy. So, they closed their
mouths and did not say a word to them. They continued
looking out the window to admire the view.

At the end of the path, the carriage turned around. There was
a forest, and beyond its eaves lay a garden of sorts. It looked
like it would make the perfect residence for fairies. All of a
sudden, it was like they transcended a veil to show something
secret for the mortals. The garden was not too big, but it was
laid out really well. The short wood and bluestone combined
together for a perfect match. Although it was not luxurious, a
chain that was wrapped around a statue displayed to them its
richness.

"How is this, when compared to the palace?" Fan Xian

laughed as he said.

Lin Wan'er closed her open mouth, gathered her composure

from the shock to say, "It has its beauty. But it's not our garden.
What are you being so cocky about?"
 Fan Xian waved his hand and said, "The owner of this place
said he would give it to me in the future. But there is one thing
I don't like about this place, so I don't fancy moving here."

Even Ruoruo was shocked. Being spooked at what he had just

said, she asked, "What is there not to like about this place?"

"There are too many women." Fan Xian said this with
gravitas. Who could know how many beautiful women were
hidden in this place.

Fan Xian ignored the two girls and signalled for the carriage
to stop. He disembarked the carriage with the the eyes of the
two girls fixed on him. He pulled out the commissioner's badge
from his waist, all of a sudden reaching his hands into a
certain bush.
 The bush was like magic, as all of a sudden, someone
appeared. That person was wearing fairly ordinary garb, and
looked like a regular woodsman. He carefully inspected the
badge and looked at Fan Xian for what seemed like half a day.
Then, after a while, he collapsed his sharp composure of
formality and mournfully asked for forgiveness. "Master, I am
sorry. But these are the rules. I hope you will forgive me."

"I don't blame you. My wife and sister are inside the
carriage."

The woodsman did not dare reply; he simply retreated to

some other hidden spot.

The carriage started moving again, following the trail that

led into the garden. The road was extremely quiet, but this
time, the girls in the carriage were able to guess that the
security of this place must have been as tight as the security of
the palace. They could guess it was probably quite deadly. Even
if an entire garrison of troops desired to march inside, they
would most likely not make it through.
 Of course, these two ladies were quite smart, and they were
now able to guess the name of who owned this peculiar place.

To own a place that was more high-class than a palace,

possess a garden such as this, and have security that was as
tight as this was, who could it be aside from the leader of the
Overwatch Council?

Behind the carriage, the two teams that came to protect it

were smart enough to stop following. Dropping to their knees,
they looked around and confirmed that they had already
arrived. Now that their master had arrived, there was no
longer any need for them to follow.

The Qinian Unit's today, Su Wenmao, nodded to the guards

of the Fan manor.

The guard awkwardly nodded in return.

"We must know our place." Su Wenmao was laughing to his

teammates on the same road. "People like us, we can get this
close to the leader's garden. We have been blessed by the
commissioner."

"We have been." The guards were admiring the view of the
garden.

They were sitting on both sides of the grass field, laying

around doing nothing of interest. With straw hanging from
their mouths, they observed the sky and yawned.

The beautiful garden was owned by Chen Pingping. Aside

from the Emperor of the Qing Kingdom, the person with the
second-most authority would be that crippled old man. He was
different to all the other officers. Chen Pingping's position was
too unique in the kingdom, and he always said that he was
sick, and that was why he never attended court. That is why he
had the time to spend years in this garden that was a while
away from the capital. His house in the city was practically
empty most of the time.

Today, Fan Xian was pretending he was sick. And he was

coming to see Chen Pingping, who was also pretending he was
sick. Fan Xian had visited here a couple of times already, so it
was only natural that he knew the way. They arrived at the
gate of the yard, in the yard, there were two big wooden words.
It read: "Chen's Garden". It had been written by the previous
Emperor, so it was quite the precious relic.

He saw two carriages stop outside the gate, and couldn't help
but furrow his eyebrows. He did not expect he'd be entertaining
so many guests today. With Chen Pingping's lonely personality,
and the horrible reputation the Overwatch Council had, the
average officer wouldn't dream of coming here for a cup of tea
and a chat; was this guest going to be, then?

Wan'er disembarked the carriage behind Fan Xian. She took a

look and noticed the insignia that adorned the other carriage.
She smiled and said, "It is a royal carriage."

Fan Xian was shocked.

 The old man had already come all the way to welcome
whoever had now arrived at the gate. He knew this young Fan
Xian was different from every other officer, and he was Chen
Pingping's most precious student. He was also to be his
successor. As such, they did not dare to mistreat Fan Xian and
his guests. He was quiet and polite, and he told them, "It is the
eldest prince and Mister Qin of the Bureau of Military Affairs."

Fan Xian tilted his head and scratched his itchy neck. The
eldest prince and Master Qin? He knew that the latter was on
his side, and he was an important officer in court. What was
most important, was that Master Qin had his father there - he
was the ex-leader of the Ministry of War. Now, he had become
the leader of the Bureau of Military Affairs. This entire family
possessed a lot of power adhering to the military forces of the
kingdom. The eldest prince had spent his last few years at war
in the west, and he had a strong relation with the Qin family.
For both of them to go to Chen Pingping's manor, what were
they doing there?

Fan Xian was standing on the stone steps, but didn't rush to
go in. He was wondering whether or not their visit had
something to do with him. Although the army had always been
in fine relations with the Overwatch Council, this was still
quite the curious assemblance. He laughed, and resolved to not
care about whether or not his travel was made known by
members of court or not. So, he brought his wife and sister
closer, and walked towards the yard. He had become quite
curious about what the eldest prince was doing here.

Going past a beautiful, babbling brook, which was adorned

with the most luxurious of decorations, they finally arrived at
Chen Pingping's bosom of hospitality - the lobby. Fan Xian did
not wait for permission, and hastily walked inside. He didn't
think to say anything, but in the lobby he caught sight of Lady
Sang Wen sitting in the corner, singing songs with a horrified
face. He laughed out loud and said, "Now I know; the person
who was powerful enough to pull Lady Sang Wen away to sing
for them had to be you."

Sang Wen was not at the Bao Yue brothel because she was in
the Chen Garden.

Sang Wen was the manager of the Bao Yue brothel, and the
Overwatch Council's latest member. It was easy for Chen
Pingping to request that she sing songs for him here.

The laughing noises echoed across the lobby. Chen Pingping,

who was sitting in the host's seat, widened his eyes. Seeing
these three young people unexpectedly approach, a certain
warmth intruded his previously cold eyes. His skinny hands
lightly stroked the grey fur blanket that lay across his legs. He
began laughing and said, "Do you not mind that I have many
women here? Why have you come today? It was okay for you
to come, but are you not afraid of me asking that the wife and
sister you have brought here to eat you alive?"

The two young people who were sitting on the guest's seat
were frightened. They turned their heads to gate of the lobby,
and they were frozen together. Then, Sang Wen stopped
singing. She possessed a grand smile, and she stood up to bow
before the two ladies.

Not long later, a person with casual clothing arrived. Still,

his presence bore the aura of a military man. He stood up and
politely bowed to Wan'er, who stood behind Fan Xian. He then
greeted Ruoruo. Lastly, he smiled to Fan Xian. He said,
"Greetings, Master Fan."

Fan Xian had seen Qin Heng before, and he knew that his
family was nice, and that even the Emperor appreciated them.
He himself was a new star of the Qing Kingdom's court, and a
bright future awaited him. Fan Xian greeted him in return by
saying, "Greetings, Master Qin."

Although Qin Heng's rank was not higher than Fan Xian,
they were aware of each other's position. Therefore, there was
no need for them to beat around the bush. Qin Heng nicely
smiled and said, "I did not expect to meet you, while coming
here to meet with Chen Pingping. It has been a fortuitous day
for me, indeed."

Fan Xian noticed that his smile was not a forced one. He
relaxed and felt somewhat comfortable. To this, he replied,
"Let us not indulge each other with meritless suggestions of,
let's meet again someday. If we are here together on this day, let
us drink and talk."

Qin Heng laughed loudly, saying, "Mister Fan is wonderful!

You are a person who does things against the expectations of
others. You have not said a word about your apparent illness,
and now you are suggesting that we go drink. I would make a
joke, but here I am, at a loss for words."
 Fan Xian looked at Chen Pingping, who was sitting on the
host's seat. He had a wry smile and said, "Of course, we are
merely just guests. It all depends on whether or not our host is
courteous enough to provide us with some nice wine."

Chen Pingping said, "You are richer than me."

Qin Heng's face did not change, as the smile lay fixed on his
face. In his heart, however, he was shocked. The officers
always believed Fan Xian had a great fortune with the
Overwatch Council due to the Emperor's favor and a sound
upbringing. But to see Fan Xian talk about Chen Pingping so
casually, a person who everyone else feared, and have Chen
Pingping respond so natural was a strange sight. It seemed that
the relationship between the two was different from what most
would have expected.

Being appreciated by the Emperor was an important thing,

but if he wanted to obtain complete control of the Overwatch
Council, that still hinged on Chen Pingping. It was only just
now that Qin Heng realised Fan Xian would indeed one day
take authority of the entire Overwatch Council. If this was to
be, then it was important that the military establish a good
relationship with Fan Xian, and not just to the man who would
be in charge himself, but being friendly with the rest of the Fan
manor as well.

In just a few sentences, he had already obtained a lot of

information. Fan Xian understood that Chen Pingping had
used this opportunity to show the military the relationship
between them, which could provide for some bargaining in the
future.

The both of them chatted for a little more, and then, Fan
Xian turned around to bow before the eldest prince.

That movement was actually a little rude, but the people in

the lobby were aware that when Fan Xian first met the eldest
prince, it wasn't in the nicest of circumstances. Qin Heng was a
good friend of the eldest prince, so they did not mind the
behavior. As for Chen Pingping, he didn't care much at all for
matters of etiquette.

When Fan Xian thought the eldest prince was going to be

mad, he tilted his head to take a look but was taken aback and
made a little angry. He saw his wife sitting beside the eldest
prince, laughing out loud in return to something he had just
said. Although he knew Wan'er was raised in Ning Cai Ren's
palace, which meant that the eldest prince had watched her
grow up to the result of them sharing a bond similar to a
brother and sister, he was still annoyed and mad at seeing this.

What made him even more mad was Ruoruo also sitting next
to him, listening to what was being said.

Fan Xian perked his ears to listen, and heard that the eldest
prince was discussing the battles he fought in the west. He was
telling stories about his fight for horses against the Wu people.
The Qing Kingdom's people loved battles, and the eldest prince
had been out there fighting for all these years. He was much
like a hero to the common folk. Even Wan'er and Ruoruo
looked fondly on him.

In Fan Xian's heart, he was jealous. His lips grew bitter. He

was thinking to himself, I… I… I am a pacifist. If I wasn't, I'd
happily ride into battle and impress you girls. His heart was
put into a bad mood, but his face did nothing to reflect this.
Instead, he just laughed and approached the eldest prince. He
bowed. He said, "My name is Fan Xian. Greetings, My Lord…
oh, I mean my Great Prince."
 The eldest prince saw Fan Xian and he already felt oppressed.
Now, he was hearing him talk like this, so he couldn't help but
respond with, "I must ask you, Fan Xian. Have I offended you
in any way? Every time I see you, you have to go on and say
something negative about me." He turned his head to Wan'er
and asked, "Wan'er, what kind of husband did you end up
with?"

Wan'er and the eldest prince were really close. Seeing him
talk about her husband like this, though, she would not let it
go. She picked up a fruit from the table and shoved it in his
mouth. She then told him, "Who in the world would say
something like that when meeting their brother-in-law?"

Fan Xian was laughing, thinking that brother-in-law sounded

better. So, he went to sit down next to Ruoruo. A servant of
Chen Pingping had already delivered some hot towels and hot
tea. He knew the eldest prince and Qin Heng had come here to
speak with the crippled old man, so it had to be a matter of
some importance. Still, he shamelessly interacted with them in
the lobby, preventing them from going to discuss that which
they desired to.
 Wan'er knew that outside the capital, the envoy fought for
passage against the army returning from the west. The entire
conflict was the result of Fan Xian's intervention, but she knew
why he did so. He already had the second prince in his sights,
but to pick a fight and offend another prince seemed
unnecessary. She really did not want to see her husband have a
conflict with her closest brother. So, she started to pull at them
both in a bid to simmer the tensions between them and forage a
peace.

Everyone else could see her desire to do this, as well. But they
were just men, and men always have their times when they
cannot see eye-to-eye with each other. As a result, the eldest
prince simply looked around and pretended to ignore her
efforts. Fan Xian simply smiled and continued talking to Qin
Heng. He asked him how his father was doing, suggesting that
he would soon visit his manor.

Chen Pingping was sitting like he had just fallen asleep;

slouched down in his wheelchair. Even here in his luxurious
home, he insisted on sitting on that decrepit wheelchair. Why
didn't he take to lying down on a comfy sofa? Seeing this,
Wan'er was not sure what to do anymore, and so she sighed.
Ruoruo was laughing at the entire scene. The eldest prince,
who was a powerful fighter, and the young popular officer were
bickering and quarreling like children. It was an amusing thing
to see.

In the end, even Qin Heng felt as if he could not speak any
more with Fan Xian. The eldest prince then all of a sudden
said, "I heard that you were supposed to be really sick in bed,
unable to attend court. Even with the Imperial Censorate
trying to impeach you, you have not gone to defend yourself
and a present a case. I did not expect that you would be here
today…"

Fan Xian yawned and said, "I will go to court tomorrow.

Tomorrow, tomorrow."

Qin Heng was shocked, thinking Fan Xian had stopped

feigning his illness. That meant tomorrow, there was to be a
fair amount of drama in court. But Qin Heng had been dragged
to Chen's Garden by the eldest prince to discuss something that
was best not said in Fan Xian's presence.

He did not want to say it, but the eldest prince was quite
straightforward. He politely spoke to Chen Pingping and said,
"Uncle, in regards to your second brother, please say
something." He turned his head to look at Fan Xian, and then
continued by saying, "I don't care what has happened with
court, but the rumors that are spreading about the capital seem
quite ridiculous. Plus, some officers that have allegiance to the
second prince are incredibly smart. If they were to be fired, it
would be a grievous loss for the court."

In Qin Heng's heart, he said, You are such a straight man. To

be right in front of Fan Xian, and to say something negative
about him…. But things had reached a certain point, and with
a wry smile, Qin Heng now said, "Yes, Master. The Emperor
has not said a word, and if you don't say anything, this will
likely continue. Then, things will become ugly in court."

Fan Xian laughed. Those two did not mask their motives and
dress-up their dialogue. The second prince's party had already
been crushed and suffocated by the Overwatch Council. It
would be incredibly awkward if he were to go out in public, so
he had asked his big brother to help alleviate these matters and
bring the Qin family of the Bureau of Military Affairs. The way
they had come straight to Chen Pingping was a smart move.
This was not digging his own corner, it was him simply picking
up the wood underneath Fan Xian's pot.If Chen Pingping was
to ask Fan Xian to cease his crushing of the second prince, he
had no choice but to adhere to that command.
 But Fan Xian had already got what he wanted out of the
conflict. The prefect of the Jingou government was fired, and
the officers of the second prince had been removed from the
Sixth Bureau. Fan Xian didn't really care too much about this,
however. What he was curious about, though, was the way in
which the eldest prince referenced Chen Pingping.

He called Chen Pingping uncle!

Chen Pingping had a lot of power, but no matter how close he

was with the Emperor, it was quite inappropriate for the eldest
prince to refer to him as an uncle. If this came out, it would
scare someone to death. His Uncle was King Jing, not some
chancellor.

While Fan Xian was still thinking, Chen Pingping already

opened his mindless eyes. He coughed twice and said, "We can
talk about the second prince later. I say…" He pointed towards
Wan'er and Ruoruo and coughed twice again. "This is the first
time you have both visited my garden. How come you have not
said hello to your host?"
 Actually, there weren't many people who didn't fear Chen
Pingping. Especially since there were many legends and stories
that painted the character of Chen Pingping as some sort of
nighttime devil who just happened to be disabled. Although
Wan'er and Ruoruo's identities were really noble, facing a
commandant of some dark power of the Qing Kingdom, they
too were quite afraid. This is why they quickly went to sit
beside the eldest prince upon entering the lobby.

At this time, hearing the old man say this, Wan'er and
Ruoruo had no choice but to stand up. With a bitter face, they
approached Chen Pingping and bowed.

Chen Pingping laughed and said, "What are you afraid of?
Your mother, and your father, they aren't better people than I."
He was referencing the eldest princess and the old evil Fan
Jian. Looking towards the eldest prince, he said, "And about
that which you were talking about, the person you really need
to talk to has already arrived. You need to talk to him directly.
And Little Princess and Lady Fan, could you help this old man
by pushing his wheelchair? I am going to show to you my
collection here in Chen's Garden."
 The two girls and Sang Wen pushed the crippled old man's
wheelchair out of the lobby. Only Fan Xian, the eldest prince
and Qin Heng remained. Fan Xian was starting to think that
this old man was not being responsible, and he had now just
left his home as a battlefield for the young ones, while
escorting three beautiful women through the garden.
Chapter 303: Autumn Woods, Secrets,
and Consequences
Qin Heng was a smart man, and that's why he, as a young
man in his 30's, could be chosen as an adviser to take part in
the official business discussions led by the Grand Chancellor.
His achievement definitely had nothing to do with his father
who held a prominent position in military. As such, he stood
up calmly and cupped his hands in salute of the great prince
and Fan Xian, saying, "I really need to use the washroom;
please continue the conversation without me." He didn't wait
for them to say anything, and quickly walked away at a very
steady pace. He did not show any obvious signs of anxiety, but
left the hall as fast as the wind, rushing to the washroom
guided by the servant in Chen Garden.

Fan could not help but laugh, the situation reminding him of
the same thing that happened before to the Commandant of
Justice, who came to make trouble for him on behalf of
military but eventually ran away, having fled while scared
witless after seeing the conflict– well, it looked like that Qin
Family had mastered this to a tee

As the atmosphere in the meeting hall became depressing, it

was finally the great prince who broke the silence, saying, "Qin
Heng and I used to lead troops into battles, and as military
commanders, we tended to be straightforward and say things
out loud. I don't want to see soldiers sacrificing their precious
lives just to see the prominent noble people in the capital
attacking each other verbally and causing disturbances in this
country. No matter which side wins in this internal conflict,
it's always the talented people in the imperial government will
suffer for sure."

Fan Xian sat up and put his clothes in order. He remained

sitting for a short while, as if thinking about something, then
slowly began speaking in slightly serious tones, "I understand
your sentiments, Your Majesty, though you must know full
well what the source of this is; the military is fighting enemies
on the battlefield, and so shouldn't the officials at the
Overwatch Council follow suit? I believe that those secret
agents in foreign countries are also facing danger, just like the
Western Expedition Army. I work for the Overwatch Council. I
wouldn't call myself a very upright person, though I definitely
don't like to play tricks. If I was sent to work in the Northern
region, I would love to go there… however if anyone dared
make trouble for me, even the imperial government, I wouldn't
be so merciful."

The great prince remained silent, though he suddenly he

looked up, as if wanting to say something.
 Fan Xian threw his hands up and said: "However, the fight for
these interests has nothing to do with the peace of the country.
I am a commissioner on the Overwatch Council, and if I can't
protect my own interest, how would you expect me to even be
able to protect the interest of the imperial government, let
alone protect His Highness's interest?" He then said with a
sneer, "Your Majesty, it's not true for you to say that it doesn't
matter who wins or loses, as what if the enemy were upon me
and I was beaten into submission; would you still agree to
lobby for me?"

The great prince frowned with displeasure, making his

already dark face look even more serious. He said, "Fan Xian,
you should know who you are and what you should do. You
are just a courtier; you shouldn't go beyond your role."

These words seemed pretty reasonable. In the eyes of the

princes, Fan Xian had indeed gone beyond his role as a
courtier, something he did with far too great an audacity in
this matter. The great prince simply wanted to bring this to
Fan's attention as a friendly reminder, though little did he
know that Fan had been easily offended by these words due to
his life experiences.
 "I am a courtier." Fan Xian stared the First Prince in the eyes,
"but for me, the so-called difference between a ruler and his
courtiers is ... that the rule is the emperor, and of course, the
prince will be the future emperor ... Other than that, it is my
understanding that everyone else is a courtier and there is no
essential difference amongst any of us, including you."

The great prince looked at Fan Xian in surprise. It seemed

that he hadn't expected Fan to say things like this. His eyes
were narrowed, becoming rigid, cold, and hard. "For the sake
of Chen'er, I must remind you again. If you get involved in the
Emperor's family's business, it will most certainly hurt the Fan
family."

Fan Xian smiled and said: "An emperor is not entitled to have
private business. Don't you realize this by now, Great Prince?"
The Great Prince was at a loss for words after hearing Fan Xian
give his opinion, and he slapped the armrest of the chair in
frustration.

Fan Xian squinted his eyes and said softly: "All the furniture
in here is antique, so please be careful."
 The great prince was stunned, remaining silent for a moment
before he shook his head and said, "Fan Xian, maybe I have
really underestimated you."

Fan Xian gazed blankly at him and asked: "Why do you say
that?"

"My ambition is to fight on the battlefield, and if the military

wants to be invincible, our rear needs to remain peaceful and
supportive," The great prince said, narrowing his eyes, "As
such, many people, including me, believe that peace is
important for the imperial government. Although I've been
busy working in the Western region throughout the years, I
know for a fact that even though a lot of things happen from
time to time, the imperial government was pretty much under
control, at least to a certain extent, until you came to the
capital."

Fan Xian shook his head and smiled. He didn't know what to
say.

"You showed up out of nowhere and rose to fame too

quickly." The great prince said, staring at him. "It all happened
way too fast, so fast that most people in the imperial
government weren't prepared; nonetheless, you've already got
the ability to disturb the equilibrium."

At last, the great prince expressed his main concern: "A lot of
people were hoping that you would do everything to bring the
capital together instead of turning everything on its head."

Fan Xian fell silent. He knew very well that the great prince
wasn't just speaking for himself but from the standpoint of the
majority of the military.

Since coming all the way to the capital from Danzhou, he had
successfully taken control of the Overwatch Council and
achieved fame in the space of two years. Although it was
questionable whether he would be in charge of the palace
treasury next year, he had already played a pivotal role in the
imperial government, with both civil and military affairs
under his control. He stood a greater chance of winning the
recent battle with the second prince, showcasing his ability to
defeat the prince. As a young courtier, this was enough to
make other prominent courtiers feel threatened.
 Someone representing the military had previously passed
him a message asking that he show mercy to the second prince.
He knew that this was definitely not a threat, nor was it meant
to protect the dignity of the royal family. It was actually a test,
the goal being to find out if Fan Xian was able to bring the Qing
Kingdom together in a rational and sincere manner; because
after all, he would be the one to take over the Overwatch
Council. The military and the Overwatch Council had always
been on very good terms. In a sense, when Qing Kingdom's
soldiers are fighting in the war, the wisdom and strength of the
leaders in the Overwatch Council could directly determine the
battlefield survival rate.

"Have you ever thought about why I decided to fight this

battle?" Fan Xian said with a smile; he stopped calling the
opponent Prince, nor did he keep the Prince's advice in mind.

The great prince frowned slightly. He had actually never

really thought about it, though as Fan Xian raised the
question, he suddenly comprehended. The Overwatch Council
had never been involved in the internal conflicts of the princes,
but why is this happening now? What was the reason? He
suddenly looked up, staring at Fan Xian in surprise.
 Fan Xian was a bit puzzled. He didn't think that the great
prince knew nothing about these schemes. However, he
continued smiling and said, "I just wanted to take revenge on
those guys, to let them know who I am."

After a long period of silence, the great prince quickly raised

his eyebrows and realized something, bursting into laughter,
though he quickly calmed down and said, "Well, my little
brother, what I could say about him. He is really smart. Now
that he has suffered a great deal due to his stupidity, I am sure
he will be more careful in the future. Who knows? It might
lead to an unexpected positive outcome."

Neither was stupid, and Fan Xian immediately understood

his idea. He thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps…
coincidentally, Your Majesty and I have got the same intention.
However, whether or not the second prince can benefit from it
depends on how you want to convince him."

The great prince showed great interest. He stared at Fan as if

agreeing with him, but in slight disbelief, and said, "I just don't
understand, why you cared about this…so much?"
 Fan Xian thought to himself, that even though insincere
feelings had formed between the brothers, did he we really
want to see another Xuanwu Gate Incident (Fratricide)
happening? However he couldn't say that out loud, so he made
a joke and changed the topic. In addition, he still remained
vigilant against the great prince. Although he was known for
being open-minded, and the throne was not something he
coveted, his only true love being military affairs. But he is the
son of the emperor after all, so who knows what's in his mind.

"There is no peace without forgiveness." The great prince

gave Fan Xian a meaningful look. He intercedes with Fan for
his own brother. For him, someone in a prominent position, it
wasn't easy saying those words

Fan Xian nodded with a smile. He knew that he couldn't be

absolutely ruthless to the second prince, so he might as well
just go along with it. Well, the great prince and the military
personnel might start to be on good terms, but that's not the
end goal. He did this simply for the sake of the Emperor… he's
the one who looks down on his people.

The prominent King was looking down on him.

 ...

...

Fan Xian had helped the military save face, and as such, the
great prince couldn't say anything else to him. He knew his
own brother very well, who just so happened to be a very
tough guy. After all, the Fan family had invested a lot in this,
and they would certainly not give up until they could benefit
from it. Well, right now, they had realized that the discussion
was over, but they couldn't think of any other topics to talk
about; apparently, they didn't know each other very well. It
was a little awkward.

Qin Heng was still in the washroom, and he'd been there a
while. The two gentlemen were having tea and feeling bored.
Suddenly Fan Xian started asking, "How has the great princess
been doing lately? I have been buried in work and haven't gone
to visit her for a while. Please give her my regards, Your
Majesty."

In the world of bureaucracy, choosing the topics during a

conversation was a mystery involving subtleties. There was a
reason why Fan Xian has brought this up. Just as he expected,
the great prince said seriously, "On her trip to the Southern
regions, you've been by her side as a guard. I thank you for
your hard work."

This was the special talent of Fan Xian. He would choose an

appropriate topic that could not only effectively bring people
closer, but also let others realize that he was doing them a
favor. He then smiled and replied with humble words,
afterwards talking about the scenery in the Northern regions
with the great prince.

The wedding of the great prince and the princess of the

Northern Qi Kingdom had been scheduled for next spring. The
princess was normally in the palace these days, and she has
met the great prince on several occasions. According to rumors
in the capital, they both loved each other, even though it was a
political marriage. Being the ambassador during their last trip
visiting the Princess' family, Fan Xian was recognized as their
matchmaker.

After some superficial conversation, Fan Xiao's impression of

the great prince had changed. He was a straightforward person,
which was rare for a prince. Perhaps the reason lied with his
mother, a woman of humble birth. Long ago, his mother was
just a captive from Dongyi City. As such, the great prince was
very straightforward, lacking the arrogance in his heart and
soul that existed in the second prince, the third prince and the
youngest prince. On the contrary, the great prince was upright,
and his voice resonated with power. He wouldn't conceal
anything either.

It was no wonder his wife had such a good impression of this

prince - Fan Xian thought to himself. He smiled and continued
chatting with the prince. He noticed that the prince became
very excited when he talked about military affairs. He sighed a
little as he thought to himself, I don't have much military skill,
and I know myself very well, so I'd better remain silence in
front of this prominent man who had been leading the military
for years.

"Sir Fan, have you ever met Shang Shanhu?" the great prince
asked, his face full of admiration and respect

Fan Xian was a bit surprised at that moment, saying, "I've

only seen him once at the Shangjing Palace, but it was from a
distance, so I didn't have any impression."
 The great prince slapped his own leg, staring at him in
disbelief as he said, "Sir, you really have no idea how
prominent this man is! It was the perfect opportunity! How
could you have missed it?" asked the great prince, an
expression of pity on his face.

"Oh?" Fan Xian quickly frowned and asked curiously, "Great

Prince, why do you think so highly of Shang Shanhu?"

"He is a hero of our time." The great prince delivered the high
praises. Then he narrowed his eyes and said in a cold tone,
"Over the past ten years, he independently led the military
patrolling along three thousand miles of defensive lines to
protect the nation against the Wilderpeople, and he once
launched a surprise attack. After marching hundreds of miles
through the snowland, the troops had killed over a thousand
Wilderpeople…something you may not have known. Even
though both the Northern barbarians and Wilderpeople are
fierce and tough, when compared to the Northern barbarians,
the Wilderpeople from the Western region are much weaker.
Since I've been dealing with the Western Wilderpeople for
years, I know how hard it is for Shang Shanhu to defend his
nation against enemies for years, especially when Northern Qi
Kingdom is in such an unstable condition, and his power is
nothing short of frightening.
 "Unfortunately, Shang Shanhu has been called back and
came back to Shangjing…But this might be a good opportunity,
as Your Majesty might have the chance to meet him one day on
the battlefield." Fan Xian said with a smile.

The great prince had a confident expression on his face, and

said slowly, "If we could make use of this man in our
government, there would be obvious benefits. However, if
there ever comes a day when he and I actually meet on the
battlefield, no matter how much I might admire his skills, I
would use all that I have learned in this life to bring him down.

Fan Xian looked at the great prince and could totally sense
his energy. Perhaps this is what people called pride, Fan Xian
thought to himself, feeling frustrated. He realized that he
should have been trained with these skills at his young age.
However, it was ideas from his past life interfering with ability
to have such pride. something developed on battlefields.

Nonetheless, he still maintained his confidence. With a smile

his face, he continued talking: "Although I've never learned the
military tactics and strategies like Shang Shanhu has, I do
know that he orchestrated the killing of Shenzhong. He is well-
known for making surprise attacks and catching the enemy off
guard, like the sound of thunder in a silent place. He's such a
tough person who is strong and determined. What a talented
and superior human being."

Staring at Fan Xian with a weird look, the great prince put on
a fake smile, and said, "Shen was a provost of the Northern Qi
Kingdom Discipline's Commission that had died…something
that seems irrevocably linked to you, Commissioner Fan."

Shenzhong's death was the first step in the scheme planned

by Fan Xian and Haitang. In actuality, there were some people
who had already suspected the role that Qing Kingdom had
played in this. But when the great prince pointed it out to him,
Fan Xian was a bit shocked. He smiled with a superficial look
in his eyes. "Your Majesty knows better than anyone else,
although sometimes our devious ways of doing things… is
incomparable to the strong sense of integrity that you or
General Shang Shanhu possess. But sometimes, we do try our
best to contribute to the imperial government."

The great prince looked into his eyes, and suddenly said,
"This is exactly what I said earlier to you, that I've
underestimated you. You know, Shang Shanhu is powerful, yet
because of the perfectly planned scheme, he has become your
puppet. Sir Fan, you are indeed brilliant."

It was raining the day when Shang Shanhu killed Shenzhong

in the street. It was a well-orchestrated plan by the Emperor of
the Northern Qi Kingdom and Haitang. Fan Xian thought to
himself that since people mistakenly thought it had something
to do with him, he might as well take the credit, because it
would make him look powerful and people would be more
scared of him. This was such a perfect opportunity, one Fan
Xian certainly didn't want to miss. And so with a reserved
smile on his face, Fan Xian admitted to it shamelessly.

"I've heard that …Sir Fan is the powerhouse among the 9th
ranked officials, right?" The great prince gave Fan Xian a
meaningful look.

Fan Xian tilted his head slightly, showing a soft smile: "Your
Highness, I have no interest in fighting with you ... it'll be a
loss to our imperial government regardless of the outcome."

The great prince didn't expect Fan Xian to be so sharp, as he

was not only immediately figured out what the prince was
trying to say, but also used his own words to strike back at
him, and so felt frustrated; he was a good fighter, and so
naturally he wanted to spar with Fan Xian, who seldom
practiced. After all, the great prince was simply a warrior.

"A lot of people really want to beat me up." Fan Xian thought
about the weirdo that he was to meet momentarily, one who
went by the name "Shadow". "Your Highness wouldn't want to
do it yourself. So please, let me go," he said with a wry smile on
his face.

These words surprised the great prince again. He thought to

himself that, being a straightforward man, he liked making
friends, but he was also a very tough guy, partly due to his long
service in the military, and also because he was prince. No
other courtier dared to talk to him like this except for Fan
Xian, who was disrespectful to him outside the capital city
gates. And the same thing happened today while they were
talked in Chen Garden. He didn't pay attention how things
were worded, joking and cursing angrily, as if the man wasn't a
prince to him

He took a deep breath and felt that the world was not the
same anymore. At the very least, it felt like the world was
different when spending time with this young man, Fan Xian.

"Sir Fan, it's so much fun talking to you. I like chatting with
you." The great prince noticed that Qin Heng had finally come
back, so he stood up and smiled, saying, "If you can help me
save face, we will put an end to the conflict over the use of road
outside of the capital, but in the future, if I ever want to talk to
you, you can't ... play the trick of being sick or escape by going
to washroom. "

Fan Xian smiled and bowed before the great prince. "I
wouldn't dare disobey, and a talk with great prince is far more
interesting than it is with others." He was referring to other
Princes of the Emperor.

The great prince did not say goodbye to Chen Pingping, as he

knew that this weird Director didn't care about old-fashioned
manners and etiquette. Before leaving Chen Garden, Qin Heng
whispered to Fan Xian to schedule a time for Fan Xian to visit
Qin's home.

They got in the carriage, after which they passed the most
vigorously guarded mountain road outside Chen Garden, as
well as the area where the guards of Fan Manor and members
of Overwatch Council Qinian Unit were squatting in the grass
like mountain bandits. The great prince finally pull down the
green roller shutters, saying in a cold tone: "Fan Xian is really
an extraordinary man."

Qin Heng said with a smile: "According to my father, the

more powerful Fan Xian is, the better ... or else if some
worthless wretch would be in charge of the Overwatch Council
one day, the elderly men from the Bureau of Military Affairs
would be annoyed to no end... nor would the brothers in our
army lead a pleasant life."

The great prince nodded. Suddenly he sighed and said: "After

leaving the capital for several years, I felt uneasy moving back.
It's especially true since it's hard for me to find anyone to chat
with." Most of his bodyguards were dismissed, and the
structure of the Western Expeditionary Army had been
disbanded. The Ministry of Public Security had dispatched
Officials and soldiers from different Units to the Western
border for defense. He was now residing in the capital, and his
situation was somewhat similar to that of the powerful man in
the Northern region, except that he himself was a prince,
ultimately. And naturally his status afforded him better
treatment.
 "How was your talk with Commissioner Fan?"

"Not bad," said the prince, "Your father should feel relieved.
Even if Director Chen wanted to retire, I believe that Fan Xian
would be more than capable seeing to it that the Overwatch
Council remained effective and provided effective support for
the military."

Qin Heng shook his head: "I agree. However, I believe young
Sir Fan could go above and beyond just that... "

"Sir Fan is well-known for his meticulous thinking style, and

he has a large circle of friends. His superior martial arts skills
have reached the 9th rank, which makes him second to none.
The Overwatch Council was functioning pretty smoothly
under his control… and let's not forget about his reputation as
a poetic genius. He was the one who deserved the books given
by the literacy leaders, and yet he would become the president
of the Overwatch Council…what an amazing individual," He
said in disbelief, "There is no one like him, and in my opinion,
he achieves greater success than even Director Chen."
 The great prince sighed: "Do not forget that next year he will
take over the palace treasury as well... This is like putting him
in between a storm and the wind, or in the spotlight where
everyone is watching. I really don't know what's in my father's
mind."

Qin Heng definitely wanted to avoid the topics about His

Majesty. The great prince looked at him with a smile and
continued: "After all, Fan Xian is still young. Compared to
Director Chen, he has a fatal weakness, which I am sure he is
well aware of, and that's why he wanted to seize the
opportunity to demonstrate his courage and power, to deter
others and hide his own weakness."

"What kind of weakness?" Qin Heng asked curiously.

"His heart knows bonding." The Great Prince narrowed his

eyes and replied gravely: "His uncle is different from him, as
his uncle doesn't have any children and his parents died early.
He's got no relatives, nor does he have any real friends. It's true
that there are many beauties in his Garden, but he doesn't
really love anyone. He is a lone wolf…So if the enemies can't
find his uncle's weakness, how could they ever defeat him? On
the other hand, Fan Xian is not the same, as he's got his wife,
sister, family and friends…all of these are his weaknesses."

Qin Heng thought to himself how true that was, and in the
Qing Kingdom no one knew who Chen Pingping cared about
the most…except for His Majesty.

"No friends, no relatives, no true love…What kind of life is

it? It must be very hard." Even though Qin Heng was not an
elderly man, it made him a little bit sad when thinking about
this.

"Director Chen's life is not easy." The great prince said in a

very respectful tone, "Fan Xian's got a long way to go to act like
Director Chen."

...

...
 Right now, inside the Chen Garden, people were singing and
playing stringed instruments, the pleasant and soft music
floating in the air just like cotton clouds. Dozens of gorgeously
dressed beauties were singing merrily and dancing gracefully
on the Qintai Stage in the lake. Chen Pingping was sitting in
his wheelchair and accompanied by Wan'er and Ruoruo,
enjoying the performance. Sangwen was holding a harp, about
to play music to the dancers.

Chen Pingping was living such a comfortable and relaxing

life of a noble, something the two young men from Qing
Kingdom who had left Chen Garden riding the carriage hadn't
known, which is why they felt such pity for him.

Fan Xian appeared from the other side of the garden. Chen
Pingping gently clapped his hands, and all the singers and
dancers left immediately. A beautiful lady politely guided the
female guests to the back for a rest. Wan'er knew that Fan Xian
wanted to exchange words with Director Chen now, so she
followed that beautiful lady to go to the back, but before she
left, she gave Fan Xian a glance. She wanted to know how the
conversation between him and the great prince went.
 Fan Xian smiled and nodded his head to make his wife feel at
ease. Then he walked towards Chen Pingping and stood behind
him. He consciously put his hands on the back of the
wheelchair and asked: "Where do you want to go today?"

Chen Pingping pointed towards the woods at the east end of

the garden.

Fan Xian remained silent while pushing the wheelchair for a

tour in the woods. The young man and the old man didn't
exchange words. It was still early. The cold autumn sun shone
obliquely upon them through the trees, leaving long shadows
on the ground. The squeaky wheelchair rolled over the
shadows on the ground.

"He called you uncle." Fan Xian walked among the trees
pushing the wheelchair. Sparse leaves could be spotted on top
of the trees. He smiled and said, "Aren't you scared that the
Overwatch Council might report you? This is a terrible
offense."

"Are you afraid of being reported by the guys in the

Overwatch Council? I've managed to make it through all of
those situations basically unscathed. If all of the reports about
me were saved to this date, they could fill the entire imperial
study room," said Chen Pingping with a straight face. "He's
calling me uncle, which is permitted by the Emperor, so no one
can say anything."

"Your Majesty has approved it?" Fan Xian was a bit surprised.

Chen Pingping turned his head and glanced at him, saying

lightly, "Back then, Lady Ning was a captive of Dongyi during
the Northern Expedition, and His Majesty almost lost his life
in a scenic rural land in the north region. It was Lady Ning's
attentive care that helped him to recover, after which time
they had a son, the Great Prince. "

Fan Xian had heard this story before, and he knew that it was
this slim, elderly man who led a dashing cavalry to the
northern region and rescued the in that desperate situation.
With many thoughts flashing through his mind, he suddenly
realized something, saying, "You must have maintained a
really good relationship with Lady Ning, have you?"
 "At that time the situation was so miserable, and we had to
run for our lives. We had left deep impressions on each other,
and later become very close. You know, in that situation, we
couldn't afford to let a captive be with us when we tried to
escape. When they were trying to kill Lady Ning, I said
something to rescue her, which is why she's always respectful
towards me."

Fan Xian laughed. "It turns out that you are her savior."

Chen Pingping closed his eyes and said with pensive

slowness, "His Majesty was injured at the time. His body was
hard like a piece of wood. He could not move at all. Someone
had to clean his body and take care of his bodily functions, and
apparently, no one is better suited than a gentle and careful
woman."

"I heard people saying, that later, Lady Ning was about to
move into the imperial palace, and it had caused a
disturbance...because His Highness had never married back
then, and yet all of sudden, this female captive of Dongyi was
going to move into the palace. The Empress is very unhappy."
Fan Xian asked, "So you helped her again, right?"
 Chen Pingping laughed, and more and more wrinkles
appeared on his face. "I wasn't that powerful back then.
Actually, your mother's words saved Lady Ning, who was
finally permitted to move into the imperial palace."

Fan sighed and said: "No wonder ... my mother loved

meddling in other people's business."

"She enjoyed doing that," said Chen Pingping. Suddenly he

paused: "But ... it wasn't really intruding on other people's
affairs, because someone had to say something positive before
His Highness finally made up his mind and get married."

Fan Xian grimaced behind him, and said, "I am not really
that interested in the romance stories of older generations."

"You should listen to these stories. It will be good for you."

Chen Pingping said with a cunning smile on his face, "At least
you know now that in imperial palace, there is someone you
can trust."
 "Lady Ning?" Fan Xian shook his head: "Just a small favor
done for so her many years ago; does such gratitude truly last
that long?"

Chen Pingping said: "Dongyi women are iron-willed and

tough. They love loved ones and hate wicked people…And
besides, about thirteen years ago, she did a lot to allow your
mother achieve her revenge…and because of that, she offended
the queen mother, who demoted her to the role of 'The
Talented,' from which she has never come back. "

"Are you sure that the great prince doesn't want to fight for
the throne?"

There was indifference in Chen Pingping's voice. "He is a

wise man. At a very young age, he chose to escape, and it's
probably because of his mother, who is good at educating kids.
As such, the great prince is much more straightforward than
the second prince and the youngest prince."

Fan Xian remains silent for a moment, though suddenly

asked, "Does Lady Ning know about me?"
 "No, she doesn't." Chen Pingping spoke. "Let's assume you
have all the cards in your hands. You shouldn't use all the cards
at once. Always keep a few cards up your sleeves. "

"Does His Highness know that I know?"

"No, he doesn't."

"Is it cheating?"

"It's okay. If His Highness did not ask about it, it isn't our
place to tell, as we are just the courtiers."

The young man and the old man both laughed like two foxes.

"What happened to the offending second prince?"

"Have you reached your target?"

 "A total of 17 officials were caught altogether, so most of his
accomplices in the imperial government are gone. However, I
can't touch anyone in the Ministry of Officials." Fan Xian was
counting on his fingers. "The Cui family has also suffered
many losses. According to the news from the Northern Region,
they are going to extend their power, which will make it easy
for us to take them down."

"Do not let others know that your next target is Cui family,"
Chen Pingping said coldly: "Tomorrow morning in the court,
His Highness will make a final decision. This will be hard for
the second prince to turn around."

"Will my family be in trouble?"

"Do you care if you lose the title of baron?"

"No, I don't."

"Then there is nothing to worry about. Don't worry. Your

father is more cunning than anyone else, how could he let you
suffer any losses." A thought came to him, after which Chen
Pingping said in a ruthless tone, "While I wasn't in the capital,
you had been called all the way from Danzhou to the capital...
so who knows what he's thinking about."

"Yeah. That sounds like him." Fan Xian said, somewhat

frustrated.

Chen Pingping patted his wheel chair's armrest and said

cynically, "I will admit that he is a good dad."

Fan Xian did not like to hear such words. He remained silent.
Chen Pingping hadn't expected this kid to be all that respectful
toward Fan Jian, so he some smiled, feeling a bit happy. "What
did you come for today?"

"To bring my wife and sister here to for a free meal." Fan Xian
gave a reluctant smile.

"And by the way, let them have an eye-opening experience

seeing what it is like for a lonely old man to keep dozens of
beauties in his place."
 All of sudden, he stops joking with the elderly man. He
became melancholy and asked: "I've always wanted to ask you
a question."

"Go ahead."

"Are you ... really a loyal courtier?" The question seems

childish.

However Chen Pingping took the question very seriously.

After a long while, he said carefully, "I remain loyal to His
Majesty and loyal to the Qing Kingdom ... and you should
know full well by now that no matter what you do, His
Majesty is watching over you. You may only achieve the things
he allows you to…in a word, remaining loyal to His Majesty is
equal to be loyal to yourself. Therefore you must always
remember this and be loyal to His Majesty.

Does it mean to remain loyal to His Majesty or to myself?

Fan Xian did not want to dig into this issue.
 "But you've taken early action this time, earlier than what
His Majesty had planned." Chen Pingping closed his eyes and
said slowly: "And due to your own way of doing things, your
purposes have been revealed completely. His Majesty doesn't
know that you've found out the story of your life; he will be
suspicious of your purpose."

Fan Xian fell silent, as he already knew that this was the
biggest issue caused by the incident.

"Do not worry. Let me take care of it." Chen Pingping said
softly.

Fan Xian was no longer worried about it. He pushed the

wheelchair, walking out of these beautiful but dreary woods.
The young man and old man were heading towards the west,
gradually leaving their shadows behind, but the wheels of the
wheelchair were constantly rolling over the grounded shadows

The court was going to meet the next day on time. Over the
past few days, the father and son of Fan family pretended to be
sick and failed to show up in the court meetings. Today, they
finally showed up at the meeting, anticipating the raging storm
of impeachment and denouncements from the ministers. The
memoranda were submitted to the Overwatch Council a while
ago. Minister of Revenue Fan Jian admitted his mistake and
that Fan Sizhe, the black sheep of his family, behaved the way
he did as a result of inappropriate family education. Fan Xian
had also submitted his memorandum, admitting his error and
a seeking punishment. He also admitted that the homicide case
occurred in Bao Yue brothel was due to his lack of supervision.

However, the Fan family wouldn't admit to any of the other

charges. At the end of day, no one had the evidence regarding
the conspiracy against the capital official or of the killings in
the rainy night. Plus, these flawless actions were good enough
to shut the tattler's up.

Conversely, regarding Fan family's allegations against the

second prince, the opponent was having a hard time addressing
the issues. After all, Xie Bian was one of the Bajia Warriors
who killed people outside of capital court and Xie Bian himself
had died suddenly in prison. All of the accusations pointed to
the second prince.

To the surprise of the courtiers, the defense by the second

prince was not that strong. All the counterattacks merely
scratched the surface. After a short while, everyone realized
that the two sides must have made secret agreements; put
another way, the second prince had admitted defeat.

His Majesty the Emperor had been sitting on the dragon

throne quietly and listening, and only showed an impenetrable
expression when Fan Xian stepped up requesting punishment.

Not long after, the courtiers had exchanged opinions, and

upon His Majesty's confirmation, this matter has finally come
to a close.

Fan Jian, the Minister of Revenue, didn't discipline his

children properly and let them go unchecked, resulting in one
becoming a murderer. However, considering his many years of
hard work, and as credit for the Shouju event, he was given a
milder punishment, including having no salary for three years
and seeing his nobility decreased by two ranks, while
additionally, he should shut himself away to think over his
mistakes

Commissioner of Overwatch Council and academic of the

imperial college Fan Xian had also done wrong by dispatching
soldiers without authority. Although he had admitted his error
and requested punishment on behalf of his brother, his crime
was hard to forgive. His title of nobility was removed and
salary stopped. Furthermore, he was ordered to organize books
donated by Zhuang Mohan for the next three years

The Ministry of Justice had issued an arrest warrant for Fan

Sizhe, the second son of Fan Jian, who had fled to avoid
punishment. A description of the wanted man had circulated
throughout the country.

The official of the capital had been dismissed from office, put
in prison and would go to trial later.

The Duke...

...

...
 Finally, the rulings for the second prince became known. Due
to his wrongdoing, his rank of nobility was lowered, and he
would spend the next six months under house arrest.

The rulings had finally come out. The officials and the
common people were trying to figure out the meaning behind
the above rulings. Nonetheless, for the father and son of Fan
family, even though their ranks of nobility were either reduced
or removed, which were indeed heavy punishments, they
didn't suffer any substantial loss. On the contrary, the second
prince had lost many subordinates, and the prince himself
would be under house arrest for 6 months. These were such
harsh punishments that everyone could clearly see that Fan
family won the battle this round.

However, people who looked more closely had noticed an

interesting coincidence in the rulings issued by His Majesty.
The descriptions of the offenses were vague, as "wrongdoing"
was noted for both Fan Xian and the second prince. After all,
engaging in wrongdoing was not a big issue for a
Commissioner of Overwatch Council, though for a prince, it
definitely was.
 The situation had changed in the imperial court. It became
so obvious to everyone that the second prince no longer had
the favor of the Emperor, and at the same time, Fan Xian had
never been called into the palace alone. People started
wondering: Did this mean that when two tigers fought, both
lost? Furthermore, as a courtier, Fan Xian used to hold special
favor of emperor. Again, did it mean that everything was over?

However, Fan Xian had no reaction to any of these changes.

He seemed very happy staying inside the school every day. He
worked alongside other staff organizing books. Occasionally
he would go to the Overwatch Council. He even spent 2 days
visiting the Bureau of military affairs and the General's
mansion, and also went to visit empresses in the palace with
Wan'er and his sister. He even bumped into the great prince
once in the Shufang Palace where the great princess of
Northern Qi was living temporarily. Of course, during his visit
to the imperial palace, he didn't see the emperor.

On top of that, he had secretly discussed many issues with

Xiaoyan Prince. The dispensation of forces along the northern
region smuggling routes targeting the palace treasury was put
in place, and when the time was ripe, an attack would be
launched against the Cui family, which would immediately cut
off the source of income for Xinyang and the second prince.
Regarding the Zhenqi in the body, he's taking it seriously. He
would see what Master Feijie was going to suggest so as to
determine whether or not he should take medicine.

And so the day went. Before anybody realized it, a cold

autumn wind started blowing, and the well-delayed
chrysanthemum viewing party had finally begun. But Fan Xian
had already put on layered clothing. He was staring at the last
piece of hopeless leaf with fear, and thought to himself, in this
terrible weather, how could a fearless chrysanthemum to bring
about their blossoms?
Chapter 304: Chrysanthemum, Ancient
Swords and Alcohol
The elegant flowers that were unafraid of the cold, and
would happily reveal their buds in autumn, were the
chrysanthemums. These flowers were the ones most adored by
everyone on the central plain. The chrysanthemum wasn't rare
here, and in Danzhou, where Fan Xian hailed from, they were
in abundance. The Danzhou chrysanthemum tea was a
renowned beverage in the Qing Kingdom. In these past few
years, the Fan manor had to import much of these flowers for
distribution in the capital.

Because of this, Fan Xian was quite familiar with this flower.
He often thought about that little yellow flower that bloomed
on the coastal cliffs of Danzhou. He knew that the
chrysanthemum was able to endure the cold. The historical
poet from his past life, Yuan Zhen, proudly said that he liked
this flower, and that if they were to cease to exist, he would not
appreciate any other. But with all this being said, it was not a
winter flower, and in cold weather such as this - the weather
that accompanies the deepest recesses of autumn - they should
have long since wilted.
 The carriage passed by the heavily guarded lines that skirted
the feet of the mountain. Under the watch of the Imperial
Guard and Royal Guard, Fan Xian and a few young men
disembarked the carriage. Following the path along an autumn
stream, he went past a river that was weaker than it was in the
spring and in the summer. Suddenly, he saw a temple in front
of him, one that was built in the architectural style of the Qing
Kingdom. Where it firmly stood, it looked as if it had been
carved directly out of the mountainside.

The Floating Temple built into the cliffside was supported by

great wooden beams and layered pillars. The tallest ceiling of
the temple was ten meters high. The entire scene looked as if
someone had hastily taped a behemoth-sized painting onto the
mountainside. The autumn winds that glided across these
highlands were fierce, and they bellowed far and wide. It
brought an icy chill to the people that walked those slopes to
observe the flowers. They were almost concerned about
whether or not the frigid air would end up blowing the temple
away. The legends say that this temple was the earliest
construct of the Qing Kingdom, and it was built from the
dervish who believed in the existence of the Holy Temple and
that it ought to be constructed with cobbles, stone and wood.
Its making took a few hundred years, but the reason for its
existence was to display the virtues of what a Holy Temple
should be and bring, and to also spread the word that people
should be nice to each other.
 The Holy Temple never involved itself with earthly matters;
it was quite a mysterious place. But it seemed as if across these
few thousand years, it always affected the world in subversive
ways. There were many rumors, whose origins were lost to
time, that described its appearance in ambiguous clarity.
Although there weren't many dervish, each of them were
righteous and widely respected by others. So, the Holy Temple,
in the minds of the civilians, was in an extremely high place.

As a member of the royal family and ruler, this Holy Temple

had no effect, though it had the ability to influence other
things, and so they maintained their respect for it. This fence-
riding was what the politicians were best at, and were most
willing to do.

Which is why the Qing Kingdom's royal family had this

Royal Flower Observation event once every three years. It was
organized in the Floating Temple.and had become a law. This
event, however, was most likely construed to ease tensions and
soothe bitter rivalries that may crop up between the royals,
and help further their bonds with one another. It was to avoid
the repetition of certain events, such as the assassination of
two crown princes in the Qing Kingdom two decades ago.
 The royal family of the Qing Kingdom was not as active as
they used to be, so in this flower observation event, they
invited married relatives and other families that were close to
them. Following the new rules established in the past few
years, the Qin and Ye family were cornerstones of the military
and were both a part of it, as well. The Qin family had
considerable power within the military, while the Ye family
had authored the guarding and protection of the capital for
many years. In the Ye family, there was also a grandmaster
with supreme status.

Aside from that, there were a few old families that were made
sovereign following the construction of the kingdom. There
were also a few new families like the Ren family who married a
faraway princess. In regards to how Fan Xian could be a part of
these flower observing proceedings, it was not due to the power
that the Fan family had. In fact, they cared little for the power
of any chancellor, and permission was not granted due to his
marriage with Wan'er either; a marriage that gave Fan Xian a
slight association with the royal family. It was because that the
Elder of the Fan family, raised the Emperor and his brother
King Jing and as such, were very close. This was not
something that many would understand. In terms of private
relations, the Fan family was arguably the closest to the royal
family.
 Fan Xian was gasping, and he put his hands upon his waist as
he stood near the Floating Temple. Looking at all these famous
and powerful people of the Qing Kingdom, he could not help
but mumble to himself, "Observing chrysanthemums? Where
are they?"

Minister Fan had already been invited to a spot where he

could avoid the wind. The elders were always prioritized before
others. His carriage stopped at the foot of the mountain. The
guards stood outside the area where the Royal Guards were.
The people from Fan manor were only left with one man and
two women. A perfect triangle. Lin Wan'er, who was in the
triangle, pointed at the foot of the mountain and said out loud,
"Oveer there!"

Fan Xian froze and took one step towards the mountain's
cliff. A crude autumn wind tackled his senses, but he squinted
his eyes and took a deep breath before saying, "What a
beautiful place."

The cliffs that the Floating Temple resided upon were

slightly caved-in, and it was shaped like the letter "U". The
roads skirted the feet of the mountain, and so Fan Xian, upon
the culmination of his climb, did not notice anything special
along his treading of the path. Having reached the top, he
looked down and across the sweeping panorama. He now
noticed the fields he walked along were full of
chrysanthemums, their colors were deeper than the average
sort, as well. They were golden and their petals were long.

"The golden chrysanthemums; they match the characteristics

of the royal family." Fan Xian stood on the cliffside, observing
and soaking-in the view of that glistening field of flowers. He
complimented it further by saying, "in this cold weather, to see
them grow as marvelously as they are is a strange thing."

Lin Wan'er explained by saying, "They are gold

chrysanthemums, and people say that back in the day after the
Floating Temple was built, the northern Wei kingdom's Tian Yi
Dao's master Gen Chen brought them here himself. Ever since,
it has been the provider of an odd and unique view."

"Gen Chen?" Fan Xian sighed and said, "is that grandmaster
Ku Hei's teacher?"

"Yes."
 Fan Xian shook his head as he continued to look down the
mountain, and after a while he started to notice that much of
these chrysanthemums weren't actually growing all that well.
This was due to the soil of the mountain not being so rich
itself. As a result, each chrysanthemum was separated from the
next by a few inches. The field looked far more fertile and
bountiful from up high, as the distance mostly negated the
sight of the spaces between each flower. This illusion was why
they did not realize it was a field of chrysanthemums from
down low. Here, from up high, it almost looked as if they were
slowly taking over the entire mountainside, a far cry from the
true nature of these flowers, whose reality was not as powerful
or as luxurious as they initially seemed.

Someone was already approaching to greet Fan Xian. The

Emperor had been quite cold to him recently, Plus, Wan'er's
status did not allow for the young noblemen to talk too
frivolously of their own topics of interest with Fan Xian while
in her presence. As a result, there was little more than a simple
trading of greetings and formalities before they continued on
their own way. Fan Xian was smiling when he spoke to others,
and the words he spoke were soft. After repeated encounters
that unfolded in the same manner, he got a little bored and
mostly spaced out upon each meeting. Subconsciously, he
would observe his environment, an action inspired by his
career.
 The Floating Temple looked to be hanging high before a
cliffside. There was only one way to climb the mountain, and
today, the royal family of the Qing Kingdom had gathered. The
Imperial Guard had tread across each trail and hill well before
their arrival, in assurance of their safety. The defense was
solid. Inside the Royal Guards' ranks were the palace guards as
well, and in regards to the gentle-looking eunuchs, nobody
knew if any of Eunuch Hong's subordinates were amongst
them. Fan Xian thought that the omission of the Tiger Guards
was rather strange, but from what he could see, their exclusion
was more than made up for. Assassins aside, even a mosquito
would have difficulty sneaking past the protection established
across these mountainsides.

Fan Xian smiled and waved to say hello to Ren Shaoan.

Seeing him get pulled away embarrassingly, now his heart was
brought a tidbit of joy. His father-in-law had been retired for
quite some time now, and his relationship with those people
had lessened as a result. As he looked up, Fan Xian could not
help but squint his eyes. The few people who had the most
power in the Qing Kingdom were now all gathered up in this
wooden temple, all at the same time. From afar, you could
watch a person clothed in yellow on the top floor, absorbing
the view. That person was the Emperor.
 He raised his head and had an inexplicable feeling take hold
of his heart. His mind was spinning as he thought up a
humorous scene. Right now, if the people of the Northern Qi
Kingdom and the Dongyi City's elites came over to burn down
the entire temple, what would the earth be like? Of course, he
knew that the security of the capital was impenetrably tight
and this occurrence was an impossibility. These were just Fan
Xian's idle musings. He also thought that if he were to climb up
to the temple, which entry should he aim for? And which trail
would take the least amount of time to ascend and reach the
top?

It really was just the habit of his career.

One eunuch ran over in a rush, all the way from the temple.
The young nobles on plain fields in front of the temple quickly
stepped aside to make a path for him. The eunuch ran before
three of them to politely ask, "the Emperor is asking for Lady
Wan'er."

Lin Wan'er was surprised. She looked at Fan Xian and softly
said, "Eunuch Dai, is he only asking for me?"
 Eunuch Dai was an old friend of Fan Xian, and he knew what
people may begin saying if he was not also invited into the
temple, with the eyes of all upon him. With a guilty look, he
remorsefully told Fan Xian, "the Emperor did not have any
further commands."

Fan Xian smiled and said to Wan'er, "You go." After that, he
quietly laughed and continued, "Uncles love their nieces, I
know that."

Watching Wan'er disappear behind a darkened door frame of

the Floating Temple, Fan Xian squinted and did not say
anything. He led his sister away to see if there were any greater
sights to behold. Someone, however, was not willing to let him
relax. There was a disturbing voice heard on the wind, and it
yelled, "Master!"

Fan Xian turned around to see Ye Ling'er. He noticed that her

face looked slightly agitated, and he knew why. Next year, Ye
Ling'er was going to marry the second prince. The ongoing
feud between him and Fan Xian may have looked like child's
play on the surface, but it was real, and it was brutal. She was
the daughter of Ye Zhong, and there was no way Fan Xian
would fail to understand what was between them.
 He looked at Ye Ling'er, and with a smile, mockingly asked,
"What is on your mind? Are you concerned about me bullying
your future husband a little too much?"

Ye Ling'er saw his face was calm, and she recovered her
happy personality, laughing as she responded, "I was worried
you would not be willing to talk to me anymore."

Ruoruo was nearby, and she also laughed. She said, "What is
that supposed to mean?"

Ye Ling'er sighed and said, "I have been pondering the

whereabouts of your second brother. In the future, when I play
mahjong, his absence will be a blight." In the backyard of the
Fan manor, many mahjong parties had taken place there over
the past two years. On the table, the presence of Fan Ruoruo
and Fan Sizhe was a guarantee; making up the other two spots
were Lin Wan'er and Ye Ling'er. They were a group of good
friends.

"It looked to me as if you and Ruoruo enjoyed giving out free

money to Fan Sizhe and Wan'er." Fan Xian smiled and said,
"With the party having been split up, you will lose less. That
sounds like something to be happy about, to me."

As they were talking, Qin Heng approached them from afar.

He was a ways away from reaching them, but he already began
shouting. He hollered, "What are you guys hiding over there
for?! What are you talking about?!" His voice was really loud,
almost as if he deliberately desired everyone else to hear his
words. Fan Xian bore a wry smile and responded, "We were
talking about mahjong!"

Qin Heng looked happy. He patted Fan Xian's shoulders and

told him, "I am good at mahjong." He looked around and
furrowed his eyebrows a little before speaking again. "The
flower observation event was devised by the Emperor as an
opportunity for the royals and nobles to mix, interact and get
to know each other a little better. So tell me, why is it so lonely
in your presence?" With Fan Xian's situation in recent days,
even those who believed themselves to be far inferior and low
would go around chatting. There was no discernible reason for
it to be so quiet around Fan Xian.

Fan Xian's face was all calm as he said, "I have only come to
learn that these flowers are only visible from afar today. I
cannot even get close enough to touch them. My personality
should be well understood by you; I have absolutely no interest
in talking with the others. And in regards to making friends…"
He laughed and continued, "I have little interest there either."

For the so-called "Flower Observation Event", it was similar

to the prom in his past life; an opportunity for people to get
together and socializee. Either that or a tea party. It was an
opportunity for others to show off and brag about their
relation to the royal family, and assure their position in the
eyes of others. But to Fan Xian, he held great disdain for
presenting his existence by the metric of how close he was with
the Emperor. As a result, he thought it was extremely boring.

Qin Heng was already thirty, and he had a family at home.

But the Qin family members had to come out here to view the
flowers every three years. He had seen them countless times
and had grown tired of the event a long, long time ago.
Hearing Fan Xian say his piece, he couldn't help but nod in
agreement.

Today, the second prince and King Jing's crown prince,

Honcheng, were not released from their manors, and they were
still imprisoned. Because of this, they did not come out to visit
the Floating Temple.

"Master, this view is not bad. Make a poem!" Ye Linger was

fluttering her sparkling eyes.

Every time he looked into this lady's bright eyes, which

shone like jewelry, he always felt as if he were going to get
blinded. He unwittingly squinted his eyes and replied, "as a
teacher, I have already told you that I do not compose poems
anymore."

Ye Ling'er had called him master. The way it was said was in
the manner of a little girl playing around, and this joke was
fairly well-known throughout the capital. Fan Xian would
always play along and refer to himself as teacher, which made
the jest all the more humorous. Qin Heng and Fan Ruoruo
could not help but laugh in amusement.

Qin Heng was making fun by saying, "That song you wrote in
the Northern Qi Kingdom is pretty popular. How could you
attempt to hide it from us?"
 Fan Xian was given a headache. He randomly described the
view to change the topic, but then shook his head to say, "Don't
talk about this with anyone else. I utterly despise writing
poems nowadays."

Fan Ruoruo looked to the ground and recalled a poem of his

and quoted it, "It is not that I especially love the
chrysanthemum, it is just that if they were all to die, there
would be no other flower I could appreciate." After reciting
these two lines she heard Fan Xian sigh. She asked, "Why?"

"Because someone is chomping at the bit, asking me to write

another one effortlessly. It is the most painful thing in the
world."

Fan Xian spoke these words slowly, and it made the three
people who looked confused start laughing. The laugh was one
of unbridled joy; almost giddily like that of children.

The nobles who gathered up in front of the Floating Temple,

while they were drinking tea and chatting, all of a sudden
heard laughing. They were shocked and looked towards four
young people near the cliff. They were quick to recognize their
identity, and their hearts trembled a little. Fan Xian's name was
everywhere; everyone knew about him. He had already yanked
the second prince from off his saddle and, now he was standing
with young members of the Qin and Ye family. Did this mean
something?

Fan Xian did not care much for how others viewed him. All
of a sudden, though, his nose twitched to smell of something
burning. He was thinking about whether or not tonight's meal
was ham. He turned around and saw that a black smoke was
rising from the corner of the Floating Temple. It was
unmistakable.

Fan Xian could sense everything, and so he was the first one
to take notice. Nobody else had yet to become aware that
something was amiss, even those Palace Guards that were
everywhere had yet make a single move.

Those who saw these four young men who were still standing
against the wind on the cliff greatly envied them in their
hearts.

…
 …

After the wind blew, the black smoke looked as if it had been
provoked. It suddenly kicked up into a rage. There was fire in
the smoke, and Fan Xian's body was already racing off towards
it, as quick as the wind that pushed against him.

"Qin Heng! Protect the girls!"

By the time he said this, he had already arrived in front of

the temple. Seeing the fire lashing wildly, and feeling the heat
press against his face, he pushed the guards who were
approaching him with swords out of the way. He yelled to
them, "Are you blind!?"

The fire was rising. Because the Floating Temple was made of
wood, the fire spread quickly. The young nobles who had come
to watch the flowers began screaming and started running
away. All of a sudden, their relaxed posture warped to madness
as chaos engulfed the previously relaxed plains of leisure. The
autumn was prone to making things dry, but this fire was by no
means a natural occurrence. Something was amiss. The Royal
Guards that were leading the people from the palace were on
top of the building, and so the guards downstairs were a little
frightened.

Fan Xian was yelling to the guards and eunuchs, "Where is

the sand to quell the flames?!"

After he spoke, the people were roused. They finally realized

who he was, and immediately did as he commanded. Step by
step, they did everything that they were ordered to. First, they
asked the old chancellors of the first floor to exit. Then, they
sent the guards to run upstairs and protect the Emperor. At the
same time, they sent out a dozen elites to fan out, inspect and
secure the area.

They reacted at once, and they did as they were told quickly.
The nobles were terrified, but the guards and eunuchs still
maintained their courage in their attempts to quell the fire.
Before long, it looked as if the flames were beginning to be
brought under control. Minister Fan was included among the
old chancellors, and they safely escaped the first floor. The
stairs of the Floating Temple were really tight, and those who
went to warn those on the upper floors were slow in doing their
task. Because of this, they had yet to descend to safety.
 Seeing that his father was okay, Fan Xian was calm. But in
his heart, he was still a little frightened. He did not expect that
his amusing imagining earlier would become a reality. If the
fire really did spread, the Emperor who was on the top floor
enjoying the view, there was every possibility that he could
have died.

This must have been arson. He did not know how this person
hid his identity and managed to get past the guards to do as he
did. The method used to start the fire was sloppy, however, and
it got Fan Xian to notice.

Things could not have been this simple. Fan Xian was
standing in front of the temple, which was still a scene of
chaos. He forced himself to maintain his composure and think
it all through. But when he thought of Wan'er being on the top
floor, his mind was disturbed and a state of calm could not be
achieved. He had a bad feeling about this entire affair. Still, he
did not dare to enter and ascend, for he did not want to risk the
possibility of being framed once more.

Minister Fan ran in front of him and coldly said, "Fan Xian,
go and protect the Emperor!"
 "Yes." Fan Xian was ready for this, but at the same time, he
did not have time to contemplate his father's feelings. He then
told two elite guards to accompany him in his ascent of the
Floating Temple. He did not want to walk stairs, so he used
both of his feet to leap from off the ground. At this moment,
his person resembled a black shadow as he hopped along the
cornices of the Floating Temple to reach the top, as if a ghost.
Chapter 305: Chrysanthemum, Ancient
Swords and Alcohol (2)
Fan Xian swung his whole body lightly and effortlessly
upwards while gripping the cracks between the cornices of the
temple with his fingers and stepping on tiptoe on the outside of
the wooden cornices. His special climbing method and little
tricks used in this climbing were almost perfectly combined to
create a breathtaking spectacle of climbing, and he had already
reached the top floor of the Floating Temple in the blink of an
eye.

On the ground by the mountainside below, the situation was

under control, and the fire there was by and large quelled.
These nobles and chancellors of the Qing Kingdom were the
tough lot who had experienced many wars and disasters, so
they were soon able to pull themselves together after some
brief chaos, with some of them even throwing themselves into
action immediately, creating one more layer of defense that
was in addition to the royal guards, in order to guarantee the
safety of the Floating Temple. As the crowd craned their heads
anxiously, they saw Fan Xian fly upward like a lightning and
arrive on the top of the building. Nobody had expected
Commissioner Fan's climbing skills to reach such an amazing
level, and they couldn't help but gasp in unified surprise.
 Lightly holding onto the cornice below the top floor with his
right hand, Fan Xian bent his left leg slightly and placed his
left hand on the hilt of the black dagger hidden in his boot. It
was rather quiet on the top floor; but Fan Xian didn't dare go in
recklessly, so he yelled toward the top floor, "This is courtier
Fan Xian."

It seemed that someone said something on the top floor. Fan

Xian squinted toward the top floor, enwrapped by walls and
windows for letting in breeze, and he felt relieved after having
seen the countless chilly lights had gradually vanished.
Somebody inside said, "Come in."

The wooden window had been pushed open, making a

creaking sound.

Fan Xian didn't dare to respond too slowly, and by

contracting his muscles in his core, his entire body sprang up
and went in the top floor of the temple gently and quietly along
with the mountain wind, out of fear to scare the Emperor. As
soon as both of his feet touched the floor, he noticed through
his peripheral vision that the nervous elite guards slowly
stepped back a pace, realizing that he would have faced many
thrusting swords if he didn't report his presence before coming
up.

Fan Xian swept the entire floor with his eyes and didn't see
the expected assassination happening here. So he let out a
relaxed sigh, after which he came to the entrance to the
corridor and noticed a passing figure looking like the Empress
Dowager, disappearing from view in the blink of an eye.
Wan'er, whom he worried about the most, was supporting the
old woman by holding her arms, and the mysterious Eunuch
Hong was following them close behind with his hands in the
sleeves, his back hunched.

The Empress Dowager and the women of the palace had

already left due to the fire downstairs.

"How come you're here?!"

An intimidating but peaceful voice rang out. Fan Xian was

startled for a brief moment before regaining his senses.
Spinning around, he bowed to the middle-aged man standing
on the left side by the railing, saying calmly, "A fire started
downstairs, which someone obviously started. I was worried
about Your Majesty's safety, so I came."

The Emperor of the Qing Kingdom that day wore a casual

bright-yellow robe. He looked at the outside through a
window, his hands behind his back. They were at a high
elevation, so one could see a great deal from where they were.
The yellow chrysanthemums covering the whole mountain
gave viewers a chilly feeling of upcoming threats. However,
the Emperor didn't seem too worried about his own safety, and
the corners of his mouth lifted slightly while peacefully
watching the wonderful rivers and mountains that belonged to
him. He looked, with a mocking expression, at the officials at
the bottom of the temple, who acted nervously, as if they had
encountered a powerful enemy.

The Empress Dowager and the royal concubines had all left
the top floor of the building, and they met the royal guards
who had just come up to help them on the third floor, walking
carefully down to the bottom of the temple. On the top floor of
the Floating Temple, which had many windows for letting in
wind, three male royals, the Crown Prince, the Second Prince
and Third Prince, were also there in addition to the extremely
calm the Emperor, with a dozen sword carrying royal guards,
and a few personal young eunuchs.
 It took but a quick glance for Fan Xian to learn of the
protective strength in the building. He couldn't help but
furrow his brows briefly to show his uneasiness. The fire
downstairs was obviously suspicious. It was lucky that he
discovered it early enough to quell it so that nobody had the
opportunity to carry out any assassination amid the chaos. Yet
it was quite certain that the assassins were still hiding in the
temple. However, it was unfathomable that the enemies could
sneak into the Qing Kingdom who was so powerful in strength.
As the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council, he was
confident in the protective strength of the Qing Kingdom. The
hidden assassins had to be the top-level swordsmen who had
the ability to disturb the world with a swing of their swords,
and there couldn't be more than three.

Gong Dian wasn't in the building. Fan Xian's heart skipped a

beat after learning this. The fact that Eunuch Hong had helped
the Empress Dowager go downstairs caused Fan Xian another
slight headache. Was the purpose of setting the fire by the
assassins to draw the best fighter of the palace downstairs?

At that moment on the top floor, besides those sword-

carrying royal guards, it seemed that he himself was the only
real high-level fighter. Fan Xian evaluated the situation in the
building somewhat arrogantly. In his mind, the second prince
was probably a good fighter on horse, but he might not be able
to thwart an elite assassin in such close-range combat.

The Emperor, based on his expression, didn't seem to worry

too much about the event. Perhaps as a ruler of the land, he
had to show a calm and dominating aura. Yet Fan Xian didn't
want this middle-aged man to be hurt accidently, causing many
innocent people in Qing Kingdom to die. He furrowed his
brows slightly, signaling the crown prince with his eyes, who
pretended to be calm and stood behind the Emperor.

The crown prince was slightly perplexed at first, but realized

what was on Fan Xian's mind, bowing to the Emperor, "Father,
since the cause of the fire is still unknown, please leave here for
now."

However, the Emperor didn't pay attention to the request of

the east palace's crown prince. He turned around slowly, and
with a faintly mocking expression on his distinctive face, he
asked Fan Xian, "Has the fire been quelled?" Fan Xian was taken
aback a bit, nodding, "It's been quelled."

"Why do we have to leave then?"

 Holding the railing with his left hand, the Emperor said
slowly, "I haven't retreated that much in my life."

Fan Xian appeared calm on the surface, but he started cursing

inside his mind, thinking how the Emperor wanted to show off
his courage under the threat, but Fan Xian wasn't interested in
such a show, as he pressed in a deep voice, "Though there isn't
any suspicious movement right now, it's hard to provide
defense, as we are atop the peak…I beg Your Majesty to
consider the safety of the kingdom, and return to the palace
immediately."

To advise an emperor to act in the name of the country was

the most effective method in those imperial court plays of his
previous life. Yet it was obvious that this method didn't work
so well with the emperor of the Qing Kingdom. He turned
around and said coldly, "Fan Xian, you are the Commissioner
of the Overwatch Council. If someone dares assassinate this
emperor…it's your fault. Should I be punished by not being
able to observe the flowers because of your mistake?"

Fan Xian felt wronged, thinking he was merely a

Commissioner of the Overwatch Council, and the council
wasn't asked to get involved in this chrysanthemum
observation, though his Sixth Bureau was indeed in charge of
collecting such information. How could he predict the
enemies' intentions all the time? But soon he thought that they
hadn't heard anything lately even though the Overwatch
Council had a network of intelligent agents all over the world.
There were only two or three forces that dared harm the royal
family of Qing Kingdom and who had been quiet and showed
restraint recently; but it was hard to understand how Dongyi
City remained tranquil. Sigu Sword had been the top
surveillance target and he had been staying in Dongyi City for
certain.

Having seen the peaceful expression on the Emperor's face,

Fan Xian started wondering if the fire actually…was a prelude
for the assassination?! Was he too nervous and overreacted?

Upon seeing Fan Xian fall silent, the three princes present
thought Fan Xian was a bit embarrassed after being
reprimanded by the Emperor. Crown Prince coughed softly
once, ready to say something favorably on behalf of Fan Xian,
but he suddenly thought of the second prince, who had been
demoralized by Fan Xian recently. Though he was pleased with
the result, the strength of this courtier had become formidable
enough to be out of his control. To put down Fan Xian at the
moment, their father might have some other purpose; so he
kept his mouth shut, instead shooting a comforting glance at
Fan Xian.

The second prince didn't think so much, saying with a

serious tone, "Father, what Commissioner Fan said makes some
sense. Though no enemy in the world would dare assassinate
you, you should go downstairs for the sake of your safety and
to lessen the anxiety of those chancellors at the bottom of the
building."

Though it seemed that the Emperor appreciated the second

prince's straightforward attitude, he still didn't treat Fan Xian
differently, saying coldly, "Fan Xian, as the Commissioner of
the Overwatch Council, you acted so nervously. I'm really
disappointed."

Fan Xian cursed in his mind a few times more, but his
expression became even more self-effacing, as he said with a
self-mockery smile, "Your Majesty is right to reprimand me."

Looking at Fan Xian questioningly, the Emperor asked

suddenly, "Don't you feel bad?"
 "Yes," Fan Xian responded as he quickly thought of a way to
deal with the situation.

"This courtier thinks that Your Majesty should cherish your

own life since your safety is related to the safety of the land,
meaning your safety is crucial. One can never be too cautious
to do so. The scenery of the yellow chrysanthemums will
reappear every year, but the emperor of Qing Kingdom is only
one person. Regardless of whether this courtier is called as
nerve-wrecked a coward as a mouse, he still begs Your Majesty
to go downstairs and return to the palace."

Everybody remained silent in embarrassment, as no one

thought Fan Xian would dare talk back to the Emperor in front
of the group and dared argue about the Emperor's life and
death. Fan Xian actually refuted the blame the Emperor laid on
him earlier!

"You are too bold…"

Yet for some reason, the Emperor's expression had become

somewhat relaxed upon hearing this remark. He said while
looking at Fan Xian, "If anybody says you're as cowardly as a
mouse, I really wouldn't know about that. Where on earth
could we find such a large mouse?"

This was supposed to be a joke. All the people on the floor,

besides the Emperor himself, were in a nervous mood, so
nobody dared laugh at the joke. Fan Xian was the only one who
laughed slightly, and bitterly.

All of a sudden, the Emperor's voice became deeper and his

eyes were even closed, letting the mountain wind from outside
tousle his slightly wrinkled mid-aged face.

"In my lifetime, I have encountered many assassinations. It's

impossible for you kids to know how dangerous and exciting
the world was back then," said the Emperor with a soft smile.
"This was a sloppy assassination attempt. Starting a fire that
has no possibility to spread is not going to force this emperor
to leave, not that easily."

Fan Xian thought to himself that the ruler of the land was
unnecessarily playing a brave role, but he paid attention
mostly to the surroundings. Gong Dian and Eunuch Hong were
both not there, and the Tiger Guards were not there either.
What we had here were those elite guards and three princes…or
was it four? Though the personal eunuchs of the Emperor were
loyal and their relatives of past three generations were under
the control of the imperial court, it wasn't enough to rely on
these people to protect the Emperor. Especially after Eunuch
Hong had left with the Empress Dowager, and all that made
Fan Xian grow worried.

Suddenly he had a shocking thought: If the Emperor were

assassinated just then, he, as the Commissioner of the
Overwatch Council, would be most responsible for the
incident. Why didn't his father think of this when they met
downstairs?

Eunuch Dai said loudly, "His Majesty has encountered

assassinations forty-three times in his life and has never
retreated one step before."

Fan Xian was startled briefly and then thought of Wang

Qinian in the far north, amused that the successful men all had
one or more exceptional supporting players to back them up.
 The Emperor slowly opened his eyes, his expression tranquil
but full of self-confidence, "Northern Qi, Eastern Yi, Western
Hu, and Southern Yue, plus those who were defeated by this
Emperor and lost their families and countries, all want to kill
me with a swing of the sword. With twenty years gone, who
has achieved it?" He continued with a soft laugh, "When one
has become used to being assassinated, Fan Xian, you will
understand why this Emperor doesn't pay too much attention
to such matters anymore."

So you have experience with this! Fan Xian cursed in his

mind. He had cursed that day more than he ever had. Yet, as he
was the Commissioner of the Overwatch, he had no choice but
to take the responsibility. He was responsible for the Emperor's
safety. More importantly, he didn't want to be blamed for the
biggest mishap in the world. So he kept on advising the
Emperor shamelessly and bravely to return to the palace.

The Emperor was finally annoyed by his begging, yelling

angrily, "How could Fan Jian educate a useless person like
you?! How could Chen Pingping choose you?!"

Fan Xian responded by smiling excessively, though he cursed

in his mind: you could teach me if you thought you were so
capable, which was your responsibility anyway.

The situation had been under the control. The assassins, no

matter how skillful they were, had perhaps already fled;
otherwise they would end up badly hurt when the royal army
started searching the mountain like a spreading net. So
everybody in the building felt relieved slightly. They couldn't
help but think it funny that His Majesty, who rarely showed
his emotions, reprimanded Fan Xian. The crown prince still
tried to comfort Fan Xian with his gentle gaze. Great Prince
couldn't bear the scene and turned his head away. The
youngest, the third prince, was beaming with a smile on his
face, probably feeling happy upon seeing Fan Xian's
misfortune.

Nobody knew why His Majesty was so angry that day. He

reprimanded Fan Xian just like he would his own son. As Fan
Xian was a famous person and an important courtier in the
imperial court, it was extremely rare for a courtier to be
humiliated publicly when Qing Kingdom emphasized on
managing the land with civility.

Fan Xian listened with a bitter smile on his face. Yet he

figured out something else. Fan Xian was afraid that His
Majesty suspected the same thing as he did, which is why the
Emperor became so angry. If this drama was staged by the old
cripple or his father in secret, he could only praise their
courage, but still it was shameless and stupid. To stage a show
of "saving the emperor" for the Emperor to watch—the
Emperor wasn't an idiot, at least his IQ wasn't lower than Fan
Xian's, so he could figure it out easily. Perhaps the Emperor
believed Fan Xian was kept in dark as well.

He sighed inside, thinking it was merely a ridiculously staged

play, no real assassins involved.

Yet the problem was that Chen Pingping wasn't a student in

kindergarten and Fan Jian wasn't a little girl who was scared to
cry outside the school by the iron-gate her first school day. It
was even more impossible for His majesty to believe his two
most trusted subordinates could do such a ridiculous thing to
help Fan Xian gain his favor. Perhaps the reason for the
Emperor's angry had nothing to do with Fan Xian.

The Emperor finally stopped talking, turning around and

smacking the railing heavily with his hand, startling
everybody in the building. Fan Xian was someone who was
accustomed to figuring out what others had on their minds. He
gestured to Eunuch Dai using the side of his mouth, indicating
the Emperor was probably thirsty after all that reprimanding.

Eunuch Dai had been assigned to the Taiji Palace not long
ago, and Commissioner Fan's reminder was a welcome
opportunity for him, so he was to serve tea to Emperor.

"Change it to alcohol." The Emperor didn't turn his body

around, but somehow knew what Fan Xian was doing behind
his back. Gazing at the expansive scenery outside the window
and the following clouds in the sky, he couldn't help saying
mockingly, "Praise the autumn scenery with a thousand
poems, and drink a cup of fragrant cold alcohol. Since I'm
observing the chrysanthemums in the distance on the top of a
high-rising building, how can I do so without alcohol?"

The participants of the Chrysanthemum Observation

Meeting that took place every three years had always enjoyed
the chrysanthemum wine each time, so the wines were
prepared beforehand. As the strange fire started in the Floating
Temple, causing uneasiness among the participants, the
servants almost forgot to bring out the wines. Upon hearing
what the Emperor had just said, a handsome young eunuch
who was responsible for this job hurriedly brought the alcohol
plate to the railing, making sure he would only step on the
floor with his tiptoes, so no sound would be made this way.

Fan Xian's heart skipped a few beats after hearing the poetic
lines. These lines were recited from a chrysanthemum poem
written by Jia Baoyu in chapter thirty-eight of Story of the
Stone. The purpose of reciting this poem was to let Fan Xian
know that Emperor was actually aware of everything. Fan Xian
understood that he couldn't conceal this matter from people all
the time, so he was prepared for it.

"As the book of Story of the Stone talks mostly about the love
affairs between men and women, it's low-class literature; but
its wording is not bad…these poems, however, are not so
presentable."

The three princes in the building and the servants didn't

know why Emperor suddenly started discussing the literature,
and were slightly surprised. As Fan Xian knew he couldn't hide
it anymore, he bent his body forward and said with a bitter
smile, "This courtier wrote it just for fun, but I didn't expect
Your Majesty would read it. It's very fortunate."
 "Oh. I thought…you didn't want the readers to know it was
written by you in another name, so you wrote those poems
poorly on purpose; the more naïve, the better."

Fan Xian sighed and didn't know how to respond. Those

present in the building finally knew the book Story of the
Stone that was circulating among the commoners and in the
palace was actually written by Master Fan. After the initial
shock, they then thought it obvious. This book was published
only by the Danbo Bookstore, and the writing style of the book
was unique. If this popular book weren't written by the famous
Master Fan, it would be hard to find another capable person in
the world for the work.

Taking the wine cup, the Emperor smelled the fragrant flavor
of the wine, and sipped the wine with a faint smile, ignoring
the uncomfortable Fan Xian and his surprised sons.

There were two cups of wine on the plate prepared for the
Emperor and the Empress Dowager. Emperor took one cup to
drink. The other cup was left on the plate. Since Empress
Dowager had already gone downstairs, so it was hard to decide
how to distribute this remaining cup of wine. The Emperor
looked at the crown prince, and then the second prince. As he
furrowed and then unfurrowed his brows, the Emperor
subconsciously pointed his finger at Fan Xian; but he suddenly
realized it was inappropriate, so he turned his finger mid-air to
point at the surprised and smiling third prince hiding in the
corner.

The third prince was still very young, so he said bitterly,

"Father, I don't like drinking alcohol." This kind of remark,
uttered by a small child, could avoid being regarded as a crime
against a royal decree.

With a gloomy expression, The Emperor said coldly, "You

dared do things more harmful than alcohol; how can you be
scared of a cup of wine?"

The third prince, with a sulky face, was so scared that he

almost cried. Facing such icy cold energy, he had no choice but
to thank his father and walk over slowly to the railing. Then
he extended his arm, taking the cup from the plate and
bringing it to his mouth.

Dong!!!
 With such a crisp sound, the wine cup in the third prince's
hand fell to the floor, rolling away. He looked at the incoming
chilly light, stunned. And confused. All he was doing taking a
drink from a cup of wine; why did this guard want to kill him?

As a prince, he had grown up under extremely dangerous and

complicated circumstances, and so soon this small child
realized—it was an assassination!

Since the Emperor was standing right behind him, if he ran

away, the swinging sword would have fallen upon the Emperor
like lightning. However, he didn't have the footwork like the
grandmaster Ku He who could step on the snow without
leaving any imprint behind, nor did he possess sanshou as
strong as coffin used by Ye Liuyun. No matter how bravely he
stood in front of the Emperor, this swinging sword would
likely cut him in half, along with the Emperor.

Whether or not he chose evasion, it would lead to the same

result. The third prince chose the correct reaction, which was
to stand in the same spot. Staring through the sword light into
the assassin's blurryface with shivering legs and a wet crotch,
the third prince shrieked with all his might!
 Ahhhhhh!!!

The loud and ear-piercing shout echoed throughout the

entire building. All people present learned of the ongoing
assassination attempt. Since nobody expected an assassin could
be hidden among the royal palace guards of Qing Kingdom,
nobody could react quickly enough to prevent the powerful
sword from breaking through the elite guards' defense line and
thrusting toward the Emperor by the railing with a small wine
cup in his hand.

Fan Xian was the exception. He twisted his wrist, exhaling,

and threw his fist at the assassin. This deeply hidden assassin
acted so suddenly and thrust his sword so powerfully that Fan
Xian didn't dare to hold back his energy in his fist. The xueshan
meridian on his back shone abruptly, causing zhenqi to flow
out like a river along his right arm to his fist; then he struck at
the sword light a few steps away.

This striking fist was so powerful that it cut open the air with
a faint buzzing sound like dull thunder exploding in the midst
of the sword light, blowing the snowy sword light into pieces!
 Yet it wasn't so simple.

Fan Xian's heart skipped a beat as he found out this

swordsman was a ninth-ranked fighter. On the other hand, he
thought that the assassin had to be a ninth-ranked swordsman
to assassinate the most powerful ruler in the world, otherwise
he wouldn't dare to. Along with the sound of a thrusting fist,
Fan Xian had already arrived at the third prince's side, twisting
his left hand and pulling out the black dagger from his leg,
thrusting it into the assassin's stomach stealthily.

The sword in assassin's hand had been broken in half, but the
remaining half was thrusting even more forcefully and
quickly. It seemed the assassin was willing to sacrifice his own
life to take another's. The elite guards finally realized what was
going on, and they came over while yelling, attacking from
behind while Fan Xian was attacking in front. Even though the
assassin was a ninth-ranked swordsman, he couldn't do very
much against so many opponents.

However, it was then that the cloud right over the Floating
Temple drifted away, letting the hot sun shine through.
 The sunshine filled the building with a dreadful white color.
Next an assassin in white clothes appeared from nowhere,
holding a plain ancient sword. Nobody knew how this assassin
arrived at the top of the building. He snuck close to the front of
Emperor, undetected, under cover of the blinding sunshine.

Two elite guards nearby Emperor reacted first, after having

heard the buzzing sounds, and pulled Emperor back. Their
throats, however, were cut, blood gushing out as they fell to
the floor before they had the chance of drawing their swords.

The man in white held an ancient sword and thrust it

straight at the Emperor's face!

The Emperor who boasted he had never retreated in his life

was finally pulled back a few steps more by his daring elite
guards while facing a menacing incoming sword.

Though the tip of the incoming sword was still one foot away
from the Emperor, everybody thought the tip of the sword had
already pierced his throat.
 All the people knew the Emperor of Qing Kingdom wasn't
skilled in martial arts; so more elite guards wedged themselves
between Emperor and the assassin while shouting loudly. It
happened so suddenly that these elite guards chose the most
direct method, to use their bodies to block the incoming sword
in order to protect the Emperor.

Even though the blood was spattering around the Emperor,

his eyes somehow appeared calm and tranquil, staring into the
advancing assassin in white, who seemed to become one with
hi sword.

The elite guards' strength as a whole was great enough to

protect Emperor. Yet they needed to win time for Eunuch Hong
at the bottom of the Floating Temple and two ninth-ranked
swordsmen from Ye family and Qing family to come to the
rescue. As long as they could delay the assassin in white for a
second, Emperor's life would be saved.

Who could delay the assassin? The elite guards had already
done their duty adequately. They knew one of their colleagues
was the assassin, so they had no chance of living after this
incident. For the safety of their families, they had done their
hardest to protect Emperor. Next the Emperor's sons should do
something to protect Emperor…

The attacks had happened in an extremely short period of

time.

At the moment, the wine cup falling down from the hand of
the horrified third prince was still spinning on the floor. The
second prince, with a shocked look on his face, was about to
rush to the front of Emperor to block the murderous ancient
sword; but he had merely moved two steps, his heel still in
mid-air.

It was then that Fan Xian felt the surprisingly powerful

sword energy behind him as his black thin dagger was inches
away from the elite guard assassin's stomach.

The blood was sprinkling in the air, like blooming

chrysanthemums all over the mountain. The elite guards'
bodies were flying through the air as well. Yet until they died,
these guards couldn't understand how the assassin in white hid
on the top of the Floating Temple, which had been inspected
thoroughly beforehand.
 All of this displayed in front of Fan Xian like a slow-
motioned action movie scene.

Fan Xian could even see clearly with his peripheral vision
that Crown Prince rushed to Emperor with a miserable
expression on his face. His brave and loyal behavior was very
touching; but it was a pity that the crown prince happened to
step on his young brother's fallen wine cup, so his whole body
fell down onto the floor in a ridiculous style.

Fan Xian was the closest person to Emperor and the first
person to react, so it was a heavenly opportunity for Fan Xian
to be the loyal courtier and filial son…The hair on Fan Xian's
neck stood on end as he felt the sword behind him was even
more murderous, pure and strong than this ninth-ranking
assassin in front of him. The atrocious energy deep inside him
had been stimulated in an instant, and he had the confidence to
save both the Emperor and the third prince at the same time;
but…it was certain that he would be injured by the swordsman
in white severely from behind.

However, Fan Xian had decided to gamble. He didn't want to

miss such a good opportunity, as he was a miser who liked to
take well-calculated risks. He didn't want to miss the chance of
defeating a strong enemy, as he was competitive.

But it was then that the assassins' last resort revealed itself,
chilling Fan Xian to his core.

The enemy this time used the mole who had been hidden
among the elite royal guards of Qing Kingdom for ten years
and probably paid a great price to get the help of the
swordsman in white. The enemy created this situation by
drawing Eunuch Hong away at the expense of losing their long-
time spy operation in Qing Kingdom; but their fatal attack
wasn't from the ninth-ranked assassin, nor from the
swordsman in white whose thrusting sword was very
terrifying.

The fatal attack came from behind the Emperor of Qing

Kingdom!

The young handsome eunuch who had served the

chrysanthemum wines earlier stood right behind Emperor who
was forced back a few steps by the thrusting sword of the
swordsman in white. The young eunuch dropped the wine
plate and reached into the pillar, producing gray-colored
dagger as if from a magic show, thrusting the dagger into the
Emperor's back with all his might!

The dagger was hidden in the wooden pillar of the Floating

Temple, and its hilt was painted the same color as the pillar.
After many years, nobody would discover that a weapon was
hidden in there. Nobody knew how long the dagger had been
placed there, and nobody knew how long ago they had been
planning this assassination of the Emperor of Qing Kingdom.

From their long-time preparation and the water-tight

arrangement, one could tell that the enemy was determined to
succeed—to kill a ruler of the land doesn't need might more
than it did determination and courage.

At the moment, there was an ancient but formidable long

sword in front of Emperor of Qing Kingdom; and there was a
very old but extremely treacherous dagger behind him. It
seemed that the Emperor had no chance of surviving this
assassination!
 Fan Xian knew full well that this was the most perilous test
he had been confronted with since his reincarnation. It was
much more dangerous than his fight with Haitang on the
grassland. Yet, before he could get sentimental, Fan Xian had
already made a decision subconsciously. His black dagger
reached out, piercing at the eyes of his opponent.

Fan Xian knew that he wasn't an immortal, and even Uncle

Wu Zhu or four grandmasters in his position wouldn't be able
to beat the assassin in front of him to save third prince's life,
fight the swordsman in white, and finally to have enough time
and strength to help Emperor deal with the young eunuch from
behind.

The young eunuch of the palace didn't have much training in

martial arts, but that old dagger in his hand was very lethal.

Fan Xian chose to save the third prince first, then the
emperor. Though this choice could be considered later as being
disloyal and not filial, Fan Xian believed it was a right choice
since the third prince was only eight years old, still a small
child.
 It's natural to save the youngest first.

His black dagger, like a black snake, struck at the center of

the first assassin's eyes.

The enemy had planned this assassination meticulously; so

Fan Xian knew the most terrifying method was this thin black
dagger, which was rumored to be an unlucky object personally
sharpened by the old weirdo, Fei Jie. That ninth-ranked
assassin didn't dare ignore Fan Xian's incoming dagger, and he
twisted the remaining half-length sword to knock Fan Xian's
dagger out of his hand and dropping it toward the downstairs.

The assassin wanted to find out what this famous

Commissioner Fan, who was skilled in both literature and
martial arts, would do without his weapon when facing his
half-sized sword.

As his dagger was flying over the railing, Fan Xian had
already turned around with his back facing the assassin. In the
process of turning around, Fan Xian reached into his hair at a
speed so fast that nobody could even notice what he was doing,
and then he threw his hand backwards by using s turning
force.

A thin embroidering needle pricked into the assassin's pinkie.

It wasn't a deep penetration, so that no even a drop of blood
came out from the wound.

However, the assassin groaned, feeling his meridians being

instantly blocked. He immediately cut off his own pinkie with
the broken sword.

As the assassin lifted his head again, Fan Xian was gone.

At the moment, Fan Xian had already arrived in front of the

swordsman in white, moving as fast as a ghost, and wedged
himself between Emperor and the assassin. As he reached the
current position, his three deadly black arrows along with a
bunch of mixed poisonous smoke had also arrived.

A large patch of yellow, green and white colored smoke was

scattering in the top floor of the Floating Temple. It was eerie
beyond description, just like the fireworks seen once a while in
the capital.

Unexpectedly, the swordsman in white knew full well what

Fan Xian's fighting methods, and he dodged the three flying
arrows and held his breathing. Meanwhile his sword pierced
through the smoke and all the obstacles at Fan Xian's head.

By now Fan Xian had already used up his methods. He was

blocking the incoming sword in front of Emperor. All he could
do right now was to let the incoming sword pierce his body to
sacrifice his life for his father, the emperor. As for the young
eunuch behind Emperor, he could do nothing about it…it was
up to the Emperor's own luck now!

A sword to the head!

The dominating zhenqi inside Fan Xian became agitated. It

was currently unknown whether his mind was directing his
zhenqi or his zhenqi was controlling his mind; after a loud
scream, Fan Xian reached out both his palms, with zhenqi
inside his body being squeezed into solid mountain rock
concentrated in his arms, receiving the incoming chilly sword.
 The swordsman in white furrowed his brows, realizing that
his chest and bones inside would be broken into pieces by Fan
Xian's horrifying palms if he kept on thrusting his sword into
Fan Xian's chest.

With a hissing sound, the ancient sword, like a green tree

branch being plucked by an immortal, turned its tip slightly
and pierced into Fan Xian's shoulder!

In this instant, the swordsman in white abandoned his sword

and chose to meet Fan Xian's palm with his own palm.

Bloom!!!

The impact force was so powerful that the dust rose up and
the smoke dispersed. No matter how talented the swordsman
in white was, he couldn't match Fan Xian's zhenqi vigor on
which he had worked since his infancy. With a creaking sound,
the swordsman's left wrist had been broken.

Yet, to Fan Xian's surprise, the swordsman in white pulled

out the ancient sword from his shoulder as this man was hit by
his palm. How fast his hand was!

To retreat if one hit doesn't kill the opponent is the style of

the first-class assassin. The swordsman in white tiptoed on the
railing and jumped off to the bottom of the temple, without
even glancing at Fan Xian. His cloth, blown by the mountain
wind, was spreading like a white crane dancing in the air.

As the swordsman in white and Fan Xian were fighting, two

unnoticeable sounds occurred in the building.

The ninth-ranked assassin, who had given Fan Xian a

headache earlier, was covered in blood from his face and
shoulders; with both of his shoulders broken, he fell to the
floor, disappointment and despair expressions in his eyes.

As the assassin was falling down, a trickle of black blood

oozed out from the corners of his mouth. He had already been
completely dead when his body touched the floor. It was
Eunuch Hong who stood behind the assassin.
 Eunuch Hong stood there silently, with his back hunched
and his hands in the opposite sleeves, as if he hadn't done
anything.

Thinking of the fatal attack of the assassination, Fan Xian

turned around in despair; but instead he witnessed something
so shocking that he couldn't forget the scene many years later.

The young eunuch who tried to assassinate Emperor was

lying on the floor, having passed out, surrounded by wood
chips.

The Emperor of Qing Kingdom, who was the target, was

holding half of the plate that carried the wine cups. This plate
was the only weapon Emperor could find in the chaotic
environment. He looked at the young eunuch lying by his foot
and said coldly, "Though this emperor isn't Ye Liuyun,
someone like you can never kill me!"

Indeed, though Emperor of Qing Kingdom didn't practice

martial arts, he gained the land by fighting on horseback. So he
should be able to fight effectively in regular brawls.
 Seeing the remaining half of the wooden plate held in
Emperor's hand, Fan Xian, who was still in shock, somehow
thought of a Hong Kong funny movie in his previous life…
Good Use of a Brick!

At the bottom of the Floating Temple shouting and cursing

blared out. It seemed that the swordsman in white had already
reached the bottom floor, and the nobles of Qing Kingdom were
brave and angry enough to surround him when they figured
out he was the assassin.

The sounds of screams and grunt at the bottom came up to

the top floor.

It wasn't the time for rewards and punishments. Fan Xian

looked down over the railing, and he saw Ye Zhong,
commander of the capital, stand on the ground with a hand
covering his mouth. With his special vision, Fan Xian could see
clearly that he was spitting blood. He must have fought hard
with the swordsman in white.

Ye Zhong was the rare ninth-ranked fighter in the capital of

Qing Kingdom. Since he was hurt so much by mounting a
sneak attack, it could be imagined that the swordsman in white
would be injured even more. It was really the case. A slow
moving figure in white could be seen among the
chrysanthemums on the distant mountain.

"It's rumored that Sigu Sword has a young brother, who left
home at a young age. Nobody knows where he is," the Emperor
said coldly, standing behind Fan Xian. "Fan Xian, catch him for
this emperor. I'd like to see if these two brothers are both
idiots!"

After encountering several dangers in a row that day, the

Emperor of Qing Kingdom, who was usually calm and
composed, finally became irritated.

Fan Xian knew he wasn't in the position to comment on what

Emperor had just said. Since Eunuch Hong had already come
up, Emperor's safety wasn't his responsibility anymore.
Though his shoulder was still bleeding, Fan Xian had already
jumped off the railing, rushing downstairs like a black bird.

Another barrage of screams at the bottom of the temple.

 "It's like watching a play!" said Fan Xian with an icy cold
expression. He had no choice but to follow Emperor's order.

Soon after Fan Xian passed by, Ye Zhong, commander of the

capital, had finished rejuvenating energy, and ran in the
direction of the fleeing swordsman in white, with an
emotionless expression. Gong Dian was his Little Brother. If he
couldn't catch the assassin that day, the whole Ye family would
probably be in trouble, as he had no chance of proving his
innocence. Even if it meant he might lose his life in the
pursuit, he still had to catch the assassin with his own hands,
alive!

In the next moment, the fast runners among the elite guards
darted toward the mountain and the wilderness like countless
arrows.

The royal guards had surrounded the mountain at its foot.

On the mountain, two ninth-ranking fighters, Fan Xian and Ye
Zhong, were leading a bunch of revengeful elite guards,
chasing the assassin. It was unknown whether the assassin in
white would successfully flee or not.
Chapter 306: Dagger, Seeing the Dagger
Again
Inside the Floating Temple, the anger in the Emperor's
expression had already faded away. His face was calm, just like
the wood chips under his feet; just like the blood in the temple;
just like the bodies of the guards and assassins; just like the
ones who were injured and unconscious. The sweet fragrance
that once permeated the atmosphere here did not exist
anymore. Still, his appearance was as if he hadn't been subject
to an assassination attempt, one that had been planned by the
enemy for years, almost as if they were indeed having that
flower observation event they all enjoyed once every three
years.

Someone began cleaning up the mess in the temple. There

were many elites in the palace, all gathered up on the top floor.
Their numbers were enough to believe they'd make the entire
place collapse. The guards that were in charge of the Emperor's
safety looked incredibly pale. And the eunuchs, including
Eunuch Dai, were trembling. They did not know if the
Emperor's suffering of an assassination attempt would have a
bearing on their own fate in his service. Would these events
change their course in life? Or would their lives be ended after
all was said and done?
 The crown prince had managed to bring himself up, tears
running from his eyes. He and the eldest prince were both on
their knees before the emperor, saying, "We are so useless! We
made our father afraid!"

The eldest prince spoke these words gravely. He had killed

countless enemies in the west, but he did not expect that when
an assassin came here to attack, he could barely react. And
toward Fan Xian, a person he never looked kindly upon, he
displayed tremendous prowess in battle with the speed and
agility he had rarely seen.

"He was 9th rank; no ordinary fellow. You are the Emperor's
son, and to be unable to react in the face of such adversity is
normal." The Emperor did not seem to lay blame upon his sons,
though looked towards the ninth-rank assassin that was killed
by Eunuch Hong's subordinate. He then looked at the broken
chalice that was stepped upon by the crown prince, and his
eyebrows furrowed a little.

He gently hugged the third prince, who was still in shock.

His eyes turned back to gaze upon the chrysanthemums that
paved the land below. On the hillside, he was able to see some
further movement as the leaves were rustled.
 "Let me go," said Eunuch Hong modestly as he stood behind
the Emperor. He didn't think he should remain by the
Emperor's side after the assassination attempt. "Fan Xian has
been sick lately; let me go tend to him."

The medicine bag that Fan Xian threw upon the floor before
he left was eye-catching. The toxic smoke was all over the
temple, and there must have been someone who had
inadvertently breathed it in. He had left for them an antidote.
Seeing the bag lying there on the floor, the Emperor thought
that that kid was truly attentive. A guilty look entered the
Emperor's eyes as he thought of this. And now he recalled that
Fan Xian had been suffering from some sickness recently.
Eunuch Hong had been to visit Fan Xian to confirm the
sickness he had, and it was troublesome.

His fingertips lightly tapped the rails of the Floating Temple.

It made some noise. Down below, Fan Jing, who had been
behind all the nobles this entire time, felt the gentle
reverberations and looked up.

"You don't have to go." The Emperor coldly said to Eunuch

Hong. "I can send someone else."
 After that sentence was spoken, strange noises could be heard
from the col below the Floating Temple. A few more shadows
appeared from the darkened alcoves, bearing longswords. They
followed along the dangerous gap of the mountain and ran into
the fields of chrysanthemums. Not long after, they went past
the palace guards that had already started moving in the same
direction in an attempt to intercept. They were chasing the
trails of three people.

Before this temple lay a ravine, and its inclines were steep.

Fan Xian was running across the ravine and through the
flower fields that decorated them. He reached out his hand to
pick up a branch that was directly in front of him. Smelling the
flowers that had been crushed, he breathed in a pleasant smell.
It was as if he had just taken opium. The zhenqi in his body
was coursing and channeling through him quickly, and the
scent aided his recovery of energy and power. His legs were as
if they possessed their own pair of eyes as he raced across the
stones with dazzling accuracy like a rampaging dragon. With
unbelievable speed, he ran down the mountain.

When it came to jumping cliffs, none in this world but Uncle

Wu Zhu was faster. Besides, after fighting with the white-
clothed swordsmen, the zhenqi inside him had increased by a
lot from the shock and adrenaline. With the power he had, and
the mental fortitude he possessed, he thought he had reached
his zenith. The injuries he had incurred were nothing.

There was a white shadow in front of him that was about a

dozen metres ahead. It showed him the way, appearing and
disappearing every now and then. The way it moved was with
exquisite grace, like flowers petals in the breeze. It softly
guided his feet, with each step having a gentler landing; all
without the sacrifice of speed. But still, it could not escape Fan
Xian's greater pace - one that was given the benefit of gravity.

The distance that separated them was closing.

The palace guards behind Fan Xian, who were still searching,
had no idea of how far he had gone and how behind they truly
were. Master Ye Zhong, of renown reputation for being trained
in the ways of Zhong, was left following at a great distance.

The tea was still not cold, and both of them had arrived at
the foot of the mountain, one after the other. Fan Xian could
see the flag of the Royal Guards from afar, and it brought some
ease to his mind. But he found out that the white-clothed
swordsman had turned around, changing the direction Fan
Xian was initially following. He went to the edge of the
woodland on the foot of the mountain, heading west. They had
now reached flat ground, and the speed Fan Xian possessed was
not as good as the man in white. But, the white-clothed
swordsman had been punched by Ye Zhong, and that provided
him an advantage. Without the culprit's ability to go full
speed, Fan Xian was able to follow him.

But seeing the direction that the opponent chose, Fan Xian
felt a chill grasp his heart.

It was difficult to have contact between the top of the

mountain and the base of it. The news about the assassination
attempt of the Emperor had finally been sent out. The Royal
Guards that were at the foot of the mountain were afraid that
it was impossible for them to do anything. The white
swordsman had selected a way that would make it the most
difficult for the guardsmen to get to. It was a wild woodland
area; it may not have been the largest, but its canopy and
tangled underbrush would provide an effective place for the
white-clothed assassin to hide.
 Fan Xian was quietly chasing him, hoping that the Royal
Guard would not fail in their task because of the
mismanagement of the palace and their neglect to cover the
forest.

But what made him happy was that outside the woodland
area, there was much protection as well. The white-clothed
swordsman made a sharp turn at a great speed, barrelling down
at a 2 o'clock direction.

Fan Xian was following closely.

The white-clothed swordsman turned around once more.

Fan Xian was following intently.

After a few quick turns and realignments, the white-clothed

swordsman managed to maintain his speed and keep a distance
from the Royal Guards, but Fan Xian could not spare the
energy to call out for aid. A strange noise pierced the air. The
white-clothed swordsman appeared to have received a second
wind, as he sped up and ran towards the direction of a lake.
 …

Fan Xian gritted his teeth, rushing as fast as he could. And

then, he took notice of something quite frightening.

The assassin that he had been following had already passed

the gathering of Royal Guards.

The field in front of him was empty, without a single guard

there. Fan Xian's heart was shaking, unable to fathom how the
white-clothed swordsman had managed to elude the gaze of all
the Royal Guards. Aside from the fact that the both of them
were traveling at great speed, the only other explanation could
be that this swordsman was well-versed in, well-understanding
of, and incredibly familiar with the Qing Kingdom's
government, its military, and the inner workings. It was a
scary prospect to think of.

Fan Xian thought of Gong Dian, who hadn't appeared at the

Floating Temple today. A chill ran down his spine at the
thought of this, but he told himself that this was not the time
to contemplate such conspiracies. Ye Zhong was too heavy, and
the guards were too slow - there was no one around to slow the
culprit's pace. If he let this assassin disappear right before him,
he knew he would have a grave amount of trouble headed his
way.

He could not return; he could only give chase. This was his
only option.

When it came to his tracking skills, Fan Xian was confident

in his dexterity in that regard. Especially when he was in the
north of the river alongside a few Tiger Guards. He was able to
chase Xiao En, who was well-known around the world. He did
not believe that, aside from the four grandmasters, someone
was capable of evading him wholly.

But today, many unexpected events had transpired, and his

heart had experienced a chilling feeling. First, the culprit was
able to bypass the Royal Guards' lockdown with ease, and then,
this felon had managed to display a surprising proficiency in
eluding Fan Xian's grasp. From the foot of the mountain to the
lake, he went beyond it and cut through the fields and farms.
The white-clothed swordsman had managed to disappear from
his vision quite a few times, and if it wasn't for his incredible
vision - and a modicum of luck - he feared that the assassin
would have escaped quite some time ago.
 The white-clothed swordsman was calm the entire time. It
was as if it was a natural ability of his to hide, and it was
something that Fan Xian quite admired. He had contact with
the Overwatch Council ever since he was small, so he was well
aware of how many years and how much training one would
need to become as precise as the assassin was.

Fan Xian noticed that the method he used to erase the trail as
he went was remarkable, and obviously the work of a
professional. It was a gloomy thing to behold, and one that was
frighteningly familiar. His mind jumped to the thought that
this person was extremely comfortable of being in the dark.
The white clothes that the swordsman wore did not match his
traits.

Fan Xian thought that this must be the real side of the white-
clothed assassin. He was calm, composed, decisive, and wholly
evil. These were the best attributes a person could possess.

That slash of the sword in the Floating Temple, although it

was powerful and bright, Fan Xian thought it was not as
shocking as the dark perception his fleeing enemy was
revealing right now. The true strength of this person was now
on display, and he was only afraid that it was greater than Xiao
En himself. It may have even been greater than his own power.

Fan Xian's heart was growing more anxious and afraid with
each passing second. When he was in the temple, he knew that
he was being too impetuous and too excited. Right now, he was
calm, reviewing the strength this opponent had displayed
there. If it wasn't for Ye Zhong injuring him, perhaps the only
thing Fan Xian would have had to do was stop and stay as far
away from the white-clothed man as possible.

Both of them were in clear view of the city and its high walls.
The momentum was intimidating, and a whooshing sound was
heard, the white-clothed assassin's movement somewhat
lagging in finesse. He discarded his long white clothing with
one hand, and it revealed plain clothing; the type an average
civilian might wear.

The white clothing hit the soil, and a second later, the tip of
Fan Xian's foot landed on them, and he sprinted forward like
the wind.
 Fan Xian saw that this assassin was already so far away, and
he was disguised as a civilian. His feelings toward him were
ones of adoration right now. He was unlike any other assassin
he had ever seen, one who could avoid populated areas like the
plague and instead head out into the wild. It was almost as if
he desired to hand himself in, entering the city so brazenly.
There were a dozen thousand people in the city, and if he went
into the crowds, his identity would blend in with the others to
conceal himself in plain sight. Even if the Overwatch Council
exhausted all their assets, they may have trouble locating this
man once more.

Today, the royal family had gathered up in the Floating

Temple, and because of this, the security of the capital itself
had slacked. The soldiers near the gate only saw a blur pass
them by, and so they rubbed their eyes in bewilderment.

Fan Xian could see it clearly, of course. And now, he could see
that the person of his pursuit had already blended in with a
crowd of people. Fan Xian was not afraid of shocking anyone,
and so he ran through the gate.

No one stopped him from entering, so he was still able to

follow the assassin loosely. The capital had a complicated
landscape, and it proved to be a tough task for the shadow
assassin's abilities. Fan Xian used everything at his disposal in
a bid to not lose sight of the shadowman he was in pursuit of.
Luckily, his state of mind was excellent, and so his own speed
had not yet waned.

One was quietly hunting, and one was anti-tracking. It was

happening within the narrow alleys that coursed between the
residential areas of the capital. The danger may not have been
as much as last time in the northern river side, but the tension
was nearly suffocating.

In the corner of the buildings, a shadow fluttered at the end

of a street. He used his cloth shoes to lightly skate across the
floor, passing by a lively marketplace in a flash. The shadow
knocked down a merchant who was selling candied fruit.
Because of this hit, Fan Xian was able to see that the assassin
was badly injured. It looked as if he was unable to hold on
much longer or control his body.

…
 A dead-end appeared in front of them. After the sound of
gasping and an extra run, Fan Xian had finally cornered the
person at the back of an alley. Following their arduous trek,
they had both exhausted much of their energy. Fan Xian's own
face was quite pale, the only color being in his reddened
cheeks. His eyes, however, were shining bright. This was the
show of the zhenqi in his body that had charged to reach
maximum capacity.

The assassin at the end of the alley looked worse. He was in

poor shape. The white clothes were long gone, and from the
ordinary clothing he now wore, blood seeped through the
fabric.

The assassin turned around to reveal a face Fan Xian was

totally unfamiliar with. This face was pale as well, as if he had
not seen the sunlight in a very long time. He did not know if
this was part of his disguise, however. He used a hoarse voice
to speak to Fan Xian, who was roughly ten steps away.

"Master Fan, are you not yet tired?"

 Fan Xian was surprised, and he quietly said, "I never expected
you to run this far."

The assassin smiled, and he gently used his hands to reach

into his clothes and bring out a cold-looking, ancient sword.
As he handled this sword, his temperament completely
changed. He had changed from a dark assassin fleeing for his
life to an arrogant swordsman.

"I never planned to kill you."

Fan Xian did not say anything in response. He knew that if

his opponent had not gotten injured, he would have said
something far more ruthless. He felt the chill of his blade from
the other end of the alley. Fan Xian gently laid his finger on the
trigger of his crossbow, prepared himself to grab the dagger
concealed in his boots and readied to throw a vial of the toxic
smoke he was quite proficient at using… but when he reached
for the dagger it was not there, the toxic smoke had depleted,
and the crossbow was gone.

"You are naked." The nameless assassin coldly mocked. "You

only had three bolts, one dagger and fourteen smoke bombs.
And now? Now you are bare."

Fan Xian slowly looked down to the ground and his face grew
dark. He knew he was running into the city bare. The three
weapons he cherished and used frequently were now not there
to aid him. With those weapons, he would be willing to take on
Haitang in a fair fight. But to now face this person without his
brilliant weaponry, what could he do? He was hoping that the
injury inflicted upon his foe would hinder his abilities and that
perhaps Wu Zhu would arrive a little faster.

The zhenqi in his body had reached maximum capacity

however, and his resolve had not weakened. The zhenqi was
twirling around in his veins like countless naughty children,
convincing him to unleash it on his opponent. But
unexpectedly… he just took a deep breath and suppressed his
desire to do battle. He looked at his enemy, stood there with no
emotion save for a smile, and said, "Tell me your identity. If it
satisfies me, I will cease this chase."

He had risked his life to pursue this elite fighter into the
capital, only to try strike a bargain. The attempt of
assassination in the Floating Temple was too strange. Gong
Dian not attending to his duties today, which made for the
perfect arrangement for an assassination, the appearance and
disappearance of the assassin, and the knowledge of the inner-
workings of the Qing Kingdom's management and
arrangements, all were curious elements of this event. But
these revelations were wretched facts. This assassination was
not only influenced by one opposing faction, but someone
from inside the Qing Kingdom's bureaucracy, who must have
been in league with the enemy to be able to relay so much intel.

Fan Xian only needed to know how this entire affair had
started. He wanted the facts, not petty retaliation against a
certain fighter in retribution for the Emperor's humiliation. He
wasn't a naive royal chancellor. He cared about the
connections shared between him, his father and the Overwatch
Council to the assassination, most of all.

"Do not talk about integrity." Fan Xian was still looking down
to the floor. "You and I are the same. We both know that
promises are meaningless. Give me the information that I need
and I will let you go."

The assassin was silent, but gave a subtle gesture of hesitant

agreement. But when Fan Xian thought he was going to accept
this win-win solution, the assassin said, "Ah, but there is a
problem. You see, I could also kill you now; and that would
allow me to leave as well."

This world was truly wonderful. Fan Xian had strongly

rejected the second prince's proposition for a truce, whereas
everyone else thought he should have done otherwise. Now,
someone was rejecting him in very much the same way.

By what? The power. (?)

A flash of light blazed out from the assassin's sword, brightly

illuminating the alley. The leaves on the floor were picked up
and carried between the two opponents by the twirling
atmosphere brought on by the power of the sword. The leaves
accompanied the rise of the ancient sword, which was now
pointed at Fan Xian.

Just like on top of the Floating Temple, the zhenqi in Fan

Xian was difficult to keep suppressed and it clotted in his palm.
As if he desired to tear the skies apart, he raised his palm and
aimed it towards the foe's face. He unleashed a powerful and
condensed gust of wind without batting an eyelid to the
longsword that was now bearing down on him.

The wind from the palm was so strong that the swordsman's
hair was blown backwards, the back of his head resembling a
shrubbery of thorns.

Fan Xian was not as proficient in the arts of combat as his

opponent, so he had to risk his life to make a single move. He
knew that the more powerful the assassin was, the prouder and
protective of their life they were. For this, he knew that his
opponent would believe himself capable of killing Fan Xian
with relative ease and was not choosing to risk his life by
attacking.

The swordsman, as he anticipated, guided his sword toward

Fan Xian's hand. Then, with unbelievable speed, Fan Xian
withdrew his hand and his palm split into two shadows which
fisted the enemy's temple. The fist was quick and relatively
simple, but it was insanely powerful.
 At this moment, the assassin he was battling with did
something Fan Xian could never have predicted.

The swordsman rescinded his artistry with the blade, and

opted to discard it.

The longsword disconnected from his hand and went flying

towards Fan Xian's throat. The assassin's body shrunk
strangely, as he managed to evade the stream of fistwind Fan
Xian had cast. He then put his hand into his left shoe.

He pulled out a matte-looking dagger.

Fan Xian groaned and pulled back his fist and staggered
backwards. He used his zhenqi to punch the soul-harvesting
sword away. The ancient sword flew backwards like an arrow
in the opposite direction and…
 Ding!

It powered right through and stuck into the back wall of the
alley as straight as its initial flight.

The most shocking thing was that the opponent had pulled
out a dagger from his shoes and was attempting to stab Fan
Xian at the same time. Fan Xian was all too familiar with this
move.

When the swordsman had his ancient sword in hand, he

fought fairly with a clear moveset. For all accounts and
purposes, the attacks were honorable. So, Fan Xian used his
zhenqi to do battle with him. But when the sword had left the
assassin's hand, all honor was gone, and he became a writhing
shadow in the autumn wind. His hand was holding a sharp
dagger, and it was on its way to strike.

While this situation unfolded in a mere moment, Fan Xian

barely had the time or ability to react. His left arm was cut.
 All of a sudden, the two black shadows in the alley were
tangled in one another. The closed-quarters combat was
strange to behold. Despite the movements, there were no
sounds to be heard, and it was a spooky sight. It was insidious.
In this small area, both of their movements escalated in speed
as time went by during the fight. Their arms were thrown
against each, and legs were kicking. They fought towards a
corner and even climbed against walls in evasion of each
other's strikes. The sounds of punches were repeatedly heard,
and it was scary.

If Fan Xian hadn't been trained by Wu Zhu when he was

younger, or if he didn't receive training from the Overwatch
Council for years, he feared that the dagger his foe wielded
would have left numerous holes in his body by now. Even if he
dodged at a faster rate, the soul-taking dagger was still
unfathomably quick, and his body had been nicked more than
a few times.

The opponent must have known a lot about the Overwatch

Council's uniform. All of his attacks were aimed at the areas
which had the least protection.
 What shocked Fan Xian the most was the opponent's ability
to gauge his next move every single time. With this foresight,
he was able to deflect or evade every attack Fan Xian
attempted. Every time he tried to do something, it was guessed
and subsequently eluded. Whenever he spied an opening,
however, Fan Xian would follow it up with the attempt of a
cheap shot; like the twisting of his enemy's pinkie; the poking
of the eyes; the squeezing of the testicles; and the use of his
elbows. All these shameless and dirty moves were still all
useless though.

A great light suddenly shone from within Fan Xian's eyes.

The end of the dagger was tied, and it reminded him of Wu
Zhu's staff. He recalled a few words that were once spoken to
him. "Straight, cruel and accurate."

The reason Fan Xian was remembering these things whilst at

the risk of dying is because he remembered his own fierce skill,
the "Coffin Breaker". And in the tip of his shoes, he had a
concealed blade.

When Fan Xian's hand loosened, the zhenqi in his body

erupted. The sleeves of the Overwatch Council's uniform he
wore were torn to shreds, and his right hand shook violently –
tempered by the raging zhenqi. The entire scene was
reminiscent of Ye Liuyun's style, the man from the Danzhou
coast. A slapping sound clapped the air.

The assassin, who was like a phantom near his left arm, felt
an overwhelming force targeting his face. Fan Xian's hand was
wide, his fingers wide apart like dead branches.

The assassin felt an ache in his chest, and the force sent him
flying. He used the tips of his feet to step on Fan Xian's shoe,
which hid a blade and then jumped away.

Fan Xian made a noise. He held his left arm, which had
sustained a knife wound. Facing this wretched opponent, only
now did he notice that he too was bleeding. Seeing this, his
confidence to fight him increased.

But Wu Zhu had yet to arrive.

The assassin raised his elbow and placed a grey dagger

directly in front of Fan Xian's eye and with a weary, breaking
voice said, "I learnt this move from you."
 Fan Xian's face turned dim. Feeling his own energy begin to
sap from his exposed wound, he coldly replied, "You are
welcome."

He hadn't been given enough time to recover, and it was

quite apparent that his opponent was able to withstand his
wound more than Fan Xian could. Faced with this, Fan Xian
did not say another word. He used his fingertips to raise
himself up the walls of the alley and as he climbed, he kicked
down a few bricks. He then propelled himself through the air
like a tiger, pouncing forward.

The assassin took a step back and then leaped, trying to

deliver the dagger into Fan Xian's temple.

Fan Xian's body was sluggish, and his power turned from
cruel to soft. His whole body then spun 180 degrees to bypass
the dagger that was heading towards him. In between his right
hand, two fingers shone, and they sneakily extended past his
neck. In that moment, he was putting a poisonous needle
inside the opponent's hand holding onto the dagger.
 What he did not expect, was for the dagger being wielded by
the assassin to be an illusion. When the poisonous needle
reached its destination, the hand had already been pulled back
three inches. When the poisonous needle poked the dagger, the
needle was too short and weak to do much of anything.

Then, the assassin used his knee to kick Fan Xian's back. This
pain made Fan Xian turn around, and when he did, he saw the
image of the poisonous dagger bearing down towards his chest.

Seeing this dagger, he lost all hope. He did not think his
opponent could be so well-prepared. He even expected Fan Xian
to prepare three poisonous needles for his final attack.

And Wu Zhu was still gone.

Then, his waist felt heavy. His sigh turned to a scream.

"Aaaaaaaah!"
 Between this life-or-death moment, he gathered the greatest
of the strength in his body into the snowy mountain that was
his back. He channelled his zhenqi into his arms and brought
them up to press both sides of the dagger.

When the dagger scraped against his palms, a horrible

squeaky sound pierced the air. It was like burning steel roughly
carving someone's foot.

The distance between them was so close, so much so that he

could see the pleased smile hidden in the eyes of his opponent.

There is this thing called "misfortune," and it happened

instantaneously. Fan Xian had reached the most critical point
of the battle, and the biggest hidden sickness in his body was
now unleashed. That is why he released his death scream.

The wild zhenqi was like uncontrollable children, or

ferocious and untameable beasts. For what seemed like no
reason, it leapt about his veins without stability. The zhenqi
gathered up his snowy mountain, as if it were following the
events of the fight, and it now reached the top.
 It exploded.

In this short period of time, Fan Xian felt a surging pain like
he had never experienced before. Every nerve in his body was
set-off like an alarm, as if they were being torn apart, and Fan
Xian was overwhelmed by soul-shattering pain. The zhenqi
inside his body burst out of the veins they ought to have
coursed through, and then it was gone. Its presence could no
longer be felt.

The zhenqi had disappeared and his palm was now depleted
of its power. Out of the silence, a quiet sound was heard. The
dagger that was once unable to strike Fan Xian now did; it
simply, and perhaps even ridiculously, pierced into his chest.

Fan Xian dropped his arms and as if he could not believe it,
watched in bewilderment as a dagger embedded itself in his
chest. As it thrust through, all he could now see was a handle.

Even the elite assassin seemed surprise. He just looked at the

dagger sticking out of Fan Xian's chest and didn't do anything
else.
 A while later, the pain reached Fan Xian's brain. And now he
realised it was a truly deep strike. He was afraid that his life
was to be lost, in the blink of an eye, in a shade-wrapped alley
of this other world.

It wasn't fair. There were still many things he had yet to do.
He had not conceived a child; Dream of the Red Chamber had
not received its 78th chapter; he still hadn't been to the palace
treasury to look at Ye Qingmei's work; he still hadn't taken a
peep at the Holy Temple; and he still hadn't stood in the palace
to inform people of his true identity.

But the greatest thought on his mind took the form of a

question: Why had the blind guy not arrived yet?

"That was unexpected."

Surprisingly, the person who said this, aside from Fan Xian,
who was thinking about Zhou Xingxing in his past life before
his death, was the assassin in front of him, the difference was;
Fan Xian said it because it was unfair, and the assassin said it
because he did not mean to do that.
 The assassin finally let go of his hand which clutched the
dagger. Fan Xian's legs went limp, and he dropped to the
ground.

The most elite Tiger Guards of the Emperor finally arrived in

the alley. They could not arrive in time to join the fight. They
saw a person who looked like an ordinary civilian let go of a
dagger which was inside Fan Xian, then turn into a black
shadow and disappear behind the back wall of the alley.

And Fan Xian, who had been described as really powerful by

the Tiger Guards, was like a man who had become inebriated
and had then passed out on the floor of the alley.

"Go after him!" One Tiger Guard called out.

"Split into two groups and save the wounded first!"

The leader of the Tiger Guard, Gao Da, possessed a

murderous look that was drowned in depression. He kneeled
near Fan Xian, and seeing this young officer who had brought
him along when he was an ambassador for the north, his heart
was overtaken by nerves and worry.

A while later, a voice sounded in the alley.

"I won't die." Fan Xian lay gasping in Gao Da's arms. Seeing
his chest drenched in red, he said, "He did not strike deep
enough. But quickly, I implore that you find me a royal doctor.
Also, go to the manor and ask my sister to bring along my
antidote pills. And please ask the Emperor to bring Fei Jie back
to the palace. My life is important."

After he said this, Fan Xian's eyes closed and he fell

unconscious. Before he fainted, though, he caught sight of a
blurry light. He saw the wall the assassin had managed to jump
over. This strange scene that he saw following his injury, made
him guess the true identity of the assassin. But it was just too
complicated and too scary, scary enough for him to remain
unconscious than think about.
Chapter 307: The Injured in the Palace
The curtain in the carriage wailed in the wind that was
blowing, parting to reveal the green fields the carriage trotted
by. Combined with the long rocky road, it was a timeless
picture flick playing, rewinding and playing again.

In the corner of this picture, there was a black cloth that

waved on. It turned into a black light that consumed the entire
image.

The picture became bright, and the light revealed a scene of

familiar flowers. When the petals unfurled, they opened to
reveal Danzhou's cliffsides. A rough but warm hand reached
down and picked one up.

The flowers on the rooftop of the residence were dried up by

the forces of the sun and seawind. It also flavoured the tea
leaves that they poured water on. The tea leaves and dried
flowers twirled in the water, which darkened into a deep gold
and amber color. Another hand reached out to pick the cup up
and bring it to a pair of lips.
 "Master, drink this new cup of tea that was crafted by Sisi.
This was the first time she entered this place." Dong'er, who he
had not seen in a long time, was bearing a warm smile.

I am not sure why she isn't being a beautiful tofu-merchant

today.

I shake my head and take the tea and set it down on another
surface. I see Wan'er sitting down beside me, nibbling on a
chicken drumstick. Thinking that it is a strange sight, I say,
"That is so oily. How can you eat this? Drink some tea and
clear your throat."

Wan'er did not respond. Instead, my sister who was also

present began laughing. The worry that perpetuated her
eyebrows had disappeared, and it made me pleased to see her.

Wu Zhu, who had a black cloth upon his face coldly said,
"You should go."

"Where?" I asked.
 "Go see the lady."

"Good." I did not have any objection, and with excitement, I

stood up. I walked to the bedside and picked up the luggage
that was on it. There was… a black box. I was unsure why, but
the box was extremely heavy. Despite trying my hardest to pick
it up, I couldn't. Instead, I just made myself all sweaty.

Sweat rolled down Fan Xian's forehead, in his state of blurred

consciousness. It dropped onto the pillow. He was drowsy and
and his eyelids were only partially open. As if his mind was not
all there, he stared at the painting on the ceiling. He knew that
he was in a strange room that he had not been in before.
Feeling chilled by this revelation, he spoke.

"Is it… over again?"

 If dying meant he would have go through all this once again,
he would have preferred to remain dead. To go through that
world, tirelessly working to improve and survive against the
odds that were put against him felt pointless. So much emotion
had been spent, and he did not want to let go. And to remember
it when he left.

Fan Xian's vision was scattered and strained, but after a

while, it adjusted to the light of the room. He was like a baby,
learning how to focus. He was finally able to see who was next
to him, clearly. Wan'er's eyes were swollen and looked to have
been burnt out by tears. Pulling the corner of the bedsheets,
Fan Xian bit his teeth and did not say anything. It looked like
he was still alive, and still in the world that contained the Qing
Kingdom. He was just unaware of where he was lying in,
exactly.

He found it difficult to lower his head. He felt a great pain in

his chest and he knew that the wound he had sustained had not
mended yet. There were several Eunuchs around the room who
looked kind and thoughtful. They did, however, look
frightened as well; as if they were searching for something.
They were so busy and sad. At the door, a group of old men had
gathered. They wore the clothing of the royal doctors, and
they were talking to a middle-aged man in a solemn way.
 "Emperor, there is nothing we can do."

The middle-aged man angrily responded, "If you cannot save

him, then you die with him!"

Fan Xian was still hovering above a plane of consciousness,

viewing this scene. He felt compelled to laugh, but the corners
of his lips could not react to the commands of his mind.

His heart thought that this was a familiar sentence. The

Emperor would only become made when Fan Xian was dying.
He didn't seem to be a very kind person. When contemplating
the scene, however, he had hoped that it was his father in the
Emperor's stead.

He wanted to reach out his hand and touch Wan'er's, but he

lacked the strength to even do that. His entire body was in
pain, and all strength had been exhausted. He forced himself to
focus and use his mind, but his brain began to buzz, and he
passed out again.
 While Fan Xian still had the time to play tricks on the
Emperor and comfort his wife, the entire city was in chaos.

The Emperor was almost assassinated.

This was an event that could not be hidden from the rest of
the world, and it showed. By dusk, everyone was talking about
it. But the Emperor had emerged unscathed, and this brought
relief and comfort to the worried populace. Not long later,
word had spread of the Overwatch's Council's commissioner,
Fan Xian, who bravely defended the Emperor through the
strength of his loyalty. He prevented the would-be kingslayers
from killing the Emperor. And despite a sickness that plagued
him, he exerted all the strength he had in chasing the assassin
all the way back into the capital on foot. Overwhelmed with
fatigue, he was injured by the enemy and collapsed. No one
knew whether or not he would survive.

Fan Xian's reputation in the Qing Kingdom had always been

good, so when this news was heard, many civilians delivered
food to show the sincerity of their worry. Long queues of
people had lined up near the temples, so each person could
light a lantern and offer a prayer for his ability to pull through.
 In the southern streets, the Fan Manor lit no lantern, and
darkness veiled it. With bated breath, the people waited for
further news with great fervor. After Fan Xian was injured, the
Tiger Guard brought him to the palace. After the Emperor
returned to the capital, he kept the heavily wounded Fan Xian
there and had the royal doctors tend to him for every hour of
the day. In regards to how the Emperor responded, the Fan
Manor believed his behavior reasonable. Fan Xian's wife and
sister had stayed there to be with him, but no news was yet to
be heard. The rumors spoke of how he had suffered a severe
stab wound, and whether or not the doctors could fix him was
still up in the air.

Beyond the expectations of all, the Ministry of Personnel's

Minister Fan Jing did not enter the palace. He had simply
remained in his study room with a dim face. No one could
surmise what thoughts occupied his mind.

When something big like this occurred, Chen Pingping would

not remain where he was to watch pretty girls dance. He made
a hasty return in his wheelchair to the Overwatch Council and
immediately began the investigation into the assassination.
They took custody of the young eunuch who was captured,
and the body of the ninth-ranked elite.
 King Jing went to the palace, while Princess Roujia remained
crying in her bedroom.

Swathes of women must have been crying across the capital

this night.

The second prince closed his manor's doors tight. He forbid

anyone from trying to obtain information. He knew that his
situation was quite precarious right now, for this had been an
eventful autumn. All these inappropriate actions could very
well bring him disaster.

The eldest prince was guarding outside the Guang Xin palace
where Fan Xian resided, being mended. He walked back and
forth ceaselessly.
 Yi Gui Pin was leading the third prince, and stood in front of
the Guang Xin palace. Today, Fan Xian had saved the third
prince's life. It was not due to the relation Yi Gui Pin shared
with the Fan Manor. As a woman in the palace, she knew what
the Emperor was experiencing after this event and how she
should behave in his presence.

The Empress did not come. The prince of the eastern palace
came to the Guang Xin palace, pretending that he cared, to
comfort Wan'er and Ruoruo a little. Before he returned to the
eastern palace, he also asked that the Emperor tend to himself.

It was whispered that the Empress Dowager also learned of

what happened, but that she only sent Eunuch Hong to take a
look. As an old woman, however, she used incense sticks in the
Han Guang palace to pray.

For the news that Fan Xian was heavily injured and had
almost been killed, it made everyone in the Qing Kingdom
display a reaction most true. It may have looked rather
ridiculous, but it was kind of cute.

…
 …

Guang Xin palace was where the eldest princess once lived. It
was also the first place Fan Xian had received the privilege of
staying during the nighttime. He had never slept in the palace
before, and this is why he was confused and did not know
where he was when he woke up.

Although Fan Xian was heavily injured in service of the

Emperor, allowing a chancellor to remain in the palace and be
tended to by royal doctors was not a very appropriate thing to
be done. It was fortunate that he still possessed the identity of
the eldest princess' son-in-law.

The doors of the Guang Xin palace creaked open. The

Emperor had a stern look on his face as he walked through. He
looked towards Fan Ruoruo, who was still crying, and his
eyebrows drooped into tired depression. Eunuch Yao, with a
shaky voice, said, "My Lord, you should rest. Fan Xian has
these royal doctors to take care of him; he will be fine."

The Emperor's eyes flashed coldly. He replied, "Pah! They are

but useless!"
 "My Lord, I want to take a look." Fan Ruoruo tried to keep her
mind composed, and she bowed before the Emperor. "But… the
royal doctor will not let me inside."

"Hm?" The Emperor furrowed his eyebrows and asked,

"Why?" He noticed that by this lady's foot rested an ordinary-
looking box.

Fan Ruoruo bit her lips and said, "My big brother hasn't
woken up. But the Tiger Guards had me bring some antidotes
that he himself always used. Before he slipped into his coma, I
can only suppose he would have known and accepted their
usage. I just don't think the doctors are willing to believe my
words."

The Emperor was standing on the staircase in silence. The

royal doctors had their own programme to follow in the
tending of the wounded. For them to refuse Fan Ruoruo's
medicine was nothing out of the ordinary, but the Emperor
right now was different from those in the past. He now seemed
to realize that out of all the sons he had, it was the one inside
that room that impressed him the most. It was he who
selflessly thrust himself into this position in a bid to secure the
Emperor's safety.
 In the floating temple, within those desperate moments, if
Fan Xian had not elected to save the Emperor, he would
undoubtedly continue to give him the cold shoulder. But
because of this act, perhaps this was Fan Xian finally being
given the opportunity to prove his loyalty to the Emperor. And
being an Emperor meant you always had to doubt the faith and
service of others.

The problem was, Fan Xian chose to save the third prince
first.

If they wanted to investigate this deeply, the Imperial

Censorate could use this minor detail to impeach Fan Xian for
neglecting to prioritise the safety of the Emperor first and
foremost. On behalf of the Emperor himself, and how he
viewed the situation, he was not like the rest. He could see
from this initial act that beyond his strong facade, Fan Xian
possessed a kind and compassionate heart within. Just like
that woman, back in the day.

The funny thing was, at that moment, Fan Xian did not think
of things the way the Emperor was believing them to be. The
Emperor did not know the real truth.
 When he learnt that Fan Xian was heavily injured and had
almost died, that of his, one that had not been moved for
several years began to vibrate with emotion once more. He
even started to doubt whether or not he had oppressed Fan
Xian too much in recent times. Doubting himself, he found
himself feeling an un unreasonable jealousy towards Fan Jing.
It was an envy he could not allow anyone else to know of. Such
a smart and excellent young man.

How could it be his son, he would ask himself.

To judge his own sons, the eldest one was too straight. The
second son was too fake and the third was too small. And in
regards to the crown prince? The Emperor laughed coldly in
his heart, thinking if that little bastard was aware that the
Emperor saw him step on the wine cup deliberately.

And so, the Emperor chose to keep Fan Xian in the palace.
First and foremost, he wanted to save Fan Xian's life, yes, but it
was spurred by the negative emotions he mulled in his mind -
and his envy. Fan Jing, who grew up with him, perhaps he
knew his heart really well. So, when his own son was heavily
injured, he did not enter the palace. He just quietly stayed in
the Fan Manor's study room.
 The Emperor ordered one of the royal doctors to exit the
room. The doctor, with a bitter face, said, "My Lord, the
bleeding on the outside has stopped, but the knife has
punctured Mister Fan's organs."

The Emperor lifted his open, agape jaw, and introduced Fan
Ruoruo. He said, "Why don't you allow Miss Fan to enter?"

The royal doctor was still firm in his resolve to defend his
stature and routine. He frowned and responded, "I do not know
what the ingredients of those pills are, and the assassin's sword
was coated with a poison. A poison that I cannot analyze and
whose origins I thus cannot determine! I could not allow the
patient to accept this medication blindly. I am afraid…"

"Afraid, my ass." King Jing, who was sitting on a chair below

the steps, was now running up them. There was a noise.

Pah!

He slapped the royal doctor's cheek and yelled, "I have given
you two hours! Even if you cannot save him, at least wake the
boy up. With his medical skills, he could fix himself. He's
better than you wretched old men."

The royal doctor had just been slapped. He was feeling dizzy,
humiliated and angry. Of course, there was nothing he could
say in retaliation. The Emperor desired to tell off King Jing's
inappropriate behavior, but hearing these few words, his heart
jumped to believe that perhaps his actions were reasonable. Fei
Jie was not in the capital anymore. Besides him, no one was
better than Fan Xian when it came to the elimination of toxins
and poison. He furrowed his eyebrows and said, "I do not care
what it takes, just find a way to wake Fan Xian up."

After he said this, the Emperor realized Fan Xian was a total
genius. If he wasn't worrying for the safety of the Emperor and
the prince's inhalation of toxic smoke by throwing down the
antidote bag upon the ground, he was only afraid that even if
he was poisoned by the assassin's sword, things would not be
so grave as they were. He thought of some of Fan Xian's other
great deeds, and his heart could not help but sigh once more.
He was thinking, if this kid's mother was not her… that would
be tremendous.
 He shook his head, and, led by the eunuchs, returned to his
study room.

They got the Emperor's permission, and King Jing led Fan
Ruoruo beyond that palace door. They passed by the guards
and disregarded the plights of the royal doctor as they marched
towards the bed.

Wan'er's eyes were red and swollen, and she did not say
anything. She continued to hold Fan Xian's hand with a dull
expression and looked at his pale face. It seemed as if she did
not realize who had just come up from behind her.

Fan Ruoruo's viewing of this scene made her heart tremble.

But her resolve was strengthened in the belief that it would
take more than this to kill her brother.

"Wake him up." King Jing was no flower gardener today; he

was more like a general at war. He squinted his eyes and said,
"If taking these pills ends up being useless, I will remove one of
your fingers!"
 Fan Ruoruo acted as if she did not hear those words. She took
out a few smaller wooden boxes that varied in size from the big
box she brought in.

King Jing said, "Do you know which ones he should take?"
He had to be cautious with the pills. After all, the royal doctors
weren't stupid, and what they pleaded did make sense. If he
took the wrong pill, who knew what could happen? Maybe Fan
Xian, who was barely alive, would die right away.

Fan Ruoruo nodded and calmly removed light yellow pills

from one box. The pills emitted an extremely spicy fragrance.

She passed the pills to her sister-in-law. Both of the women

were smart, and when Wan'er accepted the pills, she asked no
questions. She put them in her mouth and began chewing. She
took a sip of the warm water provided by the eunuch and
diluted the medicine in her mouth.

The royal doctors who were stood beside them watched the
events with great curiosity, knowing that the two brave ladies
were preparing to give the medicine. There was nothing they
could do to halt it, so one of them approached Fan Xian and
used a wooden tool to open Fan Xian's mouth.

Wan'er lowered her head above Fan Xian and fed him the
medicine.

King Jing, who was quietly watching the whole time,

reached out his hand and padded Fan Xian's chest to rub it
down. When it was consumed, everyone waited nervously.

A while later, Fan Xian's long eyelashes quivered. Although

the eyelids were heavy and visibly tired, they at long last
opened.

"Master Fan woke up!!!"

 Several eunuchs sprung to action and began shouting,
running back into the palace to inform the Emperor. The
interior and exterior of the palace quickly livened up.

After Fan Xian was injured, the first thing he thought of after
waking up was that a lot of people must be disappointed.

Then, he took notice of many familiar faces gathered around

him. They each wore an expression that suggested
nervousness, happiness and shock all combined in one. He
softly said, "Pillow."

Wan'er held her fist and kept her lips shut. She appeared too
nervous to say anything. She grabbed the pillow beneath her
neck, knowing that Fan Xian would like to see his wound, and
so she grabbed another one to help elevate his neck higher.

Ruoruo already brought a bright candle closer, to illuminate

the wound on his chest.

Fan Xian closed his eyes and let the spicy medicine do its
work and course throughout his body to restore the energy
that had escaped him for this entire bed-ridden duration. He
then slowly opened his eyes and took a look at his chest.

The wound was not too deep, and its location was a little
low. It looked like it had struck his chest, but it was just a little
above the stomach. The royal doctors had done a fine job in its
treating and dressing; Fan Xian had no qualm with their work
on the exterior.

But he knew that on his stomach, there would be a stab

wound that was slowly bleeding. The zhenqi inside him had
depleted, and so he could not use it to heal himself. He thought
that if the internal bleeding was not treated promptly, he
would not survive the night. The medical advancements in this
world was not yet high enough, and for internal injuries, there
was little that could be done. He could not fault the royal
doctors for this.

"Wipe it." He used his limited strength to make a short

command.

Fan Ruoruo did not even think twice. She took a cloth that
had been boiled, to wipe off the medicine on his chest. At the
sight of this, the royal doctors were all shocked.

As expected, the wound on his chest was bleeding again.

"Needle." Fan Xian softly spoke this one word. The hand that
could barely be moved was holding his wife's trembling hand.

Fan Ruoruo took out a few long needles. Fan Xian's eyes
looked to his side and met with King Jing. He said to him,
"Tian Tu, Qi Men, Yu Fu, Guan Yuan. Puncture these locations
with the needles, two inches deep."

Using the needles required zhenqi. For the people present, it

seemed as if only King Jing possessed this ability. After Fan
Xian woke up, he had guessed it clearly. Earlier, when King
Jing rubbed his chest as he consumed the medicine, he could
sense that he too possessed a powerful zhenqi, and it was one
that had been practiced and honed for many years. King Jing
was surprised, he never thought he would be of aid in the
medical realm. He followed Fan Xian's instructions and
collected the needles, placing them in the spots Fan Xian had
asked him to.
 The needles pierced the skin, and the bleeding stopped. The
royal doctors around him were speechless and could not
believe their eyes.

"The Third Bureau." Fan Xian was struggling to tell King

Jing.

King Jing immediately understood. The Overwatch Council's

Third Bureau was the most proficient in the formulation of
poisons. He and the Emperor had been too caring, and so they
had forgotten to ask them for their assistance in curing Fan
Xian. So, he quickly ran out of the palace to call for the Third
Bureau's leader and their officers to arrive posthaste and save
Fan Xian.

Unexpectedly, the Third Bureau's people were already

waiting for this call and had gathered up outside the palace.
The leader had even requested entry a few times for the
purpose they were now being summoned for. But tonight, the
palace had been in chaos. The royal guard's leaders had been
vigorously questioned by the Overwatch Council. No one had
dared to inform the Emperor in the leaders' absence, and it was
because of this that no one was granted access.

At this time, King Jing had replaced the Emperor and given
the order. The people of the Overwatch Council were relieved,
and as soon as the gates opened for them, they ran inside
frantically, in the direction of the Guang Xin palace. The Third
Bureau's people had brought with them many things, the
clanking of metal objects accompanying their steps. Fan Xian,
who was lying in bed, heard these sounds, and he compared it
to the sound of jade. It was music to his ears.

The Third Bureau's leader was a student of Fei Jie, and Fan
Xian's classmate as well. He got along with him really well in
the Overwatch Council, and now, to see his junior friend lying
poorly in bed, his face darkened. He walked up to Fan Xian and
placed his fingers on his waist.

Everyone's eyes focused on him, especially the doctors'.

 After a while, the Third Bureau's leader gave a firm nod. He
looked at Fan Xian and said, "The pills you took were excellent,
but the poison that afflicts you is from Dongyi City. Try this
pill from the council."

Fan Xian's heart leapt. He followed his peer's suggestion and

consumed it. It may have been placebo, but he immediately felt
renewed with energy and vigor.

There were three poison-producing masters in this world. Fei

Jie was one and Xiao En was the second. The third was a creep
that resided in Dongyi. Out of the three of them, Fei Jie's
poisons saw the most widespread use. But between them all,
the methodology and ingredients used by each differed greatly.
Like Xiao En for example, who used animal fat and toxic
glands mostly. Fei Jie used plants and trees, something which
Fan Xian followed in his own formulation of poisons. The
poison that coated the assassin's dagger was extracted from
poisonous rocks and minerals such as saltpeter. Their
methodology in the formulation of poison differed greatly, and
as such, the creation of curatives for ailments incurred by such
poisons was difficult. And since this poison's usage wasn't as
widespread, the Overwatch Council rarely stored large
quantities of them.
 Fan Xian knew that someone was using his classmate's name
to send this medicine to the palace to cure him. Because his
classmate was quite simple-minded, and only revelled in the
research of poisons, so he never thought of this.

The poison was fading. All that was left was the internal
bleeding caused by a wounded organ. The royal doctors were
in great admiration of the skills the Overwatch Council
possessed in the curing of these ailments, but they were still
curious how the Third Bureau and Fan Xian planned to fix the
wound on the inside.

"Brother, the tools that you requested the council to craft are
here with me. How do I use them?" The Third Bureau's leader
seemed as if he did not know how to use them, either.

Fan Xian looked at the wound in his lower chest and he

gasped to say, "I need someone who is extremely brave, and
someone who has steady hands."

The Third Bureau's leader frequently dealt with poisonous

crops, and he had viewed many gory scenes over the years as
well; needless to say, he had the courage. And as for a person
who had extremely steady hands, there were many officers in
the Third Bureau who were capable of filling that role.

But Fan Ruoruo bravely stood in front of the bed and said, "I
will do it."
Chapter 308: The Candlelight Surgery
Fan Xian was lying on the bed with a haggard look on his
face. As soon as he heard her words, he rejected her proposal
immediately. This was partially due to the fact that he wasn't
confident in her stitching proficiency, and he didn't want his
soft, gentle and weak sister to see a gaping cavity in his chest
and then actually touch it.

"Wan'er, you should leave." Fan Xian, with a dry voice,

continued by saying, "Bring my little sister, as well."

Wan'er did not say anything. She just shook her head lightly.
Fan Ruoruo, however, insisted by saying, "My hands are the
most steady."

Hearing Lady Fan say something in such confidence,

everyone in the room, the Third Bureau leader included, was
surprised.

Fan Xian looked at her. He saw this lady, who had so far led a
plain and ordinary life, was starting to beam with self-
confidence. His heart jumped, and although his thoughts could
not be guessed, a smile crossed his pale face. "It will be a
disgusting sight to see, and you are my relative. Under
ordinary circumstances, I would not select you for this
operation, but if you are insisting in the way that you are, then
you can stay."

Having said this, Fan Xian's spirits were fatigued once again.
This talk was enough for Wan'er to begin shaking her head
over, continuing to remain speechless.

A silence creeped into the room. The candle illuminated Fan

Xian's cheeks, but the brightness was quite strange. With a
strained laugh, he spoke, "What are you guys waiting for? This
is but a minor surgery."

The Third Bureau had brought with them a box at the

request of Fan Xian. The box and its tools were created by Fei
Jie, but where did he learn to make them? Aside from Fan Xian
himself, nobody knew. But right now, Fan Xian had to be his
own director of surgery. Following his instructions, the people
who stayed in Guang Xin began working busily.
 The palace itself was decorated luxuriously, and it remained
lit by an abundance of candles. The group elected to gather as
many of them together as they could and have their light focus
on the bed to shine upon Fan Xian's chest as best as possible.

The eunuchs were also busy, hurrying to and fro. They

boiled large amounts of water and disinfected their tools as
best they could. To keep the area as sanitary as possible, they
bid everyone in the palace wash their hands. Ruoruo leaned
towards Fan Xian so she could clearly hear and understand the
instructions her brother was to give her, including the caution
she should heed and pitfalls she had to avoid while operating.
There was no doubt that it was the Third Bureau's leader who
was the best anesthetist present. The eunuchs quickly became
the diligent nurses.

The royal doctors, however, had become third-year medical

students as they looked on at the others performing their tasks
ardently. They could do nothing while they watched an
operation procedure unfold, one which resembled surgery
from Fan Xian's prior world.

This is not a gynecological examination. Fan Xian thought

this to himself. He also cancelled his prior idea of having the
doctors removed from the room. And in regards to the
disinfection and eradication of bacteria? Forget it. Their palace
did not possess the ability.

Ding!

The sound of struck metal reverberated throughout the now-

quiet Guang Xin palace. Fan Ruoruo was nervous, but she
nodded to her big brother to gesture that she was ready to
begin.

Lin Wan'er was worried, and she looked back at her sister-in-
law. She took a clump of cotton that was as white as virgin
snow, and used it to wipe the sweat from the Fan Xian's
forehead.

Fan Xian smiled with difficulty. "My lady, you should go wipe
the surgeon's sweat."

The Third Bureau's leader, without thinking, went to feed

Fan Xian anesthesia. When the scent reached his nose, he shut
his lips tight as a demonstration of his refusal to accept it. He
then said, "The strychnos is too strong; I will pass out."

The Third Bureau's leader replied, "what are we supposed to

do if you aren't unconscious? What if you move when you feel
pain?"

Fan Xian did not have the strength of Guan Yu, but right
now, he was the only one who knew how to perform this
surgery. As a result, he did not want to go unconscious and
place his life purely in the hands of his sister. With great
difficulty, he said, "Use chloroform. Just a little bit."

The Third Bureau's leader then quickly remembered this

form of anesthetic. In the springtime, he recommended this
chemical to Fan Xian. He made use of it in the north and in the
south, but the Third Bureau's leader himself rarely did. He
returned to the corner of the room and searched for it. He
found a little brown bottle of the stuff and happily walked
back. He opened the cap and waved it under Fan Xian's nose
gently.
 A sweet fragrance commanded Fan Xian's nose, and it wasn't
a while before the drugs began to kick into effect.

Although his vision did not blur, his view was distorted. He
was beginning to see double. One image he saw depicted his
sister holding pliers as she looked back at him. In another
image, he saw a pretty nurse from a magical place called a
hospital that had treated him many, many years ago.

His mind was stronger than most people in the place. He

immediately knew that he was witnessing an illusion. The real
image and the imaginary image began to slowly combine, not
providing him much time to savor the moment.

"Begin. Quickly!" He squinted his eyes. "If Ruoruo is unable

to see this through, you should take over."

His courage was immense, and it seemed as if he was using

his own life as a way to bolster Ruoruo's confidence. Under the
effect of chloroform, his mind could quite easily fly away from
this makeshift operation room in the palace and forget that the
patient of this operation was none other than himself.
 Fan Xian had used chloroform to deal with Xiao En, Yan
Bingyun and the second prince previously. Today, it was his
turn.

He turned his head to look at Wan'er's pale, snow-white face.

Her eyes looked even more beautiful after being slightly
swollen. He then looked at his little sister, who was staring
into his chest, and all of a sudden, he smiled. He was thinking;
in the future, if he could get his wife and little sister to wear a
pink nurse's uniform and squeeze in a brief peek, it would be a
scene to remember.

When a person is almost unconscious, their truths often

surface.

The people outside of Guang Xin palace waited anxiously.

They already knew that Fan Xian had woken up and had
already wanted to utilise his own methods to remedy his
grievous wounds. The Qing Kingdom's people had long since
gotten used to Fan Xian's surprises; like the 3,000 poems,
tricking Haitang, the spring exam, the First Bureau and soft
tofu. But everyone was concerned with his terrible injuries and
desire to fix himself - could he truly pull himself away from the
clutch of death?
 The Emperor, who was resting in the royal study room, was
apparently extra caring toward this young chancellor. With
news of this development, he quickly embarked a carriage to
return to the Guang Xin palace. He saw everyone who was
quietly gathered outside it. From the room Fan Xian was in, he
could hear the low voices and repeated clunking of metal and
couldn't help but furrow his eyebrows. It reminded him of a
time, many years ago in the northern battlefields, when he
watched a scene unfold in quite a similar way.

"What is it?"

King Jing bowed before the Emperor with a worried

expression. He told him, "The royal doctors could not help, but
the Third Bureau's people had no problem eliminating the
toxins in his body. The wound created by the blade cut too
deep, however."

The Emperor smiled and said, "With the precious items she
left, this should be no large concern."

King Jing looked surprised when he heard this response, but

he stayed quiet and made no reply. He lined up behind the
Emperor, where the anger and sadness in his eyes faded to
blankness.

It was a long while later when the gate of the Guang Xin
palace opened again. Ye Gui Pin cared little for her status, and
so she pulled the third prince to look in the direction of the
palace. She nervously asked, "What is happening?"

All that answered her was the sound of puking.

It was a eunuch who came out, delivering tools from the

palace. He was the first person to have left since the gathering,
and so he became the focus of everyone's attention. But hearing
what Ye Gui Pin asked, he could not answer anything. His face
was pale and discolored, as if he had just experienced
something awful. He held the rail and threw up.
 Eunuch Yao yelled, "You little bastard! How can you throw
up!?" Before he finished yelling, another person came out to
join-in with the hurling eunuch. This person was a royal
doctor.

In this peaceful world, the young eunuchs spend their life

growing up in the palace. They may witness the occasional
lashing, but the sight they had seen tonight was wholly foreign
to them. They had never seen such violence. The red, green
and white colors; what were those? Do those horrible, squishy
mounds of meat truly compose the human body? The Fan's
lady was amazing, with how she fearlessly went to touch it.

The young royal doctor had studied in the medical field for
many years, but he had only ever observed his patients. The
grossest thing he had ever seen was the sight of an infected
tongue or the effects of a sexual disease under one's arms. But
tonight, he saw a person with scissors cutting flesh and needles
to stitch up the exposed what was exposed.

After a while, the royal doctors, who had become students on

this night, all exited the Guang Xin palace in solemn silence.
They did not bear happy expressions. Although most of them
were able to maintain composure, they were each shocked on
the inside.

The Emperor observed their face and knew that Fan Xian was
alright. Still, he had to ask them, "How is everything? Are
things okay?"

The royal doctor who had previously been slapped by King

Jing was the victim of curiosity earlier. Unable to temper his
inquisitiveness, he went inside to observe what was going on
there. Now coming out again to hear the Emperor ask this, his
face was green and red. He shockingly responded, "My Lord, it
is like magic."

King Jing heard these words and could not help but yell at
him. "He asked you about Fan Xian's wellbeing, not your
feelings!"

The royal doctor stood up straight with continued

admiration in his thoughts of the surgery. His beard quivered
and he said, "My Lord, I have been a doctor for a dozen years. I
have heard rumors about this method of opening people up to
fix an issue that plagued them on the inside… and today I saw it
in action. There is no need for you to worry. His organs are all
fixed and he has successfully been stitched up. He is alright. He
lost a lot of blood, however, so he is weak and not currently
conscious."

He did not dare to say that after Fan Xian's surgery, he could
not withstand the fumes of the chloroform that was used and
began blabbering nonsense during the actual surgery. The
things that he had said included crude words used against the
nobles and a subsequent plight to not allow the Emperor to
hear of what he said. It was fortunate that near the surgery
table, there was only him himself, his sister and wife at Fan
Xian's bedside.

At this time, the people outside the Guang Xin palace

continued to mull their desire for Fan Xian to pull through.
When they heard the royal doctor promise the Emperor that he
was going to be fine, everyone felt at ease.

The eldest prince showed a smile of relief and bowed before

the Emperor. He no longer waited outside the palace, and
instead returned to his manor. He did not want others to think
that he cared too greatly for Fan Xian, nor did he want people
to think that he was merely trying to figure out what the
Emperor wanted. He simply did not want Fan Xian to die.
When he heard of his survival, the eldest prince walked back
chicly.

The Emperor waved his hand and signalled for Ye Gui Pin to
bring the third prince, who was already exhausted, back to
their palace. He raised his footsteps to enter the Guang Xin
palace, with King Jing following from behind.

All of a sudden, a royal doctor jumped to bar the passage of

these two people. With a wry smile, he told them, "Before
Master Fan went unconscious, he said it would be best if people
did not enter after the surgery to prevent…"

He furrowed his eyebrows to mull and recall the new word he

had learned today. "...Infection?"

Fan Xian had asked this so that he could enjoy a few quiet
hours to himself. The Emperor and King Jing were quite
shocked. They accepted this, and then the royal doctor, with
an empassioned look on his face, said, "My Lord, I think
Master Fan's medical skills are quite brilliant. He should be
working in the medical field as a royal doctor. He can fix
everyone's sickness in the palace, he can teach students and
cure civilians. His knowledge could be of great benefit to the
kingdom over the next thousand years."

These words were a massive compliment to Fan Xian, and

weren't selfish in the least. But it had been a tense evening. The
Emperor could no longer hold his anger and yelled before King
Jing, "He still didn't wake up yet? Why are you trying to steal
him for yourself? Fan Xian is a smart man; he wouldn't dream
of being caught up in your petty doctor business."

King Jing was no longer mad. Instead, he was laughing and

he mumbled out, "Being a doctor has always been better than
being a patient."

The officers from the Third Bureau now exited, and they
bowed before the Emperor politely. After they received their
compliments of gratitude from the Emperor, they looked
fatigued. They then promptly departed the palace. In Guang
Xin palace, aside from the few eunuchs and maids who were
serving, there was only Fan Xian, Wan'er and Ruoruo left.
 It hurt Lin Wan'er to see Fan Xian in such a position. She
looked at her sister-in-law's pale face and she gently wiped the
sweat that had gathered on her forehead. This is what Fan Xian
had told her to do earlier. Fan Ruoruo's hands were steady
throughout the entire procedure but now, after it was all done,
her hands began to tremble. She knew that she had done an
amazing thing, under the guidance of her big brother. Fan
Xian's life had been saved. Her mind had now drawn a blank,
and her legs became jelly; she almost fell on the floor.

Lin Wan'er was holding her, and she self-mockingly laughed.

She had not yet said a single word, but the smile that she
showed was plain to see. The "chickenheart lady" thought that
everyone around Fan Xian was able to help him to some degree,
but she herself could never do anything except sit and watch as
events unfolded.

"Sister-in-law?" Fan Ruoruo had finally taken notice of

Wan'er's profound silence. She caringly asked, "Are you okay?"

Lin Wan'er had been stared at for half a day by this little girl.
She had no choice but to respond and with a forced, strained
smile she replied, "I'm okay."
 When she said these two words, she mumbled somewhat. Fan
Ruoruo looked at her and realized that Wan'er's lips were
stained with blood. In great shock, she prepared to call for a
doctor.

Wan'er quickly held her mouth, afraid to wake up Fan Xian

who was still under the effects of the chloroform. She spoke
again, but not very clearly. She stuttered to say, "I… am okay…
I just bit my tongue."

Fan Ruoruo froze and immediately understood what was

happening. With warmth in her heart, she respected, loved and
cherished her young sister-in-law more than anything. Earlier,
when she was feeding Fan Xian's medicine, Wan'er did it
rushedly. Her only concern was for Fan Xian, and when she
chewed the medicine, she bit her tongue in the process. She
only cared for the wellbeing of her husband, and because of
this, she did not say anything until now.

The Guang Xin palace's white mantle had already been

removed. It was now late, and the moon shone through the
clouds, illuminating the world in silver. It was not unlike the
mantle in the palace itself, back in the day. The people outside
of the palace began to leave, but many eunuchs - who could
deliver messages - and guards remained. Inside the palace, a
few maids and eunuchs placed their head onto the comforting
embrace of plush chairs to rest before they went to check on
Fan Xian and see if anything had changed. There were a few
maids on their night shift who extinguished candles that did
not need to be lit.

The sisters sat on separate chairs quietly. They observed Fan

Xian, who was in silent slumber under the dim candlelight of
the room. Both of their faces displayed a look of appreciation.

Behind all the walls of the palace, Wu Zhu, who was dressed
in ragged clothing, coldly looked in a certain direction to
confirm the safety of someone who was special to him. Then,
he disappeared into the dark woods.

A few days later, inside the palace, the place was quiet as
usual. But today, the number of guards present had increased.
The most famous patient in the capital was lying on a sofa
talking.

"When can I go home?"

 Fan Xian had a thin blanket draped over him as he lay on the
sofa. Looking out towards the garden and the new berries that
floundered earlier than usual, he thought it may have been
because of his presence there. His face, however, looked
annoyed.

The resources that the palace possessed were abundant.

Swathes of costly medicine was produced here by the royal
doctors, and it kept filling up his belly. With such amenities,
one's well-being could not be hindered that long. And as for the
services provided by the eunuchs and maids, they were
considerably better than the ones in the Fan Manor. Even a
simple view of the garden was considerably greater than any
sight provided by the windows of his home. His wife and sister
had also received permission to stay with him in the palace
everyday, too. With the autumn sunlight shining, the cotton
blanket that covered him and the beautiful women that
accompanied him, it seemed as if there was no difference to
him being in the Fan Manoe - save for the absence of a swing.

But still, he desired to return to Fan Manor, for that was his
true home in the capital.
 After experiencing the first surgery in the Qing Kingdom
palace, because he had been training his body over the course
of the past twenty years, his recovery came swiftly. His chest
had not fully healed yet, but he could still lie down and
comfortably observe the view. He felt that the zhenqi in his
body was beginning to fade, though, and not an ounce of it had
yet returned. His heart was chilled by this concept, and he had
a fear in his heart.

Ruoruo had brewed congee in a bowl and used a spoon to feed

him. Wan'er placed her hand inside his robes and carefully
fixed the location of bag of fabric that was attached to his body.
This was done at Fan Xian's request, in which fabric was used
to dress the wound and then more added to tighten and
maintain pressure on it. This was excellent for healing.

Fan Xian was having trouble swallowing his congee, and so

he complained and said, "Eating congee everyday, my mouth is
growing birds. I want to go home! I'm not requesting the food
from the Bao Yue brothel, but even some juice from Auntie Liu
would be better than this."

Lin Wan'er then said, "You have been awake for two days, and
you are clearly talking a lot more. The Emperor gave you
permission to remain in the palace and heal; what are you
complaining for? And what does it mean for birds to grow in
your mouth?"

Fan Ruoruo did not understand, either. She asked, "What

birds?"

Fan Xian's annoyed expression did not change, and so he

changed the subject by telling them, "I am not afraid of others
whispering rotten words about me; I miss home, that's all."

Now that he was in the palace, he was unable to contact the

Qinian Group. The Emperor had also issued an order to
prevent him from working. Wan'er and Ruoruo had not exited
the palace since their arrival, either. As for the eunuchs and
maids? They were out of the subject. It had been a few days
since the attempted assassination in the floating temple, and he
had yet to learn a single thing. He could not even go and ask
Chen Pinping for information about the shadow. His demeanor
had grown uneasy and unhappy about the situation, but a
foreboding sense of worry and dread is what concerned him the
most.
Chapter 309: The Patient in the Plum
Garden
The plum garden was behind Guang Xin palace. The
environment there was very quiet. By going through Tianxin
Tai, you would arrive at Yin Feng Ge; this was where Fan Xian
was recovering. The Emperor had given him permission to stay
in the palace while he healed, and the people in the palace all
acknowledged that he had performed a great service for the
royal family. But as a male chancellor, it was felt that his
treatment was inappropriate. Fan Xian was well aware of this,
so he just stayed in the plum garden. And in regards to the
visitors who wished to see Fan Xian, he took advantage of the
fact that he was ill as an excuse not to see them.

At this time, there was a noblewoman who looked as happy

as she seemed clumsy. She was walking through Yin Feng Ge,
and the way she appeared seemed to suggest that she was
familiar with the place. She held the hand of a child, and a few
maids of hers trailed behind her.

Fan Xian was surprised; it was who Yi Gui Pin. He did not say
anything. Ever since Fan Xian had stayed at the palace, she had
brought the third prince to sit in that place everyday. At first, it
was because they were relatives, not to mention that Fan Xian
had saved the third prince's life in the Floating Temple. She
wanted to show her appreciation, and Fan Xian was not one to
deny it. However, Fan Xian knew that her intentions weren't
wholly pure and that she had an ulterior motive.

"Auntie, didn't I tell you that you did not have to come? Why
are you even bringing stuff here?" Fan Xian was smiling as he
said this.

In regards to appropriate mannerisms, he should have called

her "lady". But ever since he first entered the palace last year, Yi
Gui Pin had always enjoyed him calling her Auntie. She adored
this sweet nickname, and Fan Xian was willing to oblige her.
Today, the maids behind Yi Gui Pin were carrying a number of
boxes; the contents of which weren't known to Fan Xian.

"It is a soup made from cordyceps." Yi Gui Pin and the two
maids beside Fan Xian bowed. They did not behave like
strangers to each other, and so they immediately presented a
jar of the stuff. Yi Gui Pin then sat down next to Fan Xian and
said, "This is not from the palace. It was formulated in your
manor, and I was asked to deliver it to you."
 Fan Xian made an "oh" sound in response. He then observed
the maids who were pouring out the soup, noticing that one of
them was quite familiar. With laughter he said, "Even Xing'er
has come?"

Xing'er was the maid that guided him through the palace on
his first ever visit to the place. She did not expect that Fan Xian
would still remember her. Hearing his words, she blushed and
with a high-pitched voice replied, "Yes."

This made everyone laugh. Yi Gui Pin, with a grand smile,

then said, "You are badly injured. Even now, you still haven't
forgotten about..."

All of a sudden, she regretted her suggestion. She hastily

ended her sentence, held her mouth and smiled again. She was
not that old, and Yi Gui Pin's personality was beautiful and
pleasant. She was an easy person to get along with. She then
turned to talk with Wan'er, and discuss the house with Ruoruo.
It comforted them to know of how well the Fan Manor was
being kept in their absence.
 The third prince, who sat next to Yi Gui Pin, looked a lot
more honest than he used to. He didn't look as cruel as he did
back in the Bao Yue brothel. He looked down to the ground and
with a face of sadness, remained silent. Only now and again
would he raise his head to take a gander at the patient.

After what happened at the Floating Temple, the anger

towards Fan Xian regarding the events of the Bao Yue brothel
had all dispersed. Aside from his big cousin, it seemed to him
as if no one else valued his life. This included his two brothers
as well. There, they only looked to their father. Had Fan Xian
not been there, he was afraid that his life was to be lost at the
hands of the assassin.

For the eight-year-old kid, it did not matter how mature he

was, he was still at the age that could only judge people
through black and white values. People were either good or
bad. The third prince looked at Fan Xian's pale face. He
thought of Fan Xian covering him from the front in the
Floating Temple, and through his reminiscing, admired Fan
Xian and his courage a great deal. What he was feeling was
could not be measured..
 Wan'er looked at the third prince and asked, "Third Prince,
why are you so quiet today?"

The third prince began laughing, and he said, "oh, nothing

ails me, big sister."

Wan'er was even more confused, and so she said, "it seems as
if you have completely changed."

Yi Gui Pin looked at her son and said, "if it wasn't for Fan
Xian, this child would have lost his life. He was shocked a great
deal, but it's better for him to be an honest boy."

Fan Xian was lying on the sofa. It was an inconvenience for

him to turn his head, so he used the corner of his vision to
observe the women who were chatting. He slowly drank the
soup which had been produced from cordyceps, by Xing'er who
was feeding him. When Xing'er brought back the bowl, she
quickly rubbed his chest with her incredibly soft fingertips.

Fan Xian was surprised. He knew that this maid would not
flirt or tease him, but he also knew that there was something Yi
Gui Pin wished to tell him privately. So, he said, "Wan'er, could
you go take the third prince for a walk in the garden? Ruoruo,
you can accompany them."

They both looked at each other. They also knew that Fan
Xian and Yi Gui Pin had something to discuss, so they stood up
and brought the third prince with them to the garden. As he
went, it looked as if he did not want to leave. They also
brought the maids and eunuchs with them.

Inside Yin Feng Ge, only Fan Xian and Yi Gui Pin remained.
Those two and Xing'er. The reason Xing'er stayed with them,
was because Yi Gui Pin thought it to be inappropriate for the
wife an Emperor to spend time alone with a young male
chancellor.

Fan Xian was having difficulty turning his head, and so he

looked at Xing'er.

Yi Gui Pin smiled and said, "she is just a maid I brought from
my home. Do not worry."
 "Auntie," Fan Xian was bearing a wry smile as he said this,
"What is it? Must you really be this careful? I am heavily
injured and have only been awake for two days."

Yi Gui Pin waved her handkerchief. With a smile, she

responded, "If I did not come seek you out, would you have
sought me out?"

These words were not playful. She calculated Fan Xian's

desire to learn of what had been occuring outside the palace in
his absence. In regards to the assassination in the Floating
Temple, it was a little spooky. And the fear of it happening did
not only concern the people of the palace; even the civilians
were talking about it, and this was quite strange. At the dinner
table, in various restaurants across the capital, people would
repeatedly curse the assassin, all the while trying to guess his
identity. Hundreds of people would provide hundreds of
answers. Yi Gui Pin knew that the Emperor wanted Fan Xian to
recover in peace, so he prevented him from attempting to do
his own research into the matter. Yi Gui Pin, however, had
decided to help him out in this regard.

"Aren't you afraid that the Emperor will punish you?" Fan
Xian looked like he had a smile, yet did not have one.
 "Now is the time." Yi Gui Pin said this straightforwardly,
though corrected herself to laugh somewhat. She then said,
"Aside from you, there is nobody else I can rely upon."

Fan Xian knew exactly what she meant. There were four
wives with kids in the palace. The children that belonged to
the Empress, Ning Cairen and Shu Guifei had already grown up
to possess their own power. And this Yi Gui Pin before him,
although she was a noble who had received support from the
Fan Manor, bore the third prince, who was still too young.

After a time of silence had elapsed between them, he

described to her what transpired in the Floating Temple.

Although she had already heard it once from her son, she was
still brought terror when she heard it here again. Her hands
were tightly holding onto the handkerchief in her possession,
and it seemed as if she feared the prospect of another assassin
hiding in the ranks of the guards of the palace, waiting for his
moment to slay her son.

After she heard this, she angrily stated; "How is it possible

for an assassin to be hidden within the guard!? The guards are
each vouched for and given background checks to ensure a
three-generation-long lineage of association with the palace
before being accepted and put into service."

"I don't think the issue lies in..." Fan Xian now laughed, and
then finished with, "Can I call him the third brother?"

"You are the elder brother, you can call him whatever you
desire."

"I don't think they are intent on harming the third brother
specifically." Fan Xian explained quietly. "Maybe the assassin
would have slain the third brother as well, but it was the
Emperor who was undoubtedly the primary target. You need
not worry over his safety. Although the crown prince is
worried about the power of the family, my and the second
brother's relationship isn't very good. The third brother is still
too young, so there is no need for him to become a target."

Saying these things in the palace was bold, and the person to
speak such words would possess a fair amount of courage.
Although Yin Feng Ge had no spies watching, Yi Gui Pin's face
still warped nervously. She let out an unnatural laugh.
 What she worried about the most was someone wanting to do
harm to her son. But hearing what Fan Xian had just told her,
she did not worry so much. She felt at ease. She then began
reciting to Fan Xian the events that had transpired outside the
palace. Fan Xian had no idea how the investigation was
proceeding, but because Yi Gui Pin's family had spies outside
the palace, she was able to gather a lot of accurate information.
The intel she had gathered was pretty much irrefutable truth.

"Gong Dian has already been captured."

Fan Xian gave a slight "hum", but did not reveal the shock in
his heart. Yi Gui Pin had used the word "capture". That meant
the government had already confirmed his involvement. Still,
it did not come as a surprise. As leader of the royal guard, and
leader of the ordinary guard, he neglected his duties and was
absent during the assassination attempt. Him being gone
meant that, at the very least, his career would be buried so
deep it would never see the sun again.

This is what interested Fan Xian the most; what was this
clumsy leader doing the entire time the assassination was
underway?
 ...

...

"He was in Jingnan, fourteen miles away in Luo Zhou. He

said his presence there was at the adherence of orders given to
him." Yi Gui Pin was talking with a confused look. Even
though she was trying to downplay his crime as she spoke, she
should not have said that he was following orders. If these
words reached the Emperor's ears, it would be a grievous thing
indeed.

"And in regards to what he was doing there, the Overwatch

Council has been investigating for the past two days and have
not found anything out."

Fan Xian took a deep breath and told her, "I know Gong Dian
to be a supremely loyal person, but I did not know that he
could be this stupid."

"Hm?"
 Fan Xian shook his head and sighed. He then said, "If it was
not the Emperor's idea for him to go work in Luo Zhou, then it
must be that person. But the problem is, there was an ongoing
assassination during his absence; how could he make that
person the savior? Even though he was up there, the Emperor
would not admit it. I am only afraid he will die all the quicker."

Yi Gui Pin was still struggling with Fan Xian's forthwithness

and straight-to-the-point mannerisms of speech. With a wry
smile, she responded, "… We should just ignore this matter."

"Correct. We do not have the qualifications to care." Fan Xian

sighed before continuing. "The Ye family is going to suffer
much misfortune. Has the assassin's identity been revealed
yet?"

"The first assassin to fight was that nine-ranked elite who is

dead." Yi Gui Pin's eyes looked frightened as she talked. "People
say it was the assassin of the Xihu King, Zuo Xian, and that he
had already been in the Qing Kingdom for fourteen years,
spying and gathering intel."
 "What does this have to do with Xihu?" Fan Xian asked. "How
could people from Xihu have infiltrated the palace for so long?
How has their presence gone unnoticed for so long?"

"These Hu people are powerful." Yi Gui Pin then took time to

think of a way to organize and articulate how she would best
explain this.

Fan Xian knew that the assassin who was killed by Eunuch
Hong's hands was the heir of the "fake princess". While they
made peace with the Qing Kingdom upon the country's
founding many years ago, he had assumed and maintained his
appearance as a person of this kingdom. That marriage was
extremely famous. Because when Xihu was beaten by the Qing
Kingdom, they sent a collective of peacemakers to the capital.
Their request for peace, however, was rejected.

After that, the team of peacemakers returned to Xihu

dishearteningly. No one would have expected that they left an
elite in the capital, one who had remained in the shadows all
this time, only to take action now.
 "How could he mix in with the palace and become a guard?
Who approved him?"

"The person who did that died a long a time ago." Yi Gui Pin
furrowed her eyebrows and explained, "So, it became an
undecided case. One without resolution."

In his heart, Fan Xian's curiosity was piqued. For this entire
affair, he had finally obtained his first few clues.

Fan Xian said, "That young eunuch is still alive. With how
the Overwatch Council does things, they should be able to
investigate."

Yi Gui Pin nodded in correspondence. She then said, "They

have investigated him quite thoroughly. That little eunuch is
an heir of a sovereign who died amidst some chaos. Many
people died during that time in the capital, about fifteen years
ago. So, that sovereign's manor maid helped him escape. He
had only just been born, you see. Coming from that family, he
was therefore on the list, but he was somehow overlooked…
that maid probably committed suicide. After this, the baby was
raised by a farmer in the countryside. He was later castrated
and brought into the palace."

"How could he conceal the dagger?" Fan Xian thought this

was the real conundrum. A young eunuch like that wouldn't
have been able to arrange something like this.

What Yi Gui Pin was to say next would turn Fan Xian's
thoughts on their head. "For the past three years, he has had
the duty of the brushing the top floor of the Floating Temple.
He was just recently doing it before the flower event, so it is
only natural that he would have hidden it during his time
spent there. The Overwatch Council was already able to
confirm who crafted the blade and when."

Fan Xian furrowed his eyebrows. The young eunuch was the
victim of that bloody night, fifteen years ago. Fan Xian knew of
this bloody night well, too. It was the night that the Emperor,
Chen Pingping and his father avenged his mother's death. Back
then, even the most famous sovereign was killed. No one knew
of the true death toll that was incurred on that one evening in
the capital. Even the Empress' family was killed, leaving her all
alone in the palace. Who could know what was going through
the eunuch's head?
 Xihu and a sovereign… these people really did possess the
correct motivation and courage to try take out the Emperor.
The only perplexing angle concerned why they were
cooperating in this sordid venture.

"Did the Ye family have any reaction?" Fan Xian asked, with
gravity in his tone.

"What reaction could they be expected to have?" Yi Gui Pin

was laughing as she spoke, shaking her head in tandem. "Ye
Zhong sent eight documents in confession. He did not dare
return to Cangzhou, and so he just stays in his manor. Even for
the royal guards he owned, he had them sent to the capital
government for employment there instead. He is being
extremely cautious to see how the Emperor reacted."

"The Emperor?" Fan Xian then began laughing. "Let's see if

this Yeliuyun returns to the capital."

Both of them thought to say something, but all of a sudden,

noise erupted from the direction of the plum garden. The
sounds then subsided, which had them start talking about
something else instead. Fan Xian discussed the Bao Yue
brothel, and apologized for the damage he had done to the Yi
Gong family. Yi Gui Pin had represented the sovereign, and
thanked him for the intimacy. She appreciated Fan Xian's
willingness to teach the kids and end their downward spiral
into wretchedness that would otherwise tarnish the title of
sovereign.

They both had a nice chat before parting.

"What were you two talking about?" Wan'er saw Yi Gui Pin
holding the third prince outside. She was curious and asked,
"This woman has always been quite calm going about the
palace. Why did she look so nervous today?"

Fan Xian laughed and said, "The kids are grown up. As a
mother, how could you expect her to remain the same? Once
we have a baby, you will understand."

Wan'er was shocked. She then thought of her belly, which

had yet to feel any movement. But now that her husband was
injured, there was nowhere further they could take this
discussion. So, she forced a smile and changed the subject. She
said, "How is it going outside the palace? Is it still a mess?"
 Fan Xian wanted to tell Wan'er all of what Yi Gui Pin had told
him. He saw that there was a eunuch and maid not too far
away from them, so he said, "the wind is getting cold. Let us go
inside."

They knew that there were some words that were

inappropriate to speak in front of the servants, and so Wan'er
and Ruoruo nodded. They then told the eunuchs to carry the
sofa.

Back in the room, Fan Xian lay on the bed. He opened his
eyes and observed the ceiling above. No one could guess what
he was thinking. After a while, he spoke. "What do you think
will happen to the Ye family?"

There was no one else in the room, so he did not have to care
about what he may or may not say. In a straightforward
manner, he said, "Gong Dian must have received an order, and
that is why he was in Luozhou. This was most certainly not an
idea of the Emperor. Otherwise, Gong Dian would have said it
was a mistake. And the Emperor would not have been able to
fix this."

His heart shivered. "This move sounds ridiculous, but it is

quite effective. The Empress Dowager secretly asked Gong Dian
to go Luozhou. As leader of the royal guard, he had no choice
but to oblige. At the time this request was accepted, the plot to
assassinate the Emperor had unraveled and was acted out. If he
went on trial, and Gong Dian admitted that it was the Empress
Dowager that gave him the secret order to depart the capital,
that would mean he was telling the world that the Empress
Dowager wanted to kill the Emperor. If Gong Dian didn't want
his entire family killed, he had no choice but to swallow these
words and accept whatever punishment awaited him."

Wan'er and Ruoruo were smart people. They did not think
that the Empress Dowager did this. Wan'er made a sad face and
said, "You mean, Gong Dian's passage to Luo Zhou was
established by my grandmother and the Emperor?"

Fan Xian confirmed.

 Ruoruo frowned sternly and asked, "Why would they do
something like this?"

Fan Xian coldly laughed and responded, "Gong DIan is leader

of the royal guard and he was a classmate of Ye Zhong. If he
was unlucky this time, the Ye family would follow."

Wan'er worried about her good friend Ye Ling'er. She sighed

and professed, "The Ye family has been loyal. Why would the
Emperor want to…?"

Before her words were finished, the implication was

understood. Fan Xian merely sighed and said, "If the Emperor
wasn't doubting the Ye family's loyalty, of course he wouldn't
choose to do this. But he now harbors some suspicion, so they
can only put the Ye family to the side. At the very least, the
important areas of the capital would not allow the brothers to
act as guards. The key point is, the Ye's family had a
grandmaster who only resided in the Qing Kingdom. As long as
Yeliuyun is not dead, there will be no reason to move the Ye
family."
 "So, this is why they used the most embarrassing method to
do this." Fan Xian sighed and continued, "Aren't they afraid of
chilling the chancellor's heart?"

"But why would the Emperor doubt the Ye family?"

"It is simple." Fan Xian explained by saying, "The Emperor

wants the second prince to marry Ye Ling'er. If Ye Zhong could
get the right timing, he could reject the marriage. There would
then be no fear of a cancellation of this marriage. He should
just quit his job being a capital guard as soon as possible,
though not totally retire, mind you. The Emperor would feel
safer if he moved to the border."

"He didn't do any of this. So…"

Wan'er and Ruoruo nodded. Ruoruo couldn't help but say,

"There are lots of twists and turns to this tale."

"When I was in the northern Qi kingdom, I surmised that

there may come a day like this." Fan Xian proceeded to say, "I
just never guessed that the Emperor may take advantage of
such a cheap tactic."

All of a sudden, Wan'er said, "It seems as if this assassination

in the Floating Temple was expected by the Emperor."

Fan Xian looked at her and nodded. He told her, "I just didn't
know that everything was planned. I was just thinking that
perhaps the Emperor only planned the interference of one of
them."

Wan'er looked into his eyes and responded, "The Emperor

never wanted to take big risks. I would say that the fire that
started was the most he would do."

The wife and husband then stared at each other for a long
while, both in silence. They both seemed afraid. If the fire in
the Floating Temple was arranged by the Emperor, then for the
attacks that followed, who set those up?

Fan Xian slowly closed his eyes and said, "The arrangement
for the assassins' assault were too well-done. It was perfect
enough for me not to believe it. This must have been devised
by an organization. Perhaps the collective efforts of many."

"It was just a coincidence." Fan Xian then continued to say, "it
was probably the cloaked assassin of the palace who was hiding
just a few miles away. All of a sudden, there was panic due to
the starting of the fire. This was his opportunity to strike, or so
he thought. So, all the day's events weren't planned and
organized all in one. They just happened to occur at the same
time."

Towards the close of his dialogue, he told himself,

"Obviously, this was something that was not planned and
brought about a great deal of damage. It was beyond the
Emperor's expectations completely."

Inside this gloomy building, which was not a great distance

from the palace, Chen Pinping was sitting in his wheelchair.
He did not say anything, nor did the other seven leaders who
were with him. None of them knew what to say. An
assassination of the Emperor was attempted; aside from the
royal guard, who else might be held responsible for letting this
happen? The Overwatch Council would have to suffer because
of this as well.
 If it was not for the commissioner who was lying in the
palace recovering right now, the entire situation could
undoubtedly be resolved. The Overwatch Council was
currently facing the fate of the Ye family, and they were just
waiting for the palace to punish them. Yan Bingyun, who had
officially become the Fourth Bureau's leader, finally broke the
silence in the room. He coldly spoke out, "The assassin who
was from Xihu who hid within the guard, the young eunuch
from that bloody night fifteen years ago, and the legendary Si
Gujian's brother; these few people are not compatible. They
could not have come together to do what was done. We still
haven't found out who started the fire either. A lot of our intel
points to the northern Qi kingdom's Brocade Guard being in a
bit of a mess. They wouldn't have found the time to arrange
this. Dong Yi City does not seem to have played a hand in this
as well."

The Sixth Bureau's leader coldly said, "Si Gujian's brother is

just a legend. Nobody knows if this person truly exists."

The Second Bureau of the Overwatch Council was in charge

of analyzing details. The leader felt guilty and profoundly
sorrowful. He said, "there is no further intel to relay. This is
my own shortcoming. But I think that to arrange an
assassination like this, some sort of contact must have taken
place. There must be some source to obtain data from, but
there has been none to find. I am guessing that between those
involved with the assassination, there wasn't much contact
between them, if any. I would surmise that the assassins
involved did not actually know each other."

Chen Pingping, who was sitting on a wheelchair, slowly

opened his eyes. He looked at his subordinates with a certain
gloom. He was thinking, Of course you people cannot figure
out that the fire was started by the Emperor. And about that
assassin from Xihu and the brave little eunuch, who knows
where they come from? The Emperor and the old man are not a
real fairy.

"This was a stalemate." The old man yawned. "It was just a
coincidence. There is nothing further to think about."
Chapter 310: A Bolt from the Blue
Please get rid of the notes that detail the Overwatch Council's
rules and open the last page of the organization's references in
book five.

Book five details many of the cases the Overwatch Council

has dealt with over the years. The great cases of the past few
decades are written there, complete with a thorough analysis
of them. They focus on a wide variety of different cases; this
includes how they first began, the progress that was made, the
influences it had on certain sectors and how things ultimately
wound up for each party involved.

In book five, a wide variety of different cases are detailed.

The Overwatch Council made use of their methodology for
gathering information, and with the evidence they gathered
for each case, there was enough to use and draw from that
would allow detailed analysis on many of the great
conspiracies in the world, how they would first begin and the
connection between various parties in-between. Humans are
fond of believing they are more creative than they truly are.
 But there is a certain type of case where people are only able
to find out one or two sides of a story and not be able to explain
everything. These are the five words of that close out book five
on its final page; the five words that Chen Pinping and Fan Xian
are very familiar with:

"A bolt from the blue."

The so-called "bolt from the blue" refers to the sudden

appearance of an unexpected variable in a case. None could not
predict such an occurrence.

Like back in the day when Chen Pingping led riders to battle
from a thousand miles away, deep into the Northern Wei
Kingdom to capture Xiao En, who had gone to his son's
wedding party in secret. The Overwatch Council had already
calculated all the details, even the disastrous price they would
have to pay. But in Xiao En's wedding party, he did not drink
the spiked wine that Fei Jie had produced. The Northern Wei
Kingdom's spy leader was calm and cold, having direct control
of everything that was around him, food and drink included.

But when the Qing Kingdom believed that their plans could
not be followed through, the story took an unexpected twist
none could have foreseen. Xiao En heard the fighting noises
that came from another room, and he became depressed, and
wanted something to drink. The biggest coincidence was that
the general who kept his wine could not control his lust for the
drink and had consumed it all. So, this irresponsible leader
gave the remaining wine that was for the wedding party to
Xiao En.

Because of this, Xiao En was poisoned. Chen Pingping and Fei

Jie succeeded. A long time later, Chen Pingping discovered that
the reason Xiao En became depressed was because his son
was… a victim of something inhumane.

This variable did not exist in the plan, but it influenced

things a great deal.
 Or like twenty years ago, when there was a southern salt
merchant who died quite suddenly following a wedding party.
The Ministry of Punishment was unable to make progress in
this case, and so they handed it over to the Fourth Bureau. No
one expected that after their preliminary investigation there
were fourteen suspects that could have been responsible for the
merchant's death. This included a number of ladies. It seemed
as if everyone wanted that rich merchant death.

But who was the culprit?

It was three years later when a poor old man stole a packet of
biscuits. He was captured by the police and perhaps it was
because he lacked the desire to continue living, confessed to
the murder of the rich salt merchant three years prior. After
they got this intel, the Fourth Bureau were as much shocked as
they were embarrassed by this revelation. They were stumped
as to how the professionals they were had been able to let the
true culprit elude them. They quickly went through with the
old man's trial and were rightfully ashamed as attention was
drawn to their initial inability to capture the thief.

The merchant was a neighbor of the old man, and they had
grown up together. The old man went to Wuzhou to live, and
when he returned to his hometown, he discovered that the salt
merchant was having a wedding party. No one knew what
incited him to do as he did, but he climbed into the garden
where the salt merchant was, alone and in a state of
intoxication. He picked up a rock and promptly smashed his
head in with it.

The Overwatch Council did draw attention to the presence of

marks on the garden wall, but they never assumed an old man
such as that would so riskily climb over and commit a crime in
such a fashion. No servants noticed his presence, either.

Yan Ruohai, who was not the leader of the Fourth Bureau yet,
asked the old man, "I looked over the case, and you were
interrogated alongside the other guests; why were you not
nervous?"

The old man replied by saying, "There was nothing to be

nervous about. The most I can do is give my life in return for
what I did."

This was probably the first time Yan Ruohai had met a
stubborn person such as this, but he still curiously enquired,
"Why did you kill him?"

The old man, with a righteous voice, responded, "When I was

young, he slapped me."

The assassination in the Floating Temple seemed to include a

bolt from the blue.

The Emperor started to doubt the Ye family, and he was also

afraid of the family which possessed a grandmaster. So, he
used an obscene method to try and frame them for a wretched
deed. He used the name of the palace to send Gong Dai away for
plausibility. He even arranged for someone to set fire to the
Floating Temple, and in regards to this, it could only be
assumed that Fan Jing and Chen Pingping knew about it.
 After the fire started, the top floor became a mess. The
assassin of Xihu took advantage of this opportunity to attack,
after having stayed in the palace for over a decade. He could
not hold on any longer, for his days as a spy were long and
grueling. Three years after three years, he never knew when
this would end. At this time, Eunuch Hong was aiding Empress
Dowager in her flight downstairs. He underestimated Fan
Xian's proficiency in combat, and seeing the Emperor who was
only a short distance away from him, began his assault.

When the guards started fighting it provided another window

of opportunity for the white-robed assassin to strike.

When the white-swordsman started to attack, the young

eunuch who was hidden behind the sovereign for a long time,
saw the back of the Emperor was but a single foot ahead of
him. He thought of the handle of the dagger which was hidden
in a wooden pillar, that was only a step away. He believed this
to be an opportunity provided to him by God himself. In light
of this temptation, it was an opportunity for revenge. This
person had resolutely removed his penis; how could he avoid
this chance to take him out?

…
 …

It all began from the fire that the Emperor had arranged to
have started. All the people that had been hidden in the dark
possessed the same thoughts and were drawn out like moths to
a flame. The assassins were brave warriors and although they
had no connection to one another, they struck at the same time
almost in sync. They helped each other to satisfy their own
needs. There was only one thing they had to do and that was
bringing an end to the life of the Emperor. In pursuit of this
goal, they were happy to give up their lives if it meant securing
success in this task.

They came from each direction, but they had the same
purpose. It was because their needs aligned that they co-
operated with each other.

In the deep night that veiled Guang Xin palace, Fan Xian was
lying in bed. He observed the netting that encompassed the
bed, unable to sleep no matter how hard he tried. Ever since he
was injured, he had been in the palace each and every day with
nothing to do, so he slept in the daytime a lot more.
 The candles that lit the palace were quite dim. He stared at
the thin net, seemingly of the desire to make use of the skills of
the Yingmu to tear through it, as if breaking a fallacy in two.

Wan'er was already sleeping. She slept a distance away from

him on this big bed, in fear of accidentally pressing against the
wound on his chest if she moved in her sleep. Fan Xian turned
around to observe her, feeling sorry. He stroked the black hair
that flowed away from the pillow she lay her head on. The
palace was quiet and the eunuchs were also asleep. The maids
that were still on duty were lying on the table, resting. Fan
Xian looked back up to the roof and began talking to himself.

It was a just a slight movement of the lips, with no audible

voice. He was merely asking himself a few questions and
giving himself a summary of the whole story thus far.

"The assassin from Xihu and the hidden eunuch. These were
the people who were able to leave behind evidence. So, the
Overwatch Council's judgement should be okay." His voiceless
lips flapped in the dark. It may seem weird. "What about the
shadow? Except from me, it is likely that no one else knows of
this assassin. This man has lived in the dark for numerous
years. It seemed as if it was the Sixth Bureau's leader, the most
powerful assassin in the Qing Kingdom. Nobody had ever seen
his face before, after all."

His eyebrows contorted in a good-looking way.

"The bolt from the blue; I bet this bolt comes from the
crippled man." He was coldly laughing, facing this empty bed.
He then said, "The Emperor wants to establish a plan to strip
power from the Ye family completely. This is so he can remove
the support for the eldest princess. He probably thinks I am
being too hard on the second prince, too. He has obviously
guessed of what plans I have in store for Xinyang, as well."

Fan Xian mulled this over and then sighed. He did not know
if it was caused by the wound, or if it was caused by the
Emperor's method. He was thinking that the Emperor was a
despicable man.

"Then what are you doing?" He was guessing Chen Pingping's

true purpose. "If I asked you face to face, you would probably
just sit on your chair and give me some casual response that
skirts the issue. 'In the Chen Garden, I told you before. I told
you about the Emperor who only specially cares for you. I will
deal with it."

"The Emperor who cares specifically about me?"

"When things started to change, did you still have time to

arrange for an assassin to make you look like a hero?"

"Could it really be that simple?"

As the Qing Kingdom's first assassin, the Shadow could hide

from Eunuch Hong's ears. But it wasn't a difficult thing to
imagine. It was just that Fan Xian did not believe the reason
the Shadow attacked was simply because he wanted to draw
Fan Xian out in a bid to save the Emperor. So, by becoming
grievously injured in the saving of the Emperor, he could earn
the difficult-to-acquire trust that he desired. The movement
was too broad and it wasn't good enough, nor did it meet the
thoughts of how Chen Pingping perceived the situation.

"Besides, you are not afraid of me knowing that it was the

Shadow who struck are you?" Fan Xian raised his eyebrows and
said, "But let's say if you wanted to kill the Emperor, what
sense would that make? Let's not talk about the loyal dog who
all of a sudden becomes a grand betrayer. Judging from the
power you possess, however, creating the environment that
would allow such a thing to succeed should be no problem. Or
is it that you wanted to test the response of the princes? You
old dog; you are too nosy! The Emperor wasn't all that scared,
anyway."

He kept thinking of his entanglement within this situation,

with no real way out, so he sighed and fell back to sleep. But in
his dreams, he still believed that his mother's dear old friend
would lock his dark thoughts in the deepest recesses of his
heart.

"In this world, there are no true bolts from the blue." Chen
Pingping sat on a wheelchair, facing a person who had his eyes
wrapped up, in the garden. "You know what the fifth book says
about the death of that rich salt merchant. The reason why
that old man who stole the biscuits could kill the salt merchant
was because the guards and the servants in the manor were
bribed by the ladies. They were happy to see someone who was
willing to help them do this."
 "And the reason why the old man would do this wasn't
because of some petty reason like a slap from many years ago."

"The main reason was because the salt merchant stole the old
man's daughter-in-law."

"He wanted revenge, and he wanted it bad."

"And please, do not believe that Yan Ruohai could not figure
this out. You and I both know he was lost in the fifty thousand
coins he had been given by the wives of the salt merchant."

"So, I say," the old crippled man concluded by saying, "there

are no bolts from the blue. Everything was planned and
enacted by the hands and hearts of men. Even though variables
occasionally crop up, they are all under my control. If I could
not control them, the Emperor would be dead by now."

Wu Zhu coldly said, "there is nothing you can control

completely in this world."
 "I admit that the Xihu assassin and the young eunuch's
assistance messed up my plan, but the lucky thing was, there
was nothing prohibiting the safety of the Emperor."

"Judging from what you have told me, I get the feeling that
you are not loyal to the Emperor."

Chen Pingping laughed and said, "I am loyal to the Emperor.

But I don't mind scaring him if it benefits him."

"What real benefit? An heir that is mature enough?" Perhaps

Wu Zhu would only speak this much when opposite Chen
Pingping.

"Plan." Chen Pinping spoke. "Politics is just the progression of

a plan. The Emperor wants to send the Ye family away, but
starting a fire was not enough."

"Do you think the Emperor will believe you, when he learns
the truth?" Wu Zhu coldly said.
 Chen Pingping shook his head and told him, "As long as it
benefits the Emperor, it does not matter if I am trustable or
not."

Wu Zhu thought that Chen Pingping and Fei Jie were old
sickos. He quietly muttered, "Your Emperor was almost just
killed."

Chen Pingping was used to hearing this inappropriate

nickname. It started many years ago, and Wu Zhu would not
refer to the Emperor as most people would.

"The Emperor won't die." The old man said these words with
strength. "I trust him entirely. Do not forget that the Emperor
always has an ace up his sleeve."

"Whether or not the Emperor lives or dies is no concern of

mine." Wu Zhu slumped his head and continued talking. "I
only care about the fact that he was almost killed."

The both of them possessed different opinions.

 Chen Pingping had a wry smile. He knew that Fan Xian had
suffered a terrible injury. He would allow Wu Zhu to turn him
into a killing machine. Although he himself was a fairly evil
and insidious person, facing Wu Zhu, even Chen Pingping's
heart was given a chill. So, he tried to explain, "Fan Xian is
worried about the Emperor doubting him; mostly because of
the rapid ascension of his career. So, I set this up and took
away this concern forever. Of course, I only planned the
beginning of this little tale - I didn't arrange or know what the
ending might be."

He was smiling. It seemed as if he still remembered what the

mistress used to tell him back in the day. The Shadow has quite
the connection with you. He always wants to fight you, but
you never provide him the opportunity. Instead, he ended up
fighting his student, and the opportunity to do so was not
something he was willing to pass by. Of course, if Fan Xian did
not end up chasing him and getting badly wounded in the
process, the gravity of the events that transpired would not be
half as pressing.

Wu Zhu suddenly said, "If you allow the Shadow to return,

give me the chance to fight him."
 This joke almost made Chen Pingping suffocate. He coughed
for a while and then dropped the hand he used to cover his
mouth. He said, "It was just an accident."

Wu Zhu straightly told him, "If it was just an accident then

why did he flee the scene before I had arrived?"

Chen Pingping's face was full of wry smiles. He coughed

many times before he said anything further. "This was my
arrangement. Because I was worried that you wouldn't be
happy if anything happened to him. You know that he is the
only useful person that is close to me. If you killed him, how
am I supposed to continue with my old bones?"

Wu Zhu did not respond. There was only a black cloth

waving in the wind, expressing his disagreement.

"After I die, the Black Shadow will be loyal to him." Chen

Pingping spoke of this reciprocation earnestly.

Wu Zhu slightly tilted his head. It looked as if he was

wondering about whether or not Fan Xian would accept this
"reward". He contemplated this for a while, and he came to the
conclusion that he would. A person like Fan Xian, who had a
lust for power, would be quite interested in procuring the
talents of a ninth-ranked assassin.

He was silent for a while longer before saying, "You came to

the south to find me. You told me there was something
interesting in the capital that was worth showing me. This is
it?"

"Fan Xian said you were just hanging around in the south. I
thought he was lying to me." Chen Pingping continued, by
saying, "I didn't really expect you to be there; this is all just a
mighty coincidence."

Chen Pingping all of sudden moved his body forward and

said, "I prepared a show for you to watch. It's a shame that I
underestimated Fan Xian's power and underestimated how
obscene Fan Jie could be. That old man, he knew that the fire
was arranged by the Emperor, and so he immediately called
upon Fan Xian to help." The old man started laughing like mad.
He did so for a bit and then added, "It's a shame you weren't
there to see it."
 Wu Zhu slowly raised his head and said, "Do you want to kill
Empress Dowager?"

Chen Pingping shook his head. "The Empress Dowager is Fan

Xian's mother-in-law. This whole thing with the lady, although
she has watched all of this unfurl, she has not lent any aid to
the palace. Although she has not actually become involved
with all this, for now, I haven't got enough evidence to say
much of anything."

Wu Zhu shook his head and said, "If either of us are able to
find something in the future, no matter what Fan Xian thinks, I
will do it."

Chen Pingping knew that these three words, I will do it, were
decisive and powerful. But still, he firmly shook his head and
responded, "Wu Zhu, even though you are the most scary
person in the world, do not underestimate a country and the
power of its palace. I am the leader of the Overwatch Council,
so I have to consider what it takes to maintain this country's
stability and ensure that the kingdom stands forever."
 "Do not forget that this is the lady's last wish." He smiled and
said, "So, I should handle the boring matters."

"What were you supposed to show me?"

Chen Pingping suddenly sighed, and his voice became

disheartened. He said, "This play has not yet debuted; let's not
talk about it."

Wu Zhu's reaction was unlike most people, and it seemed his

interest quickly vanished, and he didn't look like he wanted to
ask again. He turned around swiftly and softly, preparing to
return to the darkness.

"This is our first encounter together since you brought the

master to Danzhou." Chen Pingping all of a sudden sighed in
his speech, behind Wu Zhu. He proceeded to say, "It has been
seventeen years. You are leaving already?"

Wu Zhu stopped and said one word. "Goodbye."

 And then, he disappeared into the darkness. Gauging by his
personality and mannerisms, it was quite profound for him to
even say goodbye. At least Chen Pingping was made the
recipient of some extra warmth for his heart.

The old servant from the Chen garden approached and

pushed his wheelchair into a room. Who knew what Chen
Pingping was thinking, but he all of a sudden sighed with
satisfaction. He said, "What do you think? I successfully
convinced the two good guards and a young eunuch to make a
move; am I a powerful person? But I must truly thank the
assassin from Xihu, however. If he had seen Fan Xian go
upstairs, he would have undoubtedly remained hidden and the
entire event would have been quite boring."

The old servant had a wry smile. "You conceive and execute
every plan with perfect precision."

Chen Pingping sighed and said, "I was born to be busy;

cutting the Emperor's nails 24/7. I won't be as perfect as the
Emperor."
 Fan Xian stayed in the palace quite a while, until the land
went cold and snow began to drape the capital. He strongly
requested a return home and the Emperor finally obliged his
desire.

After what happened in the Floating Temple, as long as

people had eyes, they could see through his recovery that the
Emperor held Fan Xian in high regard and loved him far more
than he did before. He was quite mad at what had happened to
him. After all, he used his body as a shield to block the sword
that was going to take his life. Although it was a boot-licking
move, he risked his life for the Emperor's appreciation and
gratitude. Not many people would look at this with engy, but
would certainly feel it.

For the day when Fan Xian exited the palace, everyone
brought him a luxurious gift. Even the Empress provided him
with a gift. The second prince's mother, Imperial Concubine
Shu, gave the most expensive present. There were rumors in
the palace that Ning Cai, Yi Gui Pin and the Fan family were
giving out expensive gifts, and it wasn't surprising. There
would be no lady willing to look down on this entire affair.
 The Empress Dowager gave Fan Xian a bracelet that was
known to keep evil at bay, and it was something that she had
used for over a decade. No lady would forget this.

Fan Xian was reclining in his carriage. Although his wounds

weren't fully healed, he was now able to turn around slightly.
He parted the curtains on the window and used the light from
outside to see more clearly the jewelry he was holding in his
right hand. He squinted and wondered if his mother-in-law had
finally accepted his existence.

On the road, Wan'er and Ruoruo were the most happy.

Staying in the palace for so many days was indeed quite boring,
but the healing of Fan Xian's wounds each day brought them
comfort.

The carriage reached the front gate of Fan Manor and it

parked between two lion statues. They had used a few wooden
boards to transform the stairs into a ramp and the people of the
manor opened the gate as if they were welcoming the Emperor
himself. The carriage drove inside carefully.
 Normally, the carriage could not ride into the manor directly.
But with Fan Xian being as injured as he was, it did so on this
day.

The carriage drove behind the residence. Teng Zijing and a

few others carefully helped Fan Xian disembark. Sisi went to
his side to protect him with great caution. She did not have the
qualifications to enter the palace so she had to worry over his
well-being from home each and every day.

Fan Xian looked at her blushed cheeks and giggled. He turned

around and saw his father and Liu Shi.

He saw his father's eyes possess a look of calm and care and it
made Fan Xian's heart warm. He gently told him, "Father, I am
home."
Chapter 311: The Eldest Prince Has Come
to Visit
The events that had recently transpired never exceeded Fan
Xian's expectations. The Qing Kingdom's grandmaster, who
travelled around the world, had yet to return to the capital.
The Ye family quietly accepted the arrangements that had
them forced away from the capital's defense system, but they
did have some leftover power amongst the lower level officers.
That being said, what they had left wasn't enough to create any
waves. For all intents and purposes, their power and influence
in court was made null.

If Ye Liuyun really did return to the capital after this

happened, the Emperor, who appeared nice on the surface,
would show his most angry and displeased face. Even if their
removal proved detrimental to the overall development of the
Qing Kingdom, he wanted the Ye family out of the picture for
good. For one family that was controlling the important part
of the capital, one person was to marry a prince soon. What
was crucial to remember, however, was that they had a
grandmaster for a shield. If there was any disquiet or
unruliness, it would have to be suppressed quickly.
 In the end, Ye Liuyun did not return to the capital. That
meant the Ye family accepted the state of affairs and
misfortune dealt upon them. The Emperor observed Ye
Liuyun's reputation and the Ye family's loyalty on the whole
throughout all of this, however, he made sure they were not
damaged too badly. Ye Zhong was still staying in Cangzhou,
and the position of baron was still the same, but the reward
was better than before.

The person known as Gong Dian, who was really straight and
really cute, made a big mistake, but the Emperor did not
punish him too harshly; he simply stripped him of his title and
position in the palace, gave him thirty lashes and had him
become a commoner.

What happened to the Ye family was unfair, but for the

future prosperity of the Qing Kingdom, they were willing to
have themselves sacrificed. But between them, they did
appreciate the prospect of being free from the danger and
turmoil of the capital's politics.

The most disappointed person amidst this fall out would

either have been the eldest princess, who was in Xinyang, or
the second prince, who was still imprisoned in his manor.
 "This is ridiculous!" Fan Xian was reading the newspaper Mu
Tie delivered. He could not help but shake his head. The Ye
family backed away from the defense of the capital
temporarily. This is what everyone's attention was dedicated to
in court recently. Quite unsurprisingly, Qin Heng was put in
charge of the defenses for now. And the most important
position, which included being the leader of the royal guard
and chancellor of the royal guard, had now been split into two
separate jobs by the Emperor.

The chancellor of the guard position was empty for now, but
sources from the palace indicated that Eunuch Hong would be
taking it.

The job of being leader of the royal guard had been given to
the eldest prince!

Fan Xian said this development was ridiculous. This was

because it was the Emperor who made this decision. In the
history of this world, it was extremely rare to have the prince
of an emperor become leader of the royal guard. Why? It was
because they were afraid of the ruthless princes making use of
their soldiers to betray and turn on their fathers. But here, the
Emperor had indeed given this job to the eldest prince, and the
eastern palace had the crown prince. What was this Emperor
thinking? The eldest prince's mother, Ning Cai came from
Dongyi City, and if one were to review the rules, it could not be
him no matter the case.

Mu Tie did not dare respond. He reported the recent work he

had been involved with to Fan Xian. He looked at Fan Xian and
noticed how tired he was, so he quickly went away.

"Teacher, please take a break." Si Chanli still referred to Fan

Xian as a teacher, not "Master". He noticed Fan Xian looking a
bit pale and said, "The Emperor authored a decree. It said that
for the next three months, you are not allowed to work in
court. Quite clearly, it was meant to hasten your recovery, but
it is obvious you are not the sort who is willing to listen to
such a thing."

The teacher was loved by the Emperor, and as a student, it

made him proud to be Fan Xian's protege.

Fan Xian shook his head and said, "You are not staying in the
Bao Yue brothel, so why are you running in and out of my
study room each and every day?"
 Si Chanli gave a wry smile and replied, "That place… does
not feel right for me to remain in."

Fan Xian laughed and promptly kicked him out of the room,
asking for him to send Deng Ziyue over as left.

Deng Ziyue entered the study room, and Fan Xian's face
started to look heavy. Fan Xian asked, "Does the Overwatch
Council have any news or judgments to share over the white-
clothed assassin?" He said this in full knowledge that it would
be impossible for him to unearth Chen Pingping's secret right
now, though. In his hands, however, he was in possession of
intel that wasn't all too different. If he did not use this
knowledge to formulate guesses, it would have been a waste.

Deng Ziyue shook his head and said, "Although the Emperor
can yell and reveal a person's identity…" With a wry smile, he
finished, "You should know that the Emperor is not a fighter
anymore. What he said cannot be absolutely correct. Back in
the day, Si Gujian had a brother, but he has been missing for
several years. People believe he was killed while Si Gujian was
attacking Dongyi City, so in the council, this opinion is
cautiously objected."
 Fan Xian froze. He was surprised that the Overwatch Council
had not discovered this trail under Chen Pingping's guidance.
Or was this because Chen Pingping's true motive could not be
guessed? So, he did not do all this work.

"But…" Deng Ziyue spoke again, though his face appeared to

be in distress. "But the Emperor said it was Si Gujian's brother.
We as chancellors shouldn't really object to it, especially since
we don't know whether or not what the Emperor says will
affect the court a few years down the line."

Fan Xian laughed. Everyone knew that the Qing Kingdom

was keen on searching for a fight. Last year, when an
assassination was attempted on Fan Xian on Niulan Road, the
Emperor took advantage of these events to send armies to the
north and conquer a good chunk of land there. So, in these
days, the chancellors were used to the Emperor coming up with
excuses to go and fight. They wouldn't do anything before the
Emperor did.

And in regards to what happened in the Floating Temple,

usually, Fan Xian would go and visit the young eunuch and
examine the assassin's dead body. But he knew how muddy the
waters were there, and so he was still pondering whether or not
he should get himself involved too deeply. There was one other
reason too, and that was the condition of his body. He was
fairly sure that his father and everyone else in the manor
would prohibit him from leaving the manor in his current
state.

He didn't dare to go out, either. This was because Fan Xian

cherished his life. Now that the zhenqi in his body had been
completely drained, he wasn't sure when it was to return.
Aside from being extremely disappointed, he took greater care
and safety in whatever he did.

Of course, Fan Xian wouldn't reveal his true condition to

anyone.

The door in the study room was pushed open, and the guard
outside gave no reaction. Fan Xian was lying on the bed. But
went to take a peep. It was Wan'er and his sister.

Deng Ziyue saw the lady and her sister, whose faces were
really mad, and he quickly understood that he should get
going. He promptly bowed and left quickly. Fan Xian wanted to
tell him to ask Yan Bingyun to come over, but he was already
gone.

"I told you to focus on your recovery, and you aren't!" They
were both really skilled, and while talking, began changing his
bandage and providing him medicine.

Fan Xian gave a wry smile and said, "Perhaps it was because I
wasn't given the right name, but I can never stop being busy."

It wasn't just a case of being busy all the time; ever since Fan
Xian had returned home, the Fan manor had become a lively
place. All day, officers from every little department kept
coming over to provide Fan Xian with their regards. Their
numbers were endless, and so too was the countless amount of
nobles and chancellors from different parties. Day in, day out,
more and more would keep coming to give their blessings and
wish for his recovery . On the street outside the Fan manor, the
black carriage now looked like a cloud, buried in swathes of
gift boxes.

The people who came to the Fan manor often came with
some sort of pricey, exotic medicine. As nice as this was, it
would have been impossible for Fan Xian to consume them all.
Aside from the most expensive medicines of the lot, most was
transferred to the Bao Yue brothel.

Following the assassination attempt in the Floating Temple,

Fan Xian was once again the most famous officer in the Qing
Kingdom. Compared to when he all of a sudden became the
Overwatch Council's commissioner, this time, what he did was
save the Emperor's life. This was a deed that could be respected
by all, and it made the other officers in the capital look at him
in awe.

The officers were not blind or deaf, though. For the duration
of his injury and the days he had spent in the palace, news
from the palace suggested that the Emperor did not sleep at all
in fear of Fan Xian's welfare. This manner of grace had only
been spent on Chen Pingping in the past.

With everyone fawning over the Fan manor, how could

people not feel envious? Jealousy was most certainly prevalent
between the young fighters of the capital, who thought he was
extremely lucky to just be there during the Emperor's time of
need when they weren't even around to help.
 "All these items have earned the family a lot of money." What
Fan Xian said was not in jest; it was serious. During his past
life, if it was just some governor who got sick, the
accumulation of what they received would be in the dozens of
thousands. But here, Fan Xian was a high-ranking officer in the
Qing Kingdom with a corrupt government.

Wan'er started laughing and said, "But you did have to suffer
for it." She was feeding Fan Xian like she was feeding a child.
She was a lady of high birth, but did not mind the behavior of
chancellors.

Fan Xian, who was still recovering, could not be bothered

going to see the officers who came over saying they were here
to treat him. He knew full well they had just come there to lick
his boots. But all these officers held a certain reputation, and it
was Minister Fan who had to suffer with their presence. When
he wasn't working, most of his time was now spent greeting
these endless streams of people.

Fan Ruoruo was mad about this, saying, "These people don't
just come once. Many have frequently returned; can't they stop
to think about how annoying they've been?"
 "All the other officers are fine." Wan'er all of a sudden
thought of something. She gave a look of admiration to Fan
Xian and told him, "The scariest person to come over is that
royal doctor. That man sure has some patience; he has come
over four times! All because you haven't yet seen him. Even the
Emperor had to tell him that Fan Xian was not going to go to
the royal hospital, yet he persists. Earlier, Mister Tang said he
came here again today and went to sit in the study room and
stubbornly refused to leave. Even when your father showed up
to give him a stern you-should-leave-now look, he pretended
not to see it and remained seated."

Wan'er finished by saying, "This guy really is something."

Fan Xian gave a wry smile, but did not say anything. He
really did admire the persistence of that royal doctor of the
Qing Kingdom, though, a man who didn't know when to throw
in the towel. The night he was in the palace, the doctor had no
confidence in Fan Xian's medical skills, but that did not sway
his desire to learn more when he was proven wrong. Whilst
Fan Xian was staying in the Guang Xin palace, he greatly
desired to know more about Fan Xian's wondrous medical skills
and learn all that he could, it was because of this that he
wanted him to come and stay in the royal hospital. At the very
least, he wanted Fan Xian's creepy medical talents to become
sort of a legacy, and his desire for this was so great that he kept
on coming again and again, sometimes refusing to leave. It was
quite shameless and odd, however.

Surgery in the Qing Kingdom's doctors eye was something

truly incredible, almost equivalent to magic. It was the
primitiveness of this world that made surgeries difficult to
perform, and Fan Xian knew that his survival was more or less
through luck.

He slanted his head and looked at his sister, who was tending
to the bandages on his wound. He then thought of some
naughty possibility and quickly shook his head to dismiss the
thought.

It was just the three of them in the study room, and the
atmosphere was just right. But as he was beginning to
appreciate the scene, a knock was heard on the door. At this
sound, Fan Xian furrowed his eyebrows.

"Someone wants to see you!" The servant outside called out.

 Even Wan'er was frowning and snarled back saying, "Didn't
we say we didn't want visitors?"

This guest was one who would have to be greeted. Fan Xian
was full of wry smiles and looked at the eldest prince who
appeared before him, uninvited. Fan Xian said, "Isn't it easier
for you to remain in the palace? You never came to visit me in
the berry gardens, so why have you come to see me today?"

Wan'er opened her mouth and said, "Big Brother, there are
many people visiting the manor at this time. Why have you
come, also?"

The eldest prince had no response; he just looked at her. He

had watched her grow up and she had been married for over a
year; everything she thought of concerned her husband. He
then responded, "Oh, it is nothing important." These two
siblings started arguing with each other once again. The eldest
prince admitted to a loss in a bid to change the subject, and
after he did, he said, "The princess is here as well. She is
talking with Lady Fan right now. Sister, why don't you go join
them?"

The princess that he was referring to was the woman who

came here to marry him, all the way from the Northern Qi
Kingdom. Fan Xian froze for a second. He did not think that
this couple would have established such a relationship already.
In the palace, they frequently went around together. Then, he
remembered what he said on his return to the capital and felt a
little spooked.

Wan'er and Ruoruo, thinking about this exotic foreign

princess, were made extremely curious for they had only heard
of her name and had not yet seen her. They both knew that the
eldest prince obviously had something to speak of with Fan
Xian in private, and so they both took their leave.

The study room had now gone silent. Fan Xian gestured for
the eldest prince to partake in a drink of tea. He then softly
said, "Congratulations."
 Fan Xian was congratulating the eldest prince due to him
accepting the role of leader of the royal guard. The eldest
prince raised his eyebrows, and he seemed relaxed. He said, "Is
this something to be happy about? I was previously the Great
General that conquered battlefields to the west."

Fan Xian laughed and said, "Although it is two levels lower, it

is the royal guard. How can that be compared to some rugged
army battalions fighting on the borderlands?"

The eldest prince looked at him, unsure if the words he spoke

were suggesting something else. After a bit of silence, he said,
"But I don't want to be the leader of the royal guard. I would
rather go to the north and bring Yan Xiaoyi back."

Fan Xian shook his head. He thought that the Emperor had
moved Yan Xiaoyi far away to rob the Ye family of any hope of
doing something. All that he did was hinder the actions of that
crazy woman in Xinyang. If the eldest prince went to the
north, Yan Xiaoyi would be very happy. The Emperor,
however, would be very mad.
 "Please don't tell me you have come over here to visit me, the
wounded patient, to say that your job sucks." He quietly
chuckled to himself and joked, "I could be a therapist."

"It's not just that." The eldest prince stared into his eyes.
Although he didn't understand what "job" meant, he asked, "I
am here to request a favor from you."

He was referring to himself as "I", not "emperor" as he used

to.

Fan Xian realised these changes to his persona, and he felt a

little nervous. It looked as if the eldest prince, whose blood
pumped with the spirit of Dongyi, was seriously asking for his
help.

"Oh no!"

Deep inside Fan Xian's heart, he sighed. He looked at the

eldest prince and said, "My Lord, the leader of the royal guard
has a very important position. The Emperor believes in your
loyalty, and that's why he has arranged this. I am but a mere
chancellor, so how could I possibly object?"

The eldest prince shook his head and said, "Fan Xian, to be
honest, when I first returned to the capital, I thought you were
nothing. When I was in the west, I once heard news of some
legendary poet guy in the capital. Me? I was just a fighter, and I
didn't think much of such things. To the people in court, how
could the fanciful words of a poet be of any use?"

Then, he changed. "But in the few months following my

return, I witnessed you do things that may have seemed harsh,
but were infused with sentiments of true humanity. Your
outlook on things is different; it is special. It all goes to show
how smart you are. Not only did you crush the second prince,
but in regards to what happened at the Floating Temple, it
changed my entire perspective on you."

"When you were in the palace, you were able to fix your

death wound." The eldest prince's face looked tanned. He
continued, "I struggle to fathom whether or not there is
anything in this world that would fase you. So, in regards to
this thing, you have to help me."
 Fan Xian was willing to face every trial he was presented in
the past, but now he was silent. Chen Pingping used to say that
the eldest prince was different from the rest. When he was
young, he always tried to stay away from the politics and
matters of the palace. He also wanted to stay as far removed
from the throne as possible. And now, the Emperor who could
slay without a weapon, wanted to drag him back into the
muddied waters of the palace. It was no wonder why he wanted
to resist.

The eldest prince's powers lay in the army and military men
he often accompanied. He did not have any aides or persons of
confidence that were smart and could deal with the writhing
streams of politics. While Fan Xian knew this, he never
expected the eldest prince would turn to him when he was in
need of one.

Fan Xian was happy to see amidst the royal brothers that
there was at least one who was firm and possessed a righteous
mind. He sympathized with what had been put upon him, but
still, Fan Xian stubbornly shook his head. His response was,
"My Lord, it is not as if I would not dare to. And it is not
because I do not want to. I decline because I literally cannot
help you. I am just a chancellor, and the Overwatch Council
cannot involve themselves with the court and affairs of the
State."
 The eldest prince sighed. He thought his visit here today may
have been pointless and stupid, even a little risky. He did look
around and think of other people he could visit, but there was
no one of Fan Xian's caliber he could go for. He was wondering
if he should have gone to Chen's garden instead.

"The Emperor has made up his mind, and no one can change
that. I don't think you should visit Chen's garden either. But I
am curious why you chose to come see me today. In your eyes,
how can I be viewed as a nice chancellor?" It seemed as if Fan
Xian was able to guess what he was thinking.

The eldest prince slowly drank the cup of tea in his hands.
"Fan Xian, you might be able to hide from the others, but you
cannot hide from me. Do not forget that I was in the Floating
Temple, as well. Judging from your choice to save my little
brother before my father, I can tell that you are someone who
is trustworthy."

Fan Xian went silent. He did not expect that the values of this
world could make the Emperor and the eldest prince place their
trust in Fan Xian that much.
 The eldest prince visited today because he wanted to show
his attitude and opinions to the Overwatch Council as well. He
was also hoping to receive some ardent tips from Fan Xian
himself, too. Still, Fan Xian was remaining relatively quiet. He
didn't want to be too bold, but he did have Wan'er, who was a
firm bridge linking them together. If the situation at court
changed, he did not expect the Overwatch Council would be
able to help him, but if Fan Xian could at least relay to him
some useful information, then that would be enough.

"I have heard that the royal doctor has visited your house a
few times."

The eldest prince all of a sudden changed the subject. The

years he had spent riding horses into battle had made him
inept when it came to the delicate nuance and deliberations of
politics.

Fan Xian was laughing on the inside. He explained, "He

wanted me to become a doctor in the royal hospital, and the
Emperor rejected this. Instead, he now wants me to go tutor
the other doctors there.
 This was supposed to be some idle chit-chat, but the eldest
prince sounded serious in his response. He said, "Fan Xian, I
think you should go to the royal hospital as well. On that
night, I too was outside the Guang Xin palace. I saw the way in
which the doctors looked at you, and I knew from that how
proficient your medical talents are."

He curiously asked, "There are many people wondering about

this, but why would you dare let Miss Fan, of all people,
operate on your belly? The royal doctors described the scene as
if there was a fairy working on you."

Fan Xian gave a wry smile and said, "Do not trust them.
Everyone knows Fei Jie was my teacher. If they started digging
crops in the graveyard when they were four years old, and cut
up corpses in the water, perhaps they would be as talented as I
am."

"Ah, that is why. It seems as if not everything can be

described as natural-born genius." The eldest prince sighed and
said, "Of course, the royal hospital may not be as highly-
ranked or qualified as the Overwatch Council's wards are, but
it is peaceful there. Add to that the simple minds of the royal
doctors. If you did agree to teach others your medical skills,
then it may save many lives further down the line."

He gave Fan Xian a serious look and told him, "Saving people
is better than killing people. Besides, I have always been in the
army, and I know what it's like for the injured and wounded
soldiers to receive decent medical attention."

"Why must I go tutor the doctors?"

"To benefit the world."

"Do the royal doctors see it in that way, too?"

"Yes."

"Ah, you have come here at the behest of the royal doctors to
convince me as well, haven't you? No wonder your quick
change of subject seemed so unnatural." Fan Xian started
laughing.
 Seeing him laugh like this, the face of the eldest prince grew
dim. He said, "Did you think we were just talking crap?"

It was close enough to it. To make Fan Xian leave his position
as commissioner of the Overwatch Council and become a
professor at the royal hospital was quite ludicrous, and no one
believed they would be able to convince him. Yet here, even the
eldest prince was speaking the desire out loud.

Fan Xian stopped laughing due to the hurt in his chest. In

shock, he said, "I wasn't making fun of you. As a matter of fact,
I quite admire that royal doctor."

If they wanted to perform surgeries, there was a high number

of problems they would have to overcome first. The first of
which would be anesthesia, the second would be the
formulation of a quality disinfectant, and thirdly would be the
tools required. This world had not advanced enough to trial
these things. Chloroform was used on Fan Xian. The
disinfection was merely luck combined with Fan Xian's strong
body. If it was an average civilian, they would most likely have
overdosed and died from certain complications. And in regards
to the tools they required, that would be an even bigger
obstacle. It was something Fan Xian and Fei Jie pondered for
years. They used everything the Third Bureau was able to
provide and in the end, only one set was able to be created.

If they could not stop the bleeding, how could they even
suggest the possibility of opening someone up?

Fan Xian used the simplest of words to describe the situation

and problems involved to the eldest prince, and he finally
understood. These medical talents required a lot of knowledge
and a lot of dexterity. Surgery required the one under knife to
be strong, too, battling a variety of knives and drugs. If Fan
Xian hadn't received the training he did, he would have not
have survived.

His mind recalled the time a soldier of his took an arrow and
died during their battles in the west, and he felt remorseful. He
slapped his lap, sighed and asked, "Is there no better way?"

Somehow, in Fan Xian's mind, the steady hands that his sister
possessed all of a sudden appeared. With a comforting tone,
Fan Xian told the eldest prince, "There are a few other basic
things they could learn. In a couple of days I will have Ruoruo
visit the royal hospital to teach the doctors."
 To this, the eldest prince nodded and replied, "Earlier, you
seemed to express a dislike for the term 'for the good of the
people.'" This was what he was wondering in his heart. When
he observed Fan Xian, he thought of him as a chancellor who
would always stick up for the common folk. He thought that
Fan Xian shouldn't reserve his aspirations to accommodate
such desires.

Fan Xian was quiet for a while. Then, all of a sudden, he

quietly said, "There are many different ways in which we can
improve the lives of the commoners, but that does not strictly
adhere to the saving of their lives."

The eldest prince did not understand.

"Just like you. You were in the west for a few years, doing
battle with the Wu people. You killed so many." He laughed and
then said, "But you halted their invasion. Does that not mean
you have aided the common folk?"

For this manner of boot-licking, it did not matter how sordid

the eldest prince's demeanor was - anyone would feel better
after hearing these words that Fan Xian spoke.
 "And in comparison to me, although everyone thinks the
Overwatch Council is some big, scary spy organization, if I can
make it a benefit for the average citizen and work tirelessly for
our works there to benefit the Qing Kingdom and make it
stronger, providing further safety for the civilians… does that
not equate to helping the common folk?"

"Perhaps our purposes align, but our methodologies differ."

Fan Xian was beginning to speak with greater and greater
happiness. He was sounding like his Chinese teacher in his past
life, describing the story of Lu Xun. The person of that tale
gave up his profession as a doctor to become a writer. It was a
story he told with much passion, and Fan Xian had recited it to
others. The only difference being is that he said that it was a
book that Zhuang Mohan had read to him and that it was a
story that dated back to over a thousand years ago.

The eldest prince was frozen, but he said, "The task of saving
people's bodies is not as important as saving their spirits?" He
slapped his lap and continued, "But our Qing Kingdom was not
as weak as the kingdom in that story. Why do we need to teach
words?"
 What he said was true. The Qing Kingdom's culture was
quite pure and quite fresh. It is totally different from the
Qing's years with Lu Xun.

Fan Xian laughed and said, "So, I am not just giving up my

medical talents; I am going to give up my talents with the
spoken and written word. What am I doing, giving up my
medical skills to become a politician? Putting down the pen
and raising a sword in its stead?"

The eldest prince did not agree with his point of view and
said, "But you are a genius; why don't you teach what you have
learnt if it can work to make the world a better place?"

Fan Xian was having difficulties waving his hand, but said, "A
lot of people harbor the desire to change this world, but very
few are willing to change themselves. I thought I should
change who I am first."

A couple of decades ago, there was a woman who wanted to

change this world. Then she died. These were the footsteps he
was afraid to follow. This was because he was selfish and did
not want to die.
 Amidst their talks, noises came from outside the window.
They were jovial noises.

The eldest prince looked at him and smiled. He told him, "It
looks like the decree for your reward has finally arrived."

Fan Xian self-mockingly laughed but did not say anything. In

his clear eyes, he secretly worried about the condition of his
body and that was it. He had little concern for the world at
large.
Chapter 312: Reward and Conversation
It was Eunuch Yao who came to Fan manor. The noise of
three firecrackers exploding greeted his arrival, and the people
of the manor were busy scrambling about to establish the
incense table. They fell into the routine of this event as
everyone went to the lobby. The eldest prince and the northern
Qi kingdom's princess thought it was inappropriate for them to
remain, and so they left. The royal doctor, however,
stubbornly stayed inside the study room.

Having a decree arrive at the manor was a big thing. Even

Fan Xian was forced out of his bedroom. During his time in the
palace, he did not have to get up and receive messages, for he
was still in recovery, and the Emperor had ordered everyone to
wait on him hand and foot.

He heard Eunuch Yao's voice yelling, and it only just dawned

on him how much the Emperor was truly rewarding him. He
had not finished reading through the list, and he didn't care
much for the actual rewards, however, so he wasn't paying too
much attention to what was being called out. Instead, he
thought the eunuch's voice was effective at hypnotizing people.
He was lying on the warm sofa with his eyelids half-shut,
falling asleep.
 Minister Fan quietly coughed and used his eyes to remind
Wan'er. When she took notice, she gently rubbed Fan Xian's
hand to rouse him back into consciousness. His eyes softly
opened to a reception of 500 stacks of cloth, how much land he
was to get, how much gold and silver he would be given; it was
the usual, nothing out of the ordinary.

The Fan family lacked everything except money, and this was
something that was widely known. So, the Emperor did not
gift them with too much money, for it was unnecessary. They
brought back Fan Xian's title of baron and they raised Fan
Jing's baron rank, and for this, they both shared the same
honor.

After the decree was announced, the people in the lobby

began leaving. Then Eunuch Yao began speaking out the secret
decree that was also given to them by the Emperor.

The secret decree wasn't very secret, but the announcements

inside weren't appropriate for accompanying the other decrees.

Fan Xian felt totally awake at the revelation of a second

decree. He heard the Emperor was giving him seven tiger
guards, and this at last made him think that perhaps the
Emperor wasn't all that stingy after all. In joy of this news, he
ended up missing the next two announcements.

Nowadays, it was his safety he was most concerned about.

Next year, he was going to Jiangnan, and who knew if he
would be able to receive his zhenqi back before then? Wu Zhu
did not seem to care too much about his well-being, so it was
better to rely on himself.

Outside in the yard, Fan Xian saw the seven tiger guards who
he was familiar with. Their leader was Gao Da. These were the
tiger guards who accompanied him on his mission to the
Northern Qi Kingdom as an ambassador. He considered them
friends, and now the Emperor had given them the task of
protecting Fan Xian, something they were very much willing to
do. Staying with Fan Xian was better for them than remaining
cloaked in the shadow of the Emperor. Add to that Fan Xian's
own skill, and they wouldn't have to be as alert and tread on
eggshells as they did whenever they accompanied the Emperor.

Gao Da was leading the Tiger Guards, who were bearing

longswords, and they all kneeled and spoke to Fan Xian in
unison. "Greetings, Mister Fan the Commissioner."

Fan Xian coughed twice and said, "Stand up. We are friends,
though my life is in your hands."

The Tiger Guards thought Fan Xian was just joking, and so
they were unsure how to reply. Instead, they all just laughed in
response. They had no clue that Fan Xian was speaking the
truth. Having seven tigers by his side, even if Haitang went
crazy and desired to kill him, Fan Xian would not be afraid.

"You guys should go and meet my father first." Fan Xian

looked at Gao Da and gently said, "You may not have had to
follow me these days, though you will now. Since you will be
with me a lot, it is best that you don't avoid getting to know my
father too."
 Gao Da nodded. In his heart, he really appreciated Fan Xian's
idea, and he was looking forward to enter the front yard and
meet his boss' father.

"Silk pillows, wine, clothes and a collection of instruments."

Fan Xian was in his room. It was only now that he decided to
properly read the list of rewards. He looked at his wife with a
wry smile and said, "Although I used to be a conductor, I never
knew how to play this thing."

"It's just the way of the palace." Wan'er explained.

Seeing Fan Xian's tired face, she did not say the reward list
included some toiletry items. Right now, the back of the yard
was full of hustle and bustle. Teng Zijing was outside the
manor, arranging and assorting the swathes of gifts between
people and where they should put them. More of his people
were in the storerooms, arranging their storage neatly as could
be. There were also a number of important items they were
planning to present to Fan Xian, so he could tell them what
they should do with them.
 Seeing Teng Zijing running and sweating on this cold day,
Fan Xian could not help but sigh and say, "Is this a reward or
punishment?"

Teng Zijing's wife opened her eyes wide, smiled and said,
"The storing of these gifts is like the threading of a needle; we
cannot afford to be imprecise. This is truly a blessing from the
palace. No family in the capital's history has ever earned such a
reward. You have boosted our reputation by quite a bit."

"It's not as if I can accept the reward as I could food." Fan

Xian self-mockingly said.

"If I was given the option, I would remove the existence of

this reputation malarky completely." Wan'er almost said this at
the exact same time as Fan Xian. This couple did not think
fondly of the rewards they were given. Wan'er was simply
worried that her uncle the Emperor had a more sinister motive
to these swathes of gifts, thinking that the more her husband
received, the more Fan Xian would attempt to defend him.

"The Emperor is quite stingy." Fan Xian laughed and said,

"When they reported how much we got, I was listening. The
monetary sum was pitiful."

Wan'er laughed and said, "You really care about that? It was a
gesture more than anything. The inventory he provided had
some thought behind it, and he probably did so to prove how
much he cares for you and appreciate what you did."

"Why would I not care?" Fan Xian raised his eyebrows and
proceeded to say, "Our family relies on a chain of bookstores to
get by. It is quite embarrassing having to go to the residence
and ask my father for a handout. He is an old man, and he does
have a lot of money; but I am not entitled to it. His wealth does
not mean I can rely on him all my life."

What he said was pretty simple, and Wan'er seemed to

understand. She smiled, and acknowledged that there weren't
many plainfolk in the room. She quietly told Fan Xian, "Don't
you own a brothel? I heard that your brothel can earn a couple
thousand coins in a single month."

Fan Xian was laughing, and he said, "That is Si Chanli's

brothel! Don't get me involved."
 Lin Wan'er gave a bilabial trill. She said, "You are directly in
front of me and you still lie through your teeth. Don't you get
tired of spouting lies?"

"I am going to do it 24/7; it would be a tremendous thing if I

could develop the talent of lying to myself and getting myself
to believe what I lie about."

"Why did my big brother come and see you earlier?" Wan'er's
eyes were wide with curiosity.

Fan Xian thought about what to say, and then told her, "He
said he does not want to be leader of the Royal Guard, and
asked there was something I could do about it."

Wan'er frowned her eyebrows to say, "Judging from my

brother's personality, it comes as no surprise that he does not
wish to remain in the palace."

Fan Xian coldly laughed and said, "Who at all would like to
remain in the capital? It was just that the Emperor did not feel
content with his son, who was a powerful warrior, out and
about away from home."

What he said was really rude and mean. It gave Wan'er a

chill, and so she said, "You speak so carelessly these days."

"I only speak like this in front of you." Fan Xian sighed and
continued, "I am actually willing to help the eldest prince, but
I am just an officer. I don't really have any authority in this
regard. I don't really know what's going with the eldest prince
himself. Quite bravely, he told me everything straight-up."

"Maybe Big Brother thought that it was because of me that

you would not bring him harm." Wan'er had a wry smile as she
said this, "He thinks of things quite simply, and has done so
since he was young."

"The water is too deep in this swamp of a capital. I could

swim for half a day and not reach the bottom." Fan Xian
furrowed his eyebrows. He then said, "In the spring, I will be
going to Jiangnan. We should both go there. We should stay
there for as long as we can, so we can truly relax."
 "But I really don't know when. The officers gave you the job
of investigating the palace treasury as a way of getting you to
do nothing." With a serious look of concerned analysis, Wan'er
said, "If it was a real job, as a commissioner, I do not think you
can bring your family. And if that job had to keep you there for
a long time, then maybe I could come with you."

Fan Xian shook his head and said, "I don't care what
arrangements they make; I am bringing you with me anyway."

"Then that is unreasonable." Wan'er laughed, though her

heart was touched by the sweetness. She understood her and
her husband's status. If they were to break the rules, who
would say anything against them? She just did not know
whether or not the lady in the palace would agree in letting her
go to Jiangnan. Her body had been weak ever since she was
young. The furthest she had travelled was Cangshan, a place
she stayed at for a winter. Hearing Fan Xian say this today, it
seemed as if she could really go visit Jiangnan, a place
everyone said was truly beautiful.

"Don't do anything out of line." Wan'er then thought of

something all of a sudden. She looked right at Fan Xian and
said, "Although the Emperor issued a secret decree, granting
you ownership of these Tiger Guards, someone else in the
capital is bound to know. Having them here was given to you
for a good reason; you are heavily injured. But the Tiger
Guard's identity are different, and they are sure to stand out
around you."

Fan Xian touched his jaw, which had a spiky beard on it. He
laughed and proclaimed, "Do not worry! The Emperor is smart.
The reason they sent Tiger Guards here was for them to protect
you, being the princess you are."

Outside the door, someone knocked. Fan Xian was annoyed,

and shook his head. He wasn't annoyed at the prospect of
someone disturbing them; it was because since he lost his
zhenqi, he wasn't as sensitive to his surrounding environment
anymore. He did not hear footsteps approach the door as he
once did.
 Fan Ruoruo was leading a royal doctor into the house. The
royal doctor noticed Wan'er was in there as well, and so he
quickly bowed before her. Then he turned around.

The Qing Kingdom was not like the Northern Qi Kingdom.

There weren't as many rules for appropriate behavior amongst
men and women here, and besides, this doctor was old enough
to be her grandfather. That primitive movement he performed
had everyone in the house laughing.

"Father said that if you are feeling well, you should speak to
the royal doctor." Fan Ruoruo wore a wry smile when she said
this as she looked at Fan Xian.

Fan Xian's heart was chilled, knowing that his father was a
shameless man. He could not stand the constant pestering of
the royal doctors, so he pushed the matters onto his poor son
so that he could handle them. But Fan Xian had already made a
decision concerning the royal doctor's request. He smiled and
looked at the doctor, then told him, "Old Mister, I know why
you have come."
 The royal doctor was going to say something, but Fan Xian
quickly interrupted him by saying, "But now that I am like
this, it is impossible for me to teach others." He looked upon
the old man's angry face and said, "But… I will stay in the
manor, dictate content, and have it written down. The
parchments will be sent to you."

The royal doctor stroked his long beard, thinking that that
was a fine compromise. He let out an audible "hmm" and
proceeded to say, "But this is a medical matter. This stuff must
be taught first-hand, and simply reading this stuff is not
appropriate."

Fan Xian took two deep breaths and then said, "Once this
book is written and given out, should you have problems with
its contents, I will have Ruoruo go over and explain."

The royal doctor heard this and looked shocked, saying,

"How can you allow Miss Fan do such a thing?" When the
operation was underway, he was there watching the procedure.
He saw Ruoruo perform the surgery, yet here he was doubting
her talent.
 "Ruoruo does not know much; so I will have to teach her
myself." Fan Xian sighed and said, "I think that it was the eldest
prince who convinced me. We can't let this develop too deeply,
but there must be some boon or benefit to be learnt from
sharing this with you doctors."

Fan Xian smiled again and said, "And my teacher will return
soon. I will have him, as an old man, go to the royal doctor and
teach more. His skills are considerably greater than Ruoruo's."

The royal doctor was overjoyed at this news, but he looked

worried and asked, "Master Fei…? I asked him quite a few
times back in the day, but he never came. I could never make it
work with him."

"I will go and ask the Emperor; do not worry about it." Fan
Xian was comforting the old man as if he were comforting a
child. A smile formed on his face.

When the royal doctor was satisfied, he left. Fan Ruoruo then
looked shocked, and she said, "Big Brother, I don't anything!
That night, I was just doing what you told me."
 "There is nothing I can do." Fan Xian had a wry smile and
said, "I will show you how to disinfect at high temperatures. I
will teach you about isolation, contagions and infections. I
will select these easier subjects to have written down and
taught to you. Anything else, and I will wait for the return of
my teacher. You can learn from him too

Fan Ruoruo was shocked, and her she soon had a very bright
smile on her face. She nodded gleefully.

Fan Xian did not expect this reaction. He did not think his
sister would agree with him so quickly, and because of this, he
had no words to respond with.

"Big Brother, you said that being a human, you should find
what you love to do most and then keep doing it." Fan Ruoruo
lowered her head and sighed. She then said, "That night,
although I did not do much, seeing my big brother's vitality
restored, I realized that the saving of others is something that
would bring me so much joy. So, although you did not arrange
this today, I was planning to ask you to teach me about these
medical skills anyway."
 Fan Xian opened his mouth wide, as if to say something. He
thought that it was because of his reckless decision that a
female doctor was about to exist. He did not even know if Fei
Jie would take Ruoruo as a female student and turn her into
either Hua Bianque or Fenghua.

No, it could not be Hua Bianque; that female monster. It

should be like Fenghua, that sort of beautiful mother of an
Emperor. Fan Xian saw his sister was incredibly happy, and
seeing that warm face of hers, he comforted himself by saying,
it is not too bad to have Daichokon in the Qing Kingdom.

It was the nighttime.

Sisi was resetting the bed, and as she did so, she positioned
the heater to face it. She exited the house with Siqi, who had
brought water with her. The wife and husband quietly lay on
the bed, watching the candles outside dim. Not a word was
spoken, and all was silent.

"You can't sleep?"

"Yes. It is because I sleep too much, resting through half of

the day. What about you? Why can you not sleep? I remember
in Cangshan, you would sleep like a cat each and every night."

"Talking about cats, I wonder how Xiao Huang, Xiao Bai and
Xiao Hei are doing."

"Mister Tang brought them to the farm. It was your idea;

since when did you begin missing them?" Fan Xian opened his
eyes and laughed after he said this.

Wan'er was mumbling to say, "You told me that having a cat

while I am pregnant would be no good."
 Fan Xian froze. He had a wry smile and did not say anything.
Fan Xian spoke to himself, saying, I don't think it would be
very nice for me to tell her I actually just hate cats a lot. Young
or old, seeing the evil faces of cats just makes me mad.

"My dear, am I useless?" Wan'er turned over, breathing on

Fan Xian's face.

"I am itchy; help me scratch the itch." Fan Xian signalled for
his wife his desire for her to scratch his face. Curiously, he
asked, "Why would you ask me this?"

Wan'er helped him scratch beneath his ear. He lifted her lips
in the dark and replied, "People around me, it seems as if they
each have a talent; they can help you in various ways. Sizhe
knows how to do business, Ruoruo is now learning about the
medical profession, but she was a smart woman in the capital
before this anyway. Yan Bingyun helps you with the Overwatch
Council, and that Haitang in the north…"

Fan Xian coughed twice, so hard it almost broke the wound

in his chest.
 Wan'er was rubbing the spot slightly above his wound and
continued, "That is a strange woman. But she is still
determined in keeping her country safe. As for me, I have been
weak of body ever since I was young. The people in the palace
spoilt me all my life. Because of this, I don't know how to do
much of anything. I am not very smart, and I cannot fight."

Fan Xian knew exactly what she meant. He remained quiet

for a while, and when he responded, he said, "Wan'er, there is
something I have wanted to tell you."

"Yes?"

"Being in this world, it is not about whether usefulness is

good and uselessness is bad." He softly proceeded, "These
characters we play, it is not as if we were willing and
selectively chose who we were to become. Like me, I wanted to
become a rich and lazy person in the beginning. And Yan
Bingyun? He has wanted to become leader of the spies his
entire life. The situation between him and Miss Zheng is not
something we can't see."
 "And to me, you are very special." Fan Xian's lips were
smiling, but his eyes did not look for his wife. "You grew up in
the palace, and that place is a very dirty, dangerous place, full
of evil. Yet that did not change who you are. You are like a
healthy, blooming flower that has grown freely. I am the lucky
man who picked it. This is a rare thing, too."

Wan'er listened to his sweet talk intently, and she felt love in
what was spoken. Still, the sadness didn't completely leave her,
and so she said, "But still…"

Fan Xian stopped her from continuing to talk. "And you are
really smart. Even my little brother couldn't beat you in
mahjong."

Both of them started laughing.

"Besides, I actually know what you are really good at." Fan
Xian was quiet for a bit, but then he seriously told her, "In
regards to the situations at court, you are better than me. And
what you say is always accurate, and quite shocking. After the
spring exam, if it wasn't for you in the palace, I do not believe I
would be a free man right now. I believe that if you were going
to plan a strategy for me, your abilities would not be worse
than Yan Bingyun. But…"

Wan'er opened her bright eyes, and they looked really calm.
"But what?"

"But I don't want that. I don't want you to get involved with
my sordid businesses. What I'm involved in is too dirty, and I
don't you to go anywhere near it. You are my wife, and I am
responsible for providing you a relaxed and happy life, not
bringing you trouble or sadness."

"I am a chauvinist," he said in conclusion, "at least in regards

to these things."

…
 A while later, Wan'er sighed. In the sound you could hear
satisfaction and comfort. She quietly said, "After all, I am of
the royal family. In the future, there will be certain things you
should not hear about, although I know you trust me, but it is
as you said: these things are dirty. It is something difficult to
avoid, in the relationship between a husband and wife. I do not
want you to doubt me in the future, so I would rather you did
not tell me anything."

The marriage between her and Fan Xian was willed by the
desire of the Emperor. Its composure was due to the politics
that could arise between its conception, but it was greatly
fortuitous that the two got along and loved each other as
dearly as they did. Compared to the average politically
motivated marriage, this was far more steady.

But before the politics, it did not really matter how close
couples were; many tragic marriages took place due to their
adherence of bureaucracy. Since the eldest princess was her
mother, what Wan'er said wasn't just her being hypocritical.
And she wasn't withdrawing, she was just deeply concerned for
Fan Xian.
 "Do not think too much." Fan Xian was calm when he said
this in a very solid manner. "If you live your life without being
able to trust the person you are closest to, why even remain in
such a state?"

What he desired to say was, if he had the chance to be reborn

and he always had to be on guard with whomever he would
spend that next life with, he would rather not be reborn at all.

In the capital, the first of the snow arrived. The gentle,

pioneering snowflake reached the ground and dissolved into
nothing. Those that followed were unable to stack up, but it
was a start. In the residence, it was both humid and cold.
Fortunately, the Qing Kingdom was in one of its strongest
years. The resources they had were bountiful, and even the
average citizens did not lack the necessities to stay warm both
in and out of their home. You could see from afar where the
civilians lived, as steam would incessantly arrive from the
eaves of their homes. It seemed as if everyone had a heater in
their home to keep them warm.

There was an ordinary looking carriage writhing its way

around the capital. It finally arrived at the detached garden
before the yard. The day was cold, so there weren't many
people occupying the streets. It was quiet out, and no one
could see who dismounted that carriage.

Deng Ziyue carefully put Fan Xian in his wheelchair, and

slowly pushed him to the yard.

Fan Xian was wearing a thick winter coat. The collar

extended to cover his whole neck, maintaining his warmth. He
brought his hands to his mouth and blew at them to keep them
warm. He was looking at the young people who were being
commanded by Su Wenmao to log firewood.

This young man looked quite familiar. His upper body wasn't
clothed, and on this cold winter day, he was chopping wood
with no reprieve. He did not look cold at all.

"Is that Si Lili's little brother?" Fan Xian squinted to get a

good look at that young man, and it seemed as if he was trying
to spy traces of the shadow of that northern lady and his
heritage.
 Deng Ziyue quietly said, "Mmhm. When you gave us the
command, and Chen Pingping made the order, we removed
him from jail. Lady Si went to the Northern Qi Kingdom's
palace, and his identity became a rather awkward affair. We
weren't sure of what to do with him, so, following your
instructions, we brought him here."

Fan Xian nodded. This little yard was his sole private place.
Aside from him and the Qinian Unit, only Chen Pingping
knew. It was a safe zone for him. The reason why he did not
care about his wound and came here was because the Emperor
granted him a few Tiger Guards. With them being here,
keeping Fan Xian safe, he still had the sneaking suspicion that
a couple from the outfit were merely here to keep tabs on him
on the Emperor's behalf.

He was thinking it would be difficult to come here easily in

the future, so he came here even when it was snowing.

"That Mister Si is a crazy man. He ran all the way to the Qing
Kingdom from the Northern Qi Kingdom for his big sister. It
will be difficult to ensure that he wouldn't one day flee the
yard." Fan Xian held a fist in front of his mouth and gently
coughed. He said, "Watch him. If there's any funny business,
just kill him."

Deng Ziyue emotionlessly agreed. He was pushing Fan Xian,

and the wheelchair rolled across the frosty slush.

The officers from the Overwatch Council exited the house to

welcome him. Seeing the commissioner there, sitting in a
wheelchair, they were each brought a chill. For a moment,
their eyes were disillusioned with the terrible thought of the
Qing Kingdom receiving its second Chen Pingping.
Chapter 313: Love Letter
There weren't many residences along Shenzheng Road in the
capital, and there were even fewer people occupying them. The
priority task was to deliver Fan Xian's messages and receive the
details from Wang Qinian in the north. Si Lili's brother and the
others were living in these houses, and they kept a study room
for Fan Xian when he desired to do business here. It was
because of this that they did not warm and light a fire very
often.

They knew that the commissioner was on his way there that
day, which is why now they started a fire to warm it up. Still, it
had been cold for a long time, and the fire was unable to get rid
of the chill. Fan Xian sat on a wheelchair as he came into that
pocket of cold, blowing his hands. He had a wry smile and
said, "Are you people too cheap to maintain a fire? Is the
council that poor?"

Deng Ziyue was heating up a plate of ink on a stove, and he

called for a subordinate to bring over hot water to thaw the
quill, which had frosted over. Hearing what Fan Xian said, he
gave a wry smile and said, "Master, you are quite busy these
days, and you are still injured, which is why I didn't make
preparations for your arrival today."
 He had been busy for quite some time. He held up his hand to
support his head and watched Deng Ziyue as he whisked the
ink, using warm water to heat the plate, and as if he were
grinding a stone against a whetstone, he was finally able to get
some ink running.

Fan Xian nodded his head in satisfaction. His new favorite

subordinate's talent was almost as good as that of the royal
doctors. He dipped the end of his writing quill into the ink and
took to writing upon the snow-white paper…

Damn.

The ink was frozen again.

"What is this crap weather?" Fan Xian was furious. He threw

his quill on the floor like a burnt incense stick and yelled,
"Why is it not as cold as this back home!?"

Deng Ziyue felt a draught of chilling wind course through the

house. With care, he told Fan Xian, "The manor's heater is
much better. When we bought this house in the beginning,
there was no heater here at all. Even the stone frame was not
warm yet."

"I am not even sleeping here." Fan Xian looked annoyed. He

continued, "You and Wang Qinian are both so cheap. Back in
the day I gave Wang Qinian one thousand coins and he only
spent one hundred and twenty coins to buy this broken piece of
crap house. Do you want me to freeze to death?"

Deng Ziyue felt pity toward with his previous leader who was
far away in the northern Qi Kingdom, for being spoken ill of by
the commissioner every day. He nicely explained the location
chosen by saying, "This place is quiet."

"It's not called quiet." Fan Xian looked at him with wild eyes
and said, "This is called cheap. If there were any other
chancellors from the capital who saw this place, they'd assume
we were from some useless no-name department."

There were a few important letters he had to write out today,

so he didn't care about the issue much longer. He went back to
trying his hardest to write with the solidified ink, but he
couldn't get it to flow. After a while he gave up, and so he
smacked the table and said, "give me a biro!"

Deng Ziyue spent what almost felt like half the day bringing
out a pen from his tight clothing. While he passed it to Fan
Xian, he looked at Fan Xian with troubled eyes and spoke,
"This pen is expensive. People say even the palace treasury does
not have many of these left. Please, use it with great care."

Fan Xian snatched it out of his hands with little concern and
gave Deng Ziyue a look of disdain. He was thinking that it was
just a pencil; why he is he being so stingy? He should just go
visit a lead mine in Jiangnan and more of these pencils could
be produced with ease. If they did that, Fan Xian would get the
palace treasury to gift them with two crates of the things. One
crate would provide a lifetime supply of pencils, so that one
could write freely until their death, the others you could use to
play on the street with.

The pencil skated across the snow-white parchment. It was

like a the gentle skiing of a woman on an ice rink. Only
seldomly would it leave marks on this sheet of ice.

Deng Ziyue knew that he was writing a private letter, so he

made sure to take a step back. In this cold study room, only
Fan Xian remained - pencil in hand. His mouth was producing
steam that dispersed on the paper, making for a chilling sight.

The letters were spooky as well. Although it was a secret

letter for the Overwatch Council, what was written was
something quite important. A pencil was used, however, and
that meant the words could be quite easily removed. This
concerned Fan Xian, so he decided to use words that were a bit
more abstract and advanced. He also made sure to use the
council's secret codes and terminology when it came to writing
down times.

The letter was to be sent to Wang Qinian. What was written

concerned the Cui family. Because the family had been
persecuted by the capital, they were helping the second prince
and Xinyang generate coin. They smuggled a lot of contraband
into the Northern Qi Kingdom, but the paths there were not
well-established, and the reduced speed of delivery led to a bit
of a backlog.
 The items that were left along the paths and what was
contained in the northern warehouse was roughly worth 15-
20% of the entire Qing Kingdom's income.

With an operation of this scale and worth, you could tell that
the eldest princess was extremely daring, and with her past ties
to the palace treasury, she was a corruptive force of nature.

It took a few months for Fan Xian and Yan Bingyun to

establish this situation. They had been hammering the second
prince and hindering the Cui family to create these problems.
The time they had been waiting for was now upon them. He
wanted to completely eradicate them, leaving them no faint
chance of them ever coming back.

In his letter to Wang Qinian, the last line read: "It is time for
supper."

…
 Fan Xian remained in his wheelchair. He slightly moved his
head as he touched the area above his wound on his chest. The
area was wrapped up in bandages and it was beginning to itch.
After he finished writing the letter, his hands were near frozen.
He suddenly started to miss his time in Danzhou. Sisi had been
helping him copy books everyday, and when his hands began to
feel cold, she would lift them to her chest to warm them up.
Her breasts were so soft and nice to touch.

His heart jumped, and so he picked up his pen and started

writing again. This second letter was addressed to Haitang.
When he started writing this letter, however, his heart felt at
ease. The words came quick and easy, and the dialogue was
casual and almost quite crass.

Ever since he returned from the northern Qi kingdom, his

communication with Haitang rarely stopped. He had greatly
enjoyed the to-and-from letter-exchange with his newfound
pen pal in the north. They were, after all, two prominent
figures of their respective kingdoms. To maintain a healthy
channel of contact was a healthy thing to do, and it was
something that could be built upon in the future.
 In the letter that he now wrote, he spoke of the recent events
that had transpired in the Qing Kingdom; this included the
events at the Floating Temple. News of the attempted
assassination had spread around the world by now, and the
Northern Qi Kingdom had heard of it as well. But he was the
person who was directly involved with what occurred, and so
his insight provided a greater, more vivid and lively insight
into the affair.

After that, there was something else hidden in the words. It

stated his resolve and readiness to strike at the Cui family. He
wanted to inform her so she could relay the news to the wimpy
emperor of that kingdom so an effort of cooperation could be
formed between them. At the end of the letter, he wrote a poem
as proof that he was as talented as ever.

"I come here to reap my reward, my slaving trials are not of

proliferous glory. The ancient ones are those who did good, but
I fear their frozen bones sink beneath the soil of our tattered
yards.

The old friends of court will long for me, as their pompous
rags drag, and their waistbands wail for an escape. Rumours
speak of a colder north; how do they live there?"
 These were the words of Si Ma Guang; the poem "Kuhan
Xing". Fan Xian felt cocky when reading it, and he rubbed his
chilled hands. He thought that the poem he had just written
out was too perfect. The words written were each filled with
compassion. He was only afraid how long it would take for
Haitang to think about and understand the meaning behind
them. It was no problem for him, however, as he enjoyed
giving ladies a brainstorm.

He made sure nothing was missing or left out, and he put it

in an envelope and then sealed it with glue. All of a sudden his
heart jumped. He was overcome with a feeling of
dissatisfaction. He looked at the envelope and then thought of
the woman it was for, the woman that looked like a plain
country girl. He thought he was just facing an old friend, and
then he fell into silent contemplation.

After, he took out another sheet of white paper and began

writing once more.

"Duo Duo, how are you? That letter earlier was merely for
business, this is just for small talk. Today, the capital received
its first day of snow of the fifth year of the Qing Kingdom's
calendar. It came earlier than usual , but I bet the snow in
Shangjing has come in a far greater volume and that it is much
colder there in response. On that day when I saw your crop
garden, near the fence, a few berries had accumulated on a
branch. I wonder if they have grown big and juicy yet, ready to
paint the plain white colour of the snow around it."

"And how about the ducks you raised? You should be careful
and not let them freeze to death. It is a common occurrence
where I live. The yellow, white and black ducks often live
outside of the farms of the capital. I hear that the people feed
these three big fat cats as if they were a holy figure. There
should be no problem raising them."

"My life has been good, personally. I eat and sleep. I wake up
and then I eat. It is quite around in the household, and these
past few days, my sister has been busy in the doctor's office. I
heard that such a thing was quite rare in the capital. Wan'er
returned to the Lin Manor today and my cute uncle hasn't
received much attention lately, which has led to an upsetting
of his temperament. I wonder what you're up to right now?"

Fan Xian wrote down his thoughts in a carefree manner, as if

he were engaged in idle chit-chat with Haitang directly.
 "And yes, my student named Shi opened a brothel. Business
there has been very good. The food there is incredible; it's
delicious! Perhaps someday, when you visit the Qing Kingdom,
I will take you there. Ooh, I all of a sudden remembered that I
have forgotten the name of the restaurant in Shangjing. I still
recall how fine the alcohol was there. I think I spouted a lot of
nonsense in your direction the last time we were there, but I'm
not entirely sure how much you remember."

"By the way, I read the letter you sent me numerous times. It
has given me an eyesore. You are a powerful woman; do not
and try to learn the ways of scholars and include poems in your
letters. Although I have earned the title of "Poem Fairy", I am
not interested in correcting them."

"In your previous letter, you did mention how good Si Lili
has been. I am not interested in talking about that subject
anymore, however. I despise what happened and I have no idea
why but I am given a headache whenever I receive news about
her from you."

"Duo Duo, come to the Qing Kingdom and play. My wife is

curious about you, and I would like to ask you something. Can
you teach outsiders the Tian Yidao? I am really interested in
the way you train."

This may seem like an ordinary question, but in Fan Xian's

heart, it was an obscene one. It was one that was full of evil.

"The snow outside the window has started to thicken. The

young man outside the house is still chopping wood, and it
always surprises me how much energy the young men have. I
am young too, but I have no idea why I feel so old. Seeing
people around me, and observing the things that go on, it is
difficult for me to generate excitement. Everything seems so
boring… The blizzard outside is really strong. Perhaps it is
hurrying me to end this letter. I suppose this is the end. The
heater in this room is too crappy, and it has become a futile
effort to try and raise the temperature in here. Although I
would like to talk more, it is impossible to go against the plight
of the weather. But there is one more thing; please take care of
him. Thank you. I wish you all the best."

The letter looked ordinary, but there was a lot of useful intel
to be gathered and learnt. He read the letter again and added a
single sentence at the end of it. "Wang Qinian, if you are
peeping again, I will make Wu Tie's cousin go and peep on your
daughter while she showers."

-----

"Why is there more than one?" Deng Ziyue's eyes were

widened as he looked upon Fan Xian. He counted the letters in
his hand and asked, "You are sending two to Haitang?"

"Why are you asking so many questions?" Fan Xian rebutted.

"Follow the old rules and just have it sent all the way to
Shangjing."

Deng Ziyue nodded and promptly left the house. He handed

over the few letters that were sealed over to the members of the
Qinian Group, who were already waiting outside in the
snowfall. They counted the letters in-hand and asked the same
question Deng Ziyue did. "Why are there two letters?"

Deng Ziyue looked at the subordinate and his lips twitched

twice. He took a deep, cold breath and replied, "Why are you
asking so many questions?"
 They both looked at each other and then nodded before going
their separate ways. They were thinking: Commissioner Fan is
using the supreme postal service to send a love letter? That is
far too luxurious.

-----

Fan Xian remained seated in his wheelchair, and he went out

into the garden of Shenzheng Road. He mounted his carriage
and went towards Lin Manor, ready to bring Wan'er and Da
Bao back home. In the carriage, he suddenly asked, "Being a
teacher of the Imperial College, is there anything strange about
having this job? I am long gone from the Supreme Court. Why
am I being brought up to become a Commandant of Justice?"

Deng Ziyue resolved to explain his second question first. He

told Fan Xian, "There are two Commandants of Justice.
Commandant of Justice Ren is the leader, whereas you would
become the vice-Commandant of Justice. But this is just a
made-up position, it is not as if you would have to show up
everyday. The Imperial College's academicians are in charge of
seven departments in there, and these two positions are above
fourth rank." He reminded Fan Xian, "Master, although you
took over the Commissioner's position and you cannot be a
politician of the courts anymore, the court did not send a
message to say you have been removed from those two
positions. And this time, the Emperor has ordered you to
accept these two made-up positions. This shows that he cares
for you deeply; I don't think there are any ulterior motives to
discern from this."

Fan Xian shook his head. These two positions were the last
things the Emperor mentioned in his decree. In the beginning,
Fan Xian did not take them seriously, and he felt something
odd regarding the declaration. The Emperor was a deep-
thinker, and Fan Xian didn't believe he would not use his
authority willy-nilly.

"These two positions… is there anything special about them?"

Fan Xian furrowed his eyebrows as he attempted to articulate
his words with care.

Deng Ziyue spent some time in thought before responding.

He said, "The Commandant of Justice is a common position
and nothing all too special. It's just for taking care of issues of
lesser importance to the Supreme Court; but it does allow easy
access to the palace. Academics of the Imperial College, on the
other hand, have become a rare sight in recent years. After a
few new policies were introduced, the position was a little
messed up."

All of a sudden he slapped his lap and happily proclaimed, "I

remember! In the past, the academics of the Imperial College
were given permission to enter the palace and educate the
princes there. The academics are assistants of the tutors."

Fan Xian froze and opened his mouth wide without saying a
word. He finally understood why the Emperor had put him in
these two positions. A Commandant of Justice of the Supreme
Court plus the position of an academic of the Imperial College
meant that Fan Xian was to become a teacher of the princes.

Basically, it meant that he was in charge of teaching the third

prince.

He thought of this a little more and in frightened shock,

yelled, "I don't have the time to go to the palace every day! Am I
not supposed to go to Jiangnan? How could he arrange such
wretched positions for me?"
 The neighing of horses could be heard. It seemed as if the
carriage was brought to a stop by the sound of Fan Xian's
yelling. He lifted the curtains and took notice of a few guards
being led by eunuchs to block their passage of the carriage.

Eunuch Yao saw Fan Xian inside the carriage. He was

freezing, and his eyelashes were frosted. With a shaky,
trembling tone he said, "Master, would you be so kind as to
follow me? The Emperor desires your presence in the palace."
Chapter 314: A Garden Tour with Unease
(1)
Eunuch Yao went to Fan Manor first today, but found nobody
there, wondering where this commissioner could go with such
wounds still on him. Even the minister had no idea, and he
couldn't find that special Mrs. Fan either, leaving him nobody
to ask.

Eunuch Yao felt quite anxious, as His Majesty was still

waiting in the palace. Learning that Mrs. Fan had gone back to
Lin Manor, he rushed there with the royal guards. On the way
there, they occasionally came across a carriage, but would
have nearly missed it were it not for a sharp-eyed guard who
recognized one entourage of Fan Xian.

Seeing Eunuch Yao breathing heavily, Fan Xian sighed, "Why

summon me now while I am on my way to pick up Mrs. Fan?"

Eunuch Yao was astonished at his indifference, since he

never knew anybody who didn't respond seriously and actively
to a summons from His Majesty. In view of the long-
established good relationship with the Fan Manor, instead of
scolding, Eunuch Yao only urged him: "His majesty had given
the decree long ago. I fear he would be quite unhappy if you
were late meeting him."

"Of course we will go," said Fan Xian unpleasantly. Unwilling

to see the old eunuch stand in the cold snow, Fan Xian asked
Eunuch Yao to sit in the carriage with him, heading towards
the palace, and additionally arranged someone to notify his
wife about this.

"Be honest, Yao. What happened?" Leaning backwards with

his eyes partly closed, Fan Xian asked without even turning his
head to the eunuch, since he knew these eunuchs had gotton
enough from the Fan Manor.

Actually, Eunuch Yao dared not accept any more bounties

from the Fan Manor now, and smiling obsequiously, he
answered, "Well…how could a mere servant like me know? You
just go and see."

"You cunning old man," said Fan Xian, shaking his head as he
pretended to be angry. He paused before saying, "Give me
something."
 Eunuch Yao pricked up his ears, looked around to make sure
there was nobody else near them, and finally said in a low
voice: "What? My master? I'll tell you anything I can."

"What happened to the eunuchs in Xuankong Temple? " Fan

Xian asked with a frown.

Eunuch Yao was startled for a bit, then put his palm flat in
front of his throat and made a cutting motion.

No reaction was seen on Fan Xian's face, but nobody could

tell what was on his mind. He knew that this was unavoidable.
An assassin was mixed in with eunuchs, and there was no way
for anyone in their presence to get away; there might even be
more people who would die.

"What about Dai?"

"Still alive," Eunuch Yao sighed, "He is old, His Majesty trusts
him. But he has been implicated and can no longer stay in Taiji
Palace...Two months ago, he confronted the Court of Censors
for his nephew's bad conduct, having felt quite embarrassed in
front of the people, and ultimately, His Majesty
recommissioned him for Noble Consort Shu's sake."

Eunuch Yao glanced at Fan Xian. But Fan didn't show any
sign of expression. Eunuch Yao had no idea how many bounties
were involved between Fan Xian and Eunuch Dai.

"Who would've thought that there'd be an assassination...I

think Dai had nothing at all but bad luck in the world. He is
now stripped of all his positions, even getting the cane and
being banished to the treasury. Just thinking of how an old
man like him does all the hard work on such a cold day..." The
old eunuch wiped his tears with his sleeve. Eunuch Yao and
Eunuch Dai came into the palace in the same year, and though
there were some conflict between them in daily life, having
seen the other fallen, Eunuch Yao couldn't help but grieve for
his fellow colleague.

"Poor old Dai...Let's wait till His Majesty calms down. It

would be lucky for him to stay alive." Shaking his head, Fan
Xian asked again, "Then who is on duty in the Taiji Palace?"
 "Hong Zhu." Noticing Fan Xian's confusion, Eunuch Yao
explained in a low voice, "A young eunuch, who started to run
between the Taiji Palace and the gate this year, His Majesty
likes him for his agility."

"Even the delivery of imperial decrees?" Fan Xian asked

curiously.

Eunuch Yao shook his head, saying, "How could he have the
qualification to do this?"

The carriage was ordered to stop by Eunuch Yao as soon as it

passed Xinjiekou. Deng Ziyue was a bit unhappy about this,
since the square in front of palace was quite broad, and it
wasn't right for the wounded Commissioner Fan to pass
through this broad area in a wheelchair on such a snowy
winter's day.

"Please understand," Eunuch Yao said, embarrassed, "that

since the event last time, some substantial changes have been
made among imperial guards. Now these guards watch
everybody closely like wolves. It seems like they are trying to
frighten away anyone who sets foot in the palace."
 Hearing this, Fan Xian said: "Don't make Eunuch Yao feel
embarrassed; let's get off."

Deng Ziyue glanced at the gate of the palace, and feeling

annoyed, carried Fan Xian onto the wheelchair from the
carriage, afterwards immediately opening a black umbrella to
protect the commissioner from snow. An officer from the
Overwatch Council then pushed the wheelchair. Snow fell onto
the umbrella, making small noises.

Eunuch Yao was not lucky enough to enjoy such treatment,

and could only cover his head with hands, hurrying to the gate
in front with several guards.

Fan Xian crouched down in the cloak to avoid the cold wind
blowing head-on, half of his face being covered by a fur collar,
still he felt a chill forcing its way inside along the cloak. The
sunlight was dim, and the falling snow made a mournful
sound.

The imperial guards outside the gate of the palace explained

the relevant procedures to Eunuch Yao, and watched in
amazement those who were slowly walking in the middle of
the square. There were, in wind and snow, a group of officers
in casual clothes with no expression on their faces, pushing a
wheelchair, and a black umbrella being erected over the
wheelchair to block the falling snow, ensuring that not even a
flake fell on the person sitting in the wheelchair.

"I don't remember the Council Director being summoned to

come to the palace today, so what's going on?" The imperial
guard captain said in surprise.

"It is Commissioner Fan."

Everybody was shocked. Without hesitation, the captain led

several guards to up to the wheelchair to protect the person in
it from snow, and accompanied this group to the gate, let them
in after simple inspection.

Amid the northern wind and snow, Deng Ziyue pushed the
wheelchair through the side aisle beside the main hall. Along
the way, the color of the corner of the palace wall became
darker and darker, and finally, they stopped in front of the
door at the right side of the palace wall.
 There were already a eunuch waiting for them, holding an
umbrella in a plain color, and put it over Fan Xian' head as
soon as he arrived. Then the young wounded commissioner
was greeted into the imperial harem with great care.

Deng Ziyue stood outside the door, watching the

commissioner go away in the company of eunuchs. He didn't
show any concern on his face, but nobody knew what, if
anything, was weighing on his mind. A fragment of snow fell
on the corner of his eye.

"Not in the Imperial Library?" Fan Xian frowned, asking

Eunuch Yao forgetting about the head-on wind for the
moment.

It was said a while ago that His Majesty had lost his temper
after having to wait for Fan Xian. Now that Fan Xian was here,
those young eunuchs were so excited that they rushed towards
the palace as if they were stepping on hot wheels, making the
wheelchair squeak as they did. The eunuchs holding the
umbrella stumbled along. If not for the smooth surface of the
floor in the palace, the mad running might have caused Fan
Xian's wounds to open again.
 Eunuch Yao answered, out of breath from running, "To the
living quarters."

Fan Xian felt a little surprised, and his face was off color
already. Seeing this, Eunuch Yao remembered the young
commissioner was still injured. It was because that His Majesty
had waited too long, but having the commissioner be injured
again would not do him any good, thus he ordered the group to
slow down. After scolding others for running, Eunuch Yao
turned to Fan Xian obsequiously, "My young master, you didn't
get hurt, did you?"

Fan Xian nodded, saying: "I am not that fragile."

Soon they arrived somewhere in the garden, not where the

empress lived, but where Yi Guipin (the mother of the third
prince) lived. Eunuch Yao stepped inside first to send a
message. After a while somebody came out to greet Fan Xian
and accompanied him inside.

His Majesty was sitting on the warm bed in informal dress,

talking to Yi Guipin casually, the third prince sitting in a
corner quietly, writing something. Seeing people come inside,
he stopped talking and turned back to give Fan Xian a look.

"Why are you running around with an injured body instead

of staying at home?"

Obviously, there was concern in these scolding words.

According to common practice, a courtier should feel grateful,
but Fan Xian only thought to himself sarcastically, "If you
really mean it, why show me the care 17 years later? If you
really worry about me, why summon me in such a hurry?"

However, he still managed to show his appreciation, though

that vanished in a flash, with him afterwards saying calmly,
"Your Majesty, the wound is almost healed, so I decided to go
out, and actually, I was on my way to pick up Wan'er."

"Wan'er...went back to Lin Manor? Why? No one but that

moron is there." His Majesty seemed loath to mention his niece
in connection with Lin Manor, and showed certain displeasure.
 Yi Guipin peeped at His Majesty and changed the subject with
a little giggle, "Fan Xian, aren't you afraid that Minister Fan
would hit you knowing you run around while still injured?"

His Majesty paused and then smiled, "Fan Jian...He would

never hit him."

He said it in a joking way, but there was hidden meaning in

it. Fan Xian was shocked a little, then smiled without saying a
word.

His Majesty glanced at the third prince, who was still

writing, and said to Fan Xian, "The several classics you have
sorted out in the imperial college...that is what Chengping has
been learning these days, I asked him to do so, but the grand
tutor thinks it is too deep for him, what do you think?...
Chengping, go meet the commissioner."

The third prince was named Li Chengping. According to the

rules of Qing Kingdom, princes should treat courtiers with
great respect, so His Majesty's command was not astonishing at
all. The third prince stopped writing immediately, and walked
to the wheelchair modestly, bowing to Fan Xian.
 "I can't accept this. This is too much." But Fan Xian couldn't
avoid due to being of in the wheelchair.

"You are the commissioner of the imperial college now, so it

is your job." His Majesty said casually, like he didn't mean
anything at all. However, Yi Guipin knew immediately that
His Majesty intended to make Fan Xian teach the third prince.
Considering Fan Xian's civil and martial abilities, as well as his
influence in the royal court, Yi Guipin couldn't help smiling,
and found Fan Xian more pleasing.

Sensing her delight, His Majesty teased her, "Look at you,

happy as a child."

The reason why Yi Guipin could win His Majesty's heart was
because she never hid her thoughts, at least on the surface. At
that moment, upon hearing His Majesty's teasing, she only
giggled as she said, "I thank you so much, Your Majesty, for
finding such a good teacher for Chengping."

Hearing these two discussing something involving himself,

Fan Xian felt it unfair, wondering why nobody asked for his
opinion.
 The third prince brought his books over. After giving them a
rough look-over, Fan Xian raised his head and said: "The
classics from Master Zhuang are excellent. It makes sense that
the grand tutor considers it too deep. However, it does no harm
for the third prince to learn about these basic articles."

They had some more casual conversations, during which Fan

Xian kept his answers prudent, knowing that His Majesty must
have something serious to say, Just as expected, after hot soup,
His Majesty said, in a seemingly casual manner,

"It stopped snowing outside...The first snowfall should

always be cherished. Fan Xian, come with me to the garden."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

His Majesty stood up, and Yi Guipin put a crane cloak made
of red brocade and lined with raccoon hair on him, smiling.

The snow had stopped completely by the time they left

Shufang Palace where Yi Guipin lived. The floor of the palace
was wet and clear, but without snow. Only some snow was left
on the hollies in the yard. The gray sky, red walls, yellow
eaves, snowy branches and blue bricks created a beautiful
picture, and the air was extremely clean.

His Majesty walked in front in his cloak, and Fan Xian was
pushed by a eunuch, following close behind. Along the way,
eunuchs and maids wearing cotton gowns avoided them
knowingly, and those they encountered turned to one side
without saying a word.

"There is no need to kneel down to me on such a snowy and

rainy day." His majesty seemed to have guessed what Fan Xian
was thinking, saying softly, "This is the rule I set upon my
enthronement. I am tired of all the kneeling...Besides, what if
they kneel and rip their clothing? It is still the palace treasury
who needs to pay."

Sitting in the wheelchair, Fan Xian released one of the

buttons on the collar, since it was a bit hot after snow and
wind vanished. Listening to His Majesty, Fan Xian knew he
would turn the subject to the palace treasury, but was
unwilling to take up the subject.
 Seemingly unhappy about Fan Xian's silence, His Majesty
asked coldly, "Where is the second son of the Fan Manor?"

By then, they had already reached the most private garden in

the palace, in front of which there was a lake, a stone bridge
extending across the lake to the pavilion at the center, and
there was still unmelted snow left on the pavilion, all of which
revealed a chilling atmosphere.
Chapter 315: A Garden Tour with Unease
（2)
Although the light snow had ceased, the cold continued to be
trapped within the palace. It was indeed difficult to withstand
the might of heaven. However, Fan Xian was very warm sitting
in his wheelchair. He wore a high-collared cloak that protected
him from the wind and snow so well that he was feeling a little
hot. As to the Emperor's questioning, he had prepared himself
for it a long time ago. He had never expected to hide the fact
that his family smuggled Fan Sizhe out of the capital from
many people.

"I received a letter the day before yesterday. He has already

settled in Shangjing."

Fan Xian casually glanced at the eunuch behind him. The

Emperor was walking energetically in front them and so did
not notice the exchange of glances between the two people.

The eunuch was Hong Zhu. As he watched Commissioner

Fan's laughing gaze he, for some reason, suddenly felt a chill in
his heart and began to feel a thread of fear—Hong Zhu
understood. The Commissioner was warning him that some
words must not be heard by the Emperor. Having been serving
near the Emperor recently, he deeply understood the need for
silence. He quickly lowered his head and did not dare to meet
Fan Xian's gaze again.

Hong Zhu wanted to be able to be taken under the wing of

Fan Xian. He dared not say anything that was unfavorable to
the Fan clan.

"I am surprised that you said it aloud," said the Emperor

lightly as he strolled beside the lake. "Although you and I both
know the truth of these things, there is still a need for us to
play politics."

Fan Xian lowered his head and allowed the soft fur on the
collar to rub against his cheeks. "Since Your Majesty asked, I
dare not speak a lie."

The Emperor suddenly came to a halt and the eunuch quickly

drew back the wheelchair so as to not be level with the
Emperor. Fan Xian rocked in his seat and he furrowed his
brows.
 "You dare not lie to me… but you dare to lie brazenly to the
world?" The Emperor turned around and looked at Fan Xian
with a smile that was not quite a smile. The lines at the corner
of his eyes were not smile lines and carried more of a question.

Fan Xian raised his head and, somewhat rudely, met the
Emperor's gaze. "There are many foolish people in the world…
I am only loyal to the Emperor, not to those people."

"But someone once said…" The Emperor's gaze was suddenly

very strange. "The people are most important, and the state
follows. The ruler is the least important of all."

"Nonsense, who dares to say such things?" Fan Xian's brows

drew together lightly. Of course he know who dared: the
original author was Mencius. His mother had plagiarized that.

"The Ministry of Justice is still searching for your brother,"

the Emperor laughed. He turned around and continued
walking forward, saying, "Are you not worried I will punish
you?"
 Hong Zhu pushed the wheelchair forward to keep pace. The
squeaking of the wheels was giving Fan Xian a headache. He
shook his head and said, "I trust Your Majesty understands my
difficulties."

"Difficulties?" the Emperor laughed coldly. "I suspect that

only now does the Second Prince feel like he has difficulties
and no one to share them with."

"Ah…I am guilty."

Fan Xian knew that, right now, he should act as if he were

slightly frightened, just like the ministers in those Qing
dramas that tried to get close to the Emperor. But he knew that
the Emperor had fully intended for the Second Prince to be
brought down. He was nothing more than a tool. Furthermore,
in the eyes of the Emperor, he was not just a simple minister.
That factor remained in play, after all.

And so he did not feel even a thread of fear or nervousness.

No matter how well he acted, it remained superficial and
exaggerated. The three words "I am guilty" dragged out a little
too long; it seemed overdramatic.
 The Emperor lowered his voice and berated, "Even if this is
an act, be more serious!"

Fan Xian made a forlorn face and said, "I am guilty."

Over and over again were the three boring words "I am
guilty, I am guilty". Fortunately, the three of them had reached
the wooden bridge in the middle of the lake by this time and
their conversation was paused. Although Jingdou was already
slightly cold, the light snow had not been cold enough to freeze
the lake. It lay green and cold beneath the bridge. Even though
the bridge was well-constructed and flat, the wheelchair still
felt unsteady as it pressed down against the wooden boards.
Fan Xian gripped the armrests of his wheelchair tightly and he
stared intently at the gaps in the wooden bridge. He thought to
himself that if the eunuch suddenly turned into an assassin, he
was doomed.

The eunuchs and serving girls who were cleaning the

pavilion ahead paid their respects and disappeared. They dared
not to hang around.
 The Emperor took a seat on a cushioned stone bench and
indicated with his gaze for Fan Xian to help himself to a cup of
hot tea. The Emperor himself instead used two fingers to pick
up some pine nuts and began to peel them slowly. Eunuch
Hong Zhu took his cue and stood to the side of the pavilion.
Half of his attention was on the scenery and the other half was
on his masters, ready to serve if they gave an order.

"How is it?" asked the Emperor.

Fan Xian seemed to have been scalded by his tea. He drew his
brows together tightly and immediately asked, "Is Your
Majesty referring to my injury or…"

"The latter."

Fan Xian replied in a very straightforward manner, "We are

ready to move. The orders have been sent out. As this matter
did not go through the official channels, it shouldn't arouse the
attentions of too many people."

The Emperor nodded.

 Fan Xian continued with the details, "At the moment, we can
retrieve all the stock in our territory, however… if Northern Qi
hears about it, they will also be able to make a fortune from it.
After all, the Cui clan stored a great deal of stock in the
north…" He hid very important information within these
words, information he wouldn't reveal to the Emperor even in
the throes of death. It was information about the plan for him
and the Northern Qi Emperor to divide the spoils.

"There are three roads that lead north and we have them
under control. As the people in the palace treasury spend a lot
of time with them, they're not completely safe, so we haven't
used them yet."

He furrowed his brow and carefully detailed the plan Yan

Bingyun had devised. He hadn't yet finished when the Emperor
waved his hands and said, "I… don't want the details. I only
want the results."

Fan Xian hesitated then said, "Rest assured, Your Majesty. In,
at most, a year, the treasury will recover much of its revenue."
 The Emperor shook his head indifferently. "It is impossible
for the treasury to return to its previous glorious state… I
think you understand why."

Fan Xian lowered his head.

"Let me ask you," The Emperor said, "how you were sure that
I would support you acting against the Second Prince and the
eldest princess?"

"Because… the court needed money."

After half a beat of silence, the Emperor huffed through his

nose and said, "What the court needs to do is to expand… and
so it needs money. Yunrui has dug too deep into the treasury
over the years—even I could not allow it anymore, and so I
wanted you to handle the mess. You didn't disappoint me.
First, you had the daring to accept, and second, you did what
you needed to do. You didn't let the other person's status scare
you… this is why I used you."
 "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your appreciation." Fan Xian
could only give thanks. He couldn't say much about the eldest
princess. After all, she was his mother-in-law. Of course, he
could not make improper comments.

The Emperor picked up a pine nut and brought it to his lips

and slowly savored its flavor. Outside the pavilion, the wind
had ceased blowing and the snow had stopped falling, it was a
cold peacefulness.

"Ye Zhong has returned to Canzhou. I heard there is much

discussion in the city because I allowed Prince He to take the
position of Commander of the Imperial Army. What have you
heard?" The Emperor seemed to ask very casually.

Fan Xian gave him a pained smile and replied, "It is difficult
to avoid having people talk. After all, it does not seem to fit
precedence."

"What do you think?"

 Fan Xian was surprised. He wondered how it came to him to
give an opinion on such a matter as this. He quickly replied,
"Your Majesty has given it much deliberation. I dare not be so
arrogant as to judge it."

"Speak, I absolve you of all offense." The Emperor did not

look at Fan Xian's delicate face at all. He focused his gaze on
the frozen trees in the palace gardens.

Fan Xian relaxed. He knew talking to the Emperor was a

difficult task. That year, Wei Xiaobao had barely spoken any
truths yet Kangxi had caught him. The things he, himself, had
done in secret: sneaking in to the Royal Palace, his pact with
Northern Qi, his conversation with Xiao En… all these things
he hid from the Emperor in front of him. If things went awry,
who knew what would befall him?

Only, this Emperor before him was rather unfathomable. If

Fan Xian did not have his natural advantage he would
definitely not dare to play such a game with the Emperor. His
so-called advantage was that he knew the true nature of the
relationship between himself and the Emperor, and the
Emperor was not aware that he knew. And thus, Fan Xian was
able to pretend to be the loyal minister. The guiltier the
Emperor felt toward

himself, the larger his advantage.

"His Eldest Highness is unwilling to remain in the capital,"

Fan Xian replied in a very straightforward manner.
"Furthermore, reducing a Prince to be used in such a way is
very irregular. Most importantly, the Royal Palace is the heart
of the Qing Kingdom, and so caution is absolutely necessary."

This comment was very straightforward, almost crossing the

line. However, the Emperor did not have much of a reaction to
it. He only said, coldly, "Unwilling? Much of life is not to one's
liking. He doesn't want to stay in the capital. Then is he willing
to watch me, his father, guard the capital alone? Fan Xian, you
are not very skilled in persuasion."

Fan Xian flushed in embarrassment. He knew that he had not

managed to keep the matter the Great Prince entrusted to him
during his visit to Fan Manor away from the Emperor.
 "If he settles down, leave second brother alone." The Emperor
closed his eyes and concluded the matters that had been
happening in the capital recently.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Fan Xian nodded. He had already

achieved everything he wanted, why would he continue
stirring the pot?

"You did very well in the Hanging Temple case," The Emperor
suddenly gently said. "However, as the Commissioner of the
Overwatch Council, you allowed an assassin to slip into the
capital. Before it all happened, the Second Bureau did not
know anything of it at all. This is an oversight on your part.
However, it is evened out by your success. I can only reward
you with those useless things. Don't be resentful."

"I would not dare," Fan Xian replied seriously. "It was
originally my oversight… as to my injury, it is also because I
am not learned enough, and so I was injured by the white
clothed assassin."

The Emperor asked with sudden interest, "That assassin… we

never figured out who it was. You fought with them, can you
make any guesses about them?"

The wind suddenly picked up outside the pavilion and Fan

Xian's back instantly went numb. A drop of sweat rolled down
from his neck and trailed down his body inside his clothing. He
did not know why the Emperor asked this question. However,
he felt that if he were not cautious, he would lose all that he
had gained.

The white clothed assassin was the Shadow. No matter why

Chen Pingping had set up this situation, he would not have
told the Emperor anything before he had communicated
everything to Fan Xian. So how should he answer? If he said he
didn't know, would that affect the tenuous position he had
managed to gain in the Emperor's heart?

It was only a brief moment of surprise and Fan Xian covered

it masterfully. He asked suspiciously, "Didn't Your Majesty say
that the white clothed assassin was the younger brother of Sigu
Jian?"

The Emperor laughed coldly. "That year, in the turmoil of

taking Dongyi City, Sigu Jian showed no mercy and countless
numbers of his family were killed. There was a rumor that a
younger brother had survived… so I guessed. That day, on top
of the tall tower... that brilliant swordsmanship... If it wasn't
the spirit of the sigu sword, then I think I must be blind."

Fan Xian's chest loosened slightly; he knew that he had

gambled right. He smiled slightly and said, "It's a pity, if we
had concrete proof…we could use this excuse in the coming
year to send soldiers against Dongyi City. Then my injury
would have been worth it."

These words tickled the Emperor's fancy; he liked these

shameless methods. He smiled. "After the sigu sword was
recovered from their destruction, they have never acted
without thinking. How could they admit to this? First, they
would not admit they had a younger brother still living;
following that, they would send a diplomatic letter expressing
shock at my assassination and offer their condolences. They
would express disbelief at the assassin's diabolical behavior…"

The middle-aged person continued to talk without concern

and discovered that no one was acknowledging his rare display
of humor. He turned his head to find that Fan Xian was staring
very intently at him, and the eunuch outside the pavilion was
leaning toward him, and dared not make a noise.

Taking in this scene, he could not help but sigh from the
bottom of his heart. He thought, After all these years, there
has indeed not been another person like her who can laugh
around with me without caring about our statuses.

The Emperor's mood was a bit gloomy. He slowly opened his

mouth to ask, "Fan Xian…that day on the tower, why did you
first save Ping'er?"

Fan Xian begged forgiveness from his wheelchair and was

silent for a while before replying, "Given the situation at the
time, if I had stayed near Your Majesty, I would have only been
able to block the strike from the front, and wouldn't have been
able to deal with the strike from behind… His Third Highness
was in danger."

"Oh?" The Emperor smiled in a self-deprecating manner and

said, "Perhaps my life is not worth as much as Ping'er's life?"
 Fan Xian smiled bitterly and once again begged forgiveness.
"I know I deserve to die. The situation at the time was very
tense, and I did not react in time."

"When you rushed to my side…you had lost the initiative,

were you not afraid to die?"

Fan Xian thought a bit, and then finally said something very
treasonous. He met the Emperor's serious gaze and said
bitterly, "At the time I thought, it would be best if I could block
the strike with my life, but if I couldn't…hehe…to be able to go
with Your Majesty into the next world would be a great honor."

The Emperor paused for a moment and then burst into

laughter. His laugh shocked the skies and traveled far beyond
the pavilion. The eunuchs and serving girls all over the garden
could not help but look at each other upon hearing the laugh.
They wondered what joke Commissioner Fan had told the
Emperor today for him to be so joyful.

The Emperor stopped laughing and at this moment found

great comfort in the familiar crease between Fan Xian's brows.
His voice became gentle and he said, "On this trip to Jiangnan,
you should be careful. Don't always rush to the forefront of
things… I heard that you are similarly careless in the north.
You're a minister, after all—you should know to treasure and
protect your life."

Fan Xian felt slightly embarrassed, and knew that the

Emperor was right. As a minister of a country, how many
would be at the forefront of danger like himself? It was only
because he enjoyed, to his very bones, being independent and
alone. What it came down to was he didn't truly trust other
people. However, the Jiangnan trip was still a few months
away. The Emperor's farewell advice seemed to be a bit early.

"Your Majesty," Fan Xian remembered an urgent matter and

said uneasily, "what you said earlier at Yi Guiping's… was it a
joke?"

The Emperor glared at him. "A gentleman does not joke," he

said coldly.

Fan Xian asked fretfully, "I am very young, and I do not have
much moral prestige. How could I be the Royal Tutor?"
 The Emperor smiled and said, gazing at him, "I heard… when
you were in Northern Qi, even that little Emperor respected
you… as for moral prestige, even Zhuang Mohan has praised
you, so why can't you take the role? The Northern Qi tutor is
only the descendent of Zhuang Mohuan… if it weren't for the
fact you are really too young, I would openly summon you to
lecture in the palace. Who would dare to disagree?"

"But…" Fan Xian regretted the illustrious name he had made

for himself in his vanity. He replied in distress, "But, I am
going to Jiangnan next spring. It would not do to harm the
Third Prince's education."

The Emperor waved his hand, "Take Ping'er with you. I have
already discussed this with the empress dowager."

Fan Xian opened his mouth and was speechless for a long
while.

"Work hard," the Emperor said with a placid expression.

"After the Jiangnan matter has concluded, stay in the capital
for a couple of years. I will have you enrolled as a disciple
under the palace secretary." He stared into Fan Xian's eyes and
said softly, "I look favorably on you."

Fan Xian sank into silence for a moment and then nodded
without argument. He understood the conversation had come
to an end and he prepared to make his excuses to go home.
However, unexpectedly… the Emperor waved his hand again
and said lightly, "Today is first day of winter. There is feasting
in the palace. You will stay here for dinner… I have already
sent someone to your manor to pick up Wan'er."

Fan Xian was surprised again. He didn't know what this

meant, or if this meant nothing at all.

"The empress dowager wants to meet you." The Emperor

said, and then coughed to cover up. "She wants to see what
Wan'er's husband actually looks like."

The Emperor left in his imperial carriage and the atmosphere

in the pavilion relaxed. Only Fan Xian and the eunuch assigned
to push his wheelchair today remained. Fan Xian watched the
direction the Emperor left in, and a cold, self-deprecating look
flashed through his eyes. Although his summons to the palace
had happened unexpectedly, he still had a small thread of hope.
Perhaps that middle-aged man would let him see that painting?
Perhaps he would say something to him?

He had not expected them to still play the parts of the

beneficent Emperor and the loyal minister. In his innermost
thoughts, he was quietly disappointed. Of course, he
understood very clearly that the imperial family was heartless,
and he had never viewed that middle-aged man as his father…
his disappointment was for that woman, Ye Qingmei.

Looking at how the Emperor treated him, it was clear that he

was not a man who was consistent in his love. At least…he did
not have the necessary appreciation for his mother. In other
words, even if the Emperor trusted him wholeheartedly, even if
the Emperor thought of him as his closest minister, he
remained nothing more than a minister.

If, one day, he revealed his identity, not as a "loyal minister"

credited with protecting the life of the Emperor, and brought
to light the true origins of that chair… Fan Xian smiled coldly
in his heart. He had no interest in being Emperor, however he
had, ever since a young age, been interested in being the
Commissioner of the Overwatch Council. Whether or not he
accepted the position was up to himself, whether or not the
middle-aged man allowed him to be part of the order was a
question of ethics.

D*mn! I think about you a lot!

Having let out his anger toward the Emperor, Fan Xian took a
deep breath. He knew that he had no reason to be so
despondent. Due to the fact that Lady Ning was one of the
Dongyi prisoners, many people had discounted in their hearts
the Great Prince as the future heir, not to mention his own
disgraceful role. Besides, there must have still been some loose
ends concerning his mother's strange death all those years ago
that had prevented the Emperor from acknowledging him up
until now.

What confused Fan Xian was that he had severed such

expectations from the day he had discovered his true identity.
Why did he care so much now?

A drop of icy water dripped from the eaves of the pavilion

and landed with a soft splash against the stone steps. The noise
startled Fan Xian and he raised his gaze to the early winter
scenery outside the pavilion. He sighed and thought that
perhaps the atmosphere in the palace was too oppressive and
was making him think these unnecessary things.

"Commissioner… sir… there is still some time until dinner.

The Emperor has given orders for you to… go wherever you
wish," said the eunuch Hong Zhu with lowered eyes and a
stutter in his voice.

He could go wherever he wanted? He was not in the plum

garden to recover from his injury; it was best if he didn't cause
any trouble. Fan Xian shook his head. "I'll just watch from
here." He noticed the eunuch's voice and squinted at him. His
gaze swept up and down the eunuch's body like a pair of
knives, causing the eunuch to feel very nervous.

"Cold?"

"Yes."

"Sweating?"
 "…yes."

The corner of Fan Xian's mouth twitched up and he smiled.

"Don't be scared. Since the Emperor let you stay and listen,
naturally, he trusts you."

Today the Emperor's conversation with Fan Xian had

appeared very domestic on the surface, however there had been
a "wealth" of information hidden within. It was the first Hong
Zhu had learned of the dispute between the Overwatch Council
and the Second Prince, and the issue of the treasury, were all
undertaken with the Emperor's implicit consent.
Commissioner Fan was clever beyond words and understood
the Emperor's true desires! It also seemed that Commissioner
Fan was about to do something else important.

If these matters were to spread beyond the palace, it would

likely create great unease.

"I'm not scared," Hong Zhu replied wretchedly.

 Fan Xian stared that the pitted face of the eunuch and
suddenly asked, with interest, "You also have acne?"

"Acne?" Hong Zhu was startled momentarily, before suddenly

understanding Fan Xian's meaning. He replied, slightly angry,
"I'm not sure either."

It was quiet outside the pavilion. In the distance there were

unseen serving girls walking and the lake surrounded them,
cold and awe-inspiring. A wind blew up from the lake and
wrapped itself around the people in the pavilion. Tamping
down the impatience in his heart, Fan Xian smiled. "You… are
Hong Zhu?"
Chapter 316: A Garden Tour with Unease
(3)
Hong Zhu did not think that the Commissioner even knew
his name. He immediately felt honored and replied cheerfully,
"I am. Thank you, Commissioner, for knowing my name."

"Servants close to the Emperor can be dangerous," Fan Xian

said. "Since I am the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council,
I must be vigilant… besides, there was an assassin among the
ranks of the eunuchs in the Taiji Palace not long ago…"

Hong Zhu was startled and did not dare to reply. Fan Xian
continued, "Since the Emperor trusts you, then, naturally, I
trust you too… ah yes, I heard that Old Dai is currently doing
hard labor?"

Hong Zhu glanced at him and tentatively replied, "Yes, he is

very miserable."

"Hm." Fan Xian nodded his head. "I'm not bothered with such
things as taboo. I've had dealings with Old Dai before—he's not
a bad person. I hope you will be able to help him out now and
then."

Hong Zhu cheered in his heart. He had been hoping to work

his way into the good graces of the official in front of him
through Eunuch Dai. With this order, it meant that he had
hope. He immediately replied respectfully, "I dare not forget
your orders."

Fan Xian gave a slight smiled and said, "Then I'll have to
trouble you. If your family ever has trouble in the future, let
me know." He didn't have to make himself too clear; the
eunuch should know to contact him through Yi Guiping.

In a huge coincidence, Fan Xian ran into the Great Princess of

Northern Qi whom he hasn't seen since September as he
returned to Yi Guiping's residence, Shufang Palace. The Great
Princess was just returning from visiting the empress dowager
and was now living in the palace after her marriage. She was
startled to see Fan Xian seated in the wheelchair. However, as
this was not the place to talk she only paid her respects and
retreated.

Yi Guiping glanced at Fan Xian and commented, "You

traveled all the way from Northern Qi together—why are you
like strangers?"

Fan Xian was conscious at all times to make extensive allies

and plant agents. How could he possibly pass up such an
important person as the Great Princess? However, in front of
everybody, he needed tp pretend to be less than friendly with
her and so he replied, "Our statuses are not the same. Besides…
there must be distance between males and females."

Yi Guiping laughed and said, "You, my child, are prettier

than all the beauties… I'm not worried that you will bother
others. I'm worried they will come bother you."

Fan Xian's heart jumped in surprise and he said, "Aunt, don't

say such things." Turning his head, he saw the Third Prince
working diligently at his studies and felt a strange anger rising.
He shook his head and asked, "The Dowager Empress has
allowed this?"

His tone held a sense of disbelief. Yi Guiping watched him

and nodded her head.

Smiling she said, "I also only heard the Emperor allowed this
today. However…this is a good thing. Why would she be
against it?"

Fan Xian smiled self-deprecatingly and thought to himself,

This matter is not so simple. After some thought he asked
seriously, "I'm going to Jiangnan, and the Third Prince is going
with me… you are willing to let him go?"

"Jiangnan has good water, good air, and good people. Why
would I not be willing?"

Yi Guiping suddenly beckoned him closer. Fan Xian obeyed

and leaned in. When he was only a hands breadth away from
her, and could smell her orchid scented breath, it he could hear
her lowered voice speaking through clenched teeth, "Take him
as far from the palace as possible; take him away for as long as
possible."

Fan Xian was slightly surprised. He only now knew Yi

Guiping's passive plan. He shook his head and said, "Constant
retreat is not a plan… besides, the Jiangnan treasury will not
need much work. I am only going to have a look. I can't keep
dragging it out."

Yi Guiping thought about this and saw the truth he spoke.

She sighed with disappointment, "What you say is true. The
Emperor would also not allow you to always be away from
Jingdou."

Fan Xian thought for a moment and then said comfortingly,

"The Third Prince is still very young, it is too early for you to
start worrying… besides, the empress dowager is in the palace
looking after her grandsons. They won't dare do anything too
outrageous…" He paused for a bit then added, "After all, we are
not quite the same as the other palaces. Minister Gang's words
still carry some weight, and Father is not retiring any time
soon… and there is still me, is there not?"
 Hearing these words, Yi Guigping finally relaxed. Given how
things were developing, Fan Xian's influence in the palace was
growing larger and larger. The court and the palace were often
two circles that affected each other. As long as she had
someone in court, she and Li Chengping would have an easier
life in the palace.

Having spoken to this extent, both parties had already made

most things very clear—in the eyes of the happy and
straightforward-thinking Yi Guiping, it was best for her child
to tie himself as close as possible to the Fan clan.

"Allowing the Third Prince to go to Jiangnan with me… I

hope you will give me permission for one thing." Fan Xian
glanced at the Third Prince, who was eavesdropping in vain.

"What thing?" Seeing Fan Xian was very serious, Yi Guiping

also became nervous.

"I'm not very good at being a teacher. You know of the

students I left out in the states, their successes are the results
of their many years of hard study on their own." Fan Xian
spoke seriously, "I can only treat His Highness like a younger
brother… at times I may not be respectful enough."

Hearing the phrase "treat like a younger brother," Yi

Guiping's brow cleared and she smiled happily. She could not
imagine the misery Fan Sizhe was currently suffering in the
north. She nodded eagerly.

Fan Xian stared at her like she was a ghost, thinking, Why
does she look like she's won the lottery? Tentatively, he
continued, "Perhaps… sometimes… I'll… raise my hand to
him."

"Hands, feet, it's all up to you!" Yi Guiping spoke very

straightforwardly. She laughed aloud and said, "As long as you
don't injure him seriously, you can do what you like."

She immediately let out a long breath and said, "You have no
idea how scared I was after that brothel matter a few days ago.
I know he is close to the Second Prince usually, but who knew
the Second Prince, this… brute, actually encouraged Ping'er to
do such things. Ping'er is so young, what does he know? He's
only being used as a tool by other people… luckily you quickly
took care of this matter. Otherwise, who knows how angry the
Emperor would have been?"

Fan Xian smiled to himself and thought, Your son is not a

kind one either. Although he's only eight, his mind is full of
complicated things. He heard Yi Guiping lower her voice and
say, "Teach him to be an honest man… even if he turns into
someone useless like King Jing, at least he will have a peaceful
life."

Hearing these words, Fan Xian was deeply moved. "Mothers

are the best in the world." The lyrics to this song were correct.
"A child without a mother was like a single strand of grass." His
own life experiences had proved the accuracy of this song.

There was still some time before dinner and there was still no
message from the empress dowager's palace. Fan Xian liked
peace and quiet so he stayed at the Shufang Palace and spoke
casually with Yi Guiping. They were family so there was far
less taboo between them. Furthermore, in this cold Royal
Palace, it seemed that only Yi Guiping's residence had some…
humanity.

"Greetings to Princess Chen."

Following the crisp greetings of the serving girls, Lin Wan'er

walked in rubbing her hands. Today, she wore a layered
emerald silk skirt and a crimson, damask, silk coat. Two lines
of fox fur embellished the openings of her sleeves; the fluffiness
was very cute.

Sitting in the wheelchair, Fan Xian stretched out his hands.

Wan'er went forward and naturally, without thought, placed

her hands in his warm grasp.

Fan Xian gently rubbed her cold hands and asked, curiously,
"You came like this?" This outfit was green and red, the
crimson deep and vivid, the emerald clear and noble. It looked
very good on Wan'er. However, it was more appropriate to be
dressed more extravagantly when invited to have dinner in the
palace.

Lin Wan'er pouted and said, "I waited for you at home for a
long time and you didn't come back. Su Wenmao sent someone
and only then did I learn that you'd been summoned to the
palace. I had just taken Dabao back to the manor when I was
stopped by a eunuch… and brought to the palace. I first went to
see the empress dowager. Luckily, some of the imperial
concubines were there, so I didn't have to visit each palace. I
spoke a little with them and then came to see you. I was rushed
the entire time. I didn't have time to change."

"Oh right—where is Dabao?" Fan Xian was most concerned

about his absent-minded uncle.

"Don't worry, Ruoruo is at home." Lin Wan'er accepted the

hot towel the serving girl offered her, wiped her hands
carelessly and sat herself down next to Yi Guiping. She tilted
her head and smiled, "What are you talking about?"

Yi Guiping didn't rush to answer her. First, she scolded the

serving girl for bringing a hot towel for the princess—what if
she gets blown by the cold wind later? After this, she smiled
and turned her head to relate the Emperor's plans.

Lin Wan'er glanced at Fan Xian in surprise. "It's all decided?"

Fan Xian nodded and shrugged; there was nothing he could

do. Burdened by a family, it seemed that there would be
interesting times ahead on the Jiangnan trip.

A eunuch came to invite the five people of eminence to have

dinner at the Hanguang Palace. Yi Guiping immediately
dragged the Third Prince to wash up, as well as to change her
own clothing.

Taking this opportunity, Fan Xian lowered his voice and

asked, "The matter I asked you to discuss with the empress
dowager… how is it going?"

Lin Wan'er looked around. "You want to break the

engagement," she replied quietly, "but you didn't discuss this
with me earlier… you did this so suddenly, how could the
empress dowager agree? Besides, I am, after all, a junior—it is
not correct for me to discuss it."

Fan Xian sighed, "If Ruoruo doesn't want to, what can I do as
an older brother? You're right, I did tell you a bit late. I wanted
to use the Baoyue Brothel matter, while Hong Cheng is out of
favor with the palace, to sort this matter out. Who ever
thought it would be this complicated?"

"You can't just break a royally appointed wedding on a

whim." Wan'er frowned. "You spoil Ruoruo too much."

"I have only this one baby sister," Fan Xian chuckled, "who
else would I spoil if not her?"

"I think Father needs to come in." Wan'er kept her eye on the
back of the room to make sure no one was listening in, and
quietly said, "Have Father talk directly with the Emperor. We
don't carry enough weight."

Worried, Fan Xian replied, "Even though our two families

have argued, Father still likes Hong Chen a lot. Even though
Hong Chen frequents brothels every day, he still doesn't think
it matters. He always says that he watched him grow up and
our families are close, that we can't sever the two families'
connections just because of the Second Prince."

Lin Wan'er gave a tittering laugh. "In his time, father was the
most famous person on the Liujing River. Of course he doesn't
think this is a big deal." Having said this, she felt that it was
not appropriate for a daughter-in-law to mock her father-in-
law; she chuckled to hide her words.

Fan Xian was feeling anxious about Ruoruo's problem and did
not laugh at the joke. Hopelessness was written all over his
face. Recently, Ruoruo had made a bit of a name for herself in
the Royal Hospital. Hopefully Haitang would be able to deal
with it well, and at least drag out the wedding for a while.

"Why did Uncle summon you to the palace?" Lin Wan'er

asked what she was most curious about. "I'm afraid it's
probably more than just the issue with the Third Prince."

Fan Xian gazed at his wife quietly. Suddenly he stretched out

a hand to gently stroke her jaw. He smiled and didn't say
anything. Could he tell her that? Your dearest uncle wants
your dearest husband to use all his power to sink your own
mother into poverty?

Fortunately, at this moment, Yi Guiping and others were

ready to go.

The cotton curtain was lifted and the room was suddenly
flooded with light. Fan Xian turned around to see Yi Guiping
and the Great Princess of Northern Qi walk out arm in arm.
The two women had made themselves up with great care and
skill, and beauty glowed from their faces. Their brows were
like art, dignified and noble. He couldn't help but praise them
in his heart. It was as if they were glowing.

The Great Princess gave him a slight smile, but walked out of
the palace shoulder to shoulder with Wan'er, whom she knew
from before.

The Winter Solstice was a celebration as important as New

Years. On this day, the Qing Kingdom rested. The court
stopped, the army rested, the borders closed, and the
merchants took a break. This was not limited to Jingdou—it
involved the distant Northern Qi as well. On this day, everyone
enjoyed their happy lives.

It was the custom of the Qing Kingdom to eat lamb on the

Winter Solstice. Up and down the streets of Jingdou, whether
in spacious or cramped kitchens, warm scents floated around
the pots before finding the only way out was through the gaps
between the windows. In these warm scents there was the spice
of peppers, the smell of mutton, the strange smells of
medicinal herbs, and the sweetness of daikons. The scents all
mixed and were perfect beyond compare, floating through
countless courtyards and streets and forcing all who smelled
them to covet them.

In the Hanguang Palace, behind the last few teapots, Fan

Xian stared with a pair of sleepy eyes at the ear-shaped mutton
at the tips of his chopsticks and at the mushrooms and
vegetables floating in his white soup. He could not stop a sigh
—truly, the mutton in the palace was not the same as that
outside. The cooking was far more delicate, but it did lack a
feeling of warmth.

Without tofu and daikon, how could he eat this mutton? The
biggest problem was that the mutton was already warm. What
was the point if he couldn't burn his lips until they were
numb?

So he forced himself to finish the soup in the bowl and picked

up some of the sauce-covered rice. He chewed very carefully
and slowly, dragging out this boring "family feast." His eyes
focused on his nose, his nose focused on his lips, and his lips
wrapped around the tips of his chopsticks: he was intensely
focused. The rest of his attention did not slip out of the feast;
he sat and quietly listened to the conversations of the royalty,
but did not add anything. He was as lonely as the orphaned
wheelchair behind him.

Hanguang Palace was one of the empress dowager's palaces.

It was one of the most expansive structures in the Royal Palace.
Although it was very plain compared to the wastrel's palace in
Shangjing, in Northern Qi, it was still very opulent. The candle
light lit the interior as bright as day and sent the decorations
around the room sparkling.

The various royal persons all ate quietly. No one dared to

meet the gaze of the old woman sitting at the very top, or that
of the Emperor and Empress beside her. Today was the Winter
Solstice and everyone had arrived, including the family of
King Jing, and the Second Prince who was under house-arrest.
When the Second Prince and Hong Chen entered and saw Fan
Xian, they were only slightly surprised, and did not rush up
like shrews screaming for blood.

Fan Xian used the rest of his attention to glance up at the old
woman sitting on the dais. This was his first time seeing the
empress dowager. Her hard heart and methods from her early
years could still be seen in the wrinkles between her brows.
The tiger was old and sick, but her might remained. With her
sitting on top, even the usually rowdy King Jing was a lot more
quiet today.

Although he was not familiar with the person, he was

familiar with this palace. He had snuck into the palace before
by using incense to put everyone to sleep and had stolen some
things. Remembering this, he drew back his gaze and ate some
of the sauce-covered rice. From the dais there came the sound
of an elderly person's weak cough.

Fan Xian lowered his head once more and said nothing. In his
glance just then, he saw the droop to the old woman's face and
knew that she did not have many years left.
 "Young lady Chen, come sit next to me." The empress
dowager looked at her granddaughter sitting at the far end of
the feast, then looked at Fan Xian, who was hidden in the
shadows. "Come here," she called.

Wan'er rose gently and smiled as she walked over. She leaned
close to the empress dowager's ear and whispered something
and then glanced at Fan Xian who was eating his rice with a
forlorn expression. She was probably telling a joke to make the
old woman laugh. As expected, the empress dowager laughed
and jokingly scolded, "It seems that you feed him well in the
Fan Manor—he doesn't even have an appetite for palace food."

Although her voice was low, the words were clearly heard by
all, and everyone knew she was talking about Fan Xian.

Fan Xian thought quickly and the trace of a smile floated on

his lips. He thought, Wan'er is indeed well-loved in the palace
—it seems that is true. As long as the empress dowager and the
Emperor like her, her position in the palace is naturally
outstanding.
 But he still felt a nervous. Today was his first time seeing the
empress dowager. The occasional glances the old woman sent
his way made him feel slightly fearful. Logically,
grandmothers shouldn't even use this gaze on their wildest
grandsons—that gaze was very complicated. It was one part
happiness, two parts pride, three parts doubt, and the last four
parts were warnings and coldness!

When the empress dowager began speaking, everyone

stopped eating to hear what the old woman had to say at the
Winter Solstice family feast.

"Today, most of us have gathered together… I was not well

last year, and so we did not have a gathering. Today, I am also
happy to see what the prince consort looks like."

Although the empress dowager said she was happy, her face
was completely expressionless. She turned to the Emperor and
said "It is just your sister that is in Xinyang; that cannot go on.
All these daughters and son-in-laws are in Jingdou, yet she
remains so far from the palace. I don't like it."
 Fan Xian gave a cold laugh in his heart, and knew they had
finally arrived at the main topic. The empress dowager's
meaning was clear: if a prince consort like him could take part
in a royal feast, why could the Eldest Princess not?

Something deep flashed through the Emperor's eyes and he

replied, "It is cold now, and travel is not easy. When spring
arrives, I will have Yunrui return."

Hearing these words, the empress dowager nodded with

satisfaction. Fan Xian noticed that the sleeve of the Second
Prince across from him was shaking unnaturally. Fan Xian
thought that this brother, who has been so tormented by him,
was overly excited that someone who could rescue him was
about to arrive in the capital.

However… why did the Crown Prince appear so strange?

…
 Fan Xian did not care about what was said after. Royal feasts
were truly boring. He only revealed small self-deprecating
smiles whenever the empress dowager occasionally brought
him up and purposely let a trace of coldness into her voice.

He had once heard that when he was injured, the empress

dowager had prayed for him and he also received a pearl from
her as a gift. He had thought the old woman was kind hearted
and felt that his hard heart was slightly moved. Unexpectedly,
seeing today's scenario, it was clear he had just been making
wild guesses. Ah well, then let us compare whose heart is
harder. Royalty are naturally born with cold hearts, but I'm a
twice born creature and my heart is not that soft either. At
least, it is three-folds harder than this mutton in cold soup.

Since rulers were not acting like rulers and ministers were
not acting like ministers; since fathers were not acting like
fathers and sons were not acting like sons; since grandparents
were not acting like grandparents and grandchildren were not
acting like grandchildren: why should he care about the thread
of familial blood between them?

Although he was a "poet" guilty of plagiarism, Fan Xian truly

was someone who loved literature. He could not put aside the
threads of pride in him. In this desolate Hanguang Palace, he
actually stood straight and stiffened his back. Although he
smiled slightly, his replies were not designed to appease the
empress dowager. Furthermore, he would not thrust out his
face to imitate being a junior for the old woman to be joyful of
her grandsons. For a moment, the conversations in the
Hanguang Palace appeared to be awkward and cold.

Other than the empress dowager, all the imperial concubines

and princes in the palaces were very familiar with Fan Xian
and knew that this prince consort was not a simple man.
Making others laugh was something he was very good at, and
so they were confused as to why he didn't use this family feast
as an opportunity to leave a good impression on the empress
dowager.

The Emperor did not react. He believed that Fan Xian was
angry because his mother-in-law was soon going to be
returning to the capital, and had simply forgotten himself. The
empress dowager assumed that he'd been born proud, and the
dislike for him grew in her heart.

Looking at the situation, the empress did not understand

what Fan Xian was doing, and misgiving hovered in the
corners of her eyes. Under the slightly-angry gaze of the
empress dowager, Ning Cairen drank deeply, and Lady Shu
pursed her lips. Yi Guiping laughed empty-headedly to make
the empress dowager smile and helped divert some of her
attention from Fan Xian.

His First Highness was confused, His Second Highness

laughed secretly, and His Third Highness watched with
admiration. The Crown Prince was not paying attention. Only
King Jing guessed something of the truth. He secretly shook
his head and thought, Men of words—sure enough they will
show a pedantic air.

Sitting next to the empress dowager, Wan'er glanced at Fan

Xian with worry.

...

In the cold and dark night, snow began to fall again, spilling
everywhere one snowflake after another. At the corner door of
the Royal Palace, Fan Xian sat in his wheelchair with his head
lowered and a blank expression. Lin Wan'er was slightly
worried and asked, "Husband, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Fan Xian continued to bow his head. "I am just
imitating Di Feijing."

The Tiger Guards and the Qinian Unit arrived. Husband and
wife boarded the carriage and the carriage drove toward the
Fan Manor. Inside the carriage, Lin Wan'er asked, curiously,
"Who is Di Feijing?"

"A man who spent his life with his head bowed." Fan Xian
smiled. "Let's not talk about him. Let's hurry home to eat
mutton—Father and the others should still be waiting."
Chapter 317: The Snow of Shangjing City
In the northeast, about 1,200 miles away from the capital of
the Qing Kingdom, was the older, brilliant Shangjing City. The
snow fell heavier here, and snowflakes the size of goose
feathers darted and drifted to the ground. The streets and
alleys of Shangjing looked as if they were covered by a layer of
pure white wool. Snow piled up on the roofs of the manors
with warm stoves. Black eaves peaked beneath the white snow
and the contrast appeared unusually beautiful.

At the city gates, the palace, built against the mountain,

could be seen in the distance. The black eaves of the palace
roofs were a deeper color than those of the people's private
residences. On the mountain, layers of snow-covered trees
grew from the snowy rocks, waterfalls gradually weakened to
icy creeks, and the stone paths became oblique and isolated.
The winter mountain and the Qing Palace seemed to have
merged into one entity.

Many things had happened in Northern Qi after summer

passed. The most shocking was, naturally, the assassination of
the Provost of the Discipline Commission, Shen Zhong. The
general who had been patrolling the streets that night, Shang
Shanhu, was still under house arrest at his manor, yet the
court and palace made their attitude clear.
 After Shen Zhong died, countless crimes were pinned against
him. His family was destroyed and its members killed. Only
the eldest daughter, who had been a familiar sight around
Shangjing, had been able to disappear without a trace.

The sudden death of Shen Zhong was a heavy blow for the
Brocade Guards. The already somewhat-weak special forces of
the Northern Qi had been undermined by the young Emperor.
Having lost one of their shrewdest leading figures, they were
even weaker. Even the empress dowager spoke in a lower voice.

Within a few months, all of the Brocade Guards were slightly

anxious at heart. No one

had stepped forward to take charge of this yamen, and they

didn't know how the court was going to deal with this.
Fortunately, a few days ago, the court had finally given a clear
edict. The young master of Marquis Ning, the Vice Minister of
the Honglu Temple, Wei Hua, would take over the position left
by Shen Zhong.

According to the rumors in Shangjing, the Dowager Empress

had wanted Marquis Ning to take the position of Provost.
However, she was blocked by the young Emperor. Since the
imperial edict clearly ordered the Marquis' son to take the
position, debate on the topic could not be avoided. Who knew
if this argumentative mother and son duo had finally come to
some kind of understanding and compromise?

Today, the Brocade Guard mustered their spirits and brought

out the fierceness and force of their heyday, and began to carry
out their new duties.

More than a hundred brown-clothed Brocade Guards

surrounded Xiushui Street, letting the snowflakes fall on their
bodies.

Xiushui Street was not as ordinary as it appeared. The

storefronts on this street had deep backgrounds, particularly
the seven stores in the middle. Those were owned by royal
merchants of the South Kingdom. The two countries were
currently in their honeymoon phase. Logically, the Brocade
Guard was reorganizing itself and shouldn't have been causing
trouble.
 The development of events took everyone by surprise. Along
the street, shopkeepers stood outside, rubbing their hands in
the cold and nervously watched the Brocade Guards take away
the wine seller. This shop owner's surname was Sheng, and his
name was Huairen. He was one of the ringleaders of the South
Kingdom treasury in Shangjing.

The shopkeeper of the glass store, Shopkeeper Yu, held onto

the old wooden door and asked in a shaky voice, "How dare
they take him away?"

The shop boy replied quietly, "They say they found a large
cache of goods in Jingnan. There were no documents or even
tax records. The Brocade Guards followed that clue to
Shangjing and dug out this shopkeeper Sheng."

Wind and snow dove toward them, circling their bodies and
fluttering away. They were brighter than the glass bottles
behind shopkeeper Yu. He watched with worry the departing
Brocade Guards. He knew very well about the smuggling from
the treasury to the north; this was originally a deal made by
the Eldest Princess. Northern Qi had always implicitly allowed
it and enjoyed the benefits that lower prices brought. Why did
they sudden strike today?
 In Shangjing's beautiful Royal Palace, the young Emperor
was currently wrapped in warm blankets. In one hand he held
a cake which he brought to his mouth, and in the other he held
a scroll. He was reading carefully and with great
concentration.

The new Provost of the Discipline Commission, Wei Hua,

looked at him carefully. He hesitated for half a moment before
mustering the courage to break into the Emperor's thoughts.
He said quietly, "We caught a few people… however, the Cui
clan and Xinyang have given the court a lot of help up to this
point. It is not good in terms of face, so following the empress
dowager 's orders, those with status were released in the end."

The young emperor did not look at him, but the corners of
his brows furrowed in annoyance. "Women," he said, "are soft-
hearted. Since we have already turned on them, why should
past affections be considered?"

Wei Hua naturally did not dare to join the conversation as

the Emperor berated the empress dowager . The Emperor shook
his head, and his gaze remained on his book. He continued, "It
is not important whether or not we caught them. How much of
the… cargo did we capture?"
 "A lot." A trace of excitement glinted in Wei Hua's gaze. "Our
messages were accurate. The southern barbarians didn't think
we would break the old rules. They were caught

off-guard and suffered great losses."

He suddenly thought of something and hesitantly said, "This

matter is a bit absurd. Even if Fan Xian had planned to rob the
treasury with the Qing Kingdom's Eldest Princess he had no
reason to give us such a valuable gift. Given his current power
in the Qing Kingdom, he is completely capable of taking all the
cargo and not letting any of it come to the north."

The Emperor still didn't look at him. He spoke coldly,

"Naturally he had something to ask of me in return for this
valuable gift."

"The timing is not a problem. According to messages from

the south, Fan Xian acted before we did. The south shouldn't
suspect that Your Majesty is working with him to split the
spoils. They will only think you took advantage of the
situation. Only…"
 The Emperor suddenly put down the scroll in his hand
heavily. He narrowed his eyes at Wei Hua. The warning in his
eyes was very clear. "Only five people in the court know of this
matter. I don't want it to leak out because of you."

Wei Hua was terrified. He prostrated himself on the ground

and swore an oath before saying, "Rest assured, Your Majesty."
Even though he was the son of Marquis Ning, in reality he was
closer to the Emperor than that. He knew he was able to take
charge of the Brocade Guards this time because the Emperor
wanted to give him a chance. It was up to him whether or not
he could grasp it.

"Is the diplomatic envoy from the Qing Kingdom still

protesting?" the Emperor asked suddenly, with great interest.

Wei Hua nodded and smiled without humor. "Sir Lin cries
and yells every day in the Honglu Temple. He demands justice
for the Cui clan and says the court did not investigate before
acting, and has forcibly seized the Cui's money and goods, an
act against the law. He claims it will greatly impact the
friendship between the two countries."
 The Emperor raged, "Who are the Cui clan? They are the
Qing Kingdom's greatest smugglers! I have helped the southern
barbarians discipline their citizens, and instead of thanking
me, they blame me. Sure enough, these southern barbarians
don't know any etiquette."

Wei Hua smiled weakly and thought, You help another

country discipline their merchants, but you are unwilling to
hand over the money and cargo you captured. How is this
logical? After the Cui clan incidence, Lin Wen, as the
diplomatic envoy from the Qing Kingdom, did not know the
inside story, so of course he was going to fight for his people.

"The most annoying part is that Wang Qinian." Wei Hua

spoke suddenly; he had a headache. "Sir Lin only makes a
ruckus in the Honglu Temple, but Sir Wang comes daily to the
Taichang Temple and begs to see Your Majesty. He says the Cui
clan are famous merchants in the Qing Kingdom, and as
officials of the Qing Kingdom they must protect the interests of
the Cui clan."

The Emperor was momentarily surprised by this news before

bursting into laughter. Laughing loudly, he said, "Interesting,
very interesting. Not only is Fan Xian himself interesting, even
his trusted aids act in such a ridiculous manner… clearly it is
their own master who wants to kill off the Cui clan, yet with
their ruckus, not only have they cleared Fan Xian's name, they
have smeared mine in passing."

Wei Hua remained alert of his counterpart in the south.

Unable to resist, he asked, "Your Majesty, if… the origins of
this matter travel back to the Qing Kingdom and the Qing
Emperor learns of Fan Xian's actions, I'm afraid he will be very
angry… perhaps Fan Xian will never be able to rise again."

During the talks in the summer between their two countries,

Wei Hua learned how cold and ruthless Fan Xian was beneath
the warm, elegant, and scholarly exterior. Once he had taken
over the position of Provost of the Brocade Guards, he
immediately considered Fan Xian as his greatest enemy. He
constantly thought about how to bring Fan Xian down. Having
now thought of a plan that would make it difficult for him to
ever rise again, he couldn't help but celebrate in his heart and
looked at the Emperor with a face full of hope. What
disappointed him was… the Emperor only shook his head.

"Consider things more long term." The Emperor spoke with a

mocking tone. "The cargo of the Cui clan was already within
my country—why would I steal their goods? Is it because I
need their money? The court has always dealt with the Eldest
Princess and both parties have reaped great rewards… do you
not know why we worked with Fan Xian this time?"

The Emperor picked up his book from the table and spoke
softly as he read, "The treasury of the south court is about to
be named 'Fan.' If you are not completely confident in
destroying him, then it is best to treat him politely. My people
this season are counting on Commissioner Fan… to provide,
year after year, cheap goods."

After Wei Hua left, the Emperor's expression immediately

relaxed a great deal. He stretched inelegantly and gave a big
yawn. At this moment a beautiful woman in an elegant court
dress raised the curtain and walked out. Looking in the
direction of the departing Provost, she blinked and asked
curiously, "What were you talking about? It seemed to be
related to Fan Xian."

"Lili, you get so nervous every time you hear the name 'Fan
Xian.' Are you not worried I'll be jealous?" The young Emperor
pulled her into his embrace. He spoke next to her ear, "Fan Xian
has moved against Xinyang in the south. I… just helped him a
little."

It was much more than just a little help. The Cui clan's routes
in the north had been completely destroyed and the remaining
goods and money had both been completely seized by the
Brocade Guard. A famous and powerful merchant clan had one
hand chopped off, and the other one—which remained inside
the Qing Kingdom—would,

sooner or later, be completely severed by the silently

terrifying Overwatch Council.

Si Lili giggled and said, "Of course I'm nervous. Sir Fan was
our matchmaker."

The young Emperor thought about it and realized she was

right. If Fan Xian had not had that "strange ideam" to have
grand uncle Ku He accept Lili as a disciple, then it would have
been very difficult for her to enter the place given her identity.
 "What are you reading?" Si Lili curiously snatched the scroll
from the Emperor's hands.

The Emperor panicked and snatched it back, saying, "It the

newest chapter of the Story of the Stone, which Fan Xian
specially sent to me… there is only one in the world. Don't ruin
it."

Si Lili's brows smoothed and she laughed, cuddled at his side

asked gently, "How does Fan Xian dare… act against his
mother-in-law?"

The Emperor shook his head. "That guy is even braver than I
am. The internal workings of the palace in the south are far
more complicated than ours, so who knows?"

Northern Qi's most precious river was the Yuquan River,

which started on a mountain and ran down; it went around
half of the Royal Palace and then bisected the old city in
Shangjing. The further upstream you went, the closer it was to
the Royal Palace, and the quieter it was.
 Today, it snowed hard, and ice debris was hidden near the
banks of the river. It was cold beyond comparison. Here, there
was a small garden from which you could see the black eaves of
the Royal Palace and the winter trees in the mountain. What
would be the identity of the person who was able to live here?

At this moment, there was a youth of about 13 or 14 who was

doing hard labor in the yard. The youth's face was slightly
chubby and he pulled along a millstone. Gritting his teeth, he
walked in a circle with the millstone squeaking behind him.
His legs shook with the effort. Despite the cold weather, the
back of his shirt was soaking wet. He seemed indescribably
wretched.

After a few rounds, the youth could take no more and pushed
away the handle in his hands. He turned his head and yelled
angrily, "There aren't even any beans! Why are you making me
push the empty mill? Can you not even afford a donkey?"

The person he was yelling at was, at this moment, relaxed

beyond measure under the eaves of the roof, lying on a thickly-
padded chaise lounge. Her eyes were bright but not eye-
catching. She was currently watching the snow fall past the
eaves and seemed to be day-dreaming. Hearing the youth's
angry yelling, she yawned and stood up. She stretched and said
lazily, "It's snowing today, where am I going to buy beans? As
to the donkey… don't I have you now? I sold the donkey the
other day. The chickens and ducks in the yard all need warmth
in the winter. That's going to cost money."

The two people in this strange scenario were, naturally, Fan

Sizhe, who had been exiled to Northern Qi, and, the most
famous youth of Northern Qi, Miss Haitang.

Haitang wore a flower-patterned winter coat with both her

hands stuck in her pockets. The trace of a smile flashed across
her usually expressionless face. Watching Fan Sizhe she said,
"A letter from your brother arrived the other day. He says for
me to discipline you well."

If she hadn't said anything it would have been fine, but once
she did, Fan Sizhe finally went crazy. He had been in Shangjing
many days now and he had done nothing except been used for
hard labor by this peasant girl. She had even given Yan'er away!

He suddenly remembered that this peasant girl had the high

ground, was good at martial arts, and was clever. He had tried
to escape multiple times but never succeeded. Life in Shangjing
was difficult beyond compare. Thinking of all this, he squatted
down angrily and yelled, "Who are you to me? Why do you
have the right to discipline me?"

Haitang smiled but did not reply. She just laid down again
and closed her eyes slightly; it seemed that she was going to
sleep to the accompaniment of the snow and wind.

Fan Sizhe watched her and knew that if he didn't obey, he

probably wouldn't have food to eat. He could only take up the
handle again. He gritted his teeth and said, "You look like a
peasant and you want to marry my brother! Don't expect me to
accept you as a sister-in-law in the future!"
Chapter 318: Great Grandmasters, Black
Market, Riddles
The snow was still falling when Fan Sizhe finally finished
pushing the millstone around for the 50th time. He was
breathing hard, pain was everywhere, and he felt he couldn't
possible straighten his back ever again. The sweat on his face
evaporated and turned white as it met the cold air; it looked as
if his entire body was smoking.

"Wipe it off and then change into dry clothes. Otherwise,

you'll freeze." Haitang handed him a stack of neatly folded
clothes.

Fan Sizhe shook his head bitterly and walked inside to

change. A moment later he

came out and yelled, "There isn't even a place to wash—what

do I do about the smell?"

Haitang glanced at him and laughed, "It's the middle of

winter, the things your brother made haven't been shipped to
Shangjing."
 Fan Sizhe couldn't help but shake his head again and. "My
brother sent me north… but not for you to torture me."

"Jade cannot be made into anything without being cut and

polished," Haitang replied with a placid expression. "I
remember one time we were talking in the Royal Palace and
Fan Xian said something that I thought made a lot of sense."

"What did he say?" Fan Sizhe asked curiously.

"'When Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility upon

a man, Heaven will first test his heart with suffering, his
sinews and bones with toil, his body with hunger, and subject
him to extreme poverty. Heaven will fill his journey with
setbacks and troubles so as to stimulate his alertness, and
toughen his nature. This will eventually fill his incompetence
and prepare him for the task.'"

Actually, when Fan Xian had recited Mencius' words, he was

thinking of the shore of the North Sea, and the reeds in the
Haitang Spring. However, Fan Sizhe and Haitang could not
know a person's true thoughts. When Fan Sizhe heard this
passage, he only felt a gust of cold air on his head and asked in
a trembling voice, "There's… not going to be no dinner again,
right?"

Haitang smiled slightly and said, "You're not eating here

tonight."

As she spoke, a person outside added, very respectfully,

"Second Young Master, tonight, I am taking you to dinner."

Fan Sizhe was surprised the person joined the conversation so

naturally. He turned around and saw that it was Wang Qinian.
Suddenly seeing someone from home made him think of all the
hardships he had endured recently, and how he might be able
to leave this place. Fan Sizhe became excited and started yelling
strangely and rushed to the outside of the fence.

"You're coming back after dinner." Haitang lightly threw out

this comment. It flew through the wind and snow and buried
itself in Fan Sizhe's ears; it made him shiver and filled him with
endless disappointment.
 Only when he reached the fence did he turn around and yell
cruelly, "I came to Shangjing to make money, not to do hard
labor!"

Haitang had already returned to the chaise lounge and said

expressionlessly, "How easy do you think it is to turn 1000
liang into 10,000 liang? I think Fan Xian has pushed you too
hard. Don't forget, your money is with me right now."

Outside the fence, Wang Qinian gave Fan Sizhe a look to

remind him that it was best not to anger Miss Duoduo. Even
Sir Fan wasn't able to protect himself completely when dealing
with her—what chance did he have?

Fan Sizhe sneered angrily and pushed open the gate.

Wang Qinian smiled and saluted Haitang, saying, "Miss

Haitang, I'm leaving now."

Haitang gazed at him and suddenly quieted down. Half a

moment later she asked, "Sir Wang, are you really in such a
rush for him to take charge of the Cui clan?"
 Wang Qinian's heart skipped and he could not understand
how she could know about Commissioner Fan's plan. He wasn't
sure how much implicit understanding there was between Fan
Xian and Haitang; he could only smile weakly and reply, "Miss,
what are you saying?"

Of course Haitang was very knowledgeable about the plans

concerning Fan Sizhe. She smiled slightly and didn't say
anything more; she simply advised, "The move has just started,
don't be in such a rush."

Wang Qinian had his servants fetch a hat and cloak for Fan
Sizhe to wear. It was to partially block the wind and snow and
was partially to conceal his appearance. He then saluted
Haitang again and readied himself to leave this piece of land
next to the Royal Palace.

"Have you read the most recent letter?" Haitang was half
sitting in the chair. She smiled a not-smile at the leaving Wang
Qinian.

Wang Qinian paused momentarily at her words, before

smiling weakly and said, "I have business at hand, forgive me
Miss Haitang. Please write a few words for me in your letter,
ask that Mr. Commissioner not to bully my daughter."

Haitang chuckled and thought that this Honglu Temple

Northern Qi proctor, Sir Wang Qinian, was indeed an
interesting person.

The noises outside the yard quieted. Haitang closed her eyes
and drifted off to sleep. Today, the snow and wind whirled
around each other in Shangjing; each sound pulled at the soul
and the cold threatened with every passing howl. The peasant
girl slept soundly in this cold and cruel environment; there was
even the trace of a smile around the corner of her lips. With
her startling cultivation, she did not care about the cold
seeping into her body. On the contrary, it was easier for her to
be closer with the environment, such as the stunning nature in
spring or the cold severity of winter.

Snow drifted down piece by piece, dancing in the sky. Under

the eaves, the girl wearing the flowered coat slept comfortably.

After an indeterminable amount of time, Haitang slowed

opened her eyes. Her eyes, bright beyond compare, reflected
the falling snowflakes and the gathering ice near the eaves.
Involuntarily, a thread of joy and satisfaction flashed through
them.

"Master, you have come."

The stone path on the banks of the Yuquan River outside of

the yard had long been covered in a thick layer of snow. At this
moment, a person approached slowly across the snow. The
wind and snow seemed to have vanished in an instant and the
only sound that could be heard was the person's footsteps.

The person wore no shoes and walked with bare feet on the
snow, determined and sincere. In barely a moment, they had
reached the front of the yard and extended a hand to lightly
push open the gate. They approached the eaves and reached out
a hand to gently stroke the delighted Haitang's head. "I'm here
to visit you."

One of the Four Great Grandmasters, the one who was

viewed by the people as a god—Imperial Advisor Ku He!
 If Fan Xian were to see this he would definitely ridicule Ku
He's normal appearance. He couldn't compare to Zhu Shuai
and wasn't even as exciting as Ye Liuyun. Especially after he
took off his hat and revealed his big, bald head. He seemed
very far from the image of a supernatural being—he was only a
very simple and ordinary old man. Only his pure-white
clothing and bare feet announced his identity as an ascetic
monk, although he had not practiced asceticism since
returning from the temple.

Haitang bowed deeply towards the teacher in utmost respect,

and then invited this most extraordinary person into the room.
She served him tea and sat next to him on the ground, her face
full of naivety like a little girl's. It was only in front of this
Great Grandmaster that Haitang submitted so naturally.

Ku He's face was clear, with very thin lips, and extremely
deep-set eyes. His gaze was very distant with a trace of tender
love as he looked at his last disciple. He smiled slightly and
said, "I have come from Xi Mountain."

Haitang's expression changed and she asked in alarm, "Did

you find Sir Xiao En's body?"
 Ku He slowly put down the tea cup in his hand. With the hint
of a smile in his eyes, he said, "I found the bones of my old
friend in a cave on a precipice."

"A precipice in Xi Mountain?"

After Ku He had returned from the south, he closed himself

off and refused to go out. Some of the people in Northern Qi
guessed that this Great Grandmaster had been injured but did
not know whom he had fought against in that terrifying final
battle in a place no one knew. Some guessed it was Sigu Jian,
others guessed Ye Liuyun. Some also guessed it was the Great
Grandmaster that the Qing Kingdom had hidden the deepest.
No one thought that Ku He and Wu Zhu would both suffer
heavy injuries.

After Ku He recovered and rejoined the world, his first

priority was to carefully investigate Xiao En's movements after
he returned to the country. Although this Great Grandmaster
was quietly furious at the disagreements between the Emperor
and his mother, Tianyi Dao took orders from the temple and
rarely interfered with politics, and so could not say much.
However, for this Great Grandmaster, for whom little of the
material world mattered, he placed great importance on the
life and death of Xiao En.

The precipice of the Xi Mountain had been searched multiple

times. They did not find a body anywhere on the mountain and
this became the toughest thorn in the side of Northern Qi. If
that old man was still alive, then Shang Shanhu, who was
under house arrest, could become powerful again.

However, for Haitang, since senior brother disciple Lang

Tiao swore that Xiao En could not have survived after being
stabbed by a scimitar, she believed him. Great Grandmaster Ku
He had also never doubted the judgement of his first disciple.

Untold amounts of power went into searching the mountain

and they left no stone unturned, yet they still did not find a
trace of either Xiao En or that mysterious person. Northern Qi
could not understand how there could be someone in this
world who could scale the smooth as mirror surface of the
precipice like a gecko.

Finally, Imperial Advisor Ku He spoke and Northern Qi

angrily stopped searching. They didn't expect for this Great
Grandmaster to put aside his status and personally search.
Who knew how much effort it took for Ku He to finally, in this
snow and wind, find Xiao En's body in a cave on the precipice?

Haitang stared at her teacher in surprise and only then

noticed tiny wounds on both of his ankles. Concerned, she
asked, "How did you get down from the precipice?" She didn't
have time to ask about Xiao En, her focus was on Ku He's body.
After all, her teacher was getting on in age and had been
injured not long ago.

Ku He gently shook his head. He smiled slightly and sighed,

"It was a bit difficult going down, but not impossible. It was
fine as long as there was a rope. Only, I had not expected for the
person Lang Tiao forced down the cliff to… escape so easily."

Haitang lowered her head and said, "Perhaps he was carrying

a grappling hook or something similar?"
 "There was nowhere to use a grappling hook." Ku He watched
her with a smile. "You were so shocked before, so you must
remember what the precipice of Xi Mountain looks like."

Haitang sighed, "I really don't understand this matter. The

incident happened many months ago—have the goshawks in
the mountain not eaten Sir Xiao En's bones?"

Ku He's two white-as-snow eyebrows floated up and he

replied warmly, "That cave was very shallow. Logically,
predators should have helped Sir Xiao En on his way a long
time ago. I didn't expect to find Sir Xiao En's perfectly-
preserved body as I came down on the rope. There were some
dead birds next to him, but those birds had already become
bones. It was only his body that, other than having lost a little
water, had not rotted."

Hearing these words, Haitain was momentarily shocked, but

in an instant she smiled peacefully and said, "That's a powerful
poison."

Ku He nodded his head gently and very casually changed the

topic. "Let's talk about the young man Fan Xian. I am very
curious about him."

Haitang's heart thumped but her expression did not change at

all. With a slight smile she related all that Fan Xian had done
in Shangjing and knew that she could no longer hide anything.
In a light voice she said, "The night Xiao En left the capital,
Fan Xian stayed with the envoy but no one actually saw him.
When I went the next day, he was lying on his bed… at the
time, Lang Tiao thought the person he saw fall off the cliff
with Xiao En was him. Furthermore, he is very skilled at using
poison."

On this earth, only two people had been touched by the

Temple: Xiao En and Ku He. Now that Xiao En was dead, only
Ku He was left. The Emperor had suffered innumerable trials
and tribulations to bring Xiao En to Northern Qi only to have
Ku He try with all his power to kill him. And now, he knew
that Fan Xian was possibly the last person to have seen Xiao En
alive. Given how careful Ku He was about the secret of the
Temple… Haitang didn't know how much trouble her words
brought Fan Xian. She only knew that this kind-looking
teacher in front of her was an immensely intelligent man. His
topic change earlier was, naturally, to remind her.
 Unexpectedly, Ku He did not continue this topic of
conversation; instead, he looked at her meaningfully and
smiled. He drank another sip of his green tea and said, "Your
tea tastes better and better."

"Thank you, teacher," Haitang replied demurely.

Some time went by in silence. Then, Ku He suddenly said

very gently, "I think I know who Fan Xian is." This comment
seemed to be completely out of the blue, and Haitang did not
understand what he meant; she could only stare at her teacher.

Ku He stood slowly and the trace of a mellow smile rose on

his face. "Before this young man came to Northern Qi, I left for
a while and was injured. I am sure you are very curious as to
who in this world is able to injure me."

Imperial Advisor Ku He represented the spirit of Northern Qi

and so his injury had long been hidden from public knowledge.
Although Haitang knew, she had never heard the details from
her teacher. Hearing this now, she suddenly focused her
attention.
 "It was a blind man." Ku He turned and gazed out at the wind
and snow in his disciple's garden. He spoke slowly, "It was a
blind man I had met many years ago and have never once
forgotten."

Haitang was very shocked. She thought, For someone in this

world to be able to hurt teacher is already a very shocking
thing, and it wasn't a famous Great Grandmaster, it was a…
blind man!

Ku He continued to speak slowly, "What was very strange

was that this terrifyingly powerful blind man… had forgotten
some things. He had forgotten that many years ago we had
once met."

Haitang listened in silence.

"This blind man had already disappeared for many years." A

smile once again rose to the surface of Ku He's face.
"Unexpectedly, he appeared once again in this world and the
first person he sought was me. This caused me to feel a faint
pride in my long-empty heart."
 Haitang was becoming more and more confused.

"This blind man had once disciplined that idiot Sigu Jian,
and had once defeated Ye Liuyun so badly he gave up the
sword. He ended a generation of Grandmasters," Ku He sighed.
"At the time, I guessed it was him. I just didn't think he would
seek me out—this was very different in style to his
secretiveness of bygone years."

Haitang suddenly opened her mouth and asked, "Perhaps this

blind man is that most mysterious Great Grandmaster?"

Ku He shook his head; the pair of eyes that seem to pierce

through everything revealed a trace of confusion. "No, the
blind man never needed those empty titles. As for the most
mysterious of us four… he is probably still inside the Qing
Royal Palace."

Haitang was a little confused. Since no one had seen that

mysterious Great
 Grandmaster, why was everyone sure he existed and was
inside the Qing Royal Palace?

"The reason is very simple," Ku He smiled. "Many years ago,

Sigu Jian tried three times to enter the Qing Royal Palace to
assassinate the Emperor."

Haitang gave a shocked cry. She only just learned that

Dongyi City's Sigu Jian had done something so crazy. However,
to act as an assassin at the realm of a Great Grandmaster, the
Emperor would be very hard pressed to defend himself even if
he were the person with the most power in the world.

Seemingly able to guess what she was thinking, Ku He said

quietly, "Everyone who

knew about this thought the same as you: they believed Sigu
Jian had a high chance of success… unfortunately, he failed
four consecutive times in a month. Although he wasn't
injured, he also achieved nothing."
 Haitang furrowed her brows and asked, "That blind man…
was he not in the Qing Royal Palace at the time?" She
continued to believe that the blind man who managed to injure
her teacher was most likely that mysterious Great
Grandmaster.

Ku He smiled slightly and shook his head. "At that time, the
blind man was with the young lady of the Ye clan, repairing
the treasury in Jiangnan."

"The young lady of the Ye clan?" Haitang was even more

shocked. Although she was currently the most famous person
of the younger generation, she knew that everyone in these
insider stories her teacher was telling her was someone who
was amazing, someone who had changed the shape of this
world.

Ku He gently turned the conversation back and turned

around to look at Haitang. "Do you understand now?"

Haitang's eyes were wide and bright; she shook her head.
 "Who is Fan Xian?" Ku He calmly watched his female
disciple.

"Fan Xian is Ye Qingmei's son… the son of the mistress of the

Ye clan."

Haitang was stunned and very confused. Fan Xian… was the
illegitimate child of the south court's Minister of Revenue—
how was he connected to the Ye clan? The Ye clan? The Ye clan
that once controlled the world through trade? The Ye clan that
set up the Overwatch Council, repaired the treasury, and
whose prestige lived on to this very day?

Ku He rubbed his hands, sat down, and sighed, "Xiao En was

always locked up by Chen Pingping and so did not know of
Lady Ye's identity, but I happened to know. The blind man
could only be a servant of Lady Ye. The time they moved me
out of Shangjing was, naturally, to make it easier for Fan Xian
to act. And so, Fan Xian's identity emerged. He is a descendent
of Lady Ye."

Haitang shook her head and dared to share her opinion

before her teacher: "Although this reasoning makes sense, it
seems a bit too forced. What if that blind… Grandmaster
became lonely living in the mountain and came out to
challenge you, and had nothing to do with Fan Xian being in
the north? Besides, wasn't the Ye clan wiped out all those years
ago?"

Before she had finished speaking, Ku He was already smiling.

"One thing does not mean anything, but if you think about Fan
Xian's current position in the south court, and then think
about the strange going-ons in the south court since he came to
Danzhou... Once you add all these details together, the truth of
the matter becomes clear. Don't bandy about words like 'wiped
out.' The Ye clan's old housekeeper is still alive and well. For
those in the Qing court who wished to preserve a thread of
Lady Ye's bloodline, it would not have been impossible to do."

Haitang laughed worriedly, and was momentarily lost for

words. Teacher was right: even if Fan Xian was Minister Fan's
illegitimate child, even if he was a poetic genius, and a true
master, it would be impossible for him to have attained his
current position given his identity. It was even more
impossible for him to have the Overwatch Council in his left
hand and the treasury in his right. The Overwatch Council and
the treasury—weren't these the most powerful things the Ye
clan had left behind in this world?
 Was it possible that the gentle young man, with whom she
frequently exchanged letters with, had such a complicated and
wretched past?

"Previously, you repeated a poem Fan Xian recited in the

restaurant…" Ku He gently tapped his female disciple who was
deep in thought. He smiled slightly and said, "You only
discovered through this poem that he was the author of 'Story
of the Stone,' but if you think carefully you might discover
that Fan Xian used this poem to express other emotions, such
as anger and bitterness."

One summer day in the Century Pine Inn in Shangjing, Fan

Xian was drinking with Haitang, and had recited a poem in his
drunkenness:

"Stay in Qing, stay in Qing, and I will suddenly encounter my

savior; fortunate mother, fortunate mother, collect dark deeds.
I urge you, spend your life helping the stranded and assisting
the poor. Do not love money, and be a ruthless uncle or
treacherous brother! All your losses and gains are in the vault
of Heaven."
 On that winter day, Haitang repeated the poem in her heart
and finally experienced the emotions her teacher spoke off. She
suddenly raised her head, stunned.

If Fan Xian, currently far away in a hot pool in the Qing

mountains, knew that this teacher-student duo had so hastily
confirmed the circumstances of his birth from this little poem,
he would certainly leap from the hot spring in anger and run
naked all the way to Shangjing and scold them harshly. Then
he would explain that Lao Cao wrote this and it was a
coincidence that it somewhat matched the circumstances of his
birth.

Haitang soon recovered her calm and said gently, "This

matter could be of great importance or it could not matter."
Since she now knew the truth of Fan Xian's birth; she could see
he must have many problems with the royal family in the
South Kingdom. What to do with this information was
something that needed careful consideration.

"The information that Fan Xian is a descendent of the Ye

clan… should be told to the world," Great Grandmaster Ku He
said very gently.
 "The blind man?" Haitang was feeling slightly dazed, and
didn't know how to best protect Fan Xian's interests.

Ku He sighed slowly, "Although the blind man… does not

seem to recognize me, I think since he purposely acted and left
these clues, perhaps… he wanted to use my mouth to share this
interesting information with everyone in the world." The Great
Grandmaster finally came to a conclusion: "The blind man
doesn't want to wait anymore; he wants Fan Xian to move
faster."
Chapter 319: Who Could Kill
Commissioner Fan?
The countryside was still after the wind and snow.

The scent of tea lingered in the room and floated through the
quiet space. It was after a long pause before Haitang replied in
a soft voice, "I understand."

Ku He didn't look at her face. He smiled slightly and said,

"Didn't Fan Xian ask you for the Heart of Tianyi Dao? Give it to
him."

Give it to him? The simple words stunned Haitang into

raising her head. She wasn't sure if her teacher was joking or if
he had gone crazy—the incomparable Heart of Tianyi Dao?
That was a closely-guarded secretly; were they just going to
casually handed it over to a powerful official of the south
court?

Ku He smiled slightly and said, "That is something his

mother gave me. It is right for me to return it to him… besides,
the stronger Fan Xian is, the more of a headache he is for the
south court royal family, which is good for Northern Qi. If it
will both satisfy my wishes as well as benefit the country, why
shouldn't it be done?"

Haitang parted her lips but remained speechless. She

understand her teacher's true purpose and felt a chill in her
heart.

Although the teacher and student had guessed Fan Xian's

connection to the Ye clan, they did not know of Fan Xian's
other identity. And so they assumed from their limited
information that after Fan Xian's identity was revealed he
could only be a fierce tiger within the Qing Kingdom. The Ye
clan had, that year long ago, disappeared in an instant. The
royal family of the Qing Kingdom must take most of the
responsibility. In the eyes of Northern Qi, the stronger Fan
Xian was, the more trouble the Qing Kingdom would be in, and
the safer their country would be.

"Teacher, if Fan Xian isn't able to shoulder it, then what?"

All of the Ye clan's wealth had been taken by the Qing royal
family as their own. Logically, once the news that Fan Xian
was a descendent of the Ye clan got out, the Qing royal family
would try to kill him as quickly as possible.

However, Ku He shook his head and sighed quietly, "The

people who overthrew the Ye clan mostly died a dozen years
ago on the night that Jingdou ran red with blood. I really
cannot guess how things will develop afterwards. Does the Ye
clan still have enemies hiding within the southern Royal
Palace? Perhaps that blind man also wants to use this matter to
force those people to show themselves."

As Northern Qi's Imperial Advisor, Ku He needed to first

consider Northern Qi's interests. The kingdom of the mother
and son in the Royal Palace, and even the difficulties Fan Xian
would face, were not among his considerations. The old man
smiled slightly and said, "With the blind man standing firmly
behind him, even if Fan Xian is unable to deal with the
oncoming attack, even if he failed and wanted to die, the blind
man would not make that easy for him."

Using the Heart of Tianyi Dao would make Fan Xian very
powerful—it seemed too risky. Besides, that comment her
teacher made revealed a terrifying thing: the Heart of Tianyi
Dao was originally given to her teacher by Fan Xian's mother!
 "Lady Ye… exactly what kind of person was she?" Haitang
was stunned.

Ku He furrowed his brows and thought deeply for a long time

before replying softly, "At the beginning, I thought she was a
goddess who did not meddle in the world of mortals. Only later
did I discover this was not the case."

"Tianmai?"

"Not Tianmai." Ku He continued smiling. "Lady Ye was a

mystical woman who far superseded normal geniuses."

After a long time, Haitang respectfully saw off Imperial

Advisor Ku He. Seeing her teacher's bare feet stepping into the
snow, the girl asked softly, "Teacher, Sir Xiao En?"
 In the snow, Ku He's shadow paused and a moment later a
soft voice said, "In the same place as master Zhuang. These two
brothers were strangers in life but partners in death. It's not so
bad."

Haitang lowered her head to hide her surprise. Up until now,

she had not known this.

"These are the matters of the previous generation—you

young people have your own world. The Heart… you need to
hand it to Fan Xian personally." After Ku He finished this
sentence, he stepped into the wind and snow, and disappeared.
With the flip of his hat, he hid the old, bald head from view.

...

In a valley of Cang Mountain in the Qing Kingdom, fog rose

from a patch of white snow. Dozens of beautiful crowned
cranes were stretching their wings in dance, flying no more
than a dozen feet before floating back down. Scared and
cowardly, they stretched out their long feet and tentatively
stepped towards snow-covered hot springs beneath the fog.

The temperature of the hot spring was perfect, slightly on

the hot side. Fan Xian soaked, half naked, in the hot springs
with his eyes closed and his neck stretched out, resting on a
hard and wet black rock beside the spring. Most of his body
was sunk into the water, and hid skin left out was colored a
light red. Although not muscular, his arms gave a feeling of
strength as they lay on the rocks.

Two slightly-thin fingers landed firmly on his right wrist. Fei

Jie closed his eyes while his eyebrows twitched. His usually
disheveled hair, wet from the spring water, lay tamed like
never before.

Only after having been summoned to the capital did Fei Jie
learn that Fan Xian had taken his whole family into the Cang
Mountains for winter, and had hurried over. The teacher and
student had spent today soaking in the hot springs surrounded
by cedar trees. Such an enjoyment was rather extravagant.
 "Your figure is pretty good." Fei Jie slowly opened his eyes
and withdrew his fingers, which had been taking Fan Xian's
pulse. The ominous brown in his eyes was getting darker and
darker. "Usually it is difficult to see under all the clothes."

Fan Xian had also opened his eyes and smiled. "The brothers
of the Third Bureau praised my figure a long time ago." He
paused and then asked, "Teacher, is there a

way?"

Fei Jie took his towel from his neck and wet it in the hot
spring; then he forcefully rubbed the somewhat loose skin on
his front and did not say anything for a moment.

Fan Xian sighed. Seeing his teacher's face, he knew that he

had no good ideas for the rapidly exploding zhenqi in his body.

"You won't eat the medicine I left for you," Fei Jie said
worriedly. "Why are you refusing to accept help? If you take
the medicine, at worse you will suffer a great loss of zhenqi,
but at least it won't burst out."
 Fan Xian shook his head. "For me, what is the difference
between a great loss of zhenqi and a complete loss?"

"The difference is immense. At least you will have the

strength to protect yourself."

Fan Xian laughed and his delicate face remained full of

confidence. "I have many ways to protect myself… you've
known that ever since I was little. I was not a barbarian who
depended on martial arts to conquer the world. I have always
depended on other means to be able to battle Haitang. Even if I
lost all my zhenqi, I don't believe that if I ran into trouble I
would only be able to wait to die."

Fei Jie stared into his eyes for a while before sighing, "You
really are a strange creature. For a fighter, the importance of
zhenqi is paramount. Even if you are surrounded by the Tiger
Guards, and have the Sixth Bureau watching, you should still
show some sentiment and disappointment."

"Those are unnecessary emotions." The teachings he had

received from his uncle Wu Zhu when he was young emerged
in his mind and he slowly said, "If it can't be cured then I will
accept this reality. Sighing won't help the situation at all."

Fan Xian, at the Cang Mountain hot springs, did not know
that in the distant north, the enigmatic teacher-student pair
had already deduced his identity as though it were child's play.
Furthermore, they wanted to use the revealing of this identity
to cause turmoil in the Qing court and set him up in opposition
to the Qing royal family.

Putting aside whether or not Haitang would delay this matter

from happening, the distance between the two countries was
very large. No matter how fast rumors could fly, it couldn't
have made it into the Qing Kingdom yet. And so his identity as
a descendent of the Ye clan was not yet Fan Xian's biggest
danger, or most pressing matter. Right now he was focused on
recovering the zhenqi in his body, and to cure the punctured
walls of his meridians.

"Just look after yourself for now," Fei Jie spoke after a long
moment of deep thought. "I will give you a new prescription to
take. Also, don't throw away the medicine I left you before—it
still has its uses."
 Fan Xian was a little surprised. He wondered what the point
was in continuing to take the power distribution medicine
since his zhenqi had already dissipated. In reality, Fei Jie also
didn't know what use it could do—he had just said it without
thinking.

Unexpectedly, it became useful to Fan Xian much later.

"I've been at Cang Mountain for a fortnight. I wonder what's

happening in Jingdou?" Fan Xian gently slapped the slightly
hot water of the springs with a smile. "You have just come from
the capital, tell me about it."

"Every day, you receive at least a dozen reports," Fei Jie

scolded. "Why are you asking an old man like me?"

Fan Xian chuckled.

Fei Jie spoke coldly, "You used your injury as an excuse to

hide here in Cang Mountain while the Bureaus moved against
the Cui clan… Jingdou has long sunk into turmoil. The north
has captured hundreds of people and seized millions in silver
worth of goods. The accusations you pinned to the Cui clan
have been made into reality. It seems that a large, dignified
family is about to be toppled. You, kid, really struck hard."

"It was all the court's wishes." Fan Xian explained with a
smile.

The Overwatch Council's declaration of war on Xinyang was

unusually brutal and sudden, and they had struck very hard.
Their spies, which were spread out across the country, had
long controlled the Cui clan's northern smuggling roads. When
Yan Bingyun of the Fourth Bureau suddenly attacked, they did
not give Xinyang any time to react before they already had
control over much of the goods and silver.

After all, Fan Xian was injured, and everyone in Jingdou

knew he was recovering at Cang Mountain. Who would have
thought that the ill Commissioner would strike so suddenly
and harshly? This plan had been in preparation since the
summer and had quietly began after they received the
Emperor's implicit consent. Without proper planning, even
though Xinyang had power in various states, they had still
suffered a great loss.
 Most importantly, Fan Xian had hidden his own thoughts
deep enough. Clearly, the Eldest Princess had underestimated
her own son-in-law.

"You've really offended the Eldest Princess this time," Fei Jie
sighed and shook his head. "The Cui clan was one of the Eldest
Princess's hands, and you have chopped it off. Are you not
afraid that she…?"

Although he didn't finish speaking, Fan Xian understood his

teacher's meaning. He thought for a bit and quietly replied, "At
the beginning, I also had worries. However, after I battled
against His Second Highness, I suddenly discovered that I have
nothing to worry about. With the Emperor's implicit consent
and with the great power of the Overwatch Council… who
could stand against me?"

Fei Jie knew that Fan Xian was not a proud or arrogant
person, and so sat quietly to listen to his next words.

"The resources in my hands are too powerful," Fan Xian

sighed. "Whether it is the Princes or the Ministers in the court,
none can stand against me. The Director once ordered me to
aim high. I only understand now that it is not just the
direction I want to take, but also a direction where I will
develop this kind of confidence… perhaps even pride for my
position as the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council.

"The people who can stand against me in the court today…

are few," Fan Xian concluded without expression. "The court,
at its core, is an organization based on strength. Other than the
army, there is not another yamen who is comparable to the
Overwatch Council, and the Emperor has always tightly
controlled the army. Forcing the Cui clan out of the capital this
time is a clear signal. Although the Eldest Princess has her own
influence in the army, the Emperor moved Yan Xiaoyi out of
Jingdou early in the beginning of spring. What is Xinyang
going to use to compete with me?"

From Danzhou to Jingdou, adapting to the changing

situation and with the influence of Chen Pingping and Fan Jian
who were… comrades of his mother, as well as with the
implicit consent of the Emperor, the beautiful young man had
risen to unbelievable power in just two short years. Even he
had never truly experienced his power until he was able to
easily banish His Second Highness in Jingdou. Only then did
he suddenly realize he seemed to have far underestimated
himself.
 As long as the Emperor's royal favor did not cease, as long as
that old woman in the palace continued to give consideration
for his royal blood, as long as Chen Pingping stayed retired at
Chen Garden and gave him free reign with the Overwatch
Council… Fan Xian would stand firmly at the top of the Qing
court, and would not have to worry about anything.

Fei Jie suddenly said, "Yan Xiaoyi is in the north—did he not

act this time?"

"The north camp is far away in Cangzhou. There are

countless ferocious generals and hundreds of thousands of
brave soldiers," Fan Xian mocked, "but they didn't have the
time to react. However, some key members of the Cui clan have
escaped toward the camp. We weren't able to completely block
off the road to Cangzhou."

Fei Jie stared at him and suddenly smiled. "Not bad, not bad
indeed."

Fan Xian finally showed some modesty. "I am only the person
who made the decision. Things going this smoothly is all
thanks to Yan Bingyun."
 Fei Jie smiled. "In less than half a year, you have managed to
pull Ruohai's precious son into your camp and have him
working hard plotting for you. You… have really done well."

Fan Xian was silent and suddenly remembered Lady Shen. At

this moment, she was probably in the Cang Mountain manor
playing mahjong with Wan'er and others. He wondered if he
should invite Mister Yan to the mountain for the winter after
the Cui clan matter was concluded.

Thinking of the manors in Cang Mountain, his spirit

suddenly lifted, and he made an earnest request to Fei Jie:
"Teacher, please carefully consider the matter we discussed
yesterday."

Fei Jie's brows furrowed; he coughed a few times and said,

"You want a girl who is as beautiful as a freshly-bloomed
flower to study medicine with me… isn't that too pitiable?
Even if I promise you, Minister Shang would not allow it."

"Leave father to me," Fan Xian said earnestly. "My baby sister
truly likes medicine, please consider it."
 Fei Jie scolded, "I'm called Fei Jie, not Fei Xin."

Fan Xian laughed. He knew that if his teacher was angry, he

had agreed.

After a while, a trace of worry flashed across Fei Jie's brow.

He said, "Have you thought about the fact that the Director and
I are both getting old? There will be a day when we will not be
here."

Fan Xian was silent, and suddenly spoke after a moment, "I
think, the Director must have told you that I have guessed my
past."

Fei Jie nodded expressionlessly. "At least up until now, the

Emperor… has treated you very well."

Fan Xian did not deny this. For the Emperor to be "generous"
enough to hand him the Overwatch Council and the treasury,
positions of power that were difficult even for Princes to
achieve, it would be enough for most people to compensate any
issue of name.
 However, the problem was that Fan Xian was not originally
from this world. What he wanted was actually much simpler,
and how he viewed problems was also simpler. These two giant
organisations originally belonged to my mother, not to the
Qing royal family. You should give them to me. If you don't,
then you are being shameless.

Fei Jie did not completely know his innermost thoughts, and
so sighed, "The year we were in Danzhou, you said you wanted
to be a doctor or a chef. I was actually very happy, but also a
little disappointed. There had to be someone who could inherit
Lady Ye's family business. Only, now that I see you have
inherited everything from her, I feel slightly afraid. I wonder if
you will regret this in the future."

Fan Xian understood. His teacher was worried that one day
the Emperor might suddenly feel he held too much power and
could become a threat to future Emperors. What would happen
then? He smiled and comforted Fei Jie, "Don't worry. I think
the Emperor will believe in my loyalty for at least a few years."

He touched the scar on his chest. The area of the scar was a
little itchy and looked very ferocious today; it had turned red
soaking in the hot springs.
 "Don't forget, she is the empress dowager's most precious
daughter," Fei Jie warned. "Furthermore, she is crazy. She isn't
a match for you on the battlefield but she will use some crazy
methods, like what happened on Niulan Street."

Fan Xian suddenly sank into a deep silence, and spoke after a
moment, "She won't make a move with Wan'er in the other
garden. As for within Jingdou… even if she is going to do
something crazy, she has to consider the Emperor. If she really
wants to get even, her best choice would be to kill me while I
am injured as well as not in Jingdou, under the eye of the
Emperor."

Fei Jie sighed, "It is good you understand this."

"I am not so easy to kill right now."

There was a tch sound, just like the sound of someone using
a knife to slice apart a piece of rice paper.

Over 1,500 feet behind the Cang Mountain hot springs, on the
crystalline snow between the cedar trees, a flash of brilliant red
liquid suddenly flew outward and landed on the ground. It
immediately dyed the snow and sank into the ground beneath
it, and the color took a long time to fade away.

An assassin covered his throat and utter a choked sound

before falling onto the snow.

The swordsman from the Sixth Bureau of the Overwatch

Council slowly pulled back his ice sword and saluted Gao Da,
who was over 30 feet away, then disappeared into the snow.

"Number seven." Gao Da's face was serious and he still carried
that long knife on his back. He gave an order to his
subordinate, "Move it to the back of the mountain and burn it
in a while."

Gao Da was deep in thought. Recently, there had been more

and more assassins trying to enter Cang Mountain to
assassinate Commissioner Fan. He also knew where these
assassins were coming from. Xinyang was indeed a little crazy.
After the Cui clan was destroyed, they chose the most direct
method of revenge… it was unfortunate they had
underestimated the strength of the protection around
Commissioner Fan.

Seven Tiger Guards had been given to Fan Xian by the

Emperor as bodyguards.

In this battle between the assassins and guards, what was

truly terrifying were the swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau. These
swordsmen were originally assassins, and were the Qing
Kingdom's official assassins. As they were in the snowy
mountains, they were far more familiar of the surrounding
environment than the assassins from Xinfang. They let none
escape. After three days, although they had already killed
seven assassins, they remained unharmed.

Gao Da looked at the red blood smeared on the snow and

sighed. He was one of the palace guards and he learned today
that although he and the other Tiger Guards were ideal for
killing and intercepting, the people of the Six Bureau of the
Overwatch Council were much better at assassinating and
protection.
 As the leader of the Tiger Guards, he knew that if these Sixth
Bureau swordsmen fought against him face to face, no one
would be able to defeat him. However, the problem remained
that assassins… never fought face to face.

Gao Da silently thought that if the assassin leader of the

Sixth Bureau tried to assassinate him, he probably didn't have
any chance of surviving.

After Fan Xian was injured, the protection around him had
already gone up a few levels. Particularly after Chen Pingping's
great display of anger, the Sixth Bureau of the Overwatch
Council acted out of shame. Straight away they placed 12
swordsman around Fan Xian's person—this standard of
protection had, in the past, only been used by the Emperor
when he went traveling. After the Emperor began to often use
the Tiger Guards, only the Chen Garden had such tight
protection.

After Fan Xian learned about this matter, he didn't make any
comment and only ordered much of Qinian's group to leave,
and refused to let anyone follow him into the mountain. He
only left Deng Zi Yue and Su Wenmao to carry out
communications. As to Chen Pingping's "anger," he treated it
like a joke. The old cripple had someone stab me and then
scolded his subordinates for not protecting me properly, he is
truly shameless.

As Gao Da was quietly admiring the strength of the

Overwatch Council, someone was thinking along similar lines.
The leader of the assassins that Xinyang had sent to Cang
Mountain was currently hiding in the snow in white clothing.
He carefully observed everything that was happening on the
mountain.

He was a soldier with a death oath to Xinyang; his life had

long been given to Her Highness, the Eldest Princess. However,
as he looked at the scene before him, he couldn't help feeling a
chill in his heart. It had already been three days. Never mind
assassinating Fan Xian, the Xinyang assassins hadn't even been
able to see Fan Xian's face! The consecutive deaths of his
subordinates had forced the leader to consider, for the first
time, a temporary retreat.
 Even if it were the Emperor's Tiger Guards guarding Fan
Xian, he would have the confidence to try it. Xinyang had
guessed that Fan Xian's injury was strange, and suspected that
it wouldn't heal anytime soon.

The problem was in the Sixth Bureau of the Overwatch

Council: the official assassins were too powerful. They seemed
to have the innate ability to smell every strange scent on the
snow, and could find all the hidden elements of danger. With
this group guarding Fan Xian, Xinyang would only be able to
kill him by sending a branch of their army up the mountain!

The assassin leader furrowed his brows and decided to slide

down the tree, and return to Xinyang to report the details of
their failure this time. He was very confident in his martial
arts abilities. As long as he made plans dealing specifically with
the Sixth Bureau of the Overwatch Council, he was confident
that he would be able to kill Fan Xian next time.

His body shifted slightly and a piece of snow entered his

neck. At first it was a slight cold, and then an extreme freeze.
 A black metal rod accurately pierced his throat all the way
through to the thick snow.
Chapter 320: Mountain Living Notes
There was one thing in this world that was a god to people,
and the spirit of gods. Even spirits fight for this incomparable,
remarkable thing.

The Fan clan house crest could often been seen on the Fan
family carriage. One square, and one circle, was the shape of
this thing. Fan senior was the Minister of Revenue and
controlled the national treasury, and Fan junior was about to
travel to Jiangnan to take over the palace treasury. The wealth
of the Qing Kingdom was completely controlled by the people
of this family; even their family crest was filled with the stench
of bronze.

Money, that which people loved and hated; that which could
help people enter heaven or fall into hell. It could make people
laugh foolishly on a mountain of swords, and dance
mindlessly in a sea of flames!

Commoners loved money, but the imperial court loved

money even more, and so they set up many kinds of taxes.
They wished they could strip the earth of its valuables. As for
the court of the Qing Kingdom, from the very onset of the
country they levied tax on salt, metal, and tea, as well as on
land and labor. Later, when the Ye clan suddenly disappeared,
the palace treasury became the court's largest source of silver.
They naturally placed heavy taxes on the glassware, alcohol,
toys, and ships that were produced by the palace treasury.
Furthermore, it had always been closely guarded and was the
sole responsibility of the Overwatch Council.

Once the Overwatch Council discovered the matter of the Cui

clan smuggling, the world was immediately shocked. The
people of the Qing Kingdom hadn't known that the palace
treasury had such a large drain—the court lost a fortune in

taxes from this!

The Imperial Censorate was silent, the officials who had been
bribed were silent, yet there were still those of different
factions or upstanding officials who submitted proposals
asking for the court to investigate the matter. Although no one
mentioned the Eldest Princess by name in their write ups, the
spear was pointed directly at Xinyang.
 The young Emperor of Northern Qi also seized the
opportunity and struck a great bargain. Whether purposely or
not, the matter of Commissioner Fan recovering in Cang
Mountain was left out. Although everyone knew that
Commissioner Fan was the main instigator behind this move,
which made his takeover of the palace treasury later smooth,
no one dared say anything.

On the contrary, scholars of the Imperial College were

petitioning for the Emperor to quickly hand the jurisdiction of
the treasury to Fan junior—Fan Xian's reputation was indeed
better than that of the Eldest Princess. Credit must, of course,
also be given to his careful manner of speech.

In recent days, rumors had again been floating around the tea
shops and restaurants of Jingdou, saying that the one in
Xinyang had gone crazy and had sent out assassins to kill Fan
junior!

The Eighth Bureau of the Overwatch Council indeed had a

very high work efficiency.
 Not everyone was able to completely understand the conflict
between Fan Xian and the Eldest Princess.

Many aloof scholars were confused as to why mortals were so

interested in money, to the extent they were willing to give up
their heads and spill blood. For example, although Shi Chanli
was in the limelight of the entertainment industry, and the
owner of the Baoyue Brothel, and had evolved from a poor
student to a wealthy merchant, he did not understand this.

Why had the Eldest Princess always been unwilling to let go

of the palace treasury? She was stubborn even to the point of
using bloodthirsty methods of dealing with her own son-in-
law.

She used the Cui and Ming clans to smuggle items to Dongyi
and even overseas, what was her purpose in leeching so much
silver from the palace treasury? Where exactly did the giant
fortune she seized over a dozen of years ago go?

"Raising soldiers." Fan Xian looked at the only student by his

side and explained, "All of the army is the Emperor's, the
court's. Although Yan Xiaoyi is positioned as the Zhengbei
Viceroy, if he wanted to do something in the future, it would
likely not stand against a decree by the Emperor… you in our
country, particularly in the army, just how far the Emperor's
prestige goes.

"If this kind of prestige is to be challenged, there is only one

thing in this world that will have any kind of effect. And that is
money." Fan Xian smiled and said, "Large amounts of money.
The monthly pay for the army officers under Yan Xiaoyi would
stun you, and it is because of this that Yan Xiaoyi is able to
firmly control his troops."

Shi Chanli stopped his currently-writing right hand and

smiled weakly.

He had entered the mountain this time on a task entrusted to

him by the Imperial College. He was here to write the
biography of Fan Xian, one of this generation's civilian
officials. Ever since Fan Xian published "Thoughts from
Banxianzhai," his position in the Qing Kingdom's poetic circle
had become cemented, and after he went to Northern Qi and
brought back a cart load of Master Zhuang's works, his
influence had spread far and wide.
 The Imperial College was naturally proud of one of their own
who rose from being a proctor to being Fan junior. They
wouldn't pass up on this resource and so decided to write a
biography of him to be published by the Danbo Bookstore and
spread far and wide. They hoped to use this to draw in more
students from the north and from Dongyi City, as well as bring
in more prodigies to the Qing Kingdom for the spring imperial
exams.

However, ever since his injury, Fan Xian had hidden away in
Cang Mountain and had not visited the Imperial College in a
long time. Even Shu the Scholar had been unable to find him.
They could only use various connections to finally find Sir
Fan's only student in Jingdou, Shi Chanli.

Shi Chanli also thought this was a good idea. Adding to the
fact that the Imperial College had approached him personally,
he decided that this was far more honorable than being the
owner of the Baoyu Brothel. And so he had tottered his way
into Cang Mountain. He was fortunate in that he hadn't seen
the dead bodies in the snow.

How could he have known that things would develop in a

manner he had not expected?
 Although his teacher had consented to staying in the study
after his pleas… he just wouldn't talk about his life, his studies,
or his poetry. Instead, he kept talking about the inner workings
of the court, such as how the Overwatch Council had toppled
the Second Prince, and why the Eldest Princess would not let
go of the palace treasury!

How could Shi Chanli dare to copy these things down? Even
if he did dare, the Imperial College would not dare to publish it
—even if they had 800 lives to spare!

He watched his teacher and braved the tension to slowly say,

"Teacher, these things… cannot go into the biography."

As to this whole biography matter, Fan Xian thought it was

absurd. He thought, I am so young. Are the people in the
Imperial College preparing to build me a coffin? Seeing Shi
Chanli's awkward expression, he jokingly scolded, "Screw the
biography!"

After he swore, he added, "Is the Imperial College bored with

nothing to do? When will they finish sorting out Master
Zhuang's books? The Danbo Bookstore is waiting to start
printing and the Emperor is in a rush. It's not like you don't
know, the Emperor has asked that I have finished ordering it in
three years… these useless people, they only know how to suck
up to me and don't know how to go about their proper
business."

Shi Chanli carefully explained on behalf of the Imperial

College, "Batches of Master Zhuang's books have started to be
printed."

Fan Xian shook his head. "Then tell me about this absurd
biography matter.

So I have written a few things in my life, sang a few songs,

had a few conversations with Master Zhuang—but don't you
understand? My most glorious times, the undertakings I am
truly proud of… are these dirty things that cannot be shown to
people."

These words were honest, and seemed close to Roseau's self-

analysis, except there wasn't a trace of regret.
 "What I am most proud of are the murders with poison, not
those romantic things. Can you write that, do you dare to
write that?" Fan Xian stared into Shi Chanli's eyes. "If you
want to write my biography, then wait for a day when I am
dead. Or when everyone in this time is dead. If you are still
struggling for life at that time, it won't be too late to talk then."

Shi Chanli let out a sorrowful sigh and knew that he

wouldn't be able to complete his notes. His teacher had made
up his mind and he would not be able to convince him
otherwise. However, he was already interested in the inside
stories Sir Fan had told him earlier, so he picked up his
teacher's previous topic and said, "As to the matter in the
north, General Yan Xiaoyi used money to buy loyalty… even if
he wanted to rebel, I don't think it would have done anything."

Under the influence of his teacher for the last half year, Shi
Chanli was like Sisi from Danzhou. He was braver, and his
words were sharper.

"The Emperor keeps a close eye on the army." Fan Xian's eye
twitched. "The Eldest Princess could find no gaps to squeeze
into, and she only had Yan Xiaoyi, this one ally. Of course she
needed to hand out large amounts of money—every bit of
loyalty she could buy counted."

"Although it is expensive to keep a standing army… we are

talking about the palace treasury. In ten years, is this all she
could do?"

"Of course not." Fan Xian explained like a teacher, "The

Second Prince needed to bribe officials in the capital—this
needs money. She needed to control public opinion—this needs
money. She needs to make deals with officials in Xinyang, and
various Princes—this needs money. Their mouths are open
very wide, if you want to satisfy these people… a lot of money
is needed."

Shi Chanli furrowed his brows. "This is essentially a

rebellion."

"You said so earlier," Fan Xian smiled. "Right now they are
only at the stage of taking the position of heir by force. If the
Second Prince succeeds, once he has imperial power, it will be a
simple matter for him and his aunt to take back the money
they gave out."
 Fan Xian suddenly thought of the part of "The Deer and the
Cauldron" where Wei Xiaobao framed Wu Sangui, and he
smiled bitterly. "Of course, once he is emperor, he won't even
care about such a petty amount of money. The whole world
will belong to him."

Shi Chanli sucked in a cold breath. "Teacher, you are about

take control of the palace treasury, and you have also
preemptively destroyed the Cui clan. Haven't you severed the
other party's source of money and severely damaged the
Second Prince's attempt to take the position of heir? No
wonder Xinyang is so enraged. Compared to the waves in
Jingdou last time, their reaction is much stronger."

Fan Xian laughed coldly. "Reaction? My mother-in-law

started reacting five, six years ago."

His mind flashed to five, six years ago, to the tower in

Danzhou that had been burned, leaving nothing but charred
wood. It was in this tower that he had killed for the first time
in his life. After he came to the capital, he used the power of
the Overwatch Council and investigated the truth of this
matter. That year, the Liu clan tried to poison him because of
the plans of those two women in the Royal Palace.
 It was also in that year that the Emperor first raised the
matter of a marriage between the Fan and Lin families. The
Emperor had also brought up the subject of transferring the
jurisdiction of the palace treasury in the future. Although the
marriage was temporarily put on hold due to Chen Pingping's
vehement opposition, it still caused the Eldest Princess to
become more wary and cautious. Of course, she did not want
to lightly let go of the fortune she controlled, and so she had
organised an assassination attempt against Fan Xian.

However, no one had expected for Fan Jian to raise the issue
again four years later, taking advantage of the time Chen
Pingping returned to home to venerate his ancestors. Finally
he received the Emperor's consent, and so Fan Jian had Teng
Zijing hurry to Danzhou to bring Fan Xian back to Jingdou.

Thinking of how his muddle-headed and ignorant 12-year-old

self already carried such a heavy load on his shoulders and had
already brought upon himself such trouble, Fan Xian, who
now held great power, still felt an echoing fear.

And after that was the Niulan Street incidence. The Second
Prince had arranged a feast and invited him. Secretly, the
Eldest Princess had ordered the second son of the Prime
Minister to organize a plan for murder.

Come to think of it, this mother-in-law had tried many times

to kill him, but just hadn't managed to succeed. Fan Xian
smiled bitterly at the thought. Almost all the danger he has
been met with in this life has stemmed from that ageless
beauty, the Eldest Princess. Furthermore, the Eldest Princess
had never acted personally; she had only used conspiratorial
means to have other people dirty their hands… This woman,
this fastidious woman, was actually using people from
Xinyang to assassinate him. It seemed that she was truly angry,
and panicking

A confident smile rose the corners of Fan Xian's mouth. As

long as you are angry, that is good. If you were as calm and
peaceful as always, I wouldn't know how to strike.

He was deeply convinced of the Xinyang Princess's ability to

plot. Just from how she'd cleverly changed the Niulan Street
incidence to an opportunity to take land from Northern Qi,
and how she'd sold Yan Bingyun in exchange for chaos in the
Qing court the ability of the Eldest Princess to plot and scheme
was clear—but he did not fear this. The Overwatch Council
specialized in plotting, and the young Mister Yan was a prodigy
in this and also held a deep, immoveable hatred for the Eldest
Princess. The most important thing was that the Overwatch
Council had, other than plots, power. And this is what Xinyang
most lacked.

Against schemers, the most effective method was simple

force.

"The Eldest Princess is an extraordinary woman," Fan Xian

woke from his thoughts and sighed. "Truly extraordinary. Back
in the day, everyone in the court thought she was helping the
eastern palace. No one thought she had an alliance with the
Second Prince. Those in court who loathed her, such as my
father-in-law who had long left the court, leaned toward the
Second Prince, and she could, at any moment, set up those she
controlled in the eastern palace as the enemy. At that time, the
enemy would be weakened and she would be well-prepared. If
this situation continued for seven or eight years, perhaps the
Second Prince really would have been able to move into the
eastern palace once the Emperor was old."

"Unfortunately, she met you," Shi Chanli said.

 Fan Xian said, without modesty, "I was just luckier. Besides,
do you think that the Emperor and Director Chen really knew
nothing about this?"

Shi Chanli was slightly surprised.

Fan Xian smiled bitterly. "No matter how extraordinary a

person the Eldest Princess is, she was not a match for those old
folks. I am only the hand they have pushed to the front of the
stage. Perhaps the Emperor… does not want to anger the
empress dowager."

Suddenly he tilted his head slightly and looked at the snow-

covered mountain scene outside of the glass windows, and
somewhat abruptly said, "However, out of all of these
extraordinary people, I actually most admire… my father-in-
law, who left the capital a long time ago."

Shi Chanli did not understand. He thought that his teacher

would say he most admired Minister Shang.
 Fan Xian said with a smile, "That father-in-law of mine is
known by the people as a traitorous official, yet he was a rare
competent official. The last few years, it could be said the Qing
Kingdom has been truly a country at peace and the people are
happy. Although there are small problems, they don't affect the
bigger picture. Much of this is to his credit. What I admire
about my father-in-law is his forbearance and resolve. At that
time… because of the Eldest Princess, Sigu Jian killed my
uncle. Father-in-law immediately allowed my marriage to
Wan'er and stood, without the slightest hesitation, on the side
of the Overwatch Council and my father. Don't forget, he had
battled with the father of Director Chen for years in court.
Such an important decision, and he acted decisively. An
extraordinary person."

He then sighed. "Furthermore, my father-in-law held great

power, yet was not reluctant to leave his post. One day, he
discovered the Emperor had wayward thoughts and
immediately resigned his position. Although he lost the power
he held, he managed to keep his family and his clan safe."

After Fan Xian's father-in-law, the Prime Minister Lin Ruofu,

retired, he moved to Wuzhou to live out his retirement as a
wealthy old man. He occasionally communicated with his
family in Jingdou through letters. It seemed that recently he
had been well, and his physical health was better than it had
been in Jingdou.

"It is easy to understand others, but difficult to understand

oneself." Fan Xian sighed once again. "Father-in-law
understood others, understood himself, and understood the
situation. There is much for me to learn."

A thought came to Shi Chanli. He thought about the empty

positions in the court, and how the political affairs were being
managed by a few palace secretaries, and said softly, "Teacher,
you will also be the Prime Minister of the court one day."

Fan Xian smiled bitterly. "Don't try to probe me," he scolded.

"I'm not in the mood, nor do I have that ability. It is not an
easy matter to run a country. For me, I control the Overwatch
Council because that is where my interests lie, and I manage
the palace treasury because that is the Emperor's will. Other
things... I will not do them."

Shi Chanli smiled. "Teacher, you words are interesting. The

two things you mentioned are enough to make others envious
of you."
 "I will tell you something, and you will realize that the
Emperor does not plan to reinstate the position of Prime
Minister after Father-in-law retires."

Fan Xian stood, grasped his walking stick and moved to stand
beside the window. He pushed open the window to smell the
clean breeze coming off the snow-covered ground, and said
slowly, "The retiring head of the Cabinet of Official Papers, Sir
Hu, is already headed to Jingdou by order of an imperial edict."

Shan Chanli was shocked and his face paled. "Which Sir Hu?"

"How many do you know?" Fan Xian did not turn around and
continued faintly, "The Sir Hu who promoted literary
improvement when I was just a child. The Emperor has
summoned him to the capital to, once again, be a scholar. I
suspect that there will be no place for the Minister of Civil
Personnel, Yan Hangshu, among the future palace secretaries.
Qin Heng will go to his Jingdou garrison, the palace
secretaries… will be led by a few Scholars. There will not be a
need to reinstate the position of Prime Minister."
 Shi Chanli was silently, and spoke quietly a moment later,
"Previously, I only knew how to repay the court through study.
But now I realize that the workings of the court are extremely
complicated, and not something an outsider can guess at."

A moment later, he cheered up again. Although what he

heard today could not enter the biography and was not useful
at all in helping the Imperial College spread their influence,
these kinds of secrets were usually never told to those not
involved. Since his teacher had shared this with him today, if,
dozens of years in the future, he was able to write this into the
country's history, or release the "Notes of the Owner of
Banxianzhai," there was no doubt that his name would live on
in Qing history.

Of course, Teacher had to be the victor in history.

Thinking of all this, he felt a quiet joy grow in his heart, and
he heard his teacher laugh for some reason, "Did you know,
Director Chen's true age is a bit younger than the Emperor?"

Shi Chanli reigned in his joyful heart and felt stunned. He

had once seen Chen Pingping from a distance, and knew that
the old Director was weighed down with age; it was clear he
was about to enter the earth. Could it be he was younger than
the Emperor in his prime?

"Younger by a month," Fan Xian said with something almost

a smile. "The court is too complex, and there are too many
things to worry about. Naturally, he would age like this. I
wonder if, in the future, I will also be old before my time."

Outside the window was a desolate and snow-filled

landscape. From the end of corridor came the sounds of girls
laughing as they played mahjong. Ruojia, that girl had
brazenly come with them again, and Ye Ling'er, bold and thick-
skinned, had also arrived from Dingzhou. The Fan Manor's
villa at Cang Mountain was always this lively in the winter.
Compared to last year, there seemed to be only missing the fat
one far away in Northern Qi.

Fan Xian narrowed his eyes and stared into the cold wind
blowing into his face, his deep silence was at odds with the
happy mood from his family. To give his life for this Emperor
in this sh*tty court, like Chen Pingping had, was not an easy
task. It seemed that everyone simultaneously had many faces,
and he didn't know what cards each person held. Fan Xian
didn't know other people's trump cards, and so he had always
kept his trump card close to his chest, and would not play it
lightly.

With a rustling sound, Deng Zi Yue approached the room in a

black snow coat. As he was about to knock, he saw the window
was open and Commissioner Fan beckoning towards him. He
paused, walked over, and said in a low voice, "The rest of the
Xinyang people have retreated. The Director has sent Zong
Zhui and he has chased after them."

Fan Xian nodded. The official Zong Zhui, and Wang Qinian,
were both known as Double Wings, and specialized in tracking.
He wasn't concerned about his safety. Seeing Deng Zi Yue
holding a paper bag, he stretched out his hand.

In the bag were analysis reports by the Third Bureau, as well

as letters.

Deng Zi Yue's face turned a strange color; he chuckled and

said, "There is a letter from the north."
 Fan Xian paused, then immediately understood. He laughed
and scolded, "A grown-up man... don't be like those women
who talk in circles."

Deng Zi Yue handed him the paper bag and covered his
mouth before turning and leaving.

Looking at his subordinate's funny appearance, Fan Xian

couldn't resist laughing again.

With the excuse that someone needed to be watching

Jingdou, he shooed Shi Chanli out of the door. It was only then
that he broke the first wax seal on the outside of the paper bag
and took out a stack of letters. He flipped through them and,
just as expected, found one from Haitang. Deng Zi Yue's
strangeness was, naturally, because of this letter.

The Overwatch Council made their wax from rosin and

vermillion, without the use of coal. This increased their
security, and they could seal letters without any gaps, so there
was no need to worry about the seal being tampered with while
being delivered.
 He first read the message from Qinian's group in Jingdou,
and then read the various intelligence reports from the Third
Bureau. Fan Xian nodded his head, pleased. The various
developments were going very smoothly. Yan Bingyun had
struck very quickly, and the Cui family had nowhere to run.
The rumours had already reached Jiangnan and even the Cui
clan's in-laws, the Ming clan, were starting to move their
wealth. This trick to strike the mountain and scare the tiger
was starting to work.

At last, he skimmed the Bureau report before picking up the

letter Haitang had sent. This had always been his principle in
doing things: public first, then private. However, after he had
read Haitang's seemingly normal letter, he regretted having
read it late, even if it was just this little bit later.

The contents of the letter were shocking. Fan Xian's slender

fingers gripped the thin paper of the letter and could not stop
shaking. His expression was grave.
Chapter 321: The Best Time
The content of Haitang's letter was very simple. The
language was also not old-fashioned and overflowing. Her style
was of the modern script, in Fan An Zhi's light style:

"Are you well, An Zhi?"

"I have received your previous letter. The mail roads are
indeed very convenient. It only took ten days for a month-long
journey. Counting backwards, when you said that Jingdou had
just had its first snow, Shangjing had already had multiple
snowfalls, and all were the type that never seem to stop. The
cold weather makes one weary.

"I am strange in that while others may find the spring and
autumn to be sleepy seasons, I tend to be lazy in the winter.
Not because of anything other than that the heavy and dull
snow completely covers all the colors. There are no beautiful
sceneries to enjoy, no tree branches to weave into circlets, and
no flowers to bring close and smell. Although the garden has a
few plum blossoms, this year has been colder than previous
years, and those few red flowers seem tragic in their beauty.
They've been frozen by the cold snow and have barely any
spirit. I cannot find it in myself to admire them.

"I have already sold the donkey you once saw. Don't worry,
the millstone is still being pushed by the kid. There isn't much
soybean anyway, so there only needs to be 50 revolutions a day.
Using the money from selling the donkey, I bought some
bamboo charcoal. You said that if the room is not well
ventilated, it is easy to be poisoned. So I have followed the
blueprint you sent and made a chimney. To my surprise, the air
in the room is actually much better.

"The chicks have long grown up, but I'm still worried about
them freezing, so I'm raising them indoors. Naturally, the
smell is not pleasant but, as you know, I now have a servant, so
with daily cleaning and sweeping, it is tolerable.

"Sir Wang has come to the garden a few times, saying he

wants to take me to eat. But, you said he isn't good at drinking,
so I kept this in mind and rejected him. After all, you know
that I like to watch other people drink. Particularly watching
them become drunk.
 "Half a year ago, at the Century Pine Inn, I liked the little
song you hummed after you became drunk. It was that lyric in
'Stay in Qing' from 'The Story of the Stone.' The other day, I
sang this to my teacher, and he liked it a lot too. He said that
the history of sister Qiao's child was wretched, and that there
was something interesting about it. That it was something to
think about.

"That day, the wind and snow were very heavy outside, and
the cold had seeped into the room. Teacher and I sat opposite
each other drinking tea, and conversing pleasantly on state
matters. It was very comfortable. For some reason, I thought of
our travels months ago in Shangjing. It was a slice of joy and
nature, and it felt very happy. I seem to see you, see that bright
round moon, that little temple, and that ridge. You were a
sorry figure as you ran from behind the ridge to outside.

"Oh, right—I heard news that surprised me greatly. I heard

that Sir Xiao En's body was found in a precipice in Xi
Mountain. Although he has already been buried, I thought I
should let you know for peace of mind since you once traveled
north together with this old man."
 Having only read to here, Fan Xian felt the letter was a little
strange. As he continued reading it seemed that the village girl
was hiding many things in her words. He was also so surprised
by his brother being used for labor that he could find no words
and only laugh, and did not notice. Following this, he became
excited by Haitang's other comment. Was she really going to
pass on to him the Heart of Tianyi Dao?

And so he had not guessed the true message Haitang wanted

to convey. However, he considered it again, and finally found a
sense of unease as he pieced together the discovery of Xiao En's
body, Ku He's discussion of him, and the riddle.

Particularly the comment: "The history of sister Qiao's child

was wretched, and there was something interesting about it."

He furrowed his brows and read it again, and finally his gaze
landed on the talk of the bright moon, the little temple, and
the ridge. The appearance of this comment was very
unexpected and did not seem to connect to the rest of the letter.
This comment was about the most embarrassing moment of
Fan Xian's life. After he had been given an aphrodisiac, he
became frustrated and ran towards the outside of the temple
while holding up his pants. At the time, the croaking of frogs
was thunderous and the mud was wet.

This… should be what Haitang was telling him about.

"From behind the ridge to outside?"

Fan Xian furrowed his brows and suddenly inspiration

flashed through his mind. He removed the useless phrases and
only looked at the last line. For Fan Xian, this kind of character
riddle was very easy. Running out from the fields was the "gu"
character.

No—it was the "ye" character!

The "ye" from lianye, the "ye" from heye… the "ye" from Ye
Qingmei!

Fan Xian's face was full of shock. The hand that gripped the
letter shook slightly. Connecting together the clues in the
letter, the talk of past histories, he immediately understood
exactly what Haitang was trying to tell him.

Ku He knew he was a descendent of the Ye family!

He inhaled deeply and rubbed his somewhat stiff jaw. He

forced himself to calm down, and to not let this sudden
information disrupt his thoughts.

The meaning in Haitang's letter was very clear, and since she
was secretly sending him the message, that meant that Ku He,
who held the secret of his past, already had a plan to release
this information. Only in this case would she rush to tell him
so he could prepare for it.

Right now he did not have time to consider what kind of

being this Great Grandmaster was to be able to determine his
connection to the Ye family. The most important question in
front of him was how to face the oncoming situation!

Based on time, after Northern Qi released the information

that he was a descendent of the Ye family, the rumor would
sprout wings and fly. It would only be a few days slower than
the Overwatch Council report route. Within ten days at the
latest, the streets and alleys of Jingdou would start to circulate
this information. Everyone would open their big mouths
behind his back and express their shock.

Logically speaking, no one would have any real evidence, and

no one would be able to say with certainty that Fan Xian was a
descendent of the Ye family. The most Northern Qi could do
was spread some rumors. However, Fan Xian knew very well
that rumors like this could cause massive damage. Once the
news broke, people would purposely dig into the strange
happenings that had occured after his arrival in the capital,
and from there they would gradually believe this was the
truth.

And this really was the truth.

The human heart was a strange and remarkable thing. Before

anyone brought up the matter, people wouldn't connect Fan
Xian to the Ye family. However, once someone started this line
of thought, the seed of this suspicion would be planted in their
hearts, gradually growing roots and sprouting, before
eventually taking over everything. From then on, a rumor
became a global truth that no one dared to acknowledge aloud.

And for those involved that year, for the people in the palace,
for those whose interests conflicted with his… the matter of
him being a descendent of the Ye family would make them
suddenly feel like the clouds had cleared and the moon was
shining with their realization. They could be ones who ended
up believing this the most.

He just didn't know how his past would be used by the other
party.

Fan Xian's lips were a little dry. He turned to the table behind
him and swallowed a couple mouthfuls of tea. The water in the
tea had been added by She Chanli and so it was a little hot. The
heat made him shiver and after a pause he heavily threw the
teapot and cursed.

With a crash, the porcelain teapot landed on the ground and

smashed into pieces. Porcelain flew in all directions.
 It wasn't that he hadn't thought his secretive past would one
day be revealed by someone. Actually, in regards to the Ye half,
he was full of eager anticipation. One day, he would declare in
a loud voice in front of everyone that he was Ye Qingmei's son.

But, it shouldn't have been like this.

Before Fan Xian had time to mentally prepare himself or

prepare any plans, this shocking news would spread all over
Jingdou. From there it would bring him unforeseeable danger
and powerful attacks. No one could know what would happen.
Fan Xian hated this feeling of passivity, and was a little afraid
of the situation completely leaving his control for the first
time.

And that is why he felt helplessly angry.

His feet walked over the broken porcelain pieces and he

approached the glass window with a wooden expression.
Watching the cold snow and north wind, he was silent for a
long time. After countless deep breaths, he finally calmed
down and began preparing to face this sudden situation.
 At this moment, the serving girls—who had heard the sound
in his room—rushed over and were given a fright by the look
on his face. They were too scared to enter the room to tidy up.

Fan Xian shook his head and waved the serving girls away
with his hand. He picked up the stack of letters again and
prepared to destroy them. Like usual, he closed his palms,
thinking to crush the letters, but unexpectedly the letters were
crushed into a ball and not destroyed.

He paused momentarily, and a bitter smile rose to his lips.

Haitang's letter for him had shocked him so much he'd
forgotten that his body was empty of zhenqi.

Going around the winding corridor, he came to the quietest

room in the villa. Fan Xian did not knock on the door; he just
pushed it open and entered. Although he had no zhenli, he had
brute strength, and the doorpost broke with a crack.

Fei Jie raised his slightly-tired face from where he was

carefully mixing a medicinal pill. He looked at his student and
coughed. "…What happened? Why are you so panicked?"
 Fan Xian looked at his teacher and said directly, "Sir,
something big is going to happen."

Fei Jie was startled and wondered what had happened to

make this strange creature panic. After Fan Xian told Fei Jie
about the message Haitang had taken the risk to send, Fei Jie
also immediately started to panic. He rubbed his medicine-
powered hands, his messy hair flew wildly, and he didn't say
anything for a moment.

Fan Xian watched this scene and couldn't help sighing

quietly. He knew it had been a bad idea to come find his teacher
at such an urgent moment. Although Fei Jie was in the realm
of the Grandmasters when it came to killing people with
poison, making quick and decisive decisions in the face of
enemies was not his strong suit.

"I'll immediately head down the mountain."

"I'll immediately head down the mountain."

 Student and teacher opened their mouths and spoke at the
same time. Their eyes met, and they instantly understood the
other's intention. Fei Jie narrowed his brown eyes; murder
glinted in them. "I'll go to the Chen Garden; you go find the
Minister. We'll go separate ways."

Yes, when the situation was this dire, teacher and student
thought of the two old foxes in Jingdou at the same time. Fan
Xian saluted with a headache. He turned around and ordered
his subordinates to prepare a carriage.

As he was leaving, Fei Jie suddenly said, "Don't be afraid."

Fan Xian turned his head, stunned.

Fei Jie raised his voice, and said eerily with a not-quite-there
smile, "Kid, don't be afraid. What happened dozens of years
ago will not happen again. We can poison tens of thousands of
people and then kill our way out of Jingdou, and who would be
able to

stop us?"
 Fan Xian felt a chill go up his spine and thought that his
teacher really was looking out for him, heart and soul. Only,
he was probably not as hard-hearted as him.

There wasn't time to notify the women in the villa, and Fan
Xian only said goodbye to Sisi, who was embroidering, before
he and Fei Jie were taking two different carriages down the
snowy mountain roads. Going down Cang Mountain, the
carriage wheels crushed countless pieces of ice and picked up
threads of frozen mud.

The soldiers responsible for protection were split into two

groups. Half of the Sixth Bureau swordsman followed the two
men down the mountain, while Gao Da's Tiger Guards were
carefully left by Fan Xian on the mountain.

At dusk, Fei Jie's carriage, under close protection, entered a

manor on the outskirts of the capital that was even more
elegant and extravagant than the imperial temporary palace.

"Mister Fei?" The old servant guarding the door saw that Sir
Fei Jie's face was serious as he dismounted the carriage, and
couldn't help feeling a little worried. He wasn't sure what had
happened.

In just a little while, the garden was brightly lit. Fei Jie and
Chen Pingping, who was in a wheelchair, left the garden with
serious faces. They boarded the carriage under heavy guard.

"To the palace," Chen Pingping said coldly. After saying this,
his face immediately softened and he said gently, "I wondered
what the big deal was. Was it really necessary for both of you
to panic like this?"

Fei Jie rubbed his hands and replied in shock, "If this isn't a
big deal, then what is?"

Chen Pingping gently stroked the smooth armrests of his

wheelchair and mocked, "You spend all your days with your
medicines so you can be forgiven for not seeing things clearly.
However, Fan Xian has disappointed me greatly. He only has to
think slightly to see that this isn't a problem… never mind, he
is a child. This matter has weighed on his heart for a long time.
It is no surprise he's terrified now that someone has revealed
it."

The carriage creaked its way towards Jingdou and they were
soon rolling through the city gate. The city gate had not yet
closed. Of course, even if it were closed, if the Director of the
Overwatch Council wanted to enter the capital, even the Qin
family, garrison of the gate, would not dare to bar his way.

Just as the carriage was about to arrive at the imperial

palace, Chen Pingping opened his eyes from his rest, and said
lightly, "This isn't a bad thing, it's a good thing."

Fei Jie shook his head. "It's out of my control. I'm going now
to the Eighth Bureau to have them prepare."

From outside the palace gates came the sound of a key

turning. Chen Pingping had the exclusive power to enter the
palace at any time to discuss matters—a very special position.
The old man leaned towards the familiar sound and said
without expression, "When the news arrives in Jingdou, have
them suppress it for two days. This kind of effort must be made
for others to see. As for Fan Xian's past… it was always going to
come to light someday. This time is the best time."

Inside the Fan Manor study, the Minister of Revenue of the

Qing Kingdom was currently sucking on a winter cherry while
watching Fan Xian before him. There was the trace of a
mocking smile at the corner of his lips. "Finally I have seen you
panic; usually I believe your heart is made of ice."

Fan Xian laughed bitterly, "Father, how can you make jokes
at a time like this? What exactly are we going to do when the
news reaches Jingdou?" He stared into his father's eyes and,
after a beat of silence, added slowly, "Since this matter has
been hidden from everyone for such a long time, there must be
someone who doesn't want me to appear."

Fan Jian observed his son with a clear gaze, and said quietly,
"But the truth is that you have appeared, and you have
appeared in a beautiful way. Your connection with the Ye
family could not be hidden forever. If I had to pick a moment
for it to be revealed, I think right now… is the best time."
Chapter 322: Knowing The Mother Is
Better Than Knowing The Father
"The best time?" Fan Xian stared at his father with his mind
full of fog. But for some reason, seeing his father so calm and
collected, he felt himself relax and was not as anxious as he
had been in the mountain. He laughed at himself, and tossed
aside the crutch from under his arm before sitting down on a
chair.

"Be careful of your injury." Fan Jian shook his head

disapprovingly.

Fan Xian smiled, and gently rubbed his chest. There was a
faint pain inside, but with the care of Sir Fei, it was almost all
better.

"Tell me, what exactly are you afraid of?" Fan Jian gently
stroked his long, flowing beard. The generally-serious
Minister, at this moment, seemed to be have the ease of a man
with a plan.
 Fan Xian paused and furrowed his brow in thought for a long
time. He then realized that he had indeed been overly panicked
—what exactly was he afraid of?

He organized his lurking worries in his mind and sincerely

replied, "Once this news spreads out, naturally, the discussions
of the people will be abnormally turbulent. Once the palace
knows of my past, who knows how they will deal with it?"

"How they'll deal with it?" Fan Jian laughed coldly. "Do you
think that up until now, no one in the palace knew of your
past?"

Fan Xian was silent for a while; he knew his father was right.
The Emperor would know better than anyone he was a
descendent of the Ye family. As for the empress dowager…
seeing her attitude at the Winter Solstice lamb feast, he
guessed she probably already knew. The mother and son were
just keeping it from the rest of the world.

"They wanted to hide it from the world, but now they can't
hide it anymore. The development of things will always
change," Fan Xian said calmly. "Furthermore, if the empress
finds out I am a descendent of the Ye family, what will she
think? According to what you have said, the Ye family and her
have an immovable hatred between them."

Fan Jian shook his head and said coolly, "You don't need to
worry about the empress.

That woman is the weakest empress in history. What you

need to consider is whether or not the Crown Prince will be
persuaded by her to act against you."

The power of the empress's family had, long ago, decades

ago, been completely cleaned out by the Qing Emperor on the
night Jingdou's streets ran red with blood. The usually-modest
Fan Jian had played an important role, so he knew better than
anyone that the empress would not be able to make much
trouble.

"The Crown Prince." A small smile floated to the corner of his

lips. "He is an intelligent man. Given your current position and
power, he only hopes you will maintain the balance. He won't
actively pull you out because of what happened that year."
 Fan Xian slightly lowered his head, and said three words
after a moment: "The Eldest Princess?"

Everyone knew that the Ye family's fortune had been seized

by the Qing royal family and was the current palace treasury.
Back then, in order to forcefully collect from the world's
greatest merchant family, the excuse they had used was one of
the terrifying ones: rebellion. Now that there was suddenly a
legendary orphan of the Ye family, should the crime from that
time be investigated?

Even if there were no investigation, in the eyes of many

people, the Ye family was one that the royal family would have
to remove from the root. This was the rule in history, and no
one could hide from it.

Once the news that Fan Xian was a descendent of the Ye

family spread out, the Eldest Princess would certainly make
much of this matter to force the palace into reacting the same
way. If the matter of seizing the Ye family fortune was
considered the royal family's usual way of doing things, Fan
Xian could count himself lucky not being assassinated—never
mind achieving meteoric success in his career.
 Of course, the other half of Fan Xian's past was also very
extraordinary, so he didn't have to worry about the mother and
son pair in the palace trying to kill him. In fact, the other party
would not even consider him someone to guard against. But
what annoyed him was that no one knew about this matter!

If the mother and son in the palace wanted to hide it forever,

then they could only treat Fan Xian purely as a descendent of
the Ye family. Under the pressure of public opinion, they
would have Fan Xian let go of the palace treasury… and even
the Overwatch Council. However, for Fan Xian—who had
already made countless enemies—losing the power in his hands
would be very dangerous.

"The Eldest Princess?" Fan Jian replied without any

expression on his face. "If she's clever enough, she will just
observe this time without interfering."

"Why?"

"Because of the Emperor's wishes."

 Fan Xian sank deep into thought and gradually understood
what his father meant. Although he didn't know what plans
the Emperor would make in the future, at least for now he
wasn't planning to lift the veil on this issue. After knowing this
matter, he expected that the Emperor would react much like
himself: first with shock, then with a thread of anger and
wildness.

The Emperor and Fan Xian were both people who liked to
have everything in their control and hated to have these
things, which were out of their control, happen. And so the
Emperor would certainly be very angry and his first thought
would be to find out who had revealed the secret. If the Eldest
Princess chose this moment to attack Fan Xian with this, the
Emperor would do his best to protect Fan Xian, and his
suspicions towards the Eldest Princess's distancing would
deepen.

"Right now you are the Commissioner of the Overwatch

Council," Fan Jian said quietly, "and after half a year of work
you now hold sufficient power in your hands. From Danzhou
to Jingdou, whether it is myself or Director Chen, everything
we do is to help you stabilize the foundation beneath your
feet… now that you are a heavy stone, why would you be afraid
of a light breeze? Don't worry—those winds can no longer
move you."
 Fan Xian remained silent, with other worries in his heart.

"Of course, there are heaven-sent winds in this world," Fan

Xian mocked. "What you are afraid of is just the attitude of the
palace. But the empress dowager and the Emperor are both
aware of this matter—at most, they will take into
consideration public opinion and give you the cold shoulder
for a couple of days. How this matter will develop will depend
on the Emperor's attitude."

Finally, this old veteran schemer, the Minister of Revenue,

said, "With the incidence of the Hanging Temple, the Emperor
believes in your loyalty and of course will be biased towards
you… right now you are not yet recovered so the Emperor will
remember what you did. For your past to be revealed now, the
Emperor will do his best to consider you—no matter the
interests of the royal family, or the pressure of the empress, the
Crown Prince, or even the Eldest Princess and dowager
empress…

"Exchanged for you protecting the Emperor from that strike,

the two will cancel out," Fan Jian smiled coldly. "So that is why
I say this is the best time. I don't need to tell you this, and you
will understand these things in court. Perhaps in a few years,
the Emperor will no longer think fondly of your rescue—then
it would be difficult for you to use it to balance out your
identity. Your past could only be revealed within these few
days, not earlier… and not later."

The best time.

Fan Xian savored the chilling truth of these words and a

bitter smile rose to his face. "I am just worried that this will
bring trouble to the family."

The Fan family took in the orphan of the Ye family?

Although this was arranged by the Emperor, once things got
out of hand, the Emperor would certainly deny it. Only the Fan
Manor would be implicated.

Fan Jian slowly closed his eyes and hid the smile at the
corner of his lips. "Silly child," he said slowly, "if you won't
move, why would I move? If the court moves to act against me,
doesn't that prove you are the descendent of the Ye family?"
 Fan Xian opened his eyes wide and said a moment later, "You
mean, no matter what is said outside, we will deny
everything?"

"Of course," Fan Jian smiled and said, "who has evidence?"

Fan Xian sighed, "Such a pity, I had thought that since it

wouldn't have an impact, I could use this opportunity—"

"Use this opportunity to overturn the Ye family case?" Fan

Jian burst into laughter. "No wonder you were so nervous
earlier: you had big plans. Child, why does the case need to be
overturned in public? The Emperor already overturned the
case for the Ye family decades ago. Right now, this is just the
left-over ripples."

Fan Xian shook his head and spoke in a lowered voice, "The
Ye family matter did not actually scare me, only…" He was
going to say that he was worried this matter would be used by
the Eldest Princess and those who sought to harm him to
discover the royal blood in him. But just as the words were
about to pass his lips, he suddenly realized what he was about
to say and stopped.
 Fan Xian and his father had never openly discussed his
connection to the Emperor. Father and son had always
knowingly avoided making clear the matter, to do their best to
maintain the current harmonious scene.

Fan Jian understood what his son wanted to say and sank
into silence. He sighed after a long time. "That matter… you
should hide it in your heart. As to whether or not other people
guess it, what does it matter? I… I will clearly say, Director
Chen has probably been waiting eagerly for this to happen.
Once the rumors reach Jingdou, he will certainly use the
power he holds to suppress them, and so confirm the truth of
these rumors. And then he will wait for the world to gradually
guess your past, to have the people get used to… the rumors of
your past."

Fan Xian was silent. He knew that his father's projection was
very logical. The old cripple's actions were not difficult to
understand. Only by forcefully restricting the rumors would
the people of the Qing Kingdom believe them. This was a very
clever tactic. As for the fact that he was an illegitimate child of
the Emperor…
 Fan Xian suddenly felt very tired. "What, exactly, does Chen
Pingping want to do?" he asked his father listlessly.

"I'm not sure," This Minister, who had never shown

remarkable ability or wisdom, slowly said. "You should know
that Director Chen and I always think differently. I have
disagreed with him for many years about you. And I am not in
the habit of trusting him. What is extraordinary is that he
seems to similarly not trust me. Yet, on the contrary, he and I
both trust you."

He glanced at his son and laughed at himself. "In the end, it

seems that he has won and has successfully dragged you into
this mess." He continued lightly, "I even wonder if he
orchestrated this whole thing. Otherwise, how could Northern
Qi possible know that your mother was Lady Ye? Of course,
you don't need to worry much right now. I trust that Director
Chen is already entering the palace to plot for you the
beginning and the end of this matter."

Father and son sank into silence. After a long time, Fan Xian
suddenly said out of the blue, "Sorry, father."
 A very illogical apology; he didn't even know what it was for.
Was he apologizing for the decisions he had made so he could
take over the Overwatch Council and so was forced into this
battle for power, rather than choosing to live a quiet life like
his father? Or was he apologizing for his strange past which
had brought unknown dangers to the Fan family? Or was he
apologizing most sincerely on behalf of his mother to his
"father?"

Or was it… sorry, sorry, I really want to be your true son, but
my mother didn't give me this opportunity?

Minister Shang wondered if Chen Pingping was using the

heavy injury Fan Xian sustained when protecting the Emperor
as the perfect opportunity to reveal his identity as a descendent
of the Ye family. At the same time, in the depths of the palace,
Chen Pingping couldn't stop wondering who had suddenly
brought this mess to light.
 As political creatures, the two old foxes didn't care much
about nominal things. They only wished for Fan Xian to be
happy and to hold power. They didn't believe that Fan Xian
had to return properly to the Ye family.

"The only people who knew of this matter were me, Fan Jian,
Countess Fan, the Emperor, and Fei Jie." Chen Pingping sat in
his wheelchair and his dry, sharp voice rang through the royal
study, "Your Majesty said before that the empress dowager had
only realized the truth after the spring examinations. That is
only a total of six people. I don't think that any of these six
would have revealed the information."

The Emperor slowed turned around and his usually-calm

gaze was burning with rage today, as sharp as an eagle's. Biting
off each word, he asked, "None of them could have revealed it?
Then how does the man in Northern Qi know about it!"

After the spring examinations, Fan Xian's identity as the

Commissioner of Overwatch Council was revealed and from
there he became one of the most glamorous figures in the Qing
Kingdom, especially because he was about to take control of
the palace treasury. This kind of power and influence was a bit
overwhelming. A normal person could not guess, but the
empress dowager, deep in the palace, long experienced in state
matters and used to seeing the dark and dirty parts, had a very
keen political sense. Under her intense questioning, the
Emperor finally admitted to his mother that Fan Xian was his
illegitimate son.

After the empress dowager recovered from her shock, she

finally accepted this matter. After all, no matter how much she
hated that "beautiful woman" back then, she always had a
degree of tolerance for those of the royal bloodline.

"Perhaps, perhaps Northern Qi guessed it?" Chen Pingping

said to himself in a quiet voice, and did not realize that he had
guessed the answer closest to the truth.

The Emperor smiled coldly. "What kind of figure is Ku He?

Would the Imperial Advisor of Northern Qi come to a
conclusion based only on guesswork?"

Chen Pingping was silent for a long time before he opened his
mouth to say, "The Eldest Princess, she is the most suspicious."
 If Fan Xian were eavesdropping at this time, he would have
certainly cheered! What was this? This was the legendary
coincidence without work, loudness without noise!

The empress dowager knew that Fan Xian was the descendant
of the Ye family, and the Eldest Princess was the empress
dowager's most treasured daughter. She had once turned her
hand and sold Yan Bingyun to Northern Qi, and had also had
private contact with Mo Zhuanghan, the Northern Qi poet. She
had private communications with the empress dowager of
Northern Qi, and who knew how much money she saved the
Northern Qi Emperor and his people with her smuggling. She…
she… she… Because of the transferring of the palace treasury,
she hated Fan Xian with every bone in her body, and had even
started to send assassins after him—only, she had yet to
succeed.

These were all facts the Emperor was very aware of. It only
took a close analysis to discover that the Eldest Princess had
the biggest chance of knowing about this, had the best
connection to use Northern Qi to expose this, and, most
importantly, had the strongest motive.
 Chen Pingping's previous comments had been well thought
out. If he had spoken generally and hinted that there was
someone in the palace who had a good relationship with
Norther Qi, and lead the Emperor to thinking of his sister in
distant Xinyang—and dared not to be so bold as to point his
finger and name the Eldest Princess—the Emperor would be
certain to question his motives.

Rather, if he directly and brazenly named the Eldest Princess

and pointed out that she was the most suspicious, it was the
behavior of a loyal minister. A minister who only cared about
whether or not his opinions would be of use to the Emperor,
rather than worrying about whether or not it would cause the
Emperor to suspect him—this kind of behavior was very
favorably received by the perceptive Emperor.

The Emperor sank into silence, and the color of his face was
not good. Only after a moment of silence did he say, "It seems
that…Yunrui does not know that Fan-that An Zhi is of my
blood."

If the empress dowager had told the Eldest Princess this, she
would certainly not have revealed Fan Xian's past. That would
not be targeting Fan Xian, that would be targeting the
Emperor.

Chen Pingping slightly moved his head. He knew from the

Emperor's words that he already believed the Eldest Princess
was the source of this rumor.

After a moment, the Emperor said icily, "Let's wait and see if
Yunrui will send a letter."

Fan Xian was a descendent of the Ye family. If the Eldest

Princess wrote to the palace and used this opportunity to
persuade the Emperor to be wary of this, or to directly urge the
Emperor to kill Fan Xian, and destroy the Fan family, then the
Emperor would have to reevaluate his relationship with his
sister.

"What do we do now?" Chen Pingping coughed a few times.

His white hair had not been tightly secured, and as he had
rushed into the palace, it had become a little disheveled. It
made him seem older.
 The Emperor glanced at him, then suddenly smiled bitterly
and sighed, "I have had an impressive life. I didn't leave my
strengths in my prime, yet I have become a truly isolated
person. Other than you and brother Jian, I cannot find another
person I trust."

Chen Pingping was a little surprised and was about to say

something when the Emperor sighed and waved his hand. "Do
you remember what reason the empress dowager gave for
forcefully seizing the Ye family that year?"

"Rebellion."

"Hm." The Emperor's face was expressionless as he said,

"Back then, both of you agreed to this suggestion. After all, the
things Lady Ye left behind could not be left to disorder or let
go. After she left, only the royal family had the power to
absorb it and ensure that the legacy left by the Ye family would
continue to run."

"That's true," Chen Pingping replied calmly. "My thought

back then was that since she had already gone, it didn't matter
what crime we pinned on her—she wouldn't care. I didn't think
that it would be such a thorny problem after 17 years."

The Emperor spoke icily, "Why does it need to be thorny? I

gave the edict, and I will redress the issue. Who would dare to
question it?"

"You cannot." Chen Pingping's firm reply seemed out the

Emperor's expectations. "Your Majesty feels pity towards that
child, but you cannot do this… after all, you must take into
consideration the feelings of the elderly." The old cripple's
heart was like a clear mirror. Although the Emperor's
suggestion had no name, it was the last test.

The Emperor knew he was speaking of the empress dowager.

He thought for a while and then nodded. "It seems you already
have a plan."

Chen Pingping smiled bitterly and replied, "The incident

happened suddenly and Your Majesty has yet to write an
imperial edict, so I have not prepared a plan." The meaning
behind his words was clear. The Emperor had always planned
to hide Fan Xian's past, and so the Bureau had never thought
about it.

He changed the topic and continued, "But no harm done. If a

letter comes from Xinyang, then I hope Your Majesty will scold
severely. Then if Your Majesty has a talk with the Princes, and
tells Fan Xian to deny everything, even if the officials suspect
anything, I don't think anyone would dare to submit a petition
without actual evidence."

"It will be impossible for things not to be awkward for An Zhi

—how will he conduct himself in court?"

"When the year changes, he will go to the distant Jiangnan

on business, and will conveniently miss this upheaval." Chen
Pingping smiled and said in a thin voice, "You Majesty,
although this matter is a bit troublesome, right now is not a
bad time for it be revealed. Let Fan Xian leave Jingdou, and
drag it out for two years. This matter will fade."

"Will it fade?" The Emperor narrowed his eyes and asked.

 "When Si Lili was on the Liujing River, people said that she
was some Prince's descendent. The rumors went back and
forth, and other than increasing the business of that pleasure
boat, there were no other problems. As to Fan Xian's past…"
Chen Pingping sighed, "Let it be another little harmless piece of
news."

The Emperor was silent for a long time and huffed through
his nose.

"The newspapers can use this matter as a decorative border,"

Chen Pingping continued.

The Emperor smiled.

"As long as we prevent that thing." Chen Pingping glanced at

the Emperor, his voice carried a trace of sadness.

"I will have Mother talk to the empress." The Emperor

nodded and sighed. "Unable to give him a title, I already owe
this son."
 …

Half a month later, a message began to spread through the

streets and alleys of Jingdou. The message said: the man
currently popular at court, Sir Fan junior, the Commissioner of
Overwatch Council, was a descendent of the old Ye family!

After the Ye family had been taken care of because of their

rebellion, 20 years had passed and no one thought there were
any descendants. He was also the man the people of Jingdou
delighted in talking about, Sir Fan junior. This rumour
shocked the people of Jingdou, and then delighted them. They
eagerly passed this piece of gossip on, and within two days,
everyone in Jingdou knew of this rumor.

If the rumors were true, then Fan Manor, which had been
harboring a criminal of the court, was going to fall on hard
times. The officials in court that had been terribly offended by
Fan Xian were happily scheming their attacks. Of course,
before the palace made their position known, these officials
would not dare to strike of their own accord. After all, it was
only a rumor, and there was no proof.

The people and officials of Jingdou began to feel suspicious

as they connected how Fan Xian was willing to relinquish his
reputation in order enter the Overwatch Council, and how he
was going to take over the palace treasury, which stank of
bronze. These people began to believe this rumor was the
truth.

Unexpectedly, the palace maintained their silence. It was as

though they hadn't heard of this matter. The Overwatch
Council, however, had begun to act. Facing the danger of being
cursed for three generations by the imperial censor, the Eighth
Bureau began to arrest those in restaurants and tea houses who
dared to spread the gossip.

One afternoon, in Yishi Tavern, the guests in the tavern

stared at each other in shock. They were all people of some
status, yet they did not expect that the official of the Eighth
Bureau would be so unreasonable as to take away the two
previously spluttering literati.
 From the reaction of the Overwatch Council, people believed
all the more that Commissioner Fan… really was connected to
the old Ye family!

Inside the Overwatch Council, Chen Pingping sat with a

sheepskin rug over his legs. He lifted one corner of the black
curtain and looked at the quiet and fearful people walking by.
The trace of a strange smile rose to his lips

"They know who your mother is, but not who your father is.
What is there to be afraid of?"
Chapter 323: The Qing People’s
Collective Memory Of The Ye Family
After the officials from the Eighth Bureau of the Overwatch
Council took away the two literati, the Yishi Tavern quieted
down a lot; but alcohol was liquid courage, and soon they were
all chatting merrily away again. All of the discussions were
about the rumors of Commissioner Fan's past.

"The Ye family was charged with rebellion. After the

mysterious mistress died, all of their fortune was seized by the
palace treasury."

A man said worriedly, "If Sir Fan junior really is the orphan
of that mistress… I think there will be trouble."

"Rebellion? Then why are the masters of Qingyu Hall still

white and fat?" A literati with extremely thick eyebrows
mocked, "I think the court took advantage of when the orphan
was motherless to forcefully seize their fortune. But now that
the Ye family suddenly has an heir, I think the court is going to
panic."
 "What's there to panic about?"

"Doesn't the Emperor want Commissioner Fan to manage the

palace treasury? This treasury originally belonged to his
family. How is he going to manage it?"

"The palace treasury?" another sneered coldly. "I think

Commissioner Fan is more likely to find misfortune soon."

The tavern owner wiped away his cold sweat and slid over.
"Sirs, can you please keep your voices down? If the officers at
the Overwatch Council hear, how will I run my business?"

The owner of the Yishi Tavern very rarely ventured out to

see guests. Today, however, he had come upstairs. The few
familiar guests all rose to greet him, and the owner gave his
attention all around while also paying close attention to all the
post-drinking conversations.

Yishi Tavern was owned by the Cui family. The Cui family
had recently been on the verge of collapse when they suddenly
heard rumors of their biggest enemy's, Commissioner Fan's…
past. The people of the Cui family couldn't help but celebrate
in secret, and watched with eager eyes the development of this
matter.

The young man who had previous said the court had
forcefully seized the Ye family fortune was indeed getting his
courage from alcohol. He laughed and said, "What are you so
scared of? Can the Overwatch Council really block all the
gossiping mouths in the world? Even if they dared, the
Emperor would not allow it. Did you see those that were
captured by the Overwatch Council yesterday? Weren't they all
released perfectly fine today? It's only a few casual words, not
enough to break the Qing law."

These words were not entirely correct. After all, he was not
an official, and this was in a tavern in broad daylight—no one
dared to say what they truly thought. In these people's hearts,
they all thought that once the court heard about Fan Xian's
past, first they would take his positions away, second… they
were afraid the court would take his life.

The man beside him remained worried-looking.

"Commissioner Fan is in difficult straits now. If he really is a…
descendent of the Ye family, I suspect his career will not go any
further.

"What will happen to Fan Manor?" The man continued,

sighing. "Minister Fan has been managing the treasury all these
years, and is a famous, competent official. Will his family be
destroyed because of a passing responsibility all those years
ago?"

After the rumor entered the capital, other than guessing at

Fan Xian's past, the topic that most delighted the people of
Jingdou was the Minister of Revenue, Fan Jian. How had he
managed to trick that mysterious mistress of the Ye family?
And how did he convince her to secretly have his child?
Everyone knew that Minister Shang was once a master of
romance on the Liujing River, yet they did not imagine him
capable of attracting the mistress of the best business in the
world.

However, in the process of the rumor spreading, those

daughters of wealthy and middle-class families developed a
completely different feeling for Minister Fan. The Ye family
had been convicted of the great crime of rebellion. Back then,
Fan Jian had been just a lowly official, yet he had been able to
preserve the life of the child he'd had with that woman. He had
even been able to hide this from the people of the palace, and
braved unspeakable dangers to raise him for so many years.

This part of the story was enough to start a new one: it had
the potential of a great love story.

It was not until today that people finally understood why Fan
Jian had Fan Xian stay in Danzhou for 16 years, and would not
let him enter the capital.

Seeing the panic of the Eighth Bureau of the Overwatch

Council, people knew that this rumor had a high chance of
being true. Only, the Emperor was on the throne, and
Commissioner Fan was, in the end, not Chen Pingping. He was
unable to block out the sky with one hand, and did not dare to
invite everyone who liked to gossip to have tea in the Eighth
Bureau. In the end, he could only stare open-mouthed as the
matter slowly expanded.

For example, the people captured yesterday were released

today. This was clear proof.
 And so, people no longer resented the young Commissioner
Fan for doing such a taboo thing as stifling the voice of the
people. Rather, they felt a thread of sympathy for this young
official whose future was uncertain, and whose "life hung in
the balance." After all, Fan Xian had gained a good reputation
in the Qing Kingdom over the last two years, both inside and
outside the city. He had also won a lot of face for the court.
Every time they thought of how he'd fallen into misfortune,
the people held biases in their hearts. Particularly after
remembering his mother, who seemed to have also disappeared
without a trace because of a groundless rebellion case.

"Ye Family? Which Ye family?"

At this moment in the tavern, a young man suddenly called

this out ignorantly. He had been listening for a while, yet
could not understand the history of the Ye family connected to
Sir Fan junior. After all, the events of that year had happened a
long time ago. Time was like water, and many people in the
Qing Kingdom had almost forgotten that sparkling name.

"You don't know the Ye family?" Some of the older people

began to laugh scornfully. As expected, it was a kid whose
beard had yet to grow in fully. They all felt they needed to give
him a lesson.

"The Ye family were once the greatest merchants in the

world," a middle aged man said with his thoughts wandering
away. "The family that made glass and sold it like silver. That
Ye family."

Someone objected and thought this point didn't describe

them clearly. "The Ye family, the one that made soap and
perfume. That Ye family. Ah, they stopped making perfume
long ago. I guess you've never smelled any."

"It's the Ye family that made liquor."

Someone else added, "It's that family that provided the court
with the majority of their armaments. That Ye family."

"Do you know the palace treasury? Do you know where all
the money our Qing court spends every year comes from?" the
middle-aged man mocked. "It is the treasury that earns its
wealth from Northern Qi, Dongyi, and even from overseas.
And what is the palace treasury? It's nothing other than Ye
family business!"

The young man who raised the question could only stare
dumbfounded; he opened his mouth wide. "My god, that's
incredible."

That literati who was the bravest, who had directly accused
the court of underhandedly taking the Ye family fortune,
shook his head with a cold smile. "If the Ye family were only
merchants, how could they have expanded to such an extent
back then? If she were only a merchant, then why would she
be… destroyed?"

The middle aged man was curious. "Oh, perhaps Xiongtai

knows of something?"

"The Ye family…" the literati rolled his head and sighed. "It's
said that they're deeply connected to the Overwatch Council. I
heard that at the inception of the Overwatch Council, all of the
income was provided by the Ye family. Of course, these are just
rumors."
 The middle aged man was silent for a while, when a flash of
inspiration suddenly struck him. He said to those around him,
"Everyone, do you remember that stone tablet outside of the
yard of the Overwatch Council?"

Everyone nodded, and suddenly their faces changed color.

They had thought of something, and they all began to exclaim,
"Is that to say that passage… that one called 'Ye Qingmei,' was
the mistress of the Ye family!"

The face of the literati had also changed a little, he sighed,

"No wonder, no wonder… no wonder Sir Fan junior
relinquished his reputation and entered the Overwatch Council
to work for them in spite of the stain on himself. I think he
knew very clearly. Alas…" he spoke in shock. "When Sir Fan
junior was first installed as the commissioner of the Overwatch
Council, I thought this matter was a bit strange. Could it be
that Director Chen knew much earlier…?"

Before he had finished speaking, the middle aged man

urgently picked up a cup of wine and shoved it to his mouth, to
block the next words. After the literati paused, he also felt an
echoing fear.
 The Qing Kingdom had pure and straightforward folk
customs; the people were not that afraid of the officials, and
were not that afraid of Sir Fan junior. Otherwise, how else
would they dare to sit in a tavern and gossip about him? It was
only that old man in a wheelchair that everyone was terrified
of, and did not dare to talk much about.

Finally, the tavern truly quieted down, and everyone began

to drink and eat. After an indeterminable amount of time, a
sudden sound of delighted surprise came from the corner.

Everyone turned their heads to see the young man who didn't
know of the glorious history of the Ye family stand up. He was
incomparably excited and was waving his hands and dancing
around. "I remember the Ye family now, I remember. The Ye
family that made the double-bang firecracker!"

Everyone laughed and then turned away.

In reality, for most of the people of the Qing Kingdom, the Ye

family was just one name among many. No one had purposely
tried to keep them in their memory. Even among the people of
the Yishi Tavern who talked about them with assurance would
have been hard pressed to remember, just days ago, the many
changes the Ye family had brought to the Qing Kingdom. It was
only after the rumors of Commissioner Fan being a descendant
of the Ye family had spread into the capital, and many people
began discussing it, that their long-slumbering memories
awoke. It was only then that they began to recall that the Qing
Kingdom after the appearance of the Ye family seemed very,
very different to the Qing Kingdom before their appearance.

Perhaps it was just some lady in her manor remembering the

smell of perfume, or the soldier at the city gates remembering
the miraculous workings of soap, or it was a soldier who stared
dumbfounded at the bow and arrow in his hands. Perhaps it
was a merchant in the north in Shangjing who used silk to
carefully clean his glass horse, or it was a poet who was
happily drunk, or it was that old man in the yard of the
Overwatch Council who lifted the black curtains to stare at the
world. Perhaps it was only the young man who remembered
the first firecracker of his childhood.

All in all, because of the rumors about Fan Xian's past, people
began to, for one reason or another, remembering the Ye
family.
 …

Fan Xian walked out of the door and welcomed the rare
warmth of a winter's sun. He stretched and a refreshing smile
appeared on his face. Because of this matter, it was not
convenient for him to return to Cang Mountain. Following his
father's orders, everyone in the Fan Manor pretended nothing
had happened, and indifferently watched everything,
welcoming the secret whispers from all sides.

Deng Zi Yue approached and handed him today's reports from

the Council, as well as the intelligence report of Qinian's
group. Fan Xian read them by the sun's light and asked,
"Regarding that rumor, have any of the officials in the capital
made any moves?"

Deng Zi Yue stole a glance at the Commissioner's

imperturbable face and felt great admiration in his heart. After
this huge event had happened, he was still able to stay so calm.
Was he not afraid the palace would immediately send people to
arrest him? He didn't know of Fan Xian's panic in Cang
Mountain, and couldn't help but put him on a pedestal.

When they first heard the rumor, Deng Zi Yue and all the
officials in the Overwatch Council were shocked and in a state
of disbelief, much like the common people. However, after
some thought, many people realized that although this rumor
had no proof, it explained many of Commissioner Fan's actions
after he'd entered the capital. The evidence made the rumor
very easy to believe. If he weren't a descendant of the Ye
family, why did the Director treat him so tenderly? If he
weren't a descendant of the Ye family, why would Minister
Shang work so hard for his son to take control of the palace
treasury?

Deng Zi Yue was woken from his daze by the glare of the sun.
"No major moves." After an apology he said, "The message to
each manor is very clear. The Imperial Censorate are secretly
communicating with them. However, last time they suffered a
big loss, so they seem much more cautious this time. Rather,
there are officials in a few other departments who are ready to
make trouble. However, rumors are just rumors and there is no
true evidence. They don't dare to write petitions, and so
everything they do is in secret."
 Fan Xian asked, "The eastern palace?"

Deng Zi Yue shook his head. "The officials who are close to
the eastern palace are just watching, but…yesterday, some of
the officials' wives entered the palace to greet the empress.
After they returned home, those officials met in secret as well.
As to what they said, no one knows."

"The empress?" Fan Xian furrowed his brows and sighed,

thinking, I haven't even had time to make trouble for you, are
you going to come knocking on my door instead? The empress
would naturally fly into a rage, but what was she thinking?

It was not until today that he realized of the power he had on

hand. Other than the uncle Wu Zhu trump card, the others
were not assured. Given this current situation, even if he was
able to get through this peacefully by depending on the
Emperor's trust in himself, and the scheming of his father and
Chen Pingping, what about the future? The situation should
always be completely controlled in one's own hand for
complete assurance.

…
 …

Inside Hanguang Hall of the Royal Palace, the empress was

kneeling beside the bed of the empress dowager with tears
streaming down her face. Her hand held that of the old
woman's and she said, desolately and miserably, "Aunt, you
have to help me."

The empress dowager signed and asked, "How can I help

you?"

The empress gritted her teeth and said, "Usually when I see
Fan Xian, I have always felt a little frightened, and now I know
why. It turns out he is son of that witch! The Emperor… the
Emperor's heart is so cruel, to have hidden this from me for so
long. Unbelievably, that witch still has descendants!"

The empress dowager stroked the empress's dishevelled hair

and comforted her, "These things happened so long ago, why
still hold on to them? You've seen the young man, the Emperor
will never claim him. You struggle and fight, but what will that
get you?"
 At this moment, there was absolute silence inside the
Hanguang Hall. Other than Eunuch Hong who stood half-
asleep on guard, outside the door, all the other eunuchs and
serving girls were as far away from this palace as possible.

"Let go?" Tears rolled down the empress's face, and the
wrinkles beside her eyes could be seen. "Aunt, have you
forgotten my father? Even though the Emperor refuses to say
it, that was your brother. And who can't guess the reason?
Doesn't the Emperor continue to hate him because he killed
that witch back then?"

Hearing the empress say this, the empress dowager's face

immediately became serious and she forced herself to sit up.
"Shut up!" she said severely. "In this palace you should call me
mother, not aunt! How dare you talk about what happened
that year. I don't know what you were jealous of to have your
father go do something like that. To kill the whole family… the
Emperor only told me of this months ago. If Fan Jian's family
had not acted quickly and sacrificed dozens of lives, you
wouldn't have just killed that woman, you would have… killed
Fan Xian too!"
 The empress dowager moved her face close to the empress's
and said in a voice cold beyond compare, "Don't forget.
Although Fan Xian is the son of that woman, the blood in his
bones is that of the Emperor's! No matter where he is, he is
always of our flesh and blood. If you want to kill him, you
have to at least ask what I think."

The empress felt a shiver run down her spine and felt an
overwhelming fear. She stared dumbly at the empress
dowager's stern and righteous face and thought, The raid that
year on the Taiping Courtyard, didn't you agree to it? How
come you won't own up to it now?

Seeming to have guessed the empress's thoughts, the empress

dowager's expression cleared a bit and she said lightly,
"Somethings that cannot be said should not be said. Better to
take it to the grave."

The empress's gaze was filled with rage. She stared at the
empress dowager without speaking and said without courtesy,
"So… the formidable empress dowager is afraid of her son."
 The empress dowager's cold gaze bored into the empress'
face, and she said clearly, "It's not fear, it is love. I do not want
to see the Emperor go through the same pain as that year, and I
also do not want Jingdou to once again run red with blood…
those of the royal blood are already few. Many of the royal and
aristocratic families have been decimated. We cannot stand to
have history repeat itself."

The empress sat dumbfounded for a moment before suddenly

bursting into crazed laughter, "Cannot stand it? Are we going
to let my poor father, your poor brother, die like that in vain?
Fan Xian is the son of the Ye witch… yet the court will not
make a statement? And just let the officials talk? What is the
Ye family? The crime of the Ye family is rebellion… are you not
afraid the royal family would completely lose their face?"

The empress dowager replied soothingly, "You're tired, go

rest. As for Fan Xian… who says he is the son of the Ye girl? I
don't believe it. As for the foolish people of this world, they
can say what they like."

The empress finally lost all hope. The hands in her hundred
phoenix sleeve clutched tightly at her handkerchief. She forced
herself up to salute the empress dowager before turning to
walk towards the exit of the Hanguang Hall.

As she was about to reach the doors of the palace, the

empress dowager's cold voice rang out, "I heard that some
official's wives often visit your palace? It almost the new year,
things are going to be busy in the palace. You are the head of
the Six Palaces, and the mother of the nation. Don't always
worry about matters beyond the palace… that's all, you may
go."

The empress turned and saluted again. The trace of a cold

smile hovered around her lips, and she left.

"Go watch her. Her attitude has become very strange these
past few years." The empress dowager sat on the bed, and
barely managed to push back the silver strands of her hair with
a shaking hand. She gave the order to Eunuch Hong before her.
"Don't let this thing bother the Emperor."

Eunuch Hong replied with a "Yes" before leaving the

Hanguang Hall like a ghost. The palace door squeaked, and the
eunuchs and serving girls who received their orders all entered
quickly to serve the empress dowager.

A serving girl moved her hand holding the comb slowly and
carefully over a patch of silver hair.

The empress dowager suddenly gave a cold sneer and

slammed her hand against the table. The serving girl combing
her hair was startled by this sound and pulled out a few silver
hairs. She saw the hairs on the comb and was scared soulless.
Without thinking, she knelt and kowtowed repeatedly, not
daring to say anything.

"You may get up." The empress dowager closed her eyes and
said, "I am not one of those unreasonable old monsters."

She forced down the rage in her heart, but was unable to find
peace for a long time. The Emperor had asked her to suppress
the queen because after the night Jingdou ran red with blood
most of the connected people had died. Only the empress knew
the true relationship between Lady Ye and the Emperor back
then, and only the empress knew the truth about Fan Xian's
past. If it was left to the empress, who knew what those Princes
would do after they had recovered from their shock.

Thinking of the Ye family, the empress dowager's temples

began to thud, a streak of pain began to radiate out—the
empress dowager had always believed the Ye woman a curse
that would haunt the Qing royal family for countless years.
Unexpectedly, she was right in thinking this. She had left the
Emperor a child!

The empress dowager had the power to deal with this matter.
Otherwise, the Ye family would not have been completely
destroyed back then. The events of that year left the old
woman with a sufficiently vile impression; when she heard the
truth from the Emperor's mouth, and thought about how Fan
Xian's mother was named Ye, a red-hot pain burst open in her
head. And so, each time Fan Xian entered the palace, she
avoided him, because she was not sure she could act in the kind
and humane way an empress dowager was meant to act.

On the topic of how to deal with Fan Xian, her thoughts were
vastly different from those of the empress's. For the empress,
Fan Xian was first and foremost the son of an enemy, the Ye
woman. However, in the empress dowager's eyes, even if the Ye
woman had committed many wrongs, many crimes, and had
been treacherous to the court… her son was, after all, the flesh
and blood of the royal family. He was her true grandson.

Deep in the night, after making sure that Eunuch Hong had
returned to the little room outside the Hanguang Hall, the
white-faced empress bit her lip and gestured with her eyes at
her personal serving girl. In just a moment, the person who
had recently been very calm, and had done nothing wrong,
appeared: the Crown Prince. He saluted the empress.

The empress's words could not be heard, only that her

lowered voice was becoming more and more urgent, yet the
Crown Prince kept shaking his head.

Mother and son faced each other without words. After a

moment, the Crown Prince quietly comforted her, "Mother,
even if Fan Xian is the descendant of the Ye family, what of it?
He is only a merchant."

"Merchant?" The empress laughed coldly. "Do you think that

woman is a normal merchant? She's a cursed star!"

The empress stared at the Crown Prince and said in a cold

voice, "Fan Xian, is your father's son."
Chapter 324: Even If You Guess The
Flower, That Is That
In the Royal Palace, deep into the night, was a dangerous
quiet.

After hearing the empress's words, the prince almost fell to

the floor. His face was full of shock and he stuttered, "Mother,
that nonsense are you talking about?"

The empress's expression could not settle, and she was quiet
for an indeterminable amount of time before speaking lightly:
"Fan Xian, is the bastard of your father and that Ye witch."

The Crown Prince kept shaking his head, unable to accept

this sudden realization. He shook his head too hard and felt a
bit faint, and only then did he sit on his bed, dazed. He said in
a faltering voice, "How is this possible? How is this possible?"

Thinking of the fact that he had a younger brother, who

since his youth, had wandered about in the world, the Crown
Prince felt that life was very mysterious. Furthermore, this
brother could often been seen in the capital, had a reputation
better than his own, and the power he wielded… the power he
wielded was likely no less than this own.

The next moment, he leapt up and laughed foolishly, perhaps

to comfort himself, or perhaps to reduce his pressure. "So it
turns out I have a brother like this."

The empress stared dumbly at her son.

The Crown Prince flushed and lowered his voice in distress.

"So what if that is the case?" he choked. "I have always had a
good relationship with him—and besides, his birth was not
legitimate. He will not be able to enter the palace. He is not a
threat to me."

"Can't be a threat to Your Highness?" the empress laughed

coldly. "Don't forget, I cannot escape the connection to his
mother's death. Do you really think he will stand aside and
watch you take the throne? Just suppose he has the generosity
not to seek revenge. Will he not be afraid that you will deal
with him after you inherit?
 "Fan Xian would not let you take the throne—even if it were
just for reasons of self-preservation." The empress's voice was
like a deadly spell in the palace. "So, Qian'er, you have to be
prepared. Of course, you cannot tell anyone else such a critical
piece of information. Most importantly, you cannot let your
brothers know of Fan Xian's past. Otherwise, eldest brother
and second brother will…"

The Crown Prince understood his mother's meaning. His

voice became a little uncertain, "No wonder Father still hasn't
decided what he is going to do with all the rumors of Fan Xian
being a descendant of the Ye family. After all… there are other
hidden situations. But, Mother, if Father continues to treat
him as well as usual, and he has the Fan family and Director
Chen to support him, it will be difficult for me to move him."

Coldness emanated from the empress's lidded eyes. "We

cannot move him now. We are too weak, and there is no one in
this palace willing to help us. So you must pretend to be civil
with him—but don't you dare believe that this bastard brother
of yours will have any good intentions towards you. Just
endure. From today on, you will conscientiously endure it.
Don't do anything extra…
 "After the spring examinations, you're right, no amount of
power can compare to your father's affection. As long as the
Emperor trusts you, Fan Xian wouldn't dare to move much. As
long as we endure… there will always be a way."

The Crown Prince was silent, but in his heart he did not
approve of his mother's plan.

The day brightened.

In the congee shop, there continued to be people gossiping

about the Fan Manor and Ye family. The First Bureau of the
Overwatch Council, watching the movements of the officials,
continued to be alert. Everyone in the Fan Manor continued
pretending to be calm despite their fear. The Emperor had a
headache, the empress dowager had a headache, but Minister
Shang arrived at the Treasury yamen appearing as he did
yesterday: joking and talking, and not looking different at all.
Chen Pingping did not return to the Chen Garden and stayed in
the Overwatch Council, watching all that happened in Jingdou
with his pair of unfathomable eyes.

The sound of sweeping came from outside. Fan Xian had

been following Sir Fei's instructions and taking his medicine
on time. In his hands he held onto the nameless book of
martial tactics and stared blankly. He had already finished
practicing the first book, but he still hadn't figured out the way
for the second book. Particularly since his zhenqi had
completely dissipated and his Meridians were covered in
thousands of holes. He didn't dare to follow the instructions in
the book and forcefully move his zhenqi.

As to the matter of his past, Fan Xian's attitude had calmed.

The sky will rain, mothers won't marry, the unmarried will
have children, just let it happen. Besides, this matter was no
responsibility of his.

If the palace really feared his mother so much that they

couldn't tolerate him, the time-traveling Fu Kangan, then why
should he care? Worst case scenario would be a fight. If his life
were in danger, and he couldn't use the Overwatch Council,
Qinian's Unit, and his zhenqi were completely gone, this would
be the most dangerous stage. If this happened, then it was not
his fault for taking his teacher's advice and turning his back on
his mother's intentions to use pesticides to destroy the bugs.
He would use poison to hack open a path of blood! Using a big
knife on ants, he would prepare a heavy ambush for those
Grandmasters!

Ye Liuyun wasn't in the capital. It was difficult for the army

to be effective against a small number of people. He couldn't
imagine who could hold back this strange group; at this
moment, Fan Xian's heart actually calmed down. He began to
feel, bit by bit, the attitude of the young girl, Ye Qingmei, who
had taken Uncle Blind and that box and became an enemy to all
under the sky.

A little bit nervous, and a little bit excited.

Of course, it was best if things did not develop to this extent.

After all, he had to consider the interests of the Fan Manor and
the safety of his father, sister, and wife. And he also had to
think about the lives those he was friendly with. Revealing the
truth was his final resort. What Fan Xian needed right now was
to maintain the current balance.
 There were still many things he had not done, and those
things depended on his current power and position.

For two consecutive days, no one came to the Fan Manor. Not
even those closest to them would choose this time of struggle
to come for news. What was most strange was that King Jing
did not come. According to news from Qinian's group, this
flower grower had, for some unknown reason, thrown down
his hoe, left his manure bucket, and would only lounge around
his manor drinking wine with heavy tears coursing down from
his old eyes.

The officials that were on friendly terms with Fan Xian—

such as Qin Qiwu, Ren Shao'an and other young officials—were
all carefully watching. They were waiting to see what kind of
reaction the court would have to the rumors.

No one dared, at this time, to make clear their opinion.

In the palace.
 Lady Ning, wearing a well-fitted outfit, was currently
walking around a withered tree in circles under the winter sun.
This had been her habit for many years. Although this female
prisoner had become a nobility in the palace, she still couldn't
be at ease.

After countless circles, the Great Prince, standing quietly in

attendance, could no longer stand it. He sighed and said,
"Mother, what exactly is the matter?"

The royal sons had their own manors outside of the palace.
Particularly the Great Prince, who had performed well in the
western expedition, and was the first son to be given the Prince
title. Naturally, he couldn't keep living in the palace. There
were many rules in the royal family. If he wanted to enter the
palace to visit his mother, the rules in between were rather
complicated.

Today, Lady Ning had used some means and jumped over
many of the obstacles. She had directly called her son into the
palace, yet was now walking around the tree in fear.
 The Great Prince knew that his mother must have had
something important to tell him. Otherwise, she would not
break the rule so ostentatiously. Only… he wondered, was it
related to most recent rumor?

Lady Ning finally stopped. "You've heard right? Fan Xian's

past." She pulled a plain handkerchief from her sleeve and
wildly dabbed at the sweat on her forehead; her face was
completely serious.

The Great Prince thought, Ah, indeed, it is about this. He

respectfully placed a cup of warm tea in her hands and nodded.
"I have heard of this matter, but it happened suddenly, and
there is no evidence. It seems that Father and Great-
Grandmother, the empress dowager, will not believe the
rumors of these mean people—and I will also not believe it."

Lady Ning watched her son and laughed coldly, "Not believe?
I think everyone is starting to believe!" Suddenly she slapped
the table, fuming with anger. With hatred in her voice, she
said, "I don't understand what the Director was thinking this
time, to actively suppress this rumor. Does he not realize this
will instead make people believe it? What does he want Fan
Xian to do?" She suddenly seemed to lose focus; it was a
moment before she gave a resounding sigh.

"Fan Xian? So… she had a son, and it is Fan Xian."

The Great Prince naturally knew which "she" his mother was
talking about. Of course it was the one who had been
brilliantly eye-catching but had come to a dismal ending: the
mistress of the Ye family. He guessed his mother's meaning,
and asked probingly, "What do you mean?"

Lady Ning's eyebrows pulled into a line, and she said sternly
without anger, "Us Dongyi people stress the importance of
showing gratitude and resentment to the right people! Now
that Fan Xian's past has been revealed, regardless of whether or
not the Emperor remembers the work the Ye family did, the
one in the eastern palace… will definitely not tolerate him. You
listen to me well!"

In front of outsiders, the Great Prince was a brave and fierce

general, a strong hero. In front of Lady Ning, he was like a
meek little cat. He brought his feet together and stood like a
little soldier in front of his mother, and said in a deep voice, "I
await mother's instructions."

"If things go wrong…" A trace of ferociousness appeared

between Lady Ning's brows. "You must, by any means
necessary, protect Fan Xian's life!"

The Great Prince didn't even think before agreeing to do so.

He had never gone against his mother's intentions before.
Only, he still felt some confusion. He knew, back then, his
mother had played some role in the night that Jingdou ran red
with blood; he just didn't understand why his mother would go
to such lengths to protect Fan Xian. To the extent of ordering
him to use the soldiers at his disposal in a time of need… how
was this different to rebellion?

"If Director Chen had not been around to save me back then, I
would never had followed the Emperor back from the
mountains and waters of the north." Lady Ning spoke coldly of
these past events. "You know about this. Even though I made it
to Jingdou alive, all that welcomed me was an order from the
palace… I was a prisoner from Dongyi, and no one, at that
time, knew I was already pregnant with you. If Lady Ye had
not spoken back then... you, me—we would already be two
wandering spirits."

Lady Ning took a deep breath and said, "Fan Xian's mother
saved both our lives. When she ran into trouble that year, you
were still young, and I had absolutely no power… but it is not
the same anymore. You hold some power in your hands, so you
must protect Fan Xian's life."

The yard was silent. The winter sun spilled down lightly
upon this pair of sincere, vengeful, unconventional mother
and son.

"If Father cannot tolerate Fan Xian," The Great Prince spoke
softly, "I fear I cannot do much, even though I hold the
imperial guards… oh well, at worse I'll return him this life."

"It won't be that scary. You're about to get married—how

could I bear for you to take such risks?" Lady Ning stared into
his eyes and spoke. "Don't worry about the Emperor's attitude,
just keep an eye on the eastern palace."
 The Great Prince turned this matter over in his heart and
immediately thought of a problem. Although he was of a
cheerful disposition, he was not stupid. After a moment of
shock he said, "If he is a descendant of the Ye family, Father
would definitely not spare him. Yet, looking at the situation
over the past few days… there is only one possibility!"

Lady Ning gave him a dead smile. "You've finally guessed? I

also think this. For the Emperor to not investigate the so-called
rebellion of that year, for even the empress dowager to
maintain her silence, there can only be one explanation. Fan
Xian is not only the son of the Lady Ye, but is also… the
Emperor's own son. In other words, Fan Xian is the royal son
the world has never known. He is your brother."

The color of the Great Prince's face turned ugly, and his
hands curled into tight fists. He found it difficult to accept this
reality. After a moment, he hesitantly said, "Perhaps… Fan
Xian is truly Father's son? Then what about Minister Shang?…
if all this is true, why did Father send Fan Xian to Danzhou?"

The Lady Ning laughed coldly, "Back then? Who really

knows what happened that year? Don't forget that Fan Xian's
mother was hated to her very bones by the two most powerful
women in the palace."

The Great Prince blinked a few times, unable to believe that

those words had come from his mother's mouth. He pondered
this for a while and then said, "If you could guess the truth of
Fan Xian's past, I suspect it has long spread outside of the
palace."

"Let them guess," Lady Ning replied full of spirit, brushing

the dust from her clothes. "Perhaps this is what the Director
wants to see. Perhaps this whole matter is him helping the
Emperor overcome his difficulties. After all, the Emperor
probably doesn't know what to do with this son of his."

How would the Emperor deal with Fan Xian? This was the
question all the people and officials were interested in these
days. If the rumor were true, Fan Xian could only be arrested
and sent to prison. If the rumor were false, the palace should
act in some fashion such as awarding some title, or issuing
assurances, to cancel out the impact.
 The longer the rumor went around the stranger it became.
Yet, the reaction of the Overwatch Council and the silence of
the Fan Manor seemed to be proving its truth. Fan Xian was
indeed the orphan of Lady Ye. The problem was, the palace still
hadn't sent anyone to capture him!

The matter had become rather interesting.

The Emperor maintained his silence, the palace maintained

their silence. In their confusion, the people began to speculate
endlessly. The officials had originally all maintained a clever
silence, and even the Imperial Censorate had only carefully
handed in a few petitions, explaining the rumors in the capital.
However, the Emperor still refused to speak, and the officials
could do nothing.

When the rumor reached the pinnacle, causing waves in

court, a brave (but not clever) official spoke up.

This official's family name was Mao and his first name was
Yueliang. He worked with the Rite Administration, and was
responsible for reviewing petitions and deciding and correcting
inappropriate language. This muddled official's personality
was straightforward and rough. He wanted nothing more than
for things to be smooth for the royal family, and could not
stand seeing anything cause the court to lose face. After the
rumors of Fan Xian's past began to spread in Jingdou, Mao
Yueliang was shocked to the point of overlooking his
colleagues' silence, and went straight to the court to speak. He
implored the Emperor to rebuke these false rumors, and to
return to Sir Fan Xian his reputation.

In court, the Emperor only lightly said, "The innocent are

innocent, and the guilty are guilty. The foolish like to meddle.
Why should my ministers be involved in all of this and lose
their sense of dignity?"

Who could guess that Mao Yueliang would not let it go? He
was adamant that the rumor had damaged Commissioner Fan's
reputation. If the rumor was false, then the court should refute
it publically. If the rumor was true, then Fan Xian should be
investigated by the Qing law for concealing the truth from the
court, for secretly joining the court, for colluding with Fan
Manor, and for having treasonous intentions.

"Even if these rumors cannot be believed, Your Highness

should consider the face of the court, and have the two Sir Fans
explain themselves. Furthermore, Sir Fan junior is no longer
suitable to continue as the Commissioner of the Overwatch
Council, as for the palace treasury—"

Before this confused and muddled speech had come to an

end, the Emperor had already left his seat in rage, and ordered
the guards to drag Mao Yueliang away and be flogged 20 times.
If the empress dowager had not come out to ask for mercy, it
was likely that this idiotic official of the six administrations
would have been beaten to death by the Emperor!

No one knew of the Xinyang background of this official of the

six administrations. And no one knew that the Emperor's final
rage was because the empress dowager had come out to protect
the person.

For the Emperor, the thing he most feared was his own
mother and sister joining together with his sons. In the current
situation, the Emperor had pointedly reacted; he was
forcefully protecting Fan Xian's position and title. This was a
certain kind of stance: the stance of a lion protecting his
territory.
 However, the officials and people of the Qing Kingdom did
not know of the problems in the palace. After the incidence of
the flogging, Jingdou was shocked! They remembered when the
Imperial Censorate had accused Fan Xian of misconduct, they
also received a brutal flogging. The people realized that the
endless protection that Fan Xian had received over the years
was even more apparent than that of the royal sons!

Connecting this to the Emperor's ambiguous attitude on this

matter, people began to guess.

Humankind's imagination was sometimes extremely lacking,

yet sometimes unbelievably rich. Regarding the rumor around
Fan Xian's past, the people began to slide uncontrollably in a
direction that was the least favoured by some people. Whether
or not behind this guess was the shadow of that old man in the
wheelchair, it could not be known.

In short, not long after the first piece of explosive news

spread throughout Jingdou, a second piece of explosive news
began to spread through the streets and alleys of Jingdou. The
people and officials discussed this news more secretively, more
carefully, and with more excitement.
 "Have you heard? Sir Fan junior is the illegitimate son of…
our Qing Emperor."

"Of course, they look like they came from the same mold."

"You've seen the Emperor?"

"Ah… I guessed. But, in all honesty, Sir Fan junior is a

prodigy. He excels in both the arts and fighting, his poetry has
surprised the world, and his reputation has spread far and
wide. Such a figure… could only be born of our wise and
mighty Emperor."

"That's true, that's true."

"However… Minister Shang… this… this…"

"Ah, poor Minister Shang—old master Fan's name didn't

marry well—is also to blame."
 In Xinyang's Li Palace, the Eldest Princess was gently
drawing her brows, and there was a self-deprecating smile at
the corner of her mouth. This extraordinary woman—who had
never in her life been without a plan—knew that she had made
a fatal mistake after hearing the two consecutive rumors. Her
brother, the Emperor, must have started to suspect her, yet that
little thing called Fan Xian…

"Sir Yuan, I didn't listen to your advice. I was wrong." The

Eldest Princess gently pressed her lips to the lip paper, and
spoke lightly. "Sir Fan junior's past is strange, and completely
unexpected. The first rumor was already enough to shock
everyone—who would have thought there would be a second?"

Now that they were like Huang Yi, Yuan Hongdao, who was
the chief counsellor of Xinyang said, "I had originally advised
you to wait and see because I thought the news of Fan Xian
being a descendant of the Ye family came in a strange way. But
I never expected that behind this information was this
shocking conjecture. The event happened too suddenly; the
situation changed too quickly. We dealt with it in the wrong
way this time, but it is not because we did not fight well; it is
the will of heaven."
 The Eldest Princess had lost the Cui family, and her interests
had been damaged beyond repair. She was truly starting to
realize her son-in-law's ability. In her anger, she found it
difficult to maintain her usual cool, and her return strike had
been too slow; it had been practically useless. So when the first
rumor entered her ears, she didn't think, and even went against
Yuan Hongdao's strong opposition in her decision to use this
matter to bring Fan Xian down.

Only, the connection between Xinyang and Jingdou was not

convenient. She wanted to use the empress dowager's mouth
and that seemingly-stupid official of the six administrations to
first force the Emperor to strip Fan Xian of his positions. Then
she had received this second message!

Fan Xian was the illegitimate son of the Emperor?

Perhaps other people might doubt this message, but the

Eldest Princess believed it the first moment she heard it. She
began to secretly laugh at her own stupidity. How could she
have not clearly seen such a simple thing? She had wasted one
of her pieces in court, used up a thread of the affection her
mother had for her, and the worst was that she had rubbed the
Emperor the wrong way and allowed Fan Xian, for no reason,
to easily be able to stand steady again!

As that thought reached her, self-mocking and regret bit into

her heart like a poisonous snake.

"Ye Qingmei…" Her head started to hurt; she moaned to

herself, "In my life, will I never surpass you? Even your son is
able to so easily defeat me."

Night in Jingdou.

The long absent Wu Zhu now appeared silently in an alley

behind the Fan Manor under a black cloth.

At the end of an alley was a noodle shop. The light on the

noodle shop looked like a bean, and it stuttered in the cold
wind. A man wearing common clothing was sitting on a long
bench outside the shop.
 The man on the bench did not have a bowl of noodles in
front of him. His clothing was thin but he was not cold. His
face was eerily calm, as if he had been born without
expression. And that pair of cold merciless eyes seemed to be
able to see through everything in the world.
Chapter 325: The Cloth-Clothed
Grandmaster Battle
Wu Zhu slightly lowered his head and allowed the cold night
wind to blow as it pushed against the black cloth on his eyes.
His steady and terrifying right hand slowly wrapped around
the handle of the iron rod at the side of his waist. Step by step
he walked towards the direction of the noodle shop.

The thin clothing the man in front of the noodle shop wore
was made of rough cloth, of a dirt-yellow color with half
sleeves. It was exactly the outfit of a hard labor worker at a
river wharf south of Jingdou. There was nothing strange about
it at all. He blinked, and the coldness in his eyes did not change
at all; neither did the expression on his face. Only with the
sound of Wu Zhu's footsteps did he slowly rise from the bench.

There was a straight knife in the cloth-clothed man's hand.

He swung his hand and the sharp tip sliced through the air
with a whistle. The straight edge swung through the neck of an
old drooping man, the shop owner, who was stooped over
picking up noodles. The neck of the noodle shop owner made a
sputtering sound and fresh blood sprayed out from his neck,
landing perfectly in the noodle pot!
 Closely following that, the head of the noodle shop owner
clicked and, like an autumn tree heavily laden with fruit,
detached from the body and landed with a splash in the noodle
soup. The landing sent up a spray of hot, bloody soup.

Without warning, without reason. An unusually cold and

steady strike. The shop owner was beheaded and his old head
bobbed up and down in the soup which had already been dyed a
dusky red. Under the light of the flickering oil lamp, this scene
appeared to be unspeakably scary and strange.

At this moment, Wu Zhu stood forty feet in front of the

cloth-clothed man. The half of his face not covered by the
black cloth did not move at all, as if he did not care that the
other person had just killed an innocent noodle shop owner in
front of him.

"You come from the south." The blind man's voice was always
this monotonous, lacking a sense a rhythm.

The cloth-clothed man slowly drew back his straight knife.

That pair of cold eyes focused on Wu Zhu, and although
neither his eyes nor expression revealed any emotions, they
somehow gave people the impression he had already entered a
state of high alertness.

"Routine inspection." The cloth-clothed man spoke in a very

monotone voice. "Bringing you back."

Wu Zhu said, "You are here to kill Fan Xian."

The cloth-clothed man said, "You purposely released the

information."

"Because I couldn't find you in the south, so I had to use this

method to force you to show yourself." Wu Zhu stared coldly at
him like he was looking at a dead man. "Once you knew Fan
Xian was her descendant, you would rush to Jingdou to kill
him."

The cloth-clothed man's eyebrows moved oddly, as if they

wanted to express surprise and confusion; it was clear his
expression was a bit stiff, and so it appeared a little strange.
The two eyebrows twisted like two little worms.
 "You knew the reason, so you had me come."

Why did this cloth-clothed man have to come to Jingdou to

kill Fan Xian after learning he was Ye Qingmei's son? From the
conversation between Wu Zhu and this cloth-clothed man, it
was clear that these two people knew each other.

Furthermore, Wu Zhu knew that once this man learned of

Fan Xian's past, he would stop at nothing to come to Jingdou to
kill him, and so had purposely waited outside the Fan Manor.

So it seemed that the recent upheaval in Jingdou was caused

by Wu Zhu pretending to miscalculate, and secretly tipping off
Ku He, so he could reveal Fan Xian's past from the distant
Northern Qi. This also ensured he would be able to do so
without leaving any trace of himself.
 If uncle blind had the ability to concoct this beautiful plan,
then the only reason for all this was to draw this cloth-clothed
man to Jingdou.

Who exactly was the cloth-clothed man?

A number of months ago, on the southern seaside of the Qing

Kingdom, there appeared a nameless man. He searched
everywhere for a blind man, and when his question was met
with no answer, he would very simply kill everyone who had
seen him. He gave no excuse and asked for no reasons.

He was the Nanjiang serial killer that Fan Xian and Yan
Bingyun could not forget.

Once the Ministry of Justice were at their wit's end, the

Overwatch Council finally began investigating these strange
and bizarre killings. However, each time an ace of the
Overwatch Council tracked down the nameless man, they
would be counter-attacked and killed without mercy. And so,
until now, no one knew what the nameless man looked like.
Yan Bingyun had once thought about borrowing troops from
Fan Xian to take the Tiger Guards south; the reason was this
man.

He had just appeared out of nowhere, and seemed unfamiliar

with the way he should behave and the norms of this world.
Thus, he had unnecessarily killed too many people. It was not
until later that he gradually understood more things; so he put
his wild hair into a common bun, his bare feet into common
everyday grass shoes, and chose a straight knife commonly
used by the martial arts people of Qing. At the same time, he
also changed into inconspicuous, rough cloth clothes.

Wu Zhu took a step forward and was a little bit closer to the
noodle shop. He lowered his head slightly and said, "I went to
find you in the south, but failed."

The cloth-clothed man said something haunting: "I looked

for you in the south, and also failed."
 Wu Zhu's feet were bare, the cloth-clothed man's feet wore
grass shoes. Wu Zhu's hair was tightly bundled behind his
head, it moved not an inch. The cloth-clothed man's hair was
bundled into a bun, slightly higher on the head.

The aura around the two of them was very similar. Although
different in clothing and appearance, these two things seem to
be the only things setting them apart. The aura on their bodies
showed these two were both merciless killing machines; they
were two hunters hidden in the night. Each was clearly
searching for the other, yet they cared greatly about who first
found who.

They demanded themselves to first find the other, and not be

discovered by the other. Although this appeared to be the
same, it was like the battle of life and death between the hunter
and the injured tiger. Whoever had the advantage was the one
who would continue existing in this world.

"Someone told you I was in the south," Wu Zhu said.

The cloth-clothed man did not reply to his question; instead,

he said, "Cannot leave a trace."
 Wu Zhu said, "She has already left too many traces. Go back
to the temple, I won't kill you."

The cloth-clothed man seemed to think Wu Zhu's words were

rather inexplicable, and was in great conflict with the truth he
had always followed. A strange emotion flashed through that
pair of eyes, bright and cold as ice. This kind of emotion was
rare to see in people's eyes.

"You come back with me." The cloth-clothed man's voice

remained emotionless.

Wu Zhu's voice was actually a bit angry. "I forgot some

things—wait until I remember."

The conversation between the two men had used a strange

rhythm the entire time; furthermore, if closer attention was
paid, it could be discovered that these two had not asked a
single question. They had only spoken in very certain tones.
Perhaps they were both very confident in their ability to judge
logically; more likely it was that these two strange men had
difficulty understanding normal conversation with such leaps
of logic.
 The lips of the two people moved but no sound came out. It
was as if they were conducting a final soundless negotiation.

The negotiation broke, and Wu Zhu took another step

towards the noodle shop. The distance between the two people
shrank from 40 feet to 20 feet.

The cloth-clothed man wore no expression and did not take a

single step back. He only stared at the iron rod in Wu Zhu's
pale white hand, as if waiting for the rod to sprout flowers.

A low spluttering sound came from the stove with the pot of
noodles. The soup with the human head boiled over with red
bloody bubbles; they followed the rim of the pot and fell into
the stove. They spluttered as they came into contact with the
cherry red coals and a smoky stench rose.
 Wu Zhu moved. The black cloth around his eyes immediately
dissolved into a streak of black silk. The iron rod in his hands
did not sprout flowers; it was as sharp as a bamboo point after
winter, and it speared straight towards the cloth-clothed man's
chest!

What was strange was that, today, Wu Zhu did not choose to
aim his rod at the throat.

At almost the exact same moment, the cloth-clothed man

with the straight knife also moved. The two people moved
towards each other with the same strength and speed; no one
would be able to tell the difference between them.

The distance of 20 feet disappeared in the blink of an eye. Wu

Zhu and the cloth-clothed man suddenly crashed together.

Their speed was too quick, appearing to exceed the limits of

what the eye could observe. It seemed that in one moment, the
two were still separated by two dozen feet, and in the next, the
two were standing nose to nose!
 Their speed was so fast that they seemed to meet as suddenly
as two streaks of light. Fan Xian before his injury; that shadow
assassin from the Sixth Bureau; even if Haitang were here:
none would have reacted in time. They could have only waited
to die. Other than the four Great Grandmasters, no one else
had ever experienced such a realm.

Yet as the streaks of light clashed together, they didn't

produce brilliant fireworks; rather, their came a deathly
silence.

The point of a knife emerged, terrifyingly, from Wu Zhu's

right rib area. Something was dripping from the tip of the
knife onto the floor.

An iron rod was, with incomparable accuracy, stabbed

through the cloth-clothed man's abdomen. There was not the
slightest deviation.
 Wu Zhu had moved first, and his speed seemed to be slightly
faster than his opponent. When the two clashed together, his
left knee took the extra time to kneel down. He was only
slightly quicker, but it was enough to save his life.

At that moment, he maintained his half-kneeling position.

The iron rod in his hand pointed upwards slightly, as if he were
holding a torch to honor the heavens, and was pierced through
his opponent's abdomen.

There came faint voices in the garden behind the little alley.
The sounds were extremely light, yet they landed in Wu Zhu
and the cloth-clothed man's ears.

Like sawing through wood, the two people silently moved

apart and the weapons in their hands slowly slid out of the
other person's body. At this moment, a click came from the
cloth-clothed man's abdomen—it seemed like something was
broken!

After receiving such a heavy injury, there was still no

expression on the cloth-clothed man's face; it was as if there
was no pain at al. He only examined the injury in his abdomen
like a child, as if pondering why he would be just a little bit
slower than Wu Zhu.

Wu Zhu defeated his enemy in one strike, but also took a

heavy injury; yet he, like his opponent, remained
expressionless. Only at the edge of his mouth, uncovered by
the black cloth, there was the sense of a little bit of distance
from the mortal world.

He knew the cloth-clothed man would no longer be able to

exist on this earth. He had been a little faster than the cloth-
clothed man because he had used Fan Xian's past to lure his
opponent out today. So he had prepared more thoroughly: he
hadn't worn shoes, and he hadn't brushed his hair into a bun.

"Do not stain oneself with the world of mortals." Those

words from the temple indeed made some sense.
 At night the snow began again. A few human shadows
jumped over the garden wall, and landed without a sound in
the small alley. After landing, each person drew a long knife
from their back and arranged themselves into a striking
formation, vigilantly observing each direction.

The people who had just arrived were the Tiger Guards
responsible for Fan Xian's safety.

After confirming everything was safe, Gao Da sheathed his

knife. He walked through the sparse snowflakes to the noodle
shop. He furrowed his brows as he saw the terrifying human
head in the soup left on the stove.

Closely following that, his gaze fell onto the wound that
separated the head from the body. He only glanced at the
wound before a chill and horror involuntarily flashed through
his eyes—what a clean strike!

Gao Da's neck suddenly felt an icy chill, as if some snowflakes

had fallen into his clothes. He knew the battle that took place
earlier was definitely not one that people like him could rashly
interfere in. Although he did not witness it personally, he
could guess what unbelievable realms the two people battling
had reached.

The snow fell heavier and heavier, and gradually froze the
bloody soup; it also froze the spirits of the people in the alley.

The noodle shop stood wretched in the alley. The shop owner
had died, the stove had cooled, and the blood had dried. No one
else on this earth saw the two nameless people—not
Grandmasters, yet possessing their skill—who tried to kill each
other in this alley.

The night watchman at the Overwatch Council was currently

taking a nap. The building appeared even colder and more
solemn in the night through the wind and snow. Suddenly, a
gust of wind blew past and shocked the guard awake. He
slapped his face with the lingering shock and ordered himself
to wake up.

Usually there were more guards on watch at night in the

garden, particularly in recent days. Because of Commissioner
Fan's matter, Director Chen had not gone back to the Chen
Garden at all. Instead, he took direct charge of the Council to
control everything. If the Director knew he had been sleeping
earlier, there would not be pleasant consequences.

Chen Pingping was, at this moment, dozing off in his chair.

The old man's body had not been well these past few years.
Although the fireplace in his room was burning fiercely, he
would, unconsciously, use his dry and thin hands to tug his
sheep wool blanket on his knees up to his chest while he slept.

The door opened, and then closed.

Chen Pingping woke up and slowly blinked his murky and

tired eyes. He looked at the piece of black cloth in front of him
and said quietly, "How come you're here?"

It was only then that he noticed the horrifying wound on the

left side of Wu Zhu's chest. The messy snow white eyebrows
immediately leapt up. Although he wasn't angry, he asked with
great vigilance, "What happened?"

To be able to injure Wu Zhu? It had to have been one of the

Great Grandmasters who struck. No matter how arrogant Chen
Pingping was, it would be difficult for him, in the mess that
Jingdou was in today, to handle the news that the enemy
suddenly had an extra Great Grandmaster's help.

Wu Zhu did not answer his question, he only said three very
straightforward sentences.

"Let the Shadow return.

"The person who injured me knew I was in the south.

"If Fan Xian dies, the Qing Kingdom falls."

Wu Zhu knew that the old cripple in front of him had enough
intelligence to understand those three sentences. He was not
able to last much longer after the horrifying wound he had
sustained today, and so once he finished talking, he quickly
and quietly left the Overwatch Council.

…
 …

Chen Pingping sat in his wheelchair and sunk deep into

thought for a long time. In the fireplace not far from him, the
red firelight leapt like fairies, and bathed his usually white and
sallow face red.

Although Wu Zhu's three sentences were simple, they

revealed very important information.

The first sentence told him to have the Shadow return. This
meant that his injury was very severe, and he was unable to
stay beside Fan Xian to protect him. He wanted Chen Pingping
to fulfil his promise early, and summon the Shadow back to
protect Fan Xian's safety.

However, the person who was able to injure Wu Zhu must

have already died. Otherwise, given Wu Zhu's personality, and
for the sake of Fan Xian's life, he would not leave Jingdou with
an enemy that powerful around regardless of how heavy his
injury was.
 Who could have injured Wu Zhu? It must not have been one
of the Great Grandmasters. Otherwise, Wu Zhu would not have
purposely hidden the other person's identity. Chen Pingping's
heart stuttered a little, and he vaguely suspected something.
He had this suspicion many years ago, only he still did not
have any evidence.

On the night Wu Zhu had carried Fan Xian out of Jingdou,

the two of them had considered how to have Fan Xian escape
from that unknown danger. Only… how did the Temple know
that Wu Zhu was in the south? Chen Pingping furrowed his
brow and began to make sense of all of this.

In the two years that Fan Xian had been in the capital, Chen
Pingping had asked him, more than once, what had happened
to Wu Zhu. Fan Xian always lied very carefully, saying Wu Zhu
was in the south looking for Ye Liuyun. The only other person
besides Chen Pingping who knew this false information was
the Emperor, whom he had told.

Wu Zhu's second sentence was reminding Chen Pingping of

this point. And so it seemed that the threat in the third
sentence was something that would naturally happen.
 "The Emperor." The wrinkles at the corners of Chen
Pingping's eyes twitched, and he sighed softly, "You always
manage to surprise me. Bravo, bravo."

It was only an instant, and he had already guessed the

Emperor's true thoughts. Although he wasn't sure how the
Emperor was able to connect with the Temple of the Void, he
was very clear on one thing. The mighty Emperor very much
wanted Wu Zhu to disappear.

As the Emperor of a dynasty, perhaps it was very difficult to

endure your illegitimate son having a person next to them at
the same level as the Great Grandmasters.

A Great Grandmaster, if crazy, had enough power to shake

the rule of the court. This was something anyone could
imagine. Even if he couldn't charge into the palace alone and
slaughter all of the royal family, he definitely could travel by
himself through the world, and wipe out all of the officials of
each region guarding the borders. He also didn't have to worry
about being trapped by the army.
 He could also hide in Jingdou for ten years and kill each time
he left. This would scare the Emperor into staying inside his
palace forever, his edicts never leaving the city. In a scenario
such as this, in which no one dared to be an official, the
Emperor did not dare to show his face, other than for the court
to fracture and collapse, what else could be done?

And so it was possible for Ku He to single handedly oppress

all the princes and aristocratic families in the north who
wanted to rebel.

And so Sigu Jian was able to protect Dongyi City for all these
years by himself, able to spread the might of his sword, and to
support those small countries caught between two powerful
ones.

Although appearing to be undisciplined and careless, the

actually highly intelligent Ye Liuyun only needed to keep
traveling the world without end, and the Qing Kingdom would
have to treat the Ye family well. Even if the Emperor wanted to
change out Jingdou's defenses, he would be forced to use
laughable, secret methods like creating disturbances himself.
Of course, Ye Liuyun understood the fear of the royal family
clearly, and so, in all these years, he had never returned to
Jingdou.

If war broke out, the Emperor could use the Ye family to

threaten Ye Liuyun, could use the lives of the tens of thousands
of people from Northern Qi to persuade Ku He, and could use
the ongoing existence of Dongyi City to remind Sigu Jian, so
that both sides could reach a balanced agreement.

But Wu Zhu was different from those three Great

Grandmasters. He had no great family as a burden, and no
country or people that needed him to protect. Everything he
did was for Fan Xian, so he had much more freedom, and could
not be threatened or persuaded to help each other. In fact, the
other party didn't even have any space to bargain.

If something were to happen to Fan Xian and Wu Zhu went

crazy, the world would go crazy with him.
 And so, as long as Wu Zhu was around, the Emperor must
treasure Fan Xian. He must behave like the past years, acting
the part of a remorseful but helpless father, and the part of an
Emperor who was full of sorrow yet also full of lofty
aspirations.

Perhaps deep down in the depths of his heart, the Emperor

very much admired his son, Fan Xian. However, after all was
said and done, he was still an Emperor. He could not allow for
a Great Grandmaster who was loyal to Fan Xian to remain by
his side as a servant. Even if he hadn't taken advantage of the
person from the Temple, there was a day the Emperor would
find a way to get rid of Wu Zhu.

Of course, Chen Pingping knew that this was only one of the
reasons. The other reason was probably the faint fear in the
Emperor's heart.

The Temple never interfered with the mortal world, and no

one had truly seen the people of the Temple. The people in the
Temple might not be seen for centuries if Wu Zhu and the man
from the Temple were to perish together; and Fan Xian's
connection to the Ye family could be hidden forever. If what
happened that year could be buried away, for the Emperor, this
was probably the best ending.

Only, the Emperor had not expected Fan Xian's past as a

descendant of the Ye family to be discovered so quickly. His
own son had become the main target of the Temple. He had
wanted to use the Temple to kill Wu Zhu—instead, Wu Zhu
had used Fan Xian's past and successfully lured out and killed
the visitor from the Temple, and had saved Fan Xian's life.

Chen Pingping did not know of Wu Zhu's involvement in this

matter, but he thought, with a trace of sorrow, the Emperor
clearly knew that there was someone from the Temple in the
mortal world. Yet after Fan Xian's past was exposed, he had
never warned him or Fan Xian. Besides himself, did the
Emperor only have faint traces of sorrow and sympathy for
people?

The old man smiled coldly. He rolled his wheelchair to the

fireplace, and greedily stretched out his hand a little closer.
While he warmed, he yawned, and muttered indistinctly to
himself, "You sure know how to enjoy things. You even
managed to get a fireplace. Everything about you is great,
except you were caught up in this matter, like a little girl…"
 …

At dawn, it was pitch black at the place called "Wai Sanli," a

remote and quiet place in Jingdou. The shadow of a round
circular structure could faintly be seen. It was made
completely of black wood, and it was a temple. Snowflakes fell
one after another, and it gave the temple a transcendental
feeling of being removed from the world.

This was the Temple of Qing, rumored as the only place to

contact the Temple of the Void; the temple where the royal
family worshiped heaven.

The temple door squeaked as it was pushed open. The Qing

priest, who had not been seen in Jingdou for a long time,
walked out. Compared to Ku He of the Qi Temple, this
hardworking monk was unknown. His expression showed a
moment of shock before it was hidden again. He silently and
sadly lifted a corpse from the snowy ground, and staggered
into the temple. The corpse wore commonly-seen cloth
clothing.
Chapter 326: The Fan Manor’s Changes
The Fan Manor was split into the front residence and the
back residence, and took up a large plot of land in the south of
the city. In between the two residences was a garden with
rockery and flowing water. Naturally, the garden was not small
either. At the moment it was winter, and the trees and plants
had long become frozen. Only some freeze-resistant inch-
plants were flowering. Early this morning, there suddenly
came the sound of urgent wheezing.

"Ha…ha….ha…"

Fan Xian, wearing a light outfit, was currently running

around the garden wall. His injury had recently healed and he
was already out urgently exercising. Inevitably, it was tiring,
and his breathing was rough. The two Tiger Guards who were
on duty, and a few swordsman of the Sixth Bureau, were
vigilantly watching every corner of the garden, ensuring the
safety of Commissioner Fan's morning exercise.

In the distance, outside the study, Deng Zi Yue and Gao Da

both wore strange expressions as their gaze followed Fan Xian's
movements. They didn't understand why Fan Xian ran this
much every morning, and Fan Xian had never explained
himself. Practicing twice a day was a good habit he had gotten
into when he was very young. Since he wasn't currently able to
practice his zhenqi, he could only train the muscles of his body
harder. Hardworking was secretly one of Fan Xian's best
qualities.

None of the servants in the back residence who got up in the

morning looked at their running young master. In the past few
days, everyone had gotten used to it. They minded their own
business; they kneeled in front of the stone steps of the
servants' quarters and brushed their teeth, blew bubbles, and
chatted. These were all good things from the palace treasury;
only the Fan family would buy such things for their servants to
use. It couldn't be helped that Fan Xian was slightly obsessed
with mental cleanliness.

After finally finishing ten laps, Fan Xian stood beneath the
eaves outside the study, breathing hard, with his hands on his
hips and his head down. He looked as tragic as Yao Ming in the
fourth quarter. He waved his hands, gesturing for the serving
girl holding the copper basin to wait a bit.
 The girls of the family were still at Cang Mountain, so the
front residence had sent another serving girl to him. The
serving girl, with her hair brushed into two rings, glanced
curiously at the young master with a face full of sweat. She
found it very strange; why would someone like the young
master do this to himself? She placed the copper basin on the
bench and helped Fan Xian put on a coat. She flicked the water
in the basin with the tip of her finger to test the water
temperature, and lightly reported, "Young master, the water is
very hot, as you ordered. If you leave it, it will cool down."

Fan Xian nodded and reached into the basin for the towel,
not caring at all that the water was boiling hot. He also didn't
wring the towel much before lowering his body to place the
towel on his face, and began to rub vigorously.

Water droplets between the towel and his face dripped down,
and rung out against the copper.

After washing his face, his face was slightly red from the
heat, but his spirit seemed much better and his eyes were full
of vigor. He threw the towel back into the basin and glanced at
the two people beside him. He paused for a moment, then said,
"I'm going into the palace today. Zi Yue, go see if the First
Bureau has anything that needs to be done from the last few
days."

Deng Zi Yue made a sound of acknowledgement and left. Fan

Xian took another glance at Gao Da and said, "Wait for me
outside for a bit. I have business with you later."

After the upheaval in Jingdou had settled, and knowing that

the palace didn't plan on physically destroying him, Fan Xian
was no longer scared of anything. He had summoned four
Tiger Guards down from Cang Mountain.

Gao Da was not on duty today but had been summoned by

Fan Xian—this had made him suspicious. Hearing his words,
however, he was slightly comforted and waited outside the
study as instructed.

Only upon entering the quiet study did the spirit in Fan
Xian's eyes dull a little. Straight away, he sat in a chair and
carefully examined the condition of his body. He discovered
that there were no major changes after the zhenqi in his body
exploded. The Meridians remained peppered with hundreds
and thousands of holes, yet the zhenqi that had spread between
his entrails was currently behaving itself, and had not
damaged the workings of his other internal organs. Under
these conditions, he didn't dare to force his zhenqi back into
this Meridians, but if he were to wait for the Meridians to heal
on their own, who knew how long that will take?

After coming back to the Fan Manor from Cang Mountain,

Fan Xian had maintained a deep silence, and did not participate
in the discussions and fights in the outside world at all. In the
eyes of Chen Pingping, Fan Jian, and Fei Jie, the older
generation, the young man had perhaps been scared by the
consecutive shocks. Furthermore, those layered political
battles were not something Fan Xian could control, so they
quietly accepted his low spirits.

But Fan Xian knew very well why he appeared very relaxed
these days, and allowed those of his father's generation to plan
whatever they wanted. The biggest reason was because of the
condition of his body. Uncle Wu Zhu had once said, "There is
no one in this world you can truly trust." And so Fan Xian only
believed in himself. In his eyes, no one's grace, no one's care
and love, were as assuring as his own power. Even if he had the
Tiger Guards, the Overwatch Council, and the Qinian Unit
beside him, if one day things went wrong, the final thing he
could depend on was his own martial skill.
 The problem was, his zhenqi had completely dissipated. He
didn't have the ability to protect himself at all—although
everyone thought his injury was gradually getting better, he
understood clearly this was far from the truth. So he had to be
silent, like a turtle huddling into his shell. Although the
position was ugly, it was very safe.

A knock came from outside the study; Fan Xian hmm'ed and
the wife of the Teng family pushed opened the door and
entered. In her hands was a tray on which there were two
bowls of medicine and a few pills, giving off a strong scent of
herbs.

Fan Xian's medicine. It was the wife of the Teng family who
watched the handling. There were not many people he could
trust for something as important as this.

The wife of the Teng family placed the tray on the able and
hurried to the side to pour a few cups of warm tea. She lined
them up like soldiers on the table, worried that there wouldn't
be time to pour water as Fan Xian swallowed the medicine.
 Fan Xian shook his head and took the medicine bowl in one
hand and a handful of pills in another, as if he were eating
candy and drinking sugared water. Without a change in
expression, he bought the medicine to his mouth.

Only, there was too much medicine. Even with the way he
was sweeping through the medicine, it still took a while for
him to clean the tray of all the medicine.

"It must be painful for you." The wife of the Teng family
wore a pitying expression on her face. She smacked her lips as
if she were the one who had eaten the medicine.

Other than pity, this woman admired the young master

greatly. So much medicine in a day—how was this a quality life
for someone? The young master's expression didn't even
change, however, and he appeared to gladly endure the
hardship. What was wrong with Sir Fei from the Overwatch
Council? It was only a knife wound—did he have to be so
nervous, and prescribe himself so much medicine?

Fan Xian smiled. "Saves me breakfast money."

 Master and servant joked a little, and the wife of the Teng
family left the study. However, Fan Xian sat behind his desk
and went into a daze. Every day he had one or two jing of
medicine, and his teacher's medicinal skills were beyond even
mentioning. The medicine was indeed very effective in
strengthening and solidifying his Meridians, but in the end,
taking them was not a complete cure.

His thoughts arriving here, he couldn't help but think of

Haitang's letter. Would Ku He really transfer the method of
Tianyi Dao to him?

He laughed self-deprecatingly. It seemed the other party was

going to raise him like a strong tiger. The people of the south
kingdom had used this kind of method before. Like the Eldest
Princess, like himself, all wished that the tiger in the north
would maintain his boldness. This would keep the northern
court in a tense and volatile state.

The transfer of the method of Tianyi Dao to an outsider was

a matter of great importance; Ku He would certainly not dare
to be careless. Out of all the disciples of Tianyi Dao, only
Haitang had good relations with him. Fan Xian had determined
that, in a few days, the person coming south to transfer the
method would certainly be Haitang. It was only a guess, but
for some reason that Fan Xian couldn't fathom, he began to
anticipate that day.

Suddenly his gaze lowered and landed on the cups of tea in

front of him. He thought that the light-yellow cups of tea each
greatly resembled a one-eyed monster. After a momentary
pause, he began to laugh loudly at his own strange ideas. After
that, his throat felt uncomfortable, his stomach swelled, and
he felt a great need to throw up.

He knew it was because he had taken too much medicine, and

had taken it too quickly. He picked up a cup of tea and gulped
it down. With some fear, he rubbed his chest, and smiled
bitterly. He was never going to try and be cool in front of the
wife of the Teng family again.

For some reason, after all this, he strangely felt better. The
past, hate, threats, Emperor, Jiangnan: he tossed everything to
the back of his mind. Life was like countless handfuls of pills.
You had to take them slowly; they might be bitter, they might
get stuck in your throat, but you had to eat them. It was
always best to let yourself be a little happy.
 …

Gao Da held his knife behind his back with one hand; he
stood with his feet neither too far apart nor too close together,
and his manner was imposing. No one could see that the hand
holding the knife behind his back was shaking. He watched Fan
Xian beam with joy not far from him, and his heart thumped.
He wondered to himself why the Commissioner was so happy
today. It was completely unlike his previously-depressed state.

It was only after Fan Xian had left his study that Gao Da
realized why the Commissioner asked him to get up early: he
wanted to practice with him.

Gao Da knew that he was normally no match for Fan Xian,

but the man had just been seriously injured—of course he
couldn't agree. However, he was forced to by Fan Xian, and the
two of them decided to fight without using zhenqi. This was
exactly what Fan Xian wanted. He had not a drop of zhenqi
left, so he couldn't truly fight.
 The Tiger Guard's long knife was matched against the black
dagger; the one the palace guards had found outside the
Hanging Temple in a bush of gold chrysanthemum. The two
"aces" did battle with these weapons in the Fan Manor garden,
and the clashing was very lively. It caused many servants to
gather around and watch the fight, with some of the braver
cheering on the young master loudly.

Unable to use zhenqi, the battle was all about control over
the body and reaction time. Very quickly, Gao Da became
disadvantaged. Any move compared to Fan Xian's reaction and
speed seemed to do nothing. The weapons were not imbued
with zhenqi, and Gao Da was surprised to discover that Fan
Xian was a bit stronger than him. This he could not
understand at all. He trained very hard—how could the
Commissioner's skills be above his?

As he faced Fan Xian today, not only was he facing a superior,

but each time he thought about the rumors surrounding Fan
Xian's past, his strikes became unconsciously laced with fear.
After some back and forth, and after they had crossed weapons
a few times, his handing holding the long knife had begun to
shake.
 Fan Xian's finger moved, and the slim black dagger began to
spin cleverly in his hand, drawing black circles in the air. It
appeared to be very strange, but this was actually just the
pencil-spinning skill he had practised before entering the
hospital in his previous life. In Gao Da's eyes, however, this
trick was incredible.

He watched Gao Da, and shook his head with furrowed

brows. "You can see that I have completely recovered. Don't
hold back."

After saying this, the tip of his foot tapped against the
slippery winter mud, and his entire body leaned forward as he
rushed over. A stern look flashed through Gao Da's eyes, and
finally he used two hands to hold the handle of his long knife.
He bent his legs slightly and roared, "Chop!"

The long knife chopped straight down, slicing through the

morning air in the back residence of the Fan Manor.

The knife fell quickly, but Fan Xian struck quicker. After all,
he reached Gao Da's when his knife was still raised above his
head. He pushed with his legs, readied his wrists, and like a
bird pecking at food, he stabbed down hard with the dagger in
his hands!

There was a crisp clanging sound and the two separated by a

few steps. After shaking a bit, they both stood steady. Fan Xian
had the advantage, and he'd prevented Gao Da's long knife from
executing its maximum power. Gao Da, however, had the
advantage of the long knife itself. The two were tied.

Fan Xian smiled and waved his hands, saying, "Let's stop here
for today. Starting tomorrow, we will fight once a day… I think
this will greatly help the healing process."

After saying this, he coughed and used his sleeve to cover his
mouth. He did not panic upon seeing the threads of blood on
his sleeve. Although that last strike had not used zhenqi,
without the protection of zhenqi around his heart, the
excitement of pulsing blood had still caused a little damage.

Gao Da did not observe this; he only furrowed his brow and
said, "Sir, you shouldn't use your zhenqi after being injured.
However, regular combat instead of practicing your
cultivation does not use zhenqi, and it does not seem to have
much use. After all, when facing an enemy, and the difference
in your power and theirs is too great… even if you train your
body to the extreme, it will not bring many benefits to your
realm."

As the leader of the Tiger Guards, and after seeing Fan Xian
running routine, he had mistakenly assumed that Fan Xian was
going to try a new way of practising: using physical strength to
fortify the inner. Maintaining his position as a subordinate, he
cautiously expressed opposition to these "crooked ways."

Fan Xian smiled. "I'm only loosening up. Of course I know

the person is the foundation—you don't need to worry."

There was something he didn't say: in this world, there were

people who didn't know zhenqi, yet had reached the peak of the
realm. For example, uncle Wu Zhu.

Gao Da had already reported the murder that had happened

last night in the little alley. He guessed that Uncle Wu Zhu had
killed another assassin from Xinyang, and didn't care too
much. One day he was going to find a secluded residence, have
Uncle Wu Zhu make some cold sliced daikon, and have a few
cups of wine, indulging with him in the nostalgia of those
happy years in Danzhou.

By this time, the red sun had risen and the cold of the
morning vanished. Serving girls from the front residence had
already come to call. Fan Xian entered his room to change and
then headed towards the front residence. As he walked, he
watched the rising sun and the clear winter scenery in the
garden. He felt comfortable and at ease in his heart. He didn't
know that his dearest Uncle Wu Zhu had already gone far away
to recover. Whatever dangerous he had faced before, at least, it
was all over.

The atmosphere in the Fan Manor at breakfast was a little

strange.

After all, the people in the front residence did not serve Fan
Xian every day. The handsome serving girls usually enjoyed
sneaking glances at the young master's beauty. The young
maser was used to being stared at, and didn't care.

Today, however, there were not many serving girls who dared
to look at Fan Xian as he entered. They only stood silently by
the table, serving. Occasionally, they braved a glance and
revealed that there was fear in their eyes.

Imperial power was like the sky in that people existed

beneath it. People could gaze up at both imperial power and
the sky in wonder and fear. This attitude was deeply ingrained
in the hearts of every citizen.

Now that it was rumored Fan Xian was the illegitimate child
of the Emperor and Lady Ye, the gaze with which people looked
at Fan Xian was no longer the same. Blood of the royal
family… he was no longer just the approachable, loveable, and
admirable young master. He was no longer just a powerful
official, talented in both the civil and martial arts. Now he was
a child of the Emperor.

With this rumor, the master of Fan Manor, the Minister of

Revenue, Fan Jian, could not help but feel a little awkward. So,
no matter how curious the servants of Fan Manor were, they
could not reveal so at the table—unless they didn't want to
live. They could only whisper in the depths of the night in
their rooms, under warm blankets.

Fan Xian could sense irregularity, but the clear smile on his
face did not waver. He walked straight to the side of the table
and properly, respectfully greeted his seated father with a
morning salute.

Fan Jian had his eyes half closed, resting, and he very
naturally nodded his head. The expression of Lady Liu, who
was sitting next to Fan Jian, was very strange. She forced it
back, but her smile was slightly unnatural.

The Liu family had a deep background, so of course they

knew the verity of the rumors. She had been shocked beyond
words the past few days, particularly when she remembered
that she had once thought about poisoning the young man in
front of her—this had made her even more terrified. Thinking
of Fan Xian's true identity, she didn't think it was appropriate
for her to accept this salute, but she was worried of angering
the master if she stood and avoided it.
 Seeming to sense her discomfort, a light mocking smile rose
to the corner of Fan Jian's mouth. He slowly opened his eyes
and, watching his son in front of him, said, "You're going into
the palace today. Watch your behavior."

Fan Xian smiled. "It's not my first visit there; there is nothing
to watch. It'll just be the same as always."

It'll just be the same as always. The meaning of this comment

was both simple and complex. Lady Liu's heart stuttered as she
listened from the side. As she turned this over in her head,
both father and son were smiling at each other. They
understood one another clearly. One was old and comforting;
the other held him in great esteem: harmony.

As they were eating, they suddenly heard faint voices from

the east main gate of the garden. Fan Jian stopped his
chopsticks and furrowed his brows. "Who is making all that
noise?" Fan Xian handed a towel over to Lady Liu so she could
wipe the porridge that had dropped onto his father's beard for
him. He knew that since his father had left his life on the
Liujing River behind, he had been walking the correct path. At
the moment, seeing his father's slightly-angry, beard stained
appearance, he couldn't resist smiling. "What could possibly
happen? Just eat in peace."

A servant urgently ran to the door of the residence and said

something; a serving girl then entered the hall and repeated it.
Fan An Zhi was stunned after hearing it, and didn't urge his
father to eat in peace anymore. He stopped his chopsticks and
stared, dazed, at the door to the room. He didn't know what he
could say in the moments to come.

Mistress Lin Wan'er, and Lady Fan Ruoruo, had lead the two
older girls, Sisi and Siqi, as well as a horde of servants, down
Cang Mountain. They had returned to Jingdou in carriages.
They were at the manor door!

Fan Xian watched his father in shock. "Father," he said,

"weren't we hiding the news from those on the mountain?"
 For Wan'er, Ruoruo, and the whole group to arrive early in
the morning in Jingdou, they must have traveled through the
night. They had moved in such a rush that the Tiger Guards
and officials of the Overwatch Council on the mountain hadn't
had the chance to send a letter to him.

They were here because the girls had finally heard of the
rumors going around Jingdou. With this big a matter, they
were worried about Fan Xian and had, naturally, rushed here.

Fan Jian recovered his usual color a few minutes after

learning his daughter-in-law had arrived. He took the towel
from Lady Liu's hand and wiped a few times, before lowering
his head to have more porridge. Leisurely he said, "How many
days could we possibly hide this?"

Seeing his son's panicked expression, Fan Jian smiled slightly

and said, "You young people have things to talk about. Go to
the back residence. In a while have the little kitchen make you
something new. Coming down from somewhere cold like the
mountain, have them make something hot."
 Fan Xian knew his father was releasing him. He quickly
acknowledged it and went out of the hall to welcome them.

There was absolute silence in the back residence. Fan Xian sat
with Wan'er and Ruoruo in the room; they were like three mud
Buddha. They weren't sure who should speak, since this matter
was rather complicated. If they were to let Fan Xian explain he
might write them a novel. If he let the girls ask questions, they
might become even more confused; they didn't know what was
what with each rumor. Also, if they probed, would that make
Fan Xian unhappy?

After a moment, Wan'er finally bit her plump bottom lip.

"Have the rumors died down in Jingdou?" she asked.

"No." Hearing his wife ask, he actually relaxed and let out a
big breath. He smiled and replied, "Things like rumors, they
won't die down so quickly… You two, how big a matter is this?
Was it necessary to rush down the mountain and travel by
night? What if you had crashed? Then what would I do?"

As he scolded his wife and sister, full of rhyme and reason, he

forgot how he had also rushed down the mountain, like a dog
who had lost his family. He also forgot how he had been
mocked by the two elders, Fan Jian and Chen Pingping.

"I have to enter the palace in a bit." Fan Xian thought for a
moment. He watched as his sister started to say something and
then stopped, and he watched his wife's helpless face. He
smiled slightly. "Whatever the matter is, we can talk tonight…
but I'll say something now. I, Fan Xian, am still Fan Xian. I can
make this promise."

As Fan Xian went out and prepared to enter the palace, Sisi,
with a tired face, slid in front of him. Sisi had grown up with
Fan Xian; their strong bond went without saying. Most
importantly, she had been taught by Fan Xian to be fearless,
and did not hold much regard for the idea of seniors and
juniors.

Lin Wan'er and Ruoruo both had things they couldn't ask,
but this girl was very straightforward. She led Fan Xian
secretively by his sleeves to a quiet part of the garden and
asked, "Young master, I heard Lady Ye say that your… mother
was the mistress of the Ye family?"

Fan Xian chuckled and patted her head. "You are still very
straightforward." And then he lowered his voice and replied
secretively, "Yes."

Sisi's mouth dropped open but she immediately started

laughing. This girl was actually a few years older than Fan
Xian, yet she still had a gentle and foolish nature. She also had
a never-satisfied heart for gossip, and continued asking,
"Then… are you really… the Emperor's son?"
Chapter 327: Secret Movements In A
Little Tower In The Palace
The carriage creaked as it rolled over the limestone of the
new street. In the depths of winter, there was ice on the roads.
Even four-wheeled carriages did not dare go too quickly. The
coachman, Su Wenmao, carefully and lightly waved his whip.
All around them, swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau of the
Overwatch Council walked beside the carriage in boots. They
vigilantly observed all sides. The Qinian unit walked separate
and dressed like the commoners, scattered around the
surrounding crowd.

On the carriage was the crest of the Fan family. A square and
a circle crossed each other, and it was gold with a black border.
In the carriage were Fan Xian and Gao Da, as well as two Tiger
Guards who sat across from them. Fan Xian's expression was
peaceful as he said, "The formation is too big, too
ostentatious."

Gao Da lifted a corner of the heavy curtains and glanced out

at the street, and spoke evenly. "Assassins suddenly turned up
in the mountain, so who knows if the capital is safe? The
Emperor was very angry about that, and ordered me to
guarantee your safety."
 His gaze swept across the street. There were not many people
walking about. Everyone in their manors and shops, however,
knew it was the Fan family carriage, and could guess who was
in the carriage. They all gazed towards it strangely.

The rumors had been going around, and the idea that Fan
Xian was the Emperor's illegitimate child had firmly planted
itself in the hearts of the people. Seeing the direction the
carriage was traveling in, the people of Jingdou all knew that
Sir Fan junior was going to the palace. They all started
guessing, wondering if, today, Jingdou would provide for them
any more pieces of astonishing news.

The palace seemed very far that ride, though it was actually
very close.

The carriage stopped as it reached the outskirts of the square

outside of the palace. After the Hanging Temple incident, the
defenses of the imperial guards had become much stricter. Fan
Xian dismounted from the carriage and accepted the cloak Su
Wenmao handed him as well as the crutch, which he put under
his arm. Gao Da knew that Fan Xian's external wounds had
already healed, and couldn't help but give him a strange look.
 Fan Xian did not acknowledge his gaze, and led the group
towards the cold, magnificent, red-yellow wall of the palace.

Before they reached the palace door, the imperial guards on

duty had already sent a small group to welcome them. Silent
but very considerate, they helped protect him from the wind,
and led them through the palace entrance. This kind of
privilege had always been enjoyed by old and frail ministers.
Even royals sons did not receive this kind of treatment. Fan
Xian couldn't help furrowing his brows, and felt confused.

He didn't know that the Great Prince had secretly given

orders. Although the Great Prince hadn't explained anything,
the quiet declaration was enough for the generals of the
imperial guard to understand. The rumors had not harmed Fan
Xian's position, but had actually helped to mend the rift
between the Great Prince and Commissioner Fan.

Today, it was Eunuch Hou, the eunuch Fan Xian had met on
his first trip into the palace, who was responsible for greeting
him at the entrance. The two had long-ago become familiar
with each other. Eunuch Hou, with a face full of charm, said,
"Fan… young master. Fortunately, I was up early today. I didn't
think you would be here so early."
 Fan Xian jokingly scolded him a little before saying with a
thread of hesitation, "You said you went to the Department of
Internal Affairs last month. The last few times I came to the
palace, it was always Lao Yao handling things. How come it is
you today?" Eunuch Hou had been promoted to the head of the
Department of Internal Affairs. He managed the use of
medicine, and the death and mourning that went on in the
palace: a very busy position. He was currently highly favored
in the palace. Logically speaking, there was no reason for him
to be waiting outside to greet Fan Xian.

Eunuch Hou smiled. "Lao Yao went out to carry out some
business. The Emperor asked me to take his place for the day."

Fan Xian nodded and followed him. They walked by the

Daping Palace gardens and spoke occasionally. After a
moment, Fan Xian finally sighed. "I've become tired of the
looks from people these days," he slowly said. "You're terrific.
You still treat me the same as always."

Eunuch Hou felt a chill, but immediately his heart warmed

and he said pleasantly, "Look at what you're saying. You've
only got good days ahead of you. Of course I'm going to serve
you well."
 Fan Xian didn't question the lie, and just laughed heartily.
Some people's behavior had become unnatural after
discovering his connection with the royal family. He truly felt
it was only the eunuchs in the palace that didn't seem to have
much of a reaction.

He didn't know that the eunuchs in the Qing palace had

always maintained their balance between the various princes.
They didn't dare to pick a master hastily, as they weren't
valued like officials. Once they picked the wrong master, when
the other party took the throne, they could only die. And so
they were respectful of the princes, but kept their distance.
Furthermore, they usually served the Emperor, and other than
the Crown Prince, they weren't overly-afraid of the over three
princes.

It was not important to the eunuchs that Fan Xian was not a
prince, rather, it was because of his actual position that the
eunuchs wanted to please him.

…
 Along their way, they passed a few familiar palaces before
finally reaching the royal study. Eunuch Hou carefully
announced him outside the door before he turned and gestured
to Fan Xian with his eyes, then he retreated to one side.

After the door opened, Fan Xian walked in with the help of
his crutch. He stood in front of the giant bookcase and faced
the Emperor, who was currently sitting on his soft divan,
reading memorials. He purposely placed the crutch to the side
in an awkward way, and saluted the Emperor formally.

The Emperor didn't raise his head; he hmm'ed and said, "Find
a place to sit. Wait until I finish reading these to talk."

How could he find a seat for himself in the royal study? Hong
Zhu was very clever. Understanding what the Emperor meant,
he quickly went to the back and carried out an embroidered
stool, and placed it next to Fan Xian. Fan Xian gave the eunuch
a grateful smile and sat down. He silently wondered why this
kid's acne was still growing so vigorously.

The Emperor lowered his head and did not appear to see this
exchange. But a hint of amusement flashed through the eyes
that were reading the memorial.

The royal study was absolutely silent. No one dared speak;

the eunuchs inside and out didn't dare make a single sound.

This was not the first time Fan Xian had met with the
Emperor individually. But, being alone with him after all the
rumors, he felt a strange nervousness in his heart. His chest
felt itchy and he couldn't help but cough. The cough
immediately echoed in the royal study, strikingly clearly, and
it startled him a bit.

The Emperor raised his head to glance at him but didn't say
anything before continuing to read the memorial.

Fan Xian quickly sat up straight on his stool and began to

quietly watch the Emperor go about his daily business. He
knew that very few people had the opportunity to witness this,
but after a while he began to lose focus. He started studying
the Emperor's facial features. Although the Emperor had his
head lowered at this moment, Fan Xian was still able to find the
shadow of some familiar features on his clear and spirited face.
More accurately, they were features similar to his own.
 This was the so-called connection of blood.

The Emperor spent a long time reading the memorials; there

were many of them on his desk. His eyebrows sometimes
furrowed in anger, and other times relaxed in joy. Sometimes
they were sunk in thought, and other times they were elevated
and excited.

The Qing Kingdom was vast, with seven roads, twenty-six

regions, and provinces and counties beyond count. To rule the
country from Jingdou was a very difficult task. The official
memorials that arrived each day from all over the country
were as plentiful as snowflakes. If he were a lazy Emperor,
perhaps he would hand the power to the cabinet and spend his
days traveling and enjoying himself. But the current emperor
of the Qing Kingdom clearly did not want to be a muddle-
headed master. He would not let go of any power and had even
chased the Prime Minister out of the court, and would only go
so far as to personally set up palace secretaries.

This is just self torture. Fan Xian quietly watched the scene
before him, and cold amusement flashed through his heart. It
was no fun being Emperor. In comparison, it seemed a much
better choice to be like King Jing, who spent his time planting
flowers.

The sun gradually shifted to noon. The sunshine poured

down through the layers of cloud, but it was cold, as if it had
lost all of its warmth. The people in the palace seemed to have
forgotten the time. It was at this moment that the Emperor
finally finished his annotations for the morning and closed the
final memorial. He closed his eyes to rejuvenate himself, and
finally stretched.

Eunuchs filed in. Towels, mind-clearing tea, pastries, and

incense began to be cast onto the Emperor's body and into his
stomach. Fan Xian noticed that the towel did not give off a
thread of steam in this cold winter's day, and furrowed his
brow. "Your Majesty… this is cold?"

The Emperor hmm'ed and accepted the towel to rub on his

face vigorously. He mumbled indistinctly, "The cold enters the
bone and helps wake the spirit." He glanced at Fan Xian and
smiled. "A hot towel is too warm and comfortable. I'm afraid
I'll fall asleep."
 Fan Xian smile. "I use hot—the hotter the better." He
suddenly felt like he was choking. He coughed and waved
urgently, "Of course, be careful not to get burned."

The Emperor suddenly revealed a deep and meaningful

smile. He glanced at him a few times and said, "Not bad, you
were fairly calm."

Fan Xian was speechless.

The Emperor's gaze transferred onto the crutch behind Fan

Xian and he sighed in his heart. This child is as stubborn-
minded as his mother… he purposely wants me to see him
showing off his cleverness. He wants me to scold him and to
fortify his intentions. Does he not think I can see through all
this?

The Emperor began to remember all the good of that person

back then, and he realized that Fan Xian did not have any
inordinate ambitions. Rather, he seemed like a quiet orphan…
a good son. He rose and walked out of the royal study,
indicating to Fan Xian to follow him. Fan Xian quickly went to
grab the crutch and the Emperor smiled. "I already know that
your injury is pretty much healed. Why pretend to be pitiful in
front of me?"

Although the lie had been caught, there was no imperial

rage. Fan Xian paused at his fortune, as if he didn't believe the
Emperor… wouldn't scold him. Shortly after, he laughed and
tossed the crutch to one side before following the Emperor out.

In the first meeting of the hearts between Fan Xian and his
father, Fan Xian had won.

They walked along beneath the long eaves of the palace

towards the northwest. As they walked, the palaces gradually
became rarer; they left the large palaces like the Hanguang
Palace and the Taiji Palace far behind them. The eunuchs and
serving girls they saw humbly lowered their heads and gave
way. Behind the Emperor and Fan Xian, there was only the
eunuch Hong Zhu. As they walked further, even eunuchs and
serving girls became rarer to see. The winter garden was
unbelievably quiet, and there was still some snow left on the
rockeries. The birds had stopped singing a long time ago, and
there wasn't the screeching of bugs. Only a gentle silence.

Fan Xian knew where they were going, and was silent. The
Emperor's emotions also seemed a little strange, and he did not
say anything. It was not until the Cold Palace had disappeared
and the palaces were looking rather broken that the Emperor
stopped.

In front of them was a quiet little garden. The garden wasn't

large and there was only a two-story wooden tower within.
The tower seemed old and broken. It had not been repaired in
many years.

Fan Xian followed the Emperor as they climbed the stairs. He

began to feel nervous and took a deep breath.

On the second floor, in the main hall, the Emperor finally

sighed. He walked outside, and gazed at the garden across from
the balcony and sank into a deep silence for a long time. The
balcony faced one corner of the palace, and was the quietest,
most remote area in the place. No one tended to the garden,
and it had grown wild on its own before being destroyed by the
autumn wind and snow. The plants had fallen to the ground,
looking like the corpses of countless bodies. The yellows and
whites were dismal.

In the distance, the corner tower of Huayang Gate could

faintly be seen.

Fan Xian stood silently behind the Emperor. It was naturally

not appropriate for him to speak. However, he had already
swept the room with his gaze and could not find the painting
he had expected.

As if he were performing magic, Eunuch Hong somehow

produced hot water and prepared some tea, which he
respectfully placed on the table before he went downstairs. He
didn't dare to serve on the side here.

…
 "Earlier, when I had you wait in the royal study." The
Emperor faced out towards the railing; his hands gripped the
rails with strength, and his voice did not waver at all. "It was
because I wanted to tell you: a ruler has his path."

Fan Xian maintained his silence.

"As the ruler of a country, I… have to consider the kingdom. I

must consider the people." The Emperor spoke slowly, his eyes
fixed on a distant point. "Being Emperor is not an easy job… as
your mother once said. And so, sometimes I have to sacrifice
some things, even some very precious things. Don't hold it
against me, for keeping you in Danzhou for 16 years."

Fan Xian had been waiting for this day for a long time, and
had mentally prepared himself well for it. However, upon
hearing these words, he couldn't help a chill running up his
neck to the top of his head. Shocked, he didn't know what to
say, and was silent for a while. He suddenly bit his lip and said
clearly, "I… don't understand what Your Majesty means."

The Emperor seemed to have expected Fan Xian's response.

He smile was self deprecating. He did not turn his head. In an
even softer voice, he said, "Including your brothers, in this
world of tens of thousands of people, not many would dare
express their anger at me in words, actions, or through their
expressions… An Zhi, you indeed have some of your mother's
style."

Fan Xian's neck was very straight, and he stubbornly refused

to speak.

"You don't understand what I mean?" The Emperor turned

around. His light yellow coat was even brighter than usual
next to the railing. He slowly said, "I mean, you are my… true
born son."

Fan Xian was silent and suddenly smiled after a long while,
then lost his smile, then smiled in a stunned manner. In his
expression, there was unspeakable grief and bitterness. After
much time, he slowly restrained his mouth.
 He suddenly felt frustrated. He had forgotten that from the
first step he'd taken into the palace, he'd been acting according
to plan. Now he had fallen into the role of the illegitimate son
of the Emperor, and was finding it difficult to stop acting!

He bowed deeply to the Emperor with his hands clasped, but

still refused to say anything.

The Emperor internally sighed. He had been completely

fooled by the emotions Fan Xian had acted out, and slowly
said, "I could have chosen to not acknowledge the rumors in
Jingdou. I will eventually have to acknowledge them because
you, An Zhi, are still my own flesh and blood."

The Emperor walked closer to him and looked at the unique

spirit of determination and stubbornness on the beautiful
young man's face. He immediately hid the pitying look on his
face. He didn't demand that Fan Xian make a reply; instead, he
said to himself, "You'll be 18 next month."

Fan Xian suddenly raised his head, but his words halted.
After a moment, he faintly said, "I… don't know which day I
was born on."
 These words pierced the Emperor's heart, and finally made
this usually cold-hearted man feel remorse. After some
thought, he slowly said, "January 18th."

Fan Xian froze, and then melted to bitterly laugh. He sighed,

"I didn't know my birthday was the 18th until I turned 18."

The Emperor smiled warmly. The more he looked at the child

in front of him the more he liked him. Without meaning to, he
said, "To think they were able to raise you as such an obedient
child in the countryside. I suspect that Aunty worked very
hard while you were in Danzhou. One day, I will go to Danzhou
to visit her… An Zhi, how has she been recently?"

Fan Xian lowered his head and was silent for a while,
thinking about something. He finally opened his mouth,
"Grandma is very well. I… I often write to Danzhou."

"Oh." The Emperor noticed that he finally stopped referring

to himself as a minister. His heart warmed and he smiled
comfortingly, and began to ask gently of Fan Xian's life as a
child.
 Their conversation now had a topic, and Fan Xian seemed to
have somewhat become used to their new "relationship
between Emperor and minister," and began to tell the most
revered and respected man under heaven about his childhood.
Chapter 328: All Exists
As the ruler of a country, there was much to take care of. It
was impossible for the Emperor to pause for long in this
remote place in the palace. Not sure exactly which part of the
country was having problems, the Taiji Palace's head eunuch
braved great danger to come to the tower. He bitterly
announced himself many times before finally succeeding in
entreating the Emperor to come downstairs.

Seeing that Commissioner Fan was standing behind the

Emperor, the head eunuch cried bitterly in his heart. No
wonder the Emperor couldn't be found anywhere in the palace.
It turned out father and son were playing through the drama of
getting to know each other with tears, and he had rashly
interrupted them. If the Emperor became unhappy, who knew
how many floggings he would have to suffer?

The Emperor's coloring did not look good. Of all his sons, the
one he liked the most was, of course, Fan Xian. After entering
the capital, Fan Xian had earned him, and the entire Qing
Kingdom, much glory and honor. Furthermore, he was
personable, intelligent, and suitable for powerful positions.
 Also considering he had saved the third prince in the
Hanging Temple and his ongoing denial of it, it was clear that
beneath this child's relaxed expression was a loyal heart. His
seemingly-cruel methods were full of intention to neutralize
the situation.

In the heart of this middle-aged Emperor, had he not felt a

thread of illogical jealousy when they'd first met? The Emperor
was only a mortal, after all. And now, he could get to know Fan
Xian. Although Fan Xian had yet to completely open up, that
kind of atmosphere was enough to make the Emperor happy—
and someone had interrupted. Naturally, he was no longer
feeling all that happy.

There were now too many people inside and outside the
tower, and the more people, the more talk. So the Emperor
could not say anymore. Turning around, his frosty face
gradually softened. Watching Fan Xian's beautiful—and
slightly familiar—face, he said quietly, "Like I said earlier: as
the ruler of a country, there are too many things I must do.
Think about this, and don't hold too much resentment in your
heart."
 Given the Emperor's status, he didn't have to humble his
attitude that much—even faced with his own son. These
words, although not expressing an apology, expressed enough
substance. Fan Xian did not dare to carry on acting. He bowed
deeply, already moved.

Suddenly the Emperor furrowed his brows and remembered

his sister far away in Xinyang. He couldn't help another flash of
a headache and sighed, "Recently, the capital has not been
silent. There are too many things being brought to the surface
that can't be discussed. Chen Pingping is worried that it will be
awkward for you to be at court, and suggests that you head
down to Jiangnan. What do you think?"

Fan Xian didn't dare to have an opinion; an advantageous

glint flashed through his eyes quickly and he slowly said, "I
obey." He suddenly smiled warmly and said, "It's just that I've
never been to Jiangnan. I hope Your Majesty will give me some
advice about what needs attention."

The Emperor shook his head. "What I need is a clean treasury

that can earn silver for the court year after year. As to how to
do it, you should know. I very admire the things you have done
these last two months.
 He was obviously talking about the Overwatch Council
arresting the Cui family and dealing with the palace treasury
smuggling problem.

The Emperor continued, "Only… because of these things, you

have made a lot of enemies in court. Somethings I can't… hm,
you did well." In the Emperor's eyes, Fan Xian spared no effort
in attacking Xinyang and the second prince. He had been acting
for the court, helping the Emperor deal with matters that were
inconvenient for him to act on directly.

After Fan Xian thought silently for a while, he opened his

mouth to say, "From today onwards, I am still willing to be
Your Majesty's disgraced minister."

The Emperor was satisfied with Fan Xian's declaration.

Waiting for this opportunity, Fan Xian opened his mouth to
say, "Only, the road to Jiangnan is long, and although I have
the power of the commissioner, I am not familiar with matters
concerning trade. If various affairs are led by the Council, I'm
afraid things won't be go well… Your Majesty, I…" He faced the
Emperor, gritted his teeth and said, "I want to borrow Qingyu
Hall."
 The Emperor paused, and was silent for a moment before
saying, "Naturally, the shopkeepers of Qingyu Hall are familiar
with matters concerning the palace treasury. However, by
court regulations, they're not to leave the capital…" He
suddenly felt that it was not right to say these things in front
of Fan Xian. He coughed and said, "An Zhi, are you not afraid I
will doubt you if you ask me so directly?"

Fan Xian answered straightforwardly, "The expansive earth is

all the Emperor's. Since I asked you in person, I clearly believe
that Your Majesty trusts in my loyalty."

The Emperor stared at him, his thoughts going round and

round quickly in his mind. Back then, the Ye family had been
well-established and flourished greatly. They could have
destabilized the state system. As the ruler of a country, he
really was terrified of history repeating itself of that night. The
Fan Xian in front of him was her son. It would be
understandable for him to seek vengeance for the lost Ye
family.

But he thought about it from another perspective. Since Fan

Xian dared to break taboo to ask this, it counted as being
candid. He opened his mouth and lightly said, "Since you now
stand high enough, you know that the so-called true gold and
silver are not actually that useful. As for the palace treasury, I
decided six years ago to let you manage it when you grew up,
and I kept… that idea. This is what I wanted. Why would I
have any doubts?"

Fan Xian appeared to be moved, yet the Emperor waved and

mockingly smiled. "But don't you think you can fool me.
Although the calculations for the palace treasury are
numerous and complicated, they don't need the people from
Qingyu Hall. I think you want to scoop them out of the capital
with your request."

Fan Xian did not argue. "I don't dare to conceal with from
you," he sighed dejectedly, "I did have that idea. From the day I
learned of my past, I've had this idea. Last year, I actually
visited Qingyu Hall. Those shopkeepers been held for many
years in the capital… it really was very awkward. These people
are not yet 50. If we release them from the capital, they could
work for the court."

Last year he had gone to Qingyu hall, and knew that this
matter would one day be used by someone. So he decided to
bring it up today with the Emperor first.
 The Emperor seemed caught off guard by his calm. After a
moment, he finally nodded.

Fan Xian was overjoyed. The Emperor laughed in spite of

himself and said, "But you can't take them all. Each manor's
family business is managed by Qingyu Hall. If you take them
all away, I'm afraid that King Jing would be the first to hunt
you down."

Fan Xian chuckled, and the Emperor smiled slightly. "...A few
among them, Princes who dare to stand straight and speak to
me. On the contrary, his temperament is excessively steady and
fierce, not like you—" He broke off, then said, "Upstairs in the
side room, there is a painting… go have a look in a moment."

Although he knew very well that the painting was in the

palace, Fan Xian still revealed a hesitant expression, asking,
"What painting?"

The Emperor replied, "The only likeness your mother left in

this world…" Thinking of Xiao Yezi, his gaze softened and he
said quietly, "You've never seen her. Take a good look in a
moment… speaking of which, you really look nothing like
your mother."

Fan Xian was startled and heard the Emperor sigh again.
"Although beautiful beyond comparison, her personality was
excessively different. She was just like a man, and refused to
paint her eyebrows. Otherwise, she wouldn't have had that
name. Back then, she hated that so-called song the most, and
could only practise doing so."

Remembering that his son in front of him was the most

popular poet in the world, the Emperor suddenly found this
matter to be amusing. He laughed and pointed to Fan Xian.
"Although her poem had the power to swallow the wind and
the clouds, it lacked her emotion. It was very different from
yours…very different."

Hong Zhu looked at the eunuch's anxious and urgent gaze,

and heard the Emperor talking happily with Sir Fan junior—
how could he dare interrupt?

Fan Xian smiled and asked curiously, "Mother's… poetry. Has

Your Majesty heard it before?"
 "Only one." The Emperor leisurely recalled the past, and
recited in a clear voice:

"The northern view: all the land is under ice, snow travels far
and wide. Inside and outside the palace walls, only a vast
expanse of white. Yellow River from tail to head has come to
rest. Mountains are silver snakes in flight. Plateaus are white
running elephants, they seem to rival the sky. Wait until the
day is clear and fine. Watch for the girl dressed in white, what
a fascinating sight. The nation is charming and fine, for it
countless heroes are willing to die.

"It's a pity that Ying of Qin and Wu of Han lacked literary

talents; Taizong of Tang and Taizu of Song also lacked literary
excellence. A proud Son of Heaven, Genghis Ximan, could only
shoot bows and arrows. The past is gone to find heroes. Look
only in this dynasty."

Ying of Qin and Wu of Han? Taizong of Tang and Taizu of

Song? Fan Xian's expression was very excited; so much so that
he almost pulled a muscle.
 The Emperor looked at him in disapproval and chided, "Do
you think this poem is bad?"

Fan Xian set his face and said, "It is very imposing. Only, I
don't know who Wu of Han, Taizong of Tang, and Taizu of
Song are." He silently though, Mom, if you're going to change
things, then change them more completely. What Ximan
Khan… I surrender to you.

The Emperor explained, "According to legend, they were a

generation of three great rulers before the ages."

Fan Xian was speechless, and thought, Turns out Mother's

way of dodging difficult question was much like my own.
Much like my conversation with Zhuang Mohan in Shangjing,
Northern Qi, whenever there was something that was difficult
to explain, I pushed it to the time before the ages. As
something I once saw in a history book. And where was the
history book? Sorry, I tore it up to use as toilet paper.

The eunuch entreated again, and the Emperor finally left the
little tower. As he left, his thin shadow showed no trace of
sentimentality.
 …

Only Fan Xian and Hong Zhu were left in the little tower,
watching the Emperor's figure disappear into the layers of
frost-covered branches and Fan Xian finally couldn't hold back
any more. He held his stomach and burst into laughter; his
laughter rang through the little tower and was filled with
unspeakable delight.

Hong Zhu stood to one side and was shocked. He wondered if

Fan Xian had been overly-excited by the events of today, and
whether or not he should go find a royal doctor to check on
him.

After a long time, Fan Xian finally stopped the wild laughter
brought about by that poem "Qin Yuan Chun." His stomach
hurt and he was a bit short of breath as he spoke to Hong Zhu.
"Everything's fine. I'll go up by myself. You wait for me here."
 As he walked up the stairs, Fan Xian still felt the urge to
laugh. That woman, Ye Qingmei, had truly been remarkable.
Of all the tens of thousands of poems that could be copied, she
had to pick this one. He suspected that her hand had been
forced by Fan Jian, the Emperor and those people… However,
perhaps that poem by Chairman Mao actually just matched her
style?

Once he reached the top of the stairs, Fan Xian's smile had
already been completed restrained and he had recovered his
usual calm. Placed in a feudal dynasty, the poem his mother
copied was truly the antithesis of everything. The Emperor
could say it, but she could not. No wonder, in the end, she had
clashed so strongly against this palace.

He gave a cold laugh in his heart, and tossed all of the

Emperor's true feelings to the back of this head, and stopped
thinking of them.

…
 Arriving outside the side room, he picked up the cup of cold
tea on the table in passing. He pushed open the door and
stepped in, without hesitating or shaking at all. He calmly
stood in front of the painting.

In the painting was a woman in a yellow dress, with a

surging river in the background. The woman stood on a piece
of limestone near the riverbank, her dress was floating in the
wind, and she was facing towards the river. The muddy waves
reached to the sky and the stone was turning into sand. On the
opposite shore, ant-sized workers could be faintly be seen
moving around rocks and shore. Perhaps those people were
building up the riverbank.

The work of this painting was exquisite. The brush strokes

were fine but the style was imposing and majestic, achieving
grandness through meticulousness. No matter if it was the
serious scene on across the riverbank or the complicated greens
and yellows of the rocks closer to the front, they were all done
well. Particularly the river trapped in place between the two
mountains, the heavy swell and white-crested waves were
imposing and forceful. Observing this picture, the viewer was
almost able to feel the strong river breeze blowing from the
picture and onto their face. Standing a bit closer, it seemed
possible to hear the river slapping excitedly against the
riverbanks.
 But none of this was the focus on this painting. Any person
lucky enough to view this painting, would, at the first
moment, be drawn to that woman in a yellow dress standing
beside the banks. They would not have any attention left to
spare to look at the other people and scenery in the painting.

The woman in the yellow dress only revealed her profile. A

few black threads of hair beside her crystal and jade earrings
floated in the wind and her red lips were lightly pursed. She
seemed to be thinking of something. The thing that most drew
the attention were her eyebrows. Her eyebrows were sharp as a
sword, unlike those of frail woman, yet they also did not have
any sense of masculinity. They were simply clear and thin, and
were likeable without reason.

But at this moment, Fan Xian's gaze was focused on the

glimpse of the woman's eye that could been seen on her
partially turned face. The spirit in that gaze seemed calm, yet
also as if it were hiding many other emotions.

In just an instant, he remembered that Xiao En had once

described his mother to him in a cave on the precipice of Xi
Mountain outside of Shangjing. Yes, it was this kind of gaze!
Soft, sad, full of love and longing for life, full of anticipation
of the good things, sympathy for misery, and a confidence in
the ability to change all of this.

Fan Xian sighed and slowly sat down, staring the painting on
the wall. He didn't move his gaze for a long time, as if he
wanted to carve this woman's image into his heart.

With the cold tea in his hands, and the old painting before
him, he sat like this in silence. He didn't know how long he had
sat there for; he didn't notice the shifting light outside the
tower nor the movements of the wind and clouds.

The cold tea in his hands remained full. Fan Xian sat there
for half a day, and his lips were a little dry. Suddenly, he tilted
his head and spoke quietly to the woman in the yellow dress.
"You did well. It's a pity… you didn't look after yourself."
 He paused, and seemed a little nervous. He wanted to collect
his thoughts into something appropriate to say to the woman
in the painting.

"Of course, I haven't done as well as you—but I want to

assure you, I will look after myself." He stood up and
peacefully stared at the painting. In a light voice, he said, "I'll
leave you here for now, I don't think he would let me take you.
But I will come to see you in a few days—I'll see you often." He
didn't know how long a few days would be.

Fan Xian leaned closer to the painting and suddenly smiled

brightly. In high spirits he smiled. "The past is gone… the past
is gone. To find a hero, let me do it."

After saying this, he walked out.

Silence descended on the room.

…
 …

The room door suddenly squeaked as it was hurriedly pushed

open. Fan Xian had returned and once again and stood in the
room staring at the woman in the painting. He suddenly
opened his mouth and asked:

"The sciences?

"Female doctorate?"

Of course the woman in the painting from so many years ago

could not answer her son's question, and so could only remain
silent. Fan Xian felt his heart twist, and he laughed aloud to
hide the wetness in his eyes. Earnestly and sincerely he bowed
and spoke:

"Thank you."
 And then he truly left. The woman in the painting did not
turn around, she only stared at the scene across the river in
silence, with her back facing the door. Who knew how long it
would be before the door opened again?
Chapter 329: Wishing You Meteoric
Success
Walking out of the door, Fan Xian tossed the cup of cold tea
he was holding.

With a splash, the cup landed directly stacked on top of the

other cup, with very little tea spilling out.

He walked downstairs and said something quietly to Hong

Zhu, and the two of them left the little tower, walking along
the cold stone paths.

After seeing Fan Xian off at the palace, Hong Zhu went
around Taiji Palace, through the stone arch gate, and went to
the royal study to report back on his orders. All along the way,
he joked with the serving girls he saw, and chatted with the
eunuchs. He was unspeakably happy. The eunuchs and serving
girls found this to be a little strange. They noticed that since
Hong Zhu had begun serving the Emperor, his status had gone
up and his personality had become steadier and stricter. What
had happened today for him to be so cheerful?
 Seeing that the royal study was not far away, Hong Zhu came
out of his daze. He knew that his behavior was a bit over the
top, so he stopped and grabbed two handfuls of snow from the
rocks beside him. He rubbed his face vigorously and forced the
hot skin of his face to cool down. It was only then that he felt
better. He coughed a few times, and copied how Eunuch Hong,
an ancestor of palace eunuchs, used to conduct himself. With a
deadly serious face, he pushed opened the door to the royal
study.

At the moment, the Emperor was arguing about something

with Shu the Scholar, and their voices were very loud. This
Shu the Scholar was certainly brave: he was not willing to give
even an inch in front of the Emperor. Hong Zhu could faintly
hear something about a river, transferring money, Ministry of
Revenue, and other such things.

Hong Zhu perked up his ears and waited to one side, not even
daring to breathe loudly. He could guess what they were
talking about for Shu the Scholar to gather his courage and go
head-to-head with the Emperor.

This winter was the ideal time to dredge the river. The palace
secretaries had two months ago come up with a plan to do so.
They were just waiting for the Ministry of Revenue to put
together the funds before organizing the provinces and
counties to call on the people to repair the river. However,
unexpectedly, the Ministry of Revenue was unable to provide
this much silver. This had seriously delayed the repairing of
the river. Thus, Minister Shang had become the target of
public criticism. If the Emperor had not saved him, Minister
Shang would have had to, at the very least, resign his office.

The Qing Kingdom was in its golden age, yet the national
treasury did not have sufficient silver! The palace secretaries
questioned the Ministry of Revenue, but the Ministry knew
nothing; they only said that the palace had transferred it.
However, palace spending had always come from the palace
treasury… could the palace treasury have possibly fallen into
such a state?

The business of the palace treasury involved the Eldest

Princess, and involved the face of the royal family.
Furthermore, the Overwatch Council had been investigating
the Cui family recently, targeting the palace treasury. At this
moment, the officials of the court could not question the
Emperor directly.
 Thus, Shu the scholar had entered the palace. It seemed that
the conversation between the ruler and his official was not
going smoothly.

The Emperor coughed and faintly said Fan Xian, Jiangnan,

and a few other indistinct words. Shu the Scholar's expression
finally cleared a bit. It seemed that he was very confident that
after Fan Xian went to Jiangnan, he would be able to solve the
Qing Kingdom's financial problems.

The old scholar lowered his voice, his face full of concern.
"I'm afraid there won't be enough time. If it floods next year,
what are we going to do? Jiangnan is a complicated matter.
Even if Commissioner Fan has extraordinary talent, it will take
him at least a year to sort everything out. Even if the heavens
are merciful next year, what about the year after?"

The Emperor smiled and comforted Shu Wu, "Fan Xian is

leaving in a few days, there should be enough time."

Shu Wu hmm'ed his acknowledgement and left the royal

study smiling merrily. In reality, both ruler and official were
experienced and prudent. How could they possibly stop
worrying just because a young man like Fan Xian was going to
Jiangnan?

Besides, Shu the Scholar was actually fighting for more than
just these things on the surface. As the head of the civil
officials in court, he needed the Emperor to make clear his
stance on certain matters. What was going to happen with the
palace treasury? And more importantly, after the two recent
rumors, how exactly was the court, and the palace, going to
deal with Fan Xian?

The royal family liked to be mysterious. They were secretive

about many things and did not announce them publicly. The
officials in the court could not handle this; everyone was
terrified and needed some kind of firm answer. Since the
Emperor had explicitly stated the date that Fan Xian would
leave Jingdou, he was announcing that the management of the
palace treasury would be certain to start, and would start
strongly. He was also using Shu Wu to inform the officials of
the court to stop the speculation about Fan Xian's identity.
Regardless of whether he was a bastard of the rebellious Ye
family, or the Emperor's illegitimate son, he was leaving
Jingdou. So stop guessing, and let the matter die down!
 …

"Hong Zhu," The Emperor suddenly woke from his thoughts

and asked, "what reaction did he have earlier?"

Hong Zhu was startled, and immediately answered in a

lowered voice, "Commissioner Fan had tears in his eyes, and he
seemed relieved… for some reason, he laughed loudly for some
time in the tower." To serve beside the Emperor at such a young
age, the eunuch was naturally a few points cleverer than the
ordinary person. He immediately knew who the "he" was in the
Emperor's words: Sir Fan junior, who had just left the palace.

The Emperor's expression was slightly severe, but he turned

it into a smile. "This is good. Once he's let go, he can work for
the court without worry."

Hong Zhu smiled carefully and did not dare to comment.

However, he was greatly shocked by the Emperor's next words.
 "Starting next month, go serve at the side of the empress."
The Emperor said this casually as he rubbed a piece of
meditative jade in his palm.

It was like a lightning bolt had struck the eunuch's heart.

With a thud, Hong Zhu knelt down and prostrated himself on
the floor, crying, "Your Majesty, I… I don't know what I did
wrong. Please, kill me instead of sending me away."

The Emperor furrowed his brow and looked at him in

disgust. "How immature! You're going to be the head eunuch
over there—I was promoting you. Look how it scared you…
you're not fit for such responsibility!"

Hong Zhu panicked, and knew he had done something

wrong. Yet, his face remained full of tears and he cried, "I don't
want to be some head eunuch, I just want to stay by you."

"Ah." The Emperor half smiled at little eunuch and asked,

"What's so good about staying by my side?"
 The word "good" could have been a joke, or it could have been
a guillotine. Hong Zhu hesitantly lifted his head; there was
dust stuck to his tearful face. "Serving beside the Emperor," he
stuttered, "I…it is honorable."

"Honorable?"

Hong Zhu bobbed his head like a bulb of garlic and sobbed, "I
deserve to die… I shouldn't have been greedy…" He knew very
well that none of the masters in the palace cared if the eunuchs
took a bribe, but it just depended on how the master was
feeling.

"How much silver have you taken?" The Emperor looked at

the eunuch's dusty and tear-streaked face, thought it was
rather funny and began to laugh.

Hearing the laughter, Hong Zhu felt his heart steady a little,
and slowly replied, "In two months at the royal study, I've
taken 400 liang of silver."
 The Emperor's face suddenly darkened and became very cold.
"Is that so? Then who bought that 800 mu of land for you?
Who gave you the connection for your brother's position? You
sure are bold. You haven't been by my side for even 100 days,
and you've already done all this!"

Hong Zhu's expression was dismal and he abandoned himself

to despair. He broke down, sobbing loudly, "I am guilty, I am
guilty." He didn't even dare to beg the Emperor to spare his life.

"Who was it?" The Emperor turned around and kicked off his
shoes. He sat down on the divan and began to annotate
memorials again.

Hong Zhu's face was blotchy, and he knew he couldn't hide

this. He gritted his teeth and said, "It was… Commissioner
Fan."

The Emperor's expression did not change. He hummed gently

in a questioning manner.
 Hong Zhu suddenly crawled over to the Emperor. He raised
his face and cried, "Your Majesty, you can kill me if you want—
but the heavens will prove, the heavens will prove, I am loyal
to Your Majesty. I swear that the Commissioner and I… the
Commissioner is a good man. I begged him to do this. Have
mercy on him."

Only now did the Emperor show a trace of astonishment.

"Oh? You are begging forgiveness for him?" He suddenly
laughed out loud, and said, "This child... seems like he has
better relations with people than I thought."

The Emperor stared at the eunuch's messy face and jokingly

scolded, "Get out, Fan Xian told me of this matter long ago. If I
hadn't liked your cleverness, he would have chopped your head
off long ago. Yet, you still ask forgiveness for him."

"Ah?" Hong Zhu's astonishment was stuck between

awkwardness and distress; it took him a while to recover his
wits.

"Are you still not getting out?"

 "Yes, Your Majesty." Hong Zhu had a woebegone look, but he
was overjoyed in his heart. He didn't bother to get up and just
crawled out of the royal study. Whether he was moved to the
empress's palace as the head eunuch or was sent somewhere
else, at this moment, he didn't care.

It wasn't after Hong Zhu had hidden in a side room after

leaving the royal study that his breathing began to even out,
and he started feeling the icy coldness of the sweat on his back.
He accepted a towel and roughly wiped off the sweat and dust
on his face before waving the servants away irritably. It wasn't
until he had reached his own room that he began to truly feel
the fear.

"Sir Fan junior was right: there is nothing that can be hid
from His Majesty." The eunuch's heart was still fluttering with
fear. If His Majesty lets you be greedy; you can be greedy, so
you might as well do everything openly.
 Right here, right now, his admiration for Fan Xian settled
into the deepest part of his bones; and along with admiration,
he felt gratefulness for Fan Xian. The young man had guessed
that the Emperor did not care about a eunuch beside him being
greedy—this was because he was extremely intelligent.
Furthermore, Sir Fan junior had used this situation to hide the
most important thing, and this was the crux of the matter. In
the future, the Emperor would not suspect anything if he were
to become closer to Sir Fan junior.

Thinking of that matter, the eunuch's eyes narrowed into a

smile and he felt unspeakable gratefulness. The only issue was
that he was about to be transferred from the royal study, and
he didn't know if he would be able to help Sir Fan junior in the
future.

In the carriage leaving the palace, Fan Xian half closed his
eyes to rest. Gao Da and the two Tiger Guards had been ordered
off the carriage; Su Wenmao was the only other person in
there.

Fan Xian couldn't determine if the Qinian Unit had spies

from the palace in it. However, he had run into Wang Qinian,
and had asked him to train these unsuccessful Overwatch
Council officials and bring them to his side. These were the
people he could trust the most. If there was anything he needed
to get done, he only trusted them.

"Are there loose ends in the Yingzhou matter?" he asked with

furrowed brows.

Su Wenmao was not currently driving the carriage, and he

carefully listened to the noises outside before replying quietly,
"The Zhizhou of Yingzhou died of illness after he was sent to
prison. We didn't go through the Council. We used your
medicine, and nothing will be found."

Fan Xian nodded. "If it is safe, then don't touch the family of
the Zhizhou. This matter ends here, you should know what to
do."
 Su Wenmao nodded. He knew the Commissioner was
reminding him to keep this secret. The Commissioner trust in
him to do carry out these secret tasks meant that he had finally
became his confidant.

Deep down, he did not approve of this matter. Assassinating

a Fourth Grade Official, a Zhizhou, was something that was
rarely seen since the inception of the Overwatch Council. If
nothing happened in the future, then all was fine. But if
something were to happen, the entire Overwatch Council
would be doomed. Furthermore, the Zhizhou was part of no
faction, and had been purely a servant of the Emperor.

Seeming to guess what Su Wenmao was thinking, Fan Xian

smiled coldly. "That Zhizhou had no regard for human life and
forcefully occupied peasant properties. Furthermore, he
collaborated with bandits and massacred villages and
exterminated entire families. Taking his life was letting him
off easy."

Su Wenmao said with concern, "Sir, although that is the

case, evidence was never found. The captured thief refused to
give up anything on the Zhizhou."
 "No sh*t," Fan Xian said. "If we could get evidence, why
would I go to all this trouble?"

Su Wenmao shook his head in disapproval. "It was still too

risky. Sir Qi might write to the palace secretaries, or even jump
over them and report directly to the Emperor. Although there
is no evidence, for the sake of Sir Qi, he would have preferred
the Zhizhou brought forward."

Fan Xian smiled, but shook his head and didn't say anything.

This Zhizhou matter was something the Emperor could not

know about. He closed his eyes to rest his spirit but his mind
was spinning quickly. He had to bring down the Zhizhou so far
from Jingdou because he wanted to buy a favor from eunuch
Hong Zhu. A favor so big that Hong Zhu would have to repay it
in the future the moment he remembered it.

Eunuch Hong Zhu, who currently served in the royal study,

was from Yingzhou, and was surnamed "Chen." The Zhizhou
who had been killed by Fan Xian, had forcefully taken the
Chen family business because of the mountain products
located there—he had only been Zhixian at the time. Luckily,
the Chen family had two scholars, and naturally they would
not yield. They went over mountains and crossed provinces to
make their case, and they said they would take their lawsuit all
the way to Jingdou.

In a moment of terror, the Zhixian acted decisively and

colluded with thieves to completely exterminate the Chen
family.

Who knew how many people died that night?

At the time, Hong Zhu and his brother were still kids. They
had been playing in the mountain and had forgotten to go
home, so they were fortunate and managed to escape this
tragedy. The brothers were clever, and crossed the mountain
overnight and begged until they arrived at Shangdong Street.
Too afraid to report this to the yamen, they could only struggle
desperately for life. Finally, the day came that the brothers
could not stand it anymore. Chen Xiaodi, now Hong Zhu, had
taken the knife and thrown his lot in with the palace, a crotch
full of blood.

…
 …

After entering the palace, Chen Xiaodi lived a life full of

cowering. He was bullied by the older eunuchs and had his
butt pinched by the dreadful old serving women. Fear grew
under the humiliation, until he was too scared to even say his
family name.

Coincidentally, one day, as Chen Xiaodi was carrying water,

he walked by a side path of Hanguang Hall and happened to see
old eunuch Hong sleeping outside. The old eunuch was
wearing his old clothing from many years ago, not the palace
clothing, so Chen Xiaodi did not recognize him. Seeing the old
eunuch lying on a broken bamboo chair, with flies hovering
around his face, he though him very pitiful.

They had both fallen into hard times at the end of the world,
and at this point, Chen Xiaodi was still a warm hearted person.
Seeing that he had no chores to do, he went back to his room
and grabbed a fan, and began to chase away the flies for Eunuch
Hong.
 Once Eunuch Hong woke up, there was not some grand
storybook scene where the man handed down skills to Chen
Xiaodi and accepted him as a disciple; it was not as though
from this moment on, Chen Xiaodi could do what he liked and
was respected everywhere. No, the old eunuch gave only one
thing besides gratefulness for the fan.

Eunuch Hong realized that the little eunuch did not have a
surname, and so gifted him one word.

Hong.

And because the old eunuch was lying on a bamboo chair, he

casually named him Zhu. This was the story of the name of the
later-powerful eunuch, Hong Zhu.

…
 From that day on, Eunuch Hong did not give another
thought to Hong Zhu's life or death; he didn't even say another
word to him. Even after Hong Zhu went to the royal study and
looked for ways to please Eunuch Hong, the old eunuch didn't
acknowledge him.

But the little eunuch had a name. Surname Hong, first name
Zhu. The surname Hong meant something special in the
palace. Furthermore, as Eunuch Hong did not speak out
against it, gradually, some people began to say that Hong Zhu
was Eunuch Hong's adopted grandchild. And so no one dared
to bully him anymore; instead, they tried to please him. They
would give him all the light and respectable work to do.

Hong Zhu was a clever man and had gone through traumatic
childhood experiences, so his personality was very calm and
steady. With this many opportunities in front of him, as well
as Old Dai losing power, the people and things in the palace
changed, and the little eunuch got very lucky. Entering the
royal study directly and serving the Emperor was one of his
opportunities.

Seeing more of the world, he realized just what the palace

was like. He learned that the Zhizhou was not some big
official, and the fire of revenge in his heart began to burn.
Only, he was still very young, and didn't know the way, and
had no idea of where to start. Was he going to tell the Emperor
of his tragic experiences? He didn't have that kind of bravery.

Right when he had started to lose hope, the heavens sent a

person to his side.

The carriage jolted, and Fan Xian slowly woke up. He

yawned, still tired.

He had deduced Hong Zhu's situation, and his subsequent

actions had been completely unknown to the eunuch. He just
slowly completed the task, and had only him about it today.
 Fan Xian knew that, given Hong Zhu's development in the
palace, and seeing how much the Emperor trusted him, within
three years this little eunuch would have substantial influence.
At that point, he would be able to casually say something, and
there would be plenty of people in the six ministries willing to
help him seek revenge. Fan Xian had decided to act before this
happened and exact the revenge very cleanly. No threats, no
mercy, leaving no possibility of future troubles.

This was the superior method of doing someone a favor.

This man had been the Zhizhou of Yingzhou. Hong Zhu was
recorded as being from Jiaozhou. The two places were far
apart, and the extermination of the family had happened a
long time ago, and was long forgotten by everyone. Fan Xian
was not worried that someone would guess Hong Zhu's
connection to this matter. He had also been very careful and
had not told anyone.

Even if the Emperor later discovered that the Zhizhou of

Yingzhou had died strangely, and found it was the Overwatch
Council who had acted, Fan Xian would still be able to find
some excuse. As long as it was not connected to those beside
him, and did not harm the palace, the life of a mere Zhizhou
was, in the Emperor's eyes, certainly not as precious as his own
son's.

He lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and squinted at the

distant, blurry corner tower of the palace behind him. He
hoped the little eunuch would be able to rise meteorically in
there.
Chapter 330: Disturbance Before
Leaving (Part 1)
The carriage stopped outside the door of the Overwatch
Council. Fan Xian exited the carriage and went straight into
the yard. Along the way, he smiled slightly at the officials he
met. This was the first time he had come to the Council after
the "chaos of the rumors," and met with the expected fire in the
eyes of all the officials.

In reality, many of the officials in the lower ranks did not

know who Ye Qingmei was. However, they saw those shining
words every day and, below it, the name that looked down on
all the men in the world. They had eventually developed a
familial sense of familiarity and closeness.

Under Chen Pingping's—intentional or not—dissemination,

the heads of the Eight Bureaus, Zong Zui, and those old
fellows, had begun to publically speak to their subordinates
about what kind of merchant family the Ye family had been
back in the day. And what the Ye family had done for the
Overwatch Council. Finally, they had reached a conclusion:
without the Ye family, there would be no Overwatch Council.
 After all, the Ye family had fallen to the crime of rebellion.
When the officials of the Overwatch Council had first heard
their superiors praising and boasting about the Ye family, the
officials couldn't help feeling a bit anxious. However, they had
discovered that the court did not seem to hold this as a taboo,
and Commissioner Fan's other identity was very interesting. So
they had become more interested in learning about the details
of those years.

After a few rounds of brainwashing, the officials in the

Council felt very close to the old Ye family, as inseparable as
fish from water, as soldiers from the people. Now that they
knew Commissioner Fan was the son of the name carved on the
stone tablet, the gaze with which they looked at Fan Xian
carried a trace of true fear and warmth, as well as the usual
respect.

No wonder the old Director would support, with all his

strength, this seemingly-frail man taking over the Overwatch
Council in the future.

Regardless of officials or commoners in the Qing Kingdom,

they all stressed something: things should be received by
rights. Fan Xian's proven ability and sufficient intelligence
when handling tasks in the Council, as well as his identity as
the descendant of the Ye family that everyone knew of (but
could not say), would be of great help to him in gaining full
control of the Overwatch Council. At least, the internal
members of the Council mostly had no more doubts.

Today, Fan Xian didn't have the time to win the support of
the thousands of officials in the yard. He hurried to the plain
surrounded by the square structure. It was bitterly cold today
—the spring winds were still far away. The tall trees were
frozen and stripped of leaves, and the shallow pool was frozen
like a mirror. The fish inside had probably died long ago.

Chen Pingping sat in his wheelchair wrapped in thick furs.

He was listening to a song that twisted back and forth and
seemed to wail and cry. His eyes were slightly closed, and his
right hand was lightly tapping out a rhythm on the arm of his
wheelchair. Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

This scene made Fan Xian think of another world in which

there were also old drooping men who liked to lie in old and
broken wicker chairs. The afternoon sun would leak into the
alley, and the ancient phonograph would be playing records of
old Shanghai music: the soft, energetic music of Yao Li or Bai
Hong. Just like this, they would tangle with the weak
sunlight…

The problem was, Chen Pingping was not Li Jingguang, and

he was not listening to a phonograph. The old man was at a
much higher level than that of the ordinary person.

Fan Xian did not have time to appreciate the old cripple's
feudalistic, petty bourgeois, and watched Sang Wen with great
sympathy, who was standing under the trees and singing
nonstop in the middle of winter. The girl's face was flushed
with the cold but her voice did not shake. He didn't know if it
was because she had become used to singing in the cold, or if
she was just that shockingly good.

"What a waste." Fan Xian waved his hand for Sang Wen to
stop, and smiled. "I invited Sang Wen to the Council because I
wanted to make use of her abilities, not for her to sing to you."

Chen Pingping opened his eyes and smiled. "Different jobs,

but all in the service of the court. If Sang Wen can make me
happy and help me live a few more years, then that is better
than her being by your side."
 In a heartbeat, Fan Xian understood what Chen Pingping
meant. It seemed like he also knew that he didn't have much
longer.

"I am leaving soon." He lightly patted the back of Chen

Pingping's wrinkled and dry hand. "I have to take Sang Wen
with me. Baoyue Brothel is expanding towards Jiangnan."

"Have her go in the spring," Chen Pingping sighed. "Have her

leave with the Third Prince. At least they can look after each
other."

Fan Xian became very angry. How could he have almost

forgotten the matter with the Third Prince?

Sang Wen curtseyed formally and walked away with Su

Wenmao, leaving space for the old and young ministers of the
Overwatch Council to talk.

Standing at some distance, they couldn't hear what Chen

Pingping and Fan Xian were talking about. They could only see
Fan Xian half kneeling on the ground with an increasingly
serious expression, while Chen Pingping was silent for a while
before smiling again. He lightly patted Fan Xian's head as if to
comfort him.

"Let's go." Fan Xian spoke to Su Wenmao, and then glanced at

Sang Wen beside him. He had single-handedly rescued Sang
Wen from the Baoyue Brothel and directly transferred her into
the Overwatch Council, so she was someone he trusted.
However, Sang Wen had almost no opportunity to be at his
side in recent days. She was instead responsible for singing to
Chen Pingping every day.

"How have you been recently?" Fan Xian asked.

Sang Wen smiled warmly, and her slightly-round face seemed

very cheerful. Her large mouth was not all that noticeable, and
she said amenably, "There's nothing much to do all day, so I
sing for the Director. It's very relaxing."
 "Very good," Fan Xian smiled. "As the Director wishes, you'll
go to Jiangnan in a few months. But for now…" he paused, and
said evenly, "stay by the Director. Make him happy."

The carriage outside the Overwatch Council was ready to

head in the direction of the Twenty-eight-Li Hill. The date the
Emperor had given Fan Xian to leave the capital was too close;
there wasn't enough time, and Fan Xian was unprepared. There
were many things he had to make plans for before leaving the
capital within a few days, thus he had seemed unusually busy.

Gao Da and the two Tiger Guards were again not in the
carriage. Fan Xian still did not trust these personal bodyguards
enough.

Fan Xian waited for a moment before Su Wenmao climbed

into the carriage. He rubbed his red hands and lowered his
voice to report, "The Third Bureau checked the records for the
palace gate. Eunuch Yao went to the outskirts of the capital.
This wasn't a secret, so the palace didn't order the Council to
destroy the records."
 "Why did Old Yao go the outskirts?" Fan Xian asked
curiously.

Su Wenmao placed the side of his hand against his throat and
mimed a throat-cutting gesture. "In the Hanging Temple
incident, the eunuch assassin's… foster parents, live in a
village on the outskirts of the capital. Eunuch Yao went to deal
with this matter. He took guards with him."

Fan Xian furrowed his brows and sighed a moment later.

"Assassinating the Emperor. Did that little eunuch consider the
consequences? Did he consider that… whether or not he
succeeded, his family in the village would all be wiped out?"

The carriage slowly began to move.

Su Wenmao saw that the Commissioner's face was not

pleased, and did not understand why. Assassination was a big
crime. This time, the palace had already limited the circle of
involvement. The fact that they didn't involve all his close
relations was already a benevolence.
 "You are kind—but one cannot be generous in these matters,"
Su Wenmao explained. "Only a few dozen people died."

Fan Xian wasn't one to fake his emotions, and his discomfort
was for other reasons. "I am just disgusted that the eunuch
only cared about revenge, and did not consider the kindness of
his foster parent's care."

Su Wenmao was surprised and said after a moment, "To

suggest something treasonous, the crime of killing a father is
unforgivable. While that eunuch should suffer death by a
thousand cuts and have his bones ground into powder and
scattered, no one thought anything strange of his decision."

Fan Xian was silent, but he laughed coldly in his heart. In the
Qing Kingdom, starting with the Emperor, everyone stressed
ruling through filial piety. The Qing law allowed for family to
conceal for each other, and face no punishment. He furrowed
his brows in deep disgust, but he could not say these things to
the man beside him. He thought about how that eunuch had
thrown away his foster parents' hardships and grace in order to
avenge his father's death, and so committed his foster parents
to certain death. Yet, people thought that was how things
should be—what kind of bullsh*t logic was this?
 They arrived at the Twenty-eight-Li Hill, and the carriage
followed the long street in. The brightly-varnished store fronts
along the street seemed to be welcoming Fan Xian's arrival. The
carriage rolled to a stop outside the Qingyu Hall. Before Su
Wenmao had time to hand over their calling card, they heard
squeaking sounds, and the long center door of the yard opened
without hesitation, welcoming their arrival.

The 17 shopkeepers of Qingyu Hall were not in their own

rooms or out at various manors doing accounting; they were
all impeccably lined up at the entrance in welcome. Seeing
Commissioner Fan stepping down from the carriage, the 17
people all knelt with a rustling sound and gave him a formal
salute.

Fan Xian quickly invited these shopkeepers to rise. He

glanced at the seventh person, whom he was familiar with, and
smiled at him with a nod.

Shopkeeper Ye was nearly half a century old with an

agreeable appearance. He knew that the gate was not
somewhere to talk, and also did not understand how the young
master would dare to come here in broad daylight. But he
maintained his calm, and gestured with his hand, inviting Fan
Xian to enter the hall and take a seat. He had the servants look
after the other people. Only Gao Da and the two others shook
their heads; they were loyal to the Emperor's command and
would not be separated from Fan Xian at all.

Fan Xian indicated with his eyes that Big Ye was not a
problem and only then entered the hall. After taking a seat, he
ordered Gao Da and the others to stand guard outside the door.

At this moment, there were no outsiders in the hall. The 17

shopkeepers were cowering, a bit scared, and a bit excited. The
rumors outside said that this young official in front of them
was a descendant of the Ye family… he was the son of the
mistress! If this were true, then for Commissioner Fan to be
here today meant he must have something urgent to say.

Because Fan Xian currently sat in a superior position, if he

didn't proclaim his own identity, then these shopkeepers in
Qingyu Hall would not have the courage to hold his legs and
sob.

Fortunately, Fan Xian did not allow the silence to go on for

too long; after a moment of hesitation he said, "I am here today
for that matter from one and a half years ago."

Shopkeeper Ye had not expected Sir Fan junior to speak of

this. He was very surprised and stared at him in shock.

Fan Xian smiled and explained, "Back then, I wanted my little

brother, Sizhe, to be a disciple to the head shopkeeper. But you
were too busy, and never told me to have my brother bring
cured meats to your door. Currently, my good-for-nothing
brother is out wandering somewhere—and so, naturally, we
need not bring that up anymore. However, head shopkeeper,
we talked about another matter at the time as well. Don't tell
me you've forgotten that too."

How could Big Ye forget?

That day, Fan Xian had secretly told him that he would
control the palace treasury in the future, and had come to seek
help from Qingyu Hall. He had also promised these people the
possibility of leaving the capital. Fan Xian's suggestion had
made all the people in Qingyu Hall rather happy. If they could
leave the capital, and continue the legacy left by their
mistresses, then these shopkeepers would naturally be happy.
 But they were terrified of the might of the Emperor, and they
were also unable to determine whether or not Fan Xian had the
ability to sway the palace. Most importantly, they didn't know
exactly what Fan Xian's purpose was, or what he planned to do.
And so, they had not sought Fan Xian to give an explanation of
the matter.

Who knew that changes could be so wonderful? First, Fan

Xian had suddenly become prominent in the last one and a half
years, and was the most favored young official of the Qing
Kingdom. His control of the palace treasury had also become a
reality… and now there were rumors that he was the mistress's
son.

If this rumor were true, then Fan Xian's reason for drawing
Qingyu Hall to himself was obvious.

Big Ye coughed a couple of times and said with a serious

expression, "Sir, we are all very willing… only, we don't know
whether or not the palace would allow it." He didn't question
Fan Xian's intentions, yet he continued to doubt his abilities.

Fan Xian began to smile, and nodded his head.

 …

The noise in the hall exploded. The 17 mature, cool-headed

shopkeepers revealed stunned and overjoyed expressions. Ever
since the Ye family had fallen, they had been under house-
arrest in the city, and were not allowed to leave. Hearing this
good news, how could they control themselves?

Fan Xian took a sip of his tea and watched these 45-year-old
shopkeepers smile innocently like children, and a sincere smile
rose to his face as well. These people, because of his mother,
had been trapped in the capital at their prime and could not
free themselves. Now that he could do this for them, it was
cheering indeed.

"Naturally, you cannot all go," Fan Xian warned. "Your

families have to stay in the capital." The celebrating
shopkeepers all stopped and listened to him continue talking.
"After Jiangnan, you can take turns. Just think of it as a
holiday. What does everyone think?"
 Only then did everyone realize Sir Fan junior was joking.
Surprised, everyone laughed loudly.

Fan Xian said a few more words of warning, reminding them

to remember the Emperor's kindness, to work hard for the
court, and other bullsh*t like that. This bullsh*t was obviously
for the benefit of the listening Tiger Guards outside the door.
Only after this did he lower his voice and say, "Seventh Ye, I'll
have to trouble you to come with me this time. As for the rest
of them, let them work it out for themselves… However, they
must leave someone older in the capital."

Seventh Ye was standing right beside him and he furrowed

his brow in question.

Fan Xian smiled. "Baoyue Brothel is about to be emptied—

you have to at least help me clean up a bit. For a place like that,
it will have to be organized by an older, morally admirable
man."

Another corny joke. The shopkeepers set their faces and gave
forced laughs. After a long while, the laughter finally calmed,
and a different faint feeling grew in the hall.
 In reality, the shopkeepers were not paying attention to what
Fan Xian was saying; they were intently studying his
appearance. They hoped to find familiar features in it.
Although Fan Xian had not said anything about it today, his
actions had already revealed enough. Including Shopkeeper Ye,
all of them already believed he was the descendant of the Ye
family.

In a moment of silence, with Shopkeeper Ye in front, and the

16 other shopkeepers lined up behind him, they faced Fan Xian
sitting in the center and lifted their robes to kneel in unison.

"We will follow our young master's instructions."

Chapter 331: Disturbance Before
Leaving (2)
The New Year enjoyed the bounty of the previous year, and
was a signal for spring. The New Year festival came once again.
It was not delayed, and came with little surprise.

This winter, Fan Xian had not spent most of his time on Cang
Mountain. With the addition of all the other events that
happened, Wan'er and Ruoruo were frightened into returning
to Jingdou as well. Everyone had gathered except for the
second Fan son, and so the Fan Manor took the opportunity to
celebrate properly.

A thick layer of red confetti lay outside the Manor doors like
the carpet at a wedding. The smoke that permeated through
the air and was a little pungent but also slightly sweet. The fish
and meat from the big and small kitchens made the masters
feel that life couldn't be this good. Luckily young master's
digestion medicine was very effective…

On the night of the 30th, Fan Xian was in his room with his
wife and sister having a difficult conversation. After slightly
clearing their confusion, he didn't wait for the two woman to
wake from their shock before leading them to the front
residence.

A New Year's meal was hurriedly eaten and the family

gathered around to play a few rounds of mahjong. Fan Xian
was sprawled behind Wan'er, hugging her neck, and
occasionally giving out bad advice and successfully losing
quite a lot of silver to the two elders. He then carefully chose a
few classic jokes from his previous life and finally lessened the
strange atmosphere around the table.

The next day was the first day of the year. After the young
people struggled awake after counting the New Year in, they
went to the hall to give their New Year salute.

Fan Xian did it very seriously. His two knees solidly hit the
ground and, in front of everyone's strange gazes, he (calmly, as
usual) kowtowed three times towards his father. Bang, bang,
bang—three times his forehead came into intimate contact
with the ground.

Old master Fan stroked his beard and chuckled lightly,

feeling an unspeakable comfort.
 After the women left to go make soup balls, the front
residence was just left with some single people on the first of
the year. Fan Xian walked behind his father and gently rubbed
his shoulders. Ever since the rumors had spread, it seemed to
have broken a barrier in his heart. Fan Xian no longer held
himself behind a veil, and began to show some of the feelings
he was meant to have as a son. The distance between father
and son seemed to be much closer than before.

The Minister of Revenue, Fan Jian, rested and enjoyed the

ministering of his son. He asked, "How is Sizhe over there?"

Fan Xian answered respectfully, "Not bad, Wang Qinian is a

clever man."

Fan Jian smiled slightly. "You know lots of people in

Northern Qi. As to this point, I am at ease." He suddenly shook
his head and said in some confusion. "Speaking of which, it is
rather strange. I see that you are very good to northern people,
but don't forget: there is an enmity between our countries that
cannot be resolved. Sometimes, it is fine to use them, but you
cannot completely trust them, and you especially cannot place
your final hope in them."
 Fan Xian paused, wondering if his father had guessed
something. He chuckled and explained himself.

Fan Jian suddenly asked with interest, "Old Fei is treating

your injury—how is it now?"

Fan Xian didn't want his father to worry, and so did not tell
him about his zhenqi dissipating. He nodded and said, "Almost
all better. Another two months of rehabilitation and there
should be nothing to worry about."

"It still needs another two months?" Fan Jian furrowed his
brows. "Jiangnan cannot compare to Jingdou. The mountains
are high, the rivers are deep, and the Emperor is far away. Now
that your body is not as good as before, you must be careful in
everything you do. Don't do you as have for the last two years,
always fighting to be first. Each time you move, you want to
send the other to their deaths… but if things can be borne, then
bear them for a while. There is no need to rush.

Fan Xian heard the worry in his father's words, but knew his
father was also reminding him.
 When fighting in the capital, Fan Xian had always been
ruthless, bold, and relentless. Even when faced with the Eldest
Princess and the Second Prince, he hadn't backed down. Once
he reached Jiangnan and faced the high officials there deep in
the territory of the area's the prominent families, he had to be
more accommodating in how he conducted his business.
Although from the perspective of his position, no one could
move him, he would no longer have his father and Chen
Pingping to rely on, and so needed to take precautions.

Father and son exchanged opinions on what would happen in

the new year. They also made a careful analysis of the changes
the Eldest Princess might bring to court with her return. Fan
Jian reminded Fan Xian that he should pay attention to Hu the
Scholar, who would enter the court this year. Fan Xian did not
understand what his father meant by specifically bringing up
that master scholar, but nevertheless, he fixed the name firmly
in his heart.

Fan Jian lightly patted the steady young hands on his

shoulder; he smiled slightly and said, "It seems like the
Emperor really is going to hand the Overwatch Council to you.
In the coming days when you are on the Council, he will have
to find someone in court who matches you in name and
position. This is simply preparing for the future."
 When Hu the Scholar had led a change in the style of writing,
he had been just a young man in his early twenties. Now he
was almost 40 years old, and his literary name flourished in
the south. Before Fan Xian was born, there was no one who
could compare to him. However, this dear friend hadn't had
any luck this year in court, and had been wandering around Qi
Street. He had a lofty position, but no true power, and now he
had entered the capital as a palace secretary and could be
considered important in the court.

Fan Xian shook his head as he smiled. He didn't plan on

interfering much in court politics, and would certainly not
provoke Hu the Scholar. He figured Hu the Scholar wouldn't
purposely bother him either.

Father and son chatted for a bit longer until Fan Xian
remembered that the family still had to honor their ancestors,
and so he asked a probing question.

Fan Jian turned his head and glanced at his son before
sighing and shaking his head. He knew in his heart it was a
rare thing for this child to have this intention. Although he
could express his true intentions, he, himself, could not have
his name enter the family tree. After all, he still had to
consider the face of the one in the palace.

Fan Xian was only testing, and seeing his father's direct
response, that there wasn't any possibility, he knew that it was
just wishful thinking on his part. In his heart, he felt a bit
upset.

The morning sun shined warmly onto the Fan family garden.
Almost everyone, including Minister Shang, Lady Liu, and
Ruoruo had already gone to the estate where the Fan clan
ancestral temple was. Even a large portion of the stewards, old
maids, and serving girls had gone. At this moment, there were
not many people left in the front and back residences, and it
seemed unusually quiet.

"I know you want to go," Wan'er sat at his side and comforted
him quietly.
 Fan Xian was reading a book. The Danbo Bookstore had just
printed the first batch of the "Anthology of Zhuang's Critiques."
Fan Xian had given the book its name, and Fan Xian had also
written the inscription. According to the seventh Ye, the sales
had been very good. The profits had come in much faster than
expected, particularly since the Northern Qi court ordered
10,000 copies at once. This had caused Fan Xian's wallet to
swell again.

Hearing the tone in his wife's voice, he smiled slightly and

raised his head. He casually put the book aside and hummed.
"What? Are you worried I'll take it too hard?"

Wan'er laughed, "How come you're not worried I won't take

it too hard?"

Fan Xian stretched his arms and enveloped her in his

embrace; putting his shoulder near her cold cheeks, he asked
with concern, "How have you been feeling?"

Wan'er misunderstood his question and the face on his

shoulder was slightly sad. "Still nothing."
 Fan Xian laughed and said, "Who cares about the unborn
girl? I was just asking how you were. When Sir Fei treats me,
he uses the same methods as treating a cow. At this point, I'm
starting to doubt his skills."

"Everything is fine." Wan'er thought for a bit and asked

curiously, "Why is it a girl?"

"A girl is good. She won't need to stand in court and battle
every day," Fan Xian said with a smile. His way of thinking
was, of course, very different from the people in this world.

Wan'er pulled away a bit from Fan Xian and pointed to her
heart. She laughed and said, "Being a girl is also not good. I
married a husband, and I don't even know who he is exactly…
it doesn't feel good in here."

Fan Xian's hand bluntly stretched towards his wife's soft

chest, and he said seriously, "Let me see if this problem is
serious or not."
 Wife and husband laughed together, but were not able to
completely throw this matter off. Wan'er said slowly, "Who
would have thought that… you're…my cousin."

"Is that not good?" Fan Xian smiled slightly and said, "Sister
Lin, let's hear you say brother Fan."

Wan'er spat, "Bah! You're not Baoyu."

Fan Xian thought about it and agreed; he was much prettier

than Jia Baoyu. An idea flashed through his head, and he
walked out of the room. Wan'er did not know where he went
and was very curious. As expected, Fan Xian came back into
the room shortly, only… he was wearing rags that not even
servants often wore!

Wan'er looked at this beggar costume and couldn't stop

herself from bursting into laughter.

Fan Xian's eyes were opened wide as was his mouth, and he
said with silliness, "Cousin—hahahaha—I've finally waited for
yer teh come!"
 Wan'er froze, thinking her husband had suddenly gone crazy.
Was it really that funny to call her "cousin?" She hesitantly
asked, "Cousin?"

Fan Xian laughed foolishly, "Ah, I'm yer cousin, seventh

Hong ah…"

Lin Wan'er was stunned. Hearing her husband use the

Jiaozhou accent to spout a bunch of nonsense, she didn't know
how to reply for quite a while. Seeing her reaction, Fan Xian
became discouraged, and lowered his head like a defeated
soldier. He went out to change his clothes back.

"Husband, before… what were you doing?"

 "Dongchen Xijiu Imitation Show," Fan Xian said with a
pained expression.

"Imitation Show?"

"Show… S-H-O-W. It's what people in the south often call…

don't ask anymore, just pretend I was being stupid."

Fan Xian's acting ability was actually very good. Since being
reborn into this world, he had acted as an innocent child, a god
of poetry, and a playboy. Acting had always been his forte. If
this weren't the case, he wouldn't have had the confidence in
the palace, in the little tower, to act with real feeling and
character to fool that Emperor, whose depths could not be
measured.

But people always needed a rest, and so when he was with

those closest to him, he didn't hide much. Like when he was
with his wife and his sister. After his past was exposed,
although Wan'er had been stunned, she had gradually accepted
the truth. As for her husband suddenly becoming her cousin,
that became the romanticism of cementing old ties with
marriage.
 As for Ruoruo, her brother had suddenly become someone
without any blood relation to her, and was having trouble
accepting this. Thus, the little lady of the Fan family was,
intentionally or not, avoiding Fan Xian. As if she wasn't sure
how to face her older brother anymore.

She was ill at ease, and couldn't even focus in Fei Jie's class.
Of course, the Manor didn't dare to let her go to the Imperial
Academy of Medicine to discuss matters of life and death with
the old doctors.

"Ruoruo just hasn't thought it through," Wan'er comforted.

Fan Xian laughed bitterly, "Am I not still her brother? This
kind of thing can't change." He closed his eyes and rested for a
moment before saying, "After I leave, if things are peaceful
over there, I will bring you over. As for my sister, I suspect she
will also leave the capital soon."

Lin Wan'er was very happy to hear this; she leaned on his
shoulder and said, "I've heard the water is good in Jiangnan,
and that all the animals and people born there are like those in
paintings. I've never been far from home. I'll have to really
enjoy myself this time."

Fan Xian teased her, "Are you preparing to see handsome

men?"

Lin Wan'er couldn't stand this kind of joking; her round

cheeks immediately flushed red and she curled her hands into
fists and beat them on Fan Xian's body.

Fan Xian laughed and caught her small fists. His face became
serious and he said, "When the Eldest Princess returns to the
capital, you must go visit at some point."

Hearing that, all sorts of feelings welled up in Lin Wan'er's

heart and she suffered various sorrows. She didn't know how
to sort out this connection. Fan Xian comforted her, "I know
this is difficult, but you'll have to learn eventually. Tear this
matter in two. The relationships are completely unrelated.
Keep each matter to itself."
 This problem couldn't be solved with comfort or persuasion.
Fan Xian understood this and could do nothing but drop the
conversation. On the contrary, Wan'er forced herself to cheer
up and started to worry about the palace treasury matter for
him. "Husband, even if you take all the shopkeepers from
Qingyu Hall with you, I'm afraid you still won't be able to take
charge of the palace treasury in the shortest amount of time.
After all, Mother has managed it for so many years, many of
the officials in Jiangnan look to her for direction."

She hesitated for a while, then said seriously, "Especially

since you are taking old people from the Ye family to Jiangnan,
it will easily cause discussion in the court and among the
people…"

Fan Xian nodded and said calmly, "I know that too, but this
must be done. All these years, the shopkeepers have all been
helping various manors run their businesses. I don't
completely know what they are thinking, whether or not they
can trust me… it's just that without them, I wouldn't know
what to do about the problems with the palace treasury. The
reason why the court has been keeping a close eye on them all
these years is because they understand the palace treasury
manufacturing processes. These secrets are the most important
of court secrets, and the court would not allow this knowledge
to flow to Northern Qi or Dongyi City… for each business in
the palace treasury, the production needs specialized support.
This is what saved their lives."

Lin Wan'er was silent for a while then said quietly, "It looks
like these shopkeepers move freely in the capital, but in reality,
someone follows them around at all times. If there are signs
that they have revealed their secrets, the person following
them will immediately kill them."

Fan Xian was a little bit surprised. "This is a guess. Only, I

don't know where those people are from. I've check in the
Council, but the Overwatch Council is only responsible for the
outer circle. I couldn't find the people responsible for killing
them."

"They're from the palace." Lin Wan'er looked worried as she

spoke. "I expect they will go with you to Jiangnan."

"Servants of the eunuchs?" Fan Xian smiled comfortingly.

Since entering the capital, he'd had good relations with
eunuchs and officials. No matter which palace, or which
eunuch, they all considered Commissioner Fan a close friend.
 "Let's stop worrying about these things." He thought about it
for a bit, then said, "Although the matter of the palace treasury
has not begun, it has mostly been decided… that stone-headed
royal brother of yours probably doesn't have much of a chance.
The battle between the princes probably won't surface again
for another few years. This, I think, is what the Emperor is
most grateful to me for, even though he doesn't say it."

Lin Wan'er sighed, and looked at her husband in a daze. A

moment later she said slowly, "Don't oversimplify things. From
what I can see, the Emperor just doesn't like his sons causing a
ruckus. As to what he's really thinking, who really knows?
Take the second royal brother for example. Even though he's
currently under house-arrest, who knows whether or not he'll
make a comeback in the future?"

Fan Xian felt a chill as he listened to his wife continue her

analysis.

"The Emperor is a very special person." Lin Wan'er's eyes

were opened wide, and they revealed an intelligence and
cunning that seemed completely different from their normal
shine. "He is an Emperor who crawled out of his own blood and
fire. His most distinguishing characteristic is self-confidence,
extreme self-confidence. He doesn't believe that there exists
someone who could truly rock his position and so the battle
between the princes is just an annoyance to him, a disturbance
for a father to see his own flesh and blood hurting each other. I
don't think he actually cares about the title the Crown Prince
has. As to who will take the throne, it's actually all up to what
he thinks, how the princes will behave in the coming years.

"The Emperor doesn't even care about all this," Lin Wan'er
continued in a quiet voice. "Uncle is healthy, and he isn't very
old either. He believes he can still live for many years. He's
never considered the issue of inheritance. His mind is still on
the world, he still has lofty ambitions."

Fan Xian's temple throbbed and he furrowed his brows. "The

Emperor… does he still want to go to war?"

"It's hard to say." Lin Wan'er was still a woman, and did not
like matters of war. She slowly said, "This decades-long peace
has already been very strange. Currently, Xi Hu does not dare
to come east and the Nanyue issue has been settled; the
Emperor is just waiting for you to bring the palace treasury
back to the fold so that people of Jiangnan will gradually settle
down. Once there is sufficient silver and grain in the national
treasury, I'm afraid he will send out troops again."

"Depends on the intensity and range," Fan Xian said. "The

most important factor is the level of battle. If it's like last
year's small battles and riots, then there's nothing much to
worry about."

"Worry?" Lin Wan'er laughed. "This matter is for the

Emperor and the Bureau of Military Affairs to worry about.
You are about to head to Jiangnan, so stop worrying. Even if
the Overwatch Council joins the battle, it'll be for the Third
Bureau to deal with."

Fan Xian smiled and didn't argue. If the Emperor of the Qing
Kingdom was preparing to start the Second World War, it
would be up to him to dissuade him from that idea. If
intellectual arguments wouldn't work, then he would have to
try brute force.

Lin Wan'er didn't know he was thinking treasonous things,

and continued her line of thought: "Logically speaking, the
Crown Prince should be the one to the take the throne. But, as
you know, the Emperor has always disliked the empress, so this
matter is open to change. Other than the Great Prince,
everyone has a chance. Even if the Third Prince is only eight,
nine years old… although all of the court knows your trip
down to Jiangnan is a different kind of exile, the Emperor is
allowing you to take the Third Prince. This matter is a bit
strange. You must investigate it, Husband."

Fan Xian nodded and still didn't say anything. He listened

seriously to his wife's words; he knew that Wan'er was worried
about his departure from the capital, and that's why she had
broken precedent to say so much.

"The empress dowager likes the Crown Prince and the Second
Prince equally. But the old woman dislikes the Great Prince the
most, and she also doesn't like the Third Prince." Lin Wan'er
was quietly revealing all the secrets in the palace. "Although
the empress doesn't have much power, she's always been close
with Mother."

Fan Xian listened intently to the politics of the Qing

Kingdom harem, and interrupted to ask, "Why doesn't she like
the Third Prince?"
 Lin Wan'er stole a glance out the window and said hesitantly,
"Probably because of his connection to the master… you know
that Yi Guipin is close with our family."

"Wan'er, in your opinion, what should I do when I go to

Jiangnan?" Fan Xian asked her seriously.

Lin Wan'er answered very candidly, "Be strict with the Third
Prince, but also keep your distance. Be professional as a
teacher. You can't let the empress dowager think that you've
purposely instilled something into him. You should also do
your investigating quickly. Do not drag it out—the longer you
drag it, out the worse it will be for you. Mother has more than
just the Second Prince and the Imperial Censorate at court."

Fan Xian was startled.

Lin Wan'er struggled with herself for a while before saying

quietly, "Perhaps everyone believes that she was only close
with the eastern palace because she was acting as a
smokescreen to hide the Second Prince. But, Husband, you
must be on guard. Perhaps, one day, the Crown Prince will fall
towards her again."
 Fan Xian was silent for a bit, then became dejected. The ways
of this world had forced his own wife into this pitiful position.
He accepted that the eastern palace would not watch him grow
up—this was related to the hatred back then. But he hadn't
expected for the Eldest Princess to have really used her money
well, for her to have a foot in each boat, and for her to be a
two-timing master.

Thinking of this amusing mother-in-law, Fan Xian couldn't

help smiling.

The first day of the year was full of ancestor worship.

The second day, a horde of officials from the capital came to

pay a New Year call.

The third day, the whole Fan family ran away and hid in King
Jing's manor to get together. Fan Xian and Heir Hong
awkwardly spoke about the past.

The fourth day, Ren Shao'an and Xin Qiwu hosted a banquet
together for Fan Xian as a farewell gesture.
 The fifth day, the father and son of the Yan family visited the
Fan manor. After Yan Ruohai had quit his position, he'd taken
up playing Go and played against the Minister until dark. Fan
Xian and Yan Bingyun talked in secret in the small study until
dark.

The sixth day was filled with a visit to Chen Garden.

The seventh day, tens of thousands of people in Jingdou were

out. It was very lively; the chickens didn't crow, the dogs didn't
bite, and the streets were full of young girls running around.
Fan Xian took his wife, sister, Ruo Jia, and Ye Ling'er to run
wild in the capital; they had lots of fun.

The eighth day, at noon, the Duke Manor sent an invitation.

At dusk, the Fan clan gathered and Fan Xian was the focal point
of the feast.

…
 After the 15th, Fan Xian left the capital. A line of people came
to the pier in the south of the city. This river was named the
"Wei River," and the Liujing River emptied into it. The Wei
River ran south for hundreds of miles before entering the
Yangtze River. Down the Yangtze River was the city much
wealthier than Jingdou, Jiangnan.

Fan Xian—as he had agreed with the Emperor—told others he

was going to Danzhou to visit his grandmother, and that he
would then would proceed to Jiangnan. This back and forth, in
most outsiders' calculations, meant that it would be at least
March before he reached Suzhou. No one expected that he
would arrive earlier.

Fan Xian didn't allow for anyone come to send him off when
he left the capital. This included the officials he was friendly
with in the Council, and the officials at court. Unexpectedly,
the students of the Imperial Academy had caught wind of this
news, and had all come to the pier.

Fan Xian hadn't worked for long in the Imperial Academy,

but he had always been very friendly. Last year, during the
spring examinations, he had spent vast amounts of silver to
sort out living arrangements for countless poor students, and
had also lifted the veil on the spring examination corruption
case. He had opened the eyes of students everywhere. Poetry in
front of the palaces, exchanging gifts, and other such matters
all added together to place him in an admired and beloved
position in the scholars' hearts. His reputation was excellent.

When he'd entered the Overwatch Council as the

commissioner, he'd had to deal with many cases of bribery.
After rectifying the problem, he'd begun to use methods that
were shed in light, and so had not lost his brilliance to the
darkness of the Overwatch Council.

As for the rumors concerning his past—they were

extraordinary to speak of. Scholars often considered
themselves above mortal concerns, and did not take honor
from their families. However, when they learned that the poet
Sir Fan junior, the giant among dwarves, had such a glorious
and brilliant background, they hadn't felt an iota of hatred—
instead, they developed a sense of respect!

So what he was an official? Who cared he was a merchant?

The head of these scholars was a prince!
 On the pier, every professor and student felt a sense of regret
at his parting. For a while, the pier was filled with voices and
was very lively. Finally, Fan Xian drank three cups of wine in a
row to sufficiently return each person's feelings of affection.
The scene was very lively and brilliant; news of it would likely
spread like wildfire through the court and public.

Having finally persuaded the crowd to leave, Fan Xian gently

held Wan'er's hands and carefully entreated countless words to
her. Once again, he told her that when it was springtime, he
would have someone bring her to him. Only this stopped
Wan'er's tears. Wan'er watched the leaving scholars in the
distance, and suddenly giggled, "Did you tell them?"

Fan Xian flushed a little despite his thick skin, and he

explained, "I'm fulfilling their glorious wishes."

He turned his head to see his sister hiding behind their

family's serving girls and women with her head down and
silent. She could not come to the front even though she was
clearly trying to hide tears. Seeing the girl's huddled form, Fan
Xian, for some reason, felt a great anger overtake him. He
pushed aside the people who had come to send him off, and
stood in front of Ruoruo. "Why are you crying?!" he yelled
loudly.

Fan Ruoruo hadn't expected her brother to come directly to

her. She jumped in fright and quickly wiped away the tear
tracks on her cheeks, and stuttered, "No—no—no reason."

She suddenly thought, Older brother has never been this

fierce before. Why is he so fierce today? In the end, he isn't my
true bother—this is surely why he isn't as kind to me as before.
Thinking this, the usually-elegant girl couldn't stop the tears
falling from her eyes; but she also stubbornly bit her lip. There
was a sense of tragedy around her.

Seeing his sister like this, Fan Xian's anger turned into a
smile, a full-toothed smile, and he didn't know what to do. The
people beside them quickly moved away, not daring to stay
beside these two masters of the Fan Manor. Fortunately, Wan'er
came at this moment and embraced Ruoruo, quietly
comforting her. She said that Fan Xian wasn't feeling happy
about leaving the capital, and that was why he was acting a bit
fierce. Only after this did Ruoruo gradually calm down.
 Fan Xian was ferocious because he couldn't stand to see his
sister hurt or purposely avoiding him; he'd been suppressing
his anger for the past few days. Seeing that his sister still stared
at him with lingering fear, he internally sighed and said in a
much gentler voice, "Me being fierce to you is the way it should
be. I'm your big brother, you're my little sister. If I weren't
fierce towards you, then you should be hurt."

Ruoruo was a very clever person, and instantly understood

the implication here. If her brother did not consider her his
sister, then why would he be fierce towards her in front of all
these people? Having thought through this matter, a trace of
joy appeared between her brows and she said to Fan Xian, "But
—but—but—seeing Brother leave for a long journey, it's
difficult not to be sad." She raised her face and spoke
righteously. "Why are you being so mean?"

Fan Xian finally laughed. He knew his sister had worked

through their issue, and his heart was comforted.

…
 "Young master, if you don't leave, you'll miss the time!"

On board the ship next to the pier, Sisi stood with her hands
on her hips and yelled loudly. Fan Xian had to bring some close
company on his trip to Jiangnan. Sisi had been following him
since Danzhou, and was naturally his first choice. This girl,
after leaving Fan Manor, acted as if it were the time in
Danzhou, and her entire person seemed brighter.

Wan'er watched her yelling and couldn't help smiling.

"Husband, you've really spoiled that girl."

Fan Xian laughed, then quietly said a few words in his sister's
ear about urgent matters that would soon make their way into
Jingdou. Then he scandalized everyone present by pulling
Wan'er into his embrace and kissing her hard. After, with a
wave of his sleeve, he boarded the ship on the riverbank.

It was exactly like the saying, "I'll wave my sleeve and take all
of the silver with me."

…
 …

Sir Fan junior's departure from the capital became a source of

conversation for the people in Jingdou. Whether it was in
restaurants and tea houses, or manor houses, everyone was
talking about this matter.

The Second Prince, who had been placed under house arrest,
was listening to the reports of his strategist while sighing, "The
bastard finally left."

The strategist without a strategy said viciously, "Lucky for

him he left quickly. Otherwise, we would have skinned him to
sate Your Highness's hate."

The Second Prince was hunched in his chair, scooping up

frozen custard to eat. Hearing this, he furrowed his brows and
didn't speak for a long time. His smile was self-deprecating as
he slowly said, "No wonder people always say that
Commissioner Fan and I look similar. It turns out there is a
real reason involved… But similarities aside, I'm not his
opponent. You all know this best."
 He jumped down from the chair and looked at the free sky
outside the yard. A sweet smile appeared on his face. "This
bastard finally left… It feels great. It's like someone took away
the venomous snake behind me."

One hundred miles outside of Jingdou was an unnecessarily

long procession slowly making its way west. The woman from
the Xinyang palace was currently on her way back to the
capital. She didn't know that her son-in-law had also chosen
this day to escape Jingdou. As for her kind gesture and attempt
at negotiation, Fan Xian couldn't avoid it fast enough.

One mile outside the city, in the Temple of Qin, there was a
very tall pile of dry firewood burning merrily in the middle of a
desolate field. The fire was very hot, and the material being
burned cracked and popped.
 The Emperor, with his hands clasped behind his back,
watched the fire burn with cold eyes. He watched the body in
the fire gradually become black smoke. Behind his back, the
Great Qing Priest maintained the calm of an ascetic monk, but
fear showed in his eyes.

Outside the Temple of Qing, the eunuch Hong Zhu was

talking on and off with the guards. He was being transferred to
the empress's palace tomorrow to be the head eunuch; today
was his last time serving the Emperor.

A few days later on the Wei River, Fan Xian stood at the head
of the boat in deep silence. The chill on the surface of the river
washed over him, but could not push past the expensive coat
on his body.

He had left the capital, yet the reports continued to come in

without end. The Eldest Princess had sent many advanced
guards into the capital, and had also instructed her old servant
to bring many local Xinyang goods to the Fan Manor. These
were for Wan'er. It seemed that after her failed assassination
attempts, she'd finally acknowledged Fan Xian's power, and was
beginning to rebuild her relationship with her daughter.

These were details, not part of Chen Pingping's teachings of

keeping the world under his eye.

What really interested Fan Xian was the message that the
Great Qing Priest had finally returned to Qing after many
years, but because he had used all his Essential Blood in the
south during ascetic training, he had fallen ill and died. At the
same time, he learned that Hong Zhu had been transferred to
the empress's palace as the head eunuch. He was happy as well
as a little disappointed.

His student, Shi Chanli, used his hand to cover his eyes,
protecting them from the chilly river wind. He came to his side
to report, "Teacher, earlier the captain said that at our current
speed, we'll be able to reach Yingzhou tomorrow. In another
few days we will enter Jiangnan's territory."
 They had switched out their boat at a secret Overwatch
Council dock not far from the capital. The boat they were
currently on was a navy ship that had been refitted for
common use.

Going against the river wind, the picturesque lakes and

mountains of Jiangnan could be faintly seen. Fan Xian looked
slightly startled. He nodded, and then smiled. "Xiao Shi,
although the beauties of Jiangnan are waiting your embrace,
don't be too rushed."

Shi Chanli became embarrassed. The Baoyue Brothel was

expanding to Jiangnan, and that was why he and Sang Wen
had to come. Sang Wen could wait until March, but as Fan
Xian's student, Shi Chanli couldn't stay behind that long.
When he thought of the friends and classmates he'd met in
Tongfu Tavern all those years ago, and how they were now
officials in Jiangnan, he didn't feel good about his transition
into being the owner of a famous brothel.

Traveling in the cold of winter on the river was indeed

irritating. Sang Wen had the luck of being kept back by
Director Chen—Shi Chanli hadn't had such good luck. He had
been ordered out of the palace by his own father, not allowed
to wait until the warmth of spring.

The Third Prince shakily lifted the thick curtains on the boat
and looked at Fan Xian. "Siye, sir, it's time to eat." Fan Xian had
the right to teach princes because he still had the identity of an
Imperial Academy Siye, and so the Third Prince referred to him
as such.

Fan Xian turned his head and looked at the child of eight or
nine. His smile was chilling. "So has Your Highness finished
your homework?"
Chapter 332: Bandits Came When
Anchored At Yingzhou
Yingzhou was located north of the Yangtze River, surrounded
by countless mountains and valleys. Towards the east was the
fertile Jiangnan region and northwest of it was the center of
the Qing Kingdom, the important city of Jingdou. This
province, Yingzhou, was not far from two of the wealthiest
areas, and it was also at the crossing of the Wei River and the
Yangtze River. Logically speaking, merchants should have be
flocking there. The province should look lively and be full of
happy citizens.

Yet, the actual Yingzhou seemed to be rather run down. It

wasn't that everything was gloomy, or that the houses were
old. It was that the people on the street all had on dreary
expressions and seemed lifeless. The street vendors were also
spiritless. Even the savoury crepes all looked cold and limp.

The pier outside the city also wasn't very active. The boats
that went up and down the Qing River usually chose to anchor
at a pier further down, rather than here. There were only a few
desolate boats, and this made the newer ship to be even more
noticable.
 As for why Yingzhou was this way, the heavens were the first
to be blamed. Last year, the Yangtze flooded and broke through
a dam upstream. The river poured into the plains, killing
countless people and destroying many homes. Fortunately,
after the disaster the weather quickly cooled and there weren't
any outbreaks of disease. But this kind of tragedy took the
spirit out of Yingzhou.

The officials were second to blame. The currently appointed

Zhizhou of Yingzhou was once the Emperor's student, but he
didn't have an ounce of the Emperor's blessing. All he knew
how to do was show off his power to the city, suck up to his
superiors, and bully the merchants and commoners. Forget
repairing the river, he couldn't even maintain standard law and
order. He only knew how to collect outrageous amounts of
taxes. There was an ongoing rumour that this Zhizhou official
had connections with the bandits across the river.

The bandits were the third to blame. The Yingzhou people

were a brave group. Throughout their history, they had the
fearless tradition of raising their weapons and pitchforks
against officials. Now that they'd been stuck with such a
horrible official, there were naturally going to be more bitter
and poor commoners.
 However, that year, the situation had changed significantly.
First, the Zhizhou of Yingzhou was invited by the Overwatch
Council's Fourth Bureau's Zhuzhou City's Inspection Division
to have tea. Just as the people of Yingzhou were celebrating
this, hoping that the Zhizhou was finally going to fall, the
Zhizhou respectfully returned. And, just as the people were
disappointed that Yingzhou was going to continue to fall into
ruins, he passed away!

People from Jingdou came to investigate the death for a long

time, and confirmed that the Zhizhou did not die from some
conspiracy plan. He'd just died from illness.

On the day the Zhizhou died, the commoners of Yingzhou

silently lit countless strings of firecrackers. Of course, no one
said it was to celebrate the death of the god of plague. But if
someone didn't know of the real reason, they would have
simply thought that all the people of Yingzhou had chosen that
day to get married.

Another change was that the bandits in the mountain across

the river seemed to have settled down more. The largest of the
bandit camps had been wiped out in a day, and the bandits had
fallen apart. There was rumour that some important person
from jianghu had come to Jiangnan to try and take over their
control.

The Yingzhou people hadn't been happy in a long time, so

they pretended to celebrate an early New Year.

Because the Zhizhou had died, next year the court would
send in another Zhizhou. The bandits had fallen apart, but
more would come about. The commoner's life would go on just
as difficult as before and wouldn't be affected in that regard.

In a room beside the pier, a dozen hard laborers were

crowded together talking. Even if they were just casually
speaking, acting this relaxed in broad daylight was not, after
all, the attitude hard laborers should have with their job. The
hateful expressions on their faces revealed some of their true
intentions.
 The person that they were all circled around was a woman.
She was around 20 years old and had regular features. She
wouldn't be considered beautiful, but there was a toughness
between her eyes. The moment she opened her mouth, the men
around her all obediently shut theirs. She acted like she was in
charge.

"Check it carefully. It's a tea collecting merchant, from

Jingdou."

"Sister Guan, they have guards on their ship," one of the hard
laborers reminded.

Sister Guan was one of the infamous chief bandits near

Yingzhou. She hadn't been in Yingzhou for long, but she had
already gathered much support from a large amount of head
bandits. According to the gossip, she was being strongly
supported.

Sister Guan laughed coldly. "It's just a merchant, what's

important about that? Besides, you've all done this before. You
don't need me to tell you how much the chest in the back room
weighs, right?"
 They were talking calmly, but once the chest was mentioned,
the laborers eyes all began to burn hotly. On the jianghu, a
proper bandit looked at the imprint of carriage wheels to
determine the weight of the cargo, and from there they could
determine its value. But the bandits near Yingzhou were more
like water bandits. They were best at looking at how low the
ship sat in the water to determine what the ship was carrying.

Yesterday, a large ship had suddenly stopped at the pier. The

ship looked to be almost brand new, and the color of the lichen
on the ship informed those who spent their lives on the docks
that this ship probably hasn't been in the water for that long.
As Yingzhou rarely saw ships of that size anymore, it was a
rare opportunity for looting. While everyone was
disembarking to sort out the food, vegetables, and water
supplies, someone had already closely investigated the ship
and knew everything there was to know about it.

What confused the bandits was that since they were tea
merchants, why would they have such heavy cargo in the
back? As for how the ship sat in the water, it was clearly
different from usual ships. This question was finally answered
when a female cook, who was an undercover spy, went on
board. In a closely guarded room at the back of the ship was a
chest. Looking at the condition of the boards and the light
scratches on the metal key, the bandits were shocked to
discover that the chest was actually full of silver.

"No one would bring this much silver to Jiangnan just to

collect tea."

Sister Guan also had some doubts, but since the man had
taken over the bandits near Yingzhou, he needed to bring in
some big money, to give these sweat stained bandits some
payment. Besides, what the man was planning to do once
spring arrived did require a lot of silver. Otherwise she
wouldn't be so busy, capturing ships all over the place.

One of the bandits also thought it was strange and said, "The
ship sits low in the water, but there's no cargo on board. Maybe
they have river stones in the bottom hold that aunt didn't
notice."

Sister Guan shook her head. "It's not a seafaring boat, why
would it need ballast to hold it down? I just find him strange,
the merchant of that big ship. Why does he need so much
cash?"
 "Cash is good." A bandit giggled strangely and said, "We
wouldn't dare withdraw the money if we stole banknotes." This
comment immediately earned the agreement of the other men
and they all laughed together, with their greed obvious in their
voices.

Sister Guan furrowed her brows, "The question is, what

merchant still brings cash? Aren't they worried about safety
issues?"

The bandits watched Sister Guan and observed that this chief
was usually bold and ruthless in her actions, and precise in
choosing her targets. Taking advantage of the opportunity of
there being no Zhizhou, she had taken them on a few large
raids. The only thing was that she was sometimes a little too
careful. If she was concerned about issue of safety, why ask
them? She should go ask the stupid tea merchant himself.

Sister Guan waved her hands to call over the aunty who was
responsible for collecting the information. The aunty was dark
skinned and lean. She said pleasantly, "You can relax. There are
only a total of a dozen or so guards up there, with a serving girl
and one child. The master is a frail looking young man, who's
very beautiful but doesn't know how to be discreet at all. I
think he's probably some good-for-nothing second generation
of a wealthy family, who's been sent by his seniors to Jiangnan
to toughen him up."

He brought a serving girl, probably because the young

merchant found the nights too lonely. Sister Guan laughed
coldly and felt herself relax. If the tea merchant was a serious
merchant, he wouldn't be bringing a woman with him onto the
Yangtze. Perhaps he really was some useless second generation
man who thought the shiny silver was more satisfying to bang
together than actual paper bills.

As for the dozen or so guards, she didn't consider them a

threat at all. She had around a dozen good men under her, each
who were a lethal bandit with the blood of multiple lives on
their hands. She believed, when they boarded the ship that
night, that the guards would either be killed or flee into the
river.

The bandits around her looked at each other and smiled

sinisterly. "Sister Guan, after we're done tonight give the girl to
us as a reward."
 Sister Guan blinked and looked at them disdainfully. "Look
how mature you all are! As long as the silver is ours, the other
things are naturally in your hands."

She paused and then laughed out loud, sounding cold and
sinister. "Move quickly, and don't leave anyone alive.
Afterwards, drag the ship to the Two Tigers beach and set it on
fire."

It was a peaceful night outside of Yingzhou city. The moon

above the towering mountains across the river shined brightly
onto the endlessly running river. It seemed to calm down the
roaring sounds of the water. A few lonely boats were anchored
at the pier. The hour of zi had passed and everyone was
sleeping soundly. The lights on the ship had been put out long
ago, and the merchants had gone to sleep much earlier.

Under the gentle caress of the moonlight, a dozen black

shadows soundlessly moved to the riverbank and dived into
the river. They swam underwater until they reached the back
of the largest ship and then removed the objects that resembled
grappling hooks. Some were empty handed and climbed up by
the tow line, like a bunch of soaked monkeys. They were all
incredibly talented and agile.
 In mere seconds, these night attacking bandits had already
climbed on board the huge ship and disappeared into the
darkness.

Sister Guan held a sharp knife between her teeth as she

climbed silently onto the second level. Using the shadows of
the ship's cabin as cover, she headed straight towards the back.
They had discussed this plan in detail back in the warehouse
and knew the layout of the ship by heart. They knew that the
chest of silver was in the back cabin.

Behind her in the dark, she heard a faint choking sound and
then closely following, the sound of a person softly falling
onto the deck. She furrowed her brows and thought, Don't
those bastards know to strike more carefully? What if they
alerted all the guards at once? Although they weren't scared of
fighting, it would still be a hassle.

Arriving outside the cabin, she unexpectedly saw that there

were no guards. A few stifled groans could be heard throughout
the dark ship. Sister Guan knew that her subordinates were
gradually reaching the middle cabin. Feeling slightly
reassured, she hooked the door handle with her finger. She
placed a little pressure with the tip of her knife, and quietly
opened the cabin door. She immediately spotted the chest in
the dark.

Using the weak light shining through the front window as a

guide, Sister Guan had a clear view of the size of the chest, and
couldn't help but sucking in a cold breath. The aunt had not
been clear. She had only said that given the size and weight of
the chest, it probably had over thousands pieces of liang. Sister
Guan touched the chest in disbelief, taking in the size. My god,
she thought, how much silver is needed to fill a chest this big?

She felt a trickle of fear. To be able to carry this much silver,

even if he was a second generation from rich family, he had to
be one of the richest second generations in Jingdou. After they
were discovered, even the man behind her probably couldn't
stand up against the anger that would come from all of
Jingdou.

Don't kill that second generation man! This was the first
thought that came to Sister Guan's mind, but she immediately
figured that what is done cannot be undone, and she couldn't
keep hesitating anymore. Besides, this much silver was enough
to do anything they wanted.
 She carefully took out her tools and worked on the chest for
a long time before managing to get it open.

A flash of silver light immediately filled the cabin.

Sister Guan dumbfoundedly stared at the chest in front of

her. Her face was struck by shock and disbelief.

Even though she was the type of person who lived her entire
life on the razor sharp edge of a knife, and had seen plenty of
silver covered in blood, tonight, she was entranced by the rows
of neatly arranged silver ingots. Her usually cool gaze began to
reveal traces of greed.

She immediately came back to her senses. No matter how

bright the moon was, and no matter how beautiful the silver
was, it was impossible for it to shine with such allure.

She suddenly turned her head and looked behind her, only to
find a serious looking middle-aged man who held a white
lantern in one hand, and an extraordinarily long sword in the
other. The man was looking coldly at her.
 Tiger Guard Gao Da had already done as Fan Xian ordered.
He had given Sister Guan plenty of time to admire the silver,
and very slowly raised his sword to attack.

Sister Guan raised her own knife.

But that slow and long sword was an unstoppable force. In a

flash, it had broken through the infamous female bandit's
defenses and those on her crew. She had to watch, in deadly
pain and with her courage disappearing, her left hand get
chopped off. Fresh blood spewed out along with the feeling of
burning pain

The middle cabin in the ship was lit up. Sister Guan's hair
was dishevelled and her mind in a muddle as she was dragged
into the room.

The bandits that had followed her onto the ship had been
disarmed and knocked unconscious earlier. They were tied up
securely and laid out neatly on the deck. The few on duty Sixth
Bureau swordsmen wearing black were acting like nothing had
happened, and continued to guard their own direction.
 She raised her head and saw, through the strands of her hair,
the tired, irritated, and handsome young man sitting in the
tutor's chair. For some reason, a chill ran through her. Who
exactly lived on this ship, to be able to have such martial arts
masters guard his ship? The man with the sword earlier, was
also a master of the art. Now, she realized that the young
second generation that the aunt spoke of was not any normal
tea merchant.

"Guan Wumei?" The young man on the chair glanced at her

chopped off hand and, still facing the hatred filled female
bandit, yawned. His face was full of interest as she asked
questions.

Naturally, the man was Fan Xian. He had stopped in

Yingzhou, originally to clean up some of the things connected
to Hong Zhu's case, but had unexpectedly caught the attention
of some foolish bandits. However, he realized at once that the
woman in front of him was the same woman from the portrait
in the Overwatch Council's file they were pursuing and he
couldn't help laughing. He thought to himself, I was just
wondering how to open the Jiangnan matter, and here it's
already been delivered right to my door.
Chapter 333: The Qing Kingdom’s
Largest Bandit Ship
Hearing the other party causally call out her name, the
female bandit was stunned. She stared at Fan Xian, her gaze as
piercing as a knife. Her left hand was clutching tightly at the
wound where her hand used to be.

"I've fallen into your hands today. What should I call you,
sir?" she asked viciously.

Fan Xian sat in his chair and stuck a finger in his ear, as if he
couldn't feel the hatred of the other person's glare.

He smiled and said, "I'm the owner of this ship, and you're
the bandit. What right do you have to know my background?"

Guan Wumei only felt a deep flash of pain in her right arm.
Seeing that her wrist was cut shorter, her face went white. She
knew that she'd hit rock bottom that day, so she gritted her
teeth and said, "Please lay out your terms."
 Fan Xian glanced at her with amusement and thought that
this situation was absurd. He and his group had been delayed
by some matters, but he didn't expected his ship to be so
attractive to others. It hadn't even been a day and it had
already drawn out Yingzhou's infamous female bandit. What's
more, after the female bandit in front of him had been
captured, not only was she not afraid, she wanted him to lay
out his terms.

"What kind of terms?" Fan Xian dipped his finger into some
cold tea and carefully rubbed it between his eyebrows, flicking
up the small hairs at the ends.

"The dark terms or the light terms? Human terms or ghost

terms?" he asked.

Behind him, the ship's curtain moved slightly and Sisi,

wearing a big coat and rubbing her tired eyes, walked out in a
daze.

"Young master, why are you up?" she mumbled. She was
blinded by the lights in the room, and it took her a moment to
see the scene clearly. When her eyes landed on Sister Guan's
sliced off hand, she couldn't help but let out a scream at the
horrifying and bloody sight.

She only screamed for a moment before Fan Xian covered her
mouth with his hand.

Mockingly he said, "Do you want to wake up everyone in

Yingzhou City?"

From Danzhou to Jingdou, the bloodiest sight Sisi had ever

seen was the time when the second young master of the Fan
family, Sizhe, had been punished. She had never seen missing
hands or feet, and she was shaking from the shock and
struggling to calm down. Fan Xian pinched her waist and said,
"Go back to sleep; this is serious business."

Sisi couldn't resist taking another look at Guan Wumei

before she nodded and turned around to head back to her
room.

"Is he awake?"
 "No," Sisi continued. "I don't think Sir Shi is awake either."

"Xiao Shi sleeps like a pig. Back when I used to make a bunch
of noise, he only knew how to stay asleep next to the pretty girl
beside him. What does he really know about the things that
happen outside his room?"

At this point, Guan Wumei's pain was making her lips twitch
and her face turn green. However, her ears could still clearly
hear the conversation above her between the young man and
his serving girl. She felt like the situation was getting even
more strange. Just who exactly was on this boat? After being
attacked at night by bandits, they were still acting calm, and
even had the time and energy to chat. If the other party didn't
have extreme confidence in themselves, then the other party
was just stupid. Of course, she knew that the former was much
more likely. She just didn't know how they were going to deal
with her and her people.

Having ushered Sisi into the guest cabin, Fan Xian's smile
immediately faded. He said gently, "Guan Wumei, of Jiangbei
Road, Ezhou. Your father is from Guanhe Mountain and your
mother is of the Xia family. You've lived in poverty since a
young age, and you were eventually sold to a brothel. Later,
you became the concubine of an official in Ezhou, but because
you couldn't stand the humiliation of your mother-in-law, you
killed her in anger. You were sent to prison but miraculously
escaped. After this, you became the mistress of a mountain
village, and even later, the mountain village was destroyed.
Then, you came to the area around Yingzhou."

Guan Wumei was shocked to her core and seemed to even

have forgotten the pain of her lost hand. How could the man in
front of her know so many details of her past? Did he lay out
this trap on purpose to capture her?

"Who exactly are you? How do you know so much about

me?" she viciously asked with her hoarse voice.

Fan Xian shook his head and said, "My memory is pretty
good, but this information isn't much because you're not an
important person."

Guan Wu Mei has had an extraordinary life, and could be

considered one of the most infamous and dangerous bandits on
the Yangtze River. Having unexpectedly been caught, being
unable to put up a fight, and having the other party act
unbothered and dismissive of her made her feel a trace of
humiliation at this harsh reality. The tone and attitude of the
young man sitting in front of her forced her to admit that he
really didn't consider her a worthy opponent.

"Since you know who I am, then you should know that I have
someone working behind me. Unless you have us all killed,
then I don't think this will end well."

Guan Wumei was consumed with pain and began to stupidly

threaten her enemy. She hoped that when they punished her
people, he would be a little merciful.

The cruel reality broke her illusion. Fan Xian smiled and
said, "That's exactly what I want to do."

Guan Wumei was startled and suddenly felt a chill come

from behind her. She quickly turned her head. The sounds of
sharp blades being drawn against countless throats rang out. It
was a horror to hear, as if the kitchen behind a stone house was
killing dozens of hens at the same time.
 After the dozen bandits that had followed Guan Wumei onto
the ship had their throats slit by Fan Xian's guards, the guards
simply threw them overboard after double checking that they
were all dead. They acted professionally and not even one drop
of blood landed on the deck. The splashing of water quieted
after only a moment, as the widely flowing river took all the
bodies and blood into its depths.

He didn't even blink at having a dozen people killed; he was

so ruthless.

Guan Wumei's eyes finally revealed her fear. Seeing how the
other party had acted, it was clear to her that they were used to
doing this type of cruel behavior.

Turning back, she saw the young man withdraw the hand
gesture he'd used to give his order. Involuntarily, her voice
shook and her teeth chattered as she said, "Don't kill me."

Her teeth wouldn't stop chattering and she was making a

strange sound. She made herself swallow and forced herself to
calm down. Since they hadn't killed her at the same time as the
others, there was still a chance of survival.
 "Please give me my family's leader face." Guan Wumei
kneeled in fear on the ground and begged Fan Xian.

"Your family leader?"

Thinking of the man's power, some hope rose in Guan

Wumei's heart.

"After seeing how your subordinates act with such strength, I

think you're both of the same road. My leader is the head of the
Jiangnan water bandits. He has hundreds of ships under his
command and countless amounts of capable people. If you're
thinking of coming to Jiangnan to plan something big, you'll
certainly get along with him and enjoy talking to him."

Fan Xian ignored the female bandit's inappropriate word

choice, but he could tell that she was asking for mercy and
trying to use that so-called "head of the Jiangnan bandits" to
threaten him. He couldn't help laughing and thought, This trip
to Jiangnan is truly very interesting.
 "Head?" he asked warmly. "Are you talking about Seventh
Ming? The seventh son of the Ming family, the one that was
never truly accepted into the Ming family? I heard that his
mother died many years ago, and after old master Ming passed
away, the oldest young master took over the family and sent
out assassins everywhere to kill this illegitimate child who was
an embarrassment to the family.

"But in reality, it was because the old master Ming left too
many valuable things to Seventh Ming. Seventh Ming had
nowhere to hide, so he decided to throw in his lot with the dark
side. He changed his name, overcame his impetuosity, and was
very patient. He quietly sent out his own assassins and now,
five or six years later, he's finally made a bit of a name for
himself."

"The head of the Jiangnan water bandits, Xia Qifei, the poor
illegitimate child, Seventh Ming—how did he end up like this?"
Fan Xian furrowed his brow, as if he thought that this person
in Jiangnan who was of some status was actually very far from
what he had imagined. "He's actually allowing his subordinates
to run around stealing silver? This method is much too
pathetic. Has he been running low on silver recently?"
 Jiangnan had always been wealthy, and when the palace
treasury was built, it produced even more wealthy people. But
other than the salt merchants and sea merchants, the two most
famous families were the Cui and Ming families. These two
families had intermarried for generations and were friendly
with the Eldest Princess. Who knew how much money they'd
made depending on the palace treasury? The Cui clan was in
charge of smuggling to the North of the palace treasury, while
the Ming family, according to the investigations by the
Overwatch Council, should be responsible for all of the
smuggling headed towards Dongyi City, as well as the overseas
business.

Fan Xian had come down to Jiangnan to manage the palace

treasury. Now that the Cui clan had fallen, his first order of
business was to stun the Ming family. Naturally, he had done
his homework well before leaving the capital. After talking all
night with Mr. Yan, he had long decided on his plan.

He had spoken slowly in the cabin and almost scared Guan

Wumei to death, who was kneeling on the floor. Ever since her
young master had been chased out of the Ming family, he'd
been planning for all these years on how to take back the
family business. However, his true identity was their closest
guarded secret. The heads of the Jiangnan water villages had
no idea that their boss was actually a descendant of a wealthy
family. The Ming family, those rich merchants, were also
completely in the dark. They even sometimes had shady
business deals with the water villages in Jiangnan.

Other than herself, nobody knew of this secret because of an

extra layer of closeness with Seventh Ming, one that outsiders
didn't know about. Guan Wumei didn't believe that there was
another person who knew the head of Jiangnan's water
villages', Xia Qifei's, true past. How could she expect this
young master in front of her to break through to the truth at
once?

Fan Xian suddenly thought of something and smiled happily.

"I get it now. The Cui family fell, and although the Ming
family is sad, they are also happy to take over the Cui family's
portion. I'm guessing that Seventh Ming wouldn't pass up this
opportunity to enter the market and set himself up against the
Ming family. In March, the palace treasury will put out new
bids, and the Jiangnan water villages will be a blank slate.
Seventh Ming wants revenge, and he wants to steal the palace
treasury sales documents. This all needs money, and it's no
wonder he's as anxious as ever."
 Guan Wumei stared at Fan Xian with terror, thinking, What
god is this frail looking young man? How does he know so
much? The matters of the palace treasury were closely guarded
court secrets, yet the other party guessed young master's true
thoughts in just a moment. She saw that there was a warm
smile on the corner of Fan Xian's lips, but her body was frozen
and unable to move.

"Seventh Ming doesn't have very good etiquette. Why bother

for just a few hundred liang of silver?" Fan Xian sighed.

Before he had come to Jiangnan, he originally had a measure

of curiosity for the Seventh Ming that the Overwatch Council
had discovered in their secret investigations. After all, the
other party had a somewhat similar past to him. Now that he
had discovered that the other party's methods weren't very
good, he couldn't help but feel disappointed.

He sighed to himself and lowered his head. It was only then

that he noticed the silent Guan Wumei with her own head
down. He smiled apologetically and said, "I like to talk to
myself sometimes. Don't worry, I'll stop your bleeding in a
moment."
 Guan Wumei asked, "Why not kill me instead?"

Fan Xian thought about this and said, "I'm not someone who
likes to kill people. Besides, I still have to talk business with
your master. If I killed his cousin, I'm afraid he might get too
vengeful without knowing enough information. It could
damage the business between us."

That night, Guan Wumei had been stunned so often that she
felt numb now. Since this man was able to discover the young
master's true identity, then of course he would be able to find
out about the connection between them. Only, he'd said…
business? She wished she could be reincarnated.

With difficulty she said, "Sir, my family leader is currently

downstream."

By this point, she guessed that Fan Xian was likely a

representative from a great power in Jingdou, and that was
why he had such powerful guards and knew so many secrets.
She gritted her teeth and said, "Tonight was our fault. I'll bring
gifts as an apology in the future."
 After hearing their previous conversation, she thought that
the other party would let her go. Unexpectedly, the young
master sank into deep thought and for a while, didn't speak.
Unable to help herself, she dejectedly said, "Sir, we all walk the
jianghu. You've already killed a dozen of my subordinates. Is
that not enough to satisfy your anger?"

"Jianghu? Does this world really have a jianghu?" Fan Xian

smiled slightly. "Besides, those kills weren't enough to satisfy
my anger; it was just one way to deal with the issue. I won't let
you leave this ship, at least until I need you to. This is to
prevent you from slipping up and revealing my identity. That
would just bring unnecessary trouble to Jiangnan."

Guan Wumei didn't understand what he was saying, but she

did recognize the great amount of self-confidence in his tone.
In a hoarse and hopeless voice she asked, "Matters of the
jianghu are resolved on the jianghu. What exactly do you want
to do?"

There was absolute silence in the cabin, and after a moment,

Fan Xian laughed lightly.
 "You're mistaken. I'm not of the jianghu." He propped up his
chin and looked at Guan Wumei's white face with amusement.
"I don't have the time or effort to deal with such a messy and
chaotic place as jianghu."

Guan Wumei thought that her enemy was becoming more

and more mysterious. Unable to stop herself she asked, "Who. .
. who exactly are you?"

"Me?" Fan Xian thought about this seriously. "I am a no-

good, waiting to die second generation man. Of course, I might
be the most powerful second generation man in all of the Qing
Kingdom."

Thinking of her men's guesses before they had boarded the

ship, Guan Wumei almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

"You're a bandit." Fan Xian stared into her eyes, and spoke
each of his words clearly. "And I am a powerful bandit. Now
that you're on my bandit ship, I, as the host, will look after you
well. Of course, your Seventh Ming is also about to come onto
my ship, and he won't be getting off again in this lifetime."
 Guan Wumei finally understood that this other party didn't
want to do business with Seventh Ming, they wanted to use
him for their own ends.

"You're only dreaming! You're only worthy enough to polish

my master's shoes!" she viciously spat.

Fan Xian didn't get angry, he just laughed out loud and rose
from his chair. He took out a golden needle and pricked her a
few times near her elbow to stop the bleeding. He was
originally going to respond to her, but then decided that there
wasn't much point. He thought, Your master, that Seventh
Ming, will likely be sincerely polishing my shoes n just a few
days. I only hope that you won't be too surprised when it
happens.

After everything was dealt with, the sailors who had been
waiting in the lower level brought up a huge bucket of water
from the river to wash away the spilled blood. Although Guan
Wumei was the only one who had bled on the ship, she'd lost a
lot of blood from her severed wrist and it took quite some
effort to clean it all up.

The wind picked up again after all the cleaning was done.
Everyone yawned exhaustedly and went back to sleep. The ship
resumed its silence, as if the earlier events had never happened.

"Go to sleep; there will be someone on duty for the late shift,"
said Fan Xian, glancing at Gao Da. The regulations of the Qing
Kingdom officials demanded that personal guards worked in
two shifts, but Fan Xian forcefully changed it to three shifts.
Although there were less people each shift, he believed that
those capitalistic people in the world had their own reasons for
splitting the people they exploited into three shifts. It probably
ensured better work efficiency.

Pushing aside the thick, cloth curtain, he walked along the

passageway that went through the cabins until he reached the
end. Fan Xian stopped and twisted his head to glance at Shi
Chanli's room. As expected, the scholar was still sound asleep.
Su Wenmao had woken up a long time ago and was guarding
the door with an exhausted expression. It was deep into the
night, and the two didn't speak to each other.

Walking to the room opposite of his own, Fan Xian said

something to the Tiger Guards on duty outside and gently
pushed the door open. He walked straight to the bed and sat
down. Looking at the little boy beneath the blankets, he
remained silent for quite some time.

The Third Prince had regular features and seemed very

delicate in his young age. But, Fan Xian knew that this kid was
a lot tougher than he looked. The ship rocked and he pulled up
the blanket on the bed, covering the boy's shoulders. The wind
on the river was icy, and it wouldn't be good for him to catch a
cold.

The Third Prince's tightly shut eyes twitched slightly.

Fan Xian laughed quietly. The child had probably woken up

long ago, and was only pretending to be asleep. He suddenly
realized that a child of eight or nine that was easier to wake up
than Shi Chanli probably had many burdens weighing down on
his heart. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but emotionally
sigh. It was easy, when born to a royal family, for immoral
desires and ploys for power to result in the creation of strange
children. This little boy was sometimes loathsome, but he was
also very pitiful.

He didn't have the energy to expose the child's trick, but he

instead lost focus and thought of the issue Wan'er had
reminded him of. He had something completely different in
mind, but couldn't make up his mind just yet.

The shopkeepers from the Qingyu Hall were not on the ship
heading south. Since Fan Xian was secretly going to Jiangnan,
the group of family members heading towards Danzhou needed
to look very realistic. At the middle of the Wei River, the fake
Commissioner would have already led the group east. Along
the way, there were Black Knights protecting them, and they
had all of the shopkeepers. Everyone in the court would
probably think that he was travelling with that group, and no
one would ever imagine that he'd already reached the crossing
point of the Wei River and the Yangtze River.

Although they were taking the waterways and couldn't have

the Black Knights give them the quickest and strongest
defense, Fan Xian wasn't worried at all about their safety.
There were seven Tiger Guards on board, as well as swordsman
from the Sixth Bureau. With so many masters and assassins on
one ship, besides a personal visit from a Great Grandmaster,
who in this world could even manage to touch his finger?

His warm hand gently patted the Third Prince's back, but his
face was turned away and lost in thought. The most valuable
person on the ship was this prince. With such a valuable gem
like this beside him, even if wanted to use his privilege to move
his family soldiers and provincial warriors in the future, he
could probably find a good excuse to do so.

The current scenario was a bit odd, but Fan Xian was a
daring man and didn't care much for the dignity of the royal
family. Continuing to treat the Third Prince as a student and
younger brother was already giving the Emperor and Yi Guipin
a good reputation.

After making sure everything was as it should be, Guan

Wumei, with her severed hand wound, was thrown into the
ordinary prison in the lower level. It was only then could Fan
Xian completely relax. Rubbing his slightly swollen temples, he
returned to his room to find a sleepy Sisi half sitting on the side
of the bed. She had her chin propped up with one hand, and
her entire body swayed back and forth with the rocking of the
ship. The girl was amusing. She was already this sleepy and
she still didn't fall down.

Fan Xian chuckled and knew that she wouldn't let herself
sleep until he was resting as well. Not daring to make a noise,
he tiptoed over and slid one hand under her arms and another
under her knees. She was a wearing a red and green old coat
and felt like a big round bundle. It was like he was holding a
large furry bear.

He carefully placed Sisi onto the bed, not wanting to disturb

her dreams. Unexpectedly, she still woke up and opened her
eyes, her sleepy confusion immediately disappearing. She
forced herself to sit up and said with a smile, "I'll spread out
young master's blanket."

Fan Xian gently laughed and scolded her, "I've already slept
earlier; who needs sheets? You're already disorientated from
sleeping; go rest."

Sisi covered her mouth and laughed. "The bed is all cold now.
When you were little, you hated cold blankets. Didn't you
always have me warm them first?"

Hearing these words, Fan Xian paused and suddenly

reminisced the time the two of them had spent together in the
old manor, back in Danzhou a couple years ago. In just a blink
of an eye, two years had passed. He'd been busy scrambling for
power, getting married, and going out as an envoy. Without
meaning to, he had drifted apart from Sisi. Luckily, Sisi still
treated him with intimacy. Unintentionally, his heart warmed
as he smiled at her.

"Are you going to warm my bed tonight?"

These words were a bit flirtatious, but they both were aware
that Sisi was a girl who would eventually have to prepare
herself to marry. She'd already, long ago, prepared herself
mentally for that. She blushed slightly at his question, and
didn't make a cheerful reply as she would have in the past. She
only took off her outer coat and slipped herself entirely under
the blankets.

She slid into the young master's bed with only a headful of
black locks visible on the white pillow. It was ridiculously
alluring.

Fan Xian paused, then removed his clothes and burrowed

into the blankets as well. While they were in Danzhou, they'd
grown up together and shared a bed numerous times. They'd
rolled around together in the blankets on plenty of occasions.
Other than that final thing, they'd already done every other
possible intimate act multiple times.

The lights had yet to be put out in their cabin. Fan Xian
hugged the girl from behind, his hands wrapped around her
front. He held onto her slightly cold hands. His chest was
pressed against her back, and he could hear her breathing in
front of him. Without thinking, he tightened his hold on her
even more.

"I'm 20, young master," Sisi gently bit her lower lip as she
said this. There was a trace of grief and hidden bitterness in
her voice.

Fan Xian didn't say anything back. He just breathed in the

light scent of her hair and took in the feel of her nimble body
with his embrace. He easily allowed his mind to return back to
the situation in Danzhou. His whole body felt unbelievably
relaxed and at ease.
Chapter 334: A Situation
Unable to sleep at night, he could hear the wind outside sing
over the river.

Fan Xian gave up and opened his eyes. He whispered in the

ear of the girl next to him, "What about being 20? Getting
impatient?"

Hearing this, Sisi got angry and sat up in the bed. She bit a
piece of hair near her lip and was so angry she couldn't speak.

Fan Xian paused and quickly pulled her back down. He knew
he had said the wrong thing. For Qing girls, most were married
around 15 or 16. There were not many like Sisi, who was still a
maiden at 20. Although Fan Xian always had thought that 20
was the perfect time to mature, in most people's eyes, Sisi had
already become an old maid.

Although everyone was polite to Sisi for the sake of old

ancestors in Danzhou and Fan Xian, particularly in the Fan
Manor, there was always talk going around. Since Fan Xian
continued to not take her as a concubine, this further
encouraged this atmosphere.

Thinking about this carefully, Fan Xian knew that he had not
dealt with this matter well. He always thought that there was
no rush, but he never thought about it from Sisi's perspective.
For a girl to be 20, even if in that other world it would be the
same as a 30-year-old-virgin girl, no matter who it was, she
wouldn't be able to accept this tragic reality.

Sisi curled up her body. She ignored him and slept with a
pained heart.

Fan Xian thought about it and then smiled. "Speaking of

which, we haven't lain in the same bed for two years." Back
when they were in Danzhou, although the two years elder Sisi
would always sleep to one side, Fan Xian had long developed
the bad habit of going to her bed to fool around for a while
after getting up.

"The young master has grown up. Naturally you can't always
fool around with the servants." Sisi buried her head into the
blankets as her voice buzzed back.
 "I want to fool around for a long time." Fan Xian didn't try to
coax her, he just said warmly and gently, "With an ugly mug
like mine, only you wouldn't be disgusted with me."

Sisi sputtered with laughter, "If you have an ugly mug, then
how will all the girls under heaven survive?"

Suddenly the master and servant both fell silent. They were
both thinking about how this line was Wang Xifeng's self-
disparaging comment from Story of the Stone. They slowly
began to think of the times in Danzhou when each night one
person would copy the book and the other would hold up the
picture.

In those days, every time Fan Xian would use a delicate

xiaokai to "copy" the Story of the Stone, Sisi would be beside
him making ink, adjusting the light, lighting incense, and
preparing a midnight snack. The two of them perfectly created
the saying, "to copy books in the night with a red sleeve adding
incense." Speaking of which, Sisi was Fan Xian's first reader in
this world.

…
 …

Fan Xian turned the girl's body around and forcefully pulled
her into his embrace and said, "Since you laughed, don't cry
again. Listen to me tell you the joke where a man is not even as
good as an animal."

Sisi curiously opened her eyes and waited for him to open his
mouth and finish telling this famous joke. Finally, she couldn't
resist burrowing into his embrace and laughing. Mischievously
she said, "Ah, so you are saying you weren't even as good as an
animal all these years."

"Now that I think about it, that does seem to be a problem,"

Fan Xian said, acknowledging his mistake. "I admit that these
words are shamelessly hypocritical. Of course, most
importantly is that I don't know exactly what you were
thinking."

"What was I thinking?" Sisi was confused.

 Fan Xian sighed in his heart and didn't say anything.
Suddenly Sisi understood what he was saying and was
surprised, as well as moved. Although his thinking was indeed
absurdly muddled, as to be prepared to consider how she felt,
but…it did feel very warm.

"Young master, do you remember when we were little…and

the time you hit Steward Zhou?"

"Of course I remember." Fan Xian smiled. "That fellow, he

dared to be impolite to you. See if I didn't make him bloom
with color."

Sisi gathered the courage to look at his face and couldn't

speak for a while. After all, she was a girl; how could she say
such intimate things? That day, Fan Xian had hit Steward Zhou
until his face swelled, and that day, the plum flowers in Sisi's
heart also blossomed.

At that time, Fan Xian was only 12, and Sisi was no more
than 14.
 Fan Xian did not know what the girl was thinking and
instead thought about the scene at the time. Involuntarily he
said, "I really hit him hard that time."

Sisi huddled in his embrace and laughed out loud, "You have
strong hands."

"Strong hands?" Fan Xian chuckled. His left hand lowered in

the blanket and just happened to slap onto Sisi's round, pert
butt. The girl only wore light sleeping pants, and they were
very thin. The palm made contact with the butt with a crisp
crack.

Memories were always good, and flirting was always

pleasurable. Master and servant played around like this and
didn't speak for a while. Only in the dark and quiet of the
night, with the gentle fragrance of the blankets, the air started
to warm up. Fan Xian finally began acting like an animal; his
two hands had long been restless and began searching up and
down.

…
 …

"Lights—the lights are still on," Sisi said with

embarrassment.

At this moment, Fan Xian had entered the animal realm of

primates and was as anxious as a monkey. Hearing those
words, he stuck out his left arm and swung it back. He thought
that this martial technique, the coffin-breaker, he had learned
from Ye Ling'er, should be able to easily send out a breeze and
extinguish that candle flame. However, he sent out the strike
and the flame remained steady.

It was only then that he remembered all his zhenqi had

dissipated, and he couldn't extinguish a flame at a distance
anymore. Muttering a few curses, he reached under his pillow
for the small crossbow he kept in his sleeve. He turned around
and pulled the trigger in a rush.

There was a soft hissing sound as the crossbow arrow flew

through the flame and embedded itself in the wood of the cabin
with a muffled thud. The flame immediately went out, and
darkness claimed the cabin.
 …

He had made a big mistake.

He hadn't even had time to enjoy the sweetness of the

darkness before hearing the wind whooshing outside. A
number of masters gathered in a moment outside his room. He
heard the sound of swords being drawn and crossbows armed.

When Fan Xian had shot at the flame, the sound of the arrow
hitting the wood was light but had fallen onto the ears of these
professionals and was alarming. Since there was a prince and
commissioner aboard, the guards were extremely alert. From
the outside came the sound of a Tiger Guard's alert voice.

"Sir, is there a problem?"

 Fan Xian rose in anger but also felt lucky that these loyal
subordinates had not directly rushed into the room. He turned
back to see the girl hiding a smile in the blankets and felt a
great bitterness and indescribable frustration.

Not a word was said all night.

Fan Xian was up early the next morning. Today, he didn't let
Sisi help him brush his hair and put on his clothes. The girl
was a little inconvenienced and could only continue resting on
the bed.

Fan Xian brought in a bowl of porridge, a few pieces of

cornbread, and some salted vegetables, and helped the poor girl
have breakfast. Having completed what a man should do, he
walked out of the cabin to the head of the ship. He gazed at the
vast and mighty surface of the river and welcomed the chilly
winter breeze. He felt energetic everywhere in his body and not
a thread of discomfort.

After the morning fog retreated, the ship left Yingzhou. In

reality, most of the people on the ship were still asleep. At this
moment, Fan Xian turned his head back to look and saw that
the pier had long disappeared behind a group of mountains and
could not be seen.

"You rise early." Su Wenmao spoke from the side respectfully,

but his gaze flickered up and down Fan Xian's body. The joke
from last night already had spread. While no one dared say
anything to his face, they all found it secretly amusing.

Fan Xian did not noticed his subordinate's unfriendly gaze

and casually exchanged a few words. His gaze shifted to the
side and saw the Third Prince and Deng Zi Yue coming out of
the cabin.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Fan Xian respectfully greeted the Third Prince, and didn't

hold back at all. He didn't lose any discipline just because they
were no longer in Jingdou.

The Third Prince had a childish beauty. He accepted this

greeting with some embarrassment and didn't move.
 After Fan Xian had finished his greeting, he consciously,
immediately straightened and stood steadily in front of the
Third Prince without saying anything.

The Third Prince scratched his head and wrapped his hand
around his fist. With much grievance, he saluted deeply to Fan
Xian. "Student greets Sir Siye."

The two of them were both beautiful but full of complicated

thoughts, and their ages were far apart. After their strange
ritual, they began their day aboard the ship. On this ship, other
than Fan Xian's usual subordinates, were a few tutoring
serving woman from the palace and two eunuchs. They were
all specially trained in the palace to serve the princes, but Fan
Xian and his people were bold and forced these people to
remain in the lower levels, not allowing them to come out.

On Fan Xian's side, of the Eighth Bureaus, other than the

Sixth Bureau who were responsible for the assassination
security, he also had transferred two officials from the Second
Bureau and Fourth Bureau. The Second Bureau official was
responsible for maintaining the smooth communication of
intelligence reports, and the Fourth Bureau official was
responsible for communicating with the various Inspection
Division officials of the Overwatch Council along the banks of
the Jiangnan.

Fan Xian's own teacher was from the Third Bureau and was
now in control of the First Bureau. Thus, it meant that there
was more than half of the Overwatch Council's structure on
board this ship. Although there were not many people, the
different divisions worked smoothly together.

Life on the ship was boring. When this group had first left
Jingdou, they were fascinated by the scenery along the river
for the first few days but gradually became bored of looking.
Adding to the fact that the wind on the river was very chilly,
most of the people who were not on duty holed up and rested
in their rooms.

Fan Xian and the Third Prince stood at the head of the boat,
watching the oncoming canyon, and talked quietly about
something. The Third Prince often nodded, and Fan Xian's face
appeared warm.

Su Wenmao stood behind and watched the commissioner

with the prince, but he was thinking of a different matter. Why
did the ship have to carry such a large chest of silver ingots?

Having finished talking, Fan Xian left the Third Prince at the
head of the boat to imitate Jack and walked away.

Su Wenmao looked at the boy at the head of the ship and

asked with a pained face, "Sir, if His Highness catches a cold, it
will not be good."

"I'm training his will." Fan Xian had not been gentle to the
Third Prince on this trip and maintained his distance. This not
only surprised the people on the ship, but probably also struck
the Third Prince as very strange.

"Sir, that chest of silver…" Su Wenmao probed.

Fan Xian shook his head, "Just guard it well. Since that
woman has already seen it, just make sure no one else touches
it."
 Su Wenmao acknowledged the order and didn't continue to
ask questions.

Fan Xian stretched and suddenly realized that he was sitting

on a big ship with a chest of silver and was bringing a beauty to
Jiangnan; it really did seem like the actions of a second
generation. It was a pity that the weather was not very good,
otherwise he could sunbathe and have some cold fruit juice.
That would be even better.

"Guan Wumei has been locked up by us." Su Wenmao

furrowed his brows. "How can we let the head of the Jiangnan
water bandits, Master Xia, know? We will arrive in Yangzhou
in the afternoon. Should we inform the local official to get the
message out?"

Fan Xian thought about it and shook his head. "No need, I
don't want him to know who I am for now. These criminals on
the jianghu will only act carefully once they find that they
can't be sure of the other party's inside information. What I
want to see is how much he is willing to do for this matter."

"Then…"
 "Don't let the Fourth Bureau spread the information." Fan
Xian smiled and said, "Last night, wasn't there an aunt that
was left by you in Yingzhou? Naturally, she will try to contact
Xia Qifei."

...

...

Today, the most terrified person in the Qing Kingdom was the
aunt that Fan Xian spoke of.

The private ship at the Yingzhou pier had already left. The
aunt stood dazed at the edge of the pier. She had a bag of not
completely cured meats in her hand and didn't even bother
answering the occasional person who asked her for a price. She
was a spy the bandits had placed in Yingzhou and usually was
responsible for finding information. Yesterday, she was the first
to figure out the situation with the chest on the ship.

It wasn't a big deal that the ship had disappeared considering

the way Sister Guan and this group of bandits did things. After
they had killed the people and taken the goods, they would sail
the boat away that night, beach it, and then burn it to remove
all evidence.

Thus, when she saw the ship was gone this morning, she
thought that Sister Guan and them had already succeeded.
However, she had waited on the pier for half a day but there
wasn't any message.

Sister Guan hadn't returned. Second brother hadn't returned.

No one had returned.

Just like that ship, all the bandits had disappeared without a
trace and never appeared again. She waited all the way until
dusk, but the pier remained as quiet as death.

It wasn't until now that the aunt was sure something had
gone wrong.

Her bottom lip quivered and she found it difficult to believe

this reality. Even if the guards on the ship were too strong,
there should have been sounds of a struggle and the officials
should have reacted. How could there not have been a single
sound at all? Was that ship a ghost ship that casually stole the
lives of a dozen people?

That night, she changed her outfit and wrapped up her hair.
She hid the valuables in her home and spent a large amount of
money to rent a carriage. She traveled through the night along
the difficult to traverse mountain paths heading downstream.
She passed Yangzhou and did not stop, and she continued east
until she reached the county that was about to enter Jiangnan
Road.

This trip took her an entire two days. During the trip she
only had a few sips of water and did not eat any food at all.

She was a lower-level personnel, and would have had great

difficulty in meeting the master of Sister Guan, but perhaps her
sunken eyes made the adviser responsible for receiving visitors
believe her words. With a serious expression, he brought her to
the back garden.

In the most forbidding back garden in the city, the Jiangnan

water bandit, the big boss who was not yet 30, the man who
was famous on the jianghu, Xia Qifei closed his eyes and listed
to the aunt's words. He slowly opened his eyes; they were cold
and threatening.

"As long as that ship is still on the water, stop it."

Ships were, naturally, always on the water.

The heroes of the Jiangnan waterways under Xia Qifei had

countless ships. This order revealed a strong self-confidence as
well as a faint anger.
Chapter 335: You’ve Been Surrounded
As the water dried up in the winter, laborers were like ants as
they worked hard to move rocks and sand on the two sides of
the river to make repairs. Rumors said that the silver hadn't
been completely handed down. So other than the
subcontractors, the other commoners were all very lifeless. No
one wanted to work hard if they were busy all day but were
still not able to put even bronze in their pockets. Only the
laborers dawdling over their work had the extra time to go have
a look at the river they had long tired of looking at and mimic
the civil officials far above them.

When they looked, everyone was surprised to see that on the

Yangtze heading toward Jiangnan Road there suddenly
appeared many boats. They were currently cruising up and
down the river. Shipping in the winter couldn't compare to
that of the other three seasons and was very rarely this lively.
It was like in one night someone used magic to airdrop all these
ships onto the river.

There were big and small boats of all different shapes and
speeds. There were even three slightly refitted trimarans. The
trimarans were for the exclusive use of the navy and were very
fast. It was not permitted for commoners to use this type of
ship. Similarly, the men on these ships had bulges around their
waist that were probably hiding their swords. Other than the
scaling on their dark cheeks, there was a silent killing intent
and alertness.

It was only the famous water bandit who could gather so

many ships on this stretch of the waterway to the entrance of
the Jiangnan road in just two days without alerting the
officials to come and have words. Just considering the power to
control the Yangtze River, not even the famous families of
Jiangnan could compare to the Jiangnan water bandit.

The full name of the Jiangnan water bandits was Jiangnan

and Associated Areas of the 12 Connected Docks (this name was
cute). They made a living on the web-like waterways, and all
goods, guests, or other business had to first pass by them,
particularly the private salt and tea business as well as the
horse trade. This let them hold great power. After the Ming
family fell, the person who went by Xia Qifei became the head
boss of the water bandits and worked to better his relationship
with the officials. It was rumored that this Master Xia could
call the Admiral "brother."

No one could stop a rogue joining the local authorities. Thus,

over the years, although it appeared that the water bandits
reduced their black market trading, they had started coming
out of the water weeds of the lakes and honorably entered into
the public, stronger than before.

It was this kind of powerful force that could sweep their way
across the river without obstructions and search the ships
along the bank despite the protestations.

The person who gave the order was the head boss of the
water bandits, Xia Qifei. Although he didn't particularly care
about the deaths of his subordinates, Guan Wumei, who had
suddenly disappeared, was related to him on his mother's side,
so she was a relative. Furthermore, what made him more wary
was the question: what kind of god could take away such a big
piece of meat from him so quietly? He had suffered a great and
confusing loss.

In March, the palace treasury was going to reopen its doors.

In previous years, it was always a small portion for the Cui
family or Ming family, but everyone knew that the Cui family
had fallen and the Eldest Princess had handed jurisdiction of
the palace treasury to Commissioner Fan of the Overwatch
Council. Thus, Xia Qifei decided to try and see if he could, in
the new circumstances, strike while the opponent was weak
and openly take back what once belonged to him.

But, the palace treasury business was too large, so it would

take at least 100,000 silver to get it started. In March, even if
he just wanted to enter the door of the god of wealth for some
tea, the amount of money he would have to bring would scare
people to death.

The already fallen Cui family and the still prosperous Ming
family had this power, but Xia Qifei did not. Even though he
controlled the largest gang on the waterways, the money in his
hands, when compared to the Ming family, was like that of a
beggar's. Thus he was anxiously scraping coin from
everywhere and even secretly ordered Guan Wumei to restart
the bandit business.

He wouldn't even let go of a small sum of silver; it was clear

that he was close to going crazy. It was like the saying, "the
getting of one penny daunted the hero." The first problem the
heroes of jianghu who wanted to learn how to do business ran
into was money.
 At such a crucial moment, Xia Qifei was very careful and did
not lose his cool. He wondered if the incident that happened
near the Yingzhou shore was targeted at him.

When the incident occurred, he had been in Shazhou

encouraging a Jiangnan navy garrison Xu Shoushan to drink.
The rumors on the jianghu were always a bit exaggerated. The
highest level of the navy he could contact at the moment was
at the garrison level.

After Sir Xu heard what happened, he remained silent and

allowed Xia Qifei to search for that ship. But he still gave the
water bandit people a warning: everything must be cleared up
before March began, when the commissioner would arrive in
Jiangnan from Danzhou. After everything is sorted, make sure
everything is clean and the smell of blood does not linger
around you.

They couldn't help feeling confused when dozens of

Jiangnan water bandits' ships searched the river a long time
but did not find an easily identified ship. Xia Qifei listened to
his subordinate's report and narrowed his eyes coldly. "Seems
like those people haven't come down …that chest is not easy to
move off the ship. They should still be near Yangzhou. Have
you checked?"

That man wearing a white cloth around his head to protect it

against the wind on the river was embarrassed,

"We calculated the time and with two days, the ship should
have reached the area around Shazhou …who would have
thought the opposition was too lazy to move?"

Xia Qifei was unbelievably angry and almost kicked him. He

scolded, "Are you a pig?" He paused and then said darkly,
"Search upstream. I want to see them if they're alive and their
bodies if they're dead. I don't care what it costs, tow that ship
back to me!"

The man took his orders and left; he didn't notice that the
master's words revealed that his confidence was falling.

Xia Qifei sat next to the window and couldn't calm his anger
for very long. This half a year of his life was the most
important half a year; he would definitely not allow anyone or
anything to interfere. Otherwise, the revenge he had been
planning for a long time would have to be planned again.

He swallowed the bowl of cold tea in one gulp, but it made

him even warmer. His eyes revealed an unreasonably angry
spirit. He walked to the middle hall to wait for his brothers'
good news. He undid the buttons on his chest and revealed the
lines of scars on his yellow flesh. However, these scars were
strange. They were in neat and tidy rows. They didn't look like
they were from knife and axe wounds during combat on the
jianghu, rather they were like whip scars after being captured.

At noon, a large ship slowly sailed away from the busy and
flourishing Yangzhou pier and headed downstream.

At the same time, dozens of Jiangnan bandit ships

aggressively sailed upstream against the current. Braving the
dangers of traveling by night, they searched for a trace of their
enemies.

The heavens did not purposely make time for hide and seek.
Before the sun had completely sank behind the mountains, the
two parties finally met on the calmest section of the Yangtze
River, the Jingbo Crescent.

Dozens of boats swiftly caught up. The water bandits'

natural ability to steer a boat was demonstrated efficiently.
With just a few changes, they had surrounded the big ship.

The ships of the Jiangnan water bandits' carefully

surrounded the ship from Jingdou. The trimaran that was the
leader edged closer to the big ship. The big ship already had
stopped, appearing to have given up resistance.

The head water bandit on the trimaran yelled toward the big
ship, "People on the ship, listen up. You are surrounded.
Immediately put down the weapons in your hands and accept a
search."
 The big ship remained absolutely silent.

The head water bandit hesitated slightly before he made a

hand gesture and six boats edged closer at the same time. They
stretched out long bamboo poles and hooked them on to the
sideboard of the big ship with some difficulty. They
unsheathed the short knives they carried and prepared to
forcefully board the ship.

It was at this moment that the big ship suddenly moved.

This move was one of full acceleration and at a speed that

left the water bandits staring and tongue-tied. The big ship
charged toward the outside of the surrounding boats and, in a
split second, the massive momentum of the big ship tore apart
the bamboo poles and hooks that had just landed on the
sideboard. A dozen water bandits who had been climbing up
fell tragically into the water. The big ship stirred up countless
waves, creating chaos on the surface of the river.

The large bandit ship directly blocking the big ship crashed
into the ship from Jingdou without any fanfare—and then
without fanfare—turned around, snapped at the waist, and
gracefully slid away.

Of course, this elegant move was accompanied by the

splitting of the deck and surprised cries of the sailors.

Leaving white waves in its wake, the boat from Jingdou

quickly headed downstream. They left on this mirror-like
section of the river countless pieces of wooden debris and
water bandits floating on the surface.

The head water bandit grabbed the edge of a boat and

steadied himself in the big waves. He stared with shock at the
tail of the big ship and felt a strange shock in his heart. This
ship…was too solid. And how did the sailor manage to get the
ship from an absolute standstill to such a speed? It seemed like
they were even better than me!
 The sailors on the ship from Jingdou were all teachers of the
Quanzhou sailors who had been split up. They spent many
years studying the art of water battles, so naturally their
command of a big ship during a water battle was much higher
than these Jiangnan water bandits, who were like ants trying
to swallow an elephant.

However, sailing on the river ran the risk of there being reefs
under the water, and so they did not dare sail rashly straight
ahead. Thus, the ship did not have full sails or a speed
advantage when compared to the trimarans the sailors' used.
The Jingdou ship had only broken through one line of defense
when at least ten boats began to tail them.

At this moment half the river was blue and the other half red.
The ship from Jingdou was in front while the boats of the
Jiangnan bandits were behind. They sped downstream and
drew countless light scars on the surface of the water, churning
up the yellow water of the river fiercely. It looked like a
wonderful picture of a battle of a hundred ships.

"Use the throwing hooks!"

 Seeing that the ship from Jingdou was aggressive and made
of some strange, tough material, the head of the Jiangnan
water bandits began to yell loudly and, at the same time, made
a few hand signals. Although the wind was very powerful on
the river and immediately blew the words from his mouth to
the ends of the earth, the water bandits around the big ship saw
the hand gestures and retrieved a pile of rope. They began to
toss it at the big ship.

A dozen ropes flew through the sky and drew beautiful arcs
before landing accurately on the deck of the big ship. The
hands of the water bandits were well-practiced; it was clear
they were used to this kind of work. Following that, the sailors
tightened their hands as the rope with the hook caught firmly
onto the boards of the ship. At this moment, the two parties
traveled at a similar speed, and the rope was not as rigid as the
bamboo poles. The water bandits did not worry anymore and
began to climb along the rope toward the big ship with great
agility.

…
 When they again reached half way, a pitiful half way, a dozen
windows opened along the side of the big ship. From each
window extended a long axe that chopped viciously at the
people on the rope—only the whistling of the axes and the
tragic screaming could be heard. Blood scattered on the four
winds of the river and lost limbs fell into the waves. In just a
moment, the water bandits had suffered great casualties.

A few nocked arrows aimed coldly at the surrounding ships.

Although they didn't fire, their intent to shock sufficed. They
seemed to be saying, "if anyone else dares to come near, they
will be killed without question."

In the back, the head of the water bandits stared with

shocked eyes and was strangely exposed. He felt a chill in his
heart. He had spent many years eking out a living on the river
and had experienced countless attacks, so of course he knew
that the longbow, spear, and axe were the standard accessories
for court sailors.

"Is this some conspiracy?"

…
 …

The ship only had its sails down and moved at an

extraordinary pace. They were about to leave the Jingbo
Crescent and arrive at the waters of Shazhou.

The head water bandit stared viciously at the still trapped

ship. He knew that although the other party had been
unexpected, prepared, and powerful, as long as they remained
on the river, his people—who had grown up on the riverside—
would find a way to sink them to the bottom. After all, even
elephants are afraid of ants. What he needed was time.

As if hearing his demands, four big ships suddenly appeared

ahead on the river. They were lined up across the river and
perfectly blocked the passage going downstream. The four
ships each had three floors and were extremely big. The
shadows they cast on the river stretched out enormously and
appeared to be very mighty.

The head water bandit squinted as he gazed at them and

discovered they were the ships of the sailors who had been
secretly cooperating with him these past few years. He couldn't
help but be overjoyed, and yelled, "Brothers have come to help;
there's no need to be anxious!"

The ship from Jingdou continued to silently rush

downstream. It was as if the four ships of the Shazhou sailors
did not exist, and they also seemed tragically suicidal.

Seeing the scene before him at dusk, the head of the Jiangnan
water bandits was stunned and sat down on the ground.

Just as the ship from Jingdou was about to be caught

between the front and back and sink into a dangerous
situation, the four military boats of the Sha Lake sailors
downstream moved aside as if it they had planned it
beforehand. They made way for the ship from Jingdou and
allowed the ship to leisurely and smoothly flow downstream
with the water.
 What was happening?

The head water bandit couldn't believe his eyes, but a scrap
of intelligence in his mind told him that the ship he and his
crew had been chasing for a while—and the four giant ships
with the sailors—really did look similar.

There was no more time to think. The four ships were like
four giant beasts lined up in front of the water bandits' boats
with a strong sense of domination.

The head water bandit recognized the official that stood on

the lead ship. It was Master Xia's acquaintance, sailor of the
Sha lake garrison, Sir Xu Shoushang.

Xu Shoushang stood coldly on the leading ship. It seemed

that his clothing had been put on in a rush; the belt was not
properly buckled, and it looked funny. He gazed down at the
"familiar face," and furrowed his brows. He used his gaze to
show that the other party should quickly surrender but didn't
wait to see if they understood or not before speaking in a
mighty voice.
 "People on the boat, listen closely. You have been
surrounded. Immediately put down the weapons in your hands
and accept a search."

...

...

Shazhou was at the entrance to Sha Lake. The waters had

dashed against each other for millennia and left countless acres
of fertile soil. Adding to the fact that the common people
worked hard to cultivate the soil, the city had long been a
famous grain production site near the Yangtze River. With the
withdrawal of sailors from Quanzhou a dozen years ago, Sha
Lake became the Qing Kingdom's largest base for sailors after
they accepted a portion of the sailors. Tens of thousands of
sailors and navy officials' day-to-day lives depended on this
city at the throat of Jiangnan.

The sweat stained sailors of the navy brought the people of

Shazhou endless headaches, the local girls endless dangers, and
the law and order countless problems. However, at the same
time, they brought to Shazhou endless amounts of silver and
business opportunities. The government salaries the court gave
these single men each year were mostly spent at the brothels,
gambling dens, and restaurants. Thus, Shazhou's
entertainment industry, or more accurately the third sector of
the economy, was very developed. There were all kinds of
restaurants, the west side was full of beautiful women, and the
dice rolled from dawn until dusk in the east side—it was
unbelievably lively.

Today, a few people walked out of Shazhou's most famous

inn. This combination of people was rather strange: there was
a young master, a girl, a scholar, a child, and following behind
them were a few respectful looking guards. The group of
people immediately rented a large carriage and drove directly
toward the south of the city.

This group of people was naturally Fan Xian, Sisi, the Third
Prince, Shi Chanli, and the normal looking Tiger Guards. They
had stopped in Yangzhou for a night, decided their next steps,
and had the local Fourth Bureau people move the Sha Lake
sailors; as to what procedures were used, it was better not to
know. They expected that the military would protect the
people of the Overwatch Council at all costs. It seemed that
Fan Xian was not going to continue hiding his identity, which
confused Su Wenmao, who had remained on the ship.
 Fan Xian let the big ship deal with the water bandits on the
Yangtze River while he took his people and disembarked ahead
of time at night in Yanzhou. They took a carriage and
comfortably followed the public road to Shazhou—they did it
in secret and no one noticed anything.

The atmosphere in the south of Shazhou was tense. There

were people of all kinds mixing and mingling here. Everyone
knew that the big boss of the waterways, the Jiangnan water
bandit Master Xia, was currently doing something, although
they didn't know the details. But, from the endless flow of head
water bandits that came and left that little yard, they knew
this matter had run into some trouble.

The little yard didn't look like much, but everyone knew that
it was the Shazhou branch of the Jiangnan water bandits' 72
connected docks.

Thus, when Fan Xian's carriage came within a few dozen feet
of this little yard, it had been noticed by someone much
earlier. Particularly the spies that the water bandits had
scattered in the street. They were all staring hard as if they
wanted to determine the intentions of these people. In the dim
light of dusk, no one noticed that the swordsmen of the Sixth
Bureau, who looked so ordinary, already had taken up the best
positions on this street.

As the carriage came nearer and nearer to that branch,

gradually more people came closer and watched the car,
intentionally or otherwise. The atmosphere was a bit tense.
The people in the carriage seemed to not have sensed anything
and drove directly to the gates of the yard before stopping. A
scholar lifted the curtain to descend from the carriage and
walk up the stone steps. With a calm expression, he
respectfully greeted the thugs by the door and said a few
words.

In a moment, a man who appeared to be an advisor with

small eyes and down-sloping eyebrows came out of the branch.
Wearing a cautious expression, he looked at them and asked
with narrowed eyes, "Who are you people? Why do you want
to see Master Xia?"

The scholar was Shi Chanli, and he had never spent time on
the so-called jianghu. Seeing the advisor's expression, and the
thugs that had come up around him who were clearly wearing
weapons, the scholar truly felt panic in his heart. He silently
cursed his teacher for being so unreasonable as to make him do
this kind of thing, but he pressed on nervously and said, "We
come from Jingdou and would like to see Master Xia. We have
important business to discuss."

The advisor of the branch looked at him disdainfully and

was not impressed by the other's state. He took a sideways
glance at the carriage and said, "You, or someone in the
carriage? If it is someone in the carriage, why do they not come
out? Such secretive behavior is not the way of a guest."

The three people in the carriage were not listening to what

was being said outside. Fan Xian had thrown Shi Chanli out
there because he had the idea to train his student's spirit. At
this moment, he was focused on speaking to the Third Prince.
He said warmly, "Your Highness, the people we have seen along
the way from Yangzhou to Shazhou are all very different from
the people in Jingdou. Please remember this well."
 Traveling through the night, Fan Xian purposely had the
Third Prince come into contact with the common people along
their way to have him see the truest form of common life. No
matter if it was an old man carrying firewood or the lady
selling cold tea in a stall, he would purposely stop and
exchange a few words.

As to teaching a prince, Fan Xian had no experience and no

methodology. He could only feel his way slowly and try to see
whether or not this method worked.

Shi Chanli seemed to have smelled something strange about

Fan Xian's plan and couldn't help worrying for his teacher. The
Third Prince accepted it all calmly and remained silent with a
maturity that was beyond his years. He also didn't talk
carelessly.

"The commoners live a hard life," the Third Prince replied

respectfully. "Although the tax in the Qing Kingdom is not
high, the commoners continue to live a difficult life. However,
the people we have seen along the way often appear content
and happy, thus we know that the commoners' demands are
not high at all. The most important thing for the court is to
first satisfy the people's basic need for food and clothing."
 Fan Xian was purely like a blind man leading the way. What
did he know about how to govern the world? He nodded non-
committedly and said, "The commoners are easily placated,
and yet everything the palace and courts need, and government
salaries, all come from the people. In the future, when Your
Highness helps the Crown Prince to govern the world, you
must remember to take with moderation. As long as you don't
exceed limits, there is no harm done."

The Third Prince looked at Fan Xian and smiled innocently.

"Teacher, the people of Yangzhou are far more ferocious than
those of Shazhou. Over there, the people's faces are full of
resentment, probably because the court has taken too much."

On the ship, this young Third Prince had asked with great
intimacy to call Fan Xian teacher, rather than Sir Siye,
purposely drawing Fan Xian closer. Fan Xian had tried to stop
him a few times to no effect and let him have his way. Hearing
these words right now, he instinctively thought of the Zhizhou
of Yangzhou that he had shadily killed and did not want to
continue this conversation. He changed the topic and asked,
"As to …the Jiangnan water bandits, does Your Highness have
any thoughts?"
 "Teacher has said that even xia use force to violate rules, and
the so-called water bandits are more so like that. They are
nothing more than a water-based underworld, the gangsters of
the river. They murder for money and use force to accumulate
wealth; they do not have the chivalry of the xia that teacher
has talked about." A flash of hatred flickered across the Third
Prince's delicate face. "In my opinion, the army should be
called to capture them all once and for all. The leaders should
be beheaded, and their followers banished to the northern
frontier."

Fan Xian paused and said, "We've said before that folks'
customs are formed through geographical and living
environments. If you clear them all out like a wild fire, perhaps
you will be able to remove all the weeds for a moment.
However, if you don't start with the people and they cannot
survive, they will still fall into banditry, and it will be a like a
spring wind that revives the weeds. Such a cycle. When will it
end?"

The Third Prince thought for a while and then shook his
head. "Teacher is wrong. Of course the court has to severely
punish these rebels. You've said before the Jiangnan water
bandits must have ties with the sailors of Sha Lake to be able to
survive. If these rebels are allowed to secretly destroy the
discipline of the court, how will we put things in order in the
future?"

He continued coldly, "To placate the people and have them

lead good lives is a certainty in a world without thievery. We
cannot be soft-hearted toward those thieves who dare to poke
their heads out. Those who should be killed must be killed!"

Fan Xian gave him a faint smile as he looked at the Third

Prince. He discovered that this child was indeed much more
direct than him but was still some distance from him in terms
of hiding his intentions. To bravely contradict him to his face
was probably to demonstrate his frankness and sincerity, and
using the word "suppress" to deal with the water bandits was to
show him that he was decisive and honest. To make Fan Xian
feel his sincerity—Fan Xian wanted to use the Jiangnan trip to
purposely influence and change the Third Prince. Of course,
the Third Prince would want to influence him too, although
the kid did not do it smoothly. He had to acknowledge that
such scheming at a young age was impressive.

"Then why did Your Highness not object…my visit to the

Jiangnan branch of the water bandits?"
 "Teacher has his clever plans, and they are not something I
could guess," The Third Prince chuckled, recovering his calm.

Fan Xian's eyebrows twitched. He knew that the Third Prince

did not know the details, but he should be able to guess his
general intentions. He laughed at himself and thought that he
was indeed a hypocritical man. At this moment, the
conversation outside the carriage had been going on for some
time. Not knowing what Shi Chanli said, although the
advisor's expression finally became a bit panicked, the thugs
that surrounded the carriage edged in even closer.

The curtain of the carriage lifted and Fan Xian stepped down
first. He looked around at the scene by the dusky light and
seemed not to care about the water bandits that were coming
closer.

Then he turned around and led the Third Prince and Sisi
down.

The Third Prince stood beside him and smoothed out his
clothing. He looked with great interest at the thugs around
them and asked quietly.
 "Teacher, are these the so-called jianghu people?"

Fan Xian replied, "I guess so."

The Third Prince was a little excited, but did not feel any
fear. After all, he was a prince. What did he know of the
dangerous jianghu? As he was beside Commissioner Fan, there
was even less concern for his safety. Ever since the Hanging
Temple incidence, the Third Prince had decided that if
Commissioner Fan was there, then no one could harm him.
Furthermore, all the people in the world knew of Fan Xian's
past…the royal family was ruthless, but the Third Prince
thought that Fan Xian was an exception to this rule.

Fan Xian turned his face to glance at him and asked

curiously, "Young master, why are you not afraid at all?"

The Third Prince laughed out loud and said, "Teacher is here,
what is there to be afraid of?"

In everyone's hearts, Fan Xian was still that martial legend

that could stand shoulder to shoulder with Haitang of
Northern Qi; no one knew his true situation. It was uncertain
why Fan Xian would dare to enter so deep into the tiger's den
without consideration for his own safety.

The conversation between the two of them landed in the ears

of the Jiangnan water bandits and explained the other person's
identity. That child was probably a son of a big family, and Fan
Xian, this beautiful scholar, was a private tutor. Only, he
seemed to be a little young.

"Young master, let's go in."

Without paying attention to the alert and nervous gazes of

those around him, Fan Xian was calm and unruffled. With one
hand he held the hand of the young child, and the other held
the girl's hand, and they walked toward they gate of the yard.

Shi Chanli lowered his head with shame as he caught up to

them. He had completely failed the test this time. Teacher had
instructed him not to reveal his identity, but he also wanted to
walk through the door openly and honorably. The scholar
really didn't know what to do.
 The expression on the advisor's face flickered without
stopping. Looking at the combination of people of the party, he
guessed that the other party was the enemy Master Xia had
been desperately searching for. But …how did they have the
guts to come to their door? When did they get off that ship?

At this moment, countless Jiangnan bandit brothers and

subordinates were working hard to find traces of Fan Xian and
the other on the river as they engaged in a deathly battle with
that big ship. Who would have guessed that the enemy they
were searching for would come to Shazhou and so arrogantly
arrive before the door of the brank and burst right in?

"Take them down!" The advisor's face was green one moment
and white the next. He seemed to have never met such arrogant
enemies. He felt a bit panicked in his heart, but all bullheaded
people, other than idiots, had something to rely on. However,
Master Xia was in the yard. If he dealt with this himself, it
might cause big problems.

With this shout, the thugs all pulled out short knives and
charged toward Fan Xian and his group, roaring.
 …

Fan Xian felt his right hand being slightly squeezed and
turned his head to look. He saw that the Third Prince had
maintained his innocent smile, but his palms had
unconsciously tightened. He was probably still a little scared
despite his acting.

"Confidence." Even at such a crucial moment, Fan Xian did

not forget to explain. "People of the royal family must have the
confidence to suppress all emotions."

Dundundundun, it was like that song had absurdly begun.

The Jiangnan water bandits of Shazhou also saw an absurd
scene. They watched as countless small knives flew up from
the yard gate, like it was raining, mysteriously leaving the
control of their hands.

Following that were numerous muffled sounds, but any

thugs who blocked Fan Xian's way were all set flying.
 …

Gao Da led six Tiger Guards in like a gust of wind to stand

beside Fan Xian and the other three. He silently pulled out the
long knife from behind his back, appearing very imposing, and
stunned some of the thugs back. He was easily dispelling those
who would block his way.

Fan Xian continued to lead the two people calmly toward the
garden. Accompanied by the tragic cries and flashing swords,
his steps remained steady.

"Even faced with 10,000 people, I will continue forward," he

explained to the Third Prince beside him. "The court doesn't
need to deal with the jianghu people. We only need to assign
tasks to them, so before you meet don't discuss anything."

The Third Prince nodded. His eyes skipped around the fights
beside him, and he thought that this kind of feeling was very
nice. He was excited, and his palms began to sweat.
 "Why are these…jianghu people's martial arts not that good?"
The Third Prince was slightly confused by the reality before
him.

At this moment, some of the Jiangnan water bandits were

lying on the ground and hadn't gotten up in a while. Those
who could still stand now stared at Fan Xian and his group
with fear in their eyes, particularly when they saw the silent
long knife wielders, and were stunned into silence. The advisor
was soaked in cold seat as his eyes stared at those hands that
held the swords firmly. In his heart he cried: When did these
masters suddenly appear on the jianghu? And they were only
guards for someone.

At this moment, the group had reached the bottom of the

stairs. Fan Xian stopped hist stride and said to the Third
Prince, "What is the purpose of learning to fight? It is the same
as studying, it is for power, advantage, and fame. Whatever
the jianghu can give fighters, the temple can give them more.
That is why all the truly famous scholars are all officials of the
court, and the truly outstanding fighters all fight for the court.
The young master should not be fooled by those words. The
jianghu is a poor place, how could a futureless job such as
collecting protection money attract true masters …?"

Right before the room of the main hall, the head boss of the
Jiangnan water bandits, Xia Qifei, finally came out. He stared
coldly at the approaching people and said, "Everyone back
down; stop being so embarrassing. I'll meet these respected
guests from Jingdou."

At this moment, his expression was calm, but his heart was
completely stunned. He had long guessed that the other party
was from that ship from Jingdou. How could he have guessed
that they wouldn't avoid him and instead tyrannically find
their way to him?

Without waiting for him to extend an invitation, Fan Xian

and his group naturally entered the middle hall as if they had
returned home.
 Fan Xian invited the Third Prince to sit in the host's seat and
then sat himself down grandly at the side. Sisi and She Chanli
quietly stood behind him, and the seven Tiger Guards spread
out across the middle hall with their hands on the handles of
their knives.

Seeing the actions of the other party, Xia Qifei almost blew
up in anger. Was this still his territory or not? He forcefully
suppressed his anger and respectfully bowed to Fan Xian.
"Greetings, Sir…only, there are exceptional people in the
wilderness of the jianghu, perhaps your words earlier were a
bit unjust."

At this moment, if he hadn't figured out that Fan Xian was a

powerful person from Jingdou, then he truly was stupid, thus
he must suppress his anger. Within the realm of the Qing
Kingdom, the court's terrifying existence was as strong as a
plank of metal. Any party who set themselves against the
power of the government would always disappear tragically
without a trace in the end.

"Xia Qifei?" Fan Xian looked at this dark and ruthless person
in front of him and checked his identity before smiling warmly
and saying, "For now, I don't want people to know I am a guest
in your manor. Many people saw earlier, go deal with that.
This will be slightly difficult. Consider it the first test."
Chapter 336: What Should I Use To
Worship You?
After the young official in front of him finished speaking, Xia
Qifei's head was about to explode. The long suppressed
humiliation made his hands start shaking. After all, he was the
head boss of the Jiangnan water bandits, a famous figure of the
underworld, when had he even been pushed around like this?

But he was a clever man. Although he wasn't sure yet, he

already had a good idea as to the other party's identity. If his
guess was right, then this young official was very much not
ordinary, and the child beside him was…

Endure! Must endure it!

Xia Qifei repeatedly told himself this in his heart. He knew,

given the power of the other party, they would only have to lift
their little finger and they could completely wipe out the
wealth he had accumulated these few years, and there would
be more need to think about his revenge. The thousands of
brothers he had under his command, who had families to feed
and children to raise, would probably lose their heads. More
importantly, the respect and fear the Qing people gave the
royal family chained his spirit and did not allow him even a
moment of rebellious thought.

Thus he could only endure. Although all men on the jianghu

were always a bit bloodthirsty, and even rogues had their
ruthlessness, for the lives of the brothers under his command
and his dream of a lifetime, Xia Qifei suppressed the anger in
his chest. With a trace of arrogance in his respectful tone, he
said, "I didn't know sir was arriving today. Do you have any
orders?"

Fan Xian glanced at him. "I'll trouble Master Xia to first deal
with the matter I ordered earlier."

Although he used the title "Master Xia," his tone remained

light and effortless, without a trace of the usual respect seen
from jianghu.

Xia Qifei didn't know what the other party was planning. He
turned, his expression depressed, and went out to of the room
to give the quivering advisor some orders.
 Fan Xian sat in the hall drinking tea and did not seem to be in
a rush.

The conversation started again.

"I am here today to ask Master Xia about a matter." Fan Xian
put down his tea cup and looked at Xia Qifei warmly. "A few
days ago, at night at the Yingzhou pier, a few guests came
aboard my ship and I kept them there. I wonder how Master
Xia is prepared to explain this matter?"

Xia Qifei's expression became serious and he did not answer

this question. Instead he took the initiative to ask, "Sir, I will
speak frankly. I don't have to admit to anything, but as a man
of the jianghu, I can't not consider my brothers. You're right;
the people that accidentally boarded your ship that night were
all my brothers…You came south incognito. I have eyes but did
not see and offended you. I beg your forgiveness, and I will
shoulder all the punishment. Please release my subordinates."

The Third Prince was tired of listening. He banged his tea

cup down hard on the table, and the child said coldly, "Can
you…afford to take all the punishments?"
 He purposely dragged out the sentence, but it was still in a
clear, childish voice. It did not seem enigmatic but rather
carried a strange chill.

A chill ran down Xia Qifei's back. He knew that if this crime
were taken to the extreme, then it was attempted murder of a
prince. Thousands of lives might not be enough to fill in that
grave. However, as someone who had managed to survive the
attempted killings of the Ming clan at a young age and had
successfully carved out a place in the underworld to become an
important figure among the Jiangnan martial artists, naturally
his spirit was steady and his thoughts were meticulously
thorough. He noticed that these nobility had not ordered
soldiers to wipe them out. Rather, they charged right into the
branch despite the "great danger." There was deep meaning
behind this move.

Thus, he was not truly afraid; he just didn't know exactly

what these nobility from Jingdou wanted.

Xia Qifei gritted his teeth and actually let go of what jianghu
people most valued: his backbone. He took a knee in front of
Fan Xian and said sincerely, "I know I cannot shoulder this
crime, but considering your good fortune that absolutely no
harm was taken, I beg you to forgive my rash and ignorant
brothers and sentence me instead to death by a thousand cuts."

This was his superficial effort after finding some confidence,

but Fan Xian did not know and couldn't tell. He was very
pleased with the other party's quick thinking. He nodded
approvingly and said, "Master Xia is indeed a hero who loves
and values his subordinates."

It takes two to tango. Xia Qifei's referral to himself had

shifted from "I" to "yours truly," and from "yours truly" to
"commoner." His status had become lower and lower. Yet, Fan
Xian had started with calling him by his name, using "Master
Xia." Until now he was using "Head of family Xia," each title
higher than the next. He was confirming that the other party
had the status to speak.

Fan Xian had only said one sentence before stopping. The
Third Prince felt a chill in his heart. He knew that his teacher
did not like how he had cut in earlier and wanted him to act as
the evil person. However, as a prince, of course he was not
afraid of the so-called vengeance of a rash jianghu man. Using
a clear voice he said, "Master Xia's words have come too late.
That night, the thieves were all killed by the guards and
thrown into the river."

"Ah?" Xia Qifei was stunned. Who would have thought that
these officials from Jingdou would be more ruthless than
bandits? To not leave even one life...

He seemed to see the bodies of Guan Wumei and those

brothers floating in the river. His heart ached and his rage
soared. However, all that could be seen on his face was sorrow
and not vengeance. He was truly a first-class actor.

Fan Xian said evenly, "Officials have different rules for doing
things. Since those people drew their weapons on the ship,
naturally, no one could be spared. If I had been soft-hearted
and let them go, news would have gotten back to Jingdou. The
court would become angry, and I'm afraid their ends would
have been worse. And it would have involved their families."

Xia Qifei was silent. A moment later he repeated what he had

first asked. "Do you have any orders for your visit today?"
 The other party had already made it clear that the robbery
had temporarily been washed clean by the blood of those dozen
brothers. As this matter was put aside and no longer discussed,
there must have been another matter to discuss.

Fan Xian waved his hand. The subordinates accepted the

order and left the outer hall. The Third Prince jumped down
from the chair and prepared to leave when he was unexpectedly
held back.

There were only three people left in the room. Who knew
what battles and whispers were going on inside Xia Qifei's
mind? For a person of the underworld like him, to be able to
meet two "princes" at the same time was a "blessing."

"I am Fan Xian."

Fan Xian's expression was soft as he publicly announced his

identity.

Although Xia Qifei had guessed the other party's background,

to receive definite confirmation made his heart stutter and legs
weaken.

The story of this young man had long become a sort of

legend among the Qing Kingdom people. Not yet 20, he already
held the most powerful position in the nation: commissioner
of the Overwatch Council. He composed poetry before the
Emperor, killed people on the streets, uncovered cheating on
the spring examinations, went to Northern Qi to battle
Haitang, collected books, and bullied the princes back home.
In two short years, this originally no-name poet and
illegitimate son had become one of the most famous people in
the world. Whether it was in literature, martial arts, or power,
he was already at the peak.

In who knew how many back country and rural

conversations, Fan Xian had become the goal many young men
aspired to with golden lights in their eyes. Xia Qifei was no
exception. Particularly because of his past, Xia Qifei felt an
extra admiration for the commissioner he had never met. Only,
he had now offended the commissioner—Xia Qifei was very
clear on the kind of ending awaiting those that offended Fan
Xian.
 Roughly calculating, the people who had fallen at Fan Xian's
hands included the previous Director of the Board of Rites Guo
You, Minister of Justice Han Zhiwei, and the Imperial Censor
of the Left Guo Zheng. Because of this young man, the Imperial
Censorate suffered two floggings, the Second Prince was under
house arrest in his manor, and the Eldest Princess was forced to
give up the palace treasury with both hands.

Fan Xian's identity had become increasingly strange with

these events. The son-in-law of the Prime Minister? The
Emperor's illegitimate child? For the people who lived in the
wilds of Qing Kingdom, any person or matter from Jingdou
already had an aura of mysteriousness. With someone like Fan
Xian, whose name was even embroidered with a border of gold,
people dared not to watch intently.

Regardless of what Xia Qifei was thinking, his face showed

unbelievable shock. They saw him cleanly spread out the front
of his coat and kowtow to the ground, giving Fan Xian a formal
salute.

"Commoner Xia Qifei greets the commissioner."

 …

After a long silence, Fan Xian still did not let him rise. He
looked at him with amusement before gently speaking.
"Seventh Ming, I truly hope you will be more sincere in the
future. At least when you are saluting, it is best to use your
real name."

Xia Qifei's eyes tightened, and he raised his head in shock. He

stared straight into Fan Xian's seemingly warm but actually
aggressive eyes. His right hand had unconsciously lowered and
was ready to release an attack at any moment.

Seventh Ming!

These long unheard words burrowed into his ears like

poisonous snakes that tore into his brain. In his shock, he
suddenly felt hatred in his heart. How could the other party
know of this past? If this news got out, how could those large
families with hundreds of years of deep roots in Jiangnan let
him go? Even though he had the Jiangnan water bandits, he
had no chance of victory.

"No need to reach for the dagger in your boot." Fan Xian
didn't know how many twists and turns were going on in the
other person's head, he was only watching his movements. He
couldn't help laughing. "Of course as Master Xia knows, this
kind of thing is what I am best at."

Fan Xian then gestured with his hands. Xia Qifei quickly
straightened, but his entire person remained in a state of high
alert. His ears were listening for sounds outside of the room;
he didn't know if the advisor had completed his orders. Given
the current situation, although he guessed that Commissioner
Fan might threaten him, he was still prepared for the worst. He
was ready to fight to the bitter end.

It was like the Third Prince couldn't sense any danger and
looked on with great interest at the conversation.

"Back then, your mother was flogged to death by the current

old matriarch of the Ming family." Fan Xian was making sense
of the reports from the Council.
 Xia Qifei saw red, and it appeared that he would rush
forward at any moment to kill Fan Xian. But as the head boss
of the water bandits, he knew who he was facing. The strong,
ninth-level Commissioner Fan was someone who stood
shoulder to shoulder with Haitang of Northern Qi. Even if he
threw in his life, he wouldn't be able to kill him here.

"You've been mistreated since your childhood by your older

brother." Fan Xian looked at him and furrowed his brows,
"Don't take offense Master Xia. I don't mean to bring up your
sore points. I just want one thing to be clear. I want to make a
deal with you, and this deal must be built on your hatred for
the Ming family. If you didn't hate the Ming family enough,
then I wouldn't have come to find you."

Xia Qifei's tension immediately relaxed. He closed his eyes,

calmed himself, and then asked in a serious voice, "What kind
of business is sir thinking of?"

"The thing you want to do; I can help you." Getting to the
topic of business, Fan Xian's words became much more direct.
"I know Master Xia recently has a need for silver, and I have
silver."
 Of course Fan Xian had silver. With the Danbo Bookstore,
Baoyue Brothel, Six Ministries yamen, and gold and silver
people in the palace such as Old Dai who used the excuse of
rectifying incorrect workstyles netted, added all together
already reached a shocking amount. To compare with those
large families in the wealthy Jiangnan region, there was still a
ways to go. However, everyone knew that Commissioner Fan
had a father who was the God of Wealth at home. His family
controlled the national treasury and palace treasury. If
someone said the Fan Manor didn't have money, not even
someone like the aunt would believe them.

Xia Qifei guessed that the other party would threaten him,
but did not expect them to actually be prepared to help him. He
couldn't wrap his mind around it for a moment and asked in a
startled voice, "Sir…are you talking about the opening of the
palace treasury in March?"

"You and I are both practical people, so let's be more direct."

Fan Xian spoke calmly. "In March, the palace treasury bids will
be determined. If it were like the previous years, it would
certainly be in the pockets of the Cui and Ming families,
however, this year the Cui family has fallen and naturally
there will be big changes. If Master Xia would like to have a
hand in it, there is only this one opportunity. Coincidentally, I
am organising the matter this year. I will give you the privilege
to enter, enough silver, and the portion needed to take over."

In reality, Fan Xian had a cache of silver in his hands that no

one knew about. This was where his ample confidence came
from.

Xia Qifei's brows furrowed tightly. After a moment he

replied, "The commissioner is generous."

He didn't immediately accept because he knew how scary an

organisation the Overwatch Council was. Often the people
involved with the Overwatch Council could only pay their
lives and the lives of their family into it in the end. If Fan Xian
had known of the thoughts in his heart, he would have gifted
him a suitable phrase—making a deal with the devil.

"I'll explain what I need you to do." Fan Xian didn't care
about the other party's hesitation. He smiled warmly and laid
out his price. "The water bandits are yours. If things go well in
the future, the Ming family will also be yours. Furthermore, I
will not seek out related profits."
 Xia Qifei's brows drew tight. Such a kind of Overwatch
Council officer didn't exist.

As expected, after Fan Xian took a sip of the cold tea, he said,
"What should be yours will all be yours, however you must be
the Overwatch Council's."

After Fan Xian finished speaking, he took out a seemingly

simple looking token and laid it gently on the surface of the
smooth, black wood table. "The Overwatch Council, Fourth
Bureau, Inspector of the Inspection Division stationed at
Jiangnan Road. The ranking is not high. Don't be offended."

Offended? For a jianghu bandit to turn around and become

an official of the court, an inspector that held the power to
inspect governance, offended? Only an idiot would be
offended.

Xia Qifei was stunned by the price offered by Fan Xian.

Although he knew once he entered the Overwatch Council,
whether he controlled the Ming family or Jiangnan water
bandits, he would never be able to leave the organization. In
the future, the division of the massive profits from the palace
treasury and other related sources would on the word of the
Overwatch Council…no, perhaps it would be down to a private
word from Commissioner Fan.

To gain a large amount of funds, have a secret government

identity and the consent of master of the palace treasury, and
to be involved in the fighting gave Xia Qifei confidence for the
first time that he could defeat that rust-spotted family clan. He
knew he would never have such a good opportunity in his life
again, but he still hesitated. First, it would be difficult to be
free. He would have to be a loyal dog under Fan Xian. For
someone who was used to doing as he wished on the jianghu,
he felt unsatisfied, furthermore, he didn't completely trust Fan
Xian. Second, the reputation of the Overwatch Council was
terrible. If news of him secretly accepting the position got out,
even if he held more power in the future, his reputation would
be destroyed.

Perhaps he wanted to preserve that thread of independence at

the bottom of his heart, so he made one last struggle. He stared
at Fan Xian a bit rudely and said, "Sir, I don't know why I
should accept this trade."
 "Oh?" Fan Xian asked curiously. "Perhaps Master Xia does not
want to win back the Ming clan? The clan that originally
belonged to you. As far as I know, in the will of old Master
Ming back then, the first name on the list was Ming
Qingcheng."

Ming Qingcheng was Xia Qifei's original name. He paused

and gritted his teeth. "It is not that I don't understand the
current situation, but there are many ways to get revenge.
Since I have the honor of being the head boss of the Jiangnan
water bandits, I have many ways to defeat the Ming family. As
for the matter of the palace treasury, perhaps I am mistaken,
but the Ming family is wealthy and powerful, how could I
openly defeat them?"

Fan Xian laughed and narrowed his eyes. "Killing people

when the nights are dark and the wind is high? I believe you
have this power and decisiveness. Only these years have proven
that you are not such a crazy person. To run the risk of
completely destroying the Jiangnan bandits to burn the Ming
family home…nevermind whether or not you have this power,
even if you could do it, how will you convince yourself? Your
bandit brothers will be on the wanted lists, and their orphans
and widows would be left to wander this world. Is this what
you want to see? Or do you think that after this ending, after
you've had your revenge and died, that you will still have the
face to see the old bandit chief you owe everything to, who
saved you and helped you to your place?"

He spoke methodically. His manner was not imposing, but

these words struck where Xia Qifei was the weakest. The
powerful persuasion accompanied this analysis and slowly
began to sink into Xia Qifei's thoughts. It caused him to be
gloomy again.

Without waiting for Xia Qifei to recover himself, Fan Xian

continued warmly, "What you want isn't just revenge, but also
to take back the Ming family and stand proudly in front of
your older brother who is over half a century old. If killing
people would solve the problem, then I wouldn't have waited
all these years. What's more, using brute strength to
accomplish this will end in the destruction of the Jiangnan
bandits. Even if you managed to kill everyone in the Ming
family, then where is the Ming family? Will the thing you stole
back still exist?"

Fan Xian calmly met his eyes. "Standing in my position, I

urge you not to choose that option. To have the goal you've
been fighting for so many years disappear completely in front
of you is not a good feeling. To preserve the Ming family was
probably also in old Master Ming's will. Although the Ming
family has treated you terribly, your father never did anything
to hurt you and your mother."

Xia Qifei stood in silence and didn't move. He seemed to be

digesting Fan Xian's words. This man who was long used to
living on the edge suddenly thought of something. They young
man in front of him had similar experiences to himself,
perhaps he also was looking to get back what once belonged to
him? For example, the palace treasury was originally the Ye
family business. Did he want to take it back?

Fan Xian did not feel angry at his earlier refusal, instead he
waited with great patience for the results of the other party's
thoughts. He had confidence in his words and, more
importantly, confidence in Seventh Ming. Their similar pasts
allowed Fan Xian to understand, as clearly as was possible, the
other's true thoughts.

"Master Xia, what you want is the Ming family business, not
hundreds of heads."
 After a long moment of thought, Xia Qifei threw out a last
question. "Sir, there is one thing I don't understand."

"Please, go on."

"This trip was in preparation of taking over the palace

treasury. The Cui and Ming families have long controlled the
external channels and are too deeply connected to that side.
Naturally, you will have to defeat them." Xia Qifei forced back
the three words "the Eldest Princess," and his face turned
slightly red from the effort. "But how come you think so highly
of me? Given your power and position, you easily crushed the
Cui family. It would not be difficult to get rid of the Ming
family. You are completely capable of doing this on your own
and don't need my help."

Fan Xian shook his head. "Ah, the Cui family is quite a
different situation than the Ming family. As to why I don't
appear personally. It is inconvenient for me to do so."

"Inconvenient" was a truth of officialdom. He was already

the Overwatch Council commissioner and now managed the
palace treasury. The regulations of the court were strict. The
palace treasury was only responsible for production; all
exports must be conducted by public merchants who had to
write in for them. Whether it was Council or personal
business, Fan Xian could not come forward for either of them.
Thus, he needed someone trustworthy and convenient to use as
a spokesperson.

For Fan Xian, the situation between the Cui family and Ming
family was very different. When he was dealing with the Cui
family, he had prepared well and for a long time. After a period
of silence and sham politeness, he had Yan Bingyun lead the
strike. Everything went smoothly. But, the Ming family had
learned a lesson from their predecessors and made sufficient
preparations. It would be a difficult matter to use the shipping
channels and accounts to catch those profiteers.

Of course, the biggest difference was that Fan Xian had a

powerful person as an aide. That person held the greatest
power outside of the Qing royal family—the young Emperor of
Northern Qi.

Similar figures connected to the Ming family were in Dongyi

or overseas. Fan Xian had once killed two of Sigu Sword's
female grand-disciples. The Qing court, including him, also
had forced Dongyi to be the scapegoat countless times. The
hatred was too deep between them. If Fan Xian wanted to work
with Dongyi to topple the Ming family, he didn't think he had
that ability.

Fan Xian rose and used his finger to lightly tap the token a
few times. "I'll leave this token here for now. Give me a reply
before tonight. Of course, you know what you need to prepare
if you agree."

Xia Qifei respectfully turned and moved to the side. He didn't

directly reply, instead he said, "Your arrival today is like the
descent of a god. Although you don't like to disturb the people,
given your reputation, it might be difficult to hide."

It was difficult to tell whether these words were sycophantic

or if they hid another meaning. Fan Xian glanced at him and
said, "At the moment, you are still someone who accidentally
bit off more than they could chew. As for my movements, why
do I need to hide them? There is a ship on the Yangtze River. I
will have to trouble you to have your subordinates escort it
downstream. I have a chest of silver with me and hope it
doesn't catch the attention of thieves again."
 Xia Qifei lowered his head. "Thank you for sparing our lives."

Fan Xian turned around and led the Third Prince from the
chair. It was only at this moment that Xia Qifei realized that he
might have ignored this little nobleman and felt a bit
uncomfortable in his heart. It was too late to make up for it.
His brain whirred. He heistantly said, "Sir, if I set up against
the Ming family in the March opening, they will certainly
become suspicious at that time."

"You stand on my side, and naturally I stand on your side."

Fan Xian slightly smiled. Holding the Third Prince's hand, he
headed outside making one last comment. "Master Xia decides
quickly; I like that very much."

There was absolute silence at the Shazhou branch of the

Jiangnan water bandits, a deathly, still silence. The head boss
had sent out the most severe order for silence. Although he
didn't say it explicitly, all the brothers knew that something big
had happened. They only dared to guess and not spread it
around.

Xia Qifei sat in astill warm chair. His face was cloudy, and it
was unclear what he was thinking.

The advisor entered and leaned near his ear to whisper, "The
sailors have sealed their camps. I don't know what happened."

Xia Qifei's expression became serious. He spoke in a low

voice. "No matter. As long as this matter is settled, Old Sheng
shouldn't have any problems."

The advisor slowly said, "They've already captured many of

our ships. As per your orders, we haven't clashed with them.
But after those people from Jingdou left, they also released our
ships."

Xia Qifei lowered his head. "This is them showing their

power." He laughed coldly. "In their eyes, we are nothing more
than ants."
 "Boss, everything is prepared. Gong Feng is cleaning his
sword in the back room and waiting on your orders."

Xia Qifei still didn't give the order. His brow furrowed
deeply. A moment later he asked, "Advisor Qian, do you think
this should be done?" His hand slowly stroked that Overwatch
Council token. The token was very smooth. Who knows how
long ago it was made?

The advisor replied in a shaky voice, "It's all up to your

orders, I…dare not interfere."

Xia Qifei closed his eyes. "The person from Jingdou seems
used to doing things in this manner. He thinks too highly of
his abilities. Even if he does have a few seven- and eight-level
master guards, if we attacked with all our power, we still have
a chance."

The advisor cursed him in his heart. You already know that's
not possible, yet you still say this kind of thing; you just don't
want to carry that notoriety and want me to try and persuade
you. Out loud he said, "The head of the guards has reached the
peak. If he were in the martial wilderness of Jiangnan, he's
completely able to build a temple and start a school. Please
consider this well."

"The most important is that man himself." Xia Qifei opened

his eyes. In reality, the terms Fan Xian had given him were
enough to sway him. As a powerful master, it was difficult to
accept the thought of being someone else's subordinate,
particularly since there was little chance of ever rising up
again. Earlier, he had been speaking humbly with Fan Xian but
also, through his advisor, preparing to kill all. The most
skilled water bandit, Hong Feng, happened to be at the
Shazhou branch, so the Jiangnan water bandits were not
completely without the power to retaliate.

He knew in his heart that the so-called "kill all" was self-
comfort to prevent him from losing too much face.

Xia Qifei sighed and felt a strange sadness. He knew that the
Jiangnan water bandits would turn into lackeys for the court
by his hands. This kind of feeling was embarrassing and
uncomfortable. He rose and, looking at his advisor who
seemed like he was going to cry, knew that he was afraid of him
making a stupid choice. Unconsciously, he patted the other
person's back, wanting to comfort him.
 His hand came into contact with a patch of something wet
and cold. Xia Qifei paused and then realized the advisor had, in
the middle of winter, been scared into a cold sweat by the
people from Jingdou. He couldn't help but laugh mockingly at
himself—the might of the royalty and the Overwatch Council
clearly was not something common leaders like him could
stand against.

Finally making his decision, he said with a serious

expression, "Immediately disperse all the men. On the surface,
keep the ship under surveillance, but ensure the safety of the
ship in secret. We must ensure that Jingdou ship reaches
Suzhou safely!"

"What about on land? Beside that man?"

"He has many masters around him; he doesn't need us to

interfere."

"Yes." The advisor nodded his head, then furrowed his brows.
"But, about old Hong Feng…he is prepared to attack."
 …

Xia Qifei sank into silence and knew that this matter was a
bit complicated. His secret alliance with the Overwatch
Council could not be exposed too early on the jianghui,
otherwise he would lose control and the pressure from outside
would grow. As for old Hong Feng, that was an urgent
problem. Hong Feng was a mysterious ace among the Jiangnan
water bandits. To speak of generation, he was a fellow disciple
with the old bandit boss' teacher, his own great uncle teacher.
He rarely interfered, yet he was the hidden glue of the
Jiangnan water bandits.

What if that old-fashioned yet persistent old Hong Feng

knew that he, this outsider, wanted to completely throw in his
lot with the government?

Xian Qifei shivered with fear and realized he might have

underestimated the complexity of this matter. After a moment
of silence, his expression suddenly became ruthless. In a low
voice he said, "Go summon the guards of the inner hall."
 The advisor felt a chill in his heart and knew that the he was
preparing to get rid of Hong Feng, only…could their people do
it?

Half an hour later, the head of the Jiangnan water bandits,

Xia Qifei, brought a bowl of chicken soup and respectfully
came to the back garden. He was going to show his respect to
Hong Feng, a man with the most special position in the water
bandits, but behind him were hidden his most trusted
assassins. They sought to finish this in one try.

He stood outside the door for a moment, but no one came to

open it.

It was as silent as death in the garden.

…
 Xia Qifei pushed open the door and walked in. He calmly
called out, "Great uncle teacher?"

No one replied to him. Xia Qifei swept his gaze around. He

felt a sudden chill in his heart. His hand loosened, and the
chicken soup smashed on the group, splattering everywhere.

He saw a silver-haired elder sitting on a cushion beside the

bed. His hair was tightly bound, and he wore a sword gown
with a long sword tied to his side. A murderous aura emanated
from his entire body. It was clear that Hong Feng already had
brought himself to the perfect realm and was ready to kill at
any moment.

However, Hong Feng was no longer able to kill. Only his wide
eyes showed a strong dissatisfaction and rage. If gazes could
kill, then it was profoundly unsettling.

A terrifying yet delicate wound split open his throat,

reaching all the way to the back and bisecting the throat. Fresh
blood flowed down old Hong Feng's back and onto the floor.
 Hong Feng already had died.

The person who killed Hong Feng had remarkable skill with a
sword. There was no blood on the front of Hong Feng's body
because it had all been forced, by the might of the sword, to the
back of the body.

Xia Qifei shook as he walked around Hong Feng's body; he

was a little scared to look directly at this scene in front of him.
He had been prepared to do something that would betray his
teachers and ancestors, but after this had happened, he found
it unbelievable. He had been prepared to sacrifice the lives of
dozens of people, so who was able to kill this old man without
a single sound?

A piece of paper floated down.

 Xia Qifei swept the room with a panicked gaze only to see
that it read, "You thought about it, yet I will still give you the
opportunity. He was ready to kill, so I killed him."

The head of the Jiangnan water bandits began to shake

uncontrollably. It wasn't until now that he truly realized the
power of the Overwatch Council—it was not one that could be
challenged by a gang. The other party was helping him clear
out the final obstacles for his submission. It was also his last
invitation and a warning.
Chapter 337: Pledging Loyalty And Fan
Xian’s Facade and Shadow
That night, the quiet in Shazhou carried a trace of
nervousness. The usually lively and boisterous night streets
were strangely quiet. Everyone knew that something had
happened, but no one knew exactly what it was.

To the east of the gambling dens were a few of Shazhou's

largest and most comfortable inns. Wealthy guests from the
North and South liked to book these inns.

Although Fan Xian was a simple second generation, he did

not have the attitude of a second generation. His lifestyle was
not plain; it was simple. He had only booked the topmost,
quietest floor.

Xia Qifei stood conscientiously in the corner of the room. In

front of Fan Xian, he carefully stowed away the token and
signed his name on the document, then pressed on to it. He
then respectfully handed over a leather satchel.
 Fan Xian glanced at the document, nodded and smiled. "Sir
Xia, now we are one family."

Xia Qifei was crying in his heart. Having signed this

document, naturally he was family with the young official in
front of him. Only, there were all kinds of people in this
family. While the other party was a young master, he was more
like a bought slave.

It was clear that he probably wouldn't have a chance in this

lifetime to reveal the disgust in his heart. A fierce man of the
jianghu could adapt to circumstances. Since he had chosen this
path, he would walk it properly. Thus he tidied his clothing
and took a step forward before falling forward into a kowtow.
"Lower official Xia…Ming Qingcheng greets you, sir."

He finished his words, but his body didn't bow down as a pair
of hands had already firmly helped him up. Fan Xian looked at
him. "No matter how you view me, I am not strict on the
superficial things. Since you have entered this Council—even
though we are officials of the court and divided by our ranks—
we must be loyal brothers."
 Xia Qifei paused slightly.

Fan Xian continued. "You are probably like everyone else and
have this or that prejudices about the Overwatch Council, but
you are not clear about the relationship of the internal
department."

He paused for a bit and then smiled. "To put it less nicely, we
are like a pack of wolves raised by the court, but there are
many lions and tigers out there. If we want to survive to work
for the court and interests of the common people, then we
cannot care about the filth they say. What is important is that
we are internally united. The wolf pack may have a leader, but
the internal department will not have internal strife."

Xia Qifei furrowed his brows and replied, "I understand."

"You don't understand." Fan Xian told him directly. "I know
these words are empty and hollow, but we'll go slowly. This
kind of feeling you will eventually experience in the Council in
the future…yes, I understand you, after all you are the
extraordinary hero of a generation. Earlier I purposely
suppressed you in the branch. I suspect you're not feeling good
about that."

Xia Qifei's heart stuttered, yet Fan Xian's expression was soft
and he laughed aloud. "You were a commoner and I was an
official, naturally there was a divide…but now your identity is
different."

Xia Qifei didn't know what to say, so he remained fearfully

silent.

"Commoners are foolish." Fan Xian drew his brows together.

"That is why you can use them and look after them, but you
cannot trust them. You cannot let them come to the wrong
conclusions, thinking they can climb on top of you. Thus, as
an official of the Overwatch Council, although we stand on the
side of the Emperor and common people when inspecting
governance, we can only trust the Emperor. Commoners. It is
enough for the Overwatch Council to maintain only sufficient
authority and pressure."

"Of course, these are only my thoughts." Fan Xian lightly

rolled his sleeve. "They may not be right."
 People often forget that after that rainy night, Fan Xian's
heart had chilled. Later, during his long stay in Jingdou, his
heart had grown colder and colder. He had long accepted Uncle
Wu Zhu's words as an obvious truth of the outside world—
there is no one you can trust in the world. Besides the
individual people who could not be trusted, it included the
foolish commoners who got by in the Qing Kingdom and the
Emperor. But Fan Xian would never utter this thought.

Other than Fan and Xia in the room, there was only Su
Wenmao of the Qinian unit.

Fan Xian pointed at Su Wenmao and said, "I transferred Sir

Su from the First Bureau. I think you don't have any desire to
work close to me. If you want to enter the capital in the future,
it is not impossible."

Xia Qifei thought being a landlord in Jiangnan would be

much better than entering the capital, but he sincerely replied,
"I rely on your promotion."

Fan Xian shook his head. "Don't say false words. But, it is
true that the Council can help you do many things, so don't
resent me. We all mutually use other. Sir Su was your witness
to entering the Council today. In the future, if you have any
contact or matters that need to be passed up, you should
contact Sir Su. In a moment you two can talk for a bit."

He spoke to Su Wenmao again. "Have Sir Xia quickly become

familiar with the handbook and regulations."

Su Wenmao acknowledged the order in a low voice with a

salute. The two people were aware that Commissioner Fan had
finished giving orders, so they saluted again and left the room.

The Third Prince's small body drifted out of the inner suite
like a spirit. He approached Fan Xian and quietly asked,
"Teacher, is this how the Overwatch Council recruits people?"

"Special measures for special cases." Fan Xian politely invited

the Third Prince to sit, "What Your Highness heard earlier is
not often seen in the Council. Usually when the Overwatch
Council recruits, the person is inspected for a long time. We
commonly pick people from the troops in each province. This
was a habit left from before the first time His Majesty went on
a Northern Expedition, when he was organizing the Overwatch
Council."

"Of course, later we paid special attention to the failed

examinees of each years' spring examination. After all, if an
inspector cannot even read, then there is nothing to be done.
All talented individuals who have just lost hope in the imperial
examinations are common targets of the Overwatch Council.
However the Council does not like to recruit people who are
already quite powerful or have influential people behind
them."

The Third Prince furrowed his brows. "Xia Qifei is the head
boss of the Jiangnan water bandits."

"That's why it's a special case," Fan Xian explained patiently.

"Usually, someone like Xia Qifei would, at most, be allowed to
move in the outer circles of Overwatch Council business. To
allow him to take the position of inspector is rare."

"Why is it a special case?" The Third Prince seemed

particularly interested and keen on this topic.
 This time Fan Xian did not scold him for concerning himself
with the minutiae as a prince. "Because this time His Majesty
has ordered me to Jiangnan to clean up the palace treasury,
and I will run into a slew of wealthy merchants. Thus, the
Overwatch Council needed to find someone local to Jiangnan,
and it had to be someone who we could control absolutely."

"Why?" The Third Prince was very confused. Although he

was cruel and ruthless at a young age, his princely identity
meant that other than the brutal scolding Fan Xian had given
because of the Baoyue Brothel incident, he had never met any
frustrations. Thus, he could not imagine the complexity and
difficulties of the politics in Jiangnan.

Fan Xian glanced at him and couldn't help finding the child's
serious gaze a little funny, but he also felt a deep admiration
for Yi Guiping deep in the palace. How had such a charmingly
naïve mother raise such a ferocious prince who was
hardhearted, studious, and willing to bend? The mother was
also probably not so simple.

"Jiangnan has been run by Xinyang for too long." Fan Xian
did not avoid mentioning the Eldest Princess in front of him.
"After 10 years, this place has already been become a
monolithic bloc. There are still people who are enemies of the
Cui and Xia families, but each party always has inextricable
interests, and no one wants the situation to change too much.
Change will bring losses, and these people are not willing to see
that."

"Coming all the way from Jingdou, we are a massive variable

to them. When the outside attacks, even if the bloc has cracks,
it will temporarily form one unit to battle the outside enemy
together. Thus, we need a piece of sand that is already within
the bloc and to have this irritant become larger and larger until
it finally cracks the bloc so that it will be difficult for it to
resume its old appearance."

The Third Prince furrowed his brows. "The piece of sand

might not have this ability. If we help him, how is that
different than coming forward ourselves?"

"The important part is that it is not convenient for us to

come forward." Fan Xian had a bit of a headache and sighed.
"Your Highness does not know how deeply ingrained the
concept of territory is in this country. I can have Xiao Shi come
and open a branch of the Baoyue Brothel. I can have Danbo
Bookstores all over Suzhou. Once it touches the fundamental
interests of the Jiangnan people, it will probably cause a group
attack."

"Group? What people would be involved?"

"I've killed a few young masters from Jiangnan's wealthiest

merchant family, the Ming family. There are a few salt
merchants who have a deep hatred of me and officials of
various ranks that have long been fed by the Eldest Princess,
starting from the second-level Ling Admiral on the Jiangnan
Road all the way up to the old soldiers watching the gates in
Suzhou."

Fan Xian smiled and counted off on his fingers like he was
making a game. "The shopkeepers of various levels in the
palace treasury, the prostitutes on the street corners, the old
man who makes a living as a performer in front of the temple…
as long as they are Jiangnan people, they will not like me
coming to criticize or give orders."

The Third Prince paused slightly then said ruthlessly, "They

can attack if they like, I…teacher is not afraid of them!"
 "It's not that I am afraid." Fan Xian smiled easily. "But, how
does that saying go? The law does not punish the majority…if
Jiangnan truly became chaotic, those people of all walks of life
have plenty of ways for the people's resentment to be heard.
When the people have no means of livelihood…if it really came
to this, and the court debates this issue, do you think they
would chop tens of thousands of heads to boost my courage or
would they force my resignation to appease the hearts of the
Jiangnan people?"

The Third Prince paused for a while and thought, given

father's personality, you'll probably not suffer much at all, but
he would transfer you out of the capital. He felt very dispirited
about a proper teacher of the Third Prince still having to suffer
such oppression.

Fan Xian seemed to guess what he was thinking and laughed

out loud. "Of course, things wouldn't be that bad. His Majesty
knows the Overwatch Council is very dangerous, but His
Majesty cannot be blindly gentle. I'm just estimating these
things to be more difficult." His smiled gradually faded, and he
calmly said, "If killing is needed to set up power, then I don't
mind carrying this notoriety."
 The Third Prince shook his head. If too many people were
really killed, then it's always going to be difficult to clean up. If
the Imperial Censorate in Jingdou kicks up another fuss, could
his father really flog them all to death? Father was an Emperor
set on having his name recorded in the annals of history.

Why not have that newly recruited Xia Qifei go do the

killing? His eyes lit up, but he didn't dare to tell his idea from
his flash of inspiration to his teacher. He did not know that his
seemingly warm teacher was actually ruthless and had already
made such low arrangements.

"Ahem, ahem." He coughed a couple of times. "What about

the sailors? The garrison of the sailors actually colluded
mutually with the head of the water bandits. How will the
Overwatch Council investigate this?"

Fan Xian casually lowered his head to look at the leather

satchel. "That matter won't need investigating."

The Third Prince furrowed his brows and cruelly said, "How
can you not investigate? The army is an important part of a
country. The sailors of Sha Lake are important soldiers of our
court and known by the title of Jiangnan sailors. If there are
even problems here, if things are not investigated fully, how
will the court rule itself? The Qing Kingdom is known as the
strongest in the world. How will we ensure our safety?"

Fan Xian glanced at the Third Prince with surprise. From

these childish and even unclear words he could tell that the
child truly cared about this matter. He couldn't help but be
confused, however he turned it over in his mind and
immediately understood. It seemed that this young master had
a true heroic heart. He couldn't resist smiling as he handed the
leather satchel in his hand to the Third Prince.

"The sailor problem isn't very big. Of course, that garrison

will naturally have some bad luck befall him. I think, after this
matter the Admiral of the sailors will have to give me some
kind of an explanation. On the Yangtze River, it was also a test.
The military record of the sailors are pretty good."

The Third Prince refused to comment. He had his head down

looking at the things he found in the leather satchel. The more
he saw, the more startled he became. Inside were all the secret
correspondence between the Jiangnan water bandits and
government officials of various places—all the accounts were
clear. Although there were no names of the officials on the
correspondence, if things were investigated they could
probably catch quite a few officials.

Fan Xian said, "This is the so-called loyalty pledge. Xia Qifei
giving me these things is the same as giving me his head and
those of the officials. Only after both sides have shown their
hands can everyone feel at ease."

The Third Prince suddenly raised his head and said with
disbelief, "Xia Qifei will always be a spy?"

"Your Highness has understood quickly; you are indeed

clever." Fan Xian praised his student. "We can capture these
officials if we want, it will just depend on time. If they don't
recognise the current situation and want to stand in opposition
to the court, then naturally we will capture them. As for Xia
Qifei, he will continue to be the head of the Jiangnan water
bandits and associate with the sailors and officials of various
regions. This is for the best."

From Fan Xian's perspective, the so-called position against

the court was naturally the side of Xinyang.
 The Third Prince looked at Fan Xian with excitement.
"Teacher has a good plan."

Fan Xian touched his hair and smiled self-deprecatingly.

"What kind of shitty plan is this? Everyone would be able to
think of it, except no one has the same kind of resources as the
Overwatch Council so they can't discover details about Xia
Qifei or control him. They will not be able to put to good use
any tricks."

It was rare to hear him swear, and the Third Prince laughed.
"Even though teacher is the immortal poet of a generation, you
still swear."

Fan Xian laughed even louder. "What bullshit immortal

poet? Even immortal poets need to use the bathroom. Master
Zhuang married two concubines. Who in this world is made of
crystal through and through? Even if someone is, they would
probably freeze to death everyone around them."

The Third Prince giggled and suddenly asked mischievously,

"Are you saying…even father…knows how to swear?"
 Fan Xian paused and felt anger rising as he looked at the
child. This was forcing him to tell a lie; he wanted to swear out
loud. He smiled and scolded, "Go back and ask your mother Yi
Guiping."

After talking and laughing for a while the atmosphere

relaxed. The Third Prince remembered what Xia Qifei said
earlier. Suddenly interested, he asked, "Teacher, I heard that
head thief say that in a few days there will be some kind of
meeting beside the Xi Lake to judge the martial arts of the
Jiangnan heroes. It's a rare occasion…lets…lets go see it too?"

"Vulgar, so very vulgar." Fan Xian smiled. "It is nothing more

than vulgar people fighting. Your Highness is a prince, why
bother joining in that ruckus?"

"The jianghu." The Third Prince brows furrowed. "I am truly

very curious about it." His eyes lit up. "Teacher is a rare ninth-
level master, you could go in disguise and win the title of a
leader, wouldn't that be marvelous? In the future it could be
made into a story book and spread throughout the land…"
 "More and more vulgar." Fan Xian smiled. "If I really did this,
who knows what will be said in Jingdou. There will be plenty
of material to write me up a dozen times over. In the end, the
Emperor will criticize me as an impetuous youth…besides,
how could I be so close to danger with you beside me."

He finally said, "Of course the Overwatch Council will send

someone to see. I suspect that the people of the Fourth Bureau
are already near Xi Lake. For my part, I am going to have Su
Wenmao go."

It was only now that the Third Prince knew that Fan Xian
already had a plan. He couldn't help feeling disappointed and
sighed sadly. No matter how persevering and ruthless his
personality was, he was still just a child. He was bound to feel
a bit disappointed at not being able to join in the liveliness and
see the legendary martial arts assembly.

"It's late, please go rest now, Your Highness." Fan Xian rose to
see him out.

When he saw the Third Prince to the door, the Third Prince
suddenly stopped and didn't push open the door. Rather, he
turned around, slanted his face, and looked Fan Xian up and
down with interest. Shortly after he said, "Teacher, why did
father arrange for me to follow beside you and come to
Jiangnan with you?"

Fan Xian paused. After a moment he smiled slightly and said,

"Whatever Your Highness thinks, perhaps that is His Majesty's
intention."

Words should be regarded with respect, but motives are

grounds for death.

The Third Prince's youthful appearance immediately became

serious. After thinking for a while, he slowly nodded and then
asked, "Dare I ask, where my other cousin is? I have not seen
him in a while, and I miss him."

Fan Xian knew he was asking about Fan Sizhe. Looking at the
Third Prince's appearance, he found that the junior brothel
boss' pining of the senior brothel boss seemed to be sincere. He
smiled. "The Ministry of Justice has already sent out wanted
posters to capture him…how would I know?" The Third Prince
was not the Emperor, there was no need for him to say too
much.

The Third Prince glanced at him with some anger and asked
one last question. "There is a question I've long wanted to ask."

"Please speak, Your Highness."

"Hm…at the Hanging Temple, why did you come save me?"
The Third Prince watched him expectantly. He didn't know
what answer he wanted to hear.

Fan Xian didn't even think, he just smiled and was direct.
"Because Your Highness was in danger at the time. Of course I
would save you."

It was clear that the Third Prince did not want this
perfunctory answer, and he continued to ask, "At that time…
father was in more danger."
 Fan Xian's answer was even more amazing. "I was closer to
Your Highness."

The Third Prince pushed open the door angrily and walked
out thinking, This bastard is indeed soft of body but hard of
heart. He won't say anything clearly and likes to be mysterious!

The Li Chengping who grew up in the imperial family had

since a young age been taught by his mother to live carefully.
He was on good terms with the Second Prince but also often
played in the eastern palace. He was the most tenderly loved by
his older brothers. In his heart, he was the most daring and had
a maturity far beyond his age—this kind of personality was
forced on him by his circumstances. At the Hanging Temple,
everyone was anxious about the safety of the Emperor. No one
cared about the life and death of the Third Prince. The Crown
Prince was even more unbearable. He then knew the saying
that the royal family was heartless was not a lie.

He couldn't help feel a chill in his heart after the event and
often remembered Fan Xian's heroics and the sight of him
standing in front of him. The man had saved his life.
Comparing the two, the Third Prince felt that his nominal "big
cousin," who was in reality an "older brother," was more
lovable than anyone else in the world and much more
trustworthy.

Fan Xian stood at the door and watched as the Third Prince
went with the Tiger Guards back into his him room. Only then
did he turn around to go back inside. There was a small warm
smile on his face. Going south with the Third Prince, their
relationship was slightly strange. The other party was a prince,
and he was a minister, but they were also student and teacher.

Furthermore, everyone knew in their hearts that they were

children of the same father. Only, both the elder and junior
were clever people and would never raise this issue willingly
even if they mutually probed a little. After all, there are not
many people who are as straightforward and direct as Sisi in
this world.

"Young master, it's time to sleep."

 Fan Xian was in a daze and found himself startled by the
straightforward and direct girl. He turned his head to see Sisi
carrying a basin of boiling hot water and looking intently at
him.

"Don't move too much these few days."

He extended his feet into the water and let out a comfortable
groan. He was tired from traveling day after day and his spirit
was weary—he did need to soak for a bit.

Sisi held a square piece of cloth. She sat before him on a little
stool and stared at him without blinking.

Fan Xian felt a bit uncomfortable under her stare and

instinctively asked, "What's wrong"?

Sisi twisted her head to glance at the wooden door before

lowering her head and quietly saying, "Young master…if you're
investigating the palace treasury, then just investigate the
treasury and don't mind those other things."
 She was one of the few people who had received confirmation
from Fan Xian himself, so naturally she believed his past.
Although she was a straightforward girl, her mind was clever.
Perhaps it was because Fan Xian had fed her ghost stories at a
young age, but she also had a natural sensitivity to certain
things. She saw how Fan Xian and the Third Prince spoke to
each other and sensed that Fan Xian might be making some
kind of preparation for the future. However, the matters of the
imperial family were a terrifying and untouchable existence in
the girl's heart. She also did not see Fan Xian as someone of the
palace, so she was worried.

Fan Xian's feet stopped their movements in the water. He

glanced at her with surprise. After a moment of silence, he
comfortingly said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I
cannot have this kid end up like Sizhe and suffer some
hardship. I just hope this Jiangnan trip will be an eye-opening
experience. Even if we are not talking about what could happen
in the future, as a prince, he will help the Crown Prince govern
the country. If he has a big heart, the world will be a better
place."

Sisi spluttered with laughter. "Turns out that my young

master is one who laments the times and pities the people."
 Fan Xian laughingly scolded, "You say it as though I can't be
like that."

"Too much so." Sisi covered her laugh with her hand. "It
seems, on the contrary, a little fake. How did young master
scold that Master Xia earlier? Seems like you've forgotten just
now."

"The two do not cancel out," Fan Xian said. "To be good to
someone does not mean you do as they wish in all matters.
How do the common people know how to protect their own
interests? This kind of thing is best left to us."

"Then why does it need to be done?" Sisi asked curiously. The

girl had been born into poverty and always hoped that the
young master would say something righteous. This is the so-
called difficult-to-guess heart of a woman.

"Where do all of these contemplations of life come from? We

are entering the Jiangnan Road tomorrow. Go and sleep. I can
pour out the water myself." Fan Xian smiled and gestured with
his hand.
 Sisi chuckled but continued to watch his eyes. If she was
alone with Fan Xian, she was always more daring than her
servant identity should allow.

There was nothing Fan Xian could do. He tapped his thigh
and slowly said, "Why does it need to be done? Of course not
for reasons of lamenting the times and pitying the people…I
don't have mother's generosity. I just want peace in the world.
No wars on the borders. No starvation or chaos in the cities.
Even if I wanted to be a wealthy nobility, I have to make sure
that it is a time of peace and prosperity. That way when I retire
at just 30, I can live a life of ease. In the end, I am just very
selfish. I am working to create an environment that I can enjoy
in my old age."

"Young master, what does retire mean?"

"Withdraw because of age? To do so just at 30? Although you

can't be Prime Minister, you have to be at least a duke before
you return to Danzhou, right?" Sisi asked with shock. "You are
already the commissioner of the Overwatch Council. You will
certainly take over old Master Chen's position in the future…
you can no longer enter the court, and cannot personally direct
army troops. At 30, at most you'll be a second-class Marquis."
 With a pained face she asked, "Are you really preparing to go
back to Danzhou at 30? How can you do that?"

Fan Xian didn't think the thoughts he haphazardly revealed

would cause her so much anxiety. He smiled. "It might not be
Danzhou, it could be Northern Qi, Dongyi, Nanyue, Ximan or
even the countries on the other side of the ocean. We should
visit them all, then we will not have wasted our lives. Ride
horses across the plains, take ships across the oceans…we can
go slowly and see everything."

"The Man people in the west eat people," Sisi said with fear.

Speaking of the Man people, Fan Xian remembered the news

report from the Council. He shook his head and waved away
that thought, returning to the present at hand. He knew his
previous words were just a beautiful but difficult dream to
achieve. However, he was already pretty content with his life
at the moment, except for that one major matter.

At this moment, Sisi was still counting on her fingers. "Then

there are another 12 years. What are you preparing to do?"
 "What am I going to do? Of course I am going to be a capable
and power minister. I will be loyal to the Emperor and govern
the Overwatch Council. I will bring down all those exploitative
and greedy lawless officials."

Sisi hesitated and then said, "You…are not an honest and

upright official."

The people closest to him would definitely not believe his

words. Sisi was already very polite, she didn't directly point
out that he was a greedy official that broke one's heart. Fan
Xian said innocently, "I can't help that. It's not my fault that
my old man and my father-in-law are both known as the two
greediest officials in the Qing Kingdom. The apple doesn't fall
far from the tree."

Sisi refuted it. "But you are, for sure, not a greedy official."

Fan Xian sighed and stretched out both his hands to rub
vigorously over his numb face. "After pretending for so long, I
almost don't know which is the real me…hm, this sounds very
petite bourgeois right…don't ask me what petite bourgeois is.
Leave it as is, go sleep."
 In the inn, the lights were extinguished. Matters of the bed
did not happen.

Letting Sisi sleep, Fan Xian climbed up from the bed and
swung a coat over his shoulders. He didn't rush to move, rather
he poured a cup of cold tea that he drank to slightly dampen
his anger. There was no light, so he depended on his eyesight to
walk to the window in the dark.

He pushed open the window and a sky full of moonlight blew

in along with the cool breeze. Opposite the inn was Sha Lake.
At this moment the wind on the lake was gentle and eerily
shook the long grass on the lakeside. In the middle of the lake
was a picturesque moon. The scene was beautiful.

He pulled his gaze back from the lake water below the inn
and naturally swung it to the right. Fan Xian saw, without
surprise, the black clothed man sitting on a railing in the air
with his feet dangling over empty space. He knew that given
the man's martial arts training, it would be as difficult to die
from a fall as it would be to drown oneself in a water basin.
 "You know I have a woman in my room. Can you not leave
some space? Don't say it's an accident again."

"Accident." The black clothed man repeated. "Yun Zhilan is

about to arrive in Hangzhou, I'm here to let you know."

Fan Xian felt surprised, but his attention remained on the

man's face. He asked, "I have a question, you used to always be
beside the old man…do you never sleep?"

The man did not answer.

"Where are your white clothes? Although I don't know if that

is your true appearance, you were much more handsome at
that time."

The man remained silent. Although he was Fan Xian's

subordinate, his identity and power had already reached a
point where he didn't have to answer too many of these boring
and childish questions.
 "My biggest question is that you are always so mysterious
and unpredictable, even the Emperor doesn't know you, so how
do you govern the Sixth Bureau? After all, you are the true
leader of the Sixth Bureau, that Ren person is only a
representative."

"I have my ways." Relating to official business, the most

accomplished assassin in the Qing Kingdom, the Shadow
finally opened his mouth to talk.

"Also, could you talk a bit more? I know you worship that
senior of ours, but you are not the same as him. You need to be
clear about your identity as a civil servant…from Jingdou to
here, you've only said three sentences to me. I am very
unhappy. I have a question I've been wanting to ask for a long
time, but I never have the opportunity to have you answer."

In front of the Shadow, Fan Xian seemed even more like a

chatterbox.

The Shadow hesitated and then spoke. "Sir, please ask."

 A faint smile appeared at the corner of Fan Xian's lips. "You
stuck me with a knife. The question is: how are you planning
to make that up to me?"
Chapter 338: A River Of Silver And Busy
Receiving Gifts
It was unknown what the Shadow had promised Fan Xian for
him to accept the compensation for the "accident" and to
happily leave Shazhou the next day. There was a downpour of
chilly winter rain; it was desolate and dreary like a spell had
been cast. Fan Xian and his group, secretly entering Jiangnan,
vanished into the low hills and forests outside of Shazhou.

In the depths of the night, a few officials wearing full body

rain jackets boarded the big ship from Jingdou at the Jiangnan
sailor's pier. They took careful precautions. Even the sailor
responsible for welcoming them didn't clearly see their true
appearances.

At that moment, the person who was in charge of matters on

the ship, Su Wenmao, looked at his colleagues boarding the
ship in the rain and asked, "You are all here. What about the
boss? The Qinian Unit left some people at least, right?"

An officer said with a pained expression, "The boss said the

setup should be as realistic as possible and left the Qinian Unit
on the ship. We were sent back with our faces hidden. This way
the sailor's people will believe he is on the ship. Once this
message is released, it will at least fool a few people."

Su Wenmao was stunned and speechless. "He's starting to

enjoy this. Since he's already revealed himself in Shazhou,
hiding is a…" He forcefully swallowed the oath back down his
throat. He coughed a few times. "That is fine too. Tomorrow,
we set sail and enter Jiangnan Road."

"March 3rd," The member of the Qinian Unit said seriously.

"The boat is to arrive in Suzhou on March 3rd. The boss gave
this date."

Su Wenmao panicked. "What ship can go that slowly?" He

rose and swung his hand, and angrily said, "No matter how we
travel on the river, I cannot stay any longer in Sha Lake. We
must leave port tomorrow."

The official furrowed his brows. "Sir, what's wrong?"

Su Wenmao's expression was worried. "After we entered the

Jiangnan sailors' camp, the commissioner and Third Prince
still refused to leave the boat. Of the various sailors' leaders,
who do you think won't have misgivings in their heart? These
past two days, there has been an endless stream of garrisons
and commanders who have found excuses to come aboard
every day. Everyone knows they are looking for an opportunity
to please the two noblemen. If the boss isn't on the ship, how
could we dare to let them on?"

The more he spoke the angrier he became. He had built up

quite a temper from obstructing everyone coming aboard these
past two days. "I can hold back this level of officials, but I
heard that the sailors' admiral is arriving tomorrow afternoon.
He is a first level super official. Even if the commissioner were
here, he would have to obediently salute. Even the Third
Prince wouldn't be able to do much. How I can obstruct him?"

The official he was talking to was also startled. The status of

the admiral could not be compared to those small fry officials.
Once that person arrived, this lie would be revealed. The
admiral couldn't do anything more to Commissioner Fan and
the Third Prince other than submit a secret memorial to the
Emperor to express his anger at being tricked. People like him
had to be the punching bag."
 "Leave early tomorrow morning!"

The Qinian Unit left to guard the ship came to a strong

consensus and began to instruct the sailor officials below to
prepare to leave. At the same time, they informed the Tiger
Guards and three Sixth Bureau swordsmen on the deck.

"The boss said he will send someone else to go to that

assembly in Hangzhou. You won't need to go." The official
watched Su Wenmao, then he asked, "I think that the sailors
have sent many gifts."

Su Wenmao said, "They're all in the back. Those who control

troops are truly rich. They live up to being the capable people
that protect the lives and ships of the water bandits."

That official suddenly had a flash of inspiration. "Weren't

you worried earlier about how to drag out the time until March
3rd? I have a plan, why don't we…"

He leaned next to Su Wenmao's ear and said something.

 Su Wenmao was overjoyed. "Good idea! Commissioner
doesn't mind small things like this. We are not allowed to
accept silver from the officials, but there is nothing wrong in
helping him collect silver." He thought of something and
entreated. "Ah right, keep a close eye on the chest of silver in
the back room. The commissioner has sent down a death order.
No one is to get close to that chest."

That official made a sound of acknowledgement but his

thoughts differed. Although the chest contains tens of
thousands of silver, the commissioner's family is so rich. Is it
necessary to keep an eye on it like a family heirloom?

Early the next morning, right after the fog on Sha Lake had
disappeared, the almost new ship from Jingdou slowly left the
dock under the "reluctant" gazes of the Jiangnan sailors
through the conduit and out of Sha Lake. It went slowly and
joyfully into the territory of the Yangtze River.

Watching the big ship disappear into the mouth of the lake,
the three ships tasked with their protection also followed
along. On the shore, the Jiangnan sailors and generals released
a breath. Finally they had sent away the two plague gods they
didn't dare come near or touch. But once they thought of all
the gifts they had given these days that seemed to have
completely gone to waste, they also felt a bit pained.

As for the matter of the commissioner and the prince's ship

having had a run in with thieves in the sailors' garrison area—
of course there would have to be a scapegoat. The glances the
generals sent toward garrison Shen were pitying, but no one at
the moment was taking a lead on this matter. Everything had
to wait until the admiral returned to camp later that afternoon
to decide.

Su Wenmao had guessed wrong. The generals of the

Jiangnan sailors had to wait until the second day for the
admiral to arrive.

That first ranking military figure in Jiangnan, Admiral Shi

was not anxious at all to arrive. He was only anxious to arrive
not too quickly.

Admiral Shi was a first-level official and disciple and friend

of the old Qin family in Jingdou. He was not afraid of Fan
Xian. He knew that if he rushed back to meet with Fan Xian
and ran into him and the Third Prince's lie, he would have to
lower his status to speak. To be sycophantic to a child whose
beard hadn't even grown out, to a bird who had yet to grow
feathers, where would his dignity and face go?

Thus on one hand, Old Shi sent someone ahead with a

message saying he was conducting business elsewhere and was
speeding back with all haste to greet the Third Prince. On the
other hand, he held his favorite prostitute and sat in his
carriage, swaying back and forth on his way toward the sailors,
lamenting that the path was too short.

In the end, Admiral Shi succeeded in his mistiming. By the

time he arrived, the ship had departed.

Speaking of the other side, Su Wenmao sailed the ship

downstream in high spirits. Following Fan Xian's orders, he
accepted the official's suggestion and stopped every time he
came across a province or dock. He didn't care whether the pier
was run down or only a small town of a few thousand on the
river side, he simply went and stopped, went and stopped. A
dock a day, no rush at all.
 The movements of the ship were strange. It stirred up all
manner of disturbances in the officialdoms of Jiangnan Road.

As everyone knew, Commissioner Fan and the Third Prince

might be on the ship from Jingdou. Since it was so, whenever
this ship docked, the local officials would have to go forth and
offer their greetings, as well as prepare an excellent banquet;
they also could not go empty handed. At such a juncture, who
dared to be careless?

The county upstream gifted jade, and the downstream

county could not compare, but they would have to at least give
a bag of cat's eyes, right? Our county is poor? There has to be a
few mountain ginsengs to dig up, right? Our county has no
money? At least a few strands of the famous pine and cypress
smoked golden cured meat! What if the two nobility were tired
of eating exotic delicacies and likes the local flavor of our food?

What? The city has no exports? Quick, send workers to pull

his boat.

In over a month, the officials along the river never saw the
mighty royalty, but they had spared no effort in their attempts
to please and suck up.

The big ship went down south and stopped each time it came
across a county, even the smallest places were not neglected.
While the Jiangnan officials were ecstatic at this rare
opportunity to present gifts, they also couldn't help secretly
criticizing, Commissioner Fan and the Third Prince…their
appetites are too big! They didn't even let off those poor towns
that didn't produce anything!

"You don't understand, right? Even tiny mosquitoes are

meat," an advisor of a manor in Suzhou said. "Seems like this
Sir Fan has inherited Minister Shang's style. His bookkeeping is
very detailed."

Another advisor shook his head and sighed. "Reputation!

Reputation! These young nobility today disdain to even make
an effort of face!" Following this he suddenly said disdainfully,
"Besides, that Sir Fan junior is not even Sir Fan senior's…"

"Shut up! You dare to comment on this matter! No need to

wait for the Overwatch Council to cut you up. I will strangle
you!"
 The respectful official sitting in the middle scolded loudly
and angrily. After he calmed his temper, he lifted his tea and
drank before saying, "Do not discuss others behind their backs.
As long as they are willing to accept silver, it is fine. Jiangnan
lacks everything except silver."

The official closed his eyes and muttered to himself for a

little while, then said with a trace of concern, "I'm just afraid
this is a smoke screen the commissioner has released, but who
knows? Besides, who knows if he is still on that ship? I heard
the man from the South say that Sir Fan's carriage was still
heading toward Danzhou, and he hasn't neglected to collect
silver either."

On the official roads in the middle of the plains, the group

with the most people, currently under the leadership of the
fake Fan Xian, were taking servants, guards, and shopkeepers
of the Qingyu Hall toward Danzhou.

On the Yangtze River, Su Wenmao sailed the ship and happily

gilded his trip. He didn't know that in future days he would be
cursed and berated harshly by Fan Xian.
 Various pieces of information became mixed and confused all
the Jiangnan officials. They didn't know where Commissioner
Fan was. Even if some of the cleverer people guessed that Fan
Xian might have taken an alternative route, they were unable
to find any useful information. The people of the Second
Bureau of the Overwatch Council were hiding the traces of Fan
Xian and his group's true movements.

As for the February weather, spring had yet to arrive and

winter had yet to leave. The cold arrogantly took over the
fields on the two sides of the Yangtze River and refused the
arrival of even a sliver of spring. But Jiangnan was close to the
ocean and always slightly warmer than other areas, so there
was no more snow these days. However, the mud tracks that
had been torn up on the official roads were completely
hardened by months of winter winds. This caused unspeakable
suffering for those being jolted up and down in the carriages.
 Fan Xian couldn't bear this kind of suffering. He lifted the
curtain and called for a stop. He jumped off the carriage and
went on horseback instead. Only then did he feel slightly more
comfortable. He stretched and breathed in the chilly breeze
that blew over his face. Watching the gutters on either side of
the official road his eyes narrowed unconsciously. He saw the
channels responsible for irrigation had long been empty of
water and were completely dry. If it was because the water
dried out in the winter, that would be understandable, but the
problem was that there were weeds taller than a person
growing in the channels. The weeds slowly followed the
channels and grew forward. It looked utterly barren and did
not seem to have an end.

He was a bit confused. He thought it would only look like

this if it had been dry for many years. He stepped down with
both feet and stood up to look into the distance. He couldn't
help but suck in a cold breath. He saw that the channels
around the official roads were mostly all like this. The tall
grass in the channels had frozen to death long ago, but it
remained standing upright, incredibly stubborn, and stabbed
toward the sky. How could this kind of channel irrigate? What
happened when it was spring planting season?

Along the way returning from Northern Qi, Fan Xian saw
that the Qing Kingdom's water irrigation system was fairly
complete. How could Jiangnan, one of the wealthiest
provinces, not have the money to repair their channels? Were
these fields not used for planting?

The official from the Fourth Bureau of the Overwatch

Council, who had come from Jingdou, saw the displeasure on
the commissioner's face. He kicked his horse forward to
explain. "It is only here that is a bit barren. Suzhou and
Hangzhou are not like this for sure."

Fan Xian furrowed his brows. "Of course Jiangnan does not
lack grain. Most importantly, this land is not very fertile, and
the labor has been locked by the palace treasury for too long."
He laughed helplessly and didn't say anything further.

Everyone followed silently along the weed-infested channels.

They had left Shazhou for some days now and traveled slowly
all the way, but they were almost in Hangzhou. Everyone was
somewhat tired. Fan Xian didn't have the mood to play the
game of inspecting and visiting the people in disguise.

"The carriage at the back: keep up!"

 The official of the Fourth Bureau's name was Mai Wu. Ever
since Su Wenmao had stayed on the ship, the logistics and
organization of this group had been handed to him.

He saw the commissioner was not in a good mood, so he

couldn't say anything. He could only order the people behind
to follow more closely. There were many aces in these
unassuming carriages. The problem was that the swordsmen of
the Sixth Bureau and Tiger Guards were not people to pass
one's days with. They were veterans at soloing assassinations.
If you asked them to burrow into the long grass of the channels
and not eat or drink until they reached Hangzhou, it would not
be a problem. However, if you asked them to participate in
low-cost travel, they became lifeless.

Along the way they had bought five little girls. They stood
with woven weed signs in a place 70 li out of Shazhou City at
the foot of a mountain, where there were very little people to
begin with. This made the group seem to move even slower and
very much resembled a rich family on an excursion.

This encounter also shocked Fan Xian. Since the Qing

Kingdom was in a golden age, he never thought that in
Jiangnan there were people who sold their own sons and
daughters because they were starving to death. Although these
poor people were wanderers from north of the river, Fan Xian
was still somewhat depressed.

Their group was secretly entering Hangzhou. It was not

convenient to take these people, besides, Fan Xian also was a
cold-natured person. In the end, the Third Prince couldn't
stand it and spoke up. Sisi happily took out a dozen liang of
silver and bought five girls. The parents of the girls were
endlessly thankful and left with tears streaming down their
face. Fan Xian more or less implicitly accepted this reality.

This group of people was too conspicuous. There was an

elegant young master, a poor scholar, an arrogant child, a
generous girl of a rich family, and a dozen powerful guards.
Those who wanted to would be able to guess Fan Xian's
identity. Since they had a few extra little girls, it was a small
disguise. Fan Xian persuaded himself thus.

Another few days passed. The official road was as calm as a

mirror, and the winter trees stood especially straight on the
sides of the roads. A scene of wealth suddenly appeared before
them. It was only upon seeing the lively roads, colorful
clothing of people walking by, and green city wall faintly
visible in the distance that the group realized this was
Hangzhou.

Fan Xian sat on the horse and waved his whip. In high spirits
he said, "Enter the city. We are going to find Aunt Song!"
Chapter 339: Loushang Tower, People
Beyond People
Aunt Song? Everyone was surprised. Did the commissioner
have acquaintances in Hangzhou? Overwatch Council
members knew that in matters of the heart, Fan Xian was an
official in Jingdou who rarely boasted of such things. Despite
his youth, he rarely went out to find the attention of women.
Preceded by his reputation, his people's thoughts must have
gone crooked.

Of course their thoughts went crooked. Fan Xian was only

thinking about whether this Hangzhou would be the same as
that Hangzhou and have an aunt with a surname of Song who
sold fish soup. In this West Lake, there was no Su Causeway or
Bai Causeway, but he wondered if there were Jiangnan women
as gentle as Xi Zi.

Having traveled the world, he finally arrived at the Jiangnan

fondly written about by literati and scholars. Fan Xian felt a
little excitement in his heart. He squeezed his legs and directed
the horse to enter the city.
 Entering Hangzhou was simple. Their group had prepared
the necessary travel permits and documents. They pretended to
be the outguards of a large family from Wuzhou traveling
south through Hangzhou. No one could see anything wrong
with the stamps on the travel permits and documents. For their
own convenience, the Overwatch Council often used advanced
forging techniques, much to the dismay of local yamen
officials.

The group cheerfully followed the straight road beneath the

gates into the city. At this time, Fan Xian had returned to the
carriage and lifted the curtain to look at the scene inside
Hangzhou. He saw the people they passed were happy and
content and a forest of stalls on either side of the road. Before
long, they came across a restaurant. Since it was still early,
there were no alluring scents drifting out. By looking at the
clothing of the commoners and the state of the streets, it was
clear that Jiangnan was wealthy.

After driving for a while, a long row of tidy willow trees

appeared in front of the carriage. Since the tail end of winter
was still cold, the willows did not welcome the guests with
green leaves. They hung weakly like whips. They were still
tidy and neat, which left a strong first impression.
 Fan Xian's eyes were sharp, and he saw the surface of the
water hidden behind the curtain of willows.

The light on the water was clear and soft, without a single
ripple. In this late winter weather, the air gave off a clean smell
and was not so cold that it pushed people thousands of miles
away. There was a gentle warmth that spread across the 10 li
lake. In the distance, green hills could be seen, although their
beauty was shrouded in mist. A few grey wooden structures
rose beside the lake, giving off a sense of wealth without being
overly ostentatious.

This body of water was West Lake, and the banks of it were
somewhat lively.

"Riding by the banks of West Lake, breaking off willow

branches and gifting green plums," these were two lines of a
random poem Fan Xian had learned in the elementary school of
his previous life. In that life, he had a natural yearning for
Hangzhou. He always wondered how West Lake could be so
beautiful, and how could there be so many famous people?
 Within his circle, he had a classmate from Hangzhou who
once told him that West Lake really wasn't much. At that time,
Fan Xian, who was still called Fan Shen, found it difficult to
believe. But, he never had an opportunity to see Hangzhou for
himself, partially because he became sick later, but mostly
because in that life, the house prices in Hangzhou were
expensive to the point of being ridiculous.

The Loushang Tower beside West Lake was the best

restaurant in Hangzhou. Outside the building, sails fluttered
and trees cast shadows, and there was a large plain suitable for
showcasing literary talents. Inside the building were wooden
tables, black clothed servants, and courtesans singing.
Everything was made to be enjoyed. Unfortunately, as it was
winter, the sails froze solid, the trees were yellow, and there
were vulgar people fighting. The courtesans still sang, but
their allure was greatly weakened since they couldn't wear
light silk.

Fan Xian sat at a table near the rail and peeked through the
wind-blocking bamboo curtain outside the rail at the surface of
the lake. He felt slightly disappointed. There was no Aunt
Song's fish soup. There was also no dongbo pork or beggar's
chicken. There wasn't even water shield soup. Fortunately,
Longjing prawns still existed, otherwise he probably would
have turned around and left because he was so depressed.
 There was no Leifeng Pagoda or Broken Bridge. This West
Lake...Was it still the West Lake in his heart? He lifted a wine
cup as thick as three of his fingers and downed it in one gulp.
He was unspeakably disappointed.

In reality, he was being too exacting. The original dishes of

Hangzhou were light with a sense of comfort and very
different than the foods in Jingdou—they were quite famous in
the Qing Kingdom.

There were three tables in the private room. Other than the
two guards outside the door, Fan Xian had ordered all the
others, regardless if master or servant, noble or common, to
sit. They were all eating with enjoyment. It was anyone's guess
as to whether the dripping sound was drool or soup landing on
the table. Although they were hungry after a long journey,
seeing the way these people ate also demonstrated that the
dishes at Loushang Tower were skillfully made.

This scene was a little scary. A huge group of people were

eating silently and aggressively, and the two guards at the door
were swallowing their saliva. Only Fan Xian had the mindset
to lean against the railing with his wine in hand to admire the
scenery.
 He raised the curtain a little and instantly the light burst in.
The image of the wintry lake was imprinted on his eyes. The
wind blew into the tower and dissipated the aroma of the
dishes floating in the room.

At the same time, an earth-shattering cheer came from the

rocky plain outside next to the lake. The wind brought the
cheer into the tower and drew the attention of Loushang
Tower customers leaning on the rail. They joined in unison
with the cheer. In a moment, there was an incredibly lively
roar of voices.

Only this private room was strangely silent. Fan Xian leaned
against the rail to see and drank more wine. A smile floated
onto his face. He was not surprised.

His subordinates were startled into raising their heads by the

countless cheers. They knew the martial competition
downstairs had reached a crucial moment, but they didn't rush
to the railing to watch. Instead, they once again lowered their
heads and focused on finishing the delicious food on the table.
 Fan Xian glanced at his subordinates and thought it was
strange. Even if you are proud in your heart and think that
these martial artists on the jianghu couldn't stand up against a
few attacks from you, except as kindred spirits, you should at
least have enough interest to offer some criticism, right?

In reality, he didn't understand. For the Tiger Guards and

swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau, no matter how lively the
Jiangnan Martial Assembly was it would never be as attractive
as the food on the table. Those aces of various schools were
skilled, but when it came to killing people, they weren't quite
enough—after all, they were professional assassins.

Sisi and the newly purchased girls were afraid of the killing
and slaughtering scene, so they sat quietly at a table to the
side.

There was only the Third Prince watching. It was he who

pushed for this visit to Hangzhou to see the Assembly. Who
knew what kinds of methods he employed for Fan Xian to
agree, so how could he possibly miss it? He held a plate of
quick-fried eel in one hand and chopsticks in the other that
brought it to his mouth. His face was filled with interest and
scrunched up in excitement as he watched two people
competing outside on the plain.

Fan Xian glanced at him, furrowed his brows and gently said,
"Your Highness, is it that delicious?"

The Third Prince was a bit angry to be interrupted in his

show watching. He rolled his eyes and said, "The palace isn't
allowed to make this."

Fan Xian paused a moment and then remembered that the

food in the palace had regulations. Something like the eel,
which was rare and from the North, couldn't be supplied year
round. It also looked ugly, which made it difficult to enter the
mind of a royal chef. He smiled self-deprecatingly as he
followed the Third Prince's gaze and looked down. He
instinctively opened his mouth to give an explanation to the
child.

"The person wielding the sword is a disciple of the Dragon-

Tiger Mountain. It looks like he's at least a seventh-level ace.
It's a pity his wrist strength is slightly lacking. Rumors say his
teacher was once a scholar and didn't fully master the
fundamentals. His bad habits have also been handed down to
his descendants."

"The person who is battling him is relatively famous.

Surname is Lv, first name Sisi. Don't look at me; it is just a girl.
She is the disciple of Dongyi City's Yun Zhilan and could be
considered the female grand-disciple of Sigu Sword. Coming
from a distinguished background, naturally she is
extraordinary. I think that swordsman of Dragon-Tiger
Mountain is going to lose an eye."

"Teacher...Yun Zhilan?" The Third Prince's chopstick full of

eel stopped short of his mouth. Even a child like him had heard
of this name. Yun Zhilan was Dongyi Sigu Sword's top disciple
and had long advanced into the ninth-level. He was considered
one of the masters of the sword of a generation. Last year,
when the Dongyi diplomatic mission came to visit the Qing
Kingdom, this man was the leader.

"I heard that he came to Jiangnan not just to encourage his

favorite female disciple." Fan Xian thought for a moment then
said, "I think it has something to do with the Ming family."
 Dongyi City always had a good relationship with the Eldest
Princess. However, its relationship with Fan Xian was not very
positive. Although the two sides had not had much direct
contact, they had almost crossed swords countless times. In
their one actual confrontation, it was enough for him and the
other party to form a difficult-to-resolve hatred.

He had killed two of Yun Zhilan's female disciples on Niulan

Street.

Fortunately, Fei Jia had dignity. He personally visited Dongyi

City and used the respect he had gained when he cured Sigu
Sword's illness four years ago to extract a promise that no one
from Dongyi would come bother Fan Xian. Otherwise, given
the hot-blooded vengeful nature of the Dongyi people, Fan
Xian would not have passed the past two years so comfortably.

It must be noted that Sigu Sword—a strange creature—was a

madman who dared to assassinate the Emperor of Qing
Kingdom.

There were not many people on the plain. They had put up a
bamboo canopy facing the lake. Under the canopy were a few
seniors of virtue and prestige. In the middle sat an official of
Jiangnan. The Jiangnan water bandit, Xia Qifei, was sitting
the furthest away. He was young and not senior enough among
the Jiangnan martial artists. The person who sat on the
platform today was an unassuming official of the Overwatch
Council Fourth Bureau. Only Fan Xian recognized his identity.

The Jiangnan Martial Assembly had been going for half a

day, and the people competing on the plain had switched out a
few times. There were all kinds of weapons, and it was very
lively. Although there had been many fights, there were no
deaths. Under the gaze of the court official, the jianghu people
were more cautious. In the end, the Martial Assembly was a
successful, victorious, and unifying one. Some jianghu won
fame, and others won a rare opportunity to show their faces.
Some won flashy but impractical martial experience.

Fan Xian looked coldly on this scene and remembered a novel

from his previous life. Jianghu is a corner of the kingdom? The
so-called jianghu on the plain right now could probably not be
considered a corner; it was only a flowery border in the
kingdom.
 There was still a faint trace of worry on his face. These
jianghu aces did not bring out any rare techniques or fight for
their lives, but there were some truly strong persons among
them. He considered the Dragon-Tiger Mountain swordsman
from the last round. Even before the bloodline of the Dongyi
City, he was never disadvantaged. He had probably given up
half a step in the end for the sake of Sigu Sword.

True aces did not make an appearance; those who did were
no longer vulgar. Behind these people, without exception, were
wealthy families or the shadow of the feudal officials. If there
was someone with heart who brought all this power together,
Fan Xian would find it a bit of a headache. No wonder the court
always managed this area strictly. It seemed that His Majesty
knew the court must maintain its usual powers of intimidation
against martial abilities in the public. At the same time, the
court also used its brilliance to attract the other party.

Fan Xian knew that, in the end, he had been careless. Xia
Qifei was right. There were heroes among the weeds. Qing
Emperor had aggressively suppressed martial power for 20
years, so there hadn't been much of an opportunity to
demonstrate it.
 "Where is Yun Zhilan?" The Third Prince searched curiously
through the groups of people below and didn't notice Fan
Xian's momentary distraction.

Fan Xian shook his head and said, "His identity is not the
same. Of course he doesn't have the patience to sit under the
canopy with those old men and court officials. Who knows
where he has gone at this hour?"

It was said that the year before last, in the royal palace, Fan
Xian had been pierced a few times by Yun Zhilan's sword-like
gaze. But he was thick skinned and black hearted and knew the
other party couldn't do anything to him, so he bore it willingly.

Chen Pingping once talked about the hatred between the

Shadow and Sigu Sword. That marrow-deep hatred could not
be controlled by official business, particularly since Yun Zhilan
was traveling in disguise in Jiangnan and wasn't taking official
roads. If the Shadow wanted to kill him, this was the best
opportunity.

On a day where aces gathered like clouds and officials and

seniors were present, if, under the thousands of eyes present, a
ninth-level battle broke out, the impact would be terrible—
even though the crowds would be pleased.

Fan Xian was deep in thought. It was clear that Yun Zhilan
was not coming to Hangzhou for this worthless assembly; he
was here for him. Xinyang transported goods toward Dongyi
City. No matter what, Sigu Sword would ensure the safety of
the Ming family, while he was going to topple the Ming family.
It seemed like he would have to find that great swords master
from the shadows first.

At this moment, the official under the canopy down below

stood up and walked on to the plain. He raised his hands in a
salute and warmly said, "Watching you heroes performing
today, I couldn't but be deeply moved. The Qing Kingdom
indeed has many illustrious heroes, and many are among the
people. I hope that everyone will continue to practice hard.
There will be a day that you will be able to aid the Qing
Kingdom in battle to open new lands. It is only a matter of
time before your glory will live on beyond this age and bring
honor to your ancestors."

The official laughed and said, "I'm not afraid. You heroes will
laugh. I admit that I am a frail scholar. To be fortunate enough
to here to watch your martial skills, I am full of admiration
and envy. I wish I could learn a few tricks from you so that in
the future I can ride horses and kill thieves to earn face for the
Emperor."

The jianghu people on the plain smiled as they heard this and
thought this official had some amusing things in his otherwise
courteous speech. Although they were angry there was an
official of the court watching what was supposed to be a
jianghu matter, hearing what he said made some people feel
that it really was this way. Good martial skills were eventually
sold to the royal family.

Life on the Jianghu was naturally free and at ease, but it is

easy to end up in dire straits. It couldn't compare with entering
the army, which would ensure both reputation and benefits.
The Emperor always considered martial ability of paramount
importance. After so many years of peace, there was bound to
be a war to fight and plenty of time to accumulate military
honors.

The people who thought like this were the minority. Most of
the jianghu removed from politics were free and at ease. They
naturally turned their noses up at this court official. Someone
said darkly, "It is true that there are many heroes among the
people, but they may not all be heroes of the Qing Kingdom.
Weren't there a few swordsman from Dongyi City earlier? Are
you going to persuade them to also join the army and later
fight their way back to Dongyi City?"

Upstairs, Fan Xian listened; he originally thought that this

Jiangnan Road official had a clever way with words. After
hearing this, he couldn't help but laugh and gently scolded,
"What a sharp tongue."

The Third Prince ruthlessly said, "They are all a bunch of

wicked people. Teacher was right; there really is no point. We
shouldn't have come to watch."

The official then spoke evenly and measuredly. "The way of

literature and martial arts originally recognized no borders. A
scholar of our court who once participated in Northern Qi's
imperial examinations has now married and become prime
minister in our court. As everyone knows, Sigu Sword of
Dongyi City is a great grandmaster, and naturally his disciples
are extraordinary. It is a fortunate matter for these people to
participate in our gathering. If anyone of Dongyi City wishes
to serve the court of the Qing Kingdom, the court will not
refuse."

He smiled and coughed a few times before saying, "Of course,

our court and Dongyi City have long had a good relationship.
What the gentlemen said earlier would never happen."

The dark jianghu man roared with laughter after hearing

these words. "There are many small feudal states in the world,
but if fighting were to truly start, who would be fit to be our
opponent other than just Northern Qi and Dongyi? Sir says we
won't fight Dongyi, then that must mean we will fight
Northern Qi?"

The crowd roared. Some of the older generation couldn't help

but glare at that person and think, It is common knowledge to
not fight with officials, why are you purposely clashing with
them? The crowd looked at that man and thought he looked
unfamiliar, not like someone who was known in the Jiangnan
martial scene.

Fan Xian, who was silently listening upstairs, also found it

strange but couldn't say why.
 The Jiangnan official on the plain muttered to himself a
little, then suddenly smiled and said, "This person speaks
sense, but other than our wealthy central plains, there is little
peace under heaven. They say that the Manzi on the west side
have recently become restless. Has everyone heard about that?"

He tossed out an unverified rumor to quiet the crowd, then

continued, "The court has just exchanged documents with
Northern Qi last year. The marriage alliance shall be
completed, and the friendship between our countries cemented
forever. Why would it be, as you said, that we will send troops
against each other again?"

That aggressive speaking jianghu figure was silent for a

moment then opened his mouth to speak. "As long as this is
how Qing people think, then that is good. Thank you, Sir, for
dispelling my doubts." Finishing this sentence, he retreated
into the crowds at the back.

This sentence exposed his identity. He was a man from Qi.

A soft clamor ran through the crowd; only the Martial

Assembly had no restrictions. Dongyi City could send people to
participate as could Northern Qi. No one could say anything.

Upstairs, Fan Xian furrowed his brows and stood up. His eyes
were bright and began to search carefully through the crowds
of people below. His gaze wasn't on the Northern Qi man who
was closely surrounded and discussed by the crowd. Who knew
what he was looking for?

The corner of the building he was in was to the side hidden

by the winter trees. There was also a bamboo curtain between
him and the crowd; thus the people below didn't notice him
and assumed he was at dinner watching the excitement.

The expression of the official on the plain changed a little. It

seemed that he also didn't expect the man who spoke
previously to be from Northern Qi. He paused for a moment,
then said with a trace of coldness and derision, "It is true that
the three countries are on good terms, but you who have come
from Northern Qi…I didn't see you enter the field earlier. Only
now do I understand. It seems our friends from Northern Qi all
like the way of literature and have less confidence in this area."
 Hearing these words, the Qing and Dongyi people on the
plain laughed loudly. Although Northern Qi, like the Qing
Kingdom, had formed not long ago, since they attacked
Northern Wei, they were weighed down by their old and
impractical culture. Many people in their country chose a
gentle and agreeable approach. In comparison, their martial
abilities were not strong. The impression they left on the world
was one of frailness and weakness.

Although Northern Qi had a Great Grandmaster, Ku He, he

was focused on the cultivation of Tianyi Dao and rarely walked
among the mortal world. They also had a ferocious general,
Shang Shanhu, but he had been placed by the Northern Qi
court in the freezing wastelands of the extreme north. They
had since summoned him back to the capital but placed him
under house arrest and would not put him in an important
position. Thus, in the hearts of the jianghu people, they did
look down on Northern Qi people a little.

It must be noted that Dongyi City had the most ninth-level

aces in the world, so of course they would have a natural
confidence. The Qing Kingdom valued martial arts and had
countless aces and ferocious generals. The two families, Qin
and Ye, had countless generals. Among their martial aces were
two great grandmasters. They also had no lack of ninth-level
aces. Yan Xia, who could shoot an arrow through the clouds
and talk about Sir Fan junior who had recently risen in
prominence, was just one example of a martial prodigy.

In the past two years, there was mention of a girl named

Haitang from the North, but...she was a woman. The jianghu
people were even more sexist than the common people and
looked down on the people of Northern Qi.

Thus, when the official said this, no matter if they were Qing
boxing masters or Dongyi swordsman, they all laughed loudly.

The face of the Northern Qi man darkened and showed a

trace of rage.

Upstairs, Fan Xian's face revealed a strange smile. He quite

liked that the Jiangnan Road official had not managed to
suppress his anger. His eyes narrowed as he quickly looked
down as if he were looking for something. He then gently
slapped the rail and tightly grasped it with some strength. It
seemed he was slightly more excited for no discernible reason.

The Third Prince looked at him with confusion.

 Fan Xian's gaze was directed underneath a tree near a path
away from the plain. Under the tree was a normal girl carrying
a basket and selling flowers. Given the cold weather, who knew
where the flowers in her basket had been stolen from?

The girl stood with her back to the plain the whole time. Her
hair was tied with a flowery cloth, so it was impossible for see
her face. Just as the official on the plain had humiliated
Northern Qi, she turned around and glanced over.

It was this turn that allowed her face to fall into Fan Xian's
eyes. If it wasn't Haitang, who could it be?

Haitang was already in Jiangnan. Fan Xian's brain began to

spin quickly. The girl should already know that he was the
illegitimate child of the Qing Emperor. Why would she still do
as she said in the letter and come down to Jiangnan to find
him? In these circumstances, did she really dare to give the
Heart of Tianyi Dao to him and complete Northern Qi's plan of
raising a tiger?

It was at this juncture that there were too many things Fan
Xian needed to make a decision about in a flash, so he took in a
deep breath and calmed his emotions. He then continued to
search below the building for Yun Zhilan's figure.

There was a sudden opportunity, and he needed a great deal

of courage to act. Although Fan Xian's emotions were steady,
he couldn't help feeling nervous. He didn't know if he and the
Shadow would be able to make use of this opportunity and
thought it was a great pity that the Shadow's personality was
too recalcitrant. Otherwise, if the people of the Sixth Bureau
worked with him, perhaps they would have a better chance of
succeeding today with this last-minute scenario.

The girl selling flowers under the tree was leisurely walking
toward the plain. A light, clean scent emitted from her body,
and the jianghu aces immediately sensed something was
different.

The crowd parted unconsciously for the flower girl as if they

didn't dare to block her path. Once the girl walked by, only
then did the crowd find it strange. Why did they give way to
her?
 In a moment, Haitang had mounted the plain with a calm
expression and stood naturally in front of the official. She
gently said, "Sir, I am a girl from Northern Qi. I am crude and
cannot read literature. However, I have some confidence in the
matter of fighting."

The Jiangnan official narrowed his eyes slightly at this

unremarkable girl in front of him, yet he didn't say anything,
as if she had stunned his spirit.

At this moment, a cold breeze blew in from the West Lake. It

didn't move the thick coat on Haitang's body, but it pushed the
messy hair at her temples toward her face, which looked a little
funny. Hangzhou did not have a fairy appear out of nowhere.
Instead, it had a village girl step onto the stage because her
hometown was humiliated.

When the man from Northern Qi who had suppressed his

anger saw her appearance, he feigned hesitation. A moment
later his eyes lit up and he was overjoyed. He threaded his way
out of the crowd and fell to his knees below the plain. "Lady
Haitang! How are you here?"
 The jianghu people crowded outside of Loushang Tower were
shocked. The gaze with which they looked at the normal girl
on the plain became alert and fearful.

Haitang? The Northern Qi Haitang!

Great Grandmaster Ku He's last disciple? The peerless

swordswoman of the North? The ninth-level ace and legendary
tianmai? A great grandmaster wasn't going to suddenly appear
on the shores of the West Lake. Who could challenge her?

While Haitang was stealing the limelight, it was a pity that

Fan Xian did not look. From the beginning, he did not look at
her. He only furrowed his brows and closely inspected the
movements of the people below. After a moment, he finally
noticed something. Beside the lake and beneath the causeway
in a small boat was a fisherman wearing a bamboo hat holding
a fishing pole.

Fan Xian placed his hands on the railing and stared without
blinking at the fisherman. He discovered that just as Haitang
appeared, the fishing pole in his hands lightly dipped. There
was no fish on the hook. The fisherman saw Haitang's
cultivation and wanted to hide himself deeper, so he made that
instinctive reaction.

Fan Xian witnessed this tiny action. He stretched out a hand

and retrieved the blue and white porcelain plate from the
Third Prince's hand.

The Third Prince said with surprise, "I haven't..."

Before he finished speaking, Fan Xian had thrown the plate

down with force.

They only heard a crisp crashing sound as the porcelain plate

shattered into countless pieces. At that moment, it was quiet
outside of the building due to Haitang's appearance, so this
sound was extraordinarily obvious.
 Some people raised their heads to look up at the building,
thinking, Which uncultured person dropped a plate down off
the building in fear after hearing the name of the female saint
of Northern Qi? These people were not able to see Fan Xian's
appearance because of the big trees and the bamboo curtain
divide.

Some people continued to watch the field nervously, not

knowing what Haitang was going to do next.

Only the fisherman on the lake had a clear and unobstructed

view of Fan Xian in the building. He could clearly tell that the
plate was forcefully thrown by someone and not dropped, thus
he was slightly confused and slanted his head as he gazed up.

It was only one gaze, but it could never be taken back

because Fan Xian's gaze was coldly staring back, focused
intently on him.

Yun Zhilan was disguised as the fisherman watched the

young man with a calm expression up in the building. It was
like a fire had been lit in his heart. Fan Xian! You are also here!
 Yun Zhilan slowly drew back his fishing rod, but his gaze was
like two dazzling swords directed at Fan Xian.

With dozens of meters between them, the man upstairs and

man in the boat seemed to have forgotten about everyone
inside and outside of the building. They forgot that Haitang
was about to strike, and they only looked at each other.

For a long time, the two people's gaze did not leave each
other. There was no probing in their gazes; they held only a
naked coldness. The two of them, because of old vengeances
and the matter of the Jiangnan Ming family, were certainly not
going to sympathize with each other.

Yun Zhilan had retracted half of his fishing pole.

 A strange unreflecting tip of a dagger appeared near the boat
around the fishing line as if it had quietly, with his retraction
of the line, risen up. Finally the spirit stealing dagger gradually
emerged from the water.

At this moment, the larger half of Yun Zhilan's attention was

on Fan Xian in the building, and the smaller half was on
Haitang in the plain. Although he was the head disciple of Sigu
Sword, he knew that both Haitang and Fan Xian were people of
the younger generation who had unfathomable depths.
Furthermore, rumors said that these two got along unusually
well. For them to both appear at the same time in Hangzhou, to
both be near this little boat, what exactly did they want to do?

A black blade of cunning murder streaked past.

The fisherman on the boat let out a muffled humph and shot
into the sky with a long, terrifying and bloody wound on his
body.

It was like the black awnings on the little boat were being
pulled by numerous forces in all directions. In a split second, it
broke into countless pieces. The water shook as a shadowy
figure of a man wearing all black broke through the water of
West Lake and followed through the air in the direction Yun
Zhilan had taken to escape.

After two sounds of breaking air, there was no trace of

anyone near the lake. There were only broken pieces of the
black awning that bobbed up and down with the waiter. Among
the broken pieces was a bamboo hat commonly seen in
Jiangnan floating indeterminately. It seemed to be giving a
show of protest to Fan Xian in the building.
Chapter 340: The Girl Selling Flowers
And The Shameless Official
West Lake wasn't big. It was no more than a few li long.
Looking over from Loushang Tower, the waters still appeared
vast and mighty.

Fan Xian stood on the top floor of the building. He narrowed

his eyes and watched the surface of the lake through a veil of
bamboo curtain.

He saw two shadows flitting quickly across the right side of

the lake. They occasionally tapped against the surface of the
water, sending up a spray before stepping on a boat near the
embankment and sweeping past. They moved at astonishing
speeds, much like two flashes of lightning chasing one another.

Sometimes they struggled back and forth above the surface of

the lake. Their swords flashed across space, and the two soared
in the sky. Their poses were beautiful but carried a sense of
death that made people shiver in fear.
 Blood suddenly appeared, and the two separated once more,
sliding forward like two quick birds.

The scene appeared beautiful but was exceedingly

frightening.

Fan Xian stood tall and saw far, but still the two aces had
disappeared into the winter willows on the other side of the
lake. Looking at the direction they went, it seemed to be
toward the black and noble courtyards.

He furrowed his brows. Yun Zhilan had managed to hold out

for so long despite his heavy injury. The swordmaster of
Dongyi clearly deserved his reputation.
 In the rare eagle pecking scene on the lake, it seemed like the
Shadow did not use his most practiced method. He instead
used a Sigu sword technique, so the attacks of the two aces
seemed similar. Although a few broken images only flashed on
the surface of the lake, they were still eye catching and awe
inspiring.

Given how the Shadow had chased after him like a corpse
eating maggot, the injured Yun Zhilan seemed to have only
death awaiting him. So why did he head directly to the
opposite side of the lake? Were there helpers from Dongyi over
there? Fan Xian thought the beautiful and elegant wooden
structures on the other side of the lake seemed a little strange.

With a bang, he slammed down the bamboo covering. Fan

Xian left the side of the railing. Glancing at the Third Prince,
who was staring at him in a daze, he calmly said, "What are
you looking at? Keep eating."

He sat beside the table and picked up his chopsticks. He then

began looking through the remaining food for the few shrimps
left.
 Everyone in the room stared at him in shock. The Third
Prince was also quietly guessing what had happened outside.
Who is killing who? Those people on the plain had all rushed
to the lake side and began to shout, so it was clear something
big had happened.

Shi Chanli finally couldn't resist and quietly asked, "Sir?

What happened?"

Fan Xian didn't give it much thought. "Not sure who, but
someone stabbed the fisherman in the lake. At this moment
they've chased their way to the other side of the lake."

There was silence in the room. What kind of fisherman was

attacked for those worldly, experienced jianghu heroes to be so
surprised? No one believed his words, but no one had any way
to refute them.

…
 Beside the lake on the plain, Haitang stood beside the official
and gazed at the two exceptional aces on the lake who had
vanished into the distance. Her face was calm and did not
reveal any of her thoughts.

Meanwhile, the Jiangnan martial figures had swarmed to the

side of the lake. They were sucking in cold air and making
shocked noises at the still rough surface of the lake.

Although the crowd had not seen the first scene, they had
clearly witnessed the little boat splitting apart and the two aces
soaring like giant birds above the surface of the lake. With one
shocked glance, the crowd knew that the two dueling were
unfathomably powerful. They were definitely not normal
people. They had probably entered the mystical ninth-level
realm.

After the shock had passed, the crowd began to guess the
identities of the two people. After a long debate, they still had
no idea. Even if one of the superior people saw that the sword
techniques on the surface of the lake were similar to that of the
Sigu style, they would not say anything. Those proud old men
thought to themselves: Doesn't Dongyi always likes to boast
they have many aces? You can fight it out yourselves.
 Only the female disciples beside the lake from Dongyi City
had serious expressions. They didn't think that in the Qing
Kingdom's wealthy Hangzhou there would be someone who
dared…who could…hurt their master. With Lv Sisi in the lead,
these swordswoman hastily saluted in the direction of the host
and silently left the plain to follow in that direction.

The crowd of Jiangnan martial artists were shocked but also

satisfied. At the end of today's martial assembly, which had
been nothing exciting, they were able to see the female
Northern Qi sage, Haitang, make an appearance and then two
exceptional aces fight each other beside the lake. This entry fee
had been well worth it.

The jianghu people of Qing Kingdom used this assassination

as an opportunity to forget the matter of Haitang standing on
the stage. Everyone knew that at this moment no one present
was a match for the girl. If the Qing people did not want to lose
face, they needed to take this opportunity and quickly get it
over.

Thus, the heroes of the jianghu chose to eat at Loushang

Tower, preparing to use wine as a lead in to having a good
discussion about the shocking scene they had seen. The rarely
seen leaders of various groups and parties took this
opportunity to discuss the distribution of benefits under the
"just" judgement of the official.

The Jiangnan official and a few seniors of virtue and prestige

saluted Haitang but did not bring up what happened on the
field. They invited Haitang inside to rest with great politeness
and etiquette.

As they were about to enter Loushang Tower, a cultured and

spirited young nobleman, who appeared upright and
honorable, rushed forward in welcome. He saluted Haitang
and warmly said, "You have come such a long way. It is my
honor to be able to be so close."

"This young man is?" Haitang had never been an icy and
frosty immortal, so she asked casually and politely. Her mind
was still on the swift fighting aces from earlier.

"My surname is Ming. I am the owner of Loushang Tower."

 At the back of the group was the Jiangnan water bandit Xia
Qifei. He raised his eyes to glance at Ming. His expression
remained calm, but he laughed coldly in his heart. It had been
many years since he had seen his eldest nephew, and now he
had made something of himself. He even knew to suck up to
Northern Qi people.

Loushang Tower was part of the Ming business and had

always been looked after by a shopkeeper. Since there was
something important happening near the building today, Ming
Lanshi, son of the head of the Ming family, Ming Qingda, had
personally come.

As an enormously wealthy family in Jiangnan, they

recognized the need to not only have good relationship with
officials, but also that favor should be curried for important
figures of other countries. That is why he rushed out of the
building to welcome Haitang, while at the same time
remembering to greet the Jiangnan Road official beside her. He
was a smooth and sleek character and did not seem like a
family disgrace.

The gazes of the diners were focused on the entrance. They

all wanted to see what the legendary Haitang looked like.
 Haitang was a famous figure in and of herself. The Qing
People had all heard the gossip that this girl had some unclear
connection with their own Sir Fan junior. The Qing people all
saw Fan Xian as their pride and considered him the most
exemplary figure in all of the court. They couldn't help looking
at Haitang with pickiness and a sense that they were examining
her as a soon-to-be bride.

Once everyone had seen clearly, they couldn't help feeling a

bit disappointed. This girl was not very pretty. It seem she
wasn't good enough for Sir Fan junior.

As the noises gradually lessened outside of the building, the

noises inside the building grew to a clamor. Fan Xian knew that
those brutish heroes were about to enter. He signaled with his
eyes at a Tiger Guard near the room in case there were some
jianghu people who didn't watch where they were going and
wanted to imitate tyrants from story books and incite a clash
by trying to take their seats. Fan Xian did not have the time to
play these games.

Gao Da glanced at him and, receiving Fan Xian's nod, waved

his hand to call back the Tiger Guard. He went out himself and
took the places of two guards who hadn't eaten.
 At this time, most of them had pretty much finished eating.
Everyone, including the Third Prince, stared at Fan Xian with
confused and questioning gazes. Sisi was not an exception. Her
gaze was full of curiosity.

"What are you looking at?" Fan Xian furrowed his brows.
"What happened on the lake really had nothing to do with me."

Shi Chanli laughed in his heart and thought, Teacher is

sometimes clever but how can his reaction be so slow at times?
Everyone was too embarrassed to ask the question. It was the
Third Prince who was not afraid of Fan Xian's temper. He
giggled and said, "It's not that."

"Then what is it?"

The noise outside was getting louder and louder. It seemed

there wasn't enough space downstairs and all the jianghu
people were heading up. The Third Prince gestured past the
door. "That Haitang girl is coming. Is teacher not going to
invite her in sit?"
 Everyone in the room rested their expectant gazes on Fan
Xian's face. He became serious. "What kind of brain do you all
have? You should be happy I've brought you all to Hangzhou
to watch the show. Are you all counting on me performing for
you as well?"

Shi Chanli scrunched up his face. "Teacher, Haitang is not a

stranger. Eating together is a normal thing."

Fan Xian laughed coldly. "Everyone is watching. If I invite

her in, then everyone will know who we are."

The Third Prince offered a counterpoint in his delicate voice.

"I don't understand why we are incognito. Why can't we travel
the mountains and waters as ourselves? I doubt these Jiangnan
people will dare do anything to us."

Fan Xian had a headache. "It's not that I am afraid of

anything, it's that it is a rare opportunity to leave the capital
and relax. Why must you have a dozen white-bearded officials
all around us? Your Highness doesn't want to pass his days like
that, right?"
 The Third Prince paused and then understood that
Commissioner Fan being incognito was not because he
intended to secretly investigate the evidence of the Ming
family's crimes, it was purely because he had the desire to
travel. Realizing that he had overestimated the other party's
professional ethics, the Third Prince couldn't stop his face
going red. Silently cursing that someone was indeed being
irritating he mockingly said, "So what if they know? If we
don't go to the yamen ourselves, I doubt anymore would dare
to follow us. Wouldn't that just be looking for awkwardness?"

Fan Xian didn't bother to acknowledge him. He thought the

horrors of the sight of officials fawning was not something the
child would understand.

The brothers were each holding the other in silent contempt

when they heard the noise grow louder outside their room. It
seemed someone wanted the room they were in.

Fan Xian's eyebrow twitched. "No way, such a vulgar thing is

actually happening to us?"

…
 …

Gao Da stood guard outside the door with a dark expression.

He watched the jianghu people in front of him with faces full
of rage and listened to their filthy words. His hand held the hilt
of his long knife, but he had not yet pulled it out because
Haitang was watching him with great interest.

Of course, there were already three "jianghu heroes" lying in

front of him. They were holding their heads and clutching
their stomachs, crying pitifully and airing their grievances.

As Fan Xian had expected, once those overbearing jianghu

people got upstairs, they saw at once the room Fan Xian and
them were seated in. This room was one of the two best spots
in Loushang Tower. The other one had been kept back by the
owner in preparation of the Martial Assembly host. The
jianghu people did not dare compete against the officials and
Haitang for space. They saw this room and began to drool.
They loudly ordered the people inside to quickly make room.

The owner, Ming, had not yet come upstairs. The

shopkeepers and busboys did not dare offend the sword-
wielding jianghu people. They could only stand to one side and
say nice things.

What was Gao Da's identity? He was one of the leaders of the
Emperor's personal Tiger Guard. If he had been on the jianghu
all these years, he would probably have long ago established a
school and party. As for these absolutely unreasonably
requests, and such people that the commissioner turned his
nose up at, there was no need for any discussion. He waited for
the jianghu people to move toward the front, then he would
knock at them without pulling his long knife from its sheath.

Then there would be a few more people on the floor giving

pitiful cries.

The restaurant was full of people from the Martial Assembly

who were used to being unreasonable on the jianghu, but today
they met someone who was even more unreasonable than
them. Faced with the same enemy, they gathered around evenly
and turned their unfriendly gaze on Gao Da.

Fan Xian was to blame for this. After more than half a year of
"close contact", other than an ability to kill, Gao Da had been
greatly tainted by Commissioner Fan's ruthless aura. In public,
Gao Da did not want to strike too hard, so he used a few of Fan
Xian's tricks. Although they quickly resolved fights, their
ruthless nature made the spectating crowd uncomfortable.

The Dragon-Tiger Mountain swordsman furrowed his brows.

"Sir, although these friends were rude first and made some
unreasonable requests, your sudden ruthless strike seems
slightly unnecessary."

Gao Da remained impassive and didn't bother to acknowledge

him. Having seen him attack, the Dragon-Tiger Mountain
swordsman knew that his skill was probably above that of his
master who was a recluse in the mountain. He had respectfully
addressed him as "sir" and didn't treat him as a normal guard.
Seeing Gao Da's impassive face, the swordsman felt his anger
rising even though he was slightly in fear of the people in the
room.
 …

It was at this moment that Haitang was escorted in by the

crowd to the top floor. Seeing the crowd in confrontation with
Gao Da, a strange look flashed through her eyes. She naturally
walked into the crowd.

Everyone in the building was fearfully trying to guess Gao

Da's identity. No one had seen such a master of the knife on the
jianghu, so they couldn't help being confused. Haitang had
seen Gao Da multiple times in Northern Qi's Shangjing and
recognized him at once.

Seeing the chaos at hand, Ming quickly came up to resolve

the matter and ordered someone to clear out another room. He
then had the busboys help the heroes on the floor.

The Ming family was rich and powerful in Jiangnan and all
heroes had to give them some face. Furthermore, they realized
that Gao Da's cultivation really was shocking, so the person in
the room was probably someone they shouldn't anger even
more. The crowd gradually dispersed, although the people kept
chattering about it.

Having settled everything, Ming said a few apologetic words

to Gao Da and then warmly and politely invited Haitang, the
official, and other people into the comfortable room he had
prepared.

Unexpectedly, Haitang held the flower basket with one hand

and looked at Gao Da with a not-quite-there smile in her eyes.
Without turning around she gently said, "Thank you, young
master Ming, for your kindness, but I have seen some old
friends and must go visit them."

The crowd was stunned. Their gaze turned to Gao Da, who
again was more subtle. If this guard's skills were so terrifying,
then the identity of the person inside must be incredible.

…
 They all said he was a smart man. The Jiangnan Road official
coughed and said something to Haitang before quickly
dragging everyone away. What a joke. What if the person
inside really was that young master? The young master was
right now playing a mysterious game and not showing his face.
He wasn't an official like a prefectural magistrate who had the
privilege of fawning. If he rashly exposed the lie, what kind of
life would he have left in the officialdom?

Everyone smiled pleasantly at Gao Da and left as swiftly as

the wind. Only Ming's face revealed a stunned expression. He
gave a pained smile and shook his head.

The door to the private room squeaked as it was pushed

open. Haitang entered with the flower basket in hand, and her
gaze lit up.
 Fan Xian was holding a wine cup and looked at the uninvited
girl. A moment later he choked out two words, "You came?"

Haitang nodded. She smiled and greeted everyone in the

room who sat there with their mouth open in curiosity. She
walked to his side and replied, "I came."

Fan Xian put down his wine cup. "I purposely had Gao Da go
out because I was afraid you would come in and reveal my
movements. Did you not see the looks he gave you?"

Gao Da stood in the doorway and looked innocently at the

lake scene outside.

Haitang removed the flower patterned cloth on her head and

replied in bad temper, "An eighth-level ace is guarding the
door. Only an idiot wouldn't be able to guess who was inside."

Fan Xian gave a careless sneer. "Jianghu is filled with

concealed talent. No one knew Gao Da, and my ship is still
traveling on the river. Who could have guessed I've already
reached Hangzhou?"
 Haitang met his gaze and impatiently said, "I really don't
understand where your stupid self-confidence comes from?
Unless this is the approach of mental victory you've talked
about in the past?"

Fan Xian rebutted. "If you had not entered this room, they
could only guess. How could they prove who I am?"

Haitang was irritated. "I don't like you being secretive like
this. You could easily do everything in the open, but you have
to take a few turns and smear some black everywhere. It's like
if you didn't do this you can't prove you are a schemer."

Fan Xian angrily said, "I am a schemer? How much better

than me are you? Wasn't the Northern Qi fellow down there
earlier someone you planted so you could have the opportunity
to provoke all the Jiangnan heroes, so then you can make your
name in one battle and steal the limelight? Fortunately things
did not go as you wanted, otherwise the Qing Kingdom would
have lost all their face because of you."

Haitang sneered. "If you were uncomfortable, then you

should have jumped down and fought me then."
 "I don't have that kind of time! Gao Da was guarding the door
because Ming is not an idiot. For sure he would find someone
to investigate who was sitting in the room. I am willing to bet
my head that those trouble-making jianghu heroes were all
arranged by Ming. I had Gao Da go out because I wanted to
intimidate the so-called jianghu people so that the Ming family
would be dissuaded from investigating. And then you showed
up and immediately messed up my arrangement."

Fan Xian then added, "This is the Qing Kingdom. You have to
somewhat listen to me."

Haitang's eyes were on the ceiling of the building. "When

have I ever listened to your arrangements?"

From the moment Haitang entered the room, the two of them
began to argue and neither would give an inch. Fan Xian had
done things in a disorderly fashion, yet he spoke forcefully and
with conviction. Haitang had purposely revealed his secret, yet
she continued to say it was because she didn't like his style of
doing things. The speed the two of them spoke at grew faster
and faster, but their voices remained very low like a series of
muffled firecrackers.
 In the room, the expression on everyone's faces became
strange, yet they kept their mouths tightly shut and didn't dare
make any sound. They watched the exciting scene before them
and thought the rumors on the jianghu were indeed true. Given
Fan Xian's stone heart, glib tongue, influence, and power, there
were not many who dared to speak to him like this. Only this
girl from the North was able to match him for his imposing
manner and keep him locked down. If there was nothing
between these two people, a blind man wouldn't believe it even
if you beat him to death.

The Third Prince sat closest to the two arguing people. His
little face would look at Fan Xian one moment and then turn to
Haitang in the next. It was like he was sitting in the front row
of a tennis match. His expression was excited and he thought
the scenario was rare to see. I must remember it well to tell
sister Chen and father when I return to the capital.

In the end, it was Shi Chanli who felt a bit sorry for his
teacher and carefully interrupted. "Sir, Haitang, we should
think about how to leave. In a moment I'm afraid the
Hangzhou Zhizhou, Hangzhou general, Jiangnan
manufacturer, and other officials are going to rush over to
welcome you. I already saw a few people leaving the building."
 Fan Xian slapped his thigh and glared at Haitang. "We have
to leave quickly. Otherwise, there will be no holiday to take."

Haitang sat as calmly as a mountain. "I'm hungry."

The Third Prince said accommodatingly, "Then quickly call

for the waiter to bring new dishes."

Fan Xian glared at him.

Haitang chuckled and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Not much past noon, the manor on the other side of West
Lake became lively. Of course, the liveliness was restricted to
within the courtyard. From the outside, it looked as calm as
ever. This manor was beautifully decorated without being over
the top. It was backed against a mountain and overlooked the
lake; it was a truly marvelous place. Just the garden would
probably be worth a few hundreds of thousands liang of silver.

The owner of this manor was surnamed Peng. No one knew

his identity. In previous years, it was only in the summer that
people would come to spend the season.

The people who arrived at the manor today was Fan Xian and
his group. This manor belonged to the previous Prime
Minister, Lin Ruofu. He had used the name of one of his
student's, Peng's distance relatives, to buy it. Traveling to
Jiangnan and arriving in Hangzhou, naturally Fan Xian was
going to live on his father-in-law's estate.

The manager of the garden had received the message long ago
and arranged everything. Fan Xian was sitting in the imperial
tutor's chair with his legs crossed, savoring a Longjing and
enjoying the life of a Hangzhou millionaire. He slanted his
eyes to glance at Haitang who was saying something quietly to
the Third Prince. Fan Xian couldn't help feeling a little angry.
 The group did not continue to stay at the Loushang Tower,
and Haitang also did not order a few new dishes. To hide from
the Hangzhou officials who were already on their way, Fan
Xian dragged his subordinates out and fled.

The carriage pretended to enter the city. Along the way they
mobilized the people of the Hangzhou Inspection Division of
the Fourth Bureau of the Overwatch Council. They even
mobilized two textile stores the Sixth Bureau had prepared for
their assassins. It was only like this that this group of people
finally disappeared once again into the sea of people in the city.
They quietly made their way around and entered the manor.

Fan Xian felt very sorry for the subordinates in the Council.

Haitang glanced at him and said with confusion, "Who

exactly are you hiding from?"

Fan Xian sighed. "I am hiding from trouble."

Today's matter was actually because of Fan Xian's own

stupidity. If he truly did not want to reveal his movements,
then he should not have gone to the Loushang Tower. If he
went to the Tower, then when someone tried to take their seats
he should have endured it and acted as an inferior. The
problem was, Fan Xian loved excitement and didn't like being
inferior. Thus, it was impossible to always hide his true
identity when traveling on the jianghu.

After a while, the Third Prince went into the garden to tease
the newly bought girls. A manor servant brought over a plate
of hot cakes. Haitang ate them with great relish. Looking at
that, it seemed that on the trip south she had been quite
starved.

Fan Xian glanced at her. "Be more ladylike."

Haitang spluttered with laughter and thought, I haven't seen

this bastard in half a year. How come we argued the moment
we met? That feeling was actually quite fun.

After waiting for her to finish the desserts, Fan Xian used his
eyes to indicate she should follow him into the back garden for
a walk. Although he had never been to his manor, the structure
and design were somewhat familiar. He easily found the quiet
study.

In the study, the two of them both sat down. Fan Xian gazed
at the girl and said, "You must know of the rumor by now."

Haitang nodded. "Let's not talk about that yet. The two
people on West Lake today. Did you recognize them?"

"I've seen that fisherman before," Fan Xian faintly recalled.

"It should be Yun Zhilan, last year…oh, no, it should be the
year before, I saw him once in the palace. At that time he was
the leader of the Dongyi diplomatic mission."

Haitang's brows remained furrowed. She was quiet for a

while then asked, "To be able to injure Yun Zhilan…who
exactly was that assassin? Why have I never heard of someone
like that?"

Fan Xian laughed coldly. "With a secret ambush, even a child

could kill a great grandmaster."
 Haitang shook her head. "You probably haven't studied the
sword technique of Dongyi. That assassin used the purest Sigu
sword intent."

Fan Xian gently smoothed the fine hairs at his temple.

"Dongyi has many aces. If they kill each other, it only benefits
our plans. There are no negatives."

Haitang was still recalling the assassin that leapt out of the
waters of the lake. She kept feeling that although the black-
clothed person used a pure sword technique, there was still
some strange aura she couldn't quite pinpoint. She had seen it
somewhere else before.

The girl had this impression because the move Fan Xian used
in their battle in the meadow was similar to the one the
Shadow used to assassinate. They both carried the Overwatch
Council's spirit of shamelessness. Only, she would never think
of that.

"He's not one of your people?" She gazed at Fan Xian with
suspicion.
 Fan Xian smiled. "You saw it. The assassin's level is similar to
yours. An exceptional ninth-level ace, how could I order him
around?"

Haitang nodded and accepted this explanation. "The fact you

haven't met an assassin on this trip south surprises me.
Logically speaking, Xinyang…"

Fan Xian raised a hand and stopped her question. "In a time
of peace and order, that kind of thing would cause too much of
a sensation. Furthermore, Xinyang does not have the ability to
kill me."

Haitang furrowed her brows. "Has your injury recovered?"

…
 Fan Xian's expression didn't change, but he slightly smiled. "I
recovered long ago, otherwise I wouldn't dare come to
Jiangnan. You know I've always been the most afraid to die."

The answer gave Haitang assurance. "The matter we agreed

on in the letter. Do you want to discuss it now or at night?"

In his bones, Fan Xian was a licentious person. He

immediately understood her words in a dirty way. He quickly
coughed and said, "At night. Since it is a gift from an imperial
advisor, there should be some formality. Even if we don't light
incense, you still have to give me time to have a wash, right?
Although…my question earlier…"

His question was: Since they knew he was the illegitimate

child of the Qing Emperor, why did the Great Grandmaster Ku
He still dare to hand the Heart of Tianyi Dao to him?

Before he finished speaking, Haitang was already smiling and

rising from her seat. "We'll talk at night. I am going to look at
the scenery of West Lake. I've read about it countless times in
books but haven't had a close look today."
 Fan Xian watched as she casually picked up the flower basket
on the table. He asked, "Duoduo, where did you find flowers in
this weather?"

"They're silk flowers I bought in Wuzhou, they're fake.

They're all fake."

Fan Xian sat alone in silence in the study. Only after a long
time did he turn around, gazing at the thick curtains, and
asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

The Shadow was indeed just a streak of shadow and seemed

to float away from the curtain. He shook his head and said,
"Yun Zhilan was heavily injured, but didn't die."
 Fan Xian drew his brows together and knew he had guessed
right again. "What happened?"

"Yun Zhilan went all out to break into one of the yards at the
side. It's probably a Ming family estate. This time he didn't
come alone. There were some of his disciple brothers. They
were all in the yard, so I retreated."

The Shadow's words carried no fluctuating emotions. Fan

Xian asked, "The Ming family? Dongyi? How powerful were
the people who came?"

"Two ninth-levels, three eighth-levels." The Shadow replied,

"But Yun Zhilan won't be powerful for half a year."

Anger flashed through Fan Xian's eyes and was immediately

hidden. "There is another ninth-level and three eighth-levels.
It seems like Dongyi really thinks highly of me, they're really
laying down the money. Where did all these aces come from?
Are they buying wholesale?"
 The Shadow didn't understand his words but could hear his
anger. "They have already left the yard."

Fan Xian stood up and sank into thought.

If he wanted to investigate the matter of the palace treasury

on this trip to Jiangnan, there was no doubt that he had to
topple the Ming family and cut off the flow of money between
Xinyang and Dongyi. Of the powers the Ming family held,
Xinyang was not martially powerful and would not be
sufficient for a confrontation. They could only lean on the aces
in Dongyi.

To kill an official of the court, particularly someone like Fan

Xian, seemed difficult to imagine. The Ming family probably
did not want to run the risk of their family being exterminated
to kill Fan Xian. However, if things came down to a matter of
life and death, given the craziness of the Eldest Princess'
personality, who knew what could happen?

Although he was powerful and daring, when he thought that

he might have to face assassination by an increasing number of
eighth- ninth-level aces in Dongyi, he still felt a shiver of fear.
That was why he had the Shadow steal the initiative and act,
first picking off the leader Yun Zhilan, and then leading the
swordsman of the Sixth Bureau to spare no effort in sweeping
through the Jiangnan waterways to kill those from Dongyi.

Fan Xian would be a true idiot if he stayed in the yamen and

waited for the Dongyi assassins to come one day. The so-called
best defense was an offense. Using the terrorist assassins of the
Overwatch Council to defeat the terrorist assassins from
Dongyi was the correct move.

As for that strange old creature Sigu Jian, Fan Xian did not
think his level would alert the other party.

He was suddenly jolted with shock and thought it was

fortunate Yun Zhilan had not died. Brother Zhilan, I'll have to
trouble you to stay alive for a few more months, at least until
my uncle the blind man has recovered—another ambush could
only kill, not save.

…
 …

Fan Xian woke from his thoughts. "Take the swordsmen of

the Sixth Bureau and have the people of the Second Bureau
cooperate in the investigation. As soon as these people stick
out their heads, strike. I don't ask that you kill the other party,
but chase them until they feel fear in their hearts. Let them be
anxious for the rest of their days and stop bothering me."

The Shadow nodded and then asked, "The girl beside you is
very powerful. It won't be convenient for me to visit regularly."

Fan Xian nodded. "I had the same thought as you. From
today, she will be responsible for my safety, so that shouldn't
be a problem. Also, you need to be careful of your safety.
Revenge cannot be rushed. Right now you're not a match for a
great grandmaster."

The Shadow paused, then turned and left, leaving only two
slightly damp footprints where he had stood.
 If the Shadow went around intercepting and scaring visitors
from Dongyi, then Fan Xian's personal safety became a
problem. This was why he had waited until Haitang showed
herself before he made the decision to strike, but, at the same
time, he no longer cared if others caught his movements.

He used Haitang's reputation and his own killing gaze to

create an opportunity for the Shadow.

After the Shadow left, Haitang arrived, which meant there

was still a superior ninth-level ace beside him working with
the Tiger Guards. There would be no problems with his safety.
Most importantly, with this girl beside him, regardless of
which power under heaven wanted to touch him, they had to
first take into account the power of Northern Qi as well as that
bald headed Great Grandmaster Ku He.

Besides, she was much cuter than the Shadow. At night they
could do much more than just chat and bicker. Fan Xian
laughed shamelessly.
Chapter 341: Coincidental Classmates In
Youth
At night, Peng manor was silent. Not far away, the waters of
West Lake gently sloshed about and the garden lights flickered.
Due to the separation of the many by high walls, and because
the back of the mountain was part of the estate, they did not
worry that anyone would notice something.

The people who had traveled thousands of miles to Jiangnan

were tired. They had eaten well in Hangzhou, so they felt full
and sleepy. The lights were soon extinguished and most of the
people fell into darkness and sweet dreams. In the back garden
there were two rooms with their lights still on. One was a
bedroom, and the other was the study.

In the bedroom, Sisi was nodding off while forcing herself to

finish repairing a tear that Fan Xian had made in his sleeve
while they were in Shazhou. She was also waiting for him.

In the study, Fan Xian sat at the table with his brows slightly
furrowed reading a little book. Haitang sat in the opposite
corner and also held a book to read with a serious expression.
The brush marks on that book were new. It was clear that
someone had just written them out.

After a long silence, the two, seemingly deeply connected,

raised their heads at the same time and met each other's gaze
with pained smiles.

It was Fan Xian who opened his mouth first. "Duoduo, it

seems very contradictory."

Haitang shook her head. "Not seems, and not some. These
two techniques are completely contradictory. It is impossible
to practice them."

The two small books they held in their hands were both
valuable treasures in this world. Fan Xian was reading the
supreme "Heart of Northern Qi's Tianyi Dao," while Haitang
was reading the first scroll of "Unnamed Martial Secrets" that
Fan Xian had written out from memory.

Rumors said that the Heart of Tianyi Dao was given to Ku He

after he knelt on the stone steps before the Temple for months
to request it. Although Fan Xian knew this was absurd after his
conversation with Xiao En that night in the cave, this class of
martial technique remained one of the most sought after
secrets among those who cultivated martial arts. Although Fan
Xian's "Unnamed Martial Secrets" was not very well-known, it
could help a young man without an internal qi teacher become
one of today's ninth-level aces, powerful and unrivaled.
Haitang knew its value.

In terms of sharing knowledge, Fan Xian was not stingy.

Since Haitang had so generously brought the Heart of Tianyi
Dao, then he would naturally have to offer up one of his
treasures.

However, this young pair of people had been studying these

books by candlelight for a while and finally reached a rather
depressing conclusion.

The two martial methods were completely

counterproductive and unrelated. They were also very
contradictory. Fan Xian's tyrannical martial secrets were of the
direct and straightforward nature, focusing mainly on the
internal spirit, and had as its foundation the solidifying of
Meridians. The most difficult portion was the first step in
where the powerful zhenqi had to burst out vigorously from
the lower back without reason and would greatly shake up the
cultivator's Meridians. This was the so-called molding.

Haitang had already practiced Tianyi Dao for over 10 years.

Her Meridians had long been shaped. It was impossible for her
to release all her training and begin anew, furthermore, she
could not be like Fan Xian and return to infanthood and use
that wisp of not yet fully dissipated innate qi to get through it
by sheer force of will. She also didn't have the precious
spiritual experience of being gravely ill and powerless in a
previous life. It was impossible for her to step over this first
threshold.

For Fan Xian, the Tianyi Dao martial method was also an icy
beauty that he could only see but not touch. This series of
spells were natural, following the call of the yuanqi outside
and inside the body, and it was truly extraordinary.
Particularly as to the movement route and method of the
zhenqi within the body, it followed a belief of gradual
accumulation and was very soft and gentle. Using the power of
water to build spirit, accumulated water droplets formed
rivers. Fan Xian's cultivation of a tyrannical martial method
for over 10 years had expanded the Meridians in his body to a
point that was difficult for normal people to imagine. Even if
he were able to use his martial methods to converge his spirit
into dew, who knew how many years it would take to use these
dew drops to fill his Meridians to just a trickle.

The two met each other's eyes and sighed helplessly.

"Read some more. To comprehend new things by analogy is

always beneficial."

Haitang spoke in a quiet voice. Fan Xian and her were both
leading figures among the younger generation, particularly
since she had already entered the top realm of the ninth-level.
Yet she was still unable to touch the threshold of breaking
through. That threshold appeared close but it was illusory and
barely discernible. She had thought that with Fan Xian's help
she might be able to gain some insight, however, she hadn't
expected Fan Xian's zhenqi martial method to have such an
abnormal existence. It was difficult not to feel slightly
disappointed.

Fan Xian agreed. "It seems you really won't be able to use my
methods. Not considering the pain, re-developing Meridians
would be very dangerous. I would also not allow you to try it."
 Haitang's eyebrow twitched. She said in a clear voice, "I am
not a bold and crude woman." Following this she furrowed her
brows. "Your martial methods are indeed strange. How could
there be this kind of strange Heart of cultivation where you
harm yourself first then others later? Probably only strange
people like you can practice it."

Fan Xian remembered something Uncle Wu Zhu had said

before and shook his head. "That might not be true. According
to what I know, someone has successfully practiced it before."

"Who gave you the heart of this class?" Haitang probed. She
didn't expect Fan Xian to actually answer her.

Unexpectedly, Fan Xian was forthcoming. "My mother left it

to me."

"Lady Ye?"

"Yes."
 Haitang smiled a slightly brittle smile. "Most people hide
their secrets away and dare not reveal them. The people who
mess around like us are already rare. It is probably also a rare
sight to have both of these wonderful books. It is a pity we
didn't get anything out of it."

Fan Xian's expression was slightly dark. From ancient times

to now, Haitang and himself were probably the only pair of
strange youths to be able to bravely exchange family treasures
without needing to protect the secrets of each martial school.
This should have been a wonderful historical scene of
knowledge sharing, but…

He suddenly flipped open a page and a smile appeared in his

eyes. "Don't sigh yet. Doesn't this say the method of dual-
cultivation?"

…
 Haitang frowned. "The cultivation of xing and ming. Why
life? What we call life is based on the natural law. What we call
the nature of a person is master of the self. Mold your
character by your soul and live your life by your heart. If the
soul does not guard your depths, then your nature will be
shaken by your heart. If your heart is not determined, then
your life will be surrendered by your senses. Do not lose
yourself in emotion. Do not fall into philosophy. To experience
and return is to turn back. It is written very clearly here, but
how will you practice it? You revolve around the court all day.
Where will you find a place away from sounds and
temptations?"

"A secluded heart makes for a secluded place." Fan Xian used a
line from Tao Yuanming's poetry to respond to her question.

Haitang's eyes lit up and her expression became calm. "There

still remains the biggest question. Unless you rebuild your
Meridians, otherwise, given the rough and wild zhenqi in your
body, the new zhenqi will definitely not be able to survive. Will
you be willing to shatter the Meridians of your powerful
zhenqi and began again?"
 Fan Xian did not answer this question, instead he changed
the topic and asked her about some of the difficult to grasp
areas of the Heart of Tianyi Dao. Haitang explained everything
in great detail and did not hold anything back. She thought
that even though she was unable to cultivate this tyrannical
martial method, if she could remember this martial method
then in the future she could pass it onto descendants of the
Tianyi Dao; it would be a piece of good fortune for the people
of her country. Thus, she read carefully and was not ashamed
to ask if she saw something she didn't understand. Like her,
Fan Xian was frank and sincere, sharing all that he knew.

Red candles in the room and stars in the sky. The two studied
together in joy and harmony.

Gradually, the two of them sank into the wondrous realm

stored within these two martial methods. Although they did
not try with their bodies, they remembered in their hearts.
They stopped asking questions and instead each shifted
sideways and sat back to back. They quickly memorized the
contents of the book.

…
 …

After an indeterminable amount of time, Fan Xian, who had

his back to her the entire time, slowly said, "Actually…after the
assassination at the Hanging Temple, my zhenqi exploded my
Meridians and flowed into my body. Up until today I still
haven't been able to pull it back."

Haitang continued to sit with her back to him, only her

shoulders shook slightly. It was a moment later before she said
gently, "You are finally willing to admit it."

The affairs of life were always so mysterious. Originally, it

would have been impossible for Fan Xian to destroy his
Meridians and re-cultivate the Heart of Tianyi Dao, however,
his Meridians were already damaged beyond repair; it was the
perfect opportunity to cultivate. Yet, Haitang was still unable
to derive any benefits from this. Comparing the two, Fan Xian
always took the greatest advantage. He had originally planned
to keep hiding it, but they had sat back to back for a long time
and the uncomfortable feeling in his heart grew stronger and
stronger. After some thought, he finally spoke the truth
involuntarily.
 Fan Xian also didn't turn around. "I can never hide things
from you for long. I guess that when the rumors of my past had
traveled to the north you were already heading south with this
martial method, you went behind Imperial Advisor Ku He's
back, right?"

Haitang hummed.

Fan Xian felt moved, but also wary. "Why?"

Haitang's floral coat appeared to bloom like the flowers in the

painting under the faint yellow light. "It is very simple. I
guessed you must have run into some problems, otherwise no
matter how helpless you were you would not ask me for the
Heart in the letter. Even an idiot would be able to guess. This
kind of thing is the secret of a country. How could it be given
to you? Since you had problems, of course I wanted to help you
resolve them, after all, the agreement between us still has
many years to complete."

Fan Xian paused and then asked, "What do we do now?

Originally, I was unable to cultivate the Heart you brought,
but now that my Meridians have completely shattered it is
perfect to use the Heart of Tianyi Dao to rebuild from the
foundations. However, what I gave you is not very useful."

Haitang replied peacefully, "It is of no use to me, but it will

be of use to someone in the future. I trust you won't object to
me handing it to descendants."

"Your descendants? Could they be connected to me in

anyway?" Fan Xian's knot in his heart faded and he laughed out
loud, taking advantage of the girl with his words.

Haitang acted like she didn't understand this base joke and
coldly said, "Given your sufficient honesty with me, I won't
quibble."

Fan Xian turned and waved the book in his hands. "The thing
is already in my hand. Should I be afraid you'll take it back?"

Haitang happened to turn around at this moment. She stood

up and walked over to him. Fan Xian thought she was truly
angry and quickly tried to tuck the book away in fright.
 Haitang watched him and felt slightly conflicted in her heart.
She thought the man was young but already held great power.
He was talented both in martial arts and in literature, in front
of others he always appeared warm with a hint of dark
arrogance. How was that every time she saw him, he was like a
helpless vagabond in a market? In a bad temper she said, "I
need to change a few lines for you. Teacher has messed with it.
If you end up as an idiot when practicing, it's not my fault."

Fan Xian paused and drew out the book in a daze. He hadn't
felt like there were any flaws while reading the Heart and
couldn't help feeling admiration for Ku He's realm and to forge
it so beautifully. Immediately following that, he felt a great
anger. That old bald donkey really was very evil. If I hadn't
used the marvelous technique "to encapsulate in one word" to
trap your female disciple, I really would have just died without
even knowing the cause.

"Were you just going to let me turn into an idiot at first?" Fan
Xian looked at Haitang in anger.

Haitang replied evenly, "This matter between us is absurd. If

it got out, it will probably shock the world. How could I not be
careful? The important thing is that we have to be honest with
each other. If there is even a thread of concealment, I wouldn't
dare trust you."

"If you hadn't admitted to me earlier that you've lost all your
zhenqi, then it's your own fault for turning into an idiot."

Fan Xian was stunned. He thought that indeed those who

were good were rewarded.

After Haitang finished correcting a few words in those key

phrases, Fan Xian picked it up to look at again. Immediately,
he felt it was like a beautiful painting that had a few spiritually
harmful areas wiped away by a master painter. The entire
picture immediately lit up, and the people and scenery within
it began to move.

Fan Xian knew this was the true appearance of the supreme
Heart of Tianyi Dao. A shiver ran through his heart. He knew
that with this cultivation, it would not be long before he could
walk along the path of the unity of heaven and man, and
naturally repair the perforated Meridians in his body. The
realm that had left him for too long was finally about to
return. Thinking of this, despite his perseverance, he couldn't
help feeling moved. Suddenly a thought flashed through his
mind and he remembered something.

"I'll give you some paintings later." He looked at Haitang and

said without shame, "The tyrannical martial methods I gave
you should be used with the zhenqi routes on the picture.
Otherwise, if you go in blind, your body may have a dozen
extra bloody holes when you pass the threshold."

Haitang stared at him in shock. A moment later she slowly

spoke. "When will the talents in this world stop their mutual
deception…at least, between us."

Fan Xian became silent and then said, "I'll do my best to learn
in the future. Of course, you should as well."

…
 After a long time, the two finally shook off the awkward
silence. Perhaps to help relax the atmosphere, Haitang said
gently, "Let me look at your injury."

Fan Xian nodded silently. Although his practice of Vipassanā

was detailed, a third party would be able to see more clearly.
Particularly someone at Haitang's realm would more easily
find where the problem was, and he would be able to provide a
suitable solution with his high education and intelligence.

Haitang walked around him and stood at his back. He didn't

see her warm up before her right hand naturally flattened
against the middle of his back.

A sudden breeze picked up in the room, and the light on the

table flickered. A sudden gentle ripple of power appeared in the
air.

Haitang closed her eyes and carefully sent the zhenqi in her
body into Fan Xian's body to investigate his injury.
 Suddenly the environment around them became quiet. There
wasn't a hint of wind, and the flame in the light stood straight.
The air seemed to be frozen, but it was not thick. On the
contrary, it carried a sense of lightness.

The zhenqi of a superior ninth-level ace flowed out of their

body and immediately fell into harmony with the environment
around it. A secret of the Way of Tianyi Dao, indeed it was
marvelous.

After a long time, Haitang, with her eyes closed, furrowed

her brows, as if she had run into some strange situation.

Fan Xian did not feel anything except warmth and

comfortableness. After a trickle of fresh zhenqi dissipated from
his back, it quickly flowed around his body. It was like having
a hot bath as well as sunbathing in Hawaii. His entire person
felt relaxed and about to fall asleep.

He heard the girl behind him make a soft sound. Without

thinking or opening his eyes, Fan Xian yawned and asked,
"What's wrong?"
 "Nothing." Haitang furrowed her brows. "Don't fall asleep."

"Ah, the Tianyi Dao is indeed incredible. You can even talk
while you heal." Fan Xian laughed. "Although, if this counts as
healing, I am willing to be injured every day. It's even more
comfortable than a massage."

"Can you shut up?" Haitang said. "Otherwise I can't promise

my mind won't become confused and suddenly increase the
power."

Fan Xian heard the girl's threat, but he wasn't afraid. "Do you
perhaps want to murder your husband?"

Two huffs came out of the two people's mouths at once, and
the air in the study suddenly exploded. Countless streams of
air spiraled out of their bodies but stopped in an instant,
however, it picked up the books that the former Prime Minister
Lin Ruofu collected and sent them dancing through the air.
Paper flew everywhere. It was a pitiful sight.

Fan Xian and Haitang were both unhurt, but Fan Xian sat on
the pile of papers on the floor. His heart palpitated as he looked
at the girl who was gently smoothing back her hair. He said in
a shaky voice, "Do you really want to kill me?"

Haitang stared into his eyes. Forcefully suppressing her

anger she replied, "I said, don't mess with my state of mind at
this time."

Fan Xian was momentarily speechless. He cursed in his heart:

Why didn't you say so clearly earlier? I thought you liked to
work and flirt at the same time.

Haitang calmed her slight puffing and the gaze with which
she looked at Fan Xian became strange. "Although your zhenqi
has dissipated among your organs, there is a store of zhenqi in
your lower back…and it remains very vigorous. The level of
violence seems scarier than when we last fought. Since there
are no Meridians circulating, it is becoming more and more
substantial."

She shook her head. "Fortunately I came in time. Otherwise

in half year, once your lower back explodes, then it would
really be all over."

Fan Xian had two teachers in his life. One was Uncle Wu
Zhu, and the other was Fei Jie. One taught him how to slice
carrots; the other taught him how to use poison. In the subject
of zhenqi cultivation, he was self-taught. Thus, his knowledge
of the details of zhenqi was not comparable to those of the
proper school. This was why he never realized the biggest
danger he faced. Hearing Haitang talk, he realized he had been
living in danger this last while and couldn't help feeling some
fear after the event.

"After the Hanging Temple incidence, I stopped my

cultivation. Why would there continue to be an
accumulation?"

Haitang thought about it for a bit then said, "It's probably

because you've been cultivating since a young age and it's
become a habit, so even when you're sleeping…"

Fan Xian raised his right arm and didn't let her continue on.
He shook his head. "It's because of this."

For Fan Xian, ever since a young age, meditating and sleeping
had combined into one recreational task. Any other cultivator
would certainly admire him, but now it had become a source of
danger.

Something occurred to him and his expression became dark

and serious. In a cold voice he said, "I don't understand, and
Sir Fei Jie does not understand either, but couldn't Eunuch
Hong tell?"

"Hm?" Haitang didn't know he already began to suspect

someone and didn't understand.

Fan Xian shook his head. "Nothing. Thanks for your hard
work."
 The room was in a mess. Paper was flying everywhere. Fan
Xian didn't dare let the servants come into the clean, so he and
Haitang tidied up a little. The two precious books of the Hearts
were tucked away into their clothes by each of them
respectively. As for the mess of papers underneath the table,
they didn't bother with them.

"I'll start practicing tomorrow," Fan Xian said. "I took a great
advantage in this matter, however, I'll still have to trouble you
to protect me this month."

Haitang did not object to temporarily being his bodyguard

and nodded gently. She suddenly turned and asked, "An Zhi,
tell me the truth. The black-clothed man my brother disciple
saw on the precipice on the Shangjing Xi Mountain, was it
you?"

Fan Xian was silent. He knew that Haitang had finally

confirmed that the nature of his violent zhenqi was very
similar to what Lang Tiao had met. Only, that matter involved
Xiao En and the Temple, and it was too big. After a moment he
replied, "That morning when you came to find me in the
consulate, you had probably already guessed something.
However, as you also know, I will never admit to anything."
 "Teacher probably also guessed these things." Haitang smiled
slightly. "But you don't have to be too nervous. He said he once
owed your mother a favor."

Fan Xian smiled coldly. "Is giving me a fake Heart repaying

that debt?"

"Although that Heart earlier was fake, it would not have

harmed you. Besides, this was what the teacher had to
unwillingly do after hearing that you were the Qing Emperor's
son. This Heart is the supreme secret of our school. Please keep
it safe, Sir Fan."

Fan Xian pointed to his own head. "You can take it back in a
bit and destroy it if you want; I've remembered it."

Haitang furrowed her brows in surprise at his abnormal

memory, wondering who taught this strange creature as a
child? From this she thought of another matter. Her heart
thudded with sincerity. "I heard teacher say you have a blind
master beside you. I don't know whether I'll have the
opportunity to meet him in person."
 As the pride of a martial school, what she was most
interested in was naturally the man who was able to injure the
Great Grandmaster Ku He, the blind man whose reputation
was completely true. She asked this now purely because she
wanted to greet Wu Zhu as a junior and ask for some
instruction.

Fan Xian shook his head and gave Haitang a bitter smile. "I've
discovered that it is very difficult to keep secrets from Imperial
Advisor Ku He. However, it is a pity but you won't be able to
meet my uncle any time soon. In recent years he has taken a
leaf from Ye Liuyun's book for some reason and enjoys
traveling on his own."

Haitang was a bit disappointed. "An Zhi, although teacher

did not tell me explicitly, but his words revealed that your
mother should have some connection with the Temple." That
day in her conversation with Ku He, they did not discuss this
explicitly, but Ku He mentioned Xiao En and mentioned some
clues. Being as clever as she was, she naturally guessed some of
it.

Fan Xian shook his head and said resolutely and decisively,
"The Temple is too far away. It would be best if we first
discussed the affairs of life."

Haitang was slightly angry, and suddenly hated Fan Xian's

particularly hateful personality. "What affairs of life?"

Fan Xian laughed out loud. "For example, Duoduo, how old
are you this year? We've known each other for quite a while
and have written plenty of letters, yet I don't even know the
answer to this most important question."

性命双修 = xing ming shuan xiu = double cultivation of xing and ming = dual cultivation, 性命 =
xing ming = life, Hence, when Haitang asks about dual cultivation and says, why life? She is
referring to the first part of the phrase.
"俞⻔⽳"– There is no actual translation of this term so the location is described instead.
Chapter 342: An Auspicious Sign From
The Heavens
In the beginning of the sixth year of the Qing calendar, both
Northern Qi and the Qing Kingdom had mysterious things
happen within their borders. Due to cold weather, the millet
had not yet grown in the rice paddies, so there were no double
ears of grain or white fish in the rivers, and no one found any
kylins in the mountains. When Wuzhou was excavated, they
dug out a pair of copper walls. When Shazhou was repairing its
river, workers found—to their great surprise and joy—a giant
turtle decorated with cloud patterns; there also were black
birds in the Jiangnan rice paddies and red geese flying in the
horizon.

No matter whether it was copper walls, cloud turtles, or

black birds, these were all auspicious signs. Officials from all
over rushed to send in memorials and all kinds of fawning,
however, the Emperor in Jingdou did not care because this
shameless atmosphere of auspiciousness began in the Northern
Qi.

The first rumor said that after the first snowfall on Xi

Mountain, a woodcutter on the mountain found white deer,
white wolves, and white foxes. Considering them auspicious
signs, he wrote a memorial to the Northern Qi Emperor.

Great Grandmaster Ku He considered this a celestial sign and

decided that the rulers of each country had governed well and
aligned with heaven's will. He reopened his school and took a
female disciple, Si Lili, from a temple outside Shangjing. She
later entered the palace.

This tempest eventually came south. Throughout Qing

Kingdom things began to happen. However, it was clear that
the Qing Emperor was an unyielding man who did not respect
ghosts and spirits. It was not until the Director of the Imperial
Observatory announced ecstatically in a shaky voice that the
Imperial Observatory had seen a large star and iridescent
clouds that the Qing Emperor began to take the matter
seriously.

Auspicious signs, also known as lucky symbols, had a long

history and were often noted in literature. It was a little magic
that the heavens used to show people their satisfaction with
their governance. There were many types of auspicious signs,
such as favorable weather, double ears of grain, and new sweet
springs from the ground. The common people were very
trusting of them.

Auspicious signs were divided into five levels. Other than

things like kylin, which could not be found and were
considered excellent auspicious signs, the other levels were
superior auspicious signs, upper auspicious signs,middle
auspicious signs, and lower auspicious signs.

White wolves, white foxes, and such were upper auspicious

signs. Black birds, red geese, and such were lower auspicious
signs. The so-called large star and iridescent clouds the
Director of the Imperial Observatory had so happily reported
were strange and colorful clouds of the sky and most certainly
a superior auspicious sign. Furthermore, the name had the
Qing nation name within it. No matter how aloof and
suspicious the Emperor was, he began to become elated. After
all, the Emperor was still a man and always liked being fawned
on. This year was sure to be a year with favorable weather.

Since it was to be a good year, there naturally couldn't be

warfare. Using auspicious signs as a directive, the
communications of state affairs between the Northern Qi and
Qing Kingdom became much closer, particularly since the two
countries were about to be joined in marriage. The Great Prince
and Great Princess of Northern Qi were just about to tie the
knot.

Northern Qi had sent out a rather large diplomatic mission.

The Qing people were surprised and honored that the Northern
Qi Imperial Advisor, Ku He, was coming south with the
diplomatic mission. He was going to be the presiding witness.

Although the Qing people were proud and radiant, each

arrangement for welcoming the guests had to be redrafted. Ye
Liuyun had disappeared to somewhere where even cranes
couldn't find him. The only person of rank left to welcome
them seemed to the Emperor of the Qing Kingdom. However,
the officials of the Honglu Temple did not dare to ask the
Emperor to personally show his face.

In the end, the empress dowager could not stand to see the
officials below panicking and came forward to solve the issue.
Following the old rules for the literary master Zhuang Mohan,
they would invite great master Ku He into the palace. She
would be responsible for welcoming him.
 The position of the Great Grandmaster Ku He in the world
was extraordinary. Not only was he one of the top great
grandmasters, but Tianyi Dao was secretly influencing the
temples in all locations as well as the Ascetic Monks wandering
the wilderness. Although the Temple never interfered in
mortal business, this kind of restrained renown had long
surpassed the influence of an ace martial artist.

Unexpectedly, when Imperial Advisor Ku He reached

Jingdou, he politely declined the invitation and situated
himself into the Temple of Qing. This did indeed match his
identity.

Although the two countries had their differences, the Qing

people still showed sufficient respect to the great grandmaster.
Besides respect, everyone had a sense of curiosity and were
making guesses. Although the marriage alliance was an
important matter, it still shouldn't have been enough to move
him, right?

A few days after the Northern Qi diplomatic mission entered

the capital, the true reason for Ku He to personally visit the
Qing court was revealed.
 It turns out that the Northern Qi Emperor had written a new
state document explicitly stating he wished to repair his
relationship to the South Kingdom and extend the draft
agreement from last year into perpetuity. The two countries
would refer to each other as brothers. They would not discuss
the matter of juniors and seniors and only talk about their
future friendship. Generation after generation, they would
remain friends.

Ku He had to oversee such an important negotiation

personally. The Qing Emperor held the letter from his northern
colleague in his hand and thought about it for many days
before finally gently nodding his head. It was probably three-
tenths for the sake of Ku He's face.

Once the message went out, the world celebrated. Even

though the Qing People valued martial prowess, in the end
they liked to have peaceful days. It was only the military that
was quietly angry. They felt that since the court was in its
golden age, it was the perfect time to unite the world as one.
Why would they cover their heads with some papers?
Although they weren't heavy, it still made breathing less easy.
 It was the leader of the old Qin family that saw things for
how they were and did not care at all. He occasionally said to
those closest to him: "Currently the Northern Qi is recovering
at a pace that has exceeded our expectations. It won't be good
to send out troops for the next few years. This negotiation is
just a few pieces of paper. When the time comes for them to be
torn, they will be torn. It's not like our Emperor hasn't done
something like that before."

Ku He's other purpose for coming south shocked the officials

and commoners in Jingdou. He was going to take Minister
Shang's only daughter—the lady of the Fan family—as a
disciple.

His reasons were quite sufficient. Months before the end of

year crossing of Yin and Yang, the heavens sent down
auspicious signs. It was the kind will of heaven. Tianyi Dao
believed in the unity of heaven and man. He conducted human
matters according to heaven's will, thus he was to select a
prodigy among mankind and nurture them with care. To work
for the happiness of the people was the right path. Since it was
a deed to honor heaven, then it was not restricted by territory.
Northern Qi showed auspicious signs, and he took a disciple.
Now the South Kingdom had shown auspicious signs, so he
would take another disciple.
 The news of the Tianyi Dao Great Grandmaster Ku He
reopening his doors had already spread all over last year, but
the South Kingdom never thought this news would have
anything to do with them. Who would have thought that the
last female disciple of Tianyi Dao would be from Jingdou?

As to why he would chose the lady of the Fan family became

the question. Not many people would think of Fan Xian far
away in Jiangnan. No matter how arrogant and powerful Fan
Xian was, he still didn't have the power to order Imperial
Advisor Ku He to create benefit for himself.

Ku He did not explain his criteria for choosing a disciple. It

was only rumors from the eunuchs responsible for serving him
that people learned Ku He had occasionally traveled through
the Jingdou public. He once stood silently outside the Imperial
Academy of Medicine for half a day and had a warm and
appreciative expression afterward. He had said that one of the
girls in the hospital was kind and pure, very intelligent, and an
able person.

That day, Fan Ruoruo had been interning at the Imperial

Academy of Medicine. She used the nursing knowledge and
medical skills she had learned in the past months to carefully
tend to the critically ill patients in the hospital. She hadn't
taken time to change. Her lips were dry, and her clothes were
soaked with sweat despite the winter weather; she had worked
very hard.

In this world there was a saying, "literary and martial skills

know no borders." The student of Northern Qi's Zhuang Mohan
could be a great official in the Qing Kingdom. Ku He wanted to
take a Qing person as a disciple, and the Qing people would
only feel honor rather than anything else. Thus, the public did
not have any big reaction. In fact, they were happy to see it
happen.

However, Ku He taking a disciple was a big matter, especially

since it was the lady of an official's family. He had to solicit the
opinion of the seniors in the other party's family. Even Fan
Jian was not sure what to do in this matter and had to enter
the palace to ask the Emperor for an edict.

Among the many palaces, the Qing Emperor sat on his

dragon chair and furrowed his brows. After a long silence he
only asked one thing: "An Zhi dislikes Hong Cheng this much?"
 Fan Jian was shocked and didn't know what to say.

A smile flashed through the Emperor's eyes. He was amazed

at the length of Fan Xian's reach and power. He also felt that Ku
He was overly tender toward the girl named Haitang, but he
still felt some remorse for banishing Fan Xian to Jiangnan, so
it was not sufficient to be a problem. He waved his hands and
allowed this proposal.

Not long after the Great Prince was married, Ku He left

behind the diplomatic mission, took Fan Ruoruo, and swiftly
left the capital.

Thus, the marriage between the Fan family and King Jing's
family was pushed back indefinitely. It was only a matter of
time before it disappeared completely. King Jing's heir, Li
Hongcheng, had been under house arrest. Hearing the bad
news, he almost spat blood. Once King Jing knew of this, he
entered the palace and made quite a ruckus. In the end, it
forced the empress dowager to come out. Only then could he be
pacified.
 After King Jing returned to his manner, he still couldn't
swallow his anger. He took the gardeners and thugs from his
manor straight to Minister Shang's manor, someone his family
has been friendly with for generations. Regardless of the front
residence or the back residence, everything was smashed to
pieces. They smashed until the Fan manor resembled a heap of
trash. They completely destroyed countless antiques Fan Jian
had collected for many years and chased the Fan manor serving
girls until their faces became pale. At the end, King Jing left
Minister Shang, who had rushed home with a brutal black eye.
Only then did he arrogantly lead his troops back to his manor
and feel the anger in his chest dissipate slightly.

Jiangnan, beside West Lake, and no lotuses at the start of

spring. The thin rain fell like thread.

Fan Xian and his group had already been living in Hangzhou
for almost a month. Although nominally there were on
holiday, with spring approaching there was another deeper
layer of meaning for his stay. In the last few days, the Jiangnan
branch of the Overwatch Council began working at full steam.
Unlike before, when all their business had to be sent to
Jingdou to be processed, now it was delivered directly to the
manor beside West Lake.

Outside of the main Council in Jingdou, this manor had

formally become the second center of power of the Overwatch
Council.

All matters relating to the situation of the officials of

Jiangnan Road, the details of the Ming family and the salt
merchants, and the movements of the palace treasury in the
last few months, were all summarized by the Fourth Bureau
official in the manor. He then reported to Fan Xian. Without
the distance between the cities, the control the upper levels of
the Overwatch Council had in Jiangnan took a big step
forward. However, the Ming family reacted quickly. They had
made arrangements last autumn. As the Ming family was one
of the giant local families, everyone they used was a family
member. Thus, the Council was not able to place sufficient
spies or receive much useful information.
 On the contrary, the Jiangnan water bandits they had
recruited in Shazhou began to show their use beyond what Fan
Xian had expected. Xia Qifei was a man who planned far ahead.
He had long planned to win back the Ming family and been
preparing for many years. He had more detailed knowledge
than the Overwatch Council about the Ming family's export
routes and other related information.

The Ming family had stayed strangely silent. It was said that
they had an upper level meeting in Suzhou, and it was clear
they were there for Fan Xian. However, the meeting was highly
secretive, and the Overwatch Council didn't find anything on
it.

Given Fan Xian's identity and position, in addition to that of

the Third Prince, no one, whether it was the Ming family or
the many officials of Jiangnan Road, had the daring to provoke
him first. As for Yun Zhilan and those people from Dongyi,
they were originally here to support the Ming family. Who
would have thought that Fan Xian would be so unreasonable as
to start an operation to chase out all the dogs?

One immortal living in the mortal realm could perhaps hide

for a long time in a city, but a group of immortals would not be
able to hide all traces of their movements. The long empty
Peng family manor suddenly had more people living in it.
Regardless of whether it was the grains, fruits, and vegetables
that were bought, or the expensive daily use items brought in,
when seen by those in Hangzhou who had the mind to care,
they would all be able to guess something.

Eventually the news that Commissioner Fan was in

Hangzhou had spread like wildfire throughout Jiangnan Road.
However, he stayed in the manor and did not see guests. The
Zhizhou of Hangzhou went to visit once and was turned away
politely by the guards. Everyone knew Commissioner Fan was
still on holiday and did not want to be disturbed.

However, the people wondered what exactly Fan Xian was

preparing since he had been quiet for a long time. As he was
silent, the officials and jianghu people were also forced into
silence. There was no decrease in the gifts being sent to the big
ship on the river, and the Ming family very respectfully moved
out of the other manors beside the West Lake in fear they were
disturbing the commissioner's peace.

The manor beside the West Lake was quiet, yet it attracted
the gazes of countless people.
 …

A small leaf-shaped boat floated on the lake. Two young

men, who looked to be students, sat on it. One was at the head,
and one at the tail. There was a low table between them on
which sat fresh fruit and Jiangnan alcohol. The set up was
comfortable and at ease.

The two were Fan Xian and Haitang in disguise. They had
not rubbed flour and such on their faces. Fan Xian had cleverly
shaved the corner of their eyebrows and used glue to smooth
the tail of the eyebrows up a little. With the eyebrows changed,
the two people's appearances were immediately different. If it
were not people who were familiar with them, they would
certainly not be recognized.

At this time, the little boat was slowly moving in an isolated

corner of the West Lake. The lake air was fresh after the small
rain had stopped.
 Fan Xian often went boating on the lake with Haitang. He
liked the lake scenery, and he was beginning to learn the Heart
of Tianyi Dao. Haitang had said he needed to be close to nature
to use the yuanqi between the heaven and earth to repair the
Meridians in his body.

Speaking of which, that was rather miraculous. After Fan

Xian began to cultivate Tianyi Dao, he no longer retained
zhenqi in his lower back. It had shifted to a point just below
his navel. Those drops of collected zhenqi seemed to carry a
fresh scent and slowly spread moisture on the walls of his
Meridians, moistening his dry and damaged Meridians. Being
close to the beauty of nature, with the slightly cold lake water
reflecting the white clouds and blue sky below and the forests
at the foot of the mountain that were just starting to show
green to his side, his cultivation was indeed faster.

Fan Xian believed what Haitang said made sense. He knew

that most importantly the zhenqi in his body circulated one
time more than other martial cultivators as he had practiced
the skill of circulating back and forth internally and externally
too much back in the day. In the past he had only used it for
rock climbing. He only just learned that it was greatly
beneficial for his spirit and interaction with the heaven and
earth.
 He closed eyes and half reclined at the head of the boat. His
right hand was carelessly laid on the side of the boat, and his
fingertips gently trailed along the lightly rocking water. A
thread of very light, almost undetectable, zhenqi flowed out of
his fingertips. It touched the water of the lake before gently
being pulled back to flow into his body. His fingertips left fine
ripples on the water's surface.

Haitang gently rowed the double oars. Her eyes, as bright as

the water of the lake, focused on Fan Xian's fingertips. Her
brows furrowed slightly and she quietly sighed. The
comprehension ability and destiny of this young man in front
of her was rare to see. Like the scene before her, the zhenqi
leaving the body and then returning, stained with the breath of
nature. This was clearly the appearance of the third level of the
Heart of Tianyi Dao. Although she was considered a prodigy—
she had been cultivating for five years before she understood
this kind of realm—it only took Fan Xian a few weeks.

Fan Xian's current realm was much higher than when she
first started, and his comprehension ability was also much
stronger. Haitang still felt a thread of disbelief and fear at his
rapid progress. Fan Xian knew, at the same time, two great
martial schools of the North and South. He also held great
power in his hands, and his prestige among the people was
excellent. This kind of person…what if in the future he walked
an evil path? Who would be able to control him?

In reality, Fan Xian's martial comprehension ability was

nowhere close to that of Haitang's. He was able to so
successfully cultivate the Heart of Tianyi Dao because, first,
Haitang was beside him teaching him without holding
anything back; second, Fan Xian had built a strong foundation
for his zhenqi as a child; and third, as mentioned earlier, Fan
Xian was very familiar with the kind of method of having the
zhenqi leave and then return. He was a stingy man, but had
coincidentally catered to the Tianyi Dao cultivation method.

Seeming to sense what Haitang was thinking, Fan Xian woke

from his meditation and slowly opened his eyes. He looked at
Haitang with a not-quite-there smile. "Don't worry. If I really
wanted to go back on my word, I wouldn't have let that
Northern Qi man you brought to Jiangnan come into contact
with so many things."

In his agreement with Haitang, or more accurately, in Fan

Xian's negotiation with the Northern Qi royal family, after the
Eldest Princess had fallen, the smuggled goods from the palace
treasury toward the north would not decrease. Additionally,
their quality and level would see a major increase to the extent
that Fan Xian would agree to the Northern Qi's request for
certain goods strictly prohibited from being exported.

The Northern Qin man that Haitang had brought to

Jiangnan was an official of the Northern Qi court. He was the
manager of the Ministry of Revenue, but also held the position
of siyu in the Ministry of Works. In the beginning he had
floated around the Ministry of War. Although this official has
not risen in his official career, he was a multi-talented and able
man. He could manage accounts, was knowledgeable about the
making of weapons, and proficient in inspecting merchandise.
Haitang's decision to bring him here to be responsible for the
trade with the Qing Kingdom palace treasury was truly an
appropriate one.

"I am someone who takes promises very seriously." Fan Xian

looked at Haitang and said, "What I promised you before in
Shangjing, I will do it for sure."

"So are we." Haitang smiled slightly. She let go of the oars
and allowed the little boat to drift as it wished on the lake.
"You should have already received the message. Teacher has
already taken lady Fan and left Jingdou."
 Without waiting for Fan Xian to reply, she continued. "Fan
Sizhe is also beginning to gradually take over the business left
by the Cui family in the territory of my court. You should
know, if it weren't for the Emperor's assent, these should have
been taken into the national treasury and would not have
become your personal property."

Fan Xian shook his head. "The Cui family were citizens of the
Qing Kingdom. Even if they committed crimes and were
caught, it should naturally be Qing people that take over."

Haitang did not acknowledge his irrational arguments.

"Furthermore, I have already brought the Heart to you as we
agreed in the letter. I think there is little for us to be picky
about in the content of the first part of the agreement."

Fan Xian nodded. This was a deal that greatly benefitted both
parties. Only, he wasn't sure why he was placing so much trust
in Northern Qi people. Haitang also seemed to not understand
this point and furrowed her brows. "An Zhi, you've sent both
your sister and brother to Shangjing. Don't say you did this for
no reason. What is this for?"
 Fan Xian smiled and knew she had finally realized something
was up, but he also could not reply to her straightforwardly.
Was he going to tell a foreigner that he was worried the
Emperor would suddenly have a purge so he was placing
reserve forces in the other countries under heaven?

He waved his hand. "This is nothing. As long as our

agreement continues to be fulfilled, I trust that both you and
that…little Emperor will protect my family well."

Haitang's eyebrow rose. "If things fall through, how will you
face everyone in Qing Kingdom?"

"Face? There will be absolutely no need to face them." Fan

Xian smiled. "Although I don't think I am a traitor, others will
definitely think of me as the biggest traitor of the Qing
Kingdom."

Haitang smiled, having no words for this forthcoming and

hooligan-like temperament. Fan Xian continued to smile.
"Besides, as for this world, I don't mind being an
internationalist."
 "Did you have a hand in the auspicious signs around the Qing
Kingdom? Haitang lowered her head and asked.

Fan Xian did not deny it. The events in Wuzhou and
Shazhou, among others, were naturally the work of the
Overwatch Council. As for the large star and iridescent clouds
the Imperial Observatory saw…don't forget, the previous
official of the Imperial Observatory was one of the Second
Prince's people and had, one dark and windy night, been
invited to the Overwatch Council for tea. He had yet to be
realized. The current official of the Imperial Observatory's
relations with Fan Xian was much closer.

He thought to himself: The little Emperor in the North

thought he was clever and did the three whites. Over here there
have few creatures in our snowy mountains, but if we make a
lucky cloud, that should be able to hold you down. In the
Emperor's secret letter, it was clear he was very pleased with
the arrangements he made. A sense of pride came through
between the words and lines.

"The Emperor of Qing…" Haitang deliberated on her word

choice, "although he has rarely shown himself these years,
everyone knows the Emperor has heaven given brilliance,
particularly since this time teacher has accepted your sister as
his last disciple. It is difficult to say that he won't guess
something."

Fan Xian nodded. "These things could never have been

hidden from His Majesty. As an official, I also will not hide it. I
have submitted a secret memorial on the related matters."

Haitang was slightly surprised. "You are certainly open and

candid. What things will you not say?"

Fan Xian furrowed his brows and became serious. "For

example, moving the silver from the palace treasury to my own
home. This kind of thing, of course I'm too embarrassed to tell
the Emperor."

The little boat once again sank into silence, and the waters of
the lake also once again became calm. Fan Xian gazed at the
slightly worried looking Haitang and found that after a half a
year, this girl's personality seemed to have changed a little.
Perhaps it was her initial foray into court politics that had
some influence on her frame of mind.
 Facing Haitang, Fan Xian actually felt a faint unease. In the
days they had interacted from last year to today, he had
followed the principle of summarizing his heart with one
word, to do his best to open his heart in their interactions, to
be utterly sincere, and to even say some unbelievably childish
things. He truly valued Haitang as a friend, but he also wanted
to influence this girl from his heart to win a strong helper.
That his starting point was calculated made him feel slightly
ashamed.

From the side of the lake came the sound of urgent hoof
beats. Fan Xian turned his head to look and saw a handsome
horse rushing on the stone path beside the lake. It was candidly
and openly heading toward the Peng family manor door that
officials had not dared to approach in days. A familiar looking
official flipped off the horse and angrily began to beat on the
door.
Chapter 343: Pick Up The Bowl To Drink
Congee, Put Down Chopsticks To Curse
Leaving behind the boat to step onto the shore, Fan Xian
walked toward the garden with some puzzlement. Haitang was
behind him and greeted the old man fishing beside the lake,
however Fan Xian did not have the mind to get close to the
people. Seeing the fine horse outside the yard, his brows drew
together.

The official that came on the horse had already entered the
garden and just left the horse outside. He hadn't even tied the
lead rope. It seemed he was truly in a rush. The horse was just
standing around below the stone steps, snorting and smelling
the green grass that had just grown out. Unfortunately it was
wearing a bridle, so it could only mouth at it anxiously but
was not able to eat it.

"Sir." The guard at the door saluted him and a subordinate

edged closer to explain something. Fan Xian held up his hands
to stop him. He had long recognized who the angry official
was. He hadn't seen the man in a year, but he could tell he still
had the same personality, which made Fan Xian a bit angry.
 From the depths of the manor came the faint sounds of an
intense argument. After rounding the screened wall, the sound
became louder. The tone of the voice was full of criticism,
anger, and disappointment that seemed to come from the very
marrow of their bones.

Fan Xian stopped his steps. He turned to Haitang with a self-

deprecatingly smile and said, "It's just a small matter. Save me
some face and don't come in."

Haitang smiled and nodded. She headed toward a path to the

side that led to the garden.

Fan Xian tidied his clothes and listened with patience from
the outside before he gently coughed. Acting every inch the
teacher, he crossed his hands behind his back, stepped over the
tall threshold, and walked in to the main hall.

Inside the main hall, the two red-faced, thick-necked people

facing off like fighting roosters were Shi Chanli and Yang
Wanli, whom he hadn't seen in a while.
 Last year Yang Wanli was in the third rank of candidates to
pass the imperial examinations. Sice everyone knew he was
under the personal command of the Fan family, the managing
official at the Ministry of Appointments waved his brush and
transferred him to a wealthy county in Jiangnan to be a county
magistrate. It was a lucrative post. It was only because the
Minister of Appointments meddled, otherwise, given the Fan
family prestige, it was not impossible for him to have been a
Zhoutong or Yunpan right away.

Yang Wanli had also worked hard for his teacher Fan Xian
and did not disappoint. He was hard working in politics, kind
to his people, and loved to learn. In just one short year, the
area he governed was neat and tidy, honest, and safe. He
earned the praises honest, good, and fair in his autumn review.
When the Supreme Court reviewed, they came to a similar
conclusion. Although his term limit was not up and he could
not be promoted, he was a proper sixth-level official.

Of the four disciples under the Fan family, Hou Jichang and
Chen Jialin were both officials to the south of Jiaodong Road.
It was said that their reputations were excellent as well.
 After Fan Xian entered the room, he watched Yang Wanli and
Shi Chanli argue with cold eyes. He found that Yang Wanli was
being intimidating as Shi Chanli was slowly backing up. With
a quick listen he realized what they were arguing about and
laughed.

Yang Wanli turned his head to glance at him, paused,

furrowed his brows, and then turned around to continue
speaking to Shi Chanli. "Brother Shi, it's fine that you won't
enter into an official position. Following beside teacher,
helping him remedy omissions and correct errors, and to do so
diligently can also be considered working for the good of the
people…but now that teacher has clearly done the wrong
thing. Why aren't you reminding him as you are by his side?
Following the etiquette as disciples, we should still speak
honestly and admonish. That is the correct way! Do you know
what kind of embarrassing rumors are traveling around
Jiangnan? Everyone is saying that Commissioner Fan can take
the position, but who knows how well he can handle matters?
But he certainly collects silver very openly!"

Yan Wanli unleashed sarcasm and laughed. "The Great

River? I think that's a silver river. Before that ship takes all the
silver in each province is another day the people on the ship
refuse to go on land!"
 The more he spoke the angrier he became. His sleeve shook.
"To be an official for one day is to work for the happiness of the
people for one day. Last year, teacher left word for us to be
good officials, to be good people…but…but…is this how an
official should act? I…I have almost no face to see people! Old
Shi! You have disappointed me so much! Rotting insect!
Traitor!"

Hearing the last two adjectives, anger poured into Shi

Chanli. He thought: You bastard! You've enjoyed being an
honest official out here. What do you know of the hard work?
I've suffered as the boss of a brothel in Jingdou. You call me
traitor? Are you criticizing teacher as the tiger that eats
people's bones and marrow? I see Yan Wanli, you haven't been
an official for long, but you're much more daring now.

With a burst of hot blood, he turned around to curse. "You

are a sour scholar who doesn't know the pains of the common
people! If it weren't for teacher in the capital, do you think you
can get such high praise? You ungrateful bastard!"

Yang Wanli tilted his head up and said proudly, with a hint of
pain, "Although I only govern one county, within a year all
bandits have disappeared and the people live in peace. I have
not let down Sir Fan junior's initial hope."

In reality, Shi Chanli understood why the other party was so

angry he had come directly to their door. The so-called higher
the hopes, the greater the disappointment. They both hoped to
follow Sir Fan junior to make a career for themselves in the
Qing Kingdom and be truly honest and considerate officials.
However, Fan Xian was in the Overwatch Council. Holding
great power…the things he did…did indeed look the actions of
a powerful official, but his distance from being an important
official was getting larger and larger.

However, Shi Chanli had spent many years beside Fan Xian
and knew that there were many things teacher did unwillingly,
furthermore, they had a deeper relationship. He instinctively
smiled coldly and continued to counterattack. "All the bandits
are gone? If the provincial barracks hadn't moved 12 li into
your Fuchun County…do you think those bandits were scared
away by your sagely words? 12 li of land…unremarkable, right?
But how capable are you, you little county magistrate?"

Yang Wanli froze and furrowed his forehead. "What do you

mean by that?"
 "What do I mean?" Shi Chanli turned his head to glance at
Fan Xian and furrowed his brows. It seemed like he was
wondering why the guards hadn't stopped this man from
coming in. If outsiders heard him arguing with Yang Wanli and
it got out, that would be bad.

At this moment, the most innocent one was Fan Xian. The
two students were arguing intensely while he, the teacher,
stood on the side for a long time without being acknowledged.
He had been left out so long he'd almost dried out. He picked
up Shi Chanli's words and smiled. "Doesn't mean anything. It
was just that the old master felt sorry for all of you and just
wrote a letter to the Sub-Prefect in command in the province."

It was at this moment that the two arguing recognized Fan

Xian's voice. They jumped in shock at the same time. After a
moment of surprise they said, "Teacher?"
 Fan Xian stretched out a hand to rub at his temples,
removing the glue at the corner of his eyebrows. His eyebrows
returned to their original places, and that delicate and
handsome face recovered its original appearance. He had
forgotten to take of his disguise after he entered the room, and
the two arguing excitedly had not even recognized him.

He gave a pained laugh. "If you're going to fight you have to

close the door. This time I heard it, but if an outsider heard it…
I'm afraid they'll think something along the lines of deceiving
your master and betraying your ancestors has happened to the
Fan family."

The main hall in the manor suddenly became silent.

Thinking of how the contents of their argument had
completely fallen into Fan Xian's ears, both Shi Chanli and
Yang Wanli felt awkward.
 The two invited Fan Xian to sit in the middle and situated
themselves on either side. Although Fan Xian was younger in
age, the absurd seniority of student and teacher was present
and had to be done correctly.

Yang Wanli rubbed his head, feeling a slight headache.

Suddenly he remembered Fan Xian's last words…deceiving the
master and betraying the ancestors? He suddenly raised his
head and cried loudly, "Sir! I had no such intentions."

Fan Xian looked at him with a kind smile. He knew that Yang
Wanli was born of a poor family and was very disdainful of
corrupt officials. Furthermore, his personality was
straightforward and fiery, otherwise he wouldn't have come
helter-skelter to their door.

"Fuchun County is a full 200 li from Hangzhou. You, a civil

servant, rushed here without bringing soldiers and cursed me
to my face as an old tiger who eats without even spitting out
the bones. If this isn't deceiving your master, then what is?"

He was joking, but the weight of his joke was not one that
Yang Wanli could bear. However, Yang Wanli's personality was
straightforward and honest. He gritted his teeth, approached
Fan Xian and bowed low. In a serious voice he said, "Student is
wrong. I was wrong to talk such things behind your back."

Fan Xian was a little startled and thought the man had sure
changed quickly.

Unexpectedly, Yang Wanli's topic changed with the wind.

"However, now that teacher has returned, I will say it face to
face. You know that I have never feared to speak to teachers
and seniors in a straightforward manner."

"Speak." Fan Xian said helplessly. "Your personality is just

this strange."

"On your trip down to Jiangnan this time to help the court
manage its finances, I think there are three things you
shouldn't have done." Yang Wanli completely missed Fan Xian's
evaluation of his personality.

"Three things?" Fan Xian was startled. He had thought it was

just the problem of Su Wenmao collecting silver. He hadn't
expected there to be three shouldn't-have-dones. Do you think
you are Chi Zhiqiang singing the 10 shouldn't-haves in jail?

"First, you shouldn't have allowed your subordinates to go

along the river and strip commoners of their wealth and make
use of their labor." Yang Wanli had not slept well last night
before he made up his mind to come to Hangzhou to admonish
his teacher face to face. In a pained voice he continued. "As the
ship from the capital went south, the officials in the provinces
and counties along the river purposely came out to welcome
and gave mountains of gifts. They also forced commoners to
drag the boat. The waters in the Jiangnan region are calm. If
that big ship hadn't been going slow on purpose, why would it
need barge haulers? This matter has long spread throughout
Jiangnan and become a joke, furthermore, where do the gifts
that the provincial and county official give come from? From
exorbitant taxes that scrap away at the people's belongings? As
the commissioner of the Overwatch Council, you shouldn't
ignore the law, take bribes, disregard the people, and levy labor
from hardworking people!"

Fan Xian seemed to not have listened. He waved his hands to

have Shi Chanli pour a cup of tea and guzzled it down.
 Watching his actions and expressions, Yang Wanli felt a bit
apprehensive. He didn't know whether or not his teacher was
truly angry. But, it also made him angrier. "Second, you
shouldn't have mobilized the ships of the Jiangnan sailors for
protection. Although you have the identity of an imperial
envoy, you didn't travel in broad daylight in the beginning but
instead traveled by the stars. This is against regulations and
underhanded. You also mobilized soldiers as escorts. Other
than being against regulations, it exceeds the bounds of
propriety. Disturbing the land and having lax defenses are all
serious mistakes."

Fan Xian sprayed the tea out of his mouth and laughed as he
scolded, "Will you only be happy if someone chopped me up?"

He waved his hand to stop Yang Wanli's next words and

spoke. "Let's first talk about these two shouldn't-haves." He
considered them for a moment. "The matter you mentioned
about collecting gifts along the river. I have also heard some
rumors and the influence is indeed very bad. According to a
letter from Jingdou, this matter has become a joke at court in
Jingdou. They're all saying that I've been trapped in Jingdou
and now that I'm in Jiangnan I want to take a few layers off of
the ground…"
 Hearing him speak, Yang Wanli felt a little joy. "Exactly.
Putting aside the matter of law and order, just speaking of
influence, it would impact your official reputation greatly…"

"You mean, it will greatly affect your official reputation,

right?" Fan Xian mocked. "Earlier you said you had no face to
meet people. If you wanted to be an honest official that is
remembered by the history books, but have landed a greedy
official like me as a teacher, I suspect you would be rather
unhappy. I can understand, however…"

He changed the topic. "It doesn't matter how the Jiangnan

officials see it, how the people see it, or how the Six Ministries
sees it. No one will care about them. The question is, you are
my student, how could you think I am greedy for money?"

Yang Wanli paused to collect his thoughts. The exploitation

by that big ship of yours is the truth, and all the evidence is
solid. There are rumors that the reason Commissioner Fan was
going to Jiangnan so secretively and splitting into northern,
central, and southern routes was so that he could receive gifts
from all three. Did people wrong him by saying that?
 "I have plenty of silver." Fan Xian stared at Yang Wanli and
roared in anger, "Why would I be greedy for silver? What kind
of head do you have?"

"You, Jicheng, and Jialin, the three of you are now outer
officials. Every month you are sure to receive the silver that
the old master sends from the capital, why is that? Because we
are worried that you will be pulled under by your colleagues'
money. I already have such expectations for you. Why would it
be more so for me?"

Ever since they left the capital after the imperial

examinations, Yang Wanli and the two others had received
monthly banknotes from Jingdou. The amount far exceeded
their official salary. This matter actually had nothing to do
with Fan Xian. He wasn't that detailed. It was all Minister
Shang attentively taking care of these things for his son.

With silver on hand, Yang Wanli and the two others had
more room to move and money to use for practical things.
Thinking of Fan Xian's attentive care, he felt moved. He had
also been quite scared by Fan Xian's rare display of anger. He
quickly replied, "Thank you, teacher."
 Fan Xian smiled and reprimanded his student. "You are
grateful when given money, but do you not think about where
the money came from? Of course, it's not from corruption. You
know I have a few businesses under me. I can still afford to
feed you all."

Yang Wanli furrowed his brows. "But…the ship on the river?"

"What does that ship have to do with me?" Fan Xian's face
and mouth were shameless, "You want to go fight and curse
those corrupt officials? Then go on the ship and curse those
people. Running to Hangzhou to curse me…Yang Wanli, ah,
Yang Wanli, you are quite daring."

Yang Wanli said dejectedly, "Teacher, those people are your

subordinates."

"Yes. Subordinates take silver, and I ask no questions. Does it

seem like everything is under my orders? This is all just a
show. You are too anxious."
 Shi Chanli made his own urging. "Teacher must have his
reasons. Rushing in today like this, who knows how many
people are going to secretly laugh their faces off?"

Yang Wanli thought about it and found it logical. Even if Sir

Fan junior wanted to be greedy, there was no need to do it so
openly or in such a lowly manner. Perhaps he had thought
wrong?

"There isn't that deep a reason." Fan Xian sighed. "It is just
that I will need to put on a show in Suzhou on March 3rd. The
show is too sappy. Even thinking about it right now gives me
goosebumps. You'll understand when you see it."

At this moment, Yang Wanli believed what Fan Xian said and
did not dare speak again. He was feeling regretful for his
rashness. If he ruined teacher's plan to fix the treasury, that
would not be good.

"Let's talk about the second shouldn't-have." Fan Xian

furrowed his brows. "Wanli, you are too naïve, do you really
believe it is a golden age?"
 Yang Wanli was slightly startled. Considering the country
was at peace, the people safe, and weather favorable, where
was the lie? Fan Xian laughed coldly and tried to scare him. "If
I hadn't mobilized the sailors as an escort, that ship could have
been dragged to the bottom of the river at any moment by
divers. Do you believe me?"

Watching Yang Wanli's expression, Fan Xian knew he

wouldn't believe him. Fan Xian shook his head. "I won't hide
the palace treasury matter from you. I need to defeat not just
the parasites in the palace treasury and the wealthy families of
Jiangnan, but perhaps also the officials in Jiangnan and
nobility in Jingdou. How did that Ming family get their start?
And how have they made their business so large?"

Faced with this question, Yang Wanli shook his head. Shi
Chanli had also just started to learn about the secret reports
between the Overwatch Council and Jiangnan water bandit,
Xia Qifei, so he knew a few things.

"Pirates!" A severe look flashed through Fan Xian's eyes. "The

Ming family collects the goods from the palace treasury and
ships out to sea via Quanzhou. All the way north to Dongyi,
and south to the foreign devils beyond the sky in the west.
These years, every time the ships sail out they run into pirates.
Out of three ships, they will always lose one ship."

Yang Wanli furrowed his brows. He had some contact with

the Ming family, and each of them were warm, literary, and
good natured millionaires. Surely they couldn't be held
responsible for running into pirates on the seas, unless
teacher's words had another layer of meaning?

Fan Xian said coldly, "In reality, the pirates were all the Ming
family's own people!"

Yang Wanli paled in shock.

"When the palace treasury products are taken by pirates, the

Ming family has to pay back the palace treasury. It looks like
they are suffering a loss, but in reality they secretly ship the
goods overseas and sell them. They don't have to pay six-tenths
of the profits of the ship to the court. Furthermore, what they
paid back to the palace treasury is only the production costs…
this one ship earns more than those two ships. Who knows
how many departed souls were added to the seas in these
years."
 Yang Wanli was dumb-founded. "The…the Ming family won't
make that much more. Why would they take such a risk?"

Everything Fan Xian had said was what the Overwatch

Council and Xia Qifei had found out. It was a pity they hadn't
caught live evidence. Who knew how much the Ming family
had earned these years with their ruthless methods. These
people did things ruthlessly. Secrets were closely guarded, and
they were protected by nobility. Everyone in court knew that
going south on the seas was dangerous with wild winds and
rough waters, and ferocious sea bandits, but they didn't
couldn't imagine that the Ming family would steal their own
goods and play a game where merchants and bandits were of
the same family.

He stood up and stared into Yang Wanli's eyes. "Once there is

sufficient profit, merchants will become more daring. When
there is a 50% profit, they will take desperate risks. For 100%
profit, they will dare to trample over all of the Qing laws. With
a 300% profit, they will commit any crime. They will even run
the risk of losing their heads and not care about the court."

Yang and Shi were both shocked into lowering their heads by
the words and savored them for a long time.
 "Besides, they've always had their supporters in court." Fan
Xian smiled coldly. "Profits made from proper exports all have
to be registered. What could be smoother and safer to spend
than this out of account money?"

This line was acknowledging matters concerning Xinyang. If

it weren't for these ruthless methods, it would have been much
more difficult for the Eldest Princess to take money from the
palace treasury that had long been monitored by the
Overwatch Council.

"Every copper piece is drenched in blood." Fan Xian lectured

Yang Wanli. "If we want to accomplish anything, we need to
first ensure our own safety. The Ming family can kill and have
killed. When it comes to their final struggle, they will not even
be afraid to kill me! In a matter of life and death, there is no
need to talk about etiquette. You've been an official for too
long. You've become a piece of rotting wood!"

Yang Wanli was dazed and stunned. He had studied

strenuously for 10 years. After he became an official, he had
Fan Xian, this giant tree, to protect him in his shadow. He
never experienced the true dangers of the world. After being
scolded, he was finally a bit more awake.
 Calming down, Fan Xian waved his hand and said,
"Nevermind. We won't talk about these matters yet. Although
you have today to kick at my door, no guests actually came to
this yard. We haven't seen each other in a year, and there will
be things we need to discuss. In a while we'll get some dishes
and alcohol and can drink a few cups."

Yang Wanli hung his head dejectedly. Knowing that teacher

continued to see him as one of his closest friends, he finally let
out a breath. He was only slightly regretful of his rashness.
Suddenly he remembered something and hesitantly said, "That
third shouldn't-have…"

Fan Xian laughingly scolded, "Seems like you won't eat until
you've accused me completely, so go ahead."

Yang Wanli thought for a bit and felt that in this matter,
teacher was indeed in the wrong. With conviction he said,
"Recently, various places have sent out auspicious signs.
Officials and commoners always say a few words after the
banquet, and I have never said this in front of others before,
but facing teacher I will have to be presumptuous and speak.
To judge others by their appearance will never last, and to
garner affections through flattery is also not how a court
official should act. What you did, teacher, truly is not
virtuous."

Fan Xian froze, he knew that although Yang Wanli was

stubbornly honest, he was also clever. He even managed to
realize that the four auspicious signs were made by him. But
this bastard thinks…dared to say to his face…accused him of
fawning on the Emperor!

"Get out, get out. Out!" Fan Xian was finally truly angry and
scolded fiercely, "Don't bother having dinner. Go back to your
Fuchun County and have porridge!"

At this moment, Yang Wanli was like a bare stick, standing

straight and allowing his teacher's spittle to wash his face.
With face full of righteousness he said, "I am eating porridge in
the Peng garden today."

Fan Xian shook both his arms in anger and stormed out the
door. Shi and Chan both quickly pattered after him, not daring
to be even half a step behind. It was not until now that this
youth of not yet 20 finally seemed like a young man, rather
than the usual straight sitting and careful of speech mature
teacher passing himself off as shrewd and ruthless.

The family carriage group in Danzhou and Jingdou ship

following the silver river both arrived at the docks outside of
Suzhou. The night before, a group from Hangzhou had quietly
boarded the ship. The three groups from Jingdou finally
successfully met up in Jiangnan.

On the dock, the drums rolled and firecrackers cried.

Jiangnan officials of all ranks stood under the sign in tidy
robes. They craned their heads in anticipation of the arrival of
the Imperial College siye, vice-minister of Taichang Temple,
the new Overwatch Council palace treasury commissioner, and
imperial envoy inspecting Jiangnan Road…Sir Fan junior.

伥货. 伥 - "ghost of sb devoured by a tiger who helps the tiger devour others"
Chapter 344: Dragon Rise
March 3rd Qing Calendar, Dragon Rise.

Under the escort of the Jiangnan sailors, a large ship slowly

edged close to the dock. Aboard the ship they dropped anchor
and cast their mooring lines. The officers quickly completed
their actions and immediately laid down the gangplank, which
had been shaped like stairs, across the gap between the dock
and deck. The officials on land went forward to spread a thick
cloth over it to prevent slipping.

In the distant horizon, a roll of thunder sounded as if to

welcome the arrival of the imperial envoy. At the same time,
firecrackers and drums popped and rolled. The rocket prepared
earlier on the shore was lit and went off with a bang and even
managed to muffle the sound of heaven's might.

The officials on the dock furrowed their brows but were too
embarrassed to cover their ears. They only swung their gazes
toward the gangplank.
 In a moment, a young official appeared on deck and led a
group of guards silently off the ship before splitting into two
lines.

In another moment, a young handsome official wearing

purple official robes walked out with a slight smile. They saw
he was wearing a white robe over official robes, which
immediately dulled the eye-piercing purple. This attracted the
gazes of the people on the dock to his warm, friendly, and
delicate face.

Only officials above the third-level had the privilege of

wearing purple official robes. The officials on the dock knew
that the much-anticipated imperial envoy, Commissioner Fan,
was the person before them. They instinctively shuffled two
steps forward to align their feet and raised their hands in
salute.

Fan Xian did not rush to stop the crowd saluting, instead he
extended his hand to the side and grasped a small hand that
extended from the air and led to a young boy standing shoulder
to shoulder on the deck. Stepping on the ladder, they
disembarked.
 The little boy wore a light yellow robe. Fur peeked out from
the top of the jacket's collar. The jacket was embroidered with
cute but unknown beasts. Matched with the delicately
beautiful face, and spirited eyes, he appeared very loveable.

The crowd of officials was startled. They knew this was the
Third Prince the Emperor had chased away to Commissioner
Fan's side. They quickly adjusted their directions and
uniformly saluted the Third Prince. "Officials of Jiangnan
Road greet Your Highness."

The Third Prince smiled and nodded. In a not yet matured

voice he said, "Today is very cold, and you have all worked
hard. I am just here with my teacher to learn. There is no need
to be overly courteous."

Reminded by the words "my teacher," the officials quickly

turned to Fan Xian again and saluted. Many things were said,
such as, "Sir, must be tired after all the traveling," or "how
about…"

Other than saluting, the they sneaked glances at the two

males who had walked off the ship. They officials found that
although the two were vastly different in age, their
appearances were similar. Standing on the shore, the river
wind blew and shifted the boys' clothing. They both exuded an
air of high nobility as well as a rare sense of harmony and
distance from the world.

The crowd couldn't help but begin to think that maybe the
rumors about Commissioner Fan's past might very well be true.
Their thoughts stopped there and apprehension grew in their
hearts. They didn't know if saluting the Third Prince first had
made Fan Xian unhappy. After all, he was the proper master,
furthermore, he had the identity of an imperial envoy. In
regards to court regulations, he was much more precious than
a prince not yet fully grown.

Fan Xian did not think this much. He gazed at the unfamiliar
faces of the officials on the docks and placed his friendliest
smile on his face. Meeting them all with smiles, he worked
hard to remember each of the officials' positions and names. He
demonstrated the expected etiquette and self-confidence of a
new political star.

Him bringing the prince to Jiangnan was an important

event, and so there were many officials who had come to the
court today to welcome them. Of the civil servants there were
the direct officials of the inspector general of the government
office and two groups of people each led by the Zhizhous of
Suzhou and Hangzhou. The Zhizhous of a few provinces
further away did not dare leave their territories to welcome
them, but many local magistrates, litong, and other officials of
similar rank in the provinces came. Furthermore, there were
officials in charge of transport on the Jiangnan salt roads. Of
the military servants, there were guards and other participants
of the army. All the officials now under the direct command of
Fan Xian's subordinates who managed the palace treasury
transport were also present..

Added together, there were almost a hundred people. The

majority of the Jiangnan parent officials were squeezed onto
the dock. If Dongyi stole some of Third Bureau of the
Overwatch Council's fire powder and made a few bangs here,
the wealthiest region of the Qing Kingdom, Jiangnan, would
probably be crippled in one day.

On the dock, Fan Xian met the officials with a slight smile.
The problem was that their heads were close together and the
court robes were mixed together. In the middle of winter, the
stench of sweat was prominent. Face after unfamiliar but
flattering face moved passed his eyes. How could he recognize
who was who? These officials did not know how he truly felt.
Seeing that the smile on Sir Fan junior's face had not lessened,
they felt the gifts they had sent were working. They boldly
squeezed toward Fan Xian and the Third Prince's side. No
matter what, they had to exchange some greetings and become
more familiar, otherwise how could they be worthy of all the
money they sent out?

Officials of provinces and counties slightly further away

from Jiangnan never had the opportunity to present gifts, so
they were not as confident. They watched, with sideways
glances of envy and jealousy from the outskirts of the crowd,
as their colleagues endlessly fawned.

For the moment, the stench of fawn was unbearable. Fan

Xian's smooth chin was stroked countless times. The situation
was very lively. Gradually, what the officials said became
unbearable, particularly those from the Zhizhou of Suzhou.
They were people of the system from the Imperial College and
insisted, due to his position as a siye in the Imperial College,
on calling him Teacher Fan.

Fan Xian forced the irritation down in his heart and

maintained that he was not worthy. What a joke, he was not
yet 20 and was to be the teacher of a Zhizhou. Once this got
back to Jingdou, the Emperor would probably die laughing!
Held by his hand, the Third Prince endured the shameless
talking beside him. He was also unhappy, thinking, Sir Fan
junior is MY teacher. You doddering old men dare to take what
is mine? The child finally could not take anymore and
coughed. His face was cold.

The scene immediately quieted. The Zhizhou of Hangzhou

was an old sly one who was quick to see an opportunity.
Quietly happy that the Suzhou Zhizhou was humiliated, he
said solemnly, "Today is very cold. I think we should quickly
invite the imperial envoy and His Highness to rest."

Once the words went out, Fan Xian and the Third Prince felt
great comfort. Simultaneously they glanced at the Hangzhou
Zhizhou with appreciation in their eyes. Being swept by this
gaze, the Hangzhou Zhizhou immediately felt his whole body
warm and was very pleased, like he had just eaten a strand of
ginseng.

…
 Rest? It wasn't that easy. Even after the various officials
retreated, the related honor guards still took a long time.
Surrounded by officials, Fan Xian and the Third Prince headed
toward a hill on the shore. There was a large bamboo canopy
on the hill that looked fairly new, like it had been put up for
the sole purpose of Fan Xian's visit.

Walking up the slope, there were two important officials in

purple robes waiting respectfully outside of the bamboo
canopy. When Fan Xian saw them, he pulled on the Third
Prince's hand and hurried forward to show respect.

The identity of these officials were unlike the previous ones.

One was the Governor of Jiangnan, Xue Qing, and the other
was inspector general Dai Sicheng.

In the bureaucracy of the Qing Kingdom there was a saying:

"One palace, two chief secretaries, three ministries, and seven
roads." The one palace naturally referred to the imperial
palace. The two chief secretaries who worked together handled
government affairs. The three ministries were the Overwatch
Council, Bureau of Military Affairs, and the Ministry of
Education, except the Ministry of Education had been
partitioned into the Imperial College, Tongwen Institute, and
the Board of Rites in the first year of the Qing calendar.

The seven roads referred to how Qing Kingdom was split into
seven major roads. The governor of each road inspected the
land on behalf of the Emperor. Recently the jun level of
administration between the road and province in the Qing
Kingdom had gradually been phased out. Besides military
affairs, the governor of a road began to directly control the
counties and provinces in their territories. They had great
power and were truly guardians of the borderlands.

Of course the Emperor would have to choose someone he

trusted to taken on this important position, furthermore, the
governor had to be an extremely capable person.

Compared to the fiery power of the governor, the inspector

general was more politically based, but paled in significance
next to the governor.

Based on position levels, the governor was a full second-level

and the inspector-general was a low second-level; neither were
particularly high levels. However, to help the governors of the
seven roads focus on their governing and not be controlled by
the Six Ministries, the rule had always been for the governor to
also take on the position of Scholar, Imperial Censor of the
Right, or Minister of War. This made him a low first-level
official. Thus, when faced with the prime minister and chief
secretaries, he had the necessary standing to weigh in.

Jiangnan was one of the most important regions in the Qing

Kingdom. The current Jiangnan Governor, Xue Qing, was
deeply trusted by the Emperor, thus he directly held the
position of Grand Scholar, a true and proper full first-level
super official.

Given Xue Qing's position, even Fan Xian and the Third
Prince did not dare show irreverence, so they quickened their
steps.

Once they reached the bamboo canopy, Fan Xian glanced at

Xue Qing with a warm gaze but did not open his mouth to
speak. These were the rules. Xue Qing and Dai Sicheng
understood. The other party was an imperial envoy. No matter
how powerful they were or how high their position, they
would have to salute first. This was not to show respect to Fan
Xian or prince, but to the Emperor.
 They officials placed the incense burner table, invited forth
the imperial edict, showed the sword, and then, under the
canopy, fell to their knees. After completing the ceremony, Fan
Xian quickly helped up the Xue Qing and then turned to help
the inspector general. Only then did he lead the Third Prince in
respectfully greeting Xue Qing.

With his position, Xue Qing could accept Fan Xian and the
Third Prince's deep salutes. He did seem surprised that the
legendary Commissioner Fan did not have any of the aloofness
of young officials and literati, and was willing to smooth over
the small things. Approval flashed through the Governor's
eyes.

The inspector general stood to the side and quickly turned to

return their greetings. Xue Qing would not stand around
stupidly and allow these two "brothers" to finish their
greetings. He had already warmly helped them up and said,
"Sir Fan, you're treating us like strangers."

Fan Xian paused. Looking to his side it appeared the Third

Prince was embarrassed to see Xue Qing, which was even more
confusing.
 Xue Qing smiled slightly and said, "Before I came to
Jiangnan, I worked in the Cabinet of Official Papers. The so-
called Scholar is not a complete lie. When His Third Highness
was small, he would often play beside me…only, many years
have passed and I don't know if Your Highness still
remembers."

The Third Prince gave a pained laugh and re-greeted Xue

Qing as a disciple. "Every year sir went back to the capital to
report on his position, father would take me to your manor to
greet you. How could I forget?"

Fan Xian was a bit confused. Thinking about it closely, he

became more unsure about what that Emperor in Jingdou was
thinking. He then heard Xue Qing say, "Speaking of which, Sir
Fan and I have also met before."

Fan Xian couldn't try to curry favor from this official so he

replied, "To be honest, Sir, I had no idea."

Xue Qing liked his straightforwardness and smiled, stroking

his whiskers. "When I was passing my provincial level imperial
exams, the examiner was Prime Minister Ling. To talk of
generations, you should call me older brother."

Now Fan Xian understood what was happening. However,

the other party was now the governor of a road. Those old
memories were just to talk about. Furthermore, no matter how
thick-skinned, black-hearted, and daring he was, he was too
embarrassed to follow this pole up. To be brothers with the
governor? Even though the power he held gave him the right,
their ages and experiences seemed much too far apart.

A group of people rested under the canopy. Fan Xian and Xue
Qing chatted about what he heard and saw along the way. Xue
Qing furrowed his brows and asked again if the Emperor was
well in the capital. All in all it was a bunch of superfluous
rubbish, however, it did pull them a little closer and they
became more familiar. Watching this official, Fan Xian found
that there was a trace of undisguised worry on the quiet face.
After a little thought, he understood why.

As the Jiangnan Governor, it was uncomfortable for a long

term imperial envoy to suddenly appear in the territory, just as
it would be for the governor of any road. Furthermore, this
imperial envoy was taking over the palace treasury and would
likely strike out at the nobility in the capital. Although the
governor was powerful, had an important position, and was
deeply trusted by the Emperor, being stuck in the middle was
never a good place to be.

Xue Qing raised his tea cup and took a sip before saying
nonchalantly, "Sir Fan junior will have to suffer a little for the
next few years. Although His Majesty trusts, Jiangnan is still
not Jingdou. Although it is wealthy, it is not somewhere to
stay too long. Another two years and I'll be asking the Emperor
if I can resign due to age. I'll go back to the capital and become
a fisherman…to be able to be close to the Emperor is better
than being in Jiangnan."

Fan Xian understood the meaning in his words and smiled.

"Sir has worked hard and achieved much patrolling this area
for the Emperor."

Xue Qing smiled slightly. "Have you decided where you are
staying? There are many salt merchants in Suzhou. They are
all willing to offer up their manors for you to choose from."
 Everyone knew the salt merchants were wealthy. Fan Xian
knew just how extravagant the manors they were offering up
with both hands would be without needing to ask. Instead he
changed the topic and said, "It would not be good to be such a
disturbance. Once I return to the capital it will weigh on me."
He spoke straightforwardly and caused Xue Qing to smile and
think: The only downside to poets is that they hide everything
do. Why didn't you hide when you were collecting money on
the river?

Fan Xian asked, "I hope Sir will be able to tell me, for the past
officials responsible for the transport of the palace treasury,
what were the arrangements?"

Xue Qing looked at him in surprise. "Sir Fan, your identity

cannot be compared to the palace treasury transport officials of
the past. As to arrangements, the manor of the palace treasury
is far away in the northeast, however, none of the officials have
lived there in the past dozen years. To take your predecessor as
an example, Sir Huang, he often lived in Xinyang."

Speaking of Xinyang, this Jiangnan Governor glanced

casually at Fan Xian.
 Fan Xian furrowed his eyebrows and said, "It is possible to
not live in the manor arranged by the court?"

This words were puzzling and probing.

Xue Qing nodded.

Fan Xian smiled and said, "Not to hide anything from you,
Sir. I've lived in Hangzhou this month, and it is my bad for not
coming to Suzhou to visit you…but that manor was really very
good. If I could choose, then I would like to live in Hangzhou."

Xue Qing was slightly startled. He hadn't expected the other

party to raise the idea of living in Hangzhou. He met Fan Xian's
eyes with a period of silence, as if guessing if this popular
young official was telling the truth. The manor of the
Jiangnan Governor was in Suzhou, and he most feared Fan
Xian also staying in Suzhou. Not taking into account
interfering with government affairs, a situation where both
parties were equally powerful would cause headaches for all of
the Jiangnan Road officials and be a great obstruction to
handling his own affairs.
 He watched Fan Xian's sincere expression and a strange look
flashed through his eyes. He smiled slightly and said,
"Naturally that is fine. Sir Fan may live wherever you wish."

Fan Xian chuckled. "Of course, even if I live in Hangzhou, I'll

have to come to Suzhou to trouble you plenty for a few meals.
I've heard that you have a famous Northern Qi chef, and all the
Jingdou people are very jealous. I hope to have the good
fortune to try it."

Governor Xue laughed out loud. "I like these things. I didn't
think Sir Fan was of the same mind. Why wait until the
future? My colleagues have prepared a welcome banquet, and
we will gather in Jiangnan. Tomorrow, I will invite you to my
house to sit for a while."

Having received Fan Xian's implicit promise to not interfere

with his business, the Jiangnan Governor began to relax.

Their oud laughs spread inside and outside of the bamboo

canopy. The Jiangnan officials followed the laugh with their
gaze to see the governor and commissioner talking and
laughing. After they relaxed, they were secretly admiring and
thinking that indeed Sir Fan junior was unlike ordinary people.
The tense situation officials were so secretly afraid of did not
happen. Who knew what he said to make the governor so
happy?

They saw Fan Xian lean toward the governor's ear and gently
said a few sentences. After a moment of slight surprise, Xue
Qing's expression immediately became serious and he nodded
his head with slight anger. With a cold sneer he said, "Sir Fan
has thought too much. You don't need to watch my face. These
people…most days I remember the Emperor being kind and so
have endured it for now. Your discussion thus is reasonable."

Having received his nod, Fan Xian knew he was repaying the
favor of him not staying in Suzhou and thanked him sincerely
before slowly standing.

…
 As Fan Xian rose, there was instant silence under the canopy.
The sun shone through the bamboo canopy onto the lake,
scattering the light. The lake's wind was slightly cold, and
there was a sense of solemness in the air.

Everyone looked him, not knowing how this imperial envoy's

speech about assuming the post would start.

"I am someone who does not play his cards the normal play."
Fan Xian looked around at the officials and smiled. "Although I
have not worked with you before, I have a little fame and think
everyone knows a little bit. My personality, when put nicely,
often does not follow conventions. To put it badly, I am
something of a troublemaker and a young man who doesn't
understand the gravity of things."

The officials laughed and agreed that the imperial envoy

spoke with humor and was humble.

Fan Xian said, not at all humbly, "I won't need to say those
conventional things. The Emperor is well, so no need for
everyone to ask. The empress dowager is healthy. The capital is
harmonious. Thus, we will not need to spend any more time on
these topics. However, everyone will soon have great trust
placed in them by the court to govern Jiangnan, an important
place. The taxation from these years are all here. The people
and cities I saw along the way were not false. I will also not
need to bring up the good work and hard work…"

The Jiangnan officials knew that Fan Xian had investigated

secretly along the way. Hearing these words, they all let out a
breath. They hoped that Fan Xian would say a bit more, ideally
about his secret memorial to the Emperor.

Unexpectedly, Fan Xian changed the topic.

"I will not talk about the good things. I will instead talk
about what everyone has done wrong." Fan Xian's face
continued to wear a slight smile, but a chill began to grow
under the canopy. "It is perhaps a little ungenerous, but I will
still talk about it. Why? Because it seems like everyone has
forgotten my birth."

Fan Xian's birth? Wasn't he the immortal poet, proctor of the

imperial exam, Taichang Temple, or was it the dark and
gloomy Overwatch Council? All the officials felt their heart
jump and didn't know what he was going to say next. We've all
given enough silver, what more do you want? The Overwatch
Council can't bully people like this!

"I came over land, along Shazhou and Hangzhou, but the
ship sailed on the Yangtze River." Fan Xian narrowed his eyes.
"I heard that the Great River was a silver river. Everyone sent
plenty of silver and gifts onto the ship and forced many
laborers to haul the ship. I understand here, in my heart,
everyone's generous friendship…only, such open bribery is
admirable…everyone, you are very daring!"

Without waiting for the officials to speak, Fan Xian turned

around and bowed to the Jiangnan Governor Xue Qing. He
smiled slightly and said, "When you saw me today, you were
greatly angry and scolded me to my face. I couldn't help feeling
terrified and did not understand why. Fortunately, you
sympathized with my ignorance and told me the truth. Only
then did I know that everyone had gone behind my back…and
done something so daring."

His voice grew gradually louder, and he coldly smiled. "The

Overwatch Council supervises the governance of the entire
country, and the ones we capture are the corrupt officials. Yet,
everyone dared to send gifts and bribes. Perhaps you think now
that I have left Jingdou, this knife in my hand cannot kill
anymore?"

The officials stared dumbfoundedly. They were shocked into

speechlessness by Fan Xian's words. They shot pleading gazes
toward the governor to discover that the he was stroking his
whiskers deep in thought, seemingly to have put himself out of
the situation.

It was only now that the officials realized that Fan Xian's
earlier words, saying that these officials along the river had
given gifts behind his back, was to easily remove himself from
the situation. He also took the opportunity to say that the
governor was very angry and thus absolved him of all
involvement. He had also capped the governor as a figure
unafraid to stand against important people as well as a noble
character of unquestionable integrity.

Giving gifts along the river? Your subordinates didn't decline

either! The communication channels of the Overwatch Council
were very smooth. Even if you were in Hangzhou how could
you not know? However, at this moment, Fan Xian insisted
that he did not know anything, and, of course, the Jiangnan
Road officials could not clash with him. They could only
swallow this massive misfortune. The looks they gave Fan Xian
again were not quite right anymore. This Commissioner Fan
was indeed like the rumors had said. A warm and harmless,
delicate and smiling face hid shamelessness, vulgarity, and
ruthlessness.

The officials didn't know what Fan Xian was going to do

next. The instinctively stood up and stared in a daze.

They saw him clap his hands. The sound traveled out of the
canopy. An official of the Overwatch Council walked off the
ship from Jingdou with a thick stack of gift lists. If the list was
this thick, then the gifts on the ship must be like a small
mountain.

Fan Xian turned around to ask the governor something. Xue

Qing smiled slightly looking at the scene before him. He waved
his hand to signal the bailiffs of the yamen to follow the
official of the Overwatch Council onboard the ship. Not long
after, the bailiffs carefully and with great effort pulled a
number of giant chests off the ship and brought them to the
bamboo canopy.
 The chests were opened to show sparkling gold. The gold and
precious goods inside were beyond calculating. It was all gifts
from the officials along the river.

It was breezy within the canopy, so there was a fire pit. Fan
Xian took over the list his subordinate handed him and
roughly flipped through a few pages. His eyebrow twitched.
"There really is a lot."

The officials felt equal measures of shame and anger. Their

thoughts wandered: This imperial envoy was too unkind when
handling matters, fabricating crimes. It was truly disgusting.
Was he going to punish all the officials? Do you want to wipe
out the entire Jiangnan bureaucracy? The governor couldn't
keep watching the show and thought: You broke the rules and
offended the Jiangnan officials, let's see how you will wrap all
this up later.

Who could have guessed Fan Xian's next move would have
the officials staring so hard their eyes almost fell out? They
saw him casually toss out his hand and threw the thick list into
the fire pit. The fire immediately grew, and the list of gifts that
were evidence of the officials' bribery quickly became ash.
 Fan Xian stood by the fire pit and was silent for a moment
before saying, "Don't think I am using a childish trick to win
your hearts. You are not that stupid, and I am not that foolish.
I have burned these as a warning to you all and to offer an out."

He placed his hands behind his back and a trace of

unswerving determination flashed across his face. "I am the
commissioner of the Overwatch Council. I do not need to sell
you face. What I am here to do in Jiangnan also does not need
your cooperation. Thus, I hope everyone is alert. If similar
things happen in the future, do not blame me for capturing
people without mercy."

The Overwatch Council was able to investigate any official

below third-level, he dared to say this because he had the
courage. As for the question of face, his identity was too
special, more special than any other court official, so he indeed
didn't have to sell it. As for the question of cooperation in later
days…without face, would the Jiangnan officials dare to
secretly clash with the commissioner?

"Later, after the welcome feast, everyone take back the

money in these chests." Fan Xian furrowed his brows. "What
should be returned has all been returned. As for the labor of
the commoners, it will be converted into wages. If those poor
counties cannot raise the money right now, send a notice to
me. I have enough silver for this."

The officials were helpless and acknowledged his words with

their heads down.

Suddenly the crane on the Suzhou dock began to move. This

new plaything from 20 years ago could carry the heaviest
loads. They watched as the crane extended onto the ship from
the capital and slowly lowered a large chest down. No one
knew what was in this chest that made it so heavy the metal
rope of the crane quivered with the strain.

Fan Xian had checked the numbers earlier. He knew that the
Suzhou port was a large dock responsible for sending out goods
from the palace treasury and had this hoisting capability, so
was not very worried. However, the officials who had just been
scared by him were scared again.

Once that massive chest had been lifted to the shore, it took
another dozen people to push it with great difficulty to the hill
and straight into the bamboo canopy. An Overwatch Council
official respectfully reported, "Commissioner, the chest as
arrived."

Fan Xian walked to the side of the chest. The outside of it was
wrapped in wicker, but the inside seemed to be made of metal.

The officials were all confused. What kind of game is he

playing at now? At this moment, even Governor Xue Qing and
inspector general Dai Sicheng became interested and walked up
to see exactly what treasure was hidden inside.

Fan Xian took out the key from his chest and lifted up the lid.

It was the same as when Guan Wumei saw the contents of the
chest for the first time. After the flash of silver under the
canopy, the eyes of the officials were a little dazed…silver.
Inside was full of brilliant, eye-catching silver. Who knew how
many silver ingots there were lined up neatly inside the chest?
In reality, the previous chests of gifts were probably not any
less valuable than this chest of silver ingots, however, since
ancient times, people have become accustomed to using silver.
For this much silver to suddenly appear before them, this kind
of attack on the senses was too intoxicating.

After a while, the crowd reluctantly withdrew their gazes

from the chest. They watched Fan Xian, waiting for the next
step of his performance.

"This chest of silver has come with me from Jingdou to

Jiangnan. In the future, no matter where I am located, I will
always have this chest of silver," Fan Xian said evenly. "Why?
This is to tell various officials, I have silver. I'm not afraid you
will laugh. I, Fan An Zhi, am someone who was born with a
golden key in his mouth. Anyone who wishes to use money as a
weapon to bribe me, forget about it now."

He continued coldly. "This trip to Jiangnan, I am

investigating the matter of your silver. I will not interfere in
any politics. However, if anyone is bribing or being bribed, any
who are corrupt and take advantage of the people, don't blame
me for being ruthless."

"There was a person of virtue in an older generation who

deeply understood the terrible consequences of corrupt
governance. So he brought hundreds of coffins with him,
saying that even if he had to kill all of the corrupt officials he
would stop this noxious influence." Fan Xian said slowly, "I am
not someone who likes to kill people, so I did not bring coffins,
I only brought silver."

The officials were silent and scared.

"There are exactly 138,880 liang of silver in the chest. I will

say something here, before all the officials and seniors who
have come to welcome me. Jiangnan is populous and affluent. I
cannot promise how much of this silver will be used on the
lives of the people, but I promise, when I leave Jiangnan, there
will not be a single extra liang in this chest!"

Fan Xian swept his gaze over those of the officials. "I hope
everyone here will remember that."
 After this performance, one part of the welcoming reception
on the docks came to an end. Fan Xian sat back in his chair and
felt the goosebumps rising on his arms. He was glad that he
hadn't let his mouth run away from him earlier and said
something deep and resounding that was bold and visionary.

The study of the Governor's manor was completely silent.

A first-level official, Jiangnan Governor Xue Qing sat in the

imperial tutor's chair in the middle and a small smile rose on
his face. Beside him sat two advisors that had followed him for
many years. One of the advisors shook his head and sighed, "I
didn't expect this imperial envoy to be so good at raising
trouble."

The other advisor furrowed his brows. "I don't understand.

By doing this, Sir Fan junior completely swept away the face of
the Jiangnan officials. Although with his identity, naturally he
does not fear this. However, it does seem as if he isn't mature
enough."

Xue Qing smiled slightly. "Both of you think his display was a
little affected?"

The two advisor's met each other's eyes and nodded.

Governor Xue sighed. "Young people, they always have a

desire for performance."

One of the advisor's carefully asked, "What does Sir think of

this Sir Fan junior?"

Xue Qing paused. He thought for a moment before replying.

"A clever man, a very clever man. He is someone to befriend…
to befriend well."

The advisors were a bit confused, thinking that it didn't seem

to align with their earlier conclusion.
 Xue Qing smiled self-deprecatingly. "So what if it was
affected? How many commoners under heaven were able to see
the scene at the time? How will those officials in Jingdou know
the true situation of this month? Rumors are just rumors,
passed from person to person, mouth to mouth. There will
always be some unconscious adjusting to the truth so it better
aligns with one's biases."

"Sir Fan junior has an excellent reputation among the people.

Naturally the commoners will spare no effort to spread this
news. Because of their affection for him, even if Sir Fan junior
had done something inappropriate, it will be removed in the
telling and sidelined. As for those scenes of not fearing the
bureaucratic and long-established corrupt practices, of
scolding the officials to their face, will naturally be
exaggerated greatly…"

The governor gave a pleased laugh. "A chest with 100,000

liang, sailing down Suzhou. Before long, this will probably be
another story in our Qing court. These people of the
Overwatch Council have indeed some spirited quick wit."

The other advisor was still confused. "Since he is a clever

man, there were clearly better ways to solve today's issue. Why
would Sir Fan junior choose such an intense and absurd
method?"

Governor Xue Qing looked at him and smirked. "What do you

know?"

He closed his mouth and didn't continue to explain. There

were some things that even his closest advisors should not
know. Fan Xian flashed his sword today and offended all the
officials. Wasn't it all because he wanted to show his sincerity
to me, the governor? The other party took the initiative and
explicitly stated he was going to live in Hangzhou, which
meant he deeply understood the three rules of bureaucracy.
Now that he had scared the officials, they would not surround
him, thus, the governor was still the foremost figure.

Xue Qing suddenly thought of another matter, and he

unconsciously frowned. His estimation of Fan Xian just rose
another level—the display the young official put on today was
perhaps not just as simple as showing him his sincerity—with
the imperial examinations approaching Jiangnan, it seemed
like Fan Xian wished he could offend all the officials under
heaven. The court officials had seen clearly these two years.
Fan Xian had not even bothered to maintain his father-in-law's
relations from before, he…he…he was going to be an isolated
official?

As a trusted confidant of the Emperor, Xue Qing had many

eyes and ears at court. He knew the rumors about Fan Xian's
past were true. Once he thought of Fan Xian's past, he
immediately understood why the other party was set on being
an isolated official.

It was preventing taboo.

Xue Qing sighed and shook his head. Everyone worked hard,
both in body and mind. It seemed like he should interact more
with this young Commissioner Fan for the future of Jiangnan.

…
 The warm afternoon sun slightly dispersed the initial spring
chill. The people of Suzhou were sitting in tea houses drinking
tea and chatting. They were too wealthy—wealthy to the point
they had too much leisure time and enjoyed passing the time in
tea houses. Since such a big thing had happened in the city
today, saliva and tea water both boiled in the tea houses.

Everyone discussed the arrival of the imperial envoy, the

world famous Commissioner Fan.

"Have you heard? Those officials' faces were all scared green."
A middle-aged merchant chuckled. The people always were
happy to watch officials be humiliated.

Another person shook his head and sighed, "A pity it was still
a case of turning big problems into small ones, and small
problems into no problems. I think that if the imperial envoy
truly pitied the people, he should throw all those corrupt
officials into jail."

"What stupidity!" The middle-aged merchant from earlier

laughed at him mockingly. "If all the officials are in jail, who
will try cases? Who will handle business? Sir Fan junior is a
prodigy and plans far ahead. How could he be like us and not
know the seriousness of a matter? This is called a deliberate
show of strength as a warning. You just watch, the best is yet
to come. I think the Jiangnan Road officials are about to truly
taste the power of the Overwatch Council."

That person nodded and agreed. "That is true. Fortunately,

the Emperor is wise and has sent the commissioner to
Jiangnan."

The merchant lowered his voice and smiled. "It should be,
the Emperor was wise to have had the commissioner."

The tea table instantly became silent. A moment later, it

exploded with a light laugh of tacit mutual understanding. In
the end that merchant said, "Earlier, the guy from my shop
went to the dock to see…the commissioner really is ruthless.
Those subordinates who took the boat down the river were
each given 30 lashes."

The man opposite righteously replied, "This is the right thing

to do. Although it was the subordinates who went behind Sir
Fan junior's back to collect silver, the offense is already done.
Since they silver has been returned and the list of gifts burned,
it would not be right to punish them. However, if he is not
severe with his subordinates, how will the Jiangnan Road
officials be satisfied? I went to see earlier. That whip really
came down ruthlessly. Each whip seemed like it was going to
take chunks of flesh with it. It was all bloody and rather scary."

In the manor of a salt merchant that the imperial envoy was

temporarily borrowing, a miserable howl came from a side
room.

Fan Xian looked at his trusted aides lined up in order and the
strips of whip marks on their backs. He placed medicine on the
table. He jokingly scolded, "I'm not rubbing it in for you
anymore. I'm being sympathetic, but you are all howling
miserably. Why didn't you yell miserably when you were being
whipped? You're not afraid people will get suspicious?"
 Su Wenmao lowered his head miserably and said, "We have
to save face for Sir. Of course we can't tell from a few lashes…
but Sir, is there a problem with your medicine? How come the
more you put on the more it hurts?"

Fan Xian smiled and said, "The whipping was so light, of

course you need to suffer a little right now!"

He rose and left. As he walked he shook his head thinking

that sometimes what Wanli said was very accurate. He was not
a good official, and he didn't have the face to ask that his
subordinates were honest officials. It was not easy twisting
both the top and bottom beam.

Also translated as Dragon Head Raising Festival.

Original text said "苏妩媚"– Su Wumei, which is a typo.
Chapter 345: The Money House And The
Brothel
That afternoon, Fan Xian received the officials related to the
palace treasury transport at his temporary residence. The other
Jiangnan officials had been scared off by him, but these palace
treasury officials were his direct subordinates and unable to
hide; they could only tough it out. Fortunately, Fan Xian had
long shed the dark and cold facade he wore beside the lake and
was able to laugh with them a little as they talked. He also set
their departure date and saw them out of the manor in an
amiable manner, which momentarily confused the officials.

The welcoming banquet that night was prepared by Jiangnan

Inn. For similar reasons, the officials of the counties and
provinces along the river all just sat for a little while before
leaving. They had met the requirements dedicated by etiquette
and, furthermore, court regulations did not allow them to stay
in Suzhou for long. It was easy to find reasons to be as far away
as possible from Commissioner Fan.

Only the officials of the Suzhou government could not leave.

They sat trembling with fear at the head table alongside Fan
Xian, Jiangnan Governor Xue Qing and inspector general Dai
Sicheng, who were drinking and talking merrily. The
atmosphere was very harmonious.

The seated Suzhou Zhizhou had a bitter face and gave forced
laughs. The Hangzhou Zhizhou knew that the imperial envoy
was staying for the long-term in Hangzhou. He had toughened
his skin and forced himself to stay. However, from the
perspective of the Suzhou officials' murderous gaze, he was
constantly fawning on Fan Xian and the governor. This
Hangzhou Zhizhou was truly a man with extensive experience,
and he wasn't too afraid of Fan Xian's method of falling out and
becoming hostile. He was set on the fact that currying favor
with his superior, regardless of time and place, was never the
wrong thing to do.

After the banquet, Fan Xian first saw the governor into his
official carriage. The two of them determined that Fan Xian
would come visit the Xue Manor the next day. Only after this
did Fan Xian raise his hands toward the officials in the
restaurant in farewell and boarded his own carriage.

…
 …

He was still the same as ever, he liked to ride carriages not

sedan chairs.

The curtain at the front of the carriage had not been drawn,
so the night air of Suzhou City blew in. Light and clear music
also drifted into his ears. Jiangnan was wealthy and populous.
Wealthy merchants owned many talented performers, and the
brothels in Suzhou and Hangzhou were famously good.

Fan Xian gently slapped his own cheeks and allowed the
night air to blow away the light flush. Although a lot of the
zhenqi in his body had recovered, his alcohol tolerance had not
yet returned. Under the pressure of the officials, he was
actually feeling a little dizzy.

"The Hangzhou address is set. What about Suzhou City?" He

asked lightly as he half closed his eyes to rest.

Shi Chanli sat beside him and he thought for a while before
replying. "Sang Wen won't arrive until the middle of the
month…I…I…"

Fan Xian smiled, he opened his eyes and sighed. "I know it's
not fair to have you do these things, just bear it for another
year or two. You know that there are not that many people I
trust beside me."

He and Shi Chanli discussed the plan to start a Baoyue

Brothel down south. The brothel business was not only the
quickest to see profits, but also often had unexpected uses such
as intelligence reports. When Fan Xian was in Jingdou, he had
decided to move his brothel to Jiangnan. Although there
would be much opposition, given his identity and power, it
wouldn't be a problem to have a little success within a year.

Shi Chanli asked, "Sir, can this matter be postponed? After

all, you are leaving for the palace treasury the day after
tomorrow. Without a pillar in Suzhou, when it comes to
choosing a location, buying a building, and buying girls, I'm
afraid I won't be imposing enough."

"I'm not here, but there is the Third Prince…" A dark smile
flashed through Fan Xian's eyes. "I'm going to pick out a few
teachers for the Third Prince tomorrow. Although he will go
with me to Hangzhou in the future, this time he will stay in
Suzhou…don't forget what business this prince runs in
Jingdou. He might be young, but he is knowledgeable of how
things are done. With the prince making an appearance, the
governor will not be able to say much. You can buy whichever
building you want. As for those popular girls…spend more
money. What cannot be solved? With the prince supporting
you, you won't have to worry about the Jiangnan brothel
owners playing dirty with you. Since it's all above board, it's
just a matter of throwing money at their games. Are you
worried that you won't have enough silver?"

Shi Chanli stared dumbfoundedly and thought: The Emperor

wants you to educate the Third Prince, are you…did you think
from the beginning to use the Third Prince to open a brothel?
That is too disgraceful!

He also thought of another matter. Why did he have so much

money on hand? The 138,880 liang of snowy white ingots could
certainly not be touched. Considering what he said earlier, he
must be carrying a lot of banknotes. Thinking of this worried
Shi Chanli. "If we are buying openly, then the Jiangnan brothel
business will certain take the opportunity to raise prices…
money will flow like water. I don't know how many days we
can keep it up."
 At this moment, the carriage rolled across the clean stone
paths of Suzhou. They passed through a gate and arrived at a
place commercial district bustling during the day.

Even at night, the signs of the stores on the street remained

brilliantly lit. Suzhou was the biggest port from where the
palace treasury productions were sent out. Thus, just speaking
of the degree of wealth and business development, other than
Dongyi City, there was not another city in the world that could
compare to it. The glass sold here was four-fifths cheaper than
in Northern Qi. However, Fan Xian understood clearly the
production costs of things like glass and knew that the
merchants had made bank over the last decades.

Other than the shop signs of the various merchants,

something that stood out was that every little while there was
a hanging green cloth. What was noticeable was not the glow-
in-the-dark material that were dyed into the cloth, but the fact
that these green cloths were not fluttering in front of
restaurants. Drawn on these green cloths was an image similar
to that of the Fan clan crest.

On this street alone, there were eight to nine money houses.

 Fan Xian sat in the carriage as they slowly drove in silence on
the street. When they passed a somewhat new green cloth, he
pointed at the door of this money house and lowered his voice,
saying, "Even if you are completely broke, do not come to this
money house."

Hearing these words, Shi Chanli had a look but didn't see
clearly. He thought for a while then asked, "Zhaoshang? Never
heard of them. It's not like it's the Taiping money house. Who
will dare do business with them?"

Fan Xian smiled and didn't say anything.

As businesses gradually expanded, it became a difficult

matter to complete big deals with cash. Banknotes had
gradually become something merchants liked, thus
organizations such as money houses and money exchanges
began to show their importance. the existence of organizations
like money houses were most valued based on their
creditability and confidence. Thus, in this part of jianghu,
there does not exist the situation of the big fish eating the
small. After decades, the only big fish remained the same ones.
 The three big fish were South Kingdom, Northern Qi, and
Dongyi City.

The banknotes that South Kingdom and Northern Qi

distributed were also known as official notes, and, of course,
they had the best creditworthiness. However, the officials in
court were simply not aware of their importance. It was
troublesome to exchange official notes. Their lack of flexibility
made one's hair stand on end in frustration. So other than
saving for a coffin, normal merchants would choose the money
lending operation opened by Dongyi City, Taiping.

Although Taiping was built on capital from Dongyi City,

rumors said that some of the royalty and nobility from South
Kingdom and Northern Qi had also bought shares. Thus, no
matter how the three countries fought and killed each other,
the money house itself was, miraculously, not impacted much.
After 20 or 30 years, the reputation of the Taiping was first
rate, with deep funds and considerate service. With the secret
protection of the upper echelons of each country, it naturally
became the world's biggest money house.

Just on this street, the Taiping money house had three

branches. Fan Xian look coldly at the green cloth fluttering
outside and said, "If you need to withdraw money, do it from
Taiping."

Shi Chanli made a sound of agreement.

"Take out as much as you want," Fan Xian said calmly.

"Before I leave, I will give you the stamp and numbers. Don't be
petty and afraid to spend money."

Take out as much as you want? How could there be such a

good thing in the world? Shi Chanli paused and said, "Is this
Taiping money house owned by you, Sir?"

Fan Xian smiled and scolded, "If I had that much money,
everything would be easily solved. Why would I bother with
those people?"

Shi Chanli was his confidante and knew that he was talking
about Northern Qi. Feeling slightly nervous, he didn't
comment. As he thought of Northern Qi he considered the
palace treasury and matter of it opening in a few days. If Fan
Xian wanted to fund Xia Qifei to compete against the Ming
family for the bets, then he would need a terrifyingly large
amount of capital. He furrowed his brows. "Sir, the palace
treasury desperately needs money. If it isn't a good time, I
think we should postpone opening shop."

Fan Xian shook his head. "The money you need and the
money the palace treasury needs to bid with are at two
completely different levels, so you don't need to worry. As for
opening shop, it should be done quickly. First, we have to act
while the prince is still in Suzhou. He is probably interested,
and it would be easier. Second…"

He thought of the father he left in Jingdou and couldn't help

laughing. "Second, these Jiangnan girls are waiting for the Fan
family to rescue them. One day earlier is still one day earlier."

These words were not false. Ever since Jingdou set rules for
Baoyue Brothel and was supplemented by that Shi Qing'er girl
—although the girls of Baoyue Brothel were still in the flesh
business—their days were much better than before. Less was
taken from their share. There were regularly scheduled doctor
visits, and they signed a novel labor contract. The Baoyue
Brothel girls were deeply grateful to Fan Xian. The momentum
and influence spread, and now all of the brothels in Jingdou
demonstrated a sense of healthy advancement and being in the
sun.

If Baoyue Brothel could really open a branch in Jiangnan,

the Liu Rushi's of Jiangnan would probably be very happy
about the arrival of the imperial envoy Fan.

After they returned to the manor the salt merchant had

happily offered up, Fan Xian accepted the bowl of hot soup Sisi
handed over. Besides sobering him up, it also warmed his body.
He leaned on the table to read a few reports from the Council.
Seeing that the world was peaceful, he relaxed. He had Sisi go
to the inner chambers and sleep while he went out. Wearing a
thick coat, he rubbed his hands and knocked on the door to
another room.

The Tiger Guards and Sixth Bureau swordsman behind him

quickly hid in the darkness.
 The room door opened with a squeak and revealed Haitang's
sleepy face.

Without waiting for Haitang to speak, Fan Xian uttered in

surprise, "It's so early, are you already sleeping?"

Haitang smiled slightly and let him into the room. She
turned up the brightness slightly of the smokeless oil lamp and
said quietly, "This merchant's house is incredibly extravagant,
and this bed is very comfortable. I figured you might be drunk
after tonight's welcoming banquet, so I washed and slept."

Fan Xian stared and realized that the girl's clothing was not
very thick, just a very plain short coat. He furrowed his brows
and said, "Wear more clothes. Although your realm is high, the
cold is nothing to laugh at."

Haitang didn't bother acknowledging him. She yawned and

half propped her chin up on the bed. "What do you want?
Speak quickly."
 Fan Xian paused. He had forgot what he had come to say.
Last night, after he had boarded the ship from Jingdou,
Haitang had disappeared without a sound. It wasn't until later
that she mysteriously appeared in the garden. Perhaps he was
only here to confirm whether she was back or not Or perhaps
he had grown accustomed to chatting with this Northern girl
sage like an old friend?

"It's difficult for me to get drunk." Fan Xian was a quick-

witted person. He smiled slightly and replied to her first
sentence, "You know I'm a coward, so I don't get drunk unless
it's with someone I completely trust."

"So you can only get recklessly drunk at home?" Haitang

opened her bright eyes and asked.

Fan Xian shook his head. "Other than being completely

trusted, I have to believe that when I'm drunk, the person
beside me is capable of protecting my safety."

Haitang smiled and understood what he was saying.

However, she immediately felt sorry for him. "Don't tell me,
you've gotten to this age and have only gotten drunk once at
the Songhe Inn in Shangjing City?"

In Shangjing, Northern Qi, Fan Xian had drunk recklessly in

front of Haitang until he became dazed and lost consciousness.
He had also been drugged with an aphrodisiac and fell into the
biggest trap of his life.

Fan Xian said with annoyance, "You have the face to mention
that…of course." He couldn't see the sympathy in Haitang's
eyes and said coldly and proudly, "I used to get drunk a lot
when I was young, so don't think too highly of yourself."

Haitang smiled. "At that time, that blind master was always
beside you?"

Fan Xian didn't reply.

Haitang furrowed her brows. "Then that legendary story of

you being poetically inspired after getting drunk and
composing a thousand poems in the Qing palace…are those all
lies?"
 Fan Xian waved his hand. He didn't want to continue this
boring topic with her. "Has the silver arrived?"

Haitang sighed in resignation and sat down. She met her eyes
and nodded. "His Majesty has been making arrangements since
August. You don't need to worry."

Fan Xian smiled self-deprecatingly. "How can I not worry? In

this matter, I can't have my old man move silver from the
national treasury for me to use."

"Speaking of which," Haitang said as she frowned, "you

actually brought hundreds of thousands of liang of silver with
you. Are you stupid? I don't believe it was only for the purpose
of showing off your might at the riverside reception."

Fan Xian thought this was an unwilling arrangement. How

can I tell you inside information? I can't tell anyone about this.

"It is only some useless silver. What's there to be afraid of?"

 "You've served as an official for less than two years, yet you
have this much silver with you." Haitang gave a not quite there
smile. "Including yours and your father's official salaries, you
will still probably need more than a hundred years to save up
this amount of silver. How are you going to explain this to the
officials?"

Fan Xian shook his head. "Don't forget, my Fan clan is a big
clan. Family estates are where the money truly comes from."

"Oh? A family that is able to easily take out this much

silver…are there not any illegal activities? Be careful, the
Imperial Censorate will probably write you up for this."

"So what?" Fan Xian smiled. "Even if my family doesn't have

this much money, the palace knows my business has done well
these two years. They won't be suspicious of me."

"One brothel, a dozen bookstores…can earn this much

money?" Haitang asked doubtfully.
 "Don't underestimate second brother's ability to accumulate
wealth. Of course, having been an official in court for two
years, I've received plenty of benefits, most of which are buried
in that chest. I had to change all this into tidy ingots before I
left the capital. If I hadn't had my old man's help in bringing in
some from the treasury, I would have really been stuck. Once
all this is over, the so-called bribes will have mixed in with this
clean money, and the court won't have anything to say.
Although, to gather enough silver I had to put as much silver
in the businesses under my name as possible. What is in
Jingdou is just an empty eggshell."

It was only now that Haitang knew he had such plans and
couldn't help feeling a little disdainful. "Given your position,
why do you care so much about cleaning the bribery money?"

"I…have my uses."

"Your silver is all in the chest and not easy to move with
thousands of eyes on it," she said. "What are you going to do
when you need money in the future?"
 Fan Xian smiled slightly. "Don't I have you? And there is that
loveable Emperor. The money he's put into the Taiping money
house this time is not a small sum. I think he won't mind if a
grab some conveniently to use."

Haitang paused. She realized that when talking about

fighting and plotting, she was certainly not beneath Fan Xian.
In the area of sneakily earning money, she and her people were
too far from the Fan family. In the following days, she needed
to keep a close eye out.

The scene was indeed absurdly funny. Fan Xian and Haitang
were both figures that the world considered elegant and
removed, yet in a room on a gloomy night, they talked about
silver, banknotes, money houses, and money laundering—
topics that stank of bronze.

In the main hall, the candlelight burned tall and the big chest
of silver that represented the spirit of Fan Xian's Jiangnan
affairs sat openly.

Everybody who passed by couldn't resist having a look.

There were guards everywhere, as well as swordsman of the
Sixth Bureau hiding in the shadows protecting it. The
hundreds of thousands of liang of silver brought greedy looks
into people's eyes. If they wanted to steal this chest of silver,
the infamous bandits and petty thieves were better off going
straight for the government warehouse and stealing
government silver. Their chances of success there were
probably higher.

This chest was just open widely like this, lying in front of
everyone. Its belly of snow-white silver ingots exuded a
brilliance that lured in and devoured the soul. A faint and cold
sense of danger emitted from the chest.

After a few more days, Fan Xian, who had caused such a
ruckus in the entire Jiangnan Road, finally left Suzhou. He and
his men followed the official road southwest heading for the
palace treasury transport. Although the Third Prince remained
in Suzhou, the officials all let out a big breath. They thought as
long as Commissioner Fan was not here, it would be simple to
fool a little kid.

The Third Prince did not know what the officials were
thinking, otherwise given his ruthless personality and hot
temper, who knew what kind of new trouble he could cause.

These days, he was already feeling angry. Fan Xian went to

the palace treasury and had the audacity not to bring him. The
palace treasury was once the property of the Ye family and
indirectly supported the Qing Kingdom's ability to stabilize and
expand. It could even be said that the Qing Kingdom depended
on the palace to live, so naturally it had become the place in
the kingdom most heavily guarded. The restrictions were even
stricter than those of the palace. In the legends of the people, it
was out of the realm of the Five Thunders and controlled by
the gods. To be able to visit the palace treasury and have a look
was the desire of countless commoners.

Although the Third Prince had the honor of a prince, he was

still curious in his heart about the palace treasury. Without the
special permission of the Emperor, even princes had no right to
go to the palace treasury. He had thought that coming with Fan
Xian to Jiangnan would give him a chance to fulfil his wish,
but who would have thought that Fan Xian would leave him in
Suzhou.

With a slapping sound, a well-learned middle-aged scholar

crawled out looking battered and exhausted, and couldn't stop
howling and crying. The Third Prince followed him out and
fiercely cursed, "Father wanted Fan Xian to be the teacher! If he
dares to run, then I dare to kick people!"

The servants in the manor all kept quiet out of fear. Now
that the imperial envoy had left, who dared to offend this little
master? He even dared to kick the tutor the governor had
carefully selected. If they said too much, wouldn't it mean
certain death?

In the midst of his anger, the Third Prince noticed, from the
corner of his eye, a man moving sneakily along the corridor
heading out. He quickly yelled for them to stop and walked
over to have a look. He found it was Fan Xian's confidant, Shi
Chanli.

Although he was arrogant and ruthless, he couldn't do much

to Shi Chanli for Fan Xian's sake. He asked, "Where are you
going, Sir Shi?"

Shi Chanli leaped in fright and said, to curry favor,

"Greetings, Your Highness. I am going out for a walk."

The Third Prince paused briefly and then said, "I haven't seen
the fun parts of Suzhou. You have to take me with you."

Shi Chanli begged for mercy. "Your Highness, teacher has left
strict orders and homework for you these few days. If you don't
finish it, then what will we do? Besides, if teacher knew I had
taken Your Highness out to play, that is also a big offense."

The Third Prince drew together his thin brows and sneered,
"I'll do the work, only…" He looked at Shi Chanli, and his
twinkling eyes smiled. "You have to tell me. Why have you not
followed teacher to the palace treasury and stayed in Suzhou,
and where are you going at this time?"

Shi Chanli was blocked by this question. He hesitated for a

while, then began to speak only to stop again. Finally he
lowered his voice and gave a pained laugh, "It is not like Your
Highness does not know that I, poor me, have been ordered by
teacher to do that profession."

The Third Prince's eyes lit up. "So…Baoyue Brothel is going

to open in Suzhou?"

Shi Chanli was slightly startled and covered his mouth, like
he was extremely vexed at himself for having let it slip.

The Third Prince chuckled coldly a few times, but he was

overjoyed. If he could go back to his old trade, it would be
much better than just sitting in this garden. His shares in the
Jingdou branch had been forcefully taken by Fan Xian. Now
that he knew Fan Xian was a man of practical morals and
learning on the surface, how could he pass up this
opportunity?

Watching the Third Prince's reaction, Shi Chanli felt

admiration for his teacher, who was able to take into
consideration every possibility.
Chapter 346: The Way A Gentleman
Obtains Wealth
The sky was big, and the earth was big, but none were greater
than a gentleman. Without the gentleman, the teacher was
leader. If the teacher traveled far, then the gentleman was the
greatest leader. The so-called gentleman was not the opposite
of the mean man, rather it was the proper son of the
gentleman. That is to say, the person who was still small, the
Third Prince, was currently the biggest leader in Suzhou.
Thus, Shi Chanli was not worried about much. After
pretending to be distressed for a moment, he finally agreed to
the prince's requests.

The Third Prince fiercely ordered the housemaids and

eunuchs, who had just been chased out of the palace, to stay in
the manor. He then casually took Shi Chanli and a few guards
and left the manor. Seeing the little master disappear beyond
the door, the eunuchs and housemaids began to shake with
fear. They thought that without the commissioner present,
everything had turned on its head. They couldn't resist
offering up a prayer for the commissioner to hurry back. How
could they guess that it was originally Fan Xian who wanted to
borrow the Third Prince's identity to put pressure on people?
 It was rare for the Third Prince to have an opportunity like
this to play, so he was not in a rush. The group of people
changed their outfits, disguising themselves as the young
masters of a wealthy family. Shi Chanli, with fear, accepted the
role of older brother. The Third Prince was naturally the
younger brother. Sitting in the carriage, they went around
Suzhou and saw many scenes. They also saw a few pleasure
boats on the lake. Only then did the Third Prince's interest
begin to wane.

"The weather is too cold, and the girls are wearing too much.
How can we see the romance?" With an air of nobility, the
young master furrowed his brows. "Let's choose the place first.
I'll have to put some effort into the business Fan Xian wants to
do, otherwise if I tell him you just took me around randomly
he will probably be angry."

Shi Chanli secretly celebrated. It should have been like this

long ago.

The problem of choosing a location was easily solved. They

just had to find where in Suzhou was the liveliest. The group of
people pushed their way in and found the busiest street in the
area. They then looked around a bit and found there were
already many brothels; this was already a developed hot area.
With this, they set their general direction.

In this large area of the city, they examined whichever

building had the best appearance and looked into whichever
building appeared the most impressive. This group easily
found their match. It was a restaurant that took up the best
location on the street. It was a spacious and extravagant three-
story building. The yard wall could be faintly seen in the back,
and it took up a lot of land.

The Third Prince waved his little hand. "No need to keep
looking. I think this one is the best."

Shi Chanli was unspeakably delighted. Managing Baoyue

Brothel in Jingdou, he had been in business for a little while,
but he had never thought that taking the prince to pick an
address could be efficient to this extent. When doing things
with money and power, it was indeed clean and tidy.

However, as he stood in front of the restaurant, he had a

thought and said in a small voice, "This place is too
conspicuous. I think there has to be some background to this."
 The Third Prince paused and asked, "Whose family
background is bigger than mine in this world?"

Shi Chanli opened his mouth wide and couldn't say anything
for a while. He forced down a mouthful of blood and carefully
spoke, "What if the governor has shares or the inspector
general? Although I don't care, we do need to give these
officials some face."

Although the Third Prince was young, he was not a foolish

person. He realized this was indeed the case. Governor Xue
Qing was not someone he could lightly offend. Besides, he and
his people had come all the way from Jingdou, it would not
look good to take face away from major Jiangnan officials.

As he looked at the location of this restaurant, the more he

looked, the more he wanted. The more he gazed, the better it
looked. He furrowed his thin brows and thought for a while
before saying, "We should still ask. If we let such a perfect
location pass, even if Fan Xian won't feel bad about it, I'll feel
heart sore for days."
 This group had been standing outside the restaurant for a
while. They had only been paying attention to the structure
and were blocking the entrance. They weren't buying, only
looking. As they stood outside the door pointing and
whispering secretively, they immediately drew the attention of
the people on the street. The people saw that their clothes were
bright and guards were strong. They didn't look like people of
the jianghu, so the merchants on the street restrained their
gossip-loving hearts.

However, the shopkeeper of the restaurant was forced to go

out. Pushing a professional smile on his face he asked, "Sirs,
would you like to come in to try our restaurant's signature
dish? This is the Zhuyuan Restaurant. Along with the Jiangnan
Inn, we are known together as the Suzhou Two. We do have
some very good food."

He saw that the group in front of him came from somewhere

else. Their identities shouldn't be vulgar, thus he treated them
carefully. Naturally, the Zhuyuan Restaurant had a
background, but this merchant had a clever and nimble heart.
He only talked business. Nothing in his speech showed any
sense of accusing them of blocking the building.
 Shi Chanli was startled and said with a warm smile, "We are
really very sorry. We weren't paying attention just then. Please
don't take offense."

The shopkeeper quickly replied that he was too kind. The

Third Prince did not have the patience for the slow pace. "Let's
go in and sit down before we talk." He then led the group of
people in to the building. At the end he tossed out another
order, "Shopkeeper, arrange for a quiet room. There are some
things I would like to inquire about."

The shopkeeper paused, thinking the older brother hadn't

spoken, so how come he rushed ahead? Shi Chanli coughed a
few times to cover it up and followed him into the building.

The group had not yet taken their seats in one of the room
before the shopkeeper entered to personally look after them.
The Third Prince didn't waste words. "Shopkeeper, are you
selling this building?"

The shopkeeper had been surprised many times today. He

thought that this young master's attitude was not small, but he
had dealt with countless difficult situations in his life and so
he smiled respectfully. "Young master, at the moment, this
building is doing good business. It doesn't seem like the owner
has thoughts to sell it."

"Pray ask, what is the owner's surname?" Shi Chanli was

quietly angry at His Highness' impatience and asked in a
warm, even tone.

Neither servile nor overbearing, the shopkeeper replied, "The

owner's surname is Qian."

After the shopkeeper left, Shi Chanli frowned and said, "This
is our first trip to Suzhou. We don't know anything about the
connections in Suzhou. We have no idea who this Qian person
is."
 The Third Prince stood up and pushed open the window in
the room. He started unconsciously, as if he had seen
something strange.

Shi Chanli felt curious and stood behind him to see out the
window. He was momentarily stunned in place.

They saw the back garden of the Zhuyuan Restaurant.

Incredibly there was a flat lake in the garden. Although the
lake was not wide, it was quiet and secluded. The two walls of
the garden separated it from the noisy market. The grass in the
garden was not yet green, but it was easy to see how beautiful
the scene would be in spring.

"It's like…"

Both of then sighed at the same time. The comparison here

was of course between the design behind this building and that
of the Baoyue Brothel in Jingdou. If they built a few quiet and
secluded yards on the grass, it would a twin of the Baoyue
Brothel in Jingdou.
 Seeing the back garden of the Zhuyuan Restaurant, both the
former and later managers of the Baoyue Brothel were swayed
enormously—they had to buy this building.

"Buy it!"

With great mutual understanding, the Third Prince and Shi

Chanli both spoke at the same time again. They laughed out
loud. The rest of the matter was simple. After they went back,
they would think of a way to investigate the Zhuyuan
Restaurant's background. They only hoped there wouldn't be
anyone too strong in the background. If it involved officials
who were too high ranking, things would become rather
complicated

The Third Prince was so young, so where did all his sighs
come from? "If Fan Sizhe was here, he would probably sue the
owner of this restaurant. He would point his finger at their
nose and say the other person shamelessly copied his design."

Shi Chanli thought for a bit. The second young master Fan
did indeed have that kind of personality. He couldn't help
huffing out a laugh.
 "What's so funny?" The Third Prince gave him a glare. "That
cousin of mine is even darker than the older cousin…of course,
neither of them are kind souls. They forcefully used a crafty
escape plan, bullying me because of my youth, and cheated me
of my shares. Don't forget, you played a part in this too!"

Shi Chanli shrank back and did not dare comment.

The group of people had a meal in the room. They greatly

approved of the chef's abilities. It inspired the Third Prince to
want to take the chef along with the building.

After they finished eating and were about to leave, the

shopkeeper had urgently come back to their room. With a face
full of sweat, he saluted them again. As he wiped away sweat
he said in a small voice, "Sirs, could we discuss your earlier
offer to buy the building again?"

The Third Prince and his group were curious. It was clear
that this building's business was booming. Furthermore, when
this topic was brought up earlier, it was clear that the other
party had defenses. How come his attitude had changed so
much?
 Shi Chanli asked, "Shopkeeper, what do you mean?"

The shopkeeper laughed hollowly and said, "The owner

heard of this matter earlier and thought that since the business
has not been as good as previous years, he might as well let it
go if there were guests offering a price. He only hoped that the
guests would give an appropriate price. The other thing was…
he hoped that after this building changed hands, the guests
would manage it well."

Shi Chanli found it strange and was just about to ask more
questions, when the Third Prince got ahead and smiled
sweetly, "Naturally. We are also business people. Of course we
will manage this building well. Only, you mentioned an
appropriate price earlier. I wonder what price would be
considered appropriate?"

The room immediately became silent.

The shopkeeper froze. He wondered if this young master was

asking him to set the price. The owner hadn't given
instructions. How could he give a price? It seemed the owner
intended to offer it up with both hands, but the other party
didn't seem to realize this.

The sweat on his forehead came faster, and his face reddened
as if the chill of spring had turned into the hottest months of
the year. After a long while, the shopkeeper finally gathered
enough courage and extended four fingers.

Shi Chanli paused. The guards in the room paused too,

thinking, 40,000 liang? No matter how famous the lion heads
were here, no lion opened its mouth that wide.

Seeing the other party didn't comment, the shopkeeper felt a

bit scared and quickly drew back three of the fingers, leaving
just one solitary finger standing.

Shi Chanli almost spat again. This price drop was truly
strange. He didn't have to say anything and the price dropped
from 40,000 liang to 10,000 liang in the blink of an eye. After
some thought, he felt that this price was pretty good. He
nodded and said, "Although 10,000 liang isn't much…but…"
 The shopkeeper's legs went soft and he almost cried, "Sir, you
have it wrong, wrong."

Shi Chanli was surprised, "Wrong about what?"

"It's…1,000 liang," The shopkeeper managed to squeeze out

an innocent smile. "Not 10,000 liang."

Shi Chanli swallowed back his third mouthful of blood

today. Before he had time to say anything, the Third Prince
said, "Bring the contract." Looking at his expression, he seemed
to have come prepared.

The shopkeeper immediately went out to invite in the

government-approved middleman into the room and began to
write the contract. When it came to write the price of the deal,
the Third Prince smiled sweetly and said, "16,000 liang. I won't
take advantage of you. I'll give you two-tenths of the silver
because I think the owner probably doesn't want to sell.
Consider the two-tenths a comfort fee."
 Although the Third Prince wore common clothing today, he
naturally showed a noble air. The shopkeeper was greatly
surprised, but he didn't dare comment further. Having finished
writing the contract, both sides put their fingerprints to it and
agreed to deliver the goods and settle the bill tomorrow at the
bank.

After carefully seeing this group of people out of the

restaurant, the shopkeeper let out a breath. He wiped at the
cold sweat on his forehead with some fear and walked into a
quiet room on the third floor after he head steadied his spirit.
He then handed the contract to a young man.

This young man's face was upright and honorable. His eyes
were warm and spirited. It was indeed the young master of the
Ming family who had appeared at the Loushang Tower beside
the West Lake, Ming Lanshi.

He received the contract and scanned it, hatred and

disappointment flashed through his eyes before he turned his
hand around and slapped him. With a clap, the shopkeeper
covered his face with his hand and looked fearfully at the
young master, not knowing what he had done wrong.
 "Useless bastard!" Ming Lanshi's heart was filled with anger,
although his face stayed calm. A chill crept into his words.
"You can't even manage to give away silver!"

He was here by a happy coincidence today. After the family

meeting, Ming Shilan had remained in Suzhou. Hearing that
the shopkeeper said that someone wanted to buy the building,
and hearing the descriptions of their appearance and clothing,
this heir to the Ming family hazily guessed a few things.
Afterward, a busboy overheard the name Fan Sizhe. He
immediately confirmed their identities. He reacted quickly and
prepared to offer Zhuyuan Guan with both hands.

Unexpectedly, the other party didn't take any advantages.

16,000 liang of silver was not a small sum.

Not only did this sum not take any advantage, it was actually
quite a bit higher than the market value. How could this sum
make a difference for the Ming family? Ming Shilan had
wanted to take advantage of the fact that the Third Prince did
not yet know who the owner was to first give away the
building, even if it was at a low price.
 His main purpose was, of course, to curry favor with the
other party. If the other party didn't acknowledge this favor in
the future…with this one contract sent to Jingdou, it would be
evidence of Fan Xian and the Third Prince forcefully buying
public property. When the Eldest Princess wanted to make a
case before the Emperor it, would be easy to find an excuse.

Unexpectedly, that young Third Prince refused to take this

advantage. Were the rumors from Jingdou wrong? This prince
was not as greedy and ruthless as they said.

Ming Shilan sank into deep thought. He once again realized

that the people his family had to face this time were hard to
fathom. He closed his eyes and thought deeply for a while
before quietly ordering, "Sir Fan's intentions are simple. We
wants to open a brothel. Send the order down no one is allowed
to sell girls to him, no matter how high the price!"

The shopkeeper made a sound of acknowledgement. Shortly

after he gave a pained smiled and said, "Young master, if it is
only our family that doesn't sell girls…there are many in this
line of business in Suzhou. Those people will for sure not want
to offend Sir Fan."
 "Do they have any good girls on their hands?" Ming Shilan
asked. "The good girls are all in our hands…let them go buy.
How can a few leftovers attract customers?"

A carriage left the Zhuyuan Restaurant. The merchants

around did not know that the Ming family had suffered such a
loss. The most famous restaurant in Suzhou was about to
change hands tomorrow. Although Shi Chanli rarely did shady
things, at this moment he finally realized, and furrowed his
brow to say, "Your Highness, it seems like the other party knew
of your identity."

A look of annoyance flashed across the Third Prince's face

that was still childishly innocent. "They're somewhat smart
then."

Shi Chanli thought about it and couldn't resist opening his

mouth to ask, "Your Highness, the price they asked for earlier
was 1,000 liang, why…"

"Why would I raise the price myself?" The Third Prince

smiled coldly. "Anyone who is unaccountably solicitous is
hiding evil intentions. Having guessed my identity, they were
happy to offer this building with both hands, but what about
the future? What they request will probably not be as simple as
this building. If others bring their smiling face close, of course
we cannot turn out hands and strike, but we also do not have
to put our face close to join them. How many people in this
world have the right to try and gain my friendship?"

Shi Chanli shook his head. "I wonder who the owner behind
that restaurant is; they saw an opportunity very quickly."

The Third Prince replied, "Who cares who the other party is?
If they want me to take advantage of them, then they certainly
want to take advantage of me. You have to remember this,
when you go out in the future don't randomly take advantage
of other people, be careful of causing trouble for Fan Xian."

Shi Chanli felt incredible admiration in his heart for this

little prince, he praised, "Your Highness' words are simple, but
carry deep meaning."

In a clear and young voice, the Third Prince cursed, "Don't

fawn on me. I finally had the chance to dress as a commoner
and I was recognized."

Shi Chanli thought the prince was so young, yet he wanted to

buy the building from the first step in. How was this the
attitude of someone who wanted to conceal their identity? He
also considered how the prince could resist taking an
advantage worth tens of thousands of liang. It seemed very
different from the initial ruthless personality he dealt with at
Baoyue Brothel. Involuntarily, suspicion flashed through his
eyes.

He didn't know if the Third Prince had seen his expression, so

he continued to speak, "Fan Xian once said, if I take advantage
of the people in this world, the people will eventually take
advantage of the court, and if I let people take advantage of the
court, then I am a huge idiot who willingly gives out silver for
other people to spend."
 Shi Chanli was silent. He was secretly worried for his
teacher. As a prince, to have this kind of belief indicated that
the interests of the court would be the prince's own interests in
the future. What did this represent?

The Crown Prince was still in place.

Not noticing Shi Chanli's internal alarm, the Third Prince

smiled shyly and said, "Teacher has said before, gentlemen love
wealth and have their ways of obtaining it, but the wealth of a
ruler is stored under heaven. What need is there to obtain it?"

Shi Chanli swallowed back his fourth mouthful of blood

from an internal injury. His eyes were fixed on the constantly
fluttering banners. He forcefully repressed the faint fear in his
heart, pretending he had never heard these words.
 "Doing business can be a hobby." The Third Prince chuckled.
"Old Shi, your boldness is much less than that of my two
cousins. You're not suited to doing business."

Shi Chanli moved his body slightly, allowing the damp cloth
on his back to air out a little. He gave a pained smile and said,
"Your Highness is right."

The Third Prince called for the carriage to stop. "We've

arrived at the money house. You go and do your business. I'll
go back to the manor first."

A sinister smile rose on the child's face. Who knew what he

was pleased about?

Watching the carriage drive away, Shi Chanli quietly let out a
breath. He called for the two guards with him to wait outside
while he tidied his clothes and walked into a branch of Taiping
money house.

Although the doorway of the new money house was desolate,

it exuded an air of new nobility. That brand new green banner
seemed to be mocking Shi Chanli's inflexibility and ignorance.

Far away from Suzhou, a large group of carriages with

hundreds of people were making difficult passage in the dark
and cold rainy days of the beginning of spring.

The department of palace treasury transport was not the

same as the department of salt or department of tea. It had
more business and bigger profits, furthermore, it was the only
department with an actual transport department. All of the
palace treasury production came from workshops and needed a
vast area. Many years ago, the court marked out a piece of land
to the north that gradually became a special zone. Its size was
bigger than a small province, and its position was very special.
Due to worries that the industrial arts of the production in the
palace treasury would flow outside of the country, the Qing
court put down blood capital on the work of protecting the
palace treasury.
 For the palace treasury territory, Qing Kingdom went with a
completely sealed management technique. There were five
blockade lines. The outermost one was the local Jiangnan navy
and sailors. Of the inner four, the Qing Kingdom army and
Overwatch Council each devised two. They supervised each
other, layered like a multi-level fruit cake.

Other than the visible strict supervision on the outgoing

transport line, there were numerous spies scattered along the
way. Countless pairs of eyes watched the light from the
shadows wondering if they watched the Ming family, the Cui
family, or the representative of some other giant merchant.

Even though the Qing Kingdom had gone to such lengths,

they still could not prevent the greedy gazes of other countries.
In these decades, the palace treasury had countless incidences,
and the Qing Kingdom had paid a great price for them. First
and foremost was the silver needed to feed the army and guards
each year. Of lesser note were the thousands of lives that had
been lost for the wealth and glory of the Qing Kingdom—
stealing intelligence reports and the fight of counter
commercial spying was unusually bloody in this world.
 This battle seemed like it would never end, and the
Overwatch Council was the organization that paid the most in
the battle. Who knew how many spies died in the darkness of
the night? At least they ensured that up to today the palace
treasury was safe.

The previous organizer of the Fourth Bureau, Yan Ruohai,

and the older brother of the current Jingdou garrison Qing
Heng, Qing Shan, were the two major people behind the
arrangement of the original defenses. The two had once
boasted that given the strength of the palace treasury, other
than being unable to stand up against a great grandmaster,
even a mosquito stained with perfume wouldn't be able to fly
out.

The group of carriages were being checked through the last

inspection. Fan Xian opened the curtain on the window and
saw the hydraulic machine not far away beside the flowing
river. He narrowed his eyes. Although it was only the rough
beginnings of work, it was clear that the power of its
movement could not leave the water.

A slight coldness appeared in his narrowed eyes. Without

turning around he said warmly, "I have brought you here only
for my personal safety. I do not wish for you to go to each
workshop to see what is happening. If you are discovered by
someone, I shouldn't have to tell you how serious the
consequences will be. Even though you are a super powerful
martial artists above the ninth-level, you may still not escape if
the powers here give chase. Furthermore, although my injury
has only half-recovered, I will also strike."

Behind him, Haitang, disguised as a servant girl, smiled

slightly. She looked at Sisi beside her and didn't say anything.

"君⼦" which translates, usually, into gentleman, however, it can also be translated more literally
as "the son of a gentleman," which is a pun coming up.
"⼩⼈" usually translates to "mean man" or "base man" (in comparison to the gentleman), but also
literally translates to "small man/person," hence the pun that the Third Prince is a small person.
狮⼦头– lion's head. A kind of gigantic meatball, and "to open one's mouth wide" is to ask for a
lot.
"君⼦"– gentlemen. "君"– ruler. A clever play on words in Mandarin. It doesn't affect meaning.
Chapter 347: Arriving At Shunde
Fan Xian's gaze swept over the trees beside the road. Behind
them were endless fields, and not far away was the sound of a
flowing river. He looked further and further through all of this
until his gaze landed on a big workshop some distance from the
river. There were faint spirals of smoke rising from it. They
were not the clear smoke of a rural family, instead it was black
smoke that carried a familiar smell.

Was it a blast furnace?

The commoners in this large piece of land had all been taken
into the palace treasury to do work. Their wages were much
higher than planting grains, thus their focus on maintaining
the fields had lightened. In the midst of this swathe of fertile
land, wild weeds and new grains fought for growth. It looked
very mixed and chaotic.

Fan Xian took a deep breath, smelling the freshness in the air,
and felt himself feeling assured. It looked like the
environmental pollution here was not as bad as he had
imagined. The environment further out in the mines was much
worse.
 Looking at the scene before him, it seemed that a feeling he
had lost long ago was returning. The feeling was coming
warmly and not turbulently, and it made him a bit confused.
Last year in September, he had felt there was something he
craved from the depths of his heart, but he never found it.

Seeing him being absent-minded, Haitang put her hands in

her sleeves like an old man and watched the handsome face by
the window with furrowed brows. She also sank deep into
thought. This young and powerful official—what exactly did
he want to do?

"How do you feel?" she asked, seeing that Fan Xian's state of
mind was unsettled.

Fan Xian replied quietly, "It should be me asking you that."

Haitang smiled. "It is indeed a rarely seen sight. I never

thought that the palace treasury of the Qing Kingdom was so
large. Those things I saw earlier, I couldn't even put names to
them."
 Fan Xian replied, "Just look. I imagine you won't be able to go
back and make one like it."

A strange light appeared in Haitang's eyes. "You have such

confidence in the palace treasury?"

Fan Xian paused slightly then quietly said, "It's not that I
have confidence in the palace treasury.Instead, it's that if you
could only look at the outside of these things that originally
shouldn't have existed in this world and learn how to make
them…That would be unbelievable."

Not knowing what she had thought of, Haitang was quiet for
a while. She then said, "The people in the palace treasury these
days are all trusted aides of Xinyang. How do you plan to take
over?"

Fan Xian's eyebrow arched and a light smile appeared on his

face. "Who cares whose people they were. Now, they are all
mine."
 Haitaing looked at him suspiciously. "You really plan to go to
the death against them?"

Fan Xian quieted down and became serious. "This question of

yours seems to have come a bit late."

Haitang furrowed her brows tightly. "I trust that your

mother-in-law is not a muddled person and not able to see
clearly the current situation. Logically speaking, no matter if
it is you or her, you both have the desire to discuss anew and
not get violent. Furthermore, for your own interests, neither
you nor her want to see you two have a falling out."

"If I don't have a falling out with her, I suspect that is not
something you and the Northern Qi Emperor wants to see." Fan
Xian smiled cynically. "Don't worry, I won't make a new
alliance with my mother-in-law and bully the orphans and
widows in your North."

Haitang was silent and didn't know if she believed him or

not.
 Fan Xian was not concerned about the attitude of Northern
Qi. As long as there was the palace treasury, the Northern Qi
people had to take him seriously. As to what Haitang said
earlier, it did make sense. In the eyes of the big players in
politics, any and all hatred and desire for revenge could be
discarded in the face of a bargaining chip that offered a
sufficiently large benefit. Since Fan Xian and the Eldest
Princess had Wan'er in the middle to smooth the way, in eyes of
the people, Fan Xian didn't have any reason not to accept a
truce—as long as the Eldest Princess was willing to
compromise.

In reality, the Eldest Princess had already made a

compromise. After the assassinations in Cang Mountain, she
truly felt Fan Xian's great power and had written a number of
letters to try and reach this effect. Fan Xian had not accepted
them.

"To reassure you further," Fan Xian drew back his gaze from
out of the window and said quietly, "the Eldest Princess is
already willingly to accept the reality that I am managing the
palace treasury, but I did not acknowledge her."
 Haitang suddenly raised her head. Her bright eyes stared at
Fan Xian's back. She didn't know why he would reject a
compromise from Xinyang.

Fan Xian quietly explained, "She wanted three-tenths of the

shares, and then she would cooperate with me to easily take
over the palace treasury. This condition was not demanding."

After a moment of silence, Haitang furrowed her brows and

said, "Not only is it not demanding, it could be considered a
very sincere condition. Originally…from the perspective of my
Qi court, the worse your relations with the Eldest Princess the
better it would be for us. However, from the perspective of
being your friend, I want to give you some advice. Ultimately,
you power is given you by the Qing royal family, and she is,
after all, your mother-in-law. There is no reason not to accept
such a good condition."

Fan Xian smiled self-deprecatingly. "Is it? I don't believe so.

Perhaps it is because I believe, from the marrow of my bones,
that I will not allow anyone to fight against me on the matter
of the palace treasury."
 "Why?" Haitang still did not understand his thoughts.

"This is the business my mother left behind." Fan Xian smiled

warmly. "I am not as capable as her, so I can only be a second
generation, but I cannot let this family fail."

Inside the carriage it became silent.

After a while, Haitang quietly said, "But the current treasury

is now that of Qing court."

"The court is only an illusory image," Fan Xian said. "What is

the court? The Emperor? Officials? The empress dowager? The
people? Most importantly is what I can do with the palace
treasury in my hands and on what will the money be used. If…
if the court cannot use it well, then I will use it in the court's
stead to change this illusory image into two solid words 'the
people.'"

Haitang smiled slightly and said, "You're playing the sage out
of habit again."
 Fan Xian replied, "I have told Yan Bingyun before, to
occasionally be a sage is a very good supplement for the spirit."

After making clear the discussions he had in secret with the

Eldest Princess and thus reassuring Haitang, Fan Xian sank
into silence, absentmindedly watching the scenes outside of
the window. The watermills by the river, mechanical sounds
from the workshop, and black smoke from furnaces in the
distance were all fanning that unnamed desire in his heart.

"Sir, we have arrived."

The humble voice of the palace treasury transport official

woke Fan Xian from his thoughts. He looked with some
confusion at the two women in the carriage and realized they
had already reached the palace treasury transport. He quickly
tidied his clothes, lifted the curtain, and jumped down—rather
than maintaining the appearance an official should by slowly
and steadily coming down. This one movement showed the
strange nervousness and excitement in his heart. After all, he
had finally arrived at the palace treasury where his mother had
started the family fortune. How could he maintain his usual
calm?

Planting both feet on the hard earth, Fan Xian narrowed his
eyes and considered everything around him. He found that on
the side of the street was a normal yamen. It looked nothing
like the Great Leap Forward scenes buzzing with activity he
had imagined. It was a little cold and cheerless on the streets,
although the buildings were new and beautiful. It didn't look
like a worksite.

The official responsible for bringing them from Suzhou to

here had probably seen plenty of Jingdou officials with this
kind of expression. He carefully explained, "The three
workshops are still some distance from the yamen. Sir, please
rest for today, and go down to inspect tomorrow."

Fan Xian was disappointed. He had originally planned to

blow some glass, weave some cloth, and shake hands with
fellow workers and colleagues today, but unexpectedly he had
to wait another day.
 The doors to the yamen were open wide. The palace treasury
transport officials, as well as those of the Overwatch Council
responsible for protection, split into two lines and welcomed
the imperial envoy.

Fan Xian walked in first, with Gao Da and a few Tiger Guards
following silently behind. The group of about a hundred
people were settled down in a short span of time, it looked like
the palace treasury worked quickly. Haitang and Sisi were
taken to the back residence, along with the girls they had
bought along the way. The long, cold and silent transport
department manor became lively.

After the various officials had greeted Fan Xian, they sat in
the yamen in order and waited for Fan Xian to speak to them.

Fan Xian was not familiar with the situation of the palace
treasury, and this was his first time holding court. He found it
very strange. He indicated for Su Wenmao to say something
superfluous on his behalf before dismissing them all until the
official opening the next day.
 After returning to the back residence, he didn't even have
time to familiarize himself with the manor before he
summoned the leader from the Overwatch Council stationed
there permanently. The official, Dan Da, was about 40 years
old and had a head of white hair. It seemed like the defense
work of the palace treasury drained the spirit.

He indicated for the other party to take a seat. Without being

superfluous, he directly said, "Tell me about the situation."

Dan Da was under the jurisdiction of the Fourth Bureau.

Since autumn, he had received a secret letter from the Yan
father and son, and had long made preparations. Hearing Fan
Xian's question today, he quickly told everything he knew.

He understood that as this was Commissioner Fan's first trip

to the palace treasury, he didn't have any trusted aides. If he
wanted to quickly control the situation, then Commissioner
Fan needed to find someone he could trust. Since Dan Da was
an official of the Overwatch Council, he was close to the center
of power and naturally had to climb quickly so as to not waste
the opportunity heaven had given him.
 Fan Xian listened and nodded. Dan Da spoke and did things
well. He clearly explained the current situation of the palace
treasury, main duties of the three big workshops, and faction
each treasury official treasury belonged to. He left out nothing.

"Why has the palace treasury suffered so many losses these

few years?" Fan Xian was born with audaciousness. He dared to
ask this kind of question in an open way, not at all
acknowledging the fact that it was not convenient for the
Overwatch Council official in front of him to talk.

Dan Da did not dare to be so bold in front of Fan Xian. As a

lower ranking official, how could he properly explain the
matter of the palace treasury in just a few sentences? However,
he spoke with consideration. "In reality, it can't be considered a
loss. It is only that the taxes going to Jingdou have decreased
by a few levels."

Fan Xian gave a pained and helpless smile. "This golden egg-
laying old hen earns less each year. How different is that from
suffering a loss? I wonder how my predecessor managed it."
 The previous head of the palace treasury transport was
Huang Yuanshu. His cousin, Huang Yi, was the leading
strategist of the Eldest Princess in Xinyang. When Fan Xian
took over the palace treasury, he didn't meet with Sir Huang.
The two parties mixed like fire and water and were too lazy to
complete the superficial exchange of power paperwork. Indeed,
they were both typical bachelors.

Dan Da didn't dare comment and disparage the Eldest

Princess. He said sincerely, "As to why the profits are
decreasing each year, one reason is because the costs of the
three big workshops are growing larger and larger. Including
the head of the workshops, those treasurers are taking too
much. Second, the channels for export have had problems
these years. The pirates on the seas have gone wild. Not to say
too many, but at least one or two ships out of then are captured
on the seas. Third is the problem of supplying goods to
Northern Qi. A few years ago, the accounts were too much of a
mess, so no one knows how much the Cui family smuggled
out. No one dared to investigate these things. Fortunately you
acted and found evidence against the Cui family. With this one
act, you redeemed much of the loss for the court."

Fan Xian listened with great interest, but already he knew

exactly what was going on. What pirates? It was just all a show
of the Ming family stealing their own goods. He saw that Dan
Da spoke then stopped, and asked curiously, "What other
reasons are there?"

Dan Da glanced at him and gave a pained smile. "Another

reason is…the expenditures for the Council have grown too
quickly these years. You know that all of the expenses of the
Council come directly from the palace treasury. The
expenditure of the palace hasn't grown in recent years. Rather,
it is the Council who is spending too much. Adding to the
previous reasons, with these expenses…no matter how much
the palace treasury can make for the court, if it's needed
everywhere, it is nowhere near as grand as it once was."

Fan Xian sucked in a cold breath. He hadn't expected that his

own Overwatch Council was one of the vampires sucking the
palace treasury dry. He turned the information over in his head
and thought of the disciples in the Third Bureau who
developed large-scale killing weapons every day and of the
Second Bureau's crows that scout out messages everywhere. No
matter how they were outfitted, they always needed financial
support. The Fifth and Sixth Bureau were even worse. They
were completely unconstructive and were only for destruction
and a black hole yamen for sucking in gold. Even if none of
these Council businesses were counted, he had visited Chen
Garden many times. That old cripple kept many beautiful girls
and lived a life of extravagance beyond that of emperors. All
this money was from the palace treasury.

He shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Don't mention the

Council stuff for now. If it gets out, that would be
embarrassing. Just investigate the other reasons."

Su Wenmao, behind Dan Da and Fan Xian, couldn't help

smiling, thinking that the commissioner spoke very
straightforwardly.

"I'll handle the export channel problem and the pirate

problem, which removes two of the four problems." Fan Xian
stared into Dan Da's eyes. "I don't understand how the
treasurers of the three big workshops could have such
corruption. These officials stay for a long time in Jiangnan and
can't leave without permission. It is indeed difficult work.
They deserve the slightly higher official salary the court gives
them."

Dan Da did not dare meet his eyes. He lowered his head and
said, "The three workshops are responsible for all of the
production in the palace treasury. Those items are all made by
their hands, so…so…"

"So what?" Fan Xian's smile was cold. "Do dare they to use
that as a threat?"

"Naturally, they dare not to threaten." Dan Da gave a pained

smile. "The court manages the palace treasury strictly. All
processes, materials, and methods are only known to the top-,
middle-, and low-level officials. The things in their heads are
like the court's silver-producing machines. If they have any
desire to do so, they could reduce the production of the palace
treasury. Thus, their position in the palace treasury has been
somewhat special. Even the court turns a blind eye. They've
gotten a bit arrogant."

"Oh?" Fan Xian narrowed his eyes with a hint of humor.

Those were once little helpers of the Ye family; now are they
wealthy technocrats through monopoly?

"What is this if not threatening?" Fan Xian found this to be

absurdly funny. He chuckled and said, "How did the Eldest
Princess deal with these departments?"

Dan Da thought about it and furrowed his brow before

answering. "The Eldest Princess only asked that production
levels not drop. As for the demands of the treasurers, she did
her best to satisfy them. Furthermore, she greatly raised their
statuses. Of course, if the treasurers stepped too far out of
bounds, the Eldest Princess had her methods. Six years ago, she
killed seven trouble making treasurers in one go. From then
on, the treasurers learned to become wealthy through keeping
silent. Although they have little respect for us normal level
officials, they dare not be disrespectful against the court."

Fan Xian smiled coldly. "Arrogant? Extremely high statuses…

then I'll have to make it my first order of business to bring
them down to the dust."

He felt angry. It was clear that his mother-in-law was not one
for management to be able to turn a supersized enterprise into
something like this. No wonder the Emperor complained every
day, and his father worried about the emptiness of the national
treasury.

Dan Da was startled. The commissioner was young. If he

introduced vigorous new policies, and thundered down his
anger, then he would offend all of the treasurers. Never mind
the export channels of the palace treasury, they might not even
be able to ensure their own production and quality of products.

He stacked his hands and with seriousness said, "Please

consider it carefully, sir. It won't hurt to tackle it gently with a
gradual approach."

Fan Xian smiled and shook his head. "We cannot go slowly.
Ten thousand years is too long. We must seize every minute.
After 10 days, I must return to Suzhou to organize the matter
of welcoming the palace treasury bids. If I don't bring the
people under control in the palace treasury within these 10
days, how will you manage things in the future? I don't have
the mood to come visit here every day."
 With a pained look Dan Da said, "This matter is not easy to
solve. Even if you manage to control them on the surface, if
they secretly meddle in the workshops, or they may not even
need to meddle, they will be able to lower the production of the
palace treasury. Investigating won't make things clear. In the
end, this responsibility will have to be taken by you."

Fan Xian enjoyed the man's straightforward tell-it-like-it-was

attitude of speaking. The atmosphere with an official of the
Overwatch Council was much better than those with the
Jiangnan Road.

He waved his hand to stop the other party's urgings. "Don't be

afraid. If we kill butcher Zhang, will we have to eat pork with
hair?"

Dan Da and Su Wenmao were startled. They didn't know

where the commissioner got his confidence from. The
treasurers were in charge of production. This was not the
Overwatch Council's forte. Su Wenmao then remembered that
the palace treasury was once the property of the Ye family, and
his master was a descendant of the Ye family. Perhaps the
commissioner had some ideas.
 Fan Xian did not explain anything. He only ordered them to
prepare for the proper opening of the yamen and then went to
the back garden. Although he was a little upset, he had two
bowls of porridge. He then invited Haitang to join him for a
walk to the three workshops.

His subordinates had prepared him a pass. Even if he didn't

reveal his identity, there shouldn't be a problem. He was also
bringing Haitang with him, and not because he was being kind
and wanted to extend the glory of the palace treasury to
Northern Qi. He needed Haitang, his strong bodyguard.

The chickens crowed, and the belly of the sky was white.

A shadow flitted across the back wall of the transport

department's manor. Fan Xian and Haitang ended a night of
investigation and returned to the study.
 Fan Xian had a serious expression and frowned. "Nightly,
there is song and music. The management is corrupt. These
two lines are right, correct?"

Haitang was still immersed in her shock. She had

accompanied Fan Xian's wandering around the three large
workshops. Although she didn't come into contact with
anything military related, what she saw still stunned her. So
that was how cloth was made. It wasn't even done with
manpower. Instead, they used some kind of water power. How
could the power of the river water be tamed like this? Thinking
back to what she saw, she felt admiration for the Ye mistress
who had long since disappeared into the waters of history. The
gaze she gave Fan Xian intensified.

Wasn't Fan Xian the son of that Ye mistress?

Fan Xian was not as shocked as her. The initial novelty had
worn off. Although he still felt pleased about what his mother
left behind, the palace treasury of the Qing Kingdom could not
compare to a village company from his previous life. There
were only some basic things. If it weren't for the fact that the
Qing Emperor was clever and closely guarded the production,
these things probably would have lost their value long ago.
 Fan Xian could not be so shocked by a small Shunde village
that couldn't produce electric refrigerators. What shocked him
was another matter. The treasurers of the palace treasury lived
an extravagant life. If he could take the silver they were using,
how much more money would go into the accounts?

What the Eldest Princess was worried about didn't worry him
too much. What technological monopoly? What they did
wasn't that difficult. Although he was not born into the
sciences, blowing some glass wasn't too much of a problem.
Most importantly, it was not his fault that he had people
behind him.

Knowledge was power. Knowledge was confidence.

Knowledge was money. This was what Fan Xian had come to
acknowledge on his first day in the palace treasury.
Chapter 348: Very Tyrannical, Unable
To Tolerate Trouble
The Qing Kingdom's palace treasury transport was the most
famous independent kingdom within it. Its officials were sent
from Jingdou because Jiangnan was so far away. There were
many temptations within the company. No matter what level
an official was from the outside, they would always, in the
end, be assimilated by this enormous and alluring golden nest.
Overwatch Council officials were perhaps slightly better, but
internal officials of the transport had long become a
supporting column of the independent kingdom. No one
wanted anything to change in the palace treasury.

Even though the Emperor had sent down an edict for the
palace treasury to change from the hands of Xinyang's Eldest
Princess to Fan Xian, these officials—who had been the Eldest
Princess' trusted aides for a dozen years—were not at all afraid
of Fan Xian's arrival. They thought that as long as they put in
the effort at the surface level, Sir Fan junior would probably
not touch the root of the palace treasury. Surely the drama of a
new chief bringing in his own aides wouldn't play out.

What was the root of the palaces treasury? It wasn't the

mountains of gold and silver, hard-working laborers, or the
merchants on the outside, but rather the high level artisans
and treasurers of the three big workshops.

The workshops were between the Jiangnan provinces. The

first was responsible for producing glassware, handicrafts that
required a high standard of delicacy, porcelain goods,
expensive perfume, famous liquor that had been steamed again
and again, among other things. Those like the glassware
section could be expanded into countless products. In general,
it could be considered responsible for the production of luxury
goods.

The second was responsible for producing large quantities of

cotton cloth and gauze, researching different grains, creating
good steel, and mass producing combinations of the first and
second industries. Its main focus was producing living
resources.

The third workshop was the one most closely guarded

closest. It was responsible for the production of boats and
other advanced military weapons needed by the military. For
example, the light, repeating crossbows the Black Knights used
were provided by this workshop. Further away, the Third
Bureau of the Overwatch Council and the research department
of the palace treasury worked nonstop to develop fire powder.
However, since the Ye family had opened the workshop, it
seemed that the fire powder production had gone on a wrong
road, causing the current Overwatch Council to only use a cart
of fire powder as a cannon and and not invent firearms.

Who knew if it was because the Qing Kingdom people were

not clever enough or if that Ye woman had once done
something?

The three workshops were a rough estimate. Similar

productions could not be counted. They were densely spread
out to the north of Min, continuously producing goods that
were then picked up by common merchants and exported to
Northern Qi, Dongyi, other smaller countries, and the
uncivilized lands beyond the sea. The palace treasury greedily
and turbulently plundered the world's grain and money. At the
same time, they spread a better standard of living and
enjoyment of luxury around the world.

After the Ye family was absorbed into the palace treasury,

which gave each industry a great boost, what was left behind
remained. The treasurers of various levels had brought
significant intelligence and made the Ye family industry bigger
and brighter. This trend peaked 17 years ago. Four-tenths of
Qing Kingdom's income came from the palace treasury. It was
only in recent years that this number had slightly declined.
However, it still remained the Qing Kingdom's largest source of
revenue. Taking a common saying from some generation, the
palace treasury was the motor of desire that pushed the Qing
Kingdom forward.

These non-conforming officials, the treasurers, played an

important role in the palace treasury's production. In addition
to the fact that the Eldest Princess was a woman with plots
spread everywhere under heaven and was not good at nor
condescended to using the mountain-splitting sword to carry
out management, all kinds of situations stacked on top of each
other through the years that allowed the treasurers to become
a special bureaucrat.

The bottom-most workers did not earn much money. Even

the officials responsible for management were not that
arrogant. It was only the treasurers who, other than their
ample official salary, received all manner of allowances and
bonuses. It was said that this was the result of the Eldest
Princess paying well to raise the wolf, as well as the chaotic
management of the court.
 The treasurers were truly like local tyrants. Although they
were not arrogant on the surface, they secretly confiscated
food and took silver, exploited the workers, and had outside
money houses spread the money they obtained. They had
already bought significant amounts of land in the large
provinces around them. As to how many shameful methods
they used, that was unknown. Furthermore, these treasurers
did not hold back on bullying the lower-level workers and
acting tyrannically.

The slightly higher ranking treasurers still paid attention to

face, but those mid-level 30-something-year-old treasurers
were completely shameless. At night, Fan Xian found a
treasurer who had an astounding 12 concubines in his home.
How did those concubines, who were not even 20 years old,
come to him? Who could say clearly? It was only known that
every year the workers would cause a ruckus and report it.
Since the palace treasury was special, the victim could not
leave. Even if they somehow made it to Suzhou, the court
would just go through the motions and end it.

The consensus among Jiangnan Road officials was that it was

a small matter to offend the ordinary people, but a big matter
to offend the treasurers.
 Thus, when the new head official of the palace treasury
arrived at the North Min yamen, low-level workers and
common people—whose hatred of the treasurers were etched
into their very bones—never went forward to bang on the
drums and cry out their grievances. They only watched the
door of the yamen coldly with dark fire flashing through their
eyes.

Fire flashed as firecrackers sounded off loudly. Red confetti

danced through the skies as the main door of the north Min
yamen slowly opened. Dozens of officials in uniforms filed
through the slightly smoky air and split into two lines. They
faced the young official in the center and respectfully greeted
him.

The imperial edict was shown and sword displayed, making

his identity as the imperial envoy clear. The rules of
management were then explained. Fan Xian looked at the
subordinates in the hall and pressed down with his hands,
palm down, and said, "Please sit."

"Thank you, sir, for the seat." The officials of the palace
treasury tidied their clothing. There were not enough chairs in
the yamen, so some of the lower ranked officials stood to the
back. Everyone saw the warm smile on Sir Fan junior's face and
felt their hearts steady, furthermore, they didn't see ruthless
Jingdou officials of the Overwatch Council. Their originally
wary brains relaxed.

Fan Xian narrowed his eyes as he looked down. He easily

found among the officials his opponent in his plan to open the
mountain and stun the tiger.

About five or six people down there were three people whose
faces were of a slightly darker color. They wore normal
clothing with their belts tightly tied and sat respectfully. It was
clear these three did not have an official post, yet they sat
among the officials. Their appearance indicated they were
people who often went in and out of the workshops. Thus they
were even more offensive to the eye.
 Fan Xian's eyes were particularly sharp and could see that
although the three people appeared respectful, there was a
streak of disregard and trivialization of his person. That was a
supremely confident leak of attitude. He smiled slightly and
felt deep hatred for them, but he would not allow the other
party's attitude to anger him. Since the other party had been
nurtured by the Eldest Princess for so many years, he had to
scare them a bit to completely control the palace treasury.

He put those three aside and spoke to the officials about the
intentions of the court, then he chatted a bit with the military
representative sitting to his right. This military official was a
distant relative of the Ye family. Although the Ye family
seemed to have been forced to the side of the Second Prince by
the Emperor because of the existence of the marvelous Ye
Ling'er, Fan Xian and the Ye family's relationship was passable.
Thus, the Ye family general was particularly respectful toward
Fan Xian. He had probably received orders from his family in
the capital.

As they finished talking about official matters, Fan Xian

became quiet and lifted his tea bowl to take a sip.
 The Qing Kingdom did not have the custom of raising the tea
bowl to send off guests, so the officials knew that Sir Fan had
something important to say. They all quieted down. Everyone
knew that Sir Fan junior's inaugural speech by the Yangtze
River under the bamboo canopy at the Suzhou dock had
stunned the Jiangnan Road officials, so they couldn't help but
be curious about his words today.

"The palace treasury is truly an incredible place," Fan Xian

said with a smile.

The officials smiled with him. A deputy humorously chimed

in. "In such a desolate place there is plenty of banging and
hitting. Although noisy, it triumphs in its uniqueness."

Fan Xian smiled and said, "I think it is incredible. Coming

down to the South this time by imperial edict, if I revealed by
identity and opened the yamen at every place I passed there
would always be locals who sounded the drums and cried out
their grievances. Many said that their local officials did not
deal with matters…unexpectedly, the yamen has been open for
a while today. In a place this big, there hasn't been a single
commoner who has submitted a petition."
 The officials paused and silently criticized. You traveled in
disguise all the way to the South? What ridiculous cries of
grievance? For Fan Xian to have seen this, he must have
something to follow it with. They unconsciously became wary.

Of course Fan Xian's words were nonsense. It was only a lure.

"I am very pleased. Under the governance of you all, the palace
treasury is very well ordered, without a trace of lawlessness
anywhere. It is truly very rare."

The officials flushed, and a string of humble deferrals came

out.

Fan Xian's face did not become dark, he only smiled and said,
"However, I do have one question. Does the palace treasury
truly not have any problems or…are some of the officials too
powerful so that even if commoners and workers have
grievances they would not dare tell me?"

These words were said too carelessly. It was clearly a ploy to

construct a crime for someone. The officials did not have
factions. They were all local officials. They felt a chill in their
hearts and antipathy grew in them even if you were
introducing new vigorous policies. He couldn't can't use such
an absurd method, right? With the deputy in the lead, the
officials all loudy said, "Sir, there is no such thing…no such
thing."

Fan Xian lowered his head. His finger gently rubbed the
sleeve Sisi had newly repaired. "No such what things? I have
heard that the three large workshops owe a great deal of wages
to the workers these years, and there was also a big incident
earlier. Is this true?"

The officials were startled. Earlier in the year, because the

treasurers had exploited too harshly, the workers in the three
large workshops had caused some trouble and two people had
died. This incident had always been repressed by low and high
officials. Unexpectedly, news of this had traveled to Jingdou.
Since Sir Fan had already said it out loud, then he must have
received definitive news, so it would be difficult to hide.

The deputy quickly went up from and smiled obsequiously.

"Earlier in the year, the return flow of funds were a bit slow.
The wages were delayed by three days, but those wicked people
took the opportunity to cause problems and halted the
production of the three large workshops for a day, which
caused irredeemable loses for the court. Thus, after the
company discussed it, General Ye was asked to suppress it.
Fortunately, not too many lives were lost. We thought since it
was near the end of the year and Sir was about to arrive, we
didn't need to report it immediately."

In reality, it had nothing to do with delayed wages. It was

more accurate to say that the treasurers took too much of the
wages that were paid down. Provoked, the people's anger rose,
so the workers had rioted. The officials did not want to offend
the treasurers or take out silver from their funds to
compensate, so they pretended to be blind and deaf until the
matter became too big. Only then did they mobilize troops to
suppress the situation.

Fan Xian turned and spoke quietly with General Ye behind

him. The general's expression was awkward as he quietly
responded back. The role he played in this matter was probably
not glorious.

Fan Xian furrowed his brows and gently knocked on the table
beside him. "Gentlemen, to put it plainly, the palace treasury is
a business, but it is the Emperor's business and Qing court's
business. Since it is used to make things, then the most
important are those who make these things. If you delay
workers' wages year after year, who will want to work for you?
Even if they do work for you, how would they be willingly to
do it carefully? In the end, isn't it still the court that suffers the
loss?"

The officials agreed. They all said they would act strictly
according to the rules of the palace treasury when handling
matters and never again would such a thing like having wages
delayed happen again. As to the future, it was the treasurers
who would be dealing with Sir Fan junior. These officials just
hoped to quickly brush by what was happening now.

It was those three with the darker complexions without

official robes, yet still sitting in chairs, whose expressions
became a little nasty.

"All superfluous words." Fan Xian shook his head and sighed.
"Naturally there will not be delays in the future. What about
what was owed before?"

The yamen immediately plunged into complete silence.

 The officials did not dare say more out of fear. There were
tens of thousands of workers. In addition to food and board,
drink and clothing, and a host of other logistics, the numbers
reached an even more terrifying level. The court had set an
ample amount for the wages of the workers. To siphon from it
had already become the main source of wealth for palace
treasury officials. If Fan Xian really wanted these officials to
cough up all of the money they took from previous years, this
would not be a small sum.

The officials knew that they were subjected to the Qing law
and investigation by the Overwatch Council, so they never
dared to take openly whatever little was left as tribute by the
treasurers. The people Sir Fan targeted were probably still the
treasurers.

Fan Xian acted like he had not sensed the quiet turbulence
and said evenly, "The court cannot owe the people. What was
owed over the last few years will have to gradually be
compensated. It is a complicated matter, so it cannot be
rushed."

Cannot be rushed…the hearts of the officials relaxed a little,

but they were scared by the following words.
 "Three days." Fan Xian smiled slightly and extended three
fingers. Watching the officials he said, "I give you all three days
to fill in all of the accounts and compensate the missing wages
for the workers. Remember, use Taiping money house's rate of
interest as a standard. After three days, if workers come to me
to say they have not received their wages, or if it is discovered
by my Overwatch Council subordinates, my apologies, but I'll
have to show some ruthlessness."

Although he continued to slightly smile, the officials could

already feel a sense of coldness beginning to surround them.

The three men who had sat quietly and still the entire time
finally could sit no longer. Wearing a humble expression they
stood and one said, "Sir, I have something to say."

"Speak." Fan Xian glanced at him with interest.

 "Perhaps there have been cases of being behind on payment,
but this number is not large, furthermore, it is often because
the accounts are wrong." The man chuckled and said, "Sir, you
have come a long way from Jingdou, perhaps you are not
aware of how wicked the people here are. Those people bring
their families to find work. It is clearly only one person
working at the workshops, but he will report three. It is not
that we are behind on payments, the reality is that they want
to swindle the court's silver."

"Oh?" Fan Xian said. "There are such tricks?"

"Yes." The person clearly did not notice the mocking tone of
Fan Xian's voice. Overjoyed, he said, "Sir, these workers are sly
and cunning. Banking on the fact that the court loves the
people, they dare to open their mouths wide. If any demands
are not met, they will passively slack off at work. Some of the
even worse ones dare to actually meddle with the process. Who
knows how much money they have lost the court all these
years?"

The man enthusiastically splashed all the dirty water onto

the workers. He thought that no matter how good Fan Xian's
reputation was, he was still one of the officials. How could he
ever take the workers' side?

Fan Xian laughed coldly in his heart. The way the man put
it…pushing all the wrong things he had done onto the worker.
His face remained calm. "Ah, who knew that even though the
Emperor is so kind, yet these people don't know to be satisfied."

The person laughed along. "It is indeed the case. I, a lowly

official, will go back and carefully investigate the matter of the
delayed payments. However, those trouble-making workers
should not be let off so easily. Sir, don't be followed by their
words. Those people are sly and cunning, and really not
anything."

Fan Xian looked at the man and suddenly furrowed his

brows, "Sir is?"

The deputy quickly interjected, "This is the master of the

first workshop, Sir Xiao."
 "Sir Xiao?" Fan Xian seemed a little surprised. "The master of
the first workshop? Head of the treasurers?"

Xiao quickly saluted and said, "It is I."

Fan Xian stared at him for a moment then suddenly said,

"You, a mere master, a little treasurer…the court has given you
a non-conforming rank. You don't even have official robes.
How dare you refer to yourself before me as lowly official?"

Everyone froze.

His voice suddenly became cold. "Lowly official this, lowly

official that…of which department are you an official? The
yamen opened for the first time today, and you, a mere master,
did not wait outside to be summoned. You dared to brazenly
enter the hall and sit among the court officials. That is
foolishly daring! Please, may I ask, what kind of scoundrel are
you?"

Huh?
 The hall was momentarily silent. It was not until a while
later that the officials realized Sir Fan Xian was cursing.

Immediately the hall exploded into sound. How can that be?
Ever since the palace treasury had been taken by the royal
family, this was the first time anyone dared to point at the
master of the three workshops and curse him. Even on the
Eldest Princess' first visit to the North Min yamen she had been
warm and gentle with the three workshop masters. How could
Sir Fan dare curse like that?

The master of the first workshop was stunned. He thought

that it was fine Sir Fan did not try to win him over, but to not
give him any face and curse him so cruelly was unbelievable.
He sneered coldly. His expression immediately turned nasty,
however, he in front of a proper "prince" he didn't dare say
anything. He resentfully raised his hand in salute and returned
to his seat to in silence.

"Remove his seat." Fan Xian narrowed his eyes. A delightful

little circle appeared between his furrowed brows. He said
evenly, "In front of me, there is no seat for him."
 "Sir Fan!" That master became very angry. His bottom had
not yet touched his seat before he stood straight again, pushing
down the anger in his heart. "Don't take it too far."

Fan Xian ignored him. He drank his tea and talked with the
awkward looking General Ye and deputy beside him.

As he talked, the Overwatch Council official next to him had

gone down and pushed Sir Xiao to the side and removed his
seat. Thus, the matter had become serious. The officials below
all came out to ask for mercy. Even General Ye lowered his
voice and whispered into Fan Xian's ear, "Young master Fan,
leave them some face."

"Leave them some face?" Fan Xian smiled. "The purpose of

today was to remove their face."

General Ye became melancholy and didn't dare keep talking.

Since the opening of the palace treasury to now, the masters

of the three workshops had their own seats. Their position was
special, and no one had ever humiliated their existence. At this
moment, seeing that the master of the first workshop was
being humiliated, the other two masters couldn't keep to their
seats anymore. They stood beside Sir Xiao, and said, facing Fan
Xian at the head, "Since Sir thinks that there is no seat for us in
the yamen, you might as well take them all…after all, the three
workshops are nothing but lowly people.

They were not acting in a fit of pique, but using the three

large workshops to suppress.

Fan Xian lifted his head and saw the three masters lined up in
front of him. "Of course they are going to be taken together.
Did you think there would still be places for you? Naturally,
not everyone in the three workshops are lowly people, but
since you have referred to yourselves as such, I will believe
you."

"Sir!"

The three masters had not expected Fan Xian to force them
step by step and not leave anywhere to retreat in his words. It
was only now they realized the other party was not just
establishing his power, he wanted to exterminate them. But
what confidence did Fan Xian have? Did he want to see the
three workshops collapse?

The tone in which the three masters replied became ruthless.

"Sir, how has the three workshops offended you?"

"Exploiting wages, tyrannical behavior, threatening the court

through skills, not respecting me…" Fan Xian stared at the
three. "You didn't offend me, you offended the workers in the
three workshops and the tens of thousands of people under
heaven and the court that feeds you."

"A charge can always be made if you want to convict

someone," the three masters said in anger. "It is your first visit
to the transport company and you act so recklessly and rashly.
Does the Qing court not have regulations?"

Fan Xian smiled and thought to himself: Regulations? I am

the regulations. Of course didn't say the words out loud. He
thought of when Second Fan ran amuck in Jingdou. His
favorite thing to do was to say this ruthless line. It seemed that
being an official was like being a hoodlum. In an unclear
situation, it was always fine to use some force and trickery.
 "Come. These three are causing a scene in the hall. Drag them
out and give them 10 strikes first."

Fan Xian placed the teacup in his hand gently on the table
and ignored the words for forgiveness from the officials in the
hall. He smiled and thought about how he could suffer
hardships and powerful aggressiveness, but he couldn't stand
being alone. Why should he waste his breath on these people?
Chapter 349: Palace Treasury Strike
Smack, smack, smack, smack. The sounds were very crisp,
unlike the muffled sounds when the Imperial Censorate was
struck outside the Royal Palace in Jingdou. On the contrary, it
sounded like someone was keeping time for a piece of music
with a strong beat.

After the paddle landed 10 times, it stopped. The three

workshop masters did not end like brother Baoyu with a breath
in but no breath out. They also didn't faint like Second Fan.

Fan Xian watched the scene with great interest. He couldn't

help feeling a bit surprised at how hardy the three masters
were. After suffering 10 strikes, they did not even make a single
sound. He knew his subordinates' style. Since he had ordered a
beating, no one would hold back.

Looking unbelievably miserable, they had suffered a great

humiliation today and forced themselves not to make any
sounds. However, the strikes on the body still hurt,
particularly since the pain also carried the humiliation of
being stripped. It caused tears to swell in the eyes of these
middle-aged men, along with some hatred, like pitiful little
dogs.

Fan Xian clapped his hands and said, "Take them away."

"Yes," his subordinates replied in unison. They helped the

three masters up and headed out of the yamen.

Behind these three masters, who had long reached their limit
for pain and humiliation, Fan Xian didn't forget to call out like
a merchant, "Three days! Three days! Don't you forget!"

The yamen immediately fell into silence. The officials looked

at Fan Xian with slight fear in their gazes. Everyone knew of
Fan Xian's reputation. They were not from Jingdou, so they
had never personally experienced the chill within Fan Xian's
clean and literary reputation. They didn't know as clearly as
the pain felt by the Second Prince's officials.

Finally today everyone saw, and felt secret fear, but they
could also not help smiling coldly in secret. He can beat them
if he wanted to. Was his beating of the treasurers not for us
officials to see? However, no matter how learned Sir Fan was,
he was still blind when it came to the matters of the palace
treasury. Now that he had badly offended the masters of the
three workshops, we'll just see how you clean up this mess.

Perhaps Fan Xian did not know about his subordinate

officials' intention to watch the trouble in three days, or
perhaps he just didn't care about this. He said a few more
words before ordering them to repay the missing wages in three
days. If there were any illegal actions, they were to check
themselves. He then released them from the yamen.

He kept behind the Ye family general and his close helper, the
deputy of the transport company. If he wanted to do things
done in three days, he still needed their help.
 No one knew what he said to the two officials in the back
garden, but their faces became more and more serious until
they finally nodded slowly. They saluted Fan Xian respectfully
and then left.

"Sir." Su Wenmao handed over the summarized intelligence

report from the Overwatch Council. Fan Xian received it
smoothly and nodded slightly as he read. It seemed like the
people of the Fourth Bureau had some uses. They had
apparently been suppressed by the Eldest Princess and
treasurers and never had a chance to showcase their skills.

Su Wenmao watched as he sank into the scroll and thought

about the scene earlier. He couldn't help but furrow his brows.
He gathered the courage to quietly say, "The three masters of
the workshop could be killed."
 Fan Xian raised his head to look at him. He couldn't resist
smiling. "Of course they could be killed. However, killing
people isn't like cooking. What can be eaten should be ate, but
those who could be killed do not need to be killed in a rush."

"Sir was too kind before." Su Wenmao was from the First
Bureau of the Overwatch Council and ruthless when it came to
controlling officials. He felt that Fan Xian had been too soft in
his earlier decision. Three mere masters. If he wanted to kill
them, then kill them. Since it was to establish power, some
extra thunder would not go amiss. What sense was there in
talking for a long time and only giving out 10 strikes?

Unsatisfied, he said, "Sir just gave them 10 strikes earlier. It

was too light. I'm afraid it won't make them submit."

Fan Xian waved the Overwatch Council report. "With the

evidence in my hands, I could chop their three heads off with
one stroke and no one would dare say anything."

Su Wenmao paused and reflected that since it was so, then

why was it thunder and no rain earlier? Why were the three
who had no respect for the law in their eyes released?
 Fan Xian smiled and explained, "Thunder and rain are both
heavenly favors. If I had punished harshly earlier, although the
officials and the various treasurers would not submit in their
hearts and even develop hatred because of their fear, they
could only accept it. Furthermore, fearing the sharp edge of the
beheading sword, they would settle down. This three-day limit
then…in probably just one day the officials will have filled in
the debt and the treasurers will send silver like crazy to the
yamen."

"Isn't this the scene you want to see?" Su Wenmao was more
and more confused.

Fan Xian waved his hand. "Wrong, it will steady the situation
for a time. However, only killing three masters of the
workshops, what kind of root changes would that mean for the
palace treasury? It's the same as hunting monkeys in the
mountain. If you kill the king monkey, then the other monkeys
will spread out. You know, I cannot, and have no wish to,
remain with the palace treasury for a long time. What will
happen when I leave? Those monkeys will run out of the
mountain again and steal our corn to eat."
 Su Wenmao turned it over in his mind and understood some
things. The monkeys in the commissioner's example were the
many treasurers in the three workshops. If he had decapitated
the three masters today, then the treasurers would, naturally,
spit out their silver honestly and return the wages owed to the
workers. However, in that case, the commissioner would be
missing another chance to wield the butcher's knife. When the
commissioner leaves the North of Min and returns to
Hangzhou, the mountains were south and the roads were far.
Those treasurers would probably become enlivened again, and
the workers in the three workshops would have to welcome
even more misery as revenge.

"This is like popping a pustule." Fan Xian smiled. "Your face

appears to be calm, but the pus is still inside. So, we are not
going to rush and rub it. On the contrary, we are going to
expand the pore to squeeze out all of the pus."

Su Wenmao paused. It was clear he had never taken a beauty

class, but he understood enough to know what Fan Xian
meant. Smiling he said, "You said it was complicated. Isn't it
just luring the snake out of its hole?"
 "What luring? This is called hitting the snake to startle the
snake." Fan Xian touched his neat and smooth hair. He found
this description was not very fitting, but he couldn't help
smiling. "Anyway, with the three-day limit and the 10
humiliating strikes on the masters, the treasurers used to being
spoiled probably would not be able to endure this at all."

"What if someone returned the silver? Then what?" Su

Wenmao asked with misgivings. He was afraid that after the
shock by the commissioner, those little monkeys wouldn't have
the daring to jump out.

"Punishing those who came before to prevent others from

following later, curing the disease and saving people," Fan Xian
said with seriousness. "The treasurers who have not broken
any Qing laws need only return all the silver, and I will
naturally give them another opportunity. I am here to manage
the palace treasury, not to break it."

"Understood."

"When dealing with enemies, we must divide them

internally, proceed to order them, and then treat them
separately. Group together what can be grouped…we'll see who
jumps out in three days, and then we will know who has
rejected my kindness." Fan Xian smiled slightly. "It is not only
targeting the treasurers. I believe the Eldest Princess left
trusted aides here in the palace treasury. They will not pass up
such a good opportunity. From Xinyang's perspective, we have
offended all of the treasurers, and the palace treasury will
naturally grind to a standstill. At this moment, they will be
sure to jump out. Have the people of the Fourth Bureau keep a
close watch and write a list of names. I will ask these unstable
elements to leave."

Su Wenmao finally understood everything. The

commissioner wanted to do a complete clean out. They arrived
again at the front garden and he carefully asked, "Only…Sir,
the deputy is of Ren Qi'an's family and can be considered
trustworthy, but the Ye family?"

Fan Xian understood what he was worried about. According

to the news from Jingdou, days after the Great Prince married
the Great Princess of Northern Qi, Ye Ling'er finally married
the Second Prince, who used this opportunity with the empress
dowager coming forward to be released from his house arrest.
 "Don't worry about it. I didn't say too much. I just asked
General Ye to pay attention to the routes out of the treasury.
I'm not arrogant and conceited enough to think I could use a
few words to win over someone of the Ye family."

Fan Xian smiled. What he asked General Ye to do was to

prevent the treasurers from taking advantage of their home
advantage and secretly shipping out the silver they had taken
these years. Although most of their dirty silver would have
been used in buying land, the deeds to the land, as determined
by their personality, could only be in their home.

"Also, do not casually connect the Ye family with the Second

Prince and Eldest Princess together," Fan Xian said after some
thought. "The Ye and Qin families are equally famous and not
as simple as others think. How could they only lean toward
one prince? That would be too stupid. Even if they had a bias,
before the situation is clear he will still give me some face. He
wouldn't fall out with me for a group of treasurers unless Ye
Zhong feels the Emperor did not send him far enough away."

Su Wenmao shivered and didn't say anything more. He took

his orders and left.
 Fan Xian sat on the chair and sank deep into thought. After a
moment he sighed. Ye Ling'er finally got married. What kind of
ending will the Second Prince have in the future? He was not a
kind person, but he had once said in the teashop outside of
Baoyue Brothel that he had wanted to bring the Second Prince
down because he wanted to leave him his life. This was
partially because of Ye Ling'er, and partially because he,
subconsciously, wanted to pit himself against that Emperor
that cared about raising his children with iron and blood. We'll
see if you know how to play better or I know how to play
better!

Over the months, the Ye family was played around by the

Emperor. Without any other choice to make, they could only
lean closer and closer toward the Second Prince. Thinking of
this, Fan Xian felt a dark fire in his belly. It was perhaps true
that the Emperor planned far ahead, but as the Emperor it was
also true he was a highly suspicious scoundrel—it looked like
those sitting in different positions all have their own
limitations. For the Emperor sitting on his dragon chair, his
limitation was that he was overly suspicious. He used the
granting of a marriage as the first test and began to prepare
defenses for no reason. Following that was shamelessly
bringing false charges and step by step forcing the Ye family to
stand in opposition to the Crown Prince.
 The Crown Prince? Then why did the Third Prince have to
leave the capital with him?

The Emperor truly wasn't a common one. He kept using

methods that others could not see the logic of. Fan Xian felt a
little vexed. He quickly comforted himself thinking that if he,
the little scoundrel, couldn't understand, then perhaps the old
scoundrel might not understand either.

As to why Fan Xian was determined to not reconcile with his

mother-in-law, it was not because he had suffered as a son-in-
law during the dating period. It was also not because of the
"look after family property" reason he had once told Haitang.
In reality, the reason was if Fan Xian truly joined sides with the
Eldest Princess, both parties would increase in power and
would become a terrifying force, one that was sufficient to
rock the foundations of the Qing Kingdom.

This was something the Qing Emperor would not allow.

For Fan Xian, who did not hold the power under heaven, his
current behavior was very much guided by the motto that great
intelligence may appear to be stupidity. As long as it was
something the Emperor would not allow, he would certainly
not do it; unless if someone wanted to kill him.

In the next two days, Fan Xian took his seven well-dressed
maids and investigated the workshops everywhere. He began to
gradually become familiar with the process in the palace
treasury. He also added a layer of sentimentality to his
knowledge of the Ye family. It was difficult to not touch the
wooden watermill beside the river and sigh with emotion at
the great changes that had happened. Sometimes he would sit
with the workers and talk about glassblowing. Unfortunately,
his craftsmanship was terrible and its appearance too
beautiful. Although he didn't blow it successfully, the texture
of the glass was still exquisite.

The workshops closer to the yamen all knew exactly what the
new officials looked like. Although they did not dare look
directly at the Sir Fan junior of legend, they had carefully
stolen many glances. They all said that this noble young
master was truly very pretty, but clumsy, and his personality
was kind. The seven serving girls beside him were all exquisite.
There was only one girl who was not as good. Her actions and
walk were rural-like, and she didn't look anything like a girl
from a big family.

Meanwhile, the four defensive lines made by the military and

the Overwatch Council suddenly tightened their patrols. The
patrols of the palace treasury had already been the tightest in
the world. The sudden tightening immediately found some
prohibited items, although they were not technical secrets of
the palace treasury, there were still some heavy things.

They were both light pieces of paper as well as heavy land

deeds.

Just as Fan Xian expected, the first reaction of the treasurers,

including the masters of the three large workshops and related
officials, after the three-days order was given was to send out
all of the objects of value close to them to give to friends and
family outside of the palace treasury.
 However, after they ran into the strict patrols and searches,
the officials and treasurers finally gave up. They knew the new
imperial envoy would not allow them to transfer their wealth.
Yet, if these deeds were left by their side…god, if they couldn't
fill the debt in three days, does that mean their possessions
would be confiscated? These people were definitely not clean.
If the imperial envoy wanted to find faults, death was all
around them.

It was clear the Dan Da and General Lin's work was having an
effect. From the second day, no one tried to transfer their
property. A dark breeze began to blow through the manors in
the palace treasury and three large workshops. As to who
began this breeze, the spies scattered around were quietly
investigating.

At night, the rain fell hard and the river swelled. Although
the embankments were in place and there were no problems,
the atmosphere of the chilly winds that howled and the murky
waves that reached the sky began to make many people feel
strange.

The treasurers began to feel a strong sense of danger and

contacted each other. Upper, middle, and lower, there were a
total of over 200 treasurers. Facing the three-day order, they all
had their own plans. Those who still had their consciences
were prepared to hand over the dirty money and live their life
as new people. Some were afraid of Fan Xian's power and
planned to secretly report colleagues for illicit actions to
secure their own innocence. However, most of the people
began to gather in the manor of workshop master and secretly
discuss how they should deal with this matter.

After the three masters had been beaten, they could only lie
on their beds. Although their bodies were in different places,
the hatred in their hearts toward Fan Xian and the bitter
resentment in their eyes were very much of one heart. In the
end, they were not willing to lower their heads to Fan Xian
because they had done too many terrible things. Even if they
did lower their heads, it would be difficult to escape death.

Among the communication between the treasurers, the

trusted aides that Xinyang left in the palace treasury had a
nasty effect. Using the name of the princess far away in
Jingdou, they promised the treasurers that the court's first
interest was still in the profits that the palace treasury
generated and not their small pieces of silver through
corruption.
 What about a single chopstick? What about 10 chopsticks? In
the end, most of the treasurers finally huddled into a ball and
began to move like a bowling ball with no idea in which
direction they were being rolled in.

On the last day of the three-day order, Fan Xian followed the
same schedule as the previous two days. In the morning, he
stayed in the yamen to discuss matters. Although the
treasurers had not actively come forward to hand in the stolen
goods and admit to their crimes, quite a few officials had
returned some of the silver. As to whether or not it was the full
amount, that was a matter that would be discussed later. At
least they had shown a superficial level of respect.

Some of the treasurers had secretly confessed and actively

come to the Overwatch Council to be witness and name others.
Naturally, Fan Xian smiled and accepted. It looked like the
other party was indeed not a solid sheet of metal. The palace
treasury's casting skills were indeed not up to par.
 He drank his tea and absentmindedly watched the thin rain
outside of the hall. He thought leisurely about the heavy rain
last night. The Qing Kingdom won't be flooded again this year,
right? Looked like he would have to act quickly, otherwise the
silver from father wouldn't have time to make it to the side of
the Yangtze River before its banks burst.

"Sir!"

A terrified voice exploded like the sound of muffled thunder

and woke Fan Xian from his sage-like thoughts.

Fan Xian looked around in confusion to see a group of

officials all in wet robes running in. All of the officials had
been sent out today to the various workshops to announce the
final day of the order. Why did they all run back?

In the lead was the second most senior person in the palace
treasury, the deputy of the transport company, Ma Jie. His face
was full of shock. He held up the front of his robes as he
crashed anxiously into the hall, heedless of the water on the
ground and his wet shoes.
 "Sir Ma, why are you in such a rush?" Fan Xian looked at the
other party and slightly furrowed his brows. He had Cao Cao's
air down perfectly.

"Sir, it's not good!" Although Ma Jie knew long ago that the
treasurers would certainly push back against the order, hearing
the matter today, he couldn't help his state of mind becoming
panicked. He urgently came to report to Fan Xian.

"The three large workshops are on strike!"

Fan Xian was slightly surprised and stood dazed on the stone
steps.

Ma Jie thought that the imperial envoy had been stunned by

the sudden bad news. He wiped the rain from his face and gave
a pained smile, "This is bad; this is bad."

The three large workshops on strike? This was something

that had never happened since the Qing Kingdom had taken
over the palace treasury. Fan Xian had not killed anyone, and
his methods had not been as bloody as those of the Eldest
Princess back in the day. However, the problem was that Fan
Xian had sent out the three-day order, and he held in his hands
the spy power that the Eldest Princess never had. He had also
blocked the treasurers' plans to transfer their wealthy. He was
fully prepared to take away all of the money that the treasurers
had stolen these years.

What was money? Money was life for the large majority of
the people, and that was why the treasurers dared to use such a
shocking tactic as a strike to fight to the death with Fan Xian.

Fan Xian was only surprised for a moment before he came

around. A faint smile floated to the corner of his lips. In
reality, he wasn't shocked that the treasurers had reacted so
intensely. He was just thinking that strikes also existed in this
world.
 "Sir, what do we do? Should we take back the three-day
order?" Ma Jie's face was full of expectation. He did not
approve, at all, of Fan Xian's order. Now that the treasurers had
truly gone on strike, how much money would it cost the court
for the three large workshops of the palace treasury to stop
work for a day? Such a large crime. Who could shoulder the
burden? Even if the Fan family was not the same as ordinary
people and was afraid of nothing and no one, but the Emperor
would still not let it go so easily.

Completely out of Ma Jie and the other officials'

expectations, Fan Xian gently stroked his smooth hair and
rolled his neck. A faint excitement showed on his face as he
said, "Indeed they didn't let me down and caused such a
ruckus. This is good. Wait until I catch them. I'm going to kill
them all…clean them out!"

"Ah?"

The officials stood dumbfounded in the thin rain. A pair of

swallows in the beams of the yamen lightly danced.
 Fan Xian, wearing a black Overwatch Council robe, led the
various transport officials, about 20 people, in a rush to the
first workshop that called a strike. The officials stood outside
of the workshop. They couldn't hear the hissing of the
furnaces, and there was no black smoke emitting from the
workshop. There was only a deathly silence. The crowd
couldn't help but cast their gazes toward Fan Xian, wondering
how exactly he would deal with this kind of silent protest?

No one knew that the Qinian Unit and the swordsman of the
Sixth Bureau, who had come to Jiangnan with Fan Xian, were
already wearing raincoats and waiting for their command in
silence not far from the workshop.

Even further away, General Ye stood with a serious face and

tightly clenched fists. He was restlessly beside Su Wenman,
with whom he talked on and off with. His mind was entirely
on the workshop that went on strike. Behind the two people, a
camp of soldiers with knives and spears in hand waited.

The striking workers were all gathered in the workshop

which was responsible for the creation of glass. There was still
remnant heat from last night inside.
 Fan Xian entered the workshop with steady steps. He raised
his head and looked at the tall workshop ceiling. He then said
with approval, "The rain proofing is doing well."

The workers were huddled at the very back, and their faces
were full of terror. These low-level workers did not know why
today they suddenly stopped work. Watching the imperial
envoy who had just walked in, they were terrified.

At the front of the workshop, a dozen treasurers wearing blue

jackets saluted Fan Xian with forced calmness.

"Why have you not started work?"

"For your information, Sir, the rains yesterday were too big
and they extinguished the fires and broke the molding
equipment, thus we were unable to start work," said Master
Xiao of the First Workshop, with injuries still on his back. He
glanced at Fan Xian with eyes full of hatred,

The master and treasurers were not stupid. They knew that
couldn't explicitly say they were striking. Otherwise, if Fan
Xian actually went crazy and raised his knife to them all, he
would have a passable right to do so. Thus, they could only
find an excuse. In reality they were using a strike to threaten
the other party.

This was, perhaps, the so-called art of negotiation.

In terms of words and poetry, Fan Xian could be said to be an

artist. In his actual line of work, he often destroyed art
without a sense of aesthetics. He had a serious expression and
said, "The molds are destroyed and the furnace is wet. What
about the Second Workshop? Perhaps molten steel that could
boil people to death has congealed? Perhaps the weaving
machines have rusted?"

Not waiting for master Xiao to reply, he narrowed his eyes

and said, "I think it's your brains that have rusted!"

There was no so-called negotiation. Fan Xian only needed

someone to cause trouble. It was absolutely necessary for the
people in charge of the technical skills of the palace treasury to
change. How could he pass up this opportunity?
 "Come, chop off this master Xiao's head and use his blood to
warm the furnace." Fan Xian clapped his hands and said in an
even voice.

Xiao paused as if he hadn't understood the meaning of the

imperial envoy's words.

As soon as Fan Xian's words left his mouth, the raincoat

wearing Overwatch Officials entered the workshop. One of the
subordinates brought a chair for Fan Xian to sit on. A few
others quickly and cleanly forced the master to his knees and
dragged him to a furnace about 15 meters away.

Fan Xian waved his hand.

The transport officials behind him exploded into clamor.

Deputy Ma felt anxiety attack his heart. He cried out in fear,
"Sir, you can't do that!"

Xiao, who had been pushed to the door of the furnace, finally
woke from his daze and knew that the imperial envoy was
truly going to kill him…he truly dared to kill him. He began to
fight for his life. Both his feet pushed against the dirt on the
ground with a scratching sound. With tears he cried, "Spare
me, sir, spare me!"

When the idiots of the world, who could not clearly perceive
the situation, cried for mercy as they were about to die, it was
too late.

The treasurers friendly with Xiao stared with bulging eyes.

They all rushed forward thinking to rescue him.

With a swish, a streak of snow-white knife light flashed out.

A head with a slightly dark complexion rolled into the

furnace. With a sputtering sound, the fresh blood struck the
walls of the furnace.

The workshop exploded with countless cries of shock. All the

people had been stunned by the bloody sight before them. The
treasurers howled and were scared. In a flash, they all stopped
their footsteps forward at the same time. At this moment, their
innate self-preservation triumphed over their madness.
 Fan Xian glanced at the head in the furnace and looked again
at the hundreds of workers gathered at the back of the
workshop. Their faces were full of fear. He said calmly, "When
I kill someone, naturally I have my reasons."
Chapter 350: Why Was The Imperial
Envoy Angry?
The rain pattered down, beating a tattoo into the roof of the
workshop. It was a sharp contrast to the death-like silence
below.

The workers were gathered at the back. The shock and fear
on their faces was unhidden, but everyone's hands had
subconsciously began to reach for shovels and wooden boards.
No one knew what was going to happen next.

Standing at the front, the treasurers who had organized the

strike also had faces full of fear. They watched the imperial
envoy sitting on a chair before the door and did not pay any
more attention to the dead master Xiao. No one dared look at
the tragic scene of the separated body and head beside the
furnace. They only stared in fear at Fan Xian's warm and gentle
face. The feet of the crowds unconsciously backed up.

One person stepped back. Ten people stepped back. The

crowd stepped back. The sound of the treasurers' feet stepping
back made a rustling sound like thousands of bugs crawling
across a desert. However, the workshop was only so big, and a
large space at the back had been taken up by the thinly dressed
workers. Where could these blue-robbed treasurers back up to?

Fan Xian watched the scene before his eyes and instinctively
shook his head. In an even voice he said, "I am not a violent
person. Workers, don't be afraid. The court is only
investigating the matter of the treasurers' corruption and
stealing of wages. It has nothing to do with you."

The workers at the back met each other's eyes and felt their
hearts steady a little, but they did not dare completely trust in
this young powerful official. Their hands remained wrapped
around the handles of the shovels.

"You…even if you are a court official, how can you kill

people for no reason?" A treasurer could no longer endure the
oppressive silence and cried out in a sharp voice.

Deputy Ma Jie was standing stupidly behind Fan Xian. He

had never expected that Fan Xian would chop off a workshop
master's head without saying anything further. Today's mess
had gotten big. How could they clean this up?
 Shocked and angry, he said in a shaky voice, "Imperial envoy,
Sir, why…why do this? Everything could be discussed…it's
over…it's all over."

In Ma Jie's heart, the most important things to the palace

treasury were these treasurers in front of them. Only these
people knew how to maintain the palace treasury. Even if Fan
Xian chopped 10 heads today and forced these treasurers to
submit, what about the future? If the treasurers worked with
resentment, who knew what they would turn the palace
treasury into?

Besides, there were still two masters who were striking. If

they knew you killed master Xiao of the First Workshop and
they roused up the anger of the people, and the strike
continued on…my god! If you really killed everybody, who will
do the work? Were you counting on those illiterate workers?

Fan Xian did not acknowledge the bewildered deputy next to

him. He indicated for Su Wenmao to come over. He then
clearly said to everyone in the workshop, "Listen closely to
every word!"
 The crowd froze.

Su Wenmao removed a few sheaves of paper from his

dripping wet robe. He squinted a little and then began to read
in a loud voice.

"Today it has been discovered, Xiao Jing, master of the First

Workshop of the three large workshops of the palace treasury
transport company, has, since the first year of His Majesty's
reign, committed many illegal acts."

Su Wenmao furrowed his brows and glanced at the rustling

and restless treasurers. He then continued, "In the second year
and third month of the Qing calendar, Xiao Jing hid the
disaster at a bronze mine and took the wages of the dead for
five years, for a total of 13,700 liang. In the fourth year, seventh
month and ninth day of the Qing calendar, Xia Jing bribed the
official registrar of Suzhou to buy a good plot of land of 700
mu at a low price. In the sixth year and first month of the Qing
calendar, with Xiao Jing as the leader of the masters of the
three workshops, a group of treasurers owed the workers tens
of thousands of accumulated wages, caused violence, 14
deaths, over 50 injured…"
 A countless number of crimes were read until Su Wenmao's
mouth was feeling a little dry. At the end he said, "These crimes
are impossible to forgive. Following Qing law, he was
decapitated."

He then took out the land deeds, Suzhou's official registrar's

written confession, and other related evidence.

"Don't ask me again for evidence," Fan Xian said following

the announcement. "I have many witness testimonies and not a
small amount of physical evidence. Scoundrels like Xiao Jing
could certainly not be kept since I am managing the palace
treasury."

As the workers who were shaking with fear and uneasy heard
the imperial envoy discuss the crimes and heard the lines and
lines of crimes, they suddenly remembered how tyrannical
Xiao Jing usually was. He was harsh and insidious to the
workers beneath him. Immediately they felt that the imperial
envoy had done right by killing him.

But the hatred in the eyes of the treasurers grew even

stronger. Unsatisfied, someone called out, "Even if you punish
him, you still need to open the court and try the case…you
trumped up charges to convict him!"

When Deputy Ma Jie, standing behind Fan Xian, heard Su

Wenmao read out the crimes, he knew that the imperial envoy
was just looking for an excuse. The officials of the palace
treasury transport company knew in their hearts of these
things that Xiao Jing had done. But, even if he were to be
punished by the Qing law, you…you couldn't just kill him like
this!

Ma Jie wanted to remain on good terms with Fan Xian

because of his cousin Ren Shao'an. No matter how much be
disapproved of Fan Xian's actions, he forced himself to keep his
mouth shut and did not question him.

He didn't question anything, but there were trusted aides of

the Eldest Princess left in the transport company who would
definitely not pass up this opportunity. Sinisterly they said,
"Sir has acted decisively, but…for corrupt and lawless people
like this, is it not better to open the court and try him openly?
To have him confess…you wouldn't have to be so alert at night.
Furthermore, Sir gave the treasurers a three-day limit, and
these three days have not passed, perhaps…"
 The treasurers shook with fear, but they had not given up.
Hearing one of the officials speaking on their behalf, they
began to daringly start quite a din.

Fan Xian didn't even turn his head. A sliver of a cold smile
rose to the corner of his lips, "I am the commissioner of the
Overwatch Council as well as the manager of the palace
treasury transport company. The Overwatch Council is
responsible for investigating the case, and the transport
company, as a special case in Qing law, has the head manager
determine the case. Why can I not question him and behead
him? Besides, I was not beheading him on these crimes."

He slightly lowered his head and smiled. "Provoking the

workers to cause trouble, striking, disobeying His Majesty's
edict…can I not behead this man who respects neither his
father nor his Emperor?"

The Qing law was meticulous. Given something like murder,

it was fine to do in secret, but for Fan Xian to kill someone like
this in the open, he needed a good reason. If he was only using
Xiao Jing's illegal activities as an excuse to justify his killing of
him, then he was giving the officials and treasurers a good
opportunity to counter him—for not questioning the case
before beheading the criminal. Put it to any yamen, and none
would be able to let it pass.

However, Fan Xian did things practically. He clearly had

made certain of Xiao Jing's crime, but he continued to say he
was beheaded because he did not respect the Emperor's edict.
Something like the edict was the most unconvincing. As the
imperial envoy, he had the power of final interpretation.

The crimes the Overwatch Council had found were also

necessary. When the case was brought before the Emperor,
these crimes of forced purchases of good land and mistreating
the people were enough to remove doubt from future
proceedings.

To kill now to establish might, and then later provide the

evidence to block the mouths of the leisurely people, this was a
plan for the long term.

A person had died in the large workshop of the First

Workshop. The workers were filled with expectations for the
imperial envoy. The treasurers were terrified church mice.
Although the officials had ulterior motives, they did not dare
accuse Fan Xian. The situation slightly calmed down.

After another period of time, the strikes in the Second and

Third Workshops were also calmed. However, these two were
taken care of by General Ye and Dan Da, so it took extra time.
These two were not as daring as Fan Xian. They only captured
people; they did not kill them.

The treasurers in the other two Workshops were escorted by

soldiers to the large workshop. The workers were strictly kept
in each of the workshops. With the situation thus, the large
workshop appeared to immediately feel a bit crowded after 200
more blue-robed treasurers suddenly spilled in.

With the soldiers' sharp spears pointing and ows and arrows
of the Overwatch Council forcing them, the crowded group did
not dare to move an inch.

Watching this scene, the officials that had come in with Fan
Xian felt a big surprise. It was not until now that they realized
the imperial envoy had long prepared for the situation of the
last day of the three-day order and had already made
arrangements. Furthermore, he seemed to have guessed earlier
that the treasurers would react so intensely.

For now, all the trusted aids of Xinyang were disappointed. It

looked like the mess today wouldn't get any bigger, but at the
same time they were highly expectant of Fan Xian again
striking down ruthlessly. Hopefully he will offend all of the
treasurers. Then we'll see how he will explain the lowered
production and decrease in quality to the Emperor!

After the workshop quieted a little, Fan Xian rose from his
chair. The pockets of water that had been trapped in his robe
spilled onto the floor.

He looked at the treasurers squeezed into a group at the front

and saw there was a sense of rebellion in their eyes.
Furthermore, the treasurers who had been escorted from the
Second and Third Workshops looked even more proud as they
didn't know what had happened.

"Everyone's here," he smiled warmly and said. "It rained

heavily last night. The workshop's furnace was extinguished.
What about on your sides? Also, why are all the workshop
treasurers who are separated by 30, 40 li all by the yamen
today? Even if the work had to stop in the workshops because
of the rain, you should first go check your own workshops. It's
still so early. Have you already been and then come back
again?"

He kept talking without paying attention to the others. The

treasurers who had just been led in had the situation explained
to them by the treasurers who were there earlier. When they
realized what happened, their faces gradually paled.

Fan Xian shook his head and said, "This is good, I have true
evidence of your crimes of striking. Now I can go ahead and
kill people."

After master Xiao's abnormal and clean death had spread by

the word of mouth, the treasurers knew the imperial envoy
was a ruthless man who killed without batting an eye. Hearing
these light words, the treasurers broke into a clamor. Some
begged for their lives. Some began to curse. Some swivelled
their eyes around as if looking to see if there was some hole in
the workshop they could crawl out of. The group gradually
spread about, and the situation became slightly chaotic. The
military and Overwatch Council on the outside edges still kept
a close watch and forced the crowd back in.

Two people squeezed their way out of the treasurers. They

weren't bystanders. They were the master treasurers of the
Second and Third Workshops, two of the three strike leaders.

Earlier, these two masters had each in their biggest workshop

high-spiritedly ordered the treasurers and workers to go on
strike. Their words had flowed like water, a torrent of words
that were astonishingly imposing. Although the workers had
watched them dispiritedly and listlessly, the hundreds of
treasurers had been hugely moved by their words. They
thought that with the knowledge in their heads, the court
would not dare punish them severely. Of course, these two
masters severely ordered that the treasurers were to treat the
imperial envoy with all respect. They were protecting the
silver in their homes from being taken by the court, not
actually rebelling.

Unexpectedly, not long after the strike started, countless

soldiers and spies of the Overwatch Council flooded into the
workshop. Facing weapons, the words of the two masters
immediately lost any power. They obediently raised their
hands in submission and escorted to the others. Along the way
they were still confident, thinking the people would do things
within limits and that there was nothing much the imperial
envoy could do.

Unexpectedly, the imperial envoy did not act within the

limits. After standing in the group for a while, the two masters
realized that master Xiao, who had secretly planned the strike
with them, was dead.

The two masters stood outside of the crowd and looked

around the workshop. Finally, beside the furnace they found
Xiao Jing's body. That patch of blood and the head stunned
them in a flash. The two cried out mournfully, "Sir Xiao…Sir
Xiao!"

There were spears all around them, so they were unable to go

to the side of the furnace to cry out their grief. They still raised
their heads and looked at Fan Xian with extreme hatred. They
knew they wouldn't be able to escape today.

Fan Xian did not look at them. He only tilted his head
slightly to listen to Dan Da's report. Once he knew the Third
Workshop was normal, the technicians of the Third Bureau of
the Overwatch Council had completely taken over, and no one
dared to do anything during the chaos, did he relax a little. A
Tiger Guard stationed inside the manor passed by the officials
and came to stand beside Fan Xian. He leaned close to his ear
and said, "The one in the manor wants to go out for a bit."

The Third Workshop was important because it was

responsible for military technology, boats, and other harmful
goods. If secrets from there were leaked, then who knew how
many more youths the Qing Kingdom would lose on the
battlefield. Fan Xian did not dare take this responsibility. At
first, hearing Dan Da's report made him feel a bit more at peace.
After hearing the Tiger Guard's report, his forehead furrowed
again.

Haitang, disguised as a servant to come with him, could fool

the officials and many people, but it could not pull the wool
over Gao Da's eagle-like eyes. Although Fan Xian found he had
made a big mistake, there was no way to fix it. Fortunately, the
Qinian Unit kept watch in secret, and the Tiger Guards did not
release any news to the outside. This incident caused his
slightly reassured heart to start being suspicious again.
 However, now was not the time to deal with this problem.
The one the Tiger Guard referred to was Haitang. It seemed
like this village girl knew something was happening today. He
was worried she might use the opportunity to do something.

Fan Xian replied calmly, "She's not allowed out. Keep an eye
on her. Use all means necessary to keep her in the manor
today."

Seven Tiger Guards against Haitang was exactly the standard

configuration on the meadow last year, so Fan Xian was not
worried. Furthermore, once they met in battle, Haitang would
know of his determination and quiet down.

Having finished dealing with his own matters, Fan Xian

transferred his gaze anew to the room. "Have these two
troublemaking, court-resisting criminals tied up."

Soldiers had come up much earlier and tied up the two

masters. Although the faces of the treasurers were full of fear
and hatred, no one dared to help. One reason being the
violence machine up front, and another was that these
treasurers had become full with the silver they had taken these
years and truly had no courage to be fight ruthlessly. The more
money someone had, the smaller their daring. Fan Xian saw
this clearly.

"Sir Fan!"

The two masters did not resist, and numbly allowed the
soldiers to bind their hands. However, the master of the
Second Workshop still stared at Fan Xian. "If you want to kill
us, then kill us! Just how you will explain yourself to the court
in the future?"

"Are you threatening me?" Fan Xian laughed. "Earlier, while

on the road here, I once said…if Butcher Zhang is dead, then
will we have to eat pork with hair? Without you little
treasurers, do you think I won't be able to manage the palace
treasury?"

The master of the Second Workshop gave a wretched laugh.

"Is that so? It seems like we have indeed underestimated your
determination, but you seem to have also underestimated these
unassuming workshops!"
 His last words were almost shouted out. It was clear he had
lost all hope. Even if he turned into a ghost, he had the fierce
desire to see how Fan Xian was going to destroy the palace
treasury.

Fan Xian glanced at Su Wenmao, who removed another case

file from his robe. With a serious face he began to call out the
names on the paper.

"Third Zhang, Fourth Li, Eighth Wang, Ninth Long…"

As the names were read one by one, the faces of a dozen

treasurers immediately paled. They didn't know if they were
about to end up like master Xiao of the First Workshop, with
their heads and bodies in two pieces. The legs of the less daring
ones shook, and there was a large patch of wetness on their
pants.
 Su Wenmao glanced at them with disgust. He didn't
understand why the commissioner had to do it like this. He
swallowed and said with a dark expression, "You can come out.
The imperial envoy has deemed you innocent of all crimes and
will send a memorial to the court tomorrow to stand as your
guarantor."

Innocent? And he would write to the court? The named

treasurers were immediately stunned. They had originally
thought they were in hell. Who knew it was the clear springs
and 72 virgins of heaven?

Under the confused and jealous gazes of the treasurers

around them, the dozen treasurers walked in a daze out of the
crowd. Stopping in front of Fan Xian, the fell to their knees
and thanked the imperial envoy, though they did not
understand why it was like this.

Fan Xian's face was full of warmth and smiles. He raised his
hands as a gesture for them to rise. In an affected and calm
voice he said, "To be able to have the solid evidence for the
crimes of the three masters, to know of the many illegal
activities that went on in the palace treasury is all due to these
men who placed righteousness above family and were loyal to
the court. Otherwise, I would have no idea that the palace
treasury was like this and would not know that there were
people who dared to incite a strike to cause trouble. You all
have done well for your country. I will naturally treat you
fairly."

The workshop immediately burst into a clamor. These

treasurers were spies. Even the officials behind Fan Xian were
dumbfounded. The imperial envoy had only been at the palace
treasury less than three day, how could he have already
developed such a spy network? The Overwatch Council's fame
for secret agents was indeed true.

Once the other treasurers knew that the dozen colleagues Fan
Xian called out had sold them out, they couldn't help feel
sudden anger. Although they did not dare go forward and beat
them, they cursed them viciously. Obscenities flew through the
air and drilled themselves into the spies' ears.

And those traitor treasurers? They had originally loved Sir

Fan junior to death. At this moment, they hated Sir Fan junior
to death. He was right. They had secretly returned the
treasury's money and secretly said some of the things they had
overheard, but…it was nothing like what Sir Fan junior had
said. They had only heard about the matter of the strike last
night. How would they have had time to report it? As for
master Xiao and the other two masters…they had just wanted
to be beautiful wallflowers. How would they have the daring to
offend the head of the treasurers?

The treasurers the people pointed at met each other's eyes.

They wanted to cry, but found that they had no tears. Even if
Fan Xian let them go today, he had pointed out their shameless
and traitorous actions in front of everyone. How will they face
their 200-something colleagues? How will they live as people?

Third Zhang gazed at Fourth Li. Eighth Wang looked at

Ninth Long; they asked each other with sorrowful gazes, "You
are also a traitor?"

"Yes, I am also a traitor."

Fan Xian's following words shocked the workshop again.

"Hmm…these 13 treasurers have bravely uncovered the

malpractice in the palace treasury. They are a credit to the
country. I have decided, from today onward, they will be the
deputy masters of the three large workshops." Fan Xian smiled
warmly and asked the deputy by his side, "Sir Ma, what do you
think of this suggestion?"

Deputy Ma Jie was still figuring out how exactly the palace
treasury would be able to produce as normal, so his mood was
extremely gloomy. However, hearing these words, he nodded
his head in agreeance. From the depths of his heart. he felt a
great admiration for Fan Xian—this move was truly brilliant.
By clearly showing these treasurers' traitorous shamelessness,
there was no need to worry about them not submitting in the
future when they used these men as pawns to control the
treasury. This was carving a manmade chasm between the
treasurers. If today's event could be satisfactorily concluded,
then it would be difficult for the treasurers to join together
again in the future and become a stratum that could stand
against the officials.

Suddenly someone began to laugh coldly.

Everyone stared. It was coming from the Second Workshop

treasurer who was tied up and kneeling on the ground. They
saw him smile coldly and say with sorrow, "What a group of
shameless and mean people? Sir Fan, do you think you can
depend on these fellows to have the palace treasury running as
before? I am not threatening the court, but without what is
inside our heads, the palace treasury…will probably not last
more than a few days!"

After these words came out, the atmosphere became strange

again. Deputy Ma Jie wanted to lean close to Fan Xian to ask
for mercy, but he didn't know how to start.

The officials who were trusted aides of Xinyang also began to

speak to Fan Xian. On the surface, they were thinking for the
court, but in secret they were encouraging the masters.
Everything should be for the sake of the palace treasury
production. Killing master Xiao was enough for a punishment
for the other party.

How could Fan Xian listen to these words? He only stared at

the Second Workshop master and didn't say anything for a
little while.

The master of the Second Workshop could not stand the gaze
of those sharp and bright eyes, and he slowly lowered his head.
 It was at this moment that Fan Xian said in an angry voice,
"You are at death's door, yet you still dare to threaten the
court…treasurer? Rip off your underwear and put it over your
head to see whether the thing growing on your neck is a head
or an ass!"

With the imperial envoy's anger, there was not a single sound
in the workshop.

Fan Xian swept his gaze across the treasury. He spoke with
anger and disdain, "Do you really think you are worth
something? Do you still think this palace treasury belongs to
the Ye family? Without looking at your own abilities, you call
others shameless and mean people, but what about you? Other
than corruption, stealing materials to resell, taking the
workers' hard earned wages, forcefully taking other's wives,
what else can you do? Shameless? If you had shame, then we
wouldn't have today's problem!"

He turned and said to the master of the Second Workshop in

great anger, "You're tough, huh? The palace treasury can't be
without you? Then tell me, why has the glass these years
become more and more murky? Why is the liquor so weak it's
about to hatch into a bird? Perfume production has stopped for
10 years. Have you found a method to make it?"

"You were once a servant of the Ye family, old man." Fan Xian
bitterly and hatefully cursed at that master, "How could you
have fallen to this? I'm so angry!"

Everyone in the workshop paused and remembered that there

seemed to have been a rumor that the angry imperial envoy in
front of the them was the descendant of the Ye family.

"酒怎么淡的快⽣出个⻦来了"–"weak/light tasting" and "hatch" sound similar in Mandarin.

Chapter 351: Old Shopkeeper
The master kneeled on the floor. His face flushed red, then
white. Hearing the words "Ye family," he remembered the true
identity of the person in front of him. A strand of memory
hidden for many years gradually rose. He felt ashamed, angry,
and scared. The feelings of shame were easiest to understand.
After all, back then he was nothing more than a homeless
beggar on the streets. To be where he was today, it was all
because of the Ye family and what the mistress of the Ye family
taught people like him.

As for the anger and fear, it came from his natural reactions
—a kind of shame and anger after being completely stripped by
others. Remembering that the imperial envoy was a descendant
of the Ye family, he was afraid the other party already knew
everything in his brain. If so, how would he use them to
threaten him? Fan Xian had already beheaded master Xiao. Did
he think himself better than that?

"The court has treated you well," Fan Xian looked at him and
said each word clearly, "and not just you three masters. The
official salary of even normal treasurers sometimes exceeded
that of a Third-level official in Jingdou. What more did you
want?"
 A coldness flashed through his eyes. "Perhaps you think the
palace treasury depends entirely on your heads, and the annual
20 million liang of silver has blinded you and made you feel
unsatisfied? That you should fight for more?"

These words hit the heart of the matter for the treasurers.
The palace treasury's yearly production was extremely
abundant. When sold to other countries, it brought the Qing
Kingdom huge profits. Although the treasurers' benefits were
high, they still felt unsatisfied in their hearts when it was
compared that huge sum of silver. They felt that since they
earned the silver for the court, then they should be given more
of it. This was why there was corruption, abuses of law, and
exploitation of common people.

Hearing the imperial envoy say this, although the treasurers

did not dare talk back, their eyes showed a sense of agreement.

Fan Xian laughed coldly and mercilessly ripped away their

painted skin. He ridiculed them lightly, "But the question is…
the things you rely on, are they truly things from your head?"
 There was absolute silence in the workshop. Everyone,
including the officials, all admitted to this truth, until Fan
Xian said, "Don't forget, before the appearance of the Ye family,
what did you know? Did the skills you hold in your mind drop
from the sky? Was it taught to you in a temple?"

Fan Xian cursed, "Remember it well! This is what the Ye

family taught you! If it weren't for the mistress of the Ye family
back then, you would all be useless trash and kept digging in
the mud and begging! Why did the Ye family build these large
workshops? I think you have all forgotten! You want to use the
things the Ye family taught you to threaten me right to my
face? Do you want your face? Do you know shame?"

The officials behind him met each other's eyes. Although the
court had long stopped pursuing the matter of the Ye family,
and Sir Fan junior's past was also gradually known to all under
heaven, this kind of public talking about the Ye family seemed
to be breaking a taboo.

Fan Xian could not currently care about this much. On one
hand, he was angry. On the other, he wanted to use this
opportunity to right his name. In this world, regardless the
matter, it should be done in the right and proper way—the so-
called doing things for the right reasons. Today, when Fan Xian
cursed and scolded the treasurers and decapitated a person, he
did not talk about benefits. He first talked at the level of
morality. With that, he had already taken the flag. To use the
skills of the Ye family to threaten a descendant of the Ye
family…was this not biting the hand that fed you and showing
ingratitude?

The master of the Second Workshop finally fell and sobbed,

"Sir, I know I was wrong. Please give me a chance. Let me use
the skills I learned before to work for the court."

Although the master was crying and sobbing bitterly, the

sharp-eyed Fan Xian did not find any traces of tears on his face.
On the contrary, his lips were tightly pressed together. He
couldn't help laughing coldly. He knew the other party still
thought he wouldn't continue killing people and that the
things in his head were still useful.

Fan Xian lightly clapped. When the sound of his clap faded,
four elderly people, each half a century old, were escorted into
the workshop by officials of the Overwatch Council. This
elderly people were not bystanders, they were the Qingyu Hall
shopkeepers that had come through the middle plains and
Danzhou.

The officials of the Overwatch Council put out four chairs.

Fan Xian rose. His face was expressionless, but he deliberately
invited the four shopkeepers to sit with great respect.

The officials, treasurers, and workers were confused. Who

exactly where these old men who looked like a breeze could
blow them over? How could they have the right to sit on equal
ground with the imperial envoy? Although Deputy Ma Jie
didn't say anything, he was grumbling in his heart. Even I am
standing behind the imperial envoy. These commoners are very
daring.

Fan Xian's finger ran down his robe and dipped into some of
the icy cold rainwater. He spread it between his eyebrows and
gently rubbed it. He asked, "Do you recognize who these four
are?"

The Ye family had already been fallen for almost 20 years,

and the workers in the palace treasury workshops had not been
that same group for a long time. Even the treasurers had never
met the lofty 23 head shopkeepers, so they did not recognize
who these four were. Even if there were people from before,
the distance was too far and they could not see clearly.

It was the master of the Second Workshop kneeling on the

ground who raised his gaze, filled with hesitancy, and slowly
swept it over the faces of the four people. He then lowered his
head and thought for a while. Suddenly he seemed to have
remembered something. He was so frightened his legs softened;
originally in a kneeling position, he immediately fell onto his
bottom into the mud.

It had been 20 years since he had seen them. He, who had
once been a little helper of the Ye family, also had to spend a
long time before remembering who exactly was sitting in front
of him—the old shopkeepers of the Ye family.

The Second master's body began to shake. Only now did he

know why Fan Xian was so confident and fearless, why he
forced himself and these treasurers to rebel, and why he did not
care at all about the things he had in his head. He had brought
the old shopkeepers who had been under house arrest in
Jingdou with him to the palace treasury.
 Who were the old shopkeepers? They were the first students
of the mistress of the Ye family. They were also the masters of
all of the later masters and helpers of the Ye family; they were
the grand masters of these palace treasury treasurers. With this
group of old men beside him, the imperial envoy did not care
about the problem of the art skills dying out or need to worry
about the production quality of the palace treasury. To be
honest, back in the day, the palace treasury was originally built
single-handedly by these old shopkeepers. How could they not
know how to manage it?

Having thought through this point, the master's face was

filled with hopelessness, however, there was still one thread of
hope that existed deep inside his heart. He opened his mouth,
struggled and crawled desperately in Fan Xian's direction.
Sobbing he said, "Master, please ask for mercy for your
disciple!"

Everyone was startled. Even Fan Xian was a little surprised.

Of course he knew that this person was not begging mercy
from him. Following the gaze of the master, he found that he
was actually look at Seventh Ye. He couldn't help tilting his
head and curiously asking, "Seventh Ye, this was your disciple
before?"
 Seventh Ye's face was heavy. He stared at the master's face
and said in a raspy voice full of bitter resentment, "He learned
from me for a few days."

Fan Xian smiled slightly. He understood how Seventh Ye felt.

After the Ye family collapsed, the 23 old shopkeepers were
captured from various places by the court and put under house
arrest in Jingdou. As for their disciples, some died when they
resisted and some struggled at death's door. These were all
choices made by themselves when facing imminent
catastrophe. No one blamed them. However, for people like the
Second master who had climbed to a high position, his
behavior back then must have been particularly vile.

Hearing the Second master call out the word "master," the
master of the Third Workshop who had been silent this entire
time seemed to have been struck by lightning. His entire
person froze. He stared at the four old men sitting beside the
imperial envoy, completely unable to believe his own ears.

Those of the Ye family among the treasurers confirmed the

identity of the four people. Scared and surprised, some of the
people who still had old memories stepped forward. With
surprise, joy, and fear, they knelt before the four old
shopkeepers.

"Fourth Master."

"Twelfth uncle, I'm Zhuangzi."

"Greetings, shopkeeper. I was a shop assistant doing odd jobs

in the Chuzhou branch."

Although most of the treasurers had no connection to the

four shopkeepers, the family reunion was already well under
way.

Fan Xian put on a severe face and said coldly, "You can
reunite in a moment." Although his expression was not happy,
his heart felt much more secure. With the 13 traitors as deputy
masters, and these old shopkeepers' prestige still remaining,
his plans to change the palace treasury should proceed fairly
smoothly.
 Seeing each other again after 20 years, the atmosphere in the
workshop became emotional. This kind of emotil perfectly
lightened the previous nervousness. It was only the officials
who were feeling ill at ease, and some of the Xinyang figures
quietly laughing coldly. If the news of the sight before them
traveled to Jingdou, the Emperor would probably have
objections against Fan Xian.

The Second master knelt with his head on the floor and felt a
slight comfort in his heart. Looking at how things were, at
most he would suffer some punishments. In a while he would
do his utmost to acknowledge his mistakes. For the sake of the
old Ye family, the imperial envoy would probably not trouble
him further.

He slide his eyes to the side and glanced at master Xiao's body
by the opening of the furnace and felt a lingering well.
Fortunately, Xiao Jing had stuck his head out first. He also felt
some sympathy for the bastard, thinking, those who were not
connected to the Ye family surely died bluntly under the
imperial envoy's hand.

Outside of everyone's expectations, after Fan Xian had sent

back those treasurers, a shallow smile floated on his face and
he said, "Drag this man away and behead him."

"Yes, Sir."

The Second master raised his head and looked around with
confusion in his eyes. He didn't at once comprehend who else
they wanted to behead. Shouldn't things just be ending like
this?

Not until he was dragged up by the officials of the Overwatch

Council, did he then realize the imperial envoy was still going
to kill him. He had wanted to open his mouth to cry out a
grievance but found a clump of mud blocking his mouth.

They watched the Overwatch Council officials dragging the

limp master out of the workshop and saw a streak of water on
the ground. Regardless of officials or commoners, shopkeepers
or treasurers, all in the workshop became deathly silent. They
all moved their gazes to the imperial envoy sitting in the
middle.
 Fan Xian's head was slightly lowered. It was like he could not
feel the countless gazes.

From outside of the workshop came the muffled sound of a

metal tool chopping into a fleshy neck, as well as a muffled
groan.

The workshop exploded into a clamor and then abruptly sank

into deathly silence again. Everyone knew that the master of
the Second Workshop had just died.

It wasn't silent for long. The Third master, with his hands
tied behind his back, laughed self-deprecatingly. His face was
deathly pale with hopelessness, and he very consciously
walked to stand in front of Fan Xian.
 He speculated that he was completely out of luck. Since the
imperial envoy was using the excuse of suppressing the strikes,
naturally, he would not be stupid enough to open the court and
try the case; he also didn't need any evidence. He must kill the
three of them on site to establish his power. It was only in this
way the four old shopkeepers would be able to gain control of
the technical people in the palace treasury—of the three
masters two had already died, and he was the third.

Fan Xian glanced at him and slightly frowned.

The Third master gazed at him and clenched his teeth for a
while before suddenly saying, "I have chosen my own path of
death. I do not resent Sir for digging this grave for me to jump
in, but before I die, I beg that you let me ask about something."

Fan Xian's brow rose and he said, "Ask."

The Third master did not look at him, instead he turned his
head and gazed at the Ye family's twelfth shopkeeper beside
him. His lip trembled for a while before he shakily asked,
"Twelfth uncle, my master…how is he in the capital? I am not
filial. I have not shown filial respect these years."
 "You are?" Twelfth Ye blinked his slightly murky eyes and
looked at this master with suspicion.

Seventh Ye let out a breath and said from the side,

"Thirteenth's head disciple. You were the closest to Twelfth
back in the day, so he is asking you."

Twelfth Ye was greatly surprised. "Hu Jinlin? You're still

alive? We all thought you died back then." The old shopkeeper
suddenly remembered he was surrounded by court officials.
These words were not quite right, and he quickly shut his
mouth.

Hu Jinlin's face was full of shame. He lowered his head and

wouldn't speak.

Twelfth Ye sighed and said, "Back then the mistress said

living was always better than being dead. Us, old bones,
struggled at death's door. How could we blame you…only, you
ask about Thirteenth…ah." The shopkeeper shook his head and
said, "He passed a few years ago. Of the 23 of us that entered
the capital, there are only 15 left."
 Hearing that his master had passed away, Hu Jinlin forgot he
was also about to die and a great sorrow washed over his face.
Fan Xian listened quietly. There were also some strange
emotions in his heart. The old people of the Ye family had
gradually been worn away by the wind and rain. The year
when he had first entered Jingdou, there were still 17 of the 23
shopkeepers, and now, not even two years later, two more had
died.

He gazed around at the materials piled inside this workshop

and his attention drifted. If time flowed like water, when
would he be able to finally rebuild the Ye family name? When
would he be able to kill those who deserved to die and have
those who deserved to life live anew in the hearts of the people
of the Qing Kingdom?

It was only a short amount of time before he came to again.

Looking at the Third master in front of him, he sneered,
"Although I don't know if you are putting on a show or truly
still hold old emotions, I had never intended to kill you. So
don't think you are able to live because my heart is soft."

"Huh?" Hu Jinlin thought he was certain to die. After his

fellow masters' wretched deaths, he had not a strand of hope.
Suddenly hearing these words, he was too shocked to know
what to say.

Fan Xian said, without any expression, "Those who are guilty
will be beheaded, those whose crimes are small are to be
forgiven. I am not here to resolve old grudges."
Chapter 352: A Whetstone With An
Independent Consciousness
The reason Fan Xian didn't kill Hu Jinlin was simple. The
Third Workshop had always been managed by the palace
treasury with the Third Bureau of the Overwatch Council.
They were specifically responsible for the research of advanced
military technology. Furthermore, the Third Bureau of the
Overwatch Council was originally Fan Xian's brother- and
sister-disciples, and he was particularly knowledgeable about
the situation of the Third Workshop. Hu Jinlin was focused
solely on studying the blueprints left by the mistress of the Ye
family; his personality was silent and dull. Although he had
gained a substantial amount of silver through corruption, he
had never done things that Fan Xian could not forgive such as
forcefully take land or take advantage of women.

Compared to the First and Second masters, there was indeed

reason not to kill him. The most important reason was that
Fan Xian didn't want to kill.

The Third master was taken away, yet there were still many
treasurers left in the workshop. The people met each other's
gazes. The strike had started. Everyone felt anxious, but they
also had a measure of confidence. This was not the first time
the treasurers as a group had gone in opposition to the court
officials of the transport company. In the past, as long as their
demands were not excessive, things could always be resolved
peacefully. From their perspective, they only wanted to keep
the silver they gained through exploitation and forceful
extraction—a reasonable demand.

However, no one would have thought the new imperial

envoy would be so ruthless. After he pointed out the nature of
the palace treasury and invited out the four elderly Ye
shopkeepers, the treasurers knew their trump cards had lost all
effect in front of this young official. They had become a group
of chicken's waiting to see how many of them would be
beheaded.

It wasn't many. Following Su Wenmao's naming and

description of the crimes, another three treasurers were
dragged from the crowd. These three had all done many evil
deeds and had secretly colluded with Suzhou government
officials. The matters that had passed through their hands
broke countless lines of Qing law. Killing them 16 or 17 times
over was not too much.
 Fan Xian took the scroll from Su Wenmao and looked at the
treasurer in front who had wet his pants and could barely
stand steady. He furrowed his brows and said, "It is you who
has 12 concubines?"

The treasurer didn't even have the strength to nod. He was

absolutely terrified.

Fan Xian shook his head and mocked, "To have 12 concubines
only shows that you have a lot of money. There is a lot of faith
between couples in bed. However, of the 12 concubines, nine of
them were forcefully taken. This is outrageous. You stole other
people's wives and killed their husbands? Incredible,
incredible…you are even more aggressive than the most
famous playboys in Jingdou."

Although the other two treasurers had not done such

disgraceful things, there were good reasons for their death.

Fan Xian waved his hand.

 The Overwatch Council officials dragged the three out.
Following the sounds of three strikes and three wretched cries,
three lives were thus wiped out.

The Overwatch Council officials were able to kill without a

change in expression. The soldiers at the side of the workshop
could also just about manage it; however, the officials of the
palace treasury transport could not stand anymore. Their
backs were soaked with sweat. Some who smelled the blood
inside and outside of the workshop felt nauseated and wanted
to throw up.

Deputy Ma Jie was fairly calm, but the sweat on his face
began to drip down rapidly. Pitifully, he edged closer to Fan
Xian and whispered, "Sir, the palace treasury is going to open
for bidding a few days. Killing is unlucky…killing is
unlucky…"
 Ma Jie was worried that Fan Xian's vicious nature might be
activated and he would continue to kill.

Fan Xian smiled and said, "Sir Ma, don't worry. Six years ago,
my mother…when the Eldest Princess last came to the palace
treasury personally, how many treasurers did she kill?"

He extended his thumb and pinky finger. "Six. I am of the

younger generation. I will not kill more. I have already killed
five. It is enough."

Hearing the words "enough," the officials behind him relaxed

a little and the treasurers before him were overjoyed. But
regardless of who, their legs were all soft from the fright of
these five bloody heads. Only Su Wenmao was startled and
suppressed the unhappiness in his heart. He didn't say
anything.

Deputy Ma Jie furrowed his brows thinking there was more

to the imperial envoy's words. The Eldest Princess killed six, so
he only killed five…if things went wrong in the future and the
Imperial Censorate accused him of using the law unjustly and
randomly killed people, then he would have an excuse. It
seemed that although this imperial envoy was young, his
thoughts were meticulous. He could not miss this opportunity
that his cousin Ren Shao'an had painstakingly laid out for him.

Having thought through this matter satisfactorily, he

accepted Fan Xian's following orders and measures without a
thread of evasion or disagreement. Some of the officials of the
palace treasury were not happy, but since the deputy had set
the regulations, they could not object.

In Fan Xian's plans, the three masters of the three large

workshops were either dead or imprisoned. It emptied the
three most important positions, which three of the old Ye
family shopkeepers could deign to temporarily fill.
Furthermore, for the next few days, the "traitor treasurers"
who reported the crimes of their colleagues to the Overwatch
Council would take the deputy positions to make up and fill in
for the unfamiliarity of the old shopkeepers returning after 20
years.

Killing came first, and then the investigation of spies. Having

sent this order down, the entire team of treasurers could be
considered more stable. In the future, those traitor treasurers
would only have to be wary of the dissatisfaction of the
treasurers below them who would purposely pick on their
mistakes. When they worked, they would have to be
particularly careful. Once the team was established, these
deputies would also become especially vicious and carefully
watch the treasurers below them. The two sides would clash,
and the situations that Fan Xian did not wish to see would
gradually decrease.

"The three-day order still has half a day," Fan Xian said. "The
people who haven't died must bring the money back and clear
the accounts. Those who have committed a wrong, write a list
yourself…don't look at me, I know you are all literate.
Everyone can return now. Some people's workshops they
should be at are a hundred li away. Why aren't you rushing
home to get the silver and then coming back to work? Are you
just going to continue standing here like your stuck in mud?"

His voice became colder as he neared the end of this speech.

Finishing this, he left toward the large workshop under the
gazes of terrified treasurers.

The soldiers General Ye brought gradually dispersed. The

Overwatch Council officials all went back to their own places.
The spies that the Fourth Bureau had slipped in to the
workshop remained unknown. The officials all talked privately
among themselves. No one knew what they were talking about.
The workers watched a big drama. The treasurers were
particularly well-behaved and scared after being lectured by
blood and fire.

The return of the silver by the treasurers and officials went

smoothly. After Fan Xian checked everything over, he gently
raised his noble hand. As long as they didn't hide too much, he
left all of them some face. He didn't squeeze their family
fortunes dry. People became officials for money. If they were
completely scraped clean, they would be greatly preoccupied in
their hearts even though they could not do anything about it.
They would do things with laziness, and it would be
impossible to increase their productivity.

With all five fingers spread and scrabbling in the silver, the
yamen received an enormous amount of silver because of the
three-day order. Even though Fan Xian's family accumulated
wealth through the generations and he had seen many
spectacles, when he saw the number of the accounts, he still
drew in a cold breath of shock.

He felt faint regret in his heart. This matter had become

lively and impossible to hide from Jingdou. Under the eyes of
the world, the silver brought back was used to clear the debts
owed to the workers for their wages and the rest were put into
the palace treasury's special counting house. It was impossible
for him to mobilize it personally.

If he knew earlier that the greediest officials in the world

were in the palace treasury, perhaps Fan Xian would not have
made the move to clean out the treasury. Rather, he would
have directly had the swordsman of the Sixth Bureau of the
Overwatch Council be thieves. Other than things like deeds, he
could have taken the rest of the banknotes into his personal
belongings.

He was in need of silver. If he had access to this enormous

amount of silver, there would be no need to ask the North for
help. That would avoid further problems developing during
the process. Most importantly, it would allow his father to
stand outside these events and prevent him from being
implicated by the bidding matter in the future.

After the strike, Fan Xian returned to the manor and scolded
Haitang severely. Other than being coldly righteous, he
carefully analyzed the current situation and warned her that
the Qing Emperor might already know they were in the same
location. If she still dared to peek into the workshops in front
of the Tiger Guards, then he probably wouldn't be in his palace
treasury position for long. If he wasn't able to stay in the
palace treasury, how much more money would Northern Qi
have to spend every year?

Haitang felt slightly wronged. She was just bored and wanted
to go out for a bit. How did it become connected to some
cunning plot?
 Fan Xian was a suspicious person. Although he didn't
mention this matter on the surface, he still felt uncomfortable.

Fortunately, all the palace treasury matters were gradually

getting onto the right track in only a few days. It had to be said
that the sight of Fan Xian coldly killing people during the
strike deeply shocked everyone. The old shopkeepers' re-
emergence and Fan Xian's clever arrangements all had a great
effect.

The workers received the wages they had worked many years
for, and the girls who had been forcefully taken were returned
to their own homes. There was a joyous atmosphere that rose
from the ground.

In the midst of the joy, there were some inharmonious notes.

Although Fan Xian was detailed and had guessed some of this
earlier, and thus had used the power of the government to
suppress these wretched stories from happening, the story of
the Qing people themselves and household affairs were
complicated. The commoners found those women
objectionable and forcefully said that they were used to having
a good life with the treasurers and not used to a sudden change
in situation.
 The treasurers were not lewd demons of the night, and so
there were not many cases of forcefully taking a concubine.
However, even if there were very few cases, matters that
involved men and women created a bad image in the public.
Fan Xian thought hard about this matter but could not come
up with any good ideas. Even an honest and upright official
found it difficult to resolve family disputes. There was little he
could do, so he could only put the matter aside.

However, this was an interlude. By and large the new

manager of the palace treasury transport had already
established his power. In the heart of the tens of thousands of
low-level workers, Fan Xian's image as an upright and
plainspoken, uncorrupted, and brilliant man was solidly cast.
Now he did not need the help of the Eighth Bureau. With his
literary and martial name smoothly made, Fan Xian had long
become familiar to such methods.

The palace treasury gradually became quiet.

Although the strike had ended, Fan Xian's plan had only just
began. Striking the snake to startle the snake, one half of the
two-headed snake had been ruthlessly killed by him, and the
other half would start moving now that it was injured.
 "Is there news from Zi Yue?" Fan Xian asked casually as he sat
in the chair and read reports from the Council with narrowed
eyes.

Su Wenmao replied, "It won't be this fast. As per your orders,

even if those Xinyang officials sent the news out, this back and
forth will take at least a few months."

Fan Xian sighed. "The Imperial Censorates in the court are so

slow to deal with matters."

Su Wenmao gave a pained smiled. He wondered how there

could be such a fierce character like the commissioner who
waited for the Imperial Censorate to report him. But, he had
strong backing, so he was able to sit as calm as a mountain.

"We can't wait anymore. Seize those people tomorrow." Fan

Xian said.

The opponents in these words were the trusted aides that

Xinyang had left in the palace treasury. At the beginning of the
three-day order, they secretly provoked the treasurers'
emotions and provoked the people to oppose Fan Xian. After
Fan Xian had demonstrated his blood methods, these officials
were as happy as if they had eaten honeyed dates. Through the
night they found a way to send out a memorial toward
Jingdou, reporting to the officials of the Eldest Princess.

Fan Xian allowed the treasurers to communicate as they

wanted during the three-day order. The final strike situation
was for the purpose of having the pustule in the palace
treasury grow in order to see clearly who was causing the
trouble. Before and after the event, the spies of the Overwatch
Council kept an alert watch on the officials within the
transport company. These people had no way of escaping the
news that Fan Xian had spread out.

"Make the move." Fan Xian smiled bitterly. "We are all about
to leave; we can't leave them here to eat porridge."

Su Wenmao acknowledged the order and asked with

confusion, "Sir, why didn't we seal the matter more tightly at
the beginning? After all, this time it caused a strike. If this is
discussed in Jingdou in court and Xinyang does some
meddling, your days may…not be easy to pass."
 Fan Xian fell silent. His fingers gently tapped on the armrests
of his chair. This was a common expression when he was
thinking. He eventually decided to tell his confidant more, so
he raised his head to explain. "The palace treasury is split into
two parts. The workshops are the foundation, and the sale of
the exports are the hands and legs. If I want to chop off the
hands and legs, naturally, I have to first consolidate the
foundation. Furthermore, I am not used to planning situations
that take a long time, so that is why I chose to force the people
of the palace treasury to act excessively first. Thus, I will be
able to strike heavily and have an excuse to chase out the
Xinyang officials."

Su Wenmao nodded, although he was thinking that it did not

answer his earlier question. Seeing the commissioner's
expression, he knew that Fan Xian had his reasons and listened
patiently.

"I had to force the enemies in the palace treasury to make a

move." Fan Xian smiled slightly. "Does not the Eldest Princess
often wait for me to force her? Given her eyes in court and the
Royal Palace, how could she not know that I brought the old
shopkeepers with me? Yet, she never told this matter to her
officials in the palace treasury. It is clear that she didn't want
those officials to know my bottom line and be too afraid to…
bravely stand out. Think about it. If everyone knew the old
shopkeepers were with us, the strike this time would not have
happened."

"Naturally, it would not have happened." Su Wenmao

furrowed his brows and said, "If they knew that you had the
Qingyu Hall elders with you, then those treasurers' trump card
would fail and they would not have the daring to criticize. But
the question is m…why would the Eldest Princess hold back
this information and wait for the palace treasury officials to
connect in secret, thus giving you a great opportunity to
establish your power? If she had made everything clear, then
the treasurers would have been much better behaved. Those
Xinyang officials would have calmed down and not allowed us
to find any excuses."

Fan Xian shook his head and sighed. "The Eldest Princess
stands higher than all the others. You are right. It appears that
she has given me an opportunity to establish my power and has
even allowed me to intimidate the officials in the palace
treasury. However, in the method of dealing with this matter, I
had to borrow more people and power from the old Ye family. I
must kill to establish myself, so my methods appear more
aggressive and ruthless."
 He continued to explain, "On my first trip in to the palace
treasury I have killed five treasurers. Once this gets to Jingdou,
the court will certainly not think well of me. As for using the
old shopkeepers to control the palace treasury, this more
touches on the taboos of some people in the Royal Palace. The
Eldest Princess has kept the lid on this pot of porridge. When it
has come to a rolling boil, it appears that she is allowing me to
eat it, but in reality she has the intention of burning my
mouth."

Su Wenmao worriedly said, "It is as you say, when you were

dealing with strike that day, your words seemed to touch on
some taboos."

Fan Xian smiled and didn't say anything.

Su Wenmao's face was heavy. "After the news of waiting for

the strike, killing, and the old shopkeepers have traveled back
to Jingdou, no matter what the court will berate you. Speaking
on the lighter side, your actions are impulsive and careless,
not…"
 He abruptly stopped. Fan Xian smiled and continued, "Not to
be used for important matters? Speaking on the heavier side,
they could secretly accuse me of having wayward intentions
and remembering the past days of the Ye family, and so on so
forth."

Su Wenmao was shocked. He understood what

Commissioner Fan's biggest taboo in life was. He couldn't help
sucking in a cold breath. It was at this moment that he finally
felt the power of the Eldest Princess' method. The other party
did not do anything. She only quietly kept Fan Xian's secret
that the old shopkeepers were going south and was thus able to
place Sir at the opening of a dangerous volcano.

"Since Sir knew clearly her plan…then you should have

brought out the old shopkeepers at the first opportunity. Their
actions would have been more careful." He gathered his
courage and admonished Fan Xian.

Fan Xian shook his head and said, "The Eldest Princess
calculated that I had to allow the conflict to escalate, so as to
be able to take control of the palace treasury as quickly as
possible. As for the rest of the waves, I can't care about that for
now. Thus on this point, even if she was watching coldly from
Jingdou, I had to do it."

He laughed coldly. "As for me digging out her trusted officials

in the palace treasury…I'm sure she knows clearly that with
the help of the Overwatch Council, these people won't be of
any use for the next few years. On the contrary, they will only
bring her trouble that she does not want. Since they are
already useless people, then why should she care about their
life or death? They are only a few abandoned pieces to bring
me some trouble before their death, and that is all. No matter
what she does, she will not be able to stop me taking complete
control. The Eldest Princess obviously wished to see some
trouble as I took over and bring me some hidden worries for
the future."

The so-called hidden worries in his words was, naturally, the

understanding the nobility in the Palace had of Fan Xian, this
may cause undergo some slight changes because of the palace
treasury matter. Who knew whether or not the coldness Fan
Xian showed when dealing with the palace treasury would
touch on that sensitive nerve of the empress dowager's, would
it remind the empress and the Crown Prince in the Eastern
Palace of the Ye family back in the day?
 Thinking of this things was like a venomous snake eating at
one's spirit. Before Fan Xian had enough strength to defeat
them, perhaps they would have raised their alertness. The
empress dowager, the Eldest Princess, and the empress of this
group of back palace women, and the Crown Prince and Second
Prince were like a pair of loving but quarrelsome couple. If
they joined together again because of Fan Xian's existence, or if
the Emperor was to develop some kind of suspicion against Fan
Xian, then it would be time for the Eldest Princess to laugh and
Fan Xian to cry.

In this matter of the palace treasury, because he had the

shopkeepers in hand and thus the world, the Eldest Princess
had to accept this reality. She only wanted to derive some kind
of benefit from it.

"What do we do now?"

Fan Xian lowered his head and said without emotion,

"Nothing. In the director's words, the Eldest Princess' gaze
remains limited to one palace. If the Imperial Censorate really
accused me this time, she would probably only suffer a loss."
 Su Wenmao looked at him and found it difficult to
understand.

Fan Xian raised his head and a confident smile rose to his
face. "Since the Emperor has given the old shopkeepers to me,
that means for a short period of time he believes in my loyalty.
My trip to Jiangnan to take over the palace treasury is a loss of
face for the Eldest Princess. If she maintains her silence at this
time, then everything is fine. If I have any trouble when taking
over the palace treasury and the officials in Jingdou rise as a
group to attack me, the Emperor can't help but feel a little
suspicious. As for the problem of the old Ye family, on the
contrary, it will not affect me to any large degree."

Fan Xian smiled and continued, "I want to quickly cook this
pot of porridge that is the palace treasury. The Eldest Princess
likes for me to use an aggressive flame, and I hope she will
secretly help me us an aggressive flame. Although my actions
in the palace treasury are impudent with much to be suspicious
about, I have not purposely try to hide it. The Emperor will
believe in my sincerity. However, although the Eldest Princess
stands to the side with a cold gaze, she acts out her trickery
without permission. This is the so-called insincerity."
 He finally explained, "Any move for power, at the end stage,
depends only on the Emperor's mood and intimacy, and I have
always been open and honest."

Who knew if this line was to convince Su Wenmao or to

deceive himself? In this battle, Fan Xian knew with certainty
the son-in-law must obtain the victory. As a son, he must also
obtain victory.

After the Emperor had established the Second Prince as an

enemy against the Crown Prince, he has successfully
established Fan Xian has the valiant whetstone.

The Eldest Princess could only see Fan Xian growing stronger
and more insubordinate, putting the two princes, empress
dowager, and empress in the back palace under pressure. She
did not see that this kind of pressure was secretly nurtured by
the Emperor of the Qing Kingdom himself. This was the line
that Fan Xian had borrowed from Chen Pingping to say earlier:
the Eldest Princess' gaze remained limited.

It was not the limitations of history, but the limitations of a

seat. After all, she did not sit on the dragon chair with kings
under her eye.
Chapter 353: Some Things Can Be Done
But Not Said
By mid-March, spring had long since swept across the world.
Regardless of whether it was Shangjing in the North or Jingdou
in the South, they were all enveloped by a flourishing scene. In
Jiangnan, the crystal-clear waters undulated, the green
mountains shadowed each other, and the willows along the
river pushed out their tender new branches. They all fully
embodied the word "vitality."

The palace treasury was southwest of Jiangnan Road, and it

could not escape the blessings of nature. In only a few days, up
and down the river and outside of the workshops, shoots of
green grass began to slowly grow. Light pink flowers adorned
the slightly dry and dusty yamen and workshop. It greatly
lessened the harsh and cold atmosphere.

Amidst the peace and harmony, officials going to the yamen

to receive their assignments had faces full of smiles and raised
their hands in greeting. Now that the bloody rains had passed,
the imperial envoy was going back to Suzhou to host the spring
opening bidding. The mood of officials was relaxed.
 Opening the court to discuss matters, Fan Xian sat in the
center seat and spoke briefly about arrangements for the
coming days. However, there were no trusted aides at his and
much of what he said was quite standard. For example, other
than reviewing the articles of the Qing law in making
arrangements for various workshops, the special regulations
the court had revised for the palace treasury couldn't be
violated.

No matter whether it was wages or officials' salaries, they

had to be passed down promptly. The day-to-day maintenance
of law and order and defensive work also needed to be done
more vigilantly. The officials agreed to whatever the imperial
envoy said. With the vision of five headless bodies from before,
no one was stupid enough to clash with him face to face.

Fan Xian arranged for Su Wenmao to remain behind, except

he did not have a position in the transport company. Fan Xian
temporarily shifted his jurisdiction into the Fourth Bureau.
Together with Dan Da, they led the Overwatch Council spies in
the palace treasury.

The officials knew that after Fan Xian finished hosting the
spring opening of the palace treasury in Suzhou, he would
make his home in Hangzhou. This was a practice established
many years ago so the transport company manager did not live
in the palace treasury. Thus, Su Wenmao who remained in the
palace treasury, essentially became the representative of the
imperial envoy. The officials dared not be irreverent, so they
quickly stood and greeted Su Wenmao.

As the greetings were exchanged, Fan Xian furrowed his

brows. He quietly said to Deputy Ma Jie beside him, "The
matter we talked about last night; I am about to do it."

This was a superfluous show of respect toward the deputy,

however, Ma Jie's face looked pained as he shook his head.

Sitting on Fan Xian's right hand, a strange light flashed

through General Ue's eyes. He didn't know what the imperial
envoy was up to. He hadn't been informed him, but his
questions were quickly answered.

Smiling insincerely, Su Wenmao walked to the front of the

hall. He raised his hands in greeting. "Today, we have made
certain acts undertaken by some palace treasury officials
illegal…those who mobilized treasurers to cause trouble and
rocked the foundations of the palace treasury. Apologies to all
for the offence."

Following the apology, seven or eight Overwatch Officials

came in from the side of the yamen and openly and rudely
asked a few of the seated officials to leave their seats, then
rudely removed their official's hat.

These officials became angry. As they refused, they berated,

"You are too daring!"

The other officials who it wasn't aimed at relaxed a little, but

they knew the methods of the Overwatch Council. In front of
the Overwatch Council, the Qing Court civil ministers were in
a natural alliance. They quickly stood up and asked Fan Xian,
"Sir, what is this for?"

In reality, none of them were stupid; they knew. The officials

who had their official's hat removed by order of Fan Xian were
all trusted aides the Eldest Princess had planted in the palace
treasury. The imperial envoy's action was nothing more than
uprooting the previous person and replanting his own
seedlings. This still concerned the officials. To aggressively
take people in the yamen left the officials nowhere to hang
their face. It was understandable they had to argue a bit with
Fan Xian.

Fan Xian glanced at the officials and said warmly, "There is

no need to be suspicious, and there is no need to ask for mercy.
I will definitely be taking down these officials."

To his right sat General Ye, who had an unpleasant

expression. He glanced at Deputy Ma Jie beside him and saw
that although he was hiding the awkwardness with difficulty,
there was no expression of surprise in his eyes. He had
probably been notified by Fan Xian last night. General Ye's
mood became gloomy. He said in a muffled voice, "Sir, these
officials had worked the transport company for a long time and
dedicated themselves selflessly to public duties. To just take
them like this, perhaps…it will be difficult to explain."

Fan Xian glanced at him, and then smiled and said,

"Dedicated themselves selflessly to public duties? I'm afraid
that likely is not the case."
 General Ye's expression was slightly heavy. "Even if they have
occasionally acted inappropriately, you gave out the three-day
order and these men followed and done as ordered. You said
clearly that no one would be punished, so they should not be
punished."

Fan Xian lowered his head. He knew why General Ye and the
other officials had jumped out to oppose him today. The reason
was actually quite simple. When he suppressed the strike, the
general knew that he could not hold back his methods and the
hat he used to suppress him was sufficiently large. The court
could not afford to have the palace treasury not working for a
day. However, taking down the officials today touched on a
sensitive line. They were scared that the dual positioned
Overwatch Council commissioner and imperial envoy would
use this as an excuse to weave a large net and overturn the
entire transport company.

For General Ye, his family had already been forced heavily.
Adding to the fact was Ye Ling'er's relationship to the Second
Prince, so they were already faint signs of them leaning that
way. Although General Ye had never received any secret
messages from the Ye family in Dingzhou, he knew that Fan
Xian was capturing people today to dig out the Eldest Princess'
trusted aides in the palace treasury. He instinctively wanted to
keep something for the Eldest Princess. In case Fan Xian
expanded his power in the palace treasury, General Ye was
worried that his future would not be a smooth one.

Fan Xian did not explain anything. He simply took out a

scroll from his robes and handed it to General Ye.

General Ye was surprised and accepted the scroll. He spread it

open. His expression gradually darkened as he read it. On the
scroll was listed all the shameful and illegal wrongdoings of
the officials being captured. The crimes were not focused on
the so-called bribery matter, rather they zeroed in on the
inglorious roles these officials played on the jianghu. All of the
evidence, even the confessions of the traitorous treasurers,
were clear. It listed which official spoke at which time to which
treasurers and what was said. The places and names were all
written clearly. The strike description was extremely accurate,
and it was truly a superior move by the Overwatch Council.

Looking at the lines of evidence, the general began to develop

a chill in his heart. This imperial envoy had only been in the
palace treasury a few days, so how could he have investigated
all of the secrets of the transport company so clearly?
Furthermore, how could the people of the Overwatch Council
know so clearly the conversations between Xinyang's trusted
aides and the treasurers? Was it to say that there were
Overwatch Council spies within the palace treasury itself?
Thinking of this, General Ye remembered the rumors of the
Overwatch Council terrors—spies described as night vipers
who found their way in through any crevasse. Involuntarily he
began to worry about himself and his own manor. Would there
be Overwatch Council spies in there?

As a general in charge of the palace treasury defenses, he was

not particularly afraid of the Overwatch Council. First of all,
he was a Third-level official, and the Overwatch Council did
not have the power to investigate him without applying for an
edict. Second, as a member of the military, he was not part of
any faction. Looking at the power of the Qing Kingdom army,
the Overwatch Council had to give him some face. In terms of
the jianghu, General Ye speculated that his performance was
decent. Today truly involved the matter of the Eldest Princess'
face as well as the matter of the princes in Jingdou. He resisted
the unease in his heart and stood up. He saluted Fan Xian and
said sincerely, "Sir, this…"

After all, he had the identity of a leader and wasn't sure how
to organize the words to ask for mercy. Fan Xian smiled and
look at him. He shook his head and said, "There is no need to
ask for mercy."
 General Ye was terrified that Dingzhou had not sent any
messages. He did not know which side to stand on, thus he
sunk himself into a position between a rock and a hard place.
However, Fan Xian moved first, so he gritted his teeth and
gathered up his courage to speak. "But Sir, these people are all
officials of the transport company. Are you taking them in as
the manager of the transport company or as the commissioner
of the Overwatch Council?"

He lowered his voice and said, "Sir, even as an imperial envoy

and all the evidence is present, if the case is to be tried, the
court still needs a few days to open. This…the palace treasury
is about to open."

Fan Xian glanced at him and was slightly surprised by his

daring. He thought about it and understood. If he wanted to
take in these officials, the identity under which he did so was
important. If he used the identity of the Overwatch Council
commissioner to investigate the case, then it could incite
discussions in court once it got back to Jingdou. The court
elders would likely think he was targeting the Eldest Princess
and so on. If he used the manager of the transport company
identity or that of the imperial envoy, he didn't have the time
to drag it out.
 But, who was Fan Xian? Why would he care about the
discussions in Jingdou? He smiled and said, "General Ye, don't
worry too much. I have always believed in the Qing law and
would not do things carelessly. Today, I am taking in this
officials. For the sake of being fair, I will not try these officials
myself."

General Ye was startled and thought\: As long as it is not you

personally trying the case, no matter who tries will always
look at which way Jingdou leans. Having received Fan Xian's
promise, he now had an explanation for Jingdou, so he
mumbled and retreated. He was only curious about why Fan
Xian was not trying the case personally. Was he going to shut
these officials in the palace treasury? They couldn't always be
kept shut away. The court would eventually send out an
inquiry.

"I will bring them with me," Fan Xian said. "The palace
treasury also belongs to the court, although they rarely
interact with court officials, by the regulations they are
governed by Jiangnan Road."

He gazed at the uneasy faces of the officials and said

comfortingly, "I know what you are all worried about. Please
be assured, I am not one to hold a grudge and seek revenge.
Just as I said to General Ye earlier, for the purpose of being fair,
I will not personally try these people, instead I will hand them
over to the Suzhou governor."

He smiled slightly. "With Sir Xue trying the case, I trust that
you will no longer have any suspicions." He looked at the
trusted aides of the Eldest Princess still standing opposite the
Overwatch Council officials. A thread of anger flashed by the
corner of his mouth. "When did capturing people become a
game of eagle catching chicks?"

Su Wenmao's face flushed slightly as he glared viciously at

his subordinates. The Overwatch Council official felt shame in
their hearts. They went forward. A few circle kicks later, they
had palace treasury officials who cried their grievances to the
heavens and would not submit kneeling on the ground, so they
tied them up securely.

The officials in the hall couldn't resist shaking their heads.

They had wanted to urge the imperial envoy to leave some face
for the officials, but remembering Fan Xian's earlier warmth
then graveness, they were frozen by his warm coolness and
temperamental attitude. They didn't dare ask for mercy. As a
subordinate, they were not afraid of a strict superior but of a
temperamental one who could randomly pull out the knife
again.

Thus ended Fan Xian's last court opening in the palace

treasury. After the hall was dismissed, he kept Deputy Ma Jie
back. The two of them walked in the back garden of the manor.
On one hand was the air of the approaching spring, on the
other they talked about matters more reminiscent of an austere
autumn.

"Don't blame me for striking so hard," Fan Xian said as he

rubbed the slightly dry corners of his eyes. "Since they dared to
meddle when I just assumed my post, don't blame me for
taking off their official's hats."

Ma Jie gave a bitter smile. Although in name he was Fan

Xian's deputy, and their levels appeared similar, he knew that
in reality the young master in front of him held power that was
shocking and even more terrifying than that of the princes.
When Fan Xian discussed cleaning out the Eldest Princess'
trusted aides, although he expressed a little worry and tried to
absolve them a little, he did disagree to Fan Xian's face.
 Fan Xian once again asked him, alone, to stay behind and had
said such honest words to him. Ma Jie knew that the other
party was preparing to nurture him as his trusted aide. He was
secretly happy, but also a little worried. After all, no one knew
who would win between this young master and the Jingdou
elders.

The court officials were very sensitive about who the dragon
chair would belong to. Although it seemed, at the moment,
that it would be inherited by the Crown Prince, the Emperor's
behavior the past two years had been overly strange. No one
dared to believe it completely. If the Second Prince were to
inherit…everyone knew Commissioner Fan and the Second
Prince did not get along. If Ma Jie set his heart on following
Fan Xian, he would certainly not have a good ending if the
Second Prince inherited the throne.

This was what Ma Jie continuously had misgivings about.

He was clear that although one needed to ingratiate oneself
with all sides, on matters of vital importance, the most
tabooed thing to do was to stand to the side as an opportunist.
Today was the last day before Fan Xian left the palace treasury,
and he was again talking with him. It was because Fan Xian
wanted him to make his stance clear.
 Ma Jie had thought about it all night last night and was not
panicked. Calmly he said, "What Sir is discussing is what I was
going to ask. I will immediately write two documents
concerning this matter. One will be delivered down to the
palace secretary, and one will be sent by a fast horse to the
Governor's manor in Suzhou. Please…be reassured."

Hearing these words, Fan Xian knew that Ma Jie understood

that he had bound himself to Fan Xian. The fact that he did not
hesitate to send out these two documents to help Fan Xian
shoulder the criticisms he might receive, and, furthermore, he
was using this opportunity to make clear his stance to others in
the officialdom…he had made up his mind. He looked at Ma Jie
warmly and said, "Sir Ma has been considerate."

Ma Jie smiled slightly and replied, "As the deputy of the

palace treasury, I should have investigated by subordinates. To
let them cause such trouble this time is already an oversight on
my part."

Fan Xian smiled. He hesitated briefly and then asked, "I

wonder if you think my solution today was appropriate?"
 Ma Jie thought about it for a bit then respectfully replied,
"Sir has planned far ahead, and it is a good plan. Officials
cannot be compared to treasurers; they cannot be casually
killed or punished. If the case was tried at the transport
company court, it would, for one, drag out the time too long,
and, second, easily attract discussion by others. You are taking
these criminal officials to Suzhou tomorrow and handing them
to the governor to try. The governor is a pillar of the country;
his official reputation is powerful, and he is well admired. He
is sure to be able to try the case clearly on behalf of the court
and give the Emperor an excellent explanation."

Fan Xian quietly gave his approval in his heart. This deputy
had indeed guessed his intentions perfectly. Fan Xian was going
to clean out Xinyang's trusted aides from the palace treasury.
Although the matter on the jianghu this time had given him a
good excuse, if he did everything himself, it would not be
appropriate. When it involved the Eldest Princess, the princess,
and Palace nobility, throwing this hot potato to a super official
was a clever idea. The Jiangnan Governor already had
jurisdiction over this matter. Plus, although Xue Qing would
curse him a little in secret, as the border region minister, his
position was not the same. He would not be afraid of the Eldest
Princess far away in Jingdou, rather he would be more
concerned with Fan Xian who was deep in Jiangnan territory.
Weighing the two sides, Xue Qing should be clear on what to
do.
 "Before I came, Shao'an had mentioned to me a cousin who
was talented at governance. Through our interactions these
days, it is clear that Shao'an had not been boasting." Fan Xian
smiled and changed the topic. He began to use Ren Shao'an
again, a middle-man, to pull them closer together.

Ma Jie smiled and said, "Two years ago you entered the
capital and became friends with Shao'an on sight. When
Shao'an sent letters, he would often mention your talents and
glory, and that you were sure to be an official who could rectify
the world."

The manager and deputy talked happily, each praising and

currying favor with the other. They also verbally agreed to
regulations for the palace treasury. After this, they both raised
their hands in a salute and left.

Seeing him to the door of the garden, Fan Xian watched as

Ma Jie slightly bent in a bow. Fan Xian blinked. I seemed there
were indeed plenty of incredible people in the court.
Unfortunately they lacked much of an Emperor's favor from a
previous generation, so they did not have many opportunities
to demonstrate it. Now that today's matter was set, the palace
treasury no longer had major problems. He felt himself relax.
The job of stuffing his own trusted aides into the transport
company would gradually expand in the middle of the year.
Having obtained Ma Jie's help, this matter would go along
smoothly.

Fan Xian was only a bit confused as to exactly what made Ma

Jie choose him rather than a legitimate prince. This certainly
was not something his close relationship with Ren Shao'an of
the Taichang Temple could sway.

In reality, the reason Ma Jie capitulated was simple: it was

because of the relationship between the Third Prince and Fan
Xian that had him putting down a huge bet concerning his
future road as an official and the prosperity and decline of his
family. He put all his silver all on the small odds.

Fan Xian appeared to be abnormally busy. Seventh Ye was the

leader of the four shopkeepers who had come with Fan Xian
south this time, and he was already the director of the Qingyu
Hall. These years he had been helping the Fan manor
accumulate wealth. He got along well with Fan Sizhe and was
familiar with Fan Xian. Thus some of the things Fan Xian did
not dare to ask the other shopkeepers, in front of him, Fan
Xian was able to speak straightforwardly.

One elder and one youth stood closely together and talked in
secret. It was nothing more than problems concerning future
management and production of the palace treasury. Fan Xian
knew that he was a laymen when it came to production
management, chemistry, and physics, so he had delegated
powers relating to these down to Seventh Ye. There was not
much good to say about him, but he did use people without
suspicion. He did so now in the palace treasury and in the past
in Jingdou. If it involved the making of a covert plot, it was all
up to young master Yan in the Fourth Bureau to handle. Fan
Xian absolutely trusted the other party's professional ability
and would not idiotically make suggestions and order things
about.

After confirming these matters, Fan Xian felt reassured. Back

in the day, the Ye family was successful. Now under the control
of the shopkeepers, they would certainly be able to gradually
turn around the problems around production quality and
quantity that arose from the palace treasury being poorly
operated. As long as they could make more silver, it would be a
preliminary justification for the Emperor. This was a matter
Fan Xian was particularly interested.

"The problem of delayed and owed wages cannot happen

again." Fan Xian furrowed his brows and sighed. "You will have
to keep an eye on the standard quality of the goods."

Seventh Ye glanced at him and was confused as to why the

commissioner always brought up the matter of the wages. He
could not figure out the reason. As the spring sunlight filled the
garden, the old shopkeeper looked at Fan Xian's handsome
appearance and became a little absent-minded. Although the
young master did not look much like the mistress, they were
both the most elegant of people. Now that the young master
had finally gotten hold of the Ye property, even if he only
managed it, the old shopkeeper still felt a difficult-to-contain
sorrow and couldn't stop sighing in his heart—although he hid
it well from his face. He had to hide it because the nearly 20
years of his life he had been under house arrest in Jingdou had
made it clear to these old shopkeepers that some things could
only be done or said. If any signs were revealed, they would
bring unnecessary trouble for the young master.
 "I had originally planned to invite you to go to Northern Qi
to help second brother…" Fan Xian had not noticed the
thoughts in Seventh Ye's heart. "I didn't expect those eunuchs
to be following the entire time. The Palace is watching closely,
so I could only have you come to the palace treasury."

Seventh Ye smiled slightly and said, "For your sake, the

eunuchs have treated us very warmly up to now. The Second
young master is a natural merchant, so there is no need for you
to worry. As for the palace treasury…you should know, I very
much wanted to come and have a look."

Fan Xian sank into silence and said after a moment, "Su
Wenmao is here. If you elders are uncomfortable or if anyone
dares to raise their eyebrows at you, just speak to him. I have
left instructions. Since you have left the capital, there is no
need for you to suffer other's sullen anger."

Seventh Ye felt moved but did not say anything.

A gust of wind blew by. The tender green leaves on the trees
in the garden had not yet grown securely and was blown off by
the wind. Fan Xian made a soft sound and smoothly scooped it
into his hand. Looking at the place of the new break, his brows
furrowed for a long time.

After a long while, he quietly and faintly asked, "Can the

crafts…be written down?"

Seventh Ye's body trembled slightly. A moment later he shook

his head. "It is an inflexible rule. It cannot be formed into
words, only passed on verbally."

Fan Xian said, "The blueprints cannot be verbally passed

down."

Seventh Ye shook his head. "Before it was guarded closely,

now we don't even know where they are anymore."

Fan Xian thought about it for a while and then a faint smile
floated onto his face. "In a few months, come to Hangzhou to
tell me about it. My memory is very good."
Chapter 354: Road Of Spring
The four-wheeled carriage rolled across the newly grown
grass on the official road. When it hit against the gaps in the
rocks, it made a squeaking noise that harmonized with the
sounds from the reed between the pivots of the carriage. It was
as cheerful as if it were singing.

The road out of the palace treasury was one filled with joyful
scenes. Little birds swept at startling speeds through the woods
near the rice paddies in the distance, green seedlings shyly
showed off their long figures, and the wild grass in the rice
paddies beside them did not disdain to look at them. There was
a continuous line of carriages on the road and goods ships went
to and fro along the river taking the goods of the palace
treasury out through various routes to sell to all. It was a
lively scene.

Soldiers cleared the way for a group of carriages, so they

passed easily through the innermost inspection lane.
Originally, the goods carriage on the official road did not dare
fight for road space with the group of carriages and
unconsciously slowed down, however someone in the group of
carriages seemed to have noticed that there were too many
goods leaving the palace treasury today and that was the
reason the traffic was so busy. The person then gave an order
for their group of carriages to stop at a patch of grass beside the
road and unexpectedly allowed the goods carriages to pass
through first.

In the second to last carriage were the pitiful palace treasury

transport company officials who had been stripped of their
official's hats and robes. These officials were the Eldest
Princess' trusted aides who had been put into the palace
treasury. Although they had expected their lives to be more
difficult once Commissioner Fan took over, they had not
expected Fan Xian to not leave any face for the officials or his
mother-in-law. He straightforwardly had them captured for
matters related to the jianghu. Only now did the officials
realize they had fallen into Fan Xian's trap. They felt panicked.

However, Fan Xian did not immediately open the court and
try the case. These officials had friends and family. They found
out last night in prison that Fan Xian was going to take them to
Suzhou to have the governor of Jiangnan Road, Xue Qing,
personally hear their case. Hearing this news, the officials'
mood became a little bit better. As long as they were not facing
the tiger's bench and pepper spray of the Overwatch Council,
how could this case be so easily decided? Even if the
Overwatch Council held the confessions of the traitorous
treasurers and they denied all charges in Suzhou, Sir Xue Qing
would have to give the Eldest Princess some face. As long as
they could drag it out until pressure from Jingdou arrived, Fan
Xian would not have the time for them and would probably pay
no more attention to them.

"Why are you having Xue Qing try the case?" Haitang half
leaned on the side of the window and slightly furrowed her
brows.

Fan Xian lowered his head and said, "I am not suitable for
doing this."

Haitang hmm'ed slightly and didn't continue to speak. Ever

since the day of the strike, the atmosphere between the two of
them had become a little strange. The trust they had in each
other seemed to have weakened. They treated each other with
respect, but there was now distance between them. After the
incident, Haitang thought it over and understood something.
She knew that her request to explore that day had indeed put
Fan Xian in a difficult position, however, in the following days
Fan Xian was always purposely lighthearted and she didn't find
a good time to speak up and explain. After all, no matter what
was said, as the female sage of Northern Qi, Haitang's position
was special. Fan Xian's pride also triggered her pride.
 Thus, the two of them maintained this awkward question
and answer.

"I want to confirm one more time, has the silver arrived in
the account?" Fan Xian furrowed his brows and asked.

A faint smile rose to Haitang's face as if mocking Fan Xian's

concern for his personal loss and gains. She quietly replied, "I
already told you last time in Suzhou, why are you so worried?
Perhaps you don't trust me anymore?"

Fan Xian suddenly felt that the atmosphere in the car was
somewhat oppressive. He said some words to Sisi beside him in
a low voice and then raised the curtain to get off the carriage.

Sisi slightly tilted her head and looked at Haitang with

curiosity. She didn't know how this girl, whose name rang out
everywhere under heaven, had offended the young master. She
saw clearly these few days that although the young master and
Haitang did not have any romantic relations, their initial
behavior was that of old friends who had known each other for
years. They were a bit strange recently.
 Haitang was confused by Sisi's gaze and suddenly
smiled."What are you looking at?"

Sisi replied grumpily, "Is it only you who can look at me, but
I can't look at you?"

Haitang smiled and shook her head. Out of habit, she tucked
her hands into her waist and to find it empty. Recently she had
been wearing the clothes of a serving girl rather than the
flowery jacket she was used to. There were not two big pockets
in front.

She gazed at Sisi and teased, "I'm looking at you to see what a
girl that Fan Xian likes looks like."

This was an honest reply. Haitang never understood how Fan

Xian could always stay calm in front of Si Lili and purposely
maintained his distance, even though her friend was clearly
the most beautiful girl in the world. Even after that one
demented night, he did not have any lingering feelings for Lili.
They had been in Jiangnan a dozens of days now and Fan Xian
had not even asked her anything like how Lili had been doing
recently.
 Even if someone was heartless, they wouldn't be so cold
toward a world-class beauty. They had one night of fate and
the blessing to share a carriage with. Haitang had begun to
suspect that Fan Xian might have some kind of unmentionable
disease, like that of the Emperor.

However, Fan Xian had taken Sisi into his rooms. Haitang
knew that Sisi was the girl in Fan Xian's room and felt it was a
little strange. However, after watching these few days, she
didn't see anything strange about Sisi. Her appearance was
dignified and delicate, but far from Si Lili's charming and full
figure.

When Sisi heard Haitang say "a girl Fan Xian likes," her face
immediately blushed red. In a timid voice she replied, "How
could the young master…like me?"

Haitang gave a pained smile and shook her head. "If he

doesn't like you, why would he take you into his rooms?
Although Fan Xian is a cold-blooded and ruthless man, I don't
think he would act like this."
 Sisi suddenly raised her face and revealed an expression that
was both proud and confident. "You got it wrong. The young
master is someone who attaches a lot of importance to
emotions."

"Emotions?" Haitang tasted the word, remembering that Sisi

had served Fan Xian from a young age. For a moment she
furrowed her brows and felt suspicious. Was Fan Xian, this
cold-blooded, ruthless, young and powerful official who
calculated others for fun, truly someone who valued
emotions?

She sighed. As the clothing did not have a big pockets, she
regretfully tucked her hands into her sleeves and asked, "Sisi,
why were you staring at me earlier?"

Sisi actually had conflicting emotions about Haitang, who

had not left the young master's side these few days. After all,
she was not the wife of the young master and was a person of
Northern Qi, who they were enemies with. After she had
interacted with her for some time, Sisi, like many others who
interacted with Haitang, easily began to like this warm-
speaking girl whose actions were done openly and was
straightforward in personality without being brutish.
Haitang's identity was noble. Although her appearance was
plain and she didn't speak much, she treated everyone with
sincerity. No matter their identity, she would always view
them as equals, for example, Sisi who was still a serving girl.
On this point alone she had far surpassed many others. It was a
respect and equality from her bones.

Hearing Haitang's question, Sisi couldn't help covering her

lips as she smiled and said, "The same reason as you. I also
wanted to see what a girl that Fan Xian likes looks like."

The carriage became silent. Haitang looked at Sisi without

her big and bright eyes like she was watching a small cute
animal. A moment later, with each of her hands tucked into
the other's sleeve, she loosened her shoulders and said, "Will
the Hu stop killing people?"

Western Hu and Norther Man have for hundreds of years

brutally killed countless people of the middle plains and their
ferocious names had spread in all directions. Sisi answered
firmly, "Impossible!"
 Haitang slowly blinked and gave a slight smile. "It's is the
same logic."

A soft wind caressed Fan Xian's face telling him it was spring.
He closed his eyes and welcomed the breeze against, breathing
in the scent of life. He felt content. The wind rustled the green
leaves in the trees beside the rice paddy in front of him. His
eyes moved slightlysuddenly upon hearing a rustling sound
coming from behind him.

It was not the wind brushing through the trees, sweeping on

the street, throwing of a dice,pencil writing on paper, or
silkworm eating mulberry leaves. It was her walking. The
village girl was walking.

Fan Xian didn't open his eyes and slowly asked, "What is
impossible?"
 "Hm?" Haitang walked peacefully to his side. Her light reply
was very much like how the blind man used to represent his
questions to Chen Pingping.

The corner of Fan Xian's mouth turned up a little and said,

"Why do you think it would be impossible for me to like you?
According to news from the Council, the Northern Qi empress
dowager is anxious about the matter of your marriage."

Hataing tucked both hands into her sleeves and stood beside
him looking at the plowing ox in the rice paddy in front of
them. She smiled a shallow smile. She knew her conversation
with Sisi in the carriage had completely been heard by him.
She opened her mouth and said, "Looks like you're zhenqi is
recovering well."

Fan Xian opened his eyes and stared at a little bird that had
landed on the back of the plow ox. He smiled and asked, "I
asked…why is it impossible for me to like you?"

Haitang twisted her head to glance at him and found that he

was asking this question seriously. Grudgingly she replied,
"You are always say such pretty words, but it's not like you'll
get anything out of it."

Fan Xian was silent, remembering his conversation with

Seventh Ye yesterday. After he was reborn, there were many
things that he could only do but not say. With Haitang, it
seemed like he could only speak and not do? He couldn't help
smiling and said, "I am just curious as to why you are so
certain."

Haitang smiled. "When we were in Shangjing, you once said

that as long as it is a man, or any male creature, they all think
with their lower half. I speculate that I do not have the
appearance to attract your intentions. After all, my identity is
not the same. You are afraid of the consequences and will not
be able to obtain any benefits, why would you like me?"

Haitang was a Northern Qi sage girl, and Fan Xian was a

powerful official of the South Kingdom. The two could
interact as friends, but if they truly wanted to become a
couple, the Northern Qi dowager empress and the Emperor of
the South Kingdom would certainly not allow this kind of
thing to happen. On the contrary, it would damage their plots.
However, Fan Xian was not thinking of these things and
mockingly said, "The matter of liking has nothing to do with
benefits. I have discovered that in less than half a year, your
temperament is very different from before."

It seemed like Fan Xian had said this to Haitang before in

Hangzhou.

Haitang was quiet for a moment before slowly opening her

mouth to say, "The Tianyi Dao is about interactions between
heaven and mankind—to consider the heavens above and to
care for the tens of thousands of people below. I originally
thought it was fine to allow these things to take their own
paths, but after half a year of being involved in many plans
that have been completely different to the heart, it is
impossible to not be accustomed."

Fan Xian nodded his head slightly and said with approval,
"These fighting and scheming things are indeed more suited for
people like me to do. You should go back to being a village girl,
a profession with a future." He thought of something and
sighed, "Speaking of your temperament being not harmonious,
the fault lies with me. If I hadn't pulled you into the situation
in Shangjing, perhaps you would still be in your garden raising
chickens and teasing donkeys."
 He turned to Haitand and smiled slightly. "Does this count as
me luring you on to the path of evil?"

"What evil path?" Haitang replied peacefully. "It is nothing

more than demons of the heart. If there is desire, there will be
loss. Although my desires appear grand, I will still have losses.
This is the so-called way of nature."

Fan Xian asked, "Then you will continue to persist?"

"Of course," Haitang said in a gentle voice. "An Zhi, you once
said something that resonated deeply in my heart."

"What did I say?"

"In this world, there are never good battles, and no bad
peace." Haitang smiled slightly. "And so for this goal, I am
willing to help you."
 Fan Xian once again sank into silence, looking at the scene
before him absentmindedly. He saw the bird, perhaps not
finding any parasites on the yellow mud-caked back of the
plowing ox, gave a cry and then flew away.

"You don't have to feel so inferior," Fan Xian twisted his head
to gaze at Haitang and said in a serious voice. "I have always
thought you looked very dignified."

Haitang was surprised and took a moment to react. "Please

instruct me, is this praise or are you ridiculing me?"

Fan Xian smiled and shook his head. "It is only in response to
what you said earlier about the reason I could never like you. I
just had something to express on it."

Haitang finally couldn't resist rolling her eyes at him like a

little girl. It was a rare occurrence.

Fan Xian felt the point between his eyebrows itch and
extended a finger to rub it. He said gloomily, "Don't compare
with me. If the women in this world are compared to me, there
will be few beauties left. This is not my problem, this is my
parents' problem."

No matter how self-confident Haitang was, she was still only

a teenage girl. Unless they were blind, which girl did not care
about their appearance? She became frustrated by Fan Xian's
words that were comforting on the surface but teasing
underneath. This bastard's mouth is indeed irritating. She
gritted her teeth and said, "As a high-ranking official, it is
better to not speak nonsense."

Fan Xian seemed to not have noticed her growing rage and
explained seriously, "It is not nonsense. You said that it would
be impossible for me to like you because you are not pretty
enough, and I am explaining to you that, in my eyes, your
appearance is truly not bad…"

Haitang was startled. Fan Xian's next words came quickly.

"After all, there is precedent. That wife of mine, everyone in
Jingdou says her appearance is just delicate and pretty, but in
my eyes Wan'er is the most beautiful woman in the world…"
He shook his head and sighed. "My idea of beauty is probably
very different from most of the people in this world."
 These words knocked Haitang over. She gave a muffled snort
and removed her hands from her sleeves, shook her sleeves and
left. This shaking of her sleeves caused bits of grass on the
ground to fly around chaotically and a wind to blow for no
reason. Her manner was imposing and threatening. This must
have been a shake that held the supreme zhenqi of the Tianyi
Dao.

Fan Xian stretched out a hand to cover his eyes and looked
tragically at the patch of grass. He rocked back and forth as if
he could fall at any moment and not get up again. Even like
this, his joyful laugh rang out from among the sky full of
grass.

The wind stopped, and the grass fell. Haitang stood silently
to one side with a trace of ridicule on her face. She looked at
him and mocked, "Now that you've humiliated me, have you
let out your anger from the previous days?"

Fan Xian was slightly startled. He sighed and smiled slightly,

"Duoduo, are you still angry?" This was the first time after the
jianghu incident that he had called her "Duoduo."
 Haitang paused for a moment then slowly turned and walked
toward the carriage. The swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau in the
carriage had come out to watch, and the Tiger Guards, led by
Gao Da, were also staring alertly at Haitang. After all, these
subordinates of Fan Xian did not know what was happening
with the wind and grass earlier. They were very afraid Haitang
would suddenly strike.

Fan Xian caught up and said with a slight smile, "Don't rush
to get into the carriage yet. Walk with me awhile." He waved
his hand to have Gao Da and company retreat. He gave them a
few more instructions before heading off with Haitang
shoulder to shoulder along the official road toward the trees.

The two walked next to each other and were already some
distance from the group of carriages. Sunlight filtered through
the spring trees around them in streaks, dots, and forks, they
became different kinds of beautiful sunspots lighting up their
clothes.
 "I am someone who cares deeply about the word 'trust'," Fan
Xian said quietly. "Perhaps it is because it has always been
difficult for me to find someone worth trusting. When you
wanted to leave the manor, I was a little disappointed."

Haitang lowered her head slightly. She didn't explain

anything. Instead she said straightforwardly, "I am also
someone who cares greatly about trust. After all, we are
subordinates of two countries. If we do not have the trust, it
will be very difficult to succeed."

Once everything was laid out, it became simple. It was no

longer necessary to ask whether Haitang wanted to spy on the
workshops that night or if Fan Xian had misunderstood the
girl. Since Fan Xian's scathing mouth had repaired some of the
trust between the two of them, to bring up old matters again
would be stupid.

The two walked forward shoulder to shoulder. Haitang used

the remaining light to glance sideways at him and furrowed
her brows. Her hands were still in her sleeves. It was just not as
comfortable as Fan Xian's hands in his big pockets. Fan Xian
explained quietly, "It's the robe of the Overwatch Council. I
had Sisi add two pockets."
 Haitang smiled slightly and sighed a little regretfully.

Among the trees beside the official road, the rustling began
again. For this man and woman without romantic interests,
who particularly demanded each other's trust, it was like half a
year ago in the Royal Palace in Shangjing, Northern Qi, on the
path beside the Yuquan River. A kind of natural and
involuntary dragging of the feet and lazy walking.

Behind and before them were all spring colored, and the
green leaves above their heads were tender and loveable.

"How are you planning to defeat the Ming family?" Haitang

asked quietly.

Fan Xian's eyebrows rose slightly. "There are 16 items at the

palace treasury opening bidding. In the past, the Cui and Ming
families would take up 14 of them. Now that the Cui family has
fallen, they left about six places. I have arranged for people to
take them over. Once Sizhe is about done with taking over the
broken pieces of the Cui family business in the North, the
North and South can join and the road will reopen again…as
long as your commander doesn't meddle randomly, the road
for the goods to the North shouldn't be a problem. As for what
portion will be smuggled goods, this will have to depend on
what kind of control I have in the palace treasury. Other than
that are the helpers my father have transferred to me. I don't
know how much use they will be."

This was his agreement with the young Emperor in Northern

Qi. Haitang had come north to keep an eye on the matter, as
well as that huge amount of silver.

Haitang was silent for a moment and then said, "Even if you
manage to completely control the palace treasury in a short
amount of time, if the quantity going north…per the
agreement, was more than what the Eldest Princess smuggled
every year, how will you ensure the quantity you promised the
Qing court? I am worried you won't be able to justify yourself
to the Emperor of the Qing Kingdom. On my trip here this
time, His Majesty asked me to bring a message for you. Since it
would impossible to satisfy the needs of the North this year, we
can postpone for two years and discuss it after you are
standing steady. After all, this is a long-term plan."

Fan Xian was startled. He didn't expect the Northern Qi

Emperor be so considerate of him and couldn't resist laughing.
"We'll see how it goes. As long as the palace treasury can
produce markedly more than previous years, it will be easy to
explain to the court."

Haitang glanced at him and asked with suspicion, "Where

will this increase come from?"

Fan Xian answered calmly, "First, the production of each of

the workshops in the palace treasury will have to increase.
After the financial resources have been expanded, there will be
the old shopkeepers, Su Wenmao, and old officials of the
Ministry of Revenue who can change the accounts to smuggle
goods out. You know that the person who inspects the accounts
of the palace treasury is myself. If I want to smooth over any
traces, it would not be difficult. Second, I plan to take a big
ruthless chunk out of the Ming family and dig out the wealth
of this big family to offer with both hands to the Emperor. The
Emperor is sure to be happy."

They had returned to Haitang's original question: how

exactly was he going to defeat the Ming family? Listening to
the tone of his voice, it seemed to Haitang that he did not
intended to crush the Ming family in a short amount of time.
"You can suffer the Ming family?"
 "I have to suffer them, at least for this year." Fan Xian smiled
self-deprecatingly. "The roots of the Cui family were too
superficial and their battle lines were too far away, so the
Overwatch Council was able to defeat them in one battle.
However, the Ming family is a centuries-old big family. Before
the palace treasury, they were a famous family in Jiangnan.
Their roots are very strong. They are a large family of tens of
thousands of people, with countless members in court as
officials. If we used a lightning-strike method to defeat them,
Jiangnan Road would probably sink into chaos. Most
importantly…"

His expression became serious. "The Ming family has

benefited greatly from the palace treasury these years. As it is
such a large business, they were not the only ones to do so.
Behind this setup are the shadows of the royal family—the
Eldest Princess, the Crown Prince, the Second Prince—who all
have shares in it. Perhaps you won't believe it, but even the Fan
family has a place in this. Furthermore, they deliver expensive
gifts to Jingdou every year. Every ministry, even the Bureau of
Military Affairs, have an extremely good impression of them.
Plus they always keep a low-profile. You've seen the young
master Ming. His person and way of doing things are both
steady. Their reputation among the people is not bad. If we
want to move them, it is truly difficult."
 Haitang was beginning to feel that this matter was a little
complicated, however, she found that although there was
worry between Fan Xian's brows, he had not lost his
confidence. "What is your trump card?"

"The Emperor," Fan Xian said seriously. "The Ming family

has stolen silver from the palace treasury and given it to the
princesses, princes, and officials. Everyone in the world likes
the Ming family, except the Emperor. The silver the Ming
family has stolen is his."
Chapter 355: Borrowing Your Hand To
Hold The Northern Qi Emperor’s Hand
After hearing Fan Xian's analysis, Haitang felt reassured. As
long as he was sure of this point and had the secret indulgence
of the Qing Emperor—combined with their thorough and
detailed plan, and arrangements for secrecy—then the collapse
of the Ming family was only a matter of time. No matter how
tyrannical the other party, or deep-rooted the local grand
family, they were still the weak egg next to the rock faced with
the powerful machine of the state.

"This year's goal is to take the Ming family's money into our
account," Fan Xian said. "The palace treasury bidding needs the
pressure of the Ming silver. After the bidding, we need to leave
the bottom four-tenths amount. In this spring opening, I will
have people compete with the Ming family for bids and raise
the price to heavily bleed the Ming family so they won't have
the ability to compete with me for the places the Cui family
left. At the same time, it will bring in some quick silver to be
sent urgently to the national treasury."

"How high are you going to raise the prices?" Haitang asked.
 Fan Xian smiled and said, "As high as possible. You know I
am a very greedy person."

Haitang furrowed her brows. "Since you don't intend to clash

with the Ming family openly, you can only use the matter of
the opening bid to attack the other party. With something like
raising the price, it's not like they are yelling prices into a dice
tube in the bidding room. What if you raise the price too high
and just stole it directly from the Ming family? Sixteen items
of the three large workshops of the palace treasury, four-tenths
silver in reserve…you can calculate how much silver that is.
How will you bring that out?"

"It's an open bid," Fan Xian explained. "To stop officials and
merchants colluding, the palace treasury spring opening bid
has always used open bidding. since things are all done in the
open, this gives me the perfect opportunity. Naturally I will…"
He thought about it and didn't continue to hide anything. He
said in a light voice, "I will have Xia Qifei mark out an
appropriate price and then let the Ming family know."

"Xia Qifei?" Haitang was surprised. "The boss of the

Jiangnan water bandits? A famous figure on the jianghu? How
could he listen to your arrangements against the Ming family?
You must know that he is a Jiangnan person born and bred."

Fan Xian would not continue to discuss Xia Qifei's past. After
he made clear that Xia Qifei was his man, he explained the
problem of the silver. "It is as you say. The silver in our hands
it is nowhere near enough to take all 16 items of the palace
treasury. Some will be left to the Ming family. For one it is to
comfort the other party and, for another, it is to use that giant
amount of cash to sink the Ming family into Jiangnan so they
are unable to escape."

Haitang asked, "How are you sure that the Ming family won't
just cut their losses? They have earned too much money these
years, and everyone knows that you have come to Jiangnan
this time to defeat them. If you have Xia Qifei call out a
shocking price, what if one of the old Ming masters dusts off
their hands and stops playing? Wouldn't you have suffered a
sorry loss? If you can't bring out the deposit, the Qing court is
sure to make Xia Qifei suffer."

Fan Xian smiled coldly. "Even if the Ming family has to vomit
blood, they will certainly win the palace treasury bid. So what
if their family has vast and fertile lands? In the end, they are
all dead objects. How can they compare to the live income of
the palace treasury in amount? Furthermore, it involves the
interests of major members of the royal family. The Ming
family needs to send out silver to protect the interests and face
of the Eldest Princess. They must continue to have a stake in
the palace treasury."

He watched the black smoke slowly rising from the other side
of the trees and narrowed his eyes. "In the end, merchants are
just puppets. The Ming family produces their own pirates to
steal the goods of the palace treasury, and then turns around to
take money from the court. Their methods are ruthless. Once
they let go and stop, and the people in Jingdou stop receiving
tributes, in a rage of humiliation, how could they let the Ming
family go? At that time, I won't even have to raise a hand and
they will collapse."

Thus, the Ming family had to, no matter the cost, hold the
majority of the selling rights to the palace treasury products
this year. They had to get through these two years safely first
and then they could see what the situation was like in the
extremely sinister but bloodless battle in Jingdou.
 "That silver, you're going to transfer it to Xia Qifei?" This
was a question Haitang was interested in.

Fan Xian nodded. "A part of it. Father has prepared some for
me. Bu, with the opening of the palace treasury, the eyes of
everyone in the world are on me and the storehouse of the
Ministry of Revenue. The Eldest Princess has probably long
since guessed this source of my money. If I really used the
reserve silver in the Minister of Revenue to fight the Ming
family…one careless move would probably cause me to lose
everything."

He smiled self-deprecatingly. "Mobilizing the silver in the

national treasury is a crime that would result in the beheading
of my entire family. I'm too much of a coward."

Hearing him name himself a coward, Haitang did not

comment and shook her head. In a quiet voice she asked, "But
to use the Taiping money house to transfer money behind the
Taiping money house in Dongyi, are you not afraid they will
notice something?"
 Fan Xian glanced at her and said slowly, "This is the
arrangement of your Emperor. Perhaps even you didn't know
about it. Since the month after the Niulan Street incidence the
year before last, the silver of the Northern Qi palace treasury
began to be funneled slowly, as to not to attract any notice,
into the Taiping money house through a dozen routes. Who
knows how many turns there were in the middle before the
silver was transferred into Jiangnan."

Haitang was stunned speechless.

Fan Xian continued. "I have the help of the Overwatch

Council and Ministry of Revenue, and I didn't even notice the
movement of these dozens caches of silver. Although the
amount of silver was enormous, it was not particularly
noticeable when put into Taiping money house, the greatest
one in the world. I don't think Dongyi noticed anything."

Haitang shook her head in disbelief. "Wait…wait. You are

saying this cache of silver was moved by the Emperor, starting
two years ago, into Jiangnan? How is that possible? I only
learned of this matter in September last year, and there hasn't
been a whisper in Shangjing."
 "Correct." A tread of approval and warning flashed through
Fan Xian's eyes. "I began to investigate the beginnings of the
clues anew after you and I had put all our cards on the table. In
the end, I didn't find anything for sure, just a faint trace that
the time these dozen caches of silver had entered the Taiping
money house was about two years ago."

"Two years ago?" Haitang furrowed her brows. "You had just
entered the capital. How could the Emperor guess that after
two years you would control the palace treasury? How could
he know that he would ally with you after two years and
swallow whole the selling rights of the palace treasury?"

Fan Xian smiled self-deprecatingly. "At that time I was just a

no-name illegitimate child in Count Sinan's manor."

He faintly sighed. "Perhaps the Niulan Street incidence

allowed your young Emperor to confirm that the Eldest
Princess wanted to kill me and determined from various
intelligence reports that I would control the Qing Kingdom
palace treasury. As for the matters afterwards, perhaps it is all
his deduction. Since it was impossible for the Eldest Princess
and me to cooperate, then I would have to cut off the Eldest
Princess' arms. The Cui family? The Ming family? No wonder
we were able to defeat the Cui family so smoothly together."

Fan Xian furrowed his brows. "But your Emperor…how could

he guess I would use this method to defeat the Ming family? If
he could calculate to this extent, then I can only gift him one
sentence."

Haitang had not yet shaken off her surprise. She had not
expected for the young Emperor, who had grown up with her
and often called her master aunt, to be able to plan so well. He
had to have begun laying out a plan to deal with Fan Xian or
any other possible changes two years ago.

Hearing Fan Xian speak, she instinctively asked, "What

sentence?"

"The Emperor is so clever. He is almost no different from a

devil."

Fan Xian said in a soft voice, "He began to plan two years
ago, and the world has developed in much the same way he had
guessed. Even if my Emperor had not used me to tidy up the
palace treasury…not the me that is trusted by Northern Qi…he
probably still had a way for this silver to change their
appearance and participate in this opening bid of the palace
treasury."

It was not until now that Fan Xian finally gloomily admitted
that he had indeed underestimated the young Emperor in the
North. As the Qing Kingdom had always tightly guarded the
brilliant, eye-catching golden chicken that was the palace
treasury, the other countries had never succeeded despite the
decades of trying to steal their crafts and other such things.
Who would have thought that the Emperor of Northern Qi
would come up with such a creative plan and used this
method.

For the Northern Qi Emperor, being a thief he wouldn't be

able to steal the jewels, and being a bandit he couldn't win
against the guards. He would instead change into a no-name
capitalistic merchant and participate in the process of the
jewels being sold. Although he wouldn't be able to get the first
bite, at least it would be the leftovers. However, Fan Xian, a
variable who surprised the Northern Qi people, later appeared
in this world encompassing arrangement, so the Northern Qi
Emperor became all the more generous and steady.
 Fan Xian sighed. There were many intelligent, astute, and
circumspect people. In comparison, as an internationalist, he
carried too much idealism.

"Are you angry?" Haitang watched his expression and asked

probingly.

Fan Xian smiled slightly and shook his head, "If your
Emperor had hid this from me the entire time, I would of
course be angry. Since he must work with me, there is nothing
for me to be angry about. It's as if he is using all of the money
as a hostage and handed it to me. This is enough to exchange
for my trust in him."

Haitang sighed and said, "You're not one to trust others

easily."

Fan Xian lowered his head and said slowly, "The trust is
mutual. I am just curious as to why your Emperor trusts me so
much? You know, if our two countries become hostile, or if I
develop other intentions, then I could take all of his silver at
any time and cut off his source of wealth. He would not have a
single chance to turn the tables."
 He lifted his head and looked at Haitang''s bright and clear
eyes. He said in a quiet voice, "I am a little bit suspicious of
such a sudden and large amount of trust."

Haitang thought for a while and then suddenly smile

brightly. "When I mentioned this silver to you in the letter, I
think it was right as rumors of your past had just emerged."

"Hm?" Fan Xian looked at her in confusion. "How is that

connected?"

Haitang smiled slightly. "Perhaps from the Emperor's

perspective, since you are a descendant of the Ye family, then
you will certainly not be content with being a powerful official
of the Qing Kingdom. Your ambitions would not be limited by
the borders of countries. What the Qing Kingdom can give
you, so can Northern Qi. I'm afraid that the Emperor might
also have other intentions…"

She didn't finish speaking, but Fan Xian already understood

what she meant. He shook his head. "Thank your Emperor for
his kind intentions, but I don't want face a thousand pointing
fingers with a cold scowl."
 Haitang smiled. "It's rare you are in the mood to make
poetry."

"I am not willing to bend my head to serve others selflessly,"

Fan Xian said lightly, "Furthermore, your Emperor must have
known later that I am an authentic, if not recognized, Qing
Kingdom prince."

"There are many princes in this world, but for the descendant
of the Ye family, there is only you," Haitang spoke lightly and
softly, but clearly demonstrated Northern Qi's meaning.

Fan Xian smiled and did not continue this subject. He was at
the height of his popularity in the Qing Kingdom. Although
there were a few women in the Royal Palace and two princes in
Jingdou difficult for him to defeat, the kind fatherly role the
Emperor was playing right now was pretty good. He couldn't
find anything persuasive enough to consider Northern Qi's
invite.

…
 …

"Let's go back to the start," Fan Xian said. "Why can you not
like me? Why can I not like you?"

Haitang was a little dumbfounded and angry. Why is he

always going on about this matter? In a cold voice she said, "I
have never cared about the romance between men and women.
My emotions are all in one realm and not differentiated by size,
although there are highs and lows. I do wish to be heartless,
but I will also not consider this question."

Fan Xian understood that she was expressing the meaning of

putting the tens of thousands of common people first. He
gently mocked, "To put the worries of the world first?
Wouldn't that make life too boring? At least your Emperor has
a hat to play with."

He didn't say what color that hat was. He suddenly broke out
into a broad grin and said, "Duoduo."
 "Hm?" Haitang stopped her steps and turned to look at him,
but was blinded by warm smile on Fan Xian's delicate face.
Unable to resist, she sighed and asked, "What is it?"

"It is possible for the Hu to not kill people," Fan Xian

seriously.

Haitang knew he was talking about what she said earlier to

block Sisi's words. She couldn't help feeling angry but replied
quietly, "Is that so? I suspect neither people of Northern Qi or
the South Kingdom would believe it."

Fan Xian said softly, "Of course the Hu would not be able to
kill others if we turned them into dead people."

Haitang was surprised and laughed involuntarily.

Fan Xian said quietly, "By the same logic, it is possible for me
to like you, and it is also possible for you to like me."
 Haitang mocked, "When we are both dead?"

"No," Fan Xian explained seriously. "When everyone else in

this world is dead."

Haitang was helpless. "Everyone is dead, and there is just us

left in the wind by the river?"

Fan Xian raised his head and thought for a while before
nodding. "Indeed it does not seem very interesting."

He took his hands out of his pockets and held Haitang's

hands. Under the shocked gaze of the girl, he rubbed them
gently and smiled warmly. "Since it is not an interesting
matter, then don't think about it anymore. The weather is still
cold, and you are wearing a serving girl's clothes. You're hands
are going to freeze."

Their four hands were clasped together, determination and

gentleness blended harmoniously in the warmth. Behind the
two of them came the rolling of the carriage wheels.
 There was a trace of an amused smile in Haitang's eyes. She
did not pull her hand away. On the contrary, she tilted her head
slightly and looked at Fan Xian. "Are you letting other people
see on purpose?"

Fan Xian half lowered his head and blinked. He replied in a

quiet voice, "To convince my Emperor to trust that I have
brought you to Jiangnan for a reason, and for your Emperor
and me to have a more solid foundation of mutual trust, we
must be a bit closer."

Haitang looked at him with a not-quite-there smile.

Fan Xian finally said, "Of course, your hand is very

comfortable to hold. You often do farm work, but you have no
calluses."
Chapter 356: The Pebble In The Eye Of
The Ming Family
Suzhou was a prosperous scene. The tender green colors all
around were not much different from any other place in the
Qing Kingdom. However, the stalls like forests, busy docks,
endless crowds, large patch of government buildings in the
south, manors of the rich, imposing salt merchants to the
west, courtesan girls and teasing playboys in the east, and the
brave, sinister and cunning gang brothers in the east all wove
together to form a flavor different from any other in the world.
It was danger, excitement, wealth, and desire.

There was less hiding behind pedantic erudition and pressure

from the millennium old court. Although the might of the
government remained and no one dared to challenge it, the
flow of people was too large. There were massive amounts of
goods and silver leaving and entering the docks, so the people
had money in their pockets and were more confident in all that
they did. Putting aside the merchants who had deep
connections with the government, the gang brothers, who
made their living from the river, had begun to copy the
scholars of Jingdou and wore green robes. They were no longer
so violent.
 The large piece of land downstream of the Suzhou docks
were property of the Ming family. Long-robed men were
quietly listening to the lecturing of a young master. The men
were clearly practitioners of martial arts, but they did not
show a trace of arrogance in front of this gentle and honest
looking young master was because he was the son of the old
master, Ming Lanshi. The people on the docks depended on the
Ming family to survive and were like a family servant.

After young master Ming had left, the men pulled on their
long robes to wipe away the sweat on their forehead and
discussed secretly among themselves. They found it strange
that the young master had come personally to remind them
that they should be better behaved these days in Suzhou. With
the power of the Ming family, were they to be afraid that
someone would come and pull their pigtails? The governor did
have this power, but had old master Ming not fed the other
party well these years?

The long robes were indeed convenient for wiping away

sweat. These gang brothers were, after all, not true Jingdou
scholars. However, there were a few clever people among them
who had vaguely guessed that it had something to do with the
spring opening of the palace treasury. Haven't you heard? The
Cui family, the one that was named along with the Ming
family as the two wealthy families had been completely wiped
out by the court during the New Year! Rumors say that this
matter was single-handedly controlled by the young
commissioner of the Overwatch Council, and this
commissioner was right now the imperial envoy in Jiangnan!

No wonder young master Ming was so careful and scared that

the government might find some pretext. It turns out that he
was scared of the selfish and stubborn Sir Fan junior.

"It's not that I am afraid of him." At the moment, Ming

Lanshi was sitting in the carriage and no longer able to
maintain the cool and composed façade he showed outsiders
and his subordinates. His face was heavy. "It is just that Sir Fan
junior is unlike any other official in the court."

If Fan Xian were to see the person conversing with young

master Ming, he would certainly be surprised. The person
sitting opposite in the carriage was the host of the Martial
Conference on the side of the West Lake in Hangzhou. It was
that official of Jiangnan Road.

At that time, Fan Xian had quietly approved of the official's

speech and actions, but he probably could not have guessed the
relationship he had with the Ming family was so deep. Ming
Lanshi spoke without any hesitation in front of him. It was
very clear that this official was someone the Ming family
trusted. If Fan Xian had been more suspicious, he could have
discovered his relationship to the Ming family and would have
been more alert to the so-called Martial Conference.

That official, Zou Lei, was the Imperial Censorate of

Jiangnan Road. He asked with confusion, "Cousin, how is the
imperial envoy different from other officials in court?"

Ming Lanshi smiled coldly. "Sir Fan is so young yet holds

such power in his hands. Can other officials compare? The
Overwatch Council is different to your Imperial Censorate.
And now he has the identity of an imperial envoy.There is even
less obstacles when he handles matters. Even the governor has
to leave him some face. You should have received the news.
When Sir Fan junior arrived at the palace treasury, he
beheaded five of the trouble causing treasurers; there were
even two masters of the workshops among them! And now he
has even pulled out all of the Eldest Princess' transport
company officials! Which official in the court has the
confidence to use such ruthless methods?"

Zou Lei sighed and shook his head. "Without insiders, it will
be difficult if the family wants to interfere."

Ming Lanshi looked at him and sneered. He said with

contempt, "I think being an official has made you muddled.
What time is this? You still want to interfere? I just hope that
the imperial envoy doesn't interfere with us. That would be
enough."

When they were in Loushang Tower beside West Lake, Zou

Lei was respectful of Ming, yet he did not leave him any face.
He seemed to be used to this kind of tone, which showed how
deep the Ming family power went in court.

Zou Lei furrowed his brows in worry. "But the imperial

envoy's trip down to Jiangnan is a clear sword pointed toward
the family. Does the old master have any arrangements?"
 Ming Lanshi smiled bitterly and shook his head. "This is
what I was saying earlier. Sir Fan is different from other
officials. Normal methods will never work. If it was any other
high-ranking official who came to Jiangnan, the Ming family
would have plenty of methods to deal with them. But it just
happens it is Sir Fan junior, so the methods we usually use
would have no effect at all."

Zou Lei asked, "There is no such thing as a not-corrupt

official."

Ming Lanshi's eyes narrowed as if he had thought of

something that brought a chill to his heart. After a moment of
silence, he said faintly, "This is the most vulgar method and
usually the most effective method. Father is very good at
reading the situation. He knows that we must use the golden
axe to split the mountain…we have also tried this before." He
shook his head and sighed. "In the end, the other party did not
accept it at all and returned it back straight away. They didn't
say anything crude. They were like a block of ice."

"How much did you give?" Zou Lei did not believe there was
such a thing as an official who was not corrupt. Even if he was
the illegitimate child of the Emperor, he still needed silver.
 Ming Lanshi showed four fingers.

Zou Lei asked with confusion, "Only 40,000 liang?"

Ming Lanshi's brows tightened as he lowered his voice to

curse. "40,000 liang? Did you not see the 130,000 liang of silver
that young master brought in his chest? This time father had
collected all his bargaining chips and even pushed down the
tribute money for the capital and pulled together a total of
400,000 liang!"

"400,000 liang!" Zou Lei's heart stuttered and his lips

trembled. This was a huge amount, enough to buy a small
kingdom. Did that not move the imperial envoy's heart?

Ming Lanshi gritted his teeth and said, "And 20 percent

shares."

Zou Lei could not believe his own ears. This 20 percent
shares was even more terrifying than the 400,000 liang. How
could the family bear to use such a large amount to bribe Fan
Xian? Usually when they paid tribute to the Eldest Princess,
they were never so generous. This couldn't even be called
generous. It was cutting off flesh to preserve the peace.

Ming Lanshi slowly closed his eyes. His eyelids trembled, and
his expression twisted. He was probably very unhappy. Zou Lei
did not dare to say anything more. The carriage sank into
silence.

After a long time, Ming Lanshi, who was already gradually

controlling much of the Ming family property for his father,
opened his eyes and slowly said, "We all underestimated Sir
Fan's appetite. Don't forget, his father is the Minister of
Revenue. 400,000 liang is absolutely enough to bribe a prince,
but it is not enough to bribe him. It is what I said earlier, this
method will not work."

"What about the Eldest Princess?" Zou Lei said with some
hatred. "The Ming family has done so much for her. She can't
just stand and watch, right?"

Ming Lanshi thought for a while and then said quietly, "To
defeat an official when bribery does not work is an injury. The
center needs to move the limbs, so we need to work in Jingdou.
To calculate the various officials in the court, unfortunately
this method will also not work."

"Why?" Zou Lei was surprised.

Ming Lanshi smiled self-deprecatingly. "What kind of person

is Sir Fan? Behind him stands the Director of the Overwatch
Council and Minister Fan. Although Prime Minister Lin has
retired long ago, his might still remains. As long as the
Emperor does not show any bias, which official will dare
follow our wishes and accuse him in a memorial? Your
Imperial Censorate has done it twice, unfortunately the
floggings the Emperor ordered has chilled their hearts."

Zou Lei thought about it and then shook his head. "Now is
not like the past. Sir Fan is far away in Jiangnan and cannot
defend himself. He is also distant from the Overwatch Council,
and his reaction will not be as quick as before. Even if his
relationship to the Emperor is not normal, even if he was a
proper prince, he can't cause any big trouble in Jiangnan
without being summoned back the Jingdou. If we cause some
trouble, perhaps the Emperor will summon Sir Fan back."
 Ming Lanshi ridiculed his companion. "This is where you
officials go wrong when you look at problems. You always look
at the person's official position and identity. You're right. Even
if was a proper prince who came to Jiangnan, the Ming family
would have ways for him to leave with his tail between his
legs. Fan Xian is only the Emperor's illegitimate child, and it
seems like we should not be afraid. However, the family does
not look at problems the same way officials do. In our eyes, Sir
Fan has power, soldiers, money, an excellent reputation, and
strikes with ruthlessness. Even if he has some flaws, they have
been completely wiped away by the Overwatch Council that is
responsible for magnifying flaws. It is impossible for others to
capture him. Who can swallow such a smooth pebble? He is
much more difficult to defeat than any prince."

"If we really did as you wanted and incited the commoners of

Jiangnan to cause trouble…" Ming Lanshi smiled coldly, "Do
you not think that Fan Xian would dare to call the Black
Knights straight into Suzhou and directly exterminate our
family?"

Zou Lei sucked in a cold breath and said with hesitation, "No
way, right? Does he not care at all about the face of the court?
Qing law is not a toy."
 "He is a madman," Ming Lanshi ground his teeth and cursed
in a low voice. "A madman who looks cultured and refined. If
we can avoid angering him we should, unless you are certain
you can make him disappear completely from this world."

Zou Lei suddenly became silent. A moment later he quietly

said, "The Martial Conference?"

This was a secret way the Ming family controlled the martial
artists in Jiangnan, only they wore the cloak of the court, so
the Ming family did not control many of the martial aces on
the jianghu. However, they did have on hand some fugitives
that Zou Lei controlled. Finding out that that the Ming family
had no way to strike against the pebble that was the imperial
envoy, hatred flashed through his heart and he suggested this
solution.

Ming Lanshi looked at Zou Lei like he was an idiot. "Did you
not know that Sir Fan himself is already a ninth-level ace? Did
you not know that the Emperor has assigned him an elite
group of Tiger Guards? Did you not know that the swordsman
of the Sixth Bureau, responsible for assassinations in the
Overwatch Council, never leave his side? Did you not know
that Haitang from Northern Qi has lived with him in
Hangzhou for a time?"

Ming Lanshi's voice grew louder and louder as he spoke. He

felt that this younger cousin official, who usually seemed so
clever, was like an idiot today. He cursed at him. "Just with
that Martial Conference? Master Yun that father had invited
from Dongyi showed himself briefly on West Lake and
someone stabbed him! The aces of Dongyi were chased and
killed by those strange people like dogs without a home…that
was Yun Zhilan! Dongyi! A descendant of the Sigu Sword did
not even have time to strike when facing Fan Xian. Do you
think the martial artists of Jiangnan could kill him?"

Zou Lei's face was green one moment and white the next.
Only now did he think about the fact that Fan Xian was
nothing as simple as just a powerful official.

In today's world, Fan Xian was among those who had the
most money. And those in the world who had more money
than him definitely did not have his power. Those who had
more power than him did not have his skill in martial arts.
Those who were better at martial arts were not as shameless as
him. Those who were more shameless than him did not have as
strong a support. Those who had stronger support had not yet
been born.

Give him money, he did not consider it valuable. To want to

whittle away his power in the capital, he was not worried. To
want to assassinate him, he was not afraid. To want to stain
his reputation, he did not care. He would only use a knife to
saw off your head to relieve the anger in his heart.

It took decades of hate to form this abnormal existence. He

was an invisible prince, yet he had the Overwatch Council and
Ministry Revenue that a prince would never have. Even the
Eldest Princess, who had been influencing the situation at
court from the shadows for over a decade, could not find a way
to strike at him.

What method could the Ming family have?

Zou Lei comforted Ming Lanshi and said, "Sir Guo is in

Suzhou at the moment. Let's see what he thinks. The Eldest
Princess will do her best in Jingdou. What you said earlier
makes sense, but if Fan Xian is so arrogant, I'm afraid the
Crown Prince and the Second Prince will be uncomfortable.
Even if we can't have him summoned back to Jingdou, if the
people in the Palace talk, it will suppress his threatening
manner a bit."

Ming Lanshi nodded. He knew they could only just manage

to maintain the current situation. Hearing the word "Guo," he
couldn't stop the nerve appearing on his forehead. In a cold
voice he said, "Tell your superior not to get involved! Back in
the day, when he was in the Ministry of Justice, he hit Fan
Xian, which resulted in him being chased to Jiangnan. Does he
want revenge? Don't forget, the imperial envoy is the youth
who is best at holding a grudge. I don't want to be dragged
down by that old Guo Zheng!"
Chapter 357: Choking The Throat Of Life
There were not many people who had the privilege to visit
Chen Garden, where Director Chen Pingping of the Overwatch
Council lived. In their eyes, the Li Palace in Xinyang, the
Sword House in Donggu, and the Ming family's Ming Garden
in Jiangnan were the three most beautiful and expensive
private constructions. This ranking did not take into account
the immortal beauty of the black and green Shang Royal Palace
in Shangjing, Northern Qi.

Nobility lived in the Li Palace, and a great grandmaster lived

in the Sword House. Their existences were both far removed
from that of the common people. It was only the Ming Garden,
not far from Suzhou in Jiangnan, that gave the common
people a chance to admire from a closer distance.

The Ming family had never been one to bully others through
strength, and they did not purposely maintain the
mysteriousness of an elite large family. Many Jiangnan
scholars and travelers would, after they had wandered around
Suzhou, followed the wide road beside the trees and wound
their way away from the city. They would go some distance to
get a glimpse of the beautiful garden.
 Although they could not enjoy it up close, a look from a
distance was enough to satisfy their eyes.

The Ming family kept a low profile, but were not mysterious.
Ming Garden, which had been built almost 40 years ago, still
maintained the clear marks of their family. Every brick and
tile, every grass and tree, every step and pavilion, were not eye-
piercingly extravagant, on the contrary, they exuded a faint
sense of intimacy. Furthermore, the garden wall built along the
foot of the mountain was not too high. Travelers standing on
the official road could easily see the soaring roofs within.
Standing slightly closer, they could hear the sound of running
water from inside.

Intimate did not mean domestic, and concise, of course, did

not mean simple. In the eyes of knowledgeable people, they
were certain to see that there were no criticisms to be made
about any detail of this large garden. All the materials and
design were exceedingly clever and skillful. Yet, in the eyes of a
soldier, they could see that this garden did not have any
defense capabilities. With a few simple changes, it could
quickly become a castle that could withstand half a year of
siege.
 Due to a spring chill and dense, thin rain, as Young master
Ming sat in the carriage making a lonely trip along the road
heading home, he did not see the usual two or three travelers
and girls taking walks on the green.

The carriage arrived at the side door and stopped strangely.

Young master Ming lifted a corner of the carriage curtains to
reveal a slice of a dark and somber face watching the main door
of his home. It seemed like someone was being sent off there. A
middle-aged man wearing official's robes was walking toward
his own carriage with an angry expression.

Ming Lanshi released the carriage curtains. He turned to look

at Zou Lei and angrily said, "Speak of Guo Zheng, and Guo
Zheng arrives. Why does your superior have no sense of
discretion?"

Zou Lei was silent. Guo Zheng was his direct superior and
had served as Imperial Censor of the Left in the Imperial
Censorate in Jingdou last year. After the spring examination
incidence, Guo Zheng questioned Fan Xian under a mixed
division in the Ministry of Justice. At the time, he relied on the
Eldest Princess' support and beat Fan Xian a few times, hoping
to force a confession from him. He had not expected Fan Xian's
support in the background to be so powerful. Not only did they
not topple the Fan family, but because of having offended
Prime Minister Lin, the Fan family, and Overwatch Council,
these three giants struck out. Without making much noise,
they easily had the Minister of Justice, Han Zhiwei, lose his
position. At the same time, Guo Zheng was sent to Jiangnan.

The biggest loss Imperial Censorate Guo Zhen suffered in this

lifetime was because of Fan Xian, so he had always wanted
revenge. Now that Fan Xian had come to Jiangnan, it looked
like Guo Zheng wanted to incite the Ming family into
opposition against the imperial envoy. Thus Ming Lanshi's
expression was very unpleasant. He thought the foolish old
Guo was acting out of a private anger. He had come to his
home today probably to add some kind of pressure.

"Father, the orders have been sent down." Ming Lanshi stood
respectfully at the bottom of the steps of a small garden inside
Ming Garden and spoke toward the inside of the room.

From inside came the somewhat tired and comforted voice of

the current Ming family master, Ming Qingda. "Good, we
somehow have to get through this year before we talk of
anything else. Remind the people in the family to not let the
government get hold of anything that can be used against
them. That is enough…Lanshi, you have always been steady,
now you need to be even more careful."

Ming Lanshi quickly nodded his head in acknowledgement.

Ming Qingda walked slowly from the room. There was a

trace of tiredness on his face. "Did you see Guo Zheng earlier?"

Ming Lanshi furrowed his brows and replied, "Yes, father.

I'm afraid that his brazen visit to our door will be noticed by
the imperial envoy."

Ming Qingda gave a bitter laugh. "Never mind. The marks on

our body are already deep enough. If we want to shed our
relationship with that matter now, it is impossible, and no one
would believe it. Don't think about these problems anymore."

"Did he come for himself or on behalf of the people in the

capital?" Ming Lanshi asked hesitantly.
 Hearing these words, the lines around Ming Qingda's eyes
deepened. A moment later he sighed and said, "When can these
officials ever have their own identities?"

Ming Lanshi's felt his heart clench. He understood the

meaning of his father's words. Guo Zheng was here to pass on
the Eldest Princess and His Highness' suggestions. He looked at
his father nervously.

"Don't worry, and don't pay attention to the intentions of the

capital. His Highness wants us to hinder the imperial envoy,"
Ming Qingda, the leading millionaire of a generation, smiled
coldly and said. "This is to use us as a knife. Could I be so
stupid? Of course, on the surface we will still have to do as
they say because no one knows what will happen or who will
sit on that dragon chair."

Ming Lanshi slightly furrowed his brows. "The order has

already been sent out. As long as the imperial envoy is in
Jiangnan, we will stay quiet, only…always showing weakness
is not a long-term strategy."
 "It is a good idea." A faint smile rose on Ming Qingda's face.
"Commissioner Fan is not a devil that eats people without
spitting out the bones. If he can't find anything to use against
us publically and is worried about the backlash from local
gentlemen officials, then he cannot carry a bowl of water and
swallow us whole. As long as we are well-behaved and give him
more than sufficient face, I think he will give us some face."

"This Sir Fan junior didn't even give His Second Highness
face," Ming Lanshi said with a pained smile.

Ming Qingda smiled self-deprecatingly and said,

"Historically, the merchant identity has always been too
inferior to be shown in public, but right now it is the opposite.
Sir Fan is the son of Lady Ye. Looking at the way he acts, he
always harms the officials but not the people, and he does not
have any prejudice toward merchants. Just because he did not
give His Second Highness any face, does not mean he will not
give us some face. When is all said and done, no matter how
the Second Prince retaliated, it would at most be laying a trap
for him at court. But, we have the ability to leverage the power
of the people."
 "Of course, until matters have developed to the point of
meeting each other with swords drawn, be sure to not provoke
him," Ming Qingda said.

Ming Lanshi was irritated. His father had said this countless
of times recently. His father was appearing overly careful and
cautious on this matter, and it made people feel
uncomfortable. Although he knew the reason, he still found it
difficult to accept. Seeing the faint worry on his father's face,
he couldn't help but be comforting. "Father, if it won't work
then let's pull back."

It was silent for a moment on the steps. Ming Qingda slowly

shook his head. A moment later, a severe look flashed through
the eyes of this half-a-century old elder.

"There are some things from which I cannot pull back my

hand just because I want to," he smiled coldly and said. "If I
pull back, what will the tens of thousands in our family eat?
Don't forget the shares nobility in the capital have taken. Even
if we stopped, are they not going to stretch their hands out to
us for silver? The Eldest Princess, the Crown Prince, the
Second Prince, and a number of large families in the capital
have all grown used to eating from us all these years. If we
really pulled back this time, with all the powers together, who
knows what they will do? Never underestimate the greed of the
royal family and officials."

Ming Lanshi gazed at his father and felt a thread of sympathy

flash through his heart. Who knew that the leading millionaire
in Jiangnan also had various things he had no choice but to do.

With a face full of hatred, Ming Qingda said, "The Ming

family looks grand, but in reality we are nothing more than an
egg laying hen in their eyes. If the hen can no longer lay eggs,
then those people who supported us will probably want to kill
us even more than the imperial envoy to have one last meal of
delicious chicken meat."

The hatred on Ming Lanshi's face was immediately hidden.

He cursed in a low voice, "If those people in Jingdou didn't take
so much silver every year, we could honestly export the palace
treasury goods and wouldn't be much worse off than right
now. Even if the palace treasury side is intercepted by the
imperial envoy, with our businesses spread out across
Jiangnan, we could still continue to support the family."

Ming Qingda waved his hands to show that he was not going
to continue this topic of conversation. He smiled coldly and
said, "These years, the Ming family has always been doing
shady business so we can fill in those people's appetites.
Perhaps Sir Fan junior coming to Jiangnan is an opportunity
given to me by the heavens to allow me to escape from those
matters. We could gradually decrease the tribute we send to the
capital, and the Eldest Princess and them would not have much
to say. As long as we can win at least 60 percent of last year's at
the opening this time, it will be fine. We shouldn't be like the
Cui family; the sudden collapse of a big family. Speaking of
doing business legally, can the Ming family not do it?"

Ming Lanshi inclined his body slightly and said, "What you
say makes sense." However, he felt upset. Having given up the
smuggling route to Dongyi and severing their overseas pirates,
they were going to lose out on a huge amount of silver this
year outside of the account books. The shareholders would
still have to be paid their dividends. With this, at least for this
year, the family would have a loss. They would also need to
use their principal money to fill in. If the imperial envoy stayed
in Jiangnan, then was the family going to have to keep filling
in the silver themselves? No matter how wealthy the family
was, they couldn't stand against ants moving a mountain.

Knowing what his son was worried about, Ming Qingda did
not want to explain more or provide assurances because the
reality was just as it was. If the Ming family had to be cut apart
to protect itself, then the sacrifices of these two years must be
paid.

Thinking of the opening bidding of the palace treasury, Ming

Lanshi said quietly, "I met with everyone these two days."

The "everyone" he referred to was the official merchants in

the Jiangnan area who were at least a little famous and had the
power to enter the palace treasury bidding.

He continued to report, "I've asked the families we are

familiar with. The Xiong family in Lingnan and Sun family in
Quanzhou both know the current situation. Although it seems
they are both greedy for the right to sell on behalf of the palace
treasury, their targets were still on the portions the Cui family
had left behind. They also promised me that they will not raise
the price against us."

Ming Qingda nodded and said, "This is a golden rice bowl,

and everyone wants to hold one. However, since we are early
in the order, they cannot act in opposition against us openly,
unless they don't want to do business anymore in Jiangnan."

It was only now that the master of the Ming family faintly
showed a few threads of the confidence and pride that the
leading millionaire of Jiangnan should have.

"Most important are those private salt dealing families."

Ming Qingda furrowed his brows slightly. "Those salt dealers
are ruthless figures who scoop money out between the space of
life and death. They have enough spare money at hand. If they
enter the matter of the bidding, it will cause some problems.
Although it is nothing to be afraid off, it will just use more
silver. The court regulations are fixed at a 40 percent deposit…"
He shook his head and continued, "If we take too much, I'm
worried the flow of money may not turn around fast enough
during the first half of the year."
 The wealthiest people in Jiangnan were the so-called royal
merchants and salt merchants. The two minded their own
businesses, but now that the Cui family had fallen, who knew
whether or not the salt merchants were looking greedily at the
palace treasury business. The salt merchants held a robust
amount of capital in their hands, and had supporters in court.
The Ming family were somewhat worried about this.

"I've paid a visit to all the salt merchants in Suzhou." Ming

Lanshi thought about all that he had seen and heard over the
last few days and said with surprise, "They said very
straightforwardly that this year they will definitely not enter
the palace treasury…I don't know what this is all about."

Ming Qingda was a bit surprised. He thought it about it

before understanding what was happening. "It looks like
everyone knows that Sir Fan junior is regulating the palace
treasury export routes this year, and no one dares to, at the
moment, make a grab for this bowl of rice to eat. They are
waiting to see how we and the imperial envoy will clean things
up. It seems like the salt merchants are preparing to enter the
field next year."
 Ming Lanshi raised his head and furrowed his brows. "Those
salt merchants do not seem like such prudent people."

"Who is their support in the back?" Ming Qingda smiled

coldly. "The parent official of our Jiangnan Road, Sir Xue Qing
knows Sir Fan's intentions. At least within this year, he will
suppress the salt merchants and not allow them to enter the
palace treasury to cause trouble for Sir Fan. This is the face
that Sir Xue is giving Sir Fan junior, the old Minister Fan in the
capital, and the director."

Ming Lanshi was silent and had nothing to say.

"It's fine this way." Ming Qingda thought for a bit then said,
"With the might of the imperial envoy holding down the fort,
no one would dare enter and mess up the situation, and we can
plan carefully. As long as we can get the bid and get through
this year safely, everything will be fine."

"The imperial envoy…will let us?" Ming Lanshi asked.

 Qing Mingda replied, "If we do everything in the open, why
should we be afraid of the imperial envoy? In the matter of
doing business, he can't be as good as us. As for the palace
treasury opening bid, it goes to the highest bidder. There will
be people coming from the Palace, and Jiangnan Road will be
watching from the side. It is not something that the palace
transport company can run by itself. As long as the Ming
family is willing to spend the silver, Sir Fan junior can't hold
on and refuse to give it to us."

"What I meant was, will the imperial envoy incite other

families to purposely raise the price? This is the simplest
method. They won't lose anything but can make us suffer a
huge loss."

Ming Qing shook his head with great confidence. "There are
probably none in Jiangnan Road who dare offend Sir Fan
junior, but other than him, there are probably also none who
dare to offend the Ming family. You have already asked about
the news. Those families that have some capability should all
be watching from the side this year."

"If he wants to find a puppet to raise the price," Ming Qingda

furrowed his brows and said, "bidding needs visible silver. The
imperial envoy does not have this much silver. He won't be able
to raise it much."

A faint sense of mockery rose on his face. "Don't be blinded

by that chest of 130,000 liang of silver. When it comes to
beating people with silver, officials are still not very good."

As for beating people with silver, naturally it was the Ming

family who did so the most shockingly by throwing out
400,000 liang of silver at one time in a magnificent, ever-
changing, awe-inspiring way with the intention of knocking
Fan Xian dizzy. Although it didn't work, this kind of boldness
was not a realm that the bribes in the capital could touch.

"The father of the imperial envoy…old master Fan is the

Minister of Revenue of our great Qing court and manages the
national treasury," Ming Lanshi reminded him with a pained
smile. "If we are speaking silver, he has much more than the
Ming family."

"Minister Fan?" Ming Qingda said in a slightly mocking tone.

"It would be fine if the Ministry of Revenue did not move. If
the imperial envoy uses his father's power to suppress the Ming
family, then this matter will become very interesting. Believe
me, the Eldest Princess has been quiet for this entire time, she
is definitely waiting for that moment."

It suddenly became silent in the Ming Garden. Ming Lanshi

felt a slight chill in his heart. He knew that although it
appeared his father was retreating step by step, he had long
decided on a method to defeat the imperial envoy with the
nobility in the capital. Who knew how much blood and danger
was concealed behind the palace treasury bidding?

The matter involved the national treasury and the Minister.

Ming Lanshi did not dare to keep asking these questions that
should not be said aloud. He steadily changed the topic and
reported, "Like the previous years, the money in Taiping
money house is already prepared. You warned us repeatedly, so
we have prepared an extra 30 percent of silver in case we are
caught off guard during the bidding."
 The palace treasury bidding used open bid and open money.
Putting aside the 40 percent deposit after the deal, the bidding
money itself needed to be prepared ahead of time. It was either
real gold and silver or banknotes from court-recognized money
houses. They both needed to be sent to a special location before
the opening.

This was an accumulated amount that was terrifying. It was

difficult even for a leading millionaire family of Jiangnan like
the Ming family to immediately withdraw this much silver.
After all, they couldn't sell land and houses, furthermore, 60
percent of the bidding silver would be immediately returned.
Royal merchants didn't want to use their cash flow money and
would borrow from outside. For large families like the Cui and
Ming families, every year they needed a massive amount of
money when it came time to bid. They had Taiping money
house pull together the money and used their production goods
as collateral. It had become a common practice.

Expecting there to be trouble at the palace treasury opening

this year, Fan Xian would think of ways to make the Ming
family bleed, so the Ming family had asked Taiping money
house prepare an extra 20 percent of the banknotes they were
issuing. This 20 percent was in itself a terrifying number that
forced the Ming family to put up many things as collateral.
 "Taiping money house can be trusted," Ming Qingda said in a
serious voice. "It's an old relationship. Furthermore, it's a
Dongyi business after all, and the Dongyi people will always
depend on us to provide goods."

"Yes," Ming Lanshi agreed quietly. "Besides, we are not

moving the money for nothing. There are always supercilious
people in Jiangnan who want to laugh at the expense of the
Ming family. If we can get the bid this time, it would be like a
slap to their faces. At the same time, it will ensure that the
imperial envoy knows the only family that can manage a
business deal as big as the palace treasury is our family."

Ming Qingda looked at him with approval. "That is precisely

our intention, so we must take down this bid. The regulations
of the court necessitating this much money to be held in the
transport company was originally meant to weed out those
merchants who did not have the capabilities. At the same time,
it has also swept away many of our opponents. Of the people
who can move this much, one family has already fallen. Who
else can there be? Unless the imperial envoy wants to watch as
there is no one to take over the palace treasury goods next year,
otherwise he has to give it to me. We have to make sure two
things. First is the question of price. Iit can't be ridiculously
high. Second is the question of binding. There will be pressure
from the capital to pressure the transport company to follow
the old rules and divide the 16 items into four groups of eight,
six, one, and one. As always, we only want the eight."

One half of the items, yet the master of the Ming family still
said "only." The confidence was clear in his words.

Ming Lanshi was happy to accept this. What looked like a

tense situation became much easier after his father analyzed
the court regulations. It seemed like only their family had this
capability to win the big bid under the absurd rules the court
had set.

"The matter on the sea is already settled," Master Ming said

slowly. "Have that one in the family keep their mouths shut."

Hearing the matter on the sea was settled, Ming Lanshi

couldn't help but feel his whole body relax. That was the
biggest weapon against the Ming family. As long as it had been
cleaned away, given the steady way the Ming family acted in
Jiangnan itself, Fan Xian shouldn't be able to find any excuse to
defeat him. However, hearing his father's last words, the
young master of the Ming family still felt a chill.
 He didn't know how his father dealt with the matter on the
sea or how those pirates entrenched on the island were
silenced. As for the help the Ming family received, a portion of
it was certainly from the military side. However, his father
kept his mouth closed tight so even him, the young master of
the Ming family, did not know which military troops were
mobilized by the capital this time.

The matter on the sea was solved by his father. The matters
at home were up to him to solve. A ruthlessness flashed across
Ming Lanshi's face.

As night entered, the young master of the Ming family was in

an isolated golden room in Suzhou. He was lying on the bed
staring at the sky, thinking about something. In his arms was a
naked girl curled up as cute as a cat. Her slender fingers were
drawing circles on his naked chest. She was Ming Lanshi's
third concubine. Since her identity was special, she was always
kept outside of the Ming Garden.
 "Lanshi." The concubine's breath was warm. She said
breathily, "I still want."

Men most hated hearing these words after the act. Ming
Lanshi smiled coldly, "What else do you want? Do you not
know how to be satisfied?"

Suddenly the concubine's face changed color and she ground

her teeth. "What do you mean? Is it because the imperial envoy
is keeping a close watch and ships don't dare to sail out, so you
think my brother and I are no longer useful?"

Ming Lanshi smiled slightly and turned around. In a gently

voice he said, "Darling, you've earned so much silver for the
Ming family these years, how could you not be useful?"

As his words fell, his hands landed heavily on her snow-

white buttocks, sending up a white ripple. She pouted
playfully.

The concubine's eyebrows were thin like silk and full of

expectation.
 Ming Lanshi's face was all smiles. One palm chopped down
on the back of her neck. He watched as the concubine gave a
cry and fainted, then he wrapped his hands to steadily and
emotionlessly choke the snow-white throat he had kissed
countless times.
Chapter 358: Washing The Island
In the early hours, a large rock and burlap sack went missing
from a dock outside of Suzhou. Everyone heard the splash of a
heavy object sinking into the river. Immediately after, there
were rumors of young master Ming's third concubine going
home to Quanzhou to visit family. No one knew when she
would return.

In the same grey morning fog, far away on an island in the

sea near Quanzhou, savage meat-eating birds under the cover
of the dawn light dived down quickly through the layer of
cloud. They landed on the surface of the island, covering the
ground densely. These birds greedily lowered their heads and
used their sharp blood-covered beaks to tear continuously into
something. Because there were too many birds, the fight for
food was extremely violent. In no time at all, the birds began
to fight and bite each other for the food. For a moment,
feathers flew chaotically in the dim light, while blood and flesh
sprayed all around.

The food they were fighting for were not the small chicks and
turtle eggs they usually enjoyed, rather it was the bodies of
people.
 The entire island was, at this moment, covered with corpses.
The iron stench of blood filled the sky. Fortunately, it was still
the initial chilly part of spring so the nauseating stench of
rotting was not too strong. Even so, all these bodies had still
attracted the carrion birds from within hundreds of li.

What a feast.

It was possible to faintly see the structure of the dock on the

island, but any traces of people were long gone. The dead had
their eyes terrifyingly open. Their floating white eyeballs
unable to move were covered in a film of death. It seemed as if
they never expected anyone to come to the island and kill
them.

With a screech, a bird accurately pecked out the eyes of a

corpse. Holding the bloody eyeball, it proudly twisted its neck
before shortly lowering its head again, as if afraid another bird
would fight him for the food. It spread its wings and moved to
a different location. Hiding below a rock, it began to eat, but
found that this food was a little hard. It caught in its throat,
and the bird croaked in panic.
 On an island full of corpses, with the flesh flying away to
reveal white bones, organs pecked out, blood stains, and flocks
of birds that danced and battled, the aura of death and horror
permeated on the ocean.

A hand, pulling weakly and with difficulty at the corpses

above, carefully chased away the irritating carrion birds beside
them. A pair of eyes peered out anxiously through the crevasse.
After making sure that the troop of soldiers had left on the
boat, only then did this pirate on the island, who had just
managed to escape death, climb out from among his colleagues'
corpses carefully and with trepidation.

The man had taken a strike to his shoulder, and the blood
and flesh was blurry. If not for his identity, which allowed him
to quickly sense the murderous intentions of the soldiers and
react quickly by playing dead and using his colleagues' bodies
to hide himself, perhaps he would have died long ago.
 The soldiers that had come onto the island had been these
pirates' colleagues. But the killing happened suddenly, and
they struck with a difficult-to-express ruthlessness. It was
probably not until everyone on the island had died before it
occurred to the leader of the pirates that the Ming family had
come to silence them.

The man who survived had a dark complexion. It was clear

that he spent much of his life on the sea. His appearance was
average, expression was determined, and eyes slightly
narrowed. Having experienced this disaster, he did seem
panicked. He panted and sat among his colleagues bodies,
forcing his emotions to steady. He ripped off the clothing from
his colleague's bodies beside him and tightly wrapped it around
his wound, and then he rose to find clean water and food.

When the soldiers left, they thought everyone had died, so

they did not destroy the clean water and food. Thus, giving
him a chance to survive.

After he recovered his spirit a little, the sky had also

brightened.
 …

Facing the sun rising over the ocean, that man slowly sat on
the dock, watching a group of birds not far away sometimes
flying and sometimes landing. He looked at the friends he had
known for many years and their tragic appearances after death.
His lips began to turn white, but he resisted the urge to vomit.
Instead, he flipped his hand and grabbed a bottle of clean water
and gulped it into his dry mouth.

The dead people were all his friends, but he would not bury
them. First, there were too many dead, and he could never
bury this many bodies on his own. Second, as pirates, if they
couldn't be buried in the ocean, it was not a bad end to be taken
into the sky by these carrion birds. Third, these pirates had
done plenty of terrible things in their lives. Things like murder
and rape were commonplace. Now that they had been killed
and turned into bird food, it was a kind of karma.

He was called Qing Wa'er from Quanzhou. His family

background was common, and his ability was common. He had
spent many years on the sea as a sailor. Sometime last year, the
large ship he was on was captured by pirates. Somehow he
managed to survive and even joined the internal department of
the pirates. He began to become friends with the pirates and
did some very ugly things on the torrential oceans outside of
Quanzhou.

The pirates on this island were the biggest group, but it was
very strange. They did not do much business, and the leader
seemed to be purposely hiding the movements of this group.
After being on the island for half a year, Qing Wa finally
discovered that the main business on the island was to capture
the goods ships the Ming family sent toward the Western Sea.

Every time they captured a boat, they never left anyone

alive, especially the officials responsible for escorting the
goods.

In just half a year, because of his calm and cold bloodedness,

Qing Wa was able to receive the appreciation of his leader and
become a small boss among the pirates. He began to gradually
learn more and more details, and had the opportunity to come
into contact with some very important things. It was
unfortunate that a group of powerful sailors had found the
little island and bloodily killed everyone on the island.

The rising sun touched his face, but it did not feel refreshing
because he was surrounded by corpses and blood. Qing Wa's
throat bobbed a few times. He recognized the pirate not far
away whose leg was being eaten by the birds. It was Cai Zi, who
lived in the same cave as he did.

Qing Wa's eyes blinked without energy, and he stood up with

some difficulty. He walked to the side of Cai Zi's corpse and
used the wooden stick in his hands to chase away the wretched
birds. He looked at Cai Zi's body and had nothing to say for a
while. In the end he slowly said, "If I get back alive, I will look
after your mother and father well."

After saying this, he decisively threw down his friend's body

and followed the dock to a hidden little path toward another
direction. The boats on the island had all sunk, but there was
the backup the leader of the pirates had kept. He wondered if
the wooden boat would still be there.
 Qing Wa did not walk quickly but was particularly
determined. He had to hurry back to land. Although he had
survived, the later intelligence reports had not been sent out.
The commissioner should have started to get anxious.

As he walked he wiped away tears, resisting the urge to look

back. Although the pirates behind him had all taken a path of
death, he had interacted with them for half a year. Even
someone with a stone cold heart could not help developing
some feelings.

A fire named anger rose in Qing Wa's chest. He was so close to

finding evidence of the Ming family colluding with the
pirates…last night's troops had been powerful fighters, who
exactly did they belong to? Since they came onto the island to
silence everyone, it must be a military elder to be able to
mobilize the powerful sailors beside the sea. Was it the Ye
family? He did not have the authority to make the judgement,
he could only hope to quickly get the intelligence report to
Suzhou.

The crying Qing Wa was one of five crows of the Overwatch

Council's outside second group of the inspection division
located in Quanzhou. He was the spy that had once reported to
Fan Xian about the connection between the Ming family and
pirates.

Some distance from this island, outside of Suzhou, inside

that Ming Garden that seemed as beautiful as if it could not be
touched by the breath of the secular world, was the current
master of the Ming family, Ming Qingda. He was respectfully
standing in front of a chair and replying to the questions the
person in the chair asked.

In the chair was a woman, an old woman.

Even in front of the Eldest Princess, Ming Qingda had no

need to be so reserved and proper. But in front of this old
woman, he need to lower his head because this old woman,
who held the true power in the Ming family, was the old
matriarch—his birth mother.

If it were not for the ruthlessness of this old woman—who

poisoned the much-loved mistress of the master and who, after
he died, chased the seventh brother out of the family home, the
massive Ming family business would probably have long fallen
into that person's hands. What share would Ming Qingda
have?

Every time Ming Qingda saw his elderly mother, he could

never think of the words "advanced in both years and virtue,"
rather he thought of, "to be old and not die is to be a pest."
Seventh brother's body had probably already become white
bones somewhere, right? Although he felt at east thinking this,
he also felt a chill in his heart. As long as this old woman was
alive, he could not be considered the true master of the Ming
family.

"You acted too slowly," the Ming family matriarch said in a

cold, mercilessly voice. "If you wanted to wash yourself clean,
you should have started taking action two years ago."

Ming Qingda was considered intelligent by all, otherwise he

wouldn't be able to control the massive industry of the Ming
family. However, in front of his mother, he was scolded
harshly. His face warmed and he furrowed his brows. "Why
two years ago?"
 "Because two years ago, the Palace decided to let Fan Xian
marry Lin Wan'er!" A coldness flashed through the old woman's
eyes as she spoke with hatred.

Ming Qingda's face appeared respectful, but he had other

thoughts in his heart. Even if they guessed that Fan Xian would
come down to Jiangnan to take control of the palace treasury
at that time, who knew he was the Emperor's illegitimate child
at that time? Who knew he was a descendant of the Ye family?
Who knew he would control the Overwatch Council in the
future? This old woman seemed like she was truly muddled.

The old woman scolded, "If I hadn't asked the military for
help this time…if the Overwatch Council had found that
island, given Fan Xian's personality, how would he deal with
you?"

Ming Qingda smiled coldly and wordlessly in his heart, but

his face was respectful as he replied, "I have made mother
worry, I am not filial."
Chapter 359: Mother And Son Of The
Ming Family
"How is Lanshi today?" The old matriarch of the Ming family
looked coldly at her son as she showed concern for her
grandson.

Ming Qingda narrowed his eyes and said, "The child knows
what is important, besides, he has been good to her these few
years."

The matriarch mockingly smiled. "Men are all like this in the
end."

The old woman thought for a bit then shook her head and
said, "Let Lanshi interact with Yuan Dajia. A few days ago, I
heard that student of the imperial envoy was opening a brothel
in the city. Lanshi sold Zhuyuan Restaurant and isn't feeling
very happy about it. It's the perfect time for him to discuss
with Yuan Dajia about how to ruin the imperial envoy's
business. Since we have already set the rules, we cannot act in
opposition to them."
 She continued coldly, "Yuan Dajia is the heir's woman, so tell
Lanshi to control his drooling. Besides, it's not like you don't
know that the Fan family absolutely hates Yuan Meng. If Fan
Xian finds out that Yuan Meng is in Suzhou, he would probably
kill her at the first instant. It will be a little more dangerous for
Lanshi [JW1] to interact with her."

Ming Qingda nodded in agreement and prepared to back out

of the room. However, his mother had him stay. After a
moment of silence she said worriedly, "Our plans are only our
plans in the end. I keep thinking that after Sir Fan junior
brought the palace treasury under control with an iron fist, so
it shouldn't be so quiet."

Ming Qingda thought about it then answered heavily, "Be at

ease, mother. After all, we are a large family with respect and
prestige. Without actual evidence, even the imperial envoy
wouldn't dare to strike out randomly."

The matriarch's eyebrows were all white, and the lines on her
all showed a worldly-wisdom and coldness. She sneered coldly
and said, "Not dare? He doesn't even want 400,000 liang of
silver. What he wants must be more. Who else under heaven,
other than the Ming family, can give him this much silver?"
 Indeed it is so. To be able to pull together 400,000 liang of
silver in such a short period of time and have it delivered to
Fan Xian's hands—this kind of power was already enough to
shock the world. Although Fan Xian, unbelievably, did not
accept, this so-named world's largest bribe could be entered
into the history books. Fan Xian did not want 400,000 liang
silver, so what he wanted and sought must be even bigger.

"I think," Ming Qingda said without hurry, "it might not be a
bad thing for the imperial envoy to not accept the silver. Look
at September last year. The old Cui family once sent 20,000
liang of silver from Yishi Tavern. Sir Fan junior did accept it,
but then he turned around and destroyed the Cui family.
Whether or not he accepts the silver does not represent the
thoughts of this strange man."

Ever since ancient times, taking money to handle matters

was heaven's law and earth's principal. It was rare to see
someone like Fan Xian, who took the Cui family's 20,000 liang
of silver, but did not give them any benefit at all. Furthermore,
in a lightning strike, he toppled the Cui family. This move
completely destroyed Fan Xian's reputation in bribery among
the jianghu. The merchants of Jiangnan still remembered this
matter with deep hatred.
 The skin and flesh on the old matriarch's cheeks was droopy.
When she smiled, it was particularly terrifying. She mockingly
said, "The Cui family was too petty and did not see the
situation clearly. That precious son of theirs had offended Fan
Xian in Shangjing, Northern Qi and was forced to kneel as
punishment for half a night. Do they think 20,000 liang was
enough to smooth things over? Sir Fan junior accepted the
silver but not to do things for the Cui family. He only took it to
show that he no longer bore them ill will about the Shangjing
matter. As for what will happen, who knows?"

The old woman then furrowed her brows and asked, "How is
Hui'er?"

Ming Qingda replied, "Her mood is better."

Under the secret arrangements of the Eldest Princess, the Cui

and Ming families had joined in marriage. Hui'er was a third
generation of the Ming family, Ming Lanshi's proper wife, Cui
Zhiui. Although the leading figures survived under the
protection of Yan Xiaoyi, the family was scattered and their
wealth went with the wind. It was difficult for the new wife
entering the Ming family to not feel frightened. Every day her
face was awash with tears.
 Finished speaking of these family matters, the matriarch
pulled the topic back onto the proper track. She narrowed her
eyes and said, "A while ago, the shopkeeper of Taiping money
house came to say that the silver deposited was almost ready.
But, a few days ago, you told me about Zhaoshang money
house…what is that about? How come I've never heard of it?"

"I am a bit worried about Taiping money house," Ming

Qingda furrowed his brows and said. "I heard that Shi Chanli
has taken a few large caches of silver from that money house.
If the court, or imperial envoy have laid some kind of trap, I'm
afraid things will go wrong when the time comes."

He saw that his mother was deep in thought, so he

continued, "Zhaoshang money house is a new one. They only
started appearing in Dongyi last year. As you know, most
money houses come out of Dongyi. I've had some people look
into the shares and background supporting them, so it
shouldn't be a problem. I was thinking that if the palace
treasury bidding is raised by the imperial envoy, our future
cash flow needs to have a guarantee. Other than Taiping, we
should leave another road."
 The matriarch opened her eyes and said with a cold smile,
"What background do they have for you to trust them like
this? Our family does the business of the palace treasury. We
need silver like flowing water; how could a small money house
have enough turnaround? Fan Xian's trip to Jiangnan has
played havoc with your thoughts…how immature."

Ming Qingda felt a slight rage but maintained a slight smile.

"Most importantly because their supporter is reliable. Guess
who is behind that Zhaoshang money house?"

"Don't play these game with me." The old Ming matriarch
stared with annoyance at her son.

Ming Qingda coughed a few times and said, "The

investigation was clear. The majority of the shares of the
Zhaoshang money house is property of the Shen family. The
Northern Qi court pursued them relentlessly. The man who
used to manage the Shen family accounts back then escaped to
Dongyi, and then started doing this business."

"The Shen family?" A spark of interest finally appeared in the

old woman's eyes. "Northern Qi's arbitrator of the Discipline
Commission, Shen Zhong?"

"Yes."

She was silent for a while then laughed dryly. "The Northern
Qi court raided the Shen family. The lady of the Shen family
escaped, so there is a portion of the fortune that was never
raided. Back in the day, Shen Zhong and the Cui family
collaborated to control the smuggling from the palace treasury
to Northern Qi. Who knows how much silver they saved away.
If it is their family, this money house does have some wealth."

"Most importantly, the true mountain behind the Zhaoshang

money house is a powerful family in Dongyi." Ming Qingda
struck while the iron was hot. "Shen Zhong was killed by the
Emperor of Northern Qi. It should have some connection to Sir
Fan junior. Thus, Zhaoshang money house would certainly not
work with the court or Northern Qi."

Other than the massive wealth hidden in the Ming family

fields and manors, the silver they used to do business with was
mostly all deposited in Taiping, and the stamp to move money
from Taiping has always been in the hands of the Ming family
matriarch. Ming Qingda only had the empty title as master of
the Ming family. In reality, he was only a puppet. Who knew
what his true intentions were today in recommending
Zhaoshang money house to his mother.

It was difficult to tell whether or not the old matriarch

noticed her son's thoughts. Her smile instantly vanished and
she said icily, "Did you not find out how much Shi Chanli can
mobilize in Taiping?"

Ming Qingda felt a drop of cold sweat trickling down his

back. He forced himself to be calm and replied, "I put some
pressure on Taiping, and the old shopkeeper could only break
the rules and give me an actual number. It is unclear where the
money Shi Chanli can use is from. It should be the Fan
family's. The total amount should be around 50,000 liang."

The old Ming matriarch only sneered coldly and did not
speak as she stared at her son.

Ming Qingda became nervous.

 After an indeterminable amount of time, she finally sighed
and said, "Don't rush to contact Zhaoshang for now. First, the
silver Shi Chanli can move is not much. It is not enough to
cause trouble for us at the bidding. Second, behind Taiping
money house is that strange Sigu Jian person. What this
money house values the most is trust. You had them break
their rules because Sigu Jian needs the Ming family to deliver
goods to Dongyi. If you turn around and flirt with Zhaoshang
money house, how could they be comfortable in their hearts?
Third, even if it is the Shen family money behind Zhaoshang
money house, that is not much. Even if there is the big family,
you said in Dongyi…but Dongyi is very chaotic. The so-called
big family might be a pain in Sigu Jian's side. Why should we
offend Sigu Jian?"

Ming Qingda raised his head. It seemed like he had never

thought his mother would speak to him so warmly.

The old matriarch finally came to a conclusion. "There can

be some small interactions with Zhaoshang money house. As
for the palace treasury, we must still use Taiping money house
for the purpose of safety."
 Ming Qingda did not dare to say anymore. He always felt that
behind his mother's warmth was a knife that killed without
showing blood. However, he felt unsatisfied in his heart. When
doing business, it was important to put money in different
places. How can everything be put in Taiping?

The judgments of the mother and son deviated a little from

each other. It was this slight deviation that caused very
troublesome matters.

"If the imperial envoy can suffer us for a few years, then we
will do as you intend and go on like this. If he…is set on
condemning the Ming family to certain death, you know what
should be done."

Ming Qingda bowed and acknowledged his mother's words. A

moment of silence later, he said, "The Junshang conference
begins next week; I'm worried there isn't enough time."
 The matriarch looked at him coldly. "Killing is not a job to be
rushed. As for the Junshang conference, the Ming family has
nurtured the Jiangnan martial artists and protected them
under the gaze of the court for many years. Shouldn't they
repay us in some way?"

The killing mentioned was about Fan Xian, and the Junshang
Conference was certainly nothing like the Martial Conference
Zou Lei had wanted to use to defeat Fan Xian.

Qing Kingdom had a so-called jianghu, but the real jianghu

looked nothing like the stone stage beside West Lake.

There were so-called aces among the wilderness. No one

knew in how many places the aces at the level the Jiangnan
water bandits worshiped were hidden.

The Junshang Conference was where the so-called aces of the

so-called jianghu truly gathered. The Junshang conference was
never known by people, and no one knew just how powerful
they were.
 If Fan Xian truly wanted to exterminate the Ming family, a
centuries-old large family, they would have ways to
counterattack. The Shadow of the Sixth Bureau and the
professional assassins were playing a game of hide and seek all
over Jiangnan with the Dongyi swordsmen. The defensive
power around Fan Xian was not as tight as it looked.

It was clear that Ming Qingda did not approve of this

suggestion and mockingly said, "Someone that even Dongyi
can't kill? I don't believe the Junshang Conference can do it.
Besides, don't forget, mother, the imperial envoy is a martial
ace in his own right. He also has the Tiger Guards the Emperor
gave him and, most importantly, that Northern Qi sage girl,
Haitang, should also be around him."

The old Ming matriarch looked pityingly at her own son.

"Killing someone is to be done at all costs. It is not a game of
looking at the possibilities of success. If other people want to
kill our whole family and you are still considering whether or
not you can kill the other party, then you will never have a
chance to kill them."

Qing Mingda gave a pained smile. "So what if we can kill Fan
Xian? The Emperor will be angry; the world will be angry. Will
we still be able to survive?"

"Naturally, it has to be done perfectly. We have to give the

people under heaven a believable answer," the old matriarch
said coldly. "If we can kill Fan Xian, then it would be Dongyi's
Sigu Jian who did it. What does it have to do with us? Besides,
Sigu Jian has already been a scapegoat for many things these
years, so one more won't matter."

Ming Qingda mockingly said, "Perhaps this excuse can only

fool ourselves. It won't be able to fool the people under heaven.
It will fool the Emperor and the Overwatch Council even less."

"If we can kill Fan Xian, maintaining the peace would be

best," she said expressionlessly. "However, if such a day comes,
I believe that our heroic Emperor of Qing Kingdom will not
shake the foundations of his rule or the entirety of Jiangnan
just for a dead illegitimate child. If the matter can be
suppressed, the Emperor will be sure to do so."

"One live Fan Xian is worth more than 10 Ming families, but
10 dead Fan Xians cannot compare to one broken Ming family.
The Emperor does not like our family, but he cannot destroy
us. So the Emperor hopes that Fan Xian will be able to bring us
in good shape into the hands of the court…if you can
understand this point, then I can hand this family to you with
ease in my heart."

A thread of hatred rose on the old matriarch's face. "At that

time, I will throw in this life of mine too."

All sorts of feelings welled up in Ming Qingda. Crying, he

said, "What nonsense are you saying, mother?"

He smiled coldly in his heart. The old woman had indeed

become old. She saw the situation in a truly muddled way. If
we acted as you intended and killed Fan Xian, how could the
Emperor leave the Ming family alive? Throw in your life? Do
you really think your old life is worth that much?
Chapter 360: A Good Man With His Body
In Suzhou And His Heart On All Under
Heaven
Shi Chanli walked out of Zhuyuan Restaurant and let out a
breath as he wiped away beads of sweat from his forehead. The
building behind him was being renovated. It would still some
time before the opening. The process of expanding Baoyue
Brothel into Jiangnan had been going smoothly, except some
problems occurred when buying girls in Suzhou the past two
days. Although using the power of the Third Prince to dig out
girls from their colleagues had gone well, he did not find many
outstanding ones.

Every time he thought of this matter, Shi Chanli got a bit of a

headache. Jiangnan women were beautiful; they were famous
for it. How come he could not find any decent looking girls?
Was someone hiding them? He originally had other options.
He had gone to a broker, but the girls the old broker woman
had shown him were pitiful children from Jiangbei escaping
disaster. Although she said the parents were selling them, she
could not produce their deeds. Shi Chanli could not bring
himself to buy them. He was also afraid that Fan Xian would be
angry.
 Thinking about his teacher made Shi Chanli's head hurt even
more. He truly had no idea what that young master was
thinking. Arriving back from the palace treasury the day
before yesterday, he plunged himself head first into the garden
of the manor the salt merchant lent them and stayed behind
closed doors. He didn't seem to have made preparations for the
opening bidding of the palace treasury.

Shi Chanli was wearing a thick cotton robe. Although he now

had the identity of a merchant, he could not put away the
scholarly mannerisms a dozen years of cold bitter studying had
instilled in him. His hands touched the smooth walls of the
carriage, but he didn't get in.

The guards beside the carriage looked at him curiously.

Countless people walked by the carriage. On this wide street

in Suzhou with endless horses and carriages, Shi Chanli's mind
suddenly wandered. He gazed at the Jiangnan commoners,
whose expressions were happy and peaceful, and furrowed his
brows slightly. Thinking back over the events of this year, he
felt a few extra threads of fear concerning the choices he had
made.
 He thought about what Yan Wanli said in Hangzhou.
Although the people accepted Fan Xian as their leader and
determinedly stepped toward an unknown future, Shi Cahnli
was not the same as those three classmates. His desire for an
official career had already dulled. He had begun to manage
some secretive things for Fan Xian and knew some secret
information. He more and more felt that Fan Xian was difficult
to understand. People like himself wanted to help the world
and nurture the people, but what exactly was his teacher
thinking?

He understood that one of the reasons for the Baoyue Brothel

expansion was so that outside of the Overwatch Council, Fan
Xian would have a second way of finding information. A more
important purpose was for the convenience of Fan Xian
laundering money. Perhaps all that the teacher did was for a
kind purpose. In the process to achieve this purpose, much had
to be sacrificed—the lives of innocents, the scholar's tradition
of righteousness, the…conscience everyone should have.

Shi Chanli knew that Fan Xian was still a powerful official
and not the good official of his dreams. However, he knew even
more that if one wanted to be a good official to be remembered
in the annals of history, grabbing power was necessary. In this
process, the word "good" would seem too stupid.
 This was a difficult quandary in philosophy. Shi Chanli was
trapped within it and could not find any answer. He could only
climb silently into the carriage and put his bet on the trust he
had in his teacher.

The carriage headed toward Taiping money house. Shi

Chanli had been moving money from there to be used all
around. The full 50,000 liang of silver truly scared him a little.
Sir Fan junior perhaps had a bit too much silver. He only hoped
that once he had sufficient power and money resources, he
would remember what he had thought earlier and do
something for the world.

"I am very clear about what I am doing." Fan Xian's

expression was calm as he looked at Yang Wanli in front of
him. After returning to Suzhou from the palace treasury, he
had transferred Yang Wanli over. Although according to the
rules, Yang Wanli could not leave his post on his own. Fan Xian
was one who gave absurd orders. With the identity of an
imperial envoy, he thought the officials of Fuchun County and
Shangzhou would not dare to point the finger of blame toward
Yang Wanli.

Yang Wanli sighed and said, "Teacher, I am just worried that

the officialdom is dangerous and very able to lure people in
with extravagance and power…"

Although he didn't finish what he was saying, his meaning

was clear.

Of Fan Xian's four students, the one he liked best was Yang
Wanli because he spoke straightforwardly and never forgot the
bitterness of his childhood. He was always upright,
plainspoken and honest, and had self-control. He was also a
strange one. Although Fan Xian was not an honest official, this
did not stop his appreciation of honest officials. Even though
Shi Chanli was honest and bright in his heart, he could only
keep things sealed inside it. As for the other two, Cheng Jialin
sought too much of the ordinary. It was only Hou Jichang, a
talent who was equally famous back in the day as He Zongwei,
whose thoughts were sharp. He was indeed a good choice for
getting things done. It was a pity that he was in another
province, and Fan Xian could not use him for a while.
 He waved his hand to stop Yang Wanli's excessive worries
and smiled. "My nature is determined. Why do I need you to
worry? Don't always worry that I am sliding into evil and have
become so used to darkness I cannot stand to see the light."

Yang Wanli paused slightly and remembered what kind of

person his teacher was. How could he be so useless? Perhaps
his own worries were a little over the top.

"Money is only a tool," Fan Xian said. "For those of a greedy

nature, they always need money to obtain some kind of
physical or mental excitement. But for someone who has
enough money, being greedy…if it is not to count the money,
then it must be for some purpose."

Yang Wanli shook his head and said, "Insatiable greed. There
is too much of this in the world." Although Fan Xian often
jumped out with some strange words, Yang Wanli had already
gotten used to it. He could understand the basic meaning
anyway.

"It's not like I am a eunuch," Fan Xian laughed and said. "I
have no particular love for things like silver."
 Yang Wanli gave a pained smile. If you did not love silver,
then why use Shi Chanli's name to run a brothel? Particularly
the move this time targeting the Ming family and the palace
treasury. It is very clearly about intercepting silver, and when
it comes time to hand it back to the court, how much will there
be?

Fan Xian ignored his student's unspoken criticism. "I have

called you here this time because there are some matters I need
to tell you about."

Although Yang Wanli did not approve of some of the

methods Fan Xian used, and had some conflicting emotions in
his heart, he always carried out Fan Xian's instructions with
great diligence—as long as they did not break the law.

He saw Fan Xian's serious expression and thought it was

about government affairs, so he changed the way he referred to
Fan Xian and said in a serious voice, "Please give me your
orders."

Fan Xian glanced at him and said with some consideration,

"There will an appointment from the capital very soon,
moving you to the Ministry of Works. I am letting you know
ahead of time in case you are confused later."

Yang Wanli was surprised to hear this and was indeed

confused. He had been doing well in Fuchun County.
Following the convention, he would be able to enter the
provincial government next year. Not only was his official
career going well, this was also the proper path. Although he
was an honest man, he did understand the disputes in the
officialdom. Of course he understood why, after the spring
examinations, teacher had the three of them enter various
provinces and counties rather than finding ways to stay in the
various ministries in Jingdou.

Because the Fan family's power in Jingdou was sufficiently

strong and solid, they needed more help from outside counties.
This was the reason Yang Wanli had been sent to Fuchun
Country.

Hearing now that he was going to be transferred to the

Ministry of Works, Yang Wanli could not understand why this
was so. Given his ranking, he could help his teacher do some
things outside of the capital. After he returned to the capital,
his office would below. He wouldn't even have the opportunity
to speak. He wondered what deeper meaning there was behind
his teacher's arrangement.

Seeing his confusion, Fan Xian gently explained, "By

convention, when moving from a regional post into the
Ministry of Works, your ranking will go up half a level. Don't
think that this is my interference. As for why I am having you
enter the Ministry of Works, you don't need to guess anymore."

Yang Wanli nodded with confusion.

"There are four departments under the Ministry of Works."

Fan Xian stared into his eyes. "When making new policies
during the first year of the Qing calendar, the Water
Department was changed to the Clear Water Department…this
time, the department you are entering is the Clear Water
Department."

Yang Wanli opened his mouth slightly. He could guess what

his teacher was planning to do. His delicate face flushed bright
red. "Sir, although it takes a great deal of silver to fix the
riverbanks, this money…cannot be moved."
 Fan Xian was startled. Shortly after he laughed and cursed,
"What kind of pig head do you have? Have all the cursing in
Hangzhou not awakened you?"

Only now did Yang Wanli get his sense back. If teacher
wanted to take silver, why would he ignore Jiangnan's Ming
family and the palace treasury right in front of him and stretch
his hand into the repairs of the riverbank. He must have
thought wrong, and he sighed repeatedly with embarrassment.

Fan Xian glared at him in bad humor then sighed and said,
"You need to change your rude and impetuous temperament.
It's fine in front of me, but after you enter the Ministry of
Works and face the sly and cunning officials like this, how can
I let you go with assurance?"

Yang Wanli clenched his teeth and said, "I will listen to
teacher's words. I will be steadier and calmer in the future.
Please give your instructions."

Fan Xian was silent for a while. He slowly raised his head and
stared at Yang Wanli's. He stared until Yang Wanli began to
feel uncomfortable before evenly saying, "The Clear Water
Department in the capital is responsible for auditing the silver
the court disperses along the river for necessary repairs. The
amount is very large, particularly since the banks of the
Yangtze River burst last year killing and injuring countless
people. This year, as long as the national treasury has a slight
turn for the better, the Emperor will certainly spend sufficient
silver. I am sending you to the Clear Water Department in the
capital so that you can keep an eye on this silver.

Yang Wanli was frozen in his chair and didn't recover his
wits for a while. River repairs? Riverbanks bursting?
Flooding? Silver like a flood? Everyone knew that the river
transport was one of the most money-consuming matters
concerning the country's well-being and people's livelihoods.
Particularly in Qing Kingdom these dozen years, every year the
rivers are repaired, and every year the banks burst. Silver
flowed into it like a flood and never made a sound.

On one hand, it was the heavens not giving them any face.
On the other, it was manmade disaster. From Jingdou to the
Ministry of Works, then from the manor of the governor of
river transport down to the various officials, who knew how
much silver was scooped out of this massive amount of silver.
The disaster of corruption was more than that of the
floodwaters.
 Naturally, the Emperor knew of this matter. Four years ago
the banks of Yangtze River burst and a thorough investigation
by the Overwatch Council was done. It was said that when the
court killed that governor of the river transport, the
accumulated wealth in his family held back the country and
the supporting mountain behind him was the empress
dowager. However, despite the Qing Emperor's ruthless killing,
it could not stop the corruption among the river works. The
position of governor of river transport had remained empty
four years, with no one to take over.

In addition to that, the returns of the palace treasury had

gotten worse each year. They were fighting a battle on two
fronts. The national treasury was empty, and the irrigation
facilities on the two banks of the Yangtze River were old and in
need of repairs. This then caused the terrifying consequences
last year that were brought on by the banks of the river
bursting.

How could he deal with a problem that even the Emperor

could not completely solve?

This reality did not allow Yang Wanli to be stupid, he knew

himself. Perhaps he had the capability to govern a county or a
province, but to govern a river? That involved the lives and
deaths of tens of thousands of people under heaven. He did not
dare to make such a boast.

He bowed before Fan Xian in terror and tried to reject the

position.

Fan Xian looked at him and shook his head. "What are you
panicked about? I am just sending you to watch the silver. It's
not like I'm having you go fill in the dirt on the river."

"To ensure the safety of the Yangtze, why should I be afraid

of filling in dirt on the river?" Yang Wanli said with a pained
smile. "Since teacher has thought of river work, then you know
that this matter is a great responsibility. If anything is even
slightly wrong, it is a tragedy that will drown tens of
thousands of people. I cannot dare to accept."

Fan Xian smiled coldly and said, "Didn't you want to be an

official that goes down in the history books? I am asking you
to go to the darkest nest of the most corrupt officials in the
Qing Kingdom, and you don't dare to go?"
 Yang Wanli's face flushed red, and he slowly lowered his
head.

Fan Xian did not say anymore and just looked at him coldly.

After a long while, Yang Wanli finally lifted his head bravely.
He clenched his teeth and said, "As you wish." In his heart he
thought that even if he was sinisterly killed in the river
transport yamen, he could at least help. Just as his teacher
said, since one is working for the benefit of the world, what
was the purpose of holding onto oneself?

Approval flashed through Fan Xian's eyes. "He who is not

afraid of death by a thousand cuts dares to unhorse the…ahem,
governor."

Yang Wanli froze, thinking that the sentence was a little

strange.

Fan Xian hid his smile and said, "Furthermore, right now the
position of river transport governor is empty. With the Fan
family and Overwatch Council watching you…Even though
the river transport yamen is deep like a dragon pond, if those
corrupt officials want to use insidious methods to get rid of
you, they'll have to see if I agree."

Yang Wanli thought about it. That's right! He has his teacher,
this giant mountain, why would he be afraid of what they
could do? His heart turned around quickly. An eager-to-try
spirit rose on his face, as if he was preparing to rush back to
Jingdou right now and report, and then hurry to the banks of
Yangtze River to watch the court's silver and see if it was being
spent where needed.

Looking at his expression, Fan Xian couldn't resist laughing.

Shortly after he became serious and said, "But there is one
thing you must remember well."

"Please instruct me."

"You can only manage the silver. You cannot manage the
river work." Fan Xian looked at him severely.
 Yang Wanli was a little startle. He thought repairing the river
was good for the country and, why could he not do it?

Fan Xian stared into his eyes and said seriously, "The river
repairs will naturally be done by the professionals in the
Ministry of Works. You just have to ensure that the silver is
being spent on the proper things. You cannot interfere with the
river work. In this world, the scariest thing is when amateurs
manage professionals. Do you think repairing the river is as
simple as building the river banks higher?"

An expression of "what else would it be?" rose to Yang

Wanli's face.

Fan Xian sighed in his heart and warned, "I am sending you
to the Ministry of Works only because of your honesty and
sincerity, and inability to turn a blind eye, not because I value
your less-than smattering amount of ability to govern a river."

He saw that although Yang Wanli had accepted it, he still did
not seem to have really taken it to heart. Fan Xian then laughed
coldly and said, "Don't think that my words are a joke…Yang
Wanli, you listen to me carefully!"
 Yang Wanli unconsciously stood up.

Fan Xian stared at him and said each word carefully, "If I
hear that you dare to criticize or instruct on matters of specific
river repairs, if you dare to use my name to give out random
ideas…I will immediately send people to have you broken into
36 pieces."

Yang Wanli shivered under Fan Xian's chilly gaze. He knew

that his teacher serious about his instructions. He quickly
adjusted his attitude and accepted it sincerely.

The two discussed some more about the details after he took
the post, such as the matter of who to trust in the river
transport yamen. It was at this time that Fan Xian believed
Yang Wanli was not as simple-minded as he previously
thought. For the matter he handed down, he should be able to
solve it smoothly. Fan Xian then began to talk about the
purpose of their meeting today.

"I am having you go to the Clear Water Department in the

capital not because I expect you to get rid of the old winds of
corruption in the river works," Fan Xian said thoughtfully.
"The Overwatch Council has plenty of spies over there, but
there are too many officials with too deep connections to the
court. Moving one person moves the whole. It's not easy to
deal with."

Although Yang Wanli was slightly surprised, he had learned

to be clever and did not ask questions. He listened silently.

"The silver the court sends to Yangtze…in the end, will never
be enough," Fan Xian said mockingly. "It doesn't matter
whether you believe it or not, but in the end the situation will
always become like this. Even if the Emperor sends down 2
million liang of silver, the Ministry of Revenue will still say it
is not enough."

"Originally, if we planned this slowly, there was still a chance

to turn this situation around." Fan Xian narrowed his eyes.
"Only there is not enough time. Last year the Yangtze burst its
banks and destroyed a number of dams, further weakening the
old and unrepaired defenses and irrigation facilities on the
sides of the bank. When the water dried up in the winter last
year, it was the perfect opportunity to repair the river,
however, it just happened that the national treasury was empty
at that time…so what will we do this year?"
 "If it doesn't flood this year, then the Qing Kingdom is
fortunate." He smiled coldly, "If there is another flood, it won't
be held back. The matter of the river works still depend on
those officials, and so it is not appropriate for the Overwatch
Council to make many major moves."

At this moment, Yang Wanli faintly sensed that while his

teacher's body was in Suzhou, his heart was on all the people
under heaven. He felt his heart warm and probingly asked,
"The national treasury did not mobilize enough silver,
furthermore, it is already spring. Even if we can make it past
the spring floods, more silver will still be needed."

"This is the real reason I am sending you to the Ministry of

Works," Fan Xian said calmly. "I will pull together a huge sum
of silver. Part of it will enter the national treasury through the
Ministry of Revenue and then be transferred to the river
transport yamen. But as I said earlier, it will be siphoned off
along the road, and I don't know how much will be left. Most
importantly, I am worried that there won't be enough time, so I
will directly transfer another portion of the silver to the river
transport yamen with you taking charge."
 Yang Wanli paled with shock. The large amount of silver that
Fan Xian spoke off must be a terrifying amount and most likely
from the palace treasury. Only, this silver should, logically
speaking, belong to the palace treasury and shifted to the
national treasury by edict of the Emperor. To directly shirt the
silver as Fan Xian said…on the lighter end was using national
funds privately, on the heavier end, it was not that different
from rebellion.

"Time is too tight," Fan Xian said helplessly, "In the past,
moving the silver uses up half a year. At that rate…my god, the
Yangtze would have burst its banks long ago. Bureaucracy
kills."

Yang Wanli knew that Fan Xian was certainly not doing such
a dangerous and non-beneficial thing in a life-threatening way
for his own gain. He truly wanted to urge the matter of
repairing the river onto the right track. Although Yang Wanli
felt moved, he was still worried about his teacher. He
anxiously urged, "Sir, you must do this carefully. If someone
were to find out…then what will we do?"

Fan Xian smiled and said, "What are you afraid of? Could the
Emperor bear to have me killed?"
 Yang Wanli thought about it and realized this was indeed the
case. Although the source of this silver could not be explained,
as long as it was used on river works and not privately
hoarded, why would the Emperor not forgive his own son?

"Where is the silver from?" he asked carefully. In reality, he

knew very well that the source of the silver was certainly
somewhere shady. But if he didn't ask, he would always feel
uneasy.

"Swindled and stolen. I am one who lives to eat up rich

families." Fan Xian smiled. "The opening bid for the palace
treasury is about to start. You don't have to worry about the
silver. The important thing is to use this silver well. The
Fourth Bureau of the Overwatch Council will help you deal
with specific matters, and there will be people in the Ministry
of Works who will help you conceal it. You don't need to overly
worry."

Hearing these words, Yang Wanli understood that this large

amount of silver must be channeled into the river works
through unusual channels. Naturally, it needed the higher
levels of the court to turn a blind eye. Perhaps the main
schemer behind all this was his teacher's father, the always
silent Minister of Revenue.

"I will have more and more silver," Fan Xian sighed and said.
"There will be more each year. Right now I am not worried
about how to earn money, but how to spend money, and spend
it happily."

These words were a bit of an exaggeration. He had not yet

tricked the Ming family silver into his hands, but he was
already thinking about how to spend it. This matter couldn't
help but be a bit absurd.

"The governor position of the river transport has been empty

four years," Fan Xian smiled slightly and said to his most
stubborn student. "I hope that in the near future, you will be
the Qing Kingdom's river transport governor, and the first…not
corrupt river transport governor in history."

Yang Wanli stood upright and unafraid. A sun rose in his

chest, and he felt bold and unconstrained.
 …

The reason Suzhou's silver was being transferred into river

works was to take advantage of time—trying to get in before
the autumn floods to make the minimal amount of repairs to
the heavily damaged river banks. Yang Wanli would not stay.
He quickly said his farewells and left. He had to return to
Fuchun County to explain, then enter the capital to report,
then he had to double back to the river transport yamen. These
tens of thousands of li indeed needed him to rush around and
work hard.

Fan Xian sat comfortably in his chair and waited for the
person who was going to arrive.

After a short wait, Haitang pushed opened the doors and

came in. She looked at Fan Xian like an immortal and only
said, after a moment of silence, "The question is, where did
you get all this silver from?"
 "Tomorrow, the bidding opens of the palace treasury," Fan
Xian smiled and said. "If Xia Qifei is not an idiot, he will
certainly be able to raise the price an appropriate amount.
Forty percent as deposit is not a small sum. Since the Ming
family is so kindly offering the silver to be held at the
transport company with both hands, I'll have to spend it so as
to not let down the Ming family."

Haitang shook her head and said, "There is already an

Imperial Censorate here from the capital, and the Jiangnan
governor will send someone to watch from the sides. You won't
be able to move much of this stash of silver. Even if Xia Qifei
manages to take over the Cui family routes, it will require at
least seven months for the goods to turn into silver cash."

Fan Xian smiled as he looked at the girl. "In any case, the
goods are being shipped north, and your Emperor will send out
the silver. Furthermore, I am holding enough silver here at the
transport company yamen. After the matter is settled, I will
transfer money from Taiping money house to use for now. I
think you all won't mind too much."

Haitang was slightly startled but gave a pained smile shortly

after. "This is not a bad idea. After seven months you'll have to
be able to repay. However, the Emperor does not know of your
arrangements. Besides, using the many years of hard-earned
silver from my Northern Qi court to repair the river banks of
your South Kingdom…there is no way this makes sense, right?"

Not only did this matter not make sense, if the intelligent
young Emperor of Northern Qi knew that Fan Xian was doing
such a thing, he would probably vomit blood in anger.

Fan Xian spread his hands and looked at Haitang. Bemoaning

the state of the universe and pitying the fate of mankind, he
said, "Duoduo, you once said, 'all the people under heaven are
loved by heaven. We must treat everyone equally.' If the
Yangtze bursts its banks and the people who drown are those of
my South Kingdom, are they not people? Do you have the heart
to see this scene happen? The silver of the Northern Qi court.
The silver of the Ming family. The silver of the court…are
these not all the people's silver? I am just taking a huge risk to
use it on the people under heaven. What is wrong with that?"

Haitang smiled slightly and nodded. "There is nothing from

with using the people's silver on the people. Only, if Northern
Qi has natural disasters in the future, I hope that Sir Fan will
not be miserly with his support."
 Fan Xian didn't even think about it before smiling and
saying, "Naturally."

Haitang did not seem to expect him to answer so quickly. She

couldn't help pausing for a moment. She didn't know if the
other party really thought this way or if he was just saying it
without much thought. After all, those people who truly had
no sense of nation…was too rare.

Haitang shook her head and said, "Let's not talk about the
matter of silver for now, but what you did today truly
surprised me. I have seen too many corrupt and powerful
officials, but I never thought you would use the money you
took from corruption and use it on this matter."

Fan Xian slowly raised his head and gave a sly smile. "Is it
difficult to understand? It's actually very easy to understand…
it is just like what I said to Wanli earlier. Money is just a tool.
It is only a method to obtain happiness in life and in your
heart. Earning money is difficult, and spending money is even
more difficult. How do you spend it comfortably? Some people
like to buy horses. Some people like to buy beautiful woman.
Some buy manors and become landlords. Some like to buy
official positions."
 "And all these, for me, are all too simple matters," Fan Xian
continued. "Since I am going to spend money to buy happiness,
then I will spend the largest amount of silver to buy the world's
biggest happiness."

"Your own happiness…everyone's happiness…enjoy

happiness?" Fan Xian began to use Mencius' teachings to
educate Haitang.

Haitang smiled slightly and said, "In the end, you still just
want your life to be better. Just like what you wrote in your
letter before. You wish that this world could be a little more
perfect, so your life in it would be a little more comfortable."

"Correct," Fan Xian smiled and said. "Even if I have a life of

luxury, with wealth and power, if one day the country
collapses and the people die, how will I enjoy life? Even if I
raise my voice to sing, with beauties to accompany me as I
travel the world without carrying a shred of a cloud, but my
body is hungry and rotting with black crows pecking at food,
how could I be happy? To raise a dog to bite people and to
laugh, this is a hedonistic lifestyle with no character. I cannot
find joy in that."
 He finally came to a conclusion. "If one person is happy and
tens of thousands are not, that is not good…if everyone is
happy, then that is truly good."

Haitang stared at his eyes and suddenly couldn't resist

shaking her head. "I really can't tell which words are true and
which are false. Just what kind of person are you exactly?"

Fan Xian thought about it and then said with great sincerity,
"Why does no one believe, I am…actually a good person."

Haitang lowered her head, hiding her eyes that were as clear
as lake water. In a quiet voice she said, "A good person…
tomorrow the bidding opens of the palace treasury. Do you
plan to keep being a good person?"
 Fan Xian's expression calmed. "Sometimes, not only am I not
a good person, I am even a bad person. A murderous dictator.
However, these two sides are not conflicting."

Haitang did not continue this topic and seemed to ask very
casually, "These two mornings, you've began to cultivate
again. Has the condition of your zhenqi improved?"

Actually, he had begun in Hangzhou beside West Lake. Every

day at dawn and dusk, during his routine meditation, he had
begun to recover. However, for some unknown reason, he was
unconsciously hiding from Haitang, as if there was something
he was hiding from the other.

Haitang asked him to his face, but Fan Xian did not agree, he
only smiled and shook his head.

Haitang smiled shallowly and asked again, "Your argument

on spending money earlier was very new. However, there are
many injustices and suffering people who are waiting for help.
Why did you choose river works as your first project?"
 "There will be benevolent courts gradually opening in
various locations," Fan Xian said calmly. "The court will think
of ways to settle the refugees around Jiangbei. I discussed this
matter with the Emperor before. I must hold at least part of the
palace treasury's silver in my hands, and then use it to do some
appropriate things."

"Is this the wish of some elder?" Haitang asked.

Fan Xian smiled and did not say anything,

"You still haven't answered me. Why did you choose river
works for your first project?"

A picture, for no reason, rose in his head. On the picture was

a beautiful woman in a yellow coat. She was standing on a
rock mountain beside the banks of the river. She watched with
worry as she looked at the aggressive and dragon-like flood
waters; she watched the hard-working commoners on the other
bank.
 "Go rest first," he said in a gentle voice. "Tomorrow, when the
palace treasury opens, there will be a battle to fight."

The name "Wanli" has the same characters as "tens of thousands of miles," so it is a pun on his
name.
Chapter 361: The Door Of The Palace
Treasury
It was said that the 22nd day of the third month of the sixth
year of the Qing calendar was a lucky day. So after Fan Xian
arrived in Jiangnan, the first spring opening bidding of the
palace treasury had been set for that date.

In the beautiful spring sunshine, a breeze brought warmth.

The young Suzhou masters and girls all went out of the city for
a walk. On the wide official roads, the not-yet grown grass was
flattened by the birds startled into flight. The green hills and
running streams outside the city became good places for men
and women to meet. There was a light and wonderful
atmosphere in the air.

Inside Suzhou, it was a different scene. About 250 meters

toward the south of the Jiangnan governor's manor was the
permanent government manor of the palace treasury transport
company. Usually it was very strictly guarded since it was one
of the main areas to defend. Today, there were soldiers walking
up and down the two ends of the street, each with long spears
in their hands. There were also yamen bailiffs looking spirited
and alertly watching for disturbances in all directions of the
sleepy spring atmosphere.
 This entire area of the city had become strictly controlled.

Every year the palace treasury opened, the scene was like
this. One reason was because all the giant merchants from
various locations carried so much silver with them. Second,
other than the officials of the transport company hosting the
opening of the palace treasury, there were also eunuchs sent
from the palace to watch the proceedings. The governor of
Jiangnan Road would also arrive to listen. At times like this,
there would always be a group of officials from the Imperial
Censorate who did nothing all day. Today, there were too much
silver and too many important officials gathered here, so safety
was paramount.

Fortunately, Suzhou was next to the Yangtze River. The

military strength of the Qing Kingdom was powerful, and
there was not another power that dared to do any kind of
testing. Even the thieves had long been chased out of the city.

It was the perfect time to collect money.

…
 …

By convention, the transport company empties out a large

courtyard. It was incomparably wide with a row of individual
rooms along the two sides of the main hall. It was said that it
was the examination center for Jiangnan students in an earlier
dynasty. When the Qing Emperor was inspecting the palace
treasury, he found these separated rooms ideal for bidding.
Thus the location was set here, creating a tradition. Usually,
the courtyard was left empty in the highest level region inside
the city. It was lent to the governor's manor by the transport
company as a place to manage accounts. It was only in March
that it was returned to the transport company yamen.

The renovation and cleanup had started a dozen days ago,

and now it was bright and clean.

Soldiers stood guard outside. Inside were a few normal

looking guards standing beside the hall. The lighting inside the
main hall was a bit dim, and the row of four imperial tutor
chairs, placed behind the desk, could only faintly be seen.
 When the Suzhou branch of the Jingdou South Street
Xinfeng Restaurant had finished selling its jietang buns, the
door to the courtyard finally opened.

The giant merchants from various locations did not rush.

They walked up the stairs in great order and did not even look
at the alert soldiers beside them. After a dozen years, they had
long memorized the entire procedure.

Each merchant often represented a family behind them as

well as a faction in the bureaucracy. The opening of the palace
treasury was an important event, and so the representatives
that had come today were all heads of their families. Only,
there were not many people. These merchants all brought their
long term servants and master of accounts, as well as chests
and other tools relating to their accounts.

Walking at the head of the crowds was, of course, the

representative of the Ming family.

Since the start of last year, the Ming family had placed much
of its power into the hands of young master Ming Lanshi. The
old Ming master rarely showed his face. However, today the
crowd of merchants were shocked because the old master,
Ming Qingda, had personally come to the courtyard.

Ming Qingda narrowed his tired eyes and raised his hands to
greet various colleagues. He stroked his long beard and
proudly walked through the door.

The Jiangnan merchant families informally considered the

Ming family as its head. They quickly returned the greetings of
the old master and followed behind him through the door. No
one felt a thread of unease. s=Since it was the bidding of the
palace treasury, of course it was the Ming family who went
first. What everyone did not understand was why the Ming
family was so cautious today, to the point of inviting out their
old master.

Occasionally, someone would think of the newly arrived

chief official of the transport company, that imperial envoy,
and how the young master Ming had been secretly
communicating non-stop with them all this month. Only then
would they faintly realize that today's palace treasury bid
might not go as smoothly as it had in the past. And it wouldn't
be as beautiful and joyful as the spring sunshine.
 …

The two rows of rooms under the eaves had long had names
attached to them, and each family entered in order. The Ming
family had been placed in the first room on the left hand size.
It was a big room. They had they most people, a full 16
shopkeepers. Once they entered the room, servants arranged by
the transport company came in with water and poured the tea.
They handed out hot towels and delicately made pastries.

Although it was the government opening the bidding, they

knew they had to look after these wealthy people well.
Following the line that Fan Xian knew was said laughingly
after previous biddings: If you want to kill the pig, of course
you have to fatten it first.

Ming Qingda sat firmly in his chair. His narrowed eyes

looked at the clear light outside pouring into the yard. Before
he entered the yard, he had already communicated with the
merchants with his eyes and knew that everyone was thinking
the same thing. In front of benefits, no one wanted to anyone
to inflate the price. Particularly these merchants did not dare
to offend him.

Thinking of this point, Ming Qingda's heart finally felt

slightly more at ease. In a low voice he asked, "How much
longer?"

Ming Lanshi stood with proper etiquette behind his father.

He lowered his body and said, "Almost." He stretched out a pair
of white hands, bringing the tea to his father's side. The pair of
hands were so clean, it was like they had never touched blood.

Ming Qingda nodded. Since the court was still using open
bids, there was no one under heaven that had the wealth to
fight against him. It shouldn't be too different from previous
years, but for some reason, the corners of his mouth were dry.
Perhaps as he was getting gradually older, his spirit was not as
good.

Thinking of this point, a strange feeling welled up in the old

master's heart. His mother was already at such an advanced
age, why was her body still so healthy?
 Ming Qingda subconsciously swept his gaze across and easily
determined the families the rooms represented. Although he
rarely entered the market place himself these years, the
friendship of the older generation was still there. Today, it was
all the second generations who had come from those families.
They probably knew very well that of the 16 palace treasury
lots, they could fight for the portion the Cui family had made
available. As for the eight the Ming family were set on, they
would certainly not touch them.

Only…the door to the last room under the eaves on the

opposite side remained closed. He didn't know which family
had handed in their bidding book but had yet to arrive

Ming Qingda drank a mouthful of tea to wet his throat and

furrowed his brows. "Which family is B4? It's about to start.
How come no one has arrived?"

Ming Lanshi was surprised and unable to answer. He had

already investigated very thoroughly, so why was that room
still closed?
 Some kind of warning began to grow in Ming Qingda's heart.
After Fan Xian had returned the 400,000 liang banknote, he
had sunk into silence. Who knew what that imperial envoy
was thinking. He glanced at his son, and said in a slight rage,
"When doing things, they must be done perfectly. You haven't
even checked the people properly. If something goes wrong in a
moment, what do we do?"

Ming Lanshi's expression was slightly embarrassed. He could

only admit his mistake. However, he was not satisfied. These
people of wealthy and large families all had the same problem
of their hearts and mouths not being aligned. He tentatively
said, "Perhaps it is a salt merchant…they always do things
strangely. Maybe they got greedy this time as well."

Ming Qingda's expression was dark. He shook his head and

said, "It's not a salt merchant. One, they had given us their
promise. Two, Sir Xue also promised me."

The master of the Ming family watched the empty room

opposite. He stared at the tightly closed door and faint
coldness exuding from the glass windows. A strong sense of
unease welled up in his heart.
 "It is such a waste this time." An advisor in the Jiangnan
governor's study sighed. "The Cui family had left open six lots,
but it is not convenient for us to interfere. We must watch as
all that silver is once again divided by the Ming family and
those wealthy local landlords. It is such a pity."

Sir Xue Qing's face bore a slight smile, but he didn't say
anything.

The advisor sitting on his other side also had an expression

of sorrow and said, "Yang Jimei has come by a few times these
days. He is hoping that Sir will speak for him in front of Sir
Fan junior…his family has been in the salt business for
generations. Now he sees the palace treasury as a piece of fatty
meat. He's very greedy."

Yang Jimei was the biggest salt merchant, or private salt

merchant, around the two rivers. He had always carefully
curried favor with the governor.

Xue Qing thought about it and then said with a smile,

"Greedy? Who isn't greedy? Yang Jimei, that old bastard. That
amazing Hua Garden…when I asked him for it, he just would
not give it up. This time, he insisted on using my hand to gift it
to Fan Xian as a residence. Am I not aware of what he is
thinking? Is Sir Fan not aware in his heart?"

As the governor of Jiangnan, he controlled one seventh of

the soldiers and civil administration. His power was very
strong and solid, and he had many eyes and ears. Thinking of
the matter, he couldn't stop a sigh and said, "Sir Fan has to give
Yang Jimei some face in the future, but in this palace treasury
matter…he has no chance."

The advisor asked curiously, "What exactly is the imperial

envoy thinking? Of the six lots that are available, who is he
preparing to hand them to?"

The smile on Xue Qing's face gradually faded. "This question

does not even need to be asked. Since the Emperor has sent him
to Jiangnan, he is preparing these six lots to be taken,
naturally, by him."

He continued, smiling coldly, "Never mind those six. I think

if the Ming family wants to keep their eight slots, it will be
difficult."
 The advisor pulled his brows together tightly and said, "We
just don't know which family Sir Fan junior has chosen this
time."

Xue Qing gave a mocking life. He was the leader of the

Jiangnan area, so he knew about Fan Xian's doings. He smiled.
"I fear none of you will be able to think of who he has chosen.
This imperial envoy is quite incredible. He did not choose
among the merchants for a representative, instead, he went to
the wilderness to dig someone out. If those bastards dared to
walk brazenly in Suzhou on a normal day, I would probably
have to take them into prison and demand some tribute."

The advisor did not know the inside story, so gave an

awkward laugh. He still could not let go of the matter. He
asked, "Concerning the matter of opening the palace treasury,
did the imperial envoy…speak to you about it?"

Following the conventions of officialdom, such a piece of

meat like the palace treasury could not swallowed by the
officials of one faction. No matter how arrogant Fan Xian was,
he would still have to make a gesture to the governor. Xue
Qing's position was special and deeply rooted in Jiangnan,
 Xue Qing furrowed his brows slightly and shook his head.
"Sir Fan junior has raised the matter. Despite his youth, his
actions are very accommodating. Minister Fan and Director
Chen have taught him well…however, I, most unfortunately,
could only reject Sir Fan junior's kindness."

"Ah?" The advisor let out a startled sound. Reject the

kindness? As long as Fan Xian made the offer, this little gesture
was probably worth at least a few hundred thousand liang.
When did the governor become so honest and possess such self-
control? HaD he learned how to change his spots?

Xue Qing smiled self-deprecatingly. He stood and said,

"Although we are close, we should still go early. Sir Fan junior
is waiting in the courtyard, as well as that old white face Guo
Zheng. The eunuchs from the palace will also bring the edict.
We should not be late."

He did not explain to the advisor, who was closer to him than
his wife, why he rejected Fan Xian's kindness. Xue Qing knew
that although the palace treasury appeared to be a competition
between Fan Xian and the Eldest Princess, in reality, it
represented a deeper layer of meaning. Those princes and
which order they should be in had already begun to change
into a thorny problem.

Xue Qing's identity did not allow him to pick a side too early,
otherwise the Emperor would be angry, so it was not
convenient for him to join in the palace treasury feast.

Under the protection of his guards, the Jiangnan governor

left through the front door of his manor. Xue Qing
subconsciously turned his head to look at the sign in front of
his manor and was momentarily blinded by the newly risen
sun. A strong sense of unease welled up in his heart. The
Emperor had been strange these few years. Everyone under
heaven was watching Jingdou, guessing what the future will
hold With this kind of unrest, it was definitely not a good
thing for the Qing court.

If the people's hearts are not set, what would the officials do?

Your Majesty, Your Majesty, what exactly are you thinking?

…
 …

The merchants who had come to bid were already seated and
waiting in their rooms. However, the host of the event, Fan
Xian, was slowly drinking tea. The person drinking and talking
with him was one of the eunuchs from Jingdou.

The palace treasury was the property of the royal family.

According to the rules, it needed to be supervised by both the
Taichang Temple and inner court. As Fan Xian was an official
of Taichang Temple, the temple did not trouble themselves to
send another person to Suzhou. It also lessened problems for
Fan Xian. However, the eunuch had come, which was
troublesome.

"What you say makes sense." Fan Xian placed his tea bowl on
the table and smiled slightly. "I also agree that is better to be
silent than to act. Everything will be done with the same rules
as previous years."

Eunuch Huang was from the Palace and had a very high
rank, otherwise he would not have been given such an
important assignment. He had a fat head and big ears; the flesh
on his cheeks was all piled together. At he listened to Fan Xian
speak, he gave an insincere smile and said, "With you hosting
this event, I am at ease."

Eunuch Huang had long been deep in the inner Palace.

Although he knew Fan Xian's name well, he thought that with
a royal decree on his person, he was not particularly be afraid
of the other. On the contrary, he had been in Suzhou for a
number of days, yet Fan Xian had not invited him to his manor
to talk. The reality of this neglect made him feel ill at ease in
his heart.

In their earlier conversation, Eunuch Huang had brought Fan

Xian a piece of had news. More accurately, he was passing on
the empress dowager's verbal command. She wanted Fan Xian
to host the palace treasury matter according to old rules and to
not do anything rashly.

Do things rashly? According to old rules? Fan Xian laughed

coldly in his heart. This naturally meant that what should be
the Ming family's, should stay that way, and the rest he could
do as he wished. It seemed like after the Eldest Princess
returned to the capital, the empress dowager must have felt
heart sore for her youngest daughter and pulled a long face to
request such a big favor.

He understood that the empress dowager was warning him to

not go too overboard when doing things. He had to leave the
members of the royal family some live income to spend.
Thinking to this point, Fan Xian couldn't resist wanting to
smile. His Emperor was known as the Emperor of a generation,
how come he was becoming more and more turned around as
the years progressed? How was he allowing his old mother and
sister to push his family business into his sons' manors?

Of course he knew that the Emperor was not a simple figure,

but he was becoming more and more confused as to why the
Emperor was creating such a turbulent situation.

"To bring great peace, there must first be chaos?" He

unconsciously furrowed his brows and said out loud.

"What?" Eunuch Huang beside him asked.

 "Nothing." Fan Xian smiled. "Thank you for passing on the
edict."

Eunuch Huang coughed a few times and said with some

pride, "It's only because the empress dowager trusts in one such
as me, of course. I must also thank you for giving me such
face."

Fan Xian did not comment. He only smiled and looked at

Eunuch Huang's pig-like face. After a pause he said, "Your
face?"

Eunuch Huang was startled.

Fan Xian smiled slightly and said, "Eunuch Huang, it is best

if you put away those acts when you are in front of me. Lao
Tao, Lao Dai, Lao Hou…know how to behave themselves
better."

Eunuch Huang was angry but quickly became shocked. The

three people Fan Xian had mentioned were all powerful
eunuchs in the Palace. Although Lao Dai had since lost power,
other than head eunuch Hong Zhu who was recently
transferred to the Eastern Palace, Lao Tao and Lao Hou all had
much more face than himself. Thus Fan Xian saying this was
showing that even Eunuch Tao and Eunuch Hou were
respectful in front of him.

Eunuch Huang was very shrewd. He drew back his anger and
smiled instead. "As you say, Sir." In his heart, however, he
lowered his estimation of Fan Xian. For a young and powerful
official to plant enemies all around, he was unlikely to grow
for long. Furthermore, he was someone close to the empress
dowager, so his identity was a bit special.

Fan Xian gave a sly smile and said, "It is best if you behave
yourself in Suzhou."

Eunuch Huang lowered his face. "From where do you speak?"

"I'm speaking from Jingdou," Fan Xian said darkly. "I hate it
the most when people use the empress dowager to suppress me.
Other people may be afraid of you, but that does not include
me. After you go back to the capital, you can say it where you
like and then see what kind of situation it will be."
 Eunuch Huang lifted his head in a rage. How dare an official
be so disrespectful to the dowager empress? Do you really not
want your life?

For Fan Xian to say this, he had to have his reasons. He kept
his expression cold and shook his sleeves before turning past a
side corridor to walk toward the main hall of the courtyard. He
threw down one last sentence. "Figure out your own identity.
Your surname is not Hong!"

Other than old Eunuch Hong, who else was would Fan Xian
be wary off in that cold Royal Palace?

Fan Xian stood coldly on the stone steps in front of the main
hall. The merchants in the rooms under the eaves on the two
sides quickly came out and bowed to him in greeting.
 He gaze was focused solely on the main entrance. He didn't
even glance at the father and son of the Ming family in the first
room closest to him.

The big door was pushed open with a creak.

A line of silent people walked in slowly. This line of people

did not have the wealthy and noble air commonly seen on
merchants; they also did not seem like officials. On the
contrary, they were full of a sense of blood and wilderness.

With these people standing in the yard, it was like wolves

had suddenly appeared in a flock of sheep. Like a pastry with a
deer tail, it appeared out of place and abrupt.

Xia Qifei was wearing an outfit of light-green watered silk,

yet it still did not hide the aura of blood on his body. Although
his expression was calm, his narrowed eyes revealed a trace of
excitement and nervousness.

Xia Qifei held his fist in one hand and greeted Fan Xian. "Sir,
I have come late."
 "Not late," Fan Xian said coldly. "It is fine as long as you are
here."

The giant merchants of Jiangnan often had shady business

dealings, and there were many areas where they depended on
the power of the wilderness. Xia Qifei, as the head boss of the
Jiangnan water bandits, actually had some secret dealings with
these merchants, even those of the Ming family.

Thus, there were some people who had seen Xia Qifei's true
appearance. He led his subordinates and brothers to stand in
the yard and was immediately recognized by those with sharp
eyes. The whispers gradually rose to become countless cries of
shock.

Water bandits have come to the palace treasury to bid?

 The giant merchants looked with faces full of fear at Xian
Qifei in the yard. They couldn't resist turning their glances on
Fan Xian standing on the stone steps. They could not
understand what was happening.

Water bandits as merchants? Then what were these

merchants to do? Were they to be mountain thieves? The way
of the world…seems to have become very strange ever since the
appearance of Sir Fan junior. It was very difficult to
understand. What made these Jiangnan merchants most
curious was that even if Xia Qifei had been robbing
everywhere, how could he pull together so much silver? Since
these Jiangnan water bandits already entered the doors of the
palace treasury, they must have paid the safety deposit in full.
If being a water bandit was so lucrative, then why did they
bother slaving away at their businesses?

Ming Qingda, standing at the door of the room closest to the

stone steps, narrowed his eyes and watched the last person
enter the yard. In a quiet voice he asked, "Who is this person?"

"It should be Xia Qifei," Ming Lanshi leaned close to his

father's ear to say. "The head boss of the Jiangnan water
bandits. We've had some contact before, but I've never seen
him in person. I don't know why he's here today to join in the
action."

Ming Qingda's eyes were narrowed tightly. It was almost

impossible to see the cold pupil inside. He only faintly said, "It
seems…this person is the piece the imperial envoy buried ahead
of time."

Xia Qifei slowly turned his head and met the gaze the master
of the Ming family sent his way. He smiled slightly. The smile
revealed an endless enmity and desire to devour blood.

The Seventh young master of the Ming family, whose mother

was killed and his property stolen, finally, with the help of Fan
Xian, had the opportunity to properly stand in the light and get
his revenge.

"⽼⽩脸" Translated literally, but have different meaning in Chinese slang.

"钦差⼤⼈这是说的哪⾥话" Translated literally to better reflect the next line.
Chapter 362: The Bandits Of Room B4
They didn't need to wait for long before the Jiangnan
governor, Xue Qing, arrived in a hurry, and the Imperial
Censorate, Guo Zheng, who had been dawdling in the back
garden entered the front hall. Finally, he four officials of the
four offices hosting and monitoring the palace treasury
bidding were gathered together. Guo Zheng was no longer the
well-regarded Imperial Censor of the left in the Imperial
Censorate, but as the inspector of each Road, he still had a
certain measure of power. The old hatred between him and Fan
Xian had not been resolved. When they met, it was inevitably
awkward. When the four officials greeted each other, it always
seemed that Fan Xian's calm and cold gaze hid a few threads of
danger.

Of the four officials gathered, Eunuch Huang represented the

Palace; the Jiangnan governor, Xue Qing, represented the
system of the court officials; the Imperial Censorate Guo Zhen
represented Imperial Censor; and Fan Xian represented a
number of powers, such as the palace transport company,
Overwatch Council, and even the institution that managed the
royal family, the Taichang Temple.

Everyone representing the court, represented the Emperor.

 Fan Xian sat in the second chair and chatted with Xue Qing
with a slight smile, however, he saw the situation today
clearly. There were too many people watching this event. No
matter who, no matter which power, it would be difficult for
anyone to conduct deals under the table by themselves. The
treasury palace opening procedure developed through history
effectively promised fairness.

At least, the appearance of fairness. As long as merchants had

money, they could all come and compete for the 16 slots to sell
goods as an agent of the palace treasury.

He was thinking this way, and the other three were also
thinking this way. Eunuch Huang met the eyes of Guo Zheng.
Although they felt faintly uneasy, from their perspective, Fan
Xian couldn't get up to any fancy tricks in front of all these
people. They just had to ensure that the Ming family was able
to obtain the same portion as previous years.

Eunuch and Imperial Censorate were, historically, two levels

that stayed apart like fire and water. Today, they were standing
in the same camp in mutual understanding. However, these
two did not know much of the inside situation or pay sufficient
attention to the last person to enter the palace treasury, Xia
Qifei.

Xue Qing was not the same. He had the attitude of being in
the theater. His face was peaceful as he watched the people
beside the giant merchants. Those watching the show were not
afraid of the stage being tall; they are always more relaxed than
the performers.

This one show had a number of performers.

The thick door to the courtyard was slowly closed again. The
soldiers and Overwatch Council officials outside pulled a tight
defense. In the palace treasury bidding of previous years, it
usually ended in just one day. However, according to court
rules, merchants were allowed two days to call out prices.
 There was an enormous banging sound.

Fan Xian smiled as he covered his ears. He watched the spring

thunder outside the yard shoot across the sky. It headed for the
doom of the sky and exploded beneath the shallow clouds. The
sound was bright and crisp, and traveled to the ground some
distance away. It startled the spirits of countless people.

The girls in the brothels who had been hard at work the
previous night in Suzhou were awoken by the roar of thunder.
They cursed out some filthy words, burrowed back into their
blankets, and fell asleep. A child, who was taking money from
his parents to buy candy, thought the heavens were scolding
him for being disobedient and punishing him with the thunder.
The child was reduced to sobs in fear. The black dog in the
back garden, peeing on the old tree roots with its legs cocked,
shivered in fright from the sound. His front legs hit the
ground, and he buried his head into the furry bag, imitating an
ostrich.

The humans' reactions were all different. This roar of

thunder had other meanings in some people's ears. Regardless
of whether they were advisors and shopkeepers of each family
that had gathered on the docks to the north of Suzhou awaiting
orders, or the Suzhou people discussing the matter of the
palace treasury opening, everyone tilted their gaze toward the
south side of the city. They looked toward the courtyard they
could not see and knew that the palace treasury bidding had
started.

The palace treasury bidding in the sixth year of the Qing

calendar actually went extraordinarily unsmooth from the
beginning.

First, the palace treasury transport company summarized the

profits and losses of each merchant in the last year. Naturally,
there was no lack of positive words. The deputy of the
transport company responsible for the speech, Ma Jie, finally
reported, very severely, the results of the court's investigation
into the Cui family. This was a warning to all the merchants
below the steps: Don't think that the court is not watching you
all.

These were old regulations, and no one cared. When Ma Jie

spoke of the specific lots of today's bidding, the courtyard
exploded. The merchants all stood out to show their
opposition. Even the four officials sitting in the main hall
began to argue.
 Because the transport company had suddenly decided the
divide the original 16 lots into 34 small lots, and furthermore,
bidding would no longer be bound together.

This change did not appear to be big, but for the merchants
below, it was a completely unacceptable matter.

The reason was simple. Three months before bidding, these

giant merchants of Jiangnan had began secret talks amongst
themselves. They figured out the boundaries and territories
between them. Each minded their own business to avoid
damaging their relationships and raising prices that would
damage their wealth. For example, the Lingnan Xiong family
was sure to compete for the bid for the alcohol category to the
North. While the Quanzhou Sun family wanted to have the
right to sell porcelain goods overseas.

Although it appeared that everyone could still maintain their

bottom line on the surface if they did as the transport company
intended and split the 16 large lots into 34 small lots, after the
eight large lots expected to belong to the Ming family—divided
into two bound bids—were completely split apart, who knew
whether or not there might be some merchant who suddenly
became greedy and wanted to steal the Ming family's portion.
After all, without being bound together, the highest earning
lots did not seem to need too much silver.

Once someone made a move on the Ming family's portion,

what would the Ming family do? They would certainly turn
around and steal someone else's portion. This was determined
by a merchant's natural pursuit of profit. The opening bidding
of the palace treasury today was probably going to be a
complete mess.

The Jiangnan merchants were most afraid of the chaos. The

Ming family had already agreed that they would not interfere
with the Cui family portion. These merchants could already
eat many more bowls of meat, of course they didn't want
anyone to disturb their plans.

In their eyes, the imperial envoy made such a change to

achieve two simple goals. First, he wanted everyone to
compete with bloodlust and raise the price. Second, he wanted
to minimize the necessary deposit after dividing the lots into
smaller amounts, so Xia Qifei, the last man to enter the yard,
would be able to have a small share.
 These sly merchants had already noticed that the silent B4
room was the imperial envoy's representative.

We can understand that you, the imperial envoy, wants to

earn money, but you can't use these seemingly fair but actually
poisonous methods!

"Sir Fan, this idea is not appropriate." Although Eunuch

Huang had been severely humiliated by Fan Xian, he still
appeared very steady and calm. His fat face squeezed into a
smiling expression. "In the regulations of the previous years, 16
lots were just 16 lots. Why are they suddenly divided? This
matter needs to be decided by the capital after all."

Fan Xian furrowed his brows and said some words.He then
turned his head and said in a low voice to Xue Qing, "Governor,
the split into finely divided lots without binding together
would only give more people the privilege to enter the field…
this will only benefit the court."

Xue Qing muttered irresolutely to himself. He appeared very

awkward. "Although that could be said, it is no small matter. I
think Sir Fan should report to the court. After the Palace has
discussed it, it will not be too late to introduce it slowly next
year."

Seeing that Xue Qing was also opposed, Fan Xian felt
unhappy. Looking at the chaotic and loud merchants below, a
thread of hate flashed through his mind. In reality, the true
reason for preparing to divide the lots today had nothing to do
with what the merchants were thinking.

These merchants were thinking that the six lots the Cui
family had left behind were already in their pockets, and so
they would not compete with the Ming family. But, in a
moments, Xia Qifei would definitely swallow up the six lots of
the Cui family, so these merchants could only eat the two
pitiful lots. An intelligence report came earlier saying that the
Lingnan Xiong family and Quanzhou Sun family had both
prepared large amounts of silver this time and were gearing up
to take over the Cui family route. In a moment, when they end
up with nothing, these merchants were going to suffer great
losses.

Because of the fall of the Cui family, there were three times
more merchants at the palace treasury opening bid than
previous years. Fan Xian had originally been thinking to let
these merchants have at least a bite, and so had made the
suggestion of finely dividing the lots. Unexpectedly, no one
accepted his kindness. Although he knew this was because
these merchants did not know what was going to happen in a
moment, and that was why they opposed it so strongly. But Fan
Xian still found it difficult to quash his feelings of sullenness.

He fought a bit more with Eunuch Huang and Guozheng

beside him and explained things to them for a bit. He found
that the merchants were still determined to do things by the
convention of previous years. The other three officials were
also hanging tight to the word "regulations" and did not dare to
let go. Fan Xian finally decided to give up; the so-called retreat
to advance. Sometimes things just happened this way.

Deputy Ma Jie awkwardly turned around and glanced at Fan

Xian, who waved his hand to signal putting aside the idea.
 The merchants were overjoyed .They all bowed to him,
saying the imperial envoy was wise. Fan Xian looked at these
merchants with coldness in his eyes, He couldn't help shaking
his head. Just don't cry in a moment.

Xue Qing sat beside him and stroked his beard with a slight
smile. His gaze was actually focused on the room closest to the
main hall and the room furthest away. When the place was in
an uproar earlier, the quietest were these two rooms. He knew
that Xia Qifei was Fan Xian's man, but he didn't know from
where Fan Xian had gotten the silver or how the Ming family
planned to respond.

The bidding had not gone on for long when there were
already merchants beginning to regret. The master of the
Xiong family from Lingnan became the first pitiful man to
almost cry.

The official of the palace treasury transport company stood

high on the stone steps and called out the lots, and then each
room began to bid. Naturally, the bidding could not be like
bidding on girls at a brothel, calling out – 50 liang! 100 liang!
When the court did things, there always had to be rules and
regulations. If there was interest in a bid, for example, after
the official had called out the lot, the cotton merchant of Bei
Road would make a detailed calculation with the old
shopkeeper he brought, taking into account last year's profits
and current year's trends. Then he would he write a precise
number on a piece of paper and seal it into a leather bag. This
would then be taken by an official of the transport company at
the bottom of the stairs and handed into the Flower Hall to the
left of the main hall.

The merchants had three opportunities to make an offer, and

it was all open bids. Thus, if someone called a higher price
than oneself the first time, these merchants still had the
opportunity to raise their price, with the third price prevailing.
It was a simple principal of bidding—the highest bidder wins.
Following this, the merchant that had won the bid had to at
the first possible moment, whether in joy or in pain, bring out
40 percent as deposit to be handed into the Flower Hall. There
were accountants of the transport company in the Flower Hall,
as well as an old official of accounts who was brought in from
the Ministry of Revenue in Jingdou. They were responsible for
comparing the numbers each merchant family came up with as
well as examining the banknote the winning merchant family
handed in. It had been many years since a merchant family
stupidly brought a dozen chests of silver to a bidding.
 In reality, the palace treasury bidding was not all that
different from the bidding on girls at brothels, only the girls of
the palace treasury were slightly more expensive. Whether it
was the merchants or the busy officials, they were no stranger
to this scene.

As the officials were busily running around with the sealed

envelopes of the various families, the Overwatch Council
officials watched everything with alertness, preventing any,
already difficult to happen, cases of fraud.

It was currently the bid for the alcohol category in the North,
and the third time the prices had been called.

Xion Bailing, from the Xiong family in Lingnan, was the

current master of the family. He wiped at the cold sweat on his
forehead. Seeing the two previous offers made by his
opposition, the muscles on his face twitched. He felt a bit like
crying but did not have the tears. The Lingnan Xiong family
always operated their business in the South of the Qing
Kingdom. Due to reasons of territory and opportunity, they
never had the chance to extend their feet into the North, so it
was difficult to expand their business situation. Since the Cui
family had fallen, it gave these merchants the chance to take
the right to sell as agents of the palace treasury in the North.
Thus, Xiong Bailing needed to obtain this bid. Earlier, the
person who most vehemently rejected Fan Xian's finely divided
lots was him.

Now he was starting to feel regret. He clearly already had his

clan prepare sufficient silver, but in both the earlier bids, he
had been forcefully pushed down.

Xiong Bailing's eyes were red and anger attacked his heart. If
he couldn't take down this bid, it was not a matter of how
much less money they would earn this year. Rather, it was that
after the clan had gone around this giant mountain that was
the Ming family, the steps of their army toward the North must
be slowed. He truly hated the person who did not follow the
rules and dared to compete with him for the bid to the bone.
However, other than hatred, there was also plenty of fear. He
knew that that person had the imperial envoy as their
supporting mountain. But where did the other party get such
much money?

"B4!" He glared with hatred toward the last and silent room
in the back. Xia Qifei and his group in B4 had been very quiet.
When making bids, they struck out ruthlessly. They also had
some genius assisting them. They had calculated the profits of
the right to sell alcohol in the North very clearly and made a
good guess about the bottom line of his clan. The two previous
times they had bid, each time was just a little ahead of his.

Xiong Bailing, for no discernible reason, felt a sense of defeat

grow in his heart. Was he, from generations of merchants, not
even as good as a bandit?

The old shopkeeper had an expression full of defeat. "Master,

we can't add anymore. If we add more…then there is nothing to
make."

"Straight for this price." Xiong Bailin made a hand gesture

and made the decisive decision to burn his boats and ground
his teeth together. "Being a bandit, he doesn't care about the
money he stole…but there's no need to lose money to compete
with me for business."

At this time, silence had fallen in the courtyard. It was the

third time to bid. There was no one else participating.
Everyone's gazes were on the Lingnan Xiong family and room
B4.
 Although Eunuch Huang and Guo Zheng had some
misgivings, they glanced at Fan Xian. They still did not take it
seriously because this was just a small lot, so perhaps Fan Xian
only wanted to skim some fat off the top. As long as it didn't
hurt the Ming family and their own interests, it was fine.

Two officials took two leather envelopes from the two rooms
and silently entered the Flower Hall.

Everyone waited nervously for the result. Although this lot

was not the most lucrative of the 16, everyone in the courtyard
had, at this time, begun to realize the strangeness of room B4.
Thus, everyone wanted to know if room B4 was here to bid or
was a prop of the imperial envoy to raise the price?

"Room B4, Xia family, 370,000 liang, wins…"

 The transport company official responsible for announcing
the lots stood on the stone steps and announced the results
without expression. He announced it so movingly that the last
word seemed to float, giving it a hint of the theater.

The yard sank into a deathly silence. It took a moment before

the people seemed to awaken from this shock and cry out in
shock at the sky-high price.

370,000 liang! It was only to sell alcohol to the North. If this

was calculated against last year's figures, this price was
certainly at a financial loss. The Lingnan X