Fan Xian's expression did not change. He had expected this. Today's trip to Xiushui Street was, on the surface, secondary. The key was to see how the palace treasury was doing in the north. So when he heard Sheng Huairen call him "son-in-law", he was not surprised. After all, the palace treasury was still managed by the Eldest Princess, and there would always be some of her trusted aides hidden in Northern Qi.
For some reason, Fan Xian believed that the Eldest Princess would send someone to find him, the head envoy of the diplomatic mission. This was not only intuition, but also a judgment of the people of Qing. Whether the people of Qing were virtuous or foolish, they all had a self-confidence and pride that bordered on paranoia. There must be a reason why the Eldest Princess wanted to let Xiao En go. If it did not have to do with the secrets of the temple, then it had to do with Shang Shanhu, who lived in Shangjing. Now that Xiao En had been sent to Northern Qi, the Eldest Princess would naturally contact her son-in-law, the head envoy of the diplomatic mission, if she wanted to rescue him.
But the word "son-in-law" still struck Fan Xian as absurd. It seemed that his mother-in-law would not like him more and more as she looked at him.
Since Sheng Huairen dared to call him "son-in-law", then he must be the most trusted aide of the Eldest Princess. Fan Xian looked at him and nodded. "Elder, what do you have to say?"
Sheng Huairen did not say anything. He only handed him a letter.
...
...
Sitting in the carriage, Fan Xian squeezed the letter in his sleeve. He had not yet had time to read it, but he was already beginning to feel the weight of the letter. After today's business was finished, he would have to deal with it. Wang Qinian was an expert at tracking, and Gao Da was an amazing fighter, but he would be missing someone to help him judge the situation and analyze intelligence.
He couldn't help but think of the students he had taken in during the spring examination. Those guys should have been sent away by now. Perhaps they could become officials, but conspiracies were not their forte. Even if he wanted to train Shi Chanli, it would be too late. Fan Xian suddenly had an idea. If he could get Yan Bingyun out quickly, he believed that it would be of great help to the government's plans.
At that moment, Wang Qinian respectfully handed over a thin piece of paper. Fan Xian raised his eyes and glanced at it. It was a banknote worth five hundred taels of silver. He frowned. "What is this?"
"It's a commission from Boss Yu of the glass shop."
Fan Xian glanced at it again and said with a smile, "You can also get a commission if you make a promissory note … you and Gao Da take it and split it. Oh, right, leave some for the Tiger Guards."
Five hundred taels of silver was already a large sum, but Fan Xian had given it away without even looking up. Only a wealthy family like the Fan family could cultivate such a habit. Now that Fan Sizhe was a millionaire with an annual income of ten thousand taels of silver, he did not care about such a small sum.
Ling Jing smiled and said, "Sir Fan treats money like dirt. I am impressed."
Fan Xian knew that he was not truly admiring his clean sleeves, but rather that his house was full of gold. He smiled and said nothing. The carriage passed through the quiet and beautiful streets of Shangjing, and finally arrived at the area where high officials and nobles lived. It stopped in front of Chang Ninghou's manor.
Shangjing was similar to the south of Jingdou in the Qing Kingdom. The spring wind gently caressed the branches extending from each manor. The sunlight was blocked by the large trees overhead and dispersed. Fan Xian stood next to the carriage and looked at the street. He looked at the stone lions beside the grand doors. For some reason, he was reminded of when he had first arrived in Jingdou from Danzhou.
The carriage stopped in front of Chang Ninghou's manor, and with the protection of the imperial guards, it made quite a commotion. There were already some people hiding in the shadows and beginning to peep. The servants in front of the manor looked at the carriage in front of their manor and were at a loss of what to do. They did not know whether to go down and greet them, or rush into the manor to inform their master.
These servants could all see that the newcomer was dressed very clearly. It was an envoy from the Qing Kingdom! Who in this world had ever heard of an envoy coming to the manor of another country's minister? If this was a journey permitted by both countries, then Chang Ninghou's manor would have long since made preparations. How could it be so quiet?
The concierge swallowed a mouthful of saliva, wondering what the hell was going on. Could it be that these envoys did not understand the rules?
Today, the envoy was not on official business, and Fan Xian had carelessly thrown off the accompanying officials from the Office of the Grand Herald, so only Commander Wei was from Northern Qi. Seeing that Fan Xian and the others were about to charge into Chang Ninghou's manor, Commander Wei became anxious and stepped forward to stop them. "Master Fan, you must not do this. Without the permission of the court, an envoy cannot interact with a court official. If Master Fan and Chang Ninghou really are on good terms, then you must not go in like this. What if you bring trouble to Chang Ninghou?"
Chang Ninghou was Empress Dowager Wei's brother. What trouble could there be? Fan Xian muttered to himself. It would be best if they could bring him trouble. His son had been hiding from him all day. But he smiled and said, "It's fine, it's fine. This morning, I spoke to His Majesty in the palace, and His Majesty did not object. Why should I be afraid of people gossiping?"
Bringing up the Emperor of Northern Qi, Commander Wei was stunned. Did he really have to go to the palace to seek confirmation?
At that moment, Fan Xian had already brought his three subordinates to the door of Chang Ninghou's manor. The gatekeeper hurried forward to greet him. His etiquette was thorough and his words clear. Fan Xian secretly praised them. They were indeed a noble family. "Could I trouble you to inform them that my drinking companion from the south has arrived?"
Fan Xian had finally learned some of the quintessence of this ability to be familiar with people after a year of training in the officialdom and wine circles. The gatekeeper was stunned. The Marquis had indeed gone on a diplomatic mission to the south last year, and he had heard that he had gotten drunk quite a few times in the south. Could it be this young envoy?
But he did not dare to immediately inform the Marquis. After all, it was a serious matter for a foreign official to enter the manor. Just as he was in a dilemma, he suddenly heard a sound from the corner door. A man came out and bowed to Fan Xian. "The Marquis requests your presence."
...
...
Fan Xian had not expected the manor to be so easy to enter. Entering the hall, he looked at the middle-aged man in the chair and laughed. He walked over and gave him a warm hug. "I have not seen you for a year, and you are even more elegant than before, Marquis." Actually, last year in the capital, he had only met this envoy from Northern Qi a few times. In the end, they had a hearty drink in the palace hall. He only vaguely remembered the man's face.
Chang Ninghou was the brother of the Emperor, and his status was incomparably noble. He had never encountered such a "warm" greeting. He coughed and said with a slight headache, "I have not seen you for a year, and your reputation is even greater than before. What brings you here today?"
"I entered Shangjing yesterday, and this morning I chatted with His Majesty for a while. As a matter of fact, I did not know many people in Shangjing, so of course I had to pay you a visit."
Chang Ninghou was born with a white face and swollen eyes. He was in his forties or fifties, and the signs of excessive drinking could not be erased. Fan Xian was close enough to smell the alcohol on him. It seemed that he had been drinking through the night. Fan Xian was secretly happy. It seemed that he had bought the right gift.
Not only was Chang Ninghou fond of wine and women, but he was also a pedantic fellow. The Empress Dowager had two brothers. One of them, Chang An, could still lead troops into battle. Although he was a defeated general, he was still better than Chang Ninghou. This Marquis had been holed up in the capital for many years. It was only because of his stupidity, and because he had the support of his sister, the Empress Dowager, that he dared to invite Fan Xian, the envoy from Qing, into his manor.
Fan Xian had come today to get closer to this brother of the Empress Dowager. He also wanted to use Chang Ninghou to force out Vice Minister Wei.
As expected, Marquis Chang Ning's eyes narrowed into slits as he looked at the fine wine brought by his attendants. Although he did not have a clear identity, the fact that he was the brother of the Empress Dowager was enough to make him look down on everyone in the world. Even if Fan Xian was now the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council, he would not take him seriously. It was only when he heard the gatekeeper's report that he remembered the young and beautiful man who could drink. After returning to Northern Qi, he had not forgotten about his "defeat", so he had invited Fan Xian into his manor.
Seeing the fine wine, the Marquis was even happier. He thought that he had a good eye for people. This little Fan Xian was indeed a sensible person.
...
...
According to the Overwatch Council's intelligence, this Chang Ninghou was from a rural village. Although he had studied under Zhuang Mohan, his life in the Northern Qi court was not very satisfactory. The officials of Northern Qi always believed that he had relied on the Empress Dowager's nepotism to climb up, so not many people looked up to him. His reputation in the court was even lower than that of his son, Wei Hua. That was why this Marquis was so fond of wine. In the middle of the day, the manor immediately prepared a table full of good dishes. Chang Ninghou pulled a few foreign envoys and began to drink to their hearts' content.
Fan Xian narrowed his eyes slightly and drank a cup. Seeing the old man smacking his lips greedily, he laughed. "Marquis, when we entered earlier, Commander Wei said that it might be inconvenient for you."
"What's there to be afraid of?" Chang Ninghou scolded. "Do you expect me to close the door and refuse guests? Last year in the capital, you and Xin Qiwu, Xin Daren, accompanied me very well. Today, I will accompany you. Who would dare to say anything? "
Fan Xian thought to himself that this was fine. After three rounds of wine, Chang Ninghou's pale face gradually turned red, and his eyes became a little unfocused. He knew that the man had drunk a little too much, so Fan Xian took the opportunity to ask what he wanted to ask. Hearing his words, Chang Ninghou was slightly surprised. "Master Fan, you wish to see Provost Shen?"
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