The nights in the capital were quieter than those in Shangjing, Northern Qi. The people of the Qing Kingdom were not used to the so-called golden age, so most of the time, they were used to staying at home at night. Of course, the pleasure boats on the Liujing River and the brothels in the west of the city were not included.
Fan Xian put his hands behind his back and walked slowly through the night. Deng Zi Yue held a box and followed a few steps behind him. Suddenly, Fan Xian stopped and waved his hand toward the darkness in front of and behind him. The Overwatch Council officials hidden in the darkness responsible for his safety revealed themselves somewhat unknowingly.
"Everyone in the capital knows you are by my side. Why deliberately stay in the dark?" Fan Xian said with a smile.
Deng Zi Yue explained with a wry smile, "The court officials do not like to see the Overwatch Council's spies on the streets. The common people are also afraid … I'm afraid it will have a bad effect on you, sir."
Fan Xian understood what he meant. He smiled and said, "You always walk on people's roofs. Aren't you afraid you'll disturb people's sleep?"
The subordinates looked at each other, but they followed Commissioner Fan's orders and came to the streets. These people were all officials who had not been very successful in the Overwatch Council. When Wang Qinian was ordered to form the Qinian Unit, he had put in a lot of thought and found people who were suitable. Now that the people of the Qinian Unit were following Commissioner Fan, it could be said that they were riding on the crest of success in the Council. No matter which of the eight bureaus they went to do business with, they were always respectful. Furthermore, other than their monthly salary, they also received a large allowance. This kind of change made them feel that following Commissioner Fan was a very fortunate thing.
It was near the middle of the night, and the temperature was dropping. Deng Zi Yue hurried forward a few steps and put a thin black windbreaker on Fan Xian's body. He then immediately returned to his position. A group of seven or eight people walked forward. Everyone wore the black unlined clothing that the Overwatch Council had specially made. The hem was above the knee. The material did not reflect much light, and it gave off a gloomy feeling.
Under the moonlight, the group maintained a very meaningful distance. Silently and synchronously, they surrounded Fan Xian in the center and walked forward. The silver light was like snow, and the black clothes were like ink.
— — —
The next day, Fan Xian went to the building next to Tianhe Avenue: the Overwatch Council.
As he walked in, calm-faced officials of the Overwatch Council bowed to him.
"Good morning, Commissioner Fan."
"Good morning, Commissioner Fan."
He smiled and responded to them one by one. Without stopping, he walked towards the room at the back of the courtyard. He pushed the door open and found that the seven heads of the eight bureaus were all present.
Fan Xian bowed slightly and cupped his hands in salute to the crowd. The seven leaders did not dare to be arrogant and quickly stood up to return the salute. Yan Ruohai of the Fourth Bureau, in particular, looked at Fan Xian with an expression of joy and gratitude. It seemed that he had spent the past two days at home with Yan Bingyun and his son, and was in a good mood. Only Chen Pingping, sitting in the wheelchair at the end of the long table, looked at him with a faint smile.
He coughed and sat on the seat to the right of Chen Pingping. He was somewhat surprised to not see his teacher. As if guessing what he was thinking, Chen Pingping gently rubbed his knees and said in a slightly sharp voice, "He went to Jiangnan to have fun. I can't control him."
Fan Xian smiled and lowered his voice. Looking ahead, he said, "When are you going out to play?"
Chen Pingping glanced at him and said, "That depends on when you have the ability to take over."
— — —
The Overwatch Council rarely held these kinds of meetings, and Fan Xian had coincidentally run into them both times he came. Of course, these two meetings were inextricably linked to him. After listening to Fan Xian's report on his trip to Northern Qi, the officials all relaxed. As long as the spy network in the north had not been fatally destroyed, nothing else mattered.
As for Fan Xian nominating Wang Qinian to temporarily handle affairs in the north, no one had much objection. For one, Fan Xian had this power as Commissioner. Secondly, Wang Qinian had been in the Council for a long time. If he had not failed to live up to expectations in the beginning, he was afraid that by now he would also be a leader. Since he had coincidentally followed Commissioner Fan, it was not out of line for Commissioner Fan to promote one of his own up a rank. Third, the business in the north was a dangerous one. Just look at what happened to the son of the Yan family in the Fourth Bureau.
But the following announcement of the Council's personnel arrangements was somewhat unexpected. The officials of the Council had always thought that after Zhu Ge of the First Bureau committed suicide, the position that had been left empty, and the reason why the Director had not called for anyone to take over was because he wanted to wait for Yan Bingyun to return to the country. Unexpectedly, the Director announced that Yan Bingyun would be appointed as the head of the Fourth Bureau. If he went to the Fourth Bureau, who would be in charge of the First Bureau? What about Sir Yan Ruohai?
Chen Pingping raised his eyes weakly and said, "Ruohai has been in the Council for too long. He is a bit tired of it, so he has asked to resign from his position in the Fourth Bureau. Tomorrow, he will send a letter to the Ministry of Appointments and find a position in the capital to enjoy his retirement." From the looks of it, Chen Pingping was not very happy about Yan Ruohai's voluntary resignation. But Yan Ruohai had been worried about his son's life every day for the past year and was actually somewhat tired of life in the Council. In addition, he knew that the Council's eight bureaus could not allow two heads of the Yan family to appear at the same time. In order to make room for Yan Bingyun, he could only rush to resign first.
The heads of the Overwatch Council's eight bureaus did not seem to have a high rank, but in reality, they held great power in their hands. Even the vice ministers of the various ministries did not dare to offend them.
Fan Xian looked at Yan Ruohai and found that the corners of his eyes were indeed a bit tired, but there was also a hint of relief and joy.
Since the Director and Sir Yan had already made arrangements for the Fourth Bureau, no one said anything more. At that moment, the head of the Second Bureau asked, "The position of the First Bureau has been empty for so long, someone has to take care of it. Mu Tie …" He shook his head and said, "His loyalty is unparalleled, but he only knows how to flatter. His ability is still a bit weak. The First Bureau is one of the most important departments in the Council, and it is in charge of supervising the officials in the capital.
The other chiefs also nodded in agreement. The First Bureau was the brightest position among the eight bureaus. Since these bosses of the eight bureaus did not retreat bravely like Yan Ruohai, they naturally all wanted to advance further.
Chen Pingping slowly turned his head and looked at Fan Xian, who still had a suspicious look on his face. He said, "From today onwards, there will be no head of the First Bureau. Commissioner Fan will have full authority to manage it."
These words were spoken lightly, but they carried a heavy weight in the hearts of everyone present. Immediately, the desire to fight for power in their hearts was completely dispelled. No one dared to fight with Commissioner Fan. He had always been their superior, and it was clear that he would one day take over from Director Chen. Now that he was in charge of the First Bureau, who dared to say anything?
But everyone's hearts were filled with awe. The power of the Commissioner was already limited, and now that Sir Fan was in charge of the First Bureau, the affairs of the First Bureau would no longer need to be personally arranged by the Council. Instead, the other departments would have to cooperate with the First Bureau. In this way, the status of the First Bureau would probably increase by half a level. In other words, Commissioner Fan was the ruler of the First Bureau. Whatever he said, the First Bureau would do!
Fan Xian was also a bit surprised. Why would Chen Pingping want him to manage the First Bureau? He turned to look at him and said, "Director, I am already very reluctant to be the Commissioner. I have never handled any specific affairs. If I were to suddenly manage the First Bureau, I am afraid it would not be of any benefit to the Council."
Chen Pingping's words set the tone. "You have no experience with specific affairs, so I am giving you the First Bureau so that you can gain some experience."
— — —
After the meeting ended, all the subordinates in the Council congratulated Fan Xian. But the atmosphere of the Overwatch Council was better than that of the other departments in the court, so Fan Xian didn't hear too much flattery. As the officials left, Yan Ruohai stayed behind and expressed his thanks to Fan Xian.
Fan Xian felt a bit ashamed of himself. He quickly smiled and said, "Bingyun and I felt like old friends when we first met. Besides, it was all Council business. I really didn't do much. Please don't say that, Sir Yan. I am ashamed."
Yan Ruohai saw that Fan Xian did not take credit for himself, and admired the young nobleman even more. He smiled and patted Fan Xian on the shoulder. "In a few days, I will send an invitation for Master Fan to visit us."
"Of course, of course." Fan Xian wouldn't refuse. He also wondered what Lady Shen was like in Yan Manor.
…
…
Only Chen Pingping and Fan Xian were left in the room.
"Nonsense Station." Chen Pingping frowned and looked at him. "I know that Bingyun is a calm child, and would never bring that woman back to the capital. I think it was all your idea."
Everyone was afraid of Chen Pingping, but Fan Xian always laughed and played the role of a junior in front of him. After complaining about being wronged, he said, "Director, this has nothing to do with me. When Lady Shen entered the diplomatic mission, she stayed in the Eldest Princess' carriage the entire time. I couldn't forcibly drag her down and kill her."
Chen Pingping narrowed his eyes. "On the way back to the capital, I had the Black Knights follow the diplomatic mission. If it weren't for your instructions, how could that woman have charged into the diplomatic mission alone?"
Fan Xian didn't know how to explain. After a while, he sighed. "At least it wasn't an ill-fated relationship."
Chen Pingping loved this young man dearly, and he couldn't bear to reprimand him. "Why did you have the Qinian Unit reveal their whereabouts?"
Fan Xian knew he couldn't hide this from him, and he had already thought of an answer. He smiled and said, "Because I wanted the Council to be more open and aboveboard. There was no need to always hide in the dark and make so many people afraid of us."
"Open and aboveboard?" Chen Pingping frowned. "It's good that you have such thoughts."
Fan Xian pulled up the blanket on his knees and said quietly, "Take your time. There's no rush."
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