Deng Zi Yue was slightly startled. He thought to himself, on this rainy day, instead of waiting in the bureau for his subordinates to show their filial respect, instead of eating heartily in Xinfeng Restaurant, instead of going back to his manor to enjoy the warm tea, he insisted on going to Yan Manor in the face of the storm. He didn't know what he was thinking.
"I'll go get a carriage," he said to Fan Xian in a low voice and prepared to walk to the opposite side of the street.
Fan Xian shook his head and flipped his hand to cover his head with the hood of the raincoat. He was not afraid of the pouring rain outside. Just like this, he walked into the rain on Chang Street, allowing the rain to hit the gray-black clothes on his body.
The Overwatch Council's official robes were very common, but there were special styles. For example, when investigating a case on a rainy day, they would often wear this kind of raincoat. The sleeves were wide but not long, and it was all made of waterproof material. There was a one-piece hat on the back. The style was a bit strange. It was like a windbreaker, but also like a cloak. When the rain fell from the sky and landed on this clothing, it would slide down smoothly.
Back then, when Shu the Scholar first saw this kind of Overwatch Council clothing in Jingdou, he was greatly interested and gave it another name: "lotus clothes," using the meaning of rainwater sliding off lotus leaves like pearls. But, after all, the style of this kind of raincoat was a bit strange and did not fit in with the current sense of beauty. So, even with such a wonderful name as lotus clothes, it still did not spread among the people. Only the officials and spies of the Overwatch Council would wear this kind of clothing.
So, in the current rainy days in Jingdou, as long as one saw this kind of person wearing a black and gray lotus clothes, everyone would know that the Overwatch Council had come out to do business and would hide like a ghost.
Fan Xian walked first into the rain. The people of the Qinian Unit did not dare to be negligent. Just like that moonlit night, they split into a few positions and surrounded him at a distance that was neither too far nor too close. They walked forward on the quiet rainy Chang Street. The rain pounded against their clothes, and their long boots stepped on the puddles. Tap, tap, tap, tap!
The few people in the mist unexpectedly had a silent and fierce aura.
The owner of Xinfeng Restaurant, who was bowing to send off the guests, raised his head slightly and looked at this scene. He thought to himself that this Commissioner Fan was truly an interesting person. Bringing along a few subordinates, he was able to wear these strange clothes beautifully and walk out with texture.
— —
The Yan manor was not far. After walking for a while in the rain, they turned into a small alley. Once they came out and stood to the right, they could see the manor door, which was not very wide. Thinking of the father and son in this manor, who were in charge of all of the court's spy activities, even Fan Xian couldn't help but feel a glimmer of seriousness.
Yan Ruohai was an old official who had been in charge of the Fourth Bureau of the Overwatch Council for ten years. He was deeply favored by the Emperor, as well as held in high regard by Chen Pingping. Even the six ministers of the court did not dare to be too arrogant in front of him. When the Overwatch Council was first set up, the official ranks were set very low. Later on, for the sake of convenience, the Emperor basically used the method of bestowing titles and titles to forcibly raise the political status of the Overwatch Council officials.
For example, Yan Ruohai had become a second-rank viscount a few years ago. Last year, Yan Bingyun had been betrayed by the Eldest Princess to Northern Qi. In order to appease the loyal officials of the Overwatch Council, the Emperor directly promoted Yan Ruohai's title to a third-rank count. Even Fan Xian's father Fan Jian, who was now the Minister of Revenue, was only a first-rank count. From this, one could see how well the Emperor treated the officials of the Overwatch Council.
However, there was no new plaque on the door of the Yan manor. The small title below the Yan manor still read "Jing Chengzi Manor" instead of "Jing Chengzi Manor". The words were also in black instead of gold, making it appear extremely low-key. But Fan Xian knew that other than the officials who had been granted titles, only the officials who had been personally appointed by the Emperor had the right to write their titles in front of the manor. From this, it could be seen that the Yan manor was also bestowed by the Emperor. Even if they wanted to be low-key, they could not.
Standing at the manor gate, where the rain had yet to stop, the caretaker at the gate had long since seen them arrive. Seeing the raincoats they were wearing, he knew they were officials of the Overwatch Council, but he didn't know if they were colleagues of the Master or friends of the Young Master. He hurriedly descended the steps, using his hand to shield himself from the rain, and welcomed Fan Xian and the others.
Fan Xian lifted the rain hat off his head, revealing his slightly wet hair. "Is Little Yan home?" he asked.
The caretaker was about to say that the Master was not home, but hearing the other party speak, he realized they were looking for the Young Master. Looking at the handsome face, he had long since guessed who it was. He respectfully said, "The Young Master is home. May I ask if you are the Commissioner?"
Fan Xian nodded and took off his raincoat, placing it on his forearm. The caretaker hurriedly took it, holding up an oil-paper umbrella in his left hand. "Sir, please come in."
This was a clever man. He knew that the Young Master had returned from the north and had a close relationship with Commissioner Fan, so he took the liberty of not announcing his arrival and welcomed them directly. Fan Xian had the same idea. He smiled at the caretaker, and very naturally walked into the manor. After all, his rank was above that of the Yan father and son, so there was no need to be polite under these circumstances.
This was the first time he had come to Yan Manor, and he couldn't help but be curious about the environment of the manor. But following the caretaker's umbrella, he did not see anything out of the ordinary along the way. There was just enough rain to moisten the surprisingly large fake mountain in the courtyard, making the moss on it seem as if it had returned to its youthful green.
Past the fake mountain was the inner courtyard of Yan Manor. Fan Xian looked at the two people in the distant veranda, listening to the rain, and smiled. He waved his hand to indicate that no one should follow him, and he slowly stepped on the puddles of water on the stone floor, trying not to make a single sound as he approached the veranda.
The veranda was in the rain, and the stone steps beside the pillars were soaked. Even the ground under the veranda was half-wet. But the two people in the veranda remained unmoved. They sat on two chairs and stared blankly at the scene of the autumn rain.
One of them was Sir Yan junior, who had just returned to the capital not long ago. The other was Lady Shen, who had fled thousands of li. The two of them sat on the chairs and did not speak, nor did they look at each other. They only cast their gazes into the rain, as if hoping that the ceaselessly falling rain would weave into a curtain of pearls and reflect their gazes back into each other's eyes.
Fan Xian laughed bitterly. He found that Yan Bingyun's face was still a sheet of frost, but there was a gentleness in his eyes. Lady Shen, who was beside him, seemed to have shaken off the misery of the day her family was ruined. There was a slight shyness on her face, but there was an additional trace of confusion in her eyes.
But this pair of resentful lovers did not speak, did not look at each other, and acted as if the other did not exist. The scene was a little strange.
What made Fan Xian feel even stranger was that Lady Shen was wearing the clothes of a servant girl. Her feet were shackled and dragged by a long chain. The end of the chain was inside the room. It looked like she had been chained up by Yan Bingyun!
...
...
After watching quietly for a while, Fan Xian sighed in his heart. He knew that Yan Bingyun's mood was not as relaxed as he appeared. Otherwise, he would have been able to stand behind the two of them for so long without noticing.
So he coughed lightly.
Yan Bingyun turned his head and saw that hateful, gentle, smiling face. Anger flared in his eyes. He didn't know if it was because he was angry at being disturbed, or because he wanted to make trouble for Fan Xian because he had been forced to take a captive.
Lady Shen saw Fan Xian, but she did not know what to feel. Her face darkened. She rose from the chair, bowed slightly, and entered the room. The clanking of the chains echoed endlessly in the rainy corridor.
— — —
Yan Bingyun did not seem surprised that Fan Xian had barged into his manor. After inviting him to sit, there was no strange expression on his face. But Fan Xian was a little surprised at how quiet the Yan manor was. He sat in the chair that Lady Shen had left behind, feeling the lingering warmth of the seat. He couldn't help but feel his heart flutter. He forcibly suppressed his untimely and inappropriate thoughts and said, "I had thought that after you went through so much trouble to return to the capital, there would be many officials here to congratulate you. Who would have thought that on this rainy day, there would only be you and Lady Shen looking at each other and crying silently?"
Yan Bingyun explained very seriously, "First of all, I did not look at her. I think she did not care to look at me. Second of all, it was the sky that was crying, not me. "
Fan Xian shrugged his shoulders and said nothing.
Yan Bingyun continued, "Father has never liked to interact with officials of the court, and I am not as famous as the commissioner in the capital. Naturally, the manor would be a little quieter."
Fan Xian shook his head. "I know that before you went to Northern Qi, you were a famous young master in the capital. Now that you have returned home, you will certainly be promoted again. How could those people who want to curry favor with the Yan manor not come knocking? Even if your family is the head of the Overwatch Council and does not belong to the same system as the court officials, I think no one would pass up such a great opportunity. "
Yan Bingyun's face was expressionless. "Father keeps three dogs. They are always tied outside the door, so no one dares to enter the manor."
Fan Xian was surprised. He touched his slightly wet hair. "Why didn't I see them when I entered the manor?"
Yan Bingyun said, "Today, there was a heavy rain that stopped the guests. Those big black dogs have been working hard these past few days. Let them rest."
Fan Xian was speechless.
…
…
"Sir, what business do you have with your visit today?"
It was clear that Sir Yan wanted to deliberately keep his distance from this Sir Fan junior. Presumably, this was a result of his family upbringing. Fan Xian ignored this. He took out the cylinder, opened it, and threw it into Yan Bingyun's lap.
Yan Bingyun picked it up and squinted at it. His expression was a bit unnatural. "Sir, you really do trust your subordinates. But this is a way for the First Bureau to survive. Showing it to me is already against the rules."
Fan Xian looked at him with a smile. "Don't think that you can avoid me every day just because you are about to take over your father's position. You call me sir, so you know that even though I am in the First Bureau and you are in the Fourth Bureau, I am still a commissioner. If you really push me too far, I will send out a warrant and have you transferred to the First Bureau. If I demote you, you won't be able to do anything about it. So don't talk so much nonsense. Helping me look at this information is the right thing to do."
Yan Bingyun flew into a rage. "How can you drag people into your muddy waters? If you use your authority to pressure me again, I will go to the Director and reason with him! "
Fan Xian waved his hand. Looking at the rain outside, he laughed. "Say whatever you want. If I do end up bringing you to the First Bureau to be a registrar, don't regret it."
Yan Bingyun swallowed the anger in his chest. He pointed at the information and said in a cold voice, "What do you want to know?"
"A big question." Fan Xian laughed lightly and stood up. He walked in front of Yan Bingyun and looked at his cold yet beautiful face. "I want you to find out for me if there is any connection between the Second Prince and the Cui family."
There was a heavy silence in the corridor.
There was no shock or fear on Yan Bingyun's face. He pointed at the cylinder and said, "Since we were in Shangjing, I knew you were going to deal with the Cui family. You did not hide this from me. But … the Second Prince? There has never been any rumor that he has anything to do with Xinyang. " He naturally knew that Fan Xian was dealing with the Cui family because of the Eldest Princess. He was investigating the relationship between the Cui family and the Second Prince because he wanted to deal with the Eldest Princess. So he was a bit confused as to why the Second Prince would be involved.
"Intuition," Fan Xian said calmly. "I did not hide the matter of dealing with Xinyang from the beginning. Because in this matter, there is a natural possibility that you and I will be allies. As for my suspicions of the Second Prince, it is because I discovered that in the half a year I was in Northern Qi, he had been too quiet in the Qing Kingdom. Furthermore, it was only recently that I gradually learned that this seemingly inconspicuous Second Prince actually has such great power in the court. There are so many officials who are close to him. "
The reason why Fan Xian thought that the Second Prince was unusually quiet was because, from the perspective of his previous life, in the struggle for imperial power, the Crown Prince, who had an innate advantage, could basically guarantee his future as long as he did nothing. And in this year, without the Eldest Princess' secret influence, the Crown Prince had indeed done so. However, the Second Prince was different. If he wanted to ascend to the throne in the future, he had to do something. A quiet dog might bite, but a quiet prince must not seize power from others.
Yan Bingyun looked at him strangely. "It seems that you have decided to get involved in the struggle between the princes, after all."
Fan Xian smiled and shook his head. "No, I am just making preparations in case they fight in the future until I don't even have a house to live in."
Yan Bingyun was silent for a while, as if he was calculating the consequences of this matter. After all, as an official, there was no one who did not care about the future direction of the court, especially young and promising officials like Fan Xian and Yan Bingyun.
"Sir … are you on the Crown Prince's side?" Yan Bingyun suddenly raised his head and looked directly into Fan Xian's eyes, somewhat unreasonably. He asked such a seemingly stupid, overly direct question that left no room for discussion.
Fan Xian was slightly startled, but a smile slowly appeared on his face. He shook his head. "No."
Yan Bingyun was silent for a moment, then gradually smiled. "So you … are on the Emperor's side."
Fan Xian did not say anything. He knew that Yan Bingyun would help him — Yan Bingyun had been locked up for a year, and had long been bored to death. Now that he had returned to the capital, he was still recuperating. If Fan Xian gave him such a "fun" and "exciting" thing to do, he was not afraid that he would not take the bait.
…
…
Yan Bingyun lowered his head and carefully looked through the file again. He shook his head. "Although the First Bureau's investigation of the capital is not as good as it was before, it is still not bad. But for something as big as this, it is impossible to rely solely on the intelligence reports in the capital. Information needs to be cross-referenced, and this information is already a finished product. It is not very valuable. I know Mu Tie. He is very capable of handling a single case, but for a big situation like this, he has no control. If … if you trust me, I will take care of this matter. "
Trust? Fan Xian looked at his lowered head. He looked at the silver strands between the eyebrows of this young man, who was only a few years older than him. He narrowed his eyes and said, "I trust you." Trust was a simple and purely subjective matter.
"How long will it take?"
Yan Bingyun raised his head. His voice was calm, but it was filled with confidence. "I will return to the Fourth Bureau next month. I will let you know before the end of the month."
Fan Xian nodded. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
Yan Bingyun shook his head. "If this matter gets out of hand, I do not want to be a scapegoat."
"Don't worry. I love sheep." Fan Xian laughed. He was not only happy that the two of them seemed to have found the tacit understanding they had in Shangjing, Northern Qi, and had begun to plan something together. He was even happier because he knew that if Yan Bingyun really began to investigate this matter, then in the future, Yan Bingyun could only follow Fan Xian.
The relationship between the Second Prince and Xinyang had to be investigated, but it was more important to have Yan Bingyun join his team.
"Oh, right." Yan Bingyun suddenly frowned. "I want … to ask for a soldier from you."
Fan Xian asked curiously, "You have been recuperating all this time. Are you secretly investigating something? As for asking for a soldier, Sir Yan has so many elite soldiers in the Fourth Bureau. Do you really need to ask me? "
Outside the corridor, the rain was coming down even more heavily. The pitter-patter pattered against the stone floor, as if it wanted to create countless pockmarks. The trees in the courtyard, having drunk their fill of water, began to droop their leaves, afraid of the torrential rain. Yan Bingyun's brows flashed with a hint of melancholy and worry. "There is a serial murder case in the south, spanning across several prefectures. Many people have died in the 13 yamens of the Ministry of Justice, but they have not been able to catch the murderer. Thus, the case has been transferred to the Council by His Majesty."
Fan Xian nodded. He was a knowledgeable man. He remembered that when the two of them were in Shangjing, Northern Qi, they had received a secret report from the Council, but at the time, they had not paid much attention to it.
Yan Bingyun did not understand. "This is within the jurisdiction of the Fourth Bureau. But after the Fourth Bureau took over, 13 secret agents died in succession, and not a single trace of the murderer was found. Furthermore, the way they died was extremely tragic. According to the report, the murderer was clearly a powerful martial cultivator, but there was no way to confirm what level he was. But seeing as he was able to kill so many investigating officers without a sound, I estimate that he was at least above the ninth level."
Fan Xian began to take an interest in this matter. In today's world of peace, as long as a martial cultivator was above the ninth level, no matter what country he was in, he would be strongly recruited by the government. The court would do its best to welcome him, and even the military, for some reason, had changed its attitude in the past and began to recruit such experts.
But there were not many experts above the ninth level in the world. Dongyi was the richest in the world, and Sigu Jian had opened his Sword Hut to welcome guests, so they had the most experts above the ninth level.
So, an expert above the ninth level could be like the Ye family, a member of the military force protecting the Qing Kingdom, or like Friar He of Northern Qi, a skilled assassin outside of the court. Even if he loved freedom, at the very least, he could go to Dongyi and occasionally help Dongyi's merchant groups as a powerful figure behind the scenes. In his spare time, he could go to Sigu Jian's Sword Hut to compare skills with other martial cultivators. These were all choices that were rich, noble, and had status in the jianghu.
Serial murder? Was he planning to rape or rob? A ninth-level expert definitely did not need to do these things.
"Perhaps he was a psychopathic killer." Fan Xian sighed. "He just liked the thrill of killing."
Yan Bingyun furrowed his brows, as if he had not thought that such a person existed in the world. Of course, he did not completely understand what Fan Xian meant by psychopathic. "The Fourth Bureau has suffered too many losses, so the court needs to send powerful martial artists south to investigate. But as you know, there are not many experts above the ninth level. The ones in the capital are all above my father, so the Fourth Bureau cannot say anything, and His Majesty will not agree. So, I am preparing to borrow soldiers from you."
Fan Xian asked curiously, "There are no such experts in the First Bureau. Even the guards at home are at most two seventh-level experts, and that is already very impressive."
Yan Bingyun curled his lips and smiled. "I want to borrow … Gundam! And those six long knives under his command! "
Fan Xian looked at his scheming spirit and wanted to slap him. In a cold and mocking voice, he said, "Us two brothers have the same wish. I also wanted to keep Gao Da by my side. The first thing I did was ask the old man for it. And the result?" He spread out his hands. "Same as you. It was all wishful thinking. How could someone from the palace lend them to us so easily?"
"That, I don't care." Yan Bingyun smiled. "In the future, if Gundam is transferred to your service, please lend it to the Fourth Bureau for a few days."
Fan Xian was startled. Seeing the rare smile on Yan Bingyun's face, his heart thumped. He knew that the Yan family had other connections in the capital. Could it be that Yan Bingyun had heard something? Could it be that Gundam's seven knives were going to be his? Thinking of this, he could not help but feel happy. "Thank you for your auspicious words. If that day comes, I will lend them to you."
Having finished talking about business, Fan Xian glanced at the quiet room and began to tease him. "How have you been with Miss Shen?"
Yan Bingyun immediately turned into a block of ice at the mention of this. "Sir, please conduct yourself with dignity," he said coldly.
"Dignity, my ass!" Fan Xian scolded. "You tied her up with an iron chain. That is asking her to conduct herself with dignity. But you are just like the assassins from the south I spoke of... perverted."
— — —
The rain continued to fall, and the atmosphere was not harmonious. Under the same roof, Fan Xian proudly bared his fangs and brandished his claws. Yan Bingyun was so angry that he could not speak. He could guess that the word "perverted" was not a good word. He was furious. Gritting his teeth, he slapped the chair in pain. "If you had not left her in the diplomatic mission, would I have been tormented to the point of no return?"
"Disguising her as a maid isn't a long-term solution. Besides, I don't think you need to chain her up. With you in this house, I don't think Miss Shen will be willing to go anywhere else." Fan Xian continued to provoke him with a smile.
"Then what can I do, sir?" Yan Bingyun laughed coldly. "That Great Princess of Northern Qi is quite something. She has only been in the capital for a few days, and yet she can order the Great Prince to come to my manor and put pressure on me to treat Miss Shen well. She is Shen Zhong's daughter, a wanted criminal in the Kingdom of Qi. Right now, I can neither kill her nor let her go. What can I do? "
The faint sound of weeping could be heard from the room.
Fan Xian withdrew his gaze from the door. Only now did he realize that the Great Prince also knew of this matter. He frowned. "If it is truly inconvenient, I will take Miss Shen back to my manor."
Yan Bingyun suddenly raised his head. Fan Xian was strong and silent. After a long time, Yan Bingyun slowly nodded.
...
...
After they left Yan Manor, they found that there was an additional carriage that had been transferred from Fan Manor. Fan Xian was no longer in the mood to take a walk in the rain. He sat in the carriage and turned his head to look at Miss Shen, whose face was full of fear. He smiled and comforted her. "Don't worry, Miss Shen. Stay here for a few days. When things have calmed down, I will take you back to Yan Manor."
He had investigated the matter of the Second Prince because of the death feud between him and the Eldest Princess. It was also because of some obscure reason that he would never say aloud. The matter was too big. If he did not have certain things in his hands, he would not dare to fully trust Yan Bingyun. Although trust was a matter of intuition and judgment, when it was not enough, it was more of a relationship of interest. The only thing that satisfied Fan Xian was that Miss Shen was in the manor, and he believed that Yan Bingyun would often come to the manor to talk to him.
Yan Bingyun was deeply influenced by the culture of the Overwatch Council. Although he was secretly unhappy that Fan Xian had taken Lady Shen away, he did not feel too conflicted. After all, Lady Shen was a ticking time bomb to the Yan manor. Although it had not exploded yet, it had already caused him and his son to quarrel endlessly every day. Now that Fan Xian had taken her back to the manor, on one hand, the two sides had reached an agreement to seek a balance of trust, and on the other hand, it was a temporary peace.
Fan Xian looked out the window at the rainy street and sighed. He thought of a year ago, when he had also opened that chest on a rainy night. He thought of how crazy he had been that night, and then he thought of his own darkness and boredom. Only then did he realize that he had not yet had the time to change the world, but the world had already changed him deeply.
As the carriage arrived at the entrance to Dengshi, the rain began to lessen. There were more people, and the carriage slowed down. It seemed to be a little crowded in front, and for a moment it could not move. At that moment, on the long street, which could only accommodate three carriages side by side, a carriage overtook them from behind, joining the carriage of Fan Manor. A plump arm with a light yellow sleeve reached out and lifted the curtain of Fan Xian's carriage. "Master!" she called out in surprise.
Fan Xian had been watching for a long time. He raised his hand to signal Deng Zi Yue, who had already drawn his knife, to stop. He looked over in surprise. He was surprised that after half a year, the man still remembered his master.
In the carriage, Ye Ling'er opened her bright eyes wide and looked at Fan Xian and Lady Shen in shock. Covering her mouth, she said, "You are indeed worthy of being Ling'er's teacher. Which sister have you tricked?"
Fan Xian scolded her unhappily. "You know I'm your master, but you don't know how to be respectful. You're about to become the second princess's wife. What are you doing out here in the rain?"
Fan Xian had already begun to suspect the real role the second prince had played in the Niulan Street murder. The second prince had invited him to the banquet. Although it was later discovered that Si Lili had sent the information to the Eldest Princess, and the scholar the Eldest Princess had planted in the Prime Minister's manor had secretly conspired with Wan 'er's second brother, Fan Xian had never let down his guard against the second prince. After returning from his summer vacation by the lake, he had coincidentally met the Crown Prince. Someone who was used to scheming against others could not be very honorable.
Everyone thought that the Eldest Princess supported the Eastern Palace, including Fan Xian. He had not thought of this at first. But now that he thought about it, with the Eldest Princess's perverted desire for power, why would she support a legitimate Crown Prince … What was the point?
When Fan Xian and Crown Prince Jing, Li Hongcheng, ate at Yishi Tavern, they unexpectedly discovered that Yishi Tavern's backer was the Cui family, and that the Cui family's backer was Xinyang. Although stringing together a few pearls could not prove anything, he firmly believed in his intuition. The second prince's silence was unusual, and he must have a powerful backer in the palace.
And if the second prince really was in cahoots with the Eldest Princess, then Fan Xian could only say sorry.
…
…
Although he had already begun to investigate the Second Prince, Fan Xian did not feel much resistance toward the girl in front of him, the girl who would become the Second Prince's wife next spring. He even hid the expression on his face very well. His first meeting with Ye Ling 'er was not a pleasant one. Later, he used some petty tricks to fight the coffin-breaker. But after their marriage, she often came to the manor to play with Wan' er. After a few interactions, Fan Xian began to admire this beautiful girl, whose eyes were as clear as jade. This was because she had a free and easy spirit that was different from that of the other daughters of noble families.
But he couldn't stand Ye Ling'er calling him "master" in front of Wan'er, and "sister". She made him seem older than he was.
In the carriage, Ye Ling 'er said excitedly, "Teacher, why don't you come play with me when you're back?"
"Teacher, where are you going?"
"Teacher …"
Fan Xian rubbed his temples, listening to the string of words. He smiled bitterly and sighed. "Wukong, you're being naughty again."
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