Fan Xian had taught Ye Ling'er a few tricks by the lake. In reality, he had secretly learned the Ye family's Coffin-Breaker technique. Yet, she had called her master from last year to today. This fact made him feel both funny and happy. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to your manor to see Wan'er," replied Ye Ling'er. After saying this, she looked at Miss Shen, who was standing next to him. She snorted and said nothing.
What Fan Xian disliked the most was the sliver of arrogance in her bones, the way she judged others purely by her own judgment. He was silent and did not reply. He put on the airs of a master, but Ye Ling'er liked it. After a year together, she knew that Fan Xian was someone who cared about details. She smiled. "Don't be angry. I know you're a popular person in the Overwatch Council. Even if you wanted to keep a mistress in your house, you wouldn't have brought her to the streets."
Fan Xian smiled and said nothing. At that moment, the crowd ahead seemed to have eased. The Ye family's carriage was the first to move forward, but it stopped there. It seemed that Ye Ling'er had found something interesting to watch.
Fan Xian waved for the carriage to move forward. When they reached the Ye family carriage, he stepped down in his raincoat. Deng Zi Yue and the other members of the Qinian Unit quickly followed.
In the carriage, Ye Ling'er saw them wearing the gray raincoat and walking in the rain. Only then did she realize that Fan Xian was not passing through Dengshikou. He had come specifically to do something.
…
…
Dai Zhen of the Vegetable Inspection Department at Dengshikou had to wait for his subordinates to bring in the vegetables and fruits from outside the city. He would then classify them and sell them in different markets. At the same time, he had to deal with the daily meals of the internal court and the manors of the nobles. To be more accurate, he was the chef of the Qing Kingdom's nobles. However, the scope of his chores was rather broad. A stalk of celery was not worth much, but a hundred stalks of celery were worth some money. A chicken was not worth much, but a hundred chickens were enough to exchange for a good banquet at Yishi House.
The Vegetable Inspection Department was not a yamen. It had no rank or rank. Because there were too many places to serve, there was not even a direct yamen. Perhaps it was because the officials felt that there was nothing to be gained from sending vegetables to the capital, so they did not pay much attention to it. In reality, Fan Xian knew that the appearance of this phenomenon had something to do with the new policies that were sometimes implemented and sometimes abandoned halfway. The Emperor was playing around blindly, so the organization below was also very chaotic and redundant.
As the chief officer of the Produce Inspection Department, Dai Zhen had been steadily earning money from eggs and vegetables all these years. He thought that he was the only one who knew how many benefits were hidden in these unremarkable things. He often hid in his bed in the middle of the night and laughed secretly. Even when his most beloved concubine urged him to go to his uncle every day to ask for a proper official position, he refused.
"Beautiful! I'm the first person in history to be able to sell vegetables to this extent." Dai Zhen couldn't help praising himself in his heart.
But today, he could not be beautiful, nor could he smile. In this autumn rain, the officials of the First Bureau of the Overwatch Council directly sealed his pitifully small yamen and blocked the accounts room of Datong Square. Datong Square was full of vegetable sellers, and a third of the capital's daily vegetables were supplied here.
With an ashen face, he rushed to the accounts room and looked at the black-clothed ghosts inside. He patted his cheeks to make his smile seem gentler. "So it's the officials of the First Bureau. I was just thinking that since it's late in the autumn, there are some rare fruits in the square. One day I'll have to go show my filial piety …"
The leader of the First Bureau's investigation today was Mu Feng 'er. He knew that today's operation was a demonstration that Commissioner Fan wanted to make in the capital, so he did not dare to be careless. He looked at Dai Zhen coldly and said, "Master Dai, come with us."
The officials of the First Bureau had already sealed the account books with familiarity and began to use the names in the register to point out the people in the square and lock them into the carriages outside.
The autumn rain was still falling, and Dai Zhen's heart grew colder. He smiled apologetically and said, "I wouldn't dare to call myself Master. Perhaps Master Mu has misunderstood something." He habitually stuffed a banknote into Mu Feng 'er's sleeve.
Mu Feng 'er looked at him and felt pity for him. Had he not even heard of Commissioner Fan leading the First Bureau? Two indifferent Overwatch Council officials stepped forward and unceremoniously kicked Dai Zhen in the back of his knees, knocking him to the ground. They took out a secret rope from behind their waists and tied a difficult-to-untie knot around Dai Zhen's hands. Their movements were unusually clean and efficient. Presumably, the First Bureau had done this many times in the past.
Dai Zhen fell to the ground. His mind was in chaos. His wrists were in pain, and he was both embarrassed and angry. Finally, he couldn't help but curse, "What are you doing?"
Mu Feng 'er touched the instrument in his clothes and thought for a moment. He still did not take it out. "We are here to investigate a case. Master Dai, please cooperate."
Dai Zhen panicked. He rolled his eyes and yelled, "Help! The Overwatch Council is murdering for money! "
When the First Bureau of the Overwatch Council charged into the Produce Inspection Department, the people of Qing, who loved to watch a good show, had already surrounded them. However, they feared the thick black of the Overwatch Council, so the people did not dare get too close. Seeing the usually arrogant Master Dai in such a wretched state, they felt anxious. The thugs that Dai Zhen had secretly kept took advantage of the commotion and blocked the path of the Overwatch Council.
Dai Zhen's hands were tied, but his mind was moving quickly. He knew that when the Overwatch Council acted, there was no reason to hold back. He yelled with all his might, "The Overwatch Council is murdering for money!" In reality, he was also panicking. At the moment, he could not think of anything. He could only blindly yell the words "murdering for money", hoping that his uncle in the palace would receive the news as soon as possible and think of a way to get him out before the Overwatch Council threw him into that terrifying prison.
Seeing the excited crowd surround them, Mu Feng 'er furrowed his brows. He took out a document from his clothes and read Dai Zhen's crimes to the crowd.
Most of the hard laborers and commoners in the capital deeply trusted the officials. After all, everyone knew that Dai Zhen's hands and feet were not clean. But the crowd had surrounded them, and it was not easy to retreat. The First Bureau had very few people today, and they had to bring account books and related witnesses. It was inevitable that they would be in a difficult position.
Seeing this, Mu Feng 'er's heart was filled with anger. From a distance, he glanced outside the crowd of onlookers, next to two carriages, there were a few unfamiliar colleagues of the Overwatch Council in raincoats surrounding Commissioner Fan. They were coldly watching through the rain. Mu Feng' er panicked and yelled, "Let's go!"
Dai Zhen's hands were tied, but he knew that the Overwatch Council's hell was not a place an official could go. His face was red, and his voice was hoarse from crying. Like a child, he desperately sat on the ground and refused to go down.
His confidants also surrounded them. Although they did not dare to make a move against the Overwatch Council, they forcefully prevented Mu Feng 'er from capturing Fan Xian.
…
…
In the rain, Fan Xian looked coldly at the scene up and down the stone steps not far away. In his heart, he thought that Mu Feng 'er could not be put in an important position. Then he heard Ye Ling' er's curious voice from the carriage behind him. "Teacher, the way the Overwatch Council is doing things is a bit absurd. In broad daylight, you're pulling and pulling with a minor official. What a scandal. If the commoners see this, where will the court put its face?"
Raindrops hit the brim of Fan Xian's hat, making it lower and covering half of his face.
"Officials don't want face, so the court doesn't have to give them face." He calmly said, "Ling 'er, don't look at this minor official. In a year, he can take more than 5,000 liang of silver from the palace. As for the benefits he's taken from Datong Lane over the years, it's even more incalculable."
Half of Ye Ling 'er's body was leaning against the carriage window. The rain had soaked a lock of hair on her forehead, and her clear eyes were full of interest. Today, she had gone to Fan Manor to have fun. She hadn't expected to meet Fan Xian on the road, and she had followed him to watch the spectacle. Only now did she realize that such a minor official could take so much money.
At this moment, Mu 'er and his men had finally fought their way out of the Produce Inspectorate and arrived in front of Fan Xian. Dai Zhen had been dragged by them through the rain. It was a miserable sight.
The thugs also surrounded them, but they seemed to be able to see the power and influence these two carriages represented, so they did not dare to act rashly. As for the commoners of the capital, they looked at Fan Xian and Deng Zi Yue's attire and seemed to be able to feel the coldness emanating from these people in raincoats, so they unconsciously retreated a little further away.
Dai Zhen was truly a shrewish minor official. His official robes had long been soaked in dirty water, and his hair was scattered across his slightly round face. He looked battered and exhausted, but he still fiercely scolded, "You Overwatch Council people eat and drink from us. Haven't you taken enough? … You want to take me back to torture me for money again! "
When the ignorant commoners heard him say this, they couldn't help but look as if they had suddenly understood.
Fan Xian slightly lowered his eyelids and looked at the official in front of him, who was sprawled in the rain and kicking his legs like a pig on the verge of death. He was not in a hurry to seal his mouth, because the Overwatch Council in the hearts of the world's people had long ago formed an incomparably dark image. Even if Dai Zhen cursed a few more times, it would not affect the overall situation. And today, he was only beating a small cat. The key was that he wanted to see how capable his subordinates were.
Looking at Mu Feng 'er, who was in front of him with a face full of guilt and a trace of anger, Fan Xian shook his head and asked, "Why didn't you choose to go to his house in the middle of the night and take him? Although it's raining today, you know that there are many people in Datong Square. It's easy for trouble to happen. "
Mu Feng 'er was startled. In the new regulations, it was written very clearly that in the future, cases should be handled in the open as much as possible. That's why he had chosen to go to the yamen to arrest people. He wanted to do it beautifully and make a name for himself. If it had been before, if the Overwatch Council really wanted to arrest an official, of course, it would have been in the middle of the night. They would have gone to his house and taken him away. How did this become his fault again?
Fan Xian didn't wait for him to explain. "Even if you wanted to come during the day, you could have sealed the accounts room and left immediately. Given your methods, could you not have allowed Dai Zhen to return to the Council quietly? What use are you keeping those methods? What crimes do you still have to recite? Do you think you're an official of the Supreme Court? Do I have to specially hire a scholar to follow you and proclaim the sacred religion? "
Hearing these sharp and piercing words, Mu Feng 'er repeatedly complained. On one hand, Dai Zhen's backing was indeed strong enough. If he used his methods recklessly, he was afraid there would be trouble in the future. On the other hand, he was also worried that the Commissioner was a great scholar and might not be able to see them do such shady work.
Hearing Fan Xian's sarcasm, he realized that although the Commissioner had the reputation of being an immortal poet, it seemed that he was not opposed to the Overwatch Council's shady methods. In fact, he seemed to be even more passionate about them than Mu Feng 'er was.
At this time, Dai Zhen was still lying in the rain and crying. His muddy eyes saw who Mu Feng 'er was reporting to. He knew it was someone from the Overwatch 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 capital's garrison. Ever since she was a child, she had liked to ride horses on the streets of the capital. There were not many people in the capital who didn't know her.
Dai Zhen immediately cried to the woman in the carriage. "Miss Ye, please help me …"
Ye Ling 'er looked at Fan Xian's calm and somewhat strange expression. She didn't dare say anything. She pulled her head back.
Dai Zhen knew that day was over. He finally used his trump card. In a loud voice, he shouted, "Do you know who my uncle is? How dare you arrest me! My uncle is … oh! "
Seeing Fan Xian's look, Deng Zi Yue knew that he didn't want to hear Eunuch Dai's name. He raised his knife and slapped it across Dai Zhen's mouth.
Only now did Mu Feng 'er understand. With some shame, he took out a small wooden stick with two ends attached to a rope and roughly shoved it into Dai Zhen's mouth. The wooden stick was very hard, and it broke the corners of Dai Zhen's mouth. Two streaks of blood flowed down. Naturally, he couldn't speak.
The crowd around them cried out in alarm. Fan Xian turned a deaf ear to them. He only said to Mu Feng 'er, "I don't care who his uncle is. I only care who your uncle is. Do your job well and don't embarrass Mu Tie."
Mu Feng 'er made a sound of shameful acknowledgment. He threw Dai Zhen, whose face was covered in blood, back into the carriage. He turned around and led his subordinates to capture a few thugs hidden among the crowd. They didn't give them any chance to resist. They used the iron rods that were commonly used in the Council and viciously smashed them to the ground.
Seeing this, the crowd was fearful. They scattered in all directions, but they stopped at the corner of the street and looked back curiously.
In the midst of the torrential rain, a few Overwatch Council spies in raincoats were waving sticks and beating the thugs on the ground with dark expressions. Perhaps it was because of the power of the Overwatch Council over the years, but the thugs didn't dare to fight back.
The scene was bloody.
…
…
Fan Xian looked at the crowd in the distance and shook his head imperceptibly. Surprisingly, he didn't return to his carriage. Instead, he lifted his hat and went straight into Ye Ling 'er's carriage.
Ye Ling 'er was startled. How could a man like him get into her carriage?
Fan Xian pretended not to realize this. He looked at Ye Ling 'er's slightly wet hair and paused. He took out a handkerchief and handed it to her. Ye Ling 'er took it and wiped her wet hair. Smelling the faint fragrance on the handkerchief, she thought it was Wan' er's. She smiled and began to ask what had happened earlier.
Fan Xian laughed bitterly and told her what Dai Zhen had done. Ye Ling 'er asked curiously, "How could such a small matter be worthy of your personal attention?"
Fan Xian laughed coldly. "The waters of the capital are deep. Don't think that Dai Zhen is just an official in charge of selling vegetables. He's quite greedy. The reason he's so daring is because he has a good backer. His uncle is Eunuch Dai of the palace. I'm here today to keep watch. I'm afraid my subordinates will act too slowly and alarm Eunuch Dai. If I don't act, the First Bureau won't be able to do anything to the people in the palace. "
Ye Ling 'er opened her bright eyes wide. "Father once said that matters in the palace are the most complicated. He told me and my brother to stay out of it. Master, you're quite daring."
"He's just a eunuch." Fan Xian laughed. Eunuchs have no human rights, he thought.
Ye Ling 'er shook her head disapprovingly. "Don't underestimate the eunuchs in the palace. They have their own masters. If you embarrass them, you'll be disrespecting the concubines in the palace."
Fan Xian was slightly taken aback. It seemed that he had only just thought of this problem. After a moment, his face returned to a sunny smile. "What's there to be afraid of? I don't like Wan 'er going to the palace as a lobbyist. If the concubines make trouble for me, as a fake son-in-law, the worst that can happen is that I'll be punished by the palace. "
Ye Ling 'er tilted her head slightly. She looked at this fearless fellow, and it was impossible to tell what she was thinking.
The carriage arrived at the main gate of Fan Manor, and the two of them got off. Teng Zijing was already waiting outside. Fan Xian told him to have his wife take care of Miss Shen in a house in the back street, and then he led Ye Ling 'er into the manor. He didn't forget to ask for the handkerchief in Ye Ling' er's hand.
The handkerchief had been stolen from Haitang, and Fan Xian couldn't bear to give it away.
Eunuch Dai was Consort Shu's favorite in the palace, and Ye Ling 'er was about to become the second imperial concubine. This meant that Consort Shu was Ye Ling' er's future mother-in-law, and Ye Ling 'er was about to become Eunuch Dai's half-master. Fan Xian had chatted with Ye Ling' er earlier for the sake of this relationship. He couldn't bear to give her the handkerchief, but he had to use it wherever he could.
— — —
The rain continued to fall in the capital all day, and at dusk, it finally lessened. Eunuch Dai, who had received the news, rushed out of the palace, flustered and exasperated.
He was a popular figure in the palace, and because Consort Shu's literary talent was exceptional, she often helped the Emperor copy some speeches. Even as Consort Shu's personal attendant, he also had the task of delivering imperial edicts to various manors. For example, when Fan Xian had first received the title of Functionary of Taichang Temple, it had been this Eunuch Dai who had delivered the edict. By delivering edicts to various manors, he had naturally received many benefits. Now that he had broken the rules and entered the palace, no one dared to say a word.
Eunuch Dai stood at the entrance of the Produce Inspectorate, his face bright red. He looked at the mess inside and heard the cries of pain coming from the people around him. He couldn't help but feel angry. Pointing at his nephew's subordinates, he yelled, "I told you a long time ago! You can ignore the other yamens in the capital, but the Overwatch Council must be fawned over! "
One of the men covered his swollen cheek and cried, "My ancestor, we've given them a lot of benefits. Today, I even gave them a banknote, and the official of the First Bureau accepted it. Who would have thought that they would copy it without error?"
Eunuch Dai's entire body shook with anger. In a sharp voice, he yelled, "Who dared to not give me face? Which little bastard led the team? I'm going to find that black-faced Mu Tie … How dare he touch the Dai family's seedling! "
He was a palace eunuch, and the Overwatch Council had no control over him, so he had the right to say such things. In his anger, he took his sedan chair to the First Bureau to demand Dai Zhen's return. Although his nephew, Dai Zhen, was a good-for-nothing, he had still sent over a lot of silver every year. He couldn't just watch as the Overwatch Council tortured him until he was half-dead. In the capital's bureaucracy, who didn't know that the Overwatch Council was a place like that? Even if you made it out alive, you'd probably be missing a few parts!
The sedan chair arrived at the entrance of a yamen, but Eunuch Dai was suspicious. He first had his attendant go in and make some inquiries.
Not long after, the attendant came out and whispered something in his ear. Eunuch Dai's face immediately changed. After lingering for a long time, he gritted his teeth and said, "Return to the palace."
The injured thug saw that the old man's sedan chair was returning to the palace, and he panicked. Ignoring the fact that he was at the entrance of the First Bureau, he shouted, "Old Master, you must uphold justice for us!"
Eunuch Dai was indeed a man born in Jiangzhe. His experience of announcing imperial edicts had trained him to be a master of speech. He spat out a mouthful of phlegm and spat it right onto the man's face. In a trembling voice, he cursed, "I'm Eunuch Dai! Not justice! "
Having said this, he nestled back into the sedan chair, feeling very uneasy. His attendant had asked around earlier, and the person who was personally leading the team today was Sir Fan junior!
Eunuch Dai now remembered that the Emperor had already given the First Bureau to Commissioner Fan … But why did this Sir Fan junior take a liking to his nephew? Eunuch Dai knew that even if his nephew was greedy, compared to the officials of the capital, he was still nothing but an ant.
How could he have guessed that Fan Xian, who only wanted to train soldiers and open a business, would think of him? Thinking of the Fan family's overwhelming power, Eunuch Dai couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.
Dai Zhen's thug watched the small sedan chair leave in a cloud of dust, and stupidly wiped the disgusting spittle from his face. He still didn't understand who Eunuch Dai was afraid of.
…
…
A few days later, Eunuch Dai found an opportunity to bring up the matter in front of Lady Shu, hoping to get his nephew out of trouble and also to get some information. Unexpectedly, Lady Shu had somehow found out about this beforehand, and knew exactly what his nephew Dai Zhen had done. Angry, she harshly chastised him.
Only now did Eunuch Dai realize that Sir Fan junior had already used some means to cut off his escape route. In his shock and fear, he finally cast aside his old face and humbly went to Yi Guipin's palace to curry favor. Only then did he use Lady Liu's connections to quietly hand over a thin silver note to Fan Manor.
On the other side, Mu Feng 'er, who was in charge of the case, was also scratching his head. He looked at Dai Zhen, who had not been transferred to the Celestial Prison, and felt a burst of anger in his heart. It was this scoundrel who had caused him to lose face in front of Commissioner Fan, but Commissioner Fan had ordered that this minor character should not be punished. Why? His hand touched the rich silver note that had just been issued to him, and he couldn't help but mutter to himself.
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