The carriage followed the quiet streets of the capital and made a few turns. Suddenly, there was a sharp noise coming from a house on the side of the street, but it was not very loud. Deng Zi Yue turned his head and reported, "The servants that were following us have been knocked unconscious. The road is clear."
Fan Xian smiled wryly and nodded. He said, "Speaking of which, it is strange. Although you were personally chosen by Wang Qinian, I have looked over your records. You are good at following and hiding. How could you have made a move? How come you did not have the authority and prestige of the Overwatch Council?"
Deng Zi Yue felt ashamed and explained, "Sir, the members of our team are mostly old men from the First and Second Bureau. Sir Wang is best at following people, so he chose us because we are good at this." He thought for a moment and then said, "Sir, I cannot believe that you have to personally deal with this matter today. It is a dereliction of duty on our part. But … could you please transfer some people from the Sixth Bureau? They are the true assassins of the Overwatch Council. On the road north, you have seen their abilities. In terms of fighting, they are much stronger than we are."
Fan Xian shook his head and did not say anything. He was a little afraid of dealing with the "Shadow". Occasionally, when he went to visit Chen Pingping, he had seen the assassin appear. Although he was silent, it was clear that the leader of the Sixth Bureau of the Overwatch Council was very interested in Fan Xian, who had once studied under Wu Zhu.
This interest was not due to the fact that he was gay; it was due to the fact that he wanted to fight Fan Xian.
Therefore, he was a little afraid of dealing with the Sixth Bureau. In terms of fighting ability, the Tiger Guards that his father had secretly trained seemed to be stronger than the swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau. According to Yan Bingyun's calculations, Fan Xian should be able to get his hands on these Tiger Guards in a few days, so he was not in a hurry.
"Investigate all the illegal activities of the Bao Yue brothel."
He quietly gave the order.
Deng Zi Yue was shocked and asked, "What about the owner of the brothel?"
Fan Xian thought for a while and shook his head, saying, "Since the yard is covering for him, we should first attack the outside. First, we will seal off the Bao Yue brothel. That will make the man anxious."
In fact, he had a feeling that this brothel, which was raking in money every day, had something to do with Li Hongcheng. First of all, Sang Wen had said that the mistress of the Bao Yue brothel had the surname of Yuan. Secondly, he was able to make use of the brats of the public houses. Furthermore, the marriage between Ruoruo and Crown Prince Jing had long been made known throughout the land. If the second prince was using this as a pretext to suppress the Overwatch Council, then that was a possibility.
Thinking that the other party might be using this matter, Fan Xian's anger gradually grew. Although he was working to destroy this marriage, he still would not allow anyone to use his and his sister's name.
Fan Xian could not help but feel angry. He looked at Sang Wen, who was quietly sitting next to him, and said, "I will have someone escort you out of the city. Once this case is over, you can come back. But first, you will have to write a report. Tell me everything you know."
Through his conversation with Sang Wen, he knew that this girl was very thoughtful and well-organized. She would be of great help to the Bao Yue brothel.
Deng Zi Yue did not understand Fan Xian's intentions in dealing with the Bao Yue brothel. He thought that Fan Xian only wanted to vent his anger and find out who within the Overwatch Council was covering for them.
Shi Chanli thought a little more, and he looked at his teacher. After receiving a nod, he spoke to Sang Wen, "Sir, why don't you ask Mu Tie? After all, he is the head of the First Bureau. When you were not in the capital, Bao Yue brothel was on the rise. If he reminded you, then he must know something. "
Fan Xian closed his eyes and shook his head. "If Mu Tie only reminded me, and did not explain everything, then this matter must have something to do with me … or my family. If he was able to speak up, that would be enough. There is no need for me to drag him into this. Besides … this is such a small matter. If I cannot handle it myself, how am I going to make a name for myself in politics?"
The carriage fell silent, and the atmosphere was a little strange. After all, everyone had just witnessed Fan Xian strike like a ghost. Now, they looked at this man with a gentle smile on his face, and it felt strange.
Fan Xian's martial arts skills, ever since the Niulan Mountain incident last year, had been known to the world. But the people who had actually seen him fight were few and far between. That was because those people were all dead. So a scene like this one was very rare.
…
…
Although Fan Xian had warned Mu Tie not to imitate Wang Qinian's style of flattery, and Deng Zi Yue had been listening to him, he could not help but imitate his predecessor's style of doing things. He carefully asked, "Sir, earlier in the Baoyue Brothel, why were you so certain that I had so many banknotes on me?"
Fan Xian lazily opened his eyes and smiled at him. He said, "Last time, the Cui family gave you 20,000 taels of silver. You said you were worried about your subordinates spending money, so you only gave each of them 100 taels of silver. Here is 3,200 taels of silver. Then, you gave 5,000 taels of silver to Wang Qinian's family. That leaves you with 11,800 taels of silver."
He closed his eyes and said, "You are a thrifty person. Food and clothing are all paid for by the public purse. You even gave Mister Peng's son's wedding a red packet of five taels of silver. After the wedding, you complained to me a few times, saying you wanted to put a stop to this unhealthy practice. It looks like, at the very most, you can only earn two taels of silver a month."
"You and Wang Qinian are not the same. You have never married, and you are a single man. Where would you put the remaining 10,000 taels of silver? You are such a cautious person, of course you would not leave it at home. Of course, you would carry it with you. "
Fan Xian laughed and patted Deng Zi Yue on the shoulder. "But being thrifty is one thing. The widow next to you is not willing to take her in. Then, you should make a few pieces of jewelry. Don't let a woman think you are stingy and stingy. The Overwatch Council cannot afford to lose face like that."
The people in the carriage all laughed.
Deng Zi Yue looked embarrassed and explained, "Sir, about this silver, I reported it to you before I distributed it. 100 taels of silver is not a small amount."
Fan Xian laughed and said, "If you are so stingy, how can you be so generous to the Wang family? He is not your superior right now. "
Deng Zi Yue was silent for a moment, then said, "Sir Wang … he is in Northern Qi. I always think that if there is a problem, his family will need the silver."
Fan Xian did not expect him to say something like this. He sighed and felt a little touched. If it were an ordinary envoy or student of the Qing Kingdom, staying in Northern Qi would be very safe. In the words of another world, they would be able to enjoy national treatment. But for a spy like Wang Qinian, who knew what would happen to him in the future?
Shi Chanli asked, "Are we really going to the Bao Yue brothel tomorrow to ask for the silver?"
Fan Xian was thinking about Wang Qinian, who was far away in a foreign land. He thought about the recent news that Si Lili had entered the palace, and his feelings were complicated. Hearing this, he became angry. The Overwatch Council worked hard for the court, but the princes and nobles in the court were fighting each other fiercely. They even wanted to drag the Council into these muddy waters. It was truly a bit hateful.
"Of course I am going."
He looked at Deng Zi Yue and coldly said, "Reveal your identity! Earlier, when I was talking to that woman, she said that I had ransomed Sang Wen from the Bao Yue brothel, and that I would return her the next day. But then they came to take her! For an enemy to do what he said, we have to be respectful and courteous. "
"Since we said we would get the 10,000 taels of silver tomorrow, then we must get it back," he said without any hesitation.
— — —
Teng Zi Jing received the order and prepared to send Sang Wen to the estate outside the city the next day, when the city gates opened. After taking care of these matters, Fan Xian returned to his room.
Inside the quilt, Wan 'er saw the worry on his face. She felt sorry for him and asked him what happened. Fan Xian did not hide it from her, and he told her what had happened. Of course, using public funds to buy a prostitute was an opportunity to investigate the case, and it was very open and aboveboard.
Wan'er looked thoughtful and said, "There is something strange about this."
Fan Xian nodded and said, "I think so too."
Wan'er had lived in the palace for a long time, and she did not know much about the public houses in Shangshu Alley. After all, their status was different, so she said, "Tomorrow, find a chance to ask Sizhe's mother. Liu Shi grew up in Shangshu Alley, and her family is a public house. She should be able to get some information."
Fan Xian's heart skipped a beat, but he immediately denied his own suspicions. Liu Shi was a shrewd and ruthless person, and she would not drag him down while he was still popular. He now had a better understanding of Liu Shi. This woman had always put the interests of Fan Manor and his father first.
"Are you going to the Bao Yue brothel tomorrow?" Wan'er frowned and said, "Those children are notorious in the capital. Although you are not afraid of them, you still have to be careful."
Fan Xian shook his head and said, "Do not worry about me. I have always been wary of such things." He smiled warmly and said, "When I was a child in Danzhou, what I wanted to do the most was to beat up the hedonistic young masters on the street. But I never got to do that. I never thought I would be able to satisfy my childhood fantasies tonight."
Wan'er gently touched his chest and said, "Danzhou? You must be the biggest hedonist there is. "
Fan Xian did not respond. He said, "The scariest thing in the world is not a cold-blooded killer. It is those rich and powerful young men who love to kill without asking for a reason. Because a killer must have a reason to kill, and these rich and powerful young men are just …"
"… just reveling in the excitement. If babies could kill, then they would do it for a drop of milk, because babies are at their most instinctive stage. They do not feel guilty, because they do not understand anything. Therefore, the younger the young nobles in the capital, the less reverence they have for the court and the world. The more ruthless they are, the more daring they are … Once this opening is loosened, it will be like the dam in Jiangnan this year, unable to be blocked again. "
He shook his head and thought of the ruthless young men who fell at his hands. The deepest worry in his heart floated to the surface in his clear eyes.
— — —
That night, the fight on the street immediately startled many people. The capital government, which was responsible for the security of the capital, bore the most pressure. The young bullies who ran amok on the street, relying on their family background and the generous treatment of the government, had always been ruthless and lawless. This time, they had stopped the street for a fight and ended up in such a wretched state. It was very surprising.
The official in charge of investigating the case, after seeing the injuries of the youths with broken bones and tendons, was shocked. He felt a trace of fear and suspicion towards the culprit, "Mister Chen". It was obvious that the culprit did not care about the power of the dukes. Where did this ruthless person come from?
Just as Deng Zi Yue said, Fan Xian's identity could not be hidden from everyone in the capital.
After the details of that night's events were spread out, although the capital government had not yet found out who this Mister Chen was, the smart ones were able to smell a familiar scent from the men in black who jumped out of the houses on the street. Everyone knew that the young commissioner of the Overwatch Council had a group of people called the "Qinian Unit."
"Let Yuan Meng come back." The second prince of the Qing Kingdom had a gentle expression on his face. He said, "If you offend Fan Xian, you will not have a good life."
The crown prince, Li Hongcheng, slowly walked to the window. He felt a chill in his heart. He knew that his cousin was a very meticulous person. He quietly said, "No one would have guessed that Fan Xian would go to a brothel. Knowing his stubborn personality, there is no way he would let this go."
The second prince smiled and grabbed a dried fruit from the small plate next to him. He peeled off the skin and placed it in his mouth. He slowly chewed and said, "The more Fan Xian investigates, the more solid the evidence of the Bao Yue brothel is. This will only get more and more interesting."
Li Hongcheng turned to look at him and coldly said, "From the beginning, this was your plan. But … why did you give Fan Xian the opportunity to make a move?"
The second prince seemed to be lost in thought. After a while, he said, "Because I am still looking for a way to reconcile with Fan Xian. The Bao Yue brothel is the last chance. If Fan Xian is willing to extend his hand, I will sincerely shake it. I want to give him the opportunity to shake my hand."
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