The previous prefect of the capital, Mei Zhili, was a student of Lady Liu's father. He had always supported the Fan manor, and during the Guo Baokun Black Fist Case, he had helped Fan Xian a great deal. After Fan Xian was assassinated on Niulan Street, Mei Zhili, as the prefect of the capital, was punished as well. His salary was forfeited for a year, and he was put on probation. But no one could have predicted that the next year, there would be another assassination attempt. After much trouble, Mei Zhili was removed from his position and sent to another county.
The Fan manor and Mei Zhili still kept in touch with each other, so Fan Xian knew that Mei Zhili was very happy to leave the capital government.
In the hall, there was a large row of people who looked very poor. They were kneeling in front of the table and crying. These people were the relatives of the prostitutes who had died in the Bao Yue brothel. As they cried, they cursed the Fan family, and they begged for justice.
The current prefect of the capital government, Tian Jingmu, looked very righteous. His lips twitched, and his eyes were wet. It seemed as if he had been moved by the words of the victims. He immediately ordered the servants of the government to go to the Bao Yue brothel and arrest the suspects. They investigated the crime scene, and he solemnly expressed his desire to do justice for the people. He ordered people to go to the Fan manor and ask for the second master of the Fan family, who had committed all sorts of crimes. He did not mention the names of Yuan Meng and the others.
Fan Xian watched coldly from within the crowd. He could see the slight panic in the magistrate Tian Jingmu's eyes. He knew that the magistrate knew that the three thugs involved in the murder of the prostitutes were already dead.
Fan Xian did not react to the cries of the victims in the hall. After all, the Bao Yue brothel was responsible for the deaths of the prostitutes. He and his brother were only cursed at, and that was nothing. He was just wondering if these victims were real, or if they had been arranged by the second prince. The results of the Overwatch Council's investigation had not yet been released, but he had to do something about it.
The trials of the Jingdou government were very tedious. This kind of show had been performed many times over the past thousands of years. Although the commoners who were watching the excitement still enjoyed it, Fan Xian's mind had already turned elsewhere. The reason why he came here today was because he reckoned that something was about to happen.
His father-in-law, the treacherous Prime Minister Lin Ruofu, was forced to step down in dejection. Although the root cause was his sudden appearance and the Emperor's heart, the actual fuse was Wu Bo'an, who had died under the grape trellis. Because Peng Tingsheng of Shandong Road had incited the Wu family and killed Wu Bo'an's son, Wu Bo'an's widow had come to the capital to complain. On the way, she had been intercepted by the people of the Prime Minister's manor, but had been saved by the Second Prince and Li Hongcheng. Would the Second Prince do the same today?
Fan Xian did not hold a grudge against his father-in-law, but he remembered the Second Prince's methods. Logically speaking, a true expert at scheming would never repeat his methods. However, he had seen through the second prince. Although the second prince liked to squat on the chair and put on an unfathomable expression, after so many days of probing, he had finally revealed the immaturity and stubbornness of a young man.
Aside from the terrifying power of the Overwatch Council, Fan Xian had an advantage over the Second Prince. Although he was younger than the Second Prince in this life, in reality, he had much more experience.
…
…
Not long after, the capital government's bailiffs had brought back the owner of the Bao Yue brothel, Si Qing'er. There were also people who were looking for clues in the lake behind the Bao Yue brothel. But there were no direct witnesses, so they did not know where the bodies were buried.
Fan Xian looked at the woman kneeling on the stone floor and wondered how she would deal with the situation. Would she be intimidated by the pressure and be more obedient, or would she still be unwilling to give up? As for the bodies that were buried in the Bao Yue brothel, the Overwatch Council had already worked with Shi Chanli to retrieve them one night and bury them in the suburbs of the capital. They were waiting for the case to be concluded, and then they would find a way to notify their real families.
Si Qing'er, who was in the hall, bit her lips. Although she did not say anything, it was only when the old man above her asked her a question that she answered. Her heart was clear as a mirror. Before she came, Mister Shi had already told her what she could say and what she could not.
Fortunately, the owner of the house was not too strict. He did not ask her to do anything dirty, and he did not ask her to cover up for the second master of the Fan family. She only told him what she wanted. So, before the capital government's magistrate could begin his sentence, she told him the name of the owner of the Bao Yue brothel and what he had done. But when it came to the murder of the prostitutes, she was adamant that it was Yuan Meng, who was wanted by the Ministry of Justice. Although the owner knew about it, he did not participate in it.
The capital government's magistrate was pleased with how smoothly the kneeling woman had answered. But the more he listened, the more it seemed as if she was trying to clear the name of the second master of the Fan family. And the second prince had already told him that this matter could not be related to Yuan Meng. His face darkened, and he threw the stick in front of him and shouted, "This woman is very cunning. Beat her!"
The capital government's bailiffs picked up sticks and began to torture Si Qing'er. Si Qing'er gritted her teeth and endured the pain. She knew that the Fan family was watching. She no longer had the support of the third prince, and if she wanted to rely on the Fan family to survive in the capital, then she would have to go down the dark path.
She endured the pain and did not speak, but it was not as if she could not scream. She cried out in pain, and there was a hidden bitterness in her voice. She floated around the capital government's yamen, and it made the people who were watching feel sorry for her.
Fan Xian watched this from the outside, and he was surprised by the woman's cruelty.
After the torture, Si Qing'er continued to say the same things she had said before. The capital government's magistrate was about to begin another round of torture when the officials who had gone to the Fan manor to arrest Fan Sizhe came back, covered in dust and looking defeated.
This group of people had gone to the Fan manor to arrest Fan Sizhe, and they had used the capital government's sign to force their way in. But at this time, Fan Sizhe had probably already reached Cangzhou, and he was hugging Lady Yan'er in his carriage, sighing about how difficult it was to leave his homeland. The bailiffs were about to ask a few more questions, but Lady Liu led a group of servants and beat them out with brooms.
Hearing his subordinates being humiliated, the capital government's magistrate was not angry at all. Instead, he was secretly happy, and he shouted, "How dare these nobles be so presumptuous! How dare they harbor a criminal … "He made up his mind. Tomorrow, he would report this matter to the Fan manor and see how they would answer for it.
Fan Xian looked on coldly, but he was not in a hurry. With Lady Liu at home, he knew what his aunt was capable of. How could he have handled this matter without thinking it through? Furthermore, Mister Yan Binghe was very trustworthy when it came to scheming. Back in the day, he had the entire Northern Qi Kingdom in the palm of his hand, so there was no way he would be able to handle a criminal case like this.
As expected, the crowd outside the manor parted, and a few people walked in. The one leading them was Fan Xian's partner on his first visit to the capital government. It was Mister Zheng, an official of the Fan manor, and a famous scribe of the capital government.
Mister Zheng was famous, and so he did not need to kneel. He simply bowed to the magistrate and said, "Sir, what you say is absurd. Everyone in the capital knows that the Fan manor has always been strict and fair. There is no such thing as harboring a criminal. As for what the second young master has done, you will have to investigate it in detail. The Fan manor will not be biased."
The magistrate of the capital government, Tian Jingmu, knew that the official in front of him was a famous scribe in the capital, and the lawyer next to him, Song Shiren, was even more famous for being a troublesome litigator. For the Fan family to put on such a show, they must be prepared to go the open route. His face darkened, and he shouted, "If you are not biased, then why don't you bring the criminal in?"
In the cold autumn weather, Song Shiren waved his fan and laughed. "Capturing criminals is the business of the capital government. Since when did it become someone else's business?"
Tian Jingmu laughed coldly. "Your second young master has committed a crime, so of course he must hand over the criminal … if he does not hand over the criminal, then is that not harboring a criminal? It is written clearly in the law of the Qing Kingdom. Song Shiren, you should shut up. "
Song Shiren did not listen, and laughed. "The law of the Qing Kingdom states clearly that the criminal must first hand over the criminal … but Sir, the second young master of the Fan family disappeared eight days ago. Where are we supposed to find him?"
Tian Jingmu was so angry that he laughed. "Hahahaha … what a ridiculous excuse!"
Song Shiren looked distressed. "Let the magistrate know that this is not an excuse … a few days ago, the Fan family reported to the capital government that the second young master had done many illegal things, but you did not pay any attention to them. At the time, they also said that the second young master had fled to escape punishment, and asked the capital government to quickly send bailiffs to arrest him."
He waved his paper fan again, and said in a pained voice, "Minister Fan and Sir Fan junior would not hesitate to put justice before family. How could they be harboring a criminal?"
Tian Jingmu slammed his gavel, and couldn't help but curse. "When did the Fan family report to us? And when did they report Fan Sizhe missing? How come I didn't know about this? Don't even think about muddying the waters and getting out of this mess. "
"Whether or not there was … please look into the case file, and you will know." Song Shiren put on a fake smile and cupped his hands in salute.
Tian Jingmu's heart froze, and he immediately came to his senses. He did not call for the bailiffs to examine the case file on the spot. Instead, he found an excuse to leave the court. He and the advisor went to the study, and carefully looked over the case file from the past few days. When he saw the case file, which clearly stated that the second young master of the Fan family had fled to escape punishment, the capital magistrate almost fainted from anger.
There was no such thing, so how could there be such a file?
The capital government was heavily guarded. Even if the Overwatch Council were to make a move, it would be difficult not to alert anyone. He … he … he … how could the Fan family have such power? To be able to play such a trick without anyone knowing? Tian Jingmu's face was extremely ugly. He knew that there was a traitor in the capital government, but he could not immediately tell whether it was the magistrate or the official registrar who had done this.
When Tian Jingmu returned to the court, he was no longer as stubborn as he had been at the beginning. After all, the case file was here, and during the examination, both the magistrate and the official registrar were beside him. Even if he was willing to risk destroying the Fan family's case file, there was no way he could hide it.
This way, even if Fan Sizhe was found guilty, the Fan family had already made the first contribution. The Fan family's second young master had fled to escape punishment, and the Fan family did not purposely hide it. If this continued, how could the Fan family be dragged into this mess? In the end, the Emperor would charge the Fan family with lax governance, and cut their titles and salaries. It would be impossible to achieve the results that the second prince had requested.
The capital magistrate had a headache, but he was not willing to give up. With a dark face, he continued to fight with the Fan family's large team of litigation masters.
…
…
The capital government temporarily retreated from the court. Fan Xian knew that they had done enough on the surface. From now on, Fan Sizhe would become someone who fled to escape punishment. When Fan Xian was truly in power, he would find a way to clear his name, and the Fan family would finally be able to escape.
As for the owner of the Bao Yue house, Shi Chanli, because he had taken over after the incident, no matter how unreasonable the capital government was, they would not be able to bring him to justice.
Fan Xian could not help but laugh. He even talked about the case with a man who was standing next to him. The families of the victims were being led by the bailiffs to a place behind the government to rest. His lips curled up, and he said goodbye to the man and followed them. His eyes glanced at the corner of the street, and under the eaves, there was a man who looked like a scholar.
The families of the prostitutes were making their way to the corner of the street, and just as they were about to disappear from the sight of the onlookers, four or five masked men came out of nowhere. In their hands were shining knives, and these masked assassins danced wildly. Their attacks were ruthless, and they cut down on the bodies of the victims.
The streets were filled with cries and wails. The people who were watching the show also shouted and fled in all directions.
Fan Xian stood under a large locust tree and squinted as he watched the scene unfold. He was not worried, and in fact, he underestimated the power of the second prince. They were using the same tactic, and their actions were very clumsy. Last time, they succeeded in framing the Prime Minister because the Emperor wanted them dead. The Emperor did not want to kill them all, and now they were doing the same thing on the street. Were they not afraid that the Emperor would laugh at them for being so simplistic?
As for the lives of the victims, Fan Xian was not worried about them. Sure enough, a group of passers-by appeared out of nowhere at the end of the street and directly mixed into the battle. They quickly hid the victims of the murder behind them and faced the killers.
Passersby again, Fan Xian's favorite passersby.
The passersby were not wielding knives, but were instead wielding spikes specially prepared by the Overwatch Council. With a few moves, they broke through the blades of the assassins and closed in. Their attacks were clean and efficient, and their style was simple and powerful. They seemed to have traces of Sir Wu Zhu.
Fan Xian raised his eyebrows. He knew that this was because the true leader of the Sixth Bureau, the Shadow, was Wu Zhu's admirer.
The assassins sent by the second prince were actually quite skilled, but compared to the people of the Sixth Bureau, their attacks were somewhat redundant. After a short fight, they were utterly defeated. These people instinctively wanted to escape, but the passersby were like maggots on bones. There was nothing they could do.
Clang! Clang!
This sudden ambush and counter-ambush came to an abrupt end. The masked assassins fell miserably on the street, their bodies covered with a few miserable wounds, blood flowing everywhere.
Fan Xian looked over and nodded. He was very satisfied with Yan Xiaoyan's arrangements. It did not matter if they were left alive, but they could not let these people escape under the watchful eyes of the public. Presumably, these assassins had the Overwatch Council's secret mark on them, so that they could frame Fan Xian. The result of this ambush was also within his expectations. The assassins raised by the princes could only be considered part-time assassins. When faced with the professionals of the Sixth Bureau, they would naturally lose miserably.
At this moment, something strange happened!
In the corner of the street, the scholar who was hiding from the rain under the eaves suddenly floated out and entered the fray. He drew his sword, and with a free will, the light of the sword carried a pure zhenqi. The zhenqi on the sword was pure and violent, and it caused the puddles on the street to rise into the air. It transformed into a water arrow, and went straight for one of the victims!
What a powerful sword aura. It came from the hands of such a weak scholar. The swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau, who were disguised as passersby, could not react in time. They did not dare to fight against the white mist that mixed with the rain sword. They dodged to the side, and the sharp needles shot out from their elbows in an attempt to slow down this skilled swordsman's sword.
With several 'chi chi' sounds, the spike only pierced through the lower hem of the scholar's robe and brought down a few strands of cloth. It was completely unable to block the might of his sword. With a 'pu' sound, the Unadorned Sword had already pierced into the body of one of the victims!
…
…
Xie Bi'an, the most arrogant of the eight generals of the second prince. He once said that he could defeat Fan Xian with one strike of the sword. He was the Xie Bi'an who killed Fan Xian.
Fan Xian recognized the scholar who was hiding from the rain under the eaves at first glance. But he did not expect that, with his status and power, he would be so shameless as to attack the victim's family. Everything was set in stone. Even if Xie Bi'an killed the victim's family, so what?
Fan Xian thought Xie Bi'an was only here to monitor the situation. He did not expect Xie Bi'an to throw away his pride and attack. So, his reaction was a little slow.
The moment Xie Bi 'an drew his sword, he knew that since the Sixth Bureau was there, his plan to frame him had failed. Although he was arrogant, he didn't have the confidence that he could kill all the swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau in broad daylight on the streets of Jingdou. They lived in the shadows all year round.
However, he still had to draw his sword because he couldn't accept it. He watched helplessly as his subordinates were stabbed by those passersby, while the victims he wanted to kill, although terrified, were unharmed. This kind of complete failure made him angry, so he chose to draw his sword irrationally and violently.
Killing the victim's family was a good thing. At least it could save the second prince some face in his fight against Fan Xian. Plus, if even one of these prostitutes' family died, Fan Xian would have to spend a lot of time and energy explaining what had happened.
His right hand, which was holding the hilt of his sword, felt a familiar vibration. He knew that the tip of his sword had once again pierced into a stranger's body. He was going to take away another innocent soul. He was satisfied, and he laughed arrogantly. He pulled his sword back and watched the victim's chest bleed.
And then … his smile immediately froze.
Xie Bian was confident that his sword would not miss, and it did indeed pierce into the victim's body. The only strange thing was that the tip of the sword was a few inches away from the middle of the body. It was this distance that prevented his sword from killing the victim.
And he had already lost his second chance to draw his sword. The victim in front of him was like a kite. He was miserably slanted, but he quickly flew to the right.
He did not know what kind of power could pull a person in a direction that defied the laws of physics.
…
…
Xie Bi'an unconsciously twisted his wrist and brought his sword up in front of his chest. He suddenly turned his head, but he only had time to see Fan Xian, who had just rushed over, retract his foot.
"Fan Xian!"
As a brilliant swordsman, he immediately sensed his opponent's aura. Amidst his sharp cry, he gathered all the power in his sword and pierced straight and unstoppable toward Fan Xian's face.
At that moment, the passersby of the Sixth Bureau knew that Fan Xian had arrived. They protected the victim, who was still in shock, and retreated to a safe place.
Fan Xian's kick had saved the victim's life, and he had no time to pull out his dagger. He looked at the cold light coming towards him, and he felt the cold air of the sword. He felt as if his eyelashes were going to fall off.
Xie Bian raised his hand. Chi, chi, chi. Three consecutive sounds rang out. Three crossbow bolts were dipped in Antiaris Poison. They flew against the wind of the sword and quickly flew towards Xie Bian's face.
The tip of the sword was pointed at Xie Bi'an's face, and the crossbow bolts were also aimed at his face.
The two of them clearly had no interest in competing in the thickest of skin. Fan Xian was silent, and he coldly twisted his body. He used his strong control of his body, and the cold sword brushed past his face. He punched Xie Bi'an's chest.
The punch was full of zhenqi, and it broke through the air like thunder. If it hit, Xie Bi'an's organs would be crushed.
Xie Bi 'an waved his left sleeve as if his life depended on it. A cloud appeared, and it brushed away the two small crossbows. He wanted to take Fan Xian's life with his sword, but he didn't expect Fan Xian to take such a risk and throw out his terrifying fist.
He screamed and cut his wrist. His left hand turned into a palm, and he slapped Fan Xian's fist.
There was a crisp crack, and Xie Bi'an's wrist was broken.
"Fan Xian!"
Xie Bi'an shouted angrily. It wasn't because he was afraid of Fan Xian's zhenqi, but because when the fist and the palm collided, a faint yellow smoke exploded from between the two. Xie Bi'an didn't expect Fan Xian to use such a despicable method, even when he had the upper hand.
At this moment, the poisonous smoke had entered his body, and his sword power had been exhausted. He was powerless to cut horizontally, and he was in a rush to meet Fan Xian's strange and Tyrannical fist. He was wide open, and the last of the three arrows pierced into his shoulder.
He was poisoned again.
...
...
"Fan Xian!"
Xie Bi 'an cursed Fan Xian's name for the third time. He knew he had underestimated Fan Xian's power. He forced the zhenqi in his body to swing his sword to the west, aiming for Fan Xian's throat. It was a vicious attack. Xie Bi' an's body floated up into the air, ready to jump onto the roof of a house. He wanted to escape from this powerful, yet treacherous master.
But how could Fan Xian let him escape?
A grey shadow flashed by, and Fan Xian was already in midair. He had Xie Bi'an's body entangled. He extended his right arm and chopped down on Xie Bi'an's ankle. This palm knife was a small trick of the Coffin Breaker. Although it was attacking a corner that Xie Bi'an didn't care about, it still did a lot of damage.
Xie Bi 'an grunted. He felt as if his ankle had been crushed. An unbearable pain spread through half of his body, and it slowed his speed of escape.
In that moment, Fan Xian silently made his move. He didn't know how many times he had attacked Xie Bi'an. The two of them stood on the drizzling street again. They became two blurry shadows. One was grey, and the other was black. They tangled together.
There was a series of muffled sounds. Xie Bi'an's body was hit countless times by Fan Xian. Fan Xian had attacked too quickly, and so his zhenqi hadn't been used. Xie Bi'an had used his decades of training to withstand the blows, but the tip of Fan Xian's sword was like the wind. It couldn't even touch Fan Xian's body. This reality made Xie Bi'an feel hopeless.
How could Fan Xian be so fast?
Xie Bi'an screamed. He shook his wrist, and his sword became a silver rain to protect his body. Finally, Fan Xian was forced to take a few steps back.
There was a thud. Xie Bi'an's trembling right hand was propped up against the ground. The tip of the sword was stabbed into the puddles of water. It trembled, and a few strange lines appeared on the surface of the water.
Looking at Fan Xian, who looked calm, Xie Bi'an felt pain in his body. It was as if there were countless knives cutting through his veins. He knew that Fan Xian's attacks had damaged his internal organs, and the poison in his body was starting to take effect. His right leg was about to lose its balance. Facing his opponent, who looked calm, Xie Bi'an had lost the confidence to fight.
"Nine …" Xie Bi'an knew that even if he didn't underestimate Fan Xian, he was no match for Fan Xian. He now had a completely different opinion of Fan Xian's power. He thought about it, and after saying the word "nine," the wounds in his body flared up again. He coughed up a few streaks of blood and swallowed the last word.
He looked at Fan Xian, and his eyes flashed with confusion. He still remembered when he was in the tea shop outside of the Baoyue Brothel, he had boasted that he, by himself, could defeat Fan Xian.
That was built on his confidence in himself and his judgment of Fan Xian. Although this young man, whose surname was Fan, had killed Cheng Jushu on Niulan Street last year, Xie Bi'an did not believe that the son of an influential family could have the willpower to truly devote himself to the path of martial arts. He did not believe that he could possess such exquisite and practical killing skills. But who would have thought that such a rich young man had already entered the ninth level?
"Ninth level!" Xie Bi'an coughed, but he still managed to squeeze out those two words. His right thumb moved slightly, and he pressed it against the hilt of his sword.
...
...
Fan Xian's feet touched the ground, and his entire body shot towards Xie Bi'an like an arrow. A black light flashed, and he used his best dagger to cut through the sword Xie Bi'an had used to kill himself. At the same time, he mercilessly punched Xie Bi'an's temple. Then, like a wisp of smoke, he retreated. It was as if he had never attacked.
Xie Bi 'an fainted on the street in the dirty rainwater. His body was covered in wounds, and the water splashed everywhere.
Fan Xian would not give a loser a chance to express his feelings or pose for a moment before he died.
......
Finally, the bailiffs of the capital government arrived. The capital government magistrate heard the news, and he pretended to be surprised. Seeing the situation, his heart froze. He knew that the second prince's plan had been foiled. Looking at Fan Xian, who was smiling, Tian Jingmu did not know what to feel.
"Someone wanted to kill me. I happened to come to the capital government to listen to my brother's case, and I happened to run into them." Fan Xian's face was calm as he spoke, but his right hand was still trembling. "Fortunately, I had a few capable subordinates with me. Otherwise, these people would not have succeeded."
Xie Bi'an, who had acted on his own, had not succeeded in killing himself. For Fan Xian, being able to obtain one of the eight generals was a pleasant surprise. The eight generals of the second prince's manor were not a secret in the capital. Today, so many people saw Xie Bi'an assassinate the victim of the murder case. It was a great opportunity for the Eighth Bureau to spread rumors.
Fan Xian wanted to say thank you to Xie Bi'an, who was lying on the ground.
The capital government bailiffs took over the watch, and there was nothing else for Fan Xian to do. He did not need to reveal Xie Bi'an's identity, as his subordinates would take care of it.
"I will hand this man over to you, sir." Fan Xian looked at the capital government magistrate with a smile that was not a smile. "This man is evil. Please watch him carefully, sir."
Fan Xian had no intention of taking Xie Bi'an back to the Overwatch Council. Even if he found out that the murder of the victim was ordered by the second prince, if it was the Overwatch Council that found out, it would be much weaker. He handed the unconscious Xie Bian over to the capital government. He had a dark plan in mind as well. Xie Bi'an was handed over alive. If he died in the future, things would become very interesting.
The capital government magistrate was a third-rank official, and the Overwatch Council could not investigate him without permission. It was a rare opportunity for Fan Xian to kill him. How could Fan Xian miss it? If he missed it, even Yan Bingyun would scold him for being soft-hearted.
...
...
In the capital, people had not yet recovered from the shock of what happened. Without a doubt, what happened outside the capital government would become a topic of conversation. In the eyes of the nobles who knew what was going on, the battle between the second prince and Fan Xian was tipping the scales of victory in favor of the second prince. That is, if the Emperor did not object, and the palace remained silent.
His subordinates, who were disguised as passersby, guarded Fan Xian as they walked into the manor. One of them saw Fan Xian's trembling right hand, and thought he had been injured in the fight.
Fan Xian smiled and said, "It's nothing. I'm just a little excited. It's been a few months since I've enjoyed something like this."
This was the truth. The fight with Xie Bi'an had made Fan Xian excited. He seemed to enjoy this sort of work. Sometimes, he even thought that perhaps Yan Bingyun was more suited to be the head of the Overwatch Council, and that he was more suited to work for Yan Bingyun.
However, the trembling of his right hand was not only due to excitement. Fan Xian gently rubbed his wrist. His originally sunny mood suddenly had an additional trace of haze.
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