The carriage stopped in front of the Overwatch Council. Fan Xian got off and walked directly into the Council. Along the way, he smiled and greeted the officials he met. This was the first time he had come to the Council after the chaos of rumors, so he found that the gazes of the Council officials were burning.
In reality, many of the lower-level officials did not know who Ye Qingmei was. Every day, they looked at those lines of glittering words and that name that looked down on all men. After a long time, they would always feel a familial sense of familiarity and closeness.
Under Chen Pingping's deliberate and unintentional connivance, the heads of the eight bureaus, Zong Zhui, and the other old fellows all began to proclaim to their subordinates what kind of business the Ye family had once been and what the Ye family had done for the Overwatch Council. In the end, they raised this theory to the point that without the Ye family, there would be no Overwatch Council.
After all, the Ye family had fallen because of the crime of rebellion. At first, hearing their superiors praise the Ye family without restraint, the officials of the Overwatch Council couldn't help but feel anxious. However, they found that the court did not seem to be afraid of this, and Commissioner Fan's other identity was also very interesting. Thus, everyone began to be interested in some of the details of the past.
After a few rounds of brainwashing, the people of the Council felt a great sense of closeness toward the Ye family. There was a feeling of the relationship between soldiers and water. Now that they knew Commissioner Fan was the biological son of the name on the stone tablet, their gazes when they looked at Commissioner Fan were not only the usual respect but also a glimmer of true fear and closeness.
No wonder the old Director would do everything he could to have this seemingly weak young master take over the Overwatch Council.
The people of the Qing Kingdom, regardless of whether they were officials or commoners, all paid attention to what was right and proper. Fan Xian had gradually demonstrated his strength and sufficient intelligence in Council affairs. He also had the identity of being a descendant of the Ye family that could not be announced but was known by the hearts of the people. It would be of great help to him taking full control of the Overwatch Council. At least, the suspicions of the people inside had basically been eliminated.
Fan Xian did not have the time to use this opportunity to subdue the thousands of officials in the Council. He hurriedly walked to the large plain surrounded by the square building. The winter snow had already faded, and the spring wind was still far away. The tall trees were desolate and bare, and the shallow pond was frozen like a mirror. The fish inside had probably died long ago.
Chen Pingping sat in the wheelchair, wrapped in a thick fur coat. He listened to the sobbing and mellow singing. His eyes were slightly closed, and his right hand was gently tapping the wheelchair's handle to the rhythm. Da da da da da.
This scene easily made Fan Xian think of a world in which there were also old men who liked to sit on old rattan chairs. The afternoon sun slipped into the alley. The old phonograph was playing an old Shanghai record. Yao Li's or Bai Hong's soft and mellow singing mingled with the specks of sunlight.
…
…
But the problem was that Chen Pingping was not Li Jinguang, and he was not listening to a phonograph. The old man's level was much higher than the average person's.
Fan Xian didn't have time to appreciate the old cripple's feudalistic petty-bourgeoisie. He looked sympathetically at Sang Wen, who was standing under a withered tree in the middle of winter, singing nonstop. Her face was red from the cold, but her voice did not tremble. He didn't know if it was because she was used to singing in the cold, or if her singing skills were truly amazing.
"What a waste of a heavenly gift." Fan Xian waved his hand for Sang Wen to stop. He smiled and said, "I invited Sang Wen to the courtyard to borrow her abilities, not to have her sing for you."
Chen Pingping opened his eyes and smiled. "The division of labor is different, but it is all to serve the court. If Sang Wen can make me happy, I can live a few more years. It is much better than staying by your side."
Fan Xian's heart jumped. He knew what Chen Pingping meant. It looked like he also knew that his body could not hold out for much longer.
"I have to leave immediately." He gently patted the back of Chen Pingping's wrinkled and dry hand. "I'm taking Sang Wen with me. Baoyue Brothel still needs to develop in Jiangnan."
"She can leave in the spring." Chen Pingping sighed. "Going with the Third Prince, it will be good to look after him."
Fan Xian felt very angry. How could he have almost forgotten about the Third Prince's matter?
Sang Wen bowed respectfully and then left with Su Wenmao, leaving room for the old and young Overwatch Council officials to speak.
They were far away, so they couldn't hear what Chen Pingping and Fan Xian were saying. They could only see Fan Xian half-crouching on the ground, his expression growing heavier and heavier. After a moment of silence, Chen Pingping smiled again and gently patted Fan Xian's head as if to comfort him.
…
…
"Let's go," Fan Xian said to Su Wenmao. He then glanced at Sang Wen beside him. He had single-handedly rescued Sang Wen from Baoyue Brothel and had directly transferred her into the Overwatch Council. She could be considered someone he trusted. However, these days, Sang Wen basically had no opportunity to stay by his side. Instead, she was responsible for singing for Chen Pingping every day.
"How have you been recently, Miss Sang?" Fan Xian asked.
Sang Wen smiled warmly. Her slightly plump cheeks looked very happy, and her slightly big mouth was not too glaring. She said harmoniously, "I don't have anything else to do every day. I just sing some songs for the old man. It's very relaxing."
"Very good," Fan Xian smiled warmly. Fan Xian smiled and said, "According to the Director's intentions, you can go to Jiangnan in a few months. These days …"
He suddenly paused and said evenly, "You stay by the Director's side and make him happier."
— — —
The carriage stopped in front of the Overwatch Council and prepared to head in the direction of the 28 Li Hill. The date the Emperor had set for Fan Xian to leave the capital was too close and there was too little time. It caught Fan Xian unprepared. There were many things he had to arrange before leaving the capital that had to be done within these few days. Thus, he appeared particularly busy today.
Gao Da and the other three Tiger Guards were still not in the carriage. Fan Xian did not have enough trust in these personal bodyguards.
Fan Xian waited for a moment before Su Wenmao climbed into the carriage. Rubbing his slightly red hands, he lowered his voice and reported, "The Third Bureau has moved the files of the Palace. Eunuch Yao went to the outskirts of the capital. This matter was not kept a secret, so the Palace did not order the Council to destroy the files."
"What did Lao Yao go to the outskirts of the capital for?" Fan Xian asked curiously.
Su Wenmao placed his palm across his throat and made a throat-slitting gesture. "The eunuch who attacked the Hanging Temple last time … his adoptive parents are in a village in the outskirts of the capital. Eunuch Yao went to deal with this matter and left with the guards."
Fan Xian furrowed his brows tightly. A moment later, he sighed and said, "Assassinating the Emperor, that eunuch did not consider the consequences. He did not think … regardless of whether or not he succeeded, the relatives in the village would probably all die."
The carriage slowly began to move.
Su Wenmao saw that the commissioner's expression was a bit unhappy. He didn't understand why. Assassination was a great crime. This time, the Palace had already controlled the scope of the punishment. Not implicating the nine generations of the eunuch was already a benevolent policy.
"Sir is benevolent. However, this kind of matter cannot be relaxed," Su Wenmao explained. "Only a few dozen people died."
Fan Xian was not a hypocrite. The discomfort in his heart had another reason. He said, "I just hate that eunuch. He only wanted revenge and did not care about the kindness of his adoptive parents."
Su Wenmao was surprised. A moment later, he said, "To say something disgraceful, the death of one's father is absolutely irreconcilable. Naturally, that eunuch should be hacked into a thousand pieces and his bones ground to dust. However, no one is surprised that he made this choice."
Fan Xian was silent, but he laughed coldly in his heart. The Qing Kingdom was founded by the Emperor, and it emphasized the rule of filial piety. The law of the Qing Kingdom stipulated that relatives should hide from each other, so he could be judged innocent. A look of disgust suddenly appeared between his brows. However, he could not say this to anyone beside him. He thought about how the eunuch, in order to avenge his father, had abandoned the hard work of his adoptive parents and sent them to their deaths. He felt that it was only right — what kind of dogsh * t logic was this?
— — —
They arrived at the 28 Li Hill, and the carriage followed the long street. The brightly painted shop doors seemed to be welcoming Fan Xian's arrival. The carriage arrived in front of Qingyu Hall. Before Su Wenmao had time to hand over his visiting card, he heard a few squeaks. The large courtyard, which had not been opened for a long time, opened without hesitation to welcome the arrival of a certain someone.
Today, the 17 shopkeepers of Qingyu Hall were not in their own rooms, nor were they in the manors of the various princes doing their accounts. Instead, they stood neatly at the door to welcome Fan Xian. Seeing Fan Xian step out of the carriage, the 17 of them knelt on the ground and bowed.
Fan Xian hurriedly asked the shopkeepers to rise. He glanced at the familiar seventh in line and nodded with a smile.
Shopkeeper Ye was nearly fifty years old, and his eyes were gentle. He knew that outside the door was not a place to talk, and he did not know why this young master dared to come in broad daylight. But he still maintained his calm. He gestured for Fan Xian to enter the hall and take a seat. Another servant went to greet the others. Gao Da and the other two shook their heads. They were loyal to the Emperor's strict orders and did not leave Fan Xian's side.
Fan Xian used his gaze to indicate that Ye Da was fine, and then he entered the middle hall. After taking a seat, he ordered Gao Da and the other two to stand guard outside the door.
At this time, there were no outsiders in the hall. The seventeen shopkeepers were a little timid, a little scared, and a little excited. There were rumors outside that the young official in front of them was a descendant of the Ye family, the son of the Lady! Heavens, if this was true, then Fan Xian must have come today to say something important. But Fan Xian was sitting in the seat of honor. If he was not willing to admit his identity, the shopkeepers of Qingyu Hall did not have the courage to hug his leg and cry.
Fortunately, Fan Xian did not allow this kind of silence to continue for too long. After a moment of silence, he said, "An Zhi has come today because of the matter from a year and a half ago."
Shopkeeper Ye had not expected Sir Fan junior to speak of this. He was surprised and looked at him in surprise.
Fan Xian smiled and explained, "Back then, I had the intention of having my younger brother, Sizhe, become a disciple of the head shopkeeper. However, the head shopkeeper was busy and did not inform me, so I had my younger brother bring cured meat to your door. Now, I do not know where my useless brother is, so naturally, there is no need to bring this matter up again. But, head shopkeeper, don't mention the other matter we talked about back then. You have also forgotten. "
How could Ye Da forget?
That day, Fan Xian had secretly pointed out that he would be in charge of the palace treasury in the future and had come to seek help from Qingyu Hall, allowing them the possibility of leaving the capital. Fan Xian's proposal made all of the attendants of Qingyu Hall very excited. If they could leave the capital and once again get close to the property the Lady had left behind, of course, these shopkeepers would be happy. However, they had always been intimidated by the power of the Emperor, and they did not dare to judge whether or not Fan Xian had the ability to persuade the palace. Most importantly, they did not know what Fan Xian's goal was and what he was thinking, so they did not take the initiative to give Fan Xian an explanation afterward.
But who would have thought that the situation would change so wonderfully? First, Fan Xian had suddenly risen in power in a year and a half, becoming the most popular young official in Qing Kingdom, and his control of the palace treasury had become an ironclad matter. Now, there was a rumor that he was the son of the Lady.
If this matter was true, then Fan Xian's reason for gathering Qingyu Hall was very clear.
Shopkeeper Ye coughed and said with a serious expression, "Sir, of course, we are very willing … but we do not know if the palace will allow it." Now, he no longer doubted Fan Xian's intentions, but he still doubted Fan Xian's ability.
Fan Xian smiled and nodded.
…
…
The hall exploded with a buzz. Shock and boundless joy appeared on the faces of the old and steady 17 shopkeepers. Ever since the Ye family had fallen, they had been placed under house arrest in Jingdou and had not been able to leave. Suddenly hearing such good news, how could they control themselves?
Fan Xian took a sip of tea and looked at the childlike innocent smiles of these 40 and 50 year old shopkeepers. A very sincere smile also appeared on his face. Because of their mother, these people had been trapped in Jingdou in the prime of their youth. Now that he was able to do something for them, it made him very happy.
"Naturally, not all of them can go," Fan Xian warned. "Their families also have to stay in the capital." The joyful and slightly crying shopkeepers paused and listened to him continue, "After going to Jiangnan, let's take turns coming. Just think of it as a vacation. What do you all think?"
Only now did everyone know that Sir Fan junior was making a naughty joke. After a moment of surprise, they laughed loudly.
Fan Xian gave a few more reminders, encouraging everyone to remember the emperor's grace and do their best for the court. This nonsense was said for the Tiger Guards outside the door to hear. Only then did he quietly say, "Seventh Ye shopkeeper will have to trouble you to go with me this time. As for the rest of you, please discuss it among yourselves … however, you have to leave an older person in Jingdou."
Seventh Ye was standing by his side and asked with furrowed brows.
Fan Xian smiled and said, "Baoyue Brothel will soon be empty. You all have to help me manage it. For such an ecstatic place, I can only ask an old and virtuous person to manage it."
It was another cold joke, but the shopkeepers could only laugh bitterly. After a long time, the laughter finally died down, but for some reason, a different faint emotion grew in the hall.
In reality, the shopkeepers were not seriously listening to what Fan Xian said. They were just looking at his appearance intently, trying to find something familiar about him. Although Fan Xian had not said it explicitly when he came today, his actions had already explained too much. Everyone, including shopkeeper Ye, had long believed that he was truly a descendant of the Ye family.
Amidst the silence, shopkeeper Ye was in front. The other 13 shopkeepers stood in two rows behind him. Facing Fan Xian, who was sitting in the middle, they lifted their robes and knelt down in unison.
"We will follow young master's orders."
(The aftereffects of drinking too much, headache … it should be gone tomorrow. I am truly sorry.)
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