Unable to sleep in the middle of the night, the river wind outside the cabin sang.
Fan Xian decided to open his eyes and said with a slight smile by her ear, "What's wrong with 20? Are you anxious? "
Sisi was truly anxious by these words. She sat up in the blankets and bit a lock of hair by her lip. She was so angry that she didn't say a word.
Fan Xian paused and quickly pulled her body down. He knew he had said the wrong thing. Women in the Qing Kingdom were usually married at 15 or 16. It was rare to see someone like Sisi who was already 20 and still a virgin. Although Fan Xian always thought that 20 was the perfect age for maturity, in the eyes of most people, Sisi had already become an old lady.
Particularly in the Fan manor, although everyone was very polite to Sisi for the sake of the Danzhou ancestor and Fan Xian, there was always less gossip in front of and behind people's backs. Fan Xian had never taken her into his room, which encouraged this kind of atmosphere.
Thinking about it carefully, Fan Xian knew he hadn't handled this problem well. He always felt that there was no need to be anxious, but he didn't think from Sisi's point of view. A girl was 20. If this was the other world, she would be a 30 year old virgin. No matter who it was, they would not be able to accept this tragic reality.
Sisi curled up her body and ignored him as she sadly slept.
Fan Xian thought for a bit and then smiled. "Speaking of which, it's been two years since we've laid in the same bed." When they were in Danzhou, although Sisi, who was two years older than him, always slept on one side, Fan Xian had long developed the bad habit of going to her bed after waking up.
"The young master has grown up. Naturally, he can't always be with the servants," Sisi buried her head in the blankets and replied in a humming voice.
"This is going to take a long time." Fan Xian didn't coax her. He only said gently and gently, "Only you don't dislike burnt papers like mine."
Sisi burst out laughing. "If the young master had burnt papers, how could the girls in the world live?"
Master and servant suddenly fell silent at the same time. They both thought that these words were Wang Xifeng's self-deprecation in Story of the Stone. They slowly thought back to their time in Danzhou. Every night, one of them would copy books, and the other would wait on her.
In those days, whenever Fan Xian used the graceful small regular script to "copy" the Story of the Stone, Sisi would stand to the side and grind the ink, take out the lamp, light the incense, and prepare the supper. The two of them perfectly put into practice the saying, "Transcribing books at night with red sleeves and incense." Speaking of which, Sisi was Fan Xian's first reader in this world.
…
…
Fan Xian turned the girl's body around and tyrannically held her in his arms. "Since you've laughed, then don't cry. Listen to me tell you a joke that's worse than a beast."
Sisi curiously opened her eyes and waited for him to speak. After hearing the famous joke, she finally couldn't help burying herself in his arms and laughing. She mischievously said, "So young master is saying that he has been worse than a beast these years."
"Now that I think about it, I naturally have this problem." Fan Xian admitted his mistake very honestly. "Of course, the most important thing is that I don't know what you're thinking. Of course, I admit that these words are shamelessly hypocritical."
"What am I thinking?" Sisi was confused.
Fan Xian sighed in his heart and didn't say anything more. Sisi suddenly understood what the young master meant. She was surprised and moved. Although the young master's way of thinking was indeed too absurd and muddle-headed, as if he was prepared to see what she thought, it still gave her some warmth.
"Young master, do you remember when we were little … the time you hit housekeeper Zhou?"
"Of course I remember." Fan Xian smiled. "That guy dared to give you a hard time. See if I don't beat his face until it's full of peach blossoms."
Sisi gathered her courage and looked at his face. She didn't speak for a long time. After all, she was a serving girl. How could she say such affectionate things? That day, Fan Xian had beaten housekeeper Zhou until his face was full of peach blossoms. The peach blossoms in Sisi's heart had also bloomed at that time.
At the time, Fan Xian was only 12 and Sisi was not more than 14.
Fan Xian didn't know what the serving girl was thinking. He thought back to the scene at the time and unconsciously said, "That slap was really hard."
Sisi curled up in his arms and giggled. "Young master's hands are strong."
"My hands are strong?" Fan Xian chuckled. His left hand had already landed in the blankets, and it just so happened to hit Sisi's round, perky bottom. The girl slept in a thin pair of underwear that was very thin. When his palm made contact with her bottom, it made a crisp smack.
Memories were always beautiful, and flirting was always pleasurable. Master and servant held each other like this for a long time without speaking. It was just that in the dead of night, there was a warm fragrance on the bedding, and the air began to warm up. Fan Xian finally began to act like a beast. His two hands had long since begun to search up and down the long road of cultivation.
…
…
"The light, the light is still on," Sisi said anxiously and shyly.
At this time, Fan Xian had already entered the realm of an animal primate. He was impatient like a monkey. Hearing this, he stretched out his left arm and chopped behind him. He thought that this move he had learned from Ye Ling 'er would easily break through the wind and blow out the candle on the table. Unexpectedly, as soon as his palm moved, the flame on the candle was still strong.
Only then did he realize that his zhenqi had completely dissipated. How could he still extinguish the candle through the air? He couldn't help but feel angry. For the first time, he realized that this was the biggest disadvantage of exploding zhenqi. He muttered a few curses and reached under his pillow for his sleeve crossbow. Turning his head, he hastily pulled the trigger.
With a swish, the crossbow arrow pierced through the candle and shot into the cabin. With a muffled sound, the candle immediately went out, and the cabin returned to darkness.
…
…
He had made a big mistake.
Before he had time to enjoy the sweetness of the darkness, he heard the sound of wind outside the cabin. It was unknown how many experts had gathered outside the cabin in a moment. He heard the sound of long sabers being unsheathed and the sound of crossbows being reloaded, intertwined.
Earlier, Fan Xian had used the crossbow to extinguish the candle. Although the sound of the arrowhead entering the wood was soft, in the ears of these professionals, it was exceptionally shocking. Particularly since there was a prince and a commissioner on the ship, the people on guard were very alert. They only heard the vigilant voice of a Tiger Guard come from outside the cabin.
"Sir, there's a situation."
Fan Xian rose angrily. He was also glad that these loyal subordinates hadn't directly barged in. Turning around, he looked at the girl secretly laughing in the blankets. His heart ached and he was indescribably depressed.
The night passed without words.
— — —
Fan Xian rose early the next morning. He didn't have Sisi help him brush his hair and dress. It was not convenient for a girl, so he could only lie in bed and continue to rest.
He carried a bowl of porridge, some cornbread, and pickled vegetables into the house. He served the poor girl breakfast, and then finished what a man should do. He walked out of the cabin door and came to the bow of the ship. He gazed at the vast surface of the river and welcomed the cold winter wind. He felt refreshed from head to toe, without a trace of discomfort.
After the fog retreated in the early morning, the ship left Yingzhou. Most of the people on the ship were still sleeping. Fan Xian turned his head to look. The dock had long disappeared behind the mountains and could no longer be seen.
"My Lord, you woke up early." Su Wenmao spoke humbly to the side, but his gaze floated up and down Fan Xian's body. The joke from last night had long spread through the ship. No one dared to say anything to his face, but in their hearts, they all found it amusing.
Fan Xian did not notice his subordinate's unscrupulous gaze. Casually, he said a few words. His gaze shifted and saw the Third Prince and Deng Zi Yue walk out of the cabin door.
"Greetings, Your Highness."
Fan Xian politely bowed to the Third Prince in greeting. He was meticulous and did not slack at all because he was outside Jingdou.
The Third Prince's face was childish and beautiful. He accepted the bow with some embarrassment and did not move his body.
After Fan Xian finished his bow, he immediately straightened his body and stood steadily in front of the Third Prince without saying a word.
The Third Prince scratched his head and held his small fists with great grievance. He bowed deeply toward Fan Xian and said, "Greetings, Sir Siye."
The two beautiful people with complicated thoughts and a huge age gap began their daily life on the ship after a strange ceremony. On this ship, other than the group of subordinates that always followed Fan Xian, there were also a few palace teaching nannies and two little eunuchs. They had all been transferred from the Palace to specifically serve the princes. However, Fan Xian was ruthless and daring. He forcefully kept these people on the lower levels and did not allow them to come up.
On Fan Xian's side, of the eight bureaus of the Overwatch Council, other than the swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau responsible for assassination safety, he had also transferred two officials from the Second Bureau and the Fourth Bureau to accompany him. The officials of the Second Bureau were responsible for maintaining the smooth flow of intelligence. The officials of the Fourth Bureau were responsible for contacting the inspection officials of the Overwatch Council along the coast during the Jiangnan trip.
Fan Xian's teacher had come from the Third Bureau. Now that he was in charge of the First Bureau, it meant that this ship already had most of the Overwatch Council's structure. Although there were not many people, the division of labor and coordination went smoothly.
Life on the ship was very boring. The people who had come out from Jingdou were interested in admiring the river scenery for the first few days, but they gradually grew tired of it. Additionally, the river wind was biting cold. These days, other than those with duties, everyone else stayed in their rooms to rest.
Fan Xian and the Third Prince stood at the head of the ship and looked at the scenery of the valley coming toward them. No one knew what they were quietly talking about. The Third Prince nodded, and Fan Xian's expression was warm.
Su Wenmao stood at the back and looked at the commissioner and the prince. In his heart, he was thinking about another matter. Why did the ship have to carry such a large chest of silver ingots?
After giving his orders, he had the Third Prince stand at the head of the ship like Jack and walked back.
Su Wenmao glanced at the boy at the head of the ship and said with a pained expression, "Sir, if His Highness gets sick from the cold, it won't be easy to explain."
"To train his will." Fan Xian was not gentle toward the Third Prince along the way and kept his distance. This was not only unexpected by everyone on the ship, but presumably, even the Third Prince himself felt it was particularly strange.
"Sir, that chest of silver …" Su Wenmao probingly asked.
Fan Xian shook his head. "Just watch it. Since that woman has already seen it, don't let anyone else come into contact with it."
Su Wenmao made a sound of acknowledgment and did not continue asking questions.
Fan Xian stretched lazily and suddenly thought of sitting on a large ship, carrying a chest of silver, and bringing a beauty down to Jiangnan. He really did have some of the style of a second generation. It was a pity that the weather was not very good. Otherwise, he would have sunbathed and drank some frozen fruit juice. That would have been even more beautiful.
"Guan Wumei is locked up by us." Su Wenmao furrowed his brows. "How can we let Master Xia of the Jiangnan water bandits know? When the ship reaches Yangzhou in the afternoon, do we need to notify the local council officials and let the news out? "
Fan Xian thought for a bit and then shook his head. "There's no need. For now, I don't want him to guess who I am. Once these vicious people on the jianghu discover that they can't figure out the other party's background, they will become more cautious. What I want to see is just how much he is willing to pay for this matter."
"Then …"
"Don't let the people of the Fourth Bureau spread the news," Fan Xian smiled and said. "Last night, wasn't there still a third sister-in-law you left in Yingzhou? Naturally, she will think of a way to notify Xia Qifei. "
— — —
On this day, the person who felt the most fear in the entire Qing Kingdom was the third sister-in-law Fan Xian spoke of.
The civilian ship on the Yingzhou dock had already left. The third sister-in-law stood like an idiot by the side of the dock, holding a bag of cured meat that had not been completely smoked. She didn't even bother to greet the occasional person who came to ask about the price. She was the mountain bandits' spy in Yingzhou. She was usually responsible for gathering information. Yesterday, she was the first to find out about the silver chest on the ship.
The disappearance of the ship was not a big deal. According to the style of Sister Guan's group of mountain bandits, after killing people and stealing goods, they would drive the ship away in the middle of the night, wash downstream, and then burn the ship to destroy all evidence.
Thus, when she saw the ship disappear this morning, she thought Sister Guan and the others had already succeeded. Unexpectedly, she waited on the dock for a long time, but there was no reply.
Sister Guan did not come back. Second brother did not come back. Everyone did not come back.
Just like the ship, all of the mountain bandits disappeared without a trace and never appeared again. She waited until dusk, but the side of the dock was still deathly silent.
At this time, the third sister-in-law finally confirmed that something had happened.
Her lips trembled. She didn't dare to believe this reality. Even if the guards on the ship were powerful, they should have heard the sounds of fighting last night. The government should have reacted. How could there be no news at all? Was that ship a ghost ship that easily took over a dozen lives?
That very night, she changed her clothes, wrapped her hair, and hid the rest of the money at home. She spent a lot of money to hire a carriage and traveled downstream along the difficult mountain road. She did not stop after passing Yangzhou and continued eastward until she reached the big county where she was about to enter Jiangnan Road.
This took her a whole two days. On the way, she only drank some water and didn't eat any food.
She was a low-ranking person. It was originally difficult for her to see Sister Guan's master. However, perhaps it was her deep eye sockets that made the advisor in charge of receiving her believe her words. With a heavy expression, he led her into the back garden.
In the most heavily guarded back garden in Yingzhou, the Jiangnan water bandits' leader, Xia Qifei, who was not more than thirty years old and was famous in the jianghu, had his eyes closed. Listening to the third sister-in-law's reply, he slowly opened his eyes. They were cold and threatening.
"As long as the ship is still on the water, stop it."
Naturally, the ship would always be on the water.
Xia Qifei commanded the heroes of the Jiangnan waterways under his command. There were countless ships. His words revealed a strong self-confidence and faint anger.
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