I started running a fever yesterday and my mind is a bit muddled. I will continue to lie down in a bit. If my body improves slowly, perhaps I will write less tomorrow.
Haitang swept into the courtyard beside the street and gently stroked the strands of hair at her temples. She looked at the Ascetic Monk who had indeed not left.
Those who could live on the two sides of the street were naturally wealthy and respectable. After the intrusion, the owner of the house had long woken up and hid far away, not daring to light a lamp. At this moment, the light from the restaurant across the street shone through the large hole in the wall and into the courtyard. It also shone on this person's face, which appeared particularly terrifying after his injury.
Haitang looked at him and asked with slight worry, "Why is it like this?"
The Ascetic Monk only looked at her calmly and did not reply.
Haitang was not in a hurry, although the faint sound of the Suzhou government officials moving their chains could already be heard in the distance.
There were not many Ascetic Monks in this world. The Ascetic Monks, led by the Great Priest of the Qing Temple, always preached in various places. These Ascetic Monks silently recited the wondrous meaning of scriptures and did good deeds. They had never been a power known for their martial strength.
However, during these decades, the Qing Temple had produced an anomaly, Great Master San Shi. He was born with divine strength and had cultivated his internal and external martial arts to the peak. Additionally, his personality was ruthless and he hated evil like an enemy. However, because of his identity as a priest, very few people had seen him fight. Few people knew his true face and power. Of course, this was also because the previous Great Priest of the Qing Temple had always used scriptures to advise him and watched him closely. Otherwise, this Great Master San Shi would have long become the most famous figure in the world.
After all, the Qing Temple and Northern Qi's Tianyi Dao were both places where the Temple was worshiped and could be considered to be of the same lineage. Thus, Haitang had seen him once in the past. She knew that the Ascetic Monk in front of her, the Second Priest of the Qing Temple, the legendary Great Master San Shi, was a noble figure purely in terms of status. In terms of temperament and cultivation, he was not a bloodthirsty person. Thus, what she did not understand was why the priest, who had never involved himself in worldly affairs, would join the palace treasury or the struggle of the court.
"Junshang Conference … just what kind of organization is it?" Haitang said with a slight frown, as if she was talking to herself.
The Second Priest looked coldly at her and said, "Don't waste your time thinking about these problems. Yes, I am a member of the Junshang Conference. The Junshang Conference has always been a loose association. Perhaps this organization never had a specific goal. Once everyone found a certain goal, they would advance together towards that goal."
Haitang asked softly, "Then what is your goal?"
"Kill Xia Qifei." The Second Priest said coldly.
Haitang smiled and said, "It's just a dispute between merchants. How could it attract your attention?"
She calmly asked, "Xia Qifei has already won a bid in the palace treasury. You chose to kill him in the middle of the street. Are you not afraid of the anger of the Qing court?"
The Second Priest said expressionlessly, "Killing Xia Qifei is only to return the palace treasury matter to the path we want."
Haitang was slightly taken aback and said in great confusion, "These words are not enough to convince me … I understand you and the high priest. You are not a person who covets fame and wealth."
The Second Priest fell silent.
Haitang then said in a quiet voice, "The Ming family also does not have the right to invite you."
The Second Priest slowly raised his head. "As I said earlier, this is a loose collaboration. However, my goal and the Ming family's goal just happen to be the same."
"You want to deal with Fan Xian?" Haitang's brows furrowed.
The Second Priest shook his head coldly.
Haitang sighed in her heart. She guessed the truth of the matter. The other person's identity was special. Since he could not be ordered by anyone, yet he wanted to interfere in the palace treasury bidding matter, it must be because of the problems in Jingdou. Since the Second Priest's goal was not Fan Xian, then the source of the matter was about to be revealed.
Haitang shook her head and said, "It is truly hard to believe that a priest of the Qing Temple would secretly oppose the Qing Emperor …"
Countless blisters had appeared on the Second Priest's face. There were threads of blood in the black ash. It looked terrifying. The pupils of his eyes turned white. Faintly, he said, "The saint girl is clever. The imperial envoy has come under the emperor's order to rectify the palace treasury. What I am thinking is to make this so-called emperor's order forever unable to be carried out."
Haitang was silent. It looked like an undercurrent had already begun to appear within the Qing court. The direction of the undercurrent was directed toward the man sitting on the dragon chair. As the man's most favored and trusted official, Fan Xian would stand at the forefront and face great danger if nothing unexpected happened.
The reason the Second Priest was willing to reveal so many secrets in front of Haitang was because of Haitang's identity as a Northern Qi person and the closeness between the Qing Temple and Tianyi Dao.
The Second Priest knew that no matter how close Haitang was to Fan Xian, as a Northern Qi person, knowing that someone within the Qing Kingdom was preparing to harm the Emperor, he would maintain a clever silence.
Haitang was silent for a moment and then suddenly said, "Master, it is not wise to ask a tiger for its skin."
The loose Junshang Conference had to walk closer together because of that terrifying reason. For such a major matter, there had to be someone taking the lead. Based on Haitang's analysis, the leader was perhaps the Eldest Princess who had never shown much power but had made Fan Xian carefully guard against …
The Second Priest coldly said, "In the eyes of a flower, the worm is the tiger. In the eyes of a bamboo, the fire is the tiger. In the eyes of a river, the sun is the tiger. In my eyes, the Emperor is the tiger."
Haitang furrowed her brows and asked, "What exactly happened?"
What kind of matter would make the Second Priest of the Qing Temple so resolutely throw himself into this messy and messy world? What made the Ascetic Monk, who had always been merciful and pitiful to the people, become a demonic Asura who beheaded people?
A glimmer of sadness and reminiscence flashed through the Second Priest's terrifying eyes. A moment later, he gently said, "Senior disciple has passed away."
Haitang was slightly startled. The news of the Qing Temple's Great Priest's death had already spread throughout the world a few months ago. At the time, the Qing court had issued an edict saying that the Great Priest had been preaching in the South for many years and had entered a foul miasma for a long time. He had become ill from overwork, so not long after returning to the capital, he had died in bed. Hearing the Second Priest say this, Haitang understood that the inside story was certainly not so simple. Perhaps the death of the Great Priest of the Qing Temple had much to do with the Qing Emperor.
She put her hands together and bowed. She knew she couldn't continue asking this question. He had already given her enough hints and wouldn't say anything more.
"Earlier, why didn't you stop me from revealing your identity?" Haitang asked silently. "Killing people on the street today, were you not worried that you would inadvertently alert the enemy and that the Qing Emperor would notice some clues?"
The Second Priest of the Qing Temple expressionlessly raised three fingers. "There are three stones in the mountain. One is bright, one is upright, and one is abandoned."
"From a young age, Sanshi was different from normal people. He was chased into the wilderness by the villagers. If not for my senior disciple, he would have long been buried in the bellies of wild dogs." The Second Priest of the Qing Temple's voice was like a large bell. His beard and hair floated in the wind. He was powerful without being angry. "The people of the world have taken my senior disciple's life. I will disturb the hearts of the world. I will use bright skills to kill people, use a righteous voice to deceive people, and use my body as an abandoned pawn to kill a chaotic ruler and bring peace to the people."
Haitang understood the first two meanings of these words, but she didn't understand the last one. However, countless complicated emotions still surged in her heart. Although there were already signs of division within the Qing court, looking at the Qing Emperor's powerful control over the governors of the seven Roads and the military, she knew that there were no fundamental problems with the Qing Kingdom's rule.
San Shi killing people on the street tonight was nothing more than using bright skills and righteous voice to announce to the world that the priests of the Qing Temple and the court were no longer companions on the same path. Although the Second Priest was not enough to represent the entire Qing Temple and all the believers and Ascetic Monks under heaven, this kind of declaration still had a powerful symbolic meaning.
As for the last word "abandon," Haitang finally understood. Great Master San Shi also knew that the instigator behind the scenes of the Junshang Conference was not much better than the Qing Emperor. His actions today were, for one, to kill Xia Qifei and destroy the Qing Emperor's grand policy. For another, it was resolutely abandoning her.
Perhaps this Second Priest didn't even know what he should be doing. After losing the Great Priest's teachings and restrictions, San Shi had no way of killing the Emperor. Furthermore, the priests of the Qing Temple did not want the people of the world to suffer for the sake of revenge.
For San Shi, the people of the Jiangnan water bandits were bloodstained bandits. If they were killed, then they were killed. There was not a trace of pity in his heart. However, the powerful desire for revenge in his heart, his judgment of the situation, and his worry for the people of the world made this San Shi sink into a mental conflict. Thus, he told Haitang these things. At the same time, he told her that he was willing to be a sacrificial pawn.
"I will return to Jingdou to kill people and tell Imperial Advisor Ku He what I said today."
San Shi was silent and melancholy at odds with his magnificent figure. He turned and left the courtyard, which already had a large hole in it.
Haitang stood quietly without any movement. She thought to herself that the Second Priest of the Qing Temple had so easily abandoned her, but the Junshang Conference would certainly have follow-up actions. She didn't know if they would target Fan Xian far away in Jiangnan or the Qing Emperor sitting peacefully in Jingdou.
It looked like there were many people in this world who didn't want the Qing Emperor to live comfortably.
How should the Qi Kingdom respond?
— — —
"San Shi? A sacrificial pawn? " Fan Xian looked at Haitang with a not-quite-there smile, but a dark fire danced in his eyes. "I don't understand the enigmatic conversation between you people. I only know that if he truly wanted to abandon himself, he should have charged directly into the front gates of the Royal Palace and fought a great battle with the Great Prince's imperial soldiers and Eunuch Hong in the Palace instead of running into Suzhou and ruining my plans! To kill my people! "
The last two sentences were spoken in a higher voice. His tone was very severe.
"As for the word 'abandon'." Haitang gazed at him calmly and said, "The Junshang Conference certainly doesn't want the Second Priest to reveal his identity so early. If I hadn't been there today, probably no one would have had the opportunity to reveal this secret."
The meaning behind these words was clear. The enemy's calculations had gone wrong. The Second Priest had failed to kill, so he might as well give up. He laid out all the problems in front of Haitang and used himself to attract the Qing Emperor's attention while hiding the other existences of the Junshang Conference.
Fan Xian smiled coldly and said, "This Second Priest thinks too highly of himself. Perhaps the Emperor has nothing, but his confidence, which I don't know where it comes from, is stronger than everyone else's. If I were you, how could I bear to let that baldy leave so peacefully? He only said a few simple words and convinced you to ignore it. It looks like this Second Priest truly has the ability to be a lobbyist. "
These words appeared normal, but they actually contained a criticism. In his anger, Fan Xian straightforwardly expressed that there was a portion of the conversation between the Second Priest and Haitang that Haitang had not directly said. After all, this was internal Qing politics. As a Northern Qi person, no one could say for sure what Haitang would do for the benefit of her own country.
Haitang was not angry. She explained in a quiet voice, "The Junshang Conference will certainly protect the Ming family, and the old matriarch also fell for your provocation. She invited someone to kill Xia Qifei … isn't this all within your expectations? Why are you still so angry? "
Fan Xian paused. He had not expected that Haitang would so mercilessly reveal all of her sinister thoughts. He furrowed his brows and said, "Correct, I wanted to force the Ming family to act. However, I had not thought that the Ming family would be able to invite such an ace … it looks like I still underestimated the so-called Junshang Conference."
Tonight, there were heavy casualties in front of Jiangnan Restaurant. About 80 to 90 percent of the Jiangnan water bandits that Xia Qifei had brought into Suzhou had been killed by that sharp knife. In order to protect Xia Qifei's life, the Overwatch Council had paid a heavy price. One of the seven assassins of the Sixth Bureau had died. At this moment, there were still four people unconscious. No one knew if they would survive.
Ever since Fan Xian had taken over the Overwatch Council, this was the Overwatch Council's biggest loss. He couldn't help but blame himself and be angry. Everything had clearly been within his calculations. Unfortunately, because he had underestimated the other party's strength, it had led to this situation.
What made Fan Xian most angry was … in the plan, once the Ming family was forced to act, he could use the opportunity to attack. However, all of this had been destroyed by Haitang's cry on Chang Street.
The Second Priest?
At most, the Second Priest of the Qing Temple would have dealings with the royal family. If Fan Xian wanted to use this matter to investigate the Ming family, it was impossible. Even if he used the Overwatch Council's most sinister and dirty methods to frame them, it would be impossible to convince the court and the officials in Jingdou.
No one believed that a wealthy Jiangnan Ming family could order the Second Priest of the Qing Temple to act as an assassin.
This reality made Fan Xian feel an absurd sense of defeat. In the past, when he faced enemies, even if it was not the other party who did it, he could still frame them and make them admit it. Now, it was clearly the other party who did it. If he openly and openly investigated it, no one would believe him.
He shook his head helplessly and waved his hand. "Duoduo, go to sleep first. I was in a bad mood earlier, so my words were a bit harsh. Don't take it to heart."
Haitang glanced at him with some surprise and furrowed her brows. "Tonight?"
Fan Xian took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed the burning feeling in his heart. A warm smile rose again to his face. In a quiet voice, he said, "It's very late. If there's anything else, we'll talk about it tomorrow."
For tonight, Fan Xian had prepared for a long time. To suddenly give up at this moment, no one knew what he was thinking.
Haitang left the study somewhat sullenly.
Fan Xian sat quietly in front of the desk and thought for a bit. He then began to raise his brush and write on a piece of paper. He had to report what happened tonight to the Emperor in Jingdou. In reality, he did not think that the appearance of the Second Priest was anything remarkable. As an official, even if he also harbored evil intentions, he had to display an attitude of concern and fear at the appropriate time.
After finishing the secret letter, he couldn't resist picking up the letter beside it.
The handwriting on the letter was dry and ugly. It was the handwriting of that old man called Chen Pingping.
In the letter, Chen Pingping did not say anything about the court or officialdom. He only told a short story, a story about crows drinking water. He warned Fan Xian, who was not by his side, that no matter what it was, he could not be rushed. The more rushed he was, the less water he would have to drink.
Throwing a stone into a bottle?
This was a game where if you wanted to take, you had to first give.
Fan Xian looked at this letter and furrowed his brows. Today, in the palace treasury courtyard, Ming Qingda had left a deep impression on him. The old Ming master's ability to remain calm in the face of chaos was truly worth learning from.
In comparison, the old Ming matriarch, who had been successfully stirred up by him and had secretly notified the Junshang Conference to kill people on the street, did not seem to be much of a problem.
However, the old matriarch was still in power in the Ming family. This reality made Fan Xian's heart relax a little.
The person who had acted was the Second Priest. This matter had many implications, so it was not suitable to act immediately. Fan Xian thought for a bit and decided to push the date back a few days. Xia Qifei was lucky and did not die. Tomorrow, the palace treasury bidding still had to continue. Life also had to go on, and the days also had to go on.
After everything had calmed down, when the stone had reached the bottleneck, he would begin to drink water.
…
…
"Going out," he said as he accepted a large cloak from Sisi's hands.
Sisi looked at him in astonishment, thinking that it was almost midnight, where were they going to go? However, she knew that the young master was in a hurry to go out at this time. Something big must have happened, so she didn't ask further.
Fan Xian put on the crane cloak and hurried toward the front door of Ming Garden. As he walked, he said to the subordinate beside him, "This matter has gotten out of hand. Immediately send out a first-level Council order. Increase the search for the Second Priest's whereabouts in the southeast."
The subordinate furrowed his brows and replied, "Sir, the Qing Temple has always been managed by the Palace. Let's also interfere."
Fan Xian was slightly angry and scolded, "He's already come to kill us, why can't I kill him?"
The subordinate quickly shut his mouth and gave the order.
In reality, Fan Xian's words also had other intentions. Haitang had said earlier that the Second Priest looked like he was preparing to go to Jingdou and assassinate Jing Ke, yet Fan Xian had the Overwatch Council search the southeast.
The Shadow was not in Suzhou, and the Overwatch Council's current manpower could not keep Great Master San Shi. Fan Xian's actions were nothing more than a gesture. First, it prevented his subordinates from meeting this ace again and suffering heavy losses. Second, it allowed the Second Priest to enter the capital.
Clearly, the Second Priest had entered the capital to play dragon slaying, yet Fan Xian had made such arrangements. No one knew what he was thinking.
Walking to the front door, Tiger Guard Gao Da helped him lift the curtain. Fan Xian had one foot on the carriage and stopped. He seemed to be thinking about something. A moment later, he turned around and said, "Call back all of the people standing outside tonight."
The Overwatch Council official was slightly startled. He wondered if tonight's plan had been canceled. Given his understanding of the commissioner, if his subordinates suffered a loss, he would immediately retaliate. Had the commissioner suddenly changed his personality?
Ignoring his subordinate's shock, Fan Xian crawled into the carriage.
The wheels of the carriage rolled across the stone path of Suzhou and made a clattering sound. At this time, it was already late into the night. There were no pedestrians on the streets. There were only the Suzhou government bailiffs who had learned of what had happened. They glanced around with sleepy eyes. However, they were fine. At least, they were more relaxed than the brothers in front of Jiangnan Restaurant. It was said that the brothers there were carrying corpses and picking up severed limbs. A few of them had already vomited in disgust.
Fan Xian half leaned against the back of the chair and gently pinched between his brows with both hands. He forcefully pushed away the tiredness in his mind and the powerful urge to jump out and kill at any moment. He allowed the carriage to take him along the quiet Suzhou night streets.
Beside the carriage were a few Tiger Guards. Xia Qifei had been attacked, so Fan Xian's security had been increased.
Before long, the carriage came to the side door of the Jiangnan governor's manor. There was no time to hand over any name cards. Fan Xian straightforwardly used his face as a pass and burrowed all the way into the manor. Under the confused escort of the manor's housekeeper and servants, he came directly to the Flower Hall in the back garden that the manor used for receiving secret guests.
He hadn't even taken two sips of tea when the Jiangnan governor Xue Qing, who the housekeeper said had long fallen asleep, rushed over.
Fan Xian raised his head and looked at Xue Qing's attire. After a moment of surprise, he smiled. The governor's clothes were neat and tidy. It didn't look like he had just been woken up by him. It looked like the officials in Suzhou would not be able to sleep well tonight.
Xue Qing saw him smile and couldn't resist smiling as well. He waved his hand to have everyone leave. He took a sip of tea and moistened his throat. Straightforwardly, he asked, "Imperial envoy, what business do you have to come in the middle of the night?"
Fan Xian's answer was even more direct. He raised a finger and said, "Tonight, someone wants to kill my people, so I am preparing to kill."
The Jiangnan governor was slightly startled and sank into silence. Of course, he knew what had happened in Suzhou tonight. He had also expected that Fan Xian, who had always been sinister and protective, would certainly act against the Ming family. However, he had not thought that the other party would come to inform him beforehand. This kind of attitude made Xue Qing feel a glimmer of comfort.
Xue Qing thought for a moment and then said evenly, "I can understand the imperial envoy's current feelings."
These words were as good as not saying anything. Understanding did not mean support. Fan Xian also understood this point. After all, the Ming family was a prominent family in Jiangnan. There were tens of thousands of children in the family. Their support in court was even more so. The Ming family's hands and feet had long been deeply embedded into the lives of the Jiangnan people. If Fan Xian wanted to use the martial power of the Overwatch Council to carry out simple and crude oppression of the Ming family, it would certainly cause countless reprisals. The situation in Jiangnan might become turbulent because of this.
Jiangnan could not fall into chaos. Once it did, as the Jiangnan governor, Xue Qing would be the first to bear the brunt. He would not be able to explain himself to the court and the Emperor. Thus, in front of Fan Xian, he could only say he understood and not say anything else.
For Fan Xian, the Black Knights were still in Jiangbei. Unless it was the last step, he would not risk the Emperor's suspicions and the officials' uproar to move troops into Suzhou. Thus, at this moment, the power he could use was actually not much. To deal with a character like the Ming family, he needed the Jiangnan governor, Xue Qing's help, or at least his tacit approval. This was why he had rushed through the night to the governor's manor.
Knowing what Xue Qing was worried about, Fan Xian smiled slightly and said, "Governor, don't worry. Although I am somewhat bold and unrestrained, when I do things, I will follow the rules."
Xue Qing's heart was slightly at ease. He was not a person on the Eldest Princess's side, so he was willing to stay out of the battle between the Overwatch Council and the prince. Tonight, the Ming family had sent someone to assassinate the bidding merchant in front of the Jiangnan Restaurant. Although everyone knew that the merchant was actually a water bandit, this reality still made this border official feel angry.
To be a merchant, one had to have their duties and boundaries. Tonight, the Ming family had crossed the line.
Furthermore, the Jiangnan Restaurant where the assassination took place was the governor's property.
"Before the palace treasury's 16 bids have all been decided, I will not act." Fan Xian gazed into Xue Qing's eyes and said evenly, "After the day after tomorrow, I will have the Ming family pay the price for this matter."
"Just let them learn a lesson." Xue Qing sighed like an Ascetic Monk who bemoaned the state of the universe and pitied the fate of mankind.
Fan Xian smiled slightly. He knew that this governor still did not want the matter to become too big. Furthermore, he did not have the extravagant hope that he would be able to knock away a large family that had lasted for hundreds of years within a few days. He said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
"Evidence, the most important thing is evidence." Xue Qing looked at the young imperial envoy in front of him and couldn't resist opening his mouth to remind him. This matter was not a simple battle between officials and merchants. It was a battle between the powers of the court. If they could not obtain evidence and wanted to cut the Ming family's flesh and blood, it would be very easy for some people in Jingdou to grab hold of Fan Xian's weakness.
"In life, there is never a lack of evidence," Fan Xian said calmly. "It is just a lack of eyes to discover evidence. The Overwatch Council's eyes are very bright."
These two most powerful officials in Jiangnan talked in secret for a long time. When the two of them could not hide their weariness, only then did Fan Xian take his leave. The situation in Jiangnan was becoming more and more murky. It was like the darkness before dawn. At a glance, one could only see the bottom of the pitch-black abyss.
Fan Xian leaned against the back of the carriage seat and fell into a deep sleep. He was completely unaware that the sky outside the carriage was gradually brightening. There were no bells or drums in the morning in Suzhou, but the dawn of spring had already arrived.
(To be continued, if you want to know what happened next, please log on to WWW. CMFU. com. More chapters. Support the author. Support original reading!)
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