Haha, I'm not pretending … and no one punished me to kneel on the CPU or hit me with a stick. Monthly votes are a bonus. If I have them, I will be happy. My attitude in this area is so good that it angers both men and gods. Really, keep pulling for votes! Xia Mingji, it's so scary.
…
…
"Do you know how the copper wire the Great Prince pulled when he killed Huma was invented?"
"Hmm? Isn't that made of iron? "
"The difference isn't that big, did you know?"
To be honest, Northern Qi really did not have such a thing. The Northern Qi ruler and officials were most interested in the military products of the Qing Kingdom palace treasury's three workshops. It was not easy for one side of the conversation to bring this up. The girl on the other side felt a glimmer of joy and said sincerely, "I don't know."
"Oh, copper wire is very difficult to pull," the warm and gentle voice sighed. The gentle voice sighed and said, "I heard that the merchants in Jiangnan were fighting for a piece of copper coin, and they pulled it out by force."
The joke itself was amusing, but coming from his mouth, it seemed rather cold.
So, the girl only quirked her lips.
He then asked, "Do you know how the tunnel from Sha Lake to the river in Shazhou was dug?"
The girl shook her head. She didn't really want to play with him on these things.
The person shook his head and said, "Because Jiangnan merchants dropped a copper coin into a rat hole on the dam."
…
…
Haitang looked at Fan Xian, who was telling a joke. She looked at him quietly for a long time before saying, "I can understand these two jokes. I just don't know what you're trying to say."
Fan Xian scratched at his slightly itchy and painful neck. Sisi had not been in good spirits these two days. Every day, when she combed her hair, she used too much force and pulled too hard at the back of her head, so there were some red spots. As he scratched, he said, "These two jokes tell us that for merchants, being stingy is always a virtue worthy of praise, and profit is always an irresistible temptation."
These were two jokes he had heard about Jews in his previous life. Using them on Jiangnan merchants at this time was not too strange.
He turned around and pointed at his back to Haitang. Just now, he had scratched himself, but the area of the itch had quickly expanded. It had immediately run to the center of the Heavenly Assassin's back. Although Fan Xian's little tricks could easily dig there with his palm, it didn't feel good.
So he pointed at his vest.
Haitang glared at him, but her hand had already reached out, gently scratching his back through his clothes.
Feeling the miraculous hand that could easily defeat the Second priest using a supreme Heart to scratch his itch, Fan Xian felt his entire body relax. He gave a comfortable moan and continued, "Being stingy is the nature of merchants. Ming Qingda being so willing to cut his own flesh is a bit unexpected. Furthermore, this matter concerns profits. Next year, I will certainly have to appease the Sun family of Quanzhou and the merchants who lost out this year, so I will have to trouble you to tell your Emperor that at most next year, I will be able to maintain this year's share. Any more will be difficult."
Haitang nodded.
Immediately after, she continued to ask, "How are you going to deal with the Ming family? It looks like you are very satisfied with Ming Qingda's attitude. "
Fan Xian shook his head and said seriously, "His attitude does not completely represent the Ming family's attitude. The matter of that night has not ended, and I cannot stop. The Ming family's current injuries are all on the economy. In the next year, just by relying on the palace treasury shipping goods to block him, I can make his family continue to bleed … but the Ming family's entire body is still relatively healthy. If I want to eat them all in one bite, it is impossible. Thus, as long as I am in Jiangnan, I will go every few days to cut a piece of flesh."
Perhaps this was the so-called nibbling away. However, as Haitang listened, she couldn't help feeling sorrow for Ming Qingda. The old Ming master had put on a low profile, but he still had no way of controlling the execution of Fan Xian's valiant plan.
Seeming to guess what she was thinking, Fan Xian explained, "The Ming family will certainly not sit and wait for death. The problem is, the plan set by Xiaoyan this time is not the same as dealing with the Cui family. The Overwatch Council's methods are all methods that can be seen. Everything I am doing is completely in accordance with Qing law. This is not a conspiracy, it is an open plot. Faced with the difference in strength, the Ming family cannot carry out a direct counterattack. Don't think that Ming Qingda is purely trying to keep the peace. He is also wasting time and waiting for the situation in the capital to change. "
He emphasized his tone and said, "For the Ming family, the situation in Jingdou must change. Otherwise, they can only wait to be eaten up by the court."
Haitang continued in a quiet voice, "Thus, you won't let them continue to wait peacefully. Instead, you have to do your best to weaken their strength before the situation in Jingdou changes."
"Correct," Fan Xian said expressionlessly. Fan Xian said expressionlessly, "Everything will be done according to the rules. My only worry is that the Ming family's reputation is so good that it is difficult to understand. I can't find any problems in the palace treasury transport company accounts. The other party's ability to smooth out traces is too powerful … presently, there has been no more news from that island. It seems that someone is helping them cover it up. Faced with such a seemingly gentle and virtuous large family, if I, or the Overwatch Council, push the Ming family too hard and the Ming family puts on an overly pitiful attitude, perhaps the Jiangnan scholars and people will retaliate. "
"You are not a person who cares about other people's discussions," Haitang said with a smile.
Fan Xian also smiled. "These words are true. However, even if I don't care, it doesn't mean the Emperor doesn't care. The Emperor wants to leave his name in history and also wants his power to be permanent. This has always been a troublesome matter. If it wasn't because of this, the court would have too many ways to directly flatten the Ming family. Why hasn't it done anything yet? Isn't it because they are afraid of leaving an impression in people's hearts that the Emperor is heartless and the court is sinister? They are afraid of leaving a dishonorable mark in the history books. "
"Is the Qing Emperor this kind of person?" Haitang asked with confusion.
"Believe me," Fan Xian forced a smile and said. "The Emperor is indeed a person who cares about his reputation. Otherwise, when the heavens sent an auspicious sign last time, he wouldn't have had to fight with your Emperor for that breath of air … this time, the Emperor sent me down to Jiangnan to subdue the Ming family. Of course, he hopes that I can do it beautifully and trample the Ming family to death without leaving behind any bad reputation. If, at that time, the people of Jiangnan and even under heaven all feel injustice for the Ming family … if those powers in Jingdou make another ruckus, even if the Emperor is heartless enough to let me be a black dog, he will still be forced to summon me back to the capital."
"Since it is so, today is already the fourth day after the palace treasury bidding. Why haven't you done anything?" Haitang asked curiously.
Fan Xian smiled and said, "Who says I haven't done anything? I have put in a lot of thought into the Baoyue Brothel matter. "
Speaking of Baoyue Brothel, Haitang felt a bit strange. She sighed and said, "It's one thing for you to borrow silver from me to repair the river works, but the silver of the Qi Kingdom … you're using it to open a brothel. If this news gets back to Shangjing, I'm afraid the Emperor will laugh me to death."
Fan Xian knew that this Northern Qi saint girl always felt uncomfortable about him opening a brothel. He said seriously, "The river works are a good deed. As you know, the work I am about to begin settling down the refugees is also a good deed. In reality, you don't know that opening a brothel … is also a good deed."
Haitang was very confused. What did a brothel forcing women to do such pitiful things have to do with doing a good deed?
"Humanity's two oldest professions, one is an assassin, and the other is a prostitute." Fan Xian snapped his fingers and pointed at his back, indicating for Haitang not to stop scratching his back. "You can't change this. I can't change it. Even my mother can't change it. Since it is so, this business will certainly continue to exist forever. Then, we might as well take control of this business in our own hands and set down some procedures to do our best to protect the interests of those pitiful women."
Fan Xian first said Gu Long's famous words and then repeated the words he had used to convince Shi Chanli. Then, he solemnly concluded, "I open a brothel to protect those prostitutes. If I blindly place morality above my head and ignore it, cover my eyes and pretend there is no such thing in this world, then that is truly not having a benevolent heart and not treating those prostitutes as people."
When Fan Xian specifically talked about the various "new policies" of Baoyue Brothel, such as doctors and monthly leave, Haitang's hand that was tickling Fan Xian had already stopped. She looked at the back of his head with slight shock. It was as if she had not thought that what Fan Xian said was not empty lies and that he was actually doing these things.
When she heard the last sentence, the admiration on Haitang's face was immediately hidden. In a quiet voice, she said, "An Zhi's words make sense."
"Hmm?" Fan Xian turned his head in surprise. He had not expected her to reply so seriously. This was not a good feeling. It was as if Xu Zhiling was persuading a nun.
He shook his head and chased this sad and sorrowful association out of his mind. Without rhyme or reason, he said, "Duoduo, I'm sorry."
This time, it was Haitang's turn to make a sound of surprise and agreement.
Fan Xian said, "A few days ago, you and I separated a bit. After the matter, I thought about it. This is mainly my problem. Of course, there is also your problem. But, in the end, it is my problem."
Although Haitang did not really understand what he wanted to say, nor did she understand this strange sentence pattern that took up too many words and filled with rubbish, she could still easily connect it to the old road outside Shangjing in Northern Qi. The young man in front of her had once said something about the sun at eight or nine o'clock. The world was yours and mine.
A faint smile rose to the corners of her lips.
Fan Xian clapped his hands and stared into her eyes. "I crave honesty between friends, but I am not honest enough with you. So, this is my problem. Ever since you left Northern Qi and came to Jiangnan, you have to stare at so much silver every day and worry about how I will be. The pressure on you is too great, making it hard for your state of mind to calm. You are not as good as you were in the beginning and cannot successfully resolve this pressure. This is your problem. But, you have pressure, I have pressure. In the end, this pressure is caused by me, so this problem is also mine. "
Haitang smiled and covered her mouth, only revealing a pair of eyes as bright as a clear lake.
Fan Xian was slightly startled and unconsciously said, "Your eyes are pretty."
"Hmm?" There was a third "hmm" between the two of them.
Fan Xian chuckled and said, "I didn't think you would have a little girl's side … but, in the end, you still haven't told me how old you are."
Seeing Haitang's slightly angry expression, he noncommittally waved his hand and said, "Change the topic! Didn't you just ask why you haven't made a move against the Ming family these two days? "
"You said you were busy with the brothel's renovation work." Haitang also knew how to joke, but it was a bit shaky.
Fan Xian nodded and smiled. "That is one thing. Of course, the most important problem is … I am waiting for Xia Qifei to recover."
— —
On the evening of March 26, in the area west of Suzhou where salt merchants and royal merchants gathered, red lanterns hung high and firecrackers rang out. It was a joyous atmosphere. The Jiangnan water bandits Commander Xia Qifei, who had been in the limelight during the palace treasury matter, had officially bought a courtyard in Suzhou. Today was the first time he had opened his doors to welcome guests.
In reality, the true wealthy of Jiangnan all had their own large courtyards outside of Suzhou in the Jiangnan water villages. They usually lived in their own manors and rarely stayed in the city. However, each of their families had a luxurious residence in the western part of Suzhou because this was a symbol of status and a display of the family's power.
The land in the west of the city was very expensive. Furthermore, no one was willing to sell property, so not everyone had the right to live there. Xia Qifei was able to successfully open his own courtyard. This meant that after the palace treasury matter, Jiangnan had already recognized his right.
Of course, Xia Qifei, who had moved into Suzhou, had to wash himself clean and not leave a trace of evil on his face. Thus, he could not move in as the Commander of the Jiangnan water bandits. His current identity had already changed. He had become the owner of Xia Mingji.
Xia Mingji was also a newly opened business. The meaning hidden in the name was clear to the merchants who had come to congratulate them. The Ming family was very eye-catching. However, they didn't know whether or not the Ming family would send someone today. They heard that after the master of the Ming family, Ming Qingda, fainted that day, it took him a whole two days to wake up. His body was very weak.
A carriage stopped in front of the Xia manor. The carriage was completely black and did not have any emblems. However, the guards staring at it like tigers watching their prey, as well as the sudden increase of strangers on the street, all made clear the identity of this carriage.
The merchants surrounding the door of the Xia manor quickly walked over and bowed toward the carriage. They then eagerly prepared to welcome the person in the carriage.
Inside the carriage, Fan Xian said to the Third Prince in an even voice, "Your Highness, do you really want to join in on the excitement? It doesn't seem very appropriate. "
The Third Prince smiled sweetly and said, "I know what teacher is worried about. However, since teacher is not avoiding suspicion today to help Xia Qifei, adding one more student is nothing."
Fan Xian smiled. He knew that this little guy had not forgotten Yi Guipin's teachings at all times. Regardless of life or death, he would be tied to him. Not only psychologically, but also in public opinion.
One big and one small, the two nobles of Suzhou reservedly got off the carriage. It drew a clamor and rising of cheers from outside the carriage.
…
…
Fan Xian stood in the room and used his hand to touch the clearly newly made study table. Smelling the faint scent of clear wood, he thought to himself that this world was nothing special, but the newly renovated house did not have the smell of methane. This benefit was enough. Suddenly, his heart jumped. He realized that it had been a long time since he had thought of the things of his original world. He didn't know what this meant.
Perhaps he was getting more and more used to this world, but why was there an unknown desire in his heart that kept scratching and making his heart itch? He didn't know what exactly he was longing for.
It wasn't tobacco, it wasn't porn, he didn't know what it was.
He shook off his daze and found that Xia Qifei and the Third Prince were both staring at him in a daze. He couldn't help smiling self-mockingly and saying, "Qingcheng, you're injured. Sit by yourself and don't mind me. I often zone out."
Knowing that the imperial envoy and the Third Prince had arrived together, the Jiangnan merchants who had come to the front yard to offer their congratulations were all secretly envious of Xia Qifei's luck and shocked at the imperial envoy and the Third Prince's actions of not avoiding others. They also didn't dare make too much noise, so the sounds of drinking and merrymaking in the front yard did not disturb the conversation in the study in the back garden.
Xia Qifei was actually very shocked at Fan Xian's arrival. Furthermore, he had come with the Third Prince.
Fan Xian shook his head and said, "Nowadays, everyone in Jiangnan knows of our relationship. I think Jingdou should also know. If that's the case, why are you still trying to hide it? "
Xia Qifei glanced at the Third Prince. Thinking of the rumors on the streets, he didn't avoid them and said straightforwardly, "Commissioner, I'm afraid I've brought you trouble."
"What trouble?" Fan Xian gazed at him warmly. "You work for the court. It looks like you're doing well recently, but in reality, you've suffered quite a bit."
Xia Qifei thought of the brothers who had died that night and his expression darkened slightly.
"Are your injuries better?" Fan Xian asked.
Xia Qifei respectfully replied, "Much better."
"Hmm." Fan Xian thought for a moment and then slowly said, "You don't have to worry too much. Concerning the Ming family, my attitude is very firm. Perhaps the progress will be a bit slower, but … don't think that I have been fooled by someone's attitude."
The news of the current master of the Ming family, Ming Qingda, kneeling in the courtyard of the palace treasury manor and fainting after winning the bid had long spread throughout Suzhou and beyond. Thus, as the knife in Fan Xian's hand, what Xia Qifei was most worried about was whether the hand holding the knife would suddenly change its mind. Hearing Fan Xian make a promise, Xia Qifei's spirit rose involuntarily despite his injured body. Revenge and taking back the Ming family was his greatest wish. If he didn't have Fan Xian's help, he would never have been able to do it.
Fan Xian looked at his expression and said in a low voice, "You work for the court, so the court will support you. To put it more bluntly, since you are my person, I must openly announce this to the world. There is no need to remove this relationship or hide it. In the future, when you work in Jiangnan and send goods to the North, with this layer of influence, it will all be much easier."
Xia Qifei's expression appeared to be moved, but he felt a bit terrified in his heart. He didn't know why the commissioner was in such a rush to bring this matter to light. Xia Qifei still thought he was working for the court. He didn't understand that just because Fan Xian used him did not mean that the court used him.
To have Xia Qifei send goods to the North and use the Cui family's old route to connect with Fan Sizhe in the North. Under the protection of Fan Xian in the South and the Emperor in the North, he would reopen that smuggling route. This was Fan Xian's true goal.
Presently, the South had the Overwatch Council secretly managing it, and the North had the Provost of the Discipline Commission, Wei Hua. He was both an old acquaintance of Fan Xian and someone the Northern Qi Emperor trusted. This route was already flawless. The only thing that needed to be hammered a few more times was Xia Qifei himself at the beginning.
Fan Xian had come under the guise of discussion. He wanted to use the words of the people to firmly bind Xia Qifei to his side. After today, no matter who it was, no one would believe that Xia Qifei was not Fan Xian's trusted aide. In the future, when the smuggling began, even if Xia Qifei wanted to betray Fan Xian, probably no one would believe him. Furthermore, Fan Xian's enemies would also target Xia Qifei. The Jiangnan Restaurant was already a good start. This could only force Xia Qifei to hold Fan Xian even tighter …
Using external aggression to lock one's heart and tie people onto the boat, the Third Prince was pestering to get on the boat, but it was impossible for Xia Qifei not to go.
…
…
"The day after tomorrow." Before Fan Xian left the Xia manor, he gave one last order to Xia Qifei. "The required procedures should be complete. When the time comes, it will be your turn."
Xia Qifei felt slightly excited. Although he knew that the commissioner only needed him to attract the Ming family's attention, he could, in the end, roar his voice in the Suzhou government. It seemed that he was getting closer and closer to his life's goal.
"However, you also understand." Fan Xian sighed and patted his shoulder. "There are no precedents in Qing law for this kind of thing. The other party is the eldest son of the eldest branch. According to the law, he is taking advantage. Even if the Council helps, it is unlikely to obtain the desired result … there are many ways to get back what has been lost. Don't be anxious, and don't be overly disappointed."
Xia Qifei's heart trembled slightly. He always felt that the young commissioner in front of him was not just talking about the Ming family. Between the upper and lower levels, it seemed that because of the word "family property", a certain harmony had been created. He raised his hands in a salute and said, moved, "I do not deserve to trouble you because of my matters."
"You deserve it," Fan Xian said sympathetically. "From the beginning, it was made clear that I am also a person who prioritizes profit. Don't be overly concerned."
The more he emphasized profit, the more Xia Qifei felt he was sincere. He repeatedly bowed and saw him and the Third Prince out of the manor. More accurately speaking, Fan Xian and the Third Prince only stood for a moment in the Xia manor before leaving. The entire process was less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea. However, the attitude and determination they displayed would certainly pass through the mouths of the merchants and officials and reach the ears of the master of the Ming family.
After the carriage left the Xia manor, it was not in a hurry to return to Hua Garden. Instead, it headed toward the North of the city. There were many jianghu heroes in the North of Suzhou, so the guards beside the carriage also became nervous.
"What day is the day after tomorrow?" The Third Prince opened his innocent and harmless eyes and asked Fan Xian.
Fan Xian replied, "Xia Qifei will enter the Suzhou government and sue the Ming family for stealing the family property."
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