The Black Knights headed straight for Jiaozhou. In order to deceive people, the route they chose could not be the official road. No matter how confident Fan Xian was or how much confidence he had in the Black Knights' battle power, he could not have the extravagant hope that once chaos broke out, with just 400 riders, they would be able to forcefully suppress one of the three great navies of the Qing Kingdom.
Thus, he could only quietly enter the city and not shoot.
Looking at the Jiaozhou city gate in the distance, Fan Xian dismounted his horse. Following the Overwatch Council methods he had learned from a young age, he found a quiet place and let the horse go. The horse was intelligent and seemed to understand its master's intentions. It did not linger and headed into the quiet valley. In a moment, it disappeared without a trace.
It was not that Fan Xian was unwilling to kill the horse. The smell of blood was truly unnecessary. On the contrary, it would bring some trouble. After confirming that the horse would not reveal his whereabouts, he sat down under a tree and dug a small hole beside him. Taking off the clothes on his body, he buried them in the ground.
Then, he took out the equipment on his body and did a careful inspection. He confirmed that the black dagger, the Third Bureau's new hidden crossbow, and the drugs and poisons that never left his body were all there. He smeared something on his face and unconsciously nodded his head. Shortly after, he sighed.
Somewhat unsatisfied, he buried the Emperor's sword Wang Qinian had given him into the hole. Fan Xian wondered to himself when he would be able to openly use this sword.
By the time he left the large tree, the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council, Sir Fan junior, had already transformed into a normal young man. His face was still delicate and handsome. However, the space between his brows had widened slightly. The corners of his eyes had drooped slightly. He had lost some of his heroic spirit and gained a glimmer of sincerity. He was already a completely different person.
Underneath the coarse cloth clothes, he was still wearing the tight-fitting black night clothes. Fortunately, the material was first-rate and breathable, so he did not feel very hot.
Following the rarely traveled mountain path toward Jiaozhou, the sun had long sunk below the mountain behind him. A dusky twilight enveloped the surroundings. In the last moment before the Jiaozhou city gates closed, Fan Xian walked to the city gate and obediently handed over his travel permit. He then answered a few routine questions from the city gate soldiers and easily entered the city.
The travel passes made by the Overwatch Council were not fakes, rather, they were the real thing. Naturally, no one would discover any problems. Furthermore, when Fan Xian answered the questions, although he was respectful, there was not a trace of panic. Jiaozhou was by the sea, and there were many people coming and going. The city guards had long become used to it, so they did not place much importance on it.
Passing through the city gate, Fan Xian rubbed his eyes and smiled. Like a traveler who had come from afar, he used a curious gaze to examine the surrounding residences and scenery. However, he did not dare to be too leisurely. His footsteps did not slow, perfectly playing the role of an outsider busying himself with business.
Jiaozhou was indeed different from other provincial cities. Although it was next to the sea, the commerce, or more accurately, the retail trade, was not developed. It was clearly the busiest main road through the city, but there were not many shops on either side. Even if there were some, they were half-hidden. There were no signs, making it impossible for outsiders to see what kind of business was conducted inside.
The entire city appeared solemn and calm. There was less of the smoke and fire of life, but there was more dignity.
As Fan Xian walked, he paid attention to these details. He knew that this was because the Jiaozhou Navy was permanently stationed here. Jiaozhou was far from the Central Plain. It was truly a place where the mountains were high and the Emperor was far. The navy itself had tens of thousands of soldiers. This power was truly terrifying.
Compared to the enormous navy, the local power in Jiaozhou appeared insignificant. The highest official in Jiaozhou was just a Zhizhou. In front of the admiral of the navy, he still had to be well-behaved.
Furthermore, all of Jiaozhou's economic affairs were at the whim of the navy. The daily necessities of the navy's tens of thousands of soldiers, other than being allocated by the court, were requisitioned from nearby. Although it made the people of Jiaozhou angry, it also brought a kind of abnormal prosperity. At least they didn't have to worry about not being able to sell their food.
It was because of these reasons that Jiaozhou was like an enormous navy logistics base. It was like a delicate maiden beside a large man. She could only accept it, but she could not make many complaints.
With such an enormous entity as the navy at its side, Jiaozhou also carried a strong military aura. The best areas in the city had all been requisitioned by the military. The largest mansions were all lived in by the high-ranking officers of the navy. The best girls were all occupied by the navy.
Although the court had a clear order that did not allow the garrisoned officers to live in neighboring provincial cities, everyone knew that this rule had long lost its use. Not only in Jiaozhou, but in all the provincial armies and even the border armies, as long as they had some power, they were not willing to live in miserable tents. Instead, they would buy houses and women in the provincial cities.
The Black Knights were an exception among exceptions.
Fan Xian raised his head to gaze at the brothel with red lanterns hanging high and couldn't resist smiling. In a place with so many hills, the brothel business would not be bad. However, he didn't know if the navy soldiers would renege on their debts. However, according to the news from the Council, although the Jiaozhou Navy was the Emperor of Jiaozhou, they never ate the grass near their nest.
In the past, they ate the grass on the sea to the south.
…
…
Fan Xian lowered his head and walked quickly past a large manor. The manor took up a lot of space, with flying eaves and flying phoenixes. The door was painted red, and the walls were hidden among bamboo. It took up half a street and was even more arrogant than the mansions of the officials in Jingdou.
Today, this large manor was like the distant brothel. It was hung with bright red lanterns and appeared to be in a festive mood. On the door was a painting of an immortal with a white beard. Looking at the appearance, it seemed that some important person was having a birthday celebration.
What was at odds with this joyous atmosphere were the soldiers standing guard at the entrance of the manor. The soldiers' faces were dark, and the color of water rust could be faintly seen under their ears. Presumably, they were people who had lived on the sea for many years. These soldiers did not look sideways. Their faces were solemn as they vigilantly watched the people passing by in front of the manor.
There were not many people who dared to stroll in front of the manor, so most of their mission was to check the guests. Although the guests, other than the superiors of the navy, were all officials of Jiaozhou, as well as a few wealthy merchants who could stand in public. There were even a few merchants from far away in Jiangnan, these soldiers still did not relax. They carefully checked the gift boxes to ensure that no one dared to bring a weapon in.
Today was the Emperor's birthday banquet, so they had to ensure that nothing went wrong.
Other than the front door of the manor being heavily guarded, Fan Xian quietly circulated his zhenqi. He had long heard that there should be a number of nails hidden in the secluded areas of the manor.
He walked quickly past with his head down. A strange smile rose to the corners of his lips. He clearly saw the strength of the guards stationed at the corner of the street outside the manor. At the same time, he drew a map of the surrounding terrain and deeply imprinted it in his mind. In the past, he had only walked once in that enormous Royal Palace and remembered all the small paths clearly, much less such a large manor.
…
…
Leaving behind the liveliness and the sounds of greetings behind him, he made the blinding red of the red lantern disappear into the darkness. Fan Xian pressed his lips together. His gaze, intentionally or otherwise, glanced at a spot under the wall by the street. He saw a familiar secret mark and turned to enter, walking all the way to the end of the alley.
It was a dead alley.
Fan Xian raised his head to look at the wall across from the dead alley and shook his head. Pushing off with the tip of his foot, his entire body rose lightly. Placing his palm on the top of the wall, he flipped over.
Silently, Fan Xian, who was disguised as a commoner, once again disappeared into Jiaozhou.
— — —
Behind the wall was a small courtyard. The place was not very quiet and secluded. One could faintly hear the sounds of the street a few rooms away. Although the house had six rooms in the front and back, it looked a bit old. It meant that although the people living here were not common people, their days were not very good.
Fan Xian stepped onto the stone steps, pushed open the door, and walked straight to the main seat. Picking up the teapot beside him, he sniffed, poured himself a cup of tea, and drank it.
From the side came the sound of panicked footsteps. The owner of the footsteps walked into the room and found a young man he did not recognize sitting there. He was about to ask questions when he saw the hand gesture made by the person's fingers. He couldn't help being surprised and happy. "Teacher, you've finally come."
Fan Xian smiled and put down the teacup in his hand. Gazing at Hou Jichang's thin face, he couldn't resist saying, "You've come to Jiaozhou to be an official. I thought you would be able to take care of your shriveled body. How come you've become even thinner?"
After Hou Jichang met with Yang Wanli on the Jiangnan levee, he had spared no effort to rush to Jiaozhou to take up his post. The journey had been tiring. In addition, he had to secretly investigate those shocking matters for Fan Xian, so the pressure on his mind was great. He had been in Jiaozhou for almost a month, but he had not made any progress. Deeply afraid that he would hinder his teacher's important matters, he had been unable to sleep for a number of nights. Presently, his eyes were sunken in, and his cheekbones were protruding. There was nothing of the free and easy appearance of the past Jingdou rainy day scholar.
He smiled bitterly and self-mockingly said, "I don't have the ability to look at the affairs of the world with a smile, teacher."
Fan Xian sighed. Although Hou Jichang's thoughts were the most meticulous and his actions were the most ruthless and daring of the four people under his tutelage, it could be seen that a scholar was, after all, still a scholar. Logically speaking, this matter should have been handled by the Overwatch Council. However, Fan Xian had arranged for Jichang to come. One reason was to shock the Jiaozhou officials. Another reason was because he had a selfish motive. After Jiaozhou fell into chaos, there would certainly be people who would be demoted and people who would receive merit. Such a great merit would certainly allow Jichang to receive an abnormal promotion.
Fan Xian was still willing to leave this kind of benefit to his student. However, it could be considered the price for him to be shocked.
"After you arrived in Jiaozhou, were there any abnormalities?" Fan Xian asked calmly. He did not ask about the matter of the Jiaozhou Navy smuggling because he knew that it was impossible for Hou Jichang to clearly understand the dirty matters in officialdom in such a short amount of time.
Hou Jichang thought about it and said, "Everyone in the world knows that I am your student, so these officials are quite courteous to me. Even the generals in the navy are very tactful. It is just that … I don't know much. I've only heard some rumors."
Fan Xian nodded. This was a situation he had long guessed. He thought for a bit and then said, "Admiral Chang Kun is holding a birthday banquet today. Did he not invite you?"
Hou Jichang paused and said, "I am only a minor official, but … it should be to give you face. This admiral also gave me an invitation. However, you said you would arrive today, so I have been waiting at home. I haven't decided whether to go or not."
"Go," Fan Xian said decisively. "You go first."
For him to go first, the hidden meaning was that Fan Xian would go later.
Hou Jichang furrowed his brows and said, "You are alone?"
"One person is enough," Fan Xian smiled slightly. "Chang Kun is not Xiao En. He does not have the right for me to value him too much."
Pausing, he then said, "Today is his birthday banquet. In the future, his family can give him birthday wishes and memorial services on this day. This will save a lot of trouble."
Hou Jichang's heart jumped. He tasted bitterness in his mouth as he gazed in a daze at his teacher. He knew that Fan Xian was certainly going to kill someone at the birthday banquet. However, he didn't know how exactly his teacher was going to kill him under the protection of the valiant Jiaozhou Navy. Furthermore, a proper admiral of the navy, a first-level official, could not just be assassinated. The Emperor and teacher shouldn't make such a muddled mistake. If the birthday banquet became a battlefield, how would they deal with the aftermath?
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