This was the first time in Fan Xian's three years in the capital that he had planned something on his own. He didn't have the help of the old men or Yan Bingyun's plans. However, he could still use the Overwatch Council's enormous intelligence network and the enormous files and resources accumulated over the years to begin extending the tentacles of a conspiracy from outside the Royal Palace into the Royal Palace.
The pressure was great, but he had to learn to endure it. In the process of preparing for this matter, it wasn't that he hadn't considered telling the truth to his father and Chen Pingping. However, the thoughts of these two elders were truly difficult to fathom. No one knew how loyal they were to the Emperor. He also didn't know whether or not such a conspiracy that would throw the royal family into chaos would be forcefully suppressed by these two elders for some reason.
Thus, he chose to move forward in the dark alone.
The Overwatch Council's intelligence reports flowed endlessly into his study. In order to avoid drawing the attention of those with ulterior motives, Fan Xian used an ingenious name. He only carefully touched on the information on the outside. Then, it passed through a few hands and was delivered to a remote and quiet courtyard in the middle of the city.
He didn't dare to be silent for too long in the study and reveal any traces. As usual, he was filial to his father and wandered freely in the garden. Along the way, he even went to Xin Qiwu's manor to be a guest. However, this year, Xin Qiwu did not invite him as he had in the past.
Fan Xian knew that Xin Qiwu was, after all, close to the Crown Prince. At this juncture, when the Crown Prince was gradually waking from his silence and using his good performance to fool everyone in the Palace, Xin Qiwu must have received the Eastern Palace's signal and no longer tried to rope him in. However, this change was not sudden. Xin Qiwu found a good excuse and personally went to the manor to deliver a generous gift.
After a few days, Fan Xian finally thought through this matter from beginning to end. After going through the plan in his mind, he stood in the position of an investigator and used a cautious gaze to examine the clues in his mind. He confirmed that the royal family's investigation from top to bottom would not involve Hong Zhu and would not implicate him. Only then did he feel slightly more relaxed.
On the seventh day of the New Year, Fan Sizhe, who had been cooped up in the manor, pestered his brother to go out for a walk. Fan Xian glared at him and retorted, "You think you're still the second young master of Fan Manor? Right now, it is the Council that is hiding your whereabouts … but I am sure that the Palace already knows where you are … right now, no one from the Ministry of Justice has come to arrest you because the Palace is giving face to Father and me. If you go out with such a fat face to show off, where will the Palace put its face? Someone will be coming to arrest you soon! "
Fan Sizhe was surprised. Why was his brother speaking so harshly today? But in the year he had been working in Northern Qi, he still retained the sinister business genius of the past. He had also shed some of his pompous air. He immediately saw that his brother had something on his mind. His mood was heavy. Carefully, he asked, "Brother, what happened? We are brothers in this world. Tell me what you want and see if I can help you. "
Fan Xian suddenly thought of the Northern Qi aces who had followed Fan Sizhe south and were now arranged to live in the country estate outside the city. His heart jumped, but he immediately cast aside those thoughts. He didn't even dare to disturb Director Chen and his father, let alone his precious younger brother. It was just that Sizhe had seen through his thoughts, so he had to cover it up.
He paused slightly and then said, "On the tenth day, the Great Prince's manor will open its doors to welcome guests. I will also be going."
"The tenth day?" Fan Sizhe pressed his lips together and giggled. "Brother, that is an important day. It looks like the Great Prince truly thinks highly of you … to actually pick such a day to invite you."
Fan Xian laughed coldly. "I'm afraid this is wangfei's intention … what am I worried about? I said I was going to take Hongcheng, but yesterday, someone from the manor came to remind me that on the tenth day, our Second Prince will also be going. "
Fan Sizhe sucked in a cold breath. "Good heavens … brother, you beat the Second Prince into a pile of mud, and now you're going to sit at the same table to eat. Be careful of that woman's dirty tricks."
Fan Xian furrowed his brows and said, "Not necessarily … who would dare to kill someone in the Great Prince's manor? It's just … I feel it will be difficult to deal with. "
Fan Sizhe lowered his head and immediately understood what his brother was worried about. The Great Prince had chosen the tenth day to invite guests, and it was Fan Xian and the Second Prince. Presumably, the Great Prince still wanted his two "brothers" to be at peace again. His brother couldn't not give face to the Great Prince, but … he couldn't let go of the Second Prince. No wonder he was in such a difficult situation.
He thought he understood the reason for his brother's heavy thoughts. He shook his head and said, "If you want to eat, then eat. In any case, if you don't say anything, the Great Prince can't do anything to you."
Fan Xian smiled. "That's true." He looked at his brother and suddenly said, "Are we really going out? We can't get out of the carriage. We can only watch from the carriage. "
Fan Sizhe was overjoyed and looked at him pitifully. After returning from Northern Qi, he had been locked up in the manor. Even during the ancestral worship on the first day of the new year, he could only kowtow a few times in the carriage. He had long been stifled. Hearing his brother's orders, he nodded repeatedly.
…
…
As the carriage traveled through Jingdou, snowflakes gently floated down like willow catkins.
The Fan brothers strolled around the bustling streets of Jingdou twice. In the middle, they stopped by Danbo Bookstore to understand the recent situation. The two owners had arrived. The shopkeeper of Qingyu Hall, who had replaced Seventh Ye, quickly entered the carriage to report. However, listening to the report was secondary. Fan Sizhe only wanted to see the small bookstore he had started.
After leaving Danbo Bookstore, they went to Baoyue Brothel.
The carriage stopped outside the hidden back door of Baoyue Brothel. Fan Sizhe tilted his head and looked at the three-story building. His young face was full of the sigh of an old man. Earlier, looking at Danbo Bookstore had already made him feel emotional. Now, looking at the brothel that had changed his life, the complicated feelings in his mind suddenly surged.
Fan Xian lifted the curtain of the carriage and walked out. “
Fan Sizhe was overjoyed. Without saying anything, he followed him out of the carriage.
There was already someone waiting at the back door. The group of people quietly entered the back courtyard and followed the quiet stairs directly up to the third floor. They sat in the room that had been empty the whole time.
Fan Sizhe excitedly twisted his head and looked around. Occasionally, his palm would touch the antique furniture that he had personally arranged in the style of the Wei Kingdom. His face was full of reluctance and excitement.
Fan Xian smiled and glanced at him. He was not worried about his brother's safety. In Jingdou, as long as he came out with him, no one would dare to force him to do anything. However, looking at Fan Sizhe's expression, his emotions suddenly stirred. For people like Sizhe and the Third Prince, if they were to be judged as good or evil, they were probably characters that should be cut a thousand times. Yet, he had always stood firmly behind them.
He laughed at himself and thought to himself that he really was not a good person.
There was no one else in the side room. Only Sang Wen and Shi Qing'er were personally serving him. After drinking a cup of hot tea, Fan Xian gave Sang Wen a meaningful glance. The two of them walked into the hidden secret room in the back.
Fan Sizhe was not surprised. He didn't even glance at the two of them. He only continued to chat with Shi Qing'er. Between the lines, he was very concerned about the state of Baoyue Brothel's operations after he left the Qing Kingdom. After he heard Shi Qing'er relay Fan Xian's slight changes to Baoyue Brothel, as well as the situation of the girls' contracts, he opened his mouth wide and sucked in a cold breath. His gaze toward the secret room became different.
Fan Sizhe truly admired his brother from the bottom of his heart. With these changes, it looked like the brothel had taken a loss. In reality, he had won the hearts of the people and reduced a lot of unnecessary expenses in the dark.
He shook his chubby face and secretly sighed in admiration. "I only know how to earn silver, but my brother knows how to win the hearts of the people."
…
…
What Fan Xian wanted was the loyalty of his subordinates. Other than sucking in the silver of the nobles, the most important use of Baoyue Brothel was to gather intelligence. This kind of work could only be handled by Sang Wen, who was loyal to him.
"Have you been to Chen Garden recently?" Fan Xian looked at the gentle woman and seemed to ask casually.
Sang Wen shook her head. "No."
Fan Xian nodded. Sang Wen was his direct subordinate. As long as the old Chen cripple didn't say anything, the rules of the Council and corresponding work flow would not be able to interfere with her actions.
"How is the preparation of the things I want coming along?"
Sang Wen took out a sealed kraft paper bag and handed it over. "The intelligence regarding the embroidery bureau is very easy to obtain. However, the matter you want to investigate is not easy to start with."
She forced a smile and said, "The medical officials of the Imperial Academy of Medicine are all old men. Why would they go to a brothel? If you really want to investigate the Imperial Academy of Medicine, I think it would be more convenient to start with the Council. "
Fan Xian shook his head and said, "I said earlier that this is a private matter. It cannot go through the Council. Also, the imperial doctors are all old men, but what about their disciples? They are all young people. "
Sang Wen's lips were a bit wide, but they were not ugly. On the contrary, they contrasted with her gentle face and gave off a different feeling. She opened her mouth and bitterly said, "The salary of the students of the Imperial Academy of Medicine is too little. Before they finish their apprenticeship, they cannot diagnose on their own. Even the manors in Jingdou are not allowed to go. It is truly difficult to get them to come to Baoyue Brothel."
Fan Xian took out the file from the kraft paper bag and narrowed his eyes to look at it closely. Relying on his extraordinary memory, he forcefully memorized most of the key contents on the file and handed it back.
Sang Wen took out a brass basin and carefully burned the file and the kraft paper bag in it. She only stood after she had burned everything to ashes.
Fan Xian digested the intelligence in his head and closed his eyes. He shook his head and said, "You will stop here."
Sang Wen bowed slightly and said, "Yes."
Fan Xian took his brother and left Baoyue Brothel. However, he did not stay in the manor. After sending Sizhe back, he once again sat in the black carriage.
He thought in the carriage. Regardless of whether it was the intelligence the Overwatch Council had obtained from the outside or the bits and pieces of information Baoyue Brothel had grasped, he could only come to a relatively vague conclusion.
The Crown Prince's change had indeed begun half a year ago. At that time, Fan Xian was far away in Jiangnan and had no idea what had happened under the surface of Jingdou's peace. Without question, the venereal disease that had long troubled the Crown Prince and made him appear self-abased and weak had been cured. This matter caused the Imperial Academy of Medicine, who knew the inside story, to collectively sink into celebration. They all thought it was a favor from heaven and a blessing for the Qing Kingdom.
It was also from that time on that, because of the Crown Prince's recovery, his entire person began to emit a glow called confidence. He became calmer and revealed the steadiness that a future Emperor should have in his calmness.
The empress dowager liked this kind of change. The Emperor also seemed to be pleasantly surprised.
After receiving confirmation from Hong Zhu, Fan Xian sank into some kind of deep thought. On a psychological level, he could deduce some things. However, the Eldest Princess may have only seen the Crown Prince as some kind of substitute or even as a pet like a little white rabbit. But what about the Crown Prince? Even if he was the passive party, where did he get the courage from?
Regardless of whether it was the Crown Prince's cowardice and arrogance in the past or the current Crown Prince's steadiness and self-control, neither should have the courage to do such an absurd thing. Although it was beneficial from a political standpoint, the Crown Prince still did not seem like someone with this kind of courage because he was not crazy enough.
Thus, before he came to an agreement with Hong Zhu, the first thing Fan Xian did was investigate the cause of this matter. He felt it was truly strange.
The carriage jolted. Fan Xian's brows were furrowed tightly. As Fei Jie's successor, he was too familiar with things like medicine. After he had a general understanding of the entire situation, he unconsciously placed his suspicious gaze on the medicine.
Medicine.
In this world, although venereal disease was not an incurable disease, it was still something that lingered in a sickbed and was difficult to endure. Otherwise, the Crown Prince would not have suffered for so many years and the Imperial Academy of Medicine would not have secretly troubled him for so many years.
What kind of medicine could cure the Crown Prince in such a short amount of time? What kind of medicine could make the Crown Prince so much more daring?
Thus, he arranged for Sang Wen to begin investigating the clues along the way. Of course, he used another reason. However, after investigating, he found that the back of this clue was a ball of dense fog. Baoyue Brothel's intelligence gathering power was limited, and the Overwatch Council's supporting investigation had not made any progress.
Fan Xian began to feel a glimmer of danger. It was as if he was being watched by an icy gaze from behind. Was this a trap? Could it be that someone had set up a trap and wanted him to expose these things?
If he continued to dig deeper, he was worried that he would alert the powerful figure hidden behind the scenes. Thus, he decisively and decisively stopped the investigation of the medicine and turned back to the path he should be on.
He understood one thing. No one knew of his relationship with Hong Zhu. Since it was so, no one should think of using this layer of relationship. If there was another hand trying to control this matter, then their goal was the same as his. As long as he was not implicated when the matter happened, that hand would not be able to use him.
The medicine was key, but it was not. The key was still the Crown Prince's heart. Perhaps the medicine could add fuel to the fire, but this kind of method of doing things was rare and powerful. Fan Xian guessed that if there really was a problem with the medicine, then who could have made it?
In an instant, a few names immediately floated into his mind. The ones with the motive to do such a thing were himself, who wished at any moment to throw the Eldest Princess and Crown Prince off their horses, and the Second Prince, who had the help of the Ye family but was beginning to faintly feel that the Crown Prince was going to steal his place in the Eldest Princess's heart.
It could even be the Emperor.
In the carriage, Fan Xian jumped in fright and unconsciously shook his head. Although he had always been on guard against the Emperor, the Emperor had treated him well and did not seem like this kind of person. Furthermore, putting aside how apologetic the Emperor was toward the Eldest Princess, even if he wanted to clean the courtyard, he would not stoop to using such a dusty method.
Of course, the first name that rose to Fan Xian's mind was actually Chen Pingping. From the medicine, he naturally thought of Fei Jie. However, he couldn't find anything. He didn't dare take the risk to investigate. Naturally, he couldn't confirm anything, so he could only stop.
The carriage came to a remote courtyard. It was the one Wang Qinian had bought for a few hundred taels of silver. Fan Xian walked straight in and sat down on a chair in the innermost room. He silently looked at the wizened old man across from him.
Wang Qinian said with a pained expression, "Zi Yue is outside saying goodbye. He's going to Northern Qi tomorrow. Mu Tie doesn't dare to take over the First Bureau.
Fan Xian waved his hand to stop him and straightforwardly said, "You know I don't want to hear about these things."
"You could go find Sir Yan," Wang Qinian said with a mournful expression. Wang Qinian put on a long face and said, "This lowly official is not good at this … Besides … this is a crime punishable by the death of nine generations."
Fan Xian glared at him and said, "What crime is there? It's not like we did it. "
Wang Qinian glanced at him fearfully. He thought to himself that even if it wasn't the extermination of his entire family, if the people in the Palace found out about it, even if he, the Overwatch Council's two wings, could fly, he would probably not be able to escape death.
Fan Xian smiled warmly and patted his thin shoulder. "What does this mean? This means that you are the person I trust the most. Besides, you know everything about me. Any one of them is a matter of losing my head. Why would I be afraid of one more? "
Wang Qinian suddenly felt great regret. After returning from Northern Qi, he should have followed Sir Fan junior and the Director's intentions and immediately taken over the First Bureau instead of returning to Sir Fan junior's side and retaking control of the Qinian Unit. That way, he would not have seen the box that he should not have seen even if he was blind or heard the secret that he should not have heard even if he was deaf.
…
…
"Someone is investigating." In the light snow in Chen Garden, Chen Pingping sat in a wheelchair with a thick fur cloak draped over him. He looked at the ice gradually forming on the surface of the pond in the garden and smiled slightly. "The investigation is very clever and well hidden. We still can't confirm who it is."
Fei Jie glanced at the Director and shook his head. "There are still three months until the scheduled time. I hope there won't be any trouble."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
