The left side of my head hurts badly, so I'm late. Sorry, if I can't take it and need to rest tomorrow, I will ask everyone for leave. Thank you.
…
…
Fei Jie looked silently at the old man in the wheelchair. He knew that Director Chen had a clear understanding of his own body. Even if he wanted to say something comforting, he couldn't say it.
The Overwatch Council was the darkest part of the new Qing Kingdom. In this world, the only person who could truly understand a large part of history and understand Chen Pingping's intentions was this Great Grandmaster who used poison.
"In the middle of the year." Chen Pingping emphasized the time. "After you leave Jingdou, don't come back. I know you've traveled all over the world in your life in the hope that one day you can take a ship to the lands of those foreigners and see how their medicine is made. Since you have this desire, it's best if you go earlier. "
Fei Jie didn't say anything for now. He knew that given the role he had once played in the military, the matter in the Palace could not affect him. The reason the Director urged him to leave the Qing Kingdom and take a ship was because he wanted him to complete his life's ideals before the matter blew up and let him leave that matter.
Although he was old, he still had ideals.
"I should have gone a long time ago," Fei Jie said with a smile. "However, I've taken on a student, and I always miss him."
"Go," Chen Pingping said sincerely. "You only have one life. Do what you like to do. Otherwise, when you're old and crippled, you won't be able to walk even if you want to. Although I don't believe in the retribution the Temple speaks of, you've killed countless people in your life. You will always draw attention. Of the three old poisoners, Xiao En is already dead. I heard that the one in Dongyi also suddenly got a strange disease. You're the only one left. You have to live on. "
Fei Jie was silent for a moment. He then said, "I'll listen to you. In the middle of the year, I'll go to Dongyi and go out to sea."
Chen Pingping glanced at him and smiled tiredly. "Why won't you leave from Quanzhou?"
"First, that place has the smell of the past. I don't like to remember the past," Fei Jie said. "Second, since I'm going out to sea alone, I don't want the Emperor or Fan Xian to know where I'm going."
Chen Pingping nodded.
…
…
Fei Jie had a very special role in the Overwatch Council. He had resigned from his position in the Third Bureau many years ago, and was now considered to be one of the Council's worshippers. The current head of the Third Bureau was his junior. Commissioner Fan Xian was his student. In all these years, he had been Chen Pingping's right-hand man and good friend, so he was very aloof in the Council.
Although there was still an empty room in the basement of the square building for him to conduct research, he rarely went there. His daily work of concocting medicines and fumigating poisons was all done in a courtyard in a corner of the capital.
This courtyard was a monologue research department, and its funds were, of course, provided by the Overwatch Council. The corresponding servants and apprentices were all members of the Overwatch Council.
The research results of a master of poisons were naturally quite valuable. Regardless of whether it was the arrow poison needed by the military or the poison needed by the nobles in their backyard to kill each other out of jealousy, they were all objects that people salivated over.
However, the defenses of this courtyard were not very strict. Because of Fei Jie's vicious and poisonous reputation, the enemies of Northern Qi and Dongyi, as well as the nobles within the Qing Kingdom, did not have the courage to go into the courtyard and pretend to be a thief. Who knew what kind of poisonous insects Fei Jie raised in the courtyard or what kind of poisonous powder he scattered?
The apprentices and servants who served Fei Jie were naturally not worried about this. They all carried antidote pills on them. Even if they mistakenly took them, there would be no danger to their lives.
However, the people in Fei Jie's courtyard often faced financial danger. Because of the research of poisons and the purchase of rare raw materials, it always required a large amount of money. In the past few years, the palace treasury did not have enough money, and the Overwatch Council sometimes did not have enough money to allocate. When Fei Jie was doing experiments, he did not want to wait. Thus, the apprentices' monthly pay was often deducted. After the matter was over, Fei Jie often forgot to make up for it, and the apprentices did not dare to open their mouths to ask for it. Thus, their lives were not very satisfactory.
As long as one was a member of the large organization that served the Qing Kingdom, people would always find all kinds of ways to earn extra money and fill their pockets.
The apprentices in the Council were no exception. What they relied on was their understanding of poisons. Although they didn't dare enter that little room and take out and sell Sir Fei's treasured results, some unremarkable little playthings became a way for them to make money. During these 10 years, the assassins, wives, and mistresses all over the world all used different channels to share in the Overwatch Council's poisons.
At the same time, money also flowed in.
However, the danger of selling poison was too great. No one knew where the poison would be sold. Thus, later, the apprentices began to steal Fei Jie's prescriptions to sell. In the beginning, business was not very good because not many people dared to use the medicine Fei Jie prescribed. It was not until Fei Jie, as Fei Jie's personal disciple, began to treat his own injuries in the Royal Palace. Later, Fan Ruoruo inherited her brother's skills and began to give lectures at the Royal Academy of Medicine. Only then did Sir Fei Jie's ability to treat illnesses truly receive the recognition of the market.
Selling medicine was good, safe, and free of future troubles.
Five or six months ago, an apprentice by Fei Jie's side had sold a prescription. This prescription had brought him a great deal of money. He sold this prescription to the famous Huichun Hall in Jingdou. He was particularly careful when he sold it. He did not reveal any clues on the prescription or reveal his face for the other party to see. He only handed over the money and handed over the goods.
Four months ago, this apprentice suddenly became seriously ill. Perhaps it was because he had been in contact with poisons for many years and was infected. Many treatments were ineffective and he died on the bed coughing up blood.
Before that student died, the Huichun Hall had already used that prescription to successfully develop the first pill. After confirming its effects on a test subject, the old shopkeeper of the Huichun Hall had wisely turned the existence of this pill into the greatest secret of the Huichun Hall. However, he had not discovered the side effects of the pill at all.
He knew that many nobles in the capital needed this medicine. This was what Huichun Hall relied on to display their power in Jingdou. Of course, the old shopkeeper would not be stupid enough to let the prescription leak out. Instead, he used a secret connection to send one pill to the owner behind him.
The owner behind Huichun Hall was a sixth-level master from Taichang Temple. This master had always been careful and did not let his connection to Huichun Hall leak out. When he had confirmed the effects of the medicine, a wave of excitement immediately took over his face.
Taichang Temple was responsible for matters related to the royal family and moved around the Palace. Of course, they faintly knew about the so-called hidden illness of the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace these years. This master faintly saw the possibility of his meteoric rise. However, he was not satisfied with just being a person who applied medicine.
Thus, he took a detour to find the manor of another clan relative and delivered the medicine. Of course, he did not explicitly say that it was the result of his own medicinal hall's research. He only said that after searching bitterly, he had finally found this medicine among the foreign goods in Dongyi.
That clan relative's eyes naturally lit up when he heard this.
The master of Taichang Temple had to say that he did not have the prescription and needed to continuously search for it.
He calculated clearly in his heart. As long as this medicine remained in his hands, the noble in the Eastern Palace would always need him. Then, his present and future prospects would naturally be vast.
The clan relative knew what the master of Taichang Temple was thinking but did not expose him. He stroked his beard, smiled a few times, and said a few words of praise. He only said that he would take the medicine and would not say that the medicine would be sent to the Palace.
They both knew this.
From then on, the miraculous pill personally developed and refined by the old shopkeeper of Huichun Hall was sent through the efforts of the master of Taichang Temple, who worked hard to find it, to the manor of the clan relative who needed the medicine to replenish his strength. Then, through a secret channel, it was sent to the Royal Palace.
Accompanied by tea, it was sent into the Crown Prince's thin lips.
One pill every 10 days. It had never stopped.
All of this was done in secret. Even if someone investigated, it could be broken at any time on a certain line. However, no one on this line knew that from the beginning, all of the relationships and possibilities on this line had been calculated by someone else. They thought it was secretive and everything was in their control. They did not know that they were actually pawns being controlled by someone else.
…
…
In the little courtyard, Fan Xian left behind Wang Qinian, who was deep in thought, and walked to the side of the well. Deng Zi Yue had been waiting outside the entire time. Seeing that he was here, he quickly came up to report. A glimmer of reluctance and a bit of nervousness naturally appeared on his face.
Tomorrow, he would head far away to Northern Qi to take over Wang Qinian's position as the head spy in the North. Although this position was nominally under the jurisdiction of the Fourth Bureau, it had always reported directly to the Director or the Commissioner. It was a very important position. After Yan Bingyun was Wang Qinian, and after Wang Qinian was him. He knew that his ability was not in this area. He was afraid that there would be a large gap between him and the other two officials in the North. Thus, he sincerely asked Sir Fan junior for advice on the matters he should pay attention to on this trip.
"Everyone under heaven knows that you are my trusted aide," Fan Xian warned. "This cannot be hidden from the Northern Qi people, and there is no need to hide it from them. However, you are not like Wang Qinian, who can throw off the Brocade Guard behind him at any time, so you have to be more careful than him."
He paused and then said, "So, you have to get used to playing the role of a diplomatic official. There are many kinds of spies. Sir Yan junior was a secret spy, and Wang Qinian was half light and half dark. You can only be an open spy. Unless there are special circumstances, do not use the network in the North. You are careful enough. There is a lot of information that actually does not need to be secretly inquired about. You only need to attend a few banquets and chat with the nobles of Northern Qi, and you will be able to find out. "
Deng Zi Yue was slightly startled. Sir Fan junior's new way of speaking immediately opened another door in his mind. Spies … could it be done without eavesdropping?
"Right now, the two countries have a honeymoon relationship," Fan Xian smiled slightly. Fan Xian smiled slightly and said, "Everything is based on this. Don't embarrass the Northern Qi people too much."
Deng Zi Yue nodded and asked, "Then how do we sort out the network in the North? My identity is too obvious. You said it earlier, it is not easy for me to get in touch. "
"Lin Wen or Lin Jing? Right now, he should still be in Shangjing. He is an old man and will tell you what to pay attention to. " Fan Xian thought for a bit and then said, "I have already told you in private about the first level. However, don't go to that place … if there are any instructions, go find Sizhe. He has a business network under him. It is more convenient to send messages to the first level."
Deng Zi Yue knew that the first level was the oil shop that Sir Fan junior had privately mentioned a few days ago. He thought that Sir Fan's arrangements were appropriate and nodded.
"If there is a private message for me heading South, go from Xia Mingji." Fan Xian thought for a bit and then said, "Baoyue Brothel's branch in Shangjing is about to open. At that time, I will have them contact you."
Deng Zi Yue thought that Sir Fan had already arranged everything, so he did not need to spend too much effort. Fan Xian looked at his calm face, but a faint apologetic feeling welled up in his heart. Having Deng Zi Yue reveal his identity and go to Northern Qi was actually to make it inconvenient for him to come into contact with Northern Qi's spy network. It would give his brother a chance to extend his hand inside and, at the same time, allow Baoyue Brothel to mix in.
Deng Zi Yue had never doubted Sir Fan junior's intentions, but Fan Xian had an absurd thought. He wanted to see if he could turn the entire Qing Kingdom's Northern Qi spy network into his own eyes and ears.
This network was too important for Sizhe's business and his own dealings with Northern Qi.
He gently coughed and then said, "On this trip North, I will take 300 Black Knights to escort you through Cangzhou. Naturally, there will be Northern Qi people to meet you there. Other than court matters, the most important thing is that you bring me alive into Shangjing. After entering Shangjing, don't find anyone else. Go directly to the temple of Tianyi Dao to find Haitang. Listen to her arrangements for the rest."
Fan Xian raised his head and glanced at the bare-chested young man chopping wood in the corner of the courtyard. The young man's life was full of vigor, but there was still immaturity between his brows. It was impossible to tell how old he was.
Deng Zi Yue followed his gaze and furrowed his brows. "Haitang can arrange it, but … after the Northern Qi people find out, will they have any thoughts?"
Fan Xian's expression was calm as he said, "The Northern Qi people's thoughts have nothing to do with us. I am just sending him over."
Deng Zi Yue hesitated for a moment and then said probingly, "But, if you return him to Si Lili … how will you control him in the future?"
He was Fan Xian's trusted aide, so he knew the story of how the commissioner had forcefully taken this young man from the Director. He also knew that this unremarkable young man, who had been locked up in the little courtyard for almost two years, was actually the younger brother of the current Northern Qi imperial consort, Si Lili.
"There are many ways to control him. Right now, I don't need this method, so I might as well be generous. It will be more comfortable for everyone to work together," Fan Xian said with a smile. In his heart, however, he was thinking that the interests between him and Northern Qi had long been intertwined. Whether a hostage was there or not, it didn't make much of a difference. Si Lili's brother had long lost the importance he once had.
Deng Zi Yue no longer had any objections.
Fan Xian waved his hand and summoned the young man over. Looking at the unfairness and hatred that had yet to be smoothed out on the young man's face, he warmly said, "You are about to go to Shangjing. Is there anything you want to buy for your sister?"
The young man spat on the ground.
Fan Xian and Deng Zi Yue both laughed. Fan Xian looked at him and shook his head. "After you go to Shangjing, change your temper … I don't want you to cause trouble for your sister. Also, don't blame me for locking you up for two years … you also know about the problems of your past. If I hadn't locked you up, you would probably be long dead … Hmm, after you go to Shangjing and see your sister, remember to say hello to her for me."
Suddenly, he thought of the journey he had taken with Si Lili in the same carriage two years ago. His thoughts wandered slightly, but he immediately calmed down and said, "Say thank you for me."
The young man didn't quite understand and scratched his head. He had only seen Fan Xian a few times and had always been locked up in the courtyard. He didn't know the rumors outside, but he knew that this young noble was certainly an important official in Qing Kingdom. However, he seemed a bit too young … he was a bit surprised that this noble surnamed Fan seemed to be very familiar with his sister, whom he hadn't seen in a long time. It was as if they had a friendship.
Hearing this person say this, was he really supposed to be grateful to him? The young man scratched his head again.
…
…
When the sky darkened, Fan Xian and Wang Qinian left the courtyard and got into the carriage. In the carriage, Fan Xian looked forward and smiled mischievously. "Lao Wang, your house is also in this area. Why haven't you invited me to sit?"
Wang Qinian looked at the smile on his face and felt a pang in his heart. He remembered when he had peeked at the love letter between Fan Xian and Haitang and Fan Xian's last threat. In a trembling voice, he said, "Sir, my daughter is still young … let's wait a few more years."
Fan Xian paused and almost spat out a mouthful of blood. He glared angrily at the old man and thought, What kind of beautiful girl can you give birth to with your appearance?
It was just a joke. However, under Wang Qinian's heavy worry, his ability to be a supporting character had clearly decreased.
The carriage stopped at the back door of Wang Qinian's house. There was no one in the carriage, but there was no one in the manor either.
Two commoners with ordinary faces wearing coarse cotton jackets appeared in the alley opposite the manor of an imperial relative in the south of the city. The two of them had their hands in their sleeves and were half-crouching on the ground chatting. However, the content of their conversation did not seem very casual.
"It's this family. Almost all of the empress's relatives have died. This is a very distant relative."
"What's the use of knowing?"
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