Of course, Fan Xian could not pretend to be an unhygienic commoner and stand guard in front of the imperial relative's manor for 18 days. He was only confirming with Wang Qinian that the hidden line was indeed as they had calculated. They had no intention of investigating further down this line.
Furthermore, he knew that today was the seventh. After confirming with Hong Zhu on the 20th, he would have to leave Jingdou at the beginning of February and head to Jiangnan again. There was too little time in between. It was impossible to grasp any pattern. The only thing he could rely on was Wang Qinian's unfathomable tracking skills.
After confirming the target, the two of them left the entrance of the imperial relative's manor and returned to the back door of the courtyard in the old city. Although Fan Xian was interested in seeing Wang Qinian's daily life, these days had been rather tense. He didn't have much time to enjoy life. With a wave of his hand, he climbed into the carriage.
All of his equipment was left in the black carriage. He took off his outer clothing and checked his sleeve crossbow and medicine pouch. Only then did he take out a cosmetic box and carefully apply it to his face. He then used the Overwatch Council's special glue to stick the corners of his brows down.
Immediately, the distance between his eyes and brows changed. He also added an unremarkable mole on his chin. The elegant young master immediately became an unremarkable passerby.
The carriage stopped outside the Lotus Pond Square in the west of the city. Fan Xian and his people had long gotten off the carriage and merged into the complicated crowd in the west of the city.
The area of the west of Jingdou was not large. Compared to the other cities, it was not rich enough, quiet enough, or noble enough. Particularly, the area around Lotus Pond Square was a slum district. The people who lived there all day long considered the problem of survival. Only when there was food in the family's storeroom would people consider things like etiquette and morality. Thus, the people in the square did not have a bit more integrity to stand in the turbid world because of the name Lotus Pond Square. On the contrary, it was a mix of dragons and snakes. There were all kinds of shady business.
Passerby Fan Xian used the rain hat at the back of his clothes to block out the small snowflakes. With a dark expression, he stepped through the mud in the alley toward the depths of Lotus Pond Square. His expression did not attract much attention in Lotus Pond Square. The commoners on the side of the street and the shopkeepers in the shops couldn't be bothered to glance at him.
There were too many people in the square with dark expressions, as if their fathers had died. There were too many brothers on the street. It was not every day that they could collect their debts. Not every time the Jingdou government caught them, they were able to escape. The brothers on the street were righteous and vicious. Their moods were also very violent, so it was normal for them to be gloomy.
Passing through a narrow alley with broken eaves, Fan Xian once again fell into the encirclement of the prostitutes standing on the street. Fortunately, it was still early. Although the dedicated prostitutes had come out to stand, the shoddy makeup on their faces and their incessant yawns spoke of their low fighting ability. Only then was Fan Xian able to leave lightly and burrow into a little wooden building in the back of the street to find his destination.
The wooden room was filled with an unpleasant smell. The moment Fan Xian entered the door, he couldn't resist rubbing his nose. However, he did not take off the hat on his head. He sat directly by the bed and took out a token from his clothes, handing it to the vigilant paralyzed man on the bed.
The paralyzed man's hand could still move. He stared at this uninvited guest with a face full of nervousness. After accepting the token and looking at it closely for a while, he lowered his voice and said, "Since you are one of us, why did you come up so rashly?"
Fan Xian didn't have time to argue with him. Straightforwardly, he said, "Has anything good come out from inside recently?"
The paralyzed man's expression changed. He didn't know what kind of person this hateful person in front of him was in the gang for him to ask so directly. Since he knew about this matter that required his head, he must be a trusted aide of the gang leader.
He felt around in the smelly blanket for a while and pulled out countless boxes. Fan Xian opened them one by one and looked at them closely. His face still had that lifeless expression. It was clear he was not satisfied.
The paralyzed man looked at his expression and shook his head. He rummaged around in the porcelain pillow under his neck for a while before finally pulling out half a piece of jade and handing it over.
Fan Xian accepted the jade and looked at it closely. The color of the jade was excellent. It was warm and sparkling. It was truly a good item. Furthermore, the cloud patterns carved on it were clearly a royal item. He nodded his head with satisfaction. "Not bad. This kind of good thing, the more the better."
The paralyzed man smiled proudly. Fan Xian also smiled in his heart. He knew that the paralyzed man in front of him was not as pitiful as he appeared on the surface.
Jingdou was the place where the distinguished and wealthy gathered, particularly the Royal Palace. Since ancient times, tens of thousands of people had provided for the Emperor and various nobles. The eunuchs and serving girls who served the Emperor and nobles would secretly steal these things out to feed the dark members of the people under heaven.
It was like this in the Royal Palace, and it was also like this in various large manors. Furthermore, there was too much money and jewelry that could not see the light of day that needed to be laundered and exchanged for land deeds in various provinces and counties. Naturally, only the professionals at the bottom could do this kind of thing.
The underworld was this kind of professional, so the truly powerful gangs in the world would all leave a small branch in Jingdou. These jianghu people did not dare oppose the court, but they would not be courteous in being the court's sewers and earning bits and pieces of silver to spend.
Speaking of which, it was very strange. It was because these jianghu people were unusually peaceful that Jingdou still did not have any famous names in the underworld. The Heluo Gang was a very unremarkable gang responsible for taking over the stolen goods in the Royal Palace. When Fan Xian was in Hangzhou, he had talked a lot with Xia Qifei and had some understanding of these secret powers. Only now did he know that the Heluo Gang had a fixed passageway in the Palace. He couldn't help feeling deep veneration for them, which was why he had come to Lotus Pond Square today.
This paralyzed man was responsible for the first part of the Heluo Gang's sale of stolen goods in Jingdou. These people were doing things that required their entire families to be executed, so they were very careful. Each part was not connected, and the people receiving the goods often changed. This gave Fan Xian an opportunity to take advantage of.
As for the token, it was something the Overwatch Council had prepared many years ago.
The paralyzed man looked at his satisfied smile and proudly said, "Apparently, this was something the previous Emperor had gifted to the empress dowager's paternal family. However, something happened later. For some reason, it has now returned to the Eastern Palace. This took a lot of effort."
Fan Xian's heart jumped. He smiled and said, "Why would the nobles care about these little things? They just casually leave them in the storeroom. After a few decades, they won't forget to use them."
The paralyzed man sighed and said, "Yes, if this piece of jade was sold in Jiangnan and then sold in Jiangbei, it could probably buy thousands of mu."
Fan Xian didn't want to accompany him in sighing and said, "First time meeting, I don't know the rules."
He spoke very straightforwardly. On the contrary, the paralyzed man did not have any suspicions. He took out an account book from under the blanket and pointed to the space for first-class wine written on it. "It's here."
Fan Xian smiled and said, "You paralyzed man, you sure can hide things under the blanket."
The paralyzed man mumbled a few words as if he was recalling the past. He had followed the gang leader to kill everywhere and had been beaten to a pulp by someone with a hammer. The gang leader had taken pity on him, which was why he had come to Jingdou to manage these matters.
Fan Xian didn't know much about the story of the Heluo Gang, so he didn't respond. After he signed the book with his altered handwriting, he handed over a banknote from his clothes and said, "The first installment is 30 percent, right? Don't take more from me."
The paralyzed man looked at the 1,000 liang banknote and nodded. "That's about right. Although this jade is certainly worth more than this, it is, after all, a taboo item. I can only sell it at a discount."
After doing all this, Fan Xian carefully put the jade away. Without saying anything more, he walked out of the dark room.
… …
Walking along the mud-covered streets of Lotus Pond Square, the sky was still dark and gloomy. Fan Xian's mood, which had been tormented by the matter for a long time, relaxed. He had already thought through how to handle the entire matter. Although this plan was indeed complicated and annoying, Fan Xian had no other choice. In order to ensure Hong Zhu's safety and to keep himself hidden behind the scenes, he had to approach the truth with so many twists and turns and expose it.
Now that he had a plan in mind, although he didn't know if there would be any problems, it was much better than a few days ago when he faced a pot of braised pork shoulder and couldn't find a place to eat.
He had thought through the entire process. All that was left was for Hong Zhu to handle. Of course, he also needed the Emperor to be as sensitive, suspicious, and full of imagination and intelligence as Fan Xian expected.
Just as the Eldest Princess and Fan Xian had always thought, the Qing Emperor was indeed a sensitive and suspicious person. A figure who had stood at the top of politics for a long time would always imagine the worst of all conspiracies and use his intelligence. Thus, the more Fan Xian thought about it, the more relaxed he became. He felt that the Emperor was going to be played by him this time.
To be able to scheme and not let himself fall into it, Fan Xian felt a rare glimmer of pride. Although he was now a ninth-level ace and a powerful figure, he had always maintained a calm state of mind. However, he could not suppress his pride today.
It was probably because, ever since he had entered the Overwatch Council, he had always been weak in the area of conspiracies. In the past, he had Yan Bingyun's help, so he didn't see any problems. However, after the Jiaozhou incident, Chen Pingping had cursed him harshly in his letter and was very disdainful of his ability to weave conspiracies. Thus, Fan Xian was truly proud today. The more he thought about it, the prouder he became.
Just as he was feeling proud, he saw a frustrated person under the archway at the exit of Lotus Pond Square.
Fan Xian looked at the person with a blue cloth table under the archway, shouting for business in a loud voice. He couldn't help but stop in a daze. Stopping his steps, he hid behind the crowd and took a closer look.
It was a litigation master. He was shouting at the top of his lungs behind the blue cloth table to drum up business. His face was slightly pale. It was as if something had happened to his body. Even his voice appeared weak.
Fan Xian lowered his head slightly and let the rain hat cover most of his face. Narrowing his eyes, he looked at the table. A strange feeling rose in his heart.
That litigation master's business was very bad. Not only did no one ask him to write a lawsuit for them, not even a single person asked him to write a lawsuit on their behalf. Furthermore, some of the commoners who seemed to vaguely know the inside story were walking far away from the blue cloth table, as if afraid of being tainted by bad luck.
Fan Xian furrowed his brows and then left Lotus Pond Square.
…
…
About an hour later, in a private room in a normal restaurant, Fan Xian's face was full of smiles. He pushed a plate of food in front of him and said, "Eat slowly and talk slowly. Why are you like this now?"
Sitting across from him was the litigation master from Lotus Pond Square. He was also the person who had fought Fan Xian's first lawsuit in Jingdou and had later been kidnapped by Fan Xian to Jiangnan to help him in the Ming family lawsuit — Song Shiren.
Song Shiren had a bandit nickname, "Fu Zui." He was also known as the best litigation master in the world. He had always traveled in the government offices. How could he have fallen to the point of setting up a stall on the street? At the time, Fan Xian had been shocked when he saw him on the street. It was only later that he had his subordinates invite him over. However, he didn't dare go to Baoyue Brothel.
He narrowed his eyes and looked at the dejected litigation master. Although he guessed something, he still couldn't resist opening his mouth to ask about his recent situation.
Song Shiren didn't eat. He only sipped a mouthful of white wine and gazed deeply at Fan Xian. Shortly after, he sighed and laughed bitterly three times. He didn't say anything.
"Speak. Does it have something to do with me?" Fan Xian asked.
Song Shiren sighed again. After a moment of silence, he said, "Since you guessed it, then I won't be afraid to embarrass myself. After returning from Jiangnan, the people in Tongren and the other streets knew of my glory in Jiangnan and looked at me more highly. They also knew that I was working for you, so they all nodded and bowed to me. However, later, the rumors changed. For some reason, not only did no one ask me to fight a lawsuit, even my good friends all left me."
"You don't know why?" Fan Xian sighed. "You and I both know why."
Song Shiren forced a smile and said, "Even if I knew, would I dare to go around crying injustice?"
Fan Xian fell silent and listened to Song Shiren's sorrowful and cold narration. Only then did he know that the once best litigation master in the world had lived such a wretched life in the next few months.
Not only was it a problem of not being able to earn money, but it seemed that in an instant, the entire Qing Kingdom's bureaucracy had begun to target Song Shiren. The Jingdou government, Ministry of Justice, and even the Ministry of Rites and Taichang Temple all came to make trouble for him. They used all kinds of excuses. In any case, they stripped away all of his family property like it had been hit by wind and rain. No matter how eloquent Song Shiren was, how could he stand against the court's unreasonable methods? Furthermore, the powerful figures he was familiar with in the past were now silent. It was as if they were afraid of the person behind Song Shiren.
Presently, Song Shiren could only take his family and rent a place like Lotus Pond Square. His life could be said to be wretched.
Fan Xian and he met each other's eyes and shook their heads at the same time. The two of them both knew the source of all of this.
Song Shiren had helped Fan Xian fight the Ming family case in Jiangnan. Putting aside how much he had helped Fan Xian, the important thing was that through Song Shiren's mouth, Fan Xian's idea that the eldest son's right to inherit naturally could not be violated, this sacred rule that was not in Qing law but had entered people's hearts, had been broken into pieces.
This was a great taboo in the Palace. The empress dowager had quietly said something, and there were countless people who thought of ways to make Song Shiren shut up.
This was a very deep lesson.
…
…
"At least he's fine." Song Shiren touched his neck with some lingering fear. "To be able to survive is already heaven's pity."
Fan Xian knew that Song Shiren had not been killed completely because the nobles in the Palace had given him some face. He couldn't help saying self-mockingly, "Even if no one dared to help you, why didn't you come find me? When all is said and done, this matter was caused by me. Since you came to find me for help, I had to put in some effort. "
Song Shiren smiled bitterly and said, "I fought a case for you and almost had my family destroyed. How could I go and make trouble for you?"
Fan Xian knew that this person did not mean what he said. He was probably afraid that if he came to his door, it would instead add more trouble. He looked at Song Shiren and smiled. "Don't worry about anything."
He took out a banknote from his clothes and handed it over. Song Shiren raised his head and looked at the frightening amount written at the top. He couldn't help but jump in fright. Although he was also a person who had seen the world, he really didn't dare to accept such a large sum of money.
Fan Xian said, "I will immediately arrange for your entire family to leave the capital. You don't have to worry about safety. Take this money and use it first. Consider it my compensation to you."
Song Shiren was silent for a long time and didn't reply.
Fan Xian glanced at him and said, "Relax, if I wanted to kill you to escape disaster, I would have done so long ago in Jiangnan. You know I have never been afraid of killing a few people … you have to understand my personality. As long as someone has helped me, I will certainly protect them and give them sufficient compensation."
"The resentment in the Palace will fade in a few days," Fan Xian said meaningfully. "At that time, as long as I protect you, who would dare to touch you?"
…
…
The 10th day of the first month was also known among the Qing people as the last ten. It could be considered a relatively important day in the New Year. Although it was not like the tens of thousands of people going out on the seventh day, the streets were still lively. Having planned everything, Fan Xian appeared particularly relaxed. He sat in the carriage with Wan 'er and strolled around Jingdou for half a day before, under the endless urging of his wife and Teng Zijing, he changed his route and drove directly to Prince Heqing's manor, which was not far from the Royal Palace.
The doors of Prince Heqing's manor were wide open, but there were not many guests. The Great Prince was standing on the stone steps waiting for Fan manor's carriage.
The carriage stopped in front of the manor. The Great Prince looked at Fan Xian and smiled coldly. "You've come so late. Don't slip away first later."
…
…
The title of the book was Godly Movement Mecha. The book number was 1001948. Highly recommended because this guy's public version is free and updates 5k a day. Such sincerity and excellence truly makes me admire him …
Also, my illness has not healed and is very uncomfortable. My condition is very poor, please forgive me. Recently, I haven't added much because it is not convenient. Please understand.
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