Ten li out of the capital, the group of carriages stopped for a moment. Yan Bingyun disembarked from the carriage and did not send them off. Watching Sir Yan junior's disappearing figure, Fan Xian smiled warmly. He thought that since the Council already had a handle on He Zongwei, Jingdou should be fine.
Fan Xian would not look down on He Zongwei. He trusted the Emperor's eyesight very much. He knew that He Zongwei certainly had his abilities. However, in front of the Overwatch Council, He the Scholar's abilities often appeared to be insufficient. Thus, his attitude in dealing with this problem appeared to be relatively relaxed. As for whether or not this relaxation was a sufficiently correct attitude, that would depend on how things developed in the future.
Mu Feng 'er rode to the side of the carriage window and thought of the intelligence report he had just received. He felt surprised in his heart. As the temporary leader of the Qinian Unit, he knew all of Sir Fan junior's shady and private matters. However, the matter mentioned in this intelligence report was something that even he had never come into contact with.
What exactly was it that made Sir Fan junior so cautious? Mu Feng 'er swallowed and moistened his dry throat. Lowering his voice, he said, "A reply from Yu Chang."
Mu Feng 'er had no idea what Yu Chang referred to. During these two years, Sir Fan junior and Yu Chang had exchanged three letters. Not only did these three letters go through the Council's highest level mail route, but the people who delivered the letters along the way were all core members of the Qinian Unit. However, even these core members did not know who the letter had ended up in.
Where was Yu Chang? What did Yu Chang refer to? Mu Feng 'er had endless questions in his heart. Since the Commissioner did not say, he could not guess. He did not dare to guess.
Fan Xian was just about to put down the curtain on the carriage window. After hearing this news, he smiled and quietly said, "Where's the letter?"
Mu Feng 'er made a whistle. All of the Overwatch Council secret agents and swordsmen beside the carriage spread out. They each controlled the surroundings of the road and the direction of the woodlands. They surrounded the black carriage in which Fan Xian was in.
Fan Xian took the letter and glanced at it. He remembered the words clearly. The words on the letter were all very common, and the meaning put together was also very common. But only the writer and the receiver knew the true meaning.
He suddenly felt an itch at the top of his ear. He couldn't help but scratch it. Closing his palm, he crushed the entire letter into a snowflake. This was a method he had long gotten used to. He had once seen it. The Emperor seemed to have this habit as well.
Perhaps those who had learned the Tyrannical True Qi all had too much True Qi and used it as a human shredder.
These rather absurd and cute thoughts suddenly appeared in Fan Xian's mind. A faint and quiet smile rose to his face. It was clear that he was in a good mood.
Mu Feng 'er didn't know why he was in a good mood and asked hesitantly, "Sir, should we continue along the same path?"
"No." Fan Xian restrained his expression and said seriously, "Go to Dongyi on your own. I will meet you outside the city."
Mu Feng 'er was slightly startled and didn't dare to accept the order. "The Director had strict orders to not allow you to move alone again."
"I am now the Director." Fan Xian looked at him with a smile.
Mu Feng 'er was slightly embarrassed. Only now did he remember that before they left the capital, the Emperor had already issued a decree to the world. Sir Fan junior had officially taken over Director Chen's position and became the second Director of the Overwatch Council of the Qing Kingdom. He was no longer the commissioner of the past.
The black carriages gradually left. Fan Xian stood in the woods and looked at his loyal subordinates. He thought to himself that he was responsible for too many people's lives. Perhaps this was a very headache-inducing matter.
— — —
South of Jingdou was Weizhou. The city by the Wei River was radiated by the splendor of Jingdou. It was also a place that high officials, nobles, and wealthy merchants had to pass through on their way to Jiangnan. Although the city was not large, it still appeared particularly prosperous.
Wherever it was prosperous, there were bound to be brothels and gambling dens. Thus, Weizhou, without exception, had opened a Baoyue Brothel. Far away from Baoyue Brothel was Weizhou's largest and most extravagant gambling den, the Thousand Gold Pavilion.
Speaking of the Thousand Gold Pavilion, it was easy for people to think of it as a brothel. Fan Xian, who was disguised as a merchant, raised his head and looked at the three large words on the Thousand Gold Pavilion's signboard. He couldn't help but laugh.
The gambling den had long since become a boiling cauldron of voices. Even though there was a large ventilation fan produced by the palace treasury that was constantly being used by the coolies, the smell of people mingled with the smell of perfume and alcohol. It was still a little unpleasant, and Fan Xian couldn't help but cover his nose.
Looking around, he confirmed that the person he was looking for was definitely not waiting for him on the first floor, so he walked up to the second floor. Unexpectedly, at the entrance of the second floor, he was stopped by two people who seemed to be in charge of the building.
Fan Xian was slightly surprised, but he immediately understood what had happened. He couldn't help but laugh at himself. With Fan Xian's status, of course, no one in this world would dare to stop him. He was used to this, so he walked directly up the stairs without any disguise. He didn't expect that today, he was just an ordinary merchant.
The second floor of the Thousand Gold Pavilion was the place where one could truly spend a lot of money. The people who came here to play were all wealthy and respectable. Even if there were occasional disputes, they all had a sense of propriety, so they had a good reputation. However, such a place always required a threshold, and Fan Xian's current appearance clearly did not allow him to cross that threshold.
"Sir, if you are in the mood, why don't you stay downstairs and have some fun?" Although the steward did not give Fan Xian any face by stopping him at the entrance, his tone was still rather gentle. It could be seen that the management of the Thousand Gold Pavilion was good.
Fan Xian smiled and said, "I'm here to look for a friend."
The steward was slightly surprised. After a moment's deliberation, he softly asked, "May I know the surname of the friend you are looking for? If there is an urgent matter, we can report it on your behalf. "
"My friend's surname is Guan."
Hearing the word "Guan," the steward's expression immediately changed. He immediately bowed slightly, but was extremely careful not to attract the attention of the gamblers on the first floor. He extended a hand and very respectfully led Fan Xian to the second floor, placing him in a very unique room. He then lowered his voice and said, "Sir, please wait a moment."
Fan Xian sat in the room. It didn't take long before he heard the sound of hurried footsteps coming from outside. A charming young woman walked in with a slightly nervous expression.
The steward also walked in with the young woman. He reported, "It is this sir who is looking for a friend with the surname Guan."
"Go out. You know what to do." The young woman bowed slightly to Fan Xian with extreme respect, then spoke to the steward.
The steward made a sound of acknowledgment and pushed open the door. However, he still could not suppress the shock in his heart. There was actually someone in this world who could make Big Sister Guan so afraid. He wondered who this merchant-looking person was.
There was only Fan Xian and the young woman left in the room. The young woman immediately began to bow again and knelt in front of Fan Xian. Very respectfully, she said, "Subordinate Guan Wumei greets the commissioner."
Because she was missing an arm, Guan Wumei's kneeling was not steady. Because of the fear that had never faded in her heart, her voice trembled slightly.
Fan Xian looked at her and sighed in his heart. One of this woman's arms had been cut off by his hand. No wonder she was so afraid of him. Nearly five years had passed since Fan Xian's first trip to Jiangnan. Xia Qifei had once again taken back the Ming family, and this cousin of Xia Qifei, a famous female bandit in Jiangnan, had successfully inherited the Jiangnan water bandits.
With the powerful support of the new Ming family, in addition to the secret assistance of the Overwatch Council, Guan Wumei had established a high position on the jianghu without much effort. It was still the same old saying. The jianghu was only a part of the country. With Fan Xian behind Guan Wumei, even if he wanted her to be a gangster, what was so difficult about it?
"Stand up and talk." Fan Xian looked at her and did his best to say as gently as possible. "Right, there is one more thing. I have officially taken over the Overwatch Council. In the future, don't call me Commissioner."
Guan Wumei was a peripheral member of the Overwatch Council. The edict in Jingdou had not yet been announced, so when she suddenly heard this news, she couldn't help but be shocked. In an instant, the shock in her eyes turned to joy.
She had never held a grudge against Sir Fan junior in her heart, even if he had chopped off one of her arms. Sir Fan junior had avenged her cousin and taken back the Ming family. More importantly, she knew what kind of person she was. Holding a grudge against Sir Fan junior? She had never even thought about it, so this joy came from the bottom of her heart. After all, to survive in Jiangnan, she had to rely on Fan Xian's position in court. In the past two years, she had heard that the Overwatch Council had been suppressed in Jingdou. The people of Jiangnan were also restless. Learning that Fan Xian had become the Director of the Overwatch Council, Guan Wumei let out a big sigh of relief.
"Have the Lingnan Xiong family and Quanzhou Sun family finally relented?" Fan Xian straightforwardly asked about the purpose of his trip. During these three years, he had been secretly working on a secret project, hidden from everyone under heaven. However, this project wasted too much money. Although he controlled the palace treasury in his hands, it was, after all, the palace treasury belonged to the court. Most of the money from smuggling had been used to fund the disaster relief for the embankments that the court urgently needed. For a time, it was not convenient.
Even Xia Qifei's Xia Mingji, which was now the new Ming family, secretly gave Fan Xian the greatest amount of support. Even his brother Fan Sizhe, who was in the North, had sent large amounts of banknotes to the South under the Northern Qi royal family's close surveillance. However, Fan Xian still felt that he lacked money.
Would Sir Fan junior lack money to spend? If this got out, it would probably become a big joke. But, this was true. It also meant that the project Fan Xian had been working on in secret these three years was a black hole that wasted countless amounts of silver.
Guan Wumei had already stood and carefully glanced at Fan Xian. She and Xia Qifei both knew that Sir Fan junior had spent a lot of money these few years, but they still didn't know where all this money had been spent. Furthermore, it had been fine the first two years. Relying on Fan Xian's subordinates, they had barely been able to support it. However, a few days ago, they had suddenly received news that a large sum of silver was needed this year. It made it difficult for them to raise it.
This sum of silver was too large. Even if Xia Qifei and Fan Sizhe were given enough time, they probably wouldn't be able to raise it.
"The news came too late. We only had time to notify the Sun and Xiong families. Since we couldn't explain to them what exactly this sum of silver was used for, their masters were unwilling to relent," Guan Wumei replied slightly nervously. Guan Wumei replied nervously, "The two leaders are currently in the Shazhou, not far from the Weizhou. Does Milord want to see them?"
"There's no need." Fan Xian shook his head. "This matter has to be done in secret. However, I'm afraid we won't be able to hide it for long if we have to ask the Sun and Xiong families to transfer silver. It's my fault for being too hasty. I still have to think about it."
Guan Wumei let out a large breath. Truthfully speaking, even with Sir Fan junior's help, it was still a difficult matter to secretly transfer so much silver away from the court's supervision. What scared Guan Wumei the most was that Sir Fan junior was spending so much silver and still hiding it from the court. Was he secretly organizing a private army in preparation for a rebellion? Otherwise, given Sir Fan junior's present status, he would not do such a thing.
"Have Xia Qifei and the Sun and Xiong families tell them not to bring me out," Fan Xian furrowed his brows slightly and said. "Just say that there's a problem with the smuggling route to the North. The Northern Qi court suddenly acted and seized all of the goods. The Ming family needs to return silver to the palace treasury and also needs to have a flow of money out of their accounts. They don't have enough time, so they need a large sum of silver from these two families to support them."
This was a good excuse. The only powers that could suddenly make the Jiangnan Ming family lose a large sum of silver were the courts in the North and South. Guan Wumei furrowed her brows and asked, "However, the court has a lot of spies in the North. Even if the Overwatch Council's route can be hidden, there will always be other intelligence channels that will come back. There is no movement in Northern Qi at all …" She sighed with some distress. "Unless we have the Northern Qi court cooperate with us in putting on a show."
After saying this, she couldn't help but laugh self-mockingly. The Qing Kingdom and Northern Qi had been enemies for a long time. Sir Fan junior's close relationship with the North had been completely shattered because of the Battle of Xiliang last year. Additionally, everyone knew about the ownership of Dongyi. The Northern Qi people hated Fan Xian to the bone. How could they cooperate with him in putting on a show?
"Good acting," Fan Xian said with a slight smile. "I'll have the Northern Qi Emperor cooperate with me in putting on a good show. We'll hide it from the court and then give the Sun and Xiong families a convincing reason. What do you think?"
Guan Wumei was shocked. She felt that she could not see through Sir Fan junior's depths. It was as if he was teasing her and said he wanted the Northern Qi Emperor to cooperate with him in putting on a show.
"I'm going to stay a night in Weizhou. The Sun and Xiong families came first. Entertain them." Fan Xian raised his teacup.
Guan Wumei took her leave. However, the room did not remain quiet for long. A man dressed in black appeared in the corner of the room like a ghost. He carried an extremely long saber on his back. The saber was sheathed, and its murderous aura was restrained. However, the feeling it gave people was that it was abnormally dangerous.
Fan Xian gently put down his teacup and raised his head to look at him. "Why do you suddenly need so much silver?"
The black-clothed knife-wielding man was still standing in the shadows in the corner. In a slightly raspy voice, he smiled and said, "When construction reaches the later stages, money is always spent very quickly … these are the original words of the Minister."
…
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