Fan Xian washed his hands seriously. He changed three basins of clear water before he was able to wash the blood off his hands. The servants pulled out the blood into the mud beside the stone lions in front of the Fan manor's front door. No one knew if it would raise some vicious resentful spirit. The clothes on his body were still covered in blood. He took them off without a care and changed into a fresh outer garment. The sleeves of his clothes fluttered slightly in the early autumn night wind.
All of this dramatic scene was completed in front of the Fan manor's front door. The Jingdou magistrate, Sun Jingxiu, who had heard the news and rushed over, the head of the Ministry of Justice, and the internal court eunuchs who had rushed over from the Palace all saw everything clearly.
Fan Xian's hands, which were exposed outside his sleeves, were still trembling slightly. After all, he had used up too much energy for six or seven days. It was not something that could be recovered with a single sleep. Additionally, under the cover of the night earlier, he had held the sword in his hand and reaped the lives of the people responsible for watching outside the manor like a demon. It was another great loss. It made his face slightly pale.
His handsome and slightly pale face, paired with the sword on the ground and the stench of blood all around him, made Fan Xian appear particularly terrifying.
He was the current Director of the Overwatch Council. He was a killing god in the dark that the Overwatch Council had used 20 years to cultivate. However, people were always blinded by his identity, his title, his power, and his glory. No one would have thought that Fan Xian's most powerful aspect was his ability to kill.
Of course, he had not killed all of the spies the Palace had sent to watch the Fan manor. Those who were able to escape before Fan Xian attacked or reveal their identities were only knocked to the ground by him. As for the spies who were particularly close to the Fan manor, within the confines of an alley, and disguised as various commoners and merchants, they did not have any chance to negotiate or show weakness. They became a wisp of spirit on the edge of the sword in his hand.
Waking from that nightmare, Fan Xian's eyes left the cold stimulation of the snowy mountain. The first thing he did was launch a counterattack. However, this counterattack was unavoidably overly bloody and unreasonable.
Fan Xian was not a bloodthirsty person. He knew that the spies outside the Fan manor were all people the Emperor and important officials in court had sent. These people did not understand Fan Xian's current state of mind, so he had to be on guard. However, he had to kill. After opening his eyes, his first accurate judgment was that the Emperor would certainly reduce his power and strictly control his connections with the Overwatch Council subordinates loyal to him.
Although Yan Bingyun, with the help of the Royal Palace and the suppression of military power, controlled that square and sinister building in name, everyone knew that after Chen Pingping's tragic death in front of the Royal Palace, this sinister courtyard only had one master left, Fan Xian. As long as Fan Xian was able to reestablish countless ties with the Overwatch Council, then even the Emperor would not be able to stop Fan Xian from successfully gathering the power of the Overwatch Council.
At least in the short term, the Emperor would not allow Fan Xian to have the Overwatch Council's help again. Ye Zhong had led troops to "invite" Fan Xian back to the capital and had planted so many spies outside the manor. It was clear that the Emperor wanted to temporarily put Fan Xian under house arrest in the manor.
Fan Xian could not give the Emperor time to gradually make arrangements. Once Fan Xian lost contact with the Overwatch Council for too long, the court would gradually break down the internal composition of the Overwatch Council and invite out the officials loyal to Chen Pingping and Fan Xian one by one. Then, they would desperately mix in sand, just like how the Imperial Censorate had mixed sand into the Overwatch Council two years ago.
Before the Overwatch Council left his control, Fan Xian had to take the initiative, layer by layer, and prepare to have the power that belonged to him return to the darkness and calm, waiting for the time he needed them again. All of this was based on Fan Xian having to contact them, the most loyal Qinian Unit.
The spies outside the Fan manor had to die. Fan Xian would not take the risk of carrying out such a dangerous task while someone was following him. Under the suppression of the Emperor's authority, the only way to make the surveillance outside the Fan manor show a gap was the terror of blood and death. Other than this, there was no other way.
Earlier, when a crow from the First Bureau had risked his life to deliver the news into the Fan manor, it made Fan Xian's heart freeze and his hand that held the sword.
Four Overwatch Council officials had already been hanged in the prison. They were not the heads of the eight bureaus. It looked like Yan Bingyun was still desperately trying to preserve the Overwatch Council's power. However, he was still unable to protect those two officials.
Those four officials were the ones who had tried to forcefully take action and save the old Director when Chen Pingping had been sent to the Overwatch Council's prison. The Emperor would certainly not allow officials who dared to go against his will to exist, so they died cleanly.
…
…
For Fan Xian, this was a dangerous signal. It was a dangerous signal that the Emperor was beginning to purge the Overwatch Council. Thus, he also took action. He did not use any insignificant power or any subordinates he could use. He only personally stepped over the high threshold of the Fan manor. Pulling out the cold longsword behind him, he walked through the night and killed 14 people.
Lanterns hung high in front of the Fan manor door. Torches gathered in the long streets in the south of the city, illuminating it as if it were daytime. A few officials looked at the bloody bodies being carried out from the streets. They looked at each other and felt a chill in their hearts. Their faces were deathly pale. They didn't know what to say. They had always known that Sir Fan junior was a powerful figure who did not act according to common sense. However, they still did not understand why Sir Fan junior would risk the Emperor's anger and the danger of being captured and imprisoned to kill so many people in front of so many people.
The officials all knew that the corpses piled up in the carriages were all capable spies sent by the Palace and their own yamens. Their target was the little Duke of Fan manor. No wonder he was so angry. Was the follow-up to his anger such a brutal killing?
From the internal court to the Overwatch Council to the Ministry of Justice, all of the departments and yamens in the Qing court were probably used to sending out spies to find out the information they needed. The first two terrifying existences were even more so. No one knew how many spies they had planted in the manors of the various nobles and officials in Jingdou. The Overwatch Council was an old hand at doing this. It was rumored that the First Bureau had already reached the level of planting spies in the manors of every official in the capital above the sixth-level.
The matter of spies was not a secret in the officialdom of Jingdou. The officials were all used to this. Even if one day, due to some strange matter, they discovered that there were spies from the Palace or the Overwatch Council in their manors, they could only foolishly pretend they didn't know. If they couldn't pretend anymore, they could only treat them well. Then, they would verbally remind them and politely escort them out of the manors and back to their yamens.
The officials knew that these spies represented the Emperor's eyes and the might of the court. They had never thought that an official would be like Sir Fan junior and coldly and arrogantly kill all of these spies.
The deputy assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice glanced at the embarrassed Sun Jingxiu and said in a low voice, "Sir Sun, you have to ask the little Duke what happened today."
Killing people on the street was already a violation of the death penalty in the Qing law. Even though Fan Xian was of high status and had entered the range of the Eight Deliberations and could be exempted from the death penalty, it was still difficult to forgive him. Furthermore, the people he had killed were all secretly officials of the court. However, Fan Xian washed his blood-stained hands in the firelight and changed into blood-stained clothes in front of all the officials. His expression was cold and calm. Who dared to go forward and capture him?
Among the officials, only the Jingdou magistrate, Sun Jingxiu, was in charge of this matter. Everyone knew that the Sun manor had a close relationship with the little Duke. A few months ago, the little Duke had fought with Scholar He of the Hall of Governmental Affairs for the sake of Sun Jingxiu's future. He had fought until Scholar He's face was covered in dirt. Thus, the gazes of all the officials landed on Sun Jingxiu's face.
Sun Jingxiu's heart was bitter. He knew what his colleagues were afraid of. However, these days were even more difficult for him. First, something major had happened to the Overwatch Council. In the end, Director Chen had been tragically killed by a thousand cuts. That day, he had personally seen Sir Fan junior ride alone into the execution field. He had been so scared that his entire body had gone cold. He didn't know what kind of role Sir Fan junior would play in the court in the future. Would he sink into oblivion or would he be severely punished by the Emperor?
If Fan Xian fell and lost power, Sun Jingxiu would not have a good end. Thus, he had been waiting in the Jingdou government in terror for the Emperor's edict to remove his position. Unexpectedly, before the Emperor's edict had arrived, his backer, Sir Fan junior, had done such a shocking and treasonous thing.
He walked with his body bent to the front door of the Fan manor and bowed deeply to Fan Xian. He then quietly asked a few questions.
Fan Xian was sitting tiredly on the long bench. The sword of the Wei Emperor had been thrown at his feet. Seeing Sun Jingxiu come forward, he was not surprised. With a cold expression, he replied.
The officials were afraid and did not go forward. They didn't know what exactly the two of them were talking about, so they could only wait patiently. After Sun Jingxiu walked down the stone steps, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice furrowed his brows and said, "What did the Duke say? This is not a small matter. Killing someone on the street, even if it is made to Taichang Temple, there has to be an explanation. "
The assistant minister did not have the boldness to have the 13 yamens of the Ministry of Justice send people into the Fan manor to capture people. However, the Qing laws were strict. Seeing this scene, these officials could not pretend they didn't see anything.
No one knew what Fan Xian had said to Sun Jingxiu earlier, but the Jingdou magistrate no longer had much fear on his face. With a calm expression, he said, "The Duke said that Jingdou has not been peaceful recently. The Overwatch Council has found that some old women have come into the capital to kidnap children. As you know, there are two young masters in the Fan manor, so Sir Fan junior is nervous. Earlier, after eating, he walked around the various streets and alleys outside the manor and saw some eye-catching people. At a glance, he knew they were not decent people, so he asked a few questions. Unexpectedly, those people were so daring to take out a weapon and attack the Duke. Of course, the Duke would not be polite to these scoundrels."
After these words came out, the officials in the center sucked in a cold breath. They had seen shameless and ruthless nobles, but they had never seen such a shameless and ruthless noble. Fourteen lives had been taken just like that. He had also forcefully framed the other party as a suspect of the old woman. This was self-defense and seemed to make sense. However, to say that the little duke of the Fan manor had single-handedly gone to ask for the whereabouts of the old woman and ended up being hunted down by 14 people, no one would believe it no matter how they tried to explain it.
"Naturally, I do not believe it, but I also do not have any evidence. Of course, I can ask the Duke to return to the yamen for questioning and to record an offering or something. However, it is already late at night. I am not interested." Sun Jingxiu's back suddenly straightened. Gazing at his colleagues beside him, he coldly said, "Sir, the yamen also has this kind of authority. If you are willing to take over this case, you can do as you please. However, I would like to remind everyone that the people who died were mostly people from the Palace. The Palace has not spoken, so it is best not to act rashly."
This was a huge sentence of nonsense. Everyone knew who had died outside the Fan manor. This was originally a matter between the Emperor and the Duke. Even if these officials were given a few guts, they would not dare to interfere. However, Fan Xian had gone too far. The matter was about to reach the Palace. If these officials did not react first, who knew what the Palace would think of them?
After Sun Jingxiu said this, he left with the bailiffs of the Jingdou government. He could no longer be bothered with these matters. The simple conversation with Fan Xian earlier had put him at ease. Although the taste of the meatball was not very good, at least the Duke had said that as long as he did not die, the Sun manor would be fine. Having said this much, Sun Jingxiu had nothing else to complain about. Everything was up to fate.
Watching the people of the Jingdou government leave through the front door of the Fan manor, Fan Xian rose from the long bench and glanced coldly at the officials below the stone steps. Picking up the sword of the Wei Emperor, which everyone viewed as a treasure, from beside his feet, like picking up a mop with water on it, he casually slapped it a few times on the stone lion's head.
This action was very much like a shameless and reckless brat, yet, it was done by Sir Fan junior. The strong contrast made the expressions of the officials change.
…
…
Entering the manor, a serving girl had long since come forward to hand him a thick robe. Only then did Fan Xian feel his body warm a little. As he tightened his robe, he walked toward the back of the manor and casually asked, "Is the water for the reed roots ready? If it's ready, then quickly send it over. "
The serving girl made a sound of acknowledgment and went to the kitchen to keep an eye on it. Fan Xian walked alone to the back of the manor and sat by the bed. Facing his wife, Lin Wan 'er, who was sitting at the table, he quietly said, "I killed 14. Tomorrow, perhaps 28 will come."
"Actually, those are just subordinates of the court. They receive orders from the Palace and various departments. Why bother …" A glimmer of pity appeared on Lin Wan 'er's face. "Besides, even if you are unhappy and want to avenge the two Overwatch Council subordinates who died in prison, there is no need to vent your anger on those people."
"You don't understand. The Emperor wants to keep me under house arrest in this manor. He knows that unless he personally leaves the Palace to keep an eye on me, even if Ye Zhong comes, it would be impossible to cut off my contact with the outside world." Fan Xian wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead. He felt that his body was still weak. In a raspy voice, he said, "The Emperor has to attend to many affairs every day. How could he personally keep an eye on me? Thus, he can only cast a large net outside our manor."
"I have to rip apart this net. Otherwise, I will become a frog in a pot of warm water. When I die, I won't even know how I died." A chilling coldness rose between Fan Xian's brows.
"But, you also said that you killed 14 people today. Tomorrow, there could be 28. The Emperor is the Master of Qing Kingdom. All the officials and people under heaven are tools in his hands. No matter what, it is impossible to kill them all." Lin Wan 'er looked at him with a worried expression.
"Killing too many will naturally cause people to be afraid," Fan Xian said with his head slightly lowered. "Although imperial power is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and cannot be resisted, the fear of death will presumably cause the spies and officials pulling the net to unconsciously reveal some openings."
Hearing these words, the worry on Lin Wan 'er's face did not fade. Her watery eyes were filled with concern and unease toward Fan Xian. In a quiet voice, she said, "If the Emperor wants to subdue you, there are many other ways."
Fan Xian's hands rested on either side of his body. He lowered his head and thought for a moment. He then faintly said, "By keeping my sister in the Palace, he is forcing me to not leave the capital. If he wants to subdue me, he must lock me up in the Royal Palace by his side. I don't think the Emperor will take this risk."
Speaking of this, he raised his head and looked at his wife's worried face. Warmly, he said, "Shuning and Liangzi have already left the city. You've done very well in this matter. Otherwise, as parents, we would not be able to do as we please in the capital."
"Sisi and the others should have already reached the manor, but I think there will certainly be news from the Palace." Lin Wan 'er sighed and walked to his side. Gently, she leaned her head on his shoulder. "I don't care what you want to do. You have to think, my sister is still in the Palace, and the two little ones haven't gone far."
"That's why I need to get in touch with my people." Fan Xian tenderly and gently stroked his wife's slightly thin face. "Sisi is usually unremarkable, but she is actually a very assertive person who can endure hardship. Teng Zijing is experienced in handling matters. Presumably, he won't let the Palace catch the tail. If I can get in touch with the people in the Qinian Unit, I will have a way to send them back to Danzhou."
"As for my sister still in the Palace … she should be fine." Fan Xian's voice suddenly became cold. "I am directly challenging the Emperor's authority because I want to see just how far he wants to go."
"Are you really not afraid that Uncle the Emperor will punish you severely?" Lin Wan 'er sat up straight and looked at him worriedly. She knew very well how cold-blooded and heartless the relative sitting on the throne was. Once he discovered that Fan Xian was no longer the illegitimate child he could control, what kind of response would he make? Lin Wan 'er always thought that Fan Xian's present actions appeared overly aggressive and risky.
"Any of the Emperor's actions have nothing to do with family or feelings. They only have to do with profit," Fan Xian said with his eyes closed. Fan Xian closed his eyes and said, "If we acknowledge this benchmark, we can try to analyze it. Perhaps the Emperor will be angry, but he will not force me into a desperate situation."
"Regardless of whether it is the children I plan to send to Danzhou, Ruoruo in the Palace, or you." Fan Xian opened his eyes and looked at his wife. Slowly, he said, "These are all my bottom lines. If the Emperor breaks this bottom line, then he can only force us to completely turn against him early."
Lin Wan 'er looked at him with some confusion.
Fan Xian said, "I never underestimate any of my enemies, but I also never underestimate myself. Regardless of whether the Emperor forces me to rebel or kills me, it will only bring him, the Qing court, consequences that he will find difficult to bear and a chaotic situation that will be difficult to clean up."
"If I die, what will happen to Dongyi? Will Sigu Jian's disciples and grand disciples still abide by that unwritten agreement? Although the court has mixed in the 10,000 elite soldiers in the Great Prince's hands, the movements of the Imperial Army three years ago have already shown our brother's ability to control troops. He can completely control this powerful army in a short amount of time. If Chen Pingping dies, and I die as well, brother will certainly not listen to me. Even if he doesn't lead the army back to Jingdou, he will at least stay in Dongyi and watch coldly over father in Jingdou. It would be best if the Emperor doesn't use Aunt Ning to threaten him. From your description, after the incident in the royal study, Aunt Ning already has the will to die. Given her valiant and hot-blooded personality, if the Emperor uses her life to threaten brother to return to the capital, she will probably immediately die in front of the Emperor. "
"Yun Zhilan is also not an idiot. If I die, he will certainly be able to guess my brother's thoughts. With such a powerful ally for no reason, he will certainly do his best to assist and maintain Dongyi's independent position."
"If I die, what kind of reaction will Hongcheng, who is still in Dingzhou, have?"
"If I die, what kind of upheaval will happen to Jiangnan that I have managed for five years? Even if Xia Qifei betrays me, I still have enough ways to throw all of Jiangnan into chaos. "
"Not to mention the Overwatch Council. Presently, the Overwatch Council is maintaining its silence. One reason is the army outside the Council. The more important reason is that all of the officials are watching me in secret. They want to know what I want to do. If I also die, the Overwatch Council will fall apart."
"Look, if the Emperor truly forces me to rebel or directly kills me on the spot, it will bring so much upheaval." A strange smile rose to the corners of Fan Xian's lips. Faintly, he said, "How could he bear to? How could he dare? "
In reality, Fan Xian still had a lot of bargaining chips hidden behind his back that he had not spoken of. There was no need. Secondly, he himself did not have much confidence in the bargaining chips in the North. However, up to this point, the last four words he coldly spoke were just that resolute and full of confidence.
Inheriting his mother's legacy, the care of countless elders, the Emperor's favor and trust over these years, and the support of those strange old creatures, whether openly or secretly, Fan Xian finally lived up to everyone's expectations and became the only major figure in this world who could face the powerful Emperor of the Qing Kingdom and not have to retreat.
Perhaps no one noticed this usually. Once people focused their gazes here, they would be shocked to discover that the storms in the Qing Kingdom and the world these years had created such an abnormal existence as Fan Xian.
…
…
"I think you still underestimate the Emperor," Lin Wan 'er said quietly after a long silence. Lin Wan 'er was silent for a long time. She then quietly said, "Perhaps for the sake of the Qing Kingdom, for the sake of the world, he will tolerate your great disrespect, but this is not just because he is afraid of the things you can influence. It includes many other things, perhaps some subtle things. Once he discovers that you truly do not have any affection for him, he will directly erase you. "
"The best way to destroy a person is to destroy his physical body." Lin Wan 'er looked at Fan Xian in a daze. "Do you think that if the Emperor could bear to kill you, he would care about Dongyi returning and rebelling? Would he care about Li Hongcheng's little power in Dingzhou? Would he care about how much hunger and pain the people of Jiangnan will suffer? "
"If he could bear to kill you, how could he care about anything else in the world? Even if the entire world has turned its back on the Emperor, he still has the courage and power to fight his way out. Furthermore, you can, at most, add a few hard-to-repair scars to his world. "
Lin Wan 'er gently stroked his haggard and pale face and sighed. "Don't think for me, don't think for the child. No matter what you do, think more about yourself."
Fan Xian was silent. He had to admit that although he had the deepest understanding of the Emperor in this world, his wife, who had grown up at the Emperor's knee, had a better grasp of emotions, thoughts, and habits.
"Let's not talk about this. When the reed root soup arrives, you have to drink it while it's hot." Fan Xian forced a smile. These years, Wan'er's illness had been very stable. Other than Sir Fei and Fan Xian's medicine, the biggest contributor was the soup made from the reed roots of the North Sea.
As the words left his mouth, Fan Xian suddenly thought of the North Sea. He thought of the reed leaves that pricked a person's skin. He thought of the woman he hadn't seen in a long time and hadn't thought of in a long time. He wondered if she was doing well in Xi Hu. The reason he suddenly thought of Haitang Duoduo was because after the conversation earlier, Fan Xian had more clearly determined what he should do.
Wan'er was right. The best way to destroy a person was to destroy his physical body. Fan Xian closed his eyes in silence, thinking about how to melt the snowy mountain that had not melted in 10,000 years. How could he defeat a Great Grandmaster? Hai Tang? Or Thirteenth Wang? Or … himself? Or was it that no one in this world could do it?
Fan Xian began to miss Uncle Wu Zhu, but it was not because he missed the metal drill by his side. Rather, it was because when his state of mind darkened, he unconsciously missed his closest family.
…
…
The next day, the front doors of the Fan manor opened wide. The spies sent by the internal court once again filled the dark corners of this street in the south of the city. It looked like the Emperor in the Palace knew what his illegitimate son was thinking and testing. He only sat calmly in the royal study and met the myriad changes by remaining unchanging. He wasted away Fan Xian's time and gradually raised the temperature of the water in the pot.
The large piece of firewood shoved under the pot was the Emperor's edict that Eunuch Dai had sent in the morning.
Hearing the familiar Yu Yao's accent, Fan Xian knelt in the main hall in his black official robes. A calm light of everything being within his expectations flashed through his eyes.
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