The servants and serving girls in the Fan manor heard this edict clearly. They felt a bolt of lightning strike down mercilessly and cruelly. It struck until the entire Fan manor began to tremble and sway. The faces of the people kneeling outside the hall paled. Their hearts were shocked. They felt unease and fear for their young master.
Not only them, but all of the officials and people in Jingdou knew exactly what the foundation of Sir Fan junior's power was. The Emperor's order to remove his position was to cut off Sir Fan junior's roots. Fan Xian, who was kneeling on the ground, heard this edict. The expression on his face remained calm and did not reveal any shock or sorrow. All of this was within his expectations. Just as he had thought and deduced after tossing and turning in bed these two days, the Emperor would try to gradually whittle away the layers of power and defense around Fan Xian's body during this time.
Come to think of it, ever since he had met Wang Qinian on the road back to the capital from Dongyi, Fan Xian had done countless treasonous things in the short 10 days. The roaring Shadow Cavalry traversing between provinces and counties was already a great taboo. Moreover, five hundred Shadow Cavalry had charged through more than ten passes, which was an even greater crime in the court. Additionally, when Fan Xian charged into Jingdou, he had killed the Commander of Zhengyang Gate and stabbed a number of warriors on the execution field to death in front of the eyes of tens of thousands of people.
Each was a crime that could not be forgiven in Qing law. Even if he was Fan Xian, he still had to pay the price for this matter. The Emperor not having him imprisoned was already benevolent enough. However, such benevolence could not quell the discussion and pressure among the people and officialdom. This edict removing Fan Xian from his position as Director could be considered a preliminary explanation to the world and a channel for the Emperor to vent his anger.
As for what other edicts the Palace would send out and what attacks and losses Fan Xian would suffer, that would depend on Fan Xian's response, as well as the rumors in officialdom and among the people.
Fan Xian stood somewhat woodenly and accepted the imperial edict from Eunuch Dai's hands. Very casually, he handed it to an official behind him to arrange. He did not read it carefully at all because the crimes written on the imperial edict were very real. He was not prepared to fight any lawsuits with the Palace in these areas.
"Have a cup of tea before you leave." Fan Xian looked at Eunuch Dai warmly. It was difficult for Eunuch Dai to suppress the awkwardness and unease on his face. His rise and fall in the Palace these years was actually all because of the young noble in front of him. Now, he had come to the Fan manor to announce this edict. Eunuch Dai did not feel good in his heart.
"Your servant has to return to the palace." Eunuch Dai glanced at Fan Xian with an uneasy gaze. In a slightly trembling voice, he said, "The Emperor is only momentarily angry. He will be fine in a few days."
Fan Xian knew why he would show such an expression. He smiled and patted his shoulder. "Don't think too much. Since the Emperor has allowed you to take up the important task of announcing edicts again, presumably he trusts you."
Eunuch Dai bowed respectfully and was about to leave when he heard Fan Xian's low voice ring in his ear. "Is Ruoruo doing well in the palace?"
It was a great taboo for eunuchs and officials to privately pass messages. However, after Eunuch Dai thought for a moment, he did not hesitate at all. Lowering his voice, he said, "Miss Fan is doing very well. She often listens to discussions in the royal study. The Emperor treats her very well. There is no need for you to worry."
The entire Fan manor was actually a true member of the Li royal family. Additionally, Fan Xian had shown Eunuch Dai kindness and authority, so the eunuch did not care about these taboos. Lowering his voice, he spoke of Fan Ruoruo's situation in the Palace these two days.
Fan Xian raised his brows slightly in surprise. He could not guess the Emperor's thoughts, nor did he understand why his sister could appear so aloof in the Palace. She did not seem like a hostage at all.
After the matter of welcoming the edict was finished, Fan Xian turned to the back of the main hall. Looking at his wife, who had been listening quietly in the back, he quietly said, "Today is the first wave. I have many duties on me. If the Emperor wants to peel them layer by layer, it will take some time."
Lin Wan'er glanced at him and gently bit her lower lip. She said, "If you do not have a proper name, then your words will not be justified. Although the position of Director is currently empty, and the Emperor is presumably waiting for you to enter the Palace to beg for forgiveness, he will still bestow this position to you in a few days. But … in the end, the Emperor's power is boundless. Without the position of Director, if you want to gather the power of the Council in these days, there will probably be some obstacles."
"The Emperor also knows this. That is why his first move was to remove the position in the Council." Fan Xian sat down and said in a low voice, "At least for now, he still does not want the court to become chaotic, so he is slowly peeling it away and waiting for me to naturally admit my guilt and lower my head. However, after all these years, the Overwatch Council has always been under the old cripple's control. The Emperor still does not understand the workings within. Even if there are many people in the Overwatch Council who fear royal power, in the end, there are even more people who do not recognize the edict and only recognize the legacy of the Council. "
"Being under house arrest and being killed are both difficult problems to solve," Fan Xian said. "The Emperor wants the entire world, including myself, to slowly get used to the days of me losing power. That way, it will be much easier to torment me, so I have to hurry."
Lin Wan'er furrowed her brows. She still did not understand. Even if Fan Xian could tear apart the large net outside the manor and make contact with the members of the Qinian Unit, what problem could he solve with just one meeting?
"My subordinates are a group of extraordinary people," Fan Xian saw the confusion in her heart and calmly said. Fan Xian saw the confusion in her heart and calmly said, "Furthermore, they can help me, who is under house arrest, contact a group of even more incredible people."
…
…
If Fan Xian forcefully broke through the surveillance network outside the manor, given his present cultivation, it would not be a difficult matter. Just as he said last night, unless the Emperor personally came, it would be difficult to find many people in the Qing Kingdom who could follow him.
However, he had to consider the safety of his subordinates and his collaborators who were not in Jingdou. Thus, he could not give the Palace any opportunity to follow him and clean out his true foundation.
Although the position of Director of the Overwatch Council had been taken away, it could not stop Fan Xian from regaining control of the Overwatch Council through the officials loyal to him and Chen Pingping. If the court truly used Fan Xian as a line to catch all the people he had hidden behind the scenes, it would be much more difficult for Fan Xian to make contact with those powers far from the court.
Thus, Fan Xian's actions were very careful. His carefulness was displayed for the world to see, but it was an unreasonable and particularly bloody decision to kill. Not long after the Emperor's order to remove Fan Xian from his position as Director of the Overwatch Council spread throughout Jingdou, news of Sir Fan junior once again attacking the large network of spies outside the Fan manor came.
That day, over 20 people died outside the Fan manor.
The next day, the Palace issued an edict stripping Fan Xian of his position as the head of the palace treasury transport company. It formally stripped the palace treasury treasure that the Qing Kingdom relied on as the foundation of its national power out of Fan Xian's control.
That night, Fan Xian struck again and swept through the people in the well-shaped streets around the Fan manor.
On the third day, the Palace issued an edict. Fan Xian was severely reprimanded. His position as a first-rank duke was directly taken away.
…
…
Seven days later, all of the positions on the body of the Qing Kingdom's most dazzling young powerful official were mercilessly taken away. Thinking back to Jiangnan, when the dragon raised its head, the young imperial envoy who stepped off the boat had a long string of prefixes. Now, not a single one remained.
From that day onwards, Fan Xian returned to being a commoner. He was even worse than the scholars who went to the capital to take the exams. He had no official position, no nominal authority, and no salary. The position in the Board of Rites that he had once held during the spring examination was also remembered by the Palace. Taichang Temple's noble official position had also been taken away.
The only thing Fan Xian had left was the position of a teacher in the Imperial College. It had also been demoted three ranks. For some reason, the Emperor did not take away this position as well.
During these seven days, the Royal Palace and the Fan manor were like a conveyor belt, carrying the Emperor's calm and cold edicts and chilling edicts. With each edict, the light on Fan Xian's body grew a layer dimmer.
The gazes of the Jingdou officials and commoners were all focused on the road in front of the Fan manor. After that day on the execution field in the autumn rain, they all knew that this road would be very busy. However, they had not thought that it would be so busy.
No one had thought that the Emperor's punishment for the little duke would be so thorough and severe. No one had thought that Fan Xian would be so stiff as to resist for seven days and still not enter the Palace to beg for forgiveness.
Everyone was looking at the Fan manor, waiting to see which direction this cold war between the Emperor and his illegitimate child would go. Would the Emperor, in his anger, simply arrest Fan Xian and throw him into prison, or would Fan Xian be unable to resist the edicts and finally admit defeat?
Even though Fan Xian was a commoner, the Jingdou people were still used to calling him Sir Fan junior in their leisurely conversations after meals. The officials hiding in their manors and nervously watching the development of this matter were still used to calling him little duke.
They all knew that even though Fan Xian had been reduced to a commoner by the Emperor, as long as he did not die or go into prison, he could still become a major figure at any time, second only to one and above tens of thousands.
No one dared to underestimate Fan Xian's existence. Contrary to the expectations of many officials, Fan Xian had clearly broken countless Qing laws, disregarded the court, and killed so many people. However, in the discussions among the people, there were still not many unfavorable comments about Fan Xian.
In this battle between the Emperor and Fan Xian, for the first time, the Qing Kingdom had a strange situation where public opinion was not completely in the Palace. Perhaps it was because although Fan Xian had killed people outside the Fan manor, he had not done it in an exaggerated manner. Other than the first and second days, his murderous aura had been greatly restrained. Furthermore, the people he had killed were all spies sent by the Palace. What did it have to do with the common people? Perhaps it was because many Jingdou people had once seen Fan Xian's haggard appearance as he held Chen Pingping's body in the autumn rain. Unconsciously, they felt some sympathy for him.
Human emotions had always been strange. One moment, they might be cheering. The next moment, they might begin to silently reminisce. Throughout the ages, on countless execution fields and in the face of countless deaths, such developments had occurred before.
The reason why Fan Xian, a commoner, still had the support and discussion of so many people was because of his actions these years. Those glorious old things did not need to be brought up one by one to calculate their power. There was also no need to consider how much Chen Pingping had used the Eighth Bureau of the Overwatch Council to do for Fan Xian. The reality was as such. Ever since the Emperor, who had led the Qing Iron Riders to destroy the rivers and mountains of the old dynasty and forcefully opened up countless territories, the only person in the Qing Kingdom who could be called an idol was probably Fan Xian alone.
If it was in Jiangnan, perhaps Fan Xian would be able to obtain even more support from the people. After all, he had operated there for the longest. Furthermore, the Hangzhou Conference that Lin Wan'er managed had spared no expense in comforting the people. It had long replaced the Ming family and become the most glorious name in the hearts of the poor people and scholars in Jiangnan.
After all, in Jingdou, even if the people at the root of the Royal Palace leaned toward Fan Xian, they could not do anything. When all was said and done, this battle was, in the end, a battle between Fan Xian and the Emperor, just like the battle in the royal study.
…
…
Seven days later, everything had yet to be settled. The world was not peaceful. Outside the Fan manor, there were still gusts of autumn wind and occasional drizzle. Under Fan Xian's god-like purge, the spies sent by the internal court had no choice but to pull the large net outward.
The might of imperial power was, without question, supreme. The fear of death was also supreme. Under such a pincer attack, the internal court's surveillance would, without question, reveal flaws. Fan Xian stood coldly at the door of the manor and calmly looked at the movements around him. He thought of Wan'er's words that day. A strange emotion flashed through his eyes.
If the Emperor wanted to deal with Fan Xian's shedding of all pretenses of cordiality, he actually had many other ways. Why didn't he use them? Were the spies of the internal court moving outside because they were forced by his shrewish methods, or had the Emperor secretly given some edict? Those spies could not be killed.
Fan Xian didn't understand, and he didn't want to understand. Perhaps the man in the Palace still had some warmth toward him and some hope, but he didn't want this warmth and hope to shake his heart again, the heart that had long cooled in the autumn rain.
He turned and entered the Fan manor. Not long after, a vegetable carriage also turned into a side alley beside the Fan manor and entered a corner door. Outside the corner door, the carriage underwent the strictest inspection. Even the inner layer of each cabbage and root of each radish were not spared.
The people responsible for these inspections were all officials who had revealed their identities. They were different from the internal court spies scattered around the Fan manor. Fan Xian did not make things difficult for them. If he wanted to escape the restraints of house arrest, the ones he needed to be careful of were the spies and not these officials.
There was nothing strange about the vegetable carriage. The official waved his hand and allowed the carriage to enter the Fan manor. Not far after entering the corner door was the Fan manor's main kitchen. Servants came forward to move the vegetables and fruits from the carriage.
The edict from the Palace was clear. It was impossible for anyone in the Fan manor to leave. It was also difficult for outsiders to enter. Even though this carriage had been directly sent by the Dengshi Vegetable Inspection Bureau, it had been under the court's surveillance from the very beginning. It was not afraid of what the Fan manor or the restless Overwatch Council officials wanted to do.
The driver of the carriage quietly brushed past the kitchen and walked to the back garden while no one was paying attention. Then, with the help of an old Fan manor servant, he entered a quiet study.
When the driver entered the study, he saw that other than Fan Xian, there was another woman. He immediately guessed that it was the Director's wife. After a slight pause, he took off his straw hat, knelt down, and bowed. "Greetings, Director."
After the driver took off his straw hat, Lin Wan 'er covered her mouth in surprise and exclaimed, "It's so alike."
The driver felt slightly awkward but didn't say anything. Standing, he said straightforwardly, "The guards outside the manor have been tight these days, so no one has made any unusual movements."
"This is a capable member of the Qinian Unit. Back in the day, he helped me greatly in Northern Qi," Fan Xian explained warmly to his wife. This Overwatch Council official, who looked very much like him, had been hidden in the Qinian Unit. However, even he had not thought that after being locked down for seven days, the person from the Qinian Unit who risked entering the manor to make contact with him would be this person.
"It's best if there are no unusual movements. Nothing is more important than one's own life," Fan Xian said warmly to his wife. This was a creed he had always endlessly instilled into the people around him, even his most loyal subordinates. Nothing was more important than one's own life. Wang Qinian did this, and so did Gao Da.
"The net outside has loosened a bit. I am going out today," Fan Xian said quietly with his head slightly lowered.
"Sir, this is too risky," the official said seriously. The official said seriously. He thought that since he had taken the risk to enter the manor, he could pass on the message himself.
"No." Fan Xian shook his head. Those words were too important. He had to personally deliver them to each person's ears. The slightest mistake could cause great trouble. He suddenly thought that if Wang Qinian was by his side at this moment, everything would be much easier to resolve. Given Wang Qinian's abilities, sneaking into the Fan manor under the watchful eyes of spies would probably not be a difficult matter.
"The vegetable delivery carriage belongs to the Produce Inspectorate. How did you get in?" Fan Xian suddenly thought of this problem. His gaze narrowed slightly with some worry.
"Dai Zhen returned to the Produce Inspectorate," the official replied with a smile.
Fan Xian also smiled. Eunuch Dai had once again become the head eunuch in charge of announcing edicts. Following that, his nephew also returned to his position in the Produce Inspection Bureau. Given how the Overwatch Council had dealt with the Dai family back then, it was easy to leave some loose ends. Now, it was used.
…
…
The autumn sky above Jingdou was clear and distant. Rain spilled down from the leaden hanging clouds, making the surrounding scenery blurry but moving. The Fan manor and the Royal Palace had fought for seven consecutive days, particularly Sir Fan junior's merciless sweep of spies outside the manor. In the end, it had chilled the hearts of most of the spies in the internal court. They felt that their colleagues had all died for nothing. It looked like the Emperor in the Palace would never actually throw his illegitimate son into prison to avenge these colleagues.
Thus, the net outside Fan manor had unknowingly loosened, leaving some loopholes that could be used. The seemingly unproblematic carriage of the Produce Inspectorate had crawled out of these loopholes.
…
…
In a secluded area in Jingdou, the houses and alleys were simple and crude. There were no deep gardens or large mansions of any large family. A small courtyard sat quietly at the end of one of the alleys. The sound of selling vegetables in the alleys outside could be heard clearly here. However, it had already been a number of years. No one knew what this small courtyard represented.
Fan Xian wiped away the powder and rouge disguise on his face in the slight autumn rain. In a flash, he floated into the small courtyard. He saw many familiar faces. Looking at the pleasant surprise and the sadness after the pleasant surprise, Fan Xian's heart was slightly moved. However, he did not show anything on his face.
This was the Qinian Unit's most secret base. The Overwatch Council officials here were Fan Xian's long loyal subordinates. When the rumors in Jingdou changed, particularly when there were some subtle signs within the Overwatch Council, these members of the Qinian Unit silently and quietly left their posts. Through different paths, they returned to this small courtyard and waited for Fan Xian's summons.
Many years ago, when the Qinian Unit only had Fan Xian and Wang Qinian, one old and one young, Wang Qinian had spent a small amount of silver to buy this courtyard. These members of the Qinian Unit were like Fan Xian's eyes and arms. Fan Xian was going to mobilize the power that was close to him scattered throughout the world. He had to pass his will through these loyal eyes and arms.
This was the reason why he had spent so much effort and effort to come here personally.
…
…
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