Soft footsteps rang out in the courtyard outside the door. The sound was very weak, particularly as the market at the end of the alley was still bustling and would be bustling until dusk. Thus, these weak footsteps were almost drowned out by the faint sounds of bargaining.
However, these weak footsteps fell into Fan Xian's ears with unusual clarity. He narrowed his eyes and focused on the movements outside. The middle and ring fingers of his hand unconsciously moved a few times. Only then did he realize that his black dagger had long fallen into the autumn rain in front of the Royal Palace. He didn't know where it had gone, but he remained calm. He still had full confidence that he could subdue the person outside in one blow.
Hong Yiqing gripped his dagger tightly as he carefully and silently squatted behind the door. He held his breath as he watched the approaching figure. The figure strangely walked straight to the door and gently knocked twice. Hearing the rhythmic knocking, Hong Yiqing's expression clearly relaxed. This was because this was the code used by the Qinian Team to identify one's identity.
Fan Xian did not relax. He was not completely sure whether or not the Qinian Unit had been infiltrated by the court or if they had already made contact with the periphery. After all, from the Dazhou incident and Gao Da's existence, the Emperor's attention to intelligence far exceeded Fan Xian's or Chen Pingping's expectations. Furthermore, the internal court must have hidden many loyal people within the Overwatch Council. Otherwise, Yan Bingyun would not have been able to control that sinister courtyard within seven days.
"It's me," the figure outside the door said in a raspy voice. It seemed to know that there was someone in the room.
Hearing this voice, Hong Yiqing did not recognize who it was. Fan Xian's expression immediately changed. There was joy, sadness, and surprise.
The door was pushed open. A middle-aged man with an unfamiliar face and wearing the clothing of a vegetable farmer commonly seen in the outskirts of Jingdou walked in.
"Leader Wang?" Hong Yiqing lowered his voice and looked in disbelief at the newcomer. From the familiar warm smile in his eyes, he recognized the other person's identity. After all, he had been personally chosen by Wang Qinian to join the Unit. He was familiar with Wang Qinian. However, in the hearts of most Overwatch Council officials, Wang Qinian had died three years ago because of the Dong Mountain rebellion. How could he appear alive and well in front of them today?
Wang Qinian, in disguise, patted Hong Yiqing on the shoulder. Then, he focused and calmed himself. Very seriously, he suppressed his excitement and bowed deeply to Fan Xian, who was standing behind the table.
"Let's talk another day. There will be a time when we meet again. Let's go do business." Fan Xian smiled and tossed the knife in his hand to Hong Yiqing. At this moment, Hong Yiqing still had an unsettled expression on his face, but he knew that the matter was urgent and did not dare to delay any longer. He bowed to the two of them and headed towards the grassland in the west to find the person called Songzhi Xianling.
…
…
Fan Xian walked out from behind the table and stood in front of Wang Qinian. He looked at him quietly for a moment and then hugged him. He patted his back forcefully and then straightened his body. He could easily see the exhaustion that Wang Qinian could not hide even after his disguise.
Fan Xian gazed at Wang Qinian. Wang Qinian also gazed at him. The two of them didn't speak for a long time. After a long time, Fan Xian sighed and said, "It's truly been a long time."
On the road back to the capital from Dongyi, Wang Qinian had desperately blocked the Overwatch Council's carriages and informed Fan Xian of the shocking news. At that time, the two of them had no time to say or sigh. Fan Xian had risen and rushed straight to Jingdou to save Chen Pingping.
Calculating carefully, it had been exactly eight days since Fan Xian returned to the capital before Wang Qinian once again rushed back to Jingdou. Before that, Wang Qinian had already made a difficult, flying journey from Dazhou to the northeast. Two long journeys had truly exhausted Wang Qinian, who was no longer young. Even though he was one of the wings of the Overwatch Council, he was almost at his limit.
Fan Xian helped him to a chair and sat down. After a moment of silence, he said, "Where have you been these years?" Fan Xian knew that he hadn't died. He also knew that under Chen Pingping's arrangements, Wang Qinian and his family, who had escaped Dong Mountain, had all concealed their identities. For the safety of the Wang family, Fan Xian had only investigated briefly before giving up on the job. During these three years, Fan Xian often thought of him. He thought of his closest subordinate, the cute Old Wang who knew the most of his secrets.
"I've actually never left the capital. I've always been by the Director's side, always watching over you. It's enough that I know you're doing well." Wang Qinian spoke in a raspy voice.
Fan Xian was silent for a long time. He then said, "I … came back late."
He was talking about the matter of Chen Pingping. Wang Qinian lowered his head and was also silent for a long time. In a low voice, he said, "It was I who reported too late."
In reality, the two of them had already done their best. However, they were still unable to change what had already happened. A faint sense of sorrow and self-blame filled the room.
"How is the family?"
"Yes, the court shouldn't be able to find out."
"That's good. Come back to my side."
"Okay."
…
…
After this extremely natural reply, Fan Xian's heart, which had been cold for a long time, warmed a rare sliver. In a quiet voice, he asked, "I had you follow the group to Dongyi. Why did you come back?"
"The 4,500 Black Knights have entered Dongyi territory. One of them should be heading toward Ten Family Village right now. The matter the Director gave me has been completed, so I rushed back. I was only delayed for two days, so it has slowed down a bit, "Wang Qinian said. "Jing Ge, the old man from the Seventh Bureau, and Zong Zhui are all on that road. The most powerful force the Director left behind is gathering in Ten Family Village."
Fan Xian was silent for a moment. He then smiled with a complicated expression. "Who would have thought that the matter of Ten Family Village would not be able to hide from him?"
"If the Director wants to know something, he will eventually know," Wang Qinian said.
"Let's not talk about this anymore." Fan Xian sighed. "With you at my side, many things are much easier to do. At least, like today, I wouldn't have to waste seven days to get out of that net."
After exchanging a few words, Wang Qinian clearly understood what had happened in Jingdou recently. He couldn't help but faintly sigh. "If the Overwatch Council was still in my hands, it would be much easier to do things."
Other than the Qinian Unit, the only people Fan Xian could truly trust and use were his trusted subordinates all over the world. However, the headquarters of the Overwatch Council was gradually beginning to fall apart, particularly with Yan Bingyun and his son controlling the Fourth Bureau for generations. If this went on, Fan Xian and his group of old officials' influence in the Council would probably grow weaker and weaker.
"After all, this world is still the Emperor's. Even if at the beginning, the officials of the Council felt heartache for the Director's misfortune, as time went on, they had to accept this reality. Loyalty to the Emperor and patriotism …" The corners of Fan Xian's lips twitched slightly. He would only show his disdain and disdain for royal power in front of a small number of people. "How many people would dare to directly oppose that chair?"
"Sir Yan is not that kind of person," Wang Qinian said in a raspy voice. Wang Qinian said in a hoarse voice. The Lord Yan in this sentence was naturally Yan Ruohai. "I don't understand what Yan Bingyun is thinking."
"The Director has instructions for him," Fan Xian said with his eyes slightly closed. Fan Xian closed his eyes slightly and said, "The Director does not want the world to bleed because of him. Furthermore, he is doing everything he can to ensure the continuation of the power in my hands and severing me from him. If I perform as well as he thinks, in a few years, I will rise again. At that time, perhaps the Emperor will also be old."
Yes, this was Chen Pingping's wish. The outward appearance of this wish was in line with Yan Bingyun's attitude of putting the world first. Thus, Yan Bingyun steadily and stubbornly followed Chen Pingping's plans.
What followed would depend on Fan Xian's attitude.
"Yan Bingyun will not watch as the Overwatch Council becomes my revenge machine. Public tools cannot be used. This is probably a very advanced concept," Fan Xian said calmly. "However, he has forgotten that the world is the Emperor's. All of the officials' martial power is the Emperor's private tool."
He said with slight mockery, "Unfortunately, our Sir Yan junior does not understand this. It is not so easy to be a loyal official and an unfilial son. I hope he can sit more stably in the Overwatch Council in the future."
Wang Qinian heard that Fan Xian did not have much resentment toward Yan Bingyun. He narrowed his eyes and said, "What do we do next?"
"You rest first. Ten thousand years is too long, but you can't just seize the moment. " Fan Xian stood by Wang Qinian's side and gently pressed on his slightly slumped shoulders. In an even voice, he said, "You must be tired these days. Choose a place to stay in the capital. I don't think many people will be able to find you. Then … I have something for you to do."
Given Wang Qinian's tracking and hiding abilities, even if the court continued to cast a large net outside the Fan manor, it probably wouldn't be able to stop him and Fan Xian from meeting. With him, although Fan Xian's body was left in Jingdou, his voice could finally travel out. It would no longer be as difficult as it had been these seven days.
Wang Qinian already knew of the information Fan Xian had sent out through the Qinian Unit to various places under heaven. He did not make any suggestions for this plan. He was just not sure if Fan Xian wanted to reveal his cards here or if he was just passively carrying out a defense, hiding his power outside Jingdou and waiting for a suitable opportunity to explode out.
"I hope Ziyue can come out of Xiliang alive." Fan Xian's brows were slightly melancholic. "I had originally planned on having him return to Northern Qi to do this. However, I have always been worried. After all, even if they are willing to follow me, it is because I am a Qing person. Perhaps in their eyes, I am a member of the royal family. Thus, even when facing the Emperor, they can be confident and confident. However, if it is Northern Qi …"
He raised his head and looked at Wang Qinian. "If I wanted to take you with me to commit treason, would you come with me?"
Wang Qinian smiled bitterly and stood up. "Haven't I done a lot of these things in the past few years? Even if you want to take me into the dirt, I can only go. "
Fan Xian smiled and said, "Thus, I will only be at ease if you do this."
…
…
The two of them left the small courtyard one after the other. It was destined that no one would come to this courtyard for a very long time after spending a hundred and twenty taels of silver on it. Only the lonely raindrops and the lonely cobwebs would accompany the smooth paper and the cold ink.
A large hat covered Fan Xian's head. Following the muddy road in the market, he followed Wang Qinian's figure from a distance. He only relaxed when he finally lost him. For one, it was to confirm that there were no ambushes outside the little courtyard. For another, it was to calm his heart. If even he and Wang Qinian had lost him, who in Jingdou could follow him?
After finishing all of this, Fan Xian's mood relaxed a little. It was like the sky that had finally stopped the autumn rain three days ago. Although it had not cleared up and there were still faint black clouds, they could still drift with the wind and let some clear light into the world. They would not be blindly heavy and cold.
In the end, the affairs of the world had to be settled. Before the Emperor acted, Fan Xian had to do his best to preserve the power in his hands. Only then would he have enough power and weapons when he laid his cards on the table in the future. For some reason, he always felt that he had made a mistake somewhere. The faint wariness was like a cloud that kept turning over and over in his mind, but he could never see its shape clearly.
Leaving the market behind him and the bustling, ordinary, and harsh sounds of the marketplace behind him, Fan Xian followed the Jingdou city gates and the radial street that led toward the Royal Palace toward the south of the city. The matter had already been completed. The people of the Qinian Unit had collectively left Jingdou. He didn't need to worry about anything. Even being under house arrest in the manor was not an unbearable pain.
However, he had to pass the Royal Palace on the way. Passing the Royal Palace in the distance, Fan Xian couldn't stop the pain. He forced himself not to think about the scenes from a few days ago. He couldn't help but begin to think about how his sister was doing in the Palace. Although Eunuch Dai had said that the Emperor treated Ruoruo like a child, Ruoruo's present identity was, after all, a hostage. She knew that her days in the Palace would be difficult.
This was the Emperor's light brush stroke, but it directly tore apart the picture scroll that Fan Xian had worked so hard to paint. It was impossible for Fan Xian to leave Jingdou. It was all because of this.
It was raining. Fan Xian lowered his head slightly and let his clothes and hat cover the fine raindrops. Silently, he left under the gaze of the Royal Palace. This place was strictly guarded. There were not many people on the streets, but he could hear a few curses about the weather. Presumably, the continuous autumn rain had only stopped for two days and had fallen again. This made the people of Jingdou very dissatisfied.
There were times when dissatisfaction turned into numbness from habit. The rain was not heavy. Fan Xian walked silently toward the manor like a prisoner forced into prison. There was truly nothing he could do. As he walked, he thought. He compared the person in the Royal Palace to himself in all aspects. In the end, he placed his thoughts on the hemp-clothed Ascetic Monks.
From the moment Chen Pingping returned to the capital to his imprisonment to Fan Xian's charge into the execution field, the hemp-clothed Ascetic Monks had suddenly appeared in the Royal Palace, the Overwatch Council, and the execution field. Although these Ascetic Monks were powerful, it was not enough to make Fan Xian's heart tremble. However, he did not understand. Furthermore, because of these Ascetic Monks, he thought of the illusory Temple that Fan Xian knew existed.
The Qing Kingdom had always maintained a respectful distance from the path of the gods. It was not like Northern Qi, where Tianyi Dao permeated the officialdom and people. Particularly after the appearance of the powerful Emperor, the status of the Qing Temple in the Qing Kingdom's life took a sudden turn for the worse. It completely became an accessory and decoration. The small number of Qing Temple Ascetic Monks scattered throughout the world became an object forgotten by people.
Why had these forgotten people appeared in Jingdou, by the Emperor's side? Did the Emperor already have complete control of the Qing Temple? However, the Great Priest of the Qing Temple had died strangely. The Second Priest, Great Master San Shi, had died hopelessly. More than half of the priests of the Qing Temple on Dong Mountain had died to the Emperor's anger. Why had these Ascetic Monks of the Qing Temple completely fallen to the Emperor's side?
Was it truly as Chen Pingping had said? He had faintly guessed that the Emperor back then had truly come into contact with the will of the Temple? Was it because of this that these Ascetic Monks did not hold a grudge of many years and stood by the Emperor's side to help him shine in this world?
The rain did not grow heavier. There were opportunities in heaven and earth. When Fan Xian shook off his thoughts from the fine rain and unconsciously raised his head, he saw the Qing Temple not far in front of him.
It was the Qing Temple, completely black with hidden green eaves, by the desolate and quiet side of the street, receiving the rain from the heavens and not stirring up a speck of dust. It had long walls on the outside and a round tower inside.
Fan Xian stared in a daze at this delicate and pretty building. He didn't know what to feel. In this temple, he had once brushed shoulders with the Emperor. He had once seen a girl who loved to nibble on chicken legs under the curtains. He had also carefully studied the strange murals painted under the eaves. However, he had never understood any of the things he truly wanted to understand.
He should have returned to his manor. At this moment, he unconsciously walked up the steps. Passing through the rarely closed temple door, he walked directly into the temple. Under the accompaniment of the fine autumn rain, he slowly walked through the temple. The tiredness and resentment these days had miraculously lessened. He didn't know if it was the wondrous atmosphere of the Qing Temple itself or if it was the quiet space. It was so quiet that it made one lazy to think.
Very naturally, he walked to the back of the temple. Fan Xian's figure suddenly froze. He saw an Ascetic Monk wearing hemp clothing and a straw hat looking at him with furrowed brows at the door of the small building in the back of the temple.
Fan Xian wanted to retreat, but the Ascetic Monk opened his mouth. The moment he opened his mouth, it was filled with admiration. His hands pressed together toward the raindrops in the sky, he sighed and said, "The will of heaven has its own encounters. Master Fan, we have always wanted to go find you. Unexpectedly, you have come."
Having his true identity seen through, Fan Xian's expression did not change. Calmly, he looked at the Ascetic Monk and quietly said, "You? Why are you looking for me? "
The Ascetic Monk held a bell in his right hand. He gently rang it. The clear sound of the bell quickly pierced through the fine rain and spread throughout the entire Qing Temple. Just like the first time Fan Xian had come to the Qing Temple, there was no incense burning in the temple. Other than tourists from various provinces, probably no one wanted to come here. Thus, the Qing Temple was still quiet. The clear sound of the bell did not cause any unusual movement. It only attracted a dozen Ascetic Monks.
Wearing the same style of hemp clothing and similar old straw hats, the Ascetic Monks walked out from all directions of the Qing Temple and faintly surrounded Fan Xian in the center, just below the round tower.
Fan Xian slowly took a deep breath and began to slowly circulate the zhenqi meridians that had never stopped in the two circulations in his body. Coldly, he looked at the Ascetic Monk in front of him and calmly said, "This temple has always been quiet. You are not preaching under heaven, why have you come back to disturb the peace here?"
"Sir Fan has a kind heart and is deeply endowed with the virtue of heaven. In Jiangnan, you cultivate in Hangzhou and gather the wealth of the world to enrich the river works. We useless people travel through various provinces and have heard of sir's benevolence and seen much of sir's kindness. We have long hoped to meet you."
The Ascetic Monk lowered his head in greeting. He had always called Fan Xian "sir Fan" and not "Sir Fan." That was because everyone in Jingdou knew that all of Fan Xian's official positions had been stripped by the Emperor.
"I don't think you have come specially to praise me." Fan Xian lowered his head slightly and furrowed his brows slightly. He had truly not thought that when he entered the temple to take a look, he would encounter such a group of strange people. Was it truly as the Ascetic Monk had said, that everything was fated?
However, these strange Ascetic Monks truly seemed to have come specially to praise Fan Xian. They took off their straw hats and respectfully knelt down in front of Fan Xian in the center. Bowing, they sincerely praised and prayed for blessings. Fan Xian's expression was indifferent, but his heart was greatly shaken. The fine rain and the sound of praying mingled together. The atmosphere was very strange.
The Ascetic Monks did not have the habit of wearing shoes. Their rough feet had been soaked in the rain until they were white. They knelt together on the wet ground and looked as laughable as frogs. However, the powerful aura emanating from their bodies and the words they said were not laughable.
This powerful aura was the aura of these dozen Ascetic Monks after they had harmonized. It was so pure that no one dared to underestimate it. Sincere words like chanting a mantra rang out in the rain, accompanied by a dozen shiny bald heads in the rain. It was very annoying.
"For the sake of the people of the world, we beg that Sir Fan enter the Palace to ask for forgiveness and comfort the Emperor's heart."
Fan Xian's face paled slightly. In an instant, he knew what these Ascetic Monks wanted to do. The estrangement and dispute between the Qing Emperor and Fan Xian, ruler and official, father and son, had already continued for seven days. Neither side had shown any signs of retreat.
For the sake of the people of the world? Naturally, someone had to admit their wrongs, and someone had to retreat. The Qing Kingdom could only allow one dazzling leader. In the eyes of these Ascetic Monks, this person was the great Emperor.
The Ascetic Monks acutely sensed the Qing Kingdom's greatest danger. For some reason, they decided to persuade Fan Xian on behalf of the Emperor. In their hearts, and even in the hearts of the people, as long as Fan Xian once again returned to the Emperor's light, the Qing Kingdom and the world would certainly have an even better future.
"What if I am not willing?" Fan Xian looked at these monks he had not had much contact with and asked quietly.
There was a death-like silence. Only the fine rain continued to fall, landing on the Ascetic Monks' bald heads. The rain on the eaves dripped onto the stone tiles of the Qing Temple. After a long time, a dozen voices, thick and thin, big and small, but all of them were incomparably determined and holy, rang out.
"For the sake of the people of the world, please rest in peace."
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