Arriving at the bookstore on Dongchuan Road, Fan Xian and the others took a good look and found the location to be quite good. Transportation was convenient, and it was not too far from the Imperial College. Students from all over the Kingdom of Qing, who were preparing to take the exams, passed through here every day. The most important thing was that this place wasn't too crowded. In this way, it was more convenient for the princesses of the prince's mansions and the young ladies of the official families to send their personal maids to buy books.
Fan Xian nodded and walked in with Fan Sizhe. They were met by the servants of the manor, and bowed. "Mister Cui, sorry to trouble you."
Mister Cui forced a smile. "I say, young masters, this bookstore does not make a lot of money a year, and yet it requires so much effort. It is not worth it."
Fan Xian knew that these former officials of the Ministry of Revenue did not care about a business that was only worth a few thousand taels of silver. He smiled and explained, "If my brother likes it, then let him do as he pleases." He did not expect to keep this a secret from Count Sinan, so he asked the servants of the manor to help. Since his father allowed Mister Cui to help, it was tantamount to tacitly allowing his two sons to cause trouble outside the manor.
They talked in a room in the back hall. Fan Sizhe bit the shaft of his writing brush, calculating something. Once an account book was placed in front of him, he would immerse himself in it, forgetting everything else. While they were talking, the shopkeeper from Qingyu Hall also arrived. This shopkeeper looked honest and sincere. His eyes were not bright, but they were clear. Fan Sizhe was somewhat satisfied, and went to talk to him about the bookstore.
Fan Ruoruo had already given Fan Sizhe the first 60 chapters of "Dream of the Red Chamber". Mister Cui had sent someone to Wansong Hall to keep an eye on the printing, so there should not be any problems. Fan Sizhe kept pushing Fan Xian for the later chapters, preparing to make a big splash in the capital. These days, Fan Xian was not in the mood to copy books, so he kept pushing it off.
After deciding on a time for the opening of the bookstore, and confirming that the approval from the Eighth Bureau of the Overwatch Council would be in their hands, they found that there was nothing else to do in the back room. When the time came, they would buy some classics from Wansong Hall, and with "Story of the Stone" as the main focus, it seemed that they were just waiting to collect money. As for the workers, they were all handled by the shopkeeper of Qingyu Hall, so the Fan family did not have to worry.
Fan Xian wondered why everyone trusted Qingyu Hall so much. When he finally had the chance to be alone with the shopkeeper, he gently asked, "Shopkeeper, what is your name?"
The shopkeeper replied with a smile, "Your surname is Ye."
Fan Xian's heart trembled. He repeated, "Ye?"
The shopkeeper seemed to have noticed Fan Xian's strange expression, and replied with some confusion, "Yes, there are seventeen shopkeepers in Qingyu Hall, and they all have the surname Ye. Everyone in the capital knows this. Master Fan?"
"All of you have the surname Ye?" Fan Xian frowned and asked, "How are you related to the Ye family from 20 years ago?"
The shopkeeper was a bit surprised. He looked at Fan Xian, and a sense of vicissitudes came over him. "After so many years, I thought the young people of today had long since forgotten about the Ye family. That's right, we were all shopkeepers of the Ye family back then. Later on, the Ye family ran into some problems, and all of their businesses were lost to the palace. We were supposed to leave and find our own way out, but for some reason, the court didn't allow us to run our own businesses. That's why we're in such an awkward situation now. We can only manage the businesses for others, but we can't buy our own shares. This is how Qingyu Hall came to be. "
Fan Xian looked at the shopkeeper again. He knew that the shopkeeper had been his mother's subordinate, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity. He asked curiously, "After the Ye family was in trouble, did the court not …" He didn't finish his sentence, but the shopkeeper understood what he meant. They said to cut weeds and eliminate roots. Since the court had taken over the Ye family's property, they had no intention of keeping these old people alive. The shopkeeper didn't know why, but he also felt that the young master of Fan Manor in front of him was very familiar. He thought for a moment and replied, "We also felt that it was strange. So these years, we have lived in fear. The court did not allow us to leave the capital, so we were afraid of what would happen one day."
"Take me to Qingyu Hall one day." Fan Xian suddenly found a place in the capital that was related to his mother's past, and he couldn't help but be surprised. He grabbed the shopkeeper's shoulder and said, "I have many, many things to ask you."
…
…
After returning to Fan Manor, Fan Xian sat in his father's study and told him what had happened that day. He asked curiously, "Qingyu Hall. Are they really the old people of the Ye family?"
"Of course they are." Fan Jian stroked his short beard, as if reminiscing about the past. He said slowly, "These people are actually not simple. Back in the day, they were all shopkeepers of the Ye family in various provinces. However, your mother offended the nobles and met with misfortune. You know how glorious the Ye family was back then. For a time, the court panicked. If the Ye family fell, I'm afraid the Qing Kingdom would be in chaos for many decades. So in the end, they came up with a compromise. First, they took the Ye family back to the royal family. At least in name, they cut off the possibility of the officials taking advantage of the situation to extort them, and then … "
Fan Xian cut him off. "How did the people who killed my mother die in the end?" This was a question he had always wondered about.
Fan Jian looked him in the eye and said coldly, "You are young. You probably don't remember what happened in the Qing Kingdom fourteen years ago."
"I remember." Fan Xian frowned. "Fourteen years ago, it seemed that someone wanted to change the world, to pull His Majesty down from the throne. So in the end, a lot of things happened. There was a month of killing in the capital, and most of the original nobles were killed. Blood flowed, and the heads of the nobles were placed on the city walls for a mile. That was the so-called Month of Blood in the Capital. Although I have never experienced it, I have heard Teacher Fei talk about it many times."
"Correct." Fan Jian said in a cold voice, "During this purge, all those who participated in the plot against the Ye Family were killed by us."
Fan Xian noticed the word "we" in his father's words. "Who are we?" he asked carefully.
"Me and Chen Pingping, of course." Fan Jian smiled. "This was probably the most successful operation we have ever carried out in the twenty years we have followed His Majesty."
"The Fan family also used this incident to rise to power, and the Overwatch Council, because of the terrifying role they played in this incident, firmly established their influence among the officials." Fan Xian sighed. "So the cause of this incident was father and Sir Chen seeking revenge for my mother."
"What happened next?" Fan Xian asked about the Ye family.
"As I said before, the Ye family's businesses were taken into the palace treasury. This was the best way to stabilize the court at the time. The court was full of civil and military officials, and they could not come up with a more effective suggestion." Fan Jian explained, "The problem was with those shopkeepers. They were all taught by your mother. Although they were far from being as wise as your mother was, if they were left alone, who knows if a second Ye family would appear? So His Majesty decided to gather them all in the capital. He had them train some people to take over those businesses, but he did not allow them to own real businesses. That is how the capital's famous Qingyu Hall came to be. "
"If you want to do business, they are a good choice," Fan Xian said sadly.
"Because of this reason, these shopkeepers were forced to stay in the capital for more than ten years. How tragic … Father, if we use these shopkeepers, won't it attract the attention of the court?"
Fan Jian shook his head. "Using the shopkeepers of Qingyu Hall has always been the favorite method for the private businesses of the various princes. The court doesn't care about this, but if you want to gather all seventeen shopkeepers of Qingyu Hall, it doesn't seem necessary."
"If the court is really afraid of this, why did they not kill all of them in the beginning?" Fan Xian asked his own question.
Fan Jian looked at his son and smiled. "When something happened to your mother, I was fighting with His Majesty in the west. Chen Pingping went to the border between our country and Northern Qi to carry out a secret mission. Halfway through, he came to his senses and returned to the capital. That is why this happened. If we have already returned to the capital, and these people are still killed, then you underestimate your father's power. "
Liu Shi knocked on the door, and the father and son stopped talking. Fan Jian let her in. Seeing the bowl of fruit juice in Liu Shi's hands, Fan Xian knew that it was late, and that it was time for his father to go to bed. He stood up and prepared to leave. But Count Sinan waved his hand for him to stay, and Liu Shi went to rest.
Before Liu Shi left, Fan Xian caught a glimpse of worry in her eyes, and knew that she was worried about her husband's health. He couldn't help but frown, thinking that this woman really did have some affection for his father. It was a pity that she was too cruel to do such a thing all those years ago. He knew that if his father did not want him to leave, he must have something important to tell him, so he listened attentively.
"Tell me about the recent situation in the court." Count Sinan picked up the warm fruit juice and slowly drank it. "I know you still resent the fact that Liu Shi sent people to poison you four years ago."
Fan Xian was startled. He did not understand what the situation in the court had to do with Liu Shi, nor did he expect his father to so bluntly bring this matter up. For a moment, he did not know what to say.
"The two matters are actually related." Fan Jian knew what his son was thinking. "Four years ago, Liu Shi made her move because Sizhe was getting on in years, but he was becoming less and less serious. I had not been able to bring her up, and she could not help but feel a little hopeless. In a moment of blindness, she made that decision. But more importantly, it was because she had entered the palace once and received a guarantee from someone that once you died, Fan Sizhe would inherit everything of the Fan family. "
"Entered the palace? Whose guarantee could make her disregard her grandmother's life? "Fan Xian asked coldly.
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