Wang Qinian looked at the sesame seed cake stall in front of him and smelled the spicy aroma. His nose turned sour, and he almost cried. Recently, his life had not been good. He had been removed from the Council. Not only had he lost his salary and pension, but more importantly, no matter which yamen it was, once they saw his record in the Overwatch Council, they would politely ask him to leave. And ordinary shops would not hire him, and he did not know how to use an abacus. He only knew how to use torture tools, and he did not know how to do business. He only knew how to investigate cases.
When he had first entered the Overwatch Council, he had been high-spirited and had cracked cases. All of the officials under him who had committed crimes had to confess their crimes. Who would have thought that one day he would be like a stray dog? Now he was old, and he had a wife and children to support. Sigh …
He left in a daze, feeling the few pieces of silver at his waist. He wondered who he had offended to end up like this.
In fact, he also knew why he had been removed from the list — the cause was simple. He had heard that the master of the master of the master of the master of the master of the master of the master of the master of the master of the master of the master of the master of the master of the master of the master of the master of the master of the master of the master of the master of the master of the master of the Temple of Qing. The palace was furious, and so they began to investigate. The Overwatch Council also began to help.
Originally, this matter did not have much to do with him. But no one could have imagined that after searching along the street, the Ministry of Internal Affairs would find out that the young man had gone to the Overwatch Council before entering the Temple of Qing. This was a big deal. Sir Chen was not in the capital, and the Overwatch Council was like a fatherless child. The high-ranking officials of the Overwatch Council thought that if the palace thought that the young man had something to do with the Council, how could they explain it?
At the end of the investigation, they found Wang Qinian. Because after the young man entered the Overwatch Council, many officials testified that the young man had pulled Wang Qinian and said a lot. Wang Qinian accepted the investigation in confusion. He told them all about his conversation with the young man, but did not reveal the fact that the young man was Sir Fei's student. The Internal Affairs Bureau did not find any other problems with Wang Qinian, so they could only let it go. But they still found a random reason to kick him out of the Overwatch Council. It was like finding a scapegoat.
Wang Qinian was pitifully chased out, but he still did not reveal the identity of the young man. He faintly knew that this matter was not as simple as it seemed. The young man might lack experience and carelessly reveal his identity, but he could not do so. Although losing his job was scary, offending Sir Fei was even scarier. This was something all the Overwatch Council officials knew very well.
"When Elder Fei returns, I'll go complain." Wang Qinian put on a long face, his head resting weakly on his towering shoulders as he walked into the distance.
…
…
"Brother Wang." An official from the First Bureau appeared from the corner of the street with a smile on his face and blocked his path.
Wang Qinian took a closer look and recognized Mu Tie from the First Bureau. He had heard that Mu Tie was currently working with the investigation team for the Niulan Street assassination case. Wang Qinian had barely spoken to Wang Qinian before. Why did Mu Tie have the time to look for him? Wang Qinian bowed with a face full of suspicion. "Master Mu, what brings you here?"
Mu Tie's face was plastered with a flattering smile. "Congratulations, Brother Wang," he said softly.
He had originally thought that he could climb up to Fan Xian's high branch. He did not expect that he would be helping someone else instead. But seeing that Master Fan had entrusted this matter to him, there was always a chance that he could get closer in the future. Mu Tie had always been a dull man who devoted himself to official duties. But as he grew older, he could no longer plan for his future. Seeing Fan Xian's waist token, and connecting it with the words he had accidentally read while working on a certain case, Mu Tie had already decided that Fan Xian was a very thick thigh. That was why he was so respectful to Wang Qinian, who might be Master Fan's trusted aide.
But Mu Tie had always been a dull man. Doing this for the first time, the flattering smile on his face was somewhat stiff and unnatural.
Wang Qinian's heart trembled. Looking at the stiff smile on Mu Tie's face, he wondered if he was going to be silenced.
— — —
Wang Qinian sat in a secluded room, his fear still lingering. He looked at the handsome young man in front of him. Even if he turned him to ash, he would still recognize him. This was the young man who had caused him to be kicked out of the Overwatch Council. After seeing the waist token, Wang Qinian knew that he had made the right bet. This young man was clearly not only Master Fei's student, but had an even more frightening identity.
Fan Xian had not expected this waist token to have such a powerful effect. He could not help but narrow his eyes as he recalled the time he had spent with Fei Jie. The cripple of the Overwatch Council was the person who had saved his life when he had just been reincarnated. It was clear that the Overwatch Council was taking care of him for his mother's sake. So he had to make good use of this advantage.
"Do you understand what I said?" Fan Xian looked at Wang Qinian with a smile. This official was a little old, and he had a wife and a son at home. He fit Fan Xian's requirements perfectly. Fan Xian had no experience in commanding subordinates, so he had to learn everything along the way. That was why he wanted his first trusted aide to be someone he had met by chance, and someone who was not too ambitious.
"I understand, Master Fan." Wang Qinian smiled. His fingers unconsciously pressed down on his belt. Aside from a few pieces of silver, there were already a few banknotes. "No, it should be Master Fan."
"I've only just entered the capital, so I don't have any capable subordinates. Master is also not in the capital." Fan Xian thought for a moment. "I still have a trusted aide named Teng Zijing, but he is currently injured. I don't think he will recover for a few months. In the future, when he is well, I will arrange for you to meet him."
"Yes." Wang Qinian did not say anything unnecessary. This was much better than when Fan Xian had first entered the Overwatch Council.
"Think of a way to find some people." This was the first time Fan Xian had tried to do something like this, so he felt a little unfamiliar. He could only learn step by step. "Can people like you and me be transferred from the Council?"
Wang Qinian suddenly felt a little uneasy. "Master, I … actually just left the Council."
Fan Xian was shocked. Could it be that things were going so wrong for him? "What is the reason?"
Wang Qinian gathered his courage and told him about the Overwatch Council's internal investigation. He also told him about the Temple of Qing. He purposely hid Fan Xian's identity, to show his foresight and "prematurely loyal".
Fan Xian frowned and asked, "My current position is that of a commissioner. Can the power of a commissioner help you in this matter?"
"Of course." Wang Qinian was overjoyed. He now knew that he was following someone who was destined to be extraordinary in the future. "I just need to go through some procedures. Master, you can issue a warrant for me to return to my status as a member of the Overwatch Council, and then I can return to the Council in a few days."
"Very well, then I will take care of these matters immediately." Fan Xian looked at the old man and muttered to himself, wondering what use he would have for such a trusted aide. "What is Master Wang's specialty?" he asked gently.
"Tracking and concealment." As soon as Wang Qinian mentioned his specialty, his spirits rose, and he spoke with confidence and assurance. After listening for a long time, Fan Xian realized that he had run into an extraordinary person. Wang Qinian had been a lone thief in the northern part of the Kingdom of Qing when he was young. He loved to travel between the dozen or so vassal states between Northern Wei and the Kingdom of Qing. He would sell the goods he stole from country A to country B, and then sell the goods he stole from country B to country C. Because he never revealed the origin of his stolen goods, and because he was naturally good at hiding his tracks, he had been able to safely conduct his business for several years. Later, the officials of the small vassal states grew angry and joined forces to surround him. He had no way to use his methods, and was forced to enter the Kingdom of Qing. Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the Kingdom of Qing, he ran into Director Chen Pingping of the Overwatch Council, who had been planning the northern expedition with the Emperor. He surrendered and became an official.
Fan Xian looked him in the eye and said quietly, "Si Lili is being escorted back to the capital. Perhaps someone wants to intercept her, or perhaps someone wants to kill her. Whatever it is, don't worry about it. Just keep an eye on those people, and see who they meet in the end." He paused, a little embarrassed. "As you said earlier, you are good at tracking, but your martial arts are poor, so I had to come up with this stupid idea."
Wang Qinian smiled. "When I was young, the Council wasn't as big as it is now. Zong Zhui and I were the two best at tracking in the Council. Later, he stayed by the Director's side, and I became a little lazy, so I switched to a civilian job … But don't worry, Master. Although I'm old, keeping an eye on a few people shouldn't be a problem."
"I have a lawsuit to attend, so I can't leave the capital. Otherwise, I would definitely go and see your skills." Fan Xian laughed. "Old Wang, I don't care about anything else. You have to take care of your old life first. That's the most important thing."
After this matter was settled, Fan Xian hurried back to Fan Manor. Frowning, he asked his sister to fix his injured shoulder. He mixed some motherwort powder, which stopped the bleeding and regenerated muscle. It had a miraculous effect. He refused to let the doctors touch his wound. On the one hand, he didn't trust their ability to treat poison. On the other hand, Ruoruo's slender and soft fingers were much more comfortable and lovely than the calloused bear paws of a rough man.
Entering the study, Fan Xian saw Count Sinan's gray hair. With some difficulty, he bowed and said, "Father, I need some help."
Fan Xian looked at him and couldn't help but smile. "Where do you want to keep an eye on?"
"The Eldest Princess's guest house, the Prime Minister's servants' quarters, the Crown Prince's frequent brothel, the Second Prince's favorite polo ground … King Jing's grape trellis?" Fan Xian shrugged. "You know I'm not very professional when it comes to these matters, so I need you to help me find some professional people. Then they can make a decision on how to find the person behind the scenes."
Fan Xian raised his index finger and shook it. "We don't need professionals. You're right about that. But we need to make arrangements. A group of professionals, under the direction of an inexperienced person, will not be able to do these things well."
"Father, please advise me," Fan Xian said sincerely.
Fan Xian looked at him, then lowered his head to continue reading. "Actually, the places you mentioned are already being watched. I'm just curious. You haven't been in the capital for long. How do you know about these places? "
Fan Xian smiled. He knew that while his father was outwardly urging him to be patient, he had already begun investigating in secret. "It's easy to learn things by talking to the servants."
Fan Xian didn't raise his head. His eyes were still on the book. "But you have to be prepared. The investigation in the capital won't yield any results."
Fan Xian frowned.
Fan Xian continued, "It still depends on Si Lili." He paused. "The two female assassins you killed … they seem to be the disciples of Sigu Jian of Dongyi. And I heard that Sigu Jian hasn't shown himself in Dongyi for a long time. You have to be careful." Fan Xian replied with worry, "If a Great Grandmaster focused on killing someone, who could avoid him?" Fan Xian nodded. "But you probably don't have the qualifications for him to make a move against you. Don't worry. This is just some useful information."
…
…
Ten days later, outside of Cangzhou, about five hundred miles to the north from the capital, a group of people were heading south against the cold morning wind. They were people from the Fourth Bureau of the Overwatch Council. After a thousand miles of pursuit, they had finally captured Si Lili before she could escape the Qing Kingdom. They were going to take her back to the capital to be interrogated. The group had been heading south for a long time. In a few days, they would return to the capital.
The leading Overwatch Council official handed a steamed bun into the prisoner's carriage. "Eat this."
Si Lili's face was haggard. Her long hair was a mess, and there was some dirt on her face. If Fan Xian had seen her now, he would never have guessed that she was the most popular courtesan in the capital who had shared a bed with him for a night. Si Lili chewed on the hard steamed bun. She suddenly raised her face and gritted her teeth. "Even if you take me back to the capital, I won't tell you anything."
The official looked at her, his eyes full of mockery. "You think we take you back to the capital because we want to find out something from you? I really don't understand. Do my colleagues in Northern Qi have nothing better to do? Why would they let an idiot like you stay in the capital? "
Si Lili was indeed a spy from Northern Qi, but she usually met people in the guise of a courtesan. What kind of man would coldly call her an idiot? With a trembling voice, she said, "Of course I know what you don't want to know from my mouth, because if I tell you, I'm afraid the politics of the Qing Kingdom will be in chaos for a while."
The official said mockingly, "Actually, you had the best choice from the beginning. On the day of the assassination, you should have surrendered, instead of running away. That way, you could accuse any official of colluding with Northern Qi, and it would have been enough to achieve Northern Qi's goal. But you ran away, which means that you value your life more than this mission. "
Si Lili lowered her head, admitting this fact. Her fingers squeezed the hard steamed bun hard, leaving deep marks on it.
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
