A damp smell, mixed with the stench of fresh blood, began to ferment outside the cell at the end of the corridor. A man and a woman who had been pretending to be affectionate in bed a month ago had long since switched roles. Fan Xian looked at the woman's wretched appearance and frowned slightly. At first, he thought he would be like what was written in the novels of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, having a wonderful time with this woman, or perhaps like Bai Letian, taking her home. Who knew that the story would end so hastily before it had even begun? But there was nothing to lament about. Since she wanted to kill him, if he did as Fei Jie had said all those years ago and showed excessive sympathy, it would be extremely irresponsible to himself and the people around him.
Meeting those two venomous gazes, Fan Xian explained gently and calmly, "I believe that for something like life, if you can control it, you should control it. That is why I gave the poison to you. You should know that your death is of no benefit to me, so there is no need to look at me with such a gaze. I still pity you, but I will not feel guilty. The heads of my three guards were smashed into smashed watermelons by your people. Who would feel guilty for their deaths? "
He waved his hand. "Perhaps you don't believe me, but I used to hate the heavens. I thought I had been doing good all my life, but in the end, I received the most wretched ending. If hatred was of any use, I would have long ago punched millions of holes in the heavens. So I later understood that while you still have the ability to control your own body, you must be grateful that you still have a life to live."
Si Lili remained silent. She only gently raised her wounded hands, not letting them come into contact with the coarse grass.
"Miss Si, think about it. Nothing in this world is more important than your own life," Fan Xian said calmly. Fan Xian calmly said, "You are a man of Qing, yet you work for Northern Qi. To be able to give up so much, presumably it is not for money, but for revenge or something like that. I don't know if the rumors about you in Jingdou are true, but if you want to do something, you must ensure your own survival. And if you want to live at this time, you must pay a certain price."
Si Lili suddenly raised her head. Although the light in her eyes was dim, it was like the underworld fire in a grave, unwilling to be extinguished. After a long time, she gritted her teeth and said, "How can you guarantee that I will live?"
Fan Xian's spirit rose. He crouched down and said, "You just arrived in Jingdou today, and I was able to come to the Celestial Prison to interrogate you. You should be able to guess my position in the Overwatch Council."
Si Lili shook her head weakly. "Do you think I'll believe you?"
"This has nothing to do with belief." Fan Xian gently said, "This has always been a gamble. However, right now, you are more passive. Between life and death, you don't have a choice."
Si Lili's gaze wandered helplessly. She seemed to be moved. She turned her face and looked at Fan Xian's clean and beautiful face. For some reason, she thought of that night on the pleasure boat where the two of them were entangled. An unreasonable hatred welled up in her heart. Like a madwoman, she leapt forward and spat at Fan Xian's face.
Fan Xian dodged to the side, very surprised. It was clear that this woman's defenses were about to be loosened. Why did she suddenly change her expression? How could he know that whether it was in his previous life or this one, regardless of her occupation, this woman's mind was always like a needle at the bottom of the ocean, like sand in the mountains, hard to touch and hard to fathom?
Fan Xian felt a little irritated. His willowy brows furrowed tightly, and his expression kept changing. No one knew what he was thinking. He thought of the general who had committed suicide last night, and then he thought of the one in Wuzhou who was probably already dead. He knew that the other party had acted ruthlessly and quickly. If he wanted to catch the person who truly wanted to deal with him, it seemed that only Si Lili's mouth could be used. If her confession came out too late, the person who contacted Si Lili might also die or leave. It seemed that torture wouldn't be enough to break this Northern Qi spy's nerves in a short period of time. Unfortunately, what Fan Xian needed now was time. Even if it took a few days, what was there to be afraid of?
It seemed that he wouldn't be able to get anything out of her. Fan Xian seemed a little disappointed. He stood up in front of the bars, as if preparing to leave with Wang Qinian. Suddenly … he took a deep breath, frowned, and stood in front of the cell. He looked coldly at the woman through the bars. Wang Qinian looked at him with some astonishment.
Fan Xian's clear voice rang out. "Tell me who did this. I swear on the name of my ancestors in this world that I will definitely let you go."
The only reply he got was a deathly silence. But Fan Xian refused to give up. His eyes, which were gradually becoming gentler, looked at Si Lili's face, and looked at the bloody hands that she held in front of her chest.
The damp air in the Celestial Prison smelled moldy, and the bars and time between Fan Xian and Si Lili seemed to have grown moldy as well. After an indeterminate amount of time, Si Lili still bit her lower lip and said nothing. It was clear that deep in her heart, there was some kind of painful struggle going on. The bottle of poison that Fan Xian had thrown to her was made of green porcelain. Now, under her hand, on the hay, it lay quietly. It seemed to emit a very strange smell.
…
…
After a long time, Fan Xian sighed. It seemed that he had given up. Before he left, he said one last thing to Si Lili. "The way you raised your hands … you looked like a cute puppy."
Later on, Wang Qinian had always felt that Fan Xian was somewhat neurotic. Even under those circumstances, he could still make fun of an enemy spy. Fan Xian himself did not feel this way. At the time, he had said it purely out of instinct. Of course, he did not know what effect his words would have on him immediately, or what it would bring him in the future.
Hearing him say that she looked like a cute puppy, Si Lili was slightly stunned.
Contrary to everyone's expectations, the female spy burst into laughter. After laughing, her expression changed. No one knew what she was thinking, but she felt that her spirit was extremely relaxed. It was as if after laughing, all her burdens had been lifted. Her soul began to cower and hide in her body, carefully praying for survival. Her body felt like it was soaking in warm water, it was extremely comfortable, and she began to reminisce about the beauty of life.
So she slowly raised her head. Her somewhat pale lips moved slightly, and two words came out. "Mister Wu."
Fan Xian heard clearly that it was "Mister Wu." After a moment of shock, he turned to look at Wang Qinian. Wang Qinian nodded, indicating that he had heard of the name. Only then did Fan Xian let out a sigh of relief. A faint sense of excitement welled up in his heart. He reached into the bars, and under Si Lili's puzzled gaze, he took the small porcelain bottle of poison from the hay. "Thank you," he said to her, then turned to leave.
Si Lili seemed to understand something. Her blood-covered hands gripped the bars tightly. She cried out to his departing figure, "Don't forget, you swore in the name of your ancestors."
After the heavy metal door closed, the Overwatch Council's prison returned to its usual calm and gloomy state. The prisoners here were usually sent to the underworld after only a few days, so there were not many prisoners left. At this moment, the faint sounds of sobbing could be heard from the deepest part of the tunnel. It was very clear and very sad.
…
…
After a while, the head of the prison respectfully pushed a wheelchair out of the secret room. Chen Pingping was sitting in the wheelchair, resting with his eyes closed. He suddenly opened his eyes and asked, "What do you think of the commissioner I chose?"
He was asking about Fan Xian, of course.
The head of the prison thought for a moment. "Cruel and merciless. He's only half of it."
"Which half?"
"His hands may be cruel, but he's still a gentle man deep down."
Chen Pingping smiled, and a look of gratification appeared on his aged face. "That's good, that's good. A gentle heart and a ruthless method is better than a ruthless heart and a rotten method. At least I got the information from Si Lili by mistake."
The head of the prison asked calmly, "What should we do with Si Lili?"
Chen Pingping thought for a moment, then said lightly, "Observe for a while. If she can become one of us, then we'll give it a try. If not, then we'll naturally kill her."
"Don't we need to explain this to Commissioner Fan?"
"I was prepared to hand the Council over to him, but since he doesn't have the ability yet, there's no need for him to know too much."
"Yes, sir," the head of the prison replied. "The First Bureau is ready to depart."
Chen Pingping coughed. At that moment, all the civil and military officials thought he was still in the palace. No one expected him to come alone to the Celestial Prison. His coughing finally subsided, and he motioned for the head of the prison to push him out. He closed his eyes and thought for a moment. "Since Mr. Wu has already forced Fang Da to his death, he must have left the capital by now. I'm afraid we won't make it in time."
The head of the prison shrugged. He had been in charge of the affairs of the Seventh Bureau, and he had always looked down on the efficiency of the First Bureau. There was no fun in investigating a case, so he wasn't too concerned about whether or not they could catch Mr. Wu. He just looked at the long corridor above his head and said with a headache, "Director, next time don't come and eavesdrop. It's very difficult to move this wheelchair up."
Chen Pingping smiled. After leaving the palace today, he had come here to see the son of his old friend. He wanted to see what he looked like now, and whether or not he had the ability to take over everything he had prepared for him. As for the assassination on Niulan Street, he, like Wu Zhu, did not take it to heart. It was only a small matter. If Fan Xian had died like that, naturally, there would be no need to worry. The more important aspect was to see the special qualities Fan Xian displayed in handling this matter.
This was a test.
— — — —
Fan Xian did not know any of this, and hurriedly left the prison with Wang Qinian. He learned from Wang Qinian that Mr. Wu was a famous strategist in the capital, but he always hovered between the Second Prince and the Crown Prince. He did not seem to have any clear inclinations, but according to rumors, many things in the bureaucracy were related to the terrifying shadow of this middle-aged man.
Fan Xian raised his eyebrows slightly, and his good-looking face became slightly serious. He knew that the man was an old fox, and would certainly want to cut off all the clues. By this time, he might have already learned to live in seclusion in some mountain. The so-called strategist loved to do this sort of thing. After seven or eight years, when the matter had died down, he would run out and continue to throw out a bellyful of evil tricks.
"How can you be sure that what Si Lili said is true?" Wang Qinian asked.
Fan Xian calmly replied, "It's simple. If that Wu Bo'an is still in the capital, then it is not him. If he has already run away, then it is him."
It was a very simple judgment, and perhaps the closest to the truth. There were too many things in this world that were complicated by the stupidity of human beings.
Wang Qinian nervously asked, "Then are we really going to let Si Lili go? Sir, you don't have that kind of authority right now, but before... "Although the people of the Overwatch Council did not respect ghosts or gods, they had great respect for the existence of their ancestors.
Fan Xian did not answer him. He only thought to himself that his ancestors in this world... did not seem to have much to do with him. He knew that it was not a good time for him to make an appearance, so he had Wang Qinian inform the First Bureau. Mu Tie knew who Fan Xian was, and should believe what Wang Qinian said. When the two of them parted, Fan Xian discreetly nodded at a dark corner of the street, confirming the name Wu Bo'an with that person.
After making these arrangements, Fan Xian slowly returned to Fan Manor. He climbed over the wall and quietly lay on his bed, waiting for the news the next day. When Wang Qinian entered the Overwatch Council, he was surprised to find that his colleagues in the First Bureau were all ready to go. He couldn't help but be surprised. Mu Tie looked at him and smiled.
That night, there was nothing to do in the capital. After Fan Xian returned to Fan Manor, he greeted everyone and then entered a secret room he had requested from his father. He carefully took out a small, well-sealed leather pouch and poured out the small blue porcelain bottle. The bottle was made of green sand, and its opening was larger than that of ordinary porcelain, so it could contain a faint fragrance. Fan Xian had spent a lot of effort to make Si Lili lower her guard. He took out a clay jar from the corner of the wall and opened the lid. A wave of fragrance assaulted his face, almost making him dizzy.
He put the small blue porcelain bottle back into the jar and returned to his bedroom. His legs were wrapped in a thin silk quilt, and he fell asleep uneasily. The next day, Wang Qinian came to report with some shame. He said that Wu Bo'an had long since left the capital. He had expected this, so he was not disappointed.
...
...
About 18 miles away from the capital, there was a manor. In the distance, the snowy peaks of the Cang Mountains could be seen. Even though it was early summer, the manor was still very cool. The grape trellis had already sprouted its leaves, and the scenery was pleasing to the eye.
Wu Bo'an, whom Fan Xian had painstakingly interrogated, was now sitting leisurely on the grape trellis. He looked at the young man in front of him and said with a hint of reproach, "You shouldn't have come."
The young man in front of him was the second son of the Prime Minister, Lin Gong. He looked at Wu Bo'an and said politely, "Mister Wu is being forced to leave the capital. Naturally, I have to come and see you off."
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