320-323

Chapter 320: Mountain Living Notes

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

There was one thing in this world that was a god to people, and the spirit of gods. Even spirits fight for this incomparable, remarkable thing.

The Fan clan house crest could often been seen on the Fan family carriage. One square, and one circle, was the shape of this thing. Fan senior was the Minister of Revenue and controlled the national treasury, and Fan junior was about to travel to Jiangnan to take over the palace treasury. The wealth of the Qing Kingdom was completely controlled by the people of this family; even their family crest was filled with the stench of bronze.

Money, that which people loved and hated; that which could help people enter heaven or fall into hell. It could make people laugh foolishly on a mountain of swords, and dance mindlessly in a sea of flames!

Commoners loved money, but the imperial court loved money even more, and so they set up many kinds of taxes. They wished they could strip the earth of its valuables. As for the court of the Qing Kingdom, from the very onset of the country they levied tax on salt, metal, and tea, as well as on land and labor. Later, when the Ye clan suddenly disappeared, the palace treasury became the court's largest source of silver. They naturally placed heavy taxes on the glassware, alcohol, toys, and ships that were produced by the palace treasury. Furthermore, it had always been closely guarded and was the sole responsibility of the Overwatch Council.

Once the Overwatch Council discovered the matter of the Cui clan smuggling, the world was immediately shocked. The people of the Qing Kingdom hadn't known that the palace treasury had such a large drain—the court lost a fortune in

taxes from this!

The Imperial Censorate was silent, the officials who had been bribed were silent, yet there were still those of different factions or upstanding officials who submitted proposals asking for the court to investigate the matter. Although no one mentioned the Eldest Princess by name in their write ups, the spear was pointed directly at Xinyang.

The young Emperor of Northern Qi also seized the opportunity and struck a great bargain. Whether purposely or not, the matter of Commissioner Fan recovering in Cang Mountain was left out. Although everyone knew that Commissioner Fan was the main instigator behind this move, which made his takeover of the palace treasury later smooth, no one dared say anything.

On the contrary, scholars of the Imperial College were petitioning for the Emperor to quickly hand the jurisdiction of the treasury to Fan junior—Fan Xian's reputation was indeed better than that of the Eldest Princess. Credit must, of course, also be given to his careful manner of speech.

In recent days, rumors had again been floating around the tea shops and restaurants of Jingdou, saying that the one in Xinyang had gone crazy and had sent out assassins to kill Fan junior!

The Eighth Bureau of the Overwatch Council indeed had a very high work efficiency.

Not everyone was able to completely understand the conflict between Fan Xian and the Eldest Princess.

Many aloof scholars were confused as to why mortals were so interested in money, to the extent they were willing to give up their heads and spill blood. For example, although Shi Chanli was in the limelight of the entertainment industry, and the owner of the Baoyue Brothel, and had evolved from a poor student to a wealthy merchant, he did not understand this.

Why had the Eldest Princess always been unwilling to let go of the palace treasury? She was stubborn even to the point of using bloodthirsty methods of dealing with her own son-in-law.

She used the Cui and Ming clans to smuggle items to Dongyi and even overseas, what was her purpose in leeching so much silver from the palace treasury? Where exactly did the giant fortune she seized over a dozen of years ago go?

"Raising soldiers." Fan Xian looked at the only student by his side and explained, "All of the army is the Emperor's, the court's. Although Yan Xiaoyi is positioned as the Zhengbei Viceroy, if he wanted to do something in the future, it would likely not stand against a decree by the Emperor… you in our country, particularly in the army, just how far the Emperor's prestige goes.

"If this kind of prestige is to be challenged, there is only one thing in this world that will have any kind of effect. And that is money." Fan Xian smiled and said, "Large amounts of money. The monthly pay for the army officers under Yan Xiaoyi would stun you, and it is because of this that Yan Xiaoyi is able to firmly control his troops."

Shi Chanli stopped his currently-writing right hand and smiled weakly.

He had entered the mountain this time on a task entrusted to him by the Imperial College. He was here to write the biography of Fan Xian, one of this generation's civilian officials. Ever since Fan Xian published "Thoughts from Banxianzhai," his position in the Qing Kingdom's poetic circle had become cemented, and after he went to Northern Qi and brought back a cart load of Master Zhuang's works, his influence had spread far and wide.

The Imperial College was naturally proud of one of their own who rose from being a proctor to being Fan junior. They wouldn't pass up on this resource and so decided to write a biography of him to be published by the Danbo Bookstore and spread far and wide. They hoped to use this to draw in more students from the north and from Dongyi City, as well as bring in more prodigies to the Qing Kingdom for the spring imperial exams.

However, ever since his injury, Fan Xian had hidden away in Cang Mountain and had not visited the Imperial College in a long time. Even Shu the Scholar had been unable to find him. They could only use various connections to finally find Sir Fan's only student in Jingdou, Shi Chanli.

Shi Chanli also thought this was a good idea. Adding to the fact that the Imperial College had approached him personally, he decided that this was far more honorable than being the owner of the Baoyu Brothel. And so he had tottered his way into Cang Mountain. He was fortunate in that he hadn't seen the dead bodies in the snow.

How could he have known that things would develop in a manner he had not expected?

Although his teacher had consented to staying in the study after his pleas… he just wouldn't talk about his life, his studies, or his poetry. Instead, he kept talking about the inner workings of the court, such as how the Overwatch Council had toppled the Second Prince, and why the Eldest Princess would not let go of the palace treasury!

How could Shi Chanli dare to copy these things down? Even if he did dare, the Imperial College would not dare to publish it—even if they had 800 lives to spare!

He watched his teacher and braved the tension to slowly say, "Teacher, these things… cannot go into the biography."

As to this whole biography matter, Fan Xian thought it was absurd. He thought, I am so young. Are the people in the Imperial College preparing to build me a coffin? Seeing Shi Chanli's awkward expression, he jokingly scolded, "Screw the biography!"

After he swore, he added, "Is the Imperial College bored with nothing to do? When will they finish sorting out Master Zhuang's books? The Danbo Bookstore is waiting to start printing and the Emperor is in a rush. It's not like you don't know, the Emperor has asked that I have finished ordering it in three years… these useless people, they only know how to suck up to me and don't know how to go about their proper business."

Shi Chanli carefully explained on behalf of the Imperial College, "Batches of Master Zhuang's books have started to be printed."

Fan Xian shook his head. "Then tell me about this absurd biography matter.

So I have written a few things in my life, sang a few songs, had a few conversations with Master Zhuang—but don't you understand? My most glorious times, the undertakings I am truly proud of… are these dirty things that cannot be shown to people."

These words were honest, and seemed close to Roseau's self-analysis, except there wasn't a trace of regret.

"What I am most proud of are the murders with poison, not those romantic things. Can you write that, do you dare to write that?" Fan Xian stared into Shi Chanli's eyes. "If you want to write my biography, then wait for a day when I am dead. Or when everyone in this time is dead. If you are still struggling for life at that time, it won't be too late to talk then."

Shi Chanli let out a sorrowful sigh and knew that he wouldn't be able to complete his notes. His teacher had made up his mind and he would not be able to convince him otherwise. However, he was already interested in the inside stories Sir Fan had told him earlier, so he picked up his teacher's previous topic and said, "As to the matter in the north, General Yan Xiaoyi used money to buy loyalty… even if he wanted to rebel, I don't think it would have done anything."

Under the influence of his teacher for the last half year, Shi Chanli was like Sisi from Danzhou. He was braver, and his words were sharper.

"The Emperor keeps a close eye on the army." Fan Xian's eye twitched. "The Eldest Princess could find no gaps to squeeze into, and she only had Yan Xiaoyi, this one ally. Of course she needed to hand out large amounts of money—every bit of loyalty she could buy counted."

"Although it is expensive to keep a standing army… we are talking about the palace treasury. In ten years, is this all she could do?"

"Of course not." Fan Xian explained like a teacher, "The Second Prince needed to bribe officials in the capital—this needs money. She needed to control public opinion—this needs money. She needs to make deals with officials in Xinyang, and various Princes—this needs money. Their mouths are open very wide, if you want to satisfy these people… a lot of money is needed."

Shi Chanli furrowed his brows. "This is essentially a rebellion."

"You said so earlier," Fan Xian smiled. "Right now they are only at the stage of taking the position of heir by force. If the Second Prince succeeds, once he has imperial power, it will be a simple matter for him and his aunt to take back the money they gave out."

Fan Xian suddenly thought of the part of "The Deer and the Cauldron" where Wei Xiaobao framed Wu Sangui, and he smiled bitterly. "Of course, once he is emperor, he won't even care about such a petty amount of money. The whole world will belong to him."

Shi Chanli sucked in a cold breath. "Teacher, you are about take control of the palace treasury, and you have also preemptively destroyed the Cui clan. Haven't you severed the other party's source of money and severely damaged the Second Prince's attempt to take the position of heir? No wonder Xinyang is so enraged. Compared to the waves in Jingdou last time, their reaction is much stronger."

Fan Xian laughed coldly. "Reaction? My mother-in-law started reacting five, six years ago."

His mind flashed to five, six years ago, to the tower in Danzhou that had been burned, leaving nothing but charred wood. It was in this tower that he had killed for the first time in his life. After he came to the capital, he used the power of the Overwatch Council and investigated the truth of this matter. That year, the Liu clan tried to poison him because of the plans of those two women in the Royal Palace.

It was also in that year that the Emperor first raised the matter of a marriage between the Fan and Lin families. The Emperor had also brought up the subject of transferring the jurisdiction of the palace treasury in the future. Although the marriage was temporarily put on hold due to Chen Pingping's vehement opposition, it still caused the Eldest Princess to become more wary and cautious. Of course, she did not want to lightly let go of the fortune she controlled, and so she had organised an assassination attempt against Fan Xian.

However, no one had expected for Fan Jian to raise the issue again four years later, taking advantage of the time Chen Pingping returned to home to venerate his ancestors. Finally he received the Emperor's consent, and so Fan Jian had Teng Zijing hurry to Danzhou to bring Fan Xian back to Jingdou.

Thinking of how his muddle-headed and ignorant 12-year-old self already carried such a heavy load on his shoulders and had already brought upon himself such trouble, Fan Xian, who now held great power, still felt an echoing fear.

And after that was the Niulan Street incidence. The Second Prince had arranged a feast and invited him. Secretly, the Eldest Princess had ordered the second son of the Prime Minister to organize a plan for murder.

Come to think of it, this mother-in-law had tried many times to kill him, but just hadn't managed to succeed. Fan Xian smiled bitterly at the thought. Almost all the danger he has been met with in this life has stemmed from that ageless beauty, the Eldest Princess. Furthermore, the Eldest Princess had never acted personally; she had only used conspiratorial means to have other people dirty their hands… This woman, this fastidious woman, was actually using people from Xinyang to assassinate him. It seemed that she was truly angry, and panicking

A confident smile rose the corners of Fan Xian's mouth. As long as you are angry, that is good. If you were as calm and peaceful as always, I wouldn't know how to strike.

He was deeply convinced of the Xinyang Princess's ability to plot. Just from how she'd cleverly changed the Niulan Street incidence to an opportunity to take land from Northern Qi, and how she'd sold Yan Bingyun in exchange for chaos in the Qing court the ability of the Eldest Princess to plot and scheme was clear—but he did not fear this. The Overwatch Council specialized in plotting, and the young Mister Yan was a prodigy in this and also held a deep, immoveable hatred for the Eldest Princess. The most important thing was that the Overwatch Council had, other than plots, power. And this is what Xinyang most lacked.

Against schemers, the most effective method was simple force.

"The Eldest Princess is an extraordinary woman," Fan Xian woke from his thoughts and sighed. "Truly extraordinary. Back in the day, everyone in the court thought she was helping the eastern palace. No one thought she had an alliance with the Second Prince. Those in court who loathed her, such as my father-in-law who had long left the court, leaned toward the Second Prince, and she could, at any moment, set up those she controlled in the eastern palace as the enemy. At that time, the enemy would be weakened and she would be well-prepared. If this situation continued for seven or eight years, perhaps the Second Prince really would have been able to move into the eastern palace once the Emperor was old."

"Unfortunately, she met you," Shi Chanli said.

Fan Xian said, without modesty, "I was just luckier. Besides, do you think that the Emperor and Director Chen really knew nothing about this?"

Shi Chanli was slightly surprised.

Fan Xian smiled bitterly. "No matter how extraordinary a person the Eldest Princess is, she was not a match for those old folks. I am only the hand they have pushed to the front of the stage. Perhaps the Emperor… does not want to anger the empress dowager."

Suddenly he tilted his head slightly and looked at the snow-covered mountain scene outside of the glass windows, and somewhat abruptly said, "However, out of all of these extraordinary people, I actually most admire… my father-in-law, who left the capital a long time ago."

Shi Chanli did not understand. He thought that his teacher would say he most admired Minister Shang.

Fan Xian said with a smile, "That father-in-law of mine is known by the people as a traitorous official, yet he was a rare competent official. The last few years, it could be said the Qing Kingdom has been truly a country at peace and the people are happy. Although there are small problems, they don't affect the bigger picture. Much of this is to his credit. What I admire about my father-in-law is his forbearance and resolve. At that time… because of the Eldest Princess, Sigu Jian killed my uncle. Father-in-law immediately allowed my marriage to Wan'er and stood, without the slightest hesitation, on the side of the Overwatch Council and my father. Don't forget, he had battled with the father of Director Chen for years in court. Such an important decision, and he acted decisively. An extraordinary person."

He then sighed. "Furthermore, my father-in-law held great power, yet was not reluctant to leave his post. One day, he discovered the Emperor had wayward thoughts and immediately resigned his position. Although he lost the power he held, he managed to keep his family and his clan safe."

After Fan Xian's father-in-law, the Prime Minister Lin Ruofu, retired, he moved to Wuzhou to live out his retirement as a wealthy old man. He occasionally communicated with his family in Jingdou through letters. It seemed that recently he had been well, and his physical health was better than it had been in Jingdou.

"It is easy to understand others, but difficult to understand oneself." Fan Xian sighed once again. "Father-in-law understood others, understood himself, and understood the situation. There is much for me to learn."

A thought came to Shi Chanli. He thought about the empty positions in the court, and how the political affairs were being managed by a few palace secretaries, and said softly, "Teacher, you will also be the Prime Minister of the court one day."

Fan Xian smiled bitterly. "Don't try to probe me," he scolded. "I'm not in the mood, nor do I have that ability. It is not an easy matter to run a country. For me, I control the Overwatch Council because that is where my interests lie, and I manage the palace treasury because that is the Emperor's will. Other things... I will not do them."

Shi Chanli smiled. "Teacher, you words are interesting. The two things you mentioned are enough to make others envious of you."

"I will tell you something, and you will realize that the Emperor does not plan to reinstate the position of Prime Minister after Father-in-law retires."

Fan Xian stood, grasped his walking stick and moved to stand beside the window. He pushed open the window to smell the clean breeze coming off the snow-covered ground, and said slowly, "The retiring head of the Cabinet of Official Papers, Sir Hu, is already headed to Jingdou by order of an imperial edict."

Shan Chanli was shocked and his face paled. "Which Sir Hu?"

"How many do you know?" Fan Xian did not turn around and continued faintly, "The Sir Hu who promoted literary improvement when I was just a child. The Emperor has summoned him to the capital to, once again, be a scholar. I suspect that there will be no place for the Minister of Civil Personnel, Yan Hangshu, among the future palace secretaries. Qin Heng will go to his Jingdou garrison, the palace secretaries… will be led by a few Scholars. There will not be a need to reinstate the position of Prime Minister."

Shi Chanli was silently, and spoke quietly a moment later, "Previously, I only knew how to repay the court through study. But now I realize that the workings of the court are extremely complicated, and not something an outsider can guess at."

A moment later, he cheered up again. Although what he heard today could not enter the biography and was not useful at all in helping the Imperial College spread their influence, these kinds of secrets were usually never told to those not involved. Since his teacher had shared this with him today, if, dozens of years in the future, he was able to write this into the country's history, or release the "Notes of the Owner of Banxianzhai," there was no doubt that his name would live on in Qing history.

Of course, Teacher had to be the victor in history.

Thinking of all this, he felt a quiet joy grow in his heart, and he heard his teacher laugh for some reason, "Did you know, Director Chen's true age is a bit younger than the Emperor?"

Shi Chanli reigned in his joyful heart and felt stunned. He had once seen Chen Pingping from a distance, and knew that the old Director was weighed down with age; it was clear he was about to enter the earth. Could it be he was younger than the Emperor in his prime?

"Younger by a month," Fan Xian said with something almost a smile. "The court is too complex, and there are too many things to worry about. Naturally, he would age like this. I wonder if, in the future, I will also be old before my time."

Outside the window was a desolate and snow-filled landscape. From the end of corridor came the sounds of girls laughing as they played mahjong. Ruojia, that girl had brazenly come with them again, and Ye Ling'er, bold and thick-skinned, had also arrived from Dingzhou. The Fan Manor's villa at Cang Mountain was always this lively in the winter. Compared to last year, there seemed to be only missing the fat one far away in Northern Qi.

Fan Xian narrowed his eyes and stared into the cold wind blowing into his face, his deep silence was at odds with the happy mood from his family. To give his life for this Emperor in this sh*tty court, like Chen Pingping had, was not an easy task. It seemed that everyone simultaneously had many faces, and he didn't know what cards each person held. Fan Xian didn't know other people's trump cards, and so he had always kept his trump card close to his chest, and would not play it lightly.

With a rustling sound, Deng Zi Yue approached the room in a black snow coat. As he was about to knock, he saw the window was open and Commissioner Fan beckoning towards him. He paused, walked over, and said in a low voice, "The rest of the Xinyang people have retreated. The Director has sent Zong Zhui and he has chased after them."

Fan Xian nodded. The official Zong Zhui, and Wang Qinian, were both known as Double Wings, and specialized in tracking. He wasn't concerned about his safety. Seeing Deng Zi Yue holding a paper bag, he stretched out his hand.

In the bag were analysis reports by the Third Bureau, as well as letters.

Deng Zi Yue's face turned a strange color; he chuckled and said, "There is a letter from the north."

Fan Xian paused, then immediately understood. He laughed and scolded, "A grown-up man... don't be like those women who talk in circles."

Deng Zi Yue handed him the paper bag and covered his mouth before turning and leaving.

Looking at his subordinate's funny appearance, Fan Xian couldn't resist laughing again.

With the excuse that someone needed to be watching Jingdou, he shooed Shi Chanli out of the door. It was only then that he broke the first wax seal on the outside of the paper bag and took out a stack of letters. He flipped through them and, just as expected, found one from Haitang. Deng Zi Yue's strangeness was, naturally, because of this letter.

The Overwatch Council made their wax from rosin and vermillion, without the use of coal. This increased their security, and they could seal letters without any gaps, so there was no need to worry about the seal being tampered with while being delivered.

He first read the message from Qinian's group in Jingdou, and then read the various intelligence reports from the Third Bureau. Fan Xian nodded his head, pleased. The various developments were going very smoothly. Yan Bingyun had struck very quickly, and the Cui family had nowhere to run. The rumours had already reached Jiangnan and even the Cui clan's in-laws, the Ming clan, were starting to move their wealth. This trick to strike the mountain and scare the tiger was starting to work.

At last, he skimmed the Bureau report before picking up the letter Haitang had sent. This had always been his principle in doing things: public first, then private. However, after he had read Haitang's seemingly normal letter, he regretted having read it late, even if it was just this little bit later.

The contents of the letter were shocking. Fan Xian's slender fingers gripped the thin paper of the letter and could not stop shaking. His expression was grave.

Chapter 321: The Best Time

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The content of Haitang's letter was very simple. The language was also not old-fashioned and overflowing. Her style was of the modern script, in Fan An Zhi's light style:

"Are you well, An Zhi?"

"I have received your previous letter. The mail roads are indeed very convenient. It only took ten days for a month-long journey. Counting backwards, when you said that Jingdou had just had its first snow, Shangjing had already had multiple snowfalls, and all were the type that never seem to stop. The cold weather makes one weary.

"I am strange in that while others may find the spring and autumn to be sleepy seasons, I tend to be lazy in the winter. Not because of anything other than that the heavy and dull snow completely covers all the colors. There are no beautiful sceneries to enjoy, no tree branches to weave into circlets, and no flowers to bring close and smell. Although the garden has a few plum blossoms, this year has been colder than previous years, and those few red flowers seem tragic in their beauty. They've been frozen by the cold snow and have barely any spirit. I cannot find it in myself to admire them.

"I have already sold the donkey you once saw. Don't worry, the millstone is still being pushed by the kid. There isn't much soybean anyway, so there only needs to be 50 revolutions a day. Using the money from selling the donkey, I bought some bamboo charcoal. You said that if the room is not well ventilated, it is easy to be poisoned. So I have followed the blueprint you sent and made a chimney. To my surprise, the air in the room is actually much better.

"The chicks have long grown up, but I'm still worried about them freezing, so I'm raising them indoors. Naturally, the smell is not pleasant but, as you know, I now have a servant, so with daily cleaning and sweeping, it is tolerable.

"Sir Wang has come to the garden a few times, saying he wants to take me to eat. But, you said he isn't good at drinking, so I kept this in mind and rejected him. After all, you know that I like to watch other people drink. Particularly watching them become drunk.

"Half a year ago, at the Century Pine Inn, I liked the little song you hummed after you became drunk. It was that lyric in 'Stay in Qing' from 'The Story of the Stone.' The other day, I sang this to my teacher, and he liked it a lot too. He said that the history of sister Qiao's child was wretched, and that there was something interesting about it. That it was something to think about.

"That day, the wind and snow were very heavy outside, and the cold had seeped into the room. Teacher and I sat opposite each other drinking tea, and conversing pleasantly on state matters. It was very comfortable. For some reason, I thought of our travels months ago in Shangjing. It was a slice of joy and nature, and it felt very happy. I seem to see you, see that bright round moon, that little temple, and that ridge. You were a sorry figure as you ran from behind the ridge to outside.

"Oh, right—I heard news that surprised me greatly. I heard that Sir Xiao En's body was found in a precipice in Xi Mountain. Although he has already been buried, I thought I should let you know for peace of mind since you once traveled north together with this old man."

Having only read to here, Fan Xian felt the letter was a little strange. As he continued reading it seemed that the village girl was hiding many things in her words. He was also so surprised by his brother being used for labor that he could find no words and only laugh, and did not notice. Following this, he became excited by Haitang's other comment. Was she really going to pass on to him the Heart of Tianyi Dao?

And so he had not guessed the true message Haitang wanted to convey. However, he considered it again, and finally found a sense of unease as he pieced together the discovery of Xiao En's body, Ku He's discussion of him, and the riddle.

Particularly the comment: "The history of sister Qiao's child was wretched, and there was something interesting about it."

He furrowed his brows and read it again, and finally his gaze landed on the talk of the bright moon, the little temple, and the ridge. The appearance of this comment was very unexpected and did not seem to connect to the rest of the letter. This comment was about the most embarrassing moment of Fan Xian's life. After he had been given an aphrodisiac, he became frustrated and ran towards the outside of the temple while holding up his pants. At the time, the croaking of frogs was thunderous and the mud was wet.

This… should be what Haitang was telling him about.

"From behind the ridge to outside?"

Fan Xian furrowed his brows and suddenly inspiration flashed through his mind. He removed the useless phrases and only looked at the last line. For Fan Xian, this kind of character riddle was very easy. Running out from the fields was the "gu" character.

No—it was the "ye" character!

The "ye" from lianye, the "ye" from heye… the "ye" from Ye Qingmei!

Fan Xian's face was full of shock. The hand that gripped the letter shook slightly. Connecting together the clues in the letter, the talk of past histories, he immediately understood exactly what Haitang was trying to tell him.

Ku He knew he was a descendent of the Ye family!

He inhaled deeply and rubbed his somewhat stiff jaw. He forced himself to calm down, and to not let this sudden information disrupt his thoughts.

The meaning in Haitang's letter was very clear, and since she was secretly sending him the message, that meant that Ku He, who held the secret of his past, already had a plan to release this information. Only in this case would she rush to tell him so he could prepare for it.

Right now he did not have time to consider what kind of being this Great Grandmaster was to be able to determine his connection to the Ye family. The most important question in front of him was how to face the oncoming situation!

Based on time, after Northern Qi released the information that he was a descendent of the Ye family, the rumor would sprout wings and fly. It would only be a few days slower than the Overwatch Council report route. Within ten days at the latest, the streets and alleys of Jingdou would start to circulate this information. Everyone would open their big mouths behind his back and express their shock.

Logically speaking, no one would have any real evidence, and no one would be able to say with certainty that Fan Xian was a descendent of the Ye family. The most Northern Qi could do was spread some rumors. However, Fan Xian knew very well that rumors like this could cause massive damage. Once the news broke, people would purposely dig into the strange happenings that had occured after his arrival in the capital, and from there they would gradually believe this was the truth.

And this really was the truth.

The human heart was a strange and remarkable thing. Before anyone brought up the matter, people wouldn't connect Fan Xian to the Ye family. However, once someone started this line of thought, the seed of this suspicion would be planted in their hearts, gradually growing roots and sprouting, before eventually taking over everything. From then on, a rumor became a global truth that no one dared to acknowledge aloud.

And for those involved that year, for the people in the palace, for those whose interests conflicted with his… the matter of him being a descendent of the Ye family would make them suddenly feel like the clouds had cleared and the moon was shining with their realization. They could be ones who ended up believing this the most.

He just didn't know how his past would be used by the other party.

Fan Xian's lips were a little dry. He turned to the table behind him and swallowed a couple mouthfuls of tea. The water in the tea had been added by She Chanli and so it was a little hot. The heat made him shiver and after a pause he heavily threw the teapot and cursed.

With a crash, the porcelain teapot landed on the ground and smashed into pieces. Porcelain flew in all directions.

It wasn't that he hadn't thought his secretive past would one day be revealed by someone. Actually, in regards to the Ye half, he was full of eager anticipation. One day, he would declare in a loud voice in front of everyone that he was Ye Qingmei's son.

But, it shouldn't have been like this.

Before Fan Xian had time to mentally prepare himself or prepare any plans, this shocking news would spread all over Jingdou. From there it would bring him unforeseeable danger and powerful attacks. No one could know what would happen. Fan Xian hated this feeling of passivity, and was a little afraid of the situation completely leaving his control for the first time.

And that is why he felt helplessly angry.

His feet walked over the broken porcelain pieces and he approached the glass window with a wooden expression. Watching the cold snow and north wind, he was silent for a long time. After countless deep breaths, he finally calmed down and began preparing to face this sudden situation.

At this moment, the serving girls—who had heard the sound in his room—rushed over and were given a fright by the look on his face. They were too scared to enter the room to tidy up.

Fan Xian shook his head and waved the serving girls away with his hand. He picked up the stack of letters again and prepared to destroy them. Like usual, he closed his palms, thinking to crush the letters, but unexpectedly the letters were crushed into a ball and not destroyed.

He paused momentarily, and a bitter smile rose to his lips. Haitang's letter for him had shocked him so much he'd forgotten that his body was empty of zhenqi.

Going around the winding corridor, he came to the quietest room in the villa. Fan Xian did not knock on the door; he just pushed it open and entered. Although he had no zhenli, he had brute strength, and the doorpost broke with a crack.

Fei Jie raised his slightly-tired face from where he was carefully mixing a medicinal pill. He looked at his student and coughed. "…What happened? Why are you so panicked?"

Fan Xian looked at his teacher and said directly, "Sir, something big is going to happen."

Fei Jie was startled and wondered what had happened to make this strange creature panic. After Fan Xian told Fei Jie about the message Haitang had taken the risk to send, Fei Jie also immediately started to panic. He rubbed his medicine-powered hands, his messy hair flew wildly, and he didn't say anything for a moment.

Fan Xian watched this scene and couldn't help sighing quietly. He knew it had been a bad idea to come find his teacher at such an urgent moment. Although Fei Jie was in the realm of the Grandmasters when it came to killing people with poison, making quick and decisive decisions in the face of enemies was not his strong suit.

"I'll immediately head down the mountain."

"I'll immediately head down the mountain."

Student and teacher opened their mouths and spoke at the same time. Their eyes met, and they instantly understood the other's intention. Fei Jie narrowed his brown eyes; murder glinted in them. "I'll go to the Chen Garden; you go find the Minister. We'll go separate ways."

Yes, when the situation was this dire, teacher and student thought of the two old foxes in Jingdou at the same time. Fan Xian saluted with a headache. He turned around and ordered his subordinates to prepare a carriage.

As he was leaving, Fei Jie suddenly said, "Don't be afraid."

Fan Xian turned his head, stunned.

Fei Jie raised his voice, and said eerily with a not-quite-there smile, "Kid, don't be afraid. What happened dozens of years ago will not happen again. We can poison tens of thousands of people and then kill our way out of Jingdou, and who would be able to

stop us?"

Fan Xian felt a chill go up his spine and thought that his teacher really was looking out for him, heart and soul. Only, he was probably not as hard-hearted as him.

…

…

There wasn't time to notify the women in the villa, and Fan Xian only said goodbye to Sisi, who was embroidering, before he and Fei Jie were taking two different carriages down the snowy mountain roads. Going down Cang Mountain, the carriage wheels crushed countless pieces of ice and picked up threads of frozen mud.

The soldiers responsible for protection were split into two groups. Half of the Sixth Bureau swordsman followed the two men down the mountain, while Gao Da's Tiger Guards were carefully left by Fan Xian on the mountain.

At dusk, Fei Jie's carriage, under close protection, entered a manor on the outskirts of the capital that was even more elegant and extravagant than the imperial temporary palace.

"Mister Fei?" The old servant guarding the door saw that Sir Fei Jie's face was serious as he dismounted the carriage, and couldn't help feeling a little worried. He wasn't sure what had happened.

In just a little while, the garden was brightly lit. Fei Jie and Chen Pingping, who was in a wheelchair, left the garden with serious faces. They boarded the carriage under heavy guard.

"To the palace," Chen Pingping said coldly. After saying this, his face immediately softened and he said gently, "I wondered what the big deal was. Was it really necessary for both of you to panic like this?"

Fei Jie rubbed his hands and replied in shock, "If this isn't a big deal, then what is?"

Chen Pingping gently stroked the smooth armrests of his wheelchair and mocked, "You spend all your days with your medicines so you can be forgiven for not seeing things clearly. However, Fan Xian has disappointed me greatly. He only has to think slightly to see that this isn't a problem… never mind, he is a child. This matter has weighed on his heart for a long time. It is no surprise he's terrified now that someone has revealed it."

The carriage creaked its way towards Jingdou and they were soon rolling through the city gate. The city gate had not yet closed. Of course, even if it were closed, if the Director of the Overwatch Council wanted to enter the capital, even the Qin family, garrison of the gate, would not dare to bar his way.

Just as the carriage was about to arrive at the imperial palace, Chen Pingping opened his eyes from his rest, and said lightly, "This isn't a bad thing, it's a good thing."

Fei Jie shook his head. "It's out of my control. I'm going now to the Eighth Bureau to have them prepare."

From outside the palace gates came the sound of a key turning. Chen Pingping had the exclusive power to enter the palace at any time to discuss matters—a very special position. The old man leaned towards the familiar sound and said without expression, "When the news arrives in Jingdou, have them suppress it for two days. This kind of effort must be made for others to see. As for Fan Xian's past… it was always going to come to light someday. This time is the best time."

Inside the Fan Manor study, the Minister of Revenue of the Qing Kingdom was currently sucking on a winter cherry while watching Fan Xian before him. There was the trace of a mocking smile at the corner of his lips. "Finally I have seen you panic; usually I believe your heart is made of ice."

Fan Xian laughed bitterly, "Father, how can you make jokes at a time like this? What exactly are we going to do when the news reaches Jingdou?" He stared into his father's eyes and, after a beat of silence, added slowly, "Since this matter has been hidden from everyone for such a long time, there must be someone who doesn't want me to appear."

Fan Jian observed his son with a clear gaze, and said quietly, "But the truth is that you have appeared, and you have appeared in a beautiful way. Your connection with the Ye family could not be hidden forever. If I had to pick a moment for it to be revealed, I think right now… is the best time."

Chapter 322: Knowing The Mother Is Better Than Knowing The Father

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"The best time?" Fan Xian stared at his father with his mind full of fog. But for some reason, seeing his father so calm and collected, he felt himself relax and was not as anxious as he had been in the mountain. He laughed at himself, and tossed aside the crutch from under his arm before sitting down on a chair.

"Be careful of your injury." Fan Jian shook his head disapprovingly.

Fan Xian smiled, and gently rubbed his chest. There was a faint pain inside, but with the care of Sir Fei, it was almost all better.

"Tell me, what exactly are you afraid of?" Fan Jian gently stroked his long, flowing beard. The generally-serious Minister, at this moment, seemed to be have the ease of a man with a plan.

Fan Xian paused and furrowed his brow in thought for a long time. He then realized that he had indeed been overly panicked—what exactly was he afraid of?

He organized his lurking worries in his mind and sincerely replied, "Once this news spreads out, naturally, the discussions of the people will be abnormally turbulent. Once the palace knows of my past, who knows how they will deal with it?"

"How they'll deal with it?" Fan Jian laughed coldly. "Do you think that up until now, no one in the palace knew of your past?"

Fan Xian was silent for a while; he knew his father was right. The Emperor would know better than anyone he was a descendent of the Ye family. As for the empress dowager… seeing her attitude at the Winter Solstice lamb feast, he guessed she probably already knew. The mother and son were just keeping it from the rest of the world.

"They wanted to hide it from the world, but now they can't hide it anymore. The development of things will always change," Fan Xian said calmly. "Furthermore, if the empress finds out I am a descendent of the Ye family, what will she think? According to what you have said, the Ye family and her have an immovable hatred between them."

Fan Jian shook his head and said coolly, "You don't need to worry about the empress.

That woman is the weakest empress in history. What you need to consider is whether or not the Crown Prince will be persuaded by her to act against you."

The power of the empress's family had, long ago, decades ago, been completely cleaned out by the Qing Emperor on the night Jingdou's streets ran red with blood. The usually-modest Fan Jian had played an important role, so he knew better than anyone that the empress would not be able to make much trouble.

"The Crown Prince." A small smile floated to the corner of his lips. "He is an intelligent man. Given your current position and power, he only hopes you will maintain the balance. He won't actively pull you out because of what happened that year."

Fan Xian slightly lowered his head, and said three words after a moment: "The Eldest Princess?"

Everyone knew that the Ye family's fortune had been seized by the Qing royal family and was the current palace treasury. Back then, in order to forcefully collect from the world's greatest merchant family, the excuse they had used was one of the terrifying ones: rebellion. Now that there was suddenly a legendary orphan of the Ye family, should the crime from that time be investigated?

Even if there were no investigation, in the eyes of many people, the Ye family was one that the royal family would have to remove from the root. This was the rule in history, and no one could hide from it.

Once the news that Fan Xian was a descendent of the Ye family spread out, the Eldest Princess would certainly make much of this matter to force the palace into reacting the same way. If the matter of seizing the Ye family fortune was considered the royal family's usual way of doing things, Fan Xian could count himself lucky not being assassinated—never mind achieving meteoric success in his career.

Of course, the other half of Fan Xian's past was also very extraordinary, so he didn't have to worry about the mother and son pair in the palace trying to kill him. In fact, the other party would not even consider him someone to guard against. But what annoyed him was that no one knew about this matter!

If the mother and son in the palace wanted to hide it forever, then they could only treat Fan Xian purely as a descendent of the Ye family. Under the pressure of public opinion, they would have Fan Xian let go of the palace treasury… and even the Overwatch Council. However, for Fan Xian—who had already made countless enemies—losing the power in his hands would be very dangerous.

"The Eldest Princess?" Fan Jian replied without any expression on his face. "If she's clever enough, she will just observe this time without interfering."

"Why?"

"Because of the Emperor's wishes."

Fan Xian sank deep into thought and gradually understood what his father meant. Although he didn't know what plans the Emperor would make in the future, at least for now he wasn't planning to lift the veil on this issue. After knowing this matter, he expected that the Emperor would react much like himself: first with shock, then with a thread of anger and wildness.

The Emperor and Fan Xian were both people who liked to have everything in their control and hated to have these things, which were out of their control, happen. And so the Emperor would certainly be very angry and his first thought would be to find out who had revealed the secret. If the Eldest Princess chose this moment to attack Fan Xian with this, the Emperor would do his best to protect Fan Xian, and his suspicions towards the Eldest Princess's distancing would deepen.

"Right now you are the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council," Fan Jian said quietly, "and after half a year of work you now hold sufficient power in your hands. From Danzhou to Jingdou, whether it is myself or Director Chen, everything we do is to help you stabilize the foundation beneath your feet… now that you are a heavy stone, why would you be afraid of a light breeze? Don't worry—those winds can no longer move you."

Fan Xian remained silent, with other worries in his heart.

"Of course, there are heaven-sent winds in this world," Fan Xian mocked. "What you are afraid of is just the attitude of the palace. But the empress dowager and the Emperor are both aware of this matter—at most, they will take into consideration public opinion and give you the cold shoulder for a couple of days. How this matter will develop will depend on the Emperor's attitude."

Finally, this old veteran schemer, the Minister of Revenue, said, "With the incidence of the Hanging Temple, the Emperor believes in your loyalty and of course will be biased towards you… right now you are not yet recovered so the Emperor will remember what you did. For your past to be revealed now, the Emperor will do his best to consider you—no matter the interests of the royal family, or the pressure of the empress, the Crown Prince, or even the Eldest Princess and dowager empress…

"Exchanged for you protecting the Emperor from that strike, the two will cancel out," Fan Jian smiled coldly. "So that is why I say this is the best time. I don't need to tell you this, and you will understand these things in court. Perhaps in a few years, the Emperor will no longer think fondly of your rescue—then it would be difficult for you to use it to balance out your identity. Your past could only be revealed within these few days, not earlier… and not later."

The best time.

Fan Xian savored the chilling truth of these words and a bitter smile rose to his face. "I am just worried that this will bring trouble to the family."

The Fan family took in the orphan of the Ye family? Although this was arranged by the Emperor, once things got out of hand, the Emperor would certainly deny it. Only the Fan Manor would be implicated.

Fan Jian slowly closed his eyes and hid the smile at the corner of his lips. "Silly child," he said slowly, "if you won't move, why would I move? If the court moves to act against me, doesn't that prove you are the descendent of the Ye family?"

Fan Xian opened his eyes wide and said a moment later, "You mean, no matter what is said outside, we will deny everything?"

"Of course," Fan Jian smiled and said, "who has evidence?"

Fan Xian sighed, "Such a pity, I had thought that since it wouldn't have an impact, I could use this opportunity—"

"Use this opportunity to overturn the Ye family case?" Fan Jian burst into laughter. "No wonder you were so nervous earlier: you had big plans. Child, why does the case need to be overturned in public? The Emperor already overturned the case for the Ye family decades ago. Right now, this is just the left-over ripples."

Fan Xian shook his head and spoke in a lowered voice, "The Ye family matter did not actually scare me, only…" He was going to say that he was worried this matter would be used by the Eldest Princess and those who sought to harm him to discover the royal blood in him. But just as the words were about to pass his lips, he suddenly realized what he was about to say and stopped.

Fan Xian and his father had never openly discussed his connection to the Emperor. Father and son had always knowingly avoided making clear the matter, to do their best to maintain the current harmonious scene.

Fan Jian understood what his son wanted to say and sank into silence. He sighed after a long time. "That matter… you should hide it in your heart. As to whether or not other people guess it, what does it matter? I… I will clearly say, Director Chen has probably been waiting eagerly for this to happen. Once the rumors reach Jingdou, he will certainly use the power he holds to suppress them, and so confirm the truth of these rumors. And then he will wait for the world to gradually guess your past, to have the people get used to… the rumors of your past."

Fan Xian was silent. He knew that his father's projection was very logical. The old cripple's actions were not difficult to understand. Only by forcefully restricting the rumors would the people of the Qing Kingdom believe them. This was a very clever tactic. As for the fact that he was an illegitimate child of the Emperor…

Fan Xian suddenly felt very tired. "What, exactly, does Chen Pingping want to do?" he asked his father listlessly.

"I'm not sure," This Minister, who had never shown remarkable ability or wisdom, slowly said. "You should know that Director Chen and I always think differently. I have disagreed with him for many years about you. And I am not in the habit of trusting him. What is extraordinary is that he seems to similarly not trust me. Yet, on the contrary, he and I both trust you."

He glanced at his son and laughed at himself. "In the end, it seems that he has won and has successfully dragged you into this mess." He continued lightly, "I even wonder if he orchestrated this whole thing. Otherwise, how could Northern Qi possible know that your mother was Lady Ye? Of course, you don't need to worry much right now. I trust that Director Chen is already entering the palace to plot for you the beginning and the end of this matter."

Father and son sank into silence. After a long time, Fan Xian suddenly said out of the blue, "Sorry, father."

A very illogical apology; he didn't even know what it was for. Was he apologizing for the decisions he had made so he could take over the Overwatch Council and so was forced into this battle for power, rather than choosing to live a quiet life like his father? Or was he apologizing for his strange past which had brought unknown dangers to the Fan family? Or was he apologizing most sincerely on behalf of his mother to his "father?"

Or was it… sorry, sorry, I really want to be your true son, but my mother didn't give me this opportunity?

…

…

Minister Shang wondered if Chen Pingping was using the heavy injury Fan Xian sustained when protecting the Emperor as the perfect opportunity to reveal his identity as a descendent of the Ye family. At the same time, in the depths of the palace, Chen Pingping couldn't stop wondering who had suddenly brought this mess to light.

As political creatures, the two old foxes didn't care much about nominal things. They only wished for Fan Xian to be happy and to hold power. They didn't believe that Fan Xian had to return properly to the Ye family.

"The only people who knew of this matter were me, Fan Jian, Countess Fan, the Emperor, and Fei Jie." Chen Pingping sat in his wheelchair and his dry, sharp voice rang through the royal study, "Your Majesty said before that the empress dowager had only realized the truth after the spring examinations. That is only a total of six people. I don't think that any of these six would have revealed the information."

The Emperor slowed turned around and his usually-calm gaze was burning with rage today, as sharp as an eagle's. Biting off each word, he asked, "None of them could have revealed it? Then how does the man in Northern Qi know about it!"

After the spring examinations, Fan Xian's identity as the Commissioner of Overwatch Council was revealed and from there he became one of the most glamorous figures in the Qing Kingdom, especially because he was about to take control of the palace treasury. This kind of power and influence was a bit overwhelming. A normal person could not guess, but the empress dowager, deep in the palace, long experienced in state matters and used to seeing the dark and dirty parts, had a very keen political sense. Under her intense questioning, the Emperor finally admitted to his mother that Fan Xian was his illegitimate son.

After the empress dowager recovered from her shock, she finally accepted this matter. After all, no matter how much she hated that "beautiful woman" back then, she always had a degree of tolerance for those of the royal bloodline.

"Perhaps, perhaps Northern Qi guessed it?" Chen Pingping said to himself in a quiet voice, and did not realize that he had guessed the answer closest to the truth.

The Emperor smiled coldly. "What kind of figure is Ku He? Would the Imperial Advisor of Northern Qi come to a conclusion based only on guesswork?"

Chen Pingping was silent for a long time before he opened his mouth to say, "The Eldest Princess, she is the most suspicious."

If Fan Xian were eavesdropping at this time, he would have certainly cheered! What was this? This was the legendary coincidence without work, loudness without noise!

The empress dowager knew that Fan Xian was the descendant of the Ye family, and the Eldest Princess was the empress dowager's most treasured daughter. She had once turned her hand and sold Yan Bingyun to Northern Qi, and had also had private contact with Mo Zhuanghan, the Northern Qi poet. She had private communications with the empress dowager of Northern Qi, and who knew how much money she saved the Northern Qi Emperor and his people with her smuggling. She… she… she… Because of the transferring of the palace treasury, she hated Fan Xian with every bone in her body, and had even started to send assassins after him—only, she had yet to succeed.

These were all facts the Emperor was very aware of. It only took a close analysis to discover that the Eldest Princess had the biggest chance of knowing about this, had the best connection to use Northern Qi to expose this, and, most importantly, had the strongest motive.

Chen Pingping's previous comments had been well thought out. If he had spoken generally and hinted that there was someone in the palace who had a good relationship with Norther Qi, and lead the Emperor to thinking of his sister in distant Xinyang—and dared not to be so bold as to point his finger and name the Eldest Princess—the Emperor would be certain to question his motives.

Rather, if he directly and brazenly named the Eldest Princess and pointed out that she was the most suspicious, it was the behavior of a loyal minister. A minister who only cared about whether or not his opinions would be of use to the Emperor, rather than worrying about whether or not it would cause the Emperor to suspect him—this kind of behavior was very favorably received by the perceptive Emperor.

The Emperor sank into silence, and the color of his face was not good. Only after a moment of silence did he say, "It seems that…Yunrui does not know that Fan-that An Zhi is of my blood."

If the empress dowager had told the Eldest Princess this, she would certainly not have revealed Fan Xian's past. That would not be targeting Fan Xian, that would be targeting the Emperor.

Chen Pingping slightly moved his head. He knew from the Emperor's words that he already believed the Eldest Princess was the source of this rumor.

After a moment, the Emperor said icily, "Let's wait and see if Yunrui will send a letter."

Fan Xian was a descendent of the Ye family. If the Eldest Princess wrote to the palace and used this opportunity to persuade the Emperor to be wary of this, or to directly urge the Emperor to kill Fan Xian, and destroy the Fan family, then the Emperor would have to reevaluate his relationship with his sister.

"What do we do now?" Chen Pingping coughed a few times. His white hair had not been tightly secured, and as he had rushed into the palace, it had become a little disheveled. It made him seem older.

The Emperor glanced at him, then suddenly smiled bitterly and sighed, "I have had an impressive life. I didn't leave my strengths in my prime, yet I have become a truly isolated person. Other than you and brother Jian, I cannot find another person I trust."

Chen Pingping was a little surprised and was about to say something when the Emperor sighed and waved his hand. "Do you remember what reason the empress dowager gave for forcefully seizing the Ye family that year?"

"Rebellion."

"Hm." The Emperor's face was expressionless as he said, "Back then, both of you agreed to this suggestion. After all, the things Lady Ye left behind could not be left to disorder or let go. After she left, only the royal family had the power to absorb it and ensure that the legacy left by the Ye family would continue to run."

"That's true," Chen Pingping replied calmly. "My thought back then was that since she had already gone, it didn't matter what crime we pinned on her—she wouldn't care. I didn't think that it would be such a thorny problem after 17 years."

The Emperor spoke icily, "Why does it need to be thorny? I gave the edict, and I will redress the issue. Who would dare to question it?"

"You cannot." Chen Pingping's firm reply seemed out the Emperor's expectations. "Your Majesty feels pity towards that child, but you cannot do this… after all, you must take into consideration the feelings of the elderly." The old cripple's heart was like a clear mirror. Although the Emperor's suggestion had no name, it was the last test.

The Emperor knew he was speaking of the empress dowager. He thought for a while and then nodded. "It seems you already have a plan."

Chen Pingping smiled bitterly and replied, "The incident happened suddenly and Your Majesty has yet to write an imperial edict, so I have not prepared a plan." The meaning behind his words was clear. The Emperor had always planned to hide Fan Xian's past, and so the Bureau had never thought about it.

He changed the topic and continued, "But no harm done. If a letter comes from Xinyang, then I hope Your Majesty will scold severely. Then if Your Majesty has a talk with the Princes, and tells Fan Xian to deny everything, even if the officials suspect anything, I don't think anyone would dare to submit a petition without actual evidence."

"It will be impossible for things not to be awkward for An Zhi—how will he conduct himself in court?"

"When the year changes, he will go to the distant Jiangnan on business, and will conveniently miss this upheaval." Chen Pingping smiled and said in a thin voice, "You Majesty, although this matter is a bit troublesome, right now is not a bad time for it be revealed. Let Fan Xian leave Jingdou, and drag it out for two years. This matter will fade."

"Will it fade?" The Emperor narrowed his eyes and asked.

"When Si Lili was on the Liujing River, people said that she was some Prince's descendent. The rumors went back and forth, and other than increasing the business of that pleasure boat, there were no other problems. As to Fan Xian's past…" Chen Pingping sighed, "Let it be another little harmless piece of news."

The Emperor was silent for a long time and huffed through his nose.

"The newspapers can use this matter as a decorative border," Chen Pingping continued.

The Emperor smiled.

"As long as we prevent that thing." Chen Pingping glanced at the Emperor, his voice carried a trace of sadness.

"I will have Mother talk to the empress." The Emperor nodded and sighed. "Unable to give him a title, I already owe this son."

…

…

Half a month later, a message began to spread through the streets and alleys of Jingdou. The message said: the man currently popular at court, Sir Fan junior, the Commissioner of Overwatch Council, was a descendent of the old Ye family!

After the Ye family had been taken care of because of their rebellion, 20 years had passed and no one thought there were any descendants. He was also the man the people of Jingdou delighted in talking about, Sir Fan junior. This rumour shocked the people of Jingdou, and then delighted them. They eagerly passed this piece of gossip on, and within two days, everyone in Jingdou knew of this rumor.

If the rumors were true, then Fan Manor, which had been harboring a criminal of the court, was going to fall on hard times. The officials in court that had been terribly offended by Fan Xian were happily scheming their attacks. Of course, before the palace made their position known, these officials would not dare to strike of their own accord. After all, it was only a rumor, and there was no proof.

The people and officials of Jingdou began to feel suspicious as they connected how Fan Xian was willing to relinquish his reputation in order enter the Overwatch Council, and how he was going to take over the palace treasury, which stank of bronze. These people began to believe this rumor was the truth.

Unexpectedly, the palace maintained their silence. It was as though they hadn't heard of this matter. The Overwatch Council, however, had begun to act. Facing the danger of being cursed for three generations by the imperial censor, the Eighth Bureau began to arrest those in restaurants and tea houses who dared to spread the gossip.

One afternoon, in Yishi Tavern, the guests in the tavern stared at each other in shock. They were all people of some status, yet they did not expect that the official of the Eighth Bureau would be so unreasonable as to take away the two previously spluttering literati.

From the reaction of the Overwatch Council, people believed all the more that Commissioner Fan… really was connected to the old Ye family!

Inside the Overwatch Council, Chen Pingping sat with a sheepskin rug over his legs. He lifted one corner of the black curtain and looked at the quiet and fearful people walking by. The trace of a strange smile rose to his lips

"They know who your mother is, but not who your father is. What is there to be afraid of?"

Chapter 323: The Qing People's Collective Memory Of The Ye Family

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

After the officials from the Eighth Bureau of the Overwatch Council took away the two literati, the Yishi Tavern quieted down a lot; but alcohol was liquid courage, and soon they were all chatting merrily away again. All of the discussions were about the rumors of Commissioner Fan's past.

"The Ye family was charged with rebellion. After the mysterious mistress died, all of their fortune was seized by the palace treasury."

A man said worriedly, "If Sir Fan junior really is the orphan of that mistress… I think there will be trouble."

"Rebellion? Then why are the masters of Qingyu Hall still white and fat?" A literati with extremely thick eyebrows mocked, "I think the court took advantage of when the orphan was motherless to forcefully seize their fortune. But now that the Ye family suddenly has an heir, I think the court is going to panic."

"What's there to panic about?"

"Doesn't the Emperor want Commissioner Fan to manage the palace treasury? This treasury originally belonged to his family. How is he going to manage it?"

"The palace treasury?" another sneered coldly. "I think Commissioner Fan is more likely to find misfortune soon."

The tavern owner wiped away his cold sweat and slid over. "Sirs, can you please keep your voices down? If the officers at the Overwatch Council hear, how will I run my business?"

The owner of the Yishi Tavern very rarely ventured out to see guests. Today, however, he had come upstairs. The few familiar guests all rose to greet him, and the owner gave his attention all around while also paying close attention to all the post-drinking conversations.

Yishi Tavern was owned by the Cui family. The Cui family had recently been on the verge of collapse when they suddenly heard rumors of their biggest enemy's, Commissioner Fan's… past. The people of the Cui family couldn't help but celebrate in secret, and watched with eager eyes the development of this matter.

The young man who had previous said the court had forcefully seized the Ye family fortune was indeed getting his courage from alcohol. He laughed and said, "What are you so scared of? Can the Overwatch Council really block all the gossiping mouths in the world? Even if they dared, the Emperor would not allow it. Did you see those that were captured by the Overwatch Council yesterday? Weren't they all released perfectly fine today? It's only a few casual words, not enough to break the Qing law."

These words were not entirely correct. After all, he was not an official, and this was in a tavern in broad daylight—no one dared to say what they truly thought. In these people's hearts, they all thought that once the court heard about Fan Xian's past, first they would take his positions away, second… they were afraid the court would take his life.

The man beside him remained worried-looking. "Commissioner Fan is in difficult straits now. If he really is a… descendent of the Ye family, I suspect his career will not go any further.

"What will happen to Fan Manor?" The man continued, sighing. "Minister Fan has been managing the treasury all these years, and is a famous, competent official. Will his family be destroyed because of a passing responsibility all those years ago?"

After the rumor entered the capital, other than guessing at Fan Xian's past, the topic that most delighted the people of Jingdou was the Minister of Revenue, Fan Jian. How had he managed to trick that mysterious mistress of the Ye family? And how did he convince her to secretly have his child? Everyone knew that Minister Shang was once a master of romance on the Liujing River, yet they did not imagine him capable of attracting the mistress of the best business in the world.

However, in the process of the rumor spreading, those daughters of wealthy and middle-class families developed a completely different feeling for Minister Fan. The Ye family had been convicted of the great crime of rebellion. Back then, Fan Jian had been just a lowly official, yet he had been able to preserve the life of the child he'd had with that woman. He had even been able to hide this from the people of the palace, and braved unspeakable dangers to raise him for so many years.

This part of the story was enough to start a new one: it had the potential of a great love story.

It was not until today that people finally understood why Fan Jian had Fan Xian stay in Danzhou for 16 years, and would not let him enter the capital.

Seeing the panic of the Eighth Bureau of the Overwatch Council, people knew that this rumor had a high chance of being true. Only, the Emperor was on the throne, and Commissioner Fan was, in the end, not Chen Pingping. He was unable to block out the sky with one hand, and did not dare to invite everyone who liked to gossip to have tea in the Eighth Bureau. In the end, he could only stare open-mouthed as the matter slowly expanded.

For example, the people captured yesterday were released today. This was clear proof.

And so, people no longer resented the young Commissioner Fan for doing such a taboo thing as stifling the voice of the people. Rather, they felt a thread of sympathy for this young official whose future was uncertain, and whose "life hung in the balance." After all, Fan Xian had gained a good reputation in the Qing Kingdom over the last two years, both inside and outside the city. He had also won a lot of face for the court. Every time they thought of how he'd fallen into misfortune, the people held biases in their hearts. Particularly after remembering his mother, who seemed to have also disappeared without a trace because of a groundless rebellion case.

"Ye Family? Which Ye family?"

At this moment in the tavern, a young man suddenly called this out ignorantly. He had been listening for a while, yet could not understand the history of the Ye family connected to Sir Fan junior. After all, the events of that year had happened a long time ago. Time was like water, and many people in the Qing Kingdom had almost forgotten that sparkling name.

"You don't know the Ye family?" Some of the older people began to laugh scornfully. As expected, it was a kid whose beard had yet to grow in fully. They all felt they needed to give him a lesson.

"The Ye family were once the greatest merchants in the world," a middle aged man said with his thoughts wandering away. "The family that made glass and sold it like silver. That Ye family."

Someone objected and thought this point didn't describe them clearly. "The Ye family, the one that made soap and perfume. That Ye family. Ah, they stopped making perfume long ago. I guess you've never smelled any."

"It's the Ye family that made liquor."

Someone else added, "It's that family that provided the court with the majority of their armaments. That Ye family."

"Do you know the palace treasury? Do you know where all the money our Qing court spends every year comes from?" the middle-aged man mocked. "It is the treasury that earns its wealth from Northern Qi, Dongyi, and even from overseas. And what is the palace treasury? It's nothing other than Ye family business!"

The young man who raised the question could only stare dumbfounded; he opened his mouth wide. "My god, that's incredible."

That literati who was the bravest, who had directly accused the court of underhandedly taking the Ye family fortune, shook his head with a cold smile. "If the Ye family were only merchants, how could they have expanded to such an extent back then? If she were only a merchant, then why would she be… destroyed?"

The middle aged man was curious. "Oh, perhaps Xiongtai knows of something?"

"The Ye family…" the literati rolled his head and sighed. "It's said that they're deeply connected to the Overwatch Council. I heard that at the inception of the Overwatch Council, all of the income was provided by the Ye family. Of course, these are just rumors."

The middle aged man was silent for a while, when a flash of inspiration suddenly struck him. He said to those around him, "Everyone, do you remember that stone tablet outside of the yard of the Overwatch Council?"

Everyone nodded, and suddenly their faces changed color. They had thought of something, and they all began to exclaim, "Is that to say that passage… that one called 'Ye Qingmei,' was the mistress of the Ye family!"

The face of the literati had also changed a little, he sighed, "No wonder, no wonder… no wonder Sir Fan junior relinquished his reputation and entered the Overwatch Council to work for them in spite of the stain on himself. I think he knew very clearly. Alas…" he spoke in shock. "When Sir Fan junior was first installed as the commissioner of the Overwatch Council, I thought this matter was a bit strange. Could it be that Director Chen knew much earlier…?"

Before he had finished speaking, the middle aged man urgently picked up a cup of wine and shoved it to his mouth, to block the next words. After the literati paused, he also felt an echoing fear.

The Qing Kingdom had pure and straightforward folk customs; the people were not that afraid of the officials, and were not that afraid of Sir Fan junior. Otherwise, how else would they dare to sit in a tavern and gossip about him? It was only that old man in a wheelchair that everyone was terrified of, and did not dare to talk much about.

Finally, the tavern truly quieted down, and everyone began to drink and eat. After an indeterminable amount of time, a sudden sound of delighted surprise came from the corner.

Everyone turned their heads to see the young man who didn't know of the glorious history of the Ye family stand up. He was incomparably excited and was waving his hands and dancing around. "I remember the Ye family now, I remember. The Ye family that made the double-bang firecracker!"

Everyone laughed and then turned away.

In reality, for most of the people of the Qing Kingdom, the Ye family was just one name among many. No one had purposely tried to keep them in their memory. Even among the people of the Yishi Tavern who talked about them with assurance would have been hard pressed to remember, just days ago, the many changes the Ye family had brought to the Qing Kingdom. It was only after the rumors of Commissioner Fan being a descendant of the Ye family had spread into the capital, and many people began discussing it, that their long-slumbering memories awoke. It was only then that they began to recall that the Qing Kingdom after the appearance of the Ye family seemed very, very different to the Qing Kingdom before their appearance.

Perhaps it was just some lady in her manor remembering the smell of perfume, or the soldier at the city gates remembering the miraculous workings of soap, or it was a soldier who stared dumbfounded at the bow and arrow in his hands. Perhaps it was a merchant in the north in Shangjing who used silk to carefully clean his glass horse, or it was a poet who was happily drunk, or it was that old man in the yard of the Overwatch Council who lifted the black curtains to stare at the world. Perhaps it was only the young man who remembered the first firecracker of his childhood.

All in all, because of the rumors about Fan Xian's past, people began to, for one reason or another, remembering the Ye family.

…

…

Fan Xian walked out of the door and welcomed the rare warmth of a winter's sun. He stretched and a refreshing smile appeared on his face. Because of this matter, it was not convenient for him to return to Cang Mountain. Following his father's orders, everyone in the Fan Manor pretended nothing had happened, and indifferently watched everything, welcoming the secret whispers from all sides.

Deng Zi Yue approached and handed him today's reports from the Council, as well as the intelligence report of Qinian's group. Fan Xian read them by the sun's light and asked, "Regarding that rumor, have any of the officials in the capital made any moves?"

Deng Zi Yue stole a glance at the Commissioner's imperturbable face and felt great admiration in his heart. After this huge event had happened, he was still able to stay so calm. Was he not afraid the palace would immediately send people to arrest him? He didn't know of Fan Xian's panic in Cang Mountain, and couldn't help but put him on a pedestal.

When they first heard the rumor, Deng Zi Yue and all the officials in the Overwatch Council were shocked and in a state of disbelief, much like the common people. However, after some thought, many people realized that although this rumor had no proof, it explained many of Commissioner Fan's actions after he'd entered the capital. The evidence made the rumor very easy to believe. If he weren't a descendant of the Ye family, why did the Director treat him so tenderly? If he weren't a descendant of the Ye family, why would Minister Shang work so hard for his son to take control of the palace treasury?

Deng Zi Yue was woken from his daze by the glare of the sun. "No major moves." After an apology he said, "The message to each manor is very clear. The Imperial Censorate are secretly communicating with them. However, last time they suffered a big loss, so they seem much more cautious this time. Rather, there are officials in a few other departments who are ready to make trouble. However, rumors are just rumors and there is no true evidence. They don't dare to write petitions, and so everything they do is in secret."

Fan Xian asked, "The eastern palace?"

Deng Zi Yue shook his head. "The officials who are close to the eastern palace are just watching, but…yesterday, some of the officials' wives entered the palace to greet the empress. After they returned home, those officials met in secret as well. As to what they said, no one knows."

"The empress?" Fan Xian furrowed his brows and sighed, thinking, I haven't even had time to make trouble for you, are you going to come knocking on my door instead? The empress would naturally fly into a rage, but what was she thinking?

It was not until today that he realized of the power he had on hand. Other than the uncle Wu Zhu trump card, the others were not assured. Given this current situation, even if he was able to get through this peacefully by depending on the Emperor's trust in himself, and the scheming of his father and Chen Pingping, what about the future? The situation should always be completely controlled in one's own hand for complete assurance.

…

…

Inside Hanguang Hall of the Royal Palace, the empress was kneeling beside the bed of the empress dowager with tears streaming down her face. Her hand held that of the old woman's and she said, desolately and miserably, "Aunt, you have to help me."

The empress dowager signed and asked, "How can I help you?"

The empress gritted her teeth and said, "Usually when I see Fan Xian, I have always felt a little frightened, and now I know why. It turns out he is son of that witch! The Emperor… the Emperor's heart is so cruel, to have hidden this from me for so long. Unbelievably, that witch still has descendants!"

The empress dowager stroked the empress's dishevelled hair and comforted her, "These things happened so long ago, why still hold on to them? You've seen the young man, the Emperor will never claim him. You struggle and fight, but what will that get you?"

At this moment, there was absolute silence inside the Hanguang Hall. Other than Eunuch Hong who stood half-asleep on guard, outside the door, all the other eunuchs and serving girls were as far away from this palace as possible.

"Let go?" Tears rolled down the empress's face, and the wrinkles beside her eyes could be seen. "Aunt, have you forgotten my father? Even though the Emperor refuses to say it, that was your brother. And who can't guess the reason? Doesn't the Emperor continue to hate him because he killed that witch back then?"

Hearing the empress say this, the empress dowager's face immediately became serious and she forced herself to sit up. "Shut up!" she said severely. "In this palace you should call me mother, not aunt! How dare you talk about what happened that year. I don't know what you were jealous of to have your father go do something like that. To kill the whole family… the Emperor only told me of this months ago. If Fan Jian's family had not acted quickly and sacrificed dozens of lives, you wouldn't have just killed that woman, you would have… killed Fan Xian too!"

The empress dowager moved her face close to the empress's and said in a voice cold beyond compare, "Don't forget. Although Fan Xian is the son of that woman, the blood in his bones is that of the Emperor's! No matter where he is, he is always of our flesh and blood. If you want to kill him, you have to at least ask what I think."

The empress felt a shiver run down her spine and felt an overwhelming fear. She stared dumbly at the empress dowager's stern and righteous face and thought, The raid that year on the Taiping Courtyard, didn't you agree to it? How come you won't own up to it now?

Seeming to have guessed the empress's thoughts, the empress dowager's expression cleared a bit and she said lightly, "Somethings that cannot be said should not be said. Better to take it to the grave."

The empress's gaze was filled with rage. She stared at the empress dowager without speaking and said without courtesy, "So… the formidable empress dowager is afraid of her son."

The empress dowager's cold gaze bored into the empress' face, and she said clearly, "It's not fear, it is love. I do not want to see the Emperor go through the same pain as that year, and I also do not want Jingdou to once again run red with blood… those of the royal blood are already few. Many of the royal and aristocratic families have been decimated. We cannot stand to have history repeat itself."

The empress sat dumbfounded for a moment before suddenly bursting into crazed laughter, "Cannot stand it? Are we going to let my poor father, your poor brother, die like that in vain? Fan Xian is the son of the Ye witch… yet the court will not make a statement? And just let the officials talk? What is the Ye family? The crime of the Ye family is rebellion… are you not afraid the royal family would completely lose their face?"

The empress dowager replied soothingly, "You're tired, go rest. As for Fan Xian… who says he is the son of the Ye girl? I don't believe it. As for the foolish people of this world, they can say what they like."

The empress finally lost all hope. The hands in her hundred phoenix sleeve clutched tightly at her handkerchief. She forced herself up to salute the empress dowager before turning to walk towards the exit of the Hanguang Hall.

As she was about to reach the doors of the palace, the empress dowager's cold voice rang out, "I heard that some official's wives often visit your palace? It almost the new year, things are going to be busy in the palace. You are the head of the Six Palaces, and the mother of the nation. Don't always worry about matters beyond the palace… that's all, you may go."

The empress turned and saluted again. The trace of a cold smile hovered around her lips, and she left.

"Go watch her. Her attitude has become very strange these past few years." The empress dowager sat on the bed, and barely managed to push back the silver strands of her hair with a shaking hand. She gave the order to Eunuch Hong before her. "Don't let this thing bother the Emperor."

Eunuch Hong replied with a "Yes" before leaving the Hanguang Hall like a ghost. The palace door squeaked, and the eunuchs and serving girls who received their orders all entered quickly to serve the empress dowager.

A serving girl moved her hand holding the comb slowly and carefully over a patch of silver hair.

The empress dowager suddenly gave a cold sneer and slammed her hand against the table. The serving girl combing her hair was startled by this sound and pulled out a few silver hairs. She saw the hairs on the comb and was scared soulless. Without thinking, she knelt and kowtowed repeatedly, not daring to say anything.

"You may get up." The empress dowager closed her eyes and said, "I am not one of those unreasonable old monsters."

She forced down the rage in her heart, but was unable to find peace for a long time. The Emperor had asked her to suppress the queen because after the night Jingdou ran red with blood most of the connected people had died. Only the empress knew the true relationship between Lady Ye and the Emperor back then, and only the empress knew the truth about Fan Xian's past. If it was left to the empress, who knew what those Princes would do after they had recovered from their shock.

Thinking of the Ye family, the empress dowager's temples began to thud, a streak of pain began to radiate out—the empress dowager had always believed the Ye woman a curse that would haunt the Qing royal family for countless years. Unexpectedly, she was right in thinking this. She had left the Emperor a child!

The empress dowager had the power to deal with this matter. Otherwise, the Ye family would not have been completely destroyed back then. The events of that year left the old woman with a sufficiently vile impression; when she heard the truth from the Emperor's mouth, and thought about how Fan Xian's mother was named Ye, a red-hot pain burst open in her head. And so, each time Fan Xian entered the palace, she avoided him, because she was not sure she could act in the kind and humane way an empress dowager was meant to act.

On the topic of how to deal with Fan Xian, her thoughts were vastly different from those of the empress's. For the empress, Fan Xian was first and foremost the son of an enemy, the Ye woman. However, in the empress dowager's eyes, even if the Ye woman had committed many wrongs, many crimes, and had been treacherous to the court… her son was, after all, the flesh and blood of the royal family. He was her true grandson.

…

…

Deep in the night, after making sure that Eunuch Hong had returned to the little room outside the Hanguang Hall, the white-faced empress bit her lip and gestured with her eyes at her personal serving girl. In just a moment, the person who had recently been very calm, and had done nothing wrong, appeared: the Crown Prince. He saluted the empress.

The empress's words could not be heard, only that her lowered voice was becoming more and more urgent, yet the Crown Prince kept shaking his head.

Mother and son faced each other without words. After a moment, the Crown Prince quietly comforted her, "Mother, even if Fan Xian is the descendant of the Ye family, what of it? He is only a merchant."

"Merchant?" The empress laughed coldly. "Do you think that woman is a normal merchant? She's a cursed star!"

The empress stared at the Crown Prince and said in a cold voice, "Fan Xian, is your father's son."