400-403

Chapter 400: Hua Garden's Brainstorm

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

In front of a valley about 20 li from Suzhou, was an unremarkable manor peacefully waiting for the dusk to fall.

With the fall of dusk, night also arrived. Four hundred Black Knight steeds, with muffled bits and cloth-wrapped hooves, silently surrounded the manor like a nighttime god of death.

Then came a bloody massacre. The Black Knights outside the manor fired in flaming arrows, while the people on the inside also lit fires. The fire-beacon lit up and lives were snuffed out. The manor was completely destroyed.

…

…

The Black Knights were the Fifth Bureau of the Overwatch Council. It was the department with the strongest martial ability but did not have someone in the yamen. They were always outside Jingdou waiting for Chen Pingping's directions, until the Overwatch Council gained a young commissioner. Now, the Black Knights were divided in half, with 500 following Fan Xian. From this, it was possible to see Chen Pingping's high opinion of Fan Xian.

When Fan Xian went as a diplomat to Northern Qi, the Black Knights had escorted him to the boundaries between the countries. By the Wuduhe, they successfully wiped out the military squadron Shang Shanhu had sent out to rescue Xiao En. The strength of their martial prowess was evident.

The Black Knights that had been waiting since then in Jiangbei and finally had a place to use their martial abilities. Yet, the deputy commander of the Black Knights, who was on his horse at the foot of the mountain, did not have an excited expression. For him, this was just a simple task.

Commander Jing sat firmly on his horse and watched the roaring fire in the garden. His right hand gently pressed against his face and removed a black colored mask that had hidden his appearance, revealing a slightly pale face and pair of cold, emotionless eyes.

The task the Commissioner had assigned had been completed. They had not expected that the garden would have such strong martial power, so the Black Knights had taken some losses. The most terrifying was that everyone in the garden seemed to know they had come to the end of their road and resisted with their lives; not a single person surrendered.

Commander Jing did not know who was in the garden, he was only carrying out the commissioner's orders. Furthermore, the people in the garden had also lit fires, any evidence that could not see the light of day had probably long been destroyed.

He pulled the reins, the hooves clip-clop-ed, and he slowly rode closer to the burning garden. His Black Knights were looking after the injured members and cleaning up the scene. His eyes kept a close watch on all of this when suddenly his eyelid twitched.

Five horses broke out of the fire, glinting like black fire. They were like ghost horses from the underworld.

On the five horses, other than the black armor-clad knights, there were a few extra figures trussed up like zongzi.

Commander Jing brought his right hand back to his face and replaced the black mask before the five riders approached. His thin lips parted slightly and an icy cold voice rang out. With some surprise and shock, he asked, "Alive?"

The five riders rode closer to him and reported, "These five hid in the well; they surrendered."

Although Commander Jing remained cold, he was happily surprised. The corner of his mouth moved, and he revealed an icy smile, "The commissioner should be happy."

Given this garden's attitude of fighting to the death and the plans to kill indiscriminately, to capture some alive was indeed not an easy task. Commander Jing looked at the five captives on the horses and felt it was strange.

"Back to Suzhou."

The black colored masks reflected the golden yellow flames and appeared to be extraordinary splendid and brilliant; it made people shiver despite the lack of cold.

Below the mask, Commander Jing coldly gave out orders. The horses outside the garden neighed and tore through the silence of the dark night in the valley. The horses' hooves sounded chaotically before they reformed into ranks, neatly divided into three lines of a black current. They wound their way around the blazing manor and slanted over the road at the foot of the mountain before disappearing into the black night.

Not long after the Black Knights had left the mountain like spirits and headed back, they ran into Deng Zi Yue's group, which carried the commissioner's newest orders.

Commander Jing was silent. He then ordered a small squad of knights to escort the captives to Jingdou. The rest of the hundreds of nighttime gods of death did not enter the city, instead, the silently searched for a place to cross the river and returned once more to their camp in Jiangbei.

…

…

When Deng Zi Yue returned to Hua Garden to give his report, Fan Xian only nodded his head to show he had heard. Having written the secret memorial for the Emperor in the study, he handed it to a subordinate in the Council to send back to Jingdou by urgent post.

Alone he went to the main hall, where bright lights hovered high above and lit everything brightly, particularly the chest full of snow-white silver. It was lying quietly, reflecting an alluring brilliance.

Fan Xian glanced at the silver. He shook his head and sighed. Sitting on a chair beside the chest, he thought silver was indeed very effective. The 138,880 liang of silver just sat neatly in the chest. He couldn't resist taking another glance and sighed again. In the end, he still gave up what he was thinking.

When faced with Ye Liuyun, the feeling of helplessness and weakness actually made Fan Xian a little angry. He did not feel much self-pity or any humiliation since to be unable to defeat a Great Grandmaster was absolutely fair and reasonable, but…

He knew that no matter how his life developed, there would be a day that he would have to face a Great Grandmaster. Even if it wasn't Ye Liuyun, if it was Sigu Jian or the person in the Palace, in the end, he would have to face them.

But today, Ye Liuyun's ability to destroy half a building with one strike and the unnatural imposing manner that seemed to surge out from between the heaven and earth made Fan Xian realize that himself in the present could do nothing to someone at the realm of a Great Grandmaster.

It was like how the Ming family could do nothing to him; it was the same logic.

A Great Grandmaster was too strong, so strong that they could ignore any usual attempts to besiege them by military force. It was no wonder that the Emperor treated the Ye family so even-handedly, Ku He could support so many orphans and widows, or that even the idiot Sigu Jian could protect Dongyi.

Fan Xian thought and sighed. He began to miss his dear Uncle Wu Zhu.

He immediately dismissed his own thoughts. In his life, he couldn't always depend on his uncle to resolve his worries and difficulties for him. Plus, Wu Zhu would not have an advantage against these Great Grandmasters. From the depths of his heart, Fan Xian could not bear to let his Uncle Wu Zhu brave such dangerous and difficulties.

…

…

So, how could they kill a Great Grandmaster?

With the company of the chest of silver and light of the hall, Fan Xian sank into deep thought. In a moment, his mind had modeled many scenarios and topics. What kind of place did he have to create where death was certain and a perfect opportunity for murder so that he could kill a Great Grandmaster on the spot?

His palm unconsciously slapped the chest and he suddenly stood up. In a loud voice, he called, "Meeting! Meeting!"

As he called, he walked to the back hall.

The commissioner had called for a meeting, so no one dared to neglect it. The upper-level officials of the Overwatch Council situated in Hua Garden, all the members of the Qinian Unit, and the seven Tiger Guards gathered in the discussion hall.

Fan Xian's had barely sat in the chair before he couldn't resist it anymore and laughingly scolded, "Take Mr. Lin back to play."

He glared at the Third Prince, who had come to see the commotion, and Da Bao, who had run in at some point, and had the servants help take them outside.

He glanced again at the people present and shook his head. "Have Shi Chanli and Sang Wen come in as well."

The subordinate received his order and left. Shortly after, Shi and Sang arrived in the hall. Shi Chanli often helped his teacher handle various matters, so he was not unfamiliar with these meetings. The hesitancy and surprise hung on Sang Wen's face. The imperial envoy was naturally discussing matters of state, what could she, a mere singer, do?

"The topic of today's meeting is simple. Everyone open your minds. If you have any outlandish ideas, feel free to share them out loud."

Fan Xian rubbed his temples and said with a headache, "I really cannot think of an idea by myself."

Tiger Guard Gao Da glanced at him and saw that the commissioner was worried, but he did not know what he was worried about. In a low voice, he said, "Please instruct us as needed."

"Let's pool our knowledge for mutual benefit," Fan Xian smiled bitterly and said. "Come and help give ideas."

Everyone looked at him curiously, not sure what kind of ideas they were to give.

Fan Xian very seriously said, "How do you think…we can kill a Great Grandmaster?"

…

…

The discussion hall immediately chilled, and everyone looked at each other. Sang Wen was so shocked that the corners of her slightly wide mouth was pursed into a small cherry. Shi Chanli felt even more intensely an urge to turn around and leave.

What were they discussing? How to kill a Great Grandmaster?

If someone could truly think of a way, then the first thing the South Kingdom and Northern Qi would do was send someone and legally kill Sigu Jian, then the two countries would split Dongyi's wealth and the noble girls of the aristocratic families as bounty.

Of everyone in the hall, only Deng Zi Yue's ranking was somewhat high and was close to Fan Xian. Looking at his expression, and the strange expressions on his colleagues' faces, he carefully said, "Sir…have you been injured by the sword qi?"

Fan Xian started and then roared in anger, "I haven't hurt my head!"

He didn't acknowledge his subordinates' shock, instead he forced everyone to give ideas. For a moment, the people in the discussion hall had no other choice and could only pick some absurd ideas to give. As they gave ideas, they felt very ill at ease. The Great Grandmasters were revered by tens of thousands of people. His role was like that of an immortal, yet at this moment, they had to follow the commissioner's orders and think about how to harm them…

The Overwatch Council was a dark yamen following with dark water. After talking a bit, everyone became daring and felt a strange sense of excitement. To have a meeting to discuss killing a Great Grandmaster…even if they couldn't kill them, just thinking about it was exciting enough.

In the name of opening the discussion, someone said since they definitely couldn't beat a Great Grandmaster, in order to defeat him they had to weaken his strength and increase their own, so they suggested poison.

Immediately someone countered and said that the Great Grandmasters' abilities had already surpassed the boundary. When poison entered their body, it would immediately turn into a puddle of snow water, so it wouldn't work.

Then someone suggested they should choose a kind of medicine that would stimulate a body's special quality. It was not a poison but was able to, in a short amount of time, mobilize the body's emotions and energy. Afterward, they would naturally be weak.

Fan Xian interrupted coldly and said, "That's an aphrodisiac."

Someone else said that desire steals a person's life. First, they had to throw his resolutions into disorder and then desire would be his downfall. Then, they had to make him crazy and create a special scene to arouse the Great Grandmaster's emotions and force his state of mind into chaos and confusion.

Fan Xia nodded in approval but in his heart he was cursing that Ouyang Feng was even crazier.

Deng Zi Yue thought for a long time and suddenly slapped the table. "It's actually not difficult. We just have to think of a way to create a situation where the other party cannot easily escape, then surround them with the Six Bureau's archers and fire methodically without rest or stopping, burning up his zhenqi. Even if it needs tens of thousands of arrows, we must weaken the other party…and then have the Black Knights of the Fifth Bureau charge in. After all, the Great Grandmaster is not a god. He can stand against a thousand, but a thousand Knights…he will eventually die."

Fan Xian looked at him and asked, "With your plan, how many people do you think will die?"

Deng Zi Yue calculated and reported, "All the archers of the Sixth Bureau will probably die, 10 percent of the Black Knights should survive."

Fan Xian shook his head and said, "I want to kill someone, not send my own people to death."

Deng Zi Yue excitedly said, "If it could succeed, it doesn't matter how many people die."

Fan Xian's eyebrows rose and he smiled coldly. "How can you stop the other person from moving and just let you shoot and charge at them? It's not like he's a scarecrow…"

Deng Zi Yue was silent.

The brainstorm continued. Everyone's ideas became more and more absurd and nonsensical. Suggestions included kidnapping, causing an avalanche, and even rigging up a toilet.

Then, the counter arguments followed. First was that Sigu Jian did not have any relatives because he had killed all of them himself. At the same time, Dongyi never saw any snow from one end of the year to the other. As for the last suggestion, everyone snorted and did not even bother to acknowledge it.

Fan Xian gazed at this scene coldly and felt more at ease. The seemingly absurd meeting today was actually to lighten the fear in his subordinates' hearts concerning the Baoyue Brothel today. Without a doubt, Ye Liuyun's sudden appearance today cast a strong shadow on these people's hearts. It was even difficult to see the usual determination on Gao Da's face.

Working with this group of subordinates, he could not allow them to sink into these kinds of inappropriate emotions.

So,Fan Xian publicly asked everyone to discuss how to kill a Great Grandmaster. After a series of discussions, it could clearly be seen that the fear pressing down in the depths of everyone's hearts had lightened greatly. The excitement was effective in sweeping away the shock everyone received today.

Of course, the people in the discussion hall had indeed raised some very effective ideas. No one knew whether or not Fan Xian would make use of them in the future. As for his subordinates, imagining Sigu Jian as the enemy was indeed a little out of Fan Xian's expectations.

The people and officials of the Qing Kingdom would never think to defeat Ye Liuyun.

Since they were currently in the honeymoon period with Northern Qi, and because of Fan Xian and Haitang's relationship and the fact that the mistress of the Fan family was now Grandmaster Ku He's last disciple, his subordinates would not discuss how to kill Ku He in front of the commissioner.

Once again it was poor Sigu Jian.

…

…

The discussion continued until the candles burned out. After everyone had dispersed, they continued to talk secretly in the corridors in the garden. They could not contain their excitement for the commissioner's bold proposition.

Fan Xian shook his head and called over Sang Wen. "The Baoyue Brothel has been half destroyed. It will take at least half a month to fix it. What arrangements have you made for the girls?"

When the streets were first evacuated, the clients in the Baoyue Brothel had left. The girls had also been removed to a safe location. Only now did Fan Xian had the time to worry about his brothel business.

Sang Wen replied respectfully, "The girls have temporarily been settled in other brothels. Those owners were very easy to persuade and took them all in. Only, it is not a done thing for them to stay long in another brothel."

Fan Xian nodded. At this moment, there was no one in Suzhou who dared not to watch his mood. The brothel owners were probably overjoyed to help take in his girls.

"Then it's settled. Shi Chanli will lead the repairs. You can take a break these days." Fan Xian suddenly thought of a matter. His brows rose and a ruthless expression appeared on his handsome face. "Keep all the receipts, large and small, safe. When we return to the capital next year, I am going to find someone to collect the account."

Sang Wen made a noise of acknowledgement.

Fan Xian asked, "You don't need to live outside. Hua Garden is large. Over the next few days, keep Sisi company and help look after that uncle of mine."

Sang Wen smiled straightforwardly. She covered her mouth and did not say anything.

"What's wrong?"

"Haitang also said that," Sang Wen laughed lightly and said. "And those two girls are also going to be brought to the garden."

Fan Xian was startled and then understood that she was talking about the two headliners—Liang Diandian and Ma Suosuo. He couldn't help being surprised at the thoroughness of Haitang's considerations. Liang Diandian had not officially debuted, so it was indeed inappropriate for her to enter another brothel. As for Ma Suosuo…shewas the concubine of the Great Prince, so she had to be carefully looked after.

Chapter 401: These Months

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

Entering the back garden with Sang Wen, Fan Xian raised his head to see warblers and swallows, greens and reds, singing to each other harmoniously. The depths of spring was nearing the heat of summer. The cold wind carried a message, and the bright moon hung like a wheel in the sky. Everywhere were lanterns hanging among rock gardens and green trees. The moonlight mixed with the firelight and added a sense of haziness. Amidst this haziness, a dozen girls were chatting. Those beautiful girls did not wear much and either stood under trees or were curled up on the bed. Their poses were different, and their beauty occasionally shone through the muslin. Their bodies emitted a light aroma that directly assaulted the nose.

Fan Xian paused. He couldn't help feeling a sense of confusion. Perhaps he had arrived at the Cave of the Silken Web? When did Hua Garden become Chen Garden?

The girls chattered without stopping and, for the moment, did not even notice Fan Xian standing with his back to the light. They continued to talk excitedly about the events at Baoyue Brothel that happened during the day: the might of that strike and the imperial envoy's awe-inspiring rant on the street.

The main speaker was one of the two headliners. The ones listening were the girls with wide eyes filled with either curiosity or admiration.

Fan Xian lowered his voice and said, "Didn't you say the girls from the brothel were all sent somewhere else?"

Sang Wen covered her lips as she smiled and explained, "Aren't these the girls from the garden?"

Only now did Fan Xian realize. Unconsciously he took a closer look and sighed in his heart. Everyone said that girls changed greatly at 18. These were the refugee orphan girls that Sisi had picked up and brought back. How was it that a few days in Suzhou and they had bloomed so beautifully?

Although their sense of childishness remained abundantly between their brows and their inexperience was still present, how could it hold back the advancement of their youth? It made one joyful.

Since no one unrelated ever came into this back garden, the girls, who were excitedly listening to Liang Diandian's story, did not behave in any formal way. There were some lying on the couch with their buttocks' sticking up and pretending to pride, while some held fans pretending to be elegant. The long straight legs gave off a taut beauty through the thin cloth.

The Great Prince's concubine, Ma Suosuo, was sitting on a chair listening. Although she had seen the events from a distance, the story told by Liang Diandian's sandalwood mouth was more hair-raising. Except, Liang Diandain had not personally seen the events within the brothel, so her description of Fan Xian's persistence in the face of death and courage could not help but be slightly exaggerated. She successfully created the image of a perfect young man that Qing Kingdom was not meant to have.

The gazes of girls were hot and embarrassed. They loved the imperial envoy but could not and dare not to say anything. Even Ma Suosuo with her head slightly tilted watching the pond had a strange light shining in her eyes.

Fan Xian swallowed and knew that if he kept watching he would make many life mistakes. Those girls were still developing, but the Great Prince's concubine and Liang Diandian were both natural born beauties with brows black as umber and lips as red as vermilion. They had spirit in their eyes that made those who look lose their minds. How could he look more? He was just about to call out to remind everyone when he heard one of the girls in the Garden unintentionally say something, so he closed his mouth and quickly stood in the darkness.

Sang Wen glanced at him in suspicion, not knowing what had happened.

The little girl was no more than 12 or 13 years old. Her eyes were wide as she naively asked, "Sisters, why haven't we seen the mistress yet?"

Because of timing, Fan Xian had lived alone in Hua Garden for several months and did not move to Hangzhou. During this time, the girls Sisi had brought back lived in the garden. They had long learned the identity of their savior. To be servants in the imperial envoy's home made them feel very lucky, however, after all this time, they had yet to see the mistress. This seemed strange to them.

Liang Diandian listened to this question and was startled. She didn't say anything, and the little girls had no idea that she was of Jingdou. She knew of the ruckus years ago around the Fan-Lin marriage. The Lin family daughter was the Eldest Princess' illegitimate child. This secret, which had been known only to the noble and powerful members of the court, became a rumor in the public sphere. Although there was no evidence, most people believed it. Everyone knew that Sir Fan junior and Xinyang had long been like fire and water.

A girl spat and scolded, "This our master's family business. What right do we have to discuss it? If Sisi hears you, you better be careful with your mouth?"

The girl earlier laughed naively and said, "Hehe, actually…I just wanted to see what kind of immortal beauty is the woman that is worthy of the young master."

In their hearts, Fan Xian was one of the best people, so they were curious about what kind of person Lin Wan'er was.

"I heard that this mistress is the daughter of a virtuous and large family." Liang Diandian's mind suddenly turned and she laughed sweetly. "However, I heard that her appearance is nothing special, probably not even as good as Sisi."

"That is true. How many people could be worthy of the young master…"

"Hehe, who knows if in the future…oh right, isn't there another girl living in the garden? It's just that we don't see much of her usually, what arrogance."

Liang Diandian gave a not-quite-there smile and said, "I heard…that she is also the master's female confidant, only she is not like Sisi who has been with the family for a long time, she has no name or status here."

"Shut up!" The girl who vaguely knew of Haitang's identity could not scold Liang Diandian so she could only pick on the girl. "Are you really looking to die? The airs of such arrogant people are not for the likes of you to see."

…

…

Fan Xian could not listen anymore. He coughed a few times and walked into the light.

The girls all jumped in fright and stood up. They reigned in their emotions and calmed their breaths. They bowed uniformly and gently said, "Greetings, young master."

The titles in Hua Garden still followed the rules in the manor in Jingdou.

Fan Xian looked at this little girls and shook his head, thinking, If the discussion in his own household is like this, who knew what rumors were flying around outside. However, he was a person with an easy disposition and couldn't be bothered to care about how other people were silently criticizing him. He warmly said, "It's late, you should all go sleep."

The girls muttered something and then saluted again. They quickly tidied their clothes and silently returned to their own rooms.

Only Liang Diandian and Mao Suosuo were called back by Fan Xian.

He stared at Liang Diandian, whose beautiful face revealed a natural charm, and did not say anything for a moment.

Liang Diandian felt a joy in her heart but nothing showed on her face, on the contrary, she purposely appeared delicate and weak. She shyly half lowered her head to put her most beautiful side on display.

The year of the Fan-Lin marriage, the rumors around the marketplace said that Fan Xian was truly very tender toward his sickly wife. From this, she knew that Sir Fan junior was a person who cared about his relationships.

Among the boudoirs, Fan Xian was the man of these girls' dreams. Although Liang Diandian had grown up in a pleasure boat, she was not an exception, only she had a few more tricks and plans that other people did.

Liang Diandian was confident in her appearance, thinking, The mistress is nowhere near as pretty as herself and yet was still able to receive Sir Fan junior's love. This man probably liked pitiful women, so she had purposely put on this appearance. Furthermore, after the Suzhou branch of the Baoyue Brothel had opened for business, Fan Xian had yet to let her take a client. He probably had some intentions toward her.

Feeling Fan Xian's unwavering stare, Liang Diandian's joy grew deeper. She kept her head lowered shyly and did not say anything.

Standing behind Fan Xian, Sang Wen saw this scene and a loathing smile rose to the corners of her mouth.

Fan Xian suddenly opened his mouth and said, "Everyone has the right to make a better life for themselves, so I do not have any feelings of ill will toward what you are thinking."

Liang Diandian suddenly raised her head and met Fan Xian's completely emotionless gaze. Only then did she know she had gotten it wrong and felt fear in her heart.

Fan Xian continued coldly, "However, I do not like it."

Liang Diandian felt shame assault her and did not dare say anything.

"No one is born to serve another. If you do not wish to work at Baoyue Brothel, have shopkeeper Sang Wen clear your record. Once you have earned the silver back, we will let you go." Fan Xian stared at her lovely face. "Sang Wen, help her pack and move her to another place to live."

Sang Wen had not expected the commissioner to be so merciless toward the fairer sex, but she also did not dare say anything. She took Liang Diandian, who had tears glimmering in her eyes, into the manor to pack.

Only Fan Xian and Mao Suosuo remained in the garden.

Ma Suosuo suddenly opened her mouth and gently said, "Master, do I also have to leave the manor, in case I pollute the peace here?"

The corners of Fan Xian's mouth twitched, and he laughed bitterly. Looking at this Hu Princess' sea blue eyes, straight nose, and deep, beautiful face, he gently said, "Stay. Don't speak too much, and don't ask too many questions. I like you very much. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will help you."

Ma Suosuo was slightly surprised. She raised her head to look at Fan Xian. It seemed that she had not expected for the other party to have seen everything so clearly, and her expression revealed so. She couldn't help but gratefully said, "Thank you."

Fan Xian calmly said, "No need for thanks, I've always liked standing on ice to watch the world."

Returning to his room, Sisi had already prepared the hot water. After washing his face, he extended his feet into the hot water and gave a satisfied sigh. Shortly after, he closed his eyes and began to use the method Haitang had imparted to him. Using a trickle of zhenqi to repair the meridians that had been injured by Ye Liuyun's sword qi today. Since he was young, his method of cultivation had been different from everyone else's. The proper meditation technique was, for him, just as simple as falling asleep.

No one knew how long he napped with his eyelids slightly open and zhenqi flowing through his entire body. He found that he already felt much better. He also found that inside the room was strangely quiet.

Looking to the side, only then did he find that Sisi had already fallen asleep lying on the desk. Since she had probably been too worried during the day and waited far too late at night, the girl was probably completely exhausted.

Fan Xian smiled but did not wake her. He grabbed the towel himself and dried the water on his feet, then he gently walked behind her and laid his robe over her, worried that she would catch a cold.

He stood behind Sisi for a while looking at the fine hairs on the back of her pure white neck and couldn't help letting out a sigh, remembering the time in Danzhou when he and Sisi copied out books. How relaxing and joyful was that? Completely without external matters to ensconce them, with only one oil lamp, one desk, one pen, and one tender server, the two of them sat side by side copying "Story of the Stone." Although they had no literary criticisms, each delicate line of writing carried a true aroma.

He thought for a moment and then pressed his right hand gently on the back of Sisi's head and rubbed it gently for her. On these acupuncture points, he applied a small amount of zhenqi to help harmonize her body. After he encouraged her into a deep sleep, he carefully picked her up and laid her on the bed and pulled up the thin blanket. He patted her cheek gently with reassurance and shuffled out of the room.

As he closed the door, he seemed to see the glimmer of a safe and satisfied smile appearing on Sisi's deeply asleep face.

…

…

With his clothes over his shoulders, shuffling his feet, and his shoulders raised, Fan Xian wandered around Hua Garden without a care as to his appearance. It seemed like he wanted to use the wind around him to blow away the pent-up frustrations in the depths of his heart. Although Hua Garden was beautiful, it was a pity he could find no calm. There were too many things pressing down on his heart. Without Uncle Wu Zhu or Wan'er beside him, he had no one to talk to, no one to discuss with, and no way to express his frustrations.

No one knew why he was doing things in Jiangnan in such a rush, why he did not spare anything to push for a major turn. His friends, his subordinates, his enemies, and even his family…everyone seemed to have made an incorrect judgement about Fan Xian.

It was this judgement that made Fan Xian the angriest.

Everyone thought he could be completely emotionless when it came to the battle for power, everyone, whether intentionally or not, forgot the countless links between him and the Eldest Princess. They were just waiting to see how he would stomp Xinyang to the ground, but they didn't think that not only was Fan Xian going to stomp, he was going to do it brilliantly.

Fan Xian had no feelings at all toward the Eldest Princess, but he did have deep feelings for Wan'er, who was, after all, the Eldest Princess' trueborn daughter.

Everyone had forgotten this point. Everyone had purposely forgotten this point.

Fan Xian was angry and gloomy. Although he had already secretly made the arrangements, he was still very angry.

If, one day, the Eldest Princess actually died by his hands, what about Wan'er?

…

…

No one to talk to. No one to talk to.

Fan Xian could not stop his steps.

It was like this in the officialdom. It was like this on the jianghu. It was also like this in Hua Garden. He walked around the lonely pond, passed the neglected corridor, and completely unconsciously, he followed the familiar stone path and walked to the quiet study at the very back of Hua Garden.

He raised his head and looked that the door. He couldn't stop a self-mocking smile from rising. Why did he walk to here again?

In the novel, "A New Account of the Tales of the World," Wang Xian lived in the depths of the mountain. Since he missed Dai Andao, he braved the snow and traveled through the night by boat to visit. Just as the morning light was rising, Wang arrived before Dai's home. He turned around and left without knocking. The servant was greatly surprised, and Wang said, "The urge came and left, why bother seeing Dai?"

Fan Xian did not have the strange attitude of the famous scholar. He also didn't like to play games of tacit mutual understanding, furthermore, he would not do what the master and disciple did. Since he had come, he understood that he was used to coming to find her to discuss matters when he faced a truly difficult situation, to search for a solution or at least a solution that would ease his mind.

So, he walked up the stone steps and gently pushed opened the door.

The study door was not bolted. In the past half year, she had lived here quietly. A single person living far away in an isolated part of Hua Garden.

Haitang had woken up long before he had come to the door and was already sitting up on the bed. She had a floral jacket wrapped around her shoulders. Sitting on the bed, she gazed at him with almost a smile.

There were no lights lit in the room, only the faint moonlight shining through the window. Given their martial realms, they could see everything in the room and the expression on each other's faces with perfect clarity.

The night was a bit cold, and Fan Xian rubbed his hands. He turned to close the door, then shuffled to stand beside Haitang's bed. Without any show of politeness, he lifted one corner of the blanket and burrowed in. Sitting at the other end of the bed, he and Haitang looked at each other across the bed.

The bed was very warm and did not have a scent. There was only a clean and warm feeling.

Haitang looked at this scoundrel and said, without choice, "You must remember, I do plan on getting married in the future."

Fan Xian's feet kicked a few times on the cotton sheets on the bed and sighed in comfort. He was also a little unexpectedly disappointed to not have hit Haitang's foot. It seemed like the girl across from him was sitting cross-legged.

He said, "I am the cheating male." Then he smiled and said, "You are the cheating female."

"Of course," his said, "this is what is being said outside."

Haitang gave him a glare.

Fan Xian said, "It is only one thing, but I will never be satisfied even if I die. Although I was born slightly better than some, I have tried to lure you into anything. How could they be so certain there is something illicit between us? Duoduo, I am very unhappy. Today, since I have already shouldered the false reputation, it is not that I am saying anything regretful since it is already so, it is not as if we have other reasons…"

These words were said with such hidden bitterness.

Haitang only sighed and said, "Although this part has not been set in print, Sisi has brought them to show me after she copied them. Seventy-seven times the things Qing Wen said, why do you bother to make such remarks to me again? I am not second young master Bao, and you are not the girl Xiao. Ye Liuyun has not injured you to the point of death, yet here you are acting so aggrieved. Who knew what you were resenting in your heart."

Fan Xian smiled self-mockingly and shook his head. He did not speak for a while.

The study, converted into a bedroom, sunk into silence.

"I don't like being ambiguous," Fan Xian said gently. "You probably don't understand what I mean, only, I really do like staying with you and talking."

Haitang's bright eyes shone in the dark night.

"But right now, we are indeed being very ambiguous," Fan Xian smiled slightly and said. "I originally came to vent some of my bitterness. I didn't expect to suddenly find another bitter matter."

"Everyone has to marry."

Fan Xian half leaned against the foot of the bed with his eyes closed he said, "But why is it that every time I think of you marrying someone else, I feel so unhappy in my heart?"

The smile in Haitang's eyes gradually filled into a moon reflected in the water, then filled into a moon gradually running out with the water from a bamboo basket. Her hands gently pulled at the corner of the blanket, pulling it over her chest. She gazed at Fan Xian's face and slowly said, "Then…what if I married you?"

Chapter 402: Blankets Protected The Common People Under Heaven

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

Haitang's words made Fan Xian feel very good and very powerful. This young man and woman shared a single blanket and spoke quietly under the moonlight of such moving things. It was difficult for it to not become explicit with a powerful and clichéd ending.

However, Fan Xian was not surprised. He also didn't hide under the bed in fright nor did he leap at her. He only sincerely and seriously replied to her, "Very good, we can discuss the wedding date."

…

…

This was his reply to the question of "what if I married you…," so now it was Haitang's turn to be shocked. She had a strong sense of being caught in her own trap. She knew very well that she had once again underestimated the shamelessness and black-heartedness under Fan Xian's gentle exterior.

She chuckled and lowered her head. Complaining in her heart, how could she have just spouted such a line?

In her interactions with Fan Xian this past year, they had long nurtured a relationship that surpassed friendship and was closer to that tacit understanding like that of family. Fan Xian looked at her expression and knew what she was thinking. His eyebrow raised and he said, smilingly, "That empress dowager of yours."

"That Emperor of yours." Haitang raised her face and continued it with a smile.

"That baldy of yours." Fan Xian continued seriously.

Haitang tilted her head slightly, "Your identity."

"And your identity," Fan Xian said with a slight smile.

These few random sentences already clearly laid out the obstacles and problems running between them. In the relationship between men and women, what was important was to be of one heart and mind. Although the two of them had never exchanged sweet or loving words, with the moonlight as witness, they had already thoroughly figured out the other person's thoughts.

There were countless mediocre people in the world. As for a rare confidant in this world of mortals, who would be willing to lightly miss it or give it up?

The problem was that the Qing Emperor would not want Fan Xian to have the outside support of the Northern Qi Tianyi Dao, which was a powerful force, while he already held such great power. While the dowager empress of the Northern Qi had been urgently looking for a matching household for Haitang, it was impossible for her to allow Haitang to handle it herself.

The respective position of Fan Xian and Haitang in their own countries ensured that if they decided to break this current situation and publicly stand shoulder to shoulder, they would both face unimaginable pressure.

The South Kingdom was a bit easier to deal with, even if the Qing Emperor did not like Fan Xian receiving more foreign support. Given the Emperor's great self-confidence, he would likely think to use this opportunity to further weaken Northern Qi's strength. Fan Xian could use this as an excuse to persuade his father.

In the eyes of the people of Qing Kingdom, Fan Xian marrying Haitang was a joyful matter that would earn the Qing people a great deal of face, and it was something they had the advantage in. Who wouldn't be willing?

The objections from Northern Qi would be quite fierce. The officials, who always self-defined themselves as orthodox, would not be able to accept that the pride of their country, the saint Haitang, one of the Tianmai beings, would marry a Southern savage they held in contempt deep in their hearts. Not only would they not accept, the empress dowager and Ku He would both prevent this matter from happening.

In exchanging students, there was room for discussion on both sides. In a matter of marrying out a girl, it was clear that the Northern Qi people were suffering a loss. How could they agree?

As for that little Emperor, he had some methods that even Fan Xian admired. There was no hope that he would be willing to let go. Fan Xian smiled self-mockingly and said, "When you came to Jiangnan, your Emperor asked you to monitor me making silver…if you become a woman of my family, then it can be said we have a family-run shop and can spend his money as we wish. Wouldn't he die of anger?"

Haitang smiled and said, "If he heard what you said, that would really make him angry."

Fan Xian sighed. "Actually, after you marry me, our whole family could find a quiet and isolated place to live out the rest of our lives, that could be possible. Who cares how angry the courts of the two countries will get."

Haitang looked at him with a not-quite-there smile and said, "Would you be satisfied?"

Fan Xian was silent for a moment, not to be outdone, he gazed back and asked, "Perhaps you would be satisfied?"

The two people gazed at each other and knew that each other's heart was bound. They had benevolence toward this world. Although Fan Xian's benevolence came from his selfish inner heart and Haitang's benevolence came from her kind nature, regardless of who, neither would be able to turn their back and walk away, to coldly watch all that happened in the world.

They were all people of this world. How could they leave it?

The room once again sank into silence. In the sky above Hua Garden, the crescent moon suddenly came through the smoke like clouds, and the moonlight became slightly brighter. It reflected back from the wall and garden into the room, covering the large bed, cotton blanket, and faces of the two extraordinary people in a layer of light haze.

Haitang gazed at him calmly before suddenly smiling. "Most importantly, you already have a wife."

…

…

Fan Xian became silent and knew that this sentence was not easy to reply to. He had been reborn into this world for almost 20 years, and he had not yet heard of a custom of having two wives. Although when he was on the precipice, he had talked to Uncle Wu Zhu about the Three Represents and the three objectives, one of which was to marry lots and lots of wives. However, now that things were like this, he discovered that to be a stud with many beauties, in reality, was very difficult.

The important point was that his standards were too high, so he sighed helplessly. There was no need to talk about Wan'er, the most favored Princess. The Haitang in front of him, whom he could not bear to let go of anymore, also had an incomparably high position in Northern Qi. They had laid out so many obstacles earlier. What if he married Haitang as a concubine?

Fan Xian shuddered and even he felt that this was a bit tactless. Furthermore, he believed that the Northern Qi people would certainly go crazy. The two countries might even go back to being at war again.

"Cold?" Haitang looked at him with a smile. Her hands pulled at the blanket and carefully pulled it up to her shoulders.

Fan Xian smiled bitterly and said, "It is my heart that is cold."

The night was indeed a bit cold. With both of them under the same blanket, it was impossible for it to cover two people. Haitang pulled some over and the top half of Fan Xian's body was left out, he shivered and pulled it back.

With a swish, Haitang started and found that the blanket had been stolen from him. She glared at him angrily and stole it back.

Fan Xian chuckled. Without saying anything, he pulled it toward himself again.

The two of them sat like this in the bed and played a childish game of pulling the blankets. Fortunately, neither of them used zhenqi, otherwise what crime had the blanket committed? It would have long become tens of thousands of cotton threads and danced away in the wind, completely destroyed. What crime at the blanket committed? To be stolen back and forth by the two most powerful people of the younger generation, without giving an inch, the blanket wasn't an imperial seal.

If these two people had followed the progress of the original history, perhaps after many years, they would be standing in each other's country fighting for the world. Since they had begun to fight for the blanket, there was no need to fight for the world.

Heaven protects the people of the world.

…

…

It was rare for them to be so silly. The two closed their mouths tightly and glared at each other. Haitang's originally crossed legs were no longer, and she glared angrily and shyly. This allowed Fan Xian, this skirt-chaser, to grasp the opportunity.

Fan Xian let go, and immediately the big blanket was stolen by Haitang. With a whoosh, the curtains rose and buried the top of half Haitang's body into the flower soft bedding. The girl let out a slight cry of surprise.

A pair of legs in thin pants were left outside of the blanket. Particularly the pair of naked feet, were pale and alluring.

Fan Xian extended his hand and grasped the pair of feet.

Haitang's leg shook slightly but did not struggle.

"Don't get cold.' Fan Xian said righteously and coldly, but in his heart, he was actually very pleased. His trick earlier had indeed reached his highest realm. Swift as lightning, quick as a storm, the sunflowers came out. It had some resemblance to Uncle Wu Zhu's realm of striking people with sticks. How could Haitang dodge it?

Perhaps…Haitang had not wanted to dodge at all?

The tactile sensation wasn't bad, Fan Xian held the girl's feet in his embrace, and his eyes narrowed proudly. For some reason, his brain remembered his previous life, when he was in high school, heavy snow had fallen from the sky and he had held the female class monitor's feet just like this in his embrace…

Oh, perhaps it is only when you are content that you can remember those already distant and blurry memories.

…

…

"Let go." Haitang's voice buzzed through under the blankets, except her tone had an additional glimmer of anger.

Fan Xian started and hesitantly let go, completely betraying the determination men should have at this time.

Haitang flipped the blanket down and glared angrily at him, however, her cheeks were slightly red and her hair was a mess. She really didn't look like she had the power to pressure and terrify.

Fan Xian watched as she pulled her legs back under the blanket. He chuckled but did not say anything.

The blush on Haitang's face showed slightly. She glared at him, then turned her body to face the inside of the bed.

Fan Xian silently changed into a black cat and crawled over to lie evenly with her. However, he lay very properly and used a voice as thin as a mosquito to say, "Cold, give some blanket to me."

Haitang buzzed a reply in a voice like a bee and said, "You don't have your own hands?"

Although she said that, the girl still moved in a bit and made some room for Fan Xian. At the same time, she left half the blanket to him.

Fan Xian laid down comfortably. He sniffed heavily and found that indeed there wasn't anything scented, there was only a calm, clean, and warm feeling enveloping him. He opened that pair of bright eyes and looked at the dark ceiling.

The two of them huddle in one bed. The silence became awkward and ambiguous. Earlier, Fan Xian had said he didn't like to be ambiguous, but in reality, he loved to suffer in this kind of feeling.

He thought in his heart, Duoduo…today finally revealed some girly tendencies. It was different and interesting. Yet, he did not examine himself to see that he had strange hobbies in his heart.

Haitang had calmed down and carefully revealed her face. "Are you really not going to let me marry someone?"

"Hmm." Fan Xian put two hands behind his head and smiled slightly. "Even if you are getting married, you can't marry anyone else. It can only be me."

Haitang admitted defeat.

…

…

"I came today because I had some bitterness to vent." Fan Xian glanced at the girl beside him and related his worries earlier in the garden.

After Haitang thought for a while she gently said, "For you to come to me now to talk about you and your wife's business, is it a bit inappropriate?"

Fan Xian started and then realized he had indeed been a bit of a bastard. He couldn't help smiling bitterly and said, "That's true. Let's talk about Ye Liuyun. I still don't understand why he would show himself in Suzhou."

As soon as they began to discuss serious matters, Haitang's childish behavior suddenly disappeared and she recovered her usual calm and steadiness. Turning over, she began to discuss and analyze with Fan Xian. She also told the story of her following Ye Liuyun from a distance and all that happened in between.

The two discussed back and forth and still could not make heads nor tails out of it. On the contrary, Haitang suddenly said lightly, "There is one possibility, I don't know whether or not you've considered it."

"What is it?" Fan Xian asked.

"Perhaps the Emperor already knew of the Ye family's relationship to the Junshang Conference, so Ye Liuyun was not worried about the Emperor finding out he had once struck out," Haitang said.

Fan Xian thought for a moment then shook his head. "It still doesn't make sense."

…

…

Having finished talking about Ye Liuyun, what else could they talk about? The manor in Jingdou, Lin Wan'er? Naturally, this was not a suitable topic to discuss in bed. Fan Xian felt guilty to some extent. No matter how open-hearted Haitang was, she wasn't an unfeeling wooden person.

Lying here like this, with their breaths mingling, their warmth seeping into each other, and occasionally touching, although it was not ecstasy, it still made the temperature slowly rise under the blankets.

"Let's talk about the Temple," Fan Xian said lightly. Perhaps he had made up his mind.

A glimmer of warmth and emotion flashed through Haitang's eyes as she smiled slightly. "Beside the West Lake in Hangzhou, you said we will only talk about the affairs of the world."

"The Temple is my business," Fan Xian smiled and said. "Naturally, in the future, it is also your business."

The trust and closeness in these words made Haitang feel warm. Even though she was the saint girl of Northern Qi, able to enter and leave the Royal Palace without obstruction and had an eminent position, where could she look to find a confidant, to find a true friend, to find someone who could treat her equally and without ill-feeling?

…

…

"The 'wu' character?" Haitang pushed herself up slightly and used her finger to draw in the air. An upstroke, a downstroke, an up, a down. She drew a few half circles with her brows pulled tight. "What does this symbol on the Temple mean?"

At this point, Fan Xian had already told her in detail what Xiao En had said in the cave, it was only out of consideration for her feelings that he hid the matter of Imperial Advisor Ku He eating human flesh.

Haitang listened silently the entire time. It was only when he narrated the events of when Xiao En was in Northern Wei did a complicated emotion flash through her eyes occasionally. In the end, she was very confused by the symbol and so opened her mouth to ask.

"How would I know?" Fan Xian said with a headache. "Seems like there will eventually be a day I'll have to go to the Temple to see."

Unswerving determination gradually appeared in Haitang's bright eyes. "I want to go."

Fan Xian smiled. "I know how alluring this is to you, so you must promise me…you can't go secretly by yourself."

He pointed at his own head and said, "The path Xiao En took back then is all hidden here."

"Who was the girl who ran out from the temple?" Haitang asked, she actually already had a faint idea.

Although the answer did not surprise her, it still made her sigh.

"My mother," Fan Xian said proudly.

…

…

Thus the topic once again turned toward the Ye family back in the day. Occasionally they would talk about the elegance of the blind uncle. The more she heard about the details, the deeper the yearning became in Haitang's eyes.

"Back then, what kind of era was that?" the girl sighed and asked. "The four Great Grandmasters all appeared in that era, and other than that, there was still your mother and the blind Grandmaster, those two eye-catching figures."

Fan Xian joked and said, "In a few days, you'll have to call her mother-in-law."

Haitang couldn't be bothered to acknowledge him and sighed to herself. "To come out from the Temple…perhaps…" Her eyes lit up and she said, "Lady Ye should be a Tianmai being, right?"

"What is a Tianmai being?" Fan Xian laughed coldly, he could not tell the fantastical time traveling story. "Everyone says you are a Tianmai being, what do you think?"

Haitang smiled slightly. "Teacher says that those who are chosen by the Temple and are able to carry heaven's will are Tianmai beings. I also don't know why the teacher refers to me like that."

"If it is like that, then isn't Ku He a Tianmai being? Your Tianyi Dao martial methods were truly stolen out of the Temple by my mother."

"…this is stolen, not imparted by the immortals of the Temple."

"This…a scholar's business, stealing books…how can it be stolen?"

…

…

"Does the Lady Ye have a very special bloodline?" Haitang was suddenly interested, her bright eyes were fixed on Fan Xian's face. "Your meridians are very different from those of normal people, otherwise it would be impossible for you to practice that strange Tyrannical martial method. This is definitely related to your mother's past."

Fan Xian looked at the girl's expression and knew what she was thinking about. He smiled coldly and said, "Are you thinking that my child in the future might also be a strange one?"

Haitang smiled superficially and did not reply.

"Don't you think about things like borrowing seed!" Perhaps Fan Xian had thought about his own romantic birth. In a rage, he lowered his voice and roared, "And also don't think about putting aphrodisiac in the wine!"

Haitang looked at his angry expression and only smiled without saying anything.

"Si Lili didn't get pregnant." Every time Fan Xian thought about this matter he felt angry, the anger gradually rose.

Under the blankets, the two people's bodies were already hot like fire, and now an evil fire had also been incited. How could it not create a fire of desire? Fan Xian gritted his teeth and set his face, without caring whether or not Duoduo would turn her hand and easily kill him, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her.

Hugging her from behind, he felt the girl's slightly hot and trembling body. Fan Xian said beside her ear, "If you are truly interested, you don't need to use aphrodisiacs. I would still be willing to offer my body to you."

Haitang laughed coldly and said lightly without turning her head, "Other than moving your hands and feet, do you not have any other ability for me to admire?"

Fan Xian said in a great rage, "I only moved my feet earlier. When did I use my hands?"

Haitang thought of something and her voice suddenly went soft. A moment later she gently said, "On the official road when we left the palace treasury…"

Fan Xian immediately remembered. That day beside the spring woods, he calmly held the hand of the girl he held in his arms and refused to let go.

In the interaction between men and women, what was important was one attacked and one defended, to turn the tables on the attackers. As for Fan Xian and Haitang, since last spring, he had began to write poetry drafts in his heart and then used the aphrodisiac of using one word to summarize his heart as a marvelous trick. Adding in the later regular meetings, it cleverly changed from the earlier battle of wits and strength to a battle of the heart. In the end, it was a battle of emotions.

The relationship between the two of them changed. Their emotions changed, and their methods changed.

Here and now, what was there to fight about? To fight with another, was it really boundlessly fun? Fan Xian actually did not like it, so he extended his hand under Duoduo's arms toward the front and grasped her hands. He rubbed his face on the back of her neck with satisfaction.

Haitang only felt her face becoming warmer and warmer. The bastard behind her was someone with a wife, yet he constantly teased her. It was truly despicable. But why has her heart been in a mess this half year? Why was she unable to maintain her previous calm state of mind that was so connected to nature?

She sighed faintly and said for the third time tonight, "You really don't want me to marry."

Fan Xian mumbled indistinctly and said, "You have to marry me, bring your sister…except it is a pity you don't have one."

"You're really shameless." She gently bit her lip. For some reason, Haitang suddenly felt angry and shy.

Fan Xian said gently, "It can't be helped…if I don't destroy your reputation, if we don't spend a night under the same blanket, tomorrow that old woman would have you marry someone. This is something I had no choice but to do."

Haitang was defeated again.

…

…

"Today, you said so many secrets, even the secret of the Temple. Are you not worried I am not using a honey trap?" Haitang suddenly smiled and asked.

Fan Xian replied seriously, "Duoduo…you're not a great beauty."

Early the next morning, Fan Xian pushed open the door and left. He saw the bright morning sun and felt the cool breeze, it was very comfortable. Unable to resist, Fan Xian stretched lazily.

Ah! A girl servant's scream came from the garden, then the girl immediately shut her mouth.

Everyone knew that the imperial envoy had private relations to Haitang living in the back garden, but the two had always kept to etiquette in front of others and not revealed any traces of their relationship. Who knew that today…Sir Fan junior would so publicly walk out from her bedroom?

Walking out early from the bedroom, what did that mean?

Fan Xian smiled slightly as he looked at the servant. In a warm voice, he said, "Morning."

Then he walked to the front garden. Along the way he greeted the servants and subordinates with a warm, "Morning."

For a moment, the people in the garden did not understand, thinking, When did the master become so gentle and cultivated? Why was his mood so good to the point that others were pointing it out?

Immediately, the shocking news gradually traveled through the servants' mouths across Hua Garden. Following that, it traveled into the ears of Fan Xian's subordinates.

Sisi's mouth was opened wide at hearing this news. Although she knew this was a matter of time, she still felt it was rather sudden. She suddenly felt that the letter in her hand had become rather heavy. Last night, she had slept deeply and had forgotten to give the letter to the young master. She was a servant of the old manor in Danzhou, and all of her mind was on Fan Xian. She quickly asked a servant, "Where is the young master right now?"

"In the front hall?"

…

…

By the time Fan Xian had cleaned up and was sitting in the front hall preparing to discuss business, the members of the Qinian Unit, including Deng Zi Yue and the seven Tiger Guards, already knew of the biggest news in the garden today.

The courageous and strong martial artists looked at Fan Xian with respect on their faces. To be able to swallow the Northern Qi Sage girl, this not only needed daring, it also needed a very high martial ability.

Deng Zi Yue was the only person with a gloomy expression. He was an important figure in the old manor in Jingdou, and Lin Wan'er was very good at doing things right. She always gave good rewards to the guards close to Fan Xian. She was friendly and likable, and well-loved by the old servants in the manor. He suddenly felt that the situation was far from good. Who was the mistress of the Fan family? He, and all of the servants, naturally stood on the side of the wife. However, he couldn't stop a chill in his heart as he thought, if, in the future, the Fan household had a falling out, how could the wife defeat Haitang?

Fan Xian did not know that his confidant was thinking of such trivial matters, he was only focused on drinking porridge. Actually, last night, his talk with Haitang had burned up too much of his energy. They also had to make arrangements targeting Ye Liuyun's mysterious appearance and analyzed the situation between the two countries, so it was difficult not to be tired.

Except, if he said this out loud, no one would believe him. Talking state affairs under the blankets? What bull.

At this time, Sisi finally arrived at the front hall and handed over the letter in her hand.

Fan Xian looked at the handwriting on the letter and felt surprised. He ripped open the letter to read and immediately his mouth fell open slightly, the porridge almost dripped out. He thought, this old woman is shameless and lowly, although he was also shameless and lowly, …he was not yet ready, would he let himself be tormented now?

He rose and stared at Deng Zi Yue. He sighed long and short and said, "Find a few people to go to Shazhou. They need to be capable and detail-oriented.'

Deng Zi Yue said questioningly, "The Suzhou matter has not concluded."

Fan Xian's face was bitter as he said, "Go pick someone up."

"Who?"

"Your mistress."

Wan'er was going to come. Fan Xian was happy, only there were too many happy things all at once. It seemed to be a bit troublesome.

Chapter 403: The Gathering Of Abandoned Children

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

Wan'er had not arrived yet, but the people that Fan Xian in Suzhou had sent out began to come back one by one. They scattered Fan Xian's sinister seeds all around Jiangnan and brought back to the good news Fan Xian needed.

The first to return was Xia Qifei.

Fan Xian did not meet him in Hua Garden, as the Baoyue Brothel was half collapsed they also could not meet there. In the end, he chose to visit the Xia-Ming manor in the south of the city deep in the night. Fan Xian had paid for this garden, but he had only come once with the Third Prince.

The somewhat travel-worn Xia Qifei looked at the approaching Fan Xian escorted by Tiger Guards and jumped in front. He had originally planned to visit Hua Garden in the afternoon but had been instructed to wait in the manor. He had not expected that the commissioner would personally visit.

After he respectfully showed Fan Xian into the study, these two illegitimate children did not spend much time exchanging pleasantries. Fan Xian impatiently expressed a superior's warmth and immediately dove into the topic.

Through Xia Qifei's report, Fan Xian's heart was finally at ease. Ever since Xia Qifei took on those big lots from the palace treasury, he had begun to, with the help of the Overwatch Council, move his jianghu bandit brothers. They began to turn toward the right path, however, after all, these were jianghu people. Fan Xian was worried that the Seventh would not be able to deal with the matter appropriately.

It was tonight that he finally felt at ease. It looked like Xia Qifei had indeed inherited somethings from his old man. Bringing in goods, making the bill of lading, opening up a path, and bribing officials, these were all skills necessary to a merchant. He didn't miss a single one.

What put Fan Xian's heart most at ease was that after the Xia-Ming merchant group passed through Jiangbei, they had connected with the Northern Qi people in a little town south of Cangzhou.

On Northern Qi's side, that little Emperor had appointed the son of Marquis Ning, Wei Hua, as the leader of the Brocade Guard. There would be no safety concerns in the sending of the goods, but Fan Xian was curious as to who had personally entered deep into the Qing Kingdom territory and braved the risk to collect this first batch of goods.

"It was the Provost himself." Xia Qifei also seemed to be slightly shocked at the meeting back then.

Fan Xian was surprised and couldn't help but readjust his judgement of this Wei Hua. He was in a lofty position, yet he was so daring as to enter the territory of the Qing Kingdom. He also couldn't help feeling disdain for the defensive abilities in the Cangzhou area.

The Northern Qi Brocade Guards were only responsible for the safety of the roads going North. Back then, it was the Northern Qi empress dowager and Eldest Princess making exchanges that had become very familiar with it. Now, it was the little Emperor and Fan Xian making exchanges. This first trade needed to be done with extra care.

"Where are our people in the North?" he suddenly furrowed his brows and asked.

Xia Qifei looked at him carefully and removed a letter from within his clothes. "This is a letter a Sir Wang asked me to bring. There is another present coming toward the South.

Fan Xian accepted the letter and saw that it was indeed Wang Qinian's unique penmanship. He did not take the long box that Xia Qifei handed over, he just indicated for him to place it to the side. He shook his head and asked, "Wang Qinian, this guy, he's even more cowardly than me, of course, he would not stupidly go South…however, we do need someone to follow them. Which merchant in the North is taking over?"

He knew that the Cui family routes in the North had already been completely taken over by himself while the Qing court still thought that it was the controlled by the little Northern Qi Emperor…the matter of Second Fan controlling the Northern smuggling route was only known by a few people in the Fan manor, the Yan family, and a few of Fan Xian's confidants. The Qing Emperor only knew that Second Fan was in the North, but would not think that Fan Xian had the daring to let his young brother run such a large business.

Fan Xian did not plan to tell this to Xia Qifei, so he only asked it as a casual question. He wanted to see how his brother was doing in the North through Xia Qifei's words.

Unfortunately, Xia Qifei's attention at the time had been completely on the very daring provost of the Brocade Guards and did not pay much attention to the merchants in the North. However, he had heard some vague rumors. He heard that the merchant responsible for handling the palace treasury smuggled goods was very mysterious. Normal people didn't even know whether the big boss was male or female.

Fan Xian smiled and a glimmer of approval rose in his eyes. Sizhe, this kid, looked like he had finally learned to keep a low-profile and endure silently. However, now that Haitang was in Jiangnan, it was just him and Wang Qinian making their way in the North. It was not convenient for the Overwatch Council spy system to help him handle too many matters. Of course, the little Northern Qi Emperor would, for his sake, not make things difficult for Sizhe, but…for one young man to contend in such a dangerous place, it really was hard for him.

Fan Xian did not plan to send people to help him because his rebirth experience clearly told him that to excel, one must improve oneself through practice. Sizhe had a natural gift for commerce. If he didn't go through this difficult and repetitive grind to be polished, that would truly be a pity.

Fan Xian talked a bit more with Xia Qifei and found himself approving more and more of this leader of the Jiangnan water bandits, now his subordinate. It looked like his original choice to subdue him in Shazhou would be of great benefit to his larger Jiangnan plan.

"Everything was done as according to policies set previously."

Fan Xian said, "Su Wenmao is in the palace treasury. I will leave Deng Zi Yue in Suzhou. Deputy Ma Jie will handle the moving of the goods from the palace treasury. If you temporarily are unable to figure out the accounts, then listen to the suggestions of those old officials."

The old officials were all experts scooped out of the Ministry of Revenue. It had been a giant gift from the Minister of Revenue, Fan Jian, for his son. It would be easy for them to make some false accounts and pull a few tricks.

Xia Qifei made a sound of acknowledgement and hesitantly said, "This is the first time, and the route North has been cleared…but it won't be hidden for too long."

Fan Xian thought for a moment. The hint of a cold smile rose between his brows. "What are you afraid of? Xinyang smuggles every year, who doesn't know this? As long as they don't have information to use against us, what can they do to you or me?"

A chill ran through Xia Qifei's heart. He realized that the commissioner was indeed extremely daring and confident. However, he kept thinking of another matter and couldn't help a strange expression rising on his face.

Fan Xian watched and couldn't help but laugh. He calmly gazed at him and said, "Are you feeling dissatisfied concerning the Ming family matter?"

Xia Qifei thought for a moment. Over this half year, everything he learned told him that it was best not to hide anything in front of this young man, so he gritted his teeth and summoned his courage, "I am dissatisfied."

Xia Qifei was silent. During the Ming Garden crisis, he had been following orders and sending goods North, so he did not participate in it. He had received the news during his journey and seen the last of the people's mourning. He couldn't help giving a bitter smile, "Although dead, she died grandly."

Fan Xian said gently, "You know how the old Ming matriarch died?"

Xia Qifei suddenly raised his head. He gazed at Fan Xian thinking, Didn't you help me force her to die? Suddenly his mind turned and thought of the Jiangnan people's peace after the chaos and the Ming family's strange silence after the funeral; he couldn't help but think of another terrifying possibility.

"Ming Qingda?" he asked in disbelief.

Fan Xian nodded coldly. "I won't hide this from you. The Emperor wanting to subdue the Ming family was an easy matter, but to smoothly subdue the Ming family was a very difficult matter. The current situation is one that I worked very hard to devise, so please don't ruin it."

Xia Qifei immediately understood everything. The commissioner had made a secret deal with Ming Qingda. He felt a mixture of emotions and some faint fear, would he…become a useless pawn to be sacrificed?

Fan Xian's following words surprised him again.

"You're not satisfied, and neither am I," Fan Xian smiled slightly and said. "Of the six branches of the Ming family, currently you and I only hold two of them. Through this matter, Ming Qingda finally became the true master of the Ming family…and I can no longer act openly…that old fox tricked me, do you think I won't make him repay that?"

Xia Qi Fei opened his mouth slightly and eager anticipation flashed through his eyes, "When do we act?"

"Don't let your feverish anticipation get to your head every time revenge is brought up." Fan Xian seemed to be lecturing him, but he also seemed to be stating some business that was mighty, distant, and his own.

"The Jiangnan people's blood letters had been sent to Jingdou long ago, the Emperor's edict scolding me should be here in a day or two."

Fan Xian continued, "At this time, I will not move against Ming Qingda again.

"I don't understand." Xia Qifei thought of something and asked hesitantly, "How does it benefit Ming Qingda to act in this way? Does he naively believe that as long as he lowers his head, you would leave him a path?"

Fan Xian looked at him with approval and said, "He is just dragging out the time, that's all."

"Dragging out the time?"

"Yes," Fan Xian sighed and said, "using his mother's life in exchange for a year of time. I once said, this elder brother of yours, does things even more extreme than me."

"One year of time?" Xia Qifei asked with confusion. "What can that do?"

Fan Xian would not tell him about the seemingly stable but actually strangely dangerous situation in Jingdou. He only smiled coldly and said, "Your elder brother is bowing and bending the knee, biding his time, and swaying between the two sides, all to see clearly the situation of the court in a year's time. As for you and I, we'll just watch for a year."

After a year, the other side should not be able to resist making a move, right? After a year, he would be able to kill some people.

"Don't be anxious." Fan Xian tried to convince Xia Qifei as well as himself. "Your elder brother is a clever man, but in the end, he sways between the two sides not wanting to offend either. In the end, he will die for his cleverness."

"Because in the end, he has no power."

Just as Fan Xian said these words, he suddenly remembered the three sentences Ye Liuyun said to him before he sliced the building in half and a chill ran through his heart. Perhaps the Great Grandmaster had seen further than him and already seen some danger that he was not aware of?

After the imperial envoy was almost assassinated, Jiangnan Road Governor, Xue Qing, exploded with rage and immediately had a very powerful response. Ming Garden's private soldiers were all disarmed, and the enmity the Jiangnan people felt toward Fan Xian due to the old Ming matriarch's death was somewhat lessened because of Fan Xian's injury—people's hearts have always been such strange things.

In the end, Ming Garden's power was once more diminished. It still became a piece of dough in Fan Xian's hands, allowing him to shape it as he wished. However, with the current situation in Jingdou and the imperial edict that was about to arrive, he had to push back his plans to a later date.

"Even if Ming Qingda completely throws in his lot with me, I would still not accept." The corners of Fan Xian's mouth twitched and what he said made Xia Qifei happy.

Fan Xian calmly said, "I am someone who really holds a grudge. Perhaps you don't care about your water bandit brothers who were killed in front of the Jiangnan Restaurant, but I remember. A number of the swordsmen from the Sixth Bureau I sent to protect you died."

Xia Qifei's sorrow showed slightly.

Fan Xian continued, "Ming Qingda is a clever person, as I said earlier. That is why he believes that compared to a great benefit, I would accept the deaths of these seemingly normal people with a smile…but he is wrong."

He quietly said, "The Ming family asked someone to kill my people, so I will kill their people. Although these were his mother's actions, having a son pay for his mother's debt…isn't that fair?"

Xia Qifei couldn't resist laughing and respectfully bowed, "You are correct, it is fair."

…

…

Fan Xian patted Xia Qifei's shoulder. "We won't speak any more of such boring things. In this half year, you should learn how to manage well the route going North. At the same time, be on good terms with the Lingnan Xiong family and Quanzhou Sun family. As for Yang Jimei, you can also have some contact…in the future, you are going to manage the Ming family's massive fortune, so it is important to have good relations with these major merchants."

Xia Qifei heard the meaning in the commissioner's words and couldn't help but be shocked. He quickly said, "Many thanks for helping me accomplish my goal."

"It's still early," Fan Xian said calmly. "However, I have already ordered Ming Qingda, you will definitely appear at the yearly worship in the seventh year of the Ming calendar."

After Xia Qifei's great surprise, a tumble of complicated emotions surged in his heart, this meant…he was going to return to his family? He had wandered on the jianghu for so many years, finally, he could return to Ming Garden.

…

…

Leaving Xia Qifei's manor, Fan Xian disapproved of Xia Qifei's final joy and tears in his eyes. Was returning to the family so important? After all, he was a person with the experience of two lives. Although he knew how people in this age valued bloodlines and this matter at hand so highly, he still did not understand it very much and even held it in some contempt.

Those who gave birth to me were my parents. Those who raised me were my parents. If you treat me as your child, I will treat you as my parents. If you treat me with hatred, I will treat you with hatred. This was the logic.

The second person to return to Hua Garden in Suzhou somewhat surprised Fan Xian, because, at that time, he was worrying in the study about going to Hangzhou to pick up Wan'er and whether or not he should bring that chest of silver as that chest of silver…was a bit too heavy.

Just as he was thinking hard, a shadow appeared before his table and gave him a fright.

"Next time you enter, I'll trouble you to knock." Fan Xian glanced at the shadow and lowered his head again to read the Council report.

The Shadow suddenly tilted his head. Under the black clothes covering his entire body shone a pale white face that seemed interested in Fan Xian. After all, even the Director treated him like a nephew, yet Fan Xian was not the same.

"Yun Zhilan returned to Dongyi."

Fan Xian raised his head and knew that this meant that the game between the swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau of the Overwatch Council and the ace assassins of Dongyi that had continued four months had finally come to an end.

While Fan Xian was in the palace treasury's three large workshops, at the voting conference in Suzhou, in the Ming Garden battling the enemy with wit and strength, there was another secret battle line. They fought silently but were actually an important enough component to turn the situation around completely, and the battle on this front was certainly bloodier and more terrifying.

He was silent for a moment and then said heavily, "How many brothers did the Council sacrifice?"

"Seventeen." The Shadow's words still did not have any obvious changes in emotion.

"How many people died on Dongyi side?" This was a topic Fan Xian was very interested in.

"Seventeen."

"Oh, one for one, it seems we didn't lose out." Although it could be said they didn't lose out, there was still a sinister fire flashing in Fan Xian's eyes. He lightly used his finger to knock on the table and slowly said, "Remember this debt clearly. After some time, we will take it back."

The Shadow asked, "Will you get it back or will I?"

Fan Xian glanced at him and smiled easily, "Can you defeat that idiot brother of yours?"

The Shadow did not get angry, "No, but you can't either."

Fan Xian remembered the power of Ye Liuyun's strike and admitted this truth. "Although I can't defeat him, that doesn't mean I can't kill him."

The Shadow looked at him and didn't know where this young man's confidence came from to dare to say he could kill a Great Grandmaster.

The study fell silent.

Fan Xian continued with his own business and didn't even glance at the Shadow in front of him.

In the end, it was still the Shadow who broke the silence.

"I heard…Ye Liuyun came?"

Fan Xian glanced at him and asked curiously, "How did you know it was Ye Liuyun?"

"Because Sigu Jian is still in Dongyi."

Fan Xian sighed and shook his head, thinking, Such simple logic that even Shadow, a man who only knew how to kill people, could figure it out. What on earth was Ye Liuyun, this old man, thinking?

"Can Sigu Jian not quietly escape Dongyi?" Although Fan Xian thought that way in his heart, he still couldn't break the habit of framing Dongyi and did not wish for the internal faction of the Qing Kingdom to have such a large crack.

The Shadow was silent for a moment then said, "He…it's already been six years since he left the Sword Hut."

…

…

Fan Xian was shocked. He knew the Shadow's identity and, of course, trusted the other party's judgement and source of information. If it really was like this, then this matter was too strange. No wonder that even though the Qing people had used Sigu Jian as a scapegoat countless times, Dongyi had yet to make a direct response.

Fan Xian suddenly thought of a marvelous possibility.

"Do you think…" he rested his chin on his hand and asked animatedly, "Do you think it is possible that your idiot brother has already died?"

"No."

The Shadow's words could only bring Fan Xian a sigh.

"As long as he doesn't leave, it's fine." Fan Xian immediately thought of another wonderful thing and smiled. "As long as Sigu Jian does not go out, I don't have to be afraid someone will kill me."

The Shadow thought about this and tacitly accepted this truth then said again, "I heard Ye Liuyun came."

This was already the second time the Shadow had raised this topic. Fan Xian clearly did not want to talk about it, however, he didn't expect the Shadow to be so stubborn. He couldn't hold back his anger and said, "And I heard love came back…whether or not it is Ye Liuyun, whether or not he came or not, is it very important?"

"It is very important," The Shadow replied with rarely seen seriousness. "My idol is Sir Wu and the person I want to defeat the most is Sigu Jian but if I can battle Sir Ye Liuyun once, it is enough for me to be pleased all my life, so…Sir, I envy you."

Fan Xian was lost and sincerely said, "There is no need to be envious of me. Next time there is something amazing like this, I will definitely leave it to you. As for Ye Liuyun, I can promise you, if you fight him, the person who dies…will certainly be you, and it will be a very thorough death."

The Shadow was silent, and then he turned and left, disappearing into the darkness.

Fna Xian suddenly thought of something and said quietly to the dark and empty night, "The day after tomorrow, I am going to Hangzhou, you will come with me."

He was going to Hangzhou to pick up Wan'er. He didn't know whether or not Haitang would go with him. For safety purposes, he felt more at ease with the Shadow beside him.

…

…

After that night, Fan Xian and Haitang recovered their usual interaction. It was only in occasional moments their gazes would meet and there would be many more things that were unclear. It was strange that Haitang was just as indolent and peaceful as she always was, on the contrary, it was Fan Xian who felt out of sorts.

Haitang's gaze would occasionally be all smiles, which made Fan Xian angry.

This reality made Fan Xian realize clearly that even if he used some dirty tricks such as having the word spread out, he might still not be able to bind such an independent woman by his side for a lifetime. He had once encouraged Ruoruo to travel around, but someone like Duoduo…

However, Fan Xian was as selfish as he admitted…there were not many young men who dared or could marry Haitang Duoduo. After he had caused such a scandal, who would dare to marry her?

A naughty smile flashed through his eyes as he ripped open the letter Wang Qinian had sent back. He skimmed it and couldn't help laughing again. Seems like Lao Wang was very unhappy in Northern Qi. The burden on his shoulders was too heavy. It was indeed not as comfortable as following Fan Xian. This letter was asking about his return date.

Fan Xian understood how he felt. Living in a foreign country, there was indeed a feeling of loneliness. Once things go wrong, regardless of whether it was the Overwatch Council or the court, either of them could throw him aside. This feeling of being tossed to one side was not a good one.

As he thought, he suddenly sighed. Tonight, he had first seen Xia Qifei and then the Shadow, including Wang Qinian far away in the North, these were all his capable subordinates. The first two both carried a deep vengeance with them. They were both the smallest of a large family. They wandered the ends of the world and could not return to the homes they had.

In reality, how was his past any different?

A gathering of abandoned orphans would eventually become hyped.