Joy of Life

Ten li out of the capital, the group of carriages stopped for a rest. Yan Bingyun climbed down from the carriage, not seeing Fan Xian off any further. Watching Sir Yan junior’s retreating figure, Fan Xian smiled warmly. He thought, Now that the Council has vital information that could be used against He Zongwei, there should be no problems in Jingdou.

Fan Xian would not underestimate He Zongwei. He trusted the Emperor’s judgment. He knew He Zongwei must be capable of something. In front of the Overwatch Council, Scholar He’s abilities often seemed insufficient. Thus, he could appear more relaxed when handling these problems. As to whether or not this kind of relaxed attitude was the correct one, it would depend on how things developed.

Mu Feng’er brought his horse alongside the window. Thinking about the intelligence report he had just received, he felt that it was rather strange. As the temporary leader of the Qinian Unit, he was aware of all of Sir Fan junior’s secrets. The matter mentioned in this intelligence report was one that even he had never come in contact with.

What was the matter that made Sir Fan junior cautious? Mu Feng’er swallowed to soothe his dry throat and lowered his voice to say, “Fish Guts replied.”

Mu Feng’er had no idea who Fish Guts represented. During these two years, Sir Fan junior and Fish Guts had exchanged three letters. Not only had these three letters gone through the Overwatch Council’s highest level of mail, but the people who had delivered the letters along the way also were core members of the Qinian Unit. Even these core members did not know whose hands the letter went to.

Where was Fish Guts? What did Fish Guts represent? There were countless questions in Mu Feng’er’s heart. Since the Commissioner did not speak, he could not guess or dare to guess.

Fan Xian was just about to put down the curtain on the carriage. After hearing this message, he smiled and quietly said, “Where’s the letter?”

Mu Feng’er let out a whistle. The Overwatch Council secret agents and swordsmen by the carriage spread out and took control of the environment around the roads, as well as in the direction of the forest, completely surrounding the black carriage Fan Xian was in.

Fan Xian accepted the letter. He swept his eyes over it a few times and committed the contents to memory. The words on the letter were common. The meaning they conveyed was also common. Only the person who wrote the letter and the person who received the letter knew the true meaning of the contents.

He suddenly felt the ridge of his ear itch and couldn’t resist scratching it. He closed his fist and crushed the letter into shredded snowflakes. This was a method of destruction he had long grown familiar with. He had seen it once on occasion. It seemed the Emperor also had such a habit.

Probably those who had learned the Tyrannical zhenqi all had an overabundance of zhenqi to be a human shredder. Fan Xian’s mind was suddenly filled with this absurd and cute thought. A small, calm smile rose to his face. One could see that this mood was good.

Mu Feng’er didn’t know why he was in a good mood and asked hesitantly, “Sir, do we proceed along the original path?”

“No,” Fan Xian said resolutely as he restrained his emotions slightly. “You will go alone to Dongyi. I will meet you outside the city.”

Mu Feng’er was shocked and didn’t acknowledge the order. “The Director has given strict orders to not allow you to act alone anymore.”

“I am now the Director.” Fan Xian looked at him with a smile.

Mu Feng’er was slightly embarrassed. He only now remembered that before they left the capital, the Emperor had issued an official edict to the world. Sir Fan junior had officially taken over Director Chen’s position and was the Qing Kingdom’s second Director of the Overwatch Council.

Fan Xian stood in the woods as the black carriage gradually drove away. He watched the subordinates loyal to him. He thought about how he was responsible for the lives of many people.

To the south of Jingdou was Weizhou. The city by the water was affected by the magnificence of Jingdou. It was also a place that high-ranking officials, noble persons, and wealthy merchants were sure to pass through. Although the city was not big, it appeared particularly wealthy.

Wherever there was wealth, there would certainly be brothels and casinos. Without exception, there was a Baoyue Brothel in Weizhou. Far away from Baoyue Brothel, there was Weizhou’s largest and most extravagant casino, Thousand Gold Pavilion.

Disguised as a merchant, Fan Xian raised his head and looked at the three large characters on the sign and couldn’t resist a smile.

The casino had long filled with people. Even though the large ventilating fans produced by the palace treasury were running endlessly under hard labor, the scent of people mingled with the smell of powder and alcohol remained distasteful. Fan Xian couldn’t help but cover his nose.

Looking around, he confirmed that the person he was looking for was not waiting for him on the first floor. He headed up to the second floor. Unexpectedly, he was stopped by two managerial-looking people at the entrance to the second floor.

Fan Xian was slightly confused but quickly understood what was happening. He couldn’t resist smiling self-mockingly. Given his identity as Fan Xian, no one dared to stop him. He was used to this, so he had headed upstairs without any precautions. He had forgotten that he now looked like a regular merchant.

The second floor of the Thousand Gold Pavilion was where the true extravagance was. Those who came to play were all wealthy and respectable people. Even if there was an occasional disagreement, each had their boundaries. So, the atmosphere was good. However, such a place always needed a threshold. It was clear that Fan Xian’s get-up was not sufficient to step over the threshold.

“If Sir is so inclined, why not have some fun downstairs first?” Although the steward had rudely blocked Fan Xian at the entrance, he spoke with gentleness. One could see that the management of the Thousand Gold Pavilion was good.

Fan Xian smiled and said, “I’m here to find a friend.”

The steward was slightly surprised. After thinking for a moment, he quietly asked, “What is the honorable surname of the friend you are looking for? If there is an urgent matter, we can relay a message on your behalf.”

“My friend’s surname is Guan.”

Hearing the name, the steward’s expression immediately changed. He bowed slightly but did it carefully as to not draw the attention of the other gamblers on the first floor. Extending a hand, he invited Fan Xian respectfully up to the second floor and settled him in an unusual room. He lowered his voice and said, “Please wait a moment, Sir.”

Fan Xian sat in the room. Before long, he heard the sound of rushed footsteps. A charming woman walked in with a slightly nervous expression.

The steward accompanied this woman in and reported, “It is this man who is looking for a friend surnamed Guan.”

“You can go out. You should know what to do,” the woman said to the steward after she gave Fan Xian a respectful and small bow.

The steward made a sound of acknowledgment and left. However, he was still startled and marveled at the fact that there was someone in the world who could make elder sister Guan so scared. He wondered who the merchant-looking man truly was.

There were only Fan Xian and the young woman left in the room. The young woman immediately greeted him anew. She knelt in front of Fan Xian and said respectfully, “Subordinate Guan Wumei greets the Commissioner.”

Because she lacked an arm, Guan Wumei did not kneel steadily. Because of the fear that had never left her heart, her voice trembled slightly.

Fan Xian looked at her and sighed in his heart. This woman had lost her arm to him. It was no wonder she was so scared of him. It had been five years since the first time Fan Xian had gone south to Jiangnan. Xia Qifei had taken back the Ming family. This cousin of his, once a famous female bandit in Jiangnan, had successfully inherited the forces of the Jiangnan water bandits.

With the powerful support of the new Ming family, as well as the Overwatch Council’s secret support, Guan Wumei had effortlessly established for herself a high position on the jianghu. The old saying held true. The jianghu was just one part of the kingdom. With Fan Xian behind Guan Wumei, even if he wanted her to be the big boss of the criminal underworld, how difficult could it be?

“Stand up and speak,” Fan Xian looked at her and said as gently as possible. “Oh right, there is another matter. I have formally taken over the Overwatch Council. Don’t call me Commissioner in the future.”

Guan Wumei was a member of the outer circle of the Overwatch Council. The edict in Jingdou had not had time to spread everywhere. Upon suddenly hearing this news, she was startled involuntarily. In a moment, the surprise in her eyes changed to joy.

She had never held a grudge against Sir Fan junior, even though he had chopped off one of her arms. Sir Fan junior had helped her cousin have his revenge and took back the Ming family. More importantly, she knew who she was. Holding a grudge against Sir Fan junior? She had never even thought of such a thing, so her joy was from her heart. After all, her life in Jiangnan depended on Fan Xian’s status in court. In recent years, she had heard that the Overwatch Council was being attacked in Jingdou. The people of Jiangnan were also beginning to grow restless. Learning that Fan Xian had become the Director of the Overwatch Council, Guan Wumei felt like she had let out a long-held breath.

“Have the Lingnan Xiong family and Quanzhou Sun family said anything?” Fan Xian asked about the reason he had come. During these three years, he had been carrying out a secret business behind the backs of every single person. However, this business was overly expensive. Although he controlled the palace treasury, it was, after all, the court’s. Most of the money he earned from smuggling went into the river banks crisis fund that the court desperately needed. For the time being, he could not avail himself to it.

Even though Xia Mingji was secretly providing Fan Xian with the greatest support he could, Fan Xian still felt that he was short on money. Even his brother, Fan Sizhe, in the North, had sent Fan Xian a large amount of silver despite being under the Northern Qi Royal family’s strict surveillance. Fan Xian still felt that it was not enough.

Sir Fan junior lacked spending money? If word of this got out, it would probably become a huge joke. It was the truth. It also demonstrated that the business Fan Xian had been secretly doing these three years was a black hole that sucked in a countless amount of money.

Guan Wumei was already standing. She glanced carefully at Fan Xian. She and Xia Qifei both knew Sir Fan junior had been spending a lot of silver these years. She had no idea where the silver was going. Furthermore, it had been alright the previous two years. Relying on Fan Xian’s subordinates, they had managed. A few days ago, she had suddenly received news that said he needed a massive amount of silver this year. This caught them by surprise. They weren’t able to raise the money all at once.

This amount of silver was too large. Even if Xia Qifei and Fan Sizhe were given enough time, they probably still wouldn’t be able to gather it.

“The message came too late. We only had time to inform the Sun and Xiong families. Because we could not explain to them what this silver was going to be used for, the masters of their families refused to agree,” Guan Wumei replied slightly nervously. “Presently, the masters of the families are in Shazhou, not far from Weizhou. Do you want to meet with them?”

“No need.” Fan Xian shook his head. “This matter must be done secretly. Having asked for silver from the Sun and Xiong families, it probably won’t be hidden for much longer. It’s my fault for being too rushed. I need to think some more.”

Guan Wumei let out a large breath. Even with Sir Fan junior’s help, it would be a difficult matter to move so much silver secretly without the court finding out. What scared Guan Wumei the most was that Sir Fan junior was spending so much silver and also keeping it from the court. Was he secretly gathering a private army and preparing to rebel? Otherwise, given Sir Fan junior’s present identity and status, he would not need to do such a thing.

“Have Xia Qifei speak with the Sun and Xiong families. It’s best not to mention me,” Fan Xian said with his brows furrowed. “Just say that there has been a problem with the smuggling route going North. The Northern Qi court suddenly struck and confiscated all of the goods. The Ming family needs to pay back the palace treasury and also needs cash flow. They can’t get enough money for the time being, so they need the support of a large amount of silver from those two families.”

This was a good excuse. The only powers that could make the Jiangnan Ming family suddenly lose a large amount of money would only be the two courts to the North and South. Guan Wumei furrowed her brows and asked, “The court has many spies in the North. Even if we could keep it from the Overwatch Council, there are other intelligence channels that would send back information that there has been no action in the North…”

She sighed in distress. “Unless we have the Northern Qi court cooperate in putting on a show with us.”

After saying these words, she couldn’t resist smiling self-mockingly. The Qing Kingdom and Northern Qi had been enemies for a long time. Sir Fan junior’s close relationship with the North had been completely destroyed after the Xiliang battle last year. In addition, everyone knew that the Northern Qi people hated Fan Xian to his bones because of the Dongyi matter. How could they put on a show with them?

“Putting on a show is good,” Fan Xian said with a slight smile. “I’ll have the Northern Qi Emperor put on this show with me to fool the court and give the Sun and Xiong families an excuse worthy of belief. What do you think?”

Guan Wumei was shocked and felt that she was increasingly unable to fathom Sir Fan junior. How could he say such a thing like having the Northern Qi Emperor cooperate with him in putting on a show in such a teasing way?

“I’ll be staying in Weizhou for a night. Please look after the people from the Sun and Xiong families.” Fan Xian picked up his teacup.

Guan Wumei took her leave. The room was not silent for long. A black-clothed man appeared in the corner of the room like a spirit. He carried a long knife behind him. The knife was in its sheath. Its killing intent was restrained, but it gave one the sense of unusual danger.

Fan Xian gently put down the teacup and raised his head to look at him. “Why the sudden need for so much silver?”

The black-clothed man remained standing in the shadows in the corner. He smiled and said in a raspy voice, “In the latter stages of construction, money is always spent quickly. These are the Minister’s own words.”