75: Emperor Qing: Prince Yong, come and assassinate me! (23

It was only at this moment that someone came forward to inspect Fan Xian's Deputy Director's waist token.

After confirming its authenticity, everyone bowed to him in unison, "Greetings, Deputy Director!"

Fan Xian was delighted to see that the Deputy Director's waist token was indeed effective.

"My teacher, Fei Jie, is in charge. Is he in the Council?"

The junior officials replied, "Unfortunately, Elder Fei has not been in the Council recently."

Fan Xian then asked, "Since you acknowledge me as the Deputy Director, where do I work?"

These junior officials were clearly unsure about the questions Fan Xian raised.

"The position of Deputy Director in the Council has been vacant for a long time. We do not know where Your Excellency works."

"That's right, I've been in the Council for ten years and have never seen a living Deputy Director."

"No, I remember there's a Deputy Director in the Council. I wonder if he's related to the Deputy Director?"

"Based on the official title, it should be related!"

After some discussion, they dispatched one person to take Fan Xian to find the Deputy Director.

After many twists and turns, Fan Xian entered a dark, imposing gate.

If he hadn't been holding the waist token, he wouldn't have dared to enter.

The junior official said to the person in the room, "Lord Zong, the Deputy Director has arrived!"

The middle-aged man sitting behind the desk glanced at Fan Xian, then asked, "Fan Xian from Danzhou?"

Fan Xian quickly nodded, "That's right, I am Fan Xian from Danzhou, and my teacher is Chief Fei."

The man then asked, "Is it the Fan Xian whose carriage was ambushed by a woman upon entering the city, and then spent a day in the Kyoto Prefecture prison?"

Fan Xian's face flushed slightly, "Since you knew I was in trouble, why didn't you come to rescue me, Your Excellency!"

The man chuckled, "Such a small matter doesn't require the Supervisory Council to intervene."

"Besides, you didn't even report for duty, so why should we save you!"

The man dismissed the junior official, then bowed to Fan Xian, "Deputy Director Zong Zhui, greetings, Deputy Director."

Fan Xian looked at Zong Zhui's respectful attitude and said with some confusion, "The Deputy Director should be superior to the Deputy Director, right?"

Zong Zhui replied, "The Deputy Director is second only to the Director and is on the same level as the chiefs of the eight departments.

The Deputy Director is only subordinate to the Director and the Deputy Director in the Council, and does not take orders from others."

Fan Xian nodded, "You are under my command. What about your Director? Since I'm here, I should at least meet the Director, right?"

Zong Zhui looked at Fan Xian with satisfaction. This person still understood the rules.

"The Director is not here. He has ordered me to follow Your Excellency."

Fan Xian smiled, "I am on the same level as the chiefs of the eight departments. Other chiefs have hundreds of subordinates, but I, the Deputy Director, only have you?"

Zong Zhui nodded, "Your Excellency is insightful, that is indeed the case."

At this point in the timeline, Fan Xian lacked a sense of security because he was tricked upon entering the city.

The Supervisory Council Deputy Director's waist token he held was the strongest power he could wield.

"Zong Zhui, I want to investigate an assassination case..."

Fan Xian had just opened his mouth when Zong Zhui took over.

"Xu Yunzhang of the Supervisory Council's Fourth Department forged a secret order, commanding Fourth Department Head Teng Zijing to assassinate Your Excellency."

"Teng Zijing was killed by Your Excellency, and Xu Yunzhang committed suicide to avoid punishment. This case is personally overseen by the Director, and Your Excellency has no right to interfere."

Fan Xian only now knew that the stubborn fellow he had pushed off the cliff was named Teng Zijing.

Xu Yunzhang committed suicide, so it seemed to involve a significant network, to the point that the Director personally oversaw the case.

"Zong Zhui, does Xu Yunzhang have any special background?

For example, is he someone from the Crown Prince, or from the Second Prince?"

Zong Zhui quickly covered Fan Xian's mouth, "This cannot be said, which is why the Director is personally overseeing it."

Knowing the Deputy Director's authority, Fan Xian was unwilling to sit idly by. He wanted to investigate the Danzhou assassination case, and even the case that ruined his reputation.

"Zong Zhui, you come with me. If we can't investigate openly, we'll investigate privately!"

Zong Zhui didn't object at all to Fan Xian's request, "Does Your Excellency have any ideas?"

Fan Xian mused, "Xu Yunzhang's background should be discernible from his usual interactions. Where can I get such information?"

Zong Zhui replied, "There are shops in Kyoto City that specialize in buying and selling information. We can go and take a look."

Upon hearing that such a place existed where ready-made information could be bought, Fan Xian eagerly followed Zong Zhui.

Half an hour later, Fan Xian indeed bought Xu Yunzhang's social connections from a dilapidated small shop.

The paper clearly stated that Xu Yunzhang had close ties with the Eastern Palace, and Xu Yunzhang was actually the Crown Prince's man!

In the Imperial Study.

Eunuch Hou bowed and said to Emperor Qing, "Your Majesty, Young Master Fan has already bought information about Xu Yunzhang."

"The case of Xu Yunzhang is personally overseen by the Supervisory Council Director. Young Master Fan finds it very strange that such information could be bought."

"However, by the time he realized it and turned back, our people had already withdrawn."

The inconspicuous information shop was actually controlled by the Inner Court; otherwise, it would have been sealed by the Supervisory Council long ago.

Emperor Qing, without lifting his head from the book in his hand, said, "Very good, give him everything. I'm not afraid of him knowing!"

Eunuch Hou said with concern, "Young Master Fan has just arrived in Kyoto and has already encountered a series of setbacks.

Now that he knows the Crown Prince tried to assassinate him, I wonder if he will become timid."

Emperor Qing said expressionlessly, "If that were the case, how could he shoulder such a great responsibility? The ordeal of fire is a test."

"His reputation was ruined by a palace maid; let's say he was new and unprepared. I, relying on this old face, withstood the strong opposition from Prime Minister Lin and the Inner Court, and did not cancel the imperial decree of marriage."

"The rest depends on his determination and his tactics."

Eunuch Hou said, "Young Master Fan fell in love with Princess Yichen at first sight, which is why he came to Kyoto."

"However, Princess Yichen is neither warm nor cold towards him, and Second Young Master Lin and Young Miss Ye view Fan Xian as an enemy."

Emperor Qing heard Eunuch Hou's words and couldn't help but laugh and curse, "Hey! You're an eunuch!"

"What do you know about love at first sight! I tell you, that Fan Xian, he just lusts after beauty!"

"If he can't even win over Wan'er, if he can't even coax a young girl, even if he controls the financial power of the Imperial Treasury, he might lose even more than Li Yunrui!"

Eunuch Hou chuckled awkwardly, "Princess Yichen's poetry has made a name for her in Kyoto today. Young Master Fan needs to work hard."

Emperor Qing sneered, "Heh heh! What's a small talent name? I conquered even the number one extraordinary woman in the world back then!"

Emperor Qing spoke of glorious past events without a blush, as if he had completely forgotten about being drugged and having a child by proxy.

"Wan'er is merely intelligent, but her thoughts are simple. She's also very disciplined, with the demeanor of a refined young lady, not as eccentric as her mother."

"Fan Xian, oh Fan Xian, I hope you don't disappoint me!"

After muttering about Fan Xian, Emperor Qing then spoke about the situation of assassins in Kyoto.

"By the way, are the assassins in Kyoto still rampant today?"

Eunuch Hou said, "Yes, there are still many assassins in Kyoto. Many assassins have gone to the Prime Minister's Residence, Fan Manor, Qin Family, and Ye Family."

"Your Majesty is wise to have the experts from Dragon Guard Manor assist in defending against assassins. Not a single assassin succeeded."

Emperor Qing smiled knowingly, "Those sixth and seventh-rank assassins probably couldn't even scale the walls of those families before being killed, right!"

Emperor Qing's guess was correct. Li Chang'an's Shadow Guards drove the assassins near these families, where they were easily killed by the experts of those families.

The Prime Minister's Residence had forty to fifty experts above the seventh rank, the Fan Family had Tiger Guards protecting them, and both the Qin and Ye families had ninth-rank experts. These assassins were essentially forced to their deaths.

Li Chang'an did this to create an atmosphere of rampant assassins in Kyoto and that Northern Qi and Eastern Yi were bullying Great Qing too much, to build momentum for war.

The sarcastic imperial decree Emperor Qing gave Li Chang'an also conveyed this meaning.

Emperor Qing never spoke plainly; he always wanted you to guess.

If you guessed correctly, you would do it, but you couldn't expose it.

If you did poorly, you would be punished; if you did well, whether you were rewarded depended entirely on his mood.

Emperor Qing continued to smile, "Go and convey an oral decree to Li Chang'an, just say... how could you handle things like this!"

"How can the assassins in the capital still be so rampant? Several important officials have been assassinated."

"If you don't do your job properly, the assassins will even break into the Imperial Palace!"

Eunuch Hou understood. His Majesty's oral decree was sarcastic; he was urging Li Chang'an to force assassins into the Imperial Palace as well.

"Your humble servant obeys the decree. Since it's a reprimand, should Prince Yong's salary be deducted?"

Emperor Qing replied, "No deduction for now. If no assassins break into the palace in a few days, then it won't be too late to punish him!"

... The next day, Prince Yong's Residence.

Li Chang'an twirled the imperial decree in his hand, cursing Emperor Qing for being boring. Couldn't he just speak directly?

Jing Ni flashed out from the shadows, pouting slightly, her face full of indignation.

"Can't your Emperor just speak properly?"

"He clearly wants Your Highness to create the illusion of assassins breaking into the palace, yet he insists on reprimanding Your Highness."

Jing Ni didn't know that Emperor Qing was a Great Grandmaster who transcended all others.

His only enemies were the other Four Grandmasters, Wu Zhu, and barrett.

Everything else, including the Crown Prince and Second Prince's struggle for succession, and Fan Xian, was under his control.

Li Chang'an, having the System, should theoretically just quietly Cultivate and not get involved in messy affairs.

However, with Emperor Qing around, he would definitely torment you, thoroughly test the limits of your abilities, and only then let you go.

If the young Li Chang'an wanted to follow the path of a leisurely prince like Prince Jing, he would have to constantly suffer setbacks and feign weakness, making Emperor Qing believe that he truly lacked ability.

Li Chang'an always believed that feigning foolishness for too long would make one truly foolish, and feigning weakness too much would make one truly weak.

When facing critical choices, if one consistently chooses to show weakness, it will significantly impact one's abilities and insights.

When facing another Transmigrator, Fan Xian, Li Chang'an actively seized the initiative, forcing Fan Xian to feign weakness now.

Because Fan Xian feigned weakness and did not gain as much prominence as in the original timeline, the trials and tribulations he faced would be much weaker.

Therefore, in the world Li Chang'an Transmigrated to, Fan Xian would also grow into a different person.

"Jing Ni, these words cannot be said directly. To say them directly would mean, 'Prince Yong, quickly send people to assassinate me!'"

"Such an oral decree cannot be conveyed, but this is also Emperor Qing's style, which is indeed a bit annoying."

"Fortunately, with the two princes, The Eldest Princess, and Fan Xian in front, we are not his main focus."

"Therefore, I must diligently Cultivate and become a Great Grandmaster as soon as possible, so that I will not fear him."

Jing Ni chuckled softly, "Your subordinate looks forward to the day Your Highness achieves the Great Grandmaster realm."

"Your Highness, among the messages relayed by the Northern Qi Net, there is one that might require attention."

"The Eldest Princess controls the Imperial Treasury, and the two major distributors of the Imperial Treasury, the Cui Family and the Ming Family, have long been smuggling with Northern Qi and Eastern Yi City."

"Recently, the Cui Family exchanged a large increase in smuggled goods with Shen Zhong, the Commander of the Brocade-Clad Guards, for a spy network in Kyoto."

"The specific spy network is unknown, as the Net members embedded in the Brocade-Clad Guards have limited positions, but this matter should have been instigated by The Eldest Princess."

At this point in time, the spy network Li Yunrui sacrificed significant smuggling profits for could only be Si Lili's.

Li Yunrui used Si Lili's token to mobilize Cheng Jushu to kill Fan Xian.

Si Lili's network was only responsible to the Northern Qi imperial family and was not subject to the Brocade-Clad Guards, so it was not surprising that Shen Zhong sold her out.

It seems that the Crown Prince and Second Prince want to win over Fan Xian, but The Eldest Princess's firm resolve to assassinate Fan Xian has not wavered.

"Recently, have the various Net branches pay attention to the movements of assassin organizations. If there are particularly powerful assassins entering Kyoto, have Old Wang and his group drive them into the palace."

These days, Wang Qinian is leading the Shadow Guards to search and apprehend assassins in the city, so they can handle this matter.

In the original drama, this task was undertaken by the Supervisory Council, who used agents to incite a Northern Qi assassin to enter the palace for an assassination attempt.

The assassin was killed on the spot by Gong Dian after entering the palace. Emperor Qing originally intended to use this incident as an excuse to attack Northern Qi.

However, the Niulan Street assassination case happened at that time, and the emperor and his ministers staged a play, blaming Northern Qi, and only then did they go to war.

According to the information Jing Ni just mentioned, the Niulan Street assassination case will still happen.

Eastern Palace.

The Crown Prince stood on the second-story loft, scolding Guo Baokun for a full half an hour.

"A dignified palace compiler, yet you can't even handle such a small matter!"

"Guo Baokun, have all your poems, books, and military strategies gone to the dogs?"

Guo Baokun wiped the sweat from his forehead and immediately explained, "Reporting to Your Highness, your subject has already learned his lesson."

"After a detailed discussion with Fan Xian, your subject has a new method that will surely help Fan Xian gain fame!"

The Crown Prince frowned, "Speak, I'll listen to what good ideas you still have!"

Guo Baokun said with a serious expression, "Fan Xian is unrefined in literature, but he excels most at chess and martial arts!"

"When he was in Danzhou, he was already unparalleled in chess, and even the city elders were no match for him."

"His martial arts are even more formidable; at just sixteen, he is already on the verge of a Breakthrough to the eighth rank!"

"Your Highness, Commander Gong is over forty years old and only at the Peak of the eighth rank, which shows Fan Xian's immense potential in the Dao of martial arts!"

To help Fan Xian gain fame, one should start with chess and martial arts, not some ridiculous poetry gathering!

Fan Xian was not good at literature to begin with, and at the poetry gathering, instead of showing his face, he ended up showing his backside.

Guo Baokun continued, "I know all the chess masters in Kyoto, and I can take Fan Xian to visit them for a match!"

"As for martial arts, I can also take Fan Xian to challenge famous young experts in Kyoto!"

Upon hearing Guo Baokun's words, the Crown Prince frowned.

"Gaining fame through chess might work that way; as long as he defeats one or two masters, others will naturally come to challenge him out of dissatisfaction."

"But gaining fame through martial arts, what you're suggesting won't work. Great Qing was founded on martial prowess. If you and Fan Xian do that, you'll offend a large number of people."

"Why don't I request His Imperial Majesty to reinstate the Young Martial Arts Debate, allowing all youths aged sixteen and under to participate?"

"That way, even if Young Master Qin or Young Miss Ye loses, they won't hold a grudge against you, or against me."