In the early morning, Fan Xian returned to his residence to change into official attire. After giving a few instructions, he sat in a carriage and headed towards the imperial palace. By the time he arrived, the palace gates were already bustling with activity, with groups of ministers gathering in twos and threes, whispering to each other.

He lifted the carriage curtain and glanced around, shaking his head involuntarily. It seemed that last night's events had become today's gossip, and he was, of course, the center of the ministers' discussions.

Having not slept all night and dealing with so many matters, his energy was naturally depleted. He took a towel soaked in ice water from Teng Zijing and vigorously rubbed his face. The skin on his face felt like it was being pricked by needles, finally waking him up a bit. He yawned, stretched, exhaled a few breaths of stale air, and stepped out of the carriage.

Walking along the blue brick pavement of the palace square, he attracted countless gazes and discussions. Everyone was looking at this Director of the Supervisory Council wearing official robes.

This was Fan Xian's first imperial court session since being appointed as the Imperial Envoy of Jiangnan Road. Logically, the ministers at the palace gates should have come forward to greet him, but for some reason, their eyes were filled with wariness, and they only watched from a distance, not approaching.

The reason was simple. Last night, the Supervisory Council had arrested and killed people. Although those captured were all lower-level officials, there were too many of them, and no one knew how many court officials were involved. The ministers attending the court were astonished but soon became enraged. They would definitely impeach Fan Xian during the court session today, so it was naturally not a good time to greet him.

Fan Xian felt uncomfortable as he walked, feeling like he was becoming an isolated official, despised by the civil and military officials of the court. Although he had caused this himself, this feeling of being ignored was like being ostracized by the little girls in kindergarten, filled with grievance.

He didn't show it on his face, maintaining a calm and gentle smile as if he didn't feel those burning gazes.

Upon reaching the palace gates, the guards and eunuchs guarding the entrance greeted him with bows. Fan Xian looked at the flattering gazes of the two young eunuchs, feeling a warmth in his heart and feeling quite comforted. He thought to himself that in this world, disabled people were indeed more compassionate.

Turning his head, he saw the two leading figures in the civil official ranks with their nostrils upturned, seemingly studying the celestial phenomena for any abnormalities.

Fan Xian rubbed his nose. He was familiar with the white-bearded old man on the left. He also knew that the middle-aged man on the right must be Grand Academician Hu, the initiator of the literary reform movement back then. Seeing these two Grand Secretaries of the Secretariat treating him so coldly, Fan Xian knew that he had caused too much commotion last night. In the eyes of these great men, he had already shown a strong tendency to become a powerful and treacherous official. Coupled with the Supervisory Council's abnormal actions, it had indeed caused a very negative impact on the court. Naturally, these two leading figures of the civil officials would not be too friendly with him, the head of the secret agents.

But he didn't buy into this. Forcibly suppressing the anger in his heart, he approached with a cheeky smile and stood beside the two Grand Academicians Shu and Hu, not saying anything, but instead looking up at the sky in a strange manner.

For a moment, the ministers waiting to attend the court saw a very strange scene: the two Grand Academicians, along with the accursed Director of the Supervisory Council, all had their necks straight and their heads raised, looking at the layers of dark clouds in the sky without stopping, remaining silent and not saying a word.

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After an unknown amount of time, Grand Academician Shu, with his cheerful disposition, finally couldn't help but snort and say, "What is Director Fan looking at?"

Grand Academician Hu also retracted his gaze from the sky. Although both Grand Academicians were intelligent, they didn't have Fan Xian's thick skin and couldn't bear the unusual gazes of so many people. He coughed twice and said nothing.

Fan Xian said with a smile, "Whatever the two Grand Academicians are looking at, I am also looking at."

Shu Wu frowned, looking at him, wanting to say something but stopping. After hesitating for a long time, he still couldn't suppress the anger in his heart and reprimanded, "Do you know that the Supervisory Council is powerful, so its actions must be prudent and cautious? Regardless of what you want to do, driving around Kyoto like tigers and wolves, how can the officials conduct themselves? How can the court function? The gentry of the world have their dignity, whether you care about it or not, the court does! Tell me! You've arrested so many officials from the Six Ministries, how can they work? Not to mention work, the officials' hearts are all chilled, foolish!..."

Once he started speaking, he couldn't stop. Instead, Grand Academician Hu signaled to Shu Wu, and Shu Wu stopped, but he was still heartbroken and indignant.

However, Fan Xian now was not just the teacher in the Imperial College, nor was he just a nobleman with the empty title of Imperial Son-in-Law, only able to work at the Court of State Ceremonies. Although the rank of Director of the Supervisory Council was not high, he was, after all, an Imperial Envoy. Although Grand Academician Shu was the leading civil official, it was inappropriate to scold an Imperial Envoy like this.

"Stop scolding," Fan Xian said amusingly. "You are an elder, after all. Being so fierce to your nephew, it doesn't look good to the officials below."

Shu Wu was furious, but he couldn't bring himself to scold Fan Xian's face, which was both tired and respectful. He snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, and said, "You just wait for me to impeach you at the court session today."

Fan Xian made a bitter face and bowed, saying, "It's to be expected. Please be kind to me, elder."

Shu Wu was both angry and amused. Just then, the palace gates opened, a whip cracked, and ceremonial music began to play. He and Grand Academician Hu walked in first.

Today was a grand court assembly, with many more officials attending than usual. Even so, Fan Xian's official rank was still not high enough to join the court ranks, but he now had the identity of an Imperial Envoy of Jiangnan Road, and he had to report to the Emperor today, so no special decree from His Majesty was needed.

However, entering the palace also required lining up, so Fan Xian had to drag behind. But as soon as he stood at the palace gates, a naturally cold aura emanated from him, making the ministers who passed by him feel a chill.

When there were many people earlier, they could stick together and ignore Fan Xian. But now that they were walking into the palace in pairs, the ministers estimated that their positions were far inferior to Grand Academician Shu, calculated the Emperor's favor on Fan Xian, and thought about Fan Xian's methods, they had no choice but to greet him softly as they passed by him.

These ministers dared not be too negligent to Director Fan, whom they hadn't seen in a year.

"Director Fan, have you been well?"

"Greetings, Director Fan."

"..."

Fan Xian responded with a smile to each one. Although he knew that he would definitely be humiliated by these people at the court session today, this feeling of vanity, of being greeted by the ministers at the palace gates, was really good. He had to seize the time to gain some face.

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He got some face. What he would get on the court could only be bitter fruit.

Fan Xian stood at the back of the line, squinting at the Emperor on the dragon throne. A wave of fatigue washed over him. Looking at the Emperor's calm and energetic face, he felt a stomach full of anger, thinking that you slept well, but I'm working for you and I'm about to die, and I won't get any good results today.

As everyone expected, as soon as the grand court assembly began, before everything was properly arranged, the impeachment battle against Fan Xian and the Supervisory Council's actions last night began suddenly.

Fan Xian didn't listen to the specific content of the impeachments. It was nothing more than the same old clichés that Shu Wu had said before. The Supervisory Council did have the duty to supervise officialdom, but actions like his, arresting thirty-odd officials in one night, had not happened in many years. It could truly be said to have shaken the court.

He looked at the three Regional Commanders, not surprised to see Xue Qing at the top. Qing Kingdom now had a large territory, and the four Regional Commanders of the remote areas returned to the capital once every two years. He wondered curiously, Xue Qing watched the battle at Baoyue Tower last night by imperial decree, so he should have entered the palace overnight to report to the Emperor. He wondered what the Emperor thought of him.

Fan Xian was really tired, so he was completely distracted. But there were many words that he couldn't avoid hearing even if he didn't want to. The attacks of the civil and military officials continued to pour into his ears. Gradually, the accusations became bigger, such as disrespecting the court, disrespecting morality, using national instruments for personal gain, and forming factions...

In the Qing Kingdom's court, the Supervisory Council and the civil official system were originally mortal enemies. No matter what factions existed within the civil officials, they always seemed so united when facing the Supervisory Council. From the past when Prime Minister Lin was in power to the current Grand Academicians, as long as the Supervisory Council, the Emperor's special agency, overstepped its boundaries, the civil official system would unite and launch the most powerful counterattack.

Undoubtedly, Fan Xian had crossed the line last night, so today's grand court assembly became the battlefield for his attack.

Especially different from previous years was that the military, which had always been closely related to the Supervisory Council, no longer maintained its silence. Instead, the two Vice Ministers of the Grand Council also stood up and expressed their dissatisfaction with the Supervisory Council's actions.

The pressure of being attacked by all the civil and military officials was something that even the Emperor himself probably didn't want to bear, let alone Fan Xian, who was standing alone at the end of the line.

The atmosphere in the Taiji Hall was no longer oppressive, but filled with a unique winter dryness. Led by Shu Wu, the ministers impeached one after another, requesting His Majesty to restrain the Supervisory Council and make a final decision on this matter.

Their words pierced Fan Xian's heart, wounded his spirit, and flung dirt everywhere, creating a grand spectacle.

If an ordinary minister were in Fan Xian's position, they would probably have been so angry that they had lost their senses, jumped out to argue with those ministers, and pulled out the beards of those censors from the Censorate with their remaining courage. But Fan Xian still forcefully maintained his calm, not speaking, not defending himself, but with a slight curl of his lips, with a hint of sarcasm, watching the drama on the grand court assembly stage.

Perhaps it was the smile on his lips that made someone feel uncomfortable, made someone feel that this son of his was too reckless and arrogant. A scolding came from the dragon throne, "Fan Xian! Do you have anything to say?"

Fan Xian had been forcibly dispelling his drowsiness. Hearing this, he shuddered, straightened his official robes, stepped forward, bowed, and reported, "Your Majesty, the Supervisory Council questioned thirty-two officials from a single office last night, all in accordance with the Qing law and imperial decree, and there was no violation of regulations, so I don't understand why the officials are so agitated?"

The Emperor sneered and said, "You arrested thirty-two people in one night. You really have great... Could it be that all the officials in my Qing Kingdom are corrupt officials?"

Fan Xian said solemnly, "I dare not deceive Your Majesty. In this court..." He looked at the ministers in the hall and said seriously, "There are worms crawling everywhere. Thirty-two people are just a small number. If Your Majesty grants the Supervisory Council a special decree, I will definitely be able to arrest more corrupt officials."

The ministers felt a chill in their hearts, and then contempt appeared on their faces. They thought that you spoke boldly, but it was useless. What was the court? The court was the ministers. There were no incorrupt officials in this world. If you arrested them all, who would govern the world and shepherd the people for Your Majesty? How could His Majesty give you a special decree?

Sure enough, the Emperor was furious and scolded Fan Xian, saying that he didn't understand the overall situation, acted recklessly, and tarnished the sacred heart...

Fan Xian felt uncomfortable. Although he knew it was acting, he was still uncomfortable. He sullenly returned to the ranks.

At today's court assembly, no one mentioned the deaths of the Second Prince's Eight Generals, the death of the son of Commander Yan, or the poisoning and vomiting of blood of Princess Royal's strategist Huang Yi in bed, because those people were not officials and belonged to things in the dark. No one would be so stupid.

But just what happened last night was enough to trigger the vigilance and anger of the civil and military officials, so they attacked him on this matter, and the Emperor had to appease them.

However, the Emperor, sitting on the dragon throne, only said coldly, "How is the investigation of Fan Xian's assassination in the suburbs of the capital going?"

The ministers were silent. The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and the Minister of the Ministry of Justice stepped forward tremblingly and repeatedly pleaded guilty.

Fan Xian had no choice but to step forward and plead guilty. Why was it that the Supervisory Council was also a member of the joint investigation, but this matter was ridiculous. He was assassinated, he didn't find out who did it, but he had to come and plead guilty.

The Emperor frowned as he looked at Fan Xian and said, "I heard that the last witness died in the Heavenly Prison last night. Is this true?"

Fan Xian was stunned, not expecting that the Emperor would get the news so quickly.

The military faction showed a trace of deeply hidden joy and smiles on their faces, preparing to see how Fan Xian would explain this matter.

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The Emperor didn't need too much explanation. All the preparatory work had been done. He made the decision, issuing a decree that had been prepared for several days.

The first part of the decree made all the civil and military officials feel unbelievable, because... His Majesty had reduced the power of the Supervisory Council!

The ranks of the Supervisory Council were not lowered, but there were significant restrictions on its authority. Especially the First Bureau stationed in the capital, although it still retained the power to arrest people, detailed regulations were made on the time limit after the arrest, especially the handover of prisoners with the Court of Judicial Review, which had to be completed within forty-eight hours.

In other words, the First Bureau no longer had the power to secretly interrogate officials in the capital.

At the same time, the decree also made a general limitation on the authority of the Fourth Bureaus stationed in various states. As for the specific rules, Fan Xian had to draft a memorandum after returning to the Council and submit it to the court for discussion.

These two changes seemed minor, but in fact, it was like installing a timing device on the Supervisory Council, making it more inconvenient for them to do things in the future.

Fan Xian listened to this decree, feeling like he had swallowed a fly, but he still had to step forward and thank the Emperor for his grace.

The civil and military officials were overjoyed. At most, they wanted His Majesty to issue a decree to demote Fan Xian, slightly appease the Supervisory Council, and give the innocent officials who had been arrested more ways to survive. They didn't expect that His Majesty would take real action against the Supervisory Council. If this trend continued, the power of the Supervisory Council would naturally be gradually reduced.

So, the Taiji Hall resounded with shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" The ministers secretly praised His Majesty for being wise.

However, the second part of the Emperor's decree made the civil and military officials feel that although His Majesty was wise, he was still too protective of his own people.

The decree stated that the officials arrested in the capital last night were not subject to the previous regulations and were all to be interrogated thoroughly by the Supervisory Council before being handed over to the Court of Judicial Review for sentencing. At the same time, His Majesty took the opportunity to express his anger, scolding the ministers in the hall for not managing their subordinates strictly, failing to live up to the country's favor, and only knowing how to form cliques and engage in corruption, which was utterly shameless.

With the issuance of the decree, the ministers were frightened and didn't know what to do.

Due to the poor investigation of the ambush in the valley, the negligence of the Kyoto guards, and the corruption case of the Kyoto officials, Qu Xiangdong, the Right Deputy Minister of the Grand Council, was demoted, and Qin Heng, the Kyoto Garrison Commander, was dismissed and replaced by the former Deputy General of the Western Expeditionary Army, while Qin Heng was transferred to the Grand Council. At the same time, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice was replaced, the Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was replaced, and the Supervising Censor of the Censorate was replaced.

Those who replaced them were all the young officials who had entered the palace a few days ago.

The ministers were shocked. The Emperor's thunderous methods were really caught them off guard. Such a large-scale change of blood would not have been possible without the conflicts in Kyoto in recent days... Everyone knew that things were definitely not over yet, and couldn't help but secretly glance at the young man at the end of the line, a complex emotion rising in their hearts. Only then did they understand that Director Fan's ruthless actions last night were just a foreshadowing for today's decree at the court assembly.

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