Fan Xian quietly looked at Yun Zhilan before him, and he couldn't help but think of the time, many years ago, inside the night palace in Kyoto, when he first saw this grandmaster of swordsmanship. At that time, he was just a newcomer, a young man entering the political stage of the three kingdoms, while Yun Zhilan, the chief disciple of the Sword Hut, was already famous throughout the world and was the real person in charge of the Dongyi City delegation.

Six years have passed, and Fan Xian has become one of the top figures in this world, while Yun Zhilan is even about to pay homage to him and express his loyalty. The times have changed, and it is truly感慨.

Fan Xian didn't know what Sigu Jian had arranged before his death, or how he had persuaded Yun Zhilan, a staunch hardliner, but he could sense that Yun Zhilan's attitude was not very deceptive. He understood these strong men who constantly sought martial arts; once they decided on something, it was difficult to go back on it.

But he heard Yun Zhilan's words very clearly, hearing the four words "twelve swords." Fan Xian's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at him calmly and said, "Twelve swords... if Grandmaster Yun's sword heart is not here, how can I control these twelve swords?"

Before Yun Zhilan could reply, he had already stood up and solemnly helped the chief disciple of the Sword Hut, sincerely saying: "I know that Grandmaster Yun will not trust me because of Sword Saint's last words, and I don't need you to trust me. But if this is a transaction, I need the power of the Sword Hut, and the Sword Hut also needs my protection. But if you are not here, how can I hold these twelve swords tightly?"

Yun Zhilan's face had no smile. He said indifferently, "My master has naturally prepared a way to reassure Master Fan."

After saying this, Yun Zhilan turned and walked away, not giving Fan Xian any chance to communicate feelings or win over his sword heart.

Fan Xian stood in the room, somewhat lost, wondering what Sigu Jian had arranged for Yun Zhilan? But in a moment, he guessed a little. Although Sigu Jian was going to make a big bet on him, he always needed someone to check and balance him, to watch him, to supervise him.

Yun Zhilan was the one who was detached from the alliance of interests. With his prestige in the hearts of the Sword Hut disciples, if Fan Xian's actions in the future were too damaging to the interests of Dongyi City, with one order from him, the twelve swords that Fan Xian nominally possessed would only be left with that pitiful, lonely one in an instant.

……

……

After Yun Zhilan, the second disciple of the Sword Hut entered the room. Fan Xian quietly looked at this middle-aged man and found that the other party's appearance was ordinary. There was no outstanding feature between his eyebrows, and even the sword intent contained in his body was deeply wrapped inside. Wearing a slightly thick cotton robe, he didn't look like a powerful swordsman but rather like a housekeeper.

After the eldest brother came, then the second brother. Fan Xian smiled wryly in his heart. Sigu Jian's move directly pushed him onto the fire. The Sword Hut disciples seemed to have accepted his will and took turns reporting to him.

Fan Xian glanced at the brown urn beside him, and a trace of lost emotion arose in his eyes. A generation of Sword Saint had become a jar of ashes by his side.

His hand gently stroked the small urn, as if he could still feel the slight warmth of Sigu Jian's ashes. As his fingers moved, the eyes of the housekeeper-like second brother also changed, but they immediately calmed down. With a wave of his hand, several third-generation Sword Hut disciples carried several boxes in.

Fan Xian raised his head and asked with a smile, "Could this be Sword Saint's legacy?"

The second brother smiled without saying anything. It wasn't until all the boxes were placed in Fan Xian's room that he said softly, "My Sword Hut's property certainly isn't just this little bit. These are just some current assets that can be temporarily used. Master said that you need money now, so I brought them to you. There are also some accounts that I think you will be interested in, so I took the liberty of moving them here."

Fan Xian was slightly surprised, quietly looking at the Sword Hut master who looked like a housekeeper. He certainly wouldn't underestimate this second brother. On the contrary, among the thirteen disciples of the Sword Hut, he had always thought that this second brother was very noteworthy. Regardless of the fact that when Yun Zhilan and Wang Shisanlang were at odds, this second brother could always remain neutral and not be implicated, and Sigu Jian had always let him stay outside the Sword Hut, which showed that this person was deeply trusted by Sigu Jian.

Silver, accounts? Fan Xian squinted at him and asked, "Thank you for your trouble, but I don't know what these accounts are related to."

The second disciple of the Sword Hut said gently, "Related to the Taiping Bank."

When Fan Xian heard this sentence, he could no longer sit still on the low couch. He suddenly stood up, staring at the second disciple for a long time without speaking. Finally, he couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly, saying in an admiring tone, "Unexpectedly, no one would have thought... that the owner of the world's largest bank is actually a... strong man hidden in the Sword Hut."

Taiping Bank, the number one bank in the world! How vast was the Ming family's industry in Qing Kingdom back then, but to some extent, it also depended on the Taiping Bank's financial support. Since this bank appeared in the world, it has been the largest and most reputable bank in the world, without exception. And for decades, no other bank has ever been able to threaten its position.

Even a few years ago, Fan Xian and the little emperor of Northern Qi secretly joined forces, and then used the old official from his father's Ministry of Revenue to manage it, creating a deformed and huge Merchants Bank, but in front of the Taiping Bank, it still looked like a poorly developed child.

Fan Xian, who held the internal treasury's production and sales rights, two smuggling channels, a brothel alliance, and an extremely large bank, was undoubtedly the richest man in the world.

But he knew that although he had a lot of money, it was still not enough compared to the Taiping Bank!

Because this Taiping Bank was deeply rooted in the mainland's commerce, all the giant merchants and wealthy businessmen had extremely deep connections with it. If the Taiping Bank really exerted its strength, the money it could mobilize could reach an astonishing level.

Fan Xian was not an ordinary powerful official. He had the economic knowledge of a commercial society from his previous life, and he also dealt with merchants a lot in this life. Therefore, he knew the terrifying strength of the Taiping Bank and the effectiveness that this bank could exert better than ordinary people.

In the past, he had also asked the Overwatch Council to investigate the Taiping Bank's secrets, but every time he investigated a section, the clues would come to an abrupt end. Of course, since this number one bank in the world originated in Dongyi City, it was naturally related to the Sword Hut. At least it must have Sigu Jian's support behind it. But Fan Xian never thought that the number one Taiping Bank in the world was actually the Sword Hut's industry!

And the owner of the Taiping Bank was the second disciple of the Sword Hut!

Fan Xian stared blankly at the owner of this Taiping Bank, feeling an endless complex emotion in his heart. Only now did he realize how many chips Sigu Jian had pressed down in this big bet before his death, and how much strength he had added to himself.

Twelve swords were terrifying, and the control of Dongyi City was terrifying, but the truly terrifying thing was probably these few boxes of accounts that were brought into the room at this moment.

The accounts of the Taiping Bank.

Fan Xian took a deep breath, bowed respectfully to the second disciple of the Sword Hut, and asked softly, "I still don't know your name, sir."

This respect was not for the other party's status as a Sword Hut disciple or his strength in the ninth rank, but for the owner of the Taiping Bank's position. The most worthy of respect in this world was of course strength, and the person who controlled half of the world's money was undoubtedly the most worthy of respect.

At least that's what Fan Xian thought.

"Li Bohua." This second disciple of the Sword Hut, the owner of the Taiping Bank, was not surprised by Fan Xian's attitude. He said gently, "In charge of Taiping Bank for sixteen years."

Fan Xian was silent for a moment, not knowing what attitude to use to speak to this person. According to Sigu Jian's intention, this person should be for his own use, but could a big figure who owned the Taiping Bank really be used by him?

Then he thought of some things, and his pupils gradually shrank - with the strength in his hands, the Merchants Bank, plus the Taiping Bank, which vaguely controlled the livelihoods of countless merchants and people, this kind of strength should be able to fight against something.

This was a bottom-up confrontation.

Li Bohua looked at Fan Xian's expression, knowing what he was thinking. He slowly said, "The Taiping Bank lends money all over the world, but if the situation is difficult, I'm afraid those external loans can't be recovered. But..."

"But?" came out, Fan Xian looked at him, waiting for his next words.

"Silver notes fly all over the world, but the silver reserves are always inside Dongyi City." Li Bohua did not hide anything in front of Fan Xian, "If Master Fan can gather these forces together, it can indeed affect many things. If you want to make the world chaotic, it's not a difficult task."

Only people with power have the confidence to speak. Today Fan Xian realized that the most powerful person among the thirteen disciples of the Sword Hut was not Yun Zhilan, who had the highest prestige, nor Wang Shisanlang, who had the most promising future, but Li Bohua, who held the most silver.

"This is a great gift." Fan Xian had calmed down from the previous shock and said slowly, "If Dongyi City demands too much, I still can't do it. I must explain it in advance."

"This is already your property, sir." Li Bohua looked at him with a smile. Unlike ordinary martial arts masters, this invisible tycoon in the mainland's business world saw Fan Xian's caution at a glance and said softly, "There is no requirement for you to do anything in the master's will. I think you have already negotiated it, and I am just executing it."

Fan Xian frowned and smiled self-deprecatingly, "My life has already been hit once by a golden basin falling from the sky. Could it be that I will be hit a second time today?"

"I don't know what you need silver for, but I have silver." Li Bohua suddenly said after a long silence, "Of course, personally, I want to make a condition."

Fan Xian looked at him quietly and said after a moment, "You have the qualifications and strength to make any conditions."

Li Bohua slowly got up and said, "The Taiping Bank was originally the property of the Dongyi City Lord's Mansion, and later it was the private property of the Sword Hut. I have spent sixteen years of hard work and energy on it. The bank is getting bigger and bigger, but please remember that the bank's silver is not just the bank's silver, but also the savings of all the merchants in Dongyi City, and even the savings of countless people in Northern Qi and Southern Qing. If you want to use it, you must have a limit. You can't just dig out all the merchants' silver."

"That's natural."

"My meaning is that the Taiping Bank is actually the bank of the Dongyi people. It is their silver root, their root." Li Bohua looked at him quietly, saying each word, "You only have half the blood of the Dongyi people. I want to remind you that our surrender is only nominal. We don't want to become Yanjing people, Jiangnan people, or Weizhou people. We just want to be Dongyi people."

"Get to the point." Fan Xian squinted at him.

"No garrison." Li Bohua frowned and said softly.

As soon as these words came out, the corners of Fan Xian's lips curled up and he laughed. He looked at him and said softly, "You are a smart person, of course, you know that this is something that Sword Saint has already approved. I can't make concessions."

Then he frowned and said, "You also have to understand me. I have tried my best to persuade the millions of people in Qing Kingdom."

Li Bohua also laughed. The previous statement was just a negotiating tactic. He sincerely said the real request.

"If a garrison is necessary, I hope it is the Black Knights." Li Bohua looked at Fan Xian and said calmly, "Nothing else will do."

Fan Xian shook his head, "The Black Knights only number a thousand people, and His Majesty won't agree."

"Then it will be the former subordinates of the First Prince, preferably the First Prince himself." Li Bohua did not back down and said, "Now the various vassal states have begun to show signs of unrest, and the people's hearts have also begun to be disturbed. After the funeral, if the Qing army enters strongly, it will probably cause a lot of backlash. If the situation becomes chaotic, how will we solve this problem?"

"Does that mean that if the Black Knights or the former Western Expeditionary Army enter Dongyi City, there won't be this problem?"

Li Bohua smiled and said, "The master of the Black Knights is you, the master of the Western Expeditionary Army is His Highness the First Prince... And all the people of Dongyi City know that you are a descendant of Miss Ye's family, and the First Prince is the son of Ning Dagu."

Fan Xian frowned slightly, not knowing what key role this played in stabilizing the situation in Dongyi City.

"It depends on people's hearts." Li Bohua said softly, "In these past twenty years, Dongyi City has produced two of the most famous women. One is your mother. Even today, the merchants of Dongyi City still regard the old Ye family as the pride of Dongyi City. And the other is Ning Dagu, a pitiful female prisoner of war from Dongyi City, who eventually became the imperial concubine of a foreign country... You may find it strange, but the fact is that the people of Dongyi City have never considered this a humiliation. They only consider it a rare honor."

Fan Xian was silent and naturally thought of those Chinese girls who became princesses of Northern Europe and wives of wealthy people in his previous life. It seemed that people's emotions were not resistant at that time. On the contrary, they were secretly happy. It had nothing to do with worshiping foreigners. It was probably a strange joy of declaring the country's flattery overseas.

"This is because the status of Miss Ye's family and Ning Dagu in the hearts of the people of Dongyi City has never changed." Li Bohua looked at him and said, "So you or the First Prince, in the hearts of many merchants and people, are actually half Dongyi people. If one of you two garrisons here, it will be easier to appease the emotions of the people."

Fan Xian was silent for a long time and said, "You have a point, and I can try to persuade His Majesty the Emperor with these words. Presumably His Majesty also wants a complete Dongyi City, not a city where righteous soldiers rise and blood flows into rivers."

"Thank you for your trouble." After Li Bohua said these words, he bowed deeply and prepared to leave.

The specific matters regarding Dongyi City's submission, such as whether to pay tribute every year or directly include it in the Kyoto tax system, are still under discussion by officials at all levels. And above these matters, of course, is the most important matter of the garrison. Li Bohua came today with the Taiping Bank and left with a wave, but he weighed Fan Xian's burden even heavier.

"Please wait a moment." Fan Xian suddenly spoke to keep the guest. At this time, the shock in his heart could not be completely eliminated. He really did not understand why Sigu Jian decided to make a big bet on him before his death, and why these disciples of the Sword Hut did not ask for details, did not ask for reasons, and so boldly and even recklessly moved out the family assets of Dongyi City.

They did not know the past like Sigu Jian did, nor did they know the deep ditch between Fan Xian and the Emperor that was difficult to erase. What did they rely on to believe in Fan Xian?

"We just believe in the wisdom of the master." Li Bohua looked at him and said with a smile, "Presumably you also know that the master was never an idiot."

Fan Xian was silent, then smiled and said, "I think you have invested so many things, there must be some way to supervise me."

"Of course it won't be Yun Zhilan." Fan Xian narrowed his eyes and thought, slowly saying, "The City Lord's Mansion will be re-established, and Yun Zhilan is the best choice. He is detached from the Sword Hut, watching coldly, and will check and balance me from the general trend... But where is your check and balance on me personally? You should be clear that I am not a person who can be controlled."

"We are not sure that we can control Master Fan." Li Bohua said calmly, "So we are just following the master in a world-class gamble. Of course, if Master Fan goes back on his word and turns his hand to swallow my Dongyi City into his belly, it will not be beyond our expectations. After all, you are a Qing person, the illegitimate son of the Qing Emperor. The life and death of Dongyi City are probably not that important in your heart."

"Since you thought of this, why do you still dare to gamble?"

"We Dongyi City has no other power, just money, and... swords." Li Bohua smiled and bowed before leaving the quiet room.

Then a sword entered the quiet room.

The tired Wang Shisanlang had a pale face. He looked at Fan Xian and remained silent for a long time before saying in a very low voice, "From today onwards, I will follow you every day. If you go back on your word, I will kill you."

"Can you kill me?" Fan Xian sighed and shook his head.

Wang Shisanlang stubbornly stared at him and said, "If I misjudge you... even if I can't kill you, I will still kill you."